Tumgik
#it’s a very well written shitty personality
jesterjaxx · 2 days
Text
Halloween AU lore dump!!!
❗️WARNING❗️
so much infodumping world buidling and headcannons
DJ- Robot
Originally built to be a robo cop type deal. But when given free will refused to hurt anyone and got scrapped
Was found and repurposed by "Momma" to be a son
Really fuckin loves animals. Nature in general but mostly animals.
They get spooked by him a lot though
Hes kinda sad about this but gets it.
Momma is a scraper/engineer and outfitted him with everything a "good human boy" would need, like touch receptors and an ability to taste
Nothing to be done about majorly changing how he looks tho
The ability to feel is a bit too much sometimes
Sometimes all he can feel is cold
Goes to Duncan to see if he can do something about helping communicate to animals that he is a friend. Ala magic.
Machinery and Magic don't mix well typically, you gotta be crazy specific, which isn't really Duncan's styel
Duncan likes DJ tho, and proceeds to steal some of Harolds spellbooks
Side plot of them being wayyyy to hard for him to read, in both way too high level and shitty handwritten chickenscratch that fucks with his dyslexia, so he has to ask Harold for help
Maybe they learn to better understand eachother idk
Maybe they kill eachother
Harold and Duncan team up 6 dead 9 injured every single person is fucking baffled
Anyways DJ is like iron giant up in this bitch
His Momma is kinda worried that one day he'll learn enough mechanics to fix himself up and wont need her anymore
Tyler - Harpy
Ok the chicken fear makes sense now
He gets the uncanny valley feeling looking at chickens
I would too
He would fly into a window
Can he fly?
Hes like a turkey
Or a seagull
Wait im an idiot hes a chicken
Duh
Eva - Gargoyle
Her carver loved buff women thank god almighty for that
Punches like a brick wall
Living Stone
lion paws for feet
Did you guys know sound resonates the best through solids??
Her music listening experience is legit i just know it
Noah - The Blob/ slime monster
Oh god that poor guy
Hes gonna get slime all over his books
Harold - Witch
He's the type of witch to have seperate waters for different kinds of spells
A pretty dorky Witch, even by witch standards
Wears proper witch PPE (robes and hat)
Has his sheldon Big Bang Theory style shirts on underneath tho
Uses incantations and written spells in magical languages mainly
Uses the starlight, paper, ink, historical artifacts and an assortment of magical ingredients as fuels
Has a large collection of quality spellbooks for references
Not those shitty amazon spellbooks that are just a list of pre written spells, these ones were written by some old hag 80 years ago and through flowery rambleing language tell you how write spells yourself. They go into spell syntax.
Harolds books for writing incantations and spells are spiral notebooks
If he uses smbols will typically craft a custom sygil for it
Uses alot of number magic and latin
Uses his confidence in his skills with writing spells to harness magic
Is better at doing spells for other people, when doing spells for himself he tends to overcomplicate things
Actually went to magic camps and magic summer schools
"I was trained for this!" and it's Mostly true
Can make the most specific fucking spell work for him
I cannot stress he is good at this type of casting.
Duncan's way of doing magic pisses him off. Both are convinced their way is better
Harold to Duncan ->"What the fuck do you mean you increased your strength with a posca marker, bare knuckles and a dream. How are you not dead yet >:[ "
He has a lot of respect for magic itself, Duncan's almost disrespectful way of using magic makes him mad.
Whats worse is that it works.
How Harold casts a spell
Writes down a goal -> outlines different methods to achieve it (incantations, scrolls, potions) -> writes out the spelleork with alot of detail accounting for almost every outcome -> it takes very long -> outwardly or inwardly recites writes spell to activate it -> profit
Alejandro - Siren
(I give up with organization here no more bullet points)
Mermaids and Sirens are almost identical, with few overt physical differences
Sirens will typically have colored iris', 2 finned gills, longer tounges, boned ears and uniformly sharp teeth
Mermaids have colored scalera, 3 smooth gills, finned ears and sharp canines
This isn't a rule, and in modern times there are few families of sirens or mermaids that havent mixed with other monsters at some point
Both species have shape-shifting abilities.
Mermaids have two forms, and can switch between them at will, though the process takes hours and the mermaid will have to stay in either aquatic or land form for a couple weeks before changing again. though this wait time can be speed up with tailsmen, it's can cause health problems.
Siren can shift their features at will, including shifting from aquatic to non aquatic with no wait time, some families of Siren encourage "good breeding" and fostering shifting abilities to the point of shifting bone structure, hair, colors and gender at will. This level of shifting controll is a very desirable trait, and cannot be learned.
Alejandro is one of these few families who try to stay purely Siren
Hes a 100% Siren, but unlike his brothers he lacks any shape-shifting abilities, a flaw that has brought him great shame (this is just a genetic fluke, it's like a birth defect)
but he has both a very powerful ability to enchant his words and natural charisma. Dangerous combo.
Because of the well known knowledge that Sirens can manipulate people with ease, Alejandro semi pretends that he is a Mermaid, using his long hair to obscure his gills
He more just lets people assume hes a Mermaid and does not correct them rather than actually lying
He lies about many things but outright lying about species is a bit much
Siren Speech doesn't work as good if someone's also using magic at the same time or knows what's up about it
It doesn't work that great on Heather, Duncan or Harold point blank, or Lindsay, Beth Trent and Justin if they're shifting or shifted
Good thing hes manipulative on his own!
Beth - Mermaid
Yeah sure why not
I don't know enough about Beth yet i need a moot whose obsessed with her
Ezekiel - Ghost
Lmao hes invisible
Poor dude probably gets looked over all the time
Hes just clothes and a transparent person
Justin - Werewolf
The twilight girls would go crazy over him i know it
Cody - Puppet
Oh poor dude
Itll look cool tho
Hed make knock on wood jokes all the time
Trent - Werecat
The trustin girls would go crazy over this i know it
But real like hes chillin
Would use claws as a pick
Geoff - Frankenstein
A man of the people
Literally
Looses limbs easily
Wakes up after a party like "wheres my leg lmao"
Heather - Zombie
Oh this is good
Shes vegan
Would insult people like "i can tell you have a brain why the hell don't you use it"
Very concerned over phsyical appearance
Uses so so many products
Pretty alive looking for a zombie cuz of it
It's kinda creepy
Her eyes got no eyeshine tho
Like a shark.
Gwen - Skeleton/Ghost
Ok this was an accidental double Gwen got both Skeleton and ghost
Since Ezekiel is already a ghost i'm Gonna lean into the Skeleton bit more but throw a transparent silhouette over all of her for the ghost bit
Ghost vs Zombie rivalry
She'd do all sorts of cool drawings and markings on her bones
Gwen, drawing a bat on her femur with sharpie: tattoo moment
Her eyeliner is also sharpie
Who the fuck cares about skincare when you don't have skin
Lindsay: you shouldn't put permanent marker on your face! It can hurt you 🥺
Gwen, floating bones:
LeShawna - Chimera
YES I LOVE MONSTER COMBOS
LIKE COMBINATIONS OF MULTIPLE ANIMALS
lets do classic chimera but with one head
Lean into the Lioness bit cuz Leshawna is a boss bitch and Lionesses are so fucking cool
I might give her a scorpion tail
Duncan - Witch
Another double whoops lol
He's a "fuck it we ball" typa witch
lmao he and Harold are beefing like crazy i know it Harold has 12 spellbooks hes memorized with their specific ways of casting and Duncan is writing runes on his knuckles with sharpie
Duncan to Harold ->"Why are you using 2 pages of latin for a fire spell??"
"Because i need only this bit of wood to light on fire a little bit and nothing else and if i dont i could loose control of it or blow it up or it might not even start"
*stares in did finger guns at a branch and cremated it for fun*
Harold to Duncan ->"Why are you writing runes on your nailpolish??"
"i'm tired of being the only scary bitch here without claws"
*stares in once accidentally rubbed spell notes off of his spellbook and onto his face while passed out on his desk and gave himself acid burns for 3 weeks"
They go crazy they go stupid
Hes self taught
The Duncan and Harold bullying arc turned Street smart vs actually Smart but make it witches
Mostly just picking shit up as he goes
"Stole" (it was free) a pamphlet on different types of magical symbols and has managed to make the symbols illustrated in it work for almost every spell he wants
Fueled by raw unrelenting audacity
Real lore tho- magic is created with belief and harnessed with confidence, you can either go the intellectual route and control every variable and have trust in your control of those variables to harness the magic like Harold, or like Duncan, have enough semi-unearned confidence in yourself to harness magic with little need for more than a few variables.
Basically as a general rule, it has as much meaning as you truthfully believe it does
Doesn't explain what hes casting or how hes doing it
"Where'd you learn how to do that?"
"what are you a cop?"
(learned from illustrations, word of mouth, and other witches on the street)
Has a couple stick n poke magical symbols, several other scribbled on symbols that are temporary
Biggest one is a glyph for fire on his hand, he doens most of his spells using it
Has burns around his glyph tattoos from spells backfiring cuz he got distracted
Uses sharpies, spraypaint, eyeliner and the insides of firecrackers for drawing symbols
If he needs a magical material he'll typically substitute whatever he has on him, belief goes a long way.
"Pure Holy Silver?... this earring looks silver enough
This doesn't work for potions cuz potions are only a little left to normal chemistry.
Has alot of talisman he wears
Carries extra ingredients on him ala accessories cuz fuck it it looks cool
Mains his spells with symbols, uses potions or material fuels if he cant make a good connection between what he wants and one of 10 symbols he remembers at any given time
Uses moonlight, bones, rocks, and personal artifacts as fuels
How duncan casts a spell
Draws glyph -> creates a mental connection between what the glyph means and what he wants to do (this is mostly subconscious with Duncan he doenst know what hes doing he just knows he does it well)-> activates glyph physically (ie hitting, tapping, lighting, punching, tracing with finger)
Example: draws fire glyph on Chris's camper -> wants to set it on fire but not the surrounding grass and trees -> smacks the side of the camper that has the glyph on it -> profit
Duncan, to Harold: You make magic math, i make magic my bitch
Bridgette - Alien
Aww she could be so cute
Surfer girl from planet nine
Owen - Plant Monster
This could visually look really cool
Big carnivorous plant
Izzy - Angel
kaleidoscope = biblically accurate form, cuz she "Looks like a kaleidoscope! Duh!"
Lindsay - Selkie
If you steal her coat ill fucking kill you
Sadie - Vampire
Ough thats cute
I'm Gonna make her pigtails batwings
Katie - Zombie
undead girlfriends
Sadie thinks Katie is so pretty it doesn't matter her eye just fell out
Courtney - Demon
Oh this bitch looooves contracts
Is also upset about Duncan but she just doesn't like witches in general
Whats the point of making deals with humans for magical powers of some humans give themselves magical powers
Demon of what?? Pride maybe?? Or envy??
Shes a sweetheart tho
53 notes · View notes
lord-squiggletits · 10 months
Text
The funny thing about my love-hate relationship with Barber is that conceptually, I do understand and agree with the concepts he established/strengthened about IDW Optimus, and I do think that if you want to write a good IDW Optimus you should read some of his stuff and ponder the themes that are trying to be conveyed therein.
It's just that holy shit the actual stories that IDW OP is in, like the plotlines and the reasons things happens and the style they're written in. Dark and depressing but not in a fun way, more focused on plot than character development, fast-paced and has a lot of things happen without much breathing or contemplation room, incredibly horrible plot holes and forcing certain things to happen for the sake of the plot. Like good god in THEORY his stories contain everything I wanted out of phase 2, it's just that the way it was EXECUTED fills me with so much disappointment and anger.
7 notes · View notes
goldiipond · 2 years
Text
at some point when i can gather my thoughts i would like to make an in-depth post (would probably end up being more of an essay honestly) about how tpn treats its characters of color because like. there's definitely a colorism problem with anime/manga in general and i think tpn has some really solid black and brown characters for a medium that is severely lacking in that department but there's also some things it handles poorly and it would be good to explore that i think
#skye's ramblings#idk i think about it a lot like. on one hand you have characters like don who is just. an absolutely wonderful character#never portrayed as overly aggressive and just a really emotional and sensitive person without being infantilized for those traits#the one time he DOES lash out in anger (a very reasonable reaction to the circumstances tht caused it) he's not demonized for it#my favorite character in the whole series after ray if you dont love him yuore wrong#meanwhile krone is an incredibly interesting and well-written character she suffers immensely from being drawn like a fucking caricature#like none of the other characters have this problem and demizu did realize that was shitty and draws her normally now but#it doesn't change the fact that those caricatures are still present in the escape arc and s1 (though the anime is better abt this)#and an especially bad impression considering she's the first significant black character to appear in the series#krone being drawn Like That is definitely the biggest flaw this series has#aside from that lke. phil is really good even if we dont see him much between the first and last arcs#i LOVED ayshe even if she deserved more development (and i wish she didn't have blond hair and blue eyes lol)#zack is a really great character and pepe is the only afro latino character ive ever seen in manga and i love him. also his design fucks#ANYWAY !! ANYWAY. 'i want to make a seperate in-depth post' [writes long tag rant]#saving my thoughts now. but i do have a lot of them
34 notes · View notes
turbo-overkill · 1 year
Note
scariest thing in the wowlrd when i hear a comic book show tries to have a character with did
Completely valid tbh, I was scared for my life when I started watching it.
I feel like the show did portray DID better than shit like. Split or whatever the fuck that movie was. Which is already a low bar but still.
It does take creative liberties with its portrayal, such as most of the alters having unique powers, but from what I understand, it's not offensive or in any way an attempt to villainize the disorder with its portrayal. It is not demonized and is actually shown to be a complex matter that's not inherently bad or incredibly cool, but just IS. Instead of like. Okay she has superpowers and also is weeeeeird and craaaaaaazy, which is what I expected when I started the show, having only known thar this is a superhero show with a mentally ill character and that Can't End Well.
Jane's DID is not invalidated in any way or treated as some awful and evil thing, it just... exists? It causes conflict all through out the show, but it's treated with normalcy and understanding and afaik the only character who even implies she should get "cured" (become one person) is the villain. It's never implied to be evil or made up, as opposed to the feeling of otherness media often tries to give to DID.
The show also got rid of the Crazy Jane nickname she goes by in the comics, which is a smaller detail but it's good.
I also think Jane's trauma is handled very well, and it's something I feel qualified to voice my opinion on instead of reiterating stuff I've heard from actual systems. I don't want to go into details, but TLDR she was abused by her father and in general had an incredibly rough life. The way it's handled across multiple seasons is very nice and refreshing to see, given how much victim blaming and "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" shit often shows up when trauma is discussed this heavily. I like how her being traumatized and having an incredibly difficult time 'dealing' with it is treated with compassion by the narrative AND the other characters.
The process of healing from trauma and learning to live with it to the best of your abilities is shown to be an incredibly difficult and lengthy one, and made me, personally, very happy to see.
Ultimately, while I don't have DID myself, I have talked to systems who have watched the show, and it seems the consensus is that, aside from the superpowers and different make up/hair styles that appear when their respective alter is fronting, the portrayal is actually respectful and not offensive, and shows that the writers care about it.
7 notes · View notes
Text
How the hell is Meena not getting a lot of votes
6 notes · View notes
writingbaddie · 2 years
Text
I love how people care more about Hisoka’s “pedophilic” tendencies than the very real murders he’s actually committed in the series.
Check tags 😌
6 notes · View notes
arolesbianism · 4 months
Text
Ok I finally stopped being a wuss and read that last Moca banner story and fuck. Fuck.
#rat rambles#band posting#I was so scared to read it since I was so scared abt the direction theyd take it in#but it was so fucking good holy shit#moca was written very well I love how it both stays true to its base character while also showcasing how its changed overtime#and Im so glad that moca is standing up to ran abt this in an actually meaningful way#Im so glad that moca has made it clear that its not going to just stand around and watch this happen#because while I kind of get where ran is coming from this is not the sort of decision you make for a group of people#itd be one thing if it was just them wanting to quit personally but deciding that the whole of them need to disband?#especially while knowomg full well how passionate the others are about this#I love ran dearly and generally Im not one to call bndori characters shitty#but thats real fucking shitty. ran is doing a shitty thing here.#and its so important that moca especially challenges that#I especially like how moca thought of this as being another example of ran running away from their future#I hadnt thought of it that way before but that makes so much sense actually I really love it#to ran the future of the band is uncertain which in turn makes it scary to continue to put their all into#they dont want it to fizzle out and die without them being able to stop it so theyre trying to take matters into their own hands#but in turn theyre giving up on all of the things that made them so scared to fizzle out in the first place#they dont want to have to face figuring out their next step so its simply easier to just tear it all down#they arent doing the hard thing they think theyre doing#afterglow is going to end one day and thats ok. whats not ok is tearing it apart out of fear of losing it in a worse way#ran thinks that the others dont have solid goals. fine. thats smth to bring up with everyone as a concern not to use to justify ending it#the way theyre just making the executive decision sucks so bad and I need the rest of afterglow to stand up to them abt that#this is what all of them need.#Im still a bit worried abt how this arc will play out but Im becoming more open to it then before#Im just glad theyre not having everyone just sit down and take the beating#I hope himari uses the opportunity to actually express anger because its been too long fr#my faith in the bndori writers is slowly being restored just gimme a good himari standing up for afterglow moment and we're golden
1 note · View note
maddy-ferguson · 4 months
Text
i'm studying with notes that aren't mine and tell me why the person uses parentheses ( like this ) i genuinely think there's something wrong with them
#and like i say: brf slt#and they use them way more than the average person too i have to erase the extra space every single time#i know i can't complain because well if i wanted notes to be written the way i want i should have just gone to class and the content#is there so like it's fine. but OH MY GOD#people literally can't write? i know it's hard i know about dyslexia and everything i know it's elitist to expect everyone to be able to#write perfectly but it's actually astounding how bad people are at this am i the only one who can write without making three mistakes#in one sentence anymore society...it's actual sentences not notes they took quickly in the moment like this is them making an effort#i think my biggest pet peeve is the way people use commas. the syntax in general is abysmal it's criminal. and that's coming from me the#person who writes like this on social media#i read a lot as a kid and i've always been very good at like writing without making any mistakes whether it was conjugation grammar or#spelling i don't know why but it always came naturally to me and so i just genuinely do not understand how people can make so many mistakes#that their sentences don't make sense anymore it doesn't compute for me. like i know the objective reasons but it's just not something i'm#capable of understanding😭#i think one of the reasons why i could always write well is i see every word i think/say/hear in my head like visually without me doing#anything like automatically since forever? not forever i don't know what it was like before i could read but it's not like anyone#remembers what not reading is like once they know how to read. but yeah when i tell people this they're always like no this is not a thing#for me and i'm like okay...#but anyway. i don't comment on people's writing mistakes unless it's my sister because it's like rude and again i know it's shitty to be#like you can't write are you stupid because there's a lot of reasons but it's also yk the way we communicate so it's nice to actually#understand what the other person is saying#this doesn't apply to the way i write in the tags of my posts and elsewhere. btw. 😁#doesn't even apply to english in general actually. tbh. but i type the exact same way in french so it's not a language thing#it's a me thing
1 note · View note
gengarpng · 4 months
Text
I think the word "parasocial (relationships)" needs to be put up on the shelf for a day or 2
1 note · View note
achilleslyre · 7 months
Text
you cannot love ash while hating yut lung i’m sorry but using the point that he tried to hurt ash and eiji will never get me……. this is a 16 year old boy who watched his brothers rape and kill his mother at 6 years old while he was being held in place to watch and was then trained for special assassination and used for his entire life with no free will by said brothers until he killed his brothers freeing himself and others from their control because he despised the lee bloodline and with the new freedom that came with the lack of control and the aspect of no guidance in life from any respectable adult he grew a deep hatred for ash and eiji because he sees ash as a reflection of himself so they should be the exact same except why does ash get to have someone that loves him and guides him out of the darkness of hatred and self loathing that comes with the life they were dealt when they are the same person and yut lung does not have anyone to love him. so as any teenager would do he has a breakdown about it and then uses control (the only thing he’s been taught) to try to take that away from ash because they’re supposed to be the same but when it’s addressed to him that what he’s doing is wrong and that taking eiji away from ash would just create another yut lung, an unlovable and unloving person (as told from the perspective of yut lung), he stops what he’s doing despite his own sorrow and breaks his contract with blanca so that blanca can go try to save them…………….. he was a 16 year old boy with absolutely no guidance in life and when hit with the voice of an adult who does not hate him nor hurt him he listened and stopped…………………..
0 notes
lovebugism · 3 months
Note
Okay soooooooo
How bout something like King Steve picking on shy!reader, then later finding out she has a shitty home life plz
ty for requesting!! this can be read as a prequel to this fic — steve comforts you when he accidentally makes you flinch (enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, cw for brief mentions of abuse, 1.8k)
Sitting alone at the Hellfire table, you feel a little like fishbait. 
Your spot in the very back of the cafeteria is normally full and loud — with Dustin’s bickering, and Eddie’s laughing, and Gareth’s stupid jokes — but they’re not here now. They’re off getting their trays while you sit in wait for them (and the cold fries you’ll ultimately steal from Eddie’s plate). It leaves you perfect prey for circling sharks.
You hear laughter from behind you, over the sounds of the bustling lunch room. You’re certain they’re laughing at you — ‘cause you always think someone’s laughing at you — but you try hard to ignore it. You disregard the subtle pang of anxiety in your chest and stick your nose in your book, eyes flitting across the words without reading any of them.
Someone flumps down at your side then, where Mike usually sits. The overwhelming scent of spiced cologne stings your nostrils. With watering eyes, you look beside you. At Tommy fucking Hagan.
“Hey, Wallflower,” he greets like it’s normal — like he hasn’t spent the past four years pretending you don’t exist. You think he only calls you Wallflower now because his friends have been doing it for so long they don’t remember your real name.
The boy props his elbow on the table and puts his chin in his fist, trying hard to hide his boyish beam and accompanying laughter. He fails.
You cower at his presence, all but shrinking into yourself. “…Hi?” you reply in a tiny voice.
“How’s it hangin’?”
“...Fine?”
“That’s great!” he answers instantly, like he hadn’t heard you at all. “You see, my friend Steve, over there— you know him, right?”
You don’t bother to look where he’s pointing. Of course, you know Steve The Hair Harrington. You don’t think there’s a single person in Hawkins who doesn’t.
You nod in response.
Tommy’s smile widens. “Well, he’s got this massive crush on you,” he confesses, choking back a laugh halfway through. “I mean, he talks about you all the time.”
You know he’s lying. And not just because he’s grinning so hard that his eyes are crinkled and his freckled cheeks are turning pink. You’re almost certain Steve Harrington doesn’t even know who you are. He never had a reason to. Why would the King of Hawkins High ever stoop so low to know someone like you?
You glance at him over your shoulder, a couple tables down from you. He’s almost magnetically pretty. You couldn’t ignore him if you tried — with his pretty hair and his pretty eyes and his pretty smile. His golden cheeks flush as all his friends start poking fun at him. 
He rolls his eyes and scoffs a laugh you can tell is forced from here. He doesn’t think any of this is funny. You can see it on his face. But he isn’t trying to stop it all from happening. You’re just collateral damage, really.
You turn back to Tommy with a disbelieving look in your eye.
He continues to ramble despite it. “He was just a little nervous coming up to you, that’s all. So I thought I’d do him a favor and slip you his number. You know, as his wingman and all.” He tosses a folded-up index card onto the pages of your opened book. “You should call him tonight— It’ll make his day, I swear.”
He pats you a little too hard on the back before he goes. His laugh echoes over all the rest when he sits back down at his table. You watch them over your shoulder as they fall over themselves to crack jokes about you. 
Steve’s the only one not smiling. “Not cool, Tommy,” he mouths.
—————
Locker 148. The one right across from yours. Property of Steve The Hair Harrington. 
You shove the thick card with his number written on it between the slits in the metal. You’d carried it around all day, utterly unsure of what to do with it. You decided ultimately to return it, figuring he might feel a little better if a total stranger didn’t have his phone number.
You struggle to slide it through the thin gap, though. The paper gets caught halfway through, and you try to yank it back out again. The old locker moves with you, like it’s not completely shut but still somehow latched. 
You’re so in your own head you don’t hear the gymnasium door down the hall squeal open and shut again. Steve pants heavily and tries to recover from a ruthless basketball practice. He hunts for a water fountain and finds you instead.
“What are you doing?” he calls as he nears you, not malicious or unkind but genuinely curious.
Your heart lurches into your throat as you all but jump out of your skin.
Steve laughs, a pretty sound in the silent hallway. “Shit. Sorry. I didn’t— I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t,” you assure with an averted gaze, though your frightened demeanor says otherwise. “I was just— I was trying to give you this.”
You hold the paper out towards him. He takes it with hesitant hands. “What is it?”
“Your number. Tommy gave it to me earlier, and I know it was just a stupid joke, so I… I thought you’d feel more comfortable if I gave it back to you.”
Something in Steve’s chest aches. He doesn’t understand why you would care about what might make him comfortable. It’s not like he ever gave you the time of day — or ever tried to stop his friends from being total assholes. As far as he’s concerned, you’re the last person who should give a shit about him.
“Oh. Right— Yeah… Thanks,” he stammers and shoves the thing into his pocket. “And I’m— I’m sorry about Tommy and everything. He can be a real douchebag sometimes. I didn’t… I didn’t tell him to bother you or anything—”
“I know,” you assure in a mousy voice. “Tommy gave me your number hoping I’d be dumb enough to call while your friends were over so you could all… laugh at me? I guess. He could’ve been a little more original, honestly.”
Steve cracks a smile. He almost laughs, but he can’t tell if you’re joking or not.
“I’ll talk to him later. Tell him to leave you alone—” He rambles and walks closer to you. You watch him with tentative eyes as he approaches. “—He’s a total dumbass sometimes, but he usually means well. Most of the time, anyway—”
Steve raises his hand suddenly. And, because you’re frightened by everything little thing, you flinch and stumble over yourself in the process. The lockers catch your fall, and you hit the back of your head. Hard.
“Shit— Are you okay?” 
“I’m fine,” you squeak, holding the crown of your hair and squinting as your skull pounds.
Steve rushes to your side, then idles just ahead of you because he doesn’t know if you want him touching you. His brows pinch, chiseled features swimming with concern. His cinnamon eyes glitter with it, too. “I wasn’t trying to scare you—”
“It’s okay.”
“—My locker was just jammed. I was going to shut it.”
The metal door is open now, from where it wasn’t shut all the way and where you just smacked your head on it.
“I just wasn’t expecting it,” you assure in a tight voice, trying hard to ignore the sharp throbbing. “It’s fine. I’m fine—”
“You’re hurt.”
“It’ll go away—”
“Let me get you an icepack.”
“—I’ll be fine once I get home.”
Steve, feeling purely at fault and aching at how effortlessly you shrug him off, decides to approach you fully. He curls a warm hand around the outside of your elbow. A touch surprisingly gentle. “No. C’mon. Let me help.”
You don’t feel much like you’re in any position to fight him about it. Not with the world still swaying under your feet. 
Steve guides you the short distance to the empty cafeteria. Slow and kind and dreadfully patient. He sits you down, makes sure you’re still okay, and then rushes to fix you a makeshift icepack — a ziplock bag filled to the brim with chipped ice.
He sits at the chair beside yours, slightly askew so his knees bump your thighs. He holds the pack to the crown of your head and gazes at you attentively. You’re not looking back at him to see it.
“Does it still hurt?”
You shrug, eyes flitted to the wringing hands in your lap. “It’s fine. It just feels a little like I have a migraine.”
Steve winces. “I’m sorry.”
Your doe eyes peek at him from beneath your lashes. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I scared you.”
“Everything scares me.”
It’s a dumb joke. You mean it, but you still expect him to laugh about it. He doesn’t even crack a smile, though. He just keeps looking at you with that puppy-like twist to his features. The worry is evident in his face. 
“Do you wanna, like, talk about it or something?”
“About what?”
“Why you flinched.”
You freeze, breath hitching in your throat. No one’s ever noticed your incessant panic — outside of making jokes about it anyway. No one’s cared enough to ask about it, either. Steve Harrington is the last person you expected any kind of concern from.
You shake your head after a few long moments. “No.”
“You could,” Steve assures, suddenly shy. You didn’t know he could be anything other than totally full of himself. “You know, if you wanted to. I wouldn’t— I wouldn’t tell anyone—”
You scoff a disbelieving laugh.
Steve’s features swirl with hurt. You hate that it makes your chest ache. You hate most that he hasn’t stopped being soft with you. The hand holding the pack to your head hasn’t yet wavered, even though you know his arm must be tired now.
“I wouldn’t. ‘Cause I— I know what it’s like to… to have a bad home life or whatever,” he confesses, stammering hopelessly. He forces a laugh at himself. “Probably more than most people do, honestly.”
His admission takes you by surprise. It comforts you in a way you didn’t think someone like him could. 
Even still, you shake your head. “I— I can’t—” you murmur, clearing your throat when the words get stuck there. “I can’t talk about it…”
Steve nods, firm and reassuring. “That’s okay. You don’t have to, I was just… I was just saying, you know? I get it.”
You swallow through a tight throat, nodding wordlessly in response.
“Plus, you know, you have my number and everything… If you ever wanted to talk…”
You flash him a timid look and crack a quiet smile. “I gave it back to you, remember?”
“I’ll write it down for you again,” he promises with a shrug and a lopsided grin. It’s easier to ignore his aching arm and the ice stinging his palm when he’s looking at you. “For real this time.”
2K notes · View notes
wave2tyun · 3 months
Text
meddle about | ☆
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
pairing: idol!yeonjun x idol!reader
genre: idol!au, best friends to lovers, some fluff but also a bit suggestive (?) towards the end
prompts: – “you’re blushing”
– “i can feel how fast your heart is beating right now”
warnings: none!
word count: 1.8k
a/n: the inspiration for this came from a wonho photoshoot behind the scenes clip that i randomly saw on ig reels........😟 i hope there aren't any mistakes left in this because i've been lazy and going only by trust when i repost fics asdbhja
☆ = repost from my old blog!!
Tumblr media
you and yeonjun didn’t exactly meet…under the greatest circumstances.
as txt’s fame was continuously on the rise, there was no way you had never heard of yeonjun, or the name tomorrow x together. however, it was only when you had your comeback stage at inkigayo that you finally got to see yeonjun in real life, and not just on a screen.
you expected things to go smoothly. yeonjun was going to just take your interview, and then you were going to simply perform with your group on stage, as usual.  
realistically speaking, that was supposed to be it- nothing more than a polite, professional interaction, he was the mc after all. you didn’t even think you’d cross paths with him throughout the day again. but the lunch break had something -quite staggering- in store for you:
the inkigayo sandwich. those words still make you shudder.
as an idol, you had to have one, at least once. it was the talk of town after all, even though the combination of egg, crab and strawberry jam- all squished together between 3 pieces of white bread- didn’t exactly sound appealing to you.
you gulped as you looked at the piece of food in your hands; the smell wasn’t that appetizing either, and you wondered how it was possible for them to have such high sales for a shitty product.
you didn’t want to do it, but the thought of wasting your money without at least having a bite was haunting you. you closed your eyes, anticipating the worst outcome imaginable as the sandwich came closer and closer towards your mouth.
“hey- at least remove that paper before you start eating” one of your members said, making you frown. paper? what paper? the ingredients of the sandwich were already weird enough, what did they add that paper for?
confused, you opened your eyes again, a small note had been carefully placed somewhere between the plastic wrapper and the bread. grossed out, you removed it, moving towards the trash can to throw it away, only to get a glance of a phone number written on the back of it, making you stop in your tracks.
‘call me ;) - choi yeonjun’
now, you see- you only knew that the inkigayo sandwich was famous, you didn’t know why it was famous. 
you angrily searched for choi yeonjun around the cafeteria, shoving the sandwich towards his chest once you found him “what the fuck is this?” you hissed appaled by his actions. not sparing him a single moment to respond, you instantly got into a rant about how you were ‘put in danger’ by him for placing something (almost) inedible in your lunch.
he stared at you with big eyes and raised eyebrows, panicking that you’d blow this out of proportion even more if he excused himself before you were done blowing off some steam. he knew very well not to argue with a sleep deprived person who was also hungry.
“that actually wasn’t meant for you…” he muttered in the end, biting his cheek.
“oh.”
on the way back to the dorms, you swore you’d never step foot back into inkigayo ever again, or at least not until yeonjun stepped down from his position as an mc.
despite the seemingly traumatic event, you still kept the piece of paper containing his number, jam stain and all. you fiddled it around your fingers as you rolled around in bed, unable to fall asleep. it was way past midnight, and the remorse you felt for not having apologised to yeonjun was keeping you wide awake. you had been too embarrassed to utter any more words after hearing his reply and used the first opportunity -which was a member calling out for you- to leave the room. 
the guilt was eating you up, and, in the end, you decided it was best to at least say sorry to him through text. and so you did- not exactly expecting much besides getting blocked by him. 
turns out yeonjun found the situation more amusing rather than infuriating. he accepted your apology with ease, and you promised that you’d buy him lunch the next time you visit inkigayo, as emotional compensation.
yeonjun, however, lied to you that day. the phone number in the sandwich was, in fact, meant for you. he heard from his seniors that ‘back in the day’, this was a particularly popular method to start dating between idols. when it was announced that you’d perform on the day he was mc-ing, he found his chance, took it, then pretty much failed miserably. his attempt at getting to know you better was somewhat saved by your apology text. after the whole ordeal, he decided that it was better to take it step by step and develop his friendship with you before dipping his toes into the dating scheme once again.
bit by bit- yeonjun began to reveal his flirty nature. first, he started bringing food and drinks to your company whenever you told him you had to stay up late, practicing overnight. then, he made sure to always compliment how you looked in music videos or album teasers, sometimes even sending coffee trucks to the filming sites to support you. finally, he started bringing you flowers whenever you were done with comeback stages. the change in his attitude was making you question the status of your relationship. still, knowing how risky this all was, you decided it was foolish to jump to any conclusions- although a part of your heart did cling tightly onto the hope that he did this because he saw you as something more than a friend.
it was no surprise to the public eye that the two of you were close friends in the industry. so, when elle korea wanted a photoshoot between a pair with good chemistry, yeonjun ran to his managers, begging to convince some of the higher-ups to recommend the two of you. not a single soul in the company was able to resist him, so he successfully scored the spot. however, you were only informed that you received an offer for the photoshoot, not that yeonjun had been involved in this whole ordeal.
the concept was not quite what you were expecting.
when you heard the words “a pair with good chemistry” you were expecting a fun, bubbly photoshoot, something colorful maybe- not a sensual, romantic theme. you choked on your spit when they showed you the outfit you were supposed to wear, then choked again when you saw yeonjun’s outfit: black pants and a blue satin button-up shirt that had more than 3 buttons left open, exposing the skin of his chest. 
and -as if the revealing clothes weren’t enough- there was one more detail left that would supposedly “tie this all together”: a kiss mark. on yeonjun’s neck. 
the staff handed you a tube of red lipstick, shoving you and yeonjun in a private dressing room before you could even process the situation.
you stole a look at yeonjun, who pursed his lips, trying to contain his laugh as he made eye contact with you.
“did you know about this?” you asked him with a serious face, pointing the lipstick towards him. why were you the only one baffled here?
yeonjun couldn’t help but let out tiny squeaks as he struggled calm down, your shocked, accusatory expression all too entertaining for him “no” he snickered “why? are you nervous? think you can’t do it?” he crossed his arms.
the attitude with which he said that only earned him a scoff from you “of course i can do it” you said as you walked towards the mirror. once you were in front of it though, you were suddenly way more aware of how sweaty your palms were getting, hands trembling a bit as you put the lipstick on.
yeonjun was never one to shy away from physical touch. you were used to receiving hugs from him, sometimes even having him hold onto your hand or arm, swinging them playfully whenever you walked together. but this? this felt…different. 
intimate. 
it was like a possible breach within your friendship. and while you weren’t exactly nervous about the situation itself, you were definitely afraid about what was going to happen between the two of you after.
yeonjun was already behind you once you finished putting on the makeup and turned around. the playful smirk he’s had ever since you both entered the room never left his face. he lightly quirked up an eyebrow, provoking you to make the move- curious to see if your earlier statement was the truth or whether they were just empty words. unsure what to do with your hands, your fingers didn’t let go of the lipstick tube, playing with it in a restless manner as you inched closer towards yeonjun’s neck. the citrus fragrance of his perfume still lingered on the skin, and you closed your eyes as you left a quick kiss there, the touch too light to leave a mark visible enough. 
“you’re blushing” yeonjun chuckled, tilting his head as he looked in the mirror behind you, clicking his tongue “that’s not right…” he muttered. his gaze was fixated on your face for a few seconds, admiring the pink dusting your cheeks. then, they trailed off to your hands, snatching the item to cover his own lips in that same crimson color. “this is how you do it” he whispered, dipping his head down, arms sneaking around your waist simultaneously. warm breath on your neck, chest flushed against yours, yeonjun could feel your racing pulse underneath his lips as he pressed a long kiss on the hot skin. the chilling sensation running down your spine had your hands unconsciously reaching out for his forearms, holding onto them to keep yourself steady and not slip away from his grasp. 
“i can feel how fast your heart is beating right now” he breathed out, fingers tracing lines along the small of your back. seeing that you weren’t pushing him away, his face didn’t leave its close spot to your body. instead- his lips travelled along the skin, pressing featherly kisses along the way- nibbling, lightly biting, the red marks blooming being hidden away by the lipstick covering them.
the mirrors, the vanity lights, even the photoshoot itself, they were all turning into a hazy memory as you were becoming more and more enthralled by him. completely absorbed by his touch on your body, you felt like you wouldn’t be able to breathe properly again until he carried on with the next step. “jun-” the sound of the nickname was enough to send an electrifying jolt throughout his heart. his own breathing was irregular as he stopped, distancing himself a bit from your neck to lift his head up, plush lips and smudged lipstick coming into sight. 
“we’re not leaving this room until you kiss me on the lips”
Tumblr media
taglist: @huekalover3000
478 notes · View notes
spitdrunken · 3 months
Note
i am absolutely insane about your headcanons with the vee's, my mind is so full now... this is exactly what i was hoping to find when searching through the hazbin x reader tag after watching the episodes 👁️🙏🏻 please i'm so!! the being a writer for the vee's imagine is such a good idea, val and his.. comment especially got to me..
also, for your consideration:
Val — or all of the Vee's, really —, but, in the beginning, he's really not convinced about the quality of your dialogues, despite all the lines he's read (or, well, has had Vox read to him), so naturally you have to read your previous stories out loud to him, cheeks flushing and squirming when it gets to particularly graphic scenes and his gaze on you is so very heavy, smoke caressing your jaw while you stumble over your words.. It's worse if you've written about them and a character who resembles you, and Val's smile widens when you skip from story to story, mentioning the character — definitely not you — sucking Vox off, bending over willingly for Val and begging for Velvette to touch her, or even take all three of them at once, greedy...
Also the. love potions Velvette makes have me feeling things.. Her or Vox but they might end up putting a drop or four into your glass — purely accidentally, of course! —, and...
this is terrible.. my mind is too full now... i might have to post writing for hazbin now and it is your fault alone.. (affectionate; truly, I've enjoyed your thoughts so very much!! thank you for sharing!)
I'm glad you enjoyed it so much :D!! I had an absolute blast writing it myself, and I've been thinking about it lots!! Your ask made it even Worse (/pos) and I simply had to write more!! Please please please let me know if you write something for Hazbin, I can tell from your ask already that it'll be wonderful! And if you ever wanna chat about these guys, feel free to message me again, haha.
Notes: power imbalance, sexual harassment, heavily dubious/noncon due to love potion usage.
The fact Vox even bothers at all to take the time to sit Valentino down and read to him is already a show of your quality— He really wouldn’t go through wrangling him like that for just anyone, especially not with Val getting a bit pissy when being reminded your works were being compared to his. He needs to be told that, obviously, Val, some mere written words are never going to compare, especially not in earnings, to his creations. This placates Valentino. But all Vox gets for his efforts are a lazy flick of one of Valentino’s four wrists, his eyes not even looking at him. “Look, I still think it fucking sucks. But if you wanna hire them so badly, whatever. I’ve got better shit to do than listen to daddy’s horny story-time.” Suffice it to say, he becomes a lot more… Amiable (poor you) once you’re actually working there, and he has a face to attach to the stories. He can tell upon first glance that you’re one of those pathetic little hermits, too scared to leave your own shitty apartment, barely scraping by— He’s recruited plenty of those types as whores, after all. So easily pushed around that it shouldn’t give him nearly as much satisfaction as it does.
When Valentino practically demands you join him in his room and read your previous work to him, you sputter out protests, heart skipping a beat. Every employee in the company has something bad to say about this man, and so he’s about the last person you want to be caught alone in a room with. Especially not his bedroom.
“Ah, sir, I’m not really sure—“ But he’s already wrapping one of his arms around your shoulders, pulling you flush against his side as he drags you through the halls. The first thing that strikes you is how different the texture of coat is than you were expecting. It doesn’t even feel like anything at all. “Oh, sweetheart, call me Valentino. No need to be so unfamiliar with each other.” He practically purrs, a single finger tracing up the contours of your chest. “I feel like we’re going to get quite familiar.” If all the alarms weren’t ringing in your head before, they most definitely are now. But there’s nothing you can do. His grip on you is tight and, underneath his red coat, you can feel the hard metal of a pistol pressing against you.
He takes you to his room, walls covered with posters featuring himself, and you hardly have the time to look around before he sits you down on one of his red couches, still caught underneath one of his arms. It’s hard to think, much less speak, as Valentino starts to prod you to pull out your phone and start reading. “No need to be shy. You’re such an artista, aren’t you? Don’t keep me waiting.” It’s easy, at first. When the scene hasn’t grown explicit yet, and you can pretend you’re only reading the text out loud to yourself like you always do, making sure the sentences sound right. But Valentino makes it hard for you to distract yourself entirely. He rubs circles on the skin of your thigh, and the smoke from his pipe has long since been the only thing you can smell. The red smoke makes your head a little hazier, tongue a little looser— Though that all just might be because you’re not getting enough oxygen. Your every muscle is tense and, you think, this is what being a prey animal must feel like. The first time you stutter out the word ‘cock’, Valentino barks out a laugh, loud and sudden, entirely contrasting with the sultry demeanour he’s been putting on the whole time. You jump, gaze flickering from the screen to his face, before continuing. It gets worse when you realise exactly what story you’re reading out loud to him, one of the ones you’d never even posted anywhere, so utterly self-indulgent and poorly thought out that you regret it with every ounce of your being. (Unbeknownst to you, Vox has already read every draft you’ve ever typed up, but that’s neither here nor there.)
“Sorry, can I maybe, um, read a different one?” You practically squeak out. “I realised I have some better drafts, and…” “No,” Valentino shuts you down, tone temporarily harsh. “Don’t get too fucking cocky now, you’re already taking up enough time as it is. Shit’s about to get interesting, finally.” He’s saying all of this as if he wasn’t the one to drag you there in the first place.
So you trudge onward, reading as fast as you possible can, just trying to tough it out. As you read about a scared, unaccomplished demonic main character catching the eye of a trio of some of the most famous demons in town—through entirely unrealistic circumstances—you can see his grin grow wider from the corner of your eye. His nails dig into the flesh of your thigh, the smoke surrounding your face turning to caress your cheeks.
“So, let me gets this straight… You wrote about a trio of powerful demons with matching names, taking turns fucking an absolute nobody silly. One of them’s a pimp, the other a fashion designer, and the other a business man.” Valentino doesn’t give you the chance to respond. “Greedy little slut. You even chose this one specifically to read out to me, huh? Seems I got you all wrong,” he hisses out. “This must be a dream come true for you, isn’t it?”
Let’s just say that you got enough ‘material’ to write another four or so stories, just from that line alone.
----- A drop of love potion, and models always behave the absolute best, or so Velvette thinks! (As long as you don’t put in too much. It’s very hard to take good pictures when the girls keep trying to kiss you.) No bitching, no whining, only an easy to pose, cute demon to work with. And if she dresses you up in clothes that reveal more than they obscure, purely for her own enjoyment and usage, who’s going to blame her?
Certainly not you. You won’t remember a single damn thing. Not even the parts where you babble on about how pretty and gorgeous and cool she is, and how you’ve admired her for so long— All things she’s heard a million times before. Normally, she wouldn’t care less about it, but such words coming from someone with only a drop of her potion in her system means they’re all the absolute truth. She thinks it’s almost cute when it’s coming from you, really. ------------ Vox, on the other hand, would be more likely to use his hypnosis on you than a love potion. Just to have a few minutes in the middle of a meeting where you’re practically putty in his hands, all of your usual anxiety and shame having slid right off of your shoulders. He doesn’t feel any guilt about it whatsoever. Having read all of your works, he finds it safe to say that this is the exact kind of scenario you would enjoy…
And even if you didn’t, he still would. He gets a bit of a thrill out of the loopy, relaxed smile on your face as you nuzzles your cheeks against his arm, professing all of the thoughts you had about him before working at VoxTech, and the ones you still have today. It’s during one of these exact moments, that he’d likely find out that Valentino had fucked you already, something he hadn’t found necessary to mention. They’ll have a bit of a discussion about that later!
519 notes · View notes
quercus-queer · 2 years
Text
Talking more about First Kill and how the queerness is well written but the rest is “not” thus purposefully fulfilling the shitty teen tv drama niche but for gay ppl:
Lesbian main characters are BOTH main characters they get equal time devoted to their history, motivations, feelings, and family dynamics throughout the story
Calliope, Juliette, and Ben are already fully comfortable in their sexualities and their families are fully accepting and don’t ever question it or say anything even mildly homophobic, even the shitty relatives
Calliope: She is a black, darkskin lesbian that is not treated as a love interest but as a main character in love. She’s ADORED by her girlfriend. She’s framed to be gorgeous, intelligent, sensitive and kind by the narrative. She is also treated as the child she is by her family!
The Burns: relatively healthy, loving family, the kid from a previous relationship is still THEIR kid and brother, no one dies, they are NEVER villainized, they communicate with eachother, their love and devotion to eachother is apparent, they are actually all relatively fleshed out characters with distinct personalities and motivations
Juliette: she feels like an outcast and sort of is one, but that’s due to her own internal conflict and social awkwardness not any external conflict with peers who are kind to her!
Ben: he’s a star athlete/jock, but still emotionally available and kind, a stellar student, well liked, loyal, the lil communication game he has with Juliette??? Hello???
Small queer things: Cal being friends with her ex, Ben and Juliette dating and figuring themselves out and staying best friends, killing off the closest case jock that refused to meet Ben even halfway and kept disrespecting him, NONE of the characters experience homophobia, tentative respect from parents about their “monster” gfs
The lore exists and is very plot relevant. And its also interesting and poetic?
Basically, this show lacks horrible stereotypes and is therefore a lesbian teen drama made for the genuine campy fun of it!
12K notes · View notes
janeyseymour · 2 months
Note
hiii!! i love your writing and i hope you’re doing well <3 i was hoping to request a melissa x reader with “causal” work crush between the two of them. reader is a very put together teacher during school hours but a trendy aesthetic person off campus. mel comes across reader at the grocery store and is astonished at the revealing alternative style and sexy tattoos. reader gets super nervous and shy once mel teasingly approaches. no one at work has ever seen her like this but especially not her crush melissa
oh wow, this one... nice. written as i procrastinate cleaning my house!
Personal and Professional
wc: ~2.4k
Tumblr media
You grew up hearing from both of your parents that you should never mix the personal with the professional. So you compartmentalize. You’ve always done it. You kept school life away from home life when you could, and now you keep your work life away from your home life. That’s not to say that you aren’t friends with your coworkers at school. It’s just that it’s much easier to keep professional Y/N and personal Y/N separate.
And the personal and professional you are two entirely different people.
You see, at school, you’re ‘Miss Y/N’. You keep it all together. You’re buttoned up, you’re conservative in your clothing style, and you strive to maintain that aura of professionalism that you see coming off of people like Barbara Howard. You’re pretty damn good at it too. You’re kind, you allow your coworkers to see small bits of your home life (“Oh, I’ll probably just do some grocery shopping before laying on my couch for the entirety of the weekend… maybe I’ll go to the gym,” is your usual response when they ask what you’re doing over the weekend), and the teachers have all come to respect you once you settled into your position.
But once the school hours are over and you can let your hair down, both figuratively and metaphorically, you trade out your blouse and sweater or blazer for more form-fitting and revealing shirts, pants that aren’t slacks, and you change your flats to your doc martens that you’ve been rocking since the eleventh grade. You take out the clear stud and put in your nose ring, and exchange earrings different from the delicate hoops you wear to school. Your multiple tattoos show in your street clothes, and you love it. 
You’re not entirely sure how your coworkers would feel if they knew that this was how you presented yourself outside of the school, but it doesn’t matter. They’re so used to seeing you all done up to teach that even if they did see you outside of school, they probably wouldn’t recognize you. You sure as hell wouldn’t go out of your way to say hello if you saw one of them outside of campus.
But then things start to change about six months into working at Abbott.
Shit. You have a thing for one of your coworkers- Melissa Schemmenti to be exact. It’s a very casual and silly thing the two of you have going on, really. She flirts with you, you flirt with her; it’s all in good fun. You know that you’ll never act on it though because you keep your many lives as far away from each other as possible, even going as far as grocery shopping a few streets over from where you know most of your coworkers go in order to not run into them. You’ve never had an issue with running into anyone outside of the school anyway- why would that change?
“What are your plans for the weekend, hot stuff?” Melissa flirts with you while you’re eating lunch. “And don’t give me your usual answer… you gotta have more of a life than what you lead on, miss mysterious.”
You roll your eyes. “You wish I was with you.”
She hums in lieu of an answer before asking you again, “What are your plans for the weekend?”
“Honestly?” you chuckle. “Probably some grocery shopping, I have a friend coming over tomorrow, and then Sunday is a day to grade and veg out on the couch while I catch up on some shitty reality tv.”
“Sounds riveting,” the redhead jokes.
“Well, what do you have going on?”
“Nothin’,” she grins. “I fully plan on staying in my Eagles sweatshirt and catching up on laundry and some chores- probably have some wine while I’m at it. Care to join me on Sunday after I go to church?” She’s never asked you if you wanted to hang out outside of work before, and it throws you for a loop. You nearly choke on your salad.
“Oi,” she huffs playfully. “I was just messin’. I don’t want to have to endure any of that shit reality tv in my house.”
“Yeah,” you chuckle. “I wouldn’t want you to have to sit through that either.” The two of you finish up your lunches and head back to your classrooms to deal with your monsters for the rest of the Friday.
“See you Monday, babe,” Melissa winks at you as she closes the door to her classroom and locks it.
“Oh, counting down already, I see,” you roll your eyes. “See you Monday, babe.”
When you get home, you change out of your stuff work attire and into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. You change out your jewelry for the things you prefer. You fully plan on laying on your couch with a bottle of wine on this lazy Friday night, but when you get home you realize that you finished off your favorite white last weekend. With a sigh, you go into your bedroom to change into some nicer street clothes- you would rather be caught dead than wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt out in public. At the front door, you pull on your docs, and then you’re off to the grocery store.
If you’re there now, you decide it’s best to just get your grocery shopping for the week out of the way. You grab a cart and start perusing the aisles like you usually do.
You have a few things in your cart when you find yourself in the aisle with the wines and beers, and you’re currently pouring over the selections. What would your friend want? Probably just some Yuengling. So you throw a case of that into your cart before turning to look for the wine that you love. Little do you know, Melissa is turning her cart down the aisle that you’re currently in, and she recognizes you almost immediately.
You look so starkly different than she’s used to seeing you. If she’s being honest, she’s a little thrown off with your outfit. She’s so used to seeing you in your work attire, your hair either in a neat, low bun or down. But here? This look is entirely different from what she was expecting you to be done up in outside of work. She of course knew that you wouldn’t always be dressed like a teacher, but wow. She was not expecting this. You’re in a pair of tighter, ripped black jeans, you have a tank top on, and your hair is thrown up into a stylish messy bun with a few pieces strategically pulled out to give off the appearance that it’s an effortless look (it is for you). Is that a tattoo on your shoulder that she sees? And a tattoo on your arm? How has she never noticed that before? You have a cartilage piercing, bold earrings for your first and second, and… is that a nose ring? She didn’t even know you had your nose pierced. If Melissa’s honest with herself, it only makes you that much more attractive.
You turn, satisfied with your decision, and pop the bottle into the top of your shopping cart. You make eye contact with the redhead that is practically drooling over the sight of you. You give her a shy wave, but you don’t dare to interact. Don’t mix the personal from the professional. The woman snaps out of her own trance and waves back with a curious look.
You continue down the aisles, and you think that you’re in the clear from Melissa- you acknowledged her, that’s all you had to do. She goes on her way too, but the two of you run into each other again during checkout.
“Hey there, hot stuff,” she winks at you as she starts putting her groceries up on the conveyor belt. “Never pegged you as a beer girl.”
“Hey,” you say softly, shyly. “It- it’s actually for my friend.” That also throws Melissa for a loop. At school, you’re so confident, quick to make a remark. But now, you sound like you have something caught in your throat, and you nervously tuck one of the loose strands of hair behind your ear, as if that would make you more professional looking. “I’ve never seen you around here before?”
“I usually go to the one that everyone else goes to, but they were out of my wine, so…” she gestures to it before putting it up on the belt. “It was worth the extra ten minute drive though if it means I get to see you.” She winks at you with those emerald green eyes of her, but you don’t reciprocate. You nervously worry your lip between your teeth, as if you have no idea what to say.
Melissa understands your hesitation and shrugs. The two of you stand in line together awkwardly. She’s rung up, and as she leaves, you call a gentle, “Have a good weekend, see you Monday.”
She turns and blows a kiss your way, waving flirtatiously before leaving.
Your weekend is nice. Your friend comes over, you go out to the clubs, and you almost forget about the encounter that you had with the hot redheaded second grade teacher.
The small break from work is over all too soon, and you find yourself somewhat dragging yourself into Abbott on Monday, but duty calls. You’re back to wearing your lightly colored blouse and a sweater over top to cover the tattoo that you didn’t feel like putting makeup over today, you’re back in your dress pants and flats. You didn’t even bother to do your hair, just simply brushing it and letting it cascade over your shoulders instead.
You enter the staff lounge and it’s empty, as it always is. You’re always the first one in. Whoever comes next is always a mystery, but today, it’s Melissa Schemmenti. Of course it is. Without anyone else there to buffer, you know she is absolutely going to bring up your meeting on Friday night.
“Hey there, gorgeous,” the redhead says suavely. “Have a nice weekend?”
“Yeah, babe,” you shoot out. The coffee pot dings. “You want some?”
“You know I always do,” she sighs out as she makes a move for the cabinet with the mugs inside. She grabs hers before sauntering over to you. The second grade teacher hands you the mug before cozying up to you.
“For you,” you roll your eyes as your pour the scalding hot liquid into her cup.
“Thanks, babe,” she smirks and winks. “So… when were you goin’ to tell me about this little number?” she rests a gentle hand on your shoulder- the one with the tattoo.
“What do you mean?” you chuckle.
“That tattoo,” she licks her lips.
“I forget it’s there,” you roll your eyes. “Young Y/N mistakes.” Not true at all. You love that tattoo, and most of your street clothes show it off. 
“It’s sexy,” she tells you lowly. “Kinda like the ear spike and the nose ring I had no idea you had.”
“I’m a different woman outside of school, babes,” you tell her, smirk evident as you start to fix your own coffee. “Didn’t realize I had to tell you about it all.”
“You don’t,” she shrugs. “I’ll find it all out myself… little miss alt girl.”
“In your dreams,” you fire out, and you get pretty close to her.
“Oh, every night,” she challenges you and moves even closer. At this point, the two of you are nose to nose.
And wow, it wouldn’t take much more for you to-
“Good morning!” Janine bursts in through the door, not knowing what she’s walking into.
You and Melissa couldn’t jump away from each other faster. The young, energetic teacher starts to ramble on all about her weekend, and your other colleagues start to make their way in. When it comes time to watch the news, Melissa settles herself in next you. Her hand finds its way to your shoulder, and she starts to trace the outline of you tattoo. Then, you feel the redhead’s hand make its way to your arm, where the other tattoo is that she saw. You didn’t know she saw that one too. She lets her fingers lazily trace around that one as well. All of your coworkers are too enamored with what’s happening on the screen to really notice, and Melissa’s green eyes are trained on the television as well. You could not be further from what’s happening on the screen. All you can think of is Melissa, and the things that she’s doing right now are driving you crazy.
Soon though, the kids will start to trickle in, and you know you have to get to your classroom. So you head out, a flirtatious smile and wink thrown the second grade teacher’s way before you close yourself into your room. You take a deep breath, and get ready for your day.
As you’re about to make your way out of your classroom, you hear heeled boots clinking along the linoleum floor, and you know those boots belong to the redhead that’s been on your mind all day.
“Hey, babe,” you says, back turned to the door, but you know it’s her. “Come to walk me out?”
The clicking gets louder, and before you can even think, Melissa has you pinned up against your desk. You can feel the corner of it digging into your back, and then you don’t because all you can feel are her lips on yours. Instinctively, you kiss her back. It’s better than you had been dreaming of. And then she pulls back, wipes away the lipstick she left smudged, wipes her own mouth to fix her own lip, and then winks at you.
“I’m done pretending that all this flirting we do is harmless,” she says once she’s righted herself. “You, me, dinner tonight at The Capital Grille. 6, sharp.”
You don’t know what else to do other than nod.
“And don’t come dressed in your teacher outfit,” she instructs. “I want the babe that you are… Ear spike, nose ring, tattoos out.”
With that, she turns on her heel and makes her way out of your room. As she’s making her way down the hall, you hear her call over her shoulder, “Don’t miss me too much!”
So much for not mixing the personal with the professional.
Next
386 notes · View notes
writethrough · 1 year
Text
Bad Boy Type
(Billy Hargrove x Female Reader)
Synopsis: Girls' night at Billy and Max's new place takes a turn when El insists on you marrying Billy.
Warnings: Mentions of Neil, extreme fluff, mutual pining (because I'm a whore for that shit), language
Word Count: 4056
A/N: This might be the fluffiest thing I've written. It's also the longest. And yes, I still have requests to finish. But life really said, "It's Billy's time," and I'm not mad about it.
Tumblr media
You were fiercely protective over Max and El since you met. They became the younger sisters you never had. You’d do anything for them. And you always made sure to plan something with them as often as possible.
Today, you three were holed up at Max and Billy’s new place. It wasn’t much. It was a steal since it’d been so run down no one else wanted it. You and the rest of your group helped fix up what you could. After everything you’d all been through, it created an untouchable bond. And everyone was eager to help in whatever way they could, especially once Max confided in you about Billy’s father. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Neil was a shitty person. He gave off enough hostility to power a freight train. A few months after renovating, the house was finally livable. And between your car and Billy’s, they moved within the hour.
All three of you were on the floor around the coffee table, snacking on candy and discussing very important business.
“Okay, okay,” Max said, trying to rein in her laughter. “El, kiss, marry, kill…The Outsiders.”
You grinned and leaned closer as El looked down in thought.
“Kiss Sodapop, marry Johnny, and…I don’t want to kill anyone,” she said timidly.
And because it was El, you and Max accepted that.
You faced Max. “I’m guessing yours would be the same?”
“I’m killing Steve,” she added, and you snickered. “What about you?”
You hummed, running through the characters before picking three.
“Kill Two-Bit, kiss Darry, marry Dally,” you said with a nod.
“Dally’s an asshole!” Max groaned, slapping her thighs.
“But he’s hot,” you countered.
“But he’s an asshole,” she repeated, giving you a look.
“But he’s hot.”
After a few seconds, you all started giggling. You really loved spending time with these two.
El grew quiet, deep in thought, and she made you and Max stop laughing with her question.
“What about Billy?”
Your brow furrowed. “Billy?”
She nodded. “Would you marry him?”
Your face grew warm. Did El think because you liked the bad boy character in a film, you liked one in reality?
Billy had never been outright rude to you—his attitude rubbed you the wrong way—cocky and smug like he knew he could get away with almost anything. It wasn’t until after the Mind Flayer that you befriended him.
You’d describe your friendship as…quiet. You didn’t hang out together—only in a group with everyone or Steve and the other adults. Usually, though, you saw him most when you, Max, and El hung out.
You were the girls’ friend first and foremost. When you started picking Max up when they lived with their parents, he always scowled at you through the door as she raced to your car. Later, you thought it had something to do with Neil’s reactions to his stepdaughter not being home even though he knew where Max was. You had enough knocks on the door from Billy to put two and two together.
Now, Billy was relaxed when you picked her up or stayed over. You sometimes wondered if he was glad Max had you to rely on now that it was just him and his stepsister. If she ever needed anything, he could count on you to lend him a hand.
So while he wasn’t the same rage-filled boy you knew in high school, his reputation still preceded him. Though now you knew him in a different light—provider, protector, and maybe that was why you started to like him.
You shook your head to rid yourself of that thought.
“I…Well, I…I don’t…” Jesus Christ! How were you supposed to answer this without giving yourself away?
Just then, a car door slammed. Billy’s home.
He threw his jacket on the hook and his keys on the table and stopped when he noticed you, Max, and El.
His eyes seemed to linger on you before addressing everyone.
“Hey,” he said, mentally kicking himself. Couldn’t he think of anything better to say? Maybe “you look nice,” not “hey.”
“How was work,” you asked, still trying to shake off El’s question and the fact that he walked in as if summoned.
“Fine. Didn’t know you’d be over.” He would've cleaned up and made it look nice. Maybe then he could cook you dinner.
He had to stop from asking if this little get-together was overnight. He sure hoped so.
“I dragged her out of her house for girls' day. They’re sleeping over, too,” Max said. Maybe she could read his mind—maybe that was why most of your time was spent at Billy’s place and not yours—because Max knew he needed an excuse to talk to you since the Mind Flayer.
He nodded slowly and gestured toward the bathroom.
“I’m gonna take a shower. Order pizza or I can make spaghetti?” he asked.
You tilted your head at his words. Billy cooked?
It made sense. You’re sure he’s had to fend for himself most of his life. You just never thought about him in the kitchen.
Before you could say anything, El said, “I like spaghetti.” And that seemed to settle it.
When Billy left, Max leaned forward. “Don’t worry, he’s actually a really good cook.”
And to play off your daydreams of Billy cooking you breakfast, you said, “I’ll be the judge of that.”
When Billy emerged from the steamy bathroom, towel wrapped around his hips, you were both relieved and disappointed your back faced him.
The girls were telling you their boyfriend troubles, and it took everything in you not to imagine the remaining water tracing Billy’s toned stomach.
“Sometimes I think you have the right idea,” Max said, flopping back in the chair.
You blinked, coming back to reality. “Me? What idea is that?”
“Being single.” She shrugged. “Boys are a pain in the ass.”
You rolled your eyes. “While that is true, sometimes I think it’d be nice to have my person, you know?”
“Your person?” El asked, furrowing her brow.
“Someone who’s always there for you, no matter what. They accept every part of you, good and bad.” You sighed. “They're the person you want to be around the most.”
She looked at you seriously. “We are your person.”
It nearly brought tears to your eyes. One of the many reasons you loved El was her heart.
“C’mere,” you whispered, holding open your arms.
She scootched toward you and wrapped her arms around your waist.
“You too.” You motioned Max over.
That’s how Billy found you three, hugging each other on the couch like you were trying to absorb into one being.
“Am I interrupting some girl thing?” he asked, opening the cabinet.
You let out a breathy laugh and shook your head. “No, you’re fine.” You looked over the back of the couch. “Anything I can help with?”
He gave you a flirty smile. “Don’t worry. I got it.”
It didn’t take long for him to announce it was ready, and you all grabbed your plates and huddled around the coffee table again. A little thrill went through you when Billy sat beside you, taking your dish from you and setting it down so you could lower yourself.
It was quiet for a few minutes as you all took your first bites. It was only pasta and marinara sauce, but it hit the spot. Maybe it was because Billy made it.
“I’m impressed,” you said, waving your fork around your plate.
“I’m a man of many talents,” Billy mused, warmth blooming in his chest.
“Does this mean you’ll marry Billy?”
You nearly choked on the bite you took. You wished she could read minds so you could scream, “Not the freaking time!”
Billy’s face flushed as he glanced between you two.
“Am I missing something?” He tried to ignore how fast his heart was beating. You wanted to marry him? Well, no. It sounded like you didn’t want to marry him. Why didn’t you want to marry him?
“No,” you said quickly. Billy tried to convince himself his chest didn’t constrict at that word. 
“(Y/N) would marry Dally,” El said. “And Dally’s an asshole.”
You put your face in your hands. There was no stopping her.
“And I’ve called you an asshole so many times.” Max provided as an explanation.
Billy could only look at you, and as you curled further in on yourself, he smirked—even though he’d been called an asshole twice—maybe there was something to El’s question.
“Didn’t think you were into that type,” he said, leaning back against the couch.
“I’m not. Not really.” You couldn’t look at him, opting to push the noodles around your plate.
“No? Then what is your type, sweetheart?”
He was teasing you. You could push back with teasing.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“That’s why I asked.” And the way he said it, it took on a seriousness you weren’t prepared for—like he really wanted to know because he cared about the answer. Like it meant something to him.
“I—”
The phone saved you. And Max jumped up.
“It’s probably Lucas,” she said. They’d been having a good week.
You took the opportunity to excuse yourself. “I’m gonna change.”
You grabbed your things and closed the bathroom door.
Billy watched as you fled. It was cute how flustered he could make you. And that’s when an idea struck him.
With you and Max busy, he turned to El.
“You think she likes me?” he asked, leaning toward her.
“Do you mean like like?” She stared at him with those big innocent eyes.
He nodded.
“I think so.”
“You think so? She hasn’t said anything to you or Max? Girls talk about that stuff at girls' night, right?” He bit his cheek. Was he reading the signs wrong? Were his feelings clouding his judgment?
Since his recovery, you’ve always been there. You made sure he took care of himself and kept an eye on Max. When he told you about the rundown little place he found, you got Hopper on board to pull a few strings and help remodel. Hell, you got everyone to help.
He still remembered the day you painted the walls, and you and Robin put handprints on each other's chests. He and Steve had said, “What about us,” and you and Robin fitted them with their own set. He still had that shirt.
Even the shit that went down with Steve. You were somehow able to mend things between them. It took a lot of work, and arguments popped up, but with you there, he did it. He didn’t have many friends at Hawkins High—they were a means to an end. However, now? He had ones that would have his back in an apocalyptic world. And it was because of you.
You were his rock, even if you didn’t know it. And he wanted to be that person for you.
“She doesn’t tell us,” El said. “But she looks at you the way Nancy looks at Jonathan.”
He knew the look she was talking about, and he hoped she was right.
“Thanks,” he said quietly.
“You…You like her, right?” she asked tentatively.
He smiled fondly. “More than Eggos.”
El giggled.
He shook his head slightly, smile remaining, mumbling, “Just want her ‘round all the time.”
She beamed, but before she could say another word, you and Max returned.
Everyone seemed to forget about the conversation before the phone rang. When you came out of the bathroom, El asked if you could start watching movies, and Max quickly put The Karate Kid in.
What surprised you the most was Billy making popcorn and bringing everyone a soda. You thought he’d retreat to his room like he usually did, but he sat next to you on the couch as the girls spread out on the floor with their own bowl of popcorn.
Halfway through the movie, the sun had set, and the air grew cooler. You rubbed your arm absentmindedly, focused on the screen. You vaguely noticed Billy disappearing somewhere, and when he returned, he held a sweatshirt.
Your heart sped up a little at his offer.
You played it off and raised an eyebrow when he handed it to you.
“You’re cold, right,” he asked, putting it in your lap when you didn’t take it right away.
You shook your head. “It’s not that. I’m just shocked you own a sweatshirt.”
He rolled his eyes but held back a smile. “Very funny.” Then when he was settled. “Indiana’s fucking cold.”
You slipped it over your head, the material warming and engulfing you in his scent. Bunching the sleeves into your fists, you leaned against the cushion and tucked your legs under you.
“Thank you,” you whispered.
He shrugged. “Don’t mention it.”
The movie soon ended, and Max inserted the second film.
Neither you nor Billy spoke after that. It was…nice...being there with him.
Between him and his sweatshirt, you were surrounded by warmth. The noise from the TV lulled into the background, and before you knew it, you were asleep.
Billy noticed almost immediately. He’d been arguing with himself about whether to put an arm around you after he gave you his hoodie.
After the shit he went through, Billy didn’t go after women. He was so in his head about what he’d done—what the monster made him do—he thought everyone was better off if he stayed away. And his body wasn’t the same afterward. Part of him wondered if you’d recoil if he touched you.
And then your head was on his shoulder. Your soft breathing in his ear. And he froze for a second. But then he sunk into you.
If this was the only time you’d be this close to him, he would take it.
He carefully moved his arm to pull you closer, and you shifted in your sleep to snuggle into him. He let his cheek rest against your head for one…two…three…four…five seconds, then lifted back up. He didn’t want Max or El to catch him and ask questions.
It wasn’t long until the movie ended, and the girls were passed out on the floor. And Billy debated staying right where he was, but he knew he shouldn’t.
He did indulge and place a feather-light kiss on the crown of your head before laying you down and pulling a blanket over you. He did the same for El and Max. And once the VHS was safely back in its case, he walked to his room with a final look at you thrown over his shoulder.
When the rising sun hit your eyelids, all you wanted was to turn over and go back to sleep. The sizzle of a frying pan and the smell of pancakes made you sit up.
Billy was by the stove, waiting to flip them and keeping a watchful eye on the bacon.
“Smells good,” you whispered, mindful of the two sleeping girls. Billy’s sweatshirt protected you from the morning chill.
He glanced at you and quirked his lips up. “It’s almost ready.”
You gave him a small smile in return, and it took you a moment to realize he had never done this before. Dinner was one thing, but breakfast was entirely different.
“What brought this on?” you asked, pouring yourself a cup of coffee.
He shrugged. “Maybe I wanted to impress you again.” He finally turned around to face you and crossed his arms, spatula in hand.
You let out a breathy laugh, looking down before eyeing the cooking pancakes.
“Don’t let them fold in on themselves when you flip them, and you’re golden,” you teased. 
He raised a brow at you, turned around, and seamlessly flipped both over before setting the spatula down and facing you once more.
You held your hands up in surrender. “Consider me impressed.”
“Good.” He pulled a mug out of the cabinet for himself. “You sleep okay?”
You shrugged. “Good enough. Didn’t even realize I fell asleep.”
He would have gladly lent you his bed. He didn’t even need to be in it with you. He would’ve taken the small couch he had crammed in his room.
“Good thing you don’t snore. I think Max would’ve suffocated you,” he said.
You bumped your shoulder with his. “She likes me too much.”
You stared at each other for a moment. Something about Billy in the morning, with the soft light from the sun reflecting in his eyes and shading his hair, was almost breathtaking. He was relaxed, and you hoped it slowly became his new normal.
His eyes trailed down to your lips, and you swore you stopped breathing until you glanced away and saw the pancakes.
“Better watch before they burn,” you said, swallowing to rid yourself of your dry throat.
He had forgotten about them as he took you in. From your pajamas to your still-sleepy gaze and the rhythmic rise and fall of your chest—you seemed so…at home here.
He tried to shake that thought as he plated breakfast and set it down at the kitchen table.
You could lean against the counter every morning, sipping coffee as he made you both breakfast. He’d peck your lips each time he passed you for something, and as he waited for things to finish cooking, he would wrap his arms around your shoulders and bury his nose in your hair. Your arms would tighten around his waist, and you’d both stand there, completely content as the warm rays filtered in.
Since last night, since El’s question, a spark had ignited within him. The flicker of…hope, something he hadn’t felt since…since…he didn’t even know when. You didn’t say you wanted him explicitly, but if El saw a connection between him and Dally, then maybe you did too. He couldn’t deny that he’d been a dick in the past. He was still trying to correct those mistakes. But where Dallas Winston had Johnny, Billy had…well…the closest he could think of was you.
And potentially having a life with you? That didn’t sound too bad. Not at all.
You sat across from one another. You could feel Billy’s eyes on you. When you glanced up from your breakfast, he gave you a smirk as if to say, “Impressed?”
You were about to speak, but he beat you to it.
“So, we didn’t finish our discussion last night.”
“Discussion?” You tilted your head.
He nodded and tried to keep his smug smirk at bay. “You into the bad boy type, sweetheart?”
Your eyes widened before you covered your face with your hand. “Didn’t the time for this pass?”
“Nope.” He grinned. “C’mon, tell me, what’s it about him that gets you goin’?”
You shook your head and attempted to suppress your smile. Even though this was embarrassing, you still found Billy cute.
“I’m not doing this with you and that dirty mind of yours. It’s too early. Besides, the girls are still sleeping,” you said, taking a sip of coffee.
“Oh please, Max used to hear me with girls.” He stated it like a fact, without pride or accomplishment in his voice.
“I know. She’s complained to me multiple times,” you said matter-of-factly.
He cleared his throat, cheeks flushing pink. It surprised you.
He shrugged as if to shake off his actions. “Guess Winston and I are different then.”
“That’s not such a bad thing.” You hoped your smile told him that it really wasn’t a bad thing—that you genuinely liked the person he was growing into—that you cared for him.
“Hope so,” he said softly, taking a bite.
You could’ve stayed there and stared at him for the rest of the day. His eyes were so blue, his hair still a bit messy, and he just looked…he just looked content.
You wanted to reach across the table, grab his hand, hold it between yours and trace each finger. Maybe he’d stop you by pulling your hand to his lips. Maybe, you’d follow with your own.
And as soon as that thought reared its head, Max and El strolled into the kitchen.
“You made pancakes?” Max’s face scrunched up.
“We have guests,” Billy said with a shrug. Like he was concerned with being a good host.
At least for you, he was.
“When has that forced you to do anything?” she asked, stacking her plate.
You locked eyes with Billy from across the table and smiled shyly.
“So, you coming here next week?” he asked, putting your bag in the backseat for you.
You shook your head. “It’s at mine next week. Parents are away for a few days. I was thinking of making it an all-weekend thing.”
He slowly nodded, disappointed he wouldn’t see you—only to drop Max off and pick her up.
“Just let me know when I can get the shitbird out of my hair.” It’s all he thought to say to hide his discontentment.
You pursed your lips. It was now or never. “Actually, I was thinking—if you weren’t too busy, maybe you could come over, too? I know it’s technically ‘girls' night,’ but…last night was really nice.”
He tried to keep his face neutral, make it seem like he wasn’t experiencing heart palpitations, but his smile couldn’t stay hidden. It made you immediately relax.
“I’ll be there,” he said.
The way he looked at you sent shivers up your spine and heat through your veins. It was like he couldn’t believe you were real. You’d never seen him have this warmth in his gaze. Like he’d happily follow you anywhere and listen to every word you said.
You returned his smile with a gentle one of your own. “Good,” you whispered, tilting your head slightly.
He really was beautiful in the sunlight. His skin full of its own sun. You were so close to each other earlier that you felt it radiating off him. It took everything in you not to rest your head on his shoulder and nuzzle in.
He took a step forward, resting a hand on the roof of your car. “You gonna make me sleep on the floor at yours?”
You lightly bit your lip. And fuck, you were in for the best kind of trouble. “Depends on how much you impress me.”
“And what do I have to do to make that happen?” There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do.
You tried to repress your smile as you leaned to whisper in his ear. His hands instinctively went to rest on your hips. He shivered when your breath hit his skin.
“You’ll have to figure it out.” You pulled back with a little smirk, and he let out a soft chuckle.
His gaze flitted from your eyes to your lips and back again. His hand came up to caress your cheek, grazing his thumb there.
“Not even a little hint?” he asked teasingly.
“Where’s the fun in that?” You pushed your head further into his hand.
He hummed. “Guess you’re right. Have to earn it.”
You grinned. “I have complete faith in you.”
And even though you were both joking with each other, that meant more to him than he would ever admit. You believed in him. You had gotten to know him and helped him through the hardest parts of his life without even knowing it. He wanted to prove to you that trust wasn’t misplaced. That he deserved your patience, your kindness, your love.
Without another thought, he pulled you into his embrace. He held onto you like he was afraid to lose you—like you’d suddenly change your mind and not see him.
You could feel it in the way he held you. You struck something, something crucial, something he needed to hear. So, you hugged him back, smoothing your hand up and down his spine.
When you pulled away, you slipped your hand into his. “I should probably get going.”
He nodded. “Get home safe.”
“Thanks, Billy,” you said. “I’ll see you next week.”
Before you could step around him, he encircled your wrist gently and pressed a kiss to your cheek.
“See you next week, sweetheart,” he said, a smirk slipping back onto his face.
You shook your head slightly as you climbed into your car, waving to him as you pulled out.
He stood there, watching you drive further away from him. And he knew you two were about to be much much closer.
5K notes · View notes