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#anyone catch the one punch man reference?
emeraldoodles · 5 months
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Shigeo is asking Reigen for advice on asking out a special boy!
I really love @pearliegrimm fic "Sometimes That's Better". It's hilarious and I was literally laughing out loud while reading it. I hope to draw more comics from the fic (adding to my long list of WIPs).
This is a scene from the very first chapter, so if you enjoyed it go check out the fic!
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satuguro · 1 year
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*ೃ࿐TO FAULT A NET
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[ ACT I: KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE ]
spiderman! ethan landry x black cat! reader
#SYNOPSIS— you stumble across a murder, ethan has daddy issues, you think spider-man's an easy fight, and spider-man makes a deal with you.
#CONTAINS— enemies to lovers, slowburn, antihero&vigilante reader, familial issues, gore, blood, murder, death, sexual/suggestive content (in this part & some other parts), reader is overly flirtatious
#AUTHORSNOTE— is anyone really surprised that i started a new series? no, but i will warn you rn that this series won't be incredibly accurate to marvel and scream (obviously), so if that bothers you, don't read!
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your feet moved quickly as you ran from rooftop to rooftop, the sound of distant sirens moving father and farther away from you was like music to your ears. it would've calmed you down— maybe even slowed your running —if it weren't for the fact that you had a shadow. a comically dressed shadow in red and blue.
the continuous sounds of webs being shot at you was the only thing keeping you running towards nothing. running away from the metropolitan museum (which you didn't even steal from, by the way) with some insect man close to your feet.
"hey, wait! lady, stop!"
and he wouldn't shut up. constantly calling at you, trying to catch your attention like some fanatic. it would've almost been cute if you weren't avoiding capture.
you didn't even turn back to look at him, forcing your body to move faster and faster until your momentum was stopped by a web hitting your ankle. you growled in annoyance, reaching down with your unsheathed claws to cut yourself free from the webbing, until you were harshly pulled onto a roof by the masked hero himself.
you laid on the rooftop, staring up at new york's very own spider-man (who was never a problem until a couple months ago, when he seemingly appeared out of nowehere). covering your obvious discontent, you smiled a malicious smile. "hi, spider," you said, before kicking his knee back and forcing him to fall. his groan of pain met your ears as you threw a punch at his face, one he quickly dodged.
"are you another hero?" he asked between kicks and punches, completely ignoring the fact that you were both in a fight. it didn't seem like much of a problem for him, as he was far too focused at multitasking between asking you personal questions and dodging your attacks. "i take that questions back— if you were, you wouldn't be attacking me right now," another dodge, "but you brought that painting back to the museum! but you also stole it so it's a bit of a question of morality, so i think i have to turn you in—"
you grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back, your other hand coming up to wrap around his neck. your sharp claws dug into his neck, making him hiss in pain as you leant in close to his ear. "do you really think you can turn me in?" your hand let go of his neck but remained close to his face, your pointer finger coming to play with the edge of his mask. you pulled it up, only making it halfway up his face, before he broke free from your grasp.
but once he turned around, you were already gone.
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some say that when your father died, the rich people of new york were finally able to breathe. finally, their endless valuables were finally safe, their priceless collections of stolen art, their rows of cars enough to pay any college kid's tuition, and their bank accounts were now all free from his iron grasp. gone was the man who had taken what he wanted and got it, gone was any trace of his legacy or his family; walter hardy was dead.
he always claimed that of all the valuables in his hands had taken, you were his most prized possession. the one person he would lay down his life for, and to have him gone.. it was all too unfair. all too wrong for him to die trying to get back to his daughter.
so that was why you had taken his place. black cat no longer became something policemen and journalists used to reference your father. that title was something you chose to share with him, because as policemen talked over their little radios about the burglary on west 81st street, you were already miles away, listening to their pathetic voices over the radio.
it was halloween in new york, and while many homeowners chose to stay home and tend to their candy duty, others were off partying at their friends' houses, oblivious to the fact that you had already deactivated the alarm to their home. three houses in the span of one night; you were sure that your greed would be your downfall one day.
but as you raised your hand up to the moon, watching how the rays of light danced along your wrist, you knew in your heart that your greed ran deeper than simple wants. you had your reasons.
a blood curdling scream met your ears, making you hurriedly shove the jewels into a pack and unsheathe your claws, ready to attack. walked near the edge of the building, the squelching sound of blood reached your ears, making you all the more on edge as you peered off the side just in time to watch a man shove a mask (the same mask from that one movie, stab) into his bag and turn a corner.
your eyes focused on the woman in yellow, dead and seated against the wall with blood pouring from her chest like a fountain. not a sound was made as you climbed down the wall and landed on your feet, cautious as you stepped closer to the unresponsive body.
"fuckin' asshole," you murmured as you observed the body, eyebrows furrowing. the woman, blonde and pretty, looked familiar to you. leaning down to take a closer look at her face (and careful not to step in the growing pool of blood around her), your eyes widened when you fully took in your features.
that was a film professor at your college.
wordlessly, you pulled out your phone and called a number you've never typed in your life.
"manhattan police department," the policeman stated.
"laura crane was just murdered in front of a manhattan bar." and with a click, you hung up.
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the sound of that familiar thwip and landing feet made detective bailey roll his eyes in annoyance. just when they had gotten the reporters and journalists in control— a certain masked individual just had to make an appearance. "you aren't supposed to be here," he said in annoyance, turning to look at the masked hero.
"don't you know my m.o by now? like, isn't that your job?" spider-man asked with a cock of his head, obviously enjoying his teasing. "but you can't really.. not allow me to be here. i'm here to help, after all."
"i'm not letting some kid help," detective bailey practically growled, but the hero was already pushing past him to look at the body.
from beneath the mask, ethan hid his shock at the sight of one of his college's professors, dead and staring blankly into empty space. as if constantly being around his estranged his father wasn't enough; now a professor from his college was dead.
"what? bug man finally ran out of things to say?" detective bailey asked snarkily, making ethan snap out of his stupor.
"no, da— detective," ethan said in a faux matter-of-fact voice, squatting down to look closer at the dead body. he almost cringed at the slip up he just made; if only his father knew. "can't a man observe in silence?"
it wasn't like ethan had planned his superhero life out. he had moved to new york right after his brother's death for college, and being desperate to leave his brother's horrible crimes behind, he changed his last name. calls to his dad and his sister became texts. visits became nonexistent. even after he was bitten and took on the superhero roll he was desperate to move on, and right when he believed he finally was, his dad and sister moved to new york.
ethan didn't tell any of his friends that he was related to richie, nor did he tell them that he was the detective's kid. all they knew was that quinn was his sister, and while it hurt to pretend as though richie never existed, it was for the best. he left that life behind him, and quinn seemed to respect that at least.
"how'd you find her?" ethan asked a nearby cop.
"anonymous tip around the time she was murdered."
his eyes took in the gruesome scene in front of him. his eyes drifted to professor crane's blank face, before following the splashes of blood on the brick behind her. his eyes squinted as he continued to look up the wall, the dots connecting when he saw familiar claw marks above the body. they were faint, so faint, that if ethan hadn't seen them before, then he was sure that the police wouldn't have.
he raised his hand, and with another thwip of his webs, he was gone.
ethan was searching for any sign of you. a part of him hoped that you weren't within the confines of your home hiding behind your civilian name. there was a possibility that you helped kill the professor. maybe you were an accomplice. regardless of your role in it all, ethan was sure that you had seen something and chose to keep it to yourself. you had your own reasons for doing so; you believed you were far more clever than anyone. maybe you were.
the scratches on the walls were something you left behind. ethan knew that; he had literally been choked by those claws of yours when he first took up his job as a hero. he didn't want to believe that you you were quicker than him, but the fact that you had gotten away.. to say that he wasn't annoyed by it would be a lie.
he later learned who you were because of his father during one of their awkward dinners. the black cat.
he hadn't invited quinn this time. it was as though he was trying to strictly have some father-son time with ethan; some pathetic attempt at reconnecting, he assumed. if reconnecting meant taking him out to a thai restaurant and only talking about his job or richie and never asking ethan anything beyond the, "how's college?" question.
but something within his father's ramble about work had caught ethan's attention. home burglaries were a huge problem, that much ethan knew, but this had been the first time he ever heard his father talk about it; much less talk about who he suspects had done it.
"they call her black cat. witnesses have only ever seen enough of her to know she's a lady—"
"who do you think she is?" ethan asked, unable to stop himself as he leaned forward in his chair. so that was who he caught running along the roofs of new york. the one person who had gotten away from him.
"some fan of the original black cat, walter hardy. either that," his father put a forkful of pad thai in his mouth, chewing and swallowing, "or his daughter. there's no record of them, though."
"do you think they're the ones who stole from all those houses?"
"that's all i'm saying about the subject, ethan," his father said sternly, looking him up and down suspiciously. "just eat your food."
it didn't take much for you to catch yourself up on the stab murders. you had only heard a little bit about it; not because you lived under a rock, but because you didn't care. not until now, at least.
tara and sam carpenter. tara was in your psych class at blackmore university; you had talked to her enough times that she was probably the closest person you had to a 'friend,' as off as it sounded. you had a similar humor and she wasn't the type to pry over your past (which made sense now, after you scrolled mindlessly through your phone to catch up on the continuous murders).
that was why you were watching their apartment building from the building right in front of it. you had only seen them through their window, but at least you knew they were alive. on any other day you would've called anyone in your position creepy, but you considered this to be lawful stalking.
truthfully, you weren't sure why you were doing this. maybe you had gotten soft ever since you started college. maybe you were bored.
you toyed with a golden locket you had stolen that night, eyes set on their forms moving in and out of sight. you were so focused on them, something akin to worry thrumming through your veins until a web hit your back and dragged you away from the edge of the building. your back scratched across the roof floor, and as you looked up, you saw the familiar red and blue suit you had only ever seen from afar.
“hi, kitty,” spider-man said, almost smiling.
you practically hissed at the sight of him, your hands making quick work of unsheathing your claws as you narrowly dodged another web. you moved quickly and kicked him in the face, letting him hit the ground for just a second before you were straddling, legs tight around him as you grabbed his hands and held it above him. your claws came close to his wrists, the shining metal threatening to break and hurt his web makers.
"oh, spider. i didn't know you liked me enough to stalk me." you smiled wickedly, pressing the metal closer to his wrists. you could feel something bulky underneath his suit, and your malicious grin only grew as you pressed harder against it.
"i don't like you," the super hero said annoyedly, making you scoff in amusement.
"are you sure?" you leaned closer to him, practically touching your nose against his mask. "then why aren't you fighting back right now?" you sent him one last grin before your hand left his wrists. you stood up, not even bothering to offer him a hand as you let your claws come out fully, one of your hands reaching for your gun. "what do you want?"
"i needed to ask you questions about the murder of laura crane," spider-man grumbled, standing up and crossing his arms at you. he looked at the apartment building before glancing back at you, the eyes of his mask narrowing. "why're you watching tara and sam's apartment?"
"why do you know that tara and sam live there?" you fired back, raising a brow. it was moments like these where you were happy you had a mask that at least covered half your face; the more you heard the spider-boy speak, the more you noticed how young his voice sounded. what if he went to your college? what if he was friends with them?
"because based on their history, they're vulnerable to attacks. i know that— being the friendly neighborhood spiderman ‘n all," he said, and you swore he rolled his eyes. "but it doesn't make sense for a criminal like you—"
"that's unnecessarily rude."
"to be watching them.” he looked you up and down, eyes seemingly lingering on your grappling hook and pack of god knows what that were strapped to your sides. the hero’s head then snapped up to look at you. “did you kill her? laura crane?” even he seemed unsure by his own question, the uncertainty in his tone making you shrug nonchalantly.
"do you think i did?" you asked, "you seem unsure yourself."
a pause. "no, i don't. but you know something, and you need to tell me what it is."
you glanced at the apartment building before looking down at your nails, absentmindedly observing them. "what's in it for me?" you asked, not even looking up at new york's favorite hero.
"i don't bring you to the police."
"as if you could do that before," you scoffed, rolling your eyes. you heard him exhale slowly, a smirk appearing on your face at the sound. you were getting to him; with every snarky comment, you pissed him off more and more. and the sadistic part of you loved it. "don't you remember? you couldn't even catch me the first time. sad, isn't it?"
"i'm not gonna make that same mistake again," he said firmly, walking closer to you. stiffly, he brought his gloved hand out. "you tell me what you know and you help me—"
"well, don't word it like that," you muttered. "i'm only telling you information, spider. i'm not being your stupid sidekick."
"you aren't," he said, "but since you're such a well known felon, you could help me figure out who's the murderer. see if they're a criminal, if they were hired by anyone, anything." he sighed. "you help me, and i let you go. deal?"
warily, you looked at him up and down. you weren't one to make deals with anyone, much less a masked hero who was loved by practically everyone. but you found yourself wrapping your black gloved hand around his and shaking it once. "fine."
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ACT II, ACT III, ACT IV, ACT V, EPILOGUE
#AUTHOR'S NOTE— feel free to ask to be on the taglist! i'm also sorry for all the typos lol
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ecoamerica · 23 days
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Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared
The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!
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Hey saffy lemur... could you maybe do a scenario for the 141 and König and reader? Where they each have their first kiss with them and what the kiss is like? I love your writing you're so good at fluff,! If you don't want to it's okay, thanks!
Thank you so much! I hope this is what you were looking for❤️😊
141 + König x Reader's First Kiss
Warnings: swearing, mentions of alcohol, sexual references
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Simon Ghost Riley-
Your first kiss with Simon was sweet. After months of mutual pining, he'd finally mustered the courage to ask you out on a date.
He took you to a small cafe, where it wouldn't be too busy. He was a perfect gentleman the whole date, and you couldn't be any more enamored with him because of it.
He'd shown you a whole new side of him tonight, one that he hadn't shown anyone in years. He'd had his fair share of flings and one night stands, but you were different. Something about you made him want something more. Something real.
He'd walked you up to your doorstep later that night, after your date had ended. "I had a nice night Y/N, thank you." He said as he leaned against your door.
"Me too, Simon. I really hope we can do this again. It was nice getting to know the man behind the mask. I quite like him." You smiled warmly up at him.
Simon felt butterflies in his stomach from the way you were looking at him. Nobody's looked at him like that in years.
He looked deeply in your eyes before leaning down to slot his lips against yours. The kiss was nothing short of perfect. His lips had felt so soft against yours.
His finger rested under your chin, pulling your head up toward him more so he could deepen the kiss. Pulling away slowly after a few moments, he smiled down at you before placing a kiss on your forehead.
"I'll see you soon, yeah?" He asked, hopeful. The kiss solidified what he knew he felt inside. He was falling for you, and falling hard.
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Johnny Soap MacTavish-
Your first kiss with Johnny was unexpected. The two of you had been friends for years. You had a friendship filled with relentless teasing, late nights gossiping, and lingering touches.
You were out with him late at night at a bar close to base. The two of you wanted to let loose, and ended up having one too many.
At one point during the night, you found yourself staring at Johnny. He was licking his chapped lips all night, and it was driving you crazy. You'd always harbored feelings for the Scot, and it certainly didn't help you were undeniably attracted to him either.
"Need some chapstick?" You teased, catching Johnny's attention. He turned his gaze away from the game on TV and looked at you with a smirk.
"Think I may need more than just chapstick, darlin." He sent you a sly wink.
You stifled a giggle at his reply. "Was that supposed to be a pickup line? That was awful, Johnny."
Johnny would be sure to blame it on the drinks later, but your little giggle had done something to him in that moment. Ignoring any doubts he had in his mind, he leaned forward and crashed his lips onto yours.
The kiss was heated, and messy. Both of you being under the influence of alcohol certainly didn't make for a very romantic kiss. There was teeth clashing, tongue and a mix of saliva all at once. But you weren't complaining, and neither was he.
"Fuck me." He pulled away, with a darkness to his eyes that wasn't there before. "Let's get out of here, yeah?"
You nodded your head, and let Johnny lead the way to a night neither of you would forget.
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Price-
Your first kiss with Price was rough. The amount of sexual/romantic tension between the two of you was palpable, and had been since you'd joined his task force.
You'd needed help with some defense techniques and had asked if he'd be willing to spar with you to help out.
You'd been sparring with him for the last 20 minutes and were working up quite the sweat. Price wasn't one to go easy on you, and you'd narrowly missed being punched a handful of times.
You'd lost your footing as you tried to deflect his latest punch unsuccessfully, causing you and John to go tumbling to the ground. He held his arms out on either side of you to prevent himself from falling on top of you.
Trying to catch your breath from the physical exertion, you looked up to find Price already looking down at you. His gaze had flitted down to your lips and back up to your eyes.
You swallowed thickly, unsure of what his next move was going to be. He gave a small smirk before leaning down to connect your lips with his.
The kiss was bruising. Like in your spar session, Price didn't hold himself back when kissing you either. His lips were rough, and the kiss was anything but soft.
"I think I won that spar, yeah?" He asked, pulling away. "Now it's time to claim my prize."
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Gaz-
Your first kiss with Gaz was playful. You and him were playing Mario Kart at your flat, and things were getting tense. Each of you were self proclaimed masters at the game and decided to do a ten round game to see who was the ultimate winner.
The two of you were sitting side by side, deeply concentrating on the game. This was the last round of the match, and you and Gaz were neck and neck, the winner being decided by this match.
It was the last lap, and Gaz was right on your tail. At the last minute, he had gotten a red shell to use on you, which allowed him to push past you and win the race.
"AHH! DID YOU SEE THAT? I WON, I WON!" Gaz cried out, flinging his arms in the air, sending the controller flying.
You laughed at his enthusiasm and were about to say something before he cut you off with a fierce kiss.
You and Gaz had been friends for a while. Both of you were close and found yourselves in each other's company. You'd always had a small attraction to the man, but never vocalize your feelings.
Your mind was hazy as you tried to grasp what was happening. You'd sat frozen as he kissed you, unable to move.
He pulled away with wide eyes. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I should've asked, was so."
You cut him off by placing your lips against his. He immediately reciprocated, pushing you backward into the couch.
"Shit, can I get kissed like this every time I win?"
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König-
König's and your first kiss was timid. You'd been on a few dates together, never ending with the kiss you'd wanted so badly from him.
You knew of his anxieties, though. You knew better than to push him into something he wasn't comfortable with. So you waited patiently for him to make his move.
The two of you were on a picnic date, at a little lake by your house. The date was quiet, but sweet. König had told you some childhood stories, in exchange for a few of your own.
As the two of you finished your sandwiches, a comfortable silence fell over you. Both of you often looking at each other, exchanging warm glances.
At one point, he turned to you with a small smile and cleared his throat. "Maus….may I… may I kiss you?"
You nodded your head with a smile and waited for König to make a move. He leaned in slowly and placed his lips on yours softly, almost as if he'd break you if he'd put any more pressure.
He pulled away only a second later, a light pink dusting his cheeks. "I.. I hope that was alright for you."
"That was perfect Kö.. could I…maybe get another?" You asked, your own cheeks now turning pink.
König felt his heart flutter, and gladly leaned back in to capture your lips in his once more. This time, kissing you with just a bit more fervor than before.
König could get used to this, this domestic bliss. You were starting to show him slowly but surely that the man beneath the mask was worth loving.
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A/N: Thanks for reading!!!❤️😊
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gunthermunch · 10 days
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[Transcript under the cut]
Billie: mornin'! Pierce: Look who's awake Max: cut it off. Max: what are your plans for today? Pierce: Gonna hang around campus until one of you comes out of your classes, probably. Can I use your Nintendo? Max: fuck off? Billie: that’s a yes Pierce: awesome. thanks man Max: hate it here Billie: wait! Pierce you can come watch us rehearsal! We are still working on the summerdreams. Aw… wish you could be Oberon. Max could be our Puck, do you think we can get Evie to play Bottom? Pierce: …baby what are we talking about? Max: how old is this milk.
Girlie: hey, that looks pretty good. I hate sculpting, I’m just here to judge everyone. Max: …thank you. Professor: alright does anyone need validation? A small gesture that proves your art has some sort of value to me? Let’s see Professor: hm… Max: what Professor: oh, nothing. Are you sure you got your reference right? This seems a little crooked. Max: yes. I did. Professor: you might need to consider redoing this one boy Professor: fantastic! Keep the good work, Rochelle. Max: sorry are you like, his niece or something? Rochelle: what do you mean? Max: well there’s no way he always thinks you have a great thing going on, that’s barely something right there Rochelle: hey, don’t think I haven’t noticed your dumb peeping eyes all this time. Next time I catch you eyeing my work, you’re getting punched. Max: just like that? Rochelle: you want a deep reason for me to put a fist on your face? Max: well yeah even my sister has had deeper reasons to hit me Rochelle: you’re just pissing me off. Max: that’s more like it. Professor: okay everyone! Coffee break. For me. Oh and yeah you can have a minute too Max: thank God
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maineventbts · 1 month
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The Boy Is Mine
pairing: jey uso x reader
word count: 2.1k
warnings: cursing , some innuendoes at the end , that’s pretty much it.
note: i haven’t written anything in a while , im just testing the waters. pls be kind <3
It was Monday, meaning you were walking into the arena for tonight's show. Typically, you enjoyed coming to work; you had the best job in the world. However, this was the last place you wanted to be today. Your silver suitcase was rolling behind you as your best friend power walked to keep up with your quick strides. Your goal was to reach your destination as quickly as possible, avoiding as much contact as you could. You greeted some staff and fellow coworkers before rushing into the female locker room. Holding the door open for your friend, as she gives you a side eye on her way into the room. "What is wrong with you? You need to slow the fuck down," Nia said with her hands on her hips, trying to catch her breath.
You refused to tell her the reason for your speed walking into the arena. In your mind, the reasoning made you sound like a high schooler, and you were grown as hell. You and your longtime friend, who happens to be Nia's cousin, were going through a rough patch. You and Josh were not just typical friends; you were practically in love with each other. You couldn't get enough of each other from the day you first met. Sitting together in catering, riding to shows together, even having him hold your purse sometimes. You two even shared many steamy moments in private. No one ever questioned your closeness until a new person was added to the mix. Newer talent, Nikita, the Bane of your existence. Because you and Josh were not an official item, he was fair game for anyone. However, you were ready to go to bat for that man, like he put a ring on your finger.
"Hello? Girl, you almost killed me; this better not be about Josh again." Nia shakes your shoulders, pulling you from your daze. You playfully smack her hands off of your body, "my bad, I'm just a little tired today." Not believing your excuse, Nia opens her mouth, preparing to remind you of your busy day. "And I know we have a tag match tonight, I'll be focused," you beat her to the punch.
After setting up your space in the locker room, you and some of the other women head to catering. You've only had a matcha latte today, and if you didn't eat anything soon, your body would give up. Thankfully, there is always a diverse spread of delicious food, so you never have to worry about going hungry. You grab a Gatorade and pack your plate with three tacos and rice. As soon as you sit down with Nia and Naomi, you notice Naomi's continuous glances at you. "Yes, Naomi," you say, already knowing what was about to come next.
"Why are you ignoring that man," referring to her brother-in-law, Josh. Unsurprisingly, he told his twin brother Jon, who definitely told Trinity. You poke at the food on your plate before looking up at the girls, "I'm not ignoring hi-," Trinity put her hand up, not wanting to hear whatever bullshit you were about to spew. "I literally watch you speed walk past him at every show. And he won't stop calling me and Jon to see what's wrong with you." It was obvious that Trinity wanted to help you both, but you wanted to avoid being lectured by your friends. "He out here entertaining other bitches, what am I supposed to do," your words came out in a whisper in an attempt to keep your fellow workers out of your business.
You’ve been talking about Josh too much because he comes around the corner like Beetlejuice. In an instant, your head is down, and you begin eating your food, praying that he'll ignore you. His eyes are on you instantly, but to your surprise, he doesn't approach you. Instead, he sits down with Xavier and Kofi, at the table beside you. Your back was toward him, but Nia's constant looks in his direction weren't helping your paranoia. "Stop looking over there," you mouth to her, causing her to look down at her plate.
Just as you thought things couldn't get any worse, Bane arrives here to ruin your day. "What up Nikita," you hear Xavier greet the girl, who takes a seat at their table. Your jaw tightens, and your grip on your fork is deadly. Her presence makes you want to flip every table in the room and slap the taste out of her mouth. "I'm liking the little blue in the back, Josh; did you just dye it?" just the sound of her voice raises your body temperature. Smoke is practically barreling out of your ears as you try to remain calm. His hair color is none of her business, and why didn't he tell you about it? Your mind is racing so fast that you don't notice Trinity and Nia's concerned facial expressions. If you didn't leave this table now, Nikita would be laid out on it. Gathering your trash and personal items, you get up from the table and get away from catering as quick as possible. Little did you know, Joshua was staring at you the entire time with puppy dog eyes, praying that you'd look his way.
Back in the locker room, you begin to prep for your match. Earbuds snug in your ears as you riffle through your suitcase, trying to find the best gear to wear. After a swift search, you pull out one of your strategically distressed t-shirts, trunks, and kickpads. You change in one of the stalls and throw on your black boots. "You want to look like me so bad," Nia lets out a laugh as you both come out of the stalls wearing the same colors. The show had already started, and it was time for you two to get in the makeup chair.
"Do you want to go with a neutral type of look tonight," Melinda, one of the makeup artist, always asked what you wanted before she worked her magic. You went with the neutrals, and so did Nia. You and the girls are enjoying small talk as she puts the finishing touches on your face. "Y/N," your body instantly tensed up, and you refused to look away from the girl in front of you. Nia instantly looked away and continued to chat with the other girls. "Girl, i know you did not," you mutter, shocked that she'd leave you to deal with this alone.
"Yes, Josh," you fight the urge to face him, trying to stay strong. If you looked that man in the eyes, you just might let everything go and fold. "Can we go somewhere and talk," he moves to stand before you, not allowing you to avoid him any longer. "I'm getting my makeup done," you quickly respond, hoping to excuse yourself from the situation. "Actually, you're all done now," Melinda pats your shoulder as she ushers you to get out of the chair. Your eyes widen as you've just been thrown to a wolf by your favorite makeup artist. You thank the woman, realizing that you can't hide anymore. "Come on," you tilt your head towards the far end of the hall, which happens to be empty.
"Why you ignoring me," Joshua jumps straight to the point, looking down on you. His body looks tense as he folds his hands in front of him. It was beyond evident that he was just as nervous as you were, if not more. "We been friends for years, you know you my girl," you could hear the hurt in his voice, and it completely shattered your heart. The last thing you wanted to do was hurt Josh, but you were hurting too. "If I'm your girl, why are you flirting with other bitches? It's supposed to be me and you, Joshua; this is not a group thing." You could hardly hold eye contact with him anymore; his eyes looked angry and apologetic, while you looked like you were about to burst into tears.
He cupped your jaw, forcing you to look at him. "Ain't nobody flirting with nobody. She just follows me and the guys around sometimes, you need to stop trippin-"you smack his hand away from your face. How dare he accuse you of being dramatic. "I need to stop trippin? You won't even let Dolph sit next to me anymore. Anybody gets friendly with me, and you get upset, but I can't be mad at you for getting fresh with someone that ain't me," no longer were you scared to look at him; you were practically fuming. Head cocked to the side with your arms crossed over your chest, "you're so fucking backwards, Josh. If you wanna flirt with other people, if you want to fuck with other people, go ahead!" The two of you sat in silence for a moment, unsure of what even happened. He clenched his jaw, as you tried your best to hold back the flood that was ready to fall from your eyes.
"Fuck you, Josh. I'm so fucking done with you," you turn away from him, not wanting to waste any more of your time on someone who wasn't truly committed to you. Head hanging low as you speed past everyone in the hall. Joshua watches you walk away from him, knowing that you need some time to cool off. Though you might not understand now, he loves you more than anything else in this world, and he wouldn't let you walk out of his life that easily.
The rest of your evening was bearable. You won your tag match with Nia but had to go up against the one person you wanted to strangle. Luckily for you, Josh was nowhere to be found; now it was time to get the hell out of there before he magically appeared again. You and Nia were outside, waiting for Saraya to bring the car around. Sitting on your suitcase with your earbuds in, this was the most peace you had gotten all day.
As Saraya pulls up in front of you, a hand drapes over your shoulder. You recognized that soft yet heavy hand anywhere. "What do you want Josh," your words come out very monotonous as you pull the earbuds from your ears. "You riding with me tonight," his words sounding more like a statement than a question. You shrug his hand off of your shoulder before rising from your seat. "No, I'm going with the girls to-” before you could finish your sentence, Joshua is holding your suitcase along with his, "you gon' stop running from me. You know just how much I love you, even though we haven't made anything official, I've made it more than clear that you my number one." Before you can get a word out, he continues, "I shouldn't have let her get that close to me; that's my fault entirely. But never once did I feed into her advances or little flirtatious behavior. I'm not checking for anybody that's not you, ma," with every word he says, you feel your face get hotter. You weren't sure what you were expecting, but you didn’t think that he’d profess his love for you outside the arena.
"I know we ain't made nothing official or anything, but I wanna change that. I don't want no one thinking they got a chance with you, and I know you don't want that either." Joshua advances towards you, letting go of the suitcase handles. Hands slowly wrapping around your waist and pulling you closer to his body, "be my girl, officially." You couldn’t resist it anymore, the last thing you wanted was to keep fighting with Josh. Your hand comes up to the back of his head, strands of his blue hair through your fingers, "I'd like that very much," your words come out softly as you feel your face burning. His eyes were scanning all over your body like this was the first time he’s ever seen you. You couldn’t lie, you did get some new braids in and did your makeup a bit different lately, hoping he would notice. He wasn’t the only one staring, you found yourself drooling over his tattooed arms and the shine from his grill. It’s been a minute since y’all got together and you needed him now.
"Kiss her! Be a man," you hear Saraya and Nia yelling from the car, you completely forgot that they were waiting on you. Leaning down, Joshua carefully places his lips against yours. Wasting no time, you parted your lips, allowing his tongue to slip into your mouth. Your nails are softly combing through his hair as his hands start to roam your body. You hear squeals in the background before slowly pulling away from his lips. Gloss slightly smudged on your face and on his lips. Your mouth curves into a smile before you turn your attention to your friends. "I'll see y'all in the next town," you raise your middle finger at the pair before gathering your items to leave with your new man.
"You gon' apologize for ignoring me all this time," he looks over at you, licking his lips as you help him load up the rental. Already knowing what kind of apology he wanted, you shake your head, "nah, I've been under so much emotional stress lately. I think you owe me an apology, maybe even two," you giggle as he closes the trunk. "I’ma give you whatever you want baby," he says, hand smacking your ass before you walk over to the passenger door.
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fxtalitygod · 11 months
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VII. ~Survival~
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Summary: You were determined to survive longer than anyone, even if you were set to marry him.
Genre: Historical AU, angst, mature, suggestive, arranged-marriage
Warnings: Dark themes, theme/depictions of horror, swearing/language, suggestive, mentioned pedophilia, child molestation, attempted child sexual assault, mentions of adult murder, implications of impregnating, implied Stockholm Syndrome, images/depictions of dead bodies, slight misogynistic themes (if you squint).
Word Count: 2.8k
A/N: Soooooo... this is the shortest chapter I've ever written, but it wasn't my intention. To be honest, I kept becoming unhappy with the results and kept going back to fix it, but it never felt right. At the end of the day, I decided to touch into an uncovered territory of (Y/n) that I had debated on for a while and enjoyed the results. I promise the next chapter will be longer and will cover more bases! Enjoy Chapter 7 of Survival!!
P.S. I know I said I'd get this chapter out in May, but it's currently June 1st, 12:26pm (for me), so take it or leave it!!! (╥﹏╥)
JJK Mlist•Taglist Rules•
• Pt.I • Pt. II • Pt. III • Pt. IV • Pt. V • Pt. VI • Pt.VII • Pt. VIII
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"Y/n, wait up!"
You turned to see your little sister running over to catch up to your quick pace, grabbing her hand as she extended it to you. The two of you were pushing through the crowd in the market, holding on to each other as if it were for dear life. You would rather be damned than lose any of your younger siblings upon your watch.
"We need to hurry! We have to be home before Mother starts dinner," you noted breathlessly, "She cannot even start if we do not get these ingredients to her on time," referring to the basket you were holding close to your form.
Your sister gave an obedient response as she focused on your swift gait. You could only smile at the young girl's compliance— had it been any of your other more youthful siblings, they may have given you replies of retaliation out of their immaturity, but she was a sweet child who clearly looked up to and admired you. Turning your attention back towards the road of the market square, you saw that you were close to the exit that would lead you on the path home, sighing in relief as you slightly sped up your stride; however, before the two of you could exit you felt a hand wrap around your arm, pulling you and your sister into a secluded area.
"Now, what do we have here?" A gruff voice sounded, "Two pretty little buds have stumbled upon my path."
The voice was clearly a male's, and he was undoubtedly intoxicated as his speech was slurred, plus his stride was far from straight as he walked closer towards you. He circled the two of you like a vulture over a carcass, his eyes narrow and intimidating as he looked at your youthful figures, disgustingly licking his lips. The predator eventually moved into the light, revealing his aged appearance. The man was clearly an older one, his rough, oily skin and few missing teeth being a telling sign of his seniority; if he was any younger than you had assumed, he did not age gracefully.
“I-I’m sorry, sir,” you started, unintentionally stuttering as you spoke, “b-but we have to be home before sunset,” you finished explaining, your voice slightly cracking as you spoke due to the fear swelling in your chest. Despite your own terror, you tried to keep your stance straight to give your sister peace of mind, pulling the little girl behind you to act as her human shield.
“No worries,” the stranger chuckled, before reaching around you and grabbing your sister by her forearm before pushing you onto the ground, holding your chest down with his foot, “I’ll make you both into proper women before then,” the man closed his statement, making his advance on your younger sibling first.
You struggled as you tried to push the man’s foot off your torso, but your attempts were futile. The sick individual only grew tired of your punching, moving, and scratching as he decided to kick you to the nearby wall. Your gaze followed his figure as you weakly got up, only to be pushed into the wall once more, feeling cuts and scratches being made upon your flesh. The male took hold of something at the corner of your eye, still keeping your sister in a tight grip as she struggled. In moments, your hands and legs were tied, and a solid heavy stone was placed upon your lap to keep you from getting up anytime soon.
“Y/N!” Your sister screamed with tears in her eyes as the predator began to touch and kiss her pure skin with his contaminated flesh.
Your mind paced watching the scene, bile rising to your throat as you grew repulsed. Before long, the disgusting creature decided to yank at her clothes— that was the moment you snapped.
“Wait, take me instead! I’ll let you do whatever you want to me!” You yelled in haste. The decision was made with little thought, but as long as your sister was safe, you could live with the disgust.
The man paused to think for a moment before a repulsive grin overtook his expression, quickly going to restrain your sibling before removing your bonds. The moment you were free was the moment you were infested by his greedy touches. If the contact of his fingers and lips didn’t make you want to gag, the feeling of his bulge between your thighs made you want to vomit.
You thought that by sacrificing yourself for your sister's safety, you would be able to tolerate his blatant violation, but you could only feel your resolve weaken as his lingering touches began making your skin burn, but not in a good way. Despite your discomfort, you continued to indulge in his horrific actions, deciding to let out your emotions with tears and balled fists. Things weren't any easier as you heard the choked sobs of your younger sibling as she watched the setting, feeling your dignity and pride being washed away. Everything was going as the man wanted– he was getting his fixture of pleasure while two young girls suffered. If his hard-on wasn't a signal of his enjoyment, his chuckles and wretched words were an unmistakable banner.
"You're such a pretty little thing, so obedient for me. Y'know, I think that deserves a reward," the aged man cackled, moving his hands to remove his garments, changing course to strip you as well.
"(Y/N)!!!" your sister screeched, loud enough for her voice to echo in the alley.
Before you could say any words of comfort for the little girl, the man turned around, obviously not pleased with her outburst. The man's nostrils flared as he raised a hand and hit the young girl. The audible smack did not settle with you, and you could feel a temper you had never felt before build up inside you. You do not remember what happened next, but everything went pitch black for a second, and when you opened your eyes...
All you saw was the body of the pedophile lying on the floor, unmoving and breathless.
You stared at the lifeless figure, not knowing what to say as the scarlet liquid began to pool in a puddle beneath his form. Lifting your crown, you looked around to maybe see who the culprit of killing the man was; however, the alley was empty– just you and your sister. Speaking of the sibling in question, you swiftly moved to retrieve the girl only to see that her restraints were already broken and that she was unconscious, yet breathing.
Questions began to fill your mind, but you pushed them aside, focusing on the current circumstances. You wasted no more time as you went to lift the little girl onto your back, picking up the basket of ingredients before making your trek home. Although one problem was resolved, there was still another pressing matter...what would you tell your parents? Unfortunately, you did not have much time to think up an answer to that as you were now at your front door, sliding the object to reveal the worried expressions of your parents.
The couple rambled, asking what had happened, questioning why the two of you were late and battered. The more they interrogated, the louder the ringing in your ears started to develop, effectively drowning out their uneasy voices. You didn't know what to say or what to do. Would it be a good idea to tell them the truth? What if they wouldn't believe you? Would you be punished? How would they even react?
"We were playing in the fields and had an accident, but we're alright now. (S/n) fell asleep on our way back, she really exerted herself."
The lie was sour in your mouth, but you thought it was the better route when you pictured the corpse lying on the dirt floor. How would you explain such a gruesome sight? The answer is you would not because there wasn't an explanation to give– you didn't even know what had happened.
The night went on as usual, your parents buying your story and continuing regular activity. When your sister had risen, she didn't remember a thing, only saying the last thing she recalled was shopping at the market. Your parents didn't think much of it as they gave her a simple reply before having her eat with the family. When you were presented with your plate, you could hardly stomach the sight of the food; however, you knew it would be rude to waste a precious meal, so you ate and shoved whatever bile threatening to scale your esophagus down.
After the meal, you were tasked with helping your mother clean the dishes. It was quiet between you both as you scrubbed the dishware and bowls, not yet feeling comfortable to voice words. Although you opted to stay muted, your mother did not make indications she would do the same.
"Thank you for taking care of your sister," the woman started, giving you a warm smile, "she really looks up to you, and I could not be prouder of that."
Her words broke you then and there as your eyes glossed over, feeling tears cascade down your face. Your mom stopped what she was doing and took hold of your face to have you look at her, "Whatever is the matter, dear?"
"But I didn't take care of her. She got hurt today because of my incompetence. How can I call myself a good sister after that?" You choked out between quiet sobs.
"Accidents happen, my dear," the parent soothed as she pulled you in, petting your hair to calm you, "The best thing you can do is learn from them."
You could only nod into your mother's bosom, not trusting your own voice at the time being. Maybe she was right– you just had to ensure the incident wouldn't repeat itself. You repeated that statement mentally as she held you, so why did you still feel guilty.
"After all, you took care of it, my dear," your mother sounded, "You killed that vile man."
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Your eyes shot open, your breathing heavy, and your pulse uneven as you woke from your nightmare. It wasn't the first time that night terror had occurred, but you had to admit it had been a while since it had. Ever since birthing your children, the nightmares had been more consistent.
At first, they were an occasional occurrence, but as the months passed, once or twice a month turned into three to four times a week. Some lasted longer than others, and others were more frightening than some. Either way, your once dreamless nights began to fill with discomforting and restless evenings. Despite the abnormality of some of the dreams, you only deduced it as a result of stress. You kept yourself levelheaded on the outside, but within, you were drowning in your overwhelming thoughts.
Ever since your everlasting pact with Sukuna, things around the temple began to change significantly, at least for you. Perhaps someone with an ordinary eye would not notice these small changes, but you were focused on the finer details. Minimal adjustments such as staffing, specifically the addition of two new guards. It was not a large sum of security, definitely not an army, but for even one guard to join Sukuna's ranks was unusual. Your husband had not much need for any more manpower as he had plenty of that as it already was; however, the stranger part is that they seemed to be patrolling the areas where the mothers resided. This did not go unnoticed by anyone as rumors were already spreading, but everyone seemed to hold an opposite reaction from your own.
"Well, they definitely do not hurt my eyes.~"
"I heard from one of the kitchen maids that they're Sukuna's spies. Apparently, one of the moms here is being distasteful."
"Our dear husband protecting his prizes, how sweet.~"
"This was bound to happen since last year's inspections– truly disappointing how many failed progeny there were."
Meaningless jokes, endearing words, bustling rumors, but no mentions of concerns. You found this new detail far from good because the guards were not focused on the mothers nor the children but rather on the surroundings of the room they inhabited. Their eyes were cautious and were jumping from place to place, their forms tense, almost as if they were waiting for something to happen. Despite these prominent cues, everyone seemed to overlook it– you had heard a few women state that `Sukuna did not want them looking upon his prizes.`
"Y/n-sama, I've been requested to escort you to the gardens," a voice sounded; however, it was not your attendant but rather Uraume who had called out to you.
You had been seeing the individual more often than usual– what started off as passing glances and minimal greetings had turned into confrontational meetings and regular appearances; this happened to be one of those instances. It did not take you long to rise from your relaxed state, moving to take hold of your children before turning to Sukuna's right hand. Uraume did not say anything, only giving you a bow and a gesture to follow them to the gardens, where your attendant would most likely be waiting. Usually, the girl would be the one who greeted you on these mornings, but because of your recurring night terrors, you opted to have her take the time to focus on other tasks, telling her that you could wake yourself; however, when you first brought this conversation up, she hesitated on the idea. After some convincing, your attendant finally caved and gave you the mornings to yourself, but that did not last long.
It took around a week or two for Sukuna to figure out that you were spending most of your mornings alone, which your partner did not appreciate. Despite his detesting of the news, he did not lash out at anybody for it– the man seemed more apprehensive than infuriated. It took only a few days for Sukuna to appoint his direct helper to retrieve you. From then on, you were seen with Uraume for most of the morning before they left to perform their other duties.
You followed the individual down the corridor, glancing at the walls and what inhabited them. There wasn't much decorating the temple as Sukuna was not a sentimental man– he hardly kept his offerings unless they were of necessity. The walls were blank and lifeless, and viewing them could drive you insane if you focused on them.
"Y/n-sama, do you love Sukun-sama?"
Your breath hitched as you moved your gaze to look at the back of Uraume's head. There question left you speechless; however, it was not because you did not have an answer but rather their sudden interest that took you aback. The person did not vocalize their thoughts much, but you could always tell when they were thinking to themselves.
"Yes, he is my husband. Why would I not love him?" you quickly stated.
"You do not have to lie to me (Y/n)-sama."
You could not help but worry at Uraume's comment. Did they know your intentions? Were they going to remove your twins from your care? Had they already discussed this with Sukuna? How long did you have left?
"And where is your evidence of that, Uraume?" you managed to keep your voice leveled despite the anxiety creeping up on you, but you needed to keep your composure if you wanted to win this little tussle, being if you had to fight at all.
A chuckle resonated through the hall.
"You're right... I have no proof, only my own conspiracies. I admire your ability to hold that over me– your defensive side is a site to see. If I'm being honest, when you first came to the temple, I did not think much of you as I thought you were just another woman to bear Sukuna's kin; you proved me wrong (Y/n)-sama. I do not understand how you managed, but you have Sukuna-sama wrapped around your finger like I have never seen before," Uruame voiced, a lightness to their tone before continuing, "Perhaps it is for the best, after all, you are both seem satisfied with your current standing."
For the rest of the trip, you sustained the following stillness, only giving the individual a hum in response to their last comment. When the garden came into view, you internally sighed in relief, glad to rid yourself of this mind-wracking conversation. Too bad things couldn't stay that way.
"Y/n-sama, your village has started to retaliate against Sukuna's command. Truth be told, it has been going on for the past year; however, things have started to escalate— for the sake of your family unit, keep yourself on guard," The righthand warned, turning to leave you to your daily activities.
Just peachy, another occurrence to write down in your list of troubles.
You would not get proper rest in a while.
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523 notes · View notes
Text
just a pinch
summer ends way too fast; you and Eddie surprise each other.
includes smut, as in 18+ 6k words somehow lmao? most of it fluff  best friends to lovers, and it gets a little gross in an arguably unsexy but very intimate way. you're not supposed to put anyone's mouth on your new piercing until at least two weeks out don't be dumb listen to your piercer
content: boob fondling, dry humping, jean nutting, some mild threats of violence, mentions of piercings but not piercing play to my understanding
reader is described as fat, dark skinned, and referred to gender neutrally, mostly (tough guy, man, angel, sweetheart).
comments (yes, even short ones,) reblogs all v much appreciated, take care :*
So, the heatwave had been a fake-out. 
You had both expected more swim-days. Just a few more sweaty, sticky nights— sat too close and tangled together sharing a bowl of Moose Tracks by moonlight, in as little fabric as you could manage and with as much ice as one freezer bucket could hold.
But alas, the fall sneaks in one cloudy morning and makes you regret ever even thinking the word “winter.” 
You’re shivering as you shock awake and roll clumsily to the nightstand. Reaching blind for the blaring landline, your hand cringes away from too-cold plastic, and you groan long and low in mourning— it's definitely over.  While you were asleep, Summer had packed up her bag and ducked off in the dark before you could send her off properly. Goodbye, dog days.
Hello, caller. You know it’s Eddie before you pick up; he knows it's you before you speak.
“Can you believe this? Shit fuckin’ sucks,” he croaks, right off the bat and into the receiver.
“And blows—“ you sigh back, punching one satin-covered pillow and your headscarf off the bed. “We couldn’t even get, a like, temperate couple of days? It had to go straight to freeze-my-dick-off immediately?”
“ha! Please. The end is nigh, sweetheart. You know it better than I,” he almost sings. His sleepy lilt catches on the pet name, and that gravelly morning timbre gees up your morning wood like nothing else can. You kiss your teeth, honestly annoyed at how he affects you this early, and when Ed’s answering chuckle rumbles through your ears and down your jaw, it's like you can feel his breath through the phone. 
God, he sounds good. You hum into a long sigh as he talks. It warms you, everywhere, hearing his voice first thing, and if your non-phone hand drags down your chest and reaches lower to rearrange the pillow between your legs, he doesn’t need to know.
You hear Eddie fidget, as he does, and he switches the phone to his other ear. Then, there’s the rattle of the earrings against plastic– a few chunky hoops he got at your suggestion, and one with your first initial that he definitely plucked off of your desk, though he had lazily denied it. You feel a smile fight its way to your face, suddenly giddy about him, about his call. 
A snapshot of him talking himself awake is as clear in your head as the grey in the sky: a grumpy Munson, emerging from the mess of gifted homemade blankets and ancient, flat pillows. Just a pair of doe eyes, framed by a cluster of chocolate curls and a scowl. Picture-perfect.
You’ve been nursing this damn crush forever, and with the effort of punching it off the bed and out of sight with that headscarf, you’re long past exhaustion. But, in the safety of your chilly room, and with the comfort of his voice in your ear, maybe you’ve enough strength for now to entertain a butterfly, or ten.
You had worn his ring to bed— a little bat hugging your ring finger the way it had been hugging his before you’d snatched it off as payment for a dare gone unfulfilled–and you’re twirling it now, like some lovesick sap. You’re written all over each other, and you’ve been itching to do something about it. But, that’s not the issue right now.
Right now,
“I know, life is over, the globe is warming, there are only a few summers left, et cetera. We’ll still have fun.”
(the dare? you had challenged him to snatch some Hawkins PD pig or another’s goofy little ranger hat as he had passed the two of you on the street. Eddie had suggested maybe he couldn’t float past an arrest on boyish charm this deep into his twenties, and acquiesced without a word when you had held out your hand for his own. 
You’d pretended not to notice the blush creeping up his neck; he had let you hold his hand a bit longer than necessary. It had been an even trade, as always.)
Across the line, Eddie’s still snickering at you, voice fathoms deep– all crackly– when he speaks again. 
“Hold on to your dick, angel, I'm pretty sure there’s options. Like, uh, maybe clothes? Clothes usually work for me.”
“Don’t get cute! I'm fat, you clown, I sweat-- I don’t need clothes. And, I belong in the water, Munson. Its beyond fun, its—“
He cuts you off completely, ignores your scoff, and finishes for you.
“—fulfilling, healing, its what and where you were in every past life, the brain sludge is already building back up as we speak, and ‘I’ll die, I'll just about fuckin’ die, Munson,’ once it drops below 40, I know, stop bitching,” he laughs. His tone? Pure fond; your stomach somersaults. 
You hear the smile widen when he goes on to remind you, “but I guess it's fall now. IE, your favourite.”
“Say ‘bitch’ to me again, I’ll shave your peanut head.”
He takes it back, giggling something about his favourite tough guy, but you know he’s got you there. You definitely are bitching, and—
Halloween month, cider season, big soft sweater weather, rain? It is the best, but it's never too early to argue. 
“You’ll love it, angel.”
You give up, melting again at his affection verbalized. You’re humming assent as he keeps the ball rolling, asking what you’d like to do today instead of going for a swim. Come over and take turns reading the new discount novel he found? Start that mead recipe you made last year? Drive over to Stobin’s—see who can sneak in and scare the shit out of them first? 
All great ideas, you assure him, but you decided long ago that the End of Swim also marked the beginning of piercing season. Your safety moratorium on body mods of all kinds has been lifted, now that you can’t dip your fresh wounds into scummy lake water. 
You've been planning a particular pair for some time. You also decided that it would be a surprise. Your Eddie is observant, dialed in, and sure, maybe you like to play the odd game here and there. He notices you, and you notice right back.  How long, do you think, will it take for him to note a new set of nipple piercings if you don’t warn him first? You figure it’s time to test it.
So, you break his heart a little, and decline to hang out today after all. You’ll see him on your next day off, you promise, and make plans for “four days hence, Munson, quit bitching. I just remembered something else I need to do,” before hanging up on his protests and pulling on your first pair of sweats in 4 months. 
ID, water bottle, and a sweet breakfast in tow, you head for the best (note: only) tat shop you know, braced and ready for a world of pain, going boldly into the cold.
—---------
And there had been almost no pain, at first. You had yelped girlishly before the first needle went in, then felt embarrassed about how easy and quick it had been. Before you had even realized, it was over, and you grinned big at the unique beads framing each pert, dark nipple. You loved them. You loved the piercings, and more than ever, loved your tits. Couldn’t wait to go home and check them out from every angle, actually. 
Then, a malicious towel snag, a careless door-jamb bump, and a hateful sweater-thread later, you were fearing for your life. Over the last few days, you had taken to crouching around them a bit, arms wrapped loose around your stomach as a reminder and for protection. Your nipples were insanely sensitive, now more than ever, and you had never understood ‘til now how often you simply walked through and into things instead of just around.  
But, they were calming down, and with each prescribed saltwater soak you breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of visible irritation. The standard piercing boogers notwithstanding, they looked hot, you felt hot, but found yourself nervous for the big reveal. You thought you would hide them well, your mission made easier by the cool weather and baggier shirts it allowed. 
You’re in his room now. Eddie’s ideas had been good, but you had both decided on the usual– you, rocking up to his trailer and spending the day with him throwing food and trading theories, hours whiled away in artistic pursuits and cat-naps, never too far from one another. It’s been a good day– you’re doing such a good job with the piercings, you forget to hide how entranced you are by Eddie's hands. 
“Aren’t you hot?” 
You count the veins and tendons as they flip pencils and drum against whatever surface they encounter, try to guess how long he can go before he bites that right pinky nail too short again, wonder if he’s running hot today. He’s tactile, your Eddie, but you’re sitting on the floor, legs sprawled, and yeah, a little too warm in the hoodie you came in as he lounges on the bed– too far for his idle touches to distract you into admitting anything. 
You love those hands. You want to taste them one day. He’s looking at you.
Fuck, wait, he’s looking, and you haven’t answered him. You cut your eyes away, to the floor, to your nails, like an idiot. That wasn’t at all suspicious, sure. You’re reasonably sure Eddie hadn’t noticed the piercings themselves yet until, as you snack and he chats again about his sketch, he suddenly drops the pink eraser you’ve been watching his square fingers systematically tear apart.
“N...Noooooo.” He takes in your belated answer and eyes you for a second, then starts talking again. You tug your hands gingerly into the hoodie you’re in and slide the thing over your unwrapped cloud of hair without snagging anything, then toss it away, wiping the light sheen of sweat you realize is cooling on your nose.
 Fuck, here we go. You hadn’t considered you’d have to hide in conversation, just that you had to keep him from seeing. You try to keep your cool, but answer too quickly. This wouldn’t last long.
“Have you been eating weird shit again?” Eddie asks, cutting himself off from explaining the lore of his latest campaign villain. He’s sitting up more since you last looked at him– leaning back on one elbow as the other arm drapes comfy across his belly– and watching you fidget in that weird posture you’ve adopted since the piercings. 
“Eat– We–, me? Weird? What’s– What?” Nailed it. Smooth, like butter. Too player. You thank God or Dolly or whoever’s watching that your blush isn’t visible, because you can already feel your face heating up.
He stares, eyes squinted. You watch your plate, then look back at his lovely hands, fingers pale and impatient, thr-r-r-rumming in sequence against his now-closed notebook.
“What’s with the air-head act? And why are you clutching your tummy and moving like you fell down the stairs?” Okay, that one’s easy.
“Cramps.” Your reply is stiff, but reflexive. The pink in his fingertips as he drums is entrancing. Maybe you’ve saved it– you think you sound sure. He’s silent for beat, and you pick up a cracker and look out the window. Maybe you’re a genius. The fuck’s he gonna do? Argue?
“Hm. Bullshit?” You look up to challenge that, and catch him peering behind you to the stuffed possum you had gifted him when his favourite, real, live, wild possum friend stopped her brief shuffle through the fire pit behind his trailer one drizzly day. 
(Eddie had called it the best week of his life, then declared that he’d never love again.)
After another beat, as if the scruffy thing has read the room and confirmed its answer, Eddie nods once, curls bouncing, then swings his neck dramatically back to you to assert, “bullshit.” 
It's panic creeping up your throat now, because he’s going to see you,  see them, this isn’t– well– it is– but you didn’t think it through, and you aren’t a good enough liar to dodge the impending question. You hem for another moment, hands hovering over your torso, and he looks between them and your face before snapping his bulk upright so fast that the bits of pink littering his lap and thin muscle shirt fly up in the flurry.
“What’re you hiding?”
A frown tugs your lips down before you can stop it. You watch Eddie toss the notebook and, with a loud thump, collapse off the bed boneless into your nest of blankets and towards you like a mad slinky before you can finish saying, “nothing! I’m not– hiding–, wait a second!” 
In that second, Eddie has slithered the 4 feet between him and you, kind of flinging himself on top, landing more gently than you expected in a straddle and pinning your now-closed thighs under his seat before you can wiggle back and away in time. 
“Did you get a tattoo without me? You fucking did, didn’t you?” He might be verging on genuinely hurt, by the sound of it. You’d promised after he’d started his stick-n-poke journey that he’d be your first, (tattooer, that is), once he got some training together. Had swore to him–
“Le’me see– what, is it that shitty? Who the hell did you go to? You can’t be–”
“Ow, Eddie, stop!” Your screeching protest belies real pain this time, curling in on yourself and to the side as much as possible. He bumped a piercing in the shuffle, the pain expected but still shocking, and he backs off a bit and coos in sympathy, all his next words coming out in a frantic rush.
“Fuck, oh no, I’m sorry. I’msosorry, Sweetheart? Are you okay?”
You’ve crossed your arms in front of you, breathing deep through the stinging. As it subsides, he ducks his head to meet your eyeline, his paint-stained palms up, promising no contact. He’s still straddling you, most of his weight on his heels. Still locking you under him, where its very warm.
If you looked down and saw your heart itself beating its way out of your chest, you wouldn’t be shocked. You’re almost choking on it, and plotting how to get him off you without knocking the new piercings again. Its enough to spin your head, to think you’ve been found out this soon, that the bravado in your spirit has fled so quickly at the reality, not just the idea, the real life prospect of showing Munson your tits. 
But it's thrilling, him on top of you. It's always thrilling, a dream fulfilling itself, isn't it? Even if the context is off. This isn't the first time a bout of “weird” from one of you or the other has ended up in a fact-finding mission– sometimes wrestling match, or pillow fight, or wild, short chase through the woods. 
But every time he gets this close, it's like the path between your head brain to the other brain is cleared– heat is flooding the thin cotton that separates you from his well-worn denim faster than ever. He has to get up, right now. You have to keep him there forever. 
You relax as the sting subsides, uncurling and groaning a bit as those strong, clever hands fall to bracket your head on either side. Eddie leans down, sounding the creak of floor beneath you,  and scowls, bathing you in his radiating heat. Studying you, taking in your full lips pressed into a thin, nervous line, your brows turned up where they’d meet, betraying distress. 
“What is going on in there, man?" He's really worried now. When did you start keeping secrets?
“It’s…not a tattoo?” You purse your lips and scrunch your nose, and the sweet smile that flows like syrup across his face seems involuntary.
“Then what else– huh?” Eddie is trying to keep eye contact, but the wheels are turning, and his lovely smile drops. He glances at your arms crossed over your chest, and his jaw falls open, eyes narrowed in disbelief.
“Not a tattoo. Not ‘a’ anything, actually. Two things.”
“No, you didn’t. No way, not a chance.” Eddie seizes your wrists and ignores your protests, pinning each arm by your ears where his once were, and tries to x-ray inspect you through your shirt. It's dark, but not thick enough to weather this kind of scrutiny. Those telltale bumps are right there in front of him, the middle of each trio hardening as he inspects. So, you give up trying to argue, and shrug, suppressing a smile. 
“With— wha?” Eddie’s looney-tunes double-take makes you hoot a laugh as he swings his head and bouncy curls up and down, looking at you, glancing back at your chest, and up again as he processes what he’s hearing. What the fuck is he hearing? 
Your eyes stay low but your brows arch together as you scoff at him, dork. “You’re really telling me you hadn’t seen them?”
“I’ve– not–wha– I’m sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean–”
But, you had been talking shit. He couldn’t have seen anything in the dark shirt you had been wearing all day unless he’d been staring when you weren’t looking– had he been staring at your tits anyway?
 Did he do that often? Your jaw doesn’t drop so much as glide mischievously open. Surprise dawns and Eddie realizes he has, in fact, given himself away too quickly. Coolest dudes in Hawkins, you two.
He changes tack, slapping the floor by your head, still a little shocked.
“You got your nipples pierced? I don’t believe that. I don’t believe you! You’re full of shit.” His voice is almost petulant in its disbelief, high and tinny.
Your eyeroll is audible, “I mean. I can prove it, Munson.” 
“When?” He gasps, indignant, and slaps the floor with the other hand. 
“You barely have your ears pierced-“ he exaggerates. “Who the hell did ‘em? Was it a guy? You let some guy–”
“Please, some professional? Can you be serious?”
“You can’t take the pain, angel, not without my moral support, there’s no way. You’d have been whining about them being sore all fuckin’ week if you’d gotten your—“ 
He looks at your tits again, jaw slack, but in his shifting sends them undulating with the movement. His whole body goes still, except to inhale very slowly.
You’ve maybe never been this self conscious in your life, but his distraction emboldens you.  
“The idea was ‘surprise’, not ‘ambush’. But,” you drawl, smirking as you twist a wrist easily out of his now slack grip and push yourself up onto your elbows. 
“Do you—well.” Your eyes falter when your voice does. You want to offer proof. You’re not that bold yet, but you’re working up to it. 
He gives you room to sit up completely, hovering over your calves, back almost on his haunches. His heat leeches into your legs, swells in your chest and behind your eyes.
You want to touch him, like you always do. Eddie's deep brown eyes are wider, his mouth slack. His breathing is a little harder too, and you wonder for a second— do you want to un-ring this bell while there’s time?
“No,” he answers. “I mean, yeah, I—“ He rolls his plush lips into his mouth and then parts them, trying to work out how to ask. It’s not a dare anymore, and you feel a shyness completely unfamiliar, laid out in front of your best friend in the world. 
You wilt a little; Eddie finds his courage.
He swallows, and you watch his throat work while he figures out what to say, maybe as nervous as you are.
“Can I see?” He sounds hopeful, gentle, but to soothe you or himself, you can’t tell.
You dont quite answer with, “I’ll have you know, they didn’t hurt. At all, actually. It was...cold. Uncomfy, totally, but not painful— just a bit of a pinch? The last week has been worse than the actual needles were.” 
Eddie seems to realize he’s really staring, and cuts his eyes to the left, almost shy, and he seems to wipe sweat from his palms down the length of his strong thighs.
Your own hands pick at the hem of your shirt, and his gaze is split between your mouth and chest. Then, he shifts his weight, leans back like he’s about to give you space, when you reach for his warm, toned tricep, his skin shifting over muscle as he fidgets, and you’re ready to tell him the rest of the story. You can’t bear to miss his warmth on top of you, you realize. Now or never, you think. 
“I…” you croak, “I thought of you.”
 You hear him choke, like actually choke on his spit, then watch him shake his head like he’s rattling himself out of a haze. Eddie’s locked in on your eyes, searching for even the hint of a joke as you lift the shirt up just your stomach, exposing all the graceful cresting hills of your soft middle to his hungry gaze.
“When I picked them out, I mean.”
“Youf, you– fuc– You did this for me?” He sounds so absolutely incredulous, and breathless, all bravado bled out, or rushing to his reddening cheeks. It's like Eddie opened the next Discworld and found a dedication in his name, like the heavens have opened above him. For him? For him?
“Not for you, you clown, of course not. But like, maybe I wondered which ones you’d say I should get. And maybe... I thought you’d appreciate my pick.” Your crooked smile feels small, and you feel like offering something more substantial. 
So, you do.
“Appreciate..? I. Oh, god, Jesus, I.” You had been lifting your shirt so casually as you spoke, palms sliding up across your skin and dragging cotton with them, a caress so careless it seemed incidental. But you avoid hitting the new bars through each hardening nip, chills putting a mild tremble in your hands that he first catches, and is then distracted from. You watch Eddie’s short-circuit for a bit, feel his thighs tense around yours. You decide then that boldness is the only path forward. 
At the last rounding, you let them hem of the shirt catch on the underside of your bust, and just before its dangerous, lift them up by the hem and then drop them a bit, so they bounce for him, putting on a little show, posture straighter than before in presentation.
You’ve killed him. His plush lips try and fail to form a word, any word, as he lets out another shakey breath and leans back in to you by centimeters.  
“Eddie?” you prompt at his silence, voice quieter now. He’s still a little wide-eyed when he gasps out,
“What. Appreciate? Fuck, you’re beautiful. So, so beautiful. Jesus Christ, I never thought— Are those bats?” He’s moon-eyed and gaping like a dry fish, and you’re too keyed up to even tease him about it. You didn't just think of him, you conspired to match with him, to carry a little bit of him with you.
You know he wants to see you, more than just the piercings, and that teasing smirk is a distant memory, much like your patience. 
“So you hate them, huh?” He’s shocked into laughing before you can finish the question, restoring the quiet to something like normal as he raises his ringed hands to frame the low curve of your breasts. But he takes them in only with his eyes, flitting back and forth between them.
“They look, so so good, so good, god. The color you picked, even,” a warm gold that picks up the warmth in the soft creamy brown of your skin, “it glows, like, perfect. Gold’s your color, Sweetheart. It's all your color.” 
Bravado is fickle. You order him through barely parted lips, like you didn’t mean to say it out loud, then almost slur the hasty backtrack, “touch them. If-you-want, I-mean, if-you—.” 
In Eddie’s mind’s eye, gold falls from the sky; from his mouth tumbles a bewildered, “'If i want?' Are you insane?” 
As he reaches, you nod and sit up a bit straighter, feel heat rise in your cheeks, and take his confession with a crooked smile.
“I dreamt this.”
Here’s you, insufferably coy through a giggle: “Yeah? How’d it go?”
 His own knowing smirk is back, and you shiver, wanting fathoms deep as Eddie's hot hands envelope the heavy mounds of your breasts from below, cupped in the way he had threatened before you granted permission. Eddie seems to weigh them as he holds you, committing to memory how the plush fat of them sits in his palms, how they pebble across with gooseflesh at his very gentle fondling. 
You’re so soft, and warm, and he’s touching you; his mind splits in two. Some of him prays to any god for escalation, the rest could die happy right here.
On contact, you sigh together. Heavy, whispering things— you were both holding your breath— and inhale together, too. Your eyes flutter closed at the the drag of each body-warm ring as they poke into you. His calluses are almost sharp against you where they glide, some of the time ghosting over your skin, but mostly kneading you warmer.
It's your soft little hum of pleasure, how you arch, helpless, into his touch— the indiscreet rub of your knees together, and your thighs into his seat, the way you fight the smile back— these bring him back to himself,  and he checks your face again, watching the small smile grow as your eyes flick up to his. 
“Different,” Eddie intones, low and slow. “We’re out of order.”
You’re watching his pretty mouth again while he feigns serious, but as he moves just one hand to the floor behind you and leans in close, warm Cheez-It-breath tickling your face, setting alight every nerve that wasn’t already screaming for deeper contact. You meet his penetrating gaze and gasp at the pleasure-pain of that ringed thumb finally, finally, swiping up along one pert nipple. 
It's a shocked moan, not a gasp, that opens your mouth as he collides with it, timed perfectly with the upward jolt of your hips into his hardening cock. It's Eddie’s turn to gasp— his rushes out hot and quick, as if from a gut-punch. 
He's fighting for his life trying to steady his voice, act casual. “Usually, I get my mouth on your first.”
With that, he closes the gap again, but this time pulls away with a wet smack, a kiss so brief you’re compelled to chase him and get your licks in.
“Then, my hands,” he says, as he closes his fingers around as much of you as he can grasp with each hand to squeeze. Its at once electrifying and comforting, leaning into him and running from the cold. You want him pressed against you completely, but he's focused on the pillows of supple skin and heat in his hands.
“Promise,” he chokes, “ahhh, promise to tell me if it hurts, angel?”
“Eddie, touch me— I promise— touch me,” you positively beg, and your Eddie, egged on by your fingers now pulling deliciously at the hair on his sensitive nape, recovers fast. He’s on you before he can take his next breath in, and bites down around your bottom lip, pushing you with him gently as he leans forward, mashing your noses together.  
And you kiss Eddie back, hard, sucking his trembling lip between yours and earning yourself a groan that sends a lovely buzz through your jaw where you meet. That fucking noise, and his hand still on you, now not as gentle, sending little shocks of pleasure as he swipes gently along the outer dark ring crowning your nipple. The skin there is tightening, growing impossibly sensitive, and each brush and nudge shocks you between your clamped thighs, makes your body rock a little, sending kinetic energy across you that has him enthralled. So much evidence of his effect on you, the movement anchors him to reality.
"Good?"
"Really good, Eddie, yeah." You squirm under him as he massages one side, then both, then rests his forehead against yours to gaze down, intent on his project. 
“You feel good too, angel,” Eddie groans again, enjoying himself in earnest, crowding you gently together, then letting each breast roll in his hands, rough digits brushing in tandem against beads so taut it almost hurts, so intense its almost too much, but you need more.
“You know what’ll feel even better?” You ask him in a pant, breathless and focused– you need him between your legs too, and desperately, so you nudge one of his, asking to widen so you can rearrange. Eddie obliges, planting one solid knee right against your aching core and letting you fall back, propped up on both elbows. 
Neither of you wastes a second. This kiss is a hot, wet collision of sighs and spit, grinding sloppily into each other through just too many layers of sweet, stiff friction, whining into each other’s open mouths. 
While you nearly lift your hips off the floor, chasing the worn denim between your legs, tension in your lower gut building faster than it ever has alone, Eddie rides your linen-covered thigh just above your bent knee, murmuring between love-bites to your chin, the chubby apple of your grinning cheek, then the crook of your neck, where he finds and then latches onto a spot that makes you seize under his weight, clamping your thighs around the one at the very center of your focus. 
You clasp a hand at the back of his head again, scratching a bit at his neck and forcing a long shaky sigh out of his mouth as the rhythm of his swirling hips grows rough, devolves into a stuttering staccatto race to the finish, and he’s talking himself through it into your shoulder as you barrel him down.
Ed's heaving whines are gorgeous, ragged, as he sighs into your neck about how good you feel under him. He can’t finish a sentence as he groans into your shoulder, all about how good you smell, how he can’t believe you did this for him, how badly he wants to taste them. 
“Taste? I,” you cut yourself off with a near-panicked whine when his leg slinks heavily down, the relief of his wet but still straining crotch-tent another brief sliding kiss against your now soaking cunt, and you resist seizing him by the scalp, to keep him up with you, but only just. You’re both so close; he’s stalling?
No, tasting.
Through your horny fog, your mind starts to process his goal. Eddie works his body down yours urgently, never really breaking contact, and as he slips away all you can do is watch him watch you.
In a thrall, as he draws a scalding trail of open-mouth kisses down the heaving swell of your exposed breasts. The wet kisses cool fast in the chilly air of his room, and it feels so good you don’t care how needy your sighs sound, how obscene and high your breaths echo in your own ears. Then he pauses in his descent to admire you again, breaking eye contact for a few awe-struck moments, dropping a chaste peck just left of the left nip, then resting his forehead on your sternum. When he fully squishes your tits into his cheeks it makes you laugh out loud, and you feel his smile and then chuckle against your stomach.
He seems to paise there for a few moments, content to nuzzle, and your high whine-sigh takes even you off guard. Eddie looks up at the sound but stops himself saying whatevers on his mind. Instead, he double-takes between your mouth and chest once, and again, then and finally asks, “sweetheart?”
He’s got that look like he’s up to something, and you can’t say you mind it. 
Eddie drags his lovely nose across the wide valley between your bust, your shoulders cave a bit with the shiver, and he continues, “can I?”
Taste. Yes, “please, Eddie, yeah,” and he closes his hot mouth over one hard bead, swirling that devilish tongue around and over, knocking it roughly enough to pull a harsh hiss from between your clamped teeth. Your hands are both in his hair again, and in a little pain you pull at his sensitive scalp and feel the buzz of his moaning around you, closing the little pleasure circuit between you.
You feel every wet swipe of tongue like a brand, on your sensitive chest and melting, shocks of heat driving down in your sex, chasing the pressure and pushing your body into his chest where he lays against you. 
One of his hot hands mimics his mouth’s rhythm on the other tit, and the lewd sounds of his deep moans around you are only matched by the obscene slick of his hand finding the soaked core of you under his torso, his fingers tingling over the used cotton.
You nod assent before he can even ask, catching his eyes as he pulls away from your chest to check on you. He finds your open pant, you low lidded attention on only him, and smiles. Then, he grinds his own hips into your leg where he straddles it, lower than before, moaning again around your mound and sucking this time, a new kind of pressure that pulls the neediest cries from you yet. His fingers finally breach your underwear from the side, and the calloused contact jolts you to the precipice, climax just within reach now that your clit has direct, emphatic attention. 
His tongue swirls faster, and Eddie matches that pace with his slick fingers between your cunt lips, circling the trigger and nudging just the top of your gasping hole, pace quickening, just what you're begging him for. Your free leg hitches around his back and pulls him into you, then you clamp up and pull hard at the hair in your grasp, gasping his name over and over as you come shaking, curling around his head, pussy drooling on his rings and wrist, hips frantic in their desperate chase for friction. 
Eddie’s not far behind, rhythm incomprehensible as he’s distracted by his own big finish. He bites down almost too hard around your breast and fucks down onto your trapped leg, groans buzzing through you as he drools and sputters and comes a warm wet mess into the washed-out black. 
The grey light is blinding, you can’t open your eyes at first. But you start to collect yourself when you feel him pull off, sliding his hand slowly out of your panties. You open your eyes to him watching you again, eyes half closed, to him catching his breath, and with no regard for the mess on his hand he gathers your collar in his fist and hauls you forward for another kiss, other hand tucked in the soft folds of your waist, grasping, clutching, pulling you in.
“Ouch.” You say, with no heat at all. 
As he scoffs, Eddie slinks back down again to kiss it better, another gentle peck just to the side of the most sensitive bud of your breast where he sucked and nibbled hard enough to bruise. Just a pinch, indeed.
“Aw, I’m sorry, angel,” he promises, only a little sarcastic, and finally rounds his mouth around your right nipple, which he had neglected until now. 
Then, you hear the slightest crunch. Like crumbs rubbing together.
Eddie smacks his lips a couple times, tasting, considering.
"Salty," he says. No way.
Oh, god, no. No fucking way. He still licking you clean but you freeze, then he does, but Eddie, knowing exactly what he just set you up for, loses it. He buries the cackle in your tummy as it dawns on you, and you do some quick math– you last showered this morning, which means you last soaked your piercing this morning, maybe 10 hours ago.
Eddie crawls back up your body as you wail, “ohhh, my God, Munson, why would you—? I cannot–” and lands eye-level, with you spent and boneless on your back, him in a table-top pose, arms propped by your shoulders. 
He hadn't been neglecting your other side, he had been saving it.
10 hours. More than enough time for new “crusties” to form, so more than enough time to build your own nightmare from natural scratch. And he didn’t hesitate, or mention it at all, that your piercings were clearly crusted over as part of the usual healing process, he just sucked them off anyway like they were in the way.
“You– absolute– freak! Eddie what the fuck! Did you fucking eat it? Are you insane?”
“What? I helped! And it’s probably, like, I don’t know, nutritious somehow. Protein?” He shrugs, smirking in the face of your horror, your embarrassment. You hadn’t thought to look at your own tits when the idea of his eyes on you had been more than enough to deal with.
You punctuate every few words with sharp shoves, which barely register as nudges to him from your angle, still under him, fighting his weight and gravity itself. Little by little, he sinks against them, and you tire yourself out before his chest traps your arms between the two of you.
“You– sicko, I didn’t– give you permission– to snack on me.”
“You even said ‘please,’ sweet heart, no take backs. I believe they’re my boogers now.” His smile is just content now, mischief subsumed by all the love in his eyes. You were in his mouth; now you’re on your way through his system. He thinks its romantic.
He ate it. Like a weird pet left unattended too long, he saw something new and simply put his mouth on it. Your-- friend? hardly, you think-- Eddie Munson just ate the new piercing boogers off you, straight from the source as he came in his jeans. You don’t even know what to do, so bewildered you shove his shoulders and chest as rough as he’ll allow before he seizes your wrists and pins you again, only this time, your tits are still out. 
“Without full knowledge, that’s twisted– you’re sick.” Your smile betrays you. What a weirdo, sure, but who else would full-send like that? You can’t think of anyone you’ve dated– anyone you’ve let touch you– that has ever been so close, and you haven’t even seen his cock yet. 
God, what a freak– your freak, you think with a thrill.
“Yeah yeah, heard it before."
Its quiet for a bit as you stare at each other, smiles crooked and soft.
"Well. Cat’s out of the bag?”
“Seems that way.” So, there's your "what are we" convo' all sorted.
“Good. So you know— " Eddie ducks his head to tap his nose against yours, then pulls back again to hover a little closer than before, "clothes are no longer an option.”
“What. The hell are you saying.”
“I'm saying,” he whispers, suddenly against your ear, dragging out each syllable, and slides his thumb and it's cool bat ring now poking out of a soft fist across your collarbone and up your shoulder, just to see you shiver again, just to watch you shake.
“hu-.. what, Munson, spit it out!” Now, you grab him by both wrists, and the quick movement brings his eyes to your tits again, gold titanium winking in the gray light. The soft wave of your body warms his core. He's half-hard already just watching you move.
“Too late, ha.” You groan, still grossed out, and anticipating this, he groans with you, mocking. You feel it through your own chest, feel it down your pinned leg.
Then, Eddie’s voice is soft too, at once dreamy and deadly serious, when he says, “You,” drops a kiss on one shoulder, “were so, so right,” and another on the other, “you won't need clothes ever again.” 
—--------------—
Its only days later, your next day off, when your favorite metalhead greets you at your front door. You don’t even have time to say hello before he’s flashing you; Eddie yanks his shirt up, fast as he can, to show off two glinting barbells, twin gold angel wings framing each nipple, still red and a little swollen from the piercing.
He beams at you, proud of the shock written all over your face, and before you can recover, cradles your face with one ringed hand and swoops in to plant one on your open mouth, grinning all the while. 
305 notes · View notes
blues824 · 1 year
Note
Brothers react to an MC who was adopted and raised by demons(one of the things MC’s foster parents drilled into their head is you don’t take shit from other demons see the reference?)
I definitely do see the reference! I decided to do this where gender-neutral human reader is adopted, but has the same personality as Charlie.
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Lucifer
You were a big ball of sunshine that he honestly didn’t mind having around the house. It’s a nice contrast to the usual negativity that was the House of Lamentation. However, for being raised by demons, you were very naive and ignorant. Not to worry, as it only gives him an excuse to be by your side as often as you can.
However, you don’t let anyone walk all over you. You have thrown hands with Mammon for insulting you, and Lucifer has seen you. You might be dressed well, and you might be human, but you can definitely pack a punch. 
Another thing he found out was that you were a very theatrical person, which was a strange thing to learn about you. He often finds you doing your chores while either humming or dancing, and it brings him a strange sense of comfort. He often sneaks up behind you to wrap his arms around your torso and place a kiss on your cheek to greet you.
Whenever he’s been working all day, you often show great concern and bring him some tea and snacks so he would have at least eaten something. Then, you will take some of the paperwork and start filling it out. Because of your hard work, he will often take you out to Ristorante Six on a date.
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Mammon
Would have never guessed until he had actually met your parents. After all, it was wise of them to visit you to see how you were holding up in the HoL. But you were so freaking positive, which was very uncommon for people who were surrounded by demons. By the way, he thinks your parents are intimidating as hell.
He remembers one time where you were super stressed and he called you ‘human’ in an unintentionally condescending way, and you threw hands. You were super freaking strong for a human, and he is struggling worse than when he struggles with Lucifer.
When he found out you were very theatrical, he was trying so hard not to burst out laughing. He saw you dancing in your room, and he was basically waiting for you to notice him in the doorframe. He would never tell you this, but he thought you were absolutely adorable with how ignorant you were to his presence.
So, he often takes up jobs to get money, as one typically does. He has been in multiple modeling gigs, and oftentimes they are back-to-back. You are worried that he will over-exert himself, so you often accompany him to the modeling agencies so that you can support him in what he’s doing. It makes all the difference for him.
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Leviathan
You remind him of one of the protagonists from I Want to Start a Hotel So That Demons Have a Chance to Change And Be Redeemed. You were positive, naive, and joyful. He thought you were a total normie until you told him that you were adopted and raised by demons even though you were human.
There was one time where Mammon had called you ‘human’ and you weren’t gonna let it slide. You shoved all of your belongings into Levi’s arms as you threw some hands that the second eldest couldn’t catch. The third eldest would have recorded it had he not been scared you would punch him too if he put down your items.
He can get very theatrical too, and if he hears you singing to a show intro that he knows and loves, he will sing it with you. We all know that this man loves karaoke, and when he’s with you he has all the confidence in the world. 
If he ever gets in an antisocial mood and won’t come out, you often replenish his snacks and make sure that he gets an adequate amount of sleep because you don’t like seeing him unwell. These simple acts of kindness and love mean so much to him, you don’t even know. So, in the meantime, just admire the blush that’s all over his face.
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Satan
Being naive in the Devildom was a very bad thing that he found absolutely adorable, so don’t mind him as he sticks close whenever you go out. One time, you told him about how you were adopted by demons and knew your way around, and he was surprised and kept that in mind.
However, you were not a pushover. Mammon (again) called you ‘human’, implying that you were weak, and so you decided to show him how weak you really are. Satan tried to pull you off, but you kicked him where the sun doesn’t shine and went back to biting the second eldest’s arm.
I don’t think he’s very theatrical, but he doesn’t mind humming a little tune every now and then. For instance, if he’s dusting his tall shelves with you, he will start humming a song that you know so you can sing along to it. Oftentimes, you don’t finish cleaning since you both are dancing with one another.
Sometimes, Satan doesn’t know when to catch a break and it can often lead to him getting angry. You try your best to calm him down (much like Charlie does with Vaggie in the show), but it doesn’t always work. So, you bring him tea and leave him alone unless he tells you to stay.
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Asmodeus
There was no way you were human because you were immune to his charm, or so he thought. Come to find out that you were human but adopted by demon parents, and everything started to make sense. If your parents were wise, they probably placed some sort of spell so you wouldn’t be deceived. No matter, since he would never do that!
But, even though it seemed like it at first, you were not easily insulted without consequences. Mammon called you ‘human’ in a condescending way, and Asmo watched as you lunged for his older brother’s throat. He had no idea that you were so violent, but he had to admit that he was definitely turned on.
Asmodeus can be very theatrical, so you both go hand-in-hand whenever you enter the world of nonsense that you two have created. You would think everyday is a Disney movie with him being the princess and you being the prince. 
Unfortunately, there are lows in the relationship. Sometimes, Asmo doesn’t feel beautiful on the inside, and you’re there to hold up the mirror and tell him all the things you appreciate about him while holding up a mirror. When he starts feeling better, he will shower your face in kisses of appreciation and gratitude.
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Beelzebub
He finds it cool that you already knew about the Devildom and even hell because of your adoptive parents. But, because your head was often not grasping the reality of any given situation and only seeing the possibilities of what could happen, he sticks close so he can be sure that you don’t get hurt.
The first time he saw you fight was when Mammon had called you ‘human’. Well, Beel could have been convinced that you did heavy lifting or something with how you picked his second oldest brother up and threw him like he was a rubber ball in dodgeball and you were one of the athletic kids.
Beel is not theatrical at all, but he will stare at you with a lovestruck gaze if you are humming while making him food. Better yet, if you’re cooking together, he will quietly put the utensils he’s holding down to come up behind you and wrap his arms around you.
But, there are times where he feels guilty for eating so much. So, when you see him trying to restrict himself, you always make extra food so he can have some more. You understand that it’s not his fault and that he’s a genuinely good person, and that’s what he appreciates.
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Belphegor
Honestly, he wonders why the hell demon parents would adopt a human child. But then he really gets to know you (and attempts to kill you, more on that later), and he sees that not all humans are bad. You were even a bit naive, and you were really breaking the stereotype that he had formed.
Now, speaking of attempting to kill you, it was only an attempt because you were ready to fight for your life. You may be human, but you knew how to roll up your sleeves and throw hands so hard that cartoonish dust clouds rise up with arms and legs sticking out of the big dust ball.
He’s also not theatrical, and at first found the whole dancing and singing thing totally annoying. But, if you were to hum to him as he was trying to go to sleep, he would be willing to see past the overly happy side of you. 
There are multiple times where he feels major guilt for trying to kill you. No matter how many times you say you forgive him, he will never forgive himself. All you can do is offer him comfort as much as possible to show him that you’re not scared of him.
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2dmenenthusiast · 1 year
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"You gonna make me?"
(John Price x Gn!Reader)
Jesus christ I've never finished a fic faster in my life. I'm absolutely feral for this man istg. Also, I 100% don't know shit about sparring or the military. Thank you
Feedback and Reblogs are encouraged and appreciated! <3
Summary: You made a mistake on the field, and your teammate got shot because of it. Safe to say, your Captain is less than happy.
Reader's callsign is Sting
Words: 3.6k
Warnings/Other info: references to injury, blood mentions, lots of fuckin guilt, this is smut free besties, just my mediocre attempt at writing fluff, reader is gender nuetral
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The phrase “seeing red” couldn’t begin to describe the white hot rage that seared up your spine and wrapped tight around your neck like a noose. You just got back from a meeting with your Captain, and he had reemed into you like you wouldn’t believe. It was a bad call in the field, completely your fault. Soap got a bullet in the arm because of it, and you couldn’t stop beating yourself up over it. And while your anger directed at yourself was enough to have your fists clenched so tightly that you left crescent shapes in your palms, the reprimanding you got from Price left you vibrating with rage. You were ready to lash out like a cornered, rabid dog, biting at the hand of anyone who reached out. Which is why you found yourself in the training room on base, throwing jabs at the punching bag like it just insulted your mother.
The stinging of your knuckles through your wraps should've been a signal for you to stop and take a rest, but the screaming thoughts in your brain had you persisting, the solid, repetitive thump of skin meeting leather echoing throughout the empty room.
“Woof, remind me not to piss you off.”
You huffed out a breath, movements finally coming to a stop as you rested your palms against the bag. Sweat trickled down your forehead, chest rapidly falling and rising with each chased breath, and Gaz stopped a few feet away from you. A grey muscle tee sat loose on his torso, paired with black gym shorts. You quickly assumed he was here for the same reason you were, and while you had no reason to be mad with him, you couldn’t help but feel frustrated by his presence. You just wanted to be left alone with your thoughts for a few hours, take a long shower, and then go to bed.
“You wanna go a few rounds?”
You raised a brow, fist resting against your hip. “You sure?”
Gaz shrugged. “You look like you need it.”
You let out a humorless chuckle, clapping Gaz on the shoulder as you passed him. Okay, maybe the company didn’t sound so bad anymore. You quickly adjusted your wraps and shifted your neck, feeling the muscles tense and pull. “Just don’t go easy on me, alright?”
Gaz gave you that dazzling white smile, one that would have people stopping in their tracks, but it vanished as soon as it appeared once he came at you. Gaz was young, spry, his speed certainly giving him an upper hand compared to his big and burly comrades. He was light on his feet, easily stepping back when your fist swung out, and he was in your space the next second, hand pushing against the center of your chest and his foot sweeping your ankle. You landed on your back with a thud, the mat breaking most of your fall, and Gaz clapped his hands together.
“Alright, keep gloating Kyle,” you chuckled, grasping his hand when he went to help you up.
“I’m just lucky to catch you off your guard.”
You huffed, lips tilting up in a bitter smile and rubbing the back of your neck. “Yeah, seems like that’s been happening a lot today.”
Gaz’s expression immediately dropped, and he shook his head. “No, hey— I didn’t mean it like that—”
You waved him off. “It’s fine. Let’s go again.” 
You were relieved when he lunged at you without question, and you both moved around one another in a less than graceful dance. Gaz always had your back. Whether it be in the field or on base, he knew what you needed from him, and he was more than willing to let you throw him around a bit to get some of your frustration out. 
And maybe you haven’t thought about it much before now, but you were grateful to consider Kyle a close friend. 
Punches were thrown and blocked, and he actually got you pretty good in your side, the sudden force and the sting afterwards sending a rush through you. By the time he was spent, sweat dripping down his forehead and his limbs feeling the slightest bit of fatigue, you were on your back with his back pressed against your front, arms wrapped around his neck and legs trapping his hips. He struggled to get out of your hold, gripping your forearms and attempting to pull them away, but then there was a loud squeak of the doors opening, and you both paused as your Captain came sauntering in the room.
“That’s enough. Let him go.”
The deep timbre of his voice made a feeling you couldn’t quite place surge through you. It settled deep in your bones like sweet, thick syrup, and the look he pinned you with set your skin ablaze. 
Trembling limbs fell to the ground as you released Gaz, and he stood with a huff and quickly helped you up. His hand clapped against your back in a reassuring manner, his way of trying to cheer you up from the impending doom you were about to face, and he jogged over to Price. They muttered hushed words, shooting quick glances your way. The sight made anger flare up inside of you. What were they talking about? Was it about you? Was it about your royal fuck up today? 
An unintentional growl resounded in your throat, and you began picking at your wraps, the sweat collecting under the fabric making your skin itch. It was only now that you finally took notice of the blood seeping through the cloth, and the sight took your mind back to the field. The shouting. Echoed gunfire. Soap’s blood pooling under your hands and seeping through your fingers as you desperately called for Evac.
“You’re gonna be fine. We're gonna get you outta here, okay?”
It should’ve been you.
A low whistle drew your attention, head snapping up to watch Price as he sauntered towards you. Gaz gave you an anxious smile and a thumbs up from behind him, and you frantically shook your head with widened eyes.
Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go—!
He left.
Dammit!
With a deep sigh, you avoided looking at your superior and walked over to your duffel resting on the bench, rummaging through it to find your water bottle. As soon as the water hit your dry tongue, you desperately took deep gulps of it, some of it spilling out the sides and sliding down your jaw. You finally looked at Price while you capped the flask, catching his gaze follow the water droplets that slid down your neck and under your shirt. You pretend like the sight doesn't shoot blistering heat through you and begin packing away your things.
“What do ya think you’re doing?”
“Leaving. What does it look like?”
If you were anyone else, you’d be scared to talk to him like this. And if you knew what was good for you, you’d reign your attitude in. But you weren’t about to roll over and show your belly, and a sick, masochistic part of you wanted him mad. 
“No. You’re not done yet.”
You barked out a sharp, sarcastic laugh, tossing your things aside and whirling to face Price. He wore that same serious look on his face, eyebrows set deep and his gaze narrowed. You tried not to focus on the crows feet that danced around his eyes, because that’s not what’s important right now and you should be upset with him. Not admiring the little details on his face that you’ve secretly come to love. Or looking at the way his arms flexed when he crossed them over his chest.
“Who says?”
He didn’t miss a beat. “I do.”
Closing the distance, you mimicked his stance. “You gonna make me?”
A smirk spread across his features, and if you had a death wish, you would’ve slapped it right off him.
“Oh, I’ll do more than that, sweetheart.”
The pet name sent tingles down your spine that you refused to acknowledge, replacing those fluttery feelings with the rage you felt bubbling up inside of you. At this point, he wanted you to hit him. And he couldn’t be upset with you if you followed through with it, right?
He gestured with his head. “On the mat, soldier.”
Letting out a disgruntled huff, you reluctantly did as he instructed, like an obedient little dog. He was your Captain, you were supposed to follow orders. But the idea of letting someone yank you around and instruct you like a marionette made your blood boil and the veins in your forehead pop. But another part of you knew deep down that if you really didn’t want this, Price wouldn’t make you. You were just too stubborn to acknowledge it at this moment.
Once you were a good few feet away from him, you got into proper stance, feet spread apart and firmly planted, your weight evenly distributed. He copied your position, nodding his head to let you know he was ready, and you began circling each other. It was a waiting game, the clock ticking down as you anxiously waited for one of you to strike first. And despite everything in you saying to let him come to you, your eagerness and impatience got the better of you.
You lunged first, fist flying towards him which he easily deflected. You hit his solid forearm instead of what you were aiming for, and the quick jab in the same spot Gaz hit earlier had you stepping back with a growl.
“What happened today?” he asked. No. Demanded.
Your jaw clenched tightly, teeth painfully grinding together as you came forward again. “I don’t want to talk about it!”
Price gripped your arm and yanked you forward, spinning you so your back was pressed flush against him, and his arm wrapped around your throat. 
“You were impatient! You ignored a direct order, and it got your teammate a bullet in the process.”
With a strangled cry, you bent your knees and used your weight to push against Price, using the leverage to flip him over your back. He harshly landed on the mat with a pained grunt, and you scrambled to plant yourself on his chest, shins pressing down on his arms and your thighs framing his face. Of course, you’d imagined this scenario once or twice before in the privacy of your own room, but you didn’t picture it happening quite like this.
“So what do you want me to do? Go back in time and fix my mistake?! As much as I’d like to, I can’t!”
His hands came up to grip your thighs, pushing himself up off the mat and slamming you on your back, the air effectively leaving your lungs. His hands were on your hips the next second, flipping you on your stomach so fast that the room spun, and he had you pinned before you could even blink. There was a solid arm pressed harshly against your shoulder blades as Price straddled your hips, using practically all his weight to keep you down. You tried reaching back with your hand to grab ahold of something, anything, but he trapped it in his ironclad grip and pinned it beside your head.
A frustrated noise left you, slamming your fist into the mat as angry tears gathered under your eyes. You knew Price was trying to teach you a lesson, but couldn’t he understand that you’ve already screamed at yourself the exact same words he was throwing at you?!
He leaned down, and the scent of expensive cigars and gunpowder filled your senses. It was like he was slowly taking over every part of you, his touch and his smell seeping into your skin until all you could think about was him. Molten heat surged through you, settling deep in your belly and sending your pulse skyrocketing. You were sure if he placed his fingers just right, Price could feel your heart beating erratically in your wrist.
“You’re a good soldier, Sting. And you know it. Don’t make me regret putting you on my team.”
His gravelly voice was like thick smoke, sending you in a haze as you pressed your forehead to the mat and let your body relax underneath him. You hated to silently give up like this, but your body and your mind was tired. The only place you wanted to be more than underneath your Captain was in your bed.
“Whoa. Am I uh, interrupting somethin’?”
Head snapping up, you spotted Soap by the door, a grin slowly appearing on his face as he leaned against the wall. You were quick to spot the bandage wrapped around his shoulder, and Price lifted off you when you tapped the ground twice. You appeared at his side in less than a second, eyes zeroed in on his wound, and the guilt was eating at you all over again.
“God, Johnny. How are you feeling?”
He shrugged his uninjured shoulder. “Been better. Doctor thinks I’ll pull through.”
He was joking. 
He… had a fucking bullet in him because of you, and he was standing here, smiling and joking with you.
Why?
Why wasn’t he angry? Why wasn’t he cursing and screaming at you? How could he even fucking stand to be around you right now?!
Your head gently shook back and forth, eyes cast towards the ground and your jaw clenching so hard it made your ears ring. “Soap… I’m so sorry. I—”
“Did you put the bullet in my arm?”
Your gaze lifted, his brow raised at you. “Well, I mean, no. But—”
“Then stop worryin’ your pretty head. I should be good for field duty soon enough.” You saw his gaze shift downwards, and his brows knitted in concern. “Though, I think you should be more concerned about yourself there, Sting. Jesus.”
You followed his line of sight and looked down at your hands, blood soaking through the wraps around your knuckles. Rough fingers wrapped around your wrist, gasping when Price suddenly lifted your hand up so he could inspect it. His eyes then landed on your face, and you shrunk under his disappointed stare.
“Bloody hell. Come on, let’s get you sorted out.”
Tugging your hand out of his hold, you gave Soap a tight-lipped smile and brushed past them. By the sound of heavy boots thumping against the floor, you figured Price followed after you.
“And where’d you think you’re going?”
You refused to stop, so bullheaded in that moment that he’d probably have to tackle you to get you quit. “The infirmary.”
You heard his footsteps stop, relief filling you for just a second as you thought he’d finally almost left you alone.
Almost
“Sergeant!” he barked.
His voice stilled you, back straightening like your spine was being pulled up by a string. Silence filled the space between you, and you were hyper aware of your breath filling and leaving your lungs, the sound of it almost too loud for your own ears. When you finally turned to face Price, his intense stare sent a chill through you, and your chest shuddered with an anxious breath when he held up his hand and curled his middle and index finger towards himself. 
With one foot in front of the other, you slowly closed the distance between you two, a million little thoughts running rampant inside your head. Price either didn’t know how intimidating his presence was, or he knew all too well. Either way, the gaze he pinned you with pierced right through you, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d swear he was able to read your mind.
Hopefully not. If he heard what you thought about him late at night—
Shut up!
Stopping just a few feet shy from him, you held his stare for a moment before he turned, gaze falling on his broad back. The way his muscles shifted and flexed under his tight shirt almost stopped you in your tracks, and you scolded yourself for acting like such a lovesick fool before obediently following after him.
Aren’t you supposed to be angry with him?!
Why? All he did was point out your mistake.
A mistake you’ve relived over and over again until you wanna blow your brains out.
When you made it to Price’s office, he opened the door and wordlessly gestured to one of the seats in the room while he rifled through his desk. You sat without complaint, hands gripping your knees and focusing on your bandages splotched with red. When he found his first-aid kit, Price grabbed another chair and slid it in front of yours. His knees gently knocked into yours when he sat down.
“Alright, lemme get a look at you.”
Your fingers flexed, and you lifted one of your hands to place it in his. He was gentle when he gripped the edge of the fabric and began unwrapping your hand, and the stark difference between now and how he was when you were sparring would’ve surprised you if you hadn’t seen this side of John before. He was gentle and kind when he could be, always making sure his team got a proper looking at after missions, scolding you when one of you stubbornly let a wound go untreated. He cared about you, no doubt. Anyone was a fool to think otherwise.
The wraps uncomfortably pulled at the skin around your knuckles, the blood making it stick, and you let out a hiss. Price didn’t pause or stop, and you were grateful for it. You didn’t want him to treat you as weak or take pity on you. Not when you didn’t deserve it. It was only when he was wiping the blood away that you finally spoke after a prolonged silence.
“It should’ve been me.”
Now that gave him pause. The wipe froze against your skin for a split second, and he let out a sigh through his nose as he tossed it into the bin before grabbing a new one.
“And why do you think that?”
You didn’t answer right away, searching around the room as if you’d find the answer residing in a hidden corner. You were ashamed. What if Soap got killed today? How could you live with yourself knowing that his death was your fault? Your hand shook against his, and Price carefully tightened his hold to steady it.
“It was my fault. I should’ve taken the bullet, not him.”
Once Price was done with your left hand, he moved on to the right, giving it the same treatment. He shook his head. “Awful things happen to good soldiers that don’t deserve it every day. You can’t control it.”
“But I—”
“But,” he sighed, thumb gently pressing into the back of your hand, “you need to listen to orders, Sergeant. You’re lucky the bastard didn’t nag ‘im in the head.”
You nodded. “I’ll make it right, Captain.”
Once he was done patching up your hands, you moved to stand, but his hold on your hand didn’t falter. Rather, his hand snuck up your arm and pulled you back down into your chair, his lips quirking up in a small smirk.
“I believe you’re forgettin’ something, darling.”
Your eyes narrowed, leaning an elbow against your knee. You tried to remain tough, but you could feel your resolve turning into mush the more you stared into Price’s eyes. “You still expect me to kiss you after all the shit you said to me today?”
His smirk only grew, and his eyes crinkled up around the edges.
Fuckin’ cute bastard.
“Do I have to order you, soldier?”
You scoffed, pulling your arm out of his grip before suddenly maneuvering onto his lap. His hands immediately found their home on your hips, giving them a possessive squeeze, and you rested your arms against his shoulders.
“I think you can save the powerplay act for later, John,” you muttered.
He mumbled a quiet “Yeah?” as he stared at your lips, the word devolving into a soft sigh once you leaned down and pressed them against his own. Arms wrapped around your waist and squeezed you to John’s chest, your nose gently knocking against his as he chased your lips every time you pulled away. You cupped his face in your hands, and the roughness of his beard tickled your skin.
Could be tickling somewhere else right about now—
Jesus christ, shut up.
Price was always deep and intense when he kissed you, trying to pour every bit of love he had for you in each one. It felt like he stole the breath right out of you, your thoughts swirling and your mind hazy. He knew exactly what to do to turn you into putty in his hands.
“Where is it?” he muttered against your lips, and you reluctantly pulled away with a gasp as you tried to catch your breath.
Reaching under your shirt, you tugged at the chain securely hidden underneath it and pulled it over your head, dropping it into John’s awaiting hand. He smiled, fiddling with the clasp before cool metal slid over your finger.
“You should wear it more.”
Your brows drew together. “I thought you didn’t want to tell anyone?”
“We don’t have to. I just like seein’ it on you.”
Your lips slowly split into a grin, and you looped your arms around your fiancé’s neck. His large hand gently ran up and down your back, sending pleasant chills down your spine. With the way he looked at you, you’d do just about anything for him.
“I’ll wear it all the time then.”
Tagged: @latinxs-himbos-and-cowboysys
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leo-fie · 6 months
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The sheer state of the German left right now...
Seriously, if I wouldn't see it, I would not believe it. And I'm only seeing the small sample on Mastodon.
Antizionism, critique of Israel, suppost for Palestine get's thrown in with antisemitism so much that's it's basically impossible to figure out what's going on anymore.
Examples from Mastodon:
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This picture shows a pro-palestine demonstration, we see people, palestinian flags and two signs reading "freedom for palestine" and "stop the israeli massacres in palestine". The left research network RABA writes: "After the attempted genocide of Jews with thousands of victims by the barbarous Hamas, the palestinian community Bonn and Cologne shows their ideological and personal closeness to the Hamas war. Replaying antisemitic, djihadi propaganda: transparent victim blaming"
Did they see the same picture as me? Do they know more than me? Or do they think any support of palestine is antisemitic by default?
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This account called "punch a nazi" is in solidarity with Israel and against antisemitism. Thereby implying that anyone against Israel is antisemitic.
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Same account saying: "The antisemitism bubbling to the surface all over the world right now is nothing less than disgusting. Openly disguised as "critique of Israel" or between the lines. Against all antisemitism!"
So no critique of Israel allowed ever? But no one is above criticism, especially not governments. Or do we make an exception for Israel?
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Amadeu Antonio Foundation is a widely respected antiracist, antifascist group founded in the memory of a man murdered by nazis in 1990, Amadeu Antionio Kiowa. Here they say as part of a thread for teachers: "The antisemitism refering to Israel is to be differentiated from critique at Israeli government policy, a big challenge for teachers. With the practical handout teachers can react to slogans like "With the policy Israel is doing, I can understand why someone wouldn't like jews" or "Israel is an apartheid state" and catch insecurities and emotions."
Now, if you ask me, the first slogan is clearly antisemitic, the second is just true. How is that differenciating anything?
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taz is a left leaning daily newspaper, basically the only one with any reach in Germany. It's staunchly zionist. While it is also showing the plight of the palestinian people, it is also joining in the chorus of other newspapers comparing Israel to Ukraine and therefore Hamas to Putin's Russia. This reads: The German peoples' demostration of solidarity with Israel are poor compared to the war in Ukraine. The actual test is still pending." The headline reads: Pro-Israel-Demonstrations: We don't care"
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Same newspaper: "Dozens chant "free Palestine", a schoolground conflict get's political - but there are also other, quieter voices. A week in Neukölln (a neighborhood in Berlin)" With the headline: "Near-East-Conflict in Berlin: Symbol Sonennallee (a street)"
What's wrong with "free Palestine"? Does the palestinian people not have a right to self determination?
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Rote Flora is an autonomous center in Hamburg since 1989. They fly a banner reading "Killing Jews is not fighting for freedom! We are in solidarity with all humans in Israel and all jews in the world. You are not alone." Someone posted this picture with the caption: Rote Flora stabil. which is kinda like saying it's based.
Examples end.
This is what I get from left and left leaning groups. Our public broadcast is of course zionist af, but to the point where American news like CNN are nuanced in comparasion.
The conflation of antisemitism and antizionism is just off the charts. I already lost one account for pointing out that these are different things, so I have to mute everything lest I blow up at any of these.
How can anyone look at the situation of the palestinian people and come away with anything but antizionism? That's why we have the term. Who but left and left leaning folks can look at this though a materialist lens? Isn't that our thing?
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The One (Part 16)
The one with the silence
Sihtric x Reader
A/N: Ragetti is the name of the one-eyed character from The Pirates of The Caribbean. You'll know what I mean! I left a picture for reference at the end of this post :)
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Y/N said her goodbyes to Thyra and Beocca, telling them she was tired and that they should stay and enjoy the party once they tried to leave with her. She walked toward the entrance of the palace when she found Steapa sitting in the garden, having a drink by himself. He saw her and gave her a nod as he stood up, clearly not expecting anyone to catch him sitting alone away from the party "Lady"
"Aren't you supposed to be guarding? Inside?" She asked him with a smile
"I just needed a minute from all the..."
"Royal drama?" She raised an eyebrow and he nodded while they shared a laugh
"Are you leaving already, Lady?" He asked and she nodded "Let me walk you. I could use the air" He said before she could protest. 
So both of them made their way back from the wedding to the ale house, where Y/N knew she would find Finan, Osferth and Sihtric drinking. Steapa walked next to her and Y/N was glad she got to share the walk with him. He was a very funny man, he had make her laugh almost all the way, her laughter earning the attention of her friends once they got there, only to be greeted by a very annoying Aethelwold who walked to them as soon as he saw her
"Lady Y/N. I've been looking for you at the party" He said and her friends looked between the pair, confused
"I can make him disappear, Lady" Steapa whispered to her only which made her laugh "Just say the word?" He begged for a reason to punch the man but they both knew it wasn't the ideal way to behave and that it would only creat more chaos
"I'm fine, my friend" She said to him with a smile "Go enjoy the wedding"
"Lady" He said nodding at her before going back to the palace, not without sending a warning look to Aethelwold 
Y/N sat next to Finan and Aethelwold boldly sat across from her, next to a very annoyed Sihtric who looked at him but Aethelwold decided to ignore him "Why is the weasel looking for you, Y/N?" Finan asked but she only shrugged as she poured herself some ale
"The weasel has a name, Irishman" Aethelwold replied rolling his eyes
"So you do consider yourself a weasel" Osferth said making everyone at the table laughed, except for Aethelwold
"Said the bastard child..."
"Hey! You better watch it, Ragetti" Y/N sternly said slamming her cup on the table and pointing at Aethelwold "You will not talk to my friends that way" Everyone stood silent for a few seconds, surprised by the way Y/N had reacted and defended Osferth. But she hold the one-eyed man's gaze, daring him to say something other than an apology
"My apologies, Lady" He said smiling at her in an attempt to make himself believable "It seems I may have drunk too much already and I lost my manners" She didn't believe him, no one did. But she said nothing else 
"Who's Ragetti?" Osferth asked and Y/N rolled her eyes but laughed at her friend's confusion telling him he would tell him later
"I must say you have a beautiful smile, Lady" Aethelwold spoke again
"Okay...?" She replied sipping from her cup and she looked over to Sihtric who only shrugged at her 
"What is it you want, Aethelwold?" Finan asked annoyed at the man
"All I want, Finan, is to get to know the Lady better" He explained "Is that a crime?"
"What if I told you she is already taken?" Finan said to him and a frown appeared in both Y/N and Aethelwold's face
"She is?" He asked clearly not believing him
"I am?" Finan gave her a look "I am" She stated to the man
"By God" Osferth added, catching up with the joke
"Ah, yes, God" She said as she looked up to the sky "My one and only true man" Finan snorted, Osferth smiled widely and even Sihtric couldn't contain his laugh. It was pretty obvious they were messing with Aethelwold, and he might be annoying but he wasn't that supid. He knew what was happening so he eventually got up from the table to leave
"It was lovely to meet you, Lady" Aethelwold said and Y/N gave him a weird smile "Hope I will see you again, soon" And with that he walked away from the table ignoring the other men sitting with her
"What's with you and the royal family?" Finan asked her after a few seconds
"I have no idea" She said as she shrugged "Maybe I am meant to be royalty. I know I am a princess at heart, at least" She joked and everyone laughed, Finan pouring the last of the ale on his cup
But Y/N took the cup away from him "Do not" He stated as he tried to take it back but she was faster, slipping away from her sit next to him as she drunk it all in one sip earning a laugh from anyone but Finan "She always does that" He mumbled as she sat next to Sihtric this time, for protection against her grumpy friend "You are paying for the next jug, young lady" He said pionting at her
"Princesses do not pay" She scoffed with too much confidence "Also this princess does not have any coin" Osferth smiled at her friend and Y/N felt Sihtric's body shaking next to her chuckling at her words.
"This princess needs to learn how to braid her hair" Sihtric said to her as he touched one of the few braids along her long hair. Y/N heart skipped a bit when he had called her princess, already feeling a little blush on her cheeks
"Oh, I know how to" She said not pushing his hand away from her "I'm just lazy" She shrugged and smiled at him playfully. A smile he returned and she wondered how she had not melted already. He hold her gaze and for a second she felt as if it was only the two of them...
"Sihtric?" A new voice broke them from their little moment and they looked over to the source of the voice only to found a woman standing close to the table. Sihtric's frame stiffened, his hand falling from her hair and everyone's smile fade away "Can we talk?" She looked uncomfortable, nervous even. A few awkward, and silent, seconds went by before Sihtric got up, saying nothing, and followed her away from the ale house and into the dark streets
"Who is that?" Y/N asked her friends and she noticed the uncomfortable look Osferth and Finan shared with each other
"That's Sigdeflaed" Osferth replied to her "Sihtric's almost wife"
"Osferth" Finan said sternly, clearly he had given too much information
"Oh" Y/N said softly, realizing there was much to the story she thought "I didn't know he almost got married"
"It is not something he enjoys rememebering, Lady" Finan said to her as he grabbed the empty jug of ale and got up from the table "There is a reason he does not speak about it. And it is not our story to tell" He said to Osferth who looked down at the table and nodded at his friend's words
Y/N really really wanted to ask. She consider pushing Osferth about it once Finan drop drunk on his bed, but decided against it. It felt wrong, Sihtric would tell her if he wanted to, right?
A few days had passed and she noticed how Sihtric's interactions with her had diminished noticeably. He hadn't made any comment on what happened or what the woman wanted, at least not in front of her. 
"It'd be months before Edward's king" Finan said as they all sat together at Beocca's place. But Y/N was once again not paying attention but watching over Sihtric, wishing she could read minds so she could figure out why on earth the quietest of men had gone even quieter when Thyra entered the house
Y/N touched slightly Hild's arm, both women noticing Thyra's upset state. They both walked toward the red haired woman and saw the tears on her face, Hild did not doubt when she pushed her in a comforting hug while Y/N made a signal to the men "Thyra?" Said Beocca realizing something was going on "What is it? Why the tears?" 
"I'm going to fucking kill him" Y/N said grabbing her knife after Thyra had told them between sobs what just happened with a man name Tidman on the streets
"Not if I kill him first" Beocca mumbled as he stormed out of the door
"Wooah, easy there" Finan said as he took the knife from her hand "You are not killing anybody"
"Y/N no" Thyra said stopping her from arguing with Finan "If you go it will put a target on your back"
"She is right" Uhtred agreed "You already stand out too much"
"I do not" She replied rolling her eyes and everyone gave her a look "I do?"
"Please stay" Thyra said and once again Y/N did not have the heart to tell her no, so she stayed. She sat next to her friend as the men started to follow Beocca to prevent him from doing something stupid or for backup, Y/N was not sure. Sihtric gave her one final look before he walked out, Y/N missing it for a second as she looked up and saw his back towards her as Osferth closed the door.
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Picture for reference of Ragetti, from Pirates of The Caribbean
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@secretdreamlandmentality
@superawesomegeek
If you wanna be tag, let me know! 💜
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ecoamerica · 23 days
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youtube
Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared
The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!
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hope-to-hell · 1 year
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The difficulty of taking what you really want. Travis Hackett x Reader. Smut, pegging, implied age gap. It’s never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.
When you float the idea he goes all deer in the headlights, blush creeping up from under his collar. He’s not disgusted—poleaxed maybe— spluttering a bit before he gets out a what? I, um. No… no thank you, and so you let it lie. There’s plenty else you can do, after all. And anyway you’re well distracted before long, once he starts peeling off his shirt with that boyish grin that makes him look twenty years younger.
Were you a greaser? I bet you were, leather jacket and jeans, causing trouble down at the drive-in and—
Hey now, how old do you think I am?
Just messing with ya. Still think you’d look fuckin hot in leather.
There’s a span of weeks when he’s turning something over in his mind, now and then making that rumbling hmm over coffee at his desk, or as he’s moving slow and lazy in ya with your back pressed against his chest.
You think too much.
One of us has to.
And so time passes until the question just faintly brushes the back of your mind, until the lights are low and he’s nosing at your neck. I want you to, he says, and you can feel the heat radiating from his cheeks.
Gonna have to be more specific, T. Pulling it out of him carries the risk of Travis simply retreating into himself, but this is part of the dance: the I want that becomes we need, the shyness spiraling out into abandon— because he is shy, no matter what he or anyone else says; he dreams of rain in the pines and not another soul around for miles— but all this hinges on him speaking his need.
I— aw fuck. I want you to fuck me. His words are breathy on the exhale, wispy almost; it’s that little voice whispering I want, I want, peeling back the ingrained layers of good boys don’t do that, laying bare the part of him that dares to take what he wants. This won’t be a grand event; there will be no rose petals or candlelight; he is a skittish thing and so he will try to stay at the very edge of the light where he can let his needs unfurl. But he is the center of your attention here whether he likes it or not; he takes a breath and lets you lay him down.
You don’t have to say I’ll be careful but you do say easy does it when you’re slicking him inside and out til he’s nearly more lube than man; he’s had a finger in him once or twice but the promise of more has him breathing openmouthed, canines catching at his lip. I gotcha. Here, check it out— and you’re closing his big rough hand over the silicone cock, feeling the tug of leather against your skin as he hefts it, pursing his lips such that you can practically hear the gears turning in his mind.
And if he twitches a little at the way you’re petting at his insides, it doesn’t last because at last he’s drifting in the rare pleasure of being cared for, rocked now and again by the uncertainty of this unfamiliar ground. Feels— weird. Exposed? Like I’m more naked than I’ve ever been. He shifts, canting his hips up just a bit; he could be chasing sensation or trying to evade it, and so you have to ask.
Hey. We still good?
Golden.
Okay, then. Lie back and let me blow your mind.
Smartass, I oughta— whatever he meant to say dies in the harsh wet gasp that punches out of him when you steady the toy against his ass and slowly push inside. It’s not from pain but rather from the sheer overwhelming scope of sensation that he has no reference for, and so all he can do is drop his head back among the pillows and feel.
‘Salright? His answer is in the way he reaches for you, threading a hand between all your tangled limbs til he can grip at your hip, catching at the leather strap. His pale arm tenses bowstring-tight with the force of his need; he’s beyond speaking but his body speaks more clearly than he could, his cock twitching and jerking against his belly. Stroke yourself, gorgeous. C’mon, let me see, you look so fucking hot when you let go. And when he does let go— when he sheds the final scrap of oughtn’t, shouldn’t, mustn’t and clothes himself in pure naked pleasure— when he takes himself in hand and his breaths falter out of rhythm, that’s when it happens.
It’s the smallest change in angle, a shift of your hips that rips a startled, wide-eyed oh from him. There, huh?
I— fuck. Fuck. Again, more— and of course you’re gonna give him what he wants, what he needs— unh— he’s been wound so tight for so long, he deserves this mindless pleasure, the wet sound of skin on skin as you push him hard toward the edge— fuckfuckfuck— the stoic in him has combusted and all that’s left is this mad dash to— ah— to—
and he falls.
He’s still twitching but you’re already halfway out of the harness, wrapping yourself around his thigh, and he slots against you so perfectly, slippery with spilled lube and your own need; the hair on his thigh gives just the right amount of friction and it’s no time at all before you’re following him down.
In the loose-limbed aftermath he’s hazy, drifting; his fingertips brush against your cheek as he’s mumbling cmere. Scootch up. He’s so warm, slick with sweat and fluids but you fit so perfectly against his side. It’ll be worth having to peel yourself off him later; for now he’s slipping into sleep with one arm draped across your belly. For now, there is no thought, no worry— only rest.
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howifeltabouthim · 5 months
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Saltburn: Bonkers, Balls-to-the-Wall Brilliance
It would be no exaggeration to say that Saltburn is the craziest film of the year. I've never seen anything quite like it; it's distinctive in the best possible way, even while being rich with references to other iconic works. Emerald Fennell's sophomore feature is an exploration of class differences and a comedy of wickedly bad manners. It also morphs into a surprising, devilish thriller. It's the kind of film where you can’t look away, even when (perhaps especially when) you can’t believe what you’re seeing onscreen.
Saltburn begins with Oliver Quick newly arrived at Oxford. He's a fish out of water on campus as a scholarship student. He comes from the wrong background, he doesn't wear the right clothes, and he doesn't possess the right affect to fit in with the posh students that surround him. When he does a kind turn for Felix Catton, the popular student he's admired from afar, things start looking up and he's ushered into a world of partying and camaraderie. That summer, Felix invites Oliver back to his family estate, Saltburn, and things escalate amid decadence, debauchery, and class tensions.
Saltburn is a lush cinematic experience, composed of fresh, original, shocking images. So many shots feel like discrete works of art, the kind that wouldn't seem out of place in a gilt frame on some illustrious wall, reminiscent of the artistry of Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. At the same time, they all meld together to comprise a masterpiece. The startlingly potent sensuality practically drips from the screen, catching one up in a fever dream of desire and deviancy.
Barry Keoghan plays Oliver, and really proves himself as a leading man. I’ve been following Keoghan’s career with intense interest since his one-two punch of Dunkirk and The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 2017. And boy, is he realizing his potential. He blew me away with his heartrending performance in last year’s The Banshees of Inisherin. He excels at the humorous and the harrowing, sometimes in the same scene. He’s the kind of actor who can genuinely make you laugh and break your heart. He goes all in. You feel his pain, and I know I find myself rooting for his characters even when I probably shouldn’t.
My favorite kind of performance is an unhinged performance, and Keoghan delivers an all-timer in that category. His Oliver is comparable to Mia Goth’s turn in last year’s Pearl, for sheer emotional and eccentric abandon. The extreme emotion and behavior Keoghan exhibits as Oliver is thrilling to watch. Saltburn is such a great star vehicle star for this highly unique, unusual performer who has really been given his time to shine. He commands attention and the camera captures him perfectly here: his intensity and subtlety and those arresting blue eyes. Keoghan is a truly fearless performer. If there's any justice, he'll be nominated for an Oscar for this incredible performance.
This is a great ensemble cast, which includes Jacob Elordi as Felix and Alison Oliver as Venetia, Felix's sister. Carey Mulligan provides a disarmingly sweet and funny turn in a small role. Paul Rhys is chilling as Saltburn's imperious butler. Archie Madekwe is deliciously vicious as Felix's snobby cousin, Farleigh. Richard E. Grant is on point and hilarious as the Catton patriarch. Besides Keoghan, I felt Rosamund Pike was the standout and that this was her best role to date. The part of Elspeth Catton, lady of the manor, seemed tailor-made for her. Saltburn definitely deserves to be nominated for a SAG for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The actors all play off each other beautifully.
I’m in awe of writer/director Emerald Fennell’s artistry and uncompromising vision. I love how she lets scenes go on uncomfortably long sometimes (like in the infamous climax of Promising Young Woman) to get her point across. She’s not hemmed in by conventions of how long a disquieting scene “should” go on. She doesn’t compromise for anyone or adhere to conventional tastes.
Saltburn is told through a great framing device of Oliver recounting the events of his pivotal year at Oxford and Saltburn to an unknown listener. It keeps you guessing as to who he's relaying this tale to. There are echoes of Wuthering Heights, Brideshead Revisited, The Go-Between, and Call Me by Your Name. In other words, timeless stories that will always resonate in the culture for good reason: they’re primal and get to the heart of the human experience. Yet Fennell's narrative veers in wholly unexpected directions. To watch her pull off the trick of this narrative is a privilege indeed.
Saltburn is a sterling example of bold, unapologetic filmmaking. Emerald Fennell is a cinematic visionary and a canny provocateur. And in case all this rhapsodizing wasn't enough, just know that this movie is HOT. It's fierce and feral and it demands to be seen. Viewers are in for a sick and sexy thrill ride. It's disturbing, deliciously demented, devious, nasty, and wonderfully messed up. Please go see it in theaters: let’s help wild, invigorating, conversation-starting cinema continue to get made and theatrically released.
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ok so i had a thought after seeing this:
so wrecker’s eye was fixed after the explosion that took it, and they’ve never addressed any hearing loss, but what if he had some? i mean, he deals with weapons and explosions all the time, and while a helmet helps with that, you can’t have your helmet on 100% of the time. idk, i was just thinking about doc helping him with that and wanted to put the thought out into the universe. love ya!
Le gasp! An Ask?! Master has given staycalm a distraction!! Staycalm is frrreee!!!!
Oh, I have actually gone extensively into this with literally anyone who’ll listen!! Because-because asdflasdfj!!!! The heights and the talking too loud and the vertigo annnnddddd!!!!
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If you're new, this all starts with Touch Starved - Echo! Additional references to Difficulty Breathing and Fever.
Wrecker Special Request
More then Skin Deep – Wrecker - Doc notices something about Wrecker while training and offers her help.
Also: got a new Poll up for your thoughts! Should Doc Have Her Own Blog?
Warnings: Light sexual tension, reference to past injury, disabilities and light prejudice from appearance - It's mostly just some softness fluff.
WC: 2,262
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So much had happened since the cave. Between the fallout from my rash discussion with Commander Cody and the nightmare of Tech’s exposure to that wretched fungus, there’d been little time to just breathe. Now, however, we had at least another week of med leave while the still shaken pilot continued regaining his strength, and there was little else to do except think.
Panting, I leaned wearily against the wall, absently watching the others continue their training routines. Hunter was running Tech through hand-to-hand drills, padded gloves darting around the taller man almost too quickly for me to keep up with, but Tech rapidly struck each one in a blinding rhythm as they danced around the sparring ring, training blacks long-since soaked through with sweat. Crosshair and Echo were ‘not’ racing each other as they ran sprints, and Wrecker was just finishing with the free-weights.
Nothing was quite so humbling as being in the same room as five elite commandos while training… nor was there anything quite so distracting. The skintight fabric emphasized each divot between hard-earned muscle now void of even the memory of emaciation. Even Echo was beginning to regain mass in earnest – enough for Hunter to requisition a larger set of armor for him.
I’d finished my intended workout over an hour ago, but the others showed no signs of slowing. Finally yielding beneath even the hope of keeping up with them, I allowed myself a moment to catch my breath, jaw hanging open as my torso rocked beneath the desperate flutter of my diaphragm, trying not to let my eyes wander.
Even from across the room, I caught the quick words of encouragement as Hunter pushed Tech to move faster, strike harder, and I could hear the proud smile in his smoky voice, could see the gleam of pride burning through Tech’s determined glare as the powerful muscles of his lean form rippled throughout the entirety of his body to drive each punch barreling toward his brother, and the way Hunter’s broad shoulders rolled to absorb those punches, the way his abs tensed to steady his balance… Both were a marvel that I had to tear my eyes away from, but the rare grin on Crosshair’s lips, that tiny hint of glee in those sharp eyes as his long strides overtook Echo’s blistering pace was no less mesmerizing.
The fraction of a second those nearly golden eyes flashed to mine, the sudden realization that I’d been staring – that he caught me staring, sent my heart racing anew, cheeks burning beneath a violent rush of heat.
“Done already, Doc?” I turned to find Wrecker treading almost lazily toward me, massive hand dragging a rag over his forehead to mop up the sweat beading atop caramel skin flushed from exertion, and I welcomed the excuse not to see Crosshair’s reaction to my misplaced attention.
“Already?” I scoffed. “I was done ages ago… You guys are making me look bad.” The gentle chuckle that shook through his towering form was the perfect balm for my still racing heart.
“Maybe I could help yuh next time. Havin’ someone with you makes it more fun!” The brilliant grin that pulled at my lips in the wake of his innate joy was so automatic, I barely noticed it anymore.
“Wrecker, if I try to work out with you, you are not allowed to laugh at me.” A brief flash of surprise followed instantly by a burst of excitement bloomed across his face.
“Don’t worry, Doc! I’ll go easy on yuh!” Before I could comment on his ‘going easy’ still being far beyond what I considered naturally possible, something about his stride caught my attention. It was such a little thing – the faintest misstep, shoulder just tilting to the side for barely a moment before correcting himself, but it was a motion I’d been trained for years to notice. He continued on as though nothing had happened, but I couldn’t unsee the subtle falter.
“Tomorrow, we can”
“Wrecker,” I didn’t mean to interrupt him, but my mind was already obsessing over that split second and everything it could mean. He instantly paused, smile falling as he waited tensely for some explanation behind the sudden change in my demeaner, “do you still have problems with your balance?” His eyes widened for just a moment before turning quickly away from mine, the faintest hint of a blush creeping over his cheeks.
“Oh, uh… you saw that, huh?” The embarrassment robbing his voice of that brilliant exuberance broke my heart, and I quickly pushed myself away from the wall to cross the scarce few meters lingering between us. “Don’t happen much, and Tech did some stuff to my helmet so it almost never happens on missions… ‘less we’re, yuh know, somewhere high…” His gaze returned almost hesitantly to me as I approached him, but there was still a whisper of shame in those final words that I vowed to do anything I could to forever rid from him.
“Did that started after,” I motioned toward the pale branches of scar tissue stretching out from his left ear, and his lips bunched slightly as he nodded. “Hmm…” The curious lilt in my hum caught his attention, brow quirking slightly. Mouth pursing into a small grin, I reached my hands out toward him, an eagerness driving my motions that distracted him effortlessly from his embarrassment.
“I want to try something. Would you hold my hands for a minute?”
“Uh… sure.” He mumbled slightly and, despite his confusion, let his fingers slip around mine, almost comical in the dramatic difference in size. Still, my grip tightened as I looked up at him.
“I’d like you to close your eyes, Wrecker,” I instructed, voice muted with a gentle warmth that he followed without hesitation, “Alright, I’m going to count to ten, and I want you to twist your head from right to left as far as you can with each count. Ready?” He started to question me but stopped himself and merely nodded. I didn’t wait, falling into the quick count before he could overthink it. Halfway through, I felt his balance begin tilting to the right, felt his hold automatically tighten around mine, but he was able to finish without stumbling.
“That was perfect.” I praised quietly, which seemed to surprise him even more. “I know the helmet helps when you’re wearing it, but I think I can help a bit with when you’re not wearing it.” The shock that stole over him brought an almost giddy chuckle bubbling up my throat. “You can help me with my strength training, and I help you with your balance… Deal?” A hesitant doubt shown for only a moment in those mismatched eyes before his expression blossomed back into that eager grin that left me beaming.
“You got it, Doc!” My thumbs trailed happily over the broad expanse of his knuckles as he seemed to come back to life before me. “Can we start now? I mean – I know you’re tired an’ all, but”
“Yes, Wrecker.” I chirped between giggles, delighting in his endless boughs of energy. “Come on.” The scarce few minutes it took to lead him through the seated balance retraining exercises left him disappointed only that there wasn’t more to do. We sat atop his bunk, still awaiting the return of the others as I finished recording notes for that first session.
“We’ll see if you still feel that way when I make you do them while walking with your eyes closed.” I teased at the sight of his reluctance to stop, instantly bringing a fresh spark of challenge to those eyes. “Wrecker.” He, at least, granted me a glance of abashed resignation at the quiet threat in my voice, and I couldn’t still the quiet laughter from escaping me.
“Does it still bother you?” I hadn’t expected the softly spoken question to breech the fleeting moment of quiet between us, but I was relieved to find Wrecker seemingly undisturbed from it.
“I mean… not really?” He answered with a small shrug. “Guess I don’t really like how folks look at me sometimes, but I know it makes me look even more scary, so...” In an instant I reached forward, hands gently cupping his jaws, thumbs shifting lightly against his cheeks to shamelessly trail the yawning lines of those scars toward his ear, and he froze beneath my touch.
“I’ve never been afraid of you, Wrecker.” There was no hesitation in my words, no whisper of doubt. “And this,” I added quietly, fingers sweeping up to brush over the deep valleys of taut, pale skin, head shaking slightly with a warm smile, “I always thought it looked pretty cool.” There was a long moment in which he seemed too stunned to react, lips parted in a tiny gasp, his wide eyes locked on mine. With a quiet sigh, I released him as sat back onto my heels.
“That’s not quite what I meant, though.” I explained, smile twisting into a smirk. “Issues with balance and vertigo, we might be able to improve with those exercises, but that was a serious injury. Does it still cause you any other problems?” The faintest blush darkened his cheeks as his gaze briefly dropped to where his hands rested atop his thighs.
“Well, it – not bein’ able to hear out’a that ear can be tricky… so can the eye.” He admitted almost distractedly.
“It’s amazing,” I chuckled slightly, “You know: I constantly forget about that… You just don’t let it slow you down at all.” His shoulders rolled beneath another bashful shrug.
“Happened a while back, so I guess I’ve gotten pretty used to it by now.” He said dismissively, but I could see the pleased smile just playing at the edges of his lips. I thought about the ways such disabilities impacted everyday life – the loss of depth perception and sound localization, the internalized frustration from suddenly becoming ‘clumsy’ and ‘loud’.
“Is there was reason you never got cybernetic replacements?” I shifted to tuck my knees thoughtlessly to my chest, back reclining comfortably against the wall at the foot of his bed.
“Too much nerve damage.” He answered, gaze roaming blindly over the wrinkled blanket bunched up beneath us. “Would’a needed to replace too much for ‘em to approve it.” My jaw ground, brows pulling together in a frown I was pleased he hadn’t seen before managing to school my expression once more. Credits. Of course, it came down to credits. He was barely past cadet training with it happened – unproven and thus undeserving of special treatment…
“Is that something you’d want?” I asked quietly. His eyes rose hesitantly, and I could see how carefully he considered the question.
“I… I dunno.” The whispered reply held none of his usual nonchalance, thinking over each word before giving them voice. “Doin’ it now would mean bein’ out’a commission for a while…” I could see how he recoiled from the mere thought of being unable to be with his brothers, even for the few weeks it would take to recover, being unable to fight beside them – to keep them safe, and I wanted to sob from the way my heart broke for him. “’Sides, like I said – Tech a’ready fixed up my helmet so I barely notice it anymore.” I had to let out a slow, deep breath before trusting myself to speak.
“Well, if you ever change your mind,” I murmured, begging him to hear the love sown into each word, “I’d be more than happy to make it happen.” He was still for a moment as my offer lingered in that breadth of quiet between us. With a near silent chuff of laughter, he nodded, granting me a small, grateful smile.
Returning the gesture, I finally pushed off of his bed and got to my feet, granting myself a leisure stretch before starting toward the temporary cot that I’d long since accepted as my permanent bed.
“Think I’ll sneak off to the showers before dinner.” I said wearily, already rummaging into my footlocker for a clean set of blacks before glancing back at him. “And I want to go through those exercises again with you tonight.” His grin instantly grew with that familiar exuberance I so treasured.
-
I’d long since become accustomed to the occasional second glance from confused regs as I walked the halls of Kamino absent the veil of armor, and tread past clones of varying ages and expressions thoughtlessly en route to the farthest edge of the platform in hopes of some semblance of privacy. As I approached the door, however, it slid open seconds before it should have, and I paused as those sharp eyes met mine. Crosshair went still as well, hand frozen with those long fingers tangled in his short, silver curls.
“Didn’t get your fill in the training room?” He scoffed, lips curling into something between a sneer and a smirk. I let my expression fall pointedly blank, brow just hitching in exasperation.
“What can I say? You have a cute smile, Crosshair.” I dismissed with careful disinterest, shoulders raising in an almost bored shrug as I continued forward, but then felt a smirk of my own touch my lips as I glanced up at him at a very simple realization: he’d been looking at me, too. “What’s your excuse?” His jaw clicked together, but before he could offer a retort, I pushed past him into the refresher, shouldering him unapologetically out of the way, and let out a quiet chuckle after the door closed pointedly behind me.
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I know I owe @snow-dragon-rider a dedicated chapter… but I think I needed this little mini fic. I think I was struggling more than I realized with getting back into writing Doc after doing those other two stand alone fics. I’ve got over 1k words into the next Fever bit, but it has been a challenge. This was just the right little chunk to help brush off the dust, I think, and I’m so thankful to @actuallybarb for suggesting it (sorry it took a bit of a very different turn from your initial ask, lol, but I went down a rabbit hole with long-term TBI and inner ear issues, and this kinda jumped out at me).
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hanniejji · 2 years
Text
i literally have a bunch of kids now despite not being too fond of kids damn
we have maple, our favorite six years old little leaf who can one punch you but they won't because kazuha raised them very well and they're too kind to do that. they have weird quirks wherein they catch fish with their bare hands, jumps at the nearest body of water, the most gentle baby despite having super strength, is also able to recognize a fake bitch from a mile away, and knows how to cut said bitch in half. our maple protecc.
there's our little devil, also know as baobei, who's a seven years old kid chronologically but is literally an infant in adepti years, so they're mentally a baby. they have xiao's tendency to eat snow and loves almond tofu, calls zhongli their papa, and will run up to strangers and hug them but they can also kill in cold blood but they don't know that yet. i mean, they're literally an adepti raised by zhongli and xiao, do you think they're not going to grow up as strong as them?
next is our quietest baby phoenix, who's more matured than a man child but is also emotionally unstable because of childhood trauma. they're the oldest of the bunch and has abandonment issues and just wants their stupid dad to look at them like they exist he does, he just sucks at being a dad. they have a cool uncle who teaches them how to fight tho. they're also the most cautious one who can talk their way out of things because fuck noble people and their fake personalities.
and then we have our unreleased baby who um... doesn't have a term to refer to them yet but basically they're sick in the head, added with the fact that they're scaramouche's adopted child he won't admit it but he adopted them the moment he set his eyes on them and does not know how to properly function as a child, not even as a human. they can and will not hesitate to murder anyone at all. aka honorary fatui child who gets spoiled by childe because he wants to steal them from scaramouche.
and then an unplanned wind wisp mc who venti accidentally created and idk what to do with this brainrot yet.
in conclusion, i like fictional kids than real life kids.
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edith-hyde · 1 year
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Norman Osborn X Female Reader
I Forgot My Umbrella - Part 41
Word Count: 2535
Summary: The Gala is going well. But trouble is on the horizon as Harry begins flirting with you.
Warnings: Age gap. PG/PG-13.
A/N: We're leading up to quite a doozy. Also, there's a reference with Otto being dressed up the way he is for the Gala. Anyone seen the movie Strange Magic?
Tagging: @druigswh0ree @digital-demise @maskmare931 @b1ueoff1ine @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky @wtfhasmy-lifecometo @ghnaim24
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——
You couldn’t be more proud of how the Gala was turning out. Everyone showed up in beautiful fantasy garb with ornate masks. The staff were dressed in medieval outfits and served foods that were made to look otherworldly. You overheard numerous people complementing the decorations that adorned the large room. 
All in all, you considered it a success. 
Sadly, you barely got to interact with Norman for the first hour. He was stuck by the door greeting people as they came in. This of course, did not stop you from staring at him the entire time. He looked amazing in his outfit and you were thankful you left out the wig, as that would’ve looked ridiculous. 
Tracy arrived wearing a dress that appeared to be made of starlight. She disappeared into the crowd after a quick greeting and a hug. You’d periodically catch a glimpse of her chatting up some young man. With an eye roll, you made your way to the buffet table to grab some punch. Just as you turned, a young man wearing a black mask appeared. He didn’t seem to be dressed as anything in particular but his outfit reminded you of Zoro. 
“Good evening, milady,” the young man greeted with some hesitance. 
You immediately recognized his voice and giggled. 
“Hey, Harry. Nice outfit.”
His shoulders sagged and he pulled off the mask. 
“How’d you know it was me?”
“Your voice, silly. How’d you recognize me?”
“I just looked for the prettiest girl in the room.”
Harry gave you a confident smile and you felt your stomach twist into knots. 
Was he… Was he flirting with you?
You didn’t know how to respond. You didn’t want to see things that weren’t there, but how else were you supposed to take that?
You decided to deflect it. 
“That’s very sweet of you,” you finally said with a half smile, “Are Peter and MJ here yet?”
“Not yet. Knowing Peter, he probably forgot all about it.”
“Possibly.”
An awkward silence settled between you and you immediately started searching the crowd for Norman. You spotted him on the other side of the room talking with a group of people. They were all so well dressed and beautiful- Especially the dark haired woman who was standing a bit too close to Norman’s side. You watched in horror as she laughed and touched his arm. Norman did not react, and instead kept his eyes upon the man in front of him. 
His face would not betray his true emotions- but yours did. 
“You okay?” Harry asked as he followed your line of sight, “What are you looking at?”
You quickly looked away. 
“Nothing! Sorry.”
But Harry wouldn’t let it go. He saw his father from here and arched an eyebrow. 
“He's working the crowd, as usual.”
You couldn’t help it. You had to look again. 
You instantly regretted it. 
The woman now had her hand glued to his arm, holding his attention as she said something. Norman was giving her a pleasant smile as he nodded along with her words. 
“They look friendly,” Harry muttered. 
“That’s his fake smile,” you said with an eye roll. 
Harry looked at you with a quizzical look. 
“How can you tell?”
You downed a gulp of punch and shrugged. 
“He’s looking at her forehead, not in her eyes. And it’s the same smile he uses when talking to investors. You know the one that means ‘I wish you’d shut-up’. If it was a real smile, he’d show his teeth more and actually look her in the eyes.”
“You’ve gotten surprisingly good at reading him,” Harry praised, “I’ve known him my whole life and I’ve never noticed he’s got different smiles for different people.”
“Honestly everyone does. But yeah… I’ve gotten pretty good at telling his facial expressions… Speaking of which, I better go save him. He looks about ready to snap.”
In truth, it was you who was ready to snap. 
You finished your drink and left Harry without a word. Stalking across the room, you tried to think of what you were going to say. 
Thankfully, you didn’t have to say anything. 
As you drew closer, Norman’s eyes instantly found yours. His real smile lit up his face and he stepped away from the woman as if she was nothing more than trash on the sidewalk. He set his hand on the small of your back as he introduced you to the group he was speaking to. 
“This is my assistant, Y/N. Without her, tonight would’ve been a disaster. Y/N, these are some representatives of the charities we are donating to tonight.”
You shook several hands, smiling pleasantly. 
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I hope you’re enjoying the Gala.”
“Oh we certainly are,” the woman said, “You’ve certainly outdone yourself.”
“Thank you.”
You looked up at Norman, finally thinking of a reason to pull him out of this situation. 
“I’m terribly sorry to break the conversation up, but your son has arrived, Sir.”
Norman bobbed his head. 
“I should go see him. Enjoy the rest of the night.”
Norman walked away with you, keeping his hand firmly on your back as the two of you headed back towards Harry. 
“Thanks for the rescue,” Norman whispered. 
“I did it more for me than for you.”
Norman chuckled and moved his hand to lightly tug a lock of your hair. 
“You have nothing to worry about, my dear. You know I only have eyes for you.”
“Oh I know. It’s not you. That lady needs to learn how to keep her hands to herself. Touching people like that…”
You arrived at Harry’s side and Norman immediately wrapped him in a hug. 
“I’m glad you made it,” Norman said happily. 
“It’s better than last year’s,” Harry smirked, “Y/N really did a great job.”
“You guys better be careful with all this praise,” you laughed, “My ego won’t be able to fit in the building if you keep this up.”
Harry laughed before turning to his father. 
“So, where’s your mystery lady at? Is she here?”
Your eyes snapped to Norman’s face. You watched his ears turn pink as he tried not to look at you. 
“Yes… She’s here.”
Harry glanced around and you took that time to raise an eyebrow at Norman. He looked like he was drowning. Was he really about to tell Harry about your relationship right now? In front of all these people?!
“Well? Where is she?”
“She’s-”
Before Norman could answer, Rosie and Otto suddenly appeared at your side. You couldn’t be more grateful for the interruption. 
“Y/N! My dear, you look amazing!” Otto praised, “Rosie tried to describe the dress to me but it doesn’t compare to actually seeing it.”
You giggled as you accepted a hug from the large man. He looked a bit silly in his fake green armor and crown, but he also looked adorable. Rosie looked equally as cute in her matching green dress that shimmered in the light. 
“You both look so cute!” You cheered, “I love these outfits!”
“We look ridiculous,” Otto groused. 
“Indeed you do,” Norman agreed, “Though the green is very slimming.”
“Says the man in a sparkly blue crop-top jacket. And those pants are a crime against humanity.”
Norman rolled his eyes as Otto smirked. The two began bantering back and forth. You were grateful for this, as it derailed the previous conversation. Norman ended up wandering off with Otto and Rosie to go greet some of their old colleagues who had just entered. Harry watched them go and sighed. 
“Do you know who she is?”
“Who what?” You questioned. 
“The woman my dad is dating.”
Put on the spot, you had no idea what to say. Norman had neglected to tell you that he had told Harry he was dating someone. But clearly he hadn’t told Harry exactly who he was dating. This put you in a bad spot. You wouldn’t lie. It wasn’t your nature. 
“Yeah… I know who it is.”
Harry turned to you, eyebrows raised. 
“Have you met her?”
You instantly regretted everything about this conversation. You desperately needed out of it and your savior came in the form of Tracy. The two of you made eye contact and she instantly understood what you needed. She bounded up to the punch table and you beamed at her. 
“Tracy! Come here, I’d like you to meet Doctor Osborn’s son, Harry. Harry, this is my roommate, Tracy!”
Tracy looked Harry up and down and grinned. The two of them shook hands and Tracy was as bold as ever. 
“You’re better looking than your father.”
You rolled your eyes and Harry gave a nervous chuckle. 
“Thanks. Though I’m told I look like him.”
“You got all his best features,” Tracy declared, “So, you go to college, right? Where ya go?”
Harry started talking casually with her and you made a break for it. Escaping to a spot further down the table, you breathed a sigh of relief. You were just about to get yourself a plate of food, when an older man stepped up next to you and handed you an empty plate. 
“Here you are, miss.”
You smiled as you accepted it. 
“Thank you.”
The man was dressed as a typical nobleman with an owl mask that covered the top part of his face. He had a pleasant smile and calm demeanor as he spoke. 
“Might I just say, you look ravishing.”
“Why thank you,” you said sheepishly. 
“Tell me, beautiful maiden, do you have a name?”
“Sorry,” you said plainly, “I’m not in the mood to get picked up tonight. I’m already spoken for.”
“A woman as beautiful as you should not be left alone. Your date is a fool.”
“My date doesn’t have to hover around me like a fly all night,” you snarked. 
“Still, it’s his loss.”
The man reached out and started to curl a lock of your hair. 
“I just asked for a name. That’s not a hard wish to grant.”
You rolled your eyes and set your plate down. 
But before you could speak, Norman appeared. 
——
Norman grabbed the man’s hand and yanked it away from you. He wanted to snap his arm off, and he had a feeling he probably could with the Goblin’s help. But Norman resisted. Instead, he settled for a glare. 
“I believe she said she was spoken for. Take a hint. Or I’ll have you thrown out for indecent behavior.”
The man glanced between you and Norman a few times before disappearing into the crowd. Norman instantly placed his hand upon your arm and searched your face. 
“Are you alright?”
“I had it handled,” You chuckled, “But thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“You save me, I save you. That’s how this works.”
Norman slowly let his fingers trace along the length of your arm as he stepped closer to you. You closed your eyes for a moment before biting your lip and meeting his gaze. He wanted nothing more than to kiss you, but he knew it would not go well. It was already a risk for him to be this close. 
“Save me a dance,” he whispered, “In an hour, meet me in the hallway.”
He briefly held your hand before heading off to mingle with some investors. He kept his eye on you the rest of the night, making sure no other man tried something. He spotted you talking with Harry a lot and he felt a spike of jealousy. He could stand next to you, smile at you, talk with you- all without fear of repercussions. 
But Norman did his best to push the twisting feelings away. He really shouldn’t be so jealous over his own son. Instead, he should be happy that the two of you seemed to be getting along well. Hopefully that would make telling Harry about your relationship a bit easier. 
——
You couldn’t lose Harry no matter how hard you tried. He just kept finding you. And as the hour dragged on, it became more and more obvious. 
He was flirting with you.
Peter and MJ finally arrived and you tried so hard to ditch Harry off on them. If this kept up, you wouldn’t be able to slip away to meet Norman. 
It wasn’t like you were leading him on. You were just being nice like you were with everyone. You didn’t flirt back and even shied away when he would reach out and touch your arm. You were tempted to call him out on it, but you feared that he would deny it. 
You knew you should’ve said something about having a boyfriend sooner, but you were afraid he’d ask who it was or why he wasn’t with you. This whole situation was leading up into a disaster. You hadn’t expected Harry to develop a crush on you like this. 
Though, it proved that apparently Harry had the same taste in women as his father. 
“Y/N?”
Harry’s questioning tone made your stomach drop. He looked anxious, like he was gearing up to ask you something. And judging by his repeated glances towards the dance floor, he wanted to dance with you. 
“Yeah Harry?”
“Would you wanna dance?”
There it was. 
Your mind twisted with anxieties as you tried to think of a way to turn him down. But he was suddenly grabbing your hand and leading you to the floor. 
“Harry I-”
“Can I say something first?”
Harry set a hand upon your waist and you sucked in a sharp breath. The two of you slowly spun as Harry held you. You were unable to make eye contact as you frantically tried to think of a way to escape this situation. There were no good options.
“I like you,” Harry said plainly, “And I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner tomorrow.”
“Oh…”
“Is that all you can say?”
You took a step back from Harry. The two of you now stood awkwardly on the edge of the dance floor. Harry’s brown eyes made you feel guilty as he stared at you. But you knew you had to hold your ground. 
“Harry… I’m already in a relationship with someone.”
“You… you are?”
You slowly nodded as Harry ran a hand through his hair. His eyes settled on the floor. As he took several deep breaths, you could tell he was trying not to get angry. 
“When you said you didn’t have a date tonight, I thought…”
“I’m sorry,” you whispered, “I didn’t mean to give you the wrong idea…”
“A bit too late for that,” Harry snapped. 
You scowled and Harry’s shoulders sagged. His eyes went skyward as he shook his head. You took this time to scan the crowd. Norman was slowly working his way towards the hallway. His eyes briefly met yours and he smiled. 
It was time. 
“Harry I-”
“Forget it,” Harry groused, “Just… forget it. If you don’t like me, that’s fine. But you don’t have to lie about being with someone just to turn me down.”
“I’m not lying! I really am-”
Harry stormed off, leaving you standing there with your stomach in knots. This was bad. 
You had to tell Norman.
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