#how I’m gonna write her recovering from all of this I don’t know | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

twiceinadream · 10 months

Text

“A More…Hands On Experience.”

Requested: Nope

Prompt: G!P Fem! S/O is a pool cleaner, Jihyo is a very attractive woman who asks S/O to rub oil on her.

a/u: Hey everyone! I’m back with a new fic that I hope you all enjoy. I can’t believe it’s already been 4 years since I started writing on Tumblr and I don’t have any plans on stopping in the near future! I want to thank you all for continued love and support after all these years. I love you guys!

Category: NSFW and Fluff

Word Count: 4.2k

The sun shone brightly over Guri, leaving the town in a beautiful glow. The air held a cool breeze and the warmth from the sun was just enough to heat the skin, more-or-less the day was pretty perfect.

You smiled to yourself as you hummed the last song you had heard on the radio under your breath. You were in good spirits, the weather was great, and you were on to the first client of the day. The house was very beautiful and you couldn’t help but marvel at all of the intricate botany.

The house itself looked quite modern as you walked up the little step to knock. It gave a hollow sound as you waited patiently, one of your hands in your pocket. It didn’t take long before you heard a faint, “Hold on, I’m coming!” From inside the house, the door was opened by the most beautiful woman you had ever seen and her attire - or lack there of - made your mouth go dry, “Hi, may I help you?”

You felt like your eyes were gonna pop out of your skull before you quickly shook your head and cleared your throat, recovering your professional demeanor, “Hi, yes, Miss Park?” The woman nodded and it finally clicked that your client was the Park Jihyo, “Hi, I’m Y/N from Palace Pool Cleaners. We have you scheduled for a pool cleaning this morning.”

It took all of your willpower to not look down since the woman before you was the subject of a very long standing crush and she was currently dressed in a very revealing bikini that was barely covered by a white dress shirt. “Oh goodness, you’re right. My apologies, it completely slipped my mind. I was actually about to lounge by the pool myself, it won’t interfere with your work will it?”

You shook your head, it wasn’t uncommon for clients to be out while you worked. Guaranteed most of your clients weren’t insanely attractive women who had been the object of your affection, but you needed to keep this professional. You couldn’t risk losing your job over a stupid crush, “Not at all, Miss Park. Depending on how much debris is in the pool and all the other little nuances I need to check up on for maintenance reasons. I should be out of here in two hours.”

The brunette smiled as she looked you up and down, you couldn’t help but stiffen your stance slightly as you flexed. Secretly hoping to attract such a gorgeous woman - you were only human after all. “Take all the time you need.”

With that, you gave a curt nod to not embarrass yourself any further, “Thank you, let me grab my supplies from the truck and I’ll get started. Is there a side gate I could use to access the backyard so I’m not lugging everything through your house?”

“Yeah, it’s to the right of the garage there’s a gate, it unlocks from the back so just reach over and it leads straight to the pool.” You nodded in thanks as you turned to leave. “One more thing,” you turned back around to see that the dress shirt had fallen down one of Jihyo’s shoulders and was now exposing a good amount of her cleavage that you fought not to gawk at, “you’re new aren’t you?” You nodded as you responded with a ‘yes’, making the brunette giggle, “I just wanted to say you are a lot easier on the eyes than my last pool cleaner.” You could barely believe your ears as Jihyo left you with a wink and disappeared back into her house.

How strange.

You finally let out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding as Jihyo closed the door, the front of your shorts felt uncomfortably tight as you turned to go back to your truck and grab the supplies you needed. You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself, ‘Fucking shit. I feel like I’m living in a bad porno.’

Once you had gathered everything you needed to get started with the cleaning you made your way to the backyard, through the gate that Jihyo had mentioned before and you almost stopped in your tracks at the sight. The brunette was propped up on a sun bed, sunglasses on her face and the white button down discarded. Revealing her large breasts that were barely contained by the straining fabric of her brown bikini top and the tiny bottom part that left nothing to the imagination that barely covered the woman’s slit.

You could faintly see the marks of an old tan line that she was probably working on getting rid of. Jihyo didn’t seem to pay any attention to you as you went to work as usual. you set your supplies down a little ways from the edge of the pool as you began assembling the pool skimmer. Screwing together the poll and attaching the net to the end as you dipped it onto the surface of the water and began collecting the stray leaves and occasional bug.

You hummed to yourself as you got lost in the monotony of your work - it wasn’t that you hated your job, you actually loved it, it was just simple and didn’t require much thinking after enough repetitions. The pool was a fairly decent size but wasn’t large enough that it took too much effort to get through. After you had skimmed the entirety of the pool you emptied the net into a trash bag you set off to the side and picked up the pool vacuum you had brought with you.

Thankfully, this pool didn’t have an algae problem as the low hum of the motor whirred to life as you plunged it beneath the surface and once again started your methodical walk around the pool’s edge. Making sure to cover every square inch so you wouldn’t have to do it over. The sun began to beat down, the temperature had risen to 86°F (30°C) and without the coverage of clouds or a breeze, you were beginning to sweat.

Once you finally made it all the way around you pulled out the vacuum and switched off the motor, sighing as you reached for the bottom hem of your shirt and pulled it off. You were wearing a black sports bra that covered everything but a low whistle suddenly reeled your mind back into the present as you remembered that you had an audience. You turned to face the woman still lounging in the pool chair, she had shed the white button down and was left in the skimpy bikini, your eyes wandered the the swell of her massive breasts as you bit your lip.

You were trying in vain to reign in your raging hormones as you felt your dick grow half-hard. But it was confined by your boxers and the lining of your swim trunks…for now.

The brunette had noticed your gaze as she chuckled slightly, “You can keep staring, jagi. I don’t mind.” Jihyo smirked as she pushed her chest out further, “I’m very proud of my body.”

You swallowed hard as you cleared your throat, suddenly feeling brave enough to flirt back, “My apologies, I was staring at your heart, but your boobs seem to be getting in the way.”

The singer was a little surprised by the fact that you had willingly matched her energy, “Funny and good looking, a very dangerous combo.”

You smiled as you headed back to your truck briefly to retrieve the bag of pool salt you needed to restore the correct ph levels in the pool. As you came back in, you noticed Jihyo staring as your muscles bunched slightly under the weight of the bag as you carried it over your right shoulder. Once you got back to the edge of the pool you set down the bag with the side of it facing the pool as you retrieved the box cutter from your pocket and created a small triangle at the bottom of the bag as the salt began spilling out.

After all the salt had been emptied out, you crumpled up the bag and stuffed it into the trash. Tying the elastic strings to keep it closed and everything you had taken out of the pool or used stayed in it. you were finally done and you went through without any more embarrassing incidents other than flirting back a little with the beautiful woman.

You made the short walk to where Jihyo was still lounging and stopped a safe distance away as you cleared your throat to grab her attention. The brunette turned her head as she lifted her sunglasses to properly look at you, “Miss Park, everything is finished. I cleaned and skimmed your pool as well as added more salt into it to restabilize the ph levels. If there’s nothing else you need, I can see myself out. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!”

You wanted to heave a sigh of relief as you were able to get out your entire speech and not get distracted by the tempting pillows of softness that called to you. But before you could continue patting yourself on the back for not being a perv, Jihyo pursed her lips in thought before an idea came to mind.

She reached to the table beside her as she retrieved a bottle of sun tan oil, “Actually, there may be something you can help me with.” You nodded, “I need help applying this oil and you seem like such a nice person. I’m just trying to even out my tan lines and I can’t seem to do it properly. Would you mind doing it for me?”

You felt like your head was spinning with lust, “Yeah, I guess, I can.” The brunette’s smile was practically predatory once she heard your consent. She was finally able to set the plan she had been thinking of for the last hour and a half into motion.

“Since you’re new and all, I was hoping I could give you a better perspective on Guri. A chance to get a more…hands on experience.” As the words left Jihyo’s mouth, she released the hold she had at the front of her bikini top as she let it drop and slide off her arms.

Your eyes felt like you were going to bug out of your skull as you stared at the woman’s bare breasts. They were enormous and when she sat back on the lounge chair, they bounced slightly as they settled back into place after being jostled. You swallowed hard as all you could do was stare, “Shit, you’re beautiful.”

Jihyo giggled at the compliment as she reached down for the oil, holding up the bottle in front of you, “Care to help me, jagiya? I can’t do it properly myself.” There was a hint of a pout in her voice as you took it from her, you were very much in shock about everything that was happening as you uncapped the bottle and began drizzling the liquid onto the brunette’s chest. “That’s it, don’t be shy.”

You preened at the words that fell from the older woman’s lips as you watched the oil drip down the pillowy mountains of titty flesh. You reached a tentative hand up to rub the oil into her skin but stopped, unsure if this was what she really wanted you to do. Jihyo smirked as she grabbed your hand and placed it firmly on her breast, “Rub it in please.”

Your breath caught in your throat as you felt the pliant flesh beneath your hand. Rubbing the oil over the singer’s warm skin as you kneaded her breasts. Your movements became more bold as you chanced a pinch to her left nipple, eliciting a soft moan from your client as she pressed her chest closer to you. The tent at the front of your swim shorts was extremely obvious as the outline of your dick stood out proudly. You were painfully hard as you continued to spread the oil all over Jihyo’s chest while fondling her tits, ‘This can’t be fucking real. Whatever I did to deserve this, thank you Universe!’ You mused to yourself as you realized the brunette had been staring at you.

“Why don’t I get you now, yeah?” You quirked an eyebrow in confusion as you paused from rubbing the oil onto the older woman’s taught stomach.

“What do you mean?” Jihyo had a predatory gleam in her eyes as she urged you to stand, she followed suit as her breasts swayed with the movement.

“I think you could use some oil too. It would look just delectable on you.” Before you could speak, Jihyo poured a healthy amount into her hands and began rubbing it onto your abdomen and down your arms. The brunette bit her lip as she felt you up, her eyes drifting down to see a very obvious bulge. You followed her gaze as you suddenly felt self-conscious.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t warn you. I have a…” But before you could continue Jihyo sank to her knees as she kissed the tip of your dick beneath the swim trunks.

“Don’t apologize for who you are. Ever.” The comment was incredibly endearing as your felt your heart grow light.

‘This woman really is amazing.’

It didn’t take long for Jihyo to bring you back to the present as she hooked her fingers into the shorts, “May I?”

It was now your turn to bite your lip as you nodded, “Please.”

In a slow and practiced motion, Jihyo began pulling down your swim trunks. She hit a snag around your erect cock before she was able to get the tight material around it and was shocked to see the sheer size of it in the open. The brunette made quick work of the shorts as you stepped out of them and kicked it away, leaving the singer to stare at your impressive length. You were both long and thick making you the perfect combination as your dick flexed up to your stomach.

“Wow, you’re the biggest I’ve ever seen.” Jihyo smiled as she reached a hand up to begin stroking your cock, “You just keep getting better and better.”

You wanted to respond but your mind was a bit more preoccupied with the sight of Park Jihyo on her knees as she stroked your dick. Opting for a nod and pleased hum.

The brunette leaned forward as she placed a kiss to your balls, moving up so she could lick a long line up the underside of your shaft to the dribbling head. The slightly salty taste of your precum coated her tongue as your hand found its way into her hair, tangling her locks in between your fingers. Jihyo took the tip of your cock into her mouth and she felt a spurt of cum as you groaned at the sudden heat around you, but before she could work down more of your impressive length she felt her head jerk forward as you pulled her closer to your groin.

More cock than she could handle was suddenly filling her mouth as the head of your length hit the back of throat and she gagged. And just as quickly as you had pushed her down on your cock, you pulled her off just as fast as apologies fell from your lips. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be that rough with you, your mouth just feels really g….”

Before you could apologize further, Jihyo took you back into her mouth, but this time at her own pace. You moaned aloud as you felt her throat muscle contract as she took you all the way to the root, pulling back as she ran her tongue along the underside of your shaft. In an attempt to not choke the brunette a second time, you refrained from pulling at her hair as you carded your fingers through it instead. Thrusting forward every so often to chase the warmth that was being pulled off of you.

The head of your dick began leaking in a steady stream as you felt the coil in your abdomen tighten at how close you were to cumming. you let out a guttural moan, “Of fuck, Jihyo-ssi, I’m gonna cum.”

But just as the words left your mouth, the brunette completely pulled off of your length as a few ropes of cum shot out onto the singer’s face. You groaned as your balls clenched but you were left completely unsatisfied without any further stimulation, causing the tightening in your stomach to worsen. “Wh..what the h…hell?”

The ruined orgasm was borderline painful as your abdominal muscles grew taught but there was nothing else to combat the intense feeling. You groaned as you looked down to see your shaft even harder than before as it still rested stiffly against your stomach. But your heart seemed to stop at the view before you, Park Jihyo with lines of your cum on her face. She wore a very proud smirk as you panted, “I’m sorry, Y/N-ah, did that hurt?”

The brunette’s voice was full of false sympathy as she mocked you, which in turn pissed you off further. You growled lowly as you gripped her hair in your fist and pulled Jihyo to stand, still using her hair to guide the forceful movements as you brought her close to your face. “You must think you’re so clever. You’re gonna pay for that, sweetheart.”

Jihyo stared up to meet your eyes, accepting the challenge. “Oh, I’d love to see you try.” You pulled her into a rough kiss, void of the sweetness she had expected from you as teeth clashed and tongues wrestled for dominance. And Jihyo had to admit, she had never been more turned on in her life.

No matter what she threw at you, you gave it back to her ten fold, which was how she found herself hovering over your mouth. Her bikini bottoms completely soaked through, but you didn’t even bother to remove them as you pulled them to the side and licked a strip up the center of her pussy. Jihyo moaned at the feeling as she pressed lower trying to get more friction against her weeping folds.

You were arguably too horny to tease and you were quickly getting over your anger due to the ruined orgasm since the taste of the brunette on your tongue was just too enticing to abstain from. It had a sweet yet tangy flavor that you couldn’t get enough of as you ran the flat of your tongue almost to her clit, but stopped at the second, you weren’t letting her off the hook that easily.

But Jihyo was quick with her wits as she bucked forward trying to feel more of your tongue, “How about I give you a true taste of Guri?”

You laughed slightly, “Are you always this cheesy when you’re having sex or is this just for my benefit?” You didn’t give her a chance to respond as your tongue teased at her entrance, taking in more of her leaking arousal. But before you could dive deeper into the singer’s depths you pulled away to place a kiss to her inner thigh, “But, ever since I’ve gotten here, I feel like I’m living in a poorly written porn script.”

To her benefit, Jihyo had the humility to laugh as a genuine smile broke out onto her lips. “Well I’m disappointed that my seduction came off as poorly written porn. Was it really that bad?”

“To be fair, when you wanted me to touch your boobs you phrased it as a ‘hands on experience’.” You chuckled as you craned your neck to suck on her clit briefly, “I’ll give you the benefit of a doubt that it came off as cheesy rather than poorly written porn.”

Jihyo hummed as she lost focus on the conversation as she relished in the feeling of her clit getting the attention it so desperately craved, “I can accept that. But can we save the pillow talk for after, I think there are more pressing matters at the moment.”

You chuckled as you kissed her clit, “I agree. Why don’t you ride me, jagi, I want to see those beautiful tits bounce for me. Least you could do since you spilled oil all over me.”

The brunette smirked as she wiggled her way out of her bikini bottoms so that the two were completely naked, “I can definitely get on top of that idea and get on top of you as well.”

You both laughed out loud but your laughing ceased as Jihyo sank down on your cock. The feeling of being stretched open made the singer moan loudly as the rippling heat around your dick made you groan as one of your hands shot to hold onto Jihyo’s hip, guiding her down till you bottomed out inside of her. She breathed through her nose as she felt her inner walls adjust to the stretch, it had been awhile since she had been with anyone and her fingers were never this thick or this deep inside of her.

The brunette let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding as she slowly began to rise up from atop of your cock till only the tip remained inside of her then dropped down. Eliciting a moan from both of you as pleasure crawled up your spines. Jihyo bounced on your lap as your dick had enough curve to it to rub against the spot inside of her that made her see stars when she pulled out at just the right angle. Your eyes were transfixed on her wobbling tits as an unashamed look of lust adorned your face.

You even reached the hand that hadn’t found purchase on the brunette’s hip to continue squeezing and teasing her breasts. “Shit, just like that, good girl. You’re taking me so well.”

Jihyo’s breathing came out in clipped pants as she moved faster, the sound of her skin slapping against your’s made her blush as loud moans fell from her mouth. “God, only for you. You're filling me up so much.”

The singer sounded breathless as she began adding in the occasional rock of her hips to elicit more pleasure against her clit. You groaned beneath her as the hot and tight walls of Jihyo’s pussy gripped your shaft firmly, massaging it in a way that sent your head spinning. Everything felt amazing and the fact that you were even more pent up from the very unsatisfying release from before didn’t help. You felt dangerously close to the edge as you began thrusting up to meet Jihyo’s hips.

“Fucking shit, I’m so close, I’m gonna cum!” Your voice was strained as the idol’s inner walls tightened even more around you. There was only so much more of this that you could take before you were at the end of your wits.

“Cum inside, I’m on the pill. I’m almost there!” Jihyo’s voice raised an octave as her thrusts became a blur of short up and down movements. Not wanting to part from you for long as she reached a hand down to rub at her clit.

The sight of the woman atop you: riding you, touching herself, and her gigantic tits bouncing was enough to send you careening over the edge as you choked on a moan before feeling your abdomen contract and your balls tighten. Ropes of your cum shot deep inside of Jihyo as the feeling triggered the singer’s orgasm in turn and caused her walls to clench rhythmically around your cock.

Jihyo finally let out the scream she had been suppressing as she tilted her head back up to the sky as she came. Her release squirted out onto you ever so slightly as she felt your hot load in her womb. She sighed as her walls gave one final squeeze to your shaft after she had milked you for all you were worth. Jihyo looked down to see that your eyes had closed and a blissful smile graced your lips. She could tell you were awake, but barely.

That’s when her exhaustion seemed to hit her as well, she didn’t bother moving too much as she leaned forward to rest her body atop of yours. She could feel your dick softening a little inside of her as she placed lazy kisses on your neck, “That was amazing.”

You had started tracing random patterns on her naked back that she found oddly soothing, “I think amazing might be an understatement.”

Finally, you two broke the scene that the two of you had built as you wrapped your arms around your girlfriend. Placing a kiss to the crown of her head, “Thank you for doing this with me. I know a scene like this was a little weird.”

Jihyo grinned as she cuddled closer to you, “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, jagiya. I haven’t cum that hard in a long time”

You laughed slightly before a yawn cut you off, “Tell me about it. You even squirted!” The idol could practically feel the smug smile on your face as she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t get too full of yourself, Y/N-ah.” Jihyo yawned as she felt her eyes start to droop, “I’m gonna nap for a little, the whole thing really tired me out. I love you, jagi.”

You smiled as you pulled your girlfriend as close to you as humanly possible, “I love you too, Jihyo-ah.”

#twice #fortwice #twice imagines #twice prompts #twice smut #twice fluff #park jihyo #twice jihyo #park jihyo x g!p fem reader #g!p reader #twice x fem reader #twice x reader #twiceinadream

618 notes · View notes

urdrowning · 1 year

Text

reconcile / l. williamson

AN i apologise for the quality. i am very much hungover as i write this. and idc if its mid february let me use this christmas gif my girl is ADORABLE my god i need to be in leah williamson’s arms RN

requested? - yes

word count - 2.5k (i’m proud of that)

—————

sarina had finally announced the england squad for the AC cup. you were elated to see you’re name listed. having recently recovered from a broken ankle, you were barely getting playtime. it’s as if nobody believes you’re truly fully healed, especially with jonas keeping you as pretty much a permanent bench warmer. knowing that sarina trusts you and you’re abilities is like a wash of relief and you’re over the moon. you assumed leah, your girlfriend, would be celebrating with you, as she’s repeatedly campaigned for your wellness and ability. but now it feels like it’s all been a lie.

you were out visiting your best friend, alex scott when you found out, she unsuccessfully attempts to lift you up in a hug of congratulations due to her shorter stature. you thank her before you realise that you have to go home and tell your girlfriend (even though she already knows, she’s on the same squad. but she’d pretend to act shocked for you anyway) excitement rushes through you as you practically ran to your car and sped home (which may result in a speeding ticket, but who cares, you’re gonna be playing for england).

rushing into your shared flat with a giant smile on your face to tell your lover the news, you’re greeted with a frown on her face before she utters

“you can’t do it y/n, you’re not ready.”

the smile drops from your face and it makes leah’s stomach twist with guilt, but she refuses to let it show and remains staring at you with a stern gaze.

“you.. i- what?”

you spluttered in shock. where did this come from? for several weeks she’s been by your side, fighting for you to get playtime.

“you can’t do it. you’re not ready to play in a tournament like this yet.”

your pride seems to shrink as you begin to fill with anger. how could she? all of her support and for what? just to belittle you and your abilities?

“are.. are you serious right now, leah?”

you hated this. you’re not a fan of conflict in general, but with your girlfriend? a nightmare. the thought of her being angry with you making your world feel as if it’s shattering.

but the anger that courses through you almost crushes the dread you feel, you’re justified in this argument, she isn’t.

“dead serious. you need to call up sarina and tell her you can’t compete. you’re not ready and sarina should’ve realised that”

she sighs. she hates this as much as you do. she hates to be the reason you’re upset, but she is adamant in her opinion.

“why? why, leah, am i not ready? because i have been working my ass off for weeks and you know this!”

you’re raising your voice, making her wince slightly, it goes unnoticed by you due to your unbridled anger and she scoffs at your lack of empathy as she snaps at you

“because you’re not capable enough! there’s a reason you haven’t been getting playtime you know, it's because you’re not trusted, y/n! you’ll slip on your ass and injure yourself again, you’ll put the whole fucking team in jeopardy, and i’m not ready to lose because of you being a loose end.”

word after word is like a stab in the gut. hearing it from a normal teammate? painful. but hearing it from your girlfriend? agonising.

“oh.”

you try to hide how your voice is raw with emotion, but you know it’s a futile attempt. she hears it anyway. she reaches out for you slightly.

“y/n..”

you move away from her touch, cold and distant. you don’t look at her, your gaze fixated on the floor. you know that one look in her blue eyes and you’re gonna break.

“don’t. just.. don’t.”

your voice shakes as you move away. you can’t be here right now. you can’t be around leah.

so, what do you do? you grab your car keys, turn towards the door and leave. leah doesn’t move. she doesn’t try to stop you. she’s dug her grave, she may as well lay in it.

you sit in your car for at least 6 minutes before you start the engine. tears fall from your eyes and warm your face. it feels as if your heart has been ripped out of your chest, you feel as if you’ve been stabbed in the back. out of all the people to doubt you, leah? the person you love most? why did it have to be her.

you wipe the tears off of you, take a deep breathe and drive. you don’t know where you’re headed, all you know is that you need to be away from leah.

why you ended up at alex’s house once again is beyond you. but here you are, sat on your bestfriends sofa, crying in her arms.

“i’m sorry, y/n. she’s being an absolute dickhead. you’re more than capable and she should know that better than anyone.”

she holds you tightly as she rants. vehemently disagreeing with leah, defending you so passionately. it’s as if she retired from playing as a defender in football to become your own personal defender instead.

“i appreciate it al but in all honesty i’d rather forget about it. i’m tired, i just wanna scream into a pillow for the rest of the night.”

she laughs lightly as she releases you from her tight grip, nodding at you.

“you know where the spare room is. stay as long as you need, okay? love you”

she truly means it, and although it’s not what you need, the small statement makes you feel a bit better.

“thank you, al, love you too. night.”

she squeezes your arm lightly, mumbles goodnight and leaves you to your own devices. you sniffle slightly and head for alex’s spare room. which has practically become your bedroom with the amount of times you’ve stayed here.

the minute you walk in you can do nothing but collapse on the bed, the past few hours have been a whirlwind of emotions and it’s drained you of any energy you possessed. you glance at your phone to check the time, only to be greeted by your lock screen, a photo of you and leah. she’s hugging you from behind, kissing your cheek as you close your eyes, smiling. you groan at the image as it causes more tears to spring to your eyes, you attempt to block the photo with your hand as you check the time to see that it’s only 5:54 pm. you sigh and contemplate your options.

you could either, stay in the room, look at photos of leah, cry and binge watch pitch perfect. or, you could simply just sleep and pretend that today’s fight never even happened.

you choose the latter, as the crushing weight of reality is too much to deal with.

…

so maybe sleeping it off wasn’t the best idea you’ve had.

after about 5 minutes of you forcing your eyes shut, and trying to force your mind to be calm. you realised that you can’t sleep without leah’s presence which then causes you to get emotional again at just the thought of her (you’re a little unstable there babes, but it’s okay, we don’t blame you!)

you text alex, asking her to come hold you again. you can hear the thumps of her footsteps before she opens the door and slides onto the bed

“i’m sorry about this.”

she smacks you playfully. opens her arms for you. you slot yourself into her arms and sigh. it’s nice, but it isn’t leah.

“don’t apologise, y/n. you’re my bestfriend. i’m here for you.”

you murmur a thank you as your eyes grow heavy. the emotional exhaustion mixed with the comfort of you’re best friends touch sends you into a deep sleep.

——————

you wake up to raised voices, the sounds making your newfound headache 10x as painful.

memories of the previous day flood your mind as you sit up in bed, you feel better after having rested, but still, the memory of the fight and what was said crushes on you.

shaking your head to clear yourself of your thoughts, you try to listen in to the voices from outside your door.

“i don’t trust that you won’t snap on her again though”

that’s alex, she has a protective tone to her voice

“i won’t. just, please. let me speak to her.”

you’d recognise that voice anywhere. anxiety fills you as you realise that she’s hunted you down. of course she has. you ran out on her. she’s probably come to end things with you officially.

you hear alex sigh.

“.. fine. but if you upset her, you’re out.”

of course she managed to find you. of course you would go to alex’s house. leah knows you better than you know yourself. she’s your other half, and now you’re about to lose that. it’s crazy that even after all the horrendous things she said to you yesterday, you’re sat here in anxiety about HER leaving YOU. god, the grip this woman has on you is insane.

a knock on the door ceases your inner monologue.

“come in.”

you cringe at the sound of your voice. the hoarseness of it is not at all pleasant.

the door starts to open and you see her shadow before you see her. your mind goes to overdrive. this is it, the end of the best 4 years of your life. she steps in the room and she’s holding something behind her back, you close your eyes, not wanting to see the box of your things she’s most likely collected. you’re not ready for this to be over, not willing to accept your reality. with a sigh, you open your eyes slowly to see that instead of a box, she’s holding.. flowers?

“for you.”

she looks shy. you look confused. if the tension from yesterdays argument wasn’t there, you’d have both laughed at each others faces. but instead you glance at the flowers in her hand. red and yellow tulips, your favourite.

you take them from her, clutching them tightly, you whisper a thank you.

“leah, what are you doing here-“

she cuts you off, talking quickly.

“i need to talk to you, will you hear me out? please, just listen to me.”

you nod, gesturing for her to continue. you won’t talk, you’ll let her say what she needs to say. you’re not in the wrong here, she is.

“y/n, i- .. i’m so sorry. i love you, i love you so so much and i am so sorry. you have every right in the world to be angry with me, i mean shit, i’m angry with myself. i can’t believe i let my emotions take control of me, i don’t think you’re a burden. you’re everything to me.”

she’s nervous as she speaks, stammering and playing with her fingers. it reminds you of when she first asked you on a date, over 4 years ago, she was shaking with nerves.

your voice is small when you speak, taking her words into account but also remembering the cause of the argument itself.

“so why did you say those things leah? why don’t you think i’m good enough to play?”

she frowns and shakes her head, her eyes are looking at your hands, clutching the flowers she’d given you tightly.

“i should never have said anything like that. you’re more than capable of playing, i mean hell, you’re incredible. i was just being selfish.”

she’s determined. she’s got a mission in her mind, and leah’s too competitive to give up on her mission. she’s not going to stop trying to earn your forgiveness.

“selfish?”

you’re even more confused. you can’t begin to understand.

“yeah, selfish. y/n, you mean the world to me. i love you more than i love anything. when you first broke your ankle during the match against chelsea and i saw you get carried off on that stretcher.. it was awful. seeing you in pain, it scared me so much. i know you’re healed now, but i’m scared, i don’t want you to get hurt again. i cant stand seeing you in pain and suffering.”

you sit there and process what she’s told you. taking in all the information, her fear of your health.

“my god leah, you need to learn how to be straightforward.”

you laugh at her. you need to teach her how to communicate better. she lets out a laugh. you’re not sure whether it’s because of your joke or if it’s out of pure relief, but the sight of her smile is enough for you to not question it.

“maybe i do.”

she smiles at you, still standing infront of the bed, looking at you. suddenly aware of how awkwardly she’s been stood there, you roll your eyes at her as you reach over to grab the hem of her shirt.

“get over here, idiot.”

you don’t have to tell her twice, she gets into the bed and melts into your arms. she buries her face on your chest as her arms wrap around your middle. you rest your head on the top of her own, gently stroking her back as you lay together. a contented sigh leaves her.

“i was so nervous. i was worried you’d not want to ever see me again.”

you smile slightly, both glad to know that you weren’t alone in your worries and glad that she values you so greatly, that she fears the thought of not having you in her life.

“not a chance, we’ve got too many plans together. i can’t really become y/n williamson on my own, can i?”

leah lifts her head from your chest as she moves her hand to cup your cheek. she gazes at you with an enamoured look in her eyes.

“i adore you, y/n.”

she leans in and your lips meet. kissing leah is unreal, her lips fit against your own perfectly, and almost every kiss with her is as special as your first. she pours so much passion into the kiss, as if she’s trying to portray how much love she has for you through it. you move a hand to her hair as the kiss deepens. you’re both in a world of bliss until a sock smacks the side of both your faces.

“oh no, you are NOT doing this in my house!”

alex stands in the doorway, hands on her hips looking like a very disgusted mother.

“ugh, alex! what’s wrong with you!”

you groan, your face flushed with embarrassment as you bury it in leah’s shoulder. leah laughs at you, her face flushed with both embarrassment of being caught and excitement of being with you.

“come on y/n, let’s go home, yeah? i’ve got some more presents for you back in our flat.”

she gets up and offers her hand towards you, you take it, smiling.

“gladly.”

#leah williamson x reader #leah williamson #leah williamson imagine #leah williamson fanfic #woso fanfic #woso imagines #woso x reader #woso community #woso #lionesses

684 notes · View notes

ryuttaeng · 4 months

Text

pairing: shin ryujin x fem!reader, hwang yeji x fem!reader

summary: alcohol helps you to relieve your break up with your ex. you were sitting in the bar when some mysterious woman approached you, grabbing your drink from your hands.

cw: angst, toxic relationship, mentioning of alcohol, open ending

a/n: giving a try to writing again…

it’s been 6 months since you broke up with shin ryujin but you never fully recovered from that. you could only wish it was only a nightmare, a nightmare where you chased the feeling of being loved for long 6 months.

“ryujin-ah! i’m home!” you say, taking off your jacket and going to your shared bedroom, but the smile on your face immediately drops. “y/n!” ryujin loudly gasps, as she quickly covers herself and the guy with blanket. you look at her, tears are about to burst out, as you were about to have a panic attack. “y/n, don’t cry, please… i can’t see you like this.” ryujin says, you barely remember how she and her lover swiftly put their clothes on, as the guy rushed to leave the apartment. ryujin placed her hands on your shoulder, tears cascading on your face, “i knew it. we could have never worked out. we were never meant to be.” you whisper, looking at ryujin with furious and broken expression.

“i thought you were the one.”

“well, i’m not.”

you fix your hair, shakily breathing out. turned out that she used you as a coverage, while she had dozens of affairs behind your back, telling her lovers that you two had open relationship.

you take a sip of scotch, trying to get away from your own thoughts, but it not going to last long until your brain going to start bringing up them again. “you should stop drinking so much, y/n.” you hear stern voice behind you, making you turn around to look at the person talking to you.

your eyes land on woman, maybe older than you, looking fiercely, as like she’s going to… “like you seem to care anyway.” you shrug, closing your eyes. you feel her taking away your glass, making you a bit irritated, “listen, lady, i’m sober enough to process surroundings and capable enough to take care of myself. what do you need from me and who are you?” you say, looking at her, she looks kind of lost? probably, your response was not something she expected from you.

“uhm… let’s just say i’m interested in you. and i don’t want to get you in trouble.” she replies, now making you interested. you squint your eyes, doubting herself, “you’re worried about some stranger in a bar, all of a sudden? stop fooling around.” you say, standing up.

“okay, maybe i’m not just suddenly interested in you,” you pay with your credit card, wanting to go away from stranger, but you feel your head spin. “but you’ve had enough of alcohol for today. let me at least take you home.” she says quickly catching you, preventing from falling.

you open your eyes, blinking a few times as the sun rays are bright enough to make you wake up. you groan, wondering if you still have pain killers in your medicines… but the mysterious woman from yesterday appeared right in front of you. “are you gonna tell me your name or at least why do you care about me so much?” you say, looking at her from up and down. with makeup or not, she looks drop dead gorgeous. her feline eyes, her nose and orange dyed hair that looked like they got kissed by the sun. she was about to say something, but familiar voice interrupted her. “yeji unnie! where did you put my phone?” you hear some woman yell, your eyes are wide open, as you take a few steps away from, as you know now, yeji.

the other woman enters the room, revealing that it was shin ryujin’s voice. “y/n…” she says, and you only shake your head. you want to escape this whole thing, be excluded from this narrative, anything to stay away from ryujin, while she continues to speak. “i’m sorry, i-“ she starts, but you cut her off, “isn’t it a little late for an apology?” you snap at her, surprised expression is on ryujin’s face.

yeji need to think quick. she places glass with water and pain killers on the table, quickly rushing to you, covering from ryujin, which makes you surprised. “ryujin, leave this room right now.” yeji spoke in stern voice, but ryujin was too stubborn to easily understand her. “y/n, can we.. be more than this? i’m so sorry for leaving you, but i want to make this… make us right. i tried to contact you after you left, i was too harsh with you.” she tries to make it up to you, but isn’t it too late? “it’s not fair, ryujin. you’re not fair. you can’t just come back to my life and expect me to get all lovey dovey with you after what you’ve done. that’s not how it works.” you say and you feel yeji’s hand on your face, removing single tear on your face.

“shin ryujin, how many times i told you to leave y/n alone? even if i’m your friend, it doesn’t mean i’m gonna help you get y/n back. so you know, you’re a shitty person who doesn’t know anything about love. now get out of my room and leave us alone!” yeji’s grab onto you tightens, as she was about to sacrifice her own life to protect you from your ex girlfriend. younger woman stood there, even after all she had heard from yeji, looking… heartbroken? “trynna steal my girl from me? you know-“

“you know what? you dare to say she’s ’your girl’ after all you’ve done to her? she was never meant to be with you. you’re a moron who can’t even care about others feelings. i still wonder why im friends with you, because you even fucked up in friendship! get out of my apartment and never come back.” yeji yells, as she feels how you hid your head in the crook of her neck, instinctively patting your head to call you down.

as ryujin left, you finally fully exhaled, “thanks, yeji… i’ve never thought that someone would defend me like that, thank you, really.” you almost whisper.

it’s been 1,5 years since you’ve met yeji. she’s the most precious and sweet person, gorgeous inside and out. her cute smile and how her eyes turn into crescent shape when she smiles always melts your heart, making it flutter. if you could, you’d just stare at her for hours and…

“y/n! hurry up or else!” chaeryeong yelled, taking you out from your thoughts. you quickly put on your clothes, and you gladly make it on time.

chaeryeong and you greeted yeji, when she excused herself to go to the bathroom. chaeryeong sighed, turning to you with tired look, “you have such heart eyes when you look at yeji, makes me sick.” you look at her, furrowing your brows. “no, i don’t.” you witness older girl roll her eyes, “really? and you don’t miss her when you don’t hang out with her? which is like once in a while.” are you really in love with yeji?

“well, i miss her so much when we don’t see each other, i don’t know why. but i did.”

“is that so, y/n?” you hear a voice behind you, as you turn to look back, you reveal smiling yeji.

#itzy #itzy imagines #itzy oneshot #ryujin x you #ryujin angst #ryujin x reader #ryujin x female!reader #yeji x reader #yeji angst #yeji x female!reader #itzy angst #kpop imagines #kpop oneshots #kpop angst

99 notes · View notes

penguinsravioli · 1 month

Text

Crush Confessions

❝⁺ ₊ ✦⋆ ｡ ˚chapter 3❝⁺ ₊ ✦⋆ ｡ ˚ Anthony Vaughn x Reader

I turn my music up a bit louder when I enter school to avoid all the nonsense around me. It's such a great distracter, and I only have to speak when i’m spoken too. While I'm zoned out and mulling in my thoughts, I slip on something on the ground and bust my ass. “FUCK!”

I groan while people giggle. “I’m so fucking sorry— some asshole just threw my shit on the ground” Amerie, begins to help me up, then immediately rushes to pick all of her things from the ground. “Nah it's- you're good don't worry. It’s not your fault.” I rub the cheek I fell on while helping her pick up some of the items on the ground. Dusty comes by next to us and crouches, helping her out with the mess.

“Cool shirt” He comments toward Amerie when we all begin to stand up. “Thanks!” She smiles.

“Name one DZ Death Rays song,”

Spider says from behind me. I roll my eyes “Shut up, Spider” Amerie and Dusty say in sync. I chuckle dusting off my hands and watching him walk off offended. I pick my backpack from the ground, searching through it to make sure my water bottle didn't accidentally snap open from my fall. “How’d you pull off after the cemetery?” I overhear Amerie say to Dusty as I check my belongings. I bat my eyes toward him, he avoids eye contact with Amerie and accidentally looks towards me. I caught him taking Harper back to his place. So I reckon things were a bit nuts after Cemetery huh?

“Oh yeah, Hangover anxiety and stuff. But all good, yeah…you?” I look away, zipping my backpack up,—taking my phone out from my backpack to make sure my hair is still intact. “Yeah had a really great night”

“I’m uh, I'm gonna dip, sorry I tripped on your shit Ams” She turns toward me. “Oh, no bigs” I smile at her and walk off, allowing the two to finish their conversation. I sit at one of the open outdoor tables, turning up my music as loud as possible, I have a freebie, so I want to try and finish a bunch of missing work because I’ve literally been such a Gronk recently. I pull out my notebook and mechanical pencil, deciding to work on maths first to get it over with. “I just realized, how much I hate mathsâ€¦again” I groan at my stupidity and lack of knowledge around the subject. “What’s all this?” I look up and see Darren staring at me, accompanied by Quinni. “Oh, I have a free period so i'm trying to get all my missing maths work done so I don't have to look at it again” They both begin to sit down with me at the table. “Good on you,” Darren says, looking at the papers on the table, grabbing a few to inspect. “Thanks Darren.” They shrug. “Are you going to Dusty's party Friday?” Quinni begins while I write down some formulas. “Uhh, what party?”

“He’s having a gatho to promote his band or something” Darren explains, pulling out their phone to show me the recent posts. “I didn't even see that, I haven't been on socials inna minute” They nod. “Hope we get to see you there. You always look so hot at parties.” “Says you!” I giggle. “We haven’t had a chat inna bit, how have you two been? I see you’re hanging with Amerie”

“Recovering from unfortunate events” Darren sighs. “Amerie is really sweet though when you get to know her!” Quinni pipes in. I nod, I don't think she means to have odd intentions sometimes. I just think she has a really big ego.

“I mean yeah, but I got in some trouble off of that map.” I scratch my neck at the awkward talks I've had ever since news got out to my parents that I not only hooked up with a boy they’ve never met, but a girl I’ve brought over numerous amount of times during childhood. “Hey, maybe we can talk about it some more about it over the weekend, we all haven't hung out since like middle” Quinni comments. “I know that’s totally my fault. I think the only person I’ve really stayed in touch with is Ca$h..” Darren's eyes widen a little bit. “Ca$h? I had no idea you two were even friends” I chuckle. “We just don’t hang out a lot during school. He’s always out doing something” I threw my hands in the air dismissively. “We have so much to catch up on obviously” I breathlessly laugh. Darren and Quinni smile knowingly, beginning to rise from their seats.

“Well, talk later (nickname)”

“Later!” I lightly wave at the two before placing my headphones back over my ears. I don't hang out with people, inside or out. Not because I don’t want to, but because I feel like a liability. I have so many friends that I know care about me but for some reason, I just feel like because of how distant I can be as a person they would soon get sick of my behavior and just dip.

So I kind of just dip first.

“In this demonstration, we learn how to respect people’s boundaries” I watch in disbelief at the video being displayed. It's incredible how outdated a sexual education video can be. “This is implausible” I mumble, rubbing my eyes and blinking heavily.

“Okay, miss, I have no idea what that was trying to teach us” Darren throws his hand upwards when the video ends. Quinni turns with her question “Why was the girl forcing everyone to eat her noodles?”.

“It's because it's misogynistic propaganda! Women aren't such dick-obsessed idiots” Sasha chips in. I lay my head on the table playing with my earplug wires looking toward the next speaker. “Uuuh, all the ones I’ve met are” Spider claims. “Your Sims girlfriend doesn't count Spider.” Harper pokes. “Was it supposed to be a joke?” I look up at Malakai. “Uh, no, it’s about the dangers of sharing intimate—” “Noodles” Ant interupptes Jojo. I giggle a little bit. “Forget about the noodles.” She sighs. “I'm trying but it's hard to unsee” Ant snickers. “It's basically telling us to be ashamed of our bodies” Darren voices his opinion. The constant debate between what the video was supposed to be about and why it's wrong to share nudes gets wicked tiring real quickly. “Look I get that this video isn’t going to stop you. But! There are ways to be smarter about it. Like, what if you don’t put your face in it” “Truth” I spill replying to JoJo in my half-listening half-not-state. “But I have a very recognizable dick miss” Ant jokes, my face heats up a bit. “I'm gonna ignore that” Yeah, me to Jojo. “Like take the photo, fine. But keep yourself incognito.” She lists a few ways to have fun with it but without getting yourself into trouble. And then Woodsy interrupts it with a scowl. “Um! Moving on to the next lesson”

When the class finally ends I’m already done I feel like I’ve lost a few brain cells and my hands are practically going numb from laying on them. As I stretch while I’m walking, I bump into someone behind me. “Oh shit my fault” I look at the victim of my actions and it happens to be Ant. Of course. “No need to be sorry gorgeous” he wraps his arms around my waist pulling me in closer. “Don’t you have better things to do rather than constrict me from my travels?”

“No, I think this is the best thing on my list so far.” I scoff lightly, softly unraveling his hands from my waist. “How have things been at home since the map?” I ask as we walk toward the front entrance. “They suck, my moms, making me go to church like 3 times more. All because I got a wristy”

“Real, my parents are appalled a girl went down on me” I chuckle. He snorts a bit, looking at his shoes as he walks. “But I think I'm cooked for life to be honest. They definitely won't forgive me because they feel that I've lied to them. They’ve also been keeping me inside like a prisoner” I whine. His smile fades a little bit. “Oh, so does that mean you won't be coming to Dusty's party?” I scoff, “Of course I’m going” His smile returns almost instantly. “Really? Cause I snagged you a wrist band” He holds up the red band, slapping it onto my wrist. I smile holding my arm up to look at it. “How much?” He waves his hands back n’ forth. “No need babes.” He sucks in a breath to puff out his chest, “It’s on me” I laugh at his shenanigans. We ended up walking to his house just talking about random subjects the whole way there. “I don’t really wanna go in, wanna just chill out here?” He asks, looking at me a bit shyly.

“Sure” I reluctantly go to sit on the concrete ledge in front of his home. He sits next to me, playing with his gummy tray. I sigh looking at the water that's gracefully placed in front of his home. “You have the prettiest view ever,” I say as the breeze blows against my face. I can feel his eyes staring at me, in fatal attempt, I try to keep my eyes set on the scenery in front of me. I navigate my eyes as the waves move, then travel them towards Anthony. I glance at his face before shooting my head down toward our legs, which were nearby. “It’s about to be dark. I think I should start heading home now.” Ant pouts a bit, but agrees. I get up from my spot and dust off my jeans, hauling my backpack onto my shoulders. I examine Anthony one more time before waving and walking uphill. I cannot believe I feel this disappointed I couldn’t have spent more time with him.

It's finally Friday night, time to get all pretty. I put on makeup that compliments my features and skin tone but still looks flashy enough for a party. I gaze at the outfit picked out for the night, it's a blood-red shirt with lace lining at the top rim of the shirt and bottom. Tightened so it hugs my bust and waist perfectly. It was cut down the middle to reveal my stomach, I paired it with a low-waisted long black skirt. I threw on some small hoop earrings, a necklace, and some open-toed sandals because they were gonna be covered up by my skirt anyway.

I grab my bag and phone, ready to head out. I walk toward my window, jumping out soundly and quietly. I keep aware of my surroundings and quietly rush towards Ca$h, who thankfully, didn't mind me catching a ride with him.

“Thank you Dougieeee” he scoffs with a soft grin. “Shut up cunt” he ushers, driving away from my house.

We’re reluctantly let inside upon arrival. “Dusty's house is gorgeous,” I comment, Ca$h nods. He was getting ready to sell, we were in a far-back sort of area, So we could be seen but still a bit hidden you know(we’re in the kitchen). Solid dealer stuff. I’ve been here for around 10 minutes now and even before then it was already pretty packed. I decide to have a look around the place. Traveling through the stairwells, the crowded hallways, and then I finally see Ant, he’s in his pretty basic attire. I wouldn’t have expected less from him anyway. He has a lime in his grip that he squeezes for the sour taste, he trades for the alcohol with Spider. I walk over with a smirk lining my features. “What are you two doing?” “Well, what does it look like?” Spider asks, removing the bottle from his lips.

“The start of a poorly written porno” Spider shoves my shoulder while I giggle. Ant puts down the bottle. He scans me from top to bottom. “You look good” Anthony takes my hand to pull me toward him, and I push myself back a bit. “Thanks, you…well you tried” He rolls his eyes, a grin lacing his lips. Spider has since left the two of us to replace the lime since he dropped the other on the ground. Anthony sits up straight, leaning himself on the wall beside him slightly. “I like your makeup, and your skirt, you just look nice” I giggle at his now contentious rambling. Spider comes back but with a guitar strapped around him.

“Woah, didn't know you played” He nods enthusiastically. “Yep, and I'm GREAT at it” He walks past me to the stage where Dusty and the rest of his band start setting up. “We should go check it out yeah?” I veer my view to Ant, who was already staring at me. “Yeah, Yeah—Totally” He clears his throat and lets me string him to a viewable area to see the stage. “Oi, (nickname) you made it” Malakai comes into my line of vision. “Yeah! You look sick” I nudge him a bit. His smile gets ever so more bright. “Says you! Literally ate up your outfit” I laugh at his comment. “Thank you! I was trying to impress Anthony but I guess it worked with you to” Anthony’s eyes open a little wide.

“Me?”

“What?” I act clueless. “You were trying to impress me?” His eyes, now gaping into my soul stare back at me. “No…Yeah….No” I shyly look down at the floor before returning my vision toward the band on stage. Malakai smiles at me and Ant’s little interaction, now starting to focus on the band as well.

“I'M A FAAAAAARRRRK” Spider yells into the microphone. Causing the crowd to yell back with laughs and eye-rolls. Dusty retrieves the mic “Thank you for coming out tonight. We are here in support of the Global Women’s Project” Cheers come from around. “Way to go, yeah! This shit is awesome..uh thanks Dad” Anthony and Malakai are giggling their asses off beside me, I pave my attention back toward the stage. “Yeah were Renaissance Titties and um, I just want to give a shout out to someone special in the audience. Um…There she is”

Everyone turns, and he's pointing at Harper, Harper McLean. “Hey…Harper...This song is for Harper McLean” There is so much happening at once. “It’s called ‘My Life is Nothing Without the Warm Embrace of your Sweet Left Cheek’”.

That's such a terrible song name.

Harper walks out, and then Amerie follows. “Oh shit” Anthony mutters underneath his breath.

“I hope they don’t fight over Dusty, he is so not worth it”

#anthony vaughn x reader #heartbreak high x reader #heartbreak high 2022 #heartbreak high season 2 #harper mclean #amerie wadia #anthony vaughn imagine #ant vaughn

125 notes · View notes

valexformula1 · 1 year

Text

Electricity - DR3

Request: No

Summary: Reader and Daniel being fools for each other but not confessing after Daniel heard Lewis is gonna ask reader out

Pairing: Daniel Ricciardo x best friend!reader

Word Count: 1323

Warnings: little sad and fluff, house moving, Daniel and reader being a pair of fools for ice cream, cursing

Author’s Note: Inspired by the song electricity of Silk City, Dua Lipa. Don’t be a ghost reader, it took me a while to write in it.

1996

At your 7 years you got to move from your country because your father got a job offer at Perth, Australia, you got to admin it was scary at first, moving from Peru to Australia was not easy especially when it was a different idiom, people, school, basically everything. Your mother died when you were 4, so it has been you and your dad only until you meet him.

Your dad was a mechanic engineer, and he was working at the Australia track when you meet him.

It was a very hotness Wednesday when you were looking around for your dad since you got lost looking the other cars when suddenly him bumped you, a pretty boy with big brown eyes and a cheeky smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t see where I was going”

“Sorry too, are you okey? ” he said cheking on you to see if you were fine

“Yep, I’m y/n by the way”

“I’m Daniel, nice to meet you” he said shaking hands with you “Come on, let’s go for some ice cream”

Before you could answer he was already running and holding your hand, so you could follow him.

Since that you and him start to hang more and more becoming best friends, you attending to his races and him been for you in every broken heart.

2011

When I'm with you

Ooh, baby

Giving up my ghost for you

“Gosh Daniel, I’m so proud of you debuting for F1” you said

“What you think about the race?” he replied

“That someone is getting an F1 seat soon”

“You really think so?”

“Absolutely, you’ll see”

“Thanks, changing theme” he said looking behind you “where is Michael?”

“He isn’t coming, actually he isn’t coming anymore we split out, think it wasn’t meant to be”

“What? Why? You okey?”

“Yep, we just wanted different things” you said trying to recover the reality “come on let’s go for some ice cream” you said grabbing his hand.

The truth was that Micheal want to call it quits since he saw how much time you spend with Daniel and you attending to the race and cancelling your date 3 days before was the straw that broke the camel's back.

He told you that it was clear you and Daniel were in love, so he broke up with you, you didn’t agree with him saying that you got a thing for Daniel when it wasn’t he was your best friend that was all.

2021

All I see is you, lately

Wide awake and in my dreams

I see your face so vividly

I don't know what I'd do

Ooh, baby

If you only saw a friend in me

I'd be bittersweet

That casual kiss on my cheek would have meant nothing up until recently, every time that you saw, hug or touch Daniel there was a feeling, a feeling in your stomach.

This started to happen since that GP 2 years ago when he wins, you watch him get off the stage to hug you and since then you could stop thinking about him.

Now you weren’t dumb you knew what it meant, but it didn’t matter, today you decided to give it a shot and tell him after the race.

“Hey Dan, congrats on p4” you said after entering on his driver's room

“Thanks y/n” okey it was now or never

“So, I want to tell you something” said both of you

“Go ahead” he said

“No, you” you said thinking he would say what you think it was, was it that he felt the same? He also likes you ?

“Well, I meet this pretty girl yesterday and I ask her to go on a date tomorrow” he said smiling

After that you learn that online date apps were not that bad at all.

2022

I know you've been treating, treating yourself wrong

So let me care for you

Ooh, baby

I'ma love you differently

I'll give you electricity

“Hey, you wanna grab some ice cream?” you said to him after he opens the door of the hotel

Everybody knew Daniel wasn’t having the time of his life this season with Mclaren treating him like shit.

“Thank but not in the mood” he says a little sad

“What’s wrong?” you could feel something was not fine

“Imleavingmclaren” he whispered

“What?” you replied confused

“I’m leaving Mclaren y/n” he said more loud this time with tears in his eyes

This past few weeks Daniel was the center of attention on the paddock but not for a good reason, everyone wanted to know where he was going to go or do after the news. Daniel started to push everyone, fake smiling all the time, there wasn’t that smile that you saw years ago anymore, he started to lose weight and cancelled to your friend dates.

“Daniel, talk to me” you beg, this week you found out Daniel wasn’t eating

“I am fine”

“No you’re not, you being skipping foods”

“Just wasn’t hungry, that’s all”

“What about our Wednesdays of ice cream that you seem to skip now” you replied a little angry now

“Busy”

“Daniel Joseph Ricciardo stop it, I know you since we were 7, and I know you are not fine, and it’s okey not being fine sometimes” you said now hugging him

“It’s just too much for me right now, I feel like my life doesn’t matter anymore, I feel lost” he cried

“You’re going to be fine, let me care for you ”

2023

I feel electric, baby

So electric, baby

Wanna let you know, let you know

I think I'm ready, baby

I think I'm ready, now

It was the Australia GP and you decided to go see it with Daniel, that night at the hotel he started to feel better, it has been a tough way, but now he was the third driver of Red Bull Racing, and he had enough time for Wednesdays of Ice cream.

“Hey Seb, how retiring treating you?”

“Very good, where is your lovebird?”

“Not my lovebird”

“Come on y/n, you two are bound to one another, you always have been, and I know he feels the same”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t think he feels the same way” you replied

“Who? Daniel?” said Hanna joining the conversation “he is a fool for you”

“Yep but y/n says he is not” Seb said telling his wife the context

“I even thought you were dating, there is no way he doesn’t” she said

“Yeah, well he doesn’t” you said

Max has won the Australia GP, and you’re at the hotel getting ready for the party when you heard a knock.

“Hi Dan” you said opening the door

“So I heard Lewis want to ask you out” he says while entering to the room.

What? Lewis? I mean he was cute, well hot, but you were more into a certain Australian “Really? Who you kn..” you couldn’t finish because you feel his lips against you.

“Before you said anything I just want you to know I’ve always liked you, from the first moment I saw you at that Wednesday when we went to eat ice cream, and you order vanilla, and ever since that day I have hidden my feelings because I didn’t want to lose you, but now I heard Lewis want to ask you out, so I have to risk now because I know him, and I know that if you say yes to that date I will lose you forever so here I’m telling you everything and hoping you feel the same way y/n” he lower his head as he finishes saying that, not wanting to look your reaction but instead of a push he feels your lips again.

“That means you like me too?”

“Of course you fool”

He started to smile, grab your hand and run while yelled “Come on, let’s grab some ice cream to commemorate this moment”

#daniel ricciardo imagine #danny ric #daniel ricciardo #daniel ricciardo x reader #daniel ricciardo x you #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine

305 notes · View notes

kikyan · 1 year

Text

Yandere Octavinelle Headcanons

TW/CW: Dark content up ahead!! Yandere content specifically, mentions of abuse, manipulation, violence towards the reader, mental instability, etc. Proceed with caution!

Mini side note because of the comment (that is now deleted or either I’m blocked) from my Savannaclaw Headcanons. This is yandere content, granted a quick glance at all my headcanons and other pieces by creators, you’ll see how different everyone’s interpertation and writing is different. Not every yandere content out there is yandere simulator. I don’t think all of these character is gonna pick a weapon and start going to town on half the cast. I like to focus on how they’d be in a relationship, how they’d react, and what I think they are capable of. So no, a lot of my content doesn’t have someone stalking their S/O and killing potential suitors but that doesn’t mean it’s not yandere? Sorry it’s just that I tried adressing it but I guess the OP blocked me, oh well. Enjoy!!

DISCLAIMER: These are my interpretations of his/her/their persona and none of these is 100% accurate. I don't condone any of these actions in real life and all of this is purely fictional and should be taken as such! Underage characters will ONLY be given SFW headcanons, please respect this decision!

Banner made by @herestrish! Pls don’t steal!

Azul Ashengrotto

Long overdue headcanons, but I shall deliver. Azul is complicated. I think all of Octavinelle is complicated because I can see them acting in two different ways. Azul was bullied for being overweight and it had an impact on his character. He worked hard to get people to see him as someone for his abilities rather than his appearance, even if the means were shady. Post over blot he still has some insecurities, but he doesn’t shy away from them and chooses to face them head-on. As for his yandere type, I can see him as a very manipulative person (no matter what) but I can also see him as very overprotective and clingy.

I’m torn between seeing him as someone who loves his S/O but clings on to the fear that someday they’ll leave him. Resulting in him trying to strike a contract with you without you knowing until after you try to leave him (if you do). He’s confident and prideful, but just like his over blot, he’s horrible at handling his emotions (he just like me fr). The manipulation at first isn’t anything too extreme, just casually bashing others to bring himself up. “He won’t pull his weight on the project, I’ll help you”, or “He’s bad news, nothing good from hanging out with them.” Little by little he’ll limit who you hang out with, and what you do, and he’ll build himself up as the ever so reliable and helpful Azul.

Overprotective, almost all of them are tbh. He cares for you, genuinely. He just can’t express himself truthfully, he might see the relationship the same he’d see a deal. He holds himself to a high standard, the type to never break a sweat in public but deep down panicking the whole time. He’d probably have the Leech twins be your bodyguards from time to time and they’ll agree for the most part. It’s interesting to see what Azul finds intriguing about you. Besides, it’s amusing to see Azul care for you in his way, even if he gets embarrassed and fumbles the bag. Cares for your education and your reputation!

This is where it gets me, I’m not quite sure how this happens. If you meet Azul and you guys develop a relationship, kudos! If not, he might strike a deal. I’m conflicted because I see Azul as someone who cherishes the type of relationship where they get to know each other and see their true selves, but I also see him as the type to be afraid of that. He’s worked tirelessly to build himself up but if he confessed to his S/O and they said no, I don’t think he could ever recover. To avoid being hurt, he’d probably use shady means to get his S/O. This is where he might strike a deal. He’ll catch you in a shady deal, an embarrassing situation, etc. He’ll use it as blackmail, forcing you into a relationship with him. He’s not that clingy though, don’t mistake him. He’ll wave it off as a business deal, it benefits us both so what do you have to lose? It’s confusing really, Azul doesn’t seem to care (if you happen to go down this route only) so why did he propose this deal? If his S/O just can’t stand it and proposes to cancel whatever deal they have that binds them to him, he’ll snap.

He’ll cry, reverting to his crybaby self. He’s so insecure he can’t stand the idea of your rejection. He’s clinging, begging you to reconsider. He’ll do anything you ask of him just please, please don’t leave him. He’ll rewrite a contract, he’ll show affection, he’ll give you anything you want just don’t say that. Don’t even think of leaving him. It’s quite a sight really, you never thought the same man who once held himself up so high is on his knees begging for forgiveness and to make it right. This is why he’s a bit complicated, I feel like the very manipulative ‘read the fine print’ man suits Azul, but at the same time, he’s a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Granted you’d have to push his buttons a lot for that to happen, but it’s a possibility.

In terms of scale, I want to say it’s a 6/10. His contracts are where he gets you hence why it’s a bit high. The contact that he can use to steal any ability you have is quite a tricky one. He’s powerful, and he knows how to use it but it doesn’t help much when he’s not so great himself.

Floyd Leech

Run. No kidding, as a yandere the Leech brothers are fucking scary as all hell. I want to start and say this, in normal general relationship headcanons do I see the Leech brothers as genuinely loving their S/O? Yes of course, but these are yandere headcanons and while it’s not impossible don’t hold your breath. As yanderes, these brothers are out for blood. They’ll share similar traits with a few exceptions, I see Floyd as being clingy, possessive, and sadistic.

The leech brothers don’t see their S/O as a partner for now, they’re only a pet for now. Floyd would be clingy in the sense that he sticks to you like glue. He’s always there, whenever you think you have privacy, you don’t. While they both act like gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe, Floyd is that gum that’s visible but won’t come off. Meaning, you see him and know he’s coming, just that you can’t stop him. He’s always there, meaning the torment never ends. He drives people away, nobody comes to your rescue because nobody wants to mess with him.

He sees his S/O as a toy. While both want to see your reactions, what makes you tick and you’re there for their amusement, Floyd is restless. As long as this doesn’t interrupt Azul’s work, don’t count on him for saving. He’s sadistic, he wants to hurt his S/O. At first, we’re under the impression that he doesn’t know what's wrong and that he just needs to be talked to. It spirals when you notice that he does know what he does and fully intends to continue. The type to push you to the cafeteria floor and then ask, “Is everything okay? Don’t get my shoes dirty shrimpy. . .” He hides behind that fake concern and laid-back persona. Any ‘accident’, I can assure you is not one. Your report that you worked tirelessly on is suddenly missing? Your project is in ruins? You didn’t finish your presentation? All of Floyds doing, he simply enjoys seeing you in uncomfortable situations. He smiles when you make eye contact with him mid-scolding from Trein. He offers false condolences when your project is broken, earning praise for being so concerned for you. What a nice friend isn’t he?

Despite all his flaws, he doesn’t let anyone mess with you. He rather be the cause of your suffering. Possessive in the sense that you belong to him. You don’t belong to anyone else, your face of sadness? He’s the only one meant to see them. Your faces of anguish and frustration, he’s the cause of it and he lives for it. You can go ahead and tell someone and they’d respond the same, “Sure Floyd is eccentric but he’s not evil, you sure you’re not just making it up?” Anyone who does believe you aren’t strong enough to go against him. On the yandere scale, he’s a 10/10. He’s dangerous, if you haven’t caught his attention, run. I also want to add, that their S/O is mostly going to become stress relief. They’ll be on edge with any sudden mood shifts because they already know that they’re their go to stress ball. The Leech brothers are not the best, they’re VERY dangerous.

Jade Leech

Don’t bother running, you won’t get far. His are manipulative, obsessive, possessive, and sadistic. The issue with Floyd is that he makes his nature apparent, Jade conceals it. Quite frankly, Jade is scarier because he’s unpredictable. He’s seen as a super reliable and respectable person, very professional. The type to take on extra workload if needed but professional enough to stand up and know when to say no. He’s the manipulator of the two, he has a way with words that makes you genuinely think he has your best interests in mind. Masquerading his true intentions behind his smile.

If you’ve ever seen Drrr!!, he reminds me a lot of Izaya. The type to observe you in difficult situations to see what kind of person you are. How do creatures like you work? What is your design? You’re quite a fascinating subject. He loves to see how you react to any situation. He’s quite obsessive, he wants to know anything and all there has to do regarding you. Often stalking you or inviting you out to the monstro lounge to observe you. Down to how you hold your glass he’s invested. He knows your likes and dislikes, your phobias, your friends, your social life, and what goes down at your dorm. He needs to know after all to create your life trials.

He’s possessive. Unlike Floyd, he lets others do the tormenting for him. Though he still believes your expressions are his alone, he would rather stay in the shadows to keep up his reliable facade a bit more. You’re his, he doesn’t like sharing and Jade makes that quite clear. The moment anybody wishes to get close to you he’d get rid of them. Either feeding them lies about you or simply scaring them away. He’s sadistic, he wants to hit you where it hurts. While Floyd prefers physical pain, Jade prefers mental pain. He enjoys the little things that bring you anguish. The betrayal of a friend, watching everyone turns against you, rumors destroying what little reputation you have left leaving Jade as your only companion.

To add more to both, they see their S/O as a form of entertainment. They have no means of leaving you or letting you leave. The only way I can see their S/O leaving is if they got too boring. They stopped fighting. They no longer had any fight left in their eyes but while Floyd would be the first one to suggest leaving you, I think Jade would still find use. They want to light the spark. The torment stops, even for a while and you suddenly think all your efforts have paid off. Finally, they lost interest but what a scary sight it is to see them waiting for you ready to continue their torment. As far as the yandere scaling, I say Jade is an 11/10. Floyd is a danger, yes, but you already know he is. Jade hides that part of himself until he’s ready. You won’t know when he’ll strike. Both are true to their nature, suffocating. Their presence alone makes you stop breathing, they’re just too much and at some point, you start to think that maybe it was better if you met the eyes of somebody else.

418 notes · View notes

luna-writes-stuff · 7 months

Text

Nothing Else Matters, Eddie Munson

Song link

Fanfic, fem! reader

Established relationship, fluff

Word count: 3487

Tw: description of anxiety, mention of food/refusing to eat out of stress. Mentions of throwing up but it’s a throwback and it doesn’t actually happen. Swearing (duh). Not proofread. S4 centric.

Summary: You and Eddie had always had each other’s back, regardless of what happened. Even now, as he is accused of murder and violence, you decide to help him in whatever way you can. Even if that means you’ll have to fight an interdimensional creature named after a d&d character.

Buy me a coffee/force me to write more

“So close, no matter how far.

Couldn't be much more from the heart.”

This was insane. This was batshit insane. Two weeks ago you were worried you weren’t going to show up to work on time because you were stuck in traffic, and now you were fighting an interdimensional d&d monster.

Against all odds, Nancy had woken up from whatever trance she had been in and was busy recovering in Max’ living room. You? You were still recovering from the fact you had been in another world, hunted by something you would have laughed at last week.

You were standing in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water with shaking hands, still unsure of what you had seen and what had happened with Nancy. None of it had felt real. You were still convinced all of this had been one weird fever dream. But the panic had felt real. The pounding in your head felt real.

“Forever trusting who we are.

And nothing else matters.”

You don’t know which words had been exchanged whilst you had zoned out, but before you knew it, Max was running to her room, leaving the rest of you in the living room, seemingly ready to take off. You stared at them absentmindedly, setting the cup onto the counter. The group hadn’t been paying much attention to you, still caught up in their earlier conversations, but Eddie had.

“Hey sweetheart,” he drawled as he walked over to you, wrapping his arms around your waist. “You’ve been awfully quiet this entire time.” His voice was quiet enough for the others not to hear, unless they were really paying attention to you. You were grateful for that, far too overwhelmed to form a good talk with anyone other than Eddie. You hadn’t even really known any of them to begin with.

“I’m just processing everything,” you whispered, leaning back against his embrace. “It’s a lot.” “Yeah,” he hummed in agreement. “I’m still having a hard time believing all of it.” He added, resting his head atop yours as his hands fiddled with your fingers.

“What’s going to happen now?” You asked, not having received any information since you had arrived in Max’ trailer. “I’m going to do something I’ll probably regret.” You turned in his arms, looking at him in worry. “I’m going to steal a truck.” “Eds,” you scolded. “It’s not really gonna get worse from murder.” He shrugged.

You sighed in defeat at that, knowing he was right. He might not have done it, but no one in their right mind would believe you if you told them what you had been through in just one day. You wouldn’t have.

“Never opened myself this way.

Life is ours, we live it our way.”

Max quickly re-emerged, a Michael Myers mask in her hand. She gave it to Eddie, who got out of the embrace, putting the mask on. “Huh?” He teased - his grin almost audible. “Am I Jamie Lee Curtis?” You reciprocated, forcing a fake smile onto your face. Eddie lifted the mask over his head, leaning down to place a quick kiss on your forehead.

“You know you can stay here if you want to, right?” He whispered. “No one is forcing you to go with us.” “I know,” you returned, your smile quickly fading. “But I’d feel safer with this group now.” He looked at you for a brief second before nodding. “Okay,” he spoke softly, placing another kiss on your forehead. Then, he slipped the mask back on, leading the group outside the trailer. You followed them quietly.

“All these words, I don't just say.

And nothing else matters.”

How you managed to sneak around a trailer back with a big group in an open field, you really couldn’t tell, but somehow you had made it to the back of a camper, watching as Eddie clumsily hoisted himself through a window. When he fell through, you waited a short moment, not sure if it was safe or not. As if he had heard your thinking, two hands came out of the window, gesturing for you to hold onto them. You couldn’t help but smile slightly at that, accepting the offer.

Grabbing Eddie’s hands, you made a slight jump, falling through the window as he did earlier. A loud huff was heard as you ended up on top of the couch, Eddie underneath you, his mask now off. He grinned at you sheepishly: “Well, hello there.”

You leaned down briefly, meeting his lips for a short kiss before getting off of him. Eddie followed you suit, locking the camper door before urging everyone else to get in as well. He jumped over the driver’s seat, grabbing a handful of wires underneath the steering wheel, already getting to work.

“Trust I seek and I find in you.

Every day for us something new.”

“Where'd you learn how to do this?” Steve asked, leaning over Eddie’s seat as he watched him work. “Well,” the boy began. “When the other dads were teaching their kids how to fish or play ball, my old man was teaching me how to hot-wire.” He looked up at Steve for a short second, a sarcastic smile on his face: “Now, I swore to myself I wouldn't wind up like he did, but now I'm wanted for murder, and soon, grand theft auto. So, uh,” he hesitated. “I'm really living up to that Munson name.”

“Eddie, I'm not sure I love the idea of you driving.” Robin called, leaning against Steve to catch onto their conversation. “Oh, I'm just starting this sucker.” Eddie defended, twisting the final wires. “Harrington's got her.” He leaned forward slightly, a playful expression on his face: “Don't ya, big boy?”

With that, the car started, music loudly sounding from the speakers. “What the hell?” You heard from outside, followed by a male voice: “Hey! Open this door!” Loud knocking was heard on the door as all heads turned towards the source of the sound. Eddie shot out of the chair, placing his hands on your shoulders as he manoeuvred past you, giving Steve the ability to take the passenger seat

“Hey! They locked the door!” “Shit!” Steve cursed, before he hopped into the seat. “Go!” Lucas shouted, followed by panic from everyone else. You heard Steve hyping himself up from your place. “It's just a car.” Then, he turned around, shouting at the group. “Everybody, hang on to something!”

“Oh my God!” Dustin shouted, clutching onto one of the pillows. “Let's go! Let's go!” “Drive, Steve! Drive!” “Go, go, go!” You clutched onto the back of the passenger seat, Eddie’s hands clinging to your figure as the camper swerved through the trailer park, your heartbeat back in your throat. “Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!“ “Shit, they look pissed.”

“It's not every day you lose your house and car in one fell swoop.” Robin tried to put in, a nervous chuckle escaping her throat as she held onto one of the bars in the camper.

“Open mind for a different view.

And nothing else matters.”

When you finally reached the open road, the group had begun to calm down. Nancy was seated in the passenger seat next to Steve, whereas the rest had settled on the couch in the back of the camper. You found yourself at the table, your head against Eddie’s shoulder as you watched the trees pass by.

“You falling asleep there?” You heard Eddie hum, his arm finding its way around your body. “I wish,” you returned. “Could do with some good sleep.” “Then, get some.” The boy mused, rubbing your upper arm soothingly.

“I can’t,” you answered. “Too much going on.” You just got a hum of understanding in response. Eddie might not have been the best at verbal comfort, but it was his effort that mattered.

Instead of reassuring you of things he himself doubted, he just held you there, listening to the music on the radio as he enjoyed the weight of your head on his shoulder. It was a gentle distraction for him, however brief.

“Never cared for what they do.

Never cared for what they know.

But I know.”

“Someone’s gotta stay behind here and watch these two.” Steve spoke as he parked the camper. His words were met with a piercing silence, forcing a little chuckle from Eddie.

“I’ll stay.” Dustin spoke up, shrugging as if it was nothing. “You?” Steve asked, getting out of his seat as he looked at the younger boy. “What are you going to do when they find them?” “Nothing,” Dustin spoke matter-of-factly. “Because I’ll be the look-out.”

Steve didn’t seem sold on it. “I can drive if I have to.” You added, raising your head from Eddie’s shoulder. “They’re mostly out for Eddie.” “Yeah, but the last time they saw you, you were in the boat with me.” Eddie pointed out. “They’re definitely out for you too.”

“I’ll be the look-out.” Dustin repeated, then he turned to Steve: “Unless you want to stay behind.” He observed the three of you for a long time, before letting out a defeated sigh.

“Fine.” He turned to you, pointing his finger at you. “First thing goes wrong, you leave, okay? We’ll take a bus.” Dustin rolled his eyes, ushering everyone out.

“We’ll be fine.”

“So close, no matter how far.

It couldn't be much more from the heart.”

“This is so boring,” Eddie groaned, now seated with his back against the backrest of the driver’s seat, situated on a pile of blankets. “At least you’re safe.” Dustin mumbled, his eyes still glued on the entrance of the War Zone. He was taking his job as a look-out really seriously.

“Want a snack, princess?” Eddie asked, holding up a half eaten bag of chips to you. You dismissed him. “I’m fine, thank you.” “You need to eat something.” He countered. “You haven’t eaten anything since we went to that screwed-up Hawkins. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.” “I’m just not hungry.” “Mhm,” he hummed, putting the chips on the table as he stood up.

“Don’t forget yourself, sweetheart.” He whispered as he pulled you into his arms. You didn’t quite know what to do with it. You were glad for his input, and you wanted to assure him you were fine, but something about his hold on you just made you want to fall apart.

“I don’t get how you’re so calm,” you mumbled, your voice shaky, even though you thought you kept yourself together reasonably well. “I’m not,” your boyfriend confessed. “But I can hide fear really well.”

“Forever trusting who we are.

And nothing else matters.”

“I’m just so scared,” you admitted, the words being the final drop for you. Your hands trembled around his jacket as the first tear slipped down your cheek. “Hey,” Eddie tried to comfort. “It’s okay. I’m scared too. Dustin’s scared too.” “Sorry?” Dustin asked confused, not having followed the conversation at all.

“You’re scared too.” Eddie repeated, a warning look shot towards the younger boy, though you couldn’t see it. “Absolutely.” You quickly heard. Eddie slowly parted from you, keeping you at arm’s length to properly look at you. “See?” You forced a smile onto your face, furiously wiping the tears from your face. The lump in your throat that had grown within seconds felt heavy, almost restricting you from saying anything: “I just feel like I’m the only one losing it here.” “That’s not true,” Eddie denied, one of his hands making its way to your face to wipe your other cheek.

“I don’t really know what to do with myself now. I was just lucky to have you around to ground me.” You didn’t know what it was about his words that broke you, but after that, you couldn’t stop the tears from falling. You took a step closer to him, letting your face fall against his chest. Eddie returned to embrace almost immediately, clutching to your figure tightly as he began to rock from side to side, doing his best to calm you.

“Never cared for what they do.

Never cared for what they know.

But I know.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I would have been toast by now.” He continued, slowly descending to the floor, taking you with him. When you sat down, you got closer to him, one of your hands finding his as you toyed with his rings, trying to distract yourself. A desperate sob escaped you, though you tried to silence yourself quickly, knowing the walls on the camper were thin.

“Sweetheart, don’t do that, you’re gonna make me cry too.” Eddie sympathised, letting you toy with his rings as he blocked your figure with his own from Dustin’s view. “I’m sorry.” You cried softly, throwing your head back as you did your best to check your surroundings - doing anything to keep yourself from straying too far into your mind.

“No, no, don’t apologise.” The boy dismissed, placing a kiss to your temple as your sobs slowly but surely lessened. “God, I just wish I could keep you in my pocket or something and just shield you from everything.” “You guys are gross.” Dustin called from his seat. “Shut up, Henderson.”

Then, Eddie turned back to you, his head on your shoulder as his breath was hot on your neck. “We’ll be alright.” He reassured. “I’ve got you.”

“I never opened myself this way.

Life is ours, we live it our way.”

Again, Eddie was not good in verbal comfort, even as he held the best of intentions. He was, however, really good at distraction: “You know, I learned that solo a couple days ago. Haven’t really gotten the time to mention it considering… everything.” He trailed off, waving his free hand off absentmindedly. “I’ll let you hear it when we’re back home.”

You didn’t respond to that. You heard him, but you were too caught up to properly respond to him. The crying had begun to slow down, but hiccups still remained. It was times like these you were so incredibly grateful to have Eddie at your side because, regardless of his flaws. He always managed to work something out.

“Hey, remember that time Garrett threw up over my guitar?” He started with a chuckle. You couldn’t resist the small laugh that escaped you. “Yeah, it was such a pain to get out.” He went on. Your breathing had become more steady, the tears now finally stopping. “You bought me a new one after that.” Eddie voiced when he noticed the change in your posture.

“It got everywhere,” you whispered. “Even after washing it, it still smelled.” “Yeah,” Eddie laughed. “And it just felt disgusting to hold.”

“All these words, I don't just say.

And nothing else matters.”

“I had some good memories with that guitar, though. It was the one I played when you came to our first gig.” An exhausted sigh came from you as you simply rested in Eddie’s arms, fatigue now finally settling in. “Oh god, you remember that?” You mumbled.

“How could I not?” He snickered. “It was like, only a year ago.” You just nodded at that, your fingers now entwining with his. “Yeah, you were dressed in your work outfit because you just got off your shift.”

A smile appeared on his face as he remembered the day. You had been working at the Starcourt Mall when it still stood, making long days whilst awaiting your college letter. You had barely kept in touch with Eddie over that period of time, yet you came to his first gig when he asked you.

“You were half asleep during the entire gig.” He voiced. “I had a long day.” “And yet, you showed.”

You looked up at him, his hair now tickling your face as he leaned down to make eye contact with you.

“You asked me.”

“Trust I seek and I find in you.

Every day for us something new.”

He hummed: “Never expected you to actually come, though.” At that, you furrowed your eyebrows together, already forgetting all worry from earlier. The two of you never really talked about that day, even though it had been important to both of you. It was a fond memory, the beginning of something you had been sharing for a while now. But the urge to properly discuss it never really came up. There wasn’t really any need to. So, to hear the insecurities he had held about it had taken you aback.

“Really?” “Yeah,” he scoffed. “You were this amazing, badass girl and I just worked on a project with you once.” “And I got you your records.” You added. During that year in Starcourt, you had gotten a job at the record store. It was weird, considering you and Eddie never had much contact, yet you’d always have a record for him if you were to meet up for whatever reason.

“How could I forget?” The boy laughed. “You were already out of school and we were as good as strangers. And yet, you showed up.”

“Open mind for a different view.

And nothing else matters.”

“We were never strangers.” You comforted. “No?”

“No.” You assured. You noticed the way his eyes softened slightly at that, a fond smile crossing his lips. You leaned up slightly, placing a kiss to them, enjoying the feeling for a short second. The moment was interrupted when Dustin coughed obnoxiously, almost as if reminding you he had still been there.

Eddie smiled against your lips, pressing another kiss to it before parting. You sighed at the loss, nestling your head in the crook of his neck. “I guess there’s no shame in saying it now, but I had the biggest crush on you in high school.”

“Really?” He questioned incredulously. “Me?”

“Eddie.” You deadpanned. “Yah?”

“We’re dating.”

“I know. Embarrassing for you.”

“Never cared for what they say.

Never cared for games they play.”

You snickered at him, shaking your head at his comments. Yet, Eddie kept you there, confusion still evident on his face: “You had a crush on me?” “That so surprising?” “Yes!” He practically shouted. “You were this cool chick who was just perfect in every way and I was a social outcast.” “But a sexy social outcast.” You added in a humorous tone.

Eddie’s free hand fell over your entwined ones, tracing patterns on the back of your hand, a new-found pride settling into his system: “You’re telling me we could have been dating all that time?”

You grabbed his hand, kissing his palm gently. “You would have worked up the confidence to ask me out?” “Absolutely not.” He answered honestly. “I should have.”

You shrugged.“We still ended up here. Guess it worked out for the best.”

“Never cared for what they do.

Never cared for what they know.

And I know.”

Finally, you stood up from the floor, groaning slightly as you stretched your arms. You shot Dustin a teasing look: “We’re done being lovesick, Dustin,” you sang. “You can look.” The younger boy immediately looked at you, pointing his finger at you and Eddie in accusation. “You two are disgusting.”

“Ah, I love that little guy.” Eddie smiled from his seat on the floor. “Disgusting.” Dustin emphasised. “I cannot wait until the rest returns.”

With that, you took a quick glimpse at your watch, noticing the amount of time that had passed. “About that,” you began. “They’ve been gone for an awfully long time.”

“You think they’re compromised?” Dustin asked, his eyes widening. “No,” you shook your head. “You would have seen them, right?” The boy just shrugged, swallowing thickly.

“So close, no matter how far.

Couldn't be much more from the heart.”

“What the hell is taking so long?” Dustin groaned, running his hands through his hair in impatience. As if they were waiting on the other side of the door, the group suddenly came barrelling in, taking you three by surprise. By the evident distress on their faces, something had gone wrong.

“What happened?” “Gotta go,” Robin rambled. “Your old friends are here.” “Shit.” Eddie cursed, leaning his head down beneath the driver seat. He opened his arms, urging you to join him: “Come here, sweetheart.”

You took his invitation, crawling back into his arms as he swung a blanket over the pair of you, doing his best to keep you hidden. Robin stood in front of you, blocking you from the windows. “Let's go! Let's go!” Erica shouted from the couch, her eyes glued to the outside. “I'm going! I'm going!” Steve yelled back, driving the car from its parking spot. “Sit down!”

And just like that, the panic was back: a painful preview of what you were going to endure. The only distraction you had now was the warm embrace of Eddie. And for now, that was enough to keep you grounded.

“Forever trusting who we are.

No, nothing else matters.”

#November writings 2023 #stranger things #Netflix #Eddie Munson #joe quinn #joseph quinn #eddie munson x reader

84 notes · View notes

kotos-and-smiles · 9 months

Text

Ch.127 Rambling and Gushing

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR CH.127 OF KOT!

As always I will be referring to tessenpai's rough tl which you can find here

Hello hello! Yeah, I'm not even pretending that I'm not just gushing about this chapter

Know this is obvious, but I’m so suspicious that Chika wasn’t *just* half asleep at the beginning of the chapter. Like, I don’t know, he was coming out of some kind of dream. And he mentions later on that he dreamt their performance went great, but I don’t know, just seemed a weird reaction. Them squinting against the light is really cute though. But Chika looks on the verge of tears until he snaps out of it and fully wakes up. Like, maybe he had dreamt they performed and thought it was all over and that’s why he grabbed onto Takezou like that? I don’t know, and I’m probably making too big a deal out of it.

Can't believe this is actually the day they're gonna perform at Nationals. Like, we've come this far. Also should of course be mentioned how great Satowa and Hiro look and how obviously Chika and Takezou also thought this. is truly just so ecstatic to have every little experience with the club, and it’s so cute. But Momoya not wanting to lose the charm is so sweet. Like, a huge success with him. Satowa’s immediate, oh you don’t have to keep it though, like girl, please, even he values the handmade thing you gave him, people aren’t burdened by you and I still need people to remind her of that. Even Keishi gets a charm! And Chika’s little reaction after Satowa gives Keishi the charm is so cute. He’s so nervous about it.

The way Chika asks Satowa to sit with him is just, ughhslekdnc. I can’t. And Hiro once again 100% representing all of us, especially with that “Excuse me, Chika-kun!?” cuz like, that is also def how I feel about this in the best way possible. But also our girl Hiro being such a go-getter this chapter, and I love that for her. But also she doesn’t even KNOW what just went down with Chika and Satowa this chapter. Like, if she hand’t exchanged charms with Takezou, she might’ve just dropped dead from the cuteness and also jealousy. But also Natsu being so done with being on the romance bus

Satowa thinking about how it isn’t even that unusual for her and Chika to sit next to each other! And Chika is trying to play it so cool but he’s so nervous it’s the sweetest thing. And they’re both just such disasters. I fucking love so much how Chika tries to casually hold out the charm to Satowa, with his head turned away.

Like he’s just this sweet boy trying to do something for the girl he loves and it just makes me wanna scream. And I’m just never gonna get over this. Not only does he still def have the charm that she gave him (the first charm he’d ever gotten and then wrote her name on without hesitation and she considers it her charm too cuz he did that) and then he went and made a charm for her and only one for her. Like, HE MADE HER A CHARM. And then what is the first thing she does with her charm? SHE WRITES HIS NAME ON HER CHARM TOO. THEY MATCH AND THEY’RE BOTH SO DAMN HAPPY ABOUT IT! Like, they’re simply the most in love people ever.

But like, the way he, much like her and much as he always has, tries to immediately recover when he thinks she doesn’t want it, and that’s when her ability to express how genuinely happy she is kicks in, and just the way she catches his hand holding the charm, and so she’s holding onto him as he’s holding the charm, and how easily she reaches out for him, and how easily they reach out for each other with how softly he caught her arm earlier.

And then he reaches out cuz he wants to hug her so bad. And her brain moves onto slightly different topics while his just implodes because she just wrote his name on her charm that he made her and smiled like that about it, and HE BLUSHES SO HARD HE HIDES HIS FACE IN HIS BACKPACK. Like, I’ve been wanting so badly for Chika to blush more often with Satowa, and I know he’s confident and comfortable somewhat in the idea of loving someone and being loved, but like I wanna see my boy blush, and this was like the biggest blush ever. His blushly little ears and the way he hides his whole face, and how she notices and is just so happy and also basically hasn’t stopped blushing herself since she sat down. And like, these two people have already expressed that they love each other through words, and now they just keep doing it through actions and gestures as they always have, and I just can’t believe how precious they are. But I also love that while they have said that they love each other, Chika’s immediate reaction when he reaches out cuz he wants to hug her is just like “oh shit, that was dangerous” and like just cuz she said she loves him doesn’t give him consent to touch her whenever, but also like this is the girl that has literally said she loves him and now he just wants to give her a hug and it’s just so sweet. AFTER MAKING HER A HANDMADE CHARM LIKE SHE DID FOR HIM. Like, I’m never getting over this. I’ve wanted the charms to be brought back but questioned if they even would, and now we’ve got the fluffiest chapter ever of basically just exchanging charms and I’m just gonna scream about it forever.

Also Satowa reacting out-loud to Chika’s cover of “gonna sleep” with “suddenly?” is so funny.

Hiro continuing to be a go-getter and persevering through the awkwardness is honestly great to see for her. She deserves some stuff happening with her own romance. Also though her mentioning that imitating Chika and Satowa, ya know, the people who have already confessed their love for each other, might be a bit much was unexpected but welcome. And Takezou being the problem solver, offering to exchange charms, and how he tucks it next to his heart and his soft smile, and how they’ll both be able to draw strength from each other’s charms. Like, Hiro really is making her love into strength. Just love Takezou's little smile so much even though he smiles bigger in a minute. There's just something so private and joyous about it.

And then Sane and Mittsu being the epitome of single life when asking each other if they should exchange charms is so hilarious. This along with Sane trying the soothing pressure points on Mittsu’s hand just really made them a whole vibe this chapter. Like, we have these two, the painfully single, Kota and Yoshinaga who are just either vibing or oblivious, the set of absolutely ridiculous love birds, and Momoya and Takinami who are just so *done*

Honestly don’t even feel the need to mention Ichiei at the end, cuz like, yeah yeah, they’re being all intimidating and scary, but my babies just exchanged charms so I don’t care. Am I also selectively choosing to ignore the very existence of Chika’s dad right now, much less that he’s at nationals? Absolutely. I need the fluff in my life right now, so my god I will take it and be thankful for it. The amount of times my babies blush in this chapter, I just CANNOT. I love it so much.

#kono oto tomare #kono oto tomare!#kono oto tomare manga #kono oto tomare spoilers #chikawa #chika x satowa #kot!#kudou chika #houzuki satowa #kurata takezou #kurusu hiro

87 notes · View notes

steddieas-shegoes · 1 year

Note

Hi! I love your writing so much! My request is just more of Eddie's water exposure therapy! I'd love to see Robin and Steve help and see how things play out. If not, that's totally cool too! Thanks for sharing your writing in the first place!

THANK YOU!!! You know what is super funny is I was working on this when you sent the other request yesterday. I loved exploring more of this post, and I think maybe I could keep doing so if I have time someday. I hope you love it! - Mickala ❤️

----------------------------------------------------------

Eddie was committed to getting through this, he was.

It’s just that he hadn’t really thought about how fucking difficult it would be to have to do it with Nancy.

Nancy was strong-willed and badass and if Eddie was ever gonna be interested in women, it would be Nancy fuckin’ Wheeler.

But sometimes, like today, he needed someone soft. Someone who was okay with taking things slow.

She knew something was off the moment she walked in the door, but she didn’t comment on it until he was hovering by the sink in the bathroom.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know if I can do it today.”

“Why not?”

“It’s just not a good day.”

“Sometimes those are the days you need to push yourself most.”

“And sometimes I just need a break! We’ve been doing this for five days. I’m tired.”

He was tired. And he was frustrated. He had a setback one day three that he still hadn’t completely recovered from and he barely slept last night and Wayne forgot to save him the leftovers he wanted so it was just a shit day.

“What if I get Robin?”

“I don’t see how that will help.”

“Sometimes a small change can help. She already said she’d do whatever you need.”

“Does she realize I’m naked? I feel like she must not know I’m naked. I don’t even think she’s seen Steve naked, and they practically live up each others’ assholes.”

“Thanks for that image.” Nancy shook her head as if she could shake the image out and forget it was ever there. “So. Robin or me?”

“Robin.”

And despite Eddie being kind of convinced that Robin wouldn’t actually come, she did. And she brought him gummy bears as a reward.

Nancy didn’t give him rewards.

Maybe Robin should be in charge.

Nancy went over things with Robin again, explained that today was a full minute under the water, that he had to be fully submerged except for his head, and that he did have to be naked.

“Well. If I must see a dude’s junk, I guess I’m glad it’s yours.”

“Gee, thanks, Robin,” he said as he stripped.

If he thought too much about it, he’d lock himself in his room and just never shower again.

But Robin turned away as he stripped to give him some semblance of privacy and he was grateful.

Nancy waited in the hall, said she’d be there if they needed her, but would rather keep it to just one of them in the bathroom with Eddie.

Robin turned the water on.

“You like hot or warm?”

“Hot.”

“Good. Give it a minute.”

The water hitting the shower floor was apparently enough to have him losing his shit today. He tensed up and waited with a towel wrapped around him, watching as Robin kept testing the temperature of the water every ten seconds.

Finally, she smiled at him and nodded.

“Do you want me to talk or just count in my head?”

“Usually Nancy just counts out loud.”

“Does that help?”

“It doesn’t not help.”

“Would something else be better?”

“Uh. I guess try talking?”

“You got it.” Robin opened the bathroom door for a moment, said something, then closed the door again.

“Nancy’s got a kitchen timer ready to start when I knock on the door. You ready?”

“No, but I have to be.”

“I got all day.”

It did help to hear that. He knew, logically, no one would rush him, but sometimes he was worried that they’d give up on him if he took too long.

Like, he knew he was already pushing his luck just having them around for his everyday theatrics, so this was just icing on the cake.

But Robin didn’t make him feel like he had to worry about that and that already helped.

It’s not that Nancy rushed him, it’s just that she was a very straight to the point person. In or out. Shit or get off the pot.

Robin was the opposite in a lot of ways.

More of a, we’ll get there when we get there and we’ll stop to look at flowers on the way, kind of person.

She just watched as he stood by the shower, playing with his hair.

He took a deep breath, dropped the towel, and got in.

“Alright, good! You let me know when you’re in the water and I’ll knock and start chatting.”

Eddie could do this. He could.

So he did.

“In.”

He heard Robin knock as he clenched his teeth together and felt the water run down his shoulders and back.

Robin had picked the perfect temperature, not scalding, but hot enough to leave his skin pink. Just like he liked it.

“That’s how Steve likes his baths, which I tell him all the time is why he gets so lightheaded. You’re cooking yourselves. I’m realizing that I might be the emotional support bathing bestie. I sit with Steve when he has baths and now you with the shower. Is this all I’m good for?”

Eddie let out a strangled laugh.

It was helping, but he was still struggling to focus on anything except how stifling the water felt, how the steam building around him was starting to feel too much like fog and the drops were feeling too much like his own blood spattering on his body.

“Time?” He managed to croak out.

“Nance! Time?”

“20 seconds!”

“That’s not bad! Tell me your favorite Metallica song right now.”

He knew the answer. He opened his mouth to do it, but couldn’t say anything.

“Eddie? You okay?”

He tried to speak again, but it was just a whimper.

The water was too much.

He jumped out of the shower, nearly knocking Robin over in his escape.

He was shivering, though his skin was hot to the touch from the water, and Robin was already recovering and wrapping his towel around him.

Nancy was opening the door, worried eyes peeking around the corner.

“Listen to my voice, Eddie. Take in a deep breath. Slowly.”

It was easy to listen to Robin.

She didn’t hesitate to wrap him up in her arms, rubbing her hands up and down his back as he tried to breathe.

Nancy was standing in the doorway, not saying or doing anything, just a silent presence there to assist if needed.

He could feel Robin’s heart beating hard in her chest, so hard it felt like it was trying to jump into his chest.

But he was calming down now.

He pulled away and sat down on the floor, towel still loosely wrapped around him.

Robin shut off the shower, quickly joining him on the floor and waving Nancy away.

“You’re good at this.”

“Well, somebody has to be there for Steve when he’s having a bad day. I’ve gotten plenty of practice.”

“Is he this bad?”

“Oh, on his real bad days, he’s worse. And yes, you absolutely should hold that over him. Maybe then he’ll accept help from someone other than just me.”

He rested his head on her shoulder, smiling when she rested her head on his.

“You should have him come help.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why? Because you have a big stupid crush on him?”

“Why, yes, Robin. That’s exactly why.”

He knew she was rolling her eyes, but he didn’t care.

“You’re both so stupid, it gives me a stomach ache.”

Eddie didn’t think about what she said, just sat in silence as she started playing with his fingers.

“Want me to come back tomorrow?”

“Yeah, please.”

————

Robin came back for three days in a row, and Eddie managed to stay under the water until the timer went off every time.

He was scared to think about what would happen if he started to fail again.

But with Robin constantly talking his way through it, he couldn’t worry for long.

————

“Eddie.”

Oh no.

Robin’s voice was so scratchy, and dull, and not Robin.

She was sick.

Nancy wasn’t available today or tomorrow.

He couldn’t do this alone.

“It’s okay, Robs. I’ll…call Steve.”

“Good. Sorry again.”

She didn’t sound nearly as sorry as when he first answered the phone, but it wasn’t worth arguing about.

He paced the floor of his room for nearly ten minutes before he gave in and just dialed Steve’s number.

“Harrington residence, Steve speaking.”

“Oh, you have one of those homes. Gross.”

“Eds!”

“Hey, Stevie.”

Eddie knew his face was doing that stupid smile he only did for Steve, a combination of fond and content that he’d never been able to give anyone else.

“Everything good?”

“Well, kinda no?”

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked quickly, his tone changing from casual excitement to concern.

“You remember what Nancy told you about the uh…exposure therapy?”

“Yeah, how’s that going?”

Eddie sighed. Steve was so fucking nice all the time. It wasn’t fair.

“It’s not terrible. Robin’s helped for a few days. But uh.”

“What is it?”

“Robin’s sick and Nancy’s out of town. I can’t skip a day, especially not when I’ve been on a roll, ya know? So I was wondering if maybe, and you can say no I’ll do it alone if I have to, maybe you’d be willing to come play therapist?”

That wasn’t so hard. It was awkward, certainly, but not too bad.

“I’ll be right over,” Steve said quickly and hung up.

Eddie didn’t mean right this second necessarily, Jesus.

But if Steve wanted to help this badly, then who was he to stop him from rushing over?

And rush he did.

It wasn’t 15 minutes later that Steve was at his door.

“Where’s the fire, man?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind,” Eddie smiled at him. “Do you remember what Nancy said about all this?”

“Yeah. How long are you up to?”

“Minute and a half. Or I have to turn the water on and adjust the temperature myself and do a minute. But I don’t wanna try something new today, so minute and a half it is.”

Steve nodded along, but Eddie swore he looked nervous. Like he was hesitant to even be here. He needed to offer him an out.

“Listen, I can just wait. Skipping a day or two isn’t really gonna make a big difference in the long run.”

“No!” Steve suddenly shouted. “No. I want to help. I want to be here for you.”

“Oh,” Eddie looked down at his feet, hoping it would hide the blush on his cheeks. “Okay then.”

So he led Steve to the bathroom. He set the kitchen timer but didn’t start it yet.

Steve was standing by the shower, shifting his weight between his legs anxiously. He looked more nervous than Eddie even felt.

“Nancy and Robin usually turn the water on and make sure it’s hot for me. Robin said it’s like how you like it?”

“Got it.”

He turned to the faucets, adjusting them for a few seconds and then pulling back as he waited for the water to heat up.

“You can strip, I’ll turn around.”

“Oh. Okay. Sure.”

Eddie knew he sounded ridiculous.

You’ve taken showers before, idiot.

But the difference here was that Steve was about to be here to see him at his weakest, at least emotionally. And he’d be naked.

Going off of how much Nancy and Robin had to see of him, Steve would be getting an eyeful too.

“You okay?”

Eddie shook himself out of his thoughts.

“I’m okay. Sorry.”

He threw his shirt off and unbuttoned his pants before he could overthink it.

Steve had seen most of him when he was helping change his bandages after the bats snacked on him. It wasn’t a big deal.

Steve at least pretended to be paying more attention to the water and floor as he pulled his legs from his pants and slid his boxers off.

“Water’s good. You ready?”

Steve looked at his face, clearly avoiding any chance of seeing anything below the waist.

Probably locker room courtesy or something, though if you asked him, making eye contact was way more intimate than accidentally seeing someone else’s dick.

“Ready.”

Steve moved to the sink as he got in, probably grabbing the kitchen timer to start it the second he got under the water.

It took him a minute, the hot water hitting his toes gently.

But he took a deep breath, turned his back to the stream, and backed into the water.

“I’m in.”

The first part was getting easier to do, he’d admit that. It was easier to stay in the moment while the water first started hitting him, easier to speak for the first 15 or so seconds before he was completely soaked.

But then it was quiet. He couldn’t hear anything except the water beating down on him and the shower floor.

Steve wasn’t saying anything and Eddie didn’t know how to ask him to.

He didn’t want to sound needy, Steve was already giving up time out of his day to be here at all.

How long had it been? Probably not that long.

It felt like years.

The water was the perfect temperature, and that kind of helped him remember this was a shower, not the end of the fucking world.

The end of the world doesn’t care about your comfort.

Steve does though.

But after another ten or so seconds, the buzzing in his ears got louder, he could feel his body shaking as if the water had suddenly turned ice cold, and the thoughts rushing through his head were more memories he wished he could forget.

He still felt the water, but it wasn’t water anymore. It was blood and bats and doctor’s hands trying to just stop the bleeding.

And then he felt actual hands on him, a body against him pushing him so the water was barely touching him.

He took a gasping breath and collapsed against them.

Steve.

He was fully clothed, like he’d panicked and jumped in without thinking about it at all. He had his arms wrapped around Eddie tightly, not leaving an inch of space between them. He was muttering something, but Eddie couldn’t quite hear what it was.

He let himself be held, no longer in panic mode with his human shield protecting him from the water.

“How long?”

Steve was rubbing his back, spreading a new warmth against his skin and helping, always helping.

“One minute.”

Eddie sighed. He didn’t wanna tell Nancy that he failed today.

She wouldn’t make him feel bad intentionally, but she got this look on her face when he didn’t make it to the timer going off like she wasn’t sure he could get through it.

“You wanna get out?”

“Please.”

Steve pulled away so he could shut off the water and Eddie got a good look at him.

He was soaked, his clothes sticking to him uncomfortably, his hair matted down against his head.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I made the choice.”

He did, yeah. But he probably felt obligated to, and that’s not really making a choice, is it?

“Eds, look at me.”

He’d been looking at the floor, kind of hoping it would just swallow him up for good, but managed to pull his head up when Steve asked.

“I’ll always, always, make the choice to help you. Okay?”

Eddie bit back a sob as he nodded, and Steve pulled him against his chest again.

“You have no clue how much I wanna be here for you. When Nancy called, I practically begged to be here, did she tell you that? But she said it wouldn’t be helpful if I jumped in the moment you needed me.”

“Helped now.”

Steve squeezed his arms.

“Yeah. She won’t be happy with me. But you weren’t answering and when I looked in, it’s like you weren’t even here. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Eddie nodded. That lined up with what he’d been feeling, seeing.

“We should get out. You’re shivering.”

Steve guided him out of the shower and wrapped the towel he’d left hanging up around him, rubbing along his arms and back to help get him warmer faster.

Then he was taking off his shirt and removing his belt and Eddie’s brain couldn’t catch up.

“Uh.”

“Sorry, do you have some clothes I can borrow while I put these in the dryer?”

“Uh. Yeah. Sure.”

Steve smiled at him like he didn’t just break his brain in half.

He managed to walk to his bedroom, grab a shirt and sweatpants, and walk back to the bathroom with only a single thought running through his mind: he’s wearing my clothes.

“Thanks,” Steve said as Eddie wordlessly handed them over.

And then he realized he forgot boxers.

Steve would be wearing his sweatpants with nothing under them.

He knew the noise he let out was close to a squeak, like a fucking mouse or something, but he couldn’t hold it in. Steve didn’t acknowledge it, hopefully didn’t hear it at all, as he focused on getting his soaked jeans off his body.

Then his boxers came off.

Eddie really did his best not to look. He did. It would be so rude to stare.

It would be even more rude to say something.

So he did both.

“Jesus Christ, Steve. The girls weren’t kidding were they?”

Steve’s face was bright red, but he didn’t look up until he was pulling the sweatpants up his legs.

“I guess that depends what they were saying.”

Eddie was still standing with his towel wrapped around him, eyes wide at everything that had just happened.

“For one, that you’re pretty well-endowed. I thought they just lacked experience. Maybe I’m the one lacking experience. Maybe you’re just huge.”

Steve was smirking at him, the confidence of the king coming back as he listened to Eddie.

“That so?”

“God, yeah. I’m never gonna be able to be with anyone again after seeing that.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

Steve was stepping into his space now, still shirtless, still smirking.

“I mean, look at you. How could I ever be satisfied with someone else inside me when I could have that?”

Oh. Wait. No. He wasn’t supposed to be saying this out loud.

Steve’s hands were on his hips, though.

Gripping him tight, like he had no intention of letting him go.

“You want that? With me?”

Well, might as well lay it all out there.

“I want everything with you. Anything you’ll give me.”

“Everything?” Steve was still smirking, that asshole. “So if I wanted to take you out on a date…”

“A date?”

“Yeah. To dinner or something.”

“We can’t go on a date, Steve. We’re two men in bumfuck Indiana. We’d be killed.”

“How about I make you dinner? My place. Tonight?”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“I’m not, but hopefully I will be,” he said with a wink.

“Steve. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. I’m like, kind of in love with you, full disclosure, and I’m not sure I can handle one date, a fuck, and then you never wanting to even talk to me again.”

Steve watched as he rambled, running his thumbs along Eddie’s hips like he was trying to keep him calm.

“Full disclosure, I’m kind of in love with you, too. I mean, I did just jump in a shower fully clothed to make sure you weren’t gonna hurt yourself. I’d do it every day if I had to.”

Eddie searched his face for any sign of a lie. Steve was easy to read, or at least he was to Eddie.

But Steve was giving him a fond smile, and moving in closer, and Eddie didn’t see any sign of a lie.

Steve’s hand cupped his jaw. He was looking at him like he was special, and Eddie wasn’t sure what to do with it.

And then Steve was kissing him.

He dropped the towel. It was accidental, but he wasn’t going to interrupt any of this to pull it back up.

Steve was an intense kisser. He should’ve known.

He put everything he had into it. He kissed with his whole body, quite literally putting his back into it as he pushed Eddie against the wall.

But Eddie wasn’t doing this in his bathroom. Despite the fact that he was very obviously willing to, he wanted to have the date first.

He pulled away, but stayed in Steve’s arms. He wasn’t quite ready for complete separation.

“You’re making me dinner tonight?”

“I’m making you dinner tonight.”

“And it’s a date?”

“It’s a date.”

————

Steve came every day after that, even on days when Robin or Nancy were already there.

He sometimes waited in the hall as backup, but usually he stayed in the bathroom and talked to Eddie, who’d managed to get up to three whole minutes in only a few weeks.

When he finally made it to five, Nancy handed it all over to Steve.

He started taking showers with Eddie. Washing his body and hair so he could have more positive thoughts.

By the end of the year, he was taking regular showers.

He still had moments where he panicked, of course. He still sometimes had to cut them short because of a specific memory.

He still sometimes went a few days without because he couldn’t build up the courage to get in.

But Steve was there. They all were.

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #exposure therapy #requests #its about the HEALING

150 notes · View notes

meowmeow-motherfucker · 5 months

Text

Covenant- Chapter 7

Summary: With the five year anniversary of the attack on New York approaching, Odin and Fury come to the agreement that an arranged marriage between Asgard and Earth would show good faith toward all future interactions. When Odin refuses Jane’s candidacy, Agent Coulson is tasked with finding a suitable wife for the prince of Asgard.

Pairing: Loki x OFC

Chapter warnings: Claire being a badass, imposter syndrome, mutual pining, tooth rotting fluff, feelings, FIRST KISS!! There's also vague mentions of the former laughingstock of a US president (if you know, you know). He is not mentioned by name because I refuse to put his name in any of my work, but he is his usual "charming" self and no one likes him. All opinions spoken by Claire and Loki are my opinions and also fact, but I'm not trying to end up on an FBI watch list so take everything with a grain of salt. Also, do not come at me with political commentary, I'm literally just trying to have a good time and write y'all an entertaining story.

Read it on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51197938/chapters/129363727

Taglist: @lokisgoodgirl @gigglingtiggerv2 @icytrickster17 @mysteriouslyfriedjellyfish @lokislilkitten @justjoanne242 @amlocked @ddmariegirl @mags-04-blog @sharris8 @meepycheep @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @the-fantasy-loving-angel @jaidenhawke @smolvenger

Please let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist! Thanks for coming along on this journey with me!

Four days until the wedding

The next morning, Claire was hating life. The mead, like the wine, was delicious, but good grief did it pack a punch. Claire trudged her way to the bathroom, barely keeping her eyes open as Ragna helped her clean up and dress, and would have flopped on the couch if not for the nausea.

Instead, she was doing her best impression of a corpse until she had no choice but to leave in order to get breakfast.

Loki was already there when she dragged her sorry ass into the great hall, giving her a knowing smile when she dropped into her seat beside him.

“I did warn you-”

“Don’t-” Claire grimaced, waving his smug face away. Her head began to throb from the loud commotion in the great hall, and she cradled her head, her eyes falling closed in relief. “Oh god, I’m gonna die.”

“You won’t die,” Loki chuckled as he flagged down a servant to bring her wine. “Have some wine, it will help.”

“Not if I barf it up!” Claire whined.

“Humor me, won’t you?”

“Ugh, fine, I’ll do it for you,” Claire accepted the wine and swallowed a mouthful, groaning as her stomach complained loudly. “Are you sure I won’t die?”

“Positive,” Loki replied. “You need a good meal, and some scandalous gossip.”

“Oh my, is it about the prince and the soon-to-be princess who escaped the palace and spent the night drinking in a seedy bar?”

“Slightly more scandalous, which is truly saying something,” Loki snickered. “Have you seen Fandral today?” he muttered as he jutted his chin toward the other side of the great hall. “He’s acting...stranger than usual.”

“Is he?” Claire replied innocently as she glanced over at the man in question. To her delight, the arrogant man was squirming in his seat to the point his companions were all eyeing him warily. Even in her pitiful hungover state, she could tell what happening. “Interesting.”

“It’s as if...I couldn’t possibly speak of it- it’s inappropriate.”

“Tell me anyway,” Claire inched closer to Loki, hoping he would share whatever he was thinking. “You know I don’t care about propriety.” Loki patted her hand fondly. How could he forget?

“He’s behaving as though he’s picked up a disease,” he shook his head. “One obtained through...questionable behavior.” Claire gasped dramatically, leaning even closer.

“Surely you don’t mean…” she trailed off, resting her hand on his arm as they shared a meaningful glance. “Oh dear,” she said with false concern. “I hope he’ll be able to recover.”

“What have you done?” Loki asked without ire, looking at her expectantly.

“Me?” Claire balked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m certain you don’t,” Loki said casually, taking a sip of his wine as they watched Fandral squirm, now fidgeting so hard that his chair scraped loudly on the stone floor with each movement. It was causing quite a stir, and drawing the attention of nearly everyone in the great hall. “Oh dear.”

“Poor guy must be itching for relief.” Claire snickered at her private joke.

“I knew it,” Loki chuckled. “What did you do?”

“I might have snuck itching powder into his clothes,” Claire admitted from behind her goblet. “I forgot to tell you about it last night.”

“When did you do this?”

“Yesterday afternoon,” Claire replied guiltily. “I had some unsupervised free time and I used it to sneak into his rooms. Don’t look at me like that; it’s not my fault his staff just let me walk in.”

“That is quite devious of you, darling, but was it worth it?” His ridiculous question was punctuated by Fandral dropping his mead to grip the underside of his chair with both hands, now wiggling from side to side as he grew increasingly panicked.

“Of course it was worth it; look at his face!” Claire cackled behind her goblet. “Besides, his constant man-whoring is annoying. Did you know he’s slept with every one of my staff, apart from Ragna? Not that I blame them; who hasn’t fallen for a guy like that? Maybe now he’ll act like less of a lech,” her lip curled in disgust as Fandral began actively itching his privates. “Or not.”

“Color me impressed. Well done,” Loki murmured as a frantic Fandral scurried from the great hall, his body contorting in an odd dance as he itched himself all the way to the door and presumably beyond. “Perhaps it was a bit harsh.”

“He deserves it,” Claire tucked into her breakfast without remorse. “Especially with the way he treats you.”

“You did this for me?” Loki asked in surprise. “My lady, I am touched.”

“You’re welcome,” Claire nodded, drinking deeply from her wine. “I’ll teach that prick to mess with my man.” she grumbled to herself. Loki grinned, warmed by the sentiment. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

Eating with one hand was a challenge, but Loki found he couldn’t be bothered to let go of Claire’s hand. And if he used his seidr to soothe her hangover, it was really no one’s business but his own.

~~~~

Frigga was convinced that something secretive was going on between Claire and Loki. Claire had improved significantly in her daily lessons over the last several days, and during her appointments with the couple, Frigga had noticed their behavior toward each other had changed. They still argued from time to time, but there was an undercurrent to their interactions that hadn't been there before. As if the pair knew secrets no one else in the universe was party to. Frigga had been a mother long enough to know when something was going on under her nose. Something was going on, but for the sake of her son and the bond she could see growing day by day, she couldn't (and wouldn't) prove anything. With barely a week left before their wedding, the stakes were higher than ever.

She just hoped they were being smart.

Across the palace, Claire and Loki were embroiled in a heated argument in her chambers. Loki's top hat game piece had just landed on New York Avenue, which Claire owned, and upon which she had built four hotels. The commoner had bankrupted the prince.

“How. Dare. You. Madam,” Loki hissed as he was forced to surrender his properties one by one to her pile. “You tricked me, you sly little-” he growled as he then forked over a rainbow of colored bills. Claire cackled, counting the money before sorting it into the piles in front of her. The piles in front of Loki had dwindled to nothing thanks to Claire's construction efforts, leaving her the victor in his inaugural game of Monopoly.

“I told you to unmortgage your properties when you had the money but noooooo, you didn’t want to listen!” She said defensively. “Not my fault you're stubborn.”

“What are you talking about, I did exactly as you said!” Loki gestured uselessly to the still mortgaged properties in front of him. Claire laughed heartily, softening his ire. He'd tried everything and she'd slaughtered him. Mercilessly. He admired her ruthlessness, rolling his eyes affably at her smug smile when he collected the dice and handed them to her.

“Wanna play again?” She offered, eyes glinting mischievously as he glared at her.

“Absolutely not,” he laughed. “You'll just bankrupt me again.”

“Well I had fun.” Claire giggled.

“I'm sure you did,” Loki replied. “Tomorrow night I'll bring a game for us to play, and I shall win.”

“It's a date,” Claire grinned. “You probably need to go, don't you?” She asked as she began to gather the game pieces.

“Probably,” Loki said sheepishly, gathering the cards on the board in his large hands. “But I don’t wish to.” Their fingers brushed as she took the cards from him and Claire grinned.

“It's okay to admit you like spending time with me, you know,” she said as she put the cards in the box. “Just sayin'.” She folded the board and put it away, slipping the lid into place.

“I enjoy spending time with you,” Loki chuckled. “Without the crones, preferably.”

“Yeah they need to lighten up,” the couple shared a laugh before Claire jolted. “I have an idea!” She crowed excitedly, jumping up and bounding from the room. Loki was debating whether he should follow her to her bed chamber when she returned with a slim black rectangle. “Have you done a crossword before?”

“A what?”

“Okay, didn't think so,” Claire giggled as she sat beside him on the lounge. Her perfume had faded since their earlier outing, but only slightly. From afar she'd smelled enchanting, but up close her sweet scent was even more potent and made him yearn to reach out and touch her. “This isn't a competitive game, since someone is a sore loser.”

“I am not!” Loki protested lamely. Claire looked at him skeptically, her raised eyebrow making him scoff.

“Okay,” she snickered. “Like you didn’t literally throw a tantrum and call me names.”

“I called you madam; in what realm is that offensive? There are far worse things I could call you.”

“But you didn't.”

“Exactly.” Claire smiled in spite of herself. He was right.

“I think that's possibly the only time I've been called madam by someone who's mad at me. Usually I get called a bitch. Or a cunt. Or a whore.” Loki laughed sharply, immediately schooling his face.

“Apologies,” he said. “I was not expecting-”

“It's okay, I know it's not ladylike, but I ain't a lady.” Claire snickered.

“The men of Midgard do not know how to treat your sex, do they?” Loki asked.

“I would argue men everywhere don't. There are exceptions of course,” Claire hedged when Loki bristled. “But the vast majority? No.”

“That is unfortunate,” Loki murmured. “I shall endeavor to remain in the minority. Now, teach me this new game and defeat me again.”

“You like losing all of a sudden?” Claire teased.

“To you, perhaps,” Loki admitted as Claire opened her crossword app. “I said perhaps!” He added quickly when she laughed at him.

“Don’t worry, mischief, this isn’t that kind of game.” She patted his leg absently, and all of Loki's focus concentrated on that small point of contact. They sat shoulder to shoulder, with their arms pressed together. It would be so easy to lean over and- No! He chastised himself mentally. You have less than a week- surely you can last a week! “Does that make sense?” Damn, he'd missed her explanation while staring at her mouth! What had she said?

“...yes.”

“Lie.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You were staring at me, not the game,” Claire grinned when Loki’s cheeks became pink. “Oh, you’re adorable.” Loki scoffed.

“Madam-”

“Sir?” Claire replied cheekily, her grin blossoming into a wide smile at Loki’s dismay. “Would you like me to explain it again?”

“Yes, but…” Loki chuckled. “Do you know,” he paused before smiling shyly. “I was beginning to think your lips changed color. They've been a different shade each day since you've arrived,” his eyes dipped down to her lush lips. “Yet each night they are the same rosy pink.”

“Well I have to keep you on your toes somehow,” Claire snickered, enjoying the heat in his gaze as he glanced at her mouth. “Would you like to pick tomorrow's color, or should I surprise you?” Loki's brain seemed to stop working for a moment, as he gaped at her open-mouthed. She waited patiently, basking in her victory.

“Green,” he cleared his throat nervously. “Please.” He finally requested.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” Claire winked at him, already looking forward to knocking him on his ass.

“I have an idea,” Loki said suddenly, changing form as he leapt to his feet. “I’ll return shortly.”

~~~~

Half an hour later, Claire and Loki sat in her chambers embroiled in a battle of wits. Loki had returned with his chess set, challenging her to best him. Claire was aghast to learn it was three-dimensional. She liked Star Trek as much as the next girl, but this was ridiculous. Loki had beaten her in three rapid fire games, and they were now locked in their fourth bout.

“We can stop if you want.” Loki suggested as he waited for her to make a move.

“And let you claim victory again? I don’t think so.” Claire replied stubbornly as her eyes roamed the boards between them.

“Whilst I admire your determination darling, it’s time to admit you’ve been bested,” Loki chuckled. “See here? You are trapped.” he pointed to where his queen had indeed trapped her last lonely knight as he stood in defense of her king.

“I can still win,” Claire doubled down, leaning closer to him. “And when I do, you should kiss me. As a reward.” Loki grinned, wishing he could give her what she wanted.

“Claire, you know we can't.” he said, pulling away from her even though he didn't want to. Claire groaned, rolling her eyes. They’d already broken several rules, what was one more?

“It's a stupid rule.”

“Yes, but it's one we all agreed to-”

“-For the sake of appearances, I know I know. What is it with you princes and having to marry virgins anyway? It's not like sitting on a dick really changes you as a person,” Claire said. “No offense. I'm sure yours is very nice.”

“You'll find out in four days, you impatient creature,” Loki huffed in amusement. “Surely you will survive that long?”

“Fine,” Claire rolled her eyes. “It's still stupid.”

“Yes it is,” Loki replied as Claire yawned. “I should take my leave. Get some sleep, little wife. I shall see you in the morning.”

“I don't think you can call me that yet.” Claire teased.

“We may as well get used to it, don't you think?” Loki asked softly, looking relieved when Claire grinned.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Do you think I can do this?” Claire asked. “I’m almost done with princess lessons, and my head feels like it’s close to bursting with all the shit I have to remember, but that’s just protocol stuff. What about everything else?” The imposter syndrome was hitting really hard and Claire was struggling.

“Such as?”

“I don’t know, meeting foreign politicians, helping orphans...I’m still a little unclear on what exactly I should be doing and I’m kinda freaking out. I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that less than a week from now, I’m going to be a princess. What am I supposed to do?”

“It will get easier with time.”

“Of course you think that, Loki, you grew up here. I grew up poor in LA. Maybe you’re right and it will get easier, but what about now?” Claire asked. “People aren’t going to want anything to do with me if they think I suck, and let’s face it, I’m good at lots of things but I suck at this! I’m barely even a real adult,” she scoffed as she ranted. “I’m-I am three owls in a trench coat, Loki!”

“You’re what?” Loki looked her over with alarm.

“Ugh, it’s a figure of speech,” Claire groaned. Yet another communication error. “I’m just worried I won’t live up to all the expectations.”

“I understand your concern, but we will work through it together. I meant what I said, Claire. I will not let you fail.” Loki murmured as he leaned closer. Claire swallowed, wondering if he would actually break the rule and kiss her. All this waiting felt like middle school all over again; the anticipation was killing her. At the last second Loki pressed his lips to her forehead, and though it wasn't what she wanted, Claire's insides turned molten and gooey.

“That was rude.”

“Is that why you’re blushing?” Loki laughed as he pulled away, winking at her as he got to his feet.

“Shut up. It's still rude,” Claire grumped. “I’m still sixty percent sure I’m going to crash and burn.”

“I would apologize, but I'm not the least bit sorry,” Loki dodged the pillow she threw at him with a laugh. “You'll have to be faster than that, darling.”

“Get out!” Claire laughed, throwing another pillow at him. He bowed sarcastically before making his way to the door.

“Try not to worry too much. Everything will be fine. I swear it.”

“I’ll try. Now go away, I need my beauty sleep.” Claire threw another pillow at him, giggling when he batted it away.

“Good night.” He smiled as he looked back at her.

“Good night.” Claire smiled back, holding back her girlish squeal until the door closed behind him. She still thought marriage was stupid, but things with Loki were going so well that it gave her hope they would be happy together. And even though she wasn’t fully convinced she’d be a good princess, she trusted Loki when he said he would help her navigate her new role.

Three days until the wedding

The next morning, Loki was distracted as soon as he woke up. He wasn't due to see Claire until the late afternoon, but already he was consumed by thoughts of her. Would she actually wear the green as he'd asked?

Through his council meetings and appointments with the tailor, Loki’s usually sharp mind wandered. He found himself daydreaming of the soft pillow of Claire’s lips, painted in a rainbow of colors, while his fellow council members droned on about taxes and new regulations for businesses.

At long last, after a swift mid-day meal of soup and crusty bread, Loki readied himself for his outing with Claire and hastened to her chambers. Outside the door, he adjusted his leathers and fussed with his hair like a nervous boy.

The crones had arrived before him, to his dismay, but Claire’s personal servant Ragna welcomed him inside.

“My lady will be out momentarily, Your Majesty.” she curtsied as she closed the door behind him.

“I’m here now, Ragna,” Claire announced as she stepped into the room. The crones stepped aside, curtsying low. A beaming smile lit Claire’s face as her eyes landed on him. “Hi.”

It was as if every ounce of breath had left his body. Claire was radiant, draped in a flattering tulle dress. The sweetheart neckline left her shoulders exposed, a quaint gold and emerald necklace gracing her collarbone. Her long dark hair hung in delicate curls, and her hands looked more delicate than usual with the long sleeves of the dress hanging past her wrists. The silver band on her bicep blended almost perfectly with the sheer sleeves.

“Hi.” he managed finally, the fluttering of his hands matching the fluttering in his stomach. Her lips were painted green as promised, light in shade like the kiwi fruit of her home. Loki had never had anything that was truly his, but here she was- claiming him with her jewelry and her lip paint.

“It's poison apple.” Claire said, pulling Loki from his thoughts.

“W-what?” his stammered response gained him another smile.

“My lipstick is called poison apple. You keep looking at it, so I assume you like it. Wanna borrow it?” She winked at him, setting the butterflies into motion once again.

“What?” Claire giggled, not even slightly remorseful for the effect she was having on him. They shared intense eye contact, simply staring at one another. Their chaperones burst their bubble, one of them clearing her throat rather harshly.

“Shall we move along to the market?” she suggested. Loki snapped to attention first.

“Yes, we shall,” Loki replied, offering Claire his arm. “My lady?”

“Let’s hit it, my lord,” Claire gave his arm a squeeze when she looped hers around his bicep. God damn, his biceps were incredible.

~~~~

“Tell me something,” Loki asked as they walked through the market. “What exactly was your role with S.H.I.E.L.D.? You mentioned investigation, but what exactly did that entail?”

“I was responsible for determining threat levels,” Claire replied as she inspected a woven basket. “Analyzing people and their behavior was my specialty, but whenever something weird happened, my department would check it out and decide how best to proceed.”

“Which is why you were present-”

“When you sent the destroyer, yes,” Claire replied. “I was part of the team investigating Mjolnir when it showed up.”

“I am sorry you were in harms way.”

“Oh no biggie,” Claire waved off his concern. “Happens all the time. It was cool, you know?”

“Cool?” Loki asked skeptically, his brows rising high.

“I mean, sure, it was terrifying. Buuuut if I had a super awesome robot I would probably send it to break stuff too,” Claire laughed softly. “Can I ask-”

“Why I sent it?”

“Yeah,” Loki looked down, unwilling to admit his petty reasons. “You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I was just curious.”

“You would be the first.”

“What do you mean?” Claire asked. “No one asked you why?” Loki shook his head.

“They assumed I was jealous of my older brother and his claim to the throne; I was content to let them. But that was not why.”

“So what was the reason?” Claire pressed. Loki hesitated, his gaze flicking toward their chaperones. The two older women glared back, and Loki frowned.

“I should not say,“ He finally answered. “I have been...encouraged, shall we say, not to bring up unpleasant memories.”

“Why?”

“I believe Odin is concerned you will become too sympathetic.” Loki gave a sarcastic smile.

“Well that's horseshit,” Claire said. The chaperones gasped behind them and she turned to stare at the older women. “Yeah, I said a bad word. Deal with it,” She turned back to Loki. “Look, we're going to be married for a long time. I know I said I wouldn’t push you for answers and I meant it, but I think at some point I deserve answers to my questions.”

“I don't disagree,” Loki replied gently. "I do not trust easily, my lady.”

“I've noticed,” Claire pretending to inspect a skein of fabric while she thought. “You know, there’s a quote from Earth- those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it’.”

“England’s Wintston Churchill, I believe,” Loki's mouth pursed as he chose his words carefully. “It would be...beneficial, perhaps, for someone to hear my side of things. Someone who would not assume my guilt automatically.”

“I'm all ears, mischief.”

“You are not,” Loki smirked. “You are also have a charming wit and pleasant curves I find myself staring at far more than a respectable man should,” Claire blushed at his earnest words. “Forgive me, that was forward.”

“Don't apologize,” Claire replied. “The feeling is mutual.”

“I have pleasant curves?” Loki joked, delighting when Claire laughed and struck him on the arm.

“You have lots of pleasant things.”

“Such as?” Loki scoffed.

“Your hands,” Claire replied. She held up their clasped hands, unfurling her fingers and pressing her palm against his. His long fingers and wide palm dwarfed hers in size, and his gentle grip made her feel delicate- a feeling she was not familiar with. “Your eyes.”

“My eyes?” Loki asked doubtfully. No one in Asgard had eyes like his. “They are an oddity here.”

“I think they're beautiful,” Claire smiled. “I like odd,” The tops of Loki's cheeks turned pink, and she curled their fingers together again. “Also you have a cute butt.”

“I beg your pardon?!” Loki spluttered.

“Okay.” Claire shrugged.

“What?”

“You said I beg your pardon. So beg.” Loki snorted, tugging her closer by the hand until they were chest to chest.

“You are demanding,” he murmured. “I like it.” Claire preened, a smug look on her face as the chaperones chastised them for being too close. Ignoring them, Loki pulled her even closer, grinning when she squealed giddily. “Once we are wed, I shall tell you what you wish to know.” Claire pulled back, patting his chest plate fondly.

“In your own time, mischief. We have plenty of it.” Loki grinned, releasing her at last. He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

“Shall I tell you all the ways I find you beautiful instead?”

“Who am I say no to a prince?” Claire laughed as they began to walk again. Loki plucked a long stemmed rose from a vendors basket, offering it to her.

“You are refreshingly honest and utterly enchanting,” he said, admiring the red against her creamy skin as she smelled the flower. “I will confess I worried we would be ill-suited, or that you would be unattractive in some way. Even when we fight,” he chuckled. “I admire that you challenge me head on. Each time I think I have you figured out, you surprise me. I find myself appreciating each new thing I learn about you. I look forward to learning more about you in the years to come.” Oh my. Loki, coming in clutch with the silver tongue.

“I’m looking forward to that too,” Claire leaned against him, her cheeks beginning to hurt from smiling so much. Her smile faltered when their chaperones scolded them once again for being too close. She rolled her eyes as she took a step back from him. “Mostly I look forward to spending time with you, alone.”

“The feeling is mutual, my lady.” Loki chuckled. Claire giggled, twirling the rose between her fingertips before her face grew serious.

“Loki?”

“Hmm?”

“I know babies are expected at some point, but...how soon is soon? Do we get to enjoy being married for a little while first?”

“Is that what you want?”

“At least a year,” Claire chewed her bottom lip. “Maybe two? I like fun, but what about baby-free fun?”

“There are ways to avoid conception, my lady.”

“There are? Even here?”

“Of course. I am a master of seidr,” Loki replied. “It may be different from what you are used to on Midgard, but it will work just as effectively, if not more.”

“Whatever it is, sign me up,” Claire breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s okay, right?”

“Of course. Who am I to tell you what to do with your body?” Loki replied, smiling when Claire leaned her head against his shoulder. “I like the idea of being able to enjoy you without worry. We’ll decide together when the time is right.”

~~~~

“There you are,” Loki sighed in relief as he opened the door to her en-suite bathroom. “I came for our lesson and could not find you, and I...well, I worried.”Loki admitted sheepishly as he hid behind the door. He heard the water splash in the room beyond, and his body responded to knowing Claire was naked mere feet away.

“Are you supposed to be in here?” she laughed.

“Technically, I am not,” Loki replied cheekily, grinning when he heard her laugh. “I wanted to check on you. I know today was a lot for you.”She’d spent the morning perfecting her riding form, and the afternoon being drilled by all of her instructors, each of them wanting to make sure she was flawless before the ceremony. It was draining and frustrating and while their outing to the market had been wonderful, Claire wanted to pull her hair out from the stress of it all.

“Oh god, don’t remind me,” Claire groaned, sinking deeper into the water. “I’m in a weird mood tonight.”

“What troubles you?”

“Lots of things.” Claire sighed heavily. “I don’t even know if I understand it myself.”

“Try me.”

“This is gonna sound nuts, but just stick with me, okay?” Claire pleaded. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you one-on-one. I’m feeling a lot more confident about signing up for this now that I know you better,” she smiled. “I enjoy our supervised dates too, but I like spending time with you without all the rules,” Loki smiled to himself, warmed by her admission. “I understand that all of this is pretty much a performance, like the circus. I know that in three days, there’s going to be a ton of people here to watch us get married and that’s fine.”

“But?”

“But I hate that all those people are going to see our first kiss,” Claire confessed. “Again, I understand we can’t break the rules and that our marriage is basically a spectacle, but I don’t want us to be a spectacle. Does that make sense?”

“I understand completely.”

“I know we can’t do anything to change it. I don’t want you to risk your safety, I just needed you to know how I’m feeling.”

“I’m honored you trust me with that knowledge.” Silence hung in the steamy air for a stretch, the only sound the rippling of the water. Loki sat on the opposite side of the door, sure to preserve her privacy but wanting to be nearby. He could sense that she needed him.

“Loki?” she called.

“Yes, darling?”

“Do you really think I can do this?” Claire asked softly.

“I was worried at first,” he admitted with a fond smile. “You were loud and brash and opinionated-”

“That’s me, baby- bold and brash,” Claire snickered from the water. “I understand the concern.”

“I no longer have it,” Loki admitted. He heard Claire jerk suddenly in the water- no doubt looking at the door as though he’d sprouted a second head. “Something you said struck a cord with me; that either you would walk beside me as an equal or not at all. We are different, you and I. We may not fit elsewhere but we fit each other. If you were the person you were expected to be, we would not. We will always be equals, this I promise. I am not saying you will not stumble, but I will be with you every step of the way,” Loki pledged. “I have no doubt that in time you will bring the entirety of Asgard to its knees.”

“Thank you. Are you included in that?” Claire asked. The question hung in the air until she snorted, bursting into laughter that echoed in the bathroom. “I’m sorry, you’re out there being serious and I’m making dirty jokes. Feelings make me uncomfortable.”

“I have that difficulty also,” Loki replied. “Would you want me on my knees?”

“I could be persuaded,” Claire chuckled. “I like a good challenge.”

“I shall keep that in mind.”

“Can you toss me my towel please?” Claire laughed from inside the bathroom. “I forgot to grab it before I got in.”

“Here,” Loki stepped into the room, careful to avert his eyes and tossed her towel into her outstretched hand. “I’m going to set up our lesson for tonight. Join me when you’re ready.”

Claire stepped into the main room a few minutes later, dressed comfortably in her pajama pants and an old S.H.I.E.L.D t-shirt. Loki had not set up for any lessons- it looked more like he’d prepared for a book club than anything else. A stack of books sat on the table, as well as the usual tray laden with snack foods.

“I thought you said you were setting up a lesson.”

“A clever ruse,” Loki grinned. “I thought perhaps we could simply spend time together. It has been a difficult day for you and you deserve a break.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, thank you.”

“Of course,” Loki smiled as she sat on the couch beside him. “I wondered if I could ask you a question.”

“Shoot.”

“When you first arrived, you had-” Loki mimed monstrous claws, making Claire laugh. “You no longer have them.”

“Yeah, I took them off,” Claire replied. “I really just wanted to look a little scary, and the claws are a good way to do it.”

“Ah,” Loki nodded. He could see why she would want to appear intimidating. “And the hoop in your nose?”

“The hoop stays. It’s permanent,” Claire plucked lightly at the purple hoop. “I’ve had it for years. I got it when I was sixteen and man, was my mom mad,” she laughed. “I thought she was gonna spit fire.”

“Was that a talent of hers?”

“No, it’s just an expression,” Claire shook her head. “Although she was Puerto Rican and probably could have done it if she put her mind to it.”

“I see. Is that a nationality?”

“It is, actually. You’ll find Puerto Ricans of all ethnic backgrounds, but she was born on the island. Her parents moved to the United States when she was a kid. That’s where I was born.”

“In LA?”

“Yeah. Los Angeles, or LA for short, is in California on the west coast of my country. I lived there until I was sixteen.”

“Would I be correct in assuming that is when you lost your mother?” Claire nodded.

“Yes. Phil took me in after that, and I went to the S.H.I.E.L.D academy, then I was out in the field within a couple of years.”

“And you’ve done nothing else?”

“Hey, my career is nothing to sneeze at. I had to work very hard to get to where I was,” Claire said defensively. “The S.H.I.E.L.D academy trains kids from a very early age, but I was able to pass their tests and get in late. I broke tons of records there, both at the academy and in the field. I’ve been to places most people couldn’t even dream of visiting.”

“Asgard included.” Claire laughed despite herself.

“Yes, Asgard included. You could probably make a killing in the tourism trade.”

“We have enough money, darling, believe me,” Loki chuckled. “Please, help yourself to something.” he held out the plate of snacks.

“What book are you reading?” Claire asked as she helped herself to a fruit tart. Loki produced a thick text on philosophy, already marked by a book mark.

“I am trying to refine my argument for the next council meeting,” he explained. “What will you read?”

“I’m reading a history of Asgard.”

“Your tutors will be pleased.” Loki chuckled as Claire scooted closer.

Loki set the snacks between them as they both settled in to read their books.

~~~~

Claire closed her book once she’d finished her chapter; the question niggling in her brain demanding to be aired.

“I have a question.”

“Of course,” Loki put aside the book he was reading from to look at her. “What is it?”

“So I understand that people aren't supposed to touch members of the royal family. Am I included in that?”

“You are,” Loki nodded. “Even though we are not yet wed, you are my intended and that courtesy ought to be extended to you as it is to me.”

“And if it isn't?” Claire had though she’d seen Loki angry. She'd seen him annoyed, when he'd told off the crones or when they bickered, and he’d been furious after the glitter bomb incident, but this was different. His eyes darkened and his jaw tightened, a muscle ticking as he clenched his teeth.

“Give me a name.”

“I don't think it's that serious.”

“You said someone touched you. Or at least implied it. Who?”

“Why?”

“Why?” Loki balked. “I assume this cretin is still breathing. I intend to put a stop to that,” Claire couldn't help but smile. “You laugh, my lady, but this is no laughing matter.”

“No, you're right, sorry,” Claire nodded. “But why don't you let me handle it? I was really just asking for clarification.”

“Is that what you want? To handle it personally?”

“I think it would be best.”

“Do you not trust me?”

“It's not that,” Claire shook her head. “But we're getting married in a matter of days and I imagine this will cause a stir. The last thing we need is a scene.”

“I am capable of discretion,” Loki scoffed, clearly offended. “Honestly.”

“Loki, why do I feel like if you had your way, I would have a dead body outside my door?”

“Seems reasonable to me,” Loki shrugged. “Would that upset your delicate sensibilities?” He asked darkly.

“Of course not; I’m hardly a stranger to dead bodies. But I'd prefer if our marriage didn't start with one or both of us in prison.”

“You're no fun.” Loki purred.

“I'm plenty of fun. You'll find out exactly how much in three days.”

“Hmm,” The deep rumble from his chest made Claire's insides turn to goo. Fuck, she wanted him. The fact he offered to kill for her...it sent a dark thrill down her spine. He shot to his feet, preparing to leave. “I will ensure there is additional security at your door. I should-”

“Can I give you a hug?” Claire asked abruptly. Loki paused, surprised by her question.

“You may.” He grunted when she squeezed him around the middle, pressing her face into his chest. Loki stood awkwardly as she embraced him without fear. He couldn't remember the last time...

“I knew it.”

“What?”

“We fit.” Claire murmured, practically purring with contentment as Loki's arms wrapped around her. His head came to rest on hers as he pulled her tightly against him. His heartbeat was steady and comforting in her ear, his body molded perfectly to hers as his chest rose and fell. This was the most they had touched since meeting, and Claire adored the feeling of his solid form against her body, as though he were the anchor to her ship lost at sea.

“Are you certain you wish to handle-”

“Yes,” Claire said stubbornly, keeping her face buried in his chest. “But if I need help, I'll tag you in.”

“How shall you handle it?”

“I'll beat him up, obviously.” Claire giggled.

“I would very much like to see that.” Loki replied.

“You like the fact that I can defend myself, don’t you?”

“I do indeed,” Loki chuckled. “I’ll admit, I’ve thought of it often since our fight on the training field.”

“I still want that rematch.”

“You shall have it. For now I shall have to hope that I can see you dispense justice to whichever lout dared to put a hand on you.” Claire laughed as she shifted her weight, grinning when she felt what was hiding in his pants.

“Is that a roll of quarters in your pocket or are you just excited to see me?” Claire snickered. Loki sighed in exasperation.

“Is this how life is to be with you? Hmm?” He jostled her playfully, making her laugh. “You tease me relentlessly then mock me for reacting?”

“For now,” Claire said apologetically. “Sorry, I can't do anything to help.” She wasn’t sorry at all.

“You are a dreadful menace. Go to bed, you little imp,” Loki huffed without ire, pulling away from her. “I shall see you in the morning.”

“Think sexy thoughts about me, k?” Loki laughed, his tongue flashing as he licked his lips. He grinned down at her, every inch a predator observing his prey, and Claire could have come on the spot.

“Darling, all of my thoughts are about you. Especially when I bring myself to release.” He growled, hands fisting in her clothes as he pulled her back into his chest, and Claire desperately wanted to feel his hands on her bare skin.

“I think about you too.” She confessed, shivering with delight when he backed her up against the nearest wall.

“Your pupils are dilated,” he noted as he towered over her. “I would wager if I touched you, you would be wet for me.”

“You're welcome to,” Claire challenged. “Or are we still pretending we're following the rules?” Loki growled as the neckline of her dress slipped lower, exposing unseen flesh to his desperate gaze. “Wait, can you lift me?” Loki furrowed his brows at the silly question. Of course he could. He lifted her effortlessly, stepping between her parted thighs with a growl. Claire sighed sweetly as he took her weight, her lithe arms closing behind his neck.

“Better?” He asked softly, his lips a mere inch from hers. It would be so easy to break the rules and kiss her, claim her until she begged him for sweet release.

“I've been thinking how I wanted to fuck you first after we're married,” nimble fingers combed through his hair, and Loki melted into the affection. “This is pretty high on the list.” Claire sighed, wrapping a lock of his hair around her finger as she squeezed his waist with her delectable thighs. Even though she was fully clothed, Loki could feel the heat of her skin through the cloth of her dress and it was driving him mad. Loki grunted with want and his cock throbbed between her legs. The whimper that escaped her nearly drove him to his knees. He dropped his head to her shoulder, inhaling her intoxicating scent as his eyes drifted closed.

“Sometimes,” he swallowed nervously. “I worry this is all a dream and I will wake to find myself still locked in that accursed cell,” He longed to sink his teeth into her flesh and mark her for all to see, but to do it now would have grave consequences. “I should go while I can still think clearly.” Claire brushed his hair back gently, clinging to him as he gingerly set her back on her feet. His hands trailed up her body, giving her goosebumps. He clasped her hand and gave the softest kiss to her knuckles, his eyes burning into hers as he put all his longing into his kiss. He pulled away, but pressed another kiss to her forearm as his other arm held her against him.

Holy shit. He was doing the Gomez thing. Without her asking! Claire was pretty sure he didn't even know who Gomez Addams was. His mouth burned with promise as he laid another kiss at the delicate fold of her arm. Claire's eyes were half closed with pleasure as he blazed a scorching trail along the heated nerves of her skin, kissing at her bicep and again at her shoulder. Claire's knees went weak as his lips pressed to the curve of her neck, only remaining upright thanks to his tightened grip when she wilted. Loki's tongue darted out to taste her flushed skin, teasing her with the sharp tip of his canines.

“Loki,” she pleaded breathlessly. “You should leave before I tie you to the bed.”

“Such promises, darling,” he murmured, pressing a final kiss to her neck before pulling away. “Are you sure you can stand?”

“Shut up,” Claire laughed. “Fuckin' neck kisses get me every time.”

“I shan't forget,” Loki promised, enjoying the needy way she grabbed his sleeves when he leaned in to kiss her. He didn't fully press his lips to hers, enjoying the dizzying pull of her mouth. She was utterly enchanting, sapphire eyes closed and cheeks flushed. “How could I with such a lovely reaction?” He released her, grinning when she groaned with want. “I shall take my leave. Good night, my lady.” Though his words were formal, his tone was anything but. This wasn't him testing her knowledge again. He was claiming her.

“Good night, my lord,” Claire replied. She welcomed the claim, and returned it. “I hate these rules.”

“As do I,” Loki said. “Though I believe it is past the midnight hour now. Two more days and you shall be mine.” Claire groaned, wishing time would hurry up and pass already.

“Two more days.” She sighed as the handmaiden replaced Loki. The guard at her door nodded in greeting when the massive door opened, and she waved at him as Loki slash the handmaiden strolled past him without incident. Frustrated, Claire began making mental plans to have a steamy bath before bed. She knew she should have packed more toys.

Two days until the wedding

“Good morning, darlings! A fabulous day awaits you- your guests arrive shortly and the wedding games will begin tomorrow!” Frigga greeted Claire and Loki in the great hall during breakfast. “Eat quickly; you must approve all the final touches before the guests arrive.” The couple shared a knowing glance. This was undoubtedly the last bit of calm they would have for the next few days.

~~~~

After giving final approval of the seating arrangements, decorations, and the various menus of the coming feasts, Claire and Loki retreated to the garden with Frigga for tea. Frigga was practically vibrating with excitement as they rested before the madness truly began. The first official wedding event, the opening feast, would take place in a matter of hours.

“Mother,” Loki began as Claire nursed her cup of tea. “I wonder if I could ask something of you.”

“Of course, my darling,” Frigga patted his hand fondly. “What do you need?” Loki glanced at Claire before turning back to Frigga.

“I wondered if Claire and I could have just a moment alone.” he asked. Frigga challenged him with a raised brow, staring at him pensively over the rim of her teacup.

“More than you’ve already had?” she asked. Loki and Claire both froze, Claire choking on her tea and beginning to cough. “Relax, my darlings-”

“We haven’t broken the rules!” Claire said urgently.

“I’ve been helping Claire prepare for her role, nothing more,” Loki added. “Mother-”

“Hush,” Frigga said calmly as she straightened in her chair. “I already know this.”

“You do?”

“Darling girl,” Frigga scoffed gently as she pierced Claire with her knowing gaze. “You made a rather drastic improvement without warning. It was obvious you had assistance. And simultaneously, by some miracle, Loki’s outlook also began to improve. It was not difficult to discern what was happening,” she smirked, glancing between the pair. “I am no fool; I have raised two sons to adulthood. But results are results, and I was glad to see you happy,” she smiled at Loki. “And to see you faring better.” she extended a hand to Claire.

“Mother-”

“If you did not break any additional rules, it shall remain our secret.” Frigga promised.

“We have not.”

“The risk isn’t worth it,” Claire added, warming Loki with her sincerity. “We both understand the rules and the reason behind them. We’re both doing this for bigger reasons than ourselves, and we understand we will largely be in the public eye. We just didn’t want the start of our physical relationship to be the same way.”

“Ah,” Frigga nodded in understanding. “As someone who did not meet her husband until we arrived at the altar, I completely understand.”

“Would you allow it?” Loki asked. Frigga said nothing, bridging her fingers in front of her tea cup as she stared them down. Claire was used to being under scrutiny, under threat of death, but her future mother-in-law’s discerning gaze made her sweat.

“I will cover for you for exactly five minutes,” she finally agreed, relaxing and taking a sip of tea. “I am trusting you to follow the other rules as you have until now.”

“Thank you, mother.” Loki got to his feet and offered Claire his hand. Claire grinned and took it, letting him lead her away from the table.

“What shall we discuss in our time together?” Frigga asked as they disappeared into the garden. Claire looked back to see Frigga chatting with mirror images of the two of them.

“Your mom is awesome,” Claire laughed as they made their way deeper into the thick of the garden. “Can you do that too?”

“I can,” Loki replied as they came upon a lush willow tree. Loki tugged her beneath the tree’s canopy, the long leafy boughs shielding them from any passersby. “I could show you, if you wanted. But is that really how you wish to spend our limited time together?”

“Nah, I’ll take a rain check. I’d rather kiss you stupid.” Claire let him press her against the tree.

“You, kiss me stupid?” Loki scoffed as he towered over her. His gaze dropped to her lush lips as he leaned closer, his arm snaking around her waist. “You’re rather confident for someone who gets weak in the knees when I merely kiss your hand.”

“Shut up,” Claire giggled. “I’ll have you know I’m quite the ball-buster back home. You should be flattered.” She poked a finger in his chest, flattening her palm against him as he stepped even closer. They were chest to chest now, and Claire’s heart was thundering in her ears. Loki looked so handsome she wanted to eat him alive.

“Who says I’m not?” he purred. His lips hovered over hers teasingly, both of them drunk on the delectable liquor of finally being able to touch. Tired of waiting, Claire cupped the back of his neck and pulled Loki down, sighing happily as he crowded her against the tree. The kisses on her knuckles had alluded to Loki’s skill, but this was a different experience with all new thrills. His lips were soft and warm, and she could faintly taste the tea he’d sipped before they’d escaped. After being denied any sort of touch for so long, Claire wanted to remember everything.

Loki licked at her lips, humming with delight when she pulled him closer. Their shared breath became heated as they both fought the urge to tear off the offending clothing between them. His long fingers grasped at the material of her dress, tugging her against him insistently.

Loki’s hair was soft and looped easily around her fingers as she sank her hands into the tresses. Claire pulled away long enough to work her fingers beneath his collar, gasping when his large hand groped at her breast. Loki reclaimed her mouth, making her dizzy with want as he made love to her with his tongue. Unlike other men she’d kissed, Loki didn’t shove his tongue down her throat. Instead, he stoked her desire with measured teasing strokes that had her insides melting and her knees quaking.

Loki pulled away from her reluctantly, supporting her weight with a knowing smile.

“Do you feel better?” he asked softly.

“Much better.” Claire smiled up at him, soaking up the feel of him pressed against her as he kissed her forehead. He wrapped his arms around her, tucking her under his chin as she hugged him tightly. She could feel his pulse racing in his throat, and felt a wave of satisfaction that he was just as affected as she was.

“This was an excellent idea,” he murmured. “It may be difficult to steal moments like these once we are both entrenched in our duties, but I would like to-”

“I’d like that too. I know all this-” Claire gestured beyond the tree’s hanging boughs. “Is mostly a performance for others, but this is private.” She wound their fingers together, clasping their hands tightly.

“It shall stay that way. I am a very private person.”

“I’ve noticed,” Claire smiled. “But I agree. I don’t share well.” she hummed with satisfaction as he kissed her again, her eyes slipping closed as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“You’ll never share me, little wife. I am yours as you are mine,” Loki promised softly. “We should return,” he ran his hand down her arm, lifting her knuckles to his mouth before dotting kisses upon her wrist and forearm. “We are overdue.”

“If you keep doing that, you’re gonna have to carry me.” Claire murmured as his lips caressed the exposed skin at her inner elbow.

“Are you unwell?” he gave a teasing smirk when a whimper escaped her. It was unfair, honestly, how a simple kiss could make her clit throb with need. He traced his lips along her skin, pressing more kisses inside the sleeve openings at her bicep and at her shoulder. His warm breath caressed her skin delicately as he clutched possessively at her waist. “Perhaps I can help,” he placed another kiss upon her collar bone, searing her flesh and making desire flood her veins. “Better?” he breathed against her flushed skin, grinning mischievously when she clutched him to her. “Your scent...it shall drive me mad.” he murmured as he nosed at her neck, peppering kisses upon her skin and making her writhe against him.

“Loki-”

“Gods, I cannot wait to make you fall apart beneath me,” he licked at her skin, drawing the tender flesh between his teeth as her nails dug into his shoulders. “We shall have endless amounts of fun together.”

Approaching footsteps pulled their attention from each other and they sprung apart. The skin at Claire’s neck smarted delightfully, but any mark would have given them away instantly. Loki soothed the skin with a brush of his thumb, using seidr to remove the faint mark he’d left behind.

“Thanks.” Claire grabbed his hand appreciatively, grateful he’d thought about it.

“Of course.” the couple shared a secretive smile as they emerged from under the tree to see Frigga approaching them. The queen took in their flushed faces and smiles before giving them a knowing look.

“There you are, my darlings. I trust all is well?”

“Very well, Mother. Thank you.”

“Of course. Now! Let us finish our walk before I must turn you over to the mercy of your guests.” she winked at them, gesturing for them to walk ahead of her on the cobblestone path.

“My lady?” Loki offered Claire his arm. Claire looped her arm through his, knocking into him gently with her hip. Loki looked at her with surprise before he knocked into her with his hip. Claire bumped into him again, making him stumble slightly. Frigga looked in with mild concern as Loki bumped into her harder, her concern giving way as the two burst into giggles. The pair took off down the path, shrieking with laughter and wearing matching smiles as Frigga trailed behind them with a smile of her own.

~~~~

After their interlude in the garden, Claire and Loki were ushered to their respective chambers to get ready for the guests arrival. Claire felt like she was floating on air, chitchatting with Ragna as they walked.

All through her preparation, as her hair was combed within an inch of its life, her nails buffed until they gleamed, and her lips painted with a shimmery gloss, the feeling remained. Looking in the mirror, Claire saw not just herself, but a respectable lady. Someone in love.

Was it too early to call it that? Claire had long since given up on any meaningful connection, but Loki had found a way past her defenses in such a short time that it frightened her a little.

Okay, a lot.

But wasn’t that part of love? Didn’t it make you feel like you could fly, but also like you were a ship about to be dashed upon the rocky shore?

“Lady Claire?” Ragna caught her attention with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s time.”

“Right,” Claire took a deep breath, looking back at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t have any answers, but maybe this was one of those things you just have to go through. She felt confident that because of their bond, she and Loki would work well together, and hopefully, be happy for years to come. “I’m ready.”

~~~~

Claire arrived in the throne room shortly after Loki, who looked devastatingly handsome in his formal leathers and cape. Claire’s intrusive thoughts wanted her to hug him from behind and bury her face between his shoulder blades. She settled for complimenting him since they were under heavy surveillance still.

“You look so fancy,” she murmured as she stepped up beside him. “No helmet today?”

“Not today, darling, you must be serious for once.”

“I can be serious.” Claire argued. Loki shot her a skeptical look. Claire made a silly face at him, catching him off guard and making him laugh. Behind Claire, Frigga made a stern face at the both of them, silently warning them to behave. This only served to make the pair laugh harder despite their best attempts to quiet down. The large doors opened, revealing the sea of people who’d come to see them. Claire’s stomach dropped, her anxiety suddenly dialed up to eleven. What if she did something stupid? What if she didn’t look the part?

“Don’t fuss, darling,” Loki said gently, squeezing her hand and preventing her from picking at her pristine nails. “You can do this.” he reassured her in the quiet before the storm.

“Thank you.” Claire squeezed back, grateful that he had noticed her distress, and that he had stepped in to soothe her.

“You’re welcome. Now chin up. You look lovely, and I know how confident you are,” he smiled. “Act like it.” he gave her hand another squeeze before the first guest approached. People were still spilling into the room, the line of guests to be greeted growing longer and longer. Loki stood at the head of their receiving line to Claire’s left, while Frigga and finally Odin stood to her right. Claire had assumed that the king and queen would greet the guests first, but Frigga had explained that the majority of the guests were allies of Asgard and therefore would come to pay respect to Odin, but also Loki and her by extension. Because they were the ones being celebrated, they would greet the guests first.

As a staff member told Loki the names of the first guests, Claire had a thought that maybe she should have binged The Crown before she came to Asgard. It probably would have been at least a little helpful.

She’d certainly get her curtsy down pat after today.

~~~~

Good God, was there any end to this line?! Claire felt as though she’d met enough people to fill an entire stadium. Her hands ached from shaking so many, her face hurt from the smile she had plastered on, her feet were screaming at her from inside the shoes she wore. She just wanted this to end.

“I didn’t realize you would be coming!” Claire exclaimed as she saw a group of familiar faces approaching Loki. “It’s so nice to see all of you.”

“Please,” Tony said, holding up a hand to stop her. “Don’t get too emotional, I’m a person just like you. Actually I take that back-” He grunted when his wife smacked him in the ribs.

“Ignore him,” the blonde said with a small smile. “I’m Pepper.” She offered her hand for Claire to take.

“Oh hi!” Claire said excitedly. “I’ve heard lots of great things about you; it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You too. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Hey, Rock of Ages, how’s it going?” Tony asked casually, unfazed by Loki’s glare as he held out his hand.

“How do you think?” he asked harshly, pointedly ignoring Tony’s hand.

“It’s just a question, buddy, relax. Congratulations.” Tony retracted his hand. A muscle ticked in Loki’s jaw as he clenched his fists. Beside Tony, Pepper facepalmed.

“Thank you.” Loki replied tersely as the couple continued down the line to greet Frigga. Steve stood waiting to greet Loki, along with Anja and a brunette man Claire didn’t recognize.

“Loki.” Steve offered his hand as he stepped in front of Loki.

“Rogers.” Loki shared a tense smile with the captain, squeezing his hand tightly. He released the captain after the appropriate amount of time, allowing him to sidestep and greet Claire.

“Hi Cla-”

“Captain,” Claire said icily. She still hadn’t forgiven Steve for choosing Rollins over her for the STRIKE team several years ago. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, thank you for the invitation,” Steve nodded politely. “Congratulations.” Steve stepped aside to greet Frigga, allowing Claire to observe Loki and Anja’s interaction.

“-Not being incarcerated has done wonders for me,” Loki said warmly. “Thank you for asking.”

“Of course,” Anja replied. “I’m glad you’re doing better.” she gave Loki a warm smile before stepping over to greet Claire.

“Shadow, right?” Claire asked, taking her hand.

“That’s me,” Anja smiled. “I’m your uncles favorite.” She stage whispered.

“Don’t let her lie, I’m his favorite.” Tony objected from further down the line. Frigga looked at him quizzically.

“I’m sure,” Claire giggled as Pepper dragged Tony away from Frigga to greet Odin. She turned back to Anja, clasping her hand in her own. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course! I love weddings, and this place is gorg-eous!” Anja sang. “Congratulations. This is my husband Bucky.” she gestured to the dark haired man beside her.

“Hi.” Claire shook his hand too.

“Oh, hi. I thought-” Claire glanced at Steve, her head cocked in confusion.

“I got a two-fer,” Anja grinned. “Our rabbi is very modern.”

“Oh, right on!” Claire laughed. Kudos to Anja for bagging two hot relics. “Thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for inviting us.” Bucky replied, shaking her hand before the throuple moved down the line.

Bruce and a brunette woman Claire didn’t recognize stepped in front of Loki. The tension between Bruce and Loki was instantly palpable and everyone seemed to take a collective breath as the two stared each other down. Claire remembered from the file in her room that Hulk had thrown Loki around Avengers tower like a rag doll. Yikes. Talk about awkward. After a moment, Bruce offered a hand shake in a show of peace. Loki glanced down at his hand and up to Bruce, pausing briefly before taking his hand grudgingly.

“Hi, Claire,” Bruce said softly as they stepped in front of her. “This is my wife Darcy.”

“Hi there!” Darcy chimed in brightly. Claire smiled back at them and shook their hands, thanking them for coming. The couple seemed to balance each other; where Bruce was reserved, Darcy was exuberant.

“Uh…congratulations.” Bruce offered meekly.

“This must be so awkward for the both of you,” Darcy said gently. “No offense, arranged marriage just seems so...eek.”

“It was at first,” Claire chuckled. “It’s gotten better.” Darcy patted her hand comfortingly.

“Good, good. I hope your first child is a masculine child.” Darcy spoke with gravitas, in a perfect impression of Luca Brasi. Claire curled her lips inward to contain her laughter. She liked Darcy. They would have been good friends.

“Thanks Darcy.” Claire finally managed. Loki looked on with confusion as Darcy curtsied before moving on to greet Frigga.

“What was that girl talking about?” he leaned close to ask.

“It was a movie reference, dear, I’ll explain later.” Claire snickered as Thor appeared (finally), at the end of the line. Claire was overjoyed to see the president of her home country bringing up the rear of the line as she’d asked, sulking like a spoiled child just as she’d known he would. She’d known he couldn’t be uninvited for the sake of appearances, of course, but he was no doubt the furthest from where he wanted to be. If Claire knew the slimy bastard like she thought she did, he was surely hoping to use the occasion for some peacocking.

“Welcome to Asgard,” Loki greeted the man politely, as if he hadn’t suggested the man’s miserable place in the line. “I trust your accommodations are to your liking?”

“Yes, yes, very fine,” the man mumbled. “Not as nice as my resort, but very fine.” Loki glanced over to Claire with a pointed look that clearly meant Is this fool serious? Claire arched her brow in response.

Yes. Unfortunately.

Loki’s brow ticked just slightly, as if to say I see.

“We will do everything we can to make your time in Asgard more comfortable. We appreciate you coming.” Loki said diplomatically.

“Congratulations,” the man mumbled, ambling over to Claire with an awkward gait. “I’d love to meet while I’m here-” he wheezed, sticking out his small hand for Claire to shake. “Get your opinion on a couple things.”

“That depends,” Claire replied coolly, pointedly ignoring his tiny hand. “Are you actually interested in what I have to say, or are you hoping I’ll fix the next election to keep you in power?” Loki glanced at her with giddy interest, delighted to see her sink her claws into her prey. The puny man grew red in the face and withdrew his hand.

“I won fair and square.”

“I’m sure,” Claire said placidly. “I’m also sure we can both agree that Asgard is a far more powerful ally than Russia.”

“Maybe we can work something out. You’re from the States, after all.”

“Be that as it may, I won’t be interceding on your behalf. You’ll have to get by on your own merit, if you’re able.”

“I’m more than able- the most able,” the man insisted. “I can make things very difficult for you.”

“Can you even reach my shoulders?” Claire scoffed. “I will not be blackmailed by some ineffectual, privileged, effete, soft-penised debutante. You want to start a street fight with me; bring it on, but you're gonna be surprised by how ugly it gets. You don't even know my name,” she sneered, leaning into the man’s space and making him shrink back. “I'm the fucking lizard king.”

Gods, she was magnificent. Was this what love felt like? Loki would have gladly given her anything she desired in that moment.

Several emotions flickered across the mans face; fear, indignation, embarrassment, and finally, rage. He looked comical with his wide eyes, his eye sockets two large circles of white amidst the rest of his carrot-orange face. He mumbled something unintelligible to Claire and beat a hasty retreat.

“That is the leader of your country?” Loki leaned in to scoff. “Why is he orange?” his lip curled in disgust as he watched the odious man greet Frigga and Odin, his off-colored lips flapping as he no doubt said something offensive.

“He insists it’s a tan.”

“He is delusional,” Loki muttered. “He looks like a sunburnt Krylorian,” Claire couldn’t have contained her laughter if she tried. She did manage to reign it in, but only after the butt of their private joke glared at her. “Oh dear, I think you’re in trouble darling.”

“Oh my god, stop,” Claire cackled, slapping at him ineffectually, as he continued to mock the short man and make her laugh. “You’re going to get us in trouble.”

“You don’t need my help for that, menace,” Loki said with pride, pulling her against him with an arm around her waist. “You’ve sent him running like a frightened dog. But what exactly is a lizard king?” Claire laughed again.

“It’s a quote from a tv show,” she replied as Thor arrived, heralding at last the end of the parade of guests. “Don’t worry, I’m not in any competing lines of succession.”

“Good to know,” Loki chuckled. “I should hate for anything to derail our big day.”

“Looking forward to it, are you?” Claire asked teasingly as he offered her his arm to lead her to the great hall. A long night of feasting, drinking and dancing with their guests awaited them, and Claire for one was very excited.

“It would be a pity if it didn’t happen. Everyone is already here, after all.” Loki murmured, pleased beyond measure when she laughed and let her head drop onto his shoulder. No one else quite grasped his sense of humor like she did. It made him feel something he couldn’t quite name but whatever it was, he knew he wanted to feel it always.

~~~~

Claire sank into the water with a groan of delight, overjoyed to soak her aching feet after such a long night. The opening feast was still in full swing in the great hall, but having accomplished everything she’d wanted to for the night, Claire had made an excuse to go to bed early.

She turned toward the open door as a creak sounded from outside it, smiling to herself. It could only be one person.

“You left early too?” she called.

“It was rather dull without you,” Loki replied from his post beyond the door. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” Claire laughed. “People think women are fragile so I was able to make an easy exit. Did I miss anything?”

“Not really. Things quieted down after your country’s...leader was separated from the captain and sergeant.” Claire snorted as she wet her hair in the steaming water.

“That’s probably for the best,” she cackled. “I can’t believe he had the nerve to ask them to take a photo with him,” her head shot up as a foul thought occurred to her. “You don’t think he’ll ask us for one, do you?”

“If he does, we’ll simply say no,” Loki chuckled. “I have no qualms about upsetting such a...how should I describe him?”

“An idiot?”

“Yes, that will do,” Loki agreed. “I have no qualms about upsetting an idiot,” The pair laughed together for a moment as they thought of the bumbling man downstairs. “Were you pleased by tonight’s event?”

“Oh yes, everything was wonderful! I am so full, I couldn’t eat another bite, but the food was so good I want more.”

“What of our guests? I saw you flitting about.”

“I’ll admit I had a bit of an agenda,” Claire laughed. “There were several politicians I wanted to talk to, and it was the perfect opportunity to pick their brains.”

“Did you manage to catch everyone you wished to speak to?”

“Yes! I was most excited to speak to Angela Merkel- she’s the first female chancellor of Germany; and Michelle Obama! Ah, such a remarkable woman, I really admire her. I asked her for leadership advice.”

“And did she give any?”

“Oh yes,” Claire sighed happily. “I don’t know how much I’ll be leading here, but I’d like to be like her. She’s very intelligent. Resilient. Level-headed and compassionate. She really cares about people.”

“I’m sure you’ll find opportunity,” Loki smiled. “Did you speak with anyone else?”

“Yes, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you!” Claire squealed excitedly. “Let it be known that, I, Claire Fisher, a lowly S.H.I.E.L.D agent and childhood resident of Compton, spoke to the QUEEN OF ENGLAND!”

“I had no idea you would be so excited about this,” Loki laughed, charmed by her enthusiasm. “Did she meet your expectations?”

“YES!” Claire squealed. “She was wonderful! She gave me leadership advice- and some marriage advice- and she’s SO funny! I love her so much, Loki, I never want her to leave.” Loki laughed heartily at that.

“Eventually we must let her go home, darling.”

“Oh alright, fine, she can leave.” Claire replied grumpily, sulking deeper into the water. She began to rub body wash into her skin, filling the humid air with the scent.

“What is that?” Loki asked. “That smell.” It smelled of intoxicating sweet flowers and musk.

“It’s body wash. In the Stars, from Bath and Body Works. It was a gift from my friends you met. FitzSimmons?”

“Ah yes, the scientists. I would have liked to speak to them more.”

“You should; I think you’d get along,” Claire smiled. “Anyway, they made me a going-away gift of self-care items and makeup. All of the scents are space or astronomy themed, which is so on brand for both of them. They also gave me all the lipsticks you’re so fond of.”

“I shall endeavor to thank them,” Loki smiled. “I assume you know them from S.H.I.E.L.D., but how did your role correlate to theirs?”

“Ah, well, as scientists, they would develop weapons and gear and whatnot, and every so often I would get to test their new toys in the field. They made a plasma cannon once that sadly did not get the final approval from the higher ups, but it was fun to play with.”

“I can imagine it was quite destructive.”

“Yeah, I spent a week filling out damage reports,” Claire cringed. “Still, it was disappointing to see it scrapped,” the pair fell into easy silence as Claire continued to scrub her skin. “Loki?”

“Yes?”

“Tell me about one of your disappointments.” the loaded request sat heavy on Loki’s shoulders. It was a request to be vulnerable, and Loki wondered how far he was willing to let his guard down where Claire was concerned.

“When I was a boy- well...I was at an odd stage- not quite a man, but no longer a boy- I had a very exciting opportunity to study some insects that were on the brink of extinction. I have always preferred my studies to the practices of Odin and Thor, but this was an exceptional chance to study creatures that were vastly important to their ecosystems. For whatever reason, it was nearly impossible to get them to breed, and so their numbers dwindled, and dwindled, until finally, there were only two males and one female left.”

“That does sound interesting.”

“My tutor was one of the utmost experts in the field, and whether by design or luck, he came into possession of these three beetles. For weeks we studied them, and my days were consumed with them. I felt...a kinship of sorts with them, because they were the last of their kind, and I was- I am- an outsider. I wondered whether they could feel, or perhaps even shared, my profound sense of isolation.”

“Oh, honey…”

“One day, Odin stormed into my daily lessons, demanding to know why I was not on the training field with Thor. I tried to explain what my tutor and I were attempting, but he would not listen. He cared only that I was neglecting my training. I should mention that military service is compulsory at one’s majority, which was rapidly approaching for me at that time. He meant well-”

“That doesn’t matter. Your studies were important too,” Claire replied. “What happened?”

“Odin crushed the female,” Loki said softly. “He then told me it no longer mattered and since the beetles were doomed, I would be better served focusing on what did matter. He dragged me to the training field and made me stay there for hours.”

“Jesus.”

“At one point I collapsed, because I had been in the hot sun for so long without food or water. Odin instructed one of the older boys to dump water on me, and when I woke, I was told I was pathetic and not fit to serve in the infantry, let alone as an officer.”

“That’s horrible.”

“Yes, well...I cannot isolate the time I learned how little I mattered to Odin into a single memory; it is a running theme of which he enjoys reminding me.”

“I’m so sorry, Loki. No one deserves to feel that way,” Claire said angrily. “For what it’s worth, you matter to me.” Silence fell once again as Loki wrapped his arms around himself on the other side of the door.

“Thank you.” he murmured after a beat.

“Would you like to know my disappointment?” Claire asked softly.

“Yes, of course.”

“In one of our first meetings, when we were talking about my-” Claire laughed. “My parentage was questionable at best, I believe were your words.”

“Which I regret.”

“That’s mine as well. That I don’t know who my father is. I don’t know what kind of person he is, what his favorite food is,” she said softly. “At least with Odin...you know what color his eyes are, what tea he likes.”

“Is it worse to know, or not to know?” Loki asked somberly.

“I don’t have an answer to that.”

“Hmm,” Loki said absently. “Finish your bath, darling. Meet me on the lounge when you’re ready.” he withdrew quickly, needing a moment alone to collect himself. Claire let him go, already knowing what he needed. She needed it too.

She finished her bath quickly, wrapping her hair in the towel after slipping into her pajamas. She stepped out to find Loki stretched out on the couch with his eyes closed.

“Scoot over.” Claire nudged him gently as she reached the couch, settling beside him when he scooted to make room.

“That is a rather daring head piece,” Loki squinted at her. “You’ll make quite a statement at court.”

“Shut up,” Claire laughed. “I’m not gonna snuggle with you if you’re gonna make fun of me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, darling,” came the chuckled reply. “What was the marriage advice? From the queen of England?” he asked as they settled on the couch facing each other. Claire laughed softly, smothering her mirth in the pillow beneath her head.

“To find little moments to share, so that even when the job prevents big moments from happening, you have something to hold onto.”

“That is...rather honest.”

“I was going to invite you to join me in the bath, but I knew you would say no,” Claire murmured, glancing over at him. “These rules are dumb; we’re breaking several right now.”

“Indeed we are,” Loki purred. “Less than forty-eight hours to go, little wife.” Claire giggled as she stretched out alongside him.

“Stay for a little while?” Claire asked as tiredness washed over her. Her eyes fluttered closed and she reached for him, tugging him closer with a hand on his hip.

“Of course.”

~~~~

Loki wasn’t sure what woke him, but he quickly realized he’d stayed far too long. The fire had died down, the dying embers casting a faint glow about the dark room. Claire lay tucked into his side, her warm body pressed deliciously close. Her hands clutched his bare skin, having wormed beneath his clothes as they slept.

“Norns,” Loki swore under his breath as he spied the blue tinge on the horizon. As much as he was enjoying their current predicament, he needed to leave. “Darling, I have to go.”

“Did we sleep too long?” Claire mumbled.

“A little. Get to bed, little wife.” Claire hummed when Loki kissed her forehead.

“Wait, let me walk you out,” Claire mumbled as she got to her feet. She rubbed her tired eyes as Loki stretched. Claire seized the opportunity and hugged him, nuzzling her face into his chest as he returned her affection. “I wish you could stay.”

“I shall see you in just a few hours, darling. Will you miss me terribly?” Claire nodded, eyes slipping closed as he squeezed her tightly.

“Yes,” Claire’s voice was muffled against his chest. “See you soon.”

“Sleep well, my darling,” Loki leaned down to kiss her forehead, but he was taken by surprise when Claire rose up to her tiptoes to kiss him. She wound her arms around his neck, pulling him in with the spell she cast. Loki let himself be pulled in, any argument dying as his hands skirted beneath her clothes. His fingers danced along her skin, palms bracketing her ribs as his thumbs just grazed the swell of her breasts. “Claire-”

“Sorry, not sorry,” Claire sighed as she released him, trailing her hands through his curly hair before she fully let him go. “I couldn’t help myself.” she grinned mischievously as he brushed her wild hair from her face. Miraculously, her still-damp towel was still on her head, but several locks of hair had escaped.

“Good night,” Loki drew both her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “See you soon.”

#loki fic #covenant #loki x ofc #loki

38 notes · View notes

beauty-and-passion · 1 month

Text

TMA - Chapters 41-50: Everyone is Michael

Hello people, welcome back to the beginning of TMA season 2! Ten more chapters are waiting and I am ready to find out if this season is gonna start with a bang or not.

I have high expectations.

<< Main Masterlist < Previous post

_______________________________

MAG 40.1 - Season 2 Trailer

Oh, a trailer! And it was… absolutely incomprehensible and cryptic af. All I got is that a trapdoor should’ve been locked, which translated from author-to-reader means: “The trapdoor is open and some weird supernatural shit will come out of it during the season”.

Well played, Mr. Sims. Now I really want to know more.

_______________________________

MAG 41 - Too Deep

Ooooh, statement of Jonathan Sims? And it’s about the recently discovered tunnels! I love that we start season 2 directly from where we left in season 1: Jon is recovering, Jane Prentiss is recently dead (I suppose they burned her, considering the ashes) and there are a shit ton of tunnels to explore.

Also, Jon is now paranoid. Great, that’s exactly what he needed.

Jokes aside, this is an amazing choice from a writing perspective, because it’s perfectly justifiable. Jon got assaulted by Jane Prentiss and her worms on July 29th, now it’s September 2nd. It’s been a little more than one month, of course he’s still haunted by the idea that Jane (or other things) might be alive and spying on him.

Even if the feeling of being watched is not just paranoia. I bet everything that it’s Big Brother’s fault for that.

And just to confirm my words, it seems that the Archives have been built on part of this ex Millbank prison, which was built by following the idea of the Panopticon. You know, the prison centered around the idea of making the prisoners feel like they’re always watched, thanks to the central tower.

I love the idea of the Panopticon: it’s extremely cool and I’m very happy to see it here too… but it also proves I am right and Big Brother is some supernatural shit who watches everyone and has something like one million eyes or whatever.

The goddamn weird tunnels. And what about that incorporeal voice telling Jon to leave, right after inviting him to go down? I am extremely curious now, I want to know more! Who was it? Big Brother? Another supernatural shit?

Ah, so Jon will now add supplements to the statements, hide them from his staff just like he hid the existence of the second tape recorder and will put these parts away with precise instructions for his replacement, in case he dies. Great, so he’s this paranoid. Basically one step away from being pathological.

Fine, from one side, I can understand him because he faced some heavy shit not too long ago and he cannot trust anyone. So his sentence “Trust can get you killed” is understandable.

But I also watched Gravity Falls and I’ve learned that “trust no one” doesn’t help, especially if there is a demon watching/haunting you. So please, Jon: please. Be safe. Don’t pull a Dipper Pines on us. Don’t force me to start calling you Jon Dipper. Or Jipper.

And trust someone before some bad shit happens. You’re trying to find Gertrude Robinson’s killer and we all know it was Elias (don’t “first suspect” me and yourself, we both know it was him). So, since Elias already killed one person and he’s in cahoots with the Lukas family, you REALLY need as many allies as possible.

_______________________________

MAG 42 - Grifter’s Bone

Here we are, back with simple, meh statements. This time, it’s “weird supernatural band kills with their weird supernatural music”. It’s a shame we don’t see how they do it, I would’ve loved to see the whole process. But I also understand that leaving this to the reader’s imagination is a good choice to make something scary.

Also, Alfred Grifter looking up after the massacre and asking “Encore?” is probably the most badass move of the series until now. He might be some minor supernatural shit, but that was a real power move. I respect him a little bit after this.

Glad to notice Jon’s skepticism is back too, but after the end of season 1, now I know why he does it and I understand. Also, his skepticism doesn’t seem as “stubborn” as before and that’s another great writing choice because it shows how all these supernatural shits are affecting him.

Also, since Jon is in Paranoia Land now, I suppose that emphasizing skepticism helps him hide his true intentions, which are… sigh, controlling Martin. Seriously, can this poor guy take a vacation? First the worms, then Jane Prentiss, now Jipper. Martin can’t even be competent, that his boss will question it - all while insulting his poetic skills. The paranoia made Jon even more of an asshole than before.

What? Martin is worried about the others finding out he’s been lying? Lying about what? Jane Prentiss? His supposed incompetence? His poetic skills? His need to go on vacation? In any of these cases, don’t worry, Martin: just take your stuff and go as far away from this Institute as possible.

I still dream something like this for Martin.

_______________________________

MAG 43 - Section 31

I feel Basira will be a recurring character from now on. I mean, she is currently working on Gertrude’s case and she is a Section 31 - i.e. she dealt with supernatural shits before. But she’s not the only one: we also have Alice “Daisy” Tonner, who came in contact with “spider husks” and, for me, that means one thing only: “Spider Mom & gang”. So I bet these two women will probably be involved again with any other supernatural shit happening in this Institute.

It was also very cool to find out the name of the guy from MAG 12: Diego Molina. And I remember that, when he and Gerard were brought to the hospital, Gerard asked if Diego had “a small book bound in red leather and a brass pendant with an eye design”. The eye pendant is probably related to Big Brother, while the red book basically confirmed it was one of Leitner’s chaos books. I already suspected this considering Gerard was after that, but glad to see an implicit confirmation.

Speaking of the supplement, Jon gained access to the tapes in Gertrude’s room and I’m glad about that because we will surely find something cool and scary. But I’m also sure that’s the easiest way for Jon to get himself killed, so I’m a bit scared for his life.

Also, how weirdly cute is this part?

“I only ever spoke to Gertrude once or twice during her time as archivist. I-I was very new. I don’t remember what her voice sounded like.”

Jon sounds so young, here. Almost like a child. I mean, I imagined he was in his thirties or something, but I actually have no idea how old is he. Is he younger? How old is he?

Also, it’s just nice to see this little moment of him being so… soft and human, with his predecessor. He barely knew her, he barely spoke to her, he probably looked at her and saw just an older, stern figure. But now, he’s in the same position. They became a lot closer than they ever were. It’s fascinating - and there’s a lot of potential for angst too, so I’ll brace myself for it.

_______________________________

MAG 44 - Tightrope

A statement recorded by Gertrude! it was such a pleasant surprise to finally hear her voice! And she sounds amazing <3

As soon as I heard it was a statement from a guy in Algasovo, I felt it was connected to something I already knew. I remembered there was a circus mentioned in season 1 and, after a little bit of research, I found it: MAG 24, Цирк другого: the Circus of the Other. Ringmaster Gregor Osinov and organist Nikolai Denikin - whose granddaughter recorded the abovementioned statement.

Sure, here it’s called Другой Цирк, which is correctly translated as “Another Circus”. So my question is: which is correct? Did the circus change its name? MAG 44 is from the 70s, while the photo mentioned in MAG 24 was from 1948. Maybe the circus was called Цирк другого, then it changed its name after Denikin left and became Другой Цирк. Anyway, it was very interesting to read and I was so sure it was the smae circus mentioned before (despite the different names). So when Jon mentioned Gregor Osinov, my smile grew bigger than ever :D

Speaking of Jon, he asks some very interesting questions: Gertrude knows a lot more than it seems. And she didn’t finish recording everything in the archive. Why? Was that her way to oppose Big Brother/the Lukas family/the “crimson curse”? Maybe Big Brother can “eat” these statements, so by stopping her recordings, Gertrude was voluntarily leaving it hungry, as a sort of “fuck you, I won’t get eaten by you” kind of thing.

Or maybe she just wanted to not do her job anymore, thus provoking the Lukas family to fire her for not doing anything. Or maybe she was just too busy trying to find a way to escape, to record statements like an insane you-know-who who keeps recording stuff because he wants to find out the truth even if the truth can get him killed.

Did someone find Jon’s tapes? Or is he in full Jipper mode and maybe the drawer wasn’t even ajar? In any case, now he’s hiding them too, which reminds me of Gertrude and her secret hidden library and I don’t like the parallel at all. I don’t want to see Jon dead on a chair, in a room, surrounded by his secret library.

_______________________________

MAG 45 - Blood Bag

Another meh statement, even if this time I’m quite perplexed by the weird turn of events.

I mean, once Dr. Thompson sold his syringe, there was a sudden spike in heat, the ‘haemoglobish’ became real blood and the mosquitoes decided to wait for their moment to kill the doctor. They’re a lot of weird consequences and they don’t seem too connected either - especially the heat. Why is there always some heat involved?

While speaking of the mosquitoes planning revenge… yes, this is the most plausible thing. These little bitches always plan revenge on everyone.

So, the doctor’s buyer is “Indonesian, I think, or Samoan”. It’s Salesa, isn’t it? Yep, Jon confirms it. Well, I suppose he will be another recurring character. And if Gerard can smell Leitner’s book, Salesa can smell any supernatural shit and make a profit from it. In this case, I suppose the syringe was a real lucky charm or whatever, considering how everything degenerated once the doctor got rid of it.

“Can’t stand mosquitoes. Horrible things.”

You and me, Jon. You and me. Glad to know that, even if he’s in full Jipper mode, he can still be very relatable.

I know Jon was super paranoid with Martin, but he might have a point about Tim. I mean, a guy with this resume decides to work in a place that isn’t so appreciated by normal people? And he doesn’t seem too interested in the supernatural either. Why is he here, to bribe people to get info and do whatever the fuck he wants? If that’s the reason… honestly, mood. I loved him before, I would just appreciate him even more for the power move.

Jonathan Sims, Master at Hiding Things, gets caught by Martin in 0.2 seconds because he’s so clever to record his paranoid thoughts in the middle of a working day, in a place where everyone can enter. A genius.

But now I’m curious to know where he will go to record these statements. I can almost see him, all crammed up into a closet, while Martin searches for him with a cup of tea in his hand.

_______________________________

MAG 46 - Literary Heights

Oh gosh, I LOVE this chapter.

First of all, as soon as Michael Crew was mentioned, I immediately checked the previous chapters and here he was: MAG 17, the Boneturner’s Tale. Also, if my last theory is correct, Michael Crew and Supernatural Micheal are the same thing. And you know what? I think this statement confirmed it. But one thing at a time.

Second: my man Leitner! Ex Altiora my beloved! We finally know where it was and what it is! It’s a poem and I ADORE the plot. It’s such a perfect mix of weird, suspense and desperation… uuuurgh, I’m so mad I can’t read it, because this plot can be developed into a fantastic story.

And now, let’s put together all the pieces we have:

Michael Crew is interested in the Leitner.

Michael Crew has “a branching pattern of white scar tissue” on himself.

Jon reminds us that, in MAG 4, Mr. Swain said there was a “woodcut of the dark night sky, with the branching, arching design of the Lichtenberg figure” inside Ex Altiora.

This drawing isn’t mentioned by Mr. Knox here.

Lichtenberg figures have a branched shape, similar to the shape of lightning discharges, and appear on the surface/inside insulating materials during dielectric rupture. But they can also appear on lightning victims.

They are also “natural phenomena which exhibit fractal properties”.

In MAG 4, Mr. Swain says Michael Crew got struck by lightning when they were kids.

Michael Crew is surrounded by smells associated with lightning and electric discharges.

Michael Crew has been followed by a tall, thin figure, “its limbs angular and branching”.

Supernatural Michael has angular and branching limbs.

Supernatural Michael Is associated with fractals too.

The figure also “crackled and fizzed, lit by a strobing white light, as though the lightning was within the room itself”.

When Michael Crew reaches the bell tower, the prays something with the words “altiora,” “vertigo,” and “the vast”. then he says “I’m yours”, leaps through the open window and disappears.

Now, here’s my explanation:

Micheal Crew was followed by a supernatural shit. This supernatural shit was the same immense figure mentioned in the poem of Ex Altiora.

Micheal probably came into contact with it when he was a child and got struck by the lightning. Since then, he started to resonate with Vertigo/the Vast just like Jane Prentiss started to resonate with the Hive.

(Also, since Jane Prentiss’ supernatural shit was “the hive”, I think I’ll call this one “the vast” because it was a bit odd that he specifically said “the vast” with a definite article)

So, since Michael Crew came into contact with the Vast and started to resonate with it, he was accompanied by smells associated with lightning/electric discharges and he started to search for all kinds of magic books, trying to find a way to properly connect with it/being consumed by it, just like Jane Prentiss did with the Hive.

In Prentiss’ case, she connected through the wasps’ nest and got “consumed” by the Hive. Michael Crew tried to do the same by using different methods mentioned in the books, but failed. He had to find something stronger to connect to the Vast. And that something turned out to be a tale featuring the Vast itself, told by my man Leitner.

So Michael got it and waited for a storm. And as soon as the storm came, he ran towards it, calling for the Vast. And when the Vast appeared, it looked like that figure similar to an actual lightning.

Michael sang/prayed for it (please notice how Mr. Knows refers to his words like a chant first and a prayer later, just like Jane Prentiss talked about the song of the Hive. These little shits truly talk through songs) and closed his invocation, by saying “I’m yours”, which can be also read as “I give my body to you”.

And so, he jumped. And by doing that, he gave his body to the Vast and the Vast became him. And that turned him into Michael the Supernatural Shit, also known as Best Boyo of this series.

If all of this is true, then:

it’s very cool

his name isn’t Mr. Distortion, but Mr. Vast. Still cool, but Best Boyo is better :P

And if this is true, that also means my previous Leitner theory was completely wrong. His books don’t turn you into the protagonist: his books are about the real, actual supernatural shits living in this world and by getting the right one, it’s easier to connect to the supernatural shit in question. They’re like… facilitators, in a way.

That also puts into question Gerard’s work. What is he actually doing, by searching and destroying all Leitner’s books? Maybe he’s saving the world, because without books it’s more difficult to connect to these supernatural shits. But destroying the books doesn’t mean getting rid of the supernatural shits themselves and these books might actually be useful to recognize all supernatural shits and “catalog” them. I don’t know, I need more info about these two guys and what they’re actually doing.

And yes, there’s also Spider Mom taking possession of the hidden tunnels of the institute and she’s probably the one who opens the door and maybe she even walks around in her human form and that’s very cool too. Just… how fricking cool is this statement?! I think it’s among my top favorites, along with MAG 2, MAG 5, MAG 20, MAG 26 and MAG 39.

(Now that I think about it, I should probably do a top of my favorite statements once I finish the whole series. It would be fun.)

_______________________________

MAG 47 - The New Door

Holy shit. Just holy shit.

I thought this was just a simple statement. A statement featuring a tall blonde guy. And yes, I was 200% sure it was Michael. But I just though he appeared and did some weird supernatural shit.

For a while, he did it: he made a door in that house, Mrs. Richardson got lost inside it for three days and escaped just because one of the mirrors was “empty” and didn’t reflect Michael. So she did what everyone who met a supernatural shit did: she went to the Institute. My theory about “hiding behind a bigger predator” seems even more convincing.

I loved the little moment when Mrs. Richardson asked Jon if he believed her and Jon admitted that yes, he believes her. It’s a tiny exchange of words, but it’s enough to show the massive change in Jon from season 1. Before, he would’ve been more stern and showed more skepticism (fake or real whatsoever). But now, after all he went through, he’s showing a softer, more empathetic side. Jon is truly evolving as a character.

And speaking of characters, time to talk about the real shit and time to overanalyze everything:

Michael’s voice is perfect

First of all, I ADORE Michael. Sorry Tim, you deserve the world, but Michael’s soft laughs and the way he gently mocks Jon because he’s this powerful supernatural shit while Jon is just a mere human it’s just too adorable. His voice is too adorable. And the distortion effect makes him very creepy - but still extremely adorable. I love him so much.

Domains?

This part about domains is very fascinating and, in a way, it confirms my theory about the supernatural shits having territories like mafia bosses.

But it seems like they don’t simply take a place and own it. It’s a bit like they are these places. As if these domains are an appendix of them. So I suppose Michael doesn’t simply “make doors pop up”: he is the doors and the corridors. such a cool concept, it makes these supernatural shits look even more eldritch and… well, supernatural. Love it.

But also: if my theory about Big Brother is correct, does that mean Big Brother isn’t just hidden in the Magnus Institute, but is the Institute? Mmmh, I need more details.

It’s also very interesting how Michael refers to Mrs. Richardson as “the Wanderer”. Since it doesn’t seem like Mrs. Richardson is a supernatural shit, I suppose that “the Wanderer” is a name to identify the people who enter the domain of a supernatural shit and become food. But since calling them “food” isn’t nice, Michael (and maybe other supernatural shits) opted for a more sophisticated name, like “the Wanderer”.

Also, Michael reconfirms he’s a poet and I love him so much.

The concept of identity (and maybe my theory already failed?)

That’s another interesting part. Michael considers itself a “what”, because “it requires a degree of identity I can’t ever retain”. And this connects to its domain: since it’s so huge and can “overlap” reality by creating new spaces inside it (inanimate spaces), it was probably easier for Michael to identify itself as a “what” rather than a “who”.

But this distorted appearance made me think: wait, probably my brand new theory about Michael as Mr. Vast is completely wrong.

If Michael’s power is being distorted and making weirdly long, distorted corridors (that confirms Michael was probably the voice who told Jon to leave, when he explored the tunnels in MAG 41), that doesn’t line up with the previous statement, where the Vast’s power was related to lightning and to being this colossal figure.

At the same time, Michael laughs with a weird, distorted effect as if it’s more people in one figure and this detail seems coherent with my theory.

So I think there are two possible solutions now:

my theory is correct and Michael can both be hugely vast and very distorted

my theory is wrong and Michael Crew just offered himself to another supernatural shit

Or maybe the correct option is:

3. Mr. Sims is the biggest troll of all mankind and he made a series in which every supernatural shit is named Michael and this explains why everyone is named Michael and why Michael is such a familiar name. If this is true I would respect him even more.

Jokes aside, I really need more information now. Especially I need Michael (this one at least) to talk about itself and its powers. And maybe all other Michaels should talk a bit about themselves too. At least enough to confirm if my theory is right or wrong.

A war?!

No, wait, you cannot drop this bomb, tease us like this, then leave. Stay here and explain!

Okay, so the Institute is important. It should stay where it is, because losing it would bring imbalance in the hidden war that’s going on - between supernatural shits, I suppose.

In MAG 41, Jon said the Archives stand on an ex-prison, built around the concept of the Panopticon. This could explain why this place is needed: a place from where you can spy on everything and everyone is a great leverage in a war.

My question is: what are the sides of this war? I suppose that one side is Big Brother and maybe the weird supernatural fog of the Lukas family, but the other? The supernatural meat? And the spider gang? On which side was Jane Prentiss with the Hive?

And what are they all fighting for? To take over the world? To eat as many humans as possible? Or maybe the “All Michael theory” is correct and since all these shits are named Michael, they decided that the last one standing will officially take the name Michael and all others will have to choose another name? All while Best Boyo Michael decided “fuck this shit, I’ll keep this name anyway because it’s just a name and my identity is more than this”?

You know what? I love the All Michael Theory. It’s stupid and yet it somehow works. If it’s true, it would immediately turn the whole series from dramatic to comic, but I love it.

_______________________________

MAG 48 - Lost in the Crowd

Oooh, a statement settled in Italy! Never visited Genoa, but now it deserves a visit. After all, I already think about this goddamn series every time I see a spider and have to kill it, so why not going to Genoa and fearing weird supernatural shits? Apparently, they love to go anywhere. Was this one taking a vacation?

Speaking of vacations: honestly, I never expected to see my man Gerard, rebel punk and goth, chilling in Italy with a bright shirt on. I hope you’re also wearing some nice shorts, Gerard. And no combat boots. Or sandals with socks. The Italian fashion police can be way worse than any supernatural shits.

So, my man went to Mrs. Nunis, told her she was “marked” and told her to think about her mother. To remember her. To, you know, feel less alone. I immediately thought about Naomi and how she too felt alone, when the mysterious fog tried to “eat” her in MAG 13.

But this time there wasn’t really a fog: the sunny day simply became overcast. So maybe the fog isn’t supernatural but… the clouds are? But then, what about the weird fog from MAG 33? Or maybe, the fog simply hides the real supernatural shit, which is this weird faceless crowd. And this time the fog was on vacation too.

Or maybe Italy’s weather is too warm for the thick UK fog, so the fog dispersed and left only the crowd. I’ll admit it, it would be hilariously funny if a supernatural shit is simply an atmospheric element end you can get rid of it by traveling far enough or by using, idk, an electric fan.

So one question remains: what was Gerard doing in Italy? Was he truly searching for a Leitner? Or maybe he was really taking a vacation? I like to think it’s the second one: unlike Jon “Trust No One” Sims and Martin “Self-preservation is overrated” Blackwood, my man Gerard knows when it’s time to get the fuck out and take a vacation. So he left all the supernatural shits and books to chill on a beach, take a cafè and eat some real food.

Great choice, Gerard, Genoa is a beautiful place.

Speaking of the supplement, Jon realized Michael was warning him about Sasha! But unfortunately, thanks to Not!Sasha’s evil powers, Jon cannot understand what the problem with her is. Damn you, evil imposter! Give Sasha back!

Jon “Jipper” Sims, Master of Secrecy, after being caught by Martin in 0.2 seconds, got caught both by Martin and Tim again and they both immediately realized Jon was spying on them. So they reported him to Elias.

See? See where “trust no one” brings you, Jon? Please, stop spying on them like a creep. why don’t you start spying Elias, instead? He’s the most suspicious guy that ever walked on this planet, why the fuck are you wasting time with your team when you have him?

_______________________________

MAG 49 - The Butcher’s Window

I read the title and I immediately was: “The meat is back, isn’t it?”

But it’s not just the meat, it’s our old friend Jared! And he does incredibly weird creepy things! And I like them, because they’re creepy without being gorey. You know, it’s just too easy to use gore: scaring without gore is harder and I appreciate it.

Also, what the fuck is the weird… underground superleech he’s feeding? Is that the boneturner? Is this the name of this supernatural shit? After all, every supernatural shit seems to have a name that starts with the definite article: the hive, the vast, the boneturner.

And if we add up all the things we discovered until now, that means that Jared became the Boneturner/the body of the Boneturner thanks to the Leitner’s book that “facilitated” the connection and, since he became that thing, that thing also became him. So the underground creepy superleech is still part of him and by feeding it, he’s feeding himself too.

You know, the whole process of feeding it was creepy, fine, but it made me smile too because… come on, it looks like a guy throwing snacks at his dog. That’s funny.

But not as funny as the mental image of this weird superleech I got, that resembles something like this:

This is a sea lamprey. It’s not a leech, but it’s the closest animal to represent what I imagined. And yes, this is a real living creature on this planet. You’re welcome, glad to know this will haunt your dreams too.

A-ah! We finally got more info about Elias! I knew it was weird that he managed to go from filing clerk to head of the Institute, but I had no idea he became head of the Institute just in five goddamn years. What did he do, did he kill everyone else? Did he kill James Wright too? Did this man also “die on the job” as Gertrude?

Also, how absolutely, insanely funny is it to think that Elias was a pothead? I read it and I was like… what? This guy?! I always imagined him like a posh guy and now you tell me he was smoking crack or whatever? That’s too funny, I love that and it would be hilarious if that’s the reason why he killed everyone else: not because of the Lukas family, not because of the supernatural shits: just because he wants to hide his past.

_______________________________

MAG 50 - Foundations

Oooh, another old statement addressed to Jonah Magnus! I suppose that’s how the Institute started: with this guy walking back and forth inside his house, surrounded by creepy stories. A bit like Jon now. And nope, I don’t like this parallel.

The story itself is very meh. It’s not really creepy nor scary, just “mysterious guy appears outside an office” and “fingers on a stone uuuh”.

This statement probably served to remind us about Robert Smirke’s existence. Jon probably forgot, but I remember that in season 1, he said Tim mentioned him an architect he was obsessed with and this architect was Robert Smirke. So I suppose this guy is important.

We also have Sir George Gilbert Scott now. When Mr. Kempthorne said Scott’s projects had odd symmetries and seemed claustrophobic, they reminded me of the underground tunnels of the Institute. Is it possible that one of these guys is responsible for the construction of the ex Millbank prison? I suppose only time will tell.

I died laughing when Tim thought Jon was hitting on Basira. How he went from “That woman is weird” to “Good job boss, get her”. He’s the best, I love him.

_______________________________

In conclusion

Oh my, what a start for season 2! We have more Michaels than ever, too many theories and lots of mysteries I still can’t grasp.

I want more. I want to know more about Michael, I want to find out which theory is correct. Is Michael Crew one of the many identities of Best Boyo Michael? Is Michael vast and distorted or they’re two different Michaels? Is every supernatural shit named Michael? Is Elias just a pothead trying to survive in a world full of supernatural shits? Is Gerard still on holiday?

We’ll meet back soon with ten more chapters.

>> Next post

(How about a coffee? ☕)

_______________________________

TAGLIST:

@royalprinceroman @mudpuddlenl @allmycrushesaredead @aquatedia @whatishappeningrightnow @effortiswhatmatters @bella-in-a-bag @doydoune @forever-third-wheeling @payte @hypnossanders @idontreallyknow24 @imcrushedbyarainbowoffical @patton-cake @hereissananxiousmess @purplebronzeandblue @cynicalandsarcastic @lost-in-thought-20 @andtheyreonfire

@riseofthewerewolf @rosesandlove44 @chewy-rubies @groaaaaan @arya-skywalker @csi-baker-street-babes @queen-of-all-things-snuggly @reesiereads @dracayd-universe @starlightnyx @stubbornness-and-spite @averykedavra @joyrose-fandomer @mihaela-tbg @igonnatalknothing

@thatoneloudowl @grayson-22 @softangryfuckingdepressed @theotherella @boopypastaissalty @nevenastark @varthandiveturinn @roses-bubbles @cuter-on-the-inside @coldbookworm @snixxxsmythe @charmingcritter @analogical-mess @emphasis-on-the-oopsie @selfdestructivecat @yangwalkerao3 @the3rddenialist

#the magnus archives #tma #magnus archives #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #michael #michaels everywhere #gerard keay #jurgen leitner #leitner books #elias bouchard

25 notes · View notes