Syd

20 | ♓️ | she/her requests are open!!

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

Masterlist

Hey guys!!! I don’t have a lot of fanfic out here, but I thought I’d make a masterlist anyways now that you can pin posts just in case I do decide to post more fics. Hope you enjoy!! And I do take requests, as well :)

Key: smut= *, fluff=^, angst=•

Stranger Things

Eddie

Exile• (discontinued)- You’re new to Hawkins High and try to join the Hellfire Club, but Eddie doesn’t think you’re the “right fit” for the club.

Battle of the Bands* - You and Eddie “hang out” after you see each other perform at a Battle of the Bands.

Eddie Headcanons* - just some headcanons about hawkins’ (least) favorite metal head

Steve

Day Job^• (in progress) - Robin sends Steve on an errand at Hawkins Music store, and he runs into Dustin's older sister. After not seeing her since his graduation from high school, he notices she seems different. Why has Dustin never tried to set them up?

Part One, Two, Three, Four...

Supernatural

(not taking any requests for these characters)

Sam

A Secret Scent- Dean is a Beta, and asks Y/N out, assuming her as such. She takes suppressants because she is embarrassed of being an Omega and says yes to Dean because she doesn’t want to ruin her relationship with him by saying no, hoping it can work out. That all goes down the drain when she find out Sam is an Alpha and has been hiding it for the same reasons she has.

part one (you can get to the other parts from there)

Dean

A Secret Scent - Dean is a Beta, and asks Y/N out, assuming her as such. She takes suppressants because she is embarrassed of being an Omega and says yes to Dean because she doesn’t want to ruin her relationship with him by saying no, hoping it can work out. That all goes down the drain when she find out Sam is an Alpha and has been hiding it for the same reasons she has.

part one (you can get to the other parts from here)

Harry Styles

Flying to Italy*^• DISCONTINUED

Part one*, two*^, three^, four, ...

Marvel

Steve Rogers

Gold Rush^•- Steve and reader are just two idiots in love who doesn't think the other one likes them back

Requests are open for one-shots and series!

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

Day Job pt. 3

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Dustin's Older Sister!Reader

Summary: Robin sends Steve on an errand at Hawkins Music store, and he runs into Dustin's older sister. After not seeing her since his graduation from high school, he notices she seems different. Why has Dustin never tried to set them up?

Warnings: none

Word Count: 3.8K

A/N: okay here's a longer one for y'all. Let me know what you think, I hope y'all like it!! Wtf is the deal with Jonathan... Also, just saw stuff about Labyrinthgate, and I swear to god I wrote this fic before I saw anything about it, but now I'm obsessed, Labyrinth is my favorite movie I'll literally explode if the theory is real.

Masterlist

She didn’t know how much she should dress up for this. It felt like it was a date, but Steve never clarified, and she didn’t want to get her hopes up. She didn’t even like Steve for that. She didn’t think. She decided to curl her hair, not wanting her natural curls to get all fuzzy while she sat on the couch. After her fifth pass over her bangs with her curling iron, she finally turned it off. She did one last spin in the mirror, checking one last time there were no stains on her tank top or jean shorts. She felt like she was going to throw up, she was so nervous. She reached to grab her purse, and stopped in her tracks at the picture propped up on her dresser of her and Jonathan. Back when it was just the two of them, their freshman year of high school. She didn’t tell Jonathan and Nancy the real reason why she was cancelling their plans. She called him, right after Steve left the store yesterday.

“Hello?” Jonathan picked up the phone, a confused tone in his voice. Technically, she wasn’t allowed to use the phone for personal calls, but she was the only one working, and it was a slow day.

“Hey Jonathan, it’s Y/N, I’m calling from the store. I’m gonna have to cancel tomorrow, something came up.” She tried to be vague, not wanting Jonathan to know who she was ditching him for.

“Oh. Okay. Is everything alright? You never cancel.” He said, a hint of worry in his tone. Although Y/N never cancelled their plans, Jonathan did. Frequently. It was always something with Nancy or his brother. She was always understanding, not wanting to seem controlling of their friendship, but it hurt when he ditched her. He was in a relationship now, she got that, but it felt like she was even lower than a second or third thought. She got over her crush on him years ago when he got together with Nancy, or at least she tried to. She didn’t want to be that girl that followed him around like a lost puppy dog just because she had nobody else, so she took a step back. Jonathan noticed, but he was always too busy to do anything about it but make sure he still reached out and made time for her, even if that meant Nancy came along with. Which she usually did. She always did.

“Yeah, yeah. Everything’s fine, don’t worry. I just had to pick up a late shift at the shop, and I just need to get some other stuff done around the house. Just got busier, is all.” She said, trying to mask her lie.

“Oh, okay. Damn. Do you want to reschedule? I’m sure Nancy wouldn’t mind going to see the movie another night.” She hated third wheeling with them. It felt like a slap in the face, like neither of them trusted her to be alone with Jonathan. Everyone knew she had a crush on him in high school, most people even assuming they were a couple. Once he got together with Nancy, though, most people forgot. The freak and the popular girl as a couple was much more memorable than two freaks maybe dating.

Even though she assumed Jonathan told her they weren’t together, it was still awkward whenever they hung out. Nancy was never rude, she never gave any indication of dislike towards Y/N for her crush on Jonathan, but it never felt like a real friendship between the two of them. It felt more like when your mom forces your older sibling to let you hang out with them and their friend, and you’re just sitting on the sidelines while they share inside jokes just nodding along to whatever they say, pretending you get it. Maybe it was partially her fault, her jealousy holding her back. Eventually, her jealousy started to fade, but it was too late—their dynamic was already too different, making it impossible to go back to what it used to be.

“No, no, don’t worry about it. You guys can go see the movie; I saw it a couple weeks ago, anyways.” She tried to throw subtle hints into the conversation, wanting him to see how transactional their relationship has gotten. How every time they hung out, it felt like an obligation. It was just an attempt to not let go of their friendship just because of his relationship. He never asked her opinion on the movie. He’d already gotten tickets for him and Nancy before he even asked her if she wanted to go. And even though she’d already seen it, she agreed anyways, fulfilling her end of their unspoken transaction.

“Oh. I didn’t know you’d seen it. Who’d you go with?” Her hint landed, and she instantly felt bad. She could sense the guilt in his tone—and maybe a bit of jealousy? She never talked to him about her other friends, but he never asked. When Jonathan moved to California, she realized just how little friends she had outside of him, and started reaching out to the other girls on the track team. They weren’t as close as her and Jonathan used to be, but now with the quarantine, they all needed every sense of normalcy they could get. Maybe he was finally realizing how far apart they’d grown.

“Just a couple friends from high school. The girls from my track team, Jen and Stacy.” She was met with brief silence on his line, Jonathan taking in the information for the first time. He didn’t even know she had other friends, let alone that she had joined the track team in high school.

“Okay, well. We should do something else, then. Maybe something besides a movie, I feel like I never get to talk to you anymore.” The guilt in his tone came through heavier this time. She felt bad, too. Maybe she hadn’t been trying hard enough either—she knew she hadn’t been. Remembering her lie to him, her guilt began to mirror his. But she didn’t want to feel guilty, or maybe she did. It was the first time in years she felt an emotion besides sadness when it came to Jonathan. And then she remembered her plans with Steve. The guy who was interested in the music and movies she liked, wanting to spend time with her based on her interests. And suddenly, she didn’t care that she was lying to Jonathan. She straightened her spine, pouring confidence into her tone before loosely agreeing and hanging up on him.

Shaking off yesterday’s memory, she flipped her hair over a few more times to add some more volume to it, and grabbed her keys to drive to Steve’s house.

--

Steve threw the door open the second Y/N had finished knocking, a wide smile on his face. Y/N smiled back, and lifted up her VHS tape of Labyrinth to show Steve. He carefully grabbed it from her hands, an excited look in his eyes.

“Awesome!” He inspected the case, before looking back at her and opening the door wider for her to come inside, “Come in, make yourself at home. I got some snacks, but I didn’t know what you liked, so I just…kinda grabbed everything. I got popcorn, milk duds, Twizzlers, soda, anything your heart could desire.” Steve laughed awkwardly, keeping his eyes on her as she walked through the door, her eyes scanning her surroundings just inside the entrance of Steve’s house.

“Oh, my goodness, you didn’t have to do all that. Just popcorn is fine. I will be taking advantage of it, though, don’t worry. Thank you.” Y/N said, smiling up at Steve. He couldn’t help but stare at her for a moment. She really was gorgeous, Steve selfishly wished for a moment that Dustin had got her involved with all the Upside Down stuff so he could’ve gotten to know her sooner, before quickly shaking off the thought. Noticing his lingering stare, she tilted her head, cocking an eyebrow in question. Steve snapped out of it, leading her to the kitchen towards the snacks.

“Sorry, yeah, I guess I did go a little overboard. But, in my defense, I have no clue how long the movie is. I wanted to be prepared just in case it was four hours long or something. Thanks for, uh, bringing the movie by the way. I’m really excited to watch it. I listened to the soundtrack last night, so I’m excited to see the inspiration. It was really good.” Her shoulders scrunched up with excitement, which made him smile in response.

“I’m so glad you liked it! I tried to get Dustin to watch it with me, but he refused. Not a fan of Bowie anymore, I guess.” A small laugh escaped her as she said it.

“Yeah, the little prick did always have a shit taste in music.” That earned an even bigger laugh from her, making Steve’s chest swell with pride. Y/N looked at the overwhelming spread of snacks on the counter that Steve had bought, her eyes widening.

“Holy shit, Steve, you weren’t kidding. It’s like I’m at the movies.” He just laughed in response, and she started grabbing for the snacks, picking up a box of M&Ms and nerds. Steve took one of the bags of popcorn from the counter and threw it in the microwave, and went to grab a bowl to pour it in once it was ready.

Once their popcorn was ready and they’d picked out their snacks, Steve led her towards the den to watch the movie. He wanted to ask her how Jonathan and Nancy took her cancelling on them for Steve, but he’d already put his foot in his mouth so many times with her, he had a feeling if he brought it up, he would regret it—so he stayed silent. He quickly put his snacks on the coffee table, and walked over to the VHS player, sliding the tape into the slot. He sat down on the couch, leaving just enough space between the two of him where they weren’t touching—but he could still feel the heat radiating off her. Thankfully he waited to say anything, because she brought it up first.

“Just so you know…I uh…kinda lied to Jonathan about why I was cancelling. He was already kinda weird about me cancelling before I mentioned you, and I guess I kind of panicked. I know you guys still see each other sometimes, and I didn’t know if it would make that awkward, so I just wanted to give you a heads up. I probably didn’t even need to tell him in the first place, though. I don’t think he would’ve noticed if I never showed up.” She laughed, trying to hide her obvious discomfort at the conversation. The sound of the trailers booting up on the TV cut through the following silence. Steve didn’t really know how to respond to that. He wanted to show that he didn’t care that her dynamic with Jonathan was a little weird, but it made him jealous. He wanted this to be a date, and she was telling him she didn’t want the guy who his last girlfriend left him for to know she was with him.

“Pssh. Jonathan will find a way to be mad at me about anything. If he gets mad at me for wanting to spend time with you, that’s his own problem.” Steve settled on the macho man path. If Jonathan wanted to get mad and jealous, he needed to take the higher road. He wanted to show her he was interested—Jonathan’s pissy moods wouldn’t deter him. Y/N just nodded, reaching forward to grab their shared popcorn bowl. As she leaned forward, the tv’s glow shining on her face revealed a pink tint on her cheeks, Steve’s own cheeks heating up at the sight. It worked.

They sat in silence through the trailers, their eyes glued to the screen. Neither of them knew what else to say. Talking about Jonathan put a bit of a damper on the mood, but Steve knew if they never brought it up, he’d be thinking about it all night. And he still was.

“So…are you worried about Jonathan finding out about us…spending time together?” Steve asked her apprehensively. What if she really did just see this platonically? What if she was worried she’d lose any chance with Jonathan if he knew?

“No. No, not really. I mean, I just don’t want him to be mad and get into an argument, I guess. But I don’t care what he thinks. I’m excited to spend time with you.” Y/N said, giving Steve a genuine smile. The tension in his shoulders instantly released, and he smiled back at her.

“Good. Because I want to spend more time with you. Like, on other nights, too. Or days. Or mornings, too, if that works better. But if—” Y/N cut him off, not letting him ramble on any further.

“I’d like that, Steve.” The smile on her face grew, and Steve felt his chest tighten. As his eyes began to trail down her face, the title screen music abruptly started, the play button illuminating the den. Steve quickly reached for the remote, pressing play to start their movie.

--

They’d watched most of Labyrinth, only speaking up to make comments about the movie. Even though the soundtrack gave him a vague idea of the movie’s plot, it was nothing like Steve was expecting. Eventually, a scene taking place in a ballroom sparked a new conversation between them.

“God, I just love that outfit. I know she’s in some other weird universe or he’s in her mind or something, but I’d give anything to dance around a ballroom in her outfit. And her hair! Ugh, it’s just amazing.” Y/N beamed at the screen, and it made Steve smile from ear to ear, seeing her be so passionate about the movie. She looked beautiful, the gleam in her eye at the magic on screen distracting him. Before he knew it, he wasn’t paying attention to the movie anymore, only Y/N. She noticed his gaze, and took her own eyes of the screen, but the look on her face didn’t change. Steve’s smile only grew, and she took notice.

“What?” Her voice thickened, a shy laugh threatening to escape from her words. Steve just shook his head, not knowing what to say to her first. He didn’t feel like the awkward Steve anymore—the Steve that was victim to Robin’s tally marks on a whiteboard in Scoops Ahoy.

“Nothing. You just look really pretty when you’re passionate about something.” He didn’t look away from her, even when she looked away from him down to her own lap. He didn’t think he could look away from her even if he wanted to. It was the first time in a while someone didn’t cringe when he tried to flirt or compliment them, and it made him want to leap across the couch and close the gap between them.

To distract his mouth from something besides hers, he reached for the popcorn bowl that rested on her lap, grabbing a small handful of popcorn and shoving it into his mouth. Not the most attractive thing he could’ve done, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her by grabbing her face and pulling it to his own like he really wanted to. The action pulled her out of her shy state, glancing back up at Steve. Steve attempted to smile at her, mouth full of popcorn, and a few pieces escaped. Y/N tipped her head back in laughter, to which Steve feigned offense. He picked up a piece of popcorn and threw it at her, a defensive tactic. She stopped laughing instantly, raising her hand to her chest with a gasp.

“Oh, you’re dead, Steve.” She picked up her own handful of popcorn, throwing some back at Steve, and the war was on. Steve grabbed the bowl from her lap, jumping up from his seat on the couch, and started throwing more at her. “Hey! That’s not fair! You can’t hog the ammo!” She reached for the bowl in his hand, but Steve raised it above his head out of her reach. He started backing up, jogging backwards away from her, getting her to chase him for the popcorn. He kept throwing more at her, reaching for the bowl above his head and grabbing the last few handfuls they had left of the popcorn, throwing it on top of her hair, it sticking to her fluffy styled curls.

Y/N jumped up in an attempt to reach for the bowl, and it threw Steve off his balance. Steve fell backwards, thankfully landing on the couch, but he took Y/N down with him. As he tipped back, he reached out for stability, his hands landing on her hips and pulling her down on top of him. After their brief shock wore off, they burst into another fit of laughter, Y/N’s head falling on his chest. Steve abandoned the popcorn bowl next to him on the couch, his hands coming to rest on her back as he caught his breath. When he opened his eyes, he looked up at Y/N resting on top of him. He noticed the popcorn still in his hair and began to pick it out slowly. At his actions, Y/N’s own laughter died down, her breath hitching at the contact. Her eyes widened, noticing the lack of distance between them.

“I think you have something in your hair.” She let out a small laugh at his joke, but it came out more as a sharp exhale. Steve felt her eyes on him as he picked the popcorn out of his hair. When he picked out the last piece, Steve dragged his gaze over her face before finally meeting her eyes. He scanned the rest of her face, trying to read her expression. She looked nervous, but the small raise of the corner of her mouth gave him confidence. Steve tucked her mussed hair behind her ear, his hand then drifting to the side of her face, cradling her jaw before looking into her eyes again.

“Steve?” Y/N’s voice barely audible broke the silence.

Steve tried his hardest to keep his eyes on hers, his muscles begging him to let them drift just a little bit lower. “Y/N?”

“Is this a date?” Her voice somehow even lower now. Y/N broke their eye contact, her own eyes drifting towards his lips, an action Steve had been fighting, himself. He let himself mirror her action, letting his eyes look down just a couple inches further. That’s all it took for Steve to lose all the self-control he had left for the night.

Steve didn’t answer Y/N’s question, at least verbally. He pulled her to him, closing that god forsaken gap between them. Their lips connected, and he could feel Y/N melt in his arms. Steve felt like he was on fire. His hand reached further into her hair, the soft texture making him melt even further into the kiss. He was trying to go slow, his lips moving gently over hers. It took everything in him not to flip her over and run his hands over her, exploring every inch.

Steve lost every since of that control when he felt her hand lightly tug at his hair, her other hand running over his chest. The small noise that escaped her was the final straw for Steve. He groaned in return, sitting the both of them up to gain more control, his hand readjusting her to straddle him as they raised up. She broke the kiss momentarily, a gasp escaping her mouth at their new position. Steve quickly closed the gap again, pulling her lips back down to him, running his tongue over the slit of her mouth. Y/N quickly reacquainted herself, getting back to their rhythm, and parted her mouth slightly for Steve.

Steve couldn’t get enough of her. His hands were eager to feel her skin, running over ever inch he could access. Her bare thighs below the cutoff of her shorts, the bottom of her neck, her cheeks—his thumbs circling smooth circles over her exposed midriff.  Eventually, Y/N came up for some air, tipping her head back to take a deep breath. Steve took this as his opportunity to explore more of her with his mouth. His lips slowly trailed down her face, inching their way to her exposed collarbone. God, the noises she was making—Steve couldn’t get enough. He wanted more; he wanted them to be louder. He wanted them on his emergency Vecna mixtape. He slowly ran his tongue over her collarbone, earning a shudder from her before he closed his lips around the exposed skin.

“Steve-“She gasped, pulling his face back to hers, connecting their lips once more. Steve just groaned, not wanting to waste any breath. Steve’s hands drifted lower, hovering on her lower back, itching to go lower. Y/N let out a groan of her own, rolling her hips slightly on top of Steve, his breath catching at the action.

Against his own wishes, Steve pulled away, catching his breath. This was too fast. He wanted more than this with her, and he didn’t want to make her think otherwise if they went any further. Steve rested his head on her shoulder, taking in deep breaths. He could feel her eyes on his, and slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, a smile creeping on his face.

“Is everything okay? Did I do something? Sorry, I—” Steve cut her off, placing a soft kiss on her lips before pulling away, trying to reassure her.

“No, no. Of course not. I just—we were supposed to watch your movie. Sorry I got distracted; I guess I was wrong about having a better attention span with you here.” He laughed, her face lighting back up from her own laugh.

“Yeah, your attention span is shit, Steve.” Neither of them moved, still. In his peripherals, Steve could see the credits start to roll, and he cursed himself silently for missing the ending of the movie and the look on her face from her reactions.

“Should we rewind? I didn’t really get a look at that dress you were talking about. Distracted, I guess.” A sly smile slid across Steve’s face at the reminder of his distraction. A blush spread across her face before she nodded and slid off Steve’s lap. As they rewinded the movie, Steve made sure there was no gap between them this time.

----

A/N: I think I added everyone to the taglist who commented asking, if anyone else wants to be added, let me know!!

Taglist: @readinf @cheetoscmj @itmekelpy @rudeinterlude777 @sarahskywalker-amidala @rxeae

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

update coming late tonight or early tomorrow!!! i will be adding everyone who has asked to the tablet as well. next party goes CRAZY i hope you guys love it as much as i do 😋😋

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

so sorry i lied. my cat died and it’s been a crazy few days im gonna try to finish it soon!

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

Day Job pt. 3

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Dustin's Older Sister!Reader

Summary: Robin sends Steve on an errand at Hawkins Music store, and he runs into Dustin's older sister. After not seeing her since his graduation from high school, he notices she seems different. Why has Dustin never tried to set them up?

Warnings: none

Word Count: 3.8K

A/N: okay here's a longer one for y'all. Let me know what you think, I hope y'all like it!! Wtf is the deal with Jonathan... Also, just saw stuff about Labyrinthgate, and I swear to god I wrote this fic before I saw anything about it, but now I'm obsessed, Labyrinth is my favorite movie I'll literally explode if the theory is real.

Masterlist

She didn’t know how much she should dress up for this. It felt like it was a date, but Steve never clarified, and she didn’t want to get her hopes up. She didn’t even like Steve for that. She didn’t think. She decided to curl her hair, not wanting her natural curls to get all fuzzy while she sat on the couch. After her fifth pass over her bangs with her curling iron, she finally turned it off. She did one last spin in the mirror, checking one last time there were no stains on her tank top or jean shorts. She felt like she was going to throw up, she was so nervous. She reached to grab her purse, and stopped in her tracks at the picture propped up on her dresser of her and Jonathan. Back when it was just the two of them, their freshman year of high school. She didn’t tell Jonathan and Nancy the real reason why she was cancelling their plans. She called him, right after Steve left the store yesterday.

“Hello?” Jonathan picked up the phone, a confused tone in his voice. Technically, she wasn’t allowed to use the phone for personal calls, but she was the only one working, and it was a slow day.

“Hey Jonathan, it’s Y/N, I’m calling from the store. I’m gonna have to cancel tomorrow, something came up.” She tried to be vague, not wanting Jonathan to know who she was ditching him for.

“Oh. Okay. Is everything alright? You never cancel.” He said, a hint of worry in his tone. Although Y/N never cancelled their plans, Jonathan did. Frequently. It was always something with Nancy or his brother. She was always understanding, not wanting to seem controlling of their friendship, but it hurt when he ditched her. He was in a relationship now, she got that, but it felt like she was even lower than a second or third thought. She got over her crush on him years ago when he got together with Nancy, or at least she tried to. She didn’t want to be that girl that followed him around like a lost puppy dog just because she had nobody else, so she took a step back. Jonathan noticed, but he was always too busy to do anything about it but make sure he still reached out and made time for her, even if that meant Nancy came along with. Which she usually did. She always did.

“Yeah, yeah. Everything’s fine, don’t worry. I just had to pick up a late shift at the shop, and I just need to get some other stuff done around the house. Just got busier, is all.” She said, trying to mask her lie.

“Oh, okay. Damn. Do you want to reschedule? I’m sure Nancy wouldn’t mind going to see the movie another night.” She hated third wheeling with them. It felt like a slap in the face, like neither of them trusted her to be alone with Jonathan. Everyone knew she had a crush on him in high school, most people even assuming they were a couple. Once he got together with Nancy, though, most people forgot. The freak and the popular girl as a couple was much more memorable than two freaks maybe dating.

Even though she assumed Jonathan told her they weren’t together, it was still awkward whenever they hung out. Nancy was never rude, she never gave any indication of dislike towards Y/N for her crush on Jonathan, but it never felt like a real friendship between the two of them. It felt more like when your mom forces your older sibling to let you hang out with them and their friend, and you’re just sitting on the sidelines while they share inside jokes just nodding along to whatever they say, pretending you get it. Maybe it was partially her fault, her jealousy holding her back. Eventually, her jealousy started to fade, but it was too late—their dynamic was already too different, making it impossible to go back to what it used to be.

“No, no, don’t worry about it. You guys can go see the movie; I saw it a couple weeks ago, anyways.” She tried to throw subtle hints into the conversation, wanting him to see how transactional their relationship has gotten. How every time they hung out, it felt like an obligation. It was just an attempt to not let go of their friendship just because of his relationship. He never asked her opinion on the movie. He’d already gotten tickets for him and Nancy before he even asked her if she wanted to go. And even though she’d already seen it, she agreed anyways, fulfilling her end of their unspoken transaction.

“Oh. I didn’t know you’d seen it. Who’d you go with?” Her hint landed, and she instantly felt bad. She could sense the guilt in his tone—and maybe a bit of jealousy? She never talked to him about her other friends, but he never asked. When Jonathan moved to California, she realized just how little friends she had outside of him, and started reaching out to the other girls on the track team. They weren’t as close as her and Jonathan used to be, but now with the quarantine, they all needed every sense of normalcy they could get. Maybe he was finally realizing how far apart they’d grown.

“Just a couple friends from high school. The girls from my track team, Jen and Stacy.” She was met with brief silence on his line, Jonathan taking in the information for the first time. He didn’t even know she had other friends, let alone that she had joined the track team in high school.

“Okay, well. We should do something else, then. Maybe something besides a movie, I feel like I never get to talk to you anymore.” The guilt in his tone came through heavier this time. She felt bad, too. Maybe she hadn’t been trying hard enough either—she knew she hadn’t been. Remembering her lie to him, her guilt began to mirror his. But she didn’t want to feel guilty, or maybe she did. It was the first time in years she felt an emotion besides sadness when it came to Jonathan. And then she remembered her plans with Steve. The guy who was interested in the music and movies she liked, wanting to spend time with her based on her interests. And suddenly, she didn’t care that she was lying to Jonathan. She straightened her spine, pouring confidence into her tone before loosely agreeing and hanging up on him.

Shaking off yesterday’s memory, she flipped her hair over a few more times to add some more volume to it, and grabbed her keys to drive to Steve’s house.

--

Steve threw the door open the second Y/N had finished knocking, a wide smile on his face. Y/N smiled back, and lifted up her VHS tape of Labyrinth to show Steve. He carefully grabbed it from her hands, an excited look in his eyes.

“Awesome!” He inspected the case, before looking back at her and opening the door wider for her to come inside, “Come in, make yourself at home. I got some snacks, but I didn’t know what you liked, so I just…kinda grabbed everything. I got popcorn, milk duds, Twizzlers, soda, anything your heart could desire.” Steve laughed awkwardly, keeping his eyes on her as she walked through the door, her eyes scanning her surroundings just inside the entrance of Steve’s house.

“Oh, my goodness, you didn’t have to do all that. Just popcorn is fine. I will be taking advantage of it, though, don’t worry. Thank you.” Y/N said, smiling up at Steve. He couldn’t help but stare at her for a moment. She really was gorgeous, Steve selfishly wished for a moment that Dustin had got her involved with all the Upside Down stuff so he could’ve gotten to know her sooner, before quickly shaking off the thought. Noticing his lingering stare, she tilted her head, cocking an eyebrow in question. Steve snapped out of it, leading her to the kitchen towards the snacks.

“Sorry, yeah, I guess I did go a little overboard. But, in my defense, I have no clue how long the movie is. I wanted to be prepared just in case it was four hours long or something. Thanks for, uh, bringing the movie by the way. I’m really excited to watch it. I listened to the soundtrack last night, so I’m excited to see the inspiration. It was really good.” Her shoulders scrunched up with excitement, which made him smile in response.

“I’m so glad you liked it! I tried to get Dustin to watch it with me, but he refused. Not a fan of Bowie anymore, I guess.” A small laugh escaped her as she said it.

“Yeah, the little prick did always have a shit taste in music.” That earned an even bigger laugh from her, making Steve’s chest swell with pride. Y/N looked at the overwhelming spread of snacks on the counter that Steve had bought, her eyes widening.

“Holy shit, Steve, you weren’t kidding. It’s like I’m at the movies.” He just laughed in response, and she started grabbing for the snacks, picking up a box of M&Ms and nerds. Steve took one of the bags of popcorn from the counter and threw it in the microwave, and went to grab a bowl to pour it in once it was ready.

Once their popcorn was ready and they’d picked out their snacks, Steve led her towards the den to watch the movie. He wanted to ask her how Jonathan and Nancy took her cancelling on them for Steve, but he’d already put his foot in his mouth so many times with her, he had a feeling if he brought it up, he would regret it—so he stayed silent. He quickly put his snacks on the coffee table, and walked over to the VHS player, sliding the tape into the slot. He sat down on the couch, leaving just enough space between the two of him where they weren’t touching—but he could still feel the heat radiating off her. Thankfully he waited to say anything, because she brought it up first.

“Just so you know…I uh…kinda lied to Jonathan about why I was cancelling. He was already kinda weird about me cancelling before I mentioned you, and I guess I kind of panicked. I know you guys still see each other sometimes, and I didn’t know if it would make that awkward, so I just wanted to give you a heads up. I probably didn’t even need to tell him in the first place, though. I don’t think he would’ve noticed if I never showed up.” She laughed, trying to hide her obvious discomfort at the conversation. The sound of the trailers booting up on the TV cut through the following silence. Steve didn’t really know how to respond to that. He wanted to show that he didn’t care that her dynamic with Jonathan was a little weird, but it made him jealous. He wanted this to be a date, and she was telling him she didn’t want the guy who his last girlfriend left him for to know she was with him.

“Pssh. Jonathan will find a way to be mad at me about anything. If he gets mad at me for wanting to spend time with you, that’s his own problem.” Steve settled on the macho man path. If Jonathan wanted to get mad and jealous, he needed to take the higher road. He wanted to show her he was interested—Jonathan’s pissy moods wouldn’t deter him. Y/N just nodded, reaching forward to grab their shared popcorn bowl. As she leaned forward, the tv’s glow shining on her face revealed a pink tint on her cheeks, Steve’s own cheeks heating up at the sight. It worked.

They sat in silence through the trailers, their eyes glued to the screen. Neither of them knew what else to say. Talking about Jonathan put a bit of a damper on the mood, but Steve knew if they never brought it up, he’d be thinking about it all night. And he still was.

“So…are you worried about Jonathan finding out about us…spending time together?” Steve asked her apprehensively. What if she really did just see this platonically? What if she was worried she’d lose any chance with Jonathan if he knew?

“No. No, not really. I mean, I just don’t want him to be mad and get into an argument, I guess. But I don’t care what he thinks. I’m excited to spend time with you.” Y/N said, giving Steve a genuine smile. The tension in his shoulders instantly released, and he smiled back at her.

“Good. Because I want to spend more time with you. Like, on other nights, too. Or days. Or mornings, too, if that works better. But if—” Y/N cut him off, not letting him ramble on any further.

“I’d like that, Steve.” The smile on her face grew, and Steve felt his chest tighten. As his eyes began to trail down her face, the title screen music abruptly started, the play button illuminating the den. Steve quickly reached for the remote, pressing play to start their movie.

--

They’d watched most of Labyrinth, only speaking up to make comments about the movie. Even though the soundtrack gave him a vague idea of the movie’s plot, it was nothing like Steve was expecting. Eventually, a scene taking place in a ballroom sparked a new conversation between them.

“God, I just love that outfit. I know she’s in some other weird universe or he’s in her mind or something, but I’d give anything to dance around a ballroom in her outfit. And her hair! Ugh, it’s just amazing.” Y/N beamed at the screen, and it made Steve smile from ear to ear, seeing her be so passionate about the movie. She looked beautiful, the gleam in her eye at the magic on screen distracting him. Before he knew it, he wasn’t paying attention to the movie anymore, only Y/N. She noticed his gaze, and took her own eyes of the screen, but the look on her face didn’t change. Steve’s smile only grew, and she took notice.

“What?” Her voice thickened, a shy laugh threatening to escape from her words. Steve just shook his head, not knowing what to say to her first. He didn’t feel like the awkward Steve anymore—the Steve that was victim to Robin’s tally marks on a whiteboard in Scoops Ahoy.

“Nothing. You just look really pretty when you’re passionate about something.” He didn’t look away from her, even when she looked away from him down to her own lap. He didn’t think he could look away from her even if he wanted to. It was the first time in a while someone didn’t cringe when he tried to flirt or compliment them, and it made him want to leap across the couch and close the gap between them.

To distract his mouth from something besides hers, he reached for the popcorn bowl that rested on her lap, grabbing a small handful of popcorn and shoving it into his mouth. Not the most attractive thing he could’ve done, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her by grabbing her face and pulling it to his own like he really wanted to. The action pulled her out of her shy state, glancing back up at Steve. Steve attempted to smile at her, mouth full of popcorn, and a few pieces escaped. Y/N tipped her head back in laughter, to which Steve feigned offense. He picked up a piece of popcorn and threw it at her, a defensive tactic. She stopped laughing instantly, raising her hand to her chest with a gasp.

“Oh, you’re dead, Steve.” She picked up her own handful of popcorn, throwing some back at Steve, and the war was on. Steve grabbed the bowl from her lap, jumping up from his seat on the couch, and started throwing more at her. “Hey! That’s not fair! You can’t hog the ammo!” She reached for the bowl in his hand, but Steve raised it above his head out of her reach. He started backing up, jogging backwards away from her, getting her to chase him for the popcorn. He kept throwing more at her, reaching for the bowl above his head and grabbing the last few handfuls they had left of the popcorn, throwing it on top of her hair, it sticking to her fluffy styled curls.

Y/N jumped up in an attempt to reach for the bowl, and it threw Steve off his balance. Steve fell backwards, thankfully landing on the couch, but he took Y/N down with him. As he tipped back, he reached out for stability, his hands landing on her hips and pulling her down on top of him. After their brief shock wore off, they burst into another fit of laughter, Y/N’s head falling on his chest. Steve abandoned the popcorn bowl next to him on the couch, his hands coming to rest on her back as he caught his breath. When he opened his eyes, he looked up at Y/N resting on top of him. He noticed the popcorn still in his hair and began to pick it out slowly. At his actions, Y/N’s own laughter died down, her breath hitching at the contact. Her eyes widened, noticing the lack of distance between them.

“I think you have something in your hair.” She let out a small laugh at his joke, but it came out more as a sharp exhale. Steve felt her eyes on him as he picked the popcorn out of his hair. When he picked out the last piece, Steve dragged his gaze over her face before finally meeting her eyes. He scanned the rest of her face, trying to read her expression. She looked nervous, but the small raise of the corner of her mouth gave him confidence. Steve tucked her mussed hair behind her ear, his hand then drifting to the side of her face, cradling her jaw before looking into her eyes again.

“Steve?” Y/N’s voice barely audible broke the silence.

Steve tried his hardest to keep his eyes on hers, his muscles begging him to let them drift just a little bit lower. “Y/N?”

“Is this a date?” Her voice somehow even lower now. Y/N broke their eye contact, her own eyes drifting towards his lips, an action Steve had been fighting, himself. He let himself mirror her action, letting his eyes look down just a couple inches further. That’s all it took for Steve to lose all the self-control he had left for the night.

Steve didn’t answer Y/N’s question, at least verbally. He pulled her to him, closing that god forsaken gap between them. Their lips connected, and he could feel Y/N melt in his arms. Steve felt like he was on fire. His hand reached further into her hair, the soft texture making him melt even further into the kiss. He was trying to go slow, his lips moving gently over hers. It took everything in him not to flip her over and run his hands over her, exploring every inch.

Steve lost every since of that control when he felt her hand lightly tug at his hair, her other hand running over his chest. The small noise that escaped her was the final straw for Steve. He groaned in return, sitting the both of them up to gain more control, his hand readjusting her to straddle him as they raised up. She broke the kiss momentarily, a gasp escaping her mouth at their new position. Steve quickly closed the gap again, pulling her lips back down to him, running his tongue over the slit of her mouth. Y/N quickly reacquainted herself, getting back to their rhythm, and parted her mouth slightly for Steve.

Steve couldn’t get enough of her. His hands were eager to feel her skin, running over ever inch he could access. Her bare thighs below the cutoff of her shorts, the bottom of her neck, her cheeks—his thumbs circling smooth circles over her exposed midriff.  Eventually, Y/N came up for some air, tipping her head back to take a deep breath. Steve took this as his opportunity to explore more of her with his mouth. His lips slowly trailed down her face, inching their way to her exposed collarbone. God, the noises she was making—Steve couldn’t get enough. He wanted more; he wanted them to be louder. He wanted them on his emergency Vecna mixtape. He slowly ran his tongue over her collarbone, earning a shudder from her before he closed his lips around the exposed skin.

“Steve-“She gasped, pulling his face back to hers, connecting their lips once more. Steve just groaned, not wanting to waste any breath. Steve’s hands drifted lower, hovering on her lower back, itching to go lower. Y/N let out a groan of her own, rolling her hips slightly on top of Steve, his breath catching at the action.

Against his own wishes, Steve pulled away, catching his breath. This was too fast. He wanted more than this with her, and he didn’t want to make her think otherwise if they went any further. Steve rested his head on her shoulder, taking in deep breaths. He could feel her eyes on his, and slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, a smile creeping on his face.

“Is everything okay? Did I do something? Sorry, I—” Steve cut her off, placing a soft kiss on her lips before pulling away, trying to reassure her.

“No, no. Of course not. I just—we were supposed to watch your movie. Sorry I got distracted; I guess I was wrong about having a better attention span with you here.” He laughed, her face lighting back up from her own laugh.

“Yeah, your attention span is shit, Steve.” Neither of them moved, still. In his peripherals, Steve could see the credits start to roll, and he cursed himself silently for missing the ending of the movie and the look on her face from her reactions.

“Should we rewind? I didn’t really get a look at that dress you were talking about. Distracted, I guess.” A sly smile slid across Steve’s face at the reminder of his distraction. A blush spread across her face before she nodded and slid off Steve’s lap. As they rewinded the movie, Steve made sure there was no gap between them this time.

----

A/N: I think I added everyone to the taglist who commented asking, if anyone else wants to be added, let me know!!

Taglist: @readinf @cheetoscmj @itmekelpy @rudeinterlude777 @sarahskywalker-amidala @rxeae

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

update coming late tonight or early tomorrow!!! i will be adding everyone who has asked to the tablet as well. next party goes CRAZY i hope you guys love it as much as i do 😋😋

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

Day Job pt. 3

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Dustin's Older Sister!Reader

Summary: Robin sends Steve on an errand at Hawkins Music store, and he runs into Dustin's older sister. After not seeing her since his graduation from high school, he notices she seems different. Why has Dustin never tried to set them up?

Warnings: none

Word Count: 3.8K

A/N: okay here's a longer one for y'all. Let me know what you think, I hope y'all like it!! Wtf is the deal with Jonathan... Also, just saw stuff about Labyrinthgate, and I swear to god I wrote this fic before I saw anything about it, but now I'm obsessed, Labyrinth is my favorite movie I'll literally explode if the theory is real.

Masterlist

She didn’t know how much she should dress up for this. It felt like it was a date, but Steve never clarified, and she didn’t want to get her hopes up. She didn’t even like Steve for that. She didn’t think. She decided to curl her hair, not wanting her natural curls to get all fuzzy while she sat on the couch. After her fifth pass over her bangs with her curling iron, she finally turned it off. She did one last spin in the mirror, checking one last time there were no stains on her tank top or jean shorts. She felt like she was going to throw up, she was so nervous. She reached to grab her purse, and stopped in her tracks at the picture propped up on her dresser of her and Jonathan. Back when it was just the two of them, their freshman year of high school. She didn’t tell Jonathan and Nancy the real reason why she was cancelling their plans. She called him, right after Steve left the store yesterday.

“Hello?” Jonathan picked up the phone, a confused tone in his voice. Technically, she wasn’t allowed to use the phone for personal calls, but she was the only one working, and it was a slow day.

“Hey Jonathan, it’s Y/N, I’m calling from the store. I’m gonna have to cancel tomorrow, something came up.” She tried to be vague, not wanting Jonathan to know who she was ditching him for.

“Oh. Okay. Is everything alright? You never cancel.” He said, a hint of worry in his tone. Although Y/N never cancelled their plans, Jonathan did. Frequently. It was always something with Nancy or his brother. She was always understanding, not wanting to seem controlling of their friendship, but it hurt when he ditched her. He was in a relationship now, she got that, but it felt like she was even lower than a second or third thought. She got over her crush on him years ago when he got together with Nancy, or at least she tried to. She didn’t want to be that girl that followed him around like a lost puppy dog just because she had nobody else, so she took a step back. Jonathan noticed, but he was always too busy to do anything about it but make sure he still reached out and made time for her, even if that meant Nancy came along with. Which she usually did. She always did.

“Yeah, yeah. Everything’s fine, don’t worry. I just had to pick up a late shift at the shop, and I just need to get some other stuff done around the house. Just got busier, is all.” She said, trying to mask her lie.

“Oh, okay. Damn. Do you want to reschedule? I’m sure Nancy wouldn’t mind going to see the movie another night.” She hated third wheeling with them. It felt like a slap in the face, like neither of them trusted her to be alone with Jonathan. Everyone knew she had a crush on him in high school, most people even assuming they were a couple. Once he got together with Nancy, though, most people forgot. The freak and the popular girl as a couple was much more memorable than two freaks maybe dating.

Even though she assumed Jonathan told her they weren’t together, it was still awkward whenever they hung out. Nancy was never rude, she never gave any indication of dislike towards Y/N for her crush on Jonathan, but it never felt like a real friendship between the two of them. It felt more like when your mom forces your older sibling to let you hang out with them and their friend, and you’re just sitting on the sidelines while they share inside jokes just nodding along to whatever they say, pretending you get it. Maybe it was partially her fault, her jealousy holding her back. Eventually, her jealousy started to fade, but it was too late—their dynamic was already too different, making it impossible to go back to what it used to be.

“No, no, don’t worry about it. You guys can go see the movie; I saw it a couple weeks ago, anyways.” She tried to throw subtle hints into the conversation, wanting him to see how transactional their relationship has gotten. How every time they hung out, it felt like an obligation. It was just an attempt to not let go of their friendship just because of his relationship. He never asked her opinion on the movie. He’d already gotten tickets for him and Nancy before he even asked her if she wanted to go. And even though she’d already seen it, she agreed anyways, fulfilling her end of their unspoken transaction.

“Oh. I didn’t know you’d seen it. Who’d you go with?” Her hint landed, and she instantly felt bad. She could sense the guilt in his tone—and maybe a bit of jealousy? She never talked to him about her other friends, but he never asked. When Jonathan moved to California, she realized just how little friends she had outside of him, and started reaching out to the other girls on the track team. They weren’t as close as her and Jonathan used to be, but now with the quarantine, they all needed every sense of normalcy they could get. Maybe he was finally realizing how far apart they’d grown.

“Just a couple friends from high school. The girls from my track team, Jen and Stacy.” She was met with brief silence on his line, Jonathan taking in the information for the first time. He didn’t even know she had other friends, let alone that she had joined the track team in high school.

“Okay, well. We should do something else, then. Maybe something besides a movie, I feel like I never get to talk to you anymore.” The guilt in his tone came through heavier this time. She felt bad, too. Maybe she hadn’t been trying hard enough either—she knew she hadn’t been. Remembering her lie to him, her guilt began to mirror his. But she didn’t want to feel guilty, or maybe she did. It was the first time in years she felt an emotion besides sadness when it came to Jonathan. And then she remembered her plans with Steve. The guy who was interested in the music and movies she liked, wanting to spend time with her based on her interests. And suddenly, she didn’t care that she was lying to Jonathan. She straightened her spine, pouring confidence into her tone before loosely agreeing and hanging up on him.

Shaking off yesterday’s memory, she flipped her hair over a few more times to add some more volume to it, and grabbed her keys to drive to Steve’s house.

--

Steve threw the door open the second Y/N had finished knocking, a wide smile on his face. Y/N smiled back, and lifted up her VHS tape of Labyrinth to show Steve. He carefully grabbed it from her hands, an excited look in his eyes.

“Awesome!” He inspected the case, before looking back at her and opening the door wider for her to come inside, “Come in, make yourself at home. I got some snacks, but I didn’t know what you liked, so I just…kinda grabbed everything. I got popcorn, milk duds, Twizzlers, soda, anything your heart could desire.” Steve laughed awkwardly, keeping his eyes on her as she walked through the door, her eyes scanning her surroundings just inside the entrance of Steve’s house.

“Oh, my goodness, you didn’t have to do all that. Just popcorn is fine. I will be taking advantage of it, though, don’t worry. Thank you.” Y/N said, smiling up at Steve. He couldn’t help but stare at her for a moment. She really was gorgeous, Steve selfishly wished for a moment that Dustin had got her involved with all the Upside Down stuff so he could’ve gotten to know her sooner, before quickly shaking off the thought. Noticing his lingering stare, she tilted her head, cocking an eyebrow in question. Steve snapped out of it, leading her to the kitchen towards the snacks.

“Sorry, yeah, I guess I did go a little overboard. But, in my defense, I have no clue how long the movie is. I wanted to be prepared just in case it was four hours long or something. Thanks for, uh, bringing the movie by the way. I’m really excited to watch it. I listened to the soundtrack last night, so I’m excited to see the inspiration. It was really good.” Her shoulders scrunched up with excitement, which made him smile in response.

“I’m so glad you liked it! I tried to get Dustin to watch it with me, but he refused. Not a fan of Bowie anymore, I guess.” A small laugh escaped her as she said it.

“Yeah, the little prick did always have a shit taste in music.” That earned an even bigger laugh from her, making Steve’s chest swell with pride. Y/N looked at the overwhelming spread of snacks on the counter that Steve had bought, her eyes widening.

“Holy shit, Steve, you weren’t kidding. It’s like I’m at the movies.” He just laughed in response, and she started grabbing for the snacks, picking up a box of M&Ms and nerds. Steve took one of the bags of popcorn from the counter and threw it in the microwave, and went to grab a bowl to pour it in once it was ready.

Once their popcorn was ready and they’d picked out their snacks, Steve led her towards the den to watch the movie. He wanted to ask her how Jonathan and Nancy took her cancelling on them for Steve, but he’d already put his foot in his mouth so many times with her, he had a feeling if he brought it up, he would regret it—so he stayed silent. He quickly put his snacks on the coffee table, and walked over to the VHS player, sliding the tape into the slot. He sat down on the couch, leaving just enough space between the two of him where they weren’t touching—but he could still feel the heat radiating off her. Thankfully he waited to say anything, because she brought it up first.

“Just so you know…I uh…kinda lied to Jonathan about why I was cancelling. He was already kinda weird about me cancelling before I mentioned you, and I guess I kind of panicked. I know you guys still see each other sometimes, and I didn’t know if it would make that awkward, so I just wanted to give you a heads up. I probably didn’t even need to tell him in the first place, though. I don’t think he would’ve noticed if I never showed up.” She laughed, trying to hide her obvious discomfort at the conversation. The sound of the trailers booting up on the TV cut through the following silence. Steve didn’t really know how to respond to that. He wanted to show that he didn’t care that her dynamic with Jonathan was a little weird, but it made him jealous. He wanted this to be a date, and she was telling him she didn’t want the guy who his last girlfriend left him for to know she was with him.

“Pssh. Jonathan will find a way to be mad at me about anything. If he gets mad at me for wanting to spend time with you, that’s his own problem.” Steve settled on the macho man path. If Jonathan wanted to get mad and jealous, he needed to take the higher road. He wanted to show her he was interested—Jonathan’s pissy moods wouldn’t deter him. Y/N just nodded, reaching forward to grab their shared popcorn bowl. As she leaned forward, the tv’s glow shining on her face revealed a pink tint on her cheeks, Steve’s own cheeks heating up at the sight. It worked.

They sat in silence through the trailers, their eyes glued to the screen. Neither of them knew what else to say. Talking about Jonathan put a bit of a damper on the mood, but Steve knew if they never brought it up, he’d be thinking about it all night. And he still was.

“So…are you worried about Jonathan finding out about us…spending time together?” Steve asked her apprehensively. What if she really did just see this platonically? What if she was worried she’d lose any chance with Jonathan if he knew?

“No. No, not really. I mean, I just don’t want him to be mad and get into an argument, I guess. But I don’t care what he thinks. I’m excited to spend time with you.” Y/N said, giving Steve a genuine smile. The tension in his shoulders instantly released, and he smiled back at her.

“Good. Because I want to spend more time with you. Like, on other nights, too. Or days. Or mornings, too, if that works better. But if—” Y/N cut him off, not letting him ramble on any further.

“I’d like that, Steve.” The smile on her face grew, and Steve felt his chest tighten. As his eyes began to trail down her face, the title screen music abruptly started, the play button illuminating the den. Steve quickly reached for the remote, pressing play to start their movie.

--

They’d watched most of Labyrinth, only speaking up to make comments about the movie. Even though the soundtrack gave him a vague idea of the movie’s plot, it was nothing like Steve was expecting. Eventually, a scene taking place in a ballroom sparked a new conversation between them.

“God, I just love that outfit. I know she’s in some other weird universe or he’s in her mind or something, but I’d give anything to dance around a ballroom in her outfit. And her hair! Ugh, it’s just amazing.” Y/N beamed at the screen, and it made Steve smile from ear to ear, seeing her be so passionate about the movie. She looked beautiful, the gleam in her eye at the magic on screen distracting him. Before he knew it, he wasn’t paying attention to the movie anymore, only Y/N. She noticed his gaze, and took her own eyes of the screen, but the look on her face didn’t change. Steve’s smile only grew, and she took notice.

“What?” Her voice thickened, a shy laugh threatening to escape from her words. Steve just shook his head, not knowing what to say to her first. He didn’t feel like the awkward Steve anymore—the Steve that was victim to Robin’s tally marks on a whiteboard in Scoops Ahoy.

“Nothing. You just look really pretty when you’re passionate about something.” He didn’t look away from her, even when she looked away from him down to her own lap. He didn’t think he could look away from her even if he wanted to. It was the first time in a while someone didn’t cringe when he tried to flirt or compliment them, and it made him want to leap across the couch and close the gap between them.

To distract his mouth from something besides hers, he reached for the popcorn bowl that rested on her lap, grabbing a small handful of popcorn and shoving it into his mouth. Not the most attractive thing he could’ve done, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her by grabbing her face and pulling it to his own like he really wanted to. The action pulled her out of her shy state, glancing back up at Steve. Steve attempted to smile at her, mouth full of popcorn, and a few pieces escaped. Y/N tipped her head back in laughter, to which Steve feigned offense. He picked up a piece of popcorn and threw it at her, a defensive tactic. She stopped laughing instantly, raising her hand to her chest with a gasp.

“Oh, you’re dead, Steve.” She picked up her own handful of popcorn, throwing some back at Steve, and the war was on. Steve grabbed the bowl from her lap, jumping up from his seat on the couch, and started throwing more at her. “Hey! That’s not fair! You can’t hog the ammo!” She reached for the bowl in his hand, but Steve raised it above his head out of her reach. He started backing up, jogging backwards away from her, getting her to chase him for the popcorn. He kept throwing more at her, reaching for the bowl above his head and grabbing the last few handfuls they had left of the popcorn, throwing it on top of her hair, it sticking to her fluffy styled curls.

Y/N jumped up in an attempt to reach for the bowl, and it threw Steve off his balance. Steve fell backwards, thankfully landing on the couch, but he took Y/N down with him. As he tipped back, he reached out for stability, his hands landing on her hips and pulling her down on top of him. After their brief shock wore off, they burst into another fit of laughter, Y/N’s head falling on his chest. Steve abandoned the popcorn bowl next to him on the couch, his hands coming to rest on her back as he caught his breath. When he opened his eyes, he looked up at Y/N resting on top of him. He noticed the popcorn still in his hair and began to pick it out slowly. At his actions, Y/N’s own laughter died down, her breath hitching at the contact. Her eyes widened, noticing the lack of distance between them.

“I think you have something in your hair.” She let out a small laugh at his joke, but it came out more as a sharp exhale. Steve felt her eyes on him as he picked the popcorn out of his hair. When he picked out the last piece, Steve dragged his gaze over her face before finally meeting her eyes. He scanned the rest of her face, trying to read her expression. She looked nervous, but the small raise of the corner of her mouth gave him confidence. Steve tucked her mussed hair behind her ear, his hand then drifting to the side of her face, cradling her jaw before looking into her eyes again.

“Steve?” Y/N’s voice barely audible broke the silence.

Steve tried his hardest to keep his eyes on hers, his muscles begging him to let them drift just a little bit lower. “Y/N?”

“Is this a date?” Her voice somehow even lower now. Y/N broke their eye contact, her own eyes drifting towards his lips, an action Steve had been fighting, himself. He let himself mirror her action, letting his eyes look down just a couple inches further. That’s all it took for Steve to lose all the self-control he had left for the night.

Steve didn’t answer Y/N’s question, at least verbally. He pulled her to him, closing that god forsaken gap between them. Their lips connected, and he could feel Y/N melt in his arms. Steve felt like he was on fire. His hand reached further into her hair, the soft texture making him melt even further into the kiss. He was trying to go slow, his lips moving gently over hers. It took everything in him not to flip her over and run his hands over her, exploring every inch.

Steve lost every since of that control when he felt her hand lightly tug at his hair, her other hand running over his chest. The small noise that escaped her was the final straw for Steve. He groaned in return, sitting the both of them up to gain more control, his hand readjusting her to straddle him as they raised up. She broke the kiss momentarily, a gasp escaping her mouth at their new position. Steve quickly closed the gap again, pulling her lips back down to him, running his tongue over the slit of her mouth. Y/N quickly reacquainted herself, getting back to their rhythm, and parted her mouth slightly for Steve.

Steve couldn’t get enough of her. His hands were eager to feel her skin, running over ever inch he could access. Her bare thighs below the cutoff of her shorts, the bottom of her neck, her cheeks—his thumbs circling smooth circles over her exposed midriff.  Eventually, Y/N came up for some air, tipping her head back to take a deep breath. Steve took this as his opportunity to explore more of her with his mouth. His lips slowly trailed down her face, inching their way to her exposed collarbone. God, the noises she was making—Steve couldn’t get enough. He wanted more; he wanted them to be louder. He wanted them on his emergency Vecna mixtape. He slowly ran his tongue over her collarbone, earning a shudder from her before he closed his lips around the exposed skin.

“Steve-“She gasped, pulling his face back to hers, connecting their lips once more. Steve just groaned, not wanting to waste any breath. Steve’s hands drifted lower, hovering on her lower back, itching to go lower. Y/N let out a groan of her own, rolling her hips slightly on top of Steve, his breath catching at the action.

Against his own wishes, Steve pulled away, catching his breath. This was too fast. He wanted more than this with her, and he didn’t want to make her think otherwise if they went any further. Steve rested his head on her shoulder, taking in deep breaths. He could feel her eyes on his, and slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, a smile creeping on his face.

“Is everything okay? Did I do something? Sorry, I—” Steve cut her off, placing a soft kiss on her lips before pulling away, trying to reassure her.

“No, no. Of course not. I just—we were supposed to watch your movie. Sorry I got distracted; I guess I was wrong about having a better attention span with you here.” He laughed, her face lighting back up from her own laugh.

“Yeah, your attention span is shit, Steve.” Neither of them moved, still. In his peripherals, Steve could see the credits start to roll, and he cursed himself silently for missing the ending of the movie and the look on her face from her reactions.

“Should we rewind? I didn’t really get a look at that dress you were talking about. Distracted, I guess.” A sly smile slid across Steve’s face at the reminder of his distraction. A blush spread across her face before she nodded and slid off Steve’s lap. As they rewinded the movie, Steve made sure there was no gap between them this time.

----

A/N: I think I added everyone to the taglist who commented asking, if anyone else wants to be added, let me know!!

Taglist: @readinf @cheetoscmj @itmekelpy @rudeinterlude777 @sarahskywalker-amidala @rxeae

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

HELP

I'M WRITING A BYLER FANFIC AND I WANNA POST IT SOMEWHERE BUT TUMBLR IS NOT THE AUDIENCE FOR SHIP FICS AND AO3 WILL NOT LET ME IN. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP WHAT DO I DO I LOVE MY FIC AND I WANT PEOPLE TO READ IT.

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

Day Job pt. 2

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Dustin's Older Sister!Reader

Summary: Robin sends Steve on an errand at Hawkins Music store, and he runs into Dustin's older sister. After not seeing her since his graduation from high school, he notices she seems different. Why has Dustin never tried to set them up?

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1.8K

A/N: heyyy part 2!! glad you guys are liking it!! also, sorry i know it's an x reader fic, but since it's Dustin's sister I did add a couple things in to signify their relation, but not too much, just eye color and hair! also, pretend timelines aren't a thing, i was struggling with good music release dates. Let me know what you guys think, and if you have any recommendations for other fics!! I'm thinking of maybe writing a Mike fic, and maybe some Byler too idk. What are y'all thinking of the new trailer????? My christmas countdown is just a vol. 2 countdown atp.

Masterlist

Steve found himself in the parking lot of Hawkins Music again just a week later. Thanks to Y/N, Robin didn't chew Steve out when he got back to the station with the right cassette tape. Still, she didn't trust him to make any other runs to the store if she was able to go herself. Today though, Robin hadn't sent him on an errand, and Steve still found himself driving to the music store. He made more effort in his appearance today, too. Steve never left the house with putting some effort in, but today he took even more time than usual, draining more hairspray from the can than usual. He hadn't used this much hairspray probably since high school.

Looking in his rearview mirror, he ran his hands through his hair one last time, making sure he had no stray hairs sticking out, before getting out of his car and making his way towards the front door. As he opened the door, the bell signaling his entrance, he noticed Y/N in the same spot she was the last time he saw her. She looked different today. Her hair was in a high ponytail, a dark green scrunchie holding it together, with some loose hairs falling around her face by her ears. Steve noticed she had more jewelry on today, too--big gold hoops hanging from her ears and a pendant necklace resting high on her neck just above her collarbones. At the chime of the bell above the door, Y/N looked up from the book on the counter she was reading, giving Steve a small smile, which he returned tenfold.

"Hey, Steve. Robin send you on another errand?" She asked, the corner of her lips lifting up at her question. "Oh, um, yeah." Steve lied. "Nothing specific, though. She just asked me to go find some new music we don't have. Any recommendations?" He didn't know how else to start a conversation with her. The only things he knew they had in common were Dustin and Jonathan, and both topics were a total airball when he'd brought them up last week. He figured she must like music, considering her job, and he worked at a radio station, so he thought it would be safer. He still didn't know if she hated him or not, but he was leaning towards yes, so he thought the only way he could get her to talk to him was if it was under the guise of the radio station.

"Yeah, I've always got recommendations. I wish I could recommend Michael Jackson's new album, but with the quarantine it'll be months before we get it, like the album you got last week. Any genre in specific you're looking for?" She asks, a smile still on her face. Steve unfortunately hadn't thought this far. Robin always got the "new" releases, at least new in Hawkins terms, right when they got into town. Steve also had no clue what they actually had in their repertoire at the station, he just put in whatever tape Robin told him to. He never thought to memorize all of their collection. "Um, not really. She just told me to get something good we don't already have. Sorry, I didn't think to look at our collection, I just thought.. I don't know just tell me what music you like." He gave a crooked smile. Y/N squinted her eyes at him, a look signaling she knew he was lying, but she didn't say anything. "Okay, let me see what I can do. Wanna look around with me?" She gave him a smile, and he could see a slight notion of humor behind her dark eyes. He nodded, following her as she walked from behind the counter.

She ditched the jeans today, a park of dark denim shorts covering her legs. He let his eyes drift a little further today, scanning over her entirety as she walked in front of him. Dustin's face flashed in his mind as he did so, a warning he knew Dustin would give him if he were there. Don't even think about it Harrington. Off. Limits. Steve imagined himself shoving Dustin's face away, ignoring his warnings. He should probably listen, but he chose not to care about the likely bad outcome.

He followed Y/N as she walked around the store, scanning the shelves for an album for Steve. She turned around, her ponytail whipping as she did so, and looked up at Steve, "You want a cassette again, right?" She stopped walking, looking to Steve for his answer. "Yeah, that'd be great." He tried to think of a flirty response, but he was grossly out of practice. Ever since working at the station, a place with no customers, the only women he was ever around were Robin, Nancy, and Joyce--all women he had no business practicing his flirting skills on. Not that his flirting skills were any good at Family Video or Scoops Ahoy, either, but now they were pretty much nonexistent. Y/N just nodded, turning around to continue scanning the shelves.

Eventually, she stopped at a shelf that had a big sign hanging above it from the ceiling, labeled "POP ROCK". She crouched down on the floor, her finger brushing over all the tapes before stopping on one on the bottom shelf. She pulled it out of it's spot, and stood up to present it to Steve. "Do you guys have this one? It's technically a movie soundtrack, but it's Bowie, so it's amazing. The movie is, too. Have you seen The Labyrinth yet?" She had a big smile on her face, clearly excited about the tape she had picked out for him. "No, not yet. Ever since I stopped working at the video store, I haven't gotten to watch as many movies. Lost my benefits." Steve said with a laugh, before continuing, "I've heard it's good, though. I think Robin watched it with a date a few weeks ago. Who doesn't love Bowie, though? I'll take it." He rambled. Clearly she liked the movie and the soundtrack, and he wanted to show her he was really interested in it. And her. She excitedly nodded before walking towards the register with the tape.

Shit. They only had a few more minutes together before he lost his excuse to talk to her. Would it be weird if he asked to watch it with her? Probably. What if Dustin found out? He realized he'd stayed in his spot for too long when he heard Y/N ringing him up on the cash register, and quickly made his way to the counter.

As Steve approached the counter, he slid his arm across it, leaning against it, and popped his hip while watching her as she finished ringing him up. The register popped open, and she looked up at Steve to give him the total. As her eyes landed on him, her eyebrows shot up. "Your total is-- why the hell are you standing like that?" Her hand raised up to cover her mouth, trying to suppress a laugh, but it still slipped through. Steve quickly stood up, straightening his posture. He ran his hands over his shirt, awkwardly trying to smooth it out. "I was just uh-- getting comfortable-- No, yeah, I don't know, sorry. What was the total?" He ended his sentence with a big, awkward smile on his face, trying to save himself from further embarrassment. She just laughed again, shaking her head before telling him the total.

After handing Y/N the cash, they stood in silence, Steve watching her as she bagged the tape and printed his receipt. "So, is The Labyrinth still in theaters, or is it on VHS yet?" He asked her, trying to find a better excuse to spend time with her besides lying to her about being sent on an errand by Robin. She handed him his new tape, and looked up at Steve again, "Yeah, it's on VHS already! I actually just bought it for myself a few days ago. I can lend it to you once I finally get time to watch it, if you want." She offered, smiling at him still. Steve didn't want to watch it by himself, but didn't know how to ask her to watch it with him without sounding like he just wanted to sit in a dark room with her at one of their house. That would just make it sound like he wanted to get in her pants. He didn't want to say no, though, so he agreed. "Yeah, that'd be great! If you like it, I'm sure it's great. Thanks." She just nodded at him, a silence falling between them again. With nothing else to say, Steve started heading for the door.

As he opened the door, the familiar bell chiming above the door as he moved to leave the store, he stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at Y/N again, not wanting their conversation to end. "Do you want to maybe watch it together? Maybe tomorrow after my shift at the squawk? I have a shit attention span when watching movies alone, and if it's as good as you say it is, I want to really watch it." Before she could speak, Steve started again, "Like, totally in a chill, just movie-watching kinda way. If you don't want to it's totally fine, I can just come back next week and grab it from you if you don't want to. Or if you don't want to give it to me now, that's fine, too, I totally get it. Or-" She cut Steve off before he could ramble anymore. "I don't know, Steve. I've got plans with Jonathan and Nancy tomorrow. I don't know how he'd feel about me cancelling for...you. No offense or anything, I know he's dramatic about your guys' whole situation. He's just.." She trails off, squinting one eye in apprehension. Steve just drops his head, nodding solemnly in defeat. "Yeah, totally, totally, no worries, I get it. See ya around!" He waves awkwardly, trying to keep a positive attitude, not wanting her to see his obvious disappointment.

Steve turns around again, pushing the door open further to leave, before he hears Y/N speak up again. "Wait, Steve!" Steve stops in his tracks, turning around again to face her. "I'll cancel. He's cancelled on me plenty of times, he deserves a taste of his own medicine. I'd love to have someone to watch it with." Steve just smiles at her, and she starts again, "What time do you get off?"

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

Day Job

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Dustin's Older Sister!Reader

Summary: Robin sends Steve on an errand at Hawkins Music store, and he runs into Dustin's older sister. After not seeing her since his graduation from high school, he notices she seems different. Why has Dustin never tried to set them up?

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1.3K

A/N: hey! long time no see. once again, stranger things has revived my fanfic writing. I don't know how long this will be, but it's definitely gonna be multiple parts (maybe/hopefully with some eventual smut??) let me know how you guys like it!! also i did not proofread this sooo sorry

Steve pulled his BMW into the parking lot of Hawkin’s Music. Robin sent him on a mission to get The Cure’s newest album for the Squawk’s repertoire. Usually, Robin was in charge of getting the new releases, since she didn’t trust Steve with the task. But today, she had a date planned with Vickie. She’d had to reschedule with Vickie too many times because of crawls, and forgot to carve out time to go get the album, so she sent Steve to run the errand for her. 

To be honest, Steve also did not trust himself with getting the album. It was an easy enough task, but he’d messed it up before, getting a live album instead of a studio album. Robin had to go back again to get the one she’d actually asked him for. This time, Robin wrote down the album name on a piece of paper for Steve to hand to a worker, so they would be in charge of finding it instead of Steve. 

Steve walked into the store, and immediately walked towards the front counter with the piece of paper Robin had given him, “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by The Cure STUDIO ALBUM” scratched onto a scrap of paper Robin tore from one of the WSQK notepads. As he approached the counter, he noticed Y/N standing at the counter. He didn’t recognize her at first, it had been a while since they’d seen each other. Although she was Dustin’s sister, they never crossed paths, especially now that Dustin hadn’t been spending as much time with Steve as they used to. She was always nice to him, considering his friendship with Dustin, but he knew she didn’t really like him. She was best friends with Jonathan in high school, so the grudge Jonathan held against him transferred to Y/N. 

He approached her cautiously, not wanting to give her a reason to screw him over and give him the wrong album. Robin would kill him. Before he could say anything, she spoke first, “Hey, Steve, what are you doing here?” She asks, quirking up an eyebrow at him. He hands the paper over to her, “I’m just running an errand for The Squawk, could you help me find this album? Cassette, please.” She grabs the paper from him, looking down at it, then back at Steve, “Um, yeah, but what does this say?” She says, laughing a bit at the bad handwriting. “Sorry, that’s Robin’s handwriting, it’s the new Cure album. I told her nobody would be able to read her chicken scratch.” He said, letting out his own laugh. Y/N just nods, walking away from the counter to find it for him. 

Steve hadn’t seen Y/N in years. He’d always assumed he hated her, their only interactions being during his “King Steve” era. In high school, she was really close with Jonathan. Before Jonathan started dating Nancy, everyone thought he was dating Y/N. They weren’t exactly popular, so most of the school came up with shitty nicknames for them like “Freak Couple”, Steve being one of the perpetrators. The nickname wasn’t very creative, but it was still shitty, and Steve knew it. After Jonathan and Nancy got together, he noticed they didn’t spend as much time together. And since Dustin didn’t want her to be involved in anything upside down related, he just stopped seeing her around after he graduated. She looked different, now, though–more mature. She’d ditched the too-big cardigans and long skirts for jeans and a t-shirt, and her once unruly hair was now tamed, her curls smoother and defined. She held herself differently, too. He could tell she’d gained more confidence just by the way she stood. He caught his eyes drifting over her, looking a little too closely at his friend’s sister, and quickly snapped them towards the wall. If Dustin caught Steve checking out his sister, he’d kill him. 

She comes back and sets the cassette on the counter, “So what are you running errands for the Squawk for?” As she asks the question, she starts ringing Steve up. “I work there! Just…me and my good pal Robin, working the radio waves.” Steve mentally kicks himself for the awkward phrasing. Robin would’ve kicked him too, if she were here. Once again, she raises an eyebrow at him, taking note of his awkwardness. “I didn’t know you worked there, that’s cool, I love that station. Robin’s a great host.” The register sprang open, “That’ll be eight dollars.” Steve quickly pulled his wallet out, handing Y/N the cash. “Yeah, she’s great.” They both stand in awkward silence as Y/N puts the cash in the register and prints his receipt. As she hands it to him, she asks him about Dustin, “Hey, you and Dustin are still close, right? How’s he doing? We don’t get to talk much anymore, I think he’s getting too old to think his big sister’s cool. He doesn’t even gush to me about you anymore.” She laughs awkwardly, probably hating having to ask Steve of all people about her brother. “I don’t really know either, I think he’s too cool for me now, too. Ever since him and Eddie got close, he started talking to me less, and now with Eddie gone…” Steve trailed off, the memory of Eddie’s death stopping him. He was worried about Dustin, just like Y/N was, but Steve knew what happened, Y/N didn’t. It didn’t feel fair that he knew more about Dustin than his sister, but there was no way to tell her the details without letting her in on everything upside down, and Dustin didn’t want her involved in that if she didn’t have to be. 

Y/N just nodded, and Steve could sense her worry. Trying to change the subject, he brought up Jonathan. “Hey, you and Jonathan are close right? How is he.. And Nancy and everything?” Her expression didn’t brighten like she was hoping for, it just fell even further, “Um, I don’t really know. We don’t really talk anymore. He got busy with Nancy, and then he moved, and we only talk every once in a while now that he’s back.” She says awkwardly, and hands him the cassette tape, now in a bag. “Oh shit, sorry, I forgot you guys, like, dated in high school and everything.” Steve awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, just digging himself a deeper grave. 

He didn’t care about Nancy’s relationship with Jonathan anymore. He thought when Jonathan moved away to California he might have another chance, but when everything went down last March, it just made him realize how different they were. He still cared about Nancy, but it just wasn't in the same way he used to. Since his mention of Dustin was a failed conversation starter, he stupidly thought Jonathan would be a better one. Clearly he was wrong. "Um. Nope. That was just a rumor everyone made up. We were just close friends because of our brothers. It was never really like that." Y/N pursed her lips together, and looked down at her feet. Trying to do more damage control, Steve decided to speak again, "Well, he's kind of a dick, so I think you dodged a bullet there." Steve plastered an awkward smile on his face. She laughed a little, but it was obvious there was a little more to her feelings on it, as her smile faded quickly. "Yeah, I guess he kind of is. He's still kinda my friend, though, so watch it." Her joke falls a little flat, and she looks up at him, trying to smile, but he can see a hint of sadness behind it. He just gives her a small smile, and finally takes the bag from her.

"Well, um, thank you for your help. Robin would've killed me if I got the wrong tape again. See you around?" He stands there, bag in hand, waiting for her response. She smiles at him, giving him a small nod, "See you around, Steve." He stands there for a moment before leaving, looking her over again. He wished Dustin had invited him over more often.

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

It’s the way byler and wolfstar are the same mbti personality type..

[illyrianbitch]

Are We Still Friends? — Part Two

Pairing: Reader x Azriel

Summary: You and Azriel are struggling with the aftermath of your heated argument. Unfortunately, you both cope in very different ways.

Warnings: angst! (with a side of some friendship fluff)

Word Count: 5.2k

Part One

✹ ✶ 𖧷 ✶✹ 

The room reeked of stale arrogance and cold stone— like it always did.

You could handle Keir alone. Azriel knew that. You did, too. But that didn’t make it easy. Az’s presence was enough to silence Keir’s snide remarks with a single look. Without him here, Keir was running his mouth like a common court gossip, his words dripping with the kind of entitlement that made your skin crawl.

He was droning on now, his voice a low hum in your ears like the buzzing of a persistent, uncatchable fly; rattling demands, complaints, thinly veiled insults. It was always like this.

You were barely listening. 

Your mind kept drifting to Az, to the conversation the night before. 

Your chest simmered with a new emotion every time you replayed it. Anger, disappointment, betrayal. You weren’t sure which stung more: his sharp tone, the way he’d dismissed you, or the bitter fact that you’d never had Azriel talk to you like that before.

Where was he now, anyway? What had Selene needed so urgently that he’d decided official court matters could wait? Somewhere far more comfortable than this gods-forsaken pit, you were sure.

“…and the resources we’re requesting are more than reasonable, given the sacrifices we’ve made to maintain this arrangement.”

Keir’s voice sliced through your spiraling thoughts, slick, self-satisfied, and grating. He had quite the punchable features, you observed. How had he lasted this long without a good deck to the face?

“If Rhysand truly values his court,” Keir continued, a mocking edge creeping into his tone, “and not just his little city, then perhaps he should send someone who understands the importance of negotiation.”

Your mind jumped again—to Azriel, to the way he’d looked at you like you were the one who’d crossed the line. You couldn’t figure out where you’d gone wrong. Was it the mention of Elain? That small, stillness you’d felt in him? You hadn’t intended it to be a jab, hadn’t meant to make him feel guilty. You were concerned. Your approach was good-natured. Or, at least you’d thought so. 

Keir’s voice drifted in and out of focus as you stared at him, boredom spreading through you, a dull throb in your chest. You were ready to leave. Ready to escape the suffocating air of the room. You were annoyed at yourself, too, if you were being honest. Here you were, seething, ungrounded in a way you rarely allowed yourself to be, simply because of a five-minute argument. A spat. 

Usually, during these meetings, Azriel helped you regulate your dislike for Keir. When the male’s mere existence stirred memories of his cruelty to Mor, Azriel’s presence would be a steadying hand at the small of your back, a quiet reminder to keep your temper in check.

But he wasn’t there. And your thoughts were all over the place. And Keir only wanted to talk to Azriel—why did everyone need him so suddenly?

“Your attempts at diplomacy are largely symbolic. A pretty face to soften the High Lord’s more… aggressive tactics. And, well, without the Spymaster— ”

Something snapped inside you. That diplomatic part of you, the skills you’d fought tooth and nail for, had perfected over centuries, crumbled completely.

“Shut up!”

The words hit the room like a thunderclap. The two males beside him stiffened, their hands twitching toward their weapons.

“For the love of the Mother,” you said through gritted teeth, “Shut. Up.” 

Keir’s eyes widened, his mouth hanging open for a fraction of a second before he recovered, his features twisting with irritation— with offense, with shock. “Excuse me, girl?”

You stood slowly, your chair scraping loudly against the stone floor. You knew you should grimace, should feel some pang of guilt for letting your temper get the better of you. This wasn’t what you were here to do. This wasn’t how you tended to be.

But you didn’t care.

You were tired, irritated, and in desperate need of a drink, a joint, or someone to hit in the face.

“Do you ever tire of hearing yourself speak?” you said, gesturing sharply with your hands. “Or do you enjoy the sound of your own idiocy too much to notice how pathetic you sound?”

Keir’s eyes narrowed, his smirk returning, like he enjoyed your bite. Found a worthy opponent, even. “Careful,” he said, his voice low, threatening. “You’re out of line.”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. You’d give Mor a tight hug this week, praise her once more for being able to survive seventeen years under the suffocating arrogance of a male like Keir.

“Oh, I’m just getting started,” you snapped. “You are not some untouchable ruler. You leech off the power Rhysand allows you to have. Do not forget that.”

Keir’s jaw tightened, his knuckles white where they gripped the arms of his chair. One of his soldiers shifted slightly, his hand brushing the hilt of his sword. You turned your glare on him.

“Try it,” you said coldly. “I dare you. Lay a hand on me, and you’ll find out just how thin your leash really is. Do you think Rhysand wouldn’t love an excuse to raze this pathetic little agreement to the ground? You think Morrigan wouldn’t personally take that sword and shove it somewhere creative? Trust me, they’re looking for an excuse.”

Keir inhaled sharply as he stood slowly, placing his palms on the table before him and leaning forward with a snarl. The gleam in his eyes was predatory, animalistic. “Are you threatening me?”

“Yes.” You mirrored him, placing your palms on the table and leaning forward, still holding his gaze tight.  “Would you like to see if I’m bluffing?”

Silence blanketed the room as Keir stared at you. You could see it in his eyes—the horror of recognizing that you might actually be his equal. Or worse, his superior. He was struggling with how to approach the situation, how to balance his newfound realization with the need to maintain authority in front of his males.

After a long moment, Keir shifted his gaze to his men and motioned for them to stand down. Their hands dropped, spines stiffening like statues at his sides.

You took the silence as your answer.

“That might be the smartest move you’ve ever made,” you said with an amused hum. Straightening, you brushed your hands off and smiled. “The Spymaster will be back next week to negotiate terms about resources. Pray he’s in a better mood than I am.”

A sense of satisfaction bloomed in your chest as you turned to leave. It felt good to finally tell him off—Lord knew it had been coming for centuries. You’d been biting it back at every meeting, every forced smile, every empty negotiation. It had been far more tame than you’d liked, but it was something, at least. A small victory. 

The relief washed over you for a fleeting moment before it began to slip away, replaced by that familiar unease, the stirring of anger still simmering beneath the surface.

You knew why.

Keir wasn’t the male you were truly mad at. 

At least, not in the way that made your heart ache. 

✹ ✶ 𖧷 ✶✹ 

You’d barely gotten out of the bath and dressed when there was a soft knock at your door. You let out a deep sigh, running your hands along your face before walking into the bedroom proper, feeling the slight chill of the air against your still-damp skin.

The thought of Azriel hit you almost instantly, your body tensing at the possibility. After all, it was just the two of you living in the townhome, and it was late—no one else was expected. As much as part of you wanted to see him—to curse him out, maybe, or pull an apology from him, you weren’t sure—a bigger part of you just wanted to sit alone. To wallow in the strange self-pity that had bloomed in your stomach since the meeting with Keir.

“Go away, Azriel. I don’t want to t-”

Your gaze landed on Mor instead. She stood in the doorway, hands behind her back, a small smile on her lips.

“Good thing I’m not Azriel,” she said, stepping forward. Her familiar perfume drifted through the room. “I’m much more attractive.”

You stifled a laugh despite yourself, the corners of your mouth tugging into a reluctant smile. Mor had always been infuriatingly good at that—chipping away at your mood, no matter how sour. Tonight, she looked less mischievous than usual, wearing a simpler gown—still stunning, but more comfortable.

“What are you doing here?”

Mor’s presence instantly lightened the weight on your chest, even just slightly, but a glimmer of disappointment sparkled in your chest, threaded through your ribs and refused to leave. Part of you had hoped it was Azriel at your door. Even if you’d have sent him away with biting remarks, at least he would’ve tried. At least he would’ve been there.

“I heard through the grapevine that there was a messy meeting in the Hewn City.”

Your stomach twisted. Shit. Keir had worked much faster than you’d thought. You wondered, briefly, how long it had taken for him to go run and complain— had he waited an hour? Perhaps two?

You grimaced, offering a sheepish smile. “Oh, right. That,” you drawled. “Is Rhys mad?”

“Not at you,” she replied. “He’s mad he missed it. I am, too.”

A grin tugged at her lips, and it wasn’t long before identical ones broke across both of your faces. You looked down, scuffing the carpet with your toe. “I don’t know what got into me.”

Mor snorted. “My father got into you.”

You looked up and raised a brow. She shot you an unimpressed look, the kind that would usually mean you were inconveniencing her with your childish humor. But there was amusement in her eyes, glinting like sunlight on glass. She wanted to laugh.

“You know what I meant,” Mor grumbled, lips twitching again. “Keir tends to bring out the worst in everyone.”

You nodded at that, tucking a loose stand of hair behind your ear. “I know I tell you this all the time,” you said, “But gods am I sorry you had to grow up with him.”

Mo shrugged, waving it off with a dismissive hand. The other stayed behind her back. “Character development and all that,” she said breezily. “Anyway, I have something for you.”

“If it’s wine, I think I’ll pass.”

She shook her head and brought her hand around, revealing a small to-go box. It was unmistakable—the kind used by your favorite bakery, all the way in the Day Court. 

“Ta-da,” she sang.

Your chest warmed at the sight. Slowly, you took the offering, running your fingers along the box’s edges. When you looked back at her, she was watching you with a tender smile—the kind only Morrigan could give. It wasn’t the playful smirk or sharp grin she wore for the world. 

“What's this for?”

Mor tilted her head. “You’ve had a rough twenty-four hours. I thought you could use some comfort treats. And company.”

Your heart swelled. You’d told her and Elain little of the fight with Azriel when they’d sought you out, pacing outside your door until they decided you were ready. Elain had apologized profusely, saying she hadn’t meant to spark the argument when she suggested you talk to him. You’d assured her there was no apology needed—not from her, at least. She’d only sped up the inevitable: the realization that Azriel didn’t seem to value your opinion the way you so often valued his.

Mor wrapped an arm around your shoulders, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially. “I also did bring wine. It’s downstairs. We can sit, talk—and if Azriel comes home, I’ll make sure he doesn’t hear us. Or see us.”

You let Mor guide you downstairs, where she opened a bottle of wine and drew you into a conversation—a deliberate distraction about her and Emerie, about apartment hunting and her attempts at civility with Nesta. You listened as best as you could, grateful for the reprieve, and even forced yourself to savor the dessert she’d brought.

It was as good as you remembered. That was something, at least. Azriel hadn’t managed to ruin that, despite the bitter taste your argument had left behind.

Mor waited about half an hour before gently steering the conversation where she really wanted it to go: what happened with you and Az, how you were feeling.

The problem was, you couldn’t quite put your finger on why you were so upset. You told Mor the things you knew for certain: that it was unfair for Azriel to assume he knew what you were going to say, that he hadn’t given you—his best friend for centuries—a chance to speak or express your concern. That he hadn’t trusted you enough to even hear you out. Mor nodded along, agreeing that Azriel had been out of line, that it was unlike him to take someone else’s word over yours so easily.

But even as she agreed with you, it didn’t ease the pressure in your chest. It wasn’t just about him being unfair or dismissive. There was something deeper, something you hadn’t yet figured out how to say. Something else about it that bothered you so deeply. 

Maybe it was the way he’d so easily twisted your intentions, the way he’d looked at you as if you were an inconvenience, made you feel like every word you’d spoken had been some elaborate ruse. Like your concern wasn’t genuine. Like the years you’d spent knowing him, understanding him, recognizing the subtle shifts in his behavior, didn’t matter at all. You were just finding a convenient excuse to meddle, to dig your claws into his relationship, sabotage what he had so you could steal him away in the middle of the night. 

It was possible you were being a little overdramatic. And you’d definitely emphasized his words in your retelling to Mor, but it didn’t change the intent. What he’d said. What he’d believed. To imply that after everything, you couldn’t be a good friend to him. That you couldn’t care without an ulterior motive.

He hadn’t even tried to talk to you since. Not a word, not a glance. You tried to reason with yourself—it had only been a day. Maybe he needed time to cool off, to think. Maybe he was as confused as you were, unsure of how things had spiraled so fast. Maybe this silence was just him giving you space.

But a part of you didn’t think that was true. There was a possibility that his silence wasn’t for your sake—it was for his. Because he didn’t think he owed you anything.

That thought was the worst of all.  That he didn’t even care.

And you were furious, too, that Azriel had tipped you so completely off balance, that these feelings had bled into your lashing out at Keir. The memory of it was already clawing at you, leaving a faint sting of embarrassment. You knew it would follow you like a stray dog, nipping at your heels. You’d gotten emotional. You—the Night Court’s ever-diplomatic emissary—had been anything but.

You were certain you’d care more about it in a few days, when you had the energy to think clearly.

“Y/n?”

You blinked, startled out of your daze, suddenly aware of how tightly your fingers had curled around the small fork in your hand.

“Hm?”

Mor gave you a sympathetic smile. “I think you should get some rest,” she said, crouching down in front of you.

You hadn’t realized you’d ended up on the floor, leaning against the table—a habit you fell into when you were upset, like grounding yourself by sinking as close to the earth as possible. Mor extended a hand, helping you up with that steady, no-nonsense kind of care only she could offer.

She started tidying up without asking, brushing away crumbs and organizing the small mess you’d both made. Her eyes flicked to the pastry box on the table. “Are you gonna finish this? Or do you want me to toss it?”

You glanced down, confused, at the small leftover piece in the box. That was strange. You usually devoured these, barely leaving crumbs, let alone a full bite. For a moment, you thought nothing of it.

And then it clicked. It was instinct, an old habit of sorts—leaving a bite for Azriel to try.

You bit back a disappointed sigh. What had once been second nature, something you did without thinking, now felt deeply embarrassing. Sickening. Too intimate, like a little girl with a crush.

“Toss it,” you said quickly, your voice tight, sharper than intended.

Mor didn’t comment, simply folded the box closed and tossed it into the trash. Before she left, she pulled you into a hug, warm and unhurried.

“It’s okay to focus on the anger right now,” she murmured into your hair. “If nothing else makes sense, you’re entitled to it. I think you’re a few centuries overdue.”

You let out a short, dry laugh. “Yeah,” you replied, the word heavy on your tongue. “I think I have a few more remarks left in me.”

Mor grinned as she stepped back, smoothing her hands over your arms before heading for the door. “Atta girl. Make him miserable.”

You lingered on her words as you climbed the stairs.

A grudge sounded great. It sounded righteous. It sounded like something you could do—at least for now, until your feelings settled.

Lucien really was better than you. He’d endured so much, and somehow, he still found room for forgiveness, a way to let Azriel off the hook.

But you didn’t want to let this go. Not yet.

You’d given Azriel centuries of friendship, of loyalty and unwavering support, and he hadn’t even deemed you worthy of the benefit of the doubt. Maybe later, you could be like Lucien, could forgive Azriel for his shortcomings and his idiocy.

Not tonight.

You curled up in bed, willing yourself to embrace the cold, sharp edges of your anger. But, despite your best efforts, that wasn’t what stayed.

The sadness did.

✹ ✶ 𖧷 ✶✹ 

Azriel didn’t apologize. 

Not verbally, at least. It was a habit born in the aftermath of the first war, when he’d been forced to reckon with who he’d become, the things he’d done as Spymaster.

He’d learned quickly that some things were too heavy to face, too raw to acknowledge. Easier to tuck them away, seal them behind his silence. Apologies came with a price he couldn’t play. Because if he started apologizing for those things—acts born of desperation, of blind obedience to a High Lord who demanded it—he’d never stop. He’d be drowning in it for centuries.

So he didn’t. He wouldn’t. And if he refused to apologize for the horrors of his past—if the shame and pain of it were too much—then he had to be consistent. If he didn’t do it then, he couldn’t do it now. Not even for the people he loved.

Instead, he accepted the damage he caused. Accepted that he’d make mistakes. That he’d hurt people.

He stored those moments away in the ever-growing, aching place inside him that proved how unlovable he was—how destined he was to hurt the people he cared for most. How inevitable his failures were.

On the worst days, when the silence felt unbearable, he’d reach for those memories, let them remind him of who he truly was. He’d sit with them, twist them into hatred—at himself, at his failure, at the fact he couldn’t change it. He could never seem to stop.

But Azriel loved his family. He truly did. He’d die for them. He’d commit every horrible act over and over if that was what was needed to ensure their safety. So he usually found other ways to apologize.

This time, though, Azriel felt… embarrassed. Ashamed, even. Humiliated. He’d acted like a child, reckless and unthinking, had been dismissive of someone he loved.

He valued the females in his life, respected them deeply. And usually, for them, he could set aside his twisted need to avoid apologies. Instantly.

You and him had argued before—fought, even. It was bound to happen over centuries. But it had never been like this. This felt different. Everyone knew.

He wanted to apologize the night it happened. But he couldn’t. He’d gone too far. He told himself that his apology needed to be big enough to make up for it. 

All week, the memory looped in his mind, relentless and punishing. The second the accusation left his lips, regret had consumed him—an instant, choking thing. Even his shadows had recoiled, letting out a sound that might’ve been a gasp. But the worst part, the part that kept him up at night, was your face.

Your features had twisted into something he’d never seen before. Not in all the centuries you’d been by his side. Something like offense. Or maybe, Azriel thought bitterly, something worse. He’d convinced himself it was disgust. Pure, unfiltered disgust.

It bothered him more than he cared to admit.

Azriel was used to people being upset with him. It came with the territory—his silence, his sharp edges, the anger he carried like armor. He could be difficult; he knew that. Could be impulsive, cold, quick to anger. Over centuries, he’d learned to live with it, to endure the way disappointment settled in others’ eyes when he pushed too far.  But it never suffocated him like this.

He had disappointed you. You were angry, disgusted by the accusation he'd thrown your way—why had he done that?

Selene's words lingered in his mind, over and over, such meaningless, small words. They’d burrowed themselves deep, driven him borderline mad. He couldn’t figure out why.

It made him itch, made him unsettled in a way that didn’t make sense. He had assumed that itch meant the words bothered him—something about them, something he couldn't quite grasp—and that had gotten under his skin, gnawing at him.

He’d been avoiding you since that night.  It was easy, despite the fact that you were the only two in the house. After all, you had been avoiding him too.

He was being a coward. He knew it. Avoiding you when he knew damn well he needed to find you, get you alone, and apologize. Profusely. Repeat it until there was some hope of undoing the damage. But avoidance was easier. Safer.

It was what he was best at.

The thought of apologizing only for you to turn him away, for you to look at him with disgust, with anger, was more than he could stomach. And he'd convinced himself that that was the most likely scenario—and it would be valid. Completely, utterly valid.

So, he did what he did best: he retreated into himself. Into Selene.

But a few days had passed, and now the ache in Azriel’s chest was gaping. Raw. Unbearable. He couldn’t breathe.

The guilt had started before the sun rose, creeping up Azriel’s spine as he pulled away from Selene’s warm embrace. She’d stirred when he slipped out of bed, her lips parted to protest, but he hadn’t stayed to hear her argument. It wasn’t comfortable—none of it. Not the weight in his chest, not the way his shadows murmured disapproval like a broken melody on repeat.

He needed to be here—at family brunch. He wanted to be here. And for the first time in days, his shadows seemed content with a decision he’d made. Thank the gods for that.

The house was full by time he arrived. He didn’t need his shadows to tell him. He could hear their laughter from the doorway, could smell the pull of a sweet feast. Rhysand was the first to notice his presence, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he leaned back in his chair. 

“Look who decided to join after all.”

Az didn’t reply, not in the way he usually did. Instead, his gaze immediately found you, his breath stalling as he caught the subtle stiffening of your shoulders. You didn’t turn. You didn’t so much as glance back.

Mor, seated beside you, did. Her brown eyes flitted from you to him, a semi-scowl in her expression as she turned her gaze to Emerie on her left, dismissing Azriel entirely.

Another person he’d probably have to apologize to.

Az swallowed, his shadows tugging at him like restless children, desperate to curl around you, to offer something—comfort, perhaps, or a plea for forgiveness he hadn’t yet put into words. But you still didn’t move.

Clearing his throat, Azriel finally said, “I’m sorry I’m late.” 

It was Feyre who responded, casting a quick glance towards you before offering Azriel a smile. “No worries, Az. We’re glad you’re here.”

That was a lie. But the chatter began once more, anyways. 

Az moved forward, gaze flicking to the one empty chair at the table— the chair beside you. Just as he reached for it, your head snapped up, eyes meeting his for the first time in days. 

“Are you sure you want to sit there?”

Azriel froze. “What?”

You tilted your head at him, eyes narrowing in a way he hadn’t quite seen before—a look that was, if he was being honest, downright unnerving. But then, just as quickly, the emotion fell away, replaced by something sharper, crueler, and laced with exaggerated concern. “What if I’m overcome with lust and expose myself to you?”

From across the table, Cassian choked violently on his drink, Nesta muttering something under her breath as she thumped his back.

Azriel closed his eyes for a brief second, forcing a steady inhale before lowering himself into the chair anyway. He could feel his shadows retreating reluctantly, curling tighter against him, sharing his discomfort. Only when the conversation resumed once more did Az lean closer to you, dropping his voice low enough for only you to hear.

“Can we talk?”

“I don’t know, can we? Did Selene give you permission?”

Azriel clenched his jaw, willing himself to take another deep inhale. Before he could pull a response, your face shifted into something exaggerated, all false excitement and mock sweetness. “Don’t tell me I’m being considered as your third? Oh gods. Should I throw myself at you now, or—?”

“Y/n, come on,” Az murmured, his voice tight— pleading. “Please.”

For a beat, Azriel thought you were mulling it over, almost expected to see your face soften like he was used to. But it didn’t. 

 “Rhys,” you said, your voice carrying as you turned to the High Lord. “Would you like to tell Azriel what to expect during his meeting with Keir next week? He’d like to know.”

Az’s stomach twisted at the sound of his name—not Az, but Azriel. Cold. Formal. Foreign. He hated the way it sounded coming from you, devoid of the warmth or familiarity he’d always taken for granted, like he was a stranger. Had he truly made you that angry in the span of a few minutes? 

This, Az thought bitterly, was why he opted to never speak unless it was needed.

Rhys nodded, though his gaze flickered between you and Azriel with something like caution. Before Azriel could protest, or even try to get another word in, you turned to Mor, engaging her in conversation as if the exchange hadn’t happened at all.

The rest of the meal passed in a strange limbo. It wasn’t hostile—if anything, it felt painfully normal. Conversations swirled around the table. Laughter floated between bites of food— and his shadows had danced whenever the sound of yours had reached them.

Azriel was willing to admit that, with the situation aside, he’d missed this—missed his family. The time spent with Selene lately had only highlighted how much he craved the sense of home that these moments brought. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to apologize for his absence.

He’d been nervous to disrupt what he and Selene had, even if “alright” was the only word he could muster to describe it. It wasn’t perfect—it wasn’t love—but it was... something. It could develop into something. Right?

But as good as the meal could’ve been, your silence weighed on him like a stone. You ignored him completely. No more snark, no insults, not even a glance. It got to the point where he wanted a petty remark, wanted you to look at him and tell him exactly how stupid he’d been. Usually, you were vocal when you were angry. Confrontational. He’d seen it over centuries, the way your fury blazed as brightly as you. You didn’t let things stew. You didn’t let him stew.

Why were you so quiet now? Why weren’t you yelling at him, demanding answers, or throwing his mistakes back at him like daggers?

Why had you accepted him—and his stupidity—with the same quiet resignation as that night?

It was worse. It was so much worse. Your anger felt different with him. And he hated it.

When the meal ended, Azriel stayed seated, watching as the others began to leave. He watched as you leaned down to Nyx, your hand brushing the baby’s cheek with such tender care it made his chest ache. Feyre’s expression softened at the sight, and you smiled at her and Rhys, thanking them for the meal before leaving with Mor, Emerie, Cassian, and Nesta.

None of the females spared him a glance. Cassian offered him a small, apologetic smile. He wasn’t sure if that made it better or worse.

Thank the gods Amren wasn’t here. Small blessings, Az supposed.

He sighed, clearing his plate and bringing it to the kitchen. He rinsed it, the sound of water doing nothing to drown out the weight in his chest, and when he turned to leave, Rhys was there, Nyx balanced on one arm.

“Good luck, brother,” Rhys said. Az didn’t bother asking what he meant. He already knew.

The wistful, pitying smile Rhys wore was infuriating. The amused gleam in his violet eyes was worse. Rhys looked almost... grateful, as if relieved it wasn’t his head on the chopping block.

“A fight with the one member of our family collectively loved by everyone else,” Rhys mused, shaking his head. “Phew. You’ve made an enemy of a pack of vicious, beautiful wolves.”

Azriel’s jaw tightened, but before he could respond, Rhys shifted his attention to Nyx.

“Can you say, ‘Uncle Az is screwed?’” He cooed. Nyx babbled nonsensically, waving a tiny fist, and Rhys grinned. “Yeah, he’s gonna have to grovel, huh?”

Azriel glared, his shadows bristling as he brushed past him with an unamused glare. Rhys’s laughter followed him down the hall.

Must grovel, his shadows repeated, Grovel. Apologize. Admit.

Whatever the hell that meant.

✹ ✶ 𖧷 ✶✹ 

authors note:

me trying to write reader and getting sad that shes lowkey gaslighting herself and downplaying her emotions bc she cares about az: ☹️

me writing az as someone who just accepts he hurts people and doesnt realize he can like...just apologize: 😒

me knowing this angst is gonna be so fun:🥰

anyways thank you for reading!! i've already written a lot more, so expect 2-3 more parts! <3 (i have their makeup written😏) every comment or ask yall leave gets me so inspired

but until then... how long do yall think its gonna take for them to talk? tehehe

permanent tag list 🫶🏻: 

@rhysandorian @itsswritten @milswrites @lilah-asteria @georgiadixon

@glam-targaryen @cheneyq @darkbloodsly @pit-and-the-pen @azrielsbbg

@evergreenlark @marina468 @azriels-human @book-obsessed124 @bubybubsters 

@starswholistenanddreamsanswered @feyretopia  @ninthcircleofprythian @velariscalling @azrielrot

@justyouraveragekleemain @marigold-morelli @mrsjna @anarchiii @alittlelostalittlefound

@melissat1254 @secretsicanthideanymore @m4tthewmurd0ck @beardburnsupersoldiers @isnotwhatyourethinking

@tothestarsandwhateverend @raginghellfire @angel-graces-world-of-chaos @acoazlove @paradisebabey

@inkedinshadows @mellowmusings @paankhaleyaaar @curiosandcourioser @thisrandombitch

azriel tag list 🫶🏻:

@thisiskaylin @serrendiipty @acourtofsteelandthunder @mortqlprojections @ushijima-stits

@honethatty12 @chillymountsjess @velaris-avatar-formula1 @idkitsem @kazbrkker

[idrkwhatthisisimsorry]

Gold Rush

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: Steve and reader are just two idiots in love who doesn't think the other one likes them back

Warnings: fluff, idiots in love, slight angst, slight reader insecurity

Word Count: 3,406

A/N: okay so i haven’t written in a REALLY long time, but i’ve been on a steve kick lately and just wanted to write something so 😍

You were tired of it. So sick and tired of it. You’ve been alive for over two full decades and you still have never managed to have a boyfriend. Not that you were particularly desperate for one, but when everyone around you managed to have been in a relationship at one point in their life, it made you feel a little left out. It’s gotten to the point where everyone just kind of assumes you aren’t interested in a relationship, which isn’t true. You’re just bad at finding one. You’ve had small one-night things, but it seems like every time you get close to a man beyond a hook-up, you somehow manage to make the conversation utterly and completely platonic to the point where you’re just always the best friend. And this is where Steve Rogers comes in. 

You’ve known Steve for about 3 years, ever since you joined the team. Steve, to say the least, is a pretty intimidating guy when you first meet him. He’s super tall and sweet and cute, all the things you would want in a guy. But because he’s so perfect, approaching him seemed way too scary. For the first couple months of knowing him, the two of you would only exchange simple pleasantries as you crossed paths. A nod of the head, a wave, or a quick “hi” was all you were able to get out. But you wanted more than that. 

Eventually one day, you got the courage to say something to him. 

You were sitting in the kitchen, reading a book and sipping your coffee when Steve walked in. It looked like he had just gotten out of the gym, he was wearing some athletic shorts and a Dodgers tee that was entirely too small on him, but it gave you something to talk about. 

“Dodgers fan?” You asked him, hoping it would start some kind of conversation. He turned around, looking almost shocked that you said something to him that wasn’t just hi. He chuckled a bit before saying, “Yes, ma’am. I do miss them being in the city, but you’ll never catch me trading them in for the Yankees.”. He smiled at you, obviously expecting a response. You panicked. You hadn’t thought this far. He was supposed to ask you a question or something. In your idiotic panic, all you could manage to get out of your mouth was, “I’ve honestly never watched a single baseball game in my life.” Which was true, but why did you have to say that now? But apparently Steve wasn’t as offended by this as you thought he would be, and he tipped his head back and just laughed. Steve Rogers was laughing at you. With you? You had no clue. You just dropped your head into your palms, expecting him to walk out at your comment. “No offense, doll, but you don’t exactly strike me as the baseball fan type, so I’m not entirely shocked.” He said, just smiling at you. You were absolutely not going to open your mouth again, because obviously it wasn’t attached to your brain and you didn’t want to look even more idiotic in front of  literal Captain America. It got to the point where both of you were just kind of staring at each other in silence before Steve finally broke the tension. “So… reading is more of your style, then?” He said, gesturing to the book you had sitting in front of you. “Uh, yeah, pretty much. It’s like all I do in my free time.” You said, with a slight smile on your face. “I love reading, too. Kind of hard to adapt from books from 70 years ago to the books now, but I’d say it’s definitely one of my favorite pastimes. What are you reading?” You were kind of holding a conversation with Steve Rogers. Steve Rogers. Your kind of crush. You don’t know if you can even call it a crush when the longest conversation you’d even had with him was currently happening, and so far was only about 5 sentences long, but it was happening. “Oh, um, it’s called Daisy Jones and the Six. I've actually read it a few times already, but it’s my favorite so I felt like reading it again.” You said as you smiled up at him sheepishly. “Oh, I’ve actually heard of that one. Good enough for multiple re-reads, huh?” “Oh, one-hundred percent. It takes place in the seventies. Such a shame you missed out on that decade, it would’ve been interesting to see you in bell bottoms.” And there it was again, that laugh. He tipped his head back once again and just laughed. “Is that a good laugh or an ‘oh my god this girl needs to shut up laugh’” Steve stopped laughing, and looked at you confused. “No, of course not. You’re funny.” A confused smile spread across his face. “Sorry, it’s just kind of weird figuring everybody out here and making friends. You’re all way too cool for me, I feel like I’m trying to fit in with the popular kids.” You gave a shy laugh, and he returned it and then crossed the kitchen in front of you. “Well you’ve got one here. Being a tiny kid in Brooklyn, I get how weird it is to go from being on the outside, to being right here on the inside. Wanna make a deal?” He said, holding out his hand. You looked down at his outstretched hand, and then looked back up at him before asking, “What kind of deal?” He just smiled before saying, “A friendship deal. Whenever you need someone to talk to or to hang out with, or just someone to read in the same room with, you’ve got me.” You smiled even brighter and took his hand and shook it. “Done. And this deal includes you not judging my weak handshake.” He just threw his head back again and laughed. And that’s when you fell in love with Steve Rogers. 

Being in love with Steve Rogers was a problem. Being in love with Steve Rogers for three years and only being a best friend was an even bigger problem. Steve was the perfect guy, which was the issue because everyone else had the same sentiments, but you were too scared of rejection to do anything about it. You knew everybody wanted him, but last year was when it really hit you. 

As you finished getting ready, you picked up your tote bag, ready to go to your favorite bookstore. You thought it might be fun for Steve to come with, but as you headed for your door to go ask him, there was a knock. You opened your door to see Steve standing outside of it. “Hey Steve, what’s up?” You asked him, a smile on your face. “I was just coming to see if you wanted to do something?” He said, looking down at your outfit, seeing you were already dressed to go. “But if you already have plans, that’s totally fine.” He said with a small smile on his face. “No, I was actually just about to come ask you if you wanted to go to the bookstore with me?” You gave him a small smile back, and raised your eyebrows in question. A big smile spread across his face as he nodded and gestured his arm in front of you, suggesting for you to lead the way. You smiled up at him and stepped past him through the door. 

Walking with Steve was always nice because it meant you had something to do while you talked. You and Steve had grown pretty close since your conversation you had in the kitchen a couple years ago, but you still got nervous and fidgety sometimes when you were around him because, well, you were still in love with him. So walking and talking was just easier than sitting around and talking. “So why do you need more books?”He said as the two of you walked down the sidewalk. “I always need more books, you know this, Steve.” He gave a small chuckle and turned to look at you, stopping on the sidewalk. He didn’t say anything, and just looked at you. You gave him a look, confused why he was putting your walk on a halt. You raised your eyebrows and asked him, “What?”, laughing a little bit. “You’re just so b-” Before Steve could finish his sentence he was interrupted. 

One of the most beautiful girls you had ever seen just so happened to walk up to Steve, not even glancing in your direction. She was tall, blonde, beautiful, and more confident than you could ever think to be. Before you even had time to react to her, she was beaming up at Steve and talking to him. “Hi, sorry, I know this is kind of weird, but I just saw you from across the street, and wanted to come introduce myself. I’m Jen.” She said, batting her eyes up at him. “Oh, um, hi, I’m Steve, this is y/n.” He introduced the two of you, and smiled over at you as he said your name. Usually you loved when he said your name. The way his deep voice came out as he said ‘y/n’ always gave you butterflies in your stomach, but hearing him say your name because he was introducing you to a beautiful girl, who was so clearly interested in him, just made you feel like the gum on the bottom of your shoe. When Steve introduced you, you put on a fake smile that wasn’t even seen by her, as she clearly didn’t care about your presence, and kept her gaze focused on Steve. “Well, if you’re free sometime, call me.”She put on a sweet smile and grabbed his hand to put a small slip of paper, most likely with her number on it, in his hand. Before he could even respond, she turned away, but not before throwing a wink over her shoulder at him. And that’s when you realized if Steve Rogers could have girls like her, why would he want you?

“Nat. I need you to set me up on a date or something. I need serious romantic help, I’m tired of it.” After battling with your feelings for Steve, you figured it was finally time to move on. You and Steve were as close as you could possibly be at this point, and you hadn’t made any progress past friendship, and it was breaking your heart. You kept holding out hope, but if Captain America wasn’t going to make a move on you, it was never going to happen, and he just clearly wasn’t interested. You couldn’t keep pining over a man who didn’t want you. You were tired of setting unrealistic expectations for yourself, and decided to finally take Nat up on her offer of setting you up with someone. 

“Finally! I’ve been trying to set you up for years, what finally cracked you?” She said excitedly. Nat had been trying to set you up pretty much since the day you stepped into the tower. Once you and Steve started becoming friends, he helped you get more acquainted with everyone else on the team, and Natasha was one of the first. Which was another reason you fell in love with him. He cared so much about your wellbeing, and he wanted to make sure you felt comfortable and welcome where you lived, and you would be forever grateful for that. But that’s what friends do, and in your lovestruck haze, you decided to see it as him caring about you the same way you cared about him. 

“Nothing in particular, I think I just need a change, I guess.” You said, trying your best to give her a genuine smile. She just beamed back at you, “Well, I’m super happy you’re finally giving in. I will find the perfect guy for you, I promise.” She said, hopping off the stool she was sitting on and walked away with her eyes glued to her phone, typing away. 

–

Later that night you were sitting on the couch reading, while Steve sat on the other side of the couch with you. You heard him close his book and sit it down on the table beside him. You looked up from your book to him as he opened his mouth to say something. “Hey, uh, what are you doing tomorrow night?” He asked you, a shy smile on his face. Most of your plans consisted of spending time with Steve, and as you were about to tell him that, Natasha bounded into the room.

“I can tell you exactly what she’s doing tomorrow night.” Nat said, with a mischievous smile on her face. You had a feeling you knew exactly what she was going to say, and even though you asked her to set you up on a date, the last thing you wanted to happen was for her to tell you about a date she set you up on in front of Steve. “She’s going on a date. With Jack from the 7th floor. He’s so cute, y/n, you’ll love him. He loves books, and you guys have the same taste in music, I can’t wait.” She said, almost giggly. “You can’t wait for my date?” You said, laughing at her last statement. “Well, I’ve been trying to set you up for years, god forbid I get excited you finally said yes.” She said, rolling her eyes at you. “You’re going on a date?” You looked at Steve as he asked the question and gave him a nervous smile. “Um, yeah, I am. I finally took Nat up on her offer.” You said, throwing in a small laugh, trying to dissolve the awkwardness. “Thanks, Nat, I appreciate it,” You smiled up at her as you said it, and started to stand, “I think I’m going to head to bed now, though. Goodnight, you guys.” You smiled as you walked away, not able to stand being in the same room as you and Steve both found out you had a date for tomorrow. 

–

You couldn’t sleep. Of course you couldn’t sleep. All you could think about was Steve and what he might be thinking about your date. Did he care? Was he jealous? Was he just happy his best friend was finally going on a date? You didn’t want to be thinking about Steve, you wanted to be thinking about your date. Something you should be super excited for, but all you could think about was a certain captain. 

In the middle of another battle with your blankets while tossing and turning, you heard a soft knock on your door. You’d been in bed for hours trying to sleep, so you thought you just imagined it, but you heard the same soft knock again. Curious who could possibly be knocking on your door this late, you finally got up to answer your door. You opened the door to see a very distressed looking Steve in your doorway. “Hey, what’s up?” You asked, concerned. “Can I come in?” You nodded, and opened the door wider for him to come in, and closed it behind him. “Is everything okay? I thought you’d be asleep by now.” He didn’t respond and just started pacing back and forth in front of you. “Steve?” Hearing his name made Steve stop his pacing, and turn to look at you. “Why are you letting Nat set you up on a blind date?” He asked, with an almost frantic tone to his voice. “What? Do you have an issue with blind dates or something?” You were insanely confused. Steve was the kind of person who was always happy for you no matter what, so him practically barging into your room to ask you why you were going on a date was really out of character for him. 

“No, of course I don’t have a problem with blind dates. I have a problem with you going on a date. Y/n, I-” He cut himself off, looking down at the ground. You had no clue what to say, so you just stared at him, hoping he would finish his sentence. He looked back up from the ground, meeting your eyes. He walked towards you and didn’t stop until he was only a few inches away from you. “I can’t let you go on that date without telling you how I feel first.” As the words left his mouth, your eyebrows raised farther up your forehead than you thought possible. “W-what? What do you mean?” You asked, starting to think you were going crazy. This was starting to sound an awful lot like a confession, but Steve didn’t feel that way about you. There was no way. He saw you as his best friend, and that was it. He dropped his head down to his chest again, running his fingers through his hair as he let out a sigh. He slowly lifted his eyes again to meet yours. “Steve-” you began, but he cut you off. “I’m in love with you.” He said, sounding out of breath. Your eyes flew open. If you weren’t able to sleep before, you didn’t think you would ever be able to go to sleep. You couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t actually happening was it? There was no way Steve Rogers, Captain America, just told you that he was in love with you. It just wasn’t possible. You had to be dreaming, maybe you really did manage to fall asleep after all. If this was a dream, this was just cruel. “Y/n. Say something, please. If you don’t feel the same way, I understand, and we can pretend like this never happened. But I need you to say something. Please.” You stared at him for a second, almost paralyzed. “I- really?” was all you could manage to get out. It felt like the first time the two of you ever talked again. You were that same girl you were three years ago when you were stumbling over your words, trying to find the right thing to say to him. 

“I’ve been in love with you from the second you walked in the tower. Of course I’m in love with you, y/n, how could I not be? I’ve fallen in love with every single part of you. Your laugh and how you make me laugh. I love how sometimes you almost seem embarrassed when you laugh, like you think you shouldn’t be laughing. I love when you smile at me, and I love when you say my name. I love seeing you fight and how powerful your mind is. I love your obsession with books and your need to buy ten more every time you finish one. I love that I’m the person you come to when you need to talk, or rant, or cry. I love being that person for you like you are for me. You’re so amazing, it almost hurts me, because I know that there is someone better out there for you. Hell, it’s probably that guy that Nat is setting you up with. But I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if I let you go on that date without telling you how I feel. So yes, y/n, I really do love you.” Halfway into Steve’s talking tears began to form in your eyes. Not only did the man you’ve been in love with for years tell you he felt the same, but he did even more than that. He told you everything you’ve been longing to hear for years, and then some. 

“Oh, Steve.” You said, with a shaky voice. And for the first time, you made a move. Steve put his heart out on the line for you, and all you wanted to do was kiss him, so you did. You closed the distance between the two of you and put both of your hands on either side of his face, and crashed your lips to his. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around your waist, kissing you back. 

You broke the kiss, pressing your forehead to his, and sighed. “I love you more than anything, Steve.” You looked up at him, a small smile on your lips. This time, it was Steve who initiated the kiss.

[seaskate]

Casual by Chappell Roan belongs to Remus Lupin during that part of ATYD during sixth year when he and Sirius were together, but Sirius still insisted that it meant nothing.

[evermorx89]

blah blah azriel and elain blah blah blah azriel and gwen, no no no it’s azriel and me 😌

[bookcub]

Chappell Roan Book Rec

like many other, I am currently obsessed with The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess so here are a few book recs based on the songs!!

(you can message me for questions about content warnings!)

Femininomon

A Guest in the House by E. M. Carroll (horror graphic novel)

What happens when you marry a mediocre liar and there's a ghost you are definitely attracted to in the house (that might be his dead wife)?

Relevant lyric: Stuck in the suburbs, you're folding his laundry/Got what you wanted so stop feeling sorry

Bonus Rec: Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger (adult steampunk romance)

Red Wine Supernova

Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stenz-Waters (adult romance)

Imagine inheriting a sex toy shop with a enchanting stranger who you feel incredibly connected to. . .

Relevant lyric: I heard you like magic/I got a wand and a rabbit

Bonus Rec: Sunstone by Stjepan Šejić (adult romance graphic novel)

After Midnight

Ash by Malinda Lo (YA fantasy)

I had to choose a queer Cinderella for this one, especially one whose mother warns her away from the forest at night.

Relevant lyric: This is what I wanted, this is what I like/I've been a good, good girl for a long time now

Bonus Rec: A Restless Truth by Freya Marske (adult historical fantasy, sequel)

Coffee

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec (adult fantasy)

When your ex is the trickster god Loki and you have prophetic futures, you know you can never just have coffee.

Relevant lyric: Here come the excuses that fuel the illusions/But I'd rather feel something than nothing at all,

Bonus Rec: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (adult contemporary)

Casual

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi (adult gothic)

Remember that toxic homoerotic best friend you had a child? Who believed in magic and was also the most manipulative person you've ever met? It never was a casual relationship, was it?

Relevant lyric: Hate that I let this drag on so long, you can go to hell

Bonus Rec: Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra (adult romance)

Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl

A Spindle Splintered/A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow (adult fantasy)

Entering the fairy tale multiverse always leads to the strangest (and funnest) relationships (platonic and romantic) of your life.

Relevant lyrics: We're leaving the planet and you can't come

Bonus Rec: Cash Degado is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Mejia (adult contemporary)

HOT TO GO!

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz (graphic novel)

What if I dressed up as a count to inherit my father's fortune and you were a princess and we both liked grilled cheese???

Relevant lyric: I could be the one, or your new addiction/ It's all in my head but I want non-fiction

Bonus Rec: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

My Kink is Karma

Mrs. Martin's Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan (adult historical romance)

She said, let's destroy my terrible nephew's life, and how could you say no to such a romantic proposal?

Relevant lyric: Wishing you the best, in the worst way

Bonus Rec: Girl Serpent Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (YA fantasy)

Picture You

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (adult historical romance)

Oops, I faked my death and reinvented myself and you were way more distraught than I thought you would be. . .

Relevant lyric: Do you picture me like I picture you?/Am I in the frame from your point of view?

Kaleidoscope

The Scapegracers by H. A. Clarke (YA urban fantasy)

What if we formed a coven and what if we were all a little in love with each other?

Relevant lyric: And love is a kaleidoscope/How it works we'll never know

Bonus Rec: The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe (YA thriller)

Pink Pony Club

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (graphic novel)

He was a drag queen, she was a seamstress, can I make it anymore obvious?

Relevant Lyric: And I heard that there's a special place/Where boys and girls can all be queens every single day

Bonus Rec: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (YA historical)

Naked in Manhattan

Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake (adult romance)

Isn't it romantic, designing a house with someone with your entirely opposite tastes?

Relevant lyric: Boys suck and girls I've never tried

Bonus Rec: Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (YA fantasy)

California

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (adult contemporary)

If a PhD can't save you, maybe a drunken marriage in Vegas can?

Relevant lyric: Cause I was never told that I wasn't gonna get/The things I want the most

Guilty Pleasure

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner (adult romance)

Fake dating your boss? 0/10 recommended. . . right?

Relevant lyric: I want this like a cigarette/Can we drag it out and never quit?

Bonus Rec: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming (adult fantasy romance)

Bonus:

Good Luck, Babe

Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni (adult contemporary)

Relevant lyric: You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie (YA contemporary)

[micahssketchbook]

"he threw his head back in pure bliss"- Azriel sketches (slight NSFW) (MDNI)

some quick sketches of the prettiest bat boi <3

[daycourtofficial]

It’s all in my head but I want nonfiction

Pairing: Lucien x reader | WC: 3.7k | warnings: suggestive language, groping

Summary: emboldened by an accidental love potion, you speak your crush on the Day Court heir to him

Author’s note: happy (late) birthday @tsunami-of-tears no one loves a love potion as much as we do 🫶🏻 lowkey hate this ending but whatever it is what it is ❣️

The Day Court Palace was, in your opinion, the prettiest place in all of Prythian. Large archways led the way to wide open rooms, beautiful columns stretching towards the mural painted ceilings. Every room had a skylight, even rooms with floors above them. Moving through the rooms felt like you were on a cloud traveling through the sky, a chariot pulling the sun through its cycle.

Everything looked so beautiful in the sunlight, and you felt like a reptile lounging in the sun whenever you were in the heir’s proximity. You had hardly spoken to him - he was your High Lord’s son and you were just a librarian in the ‘botany and related subjects’ library, however you had seen him on the rare occasions you had been in the palace, and more recently, whenever the redheaded heir made his presence known with his barking laughter through the shelves.

How you dreamed of making him laugh.

As if the Mother were listening directly to your thoughts as you shelved books away, you turned to find him standing next to you, the suddenness of his presence causing you to almost fall from your ladder. His hands shot out, one steadying the ladder, the other steadying your back. You weren’t sure if the heat on your cheeks was from being startled or from the heat on his hands.

Once he deemed you steady, he held out a hand for you, helping you down the ladder. You moved down it before you stepped off the last rung, face looking down to help stabilize your footing.

You looked up, finding you were much closer than you intended to be, your body a few inches from his body. From afar, he was beautiful, but being this close to him - he was gorgeous. His long red hair looked as if it were glowing, and all you wanted was to reach out and run your fingers through it before braiding it. His canines peaked out from his lips, a small smile on his face. His face was the perfect combination of sharp and soft - making him both stunning, but giving him a kind appearance.

You had watched him slowly get used to Day Court attire, incorporating different aspects over time. He began slowly with wearing more loose, billowy clothing, golden rings on his dark skin. Now he stood before you in a white braided toga that left his legs on full display, golden strapped sandals adorning his feet. Golden cuffs adorned his biceps, making the muscle even more worthy of your gaze.

“Hi, Lucien.” You nodded slightly with your head, the customary greeting in Day for nobility. Helion preferred more subtle ways of respect, once telling you, “I prefer if I’m going to be worshiped to be worshiped properly”. You extended the greeting to Lucien, and to your surprise, he returned the small bow back.

“May I be of any assistance?”

He peered down at you, his russet eye roamed over you, the golden one clicking taking you in. You swore the whirring picked up in speed as it roamed your body, your temperature rising a few degrees at the attention.

“Yes, you may. I actually was wondering about your knowledge on teas. It is a fascinating subject, is it not?”

Your face couldn’t contain your shock at his question. Teas? Why tea?

“Well, I quite enjoy various teas and different court traditions around tea.”

You eyed him, his nonchalant demeanor giving nothing away. The High Lord’s son wanted to talk to you… about tea?

You blinked and suddenly you had spent over half an hour blubbering about what kinds of teas are popular in which court, and you came back to your body to find yourself telling him about the Autumn Court’s tradition of spiking their tea with whiskey.

“Naturally, you might know about that. Not because of the alcohol, surely you don’t have a problem or anything like that, but you’re from Autumn, so surely you know about their traditions and such.”

You wanted the ground to swallow you whole, but you couldn’t stop talking, your mouth incapable of offering you reprieve from how poorly you’ve handled this. “I’m sure you drank a lot of tea in Autumn. Not just the spiked kind, or maybe that’s how you were able to get by all those years - through alcohol.”

Your cheeks were blazing with heat, your bottom lip caught in your teeth, eyes stuck on the floor in hopes it would open a hole in the ground for you to fall through. “Um, my friend- colleague over there needs me. So um, good day, Lucien.”

You bowed quickly to him as you ran past him, not allowing time for him to bid you farewell. You spent the next few hours flitting about the library, recataloging academic texts on botanical reference guides in an attempt to stop your mind from replaying the atrocious conversation you had had with Lucien just hours prior. Each time you remembered it, you lightly hit your head against the shelves.

A few hours of mind numbing work later, your mind still possessed with thoughts of the redhead, you eventually were able to go home, spending most of the evening in your bath reading, any attempt at getting the redhead off your mind failing.

Your mind was just as preoccupied with Lucien as you walked into the library the next morning, taking the final sip of your coffee as you passed by the circulation desk, when a note on the counter piqued your interest. The note sat next to a cup of tea, the drink steaming in invitation. The envelope had your name on it with the royal seal on the back of the envelope. You opened it, careful not to destroy the beautiful seal. Neat handwriting in red ink covered the parchment in a simple note that left your heart fluttering.

After our discussions yesterday, I had some unresolved curiosities. Can you meet me in the courtyard behind your library this afternoon?

- Lucien

Your eyes danced across the note, reading and rereading it to make sure you hadn’t imagined it. He wanted to speak to you again? Despite your terrible attempts at conversation previously, he didn’t find your company appalling enough to talk to someone else in your stead.

You sipped the tea as you read the note - the warmth trailed down your throat, your stomach buzzing as you took in the bergamot flavor. You tried to figure out what tea this could possibly be, perhaps Lucien found a new flavor of tea he wanted you to try.

You smiled, tucking the note into your pocket as you spent the rest of the afternoon floating on the air around you, unbelieving of your luck. As the day went on, your head grew a subsistent ache, worsening by the hour until you were set to leave to meet with Lucien. Your head was pounding beneath the lights, but you wished one of the other librarians, Sara, a good evening, telling her you had a meeting. She giggled as you retreated away, her voice soft through the stacks, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

You rolled your eyes, throwing behind you, “sure, because what wouldn’t you do if Helion asked?”

You laughed at her squeaked response, but continued down the hallways and down the stairs, having to lean against the wall to steady yourself on occasion. You took deep breaths, trying to silence both the dizziness and the butterflies in your stomach. Once you were close enough to smell Lucien, the leather and bergamot scent filling your nose, the pounding in your head lessened with each step closer, instead your body grew warmer and warmer at his proximity.

You stopped at the sight of him, his back to you allowing you a moment to ogle unnoticed. He wore trousers today, slight disappointment at his legs being covered quickly corrected by how plump his ass looked in them.

Your tongue was fat in your mouth, and your thoughts stumbled through your mind in a drunken haze.

“You’re s’pretty.”

The words rolled off your tongue, a drunken slur to them. Were they your thoughts? Did you say them out loud? You couldn’t tell as you approached him, trepidation in your steps. You watched him turn to greet you, an amused glint in his eyes.

“Is that so?”

You were slow to react, your hand just now reached up to cover your mouth as if it could take the words back, your eyes wide as you looked at him. It was then that he took you in, his eyes roaming up and down your body, assessing if he could see anything wrong.

“Is everything alright? You’re swaying.”

Your cheeks heated at his concern, some tiny part of your brain chastising you for being so responsive to the bare minimum. You nodded, your hand still over your mouth. His arms stretched out on both sides of you, hovering around you to catch you.

“S’okay, you just make me feel good.”

Your words came out mumbled through your hands before Lucien gently pulled them from your face.

“Sthanks, I wouldn’t have gotten them off myself.”

Your words were drawn out, each syllable taking its time to be heard. His face grew more concerned, but you paid it no mind.

“You wanted to see me?” You had tried pointing to him and yourself respectively, however your motions were flipped, pointing at yourself and then towards him. You giggled as if you were a schoolgirl speaking to your friends. His sharp canines peaked beneath his top lip, his smile wide but predatory.

He nodded his head, “yes I wanted to speak with you some more, but now I’m-”

His words were cut off as you moved forward, hands producing a tight grip on his jaw. “I like your pointy teeth, they look like they could bite me.”

He smiled as you inspected his mouth, relishing in the squeal of delight you let out when he moved his lower jaw, allowing the tips of his canines to be seen. You tried pulling his lips down even more, but his hands grasped yours, placing them gently on his chest. He held your hands over his heart, looking into your face, his voice soft, “what happened today?”

You got lost in his eyes, getting lost in thought about the prosthetic one. Something in the back of your head kept yelling at you that it sees lies. “Well, I um,” a hiccup sounded from your throat, disrupting your train of thought momentarily. “I woke up, I walked by that coffee shop I like, got a cup to go. Then I continued walking to work - here - and then I got here. Well, not here, here,” you gestured around the room, “but over there,” now you pointed in the direction of the library.

“And then I got your note and I read it lots of times and I even checked the signature because surely you wouldn’t want to be subjected to my rambling again and then I drank the tea you dropped off with it and then I thought about the note while I restocked-”

He shook you lightly, one of his hands cupping your face. The action startled you, not having heard him calling your name. “Sunflower, what was this tea I dropped off?”

Your face lit up, remembering the way it felt going down your throat. “It was so good. You have great taste in tea.” You nuzzled your face into his hand, nodding profusely. “It did make me dizzy, though.”

You couldn’t for the life of you get your eyes to focus on him, the male before you appearing more like an impression of himself. His red hair and golden prosthetic were the only things you could really make out, and even then it was mostly colors.

He studied you for a moment, leaning in closely to examine your face. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

His hands supported your shoulders as you leaned into his chest, the two of you making a slow walk through the streets of Day. If you were in your right mind, you would be absolutely mortified at the way you were snuggling your face into his chest, obscene moans coming from you as you inhaled his scent.

“At least buy me dinner first, I am no common whore.”

Your laugh was delayed as you moved to be directly in front of him, your arms wrapped around his slim waist.

“Y’smell good.” Your words were muffled through his shirt, but the vibrations from his laugh extended to you, making your body shiver.

“I think your moans were more than enough proof of that. I was getting concerned you might get off on my scent alone.”

You giggled, not really understanding what he said, but enjoying the amusement in his voice. “I’ve had my fun, let’s move at a regular pace, shall we?”

You squealed as he picked you up, throwing you over his shoulder. Your hands moved to his trousers, grabbing the fabric to help stabilize you. You pushed your elbows into his back, trying to lean up a bit.

“Where are we going?”

Your hands moved around his back, trying to find stability when your hands sink into the skin of his ass. You giggled as you pinched him, causing his steps to falter briefly.

“Getting a little handsy back there, are you?”

You answered with some giggles and squeezing him, only causing him to laugh again.

Lucien carried you to the outside of the library before winnowing you into the palace. You babbled from behind him as he strolled through the halls. You had given up trying to see your surroundings, leaning your head into the middle of his back. The white and gold marbled floors moved beneath the two of you, Lucien only butting into your rambling occasionally.

He expertly moved the two of you through the hallways, going deeper into the palace than you had ever been before when Lucien pushed open a door, leading the two of you inside. He slid you down from his shoulder, flopping you onto the bed. You landed in a massive bed, swimming in a lake of a deep brown duvet.

You giggled as you bounced across the bed, “Lucien, at least take a female out to dinner before you bed her.”

He stood before you, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I have to go speak with someone, will you stay here? Can I trust you?”

You nodded enthusiastically, bouncing a little in excitement. His hands came down onto your shoulders, causing you to stop your movements. “I won’t be long, I’ll come back with food.”

He ran a hand over your hair before walking away, disappearing through the door. You laid down on the bed, stretching your limbs out as you basked in Lucien’s scent.

Being in his room, surrounded by his scent for the thirty minutes he was gone did something to you, sending you into a state of utter euphoria that caused the rest of the night to go by in an utter blur.

-

You groaned, burying your face into the pillow. It was too bright, the sun was too much, your head was killing you. The door opened and you instinctively pulled the duvet up to your shoulders to cover yourself. Lucien’s head popped through the door, carrying a box of some kind with two steaming mugs on top of it. He set them down on the nightstand next to the bed, crawling on top of the duvet covers next to you.

You eyed him curiously, clutching the duvet tighter. “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing? This is my bed.”

You moved your head around the room, finally realizing that it was not your own. Your eyes moved about the space, taking in how odd it looked. It was an array of colors - the brown duvet, the green curtains, the red tapestry on the wall. Next to the tapestry hung several maps of Prythian, including markers filling certain areas. You moved closer, attempting to crawl off the bed, but your legs got caught in the sheets, causing you to slump back onto the bed.

Lucien laughed, causing your head to throb again.

“Why am I in your bed?”

“Do you not remember?” You shook your head, the action making you dizzy. You opened your eyes just slightly, scowling at the amused look on his face.

“The healer said you had had a love potion. After some questions, we found out one of the other librarians was trying something new with her husband and left the potion to cool. It seems she left it to steep it for too long, and it was less arousing and more drunken.”

You nodded, looking to the floor, feeling so small in his bed. Thank the Mother you weren’t rubbing against Lucien as if you were in heat.

Your eyes widened, remembering how you did rub up against him, clinging to his body the whole night. Lucien’s voice picked up a lilt to it, his amusement growing as last night came back to you in bits and pieces as he spoke.

“I brought you food because you refused to eat last night. I was only able to get a small piece of cake in you. You are quite afraid of being poisoned.”

A brief memory flooded your brain, making you feel even worse.

Lucien stretched his arm out, offering the piece of cake to you. “Will you please eat something? It would make me feel better.”

You shook your head furiously, making yourself slightly dizzy. “You’re trying to- to tie me to you. The food’s been-” a hiccup broke up your words, “poisoned for me to fall madly in love with you and spend my days gazing about your pretty face.”

He raised his hands, glancing around the room before his eyes settled next to him. “Fine, I poisoned it. But this chalice,” he raised a glass, sloshing the liquid around, “is also the antidote to this yummy cake.”

He held a bit of the piece out on his fingers, waving it in front of your face before you took the piece into your mouth, licking his fingers as you did.

Your face heated as you remembered that was how he fed you the rest of the cake. You slipped under the cover even more, hiding your face. “Excuse me, I have to.. die.”

His laugh was loud in the room, and you felt his body weight shift on the bed. “I would prefer if you could die elsewhere other than my bed. I am quite fond of it and I worry you may haunt the room.”

He laughed, poking your side. “Don’t worry, sunflower. You were incredibly endearing all night, even when your hands were a bit.. Adventurous.”

You shot up, the duvet coming off you as you looked at him. “Adventurous how?”

“Well, at one point you insisted you could only sleep if you could be touching my ass.”

You moved to get out of the bed, “that’s it, does this room have a balcony I can fling myself from?”

He reached out, grabbing your wrist stopping you, pulling you back into him.

“Would you really be so dramatic? I didn’t even mention the biting.”

“The biting?” You screamed out before putting a hand up, “no, don’t tell me. I can only find solace in death now.”

“You have quite the powerful bite.”

“Lucien, stop.”

“I have a chunk missing from one of my legs.”

“Lucien.”

He gazed about the room, his finger on his chin as if in contemplation as he leaned back against the headboard. “I suppose it’ll match the prosthetic eye. Perhaps I could have another eye placed there…”

“Is my mortification amusing you?”

“Greatly.”

You slumped back onto the bed, rolling over to hide your face in the duvet. You could hear Lucien nibbling on something before saying, “I am quite flattered at how pretty you find me.”

“I hear Winter’s great this time of year. Perhaps I’ll trek the continent for a beautiful lake to drown myself in.”

“Are you always this dramatic when you wake up? I’d like to be aware for future endeavors.”

You sat up quickly, situating yourself to look at him, your legs tucked beneath you.

“What future endeavors?”

“Well, if I have any luck, this won’t be the last time you slept in my bed.” He bit off another piece of cake, paying no mind to the short-circuiting happening in your brain. “Unless you’d prefer your bed. However, last night you proposed marriage to my bed, so…”

He trailed off, but you were stuck, mind reeling with his words.

“Why would I sleep in your bed?”

“Has no one told you?” He smirked at your quizical look, his tone growing serious as he said, “when two people are attracted to each other-”

His sentence was cut off by the pillow colliding with his face. “That’s not the part I was confused about.”

He cleared his throat, dusting away any crumbs before turning toward you, his gaze focused solely on you as he said, “I thought I made it fairly clear I wanted to speak to you because I found you beautiful and I have always had a thing for librarians.”

You blinked at him. “I thought you were merely interested in tea.”

“I don’t even drink tea. Can’t stand it. You happened to be in the tea section when I found you.”

As if your brain shut down at the information, you just looked at him, brain clearly still foggy from the potion you drank.

“Then why were you-”

You thought towards occasional bits of that discussion, how he had spoken more than you remembered, his words teasing. “Were you flirting with me?”

“That was my intention, however you hardly stopped for breath when discussing tea. I was so caught up, I had to run off to meet with an advisor in the nick of time.”

“Are you flirting with me now?”

“If I were flirting with you, surely you would know. Perhaps I’ll warn you in advance next time, so you can prepare yourself.”

He stared out the window, his eyes bright in the morning sunlight. “May I flirt with you in a moment’s time, or will you merely attempt to curl up and die again? Perhaps you’d prefer official correspondence with my flirtatious intentions?”

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