26. Ruhro7 is my main. Just a place for me to reblog all the things I didn't want to put on my main (or I'd be spamming the few people following me). The tag "Rowan Writes Again" can find my work, "fic rec" for amazing writers!
So for things I've written, "Rowan Writes Again" is the tag.
"Fic Rec" is just what's on the tin, and I do further tag what the pairing is so you can probably search that and things will come up.
"Beautiful Art" is a more recent tag that I'm trying to remember to use. I realized that I reblogged a lot of art, but didn't have any kind of way to search for just that.
My main is @ruhro7 so if you see me reblogging your work, but not liking it, that's why!
A lot of the works I reblog are 18+, so there's your warning about that!
Oh, and I have been reblogging masterlists and works that I need to read under "to be devoured".
The other night husband and I were watching a documentary about the yeti where they were doing DNA analysis of samples of supposed yeti fur, and every one of them came back as bears.
Anyway, the next night we watched a thing about some pig man who is supposed to live in Vermont. People said it had claws and a pig nose but walked upright like a man. Now, I happen to know that sideshows used to shave bears and present them as pig men. So every piece of evidence they gave of this monster sounds to me like a bear with mange.
So now the running joke in our house is that everything is bears. Aliens? Bears. Loch Ness monster? Bear. Every cryptozoological mystery is just a very crafty bear.
Bears. Theyâre everywhere. Be wary. Anyone or anything could be a bear.
As the OP of this post, Iâm going to threaten that if this gets to one million notes by the 10 year anniversary on 1 June 2026, one year from today, I will get a lower back tattoo of the loch ness bear monster.
I'm so sad đ I hadn't known my laptop case was the worst so I put all my nice stickers on it. It cracked immediately (like that week immediately) but now it won't even stay on and kind of broke in half. I got a new case but can't afford to replace my favourite stickers (these guys). Posting this to always remember the boys đ˘
Hasn't it looked like this for a bit? I haven't been on here in like 8mos if not more, so I might not remember right. But, hasn't it been this for a good while?
Yâall, I am so happy!! I started my left sleeve today and it looks amazing already! Iâve still got one big piece and some lil guys to outline, then just shading! I am just on cloud nine tonight!
Oh yeah, I've had it finished for like however long ago february was now! I just forgot to post! I love it so much. I need to do my right sleeve, and my stomach, and my thighs, and and and lol. Just all of it but my face and neck!
I have written two(!) things so far for this fandom. One is a one-shot PWP (which will become a bit of a series, but that's a whole 'nother thing), and the other is a multi-chaptered mammoth (compared to any of my other works) that I have about 40k written up and 14k posted so far. I'm actually super happy with these two, even if they're not technically perfect (as in grammatically or with sentence-structure). But I'm also not editing, which I probably should. I'm just not going to until it all exists and is out in the world.
Anyways, links!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
This central hold is characterized by wide, grassy plains that are home to numerous farms. Many roads pass through Whiterun, joining the more distant holds together.
Iâve been working on this series of landscapes for a while! More Holds of Skyrim ahead, hope you all will like it :â)
Pairing: Sexworker!Din Djarin x Female!Reader
Word Count: 10.2k
Rating: Explicit, 18+
Warnings: misunderstandings/bad communication, a bit of angst, one gross jerk, Din being protective, cursing, oral (f-receiving), unprotected p-in-v, semi-public sex
YOU
You tell yourself youâll wait two daysâThatâs a normal amount of time to wait before contacting someone, right?âand during those two interminably long days, you think about him nonstop.
About bringing him home and pulling him into your bed. About easing his gloves off and holding his hand. About sinking to your knees in front of him. About taking him apart piece by piece again, just to fall asleep on his warm, broad chest.
Warnings: Mention of previous abusive relationship, enemies to lovers, idiots to lovers, eventual polyam relationship. More warnings will be added and will appear in individual chapter headings.
Summary: You and your partner, Marcus Pike, are investigating a case that brings you far too close to something much more dangerous than your average art thief. Â
A/N: Who am I? What is this fic? Why am I like this? I got an idea this morning and now thereâs 3.5k words written and a masterlist and a half-baked idea of where this is all going to go. This will be a relaxed-fit fic and the case details will probably always be this vague. I donât even know what is happening to my life.
đđđđđđđ đđđđđđđ˘ - after presenting your portraiture project, you and eddie seem to get on a bit better... but how long can it last?
đ đđđ đđđđđ - 5.3k
đđđđđđđ đ đđđđđđđ - jealous?/protective eddie and a narrowly-avoided car accident... that's all I can think of
The professor tilted his head as he looked at Kateâs submission. âArenât you worried itâs a little obvious?â he asked, and she looked totally thrown off her rhythm by that.
âWellâ uh, Iâ itâs just thatââ
âCalm down,â he laughed lightly, âitâs not bad at all. The framing is perfect, and it makes the set work. The similarity between the two images makes it rather comical."
Kate had taken a picture of her daughterâ barely a year oldâ laughing with glee as she sat on the kitchen floor, only to be already throwing a tantrum in the second picture. Based on the feedback, sheâll probably be getting a B from Professor Hill, and your palms got clammy as he stepped up to the next student; you didnât need an A to pass the class, but you needed his approval for, you know, your sanity.
He tilted his head as he looked at Richie's submission next: two pictures of his wife, clearly posed, in sepia tones. "This is interesting," he hummed. "You're definitely showing two sides here. But⌠they're not as different as you think. I do like the subversion of expectations, though: the âhappyâ side looks much more sinister than the more demure one."
"Th-thank you," Richie mumbled.
"Just maybe show a little more variety next time?" Professor Hill suggested, making Richie nod dutifully.
That feedback made you shift uncomfortably as you stood; it reminded you of waiting to be judged for the seventh grade science fair. You got second place and, though that still disappointed you because you were so close to first, your dad had taken you out for a sundae afterwards.
You swallowed as you watched the professor sigh at the sight of Georgeâs photos. "Now, George, I see what you were going for here,â he said. âIt's hard not to⌠you're beating me over the head with your message."
Considering Georgeâs two photos were one of his model dressed as an angel and another dressed as a devil⌠yes, it was obvious. You felt a little better seeing that it wasnât received especially wellâ you were afraid, when you saw Georgeâs coming in today, that your set was too minimalistic.
But then he was looking at yours, and any sense of relief was gone as you straightened your back and waited for his feedback.
And waited.
He stared at yours for a long time. A long, long time. His face didnât help you read him at all, and when he opened his mouth to speak, you were completely prepared for him to tear you to shreds for ignoring the prompt.
âYouâve done something so fascinating here,â Professor Hill finally broke the silence. âYou know, everyone else in the class chose to show two radically different sides of their subject, in fact, most of them changed clothes for the second shot. But you⌠youâve submitted two photos taken likely a split second apart.â
âYes, actually, they were taken sequentially,â you explained.
âWhy did you place them in this order?â he asked. âWhy not this one on the right?â
âWell⌠Iâll show you,â you decided, peeling the photos carefully off of the posterboard and sticking them back on the other way around. âDoesnât he look more insecure when theyâre ordered this way? Like heâs just had a thought, but heâs deciding not to say it? I like it better the other wayâ it feels more hopeful.â
The professor smiled. âI agree. The order youâve submitted them in, it evokes⌠the past and the future. On the left, a man caught in a memory; on the right, a man dreaming of a possibility.â
You heard some of your classmates snickering to themselves, no doubt rolling their eyes and deciding that this is all pretentious artsy over-analysisâ but you smiled, because they were just jealous and Professor Hill was right. Â
âCongratulations,â he told you with a grin and a pat on the back, âthis is really great work. Iâm giving you full credit; and Iâm encouraging you to submit this for the end-of-year showcase. See if you can find any galleries in Indianapolis looking for portrait work, too.â
 You were so excited, you couldnât stop yourself; as soon as you ran home from the bus stop, you jumped on Eddie with a tight embrace, beaming as you put your chin on his shoulder.
âWoah, hey,â he mumbled, but eventually, he put his arms around you. You pulled back, smiling up at him and laughing at the (understandably) confused look on his face. Â
âI got a perfect grade,â you explained. âYour pictures! I got an A+!â
âOh, wow,â he smiled, hands tightening where they held your waist. âThatâs amazing! Might be the closest Iâve ever been to getting an A+ myself...â
âYou did get it, Eddie, it was all you,â you insisted.
âI just sat there!â he dismissed. âYou took the pictures, you did all the hard workâ and it paid off!â
The front door swung open, and you and Eddie looked at your mom and Wayne stepping inâ and you both seemed to realize, at the same time, that his hands were around your waist and yours were at the back of his neck. And you must have also realized it was a little strange, because you both pulled away at lightning speed as your mom gave you a quizzical look.
âWhatâs going on?â she wondered.
âMomâ I got a perfect score on my portraiture project,â you explained, âthe professor wants me to submit my work for competition.â
âOh my god!â she gasped, running up to hug you. âThatâs amazing!â
âGood job,â Wayne offered you a tilted smile and a thumbs up, which you reciprocated while you were still caught in your momâs arms.
You glanced back at Eddie from the hug, catching his sympathetic smile.Â
âLetâs celebrate with a nice dinner, huh?â Wayne suddenly suggested. âWe could go out somewhereââ
âWhy donât you grill some steaks?â Eddie interjecting instead. âHavenât done that in a while.â
âIf thatâs what you want,â Wayne prompted you, and your mom released you from the hug.
Truth be told, you could think of a lot of dinners you would like more than Wayneâs homemade steaks, but, for one, you couldnât think of any that your new makeshift family could actually affordâŚ
And, two, it actually sounded sort of wholesome. Wayne at the grill, your mom making sides, and Eddie⌠being nice? He had gone soft on you for an afternoon in honor of your achievement, it seemed.
There was a peace to itâ a sense of stillness and quiet even through the sounds of the meat on the grill, your mom making sides in the kitchen, the clanging of flatware as you and Eddie set the table. You knew it wouldnât last forever, and Eddie would go back to his usual self soon; it could all collapse at any moment, the illusion of normalcy. It was less like a stalemate and more like a truce, like when armies declare a ceasefire for Christmas or something. You laughed politely at Wayneâs safe attempts at humor, your mom listening to Eddieâs story about how he talked his way out of detention, and both of them explained some wedding plans theyâd made.
âActually,â your mom began, looking down sheepishly for a moment at her fork piercing some pieces of corn, âwe wanted to ask you two something.â
You felt oddly nervous as you imagined what question they could possibly have that could concern the both of you. You were watching her carefully, wondering if it would be the question you feared the mostâ the question you hadnât even asked yourself yetâ but it was Wayne that spoke up next. âWe thought it might be nice if youââ he looked at youâ âwere the flower girl. And Ed, you could be the ringbearer.â
You glanced at Eddie, who did the same to you, and there was a shared understanding in a fraction of a momentâ that you both wanted to point out that those were concerningly juvenile roles for two young adults, but that neither of you were going to say that just because it was easier to make them happy.
âThat would be nice,â you nodded.
âIâm surprised youâre willing to give me any responsibility at all,â Eddie joked.
âI know theyâre sort of silly jobs,â your mom smiled, âyouâre probably thinking youâre a little old for a job kids normally do.â
You and Eddie looked at each other again.
âIt wouldnât be just thatâ the truth is, we decided not to have a bridal party,â your mom clarified.
âRight,â Eddie nodded, âand⌠what is that, again?â
âYou know, groomsmen and bridesmaids and all that?â she told him. âThe best man, the maid of honor?â
âOh,â he hummed, âI thoughtâ I thought a bridal party was a party you had before the wedding.â
âThatâs a bridal shower,â you corrected.
âBut wait, what about a bachelorette party?â he tilted his head.
âThatâs a different thing,â your mom said, âand weâre not having one of those, either.â
âAnd no bachelor party,â Wayne added.
âAw,â Eddie pouted, âI thought we were gonna go to strip club!â Wayne glared at Eddie who smiled nervously in response. âIâm kidding, obviously,â he mumbled sheepishly.
âThe point is,â Wayne continued, âwe both thought that, really, youâd be the only ones up there with us. There isnât anybody else that matters to us much, anywaysââ
I thought you had a brother, you almost blurted out, but then you realized it wasnât worth bringing up now.
âWe thought it might be sort of like having a best man and maid of honor, without calling it that. I-it was just an ideaââ he stumbled, but you cut in.
âIâm really honored that you want us to be involved that way,â you assured, âand weâll do whatever we can to help out on your day.â
Wayne smiled a bit and nodded, and your mom held and squeezed his hand. âWe just want you both to know how special you are to usâ and weâre so thankful that youâre supporting us. We know this hasnât always been easy for you.â
For the third and final time, you and Eddie looked at each other. He was smirking like he could just burst out laughing right now; you imagined that you were giving him a hint of glare, but you couldnât be sure what he saw in your eyes right then.
After that, normal dinner-consumption resumed; as usual, Eddie excused himself firstâ he ate fast and messy like he thought someone would swoop in and take his food away if he didnât have it down in record time. Then your mom was finished, though she hadnât actually finished her food, and got up to start washing dishes. And with just you and Wayne left, you figured it would be more enjoyable to help in the kitchen than try to navigate a conversation. âThanks for the steaks, Wayne,â you told him, and with a mouthful of mashed potatoes he only offered you a polite nod as you got up and took your plate to the sink.
âThank you,â your mom said to you quietly as you scraped your plate; you thought, at first, that she was thanking you for cleaning up after yourself, until you realized she wouldnât thank you for something that basic.
âWhat for?â you pressed.
âFor saying yes,â she replied. âBeing our flower girl.â
âOh,â you shook your head, âof course.â
âI know itâs silly,â your mom insisted again, âbut it was Wayneâs idea, and I think itâs sweet. I think you and Eddie are still little kids to him.â
âHe didnât know me when I was a kid,â you noticed.
âNo,â she agreed, âbut, he knows how it feels.â
You didnât know exactly what she meant, but you understood it enough to nod and smile. âIâm gonna go to my room,â you informed her, stepping out of the kitchen and through the living room to the hallway. Â
The ambient sound of Eddieâs presenceâ namely, the jingling of a chain and the sound of dull fingernails scratching under a mess of curly hairâ made you stop outside your door, though.
You leaned around the corner, seeing Eddie holding your project in his hand; you'd had to shove the posterboard into your backpack to make it fit, but the pictures hadn't been folded at all. You were about to tell him not to go through your backpack like that, until you saw that he wasnât doing anything.
He was just looking at the picturesâ you hadn't shown them to him after development, but you let him know you'd picked two pictures from the same place.
That was meaningful since you and Eddie had taken way too many pictures, at tons of different locations around the Hawkins woods: two rolls of film were used by the end of the day.
"What do you think?" you asked him with a smile, making him jump as he realized you were watching. You could've sworn you saw him wipe his cheek with the back of his hand before he turned to look at you, but you couldn't be sure why.
"Yeah, uh," he cleared his throat, "they're good. You're⌠um, they're good."
âThanks,â you nodded, âthey are. Iâm pretty happy with how they turned out.â
âYou should be, you got an A,â he nodded, awkwardly sticking his arm out to hand them back to you. You took them back with a little smile. âDid you develop the one where I was hanging upside down from the tree? I kinda wanted to see it.â
âI didnât,â you replied, âbut I could, if you really want toââ
âNo, no,â he shook his head, âdonât go through all that trouble.â
âMaybe I should,â you wondered, âand you could have itâ like, something to remember our day together, I guessâŚâ
Your heart was racing as you suggested it, but he shook his head again as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. âOh, thatâs not necessary. Iâm never gonna forget that day,â he promised.
He didnât say anything else, he just stepped past you and walked out of the room. You looked down at the pictures in your hand, and your professorâs writing underneath.
Great work! Excited to see what you can do with color next time. A+
You remembered what he said about looking for galleries to submit them to, and decided to get on with thatâ you left the room, too, in search of the phone book so you could start circling numbers to call tomorrow.
You wouldâve never gone to sleep if you knew that Eddie was going to take over the house while you were unconscious.
It started innocently enough. "I'm gonna try to get some beauty rest for an hour or so," you announced to the lunch table as you stood upâ because a foggy Sunday afternoon is the perfect time for a nap, and you hadnât slept too well after waking up from a specific dream about your bunkmate.
"You're gonna need more than an hour," Eddie quipped, and you kicked him under the table.
"Sleep tight, honey,â your mom offered, and with that, you shut yourself in your room for a while.
You didnât sleep all that much, but you did get some restâ most of all you got some quiet, which you were in desperate need of. Of course, you only got that quiet because you kept a pillow over your head, otherwise you wouldâve heard Eddie watching TV so much louder than he needed to; he just had to try to disrupt you, it seemed.
You actually stayed stowed away for more than an hourâ more like an hour and a half, until Eddie rapped on the door and leaned in.
âWhat?â you asked pointedly without looking up from your book.
"So, hey, here's the thing," he began. "The theater room is being used today by, well, theaterâ and we can't reschedule our campaign because Jeff has robotics campâŚ"
âThere must be some part of this that Iâm supposed to give a fuck about?â you assumed.
"We're meeting here tonight."
You slammed your book shut and stood up in front of your bed. "Hell no," you replied.
He coughed. "Uh, I wasn't actually asking. I live here too."
"I lived here first!" you reminded him.
"Your mom already said they could come over!" he rebutted.
"MOM!" you yelled for her, wanting that decision explained to your face.
"She's not home," he informed you, âleft during your beauty rest. And she said I could have Hellfire here, so, eat me.â
âNo thanksâ they say you are what you eat, and I donât wanna be a giant dork, soââ you quipped, but you were interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
âTheyâre here!â Eddie noticed excitedly, bounding down the hallway to the front door.
Curious, you followed him until you were in your doorway, crossing your arms and leaning against the frame.Â
He opened the door rather dramatically, revealing his band of fellow freaks on the other side, puffing up his chest and then bowing and extending his arm to let them in. âMy good sirs,â he greeted.
They bowed in return; you felt like you were watching some kind of bizarre ritual. At least they wonât be low on virgins to sacrifice, you thought with a smirk to yourself.
It was the one with the curly hair and trucker hat that walked in first, looking around the house and nodding. âNice place,â he told Eddie.
âItâs not his place,â you corrected, crossing your arms and getting the attention of the group. âItâs mineâ or, well, my momâs, butââ
âWoah,â the kid interrupted, eyes going wider. âYouâre his sister?â
âI mean, not reallyââ you began, getting cut off again.
âHe talks about you,â a gangly-looking kid with dark hair suddenly said.
âThatâsâ it sounds weird when you say it like that,â Eddie dismissed with a thin laugh as he wrapped his arms around both boys. âYou came up,â he explained, âI mean, I wanted to warn them youâd be here, being all⌠annoying and stuff, presumably.â
âDonât worry, Iâm gonna stay as far out of your way as possible,â you promised, âIâm just gonna be in my roomââ
âWait, donât we get to meet Eddieâs new sister?â the curly-haired one frowned. âAfter he talked about her so much?â
âWhat?â you asked.
One of the older boys, standing in the back, mumbled, âYou donât even know the half of it.â
âHey!â Eddie barked at him.
âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â you snapped. Â
âGuys, canât you just introduce yourselves? Act normal for a half second?â Eddie suggested to the group.
âYou said normal is overrated,â the dark-haired one reminded him.
âYeah, but this is a girl. You guys remember how to talk to girls, right?â
Most of them shook their heads.
âLucky for you all, Iâm actually a woman,â you frowned, âand Iâm just gonna hide in my room, if you donât mindââ
âOur room,â Eddie smiled, tilting back on his heels for a second.
The one with curly hair stuck his hand out towards you. âIâm Dustin. Hendersonâ Dustin Henderson, nice to meet you.â
You gave his hand a quick glance before shaking it; god knows where thatâs been. âEddie talks about you too, you know.â
âReally?â Dustin smiled.
âIâm sure much more flattering things than he says about me,â you laughed.
âUhâ Iâm Mike,â the taller one offered next. âMike Wheeler.â
âWheeler! Youâre Nancyâs little brother?â you noticed, and he nodded.
âDo you know her?â he wondered.
âNot wellâ but she and Iâ we met once or twice. Iâm friends with her boyfriend, Jonathanâ or, I guess, we were friends, before he moved⌠I dunno. Anyways,â you caught yourself oversharing, ânice to meet you.â
âI didnât know you knew Willâs brother,â another one said, stuttering for a half-second when you looked at him. âIâm Lucas, by the way.â
âYep, these are our new blood,â Eddie announced proudly as he stood behind the three boys. âThe future of Hellfire.â
âGood to know you have lots of⌠impressionable children to spend your time with,â you said flatly.
âYou, uh, probably donât remember meââ another member said, but you were smiling at him before he finished.
âJeff,â you nodded, âof course I do. You were the only one who could stay still for my pictures.â
His skin was too dark to show a blush, and yet you could tell he was anyways just by the way he smiled and glanced down. âO-oh, uh, yeah⌠that was a while ago.â
âStuck with me,â you shrugged. âBut you,â you turned your attention to the other one standing in the back, âyou werenât a member then, were you?â
âUh, no,â he shook his head, ânot yet. Iâm Gareth.â
âAlso known as Corroded Coffinâs metal-as-fuck rhythm guitarist and metal-as-fuck drummer,â Eddie added with a proud grin, ârespectively.â
âRight,â you hummed, âIâm sure youâre⌠very, very loud.â
âWe try to be,â Gareth shrugged.
âOkay, can we stop doing introductions now and get to playing?â Lucas groaned. âPlease?â
They did; and you were going to hide in your room, you really wereâ you did, for the first ten minutes. But then you were hungry and decided to sneak something from the kitchen, especially without your mom around to judge you for the junk food.
That was the plan, but it went awry all too soon. You could hear them at the kitchen table, but they hadnât spotted you; you stayed behind the wall in between, with only a view of Eddieâs shoulder and the corner of the table.
âIâll⌠open the door,â Mike announced.
âNo! Wait,â Jeff stopped him, âlet me cast Find Traps first.â
âGood idea,â Dustin agreed.
âNo traps,â Eddie told the table.
âSomehow, that feels ominous,â Lucas decided.
âOkay, Iâm gonna open the door,â Mike insisted.
âYou open the door,â Eddie informed him, âand behind the door waits⌠a troll!â
âOh Jesus,â Jeff groaned.
âI knew it,â Lucas reminded everyone.
It took you a moment to realize that the slurred, deep voice you heard after that was actually Eddieâs troll impression as he spoke for it, and you covered your mouth to suppress a giggle at the ridiculous voice. You hopped up and sat on the counter, still obscured from the groupâs view; there you stayed for the rest of the campaign, swinging your feet off the edge, trying your best to be discreet as you carefully snacked from a bag of chips, listening to Eddie and the club laugh and yell and roll dice like it was so much more than a dumb game.
You held your three-ring binder to your chest as you walked in step with Pete, laughing at his caricature-esque impression of Professor Bingen.
âStop!â you snorted, pushing him on the shoulder. âHe doesnât sound like that!â
âHe so does,â Pete insisted. âToday, uh, weâll be discussing, uh, the, uh, human psyche, uhhhââ
âCome on,â you rolled your eyes, âthatâs not fairâ we talk about the human psyche every day.â
âStill,â Pete smirked, âheâs so boring. All of psychology is boring.â
âThen why did you even sign up for this class?â you wondered.
âUh, isnât it obvious?â he replied with a raised eyebrow. âThat class is full of chicks!â
You sneered as you broke away from the eye contactâ in the distance you spotted Eddieâs van, and he was outside of it, leaned against the passenger door. âEnrolling in a class just to meet girls,â you mumbled, âhow romantic.â
âHey, maybe it is,â Pete defended with an elbow to your side, âyou donât knowâ maybe Iâll meet Mrs. Right during one of those mind-numbingly boring lectures."
"I guess we'll see," you shrugged. "My ride's here, so I'll catch you later?"
"That's your ride?" he noticed, nodding towards Eddie. "Uh, he looks scary."
"He doesn't scare me," you rolled your eyes. Even without the tats and leather and other tough guy accoutrements, Eddie's uncharacteristic glare that he wore at the moment was contributing to the 'scary' persona. Who pissed in his cornflakes? you wondered.
"You, umâŚ" Pete cleared his throat. "You hang out with guys like that?"
You looked at the classmate beside you, and realized by the look on his face what he meant. "Oh! No, he's myâ he's my brother, I guess."
"Oh," Pete sighed. "That makes a little more sense. Still kind of terrified for him to see me with you, though, so, uhâ catch you later?"
"Sure!" you agreed, waving, but he was already gone; he'd nearly left a cloud in the shape of his silhouette he ran so fast.
Deflating with a sigh, you approached Eddie where he was parked and waiting by the curb.
"'Sup?" you asked, but he said nothing, just opening the door for you and slamming it shut as soon as you were sat; he came around to the driver's side and you could definitely see that he was irritated, but you still didn't know why.
He broke the uncomfortable silence a few seconds after he started the van. âWho was that?â Eddie askedâ already his tone put you off, and you moved your head back as you crinkled your brow.
âYou mean Pete?â you replied, body lurching as Eddie began the drive with just a bit too much force. âHeâs in my psychology class.â
âYou two are, uh, friendly?â Eddie noticed, turning his head to change lanes and sending that hair spinning over his shoulders.
âWell, we have a project together,â you explained.
âAnd? Who is he?â
âHeâs Pete,â you repeated.
âBut likeâ whatâs his deal?â Eddie pressed.
âWell, heâs single,â you sneered, âwhich you must be relieved to hear since youâre so obsessed with him.â
âJesus,â Eddie rolled his eyes, âso now I canât even ask about someone youâre talking to? Iâm just curious, since, you know, you donât have any friends.â
âFuck off,â you spat.
âHeâs probably trying to get you into bed, you know,â Eddie warned. âJust remember that.â
âHeâs literally just trying to pass the class, as am I, Ed,â you denied.
âNope! No way,â he shook his head, waving his hand quickly before putting it back on the steering wheel. âHe only has one thing on his mind. And itâs not his fucking grades.â
âYou would know,â you rolled your eyes.
âExactly!â he yelped. âMen are disgusting. Donât let that guy even think youâre interested in him, or heâs never gonna let it go. Also, you should probably have pepper spray in your backpack.â
âYou know, to your credit,â you offered, sighing as you crossed your arms and looked out the window, âthis is the first time Iâve really felt like I have a brother.â
His demeanor shifted suddenly, and he sounded way too proud of himself when he replied, âReally?â
You didnât say anything, just puffing out a breath of air.
âIs that a bad thing?â he realized, deflating a bit.
âIt is when itâs you!â you answered. âYouâre trying to drive me crazy, right?â
He let out a little sigh. âSometimes. And sometimes I just⌠I dunno.â
You looked at him to see him shaking his head. âWhat?â you wondered.
âSometimes Iâm actually just trying to protect you,â he admitted, catching your gaze for a moment, âbelieve it or not.â
Your question was just one wordâ an instinctive reaction, a first-thought-best-thought blurt. And in the Freudian tradition that youâd been learning about that very day, it said more than anything else could have.
You didnât even look up from your lap where you were picking at one of your nails; it just sort of⌠came out.
âWhy?â you asked him.
He didnât look at you, he just smiled and glanced down for a second, before returning his focus to the road ahead.
Just then, saved by the chord, you heard an all-too-familiar tune start to play on the radio.
Josieâs on a vacation far awayâ
âTurn it up!â you demanded, as if you werenât already reaching for the knob. âI love this song!â
âOf course you do,â he mumbled unenthusiastically.
â âand talk it over,â you began to sing along emphatically, âso many things that I wanna say, you know I like my girls a little bit olderââ
âHow can you like this?â he glanced at you.
âShut up, itâs good,â you shoved him on the shoulder. âI just wanna use your love, tonightââ
âThis is horrible, I hate this,â Eddie informed you, and you turned to lean in closer to him as you sang confidently (if not too pitch-accurate).
âI donât wanna lose your love, toniiiiight!â
You mimed the aggressive double-strike on the snare, beginning to drum all over the air as the song continued.
âI ainât got many friends left to talk to, nowhere to run when Iâm in trouble,â you continued, âyou know Iâd do anything for youââ
In the corner of your eye, you noticed Eddie looking at you, and you looked back at him as you grinned and kept singing.
âStay the night but keep it undercover,â you added, and for some reason, you winked at him. He glanced away quickly.
You kept singing and dancing (as best you could while buckled into a passenger seat), swinging your head around wildly as the chorus played again. He watched you and laughed. âYou know, itâs wasted on a song like this,â Eddie interjected, nearly yelling to be heard over the song, âbut you do know how to headbang. Youâd fit right in at a Corroded Coffin show.â
You stopped singing, because there werenât words for the guitar solo anyways, and looked over at him. âReally? You should take me some time,â you decided, resting your arm on the console between you two.
âYeah? I will,â he smiled, and you smiled back, and then you realized that you were pretty close to himâ too close, maybe? But it didnât feel too close, it felt⌠nice. It made your heart race, but you liked it anyway.
The interlude ended and the words picked back up again, but you werenât singing along this time. You were too busy looking at Eddieâs eyes, because they were looking at your lips. Â
Try to stop my hands from shakinâ, âcause something in my mindâs not makinâ senseâŚ
Why was he looking at your lips? Why were you looking at his? Most of all, why did they look so⌠kissable?
Been a while since we were all alone, I canât hide the way Iâm feelinâ...
It almost seemed like he was moving in closerâ he wasnât moving in closer, was he? He wasnât about to kiss you, right? Oh god, heâs about to kiss you. Â
You knew you should stop him, you should put your hands on his shoulders and tell him that yes, you had thought about it too, but this canât happen; youâre family, kind of. Well, not really, but⌠maybe too close to it?
You started to reach up to his shoulders, but you realized that if you touched him, you wouldnât push him awayâ no, youâd pull him closer, youâd squeeze those strong shoulders, youâd tangle your fingers in that hairâŚ
HOOOOOOOONK!
You and Eddie both screamedâ briefly, but still embarrassingly high-pitchedâ as you looked back at the road and saw a truck speeding towards you in the oncoming lane⌠which the van had drifted into, of course. Eddie slammed the brakes and jerked the wheel quickly, which got you out of harmâs way but into the dirt on the side of the road; your hands grabbed at the first things they could find, which were your door on the right and his arm on your left.
Within a few seconds, the van came to a screeching halt and you and Eddie let out a simultaneous sigh.
You peeled your hand off of his arm, and he turned his head to the side with a blankâ yet so expressiveâ look on his face.
Your Love was still playing. You reached forward and turned the radio off.
âThat was fun,â Eddie announced breathlessly, âletâs have more near-death experiences together.â
Oh that ending!! You really are good at pushing us all closer and closer to that edge without really falling yet! I can't wait to see what they'll do after that! I loved that he had Hellfire at the house, and that she listened to him being adorable like that. My dad plays DnD and me and my stepmom just have to laugh sometimes hearing him getting so into it, in a good way! It's nice to see someone enjoying themself like that!
Ah, wait!! I just realized, are the pictures before this chapter the ones that she took? I get what she's saying now about hope vs insecurity (in the order of the image) if that's the case!
Not Another Cinderella Story: Chapter 8 (Loki x Reader)
Summary: After the events of the ball, Iliya opens up to Denjar about her and Lokiâs plan and attempts to deal with her complicated feelings towards Loki.Â
Gender: Female (no description, named Iliya)Â
Rating: Teen/Mature (18+ blog)
Tags: Cinderella AU, fairy tale AU, royal!reader, vague mentions of past trauma and domestic abuse, feelings, pining, touch aversion, emotional hurt/comfort, friendship
Note: For the first time in over a year (!) I have an update for this story and I am very happy to share it with you. Hopefully now that Iâm back in the swing of it I will be able to get the chapters out more regularly and actually finish this fic. Please let me know what you think, feedback means a lot!Â
   âI donât want to talk about it.â You punctuated each word with a swing of you arm, launching another blade at the targets on the far wall.
Denjar stepped lightly around the edge of the training room, wisely keeping a wide berth between you and your knives. They made no judgement of your attire; the many layers of skirt which had weighed you down all night lay in a heap by the door, sliced away in anger and replaced by an ill fitting and equally heavy tunic. Lokiâs jacket was hidden at the bottom of the pile, too present a reminder of what had transpired hours ago.
However, where you could sense their judgement was in your aim. Every shot went wide and missed the centre by at least an inch. The worst didnât even scratch the outer edges and instead bounced off the back wall with a harsh ring.
They became especially cautious the nearer they came, forehead crumpling as the sharp orange rays of the morning sunlight hit the polished edges of your blades. âIliya, I really do think -â
This story is brilliant! I'm so glad you reblogged it, I'd never seen it before and I'm loving it! I appreciate the growth that Iliya has been developing with Loki, the openness compared to how she was just a short time ago is amazing. I would love to see from Loki's perspective, if that's ever in the cards, how he might be opening up more as well. It can be difficult to see from the outside looking in, those "small" growths (it's not really small, but it can appear that way, if that makes any sense, lol). And I can't wait to see what kind of excuse she winds up giving the king!
Oh! And I adore the relationship she has with Denjar. They keep her grounded (as we saw in this chapter with the weapons) but still give her room to dream and hope (as we saw with their encouragement)! Beautiful work!
