#//i got to bored to wait until i got to hatred so you get mike in fire

[askmikestoughton]

"F i r e...i dont know how im not taking damage"

[jstarswrites]

Graduation

So, here we are, at the end. When I finally finished writing this chapter, I had to have a 30 second dance party for myself. 4 days, 48,000 words, and 14 chapters. But I loved every minute of writing this fic, and I hope you all had as much fun reading it! Sadly, this isn't canon, but then we might be asking too much... but they could at least have left Eddie alive. Sads :( Anyway, I hope this fic has fixed that and left you with better memories of Eddie.

I have a few more ideas rattling around for Eddie fics, but as always you won't hear about them until they are completed and then I'll schedule them to come out. This is just so I don't abandon fics, should my depression rear it's little shit of a head.

Anyway, enjoy, my lovelies! And thank you for reading!

The Outcasts Masterlist

It was the last week of your senior year, and Monday was dragging on. It wasn’t even lunch yet, and you were already bored. Well, okay, it was almost lunch. Like, five minutes to lunch. But you were still staring at the clock, willing it to go faster. Beside you, Eddie was asleep, his head on his arms, brown curls hiding him from view. You’d got your GPAs back at the end of last week and you were all going to graduate. Eddie’s uncle, Wayne, had taken you both out to dinner to celebrate and told Eddie he’d be in the front row at the graduation ceremony next weekend. 

You’d never been prouder of your boyfriend. Well, apart from that time he’d played guitar in the upside down. ‘Cause that was pretty damn cool. Knowing he was going to graduate had given Eddie a permanent smile on his face ever since. And he’d finally been able to relax at school. He was gonna get his diploma and wave his middle finger in the principal’s face, just like he said he would. You were really looking forward to that, actually, since the principal had gone ahead and made Jason Carver class valedictorian and you had an intense hatred for him. 

Finally, the bell rang, and you turned to Eddie to wake him up. He looked up at you bleary-eyed and smiled. You leaned down to kiss him gently. ‘Wakey wakey, sleepyhead. Time for lunch.’

Eddie got up, stretching as he did so, winking at you when he saw you watching him. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders loosely, and you entwined your fingers with his hand. You met up with El as you walked to the cafeteria, and she gave you a bright smile and started chatting with you about Eddie’s upcoming D and D week. You had finally decided to hold it at the Henderson house, since you guys had the most room and there would be thirteen of you all crammed in. Your mom was going to visit an old friend, so you’d have the house to yourself. 

It was as you were waiting in line in the cafeteria that it happened. Mike came running up to you, kissed El quickly, and then turned to you, clearly out of breath. You raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Someone on fire, Noodle?’

‘What? No. There’s a rumour going around that you punched Jason Carver,’ Mike gasped. 

You shrugged. ‘And?’

‘Did you?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Y/N! You have to tell me, come on!’ Mike yelled, making everyone stare at you.

‘I tell you what Noodle, why don’t you go sit at our table and wait and see what he looks like when he walks in here, huh?’ You suggested, as Eddie smirked beside you. 

‘Okay, but why did you hit him? You know who he is-’

‘He pointed a gun at Lucas. He tried to hurt Max, and Eddie, you know, my boyfriend, the man I love.’ Eddie leaned down to kiss you at that. ‘And he allowed his friend to hurt Erica.’ 

‘Who told you about that?’ You asked, turning to your boyfriend.

‘Is that why you gave Andy a concussion?’ Mike asked, staring at you in wonder.

‘Not me, I swear,’ he promised. 

‘So you did? Y/N! What if they don’t let you graduate?’

‘What if the guy that held Erica down and threatened to break her arm got what he deserved?’ You returned, folding your arms. ‘Besides, my grades are too good. And no one knows it was me. And even if they did, you think Andy’s gonna admit he got hit in the face with a bat by a girl?’ 

‘You used a bat?!’

You shrugged. ‘It was all I could find.’

‘It was that or a spear,’ Eddie pointed out. 

‘But why?’ Mike asked, clearly confused. ‘You’re not normally so…’

‘Punchy?’ Eddie volunteered, making you giggle.

‘Yeah.’

‘Mike, you know how I always tell you all I’ve adopted you, and I’m your big sister?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Well, someone hurt my brother. They hurt my sister. They tried to hurt my other sister. And they were hunting my boyfriend. Given what you know about me, do you think I’d just let that go?’ You asked, handing over your money to the cashier and turning towards your customary lunch table. 

‘Uh, yeah, okay,’ Mike said, nodding his head as you all sat down. ‘That does totally fit with you, actually.’

‘Of course it does,’ you smiled.

Everyone else was already sitting down by the time Jason Carver walked into the cafeteria with two nasty looking black eyes. Your table erupted in cheers and whistles and, though he clearly looked like he wanted to say something, Jason kept his head down and went to his own table without a word. 

‘Why has he got two black eyes?’ Dustin asked curiously.

‘Eddie took care of the other one for me,’ you replied sweetly, kissing your boyfriend, who was wearing the biggest grin you’d ever seen. 

‘Nice,’ Dustin said, high fiving Eddie.

‘Oh, y/n, I was gonna ask if you still wanted to decorate our caps together?’ Robin asked you. It was a longstanding tradition for the seniors to decorate their graduation caps before the ceremony. You and Eddie had already figured out what you were doing with yours, all that was left was to paint them. 

‘Yeah, of course! Want to come to mine tonight?’ 

‘Ooh, yeah, you always have the best ideas,’ she said. 

‘I invited Smalls to help,’ you told her, grinning at Will down the table. He gave you a bright smile in return. ‘Since he’s our artistic genius and all.’

‘And you can’t draw for shit,’ Robin pointed out.

‘Exactly.’ 

You got up to throw your trash away, and when you returned, Eddie pulled you onto his lap and kissed you soundly, making Dustin and Mike make gagging noises. Max, who had been back at school for two weeks, threw grapes at them until they stopped. You pulled away, smiling at Eddie. ‘What was that for?’

‘Do I need a reason, sweetheart?’ He asked, grinning at you.

‘Not at all,’ you said, and kissed him again. 

You all headed out to the parking lot once you were done eating. Eddie lit a cigarette as you fiddled with the stereo in your car, letting Metallica’s Master of Puppets blare out at top volume. This started an impromptu air guitar competition, with the winner getting Robin’s bag of m and ms. You both neglected to mention that the bag had been in her backpack for a while now. 

Dustin won the contest due to his sheer dramatics, and he triumphantly gobbled down the suspicious m and ms. Eddie held out a hand to you and you took it, letting him pull you into the dancing that was now going on. One more week of school. One more week and you’d never have to come back here again, save for your graduation ceremony. And only two months until you and Eddie went on the road with Corroded Coffin. It felt strange to be leaving, but also the start of something new. And it did feel like time to not move on precisely, but to start the next phase of your life.

It wasn’t like you were running away. Hawkins was safe now. You were leaving your brother in the very capable hands of Joyce and Hopper. Jonathon was staying for community college, and so was Robin. Nancy had got into a great college to study journalism, and you and Eddie were touring with his band until you hit LA, where you’d be going to nursing school. You’d already started your research into the schools out there. Life was changing, but it wasn’t a bad thing. 

‘You seem to be thinking hard about something, sweetheart,’ Eddie said softly, pulling you in close. 

‘Just thinking about this being our last week of school,’ you told him, looking up to meet those warm brown eyes you loved so much. 

‘I know. I wasn’t expecting it to go by so quick,’ he said, pressing a kiss to your knuckles while his hand rested on your waist.

‘Yeah, so much has happened in such a short amount of time,’ you replied.

‘You looking forward to what comes after, though?’ He looked a little worried, and you rushed to reassure him.

‘Of course I am. We’ll be together and that’s all I need.’

‘That and the kids all need to be okay.’

‘Well, that goes without saying.’ 

He laughed and kissed you softly. ‘They’ll be fine. They’re all way too smart for their own good, but you know Steve, Robin, and Jonathon will look out for them. And we’ll come back for thanksgiving and Christmas.’

‘And anytime they need us.’

‘Well, that goes without saying.’

‘And that is why I love you, Edward Munson,’ you said, smiling at him and leaning up to kiss him.

‘Just that? Nothing else at all? Not my pretty eyes? Or my excellent ass? Or my talented fingers?’ Eddie asked, nuzzling your neck and making you giggle.

‘Oh, those too, of course.’

‘Of course.’

You laughed and let him kiss you again, letting your worries fade away as your mind filled with thoughts of Eddie.

You pulled into the parking lot at Hawkins High as a senior for the last time. Today was graduation day. A day that had always seemed so far away until after spring break. Every time you’d dreamed about graduation before, you’d always thought about it being in the way off future. But now, here you were, boyfriend sitting beside you in the passenger seat, your best friend, Robin, sitting in the middle in the back, Jonathon and Nancy on either side of her. All five of you were graduating today. Today was your last day at this school. 

Four years here hadn’t made you love the place, or anything, but it still felt strange to be saying goodbye. No more walking down the halls with Eddie. No more making stupid comments in class with Robin. No more emergency party meetings in the parking lot. Steve had already given you the talk about weird it would feel, and how awesome it would feel at the same time. But you guessed a small part of you hadn’t taken his words in, because the amount of feelings that hit you as you pulled in still surprised you. 

It was worse when you got out of the car. All of a sudden it really hit you, for good this time, that you would never be coming back here as a student. You were officially an adult now, and you could do whatever you wanted with your life. No more rules, no more teachers telling you what to do, no more parents telling you what to do. It was just you and the entire world spread out in front of you. And despite the sadness you were feeling, and the fear that things would go wrong, you were still so damn excited about your future. Because for the first time, you had someone to share it with.

You’d already told Eddie how handsome he looked in his graduation cap and gown. The cap was decorated with the Hellfire Club symbols. He even had a baseball bat to match your own cap. Yours was decorated with little stick figures, six to be precise, all holding hands, a baseball bat to commemorate your time in the upside down, a dice for D and D, and flames licking the sides. Robin’s was decorated with a scene from one of her favourite movies, Children of Paradise. Jonathon’s had a camera with polaroids spilling out around it, and Nancy’s had a newspaper, notebook, and a quill.

Eddie came to stand beside you and took your hand, entwining his fingers with yours. 

‘You ready, sweetheart?’ He asked softly. 

‘For this? Oh, yeah,’ you said, grinning slowly. 

You followed the stream of people heading inside, moving into the cafeteria, and waving to the kids and Steve, who had come together. Your various parents were sitting in the front row, Wayne chatting with your mom. You all sat in the chairs at the side of the room, waiting for the ceremony to begin, joining Jeff and Gareth, who were already waiting for you. You and Eddie yawned your way through Jason Carver’s speech, whose two black eyes looked like they were covered with makeup, making both you and Eddie clap your hands over your mouths as you struggled not to laugh. Thankfully, his speech wasn’t long, though it did receive a lot of cheering, sadly.

Principal Higgins came onto the stage, said something vaguely cheerful about the class of 86 and then began calling students’ names. It was in alphabetical order, which meant it would go Robin, Jonathon, You, Eddie, and then Nancy. The others waited for you and Eddie, staying by the stage until he got up to get his diploma. He waltzed across the stage, took the diploma from Principal Higgins, and then stuck his middle finger up and waved it in the principal’s face. Laughing, you cheered for him with his uncle and your friends. 

When you were all standing in a line in front of the parents, and everyone was told to clap for you, your party, including the kids and Steve, all stood as one and flipped off the principal, Jason Carver who was still on the stage, and anyone else that was up there. There was a lot of cheering, some scolding, but none of you could hear them over the sound of your laughter. You all flooded back outside together, Eddie’s hand in yours, for pictures and congratulations.

Jonathon handled the pictures, promising to send you all your copy of the reel once he’d developed them. Your mom came over and fussed over you, your relationship better than it had been. Dustin and the kids all piled on you, giving you hugs and congratulating you. It was a while before the pile up cleared and they moved on to Eddie, who disappeared into the pile laughing loudly. Joyce and Hopper were there, and they swept you up into crushing hugs, telling you how proud of you they were. Eddie’s uncle gave you a hug and thanked you for helping his nephew graduate, and you and Robin hugged each other hard, both of you crying for an unknown reason. 

You all piled into the cars and headed for the diner. There were so many of you, it was lucky you had booked ahead. After an excellent and nutritious dinner of waffles, which you piled high with cream and sprinkles, sharing a grin of delight with El, who had done the same with hers, you all made your way to Steve’s house for your graduation party. His parents were out of town again, so you had the place to yourselves. Which was probably a good idea, given how excited and loud you all were right now. 

You jumped into the pool to play an intense game of water volleyball, refereed by Max, who still had her arm and leg in a cast. The game lasted for over an hour and a bitter rivalry was borne between the girls and the boys when the girls won 6-0. Steve had music blasting on the stereo, and you and the girls did a victory dance that turned into just dancing when the music changed. Steve had made sure there was plenty to drink, and you spied your boyfriend sitting in a deck chair, beer in hand, talking to Steve and Dustin. 

You joined him eventually, wondering what they were up to, plonking yourself down in Eddie’s lap, who immediately kissed you. ‘What are we discussing, my fine friends?’ You asked, wrapping an arm around your boyfriend’s shoulders.

‘How we managed to lose when we had the basketball champion on our team,’ Steve said. 

You laughed. ‘Never underestimate the power of four girls who want to rub it in the boys’ faces that they’re better than them.’

‘You’re not even good at sports,’ Dustin protested loudly. ‘And neither are we.’

‘Doesn’t mean we don’t want to beat you, though,’ Nancy put in, swimming up to the edge of the pool with Jonathon. 

‘Besides, we’re just better than you, Squish,’ you said.

‘Are not.’

‘Are too.’

‘Are not.’

‘Are too.’

‘Are not.’

‘Are too.’

‘Not.’

‘Too.’

‘Not.’

‘Too.’

‘Not.’

‘Too.’

‘Okay, I say we move on before the Henderson’s start a fight,’ Steve cried. 

‘Ooh, truth or dare!’ Robin shouted, coming to sit beside Steve on his deck chair. 

‘Oh, come on, really?’

‘What, are you too chicken?’ Robin started making chicken noises, you only half a second behind her. By the time he finally agreed, everyone in the party was making chicken noises at him. 

You started off slow; Steve had to revive his keg chugging skills and drink a nasty smoothie you and Dustin concocted for him. Will had to draw a caricature of Nancy. Eddie had to serenade you with a song. And Robin had to swap clothes with Mike. Then you really got into it; Jonathon got given a makeover by Max and El. Steve had to bench press Will for as long as he could, which turned out to be two minutes. Robin had to give Eddie a piggyback, and they both fell into the pool. You gave a rousing dramatic reenactment of the moment you met Dustin, which was met with hysterical laughter and much cheering and clapping. Nancy had to make up a fashion show, and she used the boys as her models, to much applause from the girls and picture taking from you who had taken over Jonathon’s duties so he could walk down the makeshift catwalk. 

It was late in the night, and the kids were playing in the pool, as the now-adults all sat around a makeshift campfire roasting marshmallows. You were curled up in Eddie’s lap as he fed warm, gooey marshmallows to you and listening to the quiet conversation taking place. 

‘So you’re off to Brown in a few months, Nance?’ Robin said, almost dropping her stick in the fire. 

‘Yeah, I’ve got a journalist summer course starting in July,’ she replied. 

‘Wow, I think you’re the only ones with plans before college starts,’ you told her.

‘You’re not doing anything before you leave?’ Jonathon asked you.

Eddie shook his head. ‘Nah, just a chill summer before we go on tour.’

‘Still think that’s the coolest idea ever, man,’ Steve said, as the others nodded. 

‘Works out best for us,’ you smiled, looking up and meeting Eddie’s eyes. 

‘How’s Dustin coping with it?’ Robin asked.

‘He’s okay, actually,’ you said. You and Eddie had a long talk with him about you going on tour and possibly moving to LA once you were done. Dustin wasn’t thrilled, but he knew you’d keep in touch and come back to visit whenever you could. And if he needed you, you would be on the next plane out. 

‘He’s not thrilled, of course,’ Eddie continued. ‘But this is the best plan for both of us. Y/N’s smart enough to get into any nursing school she wants.’

‘That’s what you want to do?’ Nancy asked, surprised. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean that like it’s a stupid idea. I meant it more like, wow, that’s so cool!’

You laughed. ‘Don’t worry, I got you. And yeah, I figured maybe an ER nurse.’

‘Ooh, you’d be good at that,’ Robin said, nodding at you.

‘Yeah, you patched me up,’ Steve added.

‘And you’re always taking care of the kids when they get hurt,’ Jonathon put in.

‘Amazing, isn’t she?’ Eddie grinned, kissing you loudly and making everyone laugh. 

‘Thanks guys,’ you smiled. ‘It means a lot to me that you all think I’d be good at it.’

When dawn came, the party finally wound down. The kids had all crashed in the living room, and everyone else had pretty much slept where they fell. You and Eddie were sitting outside on the edge of the pool, feet dangling in the water, sharing a cigarette as you watched the sunrise. 

‘Today was a good day,’ you said softly, leaning your head on Eddie’s shoulder.

‘The best,’ he said, grinning. ‘Though there are probably going to be some amazing days to come.’

‘Of course there are. How could there not be when we’re together?’

‘I love you, Y/N Henderson, now and always.’

‘And I love you, Eddie Munson, from now until the end of time.’

You shared a sweet kiss, the rising sun bathing you in its rosy glow.

Taglist: @efvyqrs @gnnnne @smc777 @okilover02 @itsjenna2u @linkpk88

[let-me-write-shit]

Like We Used To: 10

A/N: Remember, this story will only continue based on demand. So don’t forget to like and message me what do you think. Any guesses on what’s going to happen? Theories? Etc?

[Click here for previous chapters]

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CHAPTER TEN

The bass from the music was so loud that you could feel it in your chest three blocks away from the club. No one was crazy about the idea of being the D.D. for the last outing of the weekend, so they wound up getting an uber. When they got there they were immediately ushered through the club to the reserved VIP area, thanks to Harry, and were given bottle service. Kyle and his friends were allowed entrance and the two groups mingled, but Elizabeth tried her best to avoid her ex by dancing with Kate and Daisy.

After doing his rounds of greetings and thanking the staff, Harry joined Elizabeth in dancing. They were facing each other and the music was so loud that he had to put his mouth to her ear so she could hear him. Every time she felt the heat of his breath on her ear it sent chills up her spine. It didn’t help that he looked especially attractive today in his shining silver low-button shirt that exposed his tattoos.

A part of her didn’t want this weekend to end. She wanted to stay in that bed with Harry and do a repeat of last night until she couldn’t physically stand anymore.  She secretly loved that Harry seemed to be trying so hard to win her over. But what Matt said kept intruding in her mind. He’s famous and who knows how long he’ll really stick around for before he gets bored again. Tomorrow morning everyone goes back to reality, and that included Harry going back to his lavish lifestyle and international model friends. At the end of the day, Elizabeth is just a regular old friend of his, and she worried that if she let it get too far, she would end up heartbroken again.Shameless flirting was fine, but she needed to make sure that she didn’t cross that line again.

Harry made it hard for Elizabeth to control herself when he looked at her the way he did. They danced to the music so closely to each other that they were just barely straddling each other’s legs. Harry flicked the end of her shirt that was tied together, biting his lips.

“You know, I could just pull the end of this tie here. Or we could take it somewhere more private,” the left side of his lip twitched up into a smirk.

“What? You didn’t get enough of me last night?” Elizabeth toyed.

“I don’t think it’s possible to get enough of you. Besides, I can pick up where I left off. Looks like I might have done some damage here,” he grazed the edge of her top on her left breast with his knuckle at a slight purple mark that Harry had left when he had kissed her chest a little too hard.Elizabeth’s stomach filled with butterflies at his touch and he smirked, knowing what he did. 

She made her rounds dancing with each of her friends so as to avoid putting too much suspicion on herself and Harry in case there were any of his fans at the club sneaking pictures, but they still managed to catch eyes throughout the night passing flirting looks. She was feeling like she was doing a pretty good job at avoiding her ex when she was a few drinks in, dancing with Matt, and felt a hand on her waist expecting it to be Harry, but was met within inches of Kyle’s face.

“You look amazing tonight!” He shouted in her ear.

“Thanks,” Elizabeth responded, looking up at Matt, his blatant hatred for Kyle spread across his face.

“Can we talk?” Kyle asked.

“I don’t think it’s the best time to talk,” Elizabeth retorted.

“Come on, please? It’ll only be a few minutes. Just over there,” Kyle begged, pointing at a hallway just off the VIP section.

Elizabeth reluctantly agreed and let Matt know she’d be back before following her ex boyfriend. She passed Harry who was talking to Edward and Lewis. When he noticed her walking behind Kyle he shot her an unnerved look, watching her walk further away.

The hallway wasn’t as loud, so you weren’t forced to scream to hear each other. Still, it was close enough that Elizabeth could see Matt and Harry looking over at them, concerned.

Kyle caressed the length of her arm and ended at her hand, holding it in his like he used to, “I’ve missed you,” he grinned at her, “you haven’t returned any of my calls.”

Elizabeth snaked her hand out of his grasp, folding her arms into her chest, “Yeah, like I said, I’ve just been busy.”

He sighed, “Are you still mad at me? I made a mistake, hun. I said I was sorry.”

She let a huff of air out of her nose, “Kyle, why are we doing this?” 

“We’re just talking. Come on, honey. This is stupid! You’re gonna let three years together go because I slept with someone ONE time?” He slurred.

“I don’t want to do this with you right now,” Elizabeth said, quickly glancing over at Harry and Matt who were together now, whispering to each other while taking turns keeping an eye on her. 

“Oh, I see. You got a thing for your ‘old friend’ Harry styles? Is that what it is?” He pressed.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, “You’re drunk.”

“No, I’m just trying to figure out how the supposed love of my life can be so hypocritical about me making one small mistake, but can move on so quickly with someone else! Is it because of his money?” He stepped closer to her.

“What? No. It has nothing to do with him.”

“Oh, come on, honey! Don’t you remember all the good times we had together? And the long nights?” He came even closer to her, making her back up into the wall, “Let’s just forget everything that happened. Come home. I know how to make it up to you,” He breathed, the smell of liquor strong on his breath, and forced his lips onto hers.

Elizabeth quickly pushed him off of her and screamed, “Ew! Get off!”

Before he had the chance to say anything, Matt came hurling in, punching Kyle in the face and making him fall straight to the ground. Harry ran up a second later, red in the face and looking between Elizabeth and Kyle. She had never seen either of the boys look so angry.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked her, pulling her into a protective embrace as Matt continued shouting profanity at Kyle who was getting up.

Elizabeth nodded, stunned by what had just happened. By this point a few more of their friends had realized there was a scuffle and started making their way over. 

Kyle had stood up, wiping the blood from his nose before glaring at Harry, and seething, “Have fun with my sloppy seconds. How does my dick taste?”

Harry’s jaw clenched and he lunged forward, but Elizabeth and Lewis pulled him back. Elizabeth stepped in between the two of them and put her hands on Harry’s cheeks, trying to calm him down. She looked into his eyes, forcing him to look at her, and softly spoke, “Harry, you can’t do anything stupid. Your fans are just through that hallway. It’s not worth it. It’s done.” She turned towards Lewis and Matt, “You guys, we should go.”

They all agreed. Elizabeth dragged Harry out the back and requested an uber, waiting for their friends to come out. He paced the alley teeth still clenched tight. Elizabeth stared at him, unsure of how to handle the situation. She knew that he had some kind of feelings for her, but she had absolutely no idea if this reaction was because of that, or because of all the alcohol in his system. Either way, she didn’t want to see him so upset. She took hold of both his hands and led him to the wall of the building, leaning on it.

“I’m fine, Harry,” she reassured him. “Really. Let’s just let it go. We’ll go back to the house and enjoy our last night here.”

His eyes started to soften and eventually he had calmed down enough to speak, “Yeah. Sorry, I just...he kissed you and…”

“I know,” Elizabeth nodded and joked, “let’s just hope no one else noticed you trying to channel your inner Mike Tyson. Let’s just stick to singing from now on, yeah?”

Harry laughed and gave her a tight hug before their friends came out and they separated. In the uber ride everyone started to relax and by the time they were back at the house everyone seemed to have moved on from the incident, joking around with each other some more and having some more drinks.

Elizabeth had gone to the kitchen to clean up a bit when Harry walked in. He picked up cloth and began drying the dishes and putting them away.

“Are you ready to go back home tomorrow?” Harry asked, looking down at her.

Elizabeth shrugged, “I’m excited to be back in my own bed. But, idk. I’ll kinda miss this.”

“Me too,” he sighed. “So what happens when you get back home?”

“Just unpack, really. I have one more day off before I have to get back to work on Wednesday. At least I can work from home, though. What about you?”

“I’ve got a few more days off, so I’ll probably write some more songs before I start traveling again for a few interviews and shows.” Harry paused before putting his towel down and turning towards her. “Come with me.”

Keep Reading

[theamberwriter]

Movie Night Mix Up[Billy Hargrove]

[ PART TWO ]

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Reader

Word Count: 3018

Warning: Cursing

Max had been getting suspicious lately. Billy wasn't as pissy as usual. And you had been hanging around a lot. Not that you knew she knew you had been. But she'd caught you sneaking through Billy's bedroom window one too many times to be a coincidence.

Max knew better than to flat out ask Billy what was going on. But she didn't know if you knew her. You didn't really have a reason to. Even if you did hang out with Steve a lot. You tended to leave when all the kids came around. 

Today was one of those days, you hung out in Scoops Ahoy for no real reason. Other than to bug Steve. Along with Robin, who you'd recently become good friends with. An irritating child, you'd heard Steve scold as Erica, was pulling her third round of samples. An abuse of power really.

You sat glaring out into the mall. You were so bored. But Steve and Robin were working. And Billy was at work. And it seemed like you were the only one in Hawkins who didn't find a job! Not like you would do much with Billy other than take a drive or watch TV. Still, it was nice to be around him. 

You'd been dating in secret for a few months. You hadn't gotten up the guts to tell Steve yet. You knew he'd have a fit. He hated Billy, and honestly, your boyfriend wasn't a huge fan of him either. But you'd put your foot down when you started officially dating. Billy was not going to dictate your friendships. To which he retorted about not stopping him from flirting with the town moms at the pool. You supposed he figured that would get you to give, but you didn't.

Honestly, the whole situation was kind of strange. You both played it by ear really. Neither quite having the guts to announce the relationship. You wanted to, but you hadn't convinced Billy. Not yet.

"Steve!" shouted a voice, jostling you out of your stupor.

"What do you want?" Steve groaned. 

"Erica, I think you've had enough," said the voice you recognized as Lucas.

"You ain't the boss of me," she retorted. "I want to try the fudge swirl."

You glanced back to see Robin roll her eyes, but get a little sample anyway. Then you caught the eyes of Max, who was staring at you. She knew, didn't she? Goosebumps raised across your skin, and you shot up out of your seat.

"I'll see you later, Stevie!" you called, awkwardly backing out of the shop. "Movie night tonight, my place! Bring Robin!"

You ran farther into the mall until you couldn't see the Scoops Ahoy sign. You weren't sure how much longer you could keep this up. If Max was catching on, it was only a matter of time before she told the others. And then - Steve. What were you going to do? Billy wasn't going to be happy.

Max hated that you always ran away. She couldn't figure out what it was. You'd hung around with them before. Before Steve and Billy graduated. When she was still new, and trying to figure this whole 'Upside Down' thing out. She'd heard the others whisper occasionally about missing you. Then Steve would utter out a pitiful, me too.

Something had changed. And Max was going to figure out what.

"Right, movie night!" Steve had called weakly back. His grin fading quickly. He slumped onto the counter, face in his palms. "Honestly don't know why they bother anymore. Not like they're ever around for anything."

"Maybe we can help," offered Max. This was just the opportunity she’d needed.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Right, and how are you gonna do that?"

Mike jumped in then, "I mean, [Name]'s been acting weird. Maybe we can figure out why. We can snoop in on your movie night. Poke around a little, see if we can find anything."

Lucas nodded. "Maybe Eleven can use her powers to spy on them."

"We are not using El." Mike sent a sharp look at him.

"Okay. Sorry." Lucas held up his hands. "I was just saying."

"I dunno," Steve mused, "I don't want to seem like I don't trust [Name]..."

"You're never going to figure it out if you don't do anything," said Robin, finally free of Erica.

Steve hesitated then sighed. "Fine. But you're in and out. [Name] can't know I let you do this."

You wandered around the mall some before deciding to head home. What were you going to do? You couldn't have Steve find out before you were ready to tell him. Though you should've told him in the first place. You paced anxiously around your room. Watching as the clock ticked down.

Six o'clock came faster than you'd hoped. Steve and Robin were going to be at your house at any minute. You just had to act natural. You'd gotten out snacks, made popcorn, and rewound the VHS you'd rented. Now you were sat nervously on the couch.

You screamed as Steve's voice came from behind you. "So what's on the roster tonight?"

"Steve, what the hell?" you panted, twisting to see your friends behind you. "I didn't even hear you come in."

"Thought we'd surprise you," he said with a smile. Then produced a quart carton. "We brought ice cream. I'll go get spoons."

"We nicked it from one of the freezers at work," Robin said, sitting beside you. "They won't miss it."

Steve crept lightly to the kitchen. Banging around a drawer or two, so you didn’t get suspicious, before going to the back door. There stood the kids. He eased it open for them, careful not to make any noise. The group came gently stepped into the kitchen.

"Remember - you're in and out. You were never here," Steve whispered, then pointed down the back hallway. He grabbed three spoons, going back to sit with you on the sofa.

"Should we be doing this?" Will asked as they made their way up the stairs.

"[Name] used to hang out with us all the time. Then they just - stopped," Mike said, "Don't you want to know why?" 

"But who says we're even going to find anything?" Will landed on a creaky step, causing a whole group pause. But all they heard was the movie. So they continued.

"Well then at least we tried, right?" Dustin asked. There were quiet whispers of agreement.

Max had a feeling they were going to find something. She just wasn't sure what yet. They split into groups, looking around the four upper rooms. Luckily enough, Max found your room. El was attached to her side.

"There's got to be something in here," Max muttered. "[Name] has been coming to my house a lot so -"

"Max," El said, pointing to something on your desk.

Max peered over her shoulder. Call me if you want your book back - Billy was scrawled on a piece of paper beside a number. It was next to your desk phone. The writing was nearly worn off, the creases of the paper soft. It'd been opened and closed a lot. There were little hearts drawn in blue pen. Along with this jerk better answer written in small script on the bottom.

"So [Name] does know Billy…" murmured Max. "Let's see if there's anything else."

Although El was hesitant, they did shuffle through your things. Random papers, clothes, books, scattered shoes - nothing interesting. Not until they looked under your bed. Max pulled out a box. From Billy was scribble across the top.

Inside was an empty chocolate box, a couple cards, a dried flower, a small stuffed animal, and a few other little things. Max knew immediately what this meant. She'd been right all along. But she didn't know how to feel about it.

"They're dating," Max said, showing the box to the guys. "[Name] and Billy are dating."

"Cool now we know," said Mike.

Dustin reached for the box, "Are you serious? We gotta tell Steve."

"No." Max shook her head, pulling the box away. "If [Name] didn't tell Steve, there's gotta be a reason."

"Yeah," groaned Lucas. "Like Billy is a big jerk."

Max glanced around the group.“But -”

"Friends don't lie, Max," said El, giving her a meaningful look.

Mike nodded. "He deserves to know."

Max deliberated silently, the box gripped tight in her hands. Then nodded, "Yeah, fine. We'll tell Steve."

"Uh, guys," Will said, coming from one of the rooms. "I don't think we'll have to."

"What do you mean?" Max's heart leaped.

Will's face was distraught. "Billy is here."

"Shit, we gotta go," rushed Lucas, heading towards the stairs.

Max caught his arm. "No, if we leave now he'll see us. We have to wait."

You about jumped out of your skin when there was a knock on your door. It was a little after seven. You weren't expecting anyone. You shoved off the couch, saying you'd be back. Your stomach dropped as you opened the door.

"Shit!" you hissed, stepping out onto the porch and closing the door behind you. “What’re you doing here?”

Billy was there on your stoop. Trying to pose in some sort of sexy way, with that smile that made your stomach tingle. He was smelling nice, looking good - and totally unexpected. You glanced around, making sure no one was around. He seemed surprised at your reaction.

"Thought you'd be happy to see me," he said, "You ready to go?"

"Go?" you panicked, "go where?"

Billy's face fell. "I was taking you to see that movie -"

You ran a hand through your hair. "I thought that was tomorrow!"

Billy sighed, rubbing his eyes with his finger. "What day is it?"

"It's Monday," you nearly shouted, Billy cursed under his breath. He’d gotten the days mixed up. "Movie Monday with Robin and -"

"Harrington…" growled Billy, glaring behind you.

"Yes," you groaned. "I've been reminding you for months that Mondays are -"

"Months?" that was Steve's voice. And it was cold and angry and hurt.

You tensed up, your stomach growing cold. Your heart raced painfully, blood rushing deafeningly past your eardrums. This was not good. You turned to find Steve and Robin in the doorway. Steve was pissed, and Robin looked like she was trying not to laugh. You were royally fucked.

"Steve, I -" you started. Billy pulled you toward him, holding you close. Glancing at him, you feared the hatred in his eyes. 

Steve's glare went between you and Billy. "When were you going to tell me? Once you two were off on your honeymoon!! What the hell are you even thinking?!"

You tugged against Billy's steel grip. You were going to have bruises. "Steve, I can explain!" 

"Don't bother, glad to know he's more important," he spat, then slammed the door. You pounded on it with your fists. "Go away!"

"You're in my house!" you cried, "Can't we talk about this?"

"So you can what?" yelled Steve, ripping open the door. "Lie to me some more?"

“Easy there, Harrington,” Billy warned. You elbowed him and shook your head.

You groaned loudly, your throat becoming thick as you choked back tears. "This is why I didn't tell you! This is why we kept us a secret. Because I knew you'd have a problem with this!"

"So now I'm the problem?! I'm pretty sure you're dating the problem!" Steve gestured to Billy as he stepped forward.

Billy tensed behind you. You wedged yourself between the two. "Behave, both of you! For God's sake!"

Tears brimmed over and down your cheeks. Frustration, anger, despair - this was why you'd wanted to pull Steve aside and tell him. Talk to him about it.  Anything but this, this was the worst way to find out. You jumped off the side of the small porch, into the flowerbed. Then stormed off around the house.

“Where the hell are you going?” Steve yelled; Billy snapped something at him.

"Oh shit," groaned Dustin as you spotted the group. They were hiding in the backyard. The box was still in Max’s hands. She tried to hide it.

You sniffled. "What the hell are you all doing here?"

Dustin paused. "Well I, uh -"

You spied the Billy Box in Max’s hands and gasped. "Were you in my house?! Did Steve put you up to this?!" 

Nobody spoke. But guilt and panic were evident on their faces. Your chest ached, realizing that he really didn’t trust you. He didn’t trust you enough to wait for you to tell him what was going on. It hurt more that he didn’t come out and ask about it. You would’ve told him.

"No, I did," Max said, stepping forward. She held the box out to you. "I - I've seen you climb out of Billy's window. A lot. So I thought we'd come and -"

"You don't have to cover for him, Max. It's okay. Billy and I are dating, so - surprise. I'm sorry, guys." You took the box and sank to the ground. "I should've told you. But I was scared. We were scared."

"Why?" Max asked, sitting beside you. Everyone sat where they were.

You wiped your eyes. "Your stepdad isn't the nicest. Billy was afraid, somehow, someway, he'd end up taking his frustration with Billy out on me instead. And you know Billy doesn't have the best reputation. I didn't want to tell anyone yet, because I knew I'd lose people over it. Girl friends who wanted him, and guy friends who hated him. My family is always griping about the Hargrove Boy. And Steve, God Steve - I was so scared of losing him. But I did anyway, cause I'm a fucking idiot…I should've just said something. Billy and I have been dating for eight months, ya know. Well before we even graduated. Fuck, I'm so stupid…he's not going to forgive me for this one. And Billy…"

There was a hand on your shoulder, and someone sat near to you. You were overtaken by the scent of cologne. You looked up to see Billy, no black eyes in sight. He gave you a small smile, leaning his forehead to yours.

"I'm not going anywhere," he breathed. "I'm the screw-up. The hell are all these kids doing here anyway?"

You shook your head a little. "This was my fault. If we were keeping it a secret, I should've told Steve, at least. Then he wouldn’t have had to tell them to spy on me. And I'm sorry…" You looked over at the cluster of teens. "I ignored you guys. It was stupid. I shouldn't have done that. I was just so worried about slipping. Then you would say something to Steve…"

"It's okay, [Name]," said Dustin, "I totally get it. My girlfriend, Shelly -"

"I think what Dustin's trying to say," Lucas interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Is that we forgive you."

You smiled. "Thanks, Stevie won't."

"I might." You flinched, turning to find Steve wandering slowly into the backyard. "If you stop calling me Stevie. It always did drive me crazy."

"Steve." You got part of the way up, but he sat on your other side. So you lowered yourself back to the ground. You could feel the tension coming from either side of you.

Steve glared at your boyfriend. "If he makes you happy, I don't wanna get in the way of that. I'm still pissed that you didn't tell me. - but I don't think I would've told me either. I’m sorry about sending them in. I guess, I just got tired of waiting for you to talk about what was up."

Steve took your hand, which caused Billy tense up. He grumbled under his breath, but you elbowed him. 

"I'm still your friend," Steve assured. "I promise. But tell me next time you're secretly dating someone. This was honestly the worst way -"

"If Billy hadn't gotten the dates mixed up," you gritted out, shooting a glare at him over your shoulder. He shrugged sheepishly. "Then I've would've told you differently."

“How’d you two meet anyway?” Steve nodded to the box in your lap. “And what’s that?”

Heat filled your cheeks as Billy leaned in and tapped the box lid. “What is that, doll face?”

Steve grumbled at the pet name but you didn’t pay it any mind. You sighed. “I let Billy borrow one of my textbooks when we were in school. He said that if I wanted it back, that I’d have to call him. I put it off until I couldn’t anymore. So I called him, and we sort of - hit it off. We agreed to keep it a secret until the time was right. I didn’t think it would be this long. I’ve kept everything he gave me in this box.”

Billy chuckled, kissing your cheek.  “Didn’t know you were so sentimental.”

You puffed out air, “Yeah, well…”

"You nerds gonna come finish this movie or what?" Robin called out the back door. You'd honestly forgotten she was there.

"Yeah," you called, "we're coming. Get another bowl of popcorn going!"

You stood as Robin disappeared back into the house. You pulled Steve to his feet and held out a hand to Billy. You clutched the box and Billy’s hand, heading for the house. 

"You kids coming, or you plan on hanging out here all night?" you asked, nodding towards the door. They couldn't scramble to their feet and in the door fast enough. You caught Max's arm, though, pulling her aside. "Hey, Max, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I mean, I am dating your brother. I should've said something, I hope you can forgive me."

"Yeah, I’m sorry about going through your stuff," Max said, hugging you. You hugged her back. "Just don't get married in secret too. I want to be in your wedding."

You laughed, then the two of you headed in. Billy and Steve moved awkwardly around each other. Glaring when they thought the other wasn't looking. You rolled your eyes, going to the couch next to Robin. The kids kicked the guys to the floor. Billy leaned against your knees. And Steve sat leaning against the far arm of the couch.

You were really going to have to work on their friendship. But at least you were forgiven. Now there was just everyone else to tell.

[lucarioisinthevoid]

swap personalities au. Jeremy is to be feared and puppet is an uwu. mike is soft no cuss man. Henry has a lorge soul and feels all emotions v much. thats all i got lol

Okay, this escalated into half an AU, so I’ll put a read more, because this really is long as hell. Tldr though, Jeremy is a horrible sadistic cunt using religion to justify his hatred for others and his bad treatment of them, Mike is constantly unsure of himself and tries to be nice but is fairly miserable, Phoney is the happiest guy on earth who LOVES life, Dave is a sociopath, but a well-adjusted, serious one, Marion is an innocent being constantly crying in his little box- And Henry has done a lot of mistakes in his life and is now stuck in his suit, his fear of life turned into nothing but mourning, while being tortured by one of his victims for all eternity. Frankly though, I’m still trying to figure out if their goals and moral stances would still stay the same if their personality switched, HMMMM- I’m having fun with this, this might become an actual AU. I just wrote out a segment as a writing exercise, heh. -

Fredbear’s was Jeremy’s favorite place. It wasn’t as much the attractions there, as it were the employees he worked with. Though, then again, there was one attraction he was REALLY fond of. Comfortable he sat on the music box, the melody being accompanied by loud and agonized sobs. They wouldn’t let him sleep. The box’s mechanism needed electricity to work, using the crank charged it all up, causing the soul inside immense pain. It was his favorite attraction, because the sound always reminded him of his father, back in his childhood. It was familiar. Nice. Comforting. “It’s not because I hate you.” He causally told the box, drawing another muffled howl from within it. “It is more because I’m bored. I want to listen to music. It is not my fault you are in there, you see? Not my fault at all.” Slowly he winded it up one more time, smiling to himself as he heard footsteps approaching. Not the Phone Guy, no. He was too prone to mind his own business. There was only one person who could step up like this. Hesitant, despite already being here. “What is it.” Jeremy finally asked, cold and snappy, suppressing another smile at the wince coming from the other employee. “I- I think you might- well- if you could- you know- I-“ “Hurry the fuck up. I don’t have all day.” Sharply Mike sucked in the air through his teeth, close to tears, but trying to force a smile. “H-hey, maybe you should- not- wind the box?” “Oh? Why?” “B-because the crying, it’s- I-“ He took a shaky breath. “Idon’tlikeit-“ “You don’t?” Pretending to be surprised, Jeremy put his hand in front of his mouth, “I’m SO sorry! You see, crying is actually quite the nice sound. It is the sound of being needed! But of course, a cruel man as you yourself would not understand how wonderful it is to bring comfort to other beings. And it is not like anyone is getting hurt. You are not trying to say the machines have REAL feelings right? Don’t be stupid.” “N-no, not-“ “See? Nothing wrong with that.” “But-“ “What is it with you? Why are you still trying to bother me about this? Are you having an episode again? Are you going to try to hurt me? I know there is a small part within you that just wants to HURT people. You disgust me.” Mike opened his mouth, but was incapable of saying anything. “Yes, that “demon”, that sometimes causes you to black out and wake up surrounded by nothing but agony. You are delusional with your talk about it being Fredbear. Maybe you should just accept that you are horrible and a danger to be around. Maybe you should just leave. Never come back. This world is better off without dangerous sinners like you.” Finally it was enough for Mike and he turned on the spot running off. Jeremy watched after him, disinterested. He wouldn’t do anything more exciting than that. Too much of a coward to take the last step. Though then again, he would tattle on him. Groaning the boy stepped off the box, looking back at it. The sobs have quieted down. The foolish soul inside still trying to keep ahold of its optimism really intrigued Jeremy. Sure, he did god’s work, trying to convince the soul to leave by any means possible- after all, nobody was allowed to hide from the fires of hell- but it was so utterly stubborn. Despite nothing being left, no inkling of a motivation, he stuck around. God must really hate him. Everyone in this restaurant really. But before he could think about it any further, from behind there was a small cough. He turned around, facing the owner of the location. It always took a second for Jeremy to remember it weren’t the man’s glasses that shined, but the eyes behind it. The Purple Guy looked down at him expressionless. “Did you harass Mike again.” It wasn’t even a question, he knew the answer. “No.” Fully confident he said. “But I would not expect a sociopath to understand the difference between harassment and a normal talk.” “… sociopathy is not depriving me of being able to understand and listen to my employees, Mr. Fitzgerald. Nor does it take my morals. I can still recognize your behavior as abhorrent. Why did I even hire you?” “Because you’re into small boys?” He grinned widely, then shrugged as though he hadn’t just leveled an abhorrent accusation at him. “Because I’m the only one willing to deal with Henry?” “… how about you do what you do what you were hired for then. Mr. Fitzgerald.” “Sure, sure. Oh, but maybe you should shortly check behind you, slightly to the right, where Phoney is putting a stack of party hats on fire and trying to put them onto his head?” He started laughing as William quickly turned and rushed off to save the wild Phone-headed man from probably damage, potential death. No way in hell that Jerry would tell him he was the one constantly smuggling in the lighters, since the grumpy guy at the price corner refused to do so. Instead he sneaked into the saferoom of the location, though he probably didn’t have to. Inside there only really was one thing. An old, slowly rotting golden suit. But that never fooled Jeremy. He might was surrounded by idiots, but so far the brain rot hadn’t hit him. “Well, Henry, how are we doing today?” The suit didn’t react. “Aw. Another day of no attention? What is it? Cannot even give me the littlest bit of appreciation for keeping you from breaking into pieces and making your existence even more painful?” Nothing came back. “… well then again, you probably think you deserve it. Which you absolutely do. Not even hell wants you. Nobody wants a child murder.” The suit’s clawed paw twitched, making Jeremy giggle in delight. “That NEVER fails. Fantastic. But is that all I am getting?” He proceeded to grab a bucket from the side, filling it with warm water and soap. “It’s really pathetic. You made that suit as your protection. Your shield from the world you cared too much about. You used the suit to play the big man, to tell people off, Fredbear was a rude bastard and it was the only way you could protect anything you loved. And now? The least you could do would be to go out there and bite all of these heathen’s heads off. But you won’t. Because Fredbear was just a suit and you’re just a coward.” Bemused he started to sprinkle water on the unresponsive suit. Washing, oiling, keeping it in check. “Too bad. I guess I have to wait until the locust descend to feast on their flesh during the end of days.” There was still nothing. Finally Jeremy quieted down, uncomfortable. Just wash it and get done with it. “… bad people deserve bad things. And bad things happen to bad people.” He quietly mumbled. “I’m not wrong with this. I’m not even that bad towards them. They would fucking kill me or worse if that would profit them. They are heathens without any sort of moral compass pretending to be all harmless and nice.” He hadn’t noticed Fredbear’s head slowly moving to the side to be able to look at him in his position. The chuckle made him snap up however. “… projecting… won’t protect you… from your shame…” “You- YOU-“ The boy squeezed the rag, soapy liquid running down his arm. Then he laughed, abruptly and harshly. “Oh NOW you are talking. To accuse me of NONSENSE. Meanwhile your friend William is broken up about your passing and you just sit here- like you COULDN’T if you WANTED. Shows how much you care. Just move on to the afterlife and take your punishment.” Once more there was nothing. Jeremy gritted his teeth, trying to control his temper. “You will NOT make me act in wrath. You will NOT drag me down. You will burn on your own, you creature lower than DIRT.” Outside Mike had finally calmed down, staying around Simon for a bit really had lifted his spirits again. There was just something about his unbridled joy about being alive that nobody could escape. But there was something he had to do. The customers had cleared out, so he could allow himself to sit down next to the box, without feeling bad about putting more pressure onto the other dayshift workers. “… h-hey. Can you… can you hear me? I’m- hey, how about- I might could take you out of there if you- if you would like to-“ The crying had subsided, but the lid stayed firmly on. “Nobody would mind! I think. I mean, I’m sure. Yes. Please, you… don’t have to be alone in there.” A weak voice sounded, muffled. “… no thank you.” “Ah- s-sorry. I just- I hate what is happening to you. I- I wish I could do something. I’m so sorry.” “… it’s not your fault.” “It sure feels like it though.” Gently Mike sighed. “Hey… I could… tell you a story maybe? I really want you to feel better…” There was hesitation from inside. “… can I tell you a story instead?” “Is- is it a nice one…?” “… no.” There was a short break. “But I hope you will listen to it anyways…” “O-okay. No problem. Not- not at all!” He quieted down to listen. From the distance, Old Sport leaned against the wall, watching on. Phone Guy attempted to sneak up, but was quickly frozen in place by a glare. It softened up however and he waved him over. “Phoney. Still alive?” “Alive and well and wouldn’t want it any different!” Happily the man agreed. “What about you?” “Eh. Neither truly happy nor truly alive, but still optimistic.” “What’cha looking at?” “… Mike. Kinda worry for him. He seems so unsure about everything.” “Oh, I’m sure he’s just nervous about this new job. We’ll get him out of that shell, and if we have to drag him!” “That… sounded like a threat.” “Oh. Oh no! I didn’t mean that!” Quietly Old Sport chuckled and patted his pal on the head. “I know. Just wanted to give you a heads up. I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble.” “Trouble? I don’t want any trouble, that’s true! But a lot of so called “trouble” is just an adventure waiting to happen!” “… sometimes. Not in this case though.” “Awww, that’s too bad.” Both of them looked onto the tormented smile on Mike’s face in the distance. Again Old Sport sighed and looked at Phone Guy. “Do me a favor and look after him, alright? I worry for him.” “Everything will work out. I promise! I’m the manager, it’s my job to take care of everyone! Even Jeremy. Especially Jeremy. Poor boy has some issues too. But nothing that can’t be fixed with patience and love!” “I take your word for it.”

[hazyheel]

WWE Monday Night Raw 8/5/19

We started the night with a tribute to those in El Paso and Dayton. They even gave a ten bell salute. It was good. Nice of them. 

Then they showed the theme song, and Samoa Joe interrupted it. He hopped up on the announce desk and yelled at Michael Cole for accusing him of attacking Roman Reigns. Graves tried to defend Cole, which only made Joe more mad. He demanded that they show the footage. They did, and Joe said that since he was nowhere near the attack. Joe vowed to stay at the show until Reigns showed up, so he could get his apology. 

As he was talking, Becky Lynch interrupted and walked down to the ring. Badass. I love her. 

Grade: B-. I am almost positive that it wasn’t Joe who attacked Roman, so this is just sorta a red haring. But it could lead to a nice brawl and maybe even a good match if I may be so bold. 

Then we had a tag match in the Women’s division. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs. Natalya and Trish Stratus. I was shocked that they are actually having Stratus on TV. Charlotte vs. Stratus is one of the biggest matches that they have going for them, so I was surprised to see this tag match get booked. Nattie and Lynch started the match with some technical exchanges. The two exchangd some submissiions, and Lynch was bout to lock in the disarmer, but Charlotte tagged herself in. Charlotte essentially wrestled this match alone, she completely refused to tag Lynch in. Even when she actually did tag Lynch in, she nailed Lynch in the back of the head with a forearm and walked out on her. Nattie locked in the sharpshooter, and refused to break when Lynch made it to the ropes, causing a DQ. 

After the match, Stratus tried to pull Nattie off of Lynch, so Nattie pushed her away.

Grade: C+. Fine match, basically continued to show how much hatred has festered between Nattie and Lynch. And it showed that Charlotte is a bad guy. Stratus didn’t actually wrestle, so that was good. Just a perfectly functional angle here. 

Then we went into Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio, the never ending feud. The match stemmed from Andrade ripping Mysterio’s mask after their portion of the Gauntlet match last week. We started with a quick pace, getting into striking and flipping within the first minute. At one point early on, Andrade spilled to the outside, so Rey slid out onto him and gave him a sunset flip powerbomb into the barricade. The two put on a really nice, lucha libre style of match with lots of great flippy moves. Rey hit an awesome hurricanrana after Andrade popped him up at one point. Andrade also nailed a beautiful double stomp in the corner after the two battled on the top rope. Rey still fought back however, this time with a mexican destroyer for a near fall. Then he nailed Andrade with the 619, but Andrade got his knees up for the splash after Vega distracted Mysterio. In the finish, Andrade went for the mask once again, but when the ref pulled him off, Vega hung up Mysterio on the middle rope, allowing Andrade to hit the hammerlock DDT. 

Grade: B+. Just a nice little spotfest here. Pretty fun, and open to have a rematch. Nice to see a pretty good match. 

Then we saw went is going on with Maria Kanellis, at their OBGYN appointment. She told Mike to defend her and her championship, and he said he would. At the appointment, Mike told Maria to relax and hugged her. The doctor then counted a pinfall, so Kanellis won the championship. Mike ran out into the waiting room, where R-Truth was waiting, He threw a baby doll in the air, which Mike caught, and then rolled up Mike to win his title back. 

Then we had an interview with Becky Lynch about her summerslam match. Lynch said that she doesn’t care if Nattie has hometown advantage. She will win, because she has changed the business. Nattie said that she hasn’t gotten enough opportunity, but Lynch said that she needed to take opportunities. She is what Nattie’s career needs. Then Nattie was interviewed, and she said that her armbar didn’t matter, because her arm will break before she taps. Then she said that she would end Becky’s career with the sharpshooter and win the championship. Nice, I like tough Nattie. 

Then Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came out. Heyman ran down Rollins for getting destroyed by Lesnar again and again. He said that he loses too much, and he isn’t the hero that he pretends to be. They showed the attack from last week, and Heyman talked about how even he couldn’t stop Lesnar’s vicious attack. He also said that Rollins was in the building, and he insulted him for being stupid and showing up to Raw. Rollin’s music hit, and he limped down to the ring with a hair in hand. When Rollins got into the ring, Lesnar went right for the ribs. Lesnar attacked him with the chair and threw him all over the ring. Lesnar nailed him with an F5 to leave him laying on the ground.

After a commercial break, Rollins got on the mic and talked about why this match was worth it. He said that he wanted to protect the Universal Championship, despite the fact that it gets him beaten up every week. He said that this was all he had, and he vowed to beat Lesnar. He also refused to get on the stretcher when they offered it. 

Grade: C-. I am not as fond of this underdog story as I was of a confident Rollins going into Wrestlemania. He is badass when he is confident, and while he is a good underdog, Lesnar eats underdogs. We’ve seen this story before, and while I hope Rollins wins, it seems like he won’t. I’m just sick of Lesnar being in the title picture. 

Backstage, Kurt Angle, who would be a special guest referee for McIntyre vs. Alexander, talking to the Street Profits. They wanted to party with him and drink some milk, which they almost did until Drew McIntyre came up and threatened him. If Angle didn’t call it down the middle, then he would crack his skull open. I don’t know why Kurt Angle is here. 

Then we had a squash match with the Viking Raiders. They won with the viking experience. 

Grade: B-. Inoffensive Squash. 

Then we had Cedric Alexander vs. Drew McIntyre, with Kurt Angle as the guest referee. McIntyre ran down to the ring as Alexander entered, and he beat the crap out of him. As they fought on the outside, Alexander gave McIntyre a tornado DDT, and then the lights went out. The Fiend showed up once again, and used the mandible claw to put Angle right on the mat. 

Grade: B-. Okay, I’m into this becoming Wyatt’s new thing. A modern legend slayer, but he is way creepier. I like that, he looks really strong so far. 

Then we had the New Day’s Xavier Woods and Big E come out to the ring for a match with the OC. The match didn’t even really start when AJ just ran into the ring and attacked. There was a DQ, and the New Day were beaten down, but Ricochet ran down and came to their aid. He helped fight them off, and they turned this into a 6-man tag. Ricochet and Styles mixed it up a bit. Big E was tagged in to fight a bit against Luke Gallows, who came out in his old face paint, so that was cool. Styles and Big E actually had a really good exchange here, where Styles countered several of Big E’s power move. He eventually gave Woods the hot tag, who gave Styles an honor roll. That was when this broke down a bit into anarchy, as Ricochet gave Styles a dropkick through the bottom ropes and out to the outside, but Gallows caught him when he tried again, and he was sent flying into the barricade. Styles then took out Big E with a Phenomenal Forearm, while Gallows and Anderson hit the Magic Killer for the win. 

Grade: B. Pretty good stuff, interesting that the OC got the win over the Smackdown tag team champions, so maybe they will be the WWE Tag Team Champions soon. Other than that, just sorta a spot fest. Still pretty good though.

Then Samoa Joe came out, upon finding out that Roman Reigns was in the building. Reigns didn’t come out, so Joe sat in the right and waited. The crowd got bored waiting for Reigns and chanted CM Punk, so Joe walked out and met Reigns in the parking lot. As Joe walked out to confront him, a car smashed into Romans. Joe actually made sure that Reigns was okay after the car was hit, telling him to stay down and yelling for a medic. Triple H came out to make sure he was okay as well. Interesting, no confirmation of who it was. And Joe may turn face. 

Then we had a fatal 4-way elimination match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. The Kabuki Warriors vs. Fire and Desire vs. Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss vs. The IIconics. This match feels like they were going to do it at summerslam, but then they just kept cutting the build until they didn’t have a build, so they just blew it off on TV. Also, Corey and Renee are really funny during this match because he keeps yelling at her whenever Mandy Rose was in the ring. The IIconics took everyone down and hit their signature poses, but then Rose ran in to fight them. Rose pinned Cay with a running knee very quick, guaranteeing new champions. Nikki Cross was in after the elimination, but she quickly tagged herself out to Asuka. Asuka intimidated Rose out of the ring to tag in Bliss, but Bliss quickly tagged Sonya Deville. The two had a very nice exchange, followed by an awesome hot tag from the Kabuki warriors. Bliss entered the ring again, and when Renee mentioned that Bliss didn’t want to be in the match because she was scared, Graves suggested that she could be scared of getting scurvy from Kairi Sane. You know, because she is a pirate. So dumb, but pretty funny. Then we saw Rose and Asuka battling a bit, culminating in Rose tapping out to the Asuka lock. That left the Kabuki Warriors and Cross and Bliss. When we came back, Cross was locked in a knee bar, but she eventually broke out. And afterwards, she continued to sell the knee, so that was nice. Sane had a yet another really nice hot tag, which reminded me that she never really had a chance to prove herself on the main roster yet. Asuka then tagged back in to fight Bliss, and nearly got stacked up out of an Asuka lock. Sane went up for the insane elbow, but Cross pushed her off the top rope. Asuka then tried to attack Cross on the outside, but Cross trapped her in the apron and beat her down. Sane then took out Cross, only to be floored by a right from Bliss. Bliss then went up and hit Twisted Bliss for the win. 

Grade: C+. A lot of this match was awkward, and not the greatest. But that last fall between Bliss and the Kabuki warriors was pretty good. I hope to see more straight up tag matches between some teams, and hopefully put some respect on those championships. I think Cross and Bliss have the most star power in this 

And in the main event slot, we had a contract signing on Miz TV. Miz and Dolph Ziggler were going to sign a contract for their match, and Shawn Michaels was there for some reason too. Ziggler quickly insulted both of Michaels and Miz, saying that he is carrying the company on his back since Michaels lost his smile, and Miz lost his balls. Funny, those certainly didn’t happen at the same time. Miz then said the contract was not for a match with Miz, implying it was with Shawn Michaels. Michaels then said that it wasn’t him, and Goldberg came out. Goldberg then signed the contract after Ziggler retreated from the ring. Goldberg then told Ziggler that he was next, as Michaels drilled him with a superkick.

Grade: B. I bumped this up a bit because of the surprise. Goldberg is certainly a way to get a bigger name on this card, and I’m into it. Ziggler can sell a beating like no other, so I’m excited to see him get speared inside out on Sunday. 

Overall Grade: B-.

Pros: Andrade vs. Mysterio; OC vs. New Day & Ricochet; Miz TV; IIconics lost their belts :)

Cons: Rollins looks super weak

[timmyrx2000]

Dipper Steps Up: Chapter 6

Chapter Index: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Chapter 6

When Wendy and Dipper left the Shack, the sun had just set. The night insects had not yet tuned up, but bats twittered overhead and out in the forest the woodpeckers, who didn't give up until the light was almost gone, drummed away. "Where are we going?" Dipper asked as they stepped off the trail.

"Into the woods," Wendy said. "You bring a flashlight, dude?"

"Yeah, I have one of the prototypes Grunkle Ford made."

"Good deal. I got the one I use camping. We'll need light on the way back."

In the gathering twilight they hiked on, uphill and down, skirting thickets of huckleberry, boggy growths of cobra lily, and stands of trailplant, threading their way through second-growth fir and pine forests, passing expanses of tree stumps and seedlings. "Dad logs all through here," Wendy said in one clearing, the air sharp with the scent of freshly-cut wood. She switched on her own flashlight and said, "Not far now."

Finally, they reached the cleared crown of a domed hill. Stars spangled the sky overhead, lots more than Dipper had ever seen in Piedmont, where the light pollution from Oakland and San Francisco dimmed them. No moon yet—it was gibbous and waning and, because of the recent change to Daylight Saving Time, it wouldn't rise until nearly eleven.

Creatures howled in the distance. Like the panda duck that Dipper had tried to win for Wendy, the species were indeterminate. In Gravity Falls, they might be anything. Wendy stood beside a stump and took a deep breath. "OK, dude, I know you won't freak out, but this might be rough on you. Remember I'm here for you, though. Wanna hold my hand?"

"Anytime," Dipper said. Her hand was warm in his.

"OK, Gramps, I brought him!" Wendy yelled into the night.

Dipper looked at her, but she had turned off the flashlight and he saw only her silhouette against the stars. "Huh?"

"He said not to tell you till he got here. Gramps! It's me, Wendy!"

In front of them, a greenish fog coalesced. Floating a couple of feet above the ground, it pulsed and brightened and then shrank in on itself, transforming into a hulking, bearded human figure.

"Oh, my gosh!" Dipper said. "The ghost from the Northwest mansion!"

"Dipper," the apparition moaned in its deep, rumbling voice. "I have to talk to you. I mean you no harm!"

Dipper almost sagged with relief. "No problem, sir! Wendy, I'm not afraid of him. You look a lot better, Mr. uh, Lumberjack. Your beard's not on fire, and your missing eye seems to have healed up. And the, uh, axe in your head's gone."

"I'm not haunting anyone now," the ghost explained, self-consciously straightening the blow tie it wore on its . . . beard. "I have no wish to terrify. When you're a ghost, you can take many forms."

"Dude," Wendy said, squeezing Dipper's hand, "this is Archibald Corduroy. He's, like, my great-great grandfather!"

"I wondered about that!" Dipper said. "I saw his picture in your house—uh, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Corduroy."

"You treated me well," the ghost said. "I regret tricking you and then turning you into wood."

"That . . . was sort of scary," Dipper admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

The apparition shrugged modestly. "Well, I am a ghost."

"Yeah. Uh, excuse me, but I thought that after Pacifica let everybody in, you had gone on to, you know, your reward."

"I could not bear to leave this forest that I loved so much in life," the ghost said, gesturing with a sweep of his glowing arm that took in all the surroundings. "Also, once free of haunting the hated Northwest house, I wondered what had become of my family. I soon discovered I have a mighty descendant in Daniel, and a beautiful one in Wendy." The ghost floated next to Dipper and confided: "She likes you, boy!"

"Aw, Gramps!" Wendy said, laughing. "Cut it out, dude! Look, I brought Dipper, like you asked, so just tell him what you've got for him, OK?"

The ghost backed away from Dipper, towering over them both. "He's a brave, intelligent boy, Wendy. You could do a lot worse."

"I really like your great-great granddad," Dipper said to Wendy.

Wendy giggled. "You guys! C'mon, Gramps."

"Very well. Dipper, the root of your friend's trouble is another ghost from the past. An evil one. Well, I say 'evil,' I suppose I went a little overboard myself, but my anger branched out from the betrayal the Northwests committed against my friends and me—no, no, I'll cut that short. Forget it. I'm sorry for the bad things that came from my long hatred, leave it at that. But now an ill-intentioned spirit is trying to possess your fiend Taylor. If he succeeds, terrible things will happen. You have to stop him."

"How?" Dipper asked, his throat feeling tight.

"I'm a lumberjack, not an exorcist," the ghost said a little irritably. "You must discover the way to help. Speak to the boy's family. Seek out his mother. Tell her. She will sense the truth of what I've told you. And beware! The spirit that threatens your friend is implacable, his grip as strong as cypress roots!"

"Dude," Wendy said, "you have, like, a really good vocabulary for a nineteenth-century lumberjack!"

"Being an outdoorsman doesn't mean you have to be illiterate, girl." The ghost started to dim.

"Wait, wait!" Dipper said. "Uh, sir—who is the ghost? That would help!"

"You already know in your heart," the fading ghost said. "It is a spirit that wishes to reincarnate—for revenge!"

"Bill Cipher?"

For just a second the ghost became a little brighter and clearer. "Who? No! Think human!"

And Archibald Corduroy went out like a candle flame in a wind.

"Who did he mean?" Dipper asked in the sudden darkness.

"I'm stumped," Wendy confessed. "Man, Dipper, you took that whole thing a lot better'n I expected! First time Archibald appeared to me, I totally freaked!"

"When was that?"

"Fall, two years back, after you an' Mabes went back to California. Along in October. I was in the woods behind our house cuttin' down some deadwood for the fireplace, and there he was, floatin' right in front of me. I kinda attacked him with my axe, but that went nowhere fast. He eventually calmed me down and told me who he was and all, and said he was gonna watch over our family and protect us, and since then I never saw him again—until I started asking around about the Northwests. Few days ago, he appeared to me in a stall of the girls' bathroom at school. Now, that was awkward. Anyhow, he seemed to know you were gonna come to Gravity Falls and said I needed to get you an' him together so he could tell you something, and he said you might be scared, so not to let you know who I was takin' you to see. You weren't scared, though. Good for you, dude!"

Dipper shrugged. "Those first ghosts I ever saw, the ones in the Dusk 2 Dawn, scared the heck out of me. Mainly because of what they were doing to Mabel and your friends. But I've kinda learned that most ghosts don't want to hurt you. Who could be haunting Chuck Taylor, though?"

"Dunno, man," Wendy said. They'd both switched on their flashlights and were headed back through the woods.

They didn't talk much. But when the lights of the Mystery Shack gleamed through the trees ahead, Dipper stopped in his tracks and said, "Reincarnate. Oh, no!"

Wendy stopped too. "What's wrong, Dip?"

"No," Dipper said. "No, no, no. I hope I'm wrong."

"About what?" she asked.

He swallowed hard. "Nathaniel Northwest."

The rest of the week flew by without any substantial developments in the case. Grunkle Ford lent Dipper a few detection devices and taught him how to use them, and then Grunkle Stan drove the kids home the next Saturday.

They spent Sunday and Monday brushing up for the CAHSEE that the school would give on Tuesday and Wednesday, and to their relief, the tests didn't seem all that hard. "I hope you didn't get bored and start putting down random answers," Dipper told Mabel after the last exam ended.

"Nope!" Mabel said. "I learned my lesson after the test I took in fifth grade that said I should be busted to kindergarten."

Chuck had seemed OK, and that afternoon, their first practice since the early spring break, he recovered his playing form again, pitching hard, hitting hard, running full-out. The Thursday practice was good, too, and Dipper began to think that everything was all right again.

Saturday brought a big game with the Bay City Blues. Their win-loss record tied Piedmont's, and Coach said that the teams were a pretty close match in ability, too. The Blues had a good pitching staff, some good hitters, and typically racked up scores of five to ten points in a game. They weren't the most spectacular team, but like the Panthers they played a steady, relentless game.

Saturday morning, the game started out well. Bay City won the toss and chose to take the field. Their pitcher had game: he struck out both Mike and Petey with three pitches each, and Dipper began to think the Panthers were doomed to an early loss.

However, Chuck, looking healthy, belted out a solid double, and following him at bat, both JD and Barb managed singles, sending Chuck home for the first run of the game. Unfortunately, Jon J sent a sweet high fly ball deep into left field—and right into the fielder's glove.

Chuck's pitching began unsteadily. The first batter racked up one strike and three balls before hitting a single. The second man up got a double on the first pitch, putting the runner on third and ready to score. From the bench, Tripper watched Chuck wipe sweat from his face, kick at the mound, and then lean forward, looking determined.

Off on the sidelines, Mabel, in her cheerleader costume, acted subdued. The Panthers had a bigger crowd than ever—their away games had frankly pitiful attendance, just the kids' parents and maybe five or six students—but now the bleachers were nearly full of cheering kids and adults. Except Mabel's enthusiasm had ebbed. Dipper knew she was worrying about Chuck.

However, Chuck promptly struck out two Blues in a row. The next two batters both got on base, though, one single, one double. Then when Vance McCall stepped into the batter's box, Chuck took his time considering his first pitch. McCall was the Blues' best hitter by far.

And he proved it by pulling a low fly to far right field, where it hit and bounced, for a moment looking as if it would go straight to Petey DeFoy—but then it bounced again, taking a bad hop deeper into fair territory, making it hard to field.

McCall wound up standing on second base. The first two Blues scored, and there went Piedmont's lead. As though to apologize to the fans, Chuck struck the next guy out with three fast pitches.

Second inning began with X-Man getting a single, trying to push it into a double, and getting tagged out. However, then both Hi-Ho and Bobby made it to base—Hi-Ho successfully stealing second before Bobby's single put him on third. Dub struck out, and it was Dipper's turn.

He'd been working hard on his batting. He let a ball go by, choked up on his grip, and took a swing at the next pitch—and connected. It was a grounder, skipping just past the third baseman and running right along the foul line.

Miracle of miracles, it didn't cross the line, and Dipper made it to first! More, it took Hi-Ho home—Dipper's first RBI. For a moment, it looked like a Piedmont rally, but Big W's hard grounder was snagged by the Blues shortstop, who fired the ball home just in time for the catcher to tag Bobby out.

The Blues couldn't get anything going in the bottom half, and the second inning closed with a 2-2 tie.

The Panthers came to bat for the third inning. Coach sent Dipper and Krenk in as subs and asked Chuck how he was feeling. "I'm OK," he insisted, though Dipper thought he was sweating harder than usual. It was a dismal inning, three Panthers coming up to bat, two being put out, one getting on base, and then with Jimmy in scoring position on third base—Krenk went down swinging, one, two, three, to retire the side.

In the bottom, Chuck's pitching was noticeably slower and less accurate. Still, he held the Blues to just one run, though that put them ahead again, three to two.

Before the turnover, Coach walked out and asked Chuck, "You gonna be OK? I can pull you."

Dipper saw Chuck shake his head and heard him mutter, "I think laying off practice last week put me off my game. I'll stay in."

In the top of the fourth inning, Mike, first up, got a single, and Chuck matched it. Coach called for time out and said, "Pines, you're faster. Go in as a pinch runner for Monohan."

Though he felt a flutter of anxiety, Dipper did. He led off second, tense, ready to jump back if the Blues pitcher suddenly turned and threw to the second baseman. Like Chuck, the Blues pitcher seemed to have lost some steam, and JD blasted his first pitch into a hard liner into the gap and dug out on what looked to be a double—but the right fielder scooped it up and got it to first in time to hold him.

But Dipper, running full out, tagged third, saw the coach motion him, and, imagining the Gobblewonker nipping at his heels, blasted for home. He could hear Mabel, not leading a cheer, but just screaming "Go, Bro, go, go, GO!"

The catcher stepped up, mitt raised, and Dipper fell into a slide, raising dust. The ball smacked the mitt. Dipper's cleats touched home plate, the catcher tagged his calf, and the ump yelled, "Safe!"

The crowd went wild. Well, mostly Mabel went wild, but still. He had tied the game again, 3-all.

There the Panthers lost their luck. One man out on a pop fly, and then a double play ended their chance to pull ahead.

Chuck didn't look as if he felt well when he stood on the mound. But he bore down and struck out the first two Blues at bat—the second out was actually their first man in the rotation. Then he got two strikes past the third batter—and as he wound up for the third pitch, all at once he tottered and went down on one knee, the ball on the ground, his right hand going out to brace himself. He croaked, "Coach!"

Waylund, Dipper, and the other Panthers hustled out. "What's wrong, Chuck?" Coach asked.

"Real dizzy," Chuck gasped. "Better take me out."

The crowd applauded as Waylund helped Chuck to the dugout, and Dipper saw Mr. and Mrs. Taylor coming down from the bleachers, looking anxious. Waylund sent in Jon J as replacement pitcher, and he did his best, but Chuck's second near-faint had shaken up him and the other Panthers, and Jon J let another two Blues batters on base before the next one got a single, pulling the Blues ahead by one run. Then he pulled it together and struck the last man out.

Dipper hastily trotted in to ask Chuck how he was feeling. Chuck, huddled on the bench, shrugged miserably. "We'll take him back to the doctor," his dad said.

"Not until the game ends," Chuck said firmly. "Just a little dizzy."

It might have gone better if he'd gone then. The Panthers, keenly aware that Chuck was sick and was watching them, lost their concentration. They fought the game out, even managing another run in the top of the seventh, but it ended with a Blues win, 9-4.

Dipper had missed an easy catch and had fanned three pitches, striking out in the worst way possible. As soon as the game ended, the Taylors took Chuck away—he was walking under his own power, at least—and the team morosely apologized to the coach.

"Forget it, men," he said. "I'll stay in touch with the Taylors and get word out to you if it looks serious. Let's hope it isn't."

"We're all hoping," Mabel said. She had come into the dugout, and tears stood in her eyes.

In the back seat of the family car, as their mom and dad stood outside talking about the game—and probably Chuck's illness—Dipper said to Mabel, "I'm going over to the Taylors' this afternoon."

"I'm coming too," she said.

"If you want. Listen, do me a big favor. You get Chuck and his dad aside somehow. I have to talk to Mrs. Taylor."

"About what?"

Dipper's voice was grim: "About a family ghost."

To be continued

Note from the Authors: This was just an idea I had but the one who really worked his magic and wrote almost all of this is none other than BillEase. He’s an amazing author who usually hangs out at fanfiction.net. Don’t pass up on a chance to check out his stuff. This guy is AMAZING. He wrote the story, I just gave the plot.

[nata-rp]

Trials + Tribulations

When you were floating through space in confined quarters for months on end, with about twenty other people or so, your business had a tendency to become a matter of public record, especially to the ones who watched and waited for an opportune fuck-up. Not that Mike had done anything untoward other than follow sage advice and instruction from his captain, but some things you just couldn’t hide forever, and there was precious little to fill spare time on board with anything other than empty talk. The kind of talk that examined the “new kid’s” activities down to the smallest cough.

Marco knew his crew all right. More than that, the older captain had bucketfuls of experience dealing with people to understand what happened with disgruntled elements of a crew. Mike? He walked through a cloud of bliss for about the first month of deepening his ties with Marco to something more than subordinate and superior, until the realities of what that meant began to sink their teeth into him.

Little things at first. A sharp look here, a hushed silence there, chillier receptions and social interaction withdrawal. Not with everyone, there was enough balance in the crew that Mike didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary at first, but there was a growing tension that the slinger began to pick up on eventually.

Things came to something of a more obvious head one day in the cargo holds. He had time to spare, having prepped the afternoon meal in the kitchen ahead of time, which saw him offering to help out Aven’s group in reorganising their next cargo drop. They didn’t mix a lot usually, Aven worked on the bridge and in cargo most days, two areas that Mike didn’t have much truck with on average.

He felt it immediately when he came up to where the men were undoing the stabiliser lashings on the corrugated metal crates. He stood at the periphery of the activity at first, his hands stuffed into the pockets of the sweatpants he was wearing, observing what was going on, unaware that Aven was watching him from where he stood tapping a stylus against the digital board he was holding.

“Need a hand?” Mike asked, finally noticing the sharp looks Aven was shooting him.

There was a prickle in Mike’s skin, almost like the sensation you get when something unpleasant was stalking you in the woods, but he worked it out as his imagination, just like all the tense moments he’d shrugged off up to that point. He was open with his expression, however, flashing his usual cocky grin at the older man to go with the friendly offer of assistance.

The noise Aven expelled out of his nose softened Mike’s grin a tad, but it was the man’s verbal backhand that finally wiped it clean off. “No thanks, Dufresne. See, we don’t really need your brand of help right now… Captain might, though. Why not go suss him out like a good little puppydog?”

It was the first time anyone had even hinted at anything going on between him and Marco, and not in the best light. Normally? Mike would have shot his mouth off and said something stupid back, and his throat burned with the desire, his fingers curled into fists in his pockets while Aven’s flinty eyes rolled over him, just waiting for the explosion to come.

Marco said this was coming, and now, finally, it came. It wasn’t supposed to be a surprise, and it wasn’t supposed to be that difficult to let it slide. Mike chewed the inside of his cheek, scowling back at Aven like a stormcloud. The veteran’s expression changed; the smallest uptick of his lips at a corner as he watched his barb sink in. He glanced down at his board, writing something into a box.

“But, if and when I need your brand of uh... help, I’m pretty sure I know where to find you.”

Pushing his tongue against the back of his teeth, Mike produced a soft click of noise, but didn’t offer up any comments. It took an enormous amount of willpower for him to shrug, to plaster on a fresh grin, and to try and keep from going crimson. “Hey, whatever, just wanted to help.”

The awkward moment passed, especially when Mike took himself off to find something else to do, but it left the sourest taste in his mouth, and that night, a rare night of a few other stolen nights now, he bathed his burning pride in the soothing presence of the captain. Maybe that was a mistake, maybe he should have just cooled his heels and let Aven’s shorts unwind themselves before he sought Marco out again, but he didn’t think anything more embarrassing would occur than what already had. Boy did he hate being wrong.

Not only did he run into Kree on the way to the showers from the captain’s quarters early the following shift, but he also had a few interesting decorations left behind from the intensity of exactly what he had accomplished in Marco’s company earlier, which was as good as a declaration really. Usually Mike was careful, but things happened, and rather than regret anything, Mike pretended it was absolutely normal.

But that was when the whispering started. It’s when a lot of things started, really. Suddenly some of the crew began to take issue with his cooking, like they hadn’t been shoveling it down their throats the entire time he had been assigned that duty. Little grumbles here and there, a whined complaint or two, and more pushy comments about what was on offer.

It put his back up, but he tried to avoid catering problems by offering more choices, and when that didn’t work, Mike tried to sweeten things with more desserts. That kind of… Well, backfired. The undecided, the ones who wanted to give Mike time before they judged him, were making their choices, and they weren’t in the slinger’s favour most of the time, thanks to the poison being poured into their ears.

Everyone was a hard worker, right? Earned their keep, right? So what happened when a young upstart was courting the captain? What happened when he was trying to butter up the crew with his little homemade offerings? Rumours started up, discord sang in the ranks, and suddenly the friendly tips dried up, and the inclusiveness of certain groups closed up, and no one wanted anything to do with the self-important little pissant.

“Don’t let his easy way and smile fool you, guys.”

“He’s just here to take his cut, your cut, and everyone else’s cut who isn’t awake enough to realise.”

“I mean, boinking the captain’s just the first step.”

Mike didn’t mean to overhear the conversation, but then again, they weren’t being awful subtle about it either. Oh sure, they played nice when the captain was around, everyone did, but as soon as it was just him and the crew, things twisted into a nasty patch of slippery ice real quick. He dealt with it, biting back on every hot comment he wanted to make, but they were wearing him down and they knew it.

Aven especially was pretty good at getting under Mike’s skin, and the man needled the slinger every chance he could. It got worse one day when Aven decided to punch Mike while he was down in the supply bay with a couple of his groupies, nothing overtly physical, just a little talking to that was as mean-spirited as Aven was crafty. There’d be no need for anyone else to grab dried stumpkin roots and yellowbell from the bay unless they were the cook.

Mike knew when he was outgunned, but he didn’t think Aven would be stupid about things. Then again, Mike didn’t give the guy enough credit. Groupie 1 just hung around the door, keeping an eye out, while groupie 2 stood with arms crossed, an appropriately menacing expression on his face as Aven bore down on Mike and forced the slinger back into the shelving.

“Can I help you boys?” Mike grunted out, bracing his arm against Aven’s chest to keep some distance between them.

“You’re always trying to be helpful, Dufresne. Is that what you tell yourself when you’re with the captain? That you’re just being helpful?” Aven purred the words out almost like a considerate family member would.

Mike grit his teeth, puffed out a couple of breaths and tried to cool the mounting heat in his chest, his fingers curling around a bunch of Aven’s shirt. Aven wrenched it free, and smashed Mike’s wrist against the shelf, eliciting a slight hiss from the slinger. There was no damage, but the contact hurt.

“Look… I don’t know what—”

“Ain’t stupid, kid. I expected more out of Conrad, but I guess you wave the right sorta ass under a man’s nose long enough and it starts to look good,” Aven continued, dropping the easy tone. “Let’s get a couple things straight.” The man snorted, amused at his turn of phrase, then continued. “You’re the omega here, Mikey-boy. The little runt of the litter. The cook. And for now, Conrad’s slice of ass on the side. But so help me, boy, if you think you can slip in and turn this shit upside down for the people who actually matter, I’ll be the least of your problems.”

Mike bristled with every word thrown in his face, shuffling against the shelves and trying to yank his wrist free of Aven’s steely grip. He glared up into Aven’s eyes, meeting the man’s flinty look with the fire in his own. Aven’s lips ticked up and Mike felt the acid heat of hatred rising in his throat.

“What’s the matter, Mikey-boy?” Aven inquired, shoving Mike back again and leaning in closer. “You wanna go crying to daddy about your problems? Maybe I should have a talk with him instead, you know, set things right.”

Mike’s fire fizzled out and he stared back at Aven, wondering exactly what the guy meant by that, apart from the obvious. Marco didn’t need this stupid little feud laid at his feet. Mike had said he could handle it, and he could. Pride was a small price to pay… Right? As much as he tried to tell himself that, the young slinger burned with righteous indignation and embarrassment.

The bitter taste of hatred was still thick in Mike’s throat, but he eventually managed to reel in the rage, the roaring upset inside of him, and every other powerful emotion that flared up when Aven levelled this fresh brand of venom at him. He hung his head and relaxed against the shelving, offering the sensitive expanse of his neck in defeat. It sucked so bad, it sucked so fucking bad, but Mike grit his teeth against the indignity of it.

“Good boy,” Aven mocked, ruffling Mike’s hair roughly before he and his thugs left.

[illuminating-dragons]

Dreams and Visions (40/51): Reichenbach Coda

Time Period: BBC

Chapter Summary:  The immediate aftermath of St. Bart's. (If for some reason you're starting this story here, for goodness sake go back to the arc starting with 'Eye'. It's a bit different to what happened in the show) pt. 4 of the Reichenbach Arc. 

Originally a request from BAFan.

Read it on AO3

           John woke wrapped around Sherlock. He snuggled closer anyways.

           Sherlock wasn’t awake yet, his face relaxed for the first time in months. John kept his breathing slow and even, not wanting to wake his partner up.

           Moriarty was gone.

           Really gone. John had examined his body himself, checking for a scar he’d noticed at the Pool; a small one, just under his chin, but noticeable, difficult to replicate. It was there.

           It was late afternoon, judging by the light. They’d come staggering home from St. Bart’s, unwilling to let each other go for a moment, stopping just long enough to explain to poor Mrs. Hudson why the nice young man fixing the fridge now had a bullet in his skull. They’d collapsed in bed right after their phones were switched off. John fell asleep almost immediately; apparently being knocked unconscious for several hours didn’t make up for missed sleep.

           Now he watched his sleeping lover, his throat tightening. Sherlock’s arms were locked around him in desperation, chest and back muscles strained. John moved his hand to the small of his back, trying to soothe him without waking him up. Sherlock was coming down from pure terror, and John swallowed guiltily.

           He stayed quiet for a few long minutes, watching Sherlock sleep. If he could, he would stay here until morning….

           But why not? They’d earned a break; a real rest. And he was still tired.

           John pressed a light kiss to Sherlock’s lips and closed his eyes. They could get up later.

           Sherlock woke in a panic, eyes still squeezed shut. John!

           It took a second to feel John, hear him, smell him. Took another second to remember that he’d come so close to never seeing him alive again.

           He opened his eyes, his lover’s worried face the first thing he saw.

“Sher? Dear, it’s alright.”

Sherlock didn’t speak, just buried his face in John’s neck and cried. He didn’t make a sound—rarely did when he cried. He just shook and breathed in John’s scent, because John was still here and that was wonderful, as wonderful as it would have been terrible to wake up alone. A shudder ran through his body, and John held him tighter.

           “I’m here, love,” John whispered. “I’m right here.”

           Sherlock finally managed to calm himself. “What time is it?”

           John craned his neck. “Looks like morning. I can check my phone—”

           “In a minute,” Sherlock interrupted. John letting go was not at all Okay right now.

           In what felt like five minutes but was more logically twenty, John touched his face. “Dear, we ought to eat something.”

           “Transport,” Sherlock grumbled.

           “Necessary transport,” John reminded him. “Come on. We won’t leave the flat.”

           Very reluctantly, Sherlock let go of John and watched him get dressed. He’d watched him do that dozens of times in six months; why did it feel so wonderful to watch John pull a jumper on?

           Because it’s his favourite, the one you would have buried him in.

           Sherlock pushed the thought away with furious joy. Moriarty was gone. He could keep John safe now.

           Once he was dressed too they made their way out to the kitchen. Sherlock heard footsteps on the stairs, wasn’t surprised to see Mrs. Hudson coming up the stairs. She had a large tray of food, too—his and John’s favourites. That was a little more surprising.

           “You’re up, thank goodness! The hot plate just went.” Mrs. Hudson put the tray down and drew them both into a tight embrace. “I’ve been so worried. Is that reptile gone for good?”

           Sherlock nodded. “Yes, Mrs. Hudson. There’s nothing to worry about any more. Nothing at all.”

           Mrs. Hudson drew back at last, wiping her eyes. “Thank goodness. Now eat up, and tell me what happened.”

           The story came out slowly, including several detours and one long, impassioned scolding about “not telling me the neighbours were assassins!” Sherlock took the time to eat his whole plate, even stealing John’s last piece of toast.

           “Your brother called, by the way,” Mrs. Hudson said at last.

           “Oh?” Sherlock asked. “Our phones have been off.”

           “He said he doesn’t have your number anyways.”

           Sherlock’s breath caught. “Oh.”

           “Why does Mycroft not have your number, Sherlock?” John asked.

           “Mycroft does.”

           “Then…” John’s eyes went wide. “Wait—it wasn’t Mycroft who sent the man, was it?”

           “The man who saved you? James? No, that wasn’t Mycroft.” Sherlock closed his eyes, memories of the little boy he’d left behind, just as Mycroft had once left him. He hadn’t thought about him in years. “That was someone else.”

           “You have another brother?”

           “We haven’t been…brothers. By mutual agreement. Not by hatred so much as protection. He works with dangerous people.”

           “So do you.”

           “Exactly. Mycroft has a certain level of protection, but he…doesn’t. He’s more hands on, my little brother.” Sherlock turned to Mrs. Hudson. “What did he say?”

           “Just to tell you he’s sorry that took so long, there was some miscommunication. James hopes John’s doing well. The two of them have quit; that was their last mission. He said something about an Aston Martin? He sends his love, says they might be back in a year or two.”

           “I’ll send him a message,” Sherlock answered. John’s eyes were boring into him but this wasn’t the time for answers. He could explain his mad, computer-minded extrovert of a brother later. “Has there been anything on the news?”

           Mrs. Hudson nodded. “The Yard’s issued an apology to the two of you.”

           “Well isn’t that gracious,” John muttered.

           “Part of the plan, John.”

           “Not all their reactions were.”

           “But think how much fun it’ll be to go back to work and watch them fumble apologies.”

           John smiled. “Now this is why I love you.”

           “There was something else,” Mrs. Hudson said a bit hesitantly.

           “Yes?” Sherlock said sharply.

           “Sally Donovan resigned.”

           Sherlock went still. “She did?”

           “Yes. Greg called about it too. He said she wanted to resign before she was fired, and she’s moving up to Glasgow to be near her family.”

           “Coward,” John snapped.

           “No,” Sherlock corrected. “Sally’s many things. A coward’s not one of them. She wants to be out of my reach, but she also doesn’t want to be anywhere near a place that makes her make this kind of mistake.”

           John tapped the table. “Well—”

           “We’re not going after her, John,” Sherlock said. “It’s done. Let her be. She’s got a conscience. That’s more punishment than anything we could ever do.”

           This seemed to convince John, who leaned back in his chair. “I know what we’re all doing today,” he said presently.

           “What’s that?”

           “We’re going to stay in, order Chinese for lunch and Thai for supper, watch crap telly, catch up on Cabin Pressure and invite Mycroft, Greg, Molly and Mike over for tea.”

           “Why?” Sherlock asked.

           “Why not?” John smiled. “We can do as we like now. Why not have a lazy day?”

           Sherlock kissed him. “As good an argument as any. Shall we begin?”

           And that’s exactly what they did.

[deanxreader-spn]

I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (’Eight’ Part 5)

A/N: After a long long long break I’m back Thank you for the flooding messages about the ‘Eight’ Series, I can’t wait to finish it off even better than it started. Love you all and I’m incredibly sorry for the long ass wait.

THIS IS AN AU SERIES SO JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND PLEASE!!! This is part five

Characters; reader(Kyra), Liam, Hayden, malia, kira, lydia, scott, theo, alison, carter white, stiles, mason,

(told in mixed POV’s)

word count: 1,709

pairing: Liam Dunbar x reader(Kyra) Liam x hayden (reader)kyra x carter

Other Parts to the Series

part one  part two  part three  part four

Playlist

Listen to I Don’t Wanna Live Forever by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swif when reading this part. The link is on the playlist page, link is literally directly above this. I do not own the Lyrics nor the song. I also do not own any characters other than the new ones by names that are not involved in Teen Wolf, aka Kyra, Gavin etc.

How I picture Kyra in the gif below!! (after she dyes her hair lmao spoiler)

(LYDIA POV)

7 Days after Kyra left.

I didn’t know what it was that was off, but something was definitely not right. Like the universe shifted and now we were left slightly on an angle as we stood, basically doing that MJ dance move where he almost touches the floor but not really. But the scariest thing about it was as if no one else noticed but me. I sat in my room for six days, no contact with anyone, it was worse than when Jackson left, Kyra was my best friend, she was there with me when Alison died. I think that’s what made us closer, the simplicity of two girls mourning the untimely death of their friend. Ever since we were inseparable, sure we were close with Malia and the other Kira too but when it came to it hands down I would always choose Kyra over the other two, not to sound rude or anything. 

I laid in the same spot on my bed for three hours on the seventh day, sure the others continuously attempted to reach out to me but it wasn’t important, what mattered was I had no contact from Kyra which probably tore me apart the most. I vaguely had the memory of  screaming at the top of my lungs while Stiles held me back when Scott broke the news to us. “Where is she.”  I had wailed repeatedly, then cried in Stiles’ arms as everyone looked on, including a pissed off and or jealous Malia. I didn’t care though, my best friend had died and the only girl to relate to me, who soon became even closer to me than Alison ever was, had abandoned me too. Now I was almost alone, Malia could fuck off, I needed anything but her scorn. As I was laying in my cocoon of tangled sheets, blankets and pillows, I heard the front door opened, and I knew immediately it was not my parents, but in all honesty I wasn’t alarmed, how was I to freak out when I couldn’t fee, just an empty numbness. “Lydia we’re coming up.” That was Stiles voice, why was Stiles here? Who was we? What was going on? I so badly wanted to yell at them to leave, but when I tried no sound came out. The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs should’ve caused me to get out of bed, but I didn’t move, I wouldn’t. I stared straight at the ceiling, not caring to glance at the group of people crowding my bed, I knew who was there without even looking, and I could guarantee Kyra wasn’t there. “Hey Lydia.” Kira’s voice broke through to me, I ached to leap up and into her arms but didn’t dare. Another voice this time, “You need to get up, you can’t do this it’s unhealthy and unneeded.” The way she said it was smug and condescending and created a snapping feeling within me, like I was a glowstick and the glowing chemicals were miking and creating something else that ripped through my body, who did she think she was? I sat up, pin straight, and turned to look directly at Hayden, the bitch who did NOT belong in this pack. I hated her with a seething rage, she did this. “You know what you need to do Hayden? You need to get out of our lives and cut the superior and smug tone...bitch” I sneered, making sure I murmured the last part, “Lyds don’t-” 

“No Stiles, don’t you dare ‘Lyds’ me. She has no right to be here, she’s not even dating anyone in the pack or friends with us, no one here turned her so why? Why is she here, give me one good reason why I should be all warm and fuzzy towards her. Oh, that’s right, you can’t give me a reason because they’re are none,” I cut him off, it felt so good to take my anger out on her. I turned towards Liam this time, “and if it weren’t for the snake you call ‘Hayden’ or ‘baby’ or whatever you call IT Kyra wouldn’t be GONE RIGHT NOW. SHE BROUGHT THEO TO SCOTTS HOUSE, SHE GOT THEO NEAR KYRA WHO HE BIT, OH AND SHE ALSO FUCKED THEO SO HAVE FUN WITH OUR ENEMIES SLOPPY SECONDS.” I began screaming, if you couldn’t exactly tell I wasn’t having the greatest period of my life. I felt the bed dip slightly and realized Stiles had sat down beside me, a dumbfounded look on his face. “Well she’s not wrong.” He muttered. I blew a stray piece of red hair out of my face that had fallen when I sat up but was too distracted to fix it and glared at Hayden, she looked shell shocked.

 “You slept with Theo?” Liam took a step back, his face showing clear disgust and betrayal. “How did you know that?” Stiles whispered to me, he looked confused, but when did Stiles not look confused. “I honestly just threw that one in to mix things up.” I murmured back, watching the scene unfold in front of me. “I-I......” She looked at me with hatred and confusion, basically saying ‘How the fuck did she know that?’ “Well you hit the nail right on the head.” He choked back a laugh, but covered it up with a cough. “UGH.” Hayden shrieked as she stormed out of the room and stomped down the stairs, we all waited in silence but the door slam never came. “Did she leave the door open?” Mason broke the silence several minutes with the question we were all secretly pondering about. I rolled my eyes and flung myself onto my back. “I wish Kyra was here.” I whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. 

(KYRA POV)

I was running, I had an idea as to where I was heading, but not completely. Yeah, I obviously knew the place-ish seeing as I had gotten on a plane going to Seattle, Washington. The hardest part of this was I had no one, well, not no one but someone I couldn’t say I knew well. Carter White, tall, brooding and handsome, the boy I’d grew up with that was two years older and constantly invited me out to stay with him. The boy I loathed up until summer before ninth grade due to his constant teasing, even if my mother had continuously scolded me about being ‘nice because he has a crush’. But I’ve never been able to do ‘Nice’ with Carter White. He was my safety net, the one thing I could use to help me in this situation, and conveniently he also was a wolf, he promised to pick me up at the airport an take me to his hometown, somewhere in between Seattle and Portland, the name was unmemorable. 

To: liam.dun2000@icloud.com

Cc:

Subject: Liar

Liam,

I read your email and I’m sorry I didn’t respond sooner. I agree with you, I hate me and you should too. I did not do this in ‘The heat of the moment’, I’ve wanted to leave for a while, and if you even did care you would know that. Theres more to this story than me running due to simple rejection or becoming a wolf, sure it added to tipping me over the edge but there’s so much more. I could lie and say your recent email planted a seed of doubt about my ‘heat of the moment run away’ but that’s all it would be, a lie. I wont be contacting you for a while, so I guess I could say don’t wait up.

Kyra.

As I hit send I glanced up from my phone, but there was still no sign of Carter. If I guessed correctly I had about five minutes before he was to notice me if he was in fact lingering around, enough time to sort out my thoughts and build up a few walls. 

“Kyra?” I spun around, mostly in shock, my judgement of timing was off, he appeared out of nowhere half a second after those thoughts floated through my mind. I didn’t immediately recognize him, he looked a few years older and incredibly attractive. Dark hair flipped out from under his baseball cap, he was all dark rugged lines and contours, beautiful but not beautiful enough to be called handsome, more so extremely hot. As I peered into his features I recognized Carter White, the same liquid black eyes that glinted with danger and seemed to suck you in as they bore into you, the chiseled jaw and the full pouty lips. “Carter.” I mustered a smile as his eyes took in my appearance, I felt like I was under a microscope and I so badly wanted to squirm. “Well, well, well. The little squid’s all grown up.” He smirked as picked up my bags. I gawked at his muscles bulging out of his black fitted v neck tee as he did so, “Don’t call me that Carter.” I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my eyes off of him, the task growing harder and harder by the second. “Sorry Angel.” He smirked. Angel. I liked that, especially from his mouth. Oh god, this couldn’t be happening. Just friends Kyra, remember that. “’Angel’?” I raised a brow as I tugged a corner of my lip up, a look I’d practiced for Liam many-a-time in the mirror for just under a year. I should’ve known I had more than friendly feelings for him a long time ago. I needed to forget Liam. “What else would I call a girl like you.” I couldn’t help but laugh at his comment, could he get any cheesier. 

My phone made a dinging sound as we neared the exit doors and I paused, looking at the screen to see I had a new email from Liam. “Someone important?” I heard Carter ask, I glanced up and met his eyes boring into me, the black so enchanting and pulling me closer to him. I wanted him. FRIENDS. “No.” I murmured as I shut my phone off and tucked it into my back pocket, shoving the doors open. Deep down I realized it was the truth, Liam was no longer of importance if I wanted to get out all the way.