#3249

[sleepsucks]

[manoelt-finisterrae]

navío solar

© Manoel T, 2022

[tippysattic]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: McCalls Womens Top pants shorts sewing pattern size 8-12.

[honjitsuno1mai]

#3249 ＠ 東京都葛飾区水元公園

[vanillastopbath]

3249 Arlington Heights, IL 11/23/2022

[dogstomp]

Dogstomp #3249 - December 14th

Patreon / Discord Server / Itaku / Bluesky

[zephsthings]

before my trip to America I kept joking that it would "fix me" but bro. i actually think it did

[exotic-indians]

[bobbie-robron]

Talk about naive. He’s such a loser. (Gifs 2 of 2)

22-Aug-2002

[cryptid-creations]

3249. Carby (Fan Art)

https://cryptidcreations.com/store/

https://patreon.com/piperdraws

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[wongyuseokie]

Gotcha! | y.j.h

Summary: Jeonghan loves pranks, creating chaos and mischief, and you love it too, but one day he goes too far, and he’s unsure how to fix it because how do you fix a broken heart? 

☆ 18+ minors dni |☀︎fluff | ☁︎ angst |  ♥ completed works Word Count: 3249 words

Pairings: Jeonghan x Female Reader Genre/Trope(s)/AUs: Fluff and angst, sort of idol AU, not in detail, but it does mention that Cheol is a leader and Jeonghan has members. Content Warnings: Angst and fluff, a bit of fighting, Jeonghan cries, Y/N cries. Jeonghan sprains his foot and drowns his foot. Mention of food (Y/N stress bakes)

Authors Note: Thank you, my soulmate @here4btsfics, for beta'ing this and helping me figure out the ending too!! 💕 Thank you so much to @onlyseokmins for listening to me babble, reading over a bit of the fic, and helping me with the flow! Finally, thank you to @the-boy-meets-evil for reading this over too!! ✨

Crossposted to AO3 © wongyuseokie 2023. All rights reserved.

Jeonghan grinned. His newest prank was all set. He’d been priming you for it, and tonight he was pulling out the big guns. This would be the most epic thing if he pulled it off. 

Jeonghan tucked his phone away when he heard the front door open and resumed ‘sulking’ on the couch by the window. He heard you kick off your shoes, put down your bag and put your keys in the bowl on top of the shoe rack. 

“Hi, I’m home,” you greeted, sitting next to Jeonghan on the couch. 

Jeonghan grunted in response, and you took a breath and placed a hand on his knee, but he didn’t bother to look at you. 

“Babe. I even got your favourite cake from the bakery!” You said excitedly, trying to get his attention. 

Crap, Jeonghan thought. His favourite cake was from a bakery on the other side of town, which meant you went there in the cold. Granted, you had a car, but it was still an inconvenience, and you went out of your way to get it. 

“Shall I grab a couple of forks, and we can dig in?” You suggested, and Jeonghan shook his head. 

“Oh! I know we haven’t had much ‘us’ time, and you said you wanted to spend more time together so that we can do just that. I took the next two days off work and looked up the weather if you wanted to drive out and enjoy the winter!”

You didn’t know what caused the shift in your relationship, but Jeonghan was distant, unavailable and curt for the past week. There were times when Jeonghan would suddenly pull away before planning and pulling off some grandiose prank, but this time, it felt different. Usually, he’d keep up a facade for a day or two, but this time it was a week. He’d even pull away from your touch at times. 

You weren't sure if it was work or other personal stress, but he seemed fine when he was alone and when he came back from work, he was fine. The only time the grin would be wiped off his face would be when you were around. 

You were the common denominator. You were why Jeonghan was distant. 

“Hannie, what’s wrong?” You asked, and with how weak and broken your voice sounded, Jeonghan wanted to stop and abandon his plan, but he just had a couple of lines to say, and then he knew you two would one day laugh over it. 

“Y/N, we should talk.” 

You felt like your heart stopped, and your blood ran cold. That sentence was never good, and you felt like a fool. All the signs were right there, yet you ignored them, and now everything was unravelling. 

“Mhm,” was all you could muster, not trusting your voice. 

“I think. There’s no easy way to do this, but we need to break up.” 

You didn’t know words could inflict so much pain until Jeonghan said those words. It felt like he ripped you apart. 

“Is there anything I can do to fix it?” You mumbled, your voice breaking, and Jeonghan felt even worse, but he was determined to see this prank through. 

“I just don’t love you the way I once did,” Jeonghan lied, and you took a sharp breath and let out a broken chuckle. 

“Well, I guess there’s no fixing that,” you mumbled, getting up and trying to keep your emotions in check as you paced to your bedroom. 

It all made sense, the distancing, the curt responses, the annoyed glances. You were trying so hard to love a man who was done. How could you be so blind? Simple. You loved him, it made you blind, and he didn’t. 

Jeonghan was in the living room for over 30 minutes when he decided to finally go into the bedroom and reveal his grand plan and laugh, telling you all about his dumb prank. He had a massive grin on his face that was wiped off the minute he opened the bedroom door and saw a suitcase on the bed. 

“Baby?” Jeonghan called out, seeing you emerge from the bathroom with your belongings. 

“What are you doing?” Jeonghan asked, panicked. 

You stared at him, confused, your eyes red and sore from crying. 

“I’m moving out. You broke up with me. I don’t want to be here if you don’t love me,” you mumbled, and Jeonghan swore he could hear his heart shatter.

“No, no. Oh my god. No, you misunderstood,” Jeonghan rambled as he moved to hold your wrists gently. 

“What?” 

“Baby. Uh. This was a prank. I just wanted to do something a little more intense,” Jeonghan answered lamely, making your eyes widen. 

“Yoon Jeonghan.” 

Jeonghan froze. You never called him his full name, even if you were upset. 

“Baby, it was meant to be funny, I was going to come in here and joke and laugh, and we’d be fine,” Jeonghan rambled. 

“You sure as hell committed to it, a week of near silence from you. You committed so much to it that I didn’t even question it,” you fumed, your voice low and calm, and honestly, it scared Jeonghan. 

“Baby. I had to commit, you know,” Jeonghan said nervously, trying to joke, and you glared at him. 

“Are you trying to be funny?” You asked. 

“Baby, it was a joke,” Jeonghan repeated, and you pulled away from him and threw your remaining things into the suitcase. 

“The fact that you could even think I’d find this funny. I know you’re playful and mischievous, but this? This was low and cruel, and fuck, I don’t care if you were joking, you broke my heart Jeonghan, and I don’t know if I can be with someone who finds that funny!” You cried out. 

“Baby. No, please. What does that mean?” Jeonghan asked, and you sighed. 

“You found it so easy, but even if all you wanted to do was prank me, you still broke my heart. I need space. I need time apart from you because I don’t know if I can be with someone who finds my love for them something to toy with,” you explained, and you saw Jeonghan’s eyes water and his lips quiver. 

“Don’t fight me on this. I need space from you, Jeonghan, because right now, prank or not, you’re still the guy who broke my heart,” you said as you went back into the bathroom to collect more of your belongings. 

Jeonghan nodded and slowly left the bedroom, glancing at your suitcase. How did a prank misfire this badly, and that too, on him? How did a breakup prank become a reality? 

“You did what?” Jeonghan cringed, pulling the phone away from his ear when Seungkwan yelled at him. 

He could hear the ruckus and scuffling of the other members. He could hear Mingyu complaining about how you always baked sweet treats. 

“Hyung, that’s messed up,” a deeper voice commented. 

“Wonwoo. I know. I just don’t know what to do,” Jeonghan answered lamely. 

“We’re coming over, Shua and I. I’ll text her to find out if she’s safe,” Seungcheol stated, the voice of reason in such moments. 

“She is. She’s at her friends' place. She texted me,” Jeonghan added, grateful that you even updated him. You had no obligation to do so, he broke your heart, but you’d always been the more gracious one in the relationship. 

“We’ll be over in a bit,” Seungcheol said before hanging up. 

Jeonghan sat on the couch looking despondently. You were indeed too good for him. That’s all he could think. Even though he broke your heart, you still told him that you were safe, and you even told him to sleep well, but how could he? How could he sleep well when he didn’t have you to hold in his arms?

“It’s open,” Jeonghan mumbled from the couch when he heard the knocking on the door. 

In the last half hour, Jeonghan had torn himself apart. Dissecting everything he ever did in his two years of being your boyfriend, he was an utter mess and hated the fact that he felt upset and like he wanted a hug. He was in this predicament because of something he chose to do. He had no one to blame but himself.

“So, a breakup prank?” Seungcheol asked the second he entered the apartment, and Joshua simply stared at Jeonghan, disappointed. 

Seungcheol and Joshua sat across from Jeonghan and stared at him until Jeonghan sighed and explained his so-called elaborate plan. 

“So, at no point did you think this would be a bad idea?” Joshua asked. 

“Of course I did. Especially when I told her that we should talk,” Jeonghan admitted feeling extremely foolish. 

“So why go on with it? If you knew it was going to hurt her?” Joshua probed, and Jeonghan fell silent. No reason or excuse would ever justify what he did.

“I get that you take pranks and causing chaos seriously, but sometimes it goes too far,” Seungcheol started to say, and Jeonghan nodded shamefully. 

“She deserves so much more,” Jeonghan mumbled, making both men roll their eyes. 

“Nope, we’re not enabling your pity party. You did something stupid, but you love each other and have been an amazing boyfriend. You just did something incredibly dumb,” Joshua reasoned. 

“I miss her,” Jeonghan confessed, and both men shrugged. The urge to hug and coddle Jeonghan was something they were both fighting because they needed to kick some sense into him. 

“Okay. We get that, but you need to fix this because right now, you committed so much to the prank that maybe she thinks a small part of you did want to end things,” Seungcheol suggested. 

“Also, she could feel insecure because if you can joke about breaking up so easily, she might wonder how much she means to you, especially if you can make light of something so serious,” Joshua added. 

“Should I go see her?” Jeonghan asked, and both men shook their heads. 

“No. She wants space. You can stick to wishing her a good morning and night but nothing else. No apologies, it won’t mean anything.”

“What about ‘I love you’?” Jeonghan asked and got an eye roll from both men in response. 

“She knows you love her. I'm sure she loves you too, but for now? No. Show her you love her instead of concocting dumb pranks to make her lose faith,” Joshua elaborated, and Jeonghan nodded. 

“We’ll try and stop by or call her to understand how she is, and we’ll give you an update if we can, okay?” Seungcheol added, noticing Jeonghan’s despondent state. 

“You’ll get your girl back. Just let her have some space for now,” Seungcheol added confidently. He was sure you two would be fine, just needed some time. 

“Y/N, you have some visitors,” your friend Hana told you. It had been nearly 24 hours since you left Jeonghan, and you had just been moping at her house the entire time. 

“Who is it?” You mumbled, pulling Jeonghan’s hoodie that you took with you closer to your body. 

“Seungcheol and Joshua.” 

“I’ll be out in a second,” you said. 

“Hey,” you mumbled, making both men turn to smile at you. They both had soft and caring smiles on their faces. 

“How are you?” Seungcheol asked as you sat down across them on the couch. 

“I miss him,” you admitted. 

“Well, he does, too,” Joshua added. 

“How is he?” You asked. 

“Miserable. Feels terrible,” Seungcheol answered. 

“Maybe I was too hasty,” you mused. 

“No, you weren’t. What he did was shitty, and he got an earful from us, and frankly, he deserved it. It was a dumb prank,” Seungcheol elaborated, and you frowned. 

“I just don’t know why he found it funny?” You thought out loud. 

“We don’t either, but we do know how he is. Just never means to harm. He legitimately thought it'd be funny, I guess?” Joshua offered. 

“I know, I’m fine with his pranks, but he was so damn committed that I thought he was actually done with me,” you stated. 

“Yeah, he overcommitted and overdid it,” Seungcheol agreed. 

There was a moment of silence between you three until you broke it. 

“I’m not breaking up with him. I just needed some space.”

“That’s a decision that is only up to you. If there’s anything else we can do, let us know,” Seungcheol comforted. 

“Actually, yes, can you take these? I made two batches, so there’s plenty, and if you could give one box of cookies to Jeonghan too,” you said shyly, grabbing a box you kept on the table. 

“Stress baking?” Joshua asked. 

“Mhm.” 

“Gladly. We’ll go deliver these. If you need anything at all, call us, okay?” Seungcheol said, and you nodded, hugging both men before they headed out. 

Wonwoo never thought he’d live to tell the tale. But here he was, watching Jeonghan sniffling and eating a cookie while Wonwoo tried hard not to laugh at the sight. It wasn’t entirely funny, but Jeonghan sniffling and biting into a cookie like a child was almost amusing. 

“She makes nice cookies,” Jeonghan mumbled, and Wonwoo could no longer hold back a laugh.

“Hyung, she said she needed space, and she told Seungcheol and Shua that she wasn’t breaking up with you, so I think the sniffling and cookie eating can stop,” Wonwoo suggested lightly. 

“It’s been two days,” Jeonghan sulked. 

“But she won’t break up with you,” Wonwoo repeated, making Jeonghan place his sixth cookie down. 

“That’s true,” Jeonghan muttered. Words could not explain how relieved Jeonghan was when Seungcheol told him that you weren’t planning to leave him. He couldn’t believe it. It was such a relief. Now, all he could do was count down the days. It was just difficult when he didn’t know when. 

“Maybe instead, you could do something nice? Like cleaning up the apartment, getting her her favourite flowers, chocolates or something? Cook for her, make her feel welcome?” Wonwoo suggested, and Jeonghan nodded, huffing dramatically as he got off the couch. 

“Yes. To quote Cardi B, I shall cook, clean and be the best boyfriend. Am I missing anything?” Jeonghan asked. 

“One thing, just don’t play any more dumb pranks.” 

“Got it. Anything else?” Jeonghan asked. 

“Yeah…don’t ever quote Cardi B again.” 

It had been four days, and today you were going back. You missed Jeonghan, and you just wanted to see him, but also, he had not sent you a good morning or good night text yesterday, and you were slightly concerned. 

Concerned that he was wallowing, over-blaming, and criticising himself. You decided to go back and find out why he wasn’t responding to your texts. 

You missed him, and it was the perfect opportunity to see him again. 

Jeonghan wasn’t a good cook. This was a fact. Even his best efforts couldn’t take away from the fact that he could never cook. When you’d cook, he’d always watch and sometimes help prep some vegetables. That was it. 

However, Jeonghan decided to take Wonwoo’s advice and wanted to cook you a three-course meal. It started going wrong during the first course. While boiling the vegetables, Jeonghan looked up the recipe and held his phone precariously close to the boiling pot; one second, he looked at the recipe. Next, he was trying to figure out if putting his arm into boiling water would be wise. 

Jeonghan drowned his phone and couldn’t text you. To make matters worse, he accidentally slipped on a potato peel and rolled his ankle. Jeonghan wasn’t clumsy, but the nerves about you possibly coming back sometimes made him frantic and careless. 

Jeonghan was lying in the bedroom with his swollen ankle and drowned phone. He had hobbled to the bedroom, wondering how he’d contact you or his bandmates. Granted, he had a laptop, but that meant more walking, and right now, he just wanted to wallow a bit. Maybe it was karma for pulling such a crappy prank on you. 

“Hannie?” You called out as you entered the apartment, setting your duffle bag on the floor and kicking off your shoes. You walked into the apartment and noticed that the kitchen was a mess, but everything else was spotless, and there were also flowers in vases. There was also a humongous teddy bear on the couch, and you smiled fondly at it. 

“Hannie?” You called out again. 

You were starting to get worried. Between Jeonghan’s silence and the messy kitchen, you were worried that he had hurt himself badly. You walked in further and headed to the bedroom. 

“Hannie?” 

Jeonghan sat up quickly and jumped out of bed, shrieking in pain once his foot landed on the floor. 

“Baby,” Jeonghan whined, and you ran to him, pushed him back on the bed, and sat next to him. 

“What happened? Why is your foot purple?” You asked, noticing the swollen foot. 

“Uh, don’t laugh. But I was trying to cook, but I tripped on a potato peel and rolled my ankle,” Jeonghan explained sheepishly, and you bit your lip to keep from laughing. 

“Shall I get you some ice? It must hurt?” You offered, moving to get up, and Jeonghan gently wrapped a hand around your wrist and pulled you back down. 

“You came back,” Jeonghan mumbled, and you nodded. 

“I missed you, and I love you too much not to come back,” you said softly, and Jeonghan wrapped his arms around your waist and placed his chin on your shoulder. 

“I’m so sorry,” Jeonghan apologised, and you turned in his embrace to face him. 

“I promise no more pranks, ever.” 

“That’s not necessary, but just not ones that’ll break my heart. I love that you’re playful and a pain in the ass at times, but just don’t make me worry if you love me or not,” you explained. 

“Never. I promise.” 

“Hannie?” 

“Hmm?”

“Why didn’t you call anyone if you hurt yourself?” You asked. 

“Right, so I drowned my phone. It fell into the boiling water, so,” Jeonghan trailed off. 

“I leave for four days, and you’re a mess?” You joked, and Jeonghan nodded. 

“I’m always a mess without you. I’m so sorry, Y/N.” 

“Jeonghan. I won’t say it’s okay because it wasn’t, but I can move past it, just no more dumb pranks?” You asked, and Jeonghan nodded. 

“I promise, no more dumb pranks.” 

“Hannie, you could have emailed me or said you were hurt or, like, I don’t know, used something to tell me.”

“I was scared you wouldn’t believe me,” Jeonghan mumbled, and you shook your head at him. 

“I think I believe you a little too much,” you teased, making Jeonghan pout. 

“Let me grab you some ice, and we can catch up on lost time?” You offered. 

“I don’t need it. I just want to hold you.” 

You smiled at Jeonghan and leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips, making him smile into the kiss as he moved slightly to deepen the kiss. 

“I have a lot of making up to do,” Jeonghan mumbled as he pulled away from the kiss. 

“After your foot recovers.” 

“Baby, I am a man of many talents.” 

“You drowned your phone and rolled your ankle because of a potato skin,” you countered. 

“I don’t need my foot to bury my head between your legs, though,” Jeonghan teased, winking at you, making you laugh at him.

“You’re impossible. You’re lucky I love you,” you said with a smile.  

“I am, baby. The luckiest.” 

[highdramas]

hey bae!! can i pls request a fluffy steve harrington imagine, s3/s4 er’s with the fake dating friends to lovers trope? ty!!

eeeee i loved this!!! i drew some inspo from to all the boys i've loved before <3 love a shy reader moment!!! thank you for sending and i hope you enjoy [wc: 3249.] <3

--

you don't know how the letters got out. how the hell would the letters have gotten out?

you're going through things to get rid of in preparation of going to college-- sure, you were just going to school in indianapolis, but it was better than staying this hell hole of a town even one second longer-- but the hatbox was gone. no, not gone. worse. it was empty.

the expletive you let out has your father screaming from down the hall. "what did i say about language?!"

"sorry!" you squeak as you continue to throw clothes over your shoulders, furrowed brows. "no, no, no..." you groan and cover your face with your hands. this is cruel. god is a cruel, petty thing, you decide.

haven't you been good? you volunteer at the humane society. you never got detention in high school. you'd never stolen anything. you liked to think that you were a good person-- quiet, maybe. introverted, definitely. shy more than anything. and, well, that's how you got into this debacle in the first place.

a hopeless romantic by nature, you could never fathom truly confessing to the loves of your lives. especially considering all of those loves definitely did not feel the same way towards you. i mean-- was king steve going to have a crush on you? no way. which was why it was easy to write your love confession on the page, seal it up, address, stamp, and all-- and place it in the hatbox to never be seen again.

until now.

"honey--" you hear your mother call from downstairs. "someone's asking for you on the phone."

"who?!" you yell back, gripping the banister.

"steve harrington."

your blood goes cold.

you would take ten extra volunteer shifts at the humane society if it meant that all of this would go away.

you shuffle downstairs and take the phone from your mom, leaning against the wall, glancing from right to left as if he was really there with you. "hello?"

"and his hair-- he has the most gorgeous hair i've ever seen. i want to run my hands through it and--"

"STOP!" you run your hand over your face and squeeze your eyes shut. "oh my god, literally, please--"

"oh, c'mon. i'm giving you shit. you know, this whole letter is really sweet. you're a good writer. and sending right before you go off to college? bold move. i respect it." steve's voice has the warmth of a smile embedded into it. you can picture him on the other line, the crisp strawberry stationary in his big hand.

you don't know why you had picked strawberries for steve. it seemed fitting at the time.

breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, you say slowly, "that wasn't meant to get to you. and, for the record, that was written, like, three years ago."

"wow. you wound me. well, either way, really boosted my ego. i figured i would come by and thank you in person. you live off church street, right? the little green house?"

stammering, you can barely get a word out before he says, "okay, cool, i thought so. see you in ten."

and he hangs up on you. just like that.

it reminds you exactly why your crush on king steve went away in the first place.

--

steve makes it to your house in eight minutes. he comes right up to the door and knocks, and when you open it, frantic and frazzled and with your sweater on backwards, he looks you up and down.

"your tag's sticking out." he tucks it back in for you. "and... it's backwards."

"i realize that now."

"great."

for a moment you're just staring at one another. then steve cracks a smile. "c'mon. can i get you, like, a milkshake or something? you look a little shaky, some sugar would probably--"

but everything goes silent. because approaching your door behind steve is ryan stewart, holding a letter of his own.

"fuck," you hiss under your breath, eyes darting to steve.

"woah, she curses! cool. i always thought you were super uptight, you know--" his words are cut off when you take him by the face and bring him to you, your lips crashing against his. it's slightly awkward; you're mostly kissing his top lip and your noses are crushed together a bit. but his hand finds a home on your waist and you feel his fingertips grip into your skin slightly. when you pull away, you can feel the fire on your face. and when you look over steve's shoulder at ryan, you feel a sick sort of triumph.

"milkshakes sound great, steve," you say the words loud enough for ryan to hear and you wrap your arm around his, calling over your shoulders to your parents that you'll be back soon. the look on steve's face is nothing short of befuddled, but when he turns around and sees ryan stewart standing there with a letter in hand, something seems to click into place.

he shifts your position from an awkward arm lock to a natural draping of his arm across your shoulder. he offers ryan a smile that says-- hey, can i help you? "hey, stewart," he says, nodding his head at him as he walks by.

ryan opens his mouth to say something but steve has already shuffled you into his car. he even opened the door for you. by the time the two of you are inside and steve is driving away, ryan has barely turned in his spot.

silence fills the car. you touch your bottom lip and you feel steve's eyes on you. "well," he begins. "your technique could use some work, but not a bad kiss, all things considered."

dumbfounded where you sit, you slowly glance over at him to see him wearing the biggest smirk imaginable.

and some of your lipstick.

you groan and cover your face with your hands, a muffled, "i'm sorry." getting out. barely. all you can hear is his laughter and when you drop your hands, you can't help but admire just how pretty he looks when he's laughing.

"you don't have anything to be sorry for. a pretty girl kissed me? wow, what a hardship." steve looks over at you. "i'm more curious as to what ryan stewart did to make you kiss me like that."

crossing your arms over your chest, you look out the window. "okay, well-- remember when i told you about the letters?" he nods his head. "well, like i said, you're not the only one who got one. you, ryan, eddie munson, and a boy from summer camp when i was twelve. instead of risking embarrassment and putting my feelings out there, i wrote the letters. and i always felt better when i did."

steve is quiet for a moment before he says, "that's sorta sad, and doesn't answer my question, really."

you roll your eyes and continue. "well, ryan's letter was different than the other ones. it was... a heartbreak letter. ryan and i had dated for six months last year but wanted to keep it a secret. from everyone. and then he ended things with me and got with someone else. prom king and queen." your head falls back against the headrest. "so i wrote how i felt. just like i always do. and you know what? you getting your letter, fine. eddie? he'll be nice about it. the boy from summer camp? who knows if he even got his. but that letter getting out..." you shrug, feeling meek in all the worst ways. "i didn't want him to feel sorry for me. or think that i'm sad and hung up over him, because i'm not. and you were... right there. and i wanted him to see that someone else would kiss me. in public." you press your lips together. "i realize that also sounds sad."

"it does, but not because of you. it sounds sad because ryan is a total dickhead." steve pulls into the parking lot of the diner and he turns and looks at you. "i think i have an idea."

--

"this'll never work."

"it'll absolutely work," steve says with a grin. "it'll make ryan jealous as hell, and remind girls what they're missing when they're not going out with me. i mean, it's basically foolproof. and at the end we go our separate ways with no ill will for one another. c'mon-- give credit where credit is due."

you slide your milkshake closer to yourself and take a long sip. "well, how long do we do this for?"

"you're moving away in three months for school. that seems like a good chunk of time, don't you think?" steve leans forward on his forearms. "look, i know i say a lot, but you don't have to do this if you don't want to. it was just... an idea." he shrugs and you don't know if you've ever seen steve so... sheepish before.

"no. no. it's... it's a good idea, unfortunately." you pause. "but there's going to need to be rules!"

"rules! rules, we can do rules. easy. what rules are you thinking?"

"well... how much time are we going to spend together? how much will we kiss? we're gonna have to go out in order for people to see about us and hear about us, so where are we gonna go? what about--"

steve's hand reaches out and covers yours. it's warm, and calloused slightly. like he's a star baseball player. "we'll figure all of that out. i promise." his thumb swipes across your skin. "contrary to popular belief, i do know how to date someone. how to make someone feel... special." he peers at you. "i can do that stuff for you, too. you know--" he clears his throat. "to make it all more believable."

breathless, you nod your head. "yeah," you smile. "believable."

--

you and steve harrington were the absolute talk of hawkins, indiana. one month into this... experiment and everyone had an opinion, everyone had a comment. even the kiss in front of ryan had become public knowledge. ryan told one person, one told another person, who told five people... and suddenly, after feeling mostly invisible through your high school career, you feel very visible. almost uncomfortably so.

but steve is a good partner in it. there's a reason why you wrote him a letter those years ago-- maybe even then you had seen something in him that other people didn't always recognize. regardless of the bravado, you always felt like there was something... soft about him. a soft underbelly that few people ever got. and now, you know that you were right all along.

because after a day at park, rolling around in the grass and reading to steve and looking around to see who's watching... he could be anywhere else. but he's here, at your house, with you. watching grease.

"your hair kinda reminds me of danny's," you say with a smile. you reach across the couch and run your hand through it; in the weeks that you've been putting on this ruse, you've gotten extremely comfortable around steve. that part is not fake. not one bit. "i like it."

steve smiles and settles further into your couch. "well, does that make you my sandy?"

"i guess so." you scrunch your nose up. "but i never really liked sandy's ending. i mean, why should she change herself to fit in with everyone else? she knows who she is. i never thought that was fair." you scoot a little closer to steve, subconsciously. you'd both agreed that no one could know about your arrangement, especially not your parents. so you supposed that sitting close to him on the couch wasn't that weird.

even if your parents weren't home.

"it's not fair. sandy was cute before the jumpsuit." steve shrugs his shoulders and looks over at you. there's a silence as you two stare at each other. "i'm cool with you being my sandy," the corner of his mouth turns up and he opens his arms. "c'mere."

"steve-- my parents aren't home, we don't have to--"

"it's not for anyone to see. you don't like to cuddle?"

you huff and settle into his arms, your cheek squished against the strong plane of his chest, your legs stretched out across the couch. "of course i like to cuddle."

"that's what i thought."

you both fell asleep like that. you're awoken by steve's gentle touch, brushing your hair from your eyes and shaking your shoulder. "hey-- hey, baby, we fell asleep."

you grumble but don't make any moves to get up any time soon. you feel steve's laugh on your cheek more than you hear it. "alright, you leave me no choice--" you groan in discontent when he slips out from under you. but then he's scooping you up into his arms.

steve takes you up the stairs and into your bedroom, laying you down gently. he pulls back the covers and tucks you beneath them. your eyes flutter open to find him watching you with a lovely smile. truly lovely-- it's the smile that gives you butterflies. "you can't stay?" you whisper, and if you were fully awake, you'd be mortified for asking such a thing.

"don't want to get you in trouble." he pushes your hair back and kisses your cheek, your forehead. "i'll come by in the morning, take you to breakfast. how's that sound?"

you nod your head and yawn. your hand rubs at his arm, a matching smile on your own face. "okay."

"okay," steve whispers. he leans forward and kisses your cheek again. "sweet dreams. see you in the morning."

--

you're not sure how three months went by so quickly.

you also don't know how to reckon with the fact that they went by so quickly because you loved every single moment of them.

it wasn't just that steve was a good fake boyfriend-- steve was just a good person. a good friend. every moment that you spent around him, you wanted to bottle that moment up and live in it forever. he was, whether you wanted to admit it or not, your favorite person.

ryan was an afterthought. none of this was for him, anymore. this... it was all for steve.

"where should i put this one?" steve asks, holding up a box labeled books. "you have, like fifty books boxes. do you even get a bookshelf in your dorm?"

your childhood bedroom is in tatters, picked apart and almost all packed up for your drive tomorrow. you'd be staying at steve's tonight prior to your drive. an occurrence that wasn't all that rare, anyway. you always slept side by side, and it always ended with his strong arms wrapped all around you.

steve and the kids would be there for your send off. another wonderful addition to bringing steve into your life-- the kids that came along with him. dustin was your favorite, but you weren't going to tell that to the others.

and while three months ago, you couldn't wait to get out of hawkins... you don't feel that same excitement now. you're still excited, definitely, but... you have something that you're going to be missing, now. you hadn't exactly planned for that.

you have someone who you'll be missing.

"i can always make room for books," you say, turning your nose up at steve. "you can set it there," you point to another stack of boxes. "thanks for helping."

"'course. that's what a boyfriend's there for."

silence falls over the two of you and you think that steve realizes what he said, because he suddenly goes rigid as he sets the box down with the others. "i mean-- like, a friend. a boy that's a friend. and also your fake boyfriend. i--" he sighs and rubs his face. "fuck."

setting down the tape in your hand, you turn your attention more fully to steve. his hand drops and he meets your gaze and for the first time, you can see everything written all over his face. like he's dropped a mask that's been hiding his real, true feelings. or maybe you'd just been too blind to see it. "say that again."

"a boy that's a friend?"

"no. before that."

he pauses. "that's... that's what a boyfriend is there for?"

you nod your head slowly. "is that... is that how you view yourself? with me? my boyfriend... for real?"

steve's cheeks start to go pink. "i mean... i know you're my best friend. and i know that i fucking love being around you. and i know that... i know that shit started to get a little blurry for me. probably a few months ago. i-- you know, i just... i don't really feel like i'm pretending anymore." he blinks and you can see the nerves on his body. it's what leads you to cross the room towards him and take his hand in yours. "is that... is that what you want?"

"steve," you whisper. "you got a letter in the first place because when i was fifteen i was crazy about you. and i think... i think i've always been a little crazy about you. so... yes. that's what i want."

gentle fingertips trace down your jaw. "i guess not much changes, anyway." he smirks a little. "we've been dating for..."

"three months. two days." you shrug your shoulders as his eyes widen. "i pay attention, i guess..."

steve laughs and he brings you in by the waist, burying his face into the crook of your neck. "that's my girl." he goes quiet. "i'm gonna miss you. i was always gonna miss you, but... you know, indianapolis isn't far. i'll come and visit. you'll come home for holidays. we'll... we'll be fine."

your fingers run through steve's hair. "i'm gonna miss you too. what you said earlier? about me being your best friend? you're mine too."

he squeezes your waist and it wrings another smile out of you. steve makes you hopelessly lovesick, in the best of ways.

--

steve ended up driving up with you, helping you set up your dorm alongside your parents. and after you shed your tears when your parents left, after you anxiously paced the floor anticipating the moment that steve would have to leave. "hey, hey, hey," steve finally says, stopping your movements. "i have something for you before i go."

you open your mouth and he shakes his head. "no, no. let me do this." from his back pocket, he procures a letter. complete with your dorm address and a cute stamp in the top right corner. he holds it out to you. "i want you to read this when you miss me most. not tonight-- tonight, i want you to go and have fun and make friends. your roommate seems cool. i'm talking, like, october." he pauses. "can you do that for me?"

your eyes shine with unshed tears. "steve..." it's practically a whimper. you look up at him and you say, "i love you."

wrapping himself around you, his hand rubs your back. "i love you too," he whispers into your ear. "never loved anyone like this before."

butterflies swarm in your stomach. and you still don't know how those letters got sent-- but you've never been so thankful for fate working its magic than you are for that letter being sent, and bringing steve to your doorstep on a warm may afternoon.

[glastly]

rockstr mettaton doodles i did on @c00kietin 's whiteboard, i was sweating myass off in my room while drawing these i actuallly feel like im sitting in a pool of water its like 28 degrees C

Go check out the whiteboard!: https://r5.whiteboardfox.com/31488353-3249-2292

[c00kietin]

So, um-

I made a whiteboard:

Whiteboard 31488353-3249-2292 (whiteboardfox.com)

:3

[sunflowergirl522]

Freddy

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Summary: Eddie always knows how to cheer you up.

Word Count: 3249

Warnings: Dead parent

Eddie Masterlist

The first time Eddie saw you you had been holding back tears in the back of English. He clocked you as a new student immediately and seeing as it was only second period he had a hard time believing your tears had anything to do with students giving you a hard time. Especially because of how pretty you are, pretty girls like you made friends easily in Hawkins. He takes one more look at your tear filled eyes as he sits next to you before his eyes trail to his left hand and he knows exactly how he’s gonna try to cheer you up.

You were staring down at your desk trying to hold back your tears when a hand with a face drawn onto it slid into your view.

“I’m Freddy Eddie’s left hand man, what’s your name darlin’?” The thumb moved to make it seem like it was speaking the words in a deep voice. You giggle at it, your eyes closing with the act and causing a traitorous tear to fall. A tear that said hand was quick to brush away. “Mmm, lucky for you, the tears of pretty girls are a favorite snack of mine.” That makes you laugh a little more before looking at who the hand belonged to. 

Your eyes meet pretty brown ones that are shining bright at you and you’re put in a trance. The urge to cry disappears and you’re so lost in his eyes that you almost forget why you were about to start. It was at this moment you decided this boy was your hero for making a shit day better.

“Eddie Munson at your service.” He holds his hand out for you to shake and sends a smile your way.

“Y/n Y/l/n.”

“You wanna, uh, talk about it or something?”

“Not really, but thanks for offering to listen.”

Eddie found out later that day when he found you crying outside during his daily skip O’Donnells class to smoke break that it was because you missed your mom. He had been on his way to the most secluded spot outside of the school instead of going to the picnic table since he planned to actually go to class in case you were in it when he heard you crying. And he heard you before he saw you because you were curled up in a ball against the wall. But when he did finally spot you he rushed over and brought you into his arms so you could cry into his chest instead. He cooed to you and rubbed your back while you sobbed into him clutching onto his shirt.

The two of you missed the last two periods of the day because after you finished crying Eddie had offered to take you home which you gratefully accepted. It was on the way to the trailer park where you explained that a month ago your mom died and that you and your dad moved here after he lost his job from missing work because he was taking care of you and trying to heal himself. So the two of you moved to Hawkins, where he got a job at a plant, into a trailer that was just big enough for the two of you. It turned out you were just two trailers down from Eddie’s, a fact that he pointed out after parking in front of yours.

“Did you walk to school?” He asked while walking you to the door, something he had insisted on doing, and he just got a nod from you in response. “Well don’t do that tomorrow, or any other day. I’ll drive you, you just might have to come knocking on my door to get me up some days. I’m not the best at getting up to my alarm.”

“Okay thanks Eddie.” You placed a kiss on his cheek in thanks causing the man to go red. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow Sweetheart.” You smiled and waved at him waiting till he got into the van to shut the front door.

The next morning when Wayne answers the door after the hesitant knock he’s not sure who he was expecting but it wasn’t a girl he’s never seen before asking for his nephew.

“Hi, um is Eddie up?”

“Yeah, he’s just getting dressed. Come on in.” As you enter the trailer you can hear music coming from down the hall where you’re assuming Eddie’s room is.

“I’m Y/n, you must be Wayne.” You hold out your hand and send him a smile.

“Yeah. It’s nice to meet you.” He shakes your hand and you look around the trailer taking in the details around you.

“I like your mug collection, I had a friend back home whose parents collected mugs but their collection was nowhere near this big.”

“Okay Wayne I’m gonna be heading out soon. Do you need me to stop at the store for anything after school?” The music stops and Eddie makes his way out to the living room as he speaks. When he spots you standing next to his uncle in a light blue babydoll dress he freezes, taking in how perfect you look in the middle of his messy trailer. It’s not a big contrast, the trailer isn’t even that messy, but it seems that way to Eddie. He can’t help but wish he cleaned up a little bit more the night before.

“Hi Eddie!”

“Hey.”

“If you can, we need milk and butter.”

“Alright I’ll grab more later. You ready to go Y/n?”

“Yep, bye Wayne it was nice meeting you.” On your way out Eddie hands you the keys to the van so you can get it stating he needed to grab his lunch first. 

“She’s nice right?” He asks his uncle as he grabs a makeshift bag of trailmix from the kitchen.

“Yeah, she new or something? I haven’t seen her around before.”

“She moved here a week ago, just two trailers down. I met her at school yesterday, she seems cool. Alright bye Wayne, I’ll see you when you get home tonight.” Eddie pauses on his way out the door. “Make sure you get some more sleep before you leave.”

Since then you and Eddie have been best friends. You’ve basically been attached at the hip unless you’re in different classes or either one of you is at work. Though unless you both work at the same time, the one that’s off will hang around the other's place of business. You’ve grown close to Wayne too since you’re at the Munson trailer every morning, you’ve even gotten into the habit of coming early with the ingredients to make breakfast for the two of them.

Your dad at first wasn’t sure about Eddie, he knew Wayne from the plant so he knew not to believe the rumors about him but he couldn’t help but worry still when you told him that’s who you’ve been hanging out with. His worries were destroyed immediately as you recalled the story of how he comforted you that first day after you had a breakdown over wishing your mom was still around to help you through the hecticness of being in a new town. And any that could’ve stayed after that wouldn’t even have been able to show themselves because the boy himself showed up at the door of the trailer catching you as you jumped into his arms in one of your famous bear hugs your dad hasn’t seen you give anyone in a while. 

When the day came that you didn’t show up in the morning before school Eddie knew that something had to be wrong. Because even when you had that nasty cold you still tried to go to school, he had to trick you into staying home by getting your sleepy self to just lay in his bed for a minute before you passed out. Eddie waited a little bit before making his way over to your trailer and knocking on the door. To his surprise your dad answered the door, he normally worked Friday mornings instead of at night so you could have family dinners.

“Oh, hey Dave, is Y/n still home?” Eddie tries to peer around the man in front of him to search for a sign of you.

“Yeah, she’s home, she's not going to be at school today though.”

“Why? Is she okay?” That’s when he looks up and notices his red eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Listen kid, it’s a tough day for the both of us today. I should just tell you to scram and get lost but I know she hasn’t really slept and I can’t get her to come out of her room and I know how well you take care of her. So I’m gonna give you a chance to talk to her but as soon as she tells you to go away you’re out of here, got it?”

“Sir yes sir.” Eddie salutes him as he lets him walk into the trailer. “You said she was in her room?” Your dad nods, shutting the door before sitting on the couch with his chin resting in his hands as he watches Eddie start to walk down the hall. 

Eddie was already worried but it doubled when he heard your fathers words. And with how upset he himself looked Eddie knew it had to be something with your mom. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to cheer you up or if you would want to see him but he was sure going to try. He pauses before knocking and eyes the marker hanging on the wall next to the notepad you and your dad use to communicate with each other when you have opposing schedules.

You’re sitting in bed with your knees pulled up to your chest when there’s another knock at your door. You assume that it’s just your dad coming to try to get you out of your room again. And really you feel a little guilty about staying in here because you want to be there for him today but you don’t want him to see you like this because you feel like it’ll just make the day worse.

“I’m not hungry dad. I promise I’ll try to eat in a few hours.” You hope your voice doesn’t come out too broken as you sniffle. Your door creaks open and you furiously try to wipe at your eyes as you look over. You’re shocked when just a hand with a face gets shoved through the crack.

“Dad? I am not dad, it’s me Freddy.” You can’t help the small laugh that falls from your mouth as that stupid deep voice graces your ears. A new wave of tears rushes over you as you realize Eddie must’ve been coming to check on you even though he doesn’t know what today is. 

“Can I come in?” It’s Eddie’s regular voice that asks as he makes his hand turn so it’s like it’s looking at him as he speaks. You nod your head before realizing what you’re doing and letting out a broken ‘yeah’. “Oh Sweetheart, how can I help?” Eddie’s heart breaks when he sees the state you’re in.

“Can I have a hug?” Your voice breaks as you speak and you hold your arms out just wanting to bury yourself into Eddie’s chest with his arms wrapped tight around you, your safe space as you like to call it.

“Of course.” He’s quick to shut the door and crawl into the bed next to you wrapping you up in his arms.

“How’d you know to come over?” You ask after what feels like an hour of crying into his chest.

“I could smell the most delicious treat of all.” The deep voice answers as he brings his hand up to ‘eat’ your tears. “Mmm pretty girl tears.” You don’t think you’ll ever not giggle at that even though Eddie does it every single time he sees you crying or about to cry.

“You didn’t show up for your ride to school and I started to get worried since you always show up no matter what. And then your dad opened the door and he was looking really sad and I knew it had to be something mom related. You don’t have to talk about it, just wanted to be here for you Sweetheart.”

“Look at that pretty boy Munson being my hero yet again.” 

“Always will be.” The two of you are quiet for a while with him rubbing your back and planting soft kisses to the crown of your head.

“Today is her birthday.” You mumble into his chest and he holds you a little tighter. “She would’ve been forty today. And I don’t know what to do because normally dad and I would make her breakfast in bed and then while she was out celebrating with my aunt we’d make her a cake to surprise her when she got home. She’d always act so surprised even though we did it without fail every year.” You let out a small sad chuckle as a few more stray tears fall. “And now that we can’t do any of that I just feel so lost.”

“Well why can’t you?”

“Seriously?” You pull back so you can look at him confused because was he listening to you at all..

“Oh, come on, don't look at me like that. Sure you can’t do that stuff for her but I know someone who's probably feeling just as lost as you today. So maybe the two of you can still make a really good breakfast and then later a cake. You can still celebrate her birthday without her being here, people still celebrate dead celebrities' birthdays. I mean Dustin’s told me about how every year without fail on Elvis’s birthday his mom plays all of his music.” Eddie positions himself so he sits cross legged across from you. “It sounds to me like today was a day where you and your dad bonded each year more than you celebrated her. Not that you didn’t! You just mainly did things with him every year right?” You nod and Eddie gets up. “So why don’t we leave this room, drink some water so you don’t get too bad of a crying headache, and see what your dad thinks of the idea.”

“Okay, it couldn’t hurt to try it I guess.” You round the bed and take his outstretched hand letting him pull you gently out of the room and towards the living room.

Eddie watches as you immediately start towards your dad when you see him sitting on the couch. As you both latch onto each other in a hug. Eddie leaves the two of you to it heading into the kitchen to get you a glass of water. He places it on the table in front of you before walking towards the front door.

“Eddie, where are you going?” The pleading in your eyes almost makes him turn around and make his way back to you.

“Well one of us has to go to school to bring you back the work you’re missing. I’ll be back once it lets out.”

“Okay, see you later.”

“See you soon Princess.”

When Eddie comes back from school he parks in front of his trailer deciding to just walk over to yours. The worksheets that are homework tucked into the new book you’re reading in English flutter a bit in the breeze on his way over. He’s hoping with all his might that the two of you were able to work through the grief and find some happiness today. He can hear a pot crash to the ground as he knocks.

“Dad, can you get that! It’s probably Eddie.” He can’t help but smile at the sound of your voice.

“Hello again Dave.” Eddie waves at your dad as he opens the door for him again.

“Hey kid, come on in.”

“Hi Eddie, sit on the couch and don’t move please.” You ask so sweetly Eddie obeys without complaint.

“You seem to be in a happier mood.”

“Well it turns out you were right about still celebrating it and doing what we’d normally do, it did help make today suck less. So I, we, have a surprise for you. Close your eyes.”

“You’re the boss.” Eddie closes his eyes and you grab the tray in front of you starting to make your way around the counter and into the living room.

“Dad come on, you helped. Eddie don’t peak.” You place it down in front of him waiting for your dad to stand next to you. “Okay you can look now.”

When Eddie opens his eyes they meet with your own and as you look back at him expectantly his attention trails down to the coffee table in front of him. Sitting in front of him is a round white iced cake with ‘Thank You Eddie’ written on it with red icing and dnd dice drawn around the words in black. It’s like all of the breath is stolen from Eddie’s body as he looks at it.

“Tada! Do you like it?”

“Sweetheart I love it but why’d you do this?” Eddie can’t seem to tear his eyes away from the cake to look up at you.

“Well uh, so we made breakfast and ate it together while watching mom's favorite movie. And then we were making the cake and dad said we should add a thank you to you on it and then that idea turned into just making you your own thank you cake. Dad iced the outside and wrote on it and I drew the dice.”

“So you made me a cake on your mom's birthday?” Eddie blinks away the threatening tears from his eyes.

“Y/n why don’t you go get mom's cake so we can blow her candles out?”

“Yeah, okay.” As you walk away your dad sits next to Eddie on the couch.

“Listen son, what you did today for Y/n, for me, it means a lot. I was so worried she was just going to sit in her room by herself all day. I know her and that would’ve just made her even more depressed. You’re always looking out for her, so thank you.”

“It’s no problem, really. I’d do anything for her.” Eddie looks up at you humming in the kitchen and putting candles in the cake. Your dad follows his gaze and smiles. 

“Hey dad, the lighter isn’t working. I think it’s out of juice. Do we still have matches?”

“We’re out. I’ll go run to the store real quick.” As he leaves you move around the kitchen to clean up more. Eddie’s quick to stand and make his way to the kitchen to help.

“Can I do anything for you?”

“Just stay here and keep me company?”

“Always, you know that.” At his words you spin around and give him a big hug.

“You take such good care of me, Eds, thank you. I love you.” You feel so safe in his arms that you just blurt it out and you gasp when you realize what you said. Eddie just chuckles at your reaction to it, keeping hold of you so you can’t pull away.

“I love you too. Now let’s go set the cake up on the table and then I’ll explain all your homework to you.”

Eddie Taglist: @sadbitchfangirl​​ @notbeforelong​​​ @munsonswhore86​​ @violet-19999​​ @navs-bhat​​ @emotionaldreamer​​ ​ @fromasgardandback​​ @rockchickrebel​​ @yourdailymemedelivery​​ @magicalchocolatecheesecake​​ @watercolorskyy​​ @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce​​ ​​ @fangirling-4-ever​​  @gaysludge​​ @audhd-dragonaut​​ ​​ ​@eddiethesexy​ @mazerunnerrose​​ @tvserie-s-world​​ @reddisteddie​​ @redgetawaycar​ @eddies-lover​​ @alexis6699​

Everything Taglist: @munsonsmuse​ @matchamunson​ @bubsonnobx​ @practicalghost​ 

[comicarc]

𝐈 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 (𝐈𝐈𝐈)

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"A lonely moon craving for the radiant sun." In which a certain girl catches the attention of a prideful billionaire playboy as they both attempt to find their way in the world. (I haven't seen many fics explore Bruce in his formative years, so I thought I'd share my take on them, of course with romance.)

wc: 3249

She’d heard something before she fell asleep, but she couldn’t decipher the words. y/n knew it was something important, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what. Contemplation tired her mind enough to grant her sleep for a few minutes before the tension in the air awoke her. Peeking from her closed eyelids so as to not alert the boys near her, y/n saw how Harvey occasionally threw a pointed glare at a stoic Bruce. The two had initially remained quiet, but it seemed they were itching for a fight. 

After a small glance at the uneasy scene, she attempted to rest again, but just as she had begun to return to her slumber, a voice began, “What’s your problem?”

Though she kept her lids shut now, y/n could tell that the sound originated from the back where Bruce sat. She had to stop from rolling her eyes, as she realized he was quoting her exact words from earlier. Typical rich kids, always taking. 

Harvey, pounced at the chance to squabble as he replied, “You.”

“I need you to elaborate there, buddy. Lots of people have a problem with me for lots of reasons.”

“Buddy?” Harvey let out a bittersweet chuckle, his voice laced with a hint of disgust at the nickname. “Do you even remember who I am?”

“Harvey Dent, son of Harvey Dent Senior. You’re dad’s a politician and you wanna follow in his footsteps. Now, your turn.” Bruce spoke robotically, attempting to reciprocate Harvey’s attitude.

“You really don’t remember, huh? Should’ve guessed.”

Bruce, annoyed by Harvey’s ambiguous answers, remained mum the rest of the ride, occasionally letting out a deep sigh like an angry toddler. y/n was glad that Bruce had a taste of his own medicine, but her curiosity was also awakened by the cryptic responses Harvey had stated. She thought that this was Harvey’s way of finally opening up, giving her the green light to explore his truths after years of distance. 

When the car stopped at the gates of the Wayne manor, Bruce immediately rose to attention and swiftly exited the vehicle, as if staying any longer would have killed him. He ran through the slow-opening gates, disappearing in the fog-ridden entrance before y/n heard the engine rev to a start. 

Slowly she opened her eyes, basking in the peace she found with Harvey’s presence before revealing, “I heard everything.”

Harvey stayed silent, his eyes remaining secured to the dimly lit road ahead of him. y/n moved to place a hand on his thigh, gently so as to not startle him. She let her fingers lay there, in a comforting manner before assuring, “I know you’ve got some pent-up frustration right now, and I just want you to know, I’m here if you want to talk.” She could feel him relax under her touch, the words soothing the wounds that had re-opened previously. “I’m always here.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Gotham was never quiet. The sirens always rang, especially in the dead of night. The people always shout whether it be to scream for help or bark a demand. The rain always pattered against windows, leaving the outside world to be a blurry distortion of reality. y/n found the noise to be comforting most nights because it made her feel less lonely, and it ensured that the trouble would stay where it was meant to be: outside. But now her heart beat louder than the ambiance of Gotham, louder than any concert. It beat her chest so hard that her ears ached at the sound. She tossed and turned, holding a pillow to her ears in an attempt to shut everything out, but silence was impossible to attain. 

She was angry because reality had hit her like a speeding bullet for the first time in a long time. She’d done so much, sacrificed her time, her health, and her whole being to be accepted into Gotham Academy. It was the first step in her naive grand plan to be happy. But fate is anything but kind, for however much she works, she’s destined to fall. Falcone would be the sun that burns her wax wings, or maybe it was Wilcox, the man who had set her down this perverted path. But no matter who she sought to accuse for an inevitable early death, like Icarus she had only herself to blame for wanting to reach higher than she was meant to. Her anger culminated in prickling tears rolling down her cheek uncontrollably. Her eyes red & puffy, cheeks drenched with salty water, and throat hoarse from catching her breath, y/n fell asleep, knocked unconscious by the sheer exhaustion of her overwhelmed state. 

The next morning, y/n awoke with a freshness. The tears had washed away her despondency, leaving room for a lingering courage to resurface. When dawn had struck, faint slivers of light breaking through the cloudy skies, she was already up and about. Pacing back and forth in her dorm, y/n concocted a plan of action to resolve her predicament. She would talk to Wilcox, say that their relationship had gone much farther than she was willing to go and that he needed to move forward without her. She could report him to GCPD. It wasn’t like every cop there was on someone’s payroll, there had to be someone there to help her. 

But if she reported him, he had to have known she’d go down as his accomplice. He’s got a pricey lawyer to get him out unscathed, but her? She’s got nobody to fight for her. Yet, maybe Wilcox continued pressuring her because he knew she wouldn’t stand up. It couldn’t hurt to push back, after all, nothing could have been worse than dying because of Carmine Falcone. 

After an hour of going back and forth with the myriad of ways the conversation could go, y/n never expected for Wilcox to be this vile. She made her way down to his office as soon as her mind had calmed and walked through the open doors as soon as she arrived. He was expecting her, for before her heel even landed inside the room, the man exclaimed, “y/n! How have you been?”

When y/n entered the room completely, she apprehensively muttered, “Fine.” She kept her head down, fear beginning to creep up her spine at his uncanny attitude. Never had he been this nice to her.

“Well, got what I need?”

y/n moved forward quickly, placing the wad of cash she had found the day before in front of him. His resting face morphed into a sinister smile as he brushed a hand through the notes. Looking up as he played with the bundle of money, he raised an eyebrow.

y/n’s mouth was slightly agape at the sight. She mustered the courage she had earlier in the morning, resolute in seeing through with her plan as she began, “I won’t do this anymore. I don’t know what you’ve got yourself involved with and frankly, I don’t care. I won’t ruin myself by continuing to be involved.”

“Ah…you think you’ve got a choice in the matter?” He rose from his seat, his chair screeching against the polished wooden floor as it jerked backward. Hands now placed flat against the mahogany of his desk, he bore his eyes into y/n. “You’re in more of a desperate situation than you think. I’m assuming you got the address, yes? Well, Carmine wants blood and it won’t be mine. Seeing as you’re a scholarship kid, it wouldn’t be hard to justify anything that might happen to you–”

“–I’ve got friends. What makes you think that I can’t just tell Carmine it was you?”

“Bold, I’ll give you that,” Wilcox moved around his desk and strode toward the girl dropping the smile. Face to face, he leaned down to her ear whispering, “I’ve got friends too. Friends who can take away that Harvard scholarship. Friends who can make sure you can’t escape Gotham. Friends who can make your life beyond the Academy a living hell. You’ve got no idea what you’re up against little girl.”

He stepped away, re-plastering the smile on his face, and opened the door motioning for y/n to step out. As she turned to leave y/n took a shaky breath and stopped at the exit before saying, “I won’t back down without a fight.”

She rushed out of the room, walking down the administrative building hallway with no awareness of her surroundings. She never expected the interaction to have been easy, but for it to end in this war was too much for her to handle. Who was she kidding, she didn’t have anything to fight the dean with. No dirt, no power, no advantage, nothing but a death sentence. 

As she rounded a corner, she collided with a hard surface. She stumbled backward, holding her head in her hands as a migraine developed. With a hand placed on her throbbing head, she attempted to center herself and realized she had bumped into Bruce.

“You ok?” Bruce seemed genuinely concerned as he inquired. His hand stretched toward her, brushing over her head before y/n took another step back.

“Yeah. I’m sorry.” Her voice was weaker than it had been before. Bruce noticed how she had sunk into herself, her eyes bloodshot and her cheeks flushed. Her breaths were fairly shaky as she retreated from him. There was no point beating around the bush. Whatever he wanted to say, he needed to say it now.

“I have a proposition.” He paused for a moment, waiting for confirmation to continue. When y/n stared at him, waiting for more, he continued, “I think we’ve both bitten off more than we can chew. Some bad things are about to happen and I want to stop it. But, I can’t do it alone. I–uh” He hesitated for a moment before begrudgingly declaring, “I need your help.”

“Care to elaborate? Mr. I’m Above Everything and Everyone wants to play hero? What’s really in it for you and why do you want my help?” She waited for Bruce to respond, yet he remained silent. “Ok. I’m not risking my life for you. I’m not stupid. If you want a scapegoat, ask one of your many admirers.” 

She was about to stomp off, beyond pissed that people only viewed her as a tool. Bruce, mindful of the apparent anger brewing within y/n, grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to face him. “I can save you from Falcone if you do this for me. Better yet, I can make sure you’re untouched by everyone in this city.”

Had he heard her conversation with Wilcox? Questions swirled in her already preoccupied mind, but y/n brushed them off. It didn’t matter how much he knew, what mattered was the tempting offer he just proposed. This was her way out, a solution for all her hardship. To have no anchors holding her down opened a world of possibility, but an offer like that was too true for her to believe. He wouldn’t hand over such power without a price equally as revolting. She needed to know she could trust him to follow through before she signed her life away to the devil.

“How do I know you won’t leave me high and dry? I do your dirty work and take the fall while you reap the glory.”

“You don’t.” Great, just the answer she needed. He really played the role of an asshole quite passionately. 

Rolling her eyes, she shook his hands off her wrist and marched toward the library for some peace. She texted Harvey on the way, hoping to make up for ditching him yesterday by meeting with him. It was routine at this point, for her to randomly disappear at a moment’s notice and make up for it later. y/n knew that Harvey was suspicious of it, but being him, he never openly questioned her. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Hey, missed me?” y/n greeted Harvey as she approached him from behind. He chuckled as he turned to watch her approach him. He gestured to the empty seat beside him, even dragging out the chair with one arm. He beamed with excitement at how gracefully she sat down, forgetting the homework he was engaged in to simply admire her. He could smell her perfume, relishing in its sweet and savory scent. But, he could also smell a hint of antiseptic. He was about to brush it off before his eyes trailed to the hand that was not resting on the table. y/n had a bandage wrapped around her wrist. 

“Not like it's your first time bailing on me, but regardless, I did,” Harvey replied. Before y/n had an opportunity to speak again, he pointed at the bandage asking, “What happened?”

y/n was at a loss for words. She didn’t want Harvey to be involved in this ever-deepening abyss of troubles, so she had to come up with a white lie. Fast. “Uh..y’know how clumsy I can be. I–I fell on it.”

Harvey raised an eyebrow, having known the girl long and well enough that she was lying. Though, seeing her sullen state he kept suppressed his urge to know the truth. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t lied to her either. She’d tell him whenever she was ready, till then, he was willing to wait. 

“So, you’re probably wondering about last night.” Harvey nodded. “Well, I went into the city. This time, I got lost, and by the time I realized I didn’t know where I was going, the sun had already gone down. Somehow Bruce found me and we ended up waiting at the bridge for a ride.” It was just vague enough to not reveal what y/n had actually been doing there, but just informative enough to not have Harvey need to question her. The perfect cover. 

“Uh-huh.” Harvey held his tongue. y/n looked visibly tired and he didn’t have the heart to push her any further, no matter how suspicious she was being. 

She moved her hands over his, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. Harvey’s cheeks reddened as he observed her movements, holding back the desire to lean closer to her until they touched. Just as she had done, he wanted to embrace her. Not just her fingers, her whole being. He wanted to comfort her, be her knight in shining armor. The more he looked into her eyes, the more he saw a reflection of what could be. But her touch brought him back to reality as she squeezed his hands in a comforting motion. 

“And you? What happened between you and Bruce?” She stared at him. When she was met with silence, she began to withdraw herself establishing, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It’s alright.”

Before she could fully retract her hands from his, he interlaced his fingers with hers, pulling her even closer than she was before. “No, no, I want to tell you y/n. It's just…hard to talk about.”

Harvey took in a few deep breaths before starting, “Here goes. Before I came to the Academy, I didn’t live the same way I do now. I–My father was an alcoholic. My mother’s death was something he always seemed to dwell on and the anger that came from it was taken out on his health and me. He had a thing. He would flip a coin to decide whether he should…hurt me or not. One day I just couldn’t take the beatings anymore and I trapped him in his room for a few days. I know what I did was wrong, and nothing excuses that, but I don’t regret it. When the police finally freed my father, he got so mad he sent me the the Arkham Boys Rehabilitation Home upstate. 

“That’s when I met, rather, befriended Bruce. We shared a similar drive fueled by hatred. We became good friends and even made a pact of sorts. Someday we’d kill each other’s enemy–I’d kill Joe Chill, the man who murdered Bruce’s parents, and he’d kill my father. Then a while later, when I went home, my fath–dad, he turned over a new leaf. Even reminting the bastard coin that he’d used to determine my fate so that it would have only two heads. It was meant to be a symbol of how his only side, from then on, would be his good side. He stayed true to his words since then and I truly believe that he’s become a better man. Bruce though, he doesn’t believe in second chances. When I backed out of our ‘pact’ he thought I was being naive. He was truly angry, and he took out that fury by ignoring me. And even though he doesn’t seem to remember it, I still believe that the monster is still inside of him. The one fueling the bitter, cold heart he has now. It’s dangerous, and I don’t want you involved with that. Please y/n, I want you to be safe.”

y/n lifted her hands from his, dragged her chair until it touched his, and hugged him. In her embrace, he felt soothed allowing a tear to slip from his eyes.“Thank you, for trusting me. I’m happy for you Harv, I’m glad you got your happy ending.”

y/n patted her hand on his back, caressing him. It felt right, having him in her arms as she continued to whisper into his ear, “It’s ok, don’t worry about me. After all, I’ve got you, my Apollo.”

Her Apollo. Harvey was practically red as a tomato, gushing at her precious words. He has liked y/n for years now. And now was the perfect opportunity to tell her. He had to tell her. He had to say the three little words that have haunted him for years. I love you. In the intimacy of each other's arms, he could have her, finally. Before he could utter the words resting on the tip of his tongue, another voice beat him to it. 

“y/n.” Bruce had found his way behind her. Upon hearing his voice, she shot up, out of Harvey’s touch, and sat as straight as a ladder. Sitting between the boys she could feel the intensity of the glares they sent each other. Attempting to disarm the situation, she turned to face Bruce, giving him full attention as they discussed something.

Harvey couldn’t care less about what they were talking about, but he did feel a pang of envy. For Bruce to steal her attention in a heartbeat, and catch her flustered, was a rarity for Harvey. But it got him thinking, this was just the kind of world he was born into. The kind where people take and refuse to give. Where the hurt can only be scarred. Bruce lay a testament to that, while Harvey became an exception. What would it do to y/n?

The line between the rich and the poor was no man’s land and the people who crossed it were bound to get hurt. y/n wasn’t weak, but he couldn’t bear to see her suffer. He wanted to protect her, and it seemed that the only way he could do that was by keeping his love to himself. Better for him to stay by her side than overcomplicate things with labels.

˖ ࣪🦇𓆰♡𓆪🦇ִ ࣪⋆

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