#I can't really put a finger on why I'm terrified

[gothamite-rambler]

Nightwing and Control Freak being frenemies

Context: Control Freak has mellowed out in the villain game, he does a lot of team ups and messing around, but when you reach a certain age of villainy you get bored. Nightwing is oddly one of the few heroes he likes in a frenemy way.

Nightwing and Control Freak stand on the sidelines as the other Titans engage in battle, their attention half on the fray and half on each other.

Control Freak (furrowing his brow): We should be fighting, right?

Nightwing (crossing his arms, looking unaffected): You're not a threat at the moment.

Control Freak (nervously chuckling): Same to you. So, uh… you want to talk about favorite movies? We might fight over that.

Nightwing (shrugging): Sure, why not? What's the scariest horror movie you've ever watched?

Control Freak (perking up): Good question! "Cabin Fever," the original. A lot of people don’t like that guy's movies, but I'm an Eli Roth fan. They're just insane, hardcore horror flicks.

Nightwing (smirking): So, you’re a fan of Rob Zombie's movies?

Control Freak (shaking his head emphatically): Nope! I could never get into them. It felt like he was forcing the bleak and edgy tone. It’s like, dude, you’re remaking Halloween—chill out.

Nightwing (nodding): I see your point, but I’d argue the first Halloween remake he did wasn’t terrible.

Control Freak (raising a finger): Okay, I’ll give that one a pass. It’s the sequel that felt… like—

Nightwing (interjecting, chuckling): A pizza cutter? All edge and no point.

Control Freak (grinning): Exactly! That's a great observation—I'm definitely using that. "The Devil's Rejects" had that edgy vibe, celebrating the bad guys with zero redeeming qualities. As a villain, I appreciate the praise, but honestly, none of the characters in that film were likable at all.

Nightwing (chuckling, nodding): Right? Not good when I’m rooting for nobody by the time the credits roll.

Control Freak (leaning in, eager): Exactly! I've rambled about my horror movie tastes; your turn. Let me guess: Friday the 13th!

Control Freak chuckled dryly, clearly joking around.

Nightwing (shaking his head): Nah, that stopped being scary after Jason went to Manhattan.

Control Freak (scoffing playfully): Don’t forget space!

Nightwing: True! Then it became enjoyably dumb horror. Honestly, the movie that scares me is "High School Musical." When those movies were out, I was terrified everyone would randomly start singing and dancing, and I’d be the only one who doesn’t know the words.

Nightwing let out a laugh-cackle, and Control Freak nodded in agreement with his perspective.

Control Freak: I respect that—I had to deal with those movies in high school. Gabrielle this, Troy that, dang it Sharpay was the true character to root for.

Nightwing (smirking): You would root for her, I respect that as well. The songs are catchy though.

Control Freak (chuckles): Facts.

Nightwing (leaning against a wall casually): You into musicals? There’s this one about a zombie outbreak where the zombies burst into song.

Control Freak (raising an eyebrow): Give me that title later. But be serious now—what’s the craziest intentional horror movie you’ve seen?

Nightwing (scratching his chin thoughtfully): Honestly, I can't think of anything I watched a long time ago, but "Smile" really got to me.

Control Freak (crossing his arms, nodding seriously): Hmph. We’re not fighting over that—because I freaking love that movie!

Suddenly, Raven slid over to the group after a punch from Jinx. She stood up, glaring at the men.

Raven (exasperated): For the love of—could you two stop chatting and fight?!

Control Freak (putting his hands up defensively): Excuse me, we’re talking, ma’am! Have you seen "Malignant"?

Nightwing (smirking again): Yes! It got awesome in the middle, didn't it?

Control Freak (enthusiastically agreeing): Dude, yes!

Raven (rolling her eyes, frustrated): Don’t mind us—enjoy your conversation about lame horror movies!

Raven stood and stomped off, grumbling to herself.

Control Freak (looking after her, bewildered): No offense, but I thought she'd be into horror movies.

Nightwing (chuckling softly): Nah, she gets nightmares. Just ignore her. So, what did you think was the best scene in "Malignant"?

Control Freak (grinning broadly): This is going to be a long talk because if we’re diving into favorite horror scenes, we really need to discuss the wild stuff in "Smile."

Beast Boy smiled, watching the two men engaged in conversation.

Beast Boy (with a big grin): That’s nice to see.

Raven (calling from a distance): Beast Boy!

Beast Boy (startled): I'M COMING, BABE!

[ricksoo]

So today is Pigment's 2nd birthday...

As much as I, or we wanna celebrate it,

... Uh...

I don't think this is the best time to celebrate it... 😶

Tbf I kinda wanna follow it based on the storyline so technically this is kinda at an incorrect time ;v;'

Pigment by @xxtc-96xx TC you're awesome for introducing Pigment

[rosebudfics]

Professor!reader and severus being married but hiding it from the students, bc they dont want the gossip and are just private people in general BUT one day sev forgets to take off his wedding ring and the golden trio go on this whole mission to find out who hes married to; completely freaking out when it turns out hes with reader cause theyre complete opposites while teaching

(Sorry if this is too long or doesnt make sense :^ i had this scenario in my head for some time lol)

Secret Lovers

Severus Snape x Professor! Reader

Warnings: use of the name "git" a lot lol, reader is the astronomy teacher but you can swap it out for any class, Snape smacks Ron and Harry

A/N: I LOVE THIS REQUEST SO MUCH OMG!?!?!?! also this isnt really set in any specific year but its more leaning towards where theyre older since snape you know.. hits ron and harry over the head and harry has the map <3

You and Severus had managed to keep your relationship secret for a couple years now, with the exception of only Minerva and Dumbledore knowing.

Why does anyone else need to know anyway? It was none of their business!

So one regular morning when you and Sev were getting ready for the day in the early hours of the morning, he had somehow forgotten to take his golden band off. You both would usually keep them in a little ring box at home so they were hidden but safe and put them back on at night, but today Severus had just forgotten to take it off.

You would bid your goodbyes at home before you left together, getting one last kiss in before heading back to Hogwarts, then Severus would put his usual cold face back on.

You both headed to your classrooms like normal, Severus still failing to notice the wedding band still on his finger.

When classes started, everything was going how it usually would: he would deduct house points, snapping at kids whenever they would interrupt his teaching, etc. That is until Hermione noticed a particular shine off her teachers hand.

Hermione looked closer before very quietly gasping. "Holy cricket!" She whispered so only Harry and Ron could hear her.

“What?” Ron asked curiously but not very quietly, earning the attention of Severus.

“On Professor Snape’s hand, he was wearing a wedding ring!” She said in a hushed voice.

“You must be crazy Herminone, there's no way that he’s married to someone.” Harry chuckled.

“Yeah, no ones gonna want to let alone be in any relationship with that old git-” Ron was interrupted by getting smacked over the head by Severus, followed up by Harry getting smacked as well.

Hermione just kept quiet, keeping her giggle to herself.

“Would you mind repeating yourself Mr. Weasley?” Severus sneered down at him.

“...no, sorry.” Ron grumbled.

“Mhm. 5 points from Gryffindor, and that's me being generous.”

After class, Ron, Hermione, and Harry all gathered at the library at break. “Are you sure you saw a ring, Hermione? Was it even on his ring finger?” Harry asked as he sat down some books in front of him.

“I'm certain! The real question is though, to who?” Hermione thought for a minute.

“Harry, why can't we just use your cloak to spy on him?” Ron questioned like it was obvious.

“Brilliant!” Harry exclaimed but Hermione smacked him in the arm.

“That's invading his privacy! It's terribly rude.” She scoffed.

Ron then mocked her, earning a smack. After a while of begs and pleas, she finally caved.

“Alright, alright!” She sighed.

They then all made their way back to the dorm to get everything they needed. Harry also grabbed the Marauders Map so it would be easier to find Snape. And then off they went on their little adventure to hunt down his wife.

They had to do some weaving and dodging to not bump into anyone (they bumped into Neville at some point, terrifying him) until they made it to the staff room. Harry looked down at his map to find Snape and you, they're astronomy teacher, alone.

“What are Professor Snape and Professor y/n doing together?” Ron asked in a confused voice.

Harry hushed him and then looked into the keyhole to find Snape and you talking to eachother.

“Are you sure no one saw the ring?” you asked again.

“Yes, dear, I am sure of it.” Snape said in a somewhat annoyed tone. “If someone did see it, I would be getting hounded with questions!”

“Yeah well not if all the students are terrified of you!” you sighed. “Look I'm not mad, I don't want you to think that, it's just we've gone this long keeping it secret it feels weird to just slip up like this”

Severus stepped towards you and grabbed your face in his hands. “Listen love, no one will know. Maybe in the future we can be more open about it.” He then bent down and kissed her gently, and you wrapped your arms around his neck pulling him closer.

Harry gasped quietly and backed up. He was about to say something before he heard footsteps walking towards the door. “We gotta get outta here!”

They all then scurried off down the hall back to the dormitory.

“Harry, what did you see? What were they doing in there?” Ron asked.

“Its professor y/n, that's who he's married to!” Harry was slightly out of breath from running.

“Professor y/n?? But they're so.. so different!” Hermione was shocked.

“You must be seeing things mate, there's NO way Proffesor y/n is married to the old git.” Ron scoffed.

“I'm telling you! They were talking about how he had forgotten to take his ring off or something and then they kissed!” Harry gushed.

They then talked about why you would ever want to marry Snape for the rest of break. Interestingly enough they next class was with you!

Since you were an extremely nice and open teacher, they felt more comfortable talking to you about it.

"So professor y/n, have you been seeing anyone lately?" Ron asked before class actually started.

You were caught off guard to say the least. "Well... I dont really see how my romantic life concerns any of you," you laugh whole heartedly.

Ron then smirked. "You never denied it. Perhaps another Proffesor that teaches here!" Hermione pinched his side as a warning to shut up.

"I don't know what your getting at, Ron" you chuckle becoming a little worried.

"Well the man I'm thinking of is a mean, old, cranky git that likes potions-"

"Thats enough! You don't ever talk about another Proffesor like that!" You scolded him.

"Alright, sorry proffesor... but im right, aren't i?" Ron smirked.

Harry and Hermione perked up to listen.

You sighed, before making sure that no other student or teacher was around, nd then said "You must not tell anyone."

[triptuckers]

dawn - percy jackson

Request: nope Pairing:  percy jackson x child of apollo!reader Summary:  percy wakes early because of a nightmare and you're not next to him Warnings:  swearing, mentions of nightmares, percy being scared :( Word count:  900 A/N: SHIFTING INTO PERCY JACKSON MODE AGAIN !!! I cannot wait for the show !!! also this is based on a head canon I saw once and now it's my favorite, enjoy!

percy hears you scream again. he needs to find you now.

he's been running for too long now, you've been screaming for too long. he could tell from your screams you had gone from scared to absolutely terrified.

and he knows you've been through as much as he has. it took a lot to make you scared. and something has made you terrified.

percy runs around the corner, gripping his sword tight. up ahead he can see a shadow. that must be you.

he takes off running again but as he gets closer to the shadow, it's not you. it's someone - or something - that is holding two very long, very sharp swords.

percy turns around and bolts through a door. you scream again. and again. he can't get to you. gods, he's going to lose you.

with a start, percy's eyes fly open.

he's breathing heavily and his hands are gripping the bedsheets. percy's chest rises and falls rapidly as he tries to calm himself. he reaches out to you, but you're not next to him.

what if it wasn't a nightmare? fuck.

he pushes himself up with one elbow and notices the door to his cabin is slightly open. he can see you sitting just outside.

percy closes his eyes and lets himself fall back onto his pillow. he frowns when they're damp. great, he was sweating. that means it was a really bad one.

'shit.' he sighs, dragging a hand over his face. there's no way he's getting any sleep now. at least not with the adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

he can tell it's very early in the morning. the sun is starting to rise, but it's still pretty dark outside. percy looks over to you again and notices a mug in your hands, steam rising from it.

after the nightmare he had, he just needs you close. so he gets up and puts on a sweater and boots before joining you outside.

you look up when you hear footsteps on the wooden floor.

'hi. did I wake you?' you say, reaching for percy and pulling him down to squeeze into the chair next to you, careful not to spill your drink.

'no.' his answer is short.

'nightmare?' you ask, noticing the collar of his shirt that sticks to his sweaty neck.

'yeah.' he moves to get closer to you, needing to be near you.

'want to talk about it?' you say, lazily running your fingers through his hair near the back of his neck.

percy sighs softly. 'lately it's the same one.' he says. 'you're somewhere, I don't know where, I can't see you. but I can hear you. you're screaming for help, for me to come get you out of wherever you are. but there's this big guy chasing me and I can never get to you in time.'

he squeezes his eyes shut, trying to drown the image out.

'it's okay.' you say. 'I'm here now.'

'I know you are. you think I can ask any of the gods if they can stop the nightmares?'

you chuckle softly. 'it's worth a shot.'

'hey, wait. why weren't you next to me when I woke up?' he says, remembering the moment the nightmare shook him awake.

he turns slightly so he can look you in the eye, brows slightly furrowed. 'do you still have nightmares?'

'sometimes.'

'but they didn't wake you tonight?'

'no.'

'wait, so you willingly got up at the ass crack of dawn?'

you smile. 'also no.'

'you're usually up early, though. even on quests when you're exhausted but we need to go on, you're always the first one awake. perks of being apollo's kid?'

this time you laugh softly. 'no, more like downside of being his kid.'

percy frowns again. 'what are you talking about?"

'well, everyone wakes at dawn. look, will's awake as well.' you say, pointing to your cabin in the distance. 'michael is just coming back from getting his coffee. I saw lee as well.'

percy still looks confused. you're tempted to give him some weird reason and have him figure out I fit's real or not. but he might not even believe the truth.

'you know how apollo uses his chariot to ride across the sky to give us the sunrise, right?' you say.

'yeah, you told me about that.' says percy.

'well, when he does that he blasts heavy metal at a frequency only apollo kids can hear. so we can see him in the sky in all his glory.'

'seriously?'

'his words, not mine.'

percy laughs. 'that does sound like apollo, yes.'

'it's nice, tough. waking up before everyone else does. especially the younger kids.'

'hey, next time, wake me up okay?'

'I prefer to let you sleep. that's why I always get up quietly.'

'I know, and I appreciate it. but this is nice, just us.'

'us and all of my cabin.'

'well, yeah, but you're the only apollo kid sleeping in my cabin.' says percy, nudging your shoulder an smiling.

'and it better stay that way.' you say, smiling as well. 'I call dips on the shower.'

you lean in to kiss his cheek and get up, letting percy enjoy the rest of the sunrise on his own.

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rulesHere’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Marit

[running-on-coffee-and-anxiety]

Know what? I'm gonna try throwing my hat into the ring for Danny Phantom.

I accidentally electrocuted myself as a kid and never told anybody- nothing serious, I grabbed the three exposed prongs of a half plugged in laptop charger in the middle of the night and didn't want to get in trouble since nobody else was awake. Even if it isn't fatal, it's terrifying and your vision completely blacks out and your arm tingles for days afterwards, and for the whole day after you got shocked your fingers on the hand that grabbed the prongs will randomly twitch, open or close or jerk to the side. You have no control, it's like when the doctor hits your knee to check your reflexes.

Now, from what I can tell from the scene where Danny went ghost for the first time, he really was electrocuted. From what I can tell, his ghost and human halves seem kinda separate- not completely, but the change is there. Where is this going?

Danny never told anyone about the accident- not anybody that could help him, anyways. I propose that, since he never got medical treatment or physical/occupational therapy after the accident, his motor function deteriorates over time.

More specifically, his small motor function is effected- I will be using personal experience in this section, since my small motor skills were so bad I couldn't use zippers or tie my shoes until I was 12, but I'll try putting things in reverse.

Danny starts fumbling with tying his shoes, laughing it off as being tired. Buttons take a few minuets, and even snap buttons become a bit hard. Odd, mildly confusing, but nothing to be concerned about. Then it progresses. He can't properly use tools anymore, it's like nothing is ever precise enough, everything takes a few tries to get it right. His fingers are fumbling everything, his handwriting turns to chickenscratch that not even he can read at times, he struggles to comb his hair because it's hard to coordinate movements, his back teeth are always textured because he struggles to brush his teeth and he can't really reach the back ones properly anymore.

I don't know if this is connected to small motor or not, but he starts dragging his feet and the toes of his shoes wear out quicker because walking while lifting his feet any higher doesn't feel right. This was something I had fixed during occupational therapy, but I don't know if it was just me or not.

Eventually, it becomes sunlight-on-clean-pact-snow levels of blindingly obvious that something is incredibly wrong. Danny's hair is knotted and half-matted because he is unable to brush it properly, when he smiles there is plaque on some parts of his teeth and not others, he always wears slip-on shoes or his laced shoes are always untied, buttons always seem like they could unslip because they're only half-buttoned, zippers in his jackets getting stuck in shirts and he doesn't bother to fix it, teachers can no longer read his assignments and his friends can't read his notes. Nobody can ignore it, but nobody knows how to help when Danny gets so clearly frustrated when he has to do something with his hands and it just doesn't work. It seems like he suddenly developed a hole in his lip, since he always had to lean far over his bowl or plate to not end up on food with his shirt because his hands can't hold silverware steady.

But Phantom? None of those issues. He became a ghost after being electrocuted, of course. Why would there be damage from the initial creation of this half? It could be why he ends up enjoying fighting the ghosts, his hands actually work with him instead of against him.

Feel free to take this idea and do what you want with it, I really liked writing this!

Also if you use this for a fic, please comment the link if possible, I wanna see all the ways people use this :)

Edit: So I started a mini-series about this. Is it any good? Probably not, but writing makes me happy.

Noticed But Hoping For The Best

[unclewaynemunson]

@bigskyandthecoldgun made this very big-brained post about the perfect miscommunication potential of Eddie's heart monitor betraying his feelings for Steve while he's recovering. @mostrizzaward asked me to write it and how could I say no to that :D

The first time Steve sets foot in Eddie's hospital room is terrifying. Eddie is as pale as a dead man. He has dozens of wires attached to his body, that are connected to just as many machines and monitors displaying complicated graphs, all softly beeping at varying intervals. Everyone in the room talks in soft, grave voices and all the nurses and doctors have matching serious frowns on their faces.

But what seemed to be impossible happens on a dreary Wednesday afternoon in April: Eddie opens his eyes for the very first time since he passed out in Dustin's arms. Steve is at work when that happens, but rushes to the hospital as soon as he can, and suddenly Eddie's room seems a lot less terrifying than before. Because Eddie is grinning at him from his bed, even though he's still pale and weak. He's not only alive, he's awake. It's a goddamn miracle. His wide grin is familiar despite the big scar that has marred his cheek. Fuck, Steve doesn't think he'll ever be able to put into words how much he missed that smile.

Eddie rasps his name as a greeting and Steve comes closer to the bed. But then, something weird happens.

The machines around Eddie's bed are still beeping, but there's less of them now. The electronic symphony of noises has been reduced to a duet of two different beep patterns that are clearly distinguishable from each other. And one of them speeds up rapidly when Steve leans over the bed in an awkwardly angled attempt to give Eddie a hug.

“You okay?” Steve asks, worried. He wonders if he should call for a nurse.

“Yeah, man,” Eddie mumbles. His eyes flash towards the monitor in question for a second and a blush creeps over his white cheeks. He seems ill at ease; Steve can't quite put his finger on it but there's something weirdly awkward about the whole thing. He seems otherwise fine, though, so Steve decides no nurses will be necessary.

He clears his throat and takes a seat in the chair next to the bed. For a moment, he wonders why he's even here. They weren't exactly friends before all of this happened. It would be perfectly normal for Eddie not to want him around – and yet here he is, visiting him in the hospital like it's the most normal thing in the world. What is he even doing here?

But then, Eddie starts talking about how his uncle was with him when he woke up and gave him this book he's been wanting to buy for ages.

“He cried, Steve, I've never seen him cry in my life, but he was bawling, I'm not kidding!”

Despite his animated tone, Eddie's voice is still weak and his eyes keep falling shut even while he is talking. Steve knows that he shouldn't overstay his welcome and let Eddie rest, but he finds himself too captivated in how alive Eddie is, even though his whole presence – his loud voice, his broad arm gestures, his expressive face – seems a little bit toned down. So when Eddie tells him with a vague gesture to his nightstand that he tried to read his new book, but found himself too tired to focus properly, Steve finds himself proposing to read it to Eddie before he even realizes what he's doing.

And then the weird thing happens again. Eddie starts smiling at the exact same time the heart monitor accelerates.

Steve chooses to pretend like he doesn't notice. Instead, he takes the book from the nightstand and flips it open on the first page. He starts reading aloud, but he can't really keep his attention on the words that come out of his own mouth. He can't help but feel like he made a mistake. Is the heart monitor signaling to him that his presence is making Eddie uncomfortable? Shouldn't he have left Eddie alone to rest when he started getting tired? Why the hell did he ever think it'd be a good idea to read to him in the first place? He's never been a good reader, and certainly not a performer like Eddie. So he awkwardly stumbles his way through the words on the pages, in no way able to keep up with the complicated plot and no doubt failing spectacularly in the use of voices and appropriately ominous pauses and whatnot. Whenever he glances up from the pages, he finds Eddie leaning into his pillow with his eyes closed and a faint smile around his lips, only to find out he's lost track of where he was when he directs his attention back to the book in his hands.

It doesn't take long until Eddie's breathing becomes audibly deeper and evens out. Steve softly closes the book. He allows himself a few moments to do nothing but stare at Eddie's face and be grateful for the absence of a breathing tube between his lips, showing that he's only sleeping this time. Then, he gets up and tiptoes out of the room.

***

The weird thing with the heart monitor keeps happening every time Steve visits Eddie. It happens when he greets him, when he starts reading to him, and especially whenever he helps him adjust his position in the bed he's still chained to. Every time they touch, every time Steve gets close to him in any way, like clockwork. And every time, it's paired with some kind of physical reaction on Eddie's part: a blush on his cheeks, a somewhat forced chuckle, or sometimes even a badly concealed flinch, away from where Steve's hands are touching Eddie.

Steve pretends not to notice it, for Eddie's sake, but it can only happen so many times before he has to face the clear and obvious truth here: his presence is making Eddie extremely uncomfortable.

One part of it still doesn't make sense, though: Eddie actually asks him to read to him or to help him sit up or lie down again, and the next thing he knows, Eddie will suddenly be avoiding his gaze and that goddamn heart monitor will make it sound like Eddie is trying to break a sprint record instead of lounging in his bed, and he'll recoil from Steve's touch like he doesn't want his hands anywhere around him.

Steve muses over Eddie's odd behavior for days before he comes to the only logical conclusion: Eddie is actually repulsed by him and is too polite to tell him the truth. It's the only explanation that makes sense. It's just like what Steve realized so clearly that first time after Eddie woke up: they weren't friends before this, so why should they be now? Steve has no business being at his bedside all of a sudden, and Eddie doesn't have the heart to be mean to him and spell that out for him.

He can't even blame Eddie for it. For most of the time they've known each other, Steve was a major asshole, everybody knows that. Sure, they're twenty now and Steve has moved past high school stereotypes when he got close to Robin, but still... Those stereotypes made up everything about who they were, how they were perceived and who they interacted with for four whole years of their lives – six even, in Eddie's case. Eddie doesn't have any reason to want to let that go like Steve did.

He would never admit it to anyone, but the conclusion he reaches breaks Steve's heart: he should stay away from Eddie. Eddie has every right not to like having Steve around and Steve certainly doesn't want to add to his discomfort. He has been through enough, Steve wouldn't want to make this whole long and painful process of recovery even worse for Eddie by imposing his unwanted presence on him.

It doesn't matter that Steve has started to look forward to his hospital visits like they're the very best part of his week. It doesn't matter that Steve's heart starts racing for whole other reasons than Eddie's whenever they're close, whenever they're touching or whenever Eddie is smiling that beautiful smile of his. It doesn't matter that Steve wants nothing more than to keep reading to Eddie even though he still doesn't have a clue what that stupid book is about. None of it matters, because that's simply the price one has to pay for being an asshole and a bully in high school.

It doesn't matter, because there are way worse things than the guy you've developed feelings for secretly harboring a grudge against you. He still has Robin, he still has his little nerds, he even has Nancy back; as a friend, this time, which is honestly better than things ever were between them. He has the knowledge that Eddie survived and will be getting better with each passing day. Maybe he can start dating again, find a cute girl with blue eyes and blonde hair who doesn't remind him of the one person he can't be around, and it'll all be fine again. It doesn't matter.

Update: there's now a sequel post :D

[nxtaliaistyping]

Just Cooper Adams putting cameras in your apartment <3

18+ nsfw, non consensual filming

He's always looking out for your safety, he's a gentleman in that way. Never lets you walk next to the road, always is alert and on the lookout when you both are in a public setting, always having a firm grip on your waist when you go anywhere together.

So when he pays for you to have a nail appointment, you're gushing over him for being so kind, so sweet, so gentlemanly. With a smile he returns the hug, his expression unbroken and unfeeling as he waves you off. With you occupied, he can let himself into your apartment easily, rolling his shoulders before getting to work.

Obtaining the small surveillance cameras had been easier than he expected, the perfect size to be hidden in plain sight. He rigs them up, some in your living room, your bedroom, your bathroom. Connecting them all to his phone, he grins as he sees the live feed of himself on his screen. Perfect.

And of course you don't notice when you return, settling in as he explained he was busy tonight. Going about your routine, your mundane activities, not knowing you were being watched.

"Look at her, isn't she just a doll?"

The terrified man squirms, tied to the chair with tape fixed over his mouth as he glances at the phone thrust in front of him. Cooper grins with a selfish pride, forcing his victim to watch you as you sat on the sofa on your phone, pajamas showing your thighs in a way that's so tantalizing to the butcher.

"Come on, you agree don't you? Nod if you agree."

Scared beyond belief, the man nods quickly, sweat dripping from his forehead. Cooper looks at him before glancing back at his phone. You adjust yourself on the cushions, laying back a little which gives him a better view of your chest.

"Yeah, she's a similar age to you. Maybe you would have been friends, not that you'll ever know of course."

Oblivious to what your lover is currently up to, you stay sat on the sofa, time passing by pretty quickly as you doomscroll idly. However a text message from Cooper cuts through the noise of social media, and you tap to bring it up. You swear your heart beats faster immediately as you see the picture; his obvious bulge in his black jeans, with his big hand holding his belt.

You squirm immediately, panties dampening as you hurriedly text back a response. When you both started sleeping together, he didn't quite understand the art of sexting. But you'd explained what you liked, and how it could be fun for the both of you when you had to be apart (and even sent a lot of photos of your own to prove your point).

Cooper smirks, watching your reaction in real time, his hair damp with sweat. Killing really can take it out of you. He notices how you haven't commented on the stain present on his jeans, maybe you didn't notice or thought it was something mundane. He'd tried to rub most of the blood off, but unfortunately the mark remained.

It was aggravating him to not be able to clean, to wash and get himself back to looking presentable. But the ache in his cock needed to be fixed, as he hurriedly sought to free himself. His phone vibrates with a call from you, and he answers and places it on loudspeaker, so he can continue to watch you on the camera feed.

"Oh honey, did that picture make you all hot and bothered?" he coos, and at your confirmation he continues, "Was thinking about you, that's why. You always get me like this."

You bite your lip, phone to your ear as your hands go down your body. But Cooper can't have that just yet.

"Are you touching yourself?" he asks, feigning ignorance.

"Not yet." you say, your hands stopping at your thighs. Oh good girl.

"Do you want to? I can give you permission."

You beg eagerly, which he delights in hearing and seeing. Once he does, he watches closely as you tug down your shorts and eagerly dip your fingers between your legs. He groans, fisting his cock to the sight.

"Aren't you gonna ask what i'm wearing?" you tease, to which he laughs.

"Of course sweetheart, what are you wearing tonight?"

You tell him, rubbing circles on your clit as he smirks darkly at your image. He tells you how much he misses you, how much he needs you while he jerks his cock to how you desperately squirm on your own sofa.

A part of him does feel like a pervert, but how could he deny himself such a delicious view? Besides, he's really keeping you extra safe. He more than anyone understands how dangerous the world really is, how cruel it can be to such a pretty young thing. Why shouldn't he take extra precautions when it comes to you? And if gets something out of it well...surely that's just a bonus.

"Doing so good for me honey, so so good. Always a good girl f'me, isn't that right?"

He can observe how his praise makes you move your fingers faster, whimpering into your phone. Feeling his orgasm build, he demands you to touch your chest for him, delighting when you obey. Your smaller fingers groping at your tits, pinching your nipples at his instructions to make you gasp.

"Yeah, gonna make me cum baby. God you look so fucking pretty."

If you weren't so close to cumming, you'd have picked up on his word choice, but it's hard when it feels like your brain is leaking out of your cunt. You orgasm with a breathy whine, tipping him over the edge as he spills all over his hand. Wincing a little at the mess, he looks at you for a final time. God you look so pretty, lips parted as your breathing returns to normal, pulling up your shorts.

"Clean up sweetheart, i'll be home soon."

[horatiocomehome]

Hi my dream last night did something to me so here's a word dump I wrote immediately after waking up so I could get catharsis.

What if... instead of looping, Siffrin just came back to life?

~~~

You should've known it was too easy. No traps, only weak sadnesses, keys in relatively obvious places. It was so easy to get through the first floor.

But now there's a large sadness, and you've taken one hit too many.

As you fall to the ground you see your party close ranks in front of you. To protect you.

You see Bonnie, running up, with a crafted water.

Your vision is going dark.

There's a flicker, above Bonnie. It's…

The sadness it's arm above Bonnie it's attacking.

You tackle Bonnie. Something slams into your back.

You can't move anything except twitch your fingers you ca n't look up just at the floor

Bonnie's boots are there someone is screaming

You aren't g oing to make it.

You wanted more time w ith them you want to live you want t o stay with them you want to stay with them YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE YOU W ANT T O S T A Y W I T H TH

GAME OVER > continue > quit

You wake up from a deep sleep. You had a bad dream last night.

Someone's pulled the sheets up over your head. You toss them off.

Oh.

You aren't in your bed. You're back in your dream.

This is where you died.

It's quiet, now. No sadness. No party.

You look to the side, at the sheets you tossed off that weren't really sheets but your cloak, neatly draped over you where you were stretched out. Like a corpse.

Did you really die? But you're back here, so you couldn't have, right?

Maybe they gave you crafted water and it only just kicked in? But then where's the rest of your party?

There's a sickening certainty setting in to your gut.

You died, didn't you. And somehow you're back.

Your party left without you.

Good. They still need to kill the king.

Maybe… you can still catch up. You need to find them. You're okay! They'll be so happy to see you!

You stagger to your feet. You're a little light-headed, dizzy for a moment, then it passes. You put back on your cloak, grab your hat where it sits (right above where your head used to lie) and put it back on. Onwards you go.

There aren't any sadnesses, as you walk through the halls. Did they manage to defeat them all without you? Or was there some kind of reprieve after that large sadness?

You hope they got a bit of rest.

As you turn the corner, you see an open doorway, hear quiet voices coming through.

You don't know why you pause.

"—if we can't bring him with us, can't we bring him here at least?" you hear Mirabelle whisper, with a desperation that turns your stomach.

"I'm with Mira." Isa's voice is louder but still technically a whisper. He sounds so serious. "What if more sadnesses come? What if—"

You realize they're talking about your body. A shiver goes down your back.

"No." Odile's voice is steel in a way that makes you flinch. "We need to keep moving. We can't go back for them, or bring them with us. And sadnesses are just as likely to come here as that other room."

"BUT—" Mirabelle starts to protest.

You stop listening and force yourself to start moving forward. They don't have to fight! You're right here! You—

You freeze again as Bonnie walks through the doorway. They hug the wall as soon as they make it through the doorway, shooting a glance back over their shoulder before looking back down at the ground.

"Jus' need to make it to Dormont," they whisper so quiet you can barely hear. "I can do that. Just make it to Dormont. They'll all be fine."

They're sniffling as they shuffle along the wall towards you. Still not looking.

"I can make it back to Dormont. Then they won't worry about me and I won't hold them back like a crabbing baby and they'll be just fine and I'll freeze with all the other little kids and wait for them to—"

"Bonbon?" You ask.

They freeze, and turn towards you. Their eyes are dark and puffy.

When they lock eyes with you there's a beat and then they scream, terrified.

There's yelling from the other room. You ignore it. Your stomach is dropping like it's made of lead and you drop to your knees, stretching your arms wide. "Bonnie, no! See, look, I'm okay! I'm alright!"

They take a step back. "F-frin? Yyyou… died?"

"I got better!"

Bonnie tackles you into a hug and you don't have time to flinch as you fall back onto the tile floor, so you just wrap your arms around them. Over their head you see your other companions burst through the door, weapons at the ready.

"I HATE YOU," Bonnie is scream sobbing into your chest. "I HATE YOU I THOUHT YOU WERE DEAD YOU'RE A CRABBING IDIOT I HATE YOU."

Your heart twists but they're still holding you so tight, so you keep hugging them back. Your companions lower their weapons looking like they've seen a ghost.

Maybe they have.

You don't have time to think about it because then they're rushing in to hug you too, the warmth of their bodies pressing into yours, their tears dripping onto you—and you're crying as well, and even Odile, who hung back, has a glint on her cheek.

"I'm back," you say. Bonnie is still sobbing into your chest, but they've stopped yelling at you. "I'm alive. We're all going to be okay."

[steveshairychest]

Steve and Robin have been working at the plant nursery for months. It was the only job that would hire them both, and it's honestly been the best job they've had.

Steve loves taking care of the plants, loves the way the outdoor plants wave at him in the wind and sparkle in the sunlight after he's watered them. No one gives him weird looks when he talks to the plants because everyone that comes in understands, they're all plant people too, they know talking to plants is hard to resist. Steve loves that they are very good listeners, especially the ferns in the back corner of the nursery. They brush their long arms against Steve's cheek and make him feel so much better after he's finished dumping all his problems on the poor plant.

And then they get a new employee, a guy with long curly hair and too many tattoos and piercings for Steve to count. His name is Eddie. And he does not have a green thumb. Not at all.

Steve can't understand why the nursery hired this guy! He's hopeless!

Steve watches in horror from behind his beloved ferns as Eddie accidentally chops the head off one of the gorgeous rose blooms while pruning and then tries to hide the evidence. He walks away from the rose bush with the poor chopped off bloom clenched tightly in his fist and then he dumps it in the compost bin.

Steve spends the rest of the afternoon glaring at the new guy while talking to the poor rose bush. Eddie flushes a shade of red similar to the rose he murdered any time Steve looks at him, and Steve hates how pretty he looks, hates that it causes a small smile to pull at his lips.

And then Eddie drops a watering can on a peace lily, a peace lily that Steve spent weeks nurturing back to life and the spell Eddie put on him with his flushed cheeks and big, brown eyes is broken.

Robin pities the poor new guy, she can see he's struggling, so she just makes him do all the heavy lifting with her. She doesn't want him anywhere near Steve's precious plants. She saw Steve reach for his giant pruning shears a few days ago when Eddie went near his ferns.

"You know he's terrified of you." Robin says to Steve on their joint lunch break. They're sitting on a stack of soil bags watching Eddie potter around and show people the plants they're looking for. Steve will give him that, he's good with people. Really good.

"Why? I'm nice." Steve takes a bite of his sandwich and avoids Robin's stare. He knows she's giving him the 'don't bullshit me' stare and if he looks, he'll crumble and do something ridiculous like admit he has been kinda mean to the new guy and that he should have just helped him out from the start instead of threatening to chop his fingers off every time he touched Steve's plants.

Steve sighs. "OK, fine. I've been a dick." Robin nods and steals the last bite of Steve's sandwich.

"Now, make it right and play nice with the pretty boy."

"He's not pretty."

"That's not what you said to your precious ferns yesterday. I think you said –" Steve walks off before she can finish and ignores her laughter as he stalks over to where Eddie is crouched in front of the baby succulents.

Steve clears his throat to get his attention and the poor guy jumps in fright and nearly smacks a succulent off the stand. "Steve! Hi! I was just talking to them. I promise."

Steve stifles a laugh and sits down on the floor in front of the low plant stand. He gently pulls a dead leaf off one plant before offering Eddie a smile, a truce. "That's good. They like it when you talk to them. I actually sing to them when I'm here alone." His sudden gentleness must spook Eddie because he just blinks at Steve, his mouth open slightly as he stares in disbelief that Steve actually just spoke to him.

"You can sing?" Eddie sits down next to him and mirrors Steve's actions; gently pulling dead leaves off and checking the soil.

"No, I can't." He laughs. "But the plants don't seem to mind."

They sit in silence for a minute before Steve gathers up his small pile of dead leaves and stands up, Eddie follows suit. "I'm sorry I've been such a dick." Steve rushes out before he loses the courage to admit it. "It's just... you're awful with plants."

Eddie laughs, the sound catches Steve off guard and echoes around the nursery, and Steve realises in that moment that he's never heard Eddie laugh before. It's loud and beautiful and Steve wants to hear it again. Every day.

"I know. I don't have a green thumb at all, but this is the only job that would take me. I think the plants want me to quit."

Steve wanted him to quit. He'd grumbled to Robin about it nearly every day. Eddie knew that and he still stayed. He smiles at Steve in a way that says he doesn't mind, he's just teasing.

But Steve still feels like a total asshole.

"I could teach you how to look after them properly." Steve offers. "I should have offered to help weeks ago." He adds on quietly as they walk through the rows and rows of plants. Steve touches all of them gently, he grazes his fingers along their leaves in a friendly greeting.

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot." Eddie says with a smile so bright it could rival the sun and cause all of the flowers to bloom.

They spend nearly every day at work together after that. Steve helps Eddie learn all the plants' names, their technical names and the secret names Steve's given them all. Steve shows him how to prune and shape the baby hedges and tries not to blush when their fingers touch while passing over the shears. Eddie is a fast learner. He absorbs everything Steve says and then executes it perfectly. He looks over at Steve and smiles excitedly after he successfully prunes the rose bush without chopping a single bloom off.

The more time they spend together, the more Steve becomes aware of the feeling blooming in his chest. It tickles his ribs and causes him to blush and bump shoulders with Eddie more often, causes him to tuck a stray piece of hair behind Eddie's ear and brush his hand along Eddie’s back whenever he passes him.

The new bloom in his heart causes him to kiss Eddie in the back corner of the nursery behind the ferns.

Turns out Eddie has a green thumb after all because there is something so beautiful blooming between them, and so far only the ferns know about it.

[drarrily-we-row-along]

"What?" Harry asked, whined really, squirming a bit in his seat and trying not to feel too pleased. Or rather, trying not to let how pleased he was feeling show on his face.

"What, what?" Draco asked, grinning at Harry as he scooped another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth and continued to look at Harry with that particular gleam in his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, grin stealing over his face without his permission. In his lap, his fingers twisted around themselves as his heart fluttered around in his chest.

Fond. So impossibly fond. Looking at Harry like he was absolutely enthralled by his very existence. "Like what?"

Harry opened his mouth, closed it again, and shook his head. He looked down at his hands in his lap, fingers twisting while his heart continued its merry jig. "Like you love me," he murmured, shy and terrified of being too much, of reading too much into the expression on the other man's face, afraid that he was wrong.

"Harry," Draco said, voice light with gentle laughter.

He looked up, couldn't help himself, only to see that Draco's face was still doing that. Draco was still looking at Harry with such delight, such affection, that Harry couldn't breathe with it. His body was going to simply cease to exist, it wasn't possible for him to exist when he felt this loved, when he felt this happy.

"Is that all my face is saying to you?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head, looked away, bit his lip to stop the smile that was a product of the warmth that had spread from his chest and up his neck, warm and sweet as honey it filled his limbs, filled his brain, tried to erase his fears and doubts with more success than Harry would like, if he was being honest. Fears and doubts kept him safe, kept him from falling too far, falling too hard, falling into a place from which there was no returning.

"Do you want to tell me what else my face is saying?" he asked, teasing, and Harry ached with it.

He never wanted this moment to end. Never wanted to leave this place, leave this love, leave this perfect, crystalline day. Harry shook his head again, he couldn't say it. He couldn't tell Draco what else he saw on his face because what if he was wrong? What if he was just projecting all of his hopes and his dreams, but it wasn't really how Draco felt?

"I'm so into you," Draco sighed, resting his chin in his hand.

Harry looked up at him, couldn't help it. The smile was too big, too wide, his heart in his mouth ready to just spill his guts for what was surely not the first and hopefully not the last time.

"You're so attractive," he continued, giving Harry the words that he so longed to hear. "I love getting to spend time with you. I love when you look like this."

"Like what?" Harry asked, wondering what Draco saw when he looked at him, wondering if Harry said as loudly with his face and with his body that Draco was loved, was cherished. He wondered if Draco knew that he always wanted to be with him; always wanted to hold his hand, to cuddle on the sofa, to eat meals together, to tease him and make him laugh, to hold him when he was sad. "What do I look like?"

"Like you know you're loved," Draco said simply. "You look so happy, and I can't," he broke off, shaking his head, "I can't believe I get to be the one to put that look on your face."

He laughed, "What?" Without his permission, his fingers reached for Draco's, ghosting over his knuckles before Draco's fingers caught his and slid together.

"I love getting to make you happy," Draco said, shrugging helplessly, as he continued to look at Harry like he never wanted to look at anything else, face so open, so delighted that Harry felt like he couldn't quite look at him.

"I want to make you happy too," he said, squeezing his fingers, afraid, so afraid, that he was taking too much and unable to give Draco enough in return.

Draco lifted his hand, pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles, "You do. Harry," he said softly and Harry met his gaze once more. "You make me so happy."

"Yeah?" he asked helplessly, needing the reassurance, needing to hear the words to see his face when he said it.

"Yes," he said, huffing an incredulous laugh as he brushed his lips over Harry's knuckles once more.

"I love you." The words flooded out of his mouth, spilled between them without his permission. "So much, Draco. Do you know that too?"

"Of course I do," Draco assured softly, squeezing his hand. "Yes."

"A lot," Harry added, just in case his face wasn't as good at telling Draco as Draco's was at telling Harry. Just in case all of the love that filled up every nook and crevice in his body was being missed, just in case all of the love he felt and expressed differently was somehow not as readable, was somehow not enough.

"I know, love," he assured again, thumb brushing over Harry's wrist.

He squeezed the other man's hand, "It's different," he whispered, even though Draco already knew that, "Different than how you love me."

"Harry-" he started.

"But it's really big," he said, eyes filling with tears, "I love you so much."

"Hey," Draco said, moving so he could pull Harry into a hug, tucking him under his arm and letting Harry hide his face in his neck. "Hey," he soothed, "It's alright. I know, sweetheart. I know you love me just as much as I love you. I know."

"Promise?" Harry whispered.

He nodded, pressing his face into Harry's curls. "Yes, love. I promise. You're so good," he whispered.

He let out a soft sound, somewhere between a whimper and a word of dissent.

"You're so good. It's such a gift to be able to love you. You're such a good gift."

He wrapped an arm around Draco's waist.

"I love you," he murmured into his hair.

Harry nodded.

"Thanks for letting me," he added.

Harry hummed, he wanted to be loved more than anything, wanted this more than anything. But he could understand what Draco meant, it was scary to allow yourself to be loved, to believe that you are worthy of such a thing. Scary to imagine what could happen if you let yourself open up to the possibility of blossoming into a person who is loved, scary to imagine what would happen if you came to need someone else. Maybe sometimes part of loving someone else was allowing yourself to be loved in return. Maybe believing that someone loves you and letting them is itself an act of love to them. "I'm a little afraid."

Draco nodded, "that's okay. I am too sometimes."

"What do you do?" Harry asked.

He hummed, "Well, I ask if I can just let myself be happy."

"What?"

Draco shrugged, "I ask if I can just let myself be happy," he repeated. "Can today be enough for today? Can I just enjoy all of the good that this relationship has to offer without worrying about the possible loss in the future?"

"Can you?"

"Sometimes," he replied and Harry could hear the smile in his voice. "I try to. Because today is all we have and grieving what I do not know today has never made loss later any easier."

Harry sighed, snuggling a little closer.

"So, Harry Potter, can you just let yourself be happy today?"

He took a deep breath, thought about it, and nodded. He could do that. He could just let himself be happy. One day at a time.

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

Read more of my fics, if you’d like

[bonny-kookoo]

Hii, i came on here after months and i immediately fell in love with the i like you couple..

i’m gonna be true to my angst loving ass and ask: how do we have to imagine the situation when kook lashes out with words? do you have a little snippet or something for that maybe or obviously you can just simply answer it’s up to you:) is he mean mean and how does oc deal with him during those times?:|

AN: Haha, warning for angst, obviously. -Masterlist

He knows he's being unreasonable. He should just apologize that he forgot, and move on with it- but for some reason, it's been growing over his head, out of his hands. The jokes of his supposed 'friends' at the gym about his new 'barbie' girlfriend, the fact that he's dealing with jealousy for the first time, and now, you just being reasonably upset over the fact that he knew he had to pick you up from work today, and simply.. didn't.

He doesn't even know why he didn't do it. He just felt too shitty to really get up from his couch.

"Are you even listening to me right now?" You whine, and at that, he snaps.

"I'm not, no, because it's really hard to keep up with the amount of words you're spewing right now." He bites at you, and you're visibly taken aback by his tone. "I get it, I fucked up, jesus christ yeah you had to walk home for once, get over it! Next time get yourself a fucking cab maybe, I'm not your personal slave!" He scoffs, leaving you in the kitchen by yourself, while he himself locks himself in the bathroom to shower, and maybe calm down.

Fucking hell, he'd never yelled like that before. Especially not at you.

He feels like shit as his mood starts to shift underneath the warm water from the shower, guilt creeping up on him. He knows you can't do your drivers license because you're terrified of driving yourself- and yeah, maybe that's why he used that fact to hurt you. He also knows you're insecure about asking things of him- so yeah.

Now that he thinks about it, that was a low blow.

But he just wanted you to stop being so mad at him, he just wanted to have you be quiet for once, because he just couldn't take anymore today.

But he knows it's wrong to be like this. Especially with you, his fucking girlfriend. You had every right to be upset at him, and he deserved the way you were mad at him. Hell, you didn't even curse at him once, he just realized, you were so fucking gentle in telling him that you are disappointed- you never said you were mad at him for not picking him up.

You were just mad that he didn't say anything, making you worry if he was okay.

Fuck.

He dries off, get's dressed, and reemerges from the bathroom with a shameful stance, ready to apologize-

when he notices his apartment is empty. You've left, and he didn't even hear you leave, meaning you must've made sure he didn't notice. A text is sent to you, but he decides to try and call you straight after- but you don't pick up.

Another text is unanswered. Read, but never replied to.

The next few texts over the course of the night don't even get a 'read' anymore. He knows he must've hurt you to ignore him like that, because usually, you'll make your emotions known. You're bold and honest and open, it's what he loves about you- and right now, it terrifies him.

He wants you to shout at him. Yell at him, curse him out over text, anything.

But even the day after, you refuse to acknowledge any of his attempts at communication- even a knock on your door being ignored.

He really fucked up, didn't he?

"Pretty shit being ignored, hm?" You say behind him, putting the heavy looking grocery bags down next to you. He can see the way your fingers are red- they must be hurting bad from the weight of the bags having to be carried all the way from the store up here to your apartment. But even now that he's here, you slap his hands away from the bags when he tries to help, taking them from him instead. "You're not my slave, stop acting like it." You snap, not sparing him a glance as you take your bags inside, his hand quickly reaching out so the door can't fall shut.

"I'm sorry I said that-" He shamefully admits, quietly so, as he watches you unpack the groceries and put them away.

"hmhm." You just hum, still not looking at him.

He wants to say something, but he can't- he doesn't know what he should say, what he can say to make you feel just a little better. So he turns around, when suddenly, your hands slap your babypink kitchen counter.

"So now you're just gonna fuck off?" You say, loudly so, finally looking at him. "That's it? Just leave her be and she'll crawl back eventually?" You accuse, and he shakes his head. "Then what? What's the plan here?!" You yell, and he feels like a little kid getting scolded.

"I don't know what else to do." He whines a little, unsure, uncomfortable. He doesn't want to be in this situation, that's true- and usually, he would do exactly what you accuse him of. Leave, and hope that once he feels better, people will come back to him.

"You're my fucking boyfriend!" You whine, turning around to have your body face him. "I don't know, fucking hug me, or hold my hand, or give me a fucking sign that you care about me!" You say, voice cracking a bit. "We talked about this, Jungkook. I need things like that, I-" You swallow, hard. "-I need, like, something. Give me anything. I feel horrible right now." You beg, and at that he walks towards you, holds you close and sways you from side to side a bit while you hide your face in his chest. "I really love you, but that was mean.." You whimper, and he nods.

"I know." He agrees. "I'm sorry. I really am." He tells you again, and you nod, trying to break free again- but he doesn't budge. "No- you're right." He suddenly says. "I don't.. ever really hold you. I don't make any effort at all." Jungkook sighs, realizing what's been making you so uneasy since the beginning of your relationship. "I just.. I guess, hoped it would turn out okay. That my life is gonna.. stay the same, just with you in it now." He offers, and you cling a bit to the back of his shirt. "But that's the lazy way. And I should stop being lazy."

"I'm sorry I'm so difficult." You mumble against his chest. "I try not to be so clingy-"

"No, be clingy." He disagrees. "You've been... adjusting all the time. All up until now. If anything, you were forced to be my slave, not the other way around." Jungkook realizes. "And that.. needs to stop. I'll be better from now on." He promises.

"I don't want you to change-" You start, but he shakes his head again.

"'I'm not changing." He denies. "I'm gonna adjust, just like you did for me. I love when you're clingy, and loud, and dancing around in the morning, and when you send me weird pictures of dogs you meet every day." He chuckles. "I want to, you know.. aahrgh this is so fucking weird-" He complains to himself, and he laughs.

"No no no, go on, you're doing great." You joke, laughing along.

"I wanna.. you know. Call you stuff." He admits, and you lean away at that to look at him.

"Like, during sex? Geez we've not even had sex yet-" You start, but he shakes his head, ears red, clearly embarrassed.

"No, like.. you know. You call me stuff all the time." He tries again, and you suddenly seem to realize.

"Oooh, like Baby? Babe? Hot guy?" You say, and he nods.

"I don't wanna call you the last one but you get the point." He shrugs, and you nod.

"You don't have to, you know." You say, your arms now resting around his neck. "We can just do small steppies." You shrug.

"I know, but I want to." He admits. "It's just.. hard for me. So, I don't know.. please be patient with me." He carefully asks, and you suddenly smile, pulling him down for a quick peck on his lips.

"I can do that." You nod, before you part from him, dancing towards one of the grocery bags. "Now.. let's eat some icecream!" You laugh, and he shakes his head with a smile.

Happy that he's finally got you back.

[lost-in-fandoms]

I know maybe you're not in the mood right now but any thoughts about Tarzan!Max? I'd accept thoughts about any of your pics because everything is amazing tbh but there's something about Tarzan!Max discovering a new world through Daniel and discovering how amazing is to fall in love.

Does Daniel take him to his farm? I think Max in Daniel's farm would be hilarious, amazed by everything and finding a family in Daniel's family too.

babe i am always down to talk about my boy in all and any situations! sorry this took a while, i took a little nap and then couldn't think about anything but!!!

(the first thing I thought was like..how do you get a whole person through customs. obviously max doesn't have a passport or any form of id so would they have to go through a sort of immigration procedure? but he's not emigrating from anywhere???? i guess i'll leave that problem to them sdfbdjhbf)

I love the idea of Daniel taking Max to his farm.

I'm imagining like. The jungle is Max's home right? But I imagine he's a little less in contact with his monkey pack. He likes to wander around and he has his own little hidey holes and his own places to sleep. So when he imprints on Daniel, he sees Daniel's "pack" as his new family. (and I am now thinking about Max trying to "groom" Daniel or Josh or whoever, gently raking his fingers through their hair and fiddling with their clothes and cleaning dirt smudges away after licking his thumb).

So when Daniel asks if Max wants to go with them, both because he can't imagine leaving another human being in the jungle and because he can't imagine leaving Max behind, Max goes. And in whatever way they manage to do it, Daniel brings him to his farm.

He understands that Max will probably never be ready to live in a city or close to a lot of people, he needs to be close to nature, and even if the nature in Daniel's farm is different from the jungle, it's still better than most options.

I imagine at first Max will struggle to adapt. He is used to have a lot of space to roam, to have trees to swing from, a whole different climate, a whole different diet. and now Daniel asks he wears at least underwear and a tshirt most of the time, he has to eat different foods, it rains so much less? where is the rain? how is he supposed to be clean if there is no river?

Daniel has to really help him through a lot. it helps that Max is learning to communicate more and more every day, but sometimes they bump into a new roadblock that they weren't expecting, and Daniel is reminded about how different Max's life has been so far. (would love to explore an overstimulated-by-electronic-noises max when i have more energy maybe. or a deeply-sad-because-where-is-my-jungle max)

But I think Max also really enjoys learning new things. He is delighted by some of the simplest things, which makes Daniel look at life in a different way too. How did he never realise how amazing forks and knives are? why does he think so little about how incredible it is to be able to make ice in his own freezer? the wonders of a ceiling fan???

I can picture Max spending long minutes just staring at things. Clocks, the washing machine, the fan, the turned off television, the kitchen sink tap. turning lights on and off. flushing the toilet over and over. And I can also picture him taking apart stuff and then (try to) put it back together, like the toaster (was never the same), the blender (was left with several pieces on the counter), the tv remote (tried to eat the buttons).

Max being terrified of Daniel's phone and then, when he gets used to it, absolutely fascinated by it. Asking so many questions about everything that Daniel doesn't know the answer to and forcing him to look them up because Max will simply not stop asking until he has a satisfying answer.

On the other hand, Max taking care of the vegetable garden and the animals. Being so incredible at it that it becomes mainly his job. They're different from the animals he's used to, but he is amazed by the chickens and loves them so much. Sometimes he likes to just sit with them and pet them softly. He becomes best friends with the donkey and the alpacas. maybe Daniel gets him bunnies and at first he's worried Max will kill them when he's hungry, but Max is so so gentle with them and loves them all so much.

And in all this, Max loves Daniel. He does his best to make Daniel food, gives him little "gifts" (eggs from the chickens, tomatoes from the garden, a clean sweater straight from the drier, a glass of water with clinking ice), curls up around him at night because he always refuses to sleep in his own bed. He's very protective of Daniel and gets upset when Daniel needs to leave the farm for errands or other things.

And Daniel shifts from I am very fond of this weird jungle boy to I would very much love to sleep in your arms for the rest of my life with a side of oh my god when is this beefy jungle guy gonna rail me. He sees how gentle and sweet and smart Max is, how quickly he learns about things and adapt to this new life, how interested he is about everything, how he takes care of Daniel, the farm, the animals, and can't help but fall in love with it all.

And the first time Daniel kisses Max at the farm, they're on the couch, Max watching something on the tv, almost without blinking, and Daniel watching Max. He calls his name and when Max turns (because Daniel will always be more important than anything else, even if the guy in the tv is cooking beef and Max is kind of hungry) Daniel kisses him. Max stays still for a bit and then when Daniel pulls back Max licks his cheek in response. It's not perfect, but Daniel can teach him. and Max always learns.

[she-who-seek-happiness]

For those who have ADHD and/or autism.

I wanna to do a test to see if I'm autistic, have ADHD, both or neither. For some reason I'm terrified of knowing the truth. Sorry if I sound offensive at some point, I'm just writing about myself and don't mean to be mean at any point.

ADHD, the name changed right? Gonna use this one because I'm writing this quickly. If I have ok, that'd explain why I'm so forgetful and nothing catches my attention unless I'm interested in the topic. And why is so hard to focus. And why I never finish my projects. But I'm not hyper active. I'm a pretty calm person, I can't reall5sit and focus for too long, but give me a hair elastic thing and I'll play with it for hours while listening to you. And I'll be able to actually listen.

Don't ask me to look in your eyes tho, I will. But only for 5 minutes if you are lucky.

My mom a lot for times aska me for things and I completely forget about them, things that are important and I feel bad for forgetting.

But all of this could simply be me and no ADHD. I don't know.

Autism

Frankly I don't think I have autism. But the reports are just so relatable it scares me a bit. I was bullied a lot during my childhood. I remember in the first grade, I tried hard to make friends but I never was able to. To this day I don't know why. Why people didn't like me? I have a timeline of events in my head of my entire life, things that happened when I was 2 y.o. but I don't have details. I don't remember if i did something or not to be not liked. The first school that my parents put me in I was there for a year. In this whole year I didn't make a single friend. I remember I asked my parents for help to do a lost of people who were and weren't my friends simply to try to uncover the reason for that. Is this a sign of autism? Idk. Maybe I'm just out of the norm, but not autistic. Doesn't seem like autism. Autism is something that affects your day to day, every day life. I'm not sure if I have signs everyday.

I have trouble socializing. I have trouble making friends. I have trouble maintaining friendship. But I can understand sarcasm, jokes and I'm able to tell when people are sad or uncomfortable. so there's goes signs that the internet sites gave me. Sometimes I do have troubles talking and truly understanding what my parents say. Not because they are complex, but because I don't get it. There are easier ways to do things and they won't for some alien reason.

I have trouble understanding relationships, in the sense what it means to be in, part of or the different aspects of relationship. People expect things. Sometimes it feels like mathematical equations on which I have to be constant aware of. I gave to do this to get to that. A lot of times I feel like I'm manipulating the few relationships that I have big I can't see another way.

Don't you dare change my routine. I'll be messed up and although not cry, I'll be very close to. Unless the change is "we are not going outside of the house anymore", sudden things messes my little planned time. At the same time I can't really organize myself very well.

I do have some subjects on which I'm very passionate about. But I'm no genius on them and although I'd love to, I can't keep going on them for hours and hours because, as said before I can't communicate very well. My social skills are terrible, I don't know what to say most of the time but I feel like I should.

I don't think I have autism. I don't think I have ADHD. I think I'm only different from other people but can't put my finger exactly on what exactly. I don't feel like I really fall into the spectrum because I lack the usual signs. But I don't know how much of this is stereotyping both those conditions.

[hippiegoth97]

Into the Fire: An Eddie Munson x Reader Story Pt. 29

Collage by me :)

Master List

Part 28

Tag List: @keikoraven @ar-jupiter @alcielo1438 @cairro-xx @stolen-in-moonlight

@micheledawn1975 @janiejenn @rafeyscurtainbangs @melodymunson @spacedoutdaydreamer

@veemoon @sariahs-stuff @feral-pumpkin-energy @comeonatmebruh @munsoneightysixx

@morgthemagpie @josephquinnsfreckles @jenniquinn @userchai @cometzombie

@spookybabey @daggerdaggerkitten @nina6708 @sanctumdemunson @yourdailymemedelivery

@person-005 @slowandsteddie @gri959 @elegantkoalapaper @letitgoandletlive

@loserboysandlithium @costellation-hunter @leelei1980 @h-ness1944 @pretendthisnameisclever

@ohmeg @stalactitekilla @hellfirenacht @birdysaturne @oneforthemunny

@prettyboyeddiemunson @eddievanmunson @msgexymunson @rattkween86 @violetpixiedust

@bimbobaggins69 @angel-munson @eldermayfield @munsonsbtch @bimbogorewhore

@mediocredreams @xxbimbobunnyxx @taintedcigs @ali-r3n @emxxblog

Content Warning 18+ Only, Minors DNI: swearing, nightmares, crying, sexual assault/coercion, domestic violence, drug use, suicidal thoughts, vomit, angst/anxiety, swearing, smut, fluff, crying, angst, light arguing, co-dependence, fingering, unprotected sex, rough sex, semi-public sex, mentions of sex toys, dirty talk, praise/degradation, squirting

Word Count: 14.1k

Divider by @strangergraphics

Part 29.1: Nights in White Satin

Wednesday, July 26th, 1989

"Where the hell is he?" You ask in annoyance, pacing back and forth across the living room carpet. You're biting the cuticle on your thumb, anxiously waiting for Murray Bauman to show up to your house. It's a few days after Eddie's birthday, and you've been on edge about this meeting all week. It's been distracting you at work, and you've been getting very little sleep the last couple days. Mass amounts of coffee and sugary snacks have been getting you through the day, stress eating definitely runs in the family.

You've got everyone in your corner gathered inside the house today. Mom, Dustin, Eddie, Robin, Steve, Nancy, and Jamie and Mr. Biggs from the theater. Harriet and the others are holding down the fort at work, allowing you the time to prepare for the trial. They're really only here in regards to the trial involving Tommy, they don't know anything about the situation between Jason and Chrissy and how you and Eddie got tangled up within it. But Murray mentioned on the phone that you needed to gather the witnesses who would be in your favor, who know of your character and what you may have told them about Tommy and his father harassing you.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon, sugarpuff. Why don't you sit down?" Mom pipes up, as everyone has been watching you pace for a good forty-five minutes.

"No. I'm good." You reply mindlessly, biting down harder on your thumb. You pull a piece of skin off of it with your teeth, causing the layer beneath to sting and bleed. "Fuck." You mutter, sucking on the fresh wound to relieve it.

"Sweetheart, you've gotta relax a little. The trials don't start for a month or two, it's not like you're going on the stand tomorrow." Eddie says, standing up from his seat to go to you. He puts himself in your way, placing his hands gently on your shoulders. You sigh loudly at him stopping you, dropping your hand away from your mouth.

"I know that, Eddie. But I can't help feeling like once it all starts, it's going to be an absolute shitshow." Eddie's about to dissuade your concerns, but you shake your head to stop him. "Both Jason and the Hagans can afford good lawyers. They're gonna tear us and Chrissy to pieces. They'll make it seem like we're lying, or we were 'asking for it'. And I'm terrified of having to deal with that in a room full of people. I'm terrified that I'll say one wrong thing and blow it." You sigh again, bringing your other thumb between your teeth now.

"Baby, you can't assume that it's all gonna go wrong, because then it definitely will. I'm sure this Bauman guy will show us all how to answer the questions and not screw it up. 'Kay?" Eddie speaks calmly to you, but his words provide little comfort. You're still catastrophizing inside your head, picturing the absolute worst case scenario. He's about to open his mouth to speak again, when the doorbell rings.

You leave his hold and go for the door. You open it to reveal a tall man with dark curly hair balding at the top, and a thick beard covering the lower half of his face. He's got silver aviator frames with brown-tinted lenses perched on his nose, and he's dressed in a tweed suit that fits a tad too large on his frame. He's holding a weather-beaten briefcase, and your nose crinkles at the bath of old cologne and strong aftershave he's drenched himself in.

"Ah, you must be Ms. Henderson! Sorry I'm late, I was looking for offensive graffiti!" Murray says with a light chuckle, pointing his thumb at the exterior of the house.

"Oh, they washed that off weeks ago." You reply awkwardly. This man is proving to be very strange right off the bat. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"Of course. Can I come in? Or would you prefer to get legal advice in your doorway?" He replies, smiling with all his teeth.

"Uh, yeah, sure." You say quickly, moving out of his way to let the man inside. He steps through the entryway, taking in the look of your home. He takes notice of the gathering of people in your living room, all of whom give him a curious once-over.

"My, my. You've certainly got a big family, Y/N." He jokes, laughing to himself again.

"Oh, no. They're一" You try to explain as you close the door, but he cuts you off.

"The witnesses. I know." He says, turning his head back to look at you. "They sure are quiet, though. That might prove to be a problem in court." He laughs yet again. What is this guy's deal? He's so serious, and yet not, all at the same time.

"Would you like a cup of coffee, Mr. Bauman?" Mom asks, getting up from her seat.

"Sure thing. You must be Y/N's....older sister." He says in a somewhat flirtatious tone.

"Oh, no. I'm her mother, Claudia." Mom replies with a bashful giggle. A light blush colors her cheeks, and you immediately feel nauseated.

"Well, I can certainly see the resemblance. And I'll take milk and sugar in that coffee, if you don't mind." Murray replies with a grin, and Mom toddles off to the kitchen to fix the man his drink. He turns to you and Eddie now, giving him an unsubtle look up and down. "I take it you're the boyfriend?" He asks.

"Yeah. Uh, Eddie. Nice to meet you." Eddie answers, sticking out his hand to shake Murray's. But Murray doesn't extend his own forward, so he quickly drops it back to his side. He awkwardly slides his hand into his pocket, attempting to mask the hurt at the rejection.

"Right. Well, I think we'd better get started. We're already cutting it pretty close for the day, and we've got a shitload of work to do. Pardon my french." Murray says, looking around for a spot to sit. The couch is taken, as are the armchairs and recliner. He notices the dining room, going there for a moment to retrieve a chair from the table. He sets it across from your friends and coworkers, sitting down and crossing one leg over the other. He sets his briefcase on his lap, clicking the locks open to prepare himself.

"Where do we start?" You ask, taking a seat in Eddie's lap once he returns to his spot on the end of the couch. Murray pulls out some papers from his case, shuffling them around messily before looking up to answer your question. His eyes narrow at your choice of seating, but you aren't really sure why. It seems Eddie hasn't made a very good impression on the man, but he hasn't done anything to put him off. You hope not, anyway, since he's representing both of you.

"We start...at the beginning. And I mean the very beginning. I'm going to need every nasty little detail of your past relationship with..." He consults his papers for the name of the defendant. "...Mr. Tommy Hagan." Just hearing Tommy's name from Murray's mouth makes you shudder. This is gonna be a nightmare, you think to yourself while contemplating where to begin.

"Oh. Well, um..." You pause, wondering if it's a good idea for everyone sitting quietly in the room to hear you recount your regrettable bout of 'Tommy Fever'. The whole thing was a steaming hot pile of shit, and you'd love nothing more than to completely forget about it.

"Today, Ms. Henderson." Murray pushes, reaching inside his briefcase again for a notepad and a pen.

"Can you relax a little, man?" Eddie retorts, going on the defensive on your behalf. Murray's eyes meet his for a moment, as if to challenge your boyfriend. But Eddie doesn't back down, he'll defend your dignity to the ends of the earth against anyone that dares to disrespect you.

"Okay!" Murray says loudly after a solid minute of the two men staring one another down. "Look, I get it. You're the bad boy with a heart of gold, right? Defending your lady's honor...the whole protective teddy bear thing? It's real cute, I'm sure Y/N digs the hell outta that." He speaks snidely, which makes Eddie scoff. "But...I am here to provide legal counsel. Highly discounted legal counsel, at that, as a favor to Chief Powell. So, I have no time for chest-puffing, or anxious apprehension. M'Kay? The defense lawyers for the little shits you've managed to piss off are fierce. And they will do everything in their power to pick apart every single claim you have against them." The man gestures wildly as he speaks, hoping to God you'll understand how dire this situation really is. "Now, I suggest we stop stalling and get some goddamn work done! Sound good?" He finishes, looking between you and Eddie to draw some gesture of agreement from you.

"Yes, sir." You reply sheepishly, allowing the man to do his job.

"Great! Now, tell me all about Tommy." He says, clicking his pen. Mom returns with his coffee, handing off the mug to him. He takes a long sip, making a satisfied 'ah' sound after he swallows. He puts the mug onto the coffee table in front of him, still waiting for you to begin.

You proceed to tell Mr. Bauman everything about your ex. How you started dating, the behavior he exhibited towards you, how it all ended so terribly. Your voice shakes often as you speak. Talking about any of this makes every moment, past and present, swirl together like a sickly stew inside your mind. Eddie rubs subtle circles on your thigh with his hand to soothe you through this ordeal. Murray's eyes flick to Eddie's fingers on you every so often, he finds your glaring co-dependence rather annoying. Not only that, it could pose a few potential challenges in court.

Everyone else in the room is very quiet, respecting your time to tell these uncomfortable stories. Murray writes down every relevant detail, and he surprisingly leads you through the questions in a relatively gentle manner. Despite his initially abrasive attitude, he does take genuine care and interest in helping you out. You eventually finish with recounting the events of the Hagans vandalizing your home, which unfortunately lets everyone in on what you were up to before Tommy threw the brick through your window.

"Jesus, Y/N. I'm so sorry." Robin says, breaking the silence once you've stopped talking. A couple of tears have fallen from your eyes during this, though you hadn't noticed them until now. The others murmur sympathetic affirmation of Robin's words. They truly feel for you, nobody should have to be subjected to what you've been through.

"As are we all. Now, unfortunately, all of this is definitely going to be twisted against you. We'll prepare for all that later on, I just need details of what everyone knows for the time being." Murray sighs, realizing just how much work he has cut out for himself. He takes another long drink of coffee, making that same satisfied noise once he swallows. "So, who's next?"

One by one, your gathered witnesses give Murray every possible detail to help your case. It takes a few hours, with Murray's coffee cup being refilled multiple times throughout the process. Nobody else bothers to ask for anything, they'd hate to have your mother running herself ragged. You snuggle further into Eddie as time passes, and by the end of it, everyone is tired and starving. You order some pizzas to thank everyone for being so helpful, and you all take a small mental rest to talk amongst yourselves and relax. The energy up until this point has been tense, mixed emotions clogging up the airflow in the room. But thankfully, you're finally able to breathe again.

"Well, I'd say we've had a very productive day." Murray says once all your friends leave. It's just the five of you now, and Bauman is putting his notes away in his briefcase.

"Yeah. I guess." You shrug, about ready to pass out in Eddie's arms. This afternoon has taken so much out of you, and this is only the beginning of a long, awful process.

"I know it's a lot, Y/N. But we've got to do the work if we're going to win this thing. We also have to do your witness work for the Carver case, but I'll leave that for another day. Right now, though, I've got a motel room and a bottle of Russian vodka waiting for me." He replies as he stands, brushing pizza crumbs off of his lap.

"I appreciate the help, Mr. Bauman." You say, getting up to walk him out. Eddie joins you on your feet, but stays by the couch.

"Please, call me Murray. Mr. Bauman is my mother!" He laughs at his own odd joke.

"Sure, Murray. We'll see you tomorrow." You reply, opening the door for him to leave. He nods, and steps out into the muggy night and walks toward his car. It's a small step above a total piece of junk, corroded paint, rusted rims and all. You close the door again, leaning against it while letting out a deep sigh.

"Well, he's...something." Eddie says with an awkward chuckle.

"I think he was very nice. I'm sure he'll be a great help." Mom chimes in, seemingly a little bit smitten with the man. Jesus, Mom. Not my fucking lawyer, you think to yourself.

"He didn’t seem to like me very much." Eddie adds, almost mumbling. He usually doesn't give a shit what others think of him, but it felt wrong to make a bad impression this time.

"He just doesn't know you like I do, love. Don't worry about him, he'll come around." You say, going to Eddie to reassure him. He nods silently, and you give him a light peck. "Ugh, I really don't wanna do this all over again tomorrow. And who knows how many more days after that. And then the trial...it all feels like too much." You try your best not to pout as you speak, but the mere thought of having Murray drill you with questions and prep you for the cross-examination makes you want to give up entirely. You know that you can't do that, but your lives would be far less difficult if you just dropped the charges.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to think about all that right now. You've done enough worrying for one day, you need to get some sleep." Eddie says softly, pulling you closer to wrap his arms around you. You lay your head on his chest, your eyes slipping closed as you enjoy his warmth.

"It'll be alright, Y/N. You've got us, and the club, and all our friends standing behind you. You're far from alone in this." Dustin says.

"We've got your back, sugarpuff." Claudia adds.

"I'm so lucky to have the best family ever." You extend one of your arms out for Mom and Dustin to join your hug, needing to feel them close to you. They don't hesitate to do so, fully covering you in a kind embrace of love and support. A few more tears escape your eyes, ones of relief as opposed to pain and fear this time. "I love you all so much. I don't know what I'd do without you." You sniffle.

"We love you too, princess. And we're always gonna be here for you. No matter what happens." Eddie coos, gently stroking your hair.

You all separate from your group hug a couple minutes later, retiring to your respective rooms for the night. You and Eddie cuddle Arwen for a little while, and he pulls out the book he's been reading to you for the last few days. Another Stephen King classic, The Dead Zone. You do your best to stay conscious for at least a chapter or two, but it's a struggle to hear a single word he says at a certain point. Eddie takes notice of this, closing the book and carefully getting out of bed to flick off the light. He returns to you, gingerly moving your body so he can spoon you. You let out a couple sleepy sounds, moments away from falling into the deep pit of sleep that's been waiting for you. He plants a tender kiss to your neck, and closes his own eyes as you drift away. As one can easily predict, nightmares plague your mind as you sleep. A constant barrage of all your fears and anxieties playing out in your subconscious.

"Mornin', sweet thing." You hear a voice rasp in your ear. You stir from your sleep, feeling a warm body snuggling up to you beneath the covers. Silk sheets slip around under you, and your bed feels far too large. You roll over, wondering where you are. You blink your eyes open, and find that you're in bed with Tommy. He's dressed only in some boxers, and you are completely naked. "There you are, babygirl. I was wondering how long I'd have to wait." He smirks, putting himself above you. 

What is this? Where's Eddie?, you think to yourself. You don't say anything, too afraid of what might happen if you start asking questions. The look on Tommy's face is odd, like he's far too happy to see you awake. He slips a hand below the covers, and he starts touching various parts of your body. You flinch at his hands on your flesh, it feels so wrong. Your hands meet his chest, and you're about to push him off. That is, until you notice the massive diamond ring sitting on your left hand. 

"No..." You murmur, examining the glistening jewel in the low morning light coming through the massive window to the right of you. This can't be happening.

"I'm afraid you don't get to use that word with me, Y/N. You're mine, and I can touch you whenever, and however, I want." Tommy says viciously, squeezing your breast harshly in his grip. He's so rough, but it doesn't feel good at all. It feels...violent, like he's taking ownership over you. You want to kick and scream and run away, but his weight is far too heavy on you. It's like you're glued to the bed, helpless to do anything to stop this. You close your eyes, trying to get yourself to wake up. You count to ten, ignoring the feeling of Tommy's fingers traveling between your legs. You're dryer than the Sahara desert, which makes him angry. "Not in the mood, babygirl? That's too bad." He says through clenched teeth. He reaches over to the ornate bedside table, pulling a bottle of lube from the drawer. "No problem, I can make you as wet as I need. I'd hate to tear you up too much." His words make you want to puke, but alas, no bile comes forth to help you this time.

"Please...no." You whimper, though he pretends he doesn't hear it. You feel the lube spill over your lower half, and he shoves his digits inside to spread it all around. You cry out in pain, wishing he'd just leave you alone. You try to will yourself somewhere else. You'll go to the goddamn moon without a spacesuit, or the middle of a swamp full of hungry alligators, anywhere but here. It appears to work when the pain of Tommy forcing himself inside you stops. You breathe a sigh of relief, realizing you're sitting upright now.

You open your eyes again, but it's far from a pretty picture. You're still in this unfamiliar house, one that Jack bought for you and Tommy. You can feel it, the room where you were before is just up a flight of lush-carpeted stairs. The place is rather lavish, the highest quality furniture and appliances throughout the place. You're sitting on the couch, with a full spread of drugs sitting before you on the coffee table. Weed, coke, heroine, even. Waiting for you like an all-you-can-eat buffet. You slump down to the floor, though it's hard to move your legs. You gaze down at your body, finding that you're squeezed into a skin-tight, golden dress that shows off as much of your body as possible. Tommy's pick, no doubt. Your arms and legs are covered in bruises, and you reach up to check your makeup-streaked face to find one on your cheek as well. It stings at your touch, and you see a flash of how you got the bruise in the first place. You refused to blow Tommy when he asked, so he punched you directly in the face. That was just a few hours ago, and then he left for work.

You pick up the little straw from the table, leaning your head down to the pre-cut lines of coke on the glass tabletop. You snort them all as quickly as you can, numbing the immense emotional turmoil you feel. The maid, Helga, comes in a little while later. She finds you half-conscious on the floor, the metal straw still in your hand. She helps you back onto the couch, but offers you no sympathy or conversation. She's been hired to keep you here, as well as take care of your home. You aren't allowed outside without Tommy's company, and you sure as shit aren't allowed to talk to your friends or family anymore. You wonder if they still care about you, or even think about you at all. But there's no way to know for sure. There's no phone to call them with, and you don't dare try to run away when you have no real idea where the house is located. You could be states away from Hawkins for all you know.

Later, Tommy comes home from work. There's a large, hulking man with him. Your dealer...you wish so badly that he was Eddie instead. Maybe then you could get out of here. But of course, Tommy can't risk a single person you come into contact with wanting to help you leave. You're his, and you're not going anywhere. Except maybe in a body bag. "It's your lucky day, Y/N. Fitz here has a special deal for you tonight." Tommy says gleefully, the two men approaching you.

"What is it?" You ask weakly, already knowing what's to come. This little 'deal' comes at least once a month.

"Same as always, little lady. Double the product...in exchange for that pretty little mouth of yours." Fitz says, licking his lips as he smiles. He's got a gold tooth, the surrounding ones yellowed from tobacco use and lack of care. He stinks of sweat, and something else you can't quite place. But it's horrible, and you know it's only going to get worse when he takes his pants off.

"O-okay..." You answer, nodding your head sluggishly. Fitz takes his usual place in the armchair beside you, and Tommy goes off to eat the dinner that Helga has prepared for him. You'll only get a Slimfast shake later on, the same thing you have for every meal.

"C'mere, sweetie. Gotta earn your treats." Fitz chuckles lowly, spreading his legs apart as he opens his belt. He pulls the zipper of his jeans down, and quickly exposes his half-hard cock. The stench hits you before you even dare to move. It's absolutely foul, like sour milk and onions. You apprehensively make your way over, crawling on your hands and knees. You repress a gag, tears stinging your eyes at the effort. You sit yourself before him, watching as he peers down at you while stroking himself. "Open wide, honey." He orders, his breath catching at the anticipation of your 'payment'.

"Alright." You reply blankly, reluctantly taking him in your hand. You choke back another gag, trying so very hard not to throw up all over the place. You got a beating from Tommy that almost put you in the hospital last time. You do everything in your power to ignore the smell, bringing your face closer to him. It only grows stronger, but you soldier on anyway. You have to, there's no backing out now. Fitz isn't one to shy away from hitting another man's woman. You force your mouth open, and take his meager three inches past your lips in entirety. The taste is even worse than the smell, the worst possible thing you've ever put inside your mouth. It's what you imagine the flavor of death is.

"That's the stuff." Fitz sighs in satisfaction, settling further into the chair as you work. Tears of anguish stream down your face, but they only seem to add to the wretched man's thrill. You wish you weren't doing this. You wish you hadn't stayed with Tommy and married him. You wish you could get out of this house, have the life you truly want. But most of all, you wish you could just die. Have Tommy beat you too hard, or take all the drugs on that table at the same time. Hell, even a kitchen knife across your wrists would be good enough. You want this to end, this is no way to live. This existence is absolute hell.

You wake up just before 'Fitz' finishes, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. You sit up in bed, looking around your room to realize none of it was real. You're safe in your bed, in your house, with Eddie snoring beside you. "Oh, thank fuck." You whisper, sighing in relief. You wipe your hands down your face, trying to shove that awful fake life away. Flashes of Tommy hitting you, you snorting a line of coke off the coffee table, and servicing the large drug dealer blink rapidly through your mind. It felt so real, like you were truly trapped in a life you never wanted. You can still see, feel, hear, smell, taste everything as you experienced it in your dream. And it makes you completely sick to your stomach.

You dash out of bed, going to the bathroom to throw up. You don't mean to make a lot of noise, but both doors you need to get through slam against their respective walls in your race against your own stomach. You fall to your knees on the tiles in front of the toilet, regurgitating your pizza into the bowl. You grip the sides of the seat until you finish, hoping that you'll feel a little better afterwards. "Y/N?" You hear Eddie say groggily in the doorway of the bathroom. You're still not quite done yet, and he flicks the light switch to see what's going on. He groans at the sudden brightness, rubbing his eyes. He blinks to adjust to the light, and he finds you crouching on the floor while you vomit. "Oh, sweetheart." He tuts, kneeling next to you.

He rubs your back gently until you're done. He hopes you're not sick, you've got to work tomorrow. But not only that, you've been through enough as it is. Your stomach mercifully empties, and you slump against the wall. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." You say softly, wiping your mouth. You still don't feel very well, but it could just be from the nightmare. Being up in the middle of the night like this usually makes you feel a bit sickly, too, for some strange reason.

"It's alright, princess. How are you feeling? Did something happen?" He asks, fully sitting across from you on the floor now. He's only dressed in his boxers, but he doesn't really care if Mom or Dustin see him like this. All he cares about is making sure you're okay.

"Yeah, I had a nightmare. But, what else is new?" You let out a dry laugh, rolling your eyes at yourself.

"What was it about?" He questions.

"Tommy. We were still together...and we got married." You start, which makes Eddie's eyes widen. "Believe me, it definitely wasn't a happy relationship. He was...abusive. And I started doing drugs, I essentially lived the way Chrissy was." You say softly, a couple hot tears escaping your eyes at the thought. "But you weren't there. It was a different dealer...and not a nice one, either." You let out a small sob, trying to hold it back. You're so goddamn tired of crying all the time. Just once, you'd like to be strong and keep it together. But your eyes have other plans.

"I'm so sorry, angel. C'mere." He puts his arms out for you, and you clumsily shove yourself against his chest. You bury your head in his neck, staining his flesh with salty tears and saliva as you cry into him. He holds you close, your legs tangling haphazardly with his. It's far from a comfortable position for either of you, but that doesn't really matter at the moment. Your arms cling to him, your hands spreading wide across his back to feel as much of him as possible. "It's okay, love. I'm right here, you're gonna be okay." He coos to you, rocking you back and forth in a soothing manner. You stay like this for a while, gradually feeling less sick as time passes. You still feel pretty scared, and dread getting through the day. "Let's get you back to bed, baby." Eddie says, signaling for you to get up.

"Okay." You whimper, not wanting to go back to sleep. You're so tired, and you know you need the rest. But the possibility of going back to the awful place you found yourself in, you can't risk that. You stand up, going to the sink to rinse out your mouth. You turn on the faucet, scooping the tasteless liquid to your lips. You swish it around thoroughly, and spit it out. Much better. You take Eddie's hand, letting him lead you back into bed. He lays you down as nicely as he can, his touch so loving and light. It's a stark contrast from how Tommy was touching you, and you can't help crying some more at the reminder.

"Is there anything I can do, princess?" Eddie asks sadly, wishing he could ease your troubled mind. He doesn't know what to do, it's not like he can reach inside your head and take all the bad things away.

"Just hold me, Eds. Please." You sniffle. He does as you ask, bringing you closer to lay your head on his chest. His arm keeps you close, his hand whispering up and down your back. Arwen picks up on your sadness, wriggling her way into your cuddling to put herself beside you. She purrs loudly, the sound vibrating through your torso to calm you. You stroke her fur, her eyes falling closed in kitty bliss.

"I love you, sweetheart. And I'll stay up with you all night if I need to, 'kay?" Eddie whispers, his throat stinging as he holds back his own tears. It's not fair, she shouldn't have to go through this. I feel so helpless, because I can't make it all go away. She deserves to be happy, we deserve to be happy. I know she can't take much more of this, even though she'd never say it. I only hope this stupid trial won't break her. I can't bear to see my sweet girl disappear.

"I love you too, Eddie. I just wish we could be happy, without some bullshit coming along and messing it all up every few weeks. It's like we're fuckin' cursed or something." You groan in frustration, still crying a little as sadness morphs into anger.

"I know, angel. I wish so, too." He replies, a deep sigh escaping his lungs.

"Are you okay, love?" You ask, noticing he's stiffened up a little underneath you.

"No. It breaks my heart to see you in so much pain, Y/N. And I hate that I can't really do anything about it." He answers honestly, staring up at the ceiling.

"You're doing what you can, Eds. And it means everything to me that you care so much." You reply, leaving Arwen for a moment to caress Eddie's chest.

"I know, baby. I just一...wish I could do more." He sniffs, and you look up at his face in the pale moonlight. He's biting his lip to keep it from trembling, almost drawing blood. His eyes are glassy and sad, brows drawn downwards as he fights back against his tears.

You lift yourself up slightly, putting your head above his own. "You're doing more than enough, I promise. I couldn't ask for a better man to stand with through all of this." You press your lips to his, showing him genuine appreciation for always loving and supporting you every single day. Your mouths move tenderly against one another, shuddering sighs spilling through the gaps as you cry silently together. Arwen squirms away, tired of being squished now. She curls up on the end of the bed, settling back into her slumber.

You continue to kiss for a while, just gently moving your mouths together. There's no teeth or tongues coming into play, now isn't the time to heat things up. You both only want the closeness and intimacy that comes with being so deeply in love. You eventually pull away when your lips get tired, and you return your head to his chest. You listen to his heart beating in your ear, a little faster than its usual rhythm. But as you both lie here, you hear it slowly return to its normal pace. You drift off again at some point, lulled into a dreamless sleep by the steady beat, and the radiating warmth you share with Eddie in your bed.

Part 29.2: Chains of Love

Thursday, July 27th, 1989

You wake up again to the smell of pancakes, and you hear Mom coming down the hallway to your room. She knocks on the door. "Sugarpuff?" She asks as you rub your eyes.

"Come in." You reply, and she opens the door while holding the fold-up bed trays she keeps for special occasions. Stacks of pancakes with sides of hash browns and crispy bacon sit upon them, with a glass of orange juice beside each plate. "Wake up, Eds." You nudge Eddie with your elbow, needing him to sit up so Mom can put the food down. You're unsure how she even got the door open with her hands full.

"Hmm?" He asks, squinting his eyes as he sits up.

"I heard you crying last night. So I figured I'd make you some breakfast in bed to cheer you up." Mom says, carefully setting the trays over your laps.

"Thanks, Mom." You smile weakly, though you'll happily accept this delicious food. You're absolutely starving.

"Thank you, Claudia." Eddie adds, still waking up.

"Of course. Is there anything else I can do?" She asks, clasping her hands together expectantly. You'd woken her up last night in your rush to the toilet, and she was going to check on you until she heard Eddie speak. She laid awake in bed, hearing you tell him about your nightmare. You didn't give a lot of details, but you didn't really need to. What little information you gave made her heart ache terribly. To know that you dream of such awful things all the time, she wishes you didn't have to suffer so much. You're her sweet little girl, deserving of all the happiness in the world and more.

"No, we'll be okay." You kindly insist, wanting some time to wake up and eat before you and Eddie have to get ready for work.

"Okay. Just call if you need me." She says, closing the door when she leaves.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Eddie asks as he cuts into his pancakes. The cutlery squeaks against the plate, and he loads up his fork with the syrup-soaked stack of slices.

"A lot better. I don't know how today's gonna go, though." You reply, and he gives you a look.

"You don't have to go in today if you're not up for it. I'm sure Biggs would understand." He offers, putting a hand on your thigh over the blanket.

"No, no. I've got too much work to do. And you know me, I need the distraction." You sigh, digging into the hot meal Mom's made for you.

"Do you? I feel like 'distraction' is usually code for 'ignore the issue entirely'." Eddie says seriously, still glancing at you repeatedly as you both eat.

"I'm not ignoring anything, Eddie. I can't if we're going to win this thing." You say in annoyance. He's not wrong to assume, but you really aren't trying to hide away this time. "I'm just saying that I need a break every so often, instead of fixating on Tommy and the trial 24/7." You explain, taking a large bite of hashbrowns into your mouth.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I'm not meaning to get on your case." He says apologetically, drawing your eyes to him.

"It's fine, I get it. I don't usually cope very well. But I swear, I'm not gonna put up the walls this time." You reply as you chew.

"Okay. Good." Eddie smiles, loading up his fork again. The two of you finish eating your breakfast, talking casually about anything else you can think of. You're going to be doing more than enough discussion on the tender subject with Murray later on. There's no reason to keep dwelling on it now. You return your dirty dishes to the kitchen, setting them in the sink. And then you proceed to get ready for the day. First, a nice hot shower, with Eddie tenderly licking between your legs as you claw at the steam-frosted tile. Then, the two of you dress, playfully tickling and pinching one another while you fasten your shirt buttons and tuck the tails into your slacks. And lastly, a short cuddle with Arwen for good measure. By the time you leave the house, you're both in an extraordinarily great mood.

Your shift at the theater goes swimmingly, every showing going on without a hitch. No customer complaints, no employee disagreements or call-ins. It's a perfect day, which under most circumstances means there's something waiting to come along and fuck it all up. You refuse to focus on such a thought. You've got far too much lovey-dovey bliss rushing through your veins to pay any mind to the notion.

Lunch rolls around, and you gleefully pull Eddie into the supply closet for some fun. You repay him for the glorious head he bestowed upon you in the shower, which quickly turns into him yanking your pants down and taking you from behind as you bend over a stack of heavy boxes containing imitation butter. He spends the entire time he's inside you speaking seductively in your ear. Showering you with praises, telling you how much he loves you, how you're totally perfect in every possible way. Every single syllable warms your heart, as well as makes you completely drenched for him. It doesn't take long for you both to cum, loudly and messily, four sweaty hands digging into the thick cardboard you're pressed against.

"Fuck, baby...that was so good." You pant, with Eddie still covering your body with his until you come down from your highs. You swallow thickly, letting out a tired sigh afterwards.

"Sure was, sweetheart." Eddie replies, pressing a searing kiss of admiration to your exposed neck. He got a little overeager opening up your shirt, the top button has come a little loose. Nothing a little sewing can't fix.

You check your watch, noticing you only have a couple minutes left of your break. You tap Eddie's arm, needing him to pull out. "We gotta get back, Eds." You say, though you don't necessarily want to leave this spot.

"Whatever you say, boss." He quips, lifting himself off of you. He gently puts his hands on your waist, and slowly slides his dick out of your spent cunt. You whine quietly at the loss, your mixed release running down your thigh. "Lemme clean you up, princess." He says, going over to the open case of napkins. He takes a couple from the box, quickly coming back to you to wipe the cum away before it drips onto your pants that are gathered around your ankles.

"Thank you, love." You say in appreciation. You stand upright, pulling your slacks and panties back over your lower half. Eddie puts himself away, adjusting awkwardly as he hasn't gone soft just yet. He puts his arms around your middle, giving you a few more kisses on your throat. You sigh, tilting your head to the side to give him better access. You can't resist his sweet charms whenever they come out to play. They're so addictive, sending your heart aflutter like a hummingbird. But as much as you'd like the inevitable round two that will surely come from this heated moment, you really need to get back to work. "Baby, c'mon. We gotta go." You protest breathlessly, which tells him that you don't really mean it.

"You really want me to stop, angel?" He asks, his breath fanning against your skin. He bites down on you a second later, worrying your flesh to leave a deep purple hickey in his wake. You moan at the sensation, seriously weighing your options for a second. It would be so easy to keep the good times rolling, to squeeze as much delightful pleasure out of today as you possibly can. But you have a decent amount of work to do before the day is over, and you'd hate to get caught in here after being gone so long.

"You know damn well that I don't, Eddie. But we can't stay here all day, as much as I'd love to." You say in a frustrated tone. The idea of returning to schedules and inventory sheets when you have this gorgeous man worshiping you makes you want to scream. "Pick this up later?" You offer as he stops marking your neck.

"I guess." He whines, pulling away from you. He pouts at you to hide his smile, crossing his arms.

"Ugh, you're such a brat sometimes." You laugh, rolling your eyes at his goofiness.

"Only for you, babydoll." He smirks when you turn to face him.

"You're lucky I think it's cute." You button up your blouse again, and give Eddie a brief kiss before you both leave the closet. He playfully smacks your ass when you walk past him, drawing a small yelp from you. "Don't push your luck, Eds." You warn, continuing your journey to the back office to fill out some papers.

"Sorry, princess. I'll behave." Eddie answers, fear of losing his chance to play with you later staining his voice.

"Good boy." You say with a grin, effectively dismissing him to return to concessions for the rest of the shift. Only four hours left, and then you can take him home and have your way with him. You're definitely gonna need it if you're going to sit through Murray grilling you about Tommy all night.

"Alright, that was great. Let's take a little break, and then we'll go over it again." Murray says as you finish practicing the defense cross-examination for the third time. You've been at this for a couple hours, with Bauman grilling you with semi-invasive questions. He sure knows how to lay on the sleaze, getting you to understand what you're really up against. Tommy's legal team won't pull any punches, they're gonna go right for the jugular to make you emotional, or get you to misspeak. There is no room for error, as it's unfortunately their job to get the jury to believe that you deserve everything Tommy has done to you.

"Okay." You say with a soft sigh. You feel a couple tears trickling down your face, though you've managed to keep them in until you were finished answering the practice questions.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Eddie asks, taking hold of your hand as he sits beside you on the couch. You would be seated in his lap, but Murray insisted that you need to focus. You suppose he's right, Eddie's touches can be a bit...distracting.

"Yeah." You nod, exhaling shakily. You wipe your eyes, and take a deep breath.

"Alright. Lemme get you some water, 'kay?" He offers, getting to his feet.

"Thanks, Eds." You give him a weak smile, trying to ignore the pounding pain inside your head. The loss of sleep is definitely catching up to you, despite Eddie's best efforts to make you feel better today. Things were really going well, storage closet sex and all. But the second Murray walked through your doorway for the second time, the mood quickly shifted. It's heavy, suffocating. It's like a dense fog has settled inside your chest.

"Here ya go, baby." He coos when he returns with an ice cold glass. You happily take it, and he extends his other hand. He opens his palm, revealing two Tylenol inside it. "These, too." He smiles kindly at you, he can tell your head is starting to hurt. He always knows exactly what your needs are, even when you try to hide them.

"Thanks." You take the pills from his hand, popping them into your mouth. You gulp half the glass to wash them down.

"You need anything else, Y/N?" He asks sweetly, sitting back down. He scoots himself a little closer, putting his arm around your shoulders.

"No, love. I appreciate it. You're always so sweet." You reply, setting your cup down on the coffee table and leaning closer to him.

"Only for you, princess." He says lowly, resisting the urge to kiss your neck. He's already in the doghouse with Murray from his poor impression yesterday. And he's gleaned that the man is not one for PDA from that interaction.

You can hear the subtle need in his voice, the light rasp in his tone. It's not a selfish need, either. You can definitely tell the difference between him wanting pleasure for himself, and when he just wants to please you. He's already been so giving today, you'd hate to get greedy. But the way his words brush warmth against your flesh like slick oil paint, you find yourself having a hard time protesting his want. "How long until we go through it all again, Murray?" You ask subtly, holding off on biting your lip and bobbing your knee.

"Uh, just a few minutes. Not nearly enough time for what loverboy over there is asking for." Murray answers, smashing your pretense away like a frail mirror.

"Whatever, man. I need a smoke." Eddie scoffs at the man's lack of discretion. He doesn't like being read so easily, especially by a stranger. It's honestly freaking him out, as well as pissing him off. He gets off the couch, storming off for the door and leaving you behind. He opens it, stepping out into the humid afternoon, and shuts it just a bit too hard.

"Was that really necessary, Murray?" You ask, leaning back against the couch while crossing your arms.

"Pardon me if I don't want to hear you two...canoodling while I'm within the confines of your home, Y/N. Besides, I can tell you've gotten plenty of action today already. Could see it the second I walked in the door." He answers, as if it's the most normal thing in the world to say to you.

"You're a pig." You spit back. This man may be your lawyer, but he has no right to talk to you like this.

"Oh, spare me! I've been called far worse, sweet-cheeks!" He exclaims. "Look, I get that you two love each other. It's sweet, really. To have someone always be there for you is a precious thing. But you're clinging to him, as he is to you." Murray continues in a sarcastic-sweet tone, reading your relationship like an open book. "Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't necessarily be a problem. But because you two have gone through so much, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, you haven't had a chance to level out yet. I take it you two barely spend a decent amount of time apart, right?" He asks, but his expression tells you he already knows what your answer is.

"I mean, I guess." You answer shyly, shrugging your shoulders. You pick at your nail beds, avoiding the man's gaze.

"Right. You go to each other for constant comfort. You both depend on the other being there one-hundred percent of the time. And I'm telling you right now, two things will happen if you keep up like this. One, you're going to royally fuck up this trial. And two, your relationship is going to fizzle out when it doesn't need to." He finishes, dipping his head down to give you a serious look. "You're a smart girl, Y/N. You know I'm not wrong." Your pupils flick to his, and you hate to admit it, but he's right. You honestly cannot think of a night in the last couple weeks where you slept in your separate beds. And you certainly can't recall a single day in your entire relationship where you went without seeing one another at all.

"I guess you could be right." You reply, which makes him smirk. But you keep talking. Regardless of how right he is, there needs to be some boundaries here. "But you don't have to be so rude to Eddie, either. He hasn't done anything to you, and he is also your client. He's sweet, and kind, and he takes care of me. I appreciate your help and everything, but I'd like it if you wouldn't make so many remarks towards him." You sit up straight, showing him that you're also quite serious.

"Fair enough. I'll quit disparaging your little Casanova, and you two are gonna learn to live separated from the hip. Deal?"

"Deal. I'll go talk to him." You say, giving him an agreeable nod. You go outside to find Eddie leaned against the house with a smoke between his lips. "You okay, Eds?" You ask, going over to him. He fishes out a cig for you, and you gratefully accept it.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He sighs, flicking the lighter for you. You lean into the flame to start the burn, inhaling a large dose of nicotine. "He just...bugs the hell outta me. Ya know?" He says in annoyance, scrunching his face slightly.

"I know, baby. But we had a little talk, and we've come to an agreement. He said he'll stop being so rude, if we...distance ourselves a little bit." You end slowly, knowing Eddie's going to have a hard time accepting this idea.

"What?" He asks accusingly. He's ready to fight that bald fucker at this point. Who does he think he is, putting that kind of idea in your head?

"He said that we cling to each other too much. Mostly because we've been through so much together. And I think he's right." You speak cautiously, trying not to start a fight.

"So, what does that mean?" He questions in a bratty tone. He doesn't like this one bit. He loves you, he needs you. Does this mean you don't feel the same?

"It just means that we need to breathe. Like, sleep in our own beds half the time. And be comfortable being apart for a day, or more." His eyes widen at your words, it feels like his entire world is ending. You take his free hand with your own, gazing into his eyes. "Eddie, I love you more than anything in the world, okay? But Murray is right. We're holding on to each other so tight, we'll eventually suffocate ourselves. This doesn't mean we're over, far from it. We need to do this to keep us together, and in order to win the trial." You put yourself directly in front of him, bringing your lips to his to give him a loving kiss.

He resists at first, wanting to reject this idea, to tell Murray he's full of shit. But hearing the way you've put it, he knows you're right. He doesn't want to lose you, or jeopardize a victory in court. So, he'll do everything he can to keep those things from happening. Even if he hates it. He melts into you, moving his mouth languidly against yours. You slip your tongue into his mouth, and he quickly picks up the pace. He lets go of your hand to cradle your head, keeping you close. "Mmm." He hums against you.

"Are we all set to go?" Murray says as he comes outside to retrieve you. He realizes what you two are doing, loudly clearing his throat. You freeze up for a moment, before pulling away.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry." You blush, backing further away from Eddie to distance yourself.

"It's alright. I didn't expect an immediate change." Murray replies kindly, heading back into the house. You follow behind him, with Eddie trailing along as well after tossing your cigs away. You take your seats on the couch again, and Murray sits in his chair and picks up his papers. "Okay. Let's start again."

"Alright." You sigh, not really wanting to do this again. But you aren't ready yet, far from it. You need to run these questions like drills, repeating them over and over until you know them all by heart. It's like studying for a test, and Murray is your flashcards. You know you can do this, and it'll all be worth it in the end. Eventually, you'll be able to answer these questions succinctly, and without feeling like you want to cry every five seconds. You've got this.

You cycle through the questions, not missing a beat when you answer them. One after another, you knock them down like pins at the end of a bowling lane. There's no more tears this time, during this round or afterwards. You're getting the hang of it, though the questions themselves still infuriate you on the inside. But that's to be expected. "That was great. I think we've made a lot of progress today. We should have it nailed down tomorrow, and then we can start on you, Eddie." Murray says, packing up for the night.

"Cool." Eddie replies flatly, still somewhat sulking from your little talk earlier.

"I hope you'll have a better attitude than that, kid. Acting like a jackass will get you nowhere in a courtroom." Murray warns while looking down at his papers.

You can see Eddie's about to blow up at him, so you put a hand on his arm to calm him down. His gaze snaps to you, anger flashing in his eyes. "Eddie, please. You can't be so quick to get mad like this. How do you expect to get on the stand and answer Tommy's lawyer's questions, if you're already so bothered by our own lawyer trying to help you?" You find yourself conflicted in your feelings. You understand why Eddie's so resistant to all of this. But he's going to fuck it up for both of you if he doesn't cool off. You take his hands in yours now, scooting closer to him. "Baby, I love you. But I need you to try to calm down, and think rationally about this." You give him the kindest look imaginable, hoping your gentleness will put out the flames of rage he's stoking.

"I'll try." He says with a sigh, unable to defy you. He’s aware how important this is, especially to you. You need him on his best behavior. Better than his best behavior, if one's being honest. It's going to be a challenge for him, he's always been a bit of a hot-head. But he'll put in the work, for you.

"I appreciate it, love." You give him a small smile, and he attempts to return it. But it falls away as quickly as it came.

"Well, I'm gonna head out for the night. I'll see you both tomorrow." Murray says, promptly getting up to leave. He lets himself out the front door, taking some of the negative energy with him. Things are still a bit tense, though. And you're not really sure how to diffuse it, as it's mainly radiating out of your boyfriend now.

"So, what should we do now?" You ask. There's still a couple hours left of the night before you should get to bed. You could watch a movie, or go for a short drive...or just simmer in silence.

"I think I'm gonna go home." Eddie answers, standing up from the couch. The loss of his weight on the cushion beside you sends an anxious pang through your chest. You somehow feel like you've done something wrong. Or that he's mad at you. You can't tell, you can't exactly read him as he walks down the hall to your room. Probably to retrieve his things. You apprehensively get up to follow him, walking on eggshells until you reach your bedroom.

"I'm sorry." You say weakly as you lean in the doorway. Eddie's packing his things in his bag, ignoring Arwen as she weaves between his legs. She meows at him for love and attention, but none comes.

"For what?" He asks flatly, tossing his pajamas into his duffle bag. He doesn't look at you, zipping the bag closed after his question.

"I...I don't know. I feel like you're mad at me." You answer honestly.

"I'm not." He says, putting his bag over his shoulder. He finally looks at you, and he forces his expression to soften. He sighs when he sees you nervously biting your lip, coming over to you. "Sweetheart, I promise I'm not mad at you, alright? I just...this is all a pretty big adjustment. I don't want to sleep in my bed without you. I don't want to answer Murray's stupid questions over and over. I honestly don't want to do any of this shit. I will still do all of these things anyway, because I love you. But it isn't exactly easy for me." He doesn't hold back, telling you precisely how he feels about all of this. You appreciate the honesty, but you hate to see him so upset about it. Maybe you're asking too much.

"Okay." You nod, heat building behind your eyes. Your mouth twitches to the side, the little thing you do to stop yourself from crying. Eddie notices it immediately, and drops his bag down for a second.

"Angel, c'mere." He pulls you into him, wrapping his arms around you. You nuzzle into his neck while grabbing onto him, and the tears come flooding down.

"I don't want you to go." You weep, though it's a bit muffled.

"I don't want to either, Y/N. But you're right, we have to be able to do this. We're not kids anymore, we haven't been for a while. It's just one night. But it's gonna be fine, we'll see each other tomorrow." He replies, giving you a warm squeeze. He clamps his eyes shut, not wanting to let you go. This is too hard. How is he supposed to sleep without you by his side?

"It just sucks." You say through a hiccuping breath.

"I know it does, princess." He keeps holding you close, delaying the inevitable. At some point here you're going to have to say goodbye. It seems so silly, this shouldn't be so hard for you. When you're so used to seeing one another almost every second of every day, it's difficult to change habits. It's hard to let go a little, to spend time away. But it's what's needed, and probably has been needed for a long time. Because now you're so dependent on being together all the time, that it's painful to do such a normal, adult thing. It'll be quite a challenge for you, but you know your love will be even stronger for it. "It's time for me to go, babydoll." He says after a long period of silence.

"I know." You reply, still trying to tame your tears. You slowly pull away, and your arms cross over yourself as an odd way to still feel like you're being held. Eddie picks up his bag, and you quietly walk him to the door. Your throat and chest ache, and more trickles of salty water flow down your cheeks. He opens the door, and you both stand between it and the outside for a second.

"I love you, Y/N. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He says softly, his eyes glassy and red.

"I love you too, Eddie." You stutter out the words, fighting with yourself to keep from breaking down again. Why is this so hard? It's not like he's going away forever. He leans in to give you a kiss goodnight, and you hungrily take it. He even slips his tongue in your mouth, in an attempt to leave a piece of himself with you. He backs away far too soon, and you can feel the hesitation in him removing his lips from yours.

"It'll be okay." He cups your cheek, planting another quick kiss on your forehead. Your eyes fall closed at his warmth, forcing more tears out. "Goodnight, sweetheart." He whispers, turning to head out to his van.

"'Night." You say as a lump forms in your throat, closing the door quickly before he can hear you lose control. You lean against the barrier between you, sobbing as you hear the driver's side door open and shut, and the engine turning over. You listen to him pull out of the driveway, and roll down the road. You slide downward to the floor, curling up into yourself. You hate this, you can feel him getting further and further away by the second. Your body is acting like the entire world is crumbling, falling into the abyss and taking you with it.

"Y/N, what's wrong?" Mom asks when she comes out to the living room. She finds you on the floor, crying loud and hard as you hold your knees into your chest. You don't say anything, she'll just think you're being childish. Hell, you know that's how you're acting right now. But you can't help it. Eddie is your everything, the first real man in your life that makes you not so lost in this big crazy world. "Sugarpuff? What is it? Is it Eddie?" She asks in concern, coming over to sit on the floor with you. You nod against your knees, still unable to speak. "Did you have a fight? Or break up?" She continues. You shake your head no, but you don't want to have to explain your immature feelings to her. "Then what's wrong? You can tell me, sweetie. You know I'm here for you." She puts a hand on your back, stroking you gently over your shirt.

"It's stupid." You mumble, shaking your head again. You just want to be left alone until you pry yourself off the floor and crawl into your cold bed.

"Y/N, I'm sure it's not. You're no dummy. So, come on. Tell mama what's wrong." She carefully pulls your cocooned body open, bringing your upper half towards her. She leans you against her chest, allowing you to tell her everything without meeting her eyes.

"It's just...Murray said me and Eddie cling to each other too much. He said it could mess up the trial, and hurt our relationship. And I know he's right. So we're going to try sleeping in our own beds alone for a while, and not spend every single day together." You pause to gather yourself. "And I know it shouldn't be so hard. But I hate being without him, Mom. I just love him so much, it hurts to be apart." You explain tearfully, hiccuping through your words.

"I understand, sugarpuff. Your father and I were like that in the beginning. We couldn't go without seeing each other for more than an hour!" She says with a nostalgic laugh. "It's just what young people in love go through. You fall for someone, you want to be with them every second of every day. But at a certain point, there comes a time where you both need space every once in a while. Being together all the time makes you sick of each other after so long. That's what happened to us, I'm afraid." She says solemnly.

"I know. I just hate this. I get that it's the normal, healthy thing to do. But it's gonna take a while to stop hurting so much." You sniffle, wiping your eyes as the tears finally start to dry up.

"And that's okay, sugarpuff. It's an adjustment, and I wouldn't expect either of you to be happy about it. It'll be better for your relationship in the long run. I promise." She speaks comfortingly, placing a kiss on top of your head. "I love you, kiddo."

"I love you too, Mom. Thanks for not making me feel stupid." A smile forms on your face, you're so lucky to have your mom. She's always here for you no matter what, and you're eternally grateful for that. "I should get to bed, I've got work in the morning." You say, and the two of you get off the floor together.

"That sounds like a good idea. Goodnight, sugarpuff." She gives you a brief hug, not wanting to suffocate you with her love.

"’Night, Mom." You go back down the hall to your room, swallowing another lump that pops up at Eddie’s absence. "It's gonna be fine." You reassure yourself, closing the door and removing your clothes. You put on Eddie's Hellfire shirt, a pitiful substitute for the real thing. You flick off the light switch and crawl under the covers. Arwen hops up and pads over to you, before curling up at your side. "Hey, little one. I'm sorry daddy didn't say goodbye to you. But I'm sure he'll give you extra cuddles tomorrow to make up for it." You say sweetly to her, but all it does is remind you that Eddie isn't here right now. You let the tears fall, but you keep your body still and calm. It's the only way you're going to be able to truly rest.

You stroke Arwen's soft fur, soothing yourself with her warm purrs. You wonder if she feels the emptiness too. She's a smart cat, so she probably does. She moves closer towards your face, even going so far as to lick a couple of your tears away. Her sandpaper tongue scrapes against your cheek, making you giggle. She's such a sweet little thing, and so in tune with you and Eddie. You slowly cease your petting, and slip your hand beneath the blanket. You close your eyes, and wait for sleep to take you into its welcoming embrace.

Unfortunately for you, your worst fear about this new arrangement is coming to fruition. You cannot sleep. You don't feel even remotely tired. Your safety net is gone, your comfort, your love. He's miles away, no doubt laying restless in his own bed. You gaze out of the window, finding the big bright moon staring back at you. Its face appears rather downturned tonight, sharing in your sorrow. You're about to squeeze your eyes shut and force yourself to sleep, when you hear the phone ringing in the living room. Eddie.

You dash out of bed, running as quietly down the hall as you can. You don't want to disturb Mom or Dustin, but you long to hear Eddie's voice more than anything in the world. You snatch the phone up on the final ring, breathing heavily into the headset. "Y/N?" You hear Eddie ask oddly.

"Yeah. Sorry...out of breath." You pant, begging your heart to stop pounding.

"That desperate to hear my voice, huh?" He asks with a chuckle.

"Hey! You're the one that called me in the middle of the night!" You retort, unable to hold back a giggle.

"Oh, it's hardly 'the middle of the night', Y/N. It's what, eleven-thirty?" He pauses, before speaking again. "I miss you." He says softly.

"I miss you too, my prince." You reply, sitting down in the chair by the phone.

"It's taking everything in me not to drive over there right now." He admits, feeling rather silly for wanting such a thing.

"I know, Eds. We're probably still feeding the habit by having this call." You observe, wondering if you should've just let the phone ring.

"Yeah...I just couldn't help myself. And I can't sleep. I had to hear your beautiful voice." He says, somewhat ashamed for giving in to his need for you so easily.

"I can't sleep either. Tomorrow is gonna be hell." You whine. You just know you're gonna be kicking yourself for staying up so late.

"You can say that again, sweetheart. But I should let you go, or else I'll talk to you until the sun comes up." He jokes, drawing a small laugh from both of you.

"Okay. Goodnight, my love." You say, feeling a lot better after this small conversation. It's a reminder that you aren't alone in this, that everything is going to be fine. Eddie loves you, and cares for you, and you're both on the same page as always. You're even starting to feel a little sleepy, having found some comfort from hearing his voice again.

"Goodnight, princess. Sleep well." He says, fighting off a yawn afterwards. You hang up the phone, and go back to your bed. Your steps feel heavy, and you're actually happy to be snuggled up under your covers. You give Arwen one last little pat, and take the trip to dreamland shortly afterwards.

You spend the entire night dreaming about Eddie, doing all the things you love to do together. Driving around town, cigarettes in hand as you sing along to the blasting stereo. Cuddling on your couch, watching one of your favorite movies. Making out halfway through said movie since you can't keep your hands off each other. But most of all, you find your dream self in bed with him. Kissing, touching, fucking...with a symphony of moans and whimpers to really bring it to life. It feels so real, and pleasurable sensations roll over your body while you sleep.

Dream Eddie clings to you while he grinds his hips against yours, digging his cock deeper and deeper into your pussy. You're dripping with sweat, letting out beautifully vulgar noises between starving kisses. Your nails claw into his back, needing to keep him as close to you as possible. You beg him not to stop, telling him just how good he feels inside you. He promises to never stop fucking you, to make you cum again and again until you can't take it anymore. He nibbles on your neck, and grips your thighs firmly to keep you in place. He uses the perfect speed and rhythm, and full range of motion to hit your g-spot at all the right angles. You cry out his name as your high takes you over, the pleasure so lifelike that your panties become soaked as you lay unconscious in your bed.

Friday, July 28th, 1989

You go into work the next morning, hoping to find Eddie in the breakroom before you start your shift. You put your purse inside your shared locker, and feel two large hands slipping over your waist from behind you. "Happy five month anniversary, angel." Eddie hums as he presses a smoldering kiss to your neck. You instantly melt at his touch, tilting your head to the side to let him in further.

"Mmm, you remembered." You smirk. His lips on your throat remind you of your dream last night, and the evidence of arousal you found between your legs this morning.

"Of course, baby. How could I forget?" He rasps, nipping your neck a little harder than usual. You moan quietly at the sting, pressing yourself backwards into him. He groans against you, his hands squeezing your hips hungrily. "You wanna meet me in the storage room at lunch to get your present?" He asks, unable to hide his excitement. His pants appear to be doing a poor job of that as well.

"It's a date, Eds. I was dreaming about you...all night. I woke up absolutely soaked." You tease him with your words, pulling away once you hear Mr. Biggs' heavy footsteps approaching. Eddie's breath hitches at your filthy admission, which he quickly disguises as a cough once your boss walks in.

"Morning, you two. How's the preparation for the trial going?" Biggs asks cordially.

"Oh, um...it's g-going great!" You struggle to string the words together, Eddie's hand has managed to slip behind your back to grab a hearty handful of your ass. You try to pass off your yelp of surprise as enthusiasm about your preparedness for the trial. Biggs curls an eyebrow at you curiously, before dismissing your somewhat odd behavior as stress-related.

"Wonderful. I look forward to testifying for your side. Do you have the inventory finished for me?" He asks, moving the subject to work now.

"Almost, I just need a recount on the popcorn buckets." You reply, going to the desk in the office to retrieve your clipboard.

"Excellent. I'll be here when you're finished. I've got some special tasks for you today." Biggs says, effectively dismissing you until later.

"Sounds great." You smile, leaving the room with Eddie close behind.

"Well, looks like you've got a long day ahead of you, boss. I'll see you at lunch?" Eddie says, leaning in to give you a quick peck on the lips.

"I'm looking forward to it, love." You give him a ravenous look, biting your lip slightly to let him know you'll be counting down the minutes until noon. His eyes bug a little at your expression, and he realizes that he's gonna be hard all goddamn day because of you.

You both go your separate ways, doing your damndest to stay on task until the time is right. It is a little difficult, as you catch one another's eye many times throughout your shift. Every time your pupils meet, it sends a flare of lust through your bodies. It takes everything in you not to run to each other and rip your clothes off in the middle of the lobby. You get a short reprieve when Eddie goes to the ticket booth, able to half-focus now. You fill out some paperwork in the office, working overtime to resist rubbing your thighs together in your chair. You just can't stop picturing Eddie in all your favorite positions, his face buried between your thighs, in particular.

You check your watch, finding that the time has finally come. You put your work aside for now, practically hopping out of your chair to go meet your boyfriend in the closet. You check to make sure no one is watching once you reach the door, and carefully slip inside. The light is off, which you assume means Eddie hasn't shown up yet. You suddenly hear the lock on the door click closed, and Eddie's lips attacking your neck from behind again. "You ready for your present, angel?" He asks darkly, his hand reaching around to undo the buttons on your blouse.

"Mm, yes. Do you mind turning the light on? I wanna see your gorgeous face while you fuck my brains out." You suggest, though this groping in the dark is pretty sexy.

"Anything for you, baby." He reaches back with one hand to flick the switch, and the dim overhead light comes on. He then reaches in his back pocket, retrieving a slender, rectangular box. He brings it into your view, presenting it on his palm. "For you." He says simply, waiting for you to open it.

"Oh, Eddie. You shouldn't have! I didn't get you anything." You say, half guilty, half excited. You'd previously agreed to no gifts besides sex, five months isn't exactly the most exciting milestone in a relationship.

"Being with you is more than enough for me, Y/N. Besides, I love to spoil my favorite girl." He coos, giving your throat another sizzling kiss. You decide to stop wasting time and open your present. You pull the black ribbon loose, and lift the lid to reveal what's inside. You gingerly pull open the red tissue paper, finding a stiff, silver vibrator nestled in it. "What do you think?" He asks.

"You're a dirty little fucker sometimes." You say with a laugh. You turn around to face him. "But I love it, Eds." You give him a warm kiss, which quickly turns into your tongues battling for dominance. He resumes his task of opening your shirt, leaving the last couple buttons fastened once your tits are exposed. He grabs the mounds of them roughly, massaging them in his huge hands.

"I'm glad you like it, baby. I figure you can use it whenever you miss me...or I can use it on you when we're together." He says as you break away.

"I'll definitely put it to good use, love. But right now, I just want you." You set the box down to pull his head closer to kiss him hard, and you clumsily reach for his belt to unbuckle it. You pull the leather through the loops in his slacks, unfastening the metal piece in the middle of the buckle from its set notch. The ends of the belt hang slack, letting you slide his zipper down its track. Your mouths work furiously against each other, desperate moans slipping through the cracks. You ferociously yank his pants and boxers down his thighs. His stiff cock slaps against his stomach, and you quickly take hold of it as he continues to kiss you and grope your chest.

"Fuck, baby." He groans, enamored by your hollowed fist stroking him.

"Mmm, yes, please." You joke. Eddie reaches for your own pants now, undoing the button and zipper just as easily. He pulls them down for you, along with your panties. He slips a hand between your legs, smearing the slick that's already gathered around your pussy. "Eddie." You whine as he rubs his middle finger around your clit. He pushes two digits inside of you, and proceeds to rapidly curl them. "I need you, baby. Right now...I-I can't wait." Intense need stains your voice, an orgasm growing alarmingly fast inside your belly.

"Don't have to tell me twice, angel. How do you want me?" He asks through groans and gasps. He wants you just as badly, anxious to feel your hot, wet cunt hugging him so damn tight.

"C'mere." You lead him backwards, both of you still riling each other up. You almost knock a stack of boxes along the way, but you have a set destination in mind. You stroke faster on Eddie's dick once your back meets the wall. He takes his fingers out of you, bringing them to his lips to suck them dry.

"Mmm, so sweet." He moans at the taste, gazing deep into your eyes. It distracts you both for a moment, but you quickly return to the task at hand.  "Put your pants around your ankles, baby." He instructs. You do as he asks, and he gently nudges your feet apart with his foot. He then ducks down underneath you, looping himself between your legs before standing upright. He picks you up, grasping your thighs. You take the hint and put your bound ankles against his back to keep him close. You both gaze between your bodies to watch as Eddie takes hold of his dick, giving it a couple needy strokes. He groans, and a drip of his precum falls from his cockhead to the floor. He brings his tip to your slick folds, teasing your both for a moment by dragging it back and forth. "God, you're drenched baby. You been thinkin' about me all day?" He asks, looking up to meet your eyes. He slips inside you as he waits for your answer.

"Oh, god." You gasp, gripping his shoulders tightly as he fills you up. You gulp in a breath, before answering his question. "Yes, I kept seeing you inside my head. You were doing all my favorite things." You say dizzily. He's barely done anything yet, and you're already falling apart.

"And what things would those be?" He questions lowly, smirking at you. He slowly pulls his length back, almost falling out, then slams back into your soaked pussy. You both groan loudly at the sensation, your eyes rolling back into your skulls for a moment.

"Kissing me...everywhere." You reply as Eddie sets a steady pace. His eyes are locked onto yours, enjoying the retelling of your vulgar daydreaming. "My lips, my tits, my pussy. Your mouth is so soft...and warm. I love the way it feels against my skin." You consistently moan as you speak, turning the pleasure dial to an eleven with every syllable.

"What else?" He wants you to continue, to tell him all the nasty things that cross your mind about him. He continues to thrust into you, taking his time to build you up.

"I thought about your hands, particularly your fingers, rubbing my clit, or pushing inside me. They're so long, and big...and they always make me so wet, love." You continue to give him all the dirty details, drawing aroused groans from him as you talk. "Mm, I love your noises, too. I can't get enough of knowing just how crazy I make you." He picks up the pace a little, increasing your pleasure even more. His pelvis slaps upwards against your ass, the sound reverberating in your ears. "Fuck." You mutter under your breath.

"Tell me more, Y/N. Please, I wanna hear all the slutty little things inside your head." He insists, almost begging. His hands grip harder on your thighs, and he's steadily pounding you into the wall.

"More than anything else, I was thinking about this...having your dick inside of me. You're the fuckin' perfect size, you always reach all the right places." You moan, growing closer to your high. You're sweating through your shirt, and you and Eddie are breathing so heavily in each other's faces. It's boiling hot in here, setting your bodies on fire.

"More, sweetheart." He huffs, shoving his face into your chest. He nips and sucks your cleavage, wanting to mark you with as many love bites as possible. He wants you to have something to look at when you're not with him, and remember that you belong to each other. But how could you ever possibly forget?

"I-I thought about riding you, with you clinging to me as you sit against the headboard...fuck." You describe the scene inside your mind for him.

"More." He commands desperately, the single word coming out muffled.

"I thought about you fucking me from behind, laying your body over mine...w-with your hand squeezing my throat." It takes everything in you to get the words out, watching Eddie ravenously devour your chest is certainly a sight to see. His dampened hair flicking about in its ponytail, the glimpses you catch of his plush lips and nibbling teeth coming into contact with your tits. It's like he's trying to worship and consume you all at the same time. And it's so fucking hot.

"I need more, angel...please." He begs with a whimper, letting you know he's getting close. And your rapid gasping and endless stream of expletives and moans tells him you're on the same path to bliss.

"Fuck me harder, Eds. And I'll tell you everything." You answer, your final syllable extending into a whine. He thrusts his hips faster, throwing as much of his weight upwards into you as he possibly can. "Oh, god! That's perfect, baby...such a good boy for me..." You praise, drawing his lust-blown eyes to you. He stops attacking your chest, focusing on listening to everything you say. He wants to hear it all, every possible thing you think and feel about him. And the loving, intense look in his eyes leaves you unable to hide a single bit of it from him. It reminds you of the first time you said 'I love you'. The daring stare into one another's pupils, challenging the other to chicken out. But you've got your claws dug so deep into each other, there's no conceivable way that will ever come to pass.

"C'mon, baby...j-just a little more. Tell me how much you love me." He pleads, shaky, sweaty breaths escaping him between words. He's an absolute mess for you, and you gladly reciprocate the carnal chaos.

"Someone's a needy little slut today." You tease, which only makes him drill faster into you. "Fuck! You're lucky I love it when you're rough with me." You smile as your orgasm quickly approaches. You cup his cheek in your hand, stroking his slightly stubbled flesh. "I love you more than anything in the world, baby. You're my first thought in the morning, and my last thought before I fall asleep. You're my everything, and I want to have you for the rest of my life. I want to marry you, and live with you, and build a home with you. I want it all, Eddie. Forever." You speak so emphatically, overwhelmed with emotion. He seems to feel it too, because he quickly presses his lips to yours. He forces his mouth to slow down, to show you just how much he understands and mutually reflects your devotion.

He continues to thrust with full force, his hips beginning the stutter. Your insides waver around him, and you sense your release threatening to roll over you any second now. You're so full of unyielding love and affection, practically bursting at the seams. You wrap your arms fully around his shoulders, pulling him even closer to you as you tenderly kiss. Your tongues dance passionately in a delicate tango, and your hearts ba-thump at meteoric speed. Eddie breaks away mere moments from reaching the end, needing to mirror your sentiment. "You took the words right outta my mouth, princess. I want forever with you, too. I love you...so much, Y/N." He gives you another hasty kiss, sealing your fates. Both in the sexual sense, as well as the life path you're traveling down together.

"Oh, god! Eddie!" You cry out, throwing your head back against the wall as your high takes you over. Your insides spasm around Eddie's dick, and you let out a long moan that must be loud enough to be heard in the lobby.

"Fuck." He manages to gasp out, his brow furrowing and mouth falling open as he falls over the edge himself. His hips buck clumsily, making you want to scream. You soak his cock like you always do, your juices spilling over him. His sticky load shoots into you to join the mix, and you both let out one final groan to signal the end of your little celebration. He keeps thrusting, but at a much slower speed now. Lazy, comfortable strokes that keep you close as you come back down to earth. "Happy anniversary, my love." He gives you an exhausted smile, still panting from all his effort.

"Happy anniversary, Eds. That was so perfect...we were perfect." You coo, giving him a peck of appreciation.

"Mm, I agree, sweetheart. I swear, we only get better every time." He swipes a damp strand of hair from your forehead, still making those sweet, gentle movements inside you. You really don't want to stop this, you two could stay in this position forever and ever. But you're no doubt over time for your break as it is, and Mr. Biggs will surely fire you if he catches you fucking on the job.

"We'd better get back, baby." You say regrettably. He nods, slowly pulling his still stiff length out of your cunt. A collective whine at the loss rings in the air, but this is far from the last time you'll have mind-blowing sex. You might even be able to get another round in after working with Murray tonight. You clean yourselves up a little, and put your clothes back on in their rightful places. "I'll see you later, okay? We can have dinner, and hang out for a bit after Murray leaves. How's that sound?" You offer, knowing he's still not keen on this whole 'separation' thing. Neither are you, far from it. But for both your sakes, you're going to make sure your relationship stands the test of time.

"Sounds perfect, Y/N. I'll see you in a bit." You exchange one last chaste kiss, and slip out of the closet individually to avoid being seen. You put your little present into your locker, and resume working like nothing happened. One thing is for sure, you absolutely cannot wait for round two.

To be continued...

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Denial, Like the River

A Steddie fanfiction

A/N: Minors DNI. Warning, a little smutty. Tw, homophobia

Steve entered the RV, wincing at his wounds. He closed the door and locked it. He slipped off his jacket and then his shirt before grabbing the first aid kit. Just as he opened the box, he heard a loud whimpering. Steve paused and looked around for the sound. Was there an animal in here? He quickly found the source. Eddie was curled up behind the driver's seat, crying.

"Eddie?" Steve asked in concern.

Eddie stood up quickly and wiped his face. He grabbed the first aid kit from Steve.

"Here, let me help you with that," Eddie said, sniffling.

"Are you - no, what a stupid fucking question. Of course, you're not okay," Steve said, and Eddie snorted. "How are you holding up?"

There was a long pause as Eddie focused on unwrapping his bandages and cleaning his wounds. He was surprisingly gentle as he rubbed ointment on his bites. Eddie turned him around to work on the wounds on his arms and back as well. Even though it stung, Eddie's hands also felt good.

"Honestly, trying not to go crazy and trying to stay sane for the kids, too," he finally replied.

"Oh, man, you don't have to do that. I think they don't want to admit how scared they are, hell, I'm scared, too," Steve said.

"You are?" Eddie asked as he finished putting the new bandages on Steve.

Steve turned around to face Eddie again and leaned against the table.

"Of course, just because we've all been through this before doesn't mean that this isn't still terrifying as shit for all of us. I think we've just gotten used to focusing on what's important, and that's saving this town. . .saving you," Steve said. "Man, Dustin's terrified of losing you. He loves you, and I can kind of see why. You're not alone, Eddie."

Steve hated the way his bottom lip quivered and the way his big brown eyes filled with tears. They were very doe-y eyed. The tears spilled over, and Eddie let out a sob. It broke Steve’s heart.

"Everything I touch - Chrissy - I, I'm fucking cursed," Eddie cried.

"No, man, you're not cursed, this fucking town is," Steve said softly.

He stood up and pulled Eddie into his arms. He squeezed him tightly despite the fact that his wounds were killing him. Eddie's body shook as he cried into Steve’s shoulder. Steve cradled the back of his head and began running his hand through his hair. Well, he tried to. Eddie's hair was badly tangled. Eddie winced and hissed as Steve’s fingers snagged at a knot. They both laughed, and that brief moment of comedic relief allowed Eddie to catch his breath. The sniffles subsided, and Eddie went quiet as he continued to keep his head tucked in the crook of Steve’s neck. Eddie let out a sigh as he pulled back. Steve freed a hand and wiped away Eddie's tears, causing a smile to appear on his face. Eddie moved, and suddenly, they were kissing. Everything went blank and fuzzy. There were no thoughts in Steve’s head as he immediately responded to the kiss. It took him a few seconds, but Steve finally realized what was happening. He pulled away.

"What are we doing?" Steve asked.

"You never made out with a friend before?" Eddie asked.

"No," Steve said. "Have you?"

"All the time with Jeff. We're nerds who can't get girls. . .I mean, except that one girl who slept with me as a dare. We like to call it lip hugging," Eddie said and paused, looking sad. "I thought maybe, Chrissy. . ."

"I'm sure she would have, man, without it being a dare. You're hot. . .for a guy," Steve said, and Eddie laughed. "And you're a good man."

"Thanks. . .and thanks for the lip hug, man," Eddie winked. "You're really good at it."

"Thanks for patching me up," Steve said with a smile, and Eddie moved to leave. "Eddie?"

Eddie turned around to face him, looking happier than he did before.

"Yeah?"

"Are we - I mean, are we friends?" Steve asked.

Eddie moved closer to him and brushed a knuckle to Steve’s chin.

"Definitely, big boy," Eddie said and placed a quick kiss to Steve’s lips before bouncing out of the RV.

"EDDDIEEE!"

A chill shot through Steve as he came back from the Creel House with Nancy and Robin when he heard Dustin's scream. Their victory of defeating Vecna and watching his body burning to a crisp was short-lived. Steve shared a look with Nancy and Robin. He didn't hesitate. He took off, running in the direction of Dustin's screams. Dustin was leaning over Eddie's body when they found him. Eddie was covered in blood, surrounded by bat bites, and lying so still. . .Steve felt a cold feeling shoot through his chest. He collapsed next to Eddie.

"Steve, he's not breathing," Dustin sobbed.

Steve felt his stomach wrench, and he wanted to throw up at the look in Dustin's eyes. Steve pressed his ear to Eddie's chest and cursed. He told him not to be a hero, and what did he do? Steve immediately started to perform CPR. Eddie gasped against his mouth and Steve tried not to think about the last time he felt Eddie's lips against his. He pulled back.

"Eddie's breathing! Get to the gate! Now!" Steve yelled as he pulled Eddie into his arms. "Before it closes!"

Nancy and Robin immediately helped Dustin to the gate while Steve did the same with Eddie. He wasn't sure how he was managing to carry Eddie to the gate, but he could guess that it was adrenaline. They helped Steve get Eddie through the gate, and they didn't wait to watch it close before rushing to the hospital. Everything after that happened so fast. Them wheeling Eddie away, not being able to see him, Hopper coming back, and Dr. Owens storming in with a cover story. While most people seemed to buy it, there were still others who weren't quite believing it. So, while Eddie needed to finish his healing, Steve was quick to offer up his house to hide Eddie. He offered it up to Wayne, too, but he said he was staying with a friend, and judging by the way he said it, Steve figured that this friend was a special one. He did give Wayne a key and told him he could stop by whenever he could, which he did. Steve loved it. It felt a lot more cheerful with them both hanging around.

"What's on the tube?" Eddie asked as he plopped on the couch.

It's been several few weeks of healing for both of them. Although Steve had gotten finished faster than Eddie. Their scars were still quite hard to look at it and it was definitely hard to wear shirts, so they went shirtless whenever they could. Steve and Eddie were currently shirtless now, sprawled out on the couch.

"Absolutely nothing," Steve sighed.

"Bummer," Eddie said, crossing his arms, and then glanced over at Steve. "So, you never said how you feel about things ending between you and Wheeler again."

"Actually, it went better than before. We were both a lot more honest with each other, and we're both happy that we tried again. We no longer feel ashamed about what happened that night, and we both know now that we'll always love each other. We, uh, both want different things. So, actually, I feel really good about it," Steve said.

"Well, that's great, man, really," Eddie grinned. "I, uh, never thanked you."

"For what?" Steve asked.

"For carrying me out of hell," Eddie said. "For saving my life."

"I was happy to do it, Eddie, I'm glad you're here," he said softly.

Eddie leaned over and pressed his lips to Steve’s. He cupped the back of Eddie's head and responded eagerly. They haven't done this since the RV, and honestly, Steve had been looking forward to it. He missed the feeling of Eddie's lips. He groaned when Eddie pulled back.

"I just want to thank you, Stevie," Eddie said. "What better way than to give you another lip hug?"

"I'm going to need another hug," Steve whispered.

"Gladly," Eddie said.

"There's nothing on TV anyway," he said.

"Noted."

Eddie climbed into his lap, placing his legs on either side of his hips. He kissed Steve, matching his eagerness from earlier. Steve gasped into his mouth, letting Eddie slip his tongue inside. He placed his hands on Eddie's hips, encouraging him to move them. Eddie rocked his hips and grinded against his clothed hardening cock. A feeling of euphoria rose up inside of Steve. He never felt like this with another man. . .well, he never had another man ride him like Eddie was currently doing. Although there were times with Tommy when they would wrestle, that Steve’s stomach and chest would grow warm. He always chalked it up to getting hot. No, Steve was even warmer than those times he rolled around with Tommy. He moved his hands up Eddie's back and then to his stomach to move them up, gently caressing his scars.

He cupped Eddie's nippleless pec, running his thumb over the scar. It was just as good as cupping a breast. The way Eddie shuddered underneath him told Steve he liked it, but he stopped moving his hips, and his kissing grew softer. Steve broke the kiss, pulled him closer, and shifted him until Steve was to face where Eddie's nipple used to be. He kissed the spot gently at first. Eddie sighed and moaned, curling his fingers into Steve’s hair. He grew more passionate with his kisses, opening his mouth over it. Steve took the bit of skin in his mouth and sucked on it like he would a nipple. Eddie let out a curse. Steve knew he wasn't completely healed yet and that there was some pain, so he pulled back, but Eddie tugged on his hair, keeping him there. Steve bit down.

"JESUS H CHRIST!"

Steve smirked as he pulled away, looking at Eddie.

"You can just call me Steve," he replied.

Eddie flashed his dimples at Steve before sliding off his lap and down to the floor onto his knees. He slipped his fingers into the waistband of Steve’s sweats and boxers. Steve watched with interest as Eddie started sliding them down, and he lifted his hips to help Eddie out. He peeled them all the way off, leaving Steve naked before him except for his socks. Eddie spread Steve’s legs apart and looked down, his eyes dark.

"Big boy, indeed. . .it's not gay if I say it's not gay especially if I'm only thanking you for saving my life, right?" Eddie asked.

"Sounds logical to me," Steve said.

"Hmm, looks like it could use a hug."

Eddie dove between his legs, taking Steve into his mouth.

"Fuck!"

Over the next few weeks, it all escalated from blowjobs to hand jobs, grinding naked against each other until it turned into full blow sex. Steve loved every minute of it. He loved the way Eddie manhandled him, and at the same time, he could be so gentle with him. He loved the way that they both switched as well as fought to be underneath or on top, biting each other and marking each other up along the way. They fucked in the showers, in the kitchen, and on the couch. They had luckily managed to avoid getting caught by Wayne. There were suddenly many situations where there was nothing on TV even when there were tons of stuff on. They didn't talk about it, what they were, or what they were doing. Steve should have known, though, that it was all over when Eddie started going out with Jeff and Doug.

"Oops, Sorry!" Steve heard a giggle come from the hallway and the sound of something breaking.

"Don't worry about it, my roommate's cool with it," Eddie said.

Steve was relaxing on the couch after working all day and giving rides to Dustin. He had hoped to finally cuddle on the couch with Eddie after not seeing him for the past couple of weeks. Eddie had gotten busy working on playing with Corroded Coffin again, and while he has been practicing here, he's mostly been practicing with the guys. Now, it was the first time he was seeing him, and Eddie had brought a girl home. What the fuck? Steve watched as Eddie moved past the entryway, kissing the girl and moving her back against the doorway. She had long strawberry blonde hair, and that was all he could see. Suddenly, Eddie broke the kiss and spotted Steve.

"You don't mind, do you?" Eddie asked.

Steve swallowed his hurt and smiled at him, as well as the bubbly girl in Eddie's arms.

"No, I don't."

"Except that you totally do mind," Robin said.

Steve was stacking videos a week later, and according to Robin, he was stacking them rather angrily.

"No, Robin, I really don't. It's basically his house, too," Steve said. "For whatever reason, they're taking a really long time to find Wayne and Eddie a place."

"Maybe Wayne moved in with his special friend and assumed that Eddie was happy living with you," Robin said.

"I mean, I would be happy if that was the case," Steve said. "I like having Eddie there."

"You don't seem to like having his girlfriend there," Robin pointed out.

"Rebecca is a really nice girl," Steve said. "I don't have a problem with her."

"Maybe you're just jealous," Robin said.

Steve’s eyes snapped to hers. Did she somehow know? He hadn't really been able to explain to Robin about what's been going on because he couldn't exactly tell her when he didn't know himself. . .especially about Eddie. No, she couldn't, right?

"What?" Steve asked.

"Eddie suddenly became your best friend while I've been busy getting closer to Vickie, and now you no longer have that. Plus, you're lonely, and you totally wish that you could have what we have," Robin said.

"Right, yeah," Steve scoffed.

"What did you think I meant?" Robin asked.

"Nothing, Robin," Steve said.

"Oh my God!" Robin exclaimed with wide eyes, and Steve cursed. "You have a crush on Rebecca!"

"Yeah, Robin. You got it. That's it," Steve scoffed again.

"Then what is it? I mean, judging by the way you're acting and your absolutely annoyance of Rebecca, I'd say you're jealous that she's with Eddie and you're not," Robin said and then snorted. "God, I make myself laugh sometimes. You're like the straightest man alive."

"Oh, yeah, Robin. You got me! I'm totally in love with Eddie! I want to kiss him and hold him. I totally want to marry him and have his babies," Steve rolled his eyes. "I wish I was Rebecca."

With a jolt, Steve realized that what he had said hadn't been sarcastic at all. He wanted all those things with Eddie. He thought about how he was with the kids, how he rants, how passionate he was, and despite how scary he pretended to be, he was the softest man alive, especially when he was with Steve. He missed being held by Eddie. He missed talking intimately with him, and he hated that Rebecca probably got to do all that with him. Except that Rebecca and Eddie hadn't known each other that long, so how intimate were they being? Does she know about his asshole of a father and Eddie's fear of turning into him? Does she share the same fear with him that Steve does about his own father? He wonders if she holds Eddie after a nightmare the way Steve used to do but now no longer gets to. He hates the idea of all of that and he hates being reminded of it when he hears them fuck through the walls. Oh god.

"Except that I - ," Steve swallowed thickly, looking at Robin with wide eyes. "Except that maybe - "

Robin stared at him, her eyes wide and her mouth dropping in shock. Just as Steve was working up the courage to finish that sentence, the bell above the door rang as a customer entered. Steve stumbled as he went to greet the customer, almost blurting out the old Scoops Ahoy greeting as he did so. Steve could feel Robin's eyes on him all day, but she didn't push him to talk about it. He wondered if somehow he had always known about it but chose to ignore it. Steve’s thoughts turned to Vickie and remembered how adamant he had been about her liking girls. Did he somehow know then?

"Steve, are you even paying attention to me?" Dustin asked.

"What? Yeah, yeah, you were going on and about how cool Rebecca is," Steve said, rolling his eyes. "I still can't believe Eddie introduced Rebecca to you guys without talking to me."

Several weeks later, Steve was currently driving Dustin to Gareth's house for their Hellfire meeting. He didn't know why Eddie couldn't drive Dustin, but he supposed it was so he could make out with Rebecca in the back of Eddie's van.

"Why are you acting like you and Eddie are divorced parents?" Dustin asked.

"I'm not! I'm just saying a heads up would be nice!" Steve exclaimed.

"What's your problem with Rebecca, anyway?" Dustin asked.

"Nothing!" Steve yelled, gripping the steering wheel. "It's just - he's been spending all his time with her, and even though we live together - I, uh, I miss him. I miss him, okay?!"

"Well, shit, that makes sense," Dustin said, and then he grinned. "I knew you would like him!"

"I'm obsessed with him, and I definitely would call him my best friend," Steve said.

"Well, you know, he misses you, too," Dustin frowned. "He says you keep turning him down when he asks if you want to hang out with him and Rebecca."

"Have you seen them together?" Steve asked.

"They are pretty gross," Dustin said, scrunching up his nose. "But he said he's in love."

"He said that?" Steve asked, feeling his stomach drop.

"Yeah," Dustin said. "It's pretty obvious."

Steve had dropped Dustin off to find Eddie's van in front of Gareth's house. Eddie was leaning against the van, Rebecca pressed up against him as they laughed and kissed. They broke apart, and Eddie's eyes caught his. Eddie threw up his hand to wave, but Steve quickly backed out without looking at him and drove away. A few weeks later, Eddie announced that he was moving in with Rebecca.

"What?" Steve asked.

They were standing in the kitchen, looking for something to eat for dinner when Eddie dropped the bomb.

"Yeah, I figured it was time for me to move out. I mean, your parents probably are going to come back, despite what you think," Eddie said.

"They are definitely not coming back," he scoffed. "Do you not like living with me?"

"I don't think you like living with me," Eddie said.

"I love living with you!" Steve exclaimed.

"It doesn't seem like it," Eddie scowled. "Ever since I got with Rebecca, you've made it pretty clear that I've made myself too comfortable."

Eddie couldn't be this clueless, could he? Hell, Steve was pretty clueless for the longest time, so maybe he was.

"I miss hanging out with you, Eddie. . .without Rebecca!" Steve snapped, and he couldn't stop what happened next.

Steve cupped Eddie's face and smashed his lips to his, pouring everything he had into the kiss. He pulled away, looking at Eddie, who winced.

"Yeah, Rebecca says it's not cheating to get your guy friends off and hug them, but she still doesn't like it. She says it's gross," Eddie said. "I'm sorry, I should have told you."

Well, Rebecca had been such a nice girl, and for a moment, he had been guilty about being jealous and about kissing Eddie, knowing they were together. Now, he didn't feel guilty at all. Now, he wanted to rip out every single strand of hair from her head.

"Is that what you think we've been doing?" Steve asked in disbelief.

"We're not gay, Steve, so of course, that's what we've been doing," Eddie said.

"Well, we're not gay but we're definitely something," he said. "I mean, don't you feel it?"

"No," Eddie said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm in love with Rebecca."

Looking at Eddie right now, it felt like Steve had been transported back to that Halloween night in Tina's bathroom with Nancy telling him he was bullshit and that she didn't love him. It was the same punch to the heart that he had felt back then. God, Steve was stupid. He never felt as stupid as he did right now.

"I think - I think I'm going to take a nap," Steve muttered.

"Steve - ," Eddie started to say.

Steve walked out the front door. He didn't say where he was taking a nap, did he? Steve didn't realize that he was crying until he was halfway to Robin's, and his whole body was shaking so hard that he stopped the car for a moment. He managed to contain himself enough to continue driving. When he pulled up and got out, he could hear the sound of Robin's voice, as well as Vickie's coming from the backyard. Shit. He should turn back.

"Oh! I think I heard the sound of Steve’s car pulling up! Get your ass back here, Harrington!" Robin yelled.

It's too late now. Steve followed the sound of her voice and found her relaxing on the back porch with Vickie sitting between her legs.

"Hey," Steve said quietly. "Sorry, I didn't realize - "

"Shit," Robin said, getting up. "What happened?"

"I'm in love with Eddie," Steve said, his voice breaking.

Steve spent the next few days at Robin with Robin and Vickie working around the clock to try to lift his spirits. God, he loved Vickie. Just because she was Robin's girlfriend didn't have any obligation to be there for him. She clearly wanted to. When Steve finally returned home, all of Eddie's stuff was gone, and his key was on the counter. It nearly broke him again. There wasn't even a note.

"What did you do?" Mike asked.

A few weeks later, Nancy was away at Emerson, so Mike was now depending on him for rides to school with Lucas and Dustin. At least, on days when their parents couldn't do it. Today was one of those days.

"Why would you assume that I did anything?" Steve asked.

"Because you're you and Eddie's Eddie," Mike said. "He seemed pretty upset, and he was the one who moved out."

"Well, why would Steve be the one to move out? It's Steve’s parents' house," Lucas said.

"Besides, Steve’s not like that," Dustin scowled. "He wouldn't hurt Eddie."

"At least not intentionally," Lucas said.

"Steve hated people like us in high school," Mike said.

"And what reputable source are you getting that from?" Steve scoffed.

"Just. . .from people," Mike said.

"Yeah, I didn't have the greatest friends. They were assholes but I always tried to stop them from doing stupid shit. No one ever talks about that because people only see what they want to see. They see a guy who has everything. . .and they assume the worst about people like me because it's easier for them to believe that I'm an asshole rather than just someone who's just a person who tries to do what's right but who always been slow to realize what's important so he fails. Just like everyone else. I've always tried to stop Tommy and Carol, but the one time that I didn't. . .no matter how many times I apologize for that. . .it doesn't matter. It'll always be held over my head. . .no matter how many times I sacrifice myself and my health, I am never going to be enough," Steve said.

"You also broke Jonathan's camera," Mike pointed out.

"Oh my God! I apologized for that! I gave him a new one. I reacted out of anger, and I should have let Nancy handle that, considering. . .I don't suppose Jonathan told you why I broke his camera," Steve said.

"No," Mike said.

"Of course, he didn't," Steve said. "Look, I like Jonathan now, I even respect him and call him a friend, but he's not exactly a saint. . .There doesn't have to be a bad guy in situations like this. . .sometimes, shit just happens. Maybe you should get a ride from Jonathan from now on if you hate me so much. . .For the record, I never hated people like you in high school. Never."

"I don't hate you," Mike said softly.

"Then I don't get it," Steve said.

"Me neither," Mike said. "I'm sorry."

"Steve," Dustin said. "You're crying."

"I know."

"I'm really sorry, Steve," Mike said. "You are more than enough. I swear."

Mike had apologized profusely after that, and Steve had forgiven him, but it still left him feeling off. He wondered how many people still hated him for what happened in high school. Is that why Eddie's friends wouldn't come over to the house? Steve wondered how long he was going to be blamed for the actions of other bullying jocks, of not having the ability to know every single person in the school. No, fuck that. He was done apologizing. If people couldn't get past their own views of him, that their problem, not his. Steve was lounging out by the pool when Wayne showed up and sat in the lawn chair next to him.

"Hey, kid," Wayne said.

"Eddie's not - ," Steve said.

"I know, I came to see how you were holding up," Wayne said.

"I'm good," Steve shrugged.

"Well, that's a load of bull," Wayne said. "Something's eating you up, and I already know what it is."

"Eddie," Steve mumbled.

"Yeah. . .I hate that Rebecca," Wayne said.

"What?" Steve asked.

"Well, she's clearly homophobic, not that anyone can see that. Not even Eddie," Wayne sighed.

"That's because - ," he started to say and he quickly cut himself off.

"Yeah, I know. . .I know my boy, I was hoping he'd come to terms with himself and come to me when he was ready," he sighed again, and then he scowled. "She can say whatever she wants to me, but when she makes remarks like that towards Eddie. . ."

"You just want to rip all the hairs out of her head?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Wayne replied with a snort. "I don't know what happened, but you were better for him than she was. Don't look at me, like that, I've seen the way he looked at you and the way you looked at him. There's something still there."

"Yeah, I don't think so," he said.

Wayne sighed and stood up, pulling Steve up to his feet.

"No matter what happens, you're my boy, too," Wayne said. "I can never think you enough for doing what you did for me and Eddie. You're a good kid. Don't give up on him. He'll come around."

Wayne pulled Steve into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," Steve whispered.

Wayne ended up being right. A few weeks later, Eddie ended up in his doorstep in the pouring rain. Steve had stepped aside to let him in, but Eddie had quickly turned around, muttering under his breath. Steve chased after him, the rain soaking him immediately. He grabbed Eddie's arm and turned him around.

"I want to come back," Eddie said.

"What about Rebecca?" Steve yelled over the thunder, and the pouring rain.

"I broke up with her," Eddie said.

"Why?" Steve asked.

"She's not you," Eddie said.

"What are you saying?" Steve asked.

"I'm saying that I'm in love with you!" Eddie said.

Steve smiled, despite the fact that the rain was ruining his hair and that there was a definite chance that they could get sick tomorrow. There was a dreaded weight being lifted off his shoulders now.

"I'm in love with you, too," Steve said, moving towards Eddie. "Wait. What are you doing? Stay still."

"Nope! No way! There's no way I'm going to be a fucking cliche!" Eddie yelled as he ducked away from Steve’s arm.

It took him a minute, but Steve laughed when he realized where Eddie was coming from.

"Come on, Eddie! Give me a kiss!" Steve yelled.

"Nope!"

Eddie dodged Steve’s arms again, bobbing and weaving in Steve’s front yard. Steve ran after him, trying to stop him from getting to the front door.

"Eddie!" He giggled.

"I am NOT kissing you in the rain! That's too much!" Eddie shrieked.

"Oh, come on, you already told me you loved me in the rain. You're halfway there!" Steve said.

Eddie slipped in the mud but managed to get caught in Steve's arms. Steve squeezed him and smiled down at him.

"Ugh. . .don't you fucking say it, Harrington," Eddie said.

"Looks like you fell for me," Steve grinned. "I'm going to kiss you now."

"Don't you dare!"

Eddie didn't stop him when Steve leaned down and kissed him. In fact, he returned the kiss with a furious passion. Steve broke away, laughing.

"You're a fucking cliche, Eddie Munson," Steve said.

"Gah!"

The next day, Steve was right. They both got sick, but they both felt like it had been worth it. Wayne, Robin, and Vickie immediately came over to nurse them back to health. Plus, Steve was pretty sure they wanted to hear the story in person and get Eddie's stuff back from Rebecca. The three of them had laughed so hard when Steve told them how Eddie ran from him in the rain. Robin plopped down on the edge of Steve’s bed, Eddie lying next to him, as Wayne and Vickie went downstairs to make them some soup.

"Yeah, so, Rebecca is definitely homophobic," Eddie revealed.

"I fucking knew there was something about Rebecca that I just didn't like and it wasn't just because the slutty little tart was trying to steal my best friend's man," Robin said.

"You hear that, Stevie? I'm your man," Eddie said, flashing his dimples.

"Yeah, baby, you are," Steve said before sneezing so hard that his head hit Eddie's.

"Ow!"

Wayne and Vickie came back with two trays of soup. They laid them down in front of them, Wayne tucking in both boys and brushing their hair back.

"You boys eat your soup and don't worry about a thing. We're going to get Eddie's stuff," Wayne said.

It didn't seem like they were gone very long, but it could have been because Eddie and Steve had nodded off as soon as they finished the soup. They woke up to the three of them moving Eddie's things into Eddie's bedroom. Robin was carrying a box, bloody tissues hanging from her nose.

"What the hell happened?" Steve asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, Rebecca wasn't too happy about us trying to take your things, so she put her hands on Vickie and called her the 'd' word," Robin said. "I had no choice, really. I had to punch her."

"It was so sexy," Vickie said.

"I brought you back a trophy," Robin said and dropped strands of strawberry blonde hair onto the bed. "Don't worry, I left behind most of it."

"Damn," Eddie grinned. "Go, Buckley. Thanks for doing all of this."

"Don't worry about it, kid. You boys just focus on getting better. No more kissing in the rain," Wayne said.

"I told you nothing good comes from kissing in the rain," Eddie said to Steve.

Wayne rolled his eyes and gathered up the soup trays, taking them out of the room.

"I'm glad you guys figured out your shit," Robin said as she put away Eddie's things. "Although, for the longest time, I didn't know there was shit to figure out."

"I'm sorry that we were so clueless," Steve said with a grin.

"Ah, you're forgiven. Easily," Robin smiled.

"Still not gay," Eddie said.

"Eddie!" Steve exclaimed. "We've admitted that we're in love with each other. How are you still in denial?!"

"Sorry, sweetheart," Eddie cackled. "I thought I was being funny. We're a little gay."

"Do you guys not know what I am?" Vickie asked, squinting her eyes at them.

"Uh, a redhead?" Eddie asked, and Robin snorted. "Unless. . .you're not?"

"Babe, did I not tell them? I could have sworn that I did," Vickie said as she helped put Eddie's clothes in Steve's drawers.

"I don't think you did," Robin said.

"Well, I'm bisexual. I like men and women. . .OH, CRACKERS!" Vickie yelled as she accidentally closed her thumb in the drawer.

"Crackers? What's a cracker?" Steve whispered to Eddie.

"Maybe it's someone who's both a man and woman?" Eddie asked in confusion.

"Maybe it's someone who's got no gender at all," Steve said, snapping his fingers.

"But why would they be called crackers?" Eddie asked.

"Because crackers have no gender," Steve said.

"Makes sense," Eddie said.

"Does it?" Robin asked. "What's wrong with you?"

"Crackers also have salt, and tears have salt in them," Steve said.

Robin frowned and pressed her hands to their foreheads.

"Wayne! Their temperatures have spiked!" Robin yelled.

"I found the medicine!" Wayne yelled!

"We'll talk about it again when you guys are feeling better," Vickie giggled.

The next day, once their fever had broken, they had talked about it at great length. . .about what it all meant for them. Steve was curled up on Eddie's chest, running his hands gently over his scars.

"I bet Jeff never got this far," Steve said.

"No, not even close. That was just lip hugging. . .oh my god, I can't believe how dumb I was," Eddie laughed.

He sighed as his boyfriend pressed kisses into his hair. Steve giggled. Boyfriend.

"Lip hugging. . .it's cute," Steve said.

"So, why did Dustin tell me that I need to kill of Mike's character?" Eddie asked.

"Oh, Mike was just being an asshole teenager, and he was just being protective of you," Steve said.

"Dustin said he made you cry," Eddie said.

"Oh, I mean, yeah," he said. "But it's fine, you don't have to kill his character."

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't at least try?" Eddie asked. "God, I'm so fucking lucky."

It was the first time hearing it come from Eddie's mouth. He climbed up and straddled Eddie's wasn't, kissing him deeply. It felt so much more real now that they were no longer in denial. The walls they had put up were falling down around them as they fell into deep acceptance, wrapping up in each other's warm embrace.

[tomssexdoll]

Secret PT.2

PAIRINGS: Tom 2009 x Female reader CONTENT: FLUFF SYPNOSIS: After Y/N, Tom and Bill go home, Tom has a talk with y/n, about how he acted, why he did and to confess his true feelings. A/N: make sure you read pt1 to know what's going on in this

I smiled back, placing my hand on his, intertwining our fingers. As we got home Bill headed straight to bed, drunk and tired.

Me and Tom just slowly made our way to his bedroom, I sat down on his bed, him hovering over me, cupping my cheeks. "You're so beautiful, so angelic" he smiled, peppering kisses on my cheeks. I chuckled "well before I was ugly to you wasn't I?" he rolled his eyes "you know I didn't mean what I was saying, if I thought you were so ugly why would we be where we are right now" he crossed his arms.

I sighed "i'm joking Tom, come lay down with me" I crawled into the bed, laying on my side, Tom also doing the same thing. He pulled me closer to him, his beautiful brown eyes staring into mine. I admired his features, his beautiful lips, nose, ears, eyebrows and oh my god his jawline. His jawline could make me cum within a matter of seconds.

He held me close, kissing my forehead. "So tell me, why did you change after puberty? We were so close and then you just became a monster" I frowned "I-" he hesitated "I don't know..I guess I realised my feelings for you and was just scared, being 13 and in love with my childhood best friend was terrifying, I just thought acting bitter and distancing myself would just make my feelings vanish" he sighed, stroking my hair softly.

I smiled "that's so cute, it only took, what, 7 years to confess your true feelings?" he chuckled and hit my arm playfully "shut up, don't remind me."

"What made you do what you did tonight? I mean you've kept it up for that long why break now?" I said, curiosity in my tone, "just, the way you were dancing with that guy made me so fucking angry, I wanted so badly for it to be me, I can't stand seeing you with other guys, even when we were younger and I saw you at parties, I would get so angry I would fight literally anyone I saw" he scratched his neck, a little embarassed.

"Really? I wondered why you always got into stupid fights" I giggled and continued "I mean i've always liked you, ever since we were like 5, even when I got boyfriends in the past, which you never approved of, I always just thought of you"

He smiled like an idiot, a huge grin on his face "reallyyyy? So all that protectiveness was for nothing?" he whined jokingly "oh shut up Tom, at least you have me now" I giggled and kissed him.

"But y/n, I do like you, like A LOT, literally ask Bill, he can sit for hours and tell you how I would never shut up about you" him saying that made my heart put back all the broken pieces together. All the years I had been heartbroken from his mean and kniving words were just solved with that sentance.

"I honestly can't imagine myself with anyone else, it's always been you, did you not notice all the girls I'd hook up with would always look very similar to you" I thought about it and realised what he said was true, literally any girl I saw him sneak into his house or run off with at a party looked so similar to me, but it didn't hint anything to me back then, I was very naive.

"What do you even like about me?" I said, his eyes widened as if he was offended. "What do I not like about you? I love every little thing you do, the way you eat, the way you sleep, the way you walk, the way you laugh, the way you talk, everything you do makes me feel butterflies in my stomach, I literally can't stop thinking about you, you're ALWAYS on my mind."

I chuckled "woahh calm down" he smirked and kissed the top of my head "don't even ask that question again, I'll make you sit here for days while I nit pick everything I love about you."

I nuzzled my head into his chest, getting comfortable. My head slightly hurting from all the alcohol I had before. "You wanna go to sleep prinzessin?" he moved my chin to make me look at him, smiling softly. I nodded and pressed my lips against his, burying my head back into his chest as he held me tightly.

"Goodnight baby, I love you" he whispered, kissing my forehead before turning off the lamp on the bedside table. Both of us falling asleep in each others arms.

I felt complete, like the puzzle piece that was missing for my whole life, the one I had been searching for in many people, for ages was finally found. The answer all along was right in front of me.

E/N: IM CRYING GUYS THIS IS SO CUTE