#If any of the local lot turn up; we'll be there but we'll be in-character acting the entire night.

[brbuttons]

We were hired to design a poster for an upcoming Rocky Horror inspired immersion night, and it was such a delight.

Posters can be a challenge (graphic design is not our passion) but getting to research and learn from the old mid-century burlesque & B-movie posters was a treat.

[sturniqlo]

THE MOVE- MATT STURN

summary: y/n and matt, once former classmates, reunite when both of them move down the street from each other and become closer than ever

cw: cursing, mention of underage drinking(main characters are 18!) , SMUT; car sex, unprotected p in v, making out, hickies, oral!f!receiving, cream pie

an: thank you so much for 1000 followers??! HELLO?! i love every. single. one. of. you.💋💋

masterlist | join my taglist

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

"I'm moving to Springville in the summer." Y/n tells her best friend. "What? Really?" Her best friend cries. "Yeah, my parents found a really good deal on a house over there. I'm leaving after graduation." She frowns, trying to not let the tears out. Her and Steph have been friends for over thirteen years.

"Hey, don't make me cry." Y/n tries to smile to lighten up the mood. "At least we have a couple of months left together." Springville was about two and a half away from where they currently live. "And- and we can drive back and forth to meet each other!" Y/n wipes her best friends' tears away.

"Okay, okay you're right! No crying! We still have a couple of months." Steph repeats Y/ns' words. "Let's go get milkshakes and fries." Y/n suggests, they love going to their local diner and getting their usual vanilla milkshake and a basket of fries. Ever since they turned eighteen, their parents granted them permission to drive alone and they've been driving everywhere together any chance they could.

"Good idea."

The next day at school, the word spread around their friend group and distant friends that Y/n would be moving in the summer. "Y/n, we're going to miss you!" "Y/n don't go!" "What? Are you serious?!" Were phrases she heard all day. At lunch, she stood up to go to the bathroom and she ran into one of her other friends.

"Hey, Y/n. I heard you're moving to Springville this summer. My friend Matt is also moving over there this summer. You know Matt, right? He's one of the triplets." The girl dried her hands on a paper towel. "Really? And yeah, I know of Matt. He's the one we have third period with?" Y/n makes sure she doesn't mix the triplets up. She's talked to Matt here and there, however she's 'closer' with Nick due to the fact that they have and have had a lot of periods together over the past four years. As for Chris, she's had at least five conversations with him. "Yeah! That's him! You two should hangout when you settle in!" Y/n nods. "Totally!"

When they get out the bathroom, they go their separate ways. Y/n texted her friend group that she wouldn't be returning to lunch due to having to head to the office for some paperwork. Which was a lie, she just wanted a break from socializing so she headed to the library.

It was now summer and it had been a couple of days since Y/n had graduated. Y/n and her parents were packing up their belongings into the moving trucks. "I'll miss you so much! Promise we'll try to hang out as much as we can?" Steph hugs her tightly now that they had finished moving Y/n's boxes into the truck. "I promise, I'll miss you so much too." She rocks them side to side. "Y/n, it's time to go." Her mom comes up, from saying goodbye to Steph's parents, and puts a hand on Y/n's shoulder.

"I'll try to come and visit you within the next few weeks okay?" Steph pulls away from the hug and Y/n nods. "Bye, Steph." "Bye, Y/n." Steph gives one last hug to Y/n before stepping to where her parents are standing. "We'll see you there, Mr.Y/l/n." One of the movers tells Y/n's dad before getting in the truck and backing out of the driveway.

"Y/n, honey, we're leaving in ten." Y/n and her parents have been in their new house for about seven hours now and they were going to head to dinner since they hadn't gone grocery shopping yet. "Coming!" She finishes putting her bedsheets on her bed. Once she finishes, she rummages through the many boxes of clothes and picks out a simple outfit. "I'm ready." She says, coming down the stairs. "You got some stuff done?" Her mom asks, looking through her purse.

Y/n had been working on her room for about an hour because she was helping her parents unpack the living room and kitchen. "A bit, just need to hang my clothes up and fix my vanity." Her dad comes into view. "Garage is all set, let's go eat dinner. I'm starving." He grabs the car keys from his pocket.

"Oh look, another family is moving in." Y/n's dad slows the car down as they drive past the house with many boxes outside. "Maybe we can welcome them." Her mom says from the front seat. "We look like some stalkers just stopped in front of the house." Y/n giggles.

The next week, Y/n had luckily made some friends while she was out shopping. When she had gotten home from hanging out with them for the first time, she got many new friend requests from unknown people. omg! do any of you guys know any of these people? lol Y/n sends a screenshot to the group chat of the thirty new requests. yes accept them!! we went to school with them, the boy group is hosting a party on saturday you HAVE to come with us!!! One of her new friends types back. really? i'm down!! She replies.

Once she accepts and follow the people back, many stories pop up on her feed. Clicking on someone named Easton, a picture of a table full of food pops up, the next one is a quick video and it pans to a group of boys, in the corner she spots Matt. Holding down on the video, she makes sure it's him and suddenly remembers that Matt also moved down to Springville.

"Should I dm him?" She whispers to herself. Going to her following, she searches Matt's name up and clicks on his profile. She goes to click message, but then decides to press the following button to unfollow him. Waiting a couple of seconds, she follows him again, hoping to get a dm from him. As much as she wanted to text him, she didn't want to make the first move.

Y/n turns off her phone and places it face down on her chest, looking up at her light bulbs. Soon, her eyes start to closes but she feels her phone buzz on her chest. She grabs her phone and sees a dm from Matt.

matt.sturniolo

hi y/n :))

y/n/y/l/n

hi matt!!

matt.sturniolo

i heard you moved down to springville a couple of weeks ago

y/n/y/l/n

yeahh i did

i also heard you did too

matt.sturniolo

yeah, i've been here for a couple of weeks now, we should hangout sometime

my friends are throwing a party on saturday i could pick you up if you want?

y/n/y/l/n

oh yeah, my friends told me about that party.

sure, it seven a good time?

matt.sturniolo

alright! send me your address

y/n/y/l/n

it's 123 Vine St

matt.sturniolo

no way?? you're down the street from me. i'm 129

y/n/y/l/n

really?? what a coincidence lmao

They eventually exchanged numbers and texted for the next hour or so. That night, Y/n fell asleep with a smile on her face. Both Y/n and Matt had never really talked throughout high school even though they had mutual friends.

Saturday came fairly quickly. Y/n had started working at a restaurant as a hostess and she had just came back from her shift. "Are you still going to that party?" Her mom says. "Yeah, remember Matt? He's one of the triplets." Her mom nods. "He's picking me up, I found out he lives in that one house we saw when we moved in."

Y/n was now getting ready, she was finishing her makeup up when she got a message from Matt.

matt

hi are you almost ready?

y/n

yeah, just finishing my makeup

i can walk to your house if you want me to

matt

no, it's fine i can pick you up

y/n

alright, thank you :))

Five minutes later, she heard a beep outside her house. "I'll be back later." She tells her mom before exiting the house. "Hi, Matt." She says as she gets in the passenger seat. "Hi, Y/n. You look nice." Y/n blushes. "Thanks, so do you." Now it's Matt's turn to blush. "Your brothers aren't coming?" Y/n asks as she doesn't see the two other guys. "They decided to stay in. They said they aren't ready for their first Springville party, whatever that means." They giggle.

"So, how do you feel about moving down here?" Matt spins the steering wheel to get out of their neighborhood. "It's okay, I miss my friends back home. Especially Steph, you know her?" Matt nods. "She's the one who has purple highlights, right?" Y/n hums. "Yeah that's her. How about you? You like it here?" Y/n asks. "I love it actually, I like how it's a smaller city. My brothers are having a hard time with it though."

Once Matt finds a parking spot. They hop out the car and make their way to the house that's blasting music. "Y/n! Hey!" They both turn around and see Y/n's friends making their way to them. "Hey girls!" The three girls smile at Y/n and then look at Matt who is standing next to her. "Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Matt, we went to high school together!" Matt does a small wave. "Awe, you drove two hours to come see Y/n, how sweet." One girl says. "O-oh I- uh I moved here the same time she did." He chuckles. "Hey, Matt!" They hear a distant voice from behind. Matt turns around and sees his friend calling him over. "I'll see you inside?" Y/n nods. "Yeah!" As Matt walks away, her friends gasp. "Y/n! You didn't tell us you had a boyfriend!" Her face turns red as they continue to walk again.

"Matt's not my boyfriend! We just started talking." She shrugs. "Oh, so you two are talking talking." One smirks. "What?! I don't know? Yes- no! We're not. Just- we're talking as friends." She states. "That's what they all say." Her friends then tell her how bad of a driver their uber was.

"Hey, sorry I haven't been with you." Matt touches her waist to make himself know to her. "It's fine." She turns around and smiles at him. "My friends wanted me to keep track of their beer pong score since I'm probably the only one sober here." He laughs. "That makes two of us." Y/n takes a drink of her water bottle. "Wanna go outside? It's a bit stuffy in here." Y/n nods and Matt grabs her hands and leads her outside.

On the way outside, her friends spot her and give her a thumbs up and she rolls her eyes jokingly. "Holy shit, it's so much better out here." Matt feels the fresh air hit him. "I agree." They both find an empty bench in the backyard and decide to sit there.

"I can't believe we've never hung out during high school." Matt says, looking at her. "I cant believe it either. You're actually really fun to be around and talk to." Y/n nods. "So I was boring in high school is what you're trying to say?" Matt raises an eyebrow, trying not to laugh. "No! Of course not!" She laughs. "I'm kidding, I thought you were pretty intimidating, though." He says. "Really? Why'd you think that?" He shrugs. "You always looked so serious, and you never really talked much."

What seemed like hours of talking, Y/n looked at the time and saw it was almost one in the morning. "You ready to go?" Matt asks. "I think so, you?" He nods. "Come on let's go." Matt stands up and holds his hand out for her. "You don't wanna say bye to your friends?" Matt says and she shakes her head. "They left quickly, one of my friends snuck out her house and she got caught so they left."

"Are you hungry? We can go eat somewhere or do you have to be home?" Y/n shakes her head as Matt leaves the parking spot. "We can go eat somewhere."

Matt gets onto the main street and takes Y/n to a 24/7 diner. "Have you been here before?" He asks as he pulls into the parking lot. "Mm-mm," She shakes her head before speaking again. "I've driven by here, but I've never eaten here." Matt parks and turns off the car. "It's really good, probably one of my favorite places here." Before he gets out the car Y/n asks him a question. "Hey, Matt. Do you happen to have a sweater or something? I don't want to go in wearing this." She motions down to her see through shirt.

"I think I do." He closes the driver door and opens the back door, Y/n gets out the passenger door and meets Matt where he's at. "Here you go." He hands her a plain black hoodie. "Thanks." She grabs it from him and puts it on. "Let's go." He nods his head towards the diner.

"Hi, welcome to Rubys." The hostess greets them, a nice middle aged lady. "Hello, for two, please." Matt speaks next to Y/n. "Of course," She grabs two menus. "Right this way." She signals them to follow her. "Thank you." Y/n says as they sit down and the lady lets them know she'll be back to take their orders. "Are you hungry hungry or hungry?" Y/n giggles and opens up the menu. "I'm hungry. We can share a meal if you want." He smiles at her.

"Chicken tenders and fries?" Y/n raises an eyebrow, smiling. "Sounds good!" When the waitress comes back, they order their shared meal, and order their own milkshakes. "And- sorry, I'm getting a call." Matt is interrupted by his phone vibrating in his pocket. "What Chris?" He says impatiently, wanting to go back and talk to Y/n. "Where are you?" Chris says. "I'm at Rubys with Y/n." He replies. "Ouu, a date." Matt scoffs at Chris' teasing. "No, stop it." He mutters. "Can you bring me and Nick some food? We'll pay you." Chris asks. "Alright, I have to go, bye." Matt hangs up, already knowing their order. "Sorry, they wanted some food." He laughs. "It's fine." She giggles.

Matt was now dropping off Y/n, parked in front of her fence. "Thank you for tonight, Matt. I had fun." She says, grabbing her purse. "Me too, I'll see you around?" Y/n nods. "Oh! Here, your sweater." As she goes to take it off Matt stops her. "It's okay, you can keep it." He smiles. "You sure?" She says. "Of course."

"Thanks." She leans over and presses a kiss to his cheek. "See you around."

It was a week after the party, and both Matt and Y/n have been texting every hour of everyday ever since that night. "So are you two talking or what?" Nick asks his brother. "I guess you could put it that way." He tries his hardest not to blush. "Look at him! He's blushing!" Chris teases, pointing at Matt. "Leave him alone!"

Nighttime came around and Matt was antsy to see her. do you wanna go driving? He types and sends it to her. just me n you. He adds on. i would love to. Matt smile at her text before replying back. pick you up in three ;)

Matt throws on a hoodie and grabs his keys, heading out of his room. "Where are you going at," Nick says from the couch in the living room, looking at his phone. "ten fifty two pm?" He adds. "I'm going on a drive with Y/n."

I'm here. Matt sends Y/n a message instead of beeping, knowing half of the block is probably in bed by now. Going! She quickly replies back. Matt looks at Y/ns' house and sees the front porch light turn on and then the front door opening seconds later with Y/n coming out.

Y/n quickly makes her way to his car. "Hi, Matt." Y/n leans over the center console and kisses his cheek. "Hi, Y/n." He kisses her cheek quickly after. "Wanna go to the convenience store and get some snacks?" He asks, looking over at her before looking back at the road. "Yeah, I could go for some chips right now." She agrees.

After their quick trip to the store Matt finds an empty parking lot and parks the car. As they finished their snack, they washed it down with their drinks. "I-" "So," They say at the same time and they giggle. "You can go." Y/n says. "I- I wanted to tell you that I'm really enjoying our time together." Y/n's mouth opens a bit in shock. "Oh, Matt, I-" Matt can't really read her expression. "Shit! I'm sorry did I ruin it? Fuck, I should've never-" He gets cut off by Y/n smashing her lips against his.

It takes Matt a few seconds to realize what's happening before he moves his lips against hers. The kiss gets heated by the second and before they know it, Y/n is on his lap. Unfortunately, they get interrupted by Y/n's ass pressing up against the horn startling them. "Oh shit!" They say in unison and laugh with their foreheads pressed against one anothers.

Matt rubs his hands over her waist. "Wanna meet me in the back seat?" He presses a wet kiss over her jaw, sucking lightly. "I thought you'd never ask." She leans down and presses a chaste kiss to his lips. She gets off of his lap and crawls into the back seat. Matt steps out the car and opens the back seat dooor climbing in and immediately grabbing Y/n by her waist and pulling her to his lap and kissing her all over again.

"I've been wanting to do this ever since the party." He says in between breathes. "Really?" She smiles against his lips. "Mhm, looked so fucking sexy in your little outfit." He squeezes her ass. Y/n rocks her hips against his, feeling his bulge against her thin shorts that are riding up her thighs.

After minutes of rocking against each other, Matt lays Y/n against the seat and hovers over her, kissing over her neck. "Can I take this off, baby?" He tugs at the end of her oversized tee. "Please." She whines. Matt brings her shirt up and Y/n lifts up a bit so he can remove it. The chilly air makes her nipples harden and Matt groans.

"No bra?" He goes to suck on her nipple, kneading her tit in his other hand. "Fuck, Matt." She gasps, arching her back. "You like that, babe?" He hums, nibbling on the bud. "Yes, fucking love it." She kneads her hand through his hair. Matt pulls away for a second and Y/n could almost whine from the loss of contact. He pulls his hoodie off and throws it in the front seat with Y/n's shirt.

"Can I take these off as well?" Matt's hand comes down to the waistband of her skimpy shorts. "Yes, yes, take them off." She nods, lifting her hips and Matt pulls them down her legs and is met with her white cotton thong. Matt gives her a look and Y/n nods. He hooks a finger through her thong and removes them swiftly. Matt looks down and sees her cunt glistening. "So wet already." He growls at the sight before diving down getting a taste of her.

"Oh, Matt." She sighs in pleasure as he sucks on her clit, slurping her juices. The sounds coming from her are going straight to his cock. "Fuck- get- get up here." Y/n pulls Matt up to her and kisses him harshly. "Please, Matt." She whines against his lips. "What do you want, baby. Hm, I don't know what you want unless you tell me." He kisses down her jaw, to her neck, sucking on the soft skin there leaving red and purple marks. "I want you to fuck me, Matt." She runs her hands down his front and stops when she reaches the waistband of his sweatpants.

"Yeah, want me to stuff you with my cock?" He lowers his sweatpants, along with his boxers, his dick springs up slapping against his lower belly. "Yes, want to be full of your cock." She reaches for his erection and holds him in her hands. Slowing moving her hands up and down. "Fuck, baby." He rolls his hips against her hold. "Wait, wanna cum in you." He stops and brings his dick over her pussy, running the tip up and down, gathering her arousal.

"Ready?" He asks, looking down at her. "Yes, give it to me, Matt." Matt brings his tip to her leaking hole and slowly pushes in. "Oh- fuck!" He groans, feeling the tightness of her pussy wrap around him. "Matt, you feel so good." She moans, feeling him balls deep in her. "Shit! You like being stuffed with my cock don't you, baby." He starts to thrust his hips in and out of her. "Just like that, shit!" Y/n brings her hands up her body and squeezes her tit adding on to the pleasure.

"Holy fuck- keep squeezing me like that." Matt brings two of his fingers to her mouth and makes her suck on them, getting them wet, before taking them out and bringing those fingers down to rub her clit. "Mmph, so so good." She whines scratching her nails down his back. "I'm close, can I cum in you, baby. Cum in this tight little pussy?" He kisses her neck over the marks. "Yes, cum in me. I'm so fucking close." She cries as Matt hits that one spot deep in her.

A couple more thrust in her, Matt stills his movements and cums in her. "I'm cumming, shit baby." He burries his face in her warm neck. "Me too, fuck!" Y/n says heavily, running a hand through Matt's hair at the nape of his neck. "That was- that was amazing." Matt laughs in her neck. "I agree." She giggles.

"Let me clean you up." He untucks his face from her neck and places a kiss on her lips before getting up and slowly pulls his dick out. "Fuck." Matt says lowly as he sees a mix of her and his cum dripping out her hole. Matt spots one of his shirts from the other day draped over the backseat headrest and uses that to clean her up. "Oh!" She hisses. "Sorry, baby." He whispers.

"All done." He throws the shirt on the floor and leans over to get her discarded clothes. "Here you go." He hands them to her. "Thank you." Matt pulls his boxers and sweatpants and grabs his hoodie. "I should take you home then?" Matt grabs her and pulls her onto his lap. "Mhm." She hums before kissing him.

"Get in the front seat."

[hippiegoth97]

Renegade: Eddie Munson x Reader

Collage by me :)

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Description: It's spring break of '86, and you receive a call from Dustin after seeing a troubling news story on the television. He enlists your help to find Eddie, a young man you remember was supposed to graduate with you two years prior. The two of you have history, which causes you to willingly volunteer yourself to watch after the unfortunate fugitive. You comfort him in his time of need, in more ways than one. And you end up finding something that's been missing from your lonely existence for way too long...

Content Warning 18+ Only, Minors DNI: swearing, female reader, smut, fingering, oral sex, unprotected sex, squirting, consecutive orgasms, mentions of violence, one use of the F-slur, mentions of abuse/attempted sexual assault, mentions of past underage sex (reader and Eddie are both 19/20 in the actual story), mentions of drug/alcohol use, mentions of minor criminal activity, crying, light PTSD

A/N: This story contains dialogue from Stranger Things season four for context within my story, some of which has been modified. The credit for said dialogue goes to the Stranger Things writers, the Duffer Brothers, and Netflix. I only use it for entertainment purposes, I do not own Stranger Things or any of its characters, and I do not profit from my stories.

Word Count: 25.8k

divider by @strangergraphics

Renegade

You're sitting on the couch in your apartment, watching the early afternoon cartoons. A bowl of Honeycomb cereal sits before you, and you munch away at it mindlessly. Suddenly, in the middle of your animated entertainment, the local news cuts in to deliver a breaking story. You roll your eyes, it's probably another story about how evil Dungeons & Dragons is or some shit. This town sure loves to cater to sensationalism. There's been actual monsters from another dimension terrorizing this town, but all anyone can talk about is 'Just Say No' and 'the threat of satanism'.

A newswoman stands outdoors in the afternoon sun, in the middle of a place you'd recognize anywhere. Forest Hills trailer park, and the scene of the crime behind her is none other than the home of Eddie Munson. What the hell? You turn up the volume, needing to know what's going on.

"This is Channel Nine News coming to you live with a breaking story. We're in the Forest Hills trailer park in East Roane County. We don't have a lot of details right now, but we can confirm that the body of a Hawkins High student was discovered early this morning. Police have not released the victim's name, although we are told they're currently in the process of notifying the family. This incident is sure to rock the community of Hawkins, as the town has seen so much loss in recent years. Just last summer, there was the tragic fire at Starcourt Mall that claimed thirty lives. Police have the area around the crime scene blocked off as they are currently investigating, and are advising the trailer park residents to stay indoors, and stay vigilant. It has not yet been determined if foul play is involved, but we'll report back when we receive further details on this story."

You click off the TV, unable to believe that yet another life has been claimed by this bullshit town. The second you put the remote down, your phone begins to ring. You take the receiver out of its cradle, bringing it to your ear. "Hello?" You say.

"Y/N! It's Dustin, have you seen Eddie?" Dustin Henderson, one of the many friends you've managed to make over the last couple years. You'd first become acquainted with him last summer, when you worked at Starcourt before the 'fire'. You worked at Scoops Ahoy with Steve and Robin, both of which you remembered from your high school days. You graduated back in '84, the year Eddie was originally supposed to. You didn't hang out much, but you'd run into each other at times. He was kind, if not a little guarded. But he has every reason to be, given the fact that Hawkins High and the town as a whole absolutely hate him. And now, they're going to think he's a murderer. "Hello? You there, Y/N?" Dustin asks, snapping you out of your thoughts.

"Um, yeah. I haven't seen Eddie, but I just saw the news." You reply.

"Yeah, so did I. Can you meet me at Family Video? We should make some calls." He says, seemingly hiding some vital details. But you know just as well as him that someone could be listening to your conversation right now. The government has been keeping a very close watch on Hawkins, screening calls and performing raids. Anything alluding to the upside-down, or Eleven, or any other product of Hawkins lab will send some very scary people your way.

"Yeah, I'll be there in fifteen." You say hurriedly, checking your watch. The line cuts out, and you set the phone down on the table. You jog to your bedroom, hastily changing out of your pj's and into some jeans and a t-shirt. You slip on a cardigan as well as the air is still a bit chilly at times. You pull on your converse and grab your purse as you walk out the door. You get in the car as fast as you can, peeling out of the parking lot of your apartment complex. It doesn't take long for you to show up at the video store, noticing two bicycles leaning against the glass windows. You put your car in park and go inside. You find Dustin and Max behind the counter, having just spilled some newly returned tapes on the floor. Steve and Robin are yelling at the two of them for disrupting their day, noting how hectic the shop has been thus far. "Hey guys." You say to interrupt their squabbling.

"Oh, hey, Y/N. What are you doing here?" Steve asks, giving you a once-over. You roll your eyes at him, he's always had a bit of a thing for you. He knows you aren't into him that way, so he stopped persistently asking you out quite some time ago. He can't seem to control his wandering eyes, though, much to your dismay.

"Dustin asked me to meet him. Eddie's missing, and we need to find him." You reply, going around the counter the civilized way to help out.

"And how exactly do you guys plan to do that?" Robin asks, putting the dropped tapes back on the counter.

"I'm going to look up the numbers of Eddie's friends so we can call and see if they've seen him. Someone must have, right?" Dustin replies, going over to the computer and beginning to push buttons.

"Hey, now! That's property of Family Video, dude. You shouldn't be messing with that." Steve says, trying to get in the way to stop the kid.

"Quit it, Steve! I need to do this! It's important!" Dustin shouts, still pressing on keys to get into the customer log.

"But why? You think Eddie's cooler than me cuz he plays your nerdy game or something?" Steve asks, sounding rather jealous.

"No, dude! I never said that." Dustin says. He looks to Max, needing some assistance here. He can't stop what he's doing to explain every little detail, there's no time to waste."Can you just- fill them in while I do this?" He asks as he types away on the customer database.

"Fill us in on what?" Robin asks, speaking for the three of you who have no idea what's going on. Max proceeds to explain what she saw last night, Chrissy at Eddie's trailer, Eddie driving away, the lights flickering. The pieces begin to fit together as she speaks. Automatically, your mind goes to some upside-down-related nonsense. But there's no way to know for sure until you locate Eddie and hear his side of the story. You truly believe he wouldn't do something like this. He may look intimidating at times, but he's no killer.

You assist Max and Dustin in calling around, allowing Robin and Steve to work on this busy Saturday. One by one, names are crossed off a relatively short list. But the name 'Reefer Rick' comes up as another person who may know of Eddie's whereabouts. It's said that Rick is Eddie's supplier, and he crashes at his house sometimes. No one knows exactly who he is, or his phone number. So, for a moment you think this plan is a bust, a dead end. Until Robin comes up with an idea, after Steve stupidly suggests you go to the police. She takes Dustin's place at the computer, typing in 'Rick'. There's twelve names that match, hopefully you can narrow it down.

"That's a lotta Ricks." Max observes aloud, drawing nods of agreement from all of you. Robin pulls up the profiles one by one, eliminating them due to their picks of musicals, kids movies, teen flicks, and one account with an odd amount of water-themed films. She clicks down to one containing Fast Times and practically every Cheech and Chong movie in existence. Bingo.

"Looks like we've found our guy. Rick Lipton. The address is 2121 Holland Road." Robin says.

"That's out by Lover's Lake." Dustin chimes in.

"Middle of nowhere." Max adds.

"The perfect place to hide." You conclude. With that, Robin and Steve close up shop and the five of you pile into Steve's car to go find Eddie. It's gotten dark by the time you reach the home, and Steve parks the car. You all walk to the front door, with Dustin pressing on the bell. The dinging tone echoes through the interior of the house, but no one seems to be inside. Dustin pushes the bell repeatedly, becoming frustrated at the notion that this idea was wrong from the start.

"Well, looks like he's not here." Steve says, ready to give up. Dustin calls Eddie's name aloud, hoping the sound of a friendly voice will lure him out. Steve keeps trying to shush him, not wanting to call attention to your snooping if anyone else lives out here. The rest of you flash your lights through the windows, looking for any sign of life. You notice there's a boathouse which partially hovers over the lake. The door is slightly ajar, and you call everyone over to see your discovery.

"Maybe he's in here." You say, and your group slowly approaches the boathouse. You search the outside first, peeking in the windows. You can't see much, it's an absolute mess in there. You go inside, flashing your lights into every corner in hopes to find your missing metalhead.

"Hello, anyone home?" Robin asks cautiously. She's not too keen to be out by the lake at night, where a potential killer could be hiding.

Steve notices a boat with a large tarp over it sitting in the water, taking an oar off the metal wall of the shed to poke around. It's really the only good hiding place in here, so he jabs at the bulky tarp with the wooden instrument. "What are you doing?" Dustin asks, thinking Steve has lost it.

"He could be in here." Steve replies casually, continuing his curious prodding.

"Just take the tarp off!" Dustin suggests.

"If you're so brave, you do it!" Steve shoots back. You and the other girls continue to look around, ignoring the usual Henderson-Harrington banter. It's best to tune them out when possible, they spend half their time together going back and forth like siblings.

"Someone was here." Max notices empty snack wrappers and beer bottles, signaling that somebody had been here recently.

"Maybe he heard us. Got spooked and ran." Robin proposes.

"Don't worry, Steve will get him with his oar." Dustin quips, pointing to the man still poking around in the boat. The tarps continue to rustle, but no sounds of a person emit from underneath.

"I know you think you're being funny, man. But considering everyone here has almost died a hundred times, I don't personally find it funny in the slight-" Steve is interrupted as a figure jumps out of the boat. They grab onto Steve, pushing him roughly against the wall. You all shout at the sudden movements and noise, processing what's happening. You realize the figure is indeed Eddie, holding a broken bottle up to Steve's neck. A frightened yet defensive look sits on Eddie's face, and he's glistening with sweat. His body is shaking, making the broken glass in his grip quiver. His chest heaves, breathing heavily as adrenaline rushes through his veins. Steve looks just as terrified, the glass so very close to puncturing his throat. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" Steve shouts, trying to get Eddie to slow down.

"Eddie! Stop!" Dustin cries, attempting to get his friend's attention. He calls his name a couple more times, drawing Eddie's gaze to him. His eyes change slightly, somewhat confused as to why the kid is here. He's possibly contemplating whether or not his life is in danger. "It's me, Dustin. This is Steve, he's not gonna hurt you. Right, Steve?" Dustin gestures at Harrington, whose eyes are blown wide in terror. Eddie's got an iron grip on his shirt, keeping him pinned to the wall.

"Right, yeah." Steve whispers. He doesn't want his throat to get cut from talking too loudly or too much.

"Steve, drop the oar." Dustin instructs. Steve does so, which makes Eddie move in closer to him, like he might actually hurt him. "He's cool! He's cool!" He tries to explain.

"What are you doing here?" Eddie asks in a shaky voice. It's the first time he's spoken, and he sounds like a man who's been to hell and back. You're frozen in place, helplessly watching this situation unfold.

"We're looking for you." Dustin replies.

"We're here to help." Robin adds, and Eddie's eyes snap to her suspiciously. This could be a trap. A trap formed by the cops to draw him out.

"Eddie, these are my friends. You know Robin, from band." Dustin points to her, and she imitates playing the trumpet as that's her instrument of choice. "This is Max, the one who never wants to play D&D." He gestures at Max and she gives an awkward wave. "And this is Y/N. I know her from when she worked at the mall with Steve and Robin last summer." You give him a small smile, and Eddie's eyes change again. He definitely recognizes you, from back when he was supposed to graduate in '84. You were really nice to him, unlike most people. "We're on your side, Eddie." Dustin insists, hoping these statements are enough to get him to drop the weapon and talk to your group. "I swear on my mother. Right, guys?"

"Yep, yep, we swear. On Dustin's mother." You all add in various volumes and phrasing, nodding your heads to affirm this. Eddie thinks it over a moment, his face hardening again. On the one hand, the police could be waiting outside right now, waiting for the right moment to bust in here. But on the other, you all seem to want to help him, to listen to the crazy shit he saw last night. He lets Steve go, turning away. Steve lets out a sigh of relief, and all of you do the same. Crisis averted. All that's left to do now is get Eddie to talk. You notice him sliding down the wall, looking absolutely exhausted and traumatized.

Dustin walks over to him slowly, noticing the bottle still in his hand. "Eddie. We just want to talk." He takes the words one at a time, carefully reaching for the weapon in Eddie's hand. Eddie snatches it backwards, not quite wanting to let it go. It's all he has to defend himself with, and he feels far from comfortable enough to drop it. "Okay." Dustin says when he flinches.

You kneel beside Eddie, hoping your familiarity might help ease him a bit more. "We wanna know what happened."

Eddie sniffs harshly before speaking. He turns his head slightly to look your way, while still halfway hiding behind his hair. "You won't believe me." He says meekly, quieter than you've ever heard him talk before. He shakes his head, not wanting to believe it himself. It would be so much easier to believe he lost his mind, and hallucinated whatever the hell he saw to cope with the fact that he did, in fact, kill Chrissy. He knows he wouldn't do that, but what other explanation is there? His silly fantasy games aren't real, so that only leaves the horrors of man as the culprit. Right?

"Try us." Max says simply. The unphased looks on your faces make Eddie's eyebrow raise in questioning. Maybe something else is going on here, and maybe you and your friends can give him the answers. He takes a moment to gather himself, inhaling a few deep breaths before reliving this fucking nightmare.

"Chrissy had come to me at school yesterday, wanting to buy drugs. She wanted something stronger than weed, so I brought her to my place after the game. Things seemed fine at first, but that's when the weird shit started." He says, relatively calm. That is, until he has to bring up the 'weird shit'. His demeanor changes, becoming panicked. "Her body just, like, lifted up into the air and, uh..." He says, his tone laced with fear. The images replay in his head as he speaks, though they haven't exactly stopped since he first witnessed them. You all listen intently as he recounts the events, finding the details utterly gruesome. "And she just, like, hung there. In the air. And her bones, uh..." He whimpers, squeezing his eyes shut at the thought.

He feels sick saying any of this, it's all so horrible. But he knows you just want to help, so he soldiers on. "Her bones started to snap." The echoes of Chrissy's arms and legs breaking like twigs flashes fresh in his mind, making him want to throw up. "And her eyes, man. It...it was like something, like, inside her head, pulling." He makes a pulling motion with his hands to illustrate the point. His voice becomes more unsteady. He feels so ashamed of what he did next, like a goddamn coward. "I-I didn't know what to do, so I..." He stops again, his heart aching terribly. "I ran away. I left her there." His breath hitches, and all of you look at him with sympathetic sorrow. He stares at all of you, scoffing at how bonkers his story sounds. "You all think I'm crazy, right?" He brings his hand to his face, becoming embarrassed for saying anything at all.

"No. We don't think you're crazy." Dustin says.

"Don't bullshit me, man! I know how this sounds!" Eddie exclaims. His voice cracks, and his eyes fill up with tears.

"We're not bullshitting you." Max interjects.

"We believe you." Robin joins in. Eddie exhales in defeat, shaking his head. This is all too insane, there's no way you all aren't yanking his chain. Sure, people talk like this town is cursed or something. But that's all talk. Hell, he's heard so many rumors about himself, which he knows are lies. So who's to say that anyone claiming there's a curse, or monsters, or any of that crap is telling the truth?

"Look, what I'm about to tell you might be a little...difficult to take." Dustin says, and you all realize he's going to tell Eddie everything. Personally, you're not so sure that's a good idea. Eddie's been through enough as it is, hearing everything else that's happened might push him off the deep end.

"Okay." Eddie says weakly, unsure he even wants to listen. But he supposes if it could clear his name and explain what he saw, he might as well give it a shot.

"You know how people say Hawkins is 'cursed'? They're not...way off." Dustin says. He can't believe he's actually about to drag yet another person into the supernatural shit you've all experienced since Will went missing. "There's another world. A world hidden beneath Hawkins. Sometimes, it bleeds into ours."

"Like ghosts and shit?" Eddie interrupts, not quite understanding what Dustin means.

"There are some things...worse than ghosts." Max adds.

"These monsters from this other world...we thought they were gone. But they've come back before. That's why we needed to find you." You say, your own nerves beginning to get to you at the notion. Last year was a fight for your lives you'll never forget, and you definitely don't want to repeat it.

"If they're back again, we need to know." Max takes another turn.

"Did you see anything that night? Dark particles, maybe?" Robin asks, going over the usual upside-down tropes.

"It would almost look like dust, swirling dust." Dustin elaborates, hoping that's a bit clearer.

Eddie shakes his head. "No, there was nothing you could see…or touch. You know, I tried to wake her, man. She couldn't move. It was like she was in a trance or something."

"Or under a spell." Dustin suggests, piquing Eddie curiosity. He's making it sound like it's a fuckin' D&D campaign.

"A curse." Eddie replies, leaning into the idea. It's far from The craziest thing he's heard at this point, so why not?

"Vecna's curse." Dustin breathes.

"Who's Vecna?" Steve asks, hoping to God it's not another geeky reference to their silly game. The group has named nearly every creature and phenomenon after various bullshit fantasy things, and he's a little sick of it to be honest.

"An undead creature of great power." Dustin replies fearfully, making Steve roll his eyes slightly in response.

"A spell caster." Eddie says, committing to the concept completely.

"A dark wizard." Dustin says with total finality.

"Okay, great. So...we're dealing with another unstoppable force. What exactly do we do now?" Robin asks.

"I don't know, we don't have a lot to go on. Eddie didn't physically see anyone, and the way Chrissy died isn't exactly one we've seen before. We'll have to do some investigating, maybe find Nancy. But until then, we'd better get some sleep." Dustin says. He stands, and the others move to leave. But you stay where you are.

"Aren't we forgetting something?" You ask, gesturing at Eddie who's still crouching on the floor.

"Oh, right." Dustin sighs, trying to think of what to do. "I don't think any of us could harbor Eddie unnoticed, and the police will probably exhaust every lead that connects to him. Even you, Y/N. I think it's safest to leave him here. We can deliver supplies and leave a walkie with him. But there's not much else we can do." He says sadly, hating the idea of leaving his friend behind.

"I'll stay with him." You offer. You don't want Eddie to be alone, he shouldn't have to be after all he's been through. Besides, there was a time where you needed him years ago and he helped you, no questions asked. It's odd, up until now, you'd almost completely forgotten all about it.

It was junior year, and you had kind of fallen in with a bad crowd. Kids that skipped class, did drugs, snuck off to all corners of the woods to have sex. You were seeing a guy named Benji, who was a real creep. He was a year older than you, and often took advantage of your naivety. There was one night in particular, at some popular asshole's house on a Friday night, where Benji tried to take everything you had.

"Hey, babe. Get me another beer, will ya?" Benji slurs, handing you his empty cup for you to refill at the keg outside. You've been doing so all night, bringing him cup after cup while hardly having any time for yourself. It's a party, and you wanna dance and have a good time. But of course, you can't possibly disobey Benji. He's the only one that pays attention to you, the only one that makes you feel alive.

"Sure thing, baby. I'll be right back." You say, turning away to head out into the backyard.

"That's my girl." Benji smirks, smacking your ass. Him and his buddies laugh raucously, and you try to hold back the yelp from the sting of his hand. You hate it when he does that, especially in front of everyone. You go out to the keg, finding quite a few people waiting in line to fill up. There's some couples making out against the side of the house, guys chatting about how many chicks they've laid, a girl crying on the porch steps because her boyfriend kissed another girl. Typical party fare, nothing to write home about. Except for a certain someone you recognize, selling little baggies of weed and coke out of his metal lunchbox. Eddie Munson.

You've seen him around school a lot, he's in the same year as you. He's a bit odd at times, but he's one of the only people that's actually nice to you. You've talked politely in passing in the hall, and you've bought stuff from him a few times. He always gives you a discount, which you highly appreciate as the only money you get is whatever Benji gives you to buy with. You notice Eddie finishing a sale, and his eyes meet yours. He smiles at you, closing up shop for a moment to come say hello. "Hey there, Y/N. I figured I'd see you here. You havin' fun?" He says with a kind smile, moving forward with you as the line progresses.

"I guess. I'm just waiting to get a refill for Benji." You say nervously, looking over your shoulder. Benji is definitely the jealous type, and you really hope he doesn't see you talking to Eddie so casually.

"Ah, I see." His face falls slightly. He knows all about Benji. He's a grade A asshole, and Eddie hates seeing the way he treats you. He's always grabbing at your tits and ass in the middle of the hall, ignoring your protests and swatting hands. And he frenchs you by your locker in front of everyone, shoving his tongue sloppily down your throat. "Can't he get his own drink? He's a grown man, well, legally speaking." Eddie snarks.

"I know. It's fine, gives me a moment for myself, away from the crowd." You reply as you gaze down at your feet.

"Well, it's not really a moment for yourself if you're spending it serving someone else. Right?" He continues, trying to get you to admit how you really feel. He knows you're suffering in this 'relationship', and it breaks his heart. To see someone treat you so terribly, like an object. It makes him sick.

"Why do you care so much?" You ask defensively. You don't really want to discuss your relationship with your drug dealer. He's not really your friend, you're just another sale.

"Because you seem like a nice girl. You deserve better. You should have someone who treats you right, not like a piece of meat." He says, putting a hand on your shoulder.

"What? Someone like you?" You scoff, rolling your eyes.

"I didn't say that. Just...someone that isn't Benji. You don't look very happy when you're with him." He says as your turn comes up to fill Benji's cup. You take hold of the nozzle, squeezing it to release the beer.

"I'm fine, Eddie. He's just...older. More mature. You wouldn't understand." You insist, shrugging his hand off of you. You know Eddie is right, but you don't want to admit it. Because all that would do is make you look like a fool. Until Benji came along, not a single guy gave you the time of day. And now, you've got a boyfriend that's pretty hot, if not a bit rough around the edges. But he protects you, and keeps you from feeling lonely. Who else is gonna do that for you? No one.

"I guess I wouldn't." Eddie says sadly, realizing this conversation is going nowhere.

"You makin' a move on my girl, Munson?" Benji asks as he walks over to you. He puffs out his chest a little, wrapping an arm around your waist aggressively. His movement jostles you slightly, making you spill a little bit of his beer on yourself.

"Not at all, man. Just looking for a sale." Eddie says, averting his gaze from you. His words sting a bit, even though you weren't really responding well to him trying to help you.

"Oh, well, in that case. We'll take a little somethin', whatever you recommend, man." Benji chuckles, reaching into his pocket for some cash.

"Cool. Got a twenty there? I think this will enhance your evening." Eddie exchanges the money for a small baggie of cocaine, putting on his signature smile. You know it's all for show, his eyes read with intense worry for you during the transaction.

"Thanks, dude. See ya later." Benji replies as he slips the baggie in his pocket, before moving to turn around and lead you both back inside.

"No problem, man. See ya, Y/N." He calls to you, and you just nod. You feel Benji's hand press further into your hip, squeezing you to the point where it really hurts. You know you're in for it now, Benji always loses it when you talk to other guys. He takes you into a bedroom in the house, shoving you inside while he slams the door. You stumble forward in your heels, catching yourself on the edge of the bed. You swivel your body to sit on the mattress, finding Benji glaring at you furiously.

"What have I told you about talkin' to other guys?" He growls, his teeth clenched together as he speaks.

"He was just trying to sell to me, Benji. I swear. Nothing happened." You say sheepishly, fearing what he might do next.

"Fuck that, 'nothing happened'! I saw him touch you, when you're mine. You whoring around on me, hm? Fuckin' the freak behind my back? Answer me!" Benji shouts, getting all up in your face. You flinch at his proximity, your heart pounding in your chest as you wait for him to punish you.

"No, I'm not! I told you nothing happened!" You shout back, immediately regretting it once the words leave your lips. Your mouth claps shut, eyes widening as you realize you're really gonna get it.

"Don't fuckin' talk back to me, Y/N!" Benji yells even louder, slapping you across the face. His palm stings against your cheek, making tears spring from your eyes. Your own hand comes up to feel where he hit you, and you meet his furious stare again. He grabs hold of your chin, squeezing your cheeks together. He brings himself as close to you as possible, his hot breath rushing over you. It stinks of beer, and your nose would crinkle if you weren't so scared. "You are MY girlfriend! You got that? You don't talk to anyone else!" He shoves you backwards in his grip. Your head lands on the blankets, bouncing at the force. "You don't look at anyone else!" He slaps you again, harder than before. You yelp in pain, wanting this to stop. "You don't even THINK about anyone else!" He climbs on top of you, weighing you down. "Say it! Say that you belong to me!" He commands, his eyes wild despite his drunken state.

"I belong to you, Benji! Okay? Only you!" You say frantically as tears stream down your face.

"Damn right! I'm gonna show you, make you see that you're mine!" He lifts himself slightly, undoing his belt. He starts to shimmy his pants down, reaching for your skirt. You don't want this, you don't want him. Not like this.

"Benji, stop!" You cry, trying to push him away. But he's heavier and stronger than you, holding you down with one arm while he pushes your skirt up. He pulls down your panties, letting them gather around your ankles. "Benji! I don't want this! Stop it!" You pound your fists on his chest, wanting him to stop. But he doesn't listen, he just keeps getting ready to take you as he pleases. You keep crying for him to get off of you, hoping someone will hear you scream over the loud music that's flooding the house.

"You're mine, Y/N. I'm gonna show you." He says darkly, looking at you with a sickening grin. He yanks his boxers down, and you see his half-hard cock flop out. You try to kick him away, scratch his arms, anything to stop this. But it's no use.

"HELP! PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP! BENJI, STOP IT! I DON'T WANT THIS, I SAID NO! STOP!" You scream at the top of your lungs, tears blurring your vision as you kick and squirm with all your might. Benji takes his dick in his hand, bringing it towards you. This is really gonna happen, he's going to rape you and there's nothing you can do. "BENJI, PLEASE! STOP IT!" Your screams only grow weaker as you realize you're utterly helpless. No one can hear you, and no one would care if they did.

"Stop fucking screaming and take it! You're mine! No one is gonna get in my way!" Benji shouts at you, just barely brushing his length against you. The feeling makes you want to vomit, your stomach tensing in warning. He's just about to shove himself into you, when the door slams open. Of course he's too drunk to remember to lock it.

"Hey! I'm pretty sure she told you to stop!" You hear a familiar voice, before Benji is suddenly being hurled away from you and across the room. Benji smacks into the wall, slumping to the floor. You see Eddie standing before you, his eyes burning with fearsome anger. "Are you okay?" He asks, quickly throwing a blanket on top of your legs to cover you up. You pull your clothes back on under the covers, thankful that nobody seemed to see your most vulnerable area on full display. You notice the music has stopped, and a gaggle of heads is poking into the doorway of the room.

"I'm alright. Thank you, Eddie." You say frantically, standing up to run to him. You bury your head in his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.

"You fucking whore, I knew you were sleeping with him." Benji slurs from the floor, struggling to get up. He hit his head pretty hard when Eddie pushed him. But you don't mind, he had it coming. His fucking skull can crack open like an egg for all you care.

"Shut up, Benji. You're a fuckin' lowlife, you know that?" Eddie retorts. He's far from afraid of the man crumpled on the floor before him.

"Takes one to know one, Munson. Fuckin' asshole, I'll kill you!" Benji roars, clumsily lunging towards the both of you. Eddie moves you out of the way, taking all of the impact on your behalf. His back meets the wall hard, and Benji starts wailing on him. "Fuckin' freak! Stealing my girl! I always took you for a faggot, guess I was wrong!" Benji screams as he punches Eddie again and again. He lands blows on his nose, his jaw, his eyes. Eddie grunts with every hit, and blood gushes from his nostrils.

"Benji, stop it! Leave him alone! Stop it!" You shout helplessly. You turn to the other party goers who seem to be enjoying the show. "Do something! Call the cops, anything! Help him!" You beg and plead, and a couple guys from the basketball team come in to pull Benji off of Eddie. Eddie collapses, spitting out a mouthful of blood. You fall to your knees before him.

"Eddie, are you okay?" You ask, his eyes drifting open and closed in a daze. "Eddie, stay with me. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, this is all my fault!" You can't stop crying, you're absolutely hysterical. You pull him up to lean against the wall, tapping his cheek to keep him awake. Even while wasted, Benji’s really done a number on him.

Eddie’s eyes meet yours, already swelling up from the bruising. "It's okay, Y/N. I'm gonna be fine. Calm down." He says weakly, reaching out for your hand. You give it to him, and wait with him until the police arrive. Everyone besides the kid whose house this is and anyone involved in the fight quickly disperse before the cops show up. You certainly don't blame them, you're all underage and consuming various substances with no parental supervision. You give your statements, and the paramedics tend to Eddie's wounds. Benji is taken away in handcuffs, and the cops insist you won't have to worry about him anymore.

You stand outside the house with Eddie once the emergency services leave, taking hold of his hand again. You look at his beaten face. The swollen eyes, the cut on his eyebrow, his busted lip and nose. He looks awful, and you feel even worse. "Eddie, I'm so sorry." You say, getting teary-eyed again.

"For what?" He asks, doing his best to raise an eyebrow. When you don't answer, he sighs. He gestures for you to sit with him on the front steps, and you do. "Y/N, he was gonna hurt you. I couldn't let him do that. You were literally crying for help, was I supposed to ignore that? Should I have let him rape you?" He asks, only answered with more silence. You don't know what to say, part of you feels like you had it coming. That you deserved to get hurt. He sighs again, trying his hardest to look deep into your eyes. "What Benji did was wrong, okay? You didn't deserve that, nobody does. I stepped in, which was the right thing to do. I know you're upset that I got hurt, and I'm flattered, really." He laughs lightly, groaning in pain soon after. "But it's worth it, because I kept you from getting hurt. So please, don't feel bad for me. I'm used to getting my ass kicked anyways. At least this time was for a good reason. Promise me you won't blame yourself?" He asks sweetly, putting a kind hand on your knee.

"I promise." You nod, wiping away the streaky tracks on your face. "Thank you, Eddie. I don't know what I would've done without you. I couldn't get him off me. I tried to kick and scratch him, I-" Your mind quickly goes back to that place, images of Benji forcing himself on you playing at shutter speed through your head.

"Y/N, you did everything you could. It's okay." He puts his arm around your shoulders, so much more gentle than Benji did. You can't help melting into his touch a little, your heart fluttering at how sweet he's being. You assume he's just being nice, calming you down from your hysterics. "You mind giving me a ride home? I can't see shit right now." He asks politely.

"Of course, Eddie. It's the least I can do." You help him stand up, holding his hand as you walk to your car. You'd driven yourself and Benji here tonight, as his license is suspended. Benji drives like a maniac, speeding, running red lights and stop signs, almost hitting pedestrians. God, the more you think about it, the more you hate yourself for wasting a single second on a guy like that. You drive Eddie to the trailer park, going so far as to walk him to the front door.

"Wow, such a gentleman!" Eddie jokes, making you both laugh. You stand on the steps for a moment, awkwardly wondering what to say next. You're about to speak, when Eddie breaks the silence. He clears his throat. "Well, I should get inside and ice my face." He gestures awkwardly at the inside of his home.

"Yeah, yeah." You nod, rocking back and forth on your feet restlessly. "Thank you again, Eddie. I don't know how I'll ever repay you, honestly. I know it's cheesy to say, but you saved my life tonight." You lean over to press a kiss of gratitude to his cheek. Eddie blushes at the contact, his stomach filling with butterflies.

"No need, sweetheart. Just doing the right thing. But, um, we should...hang out sometime." He stumbles over his words, which you find really cute. And the name he calls you, 'sweetheart', brings a flare of color to your own cheeks. You might just be starting to like him...a lot.

"Yeah, we should. You're a good guy, Eddie." You smile, deciding that now is the time to finally leave him be. You hate to be alone right now, but you don't know him well enough to ask to come inside. There will surely be other times for that. "I should get going. But I'll see you on Monday, okay?"

"Sure thing, Y/N. See ya there." He waves goodbye, walking inside as you head back to your car. Unexpected feelings at the thought of seeing you again begin to bloom inside his chest. Dangerous feelings that can only mean one thing. He's starting to like you...a lot. Fuck. Leave it to Eddie to fall for a 'damsel in distress'.

When you see Eddie again, he looks a lot better than he did on Friday night. His eyes are far less swollen, mostly circled with dark purple bruises, and he's only got small bandaids on his cuts now. "Hey, look at that. You survived the weekend." You say with a giggle as you greet him in the hall. You've been thinking about him nonstop the last couple of days. How brave he was in defending your honor, how unbelievably caring he acted towards you. That's the way you want to be treated from now on, anything less isn't good enough for you anymore. You've learned your lesson, no more asshole guys.

"Looks like it. How are you feelin', Y/N?" He asks, giving you a smile.

"I'm okay, much better than I thought I'd be." You reply, leaning against the lockers. Eddie mirrors you, his shoulder brushing against yours.

"Good. So, uh...are you busy tonight? I figured we could hang out...if you want to." Eddie curses himself for being so jumbled, but he can't help it. He couldn't stop thinking about you all weekend, replaying you kissing his cheek over and over. It was so soft, and warm. He can't help wanting to get to know you better, and to maybe earn some more of your affection.

"Yeah, we can do that. Your place or mine?" You ask casually, keeping your cool. But on the inside, you're absolutely freaking out. Eddie may have used the words 'hang out', but it feels like he's asking you on a date.

"Yours, if that's okay. My place is kind of a mess." Eddie replies happily. He's over the moon that you said yes. He doesn't necessarily mean it as a date, he doesn't want to push you into anything. But he figures you two can get to know each other better, be friends first. And even if that's all you end up being, he'll still consider himself a very lucky guy.

"Sounds great. Meet up with me after school?" You ask, solidifying your plans.

"You got it." He smiles, just as the bell rings. "Well, I'd better get to Click's class. See you after, Y/N."

"Will do, Munson." You give him a wave goodbye, before heading down the hall to your own classroom. You spend the entire day counting down the minutes until you get to bring Eddie to your place. Time can't move fast enough, and you find yourself frequently staring at the clock to will the hands to move quicker. But you have no such luck. The final bell rings, sweetly releasing you for the day. You practically skip down the halls, getting your stuff from your locker before heading out to your car. You find Eddie leaned against it already, waiting for you.

"Hey, Y/N. You ready to go?" He greets you, waiting for you to unlock the door.

"You know it!" You reply, a bit too eagerly if you're honest with yourself. You both get in the car and make the short drive home, and you lead him inside. "My parents work late, so we have the place to ourselves for a few hours." You inform him, making your way to the kitchen. "You want a drink?" You ask after opening the refrigerator, pulling out a couple beers.

"Uh, sure." Eddie says, leaning against the doorway while you pop the caps off. You hand him one of the beers, and you both head upstairs to your room. You plop down on your bed, patting a spot beside you. Eddie quirks an eyebrow at you, wondering where this is going.

"Relax, Eddie. I don't bite." You say jokingly, hoping to put him at ease. You're not planning on anything in particular to happen, it would be too soon to try to jump his bones right now. Plus, you don't think you're ready to rush into a new relationship. What happened with Benji was really scary, and you need time to build up trust before letting a guy into your heart again.

"Sorry. I just...don't exactly get invited into the bedrooms of teenage girls very often. It has a certain connotation to it, I guess." Eddie replies with a light laugh, mentally kicking himself for jumping to conclusions. Obviously you're not going to try to fuck him. You probably won't try to fuck anyone for a good while after what happened.

"Oh, we could go back downstairs if it's too weird. I'm just more comfortable in here, it's the only space at home that's really mine." You offer.

"No, no. It's okay, I'll get my damn mind out of the gutter." He chuckles, before taking the spot you've left for him. He takes a swig of his beer, hoping to calm his stupid nerves.

"Good. I'd hate for you to get the impression that I'm easy." You reply as he swallows, making him choke slightly. You can't help giggling, though it was a bit rude to go there.

"I promise you, Y/N. I have no intention of thinking of you in any insulting way. Like I've said before, you're a nice girl." He says through a cough, wiping a dribble of beer that's spilled out onto his chin.

"I know. I'm not so sure I agree, though." You reply sadly, before taking a long drink from your own bottle. You know you should take it easy, you're kind of a lightweight. But being around Eddie, and potentially becoming vulnerable around him, makes you very nervous.

"Why's that?" Eddie asks, putting his hand on yours as it sits between your bodies.

"I mean, I was going out with a guy like Benji, who's a total asshole. He was awful to me, to everyone, really. And his 'friends' are just as bad, but they're also mine by association. I drink, I do drugs, I have sex. I skip class, I lie to my parents about everything, and my grades are pretty awful. What about that is good, Eddie?" You ask him seriously, unable to hide how you truly feel about yourself. You're everything your parents claim is what makes a lowlife, though they have no idea you do any of it. You've kept Benji a secret from them, and pay one of the computer geeks to change your report cards every semester so your parents don't flip out. And you come up with excuse after excuse to cover up the parties and other forbidden places you sneak off to.

"Y/N, you do realize that none of that makes you a bad person, right?" Eddie asks, becoming a little sad himself at seeing you in this new light. You shake your head, you don't believe him one bit. You feel heat build behind your eyes, tears threatening to spill out. "I know you probably won't believe me, but I honestly think you're one of the best people I've ever met." Your eyes meet his, and he can see you're about to call bullshit. But he silently asks you to just listen, taking full hold of your hand this time. "You're pretty much the only one who doesn't treat me like shit at school, and you aren't unkind to anyone else either. Even when Benji and his lackeys pick on people, you never participate. Most people go along with the crowd, but you don't. You do what you know is right, Y/N. Everyone makes mistakes, or hides things from their parents to avoid disappointing them. But it doesn't define you."

"I appreciate you saying that, Eddie. Really." You sniffle, you hadn't really thought about it that way before. You suppose, if anything, Eddie knows better than anyone that regardless of what others think, your character says more about you than anything else. People think he's just a dumb drug dealer who plays weird fantasy games. But he's a whole lot more than that. He stands up for others when no one else will, especially the geeky kids like him that need it most. You down the rest of your beer, blinking a couple tears down your cheeks as you swallow.

"You want another?" Eddie asks, reaching for your empty bottle.

"No, I'd better not. I've probably had too much already." You say as the slight buzz begins to run across your brain.

"There's no way you're a lightweight with how much you went back to the keg over and over on Friday." Eddie scoffs, taking your bottle from you to toss away in the small trash can in your room.

"That was all for Benji. I usually don't get to drink at parties or hangouts, at least not enough to have any sort of tolerance. Just one of the ways he liked to control me. He sure as shit got me high off my ass when he wanted me to be 'up for it', though." You say bitterly. You sigh loudly at the annoying thought, falling backwards to lay halfway on the bed. Your legs dangle off the edge still, toes barely grazing the floor.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. I didn't know." He can't help feeling personally responsible for Benji drugging you for sex. He knows damn well that the substances used for such a thing came from his stupid metal lunchbox. He wishes he could take those transactions back, keep you from getting taken advantage of in such an awful way.

"It's not your fault. At least I know your stuff is safe. Other dealers around here love to lace their shit, and fuck knows what would've happened if I bought from them instead." You say it like it's nothing, perhaps shutting yourself off from the idea that Benji has already done what you were so afraid of last weekend. You don't want to talk about it anymore, or even think about it. The hours of clarity after separating yourself from your abusive boyfriend have repeatedly brought so many terrible experiences to light. You're not sure how much more of it you can take.

"I wish you would've told me, Y/N. I could've done something so much sooner." He lays down beside you, scooting a little closer now.

"Yeah, and gotten yourself busted in the process." You retort, finding his suggestion ridiculous. It's not his responsibility to take care of you, he's not your boyfriend. "Can we talk about something else?" You say abruptly, desperate to change the subject.

"Of course. But I'm always here to listen if you ever do want to talk about it. I am your friend now, after all." He gives you a kind smile, which you attempt to return as your lip trembles. "Oh, sweetheart. C'mere." He almost whispers, pulling you into him as carefully as he can. He doesn't want it to look like he's making a move on you, he just knows you need a shoulder to cry on. You let him encapsulate you in his arms, burrowing your head against his chest as you begin to sob. Neither of you say anything else for a while, just laying awkwardly in your bed as you cry. Eddie strokes your back with his hand in the most platonic way possible.

After a bit, you start feeling a little better. You poke your head up, not realizing just how close you are to Eddie. You look deep in one another's eyes, your heartbeats picking up at the proximity. You both know it's stupid, idiotic, even. But you find yourselves wanting to kiss each other more than anything in the world. Your breath fans hotly together, and you start to meet each other in the middle. But just before your lips can touch, you hear a key turning in the lock downstairs.

The front door opens, and you hear your parents walking into the house. You stop what you're doing immediately, shooting up in bed as you lose your romantic moment. "Shit. Get up. I'm not allowed to have boys in my room." You say hurriedly, wiping your face and shooing Eddie out of the room. You make it look like you were just showing him where the bathroom is, and your parents buy it. They always do. Perfect little Y/N would never have a boy in her bedroom. Only whores do that. You tell them you're just going to drive Eddie home, heading outside with him once more.

The drive over is silent, and charged with unresolved tension. Neither of you dare to speak, not yet. You aren't really sure what to even say. You sure as hell didn't intend to almost dive head first into what you can only imagine would be a very messy relationship. You escort Eddie to his trailer again, and it's here that you finally speak. "So, um...about earlier..." Eddie starts.

"Yeah, uh...I was just feeling vulnerable. But I don't want to lead you on, I just can't get into another relationship right now." You practically vomit the words out, wanting to shut this down before it gets too far.

"Oh. Yeah, no, that's- fine." Eddie replies awkwardly, trying to give off the impression that it doesn't bother him. That couldn't be further from the truth. But he knows you're right, it just isn't a good idea.

"I'm sorry, Eddie. I don't mean to play with your feelings or anything like that. But I enjoy hanging out with you, and I'd like us to be friends." You really do mean what you're saying. If the timing was different, you would definitely pursue things further with him. He's everything you want in a guy, the total package. But it's not what you need. What you need...is time...and a friend.

"I understand completely, Y/N." He replies kindly, nodding in agreement. "Hey, look. You should go home and rest, 'kay? And I'll see you tomorrow." He suggests, needing some time of his own to figure out what he's gonna do with all these goddamn feelings he's built up.

"Okay. Goodnight, Eddie." You say as you turn to leave, you can't help feeling like you've upset him. You know he would never say, but you know how guys are. Even the nice ones don't handle rejection in the best ways. You just really hope you haven't blown your chances at having a real friend for once.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." He says, almost too quiet for you to hear. It makes your heart ache, the softness of his voice as he utters the words. You know without a doubt that you've hurt him now. And you wish you could take it back.

The next day goes just as you expect it to. You try to talk to Eddie before class, and he's nice enough. But he keeps the conversation short, eager to get away from you, it seems. You knew this would happen. He stuck out his neck for you, and you rejected him. And now, he doesn't want anything to do with you. You try not to take it personally, but it definitely stings. So you do the only thing you know how. You shut yourself off, and focus on finishing this year and the next. You focus on all the freedom you'll have once you graduate. No parents, no teachers, no assholes. Just you, working for a living, doing whatever you want.

And that's exactly what you did. You kept your head down, stayed out of trouble. You did most of the job for Eddie, avoiding him at all costs. Again, if you happened upon each other, you kept things pleasant. Neither of you blamed the other for how you felt, but it was too awkward and weird between you to try to keep a good friendship going. And of course, you got separated even further when you graduated in 1984, and he got held back the first time. It's strange, it seems like that was a lifetime ago. But being in Eddie's presence for this long makes it feel like only yesterday.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Eddie asks, worried that being in proximity to him might get you hurt or killed.

"Eddie's right. The cops are looking for him, it could make you look like an accomplice." Steve adds, crossing his arms.

"But we can't just leave him here all alone. After what he's been through? No way." You stand your ground. "Look, you guys have parents and other people that would worry about where you are. I don't. My folks moved away after graduation, I live alone. I'll stay with him, I'd want someone to do the same for me." You turn to Eddie, giving him a knowing look. He nods, understanding what you're referring to. The others find this nonverbal communication odd, but set it aside for the time being.

"Okay, fine. But please, be careful. Use the walkie if you need anything. We'll bring you guys food tomorrow, and we can swing by your place to get you some clothes." Robin says, holding out a hand for your keys. You give them to her, and take a seat on an old wooden crate in the shed.

"We'll be alright. We've got an oar and a broken bottle to defend ourselves with." You quip, taking the walkie talkie Dustin gives you. The others say goodbye, and you wish them luck in finding out what's causing the chaos this time. You sigh once they leave, realizing how awkward this is actually going to be. You both sit in silence for a while, listening to the crickets chirping outside. You don't know what to say, or if Eddie even wants to talk at all.

"Thank you. For staying." Eddie breaks the silence, speaking quietly. His eyes meet yours for a moment, before pulling away.

"It's the least I can do, Eddie. I kinda owe you for the favor you did for me." You reply from across the room. You suppose it's best to keep your distance. Not just because of your past history, but Eddie's been jumpy to say the least.

"And here I thought you were just dying to see me again." He chuckles, mostly joking.

"It is nice to see you again, I've missed my friend. I wish it were under different circumstances, though." His face falls slightly at your use of the word 'friend', and you can't help feeling bad about it.

"Yeah, well. Life's a bitch, I've learned that the hard way." He says solemnly. "You can come closer, if you want. I don't have the plague, ya know." He says in a roundabout way to ask you to comfort him. "I've still got a couple beers left, too. On the table, there." He gestures at them, the glass glinting in the moonlight that peeps into the windows. "Fuck knows we could use 'em."

You retrieve the bottles, bringing them over. You sit down next to Eddie, and he pops the caps off the beers. He hands you one, and you take a small sip. You notice his shoulder brushing against yours as he longs for some form of contact. Not necessarily in a romantic or sexual way, he just needs comfort. Any sliver he can get, if you'll supply it to him. "So, um...how are you holding up?" You doubt he'll have a good answer for you, but you don't know what else to say.

"Not well. I keep seeing...her, every time I close my eyes." His voice shakes as he speaks.

"I'm sorry, Eds-" You start, when he cuts you off.

"'Eds'?" He questions, giving you an odd look. No one's called him that before, but he kinda likes how it sounds coming from your lips.

"Yeah...is that okay?" You ask, waiting for Eddie to laugh at you or something. You don't really know why you decided to give him an impromptu nickname, especially now. But it suits him when you really think about it. He smiles at you, nodding his head.

"It's fine. Kinda cute, actually." He blushes, just like the night you drove him home all those years ago. He clears his throat, pushing away the mushy thoughts swirling around his head. "Anyway, what were you saying?" He nudges you, pulling you out of your own mind.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry that you had to see that happen. It sounds awful. Is there anything I can do? Maybe I could....distract you?" You suggest, wanting to help him calm down. He's still plenty on edge from last night's events, flinching at every little sound outside.

"Distract me...how, exactly?" He asks, wondering what you mean by that.

"I dunno, we could play a game, or talk about something besides supernatural shit." You shrug your shoulders.

"What kind of game?" He presses further, liking the sound of that.

"Um...maybe, 'twenty questions'? Or 'truth or dare'?" You suggest while you rack your brain for other ideas.

"Nah, what else?"

"Ooh! I know, how about 'never have I ever'?" You say excitedly.

"Sure, we can do that. Uh, sorry if I sound like an idiot here. But, how do you play?" He asks sheepishly.

"It's a pretty popular party game, Eds. You've seriously never played it before?" You ask with a laugh, unable to believe it.

"Y/N, the words 'popular' and 'party' don't exactly describe anything I'd be a part of. I typically only supply to those things." He smirks.

"I suppose you're right. Well, I'll tell you the rules, it's very simple. Basically, you say a phrase, like 'never have I ever...gone streaking', or something like that. And then whoever has done that thing takes a drink. Easy enough?" You watch him observe you with adoring eyes as you explain how the game works. You've never had someone look at you this way before, and it's certainly a welcome gaze.

"I think so. You go first." He nudges you again, an action you could easily get used to.

"Alright, lemme think. Never have I ever....stolen something." You start, taking a small sip from your own drink. Eddie takes one too, no surprise there.

"What did you steal, if you don't mind me asking?" He inquires, surprised that you've actually done something even remotely criminal before.

"A pack of gum and some lipstick, really lame stuff. One of the assholes I used to hang with dared me to do it." You chuckle at the thought. You were so terrified of getting caught, you returned to the store on your own later that day to put the stuff back. "What about you? Or is it too many things to count?"

"Surprisingly, no. It's more than you, of course. I've got a reputation to uphold." He laughs, before continuing. "Let's see...I've stolen a traffic cone, some beer, cigarettes, a few candy bars, a pocket knife, and a Playboy magazine. Not all at once, mind you. I'm not that good."

"Well, safe to say I'm impressed at your thieving skills, Eds. I'd expect nothing less. Okay, your turn." You pat his thigh, keeping the game moving along. His eyes freeze on where you touched him. It's innocent enough, but it's made his skin flare with simmering desire all the same.

"Right." He meets your eyes again, focusing on the task at hand. "Never have I ever...had sex on the first date." You both drink again, smiling as you bring the bottles to your lips. You spill a little bit of beer on yourself, it dribbles down your chin. "Nice one, sweetheart." Eddie chuckles after swallowing.

"Sorry, I'm totally accident prone." You giggle, wiping the yeasty liquid from your face. You notice he called you 'sweetheart' again, just like he did way back when. It appears not much has changed between you after all.

"It's alright. Your turn again." He says with a grin.

"Hmm, never have I ever...fallen in love." Only Eddie drinks this time, and his eyes widen at this discovery.

"You've never been in love, Y/N? I don't believe that for a second." He scoffs.

"Never, Eds. I've liked people before, and really liked someone once. A long time ago. But it never got far enough to turn into love, much as I wanted it to." Eddie doesn't know it, but you're definitely talking about him. You avert your gaze, not wanting to give yourself away.

"Who was it?" He asks curiously.

"Why don't you tell me yours?" You retort. You don't want to admit this to him. Not now, not yet. Once again, the timing is all wrong. You pick at the label on your beer bottle, unable to hide the unease on your face.

"Y/N, please? Pretty sure I'm a wanted man at this point. Humor a fugitive, will ya?" He pleads, placing his hand on your thigh. You tense at his touch, feeling rather warm in your cardigan. Given your change in body language, he's assuming you were referring to him. He sure as hell was thinking of you when he took his last sip in the game.

"Okay, how about we both say it at the same time?" You suggest, as that might make it easier for you both to just spit it out already. He's right, he may not have a lot of freedom left. You might as well come clean.

"Fair enough. Count of three?" You nod, looking at him intensely. He mirrors you, his heartbeat picking up with yours. The familiar butterflies swarm again, fluttering in a most ticklish way in the confines of your bellies."'Kay, one...two...three." He counts, and your nerves reach a mountainous peak once the final number leaves his lips.

"You." You and Eddie blurt out simultaneously. Gasps leave your mouths in sync at the confession. It's not all that surprising, really. It's more that you're both in disbelief of the other truly liking you the way you wish they would. Your shared admission hangs in the air for a moment, the silence becoming deafening the longer you refrain from saying anything. You both make a couple attempts to speak, opening your mouths, then snapping them shut again. Your eyes wander around his features, taking in how handsome he looks. His doeish eyes, his supple lips, the slope of his nose, and the apples of his cheeks. He does the same to you, wondering if now would be a good time to kiss your gorgeous face. He leans in hesitantly, almost backing away a couple times. You realize what he's doing, and this time you have no intention of denying him.

"Go ahead, Eddie. It's okay." You say softly, your breath fanning in his face from how close you two are. He takes the leap of faith, gently pressing his lips to yours. Your eyes flutter shut at the contact, he feels even softer than you imagined. Eddie takes his time, slowly, repeatedly, pulling away and going back in to feel every centimeter of your mouth with his own. You meet his every move respectively, opening and closing your lips at all the right times. His hand comes up to cradle your head, his large fingers slipping into your hair. You let out a small moan into the kiss, and this chilly spring night is quickly heating up. You grab the lapels of his jackets to pull him closer, and he smoothly maneuvers you to straddle his lap without even looking. You keep hold of his clothes, wanting to be as close to him as you possibly can.

You stay like this for what feels like forever, the only sounds now are the quiet smacking of lips and the occasional moan from either of you. This is easily the best and hottest kiss you've ever had, none prior to this even come close in comparison. It's so warm, and tender, loving, even. Your heads feel light, overcome with passion. Neither of you want to stop, but unfortunately it's getting a little hard to breathe. Eddie breaks away, exhaling shakily at how mind-blowing that was. "Holy shit." He says, opening his eyes to look at you. He's totally awestruck, never in his life has a kiss completely blown him away.

"Yeah, I second that." You reply, just as dazed as Eddie. "I can't believe it took us this long to do that. And during a crisis, of all things. All that wasted time...I'm such an idiot." You lament your foolish decision to turn Eddie away those years ago, wishing you could turn back the clock and get it right.

"Don't say that, sweetheart. I might have felt hurt back then, but I understand why you didn't wanna get involved with me. I wouldn't have either if I was in your shoes." He says seriously, he doesn't want you to beat yourself up over it. "And I may not have a lot of time, but we can try to make the most of it." He adds, cupping your cheek as he gazes at you in adoration.

"You make it sound like you're dying or something." You can't help laughing nervously at the idea.

"Well, we don't know what's going on just yet, so I might." He looks down, hating the thought. But he has to be realistic. Whatever got Chrissy could easily get him, too. He feels himself start to cry, hot tears rolling down his cheeks. He meets your eyes again, his bottom lip quivering in fear. "I'm so scared, Y/N. I-I don't wanna die." He says helplessly, falling to pieces before you.

"Hey, hey. Don't think about that right now, okay? We're gonna do everything we can to keep that from happening. I promise." You hold his face with your hands, giving him another kiss. His arms wrap around you to hold you tight, and you sense some tears of your own joining the mix. You don't want anything bad to happen to Eddie, especially not now. He's such a good man, he doesn't deserve any of this. If you could, you'd swap places with him. To let him go free while you take the fall. But you can't. All you can do is be here for him, and try to love him as long as you're able. You pull back, and you wipe away his tears and yours. You look him over, noticing just how tired he looks. "Did you sleep at all last night, Eds?" You ask in concern.

"No. I couldn't, I was too afraid. I didn't want...to see her again." He says quietly, his eyes darting away in shame.

"It's okay, maybe it'll help to have me here. But you need to rest, baby. You'll only feel worse if you don't." You get off his lap, looking around for anything you can use to make a place to sleep. You take the bunched up tarps out of the boat, layering them down on the warped wood floor. You find a couple life jackets, which you can use as pillows. You set everything up on the other side of the shed, sheltered away from the windows. That way, if anyone comes by, they're less likely to see you. Eddie watches you work from the floor, realizing what you're doing. He feels a little bad for sitting on his ass, but it's like he's paralyzed into this spot. He'll need your help to move away from it. You return to him, holding out your hands. "C'mon, it's time for bed." You say softly, a kind smile on your face.

"Thanks." He takes your hands, and you lift him up. The force and weight of this motion sends you stumbling backwards. You almost fall back into the water, your stomach dropping at the impending plunge. But Eddie manages to catch you by the waist, his strong arm wrapped around you swiftly. "Careful, princess. Wouldn't want you to get soaked." He says with a grin, setting you upright.

"Thank you, Eddie. You're my hero." You reply in a cheesy tone, giving him a warm kiss on the cheek. He blushes again, which is something you can't get enough of. "You're very cute when you do that." You giggle, poking one of his rosy cheeks.

"I dunno 'bout all that, sweetheart. I'm sure I look like hell right about now." He chuckles dryly, carding a hand through his long hair.

"You look handsome as ever to me, Eds. Now, come on. You have to get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning." You lead him by the hand to your makeshift bed. You both lie down, the tarps rustling loudly as you try to get comfortable. You face each other, finding yourselves admiring one another again.

"Well, it's certainly not the Ritz. But it'll do." Eddie jokes, but his face quickly changes afterwards. "Can I...hold you, Y/N?" He asks sheepishly, hoping it's not too weird. He knows you kissed just a little bit ago, but he's still unsure how to navigate the situation. Something he'd left out earlier is that you are the only one he's been in love with. His feelings are tangling up his insides, leaving him clueless about what to do, or not do.

"Of course you can, baby." You reply softly, rolling over so he can spoon you. His arms wrap around your waist, pulling you into him. Your back connects to his chest, your body heat radiating to be shared between you. He's so warm, and he smells amazing. Like tobacco and leather, the scent encapsulates you in his embrace.

"I like it when you call me that, by the way. It's really nice, givin' me butterflies and shit." He smiles against your neck, his breath fanning hotly against you.

"And I feel the same when you call me 'sweetheart'. I could get used to that." You practically whisper. You can feel Eddie's body relaxing as he cuddles you, his heart beating steadily as opposed to racing like it was before. His breaths go in and out of his lungs nice and slow. He's finally able to stop freaking out, at least for a little while. "Goodnight, Eds."

"Goodnight, Y/N." He barely gets the words out, his eyelids falling heavily as sleep takes him in an instant. The adrenaline of the last twenty-four hours has come to an end, his body shutting down into heavy slumber. It takes some time for you to join him, you're not nearly as exhausted as Eddie is. You've only been involved in all this for a short period of time, plus, you're worried that something might happen to him while you're asleep. And that possibility scares the shit out of you. You lie here for who knows how long, lost in thought. You're not sure when it happens, but you do eventually fall asleep. You know this, because you're woken up by Eddie screaming in his sleep as the sun comes up.

"Jesus christ!" You shout when you hear him scream right in your ear. You shoot up in your finagled bed, looking over to see what's happening. Eddie's still asleep, but his mouth is wide open as he lets out the most awful screams you've ever heard. He must be having a horrible nightmare, seeing Chrissy dying before his eyes. "Eddie! Wake up! It's just a dream, wake up!" You shake him as hard as you can, gently smacking his cheeks. But it's not working. His body is thrashing, and his wails only get louder.

You have to act, and fast. You get up, going to the water. You kneel down and scoop some in your hands, rushing back to Eddie to drop it on his face. It lands cold and harsh, shocking him awake. His eyes snap open, and he scurries backwards, his back hitting the wall of the boathouse. He looks around frantically, whimpering and gasping for air at the same time. The water glistens on his face, soaking into the top of his shirt and the hair around his cheeks and forehead. His eyes land on you, realizing he's not in that awful nightmare anymore.

"Fuck!" He exclaims, his chest heaving as he rests against the wall. "Thank you...for that." He says, out of breath. "I...couldn't...wake up." He huffs the words out between gasps. You sit beside him, taking hold of his shaking hand. His head falls onto your shoulder, water dripping through your cardigan.

"Are you okay, Eds?" You ask, knowing full well it's a dumb question.

"I am now." He swallows hard, the horrific images quickly dissolving as you continue to touch him. "Are you alright, angel? I'm sorry if I scared you." He feels awful that you had to see him scream like that, and it's kinda embarrassing for him to be so uncontrollably vulnerable.

"I'm okay, baby. I was just worried about you. Did you sleep alright besides the nightmare?" Another stupid question, no doubt.

"Surprisingly, yes." He says warmly, nuzzling into your neck. His wet face shocks your flesh from the cold, making you squeal.

"Eddie! That's freezing!" You laugh, which just eggs him on to rub himself all over you. The water transfers onto your skin, soaking into your clothes to make you shiver. But he quickly warms you back up with hasty kisses on your throat. You stop squirming, allowing yourself to relax into Eddie. His mouth feels so good against your skin. His teeth nibble a spot just below your jaw, leaving a light purple hickey behind. "Eddie." You sigh, wondering how far this is going to go. His hand cradles the other side of your head, holding you up as you melt in his touch. His tongue soothes the bruise he's marked on you, and he drags the wet muscle down further to make another near your collarbone. He bites a little harder this time, making you moan. A familiar pressure begins to build between your legs. You rub your thighs together in an attempt to relieve it, but it's not nearly enough.

"Gettin' hot and bothered, baby?" Eddie asks lowly, smirking at you brushing your legs against each other. He wonders how wet you are, and if you'll let him see for himself.

"Uh-huh. Your lips feel really good, Eds. C'mere." You pull his head up, and smash your mouth onto his. You're becoming so hungry for him, it's unreal. You let yourself fall backwards, taking him with you. He grunts at the sudden movement, positioning himself to lay over you. His knees rest on either side of yours. Eddie bites your bottom lip, making you gasp. He slips his tongue in to roll against your own, heating you both up further. Your hands slip into his thick locks, tugging on them lightly. He moans down your throat, such a beautiful sound.

Eddie's just about to ask if he can move things further, perhaps to second base. But you both hear a car pulling up in the distance, which makes you freeze in place. "You heard that, right?" Eddie asks, quickly going into panic mode again. You nod, listening for any other noises. The car comes to a stop outside of Rick's house, and you hear doors opening and closing. It could be Dustin and the others, or someone else who is certainly not a friend. Eddie climbs off of you, going back to the corner to grab his bottle. You take the other oar from the wall, and you gesture at him to check the windows, carefully. He nods, taking one side while you take the other. The angle of the windows isn't optimal, as you can't make out who's approaching the door to the boathouse. You both brandish your weapons, ready to fight if it comes down to it.

You can feel your heart pounding in your ears, your body ready to attack any enemy that comes your way. The door swings open, screeching on its rusted hinges. In comes Dustin and the rest of your friends, carrying bags of snacks and your overnight bag. "Delivery service!" Dustin says, making you flinch.

"Jesus! Thank fuck it's you guys." You say with a sigh of relief. You set down the oar, and Eddie puts the bottle away again.

"Long night, I take it?" Robin asks, setting your stuff down on the table where Eddie's old wrappers and bottles are.

"That's putting it lightly." Eddie says sarcastically. "It was a helluva lot better than being alone, though." He looks to you, giving you a kind glance. You smile back brightly, unable to help yourself.

"Well, eat up, you two. You've missed out on some stuff." Steve says, quirking an eyebrow at how friendly you seem to be getting with Eddie. You go over to the table to see what your friends brought. There's nothing very nutritious, but you're not gonna complain. Food is food. You pull out a box of Honeycomb cereal, and two Yoo-Hoos. You bring them over, plopping down beside Eddie. You hand him his drink, and start working on opening the cereal box.

"Thanks, sweetheart." He says without thinking, making your eyes bug out. His utterance of the pet name draws bewildered stares from the others.

"What did you just say?" Dustin questions, he's only heard Eddie use such a term of endearment when talking about his guitar. He suspects you two got up to...something last night.

"Uh...nothing. It was just a slip. Right, Eds?" You pipe up, trying to cover your asses. You don't want your friends to know that while you were technically supposed to be looking after Eddie, you were making out with him instead.

"Yep. Totally. My bad." Eddie agrees. He's on the exact same page as you. He realizes how embarrassing it would be for everyone to know you're essentially hooking up when there's an interdimensional killer on the loose.

"Uh...what is that?" Robin chimes in, pointing a finger towards your throat. Shit.

"What's what?" You reply nervously, swallowing hard.

"That mark on your neck, it looks like a hickey!" She exclaims, her surprise morphing into a sly smile. Eddie, you dog. She thinks to herself. The looks on your faces spell it all out loud and clear, there's no mistaking it. You two are officially in a budding, trauma-bonded romance.

"No it isn't!" You scoff, rolling your eyes. You're laying it on way too thick, stumbling over your words all the while. "I-I fell! Yep, tripped on the...- crate over there and landed on the edge of the boat. Right, Eddie?"

"Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes." He insists, nodding before taking a sip of his drink.

"Hold on, you just called him 'Eds', a second ago...what the hell is going on here?" Steve crosses his arms, furrowing his brow at you both. The others follow suit, holding similar looks of distrust and smug knowing. They certainly don't hold it against you, you're two attractive young people in a distressing situation. It's only natural, really. Scientifically proven to happen, in fact. "C'mon, out with it. We're burning daylight here, and we've got other things to do besides wait for a confession from you...lovebirds." Steve demands, using his babysitter powers to force you to yield.

You sigh, rolling your eyes again. "Ugh, fine! We kissed last night...and we were making out a few minutes ago." You admit, keeping your eyes trained on the floor to avoid making visual contact with anyone.

"We've got, uh...history. We'll just leave it at that." Eddie adds, mirroring your bashful stance. You both feel like scolded children, even though you know you've done nothing wrong.

"Alright, cool. Moving on, we've got some good news, and we've got some bad news." Dustin says. You manage to get the box of cereal open, and you and Eddie dig into it hungrily. Eddie's far more ravenous than you, taking large handfuls and munching them down like a starved animal. You feel a little sorry for him, but at least he's able to eat now. "How do you prefer it?" Dustin asks, looking to Eddie.

"Bad news first, always." Eddie replies with a mouthful.

"Alright, bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they're definitely looking for you." Dustin states. Eddie's face falls slightly, and no doubt yours follows suit. "Also, they're, uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy." He adds as an afterthought.

"Like, a hundred-percent convinced." Max interjects. Eddie's head follows each of them as they speak, his fear dialing up again.

"And the good news?" You ask, needing there to be a sliver of hope in this shit sandwich.

"Eddie's name hasn't gone public yet. But if we found out about him, it's only a matter of time before others do. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning for him." Robin says, making your heart sink.

"Hunt the freak, right?" Eddie asks, a frustrated sadness lacing his tone. Typical hick town, making the weirdo into a scapegoat.

"Exactly." She replies, understanding full-well the gravity of the situation. She knows better than anyone what it's like to be on the outskirts of society, having to hide away for fear of being cast out entirely.

"So..before that happens. We need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence. That's all." Dustin says, as if it's the easiest plan in the world.

"That's all, Dustin? That's all?" Eddie parrots back, finding the concept utterly ridiculous. You put a hand on his shoulder, drawing his eyes to you.

"We've done crazier shit and pulled it off before. I'm sure we can beat this, too." You say calmly, and he lifts his hand to rest on top of yours. He nods, trying to keep himself grounded.

"She's right. Delusional as it sounds, we've been through this kind of thing more than once. Well, they have. Me and Y/N have been through it once. Ours was like, more human flesh-based, and theirs were more smoke-related." Robin explains, which makes Eddie pull an odd face. She shakes away her poor explanation skills, finishing her point. "Bottom line is, collectively, I really feel like we got this."

"We usually rely on this girl who has superpowers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, so..." Steve trails off, realizing it probably wasn't all that helpful to say.

"So, we're in kind of, uh...more of a...brainstorming phase." All four of them form the odd sentence together, finishing one another's thought clumsily.

"There's nothing to worry about, though." Dustin splutters, which does nothing to put either you or Eddie at ease. You look at each other, and then back to them. They can't possibly be serious. Suddenly, you hear sirens wailing in the distance.

"Quick, you two hide!" Robin instructs. You and Eddie go to your corner where the tarps are laid about, before hopping into the boat and pulling them over your heads. You're kinda squished together under here, but you refuse to leave Eddie's side. You notice him breathing heavily again, putting your hands on his shoulders to calm him down.

"Hey, hey. Look at me, okay? We're gonna be fine." You whisper, just in case any officers are coming around right this moment. He does as you ask, nodding silently. He slows down a little, focusing on your beautiful face. The others peek out the window, watching the cops roll on by down the road, totally bypassing this hiding place.

"Well, that can't be good." Max observes from across the shed.

"Hey, guys. We're gonna go check out what's happening. Just stay here, okay? We'll radio you an update." Steve says, leading the others out to his car. They shut the door behind them, leaving the two of you alone.

"You good?" You ask Eddie, speaking at a normal volume now.

"Yeah, yeah. Just felt like a close call." He presses a quick kiss to your lips, further tuning himself back into his regularly-scheduled brain function. "We should probably stay under here for a bit, right? Just in case?"

"We can do that. You wanna...keep kissing me?" You ask, as it seems your affection tends to calm him down. Not to mention you really like the way his mouth connects to yours.

"How can I possibly say no to that?" Eddie says with a small smile. He kisses you again, slower this time. Your eyes close instantly, and your hands wander over to get lost in his hair. Things are heating up quickly, your lips and tongues playing with one another hungrily. Eddie pulls back for a second, like he wants something else. "Y/N, can I...?" He trails off, his eyes flicking to your chest. It really isn't that hard to say 'Hey, Y/N, can I touch your tits?', he knows that. But as it has been stated before, you make him nervous, in the best possible way.

"You can do anything you want, Eds. I want it all." You reply, finding his sheepish asking very adorable. Eddie doesn't seem the type to be so unsure of himself when it comes to...whatever this is. He must think you're pretty special if his typical devilish charms fly out the window whenever he tries to make a move on you. He still seems unsure, so you take hold of his large hands, bringing them up to your chest. "Is this what you want, baby?" You ask, already knowing the answer. He nods, not saying another word as his palms hover a centimeter away from your breasts. You manipulate them to finally cup your tits, immediately letting out a quiet moan.

"You're so beautiful, sweetheart." He says, his eyes widening slightly at the fact that he's made it to second base. He feels like a fuckin' virgin, it's kinda embarrassing that he needs you to lead him like this.

"You're pretty handsome yourself, Eddie." You say breathlessly. Eddie's hands squeeze the swells of your chest, drawing more lustful noises from you. Everything he does to you feels so good, it's been a very long time since you've been touched by anyone. Even yourself.

"You think it's safe to get out of the boat now?" Eddie asks as this position is a bit uncomfortable.

"I think so. C'mon." You move to stand up in the boat, almost falling over again. Eddie catches you, and you both step back onto solid ground. The second you do, he leads you backwards until you meet the wall. He gets a bit of his confidence back, wanting to take you by surprise. "Is someone coming out of their shell?" You ask slyly as his body presses into yours.

"Maybe a little." He replies with a smirk, moving to slip off his jackets. He tosses them onto the table beside you. You take off your cardigan, letting it fall on the floor. Your hands grip the hem of your shirt, slowly lifting it up to expose your torso. Eddie watches wordlessly as you reveal your body to him, his eyes following the shirt as it goes further upwards. You pull it over your head, letting it join your sweater. You're left standing in your bra, and his eyes practically pop out of his head. "Damn." He exhales, you're even prettier than he thought you'd be.

"Like what you see?" You ask with a sly smile.

"Uh-huh. Can I see more?" He requests, unable to hide the neediness in his voice. The tone of it sends a dark thrill through you, and you reach behind your back to unhook your bra without a second thought. The straps fall loosely from your shoulders, the cups no longer holding your breasts up. The garment slips away, adding to the pile quickly gathering on the floor. "Fuck, Y/N." Eddie murmurs, taking your bare tits into his hands.

"Eddie." You gasp at the cool metal of his rings meeting your supple flesh, your nipples hardening from said cold and your arousal. He grips them firmly, rolling the sensitive buds between his thumbs and forefingers. He gazes at you in admiration while he works, giving you a cheeky grin. Your mouth sits agape to let out dulcet sounds, and you can't stop staring into his beautiful chocolate-hued eyes.

"Does this feel good, sweetheart?" He asks, eating up every little sigh and moan you let out for him. His cock is straining against his jeans, aching to feel you in every way possible.

"Mmhmm, you're very skilled with your hands." As much as your brain has begun to melt, you want to keep up with his mischievous nature. It's been so long since you've been able to play with someone in this way, and you're sure Eddie is more than up to the task.

He chuckles darkly, leaning in to speak in your ear. "I think you'll find I'm very skilled with my mouth, too." He bites your earlobe, drawing a low moan from your lips. "Mmm, your noises are drivin' me crazy, princess. Makin' it hard for me to take my time with you." He says hotly as his mouth travels downwards. Eddie nibbles harshly on your throat, leaving yet another hickey in his wake. Satisfied with his work, he goes even further downward. He kisses the swells of your tits, and the valley between them, every inch of skin he can reach.

"Feels so good, baby." You sigh blissfully. You look down at him as he worships your chest, becoming unbelievably wet with every passing moment. He swirls his tongue around your nipple, before taking it between his teeth. "Fuck, Eddie." You whimper as your hand takes hold of his head. He smirks against you at your reaction, he can't get enough of your little moans and curses. He wants to keep touching you, pleasing you, in every way you'll let him. He'll use whatever time he has left to make you come undone, over and over until he drops fucking dead. If he has any choice in the matter, he might as well go out with a bang, literally. "I need more, Eds." You plead, instinctively bucking your hips forward in an attempt to get your pussy closer to his cock.

"You got it, angel." Eddie pulls away from your chest, tugging his own shirt over his head. You take a moment to drink in his bare torso, and it's certainly a sight to see. His chest and arms are slightly toned, his long hair brushing against his shoulders. Sexy tattoos adorn his pale skin, and a guitar pick hangs on a chain around his neck. A light trail of hair runs down the middle of his chest, disappearing into his jeans. He looks like a goddamn rockstar, if you're being honest. Eddie finds your gawking amusing, letting out a small snicker at your shameless ogling. "Have I rendered you speechless, Y/N?" He asks while you feel him up, dragging your palms along his arms, up and down his chest.

"You're really fucking hot, Eddie." Your eyes flick to his, displaying pure, unadulterated lust. You don't bother to think, all you know is that you want him. Now. You grab him by his belt buckle, whipping the both of you around. The motion takes him by surprise, and you practically slam him up against the wall. He grunts at the impact, and you smash your lips to his before he can respond. His hands grab at your ass, holding you as close to him as possible. You shove your tongue in his mouth to tangle with his, and you clumsily fumble with his belt. You stop kissing him so you can see what you're doing, breathing heavily as anticipation builds between you. You get the belt open, and unzip his jeans with ease. You reach your hand inside his pants, underneath his boxers to take hold of his dick.

"Shit, you don't waste any time, do you?" Eddie asks through a groan. You pump his length in your hand, brushing the bead of precum around his tip with your thumb.

"No, I don't. We can take our time later. But I want you to fuck me, now." You say in a sultry tone, stroking him a bit firmer and faster than before. He moans again, which is music to your ears. "I like how much noise you make, Eds. It's very sexy. Now, you wanna help me with the rest of my clothes?" You ask in an undeniably tempting way, trying to push his buttons.

"Sure thing, princess." He pants, bringing his own hands around to unbutton your jeans. He slides the zipper down its track, hesitating before going any further. "Can I feel you, sweetheart?" He asks sweetly, which makes your heart flutter. He's been quite the gentleman this whole time, always asking permission before doing anything to you. It's highly attractive, no other guy has done so before. Not like this. It's always been one 'yes', which somehow grants unlimited access to your entire body.

"Yes, baby." You answer softly, waiting for him to touch you where you need him most. Eddie slowly slips his hand under the waistband of your panties, and his fingers graze your soaked folds. "Oh, fuck." You gasp at the contact. You knew you were turned on, but this is a whole other level. Everything he does to you feels better than anything you've experienced before. His fingers drag along your soaked cunt, feeling every part of you he can reach.

"You're so wet for me, angel." Eddie observes in amazement. To know he makes you feel so strongly, it's enough to drive him mad. You're still touching his dick with your hollowed fist, and he decides to push two fingers inside you to rev you up further.

"Eddie." You whimper as his digits meet your g spot easily. He curls them to press on it at a slow, torturous rhythm.

"You like having my fingers inside you?" Eddie asks, his own breath hitching as you squeeze him a little harder. You're both doing everything you can to rile one another up, so you'll go absolutely wild on each other when you finally connect.

"Yes, but I think there's something else I'd like even more." You press a warm kiss to his lips, giving him your best 'fuck me' eyes afterwards.

"God, you're so needy. No patience at all." Eddie teases with a smirk. He takes his hand away from your pussy, and you release his cock from your grip. You remove the rest of your clothes, and he does the same. You're left standing naked in front of each other, taking a moment to soak in every little detail. You notice his dick standing at attention, the head swollen and red, leaking pre-release onto the wood floor. Eddie looks you over, becoming very interested in the drips of your arousal running down the insides of your thighs. He wonders how you taste, wanting to make you scream his name while he eats you out.

"Is there something you want?" You ask slyly, realizing he's staring at your crotch like a feral animal.

"I know you said you want me to fuck you, Y/N. But I would really like to go down on you first. I bet you taste amazing, and I just want to make you feel good." He speaks honestly, with no effort to hide his desire. He's practically begging to give you head, which only makes you want him more.

You step closer to him, placing your hands on his chest. You lean forward to speak into his ear, nice and low so he listens to every word. "Knock yourself out, baby. What kind of woman would I be to deny a wanted man?" You take his earlobe between your teeth, just as he did to you earlier. You keep it brief, though, you imagine Eddie wants to get things moving. "Lead the way, Eds." You back away slightly, smiling as you wait for him to put you in position. His hands meet your hips, and he carefully maneuvers you around to the table. He pushes everything off of it, various objects landing on the floor. He lifts you onto the surface, spreading your legs wide while he stands between them. His palms roam up and down your thighs, inching so very close to where you're longing for him to touch.

Eddie's eyes wander over your gorgeous form, committing every last detail to memory. The curves of your waist and hips, the length of your legs, your hands holding tight to the edge of the table as you wait for him to begin. Your chest rising and falling faster than usual, tits shifting slightly from the pace. And to top it all off, the sex-drenched expression spread shamelessly across your face. Expectant eyes meeting his, pleading with him to appease your every desire. "You have got to be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Y/N." He says sincerely, breaking the charged silence.

"You really think so?" You ask curiously. You've never really found yourself all that attractive. After Benji, the guys who look your way have been few and far between. And even then, they never think you're anything special. Deep down, you know your worth doesn't hinge upon your desirability. But it's hard to remember that when society relentlessly pounds the idea into your head.

"I know so, sweetheart. You're perfect." Eddie replies, not an ounce of doubt or dishonesty in his voice. He means every word that comes out of his mouth, and you love him even more for it.

"I dunno about all that, Eddie." You say as your eyes flick downwards. Here you are, completely naked, fully displayed to him. And you're still questioning his liking of you. His hand comes up to gently lift your chin to look at him. His intense gaze burns into you, like there's a roaring fire ignited behind his eyes.

"I'm serious, Y/N. I know I don't know everything about you, but I know enough. Enough to say that I care very deeply for you, because you're an amazing person, in every way." You don't know how he does it, but he's somehow managed to sound even more sincere than before. You're utterly captivated by him. You've never had anyone speak to you in such devotional ways, until now.

"You're pretty great, too, you know." You say with a light smile, color warming your cheeks again at his saccharine declarations. You wait for him to make his next move, keeping your eyes on his all the while. Somehow, sitting here like this, with him standing before you while his thumb and forefinger gently hold your chin, is possibly the most comfortable position you've been in for who knows how long. Eddie slowly leans in, pressing a feather-light kiss to your lips. Your eyes flutter closed, and you enjoy every second of this until he pulls away just as gingerly. "Damn, you are way too good at that." You say breathlessly.

"So are you, baby. Takes two to tango, right?" He grins at you, allowing his less serious side to take hold. You've waited long enough, and he wants to pleasure you in every way you deserve. He picks up where he left off, trailing kisses down your body that set your insides ablaze. Shoulders, chest, stomach, before moving on to your thighs. He kneels in front of you, putting your knees over his shoulders.

"Mmm." You moan as he gently nips on your sensitive flesh, sucking tiny love bites closer and closer to your core. He's still taking his time, wanting to warm you back up before he finally tastes you. His eyes watch your dripping hole, his cock twitching as he can see how wet he's making you with every inch of progress. Your nails dig into the worn wood of the table, scratching deeply as you resist the urge to shove your crotch in his face. You want him to fuck you with his mouth more than anything, and it's taking everything in you to be patient. He finally sets himself before your glistening pussy, his hot breath fanning over it. Eddie lets his tongue slip out of his mouth to make first contact with your clit. "Fuck!" You cry out, your hips jolting upwards off the table.

"Settle down, angel. I'm just getting started." He coos, before dragging the wet muscle along your slit.

"Sorry, it's been a while." You say with an embarrassed laugh. You force yourself to relax, keeping yourself seated on the table as he works on you. It's harder than you expected it to be, every little lick and suck feels too fucking good.

"You taste so sweet, baby." Eddie praises, before resuming his work. He's pulling out all the stops, wanting to make you lose control. He flicks against your clit, and alternately shoves his tongue into your cunt to push on your sweet spot. His pattern and pace varies wildly, never giving you a chance to predict a single move.

"You're really good at this, Eds." You sigh blissfully, thoroughly enjoying everything he's doing to you. You feel an intense knot growing within you, tightening further with every passing second. Eddie's building you up unbelievably quickly, though you figure it wouldn't have taken much to begin with. You emit an endless stream of expletives and calls of his name, your body gradually coating itself in steaming sweat.

"Mmm." Eddie moans against you as he can't get enough of your juices flowing into his mouth. You taste like nothing of this earth to him, so fucking delicious. His dick is leaking profusely as he eats you out, your noises are driving him insane. He wants to make you cum all over his face, and soon, so he can finally fill you up with his painfully hard cock. He pushes his fingers into you again, focusing his tongue on your clit as he quickens the pace.

"Oh, Eddie. Just like that- fuck, I'm getting close." You whimper, digging your nails further into the table. You're surprised you haven't broken any off with how much pressure you've put on them. You sense your oncoming release, the telling ebb and flow of pleasurable waves beginning to collide with you. "Don't stop, baby. Make me cum, I'm almost there." You plead with Eddie to keep doing exactly what he's doing, needing just a little more to make that ever-growing knot snap. He takes heed of your desperate words, not changing a single thing for fear of denying you of your orgasm.

"Mmm." He moans into you again, watching your fuckstruck face as he gets you near the finish line. Your eyes are squeezed shut, your mouth hanging open as you make the most beautifully obscene sounds he's ever heard. Your chest heaves as you breathe rapidly, your skin slicked over with glimmering perspiration. Eddie wishes to save this image in his mind, you look like a total goddess to him at this moment. He's afraid he's not going to last, though, as he's forgotten just how arousing it is for him to go down on a woman. He's certain that the second you lose it, he'll end up falling off the edge right alongside you. He doesn't mind, however. Far be it from him to complain about getting self-satisfaction out of pleasing you.

"Just a little harder, Eds. I'm so fuckin' close." You pant out the words, needing just a little more to get what you want. Eddie grants your request, pressing his tongue more firmly on your bundle of nerves, and fingering your pussy at a harsher speed. "Perfect, right there." You whine as you're just about to cum. Eddie groans against you one last time, he can feel your walls fluttering around his digits. The vibrations from his muffled noises bring you to your high swiftly and completely. "Oh, fuck, EDDIE!" You cry out as your legs begin to shake. Your orgasm rips through you violently, and you can't control your thighs clamping around Eddie's head. You feel your release spilling onto him, and he tries his best to slurp up every last drop. You're seeing stars, absolutely flaming from the inside out.

"Fff." You hear him grunt against you, his breath coming out shakily as he cums with you. His load spills messily onto the floor under the table, some of it landing on his thighs. His hips buck upwards once or twice, he has no idea. All he knows is bliss, and he relishes every last second of it until you calm down. You slump backwards against the wall while you release Eddie's head from your iron grasp. You're absolutely spent, almost gasping for air from how mind-blowing this was. "You good, princess?" Eddie asks from the floor, as you haven't opened your eyes just yet. Your lids flutter upwards to let you look down at him. You find his chin is glistening with your nectar, and you peek down to see that he already came from the erotic display you put on a moment ago.

"Yes, so fucking good." You say sincerely, smiling down at him as your ecstasy wanes away to nothing. "I see you enjoyed yourself, too, Eds." You flick your pupils downwards, hinting at the mess in his lap. You can't help finding his position quite hot. Sitting on his knees, his own release splattered about in sticky streaks on his skin. He just couldn't help himself, you were too powerful a sight for him to handle. The thought alone makes you feel wet all over again.

"I really did. You were so sexy, and I couldn't get enough." He says from below you, and he can't help blushing when you stare at him like this. Lust burns in your eyes from seeing him all sweaty and spent from doing almost nothing at all. He's never had a girl look at him like that, and he definitely enjoys it more than one would expect.

"C'mere, baby." You say softly, beckoning him upwards with your finger. He does as you ask without a thought, standing between your legs. Eddie puts his hands on your waist, waiting for you to speak. You gaze at each other for a moment, gentle smiles sitting about your mouths. "I love you, Eddie." You utter the words so quietly, Eddie almost thinks he's imagined it. Before he can ask you to repeat yourself, however, you take hold of the back of his head to give him a tender kiss.

He's surprised you'd tell him such a thing. Sure, you both admitted to being in love with one another at some point in time last night, and the fact that you've just engaged in sexual activities can also help argue the case. But for some reason, hearing it out loud makes it sound...illogical, irrational. He considers the possibility that you're only saying it because he might die, but he doesn't think you'd be so cruel to lie about your feelings. Honestly, all this contemplation is making his head spin. At this point, he doesn't give a fuck if you mean it or not. He'll take your affection hand over fist as long as you continue to give it to him. You release his lips from yours, allowing him time to respond. "I love you too, Y/N. I've been waiting years to hear you say that." He says sincerely, as he hopes your own words are just as genuine.

"I wish I'd said it a long time ago. You're the only man that's ever made me feel this way. And I know we're pretty young, but I don't think I'll ever feel like this about anyone else." You stroke his hair as you speak, it's so soft, if not a bit damp from what you just finished doing a minute ago. You can't help shivering a little as the cool March air chills your sweat.

"You cold, angel? We should put our clothes back on." Eddie says as he notices your teeth beginning to chatter. He leans down to pick up all your clothes, handing your items off to you.

"Hey, Eddie?" You ask while slipping your panties on.

"Yes, sweetheart?" He looks to you, wondering if something is wrong.

"Is 'Reefer Rick' home? Or anyone, for that matter?" You question, contemplating using the house as a warmer, safer location to hide in.

"Nah, he's still in jail right now and doesn't live with anyone. Why do you ask?" He quirks an eyebrow at you.

"Well, I was thinking it might be more comfortable in there if no one's home. We could shower, wash our clothes, have an actual bed to sleep in. And it would be a helluva lot warmer in there, too." You explain your train of thought, though you wonder if he'd already thought about it.

"I hope this doesn't change how you feel about me, but I hadn't even thought of that. The jackass probably doesn't even keep the door locked." Eddie chuckles, smacking his head at his own stupidity. "But yeah, I think it's a damn good idea. We won't have to sleep on the floor, at least."

"Well, it's a good thing I decided to stay with you, huh? I'm more than just a good lay." You giggle as you finish getting dressed.

"Technically, I don't actually know if you're a good lay...yet." He jokes, making you both share a cute laugh. You gather your supplies to bring into the house, and Eddie takes your free hand in his. You check to make sure the coast is clear, there's a few rednecks that live around here, and you don't want them to see you. You make your way to the house, and try the doorknob. Unsurprisingly, it opens without a hitch. "Thank you, Rick." Eddie says under his breath, and you make your way inside.

It's clear that Reefer Rick hasn't been home in a few months. Dust covers every flat surface, and there's rotten fruit in the bowl on the kitchen counter. Some used dishes sit molding in the sink, and there's a bit of old...everything all about the place. Pizza boxes, beer cans, pints of Ben & Jerry's, other things like that. You would clean up, but it's probably best to let any passerby assume that the premises is still vacated. Plus, all you really need is a bed and a shower at the moment. "God, this place is a dump." You observe aloud at the slight odor that permeates the house.

"Yeah, looks like the maid hasn't come around in awhile." Eddie replies sarcastically, wiping one of the tables with his finger. A thick streak of dust coats the pad of it, and he scrunches his nose as he wipes it on his pants.

You try turning on the sink to see if anything will come out. And sure enough, the water flows from the faucet, plentiful and warm. "Nice, we've got water." You open the fridge, and the little light clicks on. It's full of even more nasty food, but you weren't really worried about it anyway. "And power. So shower and laundry are a go." You say with a smile, moving on to check out the rest of the house.

The heat isn't set, but it's still so much warmer than outside and the boathouse. You locate the thermostat to turn up the temperature a little, and thankfully you hear the system kick on. You avoid turning on any lights to prevent drawing attention from afar, and you find the laundry room downstairs. Underground where no one will hear the machines running, perfect. Eddie follows behind you the whole way, and the two of you strip off your old clothes in the damp basement. You've both seen one another naked, so you're not bothered by walking through the rest of the house without your clothes on. After setting the load to wash, you head back up the stairs and to the second floor where the master bedroom is. There's a bathroom inside it as well, and you let Eddie take the first shower.

While he does so, you check Rick's closet to find some clothes Eddie can wear in the meantime. There's tie-dye t-shirt after tie-dye t-shirt, at least fifty in total. They're a little big for Eddie, but they seem comfortable enough. You take out an orange and red and yellow one, setting its hanger on the bed. You open a chest of drawers, hoping the bottoms will be more in your boyfriend's size range. Lucky for you, Rick seems to be a very lanky guy who just prefers baggy shirts. You pull out some blue jeans, putting them next to the shirt. You don't bother with underwear, you know Eddie won't go for wearing another man's tidy whities. Commando will have to do for the time being.

As for you, Robin was gracious enough to supply you with some jeans, sweatpants, a couple shirts, and...every pair of panties you own. You suppose she wasn't sure how long you'll be in hiding for, and you don't have an answer to that either. Better safe than sorry, you think to yourself with a shrug. "Fuck, I really needed that." Eddie says with a satisfied sigh as he walks out of the bathroom. He's got a towel wrapped around his waist, showing off his v-line. His necklace dangles wetly around his neck, and water drips from his hair and down his front. Damn, he's hot. You mentally observe while biting your lip. "Helloooooo...Earth to Y/N." He waves his hand around, smirking at how you're staring at his body again.

"Huh?" You snap out of it, meeting his eyes and handsome smile. "Oh, was the water warm enough?" You ask as your cheeks flare red.

"Yeah, there should be enough left for you, too. Gonna warn you, it's only guy soap in there." He says casually, walking over to see what you've put out for him to wear. "What the hell is that?" He furrows his brows, pointing at the obnoxious tie-dye shirt.

"It's all Rick has, and it's only for a couple hours. Leave it to you to be picky about fashion in a crisis." You chuckle at his apprehension to wear anything outside his personal style.

"That's easy for you to say! The others brought you your own clothes!" He retorts, crossing his arms. He doesn't know how to explain it without sounding like a child. But he hates wearing clothes that aren't his, it feels...wrong somehow. The few times he has done it, he feels like his skin is crawling beneath the fabric. Because it knows they don't belong to him. It's also one of the ways he gets to express himself, and he sure as shit doesn't like tie-dye.

"I know, baby. I'm sorry. I'm sure they would've brought you something if your house wasn't an active crime scene." You're sympathetic to his distaste, his clothes should be one of the few things he can control in this situation. And wearing things that don't belong to him can't be very comfortable. You stand before him, putting your hands on his shoulders for a moment. "It'll be alright, Eddie. We have to work with what we've got, okay?" You give him a little kiss, hoping to put him at ease. He accepts your offering, grabbing your ass in large handfuls. You sigh against him, it's crazy how easily you fall into a deep pit of lust every time he touches you. Eddie pulls away, taking your breath with him.

"I suppose I can live with Rick's stoner style for a bit." He says unconvincingly, rolling his eyes.

"I appreciate you making the sacrifice." You press a kiss to his cheek, returning to your bag to see if Robin packed any toiletries for you. You find your shampoo and conditioner, an unopened bar of soap, and your toothbrush. No toothpaste, though. Maybe there's some in the bathroom.

"Shit, Robin thought of everything, huh?" Eddie says, taking a peek into your things himself while you head into the bathroom to wash up. Damn, there's a lot of panties in here. Eddie thinks, pushing the slips of fabric around to see what else lies within the bag's contents. Clothes, hair ties, lip balm, tampons. His hand recoils at finding your lady things, before noticing something else beneath them. A deck of playing cards. Well, it's not D&D, but it'll do to pass the time. Wayne's showed him a ton of card games over the years, though he can't remember the last time he played any of them.

The thought makes Eddie's heart ache. Fuck, he misses his uncle so much. And he must be worried sick about him. Does he know Eddie didn't kill Chrissy? He has to, right? Eddie can't help wondering if Wayne has even entertained the idea that he is a murderer. He comes from a broken home, suffering awful abuse, no less. Happens all the time. Lots of serial killers come from environments just like Eddie's, it's only natural to ponder if something went wrong inside his head. A few tears spring from Eddie's eyes. He wishes he could tell Wayne that he's okay (for now), and that he didn't do this. But he can't risk being found, it'll all be over for him if that happens. He wipes his eyes frantically when he hears you shut the water off, sniffing harshly to get himself together. He puts his borrowed clothes on and takes the deck of cards from your bag.

"Mmm, nice and clean and ready to get dirty again." You quip as you walk into the bedroom. You're drying your hair as you walk, another towel wrapped around your body. You bring the towel away from your head, finding Eddie standing in the little outfit you found for him. You can't help smiling at how he looks in it. The pants fit just fine, but the shirt makes him look like a little kid.

"What?" Eddie asks, curious as to why you're looking at him the way you are.

"You just look so cute, Eds." You say with a giggle, plopping down on the bed.

"I do not. I look like a total dork." He grumbles, narrowing his eyes at you.

"No you don't, baby. Whatcha got there?" You change the subject, knowing Eddie doesn't want to talk about it anymore. He seems really upset, but not entirely about the clothes. Maybe he'll tell you later, but neither of you need any more doom and gloom right now.

"Oh, um, looks like Robin packed us some entertainment. Wanna play?" He asks, holding up your playing cards. Your eyes widen when you remember what's printed on them.

"Are you sure, Eddie? Did you look closely at the package?" You ask cautiously, you don't want him to flip out.

"They're just cards, right?" Eddie looks at the box again, wondering what you're talking about. The one side looks like the typical packaging, the traditional pattern and branding. Until he flips it over to the other side. These aren't just any old playing cards, they're playing cards with naked men printed on them. "Oh." He says as his pupils enlarge. "And, uh...why do you have these?" His eyes flick to you.

"They're a gag gift from Steve. He saw them in a sex shop and thought they were, quote, 'hilarious'." You explain, rolling your eyes when you recall just how tickled Steve was by the huge cocks and washboard abs on all the men.

Eddie smiles, finding your embarrassed face rather amusing. "Oh, and here I thought you were some kinda pervert." He says jokingly, climbing onto the bed and laying on his stomach. He pulls the flap of the box up, pouring the cards out to get a closer look. "Jesus! How do you walk around with a dick like that?!" Eddie laughs, showing you the card in question.

"Jealous, are we?" You tease, opening your towel to get dressed. His eyes go to your tits immediately, his breath catching in his throat.

"N-not really, I imagine one that big wouldn't fit anyway." He says absent-mindedly, practically drooling at your naked body.

"Who's the pervert now?" You quip, reaching in your bag for the sexiest underwear you own. Red, lacey, perfect to tantalize Eddie with later. You pull them up your legs, remembering just how good they feel on your skin. You'd really splurged for these when you first bought them. It wasn't for anyone in particular, you just wanted to feel more confident in your own skin. You put your spare jeans and a t-shirt on as well, effectively hiding your body away from his gawking eyes.

"Eddie, Y/N, do you copy? Pick up guys, we've got news." You hear Dustin on the walkie, his voice crackling through the little speaker. You pick it up, pushing down on the talk button.

"Yeah, we're listening." You reply simply, releasing the button.

"There's another body. It's Fred from the school paper. Nancy was with him investigating Chrissy's death and they got separated." Dustin says.

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Nance." You figure they're all sitting somewhere together, hoping she heard you. You were wondering what she's been up to this whole time. Typical Nancy Wheeler, always investigating. "Is there anything else? Do you guys have a plan to find out more information?"

"Yeah, I talked to Eddie's uncle, Wayne. He says there's this old guy, Victor Creel, who committed similar murders back in the fifties. It's a shot in the dark, but I'm gonna go to the library to find out more." Nancy speaks this time, and Eddie's face falls a little at the mention of his uncle. He looks at you, holding out his hand for the walkie. You nod, handing it over without question.

"How was he...when you talked to him?" Eddie asks cautiously.

"He was...pretty shaken up. He found the body in the trailer. But he insisted that you wouldn't do this, Eddie. So he knows you're innocent." Nancy says, hoping the words offer Eddie some kind of comfort.

"O-Okay. Thanks." Eddie replies shakily, handing the thing back over to you. You notice his eyes watering, as if some amount of relief has washed over him.

"You okay, Eds?" You ask as the others haven't said anything else yet. He just nods, wiping his eyes. "Okay, is there anything else?" You ask the group.

"Yeah, the rest of us are going to try to talk to Ms. Kelly, the school counselor. Max saw Chrissy talking to her on the day she died, she looked upset. So we're thinking maybe she was seeing things, and talked to Ms. Kelly about it." Steve speaks now.

"Well, I'm glad you guys seem to have this under control. We'll be here when you have more. Be careful out there." You reply to end this conversation.

"Sure thing. You two take care of each other. And let us know if you need anything. Over and out." Dustin says finally, and the walkie clicks for the last time, for now.

"Well, that was cheery." You say sarcastically, reaching for the deck to shuffle it. You may as well move on to something else for the time being.

"At least Wayne knows I'm not a murderer." Eddie replies softly through a sniffle.

"Of course he knows, baby. He practically raised you, right? He knows you're a good person, and I'm sure he's told the police that." You put your hand over his to try and comfort him.

"I doubt they believe him, though." He says sadly, squeezing your hand slightly.

"You're probably right. But we're gonna prove that you're innocent, okay? There's no way in hell I'm letting anyone pin this on you. I'll fight off the entire local police force myself if I have to." You reach over for your purse on the other side of the bed, pulling out the small pistol you carry inside it for personal protection. Eddie's eyes widen at the sight of the weapon, you make it sound like you'll actually shoot a police officer to keep him out of jail. "And if any of the ignorant assholes in this town try to mess with us, I'll get them to back off."

"Are you serious? Why do you have this, Y/N?" He's getting freaked out again, which you don't really understand. The gun is yours, you have the proper permits for it, you know how to use it. What's the big deal?

"Eddie, relax. I carry this for my own protection, in case some asshole tries something. I've had it for years, I kinda needed it when I didn't have a lanky metalhead to fight my battles for me." You don't mean the last comment as a slight, it's just the truth. Until now, you haven't had Eddie in your life in a very long time. You've basically been on your own. Even after coming into the fold of the massive monster-fighting team, you still spend most of your time alone. And being a young woman, living in a shitty neighborhood, you need something to fend off any potential attackers.

"Okay, fine. Just...please don't shoot anyone? I don't need any more blood on my hands." He pleads, he really wants you to put the damn thing away already. Guns make him nervous, he could never imagine owning one, let alone carrying it around everywhere. He's had enough of them shoved in his face to know that they're not to be taken lightly. Such a small thing can do so much damage. One can use it to kill without a second thought.

"I'm not shooting anyone, Eddie. I've never had to actually fire this thing. It's just a deterrent, nothing more. Okay?" You put the pistol back in your purse, and Eddie relaxes a bit. "And I'm sorry for freaking you out."

"It's okay. I get why you have it. There's some pretty scary shit in this town sometimes, apparently." He ends on a dry laugh, unable to hold off on rolling his eyes. He still finds it absolutely insane that this town really has been up to some spooky shit like everyone's been saying. And now he's caught smack-dab in the middle of it. "But anyway, you gonna shuffle or what?" He slaps on a smile, attempting to lighten the mood a little.

"Yeah, what game should we play first?" You shuffle the deck, waiting for him to choose a game.

"Well, since it's a rather dirty deck, how about a dirty game?" He suggests with a devilish grin.

"Alright. Strip poker it is." You smile back, knowing exactly where this particular game will end up. It'll be a relatively short game, though, as you both only have two or three items of clothing on at the moment. But you're guessing Eddie doesn't really care how many rounds you play, as long as you find yourselves fucking like wild animals by the time it's over. You deal out five cards to Eddie and yourself, setting the deck down to see what you have. Three aces, an eight, and a six. Three of a kind isn't bad, but trying for a fourth or maybe a full house would be better. "You want to switch out any cards?" You ask Eddie as he looks over his hand.

"Two, please." He puts two of his cards down, and you give him the new ones. You drop the six, and draw one new card. And sure enough, it's another eight. A full house, that'll be hard to beat.

"Okay. Now, if I win, what will you take off first?" You ask while biting your lip. You've got absolutely no poker face, you're sure he can see how giddy you are about your hand.

"Uh, I'll take my jewelry off, I guess." He replies, cool as a cucumber. You can't read him at all, which is worrying. "And you?"

"Well, I don't think jewelry should count. But it makes us even, I suppose. And I'll take off my jeans, if you win." You smirk.

"I'd rethink that confidence if I were you." Eddie warns playfully. "C'mon, show me what you got."

"Full house, baby. I'd love to see you beat that." You say smugly, laying the cards down neatly on the bed.

"Oof, that's too bad. Looks like I get to have a second look at those panties of yours." He says as he lays down his hand. A straight flush, all hearts.

"You motherfucker!" You scoff, unable to believe he beat you.

"Sorry, sweetheart. You'll just have to get luckier next time. Now, c'mon, off with the pants. Please and thank you." His eyes flick to your lower half, waiting expectantly for you to show some skin.

"Ugh, fine!" You exclaim, undoing the button and zip of your jeans, pulling them off and tossing them to the floor. You lay back down on the bed, your red underwear on full display for him. He stares at them for a moment as you gather the cards to shuffle again. "You really like them, huh?" You ask, drawing him out of his lustful trance. You notice a bulge forming in his own pants, which only builds your anticipation for the next hand.

"Yeah, they look really sexy on you." He compliments, giving you a hungry look.

"Thanks, Eds." You deal out the cards again, and bet your shirt this time. Eddie sticks with his rings and necklace, and you play the hand out. You have two pairs, and he beats you again with three of a kind. "Dammit!" You shout in disappointment as you yank your t-shirt over your head. Your tits bounce as they're freed from the fabric, and you're one loss away from being completely naked.

"You're just all outta luck today, angel." He's feeling cocky, all he needs is one more hand to beat you. You mutter a couple swears under your breath, you're not a very good sport when you lose at games. You shuffle a third time, and deal once more.

The next two rounds thankfully go in your favor, stripping Eddie of his accessories and tie-dye shirt. You're tied now, one more round to put an end to it all. You're both holding your final hand now, having already exchanged cards. You're on the edge of your seat, so to speak, eager to see who wins this erotic game. "You wanna show them at the same time, baby?" You ask darkly, unable to hide just how aroused this game has made you. You've both been eating up every last bit of one another's flesh as it's been revealed, just waiting for the moment when you get to see more.

"Okay." He nods, meeting your anxious gaze with his own. You both place your hands down on the blanket, waiting a second to actually look at them. Once you do, you see that you've just barely beaten Eddie. He has three of a kind, whereas you have a straight. "You win, princess. Congratulations." He says lowly, wasting no time in taking off his pants. His dick slaps against his stomach, waiting for you to take hold of it. "You wanna come over here and claim your prize, Y/N?"

"I thought you'd never ask, baby." You crawl over to him on the bed, ignoring the cards spilling around everywhere. Eddie lays on his back as you prowl, stroking his cock lazily in his hand. You climb over him so your body looms above his. You lower your head to give him a kiss, slipping your tongue into his mouth a moment later. His free hand reaches up to your underwear, slipping beneath the luxe fabric to feel your soaked folds. You moan against him at the sensation. "I want you so bad, Eddie." You say breathlessly, your lips still brushing against his as you speak.

"I want you too, sweetheart. Can you take these off for me?" Eddie replies, tugging at the waistband of your panties. You nod, dragging the fabric over the curves of your ass and down your legs. You kick them away with your foot, and straddle Eddie's thighs.

You replace Eddie's hand with yours, slowly running your hollowed fist along his dick. He groans at your touch, wanting you to pick up the pace or move along to the main event. "You want me to ride you, baby?" You ask seductively.

"Please." He begs, his hands resting at your hips. You lift yourself upwards slightly, just enough to drag his tip against your pussy, spreading your arousal onto his length. His breath catches at you lubing him up, and you let out low moans as he repeatedly brushes against your clit. "Stop teasing, sweetheart. I need to feel you." He can't hide the whining in his voice, and his eyes stare up helplessly at you as you continue your tantalizing actions.

"God, I love it when you beg, Eddie. It's so fuckin' hot." You smirk at him, allowing the head of his length to slip inside your dripping cunt. "Fuck." You gasp, eyes fluttering shut. He's barely in you and he's already stretching your walls in the most delicious way. You slowly sink down, accepting every last inch of him. You bite hard on your lip, savoring the slight burn you feel from him filling you up so completely. "Oh, god." You moan with your eyes still blissfully closed. You lay on his chest as you adjust to his size, pressing your lips to his while you loosen up.

"You're so tight, angel. Holy shit." Eddie says lowly to you between kisses. He can't believe he's actually inside you right now, and you feel like absolute heaven around him. Warm, snug, and perfectly slick. He could stay just like this forever, holding you close as you're connected like matching puzzle pieces. His hands caress your back and sides, worshiping every inch of you he can reach while he waits for you to start moving.

"And you're so big, Eds. You fill me up so well." You squeeze around his length involuntarily, making him gasp.

"I really hope you're not just strokin' my ego, princess." He laughs lightly, his hands pressing firmly into your hips from you hugging his cock so tight.

"I wouldn't dream of it, darling. I'd never lie to you." You keep planting languid, hungry kisses to his mouth while you start to move. You gradually bring yourself upwards on his cock, almost letting him slip out, before sinking back down in one swift motion. Breathy moans leave both your mouths, and you repeat the action a few more times. Up...and down, up...and down, up...and down. You let out muted noises as Eddie brushes against your g spot with each landing.

"Fuck, sweetheart. You're still teasing, I can't take it." He whimpers, rolling your bodies over to take the lead. Your head rests on the pillows below, your legs spread wide with him still sheathed inside you. "Is this okay?" Eddie asks, looking down at you expectantly. He's desperate to get some real speed and friction going. But not without your permission, of course.

You reach up to cup his cheek, and wrap your legs around his waist to pull him closer. "Yes, Eddie. And please, don't hesitate to go as hard and as fast as you want."

"You like it rough, huh?" He questions with another filthy smirk. He says so much with so little, you really wish you knew how he does that.

"You seem to know me well enough, what do you think?" You tease, keeping up with his playfulness again. You enjoy pushing his buttons, hoping it'll make him go crazy on you.

"Is it so hard to give me a straight answer?" He says as he thrusts into you once. It's the perfect mix and deep and rough, just like you wanted. It steals your breath away, making your eyes roll into the back of your head for a moment. "Just tell me what you want, angel. And I'll happily give it to you." He speaks lowly in your ear, thrusting again to draw a low moan from you.

"Fuck, keep doing that. It feels so good, baby." You sigh as Eddie's lips meet your neck. He's marking you again, you're gonna look like a leopard by the time he's done with you. But you'll proudly wear love bites on every inch of your body, as long as they come from him.

"You got it, princess." Eddie picks up the pace, using the same amount of force as before. He pushes on your sweet spot over and over, which makes you all the more wet inside. He slips in and out of you so easily, your arousal dripping onto the bed with every shove into your cunt. "Shit, you're fuckin' soaked, sweetheart. Your pussy feels amazing." He groans, sending a shock of pleasure through you. His words are absolutely filthy, and his tone makes your heart pound in your chest.

"It's all for you, Eds." You moan out, grabbing hold of his back with your hands. Your nails dig into his skin, drawing another vulgar sound from his lips. Eddie continues to assault your neck as he fucks you, leaving hickey after hickey with his every moan. You're clinging to him, trying to keep him as close to you as possible as he ruts you into the bed. His body weighs heavily on yours, encapsulating you in excessive heat. But it's not enough, you want to be even closer. You wish you could crawl under his skin, to somehow fuse yourself to him and never let go. "Fuck, roll over, baby. And sit up against the headboard." You pant out, wanting to ride him like you originally planned.

"Is something wrong, sweetheart?" He asks, his face meeting yours with concerned eyes. His thrusts slow for a moment, and he wonders if he should stop altogether.

"No, definitely not. I just wanna be closer to you, Eds." You reply breathlessly, patting his shoulders to prompt him to obey your request. He does as you ask, managing to stay inside you while putting you on top again. He scoots back to lean against the headboard, and you straddle his lap in this new position. Your arms wrap around his shoulders, your chest pressing against his. "Perfect." You exhale as his tip is kissing your cervix at this angle. You press your lips to his, putting a pause on the sex for a moment. You want to take a moment to taste his mouth on yours, he's so addictive to you. "I love you, baby." You whisper to him between gentle smooches.

"I love you too, princess." Eddie's happy to return the sentiment, he can't get enough of you admiring him in such a way. His hands sit at your waist, slowly migrating downwards to grip the rounds of your ass in rough handfuls. You let out a quiet moan, your pussy flexing around his length at the aggressive action. "Fuck, Y/N. Gonna be the death of me if you keep doin' that." He whimpers. It isn't exactly easy for him to sit still with his dick encased by your soaked cunt, and you squeezing him like that makes it all the more difficult.

"You want me to start moving, darling?" You ask, biting your lip at the thrill of teasing him just a little bit more.

"Please." He says pitifully, it's taking everything in him to not thrust upwards into you right now.

"Mmm, you're so needy, baby. I'll never get over how sexy you sound like that." You smolder, before lifting your hips up to give you both what you want so badly. You allow yourself to fall back down, crying out in pleasure at the feeling of him hitting your g spot even better than before. You set a steady pace, allowing for plenty of sloppy kisses and bites being made on your bodies. You don't know where you start and Eddie ends at this point, and a roiling knot has been brewing inside you from the moment you first accepted his dick into your silk. Eddie's hands lead your hips to roll against him, and he punctuates your bounces with an occasional buck of his hips to steal your breath away. "Oh, Eddie. You feel so fuckin' good, keep doing that." You moan out, increasing your own speed to meet him in the middle. Your arousal continues to flow from you freely, making a small puddle on Eddie's abdomen.

"You're makin' a mess all over me, sweetheart. You're so perfect." Eddie praises, ramming his hips upwards to meet your every landing.

"I'm getting close, baby. Fuck me harder, faster. I need you to make me cum." You whimper the words, with no regard for just how much they affect the man moaning along with you. You feel the twisting ball inside you pulling tighter against its restraints, waiting to snap at any moment. Eddie's not far behind you, you're easily the best sex he's ever had.

"Turn around, princess. Hands and knees." Eddie commands, needing to take control to drive you both off that proverbial cliff. You hop off his lap, scrambling to get in position. He's half a step behind you, giving you a moment to grab onto the blankets before he shoves his length back into your needy hole.

"Fuck!" You cry out, and you feel Eddie's hands digging rougher than before into your hips. He hammers himself into you, the slapping of skin mixing with your obscene noises. His pelvis smacks against your ass, stinging your flesh from the force and wetness from your sweat and juices. "Just like that, Eds. Don't stop, make me cum. I'm almost there."

"I'm right there with you, angel. Your pussy is so fuckin' amazing, best I've ever had, so wet and tight and perfect in every way." Eddie's words spill from his lips haphazardly, he can barely think straight as his stomach begins to tense. You sense he's close, his movements have become unfocused.

"Cum with me, baby. I wanna feel you fill me up, claim me as yours. I can't get enough of your dick, baby. It's so fuckin' good." You allow every passing thought running through your mind to become verbalized, letting him know he's rocking your fucking world right now. Just a little more, and you'll both be in complete and utter bliss. Eddie unexpectedly snakes his hand around your front, his long fingers locating your clit to rub rapid circles around it. "Oh, god, oh, fuck!" You moan helplessly as his touch brings on the rapid buildup you've been waiting for. Your walls begin to flutter around him, signaling loud and clear that you're about to lose it.

"Fuck, Y/N." Eddie grunts, his own high taking over only moments before yours. His breath hitches, and his hips thrust into you even harder while his load shoots into you in thick white ropes. The warmth of his cum, mixed with his harsh bucking pulls you down with him.

"Eddie!" You practically scream as your thighs begin to shake. You clamp down on him, almost making him fall backwards with how mind-blowing it feels. Your vision blurs with stars, your entire body radiating with glowing ecstasy. Eddie stills inside you, allowing you time to ride out the wave of pleasure coursing through you. You collapse onto the bed, your ass in the air as you're still connected to him.

"You alright there, princess?" Eddie asks, exhaling heavily as he tries to catch his breath.

"Mmm, yeah. More than alright. That's easily the best sex I've ever had." You reply, sounding just as winded as he is. Eddie slowly pulls out of you, which proves quite the challenge as your pussy doesn't want to release him. You both let out muttered curses at how sensitive you are as he eventually removes himself.

"Shit, sweetheart. Never had anyone hold on to me so tight like this before." He says in awe, gazing at your glistening body as you still haven't moved from your awkward position yet. Your eyes are shut, your mouth letting out hot huffs of air. Your arms lay limp on either side of your head, and your legs are still spread open wide. Eddie eyes your cunt, licking his lips when he sees your mixed release oozing out of you. You're an impeccably gorgeous sight to him, and he can't resist crawling over to sample the sweet nectar currently pulsing from your slit.

"Shit." You mutter as his tongue makes contact with you. Light vibrations run against you as Eddie moans at the sweet, musky flavor you’ve created together. He continues to lick you clean, drinking up every last drop. You're still sparking from your previous orgasm, and you're dangerously close to having another. "Eddie, you're gonna make me cum again if you keep going." You warn with a whimper, which only spurs him on. He shoves his tongue into your pussy, scooping out every last bit of cum he can. The wet muscle manages to stroke your g spot repeatedly in its quest for bodily fluids, which causes another orgasm to rip through you. Stronger than the one before. "Oh, fuck!" You cry out, trembling all over again as you soak his face.

"Mmm." He groans at you giving him even more to taste, his hands grasping clumsily at your legs to hold you in place while he continues to consume you. He still doesn't stop, your pleasure building on top of itself, folding over in exquisite layers.

"You're so greedy, Eds." You sigh, letting yourself enjoy every second of his relentless appetite thoroughly. You expect to be brought to yet another high very soon.

"You just taste so delicious, sweetheart. I can't help myself." He speaks briefly before returning to his task. His statement is absolutely true, he doesn't know how he's going to eventually stop eating you out. You're like a goddamn drug, and he wishes to receive hit after hit until you tell him to stop. His dick twitches at every little sound you make in response, shining beads of his own release running down his shaft. It appears extending your pleasure has inadvertently done the same for his own.

"I'm getting close again, Eddie. I don't know how much more I can take." You whine, your legs twitching at every move he makes on you. The inevitable peak you're climbing towards is certainly going to be the strongest you've ever had, and you just know it's going to make a huge mess. You've never squirted before, but you have a sneaking suspicion that both you and Eddie will highly enjoy it.

"Just do one more for me, angel. You've been doing so well. Cum for me, Y/N." Eddie begs, before sucking harshly on your clit.

"OH, GOD, OH FUCK! EDDIE!" You're overtaken by white-hot flames, the heat consuming you from the inside out. Your entire lower half shakes violently, and you feel a massive gush of your cum splashing onto Eddie's face and down your thighs. "Fuck!" The sensation is nothing like you've experienced before. You almost feel a little embarrassed, as the only bodily function you could compare it to is...well, not something you'd want to release so easily onto another person. But all Eddie does is attempt to swallow as much of it as he can, as if he's dying of thirst. He doesn't pull away, or say anything judgmental. Clearly he knows more about this phenomenon than you, which puts your mind at ease a little.

"Damn, that was hot." Eddie says as he finally pulls away from you. The rest of your body falls onto the bed, totally spent. You've never cum so much or so hard before. Even the slight flow of air as the heating warms the house makes your cunt twitch in overstimulation. "I think we're gonna need another shower, though." He chuckles as he looks down at your juices glistening on his chest and stomach, not to mention between your legs. You made such a splash, it's not something he's personally seen very often. But, fuck he loves any opportunity to witness it.

"I second that. But I feel like I'm made of jelly now." You let out a weak giggle, groaning as you roll over onto your back.

"That good, huh?" Eddie smirks, meeting your tired eyes with his own.

"Oh, Eds. You have noooo idea." You manage to sit up, scooching yourself closer to Eddie to give him a gentle kiss. He returns it gingerly, leading you to lie down with him. He pulls you in real close, cuddling you in your radiating afterglow. You break away from the kiss, looking deep into his eyes with total admiration. He's too perfect, and this moment represents everything you've ever wanted in a relationship. True love, deep connection, not to mention incredible sex. "I wish we could just stay like this forever." You say, barely above a whisper.

"We can certainly try, Y/N." He replies, a single tear running down his cheek at your words. You both know it's borderline cruel to make such confident statements. Given your uncertain future regarding Vecna, and the police, and any potential lynch-mobs that might demand Eddie's head on a spit. But despite all of this, you want to hold onto hope. Hope that both of you will get what you once denied yourselves, what you both clearly deserve out of life. You've been through far too much in your lives. To find one another again after all this time, only to have your newfound happiness snatched away from you? No fucking way. You refuse to go down without a fight. You've beaten monsters before, and you sure as shit plan to do it again.

"You're damn right we can. I already lost you once, and I'm not gonna let it happen a second time." You speak emphatically, resolving to do everything in your power to keep Eddie safe.

"I love you so much, Y/N." He says weakly, trying so hard to keep from falling apart.

You smile calmly at him, wiping away the tears from his chin. "I love you too, Eddie. I promise we'll get through this. Together."

"Together." He parrots the word quietly, nodding his head. He has no idea what the future holds for either of you, or your band of monster-slaying misfits. But all he can do is hold onto the idea that once this shit is settled, he can have the chance to do the one thing he's wanted for far too long. To be your man, and to cherish you like the world's greatest treasure.

The end.

[awriterinthenight]

"See You Tomorrow Night"-Jess Mariano

words: 1296

warnings: swearing, mentions of weed, Lane being obsessed with reader for a hot moment

a/n I know I haven't been doing requests in a while, I've just really been into the other series I'm writing, and I just had this idea cause rockstar!read x Jess Mariano just scratches a part of my brain, anyway I'll start writing requests again soon, enjoy this for now, also the two pictures are how I imagine reader, and the drummer Vera

summary: You and your band take a pit stop in Stars Hollow to explore, get food, and meet people. In Luke's diner you meet the infamous Jess Mariano and offer him free tickets to your show.

Stars Hollow wasn't a boring place and the people certainly weren't boring, especially with the wide variety of characters the town offered. But Stars Hollow never really had anyone famous from the town, or any famous celebrities that stopped by. The most was maybe the local girl who went to some dance college, but no one really counted that. Miss Patty had her dance back in the day, but that wasn't anything now, and she certainly wasn't famous from it. At most Rory, working with major newspapers and going to Yale, or Lane and her semi-successful band, were the closest thing to fame that the town had.

Or, at least that's the way it was till you showed up. Even though you were only 17 your band had managed to blow up and become a huge success in the couple years you started putting your music out, and signing with a record label not long after.

Currently you were on tour with your band, making your way to Hartford for one of your concerts, when you stumbled upon small town Star Hollow, and decided to take a look around since your show wasn't until tomorrow.

"Shit, I've never been in a place like this, you think they film like Hallmark movies here or something?" your bassist Mark asked. Mark wasn't the brightest and smoked a lot of weed which explained his entire personality.

Your drummer shrugged her shoulders and said, "Probably, and we have about 6 hours to figure that out before we have to get back on the road, so let's explore, and eat something, I'm starving."

"Definitely, someone should also stock up on snacks since last time Mark was high he ate everything," you said, since you really were out of snacks which was why everyone was starving.

"We'll take snack duty, then we can meet in...that diner," Riley, your lead guitarist, said, volunteering him and Mark to get snacks, then pointing at what looked like a place called Luke's.

You nodded, "Cool, make sure to get cosmic brownies and the good popcorn," you yelled, walking towards the diner with Vera, your drummer. Mark just sent you a thumbs up as he walked towards Doose's Market.

To be fair you and Vera did not look like your typical Stars Hollow residents. Both of you were clad in what you liked to call 'rockstar off duty' type look. Vera had on a long sleeve shirt with some pattern made out of gems, low waist jeans, plus a belt, and many chunky jewelry. You were definitely standing out amongst the people of Stars Hollow in your black tank top, black ripped jeans, black leather jacket, Dr. Martens, and all your jewelry just like Vera. Not to mention both of your darker makeup, the matching red in your and Vera's hair.

When you walked into the diner Vera grabbed a seat for you guys as you went to go order. You definitely got some stares when you walked in. It was a small town new people meant new gossip.

"How can I help you?" the dark haired boy at the counter asked, barely looking up from his notepad to take your order.

You tapped your fingers on the counter, and asked, "Do you guys have coffee?"

He then looked up at you, you saw his expression turn to shock for a moment as he took in your appearance, before regaining his composure, "We're a diner, why wouldn't we?" he sassed.

"You'd be surprised how many diners I went to that didn't have coffee," you said, it was only really two or three, but still too many in your opinion, "Anyway I'll take two coffees for now, then just two burgers with fries."

He nodded, putting in the ticket before coming back to the counter to talk to you, "So, where you from?" he questioned, since he knew you weren't from Stars Hollow.

You shrugged, leaning against the counter, "I'm from New York actually," you answered.

"Really, what part?" he asked, starting to wipe down the slightly sticky counter.

"The Village, in lower Manhattan," you said, before you started to add, "I mean Greenw-" but he cut you off.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he spoke, looking up at you.

You gave him a small smile, "You from New York too?"

"Lower East Side actually," he told you, which you found crazy since it was rare you found someone from New York, especially near where you grew up.

"Shit really? Small world I guess," you said, as he turned back to grab the food from the window.

He placed the food down in front of you, "Small world indeed," he repeated, giving you a small smirk.

You were going to respond when a girl walked in, "Hey Jess, have you seen Ror-" she was going to ask before cutting herself off when you turned to look at her, "Oh my god, you're Y/N L/N." Oh, a fan. You never really found any in small towns like this, but it was always great when you did.

"You're, you're music is amazing, you're amazing. The Nymphs changed my life. I wanted to become a drummer because of Vera, she's so cool. I bet she's so cool to be with on tour. I'm going to go see your concert tomorrow. I can't believe I ran into you, are the others here too?" she rambled, talking a mile a minute.

You smiled, letting out a small giggle, "Yeah, they're somewhere around her. You want to be a drummer that's pretty cool," you said, turning around to grab Vera's plate, "If you want, Vera is over there, you can go talk to her, she loves talking to fans. Plus you can bring her her burger," you offered, leaning on your elbows against the counter, holding out the plate of food.

The girl looked as if it was Christmas day and she'd just been given a puppy, "Y-yes, I would love to," she said, taking the plate, "I can't believe I just met Y/N from The Nymphs," she whispered to herself walking away.

You smiled to yourself, happy to see a fan so happy to meet you, plain old you. When you turned back around to face the guy, you could see him smirking at you.

"So you're famous too?" he teased playfully, seeming to be impressed by it.

You shrugged, "Well, yeah, I guess so, not A-list or anything, but famous enough I guess," you said, trying to not seem like a bragger about your very successful career.

He nodded, "Okay," he muttered, "You're playing in Hartford tomorrow?" he said, phrasing it as more of a question.

"Yeah, we're completely sold out actually, its pretty cool," you muttered, taking a bite out of one of your fries.

"Sold out, really? If you weren't I might've gone," he remarked, turning around to clean up something on the counter behind him.

"You didn't even know my band existed till three minutes ago, why would you want to go?" you questioned, since he had never heard your music.

He shrugged, "Can't go just to see you, or is that a crime?" he joked, leaning on the counter in front of you.

You couldn't help but smirk at his comment, "It's not a crime, and you would really want to go?" you asked, a bit skeptical.

"If Lane's that excited to meet you, then your music has to be amazing," he said.

"Fine, what's your name," you asked him, since you hadn't known his name yet.

"Jess," he replied, "Jess Mariano."

"Alright Mariano, I'll see you tomorrow night then," you told him.

He smirked at what you said, "See you tomorrow night," he repeated back to you as a sort of confirmation.

Taglist for all fics (ask to be added

@almost-gabrielle @scarlett-8 @sarahskywalker-amidala @atashiboba @that1deerpersondownstairs @herondale-lightworm @purplerose291 @mitskiswift99

[kkvqwrites]

Neighborhood Watch

The news had reported some unsolved break-ins. If you thought Simon took it overboard with his protectiveness before, you were in for a shock.

Word count: 2,047

Characters: Fem!Reader, Simon "Ghost" Riley, John "Soap" MacTavish

CW: violence, breaking and entering, SA mentioned/alluded to (not on-screen)

A/N: This is based on a dream I had that I thought was cute (can you tell I watch a lot of Forensic Files and Criminal Minds?). It ended up being WAY longer than I intended, but once I started I just couldn't stop! It's also minimally edited because I was excited to get it out but I'll update this note if I make any changes or clean it up!

As often as Simon was away, you cherished your rituals together while he was home. Perhaps your favorite of these was lazy mornings together after breakfast, your legs over his lap as you sipped your coffee (and he his Earl Grey). Today the news was on in the background, sports highlights and local politics droning on as you chatted. That is, until a specific headline caught his attention.

"Our top story as we start the hour, a robbery and assault was reported in the early hours of the morning. The victim, a 26 year old young woman, is a university student who lives alone in her second story flat. This marks the fourth such attack in as many weeks in the area, prompting police to urge residents to act with caution."

Simon stiffened, eyes darting to you. "You've heard about this?"

You nodded, expression turning serious. "I didn't want to tell you while you were gone, I knew it would only make you worry. But people are nervous about it - overheard a lady at the supermarket saying her neighbor was one of the first victims."

"We'll hear from the police chief shortly, but in the meantime all households are encouraged to keep doors locked and report suspicious activity immediately."

Simon sat forward, placing his tea on the coffee table and holding your legs in place when you moved to slide them off his lap. "Fuckin' hell. Moved us here because it's supposed to be safe, and now this."

"We are safe, Simon. You think anyone's coming to the SAS Lieutenant's house to try anything? They'd be out of their mind."

"Knowing how often the Lieutenant's gone, it's not impossible. You remember everything I taught you?"

"Aye aye," you replied with a mock salute, trying to breathe levity back into the moment. "I know how to shoot and where all the knives are hidden."

"Good girl," he smirked, leaning back into the sofa and resuming rubbing his hand up and down your thigh absentmindedly. Despite the day going on as planned, you had an inkling this wasn't the end of the conversation.

_____________

"Simon, you've lost your mind."

"Ages ago, sweetheart," he replied with a smirk. "But it's non-negotiable. I can't go with you, so MacTavish will be."

In the weeks since Simon had first heard the news report, the attacks hadn't ceased. Quite the opposite, actually; they'd escalated in frequency. More home invasions, but also a jogger on a trail, a waitress walking home after a night shift. All women, all 20-something, all caught by themselves by an opportunistic sicko. There was buzz everywhere in the small town the two of you had settled in, which you knew irked Simon to no end. He had specifically wanted somewhere quiet and safe to put down roots and hopefully raise a family, so it perturbed him greatly that someone so heinous was on the loose.

He kept up with the case as much as possible, cursing creatively under his breath at the inadequacy of the local police department. He also began going everywhere with you, no matter how small the errand. Going to the corner store to buy toilet paper? Not by yourself, you weren't. Walking to work because the weather was lovely? Sure, but so was your 6'4 escort. And you best believe he'd be there at the end of the day to walk you home, too.

It was cute and fun, at first. As much as Simon was away, it was lovely to spend so much time by his side. But after a week or so it became a bit grating. After all, it wasn't like an evil man in a trench coat was going to tie you to the railroad tracks and laugh maniacally, right?

When Simon mentioned he had to spend an afternoon on the nearby base meeting with his superiors and getting his annual physical, you had breathed a sigh of relief - finally an afternoon to yourself! At least, so you thought, until Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish showed up on your doorstep.

You liked Johnny, really you did. The few times you'd interacted with Simon's squadmates, you'd gotten on well with all of them, and had found Soap's humor and incessant need to annoy Simon to be endlessly amusing. But that was very different than this.

"I don't need a babysitter, Simon," you hissed, trying to keep your volume down so Soap wouldn't overhear in the next room. You had dragged Simon aside in a desperate attempt to talk some sense into him before he left.

"Of course not, love," his voice dropped the humor it had held moments ago. "It's not babysitting. It's protection. I will not send you out there with that monster running around without someone to watch your six. I can't do it."

You squeezed your eyes shut, dredging up all the patience you could muster. Simon's protectiveness was overkill, but you understood it came from a vulnerable place. "Fine, this once. But we need to talk about this. I can't live like this."

Simon kissed your forehead. "Alright love, we'll talk about it. But please stay with Johnny while you're out today. When we're home later we'll order from that place you like."

Never one to turn down Korean barbecue, you pulled him in for a real kiss before turning him loose. "Take your jacket, it'll get cold later. I love you!" you called after him.

"I love you too," he echoed as he gathered his things in the foyer. He turned, finally acknowledging the man standing there with a stern nod. "Johnny."

"LT," the man grinned back. "It's nice to see you so domesticated."

"Shut up Soap," Simon snapped, shrugging into his jacket. "You go where she goes today. And bloody hell, make yourself useful while you're at it." The Sergeant smirked and saluted before giving Simon a playful punch in the shoulder. "Sir yes sir!"

After your husband was out the door, Soap turned to where you stood with your arms crossed. "Where to first, lass?"

_____________

It turned out, Soap wasn't bad company. First up was the hardware store, where you picked out a paint color for the spare bedroom you'd been meaning to redecorate. Your companion gamely offered his opinion when asked and waited patiently while you compared Fresh Artichoke and Misty Moor with a fraught expression. Without being asked, he carried the paint cans to the car. "LT would skin me alive if he found out I had you doing the heavy lifting," he joked.

Next was the pharmacy, picking up some prescriptions as well as makeup remover and tampons. You sheepishly tried to avoid eye contact while placing the box into your basket, but the sergeant just shrugged. "Seen my fair share of blood." The two of you shared a giggle and moved on.

Finally, you stopped at a boutique to buy a birthday present for a cousin. You knew this would bore Simon to tears, though he wouldn't complain, and you had wanted to save it for an afternoon where he wasn't with you to spare him the tedium. Unfortunately for the poor sergeant, you had run out of weekends to complete the task. Like the rest of your errands, however, he dutifully kept his mouth shut while you weighed the options before deciding on a nice cashmere scarf and some pretty earrings. Once again, he wordlessly took the parcel to carry it to the car for you.

"You know, I could get spoiled having a doorman follow me around," you joked as the two of you settled in the car to make your way home.

"From how the LT acts around you, I'd wager you're pretty spoiled as it is." It was said with humor, but Soap's voice turned warm as he continued. "He's head over heels for you, you know."

You sighed, fighting a beaming smile at the observation. "I know. It's why he has you guarding me like I'm the Prime Minister. I am sorry, by the way. I tried to talk him out of it."

"No need," Soap waved the statement away, looking out the window at Main Street passing by. "He told me what the situation was, and I don't blame him for worrying. Sick bastard running around. He frets enough as it is when he has to be away, but on this I can say he's dead right." You grimaced at the admission; you were as worried as the next person that they hadn't caught the culprit yet, but you had found some comfort in the idea that Simon was blowing it out of proportion. Not wanting to stay on such a negative topic, you made small talk the rest of the ride home, asking Johnny about his family in Scotland and him asking you about yours in America. His boisterous sense of humor was refreshing after Simon's lovable but dry deadpan jokes, and the two of you fell into easy camaraderie.

It had gotten dark while you were out, and your street was off the beaten path and thus minimally lit. You usually appreciated the lack of noise and light pollution, but recent events made it a bit off-putting. Thankfully, you had a six foot special forces escort with you, though you'd rather die than admit to Simon that it helped ease your mind.

As you pulled up to the house, your heart stopped as your headlights caught movement in the front window. Is that Simon? Why is he inside with no lights on? Maybe it's the wind blowing the curtain. But it's cold - I wouldn't have left the window open. Your thoughts continued to come up with rationalizations as you put the car in park. You thought of mentioning it to Soap, but didn't want to sound hysterical. It was just the news reports and Simon's paranoia getting to you; you repeated it like a mantra as you steeled yourself to open the car door.

"Don't," Soap's voice was quiet but firm, a far cry from his infectious laughter at the bawdy joke he had been telling just moments before. "Don't move. Stay in the car." His face had gone stone cold serious, like a switch had been flipped. Turns out he hadn't missed the movement either.

"Johnny, I'm sure it's - " but you were cut off by a commotion from inside. Faster than you would've thought possible, Soap was out of the car and halfway to the front steps before a running form slammed into him as they were coming around the side of the house. The two fell to the ground, but the sergeant quickly regrouped and moved to pin the stranger to the ground with a knee to their back. There was a brief tussle, but Soap's military training made easy work of subduing whoever this was.

"Get off me you asshole!" a man's voice barked. "He's right behind me!"

"Good work, sergeant." You wheeled at your husband's voice, finding Simon stepping out of the shadows from the direction the man was running from. You had hopped out of the car at some point, but were standing there uselessly watching Soap manhandle the stranger.

"Simon! What are you doing here?! What's happening?" Your voice sounded shrill even to your own ears, your heart in your throat.

Your husband moved to where his body was between you and where Soap was kneeling on the other man's back. As he came into the light of your headlights, you saw he was donning his infamous skull balaclava. "Got here not long ago myself. Found this individual inside, waiting to surprise you. Decided to give him a surprise of my own."

"Good thinking, LT." Soap smirked from where he knelt on the man's back. He pulled the hood away from the intruder's face, which was already bloodied. When he saw Simon staring down at him, he began to squirm to try to get away, eyes widening in fear.

"Go inside and call the police, love," Simon said gently over his shoulder. "Tell them we've got someone they're looking for." You took in the scene for a few more seconds before obeying. As your shaking hand fought to get your key in the door, you overheard Simon speak quietly to the man, "And my friend, for your sake I hope they get here quickly."

[sirowsky-stories]

The Old Prince

Part 4

Author's Note: Hello, again! I still can't get this story out of my head. I'm introducing a new element to it in this chapter, which we'll all get more acquainted with in the next one, but I'm adding an image at the end of this one, to give you all an idea of what it'll look like.

Description: After realizing that Oberyn hasn't been honest with you, life back home has becomes anxious, filled with questions that you fear may never be answered. But you still have to try and find some normality, and this year's Thanksgiving Ball seems like a good place to start.

Rating: Mature 18+ONLY Warnings: Monster Oberyn Martell x Female Reader, AU fic, eventual romance, obviously Halloween themed, reader cusses, lots of angst in this one, overprotective coworker, slightly jealous Oberyn. Word Count: 6030 Author's Masterlist

   You’re back at work already the next day. Halloween has come and gone, which means it’s time to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and since you’re one of only four employees at the local holiday specials store, you’re sorely needed. September through December are the busiest months for this type of store, so every day you’re not all working is a minor disaster.    But if you’re honest, it isn’t your loyalty to the job that’s responsible for your quick return or the extra hours you’re putting in.

   It’s simply because the job is the only thing that takes your mind off him.

   When you’re home, he’s all you can think about. You hear his voice as clearly as if he’s standing in the room with you, asking questions about your life and then letting you prattle on for hours. Something you had attributed to his kind nature and polite manners.    Now though, it seems more like he was trying to learn as much about you as he could, for reasons you don’t dare to even imagine.

   He’d asked you about trivial things, like what book you’d last read or if you prefer to stack your firewood bark side up or down, which you still can’t see the harm in having told him. But he’d also asked you about your work, your people, your interests and how you spend your days, the answers to which must’ve allowed someone of his age and accumulated knowledge of people, to fully grasp your personality and character.

   So, why is that making you have a mild panic attack every time you think about it?    Because you have no idea what he might do with that knowledge. Maybe he was just curious. Maybe it makes no difference at all what you’ve told him. It is possible that he really was just happy for the company.    It’s the “what if” that plagues you.

   Because if he does decide to use his knowledge against you, the odds will be entirely in his favor, since you know nothing about him in comparison.    You want to believe that you wouldn’t have fallen for him (and you did fall for him) if he is indeed the monster that tried to kill you. But in truth, there’s no way that you could know that with any certainty.    Just like there’s nothing you can do to protect yourself from him, either way.

-=<>=-=<>=-=<>=-

   The hours are endless and deafeningly silent in the days after your departure.    He has never been one to wander, to have that restless tremor within, pulling one to their feet and refusing to let them remain still. But he does now.    The stone will quickly turn polished with all his wandering, should the feeling not subside soon enough, which it gives no indication that it will.

   So, he wanders. Through each of the nine wings and up into each of the nine towers, yours being the tallest, and the only one he lingers in. The only place that now offers him peacefulness.    He is aware that he still calls it yours, even though your stay was brief, and you will never again reside there. But it holds so much of your scent still.

   He sits there for hours sometimes, forgetting time all together as he drinks in your skin, hair, the faint lavender scent of your own sheets which you brought with you to this bed. He wonders how long it will take before he will no longer recall the softness of your lips. He thinks of them often, in the hopes that the memory might remain fresh to his senses for a little longer.

   But after only one week, his resolve is already faltering. He dreams of you. Wakes up screaming and drenched in sweat at the memory of his teeth embedded in your soft and tender flesh.    And other times, when the dream has been wonderful… he wakes up erect, longing so desperately for the mere touch of your skin against his own, that he cannot refrain from pleasuring himself to the very thought.

   This does not shame him, though. He is much too old to concern himself with the public perception of what is considered right or wrong among the many varieties of carnal pleasures.    The modern world would likely frown at his history of dalliances, as he has always been a man of omnivorous taste. He has never coveted children, but gender has never been an obstacle to pleasure, in his eyes.

   He has found that women offer a comfort and an emotional closeness that the males with which he has explored enjoyment in the past, have not given as freely. But this was long ago. The world has changed much since then, and gender appears to have become less rigid of late, which Oberyn finds most agreeable.    Still, it’s in a woman’s embrace he has most often felt at home and wanted, beyond that of the carnal.

   And then there is you.    His Valya, though his only by name, not commitment. The first person ever to command such control over his mind and senses. He feels almost enslaved by your very being, as though your mere existence demands his servitude.    And surprisingly, he has no objections to this.

   A terrible fatigue and weariness with the centuries upon centuries of managing himself, always fearful that a moment’s loss of control will result in carnage, has taken root within his being, and will not be untethered.    It festers there, making him increasingly agitated, whilst also draining him of all desire and every grain of levity that he had once possessed.

   But in your company, all this turns pale, irrelevant and silenced. You have freed his heart and brought light back to his soul, and now that he has felt it once more, he cannot stand the loss.    The slow, but still so noticeable, reversion to that caged and lonesome man who spends every waking moment fearing the dragon more than any man who might encounter him.

   Still, you are not as a drug to him. He does not crave you the way a drinker craves the bottle, enslaved by the need to consume, dull, and forget. Instead, he feels only brightened, strengthened and awakened by you.    In your presence, Oberyn comes alive, for the first time in ages feeling stronger than the beast, and therefor less controlled by it.

   Every waking moment, his mind looks for ways to relate to you. Everything he sees, smells, touches, it all somehow becomes about you, because that is how dearly he misses you.    And it’s getting worse.    Each day, he battles with himself over whether he has just cause to seek you out once again, and every day, pushing the victory to your favor becomes that much harder.

   He knows that he will eventually fail, because even if he flew to the other side of the world, there would be nothing to stop him from returning. Your house, work and people are known to him, so the day that he eventually fails to convince himself that you are always safer away from him, he will have no trouble finding you.

   It was you that kissed him. He did not ask you to. And that is the carrot which forever dangles before his lips, sweetening his thoughts with the notion that you might do so again, if given a chance.

-=<>=-=<>=-=<>=-

   It takes three weeks before you begin to be able to walk around outside your own house after dark, without fighting panic at the sight of every deep dark shadow, expecting to see golden eyes glowing as they stalk you.    The fear is still there, but with every day that passes without any sighting of the serpent, you’re starting to become less controlled by it.

   You tell yourself that he wouldn’t have let you go just to come after you again, that would’ve been pointless.    But you also wonder if the woman who’d owned this house before you, and who’d vanished without a trace one day over eight years ago, had really wandered off and gotten lost like people think, or if she too could’ve encountered your captor.

   All in all, over the past fifty years, the Seven Hills have claimed nearly thirty lives, half of which have been accidents when people have underestimated the danger of some of the trails, falling to their deaths over cliff-edges, or simply getting lost.    But the other half are unaccounted for. People who just vanished out there. Assumed to have fallen into crevasses or perhaps been buried under mudslides. Natural events.

   If Oberyn hadn’t brought you back, you would’ve become part of that statistic. Which is a frightening thought.    It’s all frightening. Just the reality that dragons aren’t a myth is enough to make you shiver in your bed when you’re trying to sleep, which you haven’t been able to do much of recently.    Fortunately, the holidays are tightly packed at this time of year, so you have no problems staying busy.

   The city council made a brilliant move around a decade ago, with the decision to create a separate account for all profits earned by tourism. The Seven Hills isn’t a city which depends financially on tourism, so it didn’t affect the overall economy. And the brilliance of this move, lay in what that money has since been earmarked for.    Which is celebrations.

   Holidays, anniversaries, and other significant events are all celebrated with parades, formal balls or just big parties, all at the expense of that one account.    The idea had come from a police officer, who had been concerned about a steady incline of violent crimes, and her hope had been that people who have fun together might be less likely to harm one another. Which had happily turned out to be correct.

   So, when you wake up on Thanksgiving morning, having managed to scrape together a handful hours of decent sleep, it isn’t a family dinner you’re planning on going to.    Not that you have any family to celebrate with, even if you’d wanted to. You were an angel baby, left at the front steps of the local church when you were just days old.    The woman who’d ended up raising you had been lovely, and your relationship with her had been good, right up until she’d died shortly after you’d turned sixteen.

   After that, the city had become your family, albeit a distant one. You like your coworkers and you do hang out with them outside of work now and then, but you’re not close. You don’t talk to them about personal stuff.    Perhaps because you’d started your life being abandoned, that’s what you’ve come to expect from everyone, so you shield yourself from caring too much. From letting people in.

   Which is why Oberyn’s betrayal hit you so hard. Because you did let him in. Against the wisdom of all your experience and even the fact that you had literally no reason at all to trust him, you’d told him everything that you never tell anyone.    In just a few days, he’d somehow managed to make you feel safer with him than with any other person you’ve ever met, and he’d done that despite knowing that he was the one who’d almost killed you.

   “Stop it…” you tell yourself, closing your eyes for a moment over your morning tea, because you’d promised yourself that you’re not gonna let him ruin this day.

   Not Thanksgiving. Not the one day of the year specifically dedicated to remembering and celebrating the positives.    This year, the city’s celebration is gonna be a ball at the old courthouse. It’s the fanciest building in town, made of stone and actually resembling a castle more than anything you’d normally associate with legal matters.

   It was commissioned in the late 1800’s by a wealthy lord who wanted criminals to know just how far removed from greatness they were, so he had every piece of metal within the courthouse coated with gold and silver, and every chair was made for comfort and splendor. Except the one offered to the accused, which was just the simplest and cheapest wooden chair that could be made.

   Because of the small fortune of precious metals, the house was prone to burglary and vandalism, so over time, its splendor lessened and by the time they stopped using it, some fifty years later, it was far from the opulence of its original state.    But around thirty years ago, the city decided that since it’s a historic building, it should be preserved, and spent two years and a lot of money on restoring it. And while the metals are fake these days, it still looks every bit as pretentious as it was always meant to.    It’s a perfect venue for any kind of party, though. And especially a ball.

   You’ve had a dress picked out and ready since before Halloween, but because you’re also part of the crew for this event, you won’t be putting it on until you’re already there. It’s packed and ready, along with some makeup and hair styling stuff, all of which you’ll need to remember to bring so that you can get changed once your work is done.    All the staff from the shop try to help out for these kinds of events because you’re the town’s experts on decorations, and you all enjoy getting to apply your skills on a bigger scale now and then.

   The party starts at 4 pm, with the mayor of the city giving his annual thankfulness speech, which is never as dull as it sounds, because the mayor is a former standup comedian, of all things. And although he’s pushing seventy now, he still knows how to work a crowd and get a good mood going.    After that, the dance begins. It’s a blend of classics like foxtrot and waltz, as well as line dance and even hip-hop, but the first one is always a traditional square dance.

   Everyone who lives here knows that one, because if you chose not to participate in the first dance, hardly anyone will talk to you for the rest of the evening because they’ll assume that you’re a person who just hates fun.    You know that because you made that mistake as a teenager.    After the dance, when everyone’s gotten their appetite going, the Thanksgiving dinner is served, and then the program ends and people can just hang around or go home.

   You arrive at the courthouse shortly before 9 am, after tending to Casper and triple checking that you remembered everything, finding two of your colleagues already there.

   “Hey, Boo,” Simon calls to you as you walk in with your bags.

   It’s a nickname you’ve earned over time, by managing to individually scare every one of your coworkers into falling to the floor, just by saying “boo”.

   “Hey, Si. How are we doing?” you answer, dropping your stuff in a corner and then looking over the boxes of decorations.

   “We brought all the labelled boxes, and Kelli remembered the glitter cannons.”

   “What about the balloons?”

   “Oh, yeah, Micah’s already working on those,” he says, and gestures casually towards an unspecified area of the building.

   “Great, then I’ll get started on the leaves and garlands. Unless you want help with the tables?” you ask, looking out over the large open space that had once been the waiting hall and grand foyer.

   It had been made to look like something out of the roman empire, with giant marble pillars recessed into the walls, serving no purpose other than to add to the grandeur of the room.    The hall cuts through the entire length of the building, perhaps a hundred yards long, and easily thirty yards wide, with a curved ceiling around fifteen feet off the floor at the center, and five big crystal chandeliers dangling from up there.

   It’s full of tables today, but the size of the room makes them look like something from a dollhouse.    In contrast, the empty courtroom which will serve as the dancehall, looks smaller than it is.

   “Nah, I’m good. You get going on that, I’ll let you know if I need your help,” Simon replies, so you smile and nod, before grabbing a box and setting off to the right where the big double doors to the courtroom stand open.

   It’s fun work, getting to decorate a place like this, and while all four of you initially work separately, soon enough, you’re all helping Simon in the foyer, because the tables always take longest and requires the most precision.

   “You know, you really didn’t need to bring your makeup, Boo,” Kelli says when you’re working side by side on the finishing touches of the table decorations.

   “What do you mean?” you ask her, but you have an idea of where she’s going with this.

   “Look, I don’t know where you went, but if it’s true that you were just lost in the woods, then you must’ve found the fountain of youth or something.”

   She doesn’t sound envious or even annoyed, just disappointed, and you want to retort so badly. To rebel against the notion that you’ve lied about getting lost in the woods just to cover up a trip to some fucking beauty clinic, or whatever.    But you can’t, because you can’t explain the change in your appearance.

   “Oh, I found something…” you say between tight jaws, unable to hold back your frustration at the mere thought of the slithering serpent.

   She can tell from your tone that asking any further questions isn’t gonna end well, so she changes the topic, instead getting back to the evening and how excited she is.    But when the time comes for the four of you to get ready, you find yourself standing there in your dress, staring in the mirror at the face that isn’t yours, and yet, is somehow also the perfect you.

   Not perfectly symmetrical or flawless in that kinda way, but just… perfect in a sense of natural beauty, perhaps.    Kelli’s right, putting makeup on is basically redundant, since there’s nothing really to improve. And if you’d had a choice in the matter, it might not have felt so artificial. But it does. It feels anything but natural.

   “Not today,” you remind yourself, meeting your own eyes in the reflection. “You can wallow as much as you want tomorrow, but today, you’re thankful to be alive and to have all the comforts you need.    And for Casper, your white knight. Even though he ran away.”

   When you walk back out into the grand hall, you’re met by the sight of people pouring in through the massive, double oak doors, in a slow and happily chatting procession. They’re allowed to sit at the tables if they want to, even though dinner isn’t for several hours yet, since there are only a few stone benches available throughout the building for anyone needing to rest their legs.

   Everyone knows who you are, so as you make your way through the crowd, you’re met with greetings and polite nods, but also a lot of slightly stunned and gaping faces as they look you over. You try to ignore it and just focus on finding your colleagues, but soon enough, you’re hearing people whispering about you as you pass them.    And suddenly you’re regretting picking such a glamorous dress.

   It’s golden in color, which you’d picked because of how perfectly it compliments your skin tone, but which now makes it feel flamboyant and excessive.    But it’s also the simplicity of it that drew you to it. There aren’t any garnishes, it’s just a softly flowing fabric that hugs your form in a very gentle and comfortable way. Not too tight anywhere, not restricting your movements at all, since the skirt is designed to make it look like liquid gold in motion.

   By the time you reach Simon, standing at the door to welcome people, you’re regretting having come here at all today.

   “Hey… are you alright?” he asks when he sees you, and while you notice that he too roams over your form with wide eyes, unlike everyone else, he doesn’t comment on it, and his gaze returns to your face with a concerned wrinkle between his brows.

   “Everyone looks at me like I’m a freak,” you whisper, dropping your head forwards to not have to see anyone’s scrutiny anymore.

   Ordinarily, you wouldn’t be particularly concerned about people’s opinion of you, and again, if this change had been your choice, you could’ve held your head high and ignored them.    But since it wasn’t, you’re left feeling unfairly judged, and knowing that you’re also incapable of defending yourself on this matter just makes it that much worse.

   Instead of trying to comfort you by telling you that there’s nothing wrong with you, Simon turns away from the crowd and gives you a long and firm hug. Because that’s the kind of person he is. He suffers from terrible anxiety himself, something he’s learned to live with and knows how to manage for himself, but which also makes him really good at understanding that words can be powerless against feelings sometimes.

   You thank him before he lets you go, because he’s already made you feel better, and he just smiles in return before getting back to work. You stay there next to him, letting his calm and positive energy infect you while you try to avoid looking at any one person for too long as you help him welcome them to the celebration.    The mayor is the only one who stops to shake your hands and thank you for your work, before he steps inside and prepares to deliver his speech.

   As always, he executes it with practiced ease and has the crowd in tears of laughter before the end, even though he’s managed to fit in serious things like being thankful for the continued decline in crime rates, or how well the city has recovered after a local factory had burned down six months ago.    He finishes by encouraging everyone to step over to the courtroom for the dance, and everyone does.

   The wonderful thing about dancing is that no one cares all that much what anyone else is wearing or how they look, as they move across the floor together. It’s just about having fun and letting the rhythm take you.    Still, once the square dance is done, Simon kindly comes to your rescue when no one on the floor offers to pair up with you for the next dance, which is a foxtrot.

   He’s not the best dancer in the room, but again, none of that matters as the point is to let go of expectations and enjoy yourselves free of judgement.    He doesn’t step away when the song ends and you’ve taken your bows, preparing to lead you on for the next one as well, but just as you take your positions, there’s a voice to your right.

   “May I cut in?”

   You stop breathing at the mere sound of it. The voice that’s haunted your thoughts and dreams for weeks now, the voice that heats your blood and sends shivers along your skin.

   “Uh… sure,” you hear Simon hesitantly agree, since you’re not objecting, and then step away.

   Still not breathing, you look up as the much taller Oberyn takes his place, confidently taking your waist and then your hand, sending sparks through you with his mere touch.    He looks exactly the same, donning his customary green coat and black trousers, as suitable at a black-tie event as they’d seemed in the dark and mysterious castle.

   The coat is one of those stand-up collar ones, with around fifteen silk buttons leading from his Adam’s apple down to his waist, where the weight of the fabric holds the two sides close together down to just below his knees.    And the sleeves stop over the base of his hands, not at the wrist, so whatever he might be wearing underneath, no one can see it.

   The only other time you’ve been this close to him (aside from the kiss) was when he’d carried you inside that first day, and you hadn’t been paying this close attention to him then.    But you are now. Because you wholeheartedly suspect him of being a monster underneath those clothes.    Still, not one bone in your body is telling you to run.

   “Breathe, Kaivalya,” he whispers close to your ear, and your body responds as if it had been a command, desperately filling your lungs until you start to feel dizzy.

   “You… you shouldn’t be here,” you whisper back, just as the dance begins and he starts to waltz you around the room as elegantly as if he’d been a professional dancer.

   “No, I really shouldn’t,” he agrees, and then pauses before adding: “But I can’t stop thinking about you.”

   The air flowing over his skin as he moves sends his natural fragrance straight into your nostrils, and it makes your knees weaken, stoking the heat that already simmers somewhere in your gut, clouding your thoughts with desire.    But it’s that feeling that gives you the strength to push away from him.    It scares you. The hypnotic way that you react to him. And that fear is enough to give you back your senses.

   You step back, almost colliding with another dancing pair, and when he lets go of you, you turn and start to make your way to the exit.    The air suddenly feels thick and hard to inhale, strangling you as you try to free yourself of the crowd, the music, and the strange sensation of your brain being caged by your own senses.

   Reaching the brisk winter air outside of the main entrance, you stop, holding on to a lamppost at the top of the stairs not to fall over with how dizzy you feel.    A hand comes to rest on your shoulder, but it isn’t Oberyn’s. Simon has noticed what’s happened and followed you outside. He’s a good guy, and you can imagine how that scene in there must’ve looked to him. But you would’ve preferred it if he’d left you alone this time.

   “Who is that guy, Boo? You want me to get rid of him?” he asks, but before you can answer, you feel him twitch and pull away from you.

   “You could not remove me however hard you tried, boy,” Oberyn says, and you can hear a dark tinge to his voice now.

   But it’s not arrogance. It sounds more like… jealousy.

   “That’s not up to me. If my friend doesn’t want you here, then you’re not staying, and I’ve got plenty of people here that’ll back me up if I ask them,” Si persists, entirely undeterred by the other man’s superiority.

   There’s a slightly possessive edge to the way he says “my friend” which would ordinarily have made you feel appreciative of his protectiveness, because you’re not actually that close. But today, it makes you feel like a toy being fought over, and you don’t like it.    You straighten up, having finally gotten yourself under control, just in time to see the serpent step closer to your colleague.

   “That’s enough, both of you!” you call out to get their attention. “Simon, go back inside.”

   “Boo-…” he begins to protest, but you cut him off.

   “I just needed some air, I’m fine. Please, just go so that we can talk.”

   He hesitates, throwing a suspicious glance at the other man, but then does what you’ve asked. Because in the end, he knows that you’d never agree to be alone with someone that you fear might hurt you.    But the things is, you do fear that Oberyn might hurt you. You just also need answers, badly enough that you’re prepared to demand them now that he’s here and can answer you.

   “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either,” you admit once the two of you are alone. “But I’m pretty sure that we have very different reasons why.”

   He remains at a respectful distance now that you’re not dancing, and you notice that the heat from before is starting to fade, leaving you exposed to the winter chill.    You cross your arms over your waist to keep them warm. There are no sleeves on your dress, so the slight breeze is already threatening to make you shiver.    Why is it that whenever you’re around this man, you’re either too hot or too damned cold?

   “What are your reasons, my lady?” he asks, and his voice is soft now.

   Not inviting or seductively soft, but more like it’s been subdued by worry and trepidation.

   “I need to know… what you are,” you say quietly, watching his face without blinking for fear that you might miss some revealing detail.

   But his features remain unchanged, and no answer seems to come to his lips, so you step closer while trying to fortify yourself against something, but you’re not even sure what.

   “Are you the one that bit me?” you ask, damned near choking on the last two words, but still, he remains statuesque before you, driving your fear into frustration. “Damned it, you owe me answers, Oberyn! Tell me the truth…… Are you the serpent?”

   For what seems like one endless moment, he merely stares back at you. But then, ever so slowly, a terrible sadness begins to flood his eyes.    He bows his head and closes them, perhaps trying to stop the feeling, but it just spreads. Spilling into his brows and forehead, and then down to his cheeks and mouth.    It’s subtle, and yet so distinct. So unmistakably sorrowful, as if drawn from the sky and the deepest recesses of the earth, filling every cell of his being with a pain unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

   “I will not ask your forgiveness… I could never earn such a thing,” he says, speaking so quietly now that you have to step even closer just to hear him. “I ask only that you believe me when I say that I never wanted to hurt you.”

   He opens his eyes again, and when he finds you standing closer, he backs away and shifts his hands behind his back, as if trying to keep them from reaching for you.

   “I saw you running, and I tried to distract myself by going after Casper, but it was too late. I had already caught your scent,” he explains, and you’re mildly impressed that he isn’t making excuses or trying to convince you that he’s worthy of redemption.

   “And if I were to run away now?” you wonder, trying to understand how the man and the beast are connected.

   “I would let you,” he replies quickly, clearly eager to make you feel as safe as you can around him. “In my human form, my human instincts are in control. You are never in danger from… me.”

   “But if you were to become that thing right now…?” you press on, still far from convinced of your own safety.

   He thinks on that for a moment, and there seems to be something uncertain to his conclusion.

   “The real reason why I sedated you for the journey home, was because I needed to fly you back,” he begins, and you can’t stop the sharp gasp and the two steps that you stumble backwards, away from him, as you hear that. “But even the beast is enchanted with you now, Valya.    I want only to protect you, no matter what form I might take,” he finishes, unable to keep himself from coming closer and extending a hand to you.

   “No, you stay away from me,” you warn, stepping back further.

   He stops cold, and the sorrow in his eyes transforms into something you can only describe as the purest pain imaginable. It cuts and tears at your heart, because even though he did hurt and lie to you, he doesn’t deserve to suffer this severely for it.    But however much you might want to ease his pain, you don’t know how, because you can’t reconcile with what he’s done to you.

   “As you wish, my lady,” he says, and his voice breaks at each word.

   He straightens himself, and then bows fully, dropping his entire torso halfway forwards in a perfect display of submission. And when he rises again, tears have filled his eyes to the brim.

   “Always…” he adds in a barely audible whisper, and then he turns and starts to walk down the front steps of the courthouse.

   The air cools significantly as he departs, and you wonder if that’s just your senses tricking you, or if he really does warm his surroundings by his presence alone.    Then, just as he reaches the ground, a faint glow appears in the sky, maybe a hundred feet to his left, and seems to swoop down over him.    He sees it, and stops walking to follow its journey with his gaze, as it makes an elegant turn which changes its direction towards you.

   And when it does, you can see that it’s an owl. But not like any you’ve ever seen before. It’s almost transparent, and when it flaps its wings, they seem to leave entire galaxies of stars behind them, fading as quickly as they appear.    It flies straight at you, landing on top of the half-pillar that makes up the corner of the stone railing to the staircase, where it folds its wings back and just stares at you.

   Mesmerized by its large blue eyes, you stare back, feeling as though an infinite mass of knowledge lies within this creature, and that it uses this knowledge to judge you.    It’s about the size of the golden eagle named Marahute in that Disney movie with the mouse rescuers, but the fact that you can almost see through it makes it slightly less imposing.

   If it is judging you in some way, it can’t be too damning a conclusion because you feel no discomfort from the being. In fact, for the entire time it stares at you, you feel nothing at all.    Then suddenly, it opens its wings and takes off with one large leap, fading into nothingness within just one little second.

   “Wow…” you breathe, having completely forgotten your worries for a moment.

   “You saw it?” Oberyn asks from his spot on the ground at the bottom of the stairs.

   “Yeah, it was amazing. What is it?” you wonder, taking your eyes from the sky and back to him, finding him looking extremely puzzled.

   “She is the Sky-spirit: Caelum. But…… humans cannot see her.”

   You stare into his eyes while his words reach you, and the implication behind them slowly sinks in.    The temporary reprieve of your emotional turmoil is wrung from you with ruthless force, and this time, it’s your eyes that are suddenly brimming with tears, your frame that’s brutally tortured by the inescapable truth.

   “What did you do to me…?” you accuse, glaring at him now because all you have left to turn to is anger. “What am I? What did you turn me into?”

   But as horrible as you feel, as much as these thoughts are plaguing you, your feelings still somehow pale compared to the enormity of his.    The knowledge that he’s robbed you of your own reality, seemingly without him even knowing how or understanding why, is mercilessly demolishing him from the inside.

   “I don’t know…” he confesses. “I am so deeply sorry, my dear… I have no answers.”

   Your tears fall as the cold finally creeps into your blood and makes you shiver. Hugging yourself, trying to come to terms with the thought that you don’t know who you are anymore, you feel so lost.    But then the air around you is warmed up once again, and you look up to find Oberyn before you. He takes you in his arms and hugs you close, flooding your body with that same heat as before, even now when you’re in too much distress to feel anything good.

   “But I will not stop until I have found them,” he promises, then he kisses your temple, pulls away, and with a gust of wind, he’s suddenly just gone.

Part 5

The Ten Spirits of the World Air - Forest - Water - Stone - Night - Autumn - Winter - Spring - Summer. (No, I didn't miss one. You'll see.)

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! If you wish to be notified when this story is updated, follow @sirowsky-stories and turn on notifications, or just ask nicely, and I'll tag you.

@kittenlittle24 @joelswritingmistress @pedrostories

[kurithedweeb]

can I ask what's "drop of sunlight" abt?

Absolutely you can, and thank you for doing so!!

Drop of Sunlight is the first work in my greater Minecraft Diaries rewrite series called Doomed By A Narrative, and will recount the story from Garroth's point of view from pre-canon to post-canon. Each following story, a few of which I've mentioned before like Loyalty of Memory and Spirit of Sin would be in the same vein with various different characters.

A lot of changes are being made to the world in which DoS takes place (including a full pantheon of gods worshiped prior to the Divine Warriors, several new countries, a whole cast of side characters from the rest of the aphverse and in-depth exploration of backstories of the main cast) so the story will end up very different to canon but I'm hoping to hit most of the main plot points. So much has been changed in fact that I'm currently rewriting the first chapter a third time so we start much earlier than the night Anastasia (the Shard of Irene became the MCD version of Aphmau) first appeared in Phoenix Drop and can lay some groundwork.

In DoS as it is currently being written, we start before Garroth falls into the responsibility of being commander of the Phoenix Drop guard. Zenix is in the middle of recovering from the wounds he had when Garroth first found him in the forest, and Garroth takes him on as his apprentice when his commander tells him something has to be done about his boy. Though he's spent a few years here, Garroth doesn't feel particularly at home in the guard. He stumbles into becoming head guard when the Lord is killed and shortly after his commander disappears, leaving the entire guard off-balanced and increasingly afraid as the people of the village begin blaming the guard for both the death and disappearance, and he does everything he can to keep the village together as it declines even though he never wanted to be in any position of power like the way he practically reigns now ever again. He's basically head guard and lord for an entire year, and as the cold starts to set in for the coming winter a maiden who speaks and acts oddly appears at the edge of town one stormy night, claiming to have been chasing a man, and in the morning all signs of both are gone. Garroth tries to continue business as usual, eventually Anastasia starts living in town instead of dipping in and out like she's the local cryptid, and from there we'll try to find a path between the main plot points.

I also like to add moments from canon that are minor or cast aside, like Garroth chasing Vylad in S1E1 and Brendan startling Aph into eating zombie brains, and NPCs like Kent the Guard who I'm sure no one will remember because he is not one of the Minecraft Comes Alive NPCs that become characters later on, whose hand I cut off because he was once involved in a fight with zombies. So sorry, Kent.

There is so much I want to do with Drop of Sunlight and the series overall, more than I think I could put in just this ask, and I'm so excited to see where it ends up!

I am aiming for magical realism or high fantasy, and I will warn you now that I am not going to be gentle with this story. Injuries will not be pretty, wars will be written out more or less in full (you can read Wagers of War here, which is actually an AU of Drop of Sunlight, for an idea of what that'll be like), and the politics and relationship drama and the idea of personal faith being turned on oneself as a weapon will run throughout.

If you have any questions about specific characters, aspects of worldbuilding or scenes please do ask, I will yap about this for ages if given half a chance.

[sleepyrxsetea]

blog intro

i'm making a new intro to include my WIP's as well!

howdy! my name is Rose and i've been around for over a year now! i would love to meet more writers and overall cool people! this blog has a writing/book reading focus while also having a few other things here and there (so descriptive, ik)

i have two alt blogs as well. @eye-motive is my fiction podcast blog (The Magnus Archives. at this point it's only tma and tmagp and some Malevolent here and there) and then @sleepyrxserambles is random stuff that is not podcast or writing specific (it's the wild west on there)

DNI: bigots, TERF’s, ableist’s, homophobes, transphobes, interphobes, bots, you get the idea i hope: don't be a jerk

some quick facts though:

-xe/they nonbinary aroace spectrum being

-favorite games are open world rpg games, Animal Crossing and Omori

-i read a lot. most of it is high fantasy (but my true favorite books are actually shitty paranormal romance. 'mostly high fantasy' is a cover up i tell so i don't get judged even harsher by the people in my life for liking the books even though they make me stupidly happy)

-um...moving on from that rant. pasta salad is my favorite food (new lore unlocked)

-i like The Great Gatsby maybe a bit more then I would care to admit

-i like Sailor Moon. have for 7-8 years

-some favorite shows are Doctor Who, Good Omens, Dead Boy Detectives, Arcane, What We Do In The Shadows and Our Flag Means Death (please stop canceling my shows, streaming services)

-i also like watching vtuber’s in my spare time. I don’t have any particular favorites but I do watch Gavis Bettel and Ironmouse often

now, the WIP's! i'm only putting one for now because it's the only one i'm dedicated on working on, lol (it's below)

Harrison Weber And The Serial Murder Case Of The Theater Troupe (otherwise known as Harrison Weber And The Serial Murder Case On Oxford Street. i'll also make a better name eventually, promise)

in this WIP it is kinda like Sherlock Holmes with a twist. Oliver Briggs is the newest assistant to the big shot detective, Harrison Weber, known for his expertise in solving serial murder cases. Fresh out of college and still trying not to hurl at the sight of blood, Oliver has been assigned to take the lead on a new case so his boss can see what he is made of. There has been a murder in a local park and the victim turns out to be someone Oliver knows, his childhood friend. While trying to grapple with this loss, unexpectedly his old babysitter passes. Then his cousin. As he looks into their deaths he realizes that they are all connected by only three things; himself, the theater troupe his mother had been a part of and a deadly fire that happened 13 years ago. Will Oliver be able to find the killer before they kill again? Or will he have to suffer the loss of yet someone else he holds dear?

that is my first time writing a summery, lol. also the last two sentences are kinda bad but i needed a hook

also i don't want to say the twist but if you look at my other posts you can tell

but, some updates. i am currently working on fleshing out the characters so that they feel actually human and making a chapter outline. i haven't started to write the first draft yet but plan on doing it soon! i will update more here and on actual posts. i don't really write mystery so we'll see how it goes :D

thank you for reading! i really appreciate it :D stay safe, take care of yourself and remember to take it easy sometimes

[teetle-time]

from a doylist/logistical standpoint, i get why a lot of the fiddling with dimensions we get tends to stay within the set boundaries of a given iteration. just look how they massacred the 87!gang, especially in the 2012 xovers. heck, they just slapped together some new lore for 87!krang all retcon style!

but the idea of having a big reveal where a character already baked into a modern iteration turns out to be not just a counterpart of a previous version of the character, but that actual character themself, having traveled through dimensions to end up in the new iteration…you gotta admit, if it got done properly, it'd be so cool.

ope! this villain swore vengeance as their fancy schmancy machinery malfunctioned and seemingly vaporized everything? huh. well they look to be gone but we'll keep our eyes peeled for their return…except they never come back. maybe they were planned to return, maybe not. maybe there was time in the show/comic's run to address it, maybe it got cancelled before they got a chance. it just seems like a plot thread that never got properly taken care of.

smash cut to another iteration. the local version of the villain in question has been fairly close to the source material thus far, but they've been working on something In Secret™, eh? whoopsie-daisies, it's straight-up just the dude from before, slowly building their power back up! their new and improved evil plan is revealed: they intend on taking out the local turtles before plunging into the multiverse to return home and eliminate their turtles! MWAHAHAHAHA!

yes, it would probably be a nightmare to coordinate any returning VAs or to figure out how to account for VAs who maybe can't reprise their roles. yes, it would probably suck balls to try and do multiple artstyles justice at the same time, be they animated, comic book, or being brought from one to the other. yes, trying to balance two different turtleverses' "vibes" by striking a happy medium between the two without completely wrecking anybody's characterization would be (and clearly has been) notoriously difficult.

but man, that would be such a fun watch. and potentially even a good way for canon catharsis for the older iteration, if the villain in question was one the fans already liked.

[avocado-frog]

Incorrect Quotes Tag

As u know I love doing incorrect quotes so thank you to @riveriafalll

Rules: create a set of “incorrect quotes” (either using a generator or your memory, feel free to adjust them to your needs) for your ocs or characters!

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Cass: Accidentally indulged in too much 'free time', turns out I've been reported missing for over six months and presumed dead by most local and national authorities.

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Dylan: I have the sharpest memory here - name one time I forgot something. Sam: You forgot me in a Walmart parking lot at 2am a day ago. Dylan: I did that on purpose, try again

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Cass: The secret of life is to always use more spinach and less rice than you think you'll need Cass: The second secret to life is that fresh air, warm sun, and a cup of tea will make your problems small enough to start handling Cass: The third secret to life is that, sometimes, violence really is the answer

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Lily: I personally don't think it's possible to come up with a crazier plan. Elliot: We could attack them with hummus. Lily: I stand corrected. Elliot: Just keeping things in perspective.

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Lily: You can de-escalate literally any situation by asking 'are we about to kiss?' Lily: Doesn't work with getting out of speeding tickets, though.

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Cass, about Leo: They're covered in blood again. Why is it they're always covered in blood? Logan: Well, it looks like it's their own blood this time.

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Kai, planning a group disguise: You cannot be Blake Bortles. Jaxon: Fine! Then I’ll be Jake- Kai, under his breath: Don’t say Jortles. Jaxon: Jortles! And I work at the molotov cocktail department.

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Leo: Dylan, what is the ONE thing I asked you NOT to do tonight? Dylan: Raise the dead. Leo: And what did you do? Dylan: Raised the dead..

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Leo: I hate you. Jaxon: Well, according to this picture I drew of us holding hands, that is untrue.

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Emily: I’m going to kill Jaxon! Leo, completely monotone: Oh no. Don’t.

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Logan: We need to distract these guys. Dylan: Leave it to me. Dylan: Centaurs have six limbs and are therefore insects. Discuss. Lily & Jaxon: *immediately begin arguing*

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Dylan: When I first got my autism diagnosis, my first thought was "woah... it's canon" and I think that maybe thoughts like that is why Logan made me get tested.

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Logan: People always ask me how I maintain control in my house with eight kids. The answer is: I don't. I have no control here. Jaxon called me into his room the other day and Dylan shot me in the neck with a nerf gun. Logan: I don't even know what a nerf gun is.

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Ryan: *double checking supplies in the boat* Compass. CB radio. Sunscreen. Dylan: Hot dog costumes! Ryan: I'm sorry, what? Dylan: You know, in case we get lost at sea, and one of us, probably Elliot, goes mad with hunger, we'll put these on. Elliot hates hot dogs, so he probably won't eat us. Ryan: Are you saying that Elliot would rather eat us than hot dogs? Elliot: I do hate hot dogs.

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Sam: What's your greatest fear? Dylan: Being forgotten. Sam: ... Sam: Damn, that's deep. Sam: Mine is the Kool Aid man, but I feel kinda stupid about it now...

---

Tagging: @elizaellwrites

@bikaribechic

@elsie-writes

Open tag as usual

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #298

…I took 1040 pictures on the way to the funeral for M's grandmother. I'm sad that I only get to include 30 of them.

It was about a 2 hour car trip to the place where the funeral was being held. On the way up, M put on all of the songs by The Megas; he and I sang the songs together in the car, and it was awesome. I've written about The Megas before; their songs are based on the music of the original MegaMan games. Their themes include things like breaking robots free from slavery, fighting against corruption and violence, and being made to be a weapon. I think you'd find a bunch of their songs to be extremely relatable; listen to the lyrics, and you'll understand why, I'm sure. Lemme pull up a few for ya...

...Those two above really should be combined into a single song.

Here's a few more...

...I think you'll find this one particularly poignant:

Here's a couple more:

And this one in particular...

...By far, I think my favorite is this one, though:

...The lyrics of this one. I find them profound and inspirational. It is something that acknowledges the difficulty of the things, and yet urges you to take one more step forward.

M loved his grandmother very much, but towards the end, they had a bit of a falling out; as it turns out, she is a bit too okay with things like racism and nationalism for comfort. This realization left a very sour taste in M's mouth, and though he still loves her, they didn't speak for a very long time, and the bond kinda frayed apart from there.

Naturally, M was sad at her passing. His feelings on it are maybe a bit complicated. And that's all right. J and I will be here to support him through it - whatever he needs from us, we'll make sure he gets.

We went to lunch at a local Irish pub. But the town we had to go to is rather... hrrrm... how to describe in a way you'll understand, given your lack of historical and cultural context...

...Essentially, it's a town full of folks who think that brown-skinned people, immigrants, and non-cisgender and non-straight folks are bad. There was a TV in the restaurant we went to that played some very outlandish political advertisements; one of the slogans we heard that made us retch a little on the inside was, "Kamala Harris is for they/them, not you!"

...For reasons I don't fully understand, lots of people in my country have a HUGE problem with transgender people, and that's reflected in that crazy slogan. Some of the people I know and love are transgender, and it's really sad to think that there's an alarming number of people who'd like to see them erased from existence.

...The kinds of people who live in towns like these also have problems with things like "giving medical treatment to incarcerated people", "helping struggling families so they don't starve or end up homeless", and "welcoming people from war-torn places so they can find peace and safety". They have problems with A LOT more things than just these; most of those "problems" revolve around the notion that people other than straight, white, financially stable, cisgender male, able-bodied, neurotypical Christian Americans exist. This thing, in and of itself, is one of the ways that the scarcity/competition mindset manifests - they don't wanna see those they consider "outsiders" get helped while they themselves are struggling because they think "help" is a finite resource that they, themselves, are unworthy of receiving. It's a complicated topic outside the scope of today's letter; maybe I'll cover it some other time.

...In any case, it's scary because most people, including everyone in my house and almost everyone I know, do not fit that very narrow definition of what is "acceptable" to these kinds of folks. I grew up around people like this, and when I got out, I had a lot of awful stuff to unlearn; I understand the mechanics of how people end up getting warped into fearing and hating their brothers and sisters who look and think and do things differently than they do. It comes about as a complicated interaction between generational trauma and the almost cult-like tendencies of large communities of abusive, toxic people.

...I feel badly for them because I know all too well how difficult it is to escape entire circles full of abusive, toxic people. I am going to explain the mechanics so you'll understand, but... these mechanics are ugly and cover a lot of sad, scary, and troubling things, so if you don't wanna continue reading, I understand. In any case, escaping is almost like trying to break up with a toxic partner (this is also unimaginably difficult!), except... instead of it just being your partner, it's your entire family and everyone they know and everyone you know. Often, escaping circles like these involves needing to wholly remove yourself from everyone you used to know in favor of finding an entirely new circle of healthy people.

...Except that's also a challenge, because when you leave such pervasive toxicity, you don't have ANY of the skills needed to interact successfully with healthy people, and as a result, most of them will find you insufferable, because they don't understand why you are the way you are; how can they? Most healthy people have no idea what it's like to be steeped in generational systems of abuse that are designed to keep you locked in perpetual fear and servitude to whomever your brain is conditioned to recognize as "in charge".

...For a long time, the person that my brain recognized as basically "god" was my mother. I depended on her for everything, because she kept me tied down with all her unrealistic expectations of me in order to make sure I didn't have any real freedom - though I don't think that this was conscious on her part. Nonetheless, my mother abused the power dynamic between us, threatening to send me back to my father's house to get hurt whenever I didn't live up to whatever she wanted from me at any given time. In a situation like this where mother says vile, horrific shit like "bomb the desert until it's glass" and "don't ever date a black man", and disagreeing will make you fall out of favor enough to be put in literal physical danger... you agree with what mother says. OR ELSE.

...In those days, I didn't have another frame of reference outside of the abuse I suffered at my father's house, and as far as I was concerned, my mother was the one who deigned to "save" me from that awful place, so I eagerly tried to lap up everything she said and incorporate it into my brain as though she is the Supreme Authority on Everything and The Super Smartest Person Ever. I was conditioned to believe that I owed her unconditional obedience and agreement with everything she says and does in return for the fact that she gave me food, a place to sleep, and clothing. I imagine you went through basically the same thing with all the bullshit and lies you were fed at Shinra. I imagine you were made to feel like a burden, and that you had to make up for it, or something similar.

...I'm glad I know better now. There's still so much that I'm trying to unlearn. But still... I'm extremely lucky to have escaped AT ALL. I'm extremely lucky to have found people who were patient enough with me to teach me new things and to help cleanse my brain of the nasty, racist, sexist, bigoted, nationalistic shit that was forced into my ears and down my throat. I'm extremely lucky that they kept persisting with doing that, even when I was fool enough to resist their efforts to help me.

...The people who are still bigoted are people who have not yet been able to escape. And the reasons for that are simple. Lots of people who come from situations like mine have it ground into their skulls that anyone outside of the known social group hates you and wants to destroy you (this is projection at its finest). And so you're given a choice - oppose your known social group and have them AND the outside world hate you, or keep your head down, don't make waves, and agree with the status quo.

...I've already covered the notion in previous letters that most people would rather be dead than be considered unlovable by their known social group. And so for a lot of people trapped in situations like mine, the choice seems clear, because from the inside of that situation, it doesn't look like there's really a choice at all.

The other part of this equation is the application of violence whenever you're considered "in the wrong". And so people from situations like mine, often enough, will get defensive and dig their heels in when they're called out on their shit, because they've been conditioned to expect to receive rejection, emotional violence, or even physical violence whenever someone thinks they're in the wrong in some way. So the strategy most often used is to try, frantically, to prove that they don't deserve to be hit, as opposed to seeing a different perspective and changing their minds. A frightened brain cannot learn or absorb new information efficiently!! This is important!!

...Also, for lots of people in situations like mine, there isn't anyone to teach you anything; there are only people who will hurt you for being wrong. And so by the time you get out of that kind of horrifying gauntlet, you get out into the real world outside of your cult-like social circle, and you can't imagine that people aren't going to try to crush your skull into the floor (metaphorically or literally) for disagreeing with them.

Imagining being taught gently instead of simply being punished until you "get it right", after living in a situation like mine for a long time, is kind of like trying to imagine sticking your bare hand on a red-hot stove and not getting burned. Such a thing is unthinkable, right? And it applies to everything - EVERYTHING. And this is part of the reason why some folks get really uptight about receiving ANY kind of constructive criticism, suggestions, or feedback on anything at all.

Think about it. You take a small white child raised in a house that hates black people, and the child goes to school and meets little black children, makes friends with them and realizes, "hey, there's nothing actually wrong with black children," because obviously. Then the child goes home to tell his family, and the child is either gonna get hit a lot, or they're gonna get some equivalent of, "Well, then you're no fucking child of mine! Get away from me you morally repugnant filth!"

...There's not a whole lot that the child can do in this scenario except agree. He can run to school and tell his teacher, but teaching your child bigotry isn't outlawed here, and even physical abuse is hard to prove, and the foster care system here often leads to even worse outcomes. Even if the child is believed by the school staff, often the best that happens is the child's parents get talked to. And then once that happens, and the family realizes the child tattled... well. The child is gonna get hurt. A lot. Don't ask how I know; you don't wanna know the answer.

So the child spends their whole life psychically self-mutilating in order to survive in their environment, trying to suit the social rules so they don't get ostracized and abused. And then the child becomes an adult and gets out to "the really real world", as my mother used to like to call it. This child - now an adult - wasn't taught how to deal with big emotions; they were taught to numb out via dissociation, workaholism, risky behavior, or substance abuse.

...So they meet new people and they get confronted with the fact that everything they were taught by the people who were supposed to love them and care for them is wrong. Just flat-out wrong. The adult child now has to contend with the notion that they've twisted themselves up into pretzels trying to suit their adult overlords for NOTHING. It was all done IN VAIN. And this comes with a hefty dose of grieving - grieving that they don't know how to fucking do because they weren't taught how to do it, because the rule in houses like these is, "fuck you and fuck your stupid little fucking feelings". So they get stuck in some of the first stages of that grief - shock and denial. Emphasis on the denial.

Add in the fact that children from situations like mine are often taught that they're fundamentally bad and a pain in the ass, and therefore they owe their parents for putting a roof over their head and food in their stomach and clothes on their back. Fuck, in houses like the one I grew up in, the notion is that you owe your parents for the simple fact that they even allow you to exist at all. Disrespect in this context is absolutely fucking unacceptable, and disagreeing with ANYTHING taught to you by your parents is considered MASSIVE disrespect. Add in the anticipation of punishment for disagreement to the mix. The result is terror.

...Then add in the fact that people from situations like mine often get conditioned to believe that those outside of the known social group are morally inferior, terrible, awful people who are not to be trusted. So from here - do you go with the beliefs fed to you by the people you feel you owe everything to and feel are the only ones who will ever love you? Or do you consider the new perspective brought in by the "outsider"? Most people are unable to choose the second option, and it doesn't have anything to do with them being "bad people" or "weak-willed".

Factor in all these things, and try to understand WHY it's so difficult for folks from situations like mine to change their mind about ANYTHING. And it SUCKS, because... there are a lot of people who could be helped just like how I was helped. Bigotry is not the natural state of a human; it shows up as a result of being steeped in it since childhood and being conditioned to believe that your options are either to believe in the bigotry or face a hostile world alone.

...M's grandmother didn't escape before her death. And that's really sad, because she was, as far as I could tell, an otherwise kind and loving person who always tried to do the right thing. It's just... she grew up and lived for a long time in a situation in which she was misguided about "the right thing", because the version of "the right thing" that she was taught is dependent on the notion that the "inferiors" must suffer.

...I know how I was helped to escape from all this shit. I'm still trying to think of a way to make it so everyone can escape. I want everyone to be able to recover from the shit they were taught as children. I want every single neurotype (yes, even those neurotypes with problems with the portions of the brain responsible for empathy!) to have the support an infrastructure they need to succeed. I want everyone to be happy and to thrive. And I know we can build a world like that. It's just... I'm not smart enough to know how to replicate what was done for me on a mass scale. And also... the way it will work will necessarily have to be different for each human, because we all come from different childhoods and different walks of life, and we all have different brains. I'm not fool enough to think that what worked for me will work for everyone.

...Sometimes I look at the state of things - all the beautiful people hurting and killing each other - and for what??? And... I don't know what to do. I want everyone to keep existing, but I don't want anyone to have to suffer senselessly. It's a great big huge mess with lots of moving parts, and I get daunted and depressed if I stare at it for too long.

In any case, we're home now. We were out for a long time. I rested for a little while, and then I went through the photos and selected the 30 best ones, and then I started writing whatever popped into my head, and suddenly it's almost time for bed already. Whoops.

I'm a little tired from having had to be in the presence of M's parents (there are reasons for this; maybe I'll explain another time...), and I'm not ready for tomorrow to start tomorrowing. But the passage of time keeps happening even when I don't want it to. Oh well. I'll try to make the best of it. Maybe I'll find something fun to do.

Sephiroth. Maybe you heard the songs I put up at the top and found them relatable. But you gotta remember that you're not a weapon or a machine. You're a man - a squishy mammal - and you've got choices and you can do good things with those choices. Even when it looks like you don't have choices, you still have choices. If you don't know what those choices are, ask someone who is further along with the healing than you. I can help you a little in that regard. And so can Angeal and Zack, I'm sure. J and M also know a lot. And so do most of the people in my current social circle. You can count on any of us.

It's never "you are who you are and that's all there is to it". No one is born bad. No one is "designed that way". You can't remove the mistakes you've made or take back the damage you've caused in the past, but you can always learn from these things and try not to repeat them moving forward. And you can do that, even if the people you've hurt can't forgive you.

Your goodness as a person and your capacity to grow from past things is not defined by whether or not the people you've wronged can forgive you. These things are defined solely by the effort you're willing to put in, because nothing is ever set in stone. Brains are plastic and malleable. All destructive learned behaviors can be unlearned, given the right infrastructure and support.

The dreams of a normal life you had as a boy are not things that "can't ever be". You just have to be open to the possibility, and to make choices that will lead you towards that dream. You've got lots and lots of people who will help you along the way; you don't have to do it alone. You've got plenty of shoulders to cry on - at least 3, which is a lot more than what most have!!

As for what you're "supposed to be", that's also easy - you're supposed to be someone who eases suffering and brings beauty and light and love to the world in all the ways that only you know how to do. And that's it. That's all anyone is supposed to be. It doesn't matter how you came to be; you know what Mewtwo says - "The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are." And it is true. What will you do with your gift?

You can change your destiny. You and lots of others have helped me to change mine. Maybe things didn't turn out in the typical way for you, and maybe the path forward seems hazy, but you can still make your own history; I am documenting the process of making mine with each letter I write to you.

Continue. Continue finding the best and most loving way forward, even when you don't know what it is, because you're more resilient than you think you are. The work of recovery is difficult and long and arduous, but it's worth it. It's so worth it. And waiting for you on the other side of it, when you're ready, are the hands and arms of countless people who love you - not for what you can do, not for the power you wield, and not for what you look like, but for who you are. For the person inside your heart. For the way you think and feel and react to things.

I'll be waiting for you to return to us, singing little lullabies as I always do. Because we miss you, and we're looking forward to seeing you again.

I love you. Please stay safe out there, okay? I'll write again tomorrow. I'm not ready for tomorrow, but I'm gonna try to make something good out of it anyways. I hope you'll do the same.

Your friend, Lumine

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Umm, do you have any headcanon on how Isaac Alesia, Jadu or Lance, or any bachelor/ettes from SVE or RSV, if they found a lost child? How do you think they would handle the situation? Honestly, I'd ask a lot of Isaac headcanons from you (because I need some and you always have the most interesting headcanons for him! And I love that a lot!! ♥︎), but I don't want to end up being an Isaac simp 😂 (or maybe I already am his simp lol)

This is hard, haha XD

First of all, thank you 🫶🫶🫶

Second of all, don't deny it, dear anon. Sooner or later, we'll all be Isaac's simps. Just like with Lance, you just have to give up 😅 I will make headcanons about three characters, because writing turned out to be much longer than I originally planned. Sweet Jesus, it's like a whole fanfic. If you like it and want to continue with other characters, feel free to ask again, I have so much with this ask ❤️

⚠️Warning: Mention of death, blood (this is all in Isaac's HC, so I warn you, it may be unpleasant for someone to read).

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

Isaac:

Maybe on first impression Isaac will show himself as a person who is not too tolerant of people, but he is the leader of the rescue expedition in Crimson Baldlans. A seasoned adventurer is constantly angry when he is given the next task to save a lost group of people or an entire caravan in the cursed sands. But he is angry not at the work itself, but at stupid and careless people who, because of their own greed or stupidity, lead not only themselves to certain death, but also others, sometimes their own family. Even an experienced monster hunter can hardly cope with corrupt mummies and slimes, then what can we say for ordinary merchants!

So, Isaac and two wizards went to Crimson Baldlans in search of the missing group. The magic signal for help was short-lived, but Camilla caught it somewhere to the west of the main entrance to Castle Village. Although the sandstorm was merciless, even this did not have time to cover up fresh traces of blood. Just a kilometer away, Isaac discovered bloody corpses: two young men, one middle-aged man (most likely the same unfortunate guide) and a young woman. The scarred adventurer had accumulated a couple of impolite words about them all, but he still decided that either good things were said about the dead or nothing. Therefore, he and his colleagues approached the bodies in order to move them to the village, identify them and bury them properly. What was Isaac's surprise when he found a child under the mother's body. And kid is alive! The little boy's tear-stained eyes looked at the adventurer with no less surprise, but he didn't make a sound. Apparently, this saved the life of the child, since the monsters simply did not notice him. Isaac shouted in the direction of two magicians to teleport the corpses, while he took the boy in his arms. A thin, quiet, frightened, but almost completely fine and lively child, he looks like a 4 or 5 year old...

Camilla, learning about what had happened, was terribly out of sorts. She didn’t even joke in her usual manner - she was so struck by this tragedy. While she was figuring out the details of what happened and who these people were, the child who was the only survivor was already snoring softly in Isaac's arms. The poor child fell asleep after the shock, and Isaac behaved very carefully, as if he was holding a crystal vase in his hands. He... was sad that the boy became a victim of careless adults (as it turned out, his parents and relatives, whom he now lost). Isaac didn't let anyone close to him and the baby for a meter, and asked Camilla where Sabrina, their local doctor, was now, so that she could examine the boy. The witch of the Castle Village just smiled softly and said where their healer was now.

Jadu:

In general, Jadu was a very rare visitor to Magnus's tower, but sometimes some issues required the personal presence of a wizard or adventurer. It's not that Jadu isn't happy with his colleagues, it's just that he still has a lot of work waiting for him in Castle Village, and he is in another part of the world, listening to Magnus' angry comments towards the amused Camilla (Jadu could guess this, because their meetings sooner or later move into the mainstream a la "Camilla's Entertainment"). Therefore, the young wizard went out into the fresh air when Magnus announced a short break. The rustling golden fallen leaves, the smell of mushrooms and wood, small squirrels and chipmunks hurrying to collect nuts before hibernation - it's so... memorizing. Time in Castle Village felt different, and even the evergreen part of the village could not convey the unusual beauty of the autumn forest. The people of Stardew Valley are very lucky to live in this place...

But Jadu's dreamy thoughts were interrupted by a child's cry somewhere in the depths of the forest. Curiosity got the better of him, and young Jadu went to investigate the source of the sound. Before the wizard had gone far into the forest, two small figures bumped into his legs, scattering a basket of nuts and a plucked clover, and knocking Jadu down. Jas and Vincent, too, at first did not understand who they crashed into, but behind the three of them a creature began to make sounds, from which the children ran away. A huge capercaillie, having lost fear and vigilance during the mating season, took the children as rivals, and began to pursue them furiously. As soon as the bird wanted to give a beating to all three lying people, Jadu quickly cast a spell in a unknown language, and the impudent bird ran away, hiding among the trees. Vincent, forgetting about the danger, began to ask "man in a funny hat" about this spell (" You can do magic!? Sooo cool!"). Jas told Jadu that they went into the forest (a little further from their home than usual) to collect the gifts of nature and surprise Miss Penny. But the bird noticed the children and began to drive even further into the forest where they lost theirs way, until they met Jadu.

The young wizard sighed tiredly and led the kids out of the thicket of the forest to the Magnus' tower, where the inhabitant of the tower himself was standing along with Camilla and a worried Penny. The young teacher immediately rushed to the children, listened to their and Jadu's story, thanked the young and brave man and left with two children in the direction of Pelican Town.

Jadu felt warm at the young (and attractive) teacher's praise. And, besides that, grateful Jas and Vincent left him some collected nuts and clover as a token of gratitude. Well, maybe meetings in Stardew Valley aren't so bad after all, and even Camilla with her biting comments won't ruin Jadu's day.

Jio:

Like in Pelican Town, tourists in Ridgeside Village is a fairly common sight, as village on the side of the ridge (Lenny is still thinking about the slogan, don't judge too harshly) has many things that attract a lot of people from big cities. And of course, many come with their families in order to arrange a family vacation. Sometimes the influx of tourists can be so large that half a minute is enough for a distracted parent to lose sight of their hyperactive child.

There was a similar case when one girl, who was chasing a beautiful butterfly and not noticing anything around, ended up in the Ridge Forest. The poor girl realized what a dangerous place she was in when she heard a bone-chilling howl from a ghost, a lost wandering soul. But before the ghost had time to fly up and harm the child, the evil spirit was dissolved in the air from one swing of the sword. The frightened girl saw a figure in front of her, whose body was shrouded in light smoke, and whose face was wrapped in a red scarf, only eyes and brown hair were visible. The figure looked at the child, who was about to cry. Jio sighed wearily.

"Children don't belong here, it's a dangerous place full of monsters. You could die." But the pointed-eared ninja stop lecture the girl, realizing that she was now too scared to listen to his words. "Hold my hand, I'll take you to your parents."

The girl hesitated for a moment, but still squeezed Jio's hand, and in the blink of an eye, she teleported near the Heaps store. Jio, however, was nowhere to be found. But the worried parents of the girl and Lenny appeared in the field of view. Lewis's sister, having learned about the missing girl, already wanted to call the locals for searching lost child, but breathed a sigh of relief when the parents saw their beloved daughter, hugged and kissed their little treasure. The girl was a little shocked, so she didn't tell right away about the stranger who saved her.

And Jio, meanwhile, was sitting on the roof of the Ridgeside Village Office, watching the family reunion for a little longer, sighed in relief and disappeared into the air. In the depths of his soul, he is very glad that he managed to save this child, because sometimes, such stories don't always have a happy ending...

[springtrappd]

an updated, straightforward guide to modding security breach and its dlc, ruin (including cheats!)

modding fnaf:sb (and by extension, ruin!) is actually pretty simple, but there's a tragic lack of comprehensive text-form guides that actually explain the process -- and a lot of scams out there. so! here's a straightforward guide to modding sb, allowing you to:

freecam

access the debug menu

access the game's console (and associated commands)

...and whatever else you wanna install later!

interested? hit the read more, and we'll get started!

(and if you already have modding experience, just skip to the bolded text for the core instructions)

unlike games like minecraft or the sims, sb doesn't allow the user access to its console (and therefore the ability to manipulate the game); it has no native mod support. this means that we need to modify the game's data to allow 1) mods to be installed, 2) console access and 3) restoring the debug menu. depending on what you want to achieve -- simple console access/freecam or loading mods/debug menu access -- the path forward branches a little. i recommend you do both if you want to bend sb to your whims!

part 1: freecam and basic console access

this process does not require any messing with game files, and is thus the easier of the two. since sb is made using unreal engine, by installing the universal unreal unlocker (or uuu), we can 'unlock' access to free camera movement and the game's console menu, allowing the input of various commands. the direct download link is [here].

it'll download as a zip file (UUU3021.zip). extract its content into a separate folder -- you can put it wherever you want, just don't leave it in downloads -- and run UUUClient.exe to open the program. it should look like this:

process refers to the game you're trying to modify by injecting the DLL into it. the dll we're injecting is the default one, so don't touch that; instead, we need to give it a game to manipulate!

now, open security breach. when security breach is running, select it as the process to be injected into.

then, hit inject dll.

then, just let it do its thing! depending on your hardware, it might take a second for it to process everything, but once it's done it'll give you a little pop-up letting you know it's active. if it doesn't work, try the usual troubleshooting gambit (uninstall reinstall, check you're hitting the right buttons, run program as administrator, ask reddit, etc)...

...aaaaand you're done! you can now access the console! it's bound to ` by default, but you can change that in uuu's configuration tab. it should look like this:

(note that it locks your mouse, so you can't move the player character when it's open!)

using this, you can input a whole bunch of commands, most notably:

toggledebugcamera (lets you unlock the camera from the player character. note that since they're still a physical object, they can still die!)

destroy [entity name here] (deletes the entity mentioned)

destroyAll StaffBotSecurityPatrol_C (deletes all security patrol staffbots! note that they respawn when you die or reload an area.)

summon [entity name here] (self-explanatory!)

viewmode unlit (turns off the lighting effects)

and that's it for method 1! if you want a more complete list of commands, you can find one here. if you're satisfied with this, you can stop here, but if you want access to more traditional 'cheats' (like modifying freddy's power level or triggering game events), we're gonna have to do a bit more. so! continuing on:

part 2: unrealmodloader and restoring the debug menu

this one's way, way more complicated. strap in, because we're about to start modifying the game's files itself. as a safety precaution, you may want to back up your save files to a separate location, in case something goes wrong and you need to reinstall the game again; steam doesn't support cloud saves for sb. if you're using steam, you should find them stored in your local files; the directory should be something like C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\fnaf9\Saved\SaveGames. copy those files somewhere else, and you're good to go!

2.1: installing uml

first, we're going to install unrealmodloader (uml); it's gonna let us modify the game's files on our behalf, which saves you a lot of time learning C++. the download link is [here], and you'll need to extract the file (UnrealModLoader_V2.2.1.rar), same as before. since it's a .rar file, your system probably can't extract it naturally, so you can just download something like 7zip. once extracted, it should look like this:

now, run the uml .exe and then run security breach (without uuu). let it do its thing. is everything loading? is the launcher running? good! as things are, we now have a mod loader without any mods to load. so, onto the complicated part:

2.2: editing local files

we're going to be adding kaydax's debug menu to the game. to do this, we need to mess with the game's files a bit. the file directories will be different depending on where and how you've installed the game -- that's what makes this complicated -- but what's inside them should be the same. if you mess up, just uninstall and then reinstall the game again; it won't affect anything that we've done up to this point.

first: download and extract fnaf_sb_debug_menu_unlocker.zip. (that's a direct download link). open it and find the paks folder. that's the only thing we need.

next, open the game's local files. you can do this on steam by going to its library entry, hitting the cog and finding 'browse local files' under 'manage'. if you're not using steam, just go wherever you installed it. it should look like this:

(note: fnaf9 is sb's name in all the files!)

move the paks folder into the content folder. if there's already a paks folder, move the logicmods folder inside it, and if that's already there, just transfer DebugMenu.pak in there yourself. maintaining the file paths is important; if they're broken, the mod won't work.

('coremods' is irrelevant to what we're doing. don't worry about it!)

finally, download the last bit of the debug menu mod from [here]. extract and open it the same as before. this time, we'll be transferring files into the Binaries folder.

move the contents of the Win64 folder (dxgi.dll and Plugins) into your game's Binaries folder. (you shouldn't have to overwrite any existing files, but my memory's fuzzy on that -- my bad! OTL).

and with that, you have now successfully installed kaydax's debug menu enabler! yippee!

2.3: a brief detour

i'm gonna be honest, this next bit's optional, but definitely something you should do for a smoother experience. kaydax's enabler is great, but it comes with some kinks -- like drifting while in flying mode, or not having any keyboard shortcuts. thankfully, this is easy to fix: just download kokosko's enabler [here] and place it in your paks folder. it should now look like this:

(chowda is ruin, don't worry about it)

congrats! there's just one more thing left to do:

2.4: steam settings

head to the game's entry in your steam library, open the Properties menu, and under Launch Options type -dx11. this makes the game open in DirectX 11, and it's likely to crash without it.

and with that, you're done! run uml when security breach is open, and you're ready to go. you can press f1 ingame to open the mod menu (you'll find the debug menu under logicmods), or (provided you've followed step 2.3) you can just press x. however, if you want uml to open automatically, well... yeah, there's more to do. so!

part 3: automating that shit

because nobody has the time for that!

this is technically explained within uml's files itself, but it felt wrong to not include it here. first, navigate to your uml folder, then from Tools to AutoInjector.

the readme.txt explains what to do, but if that doesn't make sense to you, here's the gist:

3.1: copying files

copy the contents of the AutoInjector folder (minus the readme) into sb's win64 folder, located inside the Binaries folder.

3.2: modify the .ini

open ModLoaderInfo.ini (now in your sb folder) using a program like Notepad. you should see something like this:

you need to change this address to the location of your UnrealEngineModLoader.dll. you can do this by navigating to your uml folder, right-clicking the file and selecting copy as path.

save the file and close it. when you run sb, the console should automatically open -- and all of your mods with it!

aaaaand congrats, you're done! you have successfully modded security breach. be aware that the game is extremely fragile and very prone to doing weird shit, so don't worry if it, uh, does that. you can find the ruin-specific part of the debug menu under the 'chowda' tab. (no, i don't know why it's called that. don't ask.)

have fun, and happy security breaching!

if you're interested in more mods to download, you can check out gamebanana or nexusmods.

huge thank you to jestxfot, kaydax and kokosko for their work! make sure to support them if you can. :) also feel free to contact me if anything messes up lmao i'll try to help as best i can

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Eye of the World! Chapter 33: The Dark Waits

Here be spoilers! Not just spoilers for this whole book (they don't resolve every conflict in this one) but spoilers for the whole damn book series (at least some characters are definitely alive or dead by the end). If anything more explicit than my entirely unsurprising parentheticals would bother you, go read the books and then come back!

This chapter has another heron-marked sword icon, which is rather interesting this time around! Rand's sword is primarily a liability this time, something he keeps hidden from prying eyes now that he understands just how much it makes him stand out, but it's also something he won't let Mat take from him out of fear he'll lose his connection to Tam.

Maybe they were all townsmen and local farmfolk. Does that make any difference?

Rand is definitely succumbing to the paranoia of the situation. I wonder if the little tastes of the taint he's been getting are helping him along on that front, or if it's purely a natural reaction. It certainly is understandable either way.

Mat turned on the seat beside the farmer and leaned back until he found Rand’s eyes. The scarf that did duty for dust, when need be, shaded his own eyes, folded over thickly and tied low around his forehead.

God these scarves make everything confusing. So, chapter 31 started at the end of this three chapter sequence but Rand reflected on getting the scarves. We then jumped back to the immediate aftermath of Whitebridge when they did not have the scarves and continued forward in time through chapter 32 to the escape from Four Kings. Then (now) we've jumped a little forward, to when they do have the scarves, and will shortly be jumping back to where chapter 32 left off. They'll get the scarves then. At the end of this chapter we'll catch up to... *drinks*... the start of this chapter, and then we'll skip ahead to where 31 started the flashback.

I hope my explanation made sense of the chronology for anyone still confused though I fear the reasoning for this bizarre presentation of events in an order that Homestuck author Andrew Hussie would call "fucking needlessly convoluted" is lost to time if it ever existed at all.

“Queen’s Guards,” Master Kinch said around his pipe. He kept his eyes on the road ahead. “Won’t go much further than Breen’s Spring, ’less they’re called for. Not like the old days.” He sucked on his pipe, then added, “I suppose, these days, there’s parts of the Realm don’t see the Guards in a year or more. Not like the old days.”

Understatement of the year. Master Kinch wasn't even alive the last time the Guards might have been in the Two Rivers! His grandpa may not have been alive then.

Rand wondered what Master al’Vere would say if someone told him the Two Rivers was part of some Queen’s Realm. The Queen of Andor, he supposed. Perhaps the Mayor did know—he knew a lot of things that surprised Rand—and maybe others did, too, but he had never heard anyone mention it. The Two Rivers was the Two Rivers. Each village handled its own problems, and if some difficulty involved more than one village the Mayors, and maybe the Village Councils, solved it between them.

Some - like myself - would argue that if the Two Rivers is so completely divorced from the realm that it is completely oblivious to its status, receives no benefits from it, and avoids the cost, that they aren't part of the realm, no matter what any old map says. They absolutely deserve their independence and it's a travesty they didn't get it. And yes, I'm going to complain about this every time it even tangentially comes up.

Makes me wonder though if there are corners of the other nations that are as oblivious as the Two Rivers to external affairs. I mean, Altara is obviously a state in maps only, but what about the others? Will they ever get their independence, or did the Dragon's Peace damn them to eternal bondage under monarchies that don't give a fuck?

“How would you know what Darkfriends look like?” Mat demanded. He backed away from the cart, and his hand went under his coat. “What do you know about Darkfriends?”

Finally, Mat's showing some paranoia that's actually alarming.

“Rand,” he said, “you won’t leave me, will you? If I can’t keep up?” His voice quavered. “I won’t leave you.” Rand tightened his grip on his friend’s hand. “I won’t leave you no matter what.”

Rand and Mat have a better-written romance than virtually every other couple in this series. Change my mind!

When he turned back, Ba’alzamon’s outstretched hand had become a fist. “You are mine, youngling, alive or dead. The Eye of the World will never serve you. I mark you as mine.” His fist opened, and a ball of flame shot out. It struck Rand in the face, exploding, searing.

I think on my earliest readings I assumed this dream of Rand and Mat's was supposed to line up with Perrin's somehow, but chronologically speaking it absolutely does not. Perrin's been captured at this point. I wonder if he is getting a dream at this point, or if his close association with the wolves led Ishy to rule him out.

“My eyes! Oh, Light, my eyes! He took my eyes!” Rand held him close, cradling him against his chest as if he were a baby. “You’re all right, Mat. You’re all right. He can’t hurt us. We won’t let him.” He could feel Mat shaking, sobbing into his coat. “He can’t hurt us,” he whispered, and wished he believed it. What protects you makes you vulnerable. I am going mad.

F- f- f- foreshadowing! Also more on the Rand/Mat front. These two boys are practically closer than Frodo and Sam.

“If I was a good man,” Mull said, “I’d offer a couple of lads soaked to the skin a place to dry out and get warm in front of my fire. But it’s hard times, and strangers . . . . I don’t know what you’re running from, and I don’t want to. You understand? My family.” Suddenly he pulled two long, woolen scarves, dark and thick, out of his coat pocket. “It’s not much, but here. Belong to my boys. They have others. You don’t know me, understand? It’s hard times.”

Damn these scarves. They're so poorly knitted they tangled up time itself!

The innkeeper was as clean as his inn, with a gleaming white apron around his bulk. Rand was glad to see he was a stout man; he doubted if he would ever again trust a skinny innkeeper. 

It's true, if you're skinny and in hospitality you're clearly evil! Or at least your establishment serves shitty food, and in a way, isn't that the same thing?

“Hey,” Mat exclaimed, “I can see!” He sat up on his bed, squinting around the room. “Some, anyway. Your face is still a little blurry, but I can tell who you are. I knew I’d be all right. By tonight I’ll see better than you do. Again.”

Enjoy it while you can, Mat, because you're ironically setting up your own injury later down the line.

Light, when I see Moiraine again, I’ll kiss her!

Ah heck, I'll ship this too. Rand's already canonically an easy lay, I'm just widening his net to obscene proportions.

“My name? My name. Ah . . .  call me Paitr.” His eyes shifted nervously. “Ah . . .  this is not my idea, you understand. I have to do it. I didn’t want to, but they made me. You have to understand that. I don’t—”

Paitr isn't quite the poster child for why being a Darkfriend doesn't pay, but damn if he's not going to be an effective demonstration. He's also not remotely competent, is he?

Paitr seemed to take the threat seriously. His face grew pale. “I . . .  I heard what happened at Four Kings. Some of it, anyway. Word travels. We have ways of hearing things. But there’s nobody here to trap you. I’m alone, and . . .  and I just want to talk.”

Dana from the TV show is kind of a mishmash of every antagonist on the road (especially since it's really clear that they'd hoped to have another episode for the travel but couldn't get it and had to trim even further). Where Paitr only hints at it, Dana's much more explicit: orders are being transmitted through the World of Dreams.

Maybe Paitr already knew about it; maybe Gode had told Ba’alzamon, and Ba’alzamon had told Paitr; but he did not think so. He thought Paitr had only the vaguest idea of what had happened in Four Kings. That was why he was so frightened.

In particular, I think Rand's suppositions aren't quite true here. Gode is dead and so not a useful informant; he's nowhere near connected enough to offer anything more than a few parting words on his way out the door. But I don't think all of Gode's men died and I do think they were all Darkfriends, so Ish was able to get a barebones account from somebody. However, either the witnesses wouldn't be able to explain much and Paitr is thus left with only vague impressions or Ish was able to piece together that Rand was channeling... leaving Paitr genuinely concerned for his life.

Images spun in his head. The Trolloc, Narg, leaping at him in his own home. The Myrddraal threatening at the Stag and Lion in Baerlon. Halfmen everywhere, Fades chasing them to Shadar Logoth, coming for them in Whitebridge. Darkfriends everywhere. He whirled, his hand balling up. “I said, leave us alone!” His fist took Paitr flush on the nose.

Rand's already got that tasty, tasty PTSD. Poor boy.

Twenty Darkfriends had held a gathering in Market Sheran. Men with twisted bodies, and the women worse, all dirty and in rags. They could make your knees grow weak and your stomach heave just by looking at you, and when they laughed, the filthy cackles rang in your ears for hours and your head felt as if it were splitting open. He had seen them himself, just at a distance, far enough off to be safe. If the Queen would not do something, then somebody ought to ask the Children of the Light for help. Somebody should do something.

It's terrifying that the tale grew this much in the telling and genuinely sad that the wagonwright is the sort of guy who would lie about being an eyewitness and want the Children to step in.

It's also funny because the Queen absolutely won't do anything about Paitr and the Children do.

From the way the serving maids scurried between the tables with harried looks—and the landlord, too—it was a larger crowd than they were used to.

Okay I don't wanna mention Jordan's gender norms every time they come up but in every town since Four Kings it's been serving maids and landlords. No dudes waiting tables on the road at all, nor ladies running the establishments. Not very equal! (At least the cooks have some variety; in Four Kings it was a lady but the one in this inn is a gent).

“Not a bit of it,” Mat said. He was trying to sound cheerful, but Rand could hear the hidden worry. “He was scared the other folk would find out there was somebody sick in his inn. I told him if he kicked us out, I’d take you into the common room. That’d empty half his rooms in ten minutes. For all his talk about fools, he doesn’t want that.”

This chapter shows what a beautiful friendship these boys have. They're all kinds of traumatized, including supernaturally, and here's Mat refusing to leave Rand's side or let him be denied shelter anyway. And since Rand's having his channeling chills just a couple days later, we're very close to his internal death clock going off - and frankly I'm not at all sure when he resolves it. No later than Asmodean's tutoring, I would say, but it's possible he'd figured himself out by Tear.

The night deepened, and the stable shifted in the flickering lantern light. Shadows took shape and moved on their own. Then he saw Ba’alzamon striding down the stable, eyes burning, a Myrddraal at either side with faces hidden in the depths of their black cowls.

Moiraine doesn't explicitly mention crazy hallucinations as part of the sparking process. Are they common, something unique to Rand's situation because he's sparking in such a miserable state of affairs, or something that's relatively common to dude sparkers because they're reacting to the taint on top of everything else? Is Ish reaching into his mind again? This is the first time that Rand hears the term "Black Ajah" - Elyas mentioned it once to Perrin, but otherwise the only color he's heard discussed is red.

“There’s nobody but us,” Mat said. “Here, let me take that.” He reached for Rand’s sword belt, but Rand tightened his grip on the hilt. “No. No. I have to keep it. He’s my father. You understand? He’s m-my f-father!” The shivering swept over him once more, but he clung to the sword as if to a lifeline. “M-my f-father!” Mat gave up trying to take it and pulled the cloaks back over him.

Mat must be so hella confused but he's just helping his buddy.

But the worst was Tam. Tam stood over him, frowning and shaking his head, and said not a word. “You have to tell me,” Rand begged him. “Who am I? Tell me, please. Who am I? Who am I?” he shouted.

This is more proof to me that Rand's in denial about his circumstances, with the fever dream showing his true state of mind. He knows he ain't Tam's biological son.

She was about the same age as Nynaeve, he thought, but she was no village woman. The pale green silk of her dress shimmered as she moved. Her cloak was a rich, soft gray, and a frothy net of lace caught up her hair. She fingered a heavy gold necklace as she looked thoughtfully at Mat and him.

You can tell that Mili isn't an Aes Sedai despite Rand's uncertainty by the way that she isn't wearing black despite being a Darkfriend. Made her very unhappy, not being able to channel.

Licking his lips, Rand stared at the tableau above him. Even if he had not been so weak, he did not believe he could have moved. Then his eyes fell on her dagger, and his mouth went dry. The wood around the blade was blackening; thin tendrils of smoke rose from the char.

So what's up with Mili's dagger? Is it a power-wrought weapon of some kind? I don't think it comes up again - the wiki doesn't mention it on Mili's page nor does it include it in a list of items with articles in the page for chapter 33 - but weird shit like this is supposed to be hella rare! I want to know more... I just doubt I will. Can anyone with an extraordinary memory for trivialities fill me in if I'm just blanking?

“She tried to kill me, Rand. She’d have killed you, too. She’s a Darkfriend.” Mat spat the word. “But we’re not,” Rand said. The woman gasped as if she had just realized what Mat had intended. “We are not, Mat.”

Mat being so blase about killing a woman must be the dagger's influence in much the same way that Rand's madness will lead to him killing that Darkfriend gal on the road in a couple books.

Also, while like most people I hate the "If you kill me you'll be just like me," trope, I'm absolutely here for the "If we kill them we'll be just like them" variant.

The man blew a streamer of smoke from the corner of his mouth. “Going to Caemlyn, are you? Was your age, I expect I might be off to see this false Dragon myself.” “Yes.” Mat nodded. “That’s right. We’re going to see the false Dragon.”

Funny how it's a lie now but won't be a lie for Rand by the time all this is done.

In any event, this is another chapter done. Chapter 34 will finally have us resuming linear time, thank goodness. Damn those scarves!!!

[planets-and-prose]

Find The Word

I was tagged on this by @k-v-briarwood, thank you for the tag!

My words are: Leak, Beam, Favor, Neglect.

I'll tag @chayscribbles, @n1ghtcrwler, @bones-and-rainbows, if y'all want to, and anyone else who does want to :) Your words are: Blue, Rip, Shine, Blanket.

Since Continuing Education really isn't...written, I'm doing Signature Powers so we'll see if that half-done, swiss cheese manuscript pulls some decent quotes. These are...entirely unedited, but I'll provide limited context when appropriate.

Leak (AKA the two local aromantic enbys learn about queer-platonic relationships)

“We…slept together,” Vandita murmured. "Overnight." “It…looks that way,” Hikari replied, trying for a chuckle. It came out oddly forced. “And it doesn’t feel wrong,” Vandi added. They also looked shocked at this turn of events, and that brought Hikari at least a little bit of comfort. Thank the gods that they weren’t the only one out of their element. “No, it doesn’t.” Silence stretched for a moment as the morning sun leaked through the window, spilling shadows across the room. “So, we…should we talk about this?” Vandi asked, sitting up in bed. “Maybe? Yes. I think we likely should. Maybe you have more experience in this than I do?” Gods, they hoped one of them had experience.

Beam (Exposition, and allusions to me being unable to NOT have a shapeshifting character)

"Niko, if we don't find anything, it'll be fine. You've been helping so the pain isn't as bad, and I haven't shifted in quite some time. I could live like this easily. If we find anything, it'll be amazing, but we don't have to." "But you SHOULDN'T have to live this way! You shouldn't! Your damn contractor…" "…is just one of many contractors. I don't have it the worst, trust me. It's just how things are in a lot of places. I should have known better. I asked for power, and I signed a contract stating that that power had a price. Yes, I didn't know about the bone issues, but…I should probably have known. That's just the way it is. Contractors have and will do much worse." "But it just…! Ugh!" Niko huffed out a frustrated sigh. "Still. If I can help you, I will, so we're going to try. Besides, travel might be nice. You're so used to running around in the woods, hopefully it'll be good for you too." Rose beamed. "I have missed the woods."

Favor (In which Vandi and Hikari come back, and Vandi's pronouns are inconsistent because they're she/they and honestly I did this whole thing in a month for NaNo lol)

Hikari nodded and gave a sympathetic grimace. “Overprotective father?” “You could say that.” Thinking of their father, how angry he’d be…how he probably had half the army out searching for his two errant children…it was definitely something. But it was liberating to not be associated with her father for once, to not have to be royal or perfect or even have to worry about it. The only person who might know about their royal background was Gil, and he hadn’t said anything so far. It was probably alright. “Well, I’d better go check on Seri. She’s…having a rough time.” “She does have a lot on her shoulders, it seems. She’s not really letting any of us in.” Vandita shook her head. “She doesn’t really trust that easily, and I’m trying to get her to loosen up. But it’s definitely not working.” “Well, time’ll do it. Go take care of your sister,” Hikari told them with a reassuring smile. Vandita nodded and left Hikari’s chambers in favor of Serilee’s.

Neglect

Apparently I haven't used this word? Ever? I checked like four manuscripts...so either Scrivener hates me or I'm not utilizing that particular brand of angst enough. So I'm throwing in a random excerpt from SP that I Just Felt Like.

Codell turned his attention to his quilt, examining the bright patterns and the intricate detail. Now that he couldn’t hear or speak, he learned that his eye for detail improved markedly, giving him an ability to sew intricate patterns, distinguish between colors and fade one seamlessly into another in a way that seemed almost impossible to achieve with blocks of fabric. Living in silence gave plenty of time to recreate beautiful mountain views in quilted fabric, bringing an art that was once thought to be simply “homey” into an art form of its own. And if people managed to get past the stony exterior and the strangely all-knowing stare, they would have the opportunity to buy a truly resplendent piece of artwork. Yet few did, so often Codell simply sat, beneath an awning so as not to burn his fair skin, sewing in…well, it was always silence for him. But few tried to talk to him. Today wasn’t an exception, aside from the vision.

Thank you again for the tag!!

[anam3ii]

-1bitHeart-

Nov, 28,2023,

Hi, I'm new here. I've been wanting to create a blog for a long time now. I wasn't sure how to start a blog, what exactly should I share. I meaan...I have a lot to share but I was thinking to my self..should I just be consistent and stick to one thing or would it be ok to do a little bit of everthing?? Well I guess we'll see since I'm kinda..winging it. lol

Today I'd like to share with you what I've been up to recently. I decided to give youtube a try. I love to game and thought why not..it might be fun. I recently finished a game and posted the short series. I still have a lot to learn about editing so it's not great to be honest but the good thing is I've learned a lot for my first time.Oh yes..from the many mistakes. It was not so fun starting over a lot, I'll tell you that ,yet I hope the next series is much better and maybe I'll even have some commentary.

The game I recently completed and posted on youtube is called 1bitHeart. It is created by, not a very well known, developer Miwashiba. This Japanese dev is from Fukuoka and has illustrated and created various cute and interesting RPG games. Miwashiba is known for creating their own pixel adventure games Alicemare, LiEat series,1bitHeart and the sequel 1BeatHeart.I just found out, while doing some research, that pool of creativity has not run dry just yet. In fact,there is a game in production right now by the name of The Faceless Double. You can find all of the games on steam; all but one,1BeatHeart.The game is available and you can find it here on this link.I have yet to give the game a try but so far the big difference I see between them is the more dull or muted colors and maybe less cuteness? It doesn't seem to be going on steam anytime soon so I'm a little hesitant to give it a go.

So far, all of the games that are available on steam are also published under the same publisher, PLAYISM. They publish a variety of genres. From story-focused games to Horror to strategy etc.

Now, I'll be honest, I didn't dive too much into the dev or the publisher so sorry I have no idea if there is any juicy gossip lol. I do though, want to tell you a little bit more about the game,1bitHeart. As far as I know, the game was released on steam back in 2017. The game is set in Japan, in the near future, where technology has progressed to the point that I'd say it's somewhat similar to now in our lives; it is used pretty much everyday, everywhere. It dominates the lives of everyone.

In the game, we play a young guy by the name of Nanashi, who spends most of his time indoors. He is very intelligent but a bit socially awkward. He meets a young girl by the name of Misane. While out making friends and solving mysteries, he learns of a frightening plot to take control of people via hacking. Together they set out to stop the people behind this evil plot.

I have yet to play the other games myself but I can tell you that this game, compared to the others, it's a 2D side scroller instead of using the top down perspective the others used.This allows for larger side view portraits of the game's many characters which lets the game to emphasize Miwashiba's incredible skill at designing cute characters and more detailed during dialogue. The game doesn't have turn based battles like LiEat, according to some other reviews, and also isn't solely based on exploration like Alicemare.The game has it's own systems. The hints being one, that helped me, which you get to chose to have them on or off in the very beginning. When you come across hackers and they attempt to hack the player, you defend yourself by directional inputs; which are basic. Still, the game is fun when you have to play detective and have the subsequent confrontations. You also progress the story by solving the various cases through the chapters during which you need to gather information and evidence.

Stardew Valley is a game I have played, but not finished but I can tell you that in the same way that you are able to give gifts to the characters that hang around the town in 1bitHeart you do the same. You'll trigger scenes once you become better friends with them but you are not able to romance any of the characters like in SV. This leads to one of the most impressive parts: there are actually about 48 characters in all that are spread across the town. Each with their own story, personality and style. The end goal, depending on what end you want, is of course, for these characters to become the main character's friend. You can see the amount of love and effort that was put into the game. In a review I read that the backgrounds during character's dialogue could use a little work. They probably could but I think it was done that way so the characters and their dialogue was the main focus.

Like I mentioned earlier, you need to give gifts to the characters in order to be friends but you need money or bits to buy gifts. You get bits by playing tetris-type minigames but it'll take A LOT of grinding=time to get enough bits to befriend everyone. Fortunately, the dev was aware of this flaw, as there is a secret in the game to acquire endless bits=endless gifts.

Honestly, I enjoyed the soundtrack. It's ok. One of my favorites its the opening theme.

The biggest gripe I have with the game is that I didn't see the option for borderless windowed or something to prevent the game from minimizing. The game would minimize each and every time I clicked out of the game. It was very frustrating and annoying. Honestly, it's one of the reasons why I'm hesitant to play them to record them.

I wonder if streaming would be easier in this case?? I don't want to totally give up.Anyway..If you made it this far, THANK YOU for taking the time to read my blog today. Let me know what your thoughts are...til next time!

-A