#Once my mom told me how they both came to the airport and when my dad arrived he didn't even get up but when she arrived he got up

[dawei-s]

Close to my grandma's age when she had my dad literally wtf

[aemondwhoresworld]

“MY DAUGHTER HATED ME!”

pairing: dad!ewan mitchell x mom!reader ; ewan mitchell x actress!reader

part of series: y/n, ewan and elowen mitchell

part 2

summary: following the success of House of The Dragon, you and Ewan were invited to appear on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show. However, it seems that the story about your only daughter, elowen captured the majority of the audience's attention after that interview.

word count: 1,3k

warning: english is not my first language, use of y/n, ewan and reader are actor and both are in hotd cast, fluff (?), etc

masterlist | ADD YOUSELF INTO MY TAGLIST HERE

That evening, you and Ewan stepped onto the stage of The Tonight Show, greeted by enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience. Jimmy Fallon, with his familiar smile, guided you and Ewan to your seats and then thanked both of you for coming on the show.

"Let me introduce tonight's guests, the actors from House of The Dragon, please welcome Ewan Mitchell and Y/n Mitchell, playing Prince Aemond Targaryen and Princess Visenya Targaryen," Jimmy announced

"Thank you both for being here," Jimmy expressed his gratitude to you and Ewan for accepting the invitation to be interviewed.

Ewan, with his usual calm and slightly shy demeanor, responded modestly, "No, no, thank you for having us." You also smiled warmly and added, "Yes, thank you, Jimmy, for inviting us here; it's an honor."

Jimmy chuckled and continued his introduction to the audience.

Jimmy then began, "First, I want to congratulate both of you on the success of House of The Dragon!" His congratulations were met with enthusiastic applause from the audience, accompanied by loud clapping. Jimmy joked, "Well—they're already too fond of you guys."

"Thank you, Jimmy," you and Ewan said in unison, both of you still smiling brightly.

"So, Ewan, can you tell us about your life after the explosion of House of The Dragon?" Jimmy asked, but before letting Ewan answer, he quickly added a clarification, "I mean, it was already a hit after Season 2 aired, but now with Season 3 out, how has it changed?"

Ewan clicked his tongue lightly and said, "Well… I think it has, a bit. People still seem like they want to run away from me whenever I step out of the airport or when they see me on the street." After saying that, Ewan couldn't help but laugh, and you, having witnessed those moments, couldn't stop laughing either.

Jimmy laughed along, then turned to you and asked, "Is that really true, Y/n?" All you could do was nod in agreement, confirming it was indeed true. After laughing too much at your husband's story, you caught your breath and shared, "Once, on a flight to the set, a little girl came up and asked me to get his autograph because she was too scared." You burst out laughing at the memory, and so did Ewan, Jimmy, and the audience.

"But I want to affirm to everyone that my husband, Ewan Mitchell, is a good man, a good husband, and a good father!" you said, looking at Ewan with pride. The pride and love in his eyes for you were unmistakable, making the atmosphere in the room even warmer.

Jimmy couldn’t help but laugh again, sharing in the pride and joy you both displayed.

“Speaking of Ewan as a father, does your daughter know that both of you are famous?” Jimmy asked the two of you.

Ewan responded, “She does… but she only found out recently.” He chuckled softly, explaining that for a long time, their daughter had been a fan of Harry Collett without realizing that her own parents were co-stars with him, and perhaps even more famous.

“On her 3rd birthday, after she blew out the candles, I asked her what she wished for,” Ewan continued, his face glowing with pride as he spoke of your daughter.

“She told me, ‘I wish that one day, mommy and daddy will be as famous as Harry Collett,’” Ewan recounted, causing the audience to erupt in laughter once more.

“At that moment, I briefly wondered if my wife and I were just amateur actors,” Ewan said with a laugh, taking a quick sip of water before continuing. “That’s when we decided to take her to the set of House of The Dragon to show her.”

“But even then, she wasn’t fully convinced by us,” you added, clearly enjoying the audience’s amusement at the story involving your daughter, Elowen.

“Seeing how much the audience here is enjoying your stories about your daughter, can you explain the video that’s being shown on the screen?” Jimmy asked, pointing to the screen in front of you.

The screen displayed a video of you and your daughter, Elowen, sitting at the kitchen counter coloring together. You had set up your phone to capture what you thought was a hilarious moment, intending to send it to Ewan, but it was so adorable that you decided to post it on your social media.

“So, El, can you tell mommy again why you said that to mommy?” you asked your daughter in the video. Elowen paused her coloring, sighed, and responded, “Because I saw daddy putting a ring on another woman hand, so now I don’t like daddy at all,” she said before immediately dropping her head to cry. The audience burst into laughter some with a soft ‘aww’

“Okay, okay, can you explain why that happened, Y/n? Why did she say that?” Jimmy asked.

“Well, as you saw, Elowen and I were coloring together when she suddenly turned to me and said, ‘Mommy, I don’t like daddy,’ so I thought she must have had a reason for saying that,” you explained, shifting in your seat position before continuing, “So I set up my phone to record, but it wasn’t until I showed the video to Ewan that we realized she was talking about the scene where Aemond gets married, you know in the House of The Dragon episode 2 scene” You couldn’t help but laugh as you finished the story.

"I only showed her that one scene, not the whole episode, so don’t worry," you continued, wanting to make sure everyone knew you hadn't exposed a 3-year-old girl to a series that wasn't suitable for viewers under 17.

The audience roared with laughter, and Jimmy shook his head in amusement. "That's adorable! She really thought her daddy was betraying her mommy on screen."

Ewan chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, she’s still at that age where she doesn’t fully understand the difference between fiction and reality. But I think it’s sweet how protective she is of our relationship."

Jimmy nodded, grinning. "It’s amazing how kids see the world. So, what did you do to make it up to her, Ewan?"

Ewan smiled fondly, glancing at you before answering. "Well, after we explained that it was all just pretend and that daddy only loves mommy, we took her out for ice cream. I think the double scoop of chocolate chip really helped clear things up."

You laughed, adding, "And, of course, we had a long talk with her about what acting really means. But I think it was the ice cream that sealed the deal."

Jimmy leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying the exchange. "Well, it sounds like you two have it all figured out—balancing stardom with parenthood. And I have to say, it's refreshing to see how grounded and loving your family is, despite the craziness of Hollywood."

"Thank you, Jimmy," you said sincerely, reaching over to give Ewan's hand a squeeze. "We just try to keep things as normal as possible for her, no matter how crazy things get on set."

Jimmy nodded, smiling warmly. "And it’s clear that you’re doing an amazing job. I mean, the way you both light up when you talk about her—it’s obvious that your family comes first."

The audience clapped in agreement, and you couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude for the life you and Ewan had built together, both on and off the screen.

"Well," Jimmy said, wrapping things up, "I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re looking forward to seeing more of you both—whether it’s on screen or in more adorable videos with your daughter!"

"Thank you, Jimmy," Ewan said with a grateful smile, and you echoed his sentiments.

As the interview came to a close, you and Ewan exchanged a loving glance, knowing that no matter how big your careers became, nothing would ever compare to the joy of sharing your lives with each other and your daughter.

…pt.2 ? a whole series of ewan being a dad?? or any ideas for dad!ewan?

mae.

let me know what you think about this and thank you for reading 🌟 also a like or reblog/comments are my motivation

[whatdoeseverybodywant]

Sorry - Chapter 6

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS

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Series Masterlist

Jon often forgets how petty his fiance could be as he watched her force Josh to switch seats with her on the plane so she was two rows ahead of him instead of sitting next to him. Their first flight had been canceled, leaving them in the airport for an extra 5 hours. He had tried to talk to Dominique, only to be met with silence and glares. Jon sucked his teeth as Josh made eye contact with him as he made his way over to him. 

“Aye it's gone be all good twin. Y’all got all week to work it out.” Jon snorted. He had peeked into her phone earlier when she was texting her mom and saw that she had asked her mom to pick her up from the airport.  

“Unlikely. Moniqiue is picking her up and taking her back to Ensley.” 

“Uce, that's a 12 minute drive. If you really wanna work shit out with Dom then do it. Hurry up and text Ms Mo before the flight takes off. Tell her she doesn’t need to come anymore.”  Jon didn’t respond to his twin, too busy looking at Dominique and trying to think of ways to get her back to him, back with him. 

“I don’t know what to do.” Jon confessed. “I know I fucked up and I apologized, but I just don’t know what else to do.” Josh sucked his teeth causing Jon to look over at him. “What?”

“You being deadass Uce? I know you not being deadass. Jon, you flew her out to Paris so you could propose in front of the Eiffel Tower because that's what she told you her ideal proposal was. Dominique is just stubborn as hell but you know what to do, Just follow your heart.” 

Dominique rolled her eyes and let out a groan at all the messages her mother had sent her pertaining to her wedding. Dom had told her mom that the wedding was off but Monique Walker-Coleman did not care. She knew how her daughter was and she knew that Dominique and Jon would work it out.  

She didn’t even bother responding to her mom. She took her headphones out of her carry-on and slipped them on to her head. After putting on her playlist, she closed her eyes and tried to drift  off to sleep, but her mind kept going back to what Ishana had said to her. 

Dom knew Ishana was right but she also knew that if the shoe was on the other foot, Ishana would have turned her own fiance every way but loose! She understood that Jon knew he fucked up and all he wanted was for Dominique to forgive him, but she was hurt. She watched, with her own two eyes as her fiance let some bitch get into his space. He let that bitch KISS him! 

Dominique opened her eyes and  took a deep breath trying to calm herself down, if she thought about it anymore she was gonna be put on the no fly list after she got through with Jon. 

Dominique all but ran off of the plane. She could hear Jon calling after her as she grabbed her bags from baggage claim and hightailed it to where her mom was waiting for her. “Go!” She yelled once she got in her moms car , then winced as her mother narrowed her eyes. “Sorry, can you just drive please?’ Monique nodded and drove off just as Jon came sprinting out of the building.

Monique stared at her daughter, very disappointed in what she was hearing. “Yes, he fucked up.” Monique started off and Dominique smiled, finally someone was on her side. “But,” Monique said, causing Dom’s smile to fade. “You also fucked up by not letting him know how you feel about marriage before y’all even got engaged. You’re afraid to go through what me and your father went through and I don’t blame you. But you can’t let that ruin what you and Jon have. Y’all both went through some rough shit before finding each other. Don’t let  your fear mess that up Dominique.” 

“So what you're saying is that it’s my fault for not telling him I'm scared of being married.” Dominique scoffed, sitting back in  her chair and crossing her arms over her chest as Monique rolled her  eyes.

“Girl, you know damn well that’s not what I said.” Monique reached across the table and gently grasped her daughter's hand, squeezing it. “I don’t want you to be like me, Meeks. Don’t blow this situation out of proportion. You and him messed up and you and him need to sit down and talk to each other, without screaming.” Monique said, pointing an accusatory finger at her daughter. “You nicely tell him how you feel, not just about the situation but marriage as a whole and you listen to what he has to say.” 

Dominique stayed out with her mother as late as she could. It was nearing 4 pm when she finally made it home and normally she would have gone in the house and started on dinner but she was still pissed off with him, she didn’t care if he ever ate again. 

She furrowed her eyebrows as she walked in the house, taking a note of the silence, which was very unusual in their house. She walked into the kitchen and jumped when she saw him sitting there, nursing a bottle of beer. She let out a sigh when she saw two empty bottles in the recycling bin. 

“Didn’t think I was gonna see you tonight.” He said in greeting and Dominique ignored him, walking over to the counter and shuffling through the bills that had accumulated while they were on the road. She noticed that his keys were thrown on the counter and not on the hook by the garage door. 

“I hope you decided to drink those after you went wherever you needed to go.” She muttered, flickering her eyes up to his. “You can’t afford another DUI.” That was a low blow. Jon chuckled and picked at the label. 

“That was uncalled for.” He muttered, his voice laced with hurt. “You ain’t have to say that Dom.” He let out a scoff when she shrugged. 

“What you did was uncalled for too.” 

“Now you just being childish and petty, Dominique.” 

“Hmm.” She hummed and placed the bills back down on the counter. “I’m going to take a shower.” She said, huffing as she heard him following after her. “Stop following me Jon.” 

“I just wanna talk to you.” He pleaded as he followed her up the steps and into their bedroom. She sighed and walked into their closet to get her some nightclothes ready. 

“I am talking to you Jonathan.” She called out from the closet. 

"Dom, please." He pleaded, taking his hair out of the ponytail and running his fingers through it. "I just want to talk to you” 

“Jonathan, we can talk in the morning. I just want to shower. “ He sucked his teeth and watched as she disappeared into the bathroom. He sighed and stood up to follow her in the bathroom.

"Okay I'll talk you listen." He sat on the toilet lid and she glared at him.

"Jon can you just - " She started but he cut her off.

"I fucked up and I'm sorry." He said and he rubbed his hand down his face. "I didn't know she was gonna do what she did, Dom. I-" He stopped and shrugged. "I don't know you told me to go find someone else and I was pissed but my intentions weren't to disrespect you." She rolled her eyes and rested her but against the sink so she was facing him.

"I obviously didn't really mean it, Jonanthan!" She cocked her eyebrow at him. Was he serious? So now all of a sudden he wants to do everything she said. If she said jump would he say how high?

"I know that Dominique, I was drunk and upset. Like I Just said it wasn't my intentions."

"So what were your 'intentions'?" She said using air quotes.

"I don't know Dominique." He stressed. She was making this more difficult than it needed to be. Why couldn't she just accept his apology. "All I know is that you pissed me off." She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"So that's what I had to look forward to if we got married? You letting different women in your space when I piss you off?" He groaned.

"Of course not Dom.-" She cut him off .

"What if it was me, Jon?" He raised his head from his hands and looked at her.

"What?"

"What if it was me? What if you saw me with another dude all over me in the club and I didn't push him away? Would you forgive me right away?" He clenched his fist at the thought of another man even touching her. “You already was pissed off because you seen me with Randy.” 

"I'm not the only one at fault here Dominique." He deflected and she let out a huff and crossed her arms. "9 months of you pushing me away everytime I ask about the wedding, our wedding. Everytime I bring it up you either start an argument or walk away." He said, standing up from the toilet and walking closer to her. She averted her gaze, looking at the wall behind his head. He was right, he wasn't the only one at fault but he played a bigger role in this problem than she did.

She could be woman enough to admit that all of their other arguments were petty and childish and all her fault but this was entirely on him.

"Okay but I didn't let some guy kiss me." He restrained himself from rolling his eyes. She wasn't going to let that go any time soon.

"And I apologized for that and already told you that I didn't know she was going to do that."

"That doesn't make it okay Jon!" She yelled looking at him again. "None of this is okay! I'm allowed to have reservations about the wedding! I'm allowed to not be sure about certain shit Jonathan!" She was trying her hardest not to cry.

"So you're not certain about us?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"So what are you saying Dominique?"

She stared at him. She wasn't sure what she meant by that. She was certain that she wanted to be with him, but she wasn't certain that she wanted to get married to him.

"I don't know." She mumbled, looking down at her feet. He scoffed.

"You know what." He let out a humorless chuckle. "Maybe we should just you know." He made a break apart motion with his hands. "If this wasn't what you wanted." He motioned between the two of them. "You shouldn't have accepted my proposal." He said turning around and walking back into their shared room.

Dominique stared after him in shock. That wasn't how she thought the conversation was going to go. She didn't expect him to walk out. She walked into the bedroom to see him packing an overnight bag.

"I'm going to stay at my moms." He said not sparing her a glance as he walked out of the room. She followed behind him wanting to tell him not to go and that she did want to be with him but something in her wasn't letting her.

He left the house slamming the door and let out a frustrated scream once he was in his truck. 

HEYY Y'ALL... Sorry about the wait.

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HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO THOSE WHO CELEBRATE! STAY SAFE

[uluvjay]

Time to say goodbye- L.Hughes

Summary: you have to say goodbye to Luke as he has to leave for Jersey

Luke Hughes x established relationship reader

A/n: be ready for loads of sad fics once we find out who is all signing😊

Lightly proofread so I apologize for any errors I missed!

—

You woke up in his arms on Friday morning, everyone had flown right back to Michigan after the game. You had thousands of thoughts running through your mind as your boyfriends alarm started going off.

The alarm that was waking him up so he could go sign his NHL contract.

They tried getting him to sign it in Tampa and go straight to Jersey but he refused. He wanted to do it at Yost surrounded by people he loved, in a place he loved, not where he just lost the same championship for the second year in a row.

You stayed quiet as he started to wake up and check his phone, the notifications nonstop since he got off the ice Thursday night.

“Good morning” he said as he hugged you tighter and kissed your head

“Morning Lu” you mumble

“I’m sorry” he admitted making you look up at him with confusion

“For what?”

“Having to sign this contract in two hours, and having to leave you, leave Michigan, leave the boys. I want to but I don’t at the same time” he expressed to you.

“Oh Luke” you said as you seen how sad he looked

“I mean me and duke haven’t been apart since freshman year, we’ve been together since our junior year, and these guys are some of my best friends. Not to mention I love it here, I’ve had the best time playing for Michigan, I don’t want to leave but if I don’t sign this contract I’ll be letting so many people down” he was crying at this point.

“Baby listen to me, if you truly aren’t ready to be pro then don’t sign, I can promise you that your family will not be upset with you, I won’t be upset. It’s your choice Luke, it’s your life. But if you are ready to go out there and show the world that a 19 year old Luke Hughes has what it takes to be in the national league, then go get your ass dressed so you can go sign this mother fucker” you told him through your own tears because no matter how bad it hurt that your boyfriend was leaving, he was achieving his dreams.

“God I love you” he said as he pulled you into a kiss that tasted of the salt from your tears and morning breath.

“I love you more” you replied pulling away

—

Two hours later you stood holding hands with Ellen and Dylan as Luke signed with the Devils in a conference room at Yost.

All the boys were waiting outside the conference room, they weren’t upset when he picked Dylan to come in the room, everyone knew how hard it was for the two of them to split.

“Congratulations Mr.Hughes your officially a New Jersey Devil” the devils staff member told him shaking his hand.

“Thank you” Luke replied looking towards you and his mom who were both on the verge of tears.

They took their pictures, one of Luke signing a fake contract , one with him and his parents, him and Duker, and then one of you two.

From here he’d go back to the sophomore house to get his bags and then he’d be on a flight to Jersey.

Once all the boys came in to congratulate him and more pictures were taken, everyone gave you two the room.

You didn’t know what to do or say, you knew if your tried to speak you would break out in sobs but you didn’t want to spend your last few moments with your boyfriend in silence

“Y/n..” he started but began crying as well

You just pulled him into your arms and hugged him, you two stayed like that, just holding each other until Ellen knocked on the door letting you two know that you had to get going.

You pulled away and looked up at him, both your faces were red and covered in tears, you probably looked like a raccoon because of your mascara but you didn’t care.

“We gotta go baby” he whispered

“I know”

—

You two stayed stuck together the whole ride to the airport, the car was quiet besides the light music from the radio.

Ellen and Jim both knew how hard this was for the two of you, you had been dating for four years and hardly spent long amounts of time apart. However you also knew how hard this was for them to send their last boy off to the Nhl.

After you made it to the gate he shared an emotional goodbye with his parents before turning to you. You ran straight into his arms already crying for the hundredth time that day.

“Flight 729 To Newark New Jersey now boarding” you heard over the intercom and it made your heart pang with hurt.

“Guys it’s time to say your last goodbye” Ellen spoke up but you could hear how sad her voice sounded, she didn’t want her baby to go.

“I love you so much Y/n” he told you as you both pulled apart

“I love you Luke” you replied as you pulled him down into a small kiss before stepping back so his parents could get one more hug in.

You held hands with Ellen once again as you three watched him walk down the hall towards his plane.

—

Cried while writing this so I hope you cried to🥲

[pinkslipxox]

May I please pleaseeee request Miko with a Boricua reader that grew up in Humboldt Park (Chicago's historical Puerto Rican neighborhood) and has never been to the island, so Miko takes her for the first time 🥹

I just need this cause my mom has never taken me to PR

Ahhh ofc, mi amor! Manifesting that you go there one day 🫶💋 Hope you like it xx

——————————————————————————

“Can you please tell me where we’re going?” you whine playfully to your girlfriend, who only shakes her head with a hint of a smile on her face.

“Te dije que es una sorpresa, mi amor,” she murmurs softly, pulling you closer to her side. She plants a kiss to your temple. “I promise you’re going to love where we’re going.”

You pout. “You’re not even going to give me a hint?”

“Hmm…” Miko places a finger on her chin, pretending to think. “Nope!”

It is very early in the morning. The sun hasn’t even gone up yet. Yesterday, Miko had told you to pack your bags, telling you that the two of you were going to take a little trip. You’ve been begging for her to tell you where you were going ever since. Yet no matter how you plea, Miko has remained tight-lipped about your destination.

The two of you are seated at a private VIP lounge at the Midway International Airport. You’re tired from having to wake up so early but you’re incredibly excited and anxious. Upon arriving at the airport, your luggage was taken away and you two were escorted to the lounge. The both of you are dressed in hoodies, sweats and beanies. And all that you’re doing right now is waiting to board the plane.

Not just any old plane. A private plane. Owned by Miko.

Just as you’re about doze off, Miko gently shakes your shoulder and tells you that it’s now time to board the plane. Your hand is held by Miko’s the entire time you walk to the plane. You start to get excited again once you’re sat in your seat.

“Can I at least guess where we’re going?” you muse with a playful smile and Miko chuckles.

“Dale, mi amor,” she says with a nod of head.

“Are we going to Hawaii?” you ask after a beat of silence.

Miko smirks. “Good guess but no.”

“Bali?” you guess again and Miko shakes her head with a smile.

“Okay, final guess— Spain!” you say confidently, and Miko laughs softly.

“We just came back from Spain, mi vida,” Miko hums and you huff dramatically.

You pout. “Please tell me!”

“My lips are sealed, nena,” Miko teases, pretending to zip up her lips and throwing the key away.

The two of you continue to banter back and forth until the pilot announces to prepare for takeoff. Before you know it, the plane is in the air, and you feel yourself slowly drifting off to sleep again. You hear Miko coo and she lifts the armrest. She pulls you to her side, lowers your beanie so that it covers your eyes, and kisses your cheek.

“Que descanses bien, mi amor,” she whispers lovingly in your ear, making you smile. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

And you fall asleep.

The next thing you know, your girlfriend is sweetly coaxing you awake by whispering in your and planting small kisses to your neck. With a smile on her face, she tells you to look out the window. You see that the plane is now flying over crystal blue waters. The sun is just hitting its peak in the sky, it’s light generously pouring over the sea, making the waves shimmer like sapphires. It’s at that moment you realize where Miko is taking you.

“Miko… we’re going to Puerto Rico?” you gasp, your eyes swelling with tears as you feel your heart beat faster.

“Surprise!” she squeals, her eyes twinkling with excitement as her smile grows upon seeing your reaction.

Your family is from Puerto Rico. And although your parents have brought you up to love the island, you’ve never had the chance to go there. You grew up all your life in Humboldt Park hearing how beautiful the island is, how kind the people are, and marveled at how proud your family, friends and neighbors were to share their experiences with you. When you had first started dating, you expressed your desire to Miko about going to Puerto Rico and she vowed that one day she will take you.

And here you two are now.

“Te amo, te amo, te amo!“ You wrap your arms tightly around Miko, your tears slowly streaming down your face as the pilot announces over the intercome that the plane will land in San Juan in thirty minutes.

“Yo tambien te amo mucho, Y/N,” Miko says, embracing you just as tightly. “Estoy tan feliz y emocionada por estar de regreso a Puerto Rico contigo. Vamos a pasarla muy bien.”

“I know we will.” You pull away from her slightly. “We always do, no matter where we go.”

“That’s right we do, baby,” Miko hums as she leans in and gives you a sweet kiss to your lips.

[jasmine-the-fox]

Grandpa Alfred

Merry Christmas everyone!!! here is a Christmas story requested by A29Z10!

hope you all enjoy this Miraculous Ladybug x Batman fic!

Marinette felt like Ronald wasn’t her grandpa. She didn’t know who was her real grandpa though. Her dad always said his mom didn’t tell him but hoped she would one day so he could meet his real father… but that day never came… all because of Cat Noir. During an akuma battle he messed up and caused Marinette’s parents to be crushed to death… and the miraculous cure couldn’t bring them back.

Marinette was out of school for two weeks to mourn the death of her parents. She would read the last letter her grandpa Ronald wrote to her dad; he revealed how he wasn’t Tom’s actual father in the letter and she would be sad from reading it. The kwami’s worked hard to protect her from any akuma Hawkmoth might send her way.

But they couldn’t always protect her…

Once back at school… Lila and Adrien led the class to make fun of Marinette for being an orphan. Miss Bustier never made them stop and as a result her mental health was getting worst as the days past. Jagged and Penny took Mari into there care and lived with her while Gina was away, they hoped she would return soon because they were deeply worried about Marinette each day, she comes back from school looking worst.

When Gina returns to Paris she is horrified at Marinette’s condition. It broke her and she knew that Paris was no longer safe for her. So, even though it broke her grand-daughter to leave her home… she left with Gina with the help of Jagged to Gotham so Gina could bring her to an old friend of her’s who could care for Mari.

Which led to Gina seeing Alfred once more… Tom’s real father…

See, years ago… Gina and Alfred were both secret agents and were working together often… which led to Gina getting pregnant with Alfred’s child. Before she could tell him though, Alfred left to care for the Wayne’s… leaving Gina alone to give birth to Tom. When she retired, she moved to Paris and met Ronald who adopted Tom as his son and helped Gina raise him after they got married.

They both decided to not tell Tom unless they were dying… and then Ronald passed and gave Tom the truth in a letter. Gina wishes she had been in Paris when Ronald’s death came… then she would have told Tom about Alfred… but she was too late. So now… she needed to help Marinette in anyway she could. So, when she saw Alfred at the airport… she knew she had to tell him everything.

So, she asked him to have coffee with her and told him everything. It broke Alfred’s heart to know he had a son… but sadly passed before he could meet him and his wife… but now he has a grand-daughter who needs help “My friend just messaged me that she can’t watch Marinette” Gina said with a sigh “Let me, Gina. I want to know my grand-daughter better” he replied making Gina sigh and nod to his offer. So, with that, Marinette moved to the Wayne manor.

Gina waited with her as Alfred picked up Bruce who had gone to Japan for a business deal. His biological son was at school and his adopted kids were all working at the moment so they would be back later in the day. Mari was sadly nervous about the whole thing but Gina promised that everything would be alright in the end for her and that she would be happy once more in no time.

And she was right…

When Alfred returned with Bruce, he sat down in the kitchen with his granddaughter while Bruce spoke to Gina to understand Marinette’s situation better. He finds out slowly about Marinette’s personal life back in Paris and her hobbies which makes Alfred happy, at one point they bake together a few things Marinette loved to make with her parents making him happy to see her smile… meanwhile.

Bruce finds out from Gina what Marinette went through “She was bullied on her first day back?” he asked making Gina nod “She mourned the death of her parents for two weeks since she also needed to take care of a few things since I wasn’t there to do them… and when she came back, she was made fun of for becoming an orphan” she explained which angered Bruce greatly.

He was now determined to help Marinette “What about her teachers?” he asked making Gina sighed “Her main teacher ignored it. She let them bully her during her class and reprimanded Marinette for causing this to happen” she explained making Bruce get pissed.

He couldn’t believe a woman like her was hired as a teacher in the first place… he was determined to resolve all of this for Marinette no matter what. Damian came home from school to the smell of baked goods coming from the kitchen with the sounds of giggling. He peeked into the kitchen to see an angel with Alfred baking in the kitchen together. He became very interested in her and hoped to get to know her soon enough.

It barely took an hour after everyone returned for everyone to know who Marinette was and what happened to her in Paris… none of them were happy at all with what she was put through and were determined to make everyone pay. In a matter of days, the Wayne’s uncovered what was happening in Paris and decided to help Ladybug to defeat Hawkmoth, they did research on the akuma’s and who works with Hawkmoth and slowly formed a plan to help Ladybug defeat him once and for all… and take down the ones who hurt Marinette while they were at it while in Paris.

Damian protected Mari at school since she was put in his class and made sure she was safe at all times no matter what anyone tried… good or bad he planned to keep her happy and safe since he didn’t want her to be bullied once more… and if that meant secretly do a background check on anyone who looked interested in becoming close to Marinette… then so be it.

Bruce helped set Marinette up with what she needed while everyone chipped to bond with Mari in some type of way. Alfred was happy to see his granddaughter smiling and being at peace now from her pain in Paris. Soon though the Wayne’s went to Paris to take down Marinette’s old high school… while taking down Hawkmoth with Ladybug.

Within a few days, Hawkmoth was revealed as Gabriel and he was arrested, Lila was uncovered and exposed for her lies and was labelled a terrorist aid since she helped Hawkmoth akumatized a few people, Adrien was arrested since it was discovered he had caused the death of Marinette’s parents on purpose as he wanted to punish her for fighting against Lila, the school was shut down, Damocles and Bustier were arrested and the students who bullied Marinette paid the price by being taken to court and each getting a criminal record for their actions towards Marinette.

While this was all happening, Damian and Alfred helped Marinette where they could to help her heal from everything. She started dating Damian and laughed as she heard Alfred give him “the talk” which made Damian sulk for a while. As everything began to settle, Marinette felt happy and free with Hawkmoth gone and all of the miraculous back together.

She felt bad for using the fox miraculous to make an illusion of herself before leaving for Paris to take down Hawkmoth but it had to be done so Alfred and Damian didn’t know she was gone. She planned on telling them all about the miraculous… but not right now since she wanted to relax and rest from everything. Sure, her old classmates did try to contact her to have her help them but she ignored them. They were in the wrong and there was no way she would lie and say that nothing big happened between them.

Years go by and she was engaged to Damian. She was really happy and couldn’t wait to get married to Damian. The day he proposed was Christmas, he gave her his present which was a jewelry box and inside the song that plays at weddings began and her sweet kwami’s came out to present her the message “Will you marry me angel?” and Plagg presented her the ring Damian got her.

She accepted and together they decided on a Christmas themed wedding for them… it simply sounded perfect for them and so that’s what they planned to do. Sadly, her old classmates still try to contact her, Adrien was released and quickly began to harass her to have her date him and Lila to her surprise went to social media talking to her as if they were friends and she was only asking for a small favor… when she was asking for a job, a nice apartment, some connections and a famous boyfriend.

She ignored them all though. Let them suffer with there coal from being bad for so long while she enjoyed herself at long last… she was happy now and wanted it to stay that way… Alfred smiled towards his granddaughter as she hugged Damian as the Wayne’s were together for Christmas.

[truexnfootball]

Meet Your Mama pt2

Am I insane? Yes. Am I releasing this the same day as pt 1? Probably not. Will there be a pt 3? Most definitely. 18+ this time!!

You helped grab Travis 2 week of clothes from his dresser and closet, folded them neatly in his suitcase and zipped it up.

He came up behind you and gave your ass a swat.

"HEY!" you yelled. He only laughed before pulling you into a hug and kissing your head.

"Let me get these for you madame." He said picking up his bags.

"I was hoping you wouldn't make me carry them, their your clothes." You said following him out to your car.

He put his bags in the back of the car and opened your door for you.

"After you m'lady." He said with a goofy grin on his face

"Thank you kind sir." You said pinching his cheek before placing a kiss to the area.

"Your gonna make me blush Y/N." He said mocking your southern accent.

You couldn't help but cackle at how silly he sounded. You couldn't wait for him to meet your family and evidently, put him to some real work on the ranch.

He kept his hand on your thigh the whole way to the airport, stealing a kiss once and again at red lights.

Your parents would pick you both up at the the airport in Dallas once you landed. Travis still has no idea where your going. He's just happy to be with you for 2 weeks.

He parked the car, grabbed both of his and your bags and opened your door for you.

"Trav quit acting like my chauffeur."

"I just love you so much, I want to make you happy." He said smiling at you.

You went to take your bags from him but he quickly stood in the way.

"What do you want now Kelce?"

"Don't think I was gonna let you walk away without paying me." He said tapping his cheek, expecting a kiss.

You let out a sigh and payed him his due, and swiped your bags while he was distracted.

He laughed at the way you sassily walked away from him and hurried after you.

You sat with him, waiting for the call to board the plane. He had headphones on and thankfully couldn't hear when it came over the loudspeaker to board the plane headed to Dallas Love Field Airport.

You both stood up and walked to what he calls "the shutte". He put 2 bags in the overhead storage and you made sure to take the window seat. He settled into the seat next to you and started to doze off. You took the opportunity to nudge your way under his arm and take a nap too.

You woke later to him grunting, as he was just waking up too.

"Good morning to you too big guy." You said looking up at him, laughing a little.

"Mm, are we there yet?" He asked half awake.

"Yeah I guess." You were looking out your window now, getting ready to stand up. The other passengers were getting off, and Travis just wanted to sleep.

"C'mon Trav, we gotta get off." You said climbing over him to grab his right arm in an attempt to pull him up.

"Alright fine." He grumbled, getting annoyed with having to wake up and move.

You grabbed the luggage and Travis was close to follow. You spotted your mom and dad in the parking lot.

You dropped your bags and ran to them. They hugged you and told you how much they missed you. Then he was spotted. The 6'5 hunk you brought with you.

"Oh my god is that..." Your mom started

"Yep, I brought the one and only Travis Kelce with me." You said, pretty damn proud of yourself.

He said hi to both your parents, hugged your mom and shook your dad's hand. Your mom was still shocked as ever with the fact her daughter had brought this stud of a man with her.

They both drove you and Travis to the ranch and showed him around. They had set up another bed in your room for Travis, but you both knew they would be pushed together.

(Editor Ema here, I'm skipping a BUNCH at least to the spicy parts because I wanna include that right about now, so stuffs gonna go quick.)

As your family ate supper, you created small talk with your mom about your life in KC, while your dad talked to Travis about football.

Once you all finished eating, your parents went outside to run some yearlings and you ran upstairs to get changed into pajamas. Know and behold your new man was right behind you as you bent over to grab your jeans off the floor.

"Whew baby, that's one sight that should be the 8th wonder of the world." He said grabbing your ass and pushing lightly on your back.

"Unhand my ass Kelce before I donkey kick you." You said, trying to sound authoritative.

"Awww, pretty girl tryna act tough?" He questioned seductively.

"No, I'm telling you to let me go before you regret this."

"Oh I won't regret a thing sweetheart " he said before picking you up and throwing you on the bed.

You grunted at the impact. Trying to get up, but you felt his hand shove you back down and his large arms cage you in.

"I've waited for this long enough." He said before kissing you roughly. His hands grabbing whatever flesh he could before finally resting one on your left breast and the other on your lower abdomen.

You grabbed his shirt and started to unbutton it while he worked the buttons on your shirt too. Eventually, he got pissed at how long it was taking him, and ripped your shirt in half, discarding it somewhere in the room.

You pushed his shirt off and threw it somewhere and let your hands run over his chest and back. You were too dazed in the heat of the kiss and didn't realize your hand wandered to his crotch, but you knew you felt something hard.

"Watch those hands baby girl, you'll get it soon enough." He said letting out a slight moan before slipping a hand between your legs. He unbuckled his belt and took his pants off, leaving him in just his boxers.

"Take them off Trav." You said trying to catch your breath. He slid his boxers off, revealing his thick member which you immediately took in your hand. He moaned and you prayed to God your parents were still outside.

You took the opportunity to push him off you and get on top. He pulled your underwear down and slid into you. Both of you let out moans as you moved up and down his length.

"Fuck baby, that's so good. Your so good to me aren't you?" He started rambling but the little moans he was letting out were so hot you didn't even want to tell him to stop.

"God Trav this hurts." You said slowing down your pace.

He flipped you both over, hoping to make it easier on you.

He started off slow to let you adjust more, and once you did he picked up pace. Before you knew it he was pounding into you with such force you knew you were going to feel him for weeks.

"OH MY GOD TRAV!" you screamed, gripping his shoulders, hoping to ground yourself.

"I got you baby, I'm almost there." He said with a few hard thrusts before you let out a loud moan and your eyes rolled to the back of your head and he leaned over you more.

A few more brutal thrusts and he was coming with you. Both of you were sent into a drunken daze of lust and passion.

You both came down from your high, and he laid next to you. He faced you and smiled.

"God Y/N, I don't know what was better, winning my second Super Bowl or this."

You laughed and kissed his cheek, "Well Trav, I don't know what was better, seeing your ass earlier or this." You grabbed his ass before giving him another kiss.

He pulled you to him and grumbled against your cheek.

"You better stop that or your gonna get it Y/N."

"I wouldn't complain one bit Travvy." You said before wrapping your arms around him and resting your head on him before drifting off to sleep.

Omg this was a piece of work that's for sure ���. I never wrote smutty stuff like this so if it's weird, please don't hesitate to let me know. I PROMISE rancher Travis is in the next part, I really wanted to dip my toe in smut and I'm not really sure I like how it turned out. Anywho, I've been dealing with another illness, I was 90% sure it was COVID, but I have my taste and smell, just can't breathe in much or it hurts. This is my 3rd time being sick since December. Everything is okay with me and my mom, just hoping my grandma doesn't get it this bad. She's already showing signs of it and I can only help her and pray. Anywho, toodaloo lovelies, off to write pt 3 where we put Sir Travis on a horse 😂. This is gonna be fun.

Here are the @'s for this fic: @elovesjm and @godsfavoritebabe

And the hashtags:

[avalanchesumich]

reunion- mackie samoskevich

mackie samoskevich x reader

warnings; like one or two swear words. if i missed anything else, lmk!

ten more seconds until michigan would be eliminated from the frozen four.

your hand was wrapped tightly with your friend, and you looked down at your feet, feeling your heart drop as the buzzer rang. you squeezed your eyes tightly in hopes to put a stop to the tears threatening to escape your eyes. no reason to cry yet, you told yourself.

after a while, mackie had slowly come out of the locker room. his eyes searched for you immediately, his shoulders becoming less tense when he saw you. he made his way towards you, dropping his bag at your feet. you instantly opened your arms for him to fall into. mackie melted into your embrace.

you had to blink back your own tears when you felt his against your shoulder. “i know, baby. i know,” you whispered. one of your hands went to cradle his head while the other was rubbing comforting circles on his back.

“i tried so hard,” he whispered. “but it wasn’t enough.”

you shook your head. “don’t say that, mack,” you said softly. mackie pulled back to meet your eyes. “you guys had a great season. you’ll just have to take this loss and use it to make you stronger next season.”

hearing your words, mackie looked away for a moment. he took a deep breath and turned to look back into your eyes. “we need to talk about that, baby.”

your heart dropped and you felt the burning sensation in your eyes. “you’re going to florida?”

you and mackie had been preparing for his leave as michigan’s season came closer to an end, unaware of when the panthers would be ready for him. but in this moment, you realized that no amount of preparation could help the heartbreak you were feeling.

“well, charlotte for now,” mackie corrected. he took your hands in his, rubbing the backs with his thumbs. “and i still have a couple days. we go back to michigan and pack my stuff, spend the next couple of days together,” he explains. mackie frowns as the tears stream down your face. he reached up and cupped your face, wiping away your tears. “please, don’t cry, baby. we’ll be back with each other before you know it.“

you leaned into his touch and nodded. “the semester’s almost over,” you added in weakly. “i can fly to wherever you’ll be. and your first game, i’ll be at your first game.”

mackie smiled sadly and nodded. “you better,” he chuckles. “i told my parents about it when i saw them earlier. i would’ve told you sooner, if i could’ve. i’m so sorry, y/n/n.”

you wrapped your arms around his torso and brought him in for another hug. “don’t apologize. don’t ever apologize for doing the one thing you’ve always wanted.”

mackie sighed and nodded. he pressed a kiss to the top of your head before pulling away to see your face again. “mom said they were gonna get you tickets to my first game.” you shook your head, but mackie held his hand up. “don’t decline it. you’ve met the woman, no saying no to her.”

you let out a watery laugh and nodded. “i’ll give her a call later.” mackie hummed. “yeah, later. right now, i wanna spend time with just you while i still can.”

the time had come to bring mackie to the airport, and the both of you were equally upset. mackie was holding your hand tightly, and his other hand was dragging his suitcase behind the two of you. once the two of you had gotten as far as you could go, you came to a stop.

you looked up at mackie, eyes roaming all over his face, as if you were studying him. swallowing hard, you forced yourself to smile up at him as tears threatened to escape. mackie’s eyes narrowed. “we promised no tears,” he whispered. “you cry, i cry. remember?”

you tried to blink the tears away, but it was no use. “i know, sorry,” you mumbled, rubbing at your eyes with the back of your hand. “you’ll text me when you land? and when you get to your apartment?”

he nodded, his nerves easing slightly as you interrogated him. he smiled softly. “i’ll call you, how about that?” you nodded, rather aggressively, causing mackie to laugh. “everything’s gonna be okay, baby,” he said. he pulled you into his arms, swaying the two of you back and forth.

“i know,” you nodded. you pulled away and looked up at him. “i love you.”

mackie smiled. “i love you,” he said. “so much.” he tipped your chin up with his finger and brought you into a kiss.

it had been almost a year since you’d last seen mackie; long distance had been a bitch, but the two of you had been managing.

currently, you were working your shift at the local diner, getting ready to close when a voice spoke up,

“excuse me?”

“i’m sorry,” you looked up from the tablet on the desk in front of you. “we’re clo-“ you cut yourself off, and tears instantly stung your eyes as you took in the person before you. “mackie?”

“hi, baby,” he nodded, a grin forming on his face.

“oh my god,” you whispered. you rushed from behind the desk and into his arms.

mackie’s arms wound tightly around you, one of his arms wrapped around your waist and the other cradling your head.

“missed you,” you whispered into his neck. “i missed you so fucking much.”

“i missed you,” he replied softly. “more than you know.” you stayed in his arms for a moment longer before you pulled away from him. mackie reached up and placed his hand on your cheek, using his thumb to wipe away her tears. “why are you crying?”

you leaned your cheek into his hand, gingerly wrapping your hand around his wrist. “i can’t believe you’re here, is all.”

mackie smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “so you’re saying i nailed this whole surprise thing?”

you giggled and nodded. “yeah,” you replied. “you nailed it.”

“maddy owes me twenty bucks now,” mackie smiled triumphantly. “she thought i’d ruin it for sure.”

you laughed at this, shaking your head. “i’m so in love with you.”

“hmm,” mackie hummed, pretending to think. “i like the sound of that.”

you scoffed and poked his stomach. “excuse you?”

mackie chuckled. “i love you more.”

[therealgchu]

generation trauma

i've been thinking a lot about how different genX was raised as compared to the generations after. this came up in a discussion on r/buffy where someone mentioned that they thought joyce was a terrible parent. my comment was that she didn't beat buffy or tell her constantly that she ruins everything, so already miles ahead of mine. and, there were so many other genX voices that echoed similar sentiments. we were the latch-key generation, the feral generation. we were raised to be independent before we were even out of grade school.

on r/genx, the topic of parents forgetting to pick you up from school came up. so many stories about this. here's some samples:

My parents decided to move 3 days ahead of schedule while I was at school and my after-school job and forgot to tell me. I got home from work at 10 p.m. to a dark house with nothing in it.....so forgetting to pick me up after school would be par for the course with them In 1984, I had a friend in highschool, her mom did the same thing, moved, and didn't bring her along. She was 16, got on assistance, found a shitty basement apartment to live, and kept going to school. My parents decided to buy a new house 30 minutes away. They just left my 14 year brother in the original family home by himself. Left him a credit card for food, they paid all the bills, and my mom would come by and stay in her old room once in a while. When he was 16, they bought him a car. They basically gave up being parents when they moved. More than a few times my parents forgot to pick me up after wrestling practice. It was only a 2 mile walk home, but on roads with no sidewalks or street lights (and I was normally pretty exhausted after practice). The worst part was repeatedly trying to call home from the payphone and getting only busy signals. Yes. Forgotten after Girl Scouts. Missed bus transfer first day of 7th grade, called my mom and she was like: tough shit. Both times walked 4 miles home. The best was when my siblings and I flew to my dad’s and he wasn’t at the airport to greet us. He was at the bar, naturally, and had lost track of time.

in so many ways, we were told we weren't wanted, were frequently only accessories trotted out, then shoved back into a corner. so many of my friends are childless because their childhoods were fucking nightmares.

but despite all of that, we still had demands to succeed, to excel. because if we didn't excel, the punishment would be even worse. what we felt, how we were all drowning, well, if you want to cry, i'll give you something to cry about. and the belt/switch/wiffle bat/metal spoon came out.

and, as anyone that's suffered this sort of abuse, while the physical abuse was awful, the above stories were far worse than any beating. at least when they were beating you, in a sick, perverted way, they were at least acknowledging that you mattered.

i think genX should be called generation trauma.

[serendipitouswasteland]

March 22, 1986

Note: This was transcribed from my AO3

ship: byler pov: third person written: September 21, 2022 first published: September 22, 2022 word count: 10,621 warnings: death, violence, & graphic depictions of those - summary: Will has simply had enough. The words Mike has been yelling at him for nearly an hour now have began to give Will a headache, and he's had enough. After a forgotten birthday and near-forgotten friendship, Will is done with Mike's bullshit.

But perhaps there's more to the story.

Something about the way Mike said the words itches Will. It made him feel like, slowly, every bit of him that he'd worked to keep together and keep in place over the years is starting to fall apart and unravel– but no. He won't let that happen. Not when Mike is standing across from him looking at him with the look that he is. Not when they're fighting and Will refuses to start crying. But those words? Hell, Mike deserves everything that's coming to him. Or, that's what Will is thinking at the moment.

'You're a fucking liar.'

Does Mike regret it? Does he not? Will doesn't know. The only thing he can read from Mike is anger. Not regret, not satisfaction, just anger. Pure and true anger, more than Will thinks he's ever seen. And for what? Because of a painting that he wasn't entirely truthful about? Because he lied to Mike for the first time in his life? Is that really the only reason right now for Mike's anger? Or was there something else? Perhaps it was something that Mike was lying about, something that Will doesn't know. And yet Mike wants to get mad at Will for lying. Sure .

"Well?" Mike asks, waving his arms out before crossing them again. He's waiting for Will to answer. But what does Will say?

"I didn't lie ," except, he did. He did lie. But to admit that? And to Mike, of all people?

"Bullshit! I talked to El, I talked to Jonathan– hell, even Argyle was on the same page as them. El told me she didn't ask you to make the painting for her, Jonathan told me that too, and so did Argyle. So I went to your mom."

Shit .

"And you know what I found out? That it was you who made it for me. That it was you who wanted to make me this grand painting that symbolizes our friendship. And you did . But you lied about it. You made me think that it was some romantic gesture from El and not from you. How could you do that to me? How could you lie to me, Will? What happened to us being best friends? Or did you once again not care to be that anymore and decided not to tell me?"

"You needed something to help you! That's all I wanted to do– help. And you want to talk to me about not wanting to be friends anymore? The day you first came to Lenora was awful for me, Mike. It sucked ."

"That's not my fault!"

"Except it was! It was your fault, just as much as it was everyone else's. You know it was my birthday? The day at Rink-O-Mania? It was my fucking birthday , Mike."

"What?"

"My birthday, Mike. It was my birthday. And you– you forgot about it. You're supposed to be my best friend and you forgot my birthday."

"I didn't forget your birthday!" Mike yells, bewildered at the accusation.

"But you did! You didn't hug me at the airport, you didn't get me a gift, and you didn't say happy birthday to me at all."

"I did get you a gift."

"Well then where is it?"

Will is crossing his arms now, Mike standing with his at his eyes, a defeated and dumbstruck look on his face. If Will had any guilt over the matter, he didn't show it. Despite how hurt Mike looks, Will can't bring himself to show that he cares. Not in this moment when he feels like his friendship that both he and Mike have worked so hard to repair is falling apart once again. And while that should be the reason he does show that he cares, it's not. It's the complete opposite.

Mike sniffles just a litte, reaching into the pocket of his blue long-sleeved shirt, pulling out a slightly crumpled yet neatly folded piece of paper. Mike looks at the item for a moment before looking away, blinking his eyes a few times. With one last huff of anger, Mike shoves it into Will's hands, forcing him to catch it against his chest.

"Happy fucking birthday."

Mike takes a few steps back, his back hitting the wall. Will stares at him for a moment before gulping and looking down at the paper he's holding against his chest. Will fumbles with it for a moment, unfolding it. Each fold was done with precision and care, like Mike had tried to make it look as perfect as could be. Once unfolded, Will's eyes have to adjust to a long letter written with precision and perfect handwriting. Will doesn't even have to read it to know that it's beautiful.

'Dear Will,

Hawkins hasn't been the same since you left. I don't remember it without you. Not much, anyways. Meeting you on the swings and becoming friends is one of my earliest memories. There's not many I can think of from before that. And to know that I remember the day so vividly makes me question a lot. I don't remember too much else from around that time, so I often ponder who I could remember that so much and not anything else. But I think I know.

Most of my memories from throughout my childhood have you in it. From elementary school breakfasts to playground games to classroom instruction, somehow we've always been together. Even after school you'd come over a lot and we'd have tons of fun. Most nights we even had sleepovers. And all of those memories? They're all my favorites.

And, of course, Lucas and Dustin were there, too. I can't leave out my other two best friends.

But regardless of who else has been in a memory or simply in my life, you have always been this shining star. Bright and bold and sunshine-y, you've always been like my own personal North Star. You lead me to where I have to go– where I'm meant to go.

I know that I've always sort of been the one to "lead" you, but really, Will, you lead me. And sure, I care for you a lot and look out for and worry over you considerably more than you do for me and more than I do for Lucas and Dustin and Max and, hell, sometimes even El (Although, I'll be honest, it's very close. You're both endlessly important to me), but something about the way you treat me is somehow how I've always wanted to treat you.

You're kind and caring and you know me better than anyone else. You're not afraid to call me out on my bullshit and you encourage me to be me. That's what you've always done. And you're honest with me. I won't lie, Will, I've lied to you before. Maybe not directly, but it's happened, and I'm sorry for that. But you being honest with me and trusting me has got to be the reason why I love you so much.

And then there's that.

I wasn't going to say it. I was going to just write you a happy birthday letter telling you all the things I love about you without actually saying that's what it was, but my hand works faster than my mind sometimes and I just can't stop it from all flowing out.

So there it is. I love you. But it's more than that.

It's not just love. Love itself is so unimportant. At least the romantic kind. Every person needs love in their life, yes, and we're made to believe that love we need is romantic, but it's not. A person can survive on just platonic and familial love alone. But you? God, you make me want that romantic love. You make me feel like without it I'm going to simply die. Losing you was the worst thing that ever happened to me. Both times. And sure, I didn't actually lose you either time, but it felt like I did, and neither time have I known what to do with myself. You complete me, Will.

And it is that completion that causes me to be in love with you without me even trying and without me even knowing how or why. But I love you. I do. I am in love with you.

And happy birthday.

Love,

Mike.'

Will's eyes linger on the signage of the letter, a finger trailing over it before his eyes flutter to Mike quickly before looking back at the paper. Will folds it back the way it was before, walking over to Mike who has his hand out waiting for Will to hand it back, and he does. Slowly and gently, Will places the piece of paper into Mike's hand, his fingers going from brushing against Mike's wrist to fingertips as he does so. They make eye contact once again, and Will returns Mike's tears. And, just as he begins to speak, a door is opened, interrupting the pair's solemn moment.

"Guys," Jonathan says, nodding his head down the hall. "We gotta go."

Will pulls away from Mike, brushing past his brother as he begins to make his way down the hall. As he goes, he can hear Jonathan and Mike share a few words. It's distant and muffled, so he can't make it out, but he can tell it's not entirely happy from either side. Will huffs and rolls his eyes, going down the stairs in Mike's house and out the door to the garage, climbing into the back of Karen's car as he pulls his bandana over his face so it's covering his nose and mouth.

Not a moment later, Mike joins him, his eyes stern and coded in anger. He's upset about something, and it's not the same upset he was before. This is something different. Will looks to Jonathan who's eyeing Mike in the mirror, looking away when he finds Will looking at him. Will looks away too, opting to look out the long back window instead.

He rests his chin on his knuckles, looking at the apocalyptic world around him. Every day he fears something will happen to his friends and family. The thought of it happening to him, however, doesn't scare him as much. He'd rather it be himself than anyone else. And right now, Will is sure that split second decision might be one he has to make. After all, they're on their way to killing Vecna.

Nancy had worked out the plan for months. She'd given everyone a role and a person to stick with and told everyone exactly what they would need to do. Each person played a vital role in her plan, and not one person could deviate from it or they might mess it up.

Might.

That was the one thing Will couldn't stop thinking about. Someone deviating only might mess things up. That's how solid of a plan that Nancy thinks she has. But Will knows better. Will knows that, when it comes to the Mind Flayer, there is no plan. If you think you have one, you're as good as dead. Will knows that. But he won't tell anyone else. No one except Mike. But he wasn't going to say anything quite yet. He was going to wait until they were split off in their pairings and it was him and Mike alone. Then he would tell him. He would tell Mike all of the things that he should have told him years ago.

There was, however, one slight problem. He and Mike had just got done fighting. Will can't ponder that right now, though, because Nancy has just pulled up to their first stop. The gate on the highway. Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin all get out of the car, each of them saying goodbye to everyone as they're wished luck before going through.

Once out on the other side, the four boys set up a communication plan for while they're down there. After all, they'd be splitting up– Mike with Will and Lucas with Dustin, just like how it's always been. While Mike and Dustin discuss a few things, Will pulls Lucas over to the side and speaks to him in a hushed voice.

"You can't let yours and Dustin's trauma get to you."

"I know. You can't either."

"What do you think I've been doing this whole time?"

"You still feel him?"

"Too much. It's like he's everywhere and nowhere all at once."

"Have you told Mike?"

"No. You know how he would react. Any time I bring it up he goes absolutely haywire."

"Maybe there's a reason for that."

"What do you mean?"

"I just mean that I was sort of the same way about Max."

"Lucas—"

"I'm not saying he likes you back, Will. But I'm also not saying that he doesn't. I'm just saying that he wants to be able to protect you, no matter what that takes. You have to look out for him just as much if not more than he looks out for you. And that's going to be hard with just how protective he is, but—"

"I sacrificed myself for him before. I'd do it again."

"Promise that you'll both come back?"

"You know we can't promise anything."

"Will. Promise me."

"I promise."

"Promise what?" Mike asks as he and Dustin come to Will and Lucas's sides.

"That we'll all come back," Lucas says, looking at Dustin with a determined look, the both of them nodding firmly at each other before Lucas pulls Will into a tight hug.

"Take care of yourselves, okay?" Mike asks, pulling Lucas and Dustin both into a hug after Lucas and Will finish.

"You guys too," Lucas says as Will and Dustin hug now.

Lucas and Dustin turn and walk the opposite direction, Will and Mike doing the same. Will sniffles just a bit, wiping at his eyes and picking up his pace. He doesn't want to be feeling like this right now.

"You okay?" Mike asks.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to either of them because of me."

"Because of you? What do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid, Mike. This? All of this? It's my fault. If I had just let the Vecna and the Mind Flayer take over Hawkins the first time, or if I had died in the Upside Down then– then none of this would even be happening."

"Don't talk like that. We stopped it before. We can stop it again."

"But that doesn't mean they won't get hurt."

"Will, stop. Listen to me," Mike says, stopping in his tracks which causes Will to do the same. "If anyone gets hurt that is not your fault. That is One's. That is his fault, not yours. You were a kid. That is on him."

The two stand there in silence for a moment before they continue walking. Neither one says much. Not that they should, anyways. Who knows what the extent of Vecna's powers are. He has a lot. Many of them are like El's, but some are different. Some are stronger.

After a while of walking, Mike and Will arrive at their destination. Mike's house. Will remembers when Nancy had been telling everyone what she'd seen in her room and in her journal. There wasn't anything new since Will had disappeared. It was as if, in the Upside Down, time had stopped. It made Will curious, wanting to know more. How was the day he went missing tied into all of this? That wasn't when the Upside Down was created. In fact, it had existed long before that. Long before Vecna had been sent there, too. So why did Will affect it so much?

Walking inside of Mike's house is like stepping through a time machine. He's in a different world. He remembers what it looked like from the height he was then, barely seeing above the counter from how short he was. A few years ago it would have fallen near his waist. Now his hip-bones are right at the counter.

As they continue through, Will notices a lot of things that are different from how they are now. Some photos on the wall, the living room, Mike's room. And while Mike continues his way to Nancy's room, Will pops into Mike's. There's bunk beds instead of a full size, his closet door is closed and his room is picked up and clean. There's knicknacks on his dresser and nightstand. None if it is Mike at all. At least not the Mike now.

Looking around, a photo on top of Mike's dresser catches Will's eye. It's of him, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin with a trophy after the science fair. All of them are smiling brightly. Even Mike. Will traces his thumb over his own face, thinking back over the last few years. He hasn't smiled like that in a while. Not since he moved to Lenora, and definitely not since he'd been possessed by the Mind Flayer. Had it really been that long?

Will sets the photo down, going around the rest of Mike's room. There's a dinosaur– Mike's favorite– but it doesn't roar. It's broken. Then, there's something else that grabs Will's attention. Mike's walkie talkie. Will hasn't used one in a while. There was so much about Mike's room that Will had missed, and he hadn't even realized it until now. So many little things that slowly disappeared, and once he got back from Lenora? He hardly recognized the space at all.

There was one thing, though, that gave it all away. And only now had Will noticed it. On all of Mike's walls, there's Will's art. Drawings and paintings alike, they're plastered on each wall of Mike's room. Picturing Mike's current room in his mind, Will remembers the corkboard on Mike's wall above his bed, that now being what contains all of Will's art from his walls. It's the one constant from throughout the years. Clearly it was important to him.

"Wow, this is so not me at all," Mike says as he comes into the room.

"I think it is. There's still something that stayed the same."

"Well, yeah. I mean, the walls and floor haven't changed, and neither has my closet or my window, but everything else is different."

"You kept up my art, too."

Will watches as Mike looks around at the walls, and then to the spot where his cork board would be hanging up now. He smiles, sitting down on the bed, Will doing the same. Mike pats his knees a few times, looking at a few of the drawings a bit me before letting out a small chuckle, Will smiling at the action.

"Yeah. I kept up some of your art."

"Why? It's not like it's any good."

"It's still your art, Will. It's part of who you are. It's how you've grown up."

"Too bad my best piece wasn't made yet."

"No, but I remember exactly where it is," Mike says, standing up and hopping into his rolling desk chair.

He grabs a pencil out of a container and goes to the wall between his closet and his bedroom door. Then, he begins to sketch. Will tries to peer over his shoulder and watch, but he can't quite see. He stands up, going over to Mike and leaning over his shoulder, watching as he works. It takes him a while, but eventually Mike has the entirety of Will's painting outlined on his wall. Even with it being covered in grime, he recreated it perfectly. And he was right. He does remember exactly where it is.

"Clearly you've looked at it a lot."

"It's my favorite. Well, one of my favorites. I also really like the one you did of the dragging biting the guy's head off. Do you remember that one?"

"I've made a lot of art, Mike. And it's been years since I've done any actual drawing. I normally just paint now."

"Here. I have it in a binder," Mike says, rolling over to his closet and standing up, throwing open the door.

He reaches up onto his tip toes and grabs a black binder with a few stickers on it off of the top shelf, walking over to his desk and kicking his chair along with him. He sets the binder down, sitting down in his chair as he opens it up and begins to flip through.

The pages are filled with all of Will's drawings that he's made throughout the years that he's given to Mike or hasn't wanted to keep. Every single one, and each one in perfect condition. There's not a single tear or wrinkle in a single one of the papers. And there's a lot of papers. Mike stops flipping through the binder, firmly putting his finger down on one of the pages. Sure enough, there's a dragon biting some "guy's head off". Will chuckles and smiles a little, admiring Mike's good memory.

"I've kept up with it throughout the years," Mike says, talking about the binder. "I look through it from time to time just because, usually when I miss you."

"You missed me?"

"Yeah. I mean, Hawkins wasn't the same without you, right?"

"Yeah, but feeling like you've lost someone and missing someone are two different things."

"But they go hand in hand," Mike says, sighing and pulling out a notebook from the pocket of his leather jacket. "I found Nancy's journal. The last date is November 6, 1983, just like she said."

"Dammit. I just don't get it. What does me disappearing have to do with any of this?"

"That's always had to do with it. Nothing started happening until you went missing."

"No, nothing started happening until El escaped the lab. Those are two different things."

"Happened on the same day."

"But she escaped before I disappeared. It started with her."

"But she's not who the Mind Flayer flayed. If he wanted her, he would have chosen her, right? One and Billy both said they were doing it all for her, but then why you? Why would he choose you? It just doesn't make sense unless you're also what he wanted. You're a part of his grand master plan."

"Don't say that."

"Why not? It's true! And it's scary as Hell, but you know I won't let anything happen to you. I promised you we were going to kill him, and we will. We will."

"You don't know that. None of us do."

"But you do. You practically share a mind with him. You know how he works. You better than anyone should know how to stop him."

"So that's why you're pissed."

"I'm not pissed."

"You're acting like it."

"I'm just upset that they don't trust you enough to be with them even though you know him better than anyone else. If anyone can help them with that final blow, it's you."

"He also knows me inside and out, Mike. He knows me as much as I know him, maybe even more. He knows every single one of my strengths and every single one of my weaknesses. He knows about all of my trauma and all I know is how he works and how he thinks. He even knows my birthday , Mike. He knows my relationships with you and with my mom and with Jonathan. He knows everything about me. In comparison to him, I know nothing. I'm safer and more helpful away from Creel House than anywhere near it."

"But you're stronger than him."

"No I'm not."

"You are. Even while flayed, you were smart enough to speak to us through morse code. You were strong enough to fight against him to tell me what he made you do. You fought back and you won."

"Well I can't do that again, and I don't want to do that again. If I fight him again, Mike, I'm not coming out of it alive."

"Don't say that."

"It's true! I'm not going to sit here and lie to you just because you love me!"

Will's hands fly to cover his mouth at his words. Mike just stares blankly. This was definitely not expected. Especially for Will, since he knows how he feels about Mike. Would he ever tell him? Or would it be better for him not to know? That's not something Will is sure he's ready for. After all, Mike only told him out of necessity, and he didn't even say it out loud. It was just words written on a paper.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mike asks, tapping his fingers on his desk.

"No."

"Can I talk about it?"

"Sure."

"Will, I don't want you to be uncomfortable because of my feelings for you. I mean, that's literally why I didn't want to tell you. So you wouldn't be uncomfortable."

"I'm not uncomfortable."

"Then what is it?"

"Do you know why I don't lie to you?"

"I'd hope it's because we're friends and friends don't lie."

"Well, yeah, but that's not the only reason. And I really don't want to have to say it."

"I think I might already know," Mike says, rolling his chair over to where Will is standing with his back to the wall. 

"Mike, stop."

"What?"

"I can't."

"Can't what, Will? All I did was come closer to you."

"But I know what you're wanting."

"And what is it that I want? Since you're so sure."

"Mike..."

"What?"

"You're teasing me."

"I'm not doing anything."

"You're being mean."

"I'm not trying to. I just want you to talk to me."

"I don't want to talk. I don't want this . I don't want you ," Will says, trying to convince himself more than anything, trying to push Mike away one last time so that neither one of them can get hurt in the end.

"Okay," Mike says, pushing away from Will and grabbing Nancy's notebook off of his desk. "We should get going if we want to get this done in time."

Will lets out a deep breath, following Mike out of his room, down the stairs, and out of his house. Their walk is once again silent, and Will's not sure if it's because they got into an argument again or if it's because Mike is trying not to attract any creatures, but either way, Will doesn't like how it feels. He feels like he constantly has to look over his shoulder.

Out of the blue, Mike stops Will by putting his arm out in front of him, causing him to come to a halt. Mike puts a finger to his lips, mimicking a shushing noise as he takes a few steps forward, taking the shotgun he's been carrying and taking it off from around his neck, getting ready to aim it. Will puts his back to Mike's, moving one arm back to pull the pistol out of its place in Mike's belt.

"You know how to use that?" Mike asks, his voice barely audible.

"Yeah, and I can probably use the shotgun better than you, too."

"I can't tell if you're being serious or not."

"Well, if you give it to me then maybe you'll find out—"

Will is cut off by a gunshot and Mike's body movements against him as he fires the shotgun. Demodogs. Will looks from his left to his right, scanning. He's not seeing anything yet. Slowly, he and Mike begin to turn in a circle, covering all of their bases. Then, Will sees one on his left and fires his gun, followed by Mike shooting in the opposite direction, but he misses, the demodog beginning to run at them.

"Shit, give me the shotgun, Mike," Will says as he and Mike back away quickly.

"What? No! Nancy gave me the gun, I'm gonna use it."

"Well you clearly don't know what you're doing, so—"

"No. I'm not giving you the gun."

"Mike, I'm not asking. Give it to me," Will says, taking the shotgun from Mike and shoving the pistol into his hands instead.

Will quickly aims and fires a shot at the demodog, hitting him dead on. He then hears a growling noise behind him.

"Six o'clock," Will says, and Mike immediately turns and fires the pistol, resulting in a not-so-happy noise from the demodog.

"This is so much easier to use than that thing."

"Tell me about it. Where are all of these dogs coming from? We're getting swarmed."

"Do you think One knows?"

"If that were the case then he'd know we're not his biggest problem right now."

"Maybe he can sense you the same way you can sense him. Maybe that's how he found us and sent the demodogs after us."

"You mean he sent them after me."

"Yeah, whatever, just—" another shot, "—we need to go."

Mike drags Will along as demodogs continue chasing after them, each of them taking turns to turn around and shoot before looking ahead to make sure they don't trip and fall or step on the hivemind as they run toward the library. Once they get there, Will fires shot after shot as he slowly backs inside, Mike shutting the large doors as quickly as he can. Will slowly lets the gun down, setting it against the wall of the library, Mike putting the pistol back in his gun holder on his belt.

"I haven't been here in forever," Will says, Mike smiling a bit at his comment.

"No better time than in an alternate dimension during the apocalypse, right?"

"You're such a dork."

"Yeah. Hey, where did you learn to use a gun like that?"

"My dad. I don't really want to talk about it."

"You don't want to talk much about anything today."

"That's because there's more important things at hand."

"Just because there's something more important doesn't mean whatever's going on with you isn't important at all."

"Trust me, Mike. It's not important."

"If you say so."

Mike taps along the main counter of the library as he makes his way to the section of the library where the shelves are labeled 'non-fiction'. Will groans, setting his backpack on a table and slouching down into a chair.

"Why couldn't we do this above ground?" Will groans in complaint, laying his head down in his arms.

"Well we're not underground, and we had to get Nancy's notebook."

"It's stupid."

"It's necessary."

"How do you even find anything in here?"

"Dewey Decimal System."

"Huh?"

"It's how you find books. At the bottom of every book is a number. Science is 500-599. The numbers tell you what part of what genre of nonfiction each book is."

"God, you're such a nerd."

"Takes one to know one."

Mike scans through the bookshelves quickly, easily finding the science section and within that where the books they would be needing are. Will looks at the spine of a few of the books, looking at the numbers at the bottom. Sure enough, they're all the same.

"Huh."

Will shrugs and opens up a random one of the many books that Mike has brought over, and he's still getting more. On his final trip, Mike brings over a stack that covers his face, his arm barely reaching the top of the stack to keep all of the books from falling over. Will smiles and laughs at Mike as he helps him set the stack down, handing him a highlighter and book when he sits down.

"Are you ready to get to work?"

"I'm kind of excited, actually. I haven't really read in a while."

"I thought you loved reading?"

"I do, it's just that with everything going on I haven't really had the chance."

"But you had the chance to pick a fight with me?"

"Will—"

"Sorry. I meant that as a joke."

"Oh. Right. Of course you wouldn't...nevermind."

Mike buries his face in the book, Will unable to see him. Will frowns, looking down at his book and uncapping the highlighter. He hated reading. The only reasons he agreed to him and Mike going this route was because the way Lucas and Dustin went put them– especially Will– more at risk, and because he knew Mike would enjoy their reading assignment.

Will pondered it for a while. He saw how Mike's face lit up when Nancy had mentioned the library and how they'd have to be reading some books. He looked ecstatic. Like a kid on Christmas morning. And Will knows that shouldn't have been a deciding factor. This isn't about Mike. It's about Will and El and Vecna and the Upside Down, but it is not about Mike.

"Hey, I think I found something," Mike says, perking up and sliding the book across the table and turning it so it's right side up for Will.

"What am I looking at?"

"It's a timeline. Well, a best guess at what one would look like. There was this guy, and I can't think of his name but he had the idea of a timeline within time travel, and then even further than that he had the idea of a black hole. Basically, there's only one timeline in life throughout every dimension and every universe."

"Time travel?" Will asks, confused on Mike's explanation.

"Yeah. Dustin probably knows more about it than me– he's basically a genius– but what else could it be? A time freeze?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"But Vecna doesn't have any time powers."

"That we know of."

"Okay, well, what if it's not him that did this? What if it was someone or something else?"

"Like who? El? She hasn't been to the Upside Down since after I came back."

"So what if it was you?"

"What?"

"Think about it, Will. Why else would Vecna choose you? There has to be a reason. What if this is it?"

"No. No, I don't– I don't have powers ."

"How do you know? One didn't know until he was, like, 10."

"Yeah and I'm 17. I'm pretty sure I'd know by now."

"But what if, Will? It would make sense why he chose you again and again."

"Mike, I don't want to talk about it."

"Well we sort of have to. We have to cover every possibility."

"Okay. Say that I do have powers. I don't know what they are and I don't know how to use them. They're useless."

"You mean you're useless."

"What?"

"You always try and diminish yourself and put yourself off to the side, but Will, if you have supernatural powers that control time then you might be able to go back and stop this all from ever happening!"

"What if I don't want to?" Will yells, standing up from his seat and throwing his arms to the side before slamming his palms down on the table.

"What?"

"What if I don't want to? What if I don't want to go back and live through that again? What if I don't want to relive through that horror?"

"You wouldn't. That's what I'm saying. All of that trauma would be gone."

"Not all of it," Will mumbles.

Mike rounds the table, pulling Will into a hug, the two of them burying their heads in each other's necks. Will is holding back tears, not wanting to cry in front of Mike (and especially not in his arms). It was one of the few things he'd always tried to hide– his tears. With how much Mike already cares for and looks out for him, Will doesn't want to give him any more reasons. But right now it's all just too damn much, and that blockade of tears begins to fall.

"I'm sorry," Mike says, holding Will even closer, not letting go.

"It's not your fault."

"I know. I know. I love you."

"I love you," Will slips out, not even registering that he's done so.

Mike, however, realizes. He pulls back from Will just a bit, looking him in the eyes with wonder. Will wipes eyes and nose, trying to control the snot and tears running down his face. All the while, Mike just stares at him. Will wrinkles his nose, sniffling loudly as he looks at Mike with confusion.

"What?"

"You love me?"

"What?"

"You said that you love me."

"I did?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Sorry–? Sorry for what? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Loving you. I didn't want to. I tried so hard not to, but it didn't work. I tried everything, but no matter what it all came back to you, every single time."

"Is that not a good thing?"

"Not when you're you. Not after some of the things you've said and the things you've done."

"Will, I'm sorry."

"No, I know. I know you are. And I know that you'll say that a million times over until that day you die but...I can't forgive you. And yet I still love you anyways. I will keep on making up excuses for you in my head to give me a reason to keep on loving you, but I shouldn't. I shouldn't and I'm sorry."

"What does that mean, then?"

"It means that I can't let myself love you. No matter how much I do and no matter how much I want to, I can't let myself love you.

"So that's it?"

"Mike—"

"No, Will, I'm not mad. I just want to make sure."

"That's it."

"Okay," Mike says, finally letting Will go.

Will can feel himself cracking inside as Mike turns away and goes to the other side of the table, grabbing his leather jacket and slipping it on. With Mike no longer looking at him, Will lets the rest of his tears fall. He did it. He finally did. He finally ripped off that damned band aid, and as much as it is liberating, it also hurts like hell.

"Where are you going?" Will asks as Mike pushes his chair in and begins to walk away from the table.

"Outside."

"There’s a hoard of demodogs out there, in case you forgot."

"I'll take your gun."

"No," Will scoffs, Mike raising his brows.

"Oh well then are you coming with me?"

"No, because you're not leaving."

"I never said I was, I said I was going outside."

"I meant leaving the building."

“Well you can’t exactly keep me from doing so.”

"You know what? Fine. But don't call my name when you're getting mauled by a demodog and nipped at by demobats."

"Do you really have that little faith in me?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're trying to distance yourself. I get that. But hey, we're still best friends, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we're still best friends," Will says, his face lighting up at the words and watching Mike smile before he leaves through the main door of the library.

Will stares for a moment longer before turning back to the table. He goes to his bag and grabs out their walkie talkie, tuning it to the designated channel. As he continues setting up their space, a book falls out, and it's all too similar to Nancy's. Must be Mike's.

Will knows that he shouldn't. He knows that he should put it back in the bag and forget about it, but he has an aching feeling that he has to look through it, and so he does. Despite every conscious move he's made to separate himself from Mike, and despite his brain telling him not to, his heart betrays him.

Grabbing the book, Will makes his way to a more secluded part of the library. During middle school, he'd often go there to work on his homework or to make art without any distractions. And usually, Mike was there too.

Will sits down in the beanbag chair, taking a deep breath before opening up the notebook. The month on the first page reads 'October, 1985'. It's the day Will moved to Lenora. He reads the first line, and immediately he shuts the book again. 'I love him' . The first three words in the book are 'I love him' . What a wake-up call. But that would mean, too, that Mike has been bottling these feelings up for at least three years. That long? Will hadn’t even realized his own feelings until a few months prior to the entry, and he definitely hadn’t accepted them right up until the very end– when he was sure he was never going to see Mike again.

That belief, that him moving was the end of the line, made it easier somehow to allow himself to love Mike. After all, he was loving him from afar (in more sense than one). Not seeing Mike for all that time, not talking to him much at all, not sending any gifts or letters– all of that had made loving Mike easier. Will eventually had allowed himself to express that love in the form of art. Sometimes it would get a little out of hand, yes (handhold doodles be bygones), but it always took a beautiful form. And no one had ever known. Not until Mike had brought up the painting today and said those words, shouted them at his face and into his ears. The words ring in Will’s head, and he slams the book shut once again.

What is wrong with me? The question stumbles throughout Will’s brain. What is wrong with him? Or is it not him that was the problem? Will doesn’t know.

The main door to the library creaks open before shutting with a bang. Will hides Mike’s journal next to him, making sure that if Mike comes in he won’t see. Will wasn’t looking to get into another fight today. It’ll happen, he knows, but he doesn’t want to make that happen sooner. He’d rather their next fight be their last– the one before Will does what he knows deep down has to be done. Mike will be pissed, Will knows, but he’d rather Mike live and never forgive him than be dead and not have a choice. At least alive, Mike can manage to do something . 

“Will?” Mike calls, and Will shifts in his spot on the beanbag for a second, making himself more comfortable before Mike comes into the room. “Oh. There you are. Of course you’re in here.”

“Here I am.”

Mike simply stares. There’s a longing behind his eyes, one that Will has seen before but forced himself to forget. Mike’s eyes are encapsulating. They make you want to stare into them forever, never looking away or at anything else ever again. And because Will is looking so intently, he notices when Mike’s gaze shifts down the slightest bit, his mouth parting, but not to speak.

Will can feel his body begin to become hot all over, anxiety coursing through him. He knows what Mike is thinking, and he knows what Mike wants, and he wants it too but doesn’t at the same time and he wants to look away but he can’t . And because he can’t look away it gives Mike the advantage. Mike is standing right by the beanbag, the perfect distance to pull Will’s face up to meet his own. It feels surreal. Neither one says a word. It’s too much, too little, too messy, too perfect, too many things good and bad all at once.

“God, I want to kiss you,” Mike says finally, breathlessly, practically choking on his own words.

Their faces are nowhere near close, but it feels like they’re already touching, noses brushing, lips melting into each other. Will can picture it so clearly in his mind, as if it’s more of a memory than anything else but he knows that it isn’t and so desperately wants it to be. And he knows Mike loves him, and Mike knows he loves him, and now Mike is saying he wants to kiss him even though Will has made it clear that he can’t . Will has put everything he has into pushing Mike and his feelings for Mike far, far away, but—

Will can’t do this. He can’t take it any longer. He gives in. He urgently pulls Mike down by the back of his head and neck and into a fervent kiss. Will grips at Mike’s hair and Mike’s hands roam to hold onto Will’s body so they don’t fall to the ground, but it happens anyway when Will rolls them over, tongues slipping in and out of each other’s mouths and saliva covering both their lips and chins and cupid’s bows. There’s life in it and joy in it and it’s solemn and full of sorrow. It is every emotion the two boys have felt toward each other in their seventeen years of living and fifteen years of being best friends and being in love without the other knowing and it is wonderful and amazing and it is extricating .

“I love you,” Will breathes, his lips barely parting from Mike’s for more than a second to let the words slip out of his mouth as Mike sits the two up so he doesn’t choke on his own spit.

“I love you,” Mike whispers back, trailing a line of kisses from Will’s ear back to his mouth.

“I hate you but I love you,” Will says now, he and Mike still kissing, still holding each other.

“I know,” Mike says, giving Will another kiss before continuing, “And you have every right to hate me but I could never hate you.”

At this point they’re both just adding fuel to the fire. Will feels like his life depends on this kiss and that if he doesn't get enough he’s going to simply die . And he could.

As they press their lips together and swap germs and breath in each other, Will’s mind is racings between ‘I love Mike’ , ‘I hate Mike’ , and ‘I could die before this is over’ . And every one of those statements is painstakingly true. And Will only wants one of them to be, that he loves Mike, but that’s not the reality that he lives in and so he decides to pretend like it is so he can keep kissing Mike, keep loving him, keepin holding him in his arms.

“God, I love you,” Will says, holding back tears because fuck , he loves Mike and he wishes he didn’t.

“I love you. I have loved you for years, Will. I love you, I love you, I love you.”

And they’re kissing again, unable to keep themselves from doing so. The world is ending and they’re kissing in the corner of the library of the Upside Down confessing their love to one another for the tenth time already. So fucking selfish , Will thinks to himself, but only for a moment because he’s kissing Mike Wheeler .

Will’s not sure what to say. He feels liberated yet disgusting at the same time. He feels awful knowing that Mike wasn’t honest with El or himself while they were together, that he wasn’t honest with Will. He feels awful because he never told El about his feelings and because he pretended like everything was okay, all the time. He let everyone believe that the painting was for a girl and that he liked a girl and that he brought it to the roller rink because the girl was going to be there . It made Will absolutely lose his mind and now he’s kissing Mike . Mike, the ‘girl’ he made the painting for. Mike, the ‘girl’ that he liked. Mike, the ‘girl’ that he brought the painting to the airport for because Mike is the girl that everyone thinks he’s in love with , and now he’s kissing him .

“Mike, I swear I’ve loved you my whole life.”

The two continue kissing, Mike only now moving his hands up to cup Will’s cheeks, palms flat against his face, only his fingers being bent at all. Will holds onto the collar of Mike’s leather jacket. It’s the one thing Will deep down has always known Mike has wanted to do, something that he himself has fantasized about a time or two before– but Mike was different. Will knows. He knows every time Mike has looked at his lips because he’s clocked it into his brain, saving it for a later date. For a time when it might be useful, helpful, necessary . He’d drawn Mike’s lips thousands of times from those moments engraved in his brain because he couldn’t help but look too.

“My whole fucking life,” Will emphasizes, somehow managing to pull Mike closer, Mike’s hand traveling to Will’s back to keep him from falling backwards.

“God I love you, Will,” Mike says in response, deeping their kiss further.

And yeah, they’re no longer kissing. Not anymore. Now they’re simply full-on making out, but neither one cares . Fuck the world, fuck Vecna, fuck the Upside Down. They don’t care that everything’s gone to shit. Not at this moment. Not while they have their lips on each other, spilling out their love to one another time and time again because now that they’ve started they just can’t stop and there’s nothing else for them to do other than kiss each other , but they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Will, you’re amazing. So fucking amazing,” Mike mumbles between kisses. “I should’ve told you sooner. Should’ve made the connections quicker.”

“Mike stop talking and just kiss me,” Will begs, not in the mood for explanations or hearing any words other than love and praise.

“I love you.”

“Mike, I love you.”

“I know. I love you.”

“I hate that I love you.”

Will presses his lips firmly to Mike’s again, and they continue on like that for a while. The constant ‘I love you’ filling the air, Will’s desperate attempt to sabotage the moment that consistently fails and only makes them both swoon harder, their hands holding each other’s faces— Will is sure this is what heaven feels like. Mike’s lips on his, breathing each other in, words barely reaching above a whisper but someone sounding like the loudest part of a song, one that only they could recite and memorize and sing to each other. And by the end of their makeout session Will is tired and breathless but so full of love and laying in Mike’s arms with Mike lazily kissing his lips and forehead and nose and eyelids and ears and cheeks and jaw and neck and shoulders and collarbones, leaving no bit unscaved by his lips. Yeah , Will thinks to himself, brain shuffling through all the movies he’s seen– all the show’s he’s watched, all the books he’s read, all the life he’s lived– this is love .

Just as Mike is leaving another light kiss to Will’s collarbone, the walkie talkie crackles to life. Mike’s eyes blink slowly, Will detangling himself from Mike’s grasp. He walks over to the table, picking up the walkie talkie and listening to it for a second again. The voice is only slightly shaky, mostly firm and strong. A woman’s voice. Nancy.

“Mike, do you copy? Over.”

“It’s Will. I copy. Over.”

“Is Mike still with you? Are you both okay? Over.”

Will looks at Mike who’s slowly getting up from the floor, readjusting his leather jacket as he does so. Will smiles, resulting in Mike blowing him a kiss his way with a wink, and Will chuckles a little when afterwards Mike nearly falls forward onto his face.

“Will?”

“Yeah–” his voice cracks, “–yeah, we’re good, Nancy. We’re good…Over.”

“When was your last contact with Lucas and Dustin? Over.”

“When we left the gate. Why? Over.”

“Since getting through watergate we haven’t been able to get a hold of them. Over.”

“Have you contacted Mom and Hopper and El? Are they okay?”

“I don’t know, but we wanted to reach you guys first. Shit—”

The line goes silent, only crackling on the other end. Then, after a minute, a new voice enters. It’s Steve.

“We’ve got problems and I have no idea how to work this thing. We are getting swarmed by bats right now and we still haven’t gotten to our location and—” he sounds like he’s on the verge of a breakdown.

“Listen Thing 1 and Thing 2, whatever you do, do not leave the library. Capiche?” Robin .

“You got it, Robin. Over,” Mike says, taking the walkie talkie from Will.

“Over and out,” Robin says, and the crackling stops.

Will immediately grabs Mike’s bag, beginning to empty everything out and only put inside things he might need to kill Vecna. He leaves his jacket, not wanting to have that extra added weight. He doesn’t care if he gets Upside Down on him. He’s had it inside him. Outside wasn’t that bad. He ties his bandana around his neck again, putting on his shoes.

“What are you doing?” Mike asks as he tries to signal for Lucas and Dustin.

“I’m going.”

“Obviously, but where?”

“Creel House.”

“Cr– Creel House ?”

“Yup.”

“Will, you heard what Robin said. We’re supposed to stay here.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. You can stay here with me and we can sit together in the beanbag with the walkie talkie and our books and Nancy’s journal and wait for them to need us to find any information for them that they might need.”

“ You can do that. I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because he doesn’t want you, Mike! He wants me. Me and El. We’re what he wants, so I’m going to give it to him.”

“Why?”

“Because Steve and Robin and Nancy and Erica and Jonathan are getting attacked, Lucas and Dustin are probably dead, Max is in a coma, and four other people have already died. I don’t want to add anyone else to that list when by going with him I could prevent it. If my mom had just let me die that day in the Upside Down—”

“Stop it.”

“It’s true, Mike, and you know it is. You said yourself that I’m what One wants, right? I’m what he’s after? Not just El, but me too. That’s what you said. And if you really believe that then you’ll know that we’re the only ones that can end this, even if that means our deaths.”

“I’m not letting you get yourself killed!”

“You don’t get to decide that! I’m not your boyfriend. We’re not dating. All we did was kiss and admit that we love each other. It’s a done deal. I can die happy with that. Why can’t you?”

“Because I shouldn’t have to!”

“No one should, but that’s the reality we’re living in. Wake up, Mike! This isn’t some fairytale fantasy movie where the good guys win every time. People are going to die. Let one of them be me.”

“Will, I can’t.”

“Mike, please. I am standing here begging you to let me do one thing right. One thing, Mike. Let me make things right. Let me fix this. If you really love me—”

“Don’t. Don’t say that. Don’t do that, don’t do this . Don’t do this to me, Will. Don’t do this,” both have tears in their eyes, Will’s mournful and Mike’s begging, Will’s heart breaking for the final time, never to be fixed again.

“—If you really love me you’ll let me go.”

“Will—”

“Mike, please .”

“Fine. Go. But the second you get there, I want you to call me on their walkie talkie.”

“Deal.”

“Will, I love you.”

“I know.”

“I love you so much.”

Mike pulls Will into a quick firm kiss, pulling back again but not wanting to let go. Then, he does one thing the two haven’t done since they were fourteen years old. They hug. Mike pulls Will in, tightly wrapping his arms around him, breathing him in. They sob into each other’s arms, the hug tight and warm and familiar, but just as heartbreaking as their last. It lasts for longer than it probably should, neither one really wanting to let go. When they do, Will doesn’t waste any more time. He grabs the bag and slips the straps onto his shoulders, turning and leaving for the front doors of the library. He picks up his shotgun, leaving out the giant doors. This ends now .

Will walks. He walks for a while. He walks for what feels like forever, but he keeps up his energy the entire time. Does a part of him wish he’d accepted Mike’s offer and lied in a bean bag with him, wrapped in his arms just waiting for someone to call them? Abso-fucking-lutely. But he made his choice– the right choice , he reminds himself. He wouldn't be doing this otherwise. But he can’t let anyone else die. Not because of him.

When Will is finally standing in front of Creel House, it feels almost surreal. He’s seen drawings of the building, old photos from newspapers, but he’s never actually been here, standing in front of it. The most noticeable feature, in his opinion, are the windows at the top. It sticks out to him more so than anything else. There’s the stained glass window, too, of a single rose. Beauty and the Beast , Will references in his head, noting the yellow background to it. He pushes the door open and is immediately greeted by almost being speared in the face by his mom. Joyce drops the spear, pulling Will into a hug, but it doesn't last long.

“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be with Mike. Where is he? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, Mom. He’s fine, just– where’s your walkie talkie?”

“Here. Right here,” Joyce hands it to him, and he immediately switches it to the proper channel.

“Mike? Over.” “Will? Will, is that you? Over.” Mike’s voice through the walkie talkie is something Will will always know.

“It’s me. Over.”

“So you’re okay? Over.”

“For now. I have to go. I’ll let you know if anything happens. Over and out.”

Will shuts down the conversation quickly, not wanting to get too far into it. The walkie doesn’t crackle again, so he assumes Mike got the message. Will hands the walkie talkie back to his mom, smiling at her tightly before putting his bag down in the corner. The house is silent.

“Where’s Hop and El?”

“Upstairs in the attic. They have me standing guard.”

“Why is it so quiet?”

“Mind fight.”

Will nods, slowly making his way to the staircase. He makes sure not to have any of the steps creak. He doesn’t want to give himself away to Henry just yet. As he goes, he notices the clock on the wall, and that at the top his name is engraved there. But not just ‘Will’. It says ‘William’ . A cold chill shivers down Will’s spine as he continues making his way up, knocking once on the wall of the attic once he reaches the top. There they are. El and Vecna. They’re standing facing each other, but both have their eyes closed. Both look serious, and El’s nose is bleeding the most Will has ever seen.

“What are you doing here? It’s dangerous,” Hopper says when he hears Will’s knock.

“He wants both of us. Let him get me.”

“Kid, no. I have spent the last near decade keeping you safe.”

“Hop, trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

Will brushes past Hopper, shoving his shotgun into his hands. He makes his way over to El, resting a hand on her shoulder. He doesn’t know exactly what he’s supposed to do. First he tries shutting his eyes, but that doesn’t work. He tries willing himself in there with her, but that doesn’t work either. Will looks at El next to him, his sister, the only person he could really talk to that entire week he’d been missing.

“El? I know you can hear me. I need you to stop fighting. For just one second, I need you to leave the mind space. Let him get me—”

Will can barely finish his sentence before El has an arm stretching out, using her powers to pin him to the wall. She’s not hurting him by any means, simply holding him there so he doesn’t get in the way and doesn’t get hurt. But Will can’t have that. Not right now.

“El, let him. I can fight.”

El doesn’t budge, focusing on her task at hand: killing Vecna.

Will shuts his eyes again, thinking back to the clock. The rose. Beauty and the beast. It all ties together. The beast had limited time. The rose is the same symbol as the clock. Time. Will squeezes his eyes shut tighter, his hands balling into fists before he loses his strength and gives up. But then he falls to the ground harshly, and when he opens his eyes everyone around him is still, all of the particles in the air are still– everything is still except for one thing. Vecna.

“It’s nice to see you again, William.”

“Wish I could say the same,” Will says, standing up quickly and brushing himself off.

“I see you’ve found out about your gift.”

“Is this why you took me? So I could freeze the world?”

“No. I wanted you for something far, far greater.”

“Well now you have me. Just leave my friends and my family alone. You have me. We can do whatever we want now, right?”

“I always knew you would join me. There was always just one problem.”

“Yeah? And what’s that?”

“That party of yours. And Mike.”

“Don’t lay a finger on him– any of them.”

“Too late. Your time has come, William.”

“No. No, I don’t think it has because right now time doesn’t even exist. If you get to make up the rules, so do I. My rules are that if I join you, then you leave my dimension alone. We stay here. We rule the Upside Down. I can be your puppet. Sure. I don’t care. Just leave my dimension and all of the people who belong in it alone .”

“That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Come on, Henry. Let’s start a new party, you and me.”

Everything starts up again, El opening her eyes and quickly turning to throw Vecna against the wall. He fights back, but instead of directly against El he raises Will up into the air, closing his throat in on him, choking him without being anywhere near him. This was Will’s plan, and it was working. El fights harder, and Vecna begins to turn to dust. Still, Will’s lungs aren’t getting any air, his blood isn’t getting any oxygen, and he’s beginning to feel lightheaded. He feels like his neck is about to snap and that his esophagus is going to break.

Will is close to death. He can feel it. He can feel as he starts to slip in and out of consciousness, but he doesn’t try to fight it. Henry is right. His time has come. But he’s not afraid anymore. If you had come to him a few years before, he would have screamed and been terrified at even the thought of encountering Vecna, let alone coming up with a plan all on his own to stop him once and for all. But he’s not scared. Not this time. Not anymore.

He watches as El continues to fight against him, as Henry continues to choke Will, cutting off his air. And Hopper is shooting at him and throwing t-shirts covered in gasoline and lit on fire at him, and his mother is fighting too, but El and One are both strong as hell and then Will feels it. That last breath. He falls, eyes fluttering shut for the last time as Vecna turns into complete dust. Will’s heartbeat goes from beating the fastest it ever has to very quickly slowing down. As he falls to the ground, Vecna finally turns to dust. And then, black.

[lifeisamaze]

Sitting in the airport for hours yesterday, talked a lot to C and somehow she made me realized, every people could only love one person in their live. And somehow, people also can get married to someone without love. They may seem happy to us, but what they feel inside, we will never know. Amazed by how she managed to go this far even she had to go to counselor, attend hypnotherapy, be able to hold back the feeling she had for the love of her life and try to just be present, every. single. day.

She was once wounded by the love of her life, having terrible breakdown then current husband came in. Three of them were best friends but of course, current husband held back his feeling back then. When the chance came, he got in and for someone who is under lot of stress, she tried to accept him. Then when the pressure to get married came from her mom, with unstable mind and no second consideration, she asked her current husband, do you want to get married? And it happened just like that.

And now she confessed that even after 2kids, she couldnt love him. She couldnt sleep well when he Cuddled her, having sex also not that fun and pleasurable. Worst of the worst, she is the one who earned the money for their family. Her top consideration on him is he is not a playboy. The trauma is real. She mentioned that she prefer this kind of life rather than live in insecurity with his ex.

Then she asked me, 'how you both ended up being together? I remembered you had one bf for a long time.' Out of nowhere, the answers slide out without hesitation. ' it was easy for me, i guess i have no love for Gil, no strong bond. And when Dri came in, i let Gil go. We were best friends for years so it is easy for us to connect. I know how much he loves his ex and his heartbreak damaged him a lot. So when he saw me there, an available complete package for him, whats not to like? The same thing to me, Dri was the best package of all, i feel secured so i chose him. Then we both get married. Even until now, we were just like best friend living in the same house under the title husband and wife. We rarely talk, we have our own endless me time, sex is okay, above average, but other than that we're just living together under the same house. I can feel he has that one Love only for his ex ' such long paragraphs easily came out of my mouth. C said she can relate and recall everything back then. She met his ex recently and she still addressed herself, 'dri's ex' to remind C of her.

I told Dri about my convo with C, about his pure love for his ex, his reaction was, 'si sua kong' he didnt even try to defend himself by stating he love me more or anything. He just stop talking. and about she mentioned herself as his ex, he smiled. Then today, he posted my pics on his ig, then told me, i posted your pic, so you dont think that i don't love you' . Action Speaks Louder than words. His first reaction showed me all. I don't need an extra gesture to show me how someone feel for me. I'm not falling for that. And it is funny how i don't feel troubled, angry or sad for it. Maybe it is true, our relationship was never based on love. we just clicked and complete each other as spouse.

C then continue, 'someone asked me,if Ben ever asked me to get back together, will you reconsider? Surprisingly, i thought about it. Maybe i love him that much. ' then random thoughts popped out of my mind. Who in the world i love that much? It is neither Gil nor Dri. Is it even J?

From that long convo, i can relate on her situation. Pity on her, but looking at myself , i guess i am on the same boat as her. She said, 'i have chosen this path and i have to walk on it' and that's what i thought too all this time. Nasi sudah jadi bubur. You got to eat it, or you ended up starving waiting for another nasi to be cooked.

And it makes us both wonder, who in the hell in this world, marry someone who they truly love? We all in search for security as we mature. And we thought, love can be build after. But who knows, that love never grow and we live based on adaptation and adjustment through years. Kids and comforts are the only things that bound us together.

What a life 🫶

[foryoureyesdear]

June 19th, 2023

For your eyes only,

I am currently sitting in the Centurion Lounge at Charlotte, NC Airport. I just spent fathers day weekend with my Grandpa, Grandma, and Dad. It’s my mom’s birthday and I’m flying back to NY to spend time with her and my brother.

What a lovely weekend it was. Funny story, I flew into the wrong airport initially. I had to take an uber to a bus to a train, just to finally get within my grandparents reach to pick me up and bring me to their newly built home.I love their new home, not as much as I love their previous home in the Pocono of course. That house was everything. The smell, the homeiness, the clutter, the SIZE, the fun, the memories. We even had our hands imprinted into the walls of the house. How could I not mis it? It’s such a huge part of my youth. 

I wish I made more of an effort to go ee the house in it’s last days. Or I at least wish I knew the last time I was there, would actually be, the last time I was there.

Anyways I love their new house, It feels just like the one from my childhood, jut more intimate and less hectic. 

The first day I got in we just had wine and Cava for dinner and watched guess who’s coming to dinner. I loved it. Not the movie, but watching the movie with my grandparents and seeing how much they enjoyed it.

The second day, I got some work done, and then went to lounge by the pool with my grandma. Tan a bit, gossip a bit. Me and grandma always gossip, It’s a new thing we’ve developed since becoming not necessarily closer, but just honest and blunt with each other. We’ve kind of dropped the PC family bullshit between each other. It’s a nice feeling. It’s a recent development, 

After the movie and 6 glasses of wine later me and grandma stayed up late talking about family drama while grandpa went to bed. We both shared how important we thought it was that my dad and my grandad connect this weekend, considering the fact that they have not even each other in 4+ years. It was nice to be open with someone about this topic. Especially someone who spends everyday with my grandpa. It was refreshing to hear her perspective. She shared more of her life story. I shared some of mine. I told her I was proud to be her granddaughter, and I admired how much her and my grandpa have overcome in their lives. She shared how similar she thought my dad and grandpa are with heir parenting habits. I agreed.

At the end of the convo we both thanked each other for being o open and honest. She said something that really touched my heart. She said “thank you for that conversation and opening up, It makes me feel included, and I’ve never felt that completely in this family.” We hugged and said goodnight and I slept like a baby.

Third day we went to a spa, got a massage, had some thai food. A pretty chill day. 

I got in an argument with Josh, and that took up the remainder of my evening. In summary he had a huge night with his photography. Shooting one of his favorite artists. When he tried to tell me about it the next day I tried to speak positivity into his future in photography and he rejected it. We talked it out later, he explained how that’s his way of protecting himself from disappointment and I expressed how I speak life into situations because It’s the way I was raied, even if it is anxiety inducing. I love him. We have our arguments like any other couple, but out arguments are so passionate. They have love, confusion, hurt, curiosity, and worry behind them. Not a sliver of hate, anger, or vindictiveness.

The fourth day my dad came. I love seeing my dad. I don’t see him often these days. At first I was a bit frustrated with him. He was doing that thing where it seems like he’s only spending time with everyone, to tell others around him that he spends time with his family. Once I let go of that feeling and really looked at him, I could see a man who was exhausted, who made an effort to his family after non stop travel for work. A man so imperfect but makes and effort, In his own little fucked up way. I love my dad. As angry as I am with him for the past, I love him for the man that he tried to be. And the man that he still has the potential to be? I don’t know. But I cry like a baby after every time I see him recently. Hurt tears, but loving ones.

I asked my grand dad  to have a talk with my dad. A heart to heart. He said he would. Idk if he ended up doing it. But, I’m happy I made the effort to heal wounds between them. I t may help heal the wounds between me and my dad? Who knows.

We had Lobster and steak for fathers day. I baked a blueberry pie. It was okay to me, but everyone said they love it, so it was a success to me. We spent some time chatting reminiscing. 

Then we watched stand up comics. Such a Law family thing to do. We watched Katt Williams, Earthquake, and finished off with Richard Pryor. Such a good time and a good laugh.

Which brings us to the present. Today. I missed my first flight to NY and I’m waiting for my next. Hopefully my mom’s birthday goes well and he’s not too upset that I’m late.

[simbi101]

CHAPTER 6 FIELDWORK

How long has your family lived in this country?

How long has your family lived in this country?. My father Idris landed in the United States in 1984 settle then used his money to create a grocery shop that sells ingredients and many things African, Caribbean and Latinos can buy to cook at home, and items that people used back from their hometown once he open that shop, he was recognized on newspapers, Many people came to shop and were recognized for being the first to have an African shop in Baltimore City since the African community and people outside of Africa recognized him. Two years later, he settled down with my stepmother Eunice, who is African American, and daughter, Joani, in 1987; they had been married for awhile then. She later got pregnant with my half brother, Idris Jr. raised my brother from birth to a young adult (high-school). In 2001, my mom visited the United States. and met family and went back; then, in 2002, she was gifted a visa from family members and was gifted a ticket from her late brother. Later in 2002, my father divorced my stepmother. then a year later in 2003, he went to a party, and my aunt introduced my mom to my father. They met and got together, and in that same year, Mom got pregnant then, in June 2004. I was born; my Mom worked hard and was a nurse for over 20 years. till this day, on 2010 my father Idris sadly passed away when I was 5, it was just me and mom till this day.

Where did they come from?

Nigeria is a West African country it between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea to the south in the Atlantic Ocean, it is the most populous country in Africa, and the world’s sixth most populous country. Both of my parents come from different states / town in Nigeria. Both of my parents tribe is Yoruba, my dad is from Oyo State, and my mom is from Ondo State both states have their dialect and speak Yoruba differently. ( I don’t know much about my dad life in Nigeria), my mother went to school with a full family she had older brothers that were making sure she was focused in school and a little sister and younger brother and two family household, she had a job she was farmer and sold chickens and lamb and many animals in her market and also had a job at the airport. My mom was taking care of her nephew who was having a trouble in school in the United States so his mother brought him to the Nigeria to calm down and experience the schools in Nigeria because of my mom taking care of him the mother appreciated my mom being so kind that she gifted my mom a visa and my mom told her late brother he then bought her a ticket but she didn’t want to leave but my grandmother told her to go but my mom was worried because my grandma Is old and needs to taken care of.

Has your family embraced American Nationalism?

Yes, my mother and my African American family has embraced the American patriotism. My mom likes American because she feels like she has more freedom and independence. My family celebrates 4 of July which is not common in Nigeria they take it really seriously because this is time for family time and Thanksgiving is another holiday we celebrate and have a family together, my African American family usually invite me to holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving especially since it’s a great way to celebrate with family since everyone is busy. another holiday that Nigerians celebrate is Easter Sunday, in Easter Sunday my family go to church and pray and lastly my mother embraces the Nigerian culture then USA because that’s her home.

If some of your family have migrated from other parts of the world, how do they integrate their American identity with their ethnicity identity.

My family connect from food, music, gatherings like church, party, cookout, and American dream. In my culture we eat similar food in west African culture but Nigeria make cuisine like Egusi, Efo Riro, Ayamese (Designer Stew), Ogbono Soup, Ewedu, Okra it goes well with Swallow like for example Eba, Amala, Iyan (Fufu) and Semolina. Jollof Rice, Ofada Rice usually prepared in home but mostly a party favorite. Another one is language for me I speak Yoruba small but I understand it correctly but can’t speak in a full conversation, even though I get judged for speaking English instead of Yoruba I think it’s because I was born and raised in the States but I think even if I don’t speak it I think it’s good that I hear the person. Lastly another popular one is Thanksgiving in Nigerian culture in America is popular in church they have events to come to church and pray and worship together and they give food and stay in church for about 3 or 4 hours (celestial church) this usually happens to family who are religiously wealthy.

[myriadxofxmuses]

"I'm always interested in a possible fling," Silas told her. "And one out of three ain't bad odds," he added playfully.

Gage didn't hold back the chuckle at his friend's remarks. Silas may play the player well, he knew he was just as soft as Gage when it came to women. Although both men had no trouble picking them up, their status enough pull for any groupie to try and settle down with, but Gage was worse at keeping his attachment in check - usually falling hard and fast.

"Yea?" he asked with surprise.

However he wasn't sure why he was so shocked. Why wouldn't she want to meet his family? He knew there was tension between her and her folks so he never pushed to meet hers, but this was the natural course of a relationship. Even if his life was a little different due to his career choice, he at least believed this was the next step and he couldn't have been more excited to go through with it - which was an unfamiliar yet welcomed feeling.

"Well, they'll be in town Friday," he told her. "Wanna come with me to pick then up fron the airport. I know my sister s'been dying to meet you," he told her happily.

------

Gage and Molly made their way through the airport to pick up his mom and sister, their flight recently delayed. His nervousness was overwhelmed by his excitement and he was barely able to contain himself. He didn't care how long he had to wait. His family was finally going to meet Molly.

He linked their hands together as they walked, only letting his grip slip from hers when some fans stopped him for autographs. He switched hands and did his best to quickly take photos and sign whatever was shoved his way - all while keeping hold of her and continuing on to their destination.

"You're gonna love them," he told Molly in her ear, hugging her from behind once they made it to the terminal.

He watched as the passengers deboarded, his excitement growing almost overwhelmingly - enough that he cared little for the paparazzi snapping photos of all the celebrities coming and going at LAX. He and Molly included. But he didn't care. He'd never brought anyone home to meet the family before, even if they weren't technically home, so this was huge for him. And it wasn't until Celeste's voice rang out that he let his grip around Molly slip away.

"Rage Gage!" Celeste shouted out, the siblings crashing into a hug.

Gage hugged her tightly and lifted her off the ground with a small growl of joy. It had been over a year since he'd been able to reunite with them and he missed his family so much. His sister was followed shortly by his mother, who he gave just as enthusiastic of a hug though quite a bit less aggressively.

"Mom. Cell. This, is Molly," he introduced as he brought them over, a smile beaming from ear to ear.

"So you're Molly. The one who's been dominating our conversations," Celeste said, giving her a once over with a smirk. "My brother won't shit the fuck up about you," she added honestly with playfulness.

"It's so nice to meet you finally," his mom chimed in pulling Molly in for a hug. "Don't mind Celeste," she added as they parted. "She's just protective of her brother and hasn't seen him this smitten before."

Gage nervously chuckled and ran a hand over the back of his neck in a feeble attempt to work through the embarrassment his family was now forcing upon him. Molly was special to him, but they were just airing it out as if it was public knowledge.

"O-kay," he cut in, going back to grab Molly's hand. "Now that you've both thoroughly embarrassed me..." he said with another chuckle, desperately wanting to move on. "...let's go get your bags and head back to my place. We don't want to give the paps anymore fuel for gossip than what they already have," he added.

"Happily taken," Gage mumbled to her in agreement, giving her one more quick kiss.

Silas scrunched his face at their adoration for each other. "Ugh. Gag me," he playfully countered. "I don't know how you do it,' he added, shaking off the good feelings that seemed to be emanating from the couple. "I could never be that sweet with someone. Yuck. But you managed to tame the beast with it, so congrats," he continued with a smirk, tipping his beer her way before taking a drink. "So. Where're these friends?" he went on flawlessly, glancing around the party.

Gage chuckled and drank his beer. Silas would learn one day that quality actually was better than quantity. He just needed the right girl to show him. Like Molly had shown him. He knew it would happen when his friend least expected it to. Maybe one of Molly's options would be the one. Doubtful, but there was always hope.

"Hey! When you finally fall, you're gonna fall hard. And I can't wait to see," Gage told him with a smirk, drinking - unaware of the insinuation of his words.

The party was going great. As usual. Gage hadn't been lying when he told Molly she'd be privy to some amazing parties. While they'd attended an after party for the premiere, it was nothing like a Turner shindig. The only differencr this time was that he wanted nothing more than to shut it down so he could be alone with her.

"Good thing I'm not looking to do that. Besides I'm going home in a couple weeks. There would be no point in looking for the one," he told him, drinking. "Speaking of, aren't you heading to see the fam soon too? You bringing the little lady home to meet Sissy?" he asked with a knowing smirk Molly's way.

"Actually I'm not going back this year," he admitted. "They're coming here and I am planning in introducing them," he continued, hugging her slightly closer. "Long as that's ok with you," he added, looking her way.

@lostxones

[shoheilovebot]

Meeting Your Parents 💗

Part Two

~ Shohei Ohtani Imagine

visual:

Once you arrived to your parents house after they picked you up from the airport, the sun was already setting. You and your mom went into the house while shohei and your father stayed behind to grab the bags from the trunk. You and your mother immediately went into the kitchen and your father took the bags upstairs and put them in a room for you and Sho to unpack later.

Your mother had mentioned how a week ago you told her you had been craving smoked marlin tacos. Well she’s making them for dinner. You were so happy and extremely hungry at the thought of eating those tacos.

You excused yourself from your mom and went to go check up on Shohei. Shohei was just sitting on the couch staring at the blank tv screen.

“Baby turn on the tv silly. My mom and I are gonna be in the kitchen cooking so if you need anything come and let me know okay? Also my dad put our bags in a room and he’s outside feeding the animals they have.” You said.

Shohei just smiled at you and nodded. You turned on the tv for him and put it on a sports Chanel. You then gave him a kiss on the lips and tugged on his hair a bit.

He made a little sound when you tugged on his hair. You pulled away from the kiss and smirked at him. You knew he was craving you.

He tried pulling you back in for a kiss but you dodged him and just playfully messed up his hair while giggling. He let out a sigh of defeat and just laid back and watched the baseball game on the tv.

You smiled and went back to help your mom in the kitchen. You helped her prepare the toppings that go on top of the tacos. You emptied a can of sweetened corned and added some spices plus a bit of lime juice. You cut up some onions, cilantro and limes. You added some pickled jalapeños to a bowl and went and set everything up at the dinner table.

Your mom was almost done with the white sauce that goes along with the tacos. You made some horchata while your mom finished the sauce and the tacos. It only took about 30 minutes to get everything ready as it’s not a dish that requires many steps and the fish is basically already prepared just needs to be heated up.

Your dad came back in the house and went to go wash his hands.

“Sweetheart how many tacos would your boyfriend want? He’s a big boy so I’m guessing he eats a lot?” Your mom asked.

You giggled. “Yeah mom he eats a lot. I’ve seen him eat 6 tacos one time. It’s kind of sexy how hungry he always is. He’s always working out and eating healthy stuff so it doesn’t hurt for him to always be hungry.” You explained.

“I think I like him already. I love a man who can eat” your mom said.

You laughed. “Ah so that’s where I get it from” you said.

Both of you laughed and you helped your mom prepare the dishes. You went to go get shohei and then your dad to let them know dinner was ready. You showed shohei to the bathroom so he could wash his hands.

You went back to help your mom some more and you father was already seated. Your mom put four tacos on his plate, three on hers, and three on yours. She also put four in Shohei’s plate. You were putting ice in cups and pouring the horchata and handed them to everyone.

Shohei had sat down and thanked your mom for preparing his plate. He also thanked you for the horchata.

“If you want more tacos you let me know okay mijo (son)? There is plenty of fish for more tacos so don’t be shy” you mother said

“Thank you” shohei said to your mom while smiling.

She smiled back at him and you finally sat down to join them.

Your parents had already prepared their tacos so you handed the toppings to shohei so he can add some on his tacos. You did the same to yours.

“This sauce right here is amazing with fish so you need to try this” your father said to Shohei.

Shohei nodded and grabbed the sauce and put some on the first taco. He took a bite and everyone was staring at him. He had his eyes closed and was savoring the taste.

You giggled at him and he opened his eyes to see all of you staring at him. He swallowed his food and shyly cleaned his face with a napkin

“What do you think?” You father asked.

“Absolutely delicious. I now see why y/n is always talking about tacos de marlin (tacos of marlin)” he said with a smile.

Your parents smiled at him and Shohei smiled at you.

You smiled back at him and you all continued eating.

“So shohei do you know Spanish?” Your father asked.

It was cute how your parents had an accent when speaking English and so did Shohei. You found it to be so adorable.

“Un poquito (a little bit)” Shohei replied.

“That’s good mijo. You will be speaking good Spanish by the time you meet the rest of the family during the wedding” your father said.

You and Shohei choked on your food for a bit because that caught you both by surprise.

“Apá we’ve only been dating for a couple months I think it’s too early to talk about a wedding” you said.

“Nonsense! Me and your mom dated for a couple months before I proposed to her” your father said.

You looked at shohei and he was blushing and smiley.

“I’m honored that you think I am worthy of marrying y/n” shohei said.

You blushed at his response. You’re proud of him because you know your father is going to enjoy that response.

“Of course I do mijo. If you didn’t know any Spanish the story would be different. You also enjoy Hispanic food so that deals the deal for me. How do you feel about tomorrow we have a carne asada. You and me on the grill having a beer?” You father said.

“Sounds good sir” Shohei said.

“None of that sir stuff call me *insert your dads name*” your dad said.

“I would love for that to happen y/d/n” shohei replied.

You smiled at shohei.

“I told you they would love you” you said

He smiled at you and blushed.

You all continued eating and you finished you food and so did you mom. Your mom got up and went to make one more taco for your dad and two more for shohei.

“So mijo what is it that you do for a living?” Your mother asked.

“Yeah I would like to know. Y/n said you okay baseball. With what we saw at the airport I assumed you were an actor? Do you play baseball in a tv series or movie?” He asked.

“Oh no I’m not an actor. I am a professional baseball player. I play for the Los Angeles Angels” shohei replied.

“Oh wow for the Angels? Would be cooler if you were a Dodgers player” your dad said.

You laughed at that while shohei was clearly nervous.

“Apá you don’t even like baseball so I don’t get why it matters what team he’s on” you said.

“Well your cousin was on the dodgers” your dad said.

“Dad we’ve never even met him he is a distant cousin so he’s basically not even my cousin” you said.

“Don’t start with that nonsense of distant cousin. He’s still your cousin” your dad said.

“Okay dad whatever you say.” You replied.

“The angels? Isn’t that the team your ex boyfriend was a part of?” Your mom said.

“Ex boyfriend?” Shohei asked.

“Yeah I dated tyler in high school.” You paused. “We met at a game and dated for like a year but since I lived in LA and he lived in Murrieta he had to travel by train to come see me and it just was too much. Also we kind of argued a lot so we just stayed friends and he’s been a better friend than a boyfriend to be completely honest. I didn’t want you to get upset or jealous so I didn’t mention that we dated. It was also so long ago so I didn’t think it mattered. Sorry for not being honest with you.” You said.

“Hey it’s okay. You’re right I would’ve been a bit jealous but hes your best friend and I know that’s all it’s ever gonna be so I have nothing to be jealous about. I’m glad you told me but that’s the past and it does not matter to me because I love you so much” he said.

“I love you too showy” you said.

“Aww que lindo (how beautiful)” your mom said.

“I didnt like Tyler he made my little baby cry a lot” your dad said angrily.

“Well now I’m here and I would never want your little baby to cry because of me” Shohei said.

“Good. Keep it that way” your dad said sternly

Shohei became nervous but he nodded.

You all talked about anything and everything. Your parents were surprised Shohei was born in Japan. They thought he was a Japanese American. They were fascinated to learn about his childhood in Japan and hear him explain the beauty of Japan.

Two hours had gone by of just talking and it was barely 9pm.

“Mijo would you like dessert?” Your mom asked.

“Yes please!” Shohei replied

“Do you like flan and canelita?” She asked him.

“I don’t know what that is but I would love to try it” he replied.

Your mom gave you an upset look. “You haven’t made him try flan?!” She asked.

“No ma you know I don’t like it eating it often” you replied.

She shook her head at you and went into the kitchen.

“What’s flan and canelita?” Shohei asked.

“Flan is basically like custard with caramel sauce on top. It looks like jello. Canelita is basically a hot cinnamon drink. It’s really good with pan dulce” you replied.

He nodded and seemed to be fascinated with the thought of trying new Hispanic food.

Shohei really does love the latine community.

Your mom gave everyone a slice of flan and a mug of canelita

You all are as your parents told stories of their younger days and how they met. Shohei was fascinated by their stories and was just overall excited.

You smiled as you looked at him. He really is the love of your life. You can’t imagine a different person being in his spot. Definitely not any of those white boys you dated.

You all finished eating and your father with shohei went into the living room to watch some tv. You and your mother went into the kitchen to wash the dishes together and talk.

“I really like him for you. He seems really good for you. He is kind and oh gosh is he cute” your mom said.

“Mom do you have a crush on my boyfriend?” You said while giggling.

“Don’t tell your father. He get jealous very easily” your mom sad while smiling.

You both finished cleaning the kitchen and your mom went into the living room to say goodnight to shohei as she was getting tired. It was only 11pm but this was around the time your parents went to bed.

Your father also said goodnight and followed your mom into their bedroom on the first floor.

You and shohei watched tv for a bit and cuddled on the couch.

“I’m still craving you because of that kiss you gave me earlier.” Shohei said.

You giggled. “My hungry boy”

You yawned and snuggled into shoheis chest.

“Time for bed?” He asked

You nodded.

You got up from the couch and Shohei picked you up bridal style.

“Let’s go to bed baby” he said.

You went up the stairs and then down a hall towards another set of stairs where your room was up in the attic. It was pretty spacious up there so you chose it as your room. Your parents room was on the first floor. The layout of the first floor was the front door and a little space there to take off your shoes and hang your jackets then the living room to the left and the kitchen and dinner table to the right. There was a hall by the living room that lead to your parents room and a bathroom. The second floor was four rooms facing each other on opposite ends. One of the rooms was a spacious bathroom and one of them was a storage room the others were office space or a guest room. Then there’s a small little short hallway that has a set of stairs going to the attic where your bedroom was.

Shohei took you up the stairs to your room and laid you down on your bed.

“Where’s my luggage?” Shohei asked.

you giggled.

“My dad probably put you in a guest room so we don’t sleepy together. Knowing how protective he is over me that’s definitely what happened” you said.

He started walking towards the stairs.

“No showyyyy stay with me. Just sleep in your undies.” You said.

“Baby I gotta brush my teeth.” He said.

You groaned and got up because you also had to do that. You helped him find his luggage and he took it up to your room while you were in the bathroom.

He finally joined you in bed and he was sleeping in his undies. So we’re you so it was very nice to feel his skin on your skin. Seeing him under the moonlight that entered through skylight in your room. Gosh was he so magical. You really do love every single part of this man. His personality, his smile, his kindness, his body. Oh god his body is so amazing. He’s big and he’s buff. He’s a total himbo and a really nice cuddle bear. You can’t get enough of him.

You lay your head on his chest and fell asleep hearing the way his heart beats for you.

- okay besties there’s gonna be a part 3 but it will be about a picnic date ! There will be some smut there 😈 stay tuned ! Pls forgive the typos if there is any ! Thank you for reading !

[kaepop-trash]

I wish u would write about Johnny and y/n being divorced and they have a 7 years old son who's in y/n's custody and lives in another city with her but for his birthday he wants to spend his birthday week with Johnny and his mom in johnny's city and he sees it as an oportunity to try shoot his shot again with y/n cause he's not totally over her omg idk If you'II understand im terrible in cohesion and my english is so 🥴😭

Sorry this is late, I just came back home and I couldn't find the time to finish this.

--

WC: 1.1k

Warnings: Angst

--

She let go of her son's hand the moment he spotted Johnny at the exit of the airport. The boy rushed to his father, giggling out loud when he was scooped into his arms and twirled around.

By the time she came up to where they stood, Johnny put Joey down with a huff.

"Wow, you've gotten heavy since I last saw you." He took a few laboured breaths, "Soon you'll be too big for me to carry." He laughed when Joey shook his head at the notion.

"I'm seven now, Daddy." He raised his fingers to show him the numbers.

"Well, you're turning seven tomorrow actually." He ruffled up Joey's hair, smiling when he giggled.

"I missed you daddy." He looked up to Johnny with softer eyes, taking the few steps he needed to come and hug his leg.

"I missed you both too, buddy." He smiled at him, before looking up to give her a warm look.

(Y/N) stood up a little straight at the sight, looking away quickly as she ignored the words.

"How are you?" She asked him, busying herself with her trolley.

"Let me get that." He told her with a pursed smile, coming around to push it towards the car.

"It's fine." She said, but he already put his hands on the handle. One of his hands covered hers and that was enough to make her pull away and give him a nod as she ignored the tug in her chest.

__

It was so late that she had just come home and given Joey a bath before it was his bedtime. Johnny offered to tuck him in while she took her shower.

Once she left the bathroom, she walked a little slower as she took in the corridor that she had once called home. She tried not to linger on how Johnny hadn't removed any of the photos that were spread across the walls. The pictures of their son she could understand, but the sight of all the pictures of the both of them made her heart heavy.

She passed by the pictures of them moving into this house, the one they took at the hospital right before her delivery and the ones they took when they were still dating—most of which were just the ones he took of her. She stopped in front of the picture from their wedding that was still her favourite one. Johnny stood behind her with red rimmed eyes, arms wrapped around her as they stepped off the aisle. Her eyes were still glossy from his vows and a smile of pure joy painted on both their faces.

He had never been one to express his love in words a lot. But when he ended his vows with a list of moments he could remember when he felt it, she already felt a lump in her throat. But when he matched each of those moments with equal iterations of ‘I love yous’, she was weeping till her beautifully done makeup ran down her cheeks.

She looked away from the picture and all the memories that were attached to it as she heard footsteps approaching, swallowing the lump in her throat. When Johnny came and stood behind her, for a moment, she was overwhelmed by the need to have him hug her like that again.

So she did what she could, moving away from his heat and turning around.

“Just the other day I was just thinking about when I proposed.” Johnny sighed, a smile forming on his lips as his eyes went to the part of the wall where the photo probably still was. “I planned that trip so meticulously. Picked the right place, the right time of the day.” He chuckled.

“And then it rained.” She laughed, “And you had to do it under a tree while we were both freezing. You couldn’t even put the ring on my finger on the first try because we were shaking so bad.” She recalled, both of them laughing fondly at the memory. "You were so annoyed." She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah." Johnny sighed with an added weight, "I was so bothered by how it didn't go how I planned it. But you were so happy. I will never forget how beautiful you looked that afternoon." Johnny smiled, "Your hair clinging to your face and your dress clinging to your legs. But your smile was enough to make me forget everything else."

“You love having everything planned meticulously.” She shrugged.

“And you love being spontaneous.” Johnny added, something like regret seeping into his eyes and she knew the unsaid words that hung over them. Maybe that was why they didn’t last.

She looked at the tired look in his eyes that she didn't notice before. In the three years since she'd left, he seemed to have aged more than the decade she'd known him before that.

“I miss you.” His voice was so soft that even in the empty space, it felt like she had almost imagined it. She looked to him with a pained look, but his eyes were on a picture someone took of them on their first anniversary. They were tired, and a little drunk, arms wrapped around each other. She hid her face in his chest, embarrassed from being caught in the moment while Johnny laughed.

Back then, it felt to her like he did mean it when he whispered that he wasn’t going to let her go anytime soon.

“We should go to bed.” She turned away from him with a soft sigh, not willing to linger on the way her heart tugged for too long. “Joey will wake up early for his birthday. I’ll have to make him breakfast.”

“I’ll do it.” Johnny was quick to say, “You must be tired. Sleep in a little, it’s fine.” He reassured. She just nodded at him as she walked away.

As she made her way to the guest room, she found herself turning to her old bedroom out of habit. She had to stop herself before she turned towards it completely, instead, looking into the room that they once shared. He had changed part of it, she noted. The furniture looked different, dark brown and black themed like he always liked. It was nice, she admitted to herself. The room now looked like it belonged to him.

She heard him walking towards her, turning away so she could find refuge in the room down the hall.

“(Y/N),” Johnny called out just as she turned the doorknob. She turned, their eyes meeting across the distance between the two doors— one for him and one for a temporary visitor. He watched her with careful but wandering eyes, looking her all over till she felt a little light-headed.

Both their hands mirrored each other, half twisted doorknob between their fingers as the grip tightened. His brows furrowed as whatever thought he was caught in seemed to bother him. She wondered if she should speak, almost overcome by the urge to walk up to him to smoothen his frown herself.

The thought made her heart hammer and she peeled her eyes from his. “Good night, Johnny.” She lost her nerve, running away from him, just like she did three years ago. Just like then, she wished that he stopped her.