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moody-alcoholic · 6 months ago

Text

The Missing Piece

Chapter 7 - Boundaries

Summary: Ghoap x Reader, throuple. 2.5k words. Reader is female (she/her), army nurse, non descript physical features, names used: Ashe.

CW: Alcohol, mentions of sex, language.

Previous parts - masterlist - next AO3

Enjoy <3

You sit at the table your leg nervously bouncing up and down. Simon comes to sit down pushing a cup of tea over to you.

“Thank you,” you say blowing on it, you haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since Johnny mentioned we all needed to have a chat then refused to talk about it until after food. What if they think things are moving too fast? They’re already married.

“Right!” Johnny says standing up his palms flat on the table.

“I call this first official family meeting to begin.” He says way to enthusiastically for your energy level.

“Christ.” You hear Simon sigh next to you, you look at him his fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose. You smile sipping on your tea.

“We’ve all had a nice time but I think we need a debrief.” You cant help chuckling.

“You want a post sex debrief every time?” Simon asks Johnny who taps his knuckles on the table.

“I don’t have a hammer thing.” He says.

“Is this a court room or a meeting?” Simon asks. They’re winding each other up it makes you smile.

“It’s a meeting, casual, a safe space to air out all your problems.” Johnny says.

“Now first order of business, boring stuff out the way first.” Johnny puts a key down on the table moving it towards you, you pick it up.

“You’re welcome over any time,” Johnny says smiling. That’s not boring that’s a massive thing.

“Do you guys want keys to my place?” You ask looking at them, it seems only right, you have access to their home they should have access to yours.

“Up to you.” Simon says. You make a mental note to look for a key-cutter tomorrow.

“PDA! Now I love a good smooch in public but Simon’s all about that stiff upper lip, sometimes he won’t even hold my hand.” Johnny says pouting.

“Nothing wrong with keeping your private life private.” Simon says defensively.

“What about you?” Johnny asks turning to you.

“I don’t mind I guess, I can get self conscious easy.” You admit, Johnny nods.

“Okay we’ll work on that.” Johnny says.

“Sex, do you have any limits? No-go’s other then the obvious ones.” Johnny says looking at you.

“Eh, I don’t know I’ve never really done much other then the normal stuff.” You feel heat rushing to your cheeks.

“That’s fine, we can work it out as we go along, don’t worry we’re not going to do anything crazy. Plain old vanilla sex is also fine, besides Simon’s the kinky one anyway.” Johnny says winking at you.

“Sure I’m the kinky one,” Simon chuckles. Johnny rolls his eyes sitting back down in the chair.

“Anything you want to add?” Johnny asks Simon who shakes his head, then his eyes fall on you. You don’t know what to say, maybe now would be a good time to ask them to stop being so…nice.

“You don’t need to be so accommodating, if you guys need some time alone, I can make myself scarce. And I don’t mind paying for things, food and what not, and I don’t mind treating you guys, it’s the least I can do.” Simon’s hand finds your thigh as Johnny smiles at you.

“Don’t worry about that, you just being here is enough.” Johnny smiles.

“I need to make the most of it, when I get posted I could be gone for up to 6 months.” You say, your last post was 5 months after a month of probation. You could be sent abroad, it had been a while but it could happen, then you would feel even further away from them. Your hand rests on top of Simon’s hand, he squeezes your thigh.

“S’okay, we’re all over the place too, could get a call right now and we would have to drop everything and leave.” Johnny says. The thought of them leaving makes you sad, you know Johnny is only trying to help but it just fills you with dread.

There’s a pit forming in your stomach, their job is harder then yours more dangerous, they could leave any second then you might never see them again. Johnny defuses bombs, you’re not sure what Simon does but it’s enough that it makes him hide his identity.

The most danger you have ever experienced was a field hospital in a run down building in the middle of a war-zone, even then you were surrounded by soldiers who’s sole job was to keep the medical staff safe. You Squeeze Simon's hand, now you can’t imagine being without them.

“It’s very rare we get called like that.” Simon says as he moves his hand to hold yours. You look up at him, he must be able to see something in your eyes, his face softens and he brings his hand up to stroke your cheek.

“I never know where you go, how long you’re going to be gone for. If you’ll ever come back.” You say looking in Simon’s eyes. He kisses your forehead pulling you into his chest.

“I know I’ll come back I have the worlds best marksman watching my back.” Simon says.

“Yeah and you should see the things Simon can do with a knife, or a sniper, or a pistol.” You hear Johnny say. It makes you feel a little better, that they’re being so blasé about it, that pit is still there though as you pull out of Simon’s arms.

“How about we go out, get some food just chill? We can try out that new place on the corner you’ve been wanting to go to Johnny.” Simon says, Johnny’s eyes light up and he’s out his chair before he can respond. It makes you smile, you’re not really in the mood to go out but you you could use the fresh air, maybe a nice meal out will be good.

“You okay?” Simon asks as you stare off towards the bedroom.

“Yeah, I need to start bringing a change of clothes.” You say, Simon smiles.

——————————

The place is nice, not fancy or anything and there’s a cosy looking beer garden in the back Johnny excitedly leads you to. You sit outside under the strung up lights and Johnny leaves to go order. Simon reaches into his jacket pulling out a cigarette and a lighter.

“Sorry,” he says lighting it. “I’m trying to quit.” He turns his head blowing the smoke away from you. You move to sit next to him on the bench.

“I could get you some nicotine patches.” You say. He shakes his head smiling. Johnny comes out with a try of beer placing them on the table. You reach out picking one up.

“It’s 2 in the afternoon.” Simon says chuckling.

“Stressed?” Johnny asks sipping his beer. Simon sighs, Johnny winks at you.

“Simon only smokes when he’s stressed.” Johnny says as you take a sip of your beer.

“Not true, I smoke when I want to.” Simon replies. Johnny laughs, it’s a proper laugh and it makes your heart flutter. You look up at Simon who looks less then impressed, they’ve been teasing each other all day.

They start bantering back and forth until Simon finishes his cigarette. Johnny opens a menu and starts reading the options out, well the options he likes the sound off. Simon just says he’ll have whatever Johnny’s having. Johnny seems to see that as a challenge his eyes going back to scan the menu as a cheeky grin appears on his face. Simon’s hand finds your thigh again, you didn’t think he would be up for touching with the conversation this morning but you don’t mind it’s nice feeling his hands on you.

Johnny orders food asking what you want, honestly you haven’t been paying attention but you’re not hungry so you just order a sandwich. Johnny sighs ordering you a side of chips. You sigh but don’t argue. When the food comes out you switch to sit next to Johnny, you’re not sure why, but this whole relationship seems to be about finding what works, at least for now.

Your leaning your head on Johnny's shoulder his arm wrapped round you picking at the last of you chips which you’re convinced at this point he bought just for himself.

“Another round?” He asks as Simon finishes his beer off. Simon nods and Johnny peels himself a way from you collecting the glasses and heading inside. You smile at Simon, today has been nice, the food was good the beer warming your belly as the evening breeze is rolling in. You could almost say it was perfect. Then the sound of glasses crashing forces your head to snap looking for the source of the noise.

“What the fuck man!” There’s a voice shouting now.

“Sorry but you came out of fecking nowhere mate.” You hear Johnny’s voice, Simon is already on his feet moving to the back door of the restaurant Johnny had disappeared into a few minutes earlier, you gingerly follow after him.

“I came out the bathroom mate.” The man replies his voice still loud. You can see people turning to look, it feels like there’s a million eyes on you.

“What’s going on? You alright Johnny?” Simon asks as he reaches them. You look past Simon to see Johnny and a man both covered beer broken glasses on the floor.

“Yeah, I’m fine ‘e just came outta nowhere slammed the door in my face.” Johnny says .

“It’s okay, we’ll get you new drinks.” You look over and see a waitress with a mop in her hands waiting for them to move.

“I came out the bloody bathroom!” The man says as he takes a step closer to Johnny who holds his ground meeting the mans eye line. “I’m supposed to be going on a date, now my suit is ruined.”

“Shame, you wouldn’t want her to think you’re incompetent.” Johnny says, that cheeky grin on his face.

“Johnny.” Simon’s voice cuts through the tension like a knife, low and commanding. You feel hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Simon grabs Johnny's arm pulling him out the way as Johnny’s eyes follow the man until he walks past Simon turning to look at you.

“You okay?” You ask not really knowing what to say, his expression changes almost instantaneously when he sees you a smile appearing on his lips.

“‘Cause lass, no one’s fault!” Johnny says his arm wrapping round your shoulders leading you back to the table.

“Oi!” You hear the man call, Johnny doesn’t turn or stop walking.

“Alright, calm down,” is all you hear from Simon as you move out of earshot.

“Think Simon will be okay?” You ask as Johnny sits you down next to him, his arm never leaving your shoulder.

“Pff Simon, who spends his days ordering soldiers round, he’ll be fine.” Johnny laughs. “Between you and me he could use some practice in conflict de-escalation.” You relax into him not realising how tense your body has become, he kisses the top of your head.

“You stink.” You chuckle the smell of beer is almost overwhelming making your head spin. A few minutes later a waitress comes over with fresh drinks apologising for the situation, explaining that the builders installed the door wrong and it’s just been an accident waiting to happen ever since.

Johnny laughs it off telling her it’s no problem and he’ll pay for the replacement drinks. Simon comes back as she leaves sticking his hand in his jacket looking for another cigarette, he sighs muttering under his breath as he sits down.

“All good?” Johnny asks Simon who nods sipping his beer. I guess he’s out of cigarettes.

“Paid for his taxi home so he could change.” Simon says leaning back, his eyes landing on you, you smile at him. He seems tense.

“When I was a kid my dad dropped a pint on my head.” Johnny says trying to lighten the mood.

“That explains a lot.” Simon says seeming to relax after a few sips of beer. The sun is setting quickly now and wind chill is picking up.

Johnny promises you’ll go home after this drink.

——————————

As soon as you get in Johnny is rushing into the shower. You fall on the sofa with Simon as he flicks the TV on. You lay up against him stroking his chest.

“Is it true you get to boss people around all day?” You ask him.

“What did Johnny tell you that?” He chuckles. You nod.

“Price does all the shouting, I’m just there to make sure they listen.” He says.

“Is he nice Price, your boss?” You ask, you want to know something about their work maybe it will make you feel better when they inevitably go away.

“Yeah he’s nice, we go way back. He’s a good boss.” He says as he lands on the football satisfied he puts the remote down.

“I’ll go home tomorrow, I’ve got some errands to run, I could use a shower, and a change of clothes.” You say, but as you say it you realise how little you want to leave.

“I can come with you if you want, or Johnny can?” He says his arm stroking your shoulder.

“It’s fine you should really spend some time together.” You say not wanting to be a bother but at the same time that does sound nice having them just following you around. The more time you can spend with them the better.

“I doesn't work like that, if we want some time alone we’ll let you know, besides you were right this morning, at some point we’re both going to be back at work and then it could be months before we see each other.” You look up at him the pit reforming in your belly.

“I wish it wasn’t like this.” You let out a sigh. “I never used to care about deployments anymore. Now it’s different.”

“We’ll make it work,” he says, you turn your face up to look at him.

“Yeah. Besides, I’ll probably be stuck on some base again. You’ll be the ones on the front line.” You say.

“You’d be surprised how often we’re just sitting around waiting for the world to do something crazy.” You hum against him.

“Where’s the craziest place you’ve been?” You ask trying to move the conversation away from deployments.

“Urzikstan is pretty hectic. Nice place though.” He says.

“Oh hey who’s playing?” You hear Johnny ask as he comes down to the sofa. Simon plants a kiss on your lips as Johnny comes to sit next to you.

“Man city and Sheffield.” Simon says you put your head back on his chest.

“I forget do we like that one?” Johnny asks. Simon chuckles.

“Yeah we like that one.” He replies, going back to stroking your arm. Johnny scoots closer to you and you lay your legs on him, his arm reaching over to his fingers through Simon’s hair. Now you just hope and pray the world stays quiet for another few weeks.

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alittlebitofloveliness · 24 days ago

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Why wouldn’t Dally die if only Ponyboy had died, as you mentioned in one of your previous posts?

(Not in a “you’re incorrect” way but in a “I like reading your exposition pieces and this intrigued me, also I wholeheartedly agree but don’t have the words to explain it myself” way)

Hehehehe thank you for this ask anon! Anyone who wants context can find the post that anon is referring to here.

Let's get right into it. Why wouldn't Dally die if only Ponyboy died? Well, quite simply, because Ponyboy isn't Johnny, and thus is not put on a pedestal by Dallas the way Johnny is.

That isn’t to say Dally doesn’t care about Ponyboy. He very clearly does, Ponyboy just doesn’t notice it much, probably because Dally’s care for Ponyboy manifests in the complete opposite manner of his care for Johnny.

Dally’s soft side is reserved for Johnny and Johnny alone, as we’re shown over and over throughout the book. In moments when they’re alone or almost alone we get glimpses of this, from letting Johnny sleep in his room at Bucks, to hiding Johnny without question, to speaking to him in a ‘low pleading voice’ when he’s trying to reason with him. He drags Johnny out of a burning building, and cries over his death 1. Dally knows Johnny is already well aware of all the worst brutalities of the world- he doesn’t need to toughen up or get wise because he already is. What Johnny needs is a reason to live, and to experience some good in the world so he doesn’t forget good things exist and end up cold and mean and jaded like Dallas. To Dally, Johnny’s whole existence is his last true belief that goodness exists in the world, more specifically that good exists in humanity. Poor little beat up tough greaser Johnny Cade is proof that the entirety of the world isn’t evil 100% of the time, because he has every reason to be horrible at every minute of every day and he isn't. Johnny is Dally’s reason to live, because he gives him hope. Johnny has nothing, has grown up being nothing, lives life being looked down on and beaten and he is still not a monster. To Dally, I think this makes Johnny the most important thing in the world. He loves him immensely. Keeping Johnny Johnny is probably the thing he strives to ensure the most. In his own way, Dally is trying to keep Johnny 'gold'. When Johnny dies and Dally starts to unravel, this outlook is the first thing he starts to question and lament. 2. Before, Dally thought the worst thing in the world would be Johnny turning hard and mean. Then Johnny dies, and he realises THIS is the worst thing in the world, because his world is no longer his world anymore. It would have been better, Dallas thinks, for the goodness in Johnny to be snuffed out but Johnny himself to still be here, instead of Johnny being gone altogether, but by then it’s too late. Johnny is gone, the last of Dally’s faith in humanity is gone, and he has no illusions about the world and nothing left to live for. Without Johnny, Dally literally can’t exist.

Dally’s relationship with Ponyboy is very different. He’s protective sure- he gives Pony his jacket, something I’ve written about as a symbol of Dally’s protectiveness before. He doesn't tell Soda where Pony is hiding out, and part of that was because Pony asked him not to. He looks out for Pony, would back him in a rumble like he would any of the gang, and probably threaten a soc or two on his behalf. But Dally does not view Ponyboy a symbol of goodness and humanity the way he views Johnny, so he has no reason to be soft with him in the same way. In fact, I think Dally probably views Pony as somewhat coddled. Ponyboy has Soda to be soft with him and Darry to parent him. Dally doesn’t need to be soft with Ponyboy, because there are others who are, and because Pony’s home life is so much easier than Johnny’s has ever been. I think in Dally’s mind, the best way for him to protect Ponyboy IS to get him to toughen up, get him to learn to look out for himself and get his head out of the clouds. Ponyboy mentions at the drive in, when Johnny tells Dally to leave Cherry alone, that Dally would have hit alone else in the gang who said that- including Pony himself. 3. I don’t think he was wrong. I think Dally might have absolutely taken a swing at Ponyboy if he’d mouthed off instead of Johnny, and if he didn’t it would probably only be because Dally is wary of Darry. Dally couldn’t ever hit Johnny and not only because he’s the pet, but Dally absolutely could and would hit Ponyboy. Probably not hard, not a lot, and probably not often, but Dally was a hood in the 60s. He canonically jumps children, and him and his friend Tim Shepard break each others ribs and grin about it. The gang play fight and tussle. Darry almost broke Steve’s jaw after the all brawn and no brain comment- that was no play fight, it was getting even. If Dally ever felt the need to get even with Ponyboy, I think he’d absolutely hit him. It’s how the gang settles conflicts, physical violence as a punishment was way more common and even acceptable in the 60s, and is simply a normal part of the world Pony and Dally exist in. Point is, Dally cares for Ponyboy, and he’s protective over him because he's incredibly loyal and because Pony is the baby of the gang, but he doesn’t represent humanity or goodness to him the way Johnny does. He’s not Dally’s reason to keep living. To Dally, Ponyboy represent childish naivety, the kind that gets you killed or gets beat out of you at an early age. Since he doesn’t want Pony to die, he’s basically doing his best to beat said naivety out of him without completely driving Pony away.

All this to say, if Pony died instead of Johnny, Dallas would be able to handle it. I think he’d almost expect it in a way. Sure, he’d be devastated, as would the rest of the gang, but Dally is resilient. We don’t get much of his backstory, but clearly he has survived more than a few hardships in his short life. If Pony died he might get harsher, meaner, and colder than ever, but he would survive. He’d try and support Darry and Soda in their grief, would probably jump a few innocents to vent his feelings, but if it was just Pony that had died, Dally could and would theoretically survive the novel.

Of course, based on my last post, we know that had Pony died, JOHNNY would have broken down and completed a version of Dally’s final arc, and thus whether Johnny or Pony die in the fire Dally is doomed, because in both scenarios Johnny dies, and Dally loses his reason to keep living.

It’s kind of the hallmark of him as a character: like Johnny, he’s been dead since the beginning, doomed from the first page. If Dally doesn't die, there's no story in the first place.

It's always going to be a tragedy.

Whirling suddenly, he slammed back against the wall. His face contracted in agony, and sweat streamed down his face. "Damnit, Johnny…" he begged, slamming one fist against the wall, hammering it to make it obey his will. "Oh, damnit, Johnny, don't die, please don't die…"

"I was crazy, you know that, kid? Crazy for wantin' Johnny to stay outa trouble, for not wantin' him to get hard. If he'd been like me he'd never have been in this mess. If he'd got smart like me he'd never have run into that church. That's what you get for helpin' people. Editorials in the paper and a lot of trouble.... You'd better wise up, Pony... you get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You look out for yourself and nothin' can touch you..."

“Dallas scowled for a second. If it had been me, or Two-Bit, or Soda or Steve, or anyone but Johnny, Dally would have flattened him without a moment's hesitation. You just didn't tell Dally Winston what to do. One time, in a dime store, a guy told him to move over at the candy counter. Dally had turned around and belted him so hard it knocked a tooth loose. A complete stranger, too. But Johnny was the gang's pet, and Dally just couldn't hit him.”

#the outsiders #ponyboy curtis #johnny cade #dally winston #dallas winston #the outsiders meta

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taurusgoddess99 · 8 months ago

Text

Frustration

Felix Catton x f! Reader

MDNI

AN: Hi! It’s been so long since I’ve posted on Tumblr that I’ve forgotten how! I hope y’all enjoy this piece that I’ve word it. It’s smutty. Also, I’m posting on tumblr so I’m sure it’ll be sorta wonky. Thanks!

TW: light choking

His bed creaks up under his weight and he notices that she's barely visible from under his sheets.

He eyes the naked skin of her exposed back, and the stretch marks that covered her hips. The bralette barely contained her full tits and he was frustrated that she wouldn't let him touch.

He crawled on top of her, her ass pressed against his dick, and he groaned into the soft skin of her neck.

“Why can't we fuck again?”

“I don't feel like it.”

It's muffled by the sheets. He groans in frustration before nipping at her neck. She says something that he can't hear, and he pulls on the straps of her bralette. Her head pops up from under the sheets and she shoots him a glare.

“I'm not having sex with you.”

“Why not?”

He hates how whiny he sounds but he continues with his motions. His nose nudges against her shoulder.

“Go away.”

“We're in my house.”

His fingers hooks into her black shorts pulling down the soft fabric. He grins when he sees the bright yellow thong that's tucked neatly between her full ass cheeks.

“I'll eat your pussy.”

“No.”

“I'll eat your ass.”

“You're a pervert.”

He slides his finger down her ass cheeks before pulling at the flimsy thing. She shifts and groans feeling frustrated with Felix and his insatiable appetite. She had came upstairs to nap after lounging by the pool most of the day, and Felix had followed.

“I’m your pervert.”

He flips her over and grins at her. She stares up at him just taking in his big brown doe eyes wondering how she ended up with him in the first place.

“Why don’t you go find, Ollie? I’m sure he’d love to take my place.”

His eyes traced over the swells of her full breast. One of her nipples peaked out at him over her bralette and he couldn’t resist himself. He leaned down and kissed the hardened peak. His tongue lapping over it as he maintained eye contact with her. Her body seemed to go limp under him and he knew he had won.

He always won.

He is Felix Catton after all.

Her fingers tangle in his hair that’s still wet from the pool. His large hands unclapse the little bralette and he pulls away from her supple breast to pull it off of her.

Felix takes over her mind, her body, and everything else. She couldn’t remember what her life was like before Felix. Her thumb rubs his cheek as they make eye contact. The words bubbles up her throat threatening to spill but they can’t come out. Not yet anyway.

Her whole life is Felix Catton.

He knows it.

His lips brushes over her collarbone. His nose trails up her jawline before meeting with hers. Her breath quickens and he swears he can hear her heart beating. Her heart beats for him.

He opens his lips to say something. Anything, but nothing comes out. Their lips collide in a quick peck. His wet locks drag against her forehead and causes her to giggle. It’s a sound that he loves to hear. He could pick out her giggle in a crowd of a million.

“I thought you weren’t going to fuck me?”

“Shut up.”

“Why would I go for Oliver when I have the prettiest girl here with me?”

His hands travel down her body, hooking into her little shorts and pulling them off and the thong. He makes a mental note to keep them for himself. He could never get enough of her.

The lips meet for another kiss. He licks into her mouth and can taste the fresh fruit that she had earlier. The taste of his last cigarette coats her tongue. Her leg wraps around his waist and he grinds against her.

He breaks away from their kiss, his hand grips her thigh and presses it against her chest. She’s already slick and ready from their previous activities. He groans at the thought of her full of his cum again. He couldn’t decide if he liked seeing her swallowing it or seeing it dripping out of her better.

Her brow is furrowed and her arms wrap loosely around Felix’s broad shoulder. He nips at her collarbone. She lazily scratches his scalp and it send shivers down his spine.

He’s rutting against her at a faster pace now. His cock presses against her sensitive clit with each thrust. The tip of his cock presses against her entrance. He brings his hand up to her neck and his hand linger there lightly squeezing. He forces her to look at him. She’s laying beneath him, completely dependent on, and her eyes flutter from the pleasure of it all.

“I love you.”

He sinks into her fluttering hole and her eyes widen with the realization of his words and with how full she felt again. She hadn’t realized how empty she felt when Felix wasn’t fucking her. She felt empty when Felix wasn’t with her now that she thinks about her.

Her mouth open and shuts and her bottom lip quivers.

“I love you, Fe’.”

He gives her a lazy smile and presses his forehead against hers. She’s so full of him. His cock is so big and is stretching her out to the max and she can’t escape from Felix Catton. She’s all his.

Felix starts up at a fast pace. The desperation behind his thrust pushes her up the bed. He eyes her full breast as they bounce with the movement of his hips.

She realizes at that moment that they were always connected. They were always meant to be one.

She kisses him desperately, messily, and she’s lost in him. She feels like she’s flying and drowning at the same time. His hipbone nudges her clit and she feels like she could cry.

Her back is arched, both legs are wrapped around his waist, and her fingers are scratching at his shoulders.

His hands move down to cup her thighs again. He squeezes them like his life depends on it and she knows that it’ll be bruises coloring them later. Just like he’ll have the marks of her fingernails on his shoulder.

He pulls her closer and their eyes meet. His cheeks are red and his eyes are dark. His releases one of her thighs to push his fingers into her mouth to get them wet.

His hand slides down between their naked bodies and swipes at her clit. With a yelp of his name, she cums all over his cock, and jumpstarts his own orgasm.

His hips stutter before he forces himself even deeper and coats her wall with his cum. He holds himself there until he’s sure he’s all spent before collapsing on top of her. He rubs his face in her cleavage as they both lay there. She rubs the back of his neck and twitches with the aftershocks that rock her body.

“I really do love you, Felix.”

He kisses her nipple and looks up at her through his eyelashes.

“I love you too, princess.”

The two fall asleep in the post-orgasm fog not noticing the company that they had that was watching them through the door.

#felix catton #saltburn #felix catton x reader #oliver quick #jacob elordi

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vampirzina · 11 months ago

Note

I really liked your Johnny Cage Sister! Reader post with Kung Lao and Bi-han. Maybe you could do a part two where they actually confess? Maybe kiss? 👀

Btw I love your writing sm!! Keep up the good work! :]

✮ ┆cage’s sister!reader (w. Bi Han & Kung Lao) hcs

╰ ‘fessing up

tw: gn pronouns (mostly you/your), sfw, mdni, short hcs and blurb, friends to lovers, johnny cage mentions

note: thank you SO much!! it makes my heart swell to hear you love my work! here’s your part two anon. it’s a little long

masterlist : hollywood & cityline divider

With Bi Han, it was kind of in the spur of the moment. Bi Han knows you know and it’s been flat since you let him know that you did, but as frustrating as this is for him because it’s inert, he didn’t want to jump to conclusions just because you didn’t explicitly agree or repulse at the idea. He didn’t say it outright, but it was close enough for you who were waiting on him to make a move (regardless of Johnny who outright disproved); you just didn’t think it’d be after an argument between the two of you, when he’d come to you again.

ᯓ★

You made your irritation very clear, forgetting the notion of subtlety for cordiality. You found that a simple lower helped keep further headaches (Johnny) far away from you, all further sores but the one you were mad at.

Bi Han kept his distance for long enough, it seems, and he’d waited until he got you alone and away from prying eyes (again, Johnny) to address the previous indignation towards you—you’d gotten hurt, and instead of focusing on if you’re okay, he chastised and warned you to be careful.

Yes, he did still tend to your injuries… But that’s not the point, you think.

Maybe it’s your swollen ego, but you didn’t take that as an order, rather just a suggestion. And knowing Bi Han for this long, it’s sparked an argument. You could stomp, roll your eyes and suck your teeth all you wanted, but you couldn’t pierce the fortified ice.

You left him standing there and you’ve both been scowling at innocent people since. That was hours ago. Now, at three in the morning you stare him down, who stands in your doorway. Your eyelids close in a long blink. “Do you know what time it is?”

“I don’t care about the time,” Bi Han flatly replied, but there were hints of the leftover tension from the last time you two talked. “I’ve been standing here for long enough. Let me in.”

“If it gets you to go away faster,” you step aside anyway as you mumble, uncaring for whether or not he heard you. It’s three in the morning. “What do you want? Don’t you have snow to make?”

“It’s not snow, it’s ice. And you act as if you’re so busy that you can’t spare a wink of sleep,” at least Bi Han’s acknowledging of your previous state. “I don’t appreciate your sarcasm.”

“Don’t really care. You also didn’t answer my question. Big fat ‘eff for you, unless you want to fix that?” you saunter and skirt around him as you find a seat on the couch of your house. “Or you did you just want to badger me about nothing? Or couldn’t sleep?”

“It did not feel right to.”

This piqued your interest now; the last bits of sleep flew away from the surprise. Bi Han? Lose sleep over something? …You piece it together, and when you finally realize what this had to do with you, you blink for the umpteenth time. “Alright. So the sky must be falling, then?”

“[Reader].”

“Well!” you hold your arms up to keep Bi Han from chewing you where you sit, before folding them again. “Okay, let me just not—okay. But you’re actually losing sleep over this?”

“I did not want my words to be taken the wrong way,” Bi Han started, stepping closer to you once, twice. “Fine, maybe you can hold your own. But the chance that you could die will still linger for as long as you are imprudent. I am worried about you in ways that exceed the boundaries of our relationship, but it only comes out as frustration because you are too stubborn.”

“…What?” was all you could say to his profession, but in seeing his reaction, you shook your head in apology. “Sorry—god—it’s just the way you said that, it really just sounds like you want permission to worry about me.”

“Do not jest with me,” Bi Han warned.

“I’m not! I’m just calling it how it is,” you swore, facing him now with your hands resting on the armrest. “Because what if I wanted you to worry about me more?”

Bi Han’s hardened eyes seemed to twist into slightly wide eyes that bore into you, as if to ask you if you’re serious.

“I’ve thought about what Johnny told me, and its ironic but I can practically feel the heat radiating off of you and you tell me to hush when I bring it up,” you recall, breaking eye contact for a moment to. “I thought on it since. All of this worrying is really cute, you’re not bad yourself, so why not?”

Bi Han’s hands choke his biceps as his arms havent moved from their folded stance since he got here. He hates your overt casualness, but such feeling is overcast by the unknown feeling of kindling warmth in his chest. To you, it looks like he’s in doubt. You rise to your knees on the cushions and curl your index at him—Bi Han’s muscles listen before his head.

You crane your head up just a little further, and balmy lips come to kiss the corner of his mouth. It’s a quick kiss, nothing too fancy, but it has him melting. It’s a bold move, you know, as you reach a hand to pick at his stiff frame, maybe in a gesture to dispel awkwardness. Has your eyes ever been this beautiful?

In what is supposed to be a serious moment, his brown eyes don’t move from your face as fingers that mimic a spider to crawl up the side of his bicep flick his nose—boop. You make the respective sound. Bi Han is still completely unmoving.

“No more sparring dates now, ‘kay? Getting sick of those.”

───

Kung Lao confessed in the sweetest way. Thanks to Raiden pointing out the little things that Kung Lao initially glossed over, he would’ve never thought to just confess and end the waiting. Kung Lao would’ve preferred if you confessed to him, but it’s not like his pride would be hurt by just doing it himself instead at this point. In his head, he’s already got you (he knows that now, again, thanks to Raiden), so all that’s left?

ᯓ★

“The MVP… Me. I’m the MVP,” Kung Lao muttered to himself, his fingers chasing his eyes that skim over the minute details of his uniform through the reflection in the shallow pond. To the other side of him; he so conveniently parked right by a patch of flowers.

You were supposed to be here any minute now.

Kung Lao had been methodically stringing along all morning the moment he knew you’d come by last night: he would send Raiden for you, under the guise that he (Kung Lao) had been looking for you. In the time it took you to find him, he’d hype himself up and unlike the last time, not embarrass himself.

However, he’s skipped class for this. He may get in trouble later, but this is the only way Johnny couldn’t come bumbling in to stop him. The rewards are bigger than the consequences.

From the corner of his eyes, he sees you.

You wave your arm, the already-small smile on your lips growing as he looks at you. Kung Lao turns to you now and, meeting you in the middle, grins back.

“Man, are you hard to find. What’re you doing all the way over here?” you beam, your fist coming up to nudge him. “And aren’t you supposed to be training? Johnny and the others are… Liu Kang offered to teach me, but you know...”

“Yeah, not your style, you said,” Kung Lao finished for you, his eyes flickering over your face. “But if I offered, would you?”

“Depends,” you lick your lips, attempting to hold eye contact that he could not seem to keep. “Can you? Be a teacher, I mean.”

“Of course I can. Johnny just gets lucky sometimes and gets the upper hand, but doesn’t mean I’d be a bad teacher,” he squinted playfully at you. Kung Lao watched as you mimicked him, tilting your head in skepticism. Then, you laugh. He suddenly feels… Conscious. Like his chest is hollow and there’s butterflies living in it.

You settle. “Anyway, Raiden told me you were looking for me?”

It takes Kung Lao a moment to realize that you’re talking again, no less asking him a question. He lets out a quiet yet exuberant ‘oh’, “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Ask me something?”

“Yeah,” Kung Lao affirmed, but as soon as he did, he couldn’t fix his mouth to continue.

In a rush to save his face in the silence, he looked around the scenery a little less than haphazardly—Kung Lao, in posthaste, went up to the patch of flowers and took off his hat. You watch him nimbly slice the bright white flowers, and bring them to you.

It’s then that you realize what’s going on.

“Man, I thought without Johnny in the way I’d be able to just say it,” he started again in a huff, holding the flowers. You reach out to cup the fist that’s practically strangling the flowers. His fists loosen. Kung Lao looks from the gesture to you—you’re already looking at him.

“If this is what I think it is, you don’t have to say it, if you want,” you said, simpering at him for a moment before a hand comes to your heart to soothe the way it’s beating out of your chest. “Is this why you skipped? That’s so… Gods, it makes my heart feel funny.”

“That’s ‘cause you like me back,” Kung Lao guessed into the air, glimmering brown eyes finding yours even when you turn away. “Right?”

“You’re so dumb. Of course,” you sigh out.

Kung Lao, who’s gone pink, cheers—for himself, and for you—he didn’t have to tumble over words because you already knew. He lets you have the flowers, but you have to think quickly before they’re crushed between you and him. Kung Lao pulls you in and giddily rubs your back before he’d hold you by your face.

The excitement soon simmered into a smile.

Your eyes aren’t looking at Kung Lao’s anymore, but at his lips; you’ve been dying to for longer than this moment. When he catches on, the thumb that lie right under your eye swatches there. Then, he closes the gap.

You hum into the kiss, your arms moving from his abdomen to his neck. Kung Lao draws you closer, deeper, his hands sliding across the width of your back to wrap around you. It’s you who broke for air.

“[Reader]?”

You swiftly turn to look over your shoulder as a smug Kung Lao looks forth at a gasping Johnny.

“Motherf—”

───

BONUS

Johnny looked out to the fiery sunset at the porches edge, his elbows rested on his knees. You sat not too far from him, your eyes narrowed in contentment of the sight.

Your brother sulked for hours about betrayal, but the more he went on about it, the more he seemed to grow passive about it—in other words, it sorted itself out.

“You know what, can I ask you something?” he rubbed his hands together before clasping them, and when you hum in acknowledgement, he continued. “Are you happy?”

You took a moment to think on what he meant, and then you figured he must still be on it. “Yeah… I am. I will be.”

Johnny Cage lifted from his position to look at you fully. You did seem satisfied with yourself, even when you turned to return the eye contact. He couldn’t help but let out a quick winded laugh at you. “So if you’re happy, then so am I. I mean, life’s too short for this crap, [Reader]. There’s so much more things to worry about, and you’re a grown adult.”

“Exactly,” you agreed. “I won’t act this way when you eventually find someone again, though. Hopefully I’ll be too busy getting ahead with him.”

“Shit, I hope so too,” Johnny reclined back on his hands, going quiet for a moment to look out into the scene again. Then, face contorted in seriousness, he swiveled his head to look at you again. “It’s cliche, but if he does anything to hurt you, I’m kicking his ass. I promise you.”

“Oh, I believe you, Johnny,” you chuckled. “But you say that as if I’d just let them?”

“I don’t mean it that way, but you get the idea,” he exhaled, his face although softening, still wears a soft scowl. “Just so you know that I mean it, ‘cause you like to act like I don’t and then get shocked when I do.”

“Sure, sure,” you nod along. However, it comes out incredibly fake. It sets Johnny off.

The two of you begin to bicker, and in bickering you miss the beauty in the sun setting on your home.

@𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐀೨

info

#mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat x you #mk1 x reader #bi han x reader #bi han x you #bi han hcs #kung lao x reader #kung lao x you #kung lao hcs #johnny cage hcs #vampirzina

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tacoma-narrows · 3 months ago

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Tac's Yearly OC Art Shirt Design - 2024!

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN!!! For anyone who doesn't know, every year I make a collage of a bunch of art I've gotten of my characters over the preceding year, and get that printed on a t-shirt for myself!! I do this as a way of thanking everyone who's made me something, regardless of if its on this shirt or not, and then showing it off to other people any time I wear it! This is the 6th year in a row that I've made one! :D

I’ve had the design for about a week now, and the shirt came in the mail earlier today, so it's finally time to post it!!

About half of these are from Art Fight, with the rest being mostly gifts, trades and a couple commissions in there too hehe :3

There are 11 different characters of mine on here (plus one friend's OC hehe), and most of them have a pretty good showing! Though there's strong contributions from Seabreeze, Luau, Starburst and Tarmac hehe! Can u spot all my characters? hehe. Overall, included in here we’ve got: Shep, PB, Starburst, Luau, Seabreeze, Rye, Pumpernickel, Astro, Soda, Tarmac and Vostok!

And of course! Those characters are represented through the 18 amazing artists who were all kind enough to allow me to include their work here!! Again, this is one of the ways I say thank you to anyone who’s ever made me something. Whether I included your work or not, I absolutely love anything anyone takes the time to make for me <33

And here are the people who made the art featured here! Go support their work if you don’t already! :D (Also linked are each piece they contributed!) @macaronichewtoyz! [ 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 ] @clear-valley! [ 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 ] @lesbianluxray! [ 1 ] @faaarawayyy! [ 1 ] @a-little-monotonous! [ 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 ] @bellhopping! [ 1 ] @hummiscellanea! [ 1 ] @natarstyc! [ 1 ] @ajd-na! [ 1 ] (Had the J and D swapped on the shirt, sorry aha </3) @woofledog! [ 1 ] @grovery-store! [ 1 ] ArchivalWyrm [Instagram]! [ 1 ] (Credited as LunarGalaxyWing on the back of the shirt since he changed his username after I ordered the shirt lol) RolyJulioli [Instagram]! [ 1 ] Creative_Lass [Instagram]! [ 1 / 2 ] Abyssal_Sapphire [Instagram]! [ 1 ] SilvarooHub [Toyhouse]! [ 1 ] KittenPlush [Instagram]! [ 1 ] FangGraves [Instagram]! [ 1 ]

To anyone wondering, no, this shirt is NOT FOR SALE!! This is a very personal thing for me every year, and of course it would be wrong of me to profit off the work of other people

Again, thank you all so much to those of you who’ve made me something at any point, who’s work I’ve included here, and just people who continue to support my work and what I do. It really does mean the world <33

You can see what the actual printed shirt looks like, along with closeups of the design and previous years' designs below the cut if you want! I'll also reblog this with my previous years' versions as well! :D

The physical printed shirt! (Front and back)

Design Closeups!

And previous years' designs! From 2019 to 2023! For lists of credited artists, see these links: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

#TacTalks #art #friends art #mutuals art #others art #my ocs #furry #furry art #furry oc #furry character #shirt #shirt design #collage #collab #oc #original character #digital art #artists on tumblr #long post

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joels-darlin · 1 year ago

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Pain

Pairings: post-outbreak!Joel Miller x f!reader

Warnings: mentions of periods, mentions of extreme pain, nausea, fluff, comfort, pet names, soft!Joel

Summary: Joel comes home from patrol to find you not in the greatest physical state.

Word count: 850ish

Author Note: Idk about this one but I’ve been feeling like rubbish cos it’s also that time so wanted to write soft!Joel for comfort. Any feedback is greatly appreciated, enjoy <3

AO3 Link

It was unusual for Joel to return from patrol a dark and empty house. Those days long gone now he had you; his better half. Your presence lighting up every room you walked into which he was thankful for.

Confusion and worry washed over him as he closed and locked the front door. Usually you where home by now either cooking in the kitchen with music on or often in the sewing room, wrapping up extra work you brought home from the small alterations shop you managed in Jackson. Those where the two places he would check first.

The sewing room was empty your desk as you had left it from the previous day - cluttered but well used. Spinning around he padded to the kitchen and was once again greeted with another empty room. He knew you where around after spotting your worn out coat hung up on the rack near the front door. Something felt off.

“Darlin’…?” He called out into the emptiness, no response. His heart was racing now. It was the faint light on the landing that caught his attention next, you must be in the bedroom. In anticipation he near sprinted up the stairs - cracking the door open slightly to look in.

There you where, doubled over in bed arms crossed over your lower stomach, a heating pad clutched against you. A grimace of pain etched across your usually peaceful and beautiful face, making his heart lurch. He noticed a paleness to your soft skin.

Moving across the room he perched on the edge of bed next to your frame, laying his hand gently on your leg. Looking up he spotted your usually clean night stand which was now littered with out of date pain relief, an empty cup, water bottles, his eyes landing on the last item; expired sanitary towels. It dawned on him then, your particularly awful monthly periods. It all made sense now. Leaning over he kissed your forehead, brushing a piece of stray hair away. Bringing his lips to you ear briefly whispered “Sweetheart…?”.

You weren’t exactly in a deep sleep more just resting as the second day of period pains had hit like a train. Having to leave the shop early and retreat to bed with the trusty heating pad and expired painkillers. A feeling of guilt as well as pain panged in your stomach not having the opportunity to greet your love as he returned home. You had heard the keys in the lock earlier and him calling out for you but had no energy to move or speak.

“Hey…m’feel awful”. Trying to move so you could sit up to see him.

“No no stay, I’ll come to you” he said softly. The mattress shifted as he moved from your side of the bed to his own before lying down, wrapping his arm around you gently.

“Sorry Joel…the house is a mess, I-I couldn’t make it to the market for food - barely made it back here” you spoke after a few moments.

Joel’s face softened at your words. Even though he knew you enjoyed cooking there was never any expectations of dinner being on the table when he comes in from patrol. It was just something you had always done for him. The mess downstairs he would sort later no problems.

“Oh darlin’ don’t ever apologise for that, no expectation for you to do anything especially in this state” he cooed softly bringing the hand on your waist up to caress your cheek lightly. “Even if your cooking is damn amazing” you chuckled softly at his words, mind briefly drifting back to when he nearly burnt the house down that time. Joel had insisted on cooking a 3 course meal for your anniversary a couple of months back - lets just say you went the canteen to get scraps later that night.

“m’what are we gonna do with you huh” he cooed, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on your cheek. You sighed at his touch shrugging in response.

Laying in the warm abyss of your bed you continued to ride out the waves of pain and nausea, some bearable others not so much. It was somewhere between the early hours of the morning you had finally drifted into a slumber snoring softly beside Joel; your frame wrapped tightly in his strong arms.

He couldn’t sleep yet, just sat observing you. The movement of your chest rising and falling as you slept mixed with the warmth of your skin against his feeling like home. Lifting his hand to lightly caress the skin of your cheek, careful not to wake you, then reaching to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear. Joel felt the tiredness of the long day starting to overcome his old and weary body, leaning down placing a the slightest of kisses; one on your forehead the other on the tip of your nose. Before pulling back to take one last look at your sleeping form.

“Night baby girl, let’s hope tomorrow is a better day”

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fic #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fluff #joel miller x reader #joel tlou #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller x you

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kiennilove · 1 month ago

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ART TAG

thanks to @doshiart for tagging me! so excited <3

How did you start drawing? What year was it that you become more seriously and consciously interested in it?

i don’t really remember, but for some reason drawing was an activity that interested me the most?? i’m not counting playing with toys and imagining things, but it’s about creating something from scratch. one time i made paper dolls, wrote a short scenario (very poorly lol) and kinda made a theatrical play in my head with all of this??

spoiler: in 2021 i’ve made an actual play with my best friend, who’s also an artist, with great paper dolls and a great scenario! it was for a college exam, we got the highest score. :3

i started taking it all seriously in 2014, when i went to my first art school. it was small, literally one room, and there were lots of other classes in the same building, like singing, dancing (i did that too at some point), etc. then i moved to the bigger one, that was solely for arts, but i didn’t make it past the first year due to health reasons. so somewhere in the mid-10s.

When you felt the urge to share your art with other people? When did you start posting your drawings on social media?

when i saw other people around me doing it. it was 2014 when i first shared my art online (got a lot of hate because it looked bad lol), and then it was 2016 when i made my first tumblr acc and posted some anime art with some consistency. now i post here and on another platform, just duplicating the content lol

Your first/earliest drawing. What were your impressions of it back then and what are your feelings now?

i tried to find pictures of these first paper dolls but couldn’t, fuck, so here we have…

some OC i did in 2014, i don’t even remember the name anymore :/

i did this after i watched my first anime 😭😭😭 i made this picture back then too, at my iphone 4, don’t judge me

i was proud as fuck because look he has ✨cool hair✨ and it’s a ✨full body✨ but no hands ofc lol

i mean, it looked great for me back then, so i haven’t change my thoughts about it lol i also have no idea what i wrote in the upper corner, i used google translate 😭😭😭

Your first fanart ever

also couldn’t find it, it was jeff the killer fanart, also somewhere from 2014 😭 but! here i have my first digital fanart… 😭😭😭 i spend i think 6 hours to draw this, i didn’t know about layers or anything really so here it is lol

Your first gallavich fanart

holy shit, it’s from may 2022! old habits never die, 7x10 is always in my heart

When you had bad days and things didn't work out, what inspired you to keep trying?

nothing, actually. if i will try to find any inspiration, i will get angry and irritated as fuck because nothing’s working out SO i’ll relax and go play brawl stars 😎

Show your old piece that you strongly dislike and tell why.

this… spend too much time on it just to realize it wasn’t that good as i imagined, the dress look like it was made out of cardboard, i don’t know, it just… doesn’t work. i had worse, yeah, but i have a soft spot for them. this one should be somewhere from 2018

HONORABLE MENTIONS TO THIS PIECE OF SHIT. IT WAS FUCKING 2019, WHY THE FUCK DID I RANDOMLY START TO DRAW LIKE THIS??? just for comparison, picture underneath is from 2019 TOO.

Show your old piece that you very like and tell why. What's the difference with the previous?

let’s go with this, it was 2017 :3

soft, cute, an attempt to do a new art style. i don’t know, theis pictures seem cozy!

Show your old piece that you were very proud of back then.

ACE ATTORNEYYYY >:333

both are somewhere in 2020-2021

fuck, i love ace attorney

Do you do any practice sketches or warm-ups before you draw something big?

mmm not really, only a quick sketch with some guidelines so at the beginning my pictures look like this

(yes, this is ian filming mickey while mick is giving him a bj)

Sketch vs Final. Show your process.

damn should’ve kept mickey’s face lol

Your most recent drawing.

can’t show the most recent one, it’s for an event, but this one is the only finished one FOR NOW, but i also have this little piece here, idk if i will finish it (aaand i forgot mickey’s tattoos)

Give yourself some praise! Look at what improved in your art!

literally YOU GO GIRL!!! KEEP DRAWING NO MATTER WHAT!! i improved as fuck, went through a lot of shit and breakdowns but here i am, being confident and loved by other people and, most importantly, artist who have a much higher skill! i love that. i did great

Any advice you'd give to your earlier self?

just keep going. don’t be shy and don’t erase everything is one small thing is wrong. don’t start an arguments when somebody says “i’m better at art that you!!”. and, maybe, use a hard drive to save shit-

Set a goal for yourself for the coming year.

i want toooooo… i don’t know! i want to try line-less art style, get into more challenges, etc, everything i can :3 and maybe open commissions

aaand i’m tagging… come on, show us your secrets, don’t be shy 😈

@deathclassic @spookygingerr @gallapiech @heymrspatel

@deedala @burninface @vintagelacerosette

#tag game #art tag

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freesia-writes · 5 months ago

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Ch 37: Ceremony

Master List ~~ Previous Chapter ~~ WC: 2k

It’s totally not for this fic but I can’t stop thinking about this gorgeous post from @faya-feya and how it captures the same vibe I was going for here! 🥹 So go show it some love!!

“I was going to surprise you all with it, but I just can’t wait to show you,” Omega said brightly, standing from her seat at the long table on the patio and disappearing inside the house for a moment. Curious glances were passed back and forth between the family, and Hunter relished the fleeting sense of normalcy. When she reappeared, holding something behind her back, all attention returned to her. With a flourish, she produced a smooth piece of wood upon which hung a beautiful dress. It shimmered as it reflected the glow of the string lights above, earning an authentic cacophony of “ooh”s and “ahh”s from the table.

“That’s some nice work!” Phee exclaimed, watching Omega’s smile grow even wider. “Got some details in there, I see?”

“Yes!” Omega gushed, pointing at various parts of the dress. “There are little tributes to each of you in it!” As she explained, Hunter felt a strong sense of admiration as he watched her proudly review all her hard work and creative effort. The others were beaming just as much, delighted with the way she’d brought them all together in one representative piece.

“It is truly a work of art, Omega.”

“Thanks Tech!”

“It’s… It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Wrecker said, his booming voice shaky with emotion as he wiped a single tear from his eye.

“Wow, Omega, you’ve outdone the Kamino armory,” Crosshair said, but his face was undeniably soft as he radiated awe and gave her a meaningful nod, to which she responded with a wink.

“You did good, kid,” Phee said warmly, as Echo echoed the sentiment from his seat beside her.

“And I got seats in the front row for all of you!” she continued, holding the dress up to her front and giving a little spin for all to see.

“We’ll be there,” said Hunter.

* * *

The Advancement Ceremony for the students was the culminating event of their school year, which they had spent in various job shadows and internships as they prepared for their adult lives. Since the years on Xylo were 400 days long, it had given Omega ample time to explore many options, and she had enjoyed every single one. The Ceremony was a formal affair at the school, where a large stage was erected for the students to parade across after a select few shared some heartfelt thoughts about their time. Almost everyone on the island was there, to support the young adults as they joined society in a new capacity, and the air sparkled with joviality and unity as the crowd found their seats.

The school staff was seated in rows across the back of the stage, with the picturesque views of the expansive hills behind them leading down to the sea, and Hunter felt a twist in his chest as he spotted Lyra, tucked between some of the teachers and mentors of the program. He’d been surprised that she was able to return to her position after having disappeared for a few months on Keytoll, but she’d been resourceful in her communications with the right people and had salvaged her job through it all. She was dressed like the rest, in a somewhat pompous uniform that he would have laughed at if her presence weren’t such a burden to him. They hadn’t spoken for nearly a week, since he’d unceremoniously left her house after everything had fallen both apart and together.

“Thank you all for coming!” the headmaster began, and the multitude of voices quieted as he held up his hands. “We are so proud of our students for all their efforts this year, and we would like to also extend our gratitude to all of you for encouraging and supporting them in their endeavors. We will begin with a few student reflections, followed by some awards from the teachers, and then we will bequeath each student with their traditional Xyloan lei.”

Students shared, the audience clapped, and Hunter watched Omega’s patient, joyful face beaming from her seat on the side of the stage. Where her future would take her from here, he didn’t know, but he was overwhelmed with pride and gratitude to have been a part of her life the way he had. As the proceedings continued to the awards, he felt his stomach churn as Lyra stood behind the podium. He could feel her anxiety from where he sat, and he noticed how carefully she kept her gaze moving in a general scan across the crowd, avoiding direct eye contact with any one person.

“It is my honor to present the students with individual achievement awards,” she began, her voice constricted as she fought to keep the tremble at bay. “We take note of exemplary displays of the positive characteristics that we most desire our students to develop, in the hopes that future participants would also seek to model these traits. So, without further ado, I would like to start by bringing Larkin to the front.” She turned to face the group of students, beckoning to a burly, dark-haired boy at the end.

Lyra described his zeal in pursuing some of the most challenging placements, then passed a small crystal trophy into his hands as she proclaimed him the recipient of the Diligence Award. The crowd clapped and cheered for him after he said a few words, then again after she honored another boy with the Critical Thinking Award. Finally, she looked down at the last trophy, a wistful smile on her lips as she raised her eyes again to the crowd.

“Lastly, I would like to present the Gold Award, which is rather uniquely named as we couldn’t ever find a single word to most accurately summarize all that it represents. This recognition goes to a student who was creative and open-minded in the opportunities presented. She was incredibly kind to all that crossed her path and maintained a strong sense of integrity no matter what she was faced with. There is an optimism, brightness, and joy to her that spread to those around her, and she was encouraging and inspiring simply by being who she is. In virtually every way, she has a heart of gold.”

It had to be her. Hunter knew. No one could match those qualities like Omega, and he was surprised at the tears that sprang to his own eyes as she watched, wide-eyed, from her seat.

“Please join me in congratulating Omega,” Lyra finished, smiling proudly as she was quickly joined by the young woman. Omega flung her arms around her in a tight hug, and after the initial surprise, Lyra softened around her, resting her cheek on her blonde hair for a moment. She radiated authentic love and deep care, and Hunter choked down the lump in his throat.

“Yeah Omega!!” Wrecker hollered, his voice ringing out above the cheers of the crowd. Echo whistled and Crosshair clapped vigorously beside Tech, who had the biggest smile on his face that Hunter had ever seen. He was overwhelmed with sheer gratitude. The raucous applause died down as Omega stepped up to the microphone, clearing her throat with visible apprehension.

“Thank you,” she said, wincing as the speakers squeaked. “Tech, you should have a look at those,” she continued, earning a laugh of delight from the crowd. “I don’t have much to say, because I have too much to say.” Her eyes slowly moved across the line of family members in the front row, and she pressed her lips together to withhold the emotion threatening to spill over. “Thank you to all of the teachers,” she said, more businesslike now in an attempt to hold it together. “Thank you to the mentors and supervisors,” she nodded at Lyra, “for giving us perspective, insight, and the little boosts we needed when we got discouraged or frustrated. And most of all, thank you to my family…” A pause, a glance to the sky to blink back tears. “Because I most certainly wouldn’t be here without them.”

Her eyes lingered on Crosshair, silently sharing the bond that they alone had. She looked at Tech, brimming with fondness. She smiled at Echo, admiring and affectionate. Her grin widened at Wrecker as her eyes softened. And she finished with a long, significant gaze at Hunter, too many emotions for either of them to reconcile across her beautiful face.

“I love you all,” she said quietly, then looked back to Lyra, who gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and a reassuring nod, then guided her back to her seat.

“My allergies are killing me,” Wrecker joked, wiping his streaming eyes with his sleeves, and Crosshair brushed away his own tear behind hunched shoulders, turned away from the others.

* * *

Hunter’s ears were still ringing from the sheer volume of the event as he and Omega made their way back to the cabin. It was late afternoon by the time everything wrapped up and everyone had finished flocking around the students with their well-wishes. The relative silence of the forest cushioned his head, wrapping him in warmth as they strolled along the path. He was grateful for the one-on-one time, the others having retreated to Tech and Phee’s for snacks and camaraderie, and Omega had surprised him with her choice to follow him home for a few hours before rejoining the others.

“I’m so proud of you,” he confessed quietly as she drew alongside him when the dirt path widened.

“Thank you, Hunter,” she said earnestly, giving his hand a quick squeeze before letting it go. “I’m proud of all of you!”

He chuckled, “For what?”

“For making lives for yourselves. For going through so much. For being faithful to one another. For fighting for good. For letting me join your family.”

“You’ve always been one of us,” he smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. They walked in silence for a while, until he could tell she’d been regarding him with churning thoughts for a while. “What is it?” he invited, a wry grin on his lips.

“How are you?” she asked quietly.

“Fine, why?”

“Really,” she pressed with a knowing look.

“I’m happy for you. I’m happy to be here. I’m happy that everyone is safe and content.”

“Are you content?”

He took a breath, then paused. Finally, he answered, “Content enough.”

“Hunter,” she sighed, stopping and turning to face him as he mimicked her movements. “It seems like you hold yourself back from happiness.”

He opened his mouth to protest, then took a different route, lifting one side of his shirt. “I mean… Does this look like holding back?” She laughed as his half-skeleton butterfly tattoo caught the sunlight, a souvenir from his wild times with Luci.

“You know what I mean,” she continued, following as he began walking again.

“What am I supposed to do?” he asked, a touch of exasperation masking the genuine question behind it.

“Why won’t you talk to Lyra?”

A pang at her name. He remained silent.

“Hunter?”

“It’s just… too much,” he confessed, eyes downcast. “Secrets and deceit… jerked back and forth…”

“You can’t trust her anymore?” She pinpointed his fear effortlessly.

“I doubt she can trust me either,” he deflected.

“You both kept things from each other to protect those you love. If anything, that should bring you closer together because you both know what it’s like. But ultimately… Do you want it to be what it was? Or better, even? Does she make your life more full? Joyful? Content?”

Hunter paused to reflect, eyes flitting to and fro on the path before them as it passed beneath his feet. He considered the heaviness on his shoulders and the ache in his chest as well as the deep, wistful longing he didn’t want to acknowledge. For a time, it had felt like peace. Contentment. Simple, uncomplicated enjoyment of life. But that felt like a door that had closed behind him.

He looked at Omega, and she looked at him. She already knew his answer.

And, he realized, he did too.

Song: What A Wonderful World /Somewhere Over The Rainbow

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sincerely-sofie · 21 days ago

Note

In the previous ask about how your writing progress went (so glad things worked out for good for you btw, keeping you in my prayers <3), you mentioned Narinder's egotistical behavior and how it is rooted in shame.

I really think that is such a fitting/perfect characterization for him.

I'm super excited to see how he finds his way out of his narcissistic tendencies and opens up for Firn while Firn also works through her self-doubts and opens up about what she truly wants and feels.

This is something you do so well in your writing, I think! You write great relationships about realistically imperfect people who grow to better for each other as the relationship progresses.

And really I think that that's how all good relationships should be, growing along side eachother to become better people as you start to work as one unit and one flesh because everyone needs that one person that they can depend on ^-^

(Referencing this post)

SUNSHINE JUST SHOT ME POINT BLANK WITH EMOTIONS

This means so much to me, I can’t even begin to voice just how meaningful it is!!!! Without getting too much into the rambling story behind it, writing relationships that start out in a decidedly imperfect place but grow into something healthy and mutually supportive out of a desire to become a better person for the person you love is a subject I’ve been wanting to write for years after getting into a piece of media that I ultimately had to drop which handled similar themes. It was super inspiring to me, but I had never been able to write a piece handling those themes… or at least I thought so, until this ask made me realize it’s been a theme I’ve been writing for a while now!

To hear that I’ve been doing it well on top of doing it at all is just. Majorly heartwarming. Thank you so much!! 🥹

#UGLY CRYING. UGLY SOBBING. UGLY BLUBBERING #better the wool au #(kinda)#sofie answers asks

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dragonfire42 · 22 days ago

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Fan Fic Writer Interview

What fandoms do you write in?

All my current stories are Good Omens on AO3! But I do a lot of crossovers, including Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Neverending Story, Casablanca, Discworld, and The Seventh Seal. These are all GO stories:

How many words have you published in 2024?

So far – 177,152, but I have enough written on other stories not yet on AO3 to proudly say I passed 200,000 words this year!

What is your greatest achievement this year?

I wrote and performed an hour long solo show for a local Fringe festival, telling a true personal story using 30 puppets I made and 8 magic tricks I performed. It was very stressful and very fulfilling. And I hope to continue to hone this show and take it on the road eventually!

What are your favourite top three fics you wrote this year?

1. Fowl Play – The GO / Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy crossover I wrote in honor of turning 42 this year. Crowley gets ab-DUCK-ted by the alien ducks in S1 and has a post S2 space adventure.

2. Here’s Looking at You, Angel – the Casablanca inspired post GO S2 story I wrote for the Silver Screen Bang, with amazingly lovely art from GingerJo and Sae

3. The Neverending Archive – The Neverending Story / GO crossover I wrote as my very first posted fanfic as my love letter to AO3 and the fandom.

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

In this fandom – SO many this year, trying to ride the waves of new information day by day. Since then:

- I joined the We're On Our Own Side Fundraiser, to help bring awareness and raise money for the Take Back the Night Foundation. I’m currently finishing a piece for the fundraiser and another one for the zine. @ourownsidefund

- I plan to stay active in the fandom, support the fans, and specifically the Terry Pratchett estate for merch (www.discworld.com).

- (I also made a shadow puppet pumpkin with my feelings on S3.)

What have you learned?

What it means to be part of a fandom. I’ve always been a fan of all kinds of media. But this is my first time actually having fun with strangers on the internet (here’s a video about me learning Discord). Since I wrote that first fanfic in January, I’ve joined 15 different GO Discords, at least 7 FB GO groups, I have two GO blogs on Tumblr, (and just joined Bluesky), and did 7 different fanfics for four different bangs (The DIWS Silver Screen Bang, GO Theatre Bang, GO Spooky Bang, and Fairytale GO bang), and just finished three holiday exchanges (Dreamwidth, GO Reference Discord, and SVD FB Advent Calendar), and I've written monthly ficlets for SOSH Guess the Author and hosted my own round recently too! I’ve had the chance to work with so many amazing writers, artists, editors, readers, creators, and mods who provided so much support and encouragement to feed this delicious collective brain rot and have made so many new friends from around the world. I’ve grown as a writer, met huge deadlines, written more this year than any previous year of my life, and I’m better for it – and want to thank each and every one of you for helping me on that journey too.

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

This was the hardest one to answer. I've very literally read over a million words of fanfic this year and still have 70 tabs currently open of amazing stories from dear friends I'm still trying to read, and I'll have to do a long list later of all the ones I love! But to start with I want to share these three:

Naked and Afraid: Jingle Hell by @klikandtuna for the Sauntering Vaguely Downward Advent Calendar

Couples Therapy – Jurassic Park Edition by @rainwritings for the DIWS Silver Screen Bang

For another gives its ease by @andromeda4004 for the GOMM Reverse Bang

What ideas are percolating for next year?

I’m currently working on these stories:

- A GO 5+1 sickfic (15k written so far), posting in January

- A piece for the star themed GO On Our Own Side Zine

- An original sci-fi book

- A few new pieces for theatre

- Some sequels to previously written AO3 GO stories

- A couple of outside fandom stories, for Doctor Who, Our Flag Means Death, and Blucifer (a weird well known statue in Denver).

Thank you specifically to @curiouspupsicle for tagging me in this and for all your support too!

Please consider yourself tagged if you read this and want to play, just copy the questions and post! (And also tagging - @naturallyteal, @stillsurfacequietpond @phoen1xr0se, who are always great at tagging me in fun things too!)

#good omens #good omens fanfiction #ineffable fandom #go fandom

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melhyan · 19 days ago

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First post!!

Doodle of an unused DND character I had in my file, a Tiefling bloodmage. Trad. sketch, watercolor and gouache on paper, treated digitally on Krita after scan. [DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION/ REPOST!]

Hey, everyone!👋

After years of being on Tumblr under my old name (wacky_art_ and here as @/wackyart, for those who've been around since 2018/2019 👀), I’ve decided it’s time for a fresh start. Welcome to my new chapter as Mëlhyan—an identity that feels closer to who I am now as an artist, writer, and overall chaotic creative gremlin.✨

This blog will focus on my art and writing only, so if you’re here for that, you’re in the right place! Expect a mix of: - Illustrations (spooky, fantasy, and everything in between) - Writing (stories, ideas, musings, and chaos) - NSFW art previews (yep, that too—stay tuned for Patreon where they will be in FULL and uncensored! For those worried, this will be tagged as adult content on here so don't worry!)

Also, a quick note: if you see my old signature on reposts or older works, don’t worry—it’s part of the transition! I’m reworking some older pieces, and they’ll still carry my previous name for now. It’s all part of the journey as I refine and build this new identity.

Speaking of which, I’ll be launching my Mëlhyan Patreon soon!🎉 I’m working on banners, branding, and all the good stuff. Once it’s live, you’ll find exclusive content like: ✨ Custom brushes 🖌️ WIPs and behind-the-scenes content 📊 Polls to help shape my creative projects 💋 Full NSFW posts (art) 📖 Extended lore and writing for my projects

This change feels necessary and exciting, and I’m so glad to have you here for the ride. Let’s make this space one that’s brimming with creativity, stories, and inspiration!

Thanks for sticking with me through the years (or if you’re new, welcome!). Here’s to Mëlhyan and this new adventure!!!🌌

Much love, Mëlhyan 💜

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avengerscompound · 8 months ago

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The Interview - Chapter 21

The Interview - A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Rating: E

Warnings: None

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Melody Danes

Word Count: 2586

Summary: Melody Danes gets the break of a lifetime when as a lowly intern, she’s assigned to write a profile piece on Captain America. Steve Rogers is a hard man not to fall for and as she and Melody get closer and Melody’s career takes off, jealousy leads to sabotage, and the potential to bring her whole world crashing down.

Chapter 21

Melody felt completely beaten down by the time she arrived at the Avengers Tower. In less than an hour, she had gone from having a workplace she loved with colleagues she enjoyed working with, to a workplace that felt hostile and colleagues she couldn’t trust. All because someone she worked with had decided that it was okay to stalk her.

Even though she had content that needed to be reviewed, she spent the afternoon moving her personal calendar offline and deleting things just in case she was being hacked. She also ran antivirus on the system, but she was considering asking Tony Stark the large favor of coming in and checking it out too.

It was past leaving time when she was done, and the pictures of her and Steve were up on the internet. There was no hope that people wouldn’t recognize her. Even if the rumors that she had been dating Captain America weren’t already floating around, she wasn’t an unknown entity. Sure she wasn’t famous, but she also wasn’t someone outside the media. The people writing the articles knew who she was, which meant that along with the photo were her name and her job, which led people to her socials, which meant as she was packing up her desk to leave, her phone started to blow up.

It was a mistake checking Twitter. She didn’t use it for anything other than promoting work, the place was a cesspit of toxic people sharing their toxic thoughts. Today she was the target of them. Steve was trending thanks to the photos and her notifications were full of people atting her, calling her a slut, a whore, and ugly, and that wasn’t even mentioning the people who took issue with her race.

When she arrived, Steve, Bucky, and Bobbi were all already there. Steve greeted her at the door, kissing her cheek and ushering her inside. Bucky and Bobbi were squeezed together on Steve’s recliner, so Melody sat on the couch. Steve took a seat beside her.

“Rough day, I hear,” Bucky said.

“You can say that,” Melody sighed, letting her head fall back on the couch.

“What actually happened?” Bobbi asked. “I saw the photos of you both. Did they finally find you?”

Melody groaned and rubbed her eyes with the balls of her hands. Steve put his hand on her leg and squeezed it reassuringly. “It seems that someone at the Daily Bugle found out where we would be before we got there, and sent an email to the media from Mel’s address alerting the press.”

Bobbi sat forward in the chair. “What?!” she said, sounding outraged on Melody’s behalf. “Do you know who did it?”

Melody’s head lolled forward again, and she met Bobbi’s eyes. “I have no idea. I really like everyone there, and I hadn’t put it in my work calendar or even in my phone. Steve called me this morning and I scribbled the time and just Comfort Diner on a post-it. I didn’t say who I was meeting or anything. All I can think is someone overheard. You haven’t heard anyone say anything suspicious have you?”

Bobbi shook her head. “No. I mean - they might not say anything to me anyway. They know we’re close. But as far as I’ve heard they all like you. They sometimes say you’re a hardass, but only when the deadline is overdue and you’re starting to lose it. I’ve never heard anyone bitching about you personally or saying anything about Steve. Oh - apart from when you get an Avenger to come in and they speculate if the person agreed because of Steve and it was lucky you had the connections you do.”

Melody groaned again, tugging on her hair. “I don’t get it. Why would someone want to pretend it was me who did it? Surely if you wanted to out me, you’d just go for a scoop. You could just say you didn’t know and go out and take the photos alone. This isn’t someone wanting to break the news that Captain America is dating, this is someone trying to ruin my life.”

“Are they being gross on Twitter?” Bobbi asked with a frown.

“So fucking gross,” she agreed.

Bobbi made a little grunt of acknowledgment. Melody knew why. Bobbi had deleted her Twitter years ago because of how toxic it could be. She just had Facebook to keep in contact with old friends and her siblings and then Tumblr for the memes. “I’m so scared about that with Bucky. I can already picture people being fucking disgusting about it.”

Bucky sat forward and kissed Bobbi’s shoulder, his hand snaking around her waist. “I don’t have any social media. They can say what they want. It’s screaming into a void.”

Bobbi leaned back and pecked Bucky’s lips. “Thank you, baby,” she said. She turned back to Melody, her brows knitted. “It couldn’t be that - shit - I don’t know her name. The blonde that thinks you stole her job?”

“Norah Winters?” Melody asked.

“That’s the one,” Bobbi said. “I don’t know her, but you said she was a complete bitch to you a few times.”

“I know her,” Steve said. “She interviewed me once and then twisted everything I said so it was completely misrepresented. She somehow made me sound like a complete Nationalistic Fascist who doesn’t care about the public’s safety.”

Melody shook her head and leaned against Steve. She needed his support so badly and he didn’t disappoint. His arm went around her automatically and he pulled her in a little closer. “I don’t think it could be her. She works in a different part of the building and she wasn’t around when I was on the phone with Steve.”

“Unless she hacked your phone,” Bucky said.

“Tony is going to come up and check that. FRIDAY can you nudge him,” Steve said.

“I’ve sent him a reminder,” she said. “He should be down soon.”

Melody hid her face in Steve’s neck, resting her cheek on his collarbone. This was all so much to deal with. It would be bad enough having to just deal with his psycho fans, but to deal with all this as well, she just wanted to run away.

“It’s not even just that. I went to speak to Jameson. He said he wanted me to write about my relationship with Steve in my column,” she groaned.

“He what?!” Bobbi said, almost leaping out of her chair.

“He said I didn’t need to name names, but now it was out if I just said vague things about him, people would know and more people would buy the paper,” Melody explained. “I don’t want to do that. I can’t exploit Steve like that. But we moved because I had this new job and it paid well. If I quit, we won’t be able to make rent, and then what? We’re on a twelve-month lease!”

“Well, I might have…” Bobbi began but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Tony Stark came in without waiting to be asked. “Someone ordered a genius?” he asked.

Steve stood and shook Tony’s hand. “Thanks for coming up. Do you think you can take a look at Melody’s phone? We’re worried it might have been hacked.”

“Sure thing,” he said, holding out his hand. “Hand it over.”

Melody pulled out her phone and passed it to Tony. “Thank you, Tony.”

“Hey, it’s Stark Tech. There’s no way it’s hacked. Despite what he said, he pulled out a device from his pocket and connected it to her phone. He sat on a stool nearby, opened a holographic screen, and began typing.

“What were you saying, Bobbi?” Melody asked.

“Um… about what?” she asked.

“You said about me quitting the job and not being able to afford the apartment,” Melody prompted.

“Oh,” Bobbi said. “Well, Bucky and I have been talking about moving in together. Specifically, him moving in with us. If he was there we could help you cover your rent until you're back on your feet. That is if you’re okay with him living with us.”

Melody almost jumped out of her chair. She hadn’t suspected that Bucky and Bobbi were thinking about moving in with each other at all. She wondered if Bobbi was maybe making something up so Melody didn’t feel bad. It wouldn’t be the first time her cousin had lied to protect her. But she couldn’t imagine Bobbi just springing moving in together on Bucky out of nowhere like this. “Really?” she shrieked. “You’re really going to move in together?”

Bobbi laughed. “Yes. If you’re okay with it.”

Melody lunged at Bobbi, wrapping her arms around her and hugging her as tightly as she could. “Oh my god,” she said, nuzzling into Bobbi’s dark hair. “I’m so happy for you both.”

“Okay, okay,” Bobbi laughed, rubbing her back. “I’ll take that as a yes?”

“Yes, of course,” she said, giving Bobbi one last firm squeeze and pulling back. She flopped back onto the couch leaning against Steve. “I don’t think I’m going to use it as a reason to quit my job though. At least not yet. I need to stand up for myself. I can’t just run away and shut down because people were mean to me.”

“That’s the ticket,” Steve said, patting her shoulder. “You have to stand up. If you lie down, they just end up walking over you. And for the record, I love your column as it is. I don’t mind the little pieces of information you give about us. It’s never invasive and it’s always more about you. If people can figure out that the guy who keeps leaving socks around your apartment is me, that’s okay.”

“Wait,” Bobbi said. “That’s you! I thought it was Bucky!”

“Hey!” Bucky said. “I’m tidy! He’s the punk that can’t pick up after himself.”

A bright flush crept up the back of Steve’s neck and he dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just don’t think about it. I’ll try to be better.” He shook his head and looked back up at Melody. “Anyway, as I was saying; I’m happy for you to write the way you do even knowing that everyone will know it’s me. I don’t like the idea of you forcing it for hits, but that’s more about your artistic integrity than privacy.”

“Artistic integrity,” Tony snorted. “Cap. Come on. She works for the Daily Bugle.”

“Thank you for that input, Tony,” Steve deadpanned. “Ignore him.”

“Yeah, ignore the guy trying to keep your information secure from hackers,” Tony snarked.

“I wouldn’t want to force it,” Melody insisted. It was part of the whole problem. The suggestion that she use her personal life to sell papers made it feel like none of the other things she did all day long mattered. She wasn’t a writer, she was a woman with an in with Captain America. “I almost feel like backing off on it now. The column’s either good on its own or it’s not and I don’t want an audience coming in just to learn about your private life, Steve.”

“Hey,” he said, putting his arm around her, and rubbing her side. “So don’t. Just write what you want to write about. If it’s good enough people will read it. I have faith in you. And if you do decide to write about something personal, I just ask that you think about how it affects me. I trust you. I don’t think you’d do anything that would hurt me.”

She leaned into him and let out a soft sigh. She was glad he trusted her. She just hated being in a situation where it would even be questioned in the first place.

“Well,” Tony said, getting up and unplugging Melody’s phone from the device he’d been using. “It hasn’t been compromised. If you message me from work tomorrow, I’ll access your computer and see if there’s anything there. If that doesn’t work I’ll get you a device that sweeps for bugs. I’m not sure how well that will work in a studio that’s full of recording equipment, but hopefully, we can figure it out.”

Melody stood taking the phone and hugging the man. “Thank you, Tony. I really appreciate it.”

He patted her back. “No problem. It’s what I do best.”

Bucky and Bobbi both stood together. “I gotta get to work, Mel,” she said. “You gonna be okay?”

Melody nodded. “Yeah. Thank you. Congrats on moving in.”

“We’ll let you know when it’s going to happen for sure,” Bobbi said. “Thanks for saying yes.”

“Of course, I would,” Melody said. “It’s awesome!” She turned and grinned at Bucky. “See you, new roomie.”

“See you, Mel,” he said.

When Tony, Bobbi, and Bucky had left Melody sat down in Steve’s lap and curled up. She felt emotionally and physically exhausted and she just wanted to stay pressed as closely to Steve as she could get and fall asleep.

“Shall we order something for dinner?” Steve asked as he enclosed her in his arms.

She nodded and burrowed into his chest more. “I want soup.”

“I’m sure we can get you soup,” he chuckled.

He didn’t move to place the order, he just held her and rested his chin on the top of her head. She was grateful for it. She had always been tactile and she often drew her comfort from touch. The fact she could just be quiet as he held her felt more reassuring than any of the talk. He had her. He wasn’t going to let her fall.

After a little while, he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “Do you think we’re moving too slow?” he asked. “Bucky and Bobbi are moving in together. Sam’s taking Matthew to meet his family. Should we be living together? We have been dating longer than any of them.”

She pulled back and looked at him, cupping his strong jaw. “We’re going just as exactly fast as works for us. It’s not a race and the checkpoints aren’t in any particular order. I’m taking you to meet my parents soon, and if you really want to move in together, we can talk about it. But if what feels more right is the old-fashioned dating, engagement, marriage, moving in, then that’s the way we do it.”

Steve smiled and turned, kissing her palm. “But you’re in the relationship too. And you’re not the traditional type,” he said.

“Maybe not. But I’m also not the type to push the person I’m dating into doing something they’re not comfortable with doing. I hope you know that by now,” she said.

Steve leaned in resting his forehead against hers. “I do know that. And I love you for it,” he said and kissed her.

She continued to caress his cheek as her lips parted and his tongue teased into her mouth. She melted completely into it, all worries about her job and their future dropping away - at least for now. Steve pulled back slowly and rested his forehead on hers again. “I do plan to marry you one day.”

She smiled. “And when you ask, I’ll say yes.”

His lips brushed over hers once more before he sat back. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s order dinner.”

Melody pulled out her phone and opened up one of the apps. She still dreaded work tomorrow, but for now, she was content knowing she had an amazing group of people who all had her back.

// NEXT

#marvel #avengers #steve rogers #captain america #steve rogers fanfic #captain america fanfic #steve rogers x oc #steve rogers x ofc #ofc #original character fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #smut #the interview #avengerscompound

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magnoliabutters · 1 year ago

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• THE SPIDER QUEEN •

pairing: kas!vamp eddie munson x (she/her) reader

summary: munson and henderson have a good o’talk...

warning: 18+ content, mdni, adult language; enemies to lovers trope, canon divergence, fluffy-wuff, season 4 spoliers, switching povs, moody boy kas, grief, y/n count: 1, moody boy dusty buns, violence, death/killing, character death, etc.

word count: 11.6k

reblogs & thoughtsy-watsies are appreciated!

• stories of eddie munson • season two • previous part •

note: potential need for tissues, not to toot my own horn or anything hehe, also highly highly encourage noting the dates & time to stay on track (i be bouncing)

grazi grazi grazi to my sweet ladies, ziggy (@trashmouth-richie, one of my fav authors) & miss nack (@nackrosor, loml) for spending the time to beta read & share your incredible thoughts and wisdom! also, doubly credit to nacky-nack because some of these words came straight from her extravagant brain & i love her so much.

i have never been so proud of the stories i’ve been creating and that’s cause of these two extraordinary writers. thank you, thank you for helping me grow! now, on to my longest post yet…

April 7th, 1986. 10:46pm.

Kas never thought he would respect a man in an open white blazer with a bright blue undershirt and yet, here he is - ready to follow him into battle if necessary. He is invested in this “Miami Vice” show. God, even the name sounds stupid, but he finds himself thankful that you had found a channel dedicated to it. A blissful escape from this shitty old thing called life.

There he sits with feet kicked up on the coffee table. A fresh stove-top cooked popcorn on his lap. The beautiful girl he loves sleeping soundly against his shoulder. He could die right here and be absolutely fulfilled. A twisted little smile sprawls on his lips as you curl your arm across his waist. The way your soft hair rests upon his shoulder and down to his bicep makes his heart explode and rebuild in a million puzzle-like pieces.

Who needs a working heart anyway?

Kas’ eyes are glued to the TV screen, desperately trying to erase the presence of the curly haired betrayal of a boy in his peripherals. He may have had trouble accepting the idea of Dustin at first, but now he’s just a nuisance at the bottom right of his eyeline. He will happily admit that he likes it better when the boy’s unconscious.

Although, he refuses to share how the curls of Dustin’s hair bring him back to each and every time Eddie ruffled them up with the palm of his hand. He is reminded of the happiness he felt in seeing the boy every day in school. The nostalgia floods his brain anytime Dustin’s yawning catches his attention.

Relief, another feeling that explodes within his chest. Relief in knowing that Hellfire would have yet another fearless leader once Eddie finally graduated - class of ‘86.

The excitement, unbridled and innocent excitement that followed their party’s adventures flying off the table and becoming a tangible reality. Right before everything got way too real...

The cracks of Crockett’s pistol blasts through the air. A shoot out. Miami’s finest detectives dive behind a brick wall as the fugitive sprays ricocheting bullets.

Kas jumps, startled by the noise, before rushing to find the remote. In his attempts, everything goes beautifully wrong. “Fuck, shit!” The popcorn flies and spills all over your beautiful sleeping body. An accidental kick of his feet and the unfinished beer bottles fall, spilling all over the table and onto the orange tinged carpet below.

In reaching for the remote, he about falls onto his stomach, spread across the floor, before finally hitting mute. With a deep exhale pumped full of exhaustion, he turns over onto his back, spreading his arms out across the carpet. He reluctantly raises his eyes to yours, only to catch you baring holes into his face. A tight lipped smile curls upon his lips as he mouths, “sorry” with nervous bouncing brows.

Another thing he didn’t expect was that the loud noise blaring from the TV would cause Dustin to begin rolling around with fluttering eyelids. The boy mumbles behind him, causing Kas’ eyes to open to extreme widths. He straightens his spine and turns before crawling his way back towards you. His torso flush against the hardened bottom frame of the couch. He bumps your right leg with his elbow, desperate to get your attention.

Thoughts begin to spiral in his mind, his lip quivers - terrified of what may happen once Dustin utters a word. Mortified by the thought of what he will say. It intensifies the frequency of his bumps on your leg.

Kas may not remember the whole story, but he can physically feel how his heart reaches for the boy. He recognizes that Dustin is the closest Eddie ever got to being a big brother. He feels the remnants of pride that regularly overcame him whenever he looked down on the boy. The thought of what he had and who he could become.

Eddie only knew him for less than the school year, but Dustin was so much more than some random freshie who barely learned the true art of Dungeons and Dragons. No, this boy was a pro - just like he was at that age. The only difference being that Dustin had friends, a party to play with before high school.

Henderson was his heir, the fucking prodigy. And fuck, does it hurt when the prodigy betrays the teacher!

Kas watches as your body perks up once realizing Dustin was slowly returning to the land of the living. You quickly stand and crash land upon your knees beside him. He really wished you hadn’t. He selfishly wanted you by his side, to help him not lose his marbles and destroy everything in his sight.

His teeth begin to grind as he watches you care for the boy. Your hands are delicate and soft as you try to help him wake. You care for him despite knowing that he left Eddie behind, the one person you claim to love the most in this world. Some loyalty.

He struggles to pull his eyes away, to keep himself from turning into a red hot ball of rage. Deep breaths have helped keep his mind at a leveled state, but hearing your comforting words crushes him to his core.

Kas returns his gaze upon you two when hearing your voice. “Dustin,” you say as you lightly push a curl behind his ear. He rolls his eyes with a scoff and comically stuffs another fistful of popcorn in his mouth from the thin layer that still rests inside the container. Apparently, you do that move with everyone - brushing hair behind one’s ear. The loving action he cherished so dearly. It feels wrong, undeniably wrong, to see you do that with someone else - let alone with him.

Dustin mumbles something, something that leads you to ask, “what?” so softly. Kas hums a growl at the thought of having to even process the words from his mouth, but he swore to you that he would try. Little did he know it would be this fucking hard.

The fire in his belly is difficult to describe and truly painful. He wishes he could be supportive, to be fully invested in the responsibility you have decided for yourself - to care for this boy. He just doesn't know how to look at you and your serene actions without feeling a sliver of treachery.

This boy is the reason Eddie died and turned into the monster that Kas is: a heinous demon that destroys everything in his wake while wearing the face of an angel.

Why couldn't he just have a few more minutes of paradise with you? To hold you in his arms, to feel you sink deeper into his chest. The sleep he craved beside your supple body was divine. All he wanted to do was grab your hand and rush you back up to that bed. To jump onto it and float the waves with you by his side. To forget there ever was an Eddie, a y/n, a Kas, a darlin’. To forget it all and start again. A new life filled with your sweet smile and endless laughter.

Alas, no. You were reminded of who Kas truly is before any extraordinary, amnesic life could begin. All because of him. Dustin Henderson did this, and he needs to pay.

Abruptly, Dustin staggers with fearful eyes as he pulls from you. Kas could tell that you were startled by the way your chin went several inches back into your throat. He knows that expression of yours very well. He revisits the sight on the backs of his eyelids any time he tries to fall asleep. How much horror he must have caused you while he was figuring it all out. The very same horror he forces you to relive each day. He will regret it all his life.

As an instinctual response to your worry, Kas stands with tightening fists, ready to pummel anything and anyone who troubles you. Your eyes fall upon him in such a way that he immediately disarms. Your gentle hand reaches towards him with a slightly cocked head. “It’s okay, Kas,” you say in a whisper. He sucks his tongue to the roof of his mouth as he shifts his eyes between you and the boy. He lets out a sharp breath from his nostrils before crashing back onto the couch carelessly.

Dustin looks his way with that same annoying terror on his face. It screams, “I’m about to pee my pants.” He had no reason to worry, as long as he listened to you. However, the terror persisting any time they make eye contact is becoming more and more difficult for Kas to bear. He’s positive Dustin never looked at Eddie this way. He’d be lying if he didn’t acknowledge the sadness that envelopes his chest at the thought.

"W-What is this?" Dustin asks while turning back to face you. His movements are hesitant and slow. Kas scoffs, kicking his feet back onto the table as he lazily reaches for a fallen kernel resting on a nearby cushion. He is almost offended that the boy couldn’t sustain the gaze in spite of his tangible fear.

"You're safe," you comfort, placing a hand on his shoulder but he pulls away harshly, making Kas sit straight up once again. It’s never too late to learn manners.

"No," he states. "What the hell happened?" You turn back to look at Kas, almost for support, but he gives you nothing. Why would he? You messed the bed, make it yourself.

"Maybe I should introduce you two?" you suggest, nodding back to Kas. Dustin's lip pulls up in a mixture of confusion and disgust. It’s clear he isn’t very fond of you. Kas loves the idea of being an outcast alongside you.

Dustin peers back at him with caution, yet eager and watering eyes before clearing his throat and returning to you. That look - jesus fuck, Kas hated that look. An inspirited gaze with raising brows before crashing down into a furrow and welling eyes. It has been some time since you have looked at him with such hope. The ogling stare that searches for something, or more accurately someone behind his muddy eyes. It is usually followed by a depressing combination of shock and hurt once the individual realizes what they were searching for no longer exists.

Dustin searches for Eddie, just like you used to. Apologies to the traitor. Eddie no longer exists.

"This is Kas," you introduce with softness to your voice. Your intonation comes off as though you were entertaining the name. Kas tries his best to remind himself that you had understood. You know that Eddie was gone, but the undeniable anger filling him is indisputable. It leads to the clenching of his teeth, the straightening of his back, and the flaring of his nostrils.

Dustin attempts to say the name, stuttering and stumbling like a child at the unfamiliar word. He continues, desperately trying to understand. “Kas, like - like Kas, the Bloody Handed? Kas, the Destroyer? Kas, Vecna’s most trusted lieutenant?”

Kas could see you wince at the words. You are desperate to keep the conversation calm and avoid all his triggers. But the boy clearly has his own annoying way of processing the information, blurting the sound of his immediate enemy as a result.

He growls as his jaw slightly shakes with how hard his teeth grind against each other. “How about Kas, the man whose aboutta break your nose if you keep yapping?” he spits out. Dustin quickly turns his way at the sound. He shudders in his seat, preparing for another altercation.

In an attempt to deescalate the situation, you slowly answer Dustin’s inquiries. “I’m not sure about all that,” you start, speaking directly to the boy. “But Kas, he’s - he’s different.” He looks at you with one raising brow and forward leaning chin, egging you on to continue.

“He may look like Eddie, talk like him, walk like him, even hug like him - if you’re lucky,” you quickly correct. “But he’s not Eddie.” You pause, dropping your eyes to the hands intertwined upon your lap. “I really need you to understand this, Dustin. Kas is not Eddie. They are two different people.”

As you spoke, Kas slowly moved his attention onto your chapped, pouty lips. Your inflection changed as your words continued. His ears are perked as he struggles to understand how you were feeling. How to help. Your solemn expression sets off a multitude of alarm systems in his mind.

His first thought is to scoop you off your feet, carefully supporting your neck and the back of your knees with his arms. He wishes to take you away from this place, to any reminder of the past and what you have lost.

His second thought, however, fuels the anger and resentment within him. The thought that your sadness, that your pain, is caused by Dustin and his aggravating need to know the truth. Finally, you take a breath as those tears you’ve been holding finally dive off your lashes.

“Eddie is dead…”

“… So please. If we can move on from this - if you can accept that Eddie is g-gone,” your voice hitches, leading you to take a slow breath before continuing. “Then we won’t have to worry about what happened earlier.”

Kas’ head tilts curiously as he observes your behavior. The words are falling easier and easier for your pretty lips, but the heartbreak resonating throughout your body is crystal clear and constant.

He wishes he could revel in the excitement, to celebrate the happiness that followed your understanding that Eddie is gone. The acceptance that has allowed Kas to live without being under his shadow. But how could he ever be happy when you were so sad?

Upon hearing your words, he is reminded of the detrimental actions that ripped the perfect morning with you from his hands. The precious morning and slumber that you both deserved. He wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through your freshly washed hair and watch as you fell asleep in his arms.

Kas fiercely avoids acknowledging the thought that he, too, is responsible for taking that away from you. That maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t all Dustin’s fault.

April 7th, 1986. 8:12am.

Kas had an uneasy feeling as he took slow and hesitant steps down the stairs. Who could possibly be here? The knock seemed hurried, yet forceful. His first guess would be the cops, that maybe Rick got out of jail again and they’ve come to bring him back. Or what if it was a neighbor? One that saw some movement in the desolate house and called 9-1-1? Either way, a conversation between the police and Kas, Hawkin’s latest serial killer, is not going to end well.

He considers calling you down. A fresh, pretty face that can woo the police away. One that can lie and pretend that she has every right to be in Reefer Rick’s abandoned lake house.

No, he could never do that to you. He wouldn’t dare ruin the incredible image in his head of you resting, naked beneath the warm sheets waiting for his return. He couldn’t wait to drop these sweatpants and curl up next to you.

Nah, man. There’s no way he’s dragging you out of that bed. Plus, he knew, without a doubt, that you would be too busy dry heaving at the thought of lying to the cops to even try. A smile rips across his face. Shit, how he loves you with every fiber of his being.

As he finally hits that last step, Kas dramatically slumps his entire body upon realizing Reefer Dicky Dick Rick doesn’t have a god damned peephole. He’s convinced that peering through the windows like an idiot would be way worse than just opening the door.

With a sharp inhale and roll of his eyes, Kas flings the door open. The wind wafts in, flying his curls back with the intensity of his speed. All to begrudgingly land his eyes on …

“Eddie?”

Kas’ entire body runs cold as his breath is stalled in his chest. The eyes, the hazel innocent eyes before him. Irises bight and clear as day when flush against the pink of his tearing eye. A reddish plump to his nose and cheeks. The trembling lip that slowly whispers a second “Eddie” that Kas is too astonished to notice.

Dustin Henderson. The two comrades, friends of war, partners, brothers were left stunned at the sight of each other.

Several minutes pass and the boy is the first to break the silence. “Ed-,” he starts, but Kas is quick to stop him in his tracks.

“Don’t call me that,” Kas spits out with a deadpan expression. He could feel his entire body shutting down, one muscle at a time. His breath is completely ripped from his lungs as he desperately seeks dissociation, any method of escape from who he must face.

Pain strikes Dustin’s whole, causing the slightest twinge of his brow. He takes a step back with fluttering eyelids as he struggles to comprehend the situation.

Kas, however, is too busy wishing he could disappear to notice. Wishing that he could turn back time, tell you to hide so that you both could giggle under the fresh sheets until the knocking dissipated.

Lost in his thoughts, Kas didn’t see the boy’s extending hand before it was gently placed against his forearm. “Don’t!” he yells, raising his tainted arm as he stumbles back into the living room.

Dustin follows him inside with worried floating hands, prepared to catch if needed. He kicks the door closed with helpful intentions. But the slamming door causes Kas to stop dead in his tracks, which in turn causes Dustin to crash against his torso.

Without a second passing, Kas slams his hands against the mop head’s shoulders. He digs the weak boy into the wall beside the door. Dustin yelps in pain as his hips thrash forcefully back onto a side table. A sharp sound snaps through the air as a glass bowl shatters and keys scatter across the carpet.

“Don’t touch me,” Kas demands sternly. “And don’t call me that,” he adds with a heavy exhale, as though the words have become routine. “I - I won’t,” Dustin blurts out with a fast sucking breath.

Kas slowly nods with fluttering lashes as he stumbles back. Tears well in his eyes as he struggles to discern reality and memory. Dustin Henderson, Dustin. Dustin. The name floods his body with a volatile mixture of Eddie's and his own emotions.

Is he ecstatic? Is he worried for his friend? Why was he crying? Why did he push him against the wall? That must have really been scary. Maybe he should apologize? Apologize?! For what? Dustin left him to die, rotting away in front of his family’s trailer.

“They wished you death …. They watched as you were torn apart.”

Vecna’s chilling voice plays on repeat in his head. It’s all - It’s too much. His head spins despite the debilitating feeling of his skull being crushed. Tears roll down his cheeks like cinder blocks. He cannot control them, cannot stop them even if he tried.

He has never felt pain such as this. A pain so shocking that all bodily systems are stalled. His chest begins to heave just as his sight becomes blurry. Any memories tied to you and your anxiety attacks have rapidly been erased. He has nothing, nothing to help him. No one to support him in this unbearable situation. His heart pulses like the clacking of a horse’s hooves, while also freezing every five beats.

Kas instinctually bends over, falling into a kneel. His chest struggles to rise and fall with each breath taken. His brain is overloaded, cutting all ties with consciousness.

Dustin rushes to his side with a light and comforting touch upon his best friend’s back. He is very careful not to touch the pink scars ripping across his waist and ribs when catching him. “Eddie,” he calls out softly.

“Eddie…”

“…Eddie”

“Eddie?”

“EDDIE!”

“Oh god! Oh god, Eddie,” Dustin cries as he lands his knees harshly against the cold floor. He pulls his idol’s body onto his lap. Tears stream down his face, dropping onto Eddie’s cheeks below.

Eddie’s entire body was on fire. So much pain but all he cared about was that he finally proved to himself that he was no coward. By the look of Dustin’s blubbering crying face and the fact that he couldn’t feel his toes, he knew that this was it. Time to go out like a rockstar.

“Bad huh?” Eddie coughs up. He could taste the familiar metal on his tongue. It wasn’t the first time blood was in his mouth.

“No, no,” Dustin starts. “You’re going to be fine. Just gotta get you to the hospital, okay?” His voice keeps hitching. The boy brushes hair from his cheek with a cold breath on his face.

Eddie nods his head in a desperate attempt to make his little brother feel better, but the blood keeps coming up. He gags on it before muttering, “I think …” The pain shoots up his body in pulsating electrical bursts. “Common,” he utters, trying to hype himself up. He had only a few more words to say before he was done, before he could rest.

“I think I just … I think I just need a second, okay?” He whispers. He struggles to keep his eyes open, slowly becoming more tired as the minutes pass.

He gets flashes of your smile burning bright. Your laugh, how you cock back your head with each giggle. Your fingers intertwined with his, always such warm hands. A loving smile spreads across his devilish cheeks. “Okay,” Dustin whimpers out in between sobs.

“I didn’t run away this time, right?” Eddie blurts out with a bit of a chuckle. “No, no, no, no,” Dustin weakly smiles, letting out a bundle of spit with a stifled cry. “You didn’t run.” A cough rips from his throat again. The blood drains from the side of his mouth.

Happiness fills his aching chest as the thought of Dustin as President of Hellfire plays in his head once again. A thought he fantasizes about often. His eyes close as he sees the light behind the boy’s curly head. “You’re going to have to take care of those sheep for me, okay?”

Dustin lets out a soft whale as he struggles to speak. “No, you’re going to do that yourself,” he whispers stubbornly. Eddie’s brows furrow at the words. He uses all of his might to crash his palm against Dustin’s forearm.

“Nah, man,” Eddie grumbles. He hated when the boy second guessed himself. Dustin never saw his potential, never felt the confidence he could easily have. Hey, that was the same shit you would say about Eddie all the time. Funny, full circle.

“Say, ‘I’m gonna look after them,” he demands. “Say it.” He wanted the words to come out harsh and strict, bringing the good old dungeon master voice back out for one last ride. He didn’t expect the coughing fit that would erupt from his attempt.

“I’m… I’m gonna look after…” Dustin starts as the words fall into a jumble of sobs. “Good,” Eddie answers with another harsh cough.

A smile spreads across his face, the smirk that is clearly copyrighted by the Munson family. “Good, cause I’m actually gonna graduate,” Eddie starts. His smile grows deeper and deeper as he remembers those pretty little eyes of yours. “And I’m gonna marry my Lolly. I think it’s my year, Henderson.” His heart warms - he likes to think it’s because of his incredible future with you, instead of the blood pooling in his lungs. “I think it’s finally my year…”

“...I love you man.”

“I love you too.”

“… Eddie”

“Eddie …”

“Eddie!”

Kas moves with a body strictly set on autopilot. His mind is screaming, screaming his name. His heart races, beating thickly in his ears. He could still feel Dustin’s tears falling onto his cheeks. He feels the boy leaving. How his pillow, his knees, quickly fall from beneath him. Dustin’s weeping voice as he is pulled away and Eddie is left behind in the Upside Down.

Before he could stop himself, Kas grabs Dustin’s hands off of his body. He wraps his calloused fingers around his wrists, slamming them harshly against the wall. “What the hell are you doing here?!” He screams into the adversary’s pathetically whimpering face.

“I-It’s me,” Dustin stutters out, but each word that leaves his lips peaks his anger. Kas yells out a grunt as he digs his fist thick into his collar. He lifts the small boy up and throws him against the floor. Henderson went flying across the living room, sliding upon the carpet.

Everything became red. A smashing of his knuckles across Dustin’s cheekbones. It hurt, but not as much as when his supposed friend left him behind. This makes Kas feel a whole lot better.

April 7th, 1986. 11:12pm.

Looking back, Kas definitely needed that 14-hour cool down period. He scans over your crushed frame, but your eyes are fixed upon Dustin’s face. His nostrils flare as fluttering lashes drop a tear. He roughly brushes it away with a single finger against his red cheeks.

With a sniffle, Dustin whispers, “O-Okay, hi Kas. I’m Dustin.” His hand shakes awkwardly as he tries to stand. Your arms reach for him, careful not to let him fall. Despite your unfortunate patient, Kas has always adored your caring soul. The dutiful World War Two nurse tending to his eternal wounds. He loves you, not only due to your very beautiful body, but everything within its gorgeous shell - not that you’d ever believe him.

Dustin looks down at his wavering hands and ripped shirt. His fingertips press against his cheeks. He winces in anticipation of a pain that never comes. “How did I,” he stutters, a gulp thick in his throat. “W-what is this?” Kas finally stands - it was his time to shine. He peers down at Dustin through his cheeks with a lifted chin. The boy stumbles back at his movement, afraid of what may come next.

Just how Kas likes it: seeing his prey shaking with barely contained fear before him. At least they know the truth - that he’s a monster in sheep’s clothing.

“I healed you,” Kas starts with a scoff. “Me, I did that,” he points to Dustin’s weak body. His smirk and bouncing brow shoots your way, making sure you acknowledge his selfless act. That annoyed, deadpanned face of yours returned, it’s one of his favorites.

Dustin looks to you for clarification, some sort of understanding of what the hell happened to his fallen friend. Kas hated it, hated that he looked at you instead of him. Like every word falling from his mouth needed to be fact checked by you.

“Hey, Henderson,” Kas calls out, a whistle to follow. “Eyes over here. Daddy’s telling a story.”

Kas stalls when he sees both your eyes pop out of their sockets. Dustin’s nostrils are flared as he takes a slow inhale. You quickly drop your gaze to your feet, while stifling a cry. What the hell? Why did the world come to a grinding halt?

“Vecna saved me,” he continues hesitantly. The words slowly drop from his mouth, each elongated word. “You know, after you left me to rot.”

The boy’s neck extends as shock fills him to his very core. Fire burns true in his little hazel eyes. Something Kas, nor Eddie, has seen outside of the D&D table.

Oh hello Nog, the Artificer - it’s been a while.

“Who left you?” Dustin challenges with a finger addressed to the man before him. It makes Kas laugh, enjoying the fire burning within him just like the good arsonist that he is. “‘Cause it sure as shit wasn’t me.”

He steps forward in a way that, involuntarily, spreads shivers down Kas’ spine. A shiver not formed due to fear, shock, nor worry. A shiver that inadvertently fills his body with admiration and respect. “Steve had to pull me away from you,” he says sternly, dangerously entering the other's space.

Kas’ left brow raises as a smile sprawls across his face. A slow chuckle erupts from within that could scare away Vecna himself. He is callous and cold. His eyes reddening as each word is spoken. “You’re a fucking liar, Henderson,” a cold stern tone to his voice. Kas takes a step towards Dustin, egging him on. “You don’t want to know what I do to liars.”

Dustin scoffs, suddenly taking the interaction lightly. “Why don’t you start off by telling me exactly who said that I left you?” he asks with rigid eyes. Kas scoffs too, rolling his own, as his lip pulls up on his left side. “Oh,” the boy snickers, making Kas’ entire care-free persona develop into fuel lit fire. “Let me guess, Vecna told you that? Just like how he told you he saved you?”

“Watch your fucking tongue,” Kas spits through gritted teeth. He could barely see your hands or hear your voice as you attempt to calm the situation. All he could see was red. The resilient, fascinatingly familiar color flushing across his sight. He just needed one good reason to wreck that pretty little face of his.

“I watched you die and I was there until the very end,” Dustin yells, completely matching his opponent’s energy. “I would have never left you behind.”

“But you did!” Kas screams into his face. His shoulders raise as he puffs his chest, entirely prepared to destroy the small being. But, fortunately for the boy, you are a sneaky one. A slow palm to his chest, resting with just the right amount of pressure on his sternum. He could feel another hand pressing into his lower back. And somehow he could breathe again. The red slowly dissipating from his mind. All his senses return with lightning speed. It all hit a bit too hard as he struggles to process the next words from his mouth.

“No, I fucking didn’t!” Dustin spit outs with disdain. Your hand still glued to Kas’ hot skin, the only thing keeping the other alive. “Steve ripped me from you, I hated him for weeks…” He loses track of his words as though the memories shot through his precious thinking cap.

“No, no,” Kas mumbles but the flashes ring true. Dustin cried onto his dying body. He screamed, pleading for Eddie as he was dragged away by Harrington. He didn’t want to go, but Steve was following through on his promise - to protect Henderson. They loved Eddie. His friends would never have left him behind.

“No!” Kas shouts, pushing the boy back, but he persists, taking a step forward to show his older brother that he meant every single world.

“It took me so long to see that he was saving my life,” Dustin utters before powerfully pushing two hands against his chest. “I was ready to die with you in front of that trailer!”

Kas bounces back, rocking on his heels with minimal physical damage but holy shit did that fuck over his brain and everything he’s come to know as true so far.

“I should have!” the boy shrieks. Tears stream down his cheeks in a way that breaks Kas’ unbeating heart, in a way he’ll never admit - maybe not even to you. Kas coughs, clearing his throat before plopping back onto the couch. The room is silent until Tobbs calls out to his fellow detective.

Kas clings onto the TV as a tool for his dissociation. A small voice in his head begins to beg for forgiveness. Regret encapsulates his chest cavity as he acknowledges the pain he caused to not only his prodigy, but to you. The betrayal was his own.

He should have remembered, should have corrected Vecna, but he had nothing. Not a single clue as to what was happening. He was lost, alone. He knew his memories were not his own, but he didn’t care. Anger is easier than loneliness. It wasn’t until he saw you and the graceful flash of your smile that he second guessed those thoughts.

All he has now is Eddie’s memories from before. He would only need one hand to count how many he’s got, but that’s no excuse. He should’ve remembered. He had an inkling, some part deep deep within him that immediately rejected the idea of Henderson leaving him behind but he didn’t listen.

Why didn’t he listen? How could the idea that everyone would leave him behind be so believable? That he wasn’t worthy of true friendship? What could he have done to deserve that?

Kas squints before applying pressure from his thumb between his brows. He could feel the beginning of a headache scraping against his forehead. Muffled voices wrack through the air as he struggles to recollect what is true and what he was told.

You and Dustin begin talking about Eddie and his last moments. He now finds distraction from his own thoughts in your conversation.

He, barely, tries to not eavesdrop as you nervously ask, “Did - did he have any message or - or, um, did he say something about me?” His ears perk for an answer that never came. He looks up to see Dustin shaking his head, which forces his heart to sink in his chest.

Kas instinctually seeks your gaze, knowing without a doubt that this answer would completely destroy you. He watches as your face pales and your body stills. He struggles to deny every fiber in his being that screams for him to hold you. As much as they pleaded and as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t manage to move from his seat. His own body betrays him in the midst of all this new found information.

“Tell us the story.” Your mouth barely moves despite the power of the words that fall from your lips. Kas cannot deny the excitement he feels upon being reminded of your undeniable strength. You were easily the strongest woman he has ever met, even if he did remember all the women in his life. He turns towards Dustin, awaiting the story that even he is curious to hear.

The boy, however, tucks his hands beneath his pits and crosses his arms over his torso. “What’s going to keep him from punching my face in again?” he spits out. Again, he looks right at you as though you were the handler to the rabid dog that Kas was.

“He won’t hurt you,” you say through grinding teeth. It was enough to make Kas smile and tilt his chin back and forth, like a giddy girl. He sits back, completely relaxed, knowing that you have his back.

Dustin takes a breath, lowering his eyes before him, but not before cracking his neck to the side. “Eddie was dealing with Chrissy,” he starts.

You quickly interject, “Yeah, he had a date set with her.” Your eyes fall as you think further. “It - It was a Friday, right?”

The boy nods his head as he tightens his arms upon his chest. “Vecna killed Chrissy right in front of Eddie.”

The veins in your neck tighten as you clench your teeth. Eyelashes flutter back tears. Kas cannot help but want to protect you. “Are you sure you want to hear this?” he asks in a low tone. The act surprises Dustin. His eyes flash between you two as he realizes the connection you have.

You take a deep sigh before walking over to the couch beside him. You crash down, hooking your arm around his bicep. You lean into the meat of his arm as your eyes close. “Keep going, Dustin.”

Kas pulls you in, holding you closer than he thought possible. He would do anything to spare you from this hurt, but he also knows whole heartedly that you needed to hear it - just as he does. “After that, Eddie went into hiding. Cops obviously pinned it on him… and Max, well, she saw him leave the trailer in a hurry-”

Your head raises upon hearing the name. Kas turns to you for guidance as it remains unfamiliar. “Wait, Max was a part of this?” you ask in disbelief.

Dustin stalls before answering. He swallows a huge gulp as he squeezes his hands into a fist. “Yes.” Your brain wracks with ideas, struggling to understand exactly who else was involved in this dangerous ruse. “We went searching for Eddie and it led us back to here,” he mutters as he takes a quick glance around.

“We found out Vecna’s past and how to fight him, and we were ready,” he slows down his words. “We had a plan and we were going to stop him.” His bottom lip begins to quiver. A hand catches his balance upon the back of the recliner. “Something went wrong, and we needed more time.”

His eyes suddenly bare holes into yours. You could see the tears welling within them as he struggles to let out the next few words. “He went back,” he swallows, “We would’ve lost so many people if not for him, but by the time I could get back…” He drops his head, shaking it as those fists crash against the tops of his thighs.

Kas observes every inch of Dustin’s face, of his body language. He understood his words to be true, his feelings to be true. He is distraught. Dustin may have made it out of there alive, but a piece of him still rests on that road right beside Eddie. Dead and hollow. A piece he may never recover.

He rallies the courage from within to finish their interwoven story from his blurred recollection. “I-” he starts. The pronoun explodes a combination of familiarity and disorientation. “I died in his arms.”

Kas could see your head immediately shooting his way. It made a small smile burst from his lips and shortly take it away. “But after you left, I heard someone. I thought it was you,” he turns your way with a weak grin. Tears flow from the ducts of your eyes, a steady current. “I don’t think it was.”

His voice hitches before he clears it and attempts to continue. “I died a fucking hero,” his eyes raise forward as he is flooded by the reminiscent feeling of bravery and pride. “I wasn’t a coward - no, not anymore.”

You bite your lip as your arms wrap around his neck. His own tears begin to fall as you pull him into your chest. “You were always a hero, baby,” you whisper into his red, hot ears. "You saved me before any of this happened."

His sobs destroy the very fabric of your being. A sound that will forever haunt your dreams. You take it in waves, all of his pain without regret. Your face slowly becoming stone cold, tears ceasing to exist as you tighten your hold of him.

Kas clears his throat, slowly pulling away from your soaked shirt. Your hands slowly float to his knees. He looks back at Dustin, his close friend, without anger or resentment. “Vecna brought me back. He told me to kill you,” he mutters while shaking his head. “I came back different.” Another frog is stuck in his throat as he struggles to take in breaths without falling into another sobbing fit. His eyes drop to the hands in his lap. “I wasn’t a killer before, but I am now.”

Dustin looks your way in a panic, desperately wanting to know more. “He didn’t make me, you know? He taught me how and I just kept it up.” Kas calmly nods as he feels the blood drain from his face. “Eleven people,” his voice hitches as he meets the boy’s innocent eyes.

“Tammy Thompson, Ryan Trent, Andy Johnson, Carol Carver, Dave McKinney, Paul Richardson, Justine Hutch, Dick Newman, Kristie Peterson, Olivia Wilson, and Vickie McNulty.”

Kas keeps his head down. Not a single part of him wants to see the terror on either one of your faces. The silence floods the air like a stuffy smoke. It’s almost palpable, almost as though you could feel it weighing down on your defenseless body.

“Vickie.” Dustin slices through the smoke, a wavering tone to his voice. “Vickie from marching band?”

Kas nods his head ever so slightly while struggling to swallow the biggest gulp stuck in his throat.

He didn’t want to raise his eyes, no not at first. He could remember her screams, particularly hers as they sounded like they were perfectly extracted from Jason Voorhees’ machete. The red of her hair mixed beautifully with the crimson that drenched her clothes.

He would be lying if he said he had any remorse in the kill. He just saw someone he knew. A poor girl smudged with dirt and muck as she struggled to get out from under the library’s debris. He scared her, just a little, to get that blood pumping quickly into his mouth.

“Yes,” Kas finally answers. “Vickie from marching band.”

Dustin almost collapses backwards, but swiftly rushes to land onto the chair before him. A completely new pain strikes Kas’ heart as he realizes that Vickie meant something to him. Your hand squeezes at the sides of his thigh as you, too, hesitantly land your head against his shoulder. Comforting him, even though you are shocked by his doings.

“I think I need a break,” Dustin mutters. Kas raises his eyes to see that the boy had turned a shade of green. He runs out the front door and vomits off the side of Rick’s porch. A solid tear runs down Kas’ cheek. What has he done?

While the two are inside, Dustin struggles to keep himself upright. His entire torso is flush against the wooden porch. His eyes almost bulging with each retch.

Robin has been searching for weeks to find Vickie. She’s grown so close to the McNulty family, determined to find her across the Upside Down. She refuses to acknowledge the possibility of her death, the possibility of not being able to save her through all the party's efforts and losses.

How is he going to tell her about this?

But amongst the sadness, he cannot deny the feeling of relief in his belly. Eddie is back. Even if it’s some weird, murderous version of him, he can still see him - talk to him. He doesn’t have to pretend to speak to the mist over Lover’s Lake anymore. He doesn’t have to think of a world that Eddie Munson isn’t a part of.

Sure, his mentor looks different. Much more shirtless than usual. Dustin never thought he would see him in anything but ripped jeans. His hair is longer, smooth and less matted. The contrast between his dark locks and skin reveals how much paler he’s become. Red eyes are a nice touch that he can appreciate when they aren’t paired with a beating.

When Kas speaks, the boy swears he could see sharpened canines. Were those the very knives that dug into his skin before he passed out?

Regardless, Dustin has his brother back and the happiness that consumes him is undeniable. He would accept him with open arms in any condition.

A tenacious brotherhood built on fantasy, triumphs, and defeats. A deep connection between a Master Inventor and his Dungeon Master. He wishes he could go back, back to when the worst thing that happened was that D&D got canceled because Corroded Coffin finally got a gig.

All he can do is wish.

September 16th, 1985. 8:43pm.

“Yeah, well Mike’s got a girlfriend cross country,” Lucas shares, desperately running away from the attention placed on his and Max’s relationship.

“What the hell,” Mike gripes as Gareth places a firm hand at the back of his neck. He shakes it while releasing a hellish laughter. “Alright Mike, where’d you meet her? I only slightly think she’s made up.”

The group laughs as Eddie watches them from his Dungeon Master’s throne. His foot hangs off the edge with a knee to his chest, hands playing with a small ripped paper.

He is known for his transparency. Whatever he feels is perfectly displayed upon his face. The mood for today is an abundance of annoyance, clear in how he lifts the side of his lips and his eyes roll with each passing second.

“I met her here actually, she just moved away,” Mike shares. “Her name’s-”

Eddie slams his hand down onto the table with a force that shakes the auditorium floor. “Why are we talking about maidens?” he asks with a booming voice as he stands from his seat. “We should be talking about how the party’s going to fight Lolth tomorrow,” he hints.

Dustin’s eyes widen as he slowly asks, “What are you talking about?” He peers around the room, seeing the entire party with mixed expressions of shock and gaping mouths.

Eddie huffs in response, rolling his eyes in annoyance, as he grabs his books and map. “No jerking off tonight, boys. You’re gonna need your throwing hand.”

The party begins to pack up after a rather rough section of the campaign. Only Lucas, Jeff, and Dustin survived, while the rest await their rebirth. Dustin’s brows pull as he watches his fearless leader. The man who is always moving is now perfectly still. He takes heavy breaths as he grips tightly against the top of his chair.

“You coming?” Lucas calls out as he and Mike begin to walk down the stage’s stairs.

“I’ll just meet you there,” Dustin says, waving his hand for the two to leave. He has been trying to find an opportunity to buddy up with the President of Hellfire, maybe this was his chance. “So, Eddie, do you have a sec?” he asks sheepishly.

Eddie now had his forehead plastered upon the chair as his fingers nervously tap on its sides. He groans as his way of replying to the youngling. Dustin lets out a soft chuckle as he nervously asks, “You okay?”

Eddie slowly raises his head as a smile lifts to the right of his cheek. “Yeah, I’m good,” he says with squinting eyes. “Hangovers don’t feel like they used to.” He raises his arms to stretch them before rolling his neck.

“I was wondering if, uh, I could get your advice on something?”

Eddie’s eyes perk as he drops his arms and slides into his chair like a snake. “Why yes, the doctor’s in,” he beams with his smile.

Dustin laughs while pulling a chair out and plopping into the seat. “It’s about girls - uh, maidens,” he starts.

Eddie nods furiously, gesturing with his hands for him to continue. “What is her name?” he inquires. Dustin drops his head nervously, “Susie.”

Eddie’s eyes close as he smiles. “Ah, Susie,” he whispers in acknowledgement. He leans back into his seat, taking a big whiff of the young love in the air.

“Yeah, she, uh, she’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. I met her back in camp about a year ago and she lives in Utah, but I, uh, I think I love her and I’ve never said that to someone before,” Dustin rambles.

Humming, Eddie sinks back into his chair. His expression is happy and proud of his little freshman. “Well, little man, it sounds like we’re in the exact same situation. If you figure it out, you let me know,” he dismisses with a chuckle.

Dustin is taken aback. A king like Eddie having trouble with girls, uh - maidens? He’s a rockstar for christ’s sake, what kind of problems could he have? “What’s her name?” he asks, just as plainly as Eddie did before. He snickers beneath his grin as he rests a chin upon his fist.

“Let’s just call her Lolly,” Eddie lets out with a breathless chuckle. A coy smile sprawls across his lips.

Dustin’s brow raises with curiosity as he dives in more information. “Lolly, like … Lolth?” he asks, tucking his chin into his neck in excitement. His eyes widen as he lovingly awaits his DM’s answer.

Eddie blows out a raspberry before sinking even further into the throne. He shakes his head while creasing his eyebrows. “Did you nickname her after our next boss?” Dustin laughs out incredulously.

“Maybe,” Eddie retorts in a sing-songy voice. He scoffs, throwing his head back. “Go ahead, honestly, tell me that Lolth isn’t a smokin’ hot babe.”

Henderson smiles, enjoying his mentor’s flustered face. He shrugs, nodding his head - knowing it isn’t wrong. “She must be a badass,” he utters.

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Eddie adds, running his tongue over the front of his teeth. “She’s my spider queen,” he hisses with excitement.

Dustin giggles alongside Eddie. Their smiles fill the room with a rose tinted ambience flooded with nostalgia and happiness between old souled friends. The connection between them was palpable, undeniable. Eddie noticed it the second he laid eyes on the small fella. He knew there was something special about him, and he has yet to be proven wrong.

“In all seriousness, Henderson,” Eddie says lightly, coming down from his laughing fest. “You should tell her. It’s a risk, yeah, but love isn’t really something you can hold onto. Trust me, it eats away at you more than you can imagine. It physically hurts not to say it,” he takes a deep breath. “You’re lucky you don’t have to see her every day.”

His words peak Dustin’s interest. Who is this maiden? Has he seen her before? Does she go to Hawkins High? He’s never seen his DM so vulnerable, and he revels within the precious moment.

“You can tell her too, Eddie,” he whispers, careful not to upset him. The President raises his eyes and stares behind his curly chocolate bangs. “What if she loves you too?”

Eddie’s keen smile pulls to one side as he shakes his head. “She doesn’t even know me,” he mutters, leaning back into his chair.

“Then let her get to know you, man,” Dustin encourages. With a smile, he starts, “A wise man once told me that love was risky but it’s not something you can hold onto-”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Screw you, Henderson,” he mutters with a low hummed chuckle. His head cocks to the side as an idea forms in his mind. He leans his elbows onto the table as he locks eyes with the boy. “Let’s make a pact, right here and right now.” Dustin encouragingly nods. “You tell Susie and I - I’ll tell Lolly,” the words start to lose their muster as he continues.

“You got yourself a deal, Munson,” Dustin slams his hand against Eddie’s, giving him a good shake. A contract that would build the very foundation of their friendship.

April 7th, 1986. 12:11am.

Your mind feels like a dead plane about to crash into the ocean. A slow spiral as you fall from the heavens and dive into the horror show below. First row, VIP ticket. Guess that’s what happens when you fall in love with a true killer.

Without noticing, your hand slowly slips from his arm. Fingers hook onto your chin as you struggle hard to process the information. To make sense of something that just shouldn’t make sense.

“You didn’t know who she was,” you start. Your closed eyes tickle lashes against your cheek. “You - you didn’t.”

Kas’ soft, calm voice breaks through the mist, bringing you back down to that ocean floor. “I did,” he murmurs. “I killed her, and I did it because I knew her.”

You turn to him with tears flooding your vision. The breath is sucked from your lungs, unable to take in more. You finally hit the water - it’s time to sink. “Tell me, just,” you gulp, shaking your head out as your mind screams for you to run. “Make me understand, please.” You turn to him, heaving sobs as you do. “Why did you do this?”

He drops his gaze, not wanting another second of your crying face to be burned into his mind. He hurt you, again. Regret, again. All for an unneeded kill he made so carelessly.

Vickie’s red hair bobbed so effortlessly in the mucky mist of the New World. He immediately recognized her from that unfortunate junior year that he had to take band for his elective. Despite the tragedy, she still was perky and determined to get out.

And that’s why. She had hope, and all he wanted to do was crush it.

Kas hesitantly reaches for you, wanting to comfort you and distance himself from the situation. The very act shakes you to your core, causing you to cower to the other side of the couch. “Don’t,” you say plainly. He drops his eyes while clenching his jaw in pain.

Who did he have to blame this time? It’s not like Henderson was the one who brought up their names. It certainly wasn’t you. You knew he had a list, a list of people who died the way you should have, but he knew you would never want to know who.

And yet, he gave you just that. It breaks any perception that you had of him. The person who took care of you upstairs, who loves you - yeah, that’s a serial killer. Vecna took everything from you. He could care less about how his kills affect other people.

Chrissy died and Eddie became a “serial killer.” Eddie died and … Kas became the serial killer.

“I don’t,” you start but quickly take in a shaky breath. You pinch your brows together, trying so hard to see any future with him beyond this but everything comes up blank.

“I killed because I didn’t know any better,” Kas whispers. His gaze stuck on his hands as they rested between his legs. “I was taught to torture, told that every person in Hawkins would rather see me dead than alive.”

He abruptly stands, practically jumping off the couch. “I had doubts. I - I tested it, you know?” He begins his pacing, desperately trying to stop his heart from exploding his chest with each beat.

“With Kristie and Dick, I saw them. They were under struggling to get out of town hall. I helped them get out,” he slows his movements. “They were so happy to see me. And that made me happy, a-and I thought - ‘yes, he was wrong!’ But they were just happy until I got them out,” he says softly.

“They ran from me, called me an ‘asshole’ and a ‘killer,’” Kas mutters as he stands still before you. “I showed them they were right.”

A wave crashes over you. Weak electricity shoots through your body, tingles that make you feel light headed. Your face falls into your hands as you ponder the thought.

“But then I met you, darlin’,” he says as he crashes onto his knees before you. His big, warm hands pull your palms from your cheeks. “You showed me that there was another way. And - and I don’t want to go back to that.”

Kas takes a sharp breath before clearing his throat. His quivering voice continues, “I still hear their screams.” You slowly raise your eyes to his. His face contorted and solemn as he struggles to hold back heaving sobs.

“I wish you were there,” he drops his head onto your lap. The tears curl around your face. You cannot help the gentle hand that brushes through his hair. “I wish I died in your arms,” he cries. “If I did, I wouldn’t be here. I’d be in fucking Valhalla or some shit, but I wouldn’t be back here as this monster!”

He sobs into your bare thighs. Your chin quivers as you try to be strong but fail every other second. You feel empty. No worry or remorse toward him or yourself. Just a body floating slowly into the ocean’s depth.

After some time, you whisper coldly, “You are not a monster.” He raises his swollen eyes to you, the innocent chocolate button eyes bow beneath all this façade. “A monster wouldn’t have regrets. Wouldn’t be crying with the person he tried to kill.”

After one last swoop of his soft curly hair, your hand rests at his cheek. Kas leans in as he always does. Those innocent eyes flick up to your hardened gaze. “You are not a monster. Not anymore.” He takes in a shaky inhale through his nose.

“You are going to work hard, harder than you ever have, to make up for what you did.” You gently place your fingers to the side of his chin, squeezing as you guide him to your eyes. Ensuring you are both locked in before finishing your thought.

“But you will never make up for those eleven lives. You will carry them in your heart until you die. And that does not mean you stop fighting to make it right. Do you hear me, Kas?”

His lashes flutter as he unsuccessfully attempts to hold back his tears. He could see the strength within you. The power you hold that has barely scratched the surface. He couldn’t be more in love with you despite the horror of the words that fell from your supple lips.

Kas knows, in this moment, that he will happily die for you a million times. He is crazy about you, completely unhinged and dedicated to your smile. He may never make up for what he’s done, but he will put all his power into trying until the day he dies - not just for you, but him as well. It’s not easy living with a guilty conscience, maybe this will make it a bit lighter.

Regardless his determination is set, your broken heart is more than enough to fuel his intentions.

“I hear you, darlin’,” Kas utters. His hands delicately reach for yours, intertwining your fingers as they should have been from the very start. “I promise you I will try my absolute hardest to make up for what I’ve done.” He pulls your interlocked hands to his lips. A sweet peck with eyes fixed onto you. “I promise you I will work my damned best to be the man you deserve.”

His words pull you right out of your spell. Those worried wrinkled lines between your brow completely smooth out. Eyes fall straight down to your hands. A promise you would never expect from Kas, and one you could count on from Eddie. But one and two are not the same, and fear still encapsulates you.

You want to trust him. To know that he’s that beautiful man who held you in the shower earlier that day. The man who carried you away from danger. The man who saved you from the dangerous, psychotic being he is scared of most in this world.

But he is also the man who took Vickie and all those people from their families. The man who left you in a ocean of your own tears, naked and afraid in that fucked up version of Hawkins. The man who stalked you, hunted you. The man who almost drank you dry to please his own murderer.

“Please don’t break it.” The words fall from your lips involuntarily. You aren’t even sure if “it” is referring to his promise, or your heart. “Please,” you finally raise your eyes to him.

Dustin opens the door, walking into a quiet room. He closes it behind him, locking the deadbolt before landing his back against the wood. It pulls both your attentions, causing Kas to stand and let go of your hand. Your body aches for him, wishing the boy stayed outside just a little bit longer.

“I lied,” he starts. His hands crash at his hips, letting go of a huge breath of relief. “He said something about you when he was …”

It was your turn to release a breath of relief. You are confident, fully confident in the love that you and Eddie shared. Doubt wracked your brain when Dustin told you that he didn’t say anything about you in his last words. For whatever reason, the boy held the information from you. The only way you would get it is if you wait, painfully and patiently. “What did he say?”

Dustin takes a quick look at Kas before returning to you. “He wanted to marry you, after graduation.” You smile with a trembling lip, both taken aback and not surprised at all. The thought of you across from Eddie in a cheesy tux at city hall. It may not be Chicago, or Paris, but being Mrs. Eddie Munson would be an absolute dream that you would choose over the world.

He laughs as he finishes his thought. “I didn’t know who he was talking about before, but, yeah, it’s pretty clear he was talking about you.” The tears hit him again, a tickle at the back of his throat. He tenses his face to hold it all in. “He nicknamed you Lolth, or Lolly,” another breathy chuckle drops. “Pretty badass D&D character, honestly pretty comparable to Kas.”

Your heart warms in a way that turns your body into cotton candy. A sensation you haven’t felt since you last laid your eyes on Eddie. It is almost like he is here. You place your hand upon your chest as you sink into the feeling. “Thank you,” you say with a feverish nod.

Kas watches the woman he loves turn into a rare aurora of orange twinged happiness. He is thankful for the boy, grateful for his honesty. He seeks his eyes to mouth “thank you” himself.

Dustin nods, but quickly looks away as he is too worried to hold the gaze. He brushes a hand through his hair while uttering, “I don’t know what I’m going to tell the others.” Your ears perk up, causing you to jump up and rush towards him. Your hands firmly grabbing onto his. He pulls away, but hones in on your intensity.

“You can’t tell anyone.” Your gaze locked on his hazel brown. Your body becomes a mixture of hot white and cold. You just got him back. No one will take you away from him. No one will hurt him. No. No. No! “They don’t need to know.”

Dustin steps back from you with disgust. His hands are harsh as they rip from yours. It is enough to make Kas take a step forward and let out a thick, heated breath. “They need to know,” he starts pointing to Kas. “He is the last person to see Vecna alive. We need to know everything so we can put that asshole into the ground.”

You turn back to Kas, a slow glance over your left shoulder. His attention is pulled upon seeing your movement. Your brows raise at their tips, trying to discern what he is thinking. A slow smile gradually pulls across his lips. An encouraging nod shoots your way.

The relief filling your chest finally allows you to take a deep breath. You extend your arm backwards with a hopeful expression. He happily reaches for your hand, resting his warm palm against you.

Kas stands beside you, in front of Dustin. In this moment, you realize that he and you are forever. It may not be perfect, it may not be Eddie, but you are in it - for the long haul. Protecting each other against any potential harm. His fight is your fight, just as it should have been with Eddie. There’s no way you’re backing down.

You shake out your hair, taking in a slow breath for confidence and neutrality. “Who are ‘we?’” you ask. One simple question to determine the safety of the journey forward. Dustin looks to Kas, seeking the answer within him. How did this boy not get it yet? He shakes his head. He doesn’t know every thing.

Dustin turns to you, clenching his jaw. “Steve, Robin, Nancy, Jonathan, Lucas, Erica, Mike, El, and Will.” The names float in the air, almost each one recognizable to you. These are the people you see in the hallways. The people in the cafeteria. The people who run the school newspaper. The people in the band. The popular kids. God, how the hell are they all mixed up in this? The only name missing being …

“Max,” you call out. “You said Max knew what was going on. What - Why isn’t she going to be there?” You rake his face, desperate for an answer, only to see him grow solemn. Kas knew that Henderson’s face undoubtedly meant bad news. He squeezes your hand, letting you know that he is here for you.

The silence feels unbearable. Your skin is on fire and about to implode. “J-Just tell me,” you start before taking a deep inhale. “Is she dead?”

“No,” Dustin states. Your heart skips a beat as you gasp in happiness. Max is far too young, far too young to be gone… “But she’s hurt and it’s bad.”

Your body stills as your breath escapes you once again. “What do you mean?” you utter quickly. Another squeeze to your hand.

“She’s in the hospital,” the boy utters under his breath.

You push past him, reaching for the door knob. You don’t even know where you’re going but you are going.

Kas is the one who’s calm hand rests on your forearm, causing you to pause. He models a breath with you before flicking his eyes to Henderson. “Tell the party we’re meeting at Harrington’s at 8. You pick us up at 6 and bring us to Max, then to the party,” he states without a second of hesitancy. Your eyes light up before turning to see Dustin’s reaction.

“Done,” the boy promises.

“Dustin!”

All three of you drop, closer to the ground. The voice comes from outside. You can hear heavy boots onto the steps of the porch before crashing his knuckles against the wood. “Dustin, your mom called.” He groans before knocking again. “Common, I know you’re in there - I can see the light on.”

Steve Harrintgon’s timbre is incredibly clear. He is here, a simple door away to finding out the truth.

Your heart races faster than it ever has, faster than when you thought you were going to die. You panic, thinking what would happen if Kas and Steve come face to face in such an abrupt manner.

When you whip your head to Kas, his face is calm and unbothered. It gives you strength - a chance to take a breath.

“Henderson, please. It’s already midnight and Robin’s in the car. If you don’t come out soon, she’s gonna start holding down on the horn,” Steve says with an exhausted tone. A huge yawn follows his words.

Dustin shoots his eyes towards Kas. He gestures for you both to move, to make your way to the kitchen. Kas nods, and guides you over with your intertwined hands.

“Just wait a damn second, Harrington,” Dustin spits out. “I’m getting my shit.” Kas leads you behind the fridge, squeezing your hand in repetitive pulses until you both are safely hidden.

Dustin swings the door open and steps outside, pushing his way through Steve’s burgundy sweater. “Dude, you gotta stop coming here,” he scolds as the boy closes the door behind him. “How did you even get in?” The voices trail off, but you remain silent, still, and pressed against the fridge.

Upon hearing Steve’s car pull away, you let out a breath of relief. You instinctually let go of Kas’ hand, stretching your arms and cracking your knuckles to release the tensing pressure. “That was close,” you whisper under your breath.

Kas slowly wraps his arms around your waist, digging your hips against his. “It was,” he says as his eyes rake over your features. One hand releases to brush a strand of hair behind your ear. It is almost as though he is lovingly adoring everything but your eyes, leaving them for last.

“Should we finally get that rest now?” he suggests with a smirk.

Your eyes fall on him as though this was your first time ever truly seeing him. The way his lips part when he looks at you. Those eyes that stop your heart every time they land on you. The way his curled locks land right on his collar bones. His alabaster skin, soft and sensual. The spider tattoo on his peck that you love so much.

Before you knew it, your hand was trailing across his torso. Peck to peck, before sliding down his sternum and onto his belly. Your eyes were locked, as though they were in a trance, completely intoxicated by his incredible body. Almost as though an alarm went off, your head perks and returns back to hold his gaze. “I would like that.”

Kas smiles as he leads you back into the living room, back up the stairs, and back into the room that will forever, now, be deemed as yours. He lands back onto the mattress, floating upon its waves, as he guides you down beside him.

Your head rests where it belongs, on your favorite spider tattoo and just above his heart. His arm wraps around the small of your back. A hand lightly tracing dancing fingers against your upper arm as you pull closer into his chest.

A sleep you have been waiting for. A sleep you deserve - you both deserve.

“Good night, Kas,” you whisper against his skin. “Good night, darlin’,” he whispers back.

“I love you.”

note: people really need to stop bothering lolly and kas during their vacation stay at reefer rick's! also, i am physically cringing at the thought of kas meeting the party. I oh so very scared and idk what's gonna happen. get ready y'all.

season two finale • coming soon •

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