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wileys-russo · 1 year ago

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childhood sweethearts (1) II a.russo x reader

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this is part one to a lil multi part fic i've been working on, sequels and prequels to come

childhood sweethearts II a.russo x reader

"and you promise you'll not burn yourself out again right darling?" you sighed at the obvious concern present in your mums voice on the other end of the phone line. "yes mother i've learnt and i've grown and i'm doing all the self care things!" you cheered sarcastically, switching to hands free as you moved to stir your dinner.

"ha ha ha. i think you forget that i still know where you live and i have no issues just popping in every now and then to check on-" the older woman began to threaten as your eyes widenened.

"okay okay there's no need for that mum! i'm doing well, i promise." you responded a lot more sincerely as the woman on the other end simply hummed. "this school and my workload is a lot less intense, really! my colleagues are very friendly, my boss is approachable and i love my class. better?" you sighed as you switched off your stove and began to dish yourself up a bowl.

"and it's brought you back closer to home, my favourite part!" your mum cheered as you playfully rolled your eyes.

"yes it has however i maintain that i have boundaries mum. you, lily and harry are only welcome to visit with an invitation." you warned, half serious and half joking as you grabbed your phone and moved to the living room, sinking down into the sofa.

"yes you made that very clear, feeling very loved darling." "you know i love you ever so dearly mum but i also love my own space."

"oh god i almost forgot. you'll never guess who i ran into the other day!" your mum suddenly gasped making you chuckle, if you'd even tried guessing you could have been stuck on the phone with her for hours, your mothers social circle seemingly never ending.

it used to be a point of contention for you in your youth, hating the way you were seemingly forever pulled away to dinners or parties or barbeques, having to beg your parents to leave once it grew late in the night and your social battery had long hit its max.

as your siblings grew older they were always excused from going to these elaborate social events and you'd beg to be given that same privilege but as the youngest that was one thing you coudn't talk your way out of.

though once your dad passed you watched that break her down to nothing, seemingly just a shell of the woman she once was when he was alive and all was well.

but with time you grew to watch your mother pick herself back up slowly and start to rebuild her own support net. recconecting with her inner circle after isolating herself from the outside world for so long, it warmed your heart and was something you would forever encourage for her.

knowing that the older woman would always thrive and be at her best as a social butterfly and the hostess with the mostess, it had helped her to heal.

"if i guessed we could be here for hours and i have an island full of gorgeous single airheads and a bowl of pasta calling my name, so who did you run into?" you chuckled, shoveling in a mouthful of food as you awaited her answer.

"carol russo!" you choked at her words, spitting out the pasta you'd half chewed and breaking out into a coughing fit, scrambling for the glass of water on the coffee table.

"oh honestly i wish you'd learn to chew before you swallow, the food isn't going to disappear!" your mum scolded you as you finally caught your breath again.

"oh i'm grand mum, thank you for your concern!"

"anyway. well i've not seen her for years as you'd know and then there i was just browsing the strawberries, i needed some for a new crumble recipe i'm trying, and there she was, just grabbing a bunch of carrots!" you had to withhhold the urge to laugh at the way your mother told stories and just how animated she'd become, so fixated on the small details as she basically told you their entire conversation and coincidentally revealed her entire shopping list as she went.

"so we're all going out for a meal on thursday to catch up properly." you hummed, only half listening at this point. "that sounds nice." you mumbled, flicking through the tv.

"so you'll be there then? i said half past six since i know you're normally home from work around five." now that had you tuning back in. "wait, you what?" you directed your full attention back to the conversation.

"dinner with the russo's. half past six at paradiso, your brother and sister already said yes." your mum repeated as your stomach dropped and you fell silent. "darling did you hear me?"

"yeah i did. but look mum i have lesson planning to do and that's a school night and-" "oh y/n please! carol made such a point to ask how you've been and how much she'd love to see you. i know you and lessi drifted apart but you're both adults now darling i'm sure you can find some common ground, and the two of you used to be inseparable."

and there it was.

you could have just maybe deluded yourself into thinking that there was a slight chance the youngest russo wouldn't be present, perhaps you'd get lucky and she would be too busy off being a european football superstar.

but now you knew she'd be there the pit of worry and dread forming in your stomach only widened, quickly going from a small hole to a gaping chasm as the nerves already settled in at the thought of speaking with her after so many years apart.

"actually no you know what darling i don't care if you're an adult now, you're going. no arguments!" your mum decided, hastily excusing herself and stating she couldn't wait to see you, ending the call before you could utter another word.

"oh god, get it together! they're just regular people and its just one dinner." you mumbled to yourself with a shake of your head as you fixed your hair in your rear view mirror for the fifth time, sinking into your seat with a long exhale.

you jumped and let out a yell of shock as someones knuckles rapped against your window, an all too familiar toothy grin shining down at you as you grabbed your bag and popped open your door.

"shortstack!" giorgio cheered, surprising you as he scooped you up into a bearhug. "well, maybe not so much anymore." he placed you back down as he looked you up and down with a beaming smile.

"hi gio." you laughed fondly, hugging him again as he squeezed you, having been just like another brother to you as you'd grown up, it seemed he hadn't changed a bit.

"still shorter than me though, and definitely shorter than lessi." the boy teased as you felt a wave of nausea wash over you as the realization once again sank in you'd be seeing her again after all these years.

"so its been years, how have you been?" the italian laughed, throwing an arm over your shoulder as you briefly caught him up on what you were doing now as he did the same, the two of you wandering into the familiar restaurant.

"hasn't changed eh?" he chuckled as the both of you looked around, fondly recalling memories of all the dinners your combined families would have here throughout your childhood, the same owners still preserving its legacy and charm years and years later.

"hey, i was really sorry to learn about your dad. he was a good man, one of the best." the boy gently grabbed your arm and tugged you to the side a little, genuine sorrow in his eyes at the words as your lips pressed together and you nodded.

pity, you hated pity.

"thanks gio." you squeezed his shoulder with a small smile as the two of you resumed your chatter and you spotted the rest of your families already gathered together at a large table up the back, the same table you'd always sat at.

it seemed the two of you were the last to arrive as cheers erupted and you both made your rounds saying hello, without even needing to look to your right you could feel a certain blondes eyes burning holes in the side of your head, but you weren't quite ready to accept that just yet.

"sweetheart look at you! absolutely beautiful." carol beamed, pulling you into a very tight hug after you'd finished once again being lifted into the air both by mario and luca, seemingly an italian tradition as thats how it had always been for you with the men of the russo household.

"its so lovely to see you again carol, mum was delighted to have bumped into you, i know she's missed you since it all happened." you admitted softly, the older woman nodding in understanding and rubbing your back comfortingly.

though the gesture was not anything new it did send your heart racing, as you knew another russo who was fond of that exact same thing and at the seemingly simply action a million memories came crashing down onto you and your knees buckled slightly.

doing your best to shake them off you greeted your own siblings and mum, and then without anyone else to use as a buffer you found yourself having to take a seat, and of course the only seat free would be next to her.

your stomach dropped as finally you had no choice but to look at her, the girl thankfully caught up in conversation with your sister sitting across from her you found her eyes no longer gazed back at you.

it presented you with a small fleeting moment to actually take her in.

long gone was the grubby ten year old brunette who would tackle you to the ground and sit on you to paint your face with mud after she'd spent the afternoon kicking footballs at your head, now sat before you was a woman.

you knew she'd forgone her natural hair colour for the bottle blonde, in fact you'd been the very first person she told the moment she even started to consider it. you'd gone with her to the salon for her appointment, showering her with praise at her new cut and colour which she'd clearly stuck with over the years.

gone was the baby fat which once rounded out her face, her features though still soft had become more defined over time, and you couldn't help but allow your eyes the luxury of roaming her incredibly toned arms which sat on full display, likely attributed to the hours she dedicated to training every day.

she had always been strong physically, easily able to overpower you during countless wrestling matches in your early youth, or pinning you down on her bed to steal the breath from your very lungs with a searing kiss in your teenage years, forever teasing you to no end at all the ways she bettered you in strength.

sat with one leg crossed over the other you marvelled at the tight fitting dress which adorned the curvature of her body, another thing that grubby ten year old alessia would have scoffed at, forever foregoing fancy dress ups and heels for football boots and a tattered hand me down manchester united jersey.

of course over the years you'd grown up together there was changes within you both, the biggest of everything being the fact you realized you loved one another in a way best friends shouldn't, thinking about one another the way the rest of your friends spoke about liking boys.

it was how the two of you had wound up being one anothers first everything, though that was a secret reserved only for the two of you to share, and one that would take much more time than a quick dinner for you to really unpack.

so swallowing down the hard lump in your throat at the cascading emotions washing over you, you screamed at your legs to move and cleared the distance between you and her, your sisters eyes flickering toward you alerting alessia the chair beside her would no longer be vacant.

sneaking a glance up toward you she had to stop herself from gasping. much like your own observations, to alessia gone was the shy smiley ten year old she'd chased around her backyard every afternoon and sat giggling for hours with tucked away in pillow forts on rainy days, replaced instead with a well spoken and quite frankly drop dead gorgeous woman looking to her expectantly.

alessia quickly stood to her feet, wincing at the obnoxious scrape of her chair against the hard wood floor, the two of you sizing one another up clearly unsure how to proceed.

"hi." you started softly, alessia swooning at the dimples which hadn't left you over the years, your nose still scrunching slightly as it always had when you smiled.

"hey." the striker managed to force out with her own nervous smile, the two of you hesitating for a moment, clearly both ticking over if a hug was the next most appropriate step.

though right as alessia began to move closer, arms ready to envelop your shorter form, it seemed the decision had been made for both of you as servers arrived.

handing out menus and starting to take drink orders meant the two of you dropped down into your seats, refusing to look one another in the eye as you spoke to everyone and anyone but each other.

alessia ordering a glass of white wine with a grateful smile her ears perked up and a slight frown appeared on her face as you murmured to the man you were content to stick with water.

"let me guess, no drinking on a school night?" your older sister lily had mocked with a teasing grin as you rolled your eyes at her over the lip of your glass.

"oh yes your mum was telling me you're teaching now! and you've just gotten back from working abroad?" carol tuned in at that point, seated beside your sister as you nodded.

"yeah i was in australia for two years teaching, i actually only got back a few weeks ago and started a position here in a local school." you confirmed with a smile, alessia glancing toward you with a look of surprise at the new information.

“oh that’s just wonderful, I can see you’d be the most amazing teacher. what age?” carol complimented sincerely as you sent her a grateful smile, you’d definitely found the right work for you and you adored your job so you always appreciated when it was picked up on by others.

“I was teaching grade five in australia but my class here now are only second years which is a bit of a change.” you answered with a chuckle, it had definitely been an adjustment but you honestly preferred it to how things had been overseas.

"got over your fear of planes then if you made it in one piece to australia?" luca chimed in with a wink as you waved him off, having always had a paraylsing fear of aircraft it had taken a lot for you to board that final plane away from everything you knew.

but with a new adventure awaiting and having done about as much preparation as one girl could do, once you were in the air it relieved you to know it actually wasn't all that bad.

"lessi just got back from australia, well we all did actually what a place it is. and what a shame we didn't know you were living there at the time!" mario added with a regretful smile before returning to his conversation with your brother.

"yes i was sorry to see how that ended for you lessi, you played brilliantly though! lil and i watched most of the games, footy for breakfast." your mum beamed, alessia unable to not share a grin with the woman, her happiness always having been infectious just as yours was, it wasn't hard to see where you got it from.

"y/n was at the semi finals too, in person." your brother harry chimed in as your face paled, having hoped this wouldn't come up as you felt ocean blue eyes pierce into the side of your head. "you were?" alessia's voice was soft and laced with surprise, and you were sure you were the only one who had heard her as you nodded.

"our school was given a handful of tickets by one of the parents who sits on the FA board, so i went with a few other teachers. the only english woman among a huddle of australians i wasn't the most popular on the train ride home or at work that next day!" you joked, cheeks flushed slightly red at all the eyes on you, grateful once the conversation seemed to shift to another topic.

but alessia wasn't quite finished with it yet.

"i wish i'd known you were there." the blonde admitted quietly, sparing a glance toward you as you stiffened. "you scored the winner, i didn't miss that." you replied softly, messing about with your fingers and staring down at the table as alessia's wine arrived.

she downed it in one go, tapping the server and murmuring for another as he nodded and took her glass away, the blondes head buzzing with the much needed liquid confidence.

"did your friends need to explain the rules to you?" alessia smiled, her tone now much lighter as you shared a look, own lips curling upwards at what she was insinuating.

"mostly just how offside works and what the hell VAR was." you joked, seemingly relaxing a little more in your chair as alessia did the same. "i see your ever growing passion for football hasn't changed then." the older girl teased sarcastically, ring clad fingers drumming against the table.

despite it being her one true love you couldn't have cared less about the sport, the only reason you feigned any interest was not to upset her or have her feel unsupported, and so you allowed her to teach you the rules of the sport so you would appreciate every game you sat at to watch her play, and you hardly ever missed a single one.

though that also never ever stopped her from forcing you to stand between the posts as she and her brothers fired shot after shot at you.

you’d often run off after a few minutes of being hammered and your best friend would chase you down, dragging you back to the goal and demanding you try to stop at least one of her shots and she would switch with you and let you kick at her instead.

it was safe to say you never did manage to get a turn at playing striker.

"could say the same for you, champion of europe now isn't it? bit of a step up from winner of the backyard round robins one on one with your brothers." your shoulder nudged into hers slightly, setting alessias entire body on fire just from the marginal contact, something she'd not felt in years.

"seems we have a lot to catch up on then." alessia smiled, your stomach erupting into butterflies at the slight rasp of her voice, scolding yourself for such feelings as you settled again.

"well six years is quite a long time."

though alessia was hyper aware of all of the physical changes within you, it warmed her to see there were still some things which stuck around all the same over the time you'd spent apart.

"some things don't change do they." the blonde murmured with an amused smile seeing you pick out every single tomato from your side salad, subtly moving them to an awaiting napkin as you blushed having been caught out.

growing up you’d always do the same, normally not much of a picky eater but what you didn’t like you didn’t like. thankfully for you though the blonde beside you ate like a hoover growing up with how much physical energy she exerted daily, especially in her early teen years. and would always take whatever you didn’t want, making sure her mum never noticed as you were determined not to have her think you didn’t like anything she prepared for you.

"here." alessia chuckled, reaching out to grab the small handful of tomato’s you'd collected and depositing them on her own plate, in turn dropping a few of her roast potatos onto your own in a silent exchange, shutting down your protests with a firm look.

"thanks." you smiled gratefully, conversation turning toward alessia now as everyone picked at their food. "so arsenal then less? big shift from you as a die hard united fan." your brother joked though knowing the girl as you did you didn't miss the way a small frown of discomfort flickered across her face.

but as soon as it was there it had disappeared again and she was chattering away about how happy she was with her new club, and admittedly you tuned out a little bit as your mind wandered to your lesson planning for tomorrow.

"hm?" you hummed as you heard your name, shooting back down to earth and rejoining the conversation. "head in the clouds still sweetheart!" carol teased as you laughed nervously, apologizing for your lack of focus and asking your mum to repeat herself.

"we were just saying that lessi's new place is quite close to yours." the older woman smiled with a look in her eye you didn’t like, sipping at her wine as you forced a smile. "oh is it? thats nice." you nodded, looking anywhere than at alessia who you knew was waiting for you to say something more.

though when you didn't the conversation turned once again and you exhaled slightly, however of course the conversation had shifted to what you and alessia were like as children, your mums swapping story after story which frankly sent your head into a spin.

you abruptly stood, excusing yourself to go to the bathroom as you started to feel a little overwhelmed, alessia's eyes following yours with a concerned frown. "go make sure she's okay lessi." her mum ordered, shooting down her protests with a stern look and shooing her away as the blonde sighed and got to her feet, following after you.

she hesitated on the handle for the bathroom, she was almost certain she'd had a hand in why you left the table in the first place so would her coming to check in on you even really help anything?

she mulled it over for a moment, hand still on the handle before she shook her head, deciding against it and taking a step away. though no sooner had she made up her mind was it changed for her as the door opened and you'd come striding out, smacking into the blonde whose hands grabbed at you.

though with her notoriously clumsy nature she found her footing slipped and she was sent tumbling to the floor, accidentally taking you down with her as your bum smacked against the concrete with a wince.

"fuck, i'm so sorry." alessia blurted out as her face burnt red in embarrassment, hurrying to her feet and offering you a hand up. "it's fine." you smiled politely, the blonde frowning at just how quickly you dropped her hand once you were back on your feet, attempting to step around her to return to the table.

"wait." her strong hands landed on your hips, spinning you around as your eyes widened and alessia realized her mistake, hastily snatching away her hands and stepping back, mumbling an apology.

"you said to wait?" you reminded, eyebrow raised clearly giving her the opportunity to say whatever she had intended. "oh. can we get a coffee sometime? to catch up." alessia forced out, grateful for the few glasses of wine in her system that allowed her to swallow the nerves which threatened to drown her.

"alessia-" you started and the striker could tell right away from your tone and furrowed eyebrows that you were angling for a no. she had to swallow her wounded pride at the realisation you were also the only one at the entire table who'd not called her a single nickname all night, and if she was honest you were really the only one who she wanted to.

"please." the blonde almost begged, her hand reaching out for yours again but pausing midway as you ever so slightly retreated, fingers falling dejectedly back to her side as you sighed.

"alessia i really don't know if-"

"we were best friends for a lot longer than anything else went on. i want to hear about what you've been up to, properly. not just a few awkward sentences at a dinner you clearly don't even want to be at."

you hated her for how well she knew you and could clearly still read you like a book, despite the length of time it had been since she'd even seen picked up and glanced at the cover.

"i've missed you."

and there it was, the three word confession seemingly innocent however it was enough to drive a metal spike right through your insides, and had you wishing you could curl into a ball and be swallowed up by the floor right about now.

"please? it would just be two old friends getting a coffee, catching each other up about the last six years of their lives. completely normal!" alessia tried again this time with a joking smile, desperately trying to ease the fast mounting tension arising between the two of you.

you had to respect her efforts, the taller girl rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet nervously, hands rubbing at the material of her dress desperate to try and wipe them dry, her skin soft and clammy at the sight of you in front of her again after so long.

"okay."

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part two

#alessia russo x reader #woso blurbs #woso x reader #alessia russo #woso imagine #engwnt #woso #woso fanfics

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its-avalon-08 · 4 months ago

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it all fell down (ln4)

part9

multipart story! part1 part2 part3 part4 part5 part6 part7 part8

✦ pairing - lando norris x female reader

summary : lando norris and y/n were friends for 20 years, fell in love and dated for five. until it all fell down. they left each others lives abruptly and never spoke again, until they met again in the most unexpected way. can they find their way back or will certain scars never heal?

Lando leaned against the wall of the Red Bull garage, watching Y/N from across the paddock. She was in the middle of a discussion with a group of engineers, her face lit up with enthusiasm as she gestured animatedly. Despite the chaotic environment around her, she was completely absorbed in her work, moving from one task to the next with a relentless focus that Lando had always admired.

But as he continued to observe her, something began to gnaw at him. It was her third meeting of the day, and she hadn’t stopped once—not even to grab a drink of water. Lando noticed the way she absentmindedly rubbed her forehead, as if a headache was beginning to settle in.

He frowned, recalling the last few days where he’d seen her in the same state—rushing between meetings, barely pausing to catch her breath. She looked exhausted, and it didn’t take much to realize she was probably skipping meals and forgetting to hydrate.

Typical Y/N, Lando thought with a mix of concern and affection. She always forgets to take care of herself when she gets this busy.

It had been a while since they started talking again, and though things between them were still uncertain, Lando couldn’t help but feel protective of her. He knew Y/N well enough to recognize when she was burning herself out, and right now, she was on the brink of it.

As if on autopilot, Lando found himself heading towards the hospitality area. He grabbed a bottle of water and a protein bar, then made his way back to where Y/N was still engrossed in her work.

“Hey,” he called out softly as he approached her.

Y/N looked up, surprised to see him. “Lando? What’s up?”

“Nothing much, just thought you might need this,” he said, holding out the water and the protein bar.

She blinked, momentarily confused before realization dawned on her. “Oh… right. Thanks, I guess I forgot.”

“You’ve been at it for hours,” Lando said, trying to keep his tone casual. “Don’t want you passing out or anything.”

Y/N chuckled lightly, but there was a hint of weariness in her eyes. “I’m fine, really. Just a lot to get done.”

“I know, but you still need to take care of yourself,” Lando insisted, his concern slipping through. “A few minutes to eat and drink won’t hurt.”

She nodded, a bit more seriously this time, and accepted the water and bar. “Thanks, Lan-Lando. I appreciate it.”

“No problem.” He gave her a small smile, but as he walked away, his mind was already racing.

Over the next few days, Lando kept an eye on Y/N, noticing how she barely took a break between tasks. Every now and then, he would bring her a snack or remind her to drink water. Sometimes, he’d find her sitting with her head buried in her hands, trying to stave off the exhaustion that was creeping in.

It was during one of these moments that an idea began to form in Lando’s mind. Y/N’s birthday was coming up, and knowing her, she probably wouldn’t even acknowledge it with everything she had on her plate. But he couldn’t let the day pass without doing something special, especially after seeing how much she was pushing herself.

That evening, after everyone had left the paddock, Lando pulled Max aside.

“Max, I need your help with something,” Lando said, his tone serious.

Max raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Y/N’s birthday in a few days,” Lando explained. “She’s been so busy, I don’t think she even remembers. I want to plan something special for her, but I can’t do it alone.”

Max’s expression softened as he nodded in understanding. “Count me in. What do you have in mind?”

Lando’s eyes lit up as he began outlining his plan, and soon enough, Max was just as excited. They decided to involve a few of the other drivers—Carlos, Charles, Daniel, and Oscar—all of whom were eager to help. The more they discussed, the more elaborate the plan became, until it was clear that Y/N’s birthday was going to be unforgettable.

“We’ll make sure she has the best day ever,” Carlos said confidently as they finalized the details.

“Absolutely,” Lando agreed, determination in his voice. “She deserves it.”

And with that, the preparations were set in motion. Lando found himself more focused on making Y/N’s birthday perfect than on anything else, and as the day approached, he couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she realized what they had done for her.

The next day, around midday, she received a text from Lando.

Lando: Busy today?

Y/N: Ridiculously busy. Why?

Lando: No reason. Just checking in. Don’t forget to take a break, yeah?

She smiled at his message, appreciating the sentiment but still oblivious to what he had planned.

time skip

Y/N stood in front of the mirror in her hotel room, smoothing down the soft fabric of her dress. Alexandra had insisted on a girls' night out, saying it would be a good break from the chaos of the paddock. Y/N wasn’t sure why Alexandra had been so adamant about it, but she trusted her friend’s judgment and had agreed to go along.

“You look amazing,” Alexandra said as she peeked into the room, her eyes lighting up when she saw Y/N. “That dress is so so so perfect on you!”

Y/N smiled, feeling a little more at ease. “Thanks love. I just hope this night out isn’t too much. I’ve been so tired lately.”

“Trust me,” Alexandra grinned, “you’ll have a great time. Now, come on, let’s go!”

As they walked out of the hotel and into the cool evening air, Y/N felt a strange mix of excitement and nervousness. Something about tonight felt different, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Alexandra led the way, chatting about all sorts of things, but Y/N noticed that she kept checking her phone as if she was checking something.

They arrived at a private lounge area near the paddock, and Y/N’s curiosity only grew. It was a beautiful setting, with twinkling lights and a soft glow emanating from within. But it seemed quiet—too quiet for a night out. Alexandra pulled open the door, and Y/N hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

The lights dimmed as soon as she entered, and for a brief second, Y/N was surrounded by darkness. But before she could react, the room suddenly burst to life with a chorus of voices shouting, “Surprise!”

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat as the lights came on, revealing all her friends and the drivers, each one grinning ear to ear. The terrace was decorated with balloons in her favorite color, a navy blue, and the scent of her favorite foods filled the air. A massive banner hung across one wall, reading “Happy Birthday, Y/N!”

Tears instantly welled up in her eyes as she took in the sight before her. She was completely overwhelmed by the love and effort that had gone into planning this surprise. The people she cared about most were all here, and the thoughtfulness of every detail made her heart swell.

“You guys…” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

Before she could say more, Charles stepped forward with a warm smile. “You didn’t think we’d let your birthday go by without celebrating, did you?”

Carlos clapped a hand on her shoulder, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “We know you’ve been working hard, so we wanted to make sure you had a chance to relax and enjoy yourself.”

Max nodded, holding up a glass. “Here’s to Y/N—the most amazing friend we could ask for!”

A chorus of cheers filled the room, and Y/N couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. She wiped at her eyes, laughing as she did so. “You guys are the best. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Alexandra said, pulling her into a hug. “Just enjoy it.”

As Y/N looked around the room, her eyes finally landed on Lando, who was standing off to the side with a small, fond smile on his face. He was holding a cake decorated with her favorite flavors, the candles flickering softly in the dim light. He stepped forward, his gaze locking with hers.

“Happy Birthday, Y/N,” Lando said gently, his voice full of warmth.

The sight of him holding the cake, surrounded by all her friends, made Y/N’s heart flutter. She hadn’t expected anything like this—especially not from Lando. Despite everything that had happened between them, he had gone out of his way to make her feel special.

“You did all this?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lando shrugged modestly, but there was a softness in his eyes that spoke volumes. “We all did. You deserve it.”

Y/N felt her tears threatening to spill over again, and she nodded, unable to find the right words. Instead, she let her emotions show on her face—the gratitude, the happiness, and the undeniable connection that still existed between them.

“Make a wish,” Carlos teased, gesturing to the cake.

Y/N closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She wasn’t sure what to wish for, but as she stood there surrounded by the people who cared about her, one thought kept echoing in her mind. Maybe it’s time to stop running from what I really want.

When she opened her eyes, she leaned forward and blew out the candles, the room erupting in applause. Lando stepped closer, offering her a small, lopsided smile.

“I hope your wish comes true darling,” he said softly, and for a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the room.

Y/N’s heart skipped a beat as she returned his smile. “Me too, Lan. Me too.”

The night continued with laughter, music, and plenty of food. Y/N was constantly surrounded by her friends, but every now and then, her eyes would find Lando across the room, and their gazes would lock for just a second longer than necessary. Each time, it felt like an unspoken promise hung in the air between them—one that neither was quite ready to acknowledge, but both were beginning to understand.

taglist ---> @misspygmypie @kol67-t @sltwins @f1fantasys @sarx164 @imboredway2much @demandealalune e @elz-xo o @bellelovesharryy @hey-there9-its-me @marauders-wife @itsjustfranzi @l-sofiamia-l @ironmaiden1313 @01rrdbull @avni-sarai @maddy27

comment to get added to the taglist

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dwobbitfromtheshire · 29 days ago

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Max felt like shit and she wanted nothing more than to reach out to El for comfort, who was currently being hugged by Joyce. They were going through the same thing after all. . .except that Hopper hadn't been complicated in the way that Billy had been. Max was sure that El also hadn't wished that something would happen to Hopper, not like Max had with Billy. All the parents had shown up for their kids, not her mom, though, or Neill. She was a little grateful for that, but she also wished that things were different between them.

Max's eyes landed on Steve, talking to Robin across the parking lot. He's the big brother that Billy should have been. Steve had looked out for her, protected her in ways that Billy could only ever do once. He never once hurt her, not like Billy always did. She remembered the way that Steve had thrown himself in front of the demogorgon, the way that he made sure Billy was the one hitting him and not the kids. He had stood up to Billy, which is something that Max had never been able to do until Max was finally able to do it herself that night. Maybe she wished she had a female role model in her life, but right now, it wasn't so bad that she had a guy in her life to look up to. Max found herself moving across the parking lot, and suddenly, she was standing in front of Steve.

"Steve," Max called out.

"Oh, hey, Max, how are you holding up? That's a nasty looking bruise, but I'm sure it will heal soon. You're a tough kid," Steve said, and he wasn't being sarcastic or menacing at all.

Embarrassingly, Max burst into tears and threw herself into Steve’s arms. She hugged him tightly.

"I wanted him to stop so badly! I didn't want him to be so angry all the time and take it out on me! Nothing I ever did was good enough, and I wished that something would happen to make him stop!" Max said.

"Hey, hey, this isn't your fault," Steve said softly as he wrapped his arms around her. "There's no way this is your fault."

"How do you know?" She asked.

"Are you the Mind Flayer?" He asked.

"No."

"Did you possess Billy or experiment on a bunch of children to open a gate to hell?" Steve asked.

"No."

"Then it's not your fault. Billy chose to sacrifice himself, but he also chose to let his anger control him rather than choose to be your brother. He chose to take his anger out on you, but I know you, Max, and I know you didn't actually want him dead, despite all the things he did to you," Steve said.

"I don't want to be like him," Max cried.

"You're nothing like him. When you get angry, do you hit people?" Steve asked.

"No, I mean, not like Billy did," she said.

"Do you break people's things because they chose not to listen to you?" He asked.

"Well, no, I just call them an idiot," she said, sniffling.

"And you do it wonderfully," Steve replied, and she snorted. "Do you throw people into walls because they're different than you?"

"No. Definitely not," she said. "I also don't threaten to run kids over to get someone to agree with me."

"Jesus, Hargrove did that?" Robin asked.

Max sighed, her tears coming to a stop. She didn't pull away from the warmth of Steve’s embrace, though.

"Yeah," she said. "You make very valid points."

"You shouldn't stop yourself from feeling angry just because you're afraid of turning into him," Steve said. "Even at your worst, you're nothing like him, and he put you through the same situation that he went through."

"Thanks," Max said softly.

"He had so many opportunities to do the right thing, and it really sucks that you don't get the chance to find out if he changed or not, if he'd really show you how sorry he is," Steve said. "You deserve better than that."

"I wish he had been more like you," she said. "You're my brother, and I'm glad you're okay."

"You're going to be okay, Max," Steve whispered, and she smiled when he kissed the top of her head.

"This is absolutely the cutest thing that I've ever witnessed, and I once witnessed a deer adopt a baby rabbit," Robin said, her voice thick.

"He's okay for a guy," Max said and pulled away.

"I concur," Robin said.

"You could do worse," Max said, wiping her eyes and then caught sight of Robin's shoes. "Uh, for a friend."

"I thought you were going somewhere else with that," Robin said in amusement.

"Wrong parts," Max blurted out and put a hand to her mouth. "Sorry."

Robin burst into laughter with Steve. She patted Max's shoulder.

"I totally forgot I had drawn on them, and you're right, I'm all about the boobs," Robin said.

The three of them collapsed on a nearby unused stretcher as they continued to talk. Max laughed when Robin suggested they team up to affectionately bully Steve. It was Max's right as a sister. Steve gently nudged Max.

"You know, I've never had a little sister before," he said. "Especially one who's such a talented skateboarder."

It was hard to believe that he meant that. There was no threat that followed up to that, no menacing glare, and no hard grip on her arm telling her to listen to him or else. This was what having a brother was supposed to feel like.

"Have you ever skated?" She asked.

"Nope."

"I'd teach you, both of you," Max said.

"You might need an ambulance on standby for me," Robin said.

"For Steve, too, it looks like," Max said, and they laughed.

Suddenly, Steve’s eyes caught something ahead, and Max followed his line of sight. He was looking at Nancy and Jonathan sitting in the back of an ambulance.

"Uh, I have to go and check on something right quick," Steve said. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Robin and I are going to sit here and talk shit about you," Max said.

"Sounds good," Steve said and walked off.

"What's that about?" Max asked Robin.

"Who knows?" Robin said.

Max sat on the stretcher with Robin as Steve moved to flirt with. . .Nancy and Jonathan? She quickly started talking to Robin about Steve and the time he almost sacrificed himself to a pack of demodogs. The talk with Steve and the hug had helped a lot, but the guilt was still there, eating away at her. All she wanted to do was curl up inside of her self, to protect herself and the others from any fallout. She hoped that one day, she would be able to trust herself, trust others, and more specifically trust men. She glanced at Steve and then at Lucas. Yeah, she'll get there eventually, and maybe with their help, she'll get there a lot faster. Still, there was something ticking inside of her, whispering to her not to trust them. . .she shook it off.

#stranger things #max mayfield #max mayfield appreciation #anti billy hargrove #billy stans dni #women of stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington is max's brother #big brother steve harrington #steve & max #robin buckley #platonic stobin #robin & steve #robin is also max's sister #max deserves better #stranger things fanfiction #rueleigh writes #rueleigh's thoughts

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weepingchronicles · 9 months ago

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platonic yandere katara headcanons

tw/cw: overbearing behavior, yandere, guilt tripping, infantilizing

a/n: yippie katara headcanons! this is just thoughts I had and female yanderes are so underated here especially katara herself

I'm also working your guys requests, i have a lot of drafts right now!!

katara is a very controlling but soft yandere

her tendencies are a bit more toned down if you're older than her, but if you're younger you are basically adopted as her little sibling or mother

however she sees you as, she's still very motherly

she's a bit more soft because she'll let you socialize and have friends especially with those she loves like aang, sokka and toph

but she'll get VERY protective if fire nation is somehow involved, even when she eventually warms up to zuko she doesn't like him around you

if you're fire nation however? she'll insist that you're different and the only one who is truly good in her eyes

if you go against her and talk to zuko or someone fire nation, she'll basically guilt trip you and cry

"how could you do this to me? you know my mother died by firebenders" sob sob

some part of its sincere, other half knows if she cries you'll do as she says

if you ever get sick or injured, she is by your side ALL THE TIME

if you get a smallest paper cut or bruise she'll insist on healing it for you, which is fine at first until she demands full body healing sessions DAILY just incase you're hurt somewhere she can't see or you can't feel

her controlling tendencies go to its MAX and her overwhelming need to care for you goes out of control. she'll bathe you or at least be right beside you (just incase something happens!!), cook for you, do all your clothes, EVERYTHING until you're fully healed.

she genuinely hates to see you like this and couldn't live with herself if you got hurt more because she wasn't there.

the only reason she lets you come with her and the rest of the gaang is because what if something happens to you and she isn't there to heal you? she just needs you to be within a 2 feet radius

the only way i can see you reasoning with her is if you go to sokka or aang for help, to intervene. aang straight up says no, he's too loyal to katara and knows she's projecting her trauma onto you. sokka does try talking but it ends up in a full blown argument and kinda gives up

besides it's not like she's hurting you or anything??

she'll tone it down after sokka talks with her a bit but goes back right after

so you might as well live with it! 🩷🩷

if you try to escape, which I don't blame you-

you might be able to get away for even a month or two if you prepare well enough but cmon, she has the fucking avatar as a boyfriend and a flying bison

it won't take too long before she tracks you so enjoy your freedom while it lasts

when she "reunites" with you, it's all tears. she's somehow even more overbearing and checks if you're hurt and asks 100 times as well

she won't be mad at you neither will she punish you

she'll definitely keep a closer eye on you and will snoop through your things if she believes you're plotting

the most she'll do to punish you is, again, guilt tripping

"how could you do this to me? you're just like my dad, leaving me alone!"

she's practically hysterical and the only way to calm her down is if you apologize and swear to never do it again

another thought is if she'd bloodbend for you?

I don't think she would nor do I think she'd get to the point of killing someone for you unless they MUST be stopped

but i do think she'd threaten to bloodbend others or maybe even you if pushed far enough

she'd never actually do it though..

#platonic yandere #yandere #soft yandere #yandere headcanons #avatar the last airbender #yandere atla #yandere katara

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devondespresso · 4 months ago

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Wiggly Worm Wednesday!! 🧠🪱

tagged by @little-annie this Wednesday, @pearynice and @hotluncheddie last time, @queenie-ofthe-void (and hotluncheddie again💕) the time before, and @carolperkinsexgirlfriend the time before that. Thank you guys so much for tagging me even when i can't get to it right away 💖💗💝

Lately I've been kinda swamped with fic commitments and rushing stuff last-minute (my own fault ofc 😅) writing mostly romance, so now im just itching to go back to my platonic stuff! nothing against romance, im enjoying writing it for sure, but god i can't wait to work on my Steve Henderson au again

for now tho the probably-never-to-be-written worms are about Steve bunking with the Buckleys post s4. maybe his parents just never came home, maybe they were there and had a big blowup argument with Steve about leaving, but they're not around now and Robins not about to let Mr Walking-Sepsis-Risk live alone for the apocalypse

in my head i imagine the buckleys house is kinda like max's before s4, a smaller 1-story but cozy, and no guest room so Steve stays in Robin's room.

her parents let them but they're definitely a little wary and a little lost but at least a little used to it, both thanking whatever power they believe in that no matter how freakishly clingy they are now, its still world's better than the violently freakishly clingy stobin was right after starcourt, when both of them looked to be hanging on by a thread and that thread was each other.

so they're like. chill. they plow through an awkward conversation about how bad an idea it would be to be up to something right now with steves injuries and robin sees herself out like halfway through, piling all the old stuffed animal onto her bed and keeping them there for the next week to avoid thinking about it. And Steve, abandoned by his partner in crime, stumbles through his own awkward explanation along the lines of 'you don't have to worry about that, i promise' before joining Robin in her embarrassed cringing-party, featuring notable guests such as Mr. Cat, Doodles, and Floppsy Bunny.

Not much of a plot in my head really, I'm just enjoying all the vague ideas floating around this premise. theres lots of details about Steve and his wounds, like wearing button downs that are easier to put on than pull-overs, Mr. Buckley letting him borrow some when Steve only finds a couple (or when he packs his normal clothes not realizing how miserable itd be to take them on and off constantly to check how things are healing).

Also Steve helping around the house and the Buckley's getting to know him better and not just the Polite Steve that they usually see because Steve couldn't risk his best friends parents not liking him (and because usually robin would go to his house, its a lot easier to sneak out than it is to smuggle someone in, especially with freaky upside down nightmares). Maybe Steve gets to actually joke around with Robin's dad, talk real shit with her mom (maybe about the future, hippie mom offering a different perspective on what life can be, how you can figure things out, just try things even if you don't have a perfect plan)

Steve finding safety not just with Robin, but with Robins family. the four of them growing this sweet relationship, not like a second child for the buckleys but more like a second home for Steve. stobin are firmly strange best friends to me (as opposed to siblings), and i like the dynamic of steve and robin's parents as 'my kids best friend' type stuff, not cause there's any less love but more like they're not trying to replace Steve's parents, they just end up filling in the gaps.

oki tagging presumably for next time (tho if you guys wanna do it late anyway you go for it, time isn't real wahoo): @marvel-ous-m @momotonescreaming @puppy-steve @lightoftheseraph @lingeringmirth

@writing-kiki @eriquin @scriptorbemi @sourw0lfs @soaringornithopter

@solarmorrigan @eddiethebrave @steddiecameraroll @imfinereallyy @yabakuboi

@kikidoesfanfic @tinytalkingtina @hairstevington @stellarspecter @sunflowerharrington

#stranger things #platonic stobin #tag game #devon thinks sometimes #wiggly wednesday #brain worms

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bluedeedeedoop · 8 months ago

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My Thoughts on Tales of the Empire; mostly Barriss (spoilers ahead!)

Ah hello all, i have had some days or so to think since watching the show and to say it has completely wiped me of my life force would be... pretty accurate tbh. BUT I HAVE FINALLY DECIDED TO POST MY THOUGHTS. will this cover my entire though process that im sTill working through? PROBABLY NOT! my thoughts are very unorganized and very unstable! ANYWAAAAYS.

Now I just gotta say overall, the show itself definitely passed the test. To be completely honest, i wasn't really paying attention to the Morgan parts as i was the Barriss parts, since it was literally what I was looking forward to this entire time.

Though I will say that the first Morgan episode was pretty neat! it was crazy seeing that perspective of the Nightsisters again and god did they make Grievous fucking terrifying. Honestly, bravo to them, it was amazing. I diiiiid end up just.. kinda spacing out the rest of it tho unfortunately cuz i just wanted to see barriss..

Visuals 10000/10. stunning, amazing, phenomenal, gahdamn. the animation was so smooth and fluid and uGHH it was amazing throughout the entire show. Acting amazing as always. BUT GOD I CANT GET OVER HOW AMAZING THE ANIMATION WAS.

NOW.

In my opinion, they got her character pretty on the dot. I am SO glad they did. I was rlly rlly worried they were totally butcher her character and make her unrecognizable to all of us but oml they didn't completely disappoint us, she has her morals, SHES STILL A HEALER! Im so happy from that.

Now although i did enjoy it, i do have my own little complaints.

Now okay one i noticed since the trailer and has REALLY been bugging me; where are her hand tattoos??? idk i guess i just wasn't expecting them to just be gone?? they couldn't have just forgotten them.. right? I dunno, but unless someone has a genuine answer for that, imma just keep drawing them on her in the future.

??????

Alright another thing i've been seeing ppl post about is how come she looked so old at the end? I am also confused on that and i've seen multiple theories. She should only be like 30-35 max right?? Because i'm assuming the last episode took place a the time in Rebels where the inquisitors were after the force sensitive children, and Ahsoka was around that age a the time, so why is Barriss any different?

I suppose the one i think makes the most sense is the force healing? I guess it could take a toll on her over the years causing her to look more aged, but still, i'd really prefer an explanation. Also what happened to her hair coverings?? Is that not her culture?? I dunno, again, i really need an explanation. I suppose that maybe her perspective has changed since trying to come to terms with her new life, and her ditching the coverings is a way to free herself from her past? Honestly i have no clue but i just need a lot of things answered.

That's mostly my complaints on it! I just felt things weren't explained enough but to be fair, they only gave her like 3 15-ish min episodes?? I really think they got some explaining to do. Which brings me to my next points.

I'm like... 98% sure that the "old friend" is Ahsoka that she was talking about. Who else would it be?? Like cmon. And if it is Ahsoka, why did we not get to see anything about the moment of confrontation? or at least more of a mention? I guess they wouldn't rlly wanna rush that scene, and tbh, im glad they didn't. It's not some "we talk for 5 min and everything is fine" type of situation. it'll take time. time to rebuild that trust. time to discuss. YEAH. I've heard many people state how it would be more likely and realistic to see a novelization of that and i agree. I would want it to take time, showing the build of the relationship over time, going on further into the story as we watch their strong bond mend from the trauma it's faced. I'm not saying this as a crazed Barrissoka shipper, i mean it that I would genuinely want to see how that confrontation is handled, as do many others and not just as a ship!! It's been a decade! the fans wanna know!

And my last point.

I.believe.Barriss.is.alive.

The more i rewatch it, the more i believe it. the first time around i had my doubts, but something tells me they are NOT done with her character. At least before the stabbing scene anyway. There's too much stuff that's left unanswered for it to just end that way! I dunno man, but Lyn's "i'm going to get you out of here" sounded way too determined for a "im going to move your body out of here" type of thing yk? maybe she could sense she was still alive, just barely hanging in there? I don't think they are done with Barriss Offee, and I wont think so unless we see her corpse being fucking BURIED. Not to mention the UNGODLY amount of parallels of that scene along with them exiting the cave. I've already seen so many point it out. Post-Vader and Ahsoka fight on Malachor?? Back when we all thought Ahsoka may or may not be dead?? sounds familiar hello?? Also a parallel from earlier in the show itself when Barriss saves that unnamed jedi! she HEALS them when they were going to be left there. Something tells me the same fate may happen to Barriss. Idk call me crazy but i will say it again, i don't think they are done with her story.

Thank you for reading my very unorganized thoughts! this has taken me longer to write than expected because i did not predict this to make me have to step away from making SEVERAL times- but yeah! lmk what yall think! and yes you can be expecting some art here and there! i know i've been slacking- Also lmk if u want me to post my crazed Barrissoka thoughts! because aHa i have them. i have them a lot. send help.

ALSO KEVIN KINER I GOT MY EYE ON YOU. BRO NEEDS TO RELEASE THE SOUNDTRACK BEFORE I DIE.

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givehimthemedicine · 10 months ago

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run with me // an elmax ficlet

El and (blind) Max finally make it to California, where Max promised to show her the beach.

This is a future visit to the elmax from my story Do Not Cry. In that, Max spent the night before her Vecna death with El, and said she wished she could have shown El the beach, and El tried to make it happen in a remote-viewing sort of way. They’re kind of a QPR in this universe.

Los Angeles is absolutely nothing like Hawkins. In a lot of ways that’s exciting, but in others it makes El appreciate home.

This trip was supposed to be something they did right away, as soon as Max was healed, just to celebrate being alive. But between a long recovery, depression, an almost-apocalypse, and tight funds, they haven’t made it until now - the week of Max’s 20th birthday.

The driver says what they owe, and El leans sideways a little for Max to whisper in her ear how much money to really give him. She knows the rule - that you have to give people more money than what they say - but she doesn’t understand why, or which times, or how much extra, so knowing that is Max’s job and counting out the bills is hers.

El hands it to the man and slides out of the cab, looping their bag over her shoulder and extending her hand for Max.

As soon as Max steps out, she turns and faces the water. It's the sound, El realizes, but she likes the idea of Max just being drawn to it naturally, because she comes from here. Two little suns glint off her dark glasses as she tips her smiling face up towards it.

The air feels different here. Loud and thick and alive.

“Ready?” El asks, linking their arms.

“I’m ready,” Max answers, nearly bouncy with impatience. It’s good to see her so excited.

Max can walk around okay by herself with her cane, but she likes El’s arm better, and El is more than happy to oblige. Even if Max could walk and see as well as ever, El would still take her arm right now, just to be close to her for this.

They walk until pavement gives way to sand, and El immediately discovers two things she had not expected: that it would be very confusing to her legs, and that it would immediately get all into her flip-flops in a gritty, hurty way.

But now isn’t really the time to say that, because Max is slowing to a stop.

They stand there with the breeze in their hair as Max seems to take in a view that she cannot see.

"Well," she gestures broadly with her arm. "There it is."

"This is beautiful, Max," El says. She hasn’t looked at the water yet.

Over five years ago now was the terrifying night Max had been convinced was her last. She had said she wished they could’ve gone to the beach together, and there wasn't time to really go, so El had tried her best to make it happen in their minds. It was El’s desperate try at giving her one last moment of happiness, in case she was right. It had not been much of a success.

Ever since then, El has eagerly looked forward to this moment happening for real.

But she has also kind of dreaded it.

Neither of them thought Max would magically be able to see when they stepped into the sand. Or maybe they both secretly had. Maybe in one teensy speck of El’s mind she hadn’t ruled it out, because impossible things have happened to them before. But even while this is a dream come true, to finally find out the answer really is no, hurts.

Bittersweet - Will taught her that word - is when something is happy and sad at the same time. Unsure which way to feel, El is watching Max for guidance, but Max is having the same problem. Smiling, but also trying not to cry a little bit.

After giving Max a moment with her thoughts, El hugs her arm tighter and it seems to pull her out.

She offers El a smile and reaches under her sunglasses to wipe a tear in a way that El knows means ignore that.

So okay. They are going with sweet, for now.

Max dips and hands El one shoe, then the other, and El copies her. It’s easier to walk without them.

They go forward to where the sand starts to slope down toward the water, which is beautiful, now that El actually sees it. It’s not beautiful in a soft pretty way, like a flower, but beautiful in a wild, uncontainable, unimaginably strong way, like…. well. She can’t really think of anything it’s like.

She thinks back to the glimpses of beach Max had shared that night. It had been a glitchy patchwork of different memories, but the main way was a day full of towering, fluffy white clouds.

For a moment, El considers saying the sky looks exactly that way today, in case that is what would make Max happiest. But that would be lying.

So now that it’s her turn to show the beach to Max, she tells her the truth: that the sky is mostly blue today, except there are some wispy foggy clouds that scoot along very fast on the breeze.

She tells her that the sun looks glittery on the water, and that it is almost hard to tell where the ocean stops and the sky starts.

She tells her how many people are around, and that there is a dog who looks friendly enough that he might come over to them, and kids flying a red kite, and a big group of seagulls standing around like they are all talking about something important.

There is a boat out there that’s either really big and really far away, or medium big and medium far away. It feels weird to look at the horizon and not know how far away it is. El has probably never seen so far in her entire life.

The size of the ocean is astounding. She remarks that the world must be all water and they are lucky to be on the only little dry part of it. That wasn’t meant to be funny, but Max laughs.

El is wary of going close to it. She doesn’t like water anyway, but now she understands the stories she has heard of people getting swept out to sea.

Max promised they won't go into the water, but she does want to walk all the way to the edge and get her feet wet.

It’s colder than El expects, and there are tickly bits of something in it that gives her the heebie jeebies when it washes over her ankles. The uncertain noise she lets out seems to entertain Max very much.

They play with the tides, trying to wait until the last second before scuttling backwards so the water doesn’t get them. Max is perfect at it just by listening. She stands fearlessly still, backing up just far enough at just the right time to escape every wave.

El is not so good; it surprises her every time. She scream-laughs when it gets the bottoms of her shorts.

After that, El hands her disposable camera to a lady and asks her to take their picture.

And after that, Max stops in mid-sentence to say she smells hot dogs, so El walks way over to the stand and brings back hot dogs and lemonade to eat on the blanket Max has spread out for them.

And after that they walk along the water’s edge, and because El is watching out for where Max’s feet step, she finds lots of interesting little things that the ocean has offered up.

Every few steps, she bends to pick something up and place it into Max’s hands for her to feel:

Some smooth, dark little rocks.

A seashell.

Weird slippery rubbery stuff that is in piles all over - that's seaweed, Max says.

Another seash - oops, no, that is a bottle cap.

A soggy piece of wood.

A small pretty rock that is lime green and kind of see-through like she's never seen a rock be - that's not a rock, Max says, it’s a piece of broken glass that the ocean polished smooth.

That one goes in El’s pocket, and so does every seashell she can find, until they are bulging and there’s no room left in her hands.

“Hold these,” she says, dumping her extra shells into Max’s outstretched hands.

“What are you gonna do with all these?” she asks, amused.

“I want to make a lamp like you used to have.”

“You remember that?”

She remembers Max’s old yellow bedroom fondly; it had been golden and fun in the daytime, warm and cozy at night. Max had read to her by the glow of her seashell-covered lamp, and for a while, she had felt hidden from all her problems.

“Of course,” El says. “I have never seen another one like it. Did you make it by yourself?”

“Pretty sure my mom thrifted it, to be honest.”

“Oh. Well, I liked it, I’m gonna make us another one. They’ll be our shells. And whenever I see it and whenever you touch it, we will remember today.”

When they get their own apartment together, El will paint their bedroom yellow, and she will read to Max by the light of their seashells, and she will make sure it's as happy and safe a place as Max had given her.

They go back to their blanket to rest awhile, and El dumps all their shells into their bag.

She also takes out the empty mason jar she’d brought along, and scoops it full of sand. That is to keep at home so Max can stick her fingers in it any time she wants.

Most things that homes are usually decorated with, she realized as soon as Max lost her sight, do not do anything except look pretty. So El is always on the lookout for things that are also pretty to touch and smell and hear, because their home should be filled with things that they can both enjoy.

She goes down her checklist of senses, inhaling deeply. There is a smell here (besides the hot dogs), a smell she has never smelled anywhere else, but she isn’t sure whether it’s really very pleasant, or what exactly it’s coming from.

“What is the smell?” she asks, hoping to find out if Max likes it a lot, and if so, how to capture it for her.

“I don’t really know,” Max answers thoughtfully. “Probably gross stuff, actually, if you think too hard about it. Dead fish and seaweed or whatever. But it’s just kinda… part of it.”

“Hm.” El is pretty sure she should not bring home any dead sea creatures.

She looks at Max. Smiles at the color of her hair in the sun, at the contented smile on her lips, and at the freckled shoulders that she hopes they put enough sunscreen on at the hotel.

“You look like you fit here.”

Max's brows peek over the top of her sunglasses. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. You just do.”

What she actually means is that the way Max’s hair is blowing in the wind looks pretty and mermaidy and graceful, unlike her own, which never stops bothering her face and going in her mouth. But that doesn’t make enough sense to actually say, and Max is weird about compliments.

“Would you like to live here again?”

Max turns as if to look at her surprised. “Why, are you liking LA that much?”

It has been fun to visit and see lots of new things, but truthfully, El has not especially fallen in love with this city so far. And although the ocean is beautiful, it has not especially captivated her. It really only means anything to her because it means something to Max.

“It’s pretty here. But the prettiest thing about it is that you look happy. I would live anyplace that makes you happy.”

Max smiles and reaches out to pat her hand.

“It’s not really the beach I’m happy about. It’s just.. y’know. That this really happened.”

El tips her head against Max’s so that she knows she understands. And she thinks maybe this is time to start crying, because it seems inevitable, but instead Max keeps talking.

“I did wonder if I’d think that when we got here. If I’d step off the plane and feel like, ‘Wow, I’m back home!’”

“You don’t?”

“No. I mean.. I don’t know if I wanna live in Hawkins forever, but.. this doesn’t feel more like home. It just feels like… the past. Not all good memories. Not all bad.”

“Tell me a good one.”

Max shrugs, angling her face into the breeze, smiling when she thinks of something.

"I remember being little and just.. running, out here. You know how you can run a million miles when you’re little and never get tired,” Max begins, and even though El has no idea what it’s like to have run freely as a child, she says “Mhm,” because this is not about her.

“Like, I’d just run and run down the beach… and I’d have to turn back to my mom or dad before I went too far or I’d get in trouble, but I’d think… the beach goes forever… what if I just didn’t stop. They couldn’t catch me. What if I could just run as far as I felt like..."

El grins. "Let's."

“Huh?”

El looks both ways and chooses the less crowded direction.

“Run with me.“ She picks up Max’s hand and tugs her to her feet.

"I can't run like that anymore.”

“So run like you can run now. I’ll help.”

El means she will use her powers to lift Max - not off the ground, but taking just a little weight off her legs to make it easier.

She used to do that a lot while helping Max learn to walk again, but sometimes she still does it on days when Max is hurting a lot. Only when she has permission, though. Sneaky help makes Max very angry.

Max gestures vaguely. "There's rocks and shit."

El rolls her eyes. Max knows El is careful never to let her get hurt. She is just making excuses because she worries she will look funny.

“I will take care of your feet. You just run."

Max hesitates, her mouth wanting to twist into a smile.

"Are those people looking?" she asks of the voices she can hear on the wind. She is always worried people are staring at her.

"No. And the only reason you ever get looked at is for being pretty." El jiggles her hand. "Come on. Run with me."

The smile wins over Max’s mouth, and she leans into a run.

It's more of a limpy jog, one that leans hard into El’s hand for support on some steps, even at half-weight. But El hopes it feels a little tiny bit like the carefree sprint Max had described.

El wishes she could see her face, but instead watches the sand, flicking anything hard out of the path of her feet.

"Ow," Max laughs. "Haha, ow, ow, shh-sh-shit."

They haven’t covered all that much ground before she loses steam, stumbling to a stop and leaning on El. But she is laughing and out of breath.

"What was that? Like three feet?" Max pants, dropping herself onto the sand.

El lodges her knees into the sand next to her. “No,” she laughs, “a million miles.”

“Does feel like it - oof.”

That was pushing it, maybe; Max will be sore. But El doesn't regret it. It was good for her.

She’s glad they did that.

She’s so proud of her, and so glad they’re here. Both of them.

El isn’t sure which one of them it happens for first, but their laughter peters out into - oh, it is happening now. They’re crying. She knee-walks closer and hugs Max hard.

"Max. We made it.” She kisses her head. “We made it.”

Max nods, fingers tightening at the back of her shirt.

This day isn’t exactly the way either of them dreamed it, but it is really here. She wishes she could go back and show it to the terrified girl she once promised it to.

"I told you so," she adds.

Max’s small laugh is muffled. "Yeah,” she answers, her voice wet. “Yeah, you did."

They stay wrapped tight together for a long time, faces tucked into each other to shelter their tears from the breeze.

#ficlet #elmax #mine #fic

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journeytomy-selfdiscovery · 5 months ago

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I think the discussion of good vs bad and what makes someone either of those things in AGGGTM series is so interesting.

Lots of rambling below that might not make sense.

It’s the beginning showing Pip as a “good girl” and a rule follower. A stick in the mud who loves homework. Unable to lie. And as she investigates these crimes she slowly loses those traits: Breaking full laws, ignoring her homework in favor of the case, a first class liar. In a way none of this makes her bad in an objective sense- only in the eyes of her family, friends, and law enforcement; all to different degrees. The obsession over finding the truth pushes her to become a “bad” person… and yet she’s possibly the only one to stick to her morals to the extreme. Which should make her “good” right? But Pip will never see herself that way again because of the expectations she had to let down(ignore) to pursue her own beliefs. This is why she was so drawn to Charlie Green (wish he had played a bigger part in AGAD honestly) he was the only one to fully understand, agree with, and embrace this perspective. Even Ravi had his reservations every now and then, he just put them aside because his love and faith in Pip was greater than any of his own beliefs. Even with his support she decided she must be broken because she was no longer measuring herself by how well she pleased others. “Safe herself to save herself”- to turn herself back into the baby pip of Killjoy and early AGGGTM. Which never would have worked because even that younger self had the kindling of her wildfire mind. I don’t think she had anything to fix in herself though. Except for the PTSD…. Obviously she deserves to heal from that. Good and bad can’t be quantified: Max probably thought he was good, so did Jason. Stanley thought he was more bad than the good he was attempting to be. Pippa thinks she’s bad!! The difference in these people is their respect for other peoples’ opinions! There’s no explicit answer in the text- the closest we get is in the titles. A Good Girls Guide to Murder, Good Girl Bad Blood, As Good As Dead. I think they’re a reflection of Pip’s self image: from good to mid to good. The latter not bc of how others view her but as how she feels about herself.

#agggtm #ggbb #good girl bad blood #as good as dead #agad #holly jackson #pippa fitz amobi

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willowbudd · 5 months ago

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MY STRANGER THINGS FANFICTIONS

Current ongoing:

Going Back to Hawkins High

Multichapter, Byler/Elmax

Hawkins Highschool is opening back up for the first time since Vecna was defeated, but a lot of things have changed about the town since then. The earthquake coverup is still being pushed, but the town knows it cant be the whole story. It’s getting harder for things to stay under wraps.

Eleven and Max are in a fairly new relationship, and have chosen to keep it a secret for now. Some complications arise when they are faced with their new high school life.

Will has had feelings for his best friend for a long time, but he has accepted their fate as friends. Mike is starting to realize that he might want more than that.

Completed:

After Everything, You're The One I Want

Elmax, Completed, 15 Chapters

Now that Vecna is defeated, Hawkins has a lot of healing to do. Particularly, Max Mayfield has a lot of healing to do.

El wants nothing in life more than she wants Max to be ok. Everything in her life is changing, she's having new realizations about herself.

Max wakes up from her coma and tries to adjust to all the change. Including realizing her complicated feelings for her best friend, El.

Trouble in Party Paradise

Elumax, 3 chapters

During an ordinary movie night with the party, Dustin stumbles upon a problem he never expected to be faced with. Someone in the party was being unfaithful to their partner.

This could tear the whole party apart.

Lucas and El to the rescue!

Elumax, Oneshot

Max Mayfield is sick. She doesn't like being taken care of unless it’s from her partners. But even when she needs it, she wont openly admit it.

El and Lucas can tell when somethings up, and they spring into action

Kiss Between Scenes

Elmax, Oneshot

A short moment passed, before Max was startled by a gasp from El. Max turned her head at her friend to make sure she didn't like… die or something.

“Max!” She exclaimed. “We should kiss!”

Max felt her heart skip a beat, and her face flush at the idea. “What? Why?”

Takes place right after the girls spying on boys scene in season 3. I’m obsessed with the idea of Elmax kissing offscreen during the time El and Mike were broken up.

Silly First Kisses

Elmax, Oneshot

El asks Max if she would like to try some of her brothers weed to help with her chronic pain. Max agrees. Silly, awkward, gayness ensues.

#stranger things fanfiction #elumax #elmax #byler #elmax fanfiction #elumax fanfiction #byler fanfiction

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buckysgrace · 2 years ago

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Chapter Seventeen

Previous Chapter

“I don’t like this.” Kim spoke up, holding the heavy boots in her hands as she followed Billy and Max to the skating floor. They had already put their skates on and were moving with ease as she jogged to keep up. She was certain she was going to embarrass herself.

“It’s going to be fine, just hold onto the bar.” Max bore a grin as she spoke, standing at the same height as her sister with her skates on. She looked a little too thrilled for Kim’s liking and Kim was beginning to feel like the younger girl was planning on sabotaging her.

“It’s really not that bad,” Billy came to a halt, purposely making Max smack into him and stagger back as he grinned, “You just gotta watch your surroundings.” Kim was beginning to believe that something was wrong with him. She had never quite seen him so easy going before, even around Neil for dinner that night. She still felt bad, staring at his bruised face. Most of his swelling was down in his face and his cuts were healing, however the rough bruises seemed to only grow darker as the hours passed. Despite that, his mood was pleasant.

“Dick.” Max mumbled as she shoved off of him, gripping a hold of the tiled wall and shuffling in her skates as she waited. Kim sat down on the bench, sliding her shoes off and reaching for her skates. The wheels felt heavy against her feet as she fumbled with the laces. Billy squatted down in front of her, pushing her hands away as he took over lacing her boots. She grabbed her scrunchie, beginning to pull her hair up as she tried to focus on anything but him. Her heart didn’t help at all, she could feel it swelling the more she thought about him being on his knees in front of her.

“Good luck, no matter how secure they are she’s still gonna fall.” Max teased watching the two of them. Kim felt her palms growing sweaty as she worried about what the young girl was thinking right now. Billy chuckled from under her, seeming to not care about how they looked at the moment.

“Everyone falls when they’re learning,” Billy reasoned, tapping the tops of her skates to let her know he was finished. She looked at him unsure, watching how smoothly he stood, “Nothing to be embarrassed about.” She started to protest, knowing that Max and he would get a kick out of it but decided to drop it. He was right, other than them there seemed to be only a few other people inside including the workers. She knew she’d be freaking out if there were more people around. She thought it was especially hard to concentrate with the loud music blaring overhead. She kept having to remind herself to stop focusing on what the words of the song were and how to stand so she wouldn't get overwhelmed.

“Sure,” She stood slowly, her feet rolling forward as she instantly reached out, gripping a hold of his hands, “Okay I think I’d like to sit back down now.” Her hands burned where they met his, her face growing flushed as she realized that they were without a doubt, holding hands.

“Stop being such a pussy.” Max pushed off the carpeted floor and onto the tiled floors with ease and she took off into a flash of red. Kim’s eyes trailed after her, still clinging tightly to Billy’s hands as he scooted her across the floor.

“I’m telling mom!” She half joked, shakily lifting her foot up to put it on the tiled floor. She froze on the spot, feeling how easy it was for the wheels to move against the tiles. Her whole body clenched together in nerves as Billy gently nudged her.

“Come on,” Billy was acting a lot more patient than he looked at the moment and she didn’t want to push it. He moved, still holding one of her hands while her free one gripped the side wall so tightly her knuckles were turning white, “Just move like this.” He explained, kicking his feet out expertly to show her. She shot him a look, knowing her legs would not follow those simple commands.

“Right,” She exhaled deeply, ignoring how her fingers tingled around his fingertips. She moved forward with him, trembling as her brakes caught against the hard surface, “Oh my god.” She panicked as she moved her hand that was holding onto the wall to grip his bicep. She was completely supported by him now as he laughed.

“You’re doing great. You’ll be a pro in no time.” He spoke confidently, trying to match his feet with her odd rhythm. She was more focused on trying not to completely fall down. Every movement felt more like she was slipping rather than skating forward. Maybe the lady at the front had given her broken skates on purpose.

“No, she won’t.” Max skated past them with her hands behind her back, looking too carefree. Kim suddenly wished she had tried harder when Max had been trying to teach her how to skateboard all those years ago. She wondered if she wouldn't be quite as clumsy as what she is now. Kim was too off balance as she clung to Billy for dear life. His skin felt all too warm to hers as his bad wrist reached for her waist to straighten her up.

“Don’t listen to her. She’s a shithead.” Billy laughed as he confirmed her thoughts. Kim felt her butt sticking out as her legs lingered behind as Billy dragged them along. She was sure she looked ridiculous at the moment but all she could picture was how badly it would feel if she fell onto the hard floor. His hand kept trying to lift her torso up, but she felt herself resisting as her legs slipped again, this time almost face planting to the floor. Billy’s arms gripped her in support, a groan leaving his mouth.

“Sorry,” She panted, feeling her eyes very wide as she took a hold of his strong bicep to support herself as she managed back onto her feet, “This is a lot harder than it looks.” Billy chuckled as he watched the clumsy girl. She was very aware of how close they were and figured that wasn't doing anything to help her nerves either.

“You never did this with Max or your mom?” She shook her head, moving slowly as she slid across the floor with him. She could barely hear the sound of the music playing in the background over her own heartbeat. She was so close to Billy at the moment, she wondered what they looked like to other people. The thrill of people assuming they were a couple instead of siblings sent jolts straight between her legs. She tried to brush the thoughts away as she spoke up.

“Our dad used to take us; I usually spent my time watching Max. She never needed those little booster handles, ya know? I was always too tall,” She rambled off feeling nervous as the front of her brakes caught a hold of the floor again causing her to stumble into him, “Mom wasn’t too happy when she found out that’s where dad did a lot of his gambling.” She wasn’t sure why she was being so open with him at the moment. It was like words just kept pouring out of her mouth without her meaning to say them.

“He gambled at a skating rink?” He questioned slowly, holding her upright so she wouldn’t topple face first to the floor. A breathless laugh left her lips as she looked towards him cautiously. She trembled as she used her free hand to pull the hem of her shirt down so her belly button wouldn’t be exposed. He looked bewildered at what she had just mentioned. In truth, like him, they never really referenced their father like he never brought up his mom. They still had contact with him, barely. It was more so Neil that made her never bring up her father. He had a habit of trying to force their relationship even though she didn't view him as a dad. The only time he had actually got in her face was when she had told him that he wasn't her father, she had never mentioned that again. She was too scared after he threatened to spank her.

“And other places,” She was clutching onto his hand so tightly she was afraid she was hurting him. She skated a few feet before sliding again, her feet kicking back far as she used her free arm to grip the railing next to her, “Fuck. I don’t like this.” His arm shook and she turned to him quickly, glaring when she noticed him laughing. Her father had been a complete mess, but he wasn't mean to her. Billy didn't brin her dad up again as he spoke.

“No, no I’m sorry,” He inhaled deeply to catch his breath as Kim gripped both hands on the wall, moving sideways as he came up behind her, “I’m not laughing at you.” Kim looked beyond him, noticing the smaller redhead drifting past the two of them again. Her eyes narrowed, knowing she would have another snide remark. Billy glanced over his shoulder to see what she was looking at.

“You haven’t made it around yet?” Max looked back as she skated, and Kim suddenly wished she had a stick to trip the cocky girl with. She looked back behind Billy, noticing how close they still were to the beginning of the rink. She groaned, dropping her hand in defeat as she debated about just turning around and giving up.

“You’re doing great,” Billy cleared his throat as he spoke, looking too amused as he took a hold of her hand. She gulped hard, liking the way her hand felt in his, “Come on this is the easy side.” She looked at him confused, glancing in front of them and noticing that soon the railing disappeared completely. She halted, gliding with his movements as he pulled her along. She thought maybe she could just do it this way, hold onto his back while he drags her the rest of the way around.

“I’m not going on that side. I’ll die.” She declared as two kids, barely up to her waist rushed past them. Billy covered up his laugh by coughing, his warmth soaking into the side of her skin. She took a shaky hand away from the wall, reaching for her shirt to try and cover her naval again as it pulled up again. She was beginning to get irritated from her shirt the more that it did it.

“Come on, I won't let you go anywhere. I’m right here with you.” Kim swore she looked at him as if he had grown another head. She had never heard him being so gentle with anyone before. It gave her an odd feeling as she moved along with him.

“Okay,” She breathed out as she clutched his hand on her own. She didn’t want to admit how much she was enjoying this. She had wanted to hold his hand for so long and now here she was, getting as much of him to herself as she wanted, “Just don’t laugh if I have to crawl back.” She was committed to the idea as she let the last bit of railing cling to her right hand, using her fingertips to brush against the wall as she clung to Billy with her left hand.

“You’re being such a good girl.” He smirked at her, and she turned to him stunned, feeling her face heat up as she tried to calm her racing heart. She was not going to let his words affect her in public like this. He seemed a bit too thrilled over her reaction as they moved forward again.

“Shut up,” She mumbled as the rough wall tickled against her nails, sending an odd sense through her as she moved her hand away, “I’m trying to concentrate.” It was true, she didn't need any bad thoughts in her mind when she was too focused on the way that her feet were moving.

“I know, you’re cute when you do.” She stared ahead, focusing on the shiny clean floors and the way the lights beamed down across them. She was trying not to linger too much on what his words meant because she knew he was teasing her. He likes to get a rise out of her, it was Billy. Yet, as wrong as it was, she wanted a hidden meaning to be there as well. She got too wrapped up in her thoughts as her right brake halted against the floor as her left foot shot forward. She squealed loudly, almost going down to her knees before she was able to pop herself back up.

“That was close.” Billy laughed, a slightly panicked look on his face as he looked towards her feet. She laughed nervously as he held onto her, his hand brushing against her exposed skin and sending flames licking up the side of her body. She jerked at the sudden feeling, pulling away from him.

Her feet went in different directions this time, her hands shooting out wildly as she unexpectedly grabbed a hold of his bad wrist. He hissed out in pain, and she quickly let go of him as she flung herself back against the wall, her palms resting against the rough material as she commanded her legs to keep from falling forward. She waited for the harsh words to finally come out of his mouth as she was sure she had just worn his patience away.

“I’m sorry!” She told him earnestly, feeling very worried as she watched the anger cross over his face. She blinked in surprise, his emotions changing quickly as he looked up at her again with a new sense of patience and understanding. She stared at him for a moment as she watched him find the words to speak.

“It’s fine, you didn’t mean it.” He huffed out, rubbing his bruised wrist like he was trying to convince himself more than anything. She gulped back guilt, feeling bad that she hurt him. She had known something like this would happen.

“Told you she sucked.” Max skated past freely, red hair blowing in the wind. Kim furrowed her eyebrows and stuck her tongue out at her little sister. Max was right, but she didn’t have to rub it in her face like that. Especially at this moment, when Billy was still rubbing his sore wrist.

“Ignore her, you’re doing fine,” Billy lied freely as he stuck his good hand out for her to grab ahold of again. She watched as he twisted his bad wrist around in a circle and she felt bad all over again. She hesitated for a moment before placing her palm against his. Billy pulled her close until their hips were pressed together, “Just move when I do.” It was a bit easier trying to move with him, although he did seem to be bearing the bulk of both of them as she clung to him completely for support.

"See, that's much better." Billy praised her, sending a jolt of pride to her chest as she looked towards him and smiled brightly. His hair was slightly blowing from how much faster they were moving from before. She was still nervous about falling but found it easier to move when she wasn't focusing on that quite so much. She liked how carefree he looked at the moment, like he really was enjoying being here with her.

"Why didn't you do this before?" She teased as they moved their legs in unison, their hips bumping against each other slightly. She was once again thinking about what they must look like to others around them. She didn't want to overthink, but she was unsure if this could just be played off as him trying to help his younger sister. The music didn't seem so harsh in her ears at the moment and actually seemed to relax her even more as she allowed for her grip to loosen on him just a bit, just so she wasn't squeezing his hand too tightly.

"I figured you didn't want me to do it for you," He chuckled as they moved and she found the strength to glance at him, "You're kind of stubborn. You usually don't like to admit that you can't do something." She felt her mouth open in defense, even though it was true. However, there was no denying her lack of ability in the athletics department. She had two left feet and tended to fall face first instead of catching herself. That was fine, she had accepted that and built her brain up instead. The only thing she thought she was somewhat good at was swimming, only because she had spent so much time at the beach.

"You're very stubborn too," She told him gently as he shifted their hands, so their fingers were interlocked. She gulped when he dropped their hands to their sides and slowly moved a few inches away from her so she could work on her own again, "Wait I take that back c'mere." She tried to scoot up to him again, but he simply laughed and moved again.

"You're doing fine on your own. Look, you haven't even tripped since." He told her, sounding almost proud as they kept in unison despite being pulled apart. She bit her lip, biting back the smile as she nodded at him. She was unsure how he could look more attractive than he already was, but he did. She tried not to linger too long on his face as she glanced away as they passed the two kids who had skated around them earlier.

"You're a good teacher." She complimented him, knowing that there was a double meaning in that. He smirked at her, obviously not taking the compliment for this moment and for what he had been teaching her in private. She rolled her eyes but still kept a smile to her face as she knew inside that he was really good at that too.

They had almost made it to the end when she noticed Max waving at her. Kim beamed at the younger girl, raising her hand high to wave.

That was a mistake.

She threw herself off balance, her feet completely moving out from under her as she slammed against the ground hard. Her chin smacked into the tiled floors as the left side of her eyebrow hit the metal part of his skates. Her knees and palms burned as she began to sit up, holding back tears from the pain that coursed across her chin.

“Shit,” Billy mumbled as he wrapped his muscular arms around her waist and stood her gently, “Are you okay?” She stood shakily, nodding hard as she bit back the tears. She knew her voice would betray her if she spoke, the back of her throat burning. He was standing too close as he cupped her jaw and looked over her appearance. She swallowed salty tears as his soft blue eyes took in her pained expression.

Max skated over to them quickly, looking at her sheepishly, “Are you alright?” She repeated the question as she looked at her older sister. Kim nodded again, pressing her cold fingertips against her chin as Billy continued to inspect her face. She could feel her heart racing inside her chest, unsure of how to handle him at the moment. She had seen him in fits of rage countless of times but this was a completely different side to him that she had never witnessed before. Max seemed just confused as she looked between the two of them and Kim wobbled back a few inches in her shaky skates.

“I’m fine,” She spoke up after a moment as her throat burned with tears still threatening to pour out of her, “Just hurt a little bit.” She muttered as she looked down to the shiny floors, suddenly feeling embarrassment rising in her chest. Despite pulling away, Billy’s hand lingered around her waist and his fingers pressed into her cool skin where her shirt had risen again.

“Hey, you almost made it to the end though.” Max stuck two thumbs up in the air as she shot her a goofy grin. Kim forced a smile, feeling her lip tremble as the side of her forehead and chin continued to throb and ache.

“She’s still going to make it,” Billy spoke confidently. Kim’s eyes snapped to the side of his face, figuring she was just going to crawl on the floor instead, “Come on it’s only a few feet away.” Kim didn’t really want to go down that hard again, but she also didn’t want to embarrass herself even more by crawling across the floor. She sighed.

“We can do it together.” Max offered, skating up to her sister and linking their arms together. She smiled down at the younger girl, taking a deep breath as they began to move.

“See, you can do it.” Billy praised as she began moving in their rhythm. She laughed softly, swallowing down the rest of her tears as they all moved in unison. It was nice watching Billy and Max get along so well. Kim wondered if this is how he was to the little kids at the pool, the ones that he had to teach to swim. She had seen the grumpy ways he had interacted with Max’s friends and began to wonder if that had all been a cover up. She was sure he had to be patient with the little ones and found herself wanting to find out more about him. Who he was when Neil wasn’t watching.

“Yay, I’m never doing that again.” Kim laughed as her skates rolled against the carpeted floor. Max moved away from her and Kim went to reach for the bench but Billy quickly took both of her hands in his, guiding her towards the spot. She tried to focus on anything but the feeling of their hands touching, her perfect hers seemed to feel against his. She didn’t want to have any more accidents by focusing too hard on the feeling of his skin against hers.

“I could definitely teach you better than Billy did. You wouldn’t have slipped once.” Max bragged as Kim plopped down on the bench, her legs sticking out straight as her knees protested from being slammed against the hard floor. Kim grinned at the younger girl, the pain in her chin now becoming a slow, dull throb. Billy sat next to Kim, his knees pressed against her thigh as he bent over her lap to unlace her skates. Her legs grew warm as his warm chest pressed against her thighs, she could almost feel his heartbeat through the slight contact if she searched hard enough.

“Yeah, I doubt it. You go way too fast, Mad Max.” Kim caught his smirk as he worked on taking her skates off, trying not to crack a grin as Max huffed and crossed her slender arms over her chest. She knew Max didn’t hate when he called her that, as much as she liked to pretend that she did.

“Is that a bet?” Kim looked between the two of them, watching the same stubborn and cocky expression stare back at the other.

“Hell no, I’m not getting back on that rink again. Go see who's the fastest or something.” Kim muttered as Billy straightened up and rested his palms against his knees. She missed how it felt to have him pressed against her, even if it was only for a few moments. She rolled her ankles, bending over to reach for her shoes.

“Don’t be a party pooper. I bet Billy could talk that girl into letting you have one of those safety walkers the kids use,” Max turned to Billy eagerly, “Go ask her on a date and she’ll totally let you.” Max was basically bouncing in her skates as she spoke. Kim felt a bit of annoyance picking at her chest.

“Why, do you think she’s interested?” The words were out of Kim’s mouth before she was able to stop them. She went to tuck her hair behind her ear before she remembered it was pulled up and pretended to rub her forehead instead. She could feel her cheeks burning and ignored Billy so he couldn’t see her expression.

“I’m not going to just ask her out,” Billy laughed, disbelief traced in his voice as he spoke, “I don’t even know her.” Kim and Max turned to look at him, sharing the same dumbfounded expression. He looked at them genuinely confused.

“That’s never stopped you before.” Max replied shortly, looking at him as if he had grown another head. Kim nodded in agreement, knowing that he may act picky about his women but in fact he didn’t care much about looks as long as it all ended the same way. The only time she had seen him be particularly picky is if he was in a serious relationship. Which, the longest she had known of, had only been a few weeks.

“Sorry, but you’re going to have to pimp Kim out if you want that done.” His tone was dry as he looked at them a bit irritated. Kim giggled and shook her head.

“I’m a girl, she wouldn’t be interested in me.” She replied slowly as if he wasn’t connecting the dots. He looked at her exasperated, reaching over to pat her thigh playfully as he shook his head.

“You’re lucky you’re book smart,” Was his response as he stood up. She felt her eyebrows furrowing as she watched him reach out and shove Max playfully, “If I win you do my chores for a week.” Max stumbled back before she caught herself, her smile growing as she followed him back to the rink.

“I want money from you then! However much I want. And unlimited rides!” She shouted after him, but Kim was still confused. She stood on her feet, going to the edge as she watched the two of them get ready, both shoving playfully at the other. She leaned her arms against the cool railing.

“What do you mean book smart? What am I missing?” Kim questioned. Billy glanced at her before looking back at his skates to make sure that the laces were secure. Max shot Kim a look, clearly irritated and wanting to skate around. She didn’t care at the moment; he gave her an odd response and she wanted to know why.

Billy looked at her with bright blue eyes, amusement tracing his features as he spoke up, “I just mean that you’re cute, that’s all.” She felt her face heat up in familiar flames and quickly looked away, praying that Max wasn’t listening or watching too closely. She began to shout numbers down from five, the two of them using an arm to keep the other from pushing.

She watched as they took off, Billy taking the lead just barely as Max trailed behind him. She felt a smile curling against her lips as she gently rested her chin against her hands, careful not to brush it against the sensitive area. Billy’s laugh rang throughout the rink as Max cursed at him, sending a few hateful looks in her direction as the parents heard. Kim’s eyes lingered against Billy, taking in his athletic form as he moved so easily against the floor. She remembered watching him play basketball but had always been too embarrassed to look at his shirtless form or his tight shorts he wore. She had always managed to drag Addi along to the basketball games, insisting it was because of Steve. She wasn’t going to lie, most of the time it was to see Steve play. However, there were moments when she knew she had to go because it was Billy, and someone had to show up, so he knew someone cared about something he did. Neil never went to any of his games, nor did he bring up any of his accomplishments from playing.

Kim’s eyes trailed up from his thick thighs to his bruised wrist and then to his muscular arms. She bit her bottom lip as she stared at the muscles flexing as he moved, his large hand playfully moving out to pretend to swat at Max as she came up near him. She stared at his bruised face. Despite the nasty bruises and cuts, she had never seen him so happy. She felt her heart swelling, thinking that Max was right about the bonding.

She started to feel ashamed again, knowing that if they were bonding as siblings, they shouldn’t be doing their extra activities to the side. Her attention was drawn away as she heard loud laughter coming from the entrance of the building. She peered, trying to see who had entered but was unable to.

“Who won?” Max screeched and Kim jumped as the two of them landed on other sides of her, gripping the wall tightly. They were both panting hard, out of breath and eyes dilated as they stared at her. Billy looked more amused while Max seemed determined to win. Kim gulped hard and fiddled with her fingers.

“I think it was a tie.” She spoke up unsure, not mentioning how she hadn’t been paying attention. Max looked at her horrified.

“What do you mean, think?” Her eyebrows were raised high as she stared at the older girl in disbelief. Kim giggled nervously and shrugged her shoulders as Max glared at her. Billy chuckled as he leaned forward against the wall.

“Okay you played a good game, Mad Max. How about we call it a draw?” Billy asked, holding his hand outstretched for her to take. Kim noticed how he had his right, bruised wrist against his chest as he cradled it.

“Over my dead body.” She spoke slowly and confidently, looking very determined. Billy laughed and shook his head, reaching into his back pocket. Kim felt her heart fluttering as he pulled out his wallet, knowing he was never this generous.

“Fine, go get something for us to eat then,” His eyes darted towards Kim, “I’m gonna help Kim get cleaned up.” She felt herself growing hot as she stared at him stunned, not believing he was doing this in front of her.

“Why do I need to clean up?” She asked crossly as she crossed her arms over her chest, not daring to look at Max’s expression as he handed her a twenty. He peered back at Kim as he shoved his wallet back, making his way around the rink.

“You’re bleeding and I’m trying to be nice. No need to be such a brat.” He huffed as he bent over to undo his laces. She instinctively touched the side of her forehead, looking at the smeared blood against her fingertips. She gulped hard.

“Yeah, you’re a brat and you suck at keeping scores.” Max muttered, seeming unbothered at Billy’s words as she moved past the two of them quickly. Kim gaped at her, unbelieving that Max would take his side over hers.

“You can’t wear your skates over there!” Kim shouted after her as Billy changed out of his skates and into his books. Kim grinned watching as Max flipped her off and continued to skate over to the little area that held all the food.

“Sorry,” Kim muttered sheepishly as she walked next to Billy, their shoulders touching as they moved. She felt jolts of electricity race up her arms when their fingers brushed together and she had the strongest urge to interlink their hands together again, “I just got nervous.”

“Yeah, you’re not very good at keeping it low,” Billy chuckled as he glanced at her, smiling at her anxious state, “It’s okay though, I like watching you squirm.” She bit her lip, watching as he pushed the men’s bathroom door open and waited. She stayed still, her feet not moving forward.

“What?” She questioned as he looked towards her expectantly. He jerked his head inside the room, and she quickly shook her head no. She was not going into the men’s room.

“Don’t be such a priss. There’s no one here and the workers don’t get paid enough to care. I’m just cleaning the blood off of you.” Billy spoke adamantly and Kim furrowed her eyebrows, knowing it wasn’t worth the fight as she stepped in. She didn’t know why, but she was oddly excited to look inside of the men’s bathroom. Only to be disappointed that it seemed exactly the same as the women’s.

“Nice.” She nodded her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. She felt weird standing in here with Billy. He laughed, pulling a few paper towels out.

“Sit on the sink.” She did as she asked, scooting herself far back enough so that her back was resting in the mirror. She didn’t dare look at herself, knowing she probably looked like a mess. She watched as he got the paper towels wet and squeezed the excess water out. Her eyes lingered across his thick hands, taking in every vein that curled up his wrists and the faded bruises across his knuckles.

“Did you hit something?” She asked suddenly, remembering how fresh the bruises appeared the night of the hotel. Billy stood between her legs, very close as he began to pat her forehead to rinse the blood away.

“Just me and a wall a week ago.” He spoke dryly, his eyes unmoving from the spot on her forehead. She knew it must’ve been from a fit of rage but had the urge to ask what event specifically. It was as if he was forbidden knowledge that she wanted to sink her teeth into and absorb.

It felt weird thinking about how two days ago she was the one cleaning up Billy’s cuts and now he was returning the favor. His hands were a little rougher, but she excused it, knowing this was something completely out of his range.

“Am I deformed?” She questioned quietly, watching as the smile formed on his face. He presses a dry one against her head, eyes momentarily leaving her scratch to look at her.

“No, but even if you were, you'd still be the prettiest girl here.” Her heart did cartwheels as he leaned into her pressing his lips against the corner of her mouth. She felt the sparks travel across her lips, her body craving for more of his taste as she leaned in closer and cupped the side of his face.

“I think you’re handsome.” She mumbled as her soft fingers danced across his cheek bones. She took in the freckles that decorated his tanned skin and traveled down to his curved lips that were moving into a smirk. She could feel that he was going to say something cocky and took her small amount of confidence to lean forward and press her lips against his.

He moved against her urgently, his hands cupping her waist as he moved underneath the hem of her shirt. She soaked in the buzz between them, their lips moving in unison as her hands pulled his face closer to hers. The hairs of his mustache tickled her lip, causing her to pull away and giggle. He grinned up at her before pulling his hands away from her waist and gripping her cheeks, gently squishing them before bringing her lips down on his again.

Kim was still unsure if she was a good kisser, but figured she had to be alright with the way Billy urged for her lips against his. His lip felt rough where it had been cut, but she didn’t let it bother her as his tongue licked the curve of her lips. She giggled again, the sensation tickling her as her fingers played with the curls at the nape of his neck.

Their foreheads were close together as they breathed in the same air, cheeks flushed and staring each other down. Kim was sure that he’d be able to see her heart beating against her chest if he looked close enough.

Billy lifted her off the sink with ease, pressing her up against the wall and his lips attacked her mouth again. Kim felt a moan bubbling inside of her chest as his hand sneaked up her tank top and palmed at her breasts. Her hands went to his waist, looping her fingers around his belt and pressing herself up against his thigh.

Everything was far too warm as his tongue slid inside her mouth, licking her tongue and teeth as she ground her hips down against his leg. She whimpered, completely unaware of their surroundings as she felt the bulge forming against her thigh as they moved.

“Fuck,” Billy groaned against her neck as he moved against her, dragging his hard on along her soft thigh, “Need you so bad baby.” His lips trailed against her neck as he pinched at her hardened nipples.

“Can’t do it here.” She whispered quickly, her head tilting back against the mirror as he attacked her neck. She focused on the warm, wet feeling of his lips trailing across her skin as her eyes darted towards the bathroom door. Anyone could come in at any minute, yet she could stop rubbing herself against his thigh. Her panties were growing so wet from the friction. He groaned, protesting as he pulled her bottom lip between his teeth.

“We could be quick.” He insisted as he moved his hands to cup her ass. A small squeal left her mouth as he moved her hips against him more roughly, taking over the rhythm. She shook her head quickly, sinking in the feeling but knowing it was too risky.

“Billy, later,” She moaned as he licked at her lips sloppily again. He looked completely devastated as he began to stall their moments, resting his head in the crook of her shoulder as he sighed. She felt all too warm as her hands settled around his back and rubbed circles into his back. She was nervous over his reaction, fearing that he’d be done with her now, “Are you mad?” She whispered, her neck twitching away as his soft whiskers rubbed against her skin.

“No,” He pulled away from her neck and raised his head to place a gentle peck on her lips, “Just hard as fuck.” He complained and she felt her cheeks reddening.

“Sorry,” She mumbled, still trapped against the wall, “I can fix it later?” She offered shyly as her hazel eyes darted around his flushed features. He grinned at her, placing a gentle kiss against her chin.

“I’ll look forward to it. Uh, why don’t you go wait with Max. I’ll be out in a few minutes,” She stared at him confused, feeling insecure because she didn’t want to miss out on anything, “Listen my boner isn’t going to go away unless you leave. I’ve gotta think about other things.” Kim looked away bashfully still feeling the heat in her face as he looked all too pleased with himself.

“Alright then. Um I’ll see you out there then.” Kim pushed the door open quickly, hoping there were no guys lingering around as she left. Thankfully, it seemed just as bare over here as it had been on the rink. She rubbed her fingers together, trying to remember what it was like to have Billy’s against hers. A smile teased over her features before she remembered where she was at and relaxed her face, heading to the table where Max was sitting at.

“About time,” The younger girl grumbled as she slurped on a slushie, “I thought you’d be mangled with as long as you two were in there.” Kim tried to relax her body and not act suspicious as she answered the younger girl and definitely pretended that her panties weren’t soaked at the moment.

“Billy was a bit aggressive trying to clean this up,” She motioned towards her head looking at the two cups sitting in front of her, “Which one is mine?” Max pushed the blue slushie in front of her.

“Your favorite. Might be melted though.” Kim didn’t mind as she took a giant gulp, enjoying the freeze that coursed inside of her mouth and down her throat. She started to realize how hungry she was getting.

“Did you order the pizza?” Max shot her a duh look, glancing over her shoulder to look back at the rink. Kim noticed Max was still wearing her skates as she padded her feet around in front of her.

“I’m starving and it’s taking forever. I wanted to take another lap but there’s a bunch of dumb girls out there.” Max spoke as she looked over her shoulder. Kim scolded her, trying to remind her to be nice. Max had never had the easiest time making friends with other girls. Kim couldn't remember another girl that Max was friends with before El.

“Don’t be rude, just because some of us aren’t athletic doesn’t mean we’re dumb.” Max sighed exasperated after Kim spoke. Kim was partially joking but also partially telling the truth because she really didn't want her younger sister to view anyone like that. Max rested her elbows on the table and looked at her sister like she actually was dumb.

“I just mean these girls are like the worst. Not that, no need to get your panties in a twist.” Kim definitely did not picture the state of her panties at the moment when she noticed Billy walking towards them. She turned her eyes towards the table to keep herself from staring at the way he carried himself. She wondered how he had managed to become so bold and confident within himself so that he looked so good even with the simplest tasks. She did glance up towards his waist, confirming that his little problem was taken care of.

“The pizza isn’t here yet? I’m starving.” He slid in on Kim’s side, spreading his legs so that his knee dug into her thigh. She scooted over more so she wouldn’t be quite so crowded next to him. She was sure she still looked flustered, yet he appeared as if nothing had happened between them at all. Kim rubbed her palms against her jeans nervously.

“We just ate it all, obviously.” Max responded sarcastically as she tapped her fingers against the table. Billy rolled his eyes as he sat down, his hand dropping to Kim’s thigh without Max noticing. Kim gulped hard, swallowing her nerves as Billy squeezed her thigh with his large hand.

“Damn, what crawled up your ass?” He pulled Kim’s slushie towards himself and took a giant gulp of it. She gaped at him, watching him defile her straw with his tongue.

“That’s mine.” She spoke slowly, watching as he paused his movements to look at her very serious expression. She could hear Max snicker, but Kim was too concerned with getting her drink back.

“I paid for it.” Billy retorted with a smirk as he swirled his tongue around her straw, leaving a trail of saliva on it. She glowered as she pushed the cup filled with the cherry slushie towards him. She could feel where it had slowly started to melt, and the liquid pooled to the bottom of the cup. Billy’s eyes lit up as he saw it.

“That’s the one Max got for you.” Kim spoke blankly watching as Max rolled her skates across the floor as they waited. She watched as the younger redhead straightened when she noticed the worker bringing their pizza towards them. Billy’s smirk only grew as he looked at the full cup in front of him.

“Oops,” He took another big gulp of her slushie before switching the cups. She stared at her straw in disgust, “Don’t be shy now, we just did a lot worse in the bathroom.” Billy whispered only for Kim to hear as the worker sat the pizza down in front of them. Her face flushed so hot that she thought she may melt away. He was right, though. He just had his tongue shoved in her mouth; their germs had already been swapped. His hand squeezed her thigh again, sending jolts towards her core as she tried to compose herself again.

“I’m so hungry.” Max exhaled as she pulled a cheesy slice of pepperoni pizza for herself. Kim agreed as she waited, pulled a plastic plate for herself. Kim took a second before leaning forward and sucking on the straw and slurping up the blue raspberry flavor. Billy’s eyes burned into the side of her face, and she resisted the urge to look at him.

“Are you going to skate a few more times?” Kim spoke after swallowing down a rather large bite of greasy pizza. Billy’s fingers tickled across her thigh before he pulled his hand away, her body beginning to grow cold from the lack of his warmth.

“Uh, maybe. I don’t want you to be watching awkwardly.” Max responded with a shrug and Kim fought the urge to roll her eyes. Kim knew she could be awkward, but she wasn’t that awkward. She was just shy. And clumsy.

“I could try and win a stuffed animal.” She tried to think on the bright side. In truth, she didn’t mind just watching them skate. She felt more than included just simply by being here with them. She wasn’t sure if she trusted herself to go back out and skate though, she might end up with a broken bone.

“You suck at those too.” Max grinned, a bit of cockiness showing across her features as Kim did finally roll her eyes at her younger sister. Billy watched Kim speak with a curious expression on his face.

“Yeah, but there’s a stuffed cow in there, I love cows.” She said brightly as she finished her slice of pizza. Max cocked her head to the side and grinned before picking up another slice of pizza. Kim watched Billy begin to bounce his leg next to hers up and down and began to wonder when he had a cigarette last as he fidgeted more with his cup in his hand.

“Are you talking about the claw machine?” Billy asked, the insides of his lips a bright red from his drink. She wondered if her mouth was blue. She grinned enthusiastically as she pulled her legs under her to sit more comfortably. Max laughed.

“Yeah, the stuffed animal one. She’s like a child.” Max replied, picking the pieces of pepperoni off of her slice and eating those separately. Kim shrugged, looking at Billy with a delighted grin over her face. She wouldn’t deny her love for stuffed animals.

“They make me happy.” Kim responded as she cleaned her fingertips off with one of the napkins at the table. Billy was turned away from her when she looked back at him, completely distracted by something else. Her grin was still on his face when she followed his eyes, noticing the group of girls approaching. The loud laughter that she heard earlier suddenly made sense to her as she saw Tina rapidly approaching, her arm linked with Carol’s as two of their friends trailed shortly behind them. Kim could feel the jealousy rising in her stomach as she took in the pretty girl who was staring Billy down like he was her next meal. Kim tried to think of something interesting to say, something to draw his attention away from her, but fell short. There was absolutely nothing interesting about her and even if she was, she couldn’t find the confidence to speak out to him.

She watched as Billy scooted further to the edge of the seat, swinging his legs out so his back was facing Kim. She gripped her fists hard into fists under the table, growing uncomfortable from the amount of jealousy that was simmering inside of her. She didn’t like the way Tina looked at him, she especially didn’t like the way that Billy’s eyes were trailing after her. She watched as Max rolled her eyes and scooted closer towards the wall, resting her cheek on her hand as she ignored them with an irritated expression dancing over her features.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” Tina gaped as she peered upon his bruised face. Kim sat on her hands to keep from clenching them, the urge to tell Tina that Billy was perfectly fine before she showed up was simmering on the tip of her tongue. She glanced to the back of Billy’s head, wishing she could look at his features and guess as to what he was thinking.

“Yeah, it’s nothing really.” Kim felt her mood slightly soar when she heard the irritation in Billy’s tone. She knew he didn’t like the attention when he looked so bruised. She couldn’t tell if it was because of his appearance or if it made him appear weak.

“I’d hate to see the other guy,” Tina spoke flirtatiously as she twirled a piece of hair around her finger while chewing on her gum, “You haven’t called me yet.” Kim cringed at the beginning of her sentence, knowing that was far away from the truth. However, Billy had a habit of beating up many different guys so Kim couldn’t blame her for thinking that. Max’s blue eyes met Kim’s hazel ones, and she pretended to gag as Tina’s group of friends giggled behind her. Kim grinned but still wondered what it was like to have such a big group of friends.

“I’ve just been busy, ya know. I was actually wanting to see if you wanted to go out next week. We can call and set up a date?” Kim did her best not to glare at the girl, her jealousy filling her until she couldn’t feel anything else. She felt like she was a pain of boiling water that was seconds away from overpouring onto the hot stove. She didn’t know why she was feeling this way. Billy wasn’t hers; he wasn’t anything special to her. In a way, he was like a teacher. Yet, she wanted nothing more than to rub in Tina’s face that she had been the one Billy had fucked that night at the party instead of her.

“Do you want to go try the claw machines?” Max asked dryly, interrupting their conversation as she looked to Kim. The elder girl nodded quickly, knowing she needed to get out of here before she lost her composure. Max pushed past Tina, completely ignoring her as she skated back towards the machines. Kim stood, watching as Billy slid out of the way so she could step in front of him. She swallowed hard when his hands lightly took hold of her exposed waist to help guide her out of the booth.

“Thanks,” She muttered, ignoring how Tina and her friends were looking at her. She was worried she was being too obvious suddenly as she pulled away from Billy quickly, walking fast to keep up with the younger girl. Still, she glanced back to see Billy rubbing his fingertips together as he spoke to Tina again. Kim’s eyes lingered for a moment before Carol turned to her, looking irritated, “Are you going to win it for me?” Kim asked Max as she looked at the stuffed black and white cow with a large green bow over its neck. Max scoffed as she sat down at the bench nearby, removing her skates.

“Good luck, these are all rigged.” The younger girl spoke her truth, but Kim still wanted to try. Anything was better than staring after Billy like a dejected puppy. She couldn't quite shake her feelings as to why she felt the way she did when he was near other girls. She hated the attention he gave her as she wanted all of his attention on her. She blamed it on the sex, rather than it being a crush. She was sure she had never felt this way before everything happened between them. Except for when they had first met, of course she thought he was cute but that was all buried deep inside once she realized he would be her brother. At least she hoped it was buried deep inside of her.

“Well, here goes nothing.” She muttered as she stuck a dollar in the machine. She felt slightly nervous as she moved the claw around, trying to get the perfect angle over the cow. The overhead lights casted an odd angle on the claw machine, shining in her eyes as she tried to focus.

“A little to the back.” Max mumbled and Kim followed her command before dropping the claw towards the cow. It barely touched the fur of the stuffed animal, just barely nudging it before it was back in the air. Max shot her a knowing look but Kim shook her head as she put another dollar in.

“I’ve got this, okay? Today is my lucky day.” She tried to convince herself, going for the cow another four times before hanging her head in frustration. On the fifth time it the cow was brought into the air and dragged about 3 inches before falling down.

“Damn it! You almost had it.” Max muttered; her face close to the glass as she watched her older sister work. Kim grinned, glad to at least be entertaining her. She stared at the last dollar from her pocket, deciding to try it again anyways. This time when the claw fell down towards the cow it picked up a smaller, yellow object.

“Yes!” She gave Max a high-five as the small, stuffed yellow duck tumbled down the hole. She reached down to grab it, “He’s kinda cute, right?” She questioned her younger sister, looking at how one of the orange legs was smaller than the other and one of the black eyeballs was hanging on by a small thread.

“He’s uh, he’s something that’s for sure.” Max insisted as she held up her thumb, trying to be enthusiastic. Kim sighed softly, squishing it softly in her hand. Six dollars for a deformed duck the size of her palm. She tried not to focus on the cost, rather on how she had at least won something.

“Hey, you’re Kim, right?” Carol approached the two girls and Kim felt herself furrowing her eyebrows. Anxiety crept in as she thought of all the reasons why the girl would want to be speaking to her. She couldn’t think of one as she nodded. She watched at the other girl placed her fingertips in her pockets, staring the taller girl down. Kim watched as Carol chewed her gum, her eyes eating her up as she was clearly judging her.

“Yeah, that’s me.” She squeezed the duck to keep from fiddling with the hair that was touching against her shoulders. Max looked at her older sister curiously, but Kim had no answer for her. She hadn’t even spoken to Carol before; they hadn’t even shared any similar classes. She only knew her in association to Billy and that she was popular and had once been friends with Steve. She didn't know how Carol knew her name or why she was looking at her with such a dirty expression.

“I heard this rumor about you and my boyfriend. I was hoping you could clear it up.” Carol’s face bore a sweet smile, but her tone read the opposite as she popped a rather large bubble. Kim felt her eyes widen as her thoughts became clearer. She hadn’t even thought about Tommy. There was nothing to talk about with him because nothing had happened. She gulped hard, understanding that the situation could look suspicious on the outside. She didn't want to be rude, but she hadn't spared Tommy one thought since that night they danced.

“What, what rumors?” She furrowed her eyebrows, beginning to fiddle with her fingers as she pulled the little duck closer to her chest. She glanced at Max, hoping for a snide comment from her to ease the tension and get her out of this conversation. Max was all too nosey though, listening in curiosity and staying quiet for the first time. Carol laughed, pushing her bangs out of her face as she looked at Kim annoyed, like she had caught her in a trap. Kim glanced behind her, hoping maybe Billy would come to her rescue. She was met with disappointment when she realized that he was still nowhere to be found.

“That you’re trying to fuck Tommy. I’m not fucking dumb,” Kim felt her face burning from the accusations being hurdled towards her. She had never been confronted in a way like this before, “I heard about you being all slutty at the party. He’s mine. Back off.” Kim stared down at the shorter girl, completely out of words as she failed to defend herself. She could feel her cheeks burning, never before had she been compared to being a slut. Kim thought that she was still far off from being labeled that. However, maybe that is what you would label someone who was in a sexual relationship with their step sibling. Max shifted next to her.

“You went to a party?” Her hands gripped her arm as she looked up at her older sister, completely ignoring Carol's words. Max's blue eyes shone with admiration as she watched her, and she felt like maybe she didn't look so lame in her younger sisters' eyes. Kim swallowed hard to keep her calm composure as she nodded stiffly, appreciating the hold that Max had on her. She thought that she may fall to her knees in embarrassment if not for the younger girl.

“I’m not interested in Tommy like that,” Kim spoke awkwardly, darting her eyes away from the other girl who was glaring at her, “I’m sorry you think that though.” Max widened her eyes at her awkward sister, softly tugging on her arm and pulling away. Carol did not look amused and looked more like she wanted to argue about the rumors she had heard. Max and Kim were quicker though, walking away so Kim wouldn't have to argue about the situation anymore. She should've known better than to try and use someone so popular to get Billy jealous. She knew how fast everyone talked; she just didn't figure that anyone would actually remember her. Kim took fast paces to create a bigger distance between her and Carol.

“Since when do you party?” Kim squeezed the duck softly, letting all of her emotions flow through her arm into the stuffed animal. Max waited for an answer as they crossed back towards the dining area. Kim wasn’t thrilled to see Billy with Tina again, but figured it was better than being stuck with Carol glaring up at her. This day just couldn’t get much better. She thought it sucked as they had been having so much fun earlier. Still, she didn't want to ruin it for Max as she put on a brave face.

“I’ve only gone to two and no, I did none of those things that she was suggesting.” She spoke shortly, wanting to deny anything bad that her little sister may have been thinking about her. Max snorted, keeping up to her long paces.

“Maybe not. You still have those hickeys though, who gave them to you?” Max tried to be sly as she spoke, but Kim shook her head quickly. She would never answer that question. She wouldn’t be able to. This secret would die between her and Billy.

“Doesn’t matter.” She mumbled as her eyes zeroed in on Billy. He was leaning against the counter lazily, grinning flirtatiously at Tina as her hand rested against his bicep. She knew if she could, she would’ve burned Tina’s arm off with her eyes. She tried to shoot the jealousy down, but it wasn’t leaving. Max didn't look satisfied but dropped the subject. Tina's voice rang in her ear, like nails scratching down a chalkboard as Kim's gaze met Billy's. She couldn't read his expression, but he seemed more than happy with his conversation with the other girl as Kim faced away from him.

“I’m going to get his keys.” Max muttered, clearly annoyed as she stepped up to the older boy. Kim stayed back, her arms over her chest as she waited. She knew she couldn’t handle going that close to Billy while he was openly flirting with someone else. She didn’t want to hear him talk about how Tina was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. She was too jealous to handle that.

Billy looked annoyed at the interruption and Kim turned, walking away from him as she headed towards the exit to wait for Max to appear next to her. She couldn’t handle the feelings of jealousy and insecurity swirling around inside of her. She hated feeling this way and didn’t know why she had to feel like this when he was her stepbrother. Not her boyfriend, she reminded herself. It shouldn't matter that Billy was talking to other girls. She knew it was just something he did, he was always searching for something better.

“Let’s go.” Max dangled the keys between her fingers and Kim followed her out. She held onto the stuffed duck, trying to search for some sense of comfort in it as they slid into his car. Max rolled the windows down, the muggy air blowing on them to give them some sort of relief from the heat.

“Are you still going to spend the night at El’s tonight?” Kim asked as she sat the duck up on the dashboard, staring at the eye that was hanging loosely off of its face. She watched as Max kicked her feet up on the middle console.

“I’m supposed to if he’ll hurry up. Why’s he gotta be such a manwhore? We were having fun.” Max grumbled and Kim felt herself beginning to laugh as she pulled her hair down, loving the way the wind blew against it. Billy always had a tendency to attract girls no matter where they went. Even on family outings with Neil and their mother, women just seemed to flock towards him. He never seemed to mind either. Kim used to spend her time giggling and making fun of them with Max, now, she didn't think it was that funny.

“He’s a guy. I guess that’s why.” Kim replied as she shrugged her shoulders. She tried not to think about how Billy was going to be going on a date with her. She bit her lip hard; she was really irritated that she couldn’t stop thinking about him being with other girls. She didn’t like picturing it. She wanted him all to herself as selfish as it seemed.

“Guys are gross.” Max sat back as they waited in the car. Kim crossed her arms over her chest, mad at herself for kissing him earlier. She was still trying to reason with herself that she had no right to be upset, but she was unable to stop feeling the way that she was. She was being irrational.

“There he comes.” Kim muttered feeling her blood boil as she watched Billy exit out of the doors, holding something behind his back as he walked towards them. She looked ahead, neglecting to give him the satisfaction of her staring at him. She jumped when he bent down next to her open window, his blonde hair blowing into her face as she quickly pushed the golden locks again.

“Pop the trunk.” He spoke up gruffly. She sighed and unbuckled, leaning over the middle console to hit the button in his car. She quickly sat back up and adjusted her shirt, making sure he wasn’t watching. The grin on his face let her know that he was.

“Dude, come on I’ve got to go!” Max protested as she turned to look at the older boy. He rolled his eyes and stood up, dangling something in his hand as he walked to the back of the car. Kim smiled in the mirror as she looked back at her younger sister who looked like she was seconds away from driving them herself.

“Are you sure you’re going to meet El and not someone else?” She made sure that Billy couldn’t hear them, watching as Max’s face flushed red in a similar way. Kim knew she was being weirdly impatient. Max flipped her off, ignoring to answer her question.

“Ugh, what is he doing? Seriously, I told El at 7 and it's already 6:50. I’m going to be late.” Max groaned in the backseat, tossing her head back dramatically. Kim laughed as Billy shut his trunk and walked to the front seat.

“You shouldn’t have planned everything so close together.” Kim spoke up as Billy slid in his chair. He turned to her, smiling as he started the car. She tried to smile back but still felt too bitter over him overly flirting with Tina. She knew she had no right to do so but couldn’t help the feelings that absorbed inside of her.

“We would’ve been on time if someone wasn’t trying to get laid.” Max spoke up, poking her head up between the two of them. Billy laughed as he started to drive.

“I don’t have to try,” Billy spoke up as he started to light a cigarette up. Kim shook her head, the sense of smell lingering against her nose, “Girls just want me that bad.” Kim could’ve gagged from his words and cocky attitude. She desperately hoped that he wasn't roping her in that mess.

“Gross.” Max mumbled as she sat back in the chair. Kim pulled her duck off of the dashboard and sat it on her lap, waiting for him to drive. Billy trailed to her lap, a chuckle leaving his open mouth.

“What the hell is that?” He questioned. Kim clutched the small stuffed toy to her chest, feeling very proud in herself that she had at least won something. She held her head up high as she looked towards him, not letting him dampen her mood anymore.

“It’s a duck and he’s very sweet.” Kim huffed back and turned away from him. She was still mad even though she knew she shouldn’t be. She was beginning to feel bad, especially since they had such a nice day before Tina had shown up. She didn’t want to ruin this for Max, she decided as she lowered her stiff shoulders and willed herself to relax.

“A duck?” She watched as Billy maneuvered them onto the street, using one hand to turn the wheel as he smoked with his free hand. She tried not to stare, but for some unknown reason she seemed to be growing quite the attractions towards his fingers.

“Can we not talk about her deformed duck and drive just a bit faster?” Max asked as she leaned her head forward again. Billy switched hands on the wheel, his cigarette hanging from his lips as he used his free hand to push Max’s face back. Kim giggled, watching the expression on Max’s face change. In her defense, she had asked rather nicely.

“So, when are we going to go see a movie?” Billy questioned after he pulled his cigarette away from his lips. His eyes glanced back towards Max, but they lingered on Kim’s face. She felt herself growing excited, thinking about how he did want to do more things with her.

With them. She quickly reminded herself as the younger girl spoke up.

“You two are the ones with the money.” Kim could hear the grin in Max’s voice, leaving Kim to be the one to pick an answer. She fidgeted with the duck, pulling as the soft fabric that stuck out where the tail should be. She glanced towards Billy, as she found the right words to say.

“Whenever you want to go, I’ll be ready.”

Next Chapter

#Billy Hargrove #Billy Hargrove smut #Billy Hargrove series #Billy Hargrove stepcest #tw pseudocest #tw stepcest #ive been trying to bridge the gap between here and ao3 but its not working #im lazy

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