#anyways i think he would like listening to arcade talk

[bluehairedspidey]

"boone would hate gannon because he talks too much lol"

boone:

[cuteandhughesy]

When The Seasons Change | Luke Hughes

summary: each season comes and with each one, you're falling deeper in love with your best friend. 4 + 1

11.0+k

warnings: SFW!friends to lovers | slow burn | flirting | fluff | suggestive themes | kissing | read at your own discretion

link to masterlist

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september 9th, 2015

dear diary <3

it's y/n again and today i'm feeling a bit...funny. the day started absolutely amazing! it was my best friends luke 11th birthday party! I can't believe he's 11 and in two more months i'll also be 11.

anyways :) his party was a girl boy party and we all went to the arcade that luke and I have always wanted to go to together but we couldn't because of jack and quinn's hockey.

it was a really fun day and luke loved the sidney crosby shirt I picked for him. but the reason i'm feeling funny is because of lacey patterson. lacey is in our class and was invited to the arcade as well. I thought she had a crush on matthew but the whole time she wouldn't leave luke alone. she was always around like an annoying little fly. lacey kept taking all of luke's attention away from me.

i'm feeling jealous, diary. because luke is....special. his soft curly hair and his bright eyes and when he smiles I get ladybugs in my stomach. I love my best friend and now that lacey likes him I can't help but feel angry.

how and I suppose to grow up and marry luke if lacey is in the way???!!!

one: valentine's day

"it was a disaster," you sigh loudly, pushing your way into luke's apartment as he pulls open the threshold of the door. you toss your small pink bag on his counter top and slump into a bar stool, "I mean a breakfast date? I'm not even sure why I agreed to do that with him in the first place- I barely know the guy and breakfast certainly isn't the place to get to know him."

luke slowly makes his way over to you, still rubbing the sleep out of his eye with the palm of his hand. "I shouldn't say I told you so, but," he says sleepily, pausing to grab a bowl out of the kitchen cupboard, "I told you so."

you groan, dropping your head into your hands. "I really need to listen to you more," you admit, eyes flicking upwards as you watch luke pour himself a healthy sized amount of shreddies. you hate the cereal, you think it taste like dry wheat. luke has always loved shreddies though, so you always have some at the ready. plus, it's the only cereal luke's professional athlete diet allows.

he shrugs with a cheeky smirk.

"not only did he only talk about himself and refer to me as a 'female'," you air quote the condescending title and luke shudders between spoonfuls of cereal. you continue, "but he asked me how much money I make and spilt his orange juice on me - on valentine's day of all days. I swear i'm never spending valentine's day with a man again."

luke wipes the drip of milk off his mouth with the back of his hand, sending you a questioning look, "not even me?"

"you don't count, obviously, or I wouldn't be here." you raise your brows in his direction, as if if to say duh.

luke smirks again but shoves more cereal in his mouth to try and mask it. "right, okay, guys an asshole - so you ended the awkward valentines breakfast to head here at..." he trails off, eyes finding the digital clock on his and jack's shared stove for the first time that morning. "8:56 in the morning - jesus is this guy 80?"

"I wish," you huff, "an eighty year old would probably of kept his nose out of my bank account."

luke snickers, dropping his dirty bowl in the sink.

"do something with me today?" you plead, leaning across the counter top so you can poke his muscular side. "don't let my valentines makeup go to waste."

luke tiredly glances over to you, taking note of how there's a little pink glitter sprinkled across your eyelids and how your usual lip colour was replaced with a more pink toned shade. your smile all cheesy at him and it has luke breaking out of his thoughts - blinking hard.

"how does lunch and the movies sound?" he asks after a moment of pondering. "i'm sure there's some sappy romantic movie playing."

you scoff at his tone, "hey! I love those sappy romantic movies."

"I know," he hums, leaning against the counter infront of you. "that's why I suggested it."

you place your head in your palm, looking up at your best friend fondly as he practically leans over you. "you're the best lukey," you say after a moment, a gentle smile on your face.

he shrugs and the action has his sleep shirt lifting to reveal his toned v-line and happy trail. you don't let your eyes linger, quickly darting your vision away before you turn red.

luke's expression changes briefly, and it looks like he may say something but the sound of jacks bedroom door clicking open has him stopping - eyes darting to the hallway just as his brother shuffles out.

jacks eyes find yours as you sit comfortably in his bar stool. he admits a big yawn and wide stretch before mumbling - "I should've known it was you making all this noise."

he rounds into the kitchen, flicking on the kettle to boil himself some water for his beloved morning coffee.

"ha ha," you say sarcastically.

"why the fuck does it smell like orange juice in here." jack mumbles.

"oh god," you cry out, grabbing your bag and sliding off the stool. now that luke's eyes are properly open and he's aware of his conscious, he sees how your white jeans have an orange liquid stain on the leg. luke smiles fondly as your cheeks tinge pink, brushing past him and his brother and towards the front door, "i'm going home and changing!"

luke laughs gently, following behind you. "i'll text you when i'm leaving here."

"sounds great," you breath out, a smile making its way onto your face. "wear pink," you tease him, shimming your shoulder in his direction.

"happy valentine's day," jack calls out from the kitchen. you catch sight of him shuffling his way past the door and back down the hall, a steaming mug in his hands.

you meet luke's eyes again and hes still looking at you, leaning against the door in his morning glory - plaid pyjama pants hanging low and his arms crossed to make all his muscles stretch deliciously. "happy valentine's day," luke mimics his brother in a fond whisper.

"happy valentine's day," you repeat. "i'll see you later."

"you will." luke says.

when you get back to your apartment complex, marianne, the front desk receptionist, flags you over before you can reach the elevator - her bright red lipstick and heart bobble head band instantly making you smile.

"you have a delivery," she says, pushing a massive vase full of red roses in your direction.

you're momentarily in a state of shock, staring at the bouquet of flowers dumbfounded. "are you sure they're for me?" you splutter after a moment.

marianne nods joyfully, a finger running over one of the delicate pedals. "oh yes, honey! delivery man dropped them off real early this morning."

you pluck the crisp white card from its slot, quickly opening the small envelope with slightly shaky fingers - anxiously wanting to reveal the mystery behind the roses.

just incase your breakfast date doesn't get you flowers. I hope you get all the ladybugs in your stomach today, y/n/n. happy valentine's day.

love, lukey.

two: easter

"you two seriously need to quit this," quinn's voice is a mix of bordem and amusement, eyeing you and luke. "it's every year." quinn concludes, jack nodding in silent agreement as he bites into a chocolate egg.

"quit and willingly loose to luke?" you thumb over your shoulder to the tallest hughes brother - who is standing diagonally behind you with his arms crossed. "absolutely not."

jack tries to hit you with a chocolate egg, but it misses your body - you send him an accusing glare before quinn starts again.

"guys, seriously it's just an egg hunt." he deadpans, eyes dancing between his brother and you.

"it's not just an egg hunt," luke says matter of factly. his arms fall to his sides and he steps closer to you, the fabric of his flannel brushing your exposed shoulder. "it's one of the only times I get to prove to everyone I am the superior egg finder."

competitively, you roll your eyes. luke has been using that line since one of the very first easters you had spent together.

when you were 5 years old, your family moved to your now home city and into the two story house neighbouring the hughes' home. it was almost instantly that you and luke become close - after he got over how'd you'd aimlessly follow him around and want to be near him (you liked the leafs just like him so he liked you soon after).

your parents become very close with ellen and jim and it become a tradition to spend easter together - enjoying the festive meal and activities. even now with quinn in a different country and you, jack and luke all in jersey, you would all find yourself making it home for the easter dinner and egg hunt.

which leads you into your second ever holiday spent with the hughes family - the first egg hunt you had won. luke claimed to his family after they had teased him that he let you win and was, in fact, the superior egg hunter. obviously, you couldn't let that slide and you're still battling luke in your early twenties for the title of egg hunt champion.

"you wish," you tease luke, "a superior egg hunter would of brought proper footwear to ensure they could get down and dirty." slowly, your eyes flicker to luke's feet, eyeing the crisp white air forces that were bound to get filthy.

luke scoffs, taking a step towards you. "oh trust me - i'm ready to get dirty."

"is this how kids flirt now?" jacks voice is like a nail to your eardrum and you quickly take a step away from luke, making your way to the island and grabbing your bunny shaped bucket.

"it's called smack talk," luke answers his brother sharply, also grabbing his egg basket - a bright yellow whicker bin with fuzzy chicks hot glued to the handle: he's been using it forever. "this is a competition."

"it's really not," quinn mutters, hands shoved in his jean pockets as he leans into the kitchen island.

just before you or luke could scold the eldest hughes, ellen makes her way through the back door, her pink floral maxi skirt swaying around her ankles. "you guys coming out?" she questions you all, her brows raised expectantly. "all the young kids are ready."

"oh," luke snickers, "i'm ready."

"we are all ready," you correct, eyeing your best friend briefly.

she smiles fondly, her small hands clasping together - ellen hughes would never get tired of seeing you and all her boys together on the holidays. "the eggs are all hidden - don't forget the winner gets the chocolate bunny!" she sing songs, guiding you all to the large backyard decorated in pastels and flowers.

"see," luke hums, jamming his elbow into his oldest brothers side, "told you it was a competition."

"oh my god."

after a brief speech from ellen, you were informed the oldest kids (you, luke, jack and quinn) would be searching for the blue coloured eggs and the younger kids (consisting mostly of hughes' cousins) would be searching for yellow eggs. the yellow eggs were hidden in easier spots but jim and your dad had ensured the blue eggs were in more difficult places.

10 minutes into the hunt, you've secured 6 of the possible 17 blue easter eggs. you wander further down the large property, eyes frantically searching for more to add to your collection. it isn't long before you catch a glimpse of bright blue - the small egg nestled between a few branches up in one of the trees. you're suprised you could even see it through the leaves, but the sun catches the egg once more and you're positive you're not imagining it.

with a determined head, you place your bucket on the ground near the stump of the tree before grabbing ahold of the lowest branch. you use all your strength to start hauling yourself up the tree, climbing upwards through the leaves and branches.

finally, you reach the height of the easter egg, and you smile victoriously, reaching out to grab it. at your sudden movement, the branch you had been standing on with your one foot gives out, cracking loudly until it snaps downwards. you gasp, hands reaching out to wrap around the thick trunk, watching horrified as your previous spot swings in the air.

you scan the surrounding branches, looking for the most secure one for your full weight - one that wouldn't break off under your feet. there's one behind you that looks promising, so you shift against the trunk, carefully stepping across the gap in the branches until you can fully place your feet on the new one.

you sigh once you feel secure, taking a deep breath to try and let the erratic heart beating in your chest come back to normal. miraculously through your almost plummet back to the ground, you managed to keep ahold of your egg and your gripping that damn blue thing hard, ensuring after all that trouble it wasn't going anywhere.

once your adrenaline levels return to a much more manageable level and the thumping heartbeat in your eardrums subsides, you decide you're ready to start making your journey to the ground - as safe as possible.

you let your one foot steps off, pressing down on a different branch to test its sturdiness. it seems stable enough, and you push off the trunk behind you to help push yourself onto the other branch.

your dress tugs, not allowing you to move over. you frown in confusion, trying to pull away harder. it's no luck, and your eyes close in disbelief. you try and uncomfortably stretch around yourself to catch sight of what the hell was going on and you catch a glimpse of of a sharp broken twig, completely hooked through your dress.

and of course you've left your phone behind on the kitchen island when you decided you'd have to use for it during the egg hunt. you course yourself, making another attempt at wiggling yourself off the ridged twig. it proves to be unsuccessful when you try and move onto the other branch once again and find yourself still being pulled back towards the trunk.

just as you begin to feel waves on panic bubble up your body and tears well up in your eyes, the sound of shuffling below halts your meltdown. you listen more intently, and the melodies of an all too familiar hushed whistle adding to the noise.

luke is wandering around aimlessly, whistling the megan moroney song you had showed him the week prior - clearly he has taken a liking to it as well. he's got his easter basket in his hand, swinging it slightly so his collected eggs roll around.

he is practically right under the tree you're in, and you take the opportunity before it leaves. "luke!" you call your friends name, your voice a mixture between a whisper and a yell - not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to your very uncomfortable and embarrassing position, luke would surely tease you enough to make up for everyone.

luke's whistling comes to a halt, his body coming to a stand still near the large roots of the tree that were protruding from the soil. he spins around a couple times, looking for you.

a beat passes.

"where are you?" luke questions quietly, doing another 360 of the area. he knows you can't be too far because you sounded close, but not directly beside him. his brows furrow when he can't see anything.

"in the tree - i'm stuck." you huff, eyes closing as the rush of embarrassment comes after admitting your predicament out loud. luke still looks confused and unsure, so you sigh, rustling one of the nearby branches to show him that you were in fact in a tree and not hiding in a nearby bush - planning to ambush him for his eggs.

finally luke catches on, looking up towards the thick branches wide eyed and confused. once he catches sight of you, his previous expression morphes into one of mischief and his lips tug upwards in a gooey smile. "oh! don't you look all cute up there."

you ignore his teasing with a dismissive eye roll, "come up here and help me untangle myself from this damn branch."

luke's eyes wander towards the trunk of the tree, landing on your easter basket that you'd previously abandoned in favour of climbing - your blue eggs starting at him in all their glory. luke hums, slowly looking back towards you - his eyes shimmering with a misbehaved twinkle you're all too familiar with. "nah, I think i'll just take some of these eggs and be on my way."

"lukeeeeee," you whine his name, eyes closing in annoyance- luke could really push your buttons when he wanted to.

your hands are starting to hurt from the bark under you palm, and your ridged posture from being caught by the tree is becoming uncomfortable. "come help meeeee," you whine again, "is this how you're going to treat your best friend?"

when you began to speak, luke has already put down his own easter basket, nestling it beside yours wiped his hands free of any sweat and made his way towards the tree, large fingers wrapping around the first branch as he pulls himself up. "relax, i'm coming."

you watch as he quickly climbs up the tree, resembling a spider monkey as his long limbs wrap around branches and you smile to yourself at the thought of luke as a monkey.

suddenly, you begin to feel embarrassed about your situation. you feel even sillier for getting yourself stuck on a branch, something taht could've been avoidable if you weren't so damn stubborn about a stupid egg hunt. your previous smile of relief turns sour, eyes downcast as luke finally gets to your level.

your face has luke mimicking your frown, brows drawn together as he addresses you. he reaches out for you, running a large hand over your curled hair. "hey, don't worry - you're okay."

you muster one nod in acknowledgment, taking a shaky breath.

"let's see," luke mutters between you, leaning into your personal space to attempt in getting a proper look at the damage - one of his arms wrapping around your body for stability as he peeks over your shoulder. "easy peasy," luke adjusts his body slightly, his chest brushing your bare shoulder as he fiddles with the material of your dress.

you fight off a pleasant shiver, controlling your breathing as his long fingers brush against your soft skin, tickling you in the best way. finally, you feel your dress become loose and fall back into its proper position.

you breathe in relief, your smile returning.

"ta da," luke pulls back, his own smile lighting up his face as he hovers over you. now that you're less stressed, you notice how intimate your and luke's position is. his feet's are slotted between yours in the thick branch, his one arm still around your body while his other one moves to wrap around the trunk, holding you both there - his breath fanning over your face.

"you're welcome." he teases you, snapping you out of your own head.

"thank you." you hum nonchalantly, one of your hands coming up and fixing your hair and be ridding of any stray leaves or baby twigs that may of found their way in there.

"what's my reward?" luke questions gently, head tilted as his tongues slowly darts out, licking his bottom lip.

the air turns thick with a sticky tension, making your spot in the tree feel like it suddenly was located on the sun. quickly, your eyes widen, watching the way luke begins to smirk at your flustered face.

you clear your throat, choosing to not read into any underlying meaning. "one of my easter eggs." you answer firmly, a gentle nod of confidence following suit.

he tongues his cheek. "just one?"

you nod once again, a noise of conformation falling from your lips.

luke hums, eyes not leaving yours as he says - "guess i'll just take more."

because you know your best friend all too well,before he can even attempt to descend back towards the ground, you push of the branch, quickly moving around him and scaling down the trunk. you're suprised at how quick you get to the ground and even more suprised you don't hurt yourself in the process.

just as you grab ahold the fuzzy purple bunny easter basket off the ground, you hear luke thump back onto the grass, a gentle laugh of disbelief falling from his mouth.

you turn on your heels to face him, your basket gripped in your hand as you swing it teasingly out towards him - a victorious and teasing smile on your face.

he kisses his teeth and his eyes dart towards the ground to mask his amused grin. he grabs his own easter basket before making the short distance to you.

"like promised," you say, plucking one of the shiny blue eggs from your basket. "your reward." delicately, you place the egg into luke's basket, adding to his collection of five.

almost immediately, luke grabs the egg you just gave him, placing it back into your basket. "no it's okay," he says quickly, hand raised defensively when you begin to furrow your brows. luke continues, "after all, when I win, I want it to be fair and square."

"my god," you roll your eyes fondly, the corners of your lips tugging up in a smile. "whatever helps you sleep lukey."

"I see another one!" jack yells somewhere on the property - quinn's voice following suit as he threatens to fight jack over an easter egg.

simultaneously, your and luke's eyes widen at what you're hearing.

"what's over there?" luke questions, brows furrowed as he points behind you.

you frown in confusion, spinning around to try and spots the object of luke's gaze.

he takes off, calling out some stupid insult about you being a sloth as he does. your scoff of disbelief turns into a laugh, and you begin to run.

you don't remember finding the last egg that was sitting in your basket when ellen counted all of them out - but seeing as you had the most blue eggs out of everyone, you weren't going to complain, taking your chocolate bunny prize happily.

luke watches you light up with joy when you are declared the winner for another year in a row. he finds himself smiling along, happy that when he handed you the egg back you had given him as a reward, he managed to slip one of his own back in with it- just like he does every year.

three: 4th of july

you knew that having another vodka water, adding to your borderline drunk state, wasn't the smartest idea - but you cracked open the can regardless, the sound echoing over the michigan lake.

you take a hearty sip to mask the scowl on your face. lacey laughs loudly, and your annoyance grows because yes it was the same lacey from luke's birthday party all those years ago and yes, unfortunately she was close to some of your other friends so yes she'd often hang out with the group.

this 4th of july weekend was no exception as you watch lacey continue to hang around luke and jack - your jealousy meter maxing out anytime she would lean into luke or touch his arm.

you take another sip, some of the liquid dribbling down you lip after quinn drives over one of the waves, sending trevor zegras into the air as he wakeboards behind you. quickly and rather aggressively, you wipe the spilled alcohol off your chin, eyes still pointedly glaring towards your best friend, his brother and lacey.

as if he can sense your staring, luke turns his head in your direction, quickly finding you on the bench seat. you're sitting with your back turned to wards the water and jacob truscott - who's job is attentively watching trevor as he wakeboards.

luke's initial smile with seeing you is wiped away once he sees that you're annoyed, your clear sour face making him frown. quickly, you turn your head in the opposite direction.

and because drunk you has no self control, you quickly look back in luke's direction, not lasting 5 seconds. luke is still watching you, his brows pulled together in question. just when it looks like he is going to make his way over to you, lacey grabs his wrist, lighting up as she animatedly begins to tell a story that 'he just had to hear!'

you start to become angry. not only were you feeling frustrated because lacey was not your cup of tea and jack invited her to your 4th of july celebration regardless of your feelings, but you were even more upset by the fact that luke was allowing himself to be so easily entertained by her. luke had always treated lacey normally, even though you often expressed how you weren't her biggest fan - which was okay, of course. you didn't want luke to treat her differently just because you didn't like her, but still - it had you feeling jealous.

you take a huffy breath, getting up from your seated position as careful and as stable as you could while being drunk on a moving boat. obviously, it wasn't your best or most successful idea, quinn jerking the boat for trevor's boarding quickly and it has you stumbling - right into the back of jacob.

he turns around quickly, his eyes blown wide as he takes you in. "hey, y/n, you okay?"

and just like that your brain comes up with a plan. one that though you may regret in the morning when you're sober, in your drunkenness sounds perfect - you've never thought of a better idea in your life. you smile at jacob, fluttering your lashes at him. "can I sit and watch with you?"

jacob watches as you bite you lip in question while you await his answer, eyeing him with a hazy look over your bright eyes.

he chuckles slightly, "course you can."

you smile cheerfully and you quickly start to make the small step up onto the seat platform, your small hand gripping jacob's strong shoulder to help balance yourself until you gracefully plop down beside him. as flirtatious as you can manage while being intoxicated, you run your hand from his shoulder down his arm, trying to tickle him.

jacob eyes you suspiciously, a small amused smile beginning to tug his lips upwards. you smile back, bringing your hand into your lap. "what are you up to?" jacob questions after a moment. he doesn't wait for an answer before he turns his head to look over his shoulder - right at luke.

"nothing!" you hum, laying your palm flat on his cheek and bringing his gaze back towards you.

jacob gives you a look, brows raised knowingly. he has to tongue his cheek to not laugh, your plan of trying to make luke jealous obvious. clearly you're not as inconspicuous as you thought.

you shrug once, leaning in even closer to jacob. "just wanted to sit with you is all."

he just nods, shrugging nonchalantly "whatever you say." jacob's eyes leave yours, attention back on trevor on the wakeboard. clearly jacob doesn't mind helping you out, he even lets his hand slide behind you, resting flat on the seat right near your ass - he doesn't even seem flustered at the how if he stretched his pinky out he'd be touching your butt - that kind of makes you feel at ease.

after flirting and laughing with jacob for 10 minutes, trevor's time on the wake board comes to an end, quinn slowing down the boat. in that 10 minutes you'd only managed to get in a glance towards luke three times (jacob kept you pretty entertained oddly enough), and everytime luke was wearing a neutral expression - his arms crossed and listening to lacey.

trevor removes himself from to board, breathless as he climbs onto the swim platform."did you guys see me hit that last wave?" he smiles, unzipping the life jacket wrapped around his torso.

"it was sick," ethan edwards comes up beside you, leaning on his elbows right beside your thighs to talk to trevor - drunk you honestly forget he was here. "fuck man way cooler than any waves I got - quinn must have his favourites." ethan continues, playfully side eyeing the oldest hughes brother as he makes his way over to the back of the boat.

"ha ha," quinn says sarcastically, grabbing onto the rope of the wake board paddle and pulling it towards the boat. "if I actually had favourites, trevor wouldn't be one of them."

trevor cries out and grabs his peck like quinn's words had actually reached out and stabbed him, "ouch."

quinn ignores trevor, rolling his eyes dismissively - although his lips move upwards in a small smile. "alright," he breaths, finally getting the wakeboard onto the swim platform, " who wants to go next."

looking back over your shoulder once more, you see that luke still isn't bothered enough in coming over to you - listening to some story lacey was blabbing on about to jack and dylan duke.

you hum, shooting up off the bench. you wobble slightly, ethan grabbing your ankle reflexively to try and steady you. you smile triumphantly, "i'll go." you make your way over to quinn, taking the protective life jacket from trevor's outstretched hand.

quinn looks you up and down, eyes hesitant. "you sure?"

you nod without looking at him, stepping into the boots of the board. if flirting with luke's friend wasn't working in getting his attention, hanging off the back of the boat as you zip through the water surely had to.

you clip the buckles down, the sound snapping against the boots. quinn bends down in attempt to help you get secure, but you dismiss him, dropping off of the swimming platform and into the water.

"y/n..." quinn starts, his eyes filled with doubt.

"i'm good." you take the ropes right out of quinn's hands, wrapping them once around your wrist. "let's do it."

he sighs but doesn't protest any further, leaving you alone. quinn walks off the platform, making his way back to the driver's seat.

the engine starts a few moments later, the roar making you smile slightly - adjusting the slippy rope handles as you prepare to start.

"fuck yeah, y/n!" jack calls, hands bracketed around his mouth as he cheers for you, his voice echoing over the lake.

after getting your thumbs up, quinn starts to drive, the movement of the motor vehicle slowly dragging your body towards the surface, gaining speed until the wakeboard comes to the top. jacob slaps the bench seat a few times in a cheer, him and ethan both praising and cheering you on back on the boat. your smile widens at the boys and luke's brows furrow.

the boat is going the proper speed now, and quinn starts to do circles around himself to create the desired waves - you swallow nervously as you see the first one approaching. you can feel your hands loosen on the rope again , and naturally your fingers unhook themselves in order for them to readjust. the wave hits sooner than anticipated, and you first jolt forwards quickly before being flung backwards, your feet coming out of the boots as you get launched into the water.

you push up to the surface with your shaky arms, a gasping breath leaving your lips as you take in the air.

the boat has been stopped, and there's a group of worried faces staring at you from about 10 feet away. you definitely shouldn't of dismissed quinn when he wanted to check over your buckles, and you definitely shouldn't of let your guard down when trying to re-grip the rope.

you start to leisurely swim back towards the boat, feeling much more calm now that you’re not being panicked underwater. “i’m good!” you laugh it off, approaching the platform.

jack is waiting for you, his hand outstretched in your direction. you grip it, your wet palm slapping against his calloused one as he pulls you out of the water. he says your name through a smile, “that was badass."

then you notice how luke’s there as well, looking much more stressed than his brother - eyes frantically searching you for any visible injuries. "are you okay?" he breaths.

"yes," you sigh firmly. jack finally lets you go, allowing you to stand yourself up on your own feet. as you place your left foot down fat, your ankle screams in protest and gives out on you - making you topple forwards with a yelp. "fuck."

instantly, luke is there, rushing towards you and grabbing a hold of your arms. he keeps you upright, leaning down so he can look into your eyes. “what hurts?”

"my ankle," you whine quietly, eyes moving down in embarrassment. not only were you drunk, but you were now hurt and in enough pain for your intoxication to not even be able to mask it. "it really hurts lukey." you whisper, your throat becoming thick with emotion.

"okay, okay," luke wraps an arm around your waist, putting all of your weight onto him as he helps you off of the swimming platform and onto the carpeted area of the boat. you wince quietly in the short time it takes to get to the front of the boat - away from prying eyes that would only have you feeling even more embarrassed.

"sit down." luke tells you sternly, helping in lowering you to the seat. tears are desperately wanting to escape, the entire day of events weighing heavy on your chest.

luke turns away from you, reaching into the blue drink cooler - digging through the ice and cans of seltzers until he finds a plastic water bottle. he grabs it, walking back towards you with an unreadable expression, sitting across from you.

"i'm cold." you say as soon as luke sits down. you can’t decide if you’re cold because your wet and the sun is starting to set or if it’s because luke’s knees keep brushing yours, igniting goosebumps.

your emotions come to a head, and a tear finally falls, trailing down the round of your sunkissed cheek.

"let's take off the lifejacket, okay?" he reaches towards you, unzipping the wet jacket. your boobs definitely spill out of your bikini top in a way that is probably unflattering, no longer pushed against you by the life jacket. “give it back incase somebody else wants a turn.” luke grabs dylan dukes abandoned towel, wrapping the fluffy cover around your shoulders.

his teasing gives right over your head.

"okay," luke sighs quietly, tapping his two fingers against your thigh."let me see your ankle, put it on my leg."

you do as he says, bringing your leg up and over so you can comfortably have your knee bent and foot laying flat on luke's muscular thigh - his leg hairs tickling your painted toes.

softly, luke uses the water bottle he'd earlier grabbed as a temporary ice pack, pressing it to your ankle bone. the coolness feels nice, and it already is helping the pain.

your mood turns even more unpleasant when you her lacey's high pitched laugh echo around you - assaulting your water logged ear drums. you keep your eyes downcast, fingers wordlessly fiddling with a loose strand on the beach towel.

you sniffle, "wouldn't you rather be with lacey?" your jealously is definitely showing, but you're too irritated with the days events to be civil. lacey, combined with hurting your ankle and having luke practically ignoring you all day has your filter disappearing.

one of luke's long fingers slowly starts running along the back of your calf. "nah." he says gently. you can feel his eyes on you, but you're still not sure if you can handle looking into his eyes in the state your in.

your brows raise in suprise, and your disbelief is still prevalent in your tone. "really? she sure gives you a lot of attention."

luke shrugs once. "you're hurt. you take priority."

his answer has you scoffing slightly, and you tug harder on the loose towel thread. "only because i'm hurt?" finally, you look back towards him, eyes pinched with irritation at his answer.

in all seriousness, luke looks at you. his lips almost tug down in a frown, and his eyes begin to soften at your red cheeks and glazed eyes. "no. you always are my priority."

now you feel embarrassed. although lacey is more outgoing and flirty than you are, you are luke's best friend - not her. quickly, your hand comes up to wipe away any fallen tears, "sorry." you mumble.

luke dismisses your apology, tapping your heel twice around the cold water bottle he was still pressing against you. he eyes your somber expression again, and kisses his teeth.

your eye him as he scoots closer towards you. "can I tell you something?"

you nod, naturally finding yourself leaning in as well.

luke's lips begin to turn upwards. "watching you flirt and spend time with jacob today...It made me feel kind of jealous."

you feel your heart come to a hard stop and then speed up again - beating frantically at luke's confession. you're sure your mouth is opening and closing like a fish, but you're too baffled to say anything.

he continues quietly, "because, you know, he was taking my best friends attention away from me."

you deflate.

luke shrugs, "and I know that's hypocritical because I was kind of being a dick today but still...jacob doesn't deserve your attention - neither do I honestly but-"

you shake your head, bumping the leg that wasn't resting on his thigh against luke's knee, stopping his rambling. he's still your luke, no matter what. he's awkward and sweet and....yours.

"you're the only one I really want to give my attention to, lukey."

he smiles gently, "really?"

"yeah - i'm drunk," you remind him, "I can't lie even if I want to." you both laugh at your half slurred confession, leaning into each other as you do so.

as quinn pulls the boat back towards the dock of the hughes summer house, you can't even remember why you'd been annoyed with luke in the first place - too focused on him nursing your ankle and his soft smile.

four: fall festivities

"jello shot?" you ask through an exhale, a bright smile on your face. you gesture the small serving tray full of colourful desert towards the two girls in front of you. thankfully, they smile back, happily taking the alcohol from you.

you nod in parting before picking up your pace once more, gripping the tray harder as you practically jog around your condo - determined to serve everybody.

when luke had mentioned jack offered to host the annual new jersey devils halloween party, he told you that him and his brother were worried about the limited space in their apartment and were unsure of how they were going to make it work. seeing your best friend in a predicament had you immediately offering your place to throw it.

not only was your space bigger, but your only neighbour was a wealthy businessman who was never home, so there would be no noise complaints and no issues with fitting the devils roster in for a halloween themed party. obviously your offer had nothing to do with being totally into your best friend and going to any extreme to see him happy - obviously.

there was a few more people attending than you were initially expecting to show up - which mostly consist of the wives and girlfriends of the team, but still, you hadn't factored that in. the added people had your hosting skills dialled up to an 11, and you can't remember the last time you had sat down or properly mingled with anybody - too busy making sure everything was stocked.

you squeeze through a group of laughing girls you don't recognize, and you whisper your apologies as you move through them. "jell-o shot?" you question, approaching dougie, dawson and john near the fireplace.

"oh hey," john greets you, dressed like a minion. "you look like you're having a great time." john laughs and they all reach out to take a halloween coloured shot cup off your tray.

"I am if you are," you smile politely, his teasing remark flying over your head - you're too tired and stressed to digest his words properly.

you're definitely not having a great time. your hand is cramping around the orange and purple striped serving tray, your fake eyelashes are stabbing you, your legs are killing you, and don't even start on how your faux fur coat has you sweating profusely.

"cruella, right?" dawson is the one to question you, gesturing to your halloween costume - a simple black dress paired with a spotted coat, red gloves, pearls and the wig of course.

you nod, "in the flesh."

"y/n!" you hear jack call your name loudly from the opposite end of your condo, his hands clasped around his mouth as he shouts for you. "we need more punch."

you sigh gently, throwing your hand in the air blindly to give the middle hughes a thumbs up - a conformation that you heard him and you'd make another bowl.

"sorry, would you guys excuse me - duty calls." you manage to give a laugh towards the three devil players, all dressed in contradicting costumes, spinning on your heels and speed walking away.

you push through the swinging door that leads to your kitchen, half empty tray of jell-o shots and the glass punch bowl you grabbed on the way balanced in your hands. thankfully nobody was in your kitchen, and the sight of emptiness has you breathing in relief.

you loved having everyone at your place and you especially loved how everyone felt comfortable in dressing up and allowing you, jack and luke to host - but you couldn't wait for the night to be over. you always underestimated the hassle of hosting, and this night is proving that.

you fan your warm face with a gloved hand, trying to cool yourself off. your free hand is pouring some koolaid mix into the empty punch bowl, the powered crystals becoming liquid as they touch the orange juice and sprite concoction.

the door creaks, alerting you as somebody enters your once quiet kitchen. your shoulders deflate naturally, and your already preparing for another task or hosting duty that you'd have to attend to.

you look over your shoulder and are met with the comforting gaze of your best friend. luke smiles softly at you, which makes him look extra cute in his dalmatian outfit. "hey," luke starts, making his way over you, "I haven't seen you all night. you okay?"

the relief floods through your body, but a different wave of emotion quickly replaces any prior ones. you feel yourself wanting to cry, because no, you're not doing okay. "i'm stressed, lukey, i'm sorry. I love hosting but my costume is so hot that i feel permanently wet from how much i've been sweating. my body hurts and i'm tired and I feel like the list of things I need to do is endless and-" you exhale, dropping the wooden mixing spoon to the counter. "respectfully I can't wait for it to end."

luke frowns, reaching you in two long strides. "don't apologize for feeling overwhelmed." he shrugs, glancing over his shoulder quickly, "it's definitely more people than I expected."

you sniffle, laughing gently as you nod in agreement. "definitely."

he smiles softly, and like he's done a million times before, luke gently reaches out, his thumb swiping under your eye to brush any fallen tears. "let's head up to the roof for a bit," he hums, a slight frown tugging his lips, "get some air."

you exhale shakily. "jack needs the punch though."

"fuck him and fuck the punch," luke tells you sternly, "they can survive without it for a little bit, okay?"

"okay," you whisper in agreement.

you live on the top floor of your condo, so the journey to the buildings rooftop wasn't long. luke leads you up the small flight of stairs and out onto the decorated deck like he's done many times, guiding you over to your and his claimed spot.

immediately, you fall back dramatically into the lounger, eyes meeting the starry night sky above. you can feel like you can breath properly, and the only noise you can hear is the city below.

luke smiles at your now closed eyes and starfish pose, making his way over to his favourite green lounger beside you, mimicking your laying down position. he tucks his arm behind his head, using his own forearm as a pillow as he looks at the stars.

a beat passes.

"i'm sorry you're stressed." luke tells you quietly.

you open your eyes, turning your head towards him. luke is already watching you, eyes guilty and frown present.

you shake your head at him, dismissing his apology. after all, he didn't do anything wrong. "it's fine, luke, really."

"I just don't like seeing you struggling," he admits.

"if anything," you start sincerely, "you've made my night 100 times better in like the 5 minutes i've spent with you - which by the way, is crazy, how is this the first time since you got here that we've hung out."

"I know," luke smiles, "i've missed you."

you eye him teasingly, a pout forming on your face. "did my little dalmatian miss his master?" you question in an animated baby voice, one of your hands reaching out to poke his ribs.

luke jolts away from your jab, pulling a disgusted face in favour of your baby voice. regardless of his expression, he was laughing at your question. "you're a weirdo."

"yeah but i'm your favourite weirdo," you say matter of factly, turning your entire body towards him on top of your blue coloured lounger.

luke smirks, "you're definitely top 10."

"top 10?" you screech with a laugh, "not even top 5....I really gotta up my game. who's my competition?"

luke kisses his teeth, in a deep faux thought as he hums. "well, obviously borat is up there."

"obviously," you repeat.

"and my friend y/n is up there too - she's the weirdest one of all." luke sends you another teasing glance, "instead of being normal and saying 'butterflies in my stomach', she calls them ladybirds like a grandma and she eats ranch with almost everything."

you smile, "she sounds hot."

luke tongues his cheek, eyes finding the stars again. another beat passes, the two of you enjoying each others company in silence of city nightlife.

the crinkling of a bag has your brows furrowing, glancing back at luke just as he pulls out a half empty bag of cheeto's. "hungry?" he asks you, holding out the open bag in your direction.

you grab a handful of cheesy sticks, "I didn't even know your onesie had pockets." you tell him with a snicker, plopping two cheetos into your mouth.

"this dalmatian is full of surprises," luke says between chews of the monster handful of chips he'd previously shoved in his mouth.

you snort, grabbing another handful. "of course he is." you're thankful that luke had miraculously snuck cheetos from the party out to the roof, because you think the last time you ate was breakfast. your stomach rumbles at the thought. you swear, your best friend knows you better than you know yourself. "I should've known you'd bring snacks."

luke eyes you with faux suspicion, sucking his thumb clean of cheese dust. "are you calling me fat?"

"luke," you laugh, head lolling away from him and his teasing comments. "you're insufferable."

a heavy drop of water hits your face, starling you. another one follows quickly after, hitting the round of your cheek before sliding down to your ear.

"what the hell," luke mumbles. you eye him quickly, watching as he wipes the few drops of rain off his face. "is that rain?"

you roll your eyes gently, "yes, luke, it's rain."

at your words, the water seems to unleash from the gray night clouds, a thick downfall of rain pouring over you and luke. you sit up quickly, squinting towards the sky. your faux fur coat is quickly becoming drenched, sticking to your skin uncomfortably. "let's go before my lashes fall off." you sigh gently - the thought of heading back into the hectic environment of your condo sounded anything but desirable.

as if luke can sense your hesitation, he gets to his feet quickly, stepping into your line of sight. the dog ears on his onesie are dripping with water, flopping pathetically as he looks at you. he wipes his face of rain, "not yet - let's just stay."

you sigh his name, "it's raining."

"so?" he shrugs, costume sagging down his body, heavy with rain.

"so," you breathe an amused laugh, "we will get wet."

"nothing wrong with a little bit of water," you can see luke smirk through the heavy rain, and you can't help your own lips from tugging upwards at the sight.

you exhale gently, "I don't know."

luke dismisses your hesitation, grabbing a hold of your soaked gloved hands and pulling you towards him, bringing you both farther out the roof deck. "just one dance before we go back to the party - I haven't gotten to dance with you allllll night."

you let him drag you wordlessly, giving him a deadpanned looked.

"plus you deserve a dance - my hard working host." luke adds cheekily. his one hand slides around your waist, pulling you against his front - swaying you to imaginary music gently.

"kiss ass," you mumble, voice just notable over the sound of rain pelting the concrete rooftop. you can feel luke's chest rumble with laughter, his fingers flexing around your hand. "you always dance without music hughes?"

he licks his teeth, looking down at you. your skin looks so soft and dewy from the rain, your eyes dilated from the dark atmosphere. you are blinking up at him gently, your eyelashes wet in a way that makes you look even more beautiful. luke clears his throat, spinning you around dramatically - just barley stopping himself from slipping on the slick ground in the process. "only with you."

luke pulls away from you quickly, but you don't have time to question him before his grip on your hand tightens and he's twirling you back into him. you screech gently, the movement taking you by surprise.

"so you only dance with me or you dance with others but they get the privilege of dancing with music?" you ask him teasingly - this time it's you who is twirling luke around, and the sight of your 6ft2 best friend spinning in a soaked dalmatian onesie was unbeatable.

luke comes back towards you, taking his original position with his strong forearm around your torso, interlocking your fingers together in a waltz like stance. "I only dance with you," he whispers through the rain, "and you're the only one i'll ever dance with - especially in the cold rain without music." he tries to tease you, but his words fall on deaf ears.

you're looking at him with a swirl of emotion in your eyes and your heart beating heavily against your rib cage.

luke seems to stop as well, looking down at you with just as much admiration and tenderness that you're surely showing him. he visibly swallows, his adam's apple bobbing against his throat.

you watch luke's eyes fall to your lips, swiping over them before finding your eyes once again. at first you think you imagine it, but then quickly his eyes dart back to your red lips and the ladybirds start going frantic in your stomach.

was luke about to kiss you?

your blinks start to slow naturally, preparing to shut fully as luke begins to inch in closer to your face, leaning over you in a way that most definitely was uncomfortably straining the muscles in his back.

the door to the rooftop swings open with a squeak before bagging against the wall loudly - echoing all around. startled, you and luke jump away from one another, breathing heavily as your adrenaline comes to a spike.

your body feels freezing without luke's pressed against it, and you shiver uncomfortably, wrapping your soaked fur coat around yourself further.

jack is eyeing you both through the october rain, "hey," he starts, adjusting the plastic firefighter helmet onto his outgrown head of hair. "i've been looking for you guys! y/n we're out of chip dip."

you start walking towards the middle hughes sibling. "sorry, i'll get the other one out the fridge." you sigh, brushing past him and back into the dry hallway of your building.

luke closes his eyes, exhaling loudly.

"you good?" jack asks once luke makes his way over, eyeing his brother suspiciously. "what where you two even doing out here - it's raining."

luke sends his brother a glare, "I know that," he walks back into the building,wiping his face clean of all lingering rain water. "you're so annoying." he quickly walks away from his older brother, leaving him by the door.

jack throws his hands up, "what did I do?"

+ one: christmas

sabrina carpenter's heavenly voice slinks through the warm home, nestling in your ears comfortably. just over the music, you hear ellen hughes laugh happily at something your mom says - both of them in the kitchen, chatting and finishing off a bottle of wine while they clean up the dinner dishes.

jim and your father have been watching hockey tapes in the den, both quiet and content by themselves - them too indulging in a festive spiced wine.

it was christmas eve, after all.

you laugh warmly as quinn dips you low to the ground before pulling you back upwards quickly, sending a quick dizzy wave over you - which is probably the alcohols fault, not quinn's.

jack applauds quinn's elaborate dance moves, smiling with flushed cheeks as he watches you both from his spot sprawled on the worn brown love seat. "where'd you learn to dance like that huggy?" the middle hughes brother questions after a sip of beer, brows raised inquisitively.

quinn doesn't answer and he only spins you on the spot. you hum, "you jealous jack?" your body faces quinn once more, and your momentum has you stumbling slightly, tripping over your own feet and bumping into your dance partner.

"i'm not jealous of anything," jack snickers to himself like he's in on some crazy secret you aren't aware of - but you don't have the mental capacity to unfold that, still laughing and dancing on your family homes shaggy rug.

"yeah yeah whatever," quinn dismisses his brother teasing, rolling his eyes so only you catch it. you giggle at the sight, head falling onto his shoulder as you do.

the stairs creek under somebodies weight, and a moment later luke walks back into the family room empty handed, meeting your eyes. "I can't find it." he tells you.

you leave quinn, which was expected, turning your body and attention towards the youngest brother. "well where did you look?"

after your christmas dinner, ellen and your mom had started going on about childhood memories in their typical sappy mom fashion - laughing and crying while you and the boys eyed them with amusement. your mom was the one who brought up the scrapbook you and luke made together after your shared trip to the zoo on your 11th birthday, which was something even you had forgotten about.

jack had immediately starting pestering and teasing the two of you for being quote on quote cheesy (even though you were kids so obviously you were cheesy - but you digress.) jack begged for you to get the scrapbook so he could see it, and then once he started, quinn claimed he had never seen it and also wanted to look.

"i mean," you had started gently, eyeing luke with a hesitant smile, "it would be nice for us all to look at."

one look at your flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, luke was sighing, pushing off the couch. "where is it?"

luke thumbs over his shoulder, "the hallway closet."

"really?" you hum, deep in thought as you think about where else your beloved shared scrapbook could possibly be hiding. "I mean, we could check my old bedroom closet? sometimes mom keeps stuff in there."

jack groans dramatically from the couch, head lulling back. "hurry up and go find it! I need to see that picture of the giraffe licking y/n's face."

quinn and jack crack up just at the thought of the picture you'd told them about - the image captured you shrieking as the giraffes purple tongue slides up your cheek.

"you whiny baby - we're going!" you huff, walking towards the stairs with luke in tow, both of you making the journey up the creaky staircase.

your room is located at the end of the hall, still painted the sage green you had chosen when you and your family first moved in. you dodge your suitcase that you left in the middle of the room, all of your clothes sprawled across the cream carpet from when you were frantically searching for your christmas sweater this morning.

"holy shit," luke says from behind you, eyes wide as he looks around your childhood room, "I haven't been in this room since like....highschool."

you open your closet doors with a small laugh, amused at your best friends amusement. you start rifling through the millions of photo albums and frames that your mom did fill your closet with - like you expected.

"oh my god, we were so little." luke smiles, picking up your lady bug decorated picture frame that was sitting on your tall dresser - right beside you original speak now CD and jewelry box. you turn to glance at him over your shoulder, smiling automatically at the sight of him looking at the picture. "god where are my front teeth?" he laughs, placing the frame back down.

it's a picture of you and luke when you were both 10, smiling happily poolside in your bathing suits - luke's akward grin made perfect by his lack of front teeth. you giggle with him, the memory of that picture just as fresh now as the day it was taken.

you rifled through a few more old photo albums until your fingers land on the tiger striped spine of your and luke's scrapbook. you gasp, "I found it!" you pull it out of the closet quickly, standing from your previously crouched position to once again face luke. you start flipping through the pages, giggling at the pictures as you do so. "this is amazing."

"dear diary," luke says with a laugh. you look up inquisitively, a quirk to your brow. he's got your fuzzy purple notebook clutched in his hand, flipped open to a random page. "it's y/n again and today i'm feeling a bit...funny." he reads your entry out loud, an amused smile on his face.

"oh god," you laugh, a hand covering your face in embarrassment- already cringing at your younger self.

luke's eyes light up as he reads the next line, laughing as he does so. "the day started absolutely amazing! it was my best friend luke's 11th birthday party! I can't believe he's 11 and in two more months i'll also be 11." he quotes you, "you were such an optimistic happy kid." he laughs.

your heart stops and you can feel your face fall. memories of the day you had wrote that specific diary entry come flooding back to you. you pale and your stomach plummets unpleasantly - you half a bottle of wine taunting you. "luke - give me the diary."

he's still laughing to himself, book propped open with a thumb and middle finger. he continues reading, "we all went to the arcade that luke and I have always wanted to go to together." he quotes you. he pauses, thinking back to that huge indoor party, "it was a sick arcade." luke hums.

you step towards him, "luke seriously lets go...jack and quinn are waiting." you're suprised at how fast your brain came up with an excuse to leave your room and the diary behind - your anxiety through the roof.

he couldn't fishing reading it.

he skims farther down the page, laughing loudly, quoting your writing more. "she was always around like an annoying little fly. lacey kept taking all of luke's attention away from me - you still sound like this by the way."

you try and lunge towards him and grab the diary, but luke is quicker than you (he always has been) and pulls the book farther out of reach. "i'm feeling jealous, diary. because luke is....special - you're too kind to me," he teases you.

"luke," you huff, hands trying to reach around him to grab the book once again, but he spins away, affectively dodging you once more. "please put that away"

luke continues to read the diary entry, your stomach plummeting deeper. "his soft curly hair and his bright eyes-"

"give that to me now." you panic, voice shaky as you beg. you make another attempt at getting your diary out of luke's hands, but he rushes towards the other side of the room, giggling at the writing of child you complimenting him.

luke starts again, "and when he smiles I get ladybugs in my stomach. I love -" he stops reading, face falling. you watch intently as luke's eyes dance over the rest of the lines on the page, reading your 11 year old self's love confession.

you're already thinking of excuses for the entry - you were just a kid and didn't know what love meant or what marriage meant. but you weren't 5 when you wrote it, you were almost a pre-teen who definitely knew what marriage was. that won't work.

you'd could say that lacey was just having you feeling weird and angry - like she always has, but that excuse doesn't seem plausible.

you watch luke anxiously and silently, knawing on your lip as a way to channel your nerves. you were already preparing for your friendship to plummet. now that luke has read your deepest darkest secret - the life long crush you've had on him - you were ready for him to not want to be your friend anymore.

logically, you know you should say something and at least try and convince him that it was nothing - after all it was almost a decade ago and you could play it off as a joke. but words don't come out, and you're stuck in a plummeting hole.

"wow," luke eventually mutters, closing your diary gently.

"luke," you whisper waterly, eyes following him as he walks your diary back over to your dresser, tucking it between taylor swift and framed pictures. you think you might start praying, desperate for luke to want to stay your friend or at least stay in your life - you can't imagine living without him.

"be honest with me," luke starts, "was this just a silly little crush or do you still...love me?"

you mumble his name again, eyes watering with a million emotions that you definitely weren't expecting to experience on christmas eve.

"y/n....tell me."

you meet his eyes, and all you can mutter is a quiet 'I still do', a tear falling down your face and dipping towards your collarbone.

a beat passes.

"well this is pretty embarrassing, right?" he says with a gentle laugh, running a hand over his head of curls in disbelief.

"what?" you mumble.

"I mean over a decade of loving each other in secret, neither of us ballsy enough to say anything- I wonder how many people knew." he laughs to himself, visibly thinking.

you shake your head, "wait what?"

luke steps towards you, closing the space between your bodies in favour of holding the side of your face, his thumb wiping away the trail of water from your tear, resting against your cheekbone affectionately. "I love you."

"you do?"

he nods, "of course I do, wanna read my endless texts from quinn and jack telling me to man up and confess my lifelong crush on you to prove it?" he challenges you teasingly, a playful tone accompanied by a tinge of nerves.

finally, you smile, lips tugging upwards as you reach out for him, your small hand gripping his wrist to keep him close to you. you shake your head, "no, I believe you."

luke laughs breathily, forehead touching yours as he brings your faces closer together. "thank god because those texts are embarrassing." his words are like a million tiny kisses, tickling your face in a way that has your nose scrunching.

"and you reading my diary wasn't?" you question with laughter.

"god no," luke dismisses, "it was cute."

"kiss ass," you smile, running the tip of your nose down the bridge of luke's, nudging your faces closer together. your other hand reaches for his waist, keeping him close.

"yeah." he agrees, free hand moving up to hold the other side of your face. luke smirks one more time before leaning in, finally kissing you.

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

[skibidihan]

first date w/ riize !

how riize would treat you on the first date, ot7 headcanons.

new bf!riize x gn!reader, established feelings, fluff, teasing, bickering, some cuddling, sfw kisses, no nsfw, theyre js cute.

if there are any typos pls ignore 😞💔 ,, will have a smau / text version of this soon!

💌 — requests are open! <3

★ — shotaro ?!

shotaro would most definitely take you on a picnic, he just feels like a picnic kind of guy. he’d pack so many cute little snacks and even make the meal into characters such as ‘ hello kitty ‘ just to see you smile. i feel like he’d just love to spend quality time with you. both of your feelings are already known to each other, but for shotaro, he just LOVES spending time together, no matter what you guys will do. watching other people on the grass while you talk about anything and everything, sharing old stories and listening to music.

★ — eunseok ?!

eunseok’s seems a bit basic, as he loves rocks, but he would definitely take you to a crafts store where you guys can decorate your own rocks / stones. he’d paint all sorts of characters while thinking of you and you guys would spend hours in there. might i even say you guys stay up until the shop closes. but at the end of the day, he would hand you a bag full of the rocks he painted and kiss your forehead. giving you the rocks as a first date gift.

★ — sungchan ?!

some people might think sungchans first date idea would be something energetic and interesting, but somehow i feel like he would much rather have a quiet, indoors, cuddle party. seems a bit much for a first date, but thats what pulls you both closer. you both take turns putting on your favorite movies, you watch old cartoons and make popcorn, even order pizza. he’d definitely be the kind of guy to have an arm around your waist, but waits for you to lean in first for a cuddle. he’d want you to be comfortable at your own pace. but once you guys cuddle, he never lets you go. <3

★ — wonbin ?!

i feel like wonbin would be so nervous and have a whole plan set out for your first date, but as you two go along the plans, it all starts to not work out. like he’d take you on a drive to a beautiful place, but on your way back, the car stops working. he’d get so embarrassed and awkward, apologizing so many times but that is why you like him, nothing is perfect. you like the reality of it all. being with him feels like a dream, but you get to help build the dream with him. you’d hold his face and give him a soft peck before suggesting to call a car shop, while you admire the view. so, in the end it worked out anyway!

★ — seunghan ?!

seunghan is definitely a disney land kind of boyfriend. seunghan IS the disney princess. he would love bringing you on his favorite rides and meeting his favorite characters with you. he’d excitedly show you where to get the good food and buy you so many plushies. he’d be so cute omg, you would find it so enjoyable to watch him be so excited about such little things. he would definitely also buy accessories to dress you both up like characters.

★ — sohee ?!

sohee feels like a gamer kind of guy, he’d take you do a gaming cafè, then to an arcade, and then back home to play more games. but he’d also be very competitive, you guys would have fun bickering and making bets on who will win which game. playfully push each other to try and make the other lose, i feel like he would lose a lot to you but the one time he actually did win, he would jump up and dance around before pulling you into a quick kiss. but he’d get so embarrassed and shy afterwards which you find just so adorable of him.

★ — anton ?!

anton would definitely want to do crafts and stuff with you. more likely, legos. he loves his legos, but you as well. you guys would buy all sorts of sets and take them back to his place to build them. he would put on music and then the building starts! i feel like even though you both like each other romantically, he’d be a great mix of boyfriend and best friend. you guys would bicker and push each other around to see who could build faster. but by the end of it, you won. at least you thought you did, anton would then show you his set. which was you. this man would build you with legos and give it to you as a gift.

FINISHED !

💭 — i might do another one of these with boynextdoor or even enhypen, so keep an eye out!! i hope you enjoyed this. <3 likes & rbs are appreciated!

tags : @enhaas @starchasing-cryptid @lavendersloane @academiq @wnyngz @wonhes

if you wish to be tagged in future works like this, send an ask & or a reply, and i’ll add you !!

[wcnderlnds]

first date | peter maximoff headcanons

・❥・summary: a series of headcanons of everyone’s favourite speedster on a first date・❥・warnings: n/a・❥・authors note: this started out great and then I lost my way but I still wanted to post it anyway <3 if you want to be added to my tag list please fill this out!

Asking you out would’ve been the easy part. Peter isn’t short of confidence so the second he realised he was catching feelings for you — something that didn’t happen very often for him — he’d make a move. It wouldn’t be anything grand. Maybe you’d been hanging out, trying to watch some movie but Peter had been talking all the way through it, occasionally stuffing Twinkies into his mouth. Through his talking, he’d casually drop “hey, so, want to go on a date or something?” Obviously, after the initial shock had wore off, your answer would be an immediate yes.

It was planning the actual date that was the hard part for him. Let’s be honest, Peter isn’t the most romantic guy on the planet. That paired with the fact he’d probably only been on three proper dates in his life (mostly opting for hook ups — fear of commitment say what) made it difficult. His first choice would have been the arcade but no. That was no place to take someone like you. You deserved much better for a first date. Luckily, the carnival was in town. Sure, he could’ve easily ran you to a different state or country to find one but he figured running across the world was at least a third date thing.

The day of the date is when the nerves would hit him but he’d hide it as best he could. As you walked around the carnival grounds marvelling at all the rides and games, Peter would be rubbing his sweaty palms on his shirt because there’s no way he’d ruin his jacket. When your hand did finally slip into his, he’d feel more at ease wondering why the hell he’d been so nervous anyway.

That was because he really liked you. It was evident in the way he determinedly tried to win you the biggest bear in the place. He stood throwing the balls, aiming for the cups. “We’re not leaving here until I’ve won you that giant ass bear, babe. That’s a promise.” And, he would. It’d take him only three games before he finally won you the thing. The smile on your face as he handed it over to you was worth trying a million times.

After you'd try out the rides, Peter would suggest grabbing a bite to eat. The guy is always hungry and the second he spotted the hot dog stand, he'd been dying to grab one. He'd find a spare bench for the two of you to eat and talk. This would be where you'd find out more about him. He'd tell you about his mom and sister -- how he was estranged from his dad (but he totally planned on telling him one day), how he first realised he was a mutant, his favourite video games, etc. And, in turn, you'd tell him all about yourself. He'd ask all the right questions, nodding along, chiming in when he could. Peter wasn't usually a good listener but when it came to you, he'd want to know anything and everything.

Peter would always have a hand touching you whether it was his hand in yours or his hand on the small of your back as you walked around, he liked knowing you were there. That you were with him. Maybe it was also to show off to anyone else that was eyeing you up, too. He was the one you had chosen, not them.

Internally, all through the night Peter would be trying to think of the perfect moment to kiss you. Did you even kiss on the first date? Would you even want to kiss him? There'd be times you'd have to knock him out of his thoughts. "Sorry, just got lost in how pretty you are."

When it came time to go, Peter would walk you home. It was one of the first times he'd want to go slow; savouring every second he got to spend with you.

The chill in the night air meant you'd probably be cold and Peter couldn't have that. He'd pull off his jacket, draping it over your shoulders. When you'd question if he was cold since he was no only in his Rush shirt, he'd wave you off. "Eh, I'll be fine. You're more important. How can I take you out again if you get sick?"

'This is it', he'd think to himself as you stood on the porch of your house. This was the moment he'd kiss you.

His eyes would flicker to your lips, his hand almost hesitantly resting on your hip to pull you close. "I had an awesome time tonight..." He'd pause for a moment, his cheeks reddening slightly. "I really want to kiss you right now."

"Then do it."

Peter didn't need telling twice, his lips would meet yours in a slow, gentle kiss. The taste of your lips intoxicating his senses, knowing damn well that he would easily get addicted to you.

Actually, he already was. There was no doubt in his mind that there'd be many more dates in the future.

taglist: @strawb3rrystar @ldydeath @bohnerrific69 @honeymoon8 @jazzy-reads @mistysconcilium @marchsfreakshow @lacucarachapisser @decaf-mother

[merlucide]

The matchmaker has found a match……

your match is…. (REQ4)

HIORI YO!

x an Introverted, stubborn, thoughtful, + responsible gn!reader

I believe you two would be a great match!!

Both of you are rather reserved, and I think you too have a lot in common ! (aside from being a sadist…..unless-)

I think you guys would fall under the Highschool sweethearts trope <3

You both shared a few common classes together and sort-of became friends:)

Hiori admired your thoughtfulness towards your friends + Family and your flexibility.

And *poof* Hiori had a crush on you!

He asked you out on an evening date to the strip mall, which you accepted >:3

There was little boutiques and restaurants, he led you to the arcade and payed for all of the machines/games.

He let you choose the majority of the arcade games, which included the claw machine

Hiori tried to win you that ugly-cute panda that clearly had a factory malfunction, unfortunately he was running broke by the failed attempts.. 🫠

The games he chose was those shooter games, which obviously, he got the highscore in it every time.

Even though the claw machine was a sad fail, with all of the tickets he won on the shooter games, you can pick out a prize!

You choose the [ prize ] and left the arcade

He then took you next door to the Ice Cream Parlor and ordered a chocolate cone-cup for himself and a [ fav flavour ] for you ^^

You both walk around the mall with your ice cream and mindlessly chat, then start heading home

Hiori walked you back to your home (since it was dark, but he normally walked you home anyway^^) and right before you turn away he softly says “Wait,”

His eyes are focused on yours as he took a deep breath before saying his next words

”Listen.. I think it’s best if I come clean about this now.. um, I having feelings for you [Y/N]. And I have for a while. ..I need to know if you feel the same or not. I understand if it’s unrequited,”

You’re just kinda like ‘😧 ?!’

He just awkwardly-nervously stands there, his face blank and honest, contrasting with his frantic tapping foot lmao

You tell him that the feeling is mutual and he asks if you’d do him the honors of being his S/O :)

He offers you a polite kiss on the hands and runs off (he definitely yelled ‘ YESS!’ When he was far enough away lmao)

Now that’s how [Y/N] and Hiori got together 😌 now for general HCS!

Movie nights are definitely a thing for you guys, you created a wheel where it picks the movie and snacks you guys watch/eat (you both put your favorite movies/snacks in it ofc)

Hiori is a sucker for any type of horror, so hope you aren’t scared of it!

jk he wouldn’t watch any movie w/ you where you would be scared 😌 he likes action movies too :D

Will seriously watch anything you want though

Also video game dates!! again he played like only shooter games (+ Minecraft) so if that’s not your vibe ..😭

You guys have a cute lil Minecraft world and he made a zoo full of villagers and kept them in cages💀

also KNOWS how to use redstone, like yalls base is insane

your beds are obvi side-by-side <3

Super supportive of your hobbies!! You have a game? He’s coming!! Get a good serve in? He’s cheering!! Ref calls red flag? He’s booing!!

Sometimes he does struggle to match your enthusiasm due to his experiences with sports, but he is happy you enjoy it :)

He would talk vent about it every now and then, but wouldn’t want his issues to become ‘your’ problem :(

Gets on you for when you neglect yourself !! Acts like a nagging mom about it lol. He gets real serious about your mental and psychical state, saying how ‘just because you are always helping your friends, doesn’t excuse you neglecting yourself. You can’t keep giving if you don’t take care of you too, okay?’

he means well 🙏

You guys get into petty fights now and then, but that’s pretty much it. Obviously arguments are inescapable but for you both it’s pretty rare

likes slow days with you, you do your own thing for a bit and he does his

He really loves the comfort of knowing you’re there, even though you aren’t touching or speaking.

Hiori is probs a 6/10 on the affectionate scale, he does need touch but it doesn’t have to be dramatic, just simple pinky holding + a cheek kiss is enough for him :)

Loves giving you piggyback rides if you let him :3

Oh your feet hurt? Well hop on!

Loves doing little things for you, hand him that orange babe, he’ll peel it for you and remove all of the white stuff 😌

also his hands are so soft- he has a few calluses but still so soft. His nails are perfectly trimmed all the time, chipped nails? Don’t know her

— actually I lied, he bites his nails like CRAZY. they are so short he doesn’t give them the opportunity to get chipped 💀

If you ever wanted to paint his nails he wouldn’t argue :) just please, no greens or oranges

In conclusion, yours and Hiori’s relationship is pretty smooth and understanding! He gets you and you get him :)

(this was written b4 the egoist bible came out so 💀)

runner ups!

Kageyama Tobio

Kunigami Rensuke (pre wc)

Reo Mikage

(for the anonnie who requested this! hope this met your expectations!! also sorry if you don’t like Hiori or wtv 😭)

[megxplryxb]

Pairings: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader Minors DNI 18+ Warnings: Flirting, Mentions of smut but no actual smut

Summary: Your best friend Robin wants you to come work at Scoops Ahoy with her but when she realises you’re totally hot for her cute coworker, she quickly changes her mind about the whole thing.

“So, have you thought any more about applying for the position here?” Robin asks excitedly, handing you your plain vanilla ice cream with sprinkles as you sit on the counter to keep her company during the final hour before closing.

She’d been trying to get you to quit your job at the arcade ever since Scoops Ahoy put an advert in the local paper looking for another member to add to the team.

“As fun as I’m sure it would be to work with my best friend, I don’t think I can.” You frown as her brows knit together.

“What, why not? We’d have such a blast!” She says, trying her best to convince you.

“I know we would Rob, but I just don’t think it’d be the best idea.” You shrug, licking your ice cream, moving your eyes from your friend to her extremely cute coworker who was sitting at a table, conversing with a group of kids.

She scanned your face for a moment wondering what it was that would stop you from wanting to work with her but then she noticed you biting the corner of your lip and the small blush that was slowly creeping onto your cheeks.

“Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me. Dingus? You like DINGUS?” She shouts loudly as you shush her, placing a hand over her mouth as Steve and the kids look up to see what all the commotion was about.

“Jeez Robs, say it louder why don’t you?” You giggle as she shakes her head.

“I’m sorry, I just… it’s Steve you know? I mean, does the sailor outfit really do it for you?” She winces, not really wanting to know your answer but you reply anyway.

“It’s not necessarily the uniform per se, it’s what’s underneath the uniform that I’m interested in. But now that you mention it, his ass does look pretty good in those shorts.” You smirk, taking another lick of vanilla.

“Please stop.” She gags as you let your head fall back, laughing again.

“What are you two ladies talking about?” Steve questions, brows raised suspiciously as he walks toward the counter again, taking extra note of the bold grin spread across your face.

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing!” Robin quickly answers, shooting you a warning glare.

Steve tries to ask you what was going on, seeing the way his friend was looking at you but his thoughts get lost as he watches your tongue swirl around the melting ice cream. He swallows hard, eyes dropping to your low cut T-shirt when he sees a drop of ice cream running down your cleavage.

“Um, you got a little...” He points, his Adams apple bobbing as your finger catches the droplet before it disappeared between your pushed up breasts.

“Oh, thanks Steve.” You smile sweetly before placing the tip of your finger between your lips to suck it clean, hypnotising the boy standing in front of you. Instantly, he’d removed his Scoops Ahoy hat, placing it over the front of his shorts, hoping neither of you noticed the slight predicament he was about to be in.

“Uh, ye-yeah, sure, no problem.” He breathes, walking into the back room as Robin rolls her eyes at you both.

“Fifty bucks says he’s gone to jerk off in the bathroom after that little display.” Robin scrunches her nose as you turn to look at her.

“Maybe I should go help him out?” You suggest, waiting for her reaction.

“Please tell me you’re kidding?” She says, placing her head on the counter.”

“Of course I am.” You chuckle, rolling your eyes as you finish off your ice cream. “Honestly though, I’d never get anything done working with him. He’s so fucking hot.” You gush as Robin covers her ears.

“I’m not listening! Lalalalalala.”

“You’re such a child!” You giggle, playfully nudging her.

“Oh I’m sorry that I don’t want to listen to my best friend talk about fucking Steve Harrington’s brains out!” Robin exclaims, shaking her head again.

“So what? You talk about wanting to mess around with Tammy Thompson all the time!” You argued quietly knowing Robin hadn’t told anyone but you that she was into girls.

“Yeah, but you don’t have to work with Tammy!” She fought back but before you could respond, Steve was back behind the counter again.

“Hey Rob, don’t you have to return that sweater to the Gap store for your Mom?” You asked, smiling deviously at her.

“Oh yeah, I do. I’ll do it when we’re leaving.” She replied, glaring at you.

“But it’s Friday Rob, they close thirty minutes earlier than us.” Steve chimed in.

“Shit, yeah I totally forgot that. You wanna come with me?” Robin asked, eyes widening as you shook your head.

“No it’s ok, I’ll just keep Steve company.” You grinned, licking your lips at the boy as she gritted her teeth at you.

“I think he’ll be ok by himself for a couple of minutes, right ding—“

“So, you thinking of applying for the job here?” Steve asks, rubbing the back of his neck as Robin sighs heavily, grabbing the sweater and walking away unbeknownst to either of you, muttering at you both to use protection as she left the store.

“Oh, I don’t think so. I mean, I know Robin really wants me to but I’m just not so sure.” You reply as he moves from behind the counter to walk closer towards you.

“That’s too bad, I think you would have been a great fit here.” He smiles as you tilt your head.

“Oh really? Why’s that?” You ask as he licks his lips before speaking.

“Well, I mean you’ve already got an advantage being friends with the two best ice cream slingers in Indiana for one, so training will be a total breeze. Plus, you’ve already got a shit load of experience with hyperactive children working at the arcade and well, something tells me you’d look pretty cute in the uniform too.” Steve flirts as you playfully nudge him.

“I don’t think I’d pull it off as good as you do, Steve.” You reply as he lets out a small laugh.

“Yeah, my ass does look pretty good in these shorts, right?” He challenges as your eyes widen, trying to hold back a smile.

“You totally heard.”

“I totally did.” He grins, moving closer again as you shrug your shoulders. “Well, I stand by my observation, you do have a great ass.”

“Thanks, honey.” He says, gazing at you with a look that sends a lightening bolt straight to your core. “So, there’s no way I could convince you to join the team, huh?”

“What’d you have in mind, Harrington?” You ask as he steps in between your legs, closing the space between you.

“Well sweetheart, I’m a pro at oral persuasion. I’m pretty sure I could get you to come aboard.” He whispers, hovering over your lips and you desperately want him to kiss you.

“Are you freaking kidding me? I leave you alone for ten minutes and you’re practically screwing on the counter!” Robin yells as you quickly pull away from each other.

“Jesus Robin, we were not screwing!” Steve defends as she shoots you both a look of distain.

“You would have been if I hadn’t walked in on you. Shame on you, this is a family friendly business!” She teases as you roll your eyes. “Relax Buckley, the place is empty.”

“Well I’m not losing my job because dingus can’t keep his dick in his pants around pretty girls! In fact, we’re leaving right now because you two can’t be trusted with each other!”

“Hey, wait a minute, we haven’t even cleaned up yet Robin!” Steve argues as his colleague brushes past him and into the back room to grab her stuff.

“You should have thought about that before you tried to get into my friend’s pants. Later dingus!” She waves, grabbing your hand as you wink at Steve, blowing him a teasing kiss.

“Shit.” He sighs, putting a hand through his hair as he walked behind the counter again. It was only then that he noticed the small sticky note with your name and number on it, a little love heart drawn after the message: Call me x

Steve smiled at the note, placing it in his pocket for safe keeping as he made his way into the back room. He walked over to Robin’s data board, finally drawing a line under the You Rule section before heading back out to quickly clean and close up, because he couldn’t wait to call you when he got home.

[hellfirenacht]

Wing Man Part 4

Fic Summary: Steve ‘the Hair’ Harrington is your best friend, and is constantly striking out. Sick of this, you two make a deal; you’ll wing man for each other. Hooking Steve up with dates is easy, but he finds himself struggling to find you a date. At least, until Dustin starts talking about his new cool friend Eddie.

Chapter Summary: Well, the arcade was a bust, but maybe going to a local dive bar and listening to music will yield better results.

4k words

a/n: This chapter is shorter than usual because my brain fried when writing it at work lol But we finally get to talk to Eddie without Steve cockblocking (too much)

Proof read? You have no proof I can read.

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It wasn’t until Monday after school that Dustin was able to make his way back to Family Video. After the night at the arcade, he’d been caught up with sneaking chats with Suzie and spending time with his mother. Not to mention the dentist appointment that caused him to miss a good chunk of Monday morning. If anything, dating and matchmaking be damned, Dustin had earned the treat of renting a movie and shoving candy into his newly cleaned teeth. 

The freshman walked in, said hi to you and walked shamelessly into the back while you called after him half-heartedly that he wasn’t supposed to go back there before turning back to your conversation with Robin. 

“Jesus, Henderson you can’t just barge into the back of any job I get!” Steve said as he sat in the break room. “I’m going to have to say no to you at some point.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ve talked about this.” Dustin said, sitting next to him in the small room, grabbing some of Steve’s chips. “Anyway, has she said anything about Saturday night?”

Steve watched in annoyance as his friend helped himself to his lunch. “No, she hasn’t said anything about what happened. When I clocked in she said she didn’t want to talk about it.” 

“Probably because we might have... totally ditched her.” Dustin admitted. “On accident! It wasn’t my idea!” He added quickly as Steve gaped at him. 

“What?!” Steve was surprised. “Wait, what happened?”

“Well when the two of you left, Eddie decided that we were done and we all went to get pizza instead.” Dustin said. “I saw her when we were leaving.”

“Shit. So he saw her leave with me, which probably didn’t help.” Steve groaned. “Did Eddie say anything about her?”

“Yeah he... said he wasn’t interested.” 

“Really? Shit. I knew he was a freak, but I didn’t think he had bad taste.”

“Why aren’t you dating her?” Dustin asked. “You won’t date Robin and now you won’t date her? Are you allergic to dating cool girls or something?”

“Robin and I are just friends.” Steve said firmly. “And who said I didn’t try to date her? I tried to ask her out once but she turned me down. She said I was ‘too normal’.”

There were tears streaming down Dustin’s face two minutes later from how hard he was laughing at that. Steve Harrington could get any girl in town, and got shot down by the wierdo. 

“Yeah, yeah, get it out of your system, Henderson.” Steve groaned. 

“She’s too good for you, Steve.” Dustin finally managed to say, calming himself down. 

“So Eddie was a bust so I guess I’m back to square one.” Steve sighed. “I guess I could take her out to a bar and help her get numbers. If she can keep herself from saying something too weird for at least ten minutes it’d be easy.”

But it didn’t feel right. You already knew what you wanted, and any bar in town would just be filled with the same normal, boring people that you’d never had an interest in. 

“You know... Eddie’s band plays at the Hideout.” Dustin said suddenly. 

“Yeah, I thought we just established that wasn’t an option.” Steve frowned. 

“Okay but hear me out, she liked Eddie, right?” 

“Yeah, so?” 

“So? So if she liked Eddie then she’d probably like someone who also likes Eddie. He told me that people come to watch his band play specifically.” Dustin was grinning wide. 

“Henderson, you might be onto something.” Steve was starting to follow his friend’s logic. “If his fans like him, then she’d probably like his fans.”

“Precisely, Steve!” 

The two of them grinned at each other as if they’d just cracked the code to helping you out. However, Steve was only aware of half the plan. That night at the arcade hadn’t been sitting right with Dustin since Eddie tore out of there like a bat out of hell with the rest of the club in tow. He’d seen the way Eddie had stolen glances at you when he thought no one was looking, and only Eddie could miss the way you had been staring at him as the two of you talked. 

Dustin wasn’t sure what the hell Eddie’s problem was saying he wasn’t interested, but if Steve was giving him a chance to be nosy and meddle he was going to take it. You had been nice to Dustin this summer, and after starting the new hell that was high school he wanted to help you out. Eddie had been the only person who had been nice to him and Mike in school, and you had been nice out of it. 

If this didn’t work he’d leave Steve to his own problem, but Dustin had this one last trick up his sleeve. 

“So Eddie’s never talked about having an interest in anyone before?” Steve asked as he tossed his trash and handed over the remaining chips to Dustin. 

“Not really. Jeff mentioned that he used to have a thing for some girl named Ronnie, and they all act really cagey about someone else named Paige.” Dustin said with a shrug. 

“I have no idea who those people are.” 

“I don’t either, they don’t talk about it much.” 

“Alright, well I guess we’re gonna go to the Hideout.” Steve decided. “Wait, isn’t his band him and a bunch of high schoolers? How are they even allowed to play in a bar?”

“It’s a bar, not a club, Steve. They can be there, they just can’t drink. Legally.” Dustin decided not to share that Eddie had one or two fake IDs that the barkeeps were happy to overlook for Eddie at least. 

“What do you know about clubs?” Steve was surprised. “The only club you should know about is your weird fantasy club.”

“I watch MTV, I know how some things work!” 

The banter between the two continued until you showed up in the break room. 

“Steve, your break ended fifteen minutes ago. If you get your butt to the front I’ll fudge the time sheet and say you just forgot to clock back in.” you said. “And Dustin, honey, I love you. You aren’t supposed to be back here. Actually, I don’t care because you’re a good kid. Just ask before you barge in, okay? If Keith’s here I’ll actually have to enforce that.” 

“Yes, Ma’am!” Dustin gave you a salute as the two of them made their way back to the front. When Steve took his place behind the counter, Dustin took a piece of paper out of his bag and handed it over. 

“What’s this?” Steve took the paper, looking at the list of movie titles. 

“My payment. I want these movies for my services. We had an agreement.” 

“Jesus, Henderson you’re gonna give yourself nightmares with these.” 

“Nothing’s been scarier than what we’ve been through.”

“Fair enough.” 

You looked to be as thrilled to be at the Hideout on a Tuesday night as you would be at the DMV. You didn’t have anything against the place, but you didn’t have anything for it either. You’d been to bars a few times with friends with varying degrees of enjoyment. Hell, this wasn’t even the first time you’d been to this bar. Hawkin’s didn’t exactly have the biggest variety of places to drink in town, and this place was the town’s “old reliable”. Cheap enough for the blue collar workers to enjoy a cold beer after work, but with enough variety to have the young adults of the town fill up the booths on the weekends. 

It was not the weekend though, it was a Tuesday night. A weird night for Steve to drag you out to a bar to help you get a date. As you swung your body on the barstool waiting on your drink you glanced around. There was a small, cramped stage set up in the back and a few older men were hanging around. 

“So... Steve not to be terribly picky and not to sound ungrateful, but I’m not so sure about this.” You said, scanning the bar for anyone who didn’t look old enough to be your dad or grandpa. 

“There’s a band that’s supposed to play tonight.” Steve said, pointing over to the stage. “I heard they’re about our age so I thought it’d be worth a shot.”

“A band?” You considered it. “What type of music are they supposed to play?”

“I think it’s a metal band.”

You snorted into your soda. “A metal band? In Hawkins? Oh, this I have to see.” You hopped off the stool to make your way over to the cork board that was covered in advertisements for the town. You scanned it until you found a flier that had been covered partially by an advertisement for lawn care. 

CORRODED COFFIN- TUESDAY NIGHTS 

That must have been it. It didn’t give you any information about the band, other than the name and when they played. The logo was hastily drawn on in black and red markers as if putting this up was a last minute idea. You pulled the paper off the board and repositioned it so that it was front and center instead. There, that was your good deed for the day; giving a small band an additional 8.5 by 11 inches of visibility. 

“As usual, I have learned nothing.” You declared, taking your seat again. “I have a name and that’s it.”

“What’s the band called?” Steve asked. 

“Corroded Coffin.” you replied. “Shouldn’t you know? This was your idea!”

“I was just told there was a metal band that played, I wasn’t given a name.” Steve had been given the name and immediately forgot in the near endless ramblings that Dustin had gone on about. 

“You’re gonna think I’m crazy-”

“I already do.” 

You laughed and continued. “You’re gonna think I’m crazy but the name sounds familiar.” Your legs were swinging off the stool, leaning back against the bar with your elbows. “How can you forget a name like that?” 

Easily. Thought Steve. 

A few more people were starting to show up now, though it was still pretty dead and slow. Even as people shuffled in and out of the small bar, there was no sign of anyone who you’d deem “age appropriate” for you. 

“So you tried to set me up with a high schooler and now it looks like you’re trying to hook me up with someone twice my age.” You joked. 

“Yeah, I was hoping there’d be more people here to choose from.” Steve looked around the room. Dustin had said that this band was supposed to have a crowd but he wasn’t seeing evidence of that anywhere. 

“Ah well, even if tonight is another bust we can still have fun.” you gave him a playful punch. “If the band is bad we can bond over that, and if they’re good you probably won’t appreciate it and I’ll subject you to my every thought about it.”

“You do that anyway.” Steve breathed out a small laugh.

“I’ll be worse, cross my heart.” 

It wasn’t long until the doors to the Hideout opened again, with two highschoolers struggling to fit a drum set through the doors. You snickered as they twisted the parts trying to adjust the bulky equipment. That’s right, the circular drum goes through the square hole. 

“Steve, high schoolers.” you whispered. “Again?!” 

But then you realized that the two teenagers looked familiar. Familiar in a fresh way. Familiar in a ‘Hey, didn’t I just see you the other day?’ way. Your stomach twisted as they finally managed to get through the door and make their way to the stage for set up. 

“Hey, Steve, these kids look- shit.” 

Your heart leapt in a way you didn’t expect when the man you’d poorly attempted to get to know just a few days ago walked through the door with a guitar case strapped to his back. He was laughing with another member of the band as they carried in an amp. Eddie didn’t even look your way as they made their way to set up on stage. 

He played guitar. Of course he played guitar in a metal band. Jesus Christ, you were actually going to murder Steve and Dustin if this whole situation wasn’t going to kill you first. Eddie dropped his leather jacket on the side of the stage, leaving him in a band shirt that you couldn’t make out the name of in the dim lights. He had really nice arms (how had you missed the tattoos last week??), and the way he was smiling so genuinely and joking around with his friends made you feel fuzzy on the inside. He hadn’t looked like that when you two were talking-

“You’re drooling again.” Steve said. 

You shook your head and quickly turned around, putting your back to the stage. 

“Steve... what the fuck.” You hissed, glaring at him. “I know I didn’t exactly share what happened on Saturday, but I thought it was pretty clear that it didn’t go well.” 

“Listen, I had no- I” Steve couldn’t lie to you. “Henderson said he’d be playing tonight, but I swear I’m not trying to hook you two up again. I really thought that when he said there’d be a crowd there’d be more freaks here!” 

You smacked your head on the bar a few times with a groan. “It was so awkward. I told him I’d be right back but then when I went back in everyone was gone. He wasn’t interested in me.” 

“His loss.” Steve said. “Listen, we’ll stick around for a few songs and if no one else shows up then we can leave, deal?” 

“Deal.”

You tried to ignore the pounding in your heart as you pointedly refused to turn around. You didn’t even know why you cared so much that Eddie was there again. You had only talked for a half hour before he left, but the man had stuck in your mind since that night. 

You had been attracted to guys before, but Eddie was on some other level. 

“So, are you stalking me now, Harrington?”

FUCK. 

“Nah man, just in the mood to do something different tonight.” Steve said, trying his hardest to play nice. He had to remember that this was for you, even though he was starting to like Eddie less after his disinterest in you. 

“I didn’t take you as a man with music taste.” Eddie said. You hated that this man seemed to always sneak up on you. You finished off your drink and turned around to join the conversation before Steve made things worse. 

Fuck it. It’s not like this could be any more awkward than how things were left off. You might as well have some fun. 

“Actually this was my idea.” You said, lying through your teeth with a grin. “Steve here knows nothing about good music, so I thought I’d show him a little culture.”

Steve was now looking at you with his jaw dropped, wondering where the hell that came from. He looked offended, and Eddie? Eddie’s eyebrows shot up as recognition crossed his features as he looked at you. 

“So you like metal?” Eddie said, his gaze now locked on yours. You felt an odd pounding in your heart as you looked up into those amazingly round brown eyes. “What’s your favorite band?”

It wasn’t a challenge. There was nothing in his tone to indicate that he was about to turn into a total dick about music, and that both put you at ease and made your attraction to him far worse. 

“Well, Black Sabbath is always good.” you thought. “But I’m gonna have to go with WASP. I’d rate them a 69 out of 10 for being so damn horny in their songs.” 

Eddie’s eyes lit up and he smiled wide, the same kind of smile he’d just given his band mates a few minutes ago. You licked your lips and felt Steve kick your foot, probably signaling you to stop drooling. 

“So someone in this town does have good taste!“ Eddie was moving around more now, taking a few paces back and then back towards you clapping his hands. 

“I don’t like to limit myself.” You said. “I’m always looking for new sounds and music. It’s like I feel like I’m suffocating if it gets too quiet.”

You winced internally at the statement, knowing that it was probably off putting but to your surprise Eddie only got more excited. 

“Exactly!” He practically yelled.

How was it so easy to talk to him, and so hard at the same time? Why was it that every conversation so far had ended so awkwardly when moments like this felt easy? 

“So how long have you been playing?” you asked, looking over at the stage where he’d set his case down. 

“The band’s been playing together since we were in middle school, I started playing guitar around fifth grade. We’ve had a rotating cast of members, so I started it, and Jeff’s been there the longest after me.” he pointed to a member fiddling with his bass. “Zack and Gareth joined in high school.” 

“And was Chris Morrison ever part of this band?” you teased. 

“Fuck no!.” Eddie laughed. “My uncle would say that Chris couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket with a lid on. He tried to play manager. Tried. After seeing how he ran his campaigns, I wasn’t interested.”

“Didn’t he also run for student council once?” 

“You remember those posters?!” there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Oh, he never ran. The rest of us were so done with how he was running Hellfire we put those up detailing why he was shit at leadership.”

“You’re kidding!” you gaped. “Jesus, you guys are weird.”

Eddie bent down in a joking bow. “I got a week’s detention for that stunt. I wasn’t the one who made most of them, but Higgin’s always had it out for me. Still does.” He mumbled that last part mostly to himself.

“Why do you two keep talking about Chris Morrison?” Steve asked, and you suddenly remembered that he was there too. Whoops.

“Common thread, apparently.” you shrugged. “It’s too easy to rag on the guy.”

“You had to be there.” Eddie said, as if you and Eddie were sharing connected memories that you were both part of rather than piecing together fragments of a puzzle where you were both corner pieces. The same picture, but never touching. 

At least, as far as you were aware. 

Steve was looking at you as if you were both insane. He was probably right. 

“Okay, okay Steve’s right. I don’t want to talk about Chris fucking Morrison anymore.” you said. “How long have you been playing here, at the Hideout?”

“Every Tuesday for about 2 years, give or take.” Eddie said. “We started monthly, but we get a crowd now so they asked us to play weekly.”

“A crowd.” You nodded, looking around the dead bar. “Damn, I must be pretty lucky to have the front man talking to me when you have all these people here to see you.” Behind the joke, the tone you used was sincere and playful all at once. You sat up a little straighter, leaning towards him on your barstool. 

That was a flirt. You just flirted. There was no taking that back. You were gonna have to commit now. 

There was something boyish about the smile he returned, calm and relaxed. “Oh yeah, you should feel special. As you can see we have a crowd of about-” he turned to the rest of the bar, counting the patrons. “-Right, about four drunks. I guess Tim’s out today.” 

“Well, make that four and a half drunks and also Steve is here.” you shook Steve’s shoulder playfully. 

“Half?” Steve looked at you, pushing your hand off. 

“I drove here, I can’t get wasted. But I can have one or two drinks and be fine.”

“Well, if you happen to bite off more than you can chew, I have room in my van for you.” Eddie said. “I could give you a ride.” 

Well, that wasn’t what you had expected. Your stomach was flipping like an acrobat at the suggestion. He was offering you a ride home if you wanted to drink? After he’d disappeared on you? Just what was this guy's deal? 

“If I’m biting my drinks that’s cause for concern. I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to bite a drink.” Smooth, so fucking smooth. You might as well call yourself Skippy because you were as smooth as chunky peanut butter.

But Eddie just laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, you’re right. But the offer’s on the table. Or the bar, since you want to be literal.”

“I’ll think about it.” you said. “I don’t normally go home with men I just met at bars but if your band is any good I’ll consider it.”

His grin widened at that “Then I’ll be sure to tell the guys to pick up the slack tonight.” 

That was a flirt, right? Eddie just flirted back with you. That had to be right? You almost wanted him to go away so that you could confirm with Steve that your suspicions about that line were correct. 

“Eddie! Get over here and help with the amp, it’s doing the thing again!” One of the teens from the stage called out. 

Eddie sighed and looked over at his band that was messing with the amp they had brought in. “Again? Alright, I have some tape in my toolbox.” he called back to them before turning to you. HIs eyes flicked over to Steve for just a split second before meeting your eyes again. “Talk to you after the set?” 

“Yeah, I’d like that.” you said, “After all you might be my ride home.” 

And with that, Eddie turned and left.

“What was that?” Steve said immediately looking at you. “Where did that come from? Your idea? Going home with him?!”

“What?” you asked, taken aback. “You told me I should actually flirt, so I flirted!” 

“Where was all that on Saturday?! Hell, where was that for the past two months we’ve had this deal going?” Your friend was looking at you like he hardly recognized you. 

“Great question Steve, and it deserves a great answer.” you nodded. “I have no fucking clue. Maybe I’m exclusively attracted to guys that I don’t think I have a chance with?”

“He offered to drive you home.” His eyes darted over to the stage where Eddie had reappeared with a toolbox, messing with the amp. “I don’t know how you missed it but he was flirting with you.”

“Oh, good, I thought I was losing it.” you laughed. “Glad we got that established. Cool. Loving that. Now, on one hand he’s offering me a ride home. On the other hand, to get this supposed ride home I will have to intoxicate myself. Which sounds fun in theory but he’s also a guy I barely know.”

It should have been sketchy, it really really should have been. The only man you would trust to get your drunk ass home without worry right now would be Steve. 

“Hey, can I get another one of these, please?” you asked the bartender, holding up your glass. 

Once your refill came, you grabbed the drink and stood up. The band was finishing up the sound check and it looked like they were about to start. 

“Come on, I want to sit closer. I’m feeling reckless tonight.” You grabbed Steve’s arm and dragged him to a table closer to the stage. Eddie made his way to the mic and smiled at you and your raised your glass to him with a smile. 

“Thanks for coming out tonight, we’re Corroded Coffin and we’re here to make you feel like you’re fighting demons in hell!”

It was in that horrible, terrifying moment when the lights dimmed and the sound of an electric guitar ripped through the air,  that you realized something; you were going to end the night with the biggest, stupidest, useless crush on Eddie Munson and there was nothing you could do about it. 

Part 5

Dividers by @strangergraphics

I would also like to note that this is a work of fiction. You're allowed to make questionable decisions when playing with fake scenarios. Just roll with it.

Tag List: @k8loo @terrormonster55 @sp1dyb0y1008 @crocwork-clockodile @ali-r3n @mxcheese @josephquinnschesthair @gagasbee @peaches-roses-sins @witchwolflea @vintagehellfire @royale1803 @cumslutforaemond @prestinalove @browneyedgirly93 @perpetualmess @thebook-hobbit @mistonk @cultish-corner @grishaversecaptivated @sortagaysortahigh

[kisses4tom]

AHAHAHAH I LOVE UR ACCOUNT so basically can you write like tom x a f! reader with daddy issues.. asking for a friend😁

ᡣ𐭩 DADDY ISSUES

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thank you so so much for the request! 🫶🏻 i hope this is good, and I'm so sorry for everyone who sadly relates :(

(also sorry for being late but I'm finally done with school now so I'm back!)

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he also experienced daddy issues when he was younger so he totally gets you

you both fill a missing hole with eachother's company

he'd do anything to make you happy

would listen to you all the time and let you cry on his shoulder

reassuring

won't judge you

he would let you experience different things

trying to make up for lost time kind of idk(?)

you're basically young again together and can act however way you want

handwritten notes (I think those are really gonna hit)

he always makes sure you feel at home and are comfortable

loves spoiling you with gifts. especially if you said you wanted something, he's such a "you once said you wanted this so I got it for you" boyfriend 😭😩

he would comfort the hell out of you

maaaybe gage gap? (😏😏😏)

very protective of you

he's pretty competitive but would let you win at arcade games or board games just to see you happy (mostly after he won the first time though 💀)

tries to distract you after something happened

he inspects your body language in silence a lot

•if you ever see a little girl playing with her father in public and you get emotional, he would immidiately comfort and kiss you on the forehead

car rides in the middle of the night with no final destination as you're listening to music and laughing to let the bad thoughts go

you would open up to eachother

he'd pick you up bride style whenever you're tired of walking or mention the slightest of fatigue

makes you sit on his laps and hold you tight (maybe even whispering reassuring words in your ear at times. WHILE DOING THE FINGER THINGY 😭😭)

princess treatment

he would mostly show his "sorrow" through gestures other than talking about your daddy issues, but also appreciates communicating about it (idk if that makes sense, anyways Bill is the total opposite 👀)

i hope this is okay since i didn't really know what to write that much 🥹 and thank you again for the request! 💕

[ddejavvu]

Whipped!Hangman would:

Tell everyone to "Be nice to them, or you're all dead. Every single one of you. Especially you, Big Bird." He emphasizes the last part with a point to Rooster

Let you win at pool because you look so happy when you win and he doesn't have the heart to actually win

Give you seashells he finds

Win you a prize at a claw machine. He would literally stand there the whole night and empty out his wallet if it means he gets to see that smile when he gives the plush

Give you flowers. Idc idc, he so would

Listen to you talk and talk and talk

Send you songs that remind him of you

save your contact with a little '<3' after your name

no bc around his team members he's a whole different person than he is with you, and that's not to say he's not 'himself' around you, but he knows his friends need to be threatened into good behavior so he runs ahead when you meet them with the nastiest glare on his face like i fucking dare you to act out and lets you grab his arm if you're a little nervous to meet everyone :'))

hangman is the reigning pool champion but everyone else must be super bad bc he always loses to you?? he's really not even that good at pool, you don't know why he keeps making the stupid mistakes he does... oh well! he's asked you to teach him your methods, so you'll have fun giving him pointers <3

hangman probably never collects seashells, because he's too impatient to sift through the sand for him and there's always better stuff to be doing, like chasing a frisbee, catching a football, diving into the waves is he a dog? but he always collects seashells after you're dating, he spots one by his foot and he's like woah y/n would love this. and he just sticks it right in his pocket for you, presents the little thing in his giant palm later with a smile, like here y'go darlin'. Ain't it pretty? It made me think of you.

HNNGGH PLEASE :(( penny puts in an arcade machine in the bar to make more money, and it's proooobably rigged, but you can't prove anything >:( anyways ofc hangman doesn't know this, and penny didn't think anyone would put that much effort into the machine for a stupid pink bear, but $30 later (all paid in ones) he's about to smash the glass to get the poor thing out and you beg penny to just let him have it already 😭 she's like yk what i can buy a truckload of cheap stuffed animals with that $30. sold. so she fishes it out for him and is like ohh must be bugging out. i'll fix it. take this in the meantime. and he hasn't held it for a second before he turns around and gives it to you :')) he's all sheepish like wish I could'a won it for you. Guess I just paid Penny off, huh? I hope you like it anyways. and you sleep with it every night to make him feel better, you tuck it between the two of you when you cuddle up to his chest :')

he brings you flowers all the time!!! he's a real southern gentleman, if you ask what they're for he says 'just because' or 'just for being you' :')

he has one of those expressions where he zones out while listening to you talk and you can totally tell he's not paying attention to you anymore, he's looking at you all dreamy the same way babies look at chocolate 🥹

jake hangman country boy seresin only listens to country music. that's it. he'll send you any honky tonk song under the sun if it describes a sweet, pretty love interest, if there's anything positive at all in the song he's sending it like morning, darlin. this made me think of you <3

THE <3 !!!!!!!!! rooster's the first one to see it and his brow furrows and he goes 'hangman, who is that?' and jake snatches the phone away from him so fucking fast, snapping at him to stop snooping on people, it's rude. but bradley's seen it now, and he'll be damned if he doesn't torture the info out of hangman. within minutes everyone knows hangman's got a girl, and it's only a matter of time before you're discovered <3

[morganski-19]

Chills Right to the Marrow Part 45

ao3 link| part 1 . . . part 42, part 43, part 44

Dustin can forget how weird the summer can feel. The schedule that gets instilled during school takes time to break out of. The days rolling by without purpose. Time slowly slipping away as the heat rolls in full force.

He forgets how fast milestones can creep up. How, before, summer was this big thing that he loved. He loved having nothing to do during the day. Was able to take the time to hang out with his friends, get to do things around town. The pool was open, the arcade’s hours were extended. It was more acceptable to just wander around the woods because you were bored. The days were for his taking.

Accept, as the fireworks start to make their way to the shelves, he’s reminded of everything again.

The anniversary of Starcourt is coming up. Not like Dustin thinks he’ll be affected by it that much, it’s just something he’s more aware of now. His mind has been so focused on Eddie, and his recovery, it totally slipped Dustin’s mind. Until he was out shopping with his mom and froze in front of the display of fireworks. Stunned.

He forgot that for everyone else, fireworks are just a thing that exists. Something that is fun, festive. Not a weapon to distract a monster the size of a building from killing his friends. Only they know the weight of a firework as it leaves their hands.

The thought comes as fast as it leaves. There were other things that he could focus on. The movie night at Will’s, since Steve’s house has become sort of a battle ground. Dustin’s hoping that whatever is going on between Steve and Eddie, it will be resolved soon. He missed going over there.

But he could spend some time with his friends. It would be good for him.

He hadn’t really told anyone what happened to him that day he had his panic attack. Because that’s what it was, despite his denial of it. They didn’t need to know that he was going through something. He didn’t want to be a burden.

With all of their traumas, Dustin’s wasn’t exactly the most important. They didn’t need to worry about him on top of dealing with their own shit. Dustin was still healthy, still walking, he was fine. Would be fine.

At the end of the day, he gets to go home unscathed. The nightmares are starting to wane. Those specific nightmares at least.

Now, it’s just thoughts of burning sparks and screams. Long tunnels and air vents. The fourth was going to bother him more than he wanted to admit. He couldn’t let them know that.

Lucas jabs an arm into his side. “Right, Dustin?”

Dustin blinks, bringing himself back into the room. “What?”

Mike rolls his eyes. “Were you literally not paying attention this entire time?”

“Maybe he got sick of your stupid complaining and made the smart decision to stop listening,” Max insults.

“I was not complaining.”

Will makes a face. “You were complaining a little bit.”

“Was not.”

“Anyway,” Lucas raises his voice to interrupt. “We were talking about whether Steve would let us use his pool this weekend, so we don’t have to go to the public one. I said he would, but Mike disagreed.”

Mike crosses his arms. “Yeah, have you heard the way him and Eddie have been fighting. It’s so annoying.”

“His uncle was over here a few days ago,” El adds. “I was not supposed to overhear, but I heard him and dad talking about it.”

“I’m worried about them,” Max says quietly. “Eventually they are going to say something they regret. You can’t take that stuff back.”

Dustin agrees, silently. He’s been worried about them too. After hearing them fight on the last day of school, he thought it was a one-off thing. Until he was over a few days later and the same thing happened, Wayne gave him a drive home just so he didn’t have to hear it.

He doesn’t know how they even start. Something so small sets them off, and they just get loud. Throwing insults at each other like it’s nothing. Like it doesn’t hurt more than just them.

And it’s not like he thinks it’s going to go this far, or even really knows how Steve used to be, but there are moments where Steve can be mean. Just say something cruel without realizing it. He apologizes, most of the time, when he catches it. But it still slips out. Dustin doesn’t want him to say something to hurt Eddie.

Nor does he want Eddie to say something to hurt Steve. Eddie can get proud, make assumptions that he thinks are true based off of principle. He can be just as mean as Steve can.

They were going to hurt each other, and Dustin’s just waiting for the bullet to be shot. The fallout will happen, and he can try to repair it. He was so happy when Steve and Eddie became friends, he forgot that there was a reason they weren’t before. He didn’t want high school bullshit to force its way into their relationship. Not when there were much bigger things to worry about.

“I still think that he would let us use the pool,” Lucas insists. “They can cool it for a few hours. Maybe it will be good for them.”

Maybe. Everything is always hindering on a maybe. Nothing was certain anymore. If it was ever certain before.

“And you could talk to them, right?” Lucas asks Dustin.

“Why me?”

“Because you know they will do literally anything for you,” Max crosses her arms.

Dustin scoffs. “I can name ten examples off the top of my head where that is not true.”

“But it’s still better coming from you than the rest of us,” Mike points out.

“Just try it,” Lucas insists. “If he says no, then we’ll just go to the public pool.

Dustin tries to protest more, but everyone’s looking at him. Expecting him to get up and call. Do whatever it is that he does that gets Steve to just say yes.

On a normal day, he would. But he doesn’t want to impose on a situation that’s no longer perfect. When Eddie and Steve are at each other’s throats more times than they should be. It kills Dusitn to hear it. He hasn’t stepped foot in the house since he realized it wasn’t just a one-off thing. When the screaming got so bad, doors slammed synchronously as they broke apart, leaving Dustin standing confused in the hallway.

It was Dustin’s fault they were living like this. It was his idea that the Munson’s move in with Steve in the first place. They wouldn’t be fighting if Dustin hadn’t suggested that. They wouldn’t be hurting each other if Dustin didn’t intervene.

All he does is put himself into situations that hurt people. Never himself.

The eyes are still on him when he goes over to the phone. Dials the number and waits for it to ring.

“Hello,” Steve answers.

“Hey, Steve, it’s Dustin.” He pauses, looking back at the group. They motioned for him to continue. “We, I, was wondering if we could use your pool on Saturday.”

“One sec,” Dustin can hear Steve cover the phone with his hand. “Hey, Rob,” he yells. “Do we have work on Saturday? Ok. Yeah, you guys can come over.”

Dustin should be relieved, but he can’t let himself feel that. He turns away from the group again, lowering his voice and covering the receiver with his hand. “Are you sure? Like, everyone would be fine with it?”

“Yeah, it’s really no problem. You guys know your welcome over any time.”

He does, but it doesn’t stop him from second guessing. “Ok. I guess we’ll see you on Saturday, then.”

“Dustin, are you ok?”

“Yeah,” he lies. “I’m fine.”

tag list (closed): @the-they-who-nerded, @insteviewetrust, @croatoan-like-its-hot, @jettestar,

@tinyplanet95, @steddie-as-they-go, @slv-333, @littlecelestialmoth, @thatonebadideapanda,

@fandomsanddeath, @marismorar, @wonderland-girl143-blog, @glass-bottle03, @gutterflower77,

@here4thetrama, @goodolefashionedloverboi, @jaytriesstuff, @cryptid-system, @manda-panda-monium,

@resident-gay-bitch, @anaibis, @xxsutherlandxx, @forevermineliv, @mugloversonly,

@gregre369, @n0-1-important, @different-tale-student, @spectrum-spectre, @tartarusknight,

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@greeniebean911, @cr0w-culture, @stillfullofshit, @connected-dots, @daisynotquake,

@morgannotlefay, @a-little-unsteddie, @dolphincliffs, @maskofmirrors, @me-and-my-sloth,

@papergrenade, @waelkyring, @sweetheartprincess28, @katouasobj, @astercomoasflores

[bluxb3rry]

❝𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭!❞↳෴੭˚ ༘♡·˚₊˚ˑ༄ؘ 💜

Hwang Hyunjin x male reader! Howdy Hehe, im back because its night and im eepy. Soooo, this was gonna be 100% Fluff...um nope, its angst, because my playlist decided that...yeh It's already the second one of falling apart love one shot with Hyunjin? Damn, i need to make more happy things with this man Anyway see ya

── ⋅⋅⋅ ────꒰ ୨ ♡ ୧ ꒱───────

You were perfect in his eyes

The most handsome man in the world, universe even.

Hyunjin loved seeing you smile, laugh, talk and cry because of a random scene in a movie. He loved the way your eyes shine when the sun hits in the perfect moment. He loved the way you always touched his hair in a slow and soft way when you both were cuddling.

His arms hugging your waist and your hands in his hair and back. Looking like lost pieces in a weird puzzle, loving the company in a moment of silence and love.

His kisses would touch your skin, making you feel like little butterflies are resting in your skin, he would make a path to your lips, the feeling of love being obvious in every single kiss of his.

Hyujin loved hearing you talk, the random moments when he could be more than two hours with you, he would spend it listening to you. In a cafe, in the arcade or just in his house, he would listen to you. Hearing the most random story you could remember or maybe that one show that you loved watching. Did it end? Did you just start it? or maybe you just got bored of it?. Maybe you would talk about a new podcast you were listening, or about this book you started to read. He will take note of the name of it and maybe take a look, and maybe the conversation would be more long with his opinion in it.

Hyunjin loved hugging you in the late nights when he came back after practice, he was tired and the only thought in his mind was sleep till it was another year. But, that can wait, he needed to feel your warm, and smell that sweet perfume of yours. Or maybe, you already are sleeping, your phone in hand and the bed having a lonely and cold spot waiting for him. He would hug you, kiss you and sleep knowing that you are in his arms once again.

Hyunjin loved going out with you, maybe scared for all the crazy fans, knowing about his realtionship with a man, but after seeing you talking to him with a big smile in your face, he stopped caring after some time.

Hyunjin loved painting you, he did it intentionally at first, a little sketch in his notebook. He just realised after one of his teamates point it out, laughing at his red face. Then he just liked painting you, taking his time, rembering every single feature about you. That little mole you didn't like, your hair in the morning and you face all puffy. He would get distracted when painting your lips, thinking about kissing you just to feel the details a bit more.

Hyunjin loved you, thats why he hated when you both had a discussion. He was to tired, but it wasn't a excuse for telling you those mean things. He would always try and talk with you more calmly after, it worked most of the time, other times he would sleep on the cold couch, missing the warm your arms would give him.

Then in the morning, he would see you again, in the kitchen making breakfast. He didn't say anything because you didn't, he felt he had to be in silence.

He hated that day, the day you talked...your voice was as beautiful as always, your puffy face was still cute in his eyes, your lips as distracting as always, your eyes shining like always. But something new happened.

"i think...i don't love you anymore"

Your words hurt, for the first time.

He tried to talk about it, saying sorry for the words he had said before. But the truth is, your hugs started to be more short, your kisses had started to feel less long, the conversations shorter, the time was shorter and you stopped feeling love.

But Hyunjin stil loved you like the last person in earth

"...i think, i won't be able to love anyone like i loved you"

He said, remembering the lovely portraits in his studio, your face being his main muse

"i know...maybe i won't be able to do that either"

You looked at him, tears in your eyes, slowly falling in your cheeks.

"but im scared to hurt you...i don't want to hurt you Hyunjin"

But oh you were already killing him in one million different ways.

"if you say that...is because you already love someone else"

"i don't know! im confused...im scared, i really don't want to leave you"

"But?"

....

"But...someone showed me love too...and im starting to accept it...."

"...i love you"

"im sorry..."

He bited his lip, trying not to cry, not now. Even if his heart broke, evein if the glass is in the floor hurting him, he wanted to walk and feel to blood just to heart it one more time.

"i love you"

You looked at him, and just hugged him

"I love you too....is just not the same anymore"

Hyunjin loved hearing you laugh, he loved talking to you, he loved you. But, he loved you being happy, and if thats with another man, then so be it. He looked at you one last time, and left.

He won't love someone else like he loved you.

Because you were his universe, but he was just another planet.

── ⋅⋅⋅ ────꒰ ୨ ♡ ୧ ꒱───────

[entropicbias]

Do u have any johndave hcs youd care to share? Literally anything that comes to mind (height hcs, habits in their coexistence, what kind of food they usually make/eat/order, general opinions towards each others family... just throwing a few out there to get thoughts flowing). I am v intrigued about ur vision for them, ur domestic sketches feel like they have a lot of thought (or at least general vibes) behind them

when i draw john and dave sometimes, i have this very specific universe they live in planned out in my head. most of this is self projecting with me and my own best friend, but i'd be really happy to share anyways!

these are my headcanons for them physically. i am really not sure what race john should be. i always say he's "mystery asian" but honestly, i dunno. dave, to me, is embarrassingly white.

here are two pinterest boards i just made to try and explain their sense of style and their "vibes". i'm sorry if this is shit. i'm no experienced pinterest board creator. dave's board john's board

and on top of that, here are two playlists that highlight what kind of music i think they'd listen to. dave's playlist john's playlist i think john's taste in music is just stuff he's picked up from other people, and movies. dave actually goes out and finds new music he'd like to listen to. john would be the type of person to have 4 songs in a playlist and hit smart shuffle on them. i think john's favorite food is lasagna/burgers and dave's favorite food is spicy chicken wings. but since dave doesn't know how to cook and john is busy most of the time, they'd order takeout frequently. i think john and dave would both be smokers, one more casually than the other one. here is a minecraft house i built for them: https://youtu.be/bXCzLp-S99Y?si=mebaL3FDafxrPt-I but, i'll talk more about it. i think john and dave would rent an apartment in the city together so john could easily go to uni and dave can grow mold in his room. it'd be a really shitty place, but i think with john's efforts they'd manage to make the place look more homely. dave would mostly stay in his room because he has made it so that he could sustain himself in there for a week without having to come out. john wouldn't be on his case about it though as long as the living room isn't filthy. i think john would be able to tolerate a moderate mess.

i think john would be weirded out by bro strider, but then again i don't think those two would cross paths very often. i think in a world where dirk exists as dave's brother consistently he'd get really annoyed by him. that is why i made those dirk comics. i reckon that dave would like john's dad, but for some reason i always imagined he'd be dead or in a different state when john and dave live together. in terms of what they'd do, i think dave would be a college dropout so he'd probably be working some really peculiar short-term one off jobs. like, gigs and costume mascot work. or he'd be doing some really weird crypto shit on the internet, which he'd think is really funny. like, he'd rake in a handful of money during the nft craze. i imagine john and dave trying to live a little and be teenagers during the time. so they'd show up to or have parties and they'd be getting up to some zany and boisterous teenage behavior. i think john would be studying at university and he'd have a job related to that. i'd bet that dad would help him pay for his expenses too. i think john would study computer science or something kind of nerdy like that. he'd be paying for most of the expenses at home. and he'd probably be doing most of the chores, but he wouldn't mind that much cause dave tries to contribute and he makes good company. john and dave would play video games a lot and go out to eat and see movies and stuff. just kind of really casual things. maybe they'd go out to arcades too. i suggest reading deacon_blue's moveout zine, which i enjoy a lot and has a similar basis. it is one of my favorite things produced out of the fandom regarding the beta kids. romantically, i like to imagine they don't actually get together until like, two years of living together. not much i can say about that but when it happens, it happens late. i can't formulate the words to describe this bit, but i'll end up drawing pictures later on. i hope this was enough, i can't really think of anything else unless i'm prompted with specific questions so if you have any i'd love to keep talking about this weird universe i've built in my head around them.

[dark-l-angel]

Oh my gosh princess???? You called me princess?? I'm so flattered 😭😭 but if I'm a princess then you m'lady are a queen! Or, better yet an empress!!!

Anyways, thank you so much for listening to my delusional rambles, it's really nice because I never get to share this with anyone. I have something in my head that I think you would like, but it's going to be super long. I just feel like it will resonate with you, plus I'm super excited to share it with you!

So I saw your post about favorite batboys and can I just say, you took the words right out of my mouth. Why do they both have to be so perfect?!? This is where I think you might resonate with my delulu idea. Best friends with Dick, lovers with Jason. Allow me to give a ridiculously long explanation. Growing up I was really good friends with a group of boys (not in a pick-me girl kinda way, genuine friends) and I got along with them really well for years. Come our teenage years and one of the boys I was close with got really good-looking (I'm talking real fine) and I may have developed a crush on my best friend. Apparently I had started to look pretty attractive too because the feeling was mutual. We both confessed our feelings about a year later and tried to go out a couple times. Yeah, that didn't work out because the chemistry was all wrong, and after a few months we agreed that we didn't have a romantic future together and we were better off as just friends. Here are some silly examples of our relationship now. “I've been thinking” “Be careful, doing something for the first time is hard and sometimes dangerous.” *eye roll* “I had an idea!” “oh no, here we go again”. ( I'm in charge of a project for the day) “Put that here” “Put that here!” he copies in a high-pitch girly voice. “Are you- are you mocking me!?” “No, I'm just practicing for when I need to do this-” *Sigh of relief “-using my annoyed female project lead voice.” *eye roll no. 2* laying down on the floor after running together on the hottest day of the year “Come on, let's keep going!” “I'm dying, you're going to have to leave me!” “We haven't even ran a block!” “Yes, but the sun is killing me, I'm severely dehydrated.” “The sun hasn't even risen yet!” “Leave me! Continue this brave journey without me! Tell my story!” “You're so dramatic” *eye roll no. 3*

you get the jist, we're just goofy. Now imagine that dynamic, but with Dick Grayson!!! You grow up best friends, and you cannot deny that he's hot, you try to go out a little, and decide “Eww, I don't think I can see you that way” and just stay good friends. He needs a plus one to a gala? Never fear, his best friend is here! You both go together and just laugh in the corner making fun of all the rich people. You had a crappy day? Relax, Nightwing is already on his way with your favorite snack! (You know his secret by the way, kinda hard to keep it when you tell each other whatever is on your mind) You guys haven't seen each other in a long time? There's an arcade down the road from you that he'll meet you at, so what if it's 3 hours from his apartment? He's coming to see his friend damnit and no one is stopping him!

But as you can imagine, spending so much time with Dick means you get to know his family too. And oh my gosh is his brother is hot! And sooo well read compared to his brother, you guy's automatically click. You start hanging out together (Dick gets jealous that his best friend hangs out with his brother when he's not there) And you realize you start to feel something for Jason that's different than how you felt for Dick. Yeah, you care about dick and you want to know him for as long as you live but with Jason? You want to spend every minute you're alive with this man, from when you wake till you go to sleep. There's something that makes you think you'd willing die if it meant he'd be happy (you'd take a bullet for either of them though) I have no real words to describe it but yeah, you love dick as a friend but love Jason as a significant other. And he feels the same!

I'm almost done I swear! But I like to imagine you and Dick have a thing growing up where whenever either of you start to date someone, the other one meets the person of interest and tells them something along the lines of “If you hurt them in anyway, just remember that I know how to hide a body so they'll never find it.” (my dad used to do this with his friends) and then, when you and Jason start to date, dick pulls you aside and says “Listen, I know you're my friend, and I'd do anything for you. But Jason is my brother, and he's been through some unimaginable shit. So if you hurt him, I swear to God you will end up a missing person.” just, protective older brother Dick????

Anyways, this is crazy long. You don't have to write anything or post this (it's kinda embarrassing 😅) I just wanted to share these thoughts with you since we both have the same taste in men

Anyways, sorry for writing all this, hope you enjoy it though. Lot's of love! Peace out ✌️

P.S. here's you're crown because you really are a Queen

👑

Well this was pretty long but here what i got for you..

The undying love

Bff!Dick grayson x bf!jason todd x reader

Growing up with Dick Grayson as your best friend had always been an adventure. From childhood antics to navigating the complexities of adulthood, you shared a bond that transcended time and distance. Dick was not just a friend but a confidant, someone who knew your secrets and quirks like no other.

As the years passed, you and Dick developed a tradition whenever one of you started dating someone new. It was a blend of warning and jest, a testament to your deep friendship and protective instincts. "If you hurt them in any way," Dick would tell your dates with a playful glint in his eye, "just remember, I know how to hide a body." It was a blend of intimidation and humor, a reminder that his loyalty to you was unwavering.

When you and Jason Todd finally found each other in a way that transcended friendship, Dick's protective instincts kicked into overdrive. He pulled you aside one evening, his expression serious yet tinged with affection. "Listen," he began, his voice low but firm, "I know you're my friend, and I'd do anything for you. But Jason... he's my brother. He's been through hell and back, and he deserves happiness. Please don’t hurt him, he's too precious to me."

You nodded solemnly, understanding the weight of his words. Dick wasn't just being protective; he was laying bare the depth of his love for his brother and his trust in you.

Despite the initial awkwardness of exploring romantic feelings with Jason, your bond deepened swiftly. He was more than just handsome and well-read; Jason understood you in ways that went beyond words. Together, you found solace in shared silences and comfort in each other's presence.

When Dick needed a plus-one to a gala, you were there without hesitation. You laughed together in the corner, making light-hearted jabs at the extravagance around you. On days when you had a rough time, Nightwing—Dick's alter ego—appeared like a guardian angel with your favorite snacks in hand, a gesture that never failed to lift your spirits.

Secrets were shared freely between you and Dick, including his nighttime escapades as Nightwing. It was hard not to know when you spent so much time together, sharing everything from mundane details to deep-seated fears.

As your relationship with Jason blossomed, Dick's protective streak extended to both of you. He became a constant presence in your lives, offering advice, support, and sometimes playful teasing. Despite occasional jealousy over his brother stealing his best friend's time, Dick couldn't deny the genuine connection between you and Jason.

And amidst the laughter, late-night conversations, and shared adventures, you discovered a love for Jason that was different yet equally profound from your friendship with Dick. It was a love born of understanding, shared experiences, and a mutual desire to protect each other from the darkness that lurked in Gotham's shadows.

In the end, your relationship with Jason was a testament to the enduring bonds of friendship and the transformative power of love. With Dick by your side, as both friend and protective older brother figure, you navigated the complexities of Gotham's underworld and found a love that was as deep as it was unexpected.

Together, the three of you forged a bond that surpassed boundaries and defied expectations—a bond built on trust, loyalty, and a shared commitment to each other's happiness and well-being. And in the heart of Gotham City, where heroes and legends clashed in an eternal battle of light and darkness, you found your place alongside Jason Todd and Dick Grayson—a place where love and friendship intertwined in ways that were as extraordinary as they were enduring.

☆ i hope you like it ☆

[midnight-mourning]

DCA Promptober Day 20: Trapped

Finally, the last part of the mini-series. Hope you enjoy, she's a doozy

Content warning: depictions of blood, injury, and death, reader discresion is advised

Word Count: 2001

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"Come on Tommy, don't be stupid, don't be stupid," You're pacing through the Plex, checking every odd and end location you can think of for where this kid might be. 

Fourteen minutes.

He's moving back toward the security office, yes, but where he started from you have no idea. Furthermore, you can't risk going back there as you've no doubt Moon's prowling around trying to get him. You also don't think it's wise to let the bot know directly that you were flat out rejecting his offer. 

You duck behind another tall plant, eyes scanning across the atrium for any sign of life, "Okay, if I were a teenager, where would I hide?"

Fazerblast? No, too obvious. West arcade? Too open, you'll give him credit where it's due and argue that he's smarter than that. Mazercise was a possibility, it was just a matter of getting there. You had no idea if the other animatronics were also feeling murderous tonight and you'd really rather not find out. Shit, if you had Garcia with you maybe this wouldn't be so hard-

A scream pierces through the Plex, sending fear shooting straight to your core. 

Your feet move before you can stop them, rushing toward the sound without any hesitation. 

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," You start to chant until you come upon the scene of the crime and-

It's not Tom.

One of the janitors is being held up by their neck, blood covered hands desperately grabbing at the clawed hand holding them high above the night-themed attendant. You can only snap out of it when Moon's other hand suddenly plunges forward and-You close your eyes, flinching at the squelch you here before a thud resounds on the ground. 

You keep your eyes close, backing further behind the statue you were hiding behind, until you finally hear bells fade off into the distance. 

Ten minutes.

You peel them open, one after the other, and dare to observe the carnage just briefly. 

Doing so proves useful, as attached to the-most definitely dead-janitor's hip is a walkie talkie. You scan the atrium quickly, see nothing, and move swiftly. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," You whisper as you quickly snatch up the radio from the bloodied corpse. 

Once you have it you bolt back into a darkened corner, turning the channel to the guard frequency.

You speak low, cautious, "Tom, you there?"

"H-here," He whispers back, sounding on edge but, excited, "I, I made it back into the office! Where are you? The bots are going frickin' crazy tonight! We gotta find the others and get out of here, or, or something," You hear him jamming buttons on the control panel, "Why can't I get the front doors to open, or or call the cops, or just anything?"

Relief washes over you, but only briefly. Moon might have been distracted but it hadn't been for long. Your friend's not in the clear yet, "Listen. Lock down the office. If you hear anything in the vents, shut them immediately. But not too long, the stupid power's finicky so you'll need to conserve it. Turn out the lights and the cameras if you need to. Someone's probably flipped the circuit for the door access. I'm gonna try and get them open for you. Once I do, you time it right and get the hell out of dodge, got it?"

"You, you're talking like you aren't coming with," Tom's laugh is nervous, "Why are you talking like you aren't leaving?"

You sigh, looking up at the ceiling and biting your lip. You still had eight minutes. You could save yourself instead. The thought passes by as quickly as it arrived. To your credit, nobody really wants to die, it just happens. And if it's between you and someone else, you'll let it be you.

You'll make sure it's you.

You press on the talk button to the radio, "'Cause I'm not, Tom. Not right this second anyway. I'll worry about me, you worry about you, alright? And don't argue with me about it, we don't have the time for that."

"I-"

"Tom." You hate to be stern, but you will be.

He sighs, it's shaky, "Okay."

"I'll let you know when I'm at the circuit box. Stay safe. Good luck."

"Good luck."

Seven minutes.

It doesn't take long to get to your destination, you know the path well. Just being direct and taking the elevator down also helps. Does fuck all to steel your nerves though. You're scared, you're downright terrified. Dying wasn't on your to-do list for tonight. No, you were planning to spend the night teasing Rhoades and Connor about the Grizzlies game while halfheartedly helping Jenson beat them at ping-pong.

You just don't understand. Was there something that you're missing? Some piece to the puzzle that made all of this make sense. You've gone over it again and again in your head, but you can't find an answer. You can't find-

Three minutes.

A noise down the hallway becomes noticeable to your ears. It sounds like, you strain a bit, Garcia?

You approach slowly, his words becoming clearer as you slink down the hall, keeping a look out for any movement that could result in a deadly outcome. 

His voice is coming from the closet you know the circuit breaker is in. You can make out what he's saying when you're at the crossroads of the two hallways, about ten feet away. 

"Help... Please," He wheezes, then coughs, "Anybody? Somebody..."

You take a step forward and peek down both ends of the hall intersecting where you've come from. It's dark. No signs of life. Or anything else for that matter. 

Still, armed with your flashlight-you'd lost the taser, though you doubt it'd have been much use anyhow-you tip toe over to the door, and pull it open.

"Garcia you're lucky I'm scared of my mind, or I'd be giving you hell right about now-"

He's dead.

One minute.

His body is slouched against the wall, arms splayed out beside him not unlike the bloodstains behind him. There's red running down his head and additionally soaking through his shirt. Laying neatly on his chest and still squeaky clean is his walkie, which repeats that same line over and over again.

A trick.

Time's up.

"That was supposed to lure in someone else, not you, Little Star."

You turn around slowly, thinking that it buys you time you don't have. 

Even slouched over Moon towers over you. Clawed, stained hands scrape against the ground. In this level of darkness you can only see the deep red glow of his eyes. He tilts his head. 

You swallow, "Guess it didn't work then, huh?"

"I gave you another chance," He shifts just a little closer, you take a step back, "You wasted it. Why?"

"I'm a good person?" You try.

Moon chuckles, it turns dark quickly, "You think you're funny, is that it?"

"Maybe?" You squeak.

He sudden looms closer, now eye to eye with you and mere inches away, snarling, "You don't have any right."

You put your hands up, shying away. 

The bot shifts back, tone still unhappy but not as angry, "You don't have any right at all. Not after what you did."

"I'm sorry but I don't-"

You feel a sharp talon on the front of your chest. Not poking through your shirt. Not yet.

"You made a promise. And you didn't keep it."

You're taken back to several months ago. Out on a typical patrol, nothing exciting. You're about to check the Daycare off your mental list when a pair of red eyes greets you on the wall. 

Ah, him again. You didn't necessarily have a problem with the Daycare Attendant. But much like anyone else you felt either one of them were a bit, unnerving. The naptime attendant seemed to always take particular interest in you while you were on patrol. You'd caught him staring from afar several times, never really approaching say for once in a blue moon. And only to very briefly say hello before hiding away again. 

He must be feeling a bit bolder today. 

You raise your hand in greeting, easy smile on your face, "Evening, Moon."

"Hello," For a such a tall bot, he sometimes spoke so small.

"What're you up to this evening?" Your hands slink into your pockets, "Besides the usual, that is."

He shifts his crouch slightly, bells jingling, "Just, the usual, I suppose."

"Sounds like you need something to spice up your time then. You ever play any games in there?" You nod your head to the Daycare.

He shakes his head slowly, "Not me. Only naps."

You click your tongue, trying your best to not let the pity show, "Bummer. Say, maybe we could do something together sometime."

"Really?"

"Sure," You shrug, "Doesn't have to be a game, we could do whatever you'd like. I promise it'll be fun." 

Knowing how shy he is you doubt he'll actually take you up on that offer. He'll probably forget about it by tomorrow, that's how these machines work, right?

"Do you mean it?" His voice is raspy, but the tone is soft, shy. Cute, even.

You smile, "You bet. Sometime soon, how's that?"

"O-okay."

You give a salute, walking off, "I'll see you later then, Moon-man."

"Goodbye."

Back to now, eyes wide as you stare up at the Attendant with realization.

You didn't just agree to play a game. 

You'd promised a date.

And you'd completely forgotten about it, like a complete and utter jerk.

"Oh, Moon. I didn't," You stop, frowning, "I wasn't trying to-"

"Exactly, you didn't try. You lied. And I despise liars."

He's moving, you need to move. You need to think. Come on. Don't let it all be in vein. 

Your hand acts on its own, swinging upwards with your flashlight in hand and flipping it on. Moon yelps. And while he's blinded you take a slight step back and send a roundhouse kick straight into his faceplate. 

It hurts like hell, but it causes him to stumble backwards. You quickly turn, open the breaker box, and flip the switch. 

Spinning back around, you see Moon's still recovering, you dodge past his blind swinging claws and blot down the hallway. 

"Doors are open. Don't know how long that'll last. See you on the other side, Tom."

Back at the closet, you hear Moon growl out his irritation before taking off after you. And by the sounds of it, is gaining fast. 

Turn the corner, you're not trying to outrun him, just keep him distracted long enough for your coworker to escape. 

Soon enough, you find yourself in a similar predicament to earlier.

You're grabbed and in trying to right yourself slam into the wall, this one doing you in. You hiss at the pain that shoots up your shoulder, which is on fire, you think you might've dislocated it in your rush. 

Moon's hand is still on you, and while his grip is firm, it's not tight. Slowly, he uses both hands and guides you down the wall as you lay back against it. 

Your breathing is heavy as you stare up at the ceiling, out of breath and out of time. 

"Just do it already," You gasp out, "We both know you want to. And I can't say I don't totally deserve it."

You hear a few clicks and wait for your end. 

But when it doesn't come, you look back down, face to face with the bot again. 

His head is tilted to the side. Observing you. 

Once more, you find Moon's hand gripping your chin, he chuckles, "Silly Star, what's the fun in that?"

You pause, not quite understanding what he's saying. 

"You said we could do whatever I'd like, right?" His faceplate spins, "So we're going to do what I'd. Like."

The reality of the situation starts to set in for you.

You're trapped. 

And you think that may be worse than death. 

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If you are physically incapable of roundhouse kicking (as am I) guess what? doesn't matter, you gained the ability for a split second for the purpose of this story. Anywho, virus moon! Or at least, a specific version of virus moon (wink wink nudge nudge). This concludes our little mini-series in the prompts. Twas a good bit of fun, but there are others to write and so, I'll be off. Link to the masterlist is here if you've missed any, thanks for reading!!

[vodika-vibes]

Hey, congrats! For your 650+ follower event, could you do a Modern AU where the Reader is a popular music artist/dancer. But she's like a really down to earth person that if you met her randomly on the street you wouldn't guess that she was famous (she personally hates the fame). Well one day, she starts getting texts from an unknown number and also starts getting letters as well(she basically has a creepy fan stalker). Her agent then decideds to hire Hunter to be readers bodyguard. Then when they start getting close to one another Hunter realizes that the reason he's protecting reader may not be because it's his job...

Maybe you could also have Hunter and Reader show off their tattos?(Reader has a tattoo of vines and flowers that trails down her arm, music notes on her thigh and a big butterfly on her back)

Could it also be fairly long, if you can.

Sorry if it's a big ask, I have a LOT of ideas.

Fields Of Gold

Summary: You’ve been singing and dancing for your whole life, it’s what makes you happy. You never expected, or even wanted, fame or fortune for it. Parental pressure, mixed with getting scouted by an agent, meant you got both despite your desires. And then the stalker comes out of the woodwork, and you start to think, maybe you made a mistake.

Pairing: TBB Hunter x F!Reader

Word Count: 4085

Warnings: Stalking, murder, animal death

Prompt: Modern AU

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly @clonethirstingisreal

A/N: So, I made the choice to leave this without a definitive ending, because I like the way that it feels. I hope you like it anyway. The reader is a pop star who goes by the stage name Galactic Mint (it's a MAC lipstick color). And the title was the song that I was listening to when I started writing it.

You’ve always loved to dance.

Your mother likes to tell the story of when you were an infant, and how you would wiggle along with the music before you could even walk and talk. She’d tell the story of you learning to dance as a toddler and all you could do was bounce along with the music, rather than proper dancing.

It only made sense, then, that as soon as you were old enough your mother signed you up for baby ballet.

As you grew, and became more coordinated, more styles opened up to you. From tap dancing to hip-hop, from belly dancing to salsa dancing. You learned them all and you loved them all.

You never wanted fame or fortune. You just wanted to dance. To be able to feel the music down to your bones and move along with it.

But when you were 14 and your mother suggested voice lessons to go along with your dance lessons, you couldn’t help but agree. Especially when she said that she wouldn’t pay for any more dance lessons if you didn’t also take singing lessons.

So you did.

And you were good at it.

You were the only one surprised when an Agent reached out to you.

And you were the only one surprised when you were offered a record deal.

At barely 15 years old, you released a hit pop song called Gumball, and you were launched into stardom. You had someone who styled your hair, someone else who did your make-up. You had a stylist who picked out your everyday clothes, and another one who designed your concert outfits. You had private tutors for every subject.

You had an agent, a lawyer, an accountant, a team of bodyguards, a personal trainer, and a personal nutritionist. 

You didn’t have any friends, though.

It was a very lonely childhood.

You couldn’t go to the arcade to play video games, you couldn’t go to the mall, you couldn’t go to the movies. All you could do was live in the mansion your parents picked out, the mansion you paid for, and travel in the trailer that your parents also picked out.

And, privately, you hated it.

Hated the concerts, hated the singing, hated having people pawing at your hair and your body. Hated them telling you that you couldn’t have pizza or ice cream because it might ruin your body.

You hated the skin-tight leotards that they dressed you in for concerts. And you hated the caked-on pastel make-up as well as the synthetic wigs you had to wear for public appearances. 

You hated the tight clothes your stylist dressed you in, the mini-skirts and short-shorts and heels—

The day you turned 18, you fired all of them. 

Your manager, your nutritionist, your stylist, your hairdresser, your make-up artist. All of them.

You had your lawyer kick your family out of your home, had the courts order your family to pay you back for all of the money they took from you since you were a teenager, and then, when they tried to fight back, you completely disowned them and got a restraining order against them.

At the age of 18, you completely reinvented yourself. 

Oh, sure, you still made pop music, but you moved away from the pastel preteen look that everyone had been shoving you into and into a more adult style. 

And you thrived.

You sang songs of love, of loss, of betrayal. Your concerts, where you used to have to focus on singing, gained more and more energy as suddenly you were able to dance to your music.

Suddenly you were happy, and your fans could tell.

And they loved it.

However, there is a downside to being so famous.

The first letter arrives shortly after your 22nd birthday. 

Now, at this point, you’ve been a popstar for seven years, you’re no stranger to letters and gifts from your fans. You’ve even received creepy letters before, letters from adult men who thought that you were singing to them. 

But there is something different about this letter. Different enough that you bring it to your manager, who hands it over to your security team. 

And then the second letter arrives a week later. And a third one two days after that.

All of them are surrendered to your security team before you even read them.

The fourth letter arrives the very next day, attached to a box. The envelope is empty, but inside the box is a sheep’s head.

You don’t see it, luckily.

Your manager does though, and he puts his foot down. He calls the police, who call in the feds, and after one of the feds points out that this is a clear escalation, and that you’re in danger, your manager starts looking for a personal guard for you.

And then the phone calls start.

Verbal threats against you, against the people who work with you, against the concert venues coming up, against the people who attend the concerts—

You’re sitting in your kitchen, your head buried in your hands as you stare at a list of concert venues that have active threats against them. Active threats against them because of you, when your manager invites himself into your home.

“You’re not thinking of canceling the concert dates, are you?” He asks from the doorway to the kitchen.

“Don’t we have a responsibility to my fans?” You counter without lifting your head, “If I don’t cancel and someone gets hurt, won’t that be on me?”

“What do the feds say?” He asks.

“That I’m not responsible for the actions of other people.” You say, “That they’ve put word out to the venues, and that they’ll have security all over the place if I decide to go through with it.”

“Well, it sounds like they know what they’re doing.”

You sigh and drop your hands to the table, “Why are you here, Miles?”

“I found you a personal bodyguard,” Miles says proudly.

“I have a personal bodyguard,” You counter, “They’re all over the place. I can’t walk five feet without tripping over one of them.”

“You’re right, but they’re stretched thin. So this,” Miles gestures to the side and a man steps into the kitchen, “is Hunter.”

You lean back in your seat and stare at him. He’s tall and broad-shouldered, with shoulder-length brown hair and a skull tattooed over half his face. “Nice to meet you.” You greet politely.

“Ma’am,” He nods once and then steps further into the room, and you watch as he scans the kitchen, “Your manager has hired my team to be your guard.” He says focusing his intense gaze on your face, “Two of my brothers, Tech and Wrecker, are coordinating with the Federal Agents, while my other two brothers, Echo and Crosshair, are working with the guards who already work here. We’re hoping to close any holes that might remain.”

“Well, I appreciate that.” You reply.

Hunter nods once, “May I ask you some questions?”

“If you like.”

Hunter nods and crosses the room to sit across from you, pulling a notebook from the pocket of his jacket as he sits, “How long have you known the men and women of your security team?”

“Since I was 14.”

“Your parents hired them?”

“No. My agent.”

Hunter nods, “According to the profile I have on you, you’ve disowned your parents? Could they have something to do with this?”

“I guess it’s possible, but you’d have to ask the agents about that.”

Hunter makes a note in his notebook, “Any ex-boyfriends or girlfriends I should know about?”

“None.”

“Friends?”

“I’ve been a pop star since I was 14 years old, Hunter. I didn’t go to school or have friends. I just worked.”

“Sounds lonely.”

You just shrug.

“Your Manager gave me a layout of your home. I noticed that all of the glass is both bulletproof and mirrored?”

“That’s right.”

“May I ask why?”

“I got tired of people taking pictures of me making breakfast.”

“People take pictures often?”

“Popstar.”

“You got any names?”

“I don’t, my security might.”

“Alright.” He closes the notebook, “Can I get a tour?”

“Yeah, of course.” You stand and gesture vaguely, “This is the kitchen, there’s a door there,” You point to a hidden door, “Leads to the basement.”

“Anything in there?”

“Not really. Some shelves, my winter clothes, some of my old costumes and wigs, but that’s it.” You pause, “There’s no other entrance into the basement either.”

Hunter nods and makes a note on the map he pulled out of his notebook, “Alright, can I go down there?”

“Yeah.” You open the door to the basement, “I’m not sure what you’re looking for. The Agents already did all of this.”

“Just checking behind them, that’s all.”

You watch as Hunter goes down into the basement, and walks around for a moment, making notes on the map in his hands, before he heads back up.

“This place is single-level, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Can I see the bedroom?”

“Yeah, follow me.” You lead him through the house, pointing out different places, until you push open the bedroom door. “This is my room. The windows are the same as the ones in the kitchen.”

Hunter nods, “Less in here, too.”

“I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in a room covered in windows.” You explain.

“Smart.” Hunter walks the room and makes some notes on the map, before heading back to you, “So, all things considered, your home—” He stops when there’s the sound of glass splintering. 

Your gaze darts to one of your windows, which is now covered in spiderweb-like cracks that indicate that someone tried to break it. Hunter ushers you out of the bedroom, practically tackling you into the hallway, and he presses you against the wall as he fishes his phone out of his pocket and presses it against his ear.

You listen as Hunter rattles off some information and then hangs up the phone.

“We’re going to stay put right here, just until my brothers can make sure that no one else is going to take a pot-shot at us,” Hunter says reassuringly. 

“I just don’t understand why anyone would want to hurt me,” You admit as you curl your trembling hands around the hem of your shirt, “I’ve never hurt anyone.”

“You can’t attach logic to someone like this.” Hunter explains, “He’s crazy, that’s all there is to it.” His phone rings and he answers it before the first ring ends, “Yeah?”

Hunter listens to the other man on the phone, and then he sighs.

“Of course he did. Don’t worry about it, keep your eyes open. We’re going to have to move the primary.” He glances at you, “I’ll take care of it.” He hangs up and slides his phone into his jacket pocket.

“What?”

“My brothers and the federal agents found a snipe rifle on the hill.”

“Sniper?” You ask in disbelief.

“Afraid so. Is there anyplace else you can go?”

“No. Nowhere.”

Hunter stares at you for long enough that you shift uncomfortably, “Alright. I think I have an idea.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. But you kind of stand out a little.”

You blink at him and then look down at yourself, “I mean, I can change into other clothes?”

“Do that. Carefully.” 

You nod and slip back into the bedroom, and then into your closet. Immediately you slip out of the uncomfortable clothes that your stylist encourages you to wear, and you tug the wig off your head. 

You change your clothes into a pair of loose jeans and a teeshirt covered in cats. Then you pull the pins out of your hair as well as remove the braid, allowing your hair to tumble around your shoulders. 

The last thing you do is pull a sweatshirt from your college over your shirt, hiding the intricate tattoos that decorate your arm. And you grab a matching hat and hurry back into the hallway, “Okay. How’s this?”

Hunter blinks at you, twice, “Aren’t you supposed to be a redhead?”

“Wig.”

“Huh. You know, if I hadn’t seen you go inside, I wouldn’t have recognized you at all.”

“The clothing that I prefer doesn’t go along with the whole popstar thing.” You admit sheepishly, “And the wig is because I was told that my natural color is boring.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that you’re so different from the you that the rest of the world knows. That means my plan might work.” Hunter motions for you to follow him, “Your manager said that I could park my car in your garage.”

“Well, yeah. It’s not like I can drive.”

“Right. Well, here’s my plan. You and I are going to go and hide out on the Marauder.”

“What’s the Marauder?”

“A ship. My ship. It’s not large, but you’ll be safe.” Hunter replies as he leads you into the garage, “Put the hat on. You’ll be sitting in the front seat.”

“Uhm…”

“Nervous.”

“Someone is trying to kill me.”

Hunter smiles at you and lightly presses his hand against your shoulder, “I’m not going to let that happen.”

Somehow, amazingly, you believe him.

Two weeks later, Hunter is sitting at the helm of the Marauder, a frown pulling down his lips. 

The situation has gotten worse. Far worse.

The stalker has turned into a murderer, having killed three women who look like the pop star. Well, how the public sees her, at least.

He hasn’t told her yet.

By this point, he knows her well enough to know that the knowledge that three women died because they looked like her would torture her.

“Hunter?”

“Yeah, I’m still here, Tech.”

“Good. What do you think?”

“I’m not sure, vod. What do the Feds think?”

“One of them wants you to bring her back, so they can use her as bait.”

“Tell me you told them that that’s not going to happen.”

“Oh yes. Crosshair was very specific about that.”

“Good.”

There’s silence for a moment, and then Tech speaks again, “I called in Phee for some help. And Echo called in Fives.”

“Yeah? They helping?”

“Fives has brought some interesting insight into the stalker’s mind. He is quite the talented profiler.” Tech replies, “Phee is doing some digging of her own, though I’m not sure what she is looking into.”

“What do you think, Tech? Gut reaction.”

“You know I do not operate that way.” Tech chides his older brother, “However, there is something strange about one of the Agents. So I have started looking into him.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I will let you know what I learn.”

“Be careful, don’t go anywhere without Wrecker or Crosshair.” Hunter pauses, at the sound of movement below deck, “Listen, I have to go.”

“I will be as careful as I can. Tech out.”

The call disconnects, and Hunter sighs as he drops the phone back on the table. There’s the sound of light footsteps, and he turns as the bridge door opens, “Morning, Sunshine.” 

“Good morning,” She replies, a small smile on her face. The scent of sunblock fills the small room, “Everything alright?”

“Yeah. Just talking to Tech.” Hunter pauses, “I’m afraid we can’t return to shore just yet.”

“Well, that’s okay. I think I’m finally starting to develop my sea legs.”

Hunter laughs, “Well, you haven’t fallen yet today, but it’s still early.”

She huffs, “Rude.”

Hunter just grins at her, “So, what’s your plan for today?”

“Mm, maybe I’ll continue working on my next song.” She replies thoughtfully, “But I haven’t decided yet.”

Hunter shifts in his seat, “Let me ask you a question, Sunshine.”

“What’s up?”

“Do you even like singing?”

“I…” She hesitates, “I like dancing. The singing is…well, I can take it or leave it.”

“If you’re not happy, then why don’t you stop?”

“...I’ve been singing since I was a teenager. I grew up in front of cameras. What else can I do?”

“You could teach dancing.”

“Yeah, maybe.” She shrugs and drops into the seat across from him, “I dunno, though. I mean, sure, I have a degree but it’s a General Education degree. And I wouldn’t want people to come to learn from me simply because of who I am.”

“Look, if you don’t like your job, then quit.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“Well, there’s a contract, for one. And, for another…I dunno. Change is scary, I guess.”

Hunter stares at her for a moment, and he smiles. “You know. You don’t look anything like the woman who performs on stage.”

“Makeup is the great equalizer.” She jokes.

“I think you’re much prettier like this. Without all of the makeup and the wigs.”

She laughs softly and averts her gaze for a moment, and then her gaze locks with his, “Well. You’d be alone in thinking that.”

“Come on, man. I’ve been told since I was a teenager that I’m not good enough as I am.” She shrugs, “You hear something enough times, and you start to think it about yourself, right?”

“You know. I think I hate your parents.”

Her head falls back as she laughs, “Have you seen some of the outfits they okayed for me when I was still a kid? My stylist dressed me like a porn star.”

Hunter grins at her, “And when did you get those? The tattoos.”

“The first one was when I was 18. After the court cases were over. And then another one at 19, and my back piece was finished shortly before I turned 20.” She says as she holds out her arm so he's able to see the vines and flowers, next to the musical notes on her leg.

“A backpiece, huh?”

“A butterfly." She explains, "What about you? When did you get yours.”

“19. All of them at 19.”

“All of them? The face one is obvious, but you have more?”

“Oh yeah. I was a dumb kid and went all in on the skeleton thing.” Hunter replies with a grin, “It goes all the way down.”

“No way.”

“Way.”

“Your artist didn’t try to talk you out of it?” She asks.

“Oh, he tried. He’s also an older brother, so he didn’t try all that hard.”

“How many brothers do you have?”

“A lot. There’s so many of us.” Hunter stands and heads to the door, “Come on, sunshine. Let’s work on your knots.”

“Ugh. Not more knots.”

“Yup. You gotta learn.”

“Fiiiine.” She sighs as she gets to her feet, “But I want to see your chest tattoo.”

“Only if I can get a look at your tattoos.”

“Deal.”

Hunter leads her to where the rope is located and gets her started on her knots before he leans back and watches her. She’s, actually, very talented. His sunshine has deft fingers, and a good memory.

She’d make a good deckhand. 

Plus, in her own words, she’s not very happy with the lack of privacy that comes with being a pop star. She does it because she feels like she has no choice.

Also, she’s cute and he likes looking at her. 

Watching the “Pop Musical Sensation Galatic Mint” shed her skin and turn into a normal woman, with normal likes and dislikes, has been eye-opening.

Watching her fold back into her shell will be heartbreaking.

“What?”

“Hm?”

She’s staring at him, her head tilted to the side, “You’re staring.”

“You’re pretty. Very starable.”

“Come on, Hunter.”

He laughs, “I’m being honest, but I’m also thinking.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re pretty good at this. You’d be welcome on my crew if you wanted a place.”

“What? Give up the glitz and glam for a life on a ship?”

“You hate the glitz and glam.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about that.” She admits.

“I need to tell you something,” Hunter says, “Something I should have told you earlier.”

She paused mid-knot, “What’s wrong?”

“Your stalker,” Hunter says slowly, “He’s escalating.”

“Well, yeah. That’s what the Federal Agents said when the sheep head was sent to my home.” She replies, “And the attempted assassination—”

“He’s murdered three women.”

“...what?”

“Women who look like you.” Hunter says, “Well, who look like you when you perform, at least.”

“Oh my god,” 

“Listen, this isn’t your fault.”

“But if I hadn’t left—”

“Then you’d probably be dead now.”

She stares at him and sets the rope on the table, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to stress about it.” Hunter admits, he reaches across the table and takes your hand in his, “Listen. My brothers have called in a profiler and someone else to help them. They think they’re getting close now.”

She doesn’t say anything for a moment, “I’m going to have to retire from performing.”

“Sunshine—”

“Women are dying. Because of me.”

“No.”

“Yes, Hunter. I might not be killing them, but they are dying because of me.” She squeezes his hand, “How am I supposed to live with that?”

“I don’t know. But you’re going to have to.” Hunter says quietly.

“Do you blame me?”

“Never.”

“But—”

He squeezes her hands and she trails off, “Listen to me. You could have shot them yourself, and I still wouldn’t blame you, okay?”

“That would…definitely be my fault then, Hunter.”

“You would have had good reason, I’m sure.”

She laughs weakly, “You’re a good man, Hunter.”

“Not that good.”

“No, you are.” She smiles at him weakly, “Um…I’m not really feeling being social. Do you mind if I just hang out below deck today?”

“Of course not.”

She gently pulls her hands from his grasp and gets to her feet, and then she drops a light kiss on his cheek, “Thank you, Hunter.”

“For what?”

“For listening. And protecting me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that, Sunshine.” He pauses, “Sunshine.”

“Yeah?”

“No phone calls.”

“I remember.” She replies.

Hunter watches as she heads to the stairs that lead below deck, and he sighs and closes his eyes. Maker, he’s an idiot.

“Hey, sunshine.”

She pauses on the stairs and turns to look at him, “Yeah?”

“Hold on a second.” He gets to his feet and crosses over to her.

She moves to stand on the deck again, “Something wrong?”

“Not wrong, so much as I’m something of an idiot.”

“I don’t—?”

Hunter brings his hand up to cup her cheek, and she blinks at him in confusion. “Like I said, I’m an idiot,” He jokes, before he leans in and brushes her lips with his own.

It can’t even be called a proper kiss, so much as a promise for more, if she’s willing.

When Hunter pulls back her eyes are wide, and she looks flustered.

“Was that alright?” He asks softly.

“Um…yeah. It was more than alright, actually.” She replies softly, “Can we do it again?”

He chuckles and leans in, and his lips are about to press against hers when the phone up in the wheelhouse rings loudly. “Hold that thought.” Hunter takes the stairs two at a time and grabs the phone, “Yeah?”

“Hunter, it’s Fives.”

“Hey, vod. What’s up?”

“Listen. It was one of the agents.” Fives speaks quickly, “They pulled some strings, and they know where you are.”

Hunter goes cold, “Is he on the way?”

“Yes. The Feds are hoping to intercept him before he arrives at the Marauder. But, well.”

“It’s not going to happen.”

“No. He’s also killed three more women in the last week. That’s a total of at least 6 victims. Probably more based on some of the information that Phee and Tech have given me.”

“And he’s heading here.”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks for the heads up, Fives.”

“Happy hunting, vod.”

“Will do.” Hunter hangs up the phone and heads back down to the deck. “You need to get below deck, Sunshine.”

She stares at him, eyes wide, “He found us, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, so it seems. Below deck. No one is going to hurt you so long as I’m around.” Hunter promises.

Slowly, she nods and turns to head below deck. Hunter follows her to the bottom of the stairs and grabs the fire door, to pull it shut.

“Be careful.” She whispers.

“Always am, Sunshine.” He pulls the fire door shut and makes sure that it’s properly sealed before he heads up and grabs his guns out of the safe, making sure that they’re loaded and the safety is off.

His Sunshine will be safe, any other option is out of the question. This asshole has terrorized her for long enough. It’s time to end this.

[romaevelizz]

Crush Culture˖ ࣪⊹

VI. Love lies

sum: he couldn’t leave with out saying goodbye

warnings: cursing, fluff, tsukii being out of character, not proofread, short er, rushed im sorry chat😞😞

.˚₊‧ ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ‧₊˚.

He felt awful, how could he just leave. After that aster that moment he left like a loser. It wasn’t like his to just leave, to not look back at something because that’s what losers did and he’s not a loser. He was scared god his body was so nervous. He just left her there after she opened herself to him and he just walked away from her.

What would she think of him..? Where did her love lie?

Love; god that was such a big word a word he didn’t think he’d find himself saying. Why did he feel so attached to her the feeling of needing her company? He wasn’t dependent on her yet he craved her attention. He wanted to have her all to himself as selfish as it may sound, he wanted to spend every minute with her. The idea of answering to stupid questions of ‘Do you have a girlfriend yet?’ Or ‘ Has any girl caught your eye? He wouldn’t even mind answering them this time. That yes he was.

Maybe not girlfriend, not yet anyway. He wanted to do things boyfriends and girlfriends did together. He wanted to follower her around as she shopped carrying her bags. Take her out for cute dinner date, see her all dress up as the talked endlessly for hours. Do those cringey couples TikTok’s, make gifts for one another, dance with her in the rain, bake with her, go to the arcade, talk about things they were so fixated on, he wanted to waste hours listening to her talk just so he could hear her voice. He wanted to waste the light of day and her her stay with him for the night. To hold her close to himself.

He’s never felt this way towards a girl before. It was frustrating the want to be perfect to be near her all the time, her hand him praise for little things he did. How she teased him, her laugh, more moments like before. It’s not like he hasn’t kissed girls before but with her it was different, how he was dizzy after the kiss. He wanted to taste her again to feel his lips tingle again after they kiss, the sticky feeling of her gloss on his lips after they kissed. To taste her strawberry shortcake gloss again, his favorite flavor, and she didn’t even know it. It made him ache how he yearned for her.

He never ever thought flirting would get him all hot and bothered, her shamelessly flirting with him even while others here around her body close to his and she eyes looked him up and down a smile on her pretty lips. Her head tilting occasionally as she teased him. He didn’t think that a girl would ever have an impact on him like she did. God he wanted to introduce her to his family, to his mother.

Maybe he was secretly waiting for someone like her?

As perfect as he wanted it to be it couldn’t.. she lived in Tokyo plus she was a year older then him. He’d just be holding her back right? He didn’t want to mess this up, he wanted to fix things he wanted to be with her in long run. She had to aswell right?

“Tsukii, you’ll want to talk to her before we leave remember.” Yamaguchi said smiling to his friend.

He was scared, he’s body coved in cold sweat as he stepped into the dining hall. His eyes watching her as she cut fruit up her back facing him, the beads in her braids mixed with the humming of her voice as she listened to music. Her headphones over head and she continued to mind her business.

His presence went unnoticed by her as he got closer, his hands shaking as he took a deep breath “Can I help you with anything Kei?” She asked suddenly.

Unnoticed my ass he thought, get it together. His words quite as he answerd her “I just wanted to say goodbye.”

She hummed continuing to cut up the strawberry in front of her. For a moment it was silent until she spoke up again “is there anything else?” She knew, but she wanted his to say it, to simply say what he wanted to say.

He didn’t say anything, but he let his hands grab her headphones gently taking them off her head. His body was close to hers, she could feel his breath hitting her ears as he did so. She slowly stoped cutting the fruit, her eyes closing as she felt him move her braids to the side. His fingers softly playing with them. His forehead falling onto her shoulder. “Kei..?”

He hummed, “I didn’t wanna leave without saying goodbye..” he rasped.

Just open up, tell her. Tell her where you feelings lie.

“Yeah?” She asked almost breathlessly the feeling of his breath hitting her neck.

“Mmhm..”

The silence was comfortable, he felt her body shift letting her body lean forward a bit. “I haven’t felt like this for anyone, not towards any girl ever. Yet when I’m around you I get so nervous it make me sick…” he whispered.

He closed her eyes when she head him take a deep breath “I know it’s kinda stupid but I don’t want to walk about knowing I didn’t try that I’d rather get rejected in person. Yet I’m confident enough to know that your not gonna reject me, that we do share feelings towards each other..”

“I just need you to tell me yourself, tell me it you don’t feel what I feel.”

“I do feel what you feel.” She muttered leaned back into him.

She smiled softly feeling his arms wrap around her body. She knew it was hard for him to open up but that was enough, really something she needed to hear. That she didn’t mess up her chances with him, but she couldn’t let herself rush this one.

“Kei.. I see how independent you are and how it’s hard for you to open up, I can tell your focused on other things. I just don’t want to be a reason to drag you down, that we won’t drag eachother down because we’re both..” she trailed on.

“Stubborn.”

She laughed lightly “yeah.. stubborn.”

She turned facing him “let’s take this, us, let’s take our time.”

He nodded “The time we need, we’ll find time to see one another right?”

“Of course, plus now you’ll have my number and you have my socials we’ll talk every day if need be.” She smiled her hands holding his face.

He nodded lazily, his head falling back into her shoulder. He hugged her tightly as she did aswell, he may have not shown it on his face but he was over the moon.

Walking out the walked out together the other at the bus already. He stop led her before they got to close pretty out of sight from the others. He wanted to kiss her really bad just one last time time.

“Can I kiss you..?” He asked

Her eyes meeting his as she nodded. His hands holding the side of he face as she kissed him his head turning a bit deepening the kiss, he wanted to kiss her as if it was the last time. A slight moan leaving her lips as he kissed her. “ just need t’ remember the taste of you..” he muttered kissing her once more.

Her face was all hot, she looked a bit out of it as he pulled away making him chuckle. “You alright?”

“Mmhm!” She hummed a stupid smile on her face his hands still holding her.

“I’ll come see you before break ends thought!” She spoke.

“I have some family friends down in your prefecture.” She smiled watching his face light up a bit.

“I can’t wait..” he spoke kissing her once more.

She watched them drive away, the sun finally rising. He gave her a small wave as they drove away, god, if he smile could grow more it would have.

“So you and blondie huh?” Kuroo said his arm falling over you shoulder.

“What no! I’m not into blondes.” She smiled picking her tounge out at him.

“Uh huh! Right do I didn’t just watch y’all kiss?” He said his tone lower.

He shrugged “Maybeee..”

He laughed watched her walk away.

She was sure of where her love lied, and now she knew of his.