#at least i knew when to not let anything more happen lol like the movie ended and i was like OKAY time for you to leave!

[hecksupremechips]

I went on a "date" with a guy a few months ago and I just remember us on my couch watching shrek 2 and him cuddling and getting all intimate with me while I just sat there like 🙃

[juyeonszn]

BAD IDEA RIGHT?

PAIRING lee juyeon x f!reader

WORD COUNT 4.10k

GENRES … smut

WARNINGS 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, literally porn with plot. like i’m so insane, enemies to “we fuckin” as reese put it 🥰, frat boy tbz again!!!, juyo is literally so irritating in the first half im not even gonna lie, he’s also a manwhore, making out, reader is a bit of a brat, juyeon has a dirty mouth, kinda dom!juyeon, vaginal fingering, oral (m! receiving), SHOWER SEX !12!1!, he’s hitting it from the back btw, unprotected sex, creampie, juyeon is actually… i don’t even know how to describe him writing his character made me want to claw at the walls lol

SUMMARY deep down you’re fully aware that you’re probably making a huge mistake by giving into juyeon just like every other girl on campus ever has. but paired with how intoxicating his mouth feels on your own and the steam filled bathroom clouding your head, you can’t seem to find a logical reason to stop.

MORE heheheh im back 🤭 oh my god this was actually the cause of a week full of sleepless nights. i genuinely drove myself crazy writing this bc NEED FRRRR like idk i’m so 😭 delusional. ANYWAYS. ANON. THIS ONE IS FOR U. U REQUESTED THIS AND I RAN WITH IT. u wanted more juyeon, i deliver more juyeon ;) also shout out to ally, moni, AND reese for beta’ing 🥺 i love u my cupcakes!! prompt used: 18 <3

PERM TAGLIST @winterchimez @maessseongs @itsbeeble

If there was anyone on Earth that you hated more than anything, it had to be Lee Juyeon.

To put things plainly, he was quite literally the bane of your existence. Being around him made your blood pressure skyrocket and gave you migraines that lasted for days. It was insane how one person could affect you so much by doing so little. It seemed as if he thrived off of getting under your skin.

Considering he was the captain and the pitcher of the baseball team, it wasn’t shocking. He was also a member of one of the most popular fraternities on campus. But he happened to be roommates with one of your best friends, and that made it ten times worse.

You’d known Changmin since third grade, along with Kevin and Chanhee. When he mentioned he’d be joining a fraternity in college, you were a bit apprehensive. All you knew about them was what you’d read in YA books and seen in movies. Neither gave them a good rep. Part of you wanted to talk him out of it, but you knew this was something you had to let him do, given you were adults and it was his college experience. At least you still had the other two under one roof.

The first time you met Juyeon was also the first time you attended a frat party. Changmin had just passed his initiation after waiting a year and he invited all of you to celebrate. You were excited for the most part since high school parties were more for an adrenaline rush due to the fact that your parents never let you go to them and you either snuck out or lied about going. You didn’t have to worry about the limitations of parents this go around.

The boys disappeared almost immediately upon arrival, leaving you to fend for yourself in the very crowded fraternity house. You could hardly pass through a room without bumping into somebody’s shoulder or elbow, huffing as you maneuver around the house equivalent to a sardine can. Your drink nearly spilled onto your top multiple times and you were glad you decided against the heels for the night.

You chugged the rest of the jungle juice in your cup as you stepped onto the patio, where it’s just as noisy and just as packed. You’re lucky enough to find an empty lounge chair near the house’s pool, unoccupied and calling your name. When your legs touch the plastic chair, you flinch at how hot it is, most likely from being in the sun all day.

“Woah, do you want a cushion?”

You look up at the source of the voice. You’ve seen him around campus before, and even at Changmin’s games. Lee Juyeon was just one of those people that you had to know, unless you’d been living under a rock. Just like everyone else in the world, you couldn’t deny how attractive he was. From this distance, you truly understood why girls would giggle like high schoolers over the guy.

“Uh, sure. Yeah, that would be great actually.” You nod, watching as he wanders towards the shed in the corner of the big ass backyard. He returns promptly, holding his red solo cup between his teeth and one hand on your lower back guiding you to a standing position so he could place down the cushion.

“As a thank you, can I get your name?” He gives you a cocky little smile that should’ve been a warning. And looking back on it, you should’ve seen his true personality sooner, to be completely honest. The way his lips curled at the corners, like a conniving bastard who got off on irritating others.

“It’s Y/N,” you say, messing with your empty cup. “I’d ask for yours, but I kinda already know.”

He laughs at that, scratching the back of his neck. “That’s not surprising.” It’s at this point that you’re starting to see through his sweet facade, but despite knowing better— despite always keeping your guard up— you let yourself fall for it just this once. All because you didn’t want to fuck things up for Changmin. He owed you big time.

“Well, you are a talented athlete.” You didn’t want to fuel what is probably already a massive ego, but you’d rather compliment his baseball skills than the fact that he was infamous for screwing around with half of the girls on campus. Technically, that was a feat of its own since he’d only been in school for a year.

“Oh, so you think I’m talented?” He rested a hand on your chair, leaning down to your level. Confidence oozed from every corner of his being and if you weren’t so self aware, perhaps you could’ve ended up like all those other victims of his charismatic behavior.

“I go to the games for Changmin,” you scoff, glancing away from his face to stop the heat rising up your neck. “I’ve only paid attention to you once or twice.”

“Yeah, sure. Let's go with that,” he bites his lip, blatantly checking you out. “I wouldn’t mind paying attention to you a little.”

“I’m unimpressed, Juyeon,” you snort, raising an eyebrow at him. “Does this shit really work on everyone?”

“I can drop the act if you want, baby. Just let me know when you’re ready to stop playing hard to get.” He stands upright, running a hand through his hair.

Every time you ran into Lee Juyeon after that, he was more and more insufferable. He knew his influence on you, too, if his smug fucking grin was anything to go by. You wish you could just slap it off of him. However, you stood by being the bigger person in any given situation, so that was off the table. (And half of you still felt a moral obligation to not get your friend into hot water.)

“Would it kill you to play nice every once in a while? I do live with the dude, you know.” Changmin whines, trailing you in the supermarket like a lost puppy.

“He’s got a point, N/N,” Kevin adds, humming as he tosses a boxed dinner into the cart. “I get that he’s a little bit of an overconfident douche, but rolling your eyes at him when he hasn’t even done anything just makes it worse on you. And JiChang, too, I guess.”

“Bro…”

You weren’t even sure why he decided to tag along with you and the other boys when you mentioned grocery shopping. In fact, he might as well have stayed his ass home if he was just going to gang up on you the whole time. Chanhee sighs dramatically, bringing your shopping cart to a halt.

“Can we not have a peaceful grocery trip? Is that impossible or something?” His lips form a thin line. “I swear, all we do is talk about how much Y/N hates Lee Juyeon. Can we please move on?”

“Thank you, Chanhee, I agree,” you nod along, walking backwards as you do so and ignoring the faces your friends make. “He makes me want to kill myself.”

“Who makes you want to kill yourself?”

You jump up, frightened by the sudden voice in your ear. Your friends all give you sheepish smiles, as if they’d already tried to warn you. (What shitty jobs they did.) With a hand over your heart, you turn around to meet— speak of the devil— none other than Lee Juyeon himself.

“What are you doing here?” Your eyes narrow and your arms cross over your chest. Luck could never be on your side when it came to this guy.

“Uh, last I checked, this was a public supermarket. Where I can publicly shop. I wasn’t aware that I had to run that by you. So sorry, sweetheart.” He pouts, his expression so theatrical you nearly give in to your constant urge to punch him in the face.

You feel your eye twitch, and it takes everything in you to step back and assess just how bad it would be if you committed murder right now. Changmin comes to your rescue, doing damage control as best as he can while Kevin attempts to talk you out of becoming a criminal.

The two frat brothers do their little fraternity handshake thing and then finally he’s out of sight, out of mind, allowing you to visibly relax. Chanhee purses his lips. “Okay, so maybe I do see where the anger comes from. And holy shit, Y/N, you have the patience of a saint.”

“The person you have called is unavailable! At the tone, please leave a message. When you have finished recording, you may—”

“Goddammit.” You curse, ending the unsuccessful call.

The downside of working far from campus, was working far from campus. You didn’t have your own car and usually relied on one of your roommates for a ride to and from. But now here you are, stranded at work while it’s pouring cats and dogs outside. Kevin was in class and Chanhee wasn’t picking up his phone. You could call Changmin, but you’re pretty sure he also had a class around this time.

Just as you’re about to succumb to your demise, you receive a text from Chanhee.

[2:57 pm] michael jackson: IM SO SORRY AJNSSJNW BUT SOMETHING CAME UP WITH A GROUP PROJECT

[2:57 pm] michael jackson: DONT WORRY THOUGH, IVE GOT IT COVERED UR STILL GETTING PICKED UP

“Could today get any worse?” You mutter to yourself, locking your phone and tossing it into your purse. As if your timing couldn’t be better, you spoke entirely too soon. Your eyes squint at the unfamiliar car rolling up under the carport. Your brows furrowed in confusion, because you had no idea who could be your saving grace. Chanhee was a wild card so who knew who he had on speed dial.

But then the passenger window rolls down and you wish the ground would just swallow you whole. Lee Juyeon grins that stupid fucking grin of his, beckoning you to his car as it unlocks when he shifts into park. You shake your head.

“No way. There is absolutely no way I am getting into that car.” You shout over the pelting rain.

Juyeon tsks, his eyes rolling when he reaches over the center console to open the door for you. “Is there anyone else who would drop everything they’re doing to pick you up in this weather?”

Your lips pull into a flat line. The answer was no, you didn’t have anyone else who would drop everything they were doing to pick you up in this weather. That was the reason Juyeon was here, you supposed. It didn’t mean you weren’t at least going down without a fight, though. Except, Lee Juyeon was a man who was all too comfortable with how expressive you were. Most notably towards him.

“What? Cat got your tongue, sweetheart?”

“Fuck you. I’d rather walk.” You seethe, starting straight in the direction of your apartment. Juyeon groans at first, your constant need to prove yourself getting on his nerves for once. Then his eyes widen slightly when he realizes you’re not joking.

The truth was that the rain was freezing and you’d love to be in the shelter of a warm car. In fact, you didn’t really care that Juyeon was the person driving. But you were too deep into the bit now. You couldn’t just turn around and get in the car, for you had a pride to protect at this point.

“Shit.” Juyeon swears under his breath, reaching into the backseat to grab an umbrella. Sure he loved to tease you and rile you up, but he wasn’t cruel. Your friends would have his head on a silver platter if he let anything happen to you.

You pause in your steps when you’re no longer being showered in rain water. Juyeon holds the umbrella over your head with a worried expression. You feel kind of bad for making him chase after you even though he’d already gone out of his way to pick you up. Sometimes you wish your ego wasn’t so fragile. Maybe then you could accept help when you needed it instead of making things worse.

“Can you please stop being so stubborn and just get in the damn car, Y/N? Do you have to make everything difficult all the time?” Usually, pissing you off made him over the moon, but you can tell he’s not exactly pleased at the moment. You swallow thickly, nodding quietly and following him back to his car.

The whole drive to your apartment is silent save for the song playing on his speakers. It’s not as loud in comparison to the storm outside, but you’re grateful that it’s filling the space between you. If only Lee Juyeon hadn’t done such an excellent job ticking you off like a bomb, then maybe you would’ve just hopped in the passenger seat with ease. But no, he had to goad you until you made an irrational decision and now here you are.

As he pulls up to your building, you say a little prayer that you don’t regret your next actions. He stops as close to the stairs as he can, but you turn to him before unbuckling your seatbelt. With a deep breath, you ask, “Would you like to— uh— come inside?”

He glances from you to the stairs and then shrugs, parking in the nearest empty spot. He holds the umbrella over both of you as you make your way to your unit, lightly sprinting so you don’t get anymore soaked than you already are. You figured the least you could do was invite the dude into your home and offer him some hot tea, just so he could warm up before heading back to the TBZ house. Your roommates not being here to make fun of you was also a plus.

There’s still an unspoken tension even after you’ve shed your raincoats and shoes by the front door, settling into your apartment and its coziness. Juyeon sits at the breakfast bar as you busy yourself with preparing the kettle and getting a couple tea bags. His watchful gaze is a little intimidating now that you’ve seen his serious side.

Once you’ve finished making the tea, you set his mug in front of him. You look everywhere but him when you say, “I’m gonna take a shower if you’re okay waiting out here by yourself.” He doesn’t respond verbally, so you take it as your cue to leave.

You turn on the water to let it heat up before gathering your essentials. When you’ve completed your back and forth trip from the bathroom and your bedroom, you’re finally ready to just relax in your shower and forget about today’s events. But how could you ever truly relax with Lee Juyeon in your space, permeating your peace?

As you’re shutting the bathroom door, a foot jams itself between the threshold and stops you. You glance up from the floor to meet Juyeon’s eyes. They’re darker than you’re used to, a deep shade of brown that has your stomach twisting into knots.

“You know, Y/N, this game of cat and mouse is starting to get old,” he takes a step into the steaming room, locking the door behind him and trapping you. “Just admit to yourself that you want me.”

You sputter at his bold words, because you don’t. You don’t want Lee Juyeon. Why would you want Lee Juyeon? “I’m not gonna lie to myself. I don’t want you.”

He laughs humorlessly, closing the gap between you just a little more. You don’t have it in you to back away from him. He reaches a hand up to tuck some damp hair behind your ear. You’re still wet and cold from your stupid idea to walk in the rain, but Juyeon plans to warm you up perfectly. “You sure?”

“Positive,” you breathe.

“Why don’t we test that theory?” Now he’s got you backed into the wall, his face a hair’s breadth distance from your own. “I have a feeling I can change your mind.”

You don’t know if it’s the heat of the bathroom or Juyeon’s lips being so close, but so far simultaneously that has your brain turning into static. Your head feels fuzzy, like you’re watching TV on an empty channel through a blurry lens. You lick your lips, vision trained on his. “Why don’t we?”

That’s all the confirmation he needs to press your mouths together in a searing kiss, hotter than the temperature of the room. You feel him smile against you when you make no move to push him away, instead carding your fingers through his hair. He groans when you tug a bit, twirling the longer strands around your index.

His hands slip under your top, thumbs rubbing circles into your waist. This is a terrible idea. Deep down you’re fully aware that you’re probably making a huge mistake by giving into Juyeon just like every other girl on campus ever has. But paired with how intoxicating his mouth feels on your own and the steam filled bathroom clouding your head, you can’t seem to find a logical reason to stop.

When you part for air, you both start stripping your top layers, resuming your attacks on each other’s lips once you’re left in nothing but undergarments. Juyeon trails kisses along the side of your neck, nipping and sucking wherever he feels fit. You gasp when he finds that particular spot that contributes to the butterflies fluttering about your stomach. “God, you’re so annoying.”

“Yeah?” And despite getting ready to give you the pleasure of your life, his grin against your skin still manages to irritate you. “You hate me so much, huh?”

“Mhm,” you whine as his fingers dip beneath the band of your panties, toying with your sensitive cunt. “Hate you so bad— ah…”

“You might wanna shut up soon, sweetheart,” Juyeon warns, sliding his ring finger between your lower lips. “Or else I’ll give that mouth something to do.”

“I’ll do whatever I want,” you pull his hand from your underwear, kneeling in front of him when he furrows his eyebrows in confusion. Your nails scrape lightly down his abdomen before hooking into the waistband of his briefs, freeing him from the material. It takes a lot out of you to not visibly react at the sight of his cock, hard and flushed to the tip. You couldn’t dare inflate his ginormous ego, the situation you were currently in already doing enough on its own. His size is impressive too, making you wonder just how he expects you to take him like a champ.

“What a fucking brat,” he hisses, your tongue swiping along the underside of his dick. “Always gotta have the last word, don’t you?”

“Mmmm,” you moan, mouth full with just the tip. You’d never been the type of person who cared about size. As long as they knew what they were doing and made you finish, you held no qualms with their length. In fact, you don’t think you ever even paid much attention to anyone’s dick in your life. But if there was anything to back Lee Juyeon’s cockiness, it had to be, well, his cock.

“You have no idea how many times I’ve imagined this moment,” he confesses, wrapping your hair around his hand into a makeshift ponytail. “But, fuck, this is so much better.”

The admission shoots straight to your core and you find yourself whimpering, the vibrations against his dick driving him crazy. He has to support his weight with one hand flat to the wall, the other still tightly fisting your hair. With every suck and flick of your tongue, he tugs a little more, the sting on your scalp providing you with more pleasure than pain. You pull off of him to take a breath, jerking him off as you do so.

“Am I meeting your expectations?” You bat your eyelashes up at him, drool sliding down your chin and makeup smeared under your eyes in tear streaks. He groans at the sight of you, forcing you to a standing position so he could kiss you again.

You start dragging him towards the shower, unhooking your bra and stepping out of your panties. He raises an eyebrow at you, amused. “You want me to fuck you in the shower, baby? Have you slipping all over my cock?”

“Duh,” you can’t help but roll your eyes at his question, practically pawing at his underwear to get him out of them fully. “Did you think I sucked your dick on the bathroom floor for fun?”

“That mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble one of these days.”

He kicks them off, reconnecting your lips as you step into the shower. The hot water hits your back almost like a massage, synchronously getting in your mouth as you make out with Juyeon aggressively. It’s like he can’t get enough of you, big hands kneading and groping everywhere and nowhere all at once. You feel insane, especially with how good of a kisser he is. It’s like you’re on cloud nine and nothing’s capable of bringing you down.

When he’s finally lost his patience, he spins you around, pressing you cheek first to the shower wall. You feel him against your lower back, his lips leveling with your ear. In spite of acting as if he had himself under control, you can hear the pant in his breathing, deep voice a little desperate than usual. He has a hand gripping your thigh and picking up your leg.

“No protection?” He asks, his cock already gliding between your folds in anticipation.

“Mm-mm,” you shake your head as best you can with his body sandwiching you to the tiled surface. “Wanna feel you raw.”

“Fuck, you can’t say shit like that to me,” Juyeon groans into your ear, giving no warning as he spits down your front and hikes your leg higher, thrusting into your cunt. “You’ll make me wanna stay buried in you forever.”

You moan, hand coming up to hold the side of his head as he fucks you into the shower wall. If someone were to ask about this very moment, you weren’t too sure how you’d defend yourself. A moment of weakness, perhaps? But if a moment of weakness felt this fucking good every time, you might fall into a habit of judgment lapses.

He nuzzles his face in the crook of your neck, nibbling and biting your shoulder and the surrounding area with each snap of his hips. The angle he drives into you at has stars forming at the back of your vision, the tip of his cock brushing that one spot deep inside of you whenever he thrusts up. You don’t even think his entire dick is in you as he does this, but you also don’t really have the mind to care, way too focused on memorizing the veins of his shaft with your walls.

You’re far too gone to consider the consequences of your actions, the horizon of your release just beyond your fingertips now. You’d never needed someone so viscerally before, so carnally. Yet here you were, sucking Lee Juyeon’s cock in with your pussy like you were a damn vacuum. The sounds you’re making bounce back and forth on the walls, no doubt louder than the shower water itself.

“I— I-I’m so— fuck,” you mewl, words wobbling. “I’m so, so close, Juyo.”

“Yeah, baby?” He sighs in your ear, nudging your sensitive clit with his thumb while raising your leg as much as he physically can. “Me too, where do you want me?”

“Inside,” you don’t think you even make sense anymore, babbling as he continues to fuck you stupid. “Please. Want you to cum inside me.”

Juyeon grits his teeth, pleased with himself that he didn’t orgasm right then and there. He uses his last ounce of strength to get the two of you off together. “C’mon, sweetheart, cum for me.”

The fogginess subsides pretty quickly after you’ve finished, your brain registering what just happened almost instantaneously. If you weren’t so hypersensitive, you would’ve pulled him out yourself and scrambled to flee the scene. (And maybe even the country.) There are many more rational thoughts running through your head now. The entire trajectory of your life has just been changed, whether you realized it or not. But the biggest issue was:

What the hell do you do now?

© juyeonszn. do not steal, claim, or repost.

[lewmagoo]

we own the sky | rhett abbott

part one: ain’t no love in oklahoma

series info: new parts will be uploaded every friday at 7pm est. want more? read the synopsis here. listen to the playlist here. see the posting schedule here.

description: in which you return to the place where you lost everything

warnings: 18+ only, heavy themes, character death, grief, blood and injury, angst with a positive ending, allusions to sex, eventual smut, inaccurate weather terms, please do not check my science lol this story requires some suspension of disbelief. i usually try not to say anything about reader's family in fics but i do mention them having an unnamed great-aunt, as it was necessary to the plot

pairing: rhett abbott x f!reader

notes: this story is inspired by twisters. you do not have to watch the movie in order to understand this story, because aside from the storm chasing aspect, it has nothing to do with the twister universe. i've been working on this story for 2 months straight, and it is my pride and joy. i am so excited for everyone to read it! without further adieu, here is we own the sky!

You never thought you would return to the place where you lost everything. 

When you left, you had sworn to yourself that you would never come back. This part of your life, the unspeakable tragedy you had endured, had to stay in the past where it belonged. And for six years, you managed to make yourself forget while you moved on with life.

You knew it wasn’t just you who had been affected by what happened. It had touched the lives of multiple people, shattering everything around them. But while they had stayed, you had decided to run. Away from the agony, away from the memories, away from the man you loved. It was better that way. At least, that was what you told yourself. 

Now you found yourself standing in the middle of the rolling plains of the place that you used to live, wisps of tall grass brushing against your legs as the breeze rushed over the earth. It was all so familiar, yet so foreign. You felt so out of place, like an alien that had just descended the sky and landed on Earth for the very first time.

As you bent to pluck a stalk of switchgrass, you were struck with a memory of the day you left. Sprawled out in the long grass, your first love lying at your side. Rhett Abbott. The man you had known since you were mere babies in the church nursery together. Saying goodbye to him was the hardest part of leaving. But in your heart of hearts, you knew this was the way it had to be. You couldn’t look at him without being reminded of all you had lost. Of all he had lost. 

“I wish you’d stay,” his voice, filled with longing, cut into the still morning air. Such a contrast to the chaos that had transpired in recent days.

“You know I can’t,” you whispered, afraid that if you spoke any louder, your voice would break, and you would succumb to tears.

“We can figure things out, you an’ me. Work through it together.”

“Rhett–”

“Fuckin’ twister took so much from us. Now you’re leavin’, too.” Defeat was evident in his voice.

You sat up, turning to look down at him. “We talked about this, Rhett. I have to leave.”

He sat up, too, nodding somberly. “Y’don’t have to. You just can’t stand the thought of facin’ reality. So you’re runnin’ from it.” Then he rose to his feet, grass crunching beneath him. “Not all of us have the luxury of bolting when things get tough, honeybee. The rest of us have gotta stay and face it head-on.”

Then he walked away, and you let him, knowing this would be the last time you would see him. A love lost. 

Yet here you were again, in the same field where your romance had ended. However, you weren’t here to see him. You had returned to tie up loose ends, and face the past you had spent the last handful of years running from.

Rhett had been right about one thing. You needed to face it all head-on. But you weren’t sure if you had the strength to do so.

Being back in your hometown of Wabang, Oklahoma was a surreal experience. Nothing and everything had changed all at once. Dorothy McIntyre still owned Mac’s Diner on Main Street. Mrs. Simmons still tended to her rose garden every single day, keeping it in pristine condition. The local Baptist church still looked exactly the same as the day you left. 

It felt like the town was stuck in time.

But there were also some changes. A new bar had opened up in town. A coffee shop, too, which was quite the upgrade. Even though life was slow moving here, it still continued on, just like it did everywhere else. 

Coming back was never something you thought was in the cards for you, but a handful of your family members had remained here when you left. Including your great-aunt. Sadly, she had recently passed away, and you’d surprised yourself by willingly volunteering to go sort through her belongings and prepare her house to be sold.

You had a good portion of vacation days saved from your job at the National Weather Service Headquarters, and you decided to take them while you had the chance. Instead of going on a fun getaway, you were cleaning out a house that was just a few steps down from a hoarding house. 

Your poor aunt had gotten rather forgetful in her old age, and had let so much clutter accumulate. Her declining physical health and mental capacity had inhibited her from cleaning, and, unfortunately, her children were not the most diligent when it came to looking after their mother, so no one had helped her with clearing any of the clutter when she was alive. 

That was where you came in. And you certainly had your work cut out for you. But you didn’t mind too terribly. You were glad to have a break from work. Monitoring weather was quite literally a 24/7 thing. You loved your job, but you often felt as if you were running about like a chicken with its head cut off.  

Especially now. It was late spring, and the weather had been wild and unkempt. It had a mind of its own, and with all the freak storms ripping through seemingly every state in the US, the National Weather Service was extremely busy. 

And here you were, in the heart of Tornado Alley, which had seen a record-breaking uptick in tornado activity this season. You couldn’t deny that the thought of being here during this season made your anxiety skyrocket. 

Where you lived now, in Maryland, tornadoes weren’t commonplace. They happened, yes, but not nearly as often as they did in your home state of Oklahoma. 

You had once loved studying the phenomenon of twisters. There had been a time when they fascinated you. A time when you chased after them to analyze their data. And then, one terrible, fateful day, while observing one of those vicious twisters, the unthinkable happened. 

Six Years Ago

“This one’s gonna be a big one. I can feel it,” Rhett’s voice was laced with electric excitement. He was a live wire, blue eyes wide and glimmering with his eagerness. 

His excitement rubbed off on you. You loved doing this together. It was what you were meant to do. “I can, too,” you replied with a grin, bouncing on the balls of your feet. 

He leaned in, his gaze flickering to your lips before he ducked his head to kiss you languidly. “Ready to wrangle this twister?” He asked. 

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Could’ya get a room?” Another voice cut across the site, interrupting your moment. 

Rhett scowled as he looked over your shoulder to find his brother approaching. “Just for that, I’m kissin’ her again.” He pulled you in and planted another kiss on you, dialing it up to disgust Perry all the more.

You shoved at Rhett’s chest, giggling when you parted. “Maybe let’s not gross out everyone within a ten-mile radius,” you joked, though you still leaned in to steal one last peck from him. 

“When you two are done neckin’, you might wanna pay attention to the radar. Winds are pickin’ up,” Perry explained, tapping the screen that was currently resting on the tailgate of Rhett’s truck.

“Think this one’s gonna touch down?” Came the voice of Rebecca, Perry’s wife, as she approached, tugging her ball cap down over her blonde ponytail. 

“Look at them clouds. It’s gotta,” Rhett mused, motioning toward the sky. Angry, black clouds roiled in the distance. Perry was right, the wind was picking up. Although it wasn’t cold, it still sent a shiver down your spine.

Lightning crackled across the gray backdrop, and thunder subsequently rumbled in the distance. As you felt the first drops of cool rain, you locked eyes with Rhett. His face broke into a grin.

“Let’s get goin’!” He called out, retrieving his worn felt hat, the one you’d gotten him on his eighteenth birthday, and placing it atop his head. 

You found yourself laughing with glee as you moved to scurry to the passenger seat of his rickety old GMC Sierra that had seen more storms than you could count. As you wrenched the door open, the sound of scrambling footsteps alerted you that someone was approaching quickly. You turned to find Lydia, your best friend, running toward you, her French braids bouncing wildly about.

“Don’t forget this!” She called out, shoving a walkie-talkie into your hand. Her own remained clipped to the waistband of her cargo pants. 

“Thanks!” You replied. “You riding with us or with Perry and Bec?”

“I’ll ride with them, since they’ve got more room and all,” she told you. Unlike Rhett’s truck, Perry’s had a backseat.

“Okay, see you after the storm. Be careful, alright?” You surged forward and gave her a quick hug. Your friendship went way back to childhood, when you had met each other in kindergarten. You had been inseparable ever since. With your shared fascination with the weather, it was only natural that she would decide to chase twisters alongside you.

“Let’s go to that new ice cream place when we’re done!” She suggested when you parted. 

“Sure, I’ll mention it to Rhett. See ya in a bit!” With that, you yanked the truck door open and climbed inside, while Lydia rushed off to get into Perry’s truck. 

As you settled in the seat, you set your walkie down in the cupholder and grabbed the monitor you used to keep an eye on the weather radar. There, at the top of the screen, you saw the red banner that listed which counties had just been put under tornado watches. 

Glancing back up at the sky, your heart quickened in your chest. While it wasn’t guaranteed that a twister would touch down, it was a very high possibility, especially with the string of storms that had ripped through the area lately. 

“Let’s go chase this son’bitch,” Rhett murmured as he settled into the driver’s seat, tugging his seatbelt into place. He turned the key, and the truck roared to life. Without wasting a single moment, he threw the gear into drive and peeled out of the vacant lot you’d all been congregating in. 

He kept to the east of the storm, offering you the best vantage point. Most storms moved northeast, at thirty to forty miles per hour, so you had to move fast to keep up. Rhett stepped on the accelerator, wasting no time. He was vibrating with adrenaline beside you, and it was infectious. 

He always had been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. When he was in high school, he’d started bull riding competitively. He loved the thrill, the danger, the electricity he felt atop a thousand-pound animal. 

Chasing twisters was similar to bull riding. Trying to hold on for dear life as an angry, churning force threatened to toss you through the air like a rag doll. Once he’d had a taste, he couldn’t get enough. 

His love of the thrill and your fascination with weather made you a dream team. 

Turning it into a family affair wasn’t necessarily the goal, but Rebecca found the phenomenon of tornadoes fascinating, and Perry was simply along for the ride, so the four of you started storm chasing together. 

And of course, Lydia had been on board from the moment you suggested it. Much like Rhett, she also loved thrill seeking, and was content to join your little team. She was particularly good at analyzing storm data. Her entire motivation was figuring out how twisters worked. 

Meteorology was a science that was relatively new. While the study of weather itself had been around for millennia, it didn’t quite progress until scientists began utilizing computers to analyze meteorological data. 

Even with all the progress that had been made, tornadoes were difficult to study. Things like hurricanes and tropical storms were easier to predict and monitor. But not twisters. They were wild, uncontrollable beasts that could touch down at any moment and wreak all sorts of havoc in mere seconds.

Lydia wanted to learn all she could about the phenomena, and so did you. Your shared interest allowed you to work very well together. 

You were so grateful for the little group you worked with. Four people you loved very much. You’d known Rhett, Perry, and Lydia your entire life, of course, and Rebecca was a newer addition. She’d joined you in the last five years, but she was an excellent asset with her history as a news meteorologist. 

What a merry band of storm chasers you were, heading into the face of danger, hoping to encounter one of the most mysterious weather anomalies in existence. 

“How’s she lookin’, darlin’?” Rhett asked, one hand reaching over to squeeze your thigh lovingly. 

You gazed down at the screen in your lap, paying attention to the large highlighted region that showed which direction the storm was moving. The severity was mounting. 

“Pretty intense,” you answered. Then, as if on cue, the telltale sound of hailstones began to patter against the roof of the truck. Your face broke into a grin. 

Over the walkie, Lydia’s voice could be heard. “We’ve got hail!” She cried in excitement. 

The shift in temperature was a good sign. These were peak conditions for a tornado to form in. You grabbed the hand Rhett had placed on your leg, giving it a squeeze. He squeezed right back. 

Moments later, the hail died down, and you opened the truck window, listening. A crack of thunder in the distance. And then, a split second of utter silence. 

The hair on the back of your neck stood on end. 

You turned your head, looking straight at Rhett. The blue of his eyes was bright as could be, shining with anticipation. 

And then, just beyond him, you saw it. 

“Holy shit.”

He glanced to his left and saw it too. A few hundred yards from you, in the open fields, a funnel cloud had begun to form. Your eyes never left it, staring at the sky, willing the funnel to touch down. 

“Come on, come on, come on.”

“We got touchdown yet?!” Rhett asked, eyes half on the road, half on the funnel. 

Almost there. Almost there. Almost there. 

And then, all at once, it made contact with the ground. Lydia was shouting through the walkie, and you grabbed the device to answer her. Your heart was pounding in your chest, your teeth chattering as adrenaline began to course through you. 

What a beautiful sight it was. Terrifying and destructive, but beautiful. 

“Goddamn, look at that,” Rhett breathed in awe. He kept his foot planted firmly on the accelerator, maintaining a fast pace, staying just ahead of the swirling tunnel of wind. 

But your spirit of wonder soon dissipated as you noticed something. “It looks like it’s getting bigger,” you remarked. The change was obvious. It was covering more ground. Moving faster and faster. 

Within seconds, your entire life was turned upside down. 

“Oh my God. Rhett…” Your voice failed you, coming out as more of a whisper. You gripped his arm, and he quickly brought both hands to the steering wheel, knuckles white. 

He gazed out at the approaching swirl, and he knew he was no longer chasing the storm. No, this time, the tides had turned. 

Now it was time to run. 

You scrambled for the walkie-talkie, fingers closing around the plastic, but it flew out of your hands as Rhett slammed on the brakes. You let out a yelp as you plummeted forward, seatbelt stopping you from hitting the dashboard. 

“We gotta find cover!” He shouted, throwing the gear into park and unbuckling his own seatbelt. His face was awash with fright, pale as could be. He pointed to your right. “Old Miller property’s over there. Maybe we can make it to the storm cellar!”

Terror-stricken, you scrambled to open your door, tumbling out onto the asphalt. As soon as you righted yourself, Rhett was grabbing you, hand tight on your bicep, dragging you across the road. Your boots crunched against gravel, but you couldn’t hear the sound over the roar of the wind.

It was so close you could feel it tugging at your clothes. A vortex threatening to swallow you whole. If it overtook you, you’d never make it out alive. 

Together, you dashed across an old wheat field, straight for the Miller farm. It had been abandoned for years, but the storm shelter remained, and it was your best chance at survival. 

You could see it just up ahead, jutting slightly from the ground. But your legs ached, and your lungs burned like fire as you struggled to take in gulps of air. So close yet so far. Just a little further. 

You’d never been so terrified in your life. You understood now what people meant when they said their life flashed before their eyes. Yours did at that moment, as you ran alongside the man you loved. 

Images of your family, memories of all the good times you’d had with Rhett, flashes of laughing and singing and being young and foolish and so full of wonder. Was it all for naught? 

“C’mon, baby! We’re almost there!” His desperate shout filled your ears. He yanked you toward him and you nearly lost your footing, and for one horrifying moment, you thought you were going to fall, but Rhett caught you in his strong arms, continuing on across the field. 

By the grace of the Almighty, you made it to the shelter. Rhett threw himself down, lifting the iron bar that was fastened across the rusted doors. Hinges squealed as he heaved them open, and he pulled you forward, urging you down the rickety old ladder into the abyss below. 

You scrambled down, and he followed, slamming the door shut as he did so. When you reached the end of the ladder, your feet hit the floor unsteadily, and you yelped as your foot gave out beneath you, ankle twisting painfully. But your injury was the least of your worries. 

In the inky darkness, Rhett landed beside you and reached out, grabbing you, pulling you close. 

“Rhett!” You sobbed, burying your face against his chest as he cautiously guided you away from the overhead doors. 

“I’ve got you!” He assured you, holding you tightly. He pulled you both to the damp ground, and you curled up beneath him as he laid his body atop your own. “I’m here, baby. I’m here.”

He held you, his large hands covering your ears as the violent storm raged above you. 

Often, tornadoes were described as sounding like a freight train, and you would agree with that statement, having witnessed so many of them. But right now, as you huddled beneath the ground right below the savage phenomenon, it didn’t sound like a train at all. 

It sounded like the world was coming to an end. 

You weren’t entirely certain how long you stayed down there, pressed against the earth, as Rhett shielded you. It felt like hours. Days. Weeks. 

And then, all at once, it stopped. 

The world went quiet again. Nature went back to its natural order. The danger had passed. 

You laid there for a few moments, both of you breathing hard, hearts racing. You were trembling. So was he. But you were alive. 

“Are you okay?” Rhett asked as he lifted his body from yours, kneeling beside you. 

You sat up, trying to find your voice. “Y-yeah. Are you?”

“I’m fine,” he breathed. 

And then, “Oh my God. Perry, Bec and Lydia!”

You hurried to stand, and Rhett grabbed your arm, leading you both through the dark, feeling for anything that might be in your path. Once he’d grabbed onto the ladder, he ascended it first, grunting as he reached up to open the doors. 

Daylight flooded the cellar, and you shielded your eyes for a moment before you took hold of the ladder yourself and began climbing. 

As you both emerged, the sight you were met with was harrowing. The old Miller farmhouse was entirely decimated, blown flat to the ground like a house made of popsicle sticks. The barn was destroyed, too, pieces of red painted wood littering the surrounding property. 

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ. That had to be an EF4. Maybe even a five,” Rhett said in utter disbelief, his eyes wide, jaw slacken. 

A sob tore itself from your throat as you turned, fully taking in the level of damage around you. There was seemingly no sign of Perry’s truck. 

“Do you think they found cover?” You asked, voice trembling. 

Rhett’s face was grim, but he still said, “‘m sure they did, they’re smart, they’re probably just hunkerin’ down in a ditch somewhere.” Then he grasped your hand. “Let’s head out to the road and see if we can fine ‘em.”

You intertwined your fingers with his and followed, but your stomach was in knots. What if your friends had been consumed by the storm? What if they were dead?

As you walked, you both called out for them, hoping they’d hear and yell back. But your voices bounced off of the eerily silent countryside. Such a contrast to the chaos that had just transpired. 

“They can’t have gone too far. They were right behind us,” Rhett spoke. You could hear the distress in his voice, although he was trying to keep himself steady for you. 

You scanned the horizon, and that’s when you saw it. A long ways off, the silhouette of an overturned truck could be seen. Perry’s truck. 

“Rhett,” came your whisper. 

“I see it.”

Together, you broke into a run, sprinting across the road and into the field on the other side. Faster and faster, desperate to see what was inside the truck. Praying it was empty, that your friends had found cover. 

You came to a stop once you were within a few feet of the truck, and Rhett held out his arm, glancing back at you as he caught his breath. “Just wait, I’ll check,” he told you. 

You shook your head, breathing still labored. “No, let’s look together.”

Holding his gaze, a beat passed before he reached for your hand again. Together, you cautiously approached the truck, which was turned onto its side. It was severely battered, damaged beyond repair. 

As you rounded the front, you peered down into the window and your blood ran cold. “Oh dear God.”

Rhett jumped into action, climbing atop the side of the truck. The driver's side glass was shattered, allowing him to reach in. “Per!” He exclaimed, gripping his brother’s shirt, tugging him upward. “Perry!”

But he got no response. The man was unconscious. A nasty gash marred the side of his head, crimson blood trickling down his face. He was terribly pale.

Beneath him, Rhett could see Rebecca. His heart sank like a rock. Just from the way she was positioned, he could tell she was not going to fare well. He couldn’t see if her chest was rising and falling or not. And when he squinted to look into the back seat, he saw Lydia, slumped over, but he couldn’t tell if she was dead or just merely unconscious.  

“Are they alive?!” You couldn’t tell from your vantage point. All you could see was Perry and Rebecca. If Lydia was still in the truck, she was concealed in the back. 

“I-I can feel a pulse, but Perry’s bleedin’ real bad. Call 911!” He didn’t give you any information about the girls. 

“Rhett, the girls! Are they—”

“Just call an ambulance!” He repeated with urgency. 

You did as you were told, hurrying to grab your phone from your pocket, hands shaking fiercely as you dialed the emergency number. You prayed you would get an answer, knowing the call lines would be flooded after the storm. 

Moments later, an operator answered. Panicked, you explained your situation, begging them to send help. The woman remained calm, asking for your name and location, assuring you that assistance was on the way. You had no recollection of what you said to her. Everything was a blur, adrenaline giving you tunnel vision.

After you hung up the phone, Rhett jumped down from the truck. You threw yourself into his arms as he neared you, tears spilling down your cheeks. “They said they’re on their way,” you whimpered. 

He hugged you close, and you could feel the way he trembled. “I didn’t…I didn’t want to pull him out. The EMTs should be the ones to do it, just in case anythin’ is broken.” While that was partially true, he was also terrified that if he started pulling everyone out, he’d find the girls were dead. It would bring reality crashing down upon him. The thought made his gut churn with dread, and he found himself praying to a God he didn’t even believe in, asking Him to spare his brother and his sister-in-law, and your dearest friend Lydia. 

It took longer than usual, because so many ambulances had already been dispatched to aid those harmed in the storm. But as time ticked on, the more worried you became. “I’m scared,” you whimpered.

Rhett held you tighter, resting his cheek atop your head. He felt so powerless. “I know. Me too.”

Moments later, the wail of emergency vehicle sirens could be heard. Multiple ambulances and a firetruck approached, all pulling into the grass toward the scene. Rhett let you go, the two of you jogging ahead to meet the first responders.

“There’s three of ‘em in the truck!” Rhett exclaimed, “they’re all unconscious, from what I could tell!”

“We’ll get them out!” One of them assured you both. 

You watched as they all rushed toward the truck, firefighters and EMTs alike. Helplessly, you remained on the sidelines, clinging to Rhett, fingers clutching the fabric of his t-shirt. 

He wanted to tell you they’d be okay. That everything was going to be fine, that your friends were unharmed. But in his heart, he knew nothing would ever be okay again. 

Perry was pulled from the vehicle first, still unconscious. Together, you watched as he was placed on a gurney, where an EMT hurriedly checked his vitals, searching for life. 

“I’ve got a pulse, but it’s weak!” The young woman shouted. 

He was alive. That was a good sign, right? Maybe it meant the girls were alright as well. You could only hope. 

A saw was taken to the door, and it was removed so that the inside of the truck was more easily accessible. Then they pulled Rebecca out. She was so still, unresponsive as she was hauled down to a second gurney. 

You heard a voice shout that they couldn’t find a pulse. 

You placed your hand over your mouth, a grieved whimper escaping your throat. Rhett’s name slipped past your lips, and you buried your face in his chest, unable to watch. You could hear his sharp intake of breath. 

Then Lydia was pulled from the wreckage. While you kept your face hidden against Rhett, he watched on, and he knew, just from the sight of her, that she was gone.

His grip tightened on you. It felt as if a dagger had been plunged into his chest. He sucked in a sharp, ragged breath, his eyes falling shut for a moment as the weight of what was happening settled upon him. 

You lifted your head at that very moment, and you turned, realizing your best friend had been taken out of the truck. On instinct, you tried to pull away from Rhett. Tried to run toward the scene, to see for yourself if Lydia was alright. 

But Rhett held you back. “No,” he told you. 

“Let me go, I need to see if she’s okay!”

He repeated himself. “No.” He would not release you, no matter how hard you struggled. 

Tears blurred your vision. “Rhett, please! I need to know if she’s alive!” 

He grabbed both of your shoulders and looked right into your eyes. “Darlin’, stop! Just let ‘em do their jobs!” He didn’t want you near it. Didn’t want you to witness death up close and personal like that. It would haunt you forever. 

Your knees buckled, and he caught you as you fell into him, wailing from the weight of your pain. Brokenhearted, Rhett cradled you in his arms, squeezing his eyes shut as his own tears made their way down his cheeks. This wasn’t happening. It wasn’t real. It had to be a dream. A nightmare. 

And then one of the sheriff’s deputies was approaching. Linden Haynes. “You two need an escort to the hospital?” He asked, voice low. Knowing you’d both want to go in support of your friends. 

Rhett nodded, trying to find his voice. “Yeah…yeah. Thanks. I, uh, don’t know where my truck got blown to.”

Linden hummed, his face sympathetic. “No problem. We’ll find your truck somewhere. Once things calm down, I can see if we can get some deputies searchin’ for it.” He moved to walk away, motioning for you both to follow. 

“Linden, are…are they okay?” you heard yourself speak. 

He turned, trying to mask his expression, but you could see it in his eyes. He had witnessed the wreckage firsthand. He’d seen the EMTs and firefighters rescuing your friends. He knew. 

“Let the docs and nurses at the hospital tell you that, they’ll know more than me,” was his response.

Defeated, you followed him to his squad car, your body still leaning into Rhett. You climbed into the backseat together, and as soon as you were settled, you buried your face in your hands, trying desperately to hold yourself together. But you were unraveling, and the dread was threatening to swallow you whole. 

The hospital was in a frenzy when you arrived. So many people hurt in the storm. You heard murmurs of the tornado being an EF5, which made your eyes go wide as you looked at Rhett. It was a wonder you’d even made it to safety. 

Sitting there in that hospital waiting room was the most excruciating moment of your life. Hoping your friends would survive. Knowing that they might not. 

Rhett was on the verge of potentially losing his brother. And while his relationship with Perry had been tumultuous over the years, he cared about him deeply, and couldn’t stomach the thought of losing him. 

You sat side by side on vinyl-covered chairs, holding each other’s hands in a death grip, startling anytime a doctor or nurse walked by, thinking one of them was coming to give you an update. 

Finally, an update did come. 

You had no recollection of ending up on the floor. But there you were, crumbled against the cool tile as Rhett tried to console you, while simultaneously wracked with grief himself. 

They were dead. Lydia and Rebecca. They were dead, and they had been since they were pulled from the wreckage. Perry, however, was alive, but just barely holding onto life. 

The doctor was a family friend. He offered to contact yours and Rhett’s respective families. It was all a bur. And then you found yourself in Perry’s hospital room, which was stone silent, filled with dreadful anticipation. 

Your memory of that day was patchy at best. Your brain had filtered out some of the more traumatic parts, forcing you to forget. The weight of your anguish made it feel as if you were underwater, being pulled down by a cinder block tied to your ankle. No matter how hard you pedaled, you couldn’t come back up to the surface. 

Late into the night, Perry succumbed to his injuries, too. He slipped away, with his family surrounding him. Worst of it all? His four-year-old daughter was left an orphan in the wake of her parents’ deaths. 

You lost a piece of yourself when three of the dearest people in your life were taken from you. It sent both you and Rhett into a spiral. He blamed himself. You blamed yourself. It was something you could not move past. Every time you looked at him, it was a reminder of that fateful day a twister took everything from you. 

You couldn’t bear it any longer. So you ran. You left Rhett. You left all you had ever known. And you told yourself you would never come back. 

Present Day

Until now. 

You were hoping to go undetected. You weren’t sure if you could handle seeing anyone from your past. Least of all Rhett. With the way you left things between you and him, you doubted he wanted to see you anyway. 

But you should have known you couldn’t hide forever. 

You had been planning to stay in your aunt’s house while you were in town, but when you arrived and saw the dire state it was in, you realized sleeping there wasn’t feasible. So you decided to stay at the only motel in town. 

Before checking in, you needed to stop by the store to buy a few necessities that you had forgotten to pack. You wondered if anyone would recognize you. Had you changed much physically over the last six years? You thought you had, but maybe others wouldn’t notice the change. 

You managed to slip into the store without being recognized. You went about your entire shopping trip, remaining anonymous. You paid for your things without a single soul uttering your name. But just when you thought you were home free, you saw someone who made you stop dead in your tracks for the briefest of moments. 

Cecilia Abbott. 

Your heart rate picked up, anxiety sizzling through your veins like a live wire. She hadn’t seen you yet, too busy bagging her groceries to notice. Perhaps, if you were quick enough, you could evade her and make your escape. 

You almost did, too. Until you heard the sound of your name being called. 

You flinched, pausing for a moment, debating whether you should keep going. But then she was descending upon you and you had nowhere else to go. 

“It can’t be! After all these years?!” The woman exclaimed. 

Slowly, you turned around, trying your best to put on a pleasant expression, masking your look of distress. “Cece, hi!” You greeted. You had no idea how this was going to go. Would she be angry at you for walking out on her son? Would she welcome you back to town with open arms?

She stared at you in disbelief, shopping bag balanced in the crook of her elbow. “Goodness, how long’s it been?” But she knew how long it had been. She never lost count of how many years had passed since the death of her child. 

“Six years,” you heard yourself reply. You wanted to crawl out of your skin. 

“Wow. I can’t believe it.” Cecilia shook her head. “It’s almost like seein’ a ghost! Never thought you’d come back.”

“I didn’t either. But I, uh…I’m here cleaning out my aunt’s place.”

Her face softened, and she shifted, leaning toward you. “I’m sorry. She’ll be missed around here, that’s for sure. S’ a good thing you’re takin’ on the responsibility of cleanin’ that house, though. She did let it go in her old age.”

You hummed in agreement. “Yeah, she really wasn’t there mentally the last few years of her life. It’s sad. But, I’m hoping to have the house looking good as new when I’m done with it.”

Cecilia shifted her bag of groceries to her other hand. “Say, you got a place to stay while you’re in town?” 

“I was going to stay at the house, but it’s too much of a disaster. I’m just gonna get a motel room.” 

You should have known what she would say next. Gasping, she reached out and touched your arm. “Nonsense! You should come stay at our house!”

Your eyes widened. She wasn’t serious, was she? After all that had transpired? “Oh, I couldn’t do that, I wouldn’t want to impose.” 

But once Cecilia Abbott’s mind was set on something, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “No imposition at all! Home cooked meals, and a clean bed that doesn’t have bed bugs like that nasty ole motel does. The Bed Bug Inn, that’s what everyone calls it. Plus, we’re not that far from your aunt’s, just down the road. Closer than the motel is.”

She did have a point. But you couldn’t fathom the thought of stepping back onto the Abbott property again. You couldn’t face the demons you’d left there. “Cece, I appreciate it, but—”

“I insist. You at least need to come for dinner! I’m makin’ roast tonight, y’know, the one Rhett always loved? If you decide you still don’t want to stay after that, that’s fine. But you have to let me feed ya, I’m not gonna let you go hungry, girl.”

At the mention of Rhett’s name, your breath caught in your chest. “Oh, um… Rhett, how is he?” Your voice raised a little in pitch, and you cleared your throat. 

“He’s fine. Still livin’ in the house with us, but he’s gone all the time. Storm chasin’ business keeps him busy.”

He was still chasing? “I can’t believe he’s still going after storms,” you spoke in disbelief. 

Cecilia shrugged. “He never lost his love for it,” she mused. For a moment, there was a faraway look in her eyes, as if she was remembering something. Likely the way she had lost her son to the very thing Rhett loved doing. 

Then she snapped out of it. “Anyway, come over for supper! Five o’clock!” Without giving you a chance to protest, she turned on her heel and bustled out of the store, leaving you with no choice but to take her up on her offer. You didn’t want to offend her by not showing up. 

But could you handle it? Stepping back into the past, into a version of yourself that you had not been in six years. You thought of Amy, Perry and Rebecca’s daughter. She would be nine years old by now. Would she even remember you? Would she blame you for the death of her parents?

Surely not. She had been four when they died. You doubted a four-year-old had the emotional or mental wherewithal to blame you for the loss of her parents.

But it wasn’t Amy you were afraid to be reunited with. Not really. You were utterly terrified at the thought of seeing Rhett again. Would he be happy to see you? Would he be angry? Hurt? Confused? What would he say to you? How would you respond?

All these questions swirled through your mind as you sauntered back to your car. Maybe he wouldn’t even be home. But if you chose to stay at the Abbott’s, you would likely run into him at some point. Besides, you weren’t sure how long you were going to remain in town. You felt like you were taking advantage of Cecilia’s kindness. So, you determined that you would only go over for dinner. You would not stay the night.

With that thought in mind, you climbed into your car and headed back to your aunt’s house. 

A few hours later, you were back in your car all over again, thrumming with anxiety, wondering if you were making the right decision. It would be so easy to turn back around, but you forced yourself to continue on, hands white-knuckling the steering wheel.

When you turned into the Abbott farm, you were hit with a wave of nostalgia so intense you slowed your car to a stop, staring at the house in the distance. It was the same as it had always been. A cozy house boasting of a well-kept garden, a bran off to the left with a nice coat of bright red paint. Chickens milled about the yard. Horses played in the field. Cows lowed in the distance. 

It still felt like home.

With a deep breath, you eased off the brake and urged your car down the long driveway. As you parked near the house, you caught sight of a young girl with honey-colored hair, swinging on the rope swing that was tied to the tree in the front. 

Your heart clenched in your chest. She’d grown so much. It was a reminder that life had continued in your absence. 

Upon seeing you, she hopped down, eyes alight with joy. “Gramma! Gramma!” She called, rushing into the house to alert Cecilia to your arrival.

You took a moment to steel yourself before you climbed out of the car, shoes crunching against dirt and gravel as you approached the porch. As you ascended the steps, you were once again greeted by the little girl. Amy.

“Hi!” She exclaimed. “I’m Amy. Gramma says you can come on in!”

You couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. “Hi, Amy. It’s been a long time. Last time I saw you, you were this big!” You held your hand low, indicating her size.

“I don’t really remember you. But Gramma and Grampa do. They said you and Uncle Rhett used to date.”

You were slightly taken aback, but recovered quickly. “Uh, yeah…yeah, we did. That was a long time ago though.”

Amy shrugged. “I wish he was still dating you. You’re super pretty!” 

“Oh…thank you!” Was all you could say in reply. She certainly was prone to saying whatever came to mind. However, she moved on from it quickly, motioning you inside.

“C’mon!” She said, waving you on, and you moved to follow her, stopping at the door to take your shoes off before you ambled into the kitchen. 

The smell of food cooking made your stomach growl, and you realized only then that you were very hungry. A home-cooked meal would do you some good.

At the sound of your footsteps, Cecilia turned, her face lighting up at the sight of you. “You made it! I’m so glad. Dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes.”

You smiled softly, nodding your head. “Is there anything I can do to help?” You wanted to make yourself useful, rather than standing awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen. 

“You can help me set the table!” Amy chirped, already walking to the table with her arms full of plates. 

“Silverware’s in the drawer to the right of the sink,” Cecilia reminded you. But you remembered from the countless dinners you had been a part of here.

With a nod, you moved to gather enough cutlery for everyone, and as Amy set each plate down, you folded a napkin and placed the silverware upon it. You fell into a rhythm, stopping only to grab drinking glasses from the cupboard.

You noticed that the number of place settings was five. That had to mean Rhett was also joining the family for dinner, unless it was a place for someone else. You wanted to ask Cecilia if he was coming, but didn’t want to make things awkward, so you left it alone.

You were kept busy as she handed you different serving dishes full of various foods to put on the table. As you placed a basket of dinner rolls amongst the rest of the food, the sound of the back door opening caught your attention.

Your heart leapt in your chest, and you lifted your head, expecting to see Rhett. Instead, you were met with Royal’s look of surprise. Cecilia looked over at him and motioned to the sink. “Wash up, supper’s ready. We’ve got a guest.”

He nodded as he hung his hat on the peg on the wall, pausing to take off his muddy boots. “I’ll be damned,” he remarked, directing it at you. “Didn’t know you were back in town.”

“Saw her at the market today, so I invited her over. Didn’t tell ya because you an’ Rhett have been in that darn pasture with no signal all day.”

Royal hummed gruffly as he walked over to the sink to wash his hands. “Storm wiped that fence clean out. We had to replace every last post,” he sighed, “took us all day.”

“S’why we need to hire some hands, Roy,” Cecilia lowered her voice, but you still heard her.

Clearly this was something they talked about frequently, because he huffed and shook his head. But he didn’t continue the potential argument. Instead, he turned, drying his hands on a towel. His eyes regarded you kindly. “Been a long time,” he murmured. “Good to see you.”

You managed a smile. “Good to see you too.”

“Rhett on his way?” Cecilia questioned as she placed the final platter on the table.

Again, your heart fluttered anxiously at the mention of his name.

Royal nodded, pulling out the chair at the head of the table and taking a seat. “Yeah, he’s right behind me, he was just puttin’ up the horses.”

“Alrighty, we’ll wait to say grace until he comes in then.”

There it was again, that deep feeling of utter nostalgia. Cecilia had always been a religious woman, and not a meal went by where she didn’t pray over the food. That aspect hadn’t changed at all.

“You can sit here!” Amy announced, patting an open chair next to Royal. “Me and Uncle Rhett will sit across from you.”

You’d have to look into his face. You wouldn’t be able to hide your expressions from him. Rhett had always been so perceptive, more so than anyone gave him credit for. He was always considered to be aloof by those who didn’t bother to get to know him, but you knew that was far from the truth. 

There had been a time when you knew him like the back of your hand. You wondered just how much he’d changed, if at all. 

Just as you took your seat at the table, the squeak of the screen door opening filled the room, and the scrape of boots against linoleum followed. Seconds later, there he was. Blue flannel shirt rolled up to his elbows. Same brown hat he’d had since he was a teenager, which he pulled from his head to place on the hat peg. 

“Uncle Rhett! Uncle Rhett! We have a guest!” Amy exclaimed. 

He hadn’t turned yet. Didn’t know you were there. “Who’s that, li’l pea?”

“Your old girlfriend!” She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

He saw you then, and his eyes went wide. You swore the clock hanging over the sink stopped, causing time to stand still. Everyone else in the room faded into the background as Rhett became your sole focus.

Suddenly you couldn’t breathe, as if someone had taken their hands and squeezed the air right out of your lungs. In the background, you heard Cecilia talking, likely explaining that she’d seen you at the store and invited you over.

You doubted Rhett heard her, either. He was too busy staring at you.

Seeing him again brought so many overwhelming emotions to the surface. Pain. Sadness. Longing. And suddenly, it felt as if the walls were closing in on you. You needed to bolt. 

Abruptly, you stood up, silently cursing yourself for your dramatics. “I–I’m so sorry, this was a mistake,” you squeaked, the legs of your chair scraping against the floor as you scrambled away from the table. 

And then you were fleeing. Just like you had six years ago. 

But this time, Rhett wasn’t going to let you go that easy. Shaking himself out of his momentary shock, his feet moved beneath him, carrying him after you. “Go ‘head an’ eat! I’m gonna talk to her!” He called over his shoulder to his family.

He threw open the front door, lurching out onto the porch. You were already at your car, wrenching the door open. “Wait!” He called out, dashing down the steps.

Tears were streaming down your cheeks. You didn’t want him to see. 

“Would ya just– just stop!” He reached out, hand against your door, impeding you from opening it. 

“Let go of my door, please.” You were surprised you had it in yourself to speak.

“Not until you look at me.”

You were afraid you’d fall apart if you did. “Rhett, please.”

A beat passed. Then another. You could feel his body heat, he was standing so close. You could smell the sweat and dirt that clung to him after a hard day’s work. But there was something else, too. Something sweeter. Like freshly baled hay. 

Against your better judgment, you found yourself turning, drawn to him like a magnet. Your eyes finally met his, and you gasped softly. They were even bluer than you remembered. So clear and bright. 

But there was so much emotion there, too. It swam within his irises, and you saw the glint of gathering tears. He drank in the sight of you, and his chest heaved as he took in a breath, then another. “I…I never thought I’d see you again,” he whispered, as if speaking louder would cause his voice to fail him.

“Me too,” you agreed, as quiet as he was. There was so much you wanted to say. But most importantly, there were a few words he needed to hear. “I’m so sorry, Rhett.” You succumbed to your tears, as they slid down your cheeks in hot trails. 

His bottom lip quivered slightly, and he shook his head. “No, I…I should apologize. I shoulda been more understandin’. You were grievin’, same as me, and I wasn’t letting you do it in your own way. I made you feel like you had to run away, and I’m sorry.”

“Is that what you think? That it was your fault?” Your voice trembled. 

He shrugged, sniffling softly. “S’what I always assumed. Thought it had to be somethin’ I did.”

The thought of him living with that these last several years made your heart ache. “It was never your fault. It was me. I couldn’t face what happened. I thought…if I left, it would be easier. I could move on faster.”

Being reassured that it wasn’t his fault made him relax slightly, the tenseness leaving his shoulders. But there was still a shadow of sadness on his face. “Was it easier?”

At that, you shook your head, scoffing slightly. “No. Honestly, I think leaving you made it worse. I’m so sorry I did that to you. I’ve never really been able to forgive myself for it.”

“Guess we both have a lotta things we couldn’t forgive ourselves for,” he murmured. Then he bowed his head for a moment, gathering himself before looking at you again. “For what it’s worth, I ain’t holding it against you. Losin’ the three of them was the hardest fuckin’ thing we ever had to go through. I don’t blame you for leavin’ to see if it would make you feel better. You did what you thought you had t’ do.”

A fresh wave of tears welled in your eyes. “Oh, Rhett.” Without a second thought, you found yourself moving forward, wrapping your arms around him. He was caught by surprise for only a moment, and then his own arms, strong and steady, came up to encircle your waist. 

You stood there in the middle of the driveway, holding each other for what felt like hours. When you parted, you were both wiping at tear-streaked cheeks. 

“S’good to see you again, by the way,” Rhett said. “I mean it.”

“It’s good to see you too,” you replied honestly. Now that your initial upset was out of the way, you realized it felt as if a weight had been lifted from your shoulders. 

“What, uh, what are you doin’ back in town?”

“Cleaning out my great-aunt’s place,” came your answer, and he nodded in realization. “I ran into your mom at the store today, she invited me over. I didn’t really want to come, I was scared to face you again.”

He hummed in understanding. “She knew what she was doin’. She wanted us to talk. She’s a meddler like that.” There was a twinkle in his eye as he spoke. 

You couldn’t help but smile despite yourself. “I should’ve known it was a ruse. She’s convincing, that’s for sure. She’s also watching us right now.”

When Rhett turned, he found his whole family watching through the front window. Upon seeing him turn, they all rushed away from the window, dropping the curtain. 

He faced you again, and there was a smile on his face. “I’m glad she convinced ya, then. Can’t tell you how good it feels to clear the air after all this time. Losin’ you was rough on me, but I’m happy you’re back, even if it’s only for a small visit.” 

“I’m happy too. And I’m happy you stopped me from leaving this time.”

His eyes twinkled like stars, and he nodded toward the house. “Wanna head back in for supper?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Together, you walked back into the house. While there was so much you had missed in your time apart, and so much you still needed to reconcile with each other, you were relieved that the air was clear for the time being. You hadn’t expected Rhett to welcome you back with open arms, but you were thankful he had. 

It broke your heart that he had spent so much time believing he was to blame. It was your own inability to face your grief that was the culprit, not this sweet, blue-eyed cowboy. Never him. But maybe there was a new beginning between you. A chance to let the past remain where it belonged. 

When you stepped into the kitchen and took your seat at the table, the trio was pretending they hadn’t just been spying on you and Rhett. However, it was Amy who gave it away, giggling behind her hand. 

“You guys’re menaces,” Rhett grumbled as he placed a serving of potatoes on his plate. 

Cecilia tried to hide her smile, though ultimately failing. She looked at you, and her gaze was kind. “I’m sorry. Maybe I was a little…overzealous about makin’ sure you and Rhett saw each other again. But it worked, didn’t it?”

You couldn’t hold it against her. Without her meddling, you never would have spoken to Rhett. You likely would have done what you came to do and left town without a single glance in his direction. 

Cecilia had known that it was a chance for you to reconcile with Rhett. Holding on to something that happened years ago wasn’t healthy. She saw the opportunity to ease her son’s pain, and yours, and she took it. Thankfully, it had worked out in her favor. 

You couldn’t believe it had been that easy to reconcile with him. Even after you’d stormed off, upset, he’d still been willing to talk to you. It spoke volumes of his growth. Past Rhett wasn’t very good at communicating. But present Rhett seemed to have gotten much better at it. 

Dinner passed without a hitch, although there was still some slight tension. No one spoke of Perry, Rebecca, or Lydia. You got the sense that Royal and Cecilia were avoiding the subject. Likely because Amy was present. You had no idea how much she knew about that day, but you had no desire to bring it up. 

Conversation instead shifted to what you were doing with your life. 

“Where you workin’ now?” Royal asked, leaning back so that Cecilia could take his plate and clear the table in preparation for dessert. She’d denied your offer of help, insisting you sit and talk, because you were a guest. 

“I work for the National Weather Service, up in Silver Spring, Maryland.”

“No kiddin’?” He replied, eyes glimmering with intrigue. “What d’ya do there?”

You took a sip of your water before you answered. “I’m an analyst. I analyze weather data from all over the country. I work with a team and we try to predict, as best we can, what the weather is going to look like.”

“Sounds intense,” Rhett spoke up. You glanced over at him. He was leaning back in his chair, balancing on the back two legs. 

Until his mother slapped her dish towel against his arm. “Stop leanin’ back in that chair. The legs’ll give out.” 

He corrected his chair right away. You couldn’t help but smile at the interaction. “It is kinda intense. But I love it. Keeps me on my toes,” came your reply. 

“Can’t take the storm chaser outta the girl, huh?” He hummed, catching your eye with a knowing look. 

He was right. Although you’d stopped chasing storms, you still did just that, except it was from a much safer distance this time, through a set of screens. There was no chance of those around you dying grisly deaths brought on by a wicked twister. 

“Guess not,” you finally agreed. 

Before the conversation could continue, Amy happily interrupted, flouncing up to the table to set down a handful of dessert plates. “Gramma made your favorite, Uncle Rhett,” she announced, beaming at him. 

He grinned, pulling her into his side as she squealed. “Did she?” He asked, laughter in his tone as he jabbed his fingers into her sides, while she laughed uncontrollably and tried to wriggle away from him. 

You watched the exchange, and your heart went warm in your chest. But you were also hit with a wave of sadness. This sweet little girl was growing up without a mother and father. These three people in this room were all she had in the world. 

“Y’alright?” Rhett’s voice jarred you, bringing you back to reality. You hadn’t realized that tears were making their way down your cheeks. 

“I…I’m fine,” you answered. 

“Alright, here’s some blackberry pie!” Cecilia’s voice rang across the kitchen, interrupting your moment of melancholy. But you were grateful for the distraction.  

The pie was cut, and everyone was given a slice, along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a cup of coffee. Conversation around the table shifted to Amy’s schooling, and she eagerly listed the number of weeks that were left of school. 

But you could feel Rhett’s eyes on you from across the table the entire time. The intensity of his gaze made you feel as if he could see right into your soul. That was how it had always been. Looking at him felt like staring into the sun, at times. So bright and beautiful, but impossible to stare at. 

That hadn’t changed, even years later. Same intense look. 

When dessert was finished, Amy got up to help Cecilia clear the table. Royal headed upstairs to presumably get ready for bed. And Rhett stepped outside onto the front porch. 

“Can I at least help you clean up for the night, Cece?” You asked, hoping to do something, anything to feel useful. 

“Don’t you lift a finger. Amy and I have got it.” 

“You sure?”

“‘Course I’m sure,” the woman insisted. Then, “Have you given any thought as to if you might stay here?”

You hesitated. “Oh, I, uh…I don’t know. I really don’t want to be a bother.”

She huffed, shaking her head. “I already told ya at the store, it’s no bother! ‘Sides, it’s gonna be dark soon, and it gets so pitch black out here, drivin’ into town isn’t safe. And if you stay, you’d be wakin’ up to a home-cooked breakfast in the mornin’.”

With a sigh, you finally relented. Mostly because you were too tired to argue with her. “You drive a hard bargain. Fine, I’ll stay.” It was a good thing you hadn’t taken your luggage out of the car yet. 

Cecilia beamed. “Then it’s settled.”

“I’ll just go get my stuff from the car,” you remarked, already turning to put your shoes back on. 

“Have Rhett help you. I think he just stepped out onto the porch,” she suggested. 

With a nod, you made your way out the door, hinges squeaking as you stepped onto the porch, shoes thudding lightly against weather-worn wood. 

Sure enough, Rhett was there, seated on the bench near the door. His legs were stretched out in front of him, and he was leaning back, eyes fixed on the sky. 

When you came out, his gaze shifted to you, and he smiled softly. “Hey,” he said, sitting up a little straighter. 

“Hey.” An awkward silence soon followed. There was so much hanging in the air between you both. Words left unsaid. “Your momma asked me to stay the night.”

He hummed, nodding as he looked back out across the sprawling land that was the Abbott farm. “Figured she would. Her and that bleedin’ heart of hers.”

“She suckered me into it with the promise of a home cooked breakfast.”

He scoffed playfully. “You get a home cooked breakfast and I get a piece of fuckin’ toast.”

“I’ll share with you.”

His smile turned into a grin. Then he fell serious. “Speakin’ of sharing, you can sleep in my room.”

At that, you shook your head. “Oh no, that’s asking too much. Isn’t there a pull-out bed in the living room couch? I can sleep there instead. It’s where I used to sleep when I’d stay over, remember?”

“Boy, do I,” he hummed. When you were teenagers, Cecilia was insistent that you did not share a bed if you stayed the night. You’d sleep on the pull-out bed in the living room, far away from Rhett’s bedroom upstairs. It didn’t stop him from sneaking down to talk to you in the middle of the night, though. 

He continued, “But ya already served your time on that old couch. I’ll sleep there. My bed’s all yours.”

“Rhett—”

“Hey now, don’t argue with me. We both know I always win ‘em anyway.” 

You rolled your eyes, folding your arms over your chest as you shook your head. He was right, after all. He’d always win you over with kisses dispersed all over your face until you relented with laughter. 

“Fine. I’ll take your room then,” you replied. 

He hummed in satisfaction, and silence fell between you again. It felt so strange, being back in his presence. You felt as if you didn’t belong here, on this porch with him in the late spring night. In your anxious imaginations, you had always assumed he’d never reconcile with you, so you never tried to reach out and make things right. 

But all it had taken was one tearful conversation, and a sense of civility had been restored between you. 

“Why did you forgive me so easily?” Came your question, spoken into the quiet air that hummed with the sounds of nocturnal creatures. 

Rhett eyes flickered to you. “Because I spent too long wallowin’ in hurt, and I couldn’t handle carryin’ all of it anymore. I don’t wanna be stuck in the past. I want to move forward. Forgivin’ you is the best way to do that.” Then he added, “plus, I never could stay mad at you. Guess that still holds true to this day.”

Tears welled in your eyes again as you digested his words. You hated that you’d caused him so much pain. If only you’d been able to work through your grief instead of running from it. But that was in the past. There was nothing you could do to change it. However, you could use it to be a better person in the future. 

“I’m sorry I—”

But he held up his hand. “Don’t need to ‘pologize again,” he assured you, gentleness in his tone. 

You closed your mouth and nodded, and then you decided to take a seat next to him. Several minutes of silence passed again. Again, you were the one to break it. 

“I’m glad I decided to come tonight. I almost didn’t take your ma up on it.”

“I’m glad y’ did too.” He turned his body toward you so he could look into your face. “Six years is a long time.”

“It really is. I can’t believe it’s been that long. And Amy…she’s gotten so big.”

“She has. That little girl’s the apple of Mom and Dad’s eye, I’ll tell you what.”

You couldn’t help but smile fondly. “Looks like she’s the apple of yours, too.”

Rhett made a noise of agreement. “I see ‘em in her. Bec and Perry, that is. She’s a bit of a firecracker. Takes after her dad in that way. But she’s smart as a whip, we’re talkin’ wicked smart, like her momma. And some of the things she says, the tone she says them in…god, it sounds just like Bec.”

“It must be so cool to see them live on in her like that,” you whispered. 

“It is. But it’s hard, too. Thinkin’ about the way things would be if they were still here.”

“Does she remember them?”

He shrugged, shifting his gaze to the night sky above you, shimmering with stars. “Bits an’ pieces. She doesn’t remember whole details. Plus she was so small…I don’t rightly know what she pictures in her head when she talks about it.”

Your heart broke for the girl. “Poor thing.”

Rhett nodded his head. “I know. But she’s doin’ alright. Brings a lotta joy into our lives.” Even in the dim light, you could see the way his eyes sparkled with love. Family had always been so important to him. Even more so now that he’d lost part of it. 

You had to swallow the urge to cry. “That’s good.”

A beat passed before Rhett changed the subject, eager to move on to lighter conversation. “So…weather analyst, huh?” He wiggled his eyebrows. 

That drew a shy smile out of you. “It’s no big thing. I have a whole team of people who work with me.”

“It’s a pretty damn big deal to me. You an’ that smart brain of yours. It’s no wonder you want on to work for the fuckin’ National Weather Service.”

At his compliment, you ducked your head, a little embarrassed. “I really like the job. It’s kinda stressful, though. Weather never takes a break like us human beings do.”

“You’re tellin’ me. You shoulda seen the storms that rolled through here last week. One right after another.”

That prompted you to ask the question you’d been dying to know the answer to all night. “Your mom said you’re still chasing.”

Rhett nodded his head as he shifted against the bench, wood creaking beneath his weight. “Yeah. It ain’t just me, either. I’ve got a whole team workin’ with me.”

Your gaze fell to your lap, where your hands were loosely clasped. “Was it…was it hard getting back to it, after they died?” You softly questioned. That was why you’d never gone back to storm chasing. You couldn’t bear the thought of doing so after all you'd lost. 

“Sure was. I didn’t start back up until a year later. That first time I got back out there…man, I almost couldn’t do it. I just kept thinkin’ of them. But then it sorta turned into a way to honor them an’ keep their memory alive. So I’ve been doin’ it ever since.”

“That’s good you were able to get back into it.”

“How ‘bout you? Been out there runnin’ after any storms lately?”

“No,” you answered quickly. The thought made your stomach turn. 

“Y’ should join us next time it storms,” came his suggestion. 

“I’d rather not.” You were hoping he would drop it. 

“C’mon, it’ll be like old times.”

“I don’t want it to be like old times. We lost three of our best friends during old times. I can’t…I can’t face another tornado. I’m scared to death of them now. I’ll never storm chase ever again.” You were on the verge of tears.

He got the message then. “Alright, fair enough. Didn’t mean to upset ya.”

You sighed, shoulders dropping. “You didn’t upset me. It’s just more of a sore subject than I realized,” you said. Then, “and now that I’m back here, I’m so scared more twisters will come through.”

Rhett understood where you were coming from. But he also believed in facing one’s fears. For the most part, at least. There were still some things that filled him with fear that he couldn’t bear to face. 

“More will definitely come. They ain’t been that bad this season so far. Last week was rough though. Had a couple EF3s that hit some neighborin’ towns. We’ve been helpin’ out a lot. The team I’m workin’ with…they’re big into charity. We’ve been able to donate to people who lost their homes. We’re hopin’ to raise enough money to get building supplies that can help rebuild all the damaged homes.”

You raised a brow, surprised. Not over the fact that Rhett wanted to help people in surrounding communities, but over the fact that his team had done so much. That was more than you’d ever been able to do when you were chasing with Perry, Rebecca, and Lydia. 

“That’s really amazing,” you remarked. 

“Yeah. Hate seein’ the damage twisters can do, but I’m glad we can at least do somethin’ to help, even if it’s small.”

You had so many more questions about his storm chasing. But you also wanted to change the subject. Your heart was heavy from the old memories going through your mind. So, you asked about another thing that was part of the past.

“Did you ever go back to bull riding?”

Rhett let out a sharp breath, suddenly finding a small tear in his jeans very interesting, fingers sliding over the work fabric. “Hell no.”

“I always wondered about that. If you’d gone back to it after I left.”

“Nah. Never could stomach the thought of gettin’ back on one of them beasts.”

“Yet you’ll chase twisters with no problem.”

“That’s different.”

“How? Both could kill you.”

Rhett didn’t have an answer for that. But he did know he never wanted to experience what he’d been through in that arena all those years ago. 

It happened before you’d started storm chasing together. He was gunning for a career in pro bull riding, and he was headed toward the top. He had it all. Until it came crashing down one night when he suffered a life-threatening injury when he didn’t get out of the way of an angry bull fast enough. 

You’d never forget that night. And neither would he. You’d been volunteering at the rodeo. You were certified in first aid, and you were able to work alongside the on-site medics tending to riders with injuries, so you had access to the riders-only area. 

But what Rhett suffered was no minor injury. The bull’s horn caught him right beneath the hem of his protective vest, impaling the soft flesh of his lower abdomen. You remembered so vividly the way you’d cried out his name. The way he’d been carried out on a stretcher. 

You remembered tearing his vest off of him and seeing blood. So much blood. You remembered pressing your hands to the wound in an effort to slow the bleeding as he grew pale beneath you. You remembered begging him to hold on, assuring him that help was on the way. 

You almost lost him that night. 

The injury scared the hell out of him. It required surgery to repair the internal damage, and it took him out of riding for months. And by the time the doctor cleared him to ride again, he knew he couldn’t. Not after he’d stared death in the face. 

He had a permanent scar on his abdomen, a reminder of what he had endured. 

Rhett never wanted to experience that again. So he hung up his riding vest for good. But he was still a thrill seeker. And when you expressed an interest in storm chasing, he’d eagerly agreed, because it gave him a chance to feel alive again, just like he always felt when he was sitting on the back of a raging bull. 

Now you had traded places. He was too afraid to mount another bull. You were too afraid to go after another twister. It seemed that you had more in common than you realized.

“Guess we’re both scared of something,” you remarked, wrapping your arms around yourself as the evening chill crept up on you like the chilled fingers of a ghost touching your skin. 

“Guess so,” Rhett agreed.

Your conversation fell stagnant, and you found yourself growing sleepy. You had only just arrived back in Oklahoma that morning, and the night before, you hadn’t slept well. The exhaustion was beginning to catch up with you. 

“I should probably turn in before I fall asleep out here,” you mumbled, followed by a yawn. 

Rhett made a sound deep in his throat before he rolled his neck, joints cracking. “I’ll help ya with your stuff,” he offered as he stood. 

You followed suit, motioning to your car. The two of you headed down the porch steps, where you popped the trunk, revealing your luggage. You watched as Rhett heaved the bags out of the car, his forearms and biceps bulging beneath the rolled sleeves of his shirt. 

You were reminded that he was still just as strong as ever. Lifting your suitcases hardly took that much strength, you knew, but Rhett was a farm boy. He’d been strong his entire life, thanks to lifting bales of hay and performing other tasks of manual labor. When he was riding bulls, his core and leg strength had been excellent. Those strong thighs of his allowed him to hold tightly to those raging animals. 

He’d taken on some size since you’d seen him six years ago. His shoulders were more broad. His arms were bigger. His thighs were meatier. Or maybe his jeans were simply too tight, hugging the curve of his quad muscles.

In the kitchen, you hadn’t fully admired him. But here, beneath the night sky, illuminated by the glow of the porch light, you saw him. His stubbled jaw, his twinkling eyes, his small pink mouth the button nose you’d always loved. 

You remembered teasing him and telling him he had an elfin nose, that he had inherited it from a mystical creature. You had adored the way his ears would turn red whenever you said it.

Oh, how things had changed. There had been a time when you couldn’t picture your life without him. And now, you’d been without him for so long that you’d forgotten what it felt like to love and be loved by him.

“Y’alright?” Rhett’s voice jarred you, and you shook yourself out of your reverie.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, sorry. Just sorta zoned out.”

The knowing look in his eye told you he’d caught on to the fact that you were staring at him.

“C’mon, I’ll take you upstairs.” With that, he slammed your trunk shut and gathered your bags again before he headed toward the house.

You trailed after him, closing and locking the front door behind you, assuming everyone was in for the night. Then you ascended the stairs, allowing Rhett to lead you down the hall, all the way to the end, where his room was.

He nudged the partially open door with his foot, and stepped into the dark confines, depositing your luggage onto the bed before he bent to turn on the bedside lamp. You were met with the sight of a surprisingly neat bedroom.

The times you’d been here in the past, his room had never been terribly messy, but random clutter would accumulate in different corners. He was never really the type to make his bed either, because he always said, “I’m gon’ sleep in it again, so why bother?”

But now, the bed was neatly made, and hardly any clutter hid in the corners. 

“I ain’t been stayin’ here much, so it stays pretty neat,” he explained, as if reading your mind. 

“Too busy storm chasing?” You asked.

“Yeah. Stay in a lotta motels when I’m on the road.”

You sauntered into the room, taking in the coziness of it all. Hardly anything had changed. His plaid bedspread was the same. His curtains still matched the bedding. Art pieces of cowboys riding bulls decorated the walls. A picture of Lane Frost hung just above his desk.

A sense of nostalgia washed over you. Being in this room felt like coming home.

“Welp…guess I’ll, uh, let you get to bed,” Rhett murmured. He paused in the doorway, as if he wanted to say something. “I’m glad you’re back, by the way.”

That brought a smile to your face. “I am, too.”

He rapped his knuckles against the door frame. “Anyway, ‘night.”

“Goodnight.”

He reached out to pull the door shut, leaving you in silence, alone for the first time since you had arrived at the house. You let out a breath, and lowered down to sit on the edge of the bed, allowing yourself to process everything.  

Your arms splayed out on either side of you, palms skimming over the softness of the bed. You closed your eyes, and allowed the memories to wash over you. It was here, in this very bed, that you had lost your virginity to each other. You were young and in love and driven by your passion for one another.

Many times after that, you had made love in this room. And as you closed your eyes, it was as if you were reliving those memories. The feeling of his mouth on yours, and his hands on your heated skin. The way he would moan your name into your mouth when you shifted your hips against his own, searching for delicious friction, so eager to have him inside you.

As your eyes fluttered open, you were struck with a feeling of emptiness. How long had it been since you’d been with anyone in such an intimate way? Your job hardly left you time for romantic relationships. You hadn’t really put yourself out there, because you knew your busy career would likely deter anyone who wanted any sort of future with you.

As you readied yourself for bed, you thought about how alone you had felt these last few years. Alone in your grief. In your pain. At least Rhett had his parents to lean on as they endured the loss. You had no one who truly understood. 

Silver Spring was a perfectly nice community to live in, and you had made some good friends during your time there. But nothing compared to the community you once had here in Wabang. No one compared to Lydia, your dearest friend. Your bond had been a sisterly one. You were kindred spirits. You’d never been able to find that again in any of the friends you made in your current home city.

But now that you were back in Oklahoma, the sense of familiarity was nearly overwhelming. You were home. Even if you didn’t realize it yet.

That night, you got the best sleep you’d gotten in a long time. Rhett’s bed was comfortable, and the house was quiet. All that could be heard outside was the distant howl of a coyote, and the sounds of nightlife creeping about.

When you woke the next morning, it was to the sound of a rooster crowing. You lay there for a while, staring up at the ceiling, relishing in the feeling of being rested. Your body didn’t ache. Your head wasn’t swimming with tiredness. You were at peace, which was something you hadn’t felt in ages.

You could hear the sound of the Abbotts milling about the house. Cecilia was likely in the kitchen starting breakfast. Royal was probably already outside, getting a head start on the day’s chores. Rhett, too, who’d always been responsible for checking on the animals and making sure they were fed.

Not wanting to walk out in your tank top and sleep shorts, you were quick to throw on some clean clothes before you headed across the hall to the bathroom to wash your face and make yourself look somewhat presentable.

When you finally made your way downstairs, you were hit with the smell of food cooking. The coffee pot hissed and sputtered in the corner, nearly finished with its brew cycle. Amy sat at the table, doodling in a notebook. When she saw you, her face lit up.

“Mornin’! I was wondering when you’d come down! You slept for a super long time.”

“Amy,” Cecilia cautioned.

“It’s okay,” you assured her, before turning to Amy, “I needed the rest.”

“Well you came down just in time! Gramma’s making pancakes.”

“Sounds good!” Came your response, as you moved to grab a glass from the cupboard to fill with water. Your mouth felt parched.

“How’d you sleep, hon?” Cecilia asked as she stirred a bowl of pancake batter.

“Like a baby,” you said, bringing your glass to your lips to take a sip. You watched as she poured the batter onto a hot skillet, bubbling with melted butter. “Just so you know, I don’t expect you to make breakfast for me every day. I know you only make big breakfasts on Saturdays and Sundays, I don’t expect pancakes and eggs and bacon every day of the week.”

It was Thursday, so it wasn’t a typical day for her to make breakfast for the family. The weekday mornings were always called “fend for yourself” mornings, where the family was responsible for preparing their own respective breakfasts.

“Nonsense! I’m happy to do it, you need fuel if you’re gonna be cleanin’ that house all day,” she insisted.

You smiled gratefully. “Thank you. Really, it means a lot.”

She ushered you to the table, assuring you breakfast would be ready momentarily. You chatted with Amy once you settled into your seat, and just as breakfast was being put on the table, the screen door squealed open, and in stepped Royal, lifting his hat off his head and placing it on the peg on the wall.

He greeted you, nodding in your direction. “Mornin’,” he said as he took his seat at the head of the table.

Cecilia placed a cup of black coffee beside his plate, and he thanked her with a wordless hum. Typical morning small talk followed as everyone began filling their plates. But the quiet chatter was soon interrupted by the screen door opening again.

Rhett hurried into the kitchen, boots scraping against the floor as he made a beeline for the table. You could see a wildness in his eyes, and it made your heart rate quicken. Your gaze flickered to the kitchen window, where you could see distant gray clouds. 

“Gotta take breakfast to go, storm’s brewin’ over in Cimarron County,” he announced as he reached over Amy’s head to grab a pancake. He shoved a few pieces of bacon inside and folded it up like a taco. “Team’s on the way here to meet me.”

“Please be careful!” Cecilia called after him as he turned on his heel to head back to the door. 

He grabbed a backpack that was sitting on the bench in the entryway, presumably packed with necessities. “Always am, Ma,” he replied. Then he looked at you, his hand hovering over the doorknob. “You wanna come?” Hope was in his tone.

His offer shocked you. You certainly didn’t expect it, not after what you had told him last night. “No, I…I’ll stay here,” you answered.

“Alright, see ya soon!” And with that, he was off, door slamming shut behind him.

You weren’t sure what drove you to do so, but you found yourself surging up from your seat, feet carrying you quickly to the door. You flung it open and rushed out onto the porch. “Rhett!” You called. 

Midway to his truck, he stopped, whirling around. “Yeah?”

“Be safe!” He’d just come back into your life. You couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.

His face softened, and he smiled. “I will be. I promise.” Then he turned and continued on to his truck. Still that old GMC Sierra with the light bar on top. It had been blown off the road during the twister you’d narrowly escaped, but somehow, the truck was perfectly fine, and just needed a few repairs to render it driveable again.

Seeing that it had survived after all this time gave you hope that Rhett would make it back safely home again. 

He was gone for three days. You learned of his well-being through Cecilia. He would always text her after a storm passed to assure her he was okay. He was so good about giving her peace of mind. 

In his absence, you busied yourself with sorting through the overwhelming clutter in your great-aunt’s house. It provided a distraction from your worry. 

Living in Silver Spring, you’d had no cause to worry about Rhett. He crossed your mind often, yes, but you had no idea he was still storm chasing, and therefore remained blissfully ignorant. 

Now that you were back home, all those old memories had resurfaced, and you were forced to face the fact that you still cared deeply for Rhett. The thought of him dying out there made your stomach turn. 

At least when you’d been chasing with him, you were together, and he would die by your side if something did happen. Being apart from him now, you had no idea if he was okay or not, aside from updates from his mother. 

You were forced to come to terms with your feelings. Why did you feel so strongly about this? Yes, you cared about what happened to him, just as anyone else in his life did. But there was something more. 

You realized that perhaps you were still in love with him. 

However, you buried that realization deep. You couldn’t rekindle your romance with him. You had moved on, made a life for yourself, had a career you loved. You needed to leave your relationship with him in the past, and move forward with only a friendship between the two of you. 

Easy as pie, right? 

You hoped so. 

Three days later, just as you were arriving back on the Abbott farm after a long day of cleaning and organizing, Rhett returned. 

Relief washed over you from head to toe when you saw that old Sierra coming down the driveway. But he wasn’t alone. You could make out the silhouette of a woman sitting in the passenger seat. Behind the truck, a Ford F150 followed closely behind, and beyond that, an old RV. 

So this was the team he’d been talking about. 

Your gut fluttered at the sudden anxiety of meeting new people. You knew you looked worse for wear in your cleaning clothes. You’d been sweating all day, and you were planning on heading straight for the shower when you got into the house. 

But it would be rude to just turn and go inside, so you stayed put, waiting until all the vehicles came to a stop. 

Rhett jumped out first, slamming the truck door shut behind him. He was wearing his hat, and he was grinning. “Made it back in one piece,” he assured you. 

You couldn’t help but smile in return. “I can see that,” came your answer. 

Your eyes flickered beyond him as the woman in the passenger seat climbed out. She was beautiful, in the most natural of ways. No makeup adorned her face. Her eyes were large, the deepest shade of brown you’d ever seen. Her hair, a deep chestnut color, was curly and unkempt, pulled back into a ponytail. 

Her deep brown skin glimmered with perspiration. You could hazard a guess that the air conditioning in Rhett’s truck was broken. It always had been finicky. 

“Hi,” she spoke, reaching out her hand to shake yours, “I’m Zara Marshall. Nice to finally meet you! Rhett told me all about you.” Then she added, “good things, of course!”

“Nice to meet you, too. I didn’t realize you all were coming. I would’ve at least tried to look presentable.”

“Oh, you look beautiful, don’t even worry about that.” She blew a stray curl out of her face. 

“Zara here is the genius behind all our chases,” Rhett boasted. 

The woman looked at him and beamed, shaking her head. “Oh, hush. I’m no genius.”

An odd feeling blossomed to life in your chest as you watched their banter. The easy way they interacted. It wasn’t jealousy, was it? It couldn’t be. You had no right to be jealous. Not after you were the one that left him six years ago. 

Your moment of distaste was interrupted by the sound of car doors opening and closing. The rest of the team was getting out of their vehicles, clearly eager to stretch their legs after driving for so long. 

“You have to meet my wife!” Zara exclaimed. 

Oh. 

How silly of you to entertain the thought of jealousy when the woman wasn’t even interested in Rhett. 

Another woman came rushing over to the three of you, tall and lean, shoulder-length brown hair hanging loosely against the middle of her back, Tattoos decorated different parts of her body. Mostly her hands and wrists, and a few on her neck. When she smiled at you, it was warm like sunlight. 

“Hi!” She said, “I’m Jeslyn.”

You shook her hand and told her your name. Then you were quickly introduced to everyone else. 

There was Finn, handsome as could be, with bright green eyes and auburn hair. And then there was Danny, with eyes that were just a little less blue than Rhett’s, and graying curls that fell against his forehead. He couldn’t have been older than his early thirties, but he was already going gray. It suited him.

They were all so personable, and their welcome was warm. It made you feel at ease instantly. You should have known the people who chose to associate with Rhett were good people.

You learned that they were all staying for dinner, per Cecilia’s insistence. It was a flurry of organized chaos as everyone offered to help set up the tables outside, rather than crowding in the small kitchen to eat. 

While they were busy with that, you slipped away to take a quick shower, eager to wash the sweat and grime off of your body. 

You turned the water as hot as you could stand, stepping under the spray and closing your eyes. You hadn’t expected to be so exhausted. Your shoulders and arms ached from scrubbing and heavy lifting. Your legs were sore too. 

The steamy water helped loosen your tight muscles considerably, and once you were finished, you breathed out a sigh of satisfaction. Now you felt a little more prepared to face a dinner table full of people. 

But when you stepped out of the shower, you realized that you had forgotten something very important. A towel. Swearing under your breath, you stood in the middle of the bathroom for a moment, debating what you should do.

The linen closet was right across the hall. If you could sneak out there unseen, you’d be able to grab a towel and slip right back into the bathroom unnoticed. So, you cautiously opened the bathroom door and made sure the coast was clear before you dashed for the closet, yanking the door open and scanning for a towel.

To your horror, the sound of footsteps approaching could be heard, and you gasped, reaching for your towel, but you weren’t fast enough. A split second later, Rhett appeared at the top of the steps.

He froze, eyes widening, as you let out a squeak of surprise. Out of respect for you, he quickly turned away. “Shit, sorry!” He apologized.

Wordlessly, you clutched your towel and scurried away, slamming the bathroom door shut. On the steps, Rhett let out a breath, and he couldn’t help but shake his head. He hadn’t seen you naked in years. Of course the first time would end up being an awkward moment like the one you’d both just been subjected to.

He hadn’t seen much, in his haste to give you privacy. But he’d seen enough to make his brain short-circuit for a moment. Mentally, he scolded himself, but he knew, now that he’d seen you in that way, he wouldn’t be able to get it out of his head. Especially because there had been a time when he knew your body, inside and out. He’d had you in the most intimate of ways. And that was something he would never forget.

“Get it the fuck t’gether,” he grumbled to himself as he turned back around, heading toward his room, where he wanted to grab a clean shirt before you came back. He simply couldn’t entertain thoughts about you naked. It would do him no good. 

He shook the encounter off, and quickly changed his shirt, tossing the old one in the hamper. He stopped to glance in the mirror that hung above his dresser, running his hand haphazardly through his hair, which was slightly tousled from all the activity of the day. 

Then, quick as he came, he strolled out of his room and back down the steps before you ever stepped out of the bathroom again. 

Meanwhile, you were hurriedly going about your post-shower routine, your mind spinning. You knew you were making this into a bigger deal than it needed to be. Perhaps you should be grateful it was only Rhett, who’d seen you naked many times before, rather than his parents or Amy. 

But you still had an odd feeling swirling to life in your gut, a feeling that you didn’t want to face, because if you did, that would mean admitting you’d never gotten over Rhett. 

You pushed it down again. Choosing to deny, deny, deny. It would simply go away if you didn’t acknowledge it. 

With that, you headed out of the bathroom and back into Rhett’s bedroom, where you set your shower items down and made sure to hang your towel on the hook mounted on the back of the door. 

Then, with a deep breath for courage, you made your way downstairs. 

There was a flurry of activity happening. Cecilia was prepping Sunday dinner, while Zara and Jeslyn were gathering plates and silverware to set the table outside. Danny, Finn, and Rhett were carrying chairs outside.

Royal and Amy were in the living room, where she was very intently watching him whittle a figurine out of wood. Cecilia had likely shooed them out of the kitchen because there were enough people in the way as it was. 

For a moment, you stood there, in the middle of the house, taking in the sights and sounds, and it transported you back to the past. Sunday dinners with the Abbotts were always your favorite. Lydia and her family would join, and everyone would eat outside, weather permitting, just like they were going to do today. 

Many a good time was had around the large oak table that Rhett had built with his own hands when he was in high school, in woodworking class. One of the of the few classes he thrived in. The craftsmanship was beautiful, and it was still in good condition to this day. 

“Hey, y’alright?” Rhett’s low cadence filled your ears. You looked up to find him standing near, gaze soft. 

“I…yeah, I’m fine,” you assured him, “just reminiscing.”

He nodded. “Mm. Sure this brings back a lotta memories for you.”

“It does,” you agreed. 

He lingered for a moment. Then, with the lowering of his voice, he said, “I, uh, I’m sorry about earlier. Didn’t mean to walk in on ya like that.”

You cleared your throat, shaking your head. “No, don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal.”

“Good. That’s good.” He let his hands rest upon his hips, grimacing at the awkward silence that followed. 

“Guess I’d better see if your mom needs help,” you finally volunteered. 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah. I’m gon’ make sure the guys set up the table right.” He took a few steps backward before he turned and sauntered out the door. 

You breathed out a sigh, mentally berating yourself for the awkwardness. You hoped it wouldn’t linger for the rest of the day. 

Thankfully, it did not. Once dinner was ready and everyone was gathered around the table, the atmosphere melted into one of warmth and laughter. You didn’t feel like an outsider. The group of friends treated you like one of your own, and it did wonders to put you at ease. 

“I thought you’d like t’ hear this,” Rhett’s voice caught your attention from across the table. “Zara here’s workin’ on a way to stop twisters dead in their tracks.”

That definitely piqued your interest. You looked at her, where she sat between Rhett and Jeslyn. “Really? How do you plan to stop them?” You asked her, leaning forward in your seat. 

Tornadoes were impossible to stop. To your knowledge, no one had succeeded in doing so before. They were so unpredictable, one couldn’t possibly figure out when and where one was going to touch down fast enough to stop it. 

She sprang into her explanation. “I know what you’re thinking. It’s never been done before. But Jes and I have spent years coming up with a solution. There’s a lot of heat and moisture at the center of a twister. My theory is if you can cool down the center to the freezing point, you can stop the twister.”

You stared at her, eyes widening. There was no way it could work. Was there? “How would you cool it down?”

“Essentially, we release liquid nitrogen into the core of the tornado and it brings the temp way down.”

“Have you tested it out yet?” You inquired. You were still skeptical, but fascinated at the same time. 

Beside her, Jeslyn piped up. “We started small scale tests when we were still students at OU. Me, Zara, and some classmates built this machine that uses heat and moisture to simulate a tornado. Our nitrogen tests worked on it, but seeing as that was only a small, contained event…”

“You’d need a lot more nitrogen for the real thing,” you finished for her. 

“Yep.”

Zara continued where Jeslyn left off. “During the run we did this week, we decided to actually test it out and see if we could stop a twister. But…it failed miserably.” She laughed ruefully, and the rest of the team joined her, reliving the memory. 

You were struck with an odd feeling. Fear of missing out, maybe. Which shocked you, because you’d refused to go on the chase in the first place, because you couldn’t face your fears. Now you felt left out? It didn’t quite make sense to you. 

Maybe you did miss storm chasing, after all. 

“It’s hard to gauge how much nitrogen we need, especially because every tornado is different. We’ve been working on collecting as many tanks of nitrogen as we possibly can, but we also didn’t want to use up our whole reserve. We used half of it on what turned out to be an F3. Didn’t do shit,” Zara continued to explain, motioning animatedly with her hands as she spoke. Her face was incredibly expressive. 

You decided you really liked her. You could understand why Rhett enjoyed chasing with her. 

“So, how does that work? Like, do you set tanks of nitrogen on the ground and then open them and hope for the best, or?” You had so many questions, and you simply couldn’t hide your fascination. 

“We use that,” Rhett said, pointing over at his truck parked in the driveway. Hitched to the back was an open trailer, with several tanks of liquid nitrogen situated inside, metal gleaming in the light of the setting sun. 

“But how do you open them? Does someone have to open each one before the twister hits?” You suddenly became very aware of everyone’s eyes on you, and you shrank slightly. “Sorry, I know I’m asking a lot of questions.”

“No, you’re good!” Zara insisted, “it’s just, we’re all used to people telling us we’re crazy instead of actually showing interest.”

“I told ya she’d think it was cool,” Rhett said to her with a smile. He caught your eye. He still knew you well, even though time had driven you apart. 

“Basically, opening the tanks is up to us,” Finn piped up from beside you, motioning to Danny, who sat on the other side of him. He took a swig of his water before he continued. “We made these special remote control valves. As long as we’re within range, we can open the valves with the touch of a button and release the nitrogen into the air.”

“Honestly, it sounds crazy. But also brilliant,” you said, completely in awe. “You gotta show me all the equipment after dinner. I’ve never heard of anyone doing this kinda thing before.”

Part of you still doubted what they were trying to do would ever work. It went against all odds. Even if they did succeed in stopping a tornado, the method wasn’t necessarily feasible for stopping others in the future. It would require countless tanks of nitrogen and a lot of manpower. 

But just to be able to say one had stopped a tornado was a feat in and of itself. You couldn’t hold it against Zara for trying. It was clear she was passionate about her work and believed there was a possibility that it could be successful. 

The conversation around the dinner table soon shifted to other things. You noticed that none of them asked you about your storm chasing past. You wondered how much Rhett had told them, and if he’d instructed them not to ask about the details, at risk of upsetting you. 

It was very considerate of him, if he had. 

After dinner, everyone helped clean up while Cecilia ushered Amy upstairs, against the girl’s protests. “You’ve got school in the mornin’, early bedtime isn’t optional!” Her grandmother insisted. 

But Amy had to make sure she said goodnight to everyone first before she made the reluctant trudge up the stairs. Oh, to have the innocence of a child again, unwilling to go to bed because all the adults were still awake.

The evening carried on, and once the dishes were washed and the table was cleared, you were led outside to see all the equipment Zara had told you about. And what a setup it was.

The trailer attached to the back of Rhett’s truck was full of nitrogen tanks, sealed with remote controlled valves. The trailer itself was also remote controlled, according to Rhett. 

“Come see,” he motioned for you to follow as he opened the driver’s side door. He pointed at the center console, where there was a board of switches, framed by labels indicating what each switch was for. “Danny and Finn helped get this up an’ running. If we need t’ let the trailer go, all I gotta do is press a button and it’ll release. S’how we get the tanks in the path of the twister.”

You stared in amazement at the device. “How? Like, how do you figure out when to release the trailer? And how does it not just get blown away?”

A grin tugged at his mouth. “Figured that one out too.”

He led you to the side of the trailer, where he pointed at a compartment positioned directly between the wheels. “Soon as I get the trailer in place, I flip a switch and stakes lower outta this compartment here and into the ground. Usually we’re cuttin’ it close, but I can get the truck positioned in the path of the twister. Then I get the trailer settled and get the hell outta Dodge.”

“Then I hit the remote control for the tanks and release the nitrogen into the air,” Finn piped up eagerly.

“Meanwhile, Zara and I are tracking the storm pattern and trying to figure out exactly when to release the trailer,” came Jeslyn’s explanation.

You stared at all the equipment in total wonder. These people had thought of everything. More than you or Rhett ever had when you were chasing. Your operation then had been very bare bones, and really, you were just following storms for the fun of it. 

But this? This was an entire science experiment, and it was fascinating. Despite your refusal to chase again, you were very curious about what all of this would look like in action. If Zara ever succeeded in stopping a twister, she would make history. 

That was something you almost wanted to be a part of. Almost. 

Later that night, you found yourself curled up in an Adirondack chair, a blanket wrapped around your shoulders as everyone sat around the fire that Rhett had built in the old fire pit. The place held so many memories. Namely, the night Rhett had asked you to be his girlfriend. It was right here. 

He remembered that night, too. You could tell he was thinking about it when he caught your eye from across the fire. 

Around you, the group settled into comfortable conversation. The kind that happened when old friends got together. Anything and everything was discussed as the night gave way to inky darkness, the stars twinkling above, like glitter spilled across a black velvet canvas. 

Before she’d retired for the night, Cecilia had warmed some apple cider on the stove, and a mug of it was currently situated in your hands, its taste spicy and comforting. You enjoyed listening to Rhett’s friends tell stories of different storms they’d chased, reliving all the exciting times they’d had together.

You wondered if you would be running with them, too, had you stayed here instead of moving to Silver Springs and taking your weather analyst job. Would it just be you and Rhett, or would fate have still decided to bring these people into your life?

Their passion was admirable. Zara was a very driven individual, hellbent on making a difference. “If I could at least slow down a twister, even if it doesn’t fully stop it, think of all the lives we could save. That’s why I do all of this. I wanna protect people.”

That was just it, wasn’t it? Saving lives. You thought back to the fateful day you had lost Perry, Rebecca, and Lydia. If you’d had a way of slowing down that twister, or even stopping it altogether, perhaps they would still be here.

But you couldn’t think that way, because it was already done. There was no way to go back in time and save them. 

The thought made your chest ache, and you had to swallow the wave of grief that rose in your throat. Rhett caught your eye over the flames, and shot you a reassuring look, almost as if he knew what you were thinking.

To your relief, the subject soon changed from storm chasing, and moved on to lighter things. 

“Hey, rodeo’s on Saturday. We were all thinking of going together. You should totally join us!” Jeslyn suggested, nodding in your direction. 

“Yeah, you should!” Finn agreed.

That piqued your interest. “Sure, I’ll still be in town, so why not?” You hadn’t been to a rodeo in so long. Not since Rhett’s last ride, which had ended in disaster.

Jeslyn grinned over her mug of cider. “Great! We’re gonna have so much fun. We’ll take care of your ticket, so you don’t have to worry about it.” 

You raised a brow in surprise. “Really? You don’t have to do that.”

Everyone protested at once, insisting that they wanted the rodeo ticket to be their treat. You were touched at their generosity, and accepted the offer gratefully. Might as well make the most of your time in Wabang.

Soon, it was time for the group to disperse and head in their own respective ways. Rhett threw some sand over the dying embers, while everyone else folded up their chairs to store back in the barn. As you walked the group back to their cars, Zara turned to you, her face kind.

“I know you’ve got your reasons for choosing not to chase, I want you to know the invitation for you to join us is open, in case you ever change your mind,” she told you. 

You weren’t entirely sure what came over you then. Maybe it was your desire to make a difference. Maybe you were just foolish. But for whatever reason, you were emboldened enough to say, “y’know what? I’ve got a proposition.” You stole a glance at Rhett to make sure he was listening. “I’ll go on a chase with you guys if Rhett agrees to ride at next weekend’s rodeo.”

You knew Rhett. He had a competitive nature. He was going to say yes. Everyone’s eyes landed on him, awaiting his answer.

“Shoo-ee, you gonna accept that challenge, Rhett?” Danny asked with a grin, fully invested.

Beside you, Rhett grimaced. “Ain’t no way they’ll let me in the ring,” he protested.

“Does Beau still oversee the bull riding contestants?” You inquired.

You and Rhett both knew that Beau would agree to letting him ride, because only Beau Wilson was crazy enough to allow such a thing. 

“Yeah,” Rhett answered your question. He was well aware of the direction this was going.

“Then I’ll go talk to him. He’ll get you a spot in the ring. If you can handle it, that is.” You gave him a pointed look. 

“I can handle it, darlin’.” Despite the determination in his tone, the nickname settled over you like a warm embrace. He hadn’t called you that in so long. “So if I do this, you swear you’ll go on a run with us?”

“Pinky swear.” You held your hand out, pinky up.

Rhett eyed your hand for a moment before he linked his pinky finger with yours. “Fine. You got yourself a deal.”

Finn and Danny whooped in excitement, while Zara and Jeslyn looked between you and Rhett, bewildered. “Who would’ve thought you’d be the one to get him back on a bull? We always say he should try riding again, but he always says no,” Zara explained. 

You looked at Rhett, and he ducked his head, hand lifting to scratch the back of his neck. You swore you saw his ears turn red. “Guess he just needed some friendly competition,” you replied.

Not long after, goodbyes were said, and the group parted ways, climbing into their vehicles and driving off, leaving you and Rhett standing there in the driveway. Immediately, you realized that your proposition was a bit preposterous. 

“Oh my god, if you don’t want to ride, you don’t have to. I don’t know why I said that, I just…”

But he waved his hand, shaking his head. “Nah, I’ll do it. It’ll do me some good to get back on a bull. Just like it’ll do you some good to face another twister. Might help us both process some shit,” he reasoned.

You let out a breath. “Maybe so.”

You both turned to walk toward the house, and he asked you a question as you went. “What made you change your mind?”

You paused, glancing down at your feet before you looked at him. “I dunno, all of Zara’s talk about saving lives…it got me thinking. It would be so cool if it could work. Imagine all the people she could save! She’s making a difference, and I want to be a part of that.” And then, “maybe if…if we had something like that six years ago, Perry, Rebecca, and Lydia would still be alive.”

Rhett’s boots crunched against dirt as he absently kicked a few pebbles out of the way. “Don’t go spiralin’ into the ‘what ifs’. Universe saw fit to take ‘em, so it did. No machine could’ve stopped it. Not that kinda twister.”

You studied his expression. “Do you believe in Zara’s project?”

He shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I do, but there ain’t no way it would stop an EF5 tornado. We’d be fucked if it hit us.”

“It’s still worth a try, though, isn’t it? If it works, and if she can get it going on a larger scale…she could save entire towns from being destroyed! Think of the history she’s going to make!”

Rhett’s mouth curled into a slight smile. “There she is.”

“What?”

“My storm chasin’ gal. You’re back.”

You shrugged. “I guess so. But just know this isn’t a permanent thing, ‘kay? I’m only going out there with you guys to see how Zara’s invention works. After that, I’m going back to Silver Springs. To my job, where I don’t have to live off of McDonald’s and Whataburger every day and stay in shitty motels while I wait for a twister to just fall out of the sky.”

He bit back his ever-widening grin, shaking his head. “Sure thing. I’m just glad you decided to face your fear, s’all.”

Facing your fear. That was what this was, wasn’t it? You knew that  if you could do this, it would show you that you were capable of moving past your grief that still felt crippling at times. But you couldn’t help but wonder; when staring into the face of a tornado, would you be able to stand your ground, or would you let your fear send you running like a frightened child?

You would soon find out. But you didn’t realize just how soon. 

-

taglist: tagging those who expressed interest or asked to be tagged (lmk if you wanna be added or removed)

@withahappyrefrain @rhettabbotts @ryebecca @peachystenbrough @attapullman

@sebsxphia @delopsia @damrlova @fragilefearnie @floydsmuse

@fairyheart @hangmanapologist @lovinglyeternal @likearolloftape @bobfloydsbabe

@nobody7102 @mearslot @torturedpoetspsychward @floydsglasses @hearteyesforlewis

@shamelessghostwagonwobbler @cloudofbutterflies92 @keep-on-burnin @ravenmoore14 @queenbbarnes

@phoenixhalliwell @lyn-js @sunsetsimpsblog @ixxvixcviii @shinycupcakebaker

@frequentnosebleeder @atoncments @eolsens @casuallyclassless @desert-fern

@perfectprettypisces @parcetamoldaisy @zirrocom @rhettsgirll @just-in-case-iloveyou

@ada--44 @sydney-malcontent @9ullmans @bradshawsbitch

@callsignmedusa @antiquitea @ohmyeyesmyeyes @spidervman @oddlymighty-witch @dreams-in-anthracis

[heart-of-the-morningstar]

I’m gonna write this down now so I can look like an absolute genius later (or look like a clown, but at least I said it with my full chest!)

❌ Spoilers for the FNAF Movie below! ❌

Ok, I might be huffing hopium here, but in my heart of hearts I STILL think Mike Schmidt is Mike Afton. If (or when) they make a sequel, there’s a way they can reveal this

So the most obvious thing from this movie is when Mike is in “Steve’s” office, and when “Steve” is reading Mike’s name out loud from his résumé, he stops mid-sentence. He looks at Mike for a weird amount of time, almost studying him, before completely changing the subject. There’s no way in hell “Steve” recognizes Mike from when he saw him as a kid when he kidnapped his brother Garrett 10+ ago, no chance. Also why would he go to Nebraska (unclear where the movie takes place, but let’s assume Utah because of the books) to kidnap a random kid and just drive off? Here’s what I think is going on…(also I’m gonna call him William from now on cuz we all know lol)

William fingered out that Mike is his son during that interview. My theory is that at some point, William was married and him and his wife have a son named Mike. And for one reason or another, they got divorced. This is when Mike was too young to really remember which is why he doesn’t recognize William during their meeting. Mike’s mom gains custody of Mike and remarries, she marries Mr. Schmidt. They have a child together, Garrett. Sometime after the divorce, William adopts a child, trying to cope after losing his only son. He adopts Vanessa.

William finds out about his ex-wife having another kid. He wants to cause her pain and suffering for leaving him. He follows the Schmidt’s and takes Garrett during the camping trip. Unable to handle the pain, Mike’s mom takes her own life, leaving Mike and his stepdad. Mr. Schmidt marries a little later to another woman, and she has a daughter named Abby. Sometime after this, both Mr. Schmidt and his new wife die, leaving Mike to care for Abby.

Vanessa owed William so much, he had adopted her while she had suffered in an orphanage for years. She would do anything he told her, even if it meant covering up his crimes. Years later, realizing what she was doing was wrong, she left her father and became a police officer, hoping to stop people like her father as she had failed to stop him.

Here’s another thing. Scott Cawthon knows that the fans are obsessed with the lore of FNAF. I think he knew he could make more movies, this isn’t going to be a one and done deal. Plus, he had his hand on this project every step of the way, he wouldn’t agree to anything that he didn’t want to happen in the story. Mike being William’s some is CRUCIAL to the story of FNAF (at least in the games). I think he’s trying to fake us out, you know how he loves to troll the fans!

Again, this is just a theory (A GAME THEORY lol), but I don’t think the idea of Mike being an Afton is dead just yet. Hoping and praying so I can look incredibly smart if or when the sequel drops 🙏🏻

[supernovafics]

Hey love your “I’ll be there for you” series, recently read the one where Steve walked in on her and was wondering if you could write her walking in on him please 💖

𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐈𝐓

"i'll be there for you" universe masterlist

pairing: bestfriend!roommate!steve harrington x fem!reader

word count: 3k words

warnings: explicit language, brief-ish mention of reader’s shitty parents

summary: in which you and steve end up at your childhood home after a shitty party at the house of one of your old high school friends. a frozen pizza and some spilled wine lead to another awkward moment between you two, but the roles are reversed this time around

author's note: thanks for the request! this became a lot longer than i expected but it was a really fun one to write lol

general note: everything in this universe/series can be read as standalone oneshots but to understand the full “lore” it would prob be best to read the other stuff too<333

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Fall 1985

“Are we living in a nightmare right now?”

You didn’t need to hear Steve’s response to know exactly how true your words were. 

Deciding to come to this party, and forcing Steve to come with you, was probably one of the worst ideas you’ve had in a while and you now fully regretted it. Even before going, you had a feeling it would suck— that it would be full of way too many people you knew from high school, most of whom you never really wanted to see again. But, when you were invited by an old friend after running into her at the diner you and Steve would frequent, it felt too hard to say no on the spot, and then just for one stupid second you managed to convince yourself that this could be a good idea; fun, even. 

And making Steve come with you would also make it a thousand times more bearable. Even though he was working a late shift at Family Video, you were still able to convince him to come to the party with you after his shift— mainly because you promised him that you would clean out Harold’s cage for the next two weeks. 

Barely twenty minutes in, you two had gotten split up somehow and you had minor conversations, none of which were started by you, with at least ten people from high school. What made it worse was that since it was Thanksgiving break most people were home for the week from whatever college they went off to, and all you heard about were stories of people’s college experiences so far, which quickly became way too repetitive. 

After hearing one too many stories about “having so much freedom” and “super crazy frat parties,” you desperately started searching for Steve so that you two could leave. You had spotted him in the kitchen in a matter of seconds having a conversation with a random guy, and as if sensing your gaze on him, his eyes immediately met yours. You gave each other a look that said everything that needed to be said and you met him outside moments later. 

Now your eyes were fixed on his car, which was completely sandwiched in by two cars that parked way too close, so there was no way that you two could leave right then. 

When Steve laughed at the current situation and at you saying that this entire night was a nightmare, you gave him a confused look. 

“Why are you laughing?”

He lightly shrugged, eyes meeting yours. “Come on, this is at least a little bit funny. When was the last time you’ve seen shit like this happen before?”

You let out a sigh that morphed into somewhat of a laugh. “Okay, so instead of a nightmare this is just some kind of fucked up comedy movie?”

“Yes, exactly,” He said with a nod. “So, now what? Should we go back inside?” 

“No way,” You told him as you leaned against the side of his car instead of going back toward the house. Steve didn’t say anything in response to that and simply joined you, standing close enough so that it was easy for you to lean your head against his shoulder. 

It was quiet for a few moments, probably because you both were trying to figure out how to salvage the rest of the night. On the drive back home, you were going to suggest that you two pick up something from the pizza place close by the apartment and then settle on the couch and watch a movie since it was barely ten o’clock, but now that idea felt pretty impossible.

You were about to say that maybe you two should go back inside the house and just find a room to camp out in for the time being— it felt like the only plausible idea that wouldn’t have you two standing out in the cold for the next few hours. But then you remembered the address of the house you two were currently standing outside of, and it finally hit you why the street name had felt so familiar when it was scrawled out and given to you on a random napkin at the diner. 

“Oh, my God. Samantha’s seventh birthday!” 

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed at your abrupt words. “What?” 

You lifted your head from his shoulder and looked at him. “Okay, long story short, this girl in my second grade class lived on this street and she was having a birthday party, and my mom dropped me off for it. I think that there was some confusion between her and my dad about who would pick me up from it, so neither of them ended up coming because they both thought that the other one was; or maybe they just forgot. Before Samantha’s parents could notice that I was the last kid left— and that I was the kid whose parents forgot to pick them up from a birthday party, which felt so embarrassing— I decided to walk home. It felt like an hour, but I think it was actually just like ten minutes. And that sad story was the long winded way of me saying that we should just walk to my house right now because it’s really close and who knows how long it’ll take for either of these cars to move.”  

Steve bypassed your final statement for a moment. “You walked home when you were seven, and this is a story that is just now coming up?” 

“Some traumatic childhood memories I like to keep to myself and completely repress unless it’s absolutely necessary to bring them up, and this moment needed that story.” You were only slightly joking with your words. “Anyway, my parents are still on that Thanksgiving ski trip with yours until Sunday, so the house is empty. Let’s go, Harrington.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Overall, you loved your childhood home, it was just your parents that had made it unbearable most of the time— which was what made you want to move out sooner rather than later. However, since your parents weren’t home, it wasn’t surprising that you were enjoying being in the kitchen with Steve right then. 

You had pulled a bottle of wine off the rack that was in the living room, and you and Steve decided to drink it out of mugs instead of glasses because it felt much less “adult” that way. You were sitting on top of the island that sat in the middle of the kitchen and Steve stood next to you after he put the frozen pizza that he found in the freezer into the oven— you were certain that you had bought it during the summer before you moved out because you truly couldn’t imagine your parents buying it themselves.   

The bottle of wine was already done, with the last of it going into your mug, and Steve took a quick sip of what was left in his before speaking. “Y’know whenever we tell each other shitty childhood stories, like that birthday party one, it makes me really glad that we have each other.”

You knew for a fact that it wasn’t the wine and your slight inebriation that made his words hit you so damn hard. Instead, they hit you hard because of how completely true they were and how you felt the exact same way. Nearly ten years of Steve being in your life and it was difficult, and equally painful, to imagine anything different. It was hard to picture what your life would be like if you hadn’t met him on that stupid cruise when you were ten. 

You were sure that you still would’ve had friends in this sucky alternate universe where you never met Steve, and you maybe even called someone else your best friend. But you were also sure that none of those friendships would be like what you had with Steve. What you two had was unprecedented, and as dramatic as it probably would’ve sounded if you said this to anyone that wasn’t Steve, it felt like something that was once in a lifetime. 

How deeply you’d been affected by his words right then may not have been due to the wine, but you knew that your sudden urge to cry at that moment was due to your slight inebriation. You brought your mug to your lips and took a long drink from it to settle the lump growing in your throat. 

“That feeling’s very mutual,” You ultimately said as you playfully bumped your knee against him. “Also, you’re being way too sentimental right now, which feels very out of character for you.” 

He smiled at that. “Oh, yes, I forgot. You’re the sentimental one when we’re drunk. I shouldn’t be taking over that role.” 

“Exactly,” You said sarcastically to match his tone and moved your hand to point at him, which you did way too fast and made most of the red wine in your mug spill all over his shirt and onto the floor. You immediately slapped your free hand over your mouth out of shock and so you wouldn’t laugh at what just happened. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry.”

Steve laughed, which made it a thousand times harder to hold back your own laughter. “I had a feeling you hated this shirt, but now I know for sure that you do.”

You actually had nothing against the simple yellow crewneck he was wearing with the sleeves bunched up at his elbows, but before you two had left the apartment that night, you made a playful joke about his outfit; it was just fun to push his buttons sometimes. 

“I actually really like it. This was purely accidental,” You said as you sat your now empty mug down next to you. 

“Where’s the mop again?”

You shook your head at his question and pushed yourself off the counter, avoiding the mess on the floor. “No, I’ll clean this up, you should go change. There’s probably something of yours left in my room because I didn’t completely empty out all of the drawers when I packed.” You walked around Steve and toward the sink so that you could grab the sponge and clean the counter first. “And actually, you should maybe shower too unless you wanna smell like a vineyard for the rest of the night. And I personally don’t know if I’ll be able to stomach that.” 

“I feel like if I leave, you’ll somehow just end up making a bigger mess,” He said and you immediately rolled your eyes at that. 

“I’m sober enough to do this,” You told him. “You wanna see me walk in a straight line?”

Before he could answer, you quickly went over to the fridge and then turned around and started walking toward him, one foot in front of the other in a line that was somewhat straight. When you were standing right in front of him, you booped the tip of his nose with your finger. 

He couldn’t help but laugh at your current antics. “I don’t know if that helped me believe that you’re not drunk right now.” 

“Just go,” You said as you went back over to the sink. “If I somehow end up starting a fire, I’ll make sure to go get you before leaving the house or even calling 911.”

“That’s very comforting to know,” Steve told you sarcastically before he finally started heading down the hall. “But, you should definitely call 911 before getting me.”

“Yeah, yeah. It will all depend on how I feel in the moment,” You responded loud enough for him to hear, and you only heard him overdramatically sigh in response, which made you laugh. 

You cleaned up the wine that dripped onto the countertop and what spilled on the floor, and then you put both mugs in the sink and washed them. The mundane act managed to sober you up for the most part, and it also somehow made you need to pee.  

You were certain that Steve was already in the guest bathroom because that was the one he always used when he would come over. Therefore, you decided to go to yours, which was connected to your bedroom right down the hall.

At first, when you were younger, you hated having your bedroom on the first floor because it felt so far away from your parents, whose room was upstairs, and it was also harder to get away from the noise whenever they decided to have work parties at the house. But that hatred quickly changed as you got older because the fact that you were on the first floor made it so much easier for you to sneak out, mainly to Steve’s house twenty minutes away, or to sneak Steve in. 

The bedroom was now mostly empty and bare, but some things still lingered— your old bedding was still on the bed and some posters were still on the wall; ones that you didn’t want to bring to the apartment because they felt as if they just had to stay here. Even a smiling picture of you and Steve in his pool that was taken by his mom one Summer felt weirdly right to leave pinned up on the wall next to your closet like it had been for the past seven years. You bypassed the weirdness and slight nostalgia you were feeling at that moment and instead went to your bathroom. 

You did not expect to see Steve when you opened the door and you especially didn’t expect him to see him naked. He must’ve just gotten out of the shower because the towel that should’ve been wrapped around his waist was in his damp hair instead. 

The first thought you had when your eyes inadvertently traveled downward was that when the tables had been turned and you joked about seeing his “little Harrington” to make things even between you two, he was right by saying that it wasn’t little. It was actually nowhere near being little. You were unsure if that was a sober thought or a drunk one; it somehow felt like both. 

“Oh, shit, fuck,” You immediately turned around and then quickly realized that you didn’t close the door back, but you refused to turn around again, so you backed up a bit until you felt the doorknob and then harshly pulled it shut. “Fuck.”

“Did you actually start a fire?” You heard Steve’s voice through the door. 

“No,” You answered, eyes now firmly shut even though they didn’t have to be. “I thought you were in the other bathroom. You always use the other one. Why are you using mine?” 

“I only use the other one when you’re using yours. The water pressure in here is so much better.” 

“Oh,” You said, hating how much sense the short explanation made. “Well, still, fuck. And also, I’m sorry.” 

Steve let out a laugh, which surprised you because nothing about this moment felt like it should’ve been laughed about, at least not yet. “Y’know this moment feels like the worst kind of deja vu.”

You groaned. “Ugh, stop, we said we’d never bring up that moment.” 

“I know, but it feels like a very fitting time to bring it up,” He said. “And, at least, now we’re even.” 

“I guess that’s sadly true, but I was completely okay with us never being even on this thing,” You told him. “And now we have another moment that we’ll take to our graves and never speak of.���

“The list just keeps growing and growing.” 

“We should commit a crime so that we have less embarrassing things on the list.” 

“I agree.” You heard the door open and you kept your eyes shut even though you were still turned around. “It’s okay. I have clothes on now.” 

You let out a sigh in relief and turned around to face him. He was wearing your white t-shirt that had your high school name and “Class of ‘85” written across the front of it in dark green lettering— it was fairly oversized on you, but it fit him fine— and he had on a pair of black sweatpants that you knew were his because of the bleach spots on one of the legs. You remembered that they had been living in the bottom of your drawer since Junior year of high school. 

For some reason, it felt so damn awkward looking at him right then, even though he was now fully clothed. Now you completely understood why he had been so embarrassed when he walked in on you. You tried to think back to what you had said to him in that moment to ease the awkwardness, maybe those words could’ve been helpful in this moment, but your mind was drawing a blank. All you could think about and picture right then were things that you definitely should not have been thinking about or picturing. 

You then remembered the reason why you’d been heading to your bathroom in the first place. “I think seeing your little Harrington scared my pee away.” 

You refused to mention that you now knew that it actually wasn’t “little” because he did not need an ego boost right then when you were the one who felt way too awkward about this entire situation.

Steve let out a laugh and shook his head. “I don’t really know what to say to that.” 

You covered your face with your hands. “Don’t say anything, actually. I don’t even know why I just said that. This whole moment just feels so weird.”

“I think what you said to me that day when I did this to you was something like, Stop being weird and awkward about this. Let’s just forget this ever happened,” Steve said and you playfully punched his arm when he attempted to mimic your voice. 

“Fuck you. My voice is not that high-pitched.” 

Steve simply shrugged. “Close enough.”

“I did have very wise words, though,” You told him. “And we should listen to them and completely forget this moment ever happened.” 

“Taking it to the grave.”

You nodded. “To the grave.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

let me know ur thoughts<333

(requests are open for stuff you wanna see in the universe/series!🫶🏾)

[mrs-weasley-reid]

CASES AND CANDIES•••

bau team x bau!reader

Synopsis: you started a tradition of giving the bau team candies whenever you all return home from a case. Only this time, you were on sick leave. WARNING: nothing. all fluff and fun. A/N: This is my first time posting here so bear with me lol

“Great job, everyone. Have the rest of the week off. You all deserve it.” Hotch announced and walked up the few steps to his office.

The rest of the team was now at their respective desks, working through paperwork to pass their last two hours on the clock.

As soon as Hotch’s office shut, Emily, Spencer, and Derek’s hands flew up in the air, palms facing the ceiling as they waited for a small object to graze on their skin.

JJ entered the room with manila folders clutched to her chest, almost choking with laughter at the sight she walked in on. “I assume none of you are waiting for more paperwork?” She said, earning the three agents’ attention to lift from their desks, realizing the subconscious act they had just done.

You started a tradition of giving the BAU team a piece of candy as soon as Hotch closed his door.

It would start with Derek, as your desk was next to him. Then, to Spencer, whose desk was across yours. You would move to Emily, then venture up the small flight of stairs to knock on Hotch’s door and leave a piece of candy on his desk without saying anything.

You always gave Rossi’s treat last, at least between the people on the main floor, because you wanted to ensure that he didn’t grab two like he did the third time you offered him a piece. Nonetheless, you would give him his favorite flavor to make up for only giving him one candy.

And then, you would skip to Penelope’s bat cave with a customized treat. Ribbons tied at the ends of the candy wrapper. Lastly, you would meet JJ on her way to the bullpen with a strawberry-flavored candy in your hand.

Two doors abruptly opened, and JJ immediately spoke, “She was not with us this week, remember? She’s on sick leave. You two have to calm down.”

Aaron’s face shifted a little but was still stern all the same. On the other hand, Rossi tilted his head to indicate a front that he knew already, failing miserably.

JJ shook her head and went straight to Derek’s desk, dialing your number and setting it on speaker.

The ringing stopped as soon as you picked up the call, announcing your name. Your cough echoed in the bullpen, but you were far too busy fighting for your life to feel embarrassed over your office, hearing you heave for air.

“Hey, it’s JJ. Are you busy?” Her voice was soft and gentle, and even if you were busy, you would’ve stopped everything you were doing.

A bright laugh rumbled from your end, “[If watching ‘A Bug’s Life’ for the fifteenth time is considered busy, then I guess I am.]” Your movements muffled the speaker a little bit, but they heard you clearly enough.

JJ smiled at that. As the person you mainly confided with, you didn’t hesitate to ask her to bring you the DVD copy of the movie as soon as she offered to visit you before they flew out for the case. “I just wanted to ask if you have any treats for your puppies here. They were all waiting patiently, and I’ll let you know they did a great job at the case.” JJ chuckled, earning multiple eye rolls from Emily and Derek.

“[Oh, yeah! I forgot to mention that I left a set of treats in my drawer. One for each.]” You emphasized your last words, knowing how greedy your teammates could sometimes get.

It has happened before. There was one time when Spencer argued, backed with statistics, that he did such a great job helping find the unsub that he deserved at least three chewy candies. Not to mention that they all created a formal petition, signed by everyone (even Hotch with a special mention of his Unit Chief position), to give five candies to the agent that finds and arrests the unsub.

There was a wave of cheering in the bullpen. 

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about!” Emily approvingly nodded.

Derek snorted, “Thanks, sweet mama.”

Spencer went on with his usual random fact, “Sweets as a reward is actually ill-advised because studies show that it leads to obesity.”

“Does that mean I can take your piece?” JJ raised a brow at Spencer.

“I just said it’s ill-advised. I didn’t say I don’t want one.” Spencer walked to your desk and ignored Derek’s teasing grin.

Aaron let go of the railing, clearing his throat. "Just bring it to my office." He said, and then he went back inside his office like he hadn't been looking forward to your dose of sweet treat.

Rossi didn’t waste time walking down at an unusual speed that he doesn’t use even during a case. “I want the grape one!” He announced.

The glass door swung open, revealing Penelope with her bright-colored pen. “Hey! No fair! No one told me the treats are out.” She rushed to the group and playfully shoved Derek out of her way.

You couldn’t help but smile through the phone as you listened to the commotion from the other end of the line. And you promised yourself never to miss a case ever again.

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Slowly but surely replying to older asks. I say it every time but I mean it: thank you for being patient.

One ask about Shroudcest and one ask about Rookvil today!

Anonymous asked:

Imagine imagine imagine.

Cause this is funny to me.

Someone's flirting with Idia, yeah? (or just talking to him, not even flirting) (well, I guess it'd be a one sided conversation....)

And Ortho was off doing whatever and he comes back and he notices-

And he gets all angry and whatnot-

And Ortho's got instant connections to the internet-

And he figures out who the person is and basically destroys their social life.

Like, in the middle of this conversation, this person checks their phone and finds out all their friends have ditched them and their entire online life is up in flames.

Simply because Ortho got a little jealous.

Anon, this is so unbelievably easy to imagine lol Despite Ortho really wanting his precious Idia to have more friends and connections, he is much more jealous than he thought! And much more of a little shit than people think… We really love this kind of scenario for them, to be honest.

Ortho is way too powerful for how emotionally unstable he is! Rogue little yandere robot :( His niisan is his and his only! That poor guy probably just wanted to talk about homework or something trivial like that…

Anonymous asked:

the rook hate be crazy, sorry for the nonsense you’ve been dealing with for doing nothing wrong. anyway rookvil appreciation hours. rook is so observant and reverent that he’s always looking out for his queen and vil is just a bit tsun lol but i love how vulnerable vil is with rook. like the lines implying vil has cried in front of rook before, that they sleep in the same bed, rook knows vil’s family situation, vil commenting on rook’s thighs in beanfest implicitly meaning he spends a lot of time looking at them lol, rook has access to vil’s room and waits for vil… as much as i love savanaclaw rook and mourn his loss everyday, he willingly changed himself to be worthy of being by vil’s side via his own free will; vil did not MAKE him do anything they just talked a lot. my mans is more whipped than heavy cream. idk about you but rook mentions he struggled to feel or express emotions before he knew about theater (specifically neige but let’s ignore that for vil’s sanity lol) so it feels significant that rook obviously feels and emotes so strongly over vil (also something something ortho struggles to feel or express himself before movies and acting so what i’m getting at here is they should spitroast vil at least once lmao.) if it was revealed they’re canonically dating the only part i’d be surprised about is that it got through disney’s censors.

It’s okay, Anon. The whole thing kind of made us appreciate Rook and RookVil more, to be honest lol I sketched them for a couple of days nonstop after that whole thing happened.

It also made you write this ask! It took me some time to reply, but every time I was rereading it I smiled because god this is such a good ship. Everything that you’ve listed is just so… wonderful. All those interactions, all this connection, all those moments that imply their closeness that is on a much deeper level than we get to see. Sometimes when these two talk, it feels like we’re eavesdropping lol they just have this vibe to them, as if every dialogue has some additional context that we don’t quite get.

Vil’s comment about Rook’s thighs and him bulking up though lol poor Epel didn’t know what to make of it and probably didn’t want to think about it…

You’ve made such a good point about Vil being more vulnerable with Rook, and I think this vulnerability is very important. Vil feels like someone who probably doesn’t usually allow people to get very close to him, but once he lowers his guard for someone, that person becomes very special to him. Or I guess it’s the other way around… anyways, he trusts Rook enough to always have him by his side, and he probably vents his frustrations with the industry and anything else that troubles him to Rook the most.

And this trust isn’t one-sided: I feel like Rook trusts Vil a lot too. We know that he has a lot of secrets, and even Vil probably doesn’t know a whole lot about his upbringing and stuff, but he certainly knows more than other people + listens carefully enough to understand implications without prying into it too much. They give each other enough space in general, I guess? I know it sounds funny considering Rook’s whole stalking thing but lol their connection is special. They learn from each other and from what they have together.

It makes sense that one person that Vil trusts so much and loves so much is a weird theater nerd who doesn’t quite understand tact, but is very honest, supportive and genuinely passionate and loving. It makes sense that one person that Rook trusts so much and loves so much is an obsessive perfectionist that takes care of him, enables him and inspires him every day. Both of them are kind of insufferable, but they are the perfect type of “insufferable” to each other lol And yeah, let’s not forget about the power of knowing all the obscure theater/film references the other one makes!

I also absolutely agree that it wouldn’t be surprising at all if it was confirmed that they are dating lol The only surprising thing really would be the fact that Disney allowed it.

[marshallpupfan]

Marshall Merchandise Update - Rescue Wheels Edition™

Slowly but surely, the Rescue Wheels merchandise has been popping up in stores here in the USA. Naturally, I've been keeping an eye out for them, so it's time to show off what I've found so far!

First off, I decided to put a background on my monitor again, just to spruce things up. I also attempted some better lighting by using a lamp instead of my camera's flash. Some pics still came out a bit iffy, so I apologize.

In any case, here's the first piece of Rescue Wheels merchandise I got! Nearly a whole month ago, in fact. I seen it listed on Amazon and figured why not go for it, since stores here in the USA were taking a long time to get them.

The vehicle, itself... it's not my favorite, I'll say that. It's just shaped a little too box-like, but the flame graphics are cool, even if they are just stickers. Strangely, the ladder water cannon on the back doesn't move at all. If anything, I do like the figurine. Not the best, but I still like it.

Next, the usual plush doll, which we always seem to get upon each new subseries or movie. They decided to go back to the old style, which is kind of a shame, since I liked what we got for The Mighty Movie and Jungle Pups better. It just looked cuter, imo. Ah well.

Now that's one cool-looking pup. Super cute! 😎

Next, a new "Pup Squad Racer" vehicle! With not-so-good lighting that I didn't notice until I upload these pics. I probably should've put it on something to get more of that background in the shot. Also, ignore the dust under the monitor... I forgot to get rid of that. 😅

As you can see, this is yet another one of those smaller vehicles. I'm fully convinced these are indeed meant to be replacements for those True Metal vehicles... which is perhaps for the best, since the last few we got were kind of cheap. These are a nice alternative.

Unlike the True Metal vehicles, the pup's head is a lot bigger, so it's a bit more detailed and nicer. I dare say it's pretty cute! And...

...Hey, wait a minute. Who's big tires are those? That doesn't look like Marshall's vehicle...

Wait...

Is it...?

BOOMER??

That's right! Boomer, the villain pup of Rescue Wheels, got his own figurine and vehicle! I'll admit, that's quite rare, since PAW Patrol villains rarely ever get merchandise of any kind. It's only happened a few times in the past.

If you remember that character spotlight post I made of Boomer, then you might also recall that I became quite a big fan of this pup after watching Rescue Wheels! Thus, when I heard he was getting his own toy, I knew I had to have it. Admittedly, I think his vehicle turned out a bit nicer than Marshall's. Don't tell anyone I said that.

His figurine's also nice, if you ask me. Even as a toy, this pup looks quite cool... and cute! I'll certainly have to add this somewhere to my Marshall collection. He'll go nicely next to Claw. Two of my favorite villains, hanging out. We just need this in the cartoon now! lol

Oh, by the way, if anyone's interested in one of these, know that they're exclusive to Walmart (at least, here in the USA). They also made one for Roxi, which I believe is exclusive to Target. Just an FYI.

But wait... that's not all! Even more surprising than the vehicle...

Boomer also got a plush doll! Wow, you really lucked out, Boomer! At this point, I'm hoping the kids asks their parents for these and his figurine & vehicle... that way, Spin Master will see him as popular and we'll see him again someday soon. Hey, let me dream. lol

That is also one cool-looking pup! Boomer! Boomer! Boomer!!! 😁

Alright, that's all for now. And a good thing, too... after all these purchases, my poor wallet is probably screaming at me again. Too bad I'll likely make one or two more soon, since Rescue Wheels got its own batch of mini-figurines in mystery boxes, of course. Sadly, Boomer didn't get included in that, else Marshall wouldn't be the only one I'd be tracking down. It's still crazy to see him get what he did though! Man, if only Claw got his own plush doll instead of Sweetie...

So... what's next? I wonder how much longer until we start to see merchandise of Air Rescue? Then again, the USA hasn't even aired Rescue Wheels yet, so no doubt it won't be until next year. Good... that gives my wallet plenty of time to recover. lol

[starpirateee]

Hi! Can I suggest something kinda dumb that's been in my head forever? Pete coming out to Ted as bi and being really nervous, and then Ted's like " oh cool me too. Wait you didn't know that?" And Pete's like "???"

Idk that's just really funny to me lol

First, anon, this idea is anything but dumb! Second, it would be my genuine pleasure! Bisexual brothers for the win tbh 😌

And forgive Pete for not being able to work this out with his incredible logic, it's the tism (and the anxiety) ((see: just like me fr))

"Ted… I've gotta tell you something…" Pete had been holding this back for a month or more, waiting on the right moment to just come out and say it. Part of him didn't even know what he was worried about, Ted had literally never judged him for anything before, why would this be so different? He was one of the most laid back people he knew, but there had to be a line somewhere, right? Maybe this would be the line, maybe Ted wouldn't be cool with it…

He found his brother on the sofa, halfway through some probably shit movie he wasn't even paying attention to. Swallowing back his nerves, he forced himself to breathe and rationalise the situation. No, he was not admitting to having committed a crime. No, he was not about to say he wanted to elope to another country with nothing but a girl and a dream… How bad could it really be?

Ted paused the movie, turned around, and raised an eyebrow. Pete was known for being a nervous wreck; he overthought like the best of them, and he'd set himself into more than enough spirals that were all decently hard to pull him back from. This was another one of those occassions, apparently. He looked tense, and there was something about the way he was avoiding looking at him that made him believe it wasn't just something interesting on the floor. "Uh, okay? What's up?" He asked, preparing himself for some long story that he'd have to deep dive through.

"I- uh…" Pete hesitated, drawing in a breath, and taking Ted up on the offer of the other side of the sofa. Even when he sat down, he was stiff as a board, worried that somehow this would go wrong. Eventually, he just decided to jump into the deep end and see what happened. "Fuck it. I'm… I'm into guys. And girls! Both! I'm… Bisexual. I might get a girlfriend one day, but- uh, maybe not, y'know..?"

It was silent for a few moments. Pete was starting to let those moments bleed out into eternity, thinking it better to absolve himself in the silence. It was better than rejection!

And then Ted hummed, breaking that precious silence like glass. Pete held his breath subtly, kneading his hands against the fabric of his trousers.

"… Cool."

But that wasn't the reaction he was expecting at all.

"Huh? That- that's it..? What, you're just cool with that?"

Just one word. The word 'cool'. He could forgive Ted for being vague at the best of times, but not right now. At least it didn't sound like a bad thing… He had prompted for more, though, and he was hoping that it was going to continue to be a good thing even with that much needed clarification.

Ted scoffed, vaguely amused. "What's your problem, kid? D'you think I was gonna judge you or whatever?"

"Uh… Yeah?"

For some reason, Ted was expecting it to be glaringly obvious that he was on his brother's side here. He thought he made it obvious enough, in any case… "Pete… Jesus…" He tried not to laugh- after all, this was probably serious for Pete, and he'd probably been thinking about how to say that for quite a while, knowing him. "I probably kissed more guys in college than you'll ever even get with. I'm the last person who's gonna judge you for swingin' both ways."

"What?"

"Yeah, man. Kissed 'em, hooked up with 'em… Hell, I even had a half serious relationship in high school with some poor kid, who pretty much had to dig a ditch just to bury his religious guilt. Sure that guy's got a wife now…" He paused, thinking about that. He'd seen him around- he was sure of it, the guy hadn't changed in the slightest- and there was always some woman with him. Well, repression did normally only lead to more repression…

He shrugged, waving a hand dismissively. "Ehh, you get my point. Good for you for working that one out for yourself, I guess, but there's literally nothing to be nervous about… Actually, I can't believe you didn't figure me out a long time ago, you're smart enough."

"You never said anything…"

"Didn't think I had to. People tend to figure that shit out eventually."

The signs were there, weren't they? Sometimes it was in the way Ted talked about his co-workers, or the knowing glances he'd shoot someone from across the way… Pete laughed. All of the signs had been right there the whole time, and here he was thinking Ted was going to judge him for liking guys… It was funny, now he thought about it, and it did make sense. He shook off some of the tension in his shoulders. "How- uh… How'd you figure it out?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"No, go on! I wanna know!"

Ted sighed, shaking his head. Sometimes it was hard for him to admit he was just as nerdy as his brother, once upon a time. He'd strayed so far from that path that nobody would believe him if he told them how he'd chosen to decorate his college dorm, or how much he made from selling his comic collection.

"… It was fucking Knight Rider. Hasselhoff."

Pete blinked. He said nothing for a while, expecting there to be a different answer, but Ted didn't look like he was going to say anything else. "Wait, are you serious?"

"I don't know what you were expecting me to say, honestly… Yeah, my answer is David fucking Hasselhoff. No, I'm not gonna tell you how many times I watched Knight Rider…"

"Oh my god! You're such a fucking nerd!"

[offical-ouroboros]

Fear's Nature - 2

CW: kidnapped reader lol, yandereish/puppy dog dredge, some violence against reader (its a killer. What do you want?), multi person/hive mind dredge, angst??? Kinda, Stockholm Syndrome? Bro I don't know I'm just silly.

You were starting to get used to this.

Not really.

But they saw it that way.

You'd been spared from trials, for the time being. So had the realm. So had…

The Duranee.

You… Didn't know if you hated them anymore.

Disliked, sure. Were terrified of, yes.

But hate?

. . . You couldn't hate something like that.

You were used to the brutal nature of the killers in trials.

You'd seen what it was capable of.

And for a time before it had grown attached to you, you'd even felt the agony it could bring.

It had cut and roughed you up, leaving marks surely to bruise if the Entity didn't have some form of rapid healing in store to keep Her… Toys alive.

But…

The moment the Dredge had you…

The second it saw your broken, teary face. Groveling under it.

Not daring to heal. Not daring to crawl away.

When it picked you up, you didn't struggle. You squirmed a bit- Trying to get… Comfortable. Before your agonizing moment of being placed on a meathook.

. . . It couldn't hurt you.

Not ever again.

The moment it touched you like that…

Held you.

Silence.

Just the sound of your sniffles of pain.

Its mind… No longer raced. No longer craved violence. No longer felt such fear. Such need to rip and tear.

Holding you made everything go quiet.

It contemplates putting you down. For a moment, its grasp slips.

And then the fear. The pain. The screaming. Everything comes back.

Its arms hold you tighter, making you take a sharp breath of pain.

It was so scared to lose its comfort again.

The way they had once felt. The promised Utopia. The safety, the unity, the-

No.

They were all together now.

And you could be their new beacon.

You knew it was back from the clattering downstairs.

It had really let the place go, having you now.

Every so often it fled- Always coming back with more toys, more clothes, more food- More of anything you asked for.

It was usually covered in some semblance of blood, too.

You knew exactly what was happening.

The Entity would allow Her pet to keep its own little prize.

And She'd give it anything it wanted.

As long as it sucked up to her, and slaughtered as much as it could.

Killing everyone in a single trial was the least work it had to do to get anything nice for you.

It hoped you appreciated it.

And some sick part of you did.

It would stumble into the room, slightly gurgling as it panted. Drool hung from its open, slit mouth.

It almost seemed to shake in excitement as it brought something over to you, entangled in its many hands.

It was…

A… Box.

A heart shaped box.

A Valentine's box.

Your usual bitter and fearful expression dropped slightly, a more untrusting and curious look replacing it.

Sitting up a bit, you hesitate.

It urges the box a bit closer.

Your hand touches it.

It feels like it's going to go crazy.

It knows what this means.

Well, assumes anyways.

It remembered.

Remembered what these treats meant.

Remembered that you accepting them…

Meant you accepted it.

To you, it was nothing of the sort.

But it didn't really matter what you thought.

Both of your hands are on the box now. You carefully slip it away from the Dredge.

You brace yourself as you get ready to open it.

You're half expecting to find bugs, like in some weird kids movie.

But… It looks like chocolate.

It looks edible.

It looks…

Your angry looks completely vanish. Your eyes are a bit wide, hopeful, desperate expression crossing your face.

Like it was playing a trick on you.

You take a piece out, lightly squishing it between your pointer and your thumb.

It felt like chocolate.

You glance to the side. Then up- Er, down at the Duranee.

Its looking at you so expectantly.

You take a bite.

Pause.

You can't help it as a whine escapes you.

The pure ecstasy of something so sweet.

Something you've been deprived of for so long.

A little whimper, you're quick to eat the rest of the piece you grab. Tears are in your eyes- The sweetness is overpowering.

With a quivering lip…

“T-Thank you.”

Thank you.

You thanked it.

You had never once been so kind.

Never once thanked it.

Never once regarded it with anything other than hatred.

You thanked it.

You accepted its gift. Its… courtship. And you thanked it.

Did that mean you'd stay forever?

To your wishes, hopefully not.

To its own, it would make sure you did.

“You like… Like it. Do you like it?” Their many voices echoed out.

It's… Unsettling to say the least.

A gentle symphony of an entire town of people- Maybe even more by now. Their cries, their screams, their whimpers. Yet above all… A strange, harmonious tune.

You don't really want to engage with it. But…

Really, it wasn't… Doing anything bad.

It… Never hurt you. Your first time ever meeting it was the first and last time that would ever happen.

It liked being near you.

It liked holding you.

It wanted to make you… Feel the same way you made them feel.

“ . . . Yeah.”

[etherealgoode]

Pairing: Melissa Schemmenti x Reader (fluff)

Word Count: 1,8k

Note (pls read): hey there! this is the first piece i’ve written after like three years of literally nothing. if this seems a little off and ooc it's because i suck lol, but i’ve been obsessed enough about melissa to try and write something again, even though it didn't come out as “melissa centered” as i first attempted to, pls be patient with me <:

I can't say no to you.

“Do we really have to go?” Melissa sighs for the hundredth time, clicking her earrings in place. “We could just stay in, watch a movie? I’ll even let you pick, and I won't complain about your poor choices.” She looks at you through the mirror, and though the offer is tempting, you don't cave.

“We promised Ava, baby. Besides, I’m sure it'll be fun!” You smile at her, your fingertips tapping your knees while you wait for her.

“I didn't promise anything, but whatever. I still don't know how I let you talk me into this.” She rolls her eyes, trying to act more annoyed than she is, but in reality she’ll do anything you’d ask her to.

_______

Two weeks ago, Ava walked into the teacher's room acting like she got the best idea in the whole world– and to you, she kinda did.

She got in contact with an animal shelter that has been going viral on TikTok and “offered” to make a few videos to incentive her followers to adopt puppies.

You knew that for Ava, this was just another way to become more popular and gain followers, but at the end it was still a good cause.

So when she asked if someone was interested in helping her out– “You’ll never get another chance like this in your lifetime,” where her exact words, you jumped excitedly to help.

Everyone was surprised to say the least, they all just expected Janine or Jacob to be the first ones to volunteer, but Ava was grateful you beat them to the punch. “Alright girl, that pretty face will get me lots of interactions. I’ll text you the details.” She winked at you before leaving the room.

The only person who was not thrilled about it was, of course, your girlfriend Melissa.

“Did you seriously agreed to help Ava out? Outside of class? For her own benefit only?” The redhead was still trying to understand what the hell just happened in front of her, Gregory being the first one to agree with her.

“What’s wrong with giving her a little help? Like you said, she's doing it mostly for herself, so I can be there to make sure the puppies can get a home instead of just Ava trying to look good around ‘em.” You shrug, not entirely lying.

Melissa scoffs, but ultimately decides it’ll be better to talk you out of this at home instead of surrounded by people who seemed equally excited about the puppies as well.

Back at home, she never, ever expected you to convince her to tag along as well.

_______

“What she doing here? I’m tryna get more followers, not cancelled!” Ava huffs, her hand resting on her waist as she glances at both of you.

“Ava don't be mean! Mel is here to help to the cause as well.” You defend her, though you're 100% sure she doesn't really need it.

“Trust me, I’m not interested in being seen in your stupid little videos anyway.” Melissa bites back.

“Your loss.” Ava shrugs, not really bothered. Finally, she walks you both to meet the head of the shelter before she goes to finish her whole set up of lights and everything.

You introduce yourself but, soon enough, your attention is taken away by the loud barking of puppies.

“Oh, Mel! Look at them!” You cry out, quickly kneeling by the dog playpen fence. The puppies are excitedly trying to get out to you, and you lean over to try and pet them all.

Without noticing, your elbow knocks against the lock and suddenly the small door is open, and the eight puppies you counted were running out of the fence and knocking you down. You couldn't stop laughing as they walked over you and licked your face, while the woman who introduced herself as Mabel tried to get them off you and into their place again.

You didn’t notice Ava taking a video of you, let alone Melissa sneaking her phone for a quick photo.

Mabel gets most of the puppies in, and you grab the last one while attempting to get off the floor. “Oh look at how cute you are!” You smile brightly like a child on Christmas, holding the dog close to you.

You glance at Melissa, whose smile can't be erased as she looks at you being the most beautiful human she's ever seen.

“That video is gold for my page.” Ava chuckles at the phone, and you look at her horrified.

“You were recording me?!”

“Why else did you think you were here?”

“Ava I must look awful–”

“–You looked cute.” Melissa interferes before you can finish your thought. She knows you can get a little insecure and anxious sometimes, always preferring to be prepared when someone is about to take your picture, but before you can go there she makes sure you know how perfect you are. “No one's gonna be looking at these damn dogs when you look like that, hon.”

Your cheeks instantly heat, hiding your smile against the dog’s soft furr before you put it down with the rest. “That’s not the idea. At all.”

A couple of hours later, when Ava was satisfied with all of the material she got and the puppies seemed way more exhausted, it was time to call it a day.

You helped Ava get cute shots of the puppies by playing around with them, and recorded her when she attempted the same. Somehow, you even got Melissa to pet one of them and you were sure Ava was going to use that in her favor.

Overall, it was a great day and you were sure the videos would help the shelter as well. You just wished you could take them all home and give them the love they deserved. If not all, perhaps just one?

“Oh I’m going to miss you buddy.” That little puppy you had held for a minute at first, didn't stop following you around, whining to get all your love and attention, and you couldn't say no to that golden golden furr and soft paws. This is what heaven looked like for you.

You glance up at your girlfriend, smiling softly at her with the puppy next to your face. “Isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen?” You ask softly, not willing to let go just yet. Melissa raises her eyebrow and looks reclutantly at the can.

“Far from it, honestly.” You roll your eyes.

“C’mon, look at those cute ears, and that little nose! It's perfect.” You nuzzle your face against it, walking closer to Melissa and holding it at eyes level expectantly.

“If I say yes will you just put it down so we can leave? I’m already done with this shit show.” She crosses her arms, trying to look as unbothered as possible. But you are relentless, not ready to give up just yet even though you know what the outcome might be.

“Five more minutes, please baby? Just pet it a little, it deserves love as well.” You pout, knowing the redhead won't be able to resist for too long.

“Okay fine, but just once Y/N!” Melissa sighs, extending her arm to pet the puppy. Right on cue, the dog barks happily, making Melissa jump a little. Before it keeps barking louder, she carefully takes it in her arms to quiet it down and it surprisingly works, the dog starting to lick all over the redhead’s face instead. “That's enough. I guess it’s fine, done?”

You can tell Melissa is trying not to enjoy this, but the small puppy is really adorable and so excited to be passed around you two. You really want to ask the question, but you're not sure you’ll cope with Melissa's answer.

So, instead of asking, you hold the puppy in your arms and, like he knew what was going on, both of you look at your girlfriend with the biggest, brightest eyes you could muster.

“What? Why you looking at me like that?” Melissa squints, and Ava laughs behind her.

“Are you blind? The girl is dying to take that thing home.”

“Y/N, are you crazy? What are we even going to do with a dog? All they do is bark and shit all over the place, and do you know how expensive it'll be? You need food, and toys, and a leash, a bed that they’ll outgrown soon! Who will take him to walks so he doesn't shit all over our apartment when we're not there, huh?”

Maybe you don't have everything figured out just yet, but you will!

“Him?” You raise your eyebrows.

“His balls are right there, but that's besides the point! Did you hear everything I just said?”

“I did, baby. I hear you.” You say softly. The puppy– which is obviously a male, starts whining and lays his head against you, looking up at Melissa with big brown eyes. You take the opportunity and do the exact same thing, both of you staring into her beautiful green ones.

You didn't think she would crack so soon, so easily. But you guess she had been picking up on your energy the whole day, and how happy you were when you first landed eyes on the puppies. At the end of the day, she knew she couldn't deny you anything. The smile on your face was worth more than talking you out of the whole thing.

“I swear to God, if that thing ruins my couch, pees on my carpet, gets on my bed– he's out.” Melissa grumbles, though you know there's no real treat behind it, or at least you hope.

“First of all, it's our bed. And second, the couch is already wrapped in plastic baby, nothing will happen. I’ll make sure, promise.” You peck your girlfriend's lips softly, your smile growing against her. “Thank you baby, Rocco and I love you.”

“Rocco? You named it already?” She can't believe she's agreed to this, and she knows she can't back out, but that doesn't mean she won't fight against the dog a little; even if she secretly thinks he's cute, has thought so since you first held him.

“Of course, Rocco Schemmenti. It suits him, don't you think?” You smirk, knowing damn well you already have her.

“Shut up, he hasn't earned the right to be a Schemmenti yet.”

“And what about me?” Your free arm sneaks around Melissa’s neck, little Rocco laying between you two as the redhead’s hands rest on your waist.

“Oh hon, you were born to be a Schemmenti, trust me.” She finally gifts you one of her beautiful smiles, green eyes closing as you lean over to kiss her, laughing when Rocco starts licking both your cheeks. “Let’s take this thing home so I can show you properly.”

[captain19cb97]

Hi again lol I know I just asked for a story 🤦🏻‍♀️🙈but you wrote so good that I have another idea . Could you write some fluffy fluff again with a bit of angst if you could write of jungkook feeling sick and sad or depressed and girl y/n sees that and she cuddles him with a fluffy blanket and reminds him why she loves him and she also asks him why he loves her and she gets surprise by his words and is shocked that someone loves her because she never thought anyone could love her ect . and basically something warm and comforting.

Well, hi again! Lol Don't apologize, I love that you enjoyed your story so much you wanted another one! Be greedy with your love of stories and ideas, even if it's not me you're asking to write for you.

I hope I was able to do it justice again this time. 💜

Requests are open!

-Em

Not Alone :: JJK

Pairing: Jungkook x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4.4k (It was like I couldn't stop🙃)

Genre: Fluffy Fluff/Comfort/ very slight Angst, like you have to squint to see it

Warning: Self-doubt, allusions to depression and depictions of lack of self-care, cursing (ass, damn), lack of communication. Crying. If I missed anything, as always, please tell me so I can fix it.

A/N: If you're ever feeling alone, or depressed, or anything similar, please know that there is always someone there for you. I know that sometimes, it might not feel like there is, and that when you feel alone, your mind tells you all sorts of things, but you are never alone, and sometimes, our minds lie to us because we're hurting and it's the only thing that makes us feel more, even if it's more pain. You are always loved more that you think you are. There is always someone who would rather listen to you break down and tell them what is wrong, then to ever be without you. I love you, and if you need someone, come here and talk to me and I will listen, to whatever you want to tell me. 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

I hope you enjoy!

Being in a relationship was still new to you, especially one where you found yourself still second guessing a lot of the things that other people probably wouldn’t even blink at.

You’d been with Jungkook for almost 5 months now, and you guys had been friends for about a year before hand, so you had an inkling of how things would be between you both. What you hadn’t expected though, was Jungkook practically dropping off the face of the earth one night- to the point that even the guys hadn’t heard from him in a couple of days and had called you to find out what was going on.

You shook your head, knowing the man on the other end of the line couldn’t see you, as you sighed softly, “I’m sorry, Namjoon, I haven’t talked to him either. Not since Saturday night.”

He made a surprised noise, “You guys haven’t talked in 4 days? Like at all? Did you guys break up or something?”

Your eyes widened slightly, “What? No, of course not. At- at least, I don’t think we did. We didn’t have a fight or anything.”

“What happened on Saturday?” He asked.

You leaned back into your couch as you thought back to the last time you’d seen Jungkook. You’d gone over to his place for dinner after you got off of work, he’d told you that he missed you and just wanted to spend some time with you, and of course, you weren’t going to deny him that- not when you had been thinking the same thing.

Dinner was great, he’d cooked and you guys had a couple drinks, watched a few movies and then when you begrudgingly told him that you needed to go home, he’d called you car since he’d picked you up from work. He was reluctant to let you go, but he knew that you had work in the morning, so, he waited downstairs with you, pulling you into a sweet kiss before you climbed into the car, and he waited until it pulled away, before he went back inside.

“He picked me up from work and made me dinner.” You told Namjoon, frowning slightly, “He didn’t seem like anything was wrong, other than him not wanting me to leave that night.” You commented softly.

Namjoon sighed on the other end of the line, “Okay. If you get ahold of him, please, let one of us know. And we’ll let you know, if we get ahold of him.”

You nodded to yourself, “Yeah, okay. I’ll try to call him as soon as we’re off the phone.”

“Okay. Thank you, Y/n. Bye.”

“Anytime, Joon. Bye.” You sighed again as you dropped your phone to your lap.

You’d been slowly growing more worried, the more days passed without so much as a word from Jungkook, but you figured that he was just really busy with something and that he’d tell you about it when he could. This wouldn’t be the first time something like that was the reason he hadn’t talked to you for a day or two.

But 4 days? And with the added fact that you guys were dating now, it didn’t sit right with you.

You’d texted him a handful of times over the last few days- good morning texts, things that reminded you of him that you wanted to show him, good night texts- the most recent one had been right before Namjoon had called you, you texted Jungkook and just asked if he was okay.

But it still went unread when you looked before you quickly called his phone. When you got his voicemail, you sighed before you waited for the beep.

“Hi, Kookie, I’m getting worried, love. Are you okay? If you need anything, please tell me. The guys are worried about you, too.” You paused for only a second, “Please talk to me, tell me you’re alright.”

After you hung up, dropping your phone back onto the table in front of you, you quickly made the decision that you were going to just go over to his place and check on him. Namjoon had told you when he first called you, that Jungkook hadn’t been to the company since Monday, and that was enough information for you to know that he was home because they’d know if he had left the city.

You moved around your apartment quickly, snagging the hoodie you’d stolen from Jungkook’s closet on Saturday and throwing it on over a long sleeve shirt, you’d changed out of a pair of shorts you only wore at home, and into a pair of sweatpants. When you’d gotten back into the living room, you noticed your phone had just lit up, Jungkook’s personalize text tone ringing out before the screen went black again.

You about dove for your phone, unlocking it as you dropped onto the couch.

Kookie Monster 🍪 [4:54 p.m.] I don’t need anything.

You frowned at the words, not knowing how to respond at first. You thought about calling him again but decided against it, you were still going to go over to his place so you could talk to him face to face, and really know what was going on.

So you locked your phone and as soon as your shoes were on, you were out the door and calling for a car to his place.

The drive felt longer than usual, and you chalked it up to your nerves, but you’d taken a couple minutes and texted Namjoon and told him you were just going to go check on Jungkook instead of waiting around for him to answer someone- also waiting to tell him that Jungkook had answered you. You wanted to make sure you could give the guys answers finally, and get some answers for yourself, too.

After paying for the ride, and thanking the driver, you headed inside, politely greeting the people in the lobby as you moved towards the elevator. You didn’t know why you were so nervous all of a sudden, but as you leaned against the rail as you took the elevator up, you couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that had settled in the pit of your stomach.

“Did you guys break up or something?”

Namjoon’s words had been swirling around in your mind since he’d said them. Truthfully, you were scared that Jungkook had decided that he didn’t want to be with you anymore finally, and that him having not talked to you since you left last weekend, was his way of breaking things off.

You remembered when Jungkook had asked you out the first time. You’d gotten upset with him because you thought it was a joke and you’d left the company that day in tears- unknowingly leaving a rather bewildered Jungkook, rooted in the same spot as you stormed away.

When he showed up at your apartment that night- morning- at almost 1 am, and told you that he hadn’t been trying to play a joke on you, that he really meant it and that he wanted to take you to dinner and give you flowers and actually date you, you’d cry some more and apologized profusely that you had even thought he’d ever do that to someone in the first place.

 You’d slowly been waiting for the day that he decided he didn’t want you anymore though, and it was through no fault of his. You just couldn’t seem to believe that someone would want you, the way Jungkook acted like he does.

Did. You thought as you stood in front of his apartment door. You had to remind yourself that he hadn’t talked to you in days. How can you say you want someone, when you don’t even acknowledge their existence?

You took a deep breath and raised your hand to knock on the door. The material felt hard against your knuckles as the sound echoed slightly around you, and you waited with bated breath, to hear anything from inside the apartment.

After a long, few seconds with nothing, you raised your hand to knock again, but right before your skin made contact with the door, it swung open, revealing the man who looked everything like your boyfriend, and yet nothing like him at all.

He had dark circles under his eyes, his hair was the messiest you’d ever seen it- and you’d worked out with him before- his clothes were the same ones he’d been wearing on Saturday. The only difference now was that they were wrinkled to high heaven and disheveled more than you’d ever seen on him.

Jungkook was many things, many wonderful things, but the man in front of you, staring down at you with exhausted, bloodshot eyes, didn’t look anything like the man you knew. This man looked like he hadn’t slept in days, but yet, also looked like somehow all he did was sleep.

Existing somewhere in limbo even as he stood there, chest heaving slowly as he looked down at you with dim eyes.

“What are you doing here?” His voice was rough, like he hadn’t spoken in a while, and it was harsh- harsher than he meant it to sound when he noticed you flinch slightly at the tone.

“I was worried about you.” You whispered, looking him over again. “You haven’t talked to anybody in days, you haven’t been to the company in days, either. Namjoon called me wanting to know what was going on, but I’m just as worried as they are, because I don’t know any more than they do.”

He couldn’t even meet your eyes, stepping aside enough for you to come inside and discard your shoes. He closed the door behind you, once you were far enough, before he ambled back through his dark apartment and into the living room.

“I’m fine.” He told you, stopping before he even got to the couch, “You didn’t have to come over. I told you I didn’t need anything.”

You slowly scanned the apartment as you followed behind him. You noticed things sitting on the kitchen counters than had been there the other night, now mixing with new things that had also been left out, left lying around and forgotten about or ignored. There were dishes everywhere, food wrappers and containers from takeout places littering every surface.

And in the middle of all of it, was Jungkook, looking down at you with a heartbreaking expression that countered his words, when you finally met his eyes again. He wore his heart on his sleeve, his eyes never really able to hide the emotion behind them, and right now, he was pleading silently for something, anything but what his mind was telling him you were going to say.

Even in the darkness of the apartment, you could see his eyes beginning to shimmer with unshed tears, you could see the tremble of his bottom lip even as he pulled it between his teeth, chew the skin raw as you stared back at him with soft eyes, your heart breaking in your chest at just how small and fragile the man in front of you truly looked.

“Baby, what’s going on?” You asked softly, slowly moving to sit beside him on the couch.

He looked away again, more shame filling his body with every second that passed that you continued to look at him as he sat silent.

“Jungkook, please.” You pleaded with him, “Talk to me.”

You gently took his hand in yours, his skin warm to the touch like always- you loved how he ran warmer than you did, you loved how comforting it felt when you two cuddled.

“What do you want me to say, Y/n?” He asked finally, his voice a rough whisper as you linked your fingers together.

“Whatever you want to tell me, love. I’ll listen to anything.” You assured him. Slowly you reached up, cupping his jaw and turning his head so you could actually look at him, and you gently swiped a falling tear from his cheek when he let you. “Where did you go, hmm?” You asked softly, noticing the far off look in his eyes as they roamed your face. “What’s going on in your head, baby?”

Another tear fell, then another, and then all at once, his shoulders dropped and you were pulling him into your chest and wrapping your arms around his body as tightly as you could, hoping that you could piece him back together if he asked you to.

“I’m sorry,” He cried, his face buried in your shoulder as his grip tightened on your body. “I’m so sorry.”

You shushed him gently, running your hand over his hair in a small attempt to tame it as you repeatedly told him it was okay.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, love, nothing at all. Okay?” You muttered, “Whatever is going on, isn’t anything you can’t get through.”

“How-“ He sucked in a breath, “How do you know?” he questioned, no malice in the words as he struggled to even get them out.

You smiled softly, picking his head up to look at him, “Because I know you, and I know that you’re going to get through it. I’ll help you, okay?”

He nodded before you pressed your lips to his forehead, and after taking another shaky, and uneven breath, he told you everything- everything that he’d been feeling for longer than it felt like he’d been feeling it, and with each thing he told you, your mind already had a counter argument to it. No matter what it was, or how much it broke your heart to hear him say it.

Finally, when he went quiet, the only sound being his staggered breathing, you carefully sat you both up and moved to get off the couch.

He panicked, his eyes widening as he gripped your hand in his, “Where are you going?”

You cupped his jaw and smiled, “Just to get a blanket for us, okay? Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.” You waited until he’d dropped your hand to walk down the hallway towards his spare room where he kept all his extra bedding and things.

You searched for a few minutes, moving from the spare room and into his bedroom before your eyes landed on the blanket that you had deemed the best one that he owned- it was dark grey, big enough to cover his whole king sized bed and it was the fluffiest and softest blanket you’d ever held in your life.

You loved it, even when you guys were still friends, always stealing it when you’d come over if the apartment was even slightly chilly, and every time Jungkook saw you wrapped up underneath of it, his heart would flutter at how cute you were, and how utterly fallen he was for you and everything you did.

He’d even started calling it your blanket, because you used it more than he did- until you started dating, and he started leaving it out in the living room even if you weren’t over, because it smelled more and more like you after every use, and he found comfort in the way that you were around, even if you physically weren’t.

You gathered the material in your arms, and made your way back out to the living room, smiling at Jungkook when you realized he’d been staring down the hall at you the second you stepped out of his room with the blanket.

“So I had an idea,” You started softly, standing in front of him, the giant blanket spilling from your arms, “How about we sit here, cuddled up nice and cozy, while I tell you a few things?”

His shoulders moved up and down as he took a deep breath, glancing up at you with curious eyes, “What things?”

“Things I think you need to hear.” Was all you offered up, as you sat back down next to him. “Yes or no?”

He watched you flatten the blanket out a little bit before you opened your arms to him, and nodded, colliding into you once again as you wrapped your arms around him.

Once you both were settling, comfortable in each other’s arms, laying across the whole couch, you took a deep breath as you slowly weaved your fingers through his hair.

“I’ve learned a lot of things about you since we met, but my favorite things I’ve learned, have been since we started dating.” You spoke softly, watching him tilt his head up enough to look at you as you talked.

“I always thought you were an incredible person; generous to a fault, love making people laugh and happy. You love helping other people, doesn’t matter with what, or how. You’re strong, both mentally and physically, you’re sweet and kind and you are genuinely such a good person. You put your heart into everything you do, even if it’s just picking me a cup of coffee before you surprise me at work.” You let out a soft laugh, “And with all of those things, you make it easy for people to love you.” You took a quiet breath, running your finger along his jaw softly as you smiled at him.

“You make it so easy to love you, you know? It’s like breathing. Whenever I look at you, things seem brighter and clearer, and when you hold me, my whole body feels warm- like I’m sitting on a blanket in the park, underneath the sun.”

You watched his eyes flicker back and forth between yours and continued, “You take up a part of my heart that I didn’t even know was empty before you, and it was like it always belonged to you. To see you hurting so badly, and alone, and not even knowing that you were drowning,” You frowned softly, your eyebrows pinched together as you held his chin in your hand, “God, that breaks my heart, baby. I’m sorry you’ve been feeling like you had to deal with this alone.”

His eyes began to tear up, and he sat up enough to lean over you, grabbing the side of your face as he took a deep breath, “I didn’t know how to tell you.” He admitted softly, the waver in his voice catching himself off guard, “It’s always been easier to just go it alone.”

“But you don’t have to, Kookie.” You shook your head, looking up at him, “Let me help you, please? Let me take care of you when you feel like you can’t do it. Let me help you through this.”

He just stared down at you for a moment, before a small, sickly sweet grin found its way to his lips. He gently rubbed his thumb along your cheek, “You said it’s easy to love me.” He mumbled, “You love me?”

You felt your cheeks flush, as you realized you had indeed said that, and meant it of course. Leave it to you to be the one who says it first. You nodded just a little, watching his smile widen, his tears long forgotten by now as he peered down at you.

He took a breath, releasing it through his nose, “I love you, too.” He whispered, leaning down towards you just enough to brush his lips against yours.

“Y-you do?” You stuttered, watching him pull back to look at you fully. Confusion written in his eyes at how much surprise was in your question.

“Why are you surprised?” He asked, tilting his head to the side. “Were you expecting me to not fall in love with you? With everything you do for me?” he questioned.

You chewed on the inside of your cheek, watching as realization flashed in his eyes when you just continued to stare up at him.

This isn’t supposed to be about me. It’s about him, he’s the one upset. Fix it! You yelled at yourself, as he sat up both up, much like you’d done earlier.

“Baby?” He said softly, taking your hand in his, “Did you really think I wouldn’t love you?”

You couldn’t look at him, feeling guilty for letting your brain push those thoughts at you constantly.

He grabbed your face, making you look at him, “Hey, if I’m not allowed to listen to the horrible thoughts in my head, why do you get to, huh?” He shook his head, “No. You have no idea how much I love you, how long I’ve been dying to tell you that, but I always held back because I was worried it would scare you away if I said it too soon.”

Your eyes roamed his face for a moment, watching his tongue peak out to wet his lips before he smiled gently at you again, “If you think I’m all those things to you, you’re in for another thing, because god, baby, you’re everything to me. You are the sun that warms me. You are the stars that light up my loneliest nights. You’re everything I’ve thought love could be and you make me want to be better.”

Your bottom lip was quivering, as he took your hands in his, “You make it easier when I feel like this,” He gestured around the living room, “When things are so overwhelming to me, and getting out of bed is the only thing I do that day, you make it easier. Even if you’re not here.” He scoffed softly, gently pulling you closer to him, “Do you have any idea how many times you’ve saved me, just by being in my life?”

You shook your head, worrying your bottom lip between your teeth to hold back the sob that wanted to make itself known.

He grinned, leaning close enough to put his forehead against yours, “You might as well be my guardian angel, baby. Loving you is the easiest, and best, decision of my life. You help me more than you know, even when you do nothing because you’re you and you’re in my life and you’re my girlfriend, and by far, the best damn thing to happen to me.”

He paused, letting you take a moment to fully absorb his words, as he cupped your cheek, “I love you, Y/n.”

You closed your eyes and pressed your forehead to his again, “No one’s ever made me feel the way you do,” You admitted, “Or said I was the best thing to happen to them.”

He chuckled lowly, his hand coming up to the back of your neck, “No one’s ever told me a piece of their heart was always mine.”

Just as you both were leaning towards each other, lips just barely brushing, loud, frantic knocking sounded at the front door.

You both jumped apart, eyes focused on the door as more knocks sounded. “Expecting company?” You asked, looking back at Jungkook as he stood up.

He shook his head, “Nope, you were surprise enough, baby.” He quickly knelt back down enough to connect his lips to yours, before he pulled away with a small smile, “Stay here?”

You just nodded, watching him head for the door, and slowly pulling it open as he peeked around it.

“I’m gonna kick your ass, Jungkook.” You heard Namjoon threaten him, before he was pulled into a hug.

You couldn’t help the laugh that caught their attention as Namjoon pushed his way into the apartment, his eyes immediately landing on you. “Do you know how many times I’ve called you?” He asked exasperatedly, sighing as he crossed his arms over his chest like a disappointed dad.

You made a face, looking away from him, “Sorry, Joon. I was going to text you eventually to tell you he was okay.”

The older man sighed softly, his eyes roaming the room before he looked at Jungkook next to him, his eyes softening, “You didn’t tell us it was getting bad again.”

Jungkook nodded, “I know. You guys have all just been so busy lately, and I thought I could deal with it this time. I’m sorry, Hyung.”

Namjoon quickly pulled him in for another, tighter hug, “Same thing I always tell you, Kook, it’s not something you have to apologize for. We were just worried.” They pulled away from each other and Namjoon looked over at you with a smile, “But, I can see you’re in good hands, so I’ll get out of here.”

A couple minutes later, and with a promise that Jungkook would text everybody before the night was over, Namjoon was out the door, leaving you and Jungkook in a comfortable silence as you crossed the floor towards him.

Without a word, you wrapped your arms around his waist and planted your face on his chest. He snaked his arms around your body and pulled you closer.

“Can you promise me something?” You whispered, not looking up at him.

“Anything.”

You let out a quiet sigh, “Will you try to tell me, the next time you start feeling like this?” You asked, finally picking your head up to gaze up at him. “Will you let me help you?”

He blinked a few times, staring into your eyes before a smile pulled at his lips and he nodded slowly, “You already help me, baby. But I promise, I’ll tell you.”

You stood on your tip toes, leaning towards him, “Thank you.” You whispered before you lightly pressed your lips to his, “Why don’t you go shower, and I’ll clean up a bit before I make us something for dinner?”

“I can just order us something.”

You shook your head, pulling yourself from his arms, “I want to cook.”

He saw the look in your eyes, and knew you wouldn’t let him win this, so he smiled down at you again, “I will only agree, if you stay the night? You can borrow some of my clothes and if we’re feeling it in the morning, we can make breakfast together?”

Your heart fluttered in your chest and you smiled, nodded softly, “I think that’s doable.”

His smile seems to grow, and he leaned down to kiss you again before he headed down the hall to shower, quickly turning around before he got too far, “Hey,”

You turned towards him, “Hmm?”

“I love you.”

You could feel the warmth spreading over your cheeks- through you, and you were surprised how easy it was to believe him, and to just know that he meant it.

“I love you, too.”

[akookminsupporter]

Rosie, new fan and follower here. Really like your rational approach. Not an ask, but just a thought: I have been around shipping Jikook from 2018 or so. And as I watched yesterday’s live, I exactly imagined for this to happen. The largest shipping fandom being thrilled about J being Jungkook, the Vkook live being the epitome of true love or even a stepping stone to their coming out defying Hybe and Jkkr folks fully having a meltdown because J above M isn’t for JM.

I have nothing to say about Vkookers. I don’t mind any ships really, I find some of them adorable actually- like Taegi makes me crack up and Minomoni energy is so FREAKING cute. Ship whoever man. It’s a fragment of your imagination any way. What we think isn’t influencing reality in any way. But I draw the line at hating on another person to make your ship valid. So if you are gonna tell me JM is the reason Vkook isn’t together and you have to paint him in the most horrendous paint to sustain your ship, miss me with it. I can’t stand that. They have all been friends for a decade. And while I agree that they might not be as thick as they were once, they still are what you call second family. You don’t live together for 7 years and not have some kind of fondness for the other person. None of them are actively trying to cause damage to each other.

My bone to pick with is with JKKRs: I am sorry what? What did you all think he will do when he started explaining his tats? Even if it was meant for JM (which it isn’t from what he said), he would scream it out to the world? Yes, I am mentally married to my bandmate from the biggest music group that’s responsible for at least tens of billions each year? My country(which is extremely homophobic) thinks of us as the proud sons of Korea and we are considered a national treasure, we are a part of the President’s convoy, our everyday life is deeply intertwined with bureaucracy, business and even national GDP, but screw it, let’s throw caution in the wind? I am a south East Asian dating an East Asian in a very Queerphobic country. I live in Asia and I can promise you, despite how powerful you are, you just can’t ever admit to being Queer publicly without ultimately getting your ass whopped. In this case, there are 5 others and a whole ass company they love and want to protect? What’s with these expectations? Do we all think coming out as typically as you would see in a Netflix movie is the way it works? This isn’t a western centric situation where you get out pours of support when you come out. I don’t think the fandom even fathoms the scale of reaction that would erupt if any of them announce they are queer. I come from a very progressive family, they still don’t know my sexuality. Only my closest friends know, that’s it. Unless I am moving to a a country where queer relationships and marriages are legal and is safely tolerated, I will never be able to say it loud. I can get lynched, mobbed, honour killed. I will for sure be an outcast, I will lose relationships over this. I know BTS will never face any of these, they will get protection and all that, but man, I can’t believe that’s what we are expecting. Sure he could have not talked about his J tattoo, would that leave more room for confusion though? That boy wanted to show off his tattoos. Let him live Jeez.

We don’t know a 100 percent if they are/were together. We see some things that we relate to and make our assumptions. I love them together. They are my comfort space, I appreciate that they share little nuggets of their lives with us. But that’s all we have, little crumbs they left that has since been edited , proofed and vetted. Or things that slip out of them while on lives. We don’t know the full picture, we don’t even know one hundredth of it. They don’t owe us anything, they don’t do things to appease us. That man sang Vibe and only knew JM’s part (lol me), he did the signature move, dropped honorifics with JIMIN when he saw the poster and said he was cool. None of this registered, we couldn’t be happy because he didn’t tell us his tattoo on his ring finger stands for his supposed partner? Let’s please do better. Also the whole bunch complaining about he lives alone with Bam. Yes, folks have their own places that they can go back to routinely, because they are adults? Especially in a country where property ownership is public information? Also, you saw an empty room with hangers and a karaoke machine. How do you know he’s alone? I truly believe we will never catch them together in their houses or whatever reflections on TV. If they are together, they would be SOOOOO very cautious about even remotely creating suspicions. They know to tread the line of carefully of being implicated and deniability. Please just chill y’all and enjoy the moments. Not everything they do is to validate what we think. Please let’s just take a breather and be sensitive yeah?

Thank you for coming to my ted talk. I am tired of them being treated as drama characters who need to have an ulterior motive for everything they do. They deserve to just exist.

Anon, THANK YOU for your ted talk. More than one needs to read this. Welcome to my blog, we are cool over here, I promised.

Please just chill y’all and enjoy the moments. Not everything they do is to validate what we think.

Yes to this and to everything you said, thank you!

OPINIONS.

[ghostiiess]

[NSB HEADCANONS] - you celebrating your birthday with them

pov: this is what i think the boys would do to clelebrate your birthday

warnings: none that i can think of :)

type: wholesome

members: all of them in a big hc :)

reblogs and likes are very appreciated!

so.. i heard it was your birthday..?? 😏

well, if it is then happy birthday :)

and if not, then this is what i think the north star boys would do to celebrate and organize your special day!

(rest under the cut!!)

obviously, when the guys decided to organize you a birthday party, they wanted to have a proper plan

like in the movies where each characters has something to do lol

and i think that's what kane would do :)

i know it may sounds boring, but hey hear me out

kane is a perfectionnist

he is the best to do plans and stuff like that :)) so i'm sure he would be like "okay, seb you're doing that!" or like "ryan, you're going to distract y/n while we're organizing everything"

he would only create fun stuff such as activities

like the one where you have to place the tail of the donkey on the donkey (i forgot the name) without seeing anything

basically games to play before the big party happens :))

so i think it'll be perfect for him!!

ofc, like every good party, the place should be decorated!

and who wanted to do this job? ladies and gentleman, our favorite tallest boy.. sebastian moy

we know he's tall

he ate his vegetables when he was younger because this man is literally 6'4 🙄

since he's very tall, it'll be perfect to put stuff on high shelf or like put some posters or flag around the house to say "hey it's y/n's birthday!!" or smth like that

plus he didn't want to clean and organize the house

of course, it'll be boring if nobody was there.. so ofc someone needed to do the invitations!

and i think regie would do it!!

we know how good regie is for creating something with his hands or like do something related to art

like he's so creative

so like old times, he took pieces of papers and made invitations

he knew he could have just asked your friends by texts, but like isn't it more fun and cute to receive invitations by the post and to read "Y/N BIRTHDAY'S PARTY!!"

plus, it was a birthday surprise so..

and we know, regie..

he's the type of the guy to let his phone open, so no no no

he didnt want to take a risk

plus invitation cards are super cute

at least to me 😭

idk it's like nostalgic

of course, it'll be weird if you were going to be at your house while the boys was there to like organize your house, so that's why ryan would take you shopping!

i mean..

this boy had a job: keep you busy at target for like 3 hours so everything could be ready

and let's say it worked out pretty well!

weirdly, when ryan realized you were both done with shopping and there was only 1h left before letting you go back home, he decided to take the time to examine every controllers...

but hey, it was worth it because in the mean time, oliver did all the snacks on the table for the guest :)

he was super excited and although he's not the cook in nsb, this man can cook

he made all your favorites

he wanted your birthday to be something unforgetfull

darren, the cooker of nsb, did the cake

everybody in nsb (or at least know) can know basically a bit of everything, but to me, cooking cake screams darren

plus, we're talking about darren

he's a great cook!

he made your favorite flavored cake ;)

lastly, ofc we needed to have some music for your birthday..

we couldn't just celebrate a birthday with northstarboys without a single piece of music 🥳

so justin did the music playlists

he checked EVERY spotify (or any music app you have) playlist you had and searched in your "most played" song, just so he could put them in your spotify birthday playlist

like isn't he so cute??? :(

to me, justin is the one who have the most 'taste' in music

i mean, every boys in the groups have great music taste, but i think jp would be the one creating the playlist because he listen to basically every thing.

it could be rap, kpop, anime songs, hip-hop song, r&b.. he listen to basically everything, so this man know the goods songs

plus he feels like he would be the type to create music playlists for his closed ones

so that's it for your birthday hc!! hope you liked it <3

have an amazing birthday!

taglist (open! send an ask if you want to be in it!) : @nsb-rkive @kentisbaby @firebenderwolf @hyuneee0

[skyblueartt]

❓

🎭

🐻❔

Headcanon game!

Thanks for the ask!!! Just prefacing this saying that I’m a relatively very new FNAF (the videos games, I don’t know much of anything about the book universe) fan! These are just random ideas I have :)

🐻❔Mrs. Emily- Ohh boy this is a character I honestly don’t have a ton of headcanons for yet! I didn’t even think of a name for girly. BUT I once saw somebody use the name ‘Hazel’ for Mrs. Emily and I like that one a lot!! Hmm I can’t explain why, but I totally headcanon Henry as gay LOL right, so my HC is that…he’s in denial for some time about this, gets with a woman, and said woman ends up getting pregnant. Because of this, getting married feels like an obligation to them, I guess. But I HC that the two separated a few years later because Henry was very unhappy and he knew that he wasn’t making his wife happy either. I TOTALLY HC that leading up to the divorce, he’d tell his wife (I guess I’m calling her Hazel now!) that he’d “be at work late” when in reality he was at the bar drinking with William after work and venting about how nervous and unhappy he was…ummmmmmmmm Mr. Emilyyyyy lying like that is not good !!! :( he did not feel good about it tho. Honestly I feel like she got the vibe that he didn’t like the ladies. I HC that after the divorce they’re not on bad terms, it’s just a little awkward. Idk! My headcanon is that Henry loved Charlie more than anything in the world, and hey, Hazel was happy that he was a very loving father to her. There’s that at least lmaooo

❓Sammy Emily: AHHhhhh I’m gonna be so real with you, I got nothin :( I’m so sorry Sammy I’m sure you’re a wonderful kiddo- but I’m like, a person who knows absolutely nothing about the books 😅 when I was like formulating my own interpretation/understanding of fnaf’s lore and characters from the video games I totally didn’t know that Sammy existed so to lowkey just. Retconned him unknowingly so ahh SORRY, SAMMY :’0

🎭Charlie Emily: CHARLIEEE ohhh I love her! I randomly headcanon that she was about 7-ish when she died, but honest to god that is just the first random age that popped into my head. I feel like she’s a rough-n-tough little kid, like a little tomboy. She LOVES being outside, she looooves exploring, she loves being independent and doesn’t understand why she can’t just go exploring alone all the time!! (We later see what happens when she um. Wanted to explore alone at night one time. I’m so sad ). Type of kid to collect rocks and bugs and enjoys playing in the mud and. Man I feel like she either played baseball or soccer. Idk, I just feel like she would

I LOVE to think that she’s fascinated by her dad’s robots! Whenever she gets to go to the workshop with him, she’s fuckin trilled. She peaks her head up over the big desk and just watches with stars in her eyes :’) Henry picking her up and letting her get a closer look at the animatronics-

“Pretty cool, huh kiddo?”

“Uhh YEAHH!!!”

Charlie loves to make people laugh, especially her dad! She loves both of her parents, of course, but she’s a daddy’s girl at heart. Her dad is cool because he lets her eat pizza for breakfast and they stay up late watching movies on the weekends.

I feel like she’s besties with Elizabeth, I just am obsessed with this idea. She likes Evan but they don’t talk a lot, since I feel like Evan was a pretty quiet kiddo. She really likes Mike tho, she views him like her cool older “cousin” :)

Her favorite color in the whole wide world of GREEN. She probably begs her dad to paint her bedroom green. Since I feel like she’s such an outdoorsy kid, maybe green reminds her of nature!

AhhhHh mannnnn. I need a good timeline AU because I love this kiddo. Charlie you’re a real one, sorry your dad’s best friend was a freak

[dandylovesturtles]

For the writer ask!

I’m intrigued by all of these but especially the podcast and the class of 2024 ones because they have the least amount of context clues, I would love some elaboration!

Class of 2024 is a one shot I intend to finish... sometime lol, when I have more time to get back to it. Here's a bit:

“If the damn Krang hadn’t invaded, I’d have been graduating in a few weeks.”

“Oh.” Donnie’s typing finally pauses, and he looks at her. Gives her his attention, and she loves him for it even while the practical part of her wants him to get back to whatever surely critical thing he was just working on. “I guess you would be. Assuming you graduated on time and didn’t have to repeat anything.”

She elbows him in the side, and even though she knows it doesn’t hurt him he jerks back. “I would have graduated on time, Dee.”

“I’m only covering our bases! We can’t know the counterfactual, after all.” She elbows him again.

“Donatello Hamato, you are the worst,” she tells him with all the fondness in the world.

His lips quirk up in a barely there smile. One of his battleshell arms extends and resumes typing, but he hasn’t looked back at it himself so she knows his main focus is still on her.

“Would you have gone to graduation?”

“Hm, probably. I mean, I don’t really care, but Mom-” She’d been about to say that her mom wants to go, present tense, and she just manages to stop herself. It’s crazy that it’s been two years, and still sometimes…

“...Mom would have thrown a fit if I skipped it,” she finally says, past tense, and she catches the way Donnie’s eyes cloud because he knows. God does he know.

They’re both orphans. She pushes the thought aside before she can let it erode all her carefully crafted walls.

“As would the rest of us,” says Donnie now, moving them straight past dangerous territory, and much as she hates that he dodges talking about emotions she appreciates it right now. It’s too damn late - or too early - for that. “You know how much fun we had sneaking into your high school graduation, surely you wouldn’t deny us the chance of a repeat.”

“Only if you promised not to bring the air horns.”

“I can’t promise that.”

“Then consider your chance denied.”

As for the Podcast Sep AU, that's an idea that has grown out of this post I wrote awhile back, except I basically just kept "the boys meet online" and changed everything else about it haha. In this version, April and Donnie have a true crime podcast that theorizes about the mysterious disappearance of Lou Jitsu, and the other three listen to it regularly, and then miscellaneous things happen along the way. It's a bit more angsty and less of a comedy than my original idea because I am myself, though it's still largely intended to be lighthearted as far as separated AUs go.

uh I'll just put some of the notes I posted on discord under the cut:

LEO

Leo calls Hypno Papa or Pop and calls Warren Dad, unless he's being a brat then he calls him Warren (this happens daily tbh)

they lived for awhile off money they each individually had saved up (also maybe Hypno's ratty apartment is Rent Controlled) but eventually they had to start having an active revenue stream so they started stealing

Leo loves stage magic OBVI but he's especially good at sleight of hand tricks and close up magic

so he starts using those skills to pickpocket

his dads don't really like him doing this (mostly out of concern for his safety rather than ethics) but they also can't really stop him unless they confine him to the house and they don't really want to do that so v(._.)v BOYS WILL BE BOYS IG

he gives them most of the money but he keeps some for himself for comics or other random things he wants

when Leo was still pretty little Hypno watched some Lou Jitsu movies out of curiosity, he knew who Lou Jitsu was but had never really watched the movies himself

he likes them alright but they aren't really his thing

but Leo came in and was immediately enthralled by it and became a big fan

Hypno knows LJ is Leo's human "dad" but decides not to tell him because he thinks it will just make Leo sad that he got left behind, also Hypno and Warren aren't even sure if LJ and the other three turtles survived

anyway this is what starts Leo on being an LJ fan and why he eventually finds Donnie and April's podcast

MIKEY

Mikey calls Repo "Boss" pretty much all the time, and Repo mostly calls him kid, occasionally he'll call him Mike

Repo taught Mikey how to read and do basic math growing up but that's pretty much it

so Mikey learns a lot of things from the internet and A LOT OF IT IS NOT CORRECT this will drive Donnie crazy later

Mikey learned about Lou Jitsu from stumbling across some old dvds someone threw out and got interested that way

he spends a lot of his time making art in the junkyard when he's not working for Repo

Dr. Delicate Touch still comes out when he is helping Repo

Repo doesn't get mutated until the time he does in canon but when he does get mutated he's just kinda like "shrug" and moves on with life lol

Mikey thinks it's cool though

also Mikey is a little greasy gremlin child 100% of the time, this will also drive Donnie crazy later

DONNIE

initially I thought April's dad would be out of the picture for whatever reason but I decided he's still here he just works overseas/out of town a lot

when April brought Donnie to Mama O'Neil she called Papa O'Neil like "hey I found a baby and I'm keeping him"

Papa was like ????? so she took a pic with a digital camera and uploaded it and sent it to him because that's what we did in 2005

Papa like that is a wholeass frog

she explained the situation and he was like OKAY GUESS WE HAVE A GREEN SON NOW he was chill with it though

they committed light identity fraud so technically Donnie has a birth certificate and is enrolled in online school

Donnie still invents but he doesn't have the space for it like in canon and also Mama will come after him if he sets anything on fire or explodes anything so a lot of his stuff is smaller atm, but he's been scoping out places he can use as a lab in secret for bigger projects recently

he's also a twitch streamer who uses a video filter over video of his own face to make his movements look more stiff and plasticy and he passes himself off as a vtuber this way

he cheats a lot

April also streams and she gets annoyed by this lol

they both became fans of Lou Jitsu when they were younger and they often traded conspiracy theories about what happened to him

then after binging one or two true crime podcasts they were like HEY WE CAN DO THAT TOO

RAPH

Splinter really is trying his best ok

he's SUPER DEPRESSED that he lost the other kids, especially Donnie and Mikey because like Leo getting lost in the lab explosion is one thing, realistically he can't really help that, but he left the kids alone when he lost Donnie and Mikey and that haunts him forever

he told Raph he was the only one who survived the lab explosion but Raph has very very vague memories of not being alone, then suddenly being alone

he doesn't push it with Splinter but he just has a feeling his siblings are out there

even if he doesn't remember it, this had a bad effect on him and he has a hard time being alone now

of course as Raph's gotten old enough to take care of himself, Splinter has become more distant/more depressed, he loves Raph of course but he's also going through it

Raph trains himself a lot with this idea that he's going to go out and be a hero and maybe even find his brothers, but his anxiety makes it hard for him to actually leave the lair for more than to get groceries or things like that

also Splinter and Raph's lair is like way more dilapidated and not very cozy with no Donnie to help with the mechanical side of things

it's like the most bummer bachelor pad ever in here, they have a mini fridge and it's full of sauces

Raph occasionally gets seen by maintenance workers from a distance so there's all kinds of rumors about him and he's the local cryptid, not that he realizes this (the others will be excited when they put this together)

Raph is just really lonely all the time and when he meets the others through the podcast it's the first time he finds community ;w;