#but her using it two episodes in a row?

[chaosinplural]

Charlie using Alastor's mic staff thingy

[nailtagyuri]

phhhhhhh my godddddddduh i liked the shenanigans pt got up to this episode but the POTENTIAL I SEE in them makes me really distraught

[muffinlance]

Hi ! prompt idea : What if Zuko was armed during the first episode and was stranded with the water tribe while the avatar left with Katara and Sokka, Iroh on his trail for white lotus reasons.

Oh we are going to have us some FUN with "stranded with the water tribe", say no more.

---

Zuko was dripping, and steaming, and staring down two dozen women and their gaggle of small children, plus that old not-the-Avatar crone from earlier. They were all cowering away from him. Which was--

Good. It was good. If they were cowering, then they hadn’t noticed how steam was not flames. He wasn’t sure he could make flames, not after the arctic water he’d landed in, with that last sight of the Avatar glowing; not after surfacing under the ice pack, after swimming, after kicking slamming breaking through and his ship was gone and there was only ocean all around and

and he’d made it back to this pathetic little camp of the Southern Water Tribe, because that was the only place he knew for sure would have shelter, and he wasn’t going to die just because they were all staring at him, even if felt like he would.

Even if the old not-the-Avatar woman could probably take him, right now. But she didn’t know that.

Zuko pulled himself up, taller than her by at least a few inches, and blew steam from his nose.

“I am commandeering one of your huts,” he said. And added, because Uncle said even a prince should be gracious: “You may choose which one.”

---

She choose her own.

...The only one without children that flames might scar, or younger women to catch a soldier’s interests.

Zuko sat by her fire and determinedly started struggling out of his wet clothes and she was still in here with him--

Zuko pulled one of her animal pelts over himself, and finished fighting off his clothes. When he stuck his head back out, cheeks still reddened from what was obviously the cold, she dropped a parka on his head.

“Dry clothes, Your Highness,” she said.

The parka was much bigger than he was. He fell asleep hoping that the camp’s men were on a long, long hunting trip.

---

He woke up again. Kanna tucked her favorite ulu knife away, newly sharpened, and stopped contemplating the alternative.

---

“I am commandeering a ship,” he said.

The crone led him across the village, all twenty paces of it, to a row of canoes.

“Take whichever one you want,” she said. “Will you need help getting it to the water?”

Zuko looked at the canoes. Looked at the ocean. Watched a leopard seal, easily the size of the largest canoe, dozing just past the ice his own ship had broken through the day before. It was frozen again, a great icy arrow pointing from the waves to the village, snow already starting to cover it over.

Beyond was blue sky and gray ocean and white ice, floating in blocks like stepping stones, like boulders, like cliffsides.

There wasn’t even a hint of gray steel, or smoke. Or any land, besides what they were standing on.

He looked down at the canoes again. Somehow, they seemed even smaller.

“I, uh,” Zuko cleared his throat. “I’ll require supplies. Before I go.”

---

They... did not have supplies. Not extra ones. This didn’t stop them from trying to give him supplies, food and blankets and anything else he could think to ask for. But each blanket was a pelt hunted by someone’s grandfather, had been inked with images and stories by someone’s mother, was the favorite of someone’s husband or brother or uncle or cousin--

They couldn’t go to the nearest market to replace things, here.

And when they talked about food, about what they could spare, they kept sneaking glances to their children, who were sneaking glances at Zuko from the huts, sticking their heads just over the snowy ledges like their fur-trimmed hoods would hide them. Their mothers and aunts shooed them away, and they crept back, like barnacle-crabs. Zuko glared, and they disappeared.

“When are your men coming back?” he asked. “They’re hunting, aren’t they?”

Oh. So that was what they looked like, when they weren’t trying to hide their hate.

---

Zuko wrapped himself up in the same blanket that night. It was printed inside with fine lines and images, telling a story he didn’t know. He wondered whose favorite it was.

---

Kanna wondered how quickly he’d wake—if he’d wake—if she built the fire up with wet driftwood and tundra grass, if she had one of the younger girls boost up a child to plug the air hole, if she let the smoke draw its own blanket down over this fire child.

---

It was hard to know when to wake up, because the sun never set. So everyone was up before him, and they all had spears and clubs and—and nets, and trap lines, and snow googles with their single slat to protect the eyes from snow blindness. Zuko had seen those once, at the Ember Island Museum of Ethnography, where they’d gone when it was too rainy for anything more exciting.

Oh. They were going hunting.

“Give me that,” Zuko said, and took a spear.

The women looked at him. One of them adjusted her googles.

“I can hunt,” he scowled.

He did not, in fact, know how to hunt.

---

“Give me that,” the Fire Prince said, and Kanna almost, almost gave him her ulu. Humans, like most animals, had an artery in their legs that would bleed them quick enough.

She kept skinning the rabbit-mink one of the women had snared.

“I can help,” he said, with less grace than most of their toddlers. Likely with the skinning skills of a toddler, too. She wasn’t going to let their unwanted visitor ruin a perfectly good pelt.

“Chop the meat,” she said, and gave him a different knife. “It’s dinner.”

“...This is really sharp,” he said a moment later, looking at the knife with some surprise.

“Is it,” said Kanna.

---

Things the Fire Prince was convinced he could do: hunt (until he realized he couldn’t tell the tracks of a rabbit-mink from a leopard-rabbit apart); spear fish (at least he could dry himself); pack snow for an igloo (frustrated princes ran hot); ice fish (the prince was a problem that kept coming close to solving itself).

Things the Fire Prince could actually do: mince meat, increasingly finely; gather berries and herbs, once he stopped trying to crush them; dig roots, under toddler supervision; mend nets, after the intermediary step of learning to braid hair loopies.

“Can’t I take him ice fishing again?” asked one of the women, as she watched Prince Zuko put as much apparent concentration into braiding her daughter’s hair as his people had into exterminating hers.

“Wait,” said another woman, sitting up straight. “Wait wait wait. I just had an idea.”

---

Three words: Infinite. Hot. Water.

---

Summer was coming to an end. The sun actually set, now, and the night was getting longer, and colder. The salmon-otter nets were mended and ready. The smoking racks were still full of cod-lemmings. The children were all a little older, the women all a little more used to doing both halves of their tribes’ chores; a little more used to not watching the horizon, waiting for help to come.

The Fire Prince was staring at the canoes again.

“Are you actually going to try leaving in one of those?” Kanna asked.

“...No.”

“Come on, then; someone needs to watch the kids while the women are hunting.”

She didn’t leave him alone with them, of course. But she could have.

---

Elsewhere, the war continued.

The moon turned red, for a moment none could sleep through; they did not learn why.

The comet came and went, leaving their castaway prince laying on the beach, his breath fogging up into the night sky above him, as the energy crashed from his system as quickly as it had come. Above, lights began to dance in the sky; Zuko pulled his hood up, so none of those spirits—children, dead too soon—got any ideas about kicking his head off to be their ball.

The war had ended. The world didn’t feel any different; no one in the south would know until spring came again.

---

Suffice it to say, Sokka and Katara were not prepared for this particular homecoming.

[total-dxmure]

✦ INVISIBLE STRING THEORY →【ELLIE WILLIAMS】→ CHAPTER TWO

pairings: modern!marine ellie x reader

summary: the marines didn’t ruin ellie. ellie ruined ellie. after being medically discharged she feels lost. being sent to live with joel is more of a last ditch effort to save her and less of a fun reunion for the father-daughter duo. jackson is worlds different than chicago, but the fresh air and sprawling countrysides are a welcome reprieve. ellie finds herself finding comfort in more than just the change in scenery though. after losing your girlfriend due to an accident you feel as though you’ll never find love again- but that was before meeting ellie williams. the two of you figure out that you have more in common than just the fact that she and your girlfriend were both marines though. tethered by some invisible string, the two of you meeting has to be fate. who would have known that you were the golden ticket to ellie’s recovery?

warnings: eventual smut! lots of tension building and mutual pining. ellie falls first and hard. small town girl meets a frightening, strong ex marine. TW: talk of panic attacks, ptsd episodes and death. come for the ellie smut and stay for the plot and fluff. (A/N: this chapter is just plot/character building. next chapter we're getting to the good stuff)

⬶ previous chapter | next chapter ⤅

The old farm truck rocked back and forth as you made your way up the all-too familiar dirt path, heading in the direction of the greenhouses. You’d already let the hens out to graze and feed and the last thing you had to do before dropping today’s produce off was check on the nurseries. 

Johnny Cash’s southern twang hummed gently over the speakers, your well worn-in cassette tape having been the first thing you reached for this morning. The sun had risen just a few hours ago, and after a few cups of much needed coffee you were ready to go. 

The caffeine had done the lord's work, having cleared your brain of any anxious background noise. You could actually function when you had tasks at hand. The second you slowed down though… well, that was a different story. You were trying hard not to imagine Abby sitting beside you in the beat-to-hell red pickup, her blonde braid tossed over her shoulder as she stuck her arm out of the window. You used to joke about her being part dog, what with her loving the wind on her face so much. You missed being able to reach out and wrap a stray strand of blonde hair around your finger, only giving it a soft tug when those blue eyes of hers looked at you with a little too much heat behind them. 

So instead of looking at the empty passenger seat you busied yourself with turning up the volume, country music crackling over the shot, old speakers. You all but jumped out of the car the second you put the car in park, ready to get your hands dirty and your mind preoccupied.

You couldn’t remember how many times the two of you had snuck off to the greenhouse when your mother had gotten a little too overbearing back when she still lived in the main house with you. There wasn’t a single surface in the old rickety building that abby hadn’t fucked you on or vice versa. 

You walked along the rows and rows of seedlings, looking for any sign of water rot or bug infestations. Everything was perfect, every stem and leaf a vibrant green. Tomatoes, all different kinds of summer squash, and beans of every variety; you had the gift of a green thumb. Your father was more than happy to sign his company over to you right before he passed. All five acres of his property belonged to you now, and with that every bit of responsibility had been placed upon your shoulders. You used to resent the fact that you were so young and in charge of so much. Now you were thankful for the constant work. Distractions. You hated seeing your dad’s life work being summed up as a mere distraction, but it was the only thing that got you out of bed in the morning. 

Everyone in the family knew that your dad had wanted a boy when your mother’s pregnancy was first announced. It was a family business, the job having been passed down to him by his own father. Still, he had been ecstatic to show you the ropes. Rather than taking up dance or art like most other little girls your age, you spent your free time elbow deep in mud. You wore the bows and fussed over getting new outfits, but overalls were your daily uniform. 

You wore a pair even today, your work boots tightly fastened to ward away any unwanted pecks from overprotective mother hens. Today was bound to be monotonous, as it always was. All you had to do was repot a few strawberry plants. Maybe if you were lucky a goat would find a hole in the gate and escape. At least it would give you something to worry about that wasn’t Abby related. 

You slunk over towards the sinks, pumping soap into your dirt covered palm to wash off the dirt. You rubbed your hands together to begin lathering but froze when you realized your right hand felt bare. You brushed your thumb against your middle finger only to realize that it was just as you had feared. 

Your ring. It wasn’t there. 

White hot dread locked your limbs as you turned your hand over, the dainty opal missing from your middle finger. You blinked, hoping that you were just seeing things. You didn’t even turn off the sinks before racing back over to the repotting table, as if the promise ring had grown legs and would escape you. Your eyes frantically searched the table, pain shooting through your knees as you dropped down on all fours, pushing dirt and leaves aside to get a better vantage point. Nothing. It wasn’t there. 

“Oh god. No! No, no, no.” You all but screamed, eyes filling with tears as you pulled yourself off. 

You broke out into a nervous sweat, the blood rushing from your head. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening right now. 

You didn’t care if you killed the plants, you ripped the strawberries up by their stems, shaking their roots out as you searched their new pots. 

Every. Single. One. 

Empty. 

Abby had given you that ring just before her last deployment, promising that she would be giving you the real thing once she got back. Of course, she never did. It was single handedly the most important piece of jewelry that you had ever owned, even above your grandmother’s pearls and engagement ring. How could you be so reckless? Why hadn’t you thought to leave it in the car? 

“Stupid! I’m so fucking stupid!” You screamed, tossing a clay pot on the ground in a fit of anger. It shattered behind you, exploding into a thousand tiny pieces. 

You spent an hour sifting through dirt and untangling roots before you finally realized that it was a lost cause. The ring was gone. You’d wrecked the entire greenhouse in your frantic search and the strawberries were just as you expected: dead. 

You slammed the door shut behind you, the old window panes shaking with the force. You had barely thrown yourself into the pickup before your body was wracked with full body sobs. White knuckling the steering wheel you leaned your head forward, completely unbothered as the horn blared. 

How could you lose something so precious to you? It had been the last gift that you had ever received from Abby. The last. There was no possible way to replace something that was that special to you. Her hands had touched that ring. She’d been nervous to give it to you in the first place, anxious that two years hadn’t been enough time to give you something that sentimental. It was the meaning behind it that had you clutching at your chest, your fingernails digging into your shirt as if you could rip your heart straight out from between your ribs. 

She was going to replace that ring once she got back. Give you the “real deal” once she was back home and able to have a ceremony. 

But there would never be a ceremony. Never another ring. Never another Abby. 

Never. Never. Never. 

It felt like you were losing a piece of her, and with that came the revelation- the same one that you’ve already had a thousand times- that she was really gone. There would be no do-overs; no alternate universes where the two of you could be together. The reality of your situation sat heavy in your throat, clogging your airway. 

The loss of Abby had eclipsed your heart completely, and darkness was all that was left. 

You stayed in the car until your eyes had practically swelled shut and there were no more tears to shed. 

The car ride back to her childhood home was completely silent, the only sound being the engine of Joel’s shiny new truck. She did her best to compliment him on the new purchase, but Ellie was sure that she didn’t sound even half as enthusiastic as she had hoped she would. She didn’t feel like being an actress today. Not when he already knew how bad she was doing. Joel had taken one look at her as she got off of the plane and frowned, grabbing her bags only after giving her a bone shattering side hug. 

“Well I missed ya,” He finally spoke, causing her to jump in surprise. The sound of his baritone voice soothed her nerves over though. “I’ve really missed you annoyin’ the hell outta me at all hours of the day.” 

Ellie cracked a small smile at that, leaning her head into the plush leather seat. The last time she saw Joel was when she had first been transferred to the Kindred Hospital back in Chicago, which was where she had rotted away for a full week. Her eye and face healed up quickly but her back was a different story. She’d been burned badly and had all of the nasty scars to prove it. He had stayed by her bedside for the entire week and had helped her to readjust to being back home in her apartment. The nearly debilitating pain was the only thing that had distracted her from the gravity of her situation back then. 

Her therapist said it was normal to disassociate for long periods of time when the body and mind are put under so much stress. Ellie still felt like Ellie back then, but it was only because she didn’t have any real grasp on reality. It was just a few days after Joel left that she finally snapped out of it. She was one of the only five that survived. She was told that landmines were the cause of so many deaths in Iraq. 

“It happens all the time out there. You didn’t know. It’s not your fault.”  

She didn’t want her unit to just be another statistic. They weren’t just numbers. They were people who had loved ones at home. Loved ones that they had to leave for months and months on end. She couldn’t help but shoulder all of the blame. Ellie was the one that had led them out there in the first place. It was her fault, so why hadn’t she died right along with them? She would have considered herself lucky if she had lost her life right along with them. These were the people that she saw daily. Ellie had developed deep friendships with every member of her unit. She knew the details of all of their lives- the names of their children and loved ones back at home, what they wanted to do with their lives once they were dismissed- how could she not feel like someone had ripped her soul to shreds? How could she not constantly remind herself, every second of every goddamn day, that she was the reason. 

She was a ghost. A mere shell of the person that she once was and she had no one to blame but herself. 

“I didn’t know you liked me being annoying so much,” Still, she turned to Joel and cracked him a small smile. It was more for his sake and less for hers though. “I’ll make sure to turn it up a notch while I’m here.” 

The older man grumbled, shaking his head slightly as he kept his eyes on the country roads in front of him. “That sounds like a threat.” 

Ellie could tell that he was playing with her. They were professionals when it came to teasing each other, often to the point that people thought that they were seriously bickering. The short haired female let herself settle into the normalcy of the moment. He hadn’t mentioned anything about the accident or her mental state yet, so it was easy to pretend that things were still…okay. 

So that’s exactly what she did. She began to pretend. Ellie allowed herself to be transported back in time. This was just another Tuesday. She’d get back home and sweet talk Joel into cooking her an after school snack. Then she’d go up to her room and procrastinate doing her homework so that she could reread one of her comics. 

“Got anything good in here?” Ellie asked before opening up the center console. “I’m not gonna find anything nasty, am I?” 

Joel’s lips pursed as he tried to fight off a smile. “Don’t go rifflin’ through my shit, kiddo.” 

Her eyes snagged on a familiar purple book, and for the first time in a while something yawned to life in her chest. Joy. 

“What do we have here?” She pulled out the book of puns, using it to fan herself before she cracked the bad boy open. 

“Ah, don’t start.” He groaned. 

She didn’t take the time to wonder why he had put the well loved book in his brand new truck. Instead of allowing herself to be overcome with endearment she flipped to a random page, her lips turning up in the first genuine smile she’d had in months. 

“Where can you find a tiny coke?” She asked him, turning in her seat so that she could face him, tucking one of her converse-clad feet underneath her. 

“Hey! Get your dirty shoes off of my new upholstery!” Joel reached over and gave her knee a slap. 

Ellie reared back, holding the book of puns tight to her chest. 

“Come on, try and guess.”

He groaned, rolling his eyes as he leaned his arm against the door. 

“I don’t know… tiny town.” 

Her nose wrinkled, an eyebrow quirking up at his half assed answer. 

“Shitty guess, but alright.” She mumbled under her breath. “Mini-soda.” 

“Hilarious.” He said sarcastically, turning onto the familiar drive. 

“I think I saw you smile though.”She leaned over to give his cheek a poke, but he swiftly batted her hand away. 

The truck’s all-terrain tires crunched over the gravel driveway, revealing the only real home she’d ever lived in. The house and yard looked exactly the same as it had whenever she was a teenager. She sighed out a breath of relief, not knowing how much well she would have handled any sort of severe change. Ellie opened the passenger side door before Joel had a chance to put the car in park, eager to settle in after the flight. She wanted to shower, and that surprised her a bit. A welcome surprise.  

Maybe things would be better for her here.  

“You didn’t turn my old room into some perverted sex dungeon while I was gone, did you?” She teased as she grabbed her tan duffel bag, easily tossing it over her shoulder as she bounded up the stairs. 

He laughed as a response, following close behind her so that he could unlock the front door. She didn’t know why he even bothered. He lived in the middle of nowhere, and they rarely got visitors. 

“I’ve got some guitars in there that are worth a fortune.” He’d told her the last time she’d asked. 

It had been one of the few times that Ellie had snuck out of the house after curfew. She’d been unable to haul herself back into her second story window once she’d gotten back home and had been forced to sleep in the beat up old hatchback that he had bought her for her sixteenth birthday. Breakfast that morning had been… tense, to say the least. 

“I didn’t touch your room… but I did get a dog, so make sure not to let her out.” 

She paused at that, turning to look at him with wide eyes. There had been a strict “no animals” rule back when she lived with him. She never thought she’d see the day where Joel Miller would adopt a pet, let alone a dog. 

“You got a dog?” She was still in disbelief and half expected him to fucking with her. 

“Buckley is a good boy. He shits on the floor sometimes and barks all hours of morning though. It’s almost like having you home.” He teased, bumping his shoulder against hers so that he could shove his key into the lock. 

The deadbolt clicked open, and low and behold there was a dog. He looked like some sort of lab mix, his pink tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth as he anxiously waited for his owner’s return. Ellie was too excited to come up with a witty response to Joel’s joke. She tossed her duffle down on the couch, quickly getting down on her knees so that she could pet the dog. 

“He’s not much of a guard dog, is he?” He asked, closing the door behind him. 

The second that Ellie’s hand tangled into his thick black fur he flopped down, eager for love. Ellie smirked, looking at Joel over her shoulder. 

“I don’t know. He looks pretty ferocious to me.” 

The sudden knock on the door had Ellie’s lips downturning, eyebrows pinching in confusion. She didn’t like the idea of company right now, and the last thing she wanted was to socialize with anyone. For a second she feared that he had called a doctor or therapist to come out to the house to see her. She wasn’t sure if she could take another “come to Jesus” meeting this week, and she was barely holding it together as is. Ellie put her hands on her knees, pushing herself up to stand before she nodded at the door. 

“Company?” She simply asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Joel ignored her obvious distaste, wrenching the door open quickly before she could stop him. It sure as hell wasn’t Tommy. . . and Ellie doubted that most doctors wore overalls, even in Jackson. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, the golden rays shone through the vast expanse of trees on the property, making it almost look like the world was on fire. The warm glow behind the beautiful stranger made her look ethereal almost, her eyes watery and cheeks flushed. At her feet was a cardboard box packed to the brim with fruits and vegetables. All at once Ellie became startlingly aware of the fact that she looked like absolute hammered shit. Her hair was a frizzy mess, her skin was paler than it had ever been before, and she was wearing an old NASA shirt and dingy sweatpants. If she noticed her disheveled appearance she didn’t show it. 

The smile that she beamed in Joel’s direction didn’t quite reach her eyes, and a strange sense of understanding flickered in Ellie’s gaze as she took a few inquisitive steps forward. Ellie Williams knew what suffering was like; true suffering. Looking at her was like looking in a mirror, her well hidden misery plain as day to the auburn haired female. 

“Sorry I’m so late, Mr Miller. My truck was giving me problems.” Her voice was beautiful. Melodic in a way that Ellie’s wasn’t. 

Spring. . . this girl was spring incarnate. 

And she was lying through her teeth. 

She’d been crying. Ellie could tell. Still, Joel was already peeking his head out of the door, looking in the direction of where she had parked. 

“I could take a look at it for you.” He was being dismissed with a small wave of your hand before he could even get the words fully out. 

“That’s so nice of you, but I’ve got it cranking up again. It shouldn’t give me any more trouble today.” Her hair fell off of her shoulder as she leaned down to pick up the box.

Ellie moved forward without thinking, picking up the heavy box for the girl before her fingers could even grip the sides of the cardboard. “Here, let me get it.” She said, craning her neck up so that she could speak directly to the woman. 

There wasn’t a single thing about you that Ellie found undesirable. In that moment she was completely certain that you were the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, even with the pain and memory that swirled behind your bright eyes. Their eyes locked, and much to Ellie’s embarrassment, she held her gaze. She watched her with the same sort of silent appreciation. 

“-I think it would be good for her. What do you say?” Ellie hadn’t noticed that Joel had been talking the entire time. 

The woman blinked a few times, tearing her eyes away from Ellie. “Huh? I’m sorry, do you mind repeating that?” She was nervously tucking a few strands of unruly hair behind her ear, shifting in place on the front porch. 

“I was just saying that Ellie is going to be staying out here with me. I think working with you on the farm would be good for her. It would help her to get out of the house, and I know you’ve been pretty busy since it’s just you running things now.” Joel put a hand on Ellie’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Supportive. Non-judgemental. He was reminding her what would be good for her mental state right now, and having something to do with her hands would certainly help to take her mind off of things. 

“O-Oh!” The girl’s lips parted in shock, her eyes flickering between the two of them. “Yeah, I don’t see why not. I get a pretty early start though, so don’t feel obligated to wake up as early as I do.” 

“I’ll wake up.” Ellie said quickly, nodding her head. 

Her words held a tone of desperation and it had Joel’s head whipping around in her direction. He probably wasn’t expecting her to be so supportive of his last minute idea. She couldn’t be sure if it was because she genuinely wanted to get her mind off of things or if the farm girl’s looks had anything to do with her enthusiasm. Ellie couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt drawn to someone like this. Relationships were the last thing on her mind these days. 

“Can you start tomorrow?” The other girl asked, shoving her hands into her front pockets. 

Adorable. She was adorable. Ellie felt her breath hitch and all she could do was nod as an answer for your question. 

“Alright. . . “She began to trail off, backing up a few steps on the porch. It seemed like you were in a bit of a hurry. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” 

“Tomorrow.” Ellie repeated back to her. 

She leaned back, lifting the box higher up on her chest so that she could watch the woman get back into her mud stained pickup truck. She only took a step back when Joel started to close the door on her. 

“So you’re actually fine with that? I didn’t think you would go for it, honestly.” Joel rubbed at his stubbled chin, flashing her a small smile of approval. 

“There’s no way I want to be stuck in a house with your ass all hours of the day.” Ellie quipped, walking to the kitchen so that she could place the vegetables on the countertop. 

“I think workin’ there would be good for the both of you. That poor girl has had an awful year. . . I think you’d be good for each other. She needs a friend.” Joel’s voice was somber as he followed her into the kitchen. 

Ellie turned to face the older man, swallowing hard as he leaned against the doorway. He was being a bit cryptic. It seemed like he didn’t want to be the one to tell Ellie the girl’s business. Still, she was curious, and she didn’t want to be blind sided tomorrow just in case she wanted to talk about it. Ellie wasn’t usually nosey, but she had a strong urge to get to know her. 

“What do you mean by that?” Ellie’s first guess was that she had to be going through some sort of divorce. Joel had mentioned the fact that she was on her own now, so coming to that conclusion was natural. 

“No, nothin’ like that,” He cleared his throat before pushing off of the door frame, slowly beginning to unload the box's contents. “She lost her girlfriend and her father this year. She’s the kindest girl. . . you’d never know how much she’s sufferin’ based on how she acts.” 

“Oh.” Ellie frowned, having realized that your mourning must be the reason for your sad, sad eyes. She understood how it felt to lose so many people so close together. Better than anyone, really.

“Oh.” 

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[belokhvostikova]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐭

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 | Your secret fling with Eddie Munson hadn't gone entirely under wraps, particularly to the know-it-all, Dustin Henderson. With the help of Robin and Steve, the three conspire to reveal the truth, resulting in two of the most awkward people going on a date together...

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | Swearing, slight crying, alcohol consumption, awkwardness, insecurities, closeted sexuality, implied coming out, secret relationship, and some explicit sexual content: fondling, mention of porn, mention of oral, and unprotected vaginal sex (fairly minor, not the focal point).

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 | This piece has literally been sitting in my Google Docs since June 26th, because when rewatching Friends, I though it would be a cute idea for a fic, so you'll see a lot of lines and parallels from the episode (season 5, episode 14). It's devastatingly unfortunate Matthew Perry passed when I was finishing this up. So, in memory of him and a toast to friendship, here is this fic. Be safe, appreciate life, and enjoy <3 I love you all.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐃𝐨 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭.

“Did you guys see that?!” A pointed finger of accusation was targeted against Eddie Munson, completely oblivious to his knowledge. 

Steve Harrington had grimaced at the mush that was once a solid cheeseburger residing inside the slobbery mouth of Dustin Henderson, as the kid spoke with such urgency, clearly unperturbed by his lack of food etiquette and social decorum. But such skills could not be expected much from Dustin Henderson. That is unless, of course, an actual adult of authority had been in the presence, to which a gummy smile was expected to assuage whatever insulting comment about the need for manners that “The Hair” would proffer in disgust. 

It was the second Saturday in a row that Steve’s been bombarded by the abuse of the children to let his residence be used for a pool party. He doesn’t understand how exactly he lost the backbone to say no to four teenagers, but the phenomenon had manifested into reality, and at the very least, a compromise was made for the young adults—of whatever weird mesh of a friend group this was between older teens, younger teens, crossover shebang—to tag along for a hot afternoon of relaxation.

“Yeah, Eddie’s hair totally looks like a wet mop.” Max Mayfield snickered between her sips of a twisty-straw-in-lemonade action. In truth, seeing lushes locks of black stick to his face and neck was quite amusing, especially when made worse as the metalhead re-calibrated like a dog, shaking his hair as a means of getting rid of the chlorine water that weighed down his head. One that could always get a good chuckle out of anyone. 

“No! Not that! That!” The ghost trail that was of Eddie Munson walking inside the Harrington villa, as pointed to by Dustin as a means of evidence, did little to provide any context of support to whatever it was he was avowing about this time. In many instances, those close to him knew to just let his diatribes continue without interference. The kid’s standards were impossibly high; people’s mistakes of simple wrongdoings were always criticized by his superiority. ‘“Oh, I’m just gonna head to the bathroom real quick.’” Dustin mimicked, mocking the voice of his Dungeon Master with dramatic gestures of flailing arms. A testament surely to get his character killed in next week’s campaign, should he have been caught by the man. 

“Yeah, Dustin, that’s kinda, like, a natural occurrence in life.” Mike Wheeler deadpanned with a patronizing voice to annoy, as it’d been known to exasperate his friend. It’d even gained a couple laughs from the lounging bodies strewn about in the breadth of the gardened backyard. 

Lucas Sinclair had jumped at the opportunity to prod further, barking a deafening cackle. “Yeah, remember that bomb you dropped after the school’s attempt to serve enchiladas?” He slapped his knee with joy. “You had the janitor running from the stalls!”

That one really got a good laugh out of everyone. But before Max could even venture at an attempt to cater for further details, Dustin struck on offense to defend his honor from the sharings of his intimate privacy, definitively emphasized with an agitated tone of vexation. “No, no! You pinky swore that you’d never speak of it! Do I need to tell everyone what Erica found under your bed?!” Old reliable; blackmail, the bargain of a lifetime.

“The hell is under your bed, man?” Steve pondered, flipping a seared patty with a slab of American cheese ready to go. If it was anything like what was under his bed, he’d surely want no one to know.

“Nothing!”

“What I thought.” Dustin muttered with a glare, as Lucas shrunk in his chair to evade any potential threats of further questions that lay on the tips of his friends’ nosy tongues. “But again, that is not what I am talking about.”  

Always the civil one out of the Wheeler clan, Nancy reassuringly stepped up to support her brother’s friend in need, settling everyone down. “We’re sorry, Dustin, go ahead.” It was to be expected she’d gain a heartfelt thank you from Dustin Henderson, himself, once the debacle simmered and the turbulence had passed. Nancy Wheeler always did have a special place in the kid’s big heart, particularly after the caring gesture of the 1984 Hawkins Middle’s Snow Ball Dance. 

“How can you all be so blind?!” Dustin seethed. “You’re telling me none of you find it even a little suspicious that Eddie just so happened to go to the 'bathroom' right after Y/N’s excuse of wanting to 'change,' like, hello?!” He huffed. “They’re totally screwing!”

Dustin Henderson felt devastatingly vanquished when a unanimous vote of disbelieving what’s hurtled his way with no mercy. He felt useless- undermined. Like the bag of Fritos left behind when children would rather fight over Doritos or Sour Cream n’ Onion Lays, rather than appreciate the artistry of a simple corn chip, left alone and forgotten until a last resort when moms took too long to make dinner; never to be cherished in the dark corner of the bulk size box of Frito-Lays. Of course, they wouldn’t believe him. They didn’t witness what he had to tragically witness. He heard it so vividly. So hauntingly vivid. Sometimes, it kept the poor boy up at night. Last week- last Friday- Hellfire’s Friday, such an exhilarating night now befouled by the auditory version of what he learned in the ninth grade compulsory course of sexual education. 

How naive of him to believe your actions stemmed from the kindness of your heart; offering your chauffeuring abilities to pick up the freshman after their campaigns, sauntering inside with a sickeningly sweet smile to pair with your tender greetings, and always wanting to lend a helping hand to the Dungeon Master, because “it just seems like so much to clean.” Puh-lease! The signs had been flashing in his face. The ulterior motives screaming in his ear. What sane person deliberately chooses to waste their time picking up three boys revved up with excitement and sweat after the thrills of Dungeons and Dragon? Jesus, shit, it was Friday night, don’t you have any plans?! Yeah, plans to stick your tongue down their Dungeon Master’s throat. Tainting the sanctity of Hellfire with your debauchery. 

Dustin Henderson had forgotten his dice. Sometimes, he wishes he would have just let the damn things go. 

“God, baby, a quickie- let’s just do it right here real quick.” Eddie’s begging voice vibrated behind the closed door of the drama department, seeping through the open cracks beneath the door, all for Dustin’s ears to hear. 

And he tried to give him the benefit of the doubt- the kid really did. Pet names were far from unusual by use of Eddie Munson. The one instance the Byers dropped back into Hawkins during Spring Break, it was no doubt Will the Wise had to get a taste of the new man running the show, and when Eddie had given Byers the innocent compliment of being such a sweetheart, the kid blushed into oblivion, stuttering a thank you in return. Hell, not to mention the infamous “big boy” that followed Steve Harrington around wherever the man took on motherly duties. So, Dustin brushed it off. But the moment had quickly transpired into something cringe worthy to the fourteen-year-old who didn’t know better. It should have been his cue to run, but the fiery design of his dice cost him six bucks of his chores earning, and they weren’t about to be discarded, as if the sweat of his forehead meant nothing from an afternoon of bending over the mop bucket to clean the kitchen floors. 

There are moments at night when he speculates if this is the doings of the heavenly man above that his beloved, Suzie Bingham, always mentioned; punishing Dustin in consequence of eavesdropping on a private matter that surely was not intended to be heard. But can you really call it eavesdropping when you were merely trying to retrieve your dice? No! You can’t!

“They’re already waiting for me in the car.” You whined against his lips. The figurine that was poking your hip was the last thing accounted for in your mind, as Eddie had showcased you onto the wooden table of the prop room. Lips smeared against yours, his hand had squeezed a chunk of your meaty thigh, bringing you forth to keep you in close company. “We can’t.” Can’t what, huh? Find the dignity to do it outside of school grounds?! Freaks!

“Little shits.” Dustin had appallingly gasped at the insult, feeling the stabbing wound of betrayal hit him in the chest as you laughed along, hand clutched over his heart to appease the pain of such affliction. The dramatics. “Come to my place after.” Eddie delicately kissed loving pecks to your lips. “That way,” his finger trailed up your thigh, “we can have our alone time, and I can finally get a taste of that pretty pu-”

Dustin Henderson knew to run away at that point. Safe to say, the kid never got his dice back.

“Are you insane?!” Motherly hand on the hip, Dustin didn’t appreciate Steve’s disciplinary tone of voice, sounding too much like his mother, Ms. Claudia Henderson, for his liking, as everyone agreed with Harrington’s proclaimed delusion against the boy. “Munson doesn’t have the skills to screw, let alone someone as hot as her.” He chuckled in disbelief.

Oh, boy, was he wrong.

“Mm, j-just like that, uh!” Your pelvis pummeled into the sink, tainting the precisely picked pristine porcelain by Mrs. Harrington, herself, as Eddie rutted his hips into the dampness that was your bikini bottoms to chase a release that was on the brink of snapping.

It was your fault he claimed; prancing in a top and bottom that left little to the imagination. Accusations of your outfit being chosen to taunt him were thrown your way, and your faux innocence only cemented it further. “Fuck- fucking take it—ugh, s-shit—take this fucking cock!” How could this ever be seen as a punishment when your boyfriend was lighting your body on fire with the ecstasy of abusing your g-spot?

Perhaps having sex in the bathroom of your mutual friend was far from the ethical rules of friendship, but the act of secrecy had bred a burning excitement that neither of you could contain. And, given the fact that four weeks ago, Steve had poked fun at Eddie’s singleness—not that Steve had any room to joke, though, at least, “The King” was relishing in the funness of meaningless hookups, something Eddie surely didn’t partake in, he lovingly had you—so seeking revenge in fucking his hot girlfriend in his friend’s bathroom had stirred something menacing in Eddie’s head to truly not give a single care in what he was doing was wrong. 

“Yes! Yes! I’m gonna cum, fuck!” Fingers tightening on the edge of the sink, your heart soared watching the reflection of Eddie’s mouth panting with want, as he fucked your pussy, ready to release his load deep inside. His hands had snaked to grab handfuls of your bouncing tits, groaning as he felt your nipples poke through the coldness of your wet bikini top.  

His hips harshly snapped against your rippling ass. “Cum all over my cock- shit! C’mon, pretty girl, fucking soak me- take all o’ me!” It barely felt as though he was pulling out, merely drilling in deeper and deeper. “I’m gonna cum- fuck, fuck, fuck, fu-”

“They are totally screwing!” The curls of Dustin Henderson’s head were on the verge of being ripped out in frustration; all that work he so earnestly dedicated night and day to maintain the silky bounce was about to be all for nothing. “They are! I heard them!”

Wrong choice of words. “You were listening to them screw?!” Robin gagged, triggering an onslaught of ew’s and perv’s- well, really, Max Mayfield had been the only one calling her friend a perv, doing it in the relaxation of her lounging chair, teasing behind her newly gifted heart-shaped sunglasses. 

“No! No!” Dustin shouted in clarification. “I wasn’t listening! I heard them talking about it!” He agonized. “They’ve been doing it for at least a week! Behind our backs!”

“Oh!” Max ventured. “Let’s bet, I say they’ve been engaged for four months, and are pregnant!” She heckled, now clearly just taking the piss out of him. 

“Has the water gone from your ears to your brain?” Robin laughed in his face. Surely the kid was mistaken, right? Aside from her personal himbo—Steve hated the nickname—you and Nancy Wheeler had become her newfound best friends. You know, a united front against the boys, girl talk, the whole shebang about girl code? Secrets weren’t a thing between your three! Granted, Robin, herself, was harboring a pretty large secret that only her himbo knew of, but that was different! Boys were nothing, she would gladly hear about all her friends’ boy problems, indulging in the drama of long distance or whatever the hell there was to complain about, but girls?! Yeah, that was, uh, that was just something- a topic still unbreached… at least, until she was ready.

“Fine!” The boy heaved, bailing out on defending his stance any further. “You guys don’t wanna believe, that’s just fine.” He snided. “But when they come back, and Y/N hasn’t changed out of her bathing suit, you won’t be laughing now!” Dustin Henderson ended his tirade with an embittered bite to his burger, dramatically dropping into his pool chair. 

They’d all learn soon, and bow down to him. 

So now, everyone waited. Waited for the fateful moment that would either prove Dustin Henderson right or wrong. And unfortunately- for you and Eddie, at least, your steamy escapade on the sink of the Harrington bathroom had left you too dazed and forgetful in the post-orgasmic bliss that was heavy breaths and loving touches of aftercare to keep up with the said excuse of “changing out of wet clothes” that got you alone with Eddie Munson in the first place. So when you marched out, glowing and relaxed—exactly two minutes and thirty-four seconds after Eddie’s “bathroom break” (so thoughtfully executed)—in the same damp bikini that had your secret boyfriend riled up to begin with, everyone gasped. 

“What?” You looked around confused. 

Unbeknownst to you, Dustin Henderson took a cheesy bite of his burger, loudly sipping a carbonated gulp of his cold Coke, ready to snap his fingers for another round of meals for his peasant friends to fetch. 

He was right. 

-

Robin Buckley confirmed it next. 

That Monday to come, Robin was staggering over the words of Dustin Henderson, and trying to piece the evidence presented to understand what was transpiring in your double life. The events after your return from “changing” left you confused by the jarring stares of six pairs of eyes testing you. Nancy, with the softest approach, had questioned you on the lack of new clothes on your body, to which your knight in shining armor—or accomplice—stepped up to save you from the army of prodding friends. “A knot in my hair, yeah, I distracted her to help me get a knot out of my hair.” Sure, Eddie, sure. 

During the uproarious minutes of lunchtime, you’d been ready to get an afternoon break from school to fork through Hawkins High’s poor excuse as to what constitutes consumable food, when the sudden scrutiny from Robin Buckley began. And, my god, was she persistent. 

In the comical marching band she suited, Robin Buckley had rushed her attempt to the first approach. “Hey, Robs. You think I can borrow your notes for Civics, I-”

“So, I hear Jonathan’s coming back from California next week!” Something about rashly eating the served cut peaches seemed to play up to the normal act Robin was going for, but truthfully, it just made you eye her strange behavior weirdly.

“Oh.” You accepted the out-of-nowhere information. Maybe you won’t do so good on Mr. Vortroski’s test on Supreme Court cases as you originally thought. “That’s great for Nance-”

“Isn’t it?!” The enthusiasm she was exerting was truly taking it over the top. But Robin Buckley had a heart for caring, and perhaps the excitement for her friend was really bubbling up today. “Nancy said they’ve been planning, like, a lot of dates, you know, to catch up on lost time?” You casually nodded along. “Single dates, double dates… and then I was thinking, hey!” She perked. “Y/N’s young and good looking! She’s probably seeing someone! So are you, I don’t know, seeing someone? Anyone? Tall, dark hair? Anyone?”

“Uh…” Yeah, maybe the hastiness of Robin’s impetuous nature wasn’t the best route to go with. “No, um, no I’m not seeing anyone.” You gave a tight-lipped smile. “Nance and Jonathan are gonna have to find someone else to double date with- oh, maybe Steve! What’s that girl's name he’s been seeing, Brenda? Beatrice? Actually, you know what, it’ll probably be really awkward to ask your ex-boyfriend on a double date with your current bo-”

“You’re seriously not seeing anyone?!” Robin’s brows furrowed with frustration. You were lying to her face- you were lying straight to your best friend’s face! “Nobody? No one?” You begrudgingly shook your head. “No thing?”

“Robin,” you chuckled, “is there something you want to tell me?” There were lots of things Robin Buckley wanted to tell you. Like, for starters, the newfound revelation that she likes how she looks with mascara, after you left yours on the dresser of her bedroom during your sleepover two weeks ago. She had no plans of returning it back to you, either. Or, possibly the fact that Bridget—the actual name of Steve’s newest lover—stole his Farrah Fawcett hairspray- or the fact that Steve uses Farrah Fawcett hairspray. Maybe the other thing, as in the strange occurrence that happens to her heartbeat whenever Vickie from chemistry happens to be around. Or, the other other thing, like the fact that she spent an obscene amount of minutes staring at cover of “Scissoring with Seduction” starring Roxie Rockett and Viola Diamond, after organizing the adult films section at Family Video- actually, scratch that, she’d never tell a soul about that, not even Steve Harrington. 

“Is there something you want to tell me?” She shot back with fervency. 

“No…?” Your questioning answer had your friend igniting her dramatic flare, slumping in her seat with a defeated huff. Dustin Henderson would surely be owed a duly apology. At this point, you’d like to say this weirded you out, but you lived in Hawkins, Indiana. You’ve seen weirder. 

Evidently not sufficed with your response, your friend sat up onto perched elbows. “Y/N, you know you can tell me anything, right?” A sincere approach. Undoubtedly better. “Like, you don’t have to be afraid to tell me stuff. I won’t judge or anything.” Robin solemnly smiled at you. 

Your tender hand squeezed her arm. “I know.” You beamed. “I hope you know that the same goes for you, Robs. If you ever have anything you need to tell me, I’ll always be here to listen to you. Probably give you way better advice than Stevie.” You both chuckled at the expense of Steve Harrington. Robin Buckley understood the feeling of not being ready for the world to know, because knowing would change the dynamics of life, and having the world suddenly perceive you in a way they never have before was scary. 

Having the world hate you for the tender love you caressed your partner with was terrifying. 

You’d tell her when you were ready, just as she would with you. 

With a nod to her head, she patted your hand. “You know, I asked Steve once on tips to upgrade my look, and he legit told me to do my eyebrows like Pamela Anderson.” 

“The himbo, himself, is too unknowledgeable to know that Miss Anderson is the only one capable of pulling off the blonde bombshell look. Though, I would love to see him with pencil brows and blue eyeshadow.” You both laughed, before you reached over to pinch her chin. “Plus, your beautiful self doesn’t need any changing, Robs. Anyone would be lucky to wake up next to it.”

Yeah, she’d simply tell you when she was ready, just as you would with her.

By three o’clock, Robin Buckley had been worn down by the insufferable compulsion that was Mr. Heizer’s fifth period calculus class. With the last day of school being around the corner, Robin wondered what warranted Heizer’s balding head to be so miserable that he felt the need to subject his students with the abuse of derivatives. Trudging her feet against the pavement of the Hawkins High parking lot, Steve Harrington had came into view, where he brandished himself atop the hood of his car. Not the most irregular of sights, given the systemic routine of drop off and pick-up that had been structured for Monday through Friday, though today, Dustin Henderson had managed to find Steve’s BMW through the array of parked cars, and was found yapping his ear off. 

So sorely critical-looking, Robin couldn’t help but tiredly chuckle. “What’s with the wrinkles, kid?” She approached.

Dustin huffed, letting his arms dramatically drop to his side in desperation. “Steve won’t go along with my plan!”

“What are you even doing here, Dustin, isn’t your mother, like, first in line at the car riders pick-up?” She laughed. 

Steve exasperated. “He waved off his poor mother, like the lunatic he is, just to track me down and tell her I was giving him a ride!” He answered, propelling Dustin to gasp with a snide.

“So we can talk about the plan!” Dustin provoked the Italian—that he probably didn’t actually have—within him, as his loose fist shook in Steve’s vicinity. 

“What plan?” Robin interjected. 

“The plan to expose Y/N and Eddie!” Dustin stressed. 

“Eddie and Y/N are not screwing.” Steve deadpanned. “What happened Saturday was just… some fluke coincidence, not proof to anything, okay? So let it go, Dustin. Just face it, you were wrong.” He chuckled a very much unappreciated chuckle in Dustin’s face. 

“I am not wrong! I know what I heard! How many times do I have to be right on the money for you all to just trust me?!” Neither Steve or Robin appreciated the numerous stares the freshman was gathering from leaving classmates and faculty. 

“Okay, just calm down, alright.” Robin shushed. “You're right-”

“Ha!”

“But I don’t think we should do anything.” Dustin heaved, scowling at Robin as if she just committed sacrilege. 

“Are you crazy? Of course, we should totally do something!” Dustin retorted. “This is big news! Two of our best friends are dating! You know what this means?! I could have parents, Robin, and you know I don’t have a dad, do you really want to be the reason I never have a dad?” A pointed finger targeted her. 

Her hand worked swiftly to smack his accusing finger away. “Eddie is not your dad, Christ, he’s not dating your mom.” She annoyingly sighed.

“Yeah, and also, I’ve known you for way longer. If anyone’s gonna be your dad, it’s gonna be me, not Munson.” Steve exhorted with ire. 

Dustin mockingly laughed. “Please, you and mother have the same hips.” 

Robin Buckley and Dustin Henderson were too engrossed in their conversation to bring any of their attention to Steve Harrington’s insulted gasp. “Look, Dustin, I already tried asking Y/N about it, and she’s just not ready to talk about it.” She explained. “Let’s just drop it until they’re ready to tell us.”

“Okay, but we can help them talk about it.” The kid returned with retaliation. “You know how great it was to see Nancy and Jonathan finally get together?”

“Which came at my expense, by the way.” Steve scoffed. “Don’t know why that brings you such joy.”

“Well, this is Y/N and Eddie, it’s even bigger!” Dustin smiled. “Look, all I’m saying is that a little encouragement never hurt anybody.” Call the boy annoying, he already knew that, but his intentions were coming from good faith. The notion of helping his friends find love- or more so express it, had him bubbling with excitement. “And the only way to get this love story rolling is if we get them to crack.”

Steve groaned. “Meaning?”

“Meaning, we have to make them break first.” Dustin was beginning to get his crazy eyes, something about conspiring a plan had him menacingly smirking his enthusiastic grin. “You know, trick them into telling us.”

Robin sighed, drilling the palm of her hands into her eyes. “Okay, you know what? Do whatever you like, Dustin, but I will not be a part of this plan.”

“Of course, you will!” Dustin implored with desperate hands grabbing at her arms to shake with emphasis. “You’re the one who’s gonna have to flirt with Eddie.”

Robin and Steve blurted in disbelief. “What?!”

“Well, Steve can’t flirt with Y/N, she’ll never go for it.” Dustin rationalized. 

“Woah, woah, wait a second, what makes you think she wouldn’t go for me?” Steve plowed on, his ego taking an obvious hit by a child six years his age. “I’m a total catch, the ladies love me!” He argued. “And Robin, she can’t flirt with Eddie, she’s… uh, well, she- she just can’t!” He stepped up to try to help his friend, much to Robin’s appreciation.

Dustin sighed, placing a tender hand upon Steve’s shoulder. “Look, Steve, you gotta get over this crush you have on Robin-”

“I do not have a crush on Robin!” Steve flung Dustin’s arm away. “And back to this ‘Y/N not going for me’ thing, I can totally flirt with her to get her to crack!”

Dustin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, as though he was the adult in this situation. “Steve, c’mon, she calls you himbo behind your back, she probably thinks you have no personality.” 

“I have personality!”

“No, you have hair!” 

In the midst of the commotion, Eddie Munson had sauntered his way out of the double doors, cigarette in hand to relinquish the stress brought upon him throughout the day. Despite the matter that his van had been haphazardly parked on the west end of the parking lot for reasons being that your pretty self always used the end doors for the less crowded purposes—sue him, he loved the view—there was always something about Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson arguing that always brought happy entertainment for the metalhead. 

“Trouble in paradise?” His croaking voice startled the group, as they all looked at him stunned. “Jesus Christ, what’s with the faces?” Eddie laughed, as his cigarette scraped along the wetness of lips. 

“N-Nothing.” Robin awkwardly had to offer, forcing Eddie to raise a brow at her.

And then he spoke. Dustin fucking Henderson spoke. “Actually! Uh, R-Robin what were you saying about Eddie just now?” She snapped a deadly glare back at him, to which he gladly challenged with a grating smile that had Steve quietly laughing in the back.  

“You talkin’ about me behind my back, Buckley? C’mon, I thought we were friends.” Eddie lightly jabbed, as he paid more attention to his lighter, which was taking multiple rounds of clicks until it ignited. 

“Nothing.” She assured. “I said nothing.”

“No, no, you were saying something about his outfit.” Dustin encouraged. God, how ethical was it to beat up a child? “About how he… looks nice.” 

Robin sighed, as Eddie gave her a lighthearted smile. “Thanks, Rob, I’m really liking those patches.” He pointed to her sweater, finding nothing but the innocence of friendship in her supposed compliment. 

“A-And something about his large muscles.” A curl of his hair was absentmindedly twirled as to appear uninvolved in the scheme of his mischief, and right as Eddie’s eyes left Dustin with a confused stare, the kid’s arm shoved Robin’s back to coach her further. 

So, Robin Buckley, simply accepted. Though, tapping into her retired career of one year in drama club when she got the gracious role of playing Mrs. Soames in last year's production of Our Town proved to lack any skills training, when attempting to flirt with Eddie Munson had her stuttering like a child learning to speak. Then again, playing Mrs. Soames in Our Town didn’t exactly require her to flirt with her friend’s secret boyfriend who was a man!

“Y-Yeah, Eddie, uh, that m-material.” Robin bunglingly smiled, as a stiff hand touched the leather of his coat. “O-Oh, well, hello, Mr. B-Bicep.” She mentally prepared herself for the moment Steve Harrington would belittle her to death for her lack of flirting skills whenever this mess was over.  “You’ve been, uh, working out?” 

Attempting to give her the benefit of the doubt, Eddie chose to assuage the painful discomfiture with his casual sarcasm. “Ah, well, I try to, y’know, squeeze things.” Eddie recoiled at her over-the-top laugh that appeared too similar to that of Heidi Wilson’s, when she ran into him and Steve in the food court of Starcourt Mall last week, looking to allure his friend with whatever screech that was. “You okay?”

“Uh-”

“She’s just having guy problems.” Dustin interjected, much to Robin’s dismay. Never. Never in a million years would Robin Buckley ever have guy problems. “Go on, tell him.” 

Yeah, Dustin Henderson wouldn’t see the age sixteen. “Well, uh, you know how you’re s-sometimes just looking for something, a-and don’t even realize that it’s, um, right there in front of you... s-smoking a cigarette?”

Eddie looked down at the lit cigarette in his mouth, and quickly stepped back in panic, all while Steve Harrington’s cheeks puffed with laughter, as his sealed lips worked overtime to not guffaw out loud. “U-Um, yeah, okay, I’m gonna go.” Eddie could only spare a quick glance to Robin, before throwing everyone a small wave goodbye. 

Robin Buckley watched him walk away for two seconds, before slowly turning to Dustin Henderson, where he was met with her twitching eye. “You have five seconds to run.”

His mouth fell gape. “But wait, Steve’s my ride-”

“Five!” 

That Monday afternoon, Dustin Henderson spent forty-five grueling minutes walking the three mile hike to his home, as punishment per Robin Buckley’s request. And yes, she did wave him goodbye, when Steve Harrington’s BMW swiftly passed him on the way over. 

-

Steve Harrington confirmed it next. 

And maybe was a little asshole about it. 

Benny’s Burger had become the choice of dinner for the mundane Monday night he was currently enduring, because Eddie Munson refused to hit up the bar, despite the common courtesy that buying beers had become for the twenty-year-old men. At the very least, greasy burgers with a cigarette to follow would be the accommodation Eddie Munson could offer, since Steve Harrington had lost his weekly hookup, because his personal wingman decided to fall into a secret relationship- presumably. Steve was choosing to balance on the fence of whether or not to believe the words of a fourteen-year-old, mostly because if he did, Steve Harrington would become subjected to the sanctimonious behavior of a cocky teenager. 

And who would want that? 

“Lemme do a double cheeseburger with extra pickles, uh, no tomatoes, please. Ooh, with a side of cheese fries, a strawberry shake, and I’ll get that with a Coke, too. Thanks, Benny.” Steve eyed his friend. God, that man could eat. The bustling fan that chilled Benny’s sweaty neck had proffered a wonderful alternative to the sweltering humidity that tinted the large windows with fog. Aside from the burly trucker consuming the two cups of coffee to keep him awake for the night, Steve had all respective authority to slyly grill his buddy on whatever friends-with-benefits-slash-potential-boyfriend-girlfriend dynamic he shared with you. 

Fuck it. “Uh, might as well do the same, Ben, what he said.” The laminated menu went unskimmed, closed off, and collected for the owner to take. 

Assuring the boys their meals would follow out quickly, they met Benny with gracious thank you’s for the service, and Steve Harrington rashly followed the movements of the older gentleman, until his being was out of ear shot, promptly snapping his head back to his friend. “Why didn’t you wanna go to the bar tonight?!” If a sign as to why Robin Buckley and Steve Harrington were soulmates, for whatever reason, needed to be clearer than it already was, the incaution- not so subtle “subtle” approach was reason enough. 

“Uh,” Eddie hummed, forcing Steve’s eyes to narrow in return, “I dunno, just didn’t wanna go for drinks tonight.” He shrugged, flicking at a sugar packet he had no intentions of using. 

Steve raised a brow. “Really?”

The incredulous tone was quite too bitchy for Eddie’s liking, who merely scoffed. “Can’t a guy care about his liver?”

“Ed, there’s a pack of cigarettes hangin’ in your pocket.” Steve deadpanned. “Think organ functionality is the least of your worries.” Unwelcoming to the implied suspicion of accusation behind Steve’s comment, Eddie simply chose to stay silent, finding more interest playing with the provided condiments as trinkets for his entertainment. Steve rolled his eyes. “Y’know, I saw Myra at the laundromat not too long ago.” He scratched his clean shaven chin, playing into his nonchalant bit, that only left Eddie to raise his eyebrows in confusion as to where this was going. “She looked nice; got her hair done, these pretty, little braids, y’know, with the gold cuffs and whatnot.” 

Eddie’s head lolled, enjoying the simple task of his finger tracing the obscured lines of the faux granite table top, when the ketchup label had been read to its entirety. “So?”

“So,” Steve emphasized, “you coulda called her up, y’know, tell her to meet you tonight. How long has it been since you’ve seen her- or any girl for that matter?” He slyly asked. 

“Not interested.” Blunt and suffice, surely enough to ward off anymore of Steve’s prodding questions. 

But Steve merely scoffed. “What, in girls anymore?” 

And in true Eddie Munson fashion, a shit-eating grin consumed his face, devious smile lines and all, as he leaned on perched forearms to invade Steve’s space. “Aw, why? You interested, big boy?”

Yeah, this conversation would be going nowhere. 

As the sparing minutes filled to meaningless conversations, their full course dinners made the quick arrival, and Steve pondered at the various ways a confession could be pummeled out of Eddie Munson’s mouth, which was currently being stuffed to the brim with mushing bites of each food group—minus the vegetables, this was Benny’s Diner after all. There was the ex-fling route, but clearly Eddie wasn’t looking to explore that again; good news for you, at least. That is if anything Henderson claimed was actually true. Little shit-

But wait a minute, that was it! What would Dustin Henderson do?!

He could still hear his grating voice. "Well, Steve can’t flirt with Y/N, she’ll never go for it." As if. Steve Harrington could get you- hell, Steve Harrington could get anyone. Graduating out of the social hierarchy of high school totally hasn’t affected his game… totally. But digressing, if Dustin Henderson could scheme up a plan with no substance, Steve Harrington could, too. If anything, this would make so much more sense, given that Robin doesn’t even like boys. Dustin Henderson didn’t know anything, but Steve, yeah Steve Harrington was way more cunning than some snappy child with no regard for people’s business. Yeah, Steve Harrington could totally do this…

Eddie’s chewing slowed, brows cinched, as he wondered why the hell Steve Harrington had been silently smiling to himself for the past minute. And people saw him as a freak? Fucking weirdo. 

“Hey, uh,” Steve cleared his throat, presumably back to being normal, allowing Eddie to continue to shove his face with a strawberry milkshake covered cheese fry, unperturbed by Steve’s judgemental grimace, “I’m thinkin’ of askin’ out Y/N.”

Suddenly caught in his throat, Eddie began coughing up the fry he just downed, as Steve smiled with such amusement at the torment he just caused his friend. Maybe Henderson was right. “W-What? You wanna what?”

“Yeah, been thinkin’ about it, and y’know, I’m really feeling her.” Steve cocked a smirk that had Eddie’s face scrunching with agitation. “Very smart, funny, really fucking pretty, so…”

“I d-don’t, um- you really think that’s a g-good idea?” Eddie adjusted in his seat, composing the bubbling feeling that stirred terribly with the monstrosity he had just eaten.

Taking a large bite from his burger, Steve grinned happily. “Why wouldn’t it be?” Hunger and entertainment wonderfully satiated on this peaceful, late Monday night. 

Eddie shrugged, sulkingly throwing a stray pickle in his mouth. “I dunno, you’re just friends n’ all.” He mumbled. 

“Oh!” Steve’s eyes gleamed with laughter behind them. “You don’t think friends should date-”

“No, no, no, no!” God, the last thing Eddie was about to do was inadvertently claim your relationship was some end all be all cataclysm, but did it really have to come at the expense of encouraging his friend to date his secret girlfriend?! “I-I mean, like, some friends c-can date, like, um, good friends-”

“So, me and Y/N?” Steve quietly chuckled to himself, as he watched Eddie fret with frustration. 

“No- I mean, I dunno!” He exasperated, as Steve relished in his greasy food with a smile on his face. Eddie’s heart began sinking into his stomach. He understood how demeaning it would be to conclude you as the type to jump into Steve’s arms once he’d make the “inevitable” move. God, for once in his life someone with care to proffer promised him fundamental security, and there was no denying it, he felt. Felt it in your caressing hands, your saccharine words, your devoted kisses, your gentle touches- you touched with such love… at least, that's what it felt like. Does Eddie Munson even know love? He swallowed thickly. “D-Do you even think she would go for you-”

“I have personality!” Steve proclaimed, finger pointed and all, forcing Eddie to shove back in surrenderance, hands in the air, and a confused look to pair. 

“Okay, I’m not sayin’ you don’t, geez.” Eddie clarified, as Steve huffed, raking a harsh hand through his Farrah Fawcett hairsprayed perfection. “J-Just maybe don’t. Like, um, i-if it doesn’t work out, it could get really bad between you two, a-and it would be fucking horrible not to have her in your life at all, you can’t lose her, man.” 

Voice so small and eyes so distant, there was a deep inkling that perhaps Eddie was speaking his fears aloud. Because even in the greatness that was having the privilege of calling you his girlfriend, there was a world full of Steve Harringtons that could provide you with more than what any Eddie Munson ever could. Late at night, when the world could finally offer you both the peace to just be, entangled in arms and legs, Eddie would just stare at you and… know. Know that there is a feeling that scares the living shit out of him that he can’t feel for anyone else. A different type of feeling from the camaraderie of his club, who triumph against the evil of the universe. A different type of feeling from the shoulders he’s cried on of his uncle, because Eddie truly cannot thank him enough. You, you were a different type of feeling. One that left him just wanting to look at you, smell you, touch you, think of you all day. 

This wasn’t just infatuation, god, it felt like pure fucking lo- shit, what would he know. Eddie Munson didn’t know love. 

A sudden wave of regret washed over Steve, as he realized the saddened roundness of his buddy’s eyes. “Nah, man, that’s not gonna happen.” His calm voiced reassured. “I mean, it’s Y/N, why would she ever allow that to happen? Y’know, so what, things don’t work out between… me and her,” he explicated, “doesn’t mean your- I mean, our friendship has to change.” Steve watched, as Eddie nodded along, shoulders slumping in relaxation. “We talk it out, we understand each other, and we move on as friends. Together. We’ll still love each other like that. And, hey, at least we’ll both get a hot hookup out of it.” Okay, maybe he was still being a little shit, but he was only channeling his inner Henderson. Plus, the snapping glare from Eddie was quite priceless. 

“Are you really gonna make a move on Y/N?” His jaw ticked with clenched teeth. 

“I dunno.” Steve smiled, before snapping his fingers with a brilliant revelation, “Y’know what, I saw Robin flirting with you earlier today, how ‘bout we go on a double date?” Yeah, now he was definitely just teasing. “Hell, make it a triple one once Byers and Wheeler head back into town.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Robin was not flirting with me, she was just being… weird.” He pondered it for a second. What the hell was that that happened this afternoon? There’s no way she actually- no, impossible. Could she? No, that didn’t feel right. Well, maybe-

“Hey, do you actually think I have personality?” Oh, Stevie. 

-

On Tuesday evening, the Family Video store saw the little customers it was regularly accustomed to; Mr. Fredrickson, only to be accounted for, slowly roamed the documentary section, particularly interested in the historical segment for his afternoon leisure.

The nub of his cane poked an indent into the carpeted floors, as his supported weight allowed for close inspection of the bolded titles that plastered in an array of colors. Luckily, the lens of his glasses were thick enough to provide him the ability of sight to read what was on display for night, leaving you to mindlessly thumb through this month's issue of Cosmopolitan. “Hm.” Mr. Fredrickson gruffed. “What d’ya make of the Franco-Prussian War, darlin’?”

The Proven Personal Approach to Permanent Weight Loss. An Incredible Shrinking Woman Tells How She did it! Christ. You found more interest flipping back to the written Cosmo’s quiz determining what kind of husband your current rendezvous would make. 

“Uh…” Your back was beginning to ache from finding all support on your perched elbow digging into the counter, letting your cheek fall to your palm. “You did the Napoleonic Wars last time, no? Why don’t you give the French a break?” You skimmed the printed words of the glossy pages.

His wrinkled pointer finger shakingly racked through the tapes, as he took your word of advice. Your eyes were hanging onto the last bit of energy they were enduring to stay awake, but the weight of eyelids inevitably began to win, and it surely didn’t help that the liveliness of your thriving life was partaking in conversations with an elderly man who found amusement in learning about wars. 

But before a potential write up—Keith never found the actual courage to do so, loved to threaten it, though—for sleeping on the job could be scolded, the welcoming bell of the front door rang loudly enough to alert some life back into your body. 

“Welcome to Family Vide-euuawghh.” A guttural yawn ripped out of you, slurring your standardized greeting into an embarrassing mush of sounds. 

With watery eyes scrunched from tiredness, a rushed apology to your incoming customer had proved to fall unnecessary, as a familiar chuckle addressed you back. “Aw, such rigorous labor, working my baby to death, huh?” Eddie Munson, himself, teased, as he leaned to hover over the counter and close to your sluggish face. 

“Don’t tease me.” Your mouth jutted in offense, as you rubbed your eyes to the clear sight of being welcomed by Eddie’s bourbon eyes and a smug curl to his lips. 

His rough-tipped thumb caressed the hairs of your brow to ease. “How can I not when it gets you to make that cute pout at me, hm?”

You piqued with giddiness. “Because I’m your girlfriend.” A label you quickly learned to adore. “And you shouldn’t be mean to your girlfriend.”

Eddie smiled a breathy chuckle, as he peered at your lips. “Yeah, you are my girlfriend, huh?” He proudly verbalized with a husk to his tone. His mouth was itching to say more, pour out all he felt for the girl standing before him, but a counter the size of the world divided the union between two beating hearts of devotion. And manifesting his words of love paved the way for the potential loss of you. But not doing so also did the same. Because he’s learned good things don’t last for Eddie Munson. And what a unless world it would be to lose the profoundness of you. 

God, he wanted to punch Steve Harrington for last night.

Eddie took a deep breath. His bangs landed against your forehead, and scrunched under your nod of confirmation. You are his girlfriend. “Where’re the other two stooges?” He whispered, his breath fanning across your face. 

“In the back doing inventory.” You gladly answered the words Eddie wanted to hear. He bashfully leaned in, though before his mouth could meet yours, you pulled back with furrowed brows. “Wait, ‘other two stooges,’ am I the third?” 

Eddie barked out a boyish laugh, as he watched your faux face of aversion and shock. His large hands made your face feel small as he cupped your cheeks and brought you forth. “God, you’re so pretty.” 

His lips crashing upon yours had wiped your expression of any annoyance you tried to playfully brat out. His mouth moved against yours so languidly, it had you falling limp to his kiss, as he expressed all that he felt with the touch of his lips. Eddie pulled away slowly, leaving you to quietly hum in retaliation and chasing his lips. 

“Sorry.” He chuckled, providing you with one more loving peck. “But, hey, y’know, speaking of the other stooges, uh, Robin and Steve,” he cleared his throat, “you notice anything weird about ‘em, like lately?”

The cafeteria. “Um, yeah, actually.” You contemplated on the thought. “Why, did they say something?”

Nausea hit him like a truck, wondering if "The Hair’s" attempts to get at you were already happening quicker than expected. “S-Steve, he, uh, he said something to you?” Eddie felt his throat dry up.

“Steve? No, Steve’s been Steve, but I was mostly talking about Robin.” Jesus Christ, did you bring peace to his world. 

“Oh, yeah,” He puffed a breath of relief, “um, weirdest thing happened after school yesterday, but I think Robin was hitting on me.” Confusion had been written all over your face, as you pulled back from the counter. “She was, like, totally into me.”

“What?” You chuckled. “No, not possible.”

“Okay, ow.” Eddie playfully rolled his eyes, as you laughed, rubbing a soothing hand down his arm in apology. 

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean it like that” you giggled, “but I’m sure you probably just misread things, you know? Robin finds you charming in a platonic way, like with Steve.”

Eddie straightened up. “No, I’m telling you, sweetheart, she was all over me.” He persisted. “I mean, for crying out loud, she was touching my bicep.”

A smug smile took over your face, as you arched your brow at him. “This bicep?” You teasingly squeezed his soft arm.

Eddie scoffed. “Well, it’s not flexed right now.” 

The back storage unit of Family Video had been littered with an influx of tapes, both coated in dust to be long forgotten and pristine with the newest release of what Hollywood had to offer. This year’s box office hit Top Gun starring Nancy Wheeler’s poster boy, Tom Cruise, or the fourteen-year-old The Ruling Class with the musical humor following a priest’s death due to his autoerotic asphyxiation kink? Robin Buckley laughed. Always the latter. 

“God, can’t believe Keith expects us to organize this junk.” Steve huffed, swiping his palms against each other, only to scowl at the specks of dust that floated into the air under the beaming sunlight. “I should be seeing Bridget right now, or Heidi, or taking out Linda, maybe Jeanie, haven’t talked to her in a minute.” Robin rolled her eyes at the endless sex-capades that was Steve Harrington’s love life. Christ, she couldn’t even get a clear sign that Vickie from chemistry wasn’t standing so straight. “Or-or maybe Y/N.” He chuckled to himself. 

“What?” Robin prodded. 

“Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you, last night I was completely bugging out Munson, and told him I was planning on askin’ out Y/N.” Steve laughed, briefly coughing as dust particles blew off the VHS tapes. 

Robin was only left deadpanning in disappointment. “You did what now?” She scoffed. “You’re supposed to be on my side, I thought we were supposed to let it go?”

“You’re the one flirting with your friend’s boyfriend.” He argued. 

“Because that little twerp forced me to!” The Ruling Class came hurdling to his chest, as she chucked it. 

Shoving old movies aside, Steve grappled onto the box of new releases to shove into Robin’s arms, as he handled the second load. “Look, it doesn’t matter anymore, there are no sides, as much as I hate to admit it, Henderson was right about those two screwing.” Steve enthused. “You should’ve seen the look on Eddie’s face when I told him I was gonna make a move on Y/N.”

Robin huffed. “Okay, so let’s just leave it at that and let them screw in peace- or, even better yet, let’s just tell them we know, so they can have the freedom to do what they want.” 

“Aw, but where’s the fun in that?” Steve whined. 

Robin laughed at his childish mewl. “And, unless Munson gets rid of the thing in his pants and learns to grow a cup or two, I am not flirting with him again.” She playfully gagged, while reminiscing on yesterday’s events. 

“Please,” Steve derided, “you can’t even look Vickie in the eye, I highly doubt if Munson suddenly grew some tits you’d become some sort of Casanova.” He snorted, opening the door. “Mr. Bicep?” 

Before Robin’s sneaker could step foot back into the main lobby of Family Video, Steve’s grasp onto the collar of her shirt flung her back into the storage room, with a slam to the door. “Are you inane?!” She chastised, while attempting to find her balance with a ten pound box of VHS tapes. 

“Munson’s out there!” He whisper-yelled into her face. 

“Okay, so?” 

“So, we gotta get in there, and stir the pot a little.” His brows danced impishly against his forehead.

Robin’s face dropped vacantly. “What about anything that I literally just said didn’t click for you?” A smack against his head from her hand had him reeling back in defense. 

“Ow, okay, I get it, Munson doesn’t have boobs.” Steve huffed, rubbing out the dulling pain. “But, look, Dustin wasn’t that far off, a little encouragement doesn’t harm anyone. He thinks that you like him and that I like her, you’re telling me this isn’t even a little funny to you?” My god, did Steve Harrington have a charming way of flaunting that stupid smirk that had Robin hold back a chuckle. Because in retrospect, Eddie Munson believing his lesbian friend had a crush on him, while her partner in crime, her himbo, had a supposed liking to his secret girlfriend was quite funny. Funny like a priest dying from his autoerotic asphyxiation kink. 

She sighed, giving him a pointed glare. “One time, Harrington. This is the one and only time I will ever flirt with a man again.” 

Steve threw his hands up in defense, as a smile lingered on his face. “Highly doubt there will ever be a time in which I ask you to do that again.” He laughed, while slinging the door open. “Plus, it’s Munson. I’m sure his cynicism won’t even count it as flirting.” 

“Well, Y/N's flirting surely worked.” She joked, as they stepped out. 

“You think it’s because he has personality or nice hair?” Steve interrogated. “Because I sure as hell have way better hair than him.” 

Despite your alluring face, Eddie caught a glimpse of Steve and Robin making their way over while looking past your shoulder, forcing him to make the regretful decision to back away from you. “Ed.” Your tiny pout of confusion made it all that harder, until Steve’s voice boomed out. 

“Hey, y’know, as a customer, you’re supposed to actually rent something!” Him and Robin joined you both at the counters, where they sat the boxes of movies. “Or, you could, y’know, stock shelves with us.” 

Eddie flipped him the bird, as he smiled. “Actually, I was just stoppin’ by to ask if Halloween is still rented out.” He turned to look down at you with a smirk. “Is it?”

“I can go check that for you.” Your sweet customer service voice had him biting back a grin, as you stepped away to the computer. 

As Steve and Robin began displacing films from the boxes, his elbow nudged her side to grab her attention away from organizing. “Just keep it casual.” He whispered, as she rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m sure if you unfocus your eyes, the five o’clock shadow will go away, and he’ll totally look just like Vickie.” And he huffed right back when Robin rightfully scoffed at him. “What? They have the same eyes… just, y’know, different color… and shape.” 

Robin waved him off before anything further could come out of his mouth. With The Fly nestled in her grasp, Steve threw her a nod of encouragement, before scurrying to the shelves with a small laugh escaping his lips. 

“Sorry, Eds.” You clicked off the computer. “Landon K. beat you to it; no Halloween.” 

“Should totally check out The Fly.” Robin slyly imposed, as she handed him the film. “Can never go wrong with some Cronenberg, right?” Eddie inspected the film with a shrug. “Sure, better than taking movie suggestions from Harrington.” 

There came the inordinate laugh from Robin that had Eddie throwing you a knowing glance, and Robin, herself, internally dying inside. “Ha! Always so funny!” She clumsily fist-bumped his arm. “Uh- anyway! Better get back to work.” A large smile flashed both your ways.. “I, uh, I’ll see you later… handsome.” And following in the footsteps of her grandmother when she wasn’t screaming something batshit crazy, Robin Buckley pinched Eddie Munson’s cheek before running away to Steve Harrington. 

“You pinched his cheek?!” Steve contemptuously chortled in her frazzled face that burned with embarrassment. 

Robin’s hands smack her face, dragging the skin down, as she groaned. “Well, I don’t know how to do the whole flirting thing!” Her fist came smacking down at his chest.

Steve bent at the waist with a cramping stomach of laughter “Okay, yeah, but he’s not a baby!”

Your eyes followed Robin’s running figure until she disappeared into the maze of shelves, and you incredulously turned to your stunned boyfriend. With his mouth wide, and eyes bulging, Eddie fretfully spoke. “Okay, did you see that?! With the compliment, and the pinching?!” 

You bewilderedly settled at the realization. “Actually, I did.” You couldn’t believe it. Your best friend was flirting with you boyfriend- well, technically, she had no clue he was your boyfriend, but still- Eddie? Not to sell your boyfriend short, god, he was perfect in every way, but Robin? Robin and Eddie?!

“Okay, so now do you believe that she’s attracted to me?” He persisted. 

You thought for a second, and Eddie Munson watched your face drop with concern, as your hand clutched your chest. “Oh, my god! Oh, my god! She knows about us!” You cautiously warbled, as you began pacing about behind the counter. 

Eddie’s face scrunched with distress. “Are you serious?” 

“Robin knows, and she’s just trying to freak us out!” You belabored, anxiously looking back to where Steve and Robin could no longer be seen. Your hands dramatically dropped at the revelation. “That’s the only explanation for it!”

Eddie vacillated at the unwarranted insult. “Okay, but what about my pinchable face and bulging biceps?” He confidently pointed to his arm, before the lacking muscle of scrawiness suddenly hit him like a truck. “She knows!” 

Your hand comically slapped the counter, as you chuckled in disbelief at her attempt to fool you. “Oh, man, she probably thinks she’s so slick for messing with us.” Eddie joined in, frenziedly laughing, completely feeling stupefied, though giving props to the mastermind, nonetheless. Impressed he was. “But, hey, you know what? She doesn’t know we know she knows, so…” 

“Ah, yes!” Eddie piqued with interest. “The messers become the messees!” 

-

“You sure you kids are alright?” Shrugging on his utility jacket for the night, the aging lines of Wayne Munson’s forehead scrunched with suspicion for the nightly activity his nephew and his supposed “friend” were going to be up to. 

Sure, the sight of you over at his trailer wasn’t something peculiar, in fact, for the past months, you, in particular, were the only one of Eddie’s buddies who made a regular appearance to their humble abode. Why? Well that was a question that still went unanswered whenever Wayne tried to prod into the life of his nephew. But the way Eddie would blush, while simultaneously attempting to quickly change the subject, made Wayne’s throat tickle with a chuckle. 

Who the hell were you two fooling?

But now, with much concern from Wayne, it seemed as though Eddie’s oddities had begun rubbing off on you, as you both strangely huddled around the yellow home phone, clearly waiting for the second Wayne would close the door behind, as he left for the graveyard shift. 

Attempting to “casually” lean against the paneling of the wall, Eddie’s head was quick to snap up and down in return. “Yeah, yeah.” He rushed. “Better get goin’, don’t wanna be late for the bosses.” He threw an overcompensating smile, as you sat at the kitchen table, merely following suit to that of your “friend.” Wayne Munson couldn’t care less about the bosses. 

“Alright then.” The old man huffed, picking up the keys of his pick-up truck, letting the humid spring breeze waft through the front door. “Get ‘er some dinner if you’re makin’ ‘er stay late.”

“As always.” Eddie threw you a sly wink, as Wayne left with a quick exchange of goodbye thrown from both parties, until the front door finally closed. 

At the click, you sprung from your chair, snatching the phone out of the receiver to hand to Eddie, to which he happily grabbed with a maniacal snicker. “You sure she’s over at Steve’s?” 

Your fingers were fervent with the harsh press to the buttons, dialing the numbers to phone the Harrington residence. “Uh huh, something about watching Fast Times with Robin.” The second your finger pressed down on the last digit, you were quick to maneuver the phone against Eddie’s ear. “Okay, just stick to the script.”

Eddie scoffed, flipping his hair back. “Sweetheart, please, I was able to get you, I sure as hell can get Robin.” Your hand met his chest with a chastising slap. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” He laughed. 

Up the road, on the secluded sector of Cornwallis Street, Robin Buckley was anxiously plowing through a bowl of popcorn, as the fifty-second minute was fastly approaching, and suddenly Phoebe Cates was climbing out of the pool with the detrimental ambience of teenage horniness. 

“Here it comes, here it comes!” Steve snickered, as he absentmindedly chewed on a licorice piece. 

Robin’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “God, Steve, you don’t have to point out the obvious!” But after forcing her friend to endure two hours and thirty-four minutes of the satirical musical critique of institutional religion that was The Ruling Class, Steve decided to return the torture by subjection of… boobies. 

“What I’m point out is the fact that Vickie lived through this exact moment, meaning she was staring at boobies, meaning-”

“Don’t say it!”

“Vickie likes boobies!” Steve implored, the largest grin on his face, as he watched Robin slap her hands onto her face at a brutal attempt to shield herself from the mortifying experience that was having Steve Harrington as a friend. 

But, in slow motion, as Phoebe Cates’ fingers clutched onto the center hook of her bikini bra, the phone shrilled, allowing Robin to exhale a “thank god,” as Steve’s attention begrudgingly turned to the incoming call. 

Swiftly jumping to the end table, Steve picked up the brick phone. “Yeah, hello?” He spoke, munching on another rope of his candy, surely missing the quick glances Robin was making back at the TV. Steve’s brows piqued at the static voice. “Oh! Yeah, she’s right here!” Turning to Robin, his hand cupped over the speaker, as he giddily shoved the phone to her. “It’s Eddie, he’s probably gonna cave in.” He whispered. 

Rolling her eyes, Robin cleared her throat from any stray popcorn kernel, ready to end this once and for all. “Hello?” 

Back at Forest Hills, your toes pressed against the linoleum tiling of the kitchen floor to push yourself up to his height, smushing your ear against the other side of the phone, as mischievous smiles consumed both your faces. “Hello, Robin… I’ve been thinkin’ about you all day.” Eddie channeled his most suave voice, forcing you to bite back a laugh, suppressing your mouth into his shoulder. 

“Huh?!” Devious as ever, both you and Eddie almost broke at her considerable shock. 

Steve raised a questioning brow, attempting to scoot closer, only for Robin to preserve her personal bubble and shove him back. Much to his nosey dismay. “Well, y’know that thing you said before, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued.” Eddie teased, as you nodded your head along to show your proudness for your boyfriend flirting with your friend. 

Yeah, things in Hawkins, Indiana surely were weird. 

“R-Really?” Robin choked, as the popcorn in her stomach suddenly turned at the uneasiness of male attention. Gross. 

Ever the villain, Eddie smiled triumphantly. “Yeah, listen my uncle isn’t gonna be here tonight, so why don’t you come over, and I’ll let you, uh, feel my bicep… or maybe more.” You quietly chuckled. God, what a cute loser.

Robin grimaced, stuttering with concern. “Uh, you know, I-I’ll have to get b-back to you on that, uh, okay, bye!” She was quick to hang up the phone, while you and Eddie intimately celebrated in the lonesome of his kitchen with silly squeals and tiny jumps. “Oh, my god! He wants me to come over to feel his bicep and more!” 

Steve Harrington was left speechless at Robin’s panicked announcement, as his mouth hung wide. “Are you kidding?!”

“No!” She gagged. “I know what I heard!” 

Steve felt incredulously at the scumminess of his friend. “I cannot believe he would do that to… wait a second.” His brows furrowed. Eddie Munson nearly launched at the chance to shut down any ideas of Steve dating you, why on Earth would he suddenly- oh, shit. “They know!”

“What?!” 

“They know that we know!” Steve clarified, as the gears in Robin’s head turned, until her face was enlightened with the fact of the matter which was that her best friend was trying to deceive her right back!

She gasped. “I can’t believe those two!” Instantaneously, any reservations Robin initially had for Steve and Dustin’s plan had left, as all she felt was dramatic offense at the idea of trying to be demeaned. 

“They thought that they could mess with us?!” Steve proclaimed.

“They’re trying to mess with us?!” In disbelief, both friends chuckled with bewilderment at the unexpected slyness coming from you two. That was, until Robin Buckley schemed with realization. “They don’t know we know they know we know!” 

Steve’s face scrunched with confusion, though nonetheless a team player, he nodded along, giggling at Robin’s wicked implication. Suddenly, a call to the Henderson household was in need. 

Dustin Henderson’s calves burned under the rigorous strain of bike riding from the northern end of Cornwallis street to reach Steve’s house. Haphazardly disposing his bicycle in the driveway, Dustin had barged in with no warning, coming face-to-face with Robin Buckley, resident polyglot band geek, wearing Mrs. Harrington’s blue cocktail dress, as Steve Harrington, retired king of Hawkins High, played makeup artist with his mother’s newly bought red lipstick in hand. 

It was undeniable at this point, Hawkins, Indiana was most definitely weird. 

“Would you just quit moving, so I can put this on you?!” The vein on Steve’s forehead became pronounced under the immense pressure he felt. Being a makeup artist surely wasn’t easy, especially when your client was nagging about the intense blush placement of his work. 

“Enough with the makeup, it’s Eddie for Christ sake!” Robin complained, enduring the endeavor of trying to shove Mrs. Harrington’s shoes onto her feet. God, why was the woman’s shoe size so small?!

“Really Steve?!” Robin and Steve jumped at the intruding voice of Dustin, as the kid stood with his hands on his hips, imitating the signature pose of the man before him. “That’s totally not her color, you’re making her look like a clown!”

Both parties scoffed, rightfully offended. 

Robin pushed Steve away, rubbing her cheeks harshly to blend out the monstrosity that was Steve’s makeup skills. “Okay, this is plenty!” She stressed. “We’re gonna call him, we’re gonna get that date, and we’re gonna win!” 

The boys cheered, Dustin more so heavily appreciative of this new Buckley mentality, as they circled around her when she reached for the phone. “Mm! You better grab a spring roll before I eat ‘em all.” Eddie’s crowded mouth of mashed vegetables spoke. Chinese had been delivered in the wake of your celebration, congratulating both of you for your—mostly Eddie—duplicitously clever work. 

In the midst of diving into your tangled lo mein, the phone shrilled, which had Eddie springing from the couch. “Probably calling back to surrender!” You cheered, as Eddie snickered, sliding his socked feet into the kitchen. “Good job on creeping her out, babe!” 

Eddie bowed, accepting whatever weird kind of praise that was, before answering the phone with a muffled mouth of spring rolls. “Hello?”

“Be sexy.” Steve encouraged, eliciting a scoff from Robin, as she turned her focus onto the phone call. 

“Hi!” Both terribly displeased with her lack of commitment, Robin was met with strict glares from Dustin and Steve to amp it up… so, she did. Clearing her throat, she dropped an octave to obtain the sultriness of what she could only assume Roxie Rockett and Viola Diamond to sound like. “Uh, I mean, hey, you.” Robin Buckley wanted to puke. “So, Eddie, I’d love to come over tonight.”

A piece of pork was hacked from Eddie’s throat, as he choked on his food. “R-Really?!”

Watching his face drop, you stood with concern wondering what was going on on the other line. “Oh, absolutely. Should we say around nine?” Eddie checked his clock. In fifteen fucking minutes?! 

But Eddie Munson wasn’t going to back down. Eddie Munson, Dungeon Master of the great Hellfire, who’s pushed his men to prevail against the nefarious dark lords of villages and towns alike, was not going to be defeated by Trumpet Girl. The man glared his eyes. “Yes.” He tested. 

Robin Buckley accepted his challenge. “Good.” She smiled, as she watched Steve motion for her to crank it up a notch. “Uh, I’m really looking forward to you and I h-having sexual intercourse.” The phone hung up and flung from her hands the second the words left her mouth. 

Eddie Munson’s face dropped. Dustin Henderson gagged. Steve Harrington laughed. And Robin Buckley wanted to crawl into a hole to forever perish in the depths of torturous hell. 

Because that’s what it felt like to flirt with a man. 

-

“Okay, showtime!” Dustin applauded from the backseat of Steve’s car, where Robin scrambled to effortlessly scrunch her hair around. 

“Here’s the perfume.” Steve pushed down the nozzle of the stolen fragrance of his mother’s collection—thanking god for the moment that she wasn’t here—where his finger spritzed numerous doses against Robin, causing the car to invade with the nauseating scent of strong, overpowering flowers. 

Robin coughed. “Alright, quit it! The kid has allergies.”

“I have allergies!” Dustin sneezed. 

Steve huffed in annoyance, watching as Robin unbuckled from her seat. The beaming headlights that had once reflected off the vinyl-covered walls of the trailer had been switched off for stake-out purposes, as Steve’s car parked in the open area of the Munson home in the quiet night. 

“Hand over the wine, Henderson.” Buckled next to the seat of Dustin’s—for protective measures—a bottle of his parent's stolen chardonnay rested like a passenger on board; Steve’s, ever the romantic, suggestion for the authenticity of a real date. 

“Is this really necessary?” Robin truly had no room to talk, she most definitely hadn’t experienced the polarizing events of the dating scene, let alone ones of heterosexual realms (thankfully).  

Scoffing, Steve was galled by the dig at his—for once—knowledgeable expertise of life phenomena. “Are you kidding, chicks go for this shit.” Surely, Bridget, Heidi, Linda, and Jeanie can attest to his opinion. 

“Yeah, well, Munson’s definitely not a chick… unfortunately.” She mumbled. 

“Huh?” Dustin asked. 

Robin was quick to shut up in a panic. “Nothing!” 

“Look, just get in there, and do your thing, alright?” Whatever attempt at a pep talk this was from Steve Harrington devastatingly fell short, as the last thing Robin Buckley expected to do on her Tuesday night was go out on a date with a man, who so happened to be her best friend’s boyfriend. Thing?! What thing?! She couldn’t even stare her crush in the eye for Christ sake, Steven! Robin Buckley has no thing! And Eddie Munson unfortunately does- the repulsing (to her) kinda thing that Robin Buckley doesn’t even like! She huffed. “Just take it easy. The second Munson lets you in, we’ll sneak up to the door, and hear through there.” 

On the edge of his bed, Eddie Munson let your hands wander about, until his appearance was up to your liking; voluminous hair, controlled friz, straightened shirt, and a bottle of minty mouth spray that he coughed at, but necessary for the prevention of spring roll breath. “Okay, you’re gonna be great!” You motivated him with the words of encouragement, as you brushed away his stray hairs. “You just make her think you want to have sex with her, and it’ll totally freak her out.”

Eddie straightened up, shaking his body from any jitters, and stretching as if a marathon was in place. “Okay, so how far am I exactly supposed to go with her?” His face etched with concern. 

You waved him off. “Relax, alright, she’s gonna give in way before you do!” If there was anything you learned about Robin Buckley in your months of friendship, it was the blatantly obvious fact that she would shrivel up in awkwardness before anything further took place. 

Eddie Munson freaked at your sudden certainty. “How do you even know?!”

“Because you’re on my team!” You stressed. “And my team always wins!” 

His face scrunched with fret. “At this?!”

Tentative knocking against the front door pulled you both away from the conversation. It was game time. “Eddie,” his head whipped back to you, “you’re the Dungeon Master, okay? This, this is nothing in comparison to dark lord wizard thingies.” God, he knew for certain you didn’t fully understand his interest in Dungeons and Dragon, but the time you took to support him was making his heart beat faster than any fake date with your best friend could ever make him feel. 

You make him feel such incredible things. 

“You’re the master here, you’re in control, you got this!” Jesus Christ, the corny shit your competitiveness was making you say was too fucking cute. “Just go get some!” You finished him with a quick kiss that had him yearning for more, but your body quickly scurried away to the bathroom. 

Eddie Munson sighed. Cracking his neck, he rolling his shoulder. “I’m the Dungeon Master. I’m in control.”

Steve clutched a heavy hand on his steering wheel, as both him and Dustin peered through the windows. “Okay, just wait for it… wait for it… wait- get down!” The boys dropped their heads the second Eddie’s front door opened with a dramatic swing. 

And there she was. Eddie cocked an eyebrow for whatever reason it was Robin Buckley chose to show up overly dressed like a middle-aged woman, and with an awkward smile to taint her image. But Eddie Munson was right there to follow suit with a strange grin to greet her. 

“Robin.”

“Eddie.”

“Come on in.”

“I was going to.” 

As the trailer door closed shut, Steve and Dustin silently crawled their way out of the car with their utmost quietest attempts of closing the doors shut behind them. With crouched stances like detectives on duty, the pair scampered their way to the top of Eddie’s cemented stairs, where their heads pressed against the front door to hear the muffled conversation from the other side. 

“I, uh, brought some wine.” Robin held up the bottle, as Eddie was slightly taken aback. What the hell kinda teenager brings wine to a date? Probably the kind who’s a lesbian, and going out with her best friend’s boyfriend out of competition. “Would you like some?”

“Oh, uh, sure.” Making their way to the kitchen, Eddie secured two cups, as Robin popped off the protruding cork top, and suddenly she felt entirely even more stupid than the fact that she was on a “date” with a man, when Eddie proffered matching Garfield and Odie mugs for glasses of chardonnay. 

The dreadful silence began to take over, and Eddie could only manage to fill it with thorny chuckles, as Robin filled the mugs. “So, uh,” she sighed, “here we are. Nervous?”

“Me? No. You?” He skeptically questioned.  

But Robin Buckley was there to provoke him. “No, I want this to happen.” 

“So do I.” Eddie cleared his throat, before their glasses clicked with a toast, and Robin and Eddie found themselves chugging down the mug-fulls of alcohol to hopefully forget the disturbing night they were about to endure. When cups fell empty, Eddie sighed and turned to the radio that rested atop of the washing machine. “Why don’t I, uh, play some music; set the mood a little.”

Call her inexperience, whatever, but Robin knew there was no way in hell the screeching voices of Slayer attested to “setting the mood” during date night. God, she felt bad for you- for straight women. “Maybe-maybe I’ll, uh, dance for you.” She dared right back. 

Where Robin could judge Eddie on his music taste, Eddie could return the favor in her lack of mobility, as her body began clumsily swaying about in his kitchen, off rhythm to the already undanceable sounds to thrashing metal. Her contorting ankles in kitten heels paired with her jutting hips allowed her to mortifyingly saunter her way over to an uncomfortable Eddie, who was wielding the willpower to not bark a laugh in her face. 

But Robin Buckley was not going to win this. Not when Eddie Munson’s pride stood in the way. “Mm, you look good.” He spoke so stiffly, as he defied back with a taunting grin. 

“Why, thank you.” She forced out a laugh. “Y-You know, when you say things l-like that, it makes me wanna, um, rip that… Weird Al t-shirt right off.” Jesus Christ, Dustin made him get matching ones. 

“Okay,” he cleared his throat, “well, uh, why don’t we move this to the bedroom then?” His brows pointed, eyes glared. 

Robin immediately stopped her bizarre dancing. “Really?” Her panic settled in. 

“Oh!” Eddie quickly stepped back with an impeding smile. “Do you not want to?” He urged. 

“No, no.” Robin composed herself, waving him off with faux confidence. “I just, um, you know, first, I wanna t-take off all my clothes, and have you r-rub lotion all over me.” Is that what straight people do before sex?!

Eddie’s throat constricted with little air, and a tightening hand of embarrassment. “Well, that would be nice.” His voice raised a cracking octave. “I’ll, uh, go get the lotion.” Before Robin could respond, Eddie was already running away to the bathroom. Your gnawing teeth had bitten through your nail when Eddie came bustling through the door. “Okay, this is totally getting out of hand.”  He fretfully groused, as he crowded your area in the small room. “She wants me to put lotion on her!” Eddie dramatically snarled. 

You rebuffed his dread. “She’s bluffing!”

Eddie huffed. “Look, she’s not backing down. Jesus, shit, she went like this!” He suddenly gyrated his stiff hips harshly against you to mimic her dancing. 

A couple feet away at the front door of Eddie’s trailer, Robin was in consternation, frantically rambling to Steve and Dustin. “He is not backing down! He went to get lotion!”

“You aren’t done yet?” Dustin heaved. “You’re supposed to be on my team, he should be cracking right now!” 

Her angry finger flicked against his forehead, despite his insistent cries of pain. “This is all your fault to begin with!”

“Okay, will everybody just calm down for a second?” Steve hushed, where his hands found the relaxing perch against his hips, as if his motherly duties were calling. “Think of it this way, the sooner you get Eddie to break, the sooner this can all be over with.”

“Ooh, I like that.” Robin nodded along. 

“Just amp the flirting, alright?” Steve coached. “Look, it took him weeks to actually approach a girl at the bar, he used to get totally flustered whenever he’d play wingman for me. How the hell managed to get Y/N? I don’t know, but all I do know is that just like you, Eddie Munson is a total dud when it comes to flirting.”

Her mouth fell agape at the insult that stung too much from the utter reality of the statement. It didn’t make her feel any better when Dustin shoved that patronizing look in her face. “Yeah, Robin, sweetie, you are not doing a good job right now.”

“How would you know? You’re fourteen!” She bellowed. 

“And yet, which one of us is in a loving, committed relationship?” The kid snided.

Steve shushed Dustin away before a catfight could break out on the doorstep of Eddie’s home. “Look, you got this. Just make Munson uncomfortable! You’re a girl, you got this!”

“He’s a boy, he makes me uncomfortable!” She spat. 

Ransacking his bathroom cabinets for a bottle of lotion, you hastily shoved the bottle into his grasp, and clutched onto his shoulders. “You go back in there, and you seduce her till she cracks!” Never in a million years did you think you’d encourage your boyfriend to do that. Though with this much commitment, he should really get you into Dungeons and Dragons.

“Okay, just give me a second.” He took a deep breath for composure, just as he got a good glimpse of his bathroom. “Did you clean up in here?!” Your eyes rolled, before grappling onto the doorknob, and pushing Eddie out of the bathroom. He slowly approached the kitchen, where his nervousness eased at the sight of Robin at the door. “Oh, you’re, uh… you’re going!” He smiled.

Steve Harrington's voice replayed in her head, and Robin cleared her throat to pull out the sultry crisp she was needing to flirt. “Um, not without you, lover.”

Eddie flashed her a tight-lipped smile, as he released a big sigh. “Well, uh, come here.” He beckoned. “I’m very happy we’re gonna have all the sex.” 

Robin ignored the disgust in her belly to test him. “Y-You should be.” She smirked. “I’m very bendy.” Eddie’s eyebrows pulled with fright, as she stepped closer. “I’m going to k-kiss you now.”

And Eddie bothered her right back. “Not if I, um, kiss you first!” With a foot apart, Robin Buckley made her first move on a man, as her stiff hand latched uncomfortably to Eddie’s waist. Devastatingly following in line, Eddie’s fingertips barely grazed her skin, as they lightly rested onto her shoulder, neither party urging anyone to come closer. “Well, I-I guess there’s nothing left for us to do than to kiss.”

“Here it comes.” With rigid lips tucked inward, and tense bodies hesitantly pulling together, Eddie Munson genuinely began to realize how much of a idiotic idea all this was. A nauseating feeling struck him, as he understood what a lousy world it’d be to live in if he had to continue to disguise his feelings for you. I mean, going on a date with your best friend? This is the lengths he’s going to to hide something so perfect? And Robin. For the love of god, if picturing Joan Jett over Eddie’s face was needed to make this experience slightly less miserable, then, yeah, maybe this plan was stupid all along. 

“Okay, okay, okay! Fine, you win!” Eddie pulled away, as Robin’s face astounded. “I will not have sex with you!” He huffed with exhaustion. 

“And why not?” Robin smiled, as the victory was coming her way.

“Because I’m in love with Y/N!” 

“You’re-you’re what?” The front door jolted open, as Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson hurdled their way in, but Eddie took no notice of the peculiarity in that. Not when he heard the bathroom door open behind him. 

“Love her!” He proclaimed at the top of lungs. “That’s right! I love her!” Eddie pointed to you, as you made your way closer. “I love her! I’m in love with her!” And suddenly, the reality of you actually standing in front of him hit him, and Eddie realized the weight of what he just admitted to you… and his friends. Eddie took a deep breath, as he solemnly stared down at you, and in an instant, he felt his body calm at the sight of your smile. “I love you, Y/N.” 

His hands took solace against your warm cheeks, where you stared up at with adoration in your eyes. “I love you, Eddie.” Your arms circled around his neck, as his desperate hands clung to your shirt to pull you into an intoxicating kiss that had you both mewling with tenderness. This was it. Eddie Munson knew love.

That was until Robin spoke. “Oh, my god, you guys! We thought you were just doing it, we didn’t know you were in love!” She gushed. 

Steve shyly smiled from the back. “Dude!” He effused. 

“Aha!” And then there was Dustin Henderson. “I told you! I told all of you! And none of you wanted to believe me! I was right and you were wrong!” He pompously smiled, before turning to you and Eddie. “By the way, I was the first to know! I’ve been knowing for a week after you freaks forced me to lose my dice!” 

Eddie chuckled, as his hands stayed secured around you. “Actually, Dustin, Max was kinda the first to know. She found out four months ago, when she caught Y/N leaving my place at night.” He admitted. “Been blackmailed ever since; spent $20 on some damn heart-shaped sunglasses.” 

“Are you kidding me!” Dustin felt gobsmacked, betrayed and abandoned, like those damn Fritos. 

“Hey, but, uh, hats off to you, Robin.” Eddie smiled, offering a hand of congratulation. “Quite the competitor.” And she shook it proudly, another notch in whatever weird belt this was. 

“I still can’t believe you never told me.” Dustin gasped. “I mean, seriously, Max out of all people.” Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington, and Eddie Munson’s voices eventually faded into the background, as you managed to slip away from your boyfriend’s grasp to hold onto the hand of your best friend, while you whisked her away to the quiet corner of the living room. 

“Hey, so I just wanted to apologize to you real quick.” You softly smiled at Robin. “I mean, going through all this just because I kept this from you,” you sighed, “I’m just really sorry you were forced to date my boyfriend.” 

Robin laughed, as she squeezed your hand. “I’m sorry you’re forced to date him everyday.” She joked. “No, but seriously, you don’t have to apologize at all.” Her throat began to sting with the heftiness of her feelings, but she felt the warmth of fingers against hers, and Robin Buckley took her deep breath. “I understand why you did it- why you felt the need to hide.” 

“You do?”

“Yeah.” She tearfully smiled. “I feel the same way, just a little different. I just, um, I know what it’s like to want to keep something to yourself, because having to come out as something you know the world isn’t going to love is scary. It’s really scary, Y/N.” Her hand tightened, as her voice cracked. 

But in true Buckley style, that beautiful smile never left her face, as she told you her biggest fear. But what a shame it was that the world made her biggest fear her truest self. Your arms wrapped around her in a suffocating hug, where she let out a shaky sigh against your shoulder. “Robin,” you whispered into her hair, “I love you.” You implored. “Eddie does. Steve does. I hope you know that this town isn't worth being scared of.” You felt her shudder against you, as your hand soothed down her back. “Not when you’re so goddamn perfect.” Robin laughed, as she pulled away, clearing her eyes from any unspilled tears that threatened to stain her cheeks. “I know it’s easier said than done, but genuinely, don't waste your perfect self on what the world wants.” She digested your words, flashing you a thankful grin, as she steady to jumping nerves. “I mean, take it from the man himself, your date tonight, who’s univocally himself.”

You both turned to the kitchen, where Steve and Eddie had Dustin pinned, with a spring roll in hand, trying to shove it down the defiant kid’s mouth. “Jesus, I really am sorry you have to date him.” 

You both laughed, as you watched the commotion take place. And you looked at Eddie Munson, how effortlessly beautiful he was, and how comfortable those around him came to be in his accepting presence. “He’s not too bad.” You smiled. “Now, c’mon, we have Chinese and chardonnay to celebrate!” 

Finally letting the child go, Steve snagged the spring roll with a monumental bite of pleasure, before closely crowding into Eddie’s bubble. “No, but seriously, dude, how the hell did you do it?” Steve Harrington pointed to you, as Eddie Munson smiled.

[disneytva]

"Gravity Falls: The Book Of Bill" Panel Brings Insight In The Nightmares.

Gravity Falls fans went trought behind the secrets of The Book Of Bill who took the internet by storm, the panel also had the book artists Ian Worrel ("Gravity Falls", "Amphibia") and Joe Pitt ("Gravity Falls", Disney TVA pilot "Park Poppers")

Photos by Karla Garcia and Disney Publishing Worldwide

-Ian Worrel, Joe Pitt and Alex Hirsch all met in an Animation summer camp in High School

-Adrian Molina (Pixar Animation Studios "Coco", "Elio") was also one of the fellow classmates of Alex, Ian and Pitt at CalArts

-One of the reasons to make The Book of Bill was to work again with the former Gravity Falls crew

-Bill started as an inside joke in the Gravity Falls production as Alex wanted him to be a foil and to make Dipper crazy with his conspiracy theories and the crew decided to put it on every episode and the opening credits sequence

-Bill was almost a meme before it was a character, the zodiac was made up at last minute

-The Book Of Bill has been a New York Times Seller for 3 months in a row

-One fan who owns a book store told Alex, Pitt and Worrel that The Book Of Bill sold out on his book store

-Alex Hirsch reaction to the reception of The Book Of Bill has been terryfing and surprising as he thanks the fans for still loving Gravity Falls after all these years

-Ian Worrel's favorite pages where the "Dream Statues" page and the Pines Family group photo who didn't knew it was going to be burned at the end

-Alex Hirsch favorite joke was Bill playing the Xylophone apologizing for Weirdmaggedon

-Ian Worrel's process for the statue page was made all in VR

-Joe Pitt's favorite page was the bad end alternate universes of Dipper and Mabel

-Alex being asked about an Alternate Reality we’re Dipper was trapped in a Bubble rather than Mabel with the awnser being Dipper's Bubble being him and Ford having an X-Files show and Mabel saving him by the same way he saved her.

-Alex being asked if Bill loves The Duchess Approves with Alex awnsering that he loves it and likes fan-art on his alt-account

-Alex being asked what were Bill and the Axolotls’ prior relationship? Alex awnsers that he dosn't want to give lore for free

-Alex being asked for some more information on Bill’s Home Dimension? Alex had two pages with many information on Bill's Dimension but he kept it secret and decided to release them as of yet.

-Alex being asked before creating the Book of Bill did he ever consider creating something on his own or continuing Gravity Falls? Alex is very open to make more Gravity Falls books after the explosive sucess of The Book Of Bill that surprised Disney Press, Ian Worrel, Alex and Joe Pitt.

-Alex being asked about the process of editing and adding all the Ciphers and Codes into Gravity Falls? The codes and ciphers where added at last minute on the episodes for Alex the codes where so much fun.

-Alex being asked if he could tell us any additional canon about the secrets of Dipper and Mabel and anything beyond the Book of Bill? As of yet Alex cannot speak on Mabel and Dipper's backstory

-Alex being asked to elaborate more on Stan’s Nightmare? Alex talks about a story of Bill entering Stan’s mind to try and strike a deal with him with Stan not being fooled by Bill's tricks.

-Alex being asked since originally The Book of Bill was meant to be more of a “Bible of Bill” did he at one point want to lean more into the idea of “Ciphertology”? There's more and maybe one day he will reveal it.

-Alex on Billford relationship on The Book Of Bill: If anyone in your life is like Bill Cipher RUN AWAY FROM IT!

[dazzlerwriting]

a long long time

jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader

pictures from pinterest!!

word count: 2.8k

summary: childhood best friends, who always felt a bit more about each other, finally see each other after 12 years. will all their wishes come true at the Seresin holiday party?

warnings: childhood best friends to lovers! fluff!! cheesy goodness!! no use of y/n but reader does uses she/her pronouns! pet names: sweets, sweetheart, darlin, tiny dancer. no looks are given besides an outfit!

an: this is heavily inspired by ‘Its been a long long time’ by harry james! definitely recommend listening to it while reading! can you guys tell i love when people dance together as a form of intimacy? thank you to my friends who have no clue who jake is, who proofread this. & thank you guys for all the love on my other two fics! this is incredibly new to me so to see that people like the stories is really amazing. thank you. likes, comments, and reblogs are deeply appreciated!!

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Growing up, Jake Seresin was always by your side. Jake’s mom and your mom were best friends, meaning the two of you were destined to be in each other’s lives. Of course, you two went through the phases of disgust when one of you thought the other had cooties, but they never deterred your friendship. When you would fall off your bike and cry because you scraped your knee, Jake would immediately be by your side. Jake’s PeeWee football games never had a silent crowd, of course not. Little you would be right there next to his parents, screaming the loudest for him. A dance recital, nervous about your performances? Don’t worry, Jake would be right there in the front row next to both of your families, with a bouquet of your favorite flowers.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

High school hit, and Jake became the star football player who girls and guys alike pined after. You on the other hand were a quiet theater kid, dancing still, and leading the school newspaper. Despite running in different social circles, you two were still attached at the hip. The sharp stares you received from girls who wanted Jake would burn into your head, but you never let that affect your friendship. The free time you two had was spent with each other, taking long drives when you needed to clear your head, watching new episodes of TV shows you both enjoyed, and studying together. There has always been a hint of something more between you two, but out of fear of ruining things, you never made a move. Although, there was a time during your senior year when the possibility of being something more didn’t seem as distant. You two had just taken a long drive to a field in the middle of Texas to watch the sunset. It was then that you two shared your first kiss, and then it was over, and neither of you brought it back up. You knew you had feelings for him. That wasn’t even a question. But those feelings would not outweigh your friendship, you’d rather have him in this way, than in no way at all.

When Jake got into the Naval Academy, you were ecstatic for him. He had been dreaming about getting out of here since you were little tots, and now he had his out. You got into a school an hour away for Broadcast Journalism, and he was just as excited for you. When you told him, he picked you up and spun you around, both of you reminiscing on the days when he would play with his model planes and you would pretend to report every little thing that was happening around you two. Graduation day came and went, and soon you were getting ready to send Jake on his way to Maryland.

“Don’t forget me when you become a hot shot pilot mister.” You said to him with tears in your eyes. He looked back at you with something that could only be described as melancholy and kissed your forehead, “I could never forget you tiny dancer. Plus we can still keep up with each other, and I’ll see you over the holidays!”

You two kept up with each other for the first two years of your college time, but communication became scarce. He didn’t come home for the holidays, you couldn’t blame him though. He finally got out of there, he was doing what he always wanted to do. Communication between the two of you completely went away during your junior year. You’ve kept up with him through your parents and his, and to say you were proud was an understatement.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

It’s been 12 years since you last saw Jake Seresin. You would be lying if you said you didn’t think about him a lot of the time. After you graduated from UT at Austin, you moved back home and started to work at the local news station as an Anchor. Your free time is spent with friends, going out to bars, or just brunch together. They always hound you about finding a guy, “Come on!! You’re single, hot, and an amazing person!” “You can’t just sit here all night, come meet Tyler, I promise you’ll like him! Please?” You knew they had good intentions, with their bright smiles and kind words. So you tried. You would go out with who they wanted you to, but every time, it felt as though something was missing. You knew what was missing, you just didn’t want to admit it. Seasons change but you don’t think your feelings for those

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The holiday season is always your favorite time of year. From October to January, you feel lighter. Walking around to see decorations everywhere, families laughing together, and hot apple cider to warm the now-cold Texas air. Work is busy, but you can’t complain, you love your job. Recently you covered a story about a baker and her husband who had just celebrated the 30th anniversary of their bakery by having the cutest reindeer cookies and a huge cake for everyone who may want a slice.

Tonight is the annual Seresin family Christmas party, and just like every other year, you hold on to hope that Jake will be there. You know it’s a stretch, but you can’t help but be hopeful.

You bought a new outfit just for tonight, a red cable knit sweater, a black mini-skirt with black transparent tights, and black leather boots that went up to your calves. After adding some touch-ups to your makeup, you decided you were ready to go, grabbed your purse, and headed towards the Seresin’s house. It was about a 5-minute walk from your new place, which is quite convenient, and you spent the entire walk with your head in the clouds, daydreaming about the pilot who stole your heart all those years ago.

Walking into the house you spent so much time at as a child, a sense of warmth feels you. The entire house smells like freshly baked cookies, Christmas lights twinkle along the hallway, and the sounds of laughter and soft Christmas music fills your ears. Mama Seresin sees you and you are immediately engulfed in a hug that could probably fix anybody who is on the receiving side of it. “Oh my goodness look at you!!! You get more beautiful each time I see you.” You felt your face heat up instantly, shying away a bit from her kind words. “Thank you mama Seresin. I’m happy to be here again, happy holidays.” She pulled back and had an incredulous look on her face.

“Thank me?? Sweetheart, you are welcome at this house any day, any time. Make yourself at home, tonight should be a wonderful night.” She winked at you and left you standing there in the entryway.

After making your rounds, you grabbed yourself a drink and sat on the couch watching “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with one of Jake’s sisters. She kept looking over at you with a sly smirk on her face so you snapped, “What is going on with y’all tonight? First your mama winks at me, Elizabeth said she was ‘So excited’ for me tonight, and now you can’t stop looking at me like the cat who caught the canary! So what is going on?” With an exasperated look on your face, you fully turn to look at her. Charlotte just slides off the couch and smiles, “We’re just happy to see you and we are hoping you have a great time tonight.” With the cryptic answer said, she walks away leaving you to sit there in your skepticism.

After an hour or so, everyone has made it and dinner is about to be served. At least you thought everyone had made it, that is until you hear a knock on the door. Mama Seresin rushes to open it, and you lean over the arm of the couch to see who it is. You can’t tell if it's the winter air or who you see standing there, but a chill runs down your spine. In all his glory, Jake Seresin is standing there with several suitcases and a bright smile on his face. Taking him in, you notice he’s grown into himself in the last 12 years, His sandy blonde hair isn’t as long, he’s filling in the brown button-up shirt very nicely, and he’s grown at least 3 inches since you last saw him. He’s still got his cowboy boots on and a smile that could light up a room, so not everything has changed. Finally, you look back up to his face, and you lock eyes with the man who has never left your mind.

You stand, mouth agape, and the two of you finally make your way to each other. You meet in the middle of the entryway, and as soon as his arms are around you it’s like everybody and everything fades away. You stay there in the comfort of each other’s arms for a few more seconds and when you finally pull away, the sounds from the rest of the house fade back in. Looking at each other, you feel a warmth creeping up your neck, the chill from earlier has fully disappeared. “Hi,” you said with a shy smile as you fiddle with the cuff of his sleeve. “Hi sweetheart,” he replies with the kindest smile you’ve ever seen. The moment is broken when someone clears their throat behind you, “Dinner is ready.” You turn and see the Seresin women standing there with smirks across all of their faces. Looking back at Jake you realize he’s got a scowl on his face, and you just giggle a bit. At the sound of your giggle, he looks back at you, the scowl being replaced with a shy smile, “We can talk after dinner?” You nod your head and make your way toward the dining room.

Dinner is the most delicious thing, but you would never expect anything less from Mama Seresin. She always cooks things with love, which makes things 10,000 times better. Once you get turned away from helping with dishes, you make your way outside to get some air. It’s a bit chilly, the backyard is decorated with lights strung across the way, the music from inside the house carries softly across the yard although it’s muffled, and stars are shining so bright in the night sky. You see a plane fly across the sky and you huff out a laugh, realizing your dreams of seeing Jake again, came true tonight. At least you know why the family acted so odd tonight. You take a seat in one of the cushy chairs sat up in the backyard, and stare up at the sky.

Surely Jake didn’t know you were gonna be here tonight, Has he changed a lot? Did he miss you as much as you missed him? Was your pining so obvious to everyone that they sat this up? Your mind starts spiraling with thoughts, and a bit of nervous tension sets in as you sit out there. The music gets less muffled for a second, meaning someone has just opened the back door, but it’s quickly snuffed back out. You don’t bother to turn your head, your mind is busy with so many questions. In your peripheral, you see the man on your mind take a seat next to you. He looks up at the sky and you can feel the nervousness roll off of you both as you sit there.

You turn to look at him, right as he turns to look at you, and you both sit there taking each other in for a second. “So-” “It was-” You both start trying to talk simultaneously and once you realize, you both start giggling. You nod your head to tell him he can go first, and with a shy smile he rubs the back of his neck and says, “It was nice to see you again sweetheart, I was really hoping you’d be here.” That warmth from earlier creeps back up your neck, and you smile softly at him. “I was hoping you’d be here too cowboy.” You both just sit there with smiles, and after a few beats of silence you add quietly, “I missed you.” What you could only call longing, flashes in his eyes, before he smiles at you, “I missed you too tiny dancer.”

The two of you fall into easy conversation. He tells you all about the Naval Academy, and how he is the “best of the best,” which you don’t doubt. Once he sets his mind on something, he doesn’t give up. You learn he’s living out in San Diego, but he constantly misses the Texas skyline. You tell him all about your experience at UT at Austin, and how your job at the local news station is going. You both continue just telling each other what you’ve both missed out on.

At some point, the conversation shifts to relationships. You take a deep breath and ask, “So do you have anyone special waiting for you back in California?” He takes a minute to just look at you before responding, “No sweetheart, I don’t. Do you have anyone missing you tonight?” You let out your breath at the word “no,” and chuckle. “The only person missing me tonight is my fish, Mr. Speckle.” He throws back his head and barks out a laugh at that, before looking back at you with a wide smile. It shifts to a bit of an apprehensive smile before he asks, “Is there any reason? You’re a gorgeous girl who is amazing sweetheart, I’m sure guys are lining up for a date with you.”

You knew you could try and lie to him, but he knows you too well. He would immediately figure you out, so you shake your head and respond truthfully. “I’ve tried over the years. But every single time, it didn’t feel right. Something was always missing. It took me a while to realize what that was.”

“And what was that?” His face is a bit more hopeful now, or maybe you’re just going crazy. After a moment of just looking into his eyes, you turn to fidget with your sweater and finally speak. “They weren’t you Jake.” It came out softer than you thought it would. The silence surrounds you like a suffocating room, and panic starts to claw its way up your throat.

You’re about to apologize profusely when Jake finally speaks. “That’s why I don’t have anyone waiting for me sweets. They weren’t you. The gorgeous girl I’ve known since diapers, who has always been so caring. Who put others before herself. The girl who knows me and my family, and still chooses to be around us.” You stare at him with wide eyes, trying to absorb everything that was just said. Softly, you reply, “I will always choose you, Jake. The boy who didn’t let me go to bed upset. The boy who constantly cheered me on in everything I did. The boy who set his sights on something and chased it. ” Your chest feels lighter, while your heart beats at a lightspeed rate.

Looking at Jake, he has a boyish grin on his face, rubbing the back of his neck again. In the blink of an eye, he is in front of you with his hand held out. You look at him like you’re considering your options for a second, just to make him sweat a bit, but ultimately you take his hand with an affectionate smile. He pulls you close and wraps his arms around your waist, your arms going around his neck, playing with the collar of his shirt. The two of you dance to the muffled music coming from inside, under the twinkling lights of the backyard you’ve spent so much time in over the years. You look up at him to find him already staring at you. He’s got a look of love in his eyes, and you’re sure he sees the same look in yours.

“So can I take you out tomorrow sweetheart? I should’ve asked you that years ago.” He asks with a smirk across his lips. You mirror his smirk as you respond, “You sure can cowboy. We have a lot of time to make up for.” You both slowly lean in, and your lips meet in a short kiss that makes fireworks go off in your stomach. You both pull away, but that one kiss isn’t enough. The two of you share another short kiss, before breaking out into a long deep kiss. He dips you a bit with this one. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of has come true under the twinkling lights. You’ll have to make sure to send the Seresin women some cookies and flowers for planning this.

From inside the house, the Seresin family is silently cheering. They’ve watched both of you pine after each other for so long, they knew y’all just needed a bit of a push in the right direction.

[mylight-png]

A while ago I was listening to Dara Horn's podcast relating to her book, People Love Dead Jews. Within this podcast she discussed the fact that Holocaust museums tend to center stories that highlight ways in which Jews were just like anyone else, putting secular Jews on a pedestal of sorts.

The podcast went on to make the point that we shouldn't have to be like them to be liked. A Jew in a kippah is just as worthy of being accepted as a Jew in a baseball cap, and to position one, the more assimilated one, as "better" is antisemitic.

This made me think of how movies and shows portray Jews, and I realized a similar pattern of idealizing assimilation is deeply prevalent.

There are two main ways Jews are portrayed in movies/shows that I've noticed that are problematic. (For a narrower scope I'll be discussing American media as I am more familiar with that than most other countries.)

The first kind of Jewish representation is the token Jew. This is the character that the viewer wouldn't even have known is Jewish had the show not casually mentioned them celebrating Hanukkah in passing. This is the character who is entirely the same as any other character. An example of this would be in Ginny and Georgia, where a few side characters are revealed to be Jewish. This reveal occurred only for the purpose of making a Hanukkah episode, and immediately one of the characters says the beginning words to most of our prayers, adding "bitch" at the end. This sort of absolutely blatant disrespect towards the words many of us wouldn't even speak fully in casual conversation is meant to indicate that it's okay to poke fun at our religion. (By the way, it isn't okay. Don't disrespect our religion, thanks.) (And no the actress wasn't Jewish.)

Then there's Ben Gross from Never Have I Ever, a similarly extremely assimilated Jewish character. Instead of making fun of Judaism, however, the show plays into Jewish stereotypes. Ben's dad is a wealthy influential lawyer who works with Hollywood. Come on, there's three in a row there. Ben himself is frequently made fun of for being very short (to an extent not befitting the actor's actual stature), and some of his mannerisms could be described as effeminate. All of these traits play into anti-Jewish stereotypes. The protagonist even says she wishes Ben was killed by Nazis and other than a scolding this isn't made to be the big deal that it is.

These sorts of characters are meant to show how Jews are "just like you!" and pokes cruel fun at the few remaining things that do occasionally set them apart. Yes, secular Jews exist, but the way these shows make fun of their Jewish identities is where the issue arises.

The second problematic representation is meant to make goyim feel good about being goyim. This is specifically done through how Judaism is portrayed in these movies.

A major example of this is the show Unorthodox, in which the plot centers a young girl trying to escape her very observant community. This show directly demonized the Jewish religion, making it appear inherently oppressive and twisted.

While some may argue that the show was merely trying to portray the social issues within the community, there are better ways to achieve this.

The book An Unorthodox Match takes on a similar task with a vastly different tone. The book centers a protagonist joining an equally observant community, but not for a moment does the book, author, or protagonist blame Judaism. The book is very clearly written by a Jew who loves Judaism, and yet it manages to highlight similar social issues to the show without blaming Judaism. In fact, Jewish traditions have a fair share of appreciation in the book!

This sort of media is meant to make the goyishe viewers be grateful they aren't part of those communities, but as a Jewish viewer I felt deeply uncomfortable with the positioning of religious Jews as a negative part of society. This media makes the characters seem like they have nothing at all in common with the goyim around them or the goyim watching the show. It's the polar opposite of the previous example.

The first example is showing Jews as "just like anyone else" until they aren't, while the second example portrays Jews as entirely other. Never have I seen an Orthodox Jewish character side by side with the non-Jewish characters in any other context than the Jewish character envying their non-Jewish peers.

Why is the choice either to be assimilated or othered? Why can we not have an observant Jewish character remind their friends that they can't hang out on Saturday, or maybe they bring their own kosher snacks? Maybe a Jewish character muttering a bracha over their food? Why not make being Jewish an important part of their character without making them self-loathe because of it?

Media almost only ever shows two extremes and neither of those extremes has a positive impact on the perception of Jews.

(There is also a pattern I've noticed with Jews and goyim being cast in Jewish roles and how that corresponds to the character, but that's probably another post for another time.)

[svt-luna]

ʚིᵋ ⋆ GAME CATERERS X SVT ࣪ ! ˓ ౨ৎ ࣪˖ ─── episode 1-3.

Game Caterers x SEVENTEEN

synopsis: Episode 1-3! The games begin and the infamous character quiz is up first. With numerous delicious Korean delicacies on the line, SEVENTEEN tries their hardest to eat at least one of the dishes.

╰ ౨ৎ LUNA-VERSE MASTERLIST

╰౨ৎ fan reactions ╰౨ৎ game caterers masterlist

[added captions are in brackets] ღ

bold dialogues are spoken in english ღ

The next part of the show was about to begin, and the members were called back on set, ready to dive into the games segment. The familiar space where they had filmed the intro and interviews now had a slightly different setup. Instead of the two rows of chairs they had before, the chairs were now arranged in a straight line, creating a new dynamic. Behind the chairs were several posters displaying some of their most famous quotes from ‘Going Seventeen’, adding a playful touch to the atmosphere.

[SEVENTEEN's getting ready]

The members slowly streamed into the set, choosing their seats and exchanging light banter as they did. Mingyu and Woozi were the first to sit down, speaking to PD Na about the seating arrangements. Seungkwan was busy taking pictures of the posters at the back before he later sat down next to Mingyu. The room buzzed with anticipation as they all settled in.

[SEVENTEEN swarms in]

Luna and Minghao were among the last to enter, walking slowly as they engaged in a quiet conversation.

"I’ve been taking Chinese lessons recently," Luna said, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. "I’ve always loved learning new languages, and since I’m almost fluent in Japanese, I thought I’d give Chinese a try."

Minghao smiled, nodding in approval. "That’s great. Chinese is a beautiful language. How are you finding it so far?"

"It’s challenging, but I’m enjoying it," Luna replied. "The tones are tricky. I think it's more difficult than Japanese."

As they continued talking, they reached the line of chairs where the other members were already seated. Minghao took a seat on the far left, next to Dokyeom, while Luna remained standing in front of him, still engrossed in their conversation.

Jeonghan, who had taken a seat next to Dokyeom, watched Luna patiently. He placed his hand on the empty seat beside him, silently signaling for her to sit. After a few seconds, he reached out and gently grabbed her hand, pulling her attention away from Minghao.

"Nana-ya," Jeonghan crooned softly, using his nickname for her.

Luna turned to him, a small smile playing on her lips. Without protest, she allowed Jeonghan to guide her to the seat beside him, nestled between him and Dino.

[During the short break, they start chattering]

The room buzzed with chatter as the members broke off into small groups, waiting for the games to begin. The atmosphere resembled a lively classroom during recess, with overlapping conversations creating a symphony of voices that filled the space. Each group was engaged in their own world, sharing jokes, stories, and laughter that blended into the overall din of excitement.

Luna and Jeonghan, sitting close together, had their own quiet conversation amidst the noise. Luna, who had been nervously fidgeting with the rings on her fingers, caught Jeonghan's attention. He noticed the way she absentmindedly twisted the rings, a habit he had come to recognize over the years. It was something she did when she was feeling anxious.

Without a word, Jeonghan reached over and covered her hands with his, the warmth of his touch instantly calming her. His fingers gently caressed the back of her hand, grounding her in the present moment.

"Did you get your nails done?" Jeonghan asked, his tone light and casual, steering the conversation to something simple and familiar.

Luna looked down at her hands, a small smile forming on her lips as she nodded. "Yeah, I got them done yesterday. Do you like them?" She wiggled her fingers, showcasing the intricate designs painted on her nails.

Jeonghan lifted her hand slightly, examining her nails with a playful curiosity, his touch light as he traced the patterns. "They’re really pretty. You always choose the coolest designs,"

Luna chuckled softly, her nerves slowly melting away as they continued to talk. "I went for something a bit different this time, more muted tones."

Jeonghan traced the edge of one of her nails with his finger, still holding her hand in his. "It suits you. They look pretty."

His touch was gentle, almost absentminded as he played with her fingers, turning them over in his hand. Luna watched him, a sense of calm washing over her as he continued to distract her from her earlier nerves.

"It's therapeutic," Luna chuckled. "Getting your nails done."

Jeonghan hummed in agreement, still playing with her fingers. "Maybe you should paint my nails sometime," he teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Luna perked up at the suggestion, her smile widening. "I would love to! I could do something simple, or we could go all out and try something bold. I have nail stickers at home. What do you think?"

Jeonghan pretended to think about it, a playful expression on his face. "Hmm, I don’t know… I’m not sure I could pull it off as well as you do, but who knows? Maybe I’ll give it a shot."

Luna giggled, knowing he was playing hard to get but also knowing he wouldn’t say no. "Come on, you know you’d look great. How about this: when we get home later, I’ll paint your nails. Deal?"

Jeonghan finally relented, a soft laugh escaping him as he nodded. "Alright. Alright."

Jeonghan, still holding Luna's hand, turned his attention to Dino, who was seated on her other side. With a playful glint in his eyes, he leaned over Luna and lightly smacked Dino’s leg.

"How have you been?" Dino asked, looking at Jeonghan with a friendly smile.

"I asked you to go to the sauna with me twice, but you never went," Jeonghan replied, feigning a pout.

"You only asked me once," Dino countered, raising an eyebrow in mild confusion.

Jeonghan shook his head, smiling slyly. "I can’t be direct. If I say, 'I’m going to the sauna,' that’s me asking you."

Luna couldn’t help but chuckle at that, finding Jeonghan’s indirect way of inviting Dino endearing. Dino, on the other hand, widened his eyes in realization. "Ahh, okay. Sorry."

From Jeonghan’s other side, Dokyeom joined the conversation with a curious expression. "How come you say it directly to me?"

Jeonghan turned to him, his grin widening. "I need someone to talk to directly. Then other people will be like, 'Can I join you?'"

Dokyeom laughed, catching on to Jeonghan’s playful banter. "Are you saying you took advantage of me?"

"He did," Luna muttered with a smirk, making Dokyeom laugh even more.

"Exactly," Jeonghan admitted with a shrug, his nonchalant response earning a round of laughter. "I know you’re going to send me a long text now."

Once Dokyeom stopped laughing, he smiled warmly at Jeonghan. "Let’s go to the sauna together."

"You can go now?" Jeonghan asked, tilting his head slightly. "I was going to go yesterday," he said, his tone light, "but then you called me."

"If I went yesterday, I might have died," he added dramatically, making Luna stifle a laugh.

[He filmed ‘My Alcohol Diary’ yesterday]

"Why didn’t you ask me to join?" Luna chimed in, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked at Jeonghan and Dokyeom.

Jeonghan and Dokyeom exchanged glances before Jeonghan asked, "You want to?"

Before Luna could reply, Dokyeom, with a teasing pout, quickly linked his arm through Jeonghan’s and pulled him closer. "No, no, no," Dokyeom said, mockingly possessive. "You two are always together. Jeonghan is mine now."

Jeonghan burst out laughing, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he leaned into Dokyeom’s playful embrace. Luna looked at them in mock bewilderment before shaking her head with a chuckle. "Alright, I won’t third-wheel your date," she said, her voice filled with playful resignation.

Jeonghan glanced at her with a grin, still laughing at Dokyeom’s antics, while Luna’s heart warmed at the sight of their close bond.

As the group continued chatting among themselves, their conversations overlapping into a lively cacophony, PD Na and the writers observed the scene, slightly bewildered by the sheer energy of the room. The room buzzed like a classroom during recess, with every member engaged in their own small group discussions. The writers, poised and ready to start the next segment, hesitated for a moment, unsure how to gain control over the spirited group.

[This is how they look as a whole]

"Who do we talk to in this case?" one of the writers asked PD Na, glancing at the scene.

"Someone in the center," PD Na suggested, his eyes scanning the group for the best target.

One of the writers looked up and, to her surprise, saw Joshua sitting in the middle of the group. "It’s a new person," she remarked, her voice drawing the attention of the band and, most notably, Joshua, who looked back at her with wide, confused eyes.

[Surprised Bambi]

"Hoshi moved here because it was too much," Wonwoo explained from his seat, offering context with a slight grin.

"That’s why you switched?" Joshua asked, turning to Hoshi, who nodded in response.

"I don’t mind when I’m dancing, but this is too much pressure," Hoshi admitted, a sheepish smile spreading across his face.

[Moved 2 seats]

"We have Joshua in the center. Center Jo," PD Na announced, making Joshua chuckle at the unexpected title.

With the attention now on him, Mingyu leaned forward and added with a grin, "Joshua, hit the slate."

[The center's role on a variety show]

[Hit the slate]

Joshua, still laughing, opened his arms in front of him as if mimicking a movie slate. "I’ll hit the slate… 1… 2… 3," he said, clapping his hands together to signal the beginning of the game portion.

As the group settled into their seats, the chatter gradually died down, and all eyes turned to PD Na, who was ready to kick off the next part of the show. "It's time for the first game," PD Na announced with a smile.

The members responded with enthusiastic clapping and cheers, the room once again buzzing with excitement.

[Shouting like high school students]

"I love games," Minghao said, his eyes bright with anticipation.

PD Na continued, "There’s nothing much to it. We play a game over food, over something else. Play a game over money. And then it’s over."

"I’d love to play over money," Jeonghan deadpanned, a small smile tugging at his lips, making a few of the members laugh at his unexpected 'enthusiasm.'

[He's never looked so enthusiastic]

"Right?" Luna chimed in, smiling at Jeonghan.

The playful banter settled as PD Na explained the stakes. "Today, you’ll be playing for your food."

[For this game] [it's not over money, but food]

The members’ excitement only grew at the mention of food. "I'm hungry," Hoshi said, leaning forward eagerly.

"Let’s eat," Minghao agreed, nodding.

"I don’t think we will be able to," Luna said, chuckling at the impending challenge.

[Food matters more than money in our universe]

"You need to eat," PD Na insisted with a grin. "Let’s play a game over food."

Jeonghan, ever the strategist, asked, "What’s the menu?"

"I’ll show you," PD Na teased, building up the anticipation.

"Is it coming in here?" S.Coups asked, already craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the food, his hands moving in a little dance of excitement. "Oh, there it is."

"It’s crazy," Jeonghan said, eyes widening as a table was wheeled in, laden with containers filled with various dishes.

"What do I do? I’m hungry," Luna exclaimed, her eyes glued to the food.

"That’s the old-school container," S.Coups noted, recognizing the style of the containers as they were placed in front of them.

[Passing by]

"LA galbi?" Vernon asked, spotting one of his favorites.

"There are grilled yellow corvinas?" Luna pointed out, her voice tinged with surprise and delight.

"Grilled yellow corvinas?" Vernon said again, gasping.

[Gasping]

As the containers were opened, the room filled with a chorus of excited comments and exclamations as they recognized different dishes. The spread was reminiscent of a school cafeteria, the familiar scents bringing back memories.

[Exclaiming]

"It reminds me of the school cafeteria. I love it," Jeonghan said a nostalgic smile on their face.

"Please don’t remove one every time," Seungkwan pleaded, knowing all too well how these games worked, anticipating the challenge that lay ahead.

[The dishes to be removed are here]

The air was thick with anticipation and hunger as the group prepared to dive into the game, their competitiveness heightened by the delicious food that awaited them.

As the room settled after the initial excitement, PD Na stepped forward, announcing with a grin, "It's the retreat course for lunch." The members erupted into cheers and applause, at the mention of lunch.

[Retreat course: 14 side dishes]

"When you go on a retreat at school, you get these dishes for lunch. S.Coups, can you introduce them?" PD Na prompted, turning to the leader.

S.Coups stood up, ready to take on the role of the food guide. He pointed at each dish as he named them, "Tomato salad, yogurt, stir-fried spicy pork, LA galbi, kimchi, grilled yellow corvinas, acorn jelly, rolled omelet, mini pork cutlets, sausages, japchae, seasoned bean sprouts." His voice was clear and confident, but there was a playful pride in his tone as if he were presenting treasures.

[There's got to be one you'd like]

"It's perfect," Jun commented, his eyes wide with admiration at the spread before them.

"That's crazy," Joshua added, echoing the awe felt by the group.

PD Na smiled, seeing the members’ appreciation. "I'm sure everyone likes different food. There are fourteen people here," he observed.

"Kimchi is my favorite," Hoshi chimed in enthusiastically, earning nods from the others. "Kimchi is a must. Wherever I go, I try kimchi first and decide whether the place is good or not. That’s how much I love kimchi."

Nods of agreement followed his statement, with some members murmuring their own love for the staple Korean dish.

"Woozi, is there anything you don't like here?" PD Na asked, curious to see if there was a dish that might not suit the tastes of the meticulous producer.

Woozi, ever thoughtful, scanned the table before replying, "Something I don't like? That would be… nothing in particular. I'm not picky."

Seungkwan, ever the observant one, couldn’t help but comment, "Your eyes are focused on the tomato salad," causing a round of laughter to ripple through the group.

Woozi immediately defended himself, "Why eat that of all other dishes?" His mock indignation only made the others laugh harder.

[Wise]

Hoshi, always quick to chime in, pointed at Wonwoo, "Wonwoo can't have seafood."

"I can't eat yellow corvinas," Wonwoo confirmed, his voice even and unbothered, though his gaze lingered on the dish.

Jeonghan, lightly patted Luna’s leg, drawing attention to her. "Jiyeonie loves seafood," he said with a knowing smile.

Luna nodded in agreement, a wide grin on her face. "I love seafood," she echoed, her eyes brightening at the mention of one of her favorite types of cuisine.

"And yellow corvinas are DK's favorite," Jeonghan added, gesturing to the member seated next to him.

"I love yellow corvinas," Dokyeom confirmed with a nod, his voice carrying a hint of excitement at the prospect of enjoying the dish.

As the conversation naturally flowed, PD Na took the opportunity to ask a question that delved deeper into their group dynamics. "If a conflict occurs in the band, how do you resolve it?" he asked, his tone both curious and serious.

Wonwoo was the first to respond, his voice steady and assured. "We go by the majority," he said, earning a confirming nod from S.Coups, the leader of the group.

[They follow the majority]

"If anyone can't eat something, then we take it into consideration," Vernon added, his explanation highlighting their thoughtfulness as a group.

PD Na, intrigued, continued to probe. "Do you always go by majority?"

Seungkwan, always quick-witted, replied with a slight grin, "No, we still listen to the minority."

"We only listen," S.Coups added with a knowing smile, causing a ripple of laughter among the members.

Luna, finding the situation amusing, chuckled before chiming in, "It's funny because it's true."

Jun nodded, adding his own lighthearted commentary, "We only listen. We don’t do it."

"Listen and go with the majority," Dokyeom added with a chuckle, his tone playful.

"They have to endure it," Seungkwan said, his voice teasing but with a hint of truth.

"But if they can persuade us…" Joshua began, his thought hanging in the air.

"…We might change," Hoshi finished, completing Joshua’s sentence with a knowing look.

[If minority is still persuasive, they'd do it]

[That's direct democracy]

Seungkwan, taking the conversation in a slightly different direction, remarked, "If the whole group gets to go on a show like ‘The Game Caterers’, everyone must agree."

"Even if one person says no, we can't do it," Jeonghan added, his tone serious yet relaxed.

Seungkwan then pointed out, "All fourteen of us agreed to go to ‘The Game Caterers’, which is why we're all here." His words carried a sense of pride, a reflection of their collective decision-making process.

[Fortunately, they all approved]

PD Na and the writers, appreciating the sentiment, bowed their heads slightly in gratitude. "Thank you," they said, their voices sincere.

"So let us eat," Seungkwan added with a grin, breaking the moment of seriousness and earning laughter from the group.

[That was from the bottom of his heart]

PD Na, sensing the anticipation in the room, addressed the members with a wry smile. "I'll give you rice and soup," he said, his tone slightly playful. "Normally, I don't. But in case CARATs get mad at me, I'll give you rice and soup."

[We prepared luxurious beef radish soup]

A wave of grateful murmurs and nods spread through the group, with a few members visibly relieved at the news. "Thank you," several of them echoed, their appreciation genuine.

"But," PD Na continued, his voice taking on a more serious edge, "the rest of the dishes depend on how well you do in the game."

[That's right]

The tension in the room shifted, excitement mingling with a hint of nervousness as the stakes were laid out. Everyone knew that this wouldn't be easy; their ability to enjoy the meal in front of them depended entirely on their performance.

"The first game is a revenge match," PD Na announced, pausing to let the words sink in. "The Character Quiz."

At the mention of the game, a collective sound of acknowledgment filled the room, a chorus of "Ooohhs" and nods of understanding. This wasn’t just any game— it was a rematch of the quiz they had played during the ‘HYBE’ Special, a challenge that had left several of them hungry and slightly humiliated.

"Okay," Minghao said, his expression serious yet excited.

Seungkwan, Jun, Hoshi, Mingyu, Minghao, Joshua, and Dino exchanged knowing looks, scoffing out laughs tinged with the bitterness of past defeat.

[Their hearts ache already]

PD Na, ever the observant host, pointed out with a grin, "I just noticed. There are seven people here who played the Character Quiz before." His eyes swept across the room, landing on Mingyu, Seungkwan, Dino, Hoshi, Jun, The8, and Joshua.

[The seven who lost]

"Why don't you give advice to the people who haven't played before?" PD Na suggested, inviting the veterans to share their wisdom.

"Give us advice," Woozi chimed in, leaning forward slightly, genuinely curious.

[But they don't have much to say]

But before any of the seven could respond, Luna deadpanned, "Didn't they lose?" Her tone was dry, the subtle jab laced with humor. The room erupted into laughter, with Joshua especially amused by her quick wit, and S.Coups nodding in agreement.

"They didn't get anything. They got everything wrong," S.Coups added, his voice dripping with mock disappointment, his smile betraying his amusement.

Jun shrugged, not willing to argue against the truth. "We don’t exactly have the experience," he admitted, eliciting another round of chuckles.

Dino, always quick on his feet, gestured with a sly grin. "Just remember. My eyes are watching front, but my ears are listening to the people next to me." His hands moved to his ears, making his intentions clear— he was ready to cheat.

"Right," Jeonghan agreed without missing a beat, the room responding with laughter at the unsurprising agreement by the notorious game cheater.

Wonwoo chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"If you're going to swindle, do it quietly," Mingyu scolded, a playful edge to his voice as he pointed at Dino.

"That’s what you call cheating," PD Na interjected, though his tone held no real reprimand— he was simply amused by the group’s antics.

"They were asking me for advice," Dino defended himself, feigning innocence.

"Cut us some slack," Jeonghan chimed in, his voice carrying a touch of mock sincerity. The room erupted again when one of the producers, caught off guard, exclaimed, "What?" Her high-pitched voice slicing through the laughter.

[We were surprised]

Jeonghan, still laughing, clutched Luna's thigh for support, his amusement clear in the way his shoulders shook.

"He's being serious," Luna informed the producers and writers, her own smile betraying her amusement.

"He's shameless," Seungkwan added, pointing at Jeonghan, his voice filled with playful exasperation.

[Yoon the surprise: He'll surprise Producer Na a lot today]

"Nice," S.Coups clapped his hands, laughing as he pointed at Jeonghan, who was still recovering from his bout of laughter.

"This is really fun," Mingyu commented as he fixed his jacket.

S.Coups turned to PD Na with a puzzled expression. "Is this going to be one way?" he asked, using hand gestures to illustrate his question. Suddenly, his eyes widened with realization. "Both ways?" he added, his tone tinged with incredulity.

PD Na, ever the master of mind games, smirked. "When it comes to the Character Quiz, going one way is a servile choice. That's not who you are, right?"

"He’s brainwashing us," Mingyu quipped, making PD Na laugh along with the others.

[Busted]

Mingyu quickly followed up with a more serious tone, trying to calculate the logistics of the game. "A band of seven people going both ways is us going one way. If we go back and forth, that’s twenty-seven."

"It’s twenty-eight," Jun corrected, his brows furrowed in thought.

"Isn’t it twenty-seven? One person plays once and the rest play twice," Mingyu insisted, explaining his logic.

"You’re right," Hoshi confirmed, nodding in agreement.

"Mingyu is smart," Seungkwan commented, adding to the consensus.

"Give him applause," Hoshi said, prompting the members to clap for Mingyu without hesitation.

[We thought it was over]

The debate, however, wasn’t over. "No, it’s twenty-eight," S.Coups nudged Mingyu, determined to get to the bottom of it. "I have to play twice," he reasoned, starting to count the members aloud along with Seungkwan.

"We go all the way there and come back," Mingyu insisted, using hand gestures to further illustrate his point.

Luna, clearly growing exasperated with the pointless argument, let out an exaggerated sigh. "Why does it matter? We won’t be able to eat anyway. Let’s just do it," she said, her tone laced with mock resignation. Her comment earned a hearty laugh from PD Na, who seemed to appreciate her pragmatic approach.

[Bunny is over it]

Jeonghan, amused by Luna’s ‘over-it’ expression, chuckled softly. He reached out, his knuckles gently brushing against her cheek in a comforting gesture before placing his hand back down on his lap.

"Let’s just do it," Seungkwan echoed, mimicking an expression of exhaustion that perfectly captured the group's collective sentiment.

Minghao, ever the calm voice of reason, chimed in with a simple, "We just have to do it."

"Right, as long as we do well," Seungkwan agreed, nodding in determination.

[You have to get used to it. This band loves chattering]

PD Na, sensing an opportunity to rally the group, leaned into his usual dramatic flair. "When there were a lot of people, there were seven. The maximum number I tried was eight. But if fourteen people succeed, then in the history of variety shows…" He trailed off, letting the implication of their potential legendary status hang in the air.

[Producer Na is scamming them]

The members caught between skepticism and amusement, nodded along, some chuckling at PD Na's clear attempt to hype them up.

"It’ll be legend," Dokyeom chimed in, playing along with a playful grin.

"Let’s try," S.Coups encouraged, the leader’s competitive spirit shining through.

"It’ll leave a mark in the history of variety shows," PD Na continued, his voice full of mock seriousness, earning more laughter from the group.

[Be history]

As PD Na kept going on about how legendary their success would be, the members couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

[If you succeed, we'll have you fixed on the main page of ‘Channel Fullmoon’]

[The future variety shows will remember you]

"He’s good at fabricating it," Woozi commented dryly, a small smirk on his face.

"He can persuade us," Joshua agreed, clearly enjoying the banter.

"He’s good at it," Dokyeom nodded, his tone filled with reluctant admiration.

PD Na pointed toward the direction of the order, setting the stage for the challenge. “Start with S.Coups, all the way to Jun, and then come back,” he instructed, his voice filled with a mix of authority and anticipation.

Mingyu, ever the strategist, leaned forward with a glint in his eye, pointing directly at Jun. “Shall we start with Jun first?” he suggested his tone light but his mind clearly working through potential advantages.

S.Coups shook his head, already dismissing the idea. “No, he plays only once,” he clarified, his gaze sweeping over the group as he asserted his position.

“That might be better,” Dokyeom said, jumping in with a thoughtful expression.

But Jeonghan had other ideas, gesturing toward their side with a casual wave of his hand. “Isn’t it better to pass here first?” he argued, his voice smooth and persuasive.

Minghao, ever the observant one, smiled as he offered his analysis. “Because the first question tends to be the easiest,” he said, his tone light yet insightful, earning a round of laughter from PD Na and the crew.

[They analyzed his question style]

“Good job,” Luna praised, her smile soft as she looked at Minghao, clearly appreciating his attention to detail, and perhaps finding him a bit adorable.

S.Coups, however, wasn’t entirely convinced, his face a mix of resignation and resolve as he stood up. “I have a feeling it’ll never reach me,” he argued, his eyes scanning the group for support.

“It really won’t,” Luna replied without even looking up, her attention seemingly more focused on her nails than the impending game.

[Has no faith at all]

“If we get it wrong, it’ll never get there,” Minghao agreed, nodding along with Luna, his voice calm yet certain.

[It's something they must overcome]

“Let’s try first,” S.Coups insisted, his determination clear as he tried to rally the group.

“Let’s give it a try,” Jun added, his voice steady, ready to dive in.

“If we get it, it’s great. If not, just eat rice and soup,” Minghao offered, his tone practical and reassuring as he addressed S.Coups.

S.Coups pouted, his desire for more than just the basics evident. “I want yellow corvinas,” he said, his voice soft with longing.

Minghao, ever the considerate friend, responded quickly, “I’ll buy them for you,” his tone was kind and supportive.

“Let’s play first,” S.Coups reiterated, trying to keep everyone focused on the task at hand.

But before they could start, Seungkwan raised his hand, his expression serious as he said, “Wait. Let me tell you something. Don’t get it wrong on purpose to be funny.”

The group immediately chorused back, their voices overlapping in playful accusation, “That’s you,” or “No one does that except you.”

“Sorry,” Seungkwan pouted playfully, his attempt at seriousness quickly dissolving into a cheeky grin.

Luna giggled from her seat, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she quipped, “It’s funny how we keep saying ‘let’s try,’ ‘let’s do it’ over and over again but we’ve done nothing but complain… I love you guys, really.” Her tone was laced with mock irony, making the members burst into laughter at her spot-on observation.

“Let’s start,” PD Na announced, his voice cutting through the playful banter and drawing everyone’s attention to the game.

[Round 1]

The room fell into a sudden hush, the lighthearted atmosphere replaced with focused tension. Some of the members leaned forward in their seats, eyes locked on PD Na as they prepared for the first round. Everyone was fully concentrated, their excitement palpable.

“Let’s start. It sounds so hard,” Minghao murmured, his excitement laced with nerves.

“We can do it,” Joshua said, offering encouragement to the group.

“Are we starting with Jun?” PD Na asked, confirming the order.

“Yes,” the members chorused in unison, their voices firm and in agreement.

“Play sincerely,” Woozi added, his tone serious, urging Jun to give it his best shot.

“Fighting,” Luna said softly, her voice a gentle encouragement aimed directly at Jun. She knew how nerve-wracking it could be to go first, and her words were meant to bolster his confidence.

“It’s okay to get it wrong. Just be confident,” Seungkwan chimed in from the other side, offering some last-minute reassurance.

PD Na flipped the first picture around, revealing it to Jun. “1, 2, 3,” PD Na counted down, and without missing a beat, Jun blurted out, “Jay Park.”

The room erupted in applause and cheers, the members voicing their excitement as Jun nailed the first answer.

[The first obstacle passed]

Wasting no time, PD Na showed the next picture to Minghao, who was up next. “1, 2, 3,” PD Na counted again.

[The next obstacle]

“Chung Ha,” Minghao answered on time, his voice steady.

[They overcame the obstacles]

The members clapped even louder, their praise growing with each correct answer. Dino jumped up in excitement, unable to contain himself.

[They did better than expected]

“They were good at it,” Wonwoo commented, clapping along with the others.

[Producer Na's getting nervous]

[Next is DK]

[His first Character Quiz in his life]

The game moved on swiftly to Dokyeom. PD Na revealed the next picture. “1, 2, 3,” he counted down.

“Captain America,” Dokyeom answered, earning even more cheers from the group.

“You got it,” Luna praised him with a bright smile.

But as the game progressed, the tension started to build. Jeonghan, who was up next, looked a bit alarmed as the reality of the game set in. “Wait, are there foreigners too?” he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

[That's what Character Quiz is about]

PD Na nodded, confirming Jeonghan’s suspicion. The atmosphere tensed up further as the members braced themselves.

PD Na then showed the picture to Jeonghan. “1, 2, 3,” he counted down.

“Han Ji Min,” Jeonghan answered, his response slower than the previous ones.

“He got it right! He got it right!” Luna exclaimed, her voice full of relief and excitement as she pointed at Jeonghan, making sure PD Na acknowledged the correct answer.

PD Na, however, wasn’t as forgiving. “It’s a warning,” he said, pointing at Jeonghan, his tone firm. Jeonghan had answered a bit too slowly for comfort.

“Calm down,” Mingyu advised the rest of the group, sensing the rising tension.

Next up was Luna, who leaned forward, her heart pounding in her chest. PD Na turned the picture to face her. “1, 2, 3,” he counted.

“V!” Luna blurted out, her voice clear and on time.

The room erupted in applause and praises once again, the excitement growing as they celebrated another correct answer. Some of the members were now on their feet, pacing back and forth in nervous energy.

“Let’s calm down,” Mingyu reminded everyone, trying to keep the group grounded.

“It’s Dino’s turn,” PD Na announced, moving on to the next member. He showed Dino the picture, “1, 2, 3,” he counted.

“Mi Joo,” Dino answered, his voice a bit hesitant.

“You got it right,” PD Na said, but quickly followed with, “It’s a warning,” indicating that Dino had been too slow as well. The group clapped for Dino’s correct answer but the tension was palpable.

[Woozi's next]

Finally, it was Woozi’s turn. PD Na turned the picture toward him. “1, 2, 3…” he counted, but no answer came from Woozi’s mouth.

“Wrong!” PD Na declared, the first slip-up in the game.

[Passionate]

Seungkwan’s expression was a mix of frustration and disbelief as he stood up, exclaiming, “Lee Chan Won!” The disappointment was evident in his voice, and the other members quickly rallied around him, determined to reason their way to a redo.

[Excuse me?] [Producer Na, hold on]

Like clockwork, they began voicing their dissatisfaction with the way the picture had been presented. S.Coups stood up, making a hand gesture to PD Na, indicating that the picture needed to be straightened. “You need to straighten the face,” he insisted, his tone half-serious, half-joking.

Jun, eager to support his leader, leaned forward to physically adjust the picture in PD Na’s hands. “You need to straighten the face,” he repeated as if this small detail had thrown off Woozi’s guess.

[They complain the photo was curved]

“I thought that was Chan because it was curved,” Mingyu added, his voice carrying a note of mock indignation that quickly spread through the group. They were slandering PD Na’s method of showing the picture as the reason for the mishap.

[Slandering]

“I get what you mean because it’s curved,” Woozi chimed in, backing up Mingyu’s point. He was now fully committed to the narrative.

“So? Is that why you didn’t know?” Jeonghan pressed, his voice teasing but with a hint of support for Woozi.

“I had no idea for that reason,” Woozi answered, his tone carrying a tinge of exasperation but mostly amusement.

Luna, sitting quietly and observing the chaotic exchange, couldn’t help but giggle at the audacity of the group. Their relentless reasoning, though absurd, was hilariously on brand for them. She decided to stay out of it, letting the boys have their moment.

PD Na looked shocked, not quite believing what he was hearing. “Are you sure you know now?” he asked Woozi, trying to gauge the seriousness of their claims.

“Of course,” Woozi replied confidently.

“We all went to get his autograph before.” Wonwoo, ever the supportive member added.

"He was on ‘Mr. Trot,’” Woozi added as if this solidified his knowledge of the celebrity in question.

S.Coups, seeing the opportunity to save face for Woozi, clapped his hands together, declaring, “Okay. That was a practice.”

“So, that’s all for the practice round,” Jun followed up, clearly attempting to lighten the mood and reset the game.

But PD Na wasn’t buying it. The playful atmosphere quickly turned as he made it clear that there would be no redo. Now, the members had to decide which dish to remove from their meal.

[Let's remove one dish]

[Time to make a decision]

The members of SEVENTEEN found themselves in a heated debate over which dish to remove, the tension mixed with a playful sense of urgency as they weighed their options.

Dino, in his innocence, was the first to make a suggestion. “Should we remove the acorn jelly?” His words hung in the air for a split second before they were met with immediate and resounding disapproval from every direction.

[Everyone yells]

“No!” Vernon shook his hand firmly, his voice laced with disbelief.

“No!” S.Coups echoed at the same time, his tone bordering on alarm.

Joshua leaned forward, his expression appaled as he addressed Dino. “We can never miss the acorn jelly.”

The most vocal reaction came from Seungkwan, who stood up abruptly, pointing an accusatory finger at Dino. “Acorn jelly is the best. What are you talking about?” His outburst left Dino momentarily stunned, his eyes wide as he sat back in his seat, shocked at the intensity of Seungkwan’s reaction.

[All he said was acorn jelly]

Dino tried to justify his choice, albeit hesitantly. “Because of the cucumber…” he trailed off, his voice mixed with chuckling.

Luna, seated next to Dino, patted his thigh gently, chuckling at the situation. “Our Dino doesn’t like cucumbers,” she explained with a soft smile, her tone lightening the mood.

Jun, always pragmatic, offered another option. “How about bean sprouts?” he suggested, his voice calm as he tried to steer the discussion in a different direction. “Bean sprouts,” he repeated as if to solidify his choice.

But before anyone could reply, Seungkwan had already made up his mind. He grabbed the container of salad, ready to remove it from the table.

“He can’t eat tomatoes,” S.Coups stood up and explained, gesturing toward Seungkwan as if to defend his action.

“He’s removing what he can’t eat,” Dokyeom noted, pouting slightly as he eyed Seungkwan up and down. S.Coups couldn’t help but chuckle, pointing at Dokyeom with a playful grin.

Minghao, ever observant, pointed out another detail. “Jun wants only the salad,” he said, turning the focus back to Jun’s preference.

“Ah, really?” Vernon exclaimed, his tone one of genuine surprise.

Jun nodded, his expression earnest. “Because I’m working on detoxing,” he explained, his voice calm as always.

Seungkwan took the opportunity to clarify to PD Na, “Some of us are detoxing. We’ll remove bean sprouts.”

But before the decision could be finalized, Vernon, now on his feet, pointed to another potential sacrifice. “Or what about sausages?” he suggested, his voice filled with the same playful uncertainty that had been present throughout their discussions.

“No, never sausages,” S.Coups replied immediately, his tone firm as he shut down the suggestion.

Dokyeom, feeling the need to contribute, stood up and pointed to another dish. “Let’s remove japchae,” he suggested, his voice confident.

“What?” S.Coups responded in shock, his reaction mirroring that of several other members.

Amidst the ongoing debate, PD Na just sat there, watching with a mixture of amusement and amazement as the members continued to discuss, their voices overlapping in a chaotic but somehow harmonious argument.

The debate among SEVENTEEN over which dish to remove escalated into a full-blown discussion, each member passionately defending their preferences.

Wonwoo, who had been quietly observing the chaos, finally chimed in with a suggestion. “I thought we follow the majority,” he said, his calm voice cutting through the noise.

S.Coups, the only one still standing, began pacing back and forth in front of the group. His frustration was evident as he tried to steer the conversation toward a decision. “Ya, what do you want to remove?” he asked, his voice laced with a hint of impatience.

[The general leader is exhausted]

Dino, sensing an opportunity to bring order, proposed, “Let’s go by majority. Who wants to remove the salad?” He raised his hand as an example, hoping others would follow suit.

Only S.Coups and Seungkwan raised their hands in agreement, their expressions determined. The lack of support from the rest of the group, however, left the salad firmly on the table.

[They're democratic, but it takes a long time and Jun wants it]

Hoshi, always one to throw in a curveball, casually suggested, “Just remove the yellow corvinas.”

[In favor of yellow corvinas]

This suggestion sparked immediate reactions, especially from Luna, who leaned forward to look at Hoshi. “What are you talking about?” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief as she looked at him.

[Bunny no. 1 wants yellow corvinas]

Minghao echoed her shock, turning to Hoshi with a confused expression. “Why? That’s the best,” he asked, genuinely baffled.

Seungkwan, who had been watching the exchange with growing frustration, finally exploded. “Are you all stupid? Remove bean sprouts,” he exclaimed, his eyes wide as he looked around at the group, unable to believe the conversation was still going.

Eventually, they agreed on removing the bean sprouts, and Dino reached out to remove them from the table, his expression a mix of relief and resignation.

[They agree on bean sprouts]

[Bean sprouts are out]

“So that’s how SEVENTEEN resolves conflicts,” PD Na commented, observing the group with an amused smile.

“It’s quite noisy,” Jun admitted, his tone light as he glanced around at his fellow members.

“We were just talking over each other,” Luna added, a hint of laughter in her voice as she reflected on the chaotic discussion.

“We’re all talking at the same time. What do we do?” Mingyu said, shaking his head with a grin.

“It’s so noisy,” Wonwoo chuckled, covering his ears in mock despair.

[SEVENTEEN never holds back from talking. They're noisy]

PD Na and the writers couldn’t help but laugh at the scene, thoroughly entertained by SEVENTEEN’s dynamic.

As the laughter died down, Seungkwan took the opportunity to remind Dino of his earlier blunder. “Dino, acorn jelly was a wrong choice,” he said, a teasing tone in his voice.

“Not the acorn jelly,” Vernon added, shaking his head.

“Don’t you mess with acorn jelly,” S.Coups warned, pointing at Dino with a playful glare.

Luna, unable to resist, added her own prediction with a grin. “It will be gone soon. Watch.”

Dokyeom giggled at the exchange. “This is funny.”

Jeonghan, who had been watching the whole thing with an amused smile, turned to S.Coups. “You never eat it,” he pointed out, his tone teasing.

[They were sensitive about removing it]

"Honestly, you could remove sausages,” Vernon voiced out, throwing in another suggestion.

“What?” Mingyu exclaimed from beside him, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Really?” Vernon asked him, slightly taken aback by the strong reaction.

“Aren’t sausages good?” Mingyu asked, still trying to process the suggestion.

[They start the debate on sausages]

PD Na, who had been observing the entire exchange with growing amusement, finally interjected with a wry smile. “I guess the conflict never resolves completely,” he remarked, shaking his head.

[No]

The members, realizing how long the discussion had gone on, began shaking their heads and voicing their agreement. “We keep complaining,” S.Coups said, mimicking a mouth with his hand as if to demonstrate how they couldn’t stop talking.

“It lasts long,” Joshua added with a chuckle.

“I won’t be surprised if we’ll be talking about this till we get home,” Luna said, leaning back in her seat with a sigh as if already resigning herself to the inevitability.

“We’re sensitive about food,” Dokyeom explained to PD Na, his tone a mix of sincerity and amusement.

“It turned into a mess many times before,” Seungkwan added, nodding in agreement.

“We’re good with everything else,” Dokyeom added as if to clarify that food was the one area where they just couldn’t seem to find peace.

“The decision is made, but people never stop talking,” PD Na noted, clearly fascinated by the group’s dynamic.

“That’s why they come to me,” Jeonghan added, his tone light but with a hint of truth.

"DK was getting serious." Seungkwan said, pointing at Dokyeom with a playful grin, mimicked him from earlier, saying, "'He's removing what he can't eat.'"

[Portraying DK]

This caused Dokyeom to burst into laughter, joining in by imitating his own actions as well.

[No need for counseling]

[Round 2]

As Round 2 commenced, the atmosphere in the room grew serious. The members were more focused than before. This time, S.Coups would start, which meant Jun would only play once.

[This time, S.Coups will go first]

"Then Jun will play only once," PD Na confirmed, nodding towards the group. "Then the problem is The8."

Minghao waved his hand dismissively, "The8 isn't the problem," he said with a small smile, his confidence unshaken.

"Why not?" PD Na asked, chuckling at Minghao’s laid-back attitude.

"Just make the question easy," Minghao replied innocently, earning a round of laughter from the members and crew.

[Producer Na is the problem]

[Problematic Director]

[The8 is not the problem]

"I'll choose the question carefully," PD Na assured them, the laughter still lingering in the air. "Let's start with S.Coups," he announced as the leader leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, fully concentrated.

[The leader of SEVENTEEN, S.Coups]

PD Na pulled out the first picture and began the countdown, "1, 2, 3…"

S.Coups hesitated, the pressure was evident in his eyes. He stood up suddenly, blurting out, "Hwang Jung Min."

[Park Bo Gum]

"Wrong!" PD Na exclaimed, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

The room fell silent for a moment before it broke into chaos. Not only had S.Coups hesitated, but his answer was also completely off the mark. The question was the easiest one so far, shocking not just the members but also the writers who were present. All eyes turned to their leader, who now paced behind the seats, back and forth, before dramatically holding onto the wall as if in despair.

[SEVENTEEN is shocked]

"Ya!" Joshua pointed at him, his voice filled with both disbelief and amusement. "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" Dokyeom echoed, clearly flabbergasted.

Luna, still seated but with wide eyes, couldn’t hold back her surprise. "What just happened? That was the easiest one."

The members began to voice their shock and disappointment, the room now buzzing with incredulous energy.

[Park Bo Gum: As the former host of ‘Music Bank’]

[he probably said hi to SEVENTEEN]

[He probably introduced their new song too]

"Just go home," Seungkwan suggested, his tone dripping with playful sarcasm.

[Outraged]

Mingyu turned to PD Na, mock seriousness in his voice. "Can we remove one member at a time instead of the food?"

[Shocked]

"Give him up," Minghao chimed in, his voice completely deadpan.

"Let's just kick him out," Hoshi added, his own brand of humor causing the others to laugh despite the situation.

"He doesn't know how to play games at all," Dino pointed at S.Coups, shaking his head as if in disbelief, while the leader continued to stand at the back, feigning defeat.

Luna, unable to resist joining in on the teasing, deadpanned with a straight face, "You never know, that might be Hwang Jung Min in another universe," she joked, pointing at the picture as if she were seriously considering the possibility.

[Someone help S.Coups]

The room burst into laughter, the tension from S.Coups' earlier mistake evaporating instantly. Even S.Coups, still leaning against the wall in mock despair, couldn’t help but crack a smile at Luna’s witty remark, grateful for her ability to lighten the mood.

Jeonghan, ever the strategist, took charge of the situation. "We need to remove one," he declared, pointing decisively at the array of food options before them. His eyes scanned the dishes before settling on a decision. "Let’s remove them in order," he suggested, trying to instill some semblance of logic in the chaotic process.

However, Vernon quickly chimed in with his own idea. "No, let's remove the sausages," he proposed, his voice steady.

[Cool]

Luna nodded in agreement, and Jeonghan wasted no time. He pointed directly at the container of sausages, his tone firm, "Remove it."

Seungkwan and Dino, who were already on their feet, sprang into action. Dino grabbed the container with a sense of purpose as if removing the sausages was a mission of utmost importance. "Sure, the processed meat. Sodium nitrite," Seungkwan commented, shaking his head with mock seriousness. "It's not healthy."

[Sausages are out]

PD Na, observing their theatrics, couldn’t help but chuckle. "You worry about your health," he remarked, amused by the group's sudden concern for nutrition.

"Yes!" they chorused in unison, as if the entire group had just had a collective epiphany about healthy eating.

From across the line, Mingyu turned to S.Coups, curiosity etched on his face. "What were you doing earlier?" he asked, referring to S.Coups’ earlier flub.

S.Coups shook his head, still looking somewhat bewildered. "I couldn’t remember," he admitted, his tone sheepish.

"That’s what happens," Mingyu said, nodding sympathetically.

"It happens," Minghao added with a sage nod of his own, as if imparting some deep wisdom.

S.Coups, still nursing his pride, glanced at PD Na and confessed, "I yelled at them when I watched it," referring to the infamous ‘HYBE’ special where they got everything wrong.

PD Na gave him a knowing look, understanding the pressure. "S.Coups, I understand," Jeonghan interjected, his voice gentle, offering his friend some comfort.

Wonwoo, who had been relatively quiet until now, suddenly spoke up, his voice tinged with nervousness. "Why am I getting so nervous?" he asked, almost to himself.

PD Na, ever the problem solver, suggested, "I think you should move S.Coups to the center."

S.Coups, eager to shake off the earlier mishap, quickly stood up. "Can I sit in the middle?" he asked, looking for approval.

Without missing a beat, Mingyu moved to his seat, making him the first in line, while S.Coups settled into Seungkwan’s spot.

[Mingyu moves to the 1st seat]

Seungkwan, still in good spirits despite the chaos, looked at Mingyu and teased, "Mingyu, you weren’t that good last year," reminding him of the infamous ‘HYBE’ special with a playful grin.

[Round 3]

"Let's start," PD Na announced, the energy shifting as everyone prepared for the next challenge.

Mingyu, now in the hot seat as the first in line, tried to steady his nerves. Leaning forward slightly, he murmured to himself, "Who's there these days?" His focus sharpened as PD Na positioned himself in front of him, ready to reveal the next image.

"1, 2, 3," PD Na counted down, pulling the picture out. Without missing a beat, Mingyu confidently answered, "Jang Sung Kyu."

The room erupted in a mix of surprise and admiration. "He's good," S.Coups remarked, genuinely impressed.

"No wonder he's experienced," Woozi added. A few shook their heads, chuckling.

"I wouldn't have got it," Jeonghan admitted, acknowledging Mingyu’s sharpness.

[It requires concentration]

Next up was Vernon. PD Na moved in front of him, the atmosphere slightly more relaxed after Mingyu’s success. "1, 2, 3…" PD Na prompted, revealing the picture. But instead of a quick answer, there was silence. Vernon’s mouth hung open slightly, but no words came out.

"Wrong!" PD Na declared, breaking the silence with a hint of playful disappointment.

From somewhere in the background, Seungkwan, always quick to react, yelled out, "Kim Yeon Koung!" His voice rang out just as Mingyu, feeling victorious, stepped back to let the next player take his place.

S.Coups, however, couldn't resist the opportunity to tease. Standing up, he pointed directly at Vernon. "You can never yell at me," he declared with a triumphant grin.

"Kim Yeon Koung, who led Korea to the semifinal!" Seungkwan added, still slightly in disbelief that Vernon had missed such a well-known figure.

S.Coups wasn't about to let it go. "Admit it. You’re in no place to blame me," he said, a teasing tone in his voice as he looked at Vernon.

Vernon, still processing his mistake, nodded and shook his head. "We’re the same," he admitted with a resigned smile.

Mingyu, always one to keep the energy light, grabbed one of the large posters from the back. On it was one of their famous quotes, and with a mischievous grin, he raised it behind Vernon’s head. The sign read, 'ARE YOU OKAY?' The moment everyone saw it, laughter erupted around the room.

[Greetings]

"For real?" Mingyu asked Vernon, his voice still laced with amusement, making the atmosphere light once more despite the round’s pressure.

The debate over which dish to remove from the table heated up as Jeonghan sprang to his feet, determined to take charge of the situation. He reached for the container of rolled omelets, ready to make the decision himself. At the same time, Minghao, feeling equally decisive, grabbed the japchae container and announced, "Let's remove japchae."

However, not everyone agreed with this sudden move. A chorus of dissent rose from a few members, and before they could follow through, Wonwoo quickly extended his arm, signaling for them to pause. "Wait," he said, his voice steady but firm. S.Coups, already on his way over, echoed the sentiment with a pout, "Wait, not the japchae."

Jeonghan, sensing the resistance, raised his arms in a gesture of surrender. "What do you want to remove then?" he asked, a playful tone of exasperation creeping into his voice as he looked around at his indecisive teammates.

[Choose one already]

Seungkwan, however, had already made up his mind. He walked forward, confidently grabbing the container of japchae from Minghao's grasp. "No. Japchae raises your blood sugar level," he declared, his tone leaving little room for argument.

"That's high in carbs," Dokyeom agreed, nodding as they both returned to their seats, the japchae now out of the table.

[Japchae is out]

As the lively debate over the food continued to unfold, PD Na, with a playful grin, turned his attention to Vernon. "Vernon, you need to apologize," he teased, referring to Vernon’s earlier mistake during the game.

Vernon, feeling the weight of his error, offered a shy smile before bowing slightly in apology. "Are you going to be okay?" PD Na asked, still playfully asking him.

Wonwoo, sensing the need to comfort his friend, chimed in, "You know her, right?" His tone was reassuring, as if to remind Vernon that his slip-up was no big deal.

"Do you remember now?" PD Na followed up, clearly enjoying the banter.

Vernon nodded, his expression a mix of embarrassment and amusement. "I know her, but I couldn't recall her name," he explained, a hint of frustration in his voice at his lapse in memory.

S.Coups, always quick to empathize, added, "See? You get stuck," acknowledging how easy it was to draw a blank under pressure.

Mingyu then seized the moment to ask. "Wonwoo, do you want to come here? Anyone who hasn’t played yet want to go first? We won’t be able to eat anyway," he quipped, earning a hearty laugh from PD Na.

[It turns into an experiential learning]

"Right. We’ll end up eating rice and soup only," Jeonghan agreed, joining in on the humor as the group prepared for the next round, the tension from the game gradually melting into shared laughter.

As they prepared for the fourth round, some of the members began to shuffle their seats, creating a fresh dynamic. Vernon switched places with Dino and found himself sitting next to Luna, who greeted him with a warm smile.

[Vernon moves to the back]

[Dino who tried it before moves to the front]

Mingyu, feeling confident after his recent success, couldn’t resist making a bold statement. "I feel like I've become the ace," he declared, puffing up slightly with mock arrogance, eliciting chuckles from the group.

PD Na, ever curious about their mindset, asked, "Before playing the game, were you confident?"

S.Coups, recalling his earlier blunder, responded first. "When I watched the video, I thought I'd be good at it," he admitted, his initial confidence now tempered with humility. He shook his head in playful defeat. "Wow," he added, the disbelief still lingering in his voice, making PD Na laugh.

[People who are watching right now probably agree with you]

Seungkwan, who was seated next to S.Coups, deadpanned, "Getting Park Bo Gum wrong was a terrible mistake," bringing up the mishap with a seriousness that made the others smirk. The reminder made S.Coups smile in defeat, his expression one of resigned acceptance.

"I know. It was so easy," Jeonghan chimed in, adding to the gentle ribbing.

Seungkwan, always quick with details, pointed out, "He was the ‘Music Bank’ host when we debuted."

Hoshi, joining in from S.Coups’ other side, added, "He even performed 'Pretty U' at his fan meet," his tone both teasing and nostalgic.

Jeonghan, ever the contrarian in a playful way, added, "I still understand," though his words carried a hint of teasing contradiction, causing Luna to giggle from her seat next to him.

"I understand," Hoshi echoed, patting S.Coups on the back with exaggerated sympathy.

"It's okay," Seungkwan added, as they all took turns playfully comforting their leader, who stared blankly ahead with a sarcastic, pained chuckle, his expression making PD Na and the writers laugh heartily.

[If you've seen S.Coups' soul, please call ‘HYBE’]

"Let's go," Hoshi said, ready for the next round and eager to change the subject.

"I'm getting dizzy," S.Coups joked, his dramatic delivery causing more laughter to ripple through the group.

"They're so funny," PD Na remarked to the writers, his amusement evident as he watched the lively group banter.

[SEVENTEEN became a genre]

[Round 4]

As silence fell over the group, the atmosphere grew tense with anticipation. All eyes were on PD Na as he carefully shuffled the pictures in front of him, his movements deliberate and teasing. The members leaned forward slightly, eager to see what challenge lay ahead for Mingyu, who was first in line.

PD Na revealed the picture, holding it up for just a moment before he began his countdown. "1, 2, 3," he intoned, his voice calm yet commanding.

"Hwang Jung Min," Mingyu answered confidently, not missing a beat.

The room erupted in cheers, with the members expressing their excitement and relief. "Mingyu is the ace!" Hoshi exclaimed, springing to his feet to give Mingyu a high five. "Good job!" The energy in the room was infectious, with everyone feeding off the victory.

Mingyu, basking in the praise, mockingly puffed up his chest, wearing a smug grin that only made the others laugh harder.

[His shoulders are rising]

S.Coups, Hoshi, and Joshua exchanged a glance before pointing at him in unison, "Right now, it's sixty centimeters," they quipped, referencing the width of his shoulders— now a running joke among them because of the earlier interview.

[His shoulders are 60cm in width]

"Your shoulders got wider than Wonwoo," PD Na added with a chuckle, playing along with the banter.

On the other side, Luna couldn't hold back a snicker. She leaned toward Jeonghan, who immediately sensed her movement and bent down slightly to catch what she was about to say. "Is it not Park Bo Gum?" Luna whispered, her voice laced with playful sarcasm, referencing S.Coups’ earlier mistake of confusing Park Bo Gum with Hwang Jung Min.

[Someone help S.Coups again]

Jeonghan chuckled at the joke, clearly amused by her quick wit. “In another universe, maybe,” he said, referring to her joke earlier making her laugh. In response, he gave her a gentle poke in the waist, eliciting a surprised squeal from Luna as they both waited for their turn in the game.

[Next is Dino who played before]

As Dino's turn approached, the room's energy shifted slightly, with the focus now on the youngest member. Sitting next to Mingyu, Dino leaned forward, his eyes wide with concentration, clearly determined to give his best shot. The members around him began to cheer him on, their voices a mix of encouragement and playful pressure.

"Dino," they chanted softly, creating a supportive atmosphere. "You know them all," Seungkwan added from Dino’s side, his tone reassuring as he tried to bolster Dino’s confidence.

PD Na, ready to continue, held up the next picture, pausing momentarily before beginning his countdown. "1, 2, 3…" he called out, his voice crisp and clear.

Dino stared at the picture, his brow furrowed in thought. After a moment, he hesitated and said, "He's cool," not entirely sure who he was looking at. The uncertainty in his voice was evident.

[A cool guy]

"Wrong!" PD Na exclaimed, breaking the tension and sending the room into a burst of laughter. Some of the members stood up, clapping and cheering, while others playfully scolded Dino for his guess.

Dino shrugged, offering a sheepish smile as he excused himself, "I'm not good at it."

"It's okay," Luna chimed in, her voice comforting.

[Note: It is only okay for bunny no. 1 if it's someone adorable]

"The Korean Zombie," Wonwoo announced, revealing the correct answer.

Jeonghan turned to Vernon, shaking his head as he pointed out, "You shouldn’t have switched," he teased, knowing Vernon would have recognized the UFC fighter.

"From UFC," Vernon clarified for Dino, his tone understanding.

Luna, sitting next to Vernon, added with a knowing smile, "Dino doesn’t watch UFC."

"I don't watch UFC," Dino repeated, echoing her words as if to solidify his reasoning for missing the answer.

As the game moved on, the next challenge was deciding which dish to remove from their table, an ongoing debate that had already caused plenty of drama. Minghao, with his usual calm demeanor, stood up and confidently headed toward the front table, where all the dishes were displayed. He pointed at one with determination, announcing, "We should remove this."

His suggestion, however, was met with a chorus of loud disagreements. "Why LA galbi?" Joshua's voice rang out, filled with disbelief.

[He's from LA]

"Why? LA galbi is expensive," Luna added, her tone equally appalled.

"Don't mess with galbi," S.Coups warned, his voice carrying the weight of a leader defending a treasured dish.

[Galbi is like family]

Despite Minghao's attempt to remove the LA galbi, the team quickly overruled him, and after much discussion, they unanimously agreed to remove the salad instead. Jun, who had been eyeing the salad only, gladly allowed it to be removed. "Remove it," he agreed with a nod, happy to see it go.

[Salad is out]

[It was a big decision for Jun who was going to eat only the salad]

As the salad was being taken away, S.Coups spoke up again, "Why aren't we removing yogurt?"

Seungkwan looked at him incredulously. "What are you talking about?" he exclaimed.

"We need yogurt," Vernon insisted from his spot, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Seungkwan, always quick with a playful jab, patted S.Coups on the back. "You should be grateful we didn't remove you," he teased.

S.Coups laughed in defeat, knowing he had lost this round of the debate. "Thanks," he chuckled, the humor of the situation not lost on him.

As the atmosphere buzzed with excitement, PD Na raised a hand to gather everyone’s attention. "Who should go first?" he asked, ready to kick off the next round of their game.

"People who haven't played yet should," Mingyu suggested, his voice clear and confident.

[Those of you who haven't gone on the ride yet, come to the front]

At this prompt, a flurry of movement erupted around the room as the members began to switch seats, eager to shuffle into new spots. The commotion was lively and chaotic, with laughter and chatter echoing as fourteen members jockeyed for position. Jeonghan, who had been gripping Luna's pinky finger this entire time found himself separated from her as they were swept along with the crowd that is SEVENTEEN.

In the end, Jeonghan settled into a spot next to S.Coups in the middle of the group, while Luna ended up sitting on the right front side, nestled between Mingyu and Dino. The seat changes brought a new dynamic, and as everyone settled into their places, Hoshi commented from the first chair on the left side, "We'll be going nonstop from now on. You better get ready over there."

“I don’t think I’ll get it,” came a voice from next to Hoshi. It was Wonwoo, second in line, his expression revealing a hint of excitement and uncertainty.

"Wonwoo. Did you answer all the questions until now?" PD Na asked, his curiosity piqued.

"No," Wonwoo replied shyly with a chuckle.

Minghao chimed in, "Wonwoo isn't good at it," his tone light-hearted yet teasing.

"Do you want to switch just in case?" Hoshi suggested, turning to Joshua with an encouraging nod.

"I'm not good at it either," Joshua admitted as they switched seats, with Joshua moving to Wonwoo's original spot.

"Wonwoo tends to play the villain," Seungkwan remarked, a grin spreading across his face.

"I don’t watch TV," Wonwoo explained, his tone earnest as he tried to justify his lack of knowledge.

"Who doesn’t know these days just because they don’t watch TV?" Mingyu asked incredulously, shaking his head in mock of disbelief.

"All he watches is the game," S.Coups added, nodding knowingly at Wonwoo, who merely shrugged in response.

Jeonghan then turned to PD Na with a mischievous glint in his eyes, “You should just show him his own picture.”

“I want to be good at it. I’m getting nervous,” Joshua confided to Hoshi, his nerves evident as he adjusted in his seat. “I’m nervous to be here."

“It’s okay,” Luna softly chuckled at Joshua’s plight, her English accent coming through as she reassured him in English.

[Round 5]

As the fifth round began, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation. The members were laser-focused, knowing the stakes were high with each dish removed from the table. PD Na shuffled through his stack of pictures, finally settling on one to show Hoshi, who was first in line.

“1, 2, 3,” PD Na counted down.

“Baekho,” Hoshi answered confidently, earning a round of claps and praise from the other members. His quick response and accuracy brought a wave of relief, as they successfully passed the first hurdle of the round.

[If he got it wrong, he would've spent 3 awkward years]

Next up was Joshua, his face a mix of concentration and nerves as PD Na presented the picture to him.

“1, 2, 3…”

“Lee Bo Young,” Joshua answered, his voice steady. For a moment, there was silence. Then, the room erupted— not in cheers, but in confusion.

[No?]

Hoshi, unaware that Joshua’s answer was wrong, started clapping enthusiastically, his usual bright smile on his face. But before he could get too carried away, Joshua’s eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

“Park Bo Young!” Joshua quickly corrected himself, but the damage was already done.

“Lee Bo Young is Ji Sung’s wife,” Seungkwan exclaimed, standing up with a look of disbelief.

“Park Bo Young?” Joshua asked again, this time with an innocent smile, as if trying to win them over with charm.

“From ‘Agency.’ You should’ve only said Bo Young,” Hoshi said, still somewhat clueless about the error but offering his advice nonetheless.

“You still got Bo Young,” Wonwoo reassured Joshua, trying to salvage the situation and boost morale.

Jeonghan, ever the quick thinker and skilled in mischief and cheating, leaned toward Joshua. “Did you say Lee Bo Young as in that person is Bo Young?” he asked, implying that the mistake was merely a slip in pronunciation.

Luna chuckled at Jeonghan’s cleverness before chiming in, “That’s right.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Joshua said, as if the realization had just dawned on him. “That’s it. Of course, I know Park Bo Young.”

[I can't be wrong]

“Lee as in 'this'?” PD Na asked, playing along with the humorous twist Jeonghan had introduced.

[Acting]

Joshua and Jeonghan immediately seized the moment, pointing at the picture as they both said in sync, “This is… Bo Young.”

Hoshi joined in on the fun, pointing out, “He’s American,” referencing Joshua’s background to justify the mix-up, trying to keep the mood light despite the mistake.

[It's got nothing to do with being American]

[Once you get bitten by SEVENTEEN, you have to get your act together]

[Or you end up getting persuaded]

“This is Bo Young,” Joshua repeated in English, trying to sell the cleverly made excuse.

Mingyu, always quick with a quip, couldn’t resist adding, “It’s so embarrassing. Don’t be so miserable,” which drew a laugh from Luna, her smile softening the moment.

Eventually, the laughter subsided, and the reality of the mistake settled in. Wonwoo, seeing that they needed to move forward, took the initiative. “So, what do we remove?” he asked, his tone practical, ready to accept their loss.

“Mini pork cutlet?” Joshua suggested, standing up to remove the dish himself. He knew they had to sacrifice something, and the mini pork cutlet seemed the most acceptable option.

“Let’s remove them in order except for kimchi,” Jeonghan agreed, always the one to find a way to maintain some semblance of fairness.

“Sorry,” Joshua said sincerely as he walked to the table, lifting the dish of mini pork cutlets with a resigned smile.

“Let’s leave kimchi for last,” S.Coups added, his voice carrying a tone of finality as the round came to a close. They all knew that kimchi was non-negotiable, a staple that no one wanted to part with.

[Mini pork cutlets are out]

As the fifth round drew to a close and the group prepared for the next challenge, Wonwoo looked around, suddenly realizing something.

"Am I the only one who hasn't played yet?" he asked, standing up from his seat. The others watched as he moved to the front of the line, swapping seats with Hoshi.

Seungkwan, ever quick with a playful jab, couldn’t resist, “You won’t even last for three seconds,” he teased, causing PD Na and the writers to burst into laughter.

[They're supposed to answer in 3 seconds]

From the other side of the room, Luna’s voice chimed in, gentle yet confident. “No, Wonwoo can do it. He’s smart,” she said, her tone soft but filled with belief. “I believe in you, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo, who was usually calm and composed, blushed slightly at the encouragement. “I’m sorry, but don’t get your hopes up,” he responded shyly, clearly touched by Luna’s words but trying to keep expectations realistic.

“Wonwoo, you can do it,” Jeonghan added, his voice warm with support. A chorus of agreements followed from the other members.

“You can do it.”

“A picture of a SEVENTEEN member might pop up,” Jeonghan continued with a playful smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

[Pressure]

“It’ll be funny if we miss it,” Dokyeom chuckled, imagining the scenario.

PD Na, amused by the situation, looked at Wonwoo and said, “No one thinks you’ll succeed,” his tone light and teasing.

“Right. We’re just doing this for experience,” S.Coups chimed in, trying to manage expectations while keeping the atmosphere light.

“We can all be on TV,” Minghao added with a grin.

“When will we get to be here again?” Jeonghan mused his tone a mix of understanding and calmness.

“When will we get to play this?” S.Coups echoed, clearly enjoying the moment with his friends.

“We can always come back here later,” Mingyu said, looking around at the others with a confident smile.

“We should come back,” Minghao agreed, nodding thoughtfully.

“But you never know. It might keep going,” Hoshi added, trying to keep the momentum up.

“We might keep going,” Joshua agreed, his eyes glinting with determination.

“I believe in Wonwoo,” Luna reiterated, shaking her head with a small pout, her belief in him unwavering. Wonwoo, feeling the warmth of her support, couldn’t help but smile— a small, gentle smile that showed how much her words meant to him.

[Round 6]

Round six kicked off with a wave of anticipation. The members, still buzzing from the previous rounds, were eager to see how Wonwoo would fare.

"Come on, Wonwoo!" Jeonghan cheered, his voice full of encouragement, his eyes locked on Wonwoo, who was now in the hot seat.

PD Na shuffled through the pictures in front of him, finally picking one. He looked at Wonwoo and, with a steady tone, counted down, “1, 2, 3.”

“Key,” Wonwoo responded confidently, just as Dino, sitting across the room, muttered the same name under his breath, “Key,” in a subtle attempt to help him out.

The room erupted into cheers and claps. “Good job!” Luna called out, her face lighting up with a proud smile.

[Look at these people]

PD Na, however, had caught the quiet muttering from Dino. “I thought I just heard something,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he gestured toward Dino, who quickly pretended to cough.

“I was coughing,” Dino said, raising his hand as if to cover his mouth, trying to play it off casually. “I should’ve covered my mouth. Sorry.”

[The climate problem is very serious, isn't it?]

PD Na shook his head with a playful grin. “It’s a warning,” he announced, more amused than serious.

“Okay,” the group responded in unison, agreeing to the light-hearted reprimand.

[Next is Hoshi]

Next up was Hoshi. The energy in the room was palpable as PD Na held up the next picture. “1, 2, 3—”

“BamBam,” Hoshi answered without hesitation, prompting another round of cheers.

[He got a colleague for twice in a row]

“Hoshi’s good,” S.Coups noted, nodding in approval.

“The first question is always easy,” Woozi remarked, analyzing the trend.

“I want something like that too,” Vernon added nervously, watching as Hoshi basked in the praise.

[Joshua is next]

Then it was Joshua’s turn. He stood up, taking a deep breath, and as he prepared himself, he suddenly called out, “Wait.”

“Joshua, don’t say the last name,” Dino offered from his seat, trying to guide him.

[No last name]

“Add the last name at the end. Say, Bo Young Park,” Mingyu added, motioning with his hand as Joshua nodded, his hand on his chest, mentally preparing himself.

[Character Quiz World Version]

"Here we go," PD Na announced, setting the stage for Joshua’s turn. The room grew quiet as he began to count down, “1, 2, 3,” and then revealed the picture to Joshua.

Joshua’s reaction was immediate and priceless. “Urgh,” he groaned, his hands shooting up to clutch his neck in shock.

[What was that?]

[We just heard a weird sound]

The sudden, exaggerated movement caught everyone off guard, and the room erupted into laughter. Some of the members stood up, clapping in amusement, while others collapsed to the floor, overcome by laughter.

[Let's laugh for a second]

Dino and Mingyu, who were seated on either side of Luna, found themselves laughing so hard that they fell off their chairs, each grabbing one of Luna’s arms as they went down. The unexpected tug almost pulled Luna down with them, but she managed to stay upright, laughing at the hilarity of the situation.

“Wrong!” PD Na laughed, confirming Joshua’s failure, but the teasing was far from over. The members continued to laugh at Joshua’s dramatic display, some still on the floor, others doubled over on the other side of the room. Joshua, ever the performer, pretended to have a neck cramp, using it as a playful excuse for his blunder.

[Wriggling in agony]

“Wait! He suddenly got a cramp,” Hoshi called out, alerting everyone to Joshua’s antics. He played along, his voice full of mock concern as Joshua writhed in fake agony, his hand still on his neck.

A few members took the joke further, rushing toward Joshua with exaggerated worry. “Are you okay?” Seungkwan asked his voice a mix of laughter and pretend concern as he crouched beside Joshua.

[They're worried about his condition]

“Shua is amazing,” Luna said between laughs, wiping the tears from her eyes. Mingyu, still on the floor, pointed at her, laughing even harder at the sight of her struggling to compose herself.

[The game that makes you cry]

[They all burst into laughter]

PD Na and the writers couldn’t contain their amusement, laughing at the shameless display unfolding before them. Joshua, fully committed to the bit, slowly lay down on the floor, feigning pain and defeat.

[He shouldn't be okay]

[So he lies down on the floor]

Hoshi, always quick to join in on the fun, pointed at the picture again, his tone mockingly serious. “Who’s that?” he asked, drawing everyone’s attention back to the game.

[You must say the answer for this situation to be over]

“Oh, Uhm Jung Hwa!” Joshua suddenly exclaimed, sitting up as if the answer had just come to him. His enthusiasm earned another round of laughter and applause, everyone playing along with the excuse, reveling in the chaos of the moment.

[It seems that's how they film ‘Going Seventeen’]

As the laughter finally began to die down, Jeonghan turned to Joshua, still grinning from ear to ear. “Don’t be nervous,” he advised gently, his voice soothing in its sincerity.

Joshua nodded in agreement, his expression sheepish yet amused. “I was too nervous,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as if still feeling the phantom cramp.

[He suddenly got a cramp]

Hoshi, never one to miss an opportunity to add a playful twist, chimed in, “His blood sugar level suddenly went up. Even his hair turned red.” This earned another round of chuckles as the group slowly started to settle back into their seats.

[Joshua is healthy]

In the midst of their playful banter, they noticed Vernon walking past them, dragging another chair behind him. Seungkwan, ever observant, asked, “Vernon, what’s wrong with your chair?”

[The chair broke when they made a fuss]

PD Na, clearly amused by the chaotic scene, explained with a laugh, “While one passed out, Vernon’s fixing the chair in the back. You’re all busy on your own.” The camera panned to Vernon, who smiled sheepishly as he adjusted the new chair, his old one having broken during the earlier commotion.

“You got it,” Minghao reminded Joshua of their earlier ruse, referring to the playful way they had tried to twist the rules in their favor.

“Yes, I did,” Joshua responded, puffing up with pride at his small victory, even if it was short-lived.

PD Na, always quick to bring them back to reality, quipped, “You took twenty-three seconds,” which made everyone laugh in defeat at the absurdity of it all.

[What a bummer]

“You’re accurate,” Jun noted, shaking his head in mock disbelief.

“We were on ‘Immortal Songs’— Uhm Jung Hwa special,” Wonwoo added, drawing out an enthusiastic chorus of agreement from the group, all of them nodding as the memory came back to them.

“How can you not get it?” PD Na asked Joshua, who responded with a deep bow of apology, his face a perfect picture of exaggerated regret.

[Sorry]

Before another lengthy debate about which dish to remove could begin, Jeonghan swiftly stood up, his expression decisive. Without a word, he grabbed the container of rolled omelets and removed it from the table, ending the discussion before it even started.

[Say goodbye to rolled omelets]

He returned to his seat with a satisfied grin, earning a few raised eyebrows and stifled laughs from the others, who were grateful to avoid another round of indecisive bickering.

[Rolled omelets are out]

Suddenly Mingyu, proposed with a light-hearted grin, “Shall we have people who appeared on ‘The Game Caterers’ last time sit together? Let’s sit together.”

The suggestion hovered in the air, eliciting a brief, almost uncomfortable silence. The camera captured the stillness as if it were holding its breath, waiting for the next cue. Luna, sitting beside Mingyu with an air of casual confidence, deadpanned in her most matter-of-fact tone, “Do you really think the seven of you who lost last time should all sit together in a row?”

Her words cut through the silence with a sharp clarity. The reaction was immediate and animated. The camera panned to PD Na and the show’s writers, who burst into laughter, their amusement evident as they pointed at Luna. The members, caught off guard by her bluntness, joined in, their laughter blending into the chaotic symphony of the studio. Mingyu, on the other hand, could only stare at the side of Luna’s face, his expression a mix of surprise and a mock resignation as she playfully winked at him after.

“It’s no use,” Jun chimed in, nodding in agreement with Luna’s assessment.

Seungkwan, ever the skeptic, pointed at the array of food laid out on the table and asked, “Do you really think we can eat this?” His tone was laced with incredulity, mirroring the shared skepticism of the group.

Dino, with his trademark optimism, countered with a hopeful smile, “I think we have hope.” His comment was an attempt to inject some positivity into the conversation, despite the prevailing doubts.

“We have to go both ways?” Hoshi inquired, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Yes,” Luna confirmed, nodding.

“It’s impossible,” Minghao interjected, his voice tinged with resignation.

“Can you make it one way?” Jeonghan proposed, turning to negotiate with PD Na. His plea was a bid to simplify the task, showing his willingness to find a compromise.

“All right. It’s time to make a decision. We’re not here to fight,” PD Na began, his voice cutting through the chatter. The members nodded in agreement, their collective attention now focused on the resolution of the issue.

[We want peace]

“In this situation, it should be one way,” PD Na decreed, offering a pragmatic solution. The members, relieved by the compromise, clapped in appreciation. Their gratitude was palpable, a collective sigh of relief that was evident in their cheers.

“He cut it to half,” Seungkwan remarked, his tone reflecting the relief shared by everyone present.

“Thank you,” Luna said, her voice sincere as she expressed her thanks to PD Na.

“Let’s do this,” S.Coups declared, his voice brimming with resolve as he rallied the group.

“Yet, there are more people than other teams,” PD Na pointed out, referencing the discrepancy in team sizes. The members nodded, acknowledging the fairness of the observation.

[Yet you made us go both ways?]

The studio buzzed with a mixture of anticipation and playful banter as PD Na readied the group for the next round of the quiz game.

“Who’s going first?” PD Na asked, looking around at the eager faces.

“Mingyu keeps scoring,” Hoshi announced with a grin, nodding toward the tall figure next to him. “He’s good.”

Luna, who had been listening intently, added her agreement with a nod. “He’s good.” Her gaze shifted to Mingyu, who was seated right next to her. Starting with Mingyu would indeed mean that Luna would be second in line for the quiz— a strategic position she was content with.

“Luna is good too,” PD Na said, acknowledging her skill with a knowing smile.

“You saw the questions. Been practicing?” PD Na asked Dino.

“Yes, I got them all,” Dino answered confidently, giving a nod. His assurance was a source of added confidence for the team.

[Dino was very close]

“I bet Seungkwan knows everyone,” PD Na remarked, turning to the enthusiastic member next to Dino. Seungkwan nodded a sparkle of pride in his eyes.

“S.Coups, what about you?” PD Na inquired, shifting the spotlight to the leader who had yet to score a point.

“Half and half,” S.Coups replied with a shrug, his tone a mix of casual defeat and humor. His track record wasn’t stellar, but he took it all in stride.

“Take it easy. Don’t let it pressure you,” Mingyu advised, leaning back in his seat with a relaxed demeanor. His casual posture was a stark contrast to the tension in the air.

“Okay. I’ll sit like you too,” S.Coups said, mimicking Mingyu’s laid-back position with a playful smirk.

“Sit arrogant like me,” Mingyu said confidently. “Take it easy. You know these people.” His words were meant to reassure but came across with his signature blend of confidence and humor.

“If you reach Wonwoo, you win,” PD Na reminded them, referencing the ultimate goal of the game. Wonwoo, who was sitting quietly and watching the proceedings with an amused expression, was the benchmark they were all aiming for.

Seungkwan, who, catching the infectious enthusiasm in the room, declared with a confident grin, “Let’s do this.”

“We can do it,” Dokyeom added, his voice brimming with encouragement.

“We can do it,” Minghao echoed, his tone matching Dokyeom’s optimism. The repetition of the sentiment helped solidify the group's collective resolve.

“There are still five dishes,” Hoshi pointed out, his statement a reminder of the prize.

With the final pep talk and the remainder of the remaining dishes, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation. The scene was set for the next phase of their comedic and unpredictable variety game show adventure, leaving viewers eagerly awaiting to see how the competition would unfold.

[To be continued in Clip 1-4]

ೃ⁀➷ comment or message me to be added to the tag list :)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ SUBMIT A REQUEST AND ASK ME ANYTHING!

: ̗̀➛ requests are always open ♡ - lunaఌ

Taglist: @yeoberryx @minminghao @angie-x3 @jennwonwoo @k13endall @heeseungthel0ml @chisskaa @megumi2020 @yoonzzziino

[writers-reach]

I have a request for joker (could you use akira for the name please).

Something like his s/o is also in the phantom thieves and when they are in safe rooms she likes to do small braids in his hair, also while chilling out at leblanc maybe :3

Might be a silly request but I thought it was cute, have a great day!

persona 5: playing with his hair (akira kurusu/ren amamiya)

notes: akira kurusu for protag, fluff, fem!reader, reader is a phantom thief, this might be sliiightly inaccurate since i haven't touched p5 in a while and idc to check myself

you were grinding through mementos one day with the rest of the phantom thieves, and things were going pretty well! shadows were being slain, treasure was being looted, and you were overall having a fun time riding around in morgana's van form.

you were grateful, though, for makoto's recent membership of the team. she was better at driving the van than akira was (bless his heart), which meant she took the wheel while akira sat in the passenger's seat, telling her where to go.

you sat behind him in the second row of seats, often leaning your head on the seat in front of you, sometimes babbling to get akira's attention. he'd always reach back to ruffle your hair or playfully offset your mask.

but your attention always drifted to his hair - his soft and undoubtedly fluffy head of black feathery hair. you'd been together for a while, so physical interactions weren't uncommon, but you've never really asked him if you could play with his hair.

you really, really wanted to play with his hair. holy shit, you wanted nothing more than to do that. but now wasn't the right time, being in mementos and all. you'd have to strategise for another time.

thankfully, that time came when after leaving mementos, akira invited you back to leblanc to destress and chill out. he'd make some coffee, you two would chat and cuddle, probably watch some tv.

you accepted, obviously, and taking his hand in yours, led you through the subway system to yongen-jaya and to leblanc. after pouring the two of you a damn good cup of coffee, you two went upstairs to his room in the attic.

after watching a few episodes of that cheesy action show you two like to riff on (and getting the neo featherman r theme song stuck in your head), you two migrated to his bed. akira sat down and extended his arms, inviting you in for a spooning sesh, but you waved your hands in denial.

after a puzzled and slightly pouty look from your boyfriend, you clarified what you meant: "i wanna be big spoon. i kinda... wanna play with your hair? is that cool?"

akira's eyes lit up and he adjusted his glasses that slipped down his face. a slightly goofy grin played across his lips and he shuffled on the bed, allowing you to slot yourself behind him.

"yeah, sure! go right ahead."

you quickly got to work, running your hands through his hair (which was still surprisingly soft and felt like heaven's clouds within your fingertips). you twirled some strands around your digits here and there and massaged his scalp.

akira leaned his head back into your touch, smiling all the while. you could've sworn you heard him purring (maybe that was your imagination, or maybe he was spending too much time with morgana).

you pressed a kiss to the side of his temple and kept playing with his hair long into the night...

a/n: cat-coded joker ftw!!! also i love writing akira being more, like, a dork? i love his canon characterisation in the anime and it's not something i see often. you'll be seeing more silly goofy joker from me if y'all request it lmao

[cate-deriana]

Sometimes i just really can't put into words how much i love the show adaption. I mean, yes it was cancelled, but i think there are so many snippets that give us a taste of events that take place much later in the story:

Like i always think about Lucy's and Lockwood's off-screen argument in the park? (i think) somewhere between THB and TCS when in episode two Lucy is getting off the cab and Lockwood shouting her name, running after her. I mean I can totally imagine this is what that scene could have actually looked like. Because he's trying to get her back here in the show as well.

Or how Barnes' comment in episode 5 "I hope this isn't the last time I am seeing you alive' mirrors exactly what he tells them in TCS after the Rotwell incident.

Or the fact that we get a vague idea, that there was someone involved in the death of Lockwood's parents - "their deaths were insignificant".

Or the ending scene in episode 8 where they're together at Portland Row and it really feels like this could as well be the end of the books with Lucy narrating that bit and showing us off.

I'm really so grateful we got those. So much foreshadowing and love for the source material.

[reidmoony-toast]

Strawberry Wine. ౨ৎ

"If I was empty space, and you were a formless shape we'd fit"

Spencer x fem singer!reader

The two times they miss each other, and the one time they don't

content: no use of y/n, fluff, pining galore

cw: lil suggestive? (She sings Chappell Roan)

wc: 2.4k

an: I've been cooking this up for a while, but life has been super busy, so I haven't yet finished the other parts. I'm very sorry if they take a few weeks to finish :[ Anyways, hope you enjoy! <3

| pt.1 | pt.2 | pt.3 | series masterlist ౨ৎ

· · ──────────── ·𖥸· ──────────── · ·

He really wished he wasn’t here. He never should have begrudgingly agreed to Penelope’s crazy plans, no matter how much she bugged him about it. This was about as far opposite to his kind of thing that you could get.

The lights were bright–unbearably so; flashing so much he feared he would have an epileptic episode (if it weren’t for the small fact that he didn’t actually have epilepsy, but he digressed).

The large room was also deafening, filled with fans, all of them buzzing in anticipation. Penelope was not an exception–she bounced up and down like a rogue ball, shrieking in excitement close to every thirty seconds. He would know. He had been counting.

Although he would rather be at the very back (if he had to choose anywhere in this wretched place), Penny had physically forced him into the very front row, only a barrier separating them from the stage.

He didn’t know and definitely didn’t want to know how Penelope had acquired such tickets and at such short notice before the show. He had found that he was better living in ignorance of the borderline illegal habits of his best friend.

He had just endured half an hour of what Penny had called the ‘openers’. He was dismayed to hear that the performance was not the actual concert; he learnt that the hard way when he had asked Penelope if they could leave, which she replied to with a cackle, stating that the band that had just exited the stage was, in fact, not the main event of the evening.

He had buried his face in his hands and let out a loud groan. He only had himself to blame for being caught up in the ‘Garcia puppy eyes’ trap, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t whinge at least a little bit–or a lot bit.

He didn’t know much about this singer girl, only that Penelope was obsessed with her, bringing her up in conversation many a time. He admitted that he often didn’t fully (if at all) listen when Garcia gushed over her–he seemed to always zone out.

He had never properly heard her songs, only in passing when Penelope would blast music in her cave, and he didn’t even have a clue what she looked like.

He was mentally preparing himself for the next few gruelling hours, with Penny jumping up and down beside him, when the lights dimmed, sending the whole room into a frenzy.

He winced at the screaming and whooping coming from all around him. Smoke machines started emitting mist, covering the stage and fogging up the colourful lights. The crowd continued to roar, Penelope squealing next to him and gripping the railing of the barrier.

A figure emerged through the haze, the silhouette showing locks of hair cascading over their shoulders, clad in a silk slip dress that ended at the mid thigh, hugging their curves.

They started singing–a smooth, silky voice wrapped around him, making the room suddenly feel more bearable. He swallowed hard. The singing was beautiful. Sweet and rich, wrapping around him like a cosy blanket.

He raised his eyebrows with pleasant surprise. It was, admittedly, not bad in the slightest. He hated to say it, but he was enjoying it, a lot. More than he should, given that it was new-age pop, not the refined tones of classical music–his favourite genre by far.

All thoughts of music flew out of his head as the owner of the angelic voice stepped into the stage lights, allowing him to properly see her for the first time. His breath left his body as he took her in.

She was gorgeous, stunning–almost ethereal, as her other-worldy voice filled his cochlea, transmitting electrical signals through his nerve pathways to his primary auditory cortex.

Her hair shone in the light, giving her a halo of the highest grade, her bright lips curled into a perfect smile around her words, and her eyes shone with a million glinting stars.

He was utterly enamoured by her–every facial expression, every movement she made, every note she sang was all absorbed thoroughly by his wide eyes.

In no time at all, the first song was over, finishing with loud cheering and clapping from the audience. The angel grinned out at the sea of fans, soaking up the feeling.

Unlike Spencer, she was well and truly in her element, looking as though there was not where else in the world she would rather be.

He gazed in open-mouthed awe at the way she floated effortlessly about the stage–and, of course, that breathtaking smile that scrunched her nose and revealed the prettiest dimples he had ever seen.

He was snapped back to reality with a sharp poke in the side from Penelope, centering his gravity away from the girl on stage and back to where he stood.

“What?” He said loudly, an exasperated look adorning his face as he tore his eyes back to his best friend. She was smirking at him, arms crossed in front of herself.

“You have such a thing for her, I’m surprised you're not drooling right now,” she answered mockingly. He scoffed, dismissing her words with a wave of his hands as he faced the stage again, not wanting to miss a moment of the show. He heard Garcia laugh deeply at his half-hearted denial.

All thoughts of Penelope soon left his mind as the heaven-sent saint started to sing again, striking chords in his heart at every note.

The song came and went again, and Spencer wished they would not go by so fast, so he could see her for as long as possible.

The next song started with a more upbeat track, and the angel laughed, running back down stage, scarily close to where Spencer stood. “She was a, Playboy, Brigitte Bardot,” she started to sing, “She showed me things, I didn't know.”

She stuck out her tongue playfully, shaking her hips, making the satin fabric hugging her curves sway.

“She did it right there, out on the deck,” she bit down on her bottom lip as Spencer’s face heated, realising what the song was about. “Put her canine teeth in the side of my neck.”

She gestured with her fingers to a spot on her neck, pretending as if her fingers were the teeth, tipping her head back with imaginary ecstasy. He swallowed heavily, face hot.

“I'm in the hallway waitin' for ya,” she sang, “Mini skirt and my go-go boots,” on those lyrics, she bent over, running her free hand from her heeled boots and up her legs, jutting her ass out.

Spencer’s mouth fell open in shock. He had never felt like this from only a few minutes of meeting someone, let alone just laying his eyes on them. This was completely out of the ordinary for him, and it left him reeling.

~☆~

Songs flitted by like the butterflies in his stomach, and his gaze was permanently fixated on the captivating women centre-stage. He couldn't tear his eyes away even if he tried–and he most definitely didn't.

A new song started, fading in with a catchy guitar riff, and the crowd went wild, sparking a wide smile on the angel’s face.

The drum beat started, and she strutted down the stage, tipping her head back and shaking her smooth curls out in the dim lights before she began to sing. “Midnight,” she dragged out the end of the word.

“Come and pick me up, no headlights,” she blew a kiss to the fans in front of her, winking as she made her way down the stage towards where Spencer was situated.

Penelope grasped his arm tighter and tighter as she neared, buttery voice washing over him.

“Watch us go ‘round and ‘round each time,” she stretched out the note, rolling her head to the side, eyes landing exactly where Spencer was standing. He froze, dumbstruck, as he locked eyes with her.

He gulped heavily as a cheeky grin adorned her face, soft lips framing perfectly white teeth. She straightened up, continuing the lyrics as she floated even closer to him, never breaking eye contact.

“You got that James Dean daydream look in your eye,” She knelt down on the stage in front of Spencer. His breathing stuttered as his gaze remained on her, utterly entranced.

“And I got that red lip classic thing that you like,” she dragged her thumb across her lip, singing to him through a happy, if not slightly teasing, smile.

“‘Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style,” He could see her mouth curving around each syllable as she sang into the microphone, eyes still, somehow, on him.

He most definitely looked like an idiot in that moment, with his flushed cheeks and slack-jawed awe of the ethereal woman only a few feet away, but he didn't have it in himself to care.

She had seen him, and not only that, she had actually come over and sat, right there on the stage in front of him. No matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, she was–without question–looking, and singing, straight at him.

She leaned impossibly closer, leaving only a few inches between their two faces as she crooned the words into the microphone. His eyes flicked across the features of her face before they settled on her own.

Up close, they were mesmerising– long, thick lashes framed bright irises, sparkling with the light of the night sky– he could almost map out the constellations he knew off by heart from the incandescent twinkles in her eyes.

“You got that long hair, slicked back-” She moved her free hand to hover over the collar of Spencer's shirt, seemingly asking silent consent to touch him.

He shook out of his trance long enough to nod vigorously. She let out a short chuckle, grabbing his collar and carefully but firmly pulling him closer by his shirt. “-white T-shirt.”

His breath hitched as hers ghosted his lips with every exhale, noses almost touching, with hardly any room for the microphone as his heart raced impossibly faster.

“And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt.” At that, she pulled away, letting go of his collar as she leaned back to run her free hand over her skirt, smirking at Spencer and his flaming-red face.

“And when we go crashing down, we come back every time,” she repeats, still serenading him. “'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style!” She finally stood, winking and blowing a kiss at a thoroughly flustered Spencer as she strutted to another part of the stage.

Spencer stood there, dumbfounded. He couldn't believe she had not only noticed him, but also sang right to him. His shirt was crumpled from where she had gripped it, but he didn't dare fix it. If possible, he would never smooth the rumpled fabric if it meant he could have a reminder of her always.

A rough shake of his shoulder brought him back to the present, Penelope standing astonished next to him, incredulous smile playing on her lips and she all but shrieked in his ear–something along the lines of, ‘You're so lucky!’ and ‘You're so down bad!’.

He didn't pay her any mind, instead keeping his still-red face on her, and her only.

She wandered to different parts of the stage during the remainder of the song, but Spencer didn't miss the more-than-occasional glances she sent his way throughout the next few songs, smile growing each time they locked eyes.

When they did, he matched her smile with his own goofy grin, his heart feeling as if it was beating out of his chest, breathing becoming erratic as he clutched the railing with white knuckles.

~☆~

All too soon, the concert came to an end, accompanied by raucous applause from the crowd. He clapped like a mad thing too, finally understanding why her fans acted the way they did.

The version of him from two hours ago would have teased him relentlessly for this, but he didn't care. It was another completely different version of him, a version that had not yet laid his eyes on her.

It certainly felt like a life-altering moment in his existence. His being was now split into ‘before’ and ‘after’. Before and after her.

She waved and blew kisses enthusiastically as she made her way off stage. He deduced that she would have to walk right past Spencer to get there. He pathetically hoped she would look at him one last time–prayed she cared enough to seek him out once again.

Electricity jolted through his entire body, head to toe, as she locked eyes with Spencer when he was in her direct line of sight.

She gave him a wink and a little wave, biting her lip through a larger-than-life grin; he felt giddy, hand coming up in an awkward half-wave. He silently cursed himself for the stiltedness of his actions.

She, however, didn't have such qualms as she blew him an air kiss, giggling as she turned away, skipping the rest of the way off stage. The screaming continued as the heel of her shoe disappeared behind the side-stage curtain.

He felt oddly hollow as the venue lights came back on, signalling the end of the show. He kept staring at the spot where she had last been, silently hoping she would come back out and sing again. Look at him again.

He blinked hard, finally re-orienting himself, glancing around to see a few people staring at him, whispering to themselves.

They were talking about him–about his encounter. He turned away again, ducking his head as his cheeks burned again.

As quickly as they came, the stares went again, and his eyes flicked back to the stage again. He so badly wanted to meet her, talk to her, even just lay his eyes on her again. That would be enough.

Penelope cleared her throat next to him, and he hummed in response, still not looking away. She snorted. “Come on lover boy, time to leave.”

He turned his attention to see her nod in the direction of the exit.

He gazed back at that spot once more, heaving out a melancholy sigh, before turning away, heading towards the door.

“Yeah, let's go.”

· · ──────────── ·𖥸· ──────────── · ·

Thank you for reading, feedback is appreciated x

Tags: @reidology13 - Comment to be added!

Masterlist ౨ৎ

[tealvenetianmask]

My take on the story the "I.M.P. mission shorts" tell

I'm going to start by saying that I'm personally not super into speculating about foreshadowing (but have fun if that's your jam), and I fundamentally believe that we're meant to be able to understand all of the episodes and their progression without ever watching the shorts. They're filler, and they're supposed to be light and funny.

That said, I think that we see two things happening plot-wise when we watch all three in a row. The first is time passing. Some distance is being placed between the events of Apology Tour and Ghostfuckers. I.M.P. is working, and life is continuing.

The second is that after being knocked off his feet by the double whammy of The Full Moon and Apology Tour, Blitz is recovering and figuring out how to be himself again.

MISSION ANTARCTICA: Blitz is not enjoying himself at all (okay, maybe we get a glimpse of him enjoying work when he's turning the seal into swiss cheese, but through most of the episode, he looks like he doesn't want to be there), and he's been thrown off his game. Like. About work, about sex, about having to use this crystal that's inextricably linked to his past with Stolas to do his job. Our boy is a mess, and it's hard to watch.

2. MISSION WEEABOO-BOO: We see more confidence right away! Blitz can use the crystal just fine. He assures Millie that he doesn't need backup. AND he's genuinely excited to go and assassinate someone. Which in this world/situation, is a positive development!

By the end of this short, our guy looks weary again, but it's situational. Emberlynn wore him out by being her out of control self. One could argue that he's not as resilient/ in charge of the situation as he normally would be. But it's hard to measure because it's a weird situation. What I do know is that the writers chose not to give us Blitz at his most chaotic and fun in this short. They saved that for . . .

3. MISSION CHUPACABRAS: this is the Blitz we know and love!

He makes bombastic jokes about his own sex life:

He comes up with creative ways to escape situations.

He BRINGS the chaos and comedy.

And he has this genuinely sweet moment with his new goat friend at the end and leaves the mission happy.

He's a super resilient guy, and he's put the events of recent episodes behind him. He's figured out how to take joy in his work again.

But he hasn't dealt with what happened, has he? The breakup is just part of a long list of traumas in his life now.

So we get to Ghostfuckers. I think that the three shorts during the hiatus explain how Blitz gets to the point where he can enjoy some silly hijinks early in the episode (the fun drag, the vacuum cleaner as a Ghostbusters device).

But the problem is, he hasn't really dealt with what he's been through recently or the insecurities and traumas that he's been carrying around during the whole series. Time heals. Throwing himself into work heals. But only so much. We're going to see the shell he's built to protect and distract himself burst. It's going to hurt, and I can't wait.

[wordsarelife]

⛧༺ NO BODY, NO CRIME ༻⛧

EPISODE 04: somebody’s gotta catch him out

pairing: theo nott x potter!reader

summary: bonding with hermione, theo tells you the truth and new theories come up..

warnings: extremely big trigger warning for the whole series, in this chapter: mentions of murder, illegal activities, grooming

note: welcome back to the fourth episode of nbnc! i’m so excited to have you all back and to hear your opinions on this weeks episode!!

and because i’m not a monster and know that you guys are patiently waiting for the ball chapter, the next episode will be out either thursday or friday, depending on when i get to finish it!!

you had fallen asleep around 4 am, repeated thoughts about burbages murder and theo’s letter plaguing your mind. the night had been awful, sleep only ever granting you a few minutes of calmness, until you shot up, another thought in your head.

you still felt uneasy when you got dressed before sunrise. hermione was still asleep when you got up, which honestly said a lot. 

you didn’t want to risk, running into theo during breakfast, so you walked to the great hall as soon as it opened, ready for students to eat. you couldn’t concentrate. the loneliness of the morning only fueling your thoughts. 

some part of you just couldn’t believe theo really was the type of person to do something like that. he was so different from every slytherin you had ever met and him being the killer seemed so unlikely. 

at the same time many things made sense now. you thought about monday evening. theo had been late to dinner, just like professor burbage. they had strolled in only minutes apart. and while theo barely looked at her, professor burbage hadn’t been able to stop glancing at him. she had been nervous and scared. maybe theo had been the reason for that. 

he had been at the astronomy tower just minutes before you had found the womans body. he never offered a real explanation for his presence, only saying he hadn’t meant to disturb you. but what was the truth? could all of this really be coincidences? how many could there be before they stopped feeling like chance?

had you been so wrong about him? so terribly wrong? 

when you left the great hall, you almost ran into hermione, who silently commented you strange behaviour with a quirk of her brow. 

“i’m going to the library” you quickly muttered, not allowing her to say anything before you continued your fast pace. 

hermione stared after you in disbelief, before she abandoning her original plan for breakfast (which was nothing like her, because she was a great believer in breakfast being the most important meal of the day) and followed you. 

to both of your surprise you really ended up in the library. you had walked inside the room by accident, but quickly decided to do some research if you were there already. you had often enough watched hermione do it, it couldn’t be that hard. 

you only noticed her presence when you were in the third row. “hermione” you gasped, pressing a hand to your chest as you tried to calm the beat of your heart. 

hermione was not even fazed by your reaction. “you’re acting strange” she noted, a look of disbelief flying over you, as your hand wandered along the row of books in the shelf. “i have never seen you pick up a book from here that wasn’t fiction” 

“i—“ you tried answering something but were at a loss for words. 

“what’s going on?” hermione crossed her arms, sending you one of her typical strict looks. “the truth, please”

you sighed, knowing it was to no use to lie to her. “it’s theo” you said finally. 

hermione searched your face for a hint of emotion, for something to tell her what was bothering you about the boy. your expression remained stoic and unreadable, even for her.

you sighed, before you sat down at the desk in the middle of the two shelves. hermione followed your movement and sat down next to you. you turned your head to look at her. and then you told her absolutely everything. from what you had found out in burbages office (which hermione interrupted, lecturing you) to the kiss and finally the letter theo had send burbage. 

when you had finished, you were keeping your eyes on your fidgeting hands, ashamed and afraid of hermione’s reaction. there were a few seconds of silence, which you spend wondering how fast she would get up and tell your brother everything you had just admitted to her. 

instead, she grabbed your hands with her own, making you look up in surprise. 

“it’s going to be okay” she assured with a calm voice. she smiled at you softly. “you’re not alone” 

“but theo—” you muttered “what if he really..?” you couldn’t even say it. 

hermione shook her head. “he didn’t” 

“what?” you asked, confused, unsure if you had heard her right. “how can you be so sure?”

“well” hermione smiled mysteriously. she stood up and studied the shelf for a few seconds, before she grabbed a thick book, throwing it down between you. she began turning pages, while she explained. “the smell of the poison you described, you said it was a mix of burnt herbs and something metallic” 

she skipped the pages, past liquid luck and into the more advanced section. “i only ever encountered one potion that was described to smell like that. theo is absolutely smart enough to brew that, that’s for sure” your hope sank. “but” she noted, pressing her finger down on the page, seemingly having found what she was looking for. “mors fumes is a binding potion” she looked at you with a smile. 

“which means..?” you drawled, unsure what she was telling you. 

“it means that the potion binds itself to the person” she explained. “that timeframe has to be atleast six hours before the person drinks it to have any effect. it matters when she drank it, because she must’ve received the bottle atleast six hours before that. the poison works fast. burbage died around ten, right?”

you nodded and hermione’s smile grew even bigger. 

“that means she drank the wine at around half past ten.” she calculated in her head, before she continued. “so she received the bottle between three and half past four.”

“but couldn’t she have received it a day before or something? wouldn’t that work too? more than six hours?”

“no” hermione shook her head, before she aggressively pointed down on the page again. “mors fumes is shortlived. it can only survive in it’s measured timeframe. it could’ve been brewed whenever and over weeks or days, dependent on the wizards time to brew. but as soon as it’s hexed, the six hour timer starts. after that you only have four hours to use it until it’s worthless, so considering it still worked, it could’ve only been given to burbage during that timeframe”

“wow hermione” you almost couldn’t comprehend how your best friends mind worked so effortlessly and precisely. “that’s honestly amazing, but sadly i have no idea where theo was between three and half past four that day, so it changes nothing” you sank you head into your hands, frustration taking over. 

“of course you don’t” hermione muttered, rolling her eyes. “but i do”

“you do?” you were ready to jump out of your seat and plaster her face with kisses. “how?”

“how often did i tell you to visit the library?” hermione asked, raising her brows. 

“so theo was in the library? the whole time?” you asked hopefully. “and he didn’t leave for some time?”

“he was here the entire time i was” hermione nodded. “from two until half past five. he didn’t leave. he sat two seats from me, i would’ve noticed.”

“not even to, you know, go to the bathroom?”

“no” she shook her head. “he definetly drinks way too little, you should tell him that by the way” 

“oh, hermione” you almost cried, as you leaped over the table, throwing your arms around her body and messing up her curls. “you’re amazing, seriously” 

“i can’t let you run around suspecting the wrong people” she muttered into your hair. “and i can’t let you run around suspecting theo. he might be a slytherin, but he’s better than all of them”

“i know” you nodded, sitting back down and quickly freeing your face from a few stray tears. “but i’m still angry with him”

“of course” hermione nodded. “he should’ve told you about the letter and his whole relationship to burbage, considering his weird remarks. you definitely should ask him about that. just because he didn’t kill her doesn't mean he didn’t do anything wrong”

“yeah, i will” you nodded. she was right with everything she had said. you just didn’t know why theo felt the need to lie to you, if he hadn’t killed the professor. you had sworn to work together, that would only work as long as you could trust each other. 

“and all of this..” you muttered, pointing in the air between you. 

“stays between us” hermione assured. “no word to the boys, just like i promised, as long as you stay safe”

“thank you” you smiled, thanking her for nothing defined and everything all at once.

“always” hermione promised, before she got up, excusing herself to go to breakfast. despite having just eaten yourself, you decided to accompany her. confronting theo could wait a bit longer and hermione was glad about the company, was she always lonely breakfasting so early during the holidays. 

it was actually quite wholesome for hermione and you to get some time alone. you had the chance to catch up and discuss topics you normally wouldn’t when harry and ron were sitting with you. 

hermione was not in a rush like she usually was, enjoying your time together, and you felt a bit bad, that you had focused so much on theo and only relied on her when things got difficult. hermione assured you that you didn’t have to worry about it considering she was working most of the time and also most efficiently when she did it alone. 

still, she was there whenever you needed her and you promised the same. 

after an hour, you were joined by harry and Ron, who strolled into the hall behind neville and ginny, who were in deep conversation. you could see that harry was trying to catch what they were talking about, while ron talked your brother's ear off at the same time.

theo came to breakfast at nine and made obvious gestures for you to follow him outside around ten. you quickly excused yourself from the table and followed the boy. harry and ron reacted confused at your sudden urge to leave, while neville and ginny both waved at you and hermione send a smile.

ron quickly concentrated on his food again, but harry kept an eye on the entry of the hall, peeking around hermione, and saw you drag theodore nott down the hallway behind you. 

“she’s not honestly—“ he muttered, while he made a move to get up and follow you. hermione stopped him before he could do so. 

“calm down, harry” she said. “she has to ask him something about their final project, she couldn’t sleep last night, wondering if she had forgotten something important.” hermione effortlessly lied.

“hermione” harry muttered sternly. “there’s just been a murder and the slytherins—“

“—are just as suspicious as anybody else” hermione finished. “don’t get your knickers in a twist. she has her wand, she’s fine” 

“she could’ve at least discuss whatever she had to in here. nott was sitting at his table the entire time”

“discuss a mistake in a potions project next to draco malfoy, really harry?”

harry muttered something neither ron nor hermione could understand, before he picked up his toast and bit into the strawberry jam atop it. 

you had gripped theo’s arm, before he had been able to say something, dragging him down the hall behind you, until you reached an empty classroom. you let go of his arm, like it was on fire. 

“ow” theo muttered, rubbing his skin. “you have a hard grip, sparrow”

“no, don’t call me that” you crossed your arms, leaning your back against the wall. “not after you did nothing but lie to me”

“lie to you?” theo repeated confused. “i never—“ 

“sure you didn’t” you spat, throwing the letter, you had kept in your pocket, at him. 

all colour drained from theo’s face in a second. he didn’t even have to look at the paper, he knew what it was immediately, which did not help his case.

“i swear this isn’t what it looks like” he muttered, picking it up and scanning the lines of his own writing. 

“i bet it isn’t” you nodded sarcastically. “for a few hours i really thought you were the killer”

“i? i would never—“

“you can be glad hermione cleared that up or this conversation would be a lot more physical”

theo seemed like he had temporarily forgotten the topic of said conversation as he looked at you, a dirty smile on his face. 

you send him a deadpan look and he quickly remembered the severity of the situation. “oh” he muttered “you mean..”

“yeah” you nodded. “i would’ve bashed your head in”

theo’s eyes quickly fell on the paper again, not daring you to make your statement reality. 

“i’m ready for a good explanation” you encouraged, as he continued to stay quiet. 

“it’s not as easy” theo muttered, averting his eyes and trying to find a spot in the room he could focus on. 

“theo” you muttered, a bit softer now. “you threatened a teacher and told her to meet you on the evening of her murder, i don’t have to tell you how it looks” 

“yeah, i’m sorry.” theo whispered and if you weren’t mistaken, you noticed tears in his eyes. “i never meant to drag you into this”

“drag me into what?” you stepped closer, forcing him to look at you, tears now clearly rolling over his cheeks. “you’re scaring me, theo” 

maybe there really was a good explanation for all of this, but right now you just hoped theo hadn’t murder-in-the-orient-express-ed professor burbage.

“okay” he finally said. “i’ll tell you, everything, but you have to listen until the end”

you nodded, waiting for him to begin his story.

“it all began two years ago. that’s when i had to take muggle studies, because i had too few subjects. professor burbage was amazing. she was attentive to all of her students and over all a great teacher” he smiled upon the memory, before it quickly evolved into a frown. “but then she asked me to stay back one day after class. she made a few comments i found unsettling, but decided to forget about. maybe i had understood her wrong, she surely hadn’t meant it like that.”

you looked to the ground, not liking in which direction his story went. you felt sorry for the way you had treated him. for how you had spoken about burbage like she had been a saint, how judgemental you had been when theo had disagreed. 

“she passed me notes during class when no one was looking. she asked me to stay back more often. she made obvious advances. and she continued and didn’t stop until i couldn’t excuse it anymore. until i reached a point where i understood that i hadn’t been the one who had gotten the wrong idea, she was. she read into the things i did, not the other way around”

tears spilled over his cheeks quicker than before, but he did not falter, as he continued to speak, his voice trembling through both of your crying. 

“then, one day after class, she tried to kiss me” 

your breath hitched, waiting for him to continue. 

he shook his head. “i stopped her and rushed out of the room. i was too scared to tell on her, but i went to dumbledore and requested to drop the course because of personal reasons. i had enough luck never to be caught with her alone again for the rest of the year”

you thought about everything he had just told you. how someone you had respected was so different to the person she had shown everyone around her. you thought about theo, the fourteen year old version of him, who’s trust got betrayed so badly. fourteen year old theo, who had no one to tell about a teachers wrongdoing. fourteen year old theo, who had probably felt so alone. 

you stepped across the room and hugged him. the way he had calmed you, you were now trying to calm him. “you’re safe” you whispered softly. “you did nothing wrong, you didn’t deserve it”

you could feel him nod, as he buried his face in your hair. his body still spread warmth, it felt the same like yesterday in the closet, when your lips had connected. 

“i never told anyone” theo admitted. “you’re the first person”

“i’m sorry” you muttered, breaking the hug to look at him. “i shouldn't have made you”

“no” he shook his head. “i should’ve been honest from the beginning. i didn’t want anyone to know, i didn’t want you to know. i thought you might think i’m weak or less of a man”

“i would never think that, theo” you shook your head. “you’re not the person this information should damage. she was in the wrong, not you, you’re right the way that you are. i doesn’t matter what she did to you, it doesn’t change anything about you, you’re still the same to me”

theo nodded. “i wrote the letter out of frustration, not because i intended to kill her” he continued. “a few months ago dumbledore gave me something i had to deliver to burbage. when i came into her office, she was busy writing a note. i was able to read what she had written before she saw me”

“what was it?” you asked carefully. 

theo sighed, before he recalled the words from the top of his head. “your insights in class are so refreshing; i truly appreciate how you see things differently. can you stay behind after class today? i’d love to discuss some of your ideas further—just between us, of course. it’s important to me that this stays our little secret.”

“wow” you huffed disgusted. “what happened then?”

“i told her she should not be doing that” theo mumbled. “she agreed and i believed her. she had lied, i should’ve been more persistent”

“you’re not responsible for her actions, theo” 

“of course i am” he shook his head, fidgeting with your hand, he held in his own. “she tried the same with me, she was just able to do it again, because i never reported her, because i was too scared to admit what she had done to me” he breathed, his voice steady again. “and then after all, i just believed her, because it was easier than to admit that i had a responsibility for this child”

“it’s not your fault” you assured. he continued to shake his head. “it’s not your fault!” you repeated, louder, more firmly. 

“i only found out a few weeks ago that she hadn’t stopped like she had told me she would” theo said softly. “i don’t know who her victim was and it honestly didn’t matter, because then i wrote the letter. but the one you read wasn’t the first i sent. in the first i threatened to report her if she would not immediately resign and leave her position as a teacher, nothing happened so i send a second one, the letter you found. i gave her a last chance to do what i had told her, to resign and leave the castle as well as the poor kid she had used all this time. i didn’t want this to have any effect on them, so i only threatened to report and tell dumbledore about my own experience. i asked her to meet me so she could tell me about her decision"

“and?” you asked, interested to hear how the conversation had went. 

“she told me that she had resigned, like i had asked her” theo explained. “she asked me not to tell anyone about this and i agreed, because i honestly was not ready to tell someone myself. but i told her i would if i should find out about any of this happening again or if she would resume to a teaching position at a different school. she promised she wasn’t planning on doing that. and that was it. we split up and went to dinner”

“okay, but that would explain the note on the wine bottle burbage received: ‘consider this a parting gift’. that’s why she wasn’t suspicious before drinking it. it made perfect sense in the context of her resignation”

“yeah” theo nodded “i know that my involvement seems to make sense, y/n. i had reason enough to kill burbage, but i didn’t, please believe me, i’m not a bad person”

“you’re quite the opposite of a bad person, theodore nott” you shook your head, proudness flushing your whole body as you looked up at the brunette boy in front of you. “you did everything to make sure burbage could never hurt someone again. you had absolutely zero reason to kill her, considering she did everything you had asked her to and also, you possibly couldn’t have done it”

“i know, but how do you know that?” 

theo listened attentively as you told him everything hermione had told you. 

“that's incredible. and it reveals a time frame we can follow” he nodded. 

“exactly" you smiled, before your expression turned serious again "thank you for telling me all of this. i’m sorry for all of it, but i’m still glad you had a good reason to send such a letter”

“yeah, it probably looked pretty bad without context, now that i think about it” theo admitted. 

“but i do still have one question: was it really coincidence that you were at the astronomy tower too, right before burbage’s death?”

“yes and no” theo nodded. “it was a coincidence that i was there when she died, but i followed you on purpose”

“you followed me on purpose?” you repeated confused “but why?”

“because i wanted to talk to you” theo admitted, his voice steady yet vulnerable “i’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while now”

you raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued “really? about what?”

he hesitated for a moment, searching your eyes as if weighing his words. “i’ve fancied you for a long time, you know?”

your heart skipped a beat, surprise flooding through you. “you fancied me? me?”

theo laughed, the sheer disbelief on your face amusing him. “how couldn’t i?” he replied with a playful grin, his eyes sparkling “you’re smart, you’re fierce, and you don’t take any nonsense from anyone. plus, the way you stand up for your friends? it’s impossible not to notice. it’s honestly quite entertaining to watch draco and you fight”

you grinned, somewhat proud someone had taken an interest in your debates with malfoy. you always made sure to be ready to break him. “who do you think wins?” you asked, a brow quirked. 

“you, of course” theo smirked. “draco is not half as good. it’s honestly amazing how good you are at telling him off” 

“you’re making me blush” you smiled, as you stared up at him. “i always liked you most, you know? out of all of them. you were so nice every time i encountered you and i think i really took a liking to you during our project”

now it was theo’s turn to smile proudly. “so, are we good again?” he asked softly, waiting for you to make a decision. 

you nodded, mirroring his expression. “we are” you assured, before you reached for his neck, connecting you lips with his for a short peck. 

when you pulled back, theo grinned at you with a lopsided grin, his worries fading away as his eyes wandered over your face. 

the next thing to do, you had decided, was to wait for mattheo’s invitation to reveal the infos you needed to find the masquerade ball of the nocturne society. someone there would probably know more. 

that led to your next problem: the right clothing. theo suggested to make a trip to hogsmeade, which you quickly noticed to be impossible because of the storm. that’s when you remembered the convenience of the room of requirement. you had always used it the year before, so it had become manageable for you to find. 

theo walked next to you through the halls cluelessly, ready to follow your lead. 

“so, motives” you muttered, looking at him. “who would’ve had an interest in killing burbage?”

“someone who was after the artifact?” theo suggested. 

“not impossible” you shrugged. “maybe that was the only way to steal it. maybe she had hexed it and there was no other way than to kill her.”

“but that would mean that whoever was trying to get access to the artifact also knew about burbage’s resignation” theo noted, he thought for a few seconds, before he added. “so far, the only people who know about it are you and me and of course dumbledore and maybe also mcgonagall.”

“i don’t think that will lead us far, theo” you remarked softly. “we don’t know who burbage might’ve told. she was thinking about if for some time. i mean, remember your first letter? that was months ago. she could’ve told people as far as we know”

“you’re right” theo nodded. “so back to the beginning, if we exclude the artifact for now, what else could’ve been a reason to kill her?”

silence errupted between you as both of you thought about the question. 

your breath hitched. “what if it’s unrelated? what if someone found out?”

“about?” theo quirked a brow, not able to follow your stream of thoughts. 

“her inappropriate relation to a student” you explained. “i mean think about it. you found out, how unlikely is it that someone else did?”

“not unlikely at all” theo nodded. “it wasn’t even hard to uncover. i mean, if someone was just a student in her class, they could’ve easily picked up something”

“i’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, so tell me if we should stop talking about it, but—“

“it’s fine, sparrow” theo said honestly. “i can take it”

“okay” you nodded, before you continued. “if we assume that she had a preferred age, fourteen, like you were, then maybe the killer is not an unrelated student, maybe it’s someone who didn’t witness the relationship first hand during class, but someone who knew her victim” you explained. “someone, who would go to lengths to protect that kid, someone who wanted to take revenge”

“a sibling” theo breathed. 

“exactly” you nodded. “i would kill for my brother, no questions asked. we just have to find someone who would do the same”

you both dwelled on the thought as you walked around a corner, the doors of the room of requirement welcoming you as if they had waited ages for your arrival. 

“what about this?” you held a blue dress against your body, twirling from side to side for theo to inspect it. 

“beautiful” theo complimented, before he scrunched his nose. “but too blue. most members of the society will be slytherins, remember?”

“how can you be so sure about that?” you questioned, putting the dress to the side and picking up a dark green, almost black mask and holding it in front of your eyes. 

“well, it’s illegal and dangerous and—“ theo grinned “—have i already said illegal?” 

you shook your head, throwing a similiar mask like yours in his direction. theo caught the thing with ease, wiggling his eyesbrows as he held it in front of his eyes. 

“you recognize me, sparrow?” 

“your smile is uncanny” you giggled, holding a hand up to hide his mouth. “maybe you should just wear a whole bag” 

“well, your options don’t seem the most practical to guarantee a fast escape. i mean can you even run in these shoes?”

“i’m not running” you crossed your arms, raising your nose. “i’m a lady, theo” 

“of course” theo shook his head, before his gaze dropped to a beautiful emerald green ballgown underneath part of his tuxedo. “wait” he muttered, holding the dress up against your body. “this is the one”

your smile grew bigger as you took in the gorgeous dress. it was made up of a thin lace fabric, adorned with highlights of shimmering ivy. as you put it on, it was clothing your body beautifully, fitting like it had been made for you (that were the perks regarding magical clothing; they fully took on the form of the person wearing them, clinging to every curve of your body). 

“wow” theo muttered when you stepped around the shelf you had changed behind.

your cheeks grew rosy, glancing up and down his body, admiring how well the tuxedo fit him. “you look very much wow yourself, mr nott” 

he laughed, shaking his head like he wasn’t believing one word of what you were saying. “it’s time” he grabbed both of your masks and the note mattheo had given you, that was now slowly revealing letters. one after the other until more and more words were forming. 

moonlit atrium, it read, portrait of the lonely witches daughter, in the dungeon

luckily, theo read the words with a hint of recognition in his eyes. you would’ve been completely lost without him, probably strolling through the halls, desperately searching for a portrait admist thousands. you would’ve never made it in time. 

“come on, my lady” he watched you fasten your mask around your head, looking into the corridor to check for people, before he took your hand in his, leading you to the nereast stairs down to the dungeon. 

the air grew cold around you as you walked down, the chilly setting of the hogwarts dungeon making it's presence known and casting your body in goosebumps. theo didn’t let go of your hand for one second, squeezing it to reassure you anytime you would cross a dark hallway that send shivers down your spine. 

finally, theo started walking slower in a particularly dark corridor. his eyes wandered along the walls, searching for the familiar portrait, before his gaze locked onto the artwork. 

you were searching the wall opposite from theo, when a hand reached out and touched your arm. “did you—ahh!” you screeched, jumping back when the person the hand belonged to was not theo, but someone else. 

the unknown person was a man, well, more a boy, blonde hair peeking out behind his mask. he wore an even darker tuxedo than theo, the black on his body almost making him invisble against the dark of the corridor. 

theo behind you, spun around, ready to meet your attackers face with his fist. before he hit him, you stopped the movement, pulling the dark haired boy back by the arm. “malfoy” you said simply, sharing the gathered piece of information with theo, who relaxed immediately. 

“potter” draco malfoy greeted almost bored. he moved the mask from his face, revealing his ice blue eyes staring at you and theo in displasure. “theodore”

“draco” theo breathed. “i almost killed you”

“sure” malfoy rolled his eyes, not believing it for a second. “luckily potter here kept you from murdering any more people”

“haha” theo nodded. “very funny” 

malfoy shrugged, not caring one bit about his unsolicited joke against theo. rather than on his friend, malfoys gaze was fixated on you. you lifted your mask too, deeming it weird to act like your identities hadn’t been revealed. 

“i should’ve known you were involved in this club” theo crossed his arms, making not even the slightest move to take off his mask too. 

“well, theodore, i’d say it is in my blood” malfoy took his eyes from you for a mere second, before his unnerving gaze returned. “unlike you, halfblood”

“careful” theo warned, voice filled with a sharp edge. 

malfoy’s gaze flicked back to him, eyes narrowing with an unspoken challenge. he tilted his head slightly, the question clear in his expression, almost daring theo: have you forgotten where you belong?

“it’s alright” you mumbled, not even moved by the blonde boy’s words. he had insulted you and your friends too often for you to still care about it, unlike harry, who almost enjoyed throwing a tantrum. maybe that was the reason malfoy hated you a little less than your brother. you knew how to behave and that was something he respected.  “what do you want?”

“i didn’t come to murder you, if that’s what you’re thinking” malfoy replied, his tone almost playful as he hinted at your reaction of panic at his sudden presence “nor to give you more proof. that’s not why i’m here.”

“then what?” theo snapped impatiently, eyes still on malfoy. “what’s so important that you had to deliver it in person?”

draco paused, his gaze darkening as his playful demeanor faded. his next words were spoken softly, almost ominously. “a warning.”

the air in the corridor grew thick, the weight of his words pressing down on you. theo stiffened beside you, his guard going back up as malfoy’s expression turned deadly serious.

“a warning about what?” you asked, your heart pounding now, knowing that this wasn’t just another one of malfoy’s games.

malfoy stepped closer, his voice barely above a whisper. “someone’s watching you. and it’s not just the castle’s usual suspects.” he hesitated for a moment, his eyes locking with yours, as if deciding whether to reveal more. then, quietly, he added, “you're not safe. neither of you.”

before you could question him further, malfoy backed into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as he had come.

“malfoy!” theo called after him, but it was too late—he was gone.

the tension in the air remained, your heart still racing. you exchanged a glance with theo, both of you realizing that whatever danger was lurking, it wasn’t just in the form of cryptic messages or secret clubs. it was something much darker.

and now, someone knew you were onto them.

go to the next part

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[manszen]

valentine’s day

pairing. fem!reader x trafalgar law.

summary. law wonders how he can make it up to you.

contains. fluff, established relationship.

word count. 1.2k.

note. i may or may not have word vomited with this one.

anyone could tell from the first impression that law isn’t someone you would consider a romantic.

his usually tight expression says so. he’s dry and blunt, gets easily irritated when something is out of his control — well, that’s just the way he is. but for whatever reason, you admire him for it.

he’s aware of where your relationship with him stands. it’s right there on the edge of a precipice, bound to tip over to the side that burdens the other. a beautiful disaster awaiting, so to speak.

his reason? you’re kind and he’s not. you’re gentle. he’s ruthless. you’re radiant. he’s gloomy.

polar opposites in every aspect. yet somehow, it works.

the two of you work.

it’s a bit unusual for him to be immersed in the thoughts of you. not that he doesn’t think of you — he does. but most of the time his mind is already preoccupied with his responsibilities as a captain, and as a doctor next.

he’s carrying multiple lives in his hands, after all.

but once he realizes there’s no one else in the rented inn that he shares with the rest of the crew, he allows himself to wonder about you just a little bit more.

you care for him, that much is obvious. when he forgets to do it for himself, you’re already there. gingerly reminding him that he’s the expert and he should know better. that even doctors need their rest and help from other people. all the while donning a cheeky smile on your face.

you take care of him all the more when no one else can reach him. sometimes at night, when the memories of his tormenting childhood come back to haunt him, you’re there — stroking the anxious creases between his brows, the frown curling on his lips; and the only thing helping him to calm down is your hushed whispers of ‘i’m here, you’re safe’, your tender embrace that soothes his inner child.

you’re that loving. and you never once complained at his own lack of sympathy, or at least, the little amount thereof.

the fact that you’re even used to his little episodes of isolation, his sudden avoidance from people that have nothing to do with you, you never kicked up a fuss.

it’s why he finds you disarming and beguiling at the same time.

and it makes him mad — so, so mad — that he’s difficult the way he is.

you don’t complain nor demand anything from him. as far as he can recall, it’s always you that gives, never takes anything for yourself.

it’s as if you already know he cares for you in a strange but honest way, and that is enough on its own.

law distractedly closes the medical book in his hand that’s long forgotten since he started thinking of you. suddenly, he feels worthless, trapped in his own body.

there’s a high chance you would feel unappreciated if this slack behavior of his goes on. he’s aware that most couples often express their affection — either by corny declarations or expensive gifts, whichever works — and that exactly where his dilemma lies.

he doesn’t do any of those.

he doesn’t feel the need to do any of those.

but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t do any of those.

he groans. he can feel a headache coming from miles away. when he closes his eyes for a quick rest, he imagines you playfully scowling and ready to berate him for overworking his brain yet again.

“damn it,” he shakes his head. this is why he tries not to delve into his feelings. you make him feel warm all over and giddy.

he glances at the scenery past the open windows, watching the gentle wind breeze through the row of bushes outside. he sees something that piques his interest, and upon confirmation, unintentionally uses his powers to check it a tiny bit closer.

“room,” he commands, and the pale blue sphere immediately covers the area with him at its center. he unsheathes kikoku from her scabbard, and expertly severs the object he has his eyes on.

once he thinks he got it, he snatches a random napkin on the table and directs again, “shambles.”

whatever is exchanged in the center of his palm brings out a soft smile to his lips.

“hey, captain.”

in his haste, law hides his flustered hands beneath the table. “hey, you’re back early,” he coughs, seeing you so picturesque at the inn’s entry way.

“my feet are tired.” yawning, you saunter over to him. “did you have fun?”

“more or less. want to retire for the night?”

you nod.

he collects his things before leading you back to his room. he makes sure to not show his hands to you, but even if he does, you’re more fixated on the trinkets that are scattered around in the hallway.

“i think i like this inn better than the last one,” you muse.

he grunts as a reply, but then remembers about his earlier agenda — his newfound agenda of becoming a better boyfriend. “same here,” he says in between his teeth, earning him a puzzled look and an even more amused smile from you.

you don’t comment on his behavior. it’s silent for a while, only the sounds of your footsteps could be heard across the floor. he opens the door to his room, side-stepping to let you in first, which again, earned him a skeptical glance.

“ladies first,” he tries to be smooth, but heaven knows it sounds incredibly hoarse.

still, he’s grateful you don’t make a jab at him. you obediently enter his room and he follows after you. he watches your expression change from being wide-eyed to droopy, and there’s a silly little smile on your face as you sigh, “alone finally.”

you’re not alone, technically speaking. he’s with you inside the room. but law bites his tongue, refraining from letting his crude mouth run loose. instead, he observes you like a hawk as you stretch your arms above your head, yawning ungracefully as you do.

you’re saying something unintelligible. maybe asking what his plans are after dinner, or maybe when is the right time to go back sailing the seas. but he couldn’t care less about any of that.

right now, he’s deeply and immensely attracted, and he finds himself walking closer to you.

god damn it. how could someone look so beautiful and unguarded at the same time?

“law?”

“hmm?”

“are you alright?”

he’s now a few inches away from you, and with the height difference, you have nothing else to do but to look up at him. it makes him smirk, “never been better.”

you bite your lip.

“i missed you,” law admits after a moment, becoming serious all of a sudden.

he watches your eyes go wide, before lifting up one tattooed hand to brush your hair behind your ear, sneaking something through the strands of your hair.

a subtle fragrance drifts in the space between, and you reach out to touch where his hand has just been, “what’s this?”

“it’s hydrangea,” he mumbles, taking a long look at you then deciding that it suits you. it suits you very well, much to his relief. “it means gratitude and apology.”

you giggle. although, bewilderment is still apparent in your eyes, “what did you do this time, law?”

he shrugs. he’s not particularly asking for forgiveness, simply that he feels the need to do something — to give you something since he’s usually the one on the receiving end.

“already forgiven.”

law rolls his eyes, the grin you're wearing is too infectious. “you’re so easy to please.”

you chuckle, appreciating the flower — his flower — that he sneakily placed by your ear.

“and you’re a bit of a romantic when you want to be.”

stealing, modifying, translating, or reposting this work on other platforms is strictly discouraged.

[dynamoe]

REDRAW Venture Bros S01E10 "Tag Sale— You're It!"

→ → to all Billy Quizboy & Pete White posts

The scene where Mr. White and Master Billy (they didn't have full names yet) try to sell Dr. Girlfriend on becoming their nemesis opens with a tilt (camera moves up-down on X-axis), which I patched together from multiple screenshots.

This episode is officially Conjectural Technologies first appearance post-pilot, but the episode order was scrambled. Even as early as this episode is, when everything looked kinda “off” in general, in this scene in particular the proportions are very odd.

Dr. Girlfriend is enormous. It's not from a forced perspective/"wide lens" effect since even White is looking up at her— she really is like 7 feet tall here. The stretch is somewhat hidden by the tilt. She's supposed to be barely 5' (according to Doc on a commentary track)— a petite lady. Meanwhile, Billy's way too small in the shot. He's usually level with White's top row of buttons.

I rejiggered the proportions while faithfully recreating the poses, which I find both static/boring (the boys) + weird (why are her hands posed like that?) If I recall, I don't think anyone moves in this shot, just the simulated camera angle, so it may have been one drawing so no one could move, explaining the stiff poses.

Looks like I accidentally created a new subtext. White gives Billy judgemental side-eye for looking up with reverential joy at Dr. Girlfriend about to bless him with a laying-on of hands on his big ol' melonhead.

When I've drawn White with his parasol before, I used the typical Japanese design. I considered maybe the canon brolly might have been based on a Thai (or another Southeast Asian culture's) design. When it comes back in a later episode it has more of an inverse curve to it that you see in old temple roofs.

I've searched everywhere for a real life parasol with this design. Nothing. The closest I can find are big beach umbrellas at fancy resorts, but they aren't open at the top with criss-crossing ribs. Venture Bros takes place in a world very much like ours, but with subtle differences. This umbrella is one of those differences.

In my redraw, I added a Santa windsock. If you don't know why, turn in your fan club card, you POSEUR.

I found this abandoned drawing on my backup drive from 2021. Decided to finish it as self-care. (I'm moving in two weeks and very stressed out.)

First time (kinda) drawing Dr. Girlfriend. Only my fourth VB character drawn after, like, four years? Fifth if you count the Rusty Venture action figure.

What did they do with the Santa Windsock? Which one wanted it? Did Venture refuse sell it to them after he threw a snit over the Shrink Ray? He claims he won't sell the Shrink Ray to them in that scene (because they said the logo was stupid), but then they have it (in pieces) in their possession when he comes looking for it in Escape to the House of Mummies (Part II)

→ to Master Billy Quizboy & Pete White index

edited to add a further idea....

If only the show had an unlimited animation budget, it'd be more in character for Billy to be jumping around and gesturing wildly while making his pitch to be her nemesis. Sweaty. Hard sell.

...and smoking. (My version of Billy smokes.)