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vivalas-vega · 1 year

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new perspectives / part four / jake ‘hangman’ seresin

y’all this one is a doozy... I cried three separate times while writing it. I apologize in advance :( as always let me know what you think and if you want to be added to the taglist!

new perspectives / part four / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader

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prologue - one - two - three

word count: 6.8k

warnings: language, drinking, angst !!!, this chapter is basically an episode of grey’s anatomy (which means lots of medical inaccuracies and lots of drama)

San Diego had thoroughly and completely captured your heart, you now spent your days during the mindless surgeries thinking back to the cloudless skies, relaxed people, and beautiful beaches… along with just a few people who made it so much better. That day after your first Hard Deck outing had consisted of hitting the touristy areas on your own during the morning, sitting on the beach exactly when the Daggers had told you to so you could very briefly see them in the air, and going out to their favorite food truck before you inevitably had to return back to Boston and when you did you felt yourself itching to head back west. You did what Jake had asked of you and (theoretically) kept your options open… you’d been quite the jetsetter this month as you visited hospitals in Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin and New Orleans and they were all just as interested in you as San Diego but they just couldn’t match what they were willing to invest in you and so you’d made your choice.

Jake had kept up his end of the promise and let you make the decision, but he didn’t seem as enthusiastic about it as you had hoped. It wasn’t that he was disappointed per se but it wasn’t the response you’d been banking on… you got that response from everyone else though, and Rooster and Phoenix had been incredible in helping you with your impending cross-country move. You’d sent them to house showings and spent countless hours on facetime as they walked you through house after house until all three of you unanimously decided on a beautiful Spanish revival home right in Coronado. Sure, it was a fixer upper and would require a lot of love and a lot of elbow grease but you saw the potential and all the Dagger’s had easily offered up their services to help you bring your vision to life.

Blake had been surprisingly great throughout the whole thing, you’d expected (and were kind of hoping) for him to cut and run when you’d told him your decision but he stayed… he’d looked through listings with you, helped you pack up your apartment and make several Goodwill runs, and even organized a going away party after your last official surgery at the bar near the hospital with all of your friends and favorite attendings. You really were expecting things to fizzle out once you told him you were moving but they didn’t, and as many times as you tried to tell him he didn’t have to stick around he was more than content to do so… you knew he saw a future with you but he also knew that you didn’t, and he was okay with that. He was content to just be in your bubble until he couldn’t, and no matter how badly you felt about hurting him he didn’t seem to mind.

Standing there in your empty apartment and overlooking the hospital from your bedroom window you were reminded of when you and Jake stood in exactly this spot all those years ago… so much had happened since then. You really truly became a doctor, you studied for and passed your intern exam, you completed your first solo surgery, you and your fellow residents just about went insane prepping for the boards. You learned who you were out here, and for that you would always love the city of Boston but you wouldn’t necessarily miss the accents or that faint smell of the harbor that seemed to waft for blocks.

“Hey, I’m glad I caught you,” you heard Blake say, turning to see him cautiously entering through your open front door and you gave him a small smile.

“Just taking a moment before I head to the airport,” you said and he nodded, closing the distance between you with a thin black box in his hand that you were terrified was a necklace or a bracelet.

“A little going away present,” he said and you took it carefully.

“You’ve already done so much, you really didn’t have to get me anything,” you said as you opened the lid and let out a soft gasp… it was a beautiful black and gold Montblanc pen with Dr. Jupiter engraved along the side and you looked at him with wide eyes. “Blake…”

“Congratulations, you’re truly an incredible doctor and I would have been remiss if I let this moment pass by without properly celebrating it.” he said as you wrapped your arms around him and your phone dinged as you pulled away letting you know your car was here… he seemed to understand as you looked up at him and nodded, reaching around you to grab your carryon. “Come on, I’ll walk you down.”

“Thank you… for the pen and for just sticking around these last few weeks,” you said as you strolled through your lobby.

“Thank you for letting me,” he said, closing you into the car and you looked through the open window at him for a moment before grabbing him by the collar and pulling him down to meet your lips for a chaste kiss. You had briefly wished that you could envision a life here with him, he was sweet and predictable and stable, but you couldn’t... this wasn’t your story or your life, you had a new life awaiting you in San Diego.

“You’re a really great guy, Blake. I’m sorry I couldn’t be what you needed,” you said and he just smiled.

“Don’t be. Now get out of here, go be extraordinary and don’t forget sunscreen… I look forward to reading your groundbreaking papers in the medical journals,” he said, tapping on the hood of the car to signal your driver and you gave him a soft wave as he faded into the distance.

“You’re here!” Phoenix had squealed as you climbed out of Jake’s truck in front of your new home and she all but tackled you to the ground in a hug that soon all the Dagger’s had joined in on. They led you inside and gave you a tour because frankly… they knew it a lot better than you did and you laughed as you saw paint swatches along a living room wall and looked at Jake questioningly.

“She threatened to shoot me out of the sky if I didn’t give her the keys after I picked them up,” he said, gesturing to Phoenix.

“We have to hit the ground running! I picked some colors based on the inspiration photos you sent,” she said, walking you through each one and definitely not being unbiased as she did.

“I don’t mind, I’m clearly going to need all the help I can get.” you said, and after a tequila shot toast to the new place they all started to leave one by one to give you some time to settle in and rest after your long day. Before Rooster had left he showed you to the rather exquisite temporary bedding situation he’d set up for you, saying something about the best air mattress on the market and if you ruin my camping supplies I’ll kill you and just as you and Phoenix were wrestling to open a champagne bottle for mimosas and your first official remodeling planning session Jake came into the kitchen and took you by surprise.

“Well, you two ladies enjoy your planning session, I’ll see you tomorrow when the movers arrive, yeah?” he said, moving towards the door and you and Phoenix shared a look before you chased after him and caught him on the front porch.

“You’re not staying?” you asked and he shook his head. “Come on, we can’t break a time honored Jake and Jupiter tradition, we’re supposed to get drunk and order takeout and have a sleepover in the new place.”

“It’ll be good for you two to spend some one on one time together… go, get champagne drunk and plan out the house. I’ll be here when the moving truck gets here,” he said, pressing a kiss to your forehead and you watched as he got in his car and drove away. With a sigh you walked through the front door and grabbed a red solo cup full of champagne from Phoenix.

“What’s his deal?” she asked, taking a sip and looking at you over the rim of her own cup.

You sighed dramatically, “he thinks I made the decision to move here solely because of him and he’s being a real sourpuss about it.”

“Isn’t this supposed to be a good thing? You guys have been fighting an uphill battle for years with the distance and the careers… you guys are solid now, you’re a fellow, he’s got a permanent station. I thought you guys would be putting rings on it and making babies by now,” she joked.

“At the very least practicing making babies…” you said despondently and she raised an eyebrow at you. “It’s… been a hot minute and I just… god, every time I look at him I want to climb him like a tree.”

“Disgusting,” she muttered and you narrowed her eyes at her, “sorry, for two minutes I will pretend there is a world in which I can find Hangman sexually appealing,” she said, clearing her throat. “I hear you, girlfriend. I too would like to climb him like a tree,” she said and you just laughed as you grabbed the champagne bottle and walked down the hallway to your bedroom where the two of you settled onto the air mattress. “Just make a move, I doubt he’d object, he was staring at your ass the entire time we were doing the toast.”

You chuckled, “I don’t know, it’s just a little weird… I mean, we’ve talked about us before, lots of tortured pining stuff and wondering if we’d ever get a shot again and now we have one and it feels awkward. What am I supposed to do, just plant one on him then boom we’re back together?”

“If you wanna speed things along you could flirt with Rooster,” she said and you gave her a look that said be for real, right now. “I’m serious! Those two are good now, what with the whole saving your life seconds before you got blown to smithereens thing, but there’s still some deep-seated competition there, spark it and I guarantee you’ll get your hot hot Hangman sex,” you just shook your head, playfully shoving her shoulder before grabbing your laptop.

“That feels mean to Roo, caught him staring at my ass too,” you laughed, “if things were different though I would like to take that mustache for a ride…” you said, watching as she gagged.

“Stop being a horndog about my coworkers and pull up the spreadsheet,” she said, and the two of you spent the evening switching between Excel and Pinterest, making detailed plans for each room of the house and figuring out what order you wanted to go in. You briefly thought to yourself that Phoenix had a backup career in interior design if she ever grew tired of the pilot life but you knew that was about as likely as you ever putting your scalpel down. When the rest of the squad showed up the following morning, much too vibrant and loud for the state of your hangovers, you got the house unpacked in record time and by the time the sun was setting and casting a beautiful orange glow through your windows you had something that sort of resembled a home… if you looked past the terrible carpeting that needed to be removed and the questionable paint colors the previous owners had chosen. But that was all fine, this house was yours… really truly yours and you could do whatever you wanted with it because it was going to be your home for a very long time.

Work was everything you’d hoped it would be, your colleagues were amazing and they happily showed you how things worked… you had a few habits to break from your time at Mass Gen and they were more than understanding of the adjustment period you required but the biggest adjustment was getting used to not having to check in with an attending every time you wanted to rush someone off for surgery. Sure, as a fellow you still required supervision but they trusted you. After one week of a tight leash they realized you were more than capable of handling things on your own and when you weren’t in your office working closely with the Head of Trauma on your pilot program you were running the ER, something you could just feel in your bones was what you were meant to do. You thrived on the high pressure situations, on taking charge and dictating patient care and quickly you became the favorite superior to the residents and interns. You took the extra step to teach them, and you threw them into the deep end time after time which in turn made them better doctors and better equipped to handle patients.

One of the interns had joked and said you should be called Venus instead of Jupiter… something about being harsh and volatile but you took it as a compliment. Your new Chief had concerns about your method of teaching, said that things weren’t as cutthroat here as they were in Boston but he saw an immediate improvement in the interns. They were logging more OR hours and working great under pressure, something they had struggled with before you arrived and you felt satisfied to know you had so easily slipped into your new hospital's ecosystem and were making it better while they made you better.

Things were still distant with Jake, and you honestly felt like you were still across the country as you maintained your friendship… you hadn’t been expecting to jump in his arms the second your plane touched down for a romcom worthy reunion but you had at least expected something to happen by now. You’d been here for almost two months and nothing. You’d wanted to corner him, have a conversation about where you guys were at but there was never an opportunity with both of your schedules and all of the free time you did have was being spent with the rest of the Daggers who couldn’t take a hint because they honestly assumed the two of you had gotten back together and were just being respectful of PDA in their presence.

“How about another duet?” Rooster asked, leaning on the table you were currently sitting at and encroaching your personal space as he wiggled his eyebrows at you and you just shook your head.

“It’s going to take about five more tequila shots before that happens, Roo,” you said and he was off to the bar as you shouted after him, “that wasn’t an invitation!”

“You shouldn’t have humored him that night,” Phoenix said with a laugh, “he could never rope anyone in before and now you’ve set a precedent for yourself.”

“Any cool cases today, Jupiter?” Fanboy asked, snagging the seat next to you and you gave him a wide smile. You loved having him around, whereas everyone else listened to you talk about work because you were their friend and they cared, they weren’t the biggest fans of the gory details, but not Fanboy. He wanted you to tell him everything in great detail, he said you were like a real life superhero and you would take him stroking your ego any day of the week if it meant you got to brag about your cool surgeries.

“Actually yes,” you said, rolling your eyes at Rooster as he set a tequila shot in front of you, but you took it anyway. “We had two patients come in today stuck together… take a guess at how they were stuck.”

“Oh god, superglue?”

You shook your head, “I wish, and honestly so did they. His uh… prince albert hooked onto her IUD during intercourse,” you said and he burst out laughing.

“I’m sorry, what?” Rooster said, and you turned to realize everyone had been listening in.

You nodded, “weirdest x-ray of my life. Wasn’t surgical which was a bummer but I basically acted as their post-coitus cruise director while I watched the imaging and navigated them out.”

“Every time I talk to you I have something new to fear,” Coyote said and you turned to narrow your eyes at him.

“And why would this be something for you to fear? Got some jewelry below the belt, Coyote?” you asked and everyone snickered while he stammered and said no before walking to the bar with his tail between his legs.

“Need a new opponent?” you asked, approaching the pool table as Jake reset and he gave you a small smile as he nodded.

“Could never say no to you, just don’t whine to me when you lose,” he said, passing you a cue and you scoffed.

“You forget who’s dad taught you how to play,” you shot back, giving him a smirk before he let you break. You went back and forth, keeping the game pretty even as you both tried to come out on top and you faltered when you felt your phone ringing in your back pocket, pulling it out to see an incoming call from Jake’s father. You looked up at him as he was surveying the table for his next shot and passed your pool cue to Rooster, “take over for me? I’ll be right back.”

“John? What’s going on?” you answered as you stepped out onto the patio, you were close with Jake’s parents and always had been, but they never called you outside of the time you scheduled every other week to catch up.

“Hey JJ,” he said, and you smiled at the nickname of your nickname he’d given you. “Are you with Jake?”

“Yeah, but I stepped away… is everything okay?” You could feel yourself starting to grow anxious and you tried to tamp it down.

“It’s Mary…” he said and your heart stopped in your chest before taking off in a dead sprint, “it’s uh… well, it’s not good, JJ, and we need you.” He filled you in on everything that had happened, after a few months of horrible migraines their county hospital had finally ordered a head CT which revealed a brain tumor and you could feel anger radiating throughout you. If someone had shown up in your ER several times complaining of persistent headaches the first thing you would have done was order a CT, but that was something for you to deal with later. “The doctors here… they’ve got a pretty good plan but, well we know you’re not a neurosurgeon but didn’t you spend some time in that department as a resident?”

“I did, about two years with Dr. Adams, he was the Head of Neuro… tell her doctors you want digital copies of all of her imaging and send them over to me, I’ll look them over. Jake doesn’t know, does he?” you asked, looking through the window and watching as he laughed with Rooster.

“No… I’m sorry to put all of this on your plate, JJ… we know how busy you are, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, and well… you’re a doctor, you know how to tell people things like this.” he said and you understood, though you didn’t necessarily agree. You knew how to tell people things like this, not Jake.

“I’ll tell him and we’ll be on the first flight out, okay? I’ll look over the scans as soon as you send them and I’ll talk with her doctors, we’ll figure this out.” you said before hanging up and you took a moment to yourself to feel your feelings before going in there and shattering Jake’s world. This moment was all you got, you knew what John and Mary were asking of you. They could never keep up with you anytime you talked about work, hell Mary had called you one day to have you help her pick the right cold medicine (when she really needed allergy medicine). This wasn’t their strong suit, and that was okay, but this was different than colds or allergies. You knew they were throwing big words at them and overwhelming them with medical information they weren’t equipped to decipher, and you knew they were asking you to step in to make it all make sense and make decisions on their behalf.

This moment was all you got to feel devastated by the news, to mourn the fact that Mary, someone you considered to be your other mother, was going through something as awful as this. She was who you turned to when you didn’t feel comfortable going to your own mom… she was there when you walked into her bedroom with Jake’s sweater wrapped around your waist asking her what you’re supposed to do about periods, and she was there when you lost your virginity to a boy who didn’t really give a damn about you (or not getting you pregnant) and you needed someone to take you to get the morning after pill. She held your hand tight when Jake shared the news of his acceptance into the Academy and she bought you the stethoscope you still wore around your neck when you graduated from med school. You took a deep breath, straightened your back and wiped your tears. If John and Mary needed you to be a doctor for them right now, then that’s what you would do. You would make sure that she received the best care she possibly could, because that’s what she deserved.

“Jake?” you asked, stepping up to the pool table and he brushed you off for a moment, saying something about securing his win against you and Rooster and you waited, ignoring the way Phoenix and Coyote were looking at you right now. They could tell you had been crying, and they could feel by the energy radiating off of you that something was wrong, and Jake knew it too the second he turned around.

“What is it?”

“You should, uh… you should come with me,” you said, trying to pull him somewhere private but as he looked down at you, his Jupiter who was always so brave and calm in the face of everything, he couldn’t wait another second and you sighed. “I just got off the phone with your dad, your mom has been diagnosed and admitted for a brain tumor, we need to go home.” you said, trying to keep it brief and factual but you knew that wouldn’t help as his face fell. You turned to Coyote who was eagerly awaiting for you to tell him how he could help. “I need you to take him home, get a bag packed. I’m going to call Maverick and my boss, get all of that sorted, and get us booked on the next flight out. I'll be there to get him as soon as we’re ready to go.” you said and he nodded. You wrapped your arms around Jake and whispered in his ear, “it’s going to be okay, I promise.” You kissed his cheek and nodded to Coyote and you felt tears well in your eyes as you watched them go.

“Sit down, take a second,” Bob said, pulling out a chair for you and you let your body be moved by him, you didn’t feel like you were really here, this felt like it was a really bad dream. You felt a hand on your knee and you looked up to see Rooster in front of you.

“Don’t worry about Maverick, I’ll call him and let him know, okay?” he said and you nodded, whispering a thank you as he stepped away.

“What can I do?” Phoenix asked and you nodded to your purse on the table.

“Take my wallet, use the blue card… get us booked on the next flight to Austin?” you asked and she was already on the move. You snapped back to reality and pulled out your phone, calling your Chief and letting him know you needed some personal time and he granted you as much as you needed, and told you he’d have your neurosurgeon on standby if you felt you needed to transfer her. You felt like everything was moving in a blur, you thanked everyone as you grabbed your stuff and left the bar, telling them you’d give them an update when you could and you didn’t even remember what you’d packed, you just knew you’d thrown some stuff in a bag before you parked your car at Jake’s and you don’t think you’d ever experienced silence so suffocating as Coyote drove you to the airport. Jake hadn’t said a word since you’d told him and you couldn’t blame him, you couldn’t really find what to say either and you almost didn’t hear him on the plane when he’d muttered, “I don’t know what to do.”

Your head snapped towards him and you rested a hand on his knee, “you don’t have to do anything. Don’t worry about the medical stuff, I’ll take care of it all… just be there for her,” you said and he nodded softly. “I’m sure she’ll feel a lot better when she sees this handsome face,” you said, resting a hand on his cheek briefly and he cracked a smile. It was small but it was there, and you’d take it. “As soon as we land I’m going to talk with her doctors, figure out what the plan is and we’ll go from there. My Head of Neuro has her scans and is looking them over, and once I figure out what they’re recommending I’m going to talk with Dr. Adams and get his opinion. We’ll transfer her to San Diego or Mass Gen if we have to, but I have a good feeling about this.”

“The golf ball.” he said, and you cocked your head in confusion. “That day I called you in the bar you told me about the golf ball tumor you and Dr. Adams removed, you said you shouldn’t have been able to and you did.”

You nodded, “we did, and hers is a lot smaller… The only concern here is the location.” you said and he nodded.

When you touched down in Austin and made the drive out to the county hospital you did exactly what you said you would. You pulled her doctors into a conference room and went over every inch of her case after Mary gave them permission to loop you in on her care. For two hours you argued, you felt like you were going against a brick wall and the weight resting on your shoulders felt unbearable but you would bear it if it meant it wasn’t on John and Mary… they had sacrificed so much for you and Jake, and Jake… you felt bad leaving him out of this, you were acutely aware of the way he was pacing just outside the door, looking through the small window every so often to try and gauge what was going on but he didn’t need to hear any of this. He didn’t need to hear you call her doctors incompetent, he didn’t need to hear you yell at them over how long it took to order a head CT, he didn’t need to hear you call her tumor complex and smart, and he didn’t need to hear you walk them through how it could be removed.

“With all due respect, you’re a trauma surgeon, not a neurosurgeon, and we’ve elected to follow a course of chemotherapy and radiation,” her doctor, Dr. Franks said and you just rolled your eyes.

“With all due respect, I studied for two years under the Head of Neuro at Mass Gen which as far as I’m concerned makes me a hell of a lot more qualified than you, and you haven’t elected to do anything. The patient has withheld consent on any further treatment until I provide my opinion and in my professional opinion this tumor can be removed,” you argued and he shook his head. You were growing frustrated and you checked your watch, confirming the time in Boston and you dialed Dr. Adams and set your phone on the table as it rang. “Dr. Adams, sorry to cut to the chase but did you receive the scans I sent you?”

“Yes, this tumor is encroaching on Broca’s Area and I don’t like the growth I’m seeing between last week's scan and this week’s, is the patient exhibiting symptoms?”

“None beyond headaches, but we don’t have a lot of time before she does.” You could tell the other doctors in the room were annoyed, and frankly you would be too if a doctor that didn’t work in your hospital barged in guns blazing and criticizing your every move on a case but you also knew that beneath the annoyance you would understand.

“I agree, my main concern here with surgery is damaging the area and impacting her ability to speak but I do think that’s the best way to move forward here.”

“Dr. Franks, would you like to fill Dr. Adams in on your recommended course of treatment?” you asked, gesturing to him as if to say the floor is yours.

“Given the proximity to Broca’s Area we have decided chemotherapy and radiation is the best option for this patient,” he said and you rolled your eyes.

“That’s all you're suggesting? Chemo and radiation will give her maybe another year, and it’ll be the worst year of her life. Jupiter, my recommendation here is to transfer her to UCSD, Dr. Lewis will do it. I’ll make the call for you,” he said and you thanked him as you hung up.

“I’m going to go speak with the patient, but as far as I’m concerned you should start processing her discharge.”

“You can’t just storm in here and order a transfer,” Dr. Franks protested and you scoffed.

“I can when you’re giving your patient a death sentence, process the discharge.” you said, storming out of the room and nearly colliding with Jake.

“J, talk to me. What’s going on?” he asked as you were already halfway down the hallway.

“We’re transferring her to UCSD, I have to go speak with the patient and get her-”

“The patient?” Jake asked in disbelief and you softened, turning back to face him.

“I’m sorry,” you said, placing your hands on his cheeks, “I’m sorry, that was… I just have to refer to her that way right now, your parents want me in charge here and if I’m going to act in her best interest I need to approach this as a doctor.”

He removed your hands from his face but kept a tight grip on them and you could see that he didn’t understand, “that’s not the patient, Jupiter, that’s my mom.” he said, voice breaking.

“I know. Jake, I know who it is, and you don’t have to understand but right now this is about her and what she needs, and she’s asked for me to handle this… I’m sorry, but I do need to go update her on what’s going on,” you said, giving him a pleading look and when you could see it was no use you turned and walked down the hallway towards her room.

“Hey Mary, how are you feeling?” you asked and she gave you a bright smile as you briefly looked over her chart again to read her latest vitals.

“Better now that the two of you are here,” she said, and you looked to the doorway to see Jake leaning against the frame as you sat on the edge of her bed.

“You were gone a long time, what’s the verdict?” John asked.

“We’re setting up a transfer to UCSD,” you said and her eyes widened, “this is not a reflection upon your team here,” it definitely was, “however your tumor is a little more complex than this hospital is used to seeing and I want you getting the best of the best. I think it says a lot about you that even your tumor is wicked smart, which means you need a wicked smart surgeon to take it out and that would be Dr. Lewis, he was actually mentored by my mentor in Boston from that minute I wanted to be a neurosurgeon.” you said and she smiled softly.

“So he’s good?” she asked.

“One of the best, hell I’d even let him cut my head open,” you joked and you smiled when she laughed. “I’m going to check in with my boss in San Diego and see how we’re doing on that transfer, okay?” you asked and she nodded as you made your way to the door.

“Jupiter?” she called, and you stopped as you stood next to Jake and you didn’t miss the way he took a step back, “thank you… for taking care of this. I know how busy you are and I know you must be pulling a lot of strings for me-”

“You hush, Mary.” you said, feeling tears prick at your eyes. “You’re family. Nothing is more important right now,” you said, giving her another smile as you left the room. You felt just slightly reassured at how your colleagues, past and present, were making this as much of a priority to them as it was to you, and you thanked your Chief about a dozen times when he let you know he was sending the hospital’s plane for you and it’d be arriving in a few hours.

“Hey, that plane is designated for medical emergencies and this qualifies. I’m not doing you any favors,” he said and you chuckled.

“You are and you know it, I’ll see you soon.” you said as you hung up and you gave Jake a smile as he approached that wasn’t reciprocated.

“She’s resting… dad went to grab their stuff from the house,” he said and you nodded.

“They’re processing the discharge, we’ll be out of here as soon as the plane gets here,” you said as you sat in one of the waiting room chairs and he followed.

“I’m scared, J,” he said and you turned to fully face him as you pulled his hands into your lap.

“I know, I am too… but we’ve got this, okay? Dr. Lewis is great, I haven’t had a chance to speak with him yet and go through the approach but we’ll make a plan as soon as we land and he’s had a chance to meet with her-”

“Got it.” he said, standing abruptly, “I’m going to go sit with her while we wait.” You let out a sigh and hung your head in your hands for a moment before pulling out your phone and dialing your own mom.

“Sweetheart? It’s early, is everything okay?” she answered and you felt a wave of emotion crash over you.

“Mom…” you started, voice breaking. “I’m home,” you said.

“Home? What do you mean, where are you?” you could already hear her shouting to your father and the jingle of keys in the background.

“I’m at the county hospital with Jake’s family, it’s Mary… I need-” you said, but cut yourself off as your throat grew thick.

“We’ll be there in ten minutes,” she said before disconnecting and you quickly made your way down to the lobby, not wanting to be near his family right now. You paced back and forth, damn near wearing a hole in the tile, and when you heard the hiss of the automatic doors opening and saw your parents for the first time in almost six months you nearly collapsed.

“Oh honey,” your mom said, both of them running over and wrapping themselves around you, sandwiching you between them as you let yourself break.

“Shh, it’s okay, baby,” your dad said as you tried to tell them what was going on. “Just take a deep breath,” he said, pulling away to wipe your tears. You felt like a little kid again, like you were six years old as you wept in your dad’s arms.

“I just… I know I do this every day, I make life and death decisions for people all the time but this is… I mean if we’re wrong? If we’re just a bunch of cocky surgeons playing god and this doesn’t go the way we think it will? I promised them, I broke the one golden rule of medicine and I made promises to people,” you said, succumbing to another wave of tears. “And I can’t do this,” you said, trying to pull yourself together. “I can’t do this up there. Jake’s mad at me because he doesn’t understand why I’m acting like a doctor right now but this… I can’t break down like this because they asked me to be a doctor, I’m supposed to handle this.”

“You’re handling it the best you can,” your mom said, rubbing her hands along your arms soothingly.

“You’re in your pajamas,” you said, letting out a watery laugh. “I woke you, I’m sorry,” you said and your mom let out a soft laugh.

“We were actually watching Jeopardy, did you know they put that on Netflix?” she asked and you laughed again.

“Besides, I don’t care what time it is. You need us, you call,” your dad said and you nodded, leading them to the elevators and telling them they should stop in before you left.

“You’re leaving?” your mom asked as the doors closed.

“Taking her to UCSD,” you answered, “this right here is why I’m working on that rural health program… this could have gone so much smoother, she could have been diagnosed weeks ago.” you said with a sigh, and when the doors opened and Jake turned from looking through the glass window to his mothers room to see the three of you, his face twisting in pain as he looked at your father, you knew he felt like he was a little kid again too. Your dad was down the hall in an instant, wrapping his arms around him as Jake fell apart. What Jake’s mom was to you, your father was to him… he was there for Jake when he couldn’t go to his own dad.

You all sat around Mary’s bed, laughing and catching up, enjoying the fact that the six of you were all in the same place for the first time in years despite the circumstances, and you were currently in a fit of hysterics as you discovered both of your parents had joined a bowling league to fill their time.

“We’re empty nesters! Leave us alone,” Mary protested as you and Jake laughed.

“Do you have matching shoes?” you asked, and you took their silence as a yes. You all said your goodbyes as you prepared to head to the airstrip, and you watched as your parents spoke with his quietly. You were glad they had each other, remained close even when they didn’t have the two of you to force them into each other’s lives. It always helped knowing that while you and Jake were busy saving lives and saving the world, too preoccupied to make it home for every birthday or holiday, they had each other to lean on. As you sat next to Jake’s mom on the plane, not missing the way Jake wasn’t making eye contact as he sat with his father, you felt her nudge your shoulder.

“He’ll get over it,” she said and you gave her a questioning look. “We put a hell of a problem on your plate… and for that I’m sorry, but it’s easier for him to be mad at you right now.”

You nodded, “I know. I want to say I’m used to it because in a way I am… patient’s family members treat me like the enemy all the time… but, I’m not used to him treating me this way.” you said sadly, “but you do not get to be sorry for this. I would have put this on my plate even if you hadn’t asked,” you said, turning to look at her.

“I know. That’s just who you are, Jupiter… you take the brunt of everyone else’s problems so they don’t have to deal with it. John and I are so proud of the woman you’ve become,” she said and you felt tears prick at your eyes. “But right now you need to get some sleep, stop worrying about the problems for now.”

You shook your head, “that’s okay, I’m fine… I was going to go over your case a little more before we land so I’m ready for my meeting with Dr. Lewis,” you said and she just shook her head, pushing the arm rest out of the way and lifting her arm for you.

“Come on, get some rest. You’ve been taking care of me since before you got here, just… let me take care of you for a little while, okay?” she said and you nodded as you curled into her side and you felt like a blanket of security had been wrapped around you when you did. The exhaustion hit you like a freight train, you were realizing now that you hadn’t slept in over a day and as sleep tugged at the edges of your mind you did your best to set aside everything that was going wrong and just trust that it would all work out.

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alottanothing · 2 months

Text

Keep Playing [part two]

Summary: After returning home from a long, cross-country haul, Wayne Munson comes home to find new responsibilities

Word Count: 6.3K

Previous Part

Warnings: Language, minor mentions of abuse

Tag List: @itswormtrain (please let me know if you would like added to this list)

A/N: Okay no update for June, only because time got away from me. So, here's a long chapter for the few of you who are along for the ride. I probably should have mentioned that this doesn't follow the canon book that came out, that I can't remember the name of, that came out with Eddie's backstory. I started writing this in 2022. Anyway, there's at least two more parts to this series opener, which I'm hoping to have up more regularly.

The morning sun was just beginning to rise, casting a warm, golden glow across the distant horizon when Wayne Munson pulled his trusty pickup truck into its usual spot outside of his humble trailer. The engine hummed to a stop before Wayne stretched his arms over head as best he could in the cab of the old truck, trying to alleviate the stiffness of exhaustion in his muscles. Still, a yawn fell heavily from his mouth.

There was never any grand welcome waiting for him when he returned from exceptionally long hauls across the country, no one waiting to wrap him in their arms and tell him how much they missed him. All he came home to were the creature comforts he’d been without for so long: his bed and his sofa and his shower. They all beckoned him, none so much as the familiarity of his own mattress. The toll of those grueling long hauls was becoming increasingly evident in his aging bones, the weight of endless hours spent behind the wheel of his rig leaving an indelible mark on his body every time he returned. Even so, Wayne couldn’t help but revel in every day he spent miles away from Hawkins.

Sometimes, he considered leaving the only town he'd ever called home, a town that would undoubtedly have rejoiced at his leaving. The narrow streets and gossip-filled corners were growing old. Each time he drove west, he thought of staying; the vast countryside and boundless skies were far friendlier than anything Hawkins had to offer. Amongst the rolling hills and sprawling meadows, the weight of expectations and judgment lifted from his tired shoulders. The mountains welcomed him with open arms time after time, offering refuge from the suffocating confines of a past that he'd had little control over. Out west, the air was crisp and untainted and always filled his lungs with fresh vitality. Yet, he always came back, always pulled his rig into its familiar spot at the truck stop near the highway. And each time, every thought of abandoning Hawkins disappeared, much like the rest of his dreams had. It was too important that he stayed, for a while, at least.

The same surreal feeling fell over him as he left his rig that morning after living in it for weeks on end. However, the notion of a hot shower and the comfort of his bed was always strong enough to combat that peculiar wave of melancholy. The paycheck in his hand helped too, of course. It would be enough to fix up some things around the trailer, put a full tank of gas in his truck, and maybe even buy that new boombox he’d been wanting. All things considered; Wayne was glad to be home.

With his latest souvenir in hand—another mug for his collection—he stepped onto the dirt looking around finding little had changed in his weeks away. Nothing usually did, but folks in Hawkins seemed to like it that way. Everyone liked their routine no matter how dull it was, and Wayne couldn’t even bring himself to think he was any better. He always found comfort in routine.

He stood a moment, filling his lungs with the fresh morning air, smiling at the awakening world around him. The birds were chirping in the trees, their melodies harmonizing with the gentle rustling leaves. Overhead the sky was a pastel canvas dotted with white puffy clouds. There was beauty there too, even without the majestic mountains and open prairies, he just had to look a little harder to find it.

“Oh hey, Wayne!” His neighbor across the way waved as he stepped out to grab the paper on his stoop, pulling his attention away from the sky.

“Hey, Scott,” Wayne waved back, tossing him a pleasant smile.

The Jones family had always been friendly; one of very few in town who heard the name Munson and didn’t immediately peg him as a nefarious character like his dad and brother were.

“Your sister-in-law was here yesterday—pretty early actually.”

The smile on Wayne’s face sank, his gut sloshing with uneasiness. Betty never came around unless she was looking to stir up trouble.

“Yeah? What’d she want?”

Scott shrugged, “Dunno, she was banging on your door—shoutin’ for ya, blowin’ a horn.”

“Did she have the boy with her? Ed?” Wayne asked, that feeling in his stomach beginning to gnaw. He cared little about Betty, or why she’d come calling so early. It was Eddie that mattered to him. He just wanted his nephew to be alright.

“I think so, from what I could see out the window anyway. They didn’t stay very long. Thought you should know though.”

“Thanks, I’ll—uh—go see if anything’s missing.” Wayne tossed a pointed thumb over his shoulder.

“Hope everything is accounted for,” Scott said, glancing at the trailer.

“Me too,” Wayne nodded. “Good to see you, Scott.”

“You too, Wayne. Welcome back.”.

Ever since Walt’s faults had caught up with him and landed him in prison, his son’s mother, Betty, had all but fallen off the face of the earth. She didn’t call him; she didn’t bring Eddie around. When Wayne did go over to check on his nephew, no one was ever there. Not knowing was always the worst, and sometimes he feared he put too much trust in Betty’s ability to take care of her son. Knowing that Eddie was okay enough to be with his mother the previous day did bring Wayne a little solace. Even so, he weighed the idea of giving up his hot shower and sleep to go to the rundown apartments to make sure his nephew was okay.

“Hey, uh, Scott,” Wayne asked just as his neighbor was about to disappear behind his screen door.

“Hmm?”

“Did you see if Ed left with Betty yesterday?”

Scott shook his head. “I’m afraid I went back to sleep—like I said, it was early when she was here.”

Wayne nodded, digesting that morsel of information.

“Thanks again, Scott.”

“Anytime.”

Wayne didn't waste a second as he swiftly fished his keys from his pocket to unlock his trailer, with no thoughts of stolen items crossing his mind. The urgency in his movements was fueled by the growing sense of concern for his nephew and his whereabouts. If he had to, he'd drive all over the state to find him.

With the lock clicked open, Wayne swung the door wide open, and there he found Eddie sprawled out on his sofa, fast asleep and completely safe. That uneasy feeling in his gut gave way to a wave of relief. Not so long ago he’d told Eddie he’d always have a place there with his uncle. A place to feel safe and free from the abuse Wayne was almost certain his nephew had suffered.

The more he thought about everything, the more it angered Wayne.

Like Walter, Betty was no prize, although that was more than likely Walt’s doing as well. Walt had a natural talent for getting involved in reckless, often criminal, activities, as well as aligning himself with the wrong crowd. It was a pattern Wayne had spent most of his youth trying to correct to no avail. No matter how many heart-to-hearts he'd shared with Walter, or how many positive role models Wayne tried to push into his brother's orbit, Walt gravitated to his self-destructive tendencies. Somehow, Betty got caught up in the mess too, and whatever innocence she'd had in the beginning, Walter managed to drain it out of her. Their tumultuous relationship was on everyone's tongue, and when word got out that their affair resulted in a child, a child neither one of them were fit to raise, all of Hawkins set its teeth on them.

Despite all the negativity surrounding him, Eddie's ability to maintain a heart full of kindness was truly miraculous. All Eddie took from his parents was his appearance. He was a Munson, no denying that. Even with his hair cut so short, little more than a buzz, he was the very image of his father save for a few softer features given to him by his mother. Whenever Wayne looked at him long enough, it was as though he was face to face with his kid brother. The brother Wayne had failed to take care of.

Quietly, Wayne placed his keys and his mug on the kitchen counter and hung his jacket on the hook by the door before going to wake his nephew.

“Ed...” he shook him gently, “Eddie?”

His nephew opened his eyes, blinking away the remnants of sleep, and looked around the room with a hint of confusion etched on his face. The unexpected surroundings seemed to puzzle him momentarily until his gaze settled on his uncle. Recognition dawned with a smile across his lips as he realized where he was.

“Son, what are you doing here?”

Without an answer, Eddie hopped to his feet and hugged his uncle with enough force Wayne almost lost his footing.

“Uncle Wayne! I missed you!”

“I missed you too, kiddo.” He returned the embrace, patting his back with a smile. Surely this sweet boy is not my brother’s son.

"Is everything okay?” Wayne asked when Eddie finally let go. “How’d you get here?”

“Mom and some guy dropped me off yesterday morning.” He shrugged.

Wayne frowned, “And you’ve been here by yourself since then?”

Eddie was old enough to fend for himself that long, but that didn’t mean Wayne liked the idea. The trailer park wasn’t the safest place to live in Hawkins—better he guessed than the hovel Betty and Walt lived in. But still not a place for a twelve-year-old to be left unsupervised for long.

A sigh broke past Wayne's lips as his eyes examined the trailer, searching for anything out of place, knowing Betty tended to have sticky fingers.

“Did you...” Wayne’s brows furrowed. “Did you do my dishes? Throw away my trash?”

Eddie nodded.

Wayne’s heart sank a little.

“You know you don’t have to do that stuff when you’re staying with me, right?” He kept his voice soft, knowing the sort of tone his nephew was used to at home. “I’m not gonna get mad atcha for a dirty dish in my sink or some candy bar wrappers on the table.”

“I know,” Eddie admitted, looking away as he scratched the back of his nearly bald head. “I didn’t have anything else to do.”

Another sigh fell past Wayne’s lips as he nodded.

“Did your mother say when she’s gonna be back?”

Eddie shook his head and reached for a mostly empty, very dirty pillowcase lying in a heap by the sofa. He dug around in it for a few seconds before brandishing a wrinkled envelope.

“She gave me this before she left.”

Something dark radiated from that unsuspecting envelope in his nephew’s hands; the room seemed to grow colder, the air thick with an unexplainable heaviness. A wave of melancholy washed over Wayne as he eyed the envelope. Eddie, however, stood ignorant of the cloud that filled the room the moment he pulled the note from his pillowcase. Wayne was glad for that youthful naivety on Eddie’s face, it kept him a little less burdened, a little more innocent and Wayne preferred things remain that way for the good of his nephew.

Wayne knew what he would find written on the paper before he even took the envelope in his nephew's hands: a collection of careless words written by a careless mother. The haphazard scribbles adorning the page would forever be seared into his mind. The ink seemed to mirror the lack of attention and concern that had been poured into its creation. Each word was a testament to a mother's indifference, her complete disregard for the impact those words could have on her child's fragile heart.

A part of Wayne always knew he would one day find himself there, at one time in his life he’d fought to be where he stood. Even so, Wayne was unsure if he should rejoice or lament.

A smile forced its way onto Wayne's face as he read, the gesture nothing more than a charade to keep Eddie at ease while he digested the bitter words he read. Eddie’s eyes never left him, big and brown—his father's eyes—curiosity beginning to wander onto his expression.

“What’s it say, Uncle Wayne?”

Rejoice, Wayne decided, realizing it was a happy moment. No one would hurt his nephew ever again. No more harsh words or cigarette burns or nights without a meal. Eddie was finally out of harm's way, all thanks to his mother's carelessness. With a single sigh, Wayne let 12 years of contempt and worry billow out of him, hopefully forever. He would be able to sleep through the night, no longer worrying about the wellbeing of his nephew. In only a matter of seconds, Wayne came to terms with his new responsibilities when only 20 minutes ago all he longed for was a shower and his warm bed.

“Uncle Wayne, what does it say?”

The smile on Wayne’s face grew wider, becoming more genuine.

“Nuthin’, bud,” Wayne told him, stashing the note in a nearby junk drawer. “Just that you’re gonna be staying with me for a while. That okay with you?”

The grin that spread over Eddie’s face rendered a sight so pure and full of joy, that Wayne almost wanted to cry. He wouldn’t be able to give his nephew much, but he would love him the way he deserved to be loved and provide for him as much as he possibly could.

“Of course! Yeah!”

“Good.” Wayne nodded, his smile fading slightly when his eyes fell on the ratty pillowcase. “What else ya got in there, son?”

“Oh, just my stuff,” Eddie turned the makeshift rucksack upside down, spilling a handful of moth-eaten t-shirts, a pair of dirty jeans, and a toothbrush onto the floor.

“That’s all you brought?”

“That’s all I have,” Eddie shrugged.

Wayne’s heart sank, how did he not know just how little Eddie had? Suddenly, that paycheck he’d brought home held a more significant purpose. He still had some fixing to do on the trailer and needed to fill up his truck with gas, but buying new electronics seemed foolish. Eddie was far more important than a boombox.

“Well, we can’t have that,” Wayne brandished his check and gave it a little wave. “We’ll go cash this, then go and pick you up some better things to wear, okay?”

Eddie almost looked shocked, “Really?”

“Yup,” Wayne nodded. “If you’re gonna be here longer than a few days you’re gonna need more clothes than that.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“We’ll even stop and get breakfast while we’re out, sound good?”

Eddie nodded, still looking as though he could hardly believe what was happening.

“Really good. Thank you, Uncle Wayne.”

“Don’t mention it, son”

The breakfast rush at Paula’s never seemed to slow down morning after morning. The old 50s-style diner near the interstate had been a staple of Hawkins for as long as Wayne could remember. It was also one of the rare spots in town where the staff treated individuals with the name Munson just like any other customer. Wayne spent many mornings there in his usual booth sipping cups of black coffee, eating scrambled eggs that were always a touch too salty, all while the station across the street got his rig filled up and ready for its next long haul.

Those days, however, were behind him. Eddie needed him more than Wayne needed the escape to the vast horizon stretching out before him. The local plant was always looking for reliable new employees, and Wayne knew he'd have no trouble landing a position there: a job that paid well and allowed him to stay in Hawkins full-time. Wayne was nursing his third cup of coffee—every sip a prayer to keep his tired eyes from drooping—as he sat in his usual booth, this time with Eddie across the table. He watched with some amusement as his nephew shoveled large bites of buttermilk pancakes into his mouth, brown eyes bright and his smile unwavering. Wayne hated to think how often Eddie’d gone a day without food. Too many, he figured, but never again.

As Wayne enjoyed his breakfast, consisting of over-salted eggs, wheat toast, and sausage, his gaze shifted towards the paper place mat beneath Eddie's plate, bringing a gentle smile back to his face. The blank sheet had been turned into a canvas of sorts thanks to Eddie’s handy work with an ink pen. He'd spent the majority of their time waiting for their meals drawing pictures of dragons and sword-wielding knights: characters from a book he’d read in the library: The Lord of the Rings.

The series of fantasy books had eluded Wayne’s knowledge of literature until that morning. Eddie, on the other hand, held a deep understanding of the happenings of Middle Earth, and by the time their breakfast arrived, Wayne felt significantly enlightened. It was during that pre-breakfast lecture over Tolkien fantasy that Wayne realized just how meaningful those books were. Stumbling upon the world in those pages all on his own was the very catalyst that laid the groundwork for Eddie to avoid treading the same paths as his parents. Escaping to a land of heroes and easily distinguishable good and evil helped him keep his head on straight. Wayne had never felt such immense gratitude for books before, but that morning he found himself expressing his thanks to them for providing his nephew with a way to break free from the confines of his own reality.

With breakfast finished, and coffee to go, the pair stopped at the thrift store on Main Street. As they crossed the entrance of the shop, a peculiar smell enveloped them, typical of most thrift stores. It was a blend of familiar scents like fabric softener, perfume, and mothballs, creating a signature aroma that was well-known in establishments selling pre-owned items. The absence of customers wasn't surprising considering the early hour. Wayne was glad about that. The quietness of the store allowed them to fully envelope themselves in their hunt for a newer wardrobe. The notion of shopping for his own clothes seemed to thrill Eddie more than Wayne thought it would. However, as Wayne watched his nephew weave through the aisles of second-hand clothing, grabbing anything that caught his eye, he couldn't help but contemplate the notion that Eddie had never truly been granted the freedom to choose his own things. Wayne realized that their shopping trip was more than just a simple errand, it was a taste of newfound independence and self-discovery. In the end, he ended up with more than a week's worth of clothes that weren’t moth-eaten, or dirty and fit him properly. Among the mostly plain T-shirts, he managed to find several flannels, multiple pairs of jeans, a sweatshirt, and a winter coat. When they got back to the trailer, Wayne found temporary spots for all of Eddie's new clothes, knowing it would take a little time to adjust to having his nephew there indefinitely. Things needed to be moved and thrown out to make room, but he was more than willing to do so, Eddie was far more important than junk Wayne had held on to for no particular reason.

After all the clothes were placed on hangers and put away, the pair of them settled on the sofa in front of the television for the remainder of the day, moving from the comfort of their seats only to microwave frozen meals or fill a bowl with snacks. However, it was Eddie that did most of the tv watching; Wayne mostly watched the back of his eyelids, exhausted, but content to sleep peacefully knowing that his nephew was safe.

Wayne dedicated the following week to getting Eddie registered at Hawkins Junior High, taking on the role of his guardian, and landing a job at the factory. He ensured that his nephew had everything he needed for school—from a backpack to notebooks, pencils, and pens. He left no stone unturned. All of it was a new routine, but one they each adjusted to rather quickly. Having another soul under his roof proved to be remedial in a way, more so because it was Eddie.

There was so much life in his young nephew that Wayne felt rejuvenated in a sense. Sure, every tick of the clock made him older, his joints stiffer, his hair thinner, but Wayne's outlook on life was fresh again, hopeful. Sometime, during all those years of trucking across the country, he’d lost it, perhaps swept up in the sands of the west or by the ocean breezes out east, whatever the case, Hawkins had never felt so hopeful than with Eddie under his wing.

In the first few weeks, Eddie gathered the courage to ask several times about when his mother would come back to take him to their dreary apartment. And each time Wayne saw the truth in his big brown eyes; he didn’t want to go back. His question was no more than a warning for himself, a way to prepare for her return, and the notion that he would have to go back.

Wayne didn’t have the heart to tell him that his mother had all but abandoned him. Even after all that the woman had done to the boy, it seemed cruel to tell him that he wasn’t wanted. Instead of spilling the sad truth, Wayne just questioned why he was curious and whether he was already fed up with his uncle's company. Eddie always responded the same: with a big smile and a ‘no way.’

After a month, he quit asking altogether. It was as though, after four weeks time, he finally grasped the seriousness of what had happened to him. However, instead of wallowing in sorrow, he flourished. A new sense of freedom allowed him to spread his wings, shake out the shadows of his past, and catch the winds of change. He was expressing himself in ways his parents never would have encouraged; watching the things he wanted, listening to the things he wanted, reading the things he wanted. Eddie relished in the newfound power of choice, delighting in the ability to shape his own identity and forge his path. With the freedom to do so, it was clear that his nephew needed a space of his own to grow and develop. When Wayne selflessly gave up his room for Eddie, his nephew showed his gratitude for a whole week. He helped with chores around the house without being asked, kept his new room clean and organized, and even surprised Wayne with a homemade dinner one evening: very brown grilled cheese. Wayne was touched by Eddie's thoughtfulness and dedication to making the most of his new space. It was clear that the sacrifice was worth it, as Eddie flourished in his own space and continued to show his appreciation in small but meaningful ways. Wayne knew he had made the right decision in allowing his nephew to thrive and grow on his own terms. Sure, the pullout bed was tough to break in, but after a couple of nights of tossing and turning, Wayne found it oddly comfortable.

By the end of September, Wayne was certain Eddie had never felt more at home and safe. That feeling was something he felt as well; it was as though Eddie had always been there eating too much junk food, watching the TV with the volume all the way up, and leaving wet towels on the floor in the bathroom. Wayne couldn't resist grinning, realizing that every little act of defiance was his nephew embracing his newfound independence.

No longer did he have parents around who scolded him for every little thing he did “wrong” in their eyes. When Eddie stopped feeling compelled to wash all the dishes in the sink or pick up after himself, Wayne knew his boy felt safe. His boy.. he could get used to that.

Even so, Wayne knew better than to let Eddie get away with all those things. He still issued gentle reminders of where to put the towels after his showers or that he really shouldn’t be watching the TV with the volume so high. All Ed needed were those little pushes and a soft word to help shape him. He was easy to mold under a tender hand.

Time pressed on, the year nearing its end, and with every passing day, the bond he had with Eddie only grew stronger. Ed wasn’t keen on fishing, but he went a few times before Wayne caught on that that particular hobby wasn’t one they could share. Baseball was another one his nephew didn’t seem too thrilled with, but Eddie always put on a good face, too sweet to say out loud how he felt out of fear of hurting his uncle’s feelings. Music, however, was the major winner.

Even while Eddie was living with his folks, Wayne managed to take him to a few shows; as a kid, his face lit up when the music boomed through the arenas. It was just the same when they snagged tickets to Black Sabbath for their Never Say Die! Tour. Wayne would never forget that trip to Indianapolis to see their favorite band. Eddie hardly slept the entire week leading up to the concert, and Wayne couldn't help but share his nephew's excitement and anticipation. Music, particularly the metal genre, resonated with Eddie, brought his big smile to the surface, and put a sparkle in his eyes. Wayne wanted to nurture that sense of awe as much as he could.

When there were no shows to see, the pair spent their weekends watching Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater or playing board games. Wayne even took the time to read The Lord of the Rings books just so Eddie had another person to talk to them about. And while they weren’t his usual cup of tea, Wayne was rewarded with long nights discussing the characters and narratives and seeing his nephew light up at the notion of his uncle knowing all those details. It broke his heart knowing that Eddie had no outlet like this for the last 12 years, but Wayne was thrilled to be that for him.

When Halloween rolled around, Eddie had his heart set on trick or treating—another experience his parents had denied him growing up. His vampire costume was rudimentary, thrown together with things they found at the thrift store, but Eddie was thrilled, nonetheless. He’d made a killing that night, his pillowcase nearly bursting with the amount of candy at its bottom, and they stayed up well into the morning watching horror movies and pigging out on all the treats he’d nabbed going door to door.

Thanksgiving was somewhat underwhelming on account of Wayne’s own inconsistency with cooking. The turkey Manhattans at Paula’s, piled high with mashed potatoes still managed to fit the bill. It was good hearty food that Eddie certainly wasn’t complaining about. Especially when Paula brought them each a slice of Pumpkin pie on the house.

Christmas was always a tender subject in the Munson household. Growing up they’d never had much, and Wayne’s parents rarely went out of their way to make things special for him and his brother. For years, Wayne spent ‘the happiest of holidays’ on someone else’s couch, usually his buddy Fred’s. Those were the only happy Christmases he remembered, but with Eddie under his roof, he’d never felt more determined to change that.

After Thanksgiving, Wayne bought a small artificial tree, a couple sets of lights, and a box of plastic ornaments. None of it was showy or inspiring, and he wished he could do more, but Wayne knew Eddie would appreciate it more than anything. Together they assembled the tree, fluffing its branches and arranging the lights just so. The plastic ornaments of red and green came next, each placed delicately on the small branches. In the end, the tree may not have been the most remarkable or extravagant, but it stood as a symbol of love, intention, and warmth. To Eddie, however, that mediocre tree outshone even the one towering in Rockefeller Center.

The winter had been relatively gentle, with more rain than snow. The days had been marked by a damp chill, with occasional flurries that melted away as soon as they touched the ground. However, on Christmas morning, a magical transformation occurred, as if the heavens had conspired to gift the world with a breathtaking surprise. A thick layer of white, pristine and untouched, covered everything in sight, transforming the familiar landscape into a winter wonderland. The trees, once bare and skeletal, now stood adorned with a heavy coat of snow, their branches bending under the weight of this unexpected gift. The rooftops of nearby trailers wore a thick layer of white. The streets, once dull and lifeless, now sparkled with a perfect layer of fluffy snow. Wayne was grateful for that. Christmas always felt more magical with snow, and if anyone deserved a little magic during the holidays, it was Eddie.

Eddie woke up that morning just as he had every day for the past few months. He sprawled out in his spacious bed, letting out a tired yawn as he desperately clung to the last traces of sleep. The cold seeped through the thin walls of his uncle's trailer, causing him to shiver as he huddled under layers of blankets for warmth. The thought of stepping out into the icy air made him cringe, preferring instead to stay cocooned in his makeshift fortress of comfort. Without the scent of coffee drifting into his bedroom from the kitchen, he would have been perfectly happy to stay wrapped up in his snug blankets. He stretched again, arms and legs poking out of the covers, timidly testing the chill in the air, surprised to find the temperature tolerable. His uncle must have turned the heat up a little higher than usual, although Eddie wasn’t sure why. Maybe the snow on the ground made the cold even more unbearable. Money was tight and the luxury of AC in the summer and heat in the winter was used sparingly. Nevertheless, Eddie was glad to not have to dress in layers just to hang around and watch TV.

Wayne sat comfortably on the couch, snuggled up in his cozy flannel robe, enjoying a sip from one of his numerous mugs, when Eddie made his way into the living room. White Christmas was on the television, strangely a favorite of his uncles and even Eddie had to admit he enjoyed the film even though he found a few of the musical numbers a little cheesy.

“Morning, son,” his uncle said with a smile, sliding two wrapped boxes across the surface of the coffee table. “Merry Christmas.”

Eddie stopped and blinked at the plainly wrapped gifts, unsure how to respond. He had spent years hearing his classmates at school excitedly discussing the magic of Christmas, each one returning from winter break boasting about the gifts they received from Santa or their parents. It seemed like a never-ending parade of stories about new toys, gadgets, and experiences that left him feeling left out and disconnected from the holiday spirit. There had never been a jolly big man in a red suit bringing him any gifts despite all the years of wishing and wishing. In fact, Eddie’s father made sure he knew that Santa, as well as all the other magical gift-giving beings the other kids spoke about, were bullshit. No one would ever bring him gifts, most of all his parents.

“A-are those mine?”

Wayne raised his brows and tossed a glance around before reaching to read the tag on each of the boxes. Finally, he shrugged.

“I don’t see anyone else in here with the name Eddie, do you?”

Eddie shook his head.

“Alright then, why don’t you go ahead and open ‘em?”

Excitement built slowly as reality began to settle and his grin was even slower, tinged with a hint of caution. He half-expected to suddenly snap awake in his own bed, rather than find himself in his uncle's living room with real Christmas presents waiting for him to open. “Whattaya waitin’ for, Ed?”

“Nothing,” Eddie assured his uncle, taking the smaller of the two boxes and situating himself cross-legged on the floor.

He opened that first gift slowly, savoring every tear of the brown paper, his smile growing wider with every piece he peeled away.

“Oh wow!” he beamed at the cassettes that fell from the packaging and onto the floor. “Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden!”

Wayne smirked and nodded, still sipping methodically from his cup of coffee.

“Yup, I know how much you enjoyed the show we went to back in October, thought you might like Iron Maiden too.”

“Cool,” Eddie said. “I’m sure I’ll love them. Thanks, Uncle Wayne!”

“Don’t thank me yet, ya got this one too.” Wayne pushed the second gift closer as he spoke.

As Eddie reached for his second gift, a little of his enthusiasm waned, guilt coming over him like a dark shadow. His uncle caught it right away.

“Ed? What’s wrong? Ain’t you gonna open it?”

“Yeah…I just—I feel bad.” Eddie confessed.

“You feel sick?”

Eddie shook his head, “No.”

“Then what is it, son? You can tell me.” There was a heavy line on his uncle's brow, heavy with concern.

“I didn’t get you anything,” Eddie said softly, guilt quickly overpowering all the joy he’d felt only a few minutes prior. “I would have gotten you something too, if I could have.”

Wayne’s posture wilted; his expression doleful as he patted the cushion next to him. Eddie stood and sat down, the springs in the old sofa squealing under his added weight. In his lap, his uncle's gift remained untouched, too excited to surrender it, too ashamed to open it.

“Son, you don’t owe me anything, okay? Having you here is a gift enough for me—knowin’ you’re safe and away from all that nastiness.”

Tears threatened to breach Eddie’s composure. He wasn’t used to such comforting kind words and hearing them was enough to bring the smile back to his face. Wayne smiled then too, reaching to give him a pat on the back, a gesture Eddie did his best not to shy away from. His uncle would never lay a hand on him the way his parents did.

“Now, open your other gift so we can have breakfast, I’m hungry.”

With newfound vigor, Eddie tore into his second gift, heedlessly tossing the paper aside with the rest of the trash. Suddenly, his entire body froze, and he was fighting back tears again. This time, however, they weren’t brought on by guilt or sadness. Eddie found himself completely overwhelmed with joy as he clutched his brand new books: The Hobbit and the entire trilogy of The Lord of the Rings.

“Now you don’t have to keep going to the library to read them,” Wayne said, his smile subtle but kind.

All Eddie felt was shock and happiness, left blinking between the books in his hand and his uncle, doing everything he could to keep the mist in his eyes from becoming tears of pure joy. Boys weren’t supposed to cry, at least that’s what his dad had pounded into his head over and over as he was growing up. Crying made you a wuss; Eddie didn’t want to be a wuss, not in front of his uncle.

“These are mine? To keep?” Eddie sniffled.

“Well sure, Ed.” Wayne nodded. “Books don’t only exist in libraries, y'know. You can buy ‘em and keep ‘em and read ‘em whenever you want.”

Words couldn’t adequately describe how happy Eddie felt. No one in his life had ever been so thoughtful and the feeling it rendered was more profound than he knew what to do with. Never had he felt so seen and so loved and so happy. Nothing was strong enough to hold back those tears.

“I’m sorry,” Eddie swiped at the tears on his cheek as they began to fall, feeling embarrassed.

“For what?”

“Crying,” Eddie said. “I know boys aren’t supposed to cry.”

Wayne frowned, “who told you that?”

“My dad…he said if I cried it made me a wuss.”

His uncle’s frown grew deeper.

“Never mind what your dad told you. There is nothing wrong with crying. And it absolutely doesn’t make you a wuss. People cry all the time: when they’re happy and when they’re sad. I’m hoping you crying now means you’re happy.”

A soft smile unfurled across Eddie’s face as he nodded.

“Yeah, I am.” Gingerly, he placed his new books next to his cassettes on the coffee table and wrapped his uncle in a long hug. “Thank you, Uncle Wayne. I love them—the tapes too.”

“You’re welcome, kiddo,” he said, hugging back just as tightly.

“I finally get to go back to school and tell the other kids all the cool things I got for Christmas!”

Suddenly, it looked like his uncle was about to cry too.

“You sure do,” Wayne said, pausing a moment to compose himself before continuing. “Now, how does French toast sound? Extra powdered sugar?”

“Oh! Yes!”

“Right on.” His uncle finished his cup of coffee in a couple gulps before making his way into the kitchen and firing up the stove.

Eddie sat on the couch, his eyes scanning the pages of his newly acquired books with an intensity that suggested he had stumbled upon a treasure trove. Each familiar word, each familiar map, seemed to captivate him as if he were discovering them for the very first time again. His fingers delicately turned the pages, as if afraid to disturb the magic that lay within. Wayne just smiled, placing his Walkman on the cushion next to his nephew so he could listen to his new tapes while he skimmed through all his favorite parts of his beloved books. For the first time in his life, Eddie understood all the holiday hype and was almost certain nothing would ever top his first-ever Christmas.

#eddie munson #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson x original character #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #waintin' on the day

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ladisgarde · 10 months

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Armand may not have the cloud gift*, but he can experience the exhilarating sensation of soaring through the air at high-speed all the same – on skis.

(New headcanon: Armand is into winter sports, in particular cross-country skiing. I wrote a poly drabble?)

Of course he wouldn't be able to use any ski lifts at night, but it's nothing to him to make his way uphill, fast. He quickly learned the technique and refined it for himself. For a mortal, it would be most unsettling to witness his ascent, something like a water strider climbing upward in bobbing movements. Truly the silhouette of a giant insect moving at alarming speed.

It's not like he would ever beg a more powerful vampire to carry him to the peak, so that he might slalom back down again. He would rather die before he did that, honestly.

Marius preferred to stay at the foot of the mountain, where the lone hut they spent comfortable hours in was. He didn't approve of Armand travelling too far away on his tours, kept warning him to not slip and fall into an icy crevasse, because then "neither he or Daniel would be able to hear him call for help." His maker insisted that he carry an electronic device that allowed him to be tracked, just in case. The fussing annoyed Armand greatly. He wouldn't be that inattentive. He'd only be in danger if someone attacked him, and who would dare to do that?

"So come along with me, my beloved," Armand would tell Daniel. "If we go now, we can climb 2,800 metres and come back long before daybreak. The moon is bright, and I want to show you the Northeastern summit. And it will be safer when we're together, is that not so?" Two vampires were indeed stronger than one, even against the steepest slope. And Daniel could always call for Marius.

Daniel did join Armand in his excursions now and then, and they enjoyed the magnificent panoramic views together. A winter wonderland spread out for miles beneath them. But Daniel's enthusiasm wore off with him getting cold a lot quicker. In time he would prefer to hang around the hut instead; reading, crafting, spending time with Marius. Marius, on the other hand, could not be moved to go near any high-alpine mountain chains, at least not for sport. He would always remind that he had something to review, most notably the latest draft of the council's Rules and Regulations handbook.

It was unsurprising that Marius brought paperwork with him on their holiday. But he did find something new to occupy his hands with. Though not particularly fond of ice as a material, he challenged himself to shape large blocks of them into eye-pleasing sculptures. He carved another crystal flower, honing his new skill.

When Armand came back to the hut from another one of his nightly mountain trips, his heart still singing from the final spurt, he saw Daniel lying flat on his back in the snow, stargazing. A bit further away, Marius was intently working away at their workbench. Carefully the knife carved into the block of ice, Armand couldn't tell what he was sculpting. Upon looking at Daniel again, he saw that his fledgling had made a snow angel. Daniel smiled and invited him to make one too. Armand refused.

"Snow-white wings suit you a lot better than me," he said. Daniel shrugged. Marius said nothing.

Carrying his skiing equipment, Armand stepped around Marius to reach the door. His heart skipped a beat when he saw what he was working on: a bust of himself and Daniel, beautifully carved in ice. Armand's head was placed a little higher, his shining curls carefully framing his face, eyes half-lidded. How did Marius manage to make his eyelashes so detailed? Daniel was close, his cheek by his collarbone, moist lips parted. Both of them looked sensual with their bare necks exposed.

"If we leave this here, it will be destroyed when winter is over," Marius said thoughtfully. "I did not think that far ahead."

"Master... you have outdone yourself. I will carry it to the tip of the mountain where it is coldest all year round, so that I may look upon it again by next season."

Daniel came to join them and stared at the ice statue, impressed. "Masterful, indeed... But it's missing something important." He stared pointedly at Marius, who raised his brows. "I'm mean you, Marius. You're missing from the sculpture."

Marius smiled. "I just made it for myself, you know. For practice." ("For practice!" Daniel exclaimed.)

Putting down his tools, Marius placed his arms gently around both Armand and Daniel. "Never mind that now. We should head inside. You both are more precious than anything that my hands can make." So saccharine his words, the younger men both couldn't help a blush. They leaned in close and allowed themselves to be led into the warmth of the house.

(Imagine Armand getting himself trapped in ice after all. Is this what Marius felt that one time? His maker and fledgling can't hear him!! His iPhone got lost. Maybe he can summon Lestat? Obviously, a terrible idea.)

*Armand DOES have the cloud gift, making this an AU scenario

#marius/armand/daniel #headcanon ramble turned into drabble #i love mountains. btw #au #fluff #writing

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desertfangs · 9 months

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Ski Resort Headcanons

Here are some random headcanons about the vampires going to a ski resort:

Louis - Would spend most of his time inside the lodge near the fireplace, reading. He might be implored to go out snowshoeing or cross-country skiing on one of the shorter trailers and appreciates walks around the lodge in the snow.

Lestat - Would insist on skiing the hardest triple-diamond slopes after refusing any lessons. But when he got to the top of the slope, he might question the wisdom of that. Luckily his immortal body can take a beating because he would struggle with the moguls and steeper grades (occasionally flying up over them to avoid crashing), though he’d get to the bottom and brag it was no problem.

Marius - Is actually a practiced skier, who’s spent several winters in the Alps skiing. He would pass Lestat on the harder slopes and maybe even stop to try and help him. Lestat would refuse.

Daniel - Has probably spent some time skiing with Marius. Is pretty good at it although he has no desire to fling himself down the steepest face of a mountain and sticks to the more medium slopes. He also appreciates time in the warm lodge by the fire, playing games on his iPad.

Armand - Is an adept skier who might go with Daniel or Marius or both of them. He would get goaded into doing the most difficult runs because Lestat would insist he couldn’t and Armand would feel the need to prove him wrong, which he would do, accusing Lestat of cheating when he uses the cloud gift to skip the more difficult sections. And he’d enjoy taking quiet walks with Louis around some of the shorter trails. But Armand’s favorite part is riding the ski lifts. He likes getting on and off them, and then being whisked through the air on that little chair.

Gabrielle - Would mostly snowshoe around and lurk in the off-limit forested areas between the runs and trails.

Thorne - Would love skiing and particularly enjoy the easier slopes since he could just glide down and then hike back up. Only rides the ski lift if someone goes with him.

Benji and Sybelle - Armand would buy them the most high-end snow gear and suits. Benji would snowboard.

Jesse - Would stick to the medium runs just because she finds them more fun and doesn’t like the stress of the super difficult ones. Would also enjoy holding a hot cocoa near the fire to smell it and feel its warmth in her hands.

Pandora - All about ice skating if it’s available, though she might get on the skis for a bit just to prove she’s every bit as good as Marius.

Bianca - Also prefers to snowboard. Tries to get Armand and Daniel to try it with her, but Armand spends far too much time researching and trying to pick the best snowboards for them both instead of just… renting some and doing the thing.

Please feel free to add to this, or let me know if you have other related headcanons.

#lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #armand #daniel molloy #marius de romanus #bianca solderini #pandora #jesse reeves #gabrielle #vc headcanons #benji mahmoud #sybelle #thorne #vc #vampire chronicles #this is random idk the snow has me in a mood i guess

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annah-kitathryne · 7 months

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I was tagged by: @songbee-art (it won't let me tag just songbee)

1. Are you named after anyone? My first name is an old book character, and my second name is a derivative of my grandmother's name. My screen name is one I made up, and have started preferring to my legal name.

2. When was the last time I cried? Nearly cried when I had a freak out realizing I forgot to follow back friend. Before that a couple hours ago when deep topic hit deep.

3. Do I have kids? No. Don't want them either. I'm good at babysitting and watching kids for a few hours but get distracted and frustrated easily. I don't trust myself with them. Kids seem to like me though. I've been told I tell good stories and am patient when explaining things to them. I treat them like full humans?

4. What sports do you play/have you played? I played volleyball, did cross country running, softball, and skiing. Real jock here (not really there was nothing to do but sports where I used to live). Haven't played any since 2020 though. I use a bike though sometimes.

5. Do you use sarcasm? Never. I don't have a sarcastic bone in my body.

6. What's the first thing you notice about someone? How close they are in relation to me. I don't like anyone I don't know to be near me. Next thing is clothes.

7. Eye color? Blue and yellow (not two different eyes but mixed in both)

8. Scary movies or happy endings? Depends on mood, but a scary movie can have a happy ending. It's a chore to get to sit long enough to watch a movie though.

9. Any talents? I've been told I have some good writing skills. I can draw? I can analyze stuff? Idk.

10. Where were you born? In a hospital? Why, you need a recommendation? I live on the west coast.

11. Hobbies? Reading, writing, drawing, thinking, overthinking.

12. Any pets? I have a cat named Lilliana. We call her Lily Bones sometimes.

13. Height? Taller than average but shortest in my family.

14. Favourite school subject? Writing followed by history.

15. Dream job? Getting hired by DC, writing 6 issue solo serieses for Helena Bertinelli, Mia Dearden, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, and than being assigned to a main Batbook where I can have my go at four part storyline. After my sucess I get put on a new project where I get all the creative freedom. I write a 20 issue maxi series on a preflash point alternate timeline where Bruce stayed dead. I then get to write a Tim Drake twelve issue maxi where I bring back Tim's civilian friends in a fun but serious story about starting to grow up, and by the end Tim has a new identity.

A job that makes enough that I can have enough money to eat three meals, have a warm shower, and live in a building that won't fall apart with a strong wind?

Tagg List: @uuuuutan @burritowitch @dc-said-bi-robin-rights @dearest-valentine @gretahayes @jpv-isms @jasongrey-redhood @mysteriousbeetle @milfkarazorel @porto-rosso @plutonicbees @sporkberries @saturnsickle @shiverblights @val-el

Sorry if you got annoyed by the tags. I more or less just went down the alphabet.

#ask game

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totally-not-a-mermaid · 2 months

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Fish Out of Water (Part One)

Tw: Cursing, Vivid Descriptions of Gore

Four years. It had been four years since that day when Cordelia's life changed forever.

Cordi sat on the same beach where she was found as an infant. She was shaking; her knees tucked into her chest as she stared out at the crystal blue waters of Honolulu. She was looking at her hands.

How did I do that? She thought, remembering all the bottles and faucets exploding in her foster mom's rental property.

Tears welled up in Cordelis's eyes, "I-I didn't mean to-" she said in a quiet shakey voice.

When it happened, she grabbed her bag and ran. She had no idea where she was running but always seemed to find herself at that same beach. She could still hear the police sirens in the distance.

Her face still stung from where her foster mom slapped her; her throat was still sore from screaming.

I didn't mean to hurt her, I just got so mad

Just an hour ago her foster mother had yelled at her for some reason, honestly, Cordi couldn't remember.

What happened next would live in her nightmares for the rest of her life.

"I didn't mean to kill her," Cordi whispered to herself, letting the tears fall.

Somehow, she made her foster mom's blood boil. Literally. She remembered how fast she started to sweat. How fast her skin turned red, like a freshly steamed lobster. Cordelia will never be able to get the image of her foster mom's head exploding out of her mind. She wanted to throw up. She tried to run away, but she was on an island.

She thought about swimming but where to? She was a strong swimmer but not strong enough to cross the Pacific. She put her head in her hands and cried.

This is it. I'm going to spend the rest of my life in prison for an accident.

All of a sudden, she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up and was treated by a middle-aged man wearing a fishing hat. He sat down beside her.

"Been a long day?' He asked, he seemed so familiar but Cordi couldn't place it.

"Yeah, long day"

"It will get better, Cordelia." He said with a warm smile.

"How did you-" Cordelia was cut off by the strange and familiar man.

"Cordelia. Beautiful name. Daughter of the Sea. It's fairly fitting, wouldn't you agree?" He said as he gazed out at the crashing waves.

Cordi remained silent.

"I have a task for you, Cordelia." He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a necklace and an envelope.

"I need you to take this to my son, Percy Jackson, in Manhattan." He handed her the envelope. It was sealed with deep blue wax stamped with a trident. "This will lead you to him. It will glow the closer you are." He also handed her the necklace. It was a sliver chain with a blue crystal.

"Manhattan?! That's like 5,000 miles away?! How am I supposed to get there?" Cordi asked.

The strange man continued, "There's a boat leaving for Los Angeles in 4 hours. Get on it. Once you're there, you will take a bus. Do not fly. The skies aren't kind. Stay near the water, if you need help, it will come to your aid. Percy will answer all of your questions."

The police sirens intensified. "What about the cops? Won't they come for me?" She asked, not sure why she trusted this man, but she did. There was something about him that made her believe that she had to go on this cross-country mission.

"Oh don't worry about them. I will take care of it." He handed her some cash that just happened to appear in his vest pocket.

"Don't forget. Find Percy, tell him that his father sent you. Good luck child." He got up without a second word and walked into the waves.

@sweetxloverxx @likeapriceless-wine @dionysus-god-of-all-things-wine @that-theaterkid

#icee writes #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #pjo rp #pjo oc #no beta we die like jason

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exitrowiron · 2 years

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Cross Country Skiing

Despite living in MN for 16 years I never spent much time learning cross country skiing. I tried Skate Skiing but always felt like I was flailing and the skating motion was uncomfortable.

There are several groomed cross country courses near our house in WA so I’m determined to learn, but this time I’m trying Classic. Like most sports it seems effortless but in practice it requires good technique.

My son gave me a few pointers and I watched an REI YouTube video so I’m able to propel myself forward, but I’m awkward and fall easily. The skis are very narrow and I don’t do well outside of the tracks.

At the end of the last session Brady tried on my skis and it was humbling to see how good he was. I had to remind myself how much he practiced and competed as a kid. In our school district the middle schoolers got to ski with the high schoolers. So Brady skied for many years, went to ski camp and competed on the ski team.

Being able to ski during the middle of the week is a huge advantage for a beginner because the course is empty and you’re not worried about slowing everyone else. The season is almost over but I’m looking forward to practicing a lot next year.

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jackiequick · 2 years

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The Second Meet Up

Top Gun Maverick AU <3

Pairing: Jake x Amber

Hangman x OC, Iceman Daughter OC & TGM x OC

Sorry if it’s kinda long <3 Continuation of this fic

The next two day were decently packed with preparation and incoming calls for the higher ups of the Navy. Amber arrived in a creamy white dress, flats and a olive green bomber jacket that was gifted by her uncle Pete Mitchell. Class was set up near the clear view of the planes and the beautiful skies waiting for pilots to arrive.

She waited for the right moment to walk in and introduce herself. Soon enough, the navel aviators that returned to Top Gun for this mission walked in taking seats glancing over at one another. Cyclone and Bates introduce the topic at hand as everyone nodded along as if to say ‘we’re listening sir, keep going.’ Bate walked up to the stage with a grin glancing over at the doorway where Amber stood waiting in the wings.

He began, “As you may all know we are all here for the right reasons and to prove that you made for this mission. We are here to protect and support the future of this country with this mission. Successors of Top Gun, more importantly, Admiral Tom Kazansky chosen many people to watch over this missionary work of ours, however he chosen one to keep an eye on us personally. Some of you already might’ve heard of her. She has read over all your files, helped with handpicking every single one of you standing before me and will be taking care of you. May I introduce you to the young lady herself, Amber Kazansky. Call sign, Skysolo.” She walked in holding a notepad in one hand as her dress flew across with to the stage grinning brightly at everyone.

Amber stood across everyone, seeing the group who would soon be called The Daggers in front of her. Many she haven’t met yet but others she knew personally. Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw gently smiled at her, excited to give her a bear hug, haven’t not seen the girl since July last year due to all the delayed missions or busy schedules. However Jake on the other hand was taken back in his seat, seeing the women he met just two days ago standing in front of him, in all her glory.

“Damn she looks like an angel…” He muttered underneath his breath grinning softly at the woman. Hangman knew he had to be on his best behavior around her, to make a good impression at least. He looked over at Bradshaw seeing the excitement on his face wondering if also Rooster had a crush on her too..he didn’t want to be overshadowed around him. Especially not after meeting the young woman first.

She cleared her throat catching everyone’s attention again knowing half of them were curious about the fact that she was here, and who were they also going to be introduced to as well. She smirked, “Good morning! I hope we all had a good day so far, Bates is correct. I will be watching over you, however hopefully you’ll barley even know I’m here unless you hear me laughing. Since I’ve been told beforehand, I laugh somewhat loudly.” Her small jokes caused the group to chuckle and smile feeling a bit at ease. Amber continued chuckling herself, “Good. I hope we can all become friends sooner or later. On to the real point aviators, this mission requires a full hands on couch and someone with a eye for this line of work. And I’ve brought him to you. Your instructor is a Top Gun graduate with real work experience and has everything your expected to master with the time of your training. His exploits are legendary and he’s considered one of the finest pilots this program has ever produced. What he has to teach you, may very well be the difference between life or death.”

Amber looked over at Bate with full on pride as they stood next to one around. As they continue to introduce the man of the hour, he walked a crossed the desk that held the students with a small shit eating grin. Each and every single aviator eyes followed him as they walked along the line of the runway.

Bradley’s smile dropped, Coyote and Payback seemed uncomfortable with who it is. Hangman glances over his shoulder as his smiles seems to dropped unable to believe that he throw this man out of the bar last night. “I give you Captain Pete Mitchell. Callsign, Maverick.” Bates finished as Pete walked onto the front of the stage. Giving his niece and friend a kind nod mouthing ‘Thank you’. He finally turned to face the class softly smiling, “Good morning!”

After everyone was gone and out of the class, getting ready for their flight against Maverick. Amber stayed walking behind the group wearing her sunglasses and grinned catching up with Bradley. Rooster hugged his old friend and introduced her to Phoenix as the three started talking as they got dressed. Amber left them to finish getting ready as they entered the runaway center with all the planes, when a certain tall blonde man came running up behind her.

He huffed grinning softly, “Well, well, well what do we have here? Miss Kazansky! Or should I say Skysolo?”

She sighed softly smiles turning around to face the man, “Yes Hangman? Not happy to see me?”

“I am happy just wasn’t expecting to see you again. You could’ve mentioned something about it two day ago, you know...?”

“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

Jake sigh smiling a bit, “Yeah well..I could’ve liked a heads up Skysolo. I don’t always like surprises like this, but I’m glad your here.”

“You can just call me Amber, Mr. Seresin and I’m happy your glad to see me. But I will give you a heads up on Maverick, he flies quick and acts like he’s on a race against time. You just gotta learn to keep up.” She said smiling.

“Alright, I can definitely do that! You will be impressed by my skills.”

“And you will be impressed by Mav’s.” She reach onto her tippy toes as her lips brushed against his cheek, “Good luck Hangman..”

With that, she walked away with a gentle grin leaving Jake biting his lips with a bright smirk touching his cheek, turning on his heels to run off to grab the rest of his flight gear. Later on, Hangman stood next to Coyote waiting for their turn with a loopy smile looking out the window to see Hondo and Amber waiting outside with headset for the aviators to each touchdown and pass the test. Knowing they would fail against Maverick and have to do push ups with runway near the million dollar planes.

Coyote snickered noticing a light pink stain of his wingman’s cheek saying, “Yo Hangman! I didn’t notice you added some blush to your cheek.”

Hangman looked over confused at the moment, sliding over to the mirror seeing the lipstick mark left behind and rubbing it off quickly chuckling warmly, “Let’s just say it was..uh, a gift from our new lady in charge.”

“Kazansky?!” He shouted then looked around seeing out loud he was being.

“Maybe, it was a good luck kiss.” He chuckling playing it off, “She was meant to give you one too but you weren’t around to get it.”

First day with Maverick went as follows, everyone tried to beat him and take a shot but failed due to being too late, unable to listen, acting cocky, arguing with the instructors and or leaving the others behind in the skies. So in result plenty of push ups were done with Hondo and Amber watching as well as counting.

To say Skysolo was somewhat confused and disappointed was a understatement. Even being with Rooster and Hangman for different reasons, but that’s the way it is. She knew the circumstances and challenges that was lead to training with Maverick. Her uncle was tough in the skies and saw potential in all of them, but they don’t listen and or decided not try working as a team.

Thank you for reading! Hope you liked it <3 What did you think about it?

Tags: @eagerforthesky @t-nd-rfoot @mandylove1000 @youlightmeupfinn @raphroseybeanpie @gaminggirlsstuff @topgun-imagines @gcthvile @happilycameron @rooster-84 @msrochelleromanofffelton @starkleila and etc

#hangman fluff #hangman x oc #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin imagine #iceman kazansky #top gun maverick au #TGM x OC #top gun maverick oc #iceman daughter #hangman au #hangman angst

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captainderyn · 5 months

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15 Questions Tag Game

Saw @queen-scribbles do this and I think I got tagged at some point by someone so here this is xD

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

Nope! My parents firmly believe that each kid deserves their own identity/to not carry someone else’s name on them.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

Lol…this past week? Idk over what though, I just have a ton of emotions and they all connect to my tear ducts.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Nope ✌️

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?

Oh let’s see…ran track & cross country in middle school, was skiing all the time growing up, played softball until high school. Did archery for awhile until the place near me closed down. As far as the equestrian side of things go, did eventing for awhile but now mostly focus on dressage!

DO YOU USE SARCASM?

Lol not as much as I used to! Used to be quite the snarky little thing but I’ve mellowed out over the years.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Uhhh that’s a good question. Usually clocking if there’s anything cool they’re wearing or what their hair looks like/if I think it’s cool. Otherwise how they carry themselves.

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOUR?

Hazel! Depends on the light and if I’m wearing eye makeup but they’re solidly hazel.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?:

Lol definitely happy endings. Scary movies scare the ever loving shit out of me and the anxiety half of me doesn’t appreciate it.

ANY TALENTS?

Apparently me being able to knit and crochet is considered a talent to some!

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

I can say this because I’m not living there anymore (sad Deryn noises), but a small town in rural New Hampshire.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

Writing, crochet/knitting, working with horses, reading, drawing.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

Yes! Two cats (Blasto & Atlas) and our newest edition is our adolescent German Shepherd named Saber.

HOW TALL ARE YOU?

5’6

FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?

History!! Specifically 1700s-1800s American History. Sociology is a close follow-up but very dependent on how it’s taught and the subject matter.

DREAM JOB?

Bro I have no clue anymore xD I thought librarian but I currently am that and I’m not loving it. Enjoyed working as a historic interpreter, that was pretty neat. Would love to go be an archival something something or get back into some kind of analysis work.

#captainderyn rambles

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lovebillyhargrove · 11 months

Text

Wake me up when July is around

Chapter 13/?

***

Steve might not fully realise it, but the vacation, forced on him by his parents, isn't actually that bad.

At first he doesn't expect anything good to come out of the whole idea, cursing it on the morning of December 27th when he's being dragged out of his warm bed, made to pack and subjected to a 9-hour drive, only to arrive at their lake house, lost in winter wilderness, in complete darkness. The house is warm though - apparently, dad called the guy who keeps an eye on their estate during the year and told him they'd be coming, asked to turn the heating on. The way leading up to the house has been cleared of snow, and when the lights are turned on, and Steve together with his father start a fire in the fireplace while mom is warming up some food to eat, it makes Steve feel .. like a kid again. In a good way. Like there's something new ahead of him, different surroundings, new experiences. It makes excitement bubble in his chest. Of course, he'd never admit it, "I'm suffering" and "Why?" and "I'd rather have stayed home" written all over his face.

He even catches a moment alone with mom to hiss at her

"If dad is going to start lecturing me, I swear I'll take the car and drive back alone!"

"No-one wants to lecture you, Steve, we just want to spend some time together, as family."

Mom has probably discussed it with his father and specifically asked him not to nag cause, that's true, parents do not say a single word about uhm .. certain issues. All of them have more important stuff to tackle now, like bringing warm blankets from the car to the house and making beds, and generally making sure the house is liveable enough for this and for the following eleven nights.

When morning comes and the bright sun shines in his window, the air and the smells are so different from what he's used to waking up to back in Hawkins, Steve again doesn't hate the idea. He's stretching his body, long and slow, and falls back asleep.

Maybe mom's right. A change of scenery might do him good.

The place where their house is located, is beautiful. Steve knows it well, he's spent some time here almost every summer since he was little. However, now when he's visiting Lake Michigan’s beaches and trails in winter, he sees them in a whole new light.

They spend their days driving around the nearby towns. Turns out, it's not a bad way at all to start a winter’s day in the South Haven area with a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate from a local cafe and then head down to South Beach to see the frozen lighthouse and lakeshore. If it's a sunny day, it's dazzling and Steve has to put his Ray-bans on.

On New Year Day the whole family set off fireworks near the lake and drink champagne by the fireplace, watching TV.

During their time here Steve goes snow hiking and cross-country skiing on quiet trails, sometimes together with both mom and dad, sometimes only with dad. When Mr. Harrington has to go to Indianapolis for two days in the middle of their vacation - which makes mom unhappy, Steve can see it - they go hiking just with mom.

Normally Steve would whine about having to spend so much time with parents fucking hiking, but he right now he feels like he needs it.

When dad comes back, he takes Steve snowmobiling and downhill skiing. The speed and the risk get Steve's heart pumping, though mom worries too much about them doing it cause it's all "too extreme and dangerous."

They also get to see most breathtaking sunsets, and spend the dark evenings burning wood in the fireplace, watching movies and eating popcorn, mom has brought a lot of video tapes along, and although Steve has to watch some classics like "It's a wonderful life", the usual one around Christmas and New Year, he is also pleasantly surprised to see both of "Indiana Jones" movies among the tapes, "Never say never", "The outsiders", "Footloose" as well as "The Terminator" and many more, even "Gremlins."

Wow, mom has come prepared. Who knew his parents actually watched stuff like that.

One day, at the end of their holiday, they drive to Saint Joseph, the place that is famous for having some of the largest waves on Lake Michigan. They get to watch the mighty waves crash against the two old St.Joseph lighthouses creating a quaint formation of ice along the pier. It is windy and slippery as fuck, but the views are unusual and kinda cool.

For some reason the image and the sensation of Hargrove crowding him during basketball comes to Steve's mind.

Like those waves, feral and unrelenting. Like Billy has no control over it himself, subduing to the powers of nature that never asks or conforms

Or, Hargrove's still just a regular douchebag. Who does look good, but in a flashy irritating way. Whose attitude is the worst. Who's just the stupidest, and the sooner he fucks off from Hawkins, the better.

During all these days Hargrove's existence doesn't bother Steve at all. He's not on Steve's mind that much. Just one time he has a fuzzy dream featuring Billy's hot lips. Steve doesn't remember the details - his sleep is so deep and untroubled here - but he recalls the overall feeling when he wakes up in the morning, hard and on the verge of coming.

The feeling of want and .. fervour and something forbidden and ..

Steve's always liked girls, alright? This asshole is messing up his game.

He does come though, sleepily humping the bed, relishing the bits of the dream, powerless against primal urges, which he's not gonna fight when he's alone in the room.

Harrington's not even in a relationship anymore. He's free. He can do the fuck he wants.

***

All in all, Steve's having a great time these holidays. Who would've thought.

He might not realise it, but he thinks a lot during the winter break. It is quiet up here, cold and serene. The nippy fresh air and the whiteness of the untouched snow have cleared his mind, have helped him see certain things differently

Looking at the vast spaces and listening to the silence have made him take a look back.

Okay, he got his heart broken, he did. Steve doesn't deserve it, he tried to be the best boyfriend he could be. He was a good boyfriend. Wanted to give Nancy the world, had so much to offer, to share. To enjoy together.

The only thing that he couldn't help Nancy with was coping with Barb's vanishing. Apparently, Byers who went through a probably similar story with his brother was able to find the way to .. to understand her better? comfort her? say the right words at the right moment? Steve thinks it's unfair, he still hates the freak. He's still not over it, he doesn't know when he will be. If ever.

The pure whiteness shines bright under luminous sun rays, it hurts Steve's eyes, it's blinding him

He reaches for the sunglasses to shield his eyes.

Little by little he understands

He shouldn't have said and done some things. He went too far in his desire to hurt back.

He shouldn't have brought up Byers' family during that fight with him. Byers is a creep and a stalker, but the stuff Steve said about his family and especially his brother was just vile.

Steve's not above admitting his own mistakes.

He shouldn't have listened to Tommy and sprayed Nancy is a slut, black and ugly across the school wall.

Yes, she cheated on him and never explained anything, and it's fucking dishonest and humiliating, but Steve had to keep it private. He shouldn't have made it public, brought it into the open, let the crowd have their cheap fun.

Tommy is right though. The original idea belonged to Hagan, but Steve said yes and went along with it.

He could've said

Nah dude, seems too harsh

But he didn't.

Something is changing inside Steve.

The realisation that maybe everything is for the better is beginning to slowly settle in his heart.

Their relationship was doomed from the start, Steve can see it so clearly now. From that first night they spent together. The first time they made love. Nancy didn't and doesn't even care about it anymore, that night is the night her friend went missing, not their first night -

Her first time with a guy -

to remember, the gentle passion, the sweet tenderness. Steve gets it, but understanding doesn't ease the pain.

That unfortunate night defined their whole relationship, and all that time Steve was just chasing something impossible, something that had already been broken.

He couldn't repair it.

It's also .. you can't make someone love you back. It's either there, or not.

Steve should let himself ache.

And then

It's time to grow up and let go.

***

On the night when they return to Hawkins from the vacation the whole family immensely enjoyed, Steve's thinking about having to go back to school tomorrow, and among other stuff, a little thing emerges from Steve's memory and sets off a slight concern.

What did Hargrove mean that night when he said that "Steve might have a pretty face but that's not enough..?" What were the exact words .. "Not enough to make him .. not enough to give him any ideas?"

What the fuck was that? Sounded like utter disrespect. Like underestimation. Like Steve's not the most good-looking guy at Hawkins High. Cause he definitely is.

The nerve ! .. Not pretty enough, uh-huh.

You sure about that, California?

Since he's back to Hawkins and his usual life, Steve might get himself something to be busy with.

He's not just a random pretty face.

Steve accepts what seems to be like a challenge.

On the first morning of school after the break, Steve wakes up earlier than usual not to be in a rush.

He turns on the music in his room, 84' hottest hits, and the day starts with

I want to break free

I want to break freeeee

God knows

God knows I want to break free

Steve styles his hair with even more precision than usual. Chooses his clothes more carefully, the colours that bring out the best in his appearance. Probably the forest green sweater that goes so well with the dark brown of his hair and eyes .. or the mustard yellow one .. light coral? one of his pastel polos maybe and a gray cardigan on top?

Hmmm ..

Steve makes his choice in favour of a warm-red sweater, the colour's not too bright, it's deep and exquisite, and it looks terrific on him. Also red will make him stand out.

Honestly, all his clothes look dope, he'll just wear something new every day.

But I have to be sure

When I walk out that door

Oh how I want to be free

Beige pants that hug his ass just right. He looks fucking good.

Let's apply some perfume.

Now he smells divine, too.

Steve winks at his own reflection in the mirror and smiles

Got to make it on my own

So baby can't you see

I've got to break free

His face is even a bit tanned from all the sunshine he was lucky to enjoy at Lake Michigan, and it makes him look even better, rested, fresh.

Mmm yeah. Who's not pretty enough now.

Oh, that's a nice one as well, Steve hasn't heard it in a while

I lose my cool when she steps in the room

And I get so excited just from her perfume

Electric eyes that you can't ignore

And passion burns you like never before

Steve finally unglues himself from the mirror and takes his letterman jacket out of the closet, he should totally take it to the dry cleaners on the way to school.

Nancy didn't like it but he looks too good in the jacket not to wear it.

He's not captain anymore, but he's still in the team and he's kept the number, so the jacket is still relevant.

He'll wear it tomorrow.

And our hearts they beat as one

No more love on the run

Steve gets in the car

Tunes onto the same radio station, turns up the volume to the maximum.

I was in search of a good time

Just running my game

Love was the furthest

Furthest from my mind

He looks great, feels fantastic, got his head straight.

Oohhh that's the new song, he heard it a couple of times in December last year, and hey, it's a catchy one. He likes it.

Taaaaaake ooooon meeeee

Take on me

Steve's singing along, loud, he can, he's alone in the car and no-one's gonna judge him

Taaaaaakeee meeeee oooon

Yeah so, Hargrove.

Back to Hawkins, back to its realities. Everything can actually align quite well with his initial plan. Remember the plan? Cause Steve does, but it's kinda vague now.

What was it even? To make Hargrove a lesser pain in the ass, show him who is who, make him humble? Honestly, so many things have happened since then. It's not the first item on the agenda.

Steve barely remembers the guy's name.

Har-grope? .. Har-drove?

Harr-asshole? Heheehe, that's a funny one

Anyways

I'll beeee goooone

In a day or twooooo

He knows Hargrove's secret now - but it's not a secret, really. It's not like Billy is gonna beg him not to tell anyone they've kissed.

Might be interesting to see the big bad Billy actually begging. On his knees

Harrington can end up compromising himself, if anything. He still doesn't know how he feels about the whole drunk smoochies incident.

The incident that has occurred twice.

Everything that has happened - not much, nothing meaningful, just drunken moments - should stay between the two of them, that's for sure.

So needless to say

Of odds and ends

I'll be stumbling away

Slowly learning that life is okay

Really like .. why the hell not? Steve can keep Hargrove merely as a way of distraction while he's going through serious stuff.

A little harmless game that gives him adrenaline rush.

It's even .. it's kinda good for him, you know? Keeps him on his toes.

The music is perfect this morning.

I'll be coming for you anyway ..

Taaaaake oooon meeeee

Take on me

Upon arriving at school, Steve can feel it -

Eyes are on him.

He opens the car door wide, music blasting another 1984 charts favourite

She's an easy lover

She'll get a hold on you, believe it

Steve isn't in a hurry to get inside the school. Takes out a white Parliament, smokes lazily, ass on the still warm hood if the beamer

She's like no other

Before you know it you'll be on your knees

Whose car does Steve see slowly rolling into the parking lot

The blue Camaro

She's an easy lover

She'll take your heart but you won't feel it

The driver's door opens and the messy mullet is back in Steve's peripheral vision. New year, same fucking stupid haircut.

There's screaming music coming from Billy's car too, but Steve can't make out what the song is.

Ah, like fuck he cares. The dude's got no style. Not with anything.

Harrington has a feeling that Hargrove's turning his head and staring in his direction

But maybe not

Steve's not gonna check

He can ignore the prick for now

"Steve, my man! How you been?"

"Hey, Harrington, someone told me you quit school? Went to Massachusetts?"

Whaaat kind of gossip is that, jesus

She'll take your heart but you won't feel it

She's like no other

Girls are looking. Guys high five him. Tommy is by his side. They are walking towards the school, him and his pack. Carol is smiling. Nicole is staring like she wants to lick him from head to toe. Katie, the girl he used to date ages ago, looks very much interested again. Roy keeps asking dumb questions.

It's a fucking excellent morning. It's good to be back.

Steve again catches Hargrove out of the corner of his eye, standing near the locker now. Steve laughs at Nicole's joke just a little too loud, and that gets the job done - it gets the other boy's attention, he's definitely watching the King, again

Billy's stare lingers, and Steve smiles at Nicole, flashing his dazzling white, slides a hand through his hair and casually puts it on his hip.

Hargrove can't help himself, it's so obvious.

Wipe the drool, sweetheart

Cause it's dripping

You're making a mess

During the day - shared classes, hallways and lunch break - he sneaks a peek, more often than earlier, and Steve keeps a loose track.

Not pretty enough huh?

Don't look then.

Oh, but you are.

Looking.

Get fucked, asshole.

***

Billy's mouth runs dry - that's definitely the cigarette

and his heart skips a beat - no explanation

when he notices Harrington in the parking lot. He hasn't seen him for about two weeks, since Andy's party. The rich boy looks too good on the first day of school. The vacay with mommy and daddy must've been awesome.

It's like he's a different person - the mopey bitch that Harrington was for the most of November and December, is gone, and here is King Steve again, shining in all his royal glory.

He looks even better than in the early fall, no joyless girlfriend hanging on his arm, sucking the life out of him, it definitely makes him sparkle bright like a medieval queen's precious jewellery

Classy.

Expensive.

Billy shouldn't be staring

It's rude

Hargrove's never rude without a reason.

So he looks the other way.

When later Billy's digging in his locker, three minutes before the first period

He catches the sound of Harrington's laughter - why is the fucker laughing so loud

Too fucking loud, shut up

Billy throws a glance.

Did someone finally get over his broken heart lame crap? Or is that a part of some kind of show?

Hargrove notices how pretty Harrington looks when he smiles so wide, so careless

Outright beautiful.

Hey, it's rude to stare, dammit

Billy finally forces himself to avert his eyes, and they fall on the box

Behind the stacked books

Shit, he almost forgot about someone's - definitely Harrington's - welcome gift that's still lying in his locker.

The fucking dildo.

It's so stupid. He should probably just throw it away.

Yeah, he should. Why the fuck is he still keeping it? Honestly, he kinda forgot about it lying there

Suddenly

Out of the blue

Billy's face feels hot

He's blushing like a fucking virgin, getting caught imagining stuff

Fucking shit

Billy slams the locker shut banging his fist on it, loudly. People are turning their heads in his direction. He just walks to class

Harrington's annoying laughter still ringing in his ears.

Fucking rich mama's golden baby going on vacation and coming back looking like that

Who does he think he is.

Billy liked it more when Steve just ghosted through the school hallways not causing any trouble.

Cause now it's trouble.

What comes next, is two fucking weeks of trying not to look too much. Two weeks of this maddening smell of the sweetest perfume in the gym locker room, during practice and around the whole school.

Billy is grateful for the weekends cause he, at least, doesn't have to smell this damn scent everywhere he goes.

Harrington even plays differently. More graciously