#dreaming my way through jealous Ed fic

[lemontartyellow]

So important that Nygmobs are category 5 off the walls crazy about each other.

[littlexdeaths]

pushing up daisies - e.m.

kas eddie munson x fem reader

treat me bad like i’m no one's daughter,

body bag, baby, i’m a goner…

18+ ONLY MDNI

warnings: ANGSTTTTT, mentions of eddie’s death and the upside down, canon divergent (reader is chosen as vecna’s last victim instead of max), established relationship, soft!dom eddie, biting/blood drinking, lil bit of jealous eddie, public sex, unprotected piv sex, cream pie

based on love is a… by pvris

word count: 2.9k

a/n: this is honestly something i am so incredibly proud of, so i hope you all enjoy it. a big thank you to my babes @undead-supernova @strangerstilinski and @lokis-army-77 for helping me with parts of this fic, i love you all so much 💕

The sky was dark, storm clouds rolling in as you trudged through the rusted gates of Hawkin’s memorial cemetery.

Only the booming sounds of thunder and your labored breathing filled the morning air. Rain droplets poured steadily onto your head, dripping down the collar of your rain jacket. The clothing seemingly useless as the heavy rain soaked you to the bone.

The wild daisies clutched in your fist were beginning to wilt as your eyes scanned over the sea of headstones. Your throat tightens once you find his, now wishing that Dustin had been lying to you.

The words BURN IN HELL FREAK were still visible, despite the male’s best effort to clean them off the previous day. It had been less than a week since the funeral, but that was plenty of time for someone to vandalize his headstone. You hated this town.

Reaching the now desecrated grave you sigh, gently running your fingers along the top of the headstone. The rough edges scraped against your fingertips as you knelt down in front of it. Letting your hand fall into your lap, glancing down at the sad excuse of a bouquet in the other.

He deserved more than this… he deserved more than anything this shitty town had to offer.

“Hey Eds,” you whisper, despite the desolation surrounding you.

You carefully set the daisies onto the ground, blinking away the tears that threatened to spill past your waterline. The white of the flowers contrasted sharply against the dirt, which was quickly turning to mud beneath your knees. But you didn’t mind.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come to the funeral,” guilt laces your shaky voice as you tug your lower lip between your teeth. “I just… I couldn’t see you like that.”

Despite the feeble attempts that Dustin and Robin made to coax you out of bed that day, nothing was going to change your mind. You didn’t want to remember him that way, as you were already grappling with the image of him dying in Dustin’s arms.

A memory that haunts your dreams every night.

“I hope you can forgive me,” you mumble, reaching into your pocket to pull out his lucky set of dice. A sad smile tugs at the corner of your mouth as you begin to place them along his headstone, “I brought a peace offering.”

A loud crack has your eyes flicking up, body jolting in surprise as a bolt of lightning strikes a tree in the distance. The impact splits the trunk down the middle, the wind picking up speed and taking your flowers with it.

The torn petals spread across the unkempt ground, the gesture now ruined. Just like everything else you touched.

You blame yourself for his death, knowing he would still be here if Vecna hadn't chosen you. You would live through a thousand years in a prison of your own mind, let that monster drain you of your entire existence— if it meant Eddie would have lived.

“It’s all my fault,” you don’t stop the tears from flowing down your cheeks, staring intently at the stone in front of you.

Edward Lee Munson, now at peace.

Those bold words stare back at you, mirroring the stone that sat just a few feet besides his. One you had become very familiar with over the years.

Elizabeth Ann Munson.

Beloved wife and mother, may she rest in peace.

While hers were more faded, they still brought you a small sense of comfort. Knowing that Eddie was with her now, he was safe. But that comfort wouldn’t heal the hole that had been punched through your chest.

“I miss you,” you hiccup, your tears steadily flowing now, the moisture beginning to blur your vision. “It w-wasn’t supposed to b-be you.”

Your soft cries soon morphed into pained sobbing, your shoulders hunched over as you dug your fists into the earth. You were grateful that Steve had let you come alone, not wanting anyone to see you like this.

In the short time that Eddie had been gone, you felt suffocated. With Vecna still alive and plotting, you were constantly being watched. Your friends not knowing if the demon, creature, whatever he was— would come back to claim you for good.

Part of you hoped for it, mentally pleaded to be taken away too. Because a life without Eddie, wasn’t a life you wanted to live.

A loud scream pierces the air, and it takes you a moment to realize the sound has come from you. Your chest heaves from the force of it, allowing your head to tilt back as your eyes slip shut. Enjoying how the rain soaks into your pores, washing away any trace of your tears.

You sit like that for a while, as the storm continues to wage on around you. Silently wishing that the rain would wash you away too. Dirt is caked under your fingernails, mud coated your shins and the hem of your skirt. You knew you couldn’t sit out here much longer, as your teeth started to chatter from the cold.

Your head falls forward, allowing yourself one last look at his headstone. The red paint has stained it horribly, tainting the last thing he had left in this world.

“I’ll come back tomorrow and clean this shit up, I promise.” You say, lifting up your pinky towards the block of stone. You hold it there for a moment before your hand falls back to your side.

“I love you, Eddie,” you sniffle, wiping your nose on your sleeve as you start to stand. Turning around as you begin to wipe the dirt from your knees.

As you take a step forward your shoe begins to sink into the wet soil, almost swallowing your foot whole. An annoyed huff leaves your lips as you try to pull it back out. But any attempt is stopped short as a cold hand wraps around your other ankle. A deep groan echoes in your ears as your eyes widen in fear.

This was it… Vecna’s come back for you.

While everything inside you begs you to run, your body remains frozen. Hyperventilating as the ground beneath you begins to shift, your feet sinking in deeper as another body fights its way out from the earth. A strained grunt of your name snaps you out of your petrified state, recognizing the voice immediately.

This was a cruel joke, knowing he was taking on Eddie’s form just to hurt you more. So you decided you wouldn’t stick around to witness it.

If you were going to die, it would be by his own hands.

“No!” You shout, yanking your ankle out of that icy grip as you make a break for it.

You don’t make it very far though, only reaching the edge of his grave before you lose your footing. The tip of your shoe catches on a tree root, sending your body tumbling forward onto the wet ground. The impact knocks the wind out of you as you struggle to take a breath in. Your nails dig into the grass for purchase as you try to crawl away.

The feeling of two hands wrapping around each ankle has you screaming, thrashing about as you're dragged back towards the grave. The male flips you around, unable to hear his broken pleas over the sound of your own shrieks. You keep your eyes focused on the storm clouds above your heads, desperate for some kind of distraction. You wouldn’t look at him, you couldn’t.

This wasn’t your Eddie.

A dirty hand grips onto your chin, tilting your head down as he wedges his body between your thighs. Forcing you to face him, his dark eyes ablaze with fury— a sharp contrast to the way he gently cradles your jaw.

“I’m not in the mood for games… just get on with it,” you snap, letting your eyes slip shut as you wait for that familiar pain to shoot up your spine and through your skull.

But nothing happens.

You crack an eye open only to find the brunette staring back down at you, confusion coating his features.

“… get on with what, sweetheart?” His voice cracks, the look on his face mirroring his tone.

“Killing me,” you state, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

There’s a moment of silence between you before he starts laughing, the booming sound instantly melts your insides. It was something you thought you would never hear again.

“I guess my entrance was very Night of the Living Dead, huh?” He teases with a wide grin as his head dips lower— his drenched curls sticking to your cheek.

When you feel Eddie’s lips connect with the base of your throat, your breath hitches. Heat pools in your middle as he inhales, groaning deeply. The sound vibrates against your skin, sending shockwaves through your system.

“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he hums, his hands running down the length of your sides. The male grips onto the soaked fabric of your dress, slowly inching it up until his palms are splayed across the tops of your thighs.

“You’re so warm,” he continues, his nose grazing along your collarbone as you grip onto the shoulders of his oversized suit jacket.

“H-How are you here?” You question with a small whine as he lightly nips at your throat, chuckling deeply.

“You brought me here, sweetheart.” His words are spoken reassuringly, but they don’t offer you any comfort.

“So, this is a dream,” there’s no question in your voice, only a trace of melancholy.

But Eddie notices it immediately, his head lifting from the crook of your neck. His dark eyes met yours for a moment, a look of determination flashing through his irises.

“Does this feel like a dream to you, baby?”

Before you can reply, his lips brush against yours. Any worries that this wasn’t real melt away with each press of his mouth on yours. Silencing the fear that this will all disappear the moment you pull apart. The storm rages on as he kisses you with an electricity that rivals the lightning above you.

“Definitely not a dream,” you mumble, earning a soft chuckle from him.

You swallow the sound as you kiss him deeper, his ringed fingers gliding further up your thighs and under your dress. Your own slip underneath the collar of his jacket, sliding it off of his shoulders. Letting the rain soak into his white dress shirt, the fabric clinging to the muscles in his back.

Your hands quickly rake through his hair, tugging on the drenched curls as his mouth trails along your jaw. Continuing lower as he sucks harshly on your skin, enjoying the way your body responds to each press of his lips. A breathy whine spills past your own as his fingers reach the elastic band of your panties.

The tension between you continues to mount as you eagerly drag his mouth back to yours. Eddie’s fingers curl under the waistband, snapping the lace against your skin. You barely register the tearing of that same fabric, too preoccupied with his lips on yours. The clinking of his belt soon follows, aiding him in pushing his slacks down his thighs.

“Please,” you plead, lifting your hips against his. Not wanting to waste another second to have him buried inside you.

The brunette gently shushes you, pulling back for a moment as he rubs the tip of cock through your drenched folds. His pupils dilate as he takes in the way your lips part under his thumb. A shaky breath escapes them as he lines himself up with your entrance.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he coos, caressing your cheek as he guides his hips forward. Slowly slipping into your awaiting heat with a strangled groan, “I’ll take care of you.”

His actions are gentle, as your bodies become reacquainted with each other. Eddie guides your hands above your head, fingers lacing together in the dirt. Your thighs are snug around his hips, desperate to keep him as close as humanly possible.

He rocks his hips into yours at a deep but leisurely pace, letting him savor every moment he spends inside you. As neither of you know what will happen after this is all over, it’s not something you want to think about.

Being here, in this moment, with him is the only thing that mattered to you.

The ferocity of the storm drowns out the cries that leave your lips, much different from the agonized ones you had let out earlier. Everything feels heightened, pleasure coursing through your veins with each stroke of his cock.

There’s a sudden shift in his demeanor as his eyes glaze over with an almost dangerous glint. Similar to that of a predator who had locked eyes on his prey. Your heart rate increases as a deep growl permeates the air. His fingers slip out of yours, instead digging into the soil beside you as his body goes rigid.

The brown of his irises disappear from view as he squeezes them shut, worry beginning to fill your chest. Your hands reach up to cradle his face, feeling how tightly his jaw was clenched underneath your fingertips.

“Eds,” you call softly, but the male remains frozen above you— a statue of Adonis.

He was losing control, ready to slip through your fingers. But you had already lost him once, and you weren't about to let it happen again.

“Stay with me,” you implore, softly pressing your lips against the furrow between his eyes. Brushing the dirt from his cheeks as you continue to trail tender kisses across his face.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he finally speaks as your lips hover over his, your breath mingling together.

“You won’t,” you promise as your nose nudges against his.

Eddie seems reluctant as he opens his eyes, crimson beginning to bleed into his irises. “But there’s something different…” he trails off, searching for any trace of fear reflecting in your eyes. “I’m different.”

“I don’t care,” you don’t miss a beat, capturing his lips with yours once more.

He moans into your mouth, hands encircling your waist as you lift your hips, encouraging him to thrust deeper inside you. Your tongue slips past his lips, gliding along his front teeth. Coming to a sudden realization as you feel the pointed edge of his canines.

Logically you should feel frightened, but it seems to have the opposite effect on you. Your kisses become frantic as your walls flutter around his shaft, the sensation causing him to moan out your name. The pace of his hips quickens as your nails dig into the drenched dress shirt covering his back.

Your lips separate as you gasp, his cock hitting that spot that has you seeing stars. The both of you falling closer to that precipice with each thrust of his hips. But it’s not quite enough, needing to connect with him on a new level.

Eddie peers down at you in awe as your head falls back, baring your throat to him. “Do it,” you insist, guiding his mouth towards your neck.

You can sense his hesitation, his lips ghosting over your skin instead.

“Please, Eddie,” you beg, his groan vibrating against your throat. “I want you to.”

The sincerity in your tone squashes any doubts still lingering in his head. Allowing his teeth to graze against your tender flesh, testing his resolve.

“I trust you,” is what he needs to hear before he sinks his teeth into your neck.

Your body arches into his chest, trembling as that familiar wave of euphoria crashes over you— pulling you under completely. Eddie drinks from you greedily, continuing to work you through your high as his own steadily approaches.

“Taste so fucking good, sweetheart,” he moans as his teeth detach themselves from your throat.

His tongue darts out, lapping up the blood that begins to trickle down the curve of your neck. The sight of his mark on you is almost enough to send him over the edge. But your pretty whines are the final nail in his coffin, hips stuttering as he fills you with his warmth.

“I love you.”

Those three little words are whispered against your collarbone as the male collapses onto you. A content smile spreads across your face as your fingers card themselves through his curls. The both of you soaking up this moment of bliss for as long as you can.

The rain above your heads has finally slowed to a drizzle, the pitter patter of the droplets matching your heartbeat. You don’t know how long you laid there like this, bodies intertwined on his grave.

But it didn’t matter, as long as it was him you were entangled with.

“I love you too,” you reply a while later, the male humming as he lifts his face from the crook of your neck, crimson smeared across his lips.

A fond look falls over his features as he leans down to kiss you again, the metallic taste of you lingering on his mouth. A thought suddenly occurs to you, causing you to giggle against his lips.

“What’s so funny, sweetness?” He muses, pulling away from you with a raised brow. You tuck a loose curl behind his ear, a teasing smile playing on your lips.

“Just trying to think of how to explain this to Steve.” You watch in amusement as a scowl appears on his face.

“Poor thing is gonna think I was mauled by a wild animal,” you tease, gesturing to the bite mark on your neck.

You see a flash of jealousy in his eyes, a low growl rumbles through his chest as his lips reattach themselves to your throat— causing you to squeal.

“Harrington’s just gonna have to deal with it,” he answered smugly, hugging your body closer to his.

The both of you completely unaware of the looming figure watching you from the tree line.

tagging some lovelies: @xxbimbobunnyxx @munsonhoneybaby @rowanswriting @voyeurmunson @nailbatanddungeon @vecslut @likedovesinthewnd @lofaewrites

[ihavethedreamies]

Second Choice | San

Choi San - ATEEZ

Rating: M (18+) MDNI

Word Count: ~11.3k O_o

Pairing: San x AFAB!Reader

Genre: Reader-Insert, Actual Plot, Fluff, Angst, Smut, Friends-to-Lovers, One-Sided Love, Sharing a Bed, Comfort

!!This is smut…if that much isn't clear you should probably leave now!! MDNI!

Warnings: She/Her Pronouns used, Pet Names (Precious, Sweetheart, Love, Pretty/Sweet Girl, etc.), Nightmares/Bad Dreams, Tears and Crying, Swearing, Unrequited Love, Kind of a Love Triangle, Kissing, Dirty Talk, Oral (M! & F! Receiving), Deepthroating, Face-Fucking, Fingering, Multiple Orgasms, Overstimulation (Just a tad),  Dacryphilia (Kind of), Creampie Kink (Not really Breeding so…), Marking/Hickeys/Scratches, Wall Sex, Window Sex, Mirror Sex, Big Dick! San, Unprotected Sex (Use a condom! Reader is on the pill), Multiple Rounds

Author's Note: Holy Fuck, look at what I did 🫢. This is…long, as you can see. There is about equal parts fluff and angst and possibly even more smut. Had this brewing in my head for a few days after I went down a San rabbit hole. I went through a roller coaster ride of emotions writing this, so good luck reading it, my dudes.

Wooyoung is not in this, but he is mentioned and is somewhat of a love rival? Also Reader has a dog in this, so sorry if you don't like dogs or something…

PS. The middle pic of the banner is Mark and Renjun 🤪

I barely proofread this and none of my stories are Beta-ed so hopefully its not too messy...

I am cross-posting this on Archive and Wattpad. Please reblog! If you know anyone that would like this or future fics but they aren't on here my name and icon are exactly the same on the other sites. Happy reading!

Glancing at the clock, tick-tick-ticking away, you sighed. 2:38 am. It was much, much too early (or too late) to be awake, but you knew there was no way you could fall asleep. The first nightmare wasn't nearly as bad, so you were willing to go back to sleep, but when it happened again, you just couldn’t. So, you were sitting on the couch, some random rerun playing on the TV. You had to keep the volume low, not wanting to wake San up. He was sleeping with the door open so his cat could come and go. Byeol was sleeping in the armchair and you were jealous that he could do so in peace. San was staying in Wooyoung's room while he was gone, and since your sister had somewhere to be that weekend as well, you were home alone. It freaked you out to be alone in such a big place, never really having lived on your own. San offered to stay with you and you were a bit reluctant to agree but did so. It wasn't that you weren't close with San, you were, since Wooyoung was your roommate, it was just odd without Wooyoung there too. Turning around to glance behind the couch, your dog was snoring away in her bed, laying on her back, legs folded down over her chest. She was so sweet, but she was a husky and therefore made the bed way too hot for her to lay with you. Every so often you would have really bad nightmares and would normally slip in next to your older sister and be able to sleep in peace. However, she wasn't there, so you had to sit on the couch and watch the TV, at an hour where nothing good was on.

"Why are you up?" San's voice startled you, and you spun around again to look at where he was coming from behind you. Your dog's soft snores stopped, but she didn't even roll over from her spot, falling back to sleep easily.

"Nightmare." You shrugged, turning back around and he shuffled sleepily around the couch to sit next to you.

"Couldn't go back to sleep?" His eyes were almost closed and his hair was mussed up. He had worn a pair of thin black pants with a thin sweater to sleep. The collar was very low, and paired with his wide shoulders, you could see most of his toned chest. By that point, you were used to it, but that didn't mean you weren't tempted to ogle him.

"No. I…Uh, normally crawl into bed with (S/N), but…" You shrugged again, pulling your fluffy robe back up to cover your shoulder, only in a thin tank top underneath. Picking at a stray string on your own thin pajama pants, you felt antsy under his gaze.

"What about Cookie?”

"She's too warm…" You both sat in silence for a good minute or two and you tried to just watch the TV. It seemed he was thinking.

"Um, I'm going to use the bathroom…Do you…Do you want to sleep in my- Wooyoung's bed with me?"

"No! I…I mean…" You cleared your throat.

"I…That's fine, but would you mind…using my bed?" You could NOT sleep in Wooyoung's bed, especially with San. You were willing to try anything at that point, feeling exhausted, and you really needed sleep. Last time you tried to tailor a dress while tired, you poked your fingers at least seven times.

"Yeah, be right back." He flashed a sleepy smile, shuffling toward the bathroom, the sweater crooked, revealing part of his shoulder. Licking your lips, your mouth dry, nervous, you shut the TV off, but hesitated to get up. When he came back out, you finally forced yourself up and you led him toward your bedroom. Taking a deep breath, you opened the door, your light strip around the room glowing a gentle deep pink.

"You need that off?" you asked him, pointing at the lights.

"No." He moved toward your bed, turning back to look at you, waiting. Swallowing hard, you undid the robe, acting like you were naked underneath. After it fell, you dashed to get under the covers, embarrassed about your thin top and your lack of bra. Gently, he got on the other side and you laid down stiffly, flinching when he pulled the blanket over himself, then higher up on you. Your face heated and since you had no makeup on, you were sure he could see you get red. Maybe not in the low light…

"Do you want me to hold your hand?" San's voice was very soft and you felt like crying. You weren't for sure if you were just that flustered or embarrassed, or what. Just replying with a nod, you turned on your side, not really able to look at his face, but his hand was already up between your two pillows. Your hand shook a bit, reaching for him, and he gave you a warm smile, linking his fingers with yours. He wasn't the biggest of the friend group, but he was still much bigger than you, his hand nearly swallowing yours completely.

"I'm right here, you can go to sleep." He whispered and you let your eyes close, hoping he couldn't see the tears hanging on your lashes. It was still taking you a while to actually fall asleep, laying there with your eyes closed for nearly half an hour. At that point, you were more distracted with his hand holding yours than the thought of having another nightmare. San was always so soft and gentle with you, despite his harsh appearance. He was sweet and was always careful to make sure you weren't too uncomfortable. You knew, deep down, he probably liked you, but you just ignored the idea. It was like some weird love mismatch going on. Your sister was in love with her friend-with-benefits, Wooyoung liked your sister, you liked Wooyoung, and San liked you. You knew Wooyoung liked your sister, but he had no chance in hell. Your sister was enamored with Younghoon, and the only reason they weren't an actual couple is because she was in denial, afraid of commitment, and didn't like feeling feelings.

Still being mostly awake, you had to make sure and hold completely still when you barely felt his fingers brush a stray strand or two of hair off your forehead. You heard and felt him shuffle just a bit closer, not having to go far in your full-sized bed. Holding as still as you could, you tensed further when he lightly pressed a kiss to your forehead. You bit the inside of your lip to keep it from quivering. Only relaxing when he settled, you didn't open your eyes till you could tell he was asleep from the way his breathing changed. Blearily, you looked over his face, so peaceful and pretty. Despite falling asleep, his hand was still just as secure in yours. You wondered what time it was, and as you did, sleep slowly overcame you as well.

When you woke up in the morning, your bed was empty next to you and could hear Cookie eagerly inhaling her food.

"Slow down, you'll end up throwing up." You heard San scolding her and when you rolled over to get out of bed, the clock read 11:47.

"Shit!" You sat up quickly, yanking your tank top and pajama pants off, slipping on a bra, white t-shirt, and a maxi dress over. Your hair was messy in its braid, but once you took it out, your hair fell in nice soft waves. Your feet softly thumped on the hardwood floor as you jogged down the hall.

"Sorry I slept so late!" You called to him, he was resting against the kitchen counter, watching the husky rapidly crunch on her food.

"It's okay!" He assured and you dashed past the kitchen, toward your studio to start working. It was good you worked from home.

"I think it was because I fell asleep so late!" The only reason he heard you was because he had followed after you, plopping down in your rolling chair as you started getting pins and thread out.

"When do you have to go practice?" San was a dance instructor and it was extremely convenient that his studio was just across and down the street a bit from your apartment complex.

"Three." He got up, turning the chair around so he could sit in it backwards, backrest to his chest. You huffed, tucking hair behind your ear again, but it fell in your view again. Grumbling, you grabbed your glasses off the table, putting them on to rest on the end of your nose to get the right angle to focus on where you were doing a difficult stitch. Gladly you could hear his steps on the wood floor; you were able to prevent a flinch when his fingers found your hair. Kneeling behind where you were to get the right height, you forced yourself to continue the stitch, just very slowly as he braided your hair for you. Not having a normal hair tie, he grabbed a stray rubber band from your kit to tie the end.

"Thanks." You murmured, pretending to be focused to hide your reaction. You hoped your head was bowed enough he couldn't see your red cheeks.

"What do you want for lunch?" You tried to maintain some kind of casual normalcy. He hummed and you could hear the chair roll an inch when he sat back down. Him watching you didn't faze you before, but his gaze felt like fire on your back.

"Pizza?"

"Sure, if you get my phone, you can reorder what we got last time." You waved toward your device on the desk next to you.

"Code?"

"Same as the front door."

He typed in the number and you heard it click open and he tapped away on it. Glancing over at him, your eyes focused on where his partially unbuttoned shirt was tucked into his pants. You had hemmed that pair of jeans so he didn't have to pin them tighter anymore.

"Use the 3033 card?"

"Yes."

"Twenty-three minutes." He told you, placing the order then went and sat back down.

"How much?"

"Like eighteen."

"Can you get me the thread in slot L-2?" you asked, motioning behind you toward your thread storage. He rolled over and you heard shuffling, keeping your hand out so he could rest the spool in it. Expecting him to just hand it to you, he had gotten out of the chair and sat on the floor next to you.

"What are you doing?"

"Buttons in this fabric tend to get loose easily or fall off, so I'm having to fasten them differently." You deftly and quickly started your task and he marveled at how fast you did it. Tying the thread off, you stuck the needle in the pincushion you had on your wrist, grabbing a longer one again.

"You're really good at this." San looked at the smooth stitches you had done, even though they were by hand, not machine.

"Practice." You let a small smile grace your lips.

"Do you always do everything by hand?"

"Depends on what I am doing most of the time, but some clients want it completely hand sewn." You pulled a pin out, dropping it back into the little box and continuing. You fell back into rhythm even with his intense gaze watching what you were doing. His fingers messed with a scrap of fabric laying on the floor, then he picked it up, weaving random pins through it, trying to mimic what you had done.

"Could you teach me to sew?"

"Probably. It's not hard. Getting to this point is though."

"Did you teach Wooyoung?" Your hands froze at the question, heart thudding harder.

"N-No. Well, I tried, but he kept poking himself." He laughed.

"Sounds about right- ow!" Your eyes flicked to him, sticking the end of his finger in his mouth, putting the pin-riddled fabric down on the desk.

"Like that." You giggled and he huffed bashfully. He kept watching, getting up quickly when the doorbell rang so he could get the pizza. Finishing your stitch, you took the pin cushion off and made sure there wasn’t anything sharp on the floor, you laid your glasses down as well.

"Hot, hot!" He breathed hard through his mouth, trying to cool off the bite as you walked out. He wasn't expecting the sauce to still be hot, but the pizza place was very close. It only took so long since it was busy for lunch. You let him talk to you while you both ate, and you only partially listened, not understanding most of it anyway; some video game you hadn't played and had no knowledge of.

"I think I'm going to head to the studio now." San had helped you clean up and sat on the edge of the entryway to get his shoes on.

"Bye, (Y/N)!" The door shut, leaving you staring at it. Sighing deeply, you went back to your work, trying not to let your thoughts loop out of control.

Your eyes flew open, chest heaving, sweat pooling at the small of your back. Breathing hard, you stared at the small star-like dots on your ceiling.

"Fucking-" You sat up, leaning forward and rubbing over your face with your hands. Huffing, you threw your comforter to the side and got you of bed. Stomping over to your dresser, you put on the pajama shirt that matched your pants over your tank. Grabbing your phone, you shuffled out to the living room, hesitating before dropping yourself and your device onto the couch. Looking toward the door to the other bedroom, it was slightly propped open for the cat. Your dog was noticeably absent, so you walked softly over to the door, peaking in. Cookie was laying at the foot of the bed on a spare blanket San most likely had laid out, Byeol loafing in the curve of the husky's body. The sight made you smile, and you glanced to where San was sleeping. Laid out like a starfish, the blanket hit him around the middle, and one of his feet was sticking out from under.

"(Y/N)?" His voice caught your attention when you started to step out of the doorway.

"Y-yeah?"

"Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yes." When he started to get out of bed, you tried to protest.

"Come on." He ignored your stumbling words, sliding past you in the doorway, his hand grabbing yours as he moved. He led you back to your room, getting into your bed without hesitation.

"San-" You got in as well, but stayed sitting up as he laid down.

"Just…sleep." He mumbled, hand grabbing the back of your shirt and pulling you down into his arms. Shuffling under you so he could get more comfortable, your head ended up resting on his shoulder, his other arm around your waist. He fell back asleep fast, his fingers that had been running over your hair stilling. Your heart was thudding hard, you could even hear it pulsing. How the hell were you supposed to fall asleep like that? You pondered that question, but at the same time, your eyes were growing heavy and sleep was washing over you. At first, you were only about half-asleep, somewhat aware still of his soft breathing. Right as you began to actually go to sleep, you felt a soft press on the corner of your mouth. This woke you up fully, but you managed to keep your eyes closed, body limp. Did he just kiss you? His fingers were back to running over your hair, "you have no idea, huh?" His voice was so quiet that even though your nose was near his throat, you barely heard it. San sighed, kissing your forehead, you could tell that time for sure. Finally, you couldn't fight sleep off, and fell asleep in his arms.

Once again, when you woke up in the morning, he was already out of bed. You couldn't hear anything else, and when you glanced at the clock it was a little past 9. Getting up with a stretch, you looked to the empty side of your bed. Giving in to your intrusive thoughts, you pulled the side of the comforter he had been using up to your nose and you sighed. Smelled like him, and you hated how good that made you feel. Dropping the blanket like it was hot, you scampered out of bed and made your way down the hall. Peaking around the archway that led into the main room of the apartment, you saw he wasn't in the kitchen and the bathroom door was open. Your dog barked happily and came to greet you and as you pet her, you noticed a note on the counter. He had gone out to do some things and let you know he would be back for supper. You weren't sure if you were disappointed or relieved at this. You only had two, maybe three, more nights before your sister returned. Wooyoung was supposed to not long after that. You were worried what you might let, or want to, happen the longer you were there with San, just the two of you. For some reason, you felt horrible about your rising affections with San, but you had no commitment to Wooyoung in anyway but your own feelings toward him. It would probably be better if you tried to move on, but there was a small part of you that hoped your sister would get with Younghoon, then Wooyoung could move on, and go to you. While you logically understood that would probably not happen, you still hoped.

Continuing with your day as normal, you finished the suit you had been working on and was able to move on to a dress that was commissioned. You enjoyed making whole ensembles more than making adjustments and other altering jobs. Going over the list, you saw you had nearly all of the materials and supplies already, but you would most likely need even more of the right color thread. You could wait a bit though, since you weren't sure when you would run out. As you were rechecking your list, your phone started to ring. Hitting the answer button and putting it on speaker, you put all the supplies on the desk.

"This is (Y/N)."

"Hello, Miss (Y/N). I'm a delivery driver for Blooming Days Flowers. I was just wanting to make sure you would be at home in the next fifteen minutes?"

"Oh, uh, yes." You had no idea who would have sent flowers.

"Great, thanks!" He hung up and you blinked back at the flashing 'call ended' on your phone. Trying to keep going with your job, it was hard, your thoughts wandering to who the heck sent flowers. When the bell rang, you quickly went to the door and the man on the other side smiled, holding a bouquet of flowers in a vase. There were two different purple flowers, some a golden yellow, and more smaller white filler-flowers.

"Oh, thank you!" You took the bouquet and the man had you stamp on his clipboard. He took his leave and you moved further into the apartment, door shutting behind you. Placing the vase on the counter, you plucked the little card from the top, reading the text on the front.

"Praying for a good night's sleep! Inspired by holistic sleeping-remedy flowers: Lavender, Passionflower, California Poppy and Valerian!" You read out loud, figuring out who it was from before you flipped the card around. You had to take a deep breath, fighting back tears once again.

Thought this might help? ~San

You took several measured, deep breaths. It didn’t work, a tear rolling down your cheek before you could stop it. Placing your hand down on the counter, you didn't have to get close to the bouquet to smell the fresh lavender. Not normally one for flowers, this was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for you. You licked your lips, letting out a shuddering breath, you could taste the salt of your tears. You had thought he had a crush on you, something small, but this? It seemed like he lo-

"Fuck." Your jaw clenched, the card crinkling where your thumb pressed it too hard. Sniffing hard to prevent your nose from running, you let the card go, smoothing it out a bit. You aggressively sniffled, upset with your own mixed emotions and stomped back to your studio. Were trying but failing to continue working without getting tears and snot on the red fabric.

"(Y/N)! I got food!" You heard him easily even though you were back in your room, the door closed. For the last hour you had been sitting on the floor, back to the wall, facing your bed. You tried laying down, but the comforter still smelled like him. You tried to read and distract yourself, but you kept getting the pages wet. Tears were still drying on your face and new ones came up when you heard his voice. You were so tired at that point, head hurting. Your hand was at your mouth, arms crossed on top of your knees, and you bit your thumbnail. Working for another three hours after you got the delivery, you put it out of your mind, but everything came back when you spotted them on the counter, coming out of your studio.

"(Y/N)?" San called again, but you still didn't reply.

"(Y/N)?" He was coming down the hall and you got up reluctantly, sniffing hard while grabbing a tissue. You blew your nose and he knocked on the door.

"Come in." Your voice was a bit hoarse and when he came in, seeing your eyes and cheeks red, tissue rubbing at your nose, his face fell.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He immediately came forward, hands going to your cheeks, thumbs rubbing over the skin.

"J-just…" You forced a smile.

"I was just moved from you sending me the flowers, then I was reading…" Your lie was pretty believable since your book was still open, face down on the bed.

"Oh." He slumped in relief, and you wished he hadn't removed his hands from your face.

"You really liked the flowers?" His brow furrowed nervously.

"Yes, San. They're…" Your breath shuddered but you covered it with a soft chuckle.

"They're beautiful, and so thoughtful." You played with the balled-up tissue in your hand, not able to look him in the eye.

"Good! I got food from the place on the corner you like so much." He led you out to the main room and you slowly followed. You tried to maintain your normal attitude while you ate, and it got easier as you both joked and he told you about his day. Your phone dinged and you glanced down. When the name registered, your entire body stiffened and you exhaled hard, picking the device up to look at the message.

You doin' good? Is Sannie playing nice?

Wooyoung…

"Is it Woo?"

"Yeah." You nodded a bit, typing out a simple yes, you sent it. His phone dinged then as well and he scoffed at what he read.

"He knows you're lying." San shot you a deadpan look and your jaw dropped a bit, then you cleared your throat.

"Why does he think that?"

"You didn't capitalize it. It was too short too." San stuck his tongue against his cheek, making it poke out. You rolled your eyes.

"Bitch." You sneered, grabbing the phone and redoing the message.

I'm not lying. I'm busy. Grow up.

You weren't normally terse with him like that. He would definitely know something was up. Backspacing, you redid it once again.

I'm not lying. We were busy eating. I'm fine and yes, San is being nice. Really nice.

You hit send and you didn't get a reply after he read it, but San's went off. He glared at what he saw, not bothering to reply himself, putting his phone face down on the counter; he even muted it.

"What did he say?" You were curious but tried to maintain a neutral tone.

"Little shit, just something about not becoming your new best friend." That was a lie and you knew it but let the topic drop.

"I'm going to play a game with the guys for a bit, do you want to watch?"

"You're gonna use Woo's computer?"

"Sure am." He smiled, his dimples revealing themselves. You considered it, then you were going to say yes, then considered it again.

"I think I'll finish that show I started the other day." You told him and he shrugged, going off to do what he said after cleaning up his dishes. You hadn't finished yet, so you took the last few bites, then just left the dish in the sink. Slumping over to the couch, you put on the show and only kind of watched it. You were rewatching anyway…

"Fuck!" You sat up, your heart beating so fast, breathing so hard you felt like you had just run a mile. Not caring how bad it messed up your hair, you buried your fingers in at the scalp, pulling on the strands to center yourself in the waking realm. Why the hell were your nightmares coming back so strong? In the low pink light of your room, you glared at the bouquet of flowers on your dresser. They did jack shit.

"Don't take it out on the flowers…" You scolded yourself, sitting back against the headboard. You did so quite hard, enough so to rattle the frame, and the attached nightstand. The glass of water you had on it fell over, rolled, then fell off, the glass shattering on the hard wood.

"Shit!" You almost got out of bed, but then moved to go to the other side so you didn't land barefoot on glass.

"(Y/N)?" San had peaked his head in, he wasn't in his pajamas yet, so he must have just gotten done with his game.

"Hey, wait!" He stopped you as you moved to start picking up the pieces, slippers on just in case. He was in crocs, so he took the trash can from you. Using his sleeve over his hand, he gently picked up the fragments and put them in. He looked up when you handed him a roll of tape. He pulled a section out and tore it off, smacking it against the floor to pick up any small bits that might be left.

"What happened?" San threw the tape away too and you put the bin back down.

"I…I had another nightmare, and so I rattled the bed frame and the glass on the nightstand fell."

"Another? Maybe you can't sleep without me." He smirked playfully, but it fell when he noticed you didn't even twitch your lips.

"Give me like five minutes." He held his hand up to motion you to wait, heading back down the hall. Sighing, you sat on the bed, feet on the floor. Staring at the small scratch on the wall that was left by your keys when you tripped and caught yourself, you pondered what your bad dreams could mean. Why were you having so many? You almost never had more than one in such a short time frame. Was it really just from not having your sister around? That wouldn't make sense…

"Here, let's get you to sleep." San came in, wearing a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. Seriously? Out of all the things he could possibly wear, he had to put on that? Did he not know what the simple combination did?

"Come here." He had gotten under the covers, arms open, waiting for you. Swallowing hard, you laid back down in his embrace, feeling comforted already. That scared you, honestly, almost more than the bad dreams.

"What are you thinking about?" He had seen your pensive face.

"Nothing-"

"No. Tell me." You huffed in reply.

"Did…Did you kiss me yesterday night?" You felt him stiffen, much like you normally did.

"I did, on the forehead-"

"No. Tell me." You shot back at him. San stayed quiet for a second and you could almost hear the wheels in his head turning.

"Yes." His reply was soft, like the kiss on the corner of your mouth from before.

"What do I have no idea about?" He really hadn't thought you were awake, and he shifted nervously before responding. The man was taking his sweet time, and you were about to give up, not having the energy to press the issue.

"How much I like you…" He finally got out; your suspicions confirmed. He thought you would flinch, stiffen up, even hitch your breath, but he got nothing, so he pulled away enough to look at your face. It was flat, but your eyes were glossy.

"How much?" His eyes widened at your question.

"How much?" He repeated.

"How much do you like me?" He licked his lips, nervous, but then the nerves seemed to dissipate. The hand on your waist went up to cup your cheek, the arm under your head wrapping around your shoulders. When his lips lightly touched yours, you at first thought the contact generated a static shock. But he didn't flinch back, instead, he fully pressed his lips on yours. You shivered, easily melting into the kiss. Your hands flew up to cup his jaw, the ends of your fingers burying in his hair. He grunted, rolling a bit so he was leaning over you some. You whined when his hand rested on your hip, thumb brushing the exposed skin from where your tank top rode up. Your hands moved down, one going to scratch at the hair on the nape of his neck, the other slinking under the collar of his shirt, over his broad back. San took the opportunity when your whine slightly parted your lips, tongue brushing the lower one. You let him in, whining louder as his tongue tasted yours. He was over you completely then, forearm easily holding his weight over you, the hand on your hip slipping lower past the waistband of your sleep pants. Deep down you knew you shouldn't, knew you might regret it, feel horrible, feel like you used him, feel like you were somehow betraying Wooyoung…

"(Y/N)-" San pulled away from the kiss, both of your lips starting to swell from the pressure, saliva leaving a strand of connection.

"Just- please- need you-" You heaved out and he groaned. Making sure he was still close enough to brush his lips over yours, he got on his up on his knees, kneeling over you more, one thigh pressing between yours to open your legs. He wrestled with his shirt a bit, pulling away enough to get it over his head and off, his mouth sealing back to yours as he threw the shirt behind him somewhere. As San's tongue ran over your own, the roof of your mouth, your teeth, anywhere it could reach, you couldn't help but feel over him. His soft skin stretched over his toned chest and abs, his broad shoulders and back leading down to his narrow waist. While he swallowed your tongue and moans, his hands deftly undid the buttons of your pajama shirt, hauling you up to sit so he could take it off. Your tank was swiftly removed as well, joining his own shirt somewhere on the floor. He bit your lip when he pulled back from the kiss, his leading a trail down to your jaw, neck, over your throat and collar bone. His hands on your bare skin felt searing, one on your lower back to lead you to lift your hips. San led you to wrap your still covered legs around his waist, his other hand had cupped your breast, kneading the flesh, the skin pebbling into goosebumps from the sensation. You gasped hard as his lips wrapped over one of your nipples, and at the same time, he ground his growing hard-on into your rapidly soaking cunt through both of your pants. He was spurred on by your breathing picking up, soft moans escaping you. As he kissed over to and sealed his lips over your other nipple, he wrestled your pants and panties off at the same time.

"S-San-!" Your whole body twitched as his fingers met your glistening folds, the first easily sliding in, wiggling against your walls.

"Fucking soaked, precious." He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest and through your fingers pressing against him. You mewled when his kisses went back up to your neck, full on whimpering when his tongue licked a path from the bow of your collar bone and up to the base of your ear.

"Gonna fuck you so good, baby girl." His low voice, right in your ear, took your breath away, his second finger spreading you open. He tried to chuckle at your yelp as he softly pressed his teeth against the skin of your neck, sucking hard, working blood to the surface of your skin to leave his mark.

"W-wait-!" Your body shuddered, back arching, head thrown back when he added a third finger, his thumb pressing over your clit.

"Gotta get your cute little pussy ready, you're too tight for my cock, love." San's nose ran over your throat, then rested his forehead on your collarbone. He looked down at where you were sucking his fingers in, not able to hold in his mirth. He loved how tiny you felt under him, writhing and whimpering. He had been waiting for this for so long, and he knew you were vulnerable, and shouldn't be taking the opportunity, but he was weak. If you were going to ask for him, he would give you what you wanted.

"Fu- God! San!" Your cunt clenched his fingers, pulsing with your heart and he circled your clit, lips going back to hover over yours.

"Cum for me, sweetheart." He prompted and you immediately did, blunt nails digging into the skin of his upper back, head lolling against the pillow. San smirked above you, watching your eyes roll back in your head as your cunt spasmed, soaking his hand. Your body shivered one last time as he removed his fingers, barely registering as he lapped his tongue over his fingers, groaning at your taste. Your tired eyes tried to focus as he climbed off the bed, figure out what he was doing. You yelped when his hands on your ankles yanked you down the bed, the comforter falling to the floor and he knelt on it, leveling his face with your swollen cunt.

"San-?!" Your voice ended in a very undignified choking sound as he buried his tongue inside your core, filling the void his fingers had left. He wasn't planning on fucking you open with his tongue, but you tasted too fucking good. His strong hands gripped your inner thighs, so hard he was definitely going to bruise them, holding you open. Your body was still weak from your orgasm, so you couldn't fight him anyway. San pressed his tongue against your gummy walls, pulling back so he could swipe through your folds, then circle your clit. You were still sensitive, the sensation jolted you, he could feel your muscles spasm under his hands. Your next orgasm was coming on fast, and your fingers wove through his hair, trying to ground yourself through your hands, his own not allowing your hips to ride his tongue.

"S-San~!" You fell apart on his tongue that time and he eagerly drank and swallowed every drop that fell from your needy cunt, reveling in the pleasure he was bringing over you. Kissing your swollen nub, you whimpered and he stood up, even though his pants were loose, they were tight against his hard cock. Your eyes were glazed over, head rolling to the side, staring at the wall. Your gaze was drawn back to him as he pulled the waistband of his pants and boxers up and over his swollen dick and your mouth watered when the clothing fell, leaving him naked.

"Fuck." You huffed, still catching your breath and he couldn't fight the smug grin that spread over his face. No wonder he felt the need to prep you, you didn’t even know if you could get your fingers all the way around him.

"Come here, precious." He easily lifts you to haul you back up the bed, gently letting your head hit the pillow. The other he brought to rest under your lower back, finally letting you down. Your hips angled up allowed him to sit up higher on his knees to give him better leverage. When the fat head of his cock met your cunt you clenched your jaw, readying for the stretch.

"Wait, do I need a con-"

"Just fuck me, San." You wanted to sound more assertive, but you just whined like a spoiled child.

"Okay, precious." His smirk grew and he wrapped his arm around your left leg by your knee, the other leg spread with his hand on your inner thigh. When San started to press in you gasped with each breath, trying to breathe through him splitting you open. You were so tight around him, your gummy walls erratically spasming around his cock, your wet heat felt incredible. He groaned low and long as your cunt swallowed each inch of him, somehow accommodating his thick length.

"Such a good girl, sweetheart." He cooed as he bottomed out, adjusting your legs to spread you open even further, giving him a perfect view. You were so wet, your slick already glistening on the base of his cock. Your entire body was in shock, almost. Everything seemed to be spasming at him rearranging your guts, filling you so completely and wonderfully, you wondered if anyone would suffice after him. You were already drunk on his delicious cock, and he hadn't even moved yet. He could tell from having felt it on his fingers and tongue, that your cunt was throbbing, ready for you to cum again. He was going to fuck you through your high so many times that tears would flow over your cheeks again, but from bliss instead of sorrow and frustration. He wanted to fuck every little negative thought from your pretty head, drive away the memory of your nightmares. Wanted to leave you only with thoughts of him, his hands, his lips and tongue, his voice, and his cock. He was already making head way it seemed.

"Can I move, precious?" San leaned down to gently kiss at the corner of your mouth, tongue brushing over your bottom lip. You nodded, whining, not able to think to get a word out. He barely pulled out an inch, making you whimper, the searing stretch filling you with painful pleasure. San artfully snapped his hips, the tip of his cock hammering your back wall and cervix, pelvis meeting your clit, sending you even closer to the edge. The next thrust was a little deeper, a little harder and your whole body went limp, the third thrust nearly made you black out. Your cunt spasmed, squirting slick and wet over his groin and balls, core clenching his cock so tight he had to breathe hard to hold back. He chuckled as your orgasm waved through you over and over, and he wondered how long you had needed to get fucked. He was so glad he was the one to do so, and he would eagerly do it over and over, till you were dumb and stupid for him. A tiny voice inside him kept repeating to him that he would always fuck you better than Wooyoung, that his best friend would never be able to ravish you the way he was planning. Over and over-

"San, please, please…" He wasn’t sure what you were begging for, but your high had laid, so he continued. Throwing your legs over his elbows, pressing closer to you so you were nearly folded in half, he huffed a laugh.

"You want me to fuck you good, love?"

"Yes!"

"Want my cock to fuck you stupid?"

"YES, fuck PLEASE." His hips rolled, leaving only a bit more than the head of his cock in you, before filling you fast and hard again. Your already kind of flimsy headboard thudded hard against the brick wall, creaking under the power of his hips slamming his cock into you, skin slapping, grunts leaving him and mewls leaving you. Your fingers turned white as you gripped your sheets hard, worried that the worn material might tear despite your blunt nails.

"God, you're so fucking perfect (Y/N)~" San groaned, letting one of your legs go so you wrapped it around his narrow waist. The now free hand gripped over the one you had up by your head, easing your fingers out of the sheets so they could instead weave through his. San's lips fell back to yours, thrusts growing shallower but no less hard, you felt like he might dislodge a kidney with the strength behind each motion. As his pelvis met yours, he ground into your clit, and you were growing close to another orgasm, and he was planning on letting go with you. He tried so hard to maintain his rhythm, almost having to just grind into you to keep control, fucking so deep inside you thought he was in your throat.

"Cum for me, precious. Cum on my cock." San pulled back from the kiss, and his words granted you your relief, your final climax really did make your vision go black, flashes of white dotting your vision and his voice rumbled through the room as his hot cum painted your insides white. He came so much that his release spilled out from where he split you open, a mix of your cum dripping onto the sheets. You had fallen limp like a rag doll, eyes closed, chest heaving, little whines accompanied each breath. He was heaving for air as well, the emotions he felt from finally being inside you, pleasuring you, hitting him then. If he already liked you, he was truly infatuated then, never wanting to leave your hold or your warmth.

When consciousness finally washed over you, it took you a second to figure out why the hell you were so sore. Your thighs were sore, random spots on your neck and shoulders, your hips, back, and cunt. Everything hit you then and your body protested as you wiggled on the bed, trying to get the strength to sit up. Your bed was once again empty despite having shared it for the night.

"Fuck." You whimpered as your lower half pulsed as you got out of bed, legs incredibly weak. You were naked as the day you were born, and you pretty much limped over to the bathroom. After relieving yourself, you finally looked in the mirror, gasping. There were several dark red and purple marks over your neck, shoulders and chest, one mark even had teeth marks.

"Choi San!" You scolded him despite his absence, rubbing the little bruises and wincing. You were glad you worked from home, because there was no way to cover the hickeys in the middle of May. You took a shower, the hot water washing away many different layers from your body. You winced when the water flowed over your sore pussy, still a bit swollen from being pleasantly ruined by San's monster cock. Getting out of the shower, you got dressed in a matching tank top and shorts, the mint-colored fabric was soft and loose. There was no way you could handle any pressure on your cunt, so you went commando. San had already seen everything anyway. Nervously and shakily going down the hall to the main room, you heard the other shower running. Cookie lifted her head from where she laid right in front of the door, slowly getting up and stretching before going to greet you.

"Good morning~" You cooed at your pup and then limped over to the fridge, your dog whining a bit at your strange gait. She watched with interest as you pulled some ingredients out of the fridge, needing some protein to compensate for the intense work out you had gone through. When your husky smelled the bacon as soon as you opened the package, she started to wag her tail, whimpering.

"No begging!" You scolded the dog, and she was so well trained she simply hung her head and trudged away, down the hall and presumably into your sister's room. You barely heard the shower turn off and the door open over the popping and sizzling of the bacon and eggs in their pans. You had assumed he would go to his room to get dressed, but you startled when he wrapped his arms around your middle from behind.

"San, I'm cooking!" you scolded, trying to pry his arms off of you. Your heart rate had spiked, more from fear than bashfulness. You still hadn't processed what had happened the night before, especially not emotionally.

"Sorry!" He giggled and leg you go, but only moved to stand next to you. Your face was warm and your eyes stung a bit, brow furrowed. Once all the food was plated and the heat of the stove was off, you turned to him, taking a step back.

"San, I think-"

"Let's eat first, precious. I tired you out." He took both of the plates, walking around you to get to the dining table. You followed after him slowly and he pulled a chair out for you which you gratefully sat down on. Then you regretted it, the hard wood pressing into your sore thighs and groin. You then noticed he was in a white tank top and blue track pants, towel around his neck. He always looked so good… Despite wanting to talk with him, you were really freaking hungry, so you ate first, trying to ignore his warm and fond gaze. You knew before you let him rail you into next week that you would regret it. You did, you regretted it and felt guilty. Felt like you used him. Feel like you betrayed Wooyoung… The final bite of food was harder for you to swallow along with the knot of emotions rising up. Your breath shuddered, and he noticed the tear fall from your eye and onto the empty plate.

"Hey, baby girl, what's wrong?" He immediately got up, coming to your side and kneeling so he could look up at you. Your crying picked up then, your hands covering your mouth to try and muffle your sobs, scooting back and away from him.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" You repeated between each sob that made you gasp, desperate to let out the emotions that had finally boiled over.

"Oh, precious." He sighed, trying to pull you into a hug and you pushed your chair back further, standing up so fast the chair rocked then fell back, clattering onto the floor. San stayed where he was, feeling utterly helpless as you crumbled to the floor. You balled your fists on the wood floor, tears splatting on your skin and then floor. Despite wanting so bad to go to you, he stayed in the same spot, not wanting to step over the line.

"God, I'm such a fucking bitch." You whimpered to yourself and he couldn't disagree more.

"No, no, precious girl, you're not." He finally got up, kneeling back in front of you, but not trying to touch or hold you.

"Yes, I am! I…God, I used you. I took the chance, and I shouldn't have. I…What about…" You heaved for air and he felt his heart breaking. Sighing, he shifted to sitting with his legs crossed instead, waiting patiently for you to calm down.

"What about Wooyoung?" Your voice was quiet, but not only did he know what you were going to say, he had a feeling that's what your issue was. He felt a bit like he took advantage of you since you were obviously emotionally weak at the time. Why did you feel like that? Did it hurt to see you so upset because of your feelings for his best friend? Of course. But he knew the situation going into it.

"I'm sorry, San. I can't do this. You're Wooyoung's best friend-"

"Are you in love with Wooyoung, or is it just a crush?" His question threw you off.

"I…I don't-"

"Why are you waiting for him when it's possible he'll never go to you? I'm right here." He insisted and you sniffed, trying to stop your tears.

"But if there's a chance-"

"Look, I didn't want to go here, but… Wooyoung is in love with your sister, okay? He doesn’t just like her, or have a crush on her, he's in love. If you're not in love with him, you can drop it, right? …I'm right here." His voice had gotten a bit unsteady, his own emotions becoming difficult to control.

"I think you should go home." Your sobs had quieted, but that sentence pierced him harder than everything else. He wanted to argue, try and convince you, but if you needed space, he would give it to you.

By the time his bag was packed and he was leaving Wooyoung's room, you had gotten up off the floor, picked up the chair and was cleaning the dishes from breakfast.

"If you need anything…" He drifted off, hand on the doorknob. You trudged over to the door as he opened it, planning on locking the door with the chain after he was gone. You wouldn't meet his eye, and he prayed desperately that you wouldn't have a nightmare that night without him or anyone else there.

When the door closed, you slowly locked it with the chain, dropping your hand. He was standing on the other side of the door, not wanting to leave yet. He closed his eyes tight when he heard your start to cry again. You leaned against the door after it shut, sliding to the floor in a heap, sobbing once again. You were beginning to realize you liked San, liked him back. Maybe even more than Wooyoung, which was terrifying. Just over the short amount of time he had been staying with you, he had needled his way into your heart, more than as just a friend. Little did you know, San was still on the other side of the door, trying not to cry himself listening to you sob. Your near wails quieted as new feelings bubbled up. You thought you wanted him gone, so you could process, but thinking of him leaving shattered you.

"Please, please, please." He suddenly heard you speaking, stepping away from the door. He heard the chair rattle as you unlocked the door and opened it. You weren't expecting him to still be right there, but relief washed over you. You began to cry again, more in relief, and he immediately went back in. He dropped his bag and returned your embrace, hugging you close to him as you cried. San rested his cheek against the side of your head, petting your soft hair, a few tears of his own hitting your shoulder.

"(Y/N), oh sweet girl." He sniffed, easily holding you when you went limp in his arms. You let him lift you princess style, refusing to loosen your arm's hold around his neck and shoulders. Kicking the door closed, he carried you over to the couch, sitting down so you could sit on his lap. Your sobs ceased, his hands rubbing comfortingly over your back.

"I'm sorry." Your soft whimper hurt him, to hear you so defeated.

"(Y/N), precious, why are you so sorry?"

"I…I used you."

"How?"

"I was upset and took advantage of your feelings for me."

"I know." You pulled back abruptly, gaping at him.

"Sweetheart, I took advantage of you too. You were vulnerable-"

"San, San…" He had started to ramble nonsense, so you cupped his jaw, bringing his attention back to you.

"I'm sorry I was being…" You licked your lips, thinking, "I let my feelings for Wooyoung cloud my real- You asked if I loved Wooyoung? No, I don't. It is just a crush…" Your thumb ran over his cheekbone, his wide, beautiful eyes shining up at you.

"I know that I'm not your first choice. I understand that. Honestly, I don't care if I'm your second choice, or even your third. All that matters, is that you choose me in the end." You sniffled at his words, huffing a slightly sad laugh.

"I thought that there was only one choice, but…"

"But?"

"You're right here." You sighed, your own face softening; you had finally rationalized everything. Why your heart thumped so fast, why his actions brought tears to your eyes…Why you needed him to hold you to keep the nightmares away and why they came back when he wasn't there.

"(Y/N)… I didn't want to overwhelm you, but- I love you. I love you so much, I have for so long." His own emotions were bubbling up, his own eyes tearing up along with yours.

"We've known each other, what, five years?" You nodded, whimpering, trying to not cry harder.

"I started liking you three months in. It was when you went to adopt Cookie, and you were mobbed by all the puppies. You laid there, giggling, and I wanted to be one of those dogs. So bad."

"F-for that long?" You were so shocked you stopped crying. San hummed, rubbing your back, hand slipping under your tank top.

"I've held back so much. Every time you have something on your lip, I want to kiss it off. If you’re cold, I want you to have my jacket. I want to buy every little charm or pretty thing that makes me think of you. To go to Namsan tower and put a lock on with you…" He stopped when you slumped forward, resting your cheek on his shoulder, and he hugged you closer. Your heart had been wanting to break earlier, but all his sweet words filled the cracks in with gold.

"I'm sorry I was so blind, and selfish, and stupid. I'm sorry I can't say I love you back, because I really don't know at this point. But I do know-" you sat up to look at him, "I really, really like you. Will you forgive me for being a horrible person?"

"You're not a horrible person, sweetheart. Not only are your emotions everywhere, you're sleep deprived." His hand went to cup your cheek, brushing another stray tear away.

"Will you show me something?" You bowed your head a bit, face reddening, hands fiddling with the bottom of his sweatshirt.

"Whatever you want, precious."

"Can you show me again, how you feel about me?" Your voice was soft, a bit embarrassed, thinking of what you had asked him that night. Yes, you were sore, but in the best possible way, and you wanted- needed him again.

"Are you sure, pretty girl? I don't think I can hold back like last night." His voice was low, but his gaze had sharpened. What the hell did he mean by that? He held back? What the fuck was he going to do that was more intense than last night?

"You held back?" You questioned and he huffed, a sexy and smug smirk gracing his handsome face.

"Hm. I did. Can you handle me full force?" His eyebrow rose in question and you swallowed hard; he could hear it.

"I think I can…" Your voice was quiet, quivering, but you were excited. Your cunt throbbed, still sore but you were getting hot quickly.

"I need a solid answer, precious."

"Yes. I can." His smirk glitched into a giddy smile for a second, but he gathered his composure.

"What should I do first…?" He wondered aloud, many different possibilities running through his head.

"Can I make a suggestion?" You tried to sound coy and smug like him, but it didn't really work.

"Of course, sweetheart."

"I…" You exhaled carefully, normally not so shy, "I want to swallow your cock." Your eyes flitted up to look at him and his eyes rolled back in his head as he groaned.

"Precious, are you sure? I don't want to hurt you-"

"I want you to fuck my throat, then cum down it." You were building your confidence back up from the response you got from him. Your lips were at his ear, your tongue flicking the little earring he had in, then you kissed the side of his neck.

"On the floor then, baby girl." He almost gasped at how fast you scrambled off of his lap, eagerly and obediently sitting on your knees. You watched with wide eyes as he took his sweatshirt off, then removed the tank he had on underneath. San bit his lip, trying to not giggle as you ogled him. He noticed your hands twitch on your lap, ready to take his pants off yourself.

"Tell me, do you mind if I do all the work?" The intention was clear in his words and tone.

"Yes, please~" You shuffled in your crouch, but stayed still. Your eyes zeroed in on the bulge in his pants, whimpering in need as he once again let his pants fall. His cock was only about half hard; you wiggled your jaw knowing it would end up sore too. You wanted to be sore completely and all over when he was done with you. His hand wrapped around his cock, stroking it a few times, stepping forward so he was within reach, but you stayed still.

"What a good girl you are." He hummed and you eagerly opened your mouth when the head of his dick touched your lips. You groaned at the taste of him, swirling your tongue around the tip, sucking lightly.

"Fuck-" San sighed, hands going to your hair, leading his cock deeper and deeper into your mouth. When he hit the back of your throat, you looked up at him with wide, hazy eyes. As he heard you take a large inhale through your nose, he kept going and your whole body shuddered as his cock went down your throat. Your cunt clenched desperately against itself, not having anything inside to satisfy it.

"Oh, fucking hell, sweetheart." He groaned, your nose pressing to his pelvis. He was impressed you hadn't gagged yet, but you were swallowing over and over trying to get used to the sensation. He stayed there like that for a second, to the point where your head began to swim a bit, the lack of air intoxicating. When he pulled his hips back, just enough that you could desperately suck air in through your nose, he registered the depth that allowed you to breathe.

"Count, precious. I'll bottom out every five thrusts, 'kay?" He instructed and you nodded with a whine in acknowledgement. You tried to hold you jaw in the same position, eagerly sucking on his cock as he thrust, inhaling deep when he went all the way. Each time he groaned, grinding his pelvis against your face. You knew he had stamina, and even though he didn't block your airway each time, your vision was spotting a bit, but not enough for you to stop him. The taste of his precum building made your mouth water, a mix of your saliva and the salty fluid dripping on the hard wood floor and your lap. The slick sound and the mess on your face and his cock brought him that much closer. San smirked at the prick of tears in the corner of your eyes, welling up from his fat cock battering your throat.

"Mmh~ I'm going to cum down your throat, precious. Just like you wanted~" His airy chuckle turned to a groan and he tossed his head back, struggling to keep his rhythm. His dick pulsed hard on your tongue and you finally moved yourself, hands going to his butt, holding him so he couldn't pull back.

"Fuck-!" He grunted and came, pumping thick globs of hot cum into your mouth and throat. You kept swallowing, only gagging a bit then from the sticky substance and he finally pulled out so you could catch your breath. More saliva and cum dripped off your lips, your mouth open, panting. A drop landed on your chest, running down the skin and in between your breasts.

"Such a good girl, love." San grinned at your dazed expression, wide glossy eyes peering up at him.

"You safe?" You took a second to register his question, mind still foggy.

"Pill." You managed to get out hoarsely, throat protesting for several reasons.

"Good, because I'm gonna pump you full." He smirked. You held your hands up for him to help you stand, but he instead bent, wrapping his around your back and lifting you like a child under your arms. The ease to which he did so turned you on even more and you used your own core strength to lift your legs and wrap them around his middle.

He walked forward, pressing you into the wall by the door, cock fully hard again, rubbing over the damp spot of your shorts. Working with him to get your clothes off, your shorts were still dangling off of your ankle when his cock plunged into you. The sudden burn made your cunt clench hard around him and he hissed, still a bit sensitive from his orgasm. You were plenty wet, and he had just fucked you hours prior, but he was so big. It made sense why he prepped you before, and it didn't help you were still sore. But you could not care less, the stinging pain just added to your euphoria.

San groaned when your nails dug into his back for leverage, scratching red welts into the skin.

"Ready?" He didn't wait for your response, thrusting up hard and shallow twice, then rolling his hips to slam into you full force. You threw your head back hitting the wall a bit hard, but you were too immersed in San and his animal pace. Your breasts bounced with every thrust and you held onto his shoulders for dear life. He had your legs over his elbows again, getting as close to you as he could, piercing your core with sharp movements, dragging you hopelessly fast to orgasm. It was hard to catch your breath and moan, let alone speak words, tears built in your eyes. When they rolled over your cheeks, he leaned in to lick the salt away. He hated seeing you cry from sorrow or from being upset, but watching tears of pleasure flow over your red cheeks went straight to his cock. So cute.

"You're so freaking pretty, precious. Love my cock so much you just wanna cry?" His chuckle was slightly patronizing.

"Just go dumb, baby girl, think of nothing but my dick in your tight little cunt."

"San!" You gasped, your next climax starting. He slowed his pace so you could ride the waves, but didn't want to overstimulate you yet, so he forced his pelvis against your swollen clit. With each rolling crest of pleasure, your cunt leaked, making another mess on the floor.

San pulled away from the wall, walking to a different part of the apartment and you protested vehemently when he slowly pulled his cock from your still spasming pussy. He set your feet down, spinning you around and you immediately placed your hands on the window to stay upright- Wait, window!? You gaped, looking out toward the park you could see from the window.

"S-San-?"

"No one can see you up here, at least I don't think…" He chuckled and didn't allow any more argument and fucked back into you.

"Fuck!" You nearly screamed. Somehow, he was even deeper than before, and the front of his hips slapped against your ass with each pound. Your hot breath was fogging the window, even the heat from your palms did so. San's fingers pressed so hard into your flesh; you knew there would be bruises there for sure, maybe darker than the faint yellow ones on your inner thighs from the night before. Struggling a bit with the height difference, you were forced onto your tippy toes, legs quivering as each stroke of his thick cock sapped more and more of your strength.

"Huh, I'm close precious. Gonna fill you up, fuck you full~" He licked his lips like a hungry dog. You squeaked when his strong grip weaved through your hair, wrapping your braid in his first, tugging lightly as he ground his cock as deep as possible, filling your womb with even more of his seed. It was so hot; he was so deep and even the sensation of him tugging on your hair felt so good. Your body eked out another smaller orgasm, helping him ride his out. He was still hard, albeit a little bit less so. You didn't know if your poor little cunt and body could take much more, but your mind didn't care. If we wanted to rail you till you passed out, you would thank him when you came to. When San pulled his cock out again, more globs of cum leaked out of your abused hole, which still was twitching. He smirked at your quivering body, not having moved much, and cooed as he easily picked you up like a sack of potatoes, then transitioned to a princess carry. Your head flopped as you panted for air, waiting patiently as he carried you back to your room, shutting the door to prevent your pup from following. However, when he put you on the bed, he didn't join right away, instead heading for your standing mirror. He moved it to rest facing the side of your bed and you hazily registered the act. Letting him maneuver you, he sat with you on his lap, back facing him, proud cock arching against your cunt.

"Look there, precious." His hand lightly gripped your jaw, forcing your head to turn and see your reflection. You were an absolute mess, but you were too focused on his equally messy cock and the fact that it still wasn't back inside you.

"San, hurry, please!" You whimpered and he chuckled at your insistence, lifting you and slowly pushing you down onto him again. His legs were spread so your knees resting over them were spread wide too, leaving a perfect view of your small pussy taking his girthy dick.

"Fucking gorgeous, (Y/N)." He praised, kissing the side of your head, jaw still in his grasp to make sure you watched.

"I want you to remember this, how it looks when I fuck you, and that no one will ever be able to after me." His words made you whimper, the small noise rising in pitch and volume as he started to thrust up into you, also moving you with the arm around your middle. Like you were being hypnotized you watched San's cock pull out halfway before sinking back into you, so much cum and slick dripping from where he sat inside you.

"You're so hot like this." San grunted, the hand on your stomach sliding down to circle your clit. It stung, overstimulated, and you felt his dick pulsing; he was close too.

"One more for me precious, one more." He coached, then one, two, he came again. There was no more room inside you, the thick white jizz spilled over, mixing with the squirting slick and making yet again another mess on the floor. You both were panting, reveling in the afterglow, and sleep was trying to consume you once again. Later, you were mad at yourself, for not choosing San sooner. He should never have been the second choice.

Master-Master List

ATEEZ Master List

[daniellesimagines]

Where You Go (Eddie Munson)

word count: 13,130 requested by: absolutely no one pronouns: she/her warnings: lots of swears (sorry), major character death, mentioned character deaths, mentions of murder and dying in a fire, mentions of depression and weed, survivor’s guilt, wildly non-canonical timeline (im serious yall, there are a lot of creative liberties taken with that one), also yn is 18!!! (not tryna commit any crimes here @ fbi) fandom: stranger things au type: high school summary: you have a crush on eddie; the only problem is he’s only interested in your best friend. however, a tragic event brings you two together in more ways than you bargained for inspired by: dream, also heavily inspired by/using scenes from season 4 (i use tvshowtranscripts for exact lines and they don’t put who said it, so i’m sorry if some are wrong!!) authors notes: i’m trying a thing where i don’t split this up into parts, so i hope it’s not too long!!! also this is my first eddie fic so pls be nice to me :((( other parts: none

❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀

Hawkins High School was nothing if not predictable. 

When movies and TV portrayed what it was like to be a teenager, you were sure they’d gotten their ideas straight from your school. Sports were everything, the popular cheerleaders dated the star athletes, the weird kids were outcast from the rest, and you were just...there.

You weren’t a particularly gifted student, nor were you fairly well-known, and you certainly weren’t athletic. To be honest, you only had one friend. You met your best friend in elementary school, her being on your bus route just one stop before yours.

Chrissy Cunningham was everything you weren’t, but she still kept you around. If it weren’t for the fact that you lived so close and were able to create such a strong bond at an early age, you honestly would have thought she just stayed because she felt sorry for you.

But that wasn’t who Chrissy was.

Chrissy was a fiercely loyal friend, and that only grew once you entered high school. She made the cheer squad freshman year – becoming popular pretty much right away – but she never let it come between her friendship with you. Upon entering your senior year, Chrissy became cheer captain and subsequently caught the attention of everyone in school.

And that included Eddie Munson.

Eddie had always been a character, often interrupting lunches with passionate speeches about the popular crowds and how they excluded anyone different than them. You knew he had a club that met after school, though you didn’t know much other than it was about Dungeons & Dragons. You always had a bit of a crush on him – sure, he could be obnoxious and he was on his third try of making it to graduation, but he was friendly and cute and had no problem talking back to people like Jason Carver.

You wish you could say you were surprised when Chrissy started offhandedly mentioning that she’d been hanging out with Eddie every once in a while. You would listen to her talk about something funny he did or said, plastering on the fake interest as she spoke.

Yeah, you were jealous.

But you knew you had no right to be.

Chrissy had no idea you had a crush, and you knew her relationship with Jason only continued to please her overbearing mother, so you wanted nothing more than for her to finally be happy for once.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t sting whenever she mentioned seeing him.

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” Chrissy told you after setting her lunch tray down at the spot across from you, “I have to go talk to Eddie about something.”

You barely nodded, but it didn’t matter since she didn’t even look at you before trotting toward the Hellfire table. You kept your gaze on your lunch tray as your best friend’s voice rang through your ears again.

“Eds!” she chirped, “Do you have a second?”

“Chris!” he smiled back, “What’s up?”

Oh, that’s cute. They have nicknames for each other.

You listened to their voices fade out as they walked to somewhere less crowded, Eddie insisting to get some privacy.

Way to go with the subtlety there, guys.

You knew you shouldn’t be this hurt over it – Chrissy was way more outgoing than you, so it was never shocking when someone gravitated to her over you – but you still were. Sure, she was your best friend and she made sure to include you in everything she was a part of, but you just...

You wanted someone to see you as your own person, not just ‘Chrissy’s best friend’.

~

Sunday afternoon

You’d spent that weekend the same as you always did: alone in your room keeping yourself busy with whatever you could until it came time for your weekly hangout with your best friend. You and Chrissy had hung out every Sunday practically since the day you met. Your mom always offered her own to stay and chat, but she never did; Her mother was more than happy to pawn her daughter on anyone willing to watch her. Your mom became more of a mother to Chrissy than her own – maybe that was why she stayed at your place as often as she was allowed.

You had just eaten lunch with your mom and Chrissy and played a few board games as well – you knew Chrissy appreciated the feeling of normalcy it gave her – before you ended up back in your bedroom. She was laying on your bed watching TV, propped up against the wall behind it, while you were sitting on the floor. Your most recent endeavor to keep yourself occupied, you decided, would be learning how to take in clothing too big and repurpose clothing that didn’t fit anymore into things you’d actually use. And lucky for you, Chrissy didn’t mind – you could gossip no matter what you were doing.

“You didn’t hang out with Jason today?” you mentioned after noticing her show had gone to a commercial, “I thought he said he was taking you to Lover’s Lake?”

“Of course not!” she insisted, “Sundays are for us! And you know how I feel about him.”

“I still don’t understand why you’re still with him,” you shook your head, “It’s like he’s gotten so much more oblivious to anything other than his popularity recently. Does he even notice when it’s one of the bad days again?”

“No,” she sighed, “But you know how my mom would be if she found out I broke up with him.”

“As if you don’t already get perfect grades, are the most popular girl at school, and all the teachers love you?” you rolled your eyes, “I hardly think not dating such an ass anymore would change all that.” You smiled slightly when she giggled.

“You know what? Enough about me!” she bounced in her seat, “What’s been going on with you? I feel like I never see you anymore!”

“Nothing new,” you shrugged, “Just trying to get at least one scholarship before graduation.”

“Oh, please! You could get those scholarships in your sleep!” You smiled slightly as she continued. “But that’s not what I meant! I mean, what’s been going on in your love life?”

“What love life?” you scoffed jokingly, “You know better than anyone that guys don’t even look at me.”

“That’s not true! What about Trevor? He told me he thought you were cute! You even went on a date with him!”

“Yeah, but we didn’t end up connecting as much as we thought we would,” you shrugged, “Decided we’re better as friends than a couple. I’m just glad he wasn’t a dick about it.”

“I knew he wouldn’t be,” she said, “That’s the only reason I set you up with him. There’s gotta be someone you’re into though?” Chrissy watched you pause, making her suck in a breath of excitement. “There is someone you’re into!” she squealed, “Why haven’t you told me?! I wanna know everything! Who is it?”

“Well... He’s in our grade,” you chose your wording carefully to not give it away, “He’s in a club and a band. We’ve been to his shows a couple of times. He’s really nice, but...”

“Is he not nice to you?” she narrowed her eyes at the idea this mystery crush of yours would be rude to you.

“It’s not that, it’s just... He likes someone else...” you whispered, “But I wasn’t surprised he likes someone else more; Everybody likes you more.”

“What do you mean?” she seemed genuinely confused, “Who likes me more?”

You didn’t respond, making Chrissy furrow her eyebrows. She took a moment to think about when you started acting a little differently when it came to boys, earning another gasp of realization.

“Are you talking about Eddie?” she asked, taking your small gulp as confirmation that she was right. “Y/N, you know I would never do that to you!” she assured you, “Oh my God, I would be the worst best friend ever if I went after someone you liked!” You looked up at her with confusion, making her smile. “You didn’t have to tell me for me to know,” she shook her head, “You’re my best friend; I know you better than I know myself.” Chrissy sighed softly, moving to the floor so she could take your hand in hers and squeeze it lightly. “I’ve been meeting Eddie so much because I’ve... I buy weed from him sometimes,” she finally confessed.

“You what?” your eyes widened, “Since when do you smoke weed?!”

“I’ve been... I see things sometimes... Hallucinations, I think,” she admitted, “And I know Eddie deals, so I thought it would help.”

“You’ve been seeing things?” you repeated, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought it was just the depression – that it was just something I would have to live with for the rest of my life... I didn’t want to drag you into all that.”

“Chrissy, you’re my best friend,” you repeated her earlier sentiment, giving her own hand a tight squeeze, “Your problems are my problems and mine are yours; We get through it together no matter what.” She gave you a small, tight-lipped smile. You knew she was still holding back, but you also knew that she’d come to you when she was ready.

But neither of you would ever get to have that conversation.

~

One week later; Wednesday

You felt like you weren’t actually in your body anymore. Everything felt foreign and fake and otherworldly. The school felt out of it and it felt like the students were just blips in the universe. People tried to talk to you – offer their condolences – but their voices were all muffled in your ears.

Chrissy was dead; Your best friend was gone.

You’d attended the funeral the previous day – and if you thought the amount of people at school looking at you in pity was bad, you would have prepared better for the service. You humored Jason when he offered his condolences, giving him your own as well – despite how pompous and two-faced you thought he was, he still lost his girlfriend and you weren’t going to be a bitch to him.

You made it through the funeral service and burial before going back home. Your mother tried her best to lift your spirits, but you knew she was having just as hard a time with everything as you were – Chrissy was like a second daughter to her, after all.

You heard about a meeting at the town hall that would take place the day after to discuss those killed recently. You thought it would be a gathering to remember everyone – Chrissy, Fred, Patrick – so you decided to go. Your mother had wanted to attend as well, but you insisted she rest instead. The events of the past week had taken a major toll on her and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days – and honestly, she probably hadn’t. You promised to tell her everything that happened, and she walked you to the front door as you put on your jacket, kissing your head before you left.

And, to be fair, the meeting did start out as remembering the deceased.

Until Jason showed up, that is.

After those who wished to speak offered up memories, the police chief started to speak. He was giving an update on the investigation, and you could feel your blood run cold when he mentioned that they did have a suspect and were looking for information leading to his whereabouts so they could talk to him. But before he could give a name, he was interrupted by Jason.

“With all due respect, Chief Powell, I think it’s obvious who’s responsible,” Jason stated, “That freak Eddie Munson and his Hellfire cult murdered a popular girl as a sacrifice to Satan! It’s about time we band together and rid this town of him for good!”

“Now, son,” the Chief shook his head with a firm tone in his voice, “We only want to talk to Mr. Munson as of right now; We can’t just go around accusing people of something as serious as murder.”

“Don’t you all get it?” he looked around the room, “These satanic cults that are spreading around the country say they’re playing ‘some silly roleplaying game’ when they’re really planning rituals for human sacrifice! That's what the mall fire was really about! That’s why so many people are dead! It’s because of Hellfire!”

“That’s bullshit!” you looked over to see Erica Sinclair practically seething with anger, “The Hellfire isn’t a cult! It’s a club for a bunch of nerds!”

“A club? A club! A harmless club – that’s what they want you to think! But it’s a lie to conceal the truth! And the truth is it’s a cult now protecting their leader! Hiding Eddie and allowing him to continue his sacrifices! We can stop him from killing any more! We must come together and cast the evil out of Hawkins that is Hellfire! We have to-”

“Shut up!” your voice broke as you stood up from your seat, making everyone stare at you in shock.

You were so sick of everyone pointing blame at Eddie – it didn’t matter that they didn’t have proof. You would have defended anyone under those circumstances, but them only choosing him because he’s an easy target made you even more upset.

“It’s bad enough you used Billy and Chief Hopper’s deaths at that pep rally to what, boost morale at a stupid basketball game?! They died in an accidental mall fire; They weren’t murdered in some sacrificial ritual!” you threw your arms up, “But now you wanna claim they were for what, getting justice?! None of you would have even given a shit if someone else died in any other way or if it were anyone but Chrissy, so why do you give a shit now?! You certainly wouldn’t have cared if it were some random student, and you would have celebrated if it were Eddie, so why the hell do you suddenly give a fuck?!”

“Am I hearing you defending that freak right now?” Jason narrowed his eyes at you, “Just because you were Chrissy’s best friend-”

“I am Chrissy’s best friend,” you snapped back, “So I think I know damn well she wouldn’t have wanted this witch hunt! Whether you like it or not, she was friends with Eddie, and she would be pissed at all of you for acting like a bunch of fucking assholes! She wouldn’t have even given him the time of day if she thought he was going to pull some satanic bullshit on her or whatever the fuck you’re bitching about!”

“You’re just as much of a freak as the rest of them,” he scoffed.

“And you’re just as much of the asshole Chrissy thought you were,” you growled, not giving him the chance to respond as you grabbed your jacket and left, letting the door slam behind you.

~

Eddie’s POV; The next day

“Eddie?!” Dustin called out as he and the gang approached Skull Rock.

“I am right here, Henderson,” he reminded him from his makeshift seat, “And I’m sure I will be here until the day I die.”

“You’re not gonna be in here that long,” Robin insisted, “We just have to come up with a plan is all.”

“Knowing all of you? I’ll be here until I die,” he rolled his eyes, earning the same gesture in return.

“Anyway,” Dustin spoke up again, “We brought you some food.” He handed him a bag and Eddie immediately took the contents out and started eating. “Oh!” he chirped, “You know how the town hall had a meeting to remember everyone last night?” Eddie simply nodded. “Well, Erica was there and said Jason came in and started laying it on thick about Hellfire and how we’re a cult and how we perform satanic sacrifices and that’s why everyone’s dying.”

“Is this supposed to make me feel better, Henderson?” Eddie rolled his eyes, “Am I supposed to be happy there’s a bounty on my head now?”

“No, man! Erica said someone stood up and told Jason to shut up and that he’s being an asshole for-”

“Language!” Steve reprimanded, earning a middle finger from the teen.

“Dude, she said it was so badass!” Dustin bounced around the dirt path, “The way Y/N didn’t back down when Jason tried to intimidate her for the way she was defending you was so sick! She just totally laid into Jason and his stupid friends and the people going along with it and she didn’t care what they thought!”

“Y/N?” Eddie felt his heart start racing, “She was defending me?”

“Yeah? Weren’t you listening?” he frowned, “Erica said she was a real badass! I wish we could have seen it!”

Dustin kept raving about Erica’s play-by-play of your performance, but Eddie wasn’t hearing it anymore.

Chrissy’s cute friend believed he was innocent?

~

Your POV; The next day

You weren’t at all shocked when you arrived at school the next day to glares and whispers behind your back. You knew Jason and his minions were going to make sure everyone knew what you’d done. When someone said something to you directly, you simply rolled your eyes and ignored them. Jason obviously would have spun the story to make you look even worse, so you didn’t want to waste your time trying to defend yourself with things you knew wouldn’t change their minds anyway.

On your way to lunch, you stopped by your locker to put away a textbook when you saw something poking out of the slot above the latch. You grabbed it and held it under your arm against your side as you opened your locker. You put the books away and reached back for the note. You wondered if maybe it was meant for someone else and they just had the wrong locker, but you knew by what was written in it that it was meant for you.

Meet at Hellfire after school

You stared at the sloppy handwriting for a moment before looking up and around the hall. No one was watching to make sure you received it, so you had absolutely no idea who had left you the note. You flipped the paper over – expecting to see contact info? – but instead found a messily-drawn map of where to find the club in the school’s basement.

~

Three hours later

The moment the final bell rang, you were hastily leaving the classroom and walking to your locker. You’d been internally arguing with yourself all day about whether or not you should listen to this mystery note – you had no idea who sent it or what they wanted or if it was just Jason and his friends trying to get you alone – before you finally defined to just go.

Whatever happened now couldn’t be worse than when you were told Chrissy died, could it?

You shoved all of your books into your locker, deciding to just get your backpack after you were done with whoever you were meeting. You slowly made your way to the stairwell to the basement, wanting to wait until the hallway had mostly cleared out.

Once it had, you went through the door and pulled the note out of your pocket. You followed the practically-illegible map as best as you could, occasionally looking up to make sure you were heading in what you assumed was the right direction.

You finally made it to a door with a piece of doodled-on notebook paper taped to it – drawings no doubt done by Eddie – with the words ‘HELLFIRE CLUB MEMBERS ONLY’ scrawled on it. You opened the door, making the chatter in the room cease as soon as the knob moved.

You came face-to-face with a small group of people – okay, one of them is definitely too old to be in school, right? – stepping back in surprise. It was silent for a moment – the tall man looking at the curly-haired boy incredulously – before someone spoke.

“Y/N!” the boy with curly hair exclaimed before looking at the group smugly, “I told you she’d come!”

“Uh... What’s going on...?” you asked.

The boy – Dustin – then finally introduced everyone to you. You recognized him from the Hellfire table, Max from a couple of your classes, you were pretty sure Robin was in the marching band, and you could have sworn Steve graduated the previous year. You had no idea what was going on – you were only expecting to see one person in here, not four.

“I stole Eddie’s key to the room,” Dustin explained as if he could hear what was going on inside your head, “We need to talk to you.”

“About...?” you trailed off, finally looking around the room.

You could see the Dungeons & Dragons game set up on a table in front of a prop throne with seven other chairs around it. There wasn’t much going on besides the mess of other props strewn about the storage room, but one thing did catch your eye.

Sitting on top of the table was a crumpled-up wanted poster with Eddie’s face on it, a bunch of satanic scribblings all over his face. Next to it, pictures of all the people who had been killed so far – Chrissy, Fred, Patrick, Billy, Chief Hopper, and a few others you didn’t recognize – and you knew what this was really about.

“You know what? I already had this argument with Jason; I’m not interested in another one,” you stated bluntly, turning to leave.

“Steve!” Dustin huffed, prompting him to groan loudly and rush over to you. Steve grabbed your arm and pulled you further into the room, despite how hard you were trying to free yourself.

“Hey!” you started yelling, hitting his forearms as he wrapped them around your waist to keep you there, “Let go of me!”

“Henderson!” he grunted as he struggled to keep you in place while you punched him, “You said she’d listen!”

“Y/N, come on! Just hear us out!” he begged, “We just wanna talk about Chri-”

“I don’t care!” your voice broke, trying – but failing – the keep the tears from falling down your cheeks, “I don’t want to talk about Chrissy! I don’t want to remember she’s gone! I don’t want to think about it anymore! I want to go ho-”

“Chrissy died because Eddie’s trailer is a portal to the Upside Down!” Dustin finally yelled.

Steve’s head snapped to glare at the teenager – he had been so reluctant to tell Eddie what was going on, but had no problem just springing it on you? – but he couldn’t ignore that it made you gradually start fighting back less. Your breathing stunted before picking right back up again, your back hitting his chest with every exhale.

“The what?” you whispered, slouching against the man behind you still holding your waist. Steve relaxed his body as well, slowly moving you to sit on the throne. He finally released his hold on you but remained seated behind you, giving you a weird sense of comfort.

The group started explaining the Mind Flayer and the Upside Down and the portals and Vecna and why those killed were targeted and how the Starcourt Mall fire hadn’t been some tragic accident and how their friend Eleven had powers and what had been going on the last three years, and you had no idea how to even respond.

You couldn’t believe all of this had been happening for three years and you had no idea about it. Sure, you’d heard about all the deaths in your tiny town, but you just assumed what the police were saying happened was true – you had no reason to believe otherwise.

Until it came to Chrissy’s death, of course.

You suspected something more was going on – that, despite being found in his trailer, everyone was just saying Eddie was responsible because it was easy. They already hated him for being different; This was just an actual reason now.

As if he could read your mind, Dustin finally brought you back to the real world.

“-and they all think Eddie did it, but he didn’t! It was all because of Vec-”

“I know,” you choked out, earning surprised looks from everyone.

“You know?” Max asked.

“Eddie could never ki-” you swallowed the word, still unable to talk about Chrissy without crying, “He wouldn’t do that...”

“Thank God,” Dustin breathed out sharply, “That makes convincing you to help a lot easier.”

“Help?” Steve finally spoke, “Henderson, she can’t- Stop dragging people into this!”

“But she’s the only one that can convince Eddie to stop hiding out at Skull Rock! And having one more person would just make it easier to defeat Vecna!”

“That’s not the point!” he insisted, “We’ve all been able to fight whatever monsters came up with just us before! Y/N doesn’t need to be brought into that now too! Eddie’s already been dragged into this by association, we don’t need-”

“I wanna help,” your soft plea cut Steve off, causing the group to look at you, “I wanna help Eddie.”

~

Eddie’s POV

Despite it being close to 5 PM, Eddie was finding it harder and harder not to fall asleep. He was starting to lose track of time being out in the woods for so long, but he was not about to return to a place where he was basically being hunted for sport.

Eddie began to doze off slightly again, only to be jolted awake by the sounds of twigs snapping and leaves crunching as footsteps got closer to his hideout. His body immediately tensed up, holding out the first weapon he could grab – a short, broken tree branch. He peeked around the rock before hopping out and yelling like a madman, only earning eye rolls in response.

“What are you gonna do with that, poke me to death?” Dustin asked, “Put it down; It’s just us.”

“Some warning would have been nice, Henderson,” Eddie dropped the stick, waving the walkie-talkie in his other hand to remind him of it.

“I left it at home,” he shrugged, making him roll his eyes as he sat down on a nearby boulder.

“We brought food again!” Robin chirped.

“It’s just what’s available from the vending machines outside Family Video,” Steve added, “But it’s something.” He tossed Eddie a bag of chips while Robin gave him a can of soda.

“Can we come up with a plan now?” Max interjected, “I’m getting tired of hiking up here.”

“I told you guys already,” Dustin insisted, “That’s why we brought Y/N!” Eddie’s gaze snapped to the teenager before he finally noticed someone new had joined the party.

You were trailing behind Nancy and Lucas, looking at your surroundings. When you finally stopped walking and your eyes met Eddie’s, he couldn’t help but feel sick. He knew you didn’t blame him or think he was guilty of Chrissy’s murder, but something about seeing her best friend made him want to find a new hiding spot – a spot the group would surely never think to look for him. You gulped and quickly looked away from him, nervously training your gaze on the nature around you.

The group started talking about how they were going to get into the Upside Down and get rid of Vecna once and for all. They were all coming up with ideas on how to kill him – how much easier it would be if they could just figure out how to get El her powers back – when Eddie looked over and spoke up.

“Hey, uh... Henderson’s not cursed, is he?” he asked, making everyone follow his gaze to find Dustin pacing around and staring off into the forest.

“Cursed? No, he’s fine,” Steve answered, “Mental? Absolutely.”

“BOOM!” Dustin’s sudden shout made everyone jump and snap to face him. He then pointed at Steve and smirked, “I was right. Skull Rock was north!” Eddie cocked an eyebrow when everyone else sighed and rolled their eyes, preparing themselves for the argument they’d been hearing for the past three days.

“Oh my Go- Are you serious?!” Steve threw his arms up, “This again?! This is Skull Rock! You’re totally, absolutely, 100% wrong!”

“Yes,” he smiled, “And no.”

“Oh my God,” Steve repeated, his hands on his face muffling his voice.

“This compass worked correctly when we left the school,” Dustin explained, “But it started to slip the further east we went. Now that we’re here, the thing is way off! Lucas, do you remember what can affect a compass?”

“An electromagnetic field!” he perked up, beginning to realize what his friend was saying.

“I’m sorry?” Robin cocked an eyebrow, “I must have skipped that class?”

“In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect towards that power. So either there’s a super big magnet around here, or-”

“There’s a gate!” Lucas finished, making Dustin beam with joy.

“Now we know how to get to Vecna and release Max from his curse!” the teen exclaimed. Eddie noticed you look at the redhead with wide eyes – clearly no one had told you that one of them was currently dealing with what your best friend had been.

“But we’re nowhere near Hawkins Lab,” Nancy reminded him.

“All I know is this compass wouldn’t react if something wasn’t nearby,” Dustin said, “It’ll be small and not as powerful, but it’s still a way into the Upside Down. We just have to find it.” The teenager turned and began walking down the hill, but Steve stopped him.

“Where are you going? Hey, hey, hey!” he practically shouted, making Dustin come back to the group, “Eddie’s still a wanted man! We can’t just go for a hike in the woods like we’re on vacation in South America!”

“This little steel capsule-” He held up the compass. “-might be the key to saving both Max and Eddie,” he stated, “So what say you, Eddie the Banished?” Your eyebrow quirked at the nickname.

“I say you’re asking me to follow you into Mordor,” Eddie responded lowly, “Gotta be totally straight with you: that’s a really bad idea. But... The Shire is burning...” Dustin started jumping up and down excitedly, knowing he was going to agree. “So Mordor it is,” he finished, standing up from his makeshift seat.

You breathed out a laugh when you heard Steve mutter ‘What the hell is Mordor?’ to himself.

“Let’s split up!” the teen announced, “We’ll cover more ground that way and have less of a chance of getting caught before we find it. We’ll meet back here at sunset to see who found it. Lucas and Max, go toward the Creel house. Nancy and Robin can go west. Me and Steve will go south. And Y/N, you go with Eddie toward the train tracks!” Dustin put his hands on your back and pushed you toward him.

Your POV

Eddie grabbed your elbow when you yelped in surprise and lost your balance, glaring at the teen for nearly causing you to fall. You thanked him quietly as you fixed the hair that flew over your face, surprising him by following him into the forest without protest.

You jogged a little to keep up with his long strides, prompting him to shorten them so you could simply walk. Once the chatter of everyone else died down as they walked in their respective directions, you finally spoke to Eddie for the first time.

“So, uh... This is not how I expected this week to end,” you mentioned, making him laugh.

“I never expected to be on the run from police either,” he said. You let out a small breath of amusement, but your face still fell slightly.

Eddie watched you carefully, his mind racing with what he could possibly say about the loss of your best friend. But the only thing he could come up with was the events that led up to it.

“I really thought ‘86 was gonna be my year, you know?” he sighed, “I was finally gonna graduate and leave Hawkins behind and tour the world with my band. I started making friends outside of Hellfire – a cheerleader even wanted to talk to me...” He noticed you swallow thickly at the mention of Chrissy, but he couldn’t stop rambling. “That night... Chrissy came over to hang out. I left the room to get something and when I came back, it was like she was possessed or something. She wasn’t moving and was just staring at the wall. Then she started just...levitating...or some shit. She started bending all weird and blood was coming out of her eyes... And I begged and begged and begged her to wake up but she wouldn’t, so I... I did the only thing I know how to do...” he mumbled, looking down at the leaves in front of him, “I ran away. I left her there like a coward and hid in that stupid boat house and now Skull Rock and I let everyone believe it was my f-”

“I never believed it was your fault,” you whispered, making his head snap up to look at you. You sniffled as you stared at the ground, roughly swiping your fingertips underneath your eyes to get rid of the tears. “I was mad she was gone because she’s my best friend and the only person who ever really cared about me,” you continued quietly, “But I knew the second everyone started saying how she was found in your trailer that you didn’t do anything to her. I saw how you were with her at school; You liked her way too much to do something like that to her.”

“I didn’t like her,” Eddie told you, “I mean, I liked her as a person, but I didn’t like her. She was my only friend outside of Hellfire, but she... We only hung out because... She was...just...”

“Buying weed,” you finished his sentence with a small smile at the shock on his face, “She told me before she... About the hallucinations and how she was trying to get rid of them... Apparently didn’t work, but... I guess it’s pretty hard to get out of Vecna’s curse once you’re in.”

“You know about Vecna?”

“Dustin told me,” you nodded, “Said he thinks I can help somehow.”

“No,” the firmness in Eddie’s voice surprised you, making you look at him with furrowed brows, “You don’t need to be anywhere near this shit.”

“I obviously agreed to it, Eddie,” you reminded him with a shake of your head, “I want to help if it means saving Hawkins and preventing someone else from dying. I wanted- I want to help you...” You suppressed another onslaught of tears – not even noticing the slight blush he was now sporting – not wanting to cry in front of someone you just met for a second time. “He said I’m the only one that can convince you to stop hiding at that huge rock,” you continued.

“Henderson said that?” Eddie asked. You simply shrugged.

“I don’t know why it would make a difference for me to do it, but he says I have the best shot at it,” you nodded. You heard him sigh, turning your head to find him rubbing his face roughly. “You don’t have to, you know?” you mentioned, “We’ve never even really met before today, so I don’t know why Dustin thought that I could-”

“I mean, I obviously want to stop hiding out,” he admitted, “I just can’t believe Henderson dragged you into it on my behalf now.”

“Well, you were Chrissy’s friend and I know you didn’t do anything to her because she wouldn’t have stuck around if she were scared of you performing rituals or whatever shit Jason’s trying to push,” you offered, making him chuckle, “And I’m already in it, so I might as well do what I can to help. Sure beats writing scholarship essays.”

“With your smarts, any college would be stupid not to take you,” he said without thinking. His eyes widened in horror, but his heart raced when you giggled.

“Thanks,” you replied, “It’s just disappointing I can’t put ‘saved the town of Hawkins, Indiana from an evil curse’ on any of my applications.”

“Well, you could,” he shrugged, “Just don’t expect to get into that college though.”

“I don’t think I’d get into any college after that. They’d probably let all the others know I’m insane.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being a little insane, sweetheart,” Eddie said, making you snort softly.

The two of you walked for a little while longer in comfortable silence. Eddie had since given you his jacket as it got cooler, admiring how cute you looked in it. In fact, he’d been so entranced with you that he’d actually forgotten what you were meant to be doing in the first place.

“So... How do we know if we’ve found a gate or whatever?” you asked.

“No idea,” he admitted, “But Henderson said it’ll be obvious, so I guess we just...look for the obvious.”

Suddenly, as if Vecna himself heard you, the ground started to shake violently. Eddie grabbed onto a small tree, wrapping his arm around your waist and keeping you close so neither of you fell.

“I think someone found the obvious!” he hollered over the sounds of trees being shaken back and forth, their limbs and leaves slamming against each other.

“What are you talking about?! This is totally normal!” you shouted back, gripping him just as tightly as he was holding you while your legs desperately tried to hold you up.

You started hearing loud cracking sounds in the distance followed by small explosions every now and then. Your gaze snapped up to Eddie, finding him already looking at you with a horrified expression.

“What is that?” you asked as the shaking began to subside. It sounded like it was all going away from you, so you figured the gate must be further than you were heading.

“We have to go find everyone,” Eddie said, releasing the tree and grabbing your hand. You both ran as carefully as you could back toward Skull Rock, hoping that’s what the others had done too.

All of this was happening so fast – you had just been told of the existence of the Upside Down not even three hours ago, and now it seemed like it was all going downhill faster than you could process it. You didn’t even fully understand what the gates were yet, and now it was very likely that one was opening?

“I think I’m gonna throw up,” you grumbled mostly to yourself but felt Eddie squeeze your hand in response.

When the rock came back into view, you could see the group already there, frantically looking around for you and Eddie. Steve was the first to spot you two, sighing in relief.

“Guys!” he exclaimed, making everyone turn, “Are you alright?” He, Robin, and Nancy shared a look when they realized you were wearing Eddie’s jacket.

“Where are Max and Lucas?” you asked, noticing they were the only ones not there. Eddie had yet to release your hand – not that you were going to let go of him either.

“Maybe they’re still on their way? Creel house is pretty far from here...” Robin suggested, but you could tell she felt off about it too.

“What do we do then?” Nancy shook her head, “We can’t just stand here and wait and hope they show up.”

“Well, good news,” Dustin said, “Me and Steve found the gate that was making the compass fuck up at Lover’s Lake.”

“Language, Henderson!” Steve exclaimed, smacking the back of his shoulder.

“We should still go check it out! It could help save Max from the curse!” he insisted. The group reluctantly agreed and started following Dustin toward the lake.

“Hey, are you sure you still wanna do this, Y/N?” Steve asked, “Maybe you should go home.”

“No way!” you frowned, “I’m at least finding out what the hell an Upside Down or whatever gate thing is first!” You felt your heart flutter when Eddie chuckled beside you.

“Alright,” Robin added, “Just don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

When you arrived at the lake a few minutes later, it looked completely normal. You knew you should be relieved, but you were honestly disappointed – wasn’t this supposed to be some kind of portal to the underworld?

Steve broke away from the group and went into the boat house, reemerging moments later after pushing a boat onto the water. Eddie immediately jumped in, helping Robin and Nancy in as well. He then held his hand out to you, and you knew you shouldn’t – you knew you were biting off way more than you could chew – but you immediately took it and got sat down with everyone else. Dustin started to climb on as well but Steve stopped him as Nancy started rowing.

“Not you, Henderson,” he stated firmly.

“Yeah! Bedtime’s at 9!” Robin chirped.

“What?!” he shouted, begrudgingly handing over his compass when Nancy reached for it.

“Too many cooks rock the boat, you know,” Steve shrugged.

“I don’t think that’s the saying at all!” Dustin rolled his eyes, “I think you’re just an idiot!” Eddie remained silent while you gave the teen a sympathetic smile, promising him you’d be back in no time. “There you are!” you heard his voice again, making you all look over to find the two kids you’d been worried about.

“What are you guys doing?!” Lucas called after you.

“We’ll tell you when we get back!” Steve announced. You assumed the sound you heard next was Dustin groaning loudly again and going on to explain to them what had been said at Skull Rock.

Once Nancy reached where she believed the electromagnetic source was coming from, she stopped. You all listened for something – anything – that sounded different, but nothing did. You looked over when Steve started pulling off his shoes and socks.

“Steve, what are you doing?” Nancy asked.

“Someone’s gotta go down there and check things out,” he informed you all, taking off his sweater and diving in before anyone had the chance to argue with him.

You waited for what felt like hours, jumping when Steve popped back up only a few moments later. He tossed his flashlight back into the boat and grabbed onto the side for support.

“There’s definitely a gate down there,” he informed you.

“Is that a good thing?” you asked.

But he wasn’t able to respond.

Steve was suddenly yanked back underwater, making you all start shouting. Nancy didn’t waste a second before diving in after him, Robin quickly following suit.

“Are you kidding me?!” you screamed at the water as you stood up – though you knew it wouldn’t do any good.

“Y/N,” Eddie said with a warning tone, “Don’t you da-” He didn’t finish the statement before you jumped into the lake as well. He slapped his hands over his face – he knew damn well he wasn’t about to let you be an absolute moron by yourself – and let out a ‘Son of a bitch, this is so stupid!’ out loud before following you in.

You yelped in surprise as you entered into the Upside Down. You didn’t know what you were expecting to happen, but being literally tossed into the middle of a bunch of flying...things...trying to kill Steve wasn’t it. Nancy and Robin were hitting the creatures with pieces of a broken oar, and Eddie came tumbling into the mayhem with the other one.

“Y/N, duck!” he shouted. You didn’t even hesitate before doing exactly as you were told, feeling your hair fly as Eddie’s oar flew above your head. Your gaze snapped to the side, watching a bat-like creature fall flat on the ground a few feet away from you.

You then looked over at Steve, finding him struggling against one of them choking him. Since you felt practically useless without a weapon, you figured you’d try to help the best you could.

You kept yourself low to the ground as you reached him, helping him pry off what appeared to be a tail wrapped around his neck. Once you were both successful, he grabbed the tail and slammed the thing into the ground as hard as he could a couple of times until he was sure it was dead.

The moment of silence that followed – once the creatures were lifeless heaps on the ground around you – you all looked at each other.

“What the hell were those things?” Eddie asked.

“Demobats,” Steve answered as if it were the most casual thing in the world, “I can’t believe all of you idiots followed me.”

“You’d have been a goner if we hadn’t, you dingus!” Robin reminded him.

“Well, it’s not like I planned to be dragged down here!”

“Guys, can we not fight about this right now?” Nancy held her hand up, “We’ve got more company incoming!”

You all looked to where she was pointing, noticing a new swarm of creatures – now known to you as demobats – were en route. You then looked back down at your now completely shredded weapons, knowing there was no way you’d be able to take on any more of those things.

“We need to get to my house,” she went on, “If this really is just the underside of the real world, my guns should still be in my bedroom.” You looked at her in shock.

“You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns – plural – in your bedroom?” Eddie cocked an eyebrow. She shrugged with a guilty smile on her face.

“Well, it sure beats being eaten alive by demon bats,” you stated, following Nancy in the direction of her house.

“Demobats,” Steve corrected.

“Does it really matter?!” you huffed, your head snapping to look at him. You could feel yourself doing a double take.

You then turned to shoot Eddie a look and he immediately nodded. You slipped your arms out of his jacket and held it out to Steve.

“Please take this, Prince Hairy,” you stated, “I just met you today and I’m very uncomfortable.” The group snorted softly – Robin snickering and calling Steve a dingus again – as he embarrassingly took the item of clothing from you.

Nancy led you all to her house – well, the Upside Down version of her house – and shoved the side door open. Steve and Eddie immediately wandered off upon entering, but you and Robin decided to follow Nancy to wherever she was going. You ended up in her bedroom, showing up in the doorway just as she was letting out a defeated sigh.

“Crap,” Nancy grumbled, closing the closet doors, “My guns aren’t here.”

“Now what are we supposed to do?” Robin wondered, “We can’t get out of here with those bats flying around.”

“There has to be a way to let someone know we’re trapped,” you shook your head with a frown, “I mean yeah, real life sucks, but I don’t wanna be stuck here forever!” The girls looked at you with concern.

“Are you doing okay after...?” Robin asked you.

“I don’t know,” you admitted, “I haven’t been alone long enough to think about it, really.”

“You know, I know what it’s like to lose your best friend,” Nancy offered, “So if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

“Me too!” Robin chirped, “All this Upside Down stuff can be a lot to take in, but it sure is better than being kidnapped by Russians.” You stopped what you were doing to look at her incredulously. “Oh yeah! Me and Steve were taken by the Russians hiding out underneath the Starcourt Mall,” she shrugged nonchalantly, “They were a bunch of dinguses though – they didn’t even get the drugs they injected us with right.”

“DUSTIN?!” you suddenly heard Steve shout, making you all jump, “HEY?! HENDERSON?!”

“We’re gonna unpack more of that later,” you pointed at Robin before the three of you ran out of the room toward Steve’s voice.

You entered the living room at the same time as Eddie, all of you staring at Steve in confusion. He was pacing around like a madman, shouting Dustin’s name at the ceiling.

“Are you cursed now, Harrington?” Eddie asked.

“Just listen!” he insisted. You were all silent for a moment, none of you hearing what he claimed to.

“We don’t have time for this, you dingus!” Robin rolled her eyes.

“I heard the kid talking! It was like he was here! Can you just-”

“Steve!” Nancy shouted to grab his attention, only continuing when he looked at her, “You said Will communicated with Joyce through lights, right?”

Steve’s eyes widened and the both of them ran toward the light switch on the wall. You, Robin, and Eddie watched on in confusion, none of you understanding what was going on. Nancy flipped the switch up and down a few times, huffing when nothing happened.

“Shit,” she mumbled, “It’s not working.”

“Uh, guys...” you spoke up. The group looked at you, following your amazed stare at the light fixture in the middle of the room.

It appeared to have some sort of orange sparkles dancing around it, though the fixture itself didn’t even seem to be in working order. Nancy lifted her arm to touch it, all of you watching in awe as the light bulbs flickered in response.

“Does anyone know Morse code?” she asked, earning a chorus of dejected ‘no’s.

“Wait,” Eddie suddenly said, “Does SOS count?” You all looked at him with dumbfounded expressions, making him frown. “What?”

“Just do it,” Robin rolled her eyes, motioning to the light above you.

Eddie poked around the orange glow a few times, and you could hear Erica’s faint voice alerting Dustin and Lucas to it. They stopped speaking for a moment but you then heard Dustin say ‘S...O...S...’, making you cheer at realizing he understood what you were trying to communicate.

“How are we supposed to keep talking to them?” Eddie asked, putting his arm back against his side, “Those are the only letters I know how to do.”

“Hmph,” Nancy began chewing on her bottom lip before sighing in defeat, “I have no idea.”

After a moment of silent brainstorming – and Eddie wandering off after getting bored – you were nowhere closer to a solution than you had been. You looked back up at the light fixture and decided you wanted a closer look, only to be yelled at while doing so.

“Hey!” you heard Dustin’s echoing shout, “Stop! That’s too bright!” The group turned to find you quickly pulling your arm back to your chest.

“Sorry,” you mumbled in embarrassment, “The light got brighter when I got closer to the glass. I thought it was cool.”

“The light got brighter...” Nancy repeated softly to herself before sucking in a breath of realization, “Lite Brite!”

“Lite Brite?” Steve cocked an eyebrow, “Like the kids’ toy?”

“Yes! Holly got one for Christmas three years ago! We can use the lights on that to talk to the kids!”

“How are we supposed to tell them that though?” Robin questioned.

“Y/N,” Nancy said, making you perk up, “Touch the glass again and don’t let go.” You were confused but did as she asked anyway.

You could hear the teenagers start to complain again, all of them whining that ‘the light’s too bright!’. But as they slowly stopped, you couldn’t ignore that Nancy’s plan seemed to be working.

“Hey... Isn’t Mike’s sister playing with one of those Lite Brite things when we go over sometimes?” Lucas asked.

“Yes!” you, Nancy, Steve, and Robin exclaimed simultaneously, following Nancy when she ran down the hall to Holly’s room.

Once she dug the toy out from underneath her sister’s bed, the four of you quickly worked on placing all the pegs into the holes, filling up the entire Lite Brite board in a matter of seconds. Nancy moved her fingers across the glowing rainbow of lights, but you didn’t receive a response like you were hoping.

“Why isn’t it working?” you heard Erica ask.

“Yank it,” Dustin directed, and Lucas pulled the plug out of the socket by the cord. Nancy tried again, writing out a letter ‘H’ followed by an ‘I’. “H... I...” he said slowly before gasping, “Hi!”

“Yes!” you cheered again, making Eddie poke his head into the room.

“What are you guys doing?” he came into the room.

“We found a way to communicate with the kids,” Nancy said, “What were you doing?”

“Found a flashlight for Y/N,” he said, handing it to you. You smiled softly and thanked him, turning back to Holly’s bed. “We can communicate? How?” he leaned over your shoulder, his hands finding your hips to keep himself steady as he sat on his knees with the rest of you. Robin looked at you when she heard your breathing hitch, glancing down and smirking at the situation.

Nancy spelled out answers to the questions you could hear Dustin asking, finally able to let them know you were trapped in the Upside Down and needed help finding a way back out. Everyone listened to the kids try to come up with a plan but you were spaced out, only coming back when Robin nudged you.

“You good, Y/N?” she asked, making the rest of them turn to you.

“I was just thinking...” you sighed, “It’s probably stupid though.”

“Well, if you’ve got an idea, it would be more than the rest of us have so far,” Steve reminded you.

“You guys said that the gates open when there’s a death, right?” you asked, earning nods, “Well... If the lake is a gate because of Patrick, and that road by the fairground is where Fred was... Wouldn’t Chrissy have made Eddie’s trailer a gate too?” The four looked at each other and you watched the smiles grow on their faces.

“Y/N,” Robin grabbed your shoulders, “You’re a downright genius.” You smiled brightly, finally feeling like you were actually contributing something to the group’s efforts to get back to the real world.

“Eddie, how far away is the trailer park?” Nancy asked him.

“7 miles,” he answered instantly, earning looks from everyone. “What?” he raised his eyebrows, “I’ve been to parties.”

“That’s too far to walk,” she shook her head, “We’ll have to take Me and my brother’s bikes – Lucas and Erica’s too.”

“That still leaves one person without a bike,” Steve reminded her.

“I could ride on the handlebars,” you offered, “I used to do it all the time with Chrissy since I didn’t have a bike.”

You made your way outside to where the Wheelers kept their bikes before walking across the yard and finding the Sinclair siblings’ as well. You determined that Erica’s bike would be most comfortable, so Steve straddled the seat so you could hop on. You wobbled slightly as he began pedaling, barely catching yourself before falling off – it really had been a while since you’d done this.

“You need to lean back?” Steve wondered, “You just have to hold my flashlight.”

“I think I can handle that,” you chuckled, taking the device and doing as he asked, no one noticing the boy sulking at the sight of it.

~

7 miles later, you arrived at Forest Hills Trailer Park. Eddie moved to the front of the group to lead you to his trailer, scoffing to himself as you giggled at one of Steve’s stupid jokes. You hopped off of the handlebars before Steve parked the bike with everyone else’s, following Eddie into his home. Once the door opened, you all stood in awe as you stared up at the ceiling.

“Guys!” Dustin was smiling down at you, “How’s it going up there?”

“Up?” Steve asked, “You’re the one that’s up, Henderson.”

“I hardly think that’s important right now,” Max, who was now with the group, reminded everyone, “What’s important is how to they get back here?”

“Well, they just have to climb in, right?” Lucas shrugged, “Just find something to climb.”

“Eddie! How many sheets do you have?” Dustin questioned.

“In the hall closet!” he called back as he walked away. And sure enough, the teen returned a few moments later with an armful of sheets and thin blankets.

“They’ll need something to land on too!” Lucas chimed in, already hurrying out of sight. He called for help, prompting Max to follow him while Erica and Dustin worked on tying the ends of the fabrics together.

The two teens came back, dragging Eddie’s mattress along with them. They let it fall right underneath the portal opening just as the other two finished tying the final knots.

“Alright, here goes nothing,” Dustin said, taking the makeshift rope and looking up at the rest of you. He tossed it upwards, all of you watching it fall into a heap at your feet. “Okay, now pull,” he said. Robin grabbed the rope in front of her and put all her body weight into it, and you were all amazed to see that it actually held up.

“This is the craziest shit I’ve ever seen in my life,” Erica commented, “And I’ve seen some crazy shit.” She happily high-fived Dustin when he held his hand up for one.

“Hey, Eddie... What are those-” Robin asked, pointing to some discolored parts of the mattress. “-that we’re going to be landing on?”

“Those are...” Eddie trailed off, “I don’t know what those stains are.”

“Sure you don’t,” you rolled your eyes, “Look, I don’t even care if they’re fresh as long as I get the fuck out of here.”

The four gave you disgusted looks as Robin began her climb as the first guinea pig – her words, not yours – to leave the Upside Down. You watched her fall flat on her back, breathing heavily as she smiled.

“Thank God,” she sat up, getting out of the way as you began your ascent back to the real world. You let out a sharp yelp, not expecting the floor to be as far as it was but happy to be home nonetheless.

Eddie was next to come through the portal, sighing as he sat up on the mattress, “That was fun.” He took your hand and let you help him back to his feet, all of you now watching as Nancy gripped the rope.

But she didn’t climb up and come falling through the portal like you’d expected her to.

You all watched as Steve’s expression changed to a horrified one, grabbing Nancy’s shoulders and starting to shake.

“Nancy?!” he yelled right in her face, “Nancy! Wake up!”

Max gasped softly, her voice coming out as a whisper, “Vecna...”

“Vecna has Nancy?!” Robin started freaking out, “What could he possibly want her for?!”

“Music!” Max spoke again, “Music got me out of it before; We need something for Nancy!”

“I have some cassettes in my room!” Eddie said, prompting you to follow him as he ran toward the back of the trailer. He directed everyone to the various places he kept his collection, all of you practically tearing apart his entire bedroom to find something you thought would work for Nancy.

“Steve says you guys need to hurry up!” Erica shouted as she ran into the room.

“No shit!” Dustin responded, tossing another tape to the side.

“What is any of this stuff?!” Robin exclaimed, “There’s no Madonna, Blondie, Bowie, Beatles – music! We need music!”

“THIS IS MUSIC!” Eddie screamed back at her, shaking a Metallica tape in front of her face.

“Everyone, just calm down!” you yelled over their fighting, “Does anyone know what Nancy likes to listen to? Pop? Metal? Fucking ocean sounds?”

No one was able to respond, hearing loud thuds coming from the living room. You all ran to the door to look down the hall, finding Nancy breathing heavily on the mattress and Steve groaning in pain from landing on the hard floor.

“Nancy!” Robin gasped in relief, but you were the first to break away from the group.

You shoved Eddie and Dustin out of the doorway, running to the two as they sat up. You weren’t even fully on your knees before you threw your arms around the girl, hugging her tightly. You understood why she didn’t hug you back – you had only met her that day, after all – but you didn’t mind; You were just happy she was alive.

“I’m so sorry I did that without even asking, but I’m just really glad you’re okay!” you exhaled sharply, “You are okay, right?” Your eyes widened. “Oh my God, I should have asked if you were okay before I hugged you! I didn’t hurt you more, did I? I’m so sorry; I really didn’t mean to-”

Your rambling was cut short when Nancy suddenly grabbed your shoulders and pulled you back in, hugging you tighter than you’d previously hugged her. You took that moment to catch your breath, allowing her to remind you that she was in fact okay and actually right in front of you.

“I’m fine, Y/N,” she assured you, squeezing you before letting go to look at you, “Thank you for caring.” You gave her a shy smile.

“I’m sorry if I’m being weird,” you murmured, “I don’t- Chrissy was the only person who talked to me before, so I... I’m not really...used...to having friends...” You were looking down at your hands as you nervously played with your fingers, not even noticing the way everyone looked at each other with small smiles on their faces.

“What was that?” Max asked, “Why did Vecna want you?”

“Why me? I don’t know,” she shook her head, “But Vecna, he... He gave me these...visions.. And he wants me to tell El everything he showed me in them.”

“What... What did you see?” Robin asked carefully.

“Things that haven’t happened yet – the most terrible things,” she recounted, “I saw a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins, downtown on fire, dead soldiers, and this...giant creature with...a gaping mouth. But this thing wasn’t alone; There were so many monsters – an army of them. And then... Then he showed me my mom...and Holly...and Mike... A-And they... They were all...” She let out a shaky breath, unable to even finish the sentence, as Steve grabbed her hand and squeezed.

“He was just trying to scare you, Nance,” he tried to reassure her, but he was obviously freaked out as well, “Right? I mean... It’s not real...”

“Not yet,” she shook her head, “But that wasn’t it. He showed me these gates – four of them – spreading across Hawkins; They all looked like the one at the bottom of the lake. But they were growing. And they didn’t stop getting bigger. But it wasn’t the Upside Down version of Hawkins; It was this one – the real one.”

“You said four gates?” Max asked, making Nancy nod, “Four gates... Four chimes... Vecna’s clock always chimes in fours.”

“Yeah,” she nodded again, “I heard the clock too.”

“He’s been telling us his plan the whole time!” Max threw her arm up, “Four kills. Four gates.”

“If that’s true...” you swallowed, “He’s only one kill away from the end of the world.”

~

The next day

“He's a number like Eleven,” Max said, “So he must have come from that Hawkins Lab experiment that got it shut down.”

“Sure,” Robin remarked, “Only a sick, evil, male, child-murdering version of her with really bad skin.”

“My point is he’s super powerful,” she rolled her eyes, “Could turn us inside out with the snap of his fingers. It’s not a fair fight.”

“Then why fight fair?” Dustin spoke up, “You’re right; He’s like El. But that gives us an upper hand. We know her strengths and weaknesses.”

“Weaknesses?” Steve cocked an eyebrow.

“When El did that remote-travel thing to free me from him the first time, she told me her physical body is in some sort of trance,” Max informed you, “I bet the same is true for Vecna.”

“That’s why he’s up in the Upside Down version of the Creel house?” Nancy asked, “Because he’s in a trance to get to multiple people at once?”

“So we have to go back into the Upside Down,” you announced, making everyone look at you incredulously.

“You’re kidding, right?” Steve asked, “Need I remind you we barely made it out of there yesterday.”

“Listen, I know I just joined in on this shit show, but it sounds to me like you have to take out the physical person and not just his mind fuckery,” you shrugged, “If he’s in a trance, he’s basically defenseless.”

“What about his army of freaky-looking bats,” Robin pointed out.

“We just have to find a way past them.”

“Or distract them and lead them somewhere else,” Dustin said.

“The only problem is there’s no pattern to Vecna’s killings,” Erica finally spoke, “Not one I can decipher anyway; We won’t know when he attacks next until someone dies.”

“But we don’t even know who that someone is,” Nancy sighed.

“Yeah, we do,” Max nodded, “I can still feel him; I’m still cursed. I’ll draw his focus back to me.”

“Max... No...” Lucas shook his head slowly, “He’ll kill you.”

“I survived him before; I can survive again,” she said confidently, “All I have to do is distract him long enough for you guys to get into the attic and chop his head off or stab him through the heart – I honestly don’t care how you put that asshole in his grave. Just... Whatever you do, try not to miss.”

~

You grunted as you fell through the gate, landing with a hard thud despite the group’s best efforts to make it a pain-free landing. You assured them you were alright though, following them outside the trailer back into the desolate Upside Down.

“Alright, we’re all good on the plan?” Nancy asked, earning a chorus of affirmations.

“And guys-” Steve looked at you and Eddie. “-if things here start to go south, I mean, at all, you abort, got it?” he deadpanned, “Don’t try to be heroes.”

“Absolutely,” Eddie nodded, “I mean, look at us: we are definitely not heroes.”

“I’m just trying to figure out what college to attend,” you shrugged.

“And I’m just trying to graduate high school,” he added, smiling at you when you giggled. Steve, Nancy, and Robin began their journey to Creel house, but they turned when Eddie spoke again. “Hey, Steve?” he said, waiting until he looked at him to continue, “Make him pay.” Steve gave him a small nod, silently promising to do exactly that.

You stood still as you watched them leave, not really sure what to say next. Eddie looked over, noticing the weary expression on your face. He remained silent for a moment – he wasn’t sure what to say either – before finally forcing his brain to come up with something.

“You don’t have to do this, Y/N,” Eddie told you, “Nobody would blame you if you went back home.” You stared at the dark blue and grey sky for a moment, your mind racing with thoughts of ‘is this actually happening?’ before you finally looked up at him.

“For Chrissy?” you whispered. Eddie shot you a smile.

“For Chrissy,” he nodded, holding a fist up with the outside of his hand facing you. You bumped the backside of your own hand against it, both of you taking a deep breath before climbing up onto the roof.

He hopped up on top of the trailer before reaching down and helping you. You grabbed his forearms and he grabbed yours, hoisting you up until you were in front of him. He went to let go, but you didn’t. Instead, you were staring at him, your mouth making small movements until you finally found the words.

“You’re sure this is gonna work?” you asked him.

“No better way to lure over a bunch of blood-hungry demon bats than by playing satanic music, sweetheart,” he winked.

You rolled your eyes, shoving him away from you. He chuckled to himself as he grabbed his guitar, bending down to turn on the amp he, Steve, and Dustin had put up there.

Once you turned the volume up as loud as it could go, you grabbed the binoculars and looked up at Eddie. You gave him a small nod and he did the same, yanking the guitar pick off of the chain around his neck.

“Chrissy,” you heard him murmur to himself before he started playing, “This is for you.”

It took a couple moments for you to start seeing results, but when you did... Oh boy, did you see them. The bats were approaching far faster than you’d expected them too, and you couldn’t pretend you weren’t scared to death. Once the swarm was completely covering your field of view through the binoculars, you knew it was time to get to safety.

“They’re almost here!” you shouted over their screeches, “Eddie, we gotta go!”

Eddie quickly yanked the plug out of his guitar and grabbed your hand, pulling you along with him back down off the room. You scrambled to get inside, Eddie pushing you in before slamming the fence door closed just as the bats reached the trailer.

“God, that was so badass!” you panted, leaning against the wall to catch your breath.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he smirked, “I’ll have to play it again for you sometime.”

However, your moment was ruined when you both jumped at the sound of something hitting metal. You and Eddie shared a terrified look before snapping your heads toward the sound. A demobat had made its way into one of the vents of the trailer, weaseling its way inside.

“Oh, shit!” Eddie shouted, grabbing his makeshift shield and killing it before it could get to you, “Get through the portal!” He followed you to the middle of the room, hoisting you up and watching you tumble back into the real world. But when you reached up to help him through next, he just looked at you.

And you knew what he was going to do.

“Eddie...” you said slowly, “What part of ‘don’t be heroes’ do you not understand?”

“They’re going to go after the others, Y/N,” he shook his head, “I don’t want to run away anymore.”

“Eddie, don’t you dare!” you screamed – much like he had the day you dove into Lover’s Lake to help save Steve – but it was no use; He was already running back out of the Upside Down trailer anyway.

Without hesitation, you climbed back through the portal, landing on the bed with a hard thud. You let out a quiet ‘oof’ before springing to your feet and following him back into the mayhem.

You made it to the gate outside the trailer just in time to watch Eddie running with his makeshift sword and shield, leading the bats away from the portal. You grabbed the spiked bat Steve had insisted you take from Nancy’s arsenal of weapons – “just in case everything goes to shit” – and ran after him without a second thought.

Just as you were getting closer to Eddie, you saw a demobat flying up fast behind him. You knew he wasn’t going to notice it until it was too late, so you immediately charged for it. Eddie spun around when the animal let out a pained screech as it was killed, his eyes widening upon realizing you’d followed him.

“What are you doing, Y/N?!” he shouted, “Go home!”

“Not without you, Munson!” you returned just as loudly, killing another bat as he did the same.

“What did I tell you?! You shouldn’t- Duck!” You did so, letting him kill a bat as it was diving for you. “You shouldn’t be here!” he insisted.

“I never got to help Chrissy through her shit, Eddie! I’m not going to just let you die too!” your voice cracked, making him pause for a moment.

He then grabbed your hand and both of you ran back to the trailer, Eddie closing the gate behind you to buy a moment to talk some sense into you.

“You did not let Chrissy die, Y/N,” he told you.

“I didn’t help her!” you shook your head, not bothering to hold back your tears anymore, “I knew something was wrong! I knew she was acting different! I knew it wasn’t ‘just the depression’ this time! If I just tried a little harder, she would have told me what was going on! And I could have helped her and she would still be ali-”

“Stop it,” Eddie stated firmly, grabbing your face and making sure you were looking at him, “You said it yourself: Vecna’s curse is practically impossible to get out of without knowing you’re in it. There was absolutely nothing you could have done differently. She wouldn’t want you blaming yourself.”

“She wouldn’t blame you for running away either,” you whispered, holding his wrists tightly in an attempt to ground yourself, “She would have run if she saw what you did too.” He stared at you speechless for a moment before swallowing.

“You shouldn’t- Don’t sacrifice yourself for me,” he shook his head, “I’m not worth-”

“Yes, you are!” you sniffled, squeezing him tightly, “Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean you’re not worth fighting for! You’re weird and loud and obnoxious, but there’s nothing wrong with being a ‘freak’; It’s what makes you you! People like Jason not being able to appreciate it doesn’t mean everybody wants you to disappear! We just want you to be loved!”

You could tell Eddie was getting choked up by the way his eyes started to glisten. You never wanted this to be the way you confessed your feelings, but you couldn’t let him go on his suicide mission without him knowing.

He suddenly pressed his forehead to yours, breathing in deeply and acting as if you were being converged on by a bunch of monsters.

“Y/N,” he swallowed thickly, feelings your own breathing hitch, “Please go home; Get to safety.”

“I’m not leaving here without you, Eddie,” you repeated your earlier statement, “I go where you go.”

“That is the hottest thing any girl has ever said to me,” he admitted, though he still huffed at your stubbornness, “If we make it out of here alive, remind me to kiss you.” You finally let the corner of your mouth twitch into a small grin, making him smile as well.

“Promise?” you asked. Eddie held up his hand, showing you his extended pinky finger. Your small grin only grew, linking your pinky with his.

“Wouldn’t dare break the sanctity of a pinky promise, sweetheart,” he informed you, “Now let’s go kick some demon ass.”

You were sure you fought those damn things for the next 12 hours. They were a lot stronger than you gave them credit for, often needing two or three good hits before falling to the ground. But you and Eddie still gave it your all. You weren’t backing down this time; You weren’t going down without a fight.

But as soon as it all started, it suddenly came to an end. All of the remaining demobats dropped dead at once, and, after a moment in stunned silence, you and Eddie knew that could only mean one thing.

“Vecna’s dead?” Eddie murmured, both of your eyes widening.

“Vecna’s dead...” you whispered before throwing your bat down and bouncing on your feet, “Vecna’s dead! We did it!”

Eddie joined you in jumping excitedly before he discarded his own weapons and reached for you. He grabbed your waist with one hand before wrapping his arms around you tightly. You didn’t even hesitate as you hugged him back, your own arms around his neck and your face buried in his jacket. You both had cuts everywhere, your clothes were shredded, and your hair was a mess, but you were alive.

He lifted you off of your feet and you let your legs dangle against his. You closed your eyes and squeezed each other, simply reminding the other that you weren’t dead and imagining this entire thing. You could feel Eddie start bouncing on his feet,

“‘86 really is my year, baby!” he shouted at the sky, throwing his arms up in victory. You giggled at the outburst, putting your hands on his chest.

“I think you made me a pinky promise if we made it out alive, Munson,” you reminded him. Eddie didn’t even hesitate before grabbing your face again, this time to kiss you like his life depended on it.

When he pulled away to breathe, his eyes were still closed for a moment before he opened them again. He couldn’t stop himself from giving you one more peck on the lips though, moving his thumb to wipe some dirt off of your cheek.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” he admitted, and you let a soft breath out of your nose.

“Me too,” you nodded.

“Is now a good time to tell you I’ve had a crush on you since the second you stepped into Mrs. O’Donnell’s class?” he asked you, smiling at the way your eyes lit up.

“Is now a good time to tell you I’ve had a crush on you since you told Jason that no one cared how good he was at ‘tossing balls into laundry baskets’?” you returned, earning a small smirk in response.

He didn’t say anything, though; He just returned his arms to your waist, wrapping you up in another tight hug.

“You are crazy and stupid and a total idiot for following me,” Eddie reminded you, his voice slightly muffled by the skin on your neck.

“A crazy, stupid, total idiot who kept you from being some ugly demon bat’s 3-course dinner,” you reminded him with a big smile.

“I think you mean demobats,” he copied Steve’s voice, succeeding in making you giggle.

“Whatever,” you shoved his head playfully. Eddie finally released you, stepping back and holding his hand out to you.

“Would the lady like to go home?” he bowed obnoxiously.

“Are you going to actually follow me this time?” you rolled your eyes as you placed your hand in his and tangled your fingers together, making him grin stupidly.

“I’ll follow you anywhere you tell me to, sweetheart.”

❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀

and everyone lived happily ever after thank u and goodnight

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[astro-in-prog]

This is incorrect on so many levels...? Like wow I feel like the point is missed completely and we watched different shows... (these are my opinions..you can disagree if you want! But this was also posted in the Polin tag so...)

Colin never gets a narrative or agency: Colin in season 1 and 2 isn't the bridgerton sibling who is the focus so of course he doesn't have big character arcs (that is the point of season 3). This also completely ignores him standing up to Jack Featherington for someone he considers a friend by using the knowledge he gained from his travels. Not to mention his season 1 storyline with Marina (where he also shows his true nature by telling her he would have married her if she told him the truth). They aren't big arcs by any means but season 3 will be his time to shine.

Literally every take/fan fic I have seen bar a small minority wants Colin to be mad at Penelope and for them to talk it out. It is obvious Penelope has a lot of owning up and apologizing to do but this also reduces the Marina situation to something that is somehow Penelope's fault when it is clear that she did what she did to protect Colin AND his family. (She tries to bring it up with him but it is painfully obvious that he doesn't take her seriously and that she can't explain the pregnancy situation to him because girls at the time aren't given Sex-Ed)

I don't know where the rest of this is coming from because I haven't seen people who have said Colin isn't allowed to be confused about his feelings, or love or be angry? Take Anthony in season 2.. We see his trauma from his father's death, we see him struggle with the responsibility of being the head of the family, we see him be conflicted between what he thinks he has to do and what he wants, we see him go through a whole range of emotions and fall in love, etc. Why wouldn't Colin be given the same treatment in his season? IT IS LITERALLY WHAT ALL OF US WANT.

As for the penance thing, I feel like the majority of posts about this are with relation to a trope and not actually what we expect to happen in S3 at least that's how i read it. Yes he said a hurtful thing which in the context of the world the characters are based in only makes things worse because of the difference is social status between him and Penelope. (As a rich eligible bachelor with a good amount of sway in society he openly declares he would never in his wildest dreams court Penelope while still taking her into rooms unchaperoned and holding her in public?!) In reality, I see Pen distancing herself from him and maybe giving him the cold shoulder in the process so other potential suitors take her seriously. (and because she is entitled to her feelings too?)

In the books Colin is a writer and i am fairly certain he will keep that hobby up in the show as well. We also know he loves his family, he's a bit of a flirt, he feels lost and purposeless, he likes travelling and food, etc. all these parts of his character have been shown to the audience outside of Pen's narrative.

I don't get why you would call Penelope a villain? It's such a one-dimensional and reductive way of looking at her character? Why isn't she allowed to make mistakes? Isn't she allowed to screw up and then own up to it? Was was jealous of Marina? Absolutely. But it also ignores the fact that she was the only Featherington woman who was kind to Marina with no secret agenda. She reveals Marina's secret only after begging her not to dupe Colin. We see her struggle with the decision and it was clearly not something down out of cruelty. She outs Eloise only after realizing she has no other option to protect her friend and her family by extension from THE FRICKING QUEEN... This also completely overlooks the very obvious imbalance between the Bridgerton's and Featheringtons. The Bridgerton's come out of most scandals fairly unscathed while Pen and her family get shunned... She knew the risks and still put her name and prospects on the line to get Colin out of a horrible situation SHE TRIED TO PREVENT.

Also completely overlooked the fact that Colin has confided in Penleope several times and she has always supported him. When he is having a crisis about his purpose she reassures him that he will find his purpose one day and that it is okay to be a dreamer.

Colin is also someone who has been shown to be pretty level headed and understanding. Do you really expect me to believe he will think his friend is a villain for saving him and his family's reputation, his sister's future prospects, his family from being run out of town by the Queen and him from a life of misery built on a lie (Marina's children being born like 4 months after marriage would be kind of a big problem in the world of Bridgerton where hanging out in a room unchaperoned leads to marriage..)

THE WHOLE POINT OF THEIR STORY is two flawed people find a home and purpose with each other.

Also this a rom-com. It is not going to be perfect and the characters are going to be messes but the point is there is redemption, hope and room to grow for everyone despite your past actions.

I love Colin as a character. I relate to the feeling of being lost and confused and heartbroken. But pretending like he has no narrative in seasons where he is supposed to be a side character and that his eventual romance with Penelope is a bad thing because she's made questionable decisions is ridiculous and honestly something I couldn't not point out. (I pride myself on being a positive person who prefers ignoring such posts but I am also a STEM student so I can't stop myself from not stating facts😂)

Anyways hope you have a good day and I hope season 3 gives them the redemption and storylines they deserve.

thinking about how absolutely masochistic it is to be a Colin fan in this fandom.

He never gets a narrative, never gets any real agency in stories, his reaction to discovering a close friend of his has been lying to him, destroyed his engagement without his say, fucked over his family, went Misogyny Barbie on main with her own cousin and her best friend, embarrassed him publicly is limited to either going into an inexplicable horny frenzy or to be spinelessly gentle in the face of harms committed against him. Never allowed to be angry unless it's for sex, never allowed to display neurodivergency in the form of misunderstanding his feelings, not knowing the right thing to say, not understanding what love is or entails. Constantly called stupid for truly batshit reasons. People reveling in him 'suffering' or the weird unbalanced 'penance' he needs to go through to 'prove' to Pen that he 'cares for her' (how very Catholic of y'all. interesting Pen never has to do the same for objectively worse). Denied having any depth whatsoever, in fact: no need for hobbies or friends or interests outside of those that serve Penelope and HER narrative.

Colin is meant to. . .what? Come out of several months in which his friend froze him out for seemingly no reason, assist her in fulfilling her dreams, support her endlessly, apologize profusely for one singular comment, and then find out she was the straight up villain in his life for three years running and go 'that's so sexy of you, babe'?

he's not a character in this ship. he's a cardboard cutout and it's SO unfulfilling and flat

[fic-finders]

What’s your favorite fics to read over and over again

wow ok this is going to be a lot so sit back, relax, and enjoy the fics lol

(I feel like there is more but I can’t find them)

Bucky Barnes

ONE SHOTS: 

Oral Fixation by @boxofbonesfic

Body talk by @boxofbonesfic

Merciless by @buckycuddlebuddy

At Least I’ll Have Me by @buckyxplumsss

There Has Been a Misunderstanding by @touchstarvedirl

Through the Year by @punani

You’re a What Now by @floatingpetals

To Build a Home by @fanficimagery (warning! you will fucking have a mental breakdown reading this. I sobbed for days)

What the Fuck Did You Do by @sunmoonandbucky

Clockwork by @aries-writingblog

Tell Me Which Is Worse (Living or Dying First) by @nightowlwriting

Torture by @just-dreaming-marvel

SERIES:

The Old man’s Grocery Order by @yarnforbrains

Something More by @tellmealovestory

It’s a Deal by @justreadingfics

Harmless by @shurisneakers

To Be a God Or a Hero by @spiderbitchspiderbitch

Nostalgia for the New by @real-jane

Appointments by @buckycuddlebuddy

The Price of Truth by @cloneswars

All That’s Best of Dark and Bright by @ursulaismymiddlename

3B by @softlybarnes

Bad Match by @justreadingfics

Your Hands Have Made Some Good Mistakes by @thenhewaswrongaboutme

In The Embers by @foreverindreamlandd

If I Could Fly by @buckyys-doll

None Like You by @bonky-n-steeb

Maple Syrup Memories by @kinanabinks

Spill It by @adrinktostopyourthirst

Couldn’t Be Me by @drunken-imagines

I Won’t Give Up by @christycurlswrites

It Never Ends by @chouettedubois

The Mess by @sanguineterrain

Henry Cavill

ONE SHOTS:

You & I by @buckyownsmylife

Command and Obey by @wanna-do-bad-things

Dumbass Cat by @angelic-kisses13

Achey Thighs by @jadegrey711

Leave Me, but Don’t Leave Me by @buckysgoldenheart

For Auld Lang Syne by @daydreaming-in-letters

Toss a Coin to Your Witcher by @mel-the-fangirl

SERIES:

The One With the One Night Stand by @angywritesstuff

The One With the Advent Calendar by @angywritesstuff

Geralt of Rivia

ONE SHOTS:

Sorry Not Sorry by @thefanbasewhore

Vixen by @c-a-v-a-l-r-y

Leaving For Good by @cap-n-stuff

Jasker’s Plan by @anna-pixie

Sex Pollen by @clareguilty

A Jealous Man by @cap-n-stuff

Found by @kh-ael

Maneater by @thewritingdoll

SERIES:

Henry!Sherlock Holmes 

ONE SHOTS:

Jealously by @cinebration

Emotionalism by @cinebration

What I mean by @cinebration

Impressed by @cinebration

It’s Alright Darling by @thebadboyfanclub

The Only Women by @writingfortoomanyfandoms

SERIES:

Richard Madden

ONE SHOTS:

Or Else My Heart Consealing It Will Break by @rocketrhap3000

Eternal(ly Yours) by @ikaris-whore

Fighting Temptation by @ikaris-whore

SERIES:

Snapshot by @beananacake

Ikaris

ONE SHOTS:

Regrets by @girl-of-many-fandoms

Try by @thatfangirl42

When You Love Something, You Protect It by @ashc-from-ao3

Dead By Deviants by @starshipsofstarlord

Cruel Lover by @defaulttwig

SERIES:

Savior by @beananacake

Wayward Devotion by @ava-kedavra

Chis Evens

ONE SHOTS:

SERIES:

The Prenup by @vannybarber

Ransom Drysdale

ONE SHOTS:

Say It by @stargazingfangirl18

SERIES:

I Trust[ed] You by @likeahorribledream

The Assistant  by @trillian-anders

A List of Authors Whose Masterlist is Something I Binge Frequently 

@agentofbarnes Masterlist

Zee’s AUs literally bring me to life. My favorites of hers is; The Barnes au, Hacker’s Heart au, Dewdrop au, and Young & Free au! But every single work in her masterlist is amazing and a must read!

@angrythingstarlight Masterlist

I fricking love Star’s writing! The amount of feels she makes me feel when I read her writing! My personal favorite is her Biker au. I love how everything connects with each other and the plot! The plot is amazing!

@wkemeup Masterlist

Ok, listen, call me overdramatic but Kas’s writing is a work of art. The way she develops characters, plots and how she connects everything together is amazing. You get sucked in the world that she wrote and can get lost in there forever. My personal favorites are Graveyard & Sacrifice,The Witness, By Any Other Name, Delicate Edges, Suburbia, Behind the storm, and that is just naming a few.

@pellucid-constellations Masterlist

Kathie’s writing style unique, I can read a fic without looking at the author’s name and know its her. Kathie has drawn me in with every single work she put out. It’s so hard to choose my favorite but I love it when she writes for college!au bucky. Everyone must check her out, literally reading her masterlist is part of my daily routine.

@metalbuckaroo Masterlist

My goodness, where do I start? Darcy first grabbed my heart with her series Sweet Pea but once I started I could not stop. Her writing is fun, entertaining, wholesome but she can also break your heart in a dozen of pieces; like with her two parter (soon to be three) fic For the Best. Another fic that I normally read first when I binge her masterlist is The Bet.

@babyboibucky Masterlist

Bee is an amazing writer. She almost always have the holy trinity (smut, fluff, and angst) I love every piece of writing she has done but my personal favorites of The Match and Project V.

@babycap Masterlist

Devon has amazing writing skills. I love how she takes shows/movies or books and create her own little story with it. She goes in depth with all the feels and makes me honestly tear up at times. Some of my favorites are Not Other Shade of Blue, Security Deposit, and Just a Glimmer.

@littlefreya Masterlist/Drabble Masterlist

I’m new to the Henry Cavill plus his characters fandom but one of the first writers I have ever read for Henry was @littlefreya. Her writing is fun and exciting. I always look forward to read her stuff. Plus her smut is a A+, in my book. I don’t think I can choose my favorites as I love everything on her masterlists.

@mcubrunette Masterlist

Almost immediately after I watched eternals I went and search for Ikaris x reader fics. Thats went I read Fly Baby for the first time and was memorized. Since then @mcubrunette has added more fics and I have been loving every single one. If you want your heart to squeal, this masterlist is the one for you.

@cruelfvkingsummer Masterlist 

I fricking love Tia’s blog! Not only is her writing amazing but I am in love with her theme! Her masterlist is unique and really fun. But her writing is where its really at. The way she writes her story lines is phenomenal and I look forward for more to come.

[ehteamunson]

work husband | eddie munson x reader

summary: eddie gets jealous of a coworker, needing to make sure you know who it is making you feel good.

contains: fem!reader, established relationship, marijuana and alcohol usage, teasing, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex, and aftercare. there shouldn't be any warnings, but please let me know if i missed anything!

a/n: this is the first fic i've ever written so feedback is appreciated! ily

word count: 2.9k

MINORS DNI

☆

Eddie Munson’s room was everything but insomnia inducing. The sound of the window unit provides a constant hum, adding a type of stability to the room that was much needed. The sheets hanging over the windows catching most of the light that is unwelcome in the morning.

His smell was intruding the surprisingly large space, inebriating you the moment you lay in his bed. It was no exaggeration to say you can stay there forever, and you wanted nothing more than to do just that.

Half asleep; searching for your boyfriend in your dreams, obviously not satisfied by the desperate touch of his arms around your waist. 

Adjusting your leg to settle over his waist and pulling him closer, you finally find the enclosure of that dream. You slip back into sleep just as Eddie’s hand starts to caress your lower back, and that is the last thing you choose to ignore that day.

—

You heard it before he did. 

“Eddie! Y/N! Open the damn door,” Wayne pleads as you and Eddie untangle yourselves. You stay under the covers as he gets up to open the door. Once open, your eyes land on Wayne, who also obviously just woke up.

“This is the third time they called, someone named Keith,” he says placing the phone in Eddie’s hand, immediately closing the door after explaining himself.

You begin to worry. Everything has been calm, and everyone was willing to do whatever to keep it that way. 

“Baby, do you know someone named Keith?” You ask hoping to get an answer. 

Instead, Eddie holds the phone up to his ear. “Hello?” his voice was deeper than normal, it was often like this in the morning and it made you feral most times.

A few seconds pass, his facial expressions changing while he simultaneously tries to wipe the sleep from his eyes. “Her boyfriend,” he says confused.

This caught your attention, now tossing the comforter to the side to mirror Eddie’s position in the room.

“Who is it, Eds?” You whisper into the space between your bodies. You can feel his heart beating rapidly, knowing Wayne startled him, as well as you. 

He pulls the phone from his ear, cupping the speaker with one palm. “Keith? Asked for you by name. Want me to tell him to fuck off?”

You begin sorting through your mental roll-a-dex, wracking every corner for the memory of a Keith. Your eyes suddenly widen as you take the phone from Eddie’s hand.

“Hello? Shit, yeah I’ll be there in 30,” you croak as you begin to make your way to the bathroom, your boyfriend following closely behind.

You stand in front of the mirror, Eddie settling in place behind you. “No seriously, thanks for covering for me. I owe you big time.” 

Eddie suddenly steps closer to you, pressing his entire body into your back, craning his head down to your neck to kiss it. “What was that?” He whispers into your ear, looking up to the mirror expected to be met with your smiling face; instead, you send him back a glare and hang up the phone, sitting it on the sink.

You turn around to face him, hip bumping the bowl of the sink due to the blatant lack of space. Your hands land on his chest, slowly traveling up until they rest around his neck. “I did not mean to snatch the phone out of your hand like that, babe. Keith… is my coworker and I apparently needed to be at work 42 minutes ago, but he saved my ass and moved the managerial inspection to tomorrow.”

“Shit. Brush your teeth, I’ll go get your clothes together and we can be out of here in twenty,” he says while leaving the bathroom. 

—

“So, this Keith fella… you think he’s pulling a fast one on you? You won’t walk in and be met with a letter of termination, or whatever?”

The radio fills the unintentional silence in the van. You were finally feeling the effects of your anxiety, just knowing you were almost 2 hours late. It wasn’t long before you arrived to the dingy, beaten down building you call work. Eddie raises his eyebrows, waiting on a response.

“No, Eds. He has always looked out for me. I’m his apparent ‘work wife’ and how dare anyone disrespect their work wife,” you chuckle and roll your eyes lightly.

Anticipating a laugh, you were instead met with the reality of your boyfriend’s jaw being on the floor.

“Oh, don’t get ahead of yourself, silly. No, I have not referred to him as my work husband. Yet,” the words slip out, tantalizing the already-tense mood of the morning. 

This time, he laughed. “Yeah? And you’re leaving me with that thought for the rest of the day?! I didn’t know my girl could be so cruel. Instead of awaiting your return, I’ll be thinking about Keith trying to see down your top at the daily meeting,” he puts his hand on the gearshift, the van idling to a stationary position in front of the sliding doors.

“No, Eds. I’ll leave you with this one instead: Before Wayne knocked on the door, I was on the cusp of a really dirty, wet dream about you,” and before he could respond, you kissed him goodbye and walked through the entrance.

—

6 hours was far too long to be here. Too long since you dropped that bomb on your boyfriend. You were writhing in what felt like pain, focusing on the pictures sprawled across your desk. Most of you, but all including Eddie. As soon as it hit 5 o’clock, you packed your bag and planned to b-line it to the parking lot, knowing what treasure lies on the other side.

“Y/N, you coming? It’s 5:01 and I’ve already been here eight hours too long,” Kieth calls from the front of the reception area. 

You freeze, contemplating an escape out your office window, and how to avoid exiting the building with him. It isn’t like this is abnormal, but the prior conversations held this morning made you feel slightly guilty in even interacting with him. 

“Oh, I’m coming,” you reply hurriedly, making your way to the lobby and stealing a glance out the window, surprised to see the lack of Eddie and his van.

He holds the door open for you as you round the corner, smelling the fresh air - a tell tale sign of freedom. You hit the ground running, or so you planned, until you see the van parked right under the overhang, Eddie leaning against it.

“Hello, my dear,” he says as he kisses your cheek. “How was your day?” You can hear the genuine curiosity, confirming it with the cheerful grin on his face.

You return the smile and grab his hand. You know Kieth is still behind you, locking up the building. “It was great, I’ll tell you all about it at home.”

With a quick wink and squeeze of the hand, he perches himself off the car. “Why, honey? Something wrong?”

“Thanks again for saving my ass, Kieth. See ya,” your eyes keeping contact with Eddie’s.

“Yeah, no problem. Ya’ll have a good night!” Keith yells over his shoulder, already making his way to the parking lot.

The engine is humming very loudly, and the smell of gasoline is lingering in the air. “See,” you say. “Harmless.”

Eddie smiles, one of those smiles that makes your heart stop. You’re not sure if it’s because you’ve been thinking about him all day, or if it’s that noticeable - but everything about him is making you crazy. Brown locks are perfectly falling around his face, eyes reflecting in the sun.

He’s the first to break the silence. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought of driving here on your lunch break for a van quickie. And to bring you food, of course.”

“I’ve been thinking about you all day, sweets. If you don’t bring me home in the next 5 seconds, I’m calling Kieth to come back and get me,” you respond playfully. 

It took less than a millisecond for Eddie to react - opening the passenger door, placing a hand on the bottom of your ass to ‘assist’ you in. The view of him running around the front end, hair flying behind him, would have made you laugh not given the state your mind was in.

The ten minute drive was a much needed buffer, allowing you to finally let go of this morning’s anxiety. When you pull up to home base, you can hear the television playing from the yard.

You walk in to see Wayne stirring on the couch from the noise of unlocking the door. Exhaustion was very obviously making its home inside him. “Hey, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I was late to work and that’s the only reason they called. I really am sorry,” you say sweetly.

“It’s no problem, darlin’. I was just worried something,” Wayne mutters drifting back into sleep, the loud volume obviously acting as a lullaby. 

“C’mere, baby. He’s out,” Eddie says from inside the fridge, grabbing two beers and signaling to his room with his eyebrows.

Somehow, the room was just as you left it earlier, down to the indentations of where you sat to put your shoes on. It wasn’t until you undressed and tossed the days old clothes in the corner that you see it - a long, fat blunt laying across the ashtray.

Immediately, your face lights up and you turn to meet his eyes, instead finding them focused on your panties and bare legs.

“For me?” You basically sing.

“Mhm,” he barely responds, finally looking you in the eye. 

“Hey, creep. I’m going grab a shirt. Make yourself useful and find a light,” your hands travel down to the hem of his shirt, fingers making one sweeping motion up his happy trail.

His hand disappeared into the pocket of the sweatpants, soon resurfacing with a bright orange lighter. “Easy, tiger. Remember, I make myself useful in more than one way.”

Eddie finally sits on the bed, resting his back against the headboard. Finally putting the blunt to his mouth and lighting it, a toke of smoke filling the room, fogging the already thick air.

“I think…” you say, crawling towards him holding both of the bottles. “That you needed this way before I got home,” trading him the beer for the blunt, taking a long draw, blowing it directly back into his face. It doesn’t take long to sink into your spot between his legs, back resting on his chest. 

“Then give it back,” he whines. You lay your head on his shoulder so you were able to see his face, passing it back to him.

Time was lost in this moment, mostly because you were both focused on the alcohol and the weed was making you sluggish. The void was filled with innocent glances and giddy laughs as you pass the brown wrapping back and forth. 

After finishing the entirety of both substances, your attention resumes strictly on Eddie. You weren’t going to let your spinning head get in the way of what you yearned for all day.

His hands started caressing your sides now that they were both free from obstruction. A small moan escapes your mouth, pleasing Eddie. His head is now dipping below your shoulder, inhaling all he can of your smell while your hands become lost in the thick mane of brown hair.

“Wanna turn around for me, sweetheart?” He coos as you adjust your position, sitting on top of his rock hard erection, lining up the mound of your cunt perfectly to the bulge and straddling his core. “Just like that. You listen to me so good, baby.”

The sound that escaped your mouth was quickly suppressed by the sudden closeness of your bodies, Eddie pulling you down to become eye level with him. “Only for you,” you say, hoping the obvious validation would satisfy him.

Small, lingering brushes of eyelashes and skin were being made in increments as you two adjust your faces, searching for the hunger in each others eye’s. The pink of his lips is that of a rose, and you want nothing more than to kiss him.

The kiss begins hungrily, air not existing as you focus on how good his lips feel on yours. He is gripping your face so passionately that you have to rest both hands on his chest for support.

You only pull away to confess your sins. “I have to admit this because I fear I won’t allow myself to finish if not,” you briefly pause to read his expression. “I masturbated when you dropped me off at work earlier because I couldn’t stop thinking about the way you looked in the mirror, all disheveled and pretty.”

A devious smile appeared, you realize how swollen his lips are. Before you could steal another kiss from them, he is lifting the shirt off your torso, throwing it aside to litter kisses all over your chest. “Yeah? Were you loud enough for Kieth to hear you? Those pretty fucking moans,” you demonstrate unintentionally after he said this, quickly lowering your voice as you remember Wayne is in the living room.

“Let me show you who your fucking work husband is,” he says into your breasts. Not long after he sucks on your sensitive nipples, he is cradling your head to switch positions - losing your advantage of being on top.

Traveling down your body, making pit-stops to kiss the areas of you he loves most, he finally settles between your thighs. Sitting pretty on his stomach, feet practically kicking in the air, he begins to remove your underwear.

“Already so wet for me. Was it this bad earlier, fuck? My poor baby had to take care of herself,” he mutters against your now naked pussy. The feeling of hot air makes your clit throb, your wetness absorbing all it can of his words.

Eddie must have been able to tell how this was affecting you. He kissed your clit quickly, your bud fitting perfectly between the hole his lips make. 

You are so sensitive already, the singular peck almost made you cum as you simultaneously try to hold in your moans. The sight of him between your legs became too much, so you drape an arm over your eyes to extend this as long as possible.

Relentless. He knew why you weren’t looking at him, so he had to compensate by making the most lewd, taboo sounds as he ate your soaking wet cunt. Alternating between licking broad stripes from your clit to your entrance and sucking profusely on your clit.

“Close,” you manage to sigh, noticing that he found satisfaction in that. Eddie separates from the mess you made to get on his knees, before you could protest, he’s tapping for your legs to rest on his shoulders, licking your sweetness at an angle not possible beforehand. 

The tension building in your walls finally snap, releasing your orgasm all over his tongue. He hums in satisfaction, licking every drop he could before your legs collapse to the side. He places quick kisses to the inside before beginning to unbuckle his pants.

“You still with me?” You can hear the noise of his belt being ripped from its’ loops. Looking up to see his erection, instantly reaching for it - pumping him a few times in your hand.

“I needed you inside of me 9 hours ago, better make up for it,” you laugh weakly, adjusting your hips so he can fit between them easier.

You were met with a physical response: the tip of his dick pushing into your slick hole. Your walls stretch around his soft shaft, taking every inch of him. You can tell once he bottoms out by the moan escaping his throat. You, too, can feel your spot being stimulated as he reaches the deepest point possible.

Once he begins to move his hips, you know this won’t last long either. Picking up pace, you can feel your stickiness attach to the patch of brown hair at the base of his cock, resulting in a noise that aided you to your second orgasm.

“Wait for me baby, I’m almost there,” he instructs as his strokes get harder. You do, but not for long. Squeezing your walls around his cock, you can feel it twitch with anticipation. You both came at the same time, letting out a huge sigh of relief.

He kisses the corners of your mouth before leaving the bed to put his pants back on and walking to the bathroom.

You take this time to notice all the things your boyfriend has done for you today, adoration growing larger than ever before.

Returning to the room with a stumble, he presents a glass of water and a warm washcloth. You take the glass as he peels your thighs apart, cleaning you up nicely for bed.

“Thank you, Eds. Really. Mostly for not getting mad at me for being late. You were so sweet to me today,” you express honestly.

“There’s nothing else I rather do than make you feel that way, and I’d never get mad at you for that, honey.” You get under the covers, frantically searching for his arm.

Once found, you scoot as close as possible, wanting to feel his every move. 

“Let’s not let it happen again, though. Get some sleep, I love you,” he says before placing one final kiss to your lips.

Sleep proceeded within seconds, but not before you could whisper an ‘I love you’ back.

[paradisetemporarilymisplaced]

Fave 1D fics?

Hello! This was very fun to put together and I really enjoyed my journey down memory lane in doing so🤗 Full disclosure, this list is all fics from 2016 or earlier bc I stopped regularly reading fic around then, but these are my very favorites. These are all either AO3 or PDF links because some have been deleted, and I'm sure I'm missing some (it's hard to keep track when so many have been deleted and my AO3 bookmarks are not as comprehensive as they could be). Happy reading, friend!

Wear It Like A Crown (zarah5, 141k, E): The first fic I ever read in this fandom and it remains my very favorite to this day! Royalty AU in which Louis is part of a team of PR fixers hired by the royal family to spin a photo of Prince Harry getting some with his bestie, Zayn. Enemies (ish) to friends to lovers, grand gestures, tragic backstory, and remarkably well-written communication issues. Zarah is one of the most beloved fandom authors and has written some classics, but this one is my personal favorite.

These Inconvenient Fireworks (mdasch & everydaysalike, 190k, E): The OG fandom classic for a reason. Louis is a drama teacher and Harry, an aspiring photographer, starts coaching soccer football at the same school part-time. Friends with benefits ensue, but there's a lot of angst as they try to figure out what the fuck they're doing and what they really are to each other. Major OT5 feels, funny as hell, heartbreaking - it's everything you want in a fic.

Allies in Heaven, Comrades in Hell (rockinaintnowalkinthepark, 265k, E): Catholic school AU. God, this one just punches you in the dick. I love it so fucking much. Louis and Harry are classmates and Louis realizes he's really into Harry. Unfortunately, his father is violently homophobic, and when he and Harry get together, he's terrified of the possible consequences. Major warnings for violence and homophobia, so if that's not your cup of tea you might want to stay away. I however am a sucker for angst with a happy ending and this fic delivers.

And Down the Long and Silent Street (whimsicule, 89k, M): THIS! FIC! God. I love it so much. Historical AU - Victorian England. Louis is selling newspapers on the London streets when he crosses paths with Harry, a wealthy young gentleman. They start an affair and fall in love, but unfortunately, a serial killer on the London streets is targeting poor young men - in particular, as it turns out, Louis - which complicates things. Plotty, heavy on the hurt/comfort, and keeps you on the very edge of your seat. I reread this one all the time.

Pull Me Under (zarah5, 140k, E): Another Zarah fic and also incredible. This one features Louis as a professional footballer trying to navigate coming out. Liam is Louis' agent, who suggests he be in a long-term relationship to ease the coming out process. Luckily, Liam's boyfriend Zayn has a friend named Harry who'd be perfect as the fake boyfriend. Fake relationship ensues. Beautifully written, also a classic.

Butterfly Gun (eravain, 100k, M): 1940s AU, set around WWII. In 1940, Harry and Gemma were evacuated from London to stay at the Tomlinson farm. Harry and Louis become friends, but as they grow up and learn more about themselves, there's the possibility for something more - except Louis' grandpa is a dick. Harry and Gemma are sent to another home to stay, and after the war, Harry goes back to see Louis in an attempt to rekindle their relationship and see what's actually there. Beautifully written and clenches your heart in the best way.

Coax the Cold (mediawhore, 86k, M): Another Victorian AU, this one featuring professor!Louis, whose focus on the supernatural has resulted in professional ridicule. He stumbles across ads for a circus sideshow that supposedly has a mermaid, so he goes undercover as an employee to obtain proof of the mermaid's existence. He definitely obtains proof, but his goal shifts as he gets to know said mermaid (Harry, obviously) and instead of proving his existence, he needs to free him and keep his secret to protect him.

College AU series (whoknows, 75k, E): This is a two-fic series that's just fun. In part 1, Harry and Louis are in an epic prank war - well, at least Louis is engaged in a prank war, while Harry calmly retaliates. Louis is a fucking menace in this one which I just adore. Dialogue is NEXT LEVEL. Friends with benefits (or at least, that's what Louis thinks it is) that (obviously) becomes a relationship (which is what Harry has thought it was the whole time). The last scene (before the epilogue) is one of my favorites in any fic. Part 2 is pretty much more of the same - sex, banter, and planning for the future.

Give Me Truths (iwillpaintasongforlou, 110k, E): This fic HAS. IT. ALL. College AU! Hurt/comfort! Punk, confident, psych major Louis! Sad Harry! I just! Love it! In this fic, Harry is in an abusive relationship and Louis helps him gather the strength to leave his abuser. In the process, they end up falling in love, and Louis helps Harry regain his confidence and self-esteem. I love this one especially because it was written at a time when the common fic trope was that Louis hates himself and Harry is the manic pixie dream girl who makes it better, so the role reversal in this fic was very refreshing. But it's also just such a good story and so well-written. (And again. PUNK LOUIS.)

Relief Next to Me (dolce_piccante, 333k, E): Okay. This fic is a MONSTER. It's really just 333k words of slice of life as baker!Harry and graphic designer!Louis become friends with benefits and then fall in love. I read this as a WIP (which I rarely do) just because there's barely a plot, they're just having a great time living life and having sex. Chapter 17 in particular is my comfort reread, I just love it SO MUCH.

Love Is a Word, You Gave It a Name (hattalove, 21k, T): Pure fluff, canon compliant. It's Christmas time and the boys are celebrating with their families and each other and getting ready to take a major step in their relationship - that is, publicly coming out. OT5 and family feels all over the place. This fic just gives you such warm and fuzzy feelings and I always smile the whole way through reading it. Also features a reunion with Louis' infamous geography teacher and also him being jealous of Ed Sheeran's cat.

Soft Hands, Fast Feet, Can't Lose (dolce_piccante, 113k, E): College AU in which Harry is an (American) football star for a Texas university and Louis is a dancer at the same school. In everyone's favorite 90s teen flick trope, Harry's friends bet that he can't get Louis to fall in love with him. You can guess how this plays out. It's very fun and especially good to reread during college football season.

[that-crazy-five-foot-two-chick]

Rating: G

Word Count: 1.6k

Fake dating, love at first sight, and all that. The basic fluff palate.

A/N: I had no idea what the lyrics to "Hello Stranger" by Stray Kids were until after I wrote the fic, but the title and vibe made me daydream this whole idea up in the car. You're welcome. (Totally would recommend the official MV too, it just doesn't have English subs)

Another day, another heckling. And this time it had to be on a public subway, apparently.

"All I'm saying is, if you're so rich, why do you have to conveniently forget your credit card every single time we all go out for lunch?" Edward narrowed his eyes at Ling.

"Why bring it when I don't expect to be going out to eat?" Ling said airily. "And you're always so generous when it happens unexpectedly."

Edward grunted. "That's an absolute load of bull and you know it. You can't say that you 'just forgot' to bring money because you 'didn't expect it' when I text the group chat 'Who wants to go out for lunch tomorrow?' and you say 'Ooh! Ooh! Me!'" he squealed in a poor imitation of his friend.

"Your girlfriend would love you for it, you know—paying for dates," Ling continued, ignoring Ed's accusations. He gasped. "Oh, that's right! You don't have a girlfriend! Perhaps if you weren't so quarrelsome, you could manage to win the heart of a lady."

"Who are you calling so puny that he's gonna die alone and have weeds all over his grave that no one will bother to pull?" Ed screeched.

Russell finally spoke up from his seat at the end of the row. "Ed, he didn't say anything about your height. He may be a cheapskate, but he didn't make a dig at your height. For once."

"Yeah, that's right! No fair changing the subject, Ling. This discussion was about how you're a little rich boy who always makes his friends pay for his own food," Ed huffed.

"Why quibble over such a minor expense? How expensive could a burger be? Twenty dollars?" The other two boys gaped at Ling, but he only kept going. "Besides, I'm far more interested in the current topic. Edward, you know I care for you deeply—"

"Fat chance."

"—but with your disposition, I doubt you could get a girlfriend if you tried!"

"Now, you wait just a second! You don't know squat about my love life! In fact, I could—"

Out of nowhere, a blonde girl knelt on the seat next to Ed's and slipped an arm around his shoulders.

"Hello, stranger." She winked. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming this way today? I know you're shy about our relationship, but you could have just told them, you know. You don't have to give into their teasing just for me, Eddie-boo."

All three boys gawked at her—Russell and Ling because of the fact that Ed actually had a girlfriend and Ed because of the fact that he didn't. Except now he had to pretend that this strange, hot blonde girl was his girlfriend.

So he choked. Then he recovered just enough to say, "Babe, no. I was just about to tell them. These pea-brains," he glared at them, "barely let me get a word in edgewise. Please believe me, babe."

"Of course I believe you, pretty boy." Her gaze made all coherent thoughts fly from his head. "But even if they are pea-brains, I should probably introduce myself." She tapped his nose. The buzzing feeling lingered long after the tip of her finger left it. "I'm Winry." She beamed at the other two boys. Ed's stomach twisted. He wasn't jealous, was he? He probably just ate something bad at lunch. Maybe Ling slipped something in his burger…

Ling grinned wickedly. "Lovely to meet you, Winry. How did you two meet? It must have been quite a job getting this one to agree to go out with you, what with his charming personality and all."

"Hm, how did we meet, babe? It all happened very gradually—knowing each other's faces, then knowing each other's names, then small talk here and there. Then before you know it, we were having deeper conversations as close friends, and then suddenly, we were dating! He's a real softie once you get him to open up," she said, ruffling his bangs.

"Winry!" He cleared his throat. "Babe, you don't have to tell them everything."

"Oh, man!" Russell guffawed, wiping away a tear. "This girl must have you whipped, Ed."

"Something like that," Ed muttered.

Suddenly, the train lurched and threw Winry forward, her arm around Ed's shoulders directing her course straight for his lap. They stared at each other in panic for a few moments. Then Winry laughed nervously. "Looks like I fell for you, huh, babe?"

Edward slapped his forehead. "Really? Fell for me? That's so terrible, I might break up with you just for that."

"Nah, you like me too much," Winry said, planting a kiss on his forehead.

Edward's face turned a violent shade of red. Pretty girl. Flirting. At him. Dream. It was a dream. Dreams don't have lips with that much detail. Can't look at friends. They'll laugh. Different topic. Periodic table. Periodic tables are simple. Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium…

"Like I said," Russell smirked. "Whipped."

The subway car lurched again as the intercom announced their arrival at the stop, and Ed's arms flew to keep Winry from being thrown again. Just as quickly as he had held her close, he loosened his grip. For a moment, her eyes widened and a faint blush rose on her cheeks. She shifted on his lap.

"This is my stop. Nice meeting you guys!" Winry leaned in to whisper into Ed's ear. "I probably caused you more trouble than I solved. I'm so sorry." She offered him a half smile and slid off his lap.

His legs somehow felt bare without her weight, his arms cold without her warmth. How could he just let her walk away? But how could he just stalk a stranger? Fortunately, all intelligent thought had left him long ago.

"See you guys later! Better priorities have come up than messing around with you losers!"

Edward heard silence, then laughter behind him, but he kept his eyes forward as he followed Winry out into the station. Crap, what had he gotten himself into? He was such an idiot. His idiot mouth and his idiot legs had been faster than his idiot brain and he was about to be in big, big trouble with this really beautiful, really nice stranger. The doors closed behind them.

"Look, I'm really, really sorry. I don't know what got into me. I don't know why I went along with it. I don't just do this sort of thing, it just happened. If there's—" Winry cut Ed off.

"You went along with it because I started it. What were you supposed to do? If anything, it's my fault for putting you in an awkward position. It was gutsy and presumptuous and I should have just let your conversation happen. I don't exactly go around pretending to be random people's girlfriends either. Some weird gut reaction in me just...did it. I...I don't even know what to say for myself. I made you lie to your friends and now you're going to have to tell them that and...I'm. I'm so sorry." She raked her hand into her ponytail and avoided his gaze.

"Can we consider ourselves forgiven, then?"

She met his eyes with a slight laugh. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good, so...um…are you actually single?" He sighed and mumbled, "man, I don't normally do this," and continued, "Because I'd love to take you out for real if you are." His pulse thundered through every blood vessel in his body while she opened and closed her mouth and blushed. It would be cute if his entire being wasn't vibrating waiting for her response.

"Y–yeah," she breathed.

"Gah," Ed rubbed the back of his neck. "Of course you're not single, why would you be? I mean, look at you—"

"No! No. I'm. I'm not single. I mean! I'm not in a—I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh."

"I'd...I'd love to go out with you, Edward."

"Wow," he finally managed.

"What?" Winry smiled at him in confusion.

"I really scored big today and I don't even know how." He grinned crookedly. "Was something about my complete lack of competent speech attractive or something? Nobody just agrees to going on a date with a complete stranger. Your name is actually Winry, right?"

She laughed. "Yes, my name is actually Winry. I didn't really have a lot of time to come up with a fake name or anything. As for going out with a complete stranger… I don't know. I just know I can trust you. I figure, why not go for it? And, um. I wasn't entirely joking when I called you 'pretty boy.'" She bit her lip and smiled at her shoes.

Ed's mind blanked for what seemed the billionth time that day. "You're the—you're the pretty one!" he squawked.

"Well, then...if I'm the pretty one, can I be the one to ask you for your number?"

"What?" He wasn't sure whether he'd been shaken out of his mental fog or pushed further into it. "I mean, yes! Um, here it is." He fumbled with his phone and showed her his contact information.

"Thanks." She smiled with all the light the universe could give her. "I'll...see you soon then?"

"Are you busy right now?" Ed blurted out. "Or is taking you out to dinner too soon?"

"Oh! No, not at all. I'm kind of craving Chinese takeout, actually, if that's okay."

"Yeah. Yeah, it's totally okay. Just. One thing." Winry raised her eyebrows in accession. "Never call me 'Eddie-boo' again."

[marvelsmalfoy]

prove them right w/ron weasley

summary: granger!reader with the help of Ron, goes to a muggle shelter to do some charity work

a/n: so it’s my first fic, and im sorry if it’s not that good. regardless, thsi is for day 27 of a very harry potter christmas ( from @jamilelucato and @whack-ed), girls i know im little late, sorry. oh, and thanks @jamilelucato​ for the tips on how to write a fic.

it was Hermione’s idea to reunite the friends for somewhat of a muggle charity work. it was the first Christmas season after the war, and she said that you needed to be around people that were happy and hadn’t gone through a war like the rest of you.

you loved your big sister, but sometimes she had some crazy ideas that not even you were able to understand. nonetheless, there you were, three days before Christmas, waiting for everyone to show up at the entrance of a muggle elderly shelter, almost freezing.

“oh, hi, y/n,” said the (not officially) main reason for you being there.

Ron Weasley was standing next to you, wearing a jeans jacket with a jumper, with a cap that covered almost all of his ginger hair, except for the front part that was growing more than his usual hairstyle would allow.

“hi-i,” you had no idea if you stuttered because of the cold or because of the boy, but it was something in between.

“where’s Hermione?” he asked, placing his hands inside the pockets of the jean jacket.

“she wanted to get more food,” you told him, slowly tilting your head towards him, not even noticing you were doing so. “I don’t know why she didn’t already have more — it was all her idea after all.”

“maybe she changed her mind,” said the ginger, “she does that quite a lot.”

there was something about this habit of Harry and Ron that they’d talk to you about your sister like they knew her better. you supposed they knew her in ways you didn’t, but that could not possibly make them comprehend her better.

“where’s everybody?” he asked again, this time, though, the question hurt you a bit.

you had a crush on Ron since Hermione introduced him to you. well, actually, you fancied him before you even had a face to go with the name. when Hermione send you letters about her adventures with the ginger, your heart just melted a little. and you were only ten.

your feelings for him only grew greater with time, and it didn’t help that he was always around you and your family. you were also always around his family — becoming best friends with Ginny Weasley can do that to a person.

but it was just a platonic thing. Ron didn’t know about it — at least you hoped to have been discreet enough.

so, of course, it probably was uncomfortable for Ron to be alone in a cold street alone with you and a bunch of presents that you held in the bag your sister prepared.

“dunno,” you shrugged, “Harry and Ginny were coming together — it was what Ginny told me anyway.”

Ron turned to face you, and you felt your cheeks turn redder than the cold was painting them already.

“uh, I asked if she wanted to come with me,” you didn’t know why you added that information to the conversation, but something about Ron’s eyes always made you speak more than needed.

“they don’t appear to be comin’ any time soon, so maybe we should just get in?” he suggested, raising his shoulders even though his hands didn’t move out of the pockets. “it’s getting real cold out here.”

“guess we should get in,” you agreed, biting, slightly, your lower lip, “I’ve got the presents anyway.”

he laughed at your terrible attempt of sarcasm, and suddenly all the cold in London wasn’t able to take the warm in your heart away.

he walked in first, but not before asking if you wanted help with the bag of presents.

“it’s enchanted,” you said.

“of course it is,” he sighed with a resemblance of a smile.

it felt like the whole thing was an internal joke you didn’t understand, and there were you getting (again) jealous of your sister for being best friends with this gorgeous ginger.

the elderly in the shelter were like angels on Earth. not that you had much experience with angelic mythology, but you suspected angels were kind and smiling beings, just like the elderly you and Ron presented with gifts that night.

must add that you did all the charity on your own, because your sister, Harry and Ginny did not show up. in the first few minutes, you were worried about your friends, but it soon became clear to you and Ron that they probably didn’t want to come up.

to you, something else was pretty clear — they knew. the whole Christmasly situation, with charity work and hot cocoa, along with Ron felt like the type of situation your sister would scheme for you.

not that you had asked — before this night, you thought Hermione had no idea about your feelings. and now, even Harry knew.

oh, Godric, even Ginny knew, and she was, like, Ron’s little sister!

“it’s so nice of you two to give us presents,” said one of the old ladies, sitting by the fire. she had the most beautiful black eyes you had ever seen, so dark but also very tender. “it’s rare to spend a night with the visit of such a young couple.”

your eyes widened immediately, and you didn’t know where to look. instinctively, you glanced at Ron, who gazed at you with the same expression you presumed was on your face.

you raced to explain, “we’re-we- Ron and I are not a couple.”

the granny smiled, her black eyes going from you to Ron.

“such a pity then,” she sighed, “you two would have adorable babies.”

you gulped so hard and so fast, it felt like you swallowed your tongue.

“I suppose Ron’s still gonna have cute babies without me,” you commented, trying to sound superior and evolved, but just covering up the fact that the idea of making babies with Ron crossed your mind now and then ever since you learned how to do it.

the old lady watched as you and Ron interacted with curiosity.

“why do you say that? the very reason our babies would be cute is you,” Ron protested, getting closer to you and sitting by the fire over the rug.

you turned your neck towards the ginger, completely surprised with what he said. you didn’t know if he understood what he was claiming — that you were cute — but you were gonna take it as a compliment anyway.

“me?” you echoed, resisting the urge to place a hand over your heart, “come on, Ron, your babies will be ginger. can you imagine how cutesy?”

“yours will have your pretty big eyes,” he replied, leaning his head.

the conversation dragged on, you two so invested on it, that you didn’t even notice when the old lady responsible for the topic disappeared. later you supposed the woman had intended to be discreet.

within laughs, Ron confided something on you.

“sorry we had to do all the work by ourselves,” he said.

“it was no worry at all,” you replied, swallowing the rest of your laugh, “I didn’t think I’d like it here, but somehow I do? these people are nice.”

Ron noticed how slightly you tried to change the subject, but something was telling him if he wanted to let it out, it was now or never.

“but we shouldn’t have to do it all alone, especially because that was not what we agreed on.”

“hey, Ron, it’s not your fault they didn’t show up,” you stared deep into his eyes, trying to sound as sincere as you could.

if anything, it was your fault. you were the one with a crush.

“well, it actually kind is?” it sounded like a question, but that wasn’t the boy’s intentions. he breathed in and out before continuing. “Harry sat it up. I didn’t ask for it, but he probably thought he was doing me a favour.”

you stared around, taking in the place where you sit. not many old people were around anymore since it was a bit late already.

“a favour? you needed to be in touch with the elderly or something...?”

Ron giggled at your innocence, inclining his head away just a little before completely leaning in.

“I needed some time alone with you,” he explained in a seductive tone.

“oh,” was all your shocked face let out, completely intertwined in Ron’s gaze.

this new information was definitely a three-day-earlier Christmas gift. you never thought Santa Claus was actually gone give it to you, but here you both were, only centimetres away from each other's mouths.

“Harry must’ve asked everyone to not show up,” Ron continued, unsure if your response was positive or not.

“I thought it was my sister the one with the plan,” you said.

“Hermione?” he seemed surprised, “can’t see her helping me get with her little sis.”

you giggled at his mockery.

“she wouldn’t be doing it for you,” you elaborated.

“oh,” he gasped, his mouth forming a pout.

you smiled, “yeah,” and you turned your gaze away from his.

there was an awkward single minute of silence before Ron leaned in again, this time seemingly more confident.

“you know, this only leaves us with two choices,” he said.

“which are?” you opted to not look at him yet. something inside you told you that he wouldn’t be able to finish his sentence if you stared at his eyes.

“prove them wrong,” he said this part with somewhat of disgust, “or prove them right.”

you smiled, finally turning to face him.

“as much as I’d hate to prove Hermione wrong,” you leaned on your knees instead of simply sitting with your legs closed, “this will only be our fault really.”

“yeah? why?”

you placed your hands over his shoulder, suddenly brave enough to do what you always dreamed. but, before, you had to gaze away from him and stare at something above the two of you.

“is it really because of them we kissed if sitting under a mistletoe was our fault?” you teased, smirking pleasurably.

he smirked two, finally moving to place his hands on your waist, and lifting your weight from your knees to his chest.

“our fault entirely,” he played, teasing you before the kiss, “I like the sound of that.”

“me too,” you fluttered your eyelashes at him.

“so...”

“kiss me already, Weasley,” you demanded, and it was all that echoed in the room as the last old lady left to bed, smiling at the young couple.

[imaginesmai]

Steve Rogers-Photograph

For this fic, Steve doesn’t fall to the ice, neither Bucky is dead.

This is just, beautiful. And sad. And beautiful. Really, really beautiful

Inspired by the song Photograph, Ed Sheeran

Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes

The wind was making the last leaves of the autumn move around, and with it came the harsh cold that made him shiver. He had never liked the cold; but that winter, without any doubt, was the coldest one he had yet to live. Steve Rogers sat in the swinging lounge that hung on the front porch of his small cottage, still wearing the black tuxedo and war medals that he was adorned with. Bucky had to put them on his suit that morning, because he hadn’t found the strength to do so.

But it’s the only thing I know

Steve Rogers still remembered being carried into the medical tent, a bullet lodged in his chest, blood seeping into his shirt and eventually into the shirt of Bucky, who was carrying him. His eyes clenched shut from the white hot pain searing through his veins, eventually passing out.

He woke up to a pale yellow light seeping through the small plastic window in the medical tent, and a young nurse peering down at his chest. A sharp pain hit his body, and he made a small noise that sounded too much like a whine.

“Ah, you’re awake” a lithe British accent graced his ears.

You were beautiful, and with that simple look, between the smell of disinfectant, cheap alcohol and the sound of moaning and being, Steve Rogers created his first memory with you.

He soon learned that your name was Y/N, but while he was recovering from the bullet hole, he insisted that you had to be called, Miss Y/L/N; it had been a lame strategy to find out if you were married or not, but it stuck.

For days on end, Steve and you would talk about the war and about life back home. He learned that you were a studying nurse living with your cousin who was also studying the same field. You learnt that he was part of a big project who intended to end with the war, and laughed when he told you he used to be skinny and small.

“What?” he asked, laughing along with you. “Miss Y/L/N, are you making fun of me?”

You looked down at Steve between giggles, and tried to calm your breathing. The head nursing called your name, and you quickly moved from where you were sitting beside him.

“Of course not, Mr Rogers. I would never”

You checked his bandages quickly before excusing yourself to go and ten to the other patients. As usually, he recieved the special treatment he had become used to love. A quick kiss to the cheek and his arm wrapped around your waist, pretending there wasn’t bombs going off out there.

The friendship grew stronger and stronger every day, just as Steve was growing healthier and healthier.  

When it gets hard

You were brought in a patient that had stepped on a landmine, separating his leg from the rest of his body. The man was delusional as he had lost a lot of blood and was in and out of consciousness due to the severe pain he was in.

So you didn’t notice the shy solider who, with a small frown and tight lips, hid the bouquet of flowers behind his back and stepped out of the tent. You were too busy getting a hot iron from the camp fire.

Keeping the men away while you cauterized the wound, you felt a piercing stare on your back, and you turned around to see the blonde soldier smiling at you. Just a short smile, and you were back on your business.

You tied strops of sheeting just above the knee where the leg had been blown off before giving the patient two strips of bedding in his mouth to bite down. The man groaned loudly in pain before screaming in pure agony as the glowing iron was placed against the bloody flesh, sealing it shut quickly. After the third press of the iron, the man passed out, not before being sick all over himself.

You know it gets hard sometimes

Nothing was the same after that man died two days after the incident, and not even the handsome soldier following you could cheer you.

“Will that be all for today?” you said, as a routine. Each time Steve tried to talk to you, you listened until he nodded confused at your question, and left.

“Please, talk to me” he begged one day, and reached to take your hands in his. “What’s the matter? I’m here, you can count on me”

It was then when you broke down to tears. Steve gently sat up, wincing slightly at the still sensitive wound. You sat on the other side of him and rested your head on his shoulder.

“I had my first death the other day. I did – I did everything right, everything as the book says, and he still died” you sobbed, as if he had just opened the deepest door in your soul. “I have his blood on my hands and I can’t stand it”

Your tears left dark watermarks on his bandages and bed sheets, but also on his heart, as hearing you cry was worse that having a thousand bullets shot at him. Probably, he should have been planning the new attack to the Hydra camp next to Bucky, a few tents away. Probably, he shouldn’t be getting so involved when he knew that his line of life could meant not getting to say goodbye.

Steve Rogers held your chin up so that you were looking into each other’s eyes, and whispered comforting words.

It is the only thing that makes us feel alive

“You saved me though, and I will forever be in your debt” Steve said so quietly that you thought that you had misheard him; but when his lips touched yours in a sweet kiss, you knew that you were home, and that no matter what the war brought, you were safe.

You felt at home in that warzone

We keep this love photograph

We made these memories for ourselves

Steve let out a sight as he pulled out the picture of you and him at the returning soldier’s ball; Bucky at the background doing silly faces.

You were dressed in the most beautiful pale blue collared dress, which had short sleeves and a small bow that sat just above your belly button the same shade of blue; and when you spun around, the dress flared up into a neat circle.

He remembered as your crisp white heels clicked against the hardwood floor, and the way it hurt when they accidentally hit his feet. The night, pain apart, had been wonderful; you had laughed, he had almost drooled at the sound. Steve knew then what the meaning of true happiness was, and for the first time in forever, he even thought about leaving the war.

About starting something new, with a house and a mutual plan to build. His dream of dying for America became blurry when he was with you.

When he finally slowed down the spinning and dancing, and pulled you closer to him, you couldn’t break eye contact. The world disappeared, the sounds minimalized and all you could see was each other.

You kissed right there, in the middle of the dance floor, without a care in the world to who was watching and between some cheers from Steve’s friends. You pulled away from the kiss, and looked deep into Steve’s eyes. There was no one else around you at that point in time, just the two spinning in a slow circle, dancing to your own song.

It was as if time had stopped, allowing you to cherish that moment shared between two young people in love.

So you can keep me

Steve remembered your face when you saw the photographer in the corner of the room taking photos for a dollar. You said something about never having one taken, and he couldn’t just say no to your excited face.

You practically glowed as you pulled him over and presented the kind man with a clean and shiny one dollar coin out of your purse, which matched your dress. Bucky whispered something to him about being whipped, he didn’t care.

Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans

Your smile made the world smile. You were the prettiest woman there, and you were with him.

He remembered a bright flash of white light and then a squeal. You ran over to the man to look at the photo and waited for it to develop almost bouncing on the balls of your feet with excitement and impatience.

Once the photo had developed, the smiling man handed the small slip of paper over to you. You giggled your appreciation and ran back to him, to show him the result.

Steve kissed you on the cheek, sliding the photo into his soldier’s jacket breast pocket, and thanked the man with another gold coin before returning to the dance floor.

Holding me closer till our eyes meet

You rocked back and forth slowly, your head resting on his shoulder and your hands wrapped around his back. Bucky had left a while ago, with some blonde girl who had talked his ear off all night.

Years ago, he had been jealous of not having as much as feminine attention. Years ago, he would have gone back to his apartment alone.

You closed your eyes and slipped into a peaceful mindset where everything was perfect, and now was could touch you from there, no one could take you away from each other.

Truth was, not everything was perfect, and Steve learnt the cruel reality that waited for him maybe a little too soon. You had barely time to see each other,  and between rushed hugs and quick kisses you built a love together that he was sure nothing could break.

He heard them talking; the soldiers, the other nurses, his family, his friends. All of them tried to make him see what a madness it was to fall in love with someone between bullets, death and horror. But he didn’t mind, just squeezed you tighter those nights he had to leave. 

He remembered; not only the good, but the bad too. There was once, when he was missing for a month. A mission gone wrong, that got him stuck in an Hydra base for 29 days and 28 nights. They wanted nothing but to experiment with him, to create another super soldier; and it scared Steve, what the world would do with more like him. Too busy with their meds, they didn’t take Steve’s uniform away. So Steve Rogers kissed your face in the photo, then stained with dark blood, every night before he went to sleep. 

You won’t ever be alone

Against everything, Steve did get his happy ending. The war ended, the soldiers went back to their houses and he felt the luckiest man because he had you hanging from his arm, as he carried both of your bags to your new aparment. The sun shone bright, people laughed. Steve couldn’t stop smiling, and he pulled you closer when the train finally stopped.

Steve did get his happy ending, just not the typical one.

He remembered, what his neighbour said the first time she saw him with his new ‘body’.

“You’re a curse! Nothing that comes out of science can be good! Monster! Abomination!”

He didn’t listen, but sometimes he thought it was true.

Because Steve Rogers got his happy ended. He walked through the park with you, he made you laugh until you cried, and had two beautiful sons that managed to make him even happier. 

But he never aged, and you did. He watched your hair turn grey, while his was neat and blonde. He watched you moan about back and knees pain, and had to help you get up when you could stand on your own. He held your wrinkled hand and kissed your cheeks until you closed your eyes, and then he cried.

Wait for me to come home 

As Steve sat on the porch, remembering that night at the ball, he let tears escape and roll down his cheeks, remembering the words whispered to him when you fell sick.

That he would never be alone.

That you would always belong to each other, and will always have a place on his heart.

He swore, on his heart, that he would never forget you, too. That you were more than a photograph, inside the pocket of his ripped jeans.

[cyberdva]

Trick Or Treat- Richie Tozier X Reader (Imagine☆)

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Summary- The reader and The Losers Club decide to go Trick Or Treating, while Richie tries to continuously flirt with Y/N. The rest of their friends are fed up with Richie’s banter and try to get the two together with a bit of help from each other. Just their luck Richie had already done the job for them.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Main Masterlist

IT Masterlist

Word Count: 2k

Date Uploaded: 10/30/19

Pairing: Richie Tozier x Reader

Warnings: Cursing

A/N: Halloween is tomorrow, so why not bless ourselves with a poorly written Richie fic. 

 ☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

“Hey Eds, what the hell are you supposed to be?” Richie bolted out his front door running to meet up with his short friend who was inconveniently covered in toilet paper.

He shot his friend a glare, “I’m supposed to be a mummy, you think my mom would let me be anything else.”

Richie laughed, “Aw, your mommy picked out your costume again.” He made a kissy face and inched towards Eddie. The other boy jumped away.

“What the fuck are you even supposed to be anyways?”

Richie pulled his cape under his eyes and hissed, “I’m a vampire, it’s completely obvious Eds.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, “What are you going to do? Bite Y/N?”

Richie went even paler under his white makeup, Eddie was one of the only people who knew about Richie’s enormous crush on Y/N.’

“That shut you up,” he mumbled. Just in time, Stan met up with the two bantering boys, his face had makeup with cold dark eyes and light green skin, a zombie.

“Are you guys fighting again?” Stanley tried his best to remain neutral in these arguments, even though they make no sense. 

“Richie is talking about how much he loves-“ Richie slammed Eddie’s mouth shut. Only muffled shouts could be heard. 

Stanley looked around for Bill and tried to stay involved in the conversation, ”Wow, Richie has a crush. What a shocker.” The two boys were barely paying attention as they fought in the background. Eddie ended up winning and vigorously tried to wipe off any germs that Richie has left on his mouth. Beverly came up behind the disheveled ‘mummy’ and jumped on his shoulders. It resulted in a shrieking sound, Eddie was just about to head home if Bill didn’t show up moments later. 

Beverly has decided to dress up as a cat, a normal costume for someone her age, and Bill dressed up as Marty McFly. He was late on the trend but hadn’t gotten the chance to dress up like him before. 

Ben came wandering up the street and sat next to Beverley on a half-empty bench, Bill took notice. He was dressed as one of the New Kids On The Block, which highly amused Beverly. 

“Where’s Mike and Y/N?” Bill wanted to get the show on the road and stay near Beverly as much as he could. There were so many houses to explore and so little time with the dumb curfew in place. 

Beverly sat down on the grass, “Mike said he was meeting Y/N at her place, they should be here any minute.”

“Since when do they hang out alone?” asked Richie. 

“Why do you ask Richie, are you jealous?” Eddie snickered at the confused boy. 

“Am not!”

“Yes, you are.”

“Eddie you know wha-“

Mike cut both of them off, “Sorry we’re late, Y/N wanted to make sure she had everything ready.” The whole group relapsed when they saw her costume, a makeshift clown, that looked a tad-bit like Pennywise, stood in front of them. Mike was dressed as Doc from Back To The Future to match Bill. All of them had exceptional costumes, except for Eddie. 

“Eddie, what are you wearing?” was the first thing to come out of Y/N mouth. 

“See even she agrees with me that your costume sucks!” Richie gaped. 

She frowned, “I didn’t say that I just want to know why he’s covered in toilet paper.”

“Well, you meant it.”

“Yeah, I did.”

Eddie let out a huff, “Are we going to get candy or not.”

The sun had already set and the already cold temperature began to drop even lower. It was only 7 and that didn’t leave much time until 10. The day before everyone tried to map out what houses would be the best to go to, but it ended up with Richie scribbling all over the paper and Bill lecturing him on proper behavior, exciting isn’t it. They ended up scrapping the map and just running around through town. 

“How about we start by Main Street and make our way to Jackson?” Mike had the best sense of direction out of all of the Losers, a natural talent he developed while bucking through town. 

Stan nodded, “That sounds like a good plan.” They all made their way up the street, separating into their smaller groups. Eddie, Richie, and Y/N held up the back, mostly joking about Eddie’s trashy outfit. Beverly and Bill decided to lead all of them, flashlights in hand, discussing some leftover English homework. The middle has a mix of Ben, Stan, and Mike as they chatted about which house had the most candy. 

The streets began to quickly fill with smaller children. Really no one in their grade had decided to go out for candy, a party had been the main focus for the high school students. As per usual, none of the nine kids had been invited, they didn’t even know of the event, better that they didn’t. All they hoped was that Bowers or any other new bullies, or harassers had decided to gang up on them. 

Ben stopped the group and pointed at a giant green house, “Guys look at the size of that one! I bet you they have a lot of candy!”

“That’s what she said.” Richie joked. 

Y/N just looked at him, “How does that even make sense.” They both laughed as they approached the house. Richie has the need to be funny in front of her, regardless of how loud he really was, if he made her laugh it was worth it.  The rest of the teens were halfway up the driveway while the other two jokes about phony decorations.

“Could you guys be any slower,”  complained Bev. Her voice was strongly overpowered by the teens’ hearty laughs. The night began like that, the group would get candy and move onto another house and so on. All of a sudden the perfect idea popped into Richie’s head.

“Do you want to go do something?” Richie beamed, he had a devious plan and it had to work.

“What do you mean?” he pulled her away from the rest of the group.

“Let’s go do something fun, come on this is so boring.” Y/N shrugged in response, as much as she wanted to hang out with her friends whatever Richie was thinking sounded a lot more entertaining. Richie tried to compromise, now was his chance! 

“Come on, please!”

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

The moon loomed over the Losers Club as Mike shivered, his costume wasn’t enough to keep him warm. He felt like his parents were getting impatient just by the hour, they weren’t too happy with him being out with his friends so late. He wished that this could go quicker, but with Bill that might just be impossible. 

“Come on guys, this is the last house on the street.” He huffed. Wait… someone’s missing. He tried to do a headcount and two were gone. Y/N and Richie, of course. 

He looked around, but there was no sight of them. No one seemed to notice their disappearance, but it was quieter. Stanley noticed Mike behind him and they linked up. They filled each other in. The rest continued on in confusion.

“Where did they go?” Stanley shined his cracked flashlight around the neighborhood, all he could see was heaps of children.  “Have you guys seen the two jokesters around anywhere?” Stanley called out a few shouts of “No!” and “Where are they?” emerged from the teens.

Eddie smiled, “Maybe Richie finally made his move.” He slapped his mouth shut, no one else knew about Richie’s ‘dirty secret and he sure as hell didn’t mean to enhance it.

The group stopped walking, “Wait he seriously likes her.” Ben asked. None of them really seemed to care anyway. It wasn’t a huge revelation.

Eddie shook his head, “Just pretend I said nothing.”

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

“Just this way,” Richie guided, “I swear we’re almost there.”

A singular beam of light gleamed in front of them, Y/N could barely see anything. The area was of course familiar, The Kissing Bridge. She had no idea on why Rich brought her there, her costume began to itch, few bugs began attacking her arms and legs. The bumps would be worth it in the end. They made their way inside the rickety old bridge, it creaked with on small footstep, ready to collapse. Frogs croaked in the bathroom and Y/N didn’t know why she was there.

“Rich, what are we doing?” she slapped a mosquito on her elbow, the silence was cut with a knife.

“I dunno,” he shrugged, “I personally didn’t want to go collect candy with them.”

She laughed, “That’s an interesting way to put it, but seriously, what do you want to do?”

He thought, what could they do that would be fun, curfew was coming in quick and there was no stores open.

“We could skip rocks?” What kind of response was that? Skipping rocks, how interesting.

 Surprisingly she nodded her head and the two began to walk down a hill. Leaves crunched below them, the boy started to collect pebbles

He handed her a few, he picked the small and round ones just for her, “Here, take these.

“Thanks.” Their hands brushed together and the throwing began. Few rocks managed to skip, none of them paid any attention to the activity. Both drifted off into a sort of dream-like state.

“You know what, I’m just gonna say it.” Richie’s emotions got the best of him.

Y/N turned to look him in the eyes, completely oblivious to what was happening, “Say what?” He took a deep breath, “I like you alot and I needed to know if you want to go see a movie with me. Only if you want.”

Y/N’s eyes went big, “Wait really? I’d love too!”

Relief washed over him, “Good, I thought you liked Eddie or something.”

“Wow, good one.” she laughed.

The rest of their night went swimmingly, jokes and stuffing their faces with candy. The perfect Halloween night for a teen, even if they were home late, far passed the curfew. All worth it.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

[indescribablechoices]

be your safety

Pairing: Damien Nazario x MC (Kai Park), Damien x MC x Hayden

Word Count: 2988

Listening Suggestion: Kiss Me - Ed Sheeran

Fic Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @kennaxval @princesaakl

Synopsis: After Hayden walks out in San Francisco, Kai goes after him, and a heart to heart leads to confessions.

Rating: NSFW, M, 18+ (by seeing this warning, you are consenting of legal age to do so. This involves sexual encounters). (I love the poly relationship in PM, but it kinda bothers me that it’s never really discussed between partners so I wanted to fix that. I’m personally not polyamorous so I hope I wrote this okay! This is written with Kai who broke up with Hayden in Berlin and immediately got with Damien, and then my ass fell in love with Hayden in book two so we’re rolling with it)

“I just… I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry.”

Before Kai could reach for him, Hayden had pushed past her and the rest of their friends and was out the door. She called after him, her legs moving to follow him without thought but Khaan’s voice gave her pause.

“Maybe it’d be best to leave Hayden with his thoughts,” he suggested, looking unsurely towards the still open door.

“I can’t just leave him alone out there,” she said, “He doesn’t know the city, and Eros is still out there and-” Panic began to rise in her tone before Damien stepped closer to her, putting an encouraging hand on her back.

“Go,” he insisted, a look passing between them that she understood, “We’ll tell you if he gets back or contacts anyone.”

A smile played on her mouth as she nodded, and she raced out of the apartment. She tried the hotel first, knocking on Hayden’s door until she eventually let herself in to find it inevitably empty. Cursing to herself, Kai took to the streets, backtracking through all of the places they had been in the city, panic twisting her stomach into knots before eventually, finally, she caught sight of him.

He was leaning against the large mural where just yesterday she had been having a heart to heart with Damien.

“Hayden!” she called out to him, her legs carrying her to him without thinking. He looked up at the sound of her voice, and for a brief second she worried he would run, but as she approached he stayed where he was. “Are you okay?” she asked.

He shook his head, looking on the verge of tears, “I’ve never felt so alone… Kai, I don’t know what to do.”

She wanted nothing more than to pull him into her arms and hold him tight, but he needed more than that right now, “I should’ve realised how hard the last few days have been on you. I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head, “No it’s… it’s not your fault. I didn’t mean to pin this on you.”

“What did you mean when you said you feel alone?” she asked quietly.

He let out a shaky sigh, “There are things I think about, I experience that… I just can’t share with anyone.”

“Not even me? Or Sloane?”

He averted his eyes, staring at the floor, “If Sloane had quit Eros, and if you’d let me go when I was first recalled after Steve disappeared… None of you would be in danger.”

She stepped up and squeezed his arm, “Sloane loves you, Hayden. If given the choice, I know she would save you every time. We all care about you; Nadia, Steve, Damien, me. The reason we’re in danger is because we have people worth fighting for. You being one of them.”

“But-” he began to protest but she met his eyes.

“Maybe this started as a mission to rescue you and to find Steve, but it’s bigger than that now. They hurt Damien, ad Sloane will never be free unless we take Eros down. You’re not a burden to us. You never have been. Please don’t ever think that. There’s nothing that any of us wouldn’t do for you, and I know you feel the same way.”

He nodded, gently taking hold of her hand, giving it a tight squeeze before letting it go, “When I saw Damien and Sloane call their parents… I know it’s not their intention, but it’s a painful reminder that I don’t have that. No strong mother to look up to. No overbearing, wild siblings.”

She let out a soft breath of her own, “Family doesn’t always mean people you’re bound to by blood. Family is… It’s the people that are there for you when you have nothing else. They drive you insane, like Nadia and her stupid bath bomb categorisation, but they’re the people you can’t live without.”

He smiled slightly, but ultimately looked away, “Thank you for coming to find me, Kai, but I’m not ready to face everyone again. I just… I need to clear my head.”

“Can you at least tell me where you’re going?”

“Dolores Park,” he said, “It’s only a few blocks away… The fresh air should be good for me.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

He let out a sigh of relief, unable to hide his small smile, “Thank you, Kai.”

They walked in silence towards the park, finding a quiet spot away from anyone else once they reached it, sitting side by side in the grass.

Hayden drew his knees up to his chest as he watched the families and children play, “I remember being the popular kid growing up. Anytime my friends and I met up outside school, the other kids would beg for my mom to chaperone. She wasn’t a stickler for rules, loved making all these experimental snacks… even let us stay up a bit past curfew on sleepovers.”

“That’s really sweet,” she said quietly, trying not to let her sad smile show.

“With all the commotion they made about how my mom was their ‘den mother’ too, I started to get a little jealous,” a smile played on his mouth, “So I asked her if I was still her favourite kid.”

“I’m sure she said yes.”

“She said I was, and I quote, ‘the best kid across all galaxies’,” he smile hardened and he began to pluck the grass around his feet absentmindedly, “I know it’s careless of my to linger in these memories, but they’re like silent wishes… I keep hoping that the memories will turn real somehow.”

“I barely remember a thing about my parents,” she told him, “Any memories I do have, I don’t even know if they’re real. I had so many dreams as a kid where my mom walked into my bedroom at my grandmother’s house, scooped me up in her arms and told me she was taking me home. Every morning I would wake up, wondering if I was back in my old room, but it never happened, no matter how much I wished it… We can’t do anything to bring something back that isn’t there, but we can take the good from it, and hope that it makes us stronger. That’s all we can do in the end.”

He reached across and took hold of her hand, squeezing it. They spoke for a little while longer about his memories of his family, about how conflicted he felt about Sloane’s mom, knowing that so much of her was put into the memories of his own mother. The conversation soon turned onto the other Matches, and Kai promised that if there was something left in Harley to save, they would save him.

A silence fell between them, and she glanced at him, “Is there anything I can do?”

“You being here with me… is enough.”

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him close to her. Listening to him talk about the things that had been bothering him had broken her heart; his lack of family, his turmoil over Harley and the other Matches, every little feeling that had been churning inside of him until it had burst out.

She swallowed thickly against her tears as tears of his own fell freely from his eyes as he leaned into her embrace.

“I’ve got you,” she told him, “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

He held her back, face buried in her neck, grip tight as though she was going to disappear. She just sat there murmuring quietly to him, desperate to comfort him in any way she could. They sat there for a long while, legs growing wet from the damp grass, but neither cared.

He finally sat up a little, but their arms remained around each other, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand. He sniffed, offering her a small smile, “I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” she gave him a tight squeeze, “You have nothing to apologise for. It’s okay to let it out. Sloane and me and everyone else might not understand fully what you’re going through, but we are here for you. All of us; whatever you need.”

“All I need right now is you, Kai,” he said quietly.

She placed a hand on his cheek, drawing him closer. There was a moment of hesitation between them before their lips pressed together, sharing in a soft but almost desperate kiss. Stray tears slipped down both of their faces as they stole this moment together, hearts slamming hard in their chests as the emotion threatened to overwhelm them.

She pulled back after a moment, looking at him with guilty eyes, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have… I don’t want to confuse you. I know I said I wanted to be friends, but lately, I just… I can’t stop thinking about you.”

He rested his forehead against hers, fighting against the smile that was threatening to show , “You don’t know how much I’ve missed you, Kia. How much I’ve missed us… but you’re with Damien, you’re happy with him, you…”

She shushed him softly, her fingers still drawing along the stubble on his jawline, “I am with Damien, but I want to be with you, too.”

His eyes flicked from her lips back to her eyes, “What?”

“I have feelings for both of you,” she told him, “Damien and I talked about it, he could see that I was starting to fall for you and he said that I didn’t have to choose. I didn’t want to do anything until I could talk to you about it and we could work things out; whether you would even be interested, but…”

“You really want this? Want me?”

“I can’t explain to you how much you mean to me, Hayden,” she said softly, “I cared about you when we dated back in New York, and I loved having you as a best friend after Berlin, but since Paris... You’ve been there for me like no one else has. When I lost Damien, I felt like I had lost everything, but you became a light in my life that kept me going. You make me so happy, and if we can work this out, if I’m not too late, I-”

He cut off her next words by pressing his mouth against hers in a hard kiss, his arms drawing her closer against him. When they broke for breath, his eyes met hers, “Kai, you can’t win back something you never lost.” He took her hand in his, placing it on his chest so that she could feel the ever-steady beat of his heart under her palm, “This has always belonged to you. It always will.”

“Hayden,” she whispered his name against his lips, her fingers clutching at his shirt right above his heart.

“And if your wonderful, beautiful heart has room enough for both me and Damien… who am I to say no to that?” he said quietly.

Meeting his lips eagerly again, she clambered into his lap, her arms around his shoulders, fingers curling into the bottom of his dark hair. They clung to each other as they lost themselves in the feel the other’s body and mouth. She traced the lines of his body as though they’d never had any time apart, earning soft moans from his lips.

“Being here with you-” his words were cut off as a drop of rain hit his cheek, swiftly followed by another, and another until the heavens seemingly opened, drenching them both instantly in cold rain.

Kai let out a shocked gasp at the cold, but couldn’t control her laughter, “Remember our first date? You ran to that awning so fast I thought you were going to leave me behind.”

“Never,” he smiled, kissing her wet lips.

“I knew from that moment that you were special,” she admitted, “I should have known I’d never be able to get rid of you.”

He barked out a laugh before their mouths met again, kissing like they were the only two people in the world, water soaking through their clothes. A deep, demanding, groan rumbled in Hayden’s chest as her tongue eagerly explored his mouth.

“Should we get out of here?” she asked, meeting his eyes, “Maybe continue this at the hotel?”

He paused for a moment, as though taking in her words before he let out a breathless moan, “… Yes.”

Hand in hand and barely paying attention to the rest of their surroundings, they rushed back to the hotel, Hayden attempting to shield Kai from the relentless rain, despite the fact that they were both already soaked through.

They staggered into the room once they reached it, barely pausing in their clumsy, languid kisses. Kai kicked the door shut behind them, tugging at his wet clothing without a thought. They undressed each other in a daze, pausing only when they both stood nearly naked in front of each other, their gazes dragging longingly over the other’s body.

His eyes met hers, his breathing unsteady, drops of water clinging to the tips of his hair and eyelashes, “Give me a second… I just…”

He ran his shaking fingers across her damps skin, and her stomach fluttered at the vulnerability in his eyes. Never before had they been this emotionally bare in front of each other. She stepped even closer, putting a hand on his cheek.

“You’re not alone, Hayden,” she said quietly, “You have me.”

He nodded slightly, swallowing hard, “And you have me.”

She kissed him again, knowing no other words would suffice for what she wanted to say. His grip on her waist tightened, and as he tried to move her against the door, she moved first, pressing a kiss to his cheek, then his neck, then his collarbone.

She kissed her way down his damp body, taking in the taste of his soft skin and the rain that had soaked through. She looked up at him as she sank fully to her knees, feeling desire pooling in her belly as she took in the sight of him; breathless and wanting.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Hayden,” she said quietly, starting to press teasing kisses to his abdomen and thighs as she pulled his boxers down to his ankles, “You look perfect. Right here, like this.”

“Kai…” he groaned softly, “You don’t have to-”

She gave a cooing shush before sucking the beginnings of a hickey onto the inside of his thigh, “Let me take care of you.”

He couldn’t hold in the moan that made its way out of his body when she took him into her mouth, his head lulling back to hit the door. One hand clutched tight to the door handle whilst his other went to his mouth to keep himself quiet.

She returned to kissing his abdomen, looking up at him with a smirk as she reached up and took hold of his arm, pulling the hand away from his mouth, “I want to hear how good you feel.”

“Fuck,” he groaned out on a breath as she wrapped her lips around him again, expertly giving and teasing the amounts of pleasure. His fingers tangled into her long dark hair, desperate for something to hold onto as his knees began to tremble.

She gave a low moan at the feel of him tugging at her hair, sending vibrations right to his core. The tension coiled quickly even as he tried to hold back, but all he could focus on was Kai; his Kai, having her right in front of him, wanting him as much as he had been wanting her for so long. But even with the burning desire between them, he felt her hand against his hip, rubbing calming circles against his bare skin; reassuring him that she was here, that this was real.

It all became too much in that moment, blinding pleasure coursed through his body as he reached his peak, calling out her name as his shaking legs struggled to hold himself up as he collapsed back against the door.

She moved her mouth to press tender, soothing kisses to his lower stomach, her eyes flicking up to meet his. He slid onto the floor to join her, body still trembling a little as she drew him down to lay nose to nose on the carpet. They were silent for a while, just looking at each other, lost in their own little world, not caring for whatever matters lay outside this room.

“You okay?” she asked, eventually breaking the quiet, her fingers lazily tracing patterns across his bare arm.

He smiled almost sleepily, “I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am right now.” He pulled her a little closer to kiss her, his hands wandering past her hips but she took hold of one of them and gave it a squeeze, pulling it back up to her waist.

“This was about you,” she reminded him, “We’ll have time for everything else later.”

He kissed her again, slower this time, simply relishing in the feel of her skin against his. Eventually, exhaustion overcame them both, the intensity of the last few hours catching up with them. They moved to the bed, and once his head hit the pillow, Hayden was asleep.

She grabbed her phone out of her jeans pocket, writing out a text to Damien.

I’ve got him. He’s safe. We’re at the hotel, we’ll be back later.

He text back after a moment, sending nothing but a heart emoji.

She smiled to herself before she slid under the covers, snuggling immediately into Hayden’s warm side, his arms moving to hold her even in sleep. She wasn’t sure what the next few weeks would bring; with Eros, or with the new relationship arrangement between her, Damien and Hayden, but what she did know was that with both of them at her side, she could take on anything.

[starbuck09256]

Worth the Wait

Never Again post ep

nsfw

He is so angry she can feel it coming off him in waves. He's never been like this so callous and downright cruel. All because he thinks she slept with some guy. She’s finding out very quickly this isn’t about the assignment this is about them and his deep affection for her is not what she thought it was. She thought for so long he treated her like his lost sister but now it's clear he never felt that way about her. She was always seen as the potential for something more complicated. Suddenly some pieces start falling into place and moments between them take on new meaning. But that still dosn't justify any of his treatment. She can be cruel too she can call him out for this and she has a half a mind to do it. But if she does if she confronts his feelings about her like that what will happen? What will change, potentially everything. She’s not sure but the anger she feels at him slamming the file cabinet is there. She can do whatever and whoever she wants and her anger is now coming off in the same waves. Damn him and his stupid righteous bullshit. He wants to be an asshole and all pissy about her choices fine. Her anger might get the better of her here, but right now in this moment she’s so far gone from caring.

“You think this was about some fucking desk?” she spits out. He stops his sulking in his chair at his desk in his office. Fuck him and fuck this. She’s too old to coddle some boy who thinks he can make her into some puppet.

“This is about me, my life, my choices, I can do whatever to whomever I want Mulder,”

he gets up quickly she can see the burning in his eyes, it’s intensity dangerous.

“Yea? You’ve gone through so much who gives a fuck if someone tries to kill you? Do you now live for that danger? Is it what drives you? Why you went to some bar and left with some guy because of the thrill? Are you feeding off that fear now, Dana?”

“Like you feeding off me? Feeding off this insane level of co-dependency you’ve developed. What’s the real issue here? You’re not mad about the case you’re furious I was with someone where the hell do you get off being jealous?”

“This is not about jealousy.” he is now standing completely in her space looming over her like he’s never done before.

“Yes it is,” her voice level and defiant. She stares up at him. Go big or go home Dana. You want the circle to stop you better cut the rope. “You’re pissed I don’t fuck you, isn’t that what this is really about?” her chin raised up challenging him back. “Have you spent the last 12 hours agonizing about me with him? Imagining every single moment I was with him about what his breath felt like on my skin, or how my lips felt on his cock?” he flinches back. Biting his lip hard trying to turn away from her. “Do you think about it Fox?" she practically spits his given name at him. "Think about what that would be like with me? That’s why you’re so angry because I’m this forbidden fruit, and suddenly someone else got to me first and you are pissed that I’m not graveling for you to put me back together? That I didn’t come to you first? That I don’t need you like you need me? Isn’t that the real issue here? That I don’t think of you the way you dream about me and now suddenly you realize I’m not this perfect innocent complacent entity that will always be there for you?”

“I know you think of me like I think of you,” he states his eyes now burning into hers.

“Are you sure? You’re the profiler here, tell me Doctor Mulder. Tell me why haven’t we ever fucked? Why haven’t we bridge that gap, we are both moderately attractive people who spend countless hours together in high stress situations that would rationally lead to heightened responses and yet it’s never happened. Maybe your delusional and I don’t think of you like that.” she leans back on her heel.

“Don’t lie to me, you’re not good at it. I know exactly how you feel about me.”

“Do you? Then why did I fuck someone else?” she challenges him. He doesn’t know that she didn’t fuck Jerse, it wasn’t any of his business and if it made him squirm great maybe he would learn something.

He steps back. “You didn’t fuck him, did you? All this time I thought you had and I imagined you with him and it made me sick fucking sick, that he got to touch you and be with you in a way I’m so desperate for and you let me believe it! How could you do that to me?” his voice drops to a whisper.

“You read the report, I clearly went to his place and woke up at his apartment the next day, what makes you think I didn’t fuck him?” don’t give up the game for a bluff Dana. She reaches up turning him towards him she has the best poker face the world has ever seen and she’ll be damned if she lets it fail her now.

“Do you want me to fuck you Dana?” his voice and face serious changing the game. “Did you plan for me to find out so I would get jealous and show you my hand and take you to bed?”

“You just did, he got to touch me in a way that you are desperate for I believe is what you said. You want to don’t you? You want to fuck me push me against this cabinet. But what then Mulder? What happens afterwards? You think we could just forget it? Move on occasionally fuck and not have it affect everything else we’ve build? It doesn’t work that way.”

“It… it wouldn’t be like that,” he reaches up wanting to touch her.

“How would it be then? How do we transition to this delusion you have?” She moves slightly away from his touch and it hurts so much.

“It’s not a delusion Scully, we... it wouldn’t... it wouldn’t be just..fucking. God, Dana it would be so much more you know that right? You know that we would be amazing right?”

“Would we Mulder? We don’t know that, we don’t know that taking this further won’t ruin the best thing either of us has.”

She’s scared and terrified she wanted to sleep with Ed wanted to feel something or anything. But she just kept thinking of Mulder of imagining his touch his kisses his voice in her ear. After Ed had kissed her she had apologized saying she couldn’t she wasn’t. He had been such a gentlemen about it. They had talked and it had been nice to not have the baggage the years of back and forth, but also fleeting because in the end she knew exactly what she wanted but couldn’t have.

“Maybe we would fuck, but we would also make love and it could last forever Scully. Are you so skeptical that you won’t even believe in us? In a chance for us?”

“I’m not ready,” it’s a whisper above her heart pounding in her chest. She isn’t going to win this round and she doesn’t know how badly she has ruined things between them.

“I’ll wait,” he says and his hand cups her cheek. He is smiling at her, this morning had gone off so wrong but now they were getting somewhere. She sighs into his palm. Her eyes sliding closed as she melts against him.

“Mulder it might be so long, months hell maybe even years” she is being honest. She doesn’t want him to expect a week or tomorrow.

“You’re worth it, you’re worth everything, even if I have to wait eternity. I’m not going to rush you or this, because when it happens we won’t ever be moving back or in a circle, only forward.”

“You’re always so sure” she says with a sigh.

“I have the strength of our beliefs Scully, that we are going to find the answers and somewhere along the way we will bridge that last gap to share everything else.” He kisses her forehead his lips lingering on her skin. “I’m going to turn this report in to Skinner and then go home. I still have some vacation time I’m suppose to use.” he smiles softly at her as he reaches out to grab his jacket on the chair.

She watches him vanish out the door now knowing how ready he is, it might be the push she needs to get past her doubts. They’ve always been better together and if her fantasies are even 10% close to the real thing. He’ll be right it’ll be amazing and they won’t ever go back.

@today-in-fic @fictober18 @improlificinsarcasm @marinafrenzy @peacenik0

[esteliel]

I’m still vibrating with energy so this is going to be absolutely incoherent, but what an incredible episode to end this series on!

I am so so happy - I got indeed not only everything I’ve been hoping for, but they kept dialing the intensity and shippiness and UST right up to 100 to the very end.

The barricade was the best I’ve ever seen. Musical barricades are usually my cue to either get a drink at home, or keep watching tied up Javert by the side of the stage, but this was SO WELL DONE OMG. I even had Enjolras/Courfeyrac feelings for a moment there, and I never care about amis shippiness whatsoever. But Courfeyrac was SO GOOD, and I very much enjoyed Enjolras’ swordfight, and that entire scenario might even have been fannish catnip for me if I had watched this adaptation 20 years ago. ALSO lol at Grantaire’s “piss on your blindfolds” - the incredibly rare moment when I actually like a Grantaire for a second! :D

Also Gavroche absolutely stealing the show once again!! I hope he goes on to have an incredible career!

They even had the mattress aaaah! <3 Valjean didn’t get to be quite the pacifist he’s in the Brick, but at least he wasn’t shooting people left and right like in the musical, so that has my okay from the POV of having to deliver tense action shots to us here.

And the Valjean/Javert encounter in the tap room, holy shit! I was so tense through all of it, and then they did it again - gave me MORE than what I was hoping for! That was SO INTENSE!! Can’t you just KISS, you idiots??? >:(

I’m going to have to rewatch all Valvert scenes a hundred times tomorrow.

Also holy shit, Javert starting to derail in the office and everyone of course waiting for his boyfriend Rivette to arrive and talk to him! <3 Rivette’s obvious concern for him! <3 RIVERT BEING CANON omg Rivette trying to fix Javert’s clothes for him omg you cannot tell me that Andrew Davies doesn’t secretly write fic!

And that scene with Valjean absolutely exhausted and at his lowest there at Javert’s feet at the exit of the sewers is the very fabric my id is made of. It’s like if I were to write fic about that moment, only now I don’t have to, because all the emotions the Brick doesn’t delve into is already there on the screen?

(Admittedly I would have lingered on Valjean pleading for ten minutes, which is why this adaptation should have been 12 episodes, but oh well.)

The AKWARD CARRIAGE RIDE! <3 I cannot believe we really got a full awkward carriage ride, and I CANNOT believe that Javert is just JEALOUS because he thinks Marius is Valjean’s lover, lol. (I KNOW that he’s shaken by Valjean showing compassion to a man he hates, okay, but let me have my dreams.)

And also, Valjean being attuned enough to Javert to realize that something is not quite right with him? <3 And Valjean running out after him and shouting for him? <3 <3 <3

ALSO holy shit but this Valjean’s journey through the sewers, with all of his self-hatred rising up to swallow him until he’s choking on those feelings just as much as he’s choking on the sewage. I never thought that ANY adaptation would delve so deeply into Valjean’s trauma! I’ve never ever seen a Valjean who hates himself so much before, and unsurprisingly I am ABSOLUTELY here for it!

And when he surrendered himself to Javert, it was literally just like in fic: Valjean being glad that now he doesn’t have to do the hard work of leaving/punishing himself, but that Javert will do it for him. ;_;

Only then his new dom ghosted him right away there on the street. RUDE, JAVERT! >:(

(This will SO get fixed in fic, omg. This Valjean needs to be spanked with Javert’s belt, and he’s going to get it, and then they can have a nice cry together and no one’s going to die.)

Also how heartbreaking was Javert’s suicide? Everyone knows I’ve been team Oyelowo right from the start, and even though most people hated his take on Javert I’ve been having the most fun I’ve ever had with a Javert in my fandom life so far. (With an exception for Ed Watts I guess.) But to take Javert all the way to 1000% as he did in the last episode, and to then take him from THAT performance to the point where he just absolutely shatters in this episode, where he becomes all silence and murmurs and confusion - that was just SO well done, and I see a lot of good actors every year, but man the things I would do to be able to see him on stage!

Argh I cannot get over his tears! And the way he had this little breakdown, just for a moment, where you thought that yes! Just once, he’d flinch back from the abyss just in time and get it all out in a healthier way!

Of course that wasn’t to be, but he was SO CLOSE. So close. I just want to rewatch this scene and cry about it forever. ;_;

And then I want to send Rivette to the bridge. And then Valjean. And write a hundred different Post-Seine AUs because damn it Javert YOU WERE SO CLOSE!

Maybe I’ve just watched Hadestown too often but seriously, every time you hope that THIS TIME, it’ll turn out alright. ;_; And they’ve never come so close as they came in this adaptation. WHERE IS MY POST-SEINE SEQUEL, ANDREW DAVIES!

And I have so many Valjean feels too aaaaah. All of his self-hatred. That conversation with Marius was so good. Why do you do this to yourself, Valjean. Just let people love you. You deserve to be loved. ;____;

I’d read that it would all end in the garden in Digne so I was prepared for the timeskip, but I was NOT prepared for that ghastly wig. Seriously, wtf costume department! He’s dying, but that doesn’t mean you have to make him wear THAT! :/

Still, I like to think that weighed down by the mountain of shame for all of his ~sins, Valjean has done what a certain dom who ghosted on him had promised he’d do, and given himself the shameful convict shave again because it’s what an awful thief and convict like him ~deserves (and he didn’t have his coin for self-branding anymore).

That said, his death actually made me tear up a little, and I can’t even tell you anymore how many Valjean’s I’ve watched die in my life. ;_;

Just, it was all so good. Valjean was so good. I love how they’ve really delved into the full range of Dominic West’s emotions here in the series - all the anguish, all the tears, all the shame and the guilt and the fear and paranoia. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any adaptation that deeply interested in his psyche and trauma. (Admittedly also interested in him shouting at people, but he’s really not the monster fandom wants him to be in this, and there’s just SO MUCH and such a range from him that I’m not that bothered by the parts that don’t quite work for me. And again, there’s nothing that couldn’t be fixed by Javert’s belt. :D)

Augh I am so full of feelings, I have no idea how I’m going to sleep tonight, but maybe getting it all out in an incoherent mess of emotions will help? It better had to, because once I’m no longer vibrating with energy I need ALL THE FIC! <3

[winryofresembool]

“What are we? Us?”(EdWin one-shot)

Summary: Al knows best. In which two idiots fight and finally deal with their feelings. (Canon!verse, post promised day)

A/N: A fic for the prompt @kilmartin85 sent me some time ago! I hope you’ll like it! Please enjoy and review :)

Words: 1800+ (and I wrote all of them today damn)

Genre: I give you one guess 8) (is this candy floss, kilmartin?)

Warnings: swearing because we are talking about Edward Elric here.

“And don’t forget to maintain the automail every day!” Winry repeated the sentence that had become so familiar to Ed during his years of traveling. Only this time, she didn’t say it to him. Ed peeked through the window curiously and saw his long-time friend/mechanic standing on the porch talking with one of her patients. His eyes narrowed when he noticed that this time the patient was a young man, probably a couple of years older than him, and the type people usually found attractive.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dream of it,” the man chuckled.

“That’s good to hear. One of my clients doesn’t understand the importance of maintenance, and I have to be fixing his automail all the time. Between you and I, it’s getting a bit frustrating.” Winry didn’t know what made her say that, but she felt a small twinge in her heart once she realized what she had just blurted. First of all, it was rather unprofessional. Second of all, this was her - for lack of a better word - friend she was talking about. After their return, Ed and Al had finally opened up about most of their adventures to her, and it had sounded like most of the automail issues had been results of accidents in dangerous situations. But that didn’t mean Ed was allowed to ignore her instructions!

“I’m sorry about that. Some people can be quite ignorant.” Winry’s client pulled her back from her thoughts.

Winry answered something Ed couldn’t hear from the kitchen, but he imagined her agreeing and probably adding something insulting. He wasn’t stupid, he knew she was talking about him. She and her damn automail maintenance instructions…

The man finally turned to leave, and Ed could hear him saying: “Alright, I’m off now. See you in a month!”

“Bye!”

Winry waved at the guy for a moment and turned back inside. She could only stare in confusion when something golden stormed past her in the hall and banged the door shut angrily. When she went to the kitchen to get something to drink, she got an idea what might have happened. The window was open, which meant Ed must have heard what she was talking about with Mr. Smith. But had he not heard what she said right before he left? Why was he so angry?

On the yard, Ed found Al lying under a tree and reading something.

“Hey, lazy, let’s spar!” Ed said more eagerly than usually and got Al to raise his gaze from his book.

“Brother, what’s the rush? Is something the matter?”

Ed proceeded to tell what he had just witnessed through the window while they were sparring. For some reason, he found it easier that way, although his constant talking meant he wasn’t focusing on the battle 100% and soon found himself lying on the grass, defeated.

“Are you sure you aren’t overreacting?” Al asked when he helped his brother to get up. “You guys are always at each other’s throats, you have probably said way worse things about her.”

“Yeah, to her face, not behind her back! Besides, who knows what is really going on between those two and what else they have been talking about…”

“Oh, I think I can see now what’s really going on. You are jealous, brother.”

“What, me, jealous? No!” Ed swung his arms furiously trying to deny it, which in Al’s opinion only confirmed he was right.

“Pffft. You should see yourself right now. It’s time to accept you like her.”

“Why are you like that?” Ed growled.

“Why are you like that? Hey, brother, don’t you notice?” Al asked suddenly, seeing Ed was walking weirdly.

“Notice what?

“You’re limping. Something’s wrong with your automail.”

“Oh fucking hell… why did this have to happen now? She’s gonna kill me.”

“The sooner you take the hit, the sooner it will be over,” Al said and patted Ed on the shoulder.

“That isn’t helping, Alphonse.”

Ed managed to break the news about the automail leg to Winry with little brain damage (something that surprised him), but unfortunately, he still hadn’t forgotten the scenario with Winry’s patient earlier. That’s why, when Winry continued her nagging about the proper automail treatment while she was fixing the leg, Ed couldn’t control his tongue anymore.

“Maybe, if you had done your job better, it wouldn’t have broken that easily!”

“What? Oh so it’s my fault now?! I can’t believe you! All I’ve ever…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence because she was crying now. She threw her wrench onto the table and run from the room before Ed could say anything else.

Ed buried his face into his hands and sighed deeply. This wasn’t how this appointment was supposed to go. Why couldn’t he ever shut up when needed? Sure, he had been upset, but he absolutely hated making Winry cry, and he had gone totally overboard with his accusation. It was never Winry’s fault when his automail broke down. Heck, once his automail arm had been broken really badly, but he had still been able to move the fingers thanks to Winry’s skillful work. Al and his sparring session had simply been more intense than usual due to his anger and he hadn’t noticed he had hit his leg on something hard.

After attaching a spare leg to the port (Winry had left before finishing his automail), Ed went to find Al. For some reason, the little brother always knew what should be done in this kind of situations.

“First of all, apologize. ‘I’m sorry’. Think you can do that?”

“Yeah,” Ed mumbled.

“Second of all, explain her why you were acting like that. And if it really bothers you that much, ask her if there’s something going on between her and that guy. Although, I know the answer to that one, but you’re not listening.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Brother, you are so blind sometimes.” Al shook his head. “But doesn’t matter, just please, go talk to her. You’ll be surprised to see that it can actually help.”

“Fine. But you are taking the full responsibility if she beats me to pulp.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. Just go now.” Al pushed Ed forward before he could protest more.

The older brother stood behind Winry’s door for a while before finally managing to knock it.

“Who’s there?” asked a watery voice, and Ed’s heart clenched painfully. Had she been crying this entire time?

“Some idiot who wants to talk to you. Please, Winry.”

“Fine, come in. But remember, I have a wrench,” the mechanic warned.

“I think my skull has already developed a defense mechanism against it,” Ed tried to joke with poor results. “Listen, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ever claimed you are doing your job poorly. It isn’t true at all. Your automail is the best out there, and I mean it. The limbs you’ve built me have saved me countless of times.”

“Then why did you say something like that?” Winry asked, swiping her tears.

“I just… I heard you talking with your client. I knew you were talking about me, and for some reason… hearing you say those things about me to that guy… it made me damn angry.”

“That was wrong of me,” Winry admitted, “and I didn’t mean to say it. I’m sorry. But I’m still a bit confused. We insult each other all the time, and you never seem to mind it. What’s so different about this time?”

“Well, you usually say those things to me. I know I can be an asshole sometimes, but that guy… Why were you complaining about me to him?”

Winry finally understood what the root of the problem was, and she couldn’t help but smile a bit.

“Edward. Are you jealous?”

“Not you too!”

“What? Who else has asked you that?”

“Al. He seems to think that…”

“Go on, Ed. I’m getting curious.”

Ed took a deep breath and blurted quickly: “AlseemstothinkIlikeyou.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that,” Winry said even though she did hear him perfectly. She just loved teasing Ed.

“Al seems to think that I… like you.” Ed’s face was now red as a tomato.

“He does? Well… do you?”

“I… hey, it’s not fair that only I have to answer! It’s supposed to be equivalent exchange. What’s going on between you and that guy?”

“You really can be stupid sometimes. He’s my client. Well, technically you are too, but…”

“But what? What about me?”

“Maybe you understood if I drew it to you. Or rather, encrypted it like you alchemists. Edward Elric, you can be a real pain in my ass sometimes – like now - but I love you. Have loved for years, probably. If you had listened to my conversation with Chad…”

“His name is Chad?”

“What does that have to do with anything? Anyway, if you had heard everything, you would know I also told him that you might be ignorant when it comes to your automail, but deep down you are a very sweet and caring person… in your own way. Why did I tell him that? Because he’s been sending me signs that he wants to go out with me, but I don’t want to do that. And I believe he got the message because he never asked me. There’s only one person I want to date, and he’s standing right in front of me right now.”

“W-what? You l-love me? And want to go out with me?” Ed repeated, almost in shock, as he was trying to process the information.

“Yes, you alchemy geek. But you never answered my question, now’s your turn!”

Ed seemed to think of something for a while, before he finally said: “You know, I’ve always believed actions speak louder than words. So…”

Winry stared with wide eyes as he got closer and closer… There was a weird kind of fire in his eyes, one that she had seen only a few times before, as he approached his destination… Usually she saw it when he thought she wasn’t watching, perhaps pretending to focus on the automail or a book instead. Now he was so close she could feel his breathing, and he wrapped his arms behind her neck. When Ed’s lips touched hers, her brain stopped functioning and she pulled him closer, getting a better access to his lips.

The kiss was very Edward like; intense, a bit sloppy, testing, trying to figure out what felt the best and what Winry enjoyed the most. She encouraged Ed to open his mouth for her, slipping her tongue in, and for a moment Ed thought he was going to faint. Was this really happening?

When the finally pulled apart, Winry said, slightly out of breath: “I think that answers my question. But that leads to one more question: what are we? Us?”

“Yeah, I think we are us now.” Ed smiled and pulled Winry for another kiss.