#enjoy!!! you can have any of them ofc but these are the ones who stuck out
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|| âď¸ (bats eyelashes)
send a " â " and i will list muses i would be interested in throwing at yours. / @m80495
honey you know you can have all my rwby muses. but also if youre interested/a part of any of the other fandoms we can always put merc in a crossover!
i actually have this headcanon that the reason that neo's boots are so strong in the roman/neo versus ruby fight is that she's inspired by mercury's legs/talaria, and she added steel to the base of her shoes. both dancer inspired, and they also have that shared "what happened to my mom and my sibling? who knows, trauma is horrible and i can't think about it" thing which sucks. i don't know how much attention she would've given mercury while roman was alive, but on the inverse, i don't know that he'll have much patience for her horrible grief from roman's death. she's really going through the motions and trying to find someone new to imprint codependency on after v3, with mixed bag results. also, her schizophrenia and her identity disorder is acting up HARD, and that makes some of the exchanges they have.....a little strange. it depends on how mercury can cope with that! im down for toxicity, but hey, maybe merc will be able to be a good polite boy (probably not).
cinder, the queen of autism and toxicity. is there even anything to be said here. canon mutual distrust and dislike, fun enemies. but she's not all bad all the time, and i can't blame mercury for hanging around her, because maybe those scraps of positive attention she can give are worth it? she did tell him she liked his jacket once. that's something. go after that milf, merc, chase your dreams.
COCO IS GOING THROUGH IT AND MERCURY BLACK YOU STAY AWAY FROM THAT INNOCENT YOUNG WOMAN. and by that i mean she probably tried to have sex with him at beacon, and also hated his guts for kicking her ass in the festival. volume 3 was a really low time for her and she was incredibly depressed so............mercury shoo. hsp au, aka coco's salem squad au, is something i made with a friend but we can always plot something similar if you found "evil villain mind control coco" interesting. alternatively, depending on how mercury acts towards her as a "haven" student, they could be friends for a while, because she's pretty friendly up until he mollywops her in the vytal festival and destroys her already suffering pride. did i mention she'd try to sleep with him? she loves a boy who will treat her so so bad.
ozpin is very well aware that salem is doing something in the vytal festival, and i think he could even guess that crmn are probably the plants, but it's better to let them gather info rather than to show his hand and potentially make beacon look bad by expelling "innocent" students. that said, he might pull mercury into his office or keep an eye on him, and i'd love to see mercury's reaction to someone trying to be a healthy adult towards him. though oz would have some internalized pettiness...good luck oz.
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Relationship headcanons for the batfam!
Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain
Sorry for no Barbara, Steph, or Duke âšď¸ love them but I honestly just donât know them well enough

Sorry if some of these arenât the greatest, I feel more strongly about some characters over the others so I donât have many head canons.oh also also might be out of character ofc, these are just my personal headcanons of how I see the characters. Also sorry if this is a bit messy I didnât edit the best :)
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Bruce Wayne
This man has been through a lot so I feel like to truly get close to him would be difficult, especially considering he is Batman.
he needs a stable healthy relationship oh my god, yes he enjoys the chase of those hard to get but for his own sake he needs to settle down.
heâs definitely scared of losing you, heâs lost so many people in his life in one way or another.
I feel like he is one to get nightmares at night about losing you or other people. After waking up your comfort is everything to him, and if you donât wake up at him startling awake he wonât disturb you and will just study your features the best he can in the moonlight before sleep grasps him once again.
Love language is a mix of gift giving and affection!
Always loves to have a hand on your waist, if he ever takes you to one of the galaâs he has to go to he is stuck to you like glue. Once heâs settled with you he doesnât want women fawning over him, he wants to give the signal that his heart is yours.
Showers you in so many kisses when no one else is around, seems like a hard ass but heâs a softie for you. It makes the bat family happy to see that for him.
Onto gift giving though!!!! Heâs a very busy man so he unfortunately cannot be around all the time but he always makes sure to send you little gifts to let you know youâre on his mind.
If you like expensive gifts then heâll give you expensive gifts but truly he just wants to give you little things that will make you happy, he wants to save the big gifts for important days!
A toxic trait of his is that when he gets hurt and upset he tends to distance himself from you even though youâre there for him. After a while of talking him through it everytime it happens he starts to stop and open up to you more and more.

Dick Grayson!!!
Dick is a bit of a man hoe and has dated many people before you. Hopefully when he finally got with you though heâs matured a lot more and wonât leave you after a while just to date another girl.
If not itâs probably a complicated on and off relationship âšď¸ donât want that for you tho.
For him to settle down with you youâd likely need to be someone whoâs like his anchor, able to hold your own and on the more mentally stable side.
You in no way need to be perfect though, he will love you all the same and will do his best to help you.
Speaking of helping, heâs got eldest sibling syndrome. He is STRESSED as he carries the weight of his family and the name of nightwing. He truly loves his family and tryâs his best to be there for them but it runs him thin. This does mean he can be a lot snappy sometimes cause heâs not good at actually expressing his emotions so it comes out in bursts.
But for him having that eldest sibling syndrome, support him cause he really needs it, he may seem all happy but itâs usually hiding something.
Back to him being snappy tho is that he has a tendency to not let you know he has any problem with you and will act completely fine and then make some snarky remark which was clearly personal about some thing you did. Itâs always uncalled for and happens when his temperament is running thin.
The more he starts to get it in his head though that he doesnât need to perform being okay all the time he very much improves.
His love language is words of affirmation!
He likes reassuring you, supporting you, and saying sweet things to you. He also loves being reassured, told itâs okay, and being told sweet things, please give him words of affirmation he needs it.
Come up to him randomly and praise him about how well heâs been hiding stuff together lately, that you love him, and are there for him if he ever needs anything? His heart is melted.
If yâall share an apartment itâs routine to leave sticky notes around for eachother.
Onto affection tho, He absolutely will be affectionate to you in front of other people and he absolutely does not care about the teasing of his family, he owns that shit.
If he gets forced to a gala he is dragging you along so he doesnât end himself. Love hates the attention of other women fawning over him, heâs an attention whore so a part of him loves it but the other part of him gets pissed because he is taken to a lovely you.
That is another flaw of Dick though, he loves attention a bit too much so hopefully youâre not a jealous type? He would never cheat and he absolutely isnât tolerating any disrespect on your name, he just like when people pay attention to him.

Jason Todd âşď¸
I like the idea of Jason with a nurse reader, or at least one well experienced in first aid.
Almost every night he comes home to his cold grimy apartment to patch himself up but once he has you in his like heâs able to come to your warm home to be patched up.
Itâd take him getting gravely injured for him to allow you to help him in the first place but after that he starts to come to you to help him, even if itâs not necessary, he just wants to see you.
He has so many walls built up that will need to be taken down. He has a lot of fears that what he does will get you hurt, heâs also just not much of a people person. But if you are able to protect yourself decently well and install some good ass security itâll put his mind at ease.
He will then constantly fuck with your security to prove itâs not secure enough and then try to make it more secure. After a certain point it is just more of him trying to find an excuse to be around you.
Please reassure him that he can come to you whenever and he doesnât need a reason to at all. Also give him keys and beg him to stop breaking in. He will still occasionally break in though.
Refuses to introduce you to his family for a long time. They do still find out about for after some point and they will be running many background checks on you, they are a family of detectives after all.
The bat fam teases him very hard about you if given the chance, Tim and Steph are the worst, Damian is in disbelief anyone would even date Jason, Dick and Barbara usually keeps their mouths shut with possible light teasing. Cass and Duke are supportive though!
His love language is acts of service and affection.
He will fix anything you need fixed if needed. Your sink is leaking? Easy heâs fixed that like nothing. Need to to put together furniture but you donât feel like putting it together? He will put that together in a heartbeat. Parts in your car need to be replaced? Absolutely heâs doing that 10x better than any person youâd pay for but for free.
Well not completely for free though, heâll want all the cuddles, kisses, and all the affection now, not even in a sexual way most of the time, he wants sweet affection a lot of the time.
Heâs almost always very gentle with you despite his rough exterior and personality. He always looks at you so sweetly and has a habit of brushing your hair out of your face and fixing your hair anytime something is astray.ďżź
After a while he basically just lives at your place as his place is a shit shack that he sucks at up keeping, heâll keep your place clean though donât worry.
Has a tendency to sleep on your couch a lot. He always gets back late and doesnât want to wake you, also sometimes heâs smelly and gross but too tired to shower when he gets back so he just shuns himself to your couch and showers whenever he wakes up. Thatâs usually when you wake him up at some point mid day and go make him shower.
Not big on PDA but sometimes heâll walk with you with a hand on your waist or holding your hand. Especially likes to hold your hand if sitting next to you and will rub his thumb atop you hand.

Tim drake (love my Bi Icon)
He loves cuddles. Tim is often consumed in work and running off so much caffeine and once he crashes and sleeps heâs cuddling with you if available and heâs OUT. Hair messy, sprawled out over you, and drooling. Be ready to be stuck there. Itâs okay though because heâs absolutely adorable, messy hair galore.
Vibes heavy with working on things alongside eachother. Heâs okay with just being in your presence as he works on what he needs to work on.
He may be hella smart and a great detective but when you guys first start dating he becomes an awkward nervous wreck who suddenly second guesses all abilities to read you. Like what if you secretly hate him? Or think that heâs weird?? What if heâs being to much???
He levels out after a while and is normal again donât worry, he just gets way to nervous at first.
His love language is words of affirmation. Heâll leave you sticky notes and little cards all the time. Either itâs in your laptop or notebook that you find after you two were just hanging out, or he breaks into your really quick while out on patrol and leaves you a quick little sticky note, he also love making you cards. All of this containing how much he loves you and how much you mean to him.
A possibly toxic trait of his is that he cannot keep in touch and be there for you all of the time. If you are someone who is secure with not having constant attention from your partner then itâll be okay but Tim is very busy and definitely canât text all of the time or hangout all of the time.
Makes an effort to call when he can tho! Heâs just not much of a texter tbh but heâll call randomly.
When you two finally get to hang out it is yap central. Yâall are cuddling, playing games, and catching up on any and all drama and things thatâs happening in your lives. Also because you guys might be able to hangout much it at least means yâall have A LOT to talk about. Also when yâall hangout itâs usually a sleepover.
When he has you meet his family he will tell you about any and all family drama, and if anything shocking happens between the bat family in front of yâall, you BET yâall are gonna be talking to each other about it later. Yâall love the drama.

Damian Wayne (not kid Damian ofc)
To have gotten close to him youâd likely have to had known him since he was a kid and also through forced proximity, probably due to his family having you around for some reason. Itâs possible that you couldâve met him from school but it seems unlikely as he thinks lowly of most average people, BUT if you prove yourself as very intelligent or skilled in some way that would earn his respect.
In the case you are able to get close to him he shows his care in his own interesting way. Heâs stubborn and doesnât fully like to show that he cares about you but heâs very protective of you.
Generally a bit hard to get through to or get close to Damian because of his past. He sees opening up to people as a weakness in one way or another, but, I think over time with the support of his family (thatâs not on his motherâs side ofc) he becomes more open to opening up to people.
Back to him being protective though! If you get into trouble heâd likely slightly bully you for getting yourself into trouble, sometimes he is just messing with you but other times he canât help but feel angry at you if you did or almost got yourself seriously hurt. Itâs definitely a red flag of his that he gets angry and doesnât handle his anger well if your get yourself seriously hurt or almost so, he does try to work on it though.
Damian isnât a complete asshole though, he still does truly care and if you visually start to get upset or break down he will take a breath and comfort you the best he can. Which isnât well ,but, depending on how long youâve known eachother it is something heâs been working on.
will absolutely never admit his weakness to you to anyone, not a soul, but maybe Alfred.
His family is able to see it though, they just chose not to tease him about it like they would for anyone elseâs relationships in the family. They understand that feeling weak is a big thing for him and he absolutely will take it to heart if they tease him.
Youâre close to the only person heâd not be a complete a menace to, still a bit of a menace though but he tries to be better for you.
also not one to cuddle much but he loves to pet your hair. You both are watching a movie and you rest your head on his lap? You will be falling asleep because how wonât stop playing with your hair.
This is because he still isnât great with affection, he does still crave it though.
When yâall kissed for the first time he probably ran away to question his life for a little, one of his sensible family members had to tell him itâs okay to love someone and it doesnât make him weak and his mom wonât kill him for it (well they at least wouldnât let her)
Oh also I think his love language is acts of service. He will be fixing anything for you if needed. Itâs the easiest way for him to show that he does really care about you.
Casandra Cain đ
Would likely prefer a civilian reader who she can tell about her being a vigilante to, I say a civilian reader as you would have a much more stable schedule than compared to another vigilante.
Her love language is quality time. She absolutely love going places with you, like the aquarium, the park, a coffee shop, any place really.
Yâall have a list of places that with one of you want to visit and you two slowly try to get through that list.
Cass loves people watching, please people watch with her. Yâall can then talk about what your seeing, Cass would have an especially good eye too with her amazing ability to read body language. You will still have to do most of the talking though because she isnât much of a talker. It makes her happy though to just listen to you talk, she finds your voice soothing.
Sheâs very attentive to your needs and is very very quick to notice if something is wrong.
Her flaw which isnât even a bad one at all is that sheâs quick to always try and do something to make you feel better. Which that doesnât sound bad but sometimes being able to just feel your emotions is very important instead of her just instantly trying to make you feel better.
With communication though she gets better at communicating with you about if you want yo be cheered up or if you just need to feel your emotions and just be upset for a little.
It takes her a while to be open to affection with you but after a while she really likes cuddles.
Scary big dog gf, appearance wise sheâs not that scary but oh boy can she give of big dog gf energy as soon as anyone comes up to yâall whoâs hitting on either one of yâall. Oh if walking in the streets of Gotham and probably about to get mugged sheâll scare that person off in an instant.
Sheâs sweet but absolutely do not underestimate her- do not forget she kicks so much ass.
#dc x reader#x reader#dcu#fanfiction#batman x reader#bruce wayne x reader#dick grayson x reader#nightwing x reader#jason todd x reader#red hood x reader#tim drake x reader#red robin x reader#damian wayne x reader#robin x reader#cassandra cain x reader#batgirl x reader#batfamily x reader#batfamily headcanons#batman headcanon#bruce wayne headcanon#dick grayson x you#dick grayson headcanon#nightwing x you#nightwing headcanon#jason todd x you#jason todd headcanon#red hood x you#tim drake x you#tim drake headcanon#damian wayne x you
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heyy!! can you do bllk boys with a s/o who has trouble expressing their feelings? like they don't know how to react to things.
I'd like if you include ness, rin, shidou, reo, barou and karasu. Thank you đŤśđť
yes ofc! ik this isnât exactly what you asked for, but i hope you enjoy 𫶠thank you for the request!
when you have trouble expressing your feelings ;

bf bllk x gn!reader
alexis ness
-> you and ness are opposites in the best and worst of ways
-> where he has no trouble expressing himself, he doesnât always understand the feelings heâs expressing. you, on the other hand, know what you feel, but struggle to put them into words
-> one time, the two of you were out getting breakfast when the waiter accidentally gave you someone elseâs order. you knew you wouldnât eat it and tried to call the waiter back, but you hesitated too long
-> ness didnât have that problem. he caught the thinking look on your face and up on the defense because why was your expression so distressed? what had happened? he needed to help you!
-> the waiter comes back and ness shoots him with a, âmy partner is upset and itâs your fault.â âness!â and with the waiterâs eyes on you you want to sink into the cushions and die of embarrassment
-> âitâs.. um. this isnât.. what i wanted..â you gesture to the plate, point to the menu, and the waiter straightens with a gasp. âyou wanted the number 4! crap, i knew something wasnât right. iâll get that sorted right away!â
-> you frown at your boyfriend, who is beaming at the fact that you expressed yourself, even if it was in a whisper
itoshi rin
-> the quiet that surrounds your relationship is comfortable. itâs how you knew rin was the one, since silence usually makes you uncomfortable
-> but⌠it can get a little awkward at times. like when rin gives you a rare compliment, and you stand there in silence because you donât know how to respond
-> despite that, rin has learned to read you like the back of his hand. the two of you went to a movie together, wanting to see a new zombie film that looked pretty good. by the trailer, you hadnât realized it would be so gorey and gross
-> rin kept you in his peripheral, watching for any changes in your expression, since he knows you hate excessive blood and gore in films. one flinch, so small you barely felt it, is enough for him to pull you to your feet
-> âwhere are we going?â âweâre leaving.â âw-why? i thought you wanted to watch this..â rin gives your hand a little squeeze as you exit the theater. âi didnât realize it would have so much blood. you made it a lot further than i thought you would, though.â
-> truth was you were ready to run out at the ten minute mark, but you didnât know how to tell rin that, so you sat through as long as possible. you were more than happy that he noticed, though, because five more minutes and you may have thrown up all over yourself
shidou ryusei
-> you cannot take a compliment, and while it frustrates you immensely, shidou thinks itâs the cutest thing in the world
-> âyour hair looks really nice today, y/n~â âoh, um.. y-you too? i mean yours.â âteehee~ youâre so adorable when you get all flustered over a compliment.â your flaming face is your only response
-> itâs not like you donât want to compliment him back. shidou does so much for you, but your words stay stuck on the tip of your tongue. they refuse to leave your lips, and heâll soothe you then, too
-> âyou frustrated?â you shrug, which means yes. shidou hums and gives your shoulder a few comforting squeezes. âdonât worry, i know. you think iâm the most handsome guy around!â âi do..â â?! did you just compliment me?!â âi was agreeing with what you said!â which meant yes
-> shidou threw his arms around you and pretended to weep. âyou love me so much!!â you canât say it back, but your arms around him mean yes, i do
mikage reo
-> at first, you loved that reo did the talking for you. he didnât start on his own; you would look at him any time someone asked you a question, and he didnât have the heart to watch you struggle
-> however, you feel a bit pathetic now. you donât like feeling codependent on your boyfriend to do simple things like tell someone how youâre feeling
-> you wanted to test yourself, and thought the best place would be in public. the two of you were going to one of your regular date restaurants, where they have your favorite orders memorized
-> seated, the waitress recognized you both and immediately went to confirm your regular orders. reo smiled at her and started to say, âyes,â but you, shaking with all your might, cut in as politely as possible. âactually, sorry, can i please try this instead?â
-> the waitress looks just as floored as reo, but quickly nods and rushes off with your menus
-> reo just stares at you, to the point where you have to look away. âwhat..? are you madââ âyou expressed that you wanted to try something new! iâm public!â âyeah..â âthatâs amazing, y/n! iâm so proud of you.â
barou shouei
-> you struggle more with the physical expression of your feelings
-> example, you and barou walking to the store together. he gently moves you aside, per the sidewalk rule (guys walk closer to the road), and holds your hand
-> what you want to do it hold his hand back and give it a squeeze, but you just canât. you donât know why, but itâs like the connection between your brain and your body arenât always in sync
-> turns out you just need a little extra motivation to spark the connection, because a storm brews inside your composed expression when you see a girl shamelessly hitting on your boyfriend one evening
-> he pulls away when she tries to squeeze his bicep, but that doesnât deter her. youâre trembling as you approach, unsure of what you could possibly do or say to make her leave, doubting the interaction, until you reach his side
-> one little loop of your arm around his is enough for her eyes to pop wide open. âoh! sorryâŚâ and she awkwardly darts off
-> barou relaxes beneath your touch, trying hard not to beam at the contact you initiated. âyou alright, y/n?â you nod once but keep your grip tight, and barou keeps you close for the rest of the night
karasu tabito
-> he has a plan to help you speak up for yourself, and itâs a bit sink or swim of him
-> youâve both gotten comfortable with karasu reading your expression and making decisions for you based on it. 99.9% of the time heâs right, but you both know thereâll come a day where he isnât there to help you out
-> that day came sooner than you wanted. karasu was redecorating his room, which involved a trip to the paint store. he gave you the paint name he wanted and âwent to the restroomâ
-> little did you know, he asked one of the staff members to help you and not leave until you got the paint
-> as the associate approaches, you frantically text your boyfriend, telling him to hurry. but you know itâs pointless when you accidentally lock eyes with the older woman
-> you donât know why sheâs being so persistent, but she is determined to help you find the damn paint. youâre forced to explain who youâre looking for and show her the color strip karasu gave you, but in the end, you get the paint
-> immediately after she hands it to you, your boyfriend miraculously appears! âoh, all done?â you shoot him a look that read, i know what you did. and he just laughs
#requested!#blue lock#bllk#bllk x reader#blue lock x reader#blue lock headcanons#bllk x you#blue lock x you#alexis ness#bllk ness#blue lock ness#itoshi rin#bllk rin#blue lock rin#itoshi rin x you#shidou ryusei#bllk shidou#blue lock shidou#shidou x reader#mikage reo#bllk reo#blue lock reo#mikage reo x reader#barou shouei#blue lock barou#bllk barou#barou shoei x reader#karasu tabito#bllk karasu#blue lock karasu
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Hi I noticed you were looking for requests! Would you please consider a Jaehyun or Johnny fic were they are a single father and mc requires them to fake date in order to please her family at like a wedding event or something similar. You donât have to fufill my request of not but thanks for reading
-𼳠anon
ofc! i love that, imma tweak it up a bit :), also since i love this idea im gonna post this in parts, so enjoy pt.1
ps: pls read the authors note at the end <3
warning: angsty/fluff
UPDATE: part two found here
â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘
âWhat?â you asked out in a confused tone, staring at your best friend since college. She was getting married soon, to her long lover since freshman year, Derrick. You met her through a mutual friend, Johnny Suh, and his girlfriend at the time. The entire friend group was inseparable and you guys stuck out your entire undergrad together until Johnny moved back to Chicago with his girlfriend shortly after graduation.
You and your friend sat in the cafe, her face tussled with confusion and frustration. âIâm sorry Y/N, but we canât rent out the venue unless itâs full, you have to find a date or a plus one. Please, I want this garden, I canât have it any other way. Please!â she solemnly looked down at your furrowed face. You havenât been on a date in at least a year or so, so caught up with your career as a nurse. Your best friend is the only person who stuck it out with you for so long. When you shut out the world, left almost everyone. She didnât budge. You knew you owed her one.
You sighed and began to think. Where could you find someone in time? You sighed before nodding your head, looking across the table at your best friend with a soft smile. âI promise, Iâll find someone, maybe I can call someone from like work?â you said to her, thinking heavily once again. Your friend looked at you with a sheepish grin, eyes barely meeting yours.
âWell Y/N, you know Johnny is single now, and Derrick wants him at the wedding too. Maybe we could arrange something?â she softly suggested not wanting to pry too much. Her fiancĂŠ Derrick and Johnny were inseparable. Of course, Derrick would want him there. You guys wouldâve been the perfect group if you and Johnny ended up together, but of course, you were too caught up in your studies to focus on a relationship. Understandably causing Johnny to date another girl. Stephanie.
Your eyes were shocked. Youâve followed Johnny on social media sites, and last time you checked, he was engaged and had a baby girl with Stephanie. âWhat?â you shockingly asked as if your ears deceived you. âWhy on, what the fuck? When did they break up? Donât they have a kid?â you jumbled out at your best friend who swiftly grabbed your hands carefully strumming at the back of them.
âHey! Y/n, Donât worry, you still have a whole month to work everything out with him, iâm sure he would love to talk to you and explain himself to you. Here, Iâll give you his number,â your best friend assured. She knew everything about the major crush Johnny had on you at the time, and as much as you wanted to return that love, you couldnât.
The next day, you returned home from your night shift at the hospital sluggish and drained. Still too timid to even text the number, let alone have you thought of what to say. You couldnât bring yourself to text him. At least not in this state. A shower and a proper breakfast should do enough for you to think properly and get yourself prepared for this conversation.
After your well-deserved hot shower, you made a glass of orange juice and some bacon and toast for breakfast, eating at your small coffee table while scrolling along your phone. You looked at the contact, threatening to press the green phone icon to call the number. You took a deep breath. âYou got this Y/n, just ring him,â you encouraged yourself before dialing the number.
Johnnyâs phone rang, and his 3-year-old daughter, Katie adjacent to him on the rug playing with her baby dolls while watching a cartoon. He picked up the unfamiliar contact before holding the phone to his ear. âHello?â he curiously called out.
Your heart dropped. He sounded the same, just as you remembered. His sweet tone of voice. Your memories flooded back of all the rants you gave to him, all the parties you went to, all the projects you shared. Everything. Rushing back like they never left. âUhm, Johnny? Hi, itâs Y/n from college,â you sheepishly responded with a timid smile.
Johnnys' eyes widened. âWoah, what the, oh my God itâs so good to hear your voice. Iâm sorry I havenât reached out in so long you know, things have been so crazy,â he excitedly turned to get up away from his seat on the rug to go to the kitchen. Still keeping an eye on Katie, but far enough where she wouldnât be into his conversation.
You smiled like an idiot. Giggles threatened to escape your lips. âFuck, no youâre fine! Iâm just a workaholic, always been. Iâm sorry I havenât been able to reach you. Howâs your baby? Howâs your job? Howâs Stephanie,â you jumbled out forgetting the detail that Stephanie wasnât in his life anymore.
Johnnyâs eyes faltered at the mention of Stephanie, sighing a bit before answering her questions. âMy baby, sheâs not so much of a baby anymore. Her name is Katie, she just turned 3 last month,â he happily responded speaking about his lovely daughter. âSheâs growing up so fast, itâs breaking my heart,â he teased before thinking about his job. âMy job, yeah Iâm in real estate which is so random, but itâs great money and great hours. I get a lot of time to myself and my baby girl,â he continued, leaning against his kitchen counter. âAnd uhm, yeah me and Stephanie arenât together anymore. Sheâs back in Chicago, I moved back to the city a year ago actually. I live by the campus actually,â he admitted solemnly. âI guess she just wasnât feeling the domestic life. Didnât argue in court or nothing, gave me full custody of Katie, and just left us,â he bluntly told you.
Your eyes widened shocked. They were lovebirds, itâs like they were inseparable all those years. âGod, Johnny Iâm so sorry, I just. Wow,â you were at a loss of words. Johnny was a great guy, who could just leave him? Girls almost fought over him a few years ago, and the one girl who had a chance left him for dust. âI didnât know you moved back to town, if we can, we should meet up you know Iâd love to talk to you?â you shyly asked carefully piecing together your proposition. âBring your daughter if youâd like, Iâd love to meet her!â you suggested.
Johnnyâs giggle rang through the phone. âIâd love that Y/n. Tell me the time and the place and Iâll be there,â he told you as he briefly looked up to see Katie asleep on the rug holding her toy to her chest. âI have to go put Katie to bed, but Iâll save your number and text you. Iâll see you soon okay?â he asked as he made his way to his daughter.
âOf course Johnny! See you then,â you said before hanging up to the phone politely. You sighed to yourself strumming your fingers through your hair.
â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘
Later that week, you sat in the local park at a bench with a lunchbox filled with drinks, sandwiches, and fruits waiting for Johnny. You two agreed on this location because one, there was a playground for Katie to play at. And two, you and your college friend group used to visit this park for school activities and late nights out constantly, it was a peaceful memory.
âY/n?â you heard your name called from a tall man with beautiful thick black hair, holding a brown-eyed chubby-cheeked girl on his hip walking towards you. âJohnny!â you exclaimed jumping from the bench and making a slight jog to meet him with a beaming smile. âItâs so good to see you! This must be Katie!â you expressed as you lowered yourself to make eye contact with the toddler, waving at her.
The little girl waved shyly before looking up at her dad. âMay I go play please?â she asked with a soft lisp and begging hands. Johnny nodded and set her down on the ground. âStay where I can see you please Katie,â he asked softly before he received a soft nod from the girl as she ran to play with the other children. Johnny sighed and looked at you, every inch of you. âYou look beautiful, itâs wonderful to see you Y/n,â he complimented before he began to walk with you back to the picnic table.
You shyly nodded and looked at him with soft eyes. âThank you, you too Mr. Suh,â you graced before sitting at the table to offer him some of the snacks you brought. âSo, our best friends are getting married! Iâm so excited!â you brought up innocently, looking up to read his expression as you sipped on one of the waters you brought. Johnny had a meek smile, nodding slowly. âYeah, Iâm not going through itâs just too much going on really,â he admitted to you. Your face faltered. âWhat? Johnny why not,â you pretended to act curious knowing the real reason.
âThe venue I guess has like a rule, max capacity or nothing but they donât want kids at their wedding. Katie canât even be my plus one,â he scoffed a bit as he bit into a turkey sandwich that was in the cooler. You looked down a bit toying with your fingers before bringing your eyes up to him. âWell, my best friend said it would be great if we go, you know. I know things happened between you and Stephanie but maybe, we could be each other's date? So we could just be at the wedding?â you asked shyly trying to meet his lowered gaze.
Johnny shook his head softly. âI donât know Y/n, Derrick asked me to be his best man, and Iâm assuming youâre the maid of honor. Would it look weird? I mean us walking together, being across from each other? I know itâs been a while since weâve spoken but like, would it be awkward? I know you didnât feel a certain way about me a year ago and I know you definitely canât now. It would be bittersweet for me,â Johnny confessed before thinking twice about what he said
You scoffed lightheartedly. âJohnny, I never felt any weird way against you in college. I mean, of course, I liked you but I never held it against you for dating Steph,â you assured rolling your eyes as you noticed his expression perk up. âWhat do you mean you liked me?â Johnny asked curiously.
âYou said you couldnât focus on a relationship and then ghosted us all after we graduated, you didnât see me before I left, you didnât congratulate me on my engagement, you didnât congratulate me until a week ago about Katie,â he rambled out before taking a deep breath to calm himself. âIâm not trying to be mad but, even if you didnât want to be with me, you didnât make an effort to be my friend Y/n⌠that hurt. I loved you, you were my best friend and I felt abandoned,â he confessed before dropping his sandwich back into the ziplock bag.
You sighed and ran your hands nervously down your thighs alleviating the sweat that was forming. You looked guilty. You were guilty. You shut out your best friends for years. You shut out Johnny for years. You knew you messed up. âI know. But it never meant I didnât like or love you. I just, I was scared. I wanted to go to med school, you wanted to settle down. I know this is personal, but I want us to be at the wedding and I want us to be there together, we can work everything out until then and you know hopefully be close again. Letâs just pretend. I get youâre upset but donât you think this is deeper than just us?â you pleaded with a gleam of tears forming in your eyes. You knew Johnny had every right to be upset. His world was crumbling and you didnât do anything to help.
He sighed deeply before looking up at you. âOkay, letâs do this wedding. Iâll talk to Derrick, and we can work something out between us. But, I donât want to be back in your life if this happens again. You leave and you call me up because you need my help. A friendship works both ways Y/n,â Johnny bluntly told you.
You shyly nodded. âI understand Johnny, I apologize. Iâm so sorry, I would never in a million years want to do that to someone I love. Not you, I wonât hurt you again,â you promised reaching your hand over the table to hold his. He grasped your hand and strummed his thumb over your palm.
âIâll hold you to it,â
â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘
Authorsâ Note:
sorry, this was obviously rushed but part 2 will be soon and it will be a FULL fic w/ angst and smutđ, iâm getting back to all requests so please be patient w/ me. i love the support, keep reblogging and commenting! itâs my biggest motivation!
If youâre feeling generous, you should buy me a coffee âď¸.
love, mei~
#kpop x reader#fanfic#kpop aesthetic#nct 127#nct x reader#johnny suh#nct johnny#johnny suh x reader#nct 127 x reader#nct imagines#nct fluff#nct fanfic#nct smau#jeong jaehyun x reader#jaehyun x reader#jaehyun nct
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baby, don't go | myg
âĽpairing | ex!min yoongi x f!reader, mentioned f!reader x omc âĽword count | 5.1k âĽwarning(s) | đ smut; dirty talk, pet names, praise kink, squirting, hand job, finger fucking, porn w/ plot, angst w/ a happy ending, alcohol, exes to lovers, implied cheating (omc is a fuckboy), implied getting back together (reader & yoongi still low key love each other), idol!yoongi âĽsummary | "hii can I request for an exes to lovers trope with yoongi đđ lovee your ficss" you find out your boyfriend is cheating on you. thankfully your ex Yoongi is more than happy to distract you. âĽnotes | hope you enjoy this anon đđ omc & ofc are named after characters from one of my favourite k-dramas (personal taste iykyk)
đ masterlist | inbox | AO3 đ
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.
Standing beside you, your friend Kae-In takes a swig of whatever's in her cup - a sickly sweet concoction of fruity soju and Chilsung, most likely - and coolly surveys the backyard.
Small groups of people dot the manicured lawn, others lounging by the fire as they catch up with one another. It's been far too long since everyone's schedules aligned like this.
Years in fact, and there are several who came in from out of town.
Ordinarily you'd be over the moon, but as it were you can barely drum up enough false excitement for your best friend. Let alone others you haven't seen in forever.
Cocking her hip, Kae-In puckers her mouth. "The alcohol isn't even that good." She sighs, pretty face scrunching in disappointment. "Some party this is turning out to be."
Your hard cider, still more than half-full, hides an awkward, ill-fitting smile.
Having nursed your own drink for the last hour, whatever might've been enjoyable about it is long gone. Any refreshing coolness and bright, punchy taste replaced by amber liquid far past room temperature in your clammy palm.
In fact, the fizzy warmth and tart aftertaste of moldering apples turns your stomach with every half-hearted sip.
"At least there's cute guys here - some of them have really grown up."
Her breath ruffles the fringe of her bangs when she huffs, casting an eye to the glass bottle strangled in your grip.
"Are you sure you don't want something a little stronger?"
You shrug. "Yeah, I'm fine - gotta be the DD just in case, y'know?"
"Girl, you're ALWAYS the DD. C'mon, you gotta live a little sometimes."
The nonchalant scolding stings, even if it's meant almost entirely in jest but it's not Kae-In's fault. She doesn't know. No one does. You couldn't muster up the courage to tell her the truth.
Not yet.
It's still too fresh. The wound too raw to go poking around with clumsy fingers.
"Don't be like that," you say with a faltering smile. "I'm having fun."
LIAR.
In actuality, you're a few frayed threads away from snapping. Stuck clinging to the edge of sanity by the fingernails as you battle back tides of crippling grief and blinding rage.
Have been since the first few messages came rolling in; questions with videos attached. There's a part of you grateful they reached out, while another altogether wishes you hadn't seen.
At least not until morning.
Would one more night spent in ignorant bliss have been too much to ask for?
Now you're riding a corkscrew of emotion, one that roils and chafes as ceaseless images parade past your eyelids with every blink. Each one as crisp and clear as the first time you pressed play.
The swirling lights, the heady thrum of bodies. A darkened corner. Your boyfriend of three years who said he couldn't make it. His hand sneaking beneath the hem of a cheap, glittery skirt. The dip of his head as he tucks into the curve of a neck, mouth open and smiling against bare skin.
You shudder, stomach rebelling. When you swallow, it's like trying to down buckets of sand.
Kae-In, none the wiser, flicks her hair over her shoulder. "Well, that makes one of us. I guess." Shrugging, she turns to you and asks with a furrowed brow, "Are you sure you're okay? You seem... a little off."
Panic grabs you by the throat.
This was supposed to be a night full of fun and laughter. You're not supposed to be suffocating in a crowded backyard. On the brink of tears and trying to act like your life hasn't imploded.
Alone - by your own doing, which is even worse - to deal with the crushing weight of an inevitable breakup. The painful extrication of two lives entwined.
How a relationship three years in the making can be shattered in a minute and forty-five seconds is mind boggling. You had it all, and now...
You thought you were going to marry him.
The whiplash of it all almost makes you laugh but only so you don't break down in great, heaving sobs. A heartbreak you're not sure you'll ever recover from. Not for the loss of him but rather the decimation of your trust.
"I'm okay, promise! No need to worry."
The lie weighs heavy on your tongue. Tastes of ash as the words you really want to say hover in the back of your throat, a breath away. Only they can't make it past your lips, stuck to your teeth like hard candy.
"It's just been one of those days."
Your shoulders shoot towards your ears when she hums in response. Fingernails picking at the corner of the sweating cider label so you don't have to meet Kae-In's piercing gaze. You know she can see right through you, and you hate it.
What started as a fun night of planned mayhem turned into desperate distractions though this party has done very little in terms of brightening your mood.
Instead, watching everyone you know have a good time while you stand on the side lines, a stranger in a sea of people, feels more akin to rubbing salt in an open wound.
Miserable but acting like youâre not; waves of bitter loneliness threatening to pull you under because you donât want to ruin the night.
âIs this because Chang-ryul couldnât make it?â Kae-In pats your back sympathetically. âWhat bullshit excuse did he give you this time? I swear, he always does this. Just wait. Iâm gonna hit him next time I see him.â
Oh, you donât even know, you think. Youâll definitely want to do more than hit him.
Your heart throbs at the sound of his name, and isnât that funny? Such a simple thing - nothing but syllables and letters strung together - and yet it has the power to unmake you completely.
Your tongue swells as you struggle to swallow. Words burn like bile as you force out a laugh; brittle, scraped up from the depths of your chest
âIâd pay to see that,â you croak. Your knuckles ache from how tightly youâre gripping the bottle. âBut - no. C-Chang-ryul has nothing to do with it.â
You hate that you stutter over his name.
And perhaps thatâs why you donât want to tell Kae-In just yet.
Sheâs always hated him.
Always said he was no good. Just another fuckboy looking for beds to warm and hearts to break. And sheâs right.
God, why does she have to be right?
You know sheâd never hold it over you, but the thought of admitting it - out loud - makes you want to vomit all over your shoes. You need time to stitch your edges back together. Too raw and ragged.
You only just found out.
Your pride canât handle any more hits right now.
She thumbs her nose with an inelegant snort. âWhatever you say. I could take him in a fight. That boy ainât shit.â
Your laugh startles you - the first genuine one of the evening - and you shake your head fondly. A soft smile tugs at your lips.
âOh, no doubt. But really, Iâve just been in a weird mood.â
The twist of her lips shows she doesnât believe a word youâre saying, but sheâs kind enough not to press. Instead, she spends the next while distracting you with tales of her various escapades of the week.
And it helps for a time, truly.
But then you feel a buzz against your thigh, a ding echoing up from your pocket. Your stomach turns to lead, drops to your feet. Without looking at the screen, you pull the cell out of your pocket with shaky hands and quickly flick the ringer off.
Meanwhile, Kae-In watches silently with sharp eyes, and an even sharper frown though she declines to comment on your behavior.
âAnyway,â she continues once she has your attention, âas I was saying, did you see little Ji-Seok? Dude shot up like a tree! Last time I saw him he was as big as a bean sprout.â
You hum, worlds away.
âYou could at least act like youâre paying attention,â she sucks her teeth before a smirk starts to slowly tug at her lips, âHow about we talk about something - or someone - I know youâll be interested in?â
Guilt sparks but slowly gives way to dread. You know that expression. Have gotten into trouble more times than you can count because of it.
Heart tattooing a rhythm against your rib cage, you sputter, âOh no. No! Do not look at me like that.â
âCâmo-on!â she wheedles. âYouâre absolutely right. We should be talking about,â she points at someone across the yard with her cup, âYoongi instead.â
Currently leaning back against a stone wall making up part of the fence, Yoongi nurses a beer. Sticking out like a sore thumb now that heâs making it big as an idol, no longer as mundane as the rest of them.
Hushed whispers follow his every move, his bleached hair and flashy outfit commanding all sorts of covert attention.
The sharp cut of his shirt flatters his lean frame, the black leather jacket over top emphasizing the width of his shoulders. Dark jeans cling to his legs, as tight as a second skin, and causing your attention to stray where it shouldnât.
And his eyes - oh, how you ever forgot is beyond you.
Dark, hooded, deep, and hungry; intense as they drag over the planes of your face like the caress of his fingers.
Shit.
You shove Kae-Inâs hand down with a loud smack before she makes an even bigger fool out of you in front of another ex.
âWhat the hell are you doing?â You hiss. âThatâs so rude!â
Not to mention embarrassing as fuck.
âYâknow,â she pauses to wiggle her brows and shoot you an impish grin, âI bet Yoongi would be more than happy to remind you of how rude he can be.â
You smother a groan in your hands, heartache temporarily forgotten. âI canât believe you. Seriously. Weâre no longer friends.â
âBitch, you love me. And anyway, you know what I canât believe?â She asks. âYou!â
She gestures towards him again amid your flailing attempts to stop her. âLook at him. Like goddamn, you had it good.â
You take a sip of cider to give your hands something to do, nearly blanching at the warm liquid. Refusing to respond or look up as the topic of conversation watches like a hawk, gaze heavy.
How can he still make you weak-kneed after all this time?
He wasnât even touching you and you still feel his presence down to your toes, setting your teeth on edge.
You hear your own heartbeat, your breathing shaky, sparks of awareness dancing along your spine. Heat creeps into the apples of your cheeks.
âKnock it off, Iâm serious.â
âNo, when are you going to get that Chang-ryul isnât good for you?â
You swallow roughly, all the moisture leaving your mouth.
âYoongi was the best boyfriend you ever had and treated you the way you deserve. And you know heâs never been interested in anyone but you. Hell, heâs barely looked away from you since he got here and the break-up was years ago.â
You shift, perspiration breaking out on your brow. âCan we please stop talking about this?â
âWhen will you give it up?â She blows a raspberry, shaking her head. âI know you regret how it went down between you guys. Now that heâs here - when you finally have a chance to make it right you just - just - ugh!â
Shooting her a weak half-smile and a shrug, you turn your attention to the small glowing fire pit.
Otherâs are gathered around it, relishing in the glow of warmth that wars against the balmy summer breeze cutting through the air. Focusing on the dance and flicker of the flames is a needed moment of peace in entropy.
Though you know it isnât going to last - not with a motormouth for a friend.
âSo-o, what are you waiting for?â
âSorry?â
She nods towards Yoongi subtly.
Heâs finally busy with his own conversation, his gummy smile a quick flash of brightness. âWhen are you going to stick it to Chang-ryul and hop on that dick?â
âOh my god!â
Kae-In shrugs. âWhat.â
âDonât 'what' me. Seriously?â
A bony elbow digs between your ribs. You wheeze.
âCâmon,â she says, âYou already know itâs good with him, and you deserve someone whoâs there for you 110%. Someone who will treat you right. You know I worry about you.â
A wave of emotions threatens to completely drown you in that moment, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. Her tender concern - her care - feels altogether too much and not enough.
As overwhelming as a tsunami; your heart a raw, exposed nerve.
All youâve ever wanted was to be loved.
To feel like someoneâs first and only choice.
You used to think Chang-ryul was someone who could provide that. What a fool youâve been. Men like him donât fall in love, they only pretend to.
They sneak inside your heart and take what they want from your bed. To him, youâre nothing but a fun little stop; a footnote, read and forgotten.
Your heart squeezes, shuddering from a pain your palm canât soothe away.
Itâs a terrible idea.
But maybeâŚ
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to lick your wounds with someone you know cares about you. Has always cared about you, and probably always will.
Clearing your throat, you consider his profile from beneath your lashes.
Yoongi's always made you feel wanted. Looked after you as though you were something rare and precious.
Itâs been a long time since youâve felt that.
Somehow, some way, he senses you looking because he pauses mid-sentence.
Turns to meet you head-on, tracing your face with what can only be called greed. Stopping short when they catch on the lip trapped between your teeth.
Something akin to hunger cuts across his face.
His brows dip low, a palpable heat flooding the inky depths of his eyes. Shadows deepen the lines of his face, the shifting firelight highlighting the flex of a jawline for days, burning halo gold in his hair.
Itâs a look youâre intimately familiar with.
Usually preceding a hand-shaking, mind-numbing fuck session where his cock gets as deep as it can, rutting hard and fast, bringing you over the edge again and again until youâre left a wrecked mess.Â
Your heart jumps, gallops headlong into a rapid beat.
You feel the rush of blood in your chest, every breath stuttered, stomach lurching. Shaking. Jittery. Tongue tied in a thousand knots and you havenât even said a word.
It was much easier to pretend you werenât so magnetically drawn to Yoongi when you werenât riding the singleâs train. When he was away in Seoul chasing after his dreams.
Now that heâs got downtime and your relationship has hit a brick wall? His mere presence sears you to the bone. Drags you in like a black hole.
And that?
So not good.
Swallowing roughly, you tear your attention away. Youâd forgotten how intense and blindly bright he can be.
Thereâs a throb developing in your temple, sharp little darts of pain lancing through your skull. An impending headache if you donât get some air that doesnât taste like wood-smoke and cheap alcohol.
âI think Iâm gonna head in for a bit. Need to get away.â
You shake your head and toss your bottle into the bin on the way inside, Kae-In shouting her acknowledgement with a thumbs up. Makes you promise to contact her in case of any change in plans.
Nearly everyoneâs outside so it should be less crowded, more quiet. Most importantly, away from Yoongi and that penetrating stare which makes you more flustered than you care to admit.
Alas, the kitchen isnât empty not for long.
Youâre lounging against the counter, elbows bent, head rolled back and stinging eyes closed when the back door creaks open. Biting off a groan, you swivel your head to the side.
When you see itâs Yoongi who follows you in, you almost slip and brain yourself on the tile. Mouth dry, palms sweaty, heart beating out of control; scrambling into a more flattering posture while patting down your hair.
He chuckles, his nose scrunched and smile coy.
Seeing him happy always makes you tender, weak.
It seems that hasnât changed a bit.
No amount of pictures or videos do it justice. Granted, Yoongi looks good any time, any day. But seeing his whole face light up like that in person? Utterly priceless.
Itâs a struggle to breathe properly around the lump forming in your throat.
Of course, it has to be him.
Wiping your palms off on your thighs, you greet him with an awkward wave, âUhhh, hey - hey there, Yoongi.â
Oh my god. Abort mission, I repeat, abort mission.
âYâknow what,â you say, âI was just about to head back outsideâŚâ
As you pass by, he catches your arm.
Long fingers curl around your wrist, callouses dragging across your pulse. Your gut clenches, an unexpected bloom of warmth shooting through your core at the sight of his broad palm holding you captive.
His grip is firm but loose enough that you could pull away.
All it serves to do is remind you of nights spent beneath his body, the slide of sweat-slick skin, the taste of him heavy on your tongue, pussy filled to the brim with cock. His rough voice music to your ears, prideful as he gloats about how well youâre taking him.
"Leaving so soon?â He asks silkily.
A hard tug sends you slamming into the wall of his chest.
Air rushes from your lungs, your hands trapped against his collarbones. Firm muscles contract beneath your palms, his body shoving into your touch.
Twisting your fingers in the soft cotton of his shirt, you look at him from beneath your lashes. Your voice whisper soft when you say, âYoongiâŚâ
His dark eyes, the colour of a rich espresso, track the path of your tongue as you wet your lips. Fingers drag over the soft line of your neck, tracing your fluttering pulse.
Touch feather light as it stops by the corner of your mouth, pressing down on the swell of your lip.
âI havenât said hello yet.â
Eyes wide, all you do is watch and wait with baited breath. Stunned into silence at his proximity. Itâs been so long since youâve been this close, the smell of his expensive cologne nostalgic.
Your body recognizes his, responding all the same. The connection between you electric, overwhelmingly so.
His head bows, bleached strands brushing your forehead. The tip of his nose rubs yours. You get lost in counting his eyelashes, tracing the bridge of his nose to the carved slope of his cheeks.
Surrounded by him, the urge to resist whatâs happening is nearly non-existent. Though you wish it wasnât so easy to be caught by him.
âOne of the guys said something interesting,â he says, his breath ghosting across your face; mint and beer. âIt's about you actually.â
He flashes the smile that sends your heart soaring, your stomach flipping.
The slightest peek of a metal chain resting in the crook of his neck, surrounded by a very tempting patch of skin you want to taste, has you a little dumbfounded, absentminded.
âOh?â
You really hope you donât sound as frazzled as you feel but the haughty superiority of his slow appraisal of your body, the cocksure smirk on his lips states otherwise.
You really wish you could knock him down a peg but confidence looks amazing on him.
Always has.
âThey said you have a boyfriend now. Is that true?â
You manage the slightest shake of your head in the negative - no, not anymore - your heart thundering in your ears.
Your breath catches in anticipation just before Yoongi closes the remaining inches between you with a hum of approval.
His head tilts to the side as he slots your mouths together in a kiss thatâs got your toes curling. A filthy wet slide of lips, his the slightest bit chapped, send you under, liquid warmth filling your belly.
You inhale sharply, a moan vibrating against his lips.
Melting into the cage of his arms as his hands clamp down on your hips possessively, tugging you closer. Pressed stem to stern like this thereâs no hiding the evidence of his desire.
Heâs already half-hard in his jeans, his erection pressing against the zipper.
His eyes are hooded when he pulls away.
âWanna take this somewhere a little more private, baby?â Yoongi asks, running his nose up the length of your neck and inhaling.
How is this my life, you think, dazed.
His hips grind forward against you so thereâs no mistaking what youâre dealing with. âItâll be just like old times.â
After an awkward fumble and an elbow to the side, you settle on the downstairs bathroom. He follows, quickly pinning you to the door while struggling to toss his leather jacket over the sink.
With a flick of the lock, youâre finally alone without any possible interruption. The door muffles most of the ruckus outside, leaving you hyper aware of every hurried breath, every low-throated murmur.
For a long while itâs nothing but a mess of lips, his body molding to yours. Easy to fall back into the old rhythms of your relationship as though you never left it.
He holds you down.
His fingers in your hair, on your jaw. His tongue gliding over your lip, sucking it into his mouth and letting it slide back out through his teeth.
You meet him kiss for kiss, your hands finding their way into his back pockets, tugging, groping, loving how he bucks up into the cradle of your hips in response.
A sweet ache settles low and deep.
âYoongi,â you sigh. âFuck, I forgot how much you like to tease.â
His thumb circles your nipple through your shirt, teasing it into a sensitive, stiff peak that shows through the thin fabric.
The caresses send soft pulses straight to your clit, the intensity getting stronger and stronger the rougher he is.
Before long, youâre aware of how achingly empty you are.
Yoongi nips the corner of your jaw.
âNever forgot how fun teasing you is,â he murmurs into the silk of your skin. âHow wet you get for me.â
âShit, you canât just say something like that.â
âCanât I?â His laugh, genuine and vibrant, sounds through his chest and into yours. âYou can bitch all you want, but I know you love it.â
A smile, all teeth.
âIsnât that right, baby?â
You glare at him weakly through half lidded eyes.
Two can play that game.
âFuck!â Yoongi bites out, those impossibly dark eyes sliding shut when you reach down to palm him through his jeans.
His breath whooshes from him in a loud exhale, his jaw working back and forth. âThatâs cheating.â
You smirk, feeling him throb in your hand.
âWhat were you saying, Yoongs?â Humming, you rub your chest against his, using a fingertip to trace the outline of his shaft. âI didnât quite catch that.â
Spearing you with a weighted look, Yoongi shoves you back into the door harder than before, the wood creaking under the pressure. Fist resting on the frame next to your head, his body cages you in.
Every shuddered inhale has the planes of his firm chest pressing into yours with the expansion of his lungs. His hips buck up into the softness of your palm with a grunt.
âDonât start something you canât finish, pretty girl,â he cautions.
Competitiveness is a gift and a curse.
Not one to be outdone, you brush away any lingering reservations - which being honest, there werenât many left. His relieved groan when you tug out his cock reverberates through you.
Shit, thatâs so unfair.
Yoongi already sounds wrecked yet youâve barely touched him. How the fuck are you going to get through this without completely combusting when he actually cums?
Thinking that maybe focusing on what youâre doing will help, you look down.
Big mistake.
Dark designer jeans circle his thighs, low enough for his cock to spring free.
Flushed, curved towards his belly, the head swollen and sticky with pre-cum. The shaft a decent handful that pulses when your palm skims the side.
Feminine appreciation at the sight has velvet heat pooling between your thighs, pussy clenching at the thought of him inside you.
Sex with him was always stupidly good.
All those veiled lyrics about his skill in the bedroom far too accurate for comfort.
Since you broke up, you havenât been with anyone that comes close to his ability in getting you off.
Heâs ruined you.
His face burrows into the crook of your neck with a low groan. His breath puffs across your skin, shivers racing down your spine.
Low voice full of grit, he says, âShit, baby, that feelsâŚâ
Hot palms anchor themselves to your hips.
âWait a sec,â he says, body twitching with aborted thrusts, strong fingers kneading. âWanna do you too.â
Heart jumping, you let go of him long enough to yank your shirt over your head and kick off your pants before returning your hand to his cock.
In the meantime, he rucks his shirt up under his armpits. You canât help but make a noise in the back of your throat as the length of his torso is exposed.
All that soft, smooth skin stretching over his stomach as he flexes. You have to fight down the urge to run your tongue along the outline of his hip.
Mouth slack, Yoongi pushes up the cups of your bra. Watches laser-focused on the bounce of your tits as they drop free, subtly swaying with every jerk of your wrist.
His hips fuck up into the circle of your hand while one of his own inches down to brush the crease of your thigh. Your hips tilt towards his touch, desperate for friction.
âOh god.â He moans, calloused fingers dipping between your folds. âYouâre so wet for me.â
You wiggle, whining against his lips as you meet in a messy kiss. His touch is light, gentle, barely there as he traces the length of your slit.
Youâre trembling, skin too tight, body feverish. âStop teasing, I want you inside me.â
Those seem to be the magic words because Yoongi gives a rumble of approval, using his thumb to spread slick over your swollen clit in tight circles.
Heat coils in your belly, electricity racing down your spine. Your thighs splay as wide as they can, making room for his hand.
His knuckles brush your skin.
Dipping down to your entrance, Yoongi works on spreading you open with shallow thrusts until you take three fingers comfortably.
Your needy sighs and soft moans bounce off the walls.
His low murmurs right in your ear as the pads stroke your walls, his wrist flexing. Heâs hitting all the right spots, still remembering how to get you off years after the fact.
Youâre quickly turning weak-kneed and wet eyed.
âFuck, Yoongs, right there,â you keen, baring down on the digits nudging your g-spot, your grip tightening around his shaft.
You grind your palm over the swollen tip, gathering beads of pre-cum.
He hisses, thrusts off beat.
Fingers nudge up suddenly, pressing deep and holding in retaliation. White lightening crackles behind your eyelids, thighs twitching, mouth dropping open.
âYeah, just like that, pretty girl.â
Your world narrows down to every filthy slide of his cock in your hand, every gush of slick as he stuffs fingers into you over and over again until youâre a writhing mess against the door.
Your nerve endings are alive with pleasure, the stimulation too much and not enough.
âPlease, donât stop.â
âWouldnât dream of it,â he says, doubling his efforts, wrist working faster.
Dapples of sweat litter his brow, his eyes staring into yours, glazed over and lusting.
Fuck, heâs handsome like this.
Itâs a little embarrassing how bad heâs got you but between the blissed-out expression heâs wearing, the weight of him in your hand, and how full you are, you know this orgasm is going to be quick, messy.
The pace of his hips pick up, his breath hitching in his throat, length twitching and thickening in your grip.
Heâs getting close, his touch rougher, more force behind the snapping thrusts of his hips, teeth nipping at the side of your neck.
âCome on, baby,â you say, breathless, twisting your hand on the upstroke. He smothers a grunt in your shoulder. âGive it to me.â
It doesnât take much more to bring him to the edge.
A particular spread of his fingers has you jolting, a sudden, intense spike of pleasure shooting right to your clit.
In turn, you unintentionally massage his cock, knuckles bumping the underside of the swollen head.
Heâs a goner.
Cumming with a low, wounded whine and a shuttered thrust, Yoongi smacks the door with his free hand. Thick spurts of jizz make an absolute mess of his stomach and your knuckles.
Sagging forward like a doll with cut strings, all his dead weight bears down on you.
He pants, small tremors wrack his frame. âBaby,â he murmurs, pressing a wet kiss to your jaw, âI missed you sâmuch.â
âMissed you too,â you reply, using nice, languid strokes to wring the last of his orgasm out of him. âMore than I thought I did.â
In lieu of a response, Yoongi wiggles his fingers inside you, rebuilding the rhythm he lost. He flutters them, curls up against your walls, peppering kisses along the length of your jaw with a hum.
Slick drips down his wrist, the sloppy sound of him finger fucking your cunt blending with a surge of desperate moans.
âYeah, thatâs right,â Yoongi says against your chin. âSo fucking hot, wanna see you cum.â
Your back arches, your fingers digging into the width of his shoulders, head smacking the door with a dull thud.
âCan you do that for me?â
Nodding frantically, you fall apart with a broken gasp. Clamping down so hard he canât move, the cramps softened by the throbbing heat washing over you. Blood rushes in your ears as your pussy gushes around his fingers.
âGood girl,â he praises, tone heated. âYou did so well for me.â
By the time your brain comes back online, youâve forgotten all about Chang-ryul and the constant vibration of your phone where itâs shoved - forgotten - into your pocket.
The only thing that matters is Yoongi with his tender kisses and greedy hands.
#yoongi x reader#yoongi smut#bts smut#min yoongi x reader#yoongi#min yoongi x you#bts min yoongi#yoongi fanfic#yoongi x you#bts x reader#bts fanfic
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try again -tamlin x reader
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summary: after a fight in the Night Court, Y/n seek refuge in the Spring Court where she finds a old lover again.
warnings: ofc none
w/c: 5k
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"Are you telling me you want Feyre to destroy an entire Court-of allies against Hybern, dammit-just because of a love affair gone wrong?"
Right now you don't care much about the consequences your words will cause you, and you certainly don't care that you are raising your voice to the High Lord of the Court of Night. Rhysand merely stares at you with glacial violet eyes, his stern face painted with total indifference. Here is the one you hate: not your friend, but the High Lord. The one who reserves glances of superiority for you and makes you feel stupid every time you open your mouth. But it is not he who answers you, but rather Cassian, always the first to put Rhysand before everyone, before even himself.
"Speak more respectfully to your High Lady." You cannot stop your face from contorting into a grin. The concept of High Lady was invented by Rhysand and has no real value, you think, now they're going to resent Tamlin for that too? Besides the fact that Feyre has no political experience, hell, she wasn't even a Fae until recently, how do they expect her to lead a Court?
Mor, as usual interested in putting straw on the fire, speaks in a honeyed voice, "Are you still pining for Tamlin, Y/n? We thought that time was over." You feel your cheeks go flaming with anger. You want to respond, but Azriel, always the pacifist in the countless confrontations you've had with your friends, gets in the way. The blonde doesn't seem to relent even when the winged male tells her to stop, and your face shifts to Rhysand, who sits in his study chair settling more comfortably on the backrest, enjoying the show. There's no point in arguing, you think. You roll your eyes, and under everyone's gaze but without saying a word, you leave the room.
You love your family, but sometimes they really seem dumber than a goat. You are not a High Lady, no, and certainly your job does not include ruling a Court, but you know perfectly well too that whatever Feyre is doing is wrong. But you don't blame her: Rhysand can be persuasive, and probably the destruction of the Spring Court was more his idea than the Feyre's, he's still attached to events that happened five centuries ago.
You just don't understand, given the delicate period Prythian is going through, why tear down an entire Court. One more ally against Hybern. And above all, mixing politics and personal conflicts? Never a good idea. Not to mention Mor, and Rhysand's attitude. And... everything. You are tired, and with a sigh you walk out of the huge building and down the main street of Velaris, taking more time to think. Normally you would have winnoved in your apartment on the edge of town, but you feel the need to blow off some steam.
Too bad your little walk doesn't help, in fact. Seeing people so carefree and naive makes you see red, because they have that chance, and the rest of the Night Court doesn't. You've always tried to push the issue, trying to get as many women and children into Velaris as possible, but Rhysand has always been very firm about the rules. Slowly you realize that maybe they are not friends, or even family, as you allowed yourself to call them years ago. You don't share their choices, their ways, their governance. You don't share any thoughts. But you are stuck. Where could you possibly go?
You arrive home and the first thing you do is undress and prepare a hot bath. Once you are done, with only a towel you head into the small kitchen, determined to make yourself some tea and take a tonic to sleep, exhausted from this day.
At your table you find Azriel. That's right, you had forgotten that you now share an apartment with him. You greet him by calling his name, and he looks at you curiously, almost worriedly.
"Are you okay?" He asks, and you're not quite sure how to answer. Normally you are not so unhappy, but today's fight hit you hard. It has opened your eyes. Feyre, here for so little, is already more important than you. Not to mention how they make you feel inadequate and stupid, as if your opinion doesn't count for anything. You don't respond, not trusting your voice, and simply shrug. Azriel gets up and takes the tea-making supplies from your hands.
"I'll do it." He says kindly, and you murmur a thank you, and decide to get dressed in the meantime. When you return from your room, tea is poured into a steaming mug on the table.
"Two teaspoons of sugar, just the way you like it." This brings a smile back to your face, and you begin to sip the sweet liquid careful not to burn your tongue. "You can tell me what's going on, you know."
You think about it for a while before answering, but eventually decide that you have nothing to lose. "I don't want to be here anymore." Azriel looks at you surprised.
"Do you mean... in this apartment, or...?"
"No. I want to leave the Night Court. I don't want to work for Rhysand anymore, I'm exhausted." You sigh, and tears sting your eyes. Azriel looks at you sympathetically.
"Don't you feel at home anymore?" You shake your head, and are glad you confided in him. If anyone can understand you, it is certainly Azriel. He nods, silence takes over, and the only sound is the jarring sound of a teaspoon used to stir the tea, hoping to cool it slightly.
"Maybe you should leave, then." He says simply, his tone serene. You did not expect such a reaction, but you are grateful for it. A bitter laugh shakes your shoulders. "And where?"
Azriel shrugs. "Everywhere. Anywhere you want." I suppress his words by really considering it.
"What about Rhysand?"
"I could... help you." He says finally, and his words mean so much to you right now.
"Would you really do that?" He merely nods. "I ... thank you."
Not long after, the tea now cold and the cookies you kept inside the drawer now gone, the plan is decided. You will contact an old friend at the Spring Court, and ask her for refuge.
Azriel will accompany you to the edge of the Spring Court, helping you carry your things and offering emotional support.
"Are you sure this is the right choice? Feyre..." You nip his speech in the bud with a hand gesture. You've thought long and hard about where to go. But you have no contacts besides this friend in other Courts, and despite your history with Tamlin... you can do it.
"I'll come and see you, you know."
"I hope so."
"Will I ever know what happened between you and him?"
The question leaves you speechless, your body stiffens and you freeze for a moment, but you are quick to recover. You take a deep breath before speaking again.
"We loved each other. But then... Amarantha came and..." You don't say more than that, you don't explain further, but Azriel understands and doesn't ask questions.
"So...we'll see each other, yes?"
"Sure. I'm counting on it, Az." And with a final hug, you turn and enter the Court of Spring without looking back.
The first few weeks proceed slowly, but positively. You get up in the morning when the sun is already high in the sky, a warm breeze caressing your legs as you step out onto the small balcony with hot tea warming your hands. Your friend had to leave shortly after your arrival, and she will be back in who knows how long, leaving her home all to yourself. By now you have built a routine: you wake up and sip the sweet drink, you read until lunch, you cook, and in the afternoon you take care of chores. But your favorite activity so far has definitely been going to the local market. It is so different from how you remember.... And yet so much the same. The air of fear you felt because of Amarantha has ceased, though a small trickle of it remains because of Hybern. The stalls overflow with fruits and vegetables of all kinds, colors and scents. It makes you smile with familiarity every time you pass by.
Today you woke up determined to make some treats, but you are missing some ingredients, forcing you to go to the market. You quickly slip into one of your friend's clothes, and grab a picnic basket on your way out the door smiling. There is no doubt that you are happier now.
"Hi, honey! What can I get you today?" Alyna, a delightful female with whom you have bonded a lot these past weeks, greets you cheerfully.
"Hey, Aly! Um, could you make a mix of all the fruit?" You ask quietly, and the fae is quick to give you whatever you need. You admire the way she fiddles with her hands, but at the same time she's conversing with you-she's really good at everything, you think.
"So how are you finding yourself?"
"Great, really great. I'm really happy with my choice." She smiles at you as she helps you arrange the food in the basket. "I'm glad about that. Come see me for tea once in a while!"
"Of course, how much do I owe you?"
"Oh, dear, but don't worry!" After further insistence, she allows you to leave her a couple of gold coins. Much more than she actually needs, but she deserves it.
You opt to take another tour of the stalls before heading home. One in particular catches your eye, the colorful clothes too beautiful not to be admired. You are so busy running the pink fabric under your fingertips that you hardly recognize the voice next to you. Your body seems to do so before you even realize who the male next to you is. But then it's clear as day: the crisp, rainy, earthy scent, so unique and delicious.The blond hair and the broad warrior shoulders. It hasn't changed one bit. Your whole body is stiff, but you take a deep breath. You prepared for this moment; you knew you would see him again sooner or later.
Things between you and Tamlin did not end badly, but neither did they end well. It wasn't even a relationship you had: you barely had time to get to know each other and fall in love before Amarantha yanked him away from you. You suffered a long time for something that never even happened. But you know there won't be another chance like that: Tamlin has loved, no-loves Feyre with all of himself. He has moved on. And so have you, of course. But he will forever remain a crack in your heart.
The merchant's voice brings you back to reality. "Miss, are you interested in the dress?" You look at her wide-eyed, confused.
"Excuse me?" The sound of your voice makes the male, who has remained unaware of your presence until now, turn around.
"I was asking if you were interested in the dress."
"Y/n?"
"I, um. No, thank you. Sorry for wasting your time." Your tone is confused, you feel Tamlin's gaze burning your skin as he approaches. You feel his presence all over you.
"Don't worry, dear." The merchant walks away, leaving you alone with him.
"Y/n... what are you doing here?" For the first time in fifty years you allow yourself to look into his eyes, and it's as if the world is falling apart and rebuilding at the same time.
"Tamlin..." Tears wet your eyes as you try to show strength in front of the male you loved so strongly before. And who has now lost his mind for another female.
"What are you doing here?" The anger in his face, in his voice makes you take a step back.
"I-I ran away. I didn't fit in, and an old friend offered me to stay with her here." He lets out an annoyed snort.
"Of course, they didn't send you, did they?"
"No. I--there's something you need to know, Tamlin, about Feyre. I'm not in the habit of getting involved in matters that I don't-" He doesn't even let you finish the sentence.
"Feyre and I are just fine, and I won't let your Court get in the way one more time."
"No-"
"No, Y/n. You made your choice half a century ago when you chose him over me. Now I am making my choice. You better get out of my Court, you are no longer welcome."
And so, as he came so suddenly, he goes away, leaving you standing there like a fool. You compose yourself as best as you can and set out on your way home, tears flowing freely down your cheeks in the meantime.
You didn't bake anymore. As soon as you returned, you took a hot bath and a sleeping tonic, which has now become your trusted go-to solution. You woke up a few hours later, in the middle of the night, the effect of the tonic wearing off. Thoughts invaded your head, and it was only after hours of tossing and turning in bed and the sun coming up by now that you decided to write a letter to him. You get up and grab a pen and paper, your hands trembling with excitement. You cannot let Feyre find out about this, or your whole plan will be blown. You wish you had Azriel by your side to give you advice.
Dear Tamlin,
I apologize for making such an impetuous introduction to your Court, and especially without official notice. I wanted to let you know that I no longer work for the Night Court and have left of my own free will, but I have some important things to discuss with you, and they concern the security of your Court. I hope you can understand, and I hope to see you soon so we can talk about it. In case this does not happen, I hope to get you permission to reside in your territory, and I warn you not to trust those close to you.
Best regards,
Yours, Y/n.
With a sigh you close the letter and don't even wait for the sun to fully rise: you leave the house with a light cloak to cover you from the cool breeze and take the letter to the nearest village messenger.
The reply comes sooner than expected. It is simple and informal, and you sincerely hope that everything has gone according to plan and that it is not a trap set by Feyre, or worse, Rhysand himself.
Meet me at the market this afternoon after lunch.
Tamlin.
You reread the small sheet of paper a hundred times before getting ready. A way of nostalgia invades your senses one by one, but you chase it away violently. You don't have time for this. You must help him save himself and save his own court before it is too late.
"Y/n?" Tamlin notices you first as you wait for him at the same stall as last time. You turn quickly, so fast that you lose your balance and risk falling, but the male has quick reflexes and catches you before that can happen.
"You haven't changed a bit." His wry comment lightens the air around you, but it weighs down the burden in your chest that you feel. However, you do not give it away. You are here for a very specific reason, and you don't even know how much time you have left. You cannot be distracted by events that happened years and years ago.
"Tamlin." You greet him. "I'm here to warn you." You don't reveal everything right away; you're still trying to figure out if he would be willing to believe you or not. You know it's not easy for him. His expression turns cloudy, but he invites you to continue. You send down a knot in your throat before you speak again.
"It's about Feyre. I-I know it's hard to believe, but she didn't come back to you. Rhysand appointed her as High Lady, and you let her into your territory as a spy for the Night Court. She will destroy you, you can't-. you can't-we can't afford that in a time of war." You talk so fast that you stumble over the words occasionally, not stopping to breathe even once. Tamlin is almost tempted to invite you to breathe and explain more calmly, but your words cloud his eyes with anger.
"You... you-" He cannot even find the words to tell you after such a revelation.
"No, you have to believe me. Maybe-let me show you." Your tone is almost pleading, and at this point there would be no point in denying it to you. Tamlin knows you: you may have chosen him fifty years ago, but you have never been a liar.
You show him everything you can. It's been a long time since you've entered his mind, and the feeling is so familiar that your heart tightens. You focus on what you have to show him, and you don't think about it. After what seems like hours, you get to the last fight that happened with Rhysand, and when you get out of his mind his posture is slumped, tired, exhausted. You feel sorry for him, just as Mor had said, and you feel sorry for everything he seems to be feeling right now.
"Is he really ... so much better than me?" He finally asks, and it's not what you expected. You want to hug him, to tell him that no, absolutely not, never, never could Rhysand be, but you hold back.
"No." You just say, searching his eyes with yours, but not finding them. His face is low, probably trying to hide what look like ... tears, from the people in his Court. "Tamlin..."
"No, no...it's all right. I'll send her away now, you can stay as long as you like." The answer should make you happy, but it doesn't. His tone is so pained that you yourself begin to cry. You find it very ironic, how you are crying for him but he is probably crying for another female.
He leaves without saying a word to you. Just like last time.
Months go by. The war against Hybern has been fought and you haven't seen Tamlin once again. You have not taken part in the fighting despite your training. You do not feel like seeing such death. But you know that the Spring Court did, and it was also thanks to them that Prythian won against Hybern.
Azriel has visited you a handful of times since then, and he has always been very apprehensive and kind to you. No one yet knows where you ended up, and you will never be more grateful to anyone than him for keeping quiet.
Your dear friend has also returned, and together with her you have managed to find a small apartment in the nearest village, allowing you to take more part in the social side of your life.
It feels strange to return to the market once the war is over. A feeling of peace and total relaxation fills the air and feels surreal to you. You are not used to it, but you welcome it with open arms.
"Hey, honey, how are you?" Alyna, who has become one of the closest friends you have, asks you.
"It's such a nice day today, it's better than usual, or is it not?" You say lightheartedly, a big smile makes its way onto your face. Not just because of the war, you realize. You've finally managed to build a life for yourself away from the people who were giving you misery. Only one small question mark remains in your life, and that is Tamlin, but you realize there is not much you can do about it. You wonder why you still can't get over him after all this time. Is it the same for him, too? Surely not. Surely he will feel what you are feeling now, but for another female. The thought alone is capable of hurting you, but you drive it away, focusing on the figure in front of you.
"Yes, finally the burden of war no longer hangs over Prythian, I would say. Would you like some coffee?" And how could you say no.
When you get home in front of your door you find a letter. It comes from the Court, but it is not Tamlin's handwriting. It is an invitation, you realize when you open it, you have been invited to a formal ball to celebrate the end of the war.
You are delighted, this makes you a citizen in your own right, but you are also weirded out. From the invitation it appears to be a formal ball, and although you were an emissary long ago, at the Spring Court you are nothing more than a simple peasant girl, who like everyone else gets her food from what she produces, why would you attend such an event? More importantly, will the Night Court participate?
You put the countless doubts to rest with a bath and a sleeping tonic.
The next morning, you head to the village with one goal firmly set in your mind: you need an elegant and appropriate outfit for the Spring Court. All the formal dresses you own clearly belong to the Night Court, and although they are beautiful and elegant, by the time you have tried one on you have realized that you would not be comfortable. And also, if others will be present you want to show them that you are now no longer part of their Court. That this is your home, and you are happier than ever.
You walk into an old weaver's store that you've been to a couple of times before and you've always been comfortable.
"Y/n! What a pleasure to have you here, what would you need?" The female greets you warmly as always, and you reciprocate with equal affection.
"I would need a dress for a dance. Something simple but nice." The Fae squares your figure with watchful eyes, and you can almost see the wheels turning behind her eyes.
"Try this on."
After a whole afternoon spent inside her cuddly little store, and no less than three delightful new dresses, you finally manage to get home. It seems almost out of place to have three such exquisite and expensive dresses in your hands in such a tiny, bare apartment, but you were unable to say no in front of such beauty, such art expressed in fabric. You go to sleep with still a broad smile on your lips, perhaps in spite of everything you would not have minded going back to the court events.
The next day you wake up and instead of your usual reading, you do household chores, since you were supposed to be in the Spring Palace in the evening.
You gather fresh eggs and feed the animals, pick various fruits from the trees, and finally take a nice refreshing bath. You spend the afternoon getting ready, and just as the sun is about to set, you transmute in front of the Palace.
The feeling that overtakes you is ... it makes your stomach clench in agitation. It has been more than fifty years since you set foot in its home, but it has not changed one bit. The gardens are immense and full of sweetly and delicately scented flowers, the hallways are filled with gold and riches on every side. A Fae you don't recognize at the entrance to the ballroom asks you for an invitation, and you cheerfully hand it to him.
You don't immediately feel comfortable when you enter, and you make your eyes roam all over the room looking for the familiar figures of the Night Court, but you meet no one. In fact, no one from other Courts seems to be present. Your eyes wander again and again, until they meet those of a tall, relaxed-faced male. Tamlin. He sips an amber liquid from a gold-decorated glass as he talks happily with Lucien. Oh, how you've missed him, too.
When he notices you, he seems to take his leave and you stare at him as he crosses the entire room to join you. Your heart beats so fast that you are sure he can hear it as he gives you a slight bow and takes your hand, laying a gentle kiss on your knuckles. He leaves you the spot where he placed his lips almost thrilling.
"Y/n, you are stunning." He says, smiling gently at you, and the way he acts confuses you a little. You don't want to be anyone's spare tire. But at the same time, it ... it's all so much the same, it's as if 50 years had never passed. You've been hoping Tamlin would compliment you, after all the effort you put into fixing your hair, face and dress, and now that he does -- you're confused.
"Thank you, Tamlin. To what do I owe your invitation?" You decide to be direct.
"That's exactly what I wanted to talk about." He moves causing you to step forward in front of him, lays a warm hand on your uncovered back, and guides you to the banquet full of treats, away from the center of the room. "Help yourself." You don't serve yourself, despite all that food being extremely tempting, but instead you wait for him to speak. He sighs. "I wanted to thank you. For your warning. If she had carried out her plan-I don't even know if this Court would have stood."
"Of course, Tamlin. From my side I wanted to ... apologize." No apology was planned, but you owe him one.
He shrugs, dismissing the question with his hand.
"That's okay, I hope now that it's all over ... we can keep in touch. If you'd like to come to these kinds of events." You don't answer, but your smile speaks for you. You don't dance together, but it's the beginning of something wonderful, something that already happened a long time ago.
After almost a month, another invitation arrives. It is a dance where the other Seasonal Courts are also invited, so it will be even more exclusive, fortunately you still have two more dresses and most importantly, there will be no Night Court.
You quiver and are even more agitated than last time, you feel like a little novice girl. You avoid drinking any more coffee in the morning, not wanting to increase your nerves even more than they already are. You again spend the whole afternoon getting ready and transmute once more in front of his palace, the honeyed scent of flowers welcoming you just as you remembered. Your heart begins to beat wildly. You enter the hall and your eyes automatically land on Tamlin. You missed him, you realize.
"Y/n! Good to see you." The blond-haired male once again makes his way to join you. "You look as lovely as ever." His eyes burn on your figure, bolder than last time. He hands you a colorful drink and you gladly accept it.
"You look lovely too, Tamlin." You sip the pink liquid in the glass, a sweet and sour taste invades your mouth. "It's delicious, what is it?" You ask charmed. The male chuckles.
"Something new from the kitchen, but I don't know what it is either." He seems to hesitate a bit, but finally speaks, his cheeks slightly flushed. "Do you want to dance?"
Your knees almost buckle. "My pleasure." You say all too quickly. He holds out a hand to you, and after placing the glasses on a nearby table, you direct me to the middle of the dance floor, all eyes on you.
You dance in silence all evening. One dance turns into two, then three, and then into a whole night. When the music ends by now there are only a few people left, you are sweaty and out of breath, but you are happy. As happy as you've ever been. Deep laughter shakes your body, finally infecting Tamlin as well.
"I haven't danced in a long time." You say once you've calmed down, almost as justification for your behavior.Tamlin merely smiles at you. You head to the banquet and he hands you a large glass of water, and you are eternally grateful. You drink it down in one gulp.
"So...see you, Y/n?" He asks you uncertainly. You nod smilingly.
Only a handful of days pass when a letter arrives. But it's not a formal invitation, no. You recognize Tamlin's handwriting and can still smell him in the air. Has he been here? You quickly return and toss the basket full of crops at the doorway, eager to open the envelope with trembling hands.
Dear Y/n,
I would have liked to tell you in person, but I couldn't find you at home. I hope it's okay to have asked your friend for your address. Be ready tonight after dinner.
Yours, Tamlin.
Your body freezes before rejoicing in laughter coming from your heart. You get right down to business: do your usual routine, bath, hair, and finally your dress. You don't wear an elegant one, but a simple, typical Spring Court dress that Alyna gave you. You do sweet braids and don't wear makeup, but use your favorite perfume. Your favorite perfume. Someone knocks on the door at dusk, and it only takes a few moments for you to open it.
"Hey, Y/n." His eyes linger all over your body, he runs his tongue over his lips, and you can't help but stare.
"Hi." You greet him simply, a shy smile on your lips and slightly rosy cheeks. It's a date, you realize.
"Thank you for accepting."
"Did I have a choice?" He chuckles, then shakes his head.
"Of course you did. But I wanted to take you somewhere." He smiles at you. He holds out his hand and you grasp it, one moment you are in the doorway of your apartment, the next you are on a meadow covered with pale flowers and a cool stream. You look around in wonder. You had missed these places, so much that you didn't even realize it.
"It's... it's gorgeous." You comment in amazement. He nods, the stars reflected in his eyes giving him a poetic air. You would like to touch him now more than ever.
"I would have liked to have had more time, with you." He says after what seems like an eternity spent staring at you and nothing else. You nod, step forward, and he does the same. The warm breeze ruffles your hair, and you make to raise a hand and fix it, but he is quicker and moves a strand behind your ear. Just as he did one night long ago, and countless other times.
"Tamlin..." He shushes you with a kiss. It is sudden and leaves you breathless. It takes you a couple of seconds to recover and reciprocate with as much passion, as much feeling. You both pull away reluctantly, your breath heavy and your cheeks flushed. You can feel her heart beating incessantly, in the same rhythm as yours.
"I've been wanting to do this ever since I saw you again." He says and makes you chuckle, because it was exactly the same for you. "I've missed you."
"I missed you, too. So much." You answer and kiss him again. And again, again, again.
You have been denied for fifty years and now you don't have enough, you want to take back the time you lost. You must eventually break away one more time, making you moan in frustration.
"Let's try again." He says with his lips still resting on yours, your breaths mingling together.
"Let's try again."
#acotar#a court of thorns and roses#pro tamlin#acofas#acomaf#acosf#a court of mist and fury#a court of frost and starlight#a court of silver flames#tamlin smut#tamlin fanart#acotar tamlin#tamlin acotar#tamlin#tamlin x fairy#tamlin x you#tamlin x oc#tamlin x reader#tamlin x feyre#pro lucien vanserra#lucien vanserra#pro lucien#lucien acotar#pro azriel#azriel shadowsinger#acotar fanfiction#tamlin fanfiction#tamlin fanfic#tamtam#tamlin fluff
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The âTeaserâ, mlvn rooftop convo, and Lord of the Rings parallelâŚ
This is gonna be a long post, so grab some snacks yâall.
First of all, the teaser the Duffers shared at this Netflix shareholders event was basically all BTS stuff, and according to someone that was there, we have mostly seen all of it. The actual clips from the show they showed were so short that most people missed it. However, over those short clips it seems they played a voiceover of part of the mlvn rooftop convo. Notice how the Suffer Sisters are literally incapable of sharing anything new, and the only audio they disclosed is from the ONE scene thatâs been leaked to death, and even transcribed multiple times with the help of AI. In any case, Netflix did not share this teaser with the masses, and itâs unlikely they ever will. Stranger Things is not going to the Super Bowl this year (yes you heard that right) and the Tudum Event isnât until May. Our only hope before that would be them releasing something on Willâs birthday, but whether in March or May, I believe weâll be getting a proper teaser by then.
People that attended the event reported that El has a voiceover line where she goes âthey donât get to write the ending, we doâ and apparently a voiceover Mike line where he goes âweâll finish this togetherâ (Iâm not sure if this was paraphrased or not). Immediately, we all realized that these lines sound pretty close to what Mike is allegedly saying to her during the rooftop scene. Many people in the fandom have taken the time to transcribe that scene, some with AI and some without, and although some things could be wrong here and there, the general idea of it seems pretty clear. Iâm attaching an AI reading of the scene here, so I can point out where I think his dialogue might be fromâŚ

Around the 1.43 mark, the AI picked up âenjoying it, togetherâ, however I think this is where the âweâll finish it, togetherâ line comes into play. If anything, this shows AI isnât 100% accurate, and it does call into question some of these previous lines đâŚI think itâs possible that after this speech from Mike about stories, fantasy endings and heroes, El tries to follow his advice and be positive, and maybe she delivers the âthey donât get to write our ending, we doâ line back to him. Itâs unfortunate because obviously we canât see her face in the video, but I think it makes sense she would reply with that because right after it seems like he says âof, courseâŚâ and then proceeds to seemingly add that the Party can have a happy ending, without all the fantasy elements he mentioned before.
I find it very interesting that heâs choosing to speak to her with this storytelling analogy, which at first I believed to be a D&D analogy, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like heâs talking about an actual story. And then the lord of the rings parallel hit me, specifically with this scene. If youâre not aware, Finn Wolfhard has mentioned lotr twice now when talking about season 5, and I personally think itâs possible that Mike is using lord of the rings here as a reference to describe the heroâs journey and relate it to what the party has been through. Think about it, heâs trying to cheer El up, who has been stuck in that fuckass radio station for a year, whoâs probably extremely tired of everything she has been dealing with for years, and he just wants to offer her some consolation so she can keep going and fighting. Does that sound familiar?
Well my friends, if it does, thatâs because it is a direct parallel to Frodo and Sam from Lord of the Rings. Iâve always thought Byler were insanely samfrodo coded (funny enough the last S4 Byler scene is almost identical to this scene too), but it seems the Duffers are paralleling mlvn to them here. In lotr, Frodo bears the biggest burden of the story, as he follows his heroâs journey to Mordor to defeat evil. Along the way, ofc, he becomes increasingly weary and hopeless, and it is up to Sam (his best friend) to cheer him up and provide him with strength to keep him going. How does Sam do this? Interestingly enough, he encourages Frodo by describing all the beautiful things that will come AFTER they have won, what they and their friends will be able to enjoy when they get back home. Basically everything Mike appears to be saying to El in this scene, fantasizing about the end of the battle. To make the parallels even crazier, while on his heroâs journey, Frodo has to remain in hiding because there are multiple forces looking for him, and we know that El is basically hiding away from the government.
Another thing I want to point out is that in lotr (spoilers I guess đ) good does win in the end, and the main characters get to return back home. However, Frodo is so changed by the journey and all the things he encountered that he simply cannot stay with his friends. Instead, he leaves and goes to the Undying Lands, where he finds peace. He doesnât die, but he also cannot stay in Middle Earth. Him and Sam have a beautiful goodbye scene and then Sam is left with the literal book of stories Frodo started, and is told by Frodo to âfinish itâ.
Make of that what you willâŚ
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Can I request one where the reader and Jacob were dating before he phased and she was always around hanging with him and quill and embry and embry always had a crush on her knowing he couldnât have her but then he imprints on her and âŚ
yes ofc you can! hope you enjoy :)
self control - embry x reader
The garage door was open, letting the sunlight come in, the metal mechanic supplies shines brightly. The sounds of tinkering and soft chatter is what surrounds you and Jacob. He stops with screwing a bolt and walks over to his mini fridge.
He crouches down beside it, unleashing two soda cans that were apart of a variety pack. You watch him carefully as he does so, expecting him to pull out a cold soda.
He hands you one and you crack it open. Before you take a sip, he stops you with, âWait.â
He opens his own and you both bump your soda cans together as an act of cheers. Both smiling and grinning at each other, you hear a deep voice echoing in.
âJake, you in here?â
You look at him questionably and he flings his arm to let you know to donât worry about them coming.
âTheyâre just my boys.â he says to you and you lean back on the old small couch that occupied the space.
Two boys who are around you and Jakeâs age appears.
âY/N, this is Quil and Embry.â he introduces you two. You wave to the both of them, offering a kind smile. The boy who is presumed to be Quil, gives you a flirty smile and the boy who is named Embry gives you a shy smile and you almost missed the faint coloring of his face.
âLay off. Thatâs my girlfriend.â Jacob warns Quil.
âHow much did he pay you?â Quil says to your direction, snorting at his lame joke, Jacob gets a tad bit irritated. Thatâs how Quil and Jacob started tussling with each other.
Embry joins you on the couch, watching the scene unfold before you both.
âMy bet is on Quil.â he says, you smirk a bit and say, âYouâre on.â
Talking on the phone with Jacob, he really wants to see an action movie that just hit the theaters.
âPlease, Y/N. I promise you get to pick the next movie.â he says through the device.
You sigh and roll your eyes knowing how much he does want to see it before smiling, âOk fine.â
You didnât mind Quil and Embry joining, they were actually pretty funny for the most part. You got why they were best friends for a long time.
Meeting up with them outside of the theater as you got out of Jacobâs car, you decided to nudge Quil hello and give Embry a hug.
âHow come he gets a hug?â Quil complains.
âHe wonât try any pervy moves on me.â You say as a joke and you emit laughs from both Jacob and Embry.
Embry was secretly grateful for the hug you decided to gift him, wishing you were able to hold on longer. He knew it wouldnât look right, but it didnât stop him from playing it over and over in his head.
As Quil and Jacob had to use the bathroom before the ride home, you and Embry sat on the benches in the theater.
âSo how did you and Jacob meet?â you ask him.
He shifts his body a bit, easily displaying his nervousness that you admired a bit.
âUmâŚour parents knew each other we justâŚâ
âGot stuck with each other?â you finish and this makes you and him laugh as he nods.
âYou guys ready to go?â Jacob says.
You and Embry turn and stand up as you all walk to his car. Dropping you off, you all say goodbye to them, give Jacob a kiss on the cheek and you go inside of your home.
You didnât go to the same school as Jacob but you made it your business to call him and text him everyday.
You tried to phone him but there was no answer. It was a bit odd, he usually texts you if he canât talk or he would call right back.
Walking to his house, you noticed his garage door was down. You made your way to the front door and knocked, but you were met with no answer. You swore you saw a curtain move.
Confused and frustrated, you walk along the La Push beach, hoping that he just happens to walk here. You sat on a log and rest your hand on your chin as you watched water meet each other over and over again.
âHey.â
You glance up and see that itâs Embry. Your mood lifts a little. He couldnât believe his luck that he got to see you just by taking a stroll.
âHey.â you reply as you scoot over to make room for him to sit down.
âIs something wrong?â he asks.
You shrug, trying not to make it into a big deal, âJust havenât seen Jake today thatâs all.â
He nods without any surprised emotions. You notice this as you really focus on him.
âHe hasnât been at school lately.â he reveals to you and your heart drops.
âReally? Well, did you ever get a chance to talk to him?â
âNope. Not since the movies.â
That was this past weekend!
You sigh with such defeat and stare at the waves some more until you feel a compassionate hand on your shoulder. Embry looks at you with a grin and says, âDonât worry.â
Weeks go by and you still havenât heard from Jacob. Your heart feels too heavy to carry but luckily Quil and Embry still try to hang out with you, knowing you all three are sad about Jacobâs abrupt departure. You had hope when you called his house once more, his father Billy Black picks up the phone.
You ask to speak to Jacob.
âIâm sorry, Y/N but heâs sick with mono.â
You understand and promise to check in to make sure he feels better.
One day at a store getting a snack, you see Quil looking pissed off.
âWhatâs wrong Quil?â you ask him.
âI saw Jake.â he says and shakes his head.
âOkay?â you say getting a bit excited, unsure of why he would be upset, if you saw Jacob, you would do backflips if you could.
âThe fuckerâs not sick. He ditched us to spend all of his free time with Sam Uley and his goons.â he says. You drop him off back home, in a daze, confused on whatâs so interesting about Sam Uley when he never thought to hang out with him before.
You rushed to the phone as soon as you got home and called Embry. He picks up on the second ring.
âEm, guess what?â you tell him a bit out of breath.
His heart flutters at the nickname you gave him and tries his best to savor it.
âY-Yeah? Whatâs up?â
âQuil saw Jake and heâs not sick with mono. Apparently heâs in Sam Uleyâs crew now.â
âWhat?â he says. He then continues.
âThis doesnât make any sense. He kept warning us about Sam just to turn around and start getting involved with him.â he says.
âTomorrow, bright and early iâm going. You down?â
âYes.â
Quil couldnât come as much as he wanted to, he had to work at his grandpaâs store. You and Embry made the trip to Jacobâs and lo and behold Jacob didnât look sick. You almost got whiplash and you got a good look at him. The first noticeable thing was his hair. His beautiful hair was gone. Just cropped short. His body was way bigger than old Jacob. You barely recognized him. It was as if he grew overnight. You knew something wasnât right. Jacob shuts his front door and freezes when he sees that you both are approaching him.
At first, neither you or Embry spoke to him. He finally let his eyes fall and sighs, âYou guys canât be here right now.â
âWhy? Because Sam is so important?â Embry says with great attitude, furrowing his eyebrows at his childhood friend.
Jacob opens to say something smart back but he just clenches his jaw and choose not to say anything. As if he was holding himself back.
âYou couldâve at least called me, Jake.â you say, trying the sweet approach. He stared into your eyes and after sometime, as if he was searching for something, then he looks to the ground and shakes his head.
âLook. You guys canât come back here. I wonât say it again.â he says and with that, he turns to go behind his house.
Failing at mending both relationships, you and Embry stay silent during the trip back home. Embry suddenly breaks the silence as heâs closer to his house.
âDo you mind if we watch a movie or something? To you know, take my mind off of things?â he asked genuinely and you place a sympathy gesture by placing your hand on his shoulder as you nod at his suggestion.
You both are on your knees, shifting hands through his film collection. You just couldnât make your mind up what to watch because you changed your mind when you saw another interesting movie. You just let him pick.
Watching the movie did take minds off of todayâs encounter. Sitting back and enjoying the pictures on the television screen. A hint of sadness dropped in the atmosphere when it was time for you to go home. You decided to give him a good heartwarming hug. You both needed it. Embry held you extra tight as you hold him extra tight. Both silently agreeing to be there for each other.
You looked down on your phone in disbelief. Embry was supposed to study with you but he wouldnât pick up.
âYou couldâve told me you were going to be running late.â
You text to him. No reply as you did the best you could with focusing. Seeing Embry less was not something you thought about. Soon, Quil and you ran into the same problem. Surprised by the fact that you both havenât heard from Embry and he hasnât been answering either of you.
âThis doesnât make any sense. Iâm knocking on his door now so if youâre coming, come on.â Quil says on the other end of the line.
You both face his front door and Quil pounds on it as you fold your arms. Only his mom answer and she isnât phased that itâs Quil.
âWhat, Quil.â
âIs Embry here?â Quil asks and wants the answer then and there.
âHeâs sleeping.â She says.
âTell him to call us when he wakes up.â you say to her sweetly. She nods and close the door as you and Quil make the journey back home. Quil did most of the talking out-loud. Venting his thoughts.
âThey let Sam tear us apart.â
âEmbry would never disappear on us like this.â
You know the only place where your brain could be clear.
You sit on the fallen logs and stare at the waves by yourself. You suddenly hear a faint whoop. Figures are jumping off of the cliff nearby. You stare a bit, the faces seeming familiar until you notice that Jacob and Embry are up there as well. You stand up to get a closer look at Embry to see him and Jacob wearing the same hair cut, sporting the same tattoo, and both not truthful to their word. You stomp through the direction to climb the cliffs.
Calling his name through the tree line, you make him stop his laughing and turn to answer your call. You tried to find words to speak but it felt the wind was knocked right out of you. You got to stare down at him and he got to stare down at you. The promise of him always being there for you stuck out to you. Everything was genuine.
âYou should turn back around.â Sam says to you, breaking reality into the love haze.
âWait..Sam. I think IâŚâ he says and Sam looks at him and seems to understand right away what Embry was trying to say. He just pats his shoulder and jerk his head in your direction.
Sheepishly, you both walk away further from the group and he is able to develop a greeting to you. Youâre a bit hurt from not hearing from him.
âWhats wrong with you?â you ask him as you cross your arms.
âIm so sorry, Y/N.â He says and takes your hand and youâre surprised by the satisfaction you felt. You felt yourself accept his apology but you wanted to see one more thing, âYou couldâve talked to me. I meant it when I told you I would be there for you. You didnât have to go to Sam.â you say him a hushed tone.
âI meant it too. Thatâs why Iâm going to tell you everything. Youâll know exactly why everything is everything. Can you please just..trust me?â he says.
You stare into the souls of his eyes and nod as you hold onto his warm hand. It was killing Embry inside not being able to see you. The way he was able to phase out of wolf form so easily, was by keeping you on the forefront of his brain.
#embry call#embry call imagine#embry call x reader#x y/n#x reader#fanfiction#fanfic#twilight fanfiction#twilight wolfpack#twilight wolves#la push#quileute#y/n imagines#y/n#twilight#twilight saga#twilight x y/n#imprint#imagine#twilight imagine#romance fanfic#secret crush on you#twilight werewolves
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The Tension and the Terror................Part III
Pairing: Emperor Geta x OFC (extremely loosely, character is named but otherwise not described besides hair length in a later part)
Summary: The games officially begin. Macrinus furthers his plot, and Letha gets to witness the Emperors in their element. Geta can keep a secret.
Warnings: Reference to Letha's Voyeurism if you squint, 18+ only
Word Count: 2.1k (next part should make up the difference)
Part 3 of 15
[ Part II ]
Series Masterlist
A/N: I love writing Macrinus. I just think he's fun. Even though we hate him, a lot. Geta is fun too. I hope you enjoy a bit from his perspective here. One latin phrase here, "Dei bene vertant" is close to "may the gods make (circumstances good) for you," or so I understand. I wanted something like "Good luck!" Also, I HC that Geta has a shortened version of Caracalla's name that he uses sometimes. Anyways, thanks for reading!
âNot much of a bodyguard, abandoning your post,â Macrinus chuckled, his spirits high. He sat on the edge of the bed in her cell where she still laid, tossing a pear up into the air and catching it, again and again, his jewelry clinking together as if in protest. He had brought her back last night, not uttering a word more to her about her disappearance, merely asking for the dress back before disappearing into his chambers.
âWhatâs got you smiling this morning?â she asked, avoiding his attempt to weasel information out of her. âThe winnings?â She knew better.
âIt wasnât about the money, my dear Letha. It is about power and control.â
âSo, a debt of two thousand gold denarii is not enough.â
âNot for what I hope to accomplish.â
He wasnât pushing her on her disappearance, so maybe he didnât know who she had been with. A relief, to be sure. Still, it would only take one conversation with the indebted senator and heâd get his answers. She couldnât begin to predict his reaction once he knew.
âYesterday paved the way to the hill. I received word today that Iâm invited to attend the games. As an honored guest of the Emperors, no less.â
Letha wondered if she played any role in this invitation. Surely not. Part of her felt bad for keeping her interactions with Geta from him, but a larger part of her saw his manipulations and scheming and knew heâd drown her in a river if it put him even one step closer to his goals. She didnât enjoy being someone elseâs pawn, even if it got her what she wanted. Or what she thought she wanted.
âHow long will I be stuck in here, at the mercy of your men?â
âWell, it would be about⌠ten days or so. But where I go, so does my bodyguard,â he winked. âI still have use for you, Letha.â With that, he stood. âGo and see Hyacinthia. Sheâll help you get scrubbed up. Iâm heading up early.â
He got up and strode out. She got to her feet and approached Viggo who waited just outside, cuffs and chains ready to be applied. Macrinusâs voice echoed down the corridor. âNo chains, Viggo.â
Viggo seemed reluctant and she couldnât exactly blame him. He had never done anything to her himself, but he had seen the aftermath of others that couldnât keep their eyes or their hands to themselves. So he viewed her as a caged animal, as he should. It was better that they feared her a little.
âGet moving, princess,â he spat, gesturing to the baths.
The roaring of the crowd drowned out everything else. The city, its people, clamored for blood. They called for the gladiators elevated to household names through their bloody work in the arena. They were eager to witness inarguable power. They preferred to keep danger out of reach, the reality of it confined to this oval as if it were a play, instead of calling it what it truly was. Brutalism, propped up by religion. If there truly were gods, she didnât think theyâd be sitting here right now.
The tone of the crowd changed. Letha heard their footsteps before she could turn her head to lay eyes on them. The twins. The difference in height and build was staggering now that they were dressed in lighter clothing, an attempt to weather the heat that settled over the sand below.
She revisited her mantra to quell the way her blood reacted to the sight of Geta.
He is a monster.
And yet nothing he had done to her seemed to match that sentiment. Perhaps today would be different. She desperately needed the discouragement. Anything to bring her back to how she thought of him just a couple of days ago. The way she reacted at the sight of him filled her with shame. What would her brother have to say about the way her intestines coiled up at every glance, like a bundle of snakes had been sewn into her gut?
Macrinus sat beside her, stoic, his eyes scanning the other occupants of the Emperorâs box. The twins were taking their seats upon ornate chairs, wide enough for two, conversing quietly with each other, Caracallaâs excitement obvious. Geta mirrored his gleeful smile and she forced herself to look away, lest Macrinus catch her staring.Â
She had a job to do.
A few other senators took up seats near the back of the private box, and Thraex plopped down in a seat across the aisle from where she and Macrinus sat. Thraex clearly had seen better days. Letha supposed the reminder this morning of his existing debt to Macrinus had sat in his gut like spoiled fish, even though he readily agreed to plunge ever deeper into despair by potentially doubling his losses. She figured he thought this would be his salvation. One good win would ease all his troubles.
âDei bene vertant, senator,â Macrinus grinned. Thraex offered a muttered returned wish with a short smile before he was saved by Caracalla turning in his seat, peering over the back of his chair to inspect the occupants of their royal box.Â
âThraex, I never got to thank you for your wonderful party,â he spoke, his voice easygoing and free of hidden nuance. âHave you brought your best today?â
Thraex put on a mask of love for his Emperor, his smile reaching his eyes this time. âOf course, your majesty, and I have even brought some gifts, they await you back at the palace.â
âGifts?! Do you hear that brother?â
At Caracallaâs summoning, Geta turned in his seat, following his brotherâs gaze to Thraex, bypassing Letha entirely. She shouldnât be surprised. She was a fool if she expected any of that nightâs events to have impacted him. She was a tiny blip, an aberration. One of many, insignificant. When he could quite literally have his pick of anyone, it surely wouldnât be her name spilling from his lips.Â
He looked good today. Wearing gold, still dressed in contrast to his twin. He seemed tired, not as enthralled at the idea of gifts as his brother was. âHow generous of you, Thraex,â he offered, turning back around to watch as the stage below was being set for a bloody battle.
âExcuse him, Thraex, heâs lost all his manners this morning. If he loses even a moment of his beauty rest, heâs just so difficultââ
ââCalla, please,â Geta begged, his fingers pressed to his temples.Â
Macrinus turned, his eyebrows lifted in slight amusement out of view of the Emperors, a look saved for only her. âVolatile, indeed,â he commented.
Before Letha could ponder further what couldâve affected him so, the crowd roared as men were let into the oval, armed with various weapons, wearing odd bits of armor, appearing as a ragtag group. âDo not forget about your task, Letha,â Macrinus warned, eyes fixed on the men below.Â
âHere? Now?â she inquired, glancing around at the guards stationed at the box entrance, and on the sides, blocking the Emperorsâ subjects from climbing over to exact any kind of revenge.Â
âNo. But tonight, at dinner, I need you on your best behavior.â His stare was deadly serious. No joking around. This was important to him. She couldnât afford to mess it up.
âI understand,â she nodded, reminded of the moment he decided to include her in his plans. His warning. Sheâd have done anything then to be protected from the vultures that followed her around ever since being collected from the floor of her house. Sheâd lashed out at anyone that even looked at her, diverting her sorrow into rage towards those that took her family from her.Â
The general should have killed her. But he didnât. He had paved the path to this. Macrinus saw in her a tool, to be used and discarded when it broke or his purpose was achieved. She held no illusions of how Macrinus felt towards her. It was indifference, in its purest form. The act was his smiles, his gentle touches, his teasing, almost fatherly. Whether he thought she believed it didnât matter either.
She should assume anyone could be a threat and treat them as such, the Praetorians included. The twins may somehow still have the loyalty of the commanding officer, but that didnât mean all of the rank and file agreed. And for some, the promise of enough coin could steer their morals any which way.
Her concerns for Geta and his sour mood melted away, and she stopped looking over to try to catch a glimpse of his face as he watched the fighting below, Caracalla cheering loudly at every drop of spilled blood on the sand until Thraexâs assembled side lay dead.Â
Thraex stood and left the box before anyone could speak comfortingly to him about the losses heâd suffered. They wouldnât know the breadth of them.
Macrinus just smiled to himself, reclining in his seat, his leg brushing against Lethaâs.
âHow much is it up to now, Macrinus?â she asked, trying to distract herself from Geta as he rose to his feet, about to leave the box.Â
âBy my low born math, it must be about six?â he grinned, his arm stretching along the top of their bench seat, his fingers righting the dress where it sat atop her shoulder, lingering.Â
âYou arenât done with him yet.â
âNo, not yet. I donât think weâve reached the groveling stage,â he laughed.
Letha laughed with him, completely missing the way Getaâs eyes lifted at the sound, realizing for the first time that she was present.
Geta watched the way Macrinusâs jeweled fingers pulled at the fabric covering Lethaâs shoulder. The closeness of the two of them sparked a flicker of jealousy in him, an emotion he wasnât used to having to manage. If he was ever jealous, truly jealous, he could simply lay claim to whatever it was for himself. It usually paled in comparison to what heâd built up in his mind, but it never mattered. The possession of it was enough.
âSnap out of it.â Caracalla giggled at Getaâs expense before nudging his brother aside so he could climb the stairs up to the exit, eager to get his hands on Thraexâs promised gifts.Â
The very source of his ire and frustration had been sitting just over his shoulder. Heâd been too in his own head to even realize it. Before he could stop himself, coach himself on a better approach, Geta moved, words tumbling from his lips. âMacrinus, I do hope to see you at dinner this evening. We must toast to your barbarians.â
Lethaâs eyes widened slightly as she was drawn out of her laughter and up to Getaâs practiced look of interest. Not in her, but in the dinner party. He was plenty interested in her. She looked a lot like she had that night, almost fearful of him. It warmed his blood.
âI am looking forward to it, Emperor, I greatly appreciate the hospitality,â Macrinus praised, gesturing at the confines of the royal box.
Geta smiled. âI thought you would.â He looked over at her, seeing some recognition there. He had hoped Macrinusâs other lady would still be indisposed with her fictional illness. His gamble had paid off. Perhaps she hadnât told Macrinus of their encounter. What would she have said? âMacrinus, I watched Geta lie with a concubine.â Though not fully, he reminded himself. He wouldâve asked more of Lyra, but then he caught Lethaâs stare. As if heâd been bewitched, he sent Lyra away early. Lethaâs gaze was as strong as the fabled gorgonâs.Â
Still, best not to give up their little secret. Anything to keep Macrinus bringing her around. âAnd this is?â
âOh, yes, of course. This is Letha, your majesty,â Macrinus introduced her. She bowed to him, all mirth gone from her face.Â
âAh, Letha, well, please, whatâs ours is yours. Do enjoy yourselves this evening, as our esteemed guests, both of you.â Geta knew he was looking too long at her, Macrinus wasnât a stupid man. But some part of him didnât care to keep up appearances. She had distracted him without even being in the room. He could enjoy this.Â
One last lingering glance her way and he moved on, climbing the steps with renewed vigor, a smile tugging at his lips. For the first time in a long time, Geta felt a shiver travel down his spine at the thrill of pursuit. What he would do if he got his hands on her, he didnât know. But it didnât matter. The possession of her would be enough.
[ Part IV ]
#emperor geta x ofc#emperor geta x reader#emperor geta#gladiator II x reader#I just think he's neat#Thank you for reading.
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actually no i have opinions about everlux
when dusthides dropped so many people said "it could have been a modern, it's not breaking the mold enough" and when fathoms dropped people compared it to nearly every other breed we have (mostly skydancers, pearlcatchers, guardians). but now we finally have an ancient that 1) most definitely could not wear apparel and 2) looks entirely unlike any other breed we have it's suddenly too much??
"how can it move? it doesn't make sense!" while i can get the argument of proportions to a degree i don't think we can apply actual biology to a fictional creature, especially a bug dragon that is neither mammalian, reptilian, insectoid, or in any way real. also we should be used to weird/unrealistic dragon proportions by now, given fae neck, tundra arm/foot, and aberrations in general.
"why is it fat?" why the fuck not?? i cannot emphasize enough that dragons aren't real and i don't get why we're fine with a million skinny tube-bodied breeds but we draw the line at one more fat breed because "no healthy animal looks like that irl!" the rhetoric used around the fatness is fucking vile. i've seen them described as bloated, diseased, pregnant (???), grotesque, and a lot worse. it reeks of fatphobia and i would think for a playerbase like ours we'd do better.
"we have too many bug dragons!" when veils dropped people said they weren't buggy enough so staff made aethers, and when aethers dropped people said they weren't buggy enough, and now we have a dragon that is Undeniably A Bug people suddenly don't want an actual bug dragon??
"bugs are disgusting!" ...that's probably the one argument i can't go up against. if you don't like bugs, if you have a bug phobia (idk what it's called), that's fine. but not everything on this site is for you. and that's okay! the best part about this site is that if you don't like a breed, you don't have to have it. i'm sure they'll release something you'll enjoy eventually, but at least let the bug lovers have this one.
"they don't look elegant enough to be a light breed!" who the fuck said light is an elegant flight?? pearlcatchers are stuck-up cowardly gossips who eat their shells, vomit up pearls, and then annually vomit up more Pearl Juice to make their pearl bigger. imps have to be buried properly or their dead bodies will melt into an undead monstrosity. the lightweaver calls the imps a literal mistake, pearlcatchers and imps fucking hate each other, and to top it all off there's a fucking zombie dragon destroying the area. what about any of that says elegance to you people. any elegance associated with the light flight comes from the users, not staff.
also i've seen so many people say "i want an eldritch horror breed!" or "i want something biblically accurate!" okay. riddle me this batman: how the hell would they pull that off. it has to look in some way draconic or like some kind of actual creature (not an irl creature ofc), so it can't just be a disembodied Thing With Eyes. we already have a many-winged breed (auras); tentacles and extra wings are already terts we have access too, and multigaze and other eye types already give us the eye horror. what the hell would staff be able to give us that 1) doesn't break their own ToS 2) doesn't draw too heavily from religious iconography and 3) still looks like a dragon that all flights can use.
#flight rising#i haven't been actually excited about a dragon breed since aethers released#and i normally don't care what other people think of new releases#but the response against everluxes has been really gross and bad for so many reasons#mostly for the crime of being a light breed
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Remember the PokĂŠmon trainer ask with having pokepastas in their team? Could I maybe request something angsty?~ basically can I get headcanons of Arven and Kieranâs reaction to finding out Trainer got in a accident and was suffering from VERY lethal injuries and in panic missingno..basically messed them up into a pokepasta trainer,kinda corpse looking and now in never ending pain because of the raw wounds that never fully Heal but ofc take medication to numb the pain down and look out now for theyâre friends so they donât suffer the same fate? :))
Oh btw have a nice day or night!!! Remember to drink water!
Arven
From the moment he, Penny, and Nemona discovered your team enjoying a picnic...he always wondered how you got something like Missingno on your side.
But since it nearly corrupted his damn pokedex trying to just get information on it AND you were reluctant to share your past, he figured you'd just say "don't ask questions you don't want answers to" and end the convo right there.
He definitely wouldn't let Mabosstiff near it.
Last time he went near a PokĂŠmon nobody should've known about...he almost lost his companion.
From time to time, he catches glimpses of your wounds (not during picnics ofc), bandages, and the medication Nurse Miriam prescribed to you, and suggests you save some of the herbs for yourself.
And they do help with your pain management when incorporated into tea or sandwiches (especially the salty herba mystica, which relieves your aches for a little while).
They're not miracle cures, but it's something.
Eventually, there comes a point where you know Arven wants to understand how you acquired Missingno, why you have so many ghastly PokĂŠmon by your side, and why you were determined to defend him and the others down in Area Zero.
So you sit down and explain how you found it by accident in Kanto, caught it, and realized it was simply a lonely creature who wanted a trainer it could love and protect. Like any other PokĂŠmon.
Yet you didn't realize the extreme lengths it would go to achieve that goal....until you nearly suffered a lethal wild PokĂŠmon attack (it was in the dead of night, and you were ambushed while chasing after what you thought was a shiny).
You were bleeding out, bones broken and gaping wounds all over your body, and unconsciously begged for help-
And Missingno somehow heeded your call, escaping its pokeball and reviving you.
But in doing so, you were brought back as a zombie..one who still remembers the pain of that night and often cursed the glitch for not letting you die.
In time though you've made peace with it, knowing you were stuck this way now and it wouldn't let you go...
To the point where it erased its own pokeball from existence and became a constant presence around you, invisible aside from a few occasional glitch particles.
Yet you knew Missingno didn't mean any ill intent--all it wanted to do was save you.
Now you vowed to save others so they didn't suffer the same fate as you, whether that be haunted PokĂŠmon left abandoned in some town or atop a mountain or your human friends in Area Zero.
Your pains aren't as severe now thanks to the meds, and you're grateful for Arven introducing you to herba mystica.
You were afraid he was gonna be freaked out by your story (or not believe you), but..while he finds it horrific and sad at first, he understands you better and is simply glad you're here now.
He's also happy to help his buddy manage their pain better, even if the remedies are only temporary.
Kieran
You had to bandage and conceal a great deal of your wounds so nobody at BB Academy got concerned, with DISABLED giving you a consistent best Heal Pulse to ensure your chronic pain wasn't debilitating).
Even so, Kieran assumes you got better over the past year and is desperate to battle you and win Missingno..something he vowed to acquire after realizing he'll never get Ogerpon.
You try explaining that it's literally impossible for you to surrender it, and it's too dangerous to bring it into a battle anyway, but he thinks you're just lying to him again and bragging.
In the back of his mind, though...he kept wondering why you had so many injuries..
Ofc..he's too focused on being stronger than you to ask you.
But after seeing Missingno come out (in its Fossil Aerodactyl form) and literally glitch Terapagos' beam out of existence and use Cut on multiple falling rocks---he was amazed.
You finally invite him to your dorm to talk after the mochi mayhem events, knowing he deserved some answers.
He sees the pain meds littered all over your countertop, and you finally reveal to him why you need those, why you look the way you do, and why you keep Missingno around:
Basically, after catching and befriending it, you got attacked by some wild PokĂŠmon, and they would've left you for dead had it not intervened.
You made it feel loved, cherished, never using it as a weapon or an infinite item dispenser...and it couldn't watch you bleed to death.
So it saved your life, but it came with a great cost: neverending physical pain with your wounds never fully healing.
You used to curse Missingno for not letting you go, trying to release it several times to no avail, and just being miserable in general.
Yet once you realized it attracted more misunderstood, tortured, and damaged PokĂŠmon to your side..you came to forgive it, knowing it was just like them despite its uncanny appearance: a creature who just wanted to protect its trainer.
Now you take medication (and a few leaves of herba mystica) to numb the pain down, so it didn't hurt as much as it did before.
You wouldn't want anybody to have a brush with death like you did. Not even your worst enemy.
That's why you went so far to protect your friends in Area Zero, especially Kieran.
After hearing your story, he felt so torn up and guilty--and convinced he was being "overdramatic".
You were still suffering all along, for years..and he had no idea, only thinking about himself and his selfish ways and how his pain couldn't possibly compare to-
But you stop your friend from spiraling, holding him and letting him cry out all of his renewed guilt, telling him that his own suffering was valid, too.
He was starting to look like a corpse with the dark circles and paler complexion....and it scared you.
Seems like he took "I wanna be like you" a bit too literally.
But you're glad Missingno saved you--otherwise you never would've gotten the chance to meet him and help him become more confident in himself (ofc you wish things were different before and didn't require you shattering his confidence first).
Since that conversation, Kieran starts taking better care of himself and makes a promise to protect you.
Not from physical threats per se as you're basically immortal, but from rude stares and whispers of how "creepy" you are.
He tends to hug you a lot and lend you his jacket for warmth if you ever get cold in class or in the polar biome.
It does help with the chills you get so often, and makes you feel grateful that you two were still friends despite everything.
#we are baaaaack with pokepastas#clanask#anonymous#pokemon x reader#pokemon sv x reader#pokemon scarlet x reader#pokemon violet x reader#pokemon arven#pokemon kieran#pokepasta x reader#missingno#tw death#tw body horror#headcanons#platonic
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Hi can I request a macaque wukong x fem Neko reader
Reader is a baker and she loves to bake and sheâs housewife material i just wanna see the reaction of them to see there s/o so sweet that she would do nice things to them
MACAQUE
⢠You went to visit his dojo where he apparently lived for the first time and oh man, does he even clean up?
⢠Anytime you'd visit you'll just get distracted by the place and start cleaning up, Macaque didn't really like it because he didn't think it was that important, plus he didn't want you doing his work he ignored.
⢠Macaque mostly spent his time wandering around, he wasn't home that often and he didn't know why cleaning was so important.
⢠After that, he would make sure to clean the house up himself before you came so you two could ACTUALLY spend time together without you getting distracted.
⢠When he saw you cooking for the first time, he took one small bite without you noticing and... Oh, wow. It was actually so good.
⢠This man eats nothing but noodles, just buying anything he can afford, he didn't try any other stuff but once he tried your cooking it was like a whole new world opened to him...
⢠Nonetheless he'd still be poor to afford anything.
⢠So he just stole all the goodies you made and portaled away somewhere, still in your house but out of your view.
⢠He didn't do much when he heard your grumbling from afar, probably realizing he took everything away.
⢠You were definitely pissed and scolded him afterwards for it.
⢠Since noticing he doesn't eat anything much but some simple stuff, you began gifting him food you made sometimes, you didn't mind sharing.
⢠Macaque never said it but he definitely loved anything you'd make, you were very good at cooking.
⢠He was starting to become very flirtatious towards you, often being close and coming in behind you while you were baking, placing his hands on your hips and whispering words into your ear that would make you shudder.
⢠You knew he was just messing with you, but geez.
⢠He enjoys the little reactions he drives out of you very much, also the way your cheeks and ears flush red when you get flustered.
⢠Oh, he's definitely going to have a lot of fun with you.
WUKONG
⢠When he saw you with Mk, he saw you as a friend but he wasn't too interested in you. At first, anyway.
⢠But after knowing you cook, which his own protege told him, he was a little interested...
⢠He can't cook himself, he burned down the entire kitchen when he tried. All he eats is his own hair and peaches, so why doesn't he try to learn from you? Yeah! That would work!
⢠...
⢠He accidentally burned down your house.
⢠So, that didn't go very well and you're definitely never teaching him to cook again.
⢠Your house wasn't completely destroyed, luckily, just needed a little repairing. Wukong felt very guilty so he invited you to stay with him for the meantime, as to which you agreed to. What else could you do?
⢠You had lots of fun at his mountain, tons of it! You played with the monkeys, petting them and they loved you. You gave a few of them names, the ones who stuck with you the most.
⢠But it bothered you greatly the fact that you could eat nothing besides peaches... Not that you didn't like peaches, but you can't go every single day eating just one fruit and nothing else.
⢠And you definitely WERE NOT going to eat his food made out of hair.
⢠So you decided to bring some ingredients from your home to his mountain (Which Wukong helped by with flying you there ofc) to make something.
⢠You made a peach cake, and offered Wukong to try one too.
⢠When Wukong tried it he was in love, he never tasted anything so heavenly in his life before.
⢠He nearly ate all the cake, well, more than half of it, he really liked it.
⢠You were honestly quite concerned by how fast he was eating, he looked like he was going to choke on it. He did, just once.
⢠Since your appetite was small you weren't bothered by it.
⢠When you had nothing to do you'd usually clean his home when Wukong was away.
⢠About a few days later, your home was back to it's normal stare and you could go back! Yay!
⢠Of course, you grew attached to Wukong so you'd still visit his mountain from time to time, bringing him food. Poor guy eats nothing but peaches and his own hair, he needs to try something new.
#lmk x reader#monkie kid x reader#macaque x reader#lmk macaque x reader#sun wukong x reader#lego monkie kid x reader#monkie kid#lmk wukong x reader#monkie kid wukong x reader#monkie kid macaque x reader
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Random Jareth HCs
I talk so much abt him and I have some silly ideas :3c
If he stays in owl form too long he has some trouble changing back. He gets kind of stuck a bit between. He chitters like a barn owl in âhumanâ form, can screech like one if mad. Thereâs feathers in his hair, and sometimes he still has bird-feet. The worst case was when his arms were still big useless wings. It goes away after a while but heâs impatient as hell and will sulk about it and punish anyone who dares laugh at him for his chicken feet.
Jareth actually runs cold. He can change his body temperature if needed, but itâs very surface level. Usually heâs around room temperature (like a corpse). Cuddling or any close physical contact will warm his body up.
His hands are strangely rough under his gloves, theyâre rough and hard like stone. He almost never removes his gloves because his touch alone can cause serious magic shit to happen if he isnât careful. The glamour he uses to keep his more human form doesnât really extend to his hands for whatever reason (his truest form is made of stone), so he wears gloves to sort of hide it.
Music lover, I mean duh. He sings and dances ofc, but he actually knows very little about modern music. His knowledge of humanity is still stuck in the 18th century. While he would like the idea of things like CD players and MP3 players etc etc, he will always prefer live performances, be it himself or watching someone else. He would probably go to a lot of concerts just to see what the music vibe is these days.
Doesnât do well in human crowds. A masquerade ball in his castle is one thing, itâs his realm, itâs other fae. But you put him in a shopping mall or grocery store??? He is not having a good time. Mostly because he sees most humans as beneath him (except for the few he decides are special little princesses/princes lol). Modern humans apparently have a stench to him, and he finds it disgusting when âin concentration.â
He can make any small child stop crying however. If Toby proved anything it showed how good with kids Jareth is. He can entertain any small child with ease. Though it starts to freak the parents out when he starts talking about how much he wants to steal them away from their mothers. The man loves kids, and hopes one day he can actually keep a human baby to raise as his own.
Unbearably physically clingy. LikeâŚunbearably. Heâd be attached to his lover like a parasite whenever they try to go anywhere without him. If he canât touch you, heâs standing behind you with his hands behind his back to keep himself from touching you. Like Jesus Christ man back up youâre not gonna go anywhereâźď¸âźď¸
Has a jealousy problem as well. With his stuff and his lovers. You do not touch his stuff without asking him, or until he lends it to you. With romantic jealousy, itâs about the same. Nobody touches what he deems his. He has enough dignity not to cause a public scene, but will glare at anyone who dares flirt with his lover- or if he thinks your not paying attention to him enough, he will give you the cold shoulder until you shove him aside and ask him what the fuck is going on.
Enjoys playing mind games. Though heâs too much of a romantic to do things that would really hurt you, at least intentionally. But his fae nature gives him a bastard side that sometimes canât help it. But really, he would hate to actually fight with you. The last thing he wants is for you to be genuinely upset, and so will bend over backwards to keep you happy.
Speaking of that, Jareth is 100% a doormat to the ones he loves. Heâs been alone for centuries (if not more). And any hope of validation he will chase like a kicked puppy. But everything he does, he expects something in return. (ex: I am exhausted by your expectations of me, isnât that generous?) Fae are deal makers after all, and so he will create a beautiful ideallic place for you to liveâŚbut in return he expects your devotion and loyalty. It seems like a small price, until it isnât. Sometimes, in exchange for a favor he does for you, he will ask for something in return (be it a task, or an a object).
As hedonistic and mischievous as he is, Jareth is quite emotionally intelligent. His age gives him wisdom, and sometimes itâs like he knows exactly just what to say. Humans have such predictable emotions after all, and he can use his knowledge of them as a form of manipulation if he wants/needs to. But to someone he loves, he would bring perfect comfort to. He will try and make you laugh, then ask if you want him to stay with you or leave you be, anything you ask if it would make you less upset and more comfortable he will do (doormat). If you want him to read you a bedtime story? Do a handstand? Heâd fucking do it.
#Jareth#jareth the goblin king#labyrinth 1986#labyrinth#headcanon post#jareth x reader#my headcanons
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Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Chapter Five - Part 2
-A ST Rewrite Feat. Steve Harrington x Henderson!OFC-
Part One || Series Masterlist
đ˛Word Count: 22,544 (In Total)
đ˛Date: 7/31/24
đ˛Warnings: Heavy Angst; Heavy Language & Dialogue; References To Broken Friendship; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Physical Fighting; Lying; "Death"; Funerals; Crying; Talks of Corpses; Being Drugged; Brief Alcohol Consumption; Unwanted Touching; Suggestive Dialogue; Suicidal Thoughts; Minor Blood; A Certain "Curse" Comes Into Play Early; The Byers Family's Mental Strain; Hopper Being a Great Cop & A Total Mess; Dustin Being a Gangster & A Overprotective Brother; The Harringtons' A+ Parenting; Steve's Emotional Damage & Signing Up To Be A Babysitter; Stephanie & Will Deserved All The Love, man. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
(And let me know if I missed anything)
đ˛A/N: Heads up, Readers! This document is split between two parts. For some reason Tumblr said I reach my 1,000 space limit, or something like that and wouldn't let me post it because it's so long. PLEASE read part one first or this won't make any sense :) Enjoy!
-Continuing...-
|| THE OTHER SIDE ||
Steph stares at her deadbeat Dad, scared, shocked, confused. Out of all the people her mind could conjure up for her to see today, it just had to be him, it just had to be the guy that ruined her and her familyâs lives. As much as she wanted to look away, her gut was telling her not to (Just like the old days, huh?).
She swallows, trying not to get teary eyed in front of him. âThis isnât real. Youâre not here.â She says, making him laugh, that same laugh that gave her chills.Â
âOh, but I am.â
âNo youâre not. Youâre a million fucking miles away.â
âSo?â He shrugs, still smirking. âBy all means, you still need me.â
Steph clenches her jaw and sends him the dirtiest look. âI donât fucking need you. Neither does Dustin or my mother. Iâm leaving.â But when she tried she couldnât, her whole body was stuck to the chair, frozen.Â
That seemed to fuel his ego a bit. âSee? You still need me. Stay. Letâs talk. We havenât done that in so long, munchkins.â He leans over to touch her forearm, sending another shiver down her body. âTalk.â
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
|| THE OTHER SIDE ||
âStephanie! Whatâs wrong with you?â Will starts shaking her shoulders, not really sure what else he could do. âStephanie! Stephanie! Stephanie!!!â
He doesnât know whatâs happening! She seems like sheâs in a trance, but what kind of trance? How did she get into it? Who put her into it? And more importantly, how does he get her the hell out of it?Â
âStephanie! Come on! What happened to you? How do IâŚâ He grabs the sides of his head. âWhat do I do? What should I do? What can I do? IâŚâ He gasps, eyes widening. âMusicâŚâ
His coco orbs landed on what he had brought back, and he wasted no time to take his coat off and to dump out his brotherâs cassettes everywhere. He starts shuffling through the pile, trying to find something he knew she liked. She liked metal, but Jonathan wasnât a fan of that, so that rules out bands like Metallica or Dio, but she was a big fan of rock too.
Come on, Jonathan. You have to have something. Seriously, there has to be something he can play! Eagles, Heart, The PoliceâŚÂ
His heart skips a beat. Got it!
He recalls another band that was in her top five, one of them being Journey, And Luckily, his brother had the âFrontiersâ Album that so happens to have a song that was always on her mind. He pulled the cassette from the case and placed it inside the walkman (thank heavens her favorite song was the first one on set). Will replaced her hat for the headphones, and as soon as they were securedâŚ
.
.
.
He presses the play button and prays.Â
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
Jonathan had everything he needed for their little hunting mission. His dad had left behind a few of his guns when the marriage ended, and his mom always warned him and Will that those would be used in emergency situations only. And in Jonathanâs defense, he should count this as an emergency. This⌠faceless beast was somehow responsible for the disappearance of his little brother, Stephanie, and Barb â and heâs not even sure if thereâs more or not, but heâs hoping it��s stopped at them â and he needs to know why and where this thing even came from, and where it took them. Heâs just hoping he can get those answers before finally slaying the beast.Â
Now, he was just confirming with Nancy over the phone. âI was thinking we can meet in the area about an hour before sundown? Maybe get some practice in shooting? Unless youâve⌠shot before?â
[ âNo, no. I have not. Have you met my parents?â ]
That got him to chuckle a little. âSo, no? What are you taking as a weapon then?â
[ âI mean, Iâve got my old bat when Iâve played softball. I could trying seeing if I could sneak out a kitchen knife butâŚâ ]Â
âThat might be a little hard, especially since your momâs in the kitchen all the time.â
[ âSpeaking of, are you sure your mom canât hear us?â ]
âPositive.â Jonathan said, sparing a glance over his shoulder to the sleeping figure on the couch. âSheâs sound asleep. Iâll have enough time to make an excuse if she does wake beforehand.â
[ âIf you say so. Iâm just a little nervous. Iâm a little afraid to see that thing for real this time.â ]
âEverythingâs going to be fine. Weâll try to get answers, and if notâŚâ He takes a deep breath. âWe kill the faceless thing. End of story. At least⌠I wonât have to worry about it terrorizing my mom anymore, or anyone for that matter.â
I have to kill this thing. I have to make it up to my Mom somehow. He didnât realize how quiet he went, and wasnât sure how long she was calling out his name for. âUh, sorry. W-What did you say?â
[ âHour before sundown, right?â ]
âYep. Iâll meet you there.âÂ
[ âKay. Iâll see you there.â ]
Jonathan hangs up the phone, sighing and heading back to his room to make sure he has everything â completely unaware that a certain someone was actually awake.
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
Later that day, both Powell and Callahan finally decided to check on their boss who had failed to come into the station this morning. They pulled their car in next to his, not really seeing much out of the ordinary so they went for the front door.
âHey, Chief!â Callahan called out, before knocking. âHello? Whoa!-âThe door was practically pulled from him, and out came their Boss who looked a lot worse for wear.
âJesus, Chief. You all right?â Powell asked, concerned.
âWhat are you doing here?â Hopper asked, pistol by his side with an itchy finger.
âWe tried calling, butââ
âYeah, the phoneâs dead.â He snaps, missing the way his two pupils backed up a bit at the sight of his weapon and tone.Â
Callahan tries to steer his trigger finger away with a conversation. âHey, so Bev Mooney came in this morning all upset. Said that Dale and Henry went hunting yesterday⌠and they didnât come back home.â
âShe thought they were on another binger, but sheâs not so sure now.â Powell adds.Â
âI think this whole Will Byers, Stephanie Henderson thing has everybody on edge.â
Hopperâs heart sank a bit. âWhere was this?â
âIt was at the station.â
âNo, no. Where did Henry and Dale go hunting?â
âOh. Uh, out near Kerley.â
Hopper felt himself go paler. âMirkwood.â
âWhat?â
âO-Okay. You go back to the station. Iâll take care of this, all right?â He explains, and tries to go back inside.
âAre you sure?â Callahan asked, worriedly.
Hopper nods and opens his door back up. âYeah, leave it.â
âOh, hey. Uh, they found Barbaraâs car.â
âWhat?â
âBarbara Hollandâs car.â Powell specifies. âSeems she ran away after all. Staties found it late last night at a bus station.â
âFunny, right?â Callahan jokes. âThey keep doing our job for us.â
No, definitely not funny. Hopperâs jaw clenches and he nods. âYeah. Itâs funny.â He says, heading back inside and mentally cursing.Â
âIs he off his meds again?â He asked in a low whisper.Â
Powell shrugs. âHeâs been spending too much time with Joyce Byers. Thatâs what I think.â
âMaybe he should stick with the Henderson woman. I heard they were friends through high school.â
âYeahâŚâ He scoffs. âLike sheâs any better.â
Callahan gave him a look. âWhat do you mean?â
âLet me just say she was⌠quite the wild card back then.â
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
When the doorbell rang at the Wheeler house, the family honesty wasnât sure who to expect.
Except the three boys who had bolted out of the basement knew.
They had loosened their funeral clothes a bit since they arrived here, and were trying to act like everything was A-Okay! And totally not suspicious when the rest of the family sees who their mysterious guest is.
âWe got it!â Dustin shouts, surprising and stopping Karen in the hallway.
Karen halts her son, confused. âWhat? Did you guys order pizza or something?â
âNo! Uh, we, umâŚâ Mike was fumbling his words a bit, fueling his motherâs suspicions more.
âWe asked someone to come over. From the funeral. Uh⌠A teenager from high school.â Lucas explains.
âYeah. W-We got to talking to him, and we really think he could help us with this history project that is due in a few weeks.â
âHeâs actually a friend of Nancy.â
âOh, really?â Karen asked, and spoke of the devil.
âA friend of mine?â Nancy said, halfway down the stairs, clothes changed into something more cozy and warm.
âWhoâs the friend?â
And thatâs when Dustin had opened the door, pretending to be overjoyed. âSteve!â
âSteve?â Nancy said, coming completely down the stairs now. âW-What are you doing here?â
âUh, well, I had the chance to talk to them early, and sounded like your brother and his friends needed help with a school project.â Steve replies, hoping he sounded convincing. âHope you donât mind.â
âI donât, Iâm just⌠a bit surprised, I guess.â
Steve smiles, and holds his hand out for her mother. âHello, Mrs. Wheeler. Iâm Steve Harrington.â
âSteve Harrington?â Karen said, shaking it. âI feel like Iâve heard that name before.â Her eyes trail to Nancy who was looking away with a nervous laugh.Â
And I just made it awkward. He brushes it off quickly. âUh, I wonât be long, Mrs. Wheeler, Iâll just go over a couple things with the boys.â
âOh, take your time. Itâs nice that they actually asked for help once.â
âThank you. Alright, kidsââ He smacks his hands together. âLetâs go.â He makes a mental note to talk to his girlfriend later, but as right now he doesnât want her to get involved with whatever this was. He follows the kids to the basement, but a few steps down, Mike stops him.
Mike makes sure his family wasnât around to hear this, and starts talking in a low tone. âBefore we go down, there is something we have to tell you.â
âWhich is?â Steve said, raising an eyebrow.
âTo make a long story short, the night after Will and Stephanie disappeared we decided to go looking in the area her car crashed, and we found someone.â
Thatâs not concerning at all, Wheeler. What was this kid getting at? It was making him a bit nervous. âSomeone?â
âYeah. Sheâsââ Mike sighs, and gives him a stern look. âYou have to swear you wonât tell my parents, or Nancy, or⌠anyone for that matter. Do you understand?â
âI⌠understand.â He holds his hand up. âI swear.â
âGood.â The kid nods, satisfied. âCome on.â
Steve follows him down, and thatâs when he notices the girl on the couch. A young girl, probably not much older than twelve was sitting there in a MĂśtley CrĂźe band shirt, jeans and a pair converse on the floor; Along with a plaid jacket too. That outfit looked⌠quite familiar.
âIs thatâŚâ He begins, gesturing to the redhead who was trying to figure him out too.
âThis is Eleven, or we call El for short. SheâsâŚâ Mike trails off, thinking. âWe donât know where sheâs from, all we know is that itâs from a bad place. And she has powers.â
Now that got his attention. âIâm sorry, powers?â
âYeah. Like⌠Magneto.â
âMagneto?â
âYeah. Like from the X-Men.â
âUhâŚâ
âOh, my god.â Dustin says, throwing his head back to his obliviousness. âHow were you and my sister friends?â
âHey, we had other things in common.â Steve pushes back, hands on his hip like a stern mother.
âOh, yeah?â Dustin squares up. âLike what?â
âYouâre really going to quiz me right now?â
âYes! I am!â
âDustin, man, come on. We donât have time forââ Lucas said, sitting up straighter from his spot on a chair. But of course, his friend wouldnât listen (and they all accuse him of being the stubborn one).
âWhat is her favorite color?â Dustin starts, getting an eye roll and a sigh from his âopponentâ.Â
âSeafoam green.â Steve replies, going along with it.
âFavorite band?â
âItâs a tie between Journey and Metallica.â
âFavorite ice cream flavor?â
âMint chocolate chip, howeverââ
âAh, ha!â The youngest Henderson jerks his thumb at him, like he caught him in a lie. âWrong! Thatâs not herââ
âBut, but, but!â Steve cuts right back in, taking control. âI wasnât finished. She says thatâs her favorite, because sheâs too embarrassed to tell everyone that her actual favorite is bubblegum, which no one, and I mean no I know besides her, likes that flavor. Correct?â
Dustin makes a face like heâs been kicked. âDamn itâŚâ He mumbles, pacing off to find something to do.
âIce cream?â El said, and it took Steve a second to realize she phrased it as a question.
âYou never had ice cream?â He asked, and she shook her head. âWhere the hell was she living before?â Then he stops himself. âD-Doesnât matter! Weâll discuss that part later, maybe over some ice cream, but for right now, why am I here?âÂ
It took a bit to get him up to speed about the past few days, leaving him with a spinning head, and asking more questions that needed to be answered.
âHoly shitâŚâ He mutters, rubbing his temple. âHoly shit. So⌠you guys are all convinced that Stephanie and Will are stuck in another dimension? All because El took you guys to his house and said they were there but couldnât see them?â
âCorrect.â Lucas said, with a nod.
âAnd it pretty confirmed it when you heard Will over the radio explaining that?â
âCorrect.â
âThatâs⌠insane, but⌠it makes sense.â
âSo youâre saying you believe us?â Mike asked, genuinely surprised.
âLook, like I said earlier, when the evidence was laid out about what happened to them, It didnât really sit right with me, you know? Andââ Steve fiddles with his hands again. âAnd Stephanie, I mean she knew the Quarry pretty well, so I thought it would have been odd that she would have fallen in like that, even if she was being chased. And Will⌠he sounds like heâs a smart kid too.â
âHe is.â Lucas said, a bit of sadness there.
âHeâs really smart.â Mike adds.
âThatâs my point.â Steve agrees. âSo, if what youâre suggesting is true, and they really did end up in some dimension, whoever found or knows, or even is responsible for that to happen to them, they must have planted the fake bodies to take the heat off the case. I mean, letâs be real here. Kids get kidnapped to another dimension? Whoâs going to believe that?â
âSo someone had to open that gate to the Upside Down, realize what happened and wanted to cover their asses.â Mike turns towards Eleven who seemed like she wasnât fully into their conversation. âDo you know where the gate is?â
She shakes her head. âNoâŚâÂ
âThen how do you know about the Upside Down?â Lucas asked, as she looked away in shame.
âHey, uhâŚâ Steve leans in to whisper. âNot to budge into this spat, but uh, did I break Henderson?â
Now all eyes were on him, and he was pacing around in a small circle with something in his hand; He looked like he was in deep thought too.
âDustin, what are you doing? Dustin?â Mike tries, and gets irritated. âDustin!!â
That seemed to do the trick because he stopped. âI... I need to see your compasses.â
âWhat?â
âYour compasses. All of your compasses, right now!â
Of course Lucas and Mike decided to humor him a bit and start searching for what they had, while Steve locked eyes with El who looked just as confused as he was. She seemed painfully shy, but that wasnât going to stop him from trying to get on her goodside.
âHeyââ He whispers. âI think heâs the nutty one.â And he makes a goofy expression that got her to smile. Good enough for me.
And he stands up to join the boys around the table who had all the compasses laying out.Â
âWhatâs exciting about this?â Mike asked, unamused.Â
âWell, theyâre all facing north, right?â Dustin points out.
âYeah, so?âÂ
âWell, thatâs not true north.â
âWhat do you mean?â Lucas asked, slightly intrigued.Â
âI mean exactly what I just said. Thatâs not true north.â He looks between them like theyâre crazy. âAre you both seriously this dense?â His friends shrug and he sighs. âSteve?â And all hopes go out too when he shrugged. âWow. Youâre useless.â
âGee, thanks, Henderson.â Steve said, trying not to strangle him yet.Â
âSo, the sun rises in the east, and it sets in the west. Right?â Dustin points towards the left wall, east. âWhich means thatâs true north.â
âSo what youâre saying is the compasses are broken.â Mike said, clarifying.Â
He sighs again. âDo you even understand how a compass works? Do you see a battery pack in this?â
âNo.â
âNo, you donât. Because it doesnât need one. The needleâs naturally drawn to the Earthâs magnetic North Pole.â
âSo whatâs wrong with them?â Lucas questions.
âWell, thatâs what I couldnât figure out, but then I remembered.â He perks up with a grin. âYou can change the direction of a compass with a magnet. If thereâs the presence of a more powerful magnetic field, the needle deflects to that power. And then I remembered what Mr. Clarke said. The gate would have so much powerââ
âIt could disrupt the electromagnetic field.â Mike said, smiling.
âExactly.â
âMeaning, if we follow the compassesâ northâŚâ
âThey should lead us to the gate.â
And the boys begin praising Dustin for figuring that outâ
.
.
.
Why El was looking like she heard the worst news ever.
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
Jonathan fixes his jacket and slings a bag over his shoulder as he comes out of his room when he notices what time it was (He could even see that the sun was starting to change color). But as soon as he reaches where the hallway meets the kitchen, he sees his mother sitting at the table reading over some paperwork.
His heart skips a beat a bit, and as he calmly tells himself to stick to the script. âY-Youâre up.â he says, getting her attention. âI wasnât sure if you were going to wake up tonight.â
âYeah, I guess that service really took a lot out of me.â Joyce replies, setting what she was reading down to look at him. âHeading out?â
âY-Yeah, um⌠a classmate who was at the wake wanted to cheer me up. I-I was going to turn it down, but I thought it could take my mind off a few things.â
âOh, well thatâs good.â
âYeah.â He nods. âIâm going to head out.â He says, turning to leave.
âOkay.â She said, crossing her arms. âDoes your outing include guns?â That got him to stop. âI noticed you raided your fatherâs old gun safe.â
Jonathan bites his lip for a second, before turning around with a dry laugh. âIt wasnât like he was going to use them any time soon.â
She raised an eyebrow, stern. âI thought you didnât like shooting?â
âI thought it would be nice to pick it back up. You know, just in case that thing comes back.â
âWell, thatâs actually rather thoughtful of you, Jonathan.â
âUh, thanks, mom.â He sends her a quick smile and starts leaving again. âIâll be back.â
âAlrighty.â She says, standing up silently. âIs that before or after you kill the faceless thing?â This time her son couldnât hide his shock when he turned around, and she couldnât really hide her irritation either. âYou really need to learn whether someone is fake sleeping or not.â
He swallows. âMomââ
âWho were you talking to?â
âMom, itâs notââ
âJonathan, you will tell me who youâre going out with right now. I am not playing any games.â
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Despite their agreements to go out to look, Dustin was still salty enough to try to get Steve to leave. His first attempt was to try to go get him to see Nancy, but that backfired when she apparently had left for something. The second was when he pointed out to Steve that he still had his suit on, and tried to get him to go home and change â But the teenager proudly declined, and saw right through his crap, and said he can just take his jacket and tie off and heâll be fine. His third attempt was a bit later on in their adventure, when the temperature started to drop and so did the sun in the sky, he tried again with the clothes, pointing out that dress shoes werenât exactly made for hiking â this attempt was just flat out ignored.
âDude, just let it go.â Lucas said, since he was partnered up with him (Now, heâs lucky that they lived close enough to actually change out of their funeral clothing. He canât imagine how Steveâs doing it). âHeâs going to be helpful whether you like it or not.â
âYeah, sure.â Dustin said, sarcastically. âWhat? Because heâs carrying a bat around? Who carries a bat in their trunk?â
Lucas rolled his eyes. âDude, drop it. Itâs actually kind of relieving that someone else brought a weapon too.â He waves around his slingshot furiously to make a point.Â
âWhateverâŚâ
He sighs, and takes a glance at his compass. âHow much further?â
âI donât know.â Dustin shrugs. âThese only tell direction, not distance. You really need to learn more about compasses.â
âIâm just saying. How do we know when we get to the gate?â
âUh, I think a portal to another dimension is gonna be pretty obvious.â
Lucas sighs again, this time glancing back at the others. Mike and Eleven were paired together, while Steve was a few steps behind them keeping guard out. But his focus was more on the girl that has been suspiciously wiping her nose every few minutes.Â
âDo you think sheâs acting weird?â He finally asked in a lower voice.
âYouâre asking if the weirdo is acting weird?â Dustin said, confused.
âI mean, weirder than normal?â
âI donât know. Who cares?â
Meanwhile, Eleven was remembering a few scary things from her past, and the guilt and fear was starting to eat away at her. With a shaky hand, she tugs on the boyâs sleeve. âMike.â
âYeah?â
âTurn back.â
Mike blinks, puzzled. âWhat? Why?â
âIâm tired.â
He sighs. âLook, Iâm sure weâre almost there. Just hold on a little longer, okay?â He says, making her stop.
She worriedly looks at the way they came from, practically aching to start running away from all this. She knows once they find out the truth, theyâre going to be mad.
âHey.â Steve calls out softly, standing right in front of her. âYou okay?â
Her eyes scan his face, seeing how genuinely worried he was for her, despite they met only hours ago (Why werenât the people she grew up with this kind to her?). She nods subtly. âF-Fine.â
âFine?â He asks, getting another nod. âOkay.â He wasnât fully convinced, but he wasnât going to push. âBut your nose is bleeding.â
She perks up at the news, and quickly wipes it away. She just gives him a quick smile before jogging to catch up with the others, Steveâs concern only growing a bit stronger.
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
|| THE OTHER SIDE ||
Stephanie felt like she couldnât breath. She suddenly felt like she was a kid again, practically having to be on her toes whenever he was around. Right now, her father seemed pretty ticked off about something, something that she was going to have to continue to push back on and try to get away.Â
âYou ratted me out.â He hissed, arms crossed in disappointment. âYou and that little rich friend of yours.âÂ
She tightens her jaw again, her hands managing to make a fist as she glares. âI never ratted you out.â
âOhâŚâ He whispers, realization creeping across his features for a few seconds. âSo it was him, huh?â
Fucking prick. She bares her teeth at him, angry herself. âSteve did what any friend would have in a situation like that.âÂ
His eye twitched. âBy selling me out!!â
âYou got child endangerment and illegal gambling. Youâre lucky thatâs all you got.â She says, raising her tone. âHe decided to be a good person and respect my wishes, respect my dignity, and save me from some humiliation from every fucking school kid â to save my mom the guilt, and Dustin some confusion.â Steph scoffs. âSelling you out? You got fucking lucky, Pal.â
âPal? I ainât your pal! Iâm your fucking father!â He points at himself furiously. âI raised you!â
âMom raised me! Not you!â Now she felt the tears start to sting, but not from sadness, no, these were angry tears. He opens his mouth to speak, and she cuts him off. âAnd donât you dare say you raised Dustin! You were never there for him. Never there for any school events, or the time he tried to play hockey. For fuckâs sake, you were even there when he was born!!â
âI WAS BUSY!!â
âBusy fucking GAMBLING! You were always doing that!â She scoffs again. âYou were never our father, you were never his father. When mom wasnât there it was me. It was always me, it was never you.â
âI was always there for you.â
âOh, pleaseâŚâ
âWe hung out, you canât deny that. We always did something every week.â
âOh, yeah, take your child to a black jack table and let them watch as you bet money we donât have. YeahâŚâ She rolls her eyes. âThat was a wonderful father-daughter bonding moment.â
âStephanieââ
âDonât say my name.â
âStephanie.â His face softens. âMunchkins, you have to understand, what I did, it was necessary. I was on my way of making the big bucks, and moving us to the hills with beautiful and big houses your mother and I always dreamed of.â
âThat was a lie you just love feeding to mom.â
âStephanieââ
âStop.â She snaps, calming herself a little. âI donât know what this is. I donât know if I hit my head a little hard, or that weird monster that keeps following me is doing this butâŚâ She shakes her head. âYouâre not real. Youâre in prison. And if this is just some sick joke to get me to forgive you, it ainât going to work. I hate you, and I will always hate you. Period. Nowââ She manages to push herself off the bar stool to stand. âIâm leaving.â
Stephanie doesnât want to bid him another thought or word as she turns and starts heading for the exit as her father starts yapping away.
âYou hate me, I get it.â He sighs. âI hate myself as well. But⌠I know you hate yourself too.â
That got her to stop. It got a nerve that she was trying to hide.
âDeep down, you hate yourself. A lot apparently.â
âI donât hate myself.â She replies, turning around.
âOh, yes, you do.â He said, standing up too, a gleeful look on his face. âYou see, youâve hated yourself for quite a while, and it didnât start after the whole⌠broken friendship thing, no⌠itâs been happening for a while.â
âYouâreâŚâ She swallows, shaking slightly (She was unaware of the room growing darker and more suffocating). âYouâre crazy.â
âThis whole self hatred thing has been going on and off throughout your life. There were so many key moments that made you think that way.â
She shook her head in disbelief. âYouâre fucking crazyââ
âThere were so many times that made you stop and think, âHey. Why donât Steveâs parents like me? Whatâs wrong with me? Why am I not good enough?â HmmâŚâ He moves closer, the abyss growing around them both more. âRing any bells? Remember when you thought that and tried to change?â
âThatâsâŚâ She touches the side of her head. âThatâs ridiculous. I⌠I just thought maybe I should change a little, wh-what would it h-hurt? RightâŚ? IâŚâ
âSee? Itâs in there? Itâll always be there.â He taps his own chest twice. âThere will always be that hatred in your heart that you canât get rid of.â
âI⌠I c-can get rid of it.â
âYou can bury it, but you canât get rid of it. Itâs your genes, itâs engraved in your bones, sewn into your heart.â He smiles. âThink about it, even after your friend ended everything, sure you were mad at him, but you were more mad at yourself than anything.â
Her eyes widened, shaking. âS-StopâŚâ
âYou were so mad that you thought aboutâŚâ The abyss grows more and pulls them closer together. âEnding it all for everyonesâ sake.â
She felt like something was grabbing a hold of her now, pushing on her lungs and in her throat, suffocating her. She felt her eyes sting and burn, and her fatherâs started to change into something or some else.Â
âAnd youâŚâ He laughs, the pain in her body intensifying. âProbably should.â
He starts extending his arm out for her, bruised fingers coming over to ghost her face andâ
It was like someone had opened the shades and let the sunlight in. Everything felt warmer and lighter, the pressure was suddenly taken off her body. She gasps with relief, her fatherâs hand pulling back as she hears a familiar song playing in the distance.Â
.
[ ⪠Here we stand
Worlds apart, heart broken in two. Two. Two.
Sleepless nights
Losing ground, I'm reaching for you. You. You ⪠]
.
|| STEPHANIE!! ||
Her eyes widened, turning around to see some kind of opening in the distance. âWill?â She croaks, and she swears she can see him too.
|| STEPHANIE! WAKE UP! PLEASE! ||Â
Wake up? Iâm asleep? She couldnât believe it. She really was stuck in her head.
|| STEPHANIE!! ||
âIââ She swallows and takes a step. âIâm coming.â
Her father frowns. âYou canât leave.â He says, snatching her by the arm. She shutters at the sudden voice change, scared again. âWe havenât finished talking.â
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
âYou told me you werenât going to do anything stupid! You promised me, Jonathan!â Joyce yells, as her son shakes her head.
âW-Weâre not going through this again!â He said, almost laughing.
âNot again? What do you mean?!â
âMom, seriously!â He points at himself. âLet me do this! Let me find this thing!â
âYou want me to allow you to go find some wild, dangerous beast that could possibly take you away or have you killed?â Joyce scoffs. âYouâre out of your mind!â
âIâm not out of my mind! I am stoppingââ
âYouâre not going out there!â
âYes, I am!â
âNo, youâre not!â
âYes, I am.â He says, as his expression was something that no one could pinpoint. âLet me prove this to you.â
âProve what?â She asked, throwing her arms out. âWhat so desperately do you have to prove? Prove that this is the stupidestââ
âLet me prove to you that I AM SORRY!!â
Between that sentence and the front door being pounded on at the same time, Joyce was definitely lost for words. But she continues to stare at her son, trying to see if something would come out before another set of knocks came about.
As she makes her way to the door, Jonathan blurts out her name. Part of him was afraid what would happen if that was Nancy; If he thinks his mom is mad now, he could imagine when she puts two-and-two together. He calls her out again just as she opens it, both of them startled by who it was.
Hopper had his finger up in a âshushingâ motion, and was holding up a sign that the son couldnât read until his mother moved out of the way. The sign read: DONâT SAY ANYTHING.
The Chief locks eyes with Jonathan, silently telling him to stay quiet too as he shuts the door. His blue orbs glanced around the room, mostly focusing on the many strings lights that were up.
Oh, Jesus. He thought, realizing this was going to take some time.
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
The sun was halfway set when the boys arrived at an old, abandoned scrap yard that was up in the hills. When they got about a quarter of the way inside the place, one of them noticed something terrible.
âOh, no.â Dustin said, after triple checking his surroundings.
ââOh, no?â Whatâs, âOh, no?â, Henderson?â Steve asked in a teasing way, which will fade in a second when he realizes how serious this was.
âWeâre headed back home.â
âWhat?â Mike perks up.Â
âAre you sure?â Lucas asked, not buying it.
âYeah, Iâm sure.â Dustin points to the sky. âSetting sun, right there. We looped right back around.â
âAnd youâre just realizing this now?â
âWhy is this all on me?âÂ
âBecause youâre the compass genius!â
Dustin sighs. âWhat do yours say?â
Both boys glanced down at theirs and replied, âNorth.â
âMakes no damn sense.â
âMaybe the gate moved.â Steve asked, trying to think what would be most logical.
The boy frowns. âNo, I donât think itâs the gate. I think itâs something else screwing with the compasses.â
âMaybe itâs something here.â Mike said, gesturing to their surroundings.
Dustin shakes his head. âNo, it has to be like a super magnet.â
âItâs not a magnet.â Lucas hiss, bitterly, his eyes landing on the only girl with them. âSheâs been acting weirder than normal. If she can slam doors with her mind, she can definitely screw up a compass.â
âWhoa, whoa, whoa.â Steve said, half stepping between them, trying to cool him down. âWhy would she do that? Isnât she your friend?â
Lucas ignores him, and swats his arm away. âBecause sheâs trying to sabotage our mission.â He starts stalking towards her. âBecause sheâs a traitor!â
âLucas, what are you doing?â Mike asks, fearfully.
Steve tries to deescalate him again. âHey, Sinclair, maybe cool it beforeââ
âCan it, Steve!â He snaps, stopping right in front of El whoâs guilt started sprouting full blown. âYou did it, didnât you? You donât want us to reach the gate. You donât want us to find them.â
âLucas, come on, seriouslyââ Mike rushes up next to him. âJust leave her alone!â
âAdmit it.â
âNo.â El whispers.
âADMIT IT!â He snaps, scaring her enough to grab her arm and show off her jacket sleeve that was stained bright red. âFresh blood. I knew it.â
âLucas, come on!â Mike says, smacking his hand away from her.
âI saw her wiping her nose on the tracks! She was using her powers!â
âBullshit! Thatâs old blood. Right, El?â And Mikeâs stomach sank when she didnât say anything. âRight, El?
âItâs... notâŚâ El chokes back on tears, her lip quivering in shame. âItâs not safe.â
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
After unscrewing a hundred goddamn light bulbs later, Hopper was satisfied enough to realize that the Byersâ household was untouched by the unknown. Â
âOkay.â He breathes, and collapses into a chair, the adrenaline heâs felt all day has finally given out. âShould be okay, I mean⌠I canât guarantee it, but it should be okay.â
âWhat the hell is going on, Hopper?â Joyce finally asked, still keeping her voice a bit quiet. I mean, all she and her son could do was wait and let the Police Chief raid her house to get some kind of answer.Â
âThey bugged my place.â
âBugged?â Jonathan asked, confused. âWhat do you mean?â
âThey put a microphone in the light.â Hopper sighs, the mental strain finally hitting him hard. âItâs because Iâm on to them and they know it. I donât knowâŚâ
âWho?â
âI thought they might be watching you, too.â He shakes his head, shutting his eyes for a second. âI donât know, the CIA, the NSA, Department of Energy... I-I donât know.â
âYou gotta explain this to us.â Joyce said, getting an agreement from her eldest. ââCause weâre notââ
âI went to the morgue last night, Joyce.â
That got their complete attention now. â...What?â She muttered, feeling like she was losing her breath from his words.
âIt wasnât him.â Hopper replies, getting teary eyed.
Jonathan had to hold up his mother who looked like she was about to faint from the news. âW-What do you mean?â He asks, heart pounding in his ears.
âWillâs body, it was a fake. His and Stephanieâs. Theyâre both fakes.â He stands up to make sure he was looking her in the eye to tell her these words, âYou were right. This whole time, you were right. I should have believed you. I am so sorry, Joyce.â
âOh, my godâŚâ Joyce sobbed into her hands, as her son took a step back to process. âOh, my god. I mean⌠w-why though? Why the fakes? Who made the fakes?â
âI donât know.â Hopper replies, upset himself. âLike I said, someone bugged my place, I donât know who though. AlthoughâŚâ
ââAlthoughâ⌠what?
âI sawâŚâ He swallows. âI saw something really strange last night. At the lab.â
âThe lab?â She tilts her head. âYou went to the lab?â
âI snuck in. I ended up getting punctured with a needle that knocked me out. When I woke up in my trailer, I think the people at the lab were trying to make it seem like I went on binger. My whole table was trashed with beer cans and pills. Bastards.â
âWell what did you see?â
âItâsâŚâ How does he explain this? âFirst, I ended up in a hospital setting, you know, white walls, beds, cold temperatures. But then I went down lower and⌠I saw it.â
âSaw what?â She asked, nervously.
âI donât⌠I donât know what it is. It look like a plant, it was on the wall, it was gross looking and sticky andââ
âWas it like a bubble? And it and like a red hue to it and it was pulââ
âPulsating?â He asked, getting a nod. âYou know what Iâm talking about?â But before he could get an answer, the teenager had finally spoken.Â
âSo it really is that dangerousâŚâ Jonathan whispers, eyes landing on him.
âWhat?â Joyce asked, her son started shaking his head.
âFuck.â He mutters, and starts grabbing his hair. âFuckâŚâ
âWhat, Jonathan?! What?â
âNancy and I both agreed to go look for that thing!â He spills, all distraughtly.Â
âWait.â Joyce blinks a few times, trying to wrap her head around what she just said. âNancy? Thatâs who you were talking to?!â
âWhat is going on?â Hopper asked, looking between the two.
âWe wanted to find out what happened to Barb.â Jonathan explains. âNancy⌠she⌠she saw that thing when she went to Steveâs house, sheââ
âWhat? What thing?â
âShe saw it too?â Joyce cuts Hopper off, intrigued by this shocking news. âWhat⌠what were you guys going to do?â
âWe were going to kill it!â Jonathan replies, truthfully. âW-We⌠we agreed to meet at the spot Stephanieâs car was found and⌠shit.â
âJonathanââ
âI fucked up.â
âJonathan.â She pressures, trying to calm him down a smidge. âMaybe sheâs by the road. She wouldnât go exploring on her own. Right?â But her son sends her an un-assuring look that deflates her confidence. â...Right?â
Jonathan frowns, trying to hide how scared he was now. âWe need to find Nancy, now.â
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
âWhat did I tell you?â Lucas explodes. âSheâs been playing us from the beginning!â
âThatâs not true.â Mike pushes back. âShe helped us find Will and Stephanie!â
âFind Will and Stephanie?â He scoffs. âFind Will and Stephanie? Where are they, then?â He starts walking around the place to make a point. âHuh? I donât see them.â
âYeah, you know what I mean.â
âNo, I actually donât. Just think about it, Mike. She couldâve just told us where the Upside Down was right away, but she didnât. She just made us run around like headless chickens.â
âAll right, calm down!â Dustin says, cutting between them.
âIâm siding with Henderson on this one.â Steve says, eyes batting back and forth between the two. âLetâs just take a moment to breathe, and figure this out.â
âNo!â Lucas yells, not listening to this. âShe used us, all of us! She helped just enough so she could get what she wants. Food and a bed. Sheâs like a stray dog.â
âScrew you, Lucas!â Mike yells back.Â
âNo! Screw you, Mike. Youâre blind⌠blind because you like that a girlâs not grossed out by you. But wake up, man! Wake the hell up! She knows where they are, and now sheâs just letting them die in the Upside Down.
Mike balls his hand in a fist, trying to contain his own anger. âShut up.â
âFor all we know, itâs her fault.â Lucas says, jerking his thumb towards her.
âShut up.â
âSinclairââ Steve warns.Â
âWeâre looking for some stupid monster⌠but did you ever stop to think that maybe sheâs the monster?â
âI said shut up!â Mike shouts, and tackles him to the ground.Â
âStop!â El yells, worriedly.Â
âKnock it off, you idiots.â Dustin says, as he tries to get close.
âStop it!â
âOh, myâ Wheeler, get off!â Steve says, and tries pulling the boys off one another. But for being only kids, they were putting up one hell of a fight to stay on top for dominance.Â
The shouting between Steve and Dustin went back and forth, and all their efforts to stop it suddenly ended when the girl behind them screamed ear piercingly. All of them could only watch helplessly as Lucas was flung off, hitting the ground hard, and landing against one of the scrapped vehicles.Â
âJesus Christ!â Steve shouted, and raced over to the boy.Â
âLucas! Lucas!â Mike yells, shaking him on the shoulder. âLucas, are you all right?
âLucas.â Dustin says, doing the same. âLucas, come on!â
âHey, hey! Careful with his neck!â Steve urges, moving their hands away as carefully examines the boy. âShit⌠come on, kid.â
âWhy would you do that?â Mike snaps at Eleven, who was trembling again. âWhatâs wrong with you? Huh?!â He could believe she would do something like this. "What is wrong with you?!â
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
|| THE OTHER SIDE ||
âWhatâs wrong with you?â Stephanie croaked, trembling at the way his voice changed into something almost demonic. He know longer sounded like the man who was supposed to be her father. âWhy do you sound like that?â
Along with the voice change, his whole demeanor seemed different too. The way he stood, the way he smiled and his eyes seemed dead, yet controlling.Â
âAdmit itâŚâ He whispers with fire on his silver tongue. âYouâre tired, you really donât want to live anymore.â
Her throat started to feel tight again, her body was aching too. Whatever was holding her down earlier was trying to latch onto her again. âI-IâŚâ
âYou donât want to live anymore because everythingâs gone to shit.â He gestures around, still having that stupid smug on his face. âYour long friendship with Steve is over, crushed because you were an embarrassment to him.â
She shakes her head. âN-No.â
âEven after what happened at the dance, it meant nothing to him. That he didnât love you like you thought he did.â
âSt-Stop it.â
âYou try to fill the gaping hole by hanging out with your brother, but heâs growing up, heâs got friends when you donât have any. Heâs already pushing you away to be with them. Youâre an envious freak.â
âIâm not.â His jabs were like sticking an imaginary knife in her heart, and for some reason, deep down, she knows his jabs have some truth to them.
âYour own mother knows youâre in a rut, knows youâve been lying to her, but you donât want her help. You love the abyss.â
âYou donât know what youâre talking aboutââ
âAnd you⌠are failing to keep your promise to the boy.â He says, making her gasp. âYou told Will you were going to get him out, but you donât even know how.â It was another stab to her heart. âYouâre having doubts.â And another. âYouâre having thoughts about how youâre never going to get out.â
âN-NoâŚâ She whispers, on the verge of tears once more, and he wasnât done with his troubling words.Â
âHow youâre thinking in what way the No-Face beast will get you both. Do you let it take a bite out of you first, and let the boy be a desert? OrâŚâ His expression grows sinisterly. âDo you let it take the boy first as a mercy kill?â
Stephanie sobs, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. âN-No⌠NoâŚâ
âI think⌠thatâs what you think is best. Let the boyâs suffering end quickly.â
âN-NoâŚâ She shakes her head before grabbing the sides of it. âI⌠IâŚâ She sobs again. âW-WillâŚâ
|| STEPHANIE! ||Â
He calls out again, but itâs barely audible, and the music is starting to sound distant again.
âI⌠I donât know⌠I donât knowâŚâ Stephanie said, brain feeling like it was going to melt with everything going on.Â
âCome.â Her father beckons. âLet it all go.â He opens his arms out wide, like he is asking for a hug as the abyss grows back around them, blocking some of the light. âYou can rest, my dear daughter.â
Then the room sprinkled with a little red, and the sound of an old grandfather clock chimed around in an echo. The sound⌠seemed scary, but strangely welcoming. It was telling her to find it, and she almost wanted to.
âLet all go, Child.â He urges, his voice now echoing as well. âYou know you want to.â
She wants to, she really wants to. But something was keeping her from doing that, something inside was telling her to stay away.Â
âButââ She managed to say before âSeparate Waysâ was turned up to max volume. She screams, her head pounding as the room gets brighter again, along with Willâs voice.
|| WAKE UP! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP! ||Â
âWillâŚâ She says, looking at the opening before her head was magically moved back in her fatherâs direction.Â
âBut donât you want to leave it all behind?!â He screams. âThe bad memories? The times you were called a freak? The times you were forgotten or ignored? Unloved? The times that people told you you werenât good enough for him?â
That was another piercing to her aching heart. âB-But, Steveâs justââÂ
|| STEPHANIE! WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?! WAKE UP! ||Â
Will. She needed to get back to Will. She didnât need all this crap to be happening!
She tries to stand her ground as firmly as she can. âWhat is going on?â
Of course, he ignores her question and presses on harder. âDonât you want to be free?! Give in! Forget all the bad times youâve had! Give in!âÂ
âButââ
And then she feels like she lost the opportunity to get the upper hand.
She gasps harshly as she feels something wrap around her throat, squeezing it tight. She feels her body freeze, and something grabbing onto her limbs to hold her place. Her father, or whoever he is now, looked even more deranged as he gave her look like he was trying to shatter her mind. And maybe he was, maybe he really was the one responsible for the tingling feeling inside, the feeling like her whole life force was being drained. She swears she can hear Will screaming her name again, but the hold on her was drowning out most of her senses.Â
Her father, the being, grinned even wider as his hand reached out to hover over her face. âNow⌠Give in, dear child.â
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
|| THE OTHER SIDE ||
âStephanie!â Will cries out in desperation, giving her another shake. Why isnât the music working?! It worked for me!
This canât be happening. This canât be how he loses Stephanie. What was he supposed to do if she ended up dead? And what would he tell her family? Tell his family? How will they even believe him?
âStephanie, come on! Wake up! Please!â He felt his own set of tears start rolling down his delegate cheeks. âI donât want to lose you!â
I donât want to lose her. I donât want to lose her. I donât want to loâ His pleas were cut off when her body slipped away from his hands. In something heâs only seen in horror films, he watches the teenager start floating into the air.Â
Way, way, way up into the air.
He couldnât even jump up to touch her, grab her to pull her down as she was descending up into the night sky, limbs jittering like they were trying to spring free.
Will didnât know what else to do but scream her name.
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
Lucas wakes up in a flash, his friends sighing with relief, and the teenager silently thanking the universe he was alright (He wasnât sure how they were going to explain this to anyone if he didnât wake up soon).
âLucas.â Mike says, happily. âLucas, you okay?â
âLucasâŚâ Dustin begins, watching him slowly prop himself up, mind wandering. âLucas, how many fingers am I holding up?â He holds up three. âLucas, how many fingers?â
âHeyâŚâ Steve begins, reaching out. âLet me see your headââ
âGet off of me!â Lucas snaps, swatting everyone away.
âLucas, just let us seeââ Mike urges, which results in another slap.
âGet off of me!â He says again, standing up this time, and storming away.Â
âLucas, come on.â
âLet him go.â Dustin replies, stopping him by the arm.
âBut what if heââ
âHe needs to cool down.â
Steve frowns, still worried that the kid might have a concussion, but what could he do? The kid was irritated, probably still didnât like him, so more likely he wouldnât listen (and he wasnât listening to his friends anyway, soâŚ).Â
He sighs, running a hand through his locks, thinking. âThis is⌠insane. That little girl really does have powers.â
âTold you.â Mike said, head hung low in shame.
âHey, relax. Your friend just needs toââ Steve frowns after counting who was present. âWhere is she?â
Dustin and Mikeâs eyes begin bolting around in the low light, searching for any signs of her. Them and Steve started shouting her name, concern was evident, and time was the essence. Did she really take off? Did she really feel that guilty about everything she just had to leave?Â
âIâŚâ Mike begins, getting mad at himself. âI knew I should have yelled at her like that!â
âHey, you had every right to do so. She did fling Lucas.â Dustin points out.
âYeah, but we need her! We need her to find that gate for us.â
âYeah, but it sounds like she was never going to.â
Mike frowns, that sentence punching him right in the gut. Maybe Lucas was right. Maybe he really was being played for a fool this whole time. âEven if she wasnât, we still got to find her.â
âWe can try, but itâs getting dark.â Dustin says, gesturing to the fading sun. âWe donât even have flashlights.â
âWell, then weâll go back to our houses to get some.â
âMikeââ
âWe have to!â
âMike, our parents are not going to let us out. Especially if Lucas tells his parents he got hurt hanging out with us today.â
âButââ
âHey, listen to Henderson, alright?â Steve cuts in, his mind made up about something.
âBut, we have to go look for her, Steve!â Mike pushes.
âI get that, but your parents are going to expect you home. And they probably are going to bug me on why we were out so late. So youâre going home.â
âBut Elââ
âI will look for her.â
Mike blinks. âWhat?â
âI will look for her, okay?â Steve repeats. âI will go back to my house to change and grab some supplies, and then Iâll come right back here and search around.â
Dustin looks surprised. âYouâre actually willing to do that?â
âYeah. I am.â He nods. âIâll do my best to try to find her, and if I do, maybe I can convince her to actually help us. Or get her to at least explain why finding this isnât safe.â He looks between them while finishing with, âBut you two need to go home. Letâs not worry your parents. Especially you Henderson. Letâs not make your mom worry about another kid.â
Dustin averts his eyes away, feeling a bit ashamed at the thought of hurting his mother like that. He was so hung up on finding this gate that he didnât wonder how she must be feeling right now. And she thinks she just buried her daughter today. I can only imagine how worried she is.
âSo does that sound reasonable to you guys?â Steve asks, interrupting their thoughts.
âYeah.â Mike says, nodding. âThat sounds reasonable.â
âGood.â He looks at them worriedly before waving for them to start walking. âLetâs head back.â
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
When they arrived they saw her car parked on the side of the road with no one inside. The three of them never got out and slammed their doors that quickly before, as they ran into the woods, flashlights and weapons in hand.
âNANCY!â Jonathan called out, his heart racing what he might find. She had to be okay. He wasnât sure how he would live with himself if she wasnât. So he screams out her name again, both his mother and Hopper joining in.Â
âNancy!â Joyce yells, running to look behind every nook and cranny amongst the trees and shrubs. âNancy!â
âNancy Wheeler!â Hopper shouts, eyes glue to the ground, looking for any signs of life.Â
âNancy! Where are you?!â
âNancy!â Jonathan tries again, the guilt in his gut has started to take huge chunks of him now. âFuck. FuckâŚâ
âHey.â His mother says, getting his attention. âDonât beat yourself up yet. We just started.â
âHow can I not, mom?! For all I know is, sheâs that thingâs dinner.â
âYou donât know that.â She shakes her head. âYou donât know that.â
âMom, please, Iââ
âHey!â Hopper says while snapping his fingers. âWe might have a problem.â He waited for them to get closer for him to shine his flashlight down by his feet, and there was a trail of blood that stretched further into the woods. âItâs fresh.â He frowns, nervously. âCome on.â
They start following the trail, their breaths caught in their throats. What if this was hers? What if that thing did show up and caught her? Was she still alive? Was she badly hurt? What would the outcome be?
âNANCY!â Jonathan calls out once more, half expecting no reply untilâ
âJonathan!â
The three of them paused, startled to hear a girlâs voice. He says her name again, and gets the same reply.
âShitââ Hopper curses and bolts off, the two of them hot on his tail.
âNancy!â Jonathan shouts again, the blood path ends right at a tree trunk. But what was at the base of the tree is what made him gag, the sight of something so disgusting with veins oozing out of the bark like it was infected.Â
Joyce gasps sharply. âT-Thatâs it! That was what was on my wall!âÂ
âAnd thatâs what I saw in the lab.â Hopper replies, crouching down with the rest of them. He brushes away some of the sticky cobwebs, a red hue covering his hand. âWhat the hell is this thââ
âJONATHAN!!âÂ
The three of them flinched when they heard her voice again.Â
Her voice that wasâŚ
Coming out of the tree.
âNancy!â Jonathanâs eyes widened as slams his fist into the tree, trying to see if he got the bubble to pop. He wasnât going to lose her like this. Not when she was literally at their fingertips. He tries again, and again, screaming her name.
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
|| THE OTHER SIDE ||
Stephanie heard her name again in the far distance, and all she could do was move her crying eyes towards the opening. Even in this⌠whatever this place was, the light was trying to come in, trying to save her from giving in, butâŚ
It was getting so hard to not give in.Â
She felt his fingers start brushing the sides of her face, drowning out her favorite song that was likely the last time sheâll ever hear it.Â
So this is it. She thought, depressingly. This is how she dies. Not by the cold, nor the starvation, and nor getting killed by the beast, no. She was going to die by an imagination of her father. She felt some more tears roll down her paralyzed body, and started accepting her fate.
If this is it, then I guess Iâve lived⌠a pretty decent life. She starts closing her eyes, her soul in this forceâs graspâ
|| STEPHANIE! WAKE UP! ||
Will⌠Iâm so sorry. Her heart clenches for him. I failed you⌠I am soâ
|| PLEASE, WAKE UP! I DONâT WANT TO LOSE YOU! ||
She gasps quietly. WillâŚ
|| I DONâT WANT TO LOSE YOU! NOT LIKE THIS! PLEASE! ||Â
Heâs⌠heâs not mad at me?Â
|| WEâRE SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF THIS TOGETHER! ||
But, Iâ
|| WE ARE GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS TOGETHER! SO FIGHT IT! ||
Fight it? Can she? Can she get out of this hold?
Her father must have realized she was thinking this and intervened. âYou donât want to fight it. You want to give in. Let it all go.â He says, making her start doubting again.
Maybe⌠I should.
|| WHATEVER HAS A HOLD ON YOU, YOU NEED TO FIGHT! FIGHT IT! COME BACK TO ME! ||
Another gasp.
Come back to me.
Come back to me.
He wants her to come back to him. He wants her too. He wants her to be with him.
He wants me to be with him. He actually does.
|| REMEMBER WHAT YOUâRE FIGHTING FOR! WE HAVE TO GO HOME! WE HAVE TO GET HOME TO OUR FAMILIES! REMEMBER WHAT WE HAVE WAITING FOR US WHEN WE GET HOME! ||
Remember.
Remember what she has waiting for her.Â
Remember.
Remember everything that brings her joy.
.
// Dustin, meet your big sister // Her Mother said, placing the tiny baby in her arms. Stephanie remembers how happy she was to become a big sister. She remembers how much that title meant to her.Â
.
.
She remembers the clown costume she wore for one Halloween. The first one she was hanging out with her brother and his friends. They all decided that year to dress as their D&D characters, and how happy they were when their costume were finally done being made â and how much candy they scored from the creativity of it all.
.
.
She remembers her mom teaching her to sew. She ripped a hole in her favorite shirt, and her mother was patient and kind enough to show how to do it the next time it happens.
// Thanks, mom //
// Anytime, sweetheart //
.
.
It rained halfway through the concert, that warm season rain. But the band kept playing, Munson even cracking a joke about it in the middle of their song. Stephanie laughed in excitement, slicking her locks back from her face as her and the crowd cheered them on.
// This is amazing // She said, looking at her friend. // Thank you //
// Even with the rain? // Steve asked, smiling fondly.
// Even with the rain // And she smiles back.
.
.
// This is the best gift ever! // The eight year old birthday boy, Dustin, shouts, and holds up a vintage X-Men comic. // Thank you, Phanie! //
He almost knocks her over, hugging her tightly and giving one of his rare kisses to her cheek.
.
.
// Hey⌠Hey⌠I wanna⌠I wanna tell you something // Steve slurs, leaning his upper body against the cafeteria table. The two of them had snuck away from the âSnow Ballâ and decided to be a little naughty. He somehow managed to sneak in some alcohol to celebrate them going into the Teen Years.Â
Stephanie giggles, a bit of a ditzy drunk. // W-What? Spit it out, S-Stevie //
// Ooookay⌠// He leans forward more. // Fia⌠I⌠I l-love you //
She hums, smiling. // Well, I love you too, Steve. //
// Noooo, no. N-Not like that. // He says, partially laying half his body over the table now to grab her hand. // Like⌠I love you, love you //
.
.
She remembers the second day of being here in this strange place. And despite how scared she was for her and Will, she honestly enjoyed the boyâs company. He reminded her of so much like Dustin, just a bit quieter, unless you were talking about his favorite things.
Steph shakes her head with a sigh. // Oh, well. I guess Iâll have to prove him wrong when I play //
// So you are going to play with us! // Will said, joyfully, like you just told him Christmas was coming early.
// If thatâs how I prove Lucas wrong, then so be it. So how does one newbie play D&D? // She asked, hopefully this will keep him occupied.Â
.
.
The last thing she remembers is Steve pressing his lips into hers, proving his point that he loves her more than a friend.Â
.
.
Stephanie doesnât know what possessed her, but she snaps her eyes open and uses her new found strength to push her father away from her. Like she was being held by rope, the invisible hold snapped and she fell to her knees, gasping in air.Â
Will. I got to get to Will. She tells herself, as she feels someone looming over her. She takes a look and screams. Whoever replaced the appearance of her father was someone who looked inhumane. Its whole body looked burned and bent, some hair stuck out from the top of its head, and it had an eye that looked like it had been blinded. Its pissed off expression was enough to make her scramble away and break for the opening at the end of the darkness.Â
She took only a split second to look back as she felt like she broke through an invisible barrier, the gambling room was gone and replaced with an area that was covered in gross vines and scattered in a crimson color. A storm brewed above her, in its own version of thunder and lightning. The figure stayed in one place, watching her try to run away before deciding to create some obstacles.
Stephanie felt the ground shake beneath her, and watched as what looked like spikes shot up and out of the bloody ground. She shrieked and dodged the best she could, trying to stay more hopeful when she could hear âSeparate Waysâ again, and Willâs cries for her not to give up.Â
I canât give up! I have to go home! She hears her inner thoughts echoed, along with somebody elseâs. As she continues breaking into a sprint, something catches her eye. Alongside her she can see a few silhouettes that seemed to be running at the same pace as her. She blinks and turns to the otherside, seeing the same thing.
âI canât give up!â They all shouted, but she couldnât pinpoint the voices or who these people were supposed to be.
Is this another trick? Or were these other victims of this place?Â
Her thoughts were cut off when something fell from the sky, knocking her over, dousing her red. She wastes not a second of hesitation to push herself back up and run, the silhouettes disappearing from her sight. Now, she has to put all her focus on the opening that was starting to grow smaller and smaller.Â
She balls her hands into fists, pushing herself to the limit. She hears her name being screamed, and the room rattling more. And as she gets closer and closer to the light, she prays sheâd make it through â taking the literal leap of faith, she jumps with all her might into glowâŚ
.
.
.
.
.
.
She screams awake, and begins free falling to the ground.Â
âStephanie!â Will shouts, as the girl went splat across the ground. âStephanie!â
Steph screams again, shooting up a sitting position as she claws the walkman off her head. She takes in a whole gulp of air that sounds like sheâs choking, and panting at the same time. The thought of her almost dying was repeating over and over again on a loop in her mind.
âStephanie!â He cries out, and tackles her for a hug. âStephanieâŚâ He squeezes her tight, the reality of it all settling in for the both of them. Tears were rolling down his face as he buried his head into her neck. âSteph⌠I-I thought I lost you. I r-really, really d-did.â
It took a split second before she broke down crying too, sobbing loudly as she wrapped her arms around him in the same vice grip. The thought of almost leaving him alone in this place scared her so much.
âIâm okay. Iâm okay.â She whispers, trying to comfort them both. âIâm okay⌠You saved meâŚâ She hears him start bawling at her words making her break even more. âYou saved me⌠you really did save meâŚâ
And that was one hundred percent the truth.Â
â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°â˘Â°
Steve manages to get the kids home, bidding them goodbye and reassuring Mike that he was in fact going out to look for El. He just needs to go home first to change out of his suit and get the appropriate equipment. When he arrived home a little after nine, he noticed all the lights were off, and felt a bit of relief.
Good. I can get in and out. But his hopes were just burned at the stake, âcause as soon as he opens the door, the living room light turns on. He freezes and winces when he knows who it is.
âYou went to her funeral?â His mother said, arms crossed as she was sitting in a chair.Â
Jesus Christ, of course⌠He keeps a straight face to look at her. âMy girlfriend asked me to come to Will Byersâ funeral. He was the best friend of her brother. The only reason I went to Stephanieâs is because it was a joint funeral.â
âJoint funeral?â Jessica asks, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.Â
âYeah.â He nods. âThe families are close, and they both died together soâŚâ
She hums, standing up, walking over to get right in his face. âYouâre not lying to me, are you, Steven?â
âNo, Mom. Why would I lie to you?â
ââCause you have before.â
âWell not this time. I went there to support Nancy and family through this hard time.â
She hums again, buying his lie this time. âOkay. Just checking.â Then she sighs. âItâs a shame though, the Wheelers are close to those Byers. Not exactly a classy family.âÂ
Steve felt his blood boil a bit, and had to hold his tongue. He should have foreseen her saying something like this.Â
âButâŚâ She continues. âYou are dating a Wheeler, so I can let that slide.â
Oh, he really wants to say something to her now, but he doesnât want to start a war. At least not yet. âWhereâs dad?â
âSleeping. Long day at the office for him.âÂ
âSounds like it.â Steve shifts his stance. âUh, listen, Iâm going to uh, hit the hay myself.â He starts making his way towards the stairs. âNight, mom.â
âYou going to shower first?â Jessica asks, stopping him again.
He quietly sighs, no point in pushing back. âYeah, mom, Iâll shower first.â
âGood.â She smiles, and squeezes his shoulder as she passes by. âIâll see you in the morning.â
He lets her go up the stairs first and up to her room before doing the same. Their interaction wasnât as bad as he thought it was going to be, probably because he didnât push back on her like he sometimes did. Steve snags some comfortable clothes in his room while stepping inside the bathroom, turning the shower on. Knowing his mother, she was probably staying up and waiting to see if he actually listened to her âsuggestionâ.Â
Sicko. He thought, shedding off his funeral wear to change into the extras. He cleans his face off, thinking of his plan. El could have gone anywhere, and he wasnât sure what a one man show like him can do about it. But heâs made a promise to the boys, one that he has to keep.
And for my sake, I have to find her. I need to know if sheâs okay.Â
He has to.
He needs to.
.
.
.
She might be the key to finding Stephanie.
(TBC)
-A/N: Fin! Thanks for sticking for the two parts :) -
~
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Star thoughts/liveblog (spoilers ahead ofc)
- If Splashtail is holding kittens hostage have you guys triedâŚ.driving him out? Itâs literally one guy against the whole of Riverclan, just keep him away from the kits and there wonât be an issue???
- The conflict is kinda stupid I canât lie, this could be solved if everyone in Riverclan wasnât such a dumbass
- Cloverfoot is going to die in this battle I can smell it
- I canât believe weâre getting fascism explained to us through warrior cats
- Berryheart fell down the crunchy mom -> alt right pipeline real
- This book is making me like Tigerheartstar wtf
- Frostpaw I would die for you
- Harestar youâre the most annoying mf ever please die
- What is it with Riverclan and their camp being turned into a prison every other series
- Graysludge and Mistslime are objectively hilarious names
- What happened to Splashtail being compelling why is he just cartoonishly evil and insane now
- There are not enough supporters of Splashtail to make give this any stakes come onnnn, he has like 5 people actually on his side
- I love Berryheart sheâs so fucked up
- Wtf is Owlnose doing, why is he siding with Splashtail for no reason??
- Sunbeam you are so stupid my god
- âShe didnât realise what she was doingâ yes she did lmao
- RIP Berryheart you were the most compelling villain of the series
- That makes 2 dead female villains and weâre stuck with the boring male oneâŚ.
- Owlnose you just killed someone donât try and make me feel bad for you
- âThe last thing she ever did was save youâ just like CurlfeatherâŚ.the parallelsâŚ
- This feels like setup for Froststar ngl
- I canât believe Nightheart is the only guy with a braincell here
- Is fogstar going to be a thing??? She hasnât even been mentioned once before this book
- Riverclan is so stupid it actually pains me
- Why are we still calling them Greysludge and Mistslime thatâs literally so mean lol, just call them by their apprentice names
- The tension is actually really good
- Not exactly liking how Splashtail seems to be genuinely mentally Iâll and thatâs why heâs evilâŚ
- Heâs fuckin dead and weâre only halfway through?? Now what?
- So glad Frostpaw got to be the one to kill him though, that was so satisfying
- Riverclan you can justify all you want but at the end of the day youâre fuckin stupid
- The second he started doing murders yâall shouldâve turned on him and it would all be fine
- Hi Mothwing when did you get here
- Lol fuck those guys (fognose and breezeheart)
- Goddamn Berryheartâs funeral scene is some of the best writing Iâve seen in a warriors book for a while, these are genuinely interesting emotions to explore
- Ewww I donât wanna think about frost having a crush on splash stop bringing this up my god
- Oh fuck yes Frostpaw and Curlfeather angst
- If the rest of this book is just emotional conflict I will be more than happy with it
- Donât kill off Frostpaw I swear to god
- Kate Cary Iâm putting my trust in you
- This scene would make an incredible animation
- Might be my new favourite chapter of warrior cats ever holy shit that SLAPPED
- Fuck off Nightheart I need more Frostpaw
- Having Nightsky and Nightheart is so confusing
- Thunderclan canât go two seconds without an argument (usually started by Lionblaze)
- I kinda love this type of conflict, itâs much more interesting than Splashtail being crazy
- Podlight is still here???
- Tree does something as a mediator for the first time ever
- Who tf is emberstar (if theyâre relevant in Riverstarâs SE then I havenât read it lol)
- The fact that I genuinely canât tell if Frostpaw will survive is so good
- Please let the rest of the chapters be Frostpaw I donât gaf about the others right now
- Whistlebreeze is the cutest name
- Frostdawn!!!! Also cute as fuck
- ICESTAR REALLLLL LETS GO
- Oh my god this chapter is gonna make me cry
- Sunbeam is pregnant and I want to explode
- And thatâs a wrap on ASC , genuinely actually enjoyed this book, especially the second half. The emotional conflict was really interesting I gotta be honest, Frostdawnâs almost-dead scenes were so fun and had really good tension. The conflict with Splashtail ended up getting really stale, Iâm glad he was killed halfway through because I couldnât have dealt with that being dragged out for a whole book
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help i need to know why you hate season 3 of mtl. itâs my personal fave however i know itâs very divisive amongst fans (s2 is literally perfect though agreed on that)
SEASON 2 IS PERFECT NO ONE CAN DENY THAT
ok so many issues..and iâll say iâm not counting the first episode or obviously doublebookedklok bc those two are SO good, match the normal tone, AND are so important to the plot.. they are fully excempt from my critique
but some of the biggest issues i take:
there is a very weird vibe shift in season 3 to me, it feels overall so much mean spirited? idk there is a feeling of so much love and care in the first two seasonsâin the writing from the creators and within the band themselves (in their very stupid Them way ofc). season 3 just. doesnât feel that way? i wonder if the team was going through shit with adult swim at the time that manifested in a more spiteful tone overall? idk the band just doesnât feel like the dysfunctional family they usually are in a lot of the episodes in season 3 and personally⌠it just feels like a loss. murderface is treated so much stupider than before to where it genuinely feels like they all dislike him, skwisgaar is lowkey forgotten as a character other than Guy Who Fucks (except ofc fatherklok which i also enjoy). rehabklok is undeniably also very good bc the music SLAPS and itâs fun to see brendon go full on theater kid with it, but even still â the bandâs treatment of pickles is SO out of character too?? in season one they all lost their minds at the thought of losing pickles even temporarily to snakes n barrels, had to get wasted to watch him perform with them? but now heâs in rehab and they donât give a fuck and replace him with a robot? HELLO??? i choose to interpret that episode as actually just a manifestation of picklesâ personal worst nightmare
THE PLOT.. WHERE DID THE PLOT GO? obv itâs a show where the overarching storyline is always the backbone and not the fronting part of the story line, but we had episodes twice as long as usual, and thereâs barely any tribunal? we couldâve done soooo much more with that time was salacia just on vacation? in the same vein, i feel like the pacing within episodes is.. off?? the writers are SO good at fitting soooo much into 10 minutes, it almost felt like they didnât know how to fill time, and scenes linger longer than they should, the comedic timing is not quite right, itâs just OFF
the two episodes i reeeeally hate are fertilityklok and dethsidualsâŚ. they both just like epitomize the tone shift that doesnât work for me. thereâs something profoundly uncomfortable about fertilityklok to me that i canât place, itâs just so unpleasant imo like everything about it lmaoo. i also .. donât like that being back to back with fatherklok for skwisgaar it just feels like we got really good character insight and growth for him, and then.. COMPLETE shutdown. guy who fucks, thatâs all (iâm also obv very very partial to skwis so biased haha). dethsiduals feels like THE most hateful toned?? i donât like how anyone behaves in that episode lmaooo itâs just so OFF, all i can say can be summarized in vibes are OFF
i also do actually like the rockzo episode as well tho uh⌠yâknow some things could be different (14???? come on man) but i actually enjoy all the rockzo episodes bc they always bring out interesting parts of toki. i love that we got more childhood toki insight!! a highlight for sure. and then uhhh dethhealth is one of the better ones as well - i think it suffers from the off pacing, but it still feels more like the past seasons AND tokiâs cat song is a certified banger that gets stuck in my head all the time STILL
ok that was fr so many words that didnât necessarily need to go this long BUT obv i have been needing to talk about this for years lmaooo tldr i wish theyâd stayed truer to the tone and characterization set in the first two seasons, and REALLY wish theyâd utilized the time better for the actual plot
#also think abigail shouldâve been introduced in season 3 BUT thatâs a whole nother thing#thank you for asking :â)#dat ask#metalocalypse
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