#henry x julie

[doberart]

Happy 4th! 🇺🇸 Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

[allurilove]

Celebrating the fourth of July with Henry and yandere husband. Also happy 4th of julyyyyy 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I'm celebrating by eating a lot of hotdogs! I haven't had them in so long, and I sort of forgot how good they could be.

Your husband grunted as you handed him the aluminum pan, heavy with copious amounts of tiny hamburger sliders you made for the neighborhood party. You made sure that you looked nice and that Henry was presentable too. Your husband wasn't the celebrating type, and he was confused when you handed him a shirt with an American flag printed on the front. He shook his head, refusing to even touch or wear it. It just felt wrong to be overly patriotic like that.

Your husband still wanted to "blend" into the crowd, so he opted to slick his hair back and wear a hat backward, a dark blue t-shirt with a fun graphic on the breast pocket, jean cargo shorts, and his black Sambas. From afar, he looked like a college student—in better words, he looked like the typical frat boy. You were surprised he even had clothes like that.

You held Henry's hand as you walked to your neighbor's backyard. You pushed the gate open for your husband and guided him to the table where the food was. "Now that looks good..." You took a banana pudding cup for you and your son. Your husband huffed and finally put down the heavy tray. He took off the top and tossed it into the trash. He looked around to see the other people who decided to show up, and he gulped as he saw his number one rival... the Skylar family.

Fuck, were they the perfect family.

They could model for Gap or Old Navy with how amazing they looked together. Like the good man he was, your husband approached Lucas Skylar. Lucas was sort of an odd man (your husband thought), and he was a sex therapist who mainly worked with those horrible reality TV couples. You know the ones: people who came onto a show for clout and fame, really only looking to win money and cheat into having an easy life. The ones who pair up with other people who matched their physical aesthetics. It was sort of genius, and your husband slowly started to wish he was in that profession.

"Lucas! It's so great to see you." Your husband opened his arms and pulled him into a "bro" hug. Lucas equally threw himself into the hug. Of course, he was an amazing greeter.

"How are you and your wife? I can see that you guys got down and dirty, huh?" Lucas smirked and nudged your husband. You were about six months pregnant with another child—a girl, as you two had found out. "If you two ever get into a rut, you know where to find me."

Your husband would rather die. This wasn't the first time Lucas Skylar offered his services, and your husband was starting to form an idea in his head that Lucas just wanted to fuck you. I mean, he stares at you way too often. His green eyes would linger on your form, even if he was standing by his wife. Maybe your husband should take up the offer and start boasting about how you two had this amazing sexual chemistry.

"Yeah. Thanks." Your husband laughed humorlessly and slapped Lucas's shoulder a bit too roughly, brushing past him. The pissed-off man went straight for the beers. He spent the rest of the night sulking in the corner, nursing his drink, and watching Henry run around the backyard with lit sparklers in his hands.

"Hey." The man cleared his throat and pushed his body off the fence, his expression softening as you came up to him. You handed him some food and he accepted it gratefully.

"Let me guess..."

"You don't even have to." Your husband groaned and his shoulders tensed up. He rolled his eyes and looked right back down at you. "That prick wants to meddle into our sex life again."

"Why don't you tell him that it's great and he needs to back off?" You shrugged nonchalantly and your husband sighed.

"I... I didn't want to embarrass you like that. Plus, I don't want to create any bad blood between us and them. We still have to live near them after all." Your husbands expression soured. He crushed the empty beer can before making a shot into the trash bag. He then took your hands into his and he pulled you into his embrace.

...

Your husband wanted to make it up to you for pouting all day, and he took the family out to a secluded and open area. He opened the trunk of the car, and he pulled out a box of fireworks. After he was done scolding Henry for not listening to his little safety seminar, he finally lit one and took a step back. The firework shot up into the sky and burst into red and blue colors.

He subtly reached for his phone and took a picture of you and Henry both looking at the sky. Your husband would talk to thousands of guys like Lucas Skylar if this was the end result. His heart warmed at the sight of his two, and soon to be three, favorite people holding hands.

[elephantlovemedleys]

TUDORWEEK2024 - DAY FOUR: Fancast Your Favourite Tudor Family Member(s)

Daniel Day Lewis & Julie Delpy as Henry VII and Elizabeth of York

“…After the victory of the said King Henry the Seventh, and the ceremonies of his anointing an coronation, on the last day but one of the following month, by the hand of the most reverend father, Thomas, cardinal archbishop of Canterbury, and in due conformity with the ancient custom, the marriage was celebrated, which from the first had been hoped for, between him and the Lady Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of king Edward the Fourth. This was duly solemnized, at the instance and urgent entreaty of all three of the estates of the realm, in the presence of the Church, on the eighteenth day of the month of January, in the year of our Lord, according to the computation of the Roman Church, 1486; a dispensation having been first obtained from the Apostolic See on the account of the fourth degree of consanguinity, within which the king and queen were related to each other.” - The Crowland Chronicle Continuations 1459-1586

[she-karev]

📚July Book Review📚

4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“But the truth is, also, simply this: love is indomitable.”

For the month of Independence Day I thought a romance with themes of our country might be a good book to read. And boy was it ever. This is the perfect comfort read for the entire queer community. It's got humor, it's got romance and it's got a little angst in it to keep you at the edge of your seat. We all love a rivals to lovers trope and seeing it between the First Son of The United States and the Prince of England is Chef's kiss. The main characters are enchanting in their own unique way and their chemistry ignites in the pages. The supporting characters are interesting as well as they provide humor that made me laugh. The world the book is set in has a more optimistic and liberal atmosphere than the real world but there's behind the scene politics that are accurate to what we hear on the news. All in all this book begs the ancient question, 'Can love conquer all?'

[echotrinityme]

Distrust Neutral ending: Agents of Despair

A/N:  This takes place after chapter 21 and before chapter 22 onwards—warning: Violence and blood.

The Government and The Toppat have managed to capture the Cult of Desperationis and put each of them into a cell with high security. Dr. V has created a special room where the members can be in special pods and undo the brainwashing.  The room is under high guard and no one but the General and Dr. V are allowed there.

However, not everything is back to normal.

The leader, Briar Bloodsworth, has not been captured yet, driving everyone crazy.  Charles and Victoria were especially anxious. On the other hand, Rupert and Henry were doing what they were supposed to be doing. They were still giving intel to Briar and in return, Briar gave them instructions on what to do next. No one was none the wiser. 

But someone started to notice their strange behavior and decided to investigate.

The night sky was on display and the stars were twinkling. There was a slight breeze and night creatures were awake doing their night routine. Everyone was asleep. 

A noise jostled Jose Gonzales out of slumber, he looked around but it was dark. He stood up got dressed and looked outside. He found nothing since it was dark save for a few light bugs flying around. He was about to fall asleep when he spotted a figure walking into the clearing. Jose furrowed his brow, who's up at this time of night? He quietly followed the figure who went to the clearing, the figure kept walking but occasionally the figure looked behind them to see if they were being followed.

Jose crouched as he hid behind a bush so the figure wouldn't see him and it was dark so he was hoping he didn't get caught. The figure stopped in the middle of the clearing and took out what looked like a phone, the figure unlocked the phone and dialed something. The figure waited for the other person in the line to answer, the person answered, and the figure began talking to the person. 

Jose was watching the figure discreetly while trying to figure out who the figure was, he kept watching to see if he recognized any features. He then spotted a blue earpiece and saw familiar white hair when the figure stepped into the moonlight.

It was Henry!

Jose was confused. Who was Henry talking to? And why is he acting off?"

Since Rupert and Henry were rescued from Briar, Jose noticed they'd been acting off. Like they weren't themselves, he saw that sometimes Rupert or Henry have listless eyes or seem to be in a state of "insanity" when training someone. Jose started putting pieces together while Henry was still talking on the phone. Jose was thinking about Rupert's and Henry's odd behavior when he sucked in a breath, Henry was looking in his direction. Jose felt his heart beating as Henry stared at him, he hoped that Henry didn't see him. 

Henry kept staring at him and his eyes flashed with something Jose couldn't make out then he resumed speaking to the phone. Jose breathed a sigh of relief as he quietly stood up and was about to head back when he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, he looked down in confusion. 

He saw red in his uniform along with a hand surrounding a knife, the person holding the knife took out the knife and Jose fell to the ground with a groan. Jose covered his wound with his right hand as he gazed up to find a pair of golden eyes staring down at him, Rupert's cold gaze upon Jose then it turned to his hand that was holding the knife covered in blood.

"Y'know..." Rupert said with a tone that made Jose shiver in coldness, "It's kind of rude to spy on someone's conversation,"

Jose blinked as he felt tears started to prick up, "R-Rupert? W-Why?" 

"Let's just say it's fun to kill,"

Rupert smiled at Jose who felt his veins turn to ice. Rupert never smiled. He sometimes smiles but his smile here, it was not happiness. The smile was creepy and cold. Jose looked around to see if Henry was still there but to his horror, he was gone. Jose started to run away from Rupert who was still smiling when he cried out in pain, Henry stabbed him in his other lower half. Jose fell to the ground in pain, and Rupert calmly came over to them. Jose stared up at them with his blurry vision and saw their eyes were red and their faces full of insanity. 

"Yo-u Y- You g-g-guys why?" Jose squeaked as he cried. Rupert and Henry both sneered at him, "Aw, c'mon Jose" Rupert replied with a chirp, "I thought we were having fun?"

Henry giggled as Jose started trembling in fear, the wounds in his lower abdomen were stinging and he needed to treat them or else they would get infected. He looked around to find an escape route when he felt something sharp against his leg, he screamed but his mouth was quickly covered with a hand.

"Don't scream," Henry said coldly, "You'll ruin the fun if you do that," 

Rupert pulled out his knife and stared at Jose's blood. Henry held up his knife and lunged at Jose while keeping Jose's mouth covered. Jose screamed into Henry's hand while his back was burning with pain, Henry chuckled in amusement. 

Henry glanced at Rupert, "Should we numb him?" he asked as he brought out a mini black bag.

"Nah, let him feel it," Rupert answered with a wicked smile, "Just use an adrenaline shot on him,"

Jose's eyes widened in fear as Henry pulled out a liquid needle. Henry plunged the needle into Jose's neck and Jose cried a little. Jose felt a burst of energy, his heart beating faster. Jose stared at them with a questioning look and muffled "What did you guys do to me?"

They laughed darkly, "We just put an adrenaline shot into you, nothing special," Henry answered.  

Jose felt sweat as he cried, why were they doing this to him? He thought they were friends?! Then he remembered their behavior and their rescue from Briar. He read a file report on how Briar's brainwashing affects a person's behavior, a more broken version of themselves replaces their behavior. Jose's eyes widened, and Rupert and Henry were brainwashed by Briar! 

Briar brainwashed them before they got to them. Jose needed to get out of here and warn everyone about them! But.. how?

Rupert and Henry were trying to figure out what to do with Jose, Henry's hand moved away from Jose's mouth. Jose saw this and he opened his mouth and bit Henry's mouth hard. Henry cried out in pain and held his hand. Rupert was about to help Henry when he felt something hard on his face, he fell on his back with an oof. Jose kicked Rupert and he quickly ran deeper into the clearing. Rupert cursed in Russian as Henry stood up, and they ran after him.

When he was far away, he stopped at a tree and looked behind him. He didn't see them and he sighed. He leaned against the tree to try to rest but couldn't stay there long or else Rupert and Henry would find him. Jose looked at his wounds as black dots started forming in his vision, the adrenaline had worn off. 

"Fuck! Not now!" he thought as he felt dizzy, he had to move and contact the general. He then remembered his comms. He reached into his pocket but couldn't find his comms. "Shit! I must have left them back at my tent!" he whispered. He searched around again but no signs of Rupert or Henry. He got up and quickly headed back to base. He didn't get far as he got tackled by Rupert who found him, Henry was behind him. 

Rupert and Jose struggled since Jose was putting up a fight this time. Rupert was getting impatient, Henry saw this and went over to them. Henry held Jose down, and Rupert brought out his knife. Jose was losing blood as he felt his consciousness lifting away, Rupert smirked.

"Good night, Jose," Rupert said as he plunged the knife.

June was holding a tray while waiting to get her breakfast. In front of her was the Bukowski twins and behind her was Sarah Connifers. She frowned as she looked around, she was worried. Sarah noticed this and also frowned.

"Oi, what's the matter June?" Sarah asked with her Scottish accent.

"I wonder where Jose is, he's usually up at this time," June replied.

Sarah looked around but didn't spot Jose, she spotted Charles, Ellie, Henry, Rupert, and Victoria sitting at a table together. She knows the drama between Rupert, Henry, and Victoria and has Victoria's sympathies. She looked for Jose again but alas, she didn't see him. 

"I'm sure he's fine, June," Sarah said happily, trying to calm June down, "I think he's just sleeping still,"

"I know but he never oversleeps,"

"Look, if he's not here by a certain time, we can go over to his tent and see if he is ok," Sarah said, "Okay?"

June nodded as she got her breakfast and Sarah sat at a table. They talked while they ate, and the others did the same. After a while, June and Sarah finished their meal. They cleaned up and headed out to find Jose. They were going to Jose's tent when someone stopped them, "Oi, the General wants us for a meeting," Rupert said.

June and Sarah stared at Rupert who smiled at them, they blinked as they stared at his smile. He never smiles unless it's with Henry or something he enjoys. The girls looked at each other and then at Rupert, "Is the meeting now?" June asked.

Rupert nodded, "C'mon, let's go,"

"But we were-" 

"Now!" Rupert snapped, making the girls flinch, and quickly went with Rupert. They didn't forget about Jose and decided to visit him after the meeting. The meeting was in the cafeteria because it was bigger and fit the soldiers and Toppat clan members. 

The General and Victoria were discussing what to do with the former members of the Cult of Desperationis, Reginald and Right Hand Man were beside them. They were thinking of putting the members in jail or the Wall. Sarah and Rupert paid attention but June had other things on her mind. She was worried about Jose and she wanted to check up on him. She looked over at Rupert who looked bored, and she frowned. She sighed and whispered into Sarah's ear. She quietly got up and went outside.

June took deep breaths and she calmed down. She felt nervous inside the cafeteria since Rupert was acting more aloof than usual, and felt a sense of anxiety by being near him. She shook her head, "C'mon June, it's probably that he is still angry about Briar's escaping," she thought.

"I guess I better find Jose," June said to herself. She walked to Jose's tent and found the tent flap open. She blinked as she looked inside, it was dark and she saw no sign of Jose.

"Psst! Jose?" June said tentatively, "Are you there?"

She went inside but didn't see him. She turned on the light next to Jose's bed but Jose was not there. June immediately panicked and went out of the tent. She was about to call the General when she looked down and saw a bootprint, she then looked and found more bootprints. She followed them into the clearing, she kept following them until they stopped. 

"Huh?" she thought, "Why do they stop?" 

She looked up to find trees but one of the trees had something hanging off the branch.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" June screamed. 

Everyone from the cafeteria heard her screaming and went out to find her. Charles was the first to find her and was about to ask what was wrong when she collapsed. She pointed in a direction and Charles followed what she was looking at. His eyes widened as he felt his blood run cold and his face turned a sickly green. The General caught up with them along with the others, he was panting as he gulped up a breath. 

He calmed down and demanded, "What's going on? What happened?!"

Charles and June pointed in the same direction and he glanced at what they were seeing. His eyes widened and everyone gasped in horror. 

Hanging on a tree branch was a figure tied up in a rope, wearing a green government uniform and a green hard hat. The figure was covered in blood and its head was hanging off to the side and his eyes were open. Everyone immediately recognized it was Jose Gonzales hanging off the branch. The General and Victoria went up to him quickly to check a pulse but he was dead. Charles went up to them while Sarah and the others comforted June. 

Charles cringed at the wounds Jose had sustained, it looked like he was stabbed a lot. Charles closed his eyes to mourn him but opened them again when he saw a piece of white hanging out of Jose's front shirt pocket. He gently took the paper out and looked at its contents. He growled as he felt his blood boil, Victoria and Galeforce approached him.

"Charlie?" Galeforce said, "Whatcha got there?"

Charles handed them the paper and he and Victoria saw what made Charles angry. They both gasped in shock and horror. 

"We're still here," was written in blood on the paper. 

Everyone dispersed into different places because of Jose. Some went back to their tents, some hung out with friends, and some were in the bathroom emptying their contents from their stomachs cause of the gore. Charles, Ellie, Victoria, Rupert, Henry, and Galeforce were watching soldiers taking down Jose's disemboweled corpse. Galeforce sighed as they put Jose into a body bag and wheeled him off to the morgue. Galeforce glanced at everyone with a solemn look, "I will inform Jose's family of his death," 

Galeforce left them alone, leaving Charles and everyone else staring at the tree where Jose was hung up. Fear and anger clouded their faces, they stayed quiet until a voice spoke up.

"Who would kill him? Ellie asked.

"And have the gall to kill him near our base?" Victoria added.

Charles, Henry, and Rupert didn't answer her as they stared at the tree. Charles glanced at Rupert who looked angrier than usual, Rupert clenched his fists and walked out of the clearing. Everyone gave him sympathetic looks and left him alone. They always know that when Rupert is upset, it's better to leave him alone. June and Sarah were at the medbay to get June checked out. June was in shock and Sarah was comforting her. 

Later, Charles found Rupert hiding behind a boulder. Rupert had his head down and was standing up. 

"Rupert? Buddy?" Charles said hesitantly.

"Hmm?" Rupert replied but didn't lift his head.

"You okay?"

"..." 

Charles frowned, Rupert was brooding. He knew that Rupert and Jose had a mentor/student relationship and were friends, so Jose's death hit Rupert hard. Charles approached him and Rupert glanced up at him. "We will catch the killer, Rupert," Charles said, "I promise,"

Rupert didn't say anything, and Charles sighed. "I'll leave you alone,"

Charles said his goodbyes and left Rupert alone. After Charles left, Rupert cracked a smile. Poor, stupid Charles. He just finished talking to Jose's killer. 

A couple of days later, Charles, Victoria, and Galeforce were investigating Jose's death in the General's office. His funeral was two days ago and they want justice for Jose. They looked over his file and morgue report. 

"It still makes no sense," Victoria said, "How can he be killed a couple of miles away from the base?" 

"And who killed him? Why would they kill him in the first place? Everybody loved him," Charles added sadly.

"Hmmm, we don't know but let's safely assume it's not one of us," Galeforce replied.

"Or the Toppat clan members," Victoria said.

They kept thinking, looked at the clues, and eliminated any suspects but still found no answer. They kept digging until someone cleared their throat, they all looked up to see June July standing before them. She rubbed her arms nervously and she looked like she hadn't slept. The General had put her into the military's psychologist after she found Jose's corpse.

"What is it, June?" Victoria asked gently, "Everything okay?"

June didn't say anything at first, she stared down at the floor. Charles put a comforting hand on June, "Hey June? You okay?" he questioned.

"W-what if we didn't capture all of the members of the c-cult?" June asked coldly.

Galeforce, Charles, and Victoria blinked in confusion and shock. "What if there are more members than the ones we captured?" June continued angrily, "Like the ones who are not in the group?"

Charles's eyes widened, "Like agents?" Galeforce questioned.

"Yes," June answered, "Someone who we haven't identified,"

Everyone was thinking about who could be an agent of Briar, and then Charles and Victoria glanced at each other. They both have the same thought. Charles cleared his throat which made Galeforce glance at him.

"Yes, Charlie?" 

"Sir. I think I know who can be an agent for Briar," Charles murmured.

"What? Who?" Galeforce demanded.

Charles stared at everyone and he closed his eyes.

Rupert followed Charles into the clearing, the same one where they found Jose's corpse. Charles came to Rupert's tent, told him he needed to talk to him, and led him to the clearing. They stopped inside the clearing. Charles took a deep breath and exhaled. He faced Rupert who crossed his arms, "So what did ya want to talk to me about, Charles?" 

Charles didn't want to do this. Unbeknownst to Rupert, Victoria, and the others hid behind the clearing bushes. They wanted to catch Rupert in the act, and Charles was the one to do it.  

"Do you remember the day we rescued you and Henry from the leader?" Charles asked slowly.

"Ya, thanks for that," Rupert replied, "What about it?" 

Charles wasn't sure how to tell Rupert about his suspicions, he was in denial. He knew Jose had suspicions about Rupert when they rescued him and Henry from Briar. "Are you sure you didn't find the leader?" Charles asked softly. 

Rupert frowned, "Yeah,"

Rupert's tone was cold and clipped, drawing Charles that something was off. Everybody including Charles knew Rupert wasn't a social butterfly and preferred to be alone. He does hang out with Charles and Victoria, he and Henry are a couple and are always together. Charles frowned, speaking of Henry, how come he hasn't noticed Rupert's strange behavior?

Rupert's eyes flashed red and he was about to question why Charles asked him this question when he heard rustling in the bushes. The General, Victoria, and everyone else stood up from the bushes with their weapons aimed at Rupert. 

"Rupert Price, you are under arrest for the suspicion of murder of Jose Gonzales!" Galeforce exclaimed angrily while holding his gun at Rupert. 

Rupert growled as he glared at Charles, he put his hands up slowly. Charles gulped, Rupert's glare was cold and it made Charles feel guilty.  "Charles... what is this?" 

"Rupert, you are being accused of murder against Jose Gonzales," Charles stared at Rupert coldly, "Which is unbelievable! Are you a murderer?!"

A shadow appeared on Rupert's face as he hung his head down, he didn't answer Charles. The area was quiet and tense. There were no sounds except from the birds, and Charles could hear his heartbeat against his chest. "Rupert... please say something," Charles demanded.

Rupert didn't respond, but his body started trembling, and Charles heard a low laughter.

"Hehehe..." Rupert chuckled darkly, he was still trembling. Charles raised an eyebrow while everyone tensed up, "Hehe...HeHAHAHAHA!"

Rupert lifted his head and everyone's veins turned cold when they saw his eyes. His eyes were white with black swirls and his smile held insanity. Rupert stopped laughing as he kept smiling deviously, he stared at Charles. "Congratulations, Charles," he purred, "You caught me,"

Rupert's eyes flashed red while he showed his pearly, white sharp teeth. Charles started shaking, "His eyes... They are the same color as the eyes of the cult before we captured them," he thought. 

"Rupert Price. You're under arrest for the murder of Jose Gonzales," Galeforce said as he had two soldiers handcuffed Rupert. Galeforce's face was neutral but Charles could see anger and disappointment in his eyes.

Rupert didn't say a word while handcuffed; he was still smiling, and his eyes weren't those disturbing swirls. They were red like blood. Rupert was still smiling as he was led out of the clearing. Charles and everyone stared after him with grim looks on their faces. 

Charles was watching the General interrogate Rupert outside the interrogation room, Charles wanted to punch that smug smile Rupert was wearing. Victoria came up to him, standing next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder, "Charles? Charlie?" she said tentatively, but he didn't respond to her calls.

He kept watching Galeforce asking Rupert why he'd killed Jose.

(I was originally going to write the whole interrogation but I'm lazy and I want to get to the reveal where Charles and everyone else find out Rupert and Henry were brainwashed)

Galeforce pinched the bridge of his nose, he felt a headache brewing as he stared up at Rupert. Rupert smiled like he had done nothing wrong like he didn't murdered one of his own. Galeforce took a deep breath and exhaled as he gave Rupert a hard stare. 

"Of all my time as a military officer," Galeforce started, his tone full of disappointment and anger, "I have never dealt with something like this,"

Rupert kept smiling which annoyed the General and pissed off Charles. "Rupert... why did you kill Jose Gonzales?"  

Rupert chuckled darkly as he leaned in, and Galeforce leaned back. Rupert was handcuffed to the interrogation table so Galeforce had nothing to worry about... for now.

"He was about to ruin our plan," Rupert replied with a chirp," And we have to kill him for it,"

Galeforce furrowed his brows in confusion as Rupert's eyes became white with black swirls, Charles and Victoria felt a sense of dread when they saw his eyes. However, Charles noticed something that Rupert said.

"Wait, what does mean we?" Charles questioned, Victoria shrugged her shoulders and then she suddenly remembered some important information. "Hey, do you remember the reports on how the members of the Cult of Desperationis's eyes were red, and sometimes their eyes were white with black swirls?" she asked.

Charles nodded as he read through those reports a while ago. He remembered the victims were brainwashed to do Briar's bidding and the horrible stuff they did to other people. He also read how the victims were brainwashed which was horrifying and no one should be able to go through it. Then his brain gave him a thought about the brainwashing and the day they rescued Rupert and Henry.

Charles gasped as he felt his heart hammer against his chest and he glanced at Victoria who stared at him with fear in her eyes. Her eyes confirmed his suspicion. 

"Rupert's been brainwashed," Charles murmured.

"No... by Briar?" Victoria replied.

Charles ran into the interrogation room without answering Victoria, Galeforce jumped while Rupert turned his head at Charles like it was a normal thing. "Charlie? What's going on? I'm busy with Ru-"

"Rupert's been brainwashed by Briar Bloodsworth!" Charles exclaimed angrily, Victoria came into the room as the General stood up, and Galeforce's eyes widened upon Charles's confession.

"What? Brainwashed?" he asked, he looked at Victoria who nodded to back Charles up.

"Yeah. The reports that contain how you can tell a victim of Briar has been brainwashed and Rupert's eyes match the documents," Victoria explained.

A deep, dark chuckle brought the trio to look in Rupert's direction, Rupert's eyes were crimson and his eyes lit up with insanity. "Congratulations, Charles," he said coldly, his eyes landed on Victoria, "And Tori... Another win for the Government," Rupert growled that last word which made Victoria shiver a bit.

The trio stared at Rupert who was smiling creepily at them. Charles frowned and was about to ask how Rupert was brainwashed when he remembered something else. "Hey, Rupert? Is Henry brainwashed too?" he asked hard.

The General's and Victoria's eyes widened. 

Rupert clicked his teeth in response. 

"Damn it..." Charles said angrily.

"Get Henry and bring him here NOW," Galeforce ordered Victoria in an authoritative tone.

"Yes, sir," Victoria nodded numbly.

Moments later, Victoria had the Bukowski twins bring Henry in and put him into another interrogation room. Victoria questioned him but got the same response from Rupert. 

The General and Charles were back to interrogating Rupert. 

"Rupert, where's Briar," the General questioned.

"Fuck you, old man," Rupert growled which stunned the General and Charles.

Victoria sighed as she looked at Henry who smiled at her but the smile was not happy. "Henry, do you know where Briar is?" she asked gently.

"No. Even if I did, would I tell you guys?" Henry signed even though he was handcuffed to the table. Victoria shook her head and stood up to leave the room. She closed the door as the General and Charles exited the other room. The trio stood in front of the room Rupert was in.

"Any luck?" The General asked, folding his arms.

"No," Victoria replied sadly, "I don't think they are going to tell us where's Briar hiding,"

"Oi!"

The trio glanced at Rupert in the interrogation room, looking in the mirror. They are unsure if Rupert knows they are behind the mirror but he doesn't care, "My phone is ringing and I think it's for you," 

The trio quickly entered the room and Charles took Rupert's phone out of his pocket. The caller id was unknown and Charles answered the phone. There was no call but a video and Charles played it.

In the video, a man with long hair with the color of deep blue was staring back at them. He was wearing something you would see at a Halloween party but more casual and his eyes were a scarlet. He was sitting in a white room and sitting on a chair. 

"Why hello there!" the person on the video spoke, his voice was smooth and deep, "My name is Briar Bloodsworth, and congratulations for figuring out that two of your soldiers were my pawns the whole time!"

Galeforce growled as Charles clenched his fists in anger and Victoria gasped. "Now you may be wondering where I am and why am I sending you this video?" Briar inquired, waiting for a response but it was a recording, "Well, I can answer both questions,"

"My location is discreet but by the time you finish this video, I'm already in a different country. And the answer to why I'm sending you this video is that I wanna see the looks of despair on your faces,"

Galeforce picked up the phone in rage and gripped the phone tightly, "Do you have any idea who you are FUCKING WITH!" he shouted that last phrase which made everyone sans Rupert jump in shock. They had never him curse before. "Um...sir," Victoria said tentatively, "It's a recording,"

"You're probably wondering who I'm dealing with," Briar implored as if he heard the General's question, "I'm dealing with a defense force who in reality, sucks at their job,"

"I mean c'mon Government dogs," Briar continued, "You guys were supposed to take down the Toppat Clan and you keep failing every time! And you didn't even notice that two of your own were acting strangely because of me,"

The General looked away while Charles and Victoria felt guilty. "Don't worry though," Briar chuckled, "I find the stupidity of the whole Government quite amusing,"

Then Briar's expression turned serious, "Now we gotta talk about the elephant in the room. Why did Rupert and Henry kill Jose?" Everyone's ears perked up upon hearing Briar's statement, "Well you see... they got bored and so did I,"

"What?" Charles said incredulously. 

"You see if I've planned out everything in hindsight, that would be so boring," Briar explained, crossing his arms, "So Rupert and Henry decided to mix things up to make a little point,"

"So Jose was not even part of your plan," Galeforce said softly, "It was a betrayal,"

"And I heard he and Rupert shared a mentor and student relationship which made his death take a whole new level of damn!" Briar finished, "I wonder how he felt when he was betrayed by his mentor... he must have felt an unhealthy amount of hope that he wouldn't be betrayed by his mentor. However, the feeling of hope was replaced by a feeling of despair," 

Everyone felt immense emotions all at once. Anger, numbness, sadness, and despair. The video was about to end, Briar clapped his hands together with a smile on his face. "Well, looks like we're out of time. I should be heading out," Briar stood up and took the camera with him, "Before I go, you will be getting a phone call from someone you should know, General,"

Galeforce blinked as Briar held up his fingers for a countdown, "You will get the countdown in three, two, one,"

As if on cue, June entered the room with a telephone. "Sir," she said emotionlessly, "the warden from the Wall wants to talk to you," 

Galeforce put down the cell phone and lifted the phone from the receiver, "Hello," he answered.

 The person on the other end spoke to the General. Charles, Victoria, and Rupert eavesdropped on his conversation. They heard "No", "What", and "I see" from the General and then they heard "Thank you" and the General ended the call. He gave the phone back to June who nodded and exited the room. The video ended and the tension thickened. 

"Who was that?" Victoria asked.

"It was Dmitri Petrov," Galeforce replied, tone void of emotion, "He told me that Briar Bloodsworth is in custody,"

"WHAT?!" Charles and Victoria exclaimed in unison.

"Is that what he meant that he's in "another country," Victoria inquired.

"Yes," Galeforce answered tiredly, he glanced over at Rupert whose head was down. His bangs covered his eyes, and he said nothing after the video ended.  The room was silent for a few moments, "What now?" Charles asked, breaking the silence.

The General cleared his throat and looked at Charles, "We will put Rupert and Henry with Dr. V who will undo their brainwashing," he explained, "And then we will discuss what to do with them afterward. Charles and Victoria nodded and they both exited out of the room. Galeforce glanced at Rupert who still didn't look at him, he sighed and exited the room.

Charles was standing in front of the makeshift memorial for Jose at the tree where he had been found. He stared at it, looking at all the gifts and flowers the soldiers had put there. Charles's face was full of apathy, he crossed his arms and felt a headache brewing. Victoria, Ellie, and the Bukowski twins came up to him. Victoria put a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled sadly at him. 

They stared at the memorial in silence. 

"I can't believe they were brainwashed," Ellie murmured, breaking the silence.

"They played us like a fiddle," Calvin added darkly.

Charles clenched his fists as he looked up to the sky, he felt something wet in his eyes. He then let out a scream that frightened everyone around him.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Charles screamed until his voice gave out. Charles turned around and headed back to his place. Victoria noted that Charles was crying. 

Rupert and Henry were cured of their brainwashing a couple of weeks later. However, the damage was already done. Several people have died by their hands and there was nothing they could do about it. They told the General and Dr. V how they were brainwashed. They were horrified that Briar put them through such a terrible ordeal especially for Rupert, since Briar had a lobotomy done on him. 

"So... how long will you guys be gone?" Charles asked, watching Rupert and Henry put their stuff in the car. The president wanted to imprison Rupert and Henry, but the General thought they'd suffered enough. The General and the President decided that Rupert and Henry would live in exile. Henry was putting in a suitcase as Rupert approached Charles, Victoria, Dave, Johnny, and Ellie. 

"Forever," Rupert replied bluntly.

Rupert frowned at everybody's grim faces, he knew they were disappointed about his answer but there was nothing he could do. "I'm sorry... it's for the best for us," 

"We know," Victoria said sadly, she looked like she was about to cry and so did Ellie. Johnny's expression was of anger and Dave wasn't looking at him. Charles's face was full of apathy. Henry was done packing their stuff into their car and approached the group. "Everything is packed into the car, Rupert," Henry signed sadly, he became completely mute upon returning to normal which made everyone's hearts break. 

"Thanks... diamond," Rupert told Henry, they both turned to face the others. It was time for them to go but first, they needed to say goodbye to everyone. "I guess this is goodbye," Rupert muttered.

"Wait, before you go," Dave inquired, stepping closer to Rupert, "Where will you go?"

"We can't say," Henry responded as Charles and Ellie approached him.

"Oh..." Dave said softly, he faced Rupert and hugged Rupert. Rupert hesitated but quickly wrapped his arms around him. Johnny joined him and Victoria did too. The only people who aren't here to say goodbye to them are the Bukowski twins and June July. The Bukowski twins were scared of them and June refused to see them. She was still angry and hurt about Jose's death and even refused to speak to them. 

A couple of minutes later, the group hug dispersed. Rupert and Henry headed to the car but before they could leave, someone stopped them. "Hey, before you guys go," Charles said, getting their attention, "Did you guys know you were killing people? And do you regret killing them?"

The tension was awkward and became heavy, "Charles!" Victoria reprimanded.

"It's ok, Tori," Rupert said tightly, he stared at Charles who crossed his arms and frowned at him, "To answer your questions, Charles," he replied, hanging his head down in shame, "I don't know but we do regret killing people who don't deserve it. Right, Henry?" Henry nodded sadly. 

"Ok..." Charles said, begrudgingly accepting their answer, "Take care, you guys. It's been an honor serving with you before you were brainwashed," Charles waved at them and they waved back. They got into the car and left the Government base. Charles and the others watched them until they were gone. Johnny, Dave, and Ellie entered the base but Charles and Victoria remained outside.

"Charles?" Victoria said tentatively, "You ok?"

Charles chuckled and glanced at Victoria who gasped when she saw Charles was crying. "Yes, I am, Tori," he answered, voice cracking, "We captured Briar but we lost a lot of people, including Jose, Rupert, and Henry,"

Charles wiped his eyes and held out his hand for Victoria to take it, "C'mon... let's go. It's finally over... " 

Victoria blinked at him in confusion but smiled, she took his hand while blushing. "Okay..." she replied softly. They made their way back into the base.

A couple of weeks later, Briar was found dead in his cell with no proper diagnosis of how he died. 

A/N: And the Distrust series is done! I have done the good, and bad, and now the neutral ending of Distrust. Also, almost 6,000 words... And happy late THSC anniversary!

[idk2085]

Yes...Welcome Home OC!I try my best and this is my first post!

Betty Pretty

Fact!

She love go to the Eddie’s Post Office

Her favorite sport is archery

She like cherry

They don't know but she writes poems, she never shows them...

She love cat

She doesn't know what a mosquito bite is

Her favorite color is pink cherry

She is pansexual and Demi-Girl

She's not really afraid of horror movies but...she's afraid of insects and...something else too...

She is very jealous,emotional and sensitive

when she is angry her eyes glow red

She is too scared of something...

A secret is a secret

Kill...kill...kill

Relationship!

Home:Not much interaction but they don't like each other very much...

Wally:Friend or more than just friends

Sally:Not much interaction but friend

Frank:Friends forever!!!

Poppy:Very good friendship!

Howdy:Just friend...

Barnaby: It’s a laugh between them!Very good friendship!

Eddie: Best Friend!

Julie: A rivalry but they are good friends!

The End!

[demigoddessqueens]

I’m going to miss Henry as Geralt after this season

[doberart]

Happy 4th! 🇺🇸 Hope you all have a wonderful day!

[annoyingvoidzombie]

No matter what you'll do Alex, we all know your little secret here 🇬🇧🇺🇸

[monarchberrysblog]

Hmo but

What if Miguel finds out you used to date the Harry Osborn from your world? You and Harry used to date but broke up on friendly terms but then you meet sometime where Miguel’s visiting your world for a date, and then his possessive instinct is like: She’s mine 😏

Then ✨smut✨ and ofc he has a marking kink

INTERLINKED

credit to @r3ds_art_ on Twitter and Instagram!

✭ 🔞 Miguel O’Hara x fem! Reader ✭

✮ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: possessive (adj.) → demanding someone’s total attention and love. having the knowledge that you used to be with someone left a sour taste in miguel’s mouth. especially knowing that you are still in good terms with them to this day.

✭ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: biting kink? (idk what it’s called), cumplay (?), unprotective p-in-v, semi-exhibitionism (y'all get caught), possessive behavior (kinda?)

✭ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: +1.7k words

✭ 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: mwehehehe (once again, if there are errors i apologize in advance as i felt like i read this multiple times and don't see any errors) enjoy!

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐃𝐍𝐈 | 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃

Harry was your first love. Something so fleeing that if you were to blink or glance at it, it disappeared instantly. It blurred into your life the way acrylic colors blended to create a clash of colors like a summer evening in July. It was all tangy and sweet, with a scalding, sweaty undertone. Beautiful yet uncomfortable to endure.

He was sweet, resembling a sweet syrup in any refresher you would get in a coffee shop. Sweet, yet messy. The sap wasn't noticeable until it became unbearable to have in between your fingers.

Enduring the sappy-like texture on the tip of your fingers, wiping the mess clean from your skin, bonding with Henry became inevitable. You didn't want to let him go, but it was for the better for each other.

But after growing out of each other, things ended with a silver lining—growing and learning within a long distance from each other.

Then, you met Miguel.

Another man from another dimension.

Meeting someone from another world was not on your bucket list, let alone in the span of goals you had for the next few years or so. But Miguel managed to tergiversate his way into your plans (and heart). He fit right into your life like a puzzle piece you didn't know was missing.

And you love it.

/

“Is your dish okay? Because if it isn't, I can send it back and—” You fade his rambles with a gentle touch on his hand. “Yes, it's perfect Migs. Thank you.” The sound of cutlery clicking on the white ceramic plates complimented the ambiance of the warm-lit dining area.

Small chatter created a cozy environment that made anyone lull to sleep. “And please, don't yell at the chef like last time.” You forcefully giggle and can almost imagine the events playing out like a storyboard.

“They didn't give you the grilled chicken fillet.” He grumbles, looking away from his dish and to the side, keeping his gaze on the maroon carpet. “Hey,” You gently cupped his cheek, disregarding your silverware. “It’s okay. Sometimes, we make mistakes on off days. It's nothing new.”

“I know,” He pouts. “I just want you to have a warm meal.”

“And I'm grateful for your well-being. Just don't yell at the chef and make them cry again. Please.” You plead, gently rubbing his cheekbone with the pad of your thumb. “…okay.” He grumbles in defeat, taking your hand away from his face and gently holding your hand with a reassuring squeeze.

“I won’t.”

/

You worked on your dish, taking in pasta forkfuls and grilled chicken. Miguel keeps a close eye while eating his dish, savoring his fillet mignon. You basked in the silence, probably in your little world while with him. But a single greeting broke the mellow silence. “Hey,”

It wasn't just a simple “Hey” to get someone’s attention. Instead, it was an exasperated one. The exhale is a sign of relief—the relief of seeing someone familiar after a long period of time. A sigh that read, “Oh, it's been a while; I missed seeing you..”

Miguel’s head turned for him without his brain enabling his thought process. “Oh, hey, Harry.” You smile, showing off your little dimples to him. “What brings you here?” Harry makes his way over to the two of you, unaware of the daggers that Miguel was throwing at him. “I’m here with Miguel. My boyfriend.”

Harry turns his attention to your aggravated partner, oblivious to the aura Miguel sent. “Already moved on? That was fast.”

Not an amusing joke, even for Harry. He lets out a forced laugh, hoping to drown out the awkward air around them—it only made it more suffocating to be in that bubble. “It's been a couple of years.” You laughed, trying to ease the unsteady environment. But it was laughable beyond that point.

While exchanging words, Harry’s wavering eyes remained on you, taking in every feature about you. “You work here?” You ask as you look up at Harry. “As a server only.”

Your smile, cute dimples, everything caught Harry’s attention. It felt like he was looking at the playing field and wondering if he was about to get to second base. The conversation dragged like a snail, going slowly for Miguel.

“But it was nice seeing you.” The only best solution was stepping on the awkward waters rising as Harry nodded and sighed. “Yes, it was nice seeing you too. But let me know if you guys need anything.” With a simple nod, he walks off almost in a rushed manner.

/

“Jesus.” Miguel was now away from the warm dining area of the restaurant and now in the men’s room. He stood in the handicap stall momentarily, burying his face into his palms. The last thing he needed to happen was for you to lecture him on his behavior, especially now that Harry had dropped by unannounced.

“You’re exaggerating, you're exaggerating.” He repeats the mantra, sounding like a possessed man. If anyone were to walk in, some eye brows would have been raised. But after repeating the phrase a couple more times, he stops and rubs his eyes, much to his doctor's dismay about the habit.

“It's fine.” He thinks, reaching for the stall door to step out. But the sound of a familiar voice and a different voice enter the washroom. “Who was that woman who you greeted earlier?”

“An ex,” Harry states matter of factly.

“You miss her, don't you?” The other voice inquires as if they anticipated drama. “I've seen the way you look at her.” The other voice adds. “Yeah, but just as friends! It's been a while since we last spoke.”

A little, just a little?

“But she's with someone else.” Harry stumbles his words, attempting to redeem his words.

“And you don't seem okay with that.” A lingering silence suffocates space immediately. A sigh from Harry fills the space, shattering the awkwardness.

“I'm okay with it. I just miss her company.”

The corner of Miguel’s lip subtly twitches, a sign of irritation. He waits, waiting for the two men to finish their discussion. It wasn't until ten minutes later that they finally left. Almost as if he were following behind, Miguel steps out of the stall silently, feeling his senses get overwhelmed with his typical possessive return once again.

/

“Keep it down for me, bebe. Can you do that for me?” He bites down on your neck and nibbles on your skin. The flat of his tongue lathers against the bite crevices, soothing the dull, aching pain. “Your canines…” Your comment fell silent before his lips kissed the now red mark against your flesh before his hands worked quickly to raise the hem of your skirt. “Shhh, we don't need to get kicked out, do we?” He whispers. The family bathroom immediately got filled with scuffles and moving around of clothes. His ring and pointer finger ghost at your clothed cunt, dragging the tips of his fingers down your entrance, feeling the dampness.

“I just bit you, and you’re all riled up? Pobrecita.” He pouts to you and slowly moves the gusset of your underwear to the side gently with a tug. “Just keep it down for me, okay? Can you do that for me?” His gentle movements drew out soft whines and moans from your mouth like word vomit while his fingers traced your entrance, drawing out your glistening arousal.

"Just be quiet for me," he nuzzles into the crook of your neck, helping himself to another bite of your soft skin. He follows his fingers, delving into your fluttering wall, eagerly taking his fingers in. "Shhh..." The sound of wet, sticky gushes fills the family room bathroom, with your mess dripping down onto the floor and occasionally on the bathroom wall.

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head, occasionally feeling his two fingers curl slightly. You bit down on your bottom lip, humming out your pleasure to the rhythm of his finger moving in and out.

"Don't make a mess, I don't want you to ruin my watch."

The soft thrusting of his fingers moved rapidly, pulling his fingers out completely before shoving his fingers back into your needy pussy. The rapid thrusts became too much, releasing your mess along with your cum all over the floor before you. "Ay, ya te dije." He pulls his fingers out, shaking his hand dry and lifting you up on the sink counter. "I told you to not make a mess." He put a resting finger against your fluttering core, lightly pushing down to soothe the stretch.

"Spread for me a bit, nena." He whispers and grasps onto your thighs, helping you. You could already imagine the mess you left behind the counter, leaving a glistening mess on the marble. You open up for him with a meek "Okay." You feel your legs trembling against the cold marble. You watch on as Miguel hurries to take off his pants, shoving the pants down quickly and dragging you close to his aching member.

A soft moan escaped your lips, feeling his length rub against your core and clit, lightly thrusting his length in between your entrance. "Let me just prepare myself," He whispers, slowly collecting your slick against his length. You let out a whine before you let out a moan, feeling his tip occasionally slip in between your folds. He thrusted his tip in a couple more times before he continued to grind his length against your clit.

“There we go. Let’s get you comfortable.” He whispers into your ear before he slowly pushes himself in, earning a loud moan from you. He immediately covered your mouth, muffling your beautiful sounds.

“Shh, be good and keep it down.” He whispers while gently pushing his tip against your cervix, occasionally earning a soft cry in pain. You felt him slowly pull out and keep a gentle pace. “Is that better, nena?” He croons into your ear. He grinds his length into you, trying to keep your moans and mews at a limit.

“So good, cariño.” He whispers. “Come on, hold on for a while.” His fingers trace the soft red marks on your neck, putting pressure to soothe the pain.

“I want us to be in here for a moment.”

/

The two of y'all rushed out of the bathroom, getting chased out of the restaurant by two servers. “And get out of here! Never come back!” They yell out as soon as the two of you scurry out while adjusting your clothes. You exchanged breathy laughs with each other when you felt the cold air nip at your skin.

“I told you to keep it down.”

[elephantlovemedleys]

modern au tudor aesthetics: henry vii & elizabeth of york

[lesservillain]

inmate!eddie munson x reader

cw: SMUT, henry creel is your ex, a threat of violence, divorce talk, baby talks

July 26th, 1996

“It’s been a whole year,” you turn the radio down to better get Eddie’s attention, “we should go out or something! I know everyone was busy tonight, but let me take you to like Enzo’s. Or Benny’s even.”

Eddie leaned for the knob, turning the radio up again. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” he yells over the music, banging his head around and tapping his legs along with the beat. “All I need to celebrate is you and whatever that new little number is that you’re hiding under those clothes.”

You turn to him, cheeks feeling hot as you’ve been caught. The smug look on his face annoyed you, “How do you know I’m wearing something new?”

He hums with a smirk. “I saw your bra strap when you were messing with it earlier,” he says as if it was obvious, “I know what your bras look like, didn’t recognize it.”

“You’re insane,” you laugh as you pull into Steve’s empty driveway. 

“Hey, not insane, just very observant of the things that are important to me,” he unbuckles his seatbelt, hoping out of the car and trotting over to your side to open your door for you. It was one of your favorite quirks of his, especially because the looks on peoples faces in public when a rough, six foot tall man covered in tattoos opens the driver door for his girlfriend are priceless. 

As you start walking to the front door you notice Eddie isn’t behind you, still standing next to the car with an unreadable expression on his face. Normally it wouldn’t bother you since he spaces out every once and a while, mostly when he’s nervous or upset you’ve come to find. But, he’s been acting like this for the last couple of days and it’s starting to concern you.

Your morning drives to drop him off at work have been quiet compared to the usual lively talks you two have. He’s also been staying at work later, calling you to pick him up close to sundown as the summer has gone on. One night he told you he was too tired for you to come over and was going to have Steve pick him up. When you tried to bring it up, he just brushed it off saying that he was just tired from repairing the A/Cs for half of Hawkins cars.

“Eddie?” You ask gently. 

He looks at you for a brief moment, eyes barely meeting yours before he starts walking down the driveway. “G-go ahead, I’m gonna grab the mail.”

“Okaaaay,” you say to yourself. 

When you enter the Harrington residence, you find it to be dead quiet, which is to be expected since Robin and Steve both had plans for tonight. But, what struck you as odd was that they had left several lights on…

Eddie came through the door a few moments later, his full attention on the stack of mail he’s flipping through. 

“Anything good,” you joke, unsure why he’s so laser focused on junk mail. He walks past you, setting all but one envelope on the counter. 

“Oh, uh, no-,” his voice is shakey, and you can tell his breathing is off.

“Hey are you-”

“Hey, look at this!” He waves the envelope in his hand, finally giving you his attention. “This says it’s to ‘Mrs.Munson,’ isn’t that weird?”

You reel back, head shaking at the confusion. “Eddie, I thought you said your mom passed? Why would she get mail here?”

He shook his head, “No, it can’t be for her. My mom and dad never got married, so this wouldn’t be for her anyway.”

“What the hell?” You’re totally confused now, “Open it and see what it says?”

He nods, taking particularly good care not to rip the envelope too much. You feel like you’re in an episode of the twilight zone between the letter and his odd behavior today. He pulls out the contents of the envelope, which looks like a single folded piece of notebook paper. He opens it, and you can clearly see the shaking in his hands now. You’re suddenly hit with a wave of realization. 

“Eddie, is that from your dad?” You ask, placing a hand on his arm. He won't even look at you, he just hands you the paper for you to read. 

The first thing you see is your name. 

“What the-”

“Please read it.”

You look at him, but he refuses to make eye contact, body shifting with a nervousness you’ve never seen before with him. When you look at the paper again, you recognize the sloppy handwriting.

Hi, sweetheart. You’re probably really confused right now reading this, and I know I gotta be a nervous wreck right now as I watch you. After a year of spending almost every day with me you’d probably agree that I’m not afraid to say whatever I’m thinking out loud. But, I wanted to go back to our roots for this. 

There are times where I’ve wished things were different. Where I could have the time that I lost in that jail cell back. I just wanted to do something for Wayne, but I would have rather had those years to spend with him instead. I missed out on a lot with the kids, and I was sure that the CC boys were gonna kick me out for ruining our chance to make it big. 

But if there’s one thing I can say made it worth it was you. You showed me that I can still be loved after all that I’ve been through. You didn’t know me before, but you put everything you believed in aside to give me a chance and I don’t think I could ever express how much that means to me. But I want you to give me the opportunity to try for the rest of our lives. Sweetheart, will you marry me?

As you read that last sentence, you notice your body starts to shake. Nervously, you lift your eyes from the paper, and in the time you were reading Eddie had managed to get down on one knee in front of you. 

“Oh my god,” it comes out shakey with a nervous laugh. You have to wipe the tears away as they cloud your vision to admire the ring he’s presented to you. The two of you have never talked about rings before, and yet he managed to pick the perfect one. 

Your teary eyes meet his. Those big, chocolate buttons look at your full of hope. It makes your knees weak. You shake your head, “Yes, Eddie. Holy shit, yes.” You let yourself fall into him, arms wrapping around his neck. He squeezes you tight, and you can feel the air leave his lungs as he sighs in relief. 

Time feels like it’s still in that moment. Since day one Eddie has made you feel more loved than you ever have in your life. It’s not that you never imagined a life married to Eddie, quite the contrary. You wish you had a dollar for every night that you’ve counted the freckles on his face, wishing that you’d been doing this with him instead of laying back to back with your husband for nearly 10 years. But, the two of you hadn’t talked about getting married. Not seriously that is. He would joke at home, calling you his wife, “Mrs.Munson”,“baby momma,” the latter you thought was because of how much of The Maury Show you two watched together on your days off. Now it felt like a serious conversation you would need to have, a pin to later be pulled. 

The sudden sound of the shades moving over the sliding door pulled you out of the moment, and you realize the door was slightly opened. Then, a loud voice from the backyard yells, “GUYS I’M PRETTY SURE SHE SAID YES!” Followed by a symphony of cheers and whistles. When you pull away from Eddie, he’s beaming so bright it’s blinding. And suddenly the sliding door is pushed open and your friends begin pouring in, cheering and congratulating as they enter. Eddie stands as everyone piles in, pulling you up with him. The train of embraces begins as Robin clamps you in with a bear hug. Steve joins in, wrapping the both of you in a big embrace filled with giggles.

You look over and see Eddie and Wayne hugging it out. Wayne’s patting his back, laughing about something Eddie must have said. The kids and his band boys stand around them waiting for their turn. When Robin and Steve finally let you breathe again, Max and Jane are next to congratulate you. 

Max sticks out her own hand, showing you a ring on her finger. “Lucas asked me a couple months ago,” she gushed. You grabbed her hand and admired the ring, it wasn’t over the top, very subtle to fit her personality. “I couldn’t tell you though, Eddie was too nervous that he wouldn’t be able to hold off asking if you knew.”

“Oh my god, Max, that’s amazing,” you pulled her in again, swaying her side by side excitedly. You looked over to Lucas, giving him a cheesy thumbs up that made him blush and shake his head. 

Next is Nancy and Elanor, with Jonathan standing just behind them. Nancy’s belly pushes into you as she pulls you in for a tight hug, Elanor wrapping her arms around you from the opposite side. 

Then it was Wayne’s turn for hugs next, Eddie finally letting him go after giving him a “Let me go boy, gotta congratulate the newest Munson!” When he pulls away, he leaves one arm around you in a half hug and leans in close, but still speaking loud enough for Eddie to hear. “Listen, if you change your mind let me know, I’ll distract him long enough for you to run.”

“Hey!” Eddie shouted over his friends, “Don’t give her any ideas over there, old man!”

After everyone finished making their rounds, the party migrated outside. Sitting around the fire, Eddie kept you planted in his lap, arms wrapped around you tight. While you’re talking, you realize that everyone had managed to flawlessly pull one over on you. Not a single person even gave you the slightest idea what was happening today. 

“You don’t remember us looking at jewelry at the mall?” Nancy laughed. 

“Nance, that was like, what, 5 months ago?” You shook your head in disbelief, “I barely remember saying anything about what I like!”

“You didn’t have to,” she said with her arms crossed over her bump, “I just watched what you looked at, paid attention to what you scrunched up your nose to and what made your eyes go wide. Then, I reported back to Eddie and let him do the rest.” She nodded to Eddie, who looked bashful at the admission of his friend. 

“I picked it out on my own, though,” he said defensively. “Well, Lucas was there, but that was a coincidence.”

You just shook your head, leaning in to plant a kiss on his chapped lips. The whole night your head was swirling with excitement. There was the nagging voice in the back of your head reminding you what it was going to take for the two of you to make getting married possible, but you let yourself worry about that later. Tonight was about you and Eddie, and you made sure to let him know how much you were grateful for him.

“Ooooooh god —SHIT, fuck babe that mouth is-“

Pulling off of him with a pop, you roll your hand around his head and lick from base to tip, making his whole body shudder above you. His grip on your head only gets tighter as you let him sink as far into your mouth as you can handle. Taking his hands in yours, you place them on the side of your head, and when you look up into his eyes you can see his pupils swallow up the remaining brown, leaving two black orbs looking down at you. 

Everything with Eddie was so different, but the sex was on a completely different level for you. With him, sex didn’t feel calculated or like a chore. He was so giving all of the time, which took a while for you to get used to when you had gone so long measuring your worth based on being a pleaser. Once when Eddie ate you out and came in his pants, he was embarrassed, sure, but you had almost cried because you didn’t feel like you had deserved how good he made you feel. He wasn’t having that, though, making sure to let you know at every opportunity he could that just being with you was enough for him. 

“Fuuuuuuuck baby~ God your pretty mouth feels amazing,” he pushes himself all the way to the back of your throat, holding it for a moment. Tears sting at the corners of your eyes. His hands shift, one settling under your chin and the other gripping the top of your head. He slowly eased out, letting you take no more than a second to breathe before he starts bullying your throat again.

Drool is dripping down your chin, cheeks hollowing around him as he trusts. He uses his grip to pull you forward gently, bending you at the waist. Fully nestled in your throat again, Eddie bends down to grab a handful of your ass, smacking it to watch the recoil. You moan at the feeling, and his cock twitches in response. 

“Alright, gotta get you up here now or else I’m gonna bust,” he says as he pulls out of you abruptly, lifting you up from under your arms and tossing you into the bed. You eye him giddily as he tore the rest of his clothes off with reckless abandon, squealing when he pounces on you. Hot and heavy, his hands are all over your body, your fingers tangling in his grown out hair. You know what his next move is going to be, but before he can begin his descent you hold him in place. 

“Not, tonight” - kiss - “need you.” ne of your hands snakes down gripping his length, rubbing the tip against your aching clit, your body jumping at the feeling. His head rolls back, any protest dying on his tongue. 

“Shit, okay, anything you want, baby girl.” When he takes over for you, there’s a sudden tension as he lines himself with your entrance. He looks at you, and you look at him. Something about the heat of the moment that makes you want to give in to carnal desires, but before he can make a move you lean over, opening the drawer and pulling out the foil. You don’t miss the tight lipped smile he makes as you open it, but when your hands are on him as you slide the condom on, he seems to forget his qualms.

When he finally sinks into you, he doesn’t give you much warning before he’s going at the same brutal pace he had on your throat. “I’m never gonna get used to how good you feel,” the praises fall from his lips, each one stoking the flames inside you. Adding his thumb to your clit has you gasping, orgasm washing over you and leaving you seeing stars. 

The chorus of curses coming from Eddie paired with sloppy thrusts signaled his own release. He pulls out, throwing the condom away and flopping boneless beside you, face planting into the pillow. You laugh at his goofiness, still coming down from your own high with hearts in your eyes. Hearts for your fiancé. 

You sighed dreamily, taking one if his curls between your fingers, longer now in the year you’ve spent together. His head turned slightly, one eye peeking out looking at your hand. He stared for a moment, until he suddenly snapped his mouth at you, pretending to bite at your fingers. You pulled back your hand and burst into a fit of giggles. He took the opportunity to roll into you, acting like a monster and “attacking” your face with kisses.

“Stoooop you’re tickling me,” you say as you try to push him away. You have to pry his arms off of you so you can climb out of the bed, legs wobbling as you make your way to the bathroom. He reaches out to smack your ass as you do, you flip him off in return.

When you came back to the bedroom Eddie had his pajama pants back on, and was sitting up in the bed with a look on his face that made you worry.

“What’s wrong,” you question, his head snapping up to you like you’d scared him. He shook his head innocently.

“Nothing’s wrong, Sweetheart,” he stuck his arms out in your direction, making fun of the needy way you beckon him to bed most nights. You weren’t falling for it. 

“Edward James Munson, don’t lie to me,” your hands are on your hips, standing naked in the doorway. He gulps at the use of his full name. You’re not really sure how to decipher that reaction with the way his body straightened, but that’s something you’d save in your mind for later. 

“It’s nothing,” he exhales, shoulders falling, “I just figured, ya know, with us getting married now that we, I don’t know, we would maybe stop with the, uh, condoms…” His voice trails off at the end but you still heard him loud and clear. Grabbing Eddie’s shirt he had tossed aside at the beginning of the night, you climbed into the bed next to him, resting your head on his shoulder. He returned the sentiment, kissing your temple before placing his chin on top of your head. “I’m sorry, if it's not something you’re ready for-“

“No, you’re right,” you take his hand and squeeze, “I really only wanted to use them for precaution sake. Not that I thought you were dirty or anything. And I got tested after I found out Henry was cheating, so I knew I was clean, too. It’s — I just figured it was the right thing to do? Right?”

Eddie wraps an arm around you, pulling you closer with a chuckle. “Sweetheart, I think you miss understood. I’m not offended that you want to use condoms, I promise. I was more so talking about…” he shifts a bit, “I meant like, you know, trying for a b-baby.”

A cold chill makes goosebumps rise on your skin. You knew it was coming, knew that you’d have to pull that pin, but you weren’t expecting it to be tonight, not so soon.  

Your silence makes Eddie even more nervous, “I mean, only if you want to have kids. We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just, you know, with me turning thirty one, I thought that sooner would be better than later...” 

Eddie bringing up his age only reminded your own clock was ticking, too. But, even though your clock ticks, the hands don't move. 

It was something that you had to face by yourself for a long time, since Henry didn’t seem to feel the need to comfort you, rather ridicule you for your inability to do the “one thing you were meant to do” according to him. When you finally did get pregnant, only for it to end too soon, Henry only made you feel worse. 

After a while you convinced yourself to stop caring.

Now you feel like maybe it never happened for a reason, rationalizing that your body was just protecting you from being permanently attached to the bastard. Thinking that way helped heal some of the hurt, but deep down you knew something had to be wrong with you. 

“Eddie, why do you think Henry and I never had any kids?”

He stills for a moment, unable to see his face to gauge his emotions.  When he responds, his voice has a hint of uncertainty.

“Uh, I honestly didn’t really think about it. I try not to think about you with anyone else, like, ever if I’m being honest.” You gave him a slap on the leg, making him turn his lower half away from you playfully. “If I had to guess, it’s got something to do with him. You like kids way too much for it to have been a you problem.”

Your lip wobbles, because he’s not wrong. You became a teacher for a reason, and you’ve enjoyed the times you’ve gotten to spend with your nephews and Nancy’s daughter. It only makes the lump in your throat feel thicker when you realize you have to say the next words out loud. 

“Eddie,” his name comes out strained, “I don’t think I can have kids.”

And then the dam breaks. Sobs wrack your body, both with tears of sorrow and a sense of catharsis as you can finally come to terms with what you’ve been harboring inside for so long. But the tears aren’t all for you, but for Eddie, too. Tears of guilt, knowing that you were broken, hoping that maybe he didn’t want kids and it would be a non-issue. But that’s not fair. You should have brought it up sooner. Would he even want to be with you if you couldn’t have his kids? Would he just look for someone else, too?

Eddie is immediately in comfort mode, pulling you into him more as he lets you cling to him, chest wetting with the tears falling from your eyes. He doesn’t push you to stop, just rocks with you as you let out your grief. 

When you finally start to calm down, he’s pulling you away so he can look at you, thumbs wiping away the tears that still sit on your cheeks. He tells you to take some deep breaths, feeling better once you do. 

“I hope those tears aren't from you thinking I’d be upset or something,” he said, eyes flickering back and forth between yours. “Because I’m not, and I hope I didn’t come off that way-“

“No! God, no Eddie,” you say shaking your head, rubbing your eyes with the heels of your palms, “no, I just, I mean— I want to be able to give you kids, if you want them. Really bad, actually. But it’s not a matter of wanting, it’s a literal “I don’t think I can” thing. I only ever got pregnant one time our entire marriage and I ended up miscarrying…“

“Oh my god, that’s terrible,” his big eyes are filled with sympathy for you. “Nance and Jonathan had one a couple months before she got pregnant with Ellie. Nancy was a wreck, and I should have been there for her. But it happened the same week as Wayne’s heart attack, and I couldn’t leave him. It was a cluster fuck of a week.”

You were shocked to hear about Nancy. You’d become pretty close in the last year but she’d never brought it up before. Not that you’d ever mentioned yours to her, either, but you’d never have guessed. Her daughter, Elanor, had become your little buddy at the Harrington get togethers when everyone was drunk, finding a 4 year old to be more entertaining than a slew of belligerent adults.

“But, uh, you did say you got pregnant, right?” He asked with a smile. You nod. “See, that’s a good sign then. It can still happen. Maybe you're only compatible with Munson DNA.” 

His optimism wraps around you like a blanket, and for the moment you let yourself believe he might be right. Even if it’s going to hurt in the future. 

“So, you’re not going to leave if I can’t have a baby…” You don’t make eye contact with him as you say it. He grabs your chin, lifting your head to make you look at him in the eyes. 

“Hey, I’d be happy to get a pet rock with you if that’s what you want. We could try and raise some house plants together, but I’m telling you now that when I tried to grow my own weed it didn’t work out well.”

You slide down the bed with a groan, unable to hide the way Eddie’s words have affected you. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of your chest. To finally get it out there, and feeling confident enough to believe Eddie’s words that he wants to stay with you anyway is an indescribable relief. 

He leans over to smother you with kisses again before sliding down himself, pulling you into him once more. 

September 14th, 1996

Of all days, it would rain today. 

Almost a month ago you had Henry served with divorce papers. You’d taken care of everything, making sure all he had to do was sign. You foolishly assumed that it would be something he’d be on top of, considering it’s been over two years since you’ve been separated. Meaning it's been two years since him and the girl he cheated on you with became official. He married you pretty quickly, and you’d figured he would want to do the same to her before she could get wise and leave.

But, here you are. Knocking on your old front door in the rain to confront your husband on why he insists on making things more difficult for you. 

“Coming!” You hear a chipper voice call from inside. You roll your eyes, because of course she has to be here, too. The door swings open, and her face lights up with excitement when she sees you. 

“Oh my gosh, hi!” She squeals, stepping aside to let you in. 

“Hello, Missy.” You were trying to avoid looking at her, the sound of her voice was enough to grate at your eardrums. But when she stepped to the side, your eyes were immediately drawn to the large bump under her sweater. You just stared at her, unmoving, unsure how to process what you’re feeling in the moment. 

“Who’s at the door, dear?” 

You hear his voice call from another part of the house. It snaps you out of your trance, the anger you were trying to keep at bay boiling up again. You walk inside, heading into the kitchen, leaving Missy to follow behind you. 

“Henry,” you cross your arms as you stand in the entryway of the kitchen. Henry’s head snaps up from the book he’s reading, eyes wide when he sees you, wearing the same face as the day you confronted him about his infidelity. 

“Ah, what a surprise,” he tries to recover, putting on the mask of arrogance he always wears. “How nice of you to stop by.”

You roll your eyes at his faux pleasantries, maintaining your stance in the doorway. “I’m sure you know why I’m here,” you cut to the chase, not wanting to draw this out any more than necessary. 

“Are you here for lunch? I just got breakfast put away so you may have to wait a little while, but I’m making chicken salad!” Missy walks past you, grabbing Henry’s mug and refilling it with coffee. It makes your skin crawl as you watch. She brings the cup back to him, something that you’ve done many times over, now the thought only makes you cringe. 

“Darling, why don’t you go rest your feet? I’m sure your stories should be on soon,” Henry kisses her hand. Missy nods excitedly, leaving the room with a wave to you as she does. As soon as she’s gone, the air in the room is sucked away with her. The facade has fallen, Henry’s face morphing into an all too familiar scowl. 

“I’m assuming you’re here because of the paperwork you so graciously had served to me,” he stands from his seat at the table, moving around to walk towards you slowly. 

“Your assumption would be correct.” 

He peered down at you, blue eyes darkening from the shadow of the bridge of his brow. The intensity of his stare almost made you falter, but you’d been practicing for this, in case he tried to size you up like he’d done for years. You doubled down, remaining still as stone even when he’s only mere inches away. You weren’t afraid of his disappointment anymore.

His lips curled into a smile when he noticed you weren’t folding, nodding his head with a small “hmph.” 

“You never returned my call, you know.” Your eyes rolled at his dismissiveness. Huffing out a sigh, you decided to at least entertain him a little bit. He was only going to keep on with this if you didn’t.

“Didn’t have anything to say,” you shrug. 

He takes a step back with a slight bow, looking towards the ground, “I see. Was there perhaps a reason why?” He straightens up again, the corners of his lips pulling into a tight grin, “Too busy with another man’s dick down your throat to try and work it out with your husband, perhaps?”

You reel back, completely put off guard by his words. 

“And a felon’s at that? Honey,” his tone is condescending, and you feel your fortitude slipping, “you know if you were that desperate you should have just come home.” 

Your blood runs hot with every word he speaks. “But I guess you felt the need to prove something to me, or yourself. Doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that I’m not going to be signing those papers.”

Your hands shook, balled at fists by your side. You wanted to swing one, punch him right in his pathetic face and give him a taste of his own medicine. But you couldn’t, you knew that’s exactly what he wanted. And you couldn’t risk the cops showing up with Eddie outside waiting in your car. Henry would absolutely try and pin it on him to get him back in jail. All just to spite you.

Taking a deep breath in, you straighten up, giving him a smug look as you lean against the door frame. “That’s fine, you don’t have to sign them. But, and you may want to listen very carefully to me when I say this. I’m going to make your life a living hell if you don’t.”

The devilish smile on his face drops in an instant, morphing into a sneer. 

“If you actually read the paper in full, which you clearly haven’t,” you see his eyes dart to the side to an envelope on the counter, likely the one he was served with, “I stated in my filing that the divorce was mutual. That I wanted nothing from you, and if there was no issue with you signing, then we could both walk away from each other with our dignity. But,” you raise your brows, lips tugging into a forced frown, “if you want to play this game, then let's play. The divorce is going to go through anyway, and I’m sure you know that. You also probably know that adultery doesn’t have much leverage in the state of Indiana. But…”

“But?” 

You wonder if it’s the tone that you’re speaking to him in, or if it’s the fact that you’re standing up to him for the first time in your entire marriage that’s making him fume to the point he’s speaking only through gritted teeth.

“But, it doesn’t look very good when you’re using our combined finances to pay for the two of you to go to,” you use your fingers to count as you talk, “Hawaii, Italy, Mexico, which I heard really nice things about the resort the two of you went to. Um, where else, Cancun I think? You also shouldn’t have used the bank account to buy her nice new car that’s parked out in the driveway, which you put in her name for some stupid reason. Didn’t think about that because you paid in full for it, did you? You also probably didn’t know that I still have the ability to ask for the statements for that account even though you closed it. That’s okay, I didn’t know either, but my lawyer is really good and gave me that little tip.”

If it were humanly possible, you know steam would be rolling out of his ears. You’ve never seen rage on him like this, and a couple years ago it would have scared the shit out of you. But you had the upper hand for once in this exhausting marriage, and you weren’t going to let up.

“That’s an awful lot of money that went towards your adultery, isn’t it? And you’d have to pay all of that back to me, on top of at least fifty percent of your liquid assets. Maybe more if I felt like telling them you kicked me to the curb to live in an apartment in the middle of the year when I wasn’t working. So, go head, don’t sign the papers. The person that the dick that you’re so concerned about me having down my throat is attached to and I are going to start looking for houses soon, and it would be amazing to pay cash for one. Hopefully you’d still have enough money to pay all your bills and raise a new baby, but that’s not really my problem.”

In an instant he’s backing you into the wall next to the entryway. It happened so fast you didn’t have time to react, only watching as his fist began to rear back. A million scenarios run through your head in the seconds you brace yourself for impact. Funny enough, you’re more worried about Eddie. Because if you walk out of here with a black eye, you know there’s a possibility he’s going to jail for murder. Fully admitting to it, too.

It’s like slow motion as you watch his hand begin its descent towards you. Remembering what you read in a self defense book, you put your tongue at the roof of your mouth and clenched your teeth. Holding your breath, you wait.

But the blow doesn’t come.

“Henry!” you hear Missy’s sing song voice shout from your-- their bedroom. When you open your eyes, you see Henry frozen in place, crazed look in his eyes as his fist hovers next to his head. Your body tells you to move, in case he changes his mind. Run. Run. Run. 

But you’re more afraid of what he might do to her if you do. 

“Henry?” Her voice is closer now, and Henry jumps back. His eyes are on the hallway entrance as Missy waddles back into the kitchen.

“Oh, good you’re still here! I wanted to give you this,” she makes her way over to you, handing you a small envelope with your name on it in her handwriting.

“It’s an invitation!” she exclaims, waiting for you to take it. You stand there for a second, looking at Henry, whose face is unreadable at the moment, and then looking back to Missy. After a beat, you slowly take the envelope out of her hand. She claps excitedly when you do.

“Darling,” Henry’s tone is cautious as he addresses Missy. It reminds you of a zoo keeper approaching a lion in its cage. “That might not be a good idea.”

Her head tilts when she looks at him. “Why? You told me to invite whoever I wanted to the shower, Henry. I want her to come!”

What?

You open the little envelope, because there’s no way, right? This bitch didn’t just hand you an invitation to the baby shower for the baby of the man you’re still legally married to. Like you know she’s not the brightest, but this…

You bust out laughing as you read the card.

“This is a joke right? You’re just fucking with me to get a rise out of me, right,” you look at her incredulously.

“Huh? What do you mean,” she looks genuinely confused. It only makes you feel worse because she’s dead serious, and your hatred starts to morph into concern. Henry takes slow strides towards her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. The delicacy in his movements is something foreign for him, at least to your eyes. 

“Missy, dear, it’s not… not in good taste to invite her.” The way he speaks to her is not what you imagined. You were expecting him to talk to her like a child, slow and condescending like he tried to do with you. But he didn’t.

“In good taste? Henry, you told me I should try and make more friends. So I’m trying to make friends. I know she’s a lot older than me, but you and me get along even though you’re almost my dad’s age.”

Every word out of her mouth gave you whiplash, like being on a rollercoaster. You didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this point, so you decided it would be best to just leave.

“Um, I will…let you know if I can go…later,” you start to back out of the kitchen, “I should probably go now, though. So, um, Henry,” He looks over to you out of the corner of his eye. You were expecting disgust as he looked at you, but instead he seemed…dejected? 

“I’m assuming that we’ve come to an understanding?”

He’s still for a moment, his eyes drifting back to Missy, “I’ll have everything taken care of tomorrow.”

Relief washed over you, your body easing up after all that had transpired. You gave him a curt nod, then turned on your heels and booked it towards the door. 

Just as you were turning the handle, you hear Missy call your name. She hobbles her way to you, and you try not to cringe as she opens her arms to you.

“Thank you for coming by today!” She wraps her arms around you. You let her get it out of her system. “Feel free to come over any time. Henry told me I don’t have to work anymore, so I have a lot of free time if you ever wanna hang out. Oh, would you wanna go with me to look at baby clothes? There’s a store at the mall I’ve been wanting to go to but haven’t had the chance to go yet.”

Every fiber in your being wants to tell her to fuck off, but you just feel sympathy for her instead. At least you have friends. You know Nancy, Robin, Max-- shit, even Steve would be begging you to take him shopping for baby stuff if you and Eddie ever have a baby. 

This whole situation feels like a sick joke to test you. Is this what you had to deal with just to have the happy life you wanted?

“I--Missy, mmm,” you’re battling yourself as you speak, brain exhausted from the last hour, “Missy, you don’t have any family that can go with you? Friends?”

“I have family, yeah, but all my siblings are younger. My mom died a couple years ago, so I basically had to raise my siblings myself while my dad worked all the time,” she said the last part came out with mere annoyance. As if being forced to raise your siblings wasn’t something that could be extremely traumatizing for a person. “And my friends are all way smarter than me, so they went to college in other states. I miss them a lot, but most of them don’t call me anymore. Actually, none of them call me…”

Fuck.

“Okay, you know what, fine. I’ll do it,” you spit out, feeling disappointed in yourself for caving in to her sob story, “I’ll go with you. I have some friends, one of them who has a kid on the way, too, who could probably help you. I’ll, um, talk to them and give you a call.”

She’s quiet for a moment, until she suddenly bursts into tears. You panic, not sure what you said wrong, until she trusts herself onto you again, hard belly pressing into yours as she hugs you. Her tears wet the corner of your shirt, and you pat her on the back. Looking up, you see Henry watching the interaction from down the hall. He shakes his head before going back into the kitchen.

“Oh, thank god,” Eddie yells from the car, pacing on the grass next to the sidewalk with a cigarette in his mouth, “I was about to call Hopper if you didn’t come out in the next ten minutes.”

You didn’t say anything, still trying to process everything that just transpired. You get a sick feeling in your stomach when you think about it too hard, so you just let yourself fall into Eddie, burying your face in his chest. Tossing his cigarette since he knows you don’t like the smell of the smoke, he wraps you up tight, kissing the top of your head. 

“Do we need to stop at the store for some treats on the way home? I’ll get your favorites,” his words wash over you like a waterfall of comfort, “And we can stop and get a couple movies. Maybe bother Robin and El for a little bit while they work?”

You smile against Eddie’s chest, remembering that everything you’re doing was because of him. When you look up at him, he wastes no time smooching you all over your face. He lets you vent to him in the car, not interrupting as you give him the play by play. You leave out the near miss with Henry, not wanting to stress Eddie out more. He already hated Henry enough as it is.

“Are you actually gonna take her to the mall,” Eddie looks at you with an open mouth smile, the whole situation with Missy just tickling him as you go on.

“Ugh, I feel like I should. I don’t know,” you groan, “What do you think?”

“Well, I want to say that you’re being too nice to the girl who was the downfall to your marriage. But,” he crosses his arms with a shrug, “I’m on her team because she’s technically the reason we’re together. Don’t do anything that would make you uncomfortable, but if you think it’s something that you can handle, go for it.”

Tears soak the front of your shirt as it covers your face, your body shaking silently as you lay curled into a ball on the couch. Eddie had fallen asleep hours ago, but you couldn’t. You were in your head, dissecting everything about your interaction with Henry. It all started when you started to feel guilt for leaving Missy there, knowing that Henry could be violent if he wanted to. But then you started thinking about how he acted around her. The softness in his touch, his gentle voice. He wasn’t even that sweet with you in the beginning of your relationship. 

The fact that he told her to make friends after convincing you to push all your friends away really got to you. Because he knew that if you told your friends the things he did to you that they would tell you to leave him. But he was encouraging her to make friends. Was he not abusing her like he did you? It didn’t seem like it. Missy might not be the brightest, but she also doesn’t seem like the type to not let it slip if Henry were to do something to her. 

But then you have to ask why is it different with her? Why did you never get his soft touch, his gentle voice? Was it just because she was pregnant? Did he even love you? 

“Sweetheart?”

Eddie’s voice startled you. The click of the lamp had you rushing to wipe away any evidence of your crying, but the sting of the fabric against your swollen eyes only confirmed that you were a mess. Eddie drops to his knees in front of the couch, face level with yours so you can see the way his eyebrows are pinched with concern.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong, princess?” His hand caresses your cheek, thumb wiping away any straggling tears. You take a deep breath in, trying to regain your composure, but when you think about speaking your thoughts out loud your throat goes dry. The sadness bubbles up again, you can feel the damn ready to break the longer he looks at you with those big, brown sympathetic eyes. 

Without a word you watch through clouded vision as Eddie stands and walks back down the hall.

Oh, no. This is it. 

He’s finally realized that you have too much baggage. That he’s made a mistake and he’s gone to pack his bags to leave. He’ll tell you he’s going to Steve’s to let you cool off, and then he’ll call the next day and say that things aren’t going to work out after all.

And you wouldn’t blame him. You knew that there was no way someone as broken and unlovable as you would ever deserve someone like him. You should have told him no when he asked you to marry him. It’s for the best-

“Are you able to get up?” 

You blink away tears. You hadn’t even noticed that Eddie had walked back into the room. When you don’t respond after a moment, you feel his arms slip under your knees and shoulders, hoisting you up and pulling you into him. The sound of water running gets louder as he takes you down the hall, and when he pushes the bathroom door open with his foot, you realize that he’s filling up the bathtub, the only light coming from two candles sitting on the inner edge of the tub. He lowers you down, sitting you on the edge of the tub so he can test the temperature of the water with his hand.

“Is it okay if I undress you?” He asks as he wipes his hand off on the towel he’s set aside for you. You nod, still in a bit of shock at the tenderness he’s giving you. In the back of your mind you know that you shouldn’t be, that this is absolutely something he would do for you. But you’re still in the headspace that you’d learn to escape to when you were with Henry. You can’t comprehend being deserving of his kindness.

Every touch and manipulation of your body as he undresses you feels like he’s taking another layer from your body. Layers of guilt, shame, self hatred. Peeling away the last bit of shed that stuck to you from the bad conditions of the habitat you lived in for almost 10 years. He takes his hand in yours, admiring your ring, your new ring, that he gave you as a promise to love you for the rest of his life. A promise that you’ve heard before, but you wanted nothing more for it to be real this time. 

“Will you get in with me?” You don’t look at him, eyes on his hand that holds yours. But you hear him grin, a hum of satisfaction as he stands. 

“God, I thought you’d never ask,” he says as he pulls off his clothes with haste. You can’t help but giggle as he struggles getting his foot out of the leg of his sweatpants. His face lights up at the sounds of your laughter. He bends down to give you a kiss, soft and sweet, taking that last bit of sadness with him when he parts. 

November 10th, 1996

“Dustin’s house is in this neighborhood,” Eddie says as you drive slowly down the street, the both of you keeping an eye out for a “For Sale” sign. The realtor you’d been working with called you at six in the morning that day to tell you that this house had just gone on sale and it was yours and Eddie’s dream house. She had said the same thing about the 3 other houses she’d shown you, but to her defense you were being extremely picky. After being the only one to clean the house for as long as you did, you knew what was easy to maintain and what you absolutely weren’t willing to deal with. Eddie thankfully was on the same page after making it his responsibility to keep the 4 bedroom, 6 bathroom Harrington house in ship shape for the entire year he had lived there. So a single level home with at least 3 bedrooms was enough for the both of you.

“Awe, it would be nice to live close by for when he comes home to visit,” you’re taking in the other houses in the neighborhood as Eddie drives, trying to gather ideas for how you might decorate the front of your future home. 

“Being closer to Claudia would be nice, too,” he says as you slow to a stop at an intersection, “It would be easier to just walk to her house to mow the lawn instead of running across town.”

Driving a few more blocks down, the sale sign finally comes into view, your realtor’s minivan that you’ve come to recognize over the last month parked in the driveway. You pull in next to it, and immediately you’re happy to see a two car garage. The house looks promising from the outside, too. Dark brick, a small covered porch that could fit two chairs, a decent front yard with some space where you can plant some flowers; you could feel yourself getting excited and you hadn’t even left the car yet. Eddie opened your door, giving you a look as he holds his hand out for you to take it.

“What,” you match your smile to his, “why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m not looking at you like anything,” he keeps your hand in his as you close the car door.

“Whatever, Munson,” you tease, the two of you walking to the doorway of the house.

The door opens before you can even knock, Chrissy standing on the other side of the exterior glass door. You can tell by the look on her face that she’s very excited to show you the house, hands on her belly bump as she shuffles back and forth giddily. 

“Come in, come in,” she squeals as she pushes the door open, stepping to the side for Eddie and you to enter. “I watched you from the window and I can already tell this is the one. As soon as I saw the porch I knew you’d love it. But once I got to look around in here, I’m willing to bet you’re going to want to put an offer in.”

From what you can see from the doorway you were already impressed. The open concept living room and dining room was just big enough that you wouldn’t feel cramped, but not too big that you would hate to clean it. The large window brought in lots of light, making you think back to Eddie’s comment about house plants. Maybe it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities.

As she showed you around the house more, you were checking off things on your list of needs at every turn. Three spacious bedrooms, master bathroom and a walk in closet, kitchen with an island. The backyard was even fenced in, and you were already mentally mapping how you would set up a garden. Everything was perfect for you, and the look on Eddie’s face makes you think it’s perfect for him, too.

“So,” Chrissy places elbows on the counter, looking at the both of you with big, blue eyes, “Are we putting the offer in today or what?”

Eddie looks at you with wide eyes and a toothy grin, his hand gives yours a squeeze. Your heart flutters at his eagerness. The three of you talk about putting in an offer. Of course there had to be a catch, which was the asking price being ten thousand more than your budget, but Chrissy said that the owners were out of state and just trying to get rid of the property so they didn’t have to keep maintaining it. After deciding on a price, you and Eddie go out to Benny’s afterwards to celebrate.

“Eddie, the house isn’t even ours yet,” you say as you listen to him go on about turning the garage into his music area for him and the boys to play.

“Yet,” he emphasizes, “I bet we’ll be in there before Christmas. Shit, maybe before Thanksgiving if they’ll let us. Not like they need to get anything out of there.”

“We’d still need to get furniture,” you’re trying to play devil’s advocate, mostly to keep from getting your hopes up.

“We can get furniture. And it’s not like you don’t have the essentials at the apartment. We don’t have to make everything perfect on day one.”

“Ugh, I hate when you’re right,” you lean back in your seat, failing at keeping your excitement at bay. “It’s a good thing we ran into Chrissy and James at the mall.”

“Jason,” he corrects as he shovels fries in his mouth, “and me, too. Didn’t think I’d ever be happy to run into Jason Carver again, but I guess fatherhood can change a man.”

“Or, maybe you were both just stupid teenagers back then, and now you’re in your thirties and more mature.”

“You callin’ me old, Mrs. Munson?” The two of you have only been engaged for four months but that didn’t stop him from thinking you were already his wife.

“So old,” you say sarcastically, “That’s why I’m only marrying you for your money.”

“I knew it,” he dropped his fork on the table, over exaggerating his reaction as he feigned outrage.

“Well, that’s not entirely true,” you grin, “There is another thing I’m marrying you for.” You look at him through your lashes, biting your bottom lip. He drops his act when he understands what you’re getting at, leaning in close to you over the table.

“Just so you know, I thought about how I was going to fuck you in every room of that house.”

You felt heat rush immediately to your cheeks, shifting in your seat slightly. 

“I’m having a hard time imagining it, maybe you need to show me what exactly you’d do to me.”

And show you he did.

November 27th, 1996

Eddie thrusts into you from behind, his weight against your back as he presses you into the mattress beneath him. You were still coming down from your own orgasm just moments before when his movements began to falter. His moans in your ear are accompanied with the feeling of his cum filling you up inside for the third time tonight.

Thank god you have the next five days off for Thanksgiving break. There were still piles of boxes to unpack in your new home, but Eddie was determined to christen every room in the house and you were sure you’d need a few days to recover at the rate he was going, jumping you as soon as Steve and Robin left. 

He pulls out of you with a hiss. Hands still on your ass, he watches his cum begin to dribble out of you. “Can’t have that,” he chuckles, and you feel his thumb push the spend back into you, making you shutter. 

“Eddie,” you say with warning before he got any ideas. His thumb leaves you, but he gives your ass a smack before jumping off the bed. You’re envious of the stamina he has. 

He returns from the kitchen with a drink for you, laughing at the position you’ve put yourself in.

“Hey, Chrissy said it works,” you say with your pillow propped under your ass and your feet crossed pointing towards the ceiling, “and they’re about to have their fifth kid so I don’t wanna hear it.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he sets the glass on your bedside table next to a half unpacked box that he had distracted you in the middle of unpacking,“I’m not gonna argue with that. You want me to hold your legs for you, Mrs. Munson?”

“No, thank you,” you pat his side of the bed, “Just want you to lay with me, please.”

He trots to his side of the bed, plopping next to you on the mattress. He gives you a quick peck on the cheek before he mirrors you, crossing his legs and pointing them towards the ceiling.

“Alright, how long do we have to do this for?”

You roll your eyes at him, “At least 20 minutes.”

“Jesus Christ, 20 minutes? I’m already feeling the burn over here,” he puts his hands behind his thighs, determined to wait it out with you.

The two of you finally get settled under the covers, Eddie’s arms wrapped around you, his hands rubbing circles into your back. You bury your head in his chest to block the moonlight bleeding between the blinds, regretting not putting up the blinds before Eddie got to you. The up and down of his chest as he breathes is making your eyes feel heavy, sleep begins to take over you. 

“I love you.” 

His voice was low, quiet. Just for you to hear. 

You knew he meant it. Because he’s shown you his soft voice. His gentle touch. He’s shown you what love is supposed to feel like, not what you’ve been conditioned to believe it is. Every kiss on your face when you’re anxious and every sweet caress of your body when you’re writhing under him. Every fight that has had the both of you steaming where he puts your hand in his because he doesn’t want to go to bed mad. The way he talks about your future, where the both of you have grey in your hair and his mind wanders, only remembering your face

“I love you, too.”

[spencereidluver]

Spencer Reid A-Z Masterlist

these are written as a story with each letter being a new chapter. I recommend reading in chronological order for story purposes, but these could also work as one shots.

unless explicitly stated, all my fics ignore anything related to jeid, and in my universe, maeve simply does not exist. i do like the idea that spencer and ethan may have had a romance in college

the following events are removed from canon: anything related to a jeid romance, maeve (i just can't have reader and spencer break up for her character to have her moment)

the following events are what i believe to have happened before this timeline began: spencer and ethan had a small (non-sexual) romance in college which is the real reason why they hadn't spoken in years, spencer is a virgin, lila archer events did occur, however i do not believe he had real feelings for her, he was just doing his job (i do think he enjoyed the kiss though, because who wouldn't)

I’ve put them in a timeline and they are further categorized by emojis

Have recommendations? Visit my Spencer Reid A-Z Recommendations to submit your ideas!

key:

🧸- fluff

🔥- smut

❤️‍🩹- angst

🕰️- coming soon

2008

january

03: you join the BAU (age 24)

july

07: a is for About Time 🧸

23: b is for Boy Genius? 🧸

august

09: c is for Case by Case 🧸

25: d is for Diana🧸

september

12: e is for Even Guys Like Me? 🧸❤️‍🩹

15: f is for First Date 🧸

october

03: g is for Girlfriend 🧸

12: Spencer’s 27th Birthday

31: h is for Hold my Hand 🧸

november

07: i is for I knew it! 🧸

12: Henry LaMontagne is born

17: j is for Just So You Know… 🧸

december

05: k is for Kissing Isn’t Enough 🔥

14: l is for Lover Boy 🧸

22: m is for Merry Christmas 🧸

2009

january

01: n is for New Years 🕰️

26: o is for🕰️

february

02: p is for Pretty Boy 🕰️

11: jj returns from maternity leave

18: q is for Quiet 🕰️

march

09: r is for Reid? 🕰️

26: s is for Sitter 🕰️

april

10: t is for Two Time 🕰️

19: u is for

may

07: v is for

26: w is for

june

5: x is for

29: y is for

july

16: z is for

[echotrinityme]

A Proposal (Calvin x Henry)

A/N: I know April's Fools have passed but I have to get this out of the way. And I need to write more Calvin x Henry.

"You want me to do what with you?" Henry asked, he was confused by Calvin's question.

"I need your help in pulling a prank for April's Fools' Day," Calvin responded nervously.

"Why?"

"Cause..."

Henry noticed Calvin wasn't looking at him, Calvin was looking around. When Calvin came over to him asking him to help with a prank, he thought he was having a strange day.

Calvin and his twin brother Konrad were notorious for pranking and pulling jokes on everyone including the General. April's Fools' Day is like the twins' Christmas. Everyone in the Government dreads the day the aforementioned holiday comes. The twins always plan what pranks they should do and who they should do them to. Sometimes they get away with the pranks, and sometimes they don't.

Henry crossed his arms as he narrowed his eyes at Calvin in suspicion, he tapped his combat boot as he kept staring at Calvin. Calvin started to sweat as he saw Henry's look, he felt awkward.

Henry kept staring at Calvin for a few seconds then he sighed, "What's the prank?"

Calvin gave him a wide grin and he leaned down to whisper in his ear. Henry listened to Calvin's prank while Calvin was explaining the plan, Henry kept listening until his face turned red. Henry pushed Calvin away, making Calvin stumbled back a bit.

Calvin felt annoyed at Henry's action, "What the hell, Henry?"

"Really?!" Henry replied incredulously, "That's the prank?!"

Calvin stared at Henry in confusion, "Well, what did you expect?" he said.

Henry shook his head as he looked away and crossed his arms again. Calvin went up to him, put his hands on Henry's shoulders, and turned him around. Henry was now facing Calvin, however, his eyes were closed.

"C'mon Henry, Konrad doesn't know about this and I need someone to do this prank," Calvin pleaded, he wanted Henry to help him with this prank.

"Why me? Why couldn't you ask someone else like Charles?" Henry still had his eyes closed.

"Because if I ask Charles, he will reject it," Calvin responded immediately.

"Please, Henry," Calvin begged, "Will help you me with this prank?"

Henry opened his eyes to see Calvin using puppy-dog eyes at him, Henry blinked in confusion. "Dang it, why did he have to do the puppy-dog eyes at me?" he thought.

Henry tried to resist the eyes but he couldn't, he uncrossed his arms and sighed. He looked at Calvin who was waiting patiently, "Fine, I'll do it," he said, annoyed and using his actual voice.

Calvin smiled and he picked Henry up and spun him around in glee, Henry cried out in shock. Calvin put him down as he realized what he was doing, his face was red while Henry was staggering. "Uh... sorry Henry," he apologized to Henry.

Henry gained his composure and glanced at Calvin, "Okay, if I do this for you, what do I get out of this?" he asked.

Calvin blinked in confusion, he thought for a moment then he smiled. "You'll get immunity from pranks and you will get to keep this."

Calvin dug into his pocket to fetch something, searched for a few seconds, and took a small black box. Henry stared at the box, and he noticed something about box that caught his eye. The box was velvet with gold rimming and in front of the box had a diamond that looked like a Tunisian diamond. Henry kept looking at the box when Calvin opened the box to reveal what was inside. Henry's gears stopped working when he saw what was inside the box.

There was a beautiful engagement ring inside the box.

The band was silver, and there were sapphires on top of the band. Henry stared at the ring in awe and hunger. He had seen so many rings and jewelry in his time as a thief but he had never seen one like this before. Calvin saw Henry's eyes lit up like fireworks, he knew Henry would like the ring.

"So, is it a deal?" Calvin asked slyly.

Henry was about to say yes but he hesitated, he wasn't so sure about this. Calvin noticed the look of hesitation on Henry's face, and his face fell. "What's wrong?" he asked, "I thought you will be happy to get this because you don't have to steal it this time?"

"I am..." Henry responded, "But this feels so wrong and is it real?"

"Why? And yes, it's real. C'mon, Henry, you should know if it's real or not."

"What! It's real! Why? How?"

"It's called buying it, something that you know nothing about."

Henry's face went pink in anger, "Fuck you,"

"Name the time and place, Henry,"

"Arggh! You're acting insufferable..."

Calvin laughed then he changed his tone, "So is it a deal?" he repeated.  

"Fine, but I don't like this."

Calvin giggled, "Don't worry, it will be fun!"

Henry shook his head, rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation, and huffed. Then a thought came into his mind, and he glanced at Calvin. "When are we going to do this prank?"

"A couple of days before April Fool's Day,"

Henry nodded, then he heard his stomach growl. Henry's face went red as Calvin laughed, "C'mon, let's go eat," he said as he and Henry went to the cafeteria.

A day before April Fool's, Calvin went over the plan with Henry again and this time, Henry was excited about the prank.

Everyone including Charles, Ellie, and Konrad was wondering what was going on between Calvin and Henry.

Konrad noticed Calvin has been spending a lot of time with Henry, and he wasn't so sure how he felt about that. It was almost close to his and his brother's holiday and he was annoyed that Calvin hasn't planned any pranks with him.

It was dinner time and everyone was at the cafeteria eating... well, almost everyone. Konrad was picking at his food as he brood about his brother's absence, Calvin was still spending time with Henry, and he didn't like it.

"What's wrong, Kon?" asked June, she noticed Konrad wasn't eating and was worried about him.

Konrad looked over at June, "Oh nothing, June," he replied solemnly.

"It's not nothing, you've been brooding," June responded, "What's wrong?"

"Calvin has been spending all his time with Henry, not with me. I know Calvin should have more friends beside me but it's almost April's Fools' Day and we always plan pranks," Konrad explained, "But he's spending so much with Henry, and it's making me angry."

June listened to Konrad's explanation and now that he mentioned it, she did notice Calvin and Henry had been spending a lot of time together.

"Hey, it's alright," June said, trying to comfort Konrad, "It's not like he's replacing you."

"Then why do I feel like he is?"

June went silent, and Konrad went back to his food and poked at it. Just then, Calvin and Henry came into the cafeteria.

June saw them and bumped her shoulder at Konrad, Konrad stared at her in confusion, and June pointed her head at Calvin and Henry. Konrad looked toward where she was pointing and his eyes widened.

Calvin and Henry whispered to each then they giggled like little kids.

"S-stop it! You're going to ruin the prank," Henry said, still giggling.

"Okay, okay, okay," Calvin leaned against Henry as he was laughing, Henry was short and he was tall. However, Henry didn't like being leaned on.

Henry slapped him, "Don't lean on me."

"Sorry..." Calvin responded.

Konrad saw their exchange and he raised an eyebrow at them, he saw they went back to whispering. A few seconds later, they went to grab dinner and went to sit in their respective seats. Henry went to go sit with Charles, Ellie, and Rupert. Calvin went to sit with his brother. Calvin began eating, happy to be fed. Konrad and June stared at him. Calvin kept eating but he felt someone was watching him.

He looked up from his food and saw his brother and June staring at him. "What?" he asked.

Konrad was about to open his mouth but June closed it with her hand, "Nothing, Cal," she responded quickly.

Konrad glared at her, Calvin stared at them for a second then he went back to eating. Konrad kept glaring at June as she took her hand off Konrad's mouth, June shrugged her shoulders as she went back to eating. Calvin finished eating and took out his phone, he texted something on his phone. A few seconds later, he got a message and read over it. He smiled and then put his phone away.

Konrad saw this and his suspicions grew, Calvin stood up and went to the center of the cafeteria. Calvin rubbed his hands together as he took a deep breath and closed his hands, he exhaled as he opened his eyes. He looked around the cafeteria, and he saw many of the soldiers either eating or talking. He then looked over at Henry who was talking with Rupert and Charles.

"Good, he's distracting himself," Calvin thought with a grin, "Now I should get on with the plan."

Calvin cleared his throat as he straightened up, "Can I have everyone's attention please!" he shouted, Calvin's shout got everyone's attention.  

Charles, Rupert, Ellie, Konrad, June, Henry, and everyone turn to Calvin. Calvin suddenly felt nervous while everyone's eyes were on him, he shifted his eyes towards Henry who was watching him keenly. "How was that?" he wordlessly asked.

"Fine," Henry answered with his eyes.

"I have an announcement!" Calvin exclaimed.

Everyone's eyes widened in anticipation while Konrad, June, Charles, Rupert, and Ellie stared at him in confusion. Henry, on the other hand, was having anxiety. He could tell Calvin was nervous and it made him think Calvin was going to quit the prank.

"Henry Stickmin, can you come over here?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Henry as Calvin held out his hand, Henry's face went red with embarrassment. Henry sighed as he exhaled and stood up, then he went over to Calvin. Henry was trembling as he got to Calvin and took his hand, Henry felt Calvin's hand sweaty.

"I have something to ask you," Calvin said anxiously, he was getting more nervous by the second. He wasn't supposed to be this nervous, so why is he nervous?

Henry nodded slowly as some people stood up to get a better look while Charles and the others were confused as Hell until their eyes widened when Calvin went to one knee and held out a small box.

Charles, Konrad, Rupert, and Ellie stood up as Calvin asked, "Will you marry me, Henry Stickmin?"

Henry blinked while some of the soldiers gasped in surprise, while others squealed in delight. There was silence for a moment then Henry nodded, Calvin smiled as he put the ring on Henry's finger. Calvin and Henry hugged as everyone clapped and cheered. However, not everyone was happy with the engagement.

Konrad quickly stood up as so did Charles, Rupert, and Ellie.

"WHAT!?" Konrad shouted in anger, Charles was also angry while Rupert and Ellie had confused looks on their faces.

Henry and Calvin turned their heads toward Konrad and the others. They saw Konrad and Charles looking angry while Rupert and Ellie stared at them in confusion. They looked at each other then they stifle their giggles. Several soldiers came over to congratulate them, but they still had to stifle their giggles.

A few minutes later, Calvin led Henry outside of the cafeteria. Once outside, they started laughing.

"I-I can't believe they fell for it," Henry said between giggles, "W-Wow."

"I told you it would work!" Calvin responded.

They kept laughing for a few minutes then they stopped, they looked at each other, and Henry sighed. "So when we are going to tell them it's a prank?" Henry asked as he crossed his arms.

Calvin was about to answer him when they heard "You can't get married!"

Calvin and Henry both turned around to find Konrad, Charles, Rupert, and Ellie glaring at them. Henry's face went red as Calvin laughed sheepishly, Konrad went up to them.  

"You can't get married! You guys aren't even dating!" Konrad exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Charles added.

Calvin and Henry looked at each other then back to them, "What are you talking about?" Calvin asked slyly as he put an arm around Henry's waist.

Henry's brain stopped working as he felt Calvin's arm around him, "Yeah... what are you talking about?" he added with a squeak.

"You guys aren't dating! Is this some kind of prank?" Ellie asked as she narrowed her eyes at them.

Calvin and Henry were in a pickle, do they tell them it was a prank or not? Calvin lean to whisper into Henry's ear, "What do we do?" he asked.

Henry thought for a moment then he had an idea, he whispered into Calvin's ear. Calvin's face was cherry red, and he looked at Henry who wasn't looking at him. Calvin inhaled and exhaled.

"No, it's not a prank," Calvin answered slowly, he turned to Henry who was still looking at everyone else.

"We can prove that we are dating," Calvin continued. He grabbed Henry to dip him and kissed him.

Charles, Rupert, Ellie, and Konrad stared at them in shock. Henry held onto Calvin as they kissed deeply, Henry moved a hand to run through Calvin's silky orange hair as Calvin wrapped his arms around Henry.

"Okay, I have seen enough," Konrad said in a sardonic tone. He left them alone while taking Charles with him since he was about to kill Calvin, Rupert left with them too. Ellie stayed for a few seconds then she left with a suspicious look on her face.

After she left, Calvin let go of Henry who was now dazed. Calvin took in some breaths and glanced at Henry. "Uh... Henry? You okay?"

Henry nodded as he gave him a thumbs up, he was still dazed.

Calvin's face and Henry's faces were red, they looked at each other but quickly glanced away.

What have they done now?

A/N: I'm so sorry if this is long!

[yumeka-sxf]

After 5+ years, Spy x Family has finally reached triple digit chapters! Congrats to Endo and the team for hitting chapter 100 😀

But despite that, seems like Endo isn't done with Henry and Martha's backstory just yet! Instead of having fun fanfare to celebrate this milestone, he's still tearing our heartstrings out with this tragic flashback arc 😭 As usual, even though it's a comedy series, he doesn't shy away from depicting the horrors of war if the story calls for it, as we can see with what happens to poor Martha and her comrades.

We see the seed of Martha's loyalty to the Blackbells here as well.

Martha's parting reaction to Anabel, though not as hostile, mirrors Loid's reaction to Franky during the next generation's war...each side blames the other when it's really the people at the top who instigate and benefit from the war who are to blame, the people we don't see who never dirty their own hands. To quote one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs, "The executioner's face is always well hidden."

I like how the chapter ends with a parallel to the Stella Lake chapter...despite being on different sides, we share the same sky.

I guess more Henry/Martha angst awaits us in the next chapter 😭 We still have yet to see how Martha starts working for the Blackbells and how she somehow gets back in contact with Henry (as I mentioned in my previous chapter review, their reaction upon seeing each other in the current time at the end of the Red Circus arc did not seem like their first meeting after all this).

Also, just a quick announcement that my thoughts on the next chapter, which comes out on July 7th, will be delayed since I'll be at Anime Expo for the early part of that day!