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joequiinn · 6 months ago

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The Dos & Don'ts of Fake Dating | E.M. x reader | pt. 11

[chap ten] | [all chapters here] | [chap twelve]

Summary | You propose a crazy idea to the resident freak of Hawkins, Eddie Munson. But maybe he was even crazier for agreeing to it…

Warnings & Notes | fem reader, slooow burn, faking dating, opposites attract, bratty rich bitch reader, super minor revenge plot, not-quite-enemies-to-lovers

Author's Note | Y'all this chapter got away from me! The plot just kept going and going and going, and I kept thinking up more ideas, so hopefully this doesn't feel too longwinded! Can't wait to see what everyone thinks of this one~

WC | 10.9k

Chapter Eleven

Sitting in the passenger seat of the van, you impatiently fussed with your fingernails, checking out the window every 30 seconds for a sign of Eddie, who had disappeared through the back door of a shady liquor store some five minutes ago. It was the night of homecoming - the night of the party - and Eddie insisted he pick up some booze on the way to Rick’s place. According to him, booze or food or drugs of some kind was your ticket into the party - from what you’d heard of this Rick guy, he sounded like a bit of a mooch, but maybe you were just assuming too much.

Leading up to this weekend, you’d been grounded thanks to the argument with your mom and your subsequent disappearance after that. Apparently, your mom had called your uncle Tom in hysterics, panicking about where you could have run off to. Trying to imagine your mother crying or even raising your voice seemed a little far-fetched, so you figured they’d lied about that in order to make you feel guilty for the whole thing. Hell, once you returned home that Thursday afternoon, you were lectured by both your father and uncle Tom about what you did, each of them reprimanding you for the thoughtlessness of what you did.

Honestly, being grounded for a week wasn’t even that bad. In fact, it was almost disappointing that it hadn’t been more satisfying. You were so looking forward to getting in enough trouble to lose TV privileges or maybe even car privileges, but really the punishment felt virtually non-existent. After only one day of your mom driving you to school (something that Eddie, of course, laughed at), she gave up on that and returned your keys, although she was adamant that you were only to drive to and from school or the ice rink.

You probably sounded crazy, but you wished that the punishment had been more severe, more substantial. Your first time being grounded was far from impressive, so you figured you’d have to up the ante at some point. Maybe even this weekend, although getting in trouble again wasn’t your top priority for tonight.

Eddie finally exited the liquor store, so you sat back up in your seat and straightened out your clothes as he approached the van. Admittedly, you’d been growing a little nervous waiting here in the back alley all by yourself, not that you’d tell Eddie that. No, as he climbed into the van with an eager look and a case of beer, you made sure to look bored and unaffected, as if you hadn’t nearly jumped out of your skin thanks to the crazy shouting of a homeless man just a couple minutes ago.

You looked between Eddie and the case of beer, watching as he deposited it on the floor behind his seat. A small knot formed between your brow as you asked with mild disappointment, “Only beer?”

In response, Eddie gave you a coy look before reaching inside his jacket, pulling out a wine cooler that he presented as if it were a sacred scepter. Your face immediately brightened as you accepted it, readjusting in your seat again as Eddie started up the van.

“As if I’d forget.” He teased, turning up the radio before backing out of the alley and onto the road. You popped the bottle cap of your drink, trying not to cringe at the taste as you took a quick sip - after all, a cheap wine cooler was still better than a beer any day of the week.

“Who’s gonna be there?” You asked between sips, your eyes studying Eddie’s face and the drum of his hand on the steering wheel.

You’d spent the last week at the lunch table with Eddie’s nerdy friends, and although they still seemed hesitant around you (except for Dustin, who didn’t seem to hesitate around anyone), they weren’t nearly as awkward and standoffish as before. Yeah, they were all still weird and you still felt like an outside observer of their little world, but they were growing on you, and you hoped that you were growing on them, to.

Eddie glanced at you for a moment with a false look of apology, “Unfortunately, only the freshmen.”

You glowered at his teasing, giving his shoulder a shove as he gleefully laughed, “Shut up.”

You nonetheless smiled as you shook your head, taking another long sip of your drink. Eddie's teasing had only gotten worse over the course of the past week, taking every opportunity he could to poke at you. Evidently, your make-up-turned-sleepover had done wonders, undeniably causing a change to the relationship between you two. It was becoming easier to relax around Eddie, easier to simply exist in each other’s space, easier to become friends. And although you were never the type to be too sincere, Eddie knew you had come to enjoy his company, even if there were days he taunted you too much.

“Beer?” Eddie requested simply, knowing that the case had shifted around while driving so he wouldn’t be able to blindly find it with his hand. You pretended to consider it for a moment, waiting for Eddie to shoot you a look before you acquiesced.

You shuffled in your seat, getting your knees under you while spinning around to reach into the back of the van. The case of beer had slid out of your immediate reach, so you had to stretch for it, half your body leaning into the back so you could get Eddie a drink. As your fingers grazed one of the bottles, you had to pull at your skirt with the opposite hand, feeling the cold breeze from the open window tickling at your exposed thighs. A small huff of annoyance escaped you as you tried to keep your balance, briefly relinquishing the grip on your skirt so you could steady yourself on Eddie’s seat. As you finally grabbed a bottle, you were too preoccupied to notice Eddie’s eyes flick over to your legs or his cheeks reddened as he ripped his gaze away.

You settled back into your seat, opening the bottle for Eddie before handing it to him. As you picked up your own drink again, you returned to your earlier thought, “Will Gareth be there at least?”

Eddie took a large swig of his drink before giving you a cheeky look, “Thinking about cheating on me?”

You had to refrain from hitting his shoulder again, instead opting to roll your eyes with a grin, “I’ll even let you watch, if you like.”

“And they say romance is dead.” You and Eddie grinned humorously at each other before he returned his attention to driving, and you returned your attention to the rhythmic drumming of his fingers.

Following the past week, you’d decided that Gareth was your favorite of the bunch, at least thus far - his expressive face was particularly amusing amidst the chaos of the lunch table, and although he was awkward, he was still nonetheless the easiest to talk to. It’s not that you exactly cared all that much about spending time with the nerds tonight, but rather Gareth could be someone to keep you company should Eddie disappear at any point in the evening.

As you two continued driving through Hawkins, you eventually entered the neighborhood your school was in, causing you to sneer as you saw the sign in the distance. Given the time, you knew that the dance was already in full swing, and for whatever reason that made you even more annoyed, “I almost hope we win, even if it is a joke - just to piss them all off.”

Eddie laughed a little, stealing a glance at your sour expression, “That’d be the first time I won anything. Think we should swing by to say hi?”

Despite your spiteful look, you still couldn’t the way Eddie’s silly suggestion made you smirk, “If by ‘say hi’ you mean ‘slash Duncan’s tires,’ then I’d love to. Asshole still hasn’t gotten what he deserves for his shit.”

As you turned back towards Eddie, you realized he looked… thoughtful? It caused your small grin to slacken - why did he look like he was considering what you said a little too seriously? Your brow rose questioningly as Eddie’s wicked eyes met yours, a dark smile on his lips. God, he was thinking about it.

“Then I guess we’re saying hi.” He said in an almost sing-song voice, pulling into the drive of the school before he missed it.

“Eddie.” Your tone was warning, and you nearly felt like a scolding mother by using his first name. You’d nearly forgotten this past month that Eddie was, in fact, a delinquent, someone who dealt drugs, who apparently “knew a guy” at the liquor store, who had had more than one run in with your uncle. But if you were in need of a reminder that you and Eddie were from very different worlds, well, this was it.

Entering the parking lot full of cars, he leveled you with an honest and serious look, “Tell me you don’t wanna slash his tires, and we’ll go. Promise.”

A little paranoid, you looked around, fearful that someone might spot Eddie’s van here. The sun had already set about half an hour ago, so the dark of night was at least a mild comfort to you, and it didn’t appear as if anyone else was nearby. Though, from experience, you knew that there may be a few straggles that could arrive late or frisky couples leaving early to fuck in the back of their cars. As you gnawed at the inside of your cheek, you met Eddie’s eyes with an unsure look - one of both worry and intrigue - and so he raised his brows, patiently waiting for your decision.

Shit, you really didn’t hate the idea. In fact, the selfish side of you loved it. Duncan, of all people, could more than afford to replace a set of tires, and you’d been desperately trying to think of ways to get back at him since that stupid pep assembly. And sure, you’d driven after a couple of drinks or trespassed onto properties in the middle of the night, so you weren’t exactly a stranger to bad behavior, you were far from a goody two-shoes. But damaging someone’s vehicle was a different story entirely, a different level of rebelliousness, and the thought caused your heart to jump with anxiety, as much as it also amused you.

Taking your lack of response as an answer, Eddie nodded simply, turning his eyes back to the road, “We’ll go.”

Before you could second guess yourself, you reached over and grabbed his forearm, “Wait.” So, Eddie looked at you again, a slight mischievous glint in his eyes, something daring about his expression. You took a deep breath, mustering up your courage as you held his stare; despite the bubble of fear in your chest, you attempted to grin, “Let’s say hi.”

“Atta girl.” The smile that spread across Eddie’s lips was wicked yet endearing, his eyes shining with an excitement that you hadn’t seen before. Your nerves grew even as you felt your neck get warm. Eddie reached over and began digging around in the glove compartment in front of you, brandishing a butterfly knife after a few moments, “Which car?”

The ease with which he revealed the knife and asked the question was almost surprising - again, you were reminded that Eddie wasn’t always just a sweet and funny nerd, he was still a guy with a bit of a record. You began to look across the darkened parking lot, furrowing your brow in search of the familiar, flashy silver of Duncan’s coupe; your heart drummed heavily in your chest even as you tried to shove down your anxieties.

As you searched, Eddie pulled the van into one of the furthest possible spots from the school, haphazardly over the lines so the vehicle was angled for a quick getaway. God, this was stupid - you were practically praying for this to go well, hoping you two weren’t caught.

“He’s parked right near the gym.” You groaned in annoyance. Of course Duncan’s car was there, he probably arrived early to help set up for the dance. You met Eddie’s eyes with trepidation, to which he gave you a reassuring smile.

“You can still chicken out, if you want.” His words were taunting, but you could see the sincerity in his eyes - he wouldn’t judge you for backing out.

Again, you ignored your nerves as you attempted to smirk back at Eddie; if you didn’t focus too hard on what you were about to do, it would be so much easier to just do it. God, you wished you two had had a little more to drink before deciding to do this, “I can’t back out, you’d never let me live it down.”

“Then let’s go get ‘em.” Eddie encouraged while shutting off the engine, climbing out of the van quickly and spinning back around to give you an insistent look. It was now or never, so before you could overthink it, you jumped out of the van and quickly made your way to Eddie’s side. He promptly began a brisk walk towards the gym, so you followed close behind, your adrenaline kicking in the closer you got to Duncan’s car.

Once there, you two crouched, forcing you to fuss with your skirt again - god, this really wasn’t the right outfit for this kind of shit. Eddie pulled the knife from his pocket and flicked it open with a well-practiced flourish, to which you grinned in amusement.

“Show off.” You whispered, although it almost seemed silly to keep your voice low, considering no one was around. Just to rub it in, Eddie began to flip the knife around, the blade moving quick enough that you couldn’t quite see how he was managing it.

“Don’t sound so jealous.” He teased before carefully grabbing the blade, holding the knife out towards you. You grabbed the handle, testing the weight while finding the best grip, “You know how to use that?”

You scoffed, looking around yourself again cautiously, “You know I don’t.”

Eddie smirked before pointing at the nearest tire, shuffling closer to you, “Come on, lemme show you.”

He set a hand on your shoulder, gently moving your body until you were at what must have been the best angle for slashing tires. Now, your back was to Eddie, and he came up close behind you just like he had back at the arcade; your cheeks flushed a little, as somehow this felt even more intimate than that. Because you were both haunched low to the ground, Eddie had to spread his knees to fit around you, practically engulfing you. You could feel his chest almost on your back, his breath brushing your ear, as he set his hand atop yours that was holding the blade. His fingers gripped yours comfortably as he began explaining in a low voice.

“It’ll take more force than you think.” He began to guide your hand, using the tip of the blade to point at different spots on the tire, “It’s not a balloon, okay. You wanna puncture near the rim, not the center - it’s thinner and impossible to fix. Don’t get too close, and be quick about it.”

As if reconsidering his own instructions, Eddie brought his hand down from your shoulder to rest on your hip, shuffling the both of you back a few extra inches. Your body jolted, hairs raising at the touch, which caused you to furrow your brow and pull yourself together - the hell was that about?

“You ready?” Eddie asked while quickly looking around one more time to make sure no one could see you two. You nodded, and so once he was repositioned, Eddie gripped your hand a little tighter and rapidly slashed the tire in one clean stroke. Although you were startled by the impact, the tire didn’t make nearly as much noise as you had anticipated - he was right, this was nothing like a balloon.

An eager, wicked smile graced your lips as you turned your head to look at Eddie, and this time - unlike the arcade - you did, in fact, bump foreheads. But both of you were far too excited to care, quickly laughing it off before Eddie pulled you towards the next tire. He removed his hands from you once he had you in position, clearly setting you free to do the damage yourself.

“Don’t slash all four - three means no insurance, he’ll have to pay outta pocket.”

You nervously look between Eddie and the tire, unsure if you could do this on your own. But, god, you were eager to do more damage, your excitement and adrenaline continuing to grow; there was something so incredibly therapeutic and freeing about exacting your revenge on Duncan this way.

So, you firmly set your jaw, which was challenging considering the desperate temptation to keep grinning like a Cheshire cat. Taking a couple of deep breaths, you aimed the blade in the same way that Eddie had, not allowing yourself too much time to think as you slashed quickly.

To your surprise, you managed to cut the tire quite effectively, hearing the air spew out in the same way that it had on the first go. You turned to smile eagerly at Eddie again, who looked far too proud of you. After a moment, he waved his hand to hurry you onto the final tire, which you promptly approached, repeating the same motion one final time.

You nearly laughed with how giddy you were, but before you could even begin to celebrate your victory, Eddie pulled you up to your feet, forcing you to run back to the van hand-in-hand. Neither of you said a word to each other until you were safely in your seats, Eddie quickly zipping out of the parking lot as you shared a near maniacal laugh. The sound of each other’s excitement was far too encouraging, causing the laughter to progressively get more and more wild until you finally had to take a breath and calm down.

“Jesus, how are you better at slashing tires than you are at a round of Donkey Kong?” You smiled from ear to ear as Eddie laughed again, enjoying just how exhilarated he sounded. So, he was thinking about the arcade, too?

You continued to laugh rather than give him a response, unable to contain your glee at the crazy thing that you’d just done. With your energy spiked, you quickly chugged down the remainder of your drink before caving in and grabbing a beer for yourself.

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Once you were on the road winding around Lovers’ Lake, you couldn't help but laugh, shooting Eddie a suggestive grin, “What, trying to get frisky or something? What are we doing here?”

He shot you a look from the corner of his eye while finishing off his second beer, tossing the empty bottle thoughtlessly to the floor, “This is where Rick lives.”

“No shit?” You blew air between your lips, clearly not believing that a 20-something drug dealer could afford a house in this neighborhood.

“No, I’m just lying, we’re actually at Lovers’ Lake for a big old orgy.” Eddie teased with a scheming look, although a wide smile broke out across his lips a moment later. Refusing to be out done, you put on a faux look of consideration, finishing your own drink as well.

“Oh, now that’s much better than a school dance.” The two of you grinned conspiratorially as Eddie finally pulled into a driveway crowded with cars.

As you looked up to study the house through the windshield, Eddie grabbed the opened case of beer and stepped out of the van, coming around to your side and opening the door. You accepted his outstretched hand, allowing him to lead you through the cluster of cars and up to the front door. Before you were even on the front porch, the smell of weed hit you as if there was a joint in your own hand, the loud music vibrating the windows of the house.

Eddie let you both in without knocking, the haze of smoke even heavier than you anticipated as you were greeted by a chorus of “hellos.” You tried your best to hold in a cough as smoke got in your eyes, Eddie’s fingers gripping yours a touch tighter as he tugged you past unfamiliar faces and towards the kitchen. As you let yourself be pulled along, you spotted Eddie’s bandmates clustered together on one of the couches, talking animatedly about something as if the party wasn’t happening around them.

In the kitchen, Eddie set the case of beer alongside a variety of other alcohol, continuing to pull you behind him as he looked over all the options available. He picked one up and held it out to you, raising his brow as if to ask if it was something you’d drink. You accepted it with a faint grin, not at all concerned with what the beverage actually was.

“Trying to get me drunk, Munson?” You teased, your eyes drifting towards a group of people that just entered the kitchen. Unconsciously, you must have made a face, because Eddie pulled you a step closer to him with a reassuring laugh.

“Just making sure you have fun tonight.” He grabbed another beer for himself before ducking his head close to yours, “And I wanna see if you get violent like you did at the bar.”

“Hey, that was self defense!” You stole your hand back so you could crack open your can, leaning back against the counter as you took a swig, “Unless someone here starts acting up, I won’t be hitting anyone.”

Eddie smirked, “Well, with this bunch…”

You gave him a warning glare, “If anyone touches me, I swear to god--”

With a chuckle, Eddie set a soothing hand on your shoulder, “Calm down, princess, you’ve got nothing to worry about tonight.”

You narrowed your eyes, “You better be telling the truth.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you.” His deep brown eyes were serious, his stare practically burning into you. There was something about it that made you nervous the longer you stared back, so you took a quick drink to pull yourself together.

“Just to everyone else, right?” You smirked a little, hoping that you played off your nerves well enough. God, you didn’t know what was with you tonight. Eddie mirrored your expression, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes; he looked you up and down for a brief moment.

“Just everyone else.” He repeated before grabbing your hand again and dragging you back towards the crowded living room. It was almost instant the way his energy changed into something even more high energy once you two were surrounded by more people, and as you approached his friends, you looked around at everyone else, trying to get a better sense of the crowd here.

Aside from your group, all the other partygoers looked to be in their 20s, hell, maybe even 30s, and it felt odd to be amidst so many strangers rather than peers. After you met eyes with one guy, he looked at your legs in a lewd way that you didn’t appreciate, so you glowered back with a threatening glare, pressing closer to Eddie. Another couple people greeted Eddie with recognition, but he didn’t bother introducing them to you - he knew you well enough by now to recognize that you weren’t quite ready to socialize. Considering how weak your first two drinks were, you needed at least one or two more before you were even interested in meeting any new people.

Spotting you and Eddie, the boys attempted to make some room on the couch, but you waved it off dismissively, preferring to stand for the time being. Thoughtlessly, you tucked yourself into Eddie’s side a little, feeling him glance curiously at you in response.

With their fearless leader now present, the group began an excited discussion about Dungeons and Dragons, but the subject was lost on you within less than a minute. You resigned yourself to drinking and people watching, tuning out the conversation as your eyes traveled around the room. In one cluster of people a blunt was being passed around; off in the corner, a couple was haphazardly making out; back in the kitchen, the group of boys from earlier were snorting something that definitely wasn’t flour.

This was just like all the other parties you’d been to through the years, the only difference being that you weren’t familiar with this crowd in the slightest. No, you were used to parties where you knew most of the faces, parties in fancy mansions or summer homes, parties where you were still top of the food chain. Here, you meant nothing to most of these people, and they meant nothing to you, which provided its own odd sense of comfort. Although you were still tense thanks to this new environment, you allowed your shoulders to relax a little.

“What do you mean the Thing is a remake?” Eddie asked next to you, causing you to quickly whip around and join the conversation. You gave him a stunned look, crossing your arms judgmentally but carefully so as not to spill your drink.

“Everyone knows that.” You respond as if offended that he wasn’t aware, drawing the group’s attention to you in surprise.

“I didn’t.” Jeff admitted, to which you made a stunned face. The group had a few new additions to it since you last paid attention, and practically everyone appeared to be surprised by what you said. You rolled your eyes with a sigh.

“I mean, it may as well be an original considering how kitschy the old movie is.” You started, taking a large sip of your drink, “I bet none of you knew it was a book, either.”

As they all shook their heads, you made an exasperated motion with your hands, turning to Eddie for his reaction. But you were surprised to see the amusement on his face, which made you quickly realize that he brought up a horror movie on purpose. You smacked his chest while fighting back a grin, causing him to laugh.

“You set me up!”

“They didn’t believe you were a horror fan!” He defended himself, pointing at the group to shift the blame. They all looked perhaps a little nervous, as if you might turn your attitude on them, “Ask her about Michael Myers, she’s got lots of opinions about him.”

You tried to insist that they don’t get you going on the subject, as if your love of horror was some dirty little secret to be kept. But the intrigued looks on their faces gave you brief pause; once Gareth asked you a question about the rest of John Carpenter’s work, you knew you wouldn’t be able to keep your mouth shut.

So, the horror debate began, everyone chiming in on the quality of Season of the Witch or the scares in the Fog. The night went on much this way, everyone talking and drinking, arguing and laughing. Eventually, someone had brought the group a joint, and at that point you were already drunk, so you definitely smoked far more than you should have.

A little later in the evening, Rick announced that he had a bonfire going outside, and so you were dragged out by Eddie, who apparently couldn’t resist a good fire. Some of the partygoers took to jumping in the lake, with or without swimsuits, and Eddie couldn’t help but laugh at the disgusted look you gave some of the nude swimmers.

“I’m gonna puke.” You joked, although Eddie momentarily believed you, trying to pull you to your feet so he could help you to the bathroom or behind a bush. This sent you into a fit of laughter, teasing him about being such a good boyfriend; were you getting drunk enough that you were becoming unclear, or had Eddie become drunk enough that he couldn’t pick up on your sarcasm?

As the night wore on, partygoers began to slowly disperse, some heading out while others chose to return to the house. The water must have been feeling colder, because everyone had stopped going in after a while. Eddie had attentively gotten the both of you drink after drink, doing so at a steady enough pace that you didn’t realize how drunk you were until it was too late; and once you were drunk, you could never say no to getting even drunker.

At some point, Jeff let you both know he was taking the other guys home, which led to you grabbing Eddie’s wrist so you could check the time, realizing that somehow it was already well past midnight. When Eddie asked if you were ready to go, too, your quick and aggressive “no” amused him far more than it normally would have. Clearly, you were both drunk.

You couldn’t remember when you had dragged Eddie to his feet and insisted he walk with you, but evidently you had, because he laughed again when you accused him of it instead.

“We could probably use a walk, I need to sober up.” Eddie added after explaining that this late night trek was your idea, “Gotta get us home somehow.”

You two followed a path along the lake, stumbling and tripping into each other thanks to the dark and your drunken strides. You were tempted to grab Eddie to keep yourself steady, but you refrained from doing so.

“I don’t wanna go home.” You slurred with a childish tone, hearing a slight laugh from Eddie, “Not like they want me there, anyway.”

From the corner of your eye, you saw Eddie turn to give you a look, “That can’t be true.”

Now, you shot him a look, although it was dark enough that you couldn’t quite make out his features. You shook your head, “You haven’t met my parents.”

“So?” You saw him shrug then stumble over a branch a moment later, “If they really didn’t want you there, you’d know. Speaking from experience.”

You gasped smally in realization - god, you were such a bitch, complaining about your parents when you didn’t even know Eddie’s own situation. Maybe he was lucky you were drunk right now, because the instant guilt you felt wasn’t common for you.

“Shit, Eddie, I’m sorry.” You reached out for his hand and gave it a small squeeze, “You must think I’m the worst.”

He hummed a little before tugging you into his side, comfortably resting his arm over your shoulder despite the fact that no one was around to see you together.

“I didn’t think you were capable of apologizing.” You could hear the grin in his voice, “You’re allowed to complain about your parents, I don’t mind. It's been so long since I’ve seen mine that they never cross my mind.”

You sighed deeply, still feeling guilty. Tentatively, you snaked your arm around Eddie’s middle so that it wouldn’t be awkwardly hanging between you two, “Still, I shouldn’t bitch about mine when yours aren’t around.”

You felt Eddie shrug, “I’ve got Wayne, I don’t need them.”

A small smile graced your lips, and so you looked back up at Eddie again, actually able to make out his features now that you were close enough. He, too, had an easy, drunken smile on his lips, and for whatever reason you couldn’t help but stare, enjoying how he looked in the moonlight. You took in the slight bounce of his curls, the way his lashes shined in the pale light, the way his smile flattered his lips. You had to force yourself to look away, and briefly two thoughts were competing in your mind: Eddie was good looking, in his own way, and there was no reason for you to find his looks appealing.

As your gaze trailed across the rippling lake, you thoughtlessly, drunkenly blurted out, “I think my dad’s having an affair.”

Eddie whipped his head to level you with a surprised look - was he taken aback by the statement itself or the all too casual way in which you said it? You glanced up at him again, briefly shrugging as if what you said was perfectly normal. When Eddie raised his brows - a silent request that you elaborate - you jutted your lower lip in brief consideration.

“Let’s turn around, I want another drink.” You dipped out from under Eddie’s arm, spinning around to head back in the direction of Rick’s house. Eddie followed suit.

“You trying to distract me or yourself?” He questioned, sticking his hands in his pockets. You shot him a slight glare, tripping over a rock in the process. Before you could go crashing down to the ground like an idiot, Eddie helped steady you, wrapping his arm around you again in hopes that it would keep you from falling on your face. Your cheeks were already warm thanks to the alcohol, but now they were burning with embarrassment as you glowered at the path in front of you.

The walk back to the house was silent, Eddie sitting you down by the slowly dying bonfire before he ran inside. Only a small group still lingered by the burning embers, so engrossed in whatever they were doing that they didn’t spare you a second glance. You stared into the flames thoughtlessly until Eddie returned, offering you a bottle that you happily accepted.

“So,” Eddie sat next to you on the small bench, bumping your knee with his, “You think your dad’s cheating?”

You rolled your eyes as you took a large swig; your smile was unamused as you met his gaze, shaking your head, “We’re not gonna talk about it, Eddie.”

He hummed in acknowledgement, mulling something over with those glossy, drunken eyes for a few moments, “I like that you’re using my name now.”

You made a bit of a face before realizing he was right - you had been using his first name nearly all night, weirdly enough, “Huh… I didn’t notice.”

He grinned, looking you up and down fondly, “Guess that means you like me, doesn’t it?”

You smiled humorously, “Well, yeah, we already talked about that, like, a week ago.”

Eddie studied your face for just a moment, “So… we’re friends?”

Your expression brightened as you leaned your shoulder against his, “Yeah, we also established that.”

You took another drink, absentmindedly fussing with a loose thread on Eddie’s frayed jeans while your eyes studied the fire again. On the other side of the circle, the group of strangers rose to their feet and returned to the house, still seeming entirely unaware of you or Eddie. You watched them go, hearing the brief sound of music drifting towards you as they opened the back door; your gaze drifted to Eddie’s hands, watching as he fidgeted with one of his rings. You realized that his foot was bouncing a little, and you paused the hand that had been toying with the fabric of his pants. You furrowed your brow - was he nervous about something?

Wordlessly, you put your drink in Eddie’s hand, prompting him to look at you again, “I have to drive us, remember?”

You playfully rolled your eyes, “Didn’t Rick say anyone who needed to stay the night can? I don’t wanna be drunker than you tonight.”

“Too late.” Eddie teased, but nonetheless took a quick sip, “You’re a lightweight, princess, you’ll always be drunker than me.”

You grinned, “Whatever, so long as you’re drunk, too, right?”

“If I drink, will you talk to me about your dad?” You groaned at his insistence, taking the bottle back from him.

“Why do you care so much about that?”

Eddie shrugged, “You don’t talk a lot about personal stuff; you threw that out there and then tried to act like it wasn’t anything. Call it curiosity.”

You leaned towards Eddie a little, “Talking about personal stuff leads to pity or guilt or… something. I don’t need anyone feeling sorry for me, most of all you.”

Eddie nodded in understanding, turning his face towards the flames. Again, you caught yourself studying him, the shine of his eyes, the shape of his nose; the way the firelight danced on his face was damn flattering.

“A question for a question, then, does that seem fair?” He looked back towards you, recalling your first ‘date’ with one another.

An eager grin crossed your face, “Answer the question or take a shot?”

Eddie, too, smiled at the suggestion, even as he shook his head at your insistence to keep drinking, “Fine, but I’m limiting your shots, otherwise you won’t answer a damn thing.”

He stood before also pulling you to your feet, guiding the both of you up to the back porch. Once you were seated, Eddie ran back inside again, and you watched through the window as he grabbed a new bottle of booze and maneuvered around other party guests in search of a shot glass. He returned a minute later, sitting close to you.

“You first.” Eddie offered while carefully trying to pour the first shot. Nonetheless, he still managed to spill a few small drops on your knee, which you brushed away with the side of your hand, too drunk to care about how sticky your skin felt.

You hummed in consideration, “Seeing as you’re so curious about my parents, where are yours?”

Eddie narrowed his eyes at you, “I’m only answering if you promise to actually explain yourself when I ask my question.”

“That’s not how this game works.”

“You’re avoidant, it wouldn’t be fair if I poured my heart out for nothing.” He taunted with a challenging look in his eyes.

“Fine.” You sighed, to which he grinned largely.

“Thank you, is that so hard?” You glared smally, but Eddie was unphased as he playfully nudged you, “I don’t want you to pity me, either, okay? I’ve worked through this shit already. Mom died when I was… I dunno, three? Four? It’s been long enough that I don’t remember her at all. Dad ran off a couple years after that and left me with Wayne.”

You stared at each other for a few long moments, your eyes soft as you tried to imagine little Eddie dealing with that shit at such a young age. His brows went up as if to remind you not to feel sorry for him, so you nodded; he assessed you for a second longer.

“So, why do you think your dad’s cheating?”

“‘Why’ as in what's his reason or ‘why’ as in what’s my proof?”

Eddie sighed deeply, trying his very best not to smile at you, “Both, you smart ass.”

You couldn’t help but grin cheekily at his reaction, taking a moment to consider your answer. As you did, you once again found your hand on Eddie’s leg, fussing with the rip at the knee.

“He’s never around. Always says he’s working late or meeting a business partner or spending the weekend with friends. Doesn’t even spend time with my mom anymore. Honestly, I don’t think they ever had a good relationship - I think he just liked mom ‘cause she was pretty… And the lipstick I saw on his collar was a shade my mom would never wear…”

Eddie nodded in acceptance of the response, grateful that you actually gave him an honest, straight answer. Despite the fact that the two of you were supposed to be taking shots, you still took a large drink from the bottle in your hand. You didn’t want to linger on your family, so you moved on quickly.

“You ever had a real girlfriend before?”

“Only fake ones.” His quick response made you roll your eyes as you nudged him with your elbow. You then comfortably rested your head on Eddie’s shoulder, keeping your face turned up to watch his, causing him to laugh nervously, “No, um… there was one - hell, two - chicks that were almost something, but no.”

“That’s surprising.” Eddie’s brow shot up curiously, so you shrugged simply, “I just figured weird girls would be into you.”

It was clear on his face that Eddie wasn’t sure whether or not to take that as a compliment, “Only weird girls?”

You gaped at him for a moment as you tried to find the proper explanation, as much as drunk you just wanted to blurt out whatever came to mind first, “I just mean… you’re nice, you’re attentive, you’re attractive. You seem like the kinda guy who would make any normal girl… happy.”

Eddie’s expression stayed twisted in confusion, trying to make sense of what you were - and weren’t - saying, his cheeks tinged with pink, “And what do you consider a normal girl? Not a… popular chick? Or a princess like you?”

His question was pointed, flustering you, so you quickly sat back up and shrugged with something of a defensive face; you did not want to get into a drunken debate with him right now, “I don’t know, Eddie. Just… a girl.”

Eddie stared at you a moment longer, but soon shook his head and attempted to move away from the subject, his eyes conveying something that you couldn’t make sense of right now, “Do you miss any of your exes?”

You immediately laughed, unable to contain your amusement at the question, all too happy to forget the brief moment of awkwardness between you two. Eddie couldn’t help but grin along with you, “Hell no. They never even lasted long enough for me to think I loved them, how could I miss them?”

“You never loved any of them?” Eddie seemed surprised, so you shook your head, “Were there any you… almost loved?”

“Hmm, you’ll have to wait, it’s my turn to ask the question.” You responded cheekily. You barely considered what you wanted to ask next before grinning, “So, no girlfriends, but you’ve had sex, right?”

Eddie’s expression faltered a little, much to your surprise. For a moment, you stared at each other, Eddie in consideration and you in anticipation. You couldn’t help your surprise when he opted to down the shot just a moment later - you hadn’t thought that there’d possibly be a question that Eddie wouldn’t answer, you saw him almost as an open book in many ways.

Did that mean he hadn’t had sex? Or is it just something he didn’t want to discuss with you? Maybe the story was embarrassing or painful? Suddenly, you were all too curious about why Eddie wouldn’t answer, but you had to refrain from pushing the subject, else you two might get into a spat.

And so, your game continued, the two of you answering questions and taking shots, getting into the occasional debate about a stupid inquiry or a thoughtless comment. You eventually abandoned the game aspect and simply returned to talking, absorbed in conversation and finally slowing down your drinking. You stopped keeping track of just how much you both had a while ago, your blurry vision and slurring voice more than enough to convince you that you were drunk off your ass.

It had gotten so late that you both realized at some point the music had stopped playing inside, that the lights had been mostly turned off, that drunken conversation was no longer occurring from anywhere around you. You tried looking at Eddie’s wrist watch again, but it was pretty much impossible for you to actually see the time - needless to say, that was your cue that you two needed to call it a night.

So, you stood, balancing yourself with your hands on Eddie’s shoulders as your head spun, which made you giggle a little. Eddie waited to rise to his feet until you looked steady, slowly standing and keeping his hands on you to ensure neither of you went toppling to the ground. You continued to laugh as you stared at each other for a few long moments until Eddie finally began to guide you into the house.

Once inside, you whispered that you needed to use the restroom, so Eddie led you there, trying to look around the house and find a place for you to sleep as he waited. When you exited the bathroom, he wasn’t there to help you stumble your way through the mostly dark house, so with a pout you looked around yourself, poking your head into the other doors around you to see if there were any free beds to crash in.

“Eddie,” You drunkenly whined, walking back down the hall in his direction. He held a finger to his lips, instructing you to be quiet and not wake the others. Once you reached him, you delicately grabbed his arm and leaned in to whisper, “All the beds are taken.”

Eddie sighed to himself while looking around at all the partygoers sleeping in various spots of the living room. He didn’t know how late (or early) it was, but he could tell you were growing exhausted, the booze and weed finally catching up to you. He was tired as all hell, too, but unfortunately you two were beaten to all the comfy places to rest, too caught up in conversation to realize that the party had ended a while ago.

Eddie met your tired eyes thoughtfully, taking you in. In his own drunken state, he was nearly distracted by your pretty features; he’d always known you were pretty, it was damn obvious, but usually he was able to keep it from distracting him. As you two stood close together, illuminated by only the kitchen light streaming into the room, his stomach flipped at the arch of your brow, the curve of your nose, the pout of your lips. Eddie had to shake away the distraction of you and focus.

He put his hand on top of yours - the one that still held his arm - as he whispered, “Come on, I can make room in the van.”

Eddie began to lead you from the house, scooping up an extra couple pillows and blankets that were scattered about the living room as you trekked through it. You let yourself be pulled along without question, helping Eddie with the pillows before you tip-toed out the door.

The air was brisk by the lake, causing you to inhale sharply at the unexpected temperature - god, the van was going to be freezing, wasn’t it?

As Eddie threw open the back doors and began shifting things around the bed of the van, you watched him absentmindedly, drunkenly humming some nonsensical tune to yourself. You couldn’t see the way Eddie grinned at the sound. Of course, he already knew you were a lightweight, but considering how well you paced yourself tonight, he hadn’t noticed just how drunk you’d gotten. All the niceties and relaxing of your shoulders should’ve been a dead giveaway, but he was too caught up in those moments to think about it.

Once he finally made the back of the van as cozy as he possibly could, Eddie spun around and presented it to you as if it were a god damn chariot. You giggled smally.

“All yours, princess.” He stepped aside to let you climb in, so you sat and began to remove your shoes.

An inquisitive look furrowed your brows, “You’re staying with me, right?” Eddie shrugged simply, and momentarily your tone grew a little stronger, “I am not sleeping in this van alone.”

“What, you scared?” You narrowed your eyes at Eddie before he looked past you and at the cramped bed of the vehicle, “You know it’s gonna be a tight fit.”

An abrupt laugh escaped your mouth, and as Eddie looked at you in surprise, you raised your brow suggestively before returning your attention to your shoes. Sure, he’d heard you make sexual jokes often enough before, so he shouldn’t be surprised; maybe it was how you laughed, or maybe he was just too drunk. Either way, he felt the back of his neck grow warm.

You set your shoes aside before looking back up at Eddie, pulling your stiff jacket off your shoulders. You looked as if you’d already forgotten the silly little exchange you just had.

“Come on, Eddie, I can see you’re tired.” You got up on your knees and shuffled across the back of the van, setting your belongings in the front seat. You spun back around to face Eddie, sitting cross-legged despite the fact that you were wearing a skirt; you figured it was much too dark for Eddie to see anything anyway.

With a sigh, Eddie tugged off his own vest and jacket, ignoring the way you sat before him - he was pretty wiped now that you mentioned it. So, you’d sleep next to each other? You two had already done that before. You were both drunk and cold and tired, after all, so what could possibly go wrong?

Eddie crawled into the van and shut the doors behind him, leaving the two of you in near darkness. He shuffled towards the front of the van as well, bumping into your shoulder in the process and making you giggle. He felt a quick surge of warmth at the sound, but quickly tried to shake off the feeling.

Eddied added his things to the front seat, his shoes and jacket joining yours before he began fussing with the blankets, attempting not to bump you again. As you both tried to settle in and get comfortable, it became clear the van was going to be a little cramped considering that you two were trying to fit between junk and old equipment that was pushed as far to the side as they’d go. You kept brushing elbows or knocking knees, which kept making you drunkenly giggle, until finally you were both settled into some semblance of a comfortable position.

“Eddie…” You whispered, rolling on your side to face him; he had his back to you as if to maintain some propriety, much like your sleepover last week. He sighed before shuffling around once again to face you, nearly taken aback but just how close you actually were. Was there actually that little space or were you closer than you needed to be?

“Yes?” He whispered back, although he realized there was no need for either of you to be so quiet. The corner of his mouth pulled up in amusement.

Your eyes had adjusted well enough to the lack of light in the van, and so you simply stared at Eddie for a few moments, taking in what features you could see. Light from the moon reflected on his hair and vaguely illuminated his eyes, shadows accentuating the planes of his face. You smiled fondly at him. Once again, your drunken mind was realizing Eddie’s good looks while also trying to resist them. He was far more good looking than people, including you, gave him credit for.

You giggled to yourself, feeling warmth in your cheeks, which caused Eddie to give you one of his rascally grins that you were just thinking about. If only he knew you were laughing because of his lovely face.

“Did you need something?” He urged, still waiting for you to actually speak.

“It’s quiet.” You answered simply, causing him to now laugh, shaking his head a little.

“Yeah, because we’re trying to sleep.” He teased, rolling onto his back with a content sigh. You huff to yourself, pushing back the blankets you’d just settled into; Eddie rolled his eyes at how antsy you were all of a sudden Was this yet another drunken habit he’d have to keep track of?

“Can I turn on the radio?” You began to shuffle up towards the front, but Eddie reached out for you blindly, managing to grab your leg; lucky for both of you, it was dark enough that he couldn’t see up your skirt despite this angle.

“No, you’ll kill the battery.”

You huffed, turning your attention back to Eddie, “Cassette player?”

Eddie sighed, “Up front.”

He released your leg, and you crawled into the front of the van, found the player, and crawled back next to him. You set the cassette player on the floor between the front seats and hit play, not at all concerned about what was in the deck; so long as there was something playing, you’d be satisfied.

Eddie smiled as the music started - Dio, the Last in Line. One of his favorite albums, hence why it practically lived in this cassette player. He’d left it on the B-side from the last time he’d played it, and admittedly he was happy to see that you were content to listen to it.

You once again fussed with the blankets and pillows, settling in even closer beside Eddie, who hoped you’d finally relax. It took you a minute, but once you finally seemed to be mellowed out, Eddie closed his eyes, speaking softly, “Night.”

But instead of responding, you propped yourself up on your elbow again thanks to your sporadically firing thoughts, going back to studying his face. Eddie looked at you with a furrowed brow, wondering what the hell was going through your head and where all this energy came from. He had yet to see you act like this, so hyperactive and restless.

With your free hand, you reached towards Eddie impulsively, making him nervous as you ever so lightly brushed your fingertips through the ends of his hair. His eyes widened, nearly shrinking from your touch as you hummed to yourself as if in confirmation of something.

“Are you… okay?” He asked, grabbing your wrist delicately, which caused you to curl your fingers just a little.

“I wanted to know if your hair was soft.” You answer as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, continuing to fuss with the end of his curls, “I think the shampoo you’re using is too harsh.”

Eddie made a puzzled face, not prepared for that comment. Hell, he wasn’t prepared for any of what’s happened in the past couple minutes. You continued to play with his hair absentmindedly, rocking your head lightly to the music, and Eddie hated to admit that he enjoyed it. He knew that you weren’t aware of what you were doing, you’d proven yourself to be far too drunk for that, but he liked to think that you were enjoying this as well.

“What makes you say that?” Eddie asked gently, realizing he was leaning into your touch just a little. The faintest of laughs escaped you, and you tilted down a little closer to him.

“Your hair seems heavy.” You state simply - obviously that made sense to you, but Eddie still didn’t quite understand. Momentarily, he didn’t worry about you leaning closer because he was trying to understand what you meant by that.

“Heavy?”

“Yeah,” Your voice was bright as you leaned over him, assessing his hair with your hand, “Your product weighs it down.”

Eddie chuckled a little, loosening his grip on your wrist and lightly drawing his finger down your forearm. A content sigh escaped your lips, the feathery touch of his calloused hand sending a shiver up your spine. Your sound made Eddie realize what he was doing, and so he quickly stopped, feeling far too warm - why the hell did he do that? He suddenly grasped that his touch was far too intimate and personal, and although that didn’t seem to bother you right now, it certainly made him pause; he was not quite drunk enough to excuse that.

“Let’s worry about my hair tomorrow.” Eddie instructed while removing his hand from your arm; he needed to relax, he was getting far too worked up by your close proximity and your hooded eyes. He figured you didn’t mean to be so close and personal and touchy with him right now, you were simply drunk.

Despite Eddie’s words, you stayed put, continuing to fuss with his hair and study his face with drunken, unabashed fondness. You looked between his eyes, and only then did you realize just how close you were to him.

As the second track on the cassette started, you considered the look on Eddie’s face - there was something hesitant there, something taken aback. You were very much in his space, but that wasn’t a problem, right?

Well, no, but it was weird for you. Not that you were terribly concerned - you were far too crossfaded to think clearly right now. One second, the small, sober part of your brain wondered what the hell you were doing, but the next second your drunkenness won out and you didn’t give a damn. Right now, you didn’t have a care in the world, all your focus trained solely on Eddie.

You found yourself attempting to hum along to the song that you didn’t recognize - you’d have to ask Eddie what this was later, if you could actually remember it. And your humming caused him to give you that charming smile that you had slowly become fond of. It was different from the playful grins, the mocking smirks, or the laughing smiles you saw regularly - this smile was more intimate, more personal, reserved just for you.

You were so caught up in that sweet smile that you didn’t realize at first that you were leaning in closer. Eddie didn’t seem to notice it either, as if he were hypnotized by the intensity of your gaze, by the softness of your touch and the closeness of your body. The only hint that Eddie was aware of what you were doing was the ever so subtle sigh that left his parted lips, which finally drew your attention away from his eyes.

His lips looked so damn plush, so damn inviting. Have you ever noticed that before? At this moment, it seemed impossible to ignore, so how had you been so unaware of it?

Eddie looked so damn… kissable.

And with all sober thoughts pushed to the wayside, you decided you needed to find out if that theory was true.

You closed the small gap between you two, pressing your lips to Eddie’s with an experimental softness, a tentative longing. A low, surprised moan rumbled in Eddie’s chest as you felt his body go rigid beneath yours; for a brief moment, the kiss was nearly nonexistent, as if Eddie was hesitant to reciprocate. But within nearly the same breath, his fingers traced delicately along your arm again, causing you to shiver as you let out a sound of satisfaction.

Feeling Eddie relax against you, you curled your fingers tighter in his hair, kissing him more firmly and confidently. You lowered your body to rest comfortably in his side, your now free hand cupping the back of his neck as you hooked an ankle over his. Eddie’s lips were soft yet musky, firm yet unfledged; his light stubble tickled your upper lip, a subtle smoky smell clinging to his skin.

Realizing that you were practically holding your breath, you forced yourself to pull away from the kiss, breathing deeply against Eddie’s lips. There was barely any space between you two, breath mingling, chests heaving, lips brushing. You were nearly tempted to pull back further just so you could meet his deep brown eyes, but you didn’t dare move for fear that it would break whatever spell you were under.

You thoughtlessly licked your swollen lower lip, causing the tip of your tongue to graze along Eddie’s lips as well. A surprised groan leapt out of him, your body suddenly feeling taut and flushed in response; god, you wanted him to make that sound again.

You dug your fingers into the back of Eddie’s neck and pulled him back towards you, your lips feverish and fierce as they pressed against his. This time, he reciprocated with aching curiosity, his gentle hands desperate as one cradled the back of your head and the other gripped the small of your back; as you pressed yourself flush against Eddie and rolled your hips, it caused the both of you to moan into the kiss.

Your hands cupped Eddie’s jaw excitedly, holding him close as you moved to straddle his waist. Another needy, amorous sound rose in his throat as you rolled your hips again, settling comfortably on top of him as you began to eagerly explore from his neck to his chest to his waist. You twisted his shirt in your fists as if you were afraid he’d pull back, kissing with even more sloppy feverishness.

Your heart pounded frantically in your chest, your body jolting under Eddie’s more tentative touch. The feel of his fingertips was oh-so light as he traced your arms, your spine, your exposed thigh. In response, you hungrily prodded at his lips with your tongue, excited by the low sound in his throat as he opened his mouth to you. You kissed Eddie fiercely as your hands returned to firmly gripping his jaw, keeping him there as if he were the air you breathed.

Continuing to rut slowly against him, a satisfied smile dared to interrupt your kiss as you felt Eddie growing hard beneath your hot center. Teasingly, you pulled your lips away from Eddie’s, his own chasing after yours in a way that made you grin with lustful satisfaction. You pressed your forehead to his, breathing heavily as your nose brushed against his. You slowly, gently dragged your lips across Eddie’s, over his hot cheek and up to his ear; his whole body shuddered beneath you as your breath tickled his skin.

“You’re good at this.” You drunkenly teased, voice low and breathy; you were certain you felt Eddie jolt again as he tried to catch his own breath. You turned to study him, awaiting some smart remark that never came; the look on Eddie’s face suggested he was too far gone to have any quips for you. You smiled again, brushing your lips against his cheek; you were tempted to keep taunting him, but became all too engrossed in watching him to even try.

Eddie’s parted lips were swollen, his breathing heavy as he stared up at the ceiling with a nearly stunned expression, trying to collect himself. His eyes bounced around as if in search of something, his hand unconsciously tracing invisible lines on your arm. You dragged your gaze down his throat - his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously - then to his chest, watching it deeply rise and fall. The smile hadn’t left your face, you realized as you brought your lustful gaze back up to his gentle face.

Eddie’s cheeks were bright red as he finally met your eyes, looking so soft and unsure and questioning as he drank you in. Your grin widened fondly as you simply stared at one another, which encouraged Eddie to smile himself, albeit with some hesitation. Feeling the rapid beating of his heart against you, you slid a hand to rest on his chest, tearing your gaze away from his to watch your fingers brush delicate circles in his shirt.

Drunkenly, you were torn between wanting to relax against Eddie and wanting to go back in for another kiss; hell, you could probably make out with him all night if he’d let you. But even with intoxication clouding your head, you could see in his expression that he could only handle so much of you, that he might burst if you kept teasing him and feeling him and kissing him.

Again, the sober part of you briefly reared her head, desperately trying to make sense of the fact that you just kissed Eddie as if your life depended on it. Thinking about how wild that was, you couldn’t help but giggle, which drew his intense eyes back to yours. You raised a brow as you studied his features yet again, a happy look on your face.

“Our secret?” The words came out of your mouth without you being fully aware of them. Through your drunken haze, you could see the way his expression furrowed at the question, the way his eyes seemed to panic as if he were finally crashing back down to earth.

“‘Our secret?’” He repeated in a confused, gruff tone. You nodded simply, resting your head down beside his, feeling the tickle of his hair on your cheeks. You didn’t catch the way he had to collect himself, how he swallowed hard in disappointment before replying gently, “Yeah, okay…”

If you were sober, you would have seen the upset in his expression, heard the doubt in words. Of course, if you were sober this wouldn’t have happened in the first place. But because you were drunk - both from alcohol and from that kiss - you entirely missed the way Eddie’s energy deflated like a balloon.

Instead, you smiled wide like a drunken fool, sinking into the blankets and pillows beside Eddie with a sense of satisfaction. You kept one hand resting comfortably on his chest, your face nearly in the crook of his neck; you realized how exhausted you were now, the feeling having escaped you while you were absorbed in the sensation of Eddie’s lips against yours.

As a tired fog slowly began to encompass you, Eddie gently set his hand on top of yours, his thumb rubbing gentle circles on your skin. You closed your eyes with a comfortable sigh, letting Eddie’s steady breathing help lull you to sleep.

Just as you were on the brink of consciousness, you felt Eddie’s lips brush against your forehead, his voice low as he gently muttered something that you couldn’t quite make out.

addt. Author's Note | So uuuuuh surprise? 👀In case y'all missed it or were unsure, the song referenced in this chap is Mystery by Dio, which is one of my fav songs by the band and one I've associated with these two idiots for a while! Now, let's all scream and shout about this chapter together, because I'm SO eager to see what y'all think~

@3rd-conchord @a-queen-blr @adelalaaa @adversary713 @avalon-wolf

@cosmicdanielle @costellation-hunter @daisy-munson @daisyridleyss @damon-loves-pie

@damp4eddie @delilaaahhh @eddiernunson @em0220 @frogtape

@fromasgardandback @fckyeahlames @graciehams @kthomps914 @littlexdeaths

@lotrefcp @love-anonymous-writer @marrowfrog00 @maskofmirrors @mewchiili

@miaajaade @miss-celestial-being @mmmunson @moonisu @munsonssweets

@no-bueno-writer @nxrdamp @rach5ive @rcailleachcola @sav12321

@sheneedsrocknroll92 @sokkasimp101 @steeldaisies @stormgrl19

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x you #stranger things #em #dos and donts

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unluckilyimnot · 4 months ago

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Hi! I saw your prompt list post and was wondering if i could please request like an umemiya hajime story with the prompts 9 and 11? thank you so so much and have a lovely day/night!<333

9 "Come and kiss me” + 11 "tell me you love me" with umemiya

m.list | rules | from this

note: hiii thank you sm for participating ! i hope it's fine and that you like it ! <3

When Umemiya realized he went too far, it was already too late. He's been teasing you for the last twenty minutes, about something as stupid as you mispronouncing a word. It was funny at first, you honestly laughed at your mistake but when you started to glare at him to stop ; he should've.

Now you were sitting on the other side of the room, headphones on and you were scrolling through your social media without even looking at him. He deserved it, he knows that and he also knows how petty you can be. He played with fire.

Yet, he's rather stubborn himself and when he wants to apologize – he will. It doesn't matter if you don't want to hear about it, because you will.

“Baby, I'm sorry. Really. Come, kiss me and we can forget about it.” He tried at first, simply walking to you to lay on the floor, next to your legs, with puppy eyes.

He knows you heard him because you couldn't keep your face straight, a small frown showed for a second before you came back to normal.

“Oh you'd rather me kissing you ? It would be fair,” He mimed to think about it before a false smile showed on his face.

Without being able to do anything about it, Umemiya's huge body was now resting in yours, choking you a little at first before he stood up on his arms. He's got a shit eating grin on his lips and he would never stop until he, in fact, kissed you. And with him on top of you, he knows he's gonna win anyway.

You dodged it a few times before he grabbed your face and laid a small peck on your lips. You whined in the process but still reciprocated it, not able to resist the familiar feeling of his chapped lips. You pulled your headphones away while staring at him. He's still flashing you his sorry puppy eyes to make you weak, knowing damn well how it works on him ; but you still don't say anything. He ends up dropping all his weight on you again.

“Please,” He whined. “Tell me you love me. Don't ignore me.”

“You won't make fun of me like this again ?” You asked, more as a warning than a question and he nodded actively, looking at you desperately. You kissed his lips again.

“Ok then, I love you Ume.” you said with a resign yet happy smile, and he was glad he could still consider you as his partner – but maybe he’s just a tiny bit dramatic.

#wind breaker x reader #wind breaker imagines #wind breaker satoru nii #wind breaker #hajime umemiya #umemiya x reader #umemiya hajime x reader #umemiya imagines

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tadpolesonalgae · 1 year ago

Text

Can’t Bring Myself To Hate You - Part 10

Pairing: Azriel x Third-Oldest-Archeron-Sister!Reader

A/N: Well, buckle up I guess

Warnings: Plot™️, I know clocks are canon but it still feels weird to do this, starting heavy 💪

Word Count: 6,012

-Part 9- -Part 11-

He sighs.

It’s not like she can help the way she is. Not like she can help the fact that whenever she tries to make things better it simply creates more work for him to do. By receding into her room, he has to pay more attention to when she appears, becoming extra vigilant in the moments she steps outside.

He shouldn’t be so harsh. Sometimes fatigue clouds his judgement, enough so it becomes apparent to even himself sleep is a necessary luxury. Still, they’re harmless behaviours really. Small habits that with the right guidance will enable her to flourish again.

A broken bone that needs to be left to set, to be good as new.

6:57 p.m.

Azriel massages his temples, the beginning aches of a headache making themselves apparent. Eases in a breath, counts, and releases. It seems a night of rest is unavoidable, but there’s so much to be done. He could perhaps rearrange breakfast…but that would collide nastily with training. Maybe moving lunch to three instead? But then that would impact the start time of going though the towering stack of reports, which would in turn result in him working later anyway.

Thick brows narrow as he prowls silently down the hallway of the River House, deciding to leave for some peace and quiet. It’s not an idea he’s keen on, but if he dips out of practice with Cassian atop the House of Wind tomorrow…that would work. Frustration simmers in his knuckles, tightening the trapezius. He doesn’t like the idea of skipping over valuable training time with the priestesses. They’re forcing themselves out of their comfort zone. The least he can do is respect their resolve by attending.

He’s so caught up in thoughts of schedule and routine he only realises she’s in the River House, on the same floor, when she’s a single corridor away. Another thing he needs to keep an eye on. Swiftly reorganises his thoughts, rotating and recalling the information his shadows have provided over the recent days and hours. The scraps of speculations Mor had offered from a single outing. If he remembers correctly, she will have just gotten back from her trip with Mor now. So why is she here? She should be back up at the House by now, retreating to her room away from everyone else.

Still, he rounds the corner in time to see her click a door closed—her sister’s. His curiosity piques, shadows already recollecting the news they’ve catalogued for the female with soft, cocoa eyes. Gloves still adorn her hands, but it does nothing to conceal their tremor.

Attention narrows in on her, darkness skittering back into the corners of the hallway, hiding between his wings as he approaches. Her lips are chapped and tight, features strained as her gloved hand rests for a moment atop the handle. Appearing in her own world—eyes glazed and vacant. Her jaw is wound tighter than usual, tight enough he can hear the grinding of enamel, like bone and porcelain powdered against rock. Brows draw together at the notice of her waxen complexion, skin gleaming faintly with peaky dew.

Blank eyes flick up to meet his own, and he steps forward. Her hand stiffens on the handle, posture turning rigid. Scent taking on a tang he’s far too familiar with from nights spent with his blade. He comes to a stop, keeping his distance from her taut form.

Azriel’s first thoughts are she must be pushing too hard with her magic. Honestly, he hadn’t anticipated her to be so resolved in mastering her power independently. Neither had he anticipated her making a lick of progress. At least not through measures that a sensible mentor would allow.

He should never have yielded to her look of despair. She’d be safer if he had simply insisted on doing things correctly. A foolish mistake on his part, and now she might be going down the wrong path. “Are you okay?” He asks, splitting his weight equally between each foot, resting in his place. Watches the roll of her throat, shifting in place, away from Elain’s door. Had there been an argument?

She nods her head, trying to straighten her spine as she sometimes does when pulling herself together. The effect is nullified by the was she hangs her head, never quite succeeding in meeting his eye for extended periods. He shouldn’t have ignored it for so long. Leaving something like that unchecked… Well, he should have known better.

“I’m—” She clears her throat, and tries again. “Good. I’m fine.” Nods to herself, eyeing the floorboards with bland eyes. He waits quietly, allowing the silence to coax her into unravelling. She shifts again, stepping away from Elain’s door, her gaze flitting about the corridor. Flicks to the stairs behind him, leading down to the exit—likely wanting to return to her haven up in the House by now.

Eyes regain a little focus, pupils contracting as a nervous smile quirks her mouth, nodding to the door as she makes for the stairs. “We were just speaking,” she elaborates, moving away hastily. “Catching up.”

Azriel watches, noting the briskness of her steps. It’s unusual for her to be so keen to leave his presence. What had happened?

“Wait,” he says, turning as she makes to move past him, peering at the floor, marking her steps. She pauses, gloved hand resting on the carved and polished banister. He steps forward, morbidly intrigued by the glaze in her eyes, as if made of glass. “You aren’t well,” he states. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” you repeat blandly, “just tired.”

Something bad then, if she’s not willing to even discuss whatever exchange happened with Elain.

Shadows loiter at the threshold, waiting to hear for any sounds that might offer hints, like the soft breath of cries, or the gentle splash of muffled tears. Nothing.

She turns again, descending the stairs, sweeping down the case quietly as she makes a bee-line for the door, vanishing out into the dark, leaving him perplexed and curious. A dangerous combination for the Spymaster.

She’d looked shaken up, so he should make sure things are okay.

It’s been a long while since he last had a one-on-one conversation with the soft-eyed female.

Azriel turns in the hallway, moving back the way she’d come.

8:36 a.m.

“We should talk.”

His words pull you from the world of bliss that had been graciously clouding your mind. Peer down at him from where you’re straddling his lap, pale sheets crumpled, clothes strewn about from being swiftly discarded. “About what?”

Thick, dark brows narrow over piercing golden eyes, full lips twisting down in the corners. Your own features shift to match his, “now, Bas?”

He sighs, large, warm hands splaying across the bruised skin of your hips. “I know, I know, I suck at timing. No need to tell me.” Almost immediately the edges of your lips lift up, a smile tugging at your mouth, vanquishing the momentary surge of annoyance. Fingers lightly press into the softness of his chest, spine losing its rigidity, relaxing your weight back onto him. Feeling slightly dizzy as pleasure sinks into your bones.

“Fine,” you mutter, playfully, “what is it?”

Bas shifts beneath you, thumbs soothing your skin, your back arching as you attempt to still the swirl of your hips. “Two things, actually,” he clarifies reaching higher, a reassuring pressure over your ribcage, rubbing to your waist. Peek down at him, raising a brow, “I wondered why you weren’t giving me a hard time tonight,” —shake your head, smiling slightly— “I should have known.”

He offers a tight smile and your own slips away. “Now you’re worrying me,” you murmur quietly, fingers curling. “What is it?” Golden eyes meet your own, concern shining in their depths, “you’ve been off recently. And I’m worried. So, it’s fine to be emotionally intimate too… Yeah?”

You blink, lips parting in surprise. “I’ve been…off?” Brow furrows in confusion, “what do you mean by that? Am I doing something wrong?” It’s an earnest question, yet it resonates a little deeper than you had expected. Thankfully he doesn’t pick up on the inner conflict. “It’s not that,” he reassures, hands stroking slowly, lightly. “But you’ve worn the same dress the last three times I’ve seen you.”

Internally, you cringe, making to pull away. “Do I smell?” You ask, wincing, bringing your arms to your chest. A slight smile tugs at his lips then, “no.” Relax a little, hands twining as he brings them back to his torso. “But…you taking care of yourself up there?” Sigh, shoulders losing their tension, lips resting into a quirked position.

“I’m fine, Bas. I like it up there, where it’s quiet, and—”

“No.” He interjects gently, hand slipping from yours, pushing a strand of hair from your cheek. Lightly cups your jaw, thumb skimming across the skin. “I mean up there.”

Spine stiffens, fingers freezing. Breath pauses. “Everything’s fine,” you murmur, watching him. He gives a look that urges you to stop lying, squeezing your hands. “Talk to me,” he says in response. “Something’s up. I can tell.”

“Bas—”

“Don’t even try,” he murmurs, golden eyes shimmering as he peers up at you. “I know what that feels like,” he whispers, hand raising to skim your breast, thumb brushing atop your heart. “I know change is difficult.”

“Bas, I don’t want to talk about it.”

Eyes lock, staring at one another.

His hand falls away.

Muscle loosens.

Licks his lips, gaze flitting elsewhere. “I was lonely too, when the attack happened.” Spine softens, brows tightening. Wait silently for him to continue. Licks his lips again, returning to watch you. “Ma… It was hard on both of us, losing pa. Y’know one day he was there, then the next it’s just us.” His throat rolls, eyes glazing as he looks into the middle distance. “We had our own ways of dealing with it—the loss. Mother knows I can’t talk about healthy coping mechanisms, I practically fucked anything that would let me. Probably drank more than I should have, too.”

The attack.

You and your sisters hadn’t yet come here, still mortally human and wonderfully unaware. Well, you and Elain, anyway. Even now, there were still signs of the aftermath. Traces of grief that had yet to be healed.

He shakes his head slowly, limbs turning stiff. “It got… I know what it’s like.” Golden eyes latch to your own. “So talk to me. Don’t keep that—…stuff, to yourself.” Shake your head, breaking the connection, pulling away. “There’s nothing to talk about. Stop prying.” Shake off the heaviness, easing a breath. “What else did you want to talk about?”

His expression is indiscernible, brows dipped, lips tugged down, eyes swirling with molten gold. Shifts beneath you, your hands pressing to his chest to steady yourself as he raises into a sitting position. Moving to be eye-to-eye, hands spanning your waist, gently keeping you still. Fingers brush the concealed muscle of his shoulders, linking at his back, hips winding in gentle encouragement.

A rough-skinned palm settles on the nape of your neck, sliding and gripping your hair lightly. Thumb oscillates over your waist. Calling up loneliness from the pit of your chest. Lips brush your mouth, the slightest caress of hot skin that feels like heated silk and tastes like spices and thyme. He looks like he’s about to try again, but decides against it, instead pulling you forward.

Only you’re taken to the crook of his shoulder, palm cupping the back of your head. His free arm snakes up your back, cradling you to his chest. Keeping you close by. At first you’re stiff, unsure how to react, muscle locks as his skin presses hot to your own, smooth and soft. Warm hands soothe along your spine, gently skimming across the expanse, tracing the knuckles of bone. Fingers draw light patterns atop, oscillating and sketching with reassuring steadiness.

He makes no move to kiss you, just holding you still, the thick locs of his hair scratching softly against the nape of your neck. His arm spans across the back of your waist, hand flattening against your side, thumbing over the skin, soothing you to melt.

Your bones begin to feel heavy in your body, sinking low as you hesitantly raise your arms to lock over his sturdy shoulders, tentatively shuffling to rest your cheek against him. Inhale slowly, deeply, taking in his scent—like rosemary and myrrh. He settles across your skin, and you sink deeper, emotion thawing as you melt into his arms, so tender and soft. Healing and welcoming.

Wet drops splash atop his shoulders, dripping onto dark skin as arms pull a little tighter, squeezing as lips tremble. Spine shudders, soft breaths stuttering as tears trickle down your cheeks, wetting strands of hair as fingers grip closer. Full lips graze your temple, and you feel those small cracks that had emerged during your argument with Feyre begin to spiderweb out, restraint fracturing just a little more.

Lower lip wobbles, and you curl around him tighter, body shuddering with quiet sobs as he holds you. Dry hands wrap into fists, nails biting the flesh of your arms as you fall into him, wanting to be washed away.

To peacefully melt to a place far from memory.

Slowly fade into absence.

2:43 p.m.

The iron-cast ring weighs on your palm, the glittering blue jewel of its swollen abdomen gazing up at you like silver moonlight dripping to dark, gleaming midnight. Polished and sharp like armour and blade.

“Do you like it?” Mor asks from your side, peering over your shoulder. You’d heard her footsteps that time, but shake your head absently, putting the ring back where it belongs. “It’s a lovely piece of jewellery,” you hedge, not wanting to talk badly when the shopkeepers are around. Spiders are still a little too close to home—insects at all, really.

She hums quietly, attention skimming to a piece beside it: a silver band fashioned to the stalk of a flower, the petals looking like stretched out droplets of warm citrine. Mor examines it for a moment, then holds it out for you to look at, which you do. “What about this one?” Fingers mindlessly come up to fumble with the glass pendant at your neck, steadily becoming a habit. “It’s very pretty,” you answer, hoping it suffices. Mor hums again, seemingly getting the hint, returning it to sit on the counter.

“You liked the dress, didn’t you?” She asks, quietly. Brows dip together as you turn in her direction, cascading golden hair loosely tied back. “I mean you wanted it. Not just because I was pushing you to get something.” A beat of quiet passes, and you examine her expression: the edges of plush and pillowy lips lengthened by slight worry lines, brow marginally dipped in the centre. Minute shifts in features that would have gone undetected by human eyes.

Throat rolls as you look away, but nod. “I did like it,” you mumble, fumbling your words, “do like it. Thank you.”

“Have you worn it yet?” She asks. Dread ices your skin, eyes flitting to honey warm irises. “I— No…” you manage honestly. Look away, scanning the jewels, that blue spider again catching your attention. “It’s a special dress,” you murmur, “I was waiting for a special occasion.”

More quiet beats between you, background chatter buzzing through your mind. But then she nods, accepting your answer. “It looks nice on you,” she replies, picking up a necklace this time—a thin chain of gold that shimmers beneath the daylight streaming in from the windows. Dip your head in silent thanks.

Peer out into the streets, watching fae pass by, enjoying their lives. Spots of colour splashing along as they go about their day. Eyes mark a small shop across the road, stools holding little trinkets like cups and pottery spilling out onto the cobbles, ceramics gleaming beneath the lowering sun. Plants sway in the crisp breeze outside, the nippy winds of early autumn already setting in.

Ease in a steady breath—there’s less than a week left until you’re due to complete your side of the agreement, and only small bits and pieces of progress to show. Not enough to avoid bringing it up to the rest of them.

Glance at Mor from the corner of your eye, watching through your peripherals as she holds up a necklace to herself, peering into a mirror. How would she react if you told her right now? She’d probably smile and tell you that’s great. Maybe ask you to show her or give a demonstration. The breath releases, knowing that question will crop up eventually. Seeking results when you have none to provide.

“Are you coming to dinner tonight?” She asks breaking you out of your wondering. Blink, pulling yourself back down, having forgotten about the extra supper they’d decided to fit in. Shake your head, turning your attention back to the jewellery stand, then flitting out to the shop. “I’m feeling pretty tired,” you reply quietly, “so I don’t think so.”

“Sure?” She says absently, already having moved onto the next stand. “The food’s really great—pork that practically comes part on your tongue. And the jam that goes with it is absolutely mouth-watering,” she dreams, smiling faintly as her fingers scrunch with anticipation. Your nose wrinkles for a split-second before you shut off the reaction, offering a bland smile, “how lovely.”

“You must try it at some point,” she gushes, turning to you now, accessories forgotten. “It’s one of my favourite places in Velaris. All the dishes they serve are,” —her hand flexes, as if trying to grasp onto something, eyes briefly shutting in bliss— “amazing.”

You smile again. “I’m sure.”

Warm-honey eyes narrow on you, examining the set of your expression. “You liked the soup,” she says, “what else do you like?” Throat rolls and you shift on your feet, fumbling. “Mash?” Mor nods slowly, remaining silent; in doing so forcing you to speak, too awkward to allow it to continue. “With thyme… Beans are nice, too?” She continues her bout of silence, quietly watching you. “The rice and…sauce. That’s been nice. Very nice.”

Her brows squish together, tension coiling in your stomach and shoulders. Lick your lips. “The—…” You pause, not knowing the name of the food. “The doughy balls? With…mushroom? in the middle? With—”

Eyes pop open. “You don’t eat meat.”

“I eat meat,” you say, hurriedly, but she’s in her own world.

“That’s why Az—” Her hand smacks up onto her forehead and you internally cringe—was the coddling that noticeable? To everyone but you?

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She asks, a mix of shock and exasperation lining her tone as she stares at you. Throat rolls and you turn away from her, picking up the silver band with the citrine-coloured flower. “I can eat meat just fine,” you mutter quietly, “it’s not as though there was anything else.”

“There was the soup,” she argues, still facing you, “you could have asked me to pass it to you—I even had some for myself.”

“No, I mean—” —eyes lock, her brows risen in confusion, not accusation. You sigh, shaking your head. “Sorry. Forget I said anything…” Her neatly groomed brows dip, head tilting ever so slightly. “No, what were you going to say?” She asks, voice quietening. Glance at her sidelong, fiddling with the ring in your hand, sliding it on and off your gloved little finger—far too large for it to possibly get stuck on. Lick your lips, spinning the band as you fidget. “I just mean, it’s basically all we ate back then,” you mumble, peering at your feet with forced interest. “Just brings back some bad memories, is all. Nothing I can’t deal with.”

She sighs softly, and guilt tightens your stomach, putting the now-warm ring down, listening to it clink on the glass. “You don’t like meat,” she states. It’s not a question.

“I can eat it,” you counter quietly, not wanting to be a bother. You’ve seen how much the others enjoy it. “But you wouldn’t choose it,” she returns, keeping her body open as she faces you. Shift on your feet, “I… No.”

Mor nods, hair glinting like freshly spun straw beneath a summer day. “Then we can eat somewhere else. Or order different dishes,” she reasons smoothly, “I’ll just mention it to the others since none of us even knew. Well, I suppose Az—”

“Please don’t,” you interrupt, cringing internally. “It’s fine. Meat’s good for you and I shouldn’t be so picky anyway. It’s annoying.”

“To who?” She asks, making you glance at her. “Who does it annoy?” She repeats, seemingly earnestly. “It’s silly to switch restaurants just because of…because of something so small. I can eat when I get back, anyway. It’s fine.”

She looks appalled.

“Mor, please don’t say anything,” you repeat quietly, meeting her eyes, a pained look unknowingly on your features. “I’m fine with how things are. Don’t make a big deal out of it.” Her brow narrows, eyes flicking around the shop, taking in the other customers. “None of us would mind,” she says quietly. “You wouldn’t be causing a problem. We’ll just order more dishes without meat. We don’t have to change places if nobody wants to.”

But you shake your head adamantly. “I can eat when I get home. Please don’t change what you order just because—”

“Why don’t you deserve to eat food you like?” She asks sharply, voice remaining quiet but harsh. Blink at the tone, stiffening briefly before tension uncoils from your muscles. “It’s not like that,” you reply, turning from the display, slowly stepping toward the door. Mor follows beside you, appearing to have lost interest in the surrounding trinkets.

“No?” She asks, glancing at you through her peripherals. “What’s it like, then?”

You pause in the street, feet halting their movement as the question registers. She halts at your side, slowing to a stop, attention turned to you. “Mor, I don’t know how I could possibly put into words…” A heavy sigh escapes from you, shoulders sloping, exhaustion lining your eyes. “Never mind. Forget it.” Spine straightens, continuing heavily across the street to the shop with the little carvings and pieces of glazed pottery.

She follows quietly as you wander toward the stalls, inspecting the bits and bobs on display. Watches you quietly, taking in the ankle-length dress, clunky boots, thick cardigan and scarf. The vomit-yellow gloves. She should at least find another pair with a lighter colour for you. “You know,” she begins softly, a hint of a smile in her tone, “for someone so reserved, I didn’t expect you to be so stubborn.”

Fingers freeze for a moment, reaching out toward a small carving of a woman holding some drooping daisies. Breath catches, before you manage to resume motion, picking up the small figurine. “Sorry,” you mumble, “I don’t mean to be.”

“That’s not a bad thing,” she murmurs. “You’re strong willed. It’ll serve you well.”

But you shake your head in denial. “Feyre’s strong willed. So is Nesta.”

“Do you think Elain is?” Mor asks, holding up a glazed mug she clearly has no interest in. Your brow dips, peering at her, not having anticipated the change of direction. “Why are you asking?”

“She’s been quiet, no?”

Turn your attention back to the woman in your hand, flipping her over to peer at the lines of her dress—swaying in a breeze. I wonder why… You think sardonically. Instead a hum lulls from your mouth, non-committal and vague. Mor nods her head, again picking up those minute hints you’re unaware you’re even capable of dropping.

“That’s a nice carving,” she says brightly, redirecting the conversation without a hitch, smooth fluidity long ago mastered. “Your father was a carpenter, wasn’t he?” She asks softly. “Would you like it?”

Gloved fingers rub the concealed skin of your other hand, knuckles itching for reprieve. Under ordinary circumstances, you would have declined the offer— it looks well carved. Not that you have an eye for such things. This time, however, you can make an exception. “That would be nice,” you answer quietly, “thank you.”

Swallow down the apology that had been slowly making it’s way up from your stomach.

She smiles then, and you look away.

She’s far too bright.

6:49 p.m.

You excuse yourself as soon as you step inside, heading up the stairs and along the hallway before returning to the House of Wind. Walk quietly along the floorboards, hoping to avoid any unnecessary confrontations. Reach the door you’re looking for, landing a series of knocks to the hardwood. “Elain?” You call, listening for a reply. She answers, letting you to come in, voice soft but terse.

The door swings open on oiled hinges, and you step inside, hearing it snick shut at your back. Eyes instantly locate your sister, sat in a large armchair facing the lit fireplace. Curtains are drawn, blocking out what little light remained in the sky, room set aglow with the golden-orange of flame. Cocoa melts to something soft and spicy as she peers into it, and you wonder if she’s perhaps missing Lucien.

“Hey,” you mumble quietly, noting how she seems kind of distant. You can’t help but be reminded of those initial months, the transitional stages of your lives where the world was turned upside down. How she’d shut down almost entirely, rarely speaking. Rarer still to get anything coherent, like she was trapped in a dream state. “I just…I wanted to see you,” you murmur, moving toward her.

Haunted eyes flick up to meet you, blank as they take you in with ghostly smoothness. She blinks and it’s gone, gesturing to a seat opposite from her, closer to the fire but angled for prime conversation. A smile lifts the edges of her mouth, etched with strain, chest stretching as you take in her fatigue.

Sigh heavily, settling into the plush armchair, remaining straight-backed as you put the paper bag at your feet, careful with the little carving. Wait for a beat to pass before looking to her, cocoa already reattached to the fire. “Elain,” you call quietly, gaining her attention. In the light of the flame the circles beneath her eyes are more pronounced, shadow flickering across the heavy crescents. Worry takes root in your gut—it seems to be taking more of a tole on her than you’d thought.

“You went out with Mor today didn’t you?” Elain asks, voice soft and faint, as if coming out of a daze. A shy smile curves your lips, nodding. “How was it?” She asks distantly, gently curled hair hanging in rich ringlets, tight and silky as they spill down the lilac night gown she likes. Throat rolls, turning your attention to the fire. Will this ever be an easy subject between the two of you? Between any of you?

Eyes flit down to the bag, pulling it up into your lap for comfort. “It was good,” you manage softly, nodding. “It was…nice. To be outside. Around someone, for a little.” Elain nods, a bland smile on her face, though you don’t doubt its sincerity. “I—…Mor’s nice,” you add, fumbling your words as you try to direct the flow of the conversation toward what you’re trying to get at. But you’ve never been good at reading the room, and it’s showing.

“You should…I mean, it would be nice for you to come along sometime…” you suggest, trailing off as fingers wring together in your lap, playing with the paper handle of the bag. “We could…I don’t know…” Shift in the chair as you try to think of something. “I’m sure there are some shops for gardening, or somewhere to sample pastries? You’re trying out pastries at the moment, aren’t you?” Eyes flit to your sister, the smile gone from her lips, lids heavy as she soaks in the heat of the fire. Letting it drink her in.

She’s quiet, and it’s obvious something’s off. Or is she just tired? She’d told you she’d been sleeping badly recently, has it not yet gotten better? Run your attention over her supple form, smooth skin over tight knuckles, the lilac of the fabric complimenting her drained complexion, dark circles beneath her eyes making the rich coca of her irises deeper, swirling with thought. They flick to you suddenly, shadow being cast across her delicate features as she turns, as if about to speak.

You look down into your lap abruptly, staring at the little carving. “I miss dad,” you blurt out quietly, the words being hauled up your throat, spat out into the air.

Elain stiffens in your peripherals, and your lips press together tight. Heart heavies, shoulders no longer being held taut as you begin to drown into the cushion. “I know…” you begin quietly, thoughts eddying away once you try to grasp for them. Just stare at the maiden holding the drooping daisies. “I was thinking about him,” you say quietly, managing to keep your voice somewhat even. “Earlier, when I was out with Mor,” you clarify, reaching into the bag.

Push the paper apart, reaching for the female figurine. Fingers brush the smooth wood of the carved figure, the pads able to sense the very grain with heightened nerve endings. She’s hewn from a darker material, deep brown and riddled with smooth and polished knots, creating a labyrinthine twist of swirling lines and wrinkles. It was probably once a beautiful piece of trunk, carried from a forest to a carpenters shop, whittled away until the figure emerged.

“I want to speak with you.”

You look up, hand stilling, fingers grasping the carving. Maybe…you’ve learned in the past it’s better to let someone else lead the conversation. Yours don’t seem to go anywhere unless the other is interested in a continuation.

“Okay,” you murmur, releasing the statue, pulling free as you return the bag to your feet, set aside so you can deliver her your full attention. “What is it?”

Elain blinks slowly, and hairs rise on the back of your neck.

“Elain?” You encourage, no more than a whisper.

For a long moment she won’t speak, just watching intently, as if she can see through you and is examining the sub-atomic structure of your soul, down to the bits and bobs between. Stiffen as cocoa bores into you, looking far older than should be possible as the flame flickers dully in muted brown. Throat rolls, trying to maintain the connection, letting her know you’re there. She’s been around for you; it’s the least you can do.

The contact breaks, her lids closing briefly, gaze returning to quietly observe the fire. Taking in its motion—how the heat wells, practically rolling from the hearth to the rugged floorboards. “There’s been something…” Elegant brows dip almost imperceptibly, the edges of her delicate mouth quivering, lips parted on a syllable. Close again, as if the words won’t suffice for what she’s trying to say. The fire almost seems to match her, growing more intense as she stares into it, shadows darkening as they writhe across the walls, like the wings of a great creature.

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” she murmurs absently.

Worry sparks across your chest but you say nothing, allowing her to articulate her thoughts at the pace she wishes.

Cocoa returns to you, the colour of conkers—you can picture them sitting cozily among the branches of a dense forest, perfectly in place. “I need you to be calm,” she says firmly. “Can you do that for me?” Brow narrows in confusion, attention fading form your body as it’s directed to your older sister, posture lithe but firm. Sitting with the preternatural stillness of the fae, and something more… Something beyond what even…

You nod—as if your voice might break whatever she’s fallen into. Might cause a change in mind, your chance to comfort her lost. She stares for a moment longer, quiet and observing. An unwelcome itch builds beneath your knuckles, but you push it away, attention solely on your older sister. Her pupils seem to be the wrong size, as if you’re something far off in the distance that she’s struggling to focus on. Her posture relaxes, silently settling into the depth of her armchair, as if it might hold her together.

“Sleep has been difficult as of late,” she murmurs, eyes locked to yours and you find yourself unable to look away. She keeps herself still; poised; refined. Even in the undress of her lilac night robe, she’s collected, but there’s something off tonight. You nod in understanding—sleeping can be difficult. Especially after the war.

“Have you been taking care of yourself?” The question pulls from your lips before it’s fully formed in your mind. A faint smile sharpens her mouth—hairs prickling at the nape of your neck. Cocoa blinks, and the sharpness has faded, settling into the familiar gentle curve that makes Elain herself. “I’m perfectly fine,” she replies quietly, though her voice is strained. Eyes again run over you, weighing. Again you keep still, enduring the assessment.

Tongue peeks out to wet her lips, shadows flickering across her face as she shifts in her seat. “I’ve been trying some different tonics,” she admits quietly. “Chamomile, root ginger, valerian…they work fine, and I end up falling asleep swiftly.”

A dull wave of relief washes through your system, like a cool balm to desiccated skin. “I’m glad, ‘Lain,” you say softly, happy she’s found a remedy. But Elain shakes her head solemnly, shadows growing darker, weighing beneath her eyes. “It’s not…I’m not struggling with sleep,” she whispers, as if the walls are sitting in on the conversation. Eyes flit about, and your brows narrow. She’s being shifty. “Maybe we should have this conversation in your room,” she murmurs to herself, fingers massaging her temples.

“Elain…” you interject quietly, worry lacing your tone, “are you okay?” Eyes flick to you, heavy with gravity. “I told you, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” You press gently. Could she have been sold another kind of herb? “You don’t seem fine…” She waves her hand dismissively, as if physically able to bat the thought away. She exhales heavily, staring again into the fire. Deep into the flames, like she can see to the other side.

“Chamomile, valerian, send me to sleep fine. It’s just not—” She cuts off, searching for the word. “They don’t send me deep enough,” she murmurs, a slight tremor in her voice. “What do you mean?” You ask, shifting toward her in your seat. Eyes snap to you with the movement, brows curving in a look of…

Fear.

You pull back, comprehending. Lean forward, on the verge of standing to cross the room to be at her side again. Like you were for those initial months. “Elain, what’s wrong?” You repeat, anxious to assuage her anxiety however you can.

“They’re back,” she whispers hoarsely. Fingers tremble in her lap, lightly gripping the lilac of her skirts to calm herself. “It’s the same thing again and again,” she manages, staring at you from across the hearth. “I see you at the edge of a forest with the wolves, traveling with the fox, ending with the…” She shakes her head. Steadying her breathing. Calming her nerves.

“There’s a flash of light—light like starfall, except it itches. Itches and burns. And then he’s down, and bleeding, and—”

“Elain, slow down,” you interrupt, standing from your seat as you hurry to her side, fingers linking with her own to soothe the trembles. Crouch before her, clasping her hands in you own gloved ones. “I don’t understand,” you say, staring up at her. “What are you talking about?”

Cocoa drains, dark and haunted.

“They’re back,” she whispers. “The visions.”

General taglist: @myheartfollower @tcris2020 @mali22 @amygdtjhddzvb @sfhsgrad-blog @needylilgal022 @hannzoaks

Az taglist: @azrielshadows1nger @jurdanpotter @positivewitch

cbmthy taglist: @impossibelle @naturakaashi @sakurafrost3-blog @ficienjoyedrbspot @azriels-shadowsinger @marina468 @misstea12 @going-through-shit @fussel9913 @minakay @i-am-infinite @wannabewolf @thegirlintheshadows101 @kennedy-brooke @esposadomd @horneybeach1 @jeannineee @harrystylesfan2686 @tothestarsandwhateverend @abysshaven @starlight-hope @stupidwingboy @nastynesta @luvmoo @furiousbooklover @kuraikei @kemillyfreitas @chasing-autumns-chill @marvelpotter @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @nightcourt-daydreaming @vanderlinde @fall-myriad @historygeekqueen @erin-m-harmon

#azriel x reader #azriel angst #a court of thorns and roses #acotar #Azriel acotar #a court of silver flames

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books-and-catears · 2 years ago

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Unravelling Solomon

(many spoilers for chap 11)

Some personal theories and trying to look at the story from Solomon's lens.

Let's state some canon things we have noticed in the story of both Obey me and Nightbringer.

MC is Solomon's one true soulmate/twin flame

Solomon took an instant liking to MC in the very beginning, calling it mere curiousity.

- I think he sensed a Kindred soul. Just like Thirteen says we both seem like 'cheerful idiots' at the very first glance. Wouldn't Solomon would be even quicker to detect a soul similar to his own?

Thirteen claims our soul sparkles the same way Solomon's used to, it still does the same but just a little different.

- Solomon has gone through some unspeakable trauma damaging his soul to that level. And he's hyper protective that MC doesn't go through the same.

Solomon's card: Threads of Fate. MC's first red string was connected to Solomon.

- Okay, this might be a big stretch but hear me out. We all know Solomon's magic is strong and mostly accurate even in its most experimental stage.

So when his powder of revealing soulmates ended up showing all of MC's bonds - it inadvertently showed the strongest first. The strongest bond between two most similar souls.

....

Solomon's Obsession with Lucifer's Pact

Do you know who has consistently been a direct threat of MC's survival?

From the first dance, as he threatened MC while almost snapping their wrist in half to his most recent attempt on MC's life in the past - it has been Lucifer.

The Lucifer who would rather use his powers and hurt his own brother and an innocent angel just to exact his justice on a meddlesome human (cue the scene where MC protects Beel and Luke).

The Lucifer who doesn't hesitate to lose his head and attempt to destroy MC even though he noted how MC has been slowly and surely healing his brothers.

The same Lucifer who even now, tries to eliminate you as a threat even as his own brothers vouch for your integrity and you try to prove your good intentions.

Solomon watches helplessly as you constantly throw yourself at the mercy of this fallen angel.

In season 2, Solomon legit states that he would have stabbed Lucifer to save the three realms himself if it didn't upset you. Imagine how he must feel knowing you almost killed yourself to save this very demon - only to be hurt by this demon again.

Wherever Lucifer goes, his brothers tend to follow. He's the pillar holding the brothers together. Solomon knows the only way to keep Lucifer and some of his equally volatile brothers , he simply needs a pact with him.

What better way to ensure Humanity's safety, especially your safety, than to control the most probable cause of chaos?

But because he couldn't do that, so instead he started MC to be stronger in Magic, fortifying the defense on MC. Making sure MC can make the pacts to protect themself and humanity along with Solomon.

But still he knows, you're too kind for your own good and you don't have a heart cruel enough to give up on the demon brothers no matter what they do to you, so he still hopes to make the pacts himself so he can do what's necessary when things get worse.

.....

Solomon's Wrath and Request

Can you imagine how Solomon might have felt in the timeline where his MC was killed? The growing rage and guilt that it all happened so far away where he couldn't be there to save you? Barbatos had to merge the timelines for a reason.

Now imagine him seeing it all happen again, the fear in your eyes, your body frozen never even attempting to save yourself because you don't want to hurt the demons. But this time he's here - and he won't let it happen.

Do you know how much rage must bubble under his skin to reach up to this throat and peek through his never faltering smile?

The reason he begs and pleads you to choose humanity over the demons, it's only to make sure you're not caught in the wrong side of the war.

Of course he manipulates demons into pacts and acts shady around them, because look what happened to MC when all they did was be righteous, helping the brothers them the right way.

#obey me #obey me solomon #obey me theories #obey me angst

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elceeu2morrow · 1 year ago

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'Louis Tomlinson has proven he's not just an ex-boyband star, he's a rocker'

Some know him as 'that guy from One Direction', others, including myself know him as arguably one of South Yorkshire's finest exports but Louis Tomlinson is only getting better, writes Daniel Bird

Image: Mirrorpix/Daniel Bird

Daniel Bird Assistant Showbiz Editor 17:31, 12 Nov 2023

Louis Tomlinson may only have two solo albums but he's proving to be one of the artists people should keep an eye on.

Having burst onto the music scene in 2010 as one-fifth of One Direction – a band created by Nicole Scherzinger on The X Factor after all five members were rejected, he's proven he's not just an ex-boyband singer. While singers from bands tend to keep a low profile and venture into other industries after a split, Louis is on a one-way ticket to becoming a mega-star in his own right.

Known for never losing his Doncaster accent and humour, the 31-year-old is currently embarking on his Faith In The Future World Tour, performing to thousands of die-hard fans every night – which he deserves credit for.

Although he may have come from one of the biggest bands of all time, the cheeky chap isn't afraid of getting up close and personal with fans – much to the dismay of his security who leap into action when he jumps off stage and runs to the barricade to see fans. In recent weeks, Louis has seen his expensive vests ripped off him, with fans even going as far as tickling him.

This, however, hasn't stopped him from putting on an incredible show. Despite only releasing two studio albums as a soloist (his second topping the Official UK Charts), he's pushing himself to the limits and playing arenas across the world. Most recently, he performed to around 21,000 fans at Manchester's AO Arena on November 11.

Walking onto the stage may be daunting for some, but Tomlinson showed no signs of fear as he opened with The Greatest – ironically, perhaps the greatest opening track. Throughout the night, he performed hits including Kill My Mind but also paying tribute to his One Direction days, belting out Drag Me Down and Where Do Broken Hearts Go. But since his pop days, Tomlinson has edged towards a more EDM and synth sound before finding his comfort in rockier tracks. He'd previously stated he'd taken inspiration from the likes of Sam Fender, Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys and Manchester legends, Oasis.

Image: Mirrorpix/Daniel Bird

Nowadays, fans can expect the odd pop hit but also enjoy punk rock as well as indie pop and soft rock.

However, despite being in the business for almost 14 years, Louis remained grounded and acknowledged that Manchester was the start of his career. Between songs, he recalled his first audition for The X Factor in front of Simon Cowell, Scherzinger and Louis Walsh, being in the city. He told fans: "This is where I did my very first audition, so to be back here on my own it definitely feels full circle and I couldn't have done that without you.

#mirror uk #lt press #11.12.23 #fitfwt2023 manchester

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porkcutletbowl44 · 4 months ago

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I just have to say this (sorry for the mess up English) thank you so much for creating 'Far from perfect'. The angst and the pace really hit every spot to me and really amazing. I'm SOO IN LOVE with the way how you wrote it. I'm still new to the cod fandom and don't know much about keegan and originally came to read for angst simon but the way you wrote how sweet and understanding Keegan is with reader just got me on the floor and crying. I love that man with entire being. Will be on the hunt for more keegan fic but thank you for being the first one to introduce me to him 😭😭😭 i love the sweet moment especially the bike ride and meeting with the cows, jahsjshshs it's too cute.

Alright that's it from me💓💖. Can't wait to see more update. Chap 11 was fun to read. The way I keep telling myself 'Beat her ass Johnny' 💀💀. I know karma about to bite that witch ass soon. Okay then, take care and have a good day/night ^^🫶

First off, thank you so much for your kindness and support🥺💜

Welcome to the fandom! I hope you enjoy it and steer clear of the toxic people, the good ones are very kind and amazing!

I made Keegan SLIGHTLY out of character for the series, he's also one of my favs and I just had to make a Keegan fic because they are so rare and I took matters into my own hands to make one

(My goodness you're so sweet I could cry 🥹🥹🥹)

#thanks anon!#anons welcome #ao3 fanfic #ao3 #fanfic #call of duty #simon ghost riley #cod mw2 #simon riley #ghost x reader #keegan russ #keegan x you #keegan x reader #keegan p russ x reader #keegan p russ

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bnhaobservation · 5 months ago

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Keeping up with the Todorokis or, just me observing the Todorokis (Anime version): Ep. 11

So this is nothing else but a collection of informations, series by series, episode by episode about how the Todorokis appear in it, especially compared to the manga.

Ep. 11 Game Over (ゲームオーバー GAME OVER)

trasposition of

Chap.16 Know Your Enemies (思い知れ敵 Omoishire Teki) Chap 17. Game Over (ゲームオーバー)

This time we have Shouto being inolved in a bit of action which the anime goes so far as expanding.

We start more or less like in the manga wish Shouto's breath being visible due to how he used his ice and his enemies being frozen as Shouto talks to them.

The dialogue remains the same

Todoroki Shōto ‘Chirashite korosu… ka? Itcha warui ga, anta-ra dō mite mo “‘kosei’ o mote amashita yakara” ijō ni wa miuke rarenee yo.' 轟焦凍「散らして殺す…か？言っちゃ悪いが、あんたらどう見ても『〝個性〟を持て余した輩』以上には見受けられねぇよ。」 Todoroki Shōto “Scatter and kill them...huh? I hate to say it, but no matter how I look at you guys, you just don't seem like anything more than ‘people who don't know what to do with their “quirks”’.”

VILLAIN ‘Koitsu…!! Idōshite kita totan ni… hontō ni GAKI ka yo… ittetete…' ヴィラン「こいつ…！！移動してきたとたんに…本当にガキかよ…いっててて…」 Villain “This guy...! The moment he moved...is he really just a kid...what the...”

But then, while in the manga Shouto just thinks at what is going on while walking, the anime adds two Villains trying to jump on Shouto, only for Shouto to freeze them without hesitation.

Shouto's thoughts get expanded a bit as well.

In the manga all he thinks is:

Todoroki Shōto ‘(ALL MIGHT o korosu… shoken ja seiei o soroe kazu de attō suru no ka to omotta ga. FUTA o akete mirya (read: ore-tachi) yō no KOMA… CHINPIRA no yose atsume ja nee ka. Mita kagiri ja hontō ni abuna sōna ningen wa 4 〜 5 nin hodo datta… To suru to…’ 轟焦凍「（オールマイトを殺す…初見じゃ精鋭を揃え数で圧倒するのかと思ったが。フタを開けてみりゃ生徒（俺達）用のコマ…チンピラの寄せ集めじゃねぇか。見た限りじゃ本当に危なそうな人間は4〜5人程だった…とすると…）」 Todoroki Shōto (Killing All Might... At first glance, I thought they would gather their elite troops and overwhelm us with numbers. But when I looked, they were just a bunch of thugs... From what I saw, there were only about 4-5 people who looked really dangerous... So...)

...but the anime adds at the end of this sentence what instead Shouto will think later.

Todoroki Shōto ‘(Ore ga tsugini torubeki kōdō wa───...)' 轟焦凍「(俺が次に取るべき行動は───...)」 Todoroki Shōto (What should I do next---...)

And then we've maybe the creepiest change, something that makes Shouto really scary in the anime. In the manga Shouto sits down and just threaten the Villains to let them get frostbites. In the anime he remains standing and, although he says the same thing, he moves his hand near to one of the Villains' face, threatening to enchase him completely in ice. It would mean he wouldn't be able to breathe making the threat more dangerous as here he's basically threatening to kill him. As we don't know Shouto yet and here it's alone this makes him look even more scary because we can't clearly tell if it's a bluff, while in the manga it felt more like one.

Again, the sentence he says it's the same as the manga...

Todoroki Shōto ‘Nā, kono mamajya anta-ra jiwajiwato karada ga eshishiteku wakenanda ga, ore mo HERO shibō, sonna hidoe koto wa narubeku saketai. Ano ALL MIGHT o yareruttsuu konkyo… sakutte nanda?’ 轟焦凍「なあ、このままじゃあんたらじわじわと身体が壊死してくわけなんだが、俺もヒーロー志望、��んな酷え事はなるべく避けたい。あのオールマイトを殺れるっつう根拠…策って何だ？」 Todoroki Shōto “Hey, if you carry on like this your body will slowly die, but I want to be a hero too, so I want to avoid that terrible thing as much as possible. So you're saying you can kill All Might... what's your plan?”

... however in the manga the whole 'what should I do next' was added after Shouto thinks he's trying to avoid doing terrible things like murdering as much as possible, so it makes even more clear he planned to do something different. By placing it earlier instead it seems what Shouto has to do next is threaten to kill the Villains to get them to talk.

It's minor but this bit still make Shouto scarier.

We've another very minor scene which the anime kept and it's the one of Shouto running.

#keeping up with the todorokis anime version #Todoroki Shouto #boku no hero academia

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gracexthoughts · 9 months ago

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of violent delights chap 11

a spark

14 april 1996

Mattheo’s POV

“You’re la-”

“Yeah, yeah I know,” I cut Mia off as I rush down the hall to meet her. She is standing against the wall outside the prefects’ office and I can’t help as my eyes rove up and down her body. Her long auburn hair is braided away from her face, the braid pulled to hang over her shoulder, and she’s foregone a uniform sweater in the warming weather. Her white blouse is tight against her figure, her long legs clad in knee high socks instead of her usual tights; the same outfit that had me distracted all through our shared lessons today. Lately, no matter how she wears her uniform I find her distracting.

“You ready?” She asks me, drawing my eyes back up to her eyes rather than her long legs. Her tilted head and cocky smirk on her lips tell me she caught me checking her out and I look down the hall, nodding.

“Yeah, let’s go,” I say, not waiting for Mia before I start walking. She jogs a few steps to catch up with me and falls into step.

“What took you so long?” She asks casually.

“Quidditch,” I say simply. It’s not totally the truth but it's not a lie either. I did have practice. Over the last month both Gryffindor and Slytherin teams have been practicing nonstop, often having to fight for pitch time, in anticipation of the final match coming this weekend. Tensions are running high between the rival houses and plenty of fights have broken out this week alone (only one of which I was involved in, by the way). Slytherin is ahead by 200 points and Marcus is fairly confident in our position but I’m not so sure. To be honest, I think Gryffindor wants the Cup more than we do.

But while animosity between our houses has been growing, a different kind of tension is growing between Mia and myself, one I’m not so sure is a good thing. We’ve found each other on the Astronomy Tower for a smoke multiple times in the last few months, taking turns bumming cigarettes and staying there far longer than we would if either of us was there alone. I find myself constantly distracted by her, even when she is nowhere to be found. And when she is around I can’t help but be drawn into her magnetic field, my eyes roaming and words flirtatious.

When I got back from practice, Elladora had laid into me about how I am spending too much time with Mia and that I should skip rounds to hang out with them instead. Me saying no was not taken well. I think my friends are starting to suspect there’s more to my relationship with Mia than I’ve told them even though there is nothing… Okay, maybe there is a little something but I’ll be cursed before I tell my friends that. Besides, nothing can happen between Mia and I and nothing will. Euphemia Potter is far too good for me. A better, stronger man would keep his distance but I’ve never claimed to be a good man and when it comes to Mia I’m finding I’m weaker than I’d care to admit.

“So, how was practice?” She asks, pulling me out of my thoughts and I shoot her a dubious look out of the corner of my eye. “What? I’m making conversation not trying to spy,” she says sarcastically, dragging out the last word.

“Was fine. Normal,” I respond vaguely.

“Broom fly, swing bat, hit bludger, scowl, so on?” Mia jokes, making me smile slightly and shake my head.

“You’ve got me down, princess,” I chuckle. “What about you? Feeling ready?”

“I’m always ready, Riddle,” Mia quips back, a mischievous look on her face, winking at me playfully as we keep walking. I laugh and turn away, looking down the hall. We walk in silence for a little while until we pass by the stairs to the Astronomy Tower and I stop.

“You know what? Screw prefect shit, let’s go smoke or something. I’m knackered from practice, I could use a break,” I propose suddenly, pointing up the stairs.

“What? We can’t do that,” Mia protests, searching my face as if she’s not sure if I’m joking or not.

“Why not? If anyone catches us we’ll just say we thought we heard something in the Astronomy Tower and we were just checking it out. Perfect cover,” I shrug, shoving my hands in my pockets as I look down at Mia. She watches me for a long moment before a smile splits her face and she chuckles.

“Alright, fuck it. Let’s go,” she says, climbing the first few stairs. When I don’t immediately follow her, she turns around, the stairs making her tall enough to look down at me. “Well?” She asks, tilting her head. I smile and follow after her, my longer legs catching up to her easily and we climb up the tower side by side.

✦

“No, no, just really focus on where you want the magic to come from. Like instead of the tip of your wand it’s your fingertip,” she explains, snapping her fingers again and producing a small and steady flame, lighting up her face in the moonlight. We’re sitting on the floor of the Astronomy Tower, cigarettes long gone, and facing each other as Mia tries to teach me her wandless magic trick. I grit my teeth and, focusing on my fingertips, snap my fingers over and over until a small spark emerges. “Yes! You almost had it!” Mia cheers, her face excited.

“This is ridiculous, how did you figure this out by yourself?” I ask, growing frustrated.

“Don’t get frustrated, you have no idea how long it took me. You’re getting it faster than I did,” she says, adjusting slightly and causing our knees to brush.

“I couldn’t believe you less,” I deadpan, leaning forward towards Mia with my eyes narrowed. She reels back, feigning offense.

“You don’t trust me? Don’t I look trustworthy?” She asks, looking up at me with wide innocent eyes, our height difference large enough that even sitting she has to look up to meet my eyes. I don’t answer, caught up for a moment in her expression. “C’mon, try again,” she presses, reaching forward to graze my hand, sending shivers up my arm which doesn’t help at all with focusing. I take a deep breath and snap, producing a small burst of a flame that goes out as quickly as it lit but still Mia cheers, clapping her hands at my dismal display.

“Your enthusiasm is wasted on that. You’re a good teacher, though,” I say, leaning back on my hands and stretching my legs out, resting them next to Mia’s.

“Thanks,” she responds, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she fiddles with her ring.

“You could come back and teach here. Wandless magic 101 or something.” She laughs at that.

“Yeah, that’s the dream. Graduate school just to come back and do it for the rest of my life,” she says sarcastically.

“Alright then, if not teaching then what do you want to do after Hogwarts?” I ask, trying to picture her in some stuffy suit or uniform, taking notes in a boardroom of some kind.

“I don’t know. Honestly passing O.W.L.s and finding an apartment is about as far into the future as I can think right now,” she says, adjusting so her back is against one of the stone pillars and her legs extend out next to mind; the bare skin of her legs pale in the early moonlight.

“An apartment? Getting out of the muggles’ place then?”

“Yeah, I’m 18 now and the Ministry granted me custody of Harry a few months back so I’ve got to find somewhere for us to live,” she says, a smile on her face at the idea of being on her own. I can’t help but be surprised and a little impressed, I can barely take care of myself most of the time yet here is this girl the same age as me who is willingly taking on the burden of caring for her brother and is happy about it.

“That’s great, Mia. I’m happy for you,” I say genuinely and Mia looks at me with a bewildered expression. “What?”

“Nothing,” she chuckles, “Just never expected Mattheo bloody Riddle would ever be happy for me is all.”

“Yeah well, to be fair, I never expected to be happy for Euphemia fucking Potter either,” I respond with a deep chuckle.

“It has been a weird year, hasn’t it?” Mia says with a laugh, watching me for a moment. “So, what about you? What are your plans after school?”

“My mum wants me to work at the Ministry,” I respond with a shrug.

“Okay, but what do you want?” I watch her for a moment before answering, surprised that she cares enough to ask and listen.

“To not just be known by my last name. To be free of my father’s legacy and be my own person for once,” I admit after a moment. Something I’ve never told anyone else before, something I’ve barely even admitted to myself. “Beyond that, I’m not sure.”

“I get that,” Mia says after a moment, nodding. “Sometimes I think about just dropping everything and running off somewhere far away. Work in some Muggle pub or shop or something and just… be free of it all.” Her face turns wistful as she speaks, dreaming of a life she won’t allow herself to have, caring too much for the people in her life to commit to it.

“Got any room for one more?” I ask, half kidding, half not.

“We’d kill each other two days in,” Mia laughs.

“I don’t know, you’re kind of growing on me, princess,” I chuckle, sitting up and leaning towards her. I watch as her face splits into a smile, her mouth opening to respond but she’s interrupted by a voice from below the stairs.

“Filch,” she whispers, and we both look down at our watches. It's nearly midnight, an hour past when our rounds are supposed to end meaning we no longer have an excuse for being out. “Shit, I didn’t even realize how late it is.” I look around the tower quickly and see a broom cupboard on the other side of the room. I stand and motion for Mia to follow me; it's not ideal but it will have to work.

“Quick, in here!” I whisper, pulling the broom closet door open. Mia’s eyes widen and she shakes her head.

“Matt-”

“Mia, I know but we have to hide.” She weighs her options for a moment before reluctantly, stepping inside the closet, her fists clenched tightly as I step in with her and close the door, the closet so small it's near impossible for us to not be pressed against each other. I reach out to take one of her hands in mine, her eyes flying open to look at me. “Just breathe, you’re okay,” I whisper to her, her breath unsteady, her eyes never leaving mine. I squeeze her hand gently, my thumb caressing the back of her hand, the raised skin of her lightning bolt scar under the pad of my thumb.

I can hear Filch and Mrs. Norris, his creepy cat, just outside the door. Suddenly, the door rattles behind my back and Mia squeezes her eyes shut, her breath increasing. “Hey, hey stay with me,” I whisper, my free hand to hook a finger under her chin, her eyes open again, fear more present in them than before, and I tilt her face up to look at me. “You’re safe, I’m not gonna let anything hurt you,” I whisper, and the scariest thing is I mean it and I can tell she believes me. I look down at her and all the world slips away; all I’m aware of is her and the beat of my heart, so loud in my ears I’m certain she can hear it as well. Time slows and I don’t know how long we stand there, staring at each other, frozen in fear of being caught or breaking the moment.

But then Filch grumbles something to Mrs. Norris and their footsteps recede down the stairs and my hands drop to my sides. Heat creeps into my face as I turn and open the door, stepping aside for Mia. She steps out quickly, taking a deep breath with her eyes focused on the dark expanse beyond the tower, moving to the edge and gripping the railing so hard her knuckles turn white.“You okay?” I ask softly.

“Yeah,” she says after a moment, turning back to me with flushed cheeks. “I hope we don’t make a habit of being in broom cupboards together,” she jokes, a little breathless.

“Most girls don’t mind,” I brag out of habit and immediately regret it. I have a reputation for sleeping around and normally I don’t mind, but Mia is different. She’s so different to me that I’m never entirely sure how to act. But she laughs and rolls her eyes.

“Oh I’m sure,” she laughs, the air between us turning awkward. “We should probably head back.”

“Yeah, yeah probably.” We slowly climb down the stairs, careful to be quiet so as not to draw Filch back. When we finally reach the bottom of the stairs, my dorm one direction and Mia’s in another, I turn to look at her, wishing I could rewind time by about 5 minutes.

“Goodnight, see you on the pitch on Saturday. I’ll be the one scoring all the goals,” Mia says with a soft smile, her voice playful as she turns in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

“Goodnight,” I whisper and watch as she smiles and turns around, walking down the hall and out of my sight, knowing I won’t stop thinking about her pressed against me in that closet all night.

taglist (comment or dm me to be added); @purplegardenwhispers @somethingswiftandstyles @weasleyreidstyles @mayamonroem

#harry potter #harry potter fandom #harry potter fanfiction #matteo riddle #hogwarts #hogwarts oc #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #hp fanfic #wizarding world #hogwarts houses #mattheo riddle fanfic #mattheo riddle fluff #mattheo riddle imagine #mattheo riddle #matty riddle #mattheo fluff #of violent delights

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mushio3 · 20 days ago

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Hi everyone, still alive over here! I have had no motivation to write even though ideas for future chapters pop up in my head every day.

However, idk when I’ll find the energy to keep writing chap 22 but I decided to slowly go through what I already wrote to re-inspire myself. So far, I’ve cleaned up the first two chapters of To Be Human and am working on chap 3 now.

This isn’t a rewrite, just a decluttering of word debris, tiny plot holes, and inconsistencies. Thank you for your patience!

This fic is always on my mind, just have other things taking priority at the moment. Love you all!

Happy Holidays❤️

12/11 EDIT: So I’m writing again… and I’m almost done with ch 22😉 Will definitely be posting again before Christmas!!!

#to be human #chapter update #fanfic

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dragonfly0808 · 1 year ago

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So, I just came up with a little fun idea!

I realized that 14/15 chapters that have been named so far are named after songs so… I’ll give you all the names of the first 15 chapters of s4 (only up til 7 has been published and some are only named but not yet written) and if you can figure out each of the 13 songs… I’ll publish 3 chapters next week… wwwoooooooo

There are lyrics from kpop songs that have been translated that will prob be the hardest

Here goes:

Chap 1- What Was I Made For?

Chap 2- Love or Like, It’s Like Hide and Seek

Chap 3- (doesn’t apply)

Chap 4- I Know My Age and I Act Like It

Chap 5- I Envy the Leaves that grow from the trees, they’re all so carefree through the seasons, unaware of the fall

Chap 6- At a Crossroad, I Choose the Unfamiliar Path

Chap 7- My Mom Always Asking, Where Did I Go Wrong?

Chap 8- Are We the Hunters? Or Are We the Prey?

Chap 9- If It’s a Fairytale, I Won’t Tell It. I Don’t Want It

Chap 10- Switch Up, Flip Out Like a Blade

Chap 11- Kings and Queens of Gritty Face and Pretty Things

Chap 12- The Kind of Wound Doesn’t Matter, Nah, I Don’t Care It

Chap 13- Does It Worry You to be Alone?

Chap 14- Just Kids Caught in the Crossfire

Chap 8 will be posted friday and chaps 9 to 11 would be posted next week if yall find all the songs

Let’s see how this goes yall. 24 hours.

#winx club #winx rewrite #winx #winx headcannon #winx fanfic #winx headcanons #veiled wings and shattered panoramas #Crossroads of destiny and will o’ the wisps

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gizkasparadise · 1 year ago

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2023 wrapped: webtoon edition!

my final 2023 wrapped post for the year! unlike previous ones, this list is every series i read this year vs. ones that started this year. previous lists for this year:

cdrama edition

kdrama edition

ranked from least favorite to most favorite, which doesn't mean objectively best, just ones that hit me more. ones that are completed series will have a * after the title

15 my deepest secret*. omfg i hated this webtoon. the twist was asinine and frankly ignorant. none of the characters were likeable by the end. hate quit this one with like 5 chapters left to go i just couldnt

14 my second husband. seemed promising at first! i was hooked for the first 40 chapters or so but then it just started getting weirdly paced, had big plot holes, and nothing ever felt like it was getting resolved. the ML had like 0 charisma as well. dropped.

13 to love your enemy. this one was REALLY fun until the cult arc hit and then it was the biggest wtf is happening. dropped it shortly after

12 i dont hate us*. i liked this one until the timeskip ending, where then everyone and everything just felt really off. the second female lead gets a special mention because i HATED her at first but by the end she was my favorite character <3

11 romance 101.* this was okay. the art style was really cute and i loved the FL. but there never seemed to be any chemistry with the main ship to me, and the plot became really focused on the app/programming club which bored the hell out of me. dropped this one around chap 100

10 shadow bride. nothing bad but nothing particularly noteworthy for me. fluff read.

9 high spirits neoma. im not very far into this webtoon yet, or it'd be higher up the list im sure. im around ch 5 and finding it really charming and i love the color palette for it

8 dreaming freedom/freedom in dreams. although the art style isnt my cup of tea, i really enjoyed this fucked up high school revenge/romance webtoon but where im currently at (ch. 111ish) it's starting to feel a little circular. hoping it goes back to what it does best which is Unsettling Shit

7 my reason to die*. man this would've been in my top 3 but the ending arc is just. really boring??? like i dont want to watch them search for a pot farm for 10 chapters. i havent finished this one yet, but ive been putsing getting back into it ever since post reveal. the drama is very pretty though and the reveal chapters hit me like a truck in a good way

6 operation true love. i borderline hated this webtoon when i first started, but the reviews had me wanting to stick it out and im so glad i did!! around ep 10ish it really finds its footing and just keeps going for it! very kdrama in flavor and endearing FL.

5 unholy blood*. a fun, dark, and nostalgic webtoon about vampires and vampire hunting that brought me back to my tween years in the best way. the character designs are really awesome. it's a little lower on the list because the ending felt a bit rushed, but it's a really solid horror/action comic with a lil romance

4 surviving romance*. this one's complete but i got about 10 chapters left. it's a really fun horror comic (NOT romance, dont be fooled by the title) that reminds me of extraordinary you but if the plot was focused on the metaphysical horror of it a little more. fun characters and relationships. a little lower just because the second "return" arc feels tedious/unneeded so far. we'll see. TEAM RINA.

3 maybe meant to be/fate found by chance. ive found that i tend to gravitate toward darker webtoons, so this is my c-c-combo breaker! cute, funny, quirky, and really endearing. standard contract marriage plot but between two delightful weirdos

2 purple hyacinth. this series is everything. the art is gorgeous, it has its own OST built into the reading. the characters are nuanced and complicated and omg it's a ride and a half so far.

1 olgami/trapped*. INCREDIBLE characters and such an intense look at enemies-to-lovers. the drama starts as a psycho-thriller about gravedigging for a vampire and ends up about two leads who have never learned how to love willing to try it with one another in their fucked-up way. dysfunctional. hot. SO GOOD. the art evolution for this series was great as well

#webtoon #manhwa #olgami #purple hyacinth #maybe meant to be #gizka 2023 wrapped

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vashsscoreboardofpain · 8 months ago

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WELCOME BACK SPORTS FANS ;D

Today we start the amazing journey that will be next sports season. Trimax Vash, our dear contestant, is ready to go right into the action!

Let's start with volume 1 of Trigun

Chap 1:

-1 "bad event" point for getting shot at while eating

-1 "bad event" point for being threaten by the town people he just saved

yes, dear audience, things can go that bad that quickly and the contestant is here to exploit that fact

Chap 2:

-1 "bad event" point for still being chased and shot at

-1 "bad event" point for getting cornered the moment he thought he was safe

-1 "yikes statement" point for saying that he cannot stop until he finds someone. He would give up his life otherwise.

the contestant is starting slow but it is only the second chapter and he has plenty of time to catch up

Chap 3:

-1 "bad event" point while being attacked while saving people

-1 "action" point for risking his life trying to protect people he doesn't know

-1 "action" point for not defending himself from all the insults nebraska is throwing at him

What a nice way to close that small arc! Points were gathered and now the contestant has to travel with the insurance girls.

Chap 4:

-1 "action" point without saying goodbye to the children of the town before leaving

-1 "action' point for pretending to be asleep to not be honest, which comes with an additional point

-1 "yikes statement" point for saying "that was more than I deserved." Its only chapter 4 and the contestant will not give himself a break. Fascinating

-1 "bad event" point for getting hit right in the eyes (ouch)

-1 "action" point for just....slamming his own head to get the kid

The action is starting again folks. The contestant is out to get those points in the sandsteamer way earlier than his counterparts

Chap 5:

-AND JUST LIKE THAT, 1 "bad event" point for getting drugged. Things may not look good for the contestant but they sure look good for his score board

-1 "bad event" point for his dream of....rem falling into the earth....this is fine

-1 "bad event" point for his sad dream overall, we are getting momentum people!

Chap 6:

-1 "bad event" point for getting shot at while saving the kid

-1 "action" point for risking his safety by jumping out the window

-1 "yikes statement" point for the contestant saying "why do death and destruction always follow right behind me" because if the dear audience thinks about it, thats a really sad statement considering his age.

Chap 7:

-1 "bad event" point for getting shot at after he was so ready to start his plan, damn

-1 "action" point for fighting while injured

-1 "bad event" point for bleeding from that injured, this guy I swear-

-1 "bad event" point for getting hit with a sad (but beautiful) flashback

-1 "action" point for calling himself pathetic. ok I think we are going a bit too far on this chapter-

-1 "bad event" point for still getting shot at

-1 "bad event" point for getting cornered. Seems like the plan went south for the contestant, and yet he keeps going!

Chap 8:

-1 "bad event" point for getting shot at, even if they failed

-1 "bad event" point for getting shot at while the sandsteamer is about to crash, which means rocks and bullets are falling onto the contestant

-1 "bad event" point because his wound got worse mid fight

Chap 9:

-1 "bad event" point for getting shot at as a threat. The contestant just wanted to say thank you but that's not allowed. He needs to get shot every chapter, otherwise the tally would break.

Chap 10:

-1 "bad event" point for being used as a shield by old people. They chose wisely but that is not the point

-1 "bad event" point for getting attacked from behind by meryl and millie. The girls are finally here trying to get the contestant some points.

Chap 11:

The contestant didnt hit any points in this chapter! He just wasnt there! The contestant decided to stay back on this one. But do not fret, dear audience, we have so much manga ahead of us.

Chap 12:

-1 "bad event" point for being ignored for the rest of the chapter after helping meryl!

This was sure a start for the contestant! The contestant stands proudly in front of the audience, even if he didn't hit a lot of points in his debut.

And the tally starts. Trimax Vash starts with 33 points!

For the hardcore sports fans, this means we can finally measure the stats between the competitors! Stampede Vash had the strongest debut with 9 points, while Trimax Vash had the lowest with 2 points (in the 1st chapter ever). 98 Vash stays comfortably in the middle with 8 points.

This is gonna be a long (and probably sad) sports season, please dont miss it!

#trigun #trimax #vashs score board of pain

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klunkcat · 4 months ago

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tagged by @goodlucktai <3333

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

45 lol but i have I think. 30 wips that exist somewhere on my computer at any given moment. alas.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

701,032

which..... is like far too many words per fic actually imo

3. What fandoms do you write for?

honestly whatever currently grabs my brain stem changes a lot but i think my top ones are tmnt and stranger things (what a wild combo actually). Actively atm I have a trigun wip and a tmnt one

4. Top five fics by kudos?

A Kiss is a Kiss (But it's never like this) - 6,528

(something happens and I'm) head over heels - 3,518

Green with Envy - 1,880

Forget the mess I'm in - 1,791

Weak Point - 1,366

5. Do you respond to comments?

literally I am the WORST for remembering to reply I'm so sorry. I must say that I do read all of them in my email and screenshot them and cry

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

angsty endings are too much 4 me I believe so strongly in hurt/comfort but....

Impossible Things and the Tin Can I think is the most like, conceptually tragic series I've written

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Comfort is a requirement but I think but like Stepping over the line is basically just an extended meet cute so nothing really sad happens at all lol?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Actually genuinely have never gotten a rude comment in my life I did once get someone being hyper pushy about new chaps when I was like.... 19? Sometimes comments veer I think towards misunderstanding unreliable narrator elements and can be a little intense as a result

9. Do you write smut?

ehhhhhh closest I've ever gotten was dancing around the topic lol

10. Craziest crossover?

omg me and tai have gone down some rabbit holes and made a tangled/good omens fusion among other things, which was cute 2 me

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've gotten some requests, not sure if they got uploaded anywhere?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I did once many years ago but we didn't end up finishing it from what I remember!

14. All time favourite ship?

oh god I mean. ineffable husbands and wangxian invented romance. big mckirk and vashwood fan despite what my published fics would tell you. stsg ruined my life this year. I'm really big on platonic friendships though personally

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

My google docs are a cesspit of fics I will never finish. Once made a wangxian softball fic that will never see the light of day but I think of it fondly

16. What are your writing strengths?

Might actually be a weakness and not a strength but boy do I love prosey metaphor nonsense. Sometimes I think it works other times who's 2 say.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Fighting scenes man, combat is hard as hell.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

in general I dooooon't write it too much just because I don't speak anything beyond like. grade 2 level spanish so.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

tmnt :' )

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Oh tricky. Stealing tai's idea of a top 5

Forget-Me-Nots - :') big ol love u to tai for this

Both the Sweet and the Bitter - so sorry to anyone who follows me for ST fics because I'm probably never going to write for it ever again or finish this but a dear friend of mine helped me with this story and it means a lot 2 me as a result. The flower metaphors were fun to research.

Plain White Beach Houses - also same as the above but idk pacific rim au....house metaphors.... I love this series a lot

change up, high inside - wanted to write a softball fic for my whole life basically and this is more or less me just waxing poetic about the sport if I'm honest

Feedback Loop - this fic was actually insane like. took me I think a full year to write out? There's a lot of stuff in this that I lol cannot reread anymore for reasons but damn if it wasn't a learning experience to write all around

Tagging @eternalglitch @byrdybyrd02 @jinbugs if u want to besties!

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memberment · 5 months ago

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Genesis

GOOD LATE MORNING EVERYONE

So I think I'm done with this Marj & Bebe drawing. Idk how I feel about it. But if I'm doing art for every chapter their intro chaps are gonna be them in their magical girl fits and Marj and Bebe are up first so I'm heading somewhere in the right direction?? Possibly?? ANYWAYS HERE U GO ALSO UPDATES ARE HERE TODAY<3

I have written a grand total of like nothing for ten so far…

BUT I STARTED DRAWING MISS WENDY (her hair is not actually purple in this I just dont have much to work w bc of these backgrounds so excuse the jjba use of colors LMAOOO)

oh also I think Im gonna make alt backgrounds with their TOS

okay Im prob gonna throw Dova and Wendy’s chat log in the background but SHES DONE‼️‼️‼️

4:01 update: I am shutting down tonight with chapter 10 done and 1.2k deep into chapter 11, giving us a grand total of 32.9k today. I barely wrote shit today LMFAOOO. But ten was killing me and I pulled through. Considering that along with the fact that I finished Wendy's piece a win. GOODNIGHT. 💖

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mari-lair · 1 year ago

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I'll post the rest of my tbhk wips later in a single post, but since this one is the only "new fic" in my docs, I'll post it separated

title: Again and Again

summary: AU where you can die in boundaries. The plan to rescue Aoi keeps failing and Akane is stuck in a time loop. (Set on chap 84-88)

Warning: Temporary character death and mild gore. Not beta read. Some parts are incompleted.

Pairing: aoikane, (and it is vague enough to be one-sided terukane or teruaoi or both, read it as whichever you want.)

Word count: 6k

Red.

Half of his world was dark red.

Akane felt cold, vaguely aware he was laying in bloody waters, but barely feeling it. It was hard to keep his eyes open. To keep breathing.

Is this his blood…?

…The demon attack must have opened his chest wound again.

Attack…

Why was he attacked…? Something to do with Aoi-

Aoi rescue.

His eyes widened, lucid once more. His breath hitched, making him cough on the water.

Akane ignored the pain, forcing himself to move. He got on his elbows and looked around, spotting Kou with his head limp, the train wreckage giving enough support for the kid to stay sat while unconscious, blood dripping down his chin.

He wasn’t moving.

Teru was closer to Akane, the water darker near him than anyone else, face unnaturally pale. It was so different from the confident and untouchable president he knows…

And Aoi…

Where is Aoi?

“I…I won’t forgive you!” Someone yelled, the voice sounded muffled, hard to process. Akane frowned at it, his senses jumbled but able to recognize it as Aoi’s voice. He tried to find her, getting on his elbow much to his body’s protests and coughing harshly, hurting his throat. He held his bleeding chest and sought her, freezing at the sight of her dangling in the air, a claw on her face, impeaching her from speaking, from breathing.

The tears in her empty eyes as she uselessly tried to punch No.6 hand made Akane push himself back up, needing to do something.

He felt every single part of his body protest but managed to get on his feet, stumbling after one step, but ignoring how his body burned: He needs to keep going. Keep walking.

She will not be sacrificed.

Not on his watch.

His body disagreed with his conviction, legs shaking after every step “Stop…” He coughed, having difficulty talking “Stop…” He wheezed, reaching for her, but stumbling to his knees.

He coughed more blood, feeling lightheaded but refusing to lose her.

“Aoi…”

She can’t die.

She can’t.

Akane vaguely registered the world tilting as he fell, the bloody boundary waiting for him with open arms.

Akane woke up in total darkness, devoid of any pain.

“Aoi!” He yelled loud enough to hurt his throat, adrenalin making him jump into action, caught off guard by the overly soft surface under his feet and losing balance the second something got tangled on his leg.

Akane fell down, slamming his chest on wood floorboards. The fall hurt his ribs, but he ignored the pain.

“Fuck, where am I…?” He groaned, unable to get the image of Aoi falling unconscious off his head, anxious to be taken who knows where while she was in danger.

Was he still on the far shore? This place is completely dry and overly quiet. He is alone.

Akane sweated, trying to think more rationally to find clues, realizing he was in his human body, wearing pajamas. What got tangled in his feet was his blanket, and the place he fell from is a bed: This is his bedroom.

Akane froze, feeling strange at the realization.

Was everything just a nightmare?

(But it felt so real…)

He grabbed his phone, ignoring the harsh light and checking the time: It was 11:33 pm, a day before their rescue mission.

(So it really was just a nightmare…? It can’t be. He never had such a lucid dream before, much less one that he could remember in detail…)

He tried to switch to his supernatural body to confirm there weren’t any new injuries, and it was all a dream, but he couldn’t use his power.

Right. The severance. He has no way to know.

But he can’t deny he is in his room, and the phone says it’s too early to rescue Aoi.

Akane sighed in relief, getting back to bed and running a hand through his hair: What rotten timing to get nightmares, he needs to be well rested for tomorrow, working at full capacity.

He needs a good night’s rest. He can’t waste time thinking about Aoi’s empty eyes and the blood on his body. Not now, when he’ll have to face reality so soon.

Akane dragged the covers over himself, falling on his small pillow and staring at the ceiling. Once his adrenaline crashed, he felt exhausted, so he closed his eyes, determined to make their real rescue mission not turn out like that.

He couldn’t sleep, thinking of his nightmare, growing far too restless about what would await them.

He got out to make himself tea at two in the morning, forcing himself to get sleep. If he failed Aoi because he was too tired to work properly he would never forgive himself.

Akane made sure to pack everything, lanterns, coats, water, keeping it all neatly tucked in his camping backpack. He hesitated for a second but gritted his teeth and packed supplies unrelated to their mission, a few clothes, water, sweets, a blanket, games: Little things to cheer up Aoi.

If she turns out to be beyond saving, Akane will stay with her. She will disapprove, sweet as she is, but Akane has known her since they were kids, he knows she hates being alone, so he won't leave her alone. (Not again).

There was a sense of deja vu as he packed, but it was mostly exasperating. His nightmare just had to start in a mundane and realistic way, didn’t it? Now it feels like he had packed everything before.

Akane wanted to reach the red house at 10 am on the dot, as planned, but the road, which he had never taken before, felt oddly familiar.

Too familiar.

It’s unsettling.

Akane ended up running, hating how everything was like it had been in his dreams, and accidentally reaching the burned-down house before their agreed time.

The red house remains were identical to his nightmares (memories?) too.

…If his dreams really reflect reality the well connecting to the Far Shore would be on the left, and it would be too dark to see the bottom even with dad’s camping lantern.

Akane sweated when he truly found a cursed well to his left, turning on his lantern and seeing only darkness.

He held on tighter to his backpack strap, not liking whatever was happening. Did he see the future? But that felt so real, so lucid, if he focus he can still feel the phantom pain in his body, just like he had when his chest was pierced.

Maybe he went back in time? But that’s impossible, even Kako, the supernatural in charge of the past can’t rewind the entire world.

But there is coincidence and then there is… whatever is happening.

Will he find that same train if he jumps now?

(He doesn’t know if he wants to.)

“Aoi?” A familiar voice startled Akane out of it.

Akane turned towards Teru, half expecting the president to be soaked in blood, his face sickly pale, but he was as healthy as always, slightly amused “Impatient, aren’t we?”

“President,” Akane said instead of answering, feeling a lump in his throat, noticing Kou and Nene were also here, burning with determination, unaware of what awaited them.

Akane is pretty sure his nightmare wasn’t a nightmare at all, but to erase any remaining doubts, he asked Teru “We are already here, can you tell me what is inside the shrine box?”

“Ah, the box! Of course.” Teru smiled innocently, not sensing Akane’s unease as he messed with his bag “I brought it with me, take a look!”

Teru showed everyone a familiar demon hand with a finger missing.

Kou and Nene yelped in shock and disgust, Akane eyes widened, shaken for a completely different reason.

Teru's explanation about Demons turned into a buzz.

(He heard it before)

“I put it on the pizza last night!” Teru finished with a proud aura.

Akane laughed harshly, feeling overwhelmed.

Does that means everything will happen again? Aoi almost being eaten in her wagon. Nene escape with No.7. The brothers fight. No.6 attack…

It had all been real.

He got back in time.

“What the fuck.” He cursed, thankful he got another chance but he feels so unprepared, what can he do now?

“Don’t make such a sullen face” Teru’s eyes crinkled, “The pizza was delicious wasn’t it?”

Ah yes, the pizza “A treat.”

Akane was so distracted, he got tripped by Teru when he went to check the well again, falling down.

“You asshole!” Akane yelled as he fell, hitting the water with a huff, the impact, and the familiar landscape clearing his mind.

He was given a second chance to save Aoi.

He got up, shaking the water off his hair and activated his supernatural form, determined to make the most of it.

Everything worked fine before, he just have to destroy No.6

He had stopped his time before. He can stop his time now too, make Teru slash him in two.

Akane paused, remembering Teru got taken out because of some sibling squabble with Kou.

Ugh, they have no time for this.

"President," Akane said after punching a supernatural in the face "this mission is important."

Teru seemed confused by his declaration, tying a monster’s snout shut with his beads "I am aware."

"So you better take it seriously." Akane kicked the top of another supernatural, slamming their face on the ground "Don't fight with Minamoto kouhai until we are back in the Near Shore with Aoi-chan"

]Teru slashed a supernatural’s chest, looking at him weirdly “I wasn’t planning to.”

“Not even if he tries to protect No.7?”

Teru paused, though thankfully, he wasn’t distracted enough to slow down his attacks. “He won’t, he promised to take responsibility if No.7 put a student in harm's way.” Teru said with the confidence of someone that lives with Kou, and has known the boy his whole life. “Kou doesn’t break his promises.”

“But if he does? We both know how he gets with No.7,” Akane insisted, sure he is smarter than that “There is a chance. A big one.”

Teru's face darkened, “He wouldn’t.” but he lost most of his confidence, quickly growing exasperated. He usually listens to Akane, and he is smart enough to see Kou is too loose with Hanako.

“...If he does I’ll lecture him later. After we are back on the far shore.”

Good, wonderful.

When No.7 showed up, Akane did not fall for his taunts, snarling when he said Aoi was already gobbled up, and going ahead, telling Teru to take care of him.

He did not slow down when the school wonder tried to attack him, aware Teru would stop him.

Akane rushed through the wagons, already knowing where Aoi will be. He run without mercy for anyone that got in his way, barging in while Aoi was under a blanket, sneaking around as best she could. She looked like a fairy, freezing once she stepped on a supernatural’s tail.

Akane felt his heart beat faster, stopping the time of everyone beside Aoi.

The one-eyed cheetah supernatural froze in time before it could pull the blanket off her head and Akane immediately crouched to her level.

Aoi blinked, confused.

He held her shoulder, her beautiful eyes were wide with disbelief, tangible. When he cupped her cheeks, he could reach her, she blushed a bit, her hands cracking from staying here too long, but not gone yet. “Akane-kun…?”

He just stared at her, trying not to overlap her image with the fresh memory of her limp body, her beautiful eyes empty, full of despair tears, and no oxygen.

“Aoi-chan” His eye stung, holding her close, and feeling her cracking hand hold onto his clock keeper cloak “I’m glad you’re okay.”

This time he’ll protect her.

He’ll keep her safe.

Aoi didn’t say anything, resting her forehead on his chest.

“Come on” He sniffed, holding her hand and giving her a reassuring smile, the ticking clock of his power limit not as important as Aoi’s fear “Let’s go home.”

Aoi nodded, following him as if in a trance.

“Akane-kun…” She said.

He turned to her, hyperaware they are on a tight schedule but willing to slow down for a bit for her.

Aoi kept staring at him, shaking her head with a small blush.

Akane softened, squeezing her hand.

“Not like that! You never let me do anything-” Kou’s voice, angry and hurt, made Akane’s mood drop, getting out of the train to see the two idiot fighting.

For fucks sake.

“Break it up!!” Akane yelled, running at them with Aoi following behind “What’s wrong with you two?!”

The bros tensed up, letting go of each other, the atmosphere between them rancid.

Akane glared at Teru “You said you wouldn’t start a fight!”

Teru just clenched his fists and looked away, clearly hiding something.

“You better have a good reason to start this nonsense” He sighed in exasperation, grabbing Teru’s wrist when he went to sheath his sword “Don’t.”

Teru tensed up, his pulse fast, still angry about whatever happened with Kou, and being harsher than usual when slapping Akane’s hand away.

Thankfully he didn’t guard his sword, trusting Akane to give him an explanation.

“We’ll still need to fight, No.6 will show up”

Teru seemed confused, but after some thought he got on guard, agreeing “He is the guardian of the Kanagis”

“And a dangerous piece of- SHIT!”

Akane noticed the shadow on the water right away, well aware if their best fighter goes down so soon they won’t survive, and acting before he could think. He grabbed the back of Kou’s shirt and threw him as far away as he could. He may have panicked a bit, making Kou fly and slam his back on the train.

Attacking would be foolish, and there was no time to protect himself or stop time, so running it was. No matter how much he dislikes the alternative.

His arm still got hit, ripping a good chunk of his sleeves and drawing blood, but thankfully it wasn’t deep.

Still sting like a bitch though.

Kou groaned at the impact, sounding distressed for him “Aoi-senpai!”

“I’m fine!” Akane lied, not taking his eyes away from the towering demon reaching for him.

He is scared, but he can’t let him win. For Aoi’s life, and the Minamotos’ as well, and awkwardly stumbled backyard, needing to get.

Teru got in front of him, barely positioning his sword in time to protect himself when No.6 attacked.

Right.

With Teru here, he has some time.

He grabbed his pocket watch, fumbling with it and keeping a close eye on the demon.

He can’t waste this second chance.

“I’ll take care of Kouhai, focus on the demon president!” Akane ordered, glancing at his watch arrow which moved far too slowly. Always taking a few tics to freeze time “I need you to buy me time.”

tic tock

Come on!

“I won’t let you stop time, boy.” The demon said, zooming on him with inhuman speed. He remembers very well when Akane had kicked his face.

tic tok

Almost there!

“Don’t be so hasty.” Teru intercepted the demon's strike, and blocked his way with a strained smile. The blow made him stumble back but he didn’t take his eyes off No.6, black lightning surrounding his sword.

Akane smirked at the solid defense, kicking a centipede and hissed in pain when another one bit his arm, seemingly coming from nowhere.

tic tok

Another centipede bit his wrist.

His clock fell.

After three more bites, Akane too, fell.

Teru wasn’t moving, blood raining down from his shoulder, painting the water red at an alarming speed

That’s a lot of blood.

The cut was far too close to his neck. Akane tried to check it, uneasy enough by how vulnerable the usually high and mighty exorcist looked, to seek a pulse, hoping he was better than he looked.

Akane touched something that wasn’t skin. Teru’s head tilting at an unnatural angle at his touch, nearly coming off.

Akane stared without fully processing the sight of thorn muscles and bloody bone.

He felt bile in his throat, the way his stomach twisted aggravating his injuries.

He never witnessed death before.

(Not like this-)

“Presi-” He vomited blood, turning away so it didn’t get on Teru’s (corpse) face. His vision was shaky, his ears ringing from the drum of his heart.

There was a shadow over him, and when he looked up, No.6 claws sunk in his face.

Akane woke up with a gasp, back to being uninjured in the dark.

Back to his bedroom.

(back in time)

He took a deep breath, looking for his phone and frowning at the 12:01 pm in it. Great, so the time he gets back to isn’t stable.

He looked at the ceiling unable to sleep now that he know it’s real.

Akane didn’t pack anything. He already knows what he is dealing with, and he doesn’t need weight.

“Before we go, I need to make something clear” Akane looked at Kou and Teru, making sure to not stare at Teru for long, at risk of tainting his face with the bloody and cracked neck of his memory, when ordering “Don’t fight.”

the brothers looked at him weirdly. “We won’t.”

“I am serious, I don’t care what happens, fight later.”

“We won’t fight Aoi,” Teru said, half confused, half amused.

“We don’t really fight” Kou agreed.

‘Then what the fuck did I have to break twice?’ Akane thought with some annoyance. “Not even if he helps No.7 out”

“I won’t-”

“You will” He narrowed his eyes at the bad liar.

“Aoi. Stop. I know you're restless but this is paranoia.”

Akane narrowed his eyes, annoyed.

“Is not paranoia bastard, I am from the future. You two will get in a sibling fight that will get us all killed” Akane admitted, “So just don’t, I don’t care how important the argument turn out to be, it isn’t worth dying for”

Teru blinked slowly.

Kou and Nene, who knew he was right about them aiming to safe Hanako, and already witnessed some time nonsense at the red house, seemed wary.

Teru frowned “What do you mean everyone will die”

“No.6 will come.”

“No.6?”

“Yes!” He snapped, “and we are wasting time!”

His yelling at everyone about the future way took too long.

When he reached Aoi’s compartment she was already eaten: The blood on a tall supernatural fangs and the abandoned flowers that used to adorn her hair the only signs she had been here at all.

“No…” Akane fell to his knee, holding to the destroyed flower on the ground, something inside breaking.

When the supernaturals attacked him, he didn’t defend himself.

Akane woke up with tears in his eyes.

His dread increased at the neon 12:31 pm on his phone.

…He can’t be sure if this is a pattern yet, going back exactly half an hour two times in a row can be a coincidence, but it does mean for sure that he is getting less time back with each attempt.

He clenched his fists.

He jumped over Teru's leg when the asshole tried to trip him down the well. Landing on the boundary with no problem.

Akane punched the supernatural that had been on the edge of eating Aoi with no mercy, the memory of bloody fangs making his heart beat way too fast, and held Aoi tight, carrying her like a princess.

The weight strained his pierced chest, but he does not care.

He needs to get out of here, and he need to be quick.

He started running, faster and faster, slamming through the closed door.

Aoi held on tight to his shirt, flinching when he kicked a door off its hinges “...Akane-kun?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you” Akane felt genuine remorse, not wanting to make things worse, but he can’t waste time “Everything will be fine.” it has to, this time please “we need to find Minamoto senpai quickly, this place is dangerous.”

Aoi nodded slowly.

Akane kept running, spotting Kou and Teru.

“...Her side.” Teru said, putting a hand to cover his face, his voice far too controlled to not be angry “On her side.”

He could sense an explosion forming, Teru's voice growing cold “Quit being a hero-”

“I got Aoi-chan!” Akane cut him off, having not seen this part of their fight, and frankly? He doesn’t care. He hope his presence will be enough to make the idiots remember their situation “I got Aoi-chan!”

Teru froze at his voice, he seemed to be going through a crisis, his hand still hiding his face.

“Minamoto-kouhai, president. I have” knowledge of the future “a really bad feeling, we need to get out!” He glared, no time for explanations, no time for anything “Now.”

“...Right.” Teru said, taking his hand off his face, assuming the usual leader position, but noticeably a bit off “Right.” He repeated, as if reminding himself of the situation “...Yashiro-san run off with No.7. We need to get her back before leaving, where did she go?”

Kou frowned.

Akane felt dread “...You did mark a meeting place, didn’t you Minamoto-Kouhai?”

“No… She just asked me to distract Teru-nii.” Kou admitted, oblivious to the way his words made Teru agitated, holding on tighter to his sword “She never told me where she would go.”

“So you just let her run away, with the boy she like, in the far shore,” Akane frowned, feeling a familiar disconnect with Nene. He can give her the benefit of doubt, remember that she is not the brightest girl around, and assume she just forgot to plan that.

But he saw how big her backpack is, how much she planned. And how much she trusts that slimy ghost.

He have no doubts, that boy crazy idiot wanted to throw her life away to stay with him, she didn’t plan on returning.

Damn it, he can’t let that happen.

“It seems she is not on your side.” Teru told Kou, his tone cold, uncharacteristically petty.

Kou flinched, confused but clearly hurt.

Akane looked at the president, realizing with some shock that Teru was trying to hurt Kou. What the fuck, why would he do this? He values Kou, he heard way too much worrying and gushing about his ‘dear siblings’ to not know Teru wants him to be happy, so this was completely out of line, nonsensical. “What is wrong with you?”

Teru snarled at him, glancing at Aoi and holding back what he wanted to say, looking away from them.

“...You’re acting weird.” Kou said

Aoi tugged his collar, making Akane look down at her, softening his voice “What’s wrong?”

She still looked in a state of shock, hardly believing she was rescued for real and this is not a dream, but she managed to ask “...Nene-chan is here too?”

Akane softened his features, feeling a pang in his chest.

Aoi wants to see Nene again, and have her friend with her. Aoi wants to apologize. She would never accept Nene dying in her place.

“Yes,” Kou smiled, his eyes looked too tired for to fool anyone “She should be back soon!”

‘Soon’ isn’t good enough, they can’t stay here like sitting ducks for No.6.

Akane isn’t so sure she’ll come back at all.

It made him angry.

…Does love blind her that much? How can she be so ready to die, and make Aoi lose one of her very few friends, without telling her about it? Did she just assume this is what Aoi would have preferred? Did she learn nothing from Hanako's actions?

(Or did she trust Akane? Does she believe he and the president could handle this?)

Akane sweated. He can’t leave Nene here.

But he doesn’t know if they have enough time to lose searching for her.

At any moment No.6 will-

Akane's eyes widened at the shadow in the water “Kouhai!” the shadows quickly started gaining form, a black claw aiming for Kou’s face “Watch out-”

Teru pushed Kou away, able to land a blow since his sword was unsheathed, but not able to dodge.

His shoulder started bleeding heavily.

No.6 didn’t bat an eye at the slash on his own chest, picking Minamoto with a single hand and absently touching his bleeding chest, unimpressed “This blade used to be worth of fear” He threw Teru to the side, painting the boundary water red “Your clan have grown weak.”

Akane eyes widened at the familiar situation.

Something in his chest tightened, not sure if it was the pain of another failure, this sickening deja vu, or Aoi's terrified grasp on his vest-

No.6 will-

(kill everyone again)

When he approached Akane already expected the worst, he can’t win he can’t win he can’t win

Not like this.

Not with Aoi-

The claw came his way and Akane turned his back towards the danger, shielding Aoi.

Aoi eyes widened.

“Is okay-” He coughed, feeling his heart squeeze at the way he dirtied her face with blood. At the fearful tears on her pale face “I-” He held her arm, as gently as he could, hating that he couldn’t stop the shaking “I’ll save… you. I love you.”

It was selfish.

Aoi told him she doesn’t like when he praises her too much. He know she doesn’t want to hear it.

But he watched her be taken so many times now and he can’t… He can’t let her go again. He doesn’t want her to get hurt, he doesn’t want to see her scared like and be unable to comfort her.

He want to be able to say it again.

Aoi trembled, holding his cloak with all her strength, voice shaky, so quiet “D-Don’t…”

Akane’s attempt to reassure her this is fine, it looks worse than it feels, turned into a wheeze, feeling the blood in the back of his throat, and wanting to use his arm as a tissue, to make sure Aoi didn’t get dirtier, but it made him lose balance. Thankfully able to fall on his side instead of fully crushing Aoi.

‘Sorry, I got you dirty’ He thought, but couldn’t find his voice, his vision getting blurry. ‘Sorry for doing this my way Aoi-chan’

“So you love her.” No.6 said with something strange in his tone, his mostly neutral face gaining a slight frown. When he picked Akane up, his brain bouncing at the abrupt movement, the demon said something Akane couldn’t fully register, he think it’s something about being wise…? or a wife? but he didn’t care, he used his dying focus on Aoi.

Aoi, who was glaring at No.6 despite her clear fear. Aoi, got up in wobbly legs but didn’t run.

She want to run, he knows Aoi is always running away, carrying herself with the pride of someone that is sure she will win any conflict but never acting.

(is so cute)

“Let..” She gulped “Let him go!”

He could see the way she raised her bell, hating the despair on her face, the way she felt cornered, but feeling pride when she managed to create a lightning. Something about them made No.6 angry throwing Akane on the train debris with too much strength.

It was far more brutal than the usual ways No.6 killed him.

(It hurt way less to die quickly,

Aoi really is amazing, being the one to help him again)

Another loop, another brother's argument.

“This isn’t about No.7 escaping is it?” Akane sighed, having witness this again and again and again. Tired of it.

They didn’t reply.

Kou looked confused so whatever happened is probably Teru’s misunderstanding a situation? Akane can’t imagine the kid wanting to hurt someone he loves and then acting like it wasn’t his problem.

“President,” Akane said, already coming to terms that this loop is ruined so he might as well get info out of it. “What bothered you? If it’s important say it.” He thought about Aoi, adding a sad “Before is too late”

Only after Kou was a bit away, did Teru told him “...He said he is on Nene’s side.”

Akane waited for more but more did not come.

He crossed his arms, like an impatient parent “That's it?? Why do you care, we knew he would go after her, he is soft on supernaturals is not like he hates you”

Teru clenched his fists.

“...Do you really think he hates you?” Akane raised his brows “Or are you mad someone is more important than you to him now?"

“Aoi.” He said coldly, far too angry for the accusation to not have hit.

He can't believe it.

He died for this?

"You're pathetic " He scoffed, "Oi Kouhai, come tell the president you still like him so he stop being an idio-"

Another failure.

Again and again and again and again.

Akane stared at his bedroom ceiling. Somewhat detached from experiencing immense pain and switching to numbness.

4:32 am

He is running out of time.

Teru smirked with controlled hatred at No.7 “It seems like we found you before her. You-”

“No.7” Akana cut Teru off, getting in front of the president and extending a hand to the wagon exit “Go help Aoi-chan. I’ll take care of him”

Hanako and Teru looked at him weirdly.

“...You want me to save Akane-san?” Teru frowned.

‘No. I want to be the one by her side. But No.7 is the one I need to destroy to stop this loop. If everyone dies one more time, I’ll lose it.’

“I trust you.” Akane said, which he never wanted to say out loud cause the boy is aggravating and conceived enough as it is, but it is true and he doesn’t have time “Go get her, I’ll catch up to you soon.”

“I am afraid it doesn’t matter who goes, is too late,” Hanako said, lying through his teeth without a care “She got gobbled up-”

Akane jumped on him, missing the punch “Shut up, ” he turned to teru “and you, get out of here!”

“You’re not an exorcist,” Teru protested “You can’t destroy his sou-”

“I can do plenty of damage” Aka snapped, not in the mood to have a staring contest “Didn’t you say you were going to save Aoi-chan? Go!”

Teru seemed like he really wanted to argue, but he reluctantly rushed to Aoi. Finally.

Akane knew the idiot would get the job done, so he focused on stopping Hanako, grabbing the back of his shirt when he jumped towards Teru and slamming him on the ground.

Hanako groaned at the impact, getting back on his feet.

“I thought you would go after your dear Aoi”

“You don’t know shit” Akane snaps with venom, all his anger boiling, having no qualms about using this slimy bastard as a target.

If he didn’t try to get Nene lifespan back, Aoi wouldn’t be (dead) here.

Akane snarled and used his full strenght, getting a clean hit on his face and ignoring how Hanako aimed for his pierced chest, used to pain after all his deaths.

If he didn’t exist none of this would be happening.

He hit harder, the sting in his knuckles growing numb after a while.

“Senpai!” Kou yelled, grabbing his elbow with fear in his eyes “Stop-”

Akane immediately used his powers to stop his time, his anger disappearing when he realized how bloody his fists look, caking his watch glass with blood.

Ah.

He stared at every frozen person in the wagon, only two of which had their time stoped.

Maybe Teru had been wrong about him not being able to destroy someone’s soul.

he feels sick

(he felt relief, finally, finally, the culprit is dead.)

Teru got back holding Aoi on his back, talking about who knows what with a small blush on his cheeks when she rested her chin on his shoulder.

there was tiny dropped of supernatural blood on her kimono and his jacket.

(Akane supposes it would be hard to get a clean rescue when Aoi was surrounded.)

Akane smiled a little, wanting to hold Aoi again, but resisting the urge, feeling a twist in his heart at the wide look in her eyes. The way it turned into horror when she saw No.7 breaking body.

Teru narrowed eyes, his silence making Akane want to scream.

"You would do the same," Akane said coldly.

Teru was holding Aoi when No.6 attacked. Akane protected him by taking the hit. Any worry he may feel numb now.

Akane woke up

His dread increased at the neon 5am on his phone.

…Shit.

“I’ll need your help.,” Akane said

Nene was startled “My help…?”

“Yes, remember our team up Yashiro-san.” Akane said, hoping he didn’t sound as agitated as he felt “I just realized how you can help.”

Akane didn’t say that he trust her this time, he doesn’t like to lie.

He understands they are not on the same mentality, and that no matter how much Nene values Aoi, she will always prioritize Hanako. Even when the ghost ignores her own wishes, even when her dear friend is in danger.

…He forgives her.

Loves make you blind, he can understand that.

Akane hasn’t thought about Nene when Aoi dropped her in No.6’s trash with No.7 because he knows that sleazy ghost would do everything to protect her. Nene likely knew he would do everything to protect Aoi, so while it may leave a bad taste in his mouth, he can understand Nene abandoning her friend for her crush.

She had no idea everyone will die when she runs away.

(That Akane would fail to protect anyone. Again, and again, and again.)

He could accept it.

Had accepted many times.

But he won’t do it again, he needs Teru’s and Kou’s fight to not happen, they can discuss whatever issue they have later, when it doesn’t cost their lives. For that, he needs to make Nene change her plans with Kou and Hanako.

“I want you to look for Aoi-chan with Me.”

“Aoi-chan…” Nene frowned “I… I can’t.”

“The severance will be broken after we rescue her.” He pause, looking at teru for confirmation, who nodded “You can go see No.7 after,”

"but-"

“Do you have more bells?”

“Please, for Aoi!”

Teru tried to trip him down the well.

As he does every. Fucking. Time.

Akane was still angry about his stupid fight with his brother, still angry at the entire situation, so he sidestepped Teru’s leg, pushing him down the well. Teru was caught off guard, tripping and instinctively grabbing the back of Akane’s shirt for support, forcing him to fall down too.

He vaguely saw Nene and Kou peek into the well with wary looks before darkness surrounded him and he was teleported to the train.

Akane fell on top of Teru, glaring at him.

“You pushed me” Teru frowned, offended.

“You” already tripped me again and again, shut up “tried first”

“S-senpai.” Kou eyes widened, not expecting him to take the hit.

Akane ignored him, snarling at No.6 like a wild animal and holding his pocket watch with both hands, clinging to it until his fingers grew numb. He will make his time stop even if it kill him.

No.6 tried to cut his hands off, to punch a hole through his stomach, but Akane held through the pain, intending to laugh at No.6 startled face, feeling a hint of smug satisfaction to once, just once, catch the demon off guard, but only coughing instead.

Still, the taste of blood didn’t spoil his mood.

It was too late for the demon, he got what he wanted.

His clock ticked: No.6 time stopped.

His plan worked.

“Aoi!” Teru paled, the way he stared at the rain of blood by Akane’s feet was bitterly familiar, but he had no sympathies to spare. Why was Teru just standing there? No.6 time was stopped, he can finally take him down.

‘We only have five minutes, hurry up’ He tried to warn but it come of as “Fiv…” He coughed “Min..urry up…!”

Teru cut No.6 down in a snap, taking Akane off his claw.

“Akane-kun!” Aoi yelled. She never yells “Don…”

He blacked out.

He comes back to it vaguely, watching Aoi lean over him with wet eyes.

A part of him felt bad.

Most of him was relieved to see her alive. To see her so expressive.

He tried to brush her hair, reassure her Teru will look after her, nene will be by her side, she still have a lot to live for, but it was hard to talk. His touch left a blood stain on her beautiful hair. He could barely register her holding his hand before briefly blacking out again.

“Switch to…” Teru was yelling something at him. He tried to pay attention to it, vaguely registering words, aware the tone he was using was reserved for important situations, but taking a while to process the message: “Switch to your human form or you’ll die!”

He did as told, coughing at the sudden ease in which he could breath, still feeling extremely weak but no longer too weak to control his own body.

The far shore felt weird in his human form, but he had the strength to hug Aoi now, so he didn’t care.

“Senpai” Kou said, unshed tears in his eyes “...Are you okay?”

“Yes.” He feels a bit itchy, it’s strange, but he feels good.

“Aoi isn’t a Kannagi, his family has no ties with the supernatural.” Teru said, staring too hard at his watch, which seem to have gotten cracked “Without his contract, he is a normal human.”

“ I do feel… strange, but my hands aren’t being damaged. I am not hurt or anything…” He frowned, turning to Aoi, more relaxed now that the threat was eliminated “Does it hurt?”

Aoi shook her head.

As they walked, Akane felt strange. He looked at the train, feeling something from it. “There may be something on the train, there is this pull-”

Teru grabbed his wrist, his face rigid and cold. Almost… Pained?

Akane frowned, confused.

“Do not follow this feeling.” Teru ordered, looking around “You are too far away from the near shore, even with the severance stopped, your body will be undone without outside forces” He held tighter “Kou, where is Yashiro-san? We need to get out of here now.”

“I don’t know.”

They never do, maybe he’ll waste a loop just to follow her and drag her back to everyone.

They talked but Akane felt detached from it all, feeling like the phrasing was different but their words were still the same as always. He tunned them out, looking at the train. The weird pull was so strong, but it didn’t feel dangerous. Still, he doesn’t want to die.

He have so much to leave. He can never leave Aoi alone either, so he sucked up and ignored this overwhelming feeling.

“Akane-kun?” Aoi pushed his hand, “Come on…” She was so openly worried “L-let’s go.”

He broke through the strange feeling, holding Aoi’s hand. “Sorry, let’s go.”

As they walked farther away from the train, Akane started to feel nauseous and a bit detached from his body, not feeling Aoi’s delicate hand in his anymore.

He made sure to check it was still there, not wanting to experience leaving her behind again, and seeing her holding on tight.

Ah…

“Where is Minamoto senpai?”

Aoi and Kou exchanged looks “...He went to get Nene-chan he said…” Aoi bit her lips.

“He said you’re too close to death.” Kou informed “You need to get back to the near shore quickly or your human body will come undone,” He sounded tense “Teru nii said your supernatural body is dead since your clock broke. You’re just a normal human now.”

“Keep walking.” Aoi said, looking at his hand. “We’ll… Talk later.”

‘I am scared you’ll die, I don’t want you to die!’

She really is such a sweet girl.

“I’m not going to die” Akane smiled, resisting the urge to stop to kiss her forehead, no amount of cloudiness able to change his mind “I’ll stay by your side no matter what” He smiled gently, keeping up their rushed pace even if it has grown harder to do so “We still need to play games and go to the zoo.”

Instead of smiling Aoi's eyes widened, openly horrified.

Ah…

Did she change her mind? That’s okay, they don’t have to go to the zoo, they can go whatever she wants, she can change her mind as many times as she wants.

Akane went to brush her hair, clean up some of the lingering blood on it, and realizing his hand was a bit transparent but feeling strangely detached from the observation.

Akane woke up in his bedroom.

Akane stared at the dark ceiling, the dreamy detachment of his situation completely gone, lucidity feeling like a slap in the face.

…Why is he here?

Aoi was saved.

She is safe, the rescue was a success! He won!!

His clock broke, he shouldn’t be back!

But he is

Maybe he always will.

Akane laughed. He laughed loudly, the sound sounding choked, more of a creeping sob.

He grabbed his stupid phone with the bright 5:00 am in it and threw on the ground, breaking it to pieces.

Does dying reset?

Fine. He won’t die.

“...Aoi?” Teru’s voice sounded a bit sleepy “It’s 5am…? Did some-” He yawned “...Did something happ-”

“I’m going to rescue Aoi now,” Akane cut him off, grabbing his house keys “Come with me.”

There was a pause, "… Aoi what are you talking about?” He sounded confused, a bit of wariness creeping into his sleepy voice “We have plans-”

“Your plans won’t work, president.” He slammed his front door close with more force than needed, clenching his phone until his fingers ached “The kids will ruin this mission. Either come with me or I’ll go alone.”

“You won’t be able to get out if you go alone, Aoi listen to yourself. I know you want to get Akane-san soon, but this is foolish.” Teru said, suddenly sounding completely awake. “What has brought this sudden change in-”

“I don’t have time to lose” Akane groaned "I will only wait for you for twenty minutes. Come alone.”

“Aoi-”

He turned the phone off.

#tbhk #toilet bound hanako kun #aoi akane #akane aoi #aoikane #shame i lost motivation i liked this wip

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