#i started making these max uh. 4 5 hours ago

[thetargaryenbride]

Nail To The Coffin - S4 - Chapter 4

Warnings: confronting trauma

Pairing: Steve Harrington x f!Byers!Reader

Word Count: 5857

𝐀𝐍: 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 :)

𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐎𝐎𝐂 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵! 🖤 🥀

Masterlist || Chapter 3 || Chapter 5

“It was here…Right here!” said Max as she pointed her flashlight at the wall up front.

“A grandfather clock?” asked Nancy unsurely.

“It was so real. And then, when I got closer, suddenly I just…woke up,” she breathed out the last word, and Steve, Eddie, Dustin, and Robin shared a look before diverting it to you, then to Max, and back to the wall.

Back in the counselor’s office, while skimming through the papers, Max had blanked out, and never mind how many times Steve, Eddie, and Dustin had called her name in an attempt at snapping her out of it, she hadn’t budged.

“It was like she was in a trance or something,” spoke out Dustin.

“It was…quite spooky, man,” Eddie huffed as he ran a hand through his hair. “It was like, sorta what happened to Chrissy, just…just without the-the floating,” he gulped as he looked at you nervously, eyebrows furrowing when he noticed your unfocused eyes staring unblinkingly at the floor. “Hey,” he snapped his fingers in front of your face and your head shot up, turning to the side so you could look at him.

“What?” you grumbled and he let out the breath he was holding.

“Don’t do shit like that, man, you gave me a scare for a moment there,” he whispered.

“There’s…something else you need to know,” Max turned to face you with an uncertain expression before she moved past you and you had to follow her back to the office, unease increasing with each step you took. “Fred and Chrissy, they both came to Miss Kelley for help,” began the girl once you reached the counselor’s desk and Robin plopped on the chair, hand running over the papers. “Uh, they were both having headaches, bad headaches that wouldn’t go away. And then…then the nightmares…trouble sleeping,” she explained, trying to keep her voice steady, and you gulped, looking at Steve who seemed to share your distress. “They’d wake up in cold sweat. Then they started seeing things…Bad things…From their pasts…These visions, they just, they kept on getting worse and worse, until eventually…everything ended,” she finished. 

“Vecna’s curse,” uttered Robin.

“Chrissy’s headaches started a week ago. Fred’s, six days ago…I’ve been having them for five days,” she admitted and everyone felt like someone punched them in the gut. “I don’t know how long I have. All I know is that, for Fred and Chrissy, they both died less than twenty-four hours after their first vision. And I just saw that goddamned clock, so,” she waved her hand as her voice cracked and you felt your heart constrict painfully. “Looks like I’m gonna die tomorrow.”

Before you could say something or bring her in for a hug, there was a clanging sound that seemed to echo throughout the whole school, startling all of you.

“Stay here,” said Steve as he didn’t hesitate to grab the large lamp near the door and head out.

“Oh, hell no,” you muttered before following right after him, ignoring Eddie and Dustin’s protests which forced them to come after you.

The group moved slowly and hesitantly towards the crossroad of corridors as more clattering sounds came from there and increased in volume which meant whoever or whatever was making them was nearby. Then it transitioned into the sound of footsteps that eventually rounded the corner and just when Steve was ready to hit the person with the lamp, it turned out to be Lucas, making you all drop your fists and lower your ‘weapons’.

“It’s me!” he wailed once everyone stopped yelling and calmed down.

“Lucas!?”

“It’s me!”

“Jesus, what’s wrong with you!?” barked out Steve, still on edge.

“I’m sorry.”

“I could’ve taken you out with this lamp!”

“Sorry, guys. Sorry,” wheezed the boy and you let out a breath of relief, adrenaline lowering bit by bit. “I was,” he gasped out. “I was biking for eight miles. Give me a second,” he raised a finger as he tried to calm his breathing. “Shit. We’ve got a code red.”

“What?” asked Steve but Lucas ignored him and marched straight towards Dustin.

“Dustin! I’ve been with Jason, Patrick, and Andy, and they’ve gone totally off the rails. They’re trying to capture Eddie,” he revealed as he turned to look at the others, noticing the boy in question, eyes widening slightly at the sight of him. “-and they think you know where he is which you-you apparently do. You’re in terrible danger. You all are. We all are,” he explained out of breath and everyone shared concerned looks.

“But Lucas, why would they chase Eddie? The police have not revealed his name as a suspect and they never will because we spoke to them and gave Eddie an alibi,” you furrowed your eyebrows. “What, are they gunning for him just because the crime took place at his trailer?” you asked incredulously and Lucas nodded.

“And because they know that Chrissy went to buy drugs from him which they think it’s an impossible thing for her to do. They immediately jumped to the conclusion that it must’ve been Eddie who forcefully drugged and killed her. They’re so not the sharpest crayons in the box.”

“Look, fuck Jason. We can deal with him later. We’ve got bigger problems on our hands now.”

“Thanks,” muttered Max when you placed a cup of hot chocolate on the dining table she was currently occupying, briefly interrupting her writing.

Lucas was utterly devastated when he learned everything. After breaking the horrifying news to him, you decided to return back to your house and bunk up for the night, this time with two extra people tagging along – Nancy and Lucas.

Although, to be fair, you didn’t feel like sleeping at all and you believed the others shared the sentiment. You all wanted to keep an eye on Max, fearing she’d be taken at any moment.

“Y/N,” Max blurted out, dropping the pen, just when you turned around in order to go back to the kitchen, and you whirled on your heels to look at her questioningly. “I worry about you,” she confessed which drew the others’ attention.

“What? You-you don’t have to, Max, I’m-“

“Don’t say fine,” she cut you off and you tightened your lips. “It’s like you forget or purposely ignore what happened yesterday. I almost thought…I almost thought you lost your mind when I saw you in the bathroom. But now it makes sense. You have visions too,” you opened your mouth to protest but she interrupted before you could. “Just admit it.”

“Yes, Max, I have weirdly vivid, spooky visions, alright?” you huffed, running a hand through your hair. “But I’ve been having them since last summer. It’s nothing new, okay? Headaches, nightmares, hallucinations, I’ve had them since Billy-“ you cut yourself off and squeezed your eyes shut, letting out a long exhale. “Look, I’m sorry I scared you. But now’s not the time to worry about my messed-up head. You’re the one who’s in danger here. Focus on yourself,” you then turned to address the others. “Focus on thinking of ways to prevent a…disastrous outcome.”

You then returned to the kitchen counter to proceed with the task you had in mind, leaving the others to simmer in maddening thoughts and plans. You had purposely omitted the fact that while you really have had visions, nightmares, headaches, etc, since Billy’s death, they had only increased and had gotten more vivid and scary these recent weeks, especially in the past days. But you really didn’t want to put too much thought into them and you certainly didn’t want to jump to the conclusion that they were somehow related to Vecna.

But Max’s were for sure and so you had to focus on that. You had to focus on finding a way to help her. You didn’t want to lose her too. You weren’t sure you’d be able to survive such a blow this time around.

“Max is right, you know?” Steve’s voice startled you and you sighed shakily, hands shuddering in response and almost spilling the liquid outside the mugs you were trying to fill.

“Not you too,” you berated him tiredly. “I told you. Those visions and nightmares are things I’ve been dealing with for almost a year now. They can’t be the same as the ones Max, Fred, and…Chrissy had,” you began piling sweets onto a plate, trying to keep your hands busy otherwise you were sure they’d start shaking.

You never liked talking about those nightmares. You rarely did even with your family. Most of the time, you just had to because they were there to witness it. They struggled and suffered enough alongside you throughout the aftermath of your self-harm so you hated troubling them with other things that most probably began occurring as a result of the harsh months you had.    

“But what if they are?” pressed the boy and you let out a loud puff of air.

“The only thing that will convince me that those visions are a result of Vecna’s curse is if I get a nosebleed too.”

“Y/N-“

You cut him off by shoving an éclair into his mouth, making him recoil as his hand flew to grab the dessert that was sticking out, teeth clamping down on it, and separating it in two. You snorted at his dumbfounded expression and the cream that got smeared all over his mouth, then you reached out and wiped it off with your finger before you brought it to your mouth and licked it clean. Then you leaned in and captured his lips in a quick, sweet, kiss. He sighed and rolled his eyes but you knew he wasn’t actually frustrated with you. Just concerned.

“Be a dear and take these,” you handed him the tray with a couple of mugs and a plate, and he looked at you with narrowed eyes.

“This isn’t over,” he promised, mouth still full, as he shoved the other half of the éclair into his mouth and took the tray off your hands, struggling to balance it for a while as he walked away from you.

You let out a sigh, turning your back on the rest as you were finally left alone in the kitchen. Well, not entirely because your kitchen, dining room, and living room were sort of connected so you could still hear and see everyone from your place, but you were glad that they weren’t breathing down your neck like Steve had. It was unnerving and suffocating.

You let out a hiss, hand flying to grasp your forehead and rub it because you were suddenly hit by a sharp, piercing headache that almost made you see stars and black dots began swimming in your vision.

Then, you felt a bizarre sensation, like something trickling down your cupid bow.

When you opened your eyes, they widened in shock when they saw a few red droplets staining the clean counter. Your hand left your forehead and moved to your nose, fingers running over a thick substance.

And when you pulled them away for inspection, you found them coated in blood.

“Bloody hell…” you whispered.

It’s like any words got stuck in your throat and your body froze in shock. You were absolutely petrified.

“Y/N? You alright?” asked Nancy and you quickly wiped your nose, turned the tap on, and washed off the offending substance under the aggressive stream of water.

“Y-yeah, I’m good,” you managed to stutter out as you hastily took a napkin and wiped the dirtied spot on the counter. “J-just cleaning up something I spilled,” you cleared your throat and she furrowed her eyebrows.

“Do you need help?”

For some reason, this question made your gut twist painfully.

“No…No, I…I don’t need help…I’m… fine…”

The Following Morning

Almost no one was able to even blink for the night. Dustin and Eddie were probably the only ones who managed to get some shut-eye, even if it was only for a few hours. Steve only dozed on and off but stayed awake for most of the evening while you, Lucas, Max, Robin, and Nancy barely even batted your eyelashes.

You let out a sigh as you washed your hands, the blood from last night not leaving your mind. In fact, you were still able to see it staining your fingers, even though you knew it was not there. Your mind was playing tricks on you and you hoped it wouldn’t drive you nuts.

“Everything okay?” asked Eddie from the kitchen entrance and the short conversation you had with Nancy last night replayed in your head.

“All is good,” you replied as you grabbed two cups of coffee and turned around, easily plastering a fake smile onto your face as you neared your best friend and handed him a mug which he gladly took but he didn’t look convinced at your words.

“How can Vecna have existed in the fifty’s? It doesn’t make sense,” you heard Steve comment as you two walked into the living room and Eddie took his place on the armrest of the armchair Dustin was sitting on while you leaned against the couch, looming over Steve.

“Far as we know, Eleven didn’t create the Upside Down,” butted in Dustin. “She opened a gate to it.”

“Imagine,” added Eddie as he took a bite of his food. “The Upside Down has probably been around for thousands of years,” he spoke through munching and then paused, eyes widening. “Maybe even millions! I wouldn’t be surprised if it predated the dinosaurs!” he exclaimed while waving around the hand that held the plate and you took it off his hands and placed it onto the table so he wouldn’t accidentally drop something on the floor.

“Whoa, dinosaurs?” Steve threw his arms with a scrunched-up face. “What are we going on about here?”

“Don’t talk with a full mouth,” you chided Eddie and he stuck out his tongue at you before taking another bite.

“Okay, but if a gate didn’t exist in the fifty’s, how did Vecna get through?” asked Lucas.

“And how’s he getting through now?” backed him up Steve.

“And why now?”

“And why then? Just pops out in the fifty’s, kills one family, and he’s like, “I’m good”, and then poof, he just disappears. Just…gone?” gesticulated Steve with furrowed eyebrows. “Only to return thirty years later and start killing random teens? No, I don’t buy it. Straightforward, my ass. You know, Henderson, Munson, a little humility every now and then, it wouldn’t hurt you.”

“Sorry,” echoed the two boys simultaneously and you rubbed the bridge of your nose, sharing a look with Nancy and Robin, the three of you clearly thinking how silly boys could be sometimes.

“So, what do we do exactly? Should we search the whole town for a gate or something? I mean, if there’s even a gate. Like, how does this guy work? Do we have to use blood as bait again or what?” inquired Steve as he casually threw the booklet he’s been holding onto the table and Nancy, Robin, and you shared another look.

“We were…actually thinking of something else,” you began while Nancy set her mug away and stood up to go grab her bag.

“Thanks to Nancy’s newspaper minions, we are now rock-star psychology students at the University of Notre Dame,” explained Robin excitedly as Nancy fished out a folder and flung it on the table so everyone could open and take a look.

“I’m Ruth.”

“And I’m Rose.”

“Nice GPA,” commented Dustin.

“Thanks,” smiled Nancy. “So, we called Pennhurst Asylum, told them we’d like to speak with Victor Creel for a thesis we’re co-writing on paranoid schizophrenics,” she explained.

“To which they said no,” added Robin.

“But we landed a three o’clock with the director.”

“Now, all we have to do is charm him and convince him to let us talk to Victor.”

“Then maybe we can find a way to break Max’s curse,” finished Nancy and the boys glanced at each other.

“Hold on, I don’t see Y/N’s documents,” pointed out Eddie with furrowed eyebrows and crossed arms while peeking over Dustin’s shoulder, and you sighed.

“I’m not going with them. I’d like to stay and keep an eye on Max,” you told them and Steve took the folder off Dustin’s hands to skim through it.

“But, it would’ve made more sense and it would’ve been more plausible to include you in this. I mean, you’re actually part of a prestigious university and you could’ve used the excuse of writing an assignment on historical murderers or something,” pointed out Lucas. “Besides, if the director decides to double check your identity, you’d be plausible and safe, while Nancy and Robin-“

“We did think about this, Lucas. I understand it would be safer if I go with them but…I don’t want to leave Max’s side. Not for a second,” you admitted quietly, eyes darting between the lonesome redhead at the table and the boy. “I thought you’d understand,” you muttered and he exhaled heavily.

“We’ll be fine. I know we can handle it,” intervened Nancy, backing you up. “And I don’t think they’re going to double-check if we present ourselves well enough.”

“We thought this through.”

“Wait, wait…wait a second,” stuttered out Steve, lifting his head from the papers and facing the girls. “Where’s mine?”

Steve had thrown a fit over the fact that he had to babysit again and you were probably the only one who was happy about him being ‘stuck’ with your group instead of going with Nancy and Robin. You needed him to be next to you and keep battling off the demons that tried to make their return and sink their claws into you again. 

“I know you guys are staring at me,” grumbled Max and the boys quickly shuffled to do something and pretend they haven’t been doing exactly what she accused them of.

“What?”

“Sorry?”

“You said you needed something?”

“We’re just…hanging out.”

You snorted as you half turned to look at the girl from your place at the kitchen counter and she met your gaze, the two of you rolling your eyes.

“How you think your eyes boring into the back of my head is protecting me from Vecna, I don’t know,” she sighed while stacking the letters she’s been writing and stood up, and you wiped your hands on the towel before curiously following the girl into the living room. “You can look at me,” she said exasperatedly and the boys shifted in their seats awkwardly.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry.”

“For you,” she handed Dustin a letter and he looked at her weirdly but took it nonetheless. “For you,” she proceeded to hand each person a letter and before you were about to say something, she turned to you. “And…this is for you,” she handed you yours and your gaze lingered on hers, making her fidget uncomfortably because she knew what you were trying to silently convey before you finally took the item and looked away. “Also, give these to Mike, El, and Will once you get back to LA,” she muttered while handing you the rest of the letters and you sighed, taking them wordlessly.

“I’m sorry, what is this?” asked Dustin timidly and that’s maybe the first time you’ve heard him speak so quietly and unsurely as if afraid to receive an answer, a stark contrast to his usual boisterous self.

“It’s, uhm…It’s a fail-safe,” answered the girl. “For after…If  things don’t work out.”

“Wait, whoa, Max,” interrupted her Lucas with a distressed tone and expression. “Things are going to work out,” he tried to sound positive but everybody knew deep down he was hesitant. 

“No!” she snapped at him. “No, I don’t need you to reassure me and tell me it’s all gonna work out. People have been telling me that my entire life and it’s almost never true,” she bit out. “It’s never true…I mean, of course, this asshole curses me,” her tone lost its bite all of a sudden and she sounded like someone who has completely given up. “Should’ve seen that one coming,” and with each word that left her lips, it’s like realization dawned upon the guys even more and made them shrink in their seats as the atmosphere became even more hopeless and depressing.

“But-” began the boy again.

“Lucas,” you cut him off before he could open his mouth to spill out more of his thoughts and he looked at you with both confusion and hope, maybe hoping that you’d back him up or something. “We’re heading into the unknown…Nothing is certain…Don’t give her false promises,” you muttered and his shoulders sagged.

You sent Max a look as you squeezed her shoulder and she sent you a small grateful smile, her hand flying to grasp yours briefly before you walked away from the group and into your room so you could safely store the letters she wrote for Will, Mike, and El.

You were going to keep yours in your bag.

After that, Max had demanded, or more likely threatened, Steve to take her to her home, saying that she didn’t want to spend what was possibly the last day of her life cooped up inside, doing nothing, and you agreed with that. You would have done the same had you been in her shoes. Staying in one place was only bound to make a person go insane.

But what hit you like a brick, was her desire to go visit Billy’s grave.

You hadn’t set foot in the graveyard for almost a year and now you were going to do it twice in just what, two days? Three? It was quite bizarre to you.  

When you parked as nearby to the grave as you could, she bolted out of the car, and Lucas right after her.

“I’m not okay with letting her go alone,” you murmured and Steve hummed in agreement. You spent a little while in silence, staring motionlessly ahead of you, before you threw open the door and headed out, silently approaching the two teens that seemed to be in a heated conversation, especially on Lucas’ side.

“I don’t need a letter,” said the boy. “I don’t want a letter. Just talk to me. To your friends. We’re right here…I’m right here. Okay? I’m here,” he finished desperately and she just stared at him before brushing past him.

“Just wait in the car. This won’t be long-“

“Max,” you called out and she halted in her steps, turning around halfway to see you slowly approach the boy and pat his shoulder before nodding your head towards the vehicle, signaling him to return, and he spared Max one last glance before dejectedly going back to the others.

That left only the two of you, facing each other. You sighed before averting your gaze and closing the distance bit by bit.

“Look, if you wanna visit Billy, you can come with me. It’s fine-“

“I just wanted to tell you something,” you cut her off and she turned around fully, showing you that she was giving you all her attention. “Lucas was right back there, you know? Vecna seems to be targeting people with trauma…damaged people…who haven’t taken a step forward in order to heal,” you took a deep breath as you began hesitantly. “You’re one of those people…But maybe…just maybe…if you make an effort and take that step…maybe you’ll have a better chance at winning this fight. And it’s okay to admit it,” you took another step forward so you could place your hand on her shoulder. “I get it, you’re trying to be tough for everyone, you’re trying to present yourself as someone who doesn’t care if they die…But I know better than anyone…No matter how tough you think you are, no matter how tough you present yourself to be…you’re weak and broken,” you stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, gesticulating weakly, and Max’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “And when you’re broken and weak, monsters start lurking…Monsters like Vecna who want to take over, who steal the little bit of sanity you have left until there’s nothing,” you folded your lips and gulped. “I went through this for a long time…I was only able to fight off those demons because of my beloved people helping me every time. And even then, it’s not like they left…No. They’re still here, lurking somewhere in the depths of my mind, waiting for an opportunity to jump out and sink their claws in me again. You’re going through the same, I know it. But because you haven’t asked for help, because you haven’t turned to your friends and family, you’re alone. You’re fighting a losing battle and Vecna is taking advantage of this…Max, it’s okay to admit that you need help. It’s okay to ask for help. Humans are weak and dependant on others to begin with…since being born…there’s no shame in that. In fact, I think it’s beautiful because asking for help is something that brings us together,” you sent her a small smile. “I know it’s easier to give up. It’s easier to seek relief and peace in death even,” you continued, smile faltering, and her eyes widened drastically, looking wildly into yours as if you had just discovered something you shouldn’t have, or exposed something you shouldn’t have.

“I-“

“Max, do you take me for a fool? Did you think I wouldn’t notice your behavioral patterns?” you asked, shaking your head, and she shut her mouth, head lowering as she was unable to look you in the eyes. Was it out of guilt or embarrassment or something else, you couldn’t pinpoint. Perhaps a bit of everything. “Let’s face it head-on, Max, you have thought of ending it all just as much as I have. I saw the way you reacted when you saw my scars,” you whispered and she shut her eyes, biting her lower lip. You sighed softly as you lifted a hand to tuck a fallen strand of hair behind her ear before you placed it on her shoulder again. “For you, it hasn’t yet manifested physically, which is great,” you exclaimed and she opened her eyes, looking briefly at you before lowering them back onto her feet. “But anything besides physically…it’s bad. With time, it’s going to fester and slowly take over your body until you begin doing it physically. Take it from me, that’s not the way. If you don’t wanna do it for yourself, at least think of your mom, of Lucas, of everyone else. If you don’t wanna fight for yourself, fight for them. Don’t give Vecna the pleasure. It’s hard to find the strength to take this one step forward but you have to do it, Max, you just have to,” you spoke firmly, squeezing her shoulder. “But you can’t do it all alone. You can’t win this fight alone. So please, rely on us some more.”

“You told Lucas not to give me false hope and now you’re doing the same,” she muttered after a moment of silence and you let out a gentle snort.

“That’s different. I’m not just saying words of encouragement just for the sake of encouragement. Or reassuring you that everything will be okay when in fact, it’s all incredibly uncertain…I’m just giving you…an idea…advice…a possible solution to try out. Because after all, even if the situation is uncertain and is progressively leaning more towards ‘disastrous’, it doesn’t mean we should just give up the fight. Laying down and admitting defeat while someone else walks over us is not how we do things,” another smile resurfaced and you were glad to see that this time Max seemed to share the sentiment, the two of you sharing a silent understanding. “Off you go now,” you nodded in the direction of the grave and she slowly backed away before turning around and walking off.

Shortly after, you heard her begin talking. You didn’t want to eavesdrop but at the same time, you didn’t really want to put too much distance between the two of you, just in case something happened. So you just moved away and began pacing slowly, allowing her words to turn into soft inaudible humming in the background while your mind focused on other things – such as how you found yourself visiting Billy and Hopper again but this time around you had no words to speak to the dead.

You already told them everything you had kept locked inside of you – in the form of a complete word vomit on top of all. What else were you supposed to say? What did people usually talk about to the dead anyways? Were you supposed to say that you missed them? That you wished they were here with you or something? That was pretty obvious, wasn’t it? Or were you supposed to keep a diary and write paragraph after paragraph as you sat by their graves? Were you supposed to rant to them? To tell them of every detail that happened in your daily life as if they were alive and this was just any normal day of you catching up?

Were they even going to hear you if you did speak to them? Some people believed that spirits lingered in the realm of the living. Some believed in heaven and hell and that those who died and went to heaven were watching over their living loved ones and listening to them. Some believed in reincarnations in which case there was no point in talking because the dead would’ve reincarnated as a wailing babe somewhere around the world or even in some other dimension. You – who were fascinated by many different cultures and religions – didn’t know what to believe in.

The ancient Egyptians believed the most significant thing you could do in your life was die that life on earth was only one part of an eternal journey which ended, not in death, but in everlasting joy. They believed that each person’s afterlife was different – a mirror image of their mortal life at its best where they could meet and spend eternity with their loved people who have died or who would die in the future.

Maybe you could stick with this one for a while?

The thought of Hopper being reunited with Sarah warmed your heart.

“What am I supposed to say anyways?” you muttered under your breath as you crossed your arms and kept pacing slowly, feet drawing patterns into the soil underneath. “You guys wouldn’t believe what’s been going on since your passing. There has been a miraculous return of the villain we’ve been fighting for years and it seems things are much worse now. Max has fallen into a death trap and I’ve been getting the same symptoms as her so maybe we’re both cursed and on the way to join y’all!” you snorted as you uncrossed your arms and pressed your palms together, bringing them to your nose and resting your face against them, shutting your eyes close. “Osiris, give me strength. Going to my A’aru sounds tempting but now’s so not the time. Don’t send me there yet,” you groaned quietly.

Steve watched you pace, mutter to yourself, rub the bridge of your nose in frustration, and he couldn’t help but feel concern. Concern for Max, for you, for Eddie – well, at least Eddie’s case was solved so there was one thing less to worry about but that didn’t change the fact that the boy was traumatized by what he witnessed and felt like a failure for not being to protect Chrissy – for the whole situation in general. Everything was going from bad to worse, the control and somewhat normality were slipping through your fingers, and none of you could do anything about it. It was maddening. 

Feeling someone’s gaze burning holes through you made you look up and finally lock eyes with Steve and Eddie who watched you like hawks, and you sent them a small smile and a shrug. But then, it’s like realization pierced you like a spear when you finally got snapped out of your racing thoughts and strained your ears only to hear nothing. Max’s voice which was like humming in the background had gone silent, and suddenly, your whole body got wracked with chills, making you turn around sharply.

Steve, seeing the way your face fell, snapped his attention on Max, having the same realization dawn upon him. Simultaneously, he jumped out of the car while you dashed to the girl sitting on the ground cross-legged. Eddie, Dustin, and Lucas looked at the two of you in alarm before following hot on your heels.

“Max?” you called out as you came to a screeching halt and knelt next to her. You barely contained a shocked gasp when you saw the way her eyes had rolled to the back of her head and the veins around them had bulged painfully while the miniature vessels in her sclera were glaringly red.

“Max!” Steve’s panicked yell mixed with yours as his sprint came to a stop and he threw himself on the ground next to you, grabbing the girl’s shoulder and shaking her, Lucas, Eddie, and Dustin joining you.

“Wha-wha-what’s going o- Jesus Christ!” yelled Eddie once he saw the girl’s condition and all hell broke loose after that.

You didn’t know how much you called out to her. You didn’t know how many times you tried to wake her up or how many tears you shed as you thought that was it, she was going to die. At one point, the sound of a grandfather clock pierced your eardrums. It was much scarier than the sound of mechanical clocks you used to hear. It felt like someone was counting your minutes – minutes of remaining life.

And then, an invisible force lifted her into the air and you could only watch in shock, not being able to do anything. Steve grabbed you by the shoulders and held you tightly while you looked up. Not even Nancy and Robin’s advice to use music seemed to help.

That’s what you thought initially when Max opened her eyes and came to her senses, the invisible force that held her strung up like a puppet on strings released her and she fell right into your arms.

And as she muttered a breathless “I’m still here,” in an attempt to reassure you all she was fine, that she was alive, your tears couldn’t stop falling. She had such a close brush with death and suddenly you got reminded of the way you felt when you thought Will could’ve died a couple of years back.

Panic gripped at your heart and squeezed painfully and you couldn’t stop thinking of how history seemed to be repeating itself, but this time around it was scarier, because the enemy you were up against was, thus far, invisible.

You didn’t know how you were going to fight against something of such magnitude. Not only Max, but all of you were fighting a losing battle. You were lost. 

And the clock was ticking. 

Tags: @anxiousbeech @ashstorm24 @leireggsworld @burns-in-the-sun @ooenjoythesilenceoo @we-out-here-simping 🖤

[biillyhargroves]

i decided that this needed more to it so. here’s part two.

quadratic equations blur across the page. max flicks her pencil against her notebook, the eraser thudding over and over and over again. she’s only finished about half of the homework assigned for the evening. her mind is elsewhere — it was always is these days. the teacher scrawls pythagoras across the chalkboard and max is too busy calculating proper dosages and medication schedules to notice. 

her music is on low so that she can hear what’s going on beyond her bedroom door. the television is still on low; she can hear it muffled, the old movies switched to mtv by now. she hasn’t heard any talking, doesn’t know if billy is awake. she looks at the clock on her nightstand, the numbers blinking from 4:59 to 5:00pm. she checks her watch, as if the alarm clock is lying to her. she bites her lip, looks at the door, thinks about the little amber vials and orange bottles lined up like soldiers on the lip of the bathroom sink. 

billy is due for his meds. steve wouldn’t know that, couldn’t know that. he hasn’t been here in the in-between moments, hasn’t had to coax chalky pills onto billy’s tongue, jab syringes into his central line. hasn’t had to unspool fresh bandages or hold puke buckets under his chin.

max knows, of course, that steve would do all of these things, would be at billy’s beck and call 24-goddamn-7 if only neil weren’t in the picture, big black shadow looming over billy, all whiskey-breath and raw knuckles. 

a rap on the door breaks max from her thoughts. she calls, “yeah?”

the door squeaks open. steve peeks his head in, says, “hey.”

“hi,” max says, doing her damndest to swallow her heart back down into her chest. it thuds loud in her ears. she wonders how it can thrum so loudly, so completely, all through her being, like it is an entity separate from her, like it will burst free and crawl away one day. she pushes herself upright, shutting her math book and shifting her focus fully, completely on billy. “is he okay? does he need—”

steve holds up his hand and says, “he’s fine. billy’s fine, i promise. he’s asleep. conked out for real an hour ago.” this settles max only slightly. she glances at the clock, then back at steve. billy is still overdue for his medication. max has never missed a dose. what happens if she does? she never wanted to know. the worry wells within her, presses at the confines of her ribs, claws at her throat. she hardly hears it when steve asks, “are you hungry?”

“um,” max says, and she realizes that the answer is yes. she nods.

“i’m gonna order pizza. is that, uh — is that okay...for him?”

max considers this very seriously. "he’s still on the feeding tube,” she says, thinking through the doctor’s careful instructions at the last appointment. billy can eat solid foods, should be encouraged to, even. but he has to be monitored. and he needs the tube feeds, for nutrition. max swipes at her eyes, swatting away unfallen tears. “that...that should be okay, though.”

“okay,” steve says evenly. “i’ll order then.”

he turns to leave, but max stops him, says, “steve.”

“yeah?” he asks, nudging the door back open, leaning against it.

“he...” she trails off, wonders if she should just get up, do everything herself, the way she always does. she’s so tired. billy’s so tired. and steve — sweet steve, caring steve — he just wants to help. she knows that he does. “he needs his medication. it’s all laid out. in the bathroom. there’s...there’s a sticky note on the mirror. it has everything on it. can you...”

“i’ll take care of him,” steve promises, and max feels fresh tears prick at her eyes. she blinks them away, swipes again at her face to ward them off.

“i can do it,” she offers, “if you don’t want to.”

“max,” steve says — softly, evenly — and he repeats, “i’ll take care of him.”

“the, um,” she starts, and takes a breath to steady herself. “the pain medication. it makes him nauseous. it really helps him, but he always— i mean, he usually throws up, so—”

“buckets at the ready,” steve says, as if he has done this a thousand times before. the tension knotted in max’s chest uncoils. she lets out a breath, nods.

“it’s probably better if he takes it when he eats,” she says. “when the pizza gets here.”

“okay,” steve nods, looks serious, and max knows that he’s noting this all down, filing it away in some keep billy safe folder he’s got tucked away in the recesses of his mind. she’s grateful for him. she really is. so why does she feel like sobbing? why does she feel like her dam is about to break? “max?” steve asks, again shocking her from her spiraling thoughts. 

“yeah?” she says, and she hates how her voice shakes. 

“are you okay?” steve asks, and that’s all it takes. because max wants to say yes, wants to tell steve that she’s fine, the same way that she tells ms. kelly and her mother and even neil when he deigns to check in, the same way she tells lucas, and dustin, and mike. el and will, they press a little more, but she swears up and down that they don’t have to worry. she wants to say that she’s just fine, thank you very much, because billy needs her to be fine. billy needs her to be strong. billy needs her to keep it together.

but she can’t. she’s just one girl and this is all too much; she has aged far beyond her fifteen years in a matter of months and the pressure is cracking her, breaking her. she feels a sob work its way up her throat and she can’t keep it down. the flood gates open. she turns her head again, wipes at her eyes but the tears flow free. 

“hey,” she hears steve say, soft and reassuring, and when she feels his arms close around her she really lets go. she grabs onto him, lets him hold her as she cries, tucks herself against him and lets him reassure her, “it’s okay, it’s okay. i’ve got you. i got you both.” 

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #154

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re making one of our most requested builds to date and the final Hassan so far, the First Hassan. He’s uh... not exactly subtle, huh? To make this walking engine of death, take 2 parts Samurai Fighter for some sword skills and magic resistance, 1 part Soulknife Rogue for obscene amounts of damage and an unnoticeable blade, and sprinkle some Grave Cleric to taste, just enough for some supernatural abilities and even more damage.

Check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

Next up: Our first anniversary! How romantic!

Race and Background

The Old Man of the Mountain was Human a long time ago, but he reached his fame during his undeath, making him a Hollow One. He’s also the closest thing we’re going to get to a Revenant in FGO, as in normal human history he’d only pop up when a younger Hassan needs a lesson in humility. All this adds up to you getting +1 Strength, +1 Wisdom and +1 Constitution, as well as a Relentless Nature that means you gain 1 hit point at the start of your turn while bloodied, you come back to life 24 hours after dying, and you always know exactly where the hassan who fucked up is. The downside to this is your go back to the afterlife as soon as you finish your task here on earth. You are Ageless, which is exactly what it says on the tin. You Cling to Life, so rolling a 16 or higher on a death save is as good as rolling a 20, bringing you back to 1 HP instantly. Your Revenance means you show up as undead when it comes to magical effects that sense that sort of thing, and you can use your Unsettling Presence to give a creature disadvantage on its next save for a minute as an action. You can use that last one once per long rest.

Hoo boy that’s a lot of racial bonuses. Fortunately your background’s nice and simple- as an Acolyte, you get Religion and Insight proficiency.

Ability Scores

You like big swords and big armor, so get that Strength up as high as possible for big swings. After that is Wisdom. We need it for multiclassing and for actually finding the Hassans. Little buggers are sneaky. Third is Dexterity- you don’t really care about stealth, but you are a ghost. Plus we need it for multiclassing. You’re literally undead- that makes you hard to kill. Your Constitution’s not half bad. Your Charisma is okay, you’re good at intimidating people, but you’re not that personable aside from that. Finally, dump Intelligence. I would never call you stupid, you’ve just got more important things to deal with than Arcana and Medicine. I know religion is an intelligence check, we’ll take care of it in a bit.

Class Levels

1. Fighter 1: If we want that creepy skull armor we’ve got to start as a Fighter, which makes you proficient in Strength and Constitution saves, as well as Intimidation and Perception. Like I said earlier, you’re very scary, and you’ve got to see your target to kill them, which is actually important when you hunt Hassans for an unliving.

You also get a Fighting Style. Your Superior Technique lets you make a Menacing Attack once per short rest. You add 1d6 to your attack’s damage, and if they fail a wisdom save (DC 8+str mod+proficiency) they’re frightened of you for the round.

You also gain a Second Wind which you can use to heal yourself as a bonus action. It’s like your normal healing factor, just a bit faster.

2. Rogue 1: Multiclassing into rogue gives you proficiency with Stealth. It’s not that you care about sneaking around that much, but you are a ghost.

You can also use your Sneak Attack to add extra damage to a blow once per turn. You have to be using a finesse weapon, and either have advantage on the attack or have another ally within 5′ of them. 

Finally, you get Expertise in two skills, doubling your proficiency bonus in Intimidation and Religion. 

You also learn Thieves’ Cant. It’s a language.

3. Rogue 2: Second level rogues can use their Cunning Action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a bonus action. You might not really be a ghost here, but you can certainly disappear like one.

4. Rogue 3: At your third level or roguery you become a Soulknife, earning you some serious Psionic Power. You get a number of d6 equal to twice your proficiency bonus, which you can use in a couple different ways. You regain all your psionic dice after long rests, and you can use a bonus action to get one back each short rest.

Currently, you can use psionic dice on your Psi-Bolstered Knack, adding the number you roll to an ability check you’re proficient in. If it succeeds, the die is expended.

You can also use it to activate Psychic Whispers. You can speak telepathically with a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus, for a number of hours equal to what you rolled. You also have to be within 1 mile of each other. You can use it once per long rest for free, or by spending a die later.

More importantly, you gain Psychic Blades, melee weapons that deal psychic damage and have finesse. If it hits a creature, it doesn’t leave a mark.

Also your sneak attack is 2d6 now.

5. Rogue 4: We’re not investing too much into constitution, so use your first Ability Score Improvement to get the Tough Feat. This gives you an extra 10 hp now, and 2 more each time you level up from here on out.

6. Rogue 5: Fifth level rogues get an Uncanny Dodge, letting you halve the damage on an incoming attack as a reaction. Hitting one of your vitals is a... tricky proposition, to say the least.

You also get a bigger sneak attack this round- 3d6.

7. Fighter 2: Second level fighters get an Action Surge once per short rest. It’ll add an extra action to your turn.

8. Fighter 3: Third level fighters get a martial adept, and the Samurai get their FIghting Spirit. Three times per long rest, you gain advantage on all your attacks for the turn, and gain some temporary HP as a bonus action. Free sneak attacks and more health! It’s a win for everyone!

9. Fighter 4: Use this ASI to bump up your Strength for stronger attacks. Remember, finesse just means you canuse dexterity, not that you have to.

10. Cleric 1: Now it’s time to make things scary. First level Grave clerics can cast and prepare Spells using their Wisdom, like Bane and False Life to scare your enemies even more and make yourself even harder to kill. You also gain a Circle of Mortality, letting you heal creatures for the maximum possible if they’re at 0 HP. You also also learn the cantrip Spare the Dying, which for you has a longer range and shorter casting time.

You also gain Eyes of the Grave, letting you sense undead nearby Wisdom Modifier times per long rest.

For cantrips, you also learn Resistance to be a little bit better than everyone else, Toll the Dead for hopefully obvious reasons, and Thaumaturgy to scare the crap out of anyone who hasn’t run off once the bell sounds.

11. Cleric 2: The real fireworks start now. Second level clerics can Channel Divinity once per short rest in one of two ways. The classic Turn Undead is fine, but we’re here more for Path to the Grave. Invoking this as an action gives a target creature vulnerability to you or your ally’s next attack for this round.

12. Fighter 5: Fifth level fighters get an Extra Attack each attack action. Attack twice with one action, or four times with two.

13. Rogue 6: Sixth level rogues get another round of Expertise, doubling your proficiency with Stealth and Perception.

14. Rogue 7: Your last level of rogue grants you Evasion, making your failed dexterity saves act like successes, and successes ignore the damage entirely.

15. Fighter 6: Use this ASI to bump up your Strength one last time, maximizing it for the most damage and accuracy possible.

16. Fighter 7: Seventh level samurai become Elegant Courtier, adding their wisdom bonuses to persuasion checks. I’d suggest talking with your DM to change it to intimidation checks for obvious reasons, but that’s on you. This also gives you proficiency with Wisdom saves.

17. Fighter 8: Use this ASI to grab the Sentinel feat, dropping a creature’s movement to 0 when you hit it with an opportunity attack. You can also make opportunity attacks against creatures attacking others, and you can make them against creatures who have disengaged. The perfect weapon to fight against assassins.

18. Fighter 9: Ninth level fighters are Indomitable, letting them re-roll a failed save once per long rest. Protection of the Faithful is a hell of a drug.

19. Fighter 10: Tenth level Samurai have a Tireless Spirit, letting you regain a use of Fighting Spirit at the start of a fight if you’re all out. Your duty doesn’t end. Ever.

20. Fighter 11: Your capstone level gives you another Extra Attack each action, three per turn, or six with your action surge.

Pros:

Having a weapon that leaves no trace is a serious upside for someone like you. Your expertise in stealth also means you have a pretty good shot at avoiding unnecessary fights, even with heavy armor.

You excel at both burst and consistent damage, specializing in hard to avoid psychic attacks. Path to the Grave combined with your Menacing Attack and Sneak Attack will let you deal (6d6+5)*2 damage in a single blow. It’s not as powerful as Sanson’s, but you can use your action surge to set it up a lot easier. That and your maxed out strength makes hitting creatures accurately a lot easier.

With proficiency in two of the three big saves and Evasion propping up your one weakness, you’re pretty solid against magical attacks, which will certainly make dealing with the Hassans a lot easier.

Cons:

Using Path to the Grave for your own attacks is still kind of awkward, and you just have to hope you can get a solid hit in that round. Not much you can do to fix that.

I’m always going to knock a build a point if you have to bend the rules to make it work. Elegant Courtier just doesn’t work for the build rules as written, and technically you can’t use psychic blades for attacks of opportunity. I don’t feel those are massive power shifts, but it’s something you’d have to talk with your DM about, so it’s still a negative.

We don’t need Dexterity at all, except for multiclassing minimums. Starting with that 13 in another ability score would be very useful.

[justgillespie]

Missing (2/?)

Summary: Your next door neighbor, Luke Patterson (a.k.a. your longtime crush) has gone missing, and you think you could help finding him.

Word count: 2.1k

Warnings: none!

Author’s Note: Hey, it’s me again! So I’m back. I noticed that I didn’t mention before that the reader is a dancer! So I hope that didn’t bother anyone. And I’m sorry there’s not much in this part, but I’ll try to upload the third part as soon as possible xo

Part 3

•

You came up with a few rules, if you were willing to do this. Rule #1: You would not think of Luke as the boy you have a crush on until you know for sure that he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Rule #2: You were taking Max with you wherever you needed to and whatever you needed to do. Rule #3: You would do as much as you could to find Luke. Rule #4: Find Luke.

The information Tamra gave you was enough for you to wait impatiently for school to be over the next day. The bookclub’s meetings were on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m.

Today was Thursday.

You talked to Hannah at lunch, asking her about the bookclub. She told you about the book they were reading and the social environment, but she didn’t mention the band. You didn’t make any specific questions either, since you didn’t really want to tell her what you were actually doing. Hannah also offered you to take you the library. But you politely declined. You were just taking the bus with Max. For which he complained, later on when school was over and you both were heading to the library on the bus.

“She OFFERED to take us there, in a CAR, and you said no?!”

You rolled your eyes.

You were all dressed in your dance uniform, wearing a comfortable sundress on top of it and some shoes that you randomly picked. And you had your dance bag, seated at your feet. Your dance class was at 6:30, but you weren’t worried about the time. You calculated that if the band had to set up their equipment, then they would definitely be there earlier then the rest of the bookclub members.

“First of all, she offered ME a ride. Not us. She didn’t know I had company.” You said, checking up the watch on your wrist. 5:25 p.m. You looked back at him. “And second of all, if you weren’t too afraid of driving, then maybe, we could’ve given that car of yours some use.”

Max told you that the car parked in his garage was his, and was given to him on his seventeenth birthday, months before you moved to the neighborhood. Since Max was afraid of driving, his mom was the one using the nice car.

“Uh, yeah? Why don’t you try driving then?” He said, cheeks flushed.

“I did. Several times.”

You just weren’t perfect at it yet. Not that you were desperate to drive. Your sister would always drive you wherever you needed to, so what was the rush? You didn’t need a car yet. You just couldn’t ask her to take you to the library today because she had to recover a piano lesson she missed a few days ago.

“Then why-?”

“Oh my gosh, Max, let it go. Tamra’s picking us up once we’re finished. Geez.” You said, frustrated. This guy could complain and argue for hours if he wanted to.

“Sorry.” He said rolling his eyes. “So what are we doing?”

You snapped your head at him. “Didn’t I tell you anything yet?”

“I know it has to do something with Luke, because of what you asked me last night. And that we’re going to the library... Now that I say it out loud, we’re going to that bookclub they play at, right?”

You definitely forgot to explain. Your so focused on getting started with your plan that the only words that came out of your mouth that afternoon when you called him were: “Come with me to the library.” He didn’t asked much in that moment either, so it was on both of you.

“That’s right. How could you just jump in with me without even knowing what I was dragging you to?”

“Because I was waiting for your call. You said you were gonna tell me what you were up to, so I just linked everything to that. You still didn’t explain yourself, by the way.”

So you explained to him. That you were on sort of an adventure/investigation about Luke’s location and that he was your Watson.

“I am Watson?! I gave you most of the information you know now.”

“It was just an expression, Max.”

Soon after, you were both standing in front of the big public library. Once again, you checked the time.

5:37.

“Come on. They’re probably there already...”

“Wait a second.” Max grabbed your arm, stopping you in the middle of the steps. “Luke ran away from home, right?”

“Yes, that’s what Mrs. Patterson said...”

“Well, don’t you think that a performance in a bookclub full of people would be too... I don’t know, noisy? I mean, if he ran away, it means he doesn’t want to be discovered. I don’t think hey will perform today if that’s the case.”

You stared at him for a second before you hit him in the arm.

“Hey! What was th-?!”

“You couldn’t have said that before coming all the way here for nothing?!”

“I just thought of that! And you could’ve thought about it too! Don’t blame it all on me!”

You frowned and walked down the stairs.

“Where are you going?!” Max asked.

“Home. Dance. I don’t know.”

“Don’t be dramatic. We’re already here. We can still do some research. They probably have their information here. I don’t think they would even let them perform if not. And besides, we don’t even know if I’m right about before.”

You turned back to him, this time, embarrassed. You were being a little dramatic.

And maybe a little too optimistic.

No, you stopped yourself before any negative thought clouded your mind, no one’s ever too optimistic.

And you couldn’t back up from the investigation in the first day. That was basically breaking rule #5.

You walked back to Max and without saying anything, you walked into the library together.

As much as you wanted Max to be wrong, he actually was right: the guys didn’t show up. And maybe it was also because of what Max said, but it was not the reason the people at the library told you. You asked about them and most of the workers frowned immediately at what you said, either confused or mad.

“Those guys aren’t allowed to play here. They just showed up a couple of times, but trust me, they won’t come back.” The librarian told you.

Therefore, Max’s backup idea didn’t work either.

Ten minutes later, you and Max sat on the steps outside the library, not knowing what to do next.

Your watch ticked 5:50. Tamra said she would be there at six.

You said hi to Hannah when she got there. She asked if you were going in.

“Not really.” You sighed, and decided to tell her the truth. “I came to do some research on that band... It’s named Sunset Curve. Tamra told me they played here the day she came with you.”

“Oh, yeah! I almost forgot that happened.” She chuckled. “I didn’t come to the meeting prior to that, so I wasn’t aware that a band would be playing in our bookclub. That’s why I forgot to tell you about them, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. Did you get to talk to them?”

“A little bit. They stayed for the whole meeting and then ate almost all the snacks on the table. We just talked about music for a bit. Well, Tamra did. I was just standing next to her having no idea of what were they talking about... But if I see them today I can try to get more information, if you want.” Hannah offered when she noticed the disappointment in your face.

“They’re not coming today. Or ever, again. I already asked. But thanks, Hannah, I really appreciate it.”

She smiled at you sweetly and squeezed your shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll get something soon. See you guys around.”

You checked your watch for the hundredth time now. 6:04.

“When you said that Luke’s band plays at a bookclub.” You said to Max some minutes after Hannah left. “I thought you meant they play here OFTEN. You didn’t mention they played here TWICE before and weren’t even allowed to do so!”

“I didn’t know that either! I just supposed...”

“You supposed?!”

“Well, yes! I heard the other day at school... some of the Math Club members attend this bookclub and they said that Luke’s band performed there so I just guessed they might just play here often!”

“I can’t believe you sometimes.” You felt mad. But tried to calm down. You would get nothing by reproaching him.

You decided to stay quite. Otherwise, you might yell at him.

“So what are we doing now?” Max spoke after a while.

“I don’t know.” You said honestly.

Another silence.

And then, you had the most simple idea, which, you thought, you should’ve come up with way earlier.

“Can’t you ask a friend if they know more about Luke’s bandmates?”

Max blushed, and you thought that was suspicious. “Don’t think so. My friends are... busy.”

You frowned. “All the time?”

You said, more than asked.

“Y-yeah...”

“Every single one of them?”

“Yes, Y/N.” He rolled his eyes, but his nervousness was still visible.

“Max.”

He looked at you sideways and then sighed. “Fine, I... don’t have many friends at school. I don’t make much of an effort to make more, either.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I’m just not the social type.”

“But you have friends?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I have friends. Well... one friend. His name is Ian. We’ve been classmates since first grade. And we moved together to the same high school.”

“What about the guys from the neighborhood?”

“Well yeah, them too, I guess. We’re just not too close.”

“Like Luke.”

Max scoffed. “Yeah, with the only difference that Luke could be close with everyone if he wanted to. I am not close with anyone because, again, I’m not exactly sociable.”

“But you could be.” You insisted.

“I guess. It’s not that easy, you know...?” He then gave you a look and shook his head. “You don’t know. You are sociable. Like Luke.”

You weren’t sure of what to say, so you just stayed quiet.

“Speaking of which, why are you so invested on finding him, anyway?”

It was your turn to blush, but you were saved by Tamra, who stopped the car in front of you.

“Let’s go.” You said, and he followed you.

So today’s mission didn’t go exactly as planned, but you had lots of clues. It was impossible not to find anything. This day had to end on a good note.

Tamra left you at your dance studio before going back home with Max. You told him you would call him later.

During your dance class, you managed to distract yourself for a bit. But you came back to trying to come up with something as soon as you got out of class.

“I’ll use your landline! Call me when dinner’s ready!” You said once Tamra parked in the driveway.

You said hi to your parents and ran to your room to pick your notebook and then go to your sisters’ room.

So you did come up with something.

You decided to call every kid from the block that knew Luke, and try to get more information. Your last alternative was to go to the Patterson’s house and talk to Emily herself, although you were kind of nervous at that idea and you weren’t too hopeful about it since Max mentioned she didn’t know much about Luke’s band.

“All she knows is he has a band and that she doesn’t like the idea.” He’d said that afternoon.

You took the phone and dialed the first number: Amy Campbell.

You decided to go straight to the point with everyone, just to not lose any time and call Max as fast as possible to update him.

“Hello?” You heard Amy on the other line.

“Hey Ames! It’s Y/N-.”

“Y/N! You’re coming to my pool party, right?”

You blinked. A pool party?

Something clicked in your head. Amy’s pool party, of course. It was this weekend. You forgot to ask permission to your parents.

“Of course I’m going.” You said, even though you weren’t actually sure. Amy cheered.

“Awesome! Almost everyone already confirmed they’re coming, except for... Luke.” She said, and you rapidly took the opportunity to ask her about what you originally called for.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you about him, um, don’t you happen to know anything about his band?”

“Oh my gosh, are you helping to find him? That sounds so much fun!”

You faked a chuckle. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Well, I don’t know much, but... I saw them perform in front of this club once, when I was going out for dinner with my family. We stopped to watch them along with some other people. Before they were kicked out. Oh, I also know his parents don’t love the idea of him on a band.”

“Do you remember the name of the club?”

“Oh, not really... but I can tell you it was close to that restaurant... Delish Japan? Yeah, I think that’s how it’s called.”

You wrote that down.

You thanked her and hung up. So your first call went well.

Although the rest of the calls were pretty similar. Most of the kids said they saw the band playing either in front or in the back of different clubs. One of them mentioned they saw them play at another bookclub.

“Any news?” Max said once he answered your call.

“Kind of.” You checked the names of the clubs written in your notebook. “Almost every kid said they saw the band playing in some club or bookclub. It seems that they do that, without asking.”

“You mean playing in places people might see them?”

“Yes. They know it’s not easy to book a gig at any place. Especially since they don’t have a manager and they’re just teenagers...” You sighed. “This information is pretty much useless, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t want to say it but... yes.” You groaned while Max kept talking. “I mean I guess we could go check those clubs but one, we’re minors and two, they just set their stuff, play and then they get kicked out. I don’t think any of those places have their personal information.”

“My other idea was to go and talk to Mrs. Patterson but... I don’t know if it’ll be useful. I don’t know what else could I do anyway.”

“Me neither.”

You already thought of something else, actually.

You sighed again, this time more dramatically.

“If someone around here at least went to the same school Luke does... That way we could ask some people about him and his band...”

“Come on.” You could practically hear Max rolling his eyes. “I don’t wanna do that.”

“Max, this could go faster if only you took the courage to talk to people. I’m not asking you to go out with them. Just ask them about Sunset Curve...”

“Y/N. I told you before. It’s not that easy for me-.”

“Y/N! I’ve been calling you for half an hour now! Come down for dinner!”

You heard your mom yelling from downstairs and you froze. You said you were going the first time you heard her but you didn’t realize it’s been half an hour since then.

“I’m coming!” You yelled back, and then said goodbye to Max.

You frowned while jogging down the stairs. You told Tamra to tell you when dinner was ready. Now your mom would be mad at you.

After your mom reproaching that she called you “a million times”, you defending yourself that you asked your sister to call you and her saying she never actually agreed to doing so, your dad stopped you. Silence flooded the room for a few minutes.

“Tamra told us you went to the library to do some research on Luke.” Your dad talked. “Did you find anything?”

“Not really.” You said, finally letting the disappointment get into you. “Any of our plans worked.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m sure you’ll get something soon.” Your dad squeezed your hand and you smiled at him.

“Let us know if you need any help.” Your mom added.

You slowly nodded.

When you finished your food, you decided to stay and just listen to your parents’ conversation.

“Are you done?” Tamra asked then, and you frowned.

“Why?”

“Just- Yes or no?”

“Yes, I’m done.”

“Good. Come with me.”

You and Tamra thanked for the food and she guided you to her room. You sat on her bed while she started looking through the mess.

“What are you doing?” You asked, and she didn’t respond.

“Here” You heard her say before stretching down to take a purse from the floor.

She then went through it and took a piece of paper out of it, which she gave to you and you looked at it closely. A phone number was written on it.

“It’s one of the band members’ phone number. Not sure who, but he was flirting with me the day I went to the bookclub with Hannah.”

Your face beamed.

“You’re not gonna need it?”

“Pff, no. I have a boyfriend, remember? And he was not my type anyway”.

Actually, you forgot she had a boyfriend. They started dating just a few months ago but Tamra hasn’t taken him to the house yet.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?!” You said.

“I forgot I had it.” She shrugged.

You were too excited to get mad at her. You hugged her and asked to use her landline again. She agreed and left you there.

As fast as you could, you took the phone and dialed the number.

[sometimesiwritebadly]

Rehearsal (Peter Parker x Reader)

Summary: Peter and you have to rehearse a scene for your theatre class, which just so happens to have a kiss in it. (Gender neutral reader!)

Prompts: 1. “Why would you do this?” 22. “This is the part where you kiss me.”

Warnings: good old fashioned fluff

Note: Lol this one kinda got away from me. I used a random number generator to choose the prompts and only expected this to be like 800 words max but I ended up with over 2k so. but I really like what I ended up with so I hope y’all do too <3 mostly from Peter’s POV btw. oh and I tried to keep it gender neutral but it’s natural for me to write with a female reader so let me know if I accidentally left a few she’s/her’s in there.

Word Count: 2.1k

Masterlist

Peter Parker is a nerd. He’s good at science and math, which is why he’s attending Midtown School of Science and Technology. Despite the STEM focus the school has, there’s still a requirement for at least one art-related class in order to graduate. When Peter chose an entry level Theatre class, he hoped it would focus more on the study of famous plays than actually having to stand on a stage and act. Peter was very, very wrong. For the first assignment of the semester, students had to pair up and perform a short, dramatic piece. He had been paired with Y/N Y/L/N, who he had a minor crush on. Ok, major crush. After he and MJ broke up last year, he honestly didn’t think he’d find anyone else for a while. But then Y/N transferred to Midtown, and he was whipped right from the start. 

“Look man, you gotta use this opportunity to make a move!” Peter and Ned were walking down the hallway between classes, Ned trying to convince Peter again that this was a great chance to finally tell Y/N how he feels. “Just look up some cute scene for the two of you to perform! It’ll be like when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie fell in love on set!”

“I’m pretty sure they broke up, Ned.”

“Whatever. The point stands.”

The pair approached their lockers, where you were waiting. You had a few papers in your hand, which held your attention until you noticed Peter in front of you.

“H-hey. What’s up?” Peter tried his best to contain his stutter, but couldn’t help it. Y/N just had that effect on him.

“Hey Pete, I, um, I found some potential scripts for us to use for our assignment. I thought you could look over them before we rehearse at mine on Friday? I like them all, so whichever you wanna go with is fine...although I did put a star next to my favorite piece.” You handed half of the papers you were holding to Peter, keeping copies of each script for yourself. Peter noticed that the copies you kept had already been highlighted and annotated, while his were straight from the printer. Except for the small star at the top of the first script in his stack. Before Peter could respond, the warning bell began to ring, signaling only a minute to get to your next class. “Just text me whichever one you want, and we can walk to my place after school tomorrow to rehearse.” You said this as you began to walk away, giving Peter and Ned a small wave before you turned around to race to your final class of the day. 

~~~

Instead of paying attention to his teacher’s lecture during Chemistry, Peter spent the 50 minute period reading through the scripts you had chosen. Peter already knew he wanted to perform the script you liked, but he was nervous. Your favorite scene happened to be the only one which called for a kiss, but he didn’t know if he had the guts to go for it. He could easily choose either of the other scenes and call it a day, but...well, was this your way of making a move? Had you intentionally chosen the script with a kiss to find out if Peter liked you? Did you like him? Or did you just choose that one because you genuinely thought it was the best option?

The bell rang, interrupting Peter’s thoughts and signaling the end of the school day. Hopefully a few hours of swinging through the streets of New York would be enough to distract Peter from thinking about you all night. For once, Peter was actually hoping New York criminals would keep him busy.

~~~

When Peter slipped through the window of his bedroom, his thoughts were unsurprisingly still revolving around you. Despite a somewhat busy night - two muggings, an almost-car crash, and one lost little girl now safely back with her mother - He still hadn’t been able to come to a decision. Half an hour ago you had texted Peter asking if he had chosen a script yet, and he still hadn’t responded. 

“Just go with the script they want, Pete. Even if Y/N doesn’t like you, at least you’ll get to kiss them.” He thought as he removed his skin-tight supersuit and changed into some sweats and a t-shirt. He grabbed his phone from the pocket of his backpack, and, after another minute or so of arguing with himself, finally began to type.

8:31 pm

Y/N:

hey pete, have you decided which script you wanna do yet?

9:06 pm

Peter:

Uh, yeah. I think the one you liked is the best.

9:08 pm

Y/N:

yesss, i was hoping you’d choose that one. i have great taste ;)

9:08 pm

Peter:

Haha, yeah, you do. We’ll rehearse tomorrow after school right?

9:10 pm

Y/N:

yup! i’ll meet you by your locker again :) see ya tomorrow pete

Peter decided to let the conversation end there. Honestly, he had no idea what to think. What does “I have great taste ;)” mean? Is that a reference to the kiss? Does this mean they like him? Or is it just a joke? Peter sent a screenshot of the conversation to Ned for help, but Ned being Ned wasn’t helpful at all. 

9:15 pm

Ned:

Just. Make. A. Move. 

9:16 pm

Ned:

Betty thinks you should make a move too.

Despite his confusion and nerves over tomorrow’s rehearsal, Peter managed to fall asleep at a reasonable time. Hopefully tomorrow he’d get the answers he was looking for.

~~~

Peter waited by his locker after the final bell rang. As the hallways began to clear, he noticed you making your way over to him.

“Sorry, I hope you weren’t waiting too long. My English class is basically all the way across the school.” You looked nervous. Is that good? Or bad? Have you been thinking about the kiss too?

“Y-you’re fine. I’ve only been here for like a minute.” That was a lie. Peter’s Chemistry class was just across the hall from his locker, but you didn’t need to know that. After he finished talking, you seemed to lose all sense of nerves.

“I guess it wasn’t me causing the nerves then…” Peter thought, his mood dropping a little.

“Oh good. Let’s get going then, my apartment is only a couple blocks from here.” And so you began the short walk to your place. You made some small talk on the way there, talking about your other classes instead of the one class you did share. 

“You have Mrs. Jenson third period right? I have her during fifth. Maybe we can study together for her tests...I know the school year just started, but I can already tell she’ll make her tests unnecessarily evil.” You said as the both of you entered your building. 

“That’s a good idea, I know someone who took her class last year and they said she always had essay questions. Not to mention 5 choices for multiple choice questions instead of the usual four.” Peter responded. As he spoke, they headed towards the elevator, and Y/N pressed the button, causing the doors to immediately open. After hitting the number 4 on the wall, the doors slowly began to close. Despite the unfortunate news he was sharing with Y/N, his voice had a hopeful tone to it; They want to hang out with him again. Sure, it’s just loose plans to study for a test sometime in the future, but hey, he’ll take it.

“Damn. History has never been my subject, so I’ll definitely need the extra study time. I can never remember all the important dates.” Your phone buzzed after that, causing you to glance down at it. As you responded to whoever had texted you, Peter was left to his thoughts when the elevator began to move. It wasn’t until the elevator doors opened and you stepped out that the conversation resumed. “That was my mom, guess she’s gonna be at work for a few more hours. We can order a pizza if you want, I’m not sure how long we’ll be rehearsing today.”

“Pizza, uhm,” Peter’s voice cracked, “Pizza sounds good.” Peter cursed to himself, but if you had noticed his voice cracking, you had the decency to ignore it. You pulled your keys from your backpack, and unlocked the second apartment on the floor. 

“Cool, I’ll order something online. Pepperoni ok for you?” You asked as you walked into the apartment, holding the door open for Peter. Peter only nodded, not really trusting his voice for the moment. He took a second to look around the place as you closed the door behind him. When you came into his eyesight again, you were looking at your phone, presumably ordering the pizza. “Since my mom isn’t here we can rehearse in the living room, it’s just this way.” Peter followed you as you led him across the apartment, then sat on the couch. He tried to give you space as you continued punching in the pizza order. While you were busy, Peter opened his own backpack and pulled out the script you had agreed upon. Last night he had highlighted his lines, although luckily for this assignment the teacher had mentioned that memorization was optional. After all, the school year had just begun and it was a beginner’s class.

“Ok, pizza will be here in like half an hour. Now we can get to work!” You quickly pulled out your own script from your backpack, and turned to face Peter. “Do you wanna just read through it a few times, then once we’re used to it we could start working out the blocking?” You suggested.

“Y-yeah, sure, that works for me.” Peter was relieved at this option; read throughs meant he didn’t have to worry about the kiss yet. “Your character starts, right?”

And so the two of you began reading through the script. It was short, only a few pages, and featured someone on the day of their wedding, and the man who was trying to convince them to leave their fiance. At first, the reading was a little awkward, as neither of you had any experience in acting, but by the third or fourth time you had gone through the script together, both of you were feeling much more comfortable. Instead of sitting away from each other on opposite ends of the couch, you were close, the way your characters would be. The blocking had even begun to take shape naturally, so you and Peter stood for the fifth reading, walking around the room, trying your best to embody the characters as they argued. This time, as you approached the end of the script however, Peter’s nerves returned.

“Why would you do this? Just barging in here on my wedding day?” You said, trying to act as frustrated and confused as you felt your character would be. 

“You and I both kn-know you don’t love him! You’ll never be happy with him!” Peter tried to keep his nerves in check, but he knew what was coming.

“And how do you know I’d be happier with you?” Following the stage directions indicated on your script, you stepped closer to Peter. Instead of continuing with the scene, Peter just stared at you, no longer looking at his script. “Uh, Pete?” He still didn’t respond. You were confused, until you looked back at the script. You weren’t sure how you had forgotten, after all, this is why you chose the scene in the first place. “Peter, this is the part where you kiss me” You said quietly. You had taken his choosing of this scene to mean he liked you too, but you weren’t sure. His eyes widened a little at your words though, which made your confidence drop. “O-or not, um, we could do a stage kiss, or you could just kiss my cheek, or we could just cut it complet-” Peter cut off your rambling by putting his hands on your cheek and bringing his lips to meet yours. You were shocked, but easily melted into the kiss. He was gentle as he kissed you, his nerves disappearing the second you kissed him back. After a while, you both separated from the kiss. Neither of you spoke for a minute, just staring at each other.

“U-um.. that was ok, right?” Peter whispered, as you were still pretty close to him. You only smiled, and gave him another short kiss as a response. Before you guys could do anything else, there was a knock at the door.

“Pizza!” Someone said loudly through the wood. Before you could make a move, Peter had grabbed his wallet and was already walking towards the front door.

“I’ll pay...after all, what kind of gentleman would I be if I let you pay on our first date?”

[flightsoffandom]

The Truth

(The Sitter Part 6)

Pairs: Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Words: 1980

Summary: Aaron and the BAU start working on your case. You find out the truth about what happened but you find something else out along the way.

Warnings: Mentions of reader’s family’s death, mentions of child death, mentions of blood

Notes: Left completely gender-neutral.  Collab Series I am doing with the ever amazing @less-intelligent-spencerreid If you are interested in being tagged in the future parts of this comment on this or send me an ask.  

Continuation of The Sitter: Part 1–Part 2–Part 3–Part 4–Part 5–Part 6*

After the first night at Aaron’s, Penelope had offered to let you stay at her place. Derek also agreed to stay at Penelope’s as basically your bodyguard. Penelope tried really hard to make it like a sleepover. She always had fun movies to watch, junk food, and comfy blankets. So during the night, you could easily forget about your problems and worries for a few hours. It was when it was actually time for you to go to sleep that you had issues. Nothing against Derek, you hadn’t known him long but you trusted him. You just hadn’t been sleeping well at Penelope’s. You didn’t have the heart to tell her that though. The only time you had been able to get a decent amount of sleep with little to no nightmares was in Aaron’s office.

You woke up startled when Penelope walked into Aaron’s office. Your heart was racing as you sat up on the couch.

Penelope was talking a mile a minute holding a large stack of files in her hands, “It took some digging.” She walked over to Aaron at his desk, “Like some digging, digging. Had to partially hire the internet equivalent to a construction crew and use one of those scoopy excavator things to get through layers and layers of old murder cases from all over the country.”

You stare at the brightly colored woman who was being particularly loud. You tried to follow what Penelope was saying but she was talking so fast and your exhausted brain wasn’t letting you follow along, “What’s happening?”

Aaron was glaring at Penelope and you didn’t think it was just for her to get to the point, “Garcia!”

Penelope followed Aaron’s line of sight and landed on you. You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes trying to mentally catch up to what was happening.

Penelope made a face, “I am unbelievably sorry.” She didn’t give you a chance to reply before turning back to look at Aaron, “But I come bearing good…” Penelope makes an unpleasant noise, “Well not good actually, very terrible awful news but helpful.” Penelope finds the word she is looking for and continues, “I come bearing helpful news.” She gives an unsure shrug before handing the files over to Aaron.

Aaron looks over them, one by one. You tried to read his face but ever since Aaron took your case he seemed to only have two looks. Exhausted and determined, a lot of the times he was both at once. Penelope waited for some kind of reply.

Aaron got through the large stack of new files, “We need to bring these to the team.”

Penelope nodded and walked out of Aaron’s office to gather the rest of the team. Aaron grabbed the files and left as well. Leaving you behind for a moment. You wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep and you felt like you should know what was in those files. Even if you didn’t want to know was sort of despicable violence the killer stalking you was capable of. So you slide out of the office as well and slowly made your way to the meeting room, trying not to draw too much attention to yourself. As soon as you made it to the doorway of the conference room, Aaron spotted you. He walked over, physically blocking you from getting into the room.

Aaron looked at you with concern in his eyes, “You don’t need to see this.”

If you shifted just right you could see around him and into the room. Letting you catch glimpses of crime scene photos and evidence bags. Aaron immediately figures out what you’re doing and shifts with you to block your line of sight.

You glare at Aaron, “I don’t really want to look at all that stuff but I need too. I can help.”

A few of the other team members walk past the two of you, Aaron moving to only let them through. The minor standoff earning you side glances from passersby.

Aaron shakes his head, gently placing a hand on your shoulder to both comfort you and keep you from moving into the room, “I’ll keep you updated and ask you questions when we need more information. For now, you should rest.”

You move just enough to see what is happening in the meeting. Seeing the team pull evidence bags out of boxes. When you see a pair of picture frames you are immediately stunned. No longer able to hear anything even if Aaron was still talking to you. Drawn to the objects you step backward out of Aaron’s grasp and then push your way passed him. Slowly approaching the table you could feel eyes on you but you didn’t care. When you get to the table you pick up the two separate evidence bags.

The bags were both filled with a picture frame. Each photo showing two ‘lasts’. One was the last family photo you ever took with, Mom, Dad, Sammy, and yourself. It had been one of those yearly family photos. Some cheesy fake background with tacky matching outfits but each of you had big genuine smiles on your faces. The happy atmosphere of the photo was ruined by the broken glass that had allowed blood to seep through and stain the paper. The other picture was just as badly damaged. It had been the last picture taken of just you and Sammy. You had been pushing Sammy on the swings and your parents had managed to catch it on film. What should have been a good memory was now stained just like the other one. The rusty-red color of dried blood ruining some of the few good memories you had left of your family.

You finally started to gain some awareness again. You placed both bags onto the table before retreating back. Exiting the meeting room just as quickly as you had entered it. You had thought you were ready to look back at this evidence and even thought you could emotionally handle it. Seeing those pictures again however had proved you wrong. You make it back into Aaron’s office before you start crying. Seeing those happy memories with your family ruined by the same thing that had taken them away from you forever was too much. You had no idea what happened to the dozens of family photos that must have been in the house. The year after their murder was a blur and when you had finally came too you had just written off ever having a picture to remember them by. You cover your face with your hands before letting yourself fall back onto the couch. Letting yourself sob into the palms of your hands.

You don’t hear the door open. You feel Aaron rubbing your back and you look at him.

“You were right, I should have listened to Aaron. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize y/n, I know you just want to help.”

When you were calmed down he said, “I’m going to go help my team. We’ll catch this guy”

***

“Okay, the focus is clearly on the kids. With the vase and the birthday,” Morgan starts, thinking out loud. “I have an idea.” He said, calling Garcia in her office.

“You’ve reached the office of supreme genius, speak, and be dazzled.” 

“Hey baby girl, I need you to get me a list of kids that died on their birthdays. I need it to be between 20 and 30 years ago.”

“Unfortunately, my chocolate thunder, that is a list of 27.”

“Cross it with kids that have an older brother that is still living. Also, look for suspicious hospital visits for both kids before the death.”

“One! Max Davis died on their birthday. They apparently fell off of a roof. Both Max and their older brother Jordan Davis had multiple hospital visits before Max’s death and Jordan’s continued their’s afterwards.

“Thanks Garcia.” He said hanging up the phone and going to find Hotch.

****

You’re standing in the observation room with Rossi while Hotch and the UnSub, Jordan Davis, are in the interrogation room. Hotch got a confession which ended with the UnSub yelling, “I couldn’t protect Max and these people couldn’t protect their younger siblings! It’s their own faults!”

Agents from a different unit came and took Davis into custody. Aaron came into the observation room and Rossi left. The two of you walked up to his office. He wrapped his arms around you and you put your face in his shoulder, tears running down your face.

“It’s okay y/n, you’re safe, we got him.”

He held onto you until you stopped crying and you pulled away. He looked at you with soft eyes, “Are you okay?”

You nod at him and respond, “It still hurts, but I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.” 

You offer him a small, genuine small. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He returned your small smile.

“Do you want to go get something to eat?” You asked him, knowing he hadn’t eaten all day.

“Sure. Do you want to-uh make it a date?” He replied carefully.

“Do I-yes I would love to.” You smiled at him and he returned the gesture. 

He grabbed his bag the two of you walked out of his office and to the elevator. Once you got out, he wrapped his free arm around your shoulder. It was warm and comfortable. He opened the passenger door of his vehicle for you. 

****

You had both ordered and there was a lull in the conversation. 

“Why were you so surprised when I asked you for a date?” He asked.

You blushed and said, “I may have overheard your conversation with Rossi.”

He chuckled and you let out a small laugh. “He could tell I was lying you know.”

You smiled. You seem to be doing that a lot lately. “Well, I’m glad you were.”

Just then the waiter arrived with your food. The two of you ate and continued talking. When you were both done, he paid the check. You tried to convince him to split it but he refused. 

“At least let me get dessert then?” You wanted to repay the favor, but you also wanted the night to last as long as possible.

“What do you have in mind?” He asked as the two of you walked outside.

“We could walk to the ice cream shop that’s a few blocks away.”

“Sounds perfect.”

****

At the ice cream shop you ordered a waffle cone with cotton candy ice cream and he got a waffle cone with cookies and cream ice cream. After you paid you decided to take a longer way back to his car as you ate them. You talked and laughed with him the entire time. 

He drove you home and walked you to your door. Before walking inside you turned around to face him. 

“Goodnight Aaron.” You said as you looked up at him. 

“Goodnight y/n.” The two of you held eye contact for a little while before he leaned in. He stopped just short of your lips, looking into your eyes for approval. You gave him a small nod and he gently cupped your face and pressed his lips to yours. They were warm and smooth. It lasted for a few seconds before he pulled away and took a breath. Your hands were on the back of his head and you gently pulled him back towards you. The second kiss was longer and deeper than the first. He tasted sweet from the ice cream. This time you pulled away, needing to breathe.

“Wow.” Was all you said once you caught your breath.

He smiled at you and nodded slowly. 

“Goodnight y/n. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

You nodded and said “Goodnight.” 

He walked back to his car to leave as you walked inside your house.

Continuation of The Sitter: Part 1–Part 2–Part 3–Part 4–Part 5–Part 6* 

Tags: @shrimpyblog @hommoturttle @winterscaptain @jovialtimetravelgladiator  @lex-is-a-shipper @cypherthetransmasc @winterparkers @1234-angelika @thosesteelblueeyesaremysafeplace

[cakesunflower]

Quiet Hours [College!Luke AU] Ch. 15

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14

Chapter 15

LUKE WAS ALL sorts of pissed off; the kind that had his jaw aching from clenching it so hard and hands perpetually formed into fists to prevent himself from punching something. He was familiar with this type of anger, the one that stemmed from betrayal and hurt that skipped right past being upset and festered in the stage of something akin to hatred. Luke never thought he could truly hate someone, but not for the first time he was debating against that idea when it came to the two people he was thinking about.

“Just don’t go,” Ashton shrugged, looking at Luke as if he didn’t understand what the big deal was. “Then you won’t have to see them.”

Luke shot his friend an aggravated look. “It’s my nan’s seventy-fifth birthday, Ashton. I have to go.” If he didn’t love his grandmother so much, Luke would just spend the weekend on campus instead of going home to celebrate with his family—which included his cousin Max and Luke’s ex—and Max’s current—girlfriend Gwen. He was in no mood to see the two of them flaunt a relationship that was created at the expense of Luke’s heartbreak.  

“Take someone with you as your date,” Michael suggested from where he sat at the kitchen counter, busy on his laptop as he did an assignment. He then glanced up, looking at Luke, who sat on the couch. “And by someone I mean Ophelia.”

Glancing at his friend, Luke furrowed his eyebrows at Michael’s proposition. Propping his right elbow on the armrest of the couch, Luke used his fingers to worry at his lower lip as he thought about the idea. It wasn’t a terrible idea to bring Ophelia to the party, but introducing her to his family seemed to be a bit too soon, especially since they only just figured things out to be together. He didn’t want to use her as a way of spiting Max and Gwen to show that he was fine after what happened. He didn’t miss Gwen, by any means, but he was still pissed. Still hurt.

Ophelia didn’t even know about Luke’s ex, Gwen, cheating on him with his own cousin and Luke didn’t want to just tell her so she would come with him just to show the two people that betrayed him that he was better off—even if he was. Luke wasn’t comfortable with using Ophelia in that type of way, but maybe if he told her then she wouldn’t be offended. She’d understand.

So that’s why Luke was now knocking on the apartment door next to his, smiling as the door swung open to reveal Laurel. He was glad to see she was okay after what happened at the party a few days ago, and the pain in his knuckles that had followed was worth it. “Hey,” he greeted the blonde. “Is Ophelia here?”

Laurel opened the door wider, nodding inside the apartment. “She’s in her room,” she chuckled, earning a thanks from Luke as he wandered in and heard Laurel shut the door behind him. He waved at Tanya, who was munching on a bag of Cheetos as she watched The Bachelor on TV, before wandering down the hall and stopping in front of Ophelia’s closed door.

He knocked twice, hearing her call out, “come in,” before opening the door and stepping inside the familiar bedroom. Luke saw Ophelia laying sideways on her bed, watching something on her laptop. When her eyes landed on Luke, she paused her show and sat up. “Hey,” she smiled, crossing her legs.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Luke greeted, shutting the door behind him. The blinds were open, sunlight streaming in and drenching the small plants on the windowsill. “You busy? Wanted to ask you something.”

Ophelia shook her head, tilting it to the side curiously. “What’s going on?”

The Australian sat down on the bed, sliding off his slippers to sit cross legged right in front of her. He didn’t know why he felt so nervous. Ophelia was one of the sweetest people Luke knew, and if he explained himself he was sure she’d understand. “Okay, um,” he began, clearing his throat as fingers absently twirled one of his rings. “I have to go home this weekend for my grandma’s birthday and, uh.” He stopped briefly, but the encouraging raise of Ophelia’s eyebrows prompted him to continue, “my ex is gonna be there with my cousin and I was hoping you’d come with me because I just—I don’t wanna deal with them, y’know?”

Ophelia blinked at Luke, hazel eyes slightly widened in shock. Then, she blurted, “your ex is dating your cousin?”

Luke didn’t blame her expression as a humorless smile tilted at his lips. “Cheated on me with him, actually.”

This time her jaw dropped, completely taken aback. Honestly, she genuinely didn’t understand how or why someone would cheat on Luke. Other than him being confusing at times, Luke was a great guy to be around. It was no secret that Ophelia adored him; adored him as a person and was obsessed with the way he looked at, kissed, and touched her. To Ophelia, Luke was unfairly perfect, if she didn’t consider the mess it had been for the two of them to acknowledge their feelings—though she could be partly blamed for that too—so why someone would cheat on him was beyond her. Luke had Ophelia entranced by just his gaze, feeling excitedly powerless against him in the most enjoyable of ways, so leaving him for someone else sounded ridiculous.

She was also kind of flattered that Luke wanted her to come with him. The most they’d done was confess to each other that they wanted to be together—did that mean they were together? Ophelia wasn’t sure, but she found herself kind of okay with that. Because she told Luke she wanted to be with him after he’d told her the same, and with assurance, that was enough for now. Ophelia figured that Luke asking her to come with him was to distract himself from watching his ex-girlfriend be all over his cousin, and a nagging voice in the back of her mind wondered if there were still unresolved feelings on Luke’s part.

But the hopeful expression on his face, the way he chewed his lower lip and blue eyes seemed a bit worried, had Ophelia giving Luke a small smile as she shrugged. “Yeah, sure, I’ll come,” she finally said, watching as Luke’s eyes widened slightly.

“Really?” he questioned, brows risen. He hadn’t really expected for her to say yes right away—not that he was complaining. As soon as her answer had registered in his mind, Luke felt his heart do an excited leap. “I—you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to think I’m usin’ you to make my ex jealous or anything. It’s just that I don’t wanna show up alone and her be—”

“Luke, stop,” Ophelia cut him off with an airy laugh, finding it endearing how he was suddenly a nervous rambling mess. While she was still trying to work out if Luke had any feelings left for this ex of his—and bitterly hoping that he didn’t because that would kind of suck—Ophelia felt a small sense of relief at his reassurance. He looked genuine in the matter. “I don’t mind. No offense, but your ex sounds like a bitch and your cousin a dick for doing that to you. I’m happy to go with you.”

She felt her heart do that giddy flutter in her chest at the sight of the relieved smile that stretched on Luke’s lips, dimples appearing under the dark blonde facial hair that decorated his sharp jaw and around his mouth as his hands reached forward and grasped hers gratefully. “Thank you, darling,” he breathed out, squeezing Ophelia’s smaller hands. “You’ve no idea how much this means to me. I swear I’ll make it up to you when it’s over.”

Ophelia’s lips pressed together, the corners of her mouth tilting upwards as she grabbed her laptop and reached over to rest it on her bedside, eyes meeting Luke’s. Her smile turned slightly coy, hand that was still holding onto Luke’s as she used it to tug him closer. “You can start now,” she suggested boldy with a quirk of a brow, her smile widening as Luke mirrored her expression, not even hesitating to lean towards her as he immediately picked up on what she was saying.

A low, throaty chuckle escape Luke, though it was silenced the second Ophelia’s hands grasped Luke’s face and pulled his lips to hers, feeling the familiar thrilling shock course through her body as his soft lips met hers. Luke smiled against her mouth, never tired of kissing Ophelia as he got on his knees and grasped the back of Ophelia’s, using his grip to unfold her legs and pull her towards him. She effectively slid down, left hand going to the back of Luke’s neck as she laid down on the mattress and pulled Luke on top of her. Her heart rang in her ears and her body grew warm in excitement as Luke deepened the kiss, feeling his tongue against hers and the ends of his curly hair tickle her face as he hovered above her.

As he kissed her, hands sliding under her shirt and prompting Ophelia’s heart to skip a beat at the feel of his cool rings against her warmed skin, Luke couldn’t help but notice the change of taste in her lips. “Changed your watermelon chapstick for strawberry, huh?” Luke murmured against her mouth, supporting himself on top of her with his arms as he trailed open mouthed kisses along her jaw.

Ophelia let out a breathless laugh, eyes shut as she reveled in the scratch of his beard against her skin, fingers threading through Luke’s curly locks. “Yeah,” she whispered, heart thudding rapidly in her chest as she felt Luke lightly bite at the spot that connected her jaw and neck, “you like it?”

“Mhm,” Luke let out a deep hum, bringing his mouth back to cover Ophelia’s, licking at her lower lip as he smirked, “love strawberries,” before grasping the hem of her shirt and tugging it upwards.

Ophelia grinned, a pretty flush across her face that made Luke’s heart drum thuddingly as she leaned up slightly to allow Luke to fling it right off of her. The immediate tightening in his sweatpants could be felt against Ophelia’s clothed core as Luke let out a deep breath, blue eyes trained on her bare chest as his hands immediately came up to grasp her full breasts. “No bra?” he smirked, watching in satisfaction as Ophelia arched into his touch, eyes closed and sharp breath expelling from her parted pouty lips. Luke leaned down, keeping his gaze trained on Ophelia’s pleasured expression as he let his lower lip drag against her perky pink nipple, mumbling, “you’re too good to me, pretty girl.”

The way her head tilted back, exposing the expanse of her neck as a soft moan escaped her begged Luke to get rid of his sweatpants as soon as possible. But he took his time, wrapping his lips around her nipple while his right hand  ever so slightly squeezed the soft plush of her other breast. One of Ophelia’s hands were at the back of his head, fingers gripping his curls while her other pushed back her own hair from her forehead and teeth sunk to her lower lip to stop any sounds from escaping. Her roommates were still in the apartment, after all.

“Come on, Luke,” Ophelia finally breathed out, her voice uncharacteristically raspy from the pleasure his mouth and hand were delivering to her chest. Luke watched as she opened her eyes, hazel eyes darkened with pleasure as she begged, “get down to it already, please.”

Luke wasn’t one to deny her what she wanted, though when he lifted his head he kept his lips wrapped around Ophelia’s nipple, teasing it lightly with his teeth. Ophelia dropped her head back, muttering a soft, “oh, God,” as Luke smirked to himself before sliding down even more, letting his fingers hook into the band of her night shorts and pull it down her legs as he went.

Luke let out a throaty groan when he realized Ophelia was completely naked in front of him and completely ready for whatever Luke was about to do to her. But Luke couldn’t help but stop for a moment, sitting on his knees at the sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous girl laying on the bed. Whether she was naked, in sweats or dressed up—Ophelia managed to take Luke’s breath away and cease the beating of his heart in half a second. She was flawless in his eyes, and Luke found himself wondering how he got lucky enough to have someone like her interested in him.

When Ophelia let out another small whimper, Luke was thrown back into reality and he instantly reached to the back of his shirt, taking it off and discarding it somewhere on the floor before pulling of his sweatpants. The room was slightly cold, but goosebumps had no chance of raising on his skin at the brilliant heat he felt spreading throughout his body at the sight of Ophelia and the anticipated thrill of being inside of her in a matter of moments.

“Wait,” Ophelia suddenly said, reluctantly leaning up on her elbows and reaching over to pull open her bedside drawer. Luke watched, eyes following the lines and curves of her gorgeous body, before Ophelia tossed the royal blue packet towards him. He caught it, mentally berating himself for forgetting the condom as he used his teeth to rip open the corner of the packet.

His gaze was fixated on Ophelia, her chest rising and falling in eagerness while she watched through a hooded gaze as Luke slid the condom on, a hiss escaping pass his teeth at the feel of the latex. Luke leaned to hover over Ophelia once more, right arm supporting him once more as his left hand lined his shaft up to her awaiting entrance. Their hearts were thundering, which was ironic because they’ve done this a number of times yet the thrilled beating of their hearts and the dizzy pleasure they got in their heads never ceased.

Luke’s head was above hers, curly hair curtaining his cheeks as Ophelia’s right hand reached up to push it back, fingers tangled in and their breaths mingling together as Luke’s blue eyes locked with her hazel. “Ready, sweetheart?”

Ophelia nodded quickly, humming her agreement after hearing Luke’s words over the pounding in her ears, though she still felt the smile twitch at her lips. It immediately disappeared, replaced by her eyes shutting and lips parting with a quiet moan as Luke entered her swiftly, familiarly, his guttural groan joining in with the sweet sounds she was making as his forehead dropped to rest against Ophelia’s. “Fuck,” he rasped, unsure if he would ever get used to the way she felt around him, so ready and so fucking amazing, eyes squeezing shut. “Feel so good, pretty girl,” he couldn’t help but add, pulling out just a bit after she nodded in approval before jutting his hips forward once more, swallowing the moan that escaped Ophelia by pressing his lips to hers.

The movements of his hips meeting hers were slow, purposeful, and Ophelia’s arms looped under Luke’s, pulling him down on her and nails scraping down his muscled back that had yet another deep groan sounding from Luke’s throat. Their lips moved together bruisingly, every sense filled with each other as their bare chests pressed together while their tongues met. Ophelia felt that familiar overwhelmness she felt every time she and Luke were joined together so intimately, incredulous at how dizzyingly fantastic it felt to have him fill her up so completely. Every thrust had her heart threatening to burst out of her chest, and every whispered encouragement from Luke intensified the warmth on her face and prompted even more quiet moans of Luke’s name to spill from her lips.

It wasn’t long until both of them could feel the recognizable clenching in the pits of their stomachs, Ophelia’s legs that had wrapped around Luke’s hips to deepen the feel of him beginning to shake as he effectively brought her closer to the edge. “Oh, God, Luke,” Ophelia groaned against his mouth, their lips pink and swollen from the kisses they refused to end. “I’m gon—”

Their noses brushed together, Luke not letting up from the thrusts of his hips into Ophelia’s as her nails on his back egged him on, heart thumping and ring clad fingers clenching the bed sheets next to her head. “Let go for me, sweetheart,” Luke croaked, accent thickening as he buried his face in the crook of Ophelia’s neck. He breathed in her familiar fruity scent as her hands pressed against his back at the feel of his beard scraping her skin. The tension that had built up in their bodies finally released explosively as Ophelia’s back arched and teeth clamped on the skin of Luke’s shoulder.

Both of their bodies pulsed shakily, heavy breaths and moans they attempted to keep quiet falling past their lips as head spinning orgasms igniting their skin yet slowly loosened the tightness of their limbs. Once spent, the room full of the sounds of their heavy breathing, Luke found himself laying on top of Ophelia, still inside her yet not being able to bring it in himself to move just yet. Ophelia didn’t mind, eyes closed and a blissfully pleased smile tilting at her lips as her hands remained on Luke’s back. “Just so you know,” she found herself speaking, her voice still a whisper as she tried to catch her breath. “I still expect a little something after the weekend.”

Luke’s broad shoulders shook as a deep chuckle rumbled, face still buried in her neck as Ophelia felt his lips press a kiss at the skin there. “Absolutely,” he murmured back, before his arms slid around her bare back to swiftly flip them on the bed, earning a startled yelp from Ophelia as she was now suddenly on top—with Luke still inside of her.

They got rid of the used condom, throwing it in the trash as Ophelia remained laying on top of Luke, bringing her blanket up to cover their bare, spent bodies. She felt so small against his broad chest, laying with her cheek pressed against it as she felt the tips of his fingers lightly trail down the expanse of her back, the soothing gesture along with the thrum of his heartbeat making her eyes flutter closed. Ophelia smiled sleepily—she definitely wasn’t going to get tired of sex with Luke.

*******

Luke’s mother was the sweetest woman Ophelia had ever met. From the moment Luke and Ophelia showed up at the doorstep of his home, Liz Hemmings was all smiles as she hugged and kissed her son before greeting Ophelia with a motherly hug as well. She then had one of Luke’s older brothers, Ben, take her bag upstairs to the guest room before dragging Ophelia into the kitchen, asking if she wanted anything to eat.

Ophelia and Luke were the first to arrive at his house, and since his home was a near three hour drive from campus, the two were spending the night instead of making a total of a six hour trip in one day. Her stuff was in the guest room, much to the disappointment of Luke, but Ophelia didn’t mind—sharing a bed with Luke lately ended up in sex and Ophelia didn’t think it was a good idea to do that with Luke’s family under the same roof.

“Your mom’s adorable,” Ophelia commented once she joined Luke in the backyard, where the party was mostly set up. It was November but it was still warm enough on this particular day to have an outdoor party—Ophelia would fight anyone who said climate change wasn’t a real thing. “She’s into photography?”

She had noticed the Nikon camera the blonde woman had hanging from her neck, one hand almost always on it as if she was always prepared to take a picture. Luke chuckled, ripping open a bag of Tostitos and emptying it out in a bowl on one of the lawn tables that were set up outside. “When she’s not teaching math, she’s taking pictures,” he nodded in confirmation as he crumpled up the bag in his hands. “She’s pretty good, too.”

“Does she do it professionally?” Ophelia asked, hugging her cardigan closer to her as a light breeze blew past. It was warm out, but the occasional wind rose goosebumps on her skin.

“On the side, yeah,” Luke nodded, glancing over Ophelia’s shoulder as his older brother Jack walked out and towards a Bluetooth speaker set up on the side, connecting his phone before a Duran Duran song began playing. “Oi, Jack, when’s everyone gettin’ here?”

“Aunt Penny and the others just got here,” Jack responded, shooting Ophelia a friendly grin before going back inside the house.

Turning to look back at Luke, Ophelia raised an eyebrow. “Do you have a lot of family in the States?” she asked, a question she had been wondering about but never really prodded Luke on. He was Australian, obviously, but she didn’t know that he had lots of relatives here in New Jersey.

“My dad’s side, yeah,” Luke told her as he led her across the yard towards the backdoor. “He grew up in America and wanted to go to uni in Sydney so he moved back, met Mum, and then when I was five we moved here.”

“Your accent’s pretty thick for someone who grew up in America,” Ophelia teased, feeling her heart flutter happily as Luke draped his right arm over her shoulders to pull her closer as they walked.

Luke chuckled, left hand running through his curls as his boots thudded more heavily than Ophelia’s as they got to the porch. “Spent a lot of my vacations back in Aus, since Mum’s side of the family’s still there.”

Entering the house—Ophelia enjoyed the delicious smells of food inside—the two of them caught sight of a couple being greeted by Luke’s parents, as well as two young children running down the hall, squeals of laughter escaping them as they each latched onto Luke’s legs. “Wh—hey!” Luke laughed as Ophelia stepped to the side, a smile growing on her face as Luke bent down slightly to ruffle the tops of the two kids’ heads. Both blonde, one boy and one girl as they cutely grinned up at Luke. He mirrored their expression, blue eyes lighting up happily as he mused, “how’re you doin’, kiddos?”

“I missed you, Luke,” Luke’s eight year old cousin, Holly, smiled up at him as she and her twin brother, Jake, finally let go of Luke’s legs to let him stand properly.

“Yeah,” Jake piped up excitedly, and Ophelia crossed her arms over her chest as she watched them with a smile tugging on her lips. “You gonna play your guitar for us?” he then asked, and Ophelia noticed that unlike their older cousin, the two little kids were American—which, she figured, wasn’t surprising.

Luke chuckled, ruffling the little boy’s hair once more. “Maybe later, buddy,” he relented.

“Who are you?” Ophelia blinked at the sudden question directed towards her, eyes landing on Holly who was peering up at her with curious brown eyes, head tilted to the side.

Her brother looked up at Ophelia as well, both of them looking expectant as Ophelia’s lips parted, slightly taken aback at the sudden attention the two of them were giving her. Fortunately, Luke quickly swooped in, grinning, “this is my friend, Ophelia.” Crouching down to his knees, Luke put his arms around either of the twins’ shoulders, smiling up at the girl who was most definitely more than just a friend as he introduced, “Ophelia, these are my cousins Holly and Jake.”

“Hi,” Ophelia smiled at them, offering a small wave at the two children who easily returned her grin.

“Luke! Come say hi to Penny and Darrel!” Luke’s mother’s voice sounded, and the twenty-one year old ushered his younger cousins off to the backyard before meeting Ophelia’s gaze and nodded his head towards the front of the house, a silent request for her to follow him.

Luke’s aunt and uncle were gathered in the kitchen with his parents, immediately and excitedly pulling Luke into a hug as loud chatter filled the room. Ophelia stood idly, awkwardly by, making conversation with Jack’s girlfriend Celeste until Ophelia heard Luke’s aunt say, “oh, is that your girlfriend?”

Unable to help herself, Ophelia glanced where Luke stood with his aunt and uncle, taking it as her cue to introduce herself as she offered a smile. “Oh, uh,”  Luke fumbled, earning quizzical looks from the two adults as Ophelia pressed her lips together. Luke’s blue eyes then met Ophelia’s hazel, and she saw something flash in his. There was a gentle look of realization that fluttered across his features, before a smile quirked at his lips and he looked back at his aunt and uncle. “Yeah, she is.”

What they were to each other wasn’t something Luke and Opehlia had discussed, but to hear him put a label on it had Ophelia’s heart jumping right into her throat. Whether it was officially or not, Ophelia felt a sense of relief flood through her at the thought that being his girlfriend was something Luke wanted.

Even if her presence at Luke’s house was mostly to be by his side whenever his cousin and ex-girlfriend showed up, Ophelia was glad to be there. Sure, she hadn’t really expected to meet his family already, but there was a warm contentment that engulfed her being in Luke’s home with him. So she smiled at each and every relative of Luke’s that arrived, more than happy to meet them. Especially his grandmother, who they were celebrating today, and Ophelia loved that the small woman was lively as ever. Particularly when she had Luke bend down so she could reach up and pinch his cheeks like he was a ten year old.

Most of the guests had arrived by three, the music playing through the speaker as they all gathered outside. Luke’s father was manning the grill and if people weren’t eating the hot dogs and burgers being made on that then they were munching on the different pastas, mashed potatoes, and other foods laid out. Luke’s dad had two brothers and a sister, so they were all here with their spouses and kids, the yard full of people chattering and having a good time—and every introduction included Luke telling them that Ophelia was his girlfriend.

The smile that pulled at her lips wasn’t something she could ever hope to stop when the word left his lips. She never missed the brightness in his blue eyes, either.

“Oh, Max, you’re here!” Luke’s aunt Hilarie exclaimed, catching Ophelia’s attention as she lowered her can of Coke and looked towards the woman. Hilarie was hugging a blonde boy, another girl standing on his other side that Ophelia couldn’t quite see as Hilarie continued, “I thought you’d never make it.”

“Sorry, Mom,” the boy, Max, laughed lightly, and Ophelia immediately blinked in realization as the name sunk in her mind. Her eyes darted around the yard, no longer paying attention to the conversation she was in with Celeste and another one of Luke’s aunts, before they finally landed on the boy she was looking for.

Ophelia’s grip tightened on her can nervously, conscious of the nearly empty plate of food she was balancing on her lap, as she caught sight of the look on Luke’s face. He may be standing on the other side of the yard, but she could make out thinning of his lips and furrow between his eyebrows, gaze fixated on the newly arrived people. It was them; the cousin and the ex-girlfriend, and Ophelia wondered if she should go over to Luke to distract him in some way. That’s what she was there for, right?

“Luke, dude! Haven’t seen you in a while, man!” Max’s voice rung out, and Ophelia blinked in mild alarm as the new guy wandered over to Luke, casual and calm as if nothing was wrong.

Unable to help herself, Ophelia’s eyes wandered towards the girl following Max, feeling insecurity tightening her throat at the leggy, dark skinned girl with shiny, straightened hair that made Ophelia’s nicely French braided one look like a bird’s nest. The girl, whom Ophelia knew to be Gwen, was gorgeous and Ophelia understood why Luke would ever date her. By looks alone, this girl was a stunner.

Though, Ophelia tried to make herself feel better because if Gwen left her boyfriend for her boyfriend’s cousin, then that doesn’t say many good things about the kind of person she was.

“Oh, God,” Ophelia heard Celeste mutter, the younger girl looking towards the dirty blonde haired woman, surprised to see Celeste staring towards Luke in apprehension. “I hope Luke doesn’t take a swing at Max again. Nan’s gonna be pissed if they ruin her birthday.”

Ophelia was taken aback, brows rising slightly as she asked, “Luke and Max fought before?”

Celeste turned her body to face Ophelia, Aunt Leslie now having a conversation with Liz, as she nodded. “Oh, yeah,” Celeste informed, hazel eyes widening like she was confiding a big secret. She wrung her fingers together as she continued, “when we all went to Aunt Hilarie’s house for Thanksgiving last year and Luke saw that Gwen was there as Max’s date, shit hit the fan. Luke broke Max’s nose, he was so pissed off. And rightfully so!” Celeste shook her head, face scrunching in distaste as her eyes locked with Ophelia’s. “You ask me, Gwen’s not worth it. She cheated on Luke to be with Max—I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up cheating on him, too.”

 Ophelia pressed her lips together, processing Celeste’s words as she straightened her back in the plastic lawn chair she was occupying. Truthfully, Ophelia wasn’t surprised that Luke punched out his cousin, but a little ball of dread did form in the pit of her stomach at the thought of it possibly happening again today. She may have only been here for a couple of hours, but Ophelia already adored Luke’s grandmother—and, God, she adored Luke, too. That being said, she didn’t want this day being spoiled by Luke and his cousin throwing fists at each other.

“I think Luke’s calling you.”

Blinking at Celeste in confusion, Ophelia followed the older girl’s gaze as she nodded forward, and Ophelia’s lips parted slightly in realization as she caught sight of Luke looking right at her. Even from the distance, she noticed the pleading look on his face, and Ophelia immediately stood up and excused herself from Celeste, putting her plate on the chair before crossing the yard and making her way over to the three people standing near the hammock Luke’s younger cousins were swinging on.

Luke felt relief course through him as Ophelia approached, replacing some of the irritation and frustration he had been feeling the second Max and Gwen had stepped into the backyard. Only a single thought had entered Luke’s mind the second he saw Gwen; he couldn’t stand her. Any positive feelings he had towards the girl were now gone, instead replaced with a screaming reminder of what she had done. Fortunately, Luke knew subjecting himself to having feelings for someone capable of cheating on another person would just make him look like a dumbass, and it was a good thing he didn’t feel for her what he used to.

He was pulled out of his thoughts once Ophelia neared them, coming to stand to Luke’s right as he watched a smile pull at her pretty pink lips, one that he recognized as her faux sweet one. “Hi,” Ophelia greeted in a friendly tone, cheekbones prominent as both Max and Gwen’s gazes snapped to the brunette at Luke’s side. “You must be Max and Gwen, right?” She didn’t wait for a response, sliding her left arm around Luke’s waist, the taller boy allowing her to pull him closer as she continued, “I’m Ophelia, Luke’s girlfriend.”

Luke stared down at her in a mixture of awe and amusement. She looked completely at ease, a glint in her eyes that was equal parts mischievous and contemptuous. The smile effortlessly tugged on Luke’s lips as Ophelia’s gaze flickered up to meet his, green eyes bright under the afternoon sun and gleaming in mischief before looking at the two people in front of them.

Max smiled at her politely, and Ophelia noticed that like Luke, he had blue eyes that accompanied his blonde hair, though Ophelia easily preferred the taller boy standing next to her. Luke’s own arm casually wrapped around Ophelia’s shoulders, his body relaxing being so close to her.

“Oh,” Gwen returned, her hand sliding down Max’s arm to grip his hand, a smile stretching on her full lips that Luke knew to be as fake as Ophelia’s. “It’s nice to meet you, Ophelia.”

Luke was trying desperately to keep his lips from forming a smirk, unsurprised that Gwen’s reaction of false politeness went completely over Max’s head. While he didn’t hold any feelings for her anymore, Luke still could read Gwen the way he used to be able to, and he was going to use it to his advantage to provoke a reaction out of the fake bitch—not a word he liked using towards a woman, but there was no harm saying it in his head. Especially towards Gwen. Ophelia was more than happy to help.

“Yeah, you too,” Ophelia nodded, hand on Luke’s back under the leather jacket he wore, feeling the soft material of his shirt under her palm as she added sweetly, “Luke’s told me lots about you guys.”

The uncomfortable expressions on Gwen and Max’s faces threatened a smug smirk to curl at Luke’s lips. His anger towards the two of them made him want to make them feel as uncomfortable as he could manage, and clearly Ophelia was on board with that. God knows Ophelia would’ve blown a gasket if her ex dated her cousin that they cheated on her with. It was just wrong.

Fortunately, Luke’s mother called everyone towards one of the circular tables that was pulled in front of Luke’s grandmother, placing the sheet cake in front of the older woman so she could blow out her candles and cut it. Everyone gathered around as Luke’s grandmother held the knife, his grandfather right by her side as Liz snapped pictures of everyone singing happy birthday to the seventy-five year old woman.

As they sang and clapped, Ophelia’s eyes flickered across the round table where Gwen was standing next to Max, and though the girl’s lips were moving to sing happy birthday, her gaze wasn’t fixated on the blonde to her left—rather, she was focused on the blonde next to Ophelia. “You know, if I didn’t know any better,” Ophelia spoke up quietly, hands still clapping as she leaned her head towards Luke. The taller boy leaned down slightly to his right, stopping his singing, though mouthing along, to listen to Ophelia’s low tone while keeping his gaze on his grandmother. “I’d think that Gwen still has some type of feelings for you.”

Luke blinked, expression morphing into one of weirded out incredulity as the singing turned into loud cheers, everyone clapping as Nan cut the cake. Luke clapped along, but he looked at Ophelia in bewilderment. “What?”

She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest after she finished clapping and the sounds of Luke’s family members clamouring over his grandmother filled her ears. “She keeps looking at you like you’re a piece of meat and she hasn’t eaten in days,” Ophelia murmured, scoffing slightly with a slight shake of her head as she tore her gaze away from the other girl, meeting Luke’s eyes. Lowering her voice even more, Ophelia whispered conspiratorially, “a girl only looks at a guy like that if she wants to get dicked down.”

Luke pressed his lips together, stifling the snort of laughter threatening to blow past as they dispersed from around the table, walking further down the yard as he looked down at Ophelia disbelievingly. “Are you serious?” he said, allowing a short laugh to escape as the two of them settled on sitting on the grass, leaning back against the tall wooden fence that surrounded the yard. “Sweetheart, Gwen doesn’t want to get dicked down by me.”

Ophelia suppressed the smile from growing on her lips at Luke’s repetition of her words, finding him saying them somewhat amusing as she crossed her legs. The floral romper she wore allowed for the occasional goosebumps on her legs whenever there was a gust of wind, and now her bare skin was being tickled by the grass they sat on.

The yard was full of the light hum of everyone chattering, mixed in with laughter and music playing and it felt nice to Ophelia. She had just met these people only hours before, but she felt comfortable around all of them. Eyes wandering around, they landed on Gwen once more before she let out a breathy laugh and glanced at Luke. “Yeah?” she responded to his statement, watching as he turned his head to look at her with a quirk of his brow. “Then why hasn’t she taken her eyes off of you since she got here?”

Luke frowned, looking away and to where Gwen was. When his blue eyes met her dark brown ones across the yard, Ophelia noticed the way Luke’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat before his frown deepened and he looked back at Ophelia, stretching his jean clad legs out in front of him and lacing his ring clad fingers together on his lap. Ophelia couldn’t help the bit of relief at the sight of Luke looking completely turned off and disgruntled by Gwen’s gaze. “She care stare all she wants,” Luke said, “doesn’t mean she’ll get anything in return.”

He tilted his head back, leaning it against the fence and eyes going skyward, and Ophelia couldn’t help but keep staring at him. Luke closed his eyes as a gust of wind blew at their faces, tousling his curls, and Ophelia’s own eyes followed the curve of his nose, the fullness of his lower lip and the sharp line of his jaw, before having to look away quickly as suddenly images of his facial hair scratching her neck from last night began flashing through her mind.

Ophelia let out a breath. This was gonna be a long day.

--

tags: @irwinkitten​ @softforcal​ @astroashtonio​ @valentinelrh​ @sweetcherrymike​ @meetashthere​ @hereforlukescruff​ @novacanecalum​ @captain-what-is-going-on​ @angelbbycal​ @singt0mecalum​ @hopelessxcynic​ @lfwallscouldtalk​ @bodhi-black​ @findingliam-o​ @softlrh​ @calntynes​ @calumsmermaid​ @erikamarie41​ @quintodosuniversos​ @longlastingdaydream​ @babylon-corgis​ @lukehemmingsunflower​ @imfuckin10plybud​ @pastelpapermoons​ @conquerwhatliesahead92​ @rotten-kandy​ @metangi​ @neigcthood​ @ohhmuke​ @old-zeppelin-shirt​ @5sos-and-hessa​ @trustmeimawhalebiologist​ @vxlentinecal​ @pettybassists​ @vaporshawn​ @lu-my-golden-boi​ @buggy-blogs​ @visualm3nte​ @isabella-mae13​ @dontjinx-it​ @lifeakaharry​ @neonweeknds​ @antisocialbandmate​ @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave​ @calpalbby​ @grreatgooglymoogly​ @gorgeouslygrace​ @cocktail-calum​ @miahelizaaabeth​ @madelynerin​ @dramallamawithsparkles​ @theagenderwhocriedwolf​ @kaytiebug14​ @hoodskillerqueen​ @bitchinbabylon​ @empathycth​ @xhaileyreneex​ @inlovehoodx​ @calistheloml​ @aestheticrelated​ @bloodlinecal​ @sublimehood​ @madbomb​ @raabiac​ @britnicole11​ @outofmylimitcal​ @fluffsshawn​ 

[lovemesomesurveys]

survey by ehxsnos

First lets get the basics out of the way...

What's your name? Stephanie.

How old are you? 31.

Where are you from? California.

What color are your eyes and hair? I have brown eyes and naturally dark brown hair, but I dye it red. I’m a year overdue, though...

When were you born? July 28th.

Now for the fun stuff! Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? They don’t have doors; I have a curtain instead that I do keep closed.

How many people have you slept with this week? Zero.

What size is your bed? Full.

What do you drink with dinner? I don’t always have something when I eat unless I already happen to be drinking something, like coffee or a Starbucks energy drink. I do always have water nearby, though. But yeah, I usually don’t drink while I’m eating, it’s usually before and after.

What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Ranch or Chick-Fil-A sauce. 

Last person you kissed/kissed you? Joseph, almost 10 years ago...

What movies could you watch over and over and still love? There’s several.

What is your usual bedtime? After 7AM. :/

When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? It varied, but there were a lot of vampire and witch costumes.

Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? Six years ago for my UC graduation.

Take a vitamin daily? No, but there’s a few I should be taking.

What do you wear to bed? What I wear during the day, which is leggings and graphic tees.

Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Wal-Mart and Target. We haven’t had a K-Mart in well over a decade.

Ever have plastic surgery? No.

Do you want kids? No.

Where did your last kiss take place? I think it was in his car.

Four words to explain why you last threw up? I had a stomach bug. That was like 4 years ago.

Last thing you ate? Wingstop for dinner, which was at 8PM. I skipped out on my nightly ramen tonight that I typically have around 2-230AM and now it’s 4:53AM and I’m starving. :/ I actually fell asleep around 10PM last night cause I had a bad headache and then woke up around 230AM, but I didn’t feel like getting up and making it. Sigh. 

Do you get your nails done? Nope. I’ve only had my nails done once, and that was for my 8th grade promotion.

When did your last relationship end? Back in 2013.

So tell us, what room ARE you in? I’m in my room.

How many stories does your home have? Just one.

Do you own headphones? Yep, I’m currently wearing my new Beats earbuds my lil bro got me recently.

Have you ever... Gotten a Brazillian wax? No.

Gotten so drunk you couldn’t remember wtf you did? The last time I drank I got really drunk (and really sick) and there’s parts of that night that are spotty.

Been called a bitch? Jokingly. Seriously as well, I’m sure, but not to my face. 

Slut? Jokingly.

Pierced anything? *Okay, finishing this at a much later time now cause I ended up zonking out.* Anyway, I just have my earlobes pierced.

Had a tattoo? No.

Smoked a cigarette? No.

Smoked weed? Yes.

Missed someone so bad you couldn’t eat or sleep? I’ve gone through really hard times after losing loved ones. 

Worked out at a gym? Yes.

Snuck out of the house? Nope.

What’s the nearest furry object? My throw blanket.

Is the room you are in messy? No.

What is the single largest item in your house? Hmm.

How much money did you spend today? Zero.

What is the biggest amount of money you have ever had at one time? I think 5,000.

What kind of cell phone do you have? An iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Have you ever been under anesthesia? Several times.

Which Disney parks have you been to? Disneyland and California Adventure.

What does your bed comforter look like? I don’t have one. I use a throw blanket, which is rose gold and fluffy.

When did you last cry? Last night.

When is the last time you took medicine? Over an hour ago.

What was the medicine for? It was my pain medication. 

What kind of health insurance do you have? I’m not sharing that.

What is your birth control method of choice? Well, I’m a virgin but besides that I can’t get pregnant, sooo.

How much do you spend on your parents for Christmas? A lot. I love saving up and spoiling my family with what I can.

If you were given $1k and had to use it on 1 purchase, what would you buy? Uhhh. I’d have to really think about that.

Have your parents ever caught you drinking? I honestly didn’t try to drink before I was 21.

Have you ever crawled through a window? No.

What do you spend most of your money on? Food delivery, heh. :)))))))) It’s my favorite way to spoil myself. <<< Saaame.

Is there a secret you've never told your parents? Yes.

Do you still have pictures of you & your ex? Yes.

Has someone ever spread a nasty rumor about you? No.

How many rooms does your house have? It has 2 bedrooms.

Would you sex tape with you in it for 3 million dollars? No.

Are you happier single or in a relationship? All I really know is being single and while I’m not happy, it’s not because of my relationship status. Being in a relationship wouldn’t fix my problems and would add more stress.

Do you have curly hair? No.

What is a compliment you receive often? I rarely receive compliments.

How tall are you?: Like 5′4.

Who was the last person to say they loved you and when? My mom recently.

What is the last thing you said aloud? I said goodbye to my mom as she was leaving for work.

What was the last thing you had to drink? Coffee.

What is one thing that can ALWAYS be found in your freezer? Ice cream. My dad likes to always have it.

How many pets do you own? One.

How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 32.

Last time you went out of town? February 2020.

First thing you wash in the shower? My body. What kind of shampoo & conditioner do you use? A salon style for red dyed hair.

Do you own something from Hot Topic? I own a lot of things from Hot Topic, from clothes to accessories to collectibles. Majority of my graphic tees are from Hot Topic and their sister store, Boxlunch.

Have you ever bought anything from Pac Sun? Yeah.

How often do you hold hands with someone? I hold my doggo’s hand a lot, ha.

What was the most recent thing you bought? Food.

Could you ever forgive a cheater? I don’t know. Possibly. It would depend on some things.

Do you have Verizon? Yes.

Have you ever been pregnant? No.

What is your average cell phone bill? I don’t know. I’m on a family plan and my parents and brother handle it.

How many piercings do you have? Two; one in each earlobe.

Do you start the water before you get in the shower or when you get in? When I get in.

Have you ever had stitches? Yeah, I’ve had several surgeries. 

Do you think it’s right for straight guys to get their tongue pierced? Uh, it’s a piercing. Who cares.

Are you more of a coffee or alcohol drinker? Coffee all the way. I don’t drink.

Do you have a wireless keyboard and mouse? Nope.

How many songs are on your iPod or MP3 player? *shrug* I haven’t used my iPod in almost a decade. 

Where did you get that shirt you're wearing? Speaking of Hot Topic...

What are your pet’s names? Princess Leia, either one for short. And a ton of nicknames.

Honestly, are you in love right now? Nope.

Honestly, what color is your underwear? Blue.

Honestly, do you think you are attractive? No. I’m a mess.

Honestly, do your wrists hurt? Not at the moment.

Honestly, wouldn't you rather be having sex right now? No.

What would you do if the doctor told you that you were pregnant? Say they got me mixed up with someone cause that’s impossible.

Was there anyone who "made your day"? My mom went and got me my favorite breakfast before she went to work. 

Are you vegeterian? Nope.

How many windows are open in your computer? Two.

Do you read Perez Hilton? Nah.

Is there a baby in the room with you right now? No.

Do you plan on moving within the next year? We’d love to, but I don’t see that happening.

Have you been to a baby shower? I’ve been to several.

What brand is your computer? Apple.

How many cars can fit in your driveway? Two.

Are you taller than your mom? No.

Are you a cuddler? Not really.

Sleep on your back or stomach? I have to sleep turned toward my side and propped up due to acid reflux. 

Do you go to the bathroom with the door open or closed? Always closed.

Do you dress for style or comfort? Comfort, definitely. 

Think of the last time you were angry. Why were you angry? Blahhhh.

Would you marry someone if they were unable to have sex? Sex isn’t a big thing for me, honestly. Also, I don’t plan on getting married. 

Have you ever made a boyfriend or girlfriend cry? My first boyfriend did when I broke up with him. 

Does heartbreak really feel as bad as it sounds? It’s horrible.

How long has it been since you had sex? Virgin here.

Who was the last person to call you babe? *shrug*

Last reason you went to the ER? I haven’t had to go for myself since my accident.

Were you a planned pregnancy for your parents? Yes.

How old was your mom when she gave birth to you? She was in her early 20s. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth? Yeah.

When was the last time you shaved your legs? It’s been awhile. My legs don’t really get hair growth for whatever reason, but that’s fine with me.

What facial cleanser do you use? I don’t.

Do you use a blowdryer? No.

How many purses do you own?: Several.

What are your top five favorite stores to shop for clothes? Boxlunch and Hot Topic.

What kind of clothes do you mostly wear? Graphic tees and leggings.

What about shoes? Adidas.

Have you ever cheated on the significant other that you have now? I’m single, but no I’ve never cheated before.

What are your first thoughts when your visitor visits? It’s always like, ‘ohhh, that’s why I’ve been feeling like that.’

Favorite underwear brand? I don’t have a particular favorite, really.

Last thing you bought at the mall? It was Christmas gifts a couple years ago.

Do your parents like your boyfriend/girlfriend? I’m single. What color are your pillows? I have like 10 pillows and they all look different.

What if an ex asked to be back in your life? No.

Don’t you just love DVR? It’s nice to have.

If you're on a laptop, how much charge does it have left? It’s plugged in, so it’s at 100%.

Last gift you recieved? My brother recently bought me a new pair of Beats earbuds.

Lesson you recently learned? *shrug*

[radramblog]

Game of the Year 2020...?

Ive scrolled the list of games that came out this year to see what my GOTY ended up being, but turns out the only game I played in 2020 that released that year was, uh…….

Fucking good game but like I’m not gonna hand it GOTY by default (That goes to Hades, based solely impressions from other people). Actually, I’m not handing out any awards, really. So I guess I’m just gonna go over a bunch of the other games I did play last year, regardless of whether or not they came out then.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

A mate got me this for my birthday in December 2019, and unlike the other games I got then (Kirby Star Allies which I burned through that month and Octopath which I still haven’t played) I spent a fair few hours playing it last year. This was before the sequel was announced, and also a little bit after the fact- figured I should try and finish one before playing the other. Unfortunately, I have yet to purchase Age of Calamity nor finish Definitive Edition, because the former is expensive and the latter is expansive. Holy shit there’s so much fucking content in this game. I don’t think I ever will finish it to be honest, though despite the repetitiveness it never really felt boring to me. It’s the only Warriors/Musou game I’ve played, and I’d be interested in trying others based on the experience.

(I’m not playing Fire Emblem Warriors though fuck that)

Pokemon Sword and Shield DLC: The Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra

Sword and Shield felt somewhat lacking on release, and while the DLCs released this year did much to try and fix this its still a bit shit that it required an extra paycheck out of you to get the full game- outside of outsourced mobile games like Go and Shuffle, or services such as Bank or Home, Pokemon has never actually had DLC/microtransactions, so this was a little disappointing. I’d argue that it absolutely wasn’t worth it when Isle was released, as fun as the content was it was again, lacking. Crown Tundra I would argue exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations, however- the new and returning mons are cool and welcome (I despised Calyrex’s design on first reveal but their behaviour in story redeemed it more than enough), and the Max Lair Adventure offered a surprisingly replayable romp that has been great to just try and grind out with friends. I can’t say I’d recommend the DLC pack though- only if because you’ve probably made up your mind already as to whether or not you’re getting it, or this doesn’t apply to you at all. I could also put basically every main series Pokemon game on here, seeing as I’m pretty sure I nuzlocked every region at some point during the year, but I don’t want to make this *that* long. 

Super Smash Bros Ultimate Expansion Pass

Smash is still Smash. I don’t find myself playing it much on my own, and even in Perth get-togethers weren’t super common last year. As neat as the DLC characters released this year are for the franchise as a whole, none of them convinced me to play significantly more than usual, and I can’t wrap my head around half of them, so.

Also, I’m still salty about Byleth, and I actually really liked Three Houses, it was my first FE game. Why the fuck wasn’t it Claude????

Rivals of Aether

On the other hand, in the last few months I’ve found myself grinding match after match of Rivals with one of my best mates and the game is a fucking blast, holy shit. I still haven’t bought it for myself, but its basically 100% of the reason I have played 0 smash for the last few months since we’re too busy mashing Orcane vs Ranno over and over and not really getting tired of it. It requires a specific type of person to get into it, but if you’re in that group then its just an excellent game.

VA-11 Hall-A

I first played VA-11 Hall-A (Vallhalla, since typing that is a pain) by pirating it and playing it on my laptop in the dead of night.

It quickly became one of my favourite games of all time.

When the Switch port dropped, I felt obliged to actually pay for it this time around, since the developers had more than earned my money. And then I replayed it again, playing it on my switch in the dead of night (At least this time I had the excuse of being a nightshift worker). With the sequel unfortunately delayed into 2021, it might be time to run it back once more or drag more of my mates into Glitch City since I already forcibly exposed a few of em to it.

The post-credits title screen is still my phone background.

Fallout: New Vegas

I don’t really have much to say about FNV that hasn’t been said already, especially considering HBomberguy’s recently released video, but it is also on my top 5 list and I only got around to playing Lonesome Road and Dead Money this year. Also went out of my way to 100% achievement complete the game on Steam, which I believe is the first time I’ve done that for a game.

Zero Escape Series (Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors, Virtue’s Last Reward, Zero Time Dilemma)

The Danganronpa series’ less colourful sibling, Zero Escape was a series I finally got around to finishing after having borrowed a friend’s copy of VLR back in high school and playing it wrong due to not deleting his save file (oops,). I think VLR remains my favourite, and I really hope the series continues at some point (unlikely as it seems now) considering how ZTD missed the mark pretty hard. The first 2 games are still excellent mystery games and a lot of fun, though you do need somewhat of a tolerance for words.

A Hat in Time

Oh god this game is so fucking cute. Also, just an excellent platformer. Is the DLC still on sale? I should buy that.

Fallout 4

Its just not New Vegas. It just isn’t. I really tried with this game, I really did. The gunplay is great, modding and building shit is fun, but its just not the same.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

A couple years ago I bought a SNES Mini, but until 2020 I didn’t really have a convenient way of playing it seeing as my monitor didn’t have an HDMI port. But now I do have one with one, so I got to start playing this classic! And then stopped because of uni. Should finish that, probably.

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon

Shit Keara I still have your copy sorry I’ll get back to it :<

Pokemon Stadium

I also managed to get my N64 up and running, and despite being the wrong region for most of the games available in local shops, I somehow managed to get Stadium for a great price. Got to dig out my old Red cartridge and anything. Fuck me though, this game is brutal. Seriously, Gen 1 battle mechanics are tough to deal with at the best of times, having to do battle after battle with said mechanics without losing is just nuts. I still haven’t managed to get Round 2 unlocked.

God, fuck you Blaine. Goddamn fire spin Rapidash motherfucker.

Super Mario 64 Speaking of, I managed to pick up a Japanese cartridge of SM64, complete with BLJ glitches and 3 entire save files. After much effort, I managed to actually get it working, and spent most of the night of Christmas getting smashed and trying to beat Bowser in the Fire Sea. I played a lot of the DS remake as a kid, and I feel like an idiot for struggling as much I did with the original.

This is all of course a buildup to the fact that I was lying about not assigning a GOTY. Because there is only one N64 game in my small collection deserving of Game of the Year, because its deserving of Game of the Year every year since its 1999 release.

BEETLE ADVENTURE RACING MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER

[staticscreenwriting]

All you have to be is here - Part 5

Synopsis: Billy has fucked up and has to do 60 days of community service at a home for troubled kids and youth. Working with the kids there makes him learn a lot about himself. Also there’s a girl there his age whohas a phenomenal smile and who is way too nice to him.

I guess I should mention there’s a lot of angst in this. Talk of substance abuse later on, physical abuse, emotional abuse. All that kind of gnarly real life stuff. It deals with kids and teens struggling with a a shitty family life so be aware of that.

Part 5 of ?

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4

Had to reupload because I forgot to tag and once I added the tags it wouldn’t show up under “most recent”. Please help a girl out by reblogging. Thank you ♥

[additional note: I am German. Sometimes I get the tense wrong or make mistakes. I am useless when it comes to punctuation. Go easy on me, please.  I’ll make a header image at some point.]

I never really ever felt so adored before Never really ever felt this type of vulnerable Don’t have to hide, don’t have to fear All you have to be is here Never really ever felt so adored before And I said I wanna feel like this forever Even if forever’s just for now We’re on fire, let us burn As the outside world, it turns We are here and alive In our corner of time Forevermore

The Arcade smells like sweat, cream soda and cool ranch doritos. Some radio friendly pop song is playing from the overhead stereo and the flashing lights of the games are driving Billy slightly mad.

He lets his eyes scan the room for the familiar mop of fiery red hair while his fingernails are digging into his palms creating crescent shapes on his skin. It’s a nervous habit he’s picked up a while ago.

She’s not here. She’s not here. The voices in his head call out to him as his heart speeds up beat by beat. She’s not here and you’ll have to suffer the consequences.

She’s not here and you’ll have to suffer.

There’s a guy leaning against the front desk, flicking through a magazine while stuffing his face with handful after handful of chips.

“ Hey uh— “ Billy approaches and glances at guy’s the name tag “— Keith, you seen a little girl around ? Bout this tall, red hair ? “

He’s met with a scowl and a raised eyebrow.

“ Why ? “

His blood starts to boil. The last thing he needs right now is this nerd giving him an attitude.

“ ‘cause she’s my sister and I was supposed to pick her up and take her home but I can’t see her anywhere. “

“ Max ? “

Billy wonders for a second if he should be concerned that this weird dude knows his sister by name then again Max spends a shit ton of time here so really It’s not too surprising.

“ Yeah, that’s her. So ? “

“ Mmh. She left like an hour ago. “ Keith says then looks back down at his magazine effectively ending the conversation.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Billy hurries back outside, dusk coloring the sky is hues of orange and pink.

She’s probably at the Sinclairs’ place or the Wheelers’ or wherever the fuck her and her friends hang out these days. To check all the places in hope to find her would take pretty much the whole evening and in the end, what difference will it make ? Neil’s gonna chew him out one way or another.

So he drives home sans Max, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turn white. Those are the moments that make him feel like he’s 8 years old again, getting yelled at during baseball practice for not sliding the way his dad has told him to. It makes him feel just the way he did at 9 sitting at the kitchen table watching his dad scream at his mom, calling her names.

It makes him feel like a small vulnerable child.

Lost.

Broken.

Scared.

                            Billy drags himself through the door, drops his keys in the little decorative bowl and throws his jacket over the recliner before trudging towards the kitchen. Every steps feels harder than the next, as if his feet get heavier and heavier the closer the gets to his dad. Like a cow on the way to the slaughterhouse.

Neil sits comfortably by the dining table, newspaper in hand while Susan is buzzing around the room preparing the food and cleaning up all at once. Billy doesn’t think he’s ever seen his dad help around the house, ever. Not back when mom was here and not with Susan.

At the sound of his steps, both Neil and Susan turn towards the door and focus on Billy. Neil’s eyes hold the familiar cold stare. There’s absolutely no warmth in them, no hint of tenderness, love, anything positive really. Billy wonders if there ever has been. If there has been a time when Neil felt some kind of affection towards anyone. He truly can’t remember a time when his dad was treating him particularly nicely but mom or Susan surely had to have had a reason to marry this man. There must have been something redeeming about him.

“ Where’s Max. “ Neil barks at his son.

Well hello to you too.

“ She wasn’t there. I went to pick her up. She wasn’t there. “

Billy is painfully aware that his words mean nothing to Neil, that whatever he says to defend himself is just a drop of water on a hot stone. It’s for nought. It makes no difference.

“ So you just left ? “ Neil replies, neatly folding the newspaper and getting off his chair. He moves agonizingly slow, calculates every move as a predator would before going in for the kill.

“ What was I supposed to — “

“ Did I or did I not, tell you to bring Max home ? “ Neil interrupts.

“ She wasn’t there, dad. I’m not her babysitter. I don’t know where all her friends live. If she runs off how is that my fault ? “

He’s gonna have to face the consequences one way or another, might as well get his frustrations out. Billy knows that talking back isn’t the smartest idea but he’s also incredibly thick headed. His mom never raised a quitter but maybe she did raise a fool and that’s one hell of a combination.

“ I’m sorry ? “ his dad asks, thick mean eyebrows raised in mock confusion. He’s heard him alright.

“ You heard me alright. I was there when I was supposed to be there. It’s not my fault she— “

His head hits the wall before he can even finish the sentence. Neil grips his jaw so tightly Billy is sure he’s gonna leave bruises. Again.

“ You are her older brother. You’re supposed to take care of her. Be responsible. I thought I raised you right but it seems you’re just as much of an irresponsible brat as your mother. You’re a disgrace, Billy. You disgust me. No wonder she left“.

Billy is certain that Neil knows bringing up his mother hits him where it hurts the most. Ever since she left, Neil hasn’t missed a single occasion to make Billy feel responsible for it.. In the logical, rational part of his brain, Billy knows this is bullshit. That it was the yelling, the fights, the bruises that made her leave. But there’s a part of him, the part that remembers baseball games ending in tears and smashed plates on the dining room floor.

And that part believes every single painful word coming from Neil’s lips.

That part feels overcome with guilt every single day of his life.

“ Now you listen to me, son. You go out there now and look for her and you better pray to god that you find her. “

He accentuates his words with another slap to the face effectively banging Billy’s head against the wall again before shoving him towards the door.

There’s blood running down his nose as he grabs his jacket and keys and rushes outside. Just as the door slams shut and he looks up, a pair of eyes stare back at him.

Max looks guilty, like a dog being caught doing something it knows it shouldn’t be doing. “ Billy I — “

He doesn’t stay to listen, just shoves past her and gets inside his car driving off.

It’s not Max’s fault. He know this. At least not really. It’s entirely and solely Neil’s fault. For being a fucking asshole. An abusive fucking asshole. He’s the one throwing the punches. He’s the monster here.

Though Max constantly running off, constantly rebelling doesn’t help Billy’s cause in the slightest. He knows she doesn’t do it on purpose. But the thing is, she does it anyway and he’s the one having to deal with the consequences.

Now he rather takes the punches himself than have Neil put a hand on Max but still, he wishes she could just stick to the rules a little more. Spare him some bruises.

His head is pounding, throbbing. It’s hard to focus on the street right now. Trees pass by in a blur. He knows it’s dangerous to continue driving but he needs to get away. Just a little further. Just a little.

Blood is still trickling down his nose, dripping off his chin. A glance in the rearview mirror confirms his suspicion that he looks like a fucking mess right now. He wonders if mommy dearest ever imagined this was the outcome. That this is what she left him with. Bruises and bloody noses and a head that feels like exploding any second. He wonders if she cares that she did.

The lights before him shift and shimmer, dancing before his eyes like fireflies on a warm summer’s night.

He realizes he needs to stop before his vision goes completely blurry and he ends up crashing the Camaro into a tree. Not his baby.

A sign catches his eye and he pulls the car off the road and drives up the little gravel driveway towards the building that displays in bold red letters on a big white board that this is Benny’s diner and it serves “the best burgers in all of Hawkins” — their words not Billy’s.

As he gets out of his car he can feel just how lightheaded he really is, having to hold onto the Camaro for a moment to collect himself. It’s usually bad but today is a new high or low, however you wanna see it. Billy wonders if Neil finds some sick satisfaction is seeing just what kind of damage he’s doing to his son. Seeing the marks he leaves when someone doesn’t follow the rules.

It’s all about power. It’s always been. Physically and emotionally and no matter how much Billy wants to pretend he’s in charge, that’s absolute bullshit. His dad holds it all in the palm of his hand, pulling Billy along on a set of invisible strings. He knows which buttons to push, which words to spit out. Neil knows where it hurts the most — physically and emotionally.

Before he even really thinks about it, Billy drags himself towards the payphone connected to the outside of the diner. It looks worn and dirty but he can only hope it still works.

His hands are shaky as he throws some spare change into the machine before pushing down the buttons of the number he’s never used and yet still knows by heart. Just in case.

Just in case.

Just in —

“ Hello ? “ she sounds sleepy and Billy can only imagine her hair is all over the place and her makeup is smeared, half on her face still half printed onto her pillowcase.

“ Hey, it’s me. “

“ Billy ? “

“ Mmh. Did I wake you ? “

“ I uh — no. No you didn’t. “ It’s a lie. He can tell immediately though he appreciates the thought. She doesn’t want him to feel bad, wants him to know she doesn’t mind. It makes his heart feel just a little less heavy.

“ Are you alright ? “

Is he ? No. It’s the truth. The honest answer. Though it’s not the simple answer. There is no more simple in his life. There hasn’t been in a long time.

Everything in his life is just another knot in a tangled web of anger and fear and feelings he never allowed himself to feel.

What does he tell her though ? Yes, and lie. Or no and try to figure out just how to explain his entire shitty situation over a pay phone call.

He doesn’t answer at all. Because this question calls for a simple answer and he has none of those.

“ Do you know Benny’s diner ? “

“ In Hawkins ? Yeah. Why ? “

“ Can you — “ he takes a deep breath.

This is so awfully familiar. Can you come ? Can you stay with me ? Can you rescue me from this all consuming darkness that never seems to go away ?

He’s asked his fair share of questions just like that. Can you please come home. Can you ? Can you, mom ? I miss you.

He doesn’t want to ask again now because hearing the answer he’s heard all those other times, will break his heart. — No.

“ Can I what ? Come around ? Is that where you’re calling from ? Lemme just get dressed and I’ll be there, okay ? “

His heart breaks right there. Then reassembles. There’s still pieces missing but for a moment, for a fleeting second it feels like some of the cracks are temporarily filling up.

“ You sure ? “

“ I’m sure. Always !“

“ Okay.  “

“ Okay. Hey Billy ? “

“ Yeah ? “

“ Can you go inside and safe us a booth. And order me some cheese fries and a cherry coke ? “

He smirks at that, wipes the blood from his face and leans his forehead against the wall.

“ Always. “

                            Billy’s fingers nervously play with the chipping wood of the table before him. He can see the waitress eyeing him with an unreadable expression. He’s not sure if she regards him with worry or lust — or both.

She’s about to do her third round to refill his glass of water, when the bell above the door chimes up and figure rushes inside, denim jacket wrapped tightly around herself.

(Y/N) plops down across from Billy, hair wild and face void of all makeup. He can faintly make out a pillow print on her right cheek.

“ Hi, sorry it took so — oh my god. “

There’s pure and unfiltered horror on her face. As if she’s looking straight at a murder scene.

“ It’s that bad, huh ? And here I thought I could charm you with my exceptionally good looks. “ he jokes. She doesn’t laugh though. Not even a little bit. Not even a smirk or a grin. Nothing.

Instead her eyes hold a deep worry he hasn’t seen from anyone but her in such a long time, it still feels otherworldly and incredibly foreign to him.

“ What happened ? “

That’s the thing. Nothing happened. Nothing out of the ordinary and maybe that’s the biggest tragedy of them all.

Billy shrugs “ Guess my dad just isn’t my biggest fan. “

He can see just then it all clicks in her head. The bruises and the bloody nose and the constant state of anger.

“ Oh Billy “ she says, her voice but a whisper. “ Oh god. “

Before he can comprehend what’s happening she’s slid out of her side of the booth and sits down next to him. Her arms wrap around him and she buries her face in the crook of his neck. She’s warm and soft and gentle and it’s the complete opposite of the touches he’s used to from his dad.

He decides then, that her hugs are definitely in his top 5 list of favorite things on this earth.

(Y/N) slowly pulls away then gingerly cups his face trying to examine the damage.

Her eyes are glistening with unshed tears just waiting to fall. Billy doesn’t think he’s even close to be deserving of her worry, her affection and her love. But there is no way in hell he’s gonna reject it. He needs it. My god, he needs it so terribly.

“ Pretty boy, what am I gonna do with you ? “ she softly murmures, he assumes it’s just as much a question to herself as it is to him.

If only he had any idea how to answer it.

“ You think I’m pretty ? “

It doesn’t take away the gravity of the situation, the insanely heavy burden resting on them both. It does make her smile though and that’s more than he can ask for right now.

                            They spend the next hour at the diner, sharing some cheesy fries and listening to the 50s records playing over the stereo. (Y/N) doesn’t leave his side, not for a single second. He’s grateful. Having her close feels like things aren’t about to fall apart any second. She’s filling the cracks with smiles and warmth. She’s holding the seams together with soft touches and whispered words of affection.

“ Tell me something “ he says after stuffing another load cheesy fries into his mouth.

“ What do you want me to tell you ? “

“ I dunno. Something about you. I feel like you know a lot about me and I don’t know shit about you. “

She looks pensive for a moment, deep in thought as if carefully calculating just what secrets she wants to spill to Billy at 11pm in a diner at the edge of town.

He can’t fault her for that. Opening up is terrifying.

“ My mom died when I was 12 “ she replies after a moment of silence.

“ I’m sorry “.

She nods then leans her head against his shoulder “ she was a great mom. She loved me so much we were pretty much best friends, did everything together. Things were really tough for us but she always tried so hard to make life fun and happy for me. “

His mom did try, for a while. He always believed she loved him too. Then she ran off with some dude name Jeff she met at fucking Cracker Barrel. Seems like there was only so much love from her to be given to other people. And in the end Jeff won out over Billy.

“ What about your dad ? “

(Y/N) closes her eyes and takes a deep breath “ My dad was in jail for pretty much the biggest part of my childhood. Never for long but soon as he got out he found a way t get back in. When he was home he was — a rollercoaster of a person. He had times when he was the most fun person in the world, taking me to the fair and the movies and making up stories of make believe worlds. I love that man, that dad. But there were times, and they got more and more as time went on, when he was angry and scary and violent. Never to me but my mom was always on the receiving end of his wrath. I sat in my room covering my ears hoping the yelling would stop but then also fearing the moment it would because the silence was even scarier. When she was yelling at least I knew she wasn’t slumped on the floor bleeding or crying. “

There’s cold and hot shivers running up and down his spine as he listens to her story. If there’s one person in this world that he wishes he could take the pain from, it’s (Y/N). If he could just take it from her and put it all on himself, he would.

“ I was 10 when I called the police after finding my mom unconscious on the living room floor and dad gone. They arrested him again, put up a restraining order. Mom and I moved to Hawkins to be with my grandparents. Then she got sick. She died when I was 12 and I stayed with my pop and nan for a while but they — they’re old. They aren’t fit to raise a teenager so when I was 15 I got myself emancipated. That’s why I work at HHTCY. It’s a requirement to show that I am capable of living on my own and being responsible. Dad tries to contact me every once in a while. I don’t want to see him though. As far as I am concerned my father died along with my childhood when I had to pick my mother off of the floor, bleeding and unconscious. “

Billy doesn’t know what to say, there’s no words in the english language to properly express just how sorry he is that she had to go through this. How much he wishes she didn’t. How much he just wants all the pain gone and wrap her in up in quilt of safety and warmth.

So he doesn’t say anything, just pulls her closer and places a kiss on her head.

“ Pretty girl, you’re probably the most badass person I know. “

She sniffles then glances up at him with a tiny smile “ you think I’m pretty ? “

                            When they arrive at (Y/N)’s place, Luke the cat runs up to them, rubbing himself on Billy’s leg and purring up a storm. Though he never considered himself to be a cat person, Billy can admit that he’s warming up to this one particular feline. Luke is fat and happy and content. Maybe Billy is even a bit envious of him. Oh to be a housecat. What a glorious life.

(Y/N) disappears in her room for a moment and Billy let’s himself slump down on the couch. His head feels better though it’s still lightyears away from feeling good. The night feels like a goddamn hurricane of emotions. His mind was so loud at first, felt like it was never gonna shut up with thoughts of what is and what could be. Now it’s quieter, softer. Like a cozy blanket has been draped around him. To keep out the cold. The noise.

Billy kicks off his boots and takes off his red shirt leaving him in a white wife-beater. Just as he is about to lay down on the couch and settle down for the night, the door to (Y/N)’s bedroom opens and she calls out to him.

“ Billy ? “

“ Hmm ? “

She doesn’t reply, just reaches out her hand towards him waiting for him to take it.

He does. No question asked. He doesn’t know what it is about this girl, and quite honestly it terrifies him, but he would follow her to the end of the earth. Something about her puts things in perspective. No matter how cheesy it sounds, how much it makes him look like a pussy, but this girl has changed his life in the matter of about a week. This girl has brought some kind of sunshine to him. Has put parts of his heart back where they belong.

Her hand looks tiny in his. It’s such a stark contrast, her soft smooth skin against his all rough and calloused. It shouldn’t feel right but it does. It feels like it the only thing that’s right in his life. It feels perfect.

“ I can not let you sleep on the couch in this condition. I — it’s too small for you and it’s uncomfortable. “

“ It’s alright. “

She just shakes her head. “ I don’t want you to sleep alright. I want you to sleep well. Comfortable and warm and cozy. “

She has the most gorgeous eyes he’s ever seen. Like stars. How fucking cheesy.

“ So what, you gonna let me sleep in your bed ? “ he jokes, teasingly raising his eyebrow.

He thinks his heart about stops when she bites her lip and nods, pulling him towards her bedroom. And it’s not because of any sexual implications. This feels so much more intimate than casual sex ever could. Just the mere thought of falling asleep next to her sends a weird tingling sensation through him. To fall asleep holding her. To wake up next to her. Messy hair and pillow print and sleepy eyes and tired smile and all.

“ Okay. “ and this time it’s his words that don’t come out as more than a whisper.

                            The morning sun shines through the curtains of (Y/N) bedroom window, enveloping the room in a golden glow.

Billy opens his eyes to the sudden brightness lighting up the room. A glance at the clock on (Y/N)’s bedside table tells him that it’s 9:42, they’re already late for school might as well sleep in. After last night’s events neither of them thought of setting an alarm.

Billy looks beside him to the sleeping girl still blissfully unaware of anything but her dreams. He hopes they’re good ones. A selfish part of him hopes there’s a place for him there somewhere in her dreams.

It’s a strange sensation to wake up in a girl’s bed when he hasn’t had sex with her. He doesn’t think it ever happened before. Strange. Not uncomfortable though. Not at all.

As if sensing someone looking at her, (Y/N) grumbles in her sleep then reaches out towards Billy. When her hands find his arm, she crawls closer towards him and cuddles into his side as if it’s no big deal. And maybe it isn’t. Friends cuddle all the time, right ?

Thing is, it IS a big deal. At least to Billy it is. He’s not cuddled with anyone is such a long time. He definitely doesn’t cuddle his hookups. That’s way too intimate. Way too personal.

Billy Hargrove never thought of himself as a cuddler but as he pulls (Y/N) closer and feels her warm and soft against him, he thinks he might have been wrong about that. If this is what cuddling feels like, he’s definitely a cuddler.

So he closes his eyes again to fall back to sleep with the girl in his arms that changes everything.

                            “ Can’t believe you convinced me to skip school. You’re a bad influence Billy Hargrove. “

Driving along the roads of Huckley, sunshine flooding the streets, the two chew away on their late late breakfast to go. Having agreed that there was no point in going to school after having missed quite a bit, the two of them decided to just head over to HHTCY a little earlier than usually.

“ We were late anyway. And don’t pretend like you don’t enjoy it. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life. “

(Y/N) gasps “ did you just quote Star Wars to me ? Holy shit, Billy Hargrove is a nerd after all. “

“ Ah shut up. “

He doesn’t want her to shut up though. He’ll gladly listen to her ramble on about some nerdy movies he doesn’t really give a shit about if it means she’s happy. If it means he gets to see her smile.

“ So what’s on the agenda today ? “ Billy asks before taking another bite from his bagel.

“ There’s a uh — group session. “ she says, glancing at Billy. Though her eyes don’t meet his. Instead they rest on the bruises scattered across his face.

“ Why are you looking at me like that ? “

“ Mmm, you know, a lot of the kids there come from homes where they’ve experienced domestic violence. Talking about it helps them, maybe — “

“ — I’m not gonna talk about my feeling with some looney doctors “.

“ You could talk to me “.

Billy puts the car in park but doesn’t get out, just stares straight ahead trying to find the right words. He hasn’t had anyone to talk to in so long it’s hard and scary to change his ways. He wants to talk to her it’s just so much to unpack, half of it he hasn’t even dealt with himself.

“ I know that. “

“ Good, that’s all I want. Always, yeah ? “

He nods and places a soft kiss on the top of her head before getting out of the car and walking towards the big brick building.

Even her hair feels soft and warm, goddammit.

                            With every story shared Billy gets more and more angry. His blood keeps bubbling and boiling at the thought of what some of these kids have been through.

It makes him acutely aware of the bruises littering his skin. Though he’s a big guy, he can take it. These are kids. Innocent kids who don’t do anything wrong. They didn’t ask for this. The dysfunctional family dynamics. The frustration and the stress and the blame and the hurt.

What makes him even more angry, is that some of the adults in this room, professionals or not, don’t seem to grasp the situations. They have a lot of nice words the shower the kids with. They’re empty phrases though, written by someone who’s never had to go through the struggles he thinks can be overcome with positive thinking and focusing on the good in the world. The happy things.

“ Try to focus on the good things “

Enough. Enough.

Fucking enough.

“ That’s such bullshit. “

It’s the first time he’s ever spoken up in any session, ever, which means all eyes immediately focus solely on Billy. Then again, maybe it was also because of the swearing.

“ Would you like to participate in our discussion, Mr. Hargrove ? “ Lydia questions, still slightly perplexed by the fact that Billy of all people is suddenly showing interest in the conversation.

“ Sure. I said It’s bullshit ! “

“ Excuse me ? “

“ Oh you heard me. This whole thinking positive shit is old news. That stuff doesn’t work for someone who comes from a completely normal family and it most certainly doesn’t help when your dad thinks a new black eyes would really suit you. There’s no positive thoughts to fall back on when you’re all alone in your room with nothing but yelling from downstairs and the fear that once this fight is over you’re the next to feel the wrath.

A positive side doesn’t exist for most things in my life. In those kids’ lives. The good stuff is fine and the bad stuff is real fucking bad. Horrible. No happy thoughts for those days when you’re covered in bruises and blood from your nose courtesy of your father’s fist. You tell those kids that one day the good is gonna outweigh the bad. How can you be so sure ? Cause I can tell you right now, so far I can’t confirm that. “

“ Billy “ (Y/N) approaches him, placing her hand on his arm. He doesn’t shake her off though he’s not finished.

“ Stop telling the kids that the storm is gonna blow over. Maybe it will but the damage is done and It’s gonna weigh down on them for a long time. A long ass time. And you get so used to feeling nothing but anger and sadness. So when a good thing comes in your life, it’s fucking terrifying., because what if this too ends up leaving, what if you mess up this good thing ? “ he says then look over towards (Y/N) then back to Lydia “ You don’t tell ‘em that, do you ? “

Billy doesn’t wait for an answer, just rushes out the room, hands clammy at the anger and frustration cursing through his system.

He leans against the cool brick wall of the building, taking drag after drag from his cigarette trying to calm his nerves, as a pair of arms wrap around his middle from behind. (Y/N)’s places her head between his shoulder blades just holding him close for a moment. Billy thinks his heart might combust right there and then. She seems to have a magical ability to take away all the anger, all the pent up rage. And in its place there’s only calm.

The cigarette drops from his hand and he toes it out before placing his hands on hers, taking one of them in his and placing soft gentle kisses on her skin.

What is this girl doing to him ? And why is it both insanely scary and absolutely wonderful ?

                                                        Taglist:

@babygal-babygal / @anxiousamandapanda / @imjusthereforsupernatural / @chhhcherybomb / @tomarisela / @noodlenerd101 / @xxcxrolinexx / @bippity-boppity-boopa / @mcrmarvelloki /

[kohanayaki]

Caught in the Middle (Steve Harrington x Reader x Billy Hargrove) Ch 4

Links: Ch 1   Ch 2   Ch 3  Ch 4  Ch 5  Ch 6  Ch 7

_____________________________________________________

Ch 4 .:A Date?:.

Sunlight streamed in through your window, ribbons of light cascading across your bed sheets. You could hear the faint sound of birds chirping as the morning greeted you.

And you felt like complete and utter shit. 

You groaned, your head pounding, as you tried to block out some of the light with your pillow. You'd gotten home last night at 2:00 on the dot, feeling fine. In fact, you even caught up on some homework before you went to sleep. Now you just felt like you'd been hit by a truck.

You looked over at the time, reluctantly getting out of bed when you saw how late in the morning it was. The kids were biking over in half an hour to go to the mall and you looked like hell.

You padded down the hallway, mustering up a weak laugh when you saw your brother passed out in his room, knowing he'd probably wake up to the same fate as you. 

As you made your way downstairs the smell of breakfast food made your stomach rumble on instinct. You were 'hydrated' plenty last night, but there wasn't much actual food. Your eyes lit up as you rounded the corner and saw your dad plating up some eggs, bacon, and pancakes. He grinned as he saw you, setting the plate down on the table in front of you. 

“And how is my daughter doing this fine morning?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Swell,” you said sarcastically.

He laughed, walking over to the cabinet to get you some Tylenol and a glass of water. 

“Trust me, I know the feeling,” he said, “I can't really say anything on this one, I'd be lying if I said I haven't done worse when I was your age. That hangover is punishment enough. Just drink water throughout the day, and go on and eat something greasy while you're at the mall too. But get your blood sugar up right now, I don't want you back in that car until your head's clear, you understand?”

“Will do,” you said, already stuffing your face, “Thanks, dad.”

“You're welcome,” he smiled, “Love you, drive safe.”

“Love you too,” you said through a mouthful of bacon. 

As he retreated back into his office you savored the taste of the feast he made for you. You smiled fondly as you did. Your dad didn't really cook until he became a single parent. When he took on the full responsibility of raising you and your brother, he tried his best to fill your mom's role, following the old recipe books she'd left behind. His first attempts were a general health hazard, but as time went on he actually turned out to be a great cook.

The sudden ringing of bicycle bells outside your house made you scarf down the rest of your plate, snatching your car keys off the table. 

You opened the front door to see the whole gang waiting for you.

“I swear, the only time you guys are on time for anything is when you're leeching off of me,” you said, unlocking the car and leaving them to figure out the seating.

“You know us so well,” Dustin said, hopping into the shotgun seat before anyone else could take it. 

“I forgot to ask earlier, but how was that summer camp you went to, Dustin?” you asked, turning on the engine.

“It was so cool,” he beamed, “Our counselor taught us how to make all kinds of inventions. I made a self-nailing hammer, a wind powered clock, and a radio tower so I can talk to my girlfriend whenever I want since her parents monitor her phone calls.”

“Girlfriend?” you turned to look at him. He smiled back at you, bright as anything.

“Yeah, we were surprised too,” Max said from the back.

“Although we're not sure she actually exists,” Mike chimed in, “Apparently she's as hot as Phoebe Cates.”

“Hotter than Phoebe Cates,” Dustin corrected, “And she's a genius too.”

“Riiight,” Lucas said. 

“Well I think she sounds great, Dusty,” you said, “It's pretty romantic you built that radio tower just to talk to her.”

“It's the strongest communications network in Hawkins across 150 channels,” he said proudly.

“Well, that's certainly impressive,” you grinned, ruffling his hair. 

Soon you pulled up to one of the many entrances to the mall, stopping at the curb. 

“Well, this is your stop, guys,” you said, “What are you gonna see?”

“The Stuff,” Mike said excitedly. 

“Isn't that rated R?” you questioned, a brow raised. 

All of them looked at each other, slightly panicked.

“Well, we'll see you later, (Y/n)!” Lucas said, flinging open the back door and getting out as fast as he could. Everyone else quickly fled after him, running towards the theater. You shook your head. They got themselves into a lot of shenanigans, but admittedly you were the one instigating it most of the time when you were younger, even if you were the babysitter. 

However, as soon as the kids left for the movie you were painfully reminded of the throbbing headache you had. You groaned as one of the strobe lights around the movie theater glared in your face, not helping matters in the slightest. 

You knew eating a bunch of greasy food technically didn't do anything for a hangover, but it sure made you feel a hell of a lot better emotionally. With that in mind you decided to walk over to the Burger Chef located inside the mall for a little pick me up. 

Luckily for you there wasn't much of a line. Only a few people were scattered around the seating area at the food court. You were looking over the menu hanging on the wall when a familiar voice broke your train of thought.

“(Y/n)?”

You looked around at the sound of your name to see Steve looking back at you, just as surprised. 

“Hey,” you said. You took a moment to look over him. He looked just as awful as you did, if you were honest. The deep-set bags under his tired eyes aged him an eternity, and he looked a bit green as well. 

“You too, huh?” You bit back a grin as you gave him a short laugh through your nose.

“Yeah,” he admitted, “In hind sight I probably shouldn't have mixed liquors, but hey, there's nothing I can do about it now. Figured some fries might help.”

“They always do,” you said, “What are you doing here, anyways? Aren't you on your shift at Scoops?” You noticed he was still in his work uniform.

“Lunch break,” he explained, “I don't really have long, but we can grab a table if you want.”

“I'd like that,” you smiled.

Steve was a little surprised at his own forwardness. Apparently he was hungover enough to not overthink everything that came out of his mouth. However he was even even more surprised at you agreeing to sit down with him. He didn't know why his brain was making such a big deal out of this; you ate lunch with him every day and hung out together all the time, but then again that was also including a group of other people. You and Steve had never really spent time together when it was just the two of you, except for when you iced his busted face after the basketball stunt, which hardly counted as a first date. 

He felt uncharacteristically nervous as he slid into the booth next to you. A year ago he would have been pulling out all the stops to make you his, but now he just wasn't so sure anymore. He was never afraid of rejection before, but when he thought of you as the one rejecting him he figured it would be better to not say anything at all. 

'Get yourself together,' Steve thought to himself, 'It's just lunch with a friend. Friends do that!'

“Penny for your thoughts, Popeye?” you said, flicking the fabric of his sailor hat. 

“Huh?” Steve said, snapping out of it, “Oh, nothing, just, uh. . .” he quickly picked up a menu, hoping to cover the majority of his reddening face with it, “Looking at the XXL Supreme. 2Lb beef patty with bbq sauce, ranch, fried pickles, beer cheese and. . . yeah, that sounds pretty gross.”

“I'll probably stick to a regular burger,” you laughed, glancing at the menu over his shoulder. 

You were so close he could feel the heat coming off your body and smell the sweet scent of your perfume. He scolded himself for being so weak, forcing himself to concentrate only on the food. 

Right at that moment a waiter strolled up to you, writing pad in hand. 

“Hi. Welcome to Burger Chef,” he said, sounding just as dead inside as he looked, “How may I serve you today?”

“A double patty melt with cheddar,” Steve said, “And a coke, please.”

“I'm trying to decide between-” you stopped yourself as you looked up, staring at the waiter. You thought he looked familiar and it was then that you realized he was one of the guys that bullied your brother in middle school. Your eyes narrowed as you recalled how he and his friends cut the strings on Kyle's guitar when he brought it to school one day. 

You saw a flash of recognition in his eyes and your lips curved upwards.

“The classic burger, simple,” you said, the fakest smile you could muster on your face, “But on a sesame bun instead of the brioche, no mayo, extra mustard, add caramelized onions and extra cheese, and don't forget the pickles. If you could add shredded lettuce instead of the whole leaf that'd be great. Oh, and a Neapolitan shake with chocolate syrup and no whipped cream.”

“We don't have a Neapolitan shake,” he said irritably and slightly panicked, trying to write everything down. 

“Well I heard in your commercial if you just ask, an employee would be happy to mix any of the milkshake flavors together,” you said, your smirk widening. What could you say? Being a bitch was fun sometimes- especially when the person on the receiving end was a total dickhead. 

“Coming right up,” the waiter said through his teeth.

Steve looked between the two of you before the waiter stormed off to the kitchen window, slamming his hand down on the bell with more force than necessary.

“So, what'd he do?” Steve chuckled.

“Bullied my brother really bad in school,” you said, “What goes around comes around, though. In a few years Kyle will be off to LA to start touring with his band and this guy will still be here covered in fry grease wearing a burger shaped hat.”

“Well I hope that's not my fate,” Steve said, only half joking as he took his uniform hat off, twirling it in his hands. 

You could tell even though he tried to hide behind the humor it was something he really was concerned about. 

“Hey, don't worry about it,” you said, nudging his shoulder lightly, “You're not an asshole. . . anymore.”

You managed to get a laugh out of him at the end and you smiled, glad you were at least able to cheer him up some.

“Seriously, though, it's fine to not know what you want to do with your life yet,” you said, “Hell, I know grown ass men who still don't know what they're doing. You don't have to go to some fancy college to do something great.”

Steve looked at you, thinking over your words. He thought it was crazy how you were his age but you were so much more mature and optimistic than he was. The way you thought was unlike anyone he's met before in Hawkins, and it only further intensified his wanting to get to know you.

“Thanks, (Y/n),” he smiled.

Meanwhile, your little crew of gremlins had finished their film, now making their way to the food court for lunch.

“What do you think The Stuff tastes like?” Lucas asked to no one in particular.

“I bet it's like Betty Crocker frosting,” Dustin said dreamily.   

“Um can we not talk about how sentient parasitic goo tastes? Because we're literally about to go eat,” Max said.

Suddenly Dustin stopped in his tracks, making Will run into his back. 

“Dustin, what the hell?” Mike said, screeching to a halt before he could collide with Will. 

“No way,” Dustin said, staring far off some place the others couldn't see.

“What's wrong?” El asked, confused. 

Dustin pulled his friends behind the shrubbery next to the fountain, ducking in the cover as he peeked his head out slightly. 

“They're on a date!” Dustin said, a little too loudly. He ignored the stares he got from passersby as he continued to watch you and Steve laugh over your burgers in your shared booth.

“(Y/n) and Steve?” Mike said, “I thought he was still hung up over Nancy breaking up with him.”

“Well clearly the man's moved on,” Lucas said.

Max rolled her eyes, hitting him on the arm.

“Ow!” Lucas exclaimed, turning to her, “What was that for?”

“Just because a guy and a girl are hanging out doesn't mean it's a 'date',” she pointed out, “Maybe they're just good friends. I've seen them around each other a lot at school.”

“I think he finally worked up the courage to ask her out for real,” Dustin started theorizing, ignoring Max completely. 

“What do you mean for real?” Will asked.

“It's so obvious he's into her but he's scared of striking out,” Dustin said, “That whole Nancy situation really struck a blow to his self confidence.”

Mike tried to get a better look at what you two were doing, leaning over El's shoulder and squinting at the burger place. Suddenly his footing slipped from under him as he accidentally took a step on the wet tile near the fountain and fell on his ass into a bush. 

“Shit!”

You and Steve stopped eating your burgers and turned around at the sudden noise, but saw nothing but a ruffle in the plants nearby. 

“That was weird,” you said, looking around. 

“Yeah,” Steve said, “Well, it's bear season, you never know when they'll sneak up on you.”

You laughed at that, the sound making Steve's heart flutter. He loved your laugh, even more so when he knew he was the cause of it. 

Suddenly Steve remembered his shift was probably starting, his lunch break was less than an hour long.

“Shit, I should've been back ten minutes ago,” Steve said, looking down at his watch, “My shift already started.”

“Oh, sorry,” you said, “I didn't mean for this to go on for so long.”

Steve looked surprised, shaking his head vigorously. 

“No, no, I liked it,” he said, not fully registering how the sentence sounded out loud until your cheeks flushed.

“I-I mean-”

“I get it,” you laughed softly, “I liked it too.”

Steve felt like his heart was just shot through with cupid's arrow as you smiled up at him and offered to walk him back to Scoops. He hadn't felt this way since Nancy. After she broke his heart he was convinced he would never get over her, but now you were here, occupying all the free space in his mind despite only knowing you for a short while. What the hell was going on with him?

His mental debate came to an unceremonious stop when he realized you were already in front of the ice cream shop.

Steve turned to you and did his best to sound indifferent. He had a really good time, but he didn't know if you felt the same way.

“Well, I better get back to it,” he said, clearing his throat awkwardly, “You know, suit up, sling ice cream, appease the masses-”

“We should do this again sometime,” you said, effectively flipping the 'off' switch on his rambling. 

Steve seemed to freeze in this plane of existence, staring at you with wide eyes.

“Yeah! I mean, that's what I was gonna ask you, but I didn't know if you wanted to, and. . .” he trailed off, kicking himself again.   

'When you talk you just make it worse,' he mentally scolded himself.

You laughed a bit at his flushed face.

'Adorable,' you thought. For being the former king of Hawkins High, he was still a giant dork.

“Well I'll definitely see you around this time, then,” you smiled, reminded of your first day back. Things were different between you two now, but that wasn't a bad thing at all.

You walked out of Scoops Ahoy feeling lighter, a smile on your face and your headache long forgotten. With your disastrous dating history, maybe Steve Harrington was the kind of guy who could be good for you right now.

The very thought made you feel giddy inside, but as you said yourself before, life had a funny way of changing your plans completely.

Read Chapter 5 here!

Taglist: @in-my-dreams-2000 @ggclarissa @iris1697 @5sosxgrethan @ohnoniella @sarcasticalphaofthelooserspack @aspiring-fangirls-world @wow-im-so-tired @hopesxxhigh @justanothercrazyassfangirl @too-many-lanes @whimsylavender @bish-ima-clown @amarachoren @mosiacbrokenheartstf @mcuvlxgs @xapham @metuel18 @immirandaq @nellaphine @multi-madison @gingertalksshit @jojo-buttercup @kyberhearts @mvdelaine @minnie-marvel @caitlin-rose28 @zandaleekrz @r3inventedd @void-fire-rose @macymafia @wanna-be-idle @newtsshelbys @kimmydespell @weyheyokay @r4ttusr4ttus @cynthianokamaria

[crystu-cii]

True it wod be risky- oh wow XD when my hair was long enough(and dark enough, I dyed it black) to notice, it would get EVERYWHERE- tbh it was probably only 4-5 inches long max, but GEEZ- XDD

Of course!! There is a lot to learn about XD Awww thank you, I'm just happy to help 💞💕💖💝💕💞

"YOU HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES AGAINST SKYRIM AND HER PEOPLE--"

Good luck!! You probably just need to make a parent microsoft account in the family of your account, then adjust the settings of it- I think my sister just looked it up when we were fixing it, so you could try looking up how to change your settings so you can play realms--

I meannn pocket edition i s a bedrock game I think- so you're not really wrong XD oh wow XD rn I play minecraft, and I'm getting back into pokemon games to try my hand at a shiny badge quest-- w h eeze- I started this ages ago but soft resetting in this game is painful ;w;

Of course! I hope you have fun, and I wish you the best of luck with schoolwork XD speaking of I haven't done my coding assignment for the day oh no--

But also I bsed a full-fledged, cited essay in under two hours I feel POWERFUL-

w e ll technically it's just the rough draft but if you think I'm putting any more effort into this than that time then uh-- you would be incorrect-

ohh darn- rn im not sure how many inches my hair would be- but right now my hair length is where it reaches my elbows :0 but its always such a pain for hair to get everywhere- god you would mistake me as a dog or cat shedding fur xD

💞💝💕💖😭💝💕 and WHEHEHZEE XDD

and hooo man i barely know shit bout microsoft and all that but i'll see what i can do! amd hOO that reminded me i also played this vanilla pokemon server and it was pretty sickkk (even tho im not the biggest fan of pokemon- but i think i was just bored and i felt like a true gamer for once- XDD) i remember there a lot of servers i did random crap in- and gah- i hate it whenever they reset progress ! especially when i havent played the server for a while and then i come back to see everything gONe and the server is casually like "aight yeha so uh we got rid of everything-" and i was like "w h a t-" XDD

and yeah- i hope everything for me turns out alright in the end xD and oH nO be sure to do it if you can! ;0;

and WOW HOLY DAMN THATS A MASSIVE FLEX- for me it took 30 minutes just to write the rough draft of my introductory paragraph xD but it still sounded like you did amazing! better to have something than nothing! :00

[afterthelastreset]

Krisei Zodiac Event Aries Week

Aries Zodiac Sign Info Gotten From:

https://www.horoscope.com/zodiac-signs/aries

“The first sign of the Zodiac, Aries are the trailblazers. Passionate and independent, Aries will never do something just because everyone else is doing it—a Ram needs to be 100 percent committed to the task at hand. Competitive to the max, the best way to motivate an Aries is to turn something into a contest. Aries will put everything they have (and then some) into winning. Loyal, smart, and impulsive, they always have multiple projects on their mind, and won't be satisfied until their work, social life, and personal lives line up exactly with the dream life they've envisioned. Those who are drawn to magnetic Aries may have trouble keeping up—but if they can, they'll have a friend for life.”

🔥Aries Week

Day 1: *when Susie Dares you on a blind date*

The candlelights were lovely tonight. Shining brightly against the otherwise dark room, making shadows dance across the walls and adding a certain flare to the whole scene. The few rays of light that didn't make the darkness dance were shining off the small pile of food in front of them, making them hungry. But he couldn't care less about those food right now, right now he was more nervous about the real gem in front of himself.

The monster’s white fur sparkled against his beautiful  face, delicate pink eyes fluttered those lashes at him and if he wasn't already sitting down, he would've fallen over from nerves alone. Luckily being frozen meant he didn't have to worry about sweating in front of him. He had a whole new other set of worries though. Like did he put everything together ok? Did Susie warn him enough? Did she give him the right wine for this thing? Oh gosh he hoped she didn't give him apple juice. Not that the goat monster seemed to mind though. He was smiling that beautiful grin of his.

"I must say, Kris. I wasn’t expecting to be asked by Susie to meet a man in such a dashing suit.~" He glanced down to the wine bottle in his hand before back to him and giving a chuckle. Making him smile his nervous grin wider, "I never suspected you'd be one of such class.”

Kris chuckled nervously and pulled at the bowtie around his neck, "U-Uh. Y-Y-Yeah, I honesty didn't know if you'd agree to g-going out with a plain old human like me. ...UH! N-Not to say y-you're selfish or anything!" His face became more scared when he had realized what he had said. Holding his hands up. "I-I just meant that you might not have wanted to g-go with me since you're way out of my league...U-UM! N-Not saying you're one of s-s-shallow and stuck up nobles! Because obviously you're not!"

The monster chuckled at his obvious flustering. But not in a bad way, on the contrary. He thought this little scene was absolutely adorable. And the lengths he went through, though not as fancy as other dates he went on, it was still so sweet how he went through all the trouble of putting this all together just for him. Kris froze when he heard the dark prince chuckle but Ralsei didn't look mad in the slightest.

"It's quite alright.~ I must say the set up has been quite sweet thus far.~"

Kris stared at him in disbelief. "Y-You..You really m-mean it?"

He chuckled again. "Yes, and I can’t wait for this to happen again.”

“D-Don’t worry. That’s a promise.”

Day 2:*boldly taking the first kiss*

One moment.

That's all that it took. One small breath moment to have the two freezing up and staring at each other in silent shock. The two silently stared at each other for what seemed like forever- ....It wasn't supposed to happen you know. All this time just going through the steps together, gracefully gliding across the ballroom floor all alone..It was just supposed to help him learn, not to start gazing into each other's eyes for weeks on end in private after hours, admiring his strength. His booming laughter. His slowly steadying grace to the movements he was asked to teach the giant monarch. It was never supposed to come to a folly such as this. What cruel entity up above thought it'd be a great idea to push them together and set thing strange fate? If he had any sense, he would excuse himself, pretended it never happened, and move on with their lives...

But-

His paws slowly gripped tighter around him and one look already told him he couldn't get away even if he flung his whole body forward. Not that he wanted too anyways. Eyes slowly closing. The giant paws gently bringing them closer. And in a last flee from sane thinking or any other life boggling mysteries about this whole thing-

They kissed.

Day 3:*taking that bold leap forward and taking your relationship to the next level*

Bells toiled with the distance and blinding white decorations coated the entirety of Card Castle's halls. One could smell and taste the sweet smell of the decorative flowers and the amount of deserts on the table nearby. OH what a wonderful delight to the senses this fine day was. And it was all the better for the two who's the entire celebration was for. One couple who's hardships and difficulties were no match against their hope. WHo's love despite the impossibilities that should've been there to begin with, wasn't shattered or gone away. Oh! They were tested for sure. Thick and thin. With tears shed, labored sweat, and much fighting for it. But still gained none the less. A testament for the outstanding bravery they had faced all for this one important day they had only dreamt of until now.

But with the rings slipped on his fingers. The smile on his face. The happy tears making the make up drip down his cheeks. Happy sobbing and awes from watching crowds. There was only one thing he could possibly say to something like this-

"I do."

Day 4: *boldly choosing to leave your own world to live with the one you love*

The warm bed hugged their bodies as they curled up to each other. The soft pillows and mattress was supposed to bring one comfort along with the blankets in times of rest. That was their job. That's what they were supposed to do wasn't it? The comfort of sleep was supposed to be a relaxing experience to have for all. But unfortunately sleep didn't come easily tonight, not when the one next to you was tossing and turning, and eventually woke you up with his grumbling and kicking. Oh no it simple wouldn't do at all. Not just for his own sanity, oh he could worry about that later, but the giant next to him. He couldn't just leave that be. Oh that would simply not do at all.

Currently the supposed to be silent room was alive with soft humming and little mumbles of sobs and chokes. The larger of the two had himself buried within the comforting embrace of the much smaller man as he continued to let out the sorrows of that night.

"I miss him, Ralsei. I-....I sometimes f-feel like..I betrayed her with this!"

He shushed the human. Patting his back, "No, no thou didn't. he would've understood. he wouldn't have thought bad of you."

"I-I d-don't-..."

He shushed him again, letting the two of them slightly rock back and forth. “You’ll be alright. Im here to help you."

Day 5:* Ralsei makes a bold move to contact the human*

It'll be ok just breath. Everything was going to be alright. There was totally not a chance this was going to blow up in his face, and he had zero chance of really embarrassing himself again in front of a potential hero. Yep! All he had to do was relax and not do anything to embarrass himself as always. YES! EVERYTHING WOULD BE TOTALLY FINE!!! He gave a couple more big gulps of air into his lungs as his body did the usual totally not nervous habits of tapping his foot, and wringing his hands together as he nervously kept staring up at the large door awaiting the approaching two. There he was....The hero. Well heroes but he wasn’t looking at the tall lady. Instead at the handsome hero of sparkling red eyes and fair blue skin as he walked towards the dark Prince. Ralsei could barely speak. Thank goodness his embarrassed face was hidden by the cloak. He swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke.

“Greeting Heroes...”

Day 6:* Kris contemplates his own family and the one he grew up with*

How does one decide another's worth? How does one predict another's personality or their impact they leave behind? Well unless you can see into the future and know for sure what you're dealing with then you're in for surprises. Which is what happened to him not too long ago. He could admit(just to himself) that he never expected to be surprised by someone he originally perceived as an easy pawn to his own needs. He never expected to be the one drawn to something so opposite of himself. But here he was, one moment minding himself the next-

The small child happily laughed and hugged the other man who was holding him. A strange family to one seeing it from the outside, but one he was more comfortable and familiar with over time. One he had to learn to accept but it was worth it in the end. But that brings up another question. What exactly made up a family? Most would picture a small house with a picket fence, a mom and dad, and a little boy and girl running around. But truth is it's not always that simple. Family is beyond blood or marriage.

It's who's always making you smile and there for you.

Day 7: *A kiss during a play is a forward move*

*Highschool drama club au*

The bright lights on the stage was almost blinding to the eyes of the ones on stage, and the audience but they weren't important right now. The glowing white light reflected perfectly off the two as they stood there wrapped in each other's embrace. Of course to the audience this was just another act of the school drama clun, and the ridicules costumes they were wearing for said performance were uncomfortable, but the way they was being held. The way the dashing prince's outfit fitted him. The way the white light shined off his beautiful features, no matter how artificial this role was, was absolutely breathtaking to them.

His handsome smile and fluttering eyelashes were to die for.

"And so. The Princess was safely returned to the Kingdom of Monsters," the narrator shouted somewhere on the stage to their right, but they barely paid attention. They were more focused on what the last part of the play script meant for them and their beautiful goat prince afterwards. "And the brave Prince was rewarded with her hand in marriage. They spent the rest of their lives together and lived happily ever after!"

The audience cheered in celebration and internally so did they when the prince finally got the oh so awaited kiss that was so rightfully his. It seemed like years before they pulled apart staring into each other's smile.

"Happily ever after, My Prince.~"

"Happily Ever After to US, Kris.~"

@krisei-world

[disaster-by-chance]

20 Questions:

Rules: Answer 20 questions (+5), then tag 20 bloggers you want to get to know better.

I was tagged by @zelsisi, thanks!

1. Name: Max

2. Nickname: Don't really have one

3. Zodiac: Leo

4. Height: AHAHAHA- 4'11

5) Languages: English

6) Nationality: American

7) Favorite season: Hmm,, I don't like summer because I have to wear shorts, but I also don't have to go to school...I like autumn because I can wear pants but that's when I go back to school...So maybe winter? Spring?

8) Favorite Flower: Huh. Um. Red Ginger.

9) Favorite Scent: Pine trees/campfire smoke. Gets me recharged.

10) Favorite Color: Brown and/or grey.

11) Favorite Animal: Cheetah,, it's been since elementary.

12) Favorite fictional character: Oh damn,, I have way too many. But my current ones are Qrow Branwen from RWBY and Eijiro Kirishima from My Hero Academia.

13) Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate: All of them to be honest. They're all great and I drink all of them super sweet.

14) Average Sleep: Um,, probably 6 hours? It really depends on what I spend my time doing at night and if I'm able to sleep in or not on weekends.

15) Dog or cat person: A dog person, definitely.

16) Number of blankets: On my bed? Like,, three. I have it set up in such a way so that my heat is insulated so that I don't get cold at night.

17) Dream Trip: Ooh,, um probably like to England or something.

18) Blog Established: Uh, not too long ago, actually. One day I just randomly wanted to make it and I did. I've probably have had it for,, three months? Since January?

19) Followers: 403 babey! Thanks everyone! <3

20) Random Fact About Me: I collect straws.

Plus Five More Questions:

1) Gender: Oop, what?

2) Sexuality: It ain't no lie, baby bi bi bi

3) Hogwarts House: Apparently Slytherin??

4) Where are you from: Texas y'all

5) Why I started the account: I'd gotten back into RWBY and nobody I really knew was into it too so I had to find people who were. So wouldn't you know, I decided that Tumblr would be a great start, and here I am now! Stuck in a hiatus...

Tags: Whoever wants to do it! ^^

[serendipitousrambles]

One Summer Can Change Everything

Chapter seven: The third of July

"Wait... you're what?!" Max stood up from her seat around the fire. They'd pitched camp not far from the canyon, planning on making their trip tomorrow into California.

"We're moving in together." El said, leaning against Mike. "We didn't want to be apart and thought, why should we if we love each other?"

"That's like...huge." Max looked between them. "A big step."

"We've faced bigger issues. I think we'll be ok." El kissed Mike's cheek and he put his arm around her.

"Hopper's gonna murder you." Will pointed at Mike.

"We're 18. He can't tell us what to do." Mike shrugged, but there was a hint of worry in his voice that Hopper really was going to murder him.

Dustin stood up, rubbing his hands together. "I think this calls for a celebration."

He went over to his tent and came back with cans in his arms. "Ok so Steve is totally gonna get in trouble for this but he let me have these."

He chucked a can at Lucas. "Beer? No way we're not-"

"I'll have one." Max said, catching a can from Dustin. "We're being dumb teenagers aren't we? And we've just had some good news."

Lucas reluctantly took a can from Dustin.

"I'm good." Will declined his, he felt like someone at least had to be in sound mind.

"Mike? El?" Dustin held up a can and they accepted.

"Let's toast," Dustin raised his can, "To friendship," he looked over at Mike and El, "to love , and being dumb teenagers!"

They copied, taking a sip. El scrunched up her nose in disgust and Mike laughed.

"Not a fan?"

She shook her head but took another sip, foam leaving a line across the top of her lip like a moustache.

"You got something," Mike wiped his thumb across her lip, wiping away the foam.

"Thanks." She smiled at him, taking another sip, slowly getting used to the bitterness.

///

An hour and a few beers later, the bonfire had turned into a small party, the 5 of them using the van's tape deck for some music. Will sat by the fire, taking photos of them dancing by firelight, or drawing in his sketchbook.

Mike grabbed El's hand and spun her around, both of them laughing giddily. He threw their arms about wildly, neither caring how stupid they looked in that moment.

Dustin and Max were dancing, Dustin attempting to copy Mike and spin Max but ended up with her standing on his foot.

Lucas sat with Will watching them, trying not to be angry. They were his friends and they were just dancing. Why should he care? And it's not like he's dating Max anyway, doesn't matter what she does. After standing on Dustin's foot, Max instead grabbed El from Mike and the two began dancing together, Mike taking a seat next to Lucas.

They were shrieking with laughter, singing loudly to the music.

"I can't believe we're going to live together." Mike smiled to himself. "Every day I get to wake up and she's there. Already. I'm not scared anymore about college. Not when she'll be there with me."

He wanted to be the one who protected her, but Mike quickly realised it was often the other way around. She protected him in ways he never realised, but he would do the same for her.

"That's nice." Lucas tried to smile but it sounded sarcastic.

"Sorry for being in love with my girlfriend." Mike raised his hands defensively and Lucas shrugged.

"It's not that. I'm happy for you. I am."

"Then what?"

Will stood up, clearly fed up with the conversation and was grabbed by El. They'd softened to each other over the years and reluctantly Will had become more her brother than her friend.

"It's nothing," Lucas said, not looking at Dustin and Max. "Come on, let's save Will from your girlfriend."

Mike laughed, but he wasn't convinced Lucas was ok. Still, the evening went on with them dancing into the night.

///

The next morning they were up early for Mike's shift at driving. The plan was to get to California by sundown so they would have the whole of the Fourth to celebrate on the beach.

By the time they reached the beach, the sun had almost completely set. The pier however was lit up with neon lights and carnival rides.

Fourth of July had always been slightly tainted for them, all remembering the harrowing events that happened 4 years ago. But they were all together, knowing that no matter what they'd been through, they'd made it out alive.

There was the smell of cotton candy, donuts, and popcorn in the air making El's mouth water. She still had a very sweet tooth which Mike was reluctant to indulge. But he still bought her the biggest cotton candy stick there was. She grabbed a handful, placing it in his mouth and he wrinkled his nose as it slowly melted on his tongue. He never had really enjoyed cotton candy.

The party seemed to have split up slightly, Mike and El getting lost in the confectionery stands while Lucas tried his hand at some of the games, starting a competition with Will on the ring toss.

Dustin and Max somehow ended up on the rollercoaster, then the spinning tea cups to which Dustin almost threw up on.

After about an hour, they all found each other again. El had a huge teddy bear in her arms that she had won (despite Mike trying and failing multiple times to win it for her), and Mike carrying a big bag of candy corn and popcorn they had been sharing.

Lucas and Will had bumped into them at the tin can stall, but there was no sign of Dustin and Max until they heard bickering and laughter from behind. Max was in pieces laughing at Dustin who was red with anger.

"A damn seagull stole my churro!" He shouted when he saw the rest of them. "And Max did nothing but laugh."

"You were about to fight a seagull? How is that not funny."

Dustin looked at Mike and El's food stash. "Can I have some?"

"What? No get your own."

"Let him," Max sighed. "He almost threw up. It was embarrassing."

"Ew." Mike reluctantly offered Dustin the popcorn.

"Thanks."

El was absentmindedly looking around when her eyes landed on one last activity she wanted to do. She tugged on Mike's arm and he turned around.

"The wheel?"

He looked up at how high it went. "Uh…."

"Are you afraid of heights Mike?" Max laughed, folding her arms.

He gulped, thinking back to the last time he was up high. His feet slowly shuffled to the edge of the cliff, hearing Dustin's cries from behind not to do it. He'd been so certain he'd probably die right then, but El had saved him.

But from that day on, Mike felt his stomach drop to his knees whenever he thought about being up high. Sure he had El, but he couldn't rely on her powers, not when they were so fragile now.

"I'll go with her." Will shrugged, he wasn't bothered about heights.

"If you're sure?" Mike tried to act casual but was hoping Will wouldn't change his mind. He wanted El to be happy and would go on the wheel for her, but if Will wanted to be a brother then he wasn't going to stop him.

"It's fine."

El stuffed the bear into Mike's arms and kissed him on the cheek before running off with Will to the ferris wheel line.

"I think I'll sit this out too." Dustin said, still looking uneasy from his time at the tea cups.

"Think you can handle it stalker?" Max looked at Lucas and he nodded.

"Please, I can handle a little height." He shrugged it off nonchalantly.

///

"Shit this is high!" Lucas gripped the bar tightly, eyes shut so he couldn't see anything.

"Baby." Max laughed, shaking her head. "It's fine, look."

He opened one eye slowly, and then the other. He could see out across the ocean which was nothing but a dark abyss with the sliver of moonlight illuminating it. The town had it's lights on, flashing all sorts of colours. Down below he could see Mike and Dustin talking to each other, and in the carriage behind El and Will were giggling as they leaned forwards and backwards - rocking the chair for the fun of it.

Lucas looked over at Max, and couldn't help but smile. She looked radiant in the moonlight, even in the glow of the ugly neon carnival lights.

He knew they'd agreed a long distance relationship wasn't what they wanted, but seeing her like this reminded him why he'd even started liking her in the first place.

He didn't know what the future would bring, but maybe...just maybe it was worth trying to fix things.

[justablueeyedscribe]

It’s Just a Name

Summary: When Max’s home life finally comes to Camp Campbell, with the excuse that they showed up for Parents Day. But that was many weeks ago. So why are they really here?

WC: 1,747 Rating: T (Swearing, Very Mild Referenced Child Abuse/Neglect) Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Chapter Seven: A Reveal

The ten-year-old ran as fast as his short legs could take him to his tent. He got to his tent, grabbed Mr. Honeynuts off of his cot, then stuck his head out of the tent. No one was around but just in case Max shoved his precious bear under his sweatshirt and proceeded to run back to the mess hall. Once he got there, he saw some of his fellow campers already gathering for the horseback riding activity. Luckily, Layla-Rae was outside by the mess hall. He snuck over to her and bumped her knee with his elbow. She kneeled down and brought her clipboard up to block Max as he handed her the bear. The black-haired assistant kept the bear hidden between her and her clipboard.

After a few minutes, all of the campers were gathered in front of the mess hall. Max spotted Nikki and Neal. He started to walk toward his friends but Layla-Rae grabbed his shoulder and whispered, “Don’t cause too much trouble,” she said with a wink. Max smirked but didn’t say anything. He joined up with Nikki and Neil as Devi came out of her bus again. Gwen stepped in front of the small group, “Okay,” she said as she clapped getting everyone’s attention, “So, it looks like a storm is headed toward us. It will be here in a couple of hours. In the meantime, we will be going down near the activity stations where Campbell, David and I set up a fenced-in area where you will be riding the horses. You will all be going five or six at a time until it starts to rain or until dinner. Whatever comes first. David will be staying here at the mess hall watching the storm. He will warn us when it is close. Let's head down there now.” Campbell and Gwen led the way, followed by Devi then all the campers. Max, Nikki, and Neil were in the back slowly walking. “So,” asked Neil quietly, “You’re not going to try anything, are you, Max? I know horses can be startled easily and-“ Max rolled his eyes, “Why in the world would I cause any trouble to ruin mother’s visit?” he said very sarcastically. Before Neil could say anything else, they arrived at the small, blocked off area. Devi started to explain how to get on a horse, how to steer, how to speed up and slow down. Max, once again rolled his eyes, then walked to a nearby tree and sat underneath it, he pulled out David’s pink cell phone and started to scroll through all of the apps on the phone.

Back at the mess hall, Layla-Rae was sitting at a table inside slowly stitching up Max’s poor worn-out bear with dark green thread. David stumbled through the mess hall doors carrying an old radio. Layla-Rae looked up and wrinkled her nose at the radio, “Why do you have that?” she asked turning back to the stitch she was on. The camp counselor dropped the radio on the table next to Layla-Rae, “I need to keep an eye on the weather, that way I can let Gwen know when the storm will hit,” he said as he started to switch through channels on the radio. “Don’t you have a phone to watch the weather on?” she asked. David nodded “Yeah but I have no idea where it is at. Max probably has it!” Layla-Rae smiled brightly and laughed, “That doesn’t surprise me.” Layla-Rae continued to stitch the bear. They sat in silence for a few minutes before David got rid of the smile on his face and spoke, “You said you were going to tell me about Max’s home life? If you're still up to talk about it, anyway.”

Layla-Rae tied a knot at the end of the stitch she just finished then looked over the bear just to make sure it was all sealed up. “Yeah, it is," she paused, "let me begin by saying that Max is not physically abused,” a look of relief washed over David’s face, “he is purposely neglected by Devi.” David had a look of confusion and concern on his face. Layla-Rae sighed, “Devi keeps him emotionally and socially neglected. Friends are not allowed. Outside contact is limited and monitored. He is strictly homeschooled. Max’s room is design specifically for the press. He’s not allowed to touch anything in there. He’s only allowed outside of the house with Devi. Then she will lie about everything. According to the press, Max is just a troubled child. She says he’s been kicked out of school, many of her staff have quit because of Max, and just stuff like that. She says that he brings so much stress to her.” Layla-Rae waved Mr. Honeynuts in the air, “This is the only constant, personal thing he has. I gave him this bear the year he turned three when I got my first paycheck from my first job and had extra money after paying bills. It’s really the only thing that Max has that he likes.” Layla-Rae looked over the bear again, “Devi has tried to throw this bear out so many times because she didn’t approve of it.” The woman sighed, “I try my best to get him away from Devi. That's why we go camping in the backyard." Layla-Rae's jaw set, "I’m the one responsible for him. I make sure he eats right, has clothes he likes to wear, I homeschool him and I play games with him. But the minute Devi catches him showing me any affection-" she sighed and shook her head, "I’m the only consistent thing in his life. I may have missed a year and a half of his life, and I will be the first to admit that I’ve made plenty of stupid and life-changing mistakes but I will make sure that he doesn’t get that fucked up,” David had stopped changing the stations on the radio and was just listening to Layla-Rae.

“So,” David started, “Why does she do all that?” Layla-Rae shrugged, “I’m pretty sure that it’s all my fault. Every time that Max showed any affection toward me, whether it be a hug or even a ‘thank you’ Devi separates us for weeks, sometimes months. And every time I get to see him again, after being separated, he always seems exhausted and distant. I should’ve just taken him away from Devi years ago. It has gotten worse in the last year when Devi went through a bad divorce. Her ex-husband was a good buffer between her and Max.” Layla-Rae was getting exhausted just talking about it. David placed his hand on Layla-Rae’s hand. “It’s not your fault,” said David giving a soft smile to the woman across from him. Layla-Rae looked up at him, “What do you mean?” she asked, “I could be doing much more. I should’ve taken him away from all of Devi’s drama. I should've taken him away years ago.” David shrugged, “Devi’s the issue, and you’re still there. You are a constant thing in his life. Even if you don't feel like it,” he said, “You’re doing everything in your power to make sure Max has a semi-normal childhood. I know it’s not easy. But I think you’re doing a great job with Max.” Layla-Rae and David smiled at each other, “Thank you. That means a whole lot to me,” said Layla-Rae. A few moments went by before they noticed that they were still holding hands. They both blushed. The woman coughed, “I’m going to run Mr. Honeynuts back to Max’s tent. I’ll be right back.”

It only took a few minutes for Layla-Rae to run there and back. She went through the mess hall doors and saw David still messing with the radio and still getting static, “I think the storm is causing that static. It also might get here a bit sooner than expected.” David looked up, “How can you tell?” Layla-Rae smiled, “I have a degree in environmental sciences! I specialized in Meteorology.” The counselor's eyes sparkled, “That’s amazing! So, I'm guessing that's why you take Max backyard camping?” “Yep!" she said nodding, "I take him out and teach him all sorts of nature stuff. Weirdly, Max's favorite stuff to learn about is geology,” The black-haired girl’s voice was very cheery, "He always ignores my comments about weather patterns. He always asks me about rocks though." David’s eyes still sparkled, “I didn't know that! So, does he like anything else about nature?” She shook her head, “Nope. Just rocks. He has a collection of them at home in the backyard. He gives his favorite ones to me though so I can keep them somewhere safe.” David has now left the radio and was sitting across from Layla-Rae. The assistant's face brightened, “Here,” she said pulling out her phone and bringing up the radar for their area, “Now you don’t need to worry about that radio!” David sighed in relief, “Thank you, Layla!” They where both quiet for a few seconds, “So what else do you like to do in your spare time?” Layla-Rae smiled, "I haven't been asked that type of question in years. I guess it was the last time I went on a date!" “I guess we are on a date now! I mean if it isn't creepy- I guess- I'm sorry, I'm making this weird probably. I'll just go." He stood up to leave but Layla-Rae grabbed his hand. “You aren't making this weird, David. So sit down. I take it you don't go out on many dates?" David sat down again and nodded, "Yeah. I just started actively dating pretty recently. And my last relationship didn't end that well." "Please, a guy like you? I don't see how a relationship with you would've ended so bad! It probably ended better than my last relationship!" "Well, I do consider myself a hopeless romantic," The redhead tugged at the yellow shirt around his neck, "But, uh, It ended- Well- I kind of, hit my ex's new significant other with a chair... at a bar..." Layla-Rae stared at him for a little bit before bursting out laughing, "No way! I would never think someone like you would do that!" She paused and smiled at him and saw how nervous he was talking about that, "Now if you think that's bad. My last relationship- now keep in mind my last relationship ended about 7 years ago now- but anyway...."

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