#it might rebound and keep YOU away instead

[siennamakeschaos]

HEY

*runs up to you*

What's ur opinion on apples? :D

tbh I don't really like apples that much

I used to like green aplles when I was younger but now I just...don't as much. I'll deffo eat them if somebody were to give them o me, but yeah

they're great for throwing at people tho!!

[supernovafics]

𝐖𝐄'𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

word count: 2.5k words

summary: in which it was a drunkenly suggested idea that actually didn’t sound too bad, and it was somehow easy to turn your friendship into something a little different. the hardest part should be keeping it a secret, but instead, it’s making sure that things don’t change more than they already have

warnings: explicit language, friends with benefits, sexual tension, implied smut, a lil angst 

author’s note: first time writing for eddie (finally!) this is slightly based off the song ��homegirl” by king princess. specifically the line “we’re friends at the party, i’ll give you my body at home.” more eddie stuff coming soon? eventually? maybe..?

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

From the beginning, you both had the same understanding of what this was.

Two friends having fun every once in a while. Two friends doing things that two people who were just friends wouldn’t do with one another. Two friends that wanted something completely and utterly not serious because they both had just gotten out of shitty relationships and weren’t in the right headspace to commit to anything. 

You and Eddie agreed on it all. 

And you two also agreed that you could never tell your friends about what you were doing. 

You could only imagine the concerned and confused looks that would’ve been shared amongst them all if you and Eddie sat them down and told them about what had been happening for the past five months. Steve would think it was kinda weird and so random. Robin would say the same thing and also add that you two being each other’s rebounds would only mess things up within the friend group in the long run. Nancy would go on and on about how this was not the way that you two should’ve been coping with your respective break ups, etc, etc. 

Neither of you wanted to hear any of it, so with hushed whispers and the linking of pinkies in the middle of the night— moments after you two had drunkenly made out in the bathroom of The Hideout and were debating on whether or not you should move things to the back of Eddie’s van that was parked right outside— this quickly became the best kept secret. 

During group hangouts and other social situations, you and Eddie were just friends— nothing more, nothing less— but when you were alone, it was different. 

In a way it was fucked up, and on some level you both could recognize that. Falling into each other’s beds most nights was definitely not a good way to cope and deal with everything, just like Nancy would’ve told you both, but so far it was working perfectly fine. And how easy and okay it all was— how it somehow never felt weird or wrong to flip that switch and change your friendship into what it now was— only sometimes confused you. 

And just for a moment, as you and Eddie sat in his van outside of Steve’s house, you were hit with that confused feeling that also slightly surprised you. It was fleeting, as quick as it came it was washed away, and then it was forgotten. 

“Come on,” You mumbled against his lips before fully pulling away. “We need to go inside before they think we got into a tragic car crash while going to get this fucking ice.” 

“One more minute,” Was all Eddie said in response as his lips found your neck. 

You savored the feeling for a second before your hands came up to his chest to softly push him away. “Nope, no way. Do not give me a hickey right now, Munson.”

He only laughed and you simply rolled your eyes at the sound as you opened the door and stepped out of his van. You headed to the back and Eddie followed suit, opening the doors so that you two could grab the ice that you’d been tasked with getting forty minutes earlier. You picked up one and he grabbed the other two, and then you pushed the doors back shut with your free hand. 

“How you getting home tonight?” Eddie asked you. You knew what his question really meant— Are we going home together?

“Not sure yet. Might stay with Robin since it’s her birthday and she said she’s probably gonna just spend the night here. Or I’ll drive with Nance,” You answered, shoulders lifting in a small shrug. 

Neither of those things would end up happening, you knew that you’d probably be leaving here with Eddie in a few hours. But it was nice to tease him right then, push his buttons a bit. 

He only smiled at you, easily reading through the bullshit laced within your words, and was completely okay with playing along. “Okay, got it. I guess I don’t have to worry about bringing you home.” 

“Guess not.”

You two were already standing in front of Steve’s front door, but you simply held Eddie’s gaze for a few beats longer, the smallest smile playing on your lips, before you pushed the door open and the teasing conversation immediately became drowned out by the music. 

Steve waved you both over to the kitchen. “Finally, you’re back.” 

“There was some traffic,” Eddie told him and Steve surprisingly didn’t question the excuse— even though there being traffic in Hawkins was an insanely far-fetched statement to make. 

You handed the bag of ice in your hand over to Steve, which he put in the freezer and then he and Eddie poured the others in the coolers that sat on top of his kitchen island that had beers and sodas in them. 

You were about to walk away— see if you could find Robin, maybe wish her happy birthday for the third time tonight— but Steve slung an arm around you before you could. “I need you to be my beer pong partner.”

“Y’know, Steven, I don’t think it can really be considered as a partnership if I’m the one doing all of the work to make us win,” You said, but still let him drag you to the table littered with red solo cups anyway. 

Two rounds of beer pong later, both of which you and Steve— mainly you— won, you were slightly tipsy. Definitely nowhere near drunk enough to do the karaoke that was set up in the living room, like Robin, Vickie, and Nancy. Although you did enjoy their very theatrical and soulful performance of Somebody to Love by Queen. 

However, you were just the right amount of tipsy to smile when you spotted Eddie through the throngs of people, smoking weed on the couch and talking to Gareth. A part of you wanted to walk over and settle yourself in his lap, but thank God your thinking was still somewhat logical and you reminded yourself that you couldn’t do that. 

Instead, you settled for sitting on the arm of the couch and feet resting on the dark cushion, close enough to Eddie but not so much that it would raise a thousand alarm bells by your friends if they saw you two right then. He looked up at you for a brief second, giving you a small smile that practically melted your insides, and you were the one who had to pull your eyes away from his first. 

A silent conversation played out in a matter of seconds— he held the joint out toward you in offering, not even breaking the conversation with Gareth as he did so, and you grabbed it, taking a long drag before handing it back to him. 

You were only half-paying attention to what they were talking about, some new horror movie that you hadn’t gotten around to seeing yet. All you could really focus on was Eddie moving a bit and leaning against your legs. 

It wasn’t something that was entirely un-innocent— you could’ve easily pictured Robin or Steve or Nancy doing the same thing— but coming from Eddie it nearly drove you insane, and you had a feeling that he knew that. It was always the simplest of touches that made you essentially fold for him, when he’d place a hand on your knee whenever you were in the passenger seat of his van or when his hand would find the small of your back whenever you were at The Hideout and surrounded by way too many people. 

And it was especially easy to fold when you weren’t fully sober.  

You looked down at him and noticed the smirk on his face and you had to hold back your eye roll. If he was going to tease you, you were willing to do the same back. 

You abruptly got up from the couch. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom.” 

You didn’t wait for his response before you started walking away, but you hoped that he picked up on the request that was hidden beneath your words. 

The first floor bathroom was luckily empty and you flicked on the light as you closed the door behind you and faced the mirror above the sink. You were only looking at yourself for a brief second before the door opened and you turned around to face Eddie. 

The same fucking smirk was on his face as he pushed the door closed and locked it behind him and then immediately reached out for you. “C’mere.”

“Mm-mm.” You shook your head as you stepped back away from him. “I just wanted to talk.”

He let out a small laugh at that. “Okay, yeah, let’s talk.”

You leaned back against the sink and looked up at him. “So, what was that movie you and Gareth were talking about?”

He stepped closer to you, closing a bit of the small distance between you two. “A dumb horror movie.”

It was hard to ignore the feeling of his hands coming up to your waist, but you still did so anyway and you didn’t push him away. “Okay, so I shouldn’t go see it?”

Eddie only shook his head no in response. He started slowly rubbing your sides, his warm touch practically burning a hole in the dark high-waisted jeans you were wearing. 

“Do you have any recommendations?” You asked as your arms came up to loosely circle his neck. “I wanna watch something I haven’t seen before.” 

He didn’t answer your question that time around and instead leaned in to kiss you. But, you turned your head at the last second and he groaned into your neck, which only made you smile. 

“We can watch any movie you want right now if you let me take you home,” He mumbled, lips humming against your neck. 

“I have a feeling that we wouldn’t be watching the movie if that happened,” You said and held back your laughter at the second groan he let out. “And besides, we can’t leave yet. The cake hasn’t been cut and we haven’t even sung happy birthday. Don’t you remember how birthday parties work, Munson?”

“Your pretty face is making it really hard to remember anything, sweetheart,” He told you, pulling away and a hand came up to stroke your cheek. The cool feeling of the rings on his fingers brushing your skin was a nice contrast to the burn of your cheeks. 

Things had been changing recently, a shift that neither of you wanted to acknowledge just yet; maybe because it was hard to tell what exactly was changing. And so, things kept continuing as it was.

You shook your head a little and let out a small laugh. “Always such a charmer.”

That time when he leaned in to slot his lips against yours, you didn’t turn your head away. 

“Only for you,” He playfully whispered against your lips. 

He pulled back before either of you could even think about making the kiss deeper and he looked at you so sweetly. You suddenly wished that the light was off and it was dark right then so that you didn’t have to see his face. 

That confused feeling was back, and you finally understood what it meant. It hit you so abruptly and harshly, it almost felt like you were finally being shaken awake to what was so obvious. You liked him— more than just a friend, more than you ever let yourself think before. And you almost instantaneously came to the conclusion that this, the way you were feeling, was entirely one-sided.  

When this first started, it was because both of you were essentially embracing that old saying of “if you wanna get over someone, get under someone else,” and it worked for you. And it wasn’t just the sex, it was the half-awake pillow talk moments after and listening to music in his van as you two sat outside your house when he was dropping you off that meant the most to you, that helped you actually get over your ex and his shittiness. But, you didn’t think that it was the same way for Eddie. 

He loved his ex, anyone with two eyes could see that. And he still loved her, more so than he let on, and that felt like something only you could see. The longing look on his face whenever he talked about her to you, the nostalgic smile he’d get whenever he mentioned something good about how they used to be. It was obvious how he still felt. 

And just like that, the spell that you’d been cast under in this moment was broken. 

You let out the smallest sigh and detangled yourself from him, letting your arms fall to your sides. 

He looked at you, confused. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Maybe everything. “I’m gonna get some water.” 

You were pulling yourself out of his grasp and brushing past him toward the door, but Eddie’s hand found yours before you could twist the lock. 

Reluctantly, you met his eyes and his voice was soft as he spoke. “You can tell me anything, remember?” 

A few minutes ago that felt entirely true, now you weren’t so sure, but you still nodded anyway. “I know.” 

“So, what happened in the last thirty seconds?” 

A part of you wanted to say it. A part of you wanted to be honest with him. 

But, you couldn’t. 

Because you were convinced of what the outcome would be if you did— you could already imagine the sad and pitying look that would cross his face and essentially say it all. If you told the truth in this moment, it would fuck up your friendship and it would fuck up what you two had turned your friendship into. Therefore, you came to the quick decision that you could bury it all down for however long you needed to so that you didn’t mess anything up.

You bypassed Eddie’s question and instead closed the newfound space between you two, pushing yourself up on your toes and pressing your lips against his. The kiss was different this time around, it was no longer soft and teasing. It was deeper, more needy and desperate, and Eddie reciprocated in a matter of seconds. He turned you both around so that you were pressed up against the sink again and he immediately lifted you onto it, barely detaching from your lips in the process. 

If the circumstances were different, you would’ve fully let him do whatever he wanted to do to you in this bathroom. But, things wouldn’t go farther than this in here; not in Steve’s house, not with your friends just down the hall.

When you pulled away to catch your breath, your lips brushed against his ear as you spoke. “I want you to take me home tonight.”

The smile Eddie gave you made your heart constrict in your chest. It almost made you want to blurt out how you were feeling right then because maybe just maybe he actually did feel the same. 

But, of course, you didn’t say anything. You had another secret to keep and you would force yourself to be entirely okay with that.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

let me know ur thoughts<333

[shotanzz]

is it me or do i like men groveling

can i request riize second chance romance if that makes sense:’)

(ur work is amazing pls continie keeping us happy^^)

i love groveling men too it’s ok anon 😗

RIIZE SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE ~ based on their birth charts

reminder this is just based off of my opinion after looking at their birth charts and what I think would happen from my own observations these things are not exact fact unless they said it themselves !

Shotaro

SO MUCH ANGST OOOH MY GOF. Would be the most mature on the outside but on the inside he’d be ☹️☹️☹️. “I don’t even care about what she’s doing” [checked your instagram and other socials to see if you’re grieving as well or seeing someone new] He wouldn’t necessarily go out dating looking for a rebound he’d focus on his craft in all honesty and might even seclude himself a little bit. I see him taking a break with his s/o instead of just flatline breaking up and once he feels like he has emotionally healed as far as he can he’d return and it would be pretty serious like in a private closed space he’d want to talk everything out and NEEEDS you to be honest abt everything but he’d just want you guys back together and for both of you to be happy.

Eunseok

(I feel like Eunseok is aware that he could potentially fall victim to the “the one that got away” trope) but anyway. He’d be the biggest nonchalanter to ever nonchalant 😭 might even try to stay mutuals/cordial with you. Would date, see other people, have a mini roster and fwbs going on. But as soon as he realizes everyone else is boring him and wasting his oh so valuable time (And he hates. To waste his time.) he’d get so irritated at himself for letting go of such a good thing and would criticize criticIZE CRITICIZEE himself. Forces himself to not run from/internalize how he feels he’d reach out again, wouldn’t be the most sappy return ever he might even joke about what happened but he’d be as honest as he could ever be and would surprisingly admit where he fucked up.

Sungchan

His pride and the hurt he carried during the time apart would hold him back so badly. Would improve himself and boss up similar to Shotaro to show you what you were missing; try to find attention and praise elsewhere. But when he realizes you did the same thing and also became better in every way possible physically, mentally…and that people still have their eye on you like they did when he first met you..he’d cave. Would HAVE to shamefully put his hurt and pride aside. Cue his dramatic serious text at 11pm and him asking how you’re doing to see if the good things he’s heard about you were true (prays you say no when he asks if you’re seeing anyone) would ask you to meet him somewhere that was important to you two and nostalgic. Almost kills him to be wrong but has to accept it 😭

Wonbin

He’d be like “whatever” since he knows that so many girls want to be in your place, might even consider sliding back to that one ex. Would be torn between just letting things go back to normal but his stubborn stagnant attitude would leave him stuck in a victim state. But then once the pain slowlyyy seeps in and that what you two had was something genuine and you were one of few people that actually understood him and physically compatible with him then on the inside he’d lose it. Would have a wayyy more sappy lovey dovey way of coming back. Cue him using music in some way shape or form as his way of coming back. Would probably want to physically see you in a place that he’s most comfortable with.

Seunghan

So so sassy. Honestly he’d walk away pretty fast but would miss you pretty fast right after. He’d hesitate but only because he knows that he probably got a little mean when you two split and that you might not even want to talk to him. Tries to go dating around but wakes up and gets it together once he sees/hears that you’re talking to someone new (10 extra points if it’s someone he doesn’t like or thinks isn’t even close to how attractive he is ) . Tries to be cool about it but is hurting inside, would ask everyone for advice. The emotional side would take over and he’d just have to listen to how he feels and think later. His way of coming back is essentially him outdoing whoever has you on their sights or him showing you the epitome of affection. He’d have to force his virgo mercury to work and speak UP and apologize.

Sohee

Would seem pretty ok and normal compared to everyone else similarly to Eunseok. Talks about you but wants to jump someone if THEY try to talk about you. (“can’t believe she’d do this” “yea she’s crazy asf” “Don’t say that 🫤.” ). (Cue him singing “When I was your man” by Bruno Mars 😭). He wouldn’t want to constrict and limit himself or you after the breakup so he’d also try to date/talk to other people. Has to give in and accept that thinking about you while hanging out with someone else is a CLEAR indicator that he needs to get off his high horse and return. He’d probably word vomit about how he feels about everything and apologize but also goes on this passive lecture on how you two shouldn’t allow each others feelings to rip you two apart like that again and the principle of it all.

Anton

Word vomit pt.2. Could go two ways. Way one if the breakup was on good terms/mutual after the breakup he’d probably remain friends or still be in contact with you, then once he realizes he can’t just move on at the snap of his fingers and realizes that every person he’s with has resemblance to you whether it’s physical/personality he’d impulsively talk to you and get right back if he can. If it was on bad terms it’d feel pretty cruel ngl like you’d feel like he kinda just disappeared and made his way elsewhere..but once he’s alone with his thoughts he’d have to realize the errors of his way or the faults on his side he’d IMPULSIVELY come forwards with how he feels, would probably ask you to dinner and have the conversation there and says everything that he has to.

[himluv]

Ok. Here's my first attempt at writing Lucanis and Spite. This isn't my favorite piece of DA fic I've written, but I had to get it out of system.

Also, I am writing Lucanis as demisexual. That is my accepted headcanon, and I am writing it from personal experience.

Enjoy, I guess? 😂

(below the cut because spoilers?)

Lucanis leaned into his palm where it pressed against the stone just above Rook’s head. He felt drawn to her, pulled across the floor until there was just a feather’s width between them. It was such an infrequent feeling – this wanting – that he almost hadn’t recognized it the first time. Now, the thrum of desire through his body was unmistakable.

But did she feel it too?

“This isn’t a good idea,” he said, offering her a convenient escape route.

She smiled. “Sometimes the bad ideas are best.”

He couldn’t help smiling at that. It seemed she always knew just what to say. Like that night at the cafe. He’d felt a slight thrill at the table, a rush at how easily the conversation volleyed between them. It wasn’t until much later that night, replaying her voice in his head, that he’d ached with realization. She’d been talking about much more than how she liked her coffee.

“You like walking a little too close to the edge.” Again, a warning. He would push, gently, until she saw reason. Because, surely, once she looked close enough, she would turn away.

“So do you.”

She reached for him, and for a moment Lucanis thought she might hook her finger through his lapel chain and tug him toward her. His stomach flipped, his smile widened, and he couldn’t avoid glancing at her lips. Mierda, he wanted to taste her.

But she did not touch him, her hand hovered there at his sternum and a desperate flash of want pulsed through him.

This was dangerous territory. She had no idea just how close to the edge they were. How easy it would be for her to push him off this cliff, and Lucanis would fall helplessly in love.

He looked right at her, his gaze heavy. “At least I know when I’m doing it.”

At the edge of a cliff…

What if he chose to jump?

He closed his eyes, tilted his head and leaned toward her, felt her do the same –

– Crisp air, sunlight on water, smells like trees and magic. Arlathan.

Lucanis’s eyes snapped open and he pulled back so quickly that Rook gave him a startled look.

“I… need to clear my head,” he said. As if he could do such a thing with Spite taking up so much space.

Space, he needed space. Between him and Spite, but also between him and Rook. He needed to breathe. Why did his chest feel so tight?

He stepped away from her, his palm now pressed to his waistcoat as he gave her the tiniest bow. “Excuse me.”

Then he turned and hurried out of the room, ignoring the weight of her gaze on his back. He brushed a hand through his hair, tugged at his waistcoat. Lucanis was not a tall man, but it took surprisingly few strides to cross the dining room and step out into the courtyard. He took a deep, shaky breath and quelled the urge to rub at the constant itch behind his eyes.

This wasn’t like him. He felt jittery, out of control. Perhaps all the coffee mixed with the sleep deprivation had finally gotten to him?

She makes you nervous, Spite sneered.

Lucanis said nothing. There was no point lying to Spite, it would only encourage the demon to keep talking. Instead he headed toward the library balconies – they were the closest thing the Lighthouse had to a rooftop. He needed height. Needed perspective.

Surprisingly, Spite was quiet until Lucanis stood staring out at the blank expanse of the Fade and his heart rate had settled some in his chest.

Finally, the demon asked, why?

Lucanis sighed. “Why what?”

Spite growled, irritated at having to explain himself. Rook. Makes. You. Nervous. WHY?

Lucanis winced as the word rebounded inside his skull. “You don’t have to shout.”

Spite made an unconvinced noise.

“And besides,” Lucanis said. “You know why.”

Make it make sense. We. Like. Rook.

Lucanis pinched the bridge of his nose. “A little too much.”

Ahhhhh. Spite sniffed, as if savoring something delicious in the air. Scared.

Another truth he’d have to let lie between himself and the demon.

Let her in and get cut deep. See inside then turn away. Won’t want you. Oooh, or worse, she does want and then she di–

“Enough!” The word echoed out into the Fade, silencing the demon. “Enough,” Lucanis whispered. He didn’t need Spite to help him overthink all the ways kissing Rook could go wrong.

Want more than that.

The most surprising truth of them all. Lucanis could count the number of people he’d felt genuine attraction for on one hand. The only one he’d ever tried to pursue had misread him so completely he’d just given up.

As much as he longed for romance, he just wasn’t good at it. Love was something meant for characters in novels, or people like Teia and Viago. Not him.

Not love. What?

Before the Ossuary, Lucanis would have had an answer to a question like that. The Crows. House Dellamorte. Mediating peace between Illario’s ambitions and Caterina’s wishes. He liked being a Crow. He was good at it, and had never wanted more, a fact that had vexed Illario and pleased their grandmother.

And it was all gone.

Caterina was dead. In his current state, Lucanis was not fit to take her place as she’d desired. Illario would become First Talon, like he’d always wanted. If Lucanis somehow survived this contract, perhaps House Dellamorte would allow him back. Perhaps the future he and Illario had fantasized as boys might actually come to pass. Perhaps he and Rook…

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps! Bah!

Lucanis sighed and shook his head. Then he and the demon walked back to the dining hall in silence. And in that silence was another, terrifying truth.

For the first time in his life, Lucanis Dellamorte didn't know what his future held.

[loveinhawkins]

Part 1 Part 2

Behind him, Eddie hears the others beginning to stir. The illusion, the foolish hope that he could just keep driving alone with Steve, that he could have all the time in the world to fix this shatters in a matter of seconds: Nancy’s light tread approaches and, as he reaches an intersection, it’s like he can already hear a clock beginning to tick.

“Why… why are we going this way?”

And, God, Eddie is so damn grateful for Nancy Wheeler: she’s tactful, keeps her voice down, as if she already suspects something. Hell, she must do; if Eddie can recall directions to Steve’s house, she’ll definitely sense where they’re heading.

Another stop light. Straight ahead after this, then…

Eddie glances to the side, just in time to see Nancy’s eyes widen as she looks at Steve.

She whispers his name.

Steve gives the subtlest shake of his head.

Eddie has to look away—it’s an intimate exchange, yes, but it’s not romantic, that’s not why he can’t bear it. It’s the fact that they’re so clearly sharing last-minute signals, silent communication only created by going through hell over and over again, and it makes him feel sick that he now knows what their expressions mean. Their doomsday looks.

When he pulls up to Steve’s driveway, he hears various murmurs of confusion—Dustin is the loudest.

Steve claps his hands and everyone falls abruptly silent.

“Okay!” he says, rising from his seat, and he sounds determined, almost up-beat; Christ, Eddie doesn’t know how he manages it. “Sinclairs, Mayfield, Henderson, you’re all with me. We’ll be in and out, got it?”

He heads out of the RV with purpose. Save for Eddie and Nancy, everyone is looking at each other with wide eyes and furrowed brows. Robin opens her mouth, but before she can say anything, Steve calls from outside, “Hello? Come on, let’s go!” and it sounds so normal, like they’re just running late for school or something.

I might not have known, Eddie thinks, with a creeping horror. If I had slept instead… fuck, why are you such a good actor, Steve?

Erica leads the way out, prompting the others to follow; Eddie hears frantic whispers that he can’t decipher, Max lifting up one side of her headphones so she can hear as Dustin and Lucas crowd close to her, hopping outside and heading to the house.

Robin moves to the RV door, but Nancy stops her.

“Robin, stay here. I need to talk to you,” she says firmly, and it sounds like Code Red. She fixes Eddie with a pointed look and nods towards the house, like it’s not even a question that Eddie should go after Steve.

So, he does. Of course he does.

He finds them all in the kitchen, voices echoing, rebounding off the high ceiling.

“What are we doing?” Lucas says.

The kids have formed a little group by the counter, staring as Steve opens cupboards, his back to them.

“Want some back-up alcohol for Operation Flambé,” Steve says easily, “just in case.”

It could almost work, Eddie thinks. He can hear the clinking of glass as Steve methodically pulls bottles off the shelves—that is what he’s doing, so it’s not exactly a lie. Not yet. But he looks at the growing frowns of shrewd kids that are too used to waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Steve must sense it, too, because he stops collecting bottles, turns round to face them. He gets closer, rests his hands on the counter. The pretense drops.

“...Steve?” Erica says.

“You guys trust me, right?”

Eddie doesn't answer; he knows it's not directed towards him. He watches as the rest nod as one. Steve takes a deep breath.

“This is the deal, non-negotiable, okay? I don’t ask much from you, so, y’know. Figure you owe me one.” He’s smiling again, his tone flippant; he’s trying so hard to make it easy for them. Eddie digs his fingernails into his palms. “Here’s your jobs for tonight: you stay right here. Eat some food, put on a movie, I don't care. Just no moving.” He points at Max. “You keep that Walkman on. I've got... see that cabinet, by the T.V? Got some tapes in there, Hounds of Love is on the... third row, I think? Yeah, see the purple? If your one wears out, you've got a back-up.”

They just stare at him. Relief sweeps through Lucas’s and Max’s shoulders, even as they stand rigid with tension, like they’re at war with themselves. Like they feel ashamed at the instinct to stay safe. Christ, they’re all just too young, far too young for any of this.

And so are you, Eddie thinks fiercely, as he watches Steve sweep past them, going up the stairs two at a time. So are you.

Dustin snaps out of it first. He moves forward, voice sharp and urgent, “Steve? Steve!” He barges past Eddie like he isn't even there, then thunders up the stairs.

Eddie follows.

He hears the tail-end of Max saying, “Lucas, he's... I can't feel him anymore. Why can't I—?” Then, he reaches the top of the stairs, heads to what must be Steve’s bedroom. He hovers in the doorway.

“—not even going to look at me?” Dustin is asking.

Steve doesn't answer. He's rooting around one of his drawers, distractedly pulls out a cassette, puts it into his jeans pocket. Eddie sees the horrible moment where it clicks for Dustin—of course, it barely takes half a second, kid's as smart as a whip. All the colour drains from his face.

“Steve,” he says. “You can't just—this isn't how we do things.”

“I'm older than you,” Steve returns. “I'm pulling rank for once, Henderson.” He's pinching the bridge of his nose harshly, still not looking at Dustin.

Dustin laughs. It’s an awful sound, his voice cracking with vulnerability. “Seriously? Fuck you.”

Eddie can’t stand it, feels like he’s intruding on something deeply private.

Steve sniffs, starts to head for the door.

“If—if you leave, I’m never speaking to you again,” Dustin says.

“Okay,” Steve says gently.

Dustin reels from the word as if struck. His eyes fill with furious tears. “I hate you.”

“Dustin,” Eddie says quietly, even though he knows that Dustin doesn’t mean it; it’s obvious that he doesn't mean it. It’s a tactic Eddie is all too familiar with: to say the most hurtful thing you can think of, just to make the other person lash out—because even if they’re angry with you, at least they’ve stayed.

Make sure Dustin doesn’t see, Steve had said. The reason is clear. Because Dustin’s eyes are full of something wild and desperate, like he would follow Steve anywhere.

I can't let that happen, Eddie realises. Steve’s almost at the doorway, and from here Eddie can see him angrily swipe a tear off his cheek, out of Dustin’s view. It would break him.

Steve turns, finally looks back. “It’s okay, Dustin,” he says, soft and kind. Kind until the end. “It's okay.”

And then he leaves.

“Eddie,” Dustin whispers. “Please.”

“I'm sorry,” Eddie says. It's all he can say. “Dustin, I’m so fucking sorry.”

It's torture, seeing the flash of hurt and betrayal across Dustin’s face. He storms out, catches Eddie's chest with his elbow.

Make sure Dustin doesn’t see.

Dustin might be fast, but Eddie is faster; at the foot of the stairs, he easily darts in front. With long, quick strides, he reaches the RV, sees that Nancy, Robin and Steve are already inside, and he locks the door, runs to the driver’s seat. Dustin is a second too late, pounding on the glass. Eddie has never heard someone scream like that before.

He glances behind as he reverses. Steve sits directly on the floor, his head in his hands; Robin is rubbing his back, murmuring something to him.

Eddie speeds away. His last sight of Dustin is in the wing mirror, trying to run after them, only stopping when it’s clearly hopeless.

“Fuck,” Steve whispers, and then he dry heaves.

“I've got water,” Robin says frantically. “Here, here, slow sips.”

There's a gentle hand on Eddie's shoulder. Nancy.

“Where...” Eddie clears his throat. “Where to, Wheeler?”

“Your trailer,” she says, and it sounds like something else again, like thank you and I'm sorry all at once.

He doesn’t talk for the whole drive there. The others keep up the conversation, Eddie straining to hear every noise Steve makes, inwardly pleading that he never falls silent. The plan is hastily amended: the extra alcohol Steve has brought means that they can split their supplies, leaving some for Vecna and some for deterring the bats and vines. He nods when Robin asks if there’s a tape deck in his room, which settles it: he will stay with Steve in the trailer, and… wait.

They don’t mention the word bait, but Eddie can hear it anyway.

Once he’s parked, Robin and Nancy get out first, carrying the drinks and weapons. When he gets out of his seat, he finds that Steve is still halfway to standing, swaying slightly, as if sea-sick.

“Woah, woah, hey,” Eddie says quickly, and he carefully pulls Steve up with one hand. Steve’s palm is damp with cold sweat, his pulse jumping rapidly in his neck, feverish. “Still with me?”

Steve’s eyes dart around before settling on Eddie.

What are you seeing? Eddie thinks, his own heart beating faster at the unknown he isn’t privy to. Let me in. Let me help.

But all Steve says is, “Get ready to duck out the way, man, feel like m’gonna throw up.”

Eddie squeezes his hand. “You’re good, I was kinda thinking my shirt should be a different colour.”

Steve wrinkles his nose, chuckles weakly. “Gross.”

He drops Eddie’s hand and climbs out of the RV. Eddie stays close, ready to catch him if he so much as stumbles.

In the trailer, Robin and Nancy wait by the makeshift rope. Steve’s posture straightens as they look at him, as if to say, See? Don’t worry about me.

“Give him hell, Nance,” he says.

Nancy nods. “See you when we get back,” she says, her tone firm. She catches Eddie’s eye, and the intent is clear: Look after him.

Eddie nods back. Always.

Robin’s lips are trembling; she’s trying to fight it, but it’s there all the same.

“Come on, Rob,” Steve says, through another one of his smiles, but his voice tightens, like he might break down if he’s shown an ounce of sympathy. And when he gives her a little wave, it’s like Eddie can see the routine of it, like Steve is simply bidding Robin goodbye after dropping her off somewhere. “See you soon.”

Robin doesn’t hug him, even though she’s clearly desperate to; must have noticed, just as Eddie did, that it would make this even harder still for Steve. Instead, she gives a joking little salute, like a sailor, and there must be something in that, because Steve lets out a choked laugh, and they all pretend that it doesn’t resemble a sob.

The girls climb the rope quickly, and by the time Eddie has turned back after having watched them leave, Steve has already headed for Eddie’s room, presumably looking for the tape deck.

But when Eddie hurriedly follows him, there’s no music playing, and Steve is sitting cross-legged on the floor.

“Don’t you want your music on for a bit?”

Steve shakes his head, then nods in the direction of the gate. “Wanna start the distraction as soon as possible,” he says, “give them the best shot.”

The distraction. Like he isn’t risking everything, like he’s just feigning a move on the goddamn basketball court.

“Okay,” Eddie says placatingly. He sits down opposite Steve, close enough that their knees bump. “Sorry, I should’ve vacuumed.”

Steve laughs, but it breaks off at the end. “Y-yeah, where’s the welcoming…” His voice fails and he sighs shakily. “Sorry, Eddie, I—I’m just. I’m really fucking scared.”

He sounds embarrassed. Eddie reaches for his hand, and Steve clings on in a tight grip, like he’s drowning.

“Jesus Christ, Steve, don’t be sorry. Don’t you dare.”

“That a threat, Munson?”

“You know what? Sure. Thought you could do with some more pressure.”

Steve gives a lovely, tender little smile. “Hey. Thanks. For… everything.”

Eddie shakes his head in disbelief. “Are you kidding? I haven’t fucking done anything. This is all you, Harrington.”

And Steve is laughing softly, really laughing, and he says, “Don’t bullshit—”

And his eyes roll back, the irises suddenly clouded over, and his hand becomes slack in Eddie’s grip.

Eddie has to force himself not to scream, not to jolt back; he thinks he might be sick, and the only thing stopping that outcome is the fact that Steve needs him. He barely counts to three inside his head, remembering Chrissy, how quick it all was, and he’s standing, tripping over his own feet.

“Right, I’m calling it,” he says, his chest tight, “long enough fucking distraction, they’ll already be at the—”

And he stops.

Because the tape deck doesn’t have anything inside. Because, next to it, is the plastic cassette case that was once in Steve’s pocket.

And it’s empty.

He pictures Steve back at his house, distractedly picking it up, focused on reassuring Dustin; Steve not realising his mistake until he had walked into Eddie’s bedroom and gone to put the tape in. Steve going ahead with it anyway, all while knowing…

“No,” Eddie breathes, “no, no, no.” He dives for the case, but the paper sleeve inside is worn beyond all recognition; he has no idea what the song could have been, even what album it came from. He grabs the closest tape he can find, ramming it in, and suddenly thinks Robin’s assessment of his music was more than accurate. Seriously, what is all this shit?

“Come on!” he shouts, and cranks the volume up as far as it will go.

When he turns back around, Steve is already floating.

Eddie can hardly hear over the roar of the music, but he feels the scream tear at his throat; he’s useless, he’s fucking useless, it’s Chrissy all over again—

One leg snaps. He screams again, screams Steve’s name. Then an arm begins to shake, to twist unnaturally at the elbow, and—

And Steve falls. Eddie lunges to catch him, and his heart both leaps and breaks at Steve’s cry of pain. You’re here, you’re here, you’re here.

“Steve, Steve, hey, hey, hey, try not to move,” he says, “you’re okay, you’re okay.”

Steve jerks, then vomits, the bile black with blood.

“All right, that’s fine,” Eddie babbles. “Just a little blood, you’re doing good, you’re—”

His hand brushes Steve’s side, comes away wet. The wounds on his stomach have reopened, as if something else has clawed at them.

“I can’t,” Steve gasps, “I can’t feel you.”

“I’m right here! Hey, Steve? Steve, look at me, I’m right—stop, stop, don’t move, you’re gonna be—”

“Eddie, I don’t want to go,” Steve says, and he’s sobbing, “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to—”

“You’re not dying. You’re not—Steve, Steve, just look at me, stay with me—”

But Steve just shakes in Eddie’s arms, and he throws up again, each breath coming in shallow, desperate gasps.

Fuck, he can’t breathe.

And then, it’s very quiet.

“Steve? Steve.”

Eddie looks down. Steve’s eyes are fixed, glassy. His chest is still.

The trailer splits. Jagged lines in both directions, one from the gate, one from Eddie’s room, burning red. Eddie runs out without consciously thinking about it, holding onto Steve, cradling his head.

“Oh my god. Oh my god.” The words are ripped out of his chest, his voice turned into something unrecognisable, so pained that it’s almost rendered inhuman.

He’s gone, Eddie thinks numbly.

His grip on the world fades, awareness only breaking through in fleeting impressions. Nancy and Robin’s faces. Screaming. Nancy saying, “Eddie, you have to let him go—”

He’s gone.

He comes back to himself in a crowded hospital corridor. Robin is reaching for him, and she’s crying, saying his name, but he moves away before she can touch him. He doesn’t deserve her kindness; Steve should be standing here, should be falling into her embrace—

He’s gone.

And then, he’s in a bathroom, thrusting his hands under scorching water. Red and black stains the sink. Blood. Steve’s blood.

The door bangs open. Dustin is standing before him. There are several cuts on his face, and he’s gasping and clutching his side like he ran all the way here. Maybe he did.

“Eddie,” he says, and it’s in that tone, the one Eddie heard when he was trembling in the boathouse, the one that shocked him to his core. Because it sounded like, Yeah, I’m the younger one, so what? I’m still going to protect you.

In hearing that, Eddie knows that he has already been forgiven. Because Dustin’s love is like what Steve’s had been: fierce and unconditional.

Eddie tries to take a breath—it comes out in a ragged, wet exhale. “I-I’m sorry, I couldn’t—I tried—”

And then words fail him completely. He can’t stop the tears once they’ve started; and there, chest heaving with grief, he falls apart in Dustin Henderson’s arms.

[minty-mumbles]

LU Mer AU - Harsh Reality

Summary: The story of how Wild's fins got scarred

TW: Violence and blood

AN: @breannasfluff some fish for you 🐠 🐟

(Read this and the rest of the AU on AO3)

~~~

Ever since Wild and Wind had joined up with another loner- an octopus Mer named Hyrule- things had been smooth sailing. It still wasn’t exactly easy, but with two hunters in the group instead of just one, it was significantly simpler to fill everyone’s bellies. 

With Hyrule there, Wild didn’t have to leave Wind alone when he went to hunt. Hyrule also had magic, a fact he’d hesitantly revealed to the pair three weeks after joining them in their travels. Wild was hesitant to ask Hyrule to use his magic, as he didn’t want to frighten the octopus away, but when one of them did get hurt, there was less for Wild to worry about than before. 

Not having to worry so much about getting food or any injuries they might acquire had lulled Wild into a false sense of security, something he wouldn’t realize until it was too late. 

For the past day and a half, the three of them had been traveling along a sharp drop-off that led to the deep waters Wild himself had been raised in. The cold waters that rose from the depths were rich in nutrients, which allowed a flourishing ecosystem to thrive along the cliff’s edge. It was more than enough to sustain at least a small pod, but the cold waters chased away many nearby tropical Mer pods that might have been looking to expand their territory. 

Wind was amusing himself by seeing how far he would dare to dart out over the open waters before getting too nervous and fleeing back to the safety of the cliff. Both Wild and Hyrule were keeping a lazy eye on him while chatting about their next move. Wild might be comfortable staying here for a while, but the cold water wouldn’t be good for Hyrule or Wind long term. They would have to move on eventually. 

But for now, it seemed safe enough.

Being able to reassure himself that there wasn’t any danger of attracting unwanted attention from other Mer put Wild’s mind at ease. Probably for the first time since he had found Wind. he was truly relaxed. 

Dropping his guard was a mistake, one he didn’t recognize until their peace was broken by Hyrule letting out a warning screech that had Wind darting toward the relative safety of the cliff. 

Wild was caught off guard by the warning call, twisting in the water to try and pinpoint what Hyrule was alerting to. It didn't take much time to locate the threat- rather, it didn’t take long for the threat to locate Wild. 

A sharp blow to his side sent him flying into the side of the cliff. Stunned for a moment, Wild opened his mouth- to shriek, or call for Hyrule, or something- but all the water had been knocked out of his lungs. A sharp edge of the rocks dug into the gills on his chest, making it harder to breathe. Slowly, he rebounded back away from the wall, unable to control the direction he was drifting. 

Gills fluttering, he desperately tried to reorient himself. Slowly, the world came back into focus, and now that he could breathe again, other things started to filter back into his awareness. Hyrule yelling, Wind wailing, and a deep, unfamiliar snarl. 

“We’re sorry! We didn't know this was someone’s territory! I swear we’ll leave right away, we’re sorry!” Hyrule’s attempt at placating the strange Mer was lost to Wild as he managed to twist around to take in the threat, wincing as his ribs screamed in protest.

Before him, Hyrule had placed himself in between Wild and the new Mer, and was staring them down. His arms were spread out to the sides as if to block the larger Mer from swimming around him to get to Wild and a faint green shimmer in the water told Wild that Hyrule was casting a shielding spell as well. Thankfully, Wind was nowhere to be seen, and had stopped wailing after seeing that Wild was still well enough to move on his own.

For a moment, Wild could only feel gratitude that Hyrule would throw himself in the path of danger for Wild, someone who he’d only known for a few months at best. That feeling was quickly shoved aside. He would have time to be thankful after they got away. For now, he had to focus. 

He swam up behind Hyrule, presenting a more united front. The other Mer seemed hesitant to attack right away when they saw Hyrule’s magic, which gave Wild enough time to observe them. 

They were clearly a deep sea Mer like Wild, with a black tail with jagged stripes of dark purple covering their fins. The most important thing about them though, was how large they were. They were a fully grown adult, likely over seventy based on their size alone. 

And they did not look friendly.

Oh, that’s not good, Wild thought. He might have even said it out loud, but it was lost as the Mer seemed to grow tired of hesitating. In a swift movement, they twisted their body, coiling up tightly and then striking out with their tail against the barrier Hyrule had erected. Hyrule’s magic was no match for the harsh strike, and the green glimmer in the water shattered upon impact. 

That must have been what they did to me, Wild realized absently as he grabbed Hyrule and dove straight down, out of the way of the strike. He propelled them down- five feet, then ten, then twenty. 

When he finally let go of Hyrule, they were a good twenty-five feet below the other Mer, who had twisted to watch them move further away, but didn’t pursue them. Their eyes glinted harshly in the low light, and Wild shivered as he realized that the only reason the Mer wasn't following was because they were heading deeper into the Mer’s territory. There was no reason to follow because they were running away. They were just heading into more familiar waters to the other Mer.

Wild gave Hyrule a shove to get the octopus to stop clinging to him. Hyrule withdrew quickly but with clear reluctance. Quietly, Wild hissed, “Stay here. If things go bad, take Wind and get as far away as you can.” Hyrule looked like he wanted to protest, but he gave Wild a firm nod and a sharp click of agreement.

With Hyrule’s confirmation that even if things went south, Wind would still have a chance, Wild darted back up through the water toward the larger Mer. 

Attacking from below was hardly ever effective unless the one you were attacking didn’t know you were coming, and the other Mer definitely knew Wild was coming, but there wasn’t much to do about that. He had to distract them for long enough for Hyrule to slip around the side and find where Wind had hidden himself. Wild was under no impression that this would go well for him. The other Mer was half again as long as he was, and clearly much older. Wild would need a miracle to fight them off. 

As he swam upwards, he stretched out his fins as much as he could. The drag of the extra width slowed him down a little, but he knew it was worth it for the effect.

Wild knew from experience that his larger-than-average fins gave even the largest Mer pause when they saw his threat display. This time was no different, the other Mer’s eyes widening for a second. They righted themselves quickly, preparing for the initial clash, but that split-second delay was just what Wild needed. It threw them off balance, making it easier to predict their next move. 

They curled up again, clearly trying to use the same smacking move they had used to break Hyrule’s shield, but Wild was prepared, ducking around their tail. He reached out a hand toward the other Mer’s chest, claws bared, aiming for their gills. Injuries to the gills were a quick way to incapacitate someone. It was usually considered a dirty move to go for the gills, but Wild couldn’t afford to fight fair.

Border skirmishes were quick and violent affairs, and usually left one party grievously injured, if not dead. Wild knew he couldn’t hold back. He had to use every trick in the book to get the upper hand. 

His slash was knocked off course by the Mer swinging an arm out, catching Wild in the shoulder and swatting him away easily. The strength of the blow made pain bloom in his shoulder, and he hissed loudly, drawing his arm close, cradling it to his body.

The pain distracted him, and his hiss quickly turned into a shriek of agony as new pain bloomed along his fins. 

Blood flooded the water as he quickly retracted his fins toward his body, twisting around to face his opponent again, who had moved off a few feet. The Mer grinned at him with a mouth full of sharp teeth, looking not at all sorry. The claws on both hands glistened with blood- Wild’s blood. 

Wild’s dorsal fin and one of his pelvic fins burned. Every movement through the water caused the pain to flare up further. 

This time the other Mer moved first, no doubt thinking they had just guaranteed their victory. Wild wasn’t ready. He felt like he could barely move with the burn in his fins, but he didn’t have a choice. 

He waited until the last second, then flung himself out of the way of the blow, using his momentum to drive his claws into the Mer’s hip- then rake them halfway down their tail before his momentum pulled his claws right out of their flesh. The Mer howled as blood flooded the water. 

It was coming faster than Wild expected, even with the long ragged cuts his claws had left. Had he hit an artery? 

The other Mer seemed to have the same thought, hands coming to cover the wounds, their face shifting from a victorious smile to a horrified wide-eyed look. Their hands did nothing to stop the outpouring of blood. 

Abruptly, they turned and dove, sinking faster and faster through the water. For a moment, Wild was worried they were going to go after Hyrule where he was clinging to the cliff, but they fell straight past him. 

In moments, the murk of the depths obscured them. There was startling silence, unsettling after the shrieks of battle. The only proof there had been a battle at all was the blood lingering in the water and the wounds littering Wild’s body. 

He hesitated for a moment, staring down into the darkness. He half expected the other Mer to come barreling back up out of the depths, but they didn’t. 

It felt like an eternity later when a soft touch on their arm shocked them out of their staring contest with the abyss. Slowly, Wild turned to stare at Hyrule. Hyrule looked worried. His arms were full of a nervously clicking Wind, who WIld noted looked blessedly unhurt. One of Hyrule’s tentacles was stretched out to caress Wild’s shoulder.

Still, Wild felt frozen. He couldn’t move, couldn't speak. He could feel himself slowly drifting downward as he continued to not move, but he couldn't convince his body to move. 

Slowly, he could feel more of Hyrule's tentacles wrap around him, as the abyss rose up to consume his vision and the sweet blackness of oblivion washed the pain of his injuries away.

[strangermarvelss]

kill bill- e.m

Pairing: Ex!Eddie Munson x Ex!Female!Reader

Summary: i might kill my ex, i still love him though. inspired by sza’s kill bill

Warnings: angst to the max, break-up, sad reader, cursing, drug use, chrissy is kinda made out to be a bad guy (oh well), hints at something towards the end

Request?: No

Word Count: 4k

A/N: sza’s new album slayed and this song is a banger i’m now obsessed with, so let me deliver some angst inspired by this new obsession. hope you enjoy! -sava

thank you to my sweet @myobmaya for beta reading &lt;3

part two

Happiness used to be a feeling you knew all too well, it used to come to you easily. The simplest things in life could brighten your day and allow you to exude rainbows and sunshine, even if there were thunderclouds booming in the distance. The crazy thing called young love can have that effect on people, making them unable to see anything but the light their partner brings to their life.

Pure envy corses through your bloodstream as you sit across the cafeteria, watching your ex wrap an arm around the “queen bee” of Hawkins High, Chrissy Cunningham. You weren’t sure where the hurt ended and the anger started, perhaps mixing together somewhere along the way within the past three weeks. The breakup was sudden, completely out of no where…at least that’s how it felt for you. But seeing Eddie Munson cozy up to Chrissy Cunningham after school ended last Wednesday was even more sudden and off putting than when he broke things off.

To say it hurt was an understatement. You spent a majority of your high school career watching him from a far, keeping your crush under wraps to save yourself the heartache of being rejected by him. You didn’t expect him to walk up to you one day before school with a singular rose in his hand, asking you out on a date the following Saturday night halfway through your junior year. Who would’ve thought it would even come to that, much less a not-so mutual break-up and a quick rebound that left you more broken than the thought of a simple rejection.

You will yourself to turn away from the couple, directing your attention to the sad tray of cafeteria food in front of you, pushing around your peas with your fork as you rest your head in your hand, trying your best to mask the mix of emotions swirling around inside you. Your best friend, Robin, sits across from you, taking in your sad figure as she pauses her conversation with one of her band mates. Looking up, she sees that your table is in direct eyesight of the Hellfire table you called a former home. She watched as Eddie laughed at something Chrissy said, before leaning closer to her ear and making her giggle into his figure.

“Fuckin’ asshole,” Robin mutters out, ripping her eyes away from your ex and landing back on you. “Y/N, please don’t let them get to you.”

“Kinda hard not to Robin. I mean, just look at how touchy they are,” you say, whipping your head back to look at them for a moment, before turning your head to give Robin a knowing look. “I mean, he was never that affectionate with me in public. So it’s like watching a car crash, you can’t tear your eyes away.”

“Screw them. Maybe he’s just doing this to make you jealous,” she suggests, making you scoff.

“Jealous for what? He made it clear that he doesn’t want to be with me anymore, did not sugarcoat things when he broke it off. It’s like…like he never even cared about me to begin with,” you tell her, a frown twisting onto your lips.

She reaches across the table to hold your hand, a frown working its way onto her lips as well. The words cut her deep, wanting nothing more than to go across the room and give Eddie a piece of her mind in front of everyone, just so she could show everyone how much of a shitty person the metalhead truly was. But that wasn’t Robin’s style. Instead, she stayed by her best friend, holding her and trying to comfort her the best way she could.

“Y/N, that’s not true, please don’t say that. Eddie loved you so much, he always made that known whenever we would all hang out. Even when you weren’t there, he couldn’t stop talking about you in all the best ways,” she reassures you.

Looking back at the new couple once more, you see Eddie planting a soft kiss to Chrissy’s lips, smiling as he pulls away from her and watching how soft his eyes are while he looks to her. The same way he used to look at you.

“Given everything that’s happened,” you start, turning back to her. “I have a hard time believing any of that.”

Grabbing your tray, you stand from your place at the table. Robin’s quick to grab one of your arms, pulling you back as you turn back to your best friend once more, a look of concern meeting your gaze. You know she’s just trying to help you feel better, and you appreciate that. But somehow, it’s just doing more harm than good right now.

“Where are you going? Lunch isn’t over for another 15 minutes?” She questions, finally removing her hands from your arm. You sigh, looking to your tray still full of food as you think of an excuse before looking up to her.

“I’m just going to go study for a bit in the library. Don’t feel like being in here anymore. Is it still cool if Steve drives me home today before your shifts? If not, I can take the bus,” you ask. She nods, waving you off like it was no big deal.

“Of course! I’ll see if he can just make a habit to take you to and from school for the next couple months, no big deal.” 

You flash her a tight lipped smile, you silently thank her by tipping your head, then proceeding to walk towards the row of trash cans and dumping your lunch in one of the big bins, thankful you chose the other set of cans instead of the ones the Hellfire Club chose to sit near each day. Ducking out of the cafeteria, you pop in to the closest bathroom, standing over the sink as you look yourself in the mirror. 

Tears you’ve kept from forming quickly gather along your lash line, brimming and bubbling over the edge and blurring your eyesight, making your reflection unclear, like a bunch of blobs just sitting there in a rectangle. 

You wished you had a proper explanation. What made him realize he no longer wanted to be with you anymore? Obviously he didn’t love you anymore, otherwise he wouldn’t have moved on so quickly. No effort into hiding it to spare your feelings, just walking into school with an arm around Chrissy’s shoulder, fingers laced together as they both laughed at something one of them said. It made you physically sick to your stomach.

But the more important question you had was why did he choose her? The two of them had nothing in common. She was in with the popular crowd, jocks, preps, and other elite members of Hawkins High planted at her side while Eddie hung out with the other outcasts, leading his group to victory as they played Dungeons and Dragons together every Friday night. Hell, her ex-boyfriend tortured Eddie for years while she sat back and let it happen, shaking her pom-poms and turning her cheek to the excruciating bullying he endured. It made absolutely no sense to you, yet, still upset you beyond belief.

There was no denying that Chrissy was a pretty girl, that much you could see. She had her whole life ahead of her, with high ambitions, which reminded you of Eddie. He wanted to escape this town, though. Tour around the country, and even the world, with his band, Corroded Coffin. Yet you pictured Chrissy staying back, playing housewife while she took care of her gaggle of children you just knew she’d end up having. The picture perfect suburban family was in the cards for her. It was for everyone who peaked in high school in the state of Indiana.

You’re pulled from your pity party with the sound of the bathroom door opening, turning away sniffling as you wipe away the few tears you allowed to fall from you wet cheeks. The sound of water running fills your ears, turning your head slightly as the curiosity of who it could be eats away at you. Rolling your eyes, you sigh as you see none other than Chrissy standing in front of the sink you were at, fixing her hair before looking over your way.

“Are you okay?” She asks, taking a timid step towards you. You step back, chuckling to yourself at the audacity she had.

“Obviously not,” you curtly reply, flashing her a deadpan look.

“Okay, look. I just wanted to say I’m really sorry about…everything. I just hope there aren’t any hard feelings between us,” she reveals, her high pitched voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard to you. You visibly scoff, jaw hanging open in shock. To think she had the audacity before.

“Are you fucking serious right now?” You question, crossing your arms in front of your chest.

She nods, looking to her feet for a moment. “Yeah, I am. You just, seem really nice, and I’d hate for things to be rocky between-“

“Yeah, well, I don’t think I want to be on good terms with the girl that stole my boyfriend right out from under my feet,” you cut her off, stalking closer to her. You can see by how her eyes widen that she’s genuinely scared, trembling a little with the more space you close between you. You know you won’t hurt her, but you can’t deny the pride it brings you to see her like this, all things considered. “Don’t try and be my friend, Chrissy. It’s the last thing I want. Do you know how painful it is to watch the two of you walking about together, as if Eddie didn’t rip my fucking heart out and stomp on it in front of me? Do you really expect me want to try and be on good terms with you when I don’t have an ounce of love or a friendly bone left in my body?”

“I-I,” she stutters.

“Stay the fuck away from me, Chrissy. I mean it.”

Sliding past her, you rip open the bathroom door and make your way down the hall, anger now being the most persistent emotion radiating off and throughout your body. Interrupting you in your time of weakness was one thing, but wanting to try and be civil after everything that has gone down? She might be more delusional than you previously thought. 

Just as you’re about to walk through the doors of the library, the bell springs to life, alerting the students that the lunch period has drawn to an end and they all need to report to their next class of the day. With a sigh, you turn on your heel and make your way over to your locker. You had a feeling the rest of the school day wasn’t going to treat you as well as you’d like.

—————————————————————————————————————

Eddie was livid.

Chrissy spilled the beans about your encounter in the bathroom, bending the truth a little to seem more like a victim as she ran to her boyfriend for help. This upset Eddie beyond belief, seeing how terrified his new girlfriend was thanks to his ex. He wasn’t sure why she had to take her feelings out on Chrissy, but he was going to set things straight.

Kissing Chrissy goodbye, he stomps towards the drama room, throwing the doors open and making a dramatic entrance, which wasn’t uncommon for the metalhead. The entire group looks up, stopping all conversations before greeting their Dungeon Master. He walks over to his throne, noticing that the chair Y/N usually found herself sitting in during meetings was empty for the third consecutive week. Scoffing, he shakes his head.

“Guess she’s sent her message loud a clear,” Eddie says aloud, nodding over to the empty shirt.

“I mean, can you really blame her?” Dustin mumbles out, making Eddie’s head whip around so fast it’s surprising he doesn’t have whiplash.

“Something you want to share with the group, Henderson?” Eddie questions, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he quirks a brow at the young freshman. Dustin visibly swallows, beads up sweat gathering on his forehead under his hat as he tries to think of how to brooch the subject without offending his friend.

“It’s just-I see how she is sometimes at school. She looks sad all the time, and being around her ex who already moved on wouldn’t help things,” he tells him. Eddie nods, anger still radiating of his body. “Not to mention, you guys are always on each other at school.”

“So that gives Y/N the right to be mean to my girlfriend, Henderson? Because she’s all sad and jealous?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying I understand why she isn’t hanging around anymore. I think we all understand and maybe…sympathize with her.”

Eddie takes a moment, looking around the room to the other members of his beloved club. Nodding heads meet his gaze, watching even the members of his band agree with the freshman boy. Eddie huffs, fuel added to the already existing fire.

“Well, if you all feel this way, maybe we should cut this meeting short and come back after a little time away,” Eddie announces over-dramatically.

“C’mon man, don’t be like that,” Gareth pipes up. 

“No, I will. I’m going to go over to Y/N’s house and give her a piece of my mind. Just because she didn’t get her way, doesn’t mean she needs to take it out on Chrissy. She’s very important to me and I need her to get that through her thick skull,” Eddie explains.

“Don’t you think you’re being too harsh on Y/N? I mean, you were the one to break things off. How would you feel if the roles were reversed, huh? If she was the one who began dating again, right after she broke up with you?” Gareth questions, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Shitty, yes. But I wouldn’t take my shit out on other people, much less whoever she decides to date after me,” Eddie answers, tossing papers into his backpack. He’s glad the game didn’t start yet, not having much to clean up as he slings his bag over his shoulder. Gripping his lunchbox, he made a quick exit from the drama room, rushing towards his van.

“Sure as hell doesn’t seem like it,” Gareth mutters out, letting out a sigh and shaking his head.

The drive over to your house was quicker than anticipated, Eddie’s foot heavy on the gas pedal as he ran over a quick script of what he wanted to say to you. He wanted to make sure he was being clear tonight, addressing your behavior towards his new girlfriend and bringing up the topic of maturity. You were both seniors, so it's time you started acting like one, he thought.

Pulling in your driveway, he makes a hasty exit of his van, slamming the door shut and running up your driveway. Knocking on the door persistently, he steps back and waits, swinging his weight from the heels of his feet to his tip toes, chest still bubbling with rage. He’s shocked to be greeted by your mother as she begins opening the door, a wide smile stretching onto her face.

“Eddie! What a lovely surprise! We’ve missed you over the last couple weeks, we almost thought something happened between you and Y/N,” She greets, pulling him in for a hug.

You never told her.

You never told you parents that Eddie broke up with you. It wasn’t something that Eddie considered when everything went down, not bothering to worry about the timeline of anything really. Yet it still comes as a shock to him that you haven’t broken the news to them, making him wonder how many other people in your life were unaware. Word travels fast around Hawkins, and having their daughter dating the town freak was always subject to the gossip mill.

Some sick and twisted part of his brain wanted to break the news on your behalf, letting your mother know and making her aware of the situation. But he also did still have some kind of heart, even if you didn’t particularly think so ever since the breakup. He flashes her a smile, looking to his shoes for a moment as he thinks of what to say for a moment.

“Yeah, sorry. Just been pretty busy these last few weeks. But, um, Y/N didn’t come to Hellfire today, so I was just wondering if I could see her? See if she’s okay and all?” He asks, putting on his best performance for the woman in front of him.

“Oh that’s right! It is Friday, isn’t it? Well, she seemed fine before asking to take the car. I just assumed she was on her way to hang out with you at your little club meeting,” she replies sweetly.

“So she’s not here?” Eddie asks, digging his hands into his pocket. Your mother shakes her head no, which prompts Eddie to nod. 

“I’m afraid not. But she should be here around the afternoon tomorrow. Her father and I leave for a trip in the morning and she tends to stay put when she’s at the house alone,” she explains.

Bidding her a farewell, Eddie rushes back to his van and sits in the drivers seat, pondering to himself. Robin was at the basketball game Chrissy was currently cheering at, which meant Steve was closing Family Video tonight, so you couldn’t have been with either of them. You only went to Benny’s on Sundays, so that’s also out of the question. So where the hell could you be on a Friday night? Had things changed so much that you got into the habit of picking up a new hobby or activity within the last three weeks? Surely not, but it isn’t like he would know. 

Turning the engine on, he pulls out of your driveway, turning back towards the school to go get Chrissy. Maybe he’d have a better chance trying to talk with you tomorrow.

—————————————————————————————————————

Shutting the car door, you walk along the path until you’re planted right in front of the door you need to be at. The sound of small waves splashing about in Lover’s Lake comforts you slightly, shaking out your nerves and rapping your knuckles against the door. You weren’t even sure if he was here, but it was worth a shot. Worst case scenario is that nothing happens, and you turn around and leave, simple as that. The door opens to find just who you’re looking for, a brief small making its way onto your face as you give a timid wave.

“Y/N! How are you? Definitely wasn’t expecting your pretty self to turn up here. Especially on a Friday night,” Rick Lipton, better known as Reefer Rick, tells you.

“Hey Rick, how are you? Glad to see you’re out of jail,” you tease, chuckling a little under your breath. He lets out a hearty laugh, clutching his stomach.

“Hey, I am too,” he says. He takes a moment, furrowing his brows. Stepping closer towards you, he looks around the area for a moment before looking back at you. “Where’s Eddie? That man never lets you come here without him being here to keep guard.”

“Uh…Eddie and I actually broke up a couple weeks ago. Which is why I’m here.”

“Oh really? I'm sorry to hear that. What’s up?”

“Do you have any edibles? Usually I’d go to Eddie for this kind of stuff, but you see why I can’t.”

“Yeah! Come on in, make yourself comfortable. ’S not like you haven’t been here before.”

Walking through the door, you slide yourself onto one of the couches in the living room, trying your best to relax. Rick was right, you’ve never been here without Eddie right there by your side the entire time, as if protecting you from the older man. He was nearly 30, so it wasn’t like he was alarmingly older than you, but Eddie still kept an arm around you at all times in the presence of Rick, and making sure if he did leave your side, it wasn’t for too long.

It doesn’t take long for Rick to return into the living room, holding up a small baggie with six small gummies inside. He slides next to you on the couch, leaving a small gap between your bodies as he turns to look at you.

“What’s the price?” You ask.

“How about we say $20? Give you a sympathy discount since you and my boy Eddie broke it off,” he answers, sending you a smile. Nodding, you reach for your wallet and pull out a twenty, handing it over to him just as he places the baggie in your hand.

“Thank you Rick, really. Do you mind if I stay a bit and do this here? Parents don’t leave for vacation tomorrow and I just…really need this after the day I’ve had,” you ask. 

“Yeah, go for it, I’ll do some too,” he tells you. Nodding again, you open the small bag and take one of the gummies between your index finger and thumb, rolling it around for a second before popping it into your mouth. “So how bad was your day for you to need to give little ol’ me a visit?”

Sighing, you slump backwards and let your body relax into the couch cushions, softening your shoulders and plant yourself in place. “Just some shit went down between me and Eddie’s new girl. She was trying to be all cute and friendly with me after practically stealing my boyfriend right from under my feet, so I set her straight.”

“He dump you for this girl?”

“Yep. Fuckin’ asshole,” you reply. 

The two of you sit there for a moment without speaking to one another, the soft whirring of the box fan by the door being the only sound filling the room. Your arms begin to relax more, a tickling sensation slowly traveling up your spine and beginning to nest in your head. After a few more minutes of neither of you exchanging any words, you feel the high settle in firmly, a small smile creeping on your face as you begin shaking your head.

“I hate him.”

“What?” Rick asks, turning to you with a low chuckle.

“Eddie. I fucking hate him for what he did to me. Breaking my heart and walking over top of it every time he walks through the front doors of our school with his new piece on his side. I could fuckin’ kill him,” you let out, laughing to yourself. “But the sad part is…I still love him. More than he could ever love me it seems.”

“It sounds like you need to get back at him,” Rick suggests, twirling around the bag from his pocket and opening it up once again. You turn to him, lifting your brow slightly as you watch him pop another edible in his mouth.

“And how do you suggest I do that?” You question.

“Oh I have an idea,” he lets out, turning to you. You notice a small smirk on his face, his glossy squinted eyes looking at you deeply. “But first I have to ask: you’re 18, right?”

“Yeah, just turned 18 not too long ago.”

“Even better. Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking-“

[wheatnoodle]

this has been rolling around in my head for weeks and i need to at least express it so i can maybe get motivation to write it in more detail LMAO

night shift by lucy dacus but steve getting over nancy and being able to move on.

failed relationships and rebounds because he can’t even kiss someone else without gagging. he’s on first dates with heidi or sara or payton or becca or whoever it is this time that never make it to a second because he probably calls them by her name at some point.

scrolling through old texts and love letters and her social media even though he knows he’s just going to find things to hurt himself more than he already is. he wants to scream out loud what a bitch she is and how much she hurt him, but he resists and instead keeps scrolling. he wants to shout at her and leave before she can respond.

steve keeps finding himself in places where he ends up seeing nancy and jonathan together, happy. you’d think with everyone in the city instead of a small town now, they wouldn’t run into each other so much, but the universe seems to just have it out for him. it’s killing robin seeing him so heartbroken too.

it’s only about two months later when he gets a text from nancy asking to meet for coffee so they can talk, even though it’s 6pm so it won’t be light for long.

but, he agrees and she’s sitting at a table by the window in the corner and she looks…beautiful. like she always has. she looks up when he walks over, standing in what looks like a “going for a hug” pose. she stops though when he seems to hesitate and gives a polite smile, holding out a hand to shake instead.

nancy’s already ordered their drinks and someone places them on the table right when he sits. of course she remembered his order.

“so…” he says, a bit awkward, a lot quiet.

“…so…” she responds, except now she won’t look away from her lap. steve waits for her to say something, anything. maybe an explanation as to why she wanted to see him, why now, why here, what did she need to tell him?

so he waits.

and he waits.

…and he waits…

and she still wont say anything. so he puts down his mug, and he does.

“am i just supposed to sit here and watch you stare at your feet?”

she looks up then, eyes wide like she’s been caught. she looks nervous. it almost makes him feel bad for speaking up.

“steve-“

“what was the plan? to what…absolve your guilt? shake hands again?” she doesn’t respond. steve sighs and shakes his head.

“you cheated on me. that’s just how it is. i feel no need to forgive you, but i might as well, because i just want to move on.”

he doesn’t want to be here anymore. he can’t breathe. they only last a bit longer of light chat before he’s checking his watch (it’s only coming up on 7) and rising from his chair. she does too and asks if she can kiss him one last time. he just pays for his coffee, says a quick goodbye, and leaves just as the sun sets.

steve cant see her anymore. never again. never again. he’s so stuck in his head he doesn’t notice it’s coming on 11pm and he’s been walking the whole time until an owl in a tree has him looking up at the now dark sky and street lights. he’s back home around midnight and instantly has robin wrapped around his middle, rambling about how worried she had been. he went to talk to nancy, then just disappeared for hours. not answering texts, calls.

he tells her about everything. what she had said. how she seems to show up everywhere he goes. she holds him close, his head on her chest as they lay on their couch.

he quits his day job, robin does as well, and they end up working overnight shifts at a bar/restaurant. depending on the night, they’re either bartending or waiting the table in the bar area. they sleep during the day, go out at night.

steve stops bumping into her everywhere he goes. they’re on different schedules now. he’ll never be up to a read a sunday paper with her name on it since he’ll have just gotten into bed after a long shift.

a couple years down the line, there’s a band that starts playing at their bar, every friday and saturday nights.

they play a heavy version of california dreamin’ that suddenly throws steve back to kissing nancy in the backseat of his car to this song when they were in high school. steve needs to excuse himself for a smoke break, needs to calm his nausea and his nerves.

he’s out back for about five minutes when the back door opens. he flinches at the sound and backs against the wall, though the man quickly raises his hands up.

“sorry! didn’t mean to scare you. uh, i was lookin’ for a place to smoke. you mind if i join you?” the man says, an apologetic smile playing on his lips. steve’s brain short circuits at the sight of him. this man is GODLY, bro, okay, he’s HOT. AWOOGA. he’s all wild, dark hair and big brown eyes. a smile that has something wicked and sweet hidden in it. he’s tall too, only about two inches taller than steve, but still.

steve’s eyes catch on the light reflecting off his rings. he knows his cheeks are burning. “yeah, yeah that’s um…yeah, that’s fine.”

“cool,” the man says and lights his cigarette. steve goes back to leaning on the wall and sucking his own cigarette. “so, what’s got a pretty thing like you out here all on your lonesome?”

steve may or may not choke on his smoke a little. “needed some air. started…thinkin’ too much. what about you?”

“also, needed a breather. worked up a hell of a sweat up there.” and then it clicks and steve is smacking himself in the forehead.

“you’re in the band!”

“i am! you’re in the bar!”

“i am!”

and steve learns his name is eddie, and eddie starts coming in more than just fridays and saturdays. he won’t even drink, just get a water and stare at or talk to steve.

it takes almost 9 months before they start dating and another few after that before eddie practically moves in with steve and robin.

and he has never felt more loved. eddie who sings in the shower too loud and gives the crispiest bacon strips to robin. eddie who holds him during movies on the couch and covers steve’s eyes if he knows a scene in a horror movie might be too much, even though robin will narrate the whole thing. eddie who strokes his hair and rubs his back until he falls asleep and brings him everywhere he goes.

and songs that he once dedicated to nancy are now for eddie and all the new ones that come along are all for eddie too.

and he moves on, and he never sees her again.

[elderberries-and-honey]

After their trip out to London, Winifred and Lawrence agreed that it would be best for him to work less, even if it meant they would struggle more; his health being more important than grand, fabulous things, after all. Adding in just one extra day off, and more time to spend with his family, Lawrence's mood quickly began to rebound. The dark circles under his eyes lightened, alongside the veil of moodiness that his exhaustion had caused.

More time at home also meant more time to spend caring for the farm, and Lawrence decided to start teaching Ozzy a thing or two - like how to feed the chickens and collect the eggs, or how to bury a seedling.

Ozzy, however, wasn’t all that interested, and seemed to like petting the chicks more, or often got distracted when he remembered the existence of the pond nearby. Lawrence hadn't expected much else from the tot, but it was sweet to have a little helper and have quality time with his son.

The farm never truly recovered from the terrible blight the spring before and they’d hardly been able to replace most of the animals that had passed away that winter. With less money in their pocket, it seemed they would never be able to replace their cow, and therefore, had to go without profiting off the income of its milk.

Times were still tough, and The Baudelaire’s were still struggling, but Lawrence cherished his moments of rest too much to continue working the way he had previously.

On days where Ozzy was exceptionally well-behaved, with no fussing over being away from his Auntie, or where he successfully put the eggs in the basket without breaking them, Lawrence rewarded him with time splashing away in the pond. It was no use trying to keep the boy from the water, and instead, Lawrence had tried to use it as incentive.

But it was on a particular Spring afternoon that they were heading to the pond when Lawrence spotted two finely dressed men making their way along the dirt path nearest to their house. They stuck out like a sore thumb, certainly not farmers, and definitely not anyone he knew. For a moment, he tried to think of a reason they might have been out all this way.

Travelers, perhaps? No, they didn't have any sort of luggage or a carriage with them. New neighbors? No, not that either, he would have heard about that from one of the locals. So who were they?

All at once, Lawrence began to remember the bills that were piling high and the money they still owed on the mortgage. Were they bankers? Tax collectors? Policemen of some sort sent to cease their home? But surely, they weren't that far behind, were they?

As the two men approached closer, he took little Oscar into his arms, holding him near and began speaking hastily before either of them could get a single word out.

"I promise, I am going to submit my payment in a few days. We're a little tight here, that's all." He explained, holding up a hand in defense.Both men stared at him uncomfortably for a moment, trying to process what he'd just said. "Beg your pardon?" The one with glasses asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sir, we're not here to collect any sort of payment from you." The younger of two said, chuckling a little. Lawrence gazed back at them, trying to get a good look at their faces. The genlteman's posh accent undeniably matched his fine clothes, and if there was any doubt before, he knew for certain now that they were not from around here.

But that wasn't why his gaze continued to linger. He knew those eyes, not in their color but their dreamy shape, and prominent noses. And the closer he examined their features, the more it became clear that they looked well, like Winifred!

The gentleman in the dark coat introduced himself as Harold, and his counterpart, as Gerald....Harold and Gerald Bloomsburg. They were brothers of Alice, Winifred's late mother, and they had traveled all this way from Westminster to locate the Baudelaire family, whom they had heard their sister's daughter had married into.

"My apologies, Mr. Bloomsburg." Lawrence finally said, offering his hand to Harold. "I've never met any of my wife's family, and well, I hadn't realized...my mistake." Harold returned the offer of his hand and shook it in a respectable manner.

Lawrence might have felt ashamed of his error, perhaps embarrassed to have admitted to strangers the hard financial times they were currently facing, if he could feel anything other than bewildered. It wasn’t that long ago that Winifred revealed the truth about the family she hailed from but had never met. Now, here they were, face to face in their front yard.  

Lawrence had hardly noticed the other gentleman’s off-putting stance throughout the entirety of their introduction. That was, until he offered his hand to him next, and he stared reluctantly at it as if he were offering a dead fish. Lawrence watched as he looked him up and down in disgust, like he'd rather eat his own foot than to accept his hand.

"Yes, yes, well that's all fine and dandy," The eldest said, finally looking into Lawrence's eyes. "We're not here for family matters, as our sister was cast out of the family long ago, but rather on business." Unlike his brother, he spoke so matter-of-fact, no warmth in his tone whatsoever.

"On business?" Lawrence asked, wondering what possible business either of them could have with their family. As the gentlemen had stated, Winifred's mother had long since given up her Bloomsburg name, and if they weren't there to meet their niece or her family, just what were they doing here?

"You must tell us now if you mean to accept the money! Or have you already?" Gerald asked, though his accusatory tone wasn't all that subtle in its delivery.

Ozzy watched on, wishing to find a place to cower, and by some miracle, when he turned to do exactly that, his mother was emerging from behind the gate. She had heard some sort of commotion from inside the house and had come to see what was going on.

As she moved closer, her mouth fell open in disbelief when she saw the men talking to her husband. They looked too much like her mother for her to have been mistaken. But even as she stood there trying to listen to their discussion or be noticed, she could hardly believe it to be true.

next / previous / first

[carnivorousyandeere]

Hihi! I always love seeing your zodiac yans being written about!

How do you think they would react to a darling that has recently been heartbroken and refuses to let them in? Just kinda open for any of the yans to be written in- even Quinn!

- cow anon 🐄

Goin with the fire sign zodiac yans just bc, but I’ll write the other signs sometime if they’re requested too. Just thought these three would be interesting to see in this situation. Written under the assumption of Darling and the Yans having been friends for a while, with the yandere tendencies and obsessions only beginning to arise…

Thank you for sending this in, and sorry for the long wait ❤️‍🩹

CW: alcohol, lack of boundaries, murder, mentions of sex but no smut

Kosuke pretends not to give a damn that you’re avoiding them— telling themself they’re too cool for you anyway, they don’t need you— but it’s a lie. The situation honestly pisses them off, especially if they don’t know why you’re being so ‘weird’ all of a sudden (they’re not the stalking type of yandere usually, so they really may not know why). They do get really pushy and demanding with you, basically forcing you to spill your guts about what’s up. Once you tear up and admit you’ve had your heart broken, they’re at a loss for words. They feel embarrassed and guilty about how they acted, but they’re definitely too prideful to apologize directly. They think they oughta be happy that there’s one less source of competition for them in your life, but seeing you so sad ruins any enjoyment they might get from it. Orders you food and (tries) to clean up around your place to help you out. Not the best at comforting, per se, but they’ll let you cry on their shoulder and shit talk whoever hurt you. Definitely thinks about beating the shit out of the other person, and depending on the circumstances, might actually hunt them down to teach them a lesson.

Jett doesn’t expect you to get over it quickly, but they do get impatient if you keep blowing them off to stew in your own misery. They firmly believe that you’re never gonna recover if you keep uselessly pining and mourning in your bedroom. You’re way too good to be heartbroken over some loser, anyway. If anything, you should celebrate being free from that nobody! They’ll take any chance they can get to drag you out with them— brunch, shopping, or especially partying. Maybe you’ll spill all the details if they get a few drinks in you, or if you’re just tired enough. Jett is plainly happy to have that worthless slime competing for your attention out of the picture— they should be the one in the center stage of your heart, anyway! They’re likely to flirt a little extra heavily and try to worm their way into being your rebound. Pretends like they were just kidding if you get annoyed by the flirting instead, but, like I said, they’re not patient— it burns them deeply inside.

Blake is the most hurt by you having feelings for another person, even if it was in the past, and you’ve since had your heart broken by that other person. If Jett and Kosuke get irritated and angry with you for pushing them away, respectively, Blake gets sad. They’re not used to outright rejection, especially from people they’re close to. They’re fun, they’re gorgeous, they’re kind (to anyone who isn’t a romantic rival, or who’s been a hater first)�� and they just want to help you. They want to help take your mind off of things. Blake honestly, and with no self-awareness, manages to take a page from the water signs’ book and guilt trip you into feeling bad for not accepting their help and company to get you through your breakup. Most likely out of the three to kill whoever broke your heart and bury them out in the middle of nowhere, ‘just to be on the safe side,’ and also so they can truly feel like they “fixed” the source of your heartache by removing it from this world entirely. They don’t tell you, they just expect you to feel as if a weight’s been lifted from your shoulders in some mysterious, mystical way. They want to feel like they’ve fixed the problem as they hold you in their lap and look up at the stars, off-road on a spontaneous trip to bring you someplace fun. This is where their own impatience starts, if you ‘keep moping around’ when you ‘should be having a good time with them,’ similar to Jett.

As insensitive as it probably is (depending on the Darling’s personality, I suppose), Jett and Blake are also the types to suggest sleeping with them as a way to take your mind off things. Kosuke definitely thinks about it, but they’re trying to be more delicate with emotional matters with their Darling;;;

[trulybetty]

Strings | Part III

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!Reader Word Count: 2,384 Warnings: Mature content, talk of sex and making arrangements based on sex alone, talk of a wound reader received, but nothing graphic. Get your tetanus shots, everyone! Summary: How your arrangement with Joel came into existence... AO3: Link

x. strings masterlist

Part III

Spring

The room still smelled of you, of him, of the moment you had just shared. The sheets were rumpled and the air hung heavy. This was uncharted territory for both of you, and there was a discomfort that hung around like a thick fog.

He was too old for this. 

Those were his exact words to you as you crouched down to retrieve your shirt that he had thrown across the room. When he’d managed to detangle your arms from its sleeves, and then that was after fumbling to pull it over your head in the first place.

You had paused, your arms through the sleeves of the t-shirt, about to pull it over your head - the two of you locked eyes, Joel’s tired and yours coloured with confusion.

“Too old?” you asked with a raised eyebrow. 

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, running a hand over his face, “I’m old darlin’, too old for this shit,” he gestured to the bed you’d just had sex on, his bed. “I’m probably too old for you?” he found himself saying, the words escaping him before he had a chance to rein them in. He didn't turn to look up at you this time, afraid of the confirmation he might see in your eyes.

But instead of the uncomfortable silence he'd anticipated, your laughter filled the room instead. It was an amused, sincere sound which rebounded off of the quiet walls of the room and filled the air, catching him off guard.

Joel frowned, not understanding what was so funny.

You paused for a moment, your hand now stilling on the zipper of the jeans you’d just slipped on, a playful smile on your lips. “Too old for me? Come on, Joel, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were trying to feed me a pick-up line.”

He blinked at you, confused. “I ain't…” he trailed off, disbelievingly.

You laughed again, genuine and gentle and free of any spite, your eyes bright. “Oh, I believe you. But I think you're forgetting, I'm not too far off from you in age Miller.”

He raised an eyebrow, a silent question lingering in his gaze.

Urging him to move over, you dropped to sit to his left and knocked his elbow with yours, your smile turning into a smirk. “A true southern gentleman would never ask a woman her age. Shouldn't you know that?”

Joel's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, and he turned away, his gaze fixed on the floor as he grumbled under his breath. You watched him, a sense of affection welling up inside you. Despite his gruff exterior, there was something inherently gentle about Joel. He had a vulnerability that he hid well, but you saw glimpses of it now and then when he thought he was doing a good job of keeping it hidden.

“Joel,” you said, your voice soft, your hand reaching out to touch his arm. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.”

You smiled then, a genuine, heartfelt smile, and you leaned in to kiss him, a soft, lingering kiss far more gentle and meaningful and in stark contrast to the passion-filled, frenzied sex you'd just had.

Joel ran his hand up your left thigh, his fingers pausing over the generous rip in your jeans that framed the white gauze underneath slowly turning shades of pink hues.

“Does it hurt?” He asked, his fluster quickly turning to concern. “Did I make it worse?”

You paused and watched him rest his hand just above the rip, his thumb absently rubbing the space to the side to avoid aggravating the wound, “It stings, but I think it’ll be okay.”

His brow furrowed, “You’ll have to change that.” he stated as he continued to study the bandage.

The wound on your leg had been the reason you’d ended up in Joel Millers' home in the first place. You’d been knocked off of your feet by an errant sheep, displeased that you hadn’t been quick enough with the feed in your hands. It’d rammed into your back legs hard enough that you’d stumbled, and in the process of trying to steady yourself, you’d gotten your leg caught on the barbed wire of the replacement fence Joel had been there working on.

You could see Joel's eyes darken at the memory, a frown pulling at his lips. He'd been not mere steps away, knelt fixing a loose fence post. The one that you had brought up to the council that needed looking at amongst other things, so Maria had nominated Joel to go out and take a look. The two of you had been nonchalantly talking about anything and nothing at the same time. Joel had watched it all play out in slow motion, not able to warn you quickly enough as you were distracted by your conversation to avoid side-stepping the animal. He’d also struggled to move as quickly as he’d have liked, his knees protesting at the sudden movement. 

He did however remember how his heart had leapt into his throat, the panicked shout that had torn from his lips. The way he'd cursed his gloved fingers not being delicate enough to pry the wire from your skin without cutting into it further, the way you’d sucked in your breath to avoid crying. Followed by the forced laugh as you made a joke about your best jeans being ruined, and what would you wear on your Saturday nights out now. He’d pulled you to his side, careful of your injured leg, and the way your eyes had met his, wide with pain and surprise but also filled with trust which had shaken him.

“I shouldn't have brought you back here,” he said, his voice rough. “Should’a took you to the clinic.”

You shook your head, reaching out to lay a gentle hand on his arm. “I'm glad you brought me here,” you told him, and the look in your eyes was earnest, filled with a warmth that settled somewhere deep within him. “I didn't want to go to the clinic.”

You watched as he looked at you, his eyes searching your face, and what he saw there made something in him relax, something he hadn't even realized had been wound tight. “You sure about that?” he asked, his voice soft, but there was a teasing light in his eyes now.

“I'm sure,” you said, and there was something in your voice, something that told him you meant more than just the clinic, that you were talking about more than just your injured leg.

The two of you sat in silence, his hand still firm on your thigh.

“Is this a one-time thing?” you asked finally, your voice barely more than a whisper, and the room seemed to hold its breath.

“I don't know, darlin',” he said, his voice thick, uncertainty warring within him. He felt torn, knowing that he couldn't deny the connection he'd felt with you, knowing that the sex had been more than just good, it had been something he hadn't felt in a long time. But he also knew himself, knew his limitations. He was too old for romance, his body worn and tired, his soul weighed down by the ghosts of his past. He wasn't capable of a relationship, not anymore.

Not that you really knew what you wanted. How long had it been since you had been in any relationship of any kind? Five years in Jackson, and while you'd dated here and there, it was mostly for the sake of not being alone, rather than any real connection. But Joel was different. From the first moment your eyes met, there was an undeniable spark, a connection that went deeper than mere attraction.

You glanced over at him, studying his face, searching for some sign, some indication that he was as invested in this as you were. But all you saw was a guarded expression. You'd heard all about the brother of Tommy, a man who was struggling with his own demons.

“You know I really am too old for this, right?” he said finally, his voice gruff. “Knees are shot, takes me twice as long to recover.” He tried to make it a joke, but his eyes were serious as they met yours. "But I ain't gonna lie, the sex…” He paused, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, “Well, that was something else darlin’, and I can't deny I wouldn’t mind more of that.” he finished almost bashfully. 

“We're both adults, Joel,” you said softly. “We both obviously enjoy sex, and we both seem to agree that we enjoyed sex with one another,” you paused, “I guess I’m saying, we could make this work, set the rules.”

“Like what?”

You shrugged, “ No strings attached?”

“Just sex?”

“Just sex.”

Joel paused for a moment, you could see from the furrow of his brow that he was mulling the suggestion over. You held your breath awaiting a response - you’d thrown out of the idea of no strings attached without even thinking about it. The truth was you didn’t want to let Joel go and you’d take whatever he’d give you, even if it was just sex.

“No spending the night,” he said finally, his voice firm. It was a rule, a boundary, something to keep this from becoming more than he could handle. “That's the other condition.”

You nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of your lips. “Deal,” you said, “So, do we shake on this?” you laughed as you reached out to shake his hand, sealing the arrangement.

But as your hands met, you looked up at him, his eyes dark and an expression you couldn’t read. Before you could question what was running through his head, he pulled you in for another kiss. His lips crushed against yours with a fervent hunger that sent shivers down your spine. The heat of his mouth seared against yours, a mix of desperation and desire fueling his movements. It was as if he was trying to imprint his need onto you, his hands gripping you almost possessively, his fingers digging into your skin with a primal urgency. Each collision of your lips was a mixture of tension and release, a way for both of you to escape the uncertainty that lingered between you.

His lips were hungry, repeating the ferocity of the kiss that had sparked all of this downstairs in his kitchen. Your heart pounded in your chest, and your fingers trembled. 

You'd been sat on one of the wooden chairs at the kitchen table, him on one knee as he looked up at you from the bandage he’d just carefully wrapped around the wound on your thigh. His fingers had lingered a little longer at your knee and you'd looked down, your eyes meeting his and before you could even comprehend what was happening the two of you were embraced in a impassioned kiss.

A groan escaped your lips, but not the type of groan Joel had wanted to elicit from you. His hand on your thigh in the moment had gripped on too tight and pulled the skin around your wound tight causing a sharp searing pain to radiate up your leg.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked as he pulled away from you at the hiss of pain you’d made at the release of his hand.

You couldn’t hide the wince on your face, “Maybe I will stop by the clinic on the way out. Maybe they’ll spare me a tetanus shot.”

“They have that?” he asked, surprised.

You nodded, “Raid on a FEDRA shelter a couple of months back, there was quite the medical supply.” 

Joel studied you intently, almost as if he was trying to memorize every detail of your face. He reached out and ran his thumb across your cheek, the warmth of his touch sending a thrill of anticipation and nerves coursing through you. You felt your heart hammering in your chest, a tremor running through you at his touch.

“I want to see you again, darlin’,” he murmured.

Your lips curved into a smile, your head still spinning with the possibility of something more. “I would like that, too.”

“Is tomorrow too soon?”

You shook your head, “No.”

“I'm on patrol tomorrow evening, but I don't head out until eight.”

“I can come before then,” you suggested, already feeling the excitement build within you. “What time works for you?”

Joel leaned in, his lips grazing the shell of your ear as he whispered, “How about six?” His breath was hot against your skin, sending shivers down your spine.

“Six it is,” you agreed, trying to steady your breathing.

Joel pulled away, his expression serious again. “Just remember, darlin', it's only sex.”

You nodded, understanding the rules of engagement, even though a small pang of something more resonated within your chest. But you silenced it, focusing instead on the opportunity in front of you.

Joel's eyes studied you for a long moment as if searching for something. But whatever he was looking for, he seemed to find, because he smiled, a genuine, warm smile that made your heart race.

“Good,” he said, his voice soft. “I'm looking forward to it.”

You returned his smile, a mixture of excitement and trepidation swirling within you. “Me too.”

With that, you gathered your belongings, each movement filled with the awareness of Joel's watchful gaze.

As you made your way to the clinic, the memory of Joel's touch, the sound of his voice, the way he looked at you, all of it lingered in your mind, haunting and exhilarating at the same time.

You were playing with fire, and you knew it. But you couldn't help yourself. Joel had awakened something within you, something you couldn't ignore, no matter how hard you tried.

The sting of the tetanus shot brought you back to reality, a sharp reminder of the real world around you. But even as the nurse bandaged your wound again, your thoughts soon were elsewhere. You knew you were taking a risk. You knew that this could end in heartbreak. But you also knew that you couldn't walk away.

You were in dangerous territory, and there was no turning back.

[she-karev]

The Talk About Kids (Jolex Imagine)

Previous Chapter Here

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: Two of Two

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

Ship: Alex and Jo

AN: I decided to shift my focus to a power couple that deserved so much more. I decided to show Alex and Jo throughout pivotal moments in Season 16 and 17 that I believe would fit them.

Summary: Alex and Jo go over adoption agencies online in the loft until people come over to celebrate their nuptials, cutting the moment short. The gang figures out their plans and react with joy.

Words: 1642

November 1st, 2019

“How about this one?”

Jo asks Alex who is busy making coffee while Jo is at the table going over adoption agencies in Seattle. The couple are still clad in their pajamas, having just woken up with Jo already on the track to finding a baby to adopt. Alex is giddy at her eagerness and feels his dream coming closer by the minute.

Alex walks over and looks over Jo’s shoulder at the screen showing an adoption agency website, “What makes this one special?”

“They take in safe haven babies instead of letting them go through the system. I mean its fate, right? For us to find a baby like me who was left by their mother outside a fire station?”

“Yeah, that would be great if we found a baby who was in your situation.” Alex closes his eyes at how that sounded, “Not great for the baby, I meant great for us to give that abandoned baby a chance we never got.”

“I know honey.” Jo says with a grin, “We still have to find a house and make it picture perfect for inspection so we’re just going over our options before we apply but this definitely looks promising.”

“If it has your approval then it’s got mine.” Alex pulls out his phone, “I should look into real estate agents while you do agencies, divide and conquer.”

A knock on the door stops him from typing up in the search engine. He groans but puts his phone away and walks to the door opening it to find a group of five people on the other side. Meredith Grey, Jackson Avery, Link, Andrew DeLuca and Amber Karev are on the other side holding items in their hands. Jo sees the gang and closes her laptop, not quite feeling ready to tell them about their plans to have a baby.

“Hey, what are all of your guys doing here?” Alex asks causing Meredith to raise an eyebrow.

“You told me you got married last night; did you really not expect a celebration? Or gifts?”

“Yeah dummy.” Amber adds passing her brother with a waffle maker box in hand, “It was about time you two knuckleheads sign the damn papers like you should have from the beginning.”

Andrew shakes his head amused at his live-in girlfriend, “That is Amber speak for congratulations from both of us. Happy marriage.”

The whole gang enter the loft and greet Jo who smiles at them, “Hey guys you really didn’t have to do this, the last wedding was good enough for us.”

“Well Meredith insisted we come over and congratulate you in person.” Link explains putting a box of whiskey glasses set on the table, “I think she’s antsy for a party.”

“I just got out of prison.” Meredith reminds them all, “And my medical license might be taken away from me and everyone at Grey Sloan hates me so I need have happy moments otherwise I will start throwing furniture. Coffee?” She asks sharply.

Alex quickly heads to the coffee pot, “Yep.”

Jackson hands Jo a bottle of fine whiskey, “Congratulations you guys.”

Jo grins, “Thank you, you didn’t bring Vic?” Jo sees Amber pursing her lips at the mention of Vic clearly still detesting the firefighter Jackson is casually seeing.

Jackson catches Amber’s disgusted look, “I was planning on coming tonight to bring you the gift, but Amber insisted I ditch my breakfast date with Vic. More like demanded even though I’m her boss.”

“Oh boo hoo.” Amber says dismissively, “Your good friends got legally married last night, celebrating that takes precedence over being sad rebounds for firefighters.”

Jackson groans at that and asks Jo half seriously, “Please remind me why I keep her around?”

Jo chuckles and pulls Amber in for a side hug, “Oh come on, you and I know underneath that crusty exterior there’s a heart. Besides it’s not the first time she disliked someone who’s seeing her favorite men in the world.”

Alex chuckles nostalgically, “Yeah that is very true. One time I caught her putting a cockroach down my dates back and she ran away screaming. I swear I wanted to give her an atomic wedgie so bad.”

Amber grins at that, “Well the high school tramp was calling mom a nutty loon and she talked down to me and told me to make myself useful and get her a water. And most of your other girlfriends treated me just like that, a mini waitress working minimum wage. Same goes for Aaron, you two like to pick girls whose IQ is as high as their bra sizes.”

Meredith chuckles, “So I guess this attitude towards Vic is because you see her as not being good enough for Jackson? Nobody can be good enough for your brothers?”

Amber scoffs and acts tough, “Your crazy if you think I’m that invested in these idiot’s love lives. I just hate awful people and they have a preference for them.” Jo glares at that, “Except for you, you are the exception.”

Jo chuckles and pulls her sister-in-law in for a side hug, “Well I’m glad I got your approval.”

“Please do me a favor though.” Jackson asks Amber with a pleading face, “Don’t scare Vic away with a cockroach or a snake or whatever disgusting creature feels drawn to your evil nature.”

“Are you gonna make me some coffee?” Amber asks causing Jackson to roll his eyes but head towards the coffee maker to Amber’s satisfaction, “I’ll do my best then.”

Jo chuckles and pulls away, “We feel bad if we knew you were coming, we would have made a spread or something.”

“Since when do you cook?” Meredith teases before proposing, “We’ll just go to a pancake house and celebrate with lots of carbs and syrup.”

“And bacon.” Link adds with a smile, “You can’t have a celebration breakfast without bacon.”

Meredith laughs, “And in that spirit I’ll find us a breakfast place nearby that serves all of that.” Meredith opens the laptop to Alex and Jo’s distress.

“Wait Mer don’t-” Alex’s attempts are stopped as the screen pops up showing the adoption agency website that Jo left it on.

Meredith looks at the website in silent shock with the rest of the gang looking at her confused. Alex and Jo look both embarrassed and relieved at the cat being out of the bag. Jo sighs and stands next to Alex wrapping her arm around his back as they face Jackson, Link, DeLuca and Amber who look confused by Meredith’s frozen face. Jo and Alex look at each other silently communicating that it’s okay to tell people.

“We have an announcement to make.” Alex starts.

Jo smiles, “We’re gonna have a baby.”

The gang have different reactions of joy with Link asking ‘what?’ with a big smile, Jackson’s eyes shot up in shock, Amber’s mouth gapes open before laughing in joy with her boyfriend Andrew next to her smiling saying congratulations.

“Eventually.” Jo elaborates with a smile over their joy, “We’re looking at adoption agencies which is what Meredith is seeing at the laptop that caught her off guard.”

Meredith closes the laptop and goes to the happy couple with a smile, “Congratulations! Your gonna be parents!” She hugs Alex first who smiles at the affection as well as Jo who gets a hug as well before Meredith pulls back, “And if you ever need help with the adoption process, I am the person to turn to.”

“Thank you we really appreciate it.” Jo tells her good friend.

“And seriously.” Meredith starts with a grin, “Zola is the best thing that happened to me and Derek, I knew from the moment I saw her that she was ours and you’ll know it with your baby.”

Alex grins, “I hope so and you know if it wasn’t for me that little girl wouldn’t have even come here and you wouldn’t have met her so really, I’m the reason you started your family.”

“Humble as always.” Meredith quips, “But thank you for that.”

Amber shrieks at the news and immediately tackles her brother in a bear hug that takes him by surprise, “Wow kid I think this is the most affection you’ve ever shown me.” Alex tells his sister in a strained voice over how tight she’s squeezing him.

Jo giggles and at the sight, “We take it your happy.”

Amber pulls back still smiling, “Of course I’m happy I’m finally gonna be an Auntie, Auntie Amber. What took you two so long? I have been dying to have a niece or nephew to spoil.”

Alex chuckles, “We’ll things have happened, and life got in the way of us taking the next big step.”

Jo holds his hand, “But then we realized that life is always gonna be unpredictable so we might as well have a little more love and joy to get through it.”

“Amen.” Link states, “And if you guys have a baby before me, I can just watch you two and figure how to not screw up my kid.”

Jackson chuckles, “What he means is congratulations and we hope you guys start a family soon. And if you ever need a reference, I am always up for it.”

“Or you can pick me and DeLuca and Link instead.” Meredith and Jackson look at Amber with a raised eyebrow over excluding them, “Sorry guys but out of all of us you two have a record as dirty as a swamp rat in a sewer.”

Jackson clicks his tongue, “Ouch.”

“She is right.” Meredith says, “She’s mean but she’s right. Okay shall we get a breakfast spread to celebrate you guys getting legally married and starting to have a baby?” The gang all agree and head out for a breakfast party to celebrate this new chapter in Alex and Jo’s life.

[rafent]

"Now isn't this something," Griss says in lieu of a greeting, catching the dragon as they disperse from the clearing and its strange performance before he can slip away again. "Looks like we're on different teams."

Plucking proudly at the green cloth collared around his neck, he nods at the blue one that Lord Rafal wound up with. Where others - knights or otherwise - might be disappointed to find themselves separated from their lord by some flimsy, arbitrary allegiance, Griss looks all too excited about this turn of events. His lord might very well have guessed why already.

"You know what that means, right?" He can barely contain himself. "So you better not hold back when it comes time to lay on the punishment, got it?" Sliding a little closer, grinning fangs just a lunge away from the other's neck, he giggles into his ear. But instead of some profound secret, he just pulls back again and keeps walking with his fingers laced behind his head.

"Oh yeah, do you know how to sleep with your eyes open?" A pause and a glance back.

"I do." Suddenly, he bursts into laughter. "Alright, see ya, Lord Rafal!"

Before long, he found what he was looking for; namely, in the knight who found him first. That an unknowing Rafal was 'intercepted' by Griss was mere illusion. A mendacious idea with the truthful underbelly turned from sight. Reality instead to produce that he'd waited, caught the view of insidious blacks and greys, his memorable green, and lingered - ever so slightly - within range until this very conversation could occur. Exactly as looked, desired, and waited for.

. . .Even if their differing allegiances did not go comparatively as expected. "How heartbreaking such news. I am certain to cry myself to sleep for every second we are apart." Silent surprise surrendered to drawled mockery, and then without perception: curious disappointment. An uncertain contrast to that openly worn glee.

Why ever should two different colored scarves prove cause for his consternation? He who was untouchable against all else; he who weathered far worse? The theory was beyond outlandish, of course, the cause beyond childish. But at least it was easy to rebound. To disdain that strange pollution of sense and take what was cleaner. Offered plainly. Even an overture as misshapen as snapping fangs within reach of throat, even a menacing voice that could never let spill reassurances over blood and violent delights. Fine alternatives, both.

"Heh. A senseless request. I do not recall holding back before, and I do not intend to start now. And let us be clear—if that is a threat, Griss, you know to do better." Not even a flinch as the threat of teeth should pull away, peeks of glittering eyes retracted with them. Only a tickle where warm breath had been; only the partial turn of head as Rafal watched him go, ringing with laughter. And that was the end.

Footsteps carried him forward in the consummation of two diverging paths. They would meet again. Soft-hearted affirmations weren't needed for that.

[lets-try-some-writing]

Starscream but he's blind, kinda fights like toph from avatar and has the same sassiness, how do you think the bots and cons might react to him?

Oh! A fun au idea! Starscream is already terrifying with vision, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be triple as chaotic without sight.

Blindness

How did Starscream lose his sight? Simple. He got a little too cocky and underestimated his enemy severely.

Back on Cybertron he decided that Megatron's continued failure to kill Optimus was beyond irritating, and so he came to the conclusion that he needed to end the Prime himself. Not long after he made his choice, he took to the skies during a skirmish and recklessly dove straight at Optimus.

Expecting assassinating the Prime to be relatively easy with a well placed strike, Starscream transformed mid fall with a missile ready to launch into Optimus's face. Unfortunately for Starscream, Optimus was quick to react and grabbed a piece of shrapnel to shield himself with. The explosion then rebounded as Starscream fell through the air, the blast melting a good portion of his face but not damaging his internals. He would have been fine if it weren't for the shards of Optimus's makeshift shield which tore into Starscream's optics.

Starscream managed to crawl away from the Prime while he was distracted and was picked up by his trine. However upon arriving back at Decepticon command, Megatron refused to give him replacement optics, stating that it was a punishment for defying orders. At the time Starscream scoffed and got his face fixed up, polished, and returned to it's previous luster. He assumed that the punishment would be temporary.

It was not.

As the war reached new heights, there simply wasn't any time or resources to spare for Starscream's destroyed optics. When Starscream pushed the matter he was brushed off and told that if he couldn't be useful without sight he would lose his position as Air Commander. Not one to take anything laying down, Starscream grit his denta and got to work figuring out how to make his blindness a strength rather than a weakness.

He got the upgrades necessary to reroute processing power previously used to collect visual data and instead connect it to his other senses. His hearing and field sensitivity were improved, but most of the upgrades were to his sense of touch. As a flight frame he was already more sensitive so as to account for changes in the air. As such, improving upon the already present sensory capabilities was not difficult.

It took several months for him to adjust, with Starscream falling, becoming overwhelmed with sensory data, and crash-landing more times than he will ever care to admit. But he quickly began using his newfound abilities, more specifically his heightened ability to feel changes in the area with his wings, to get back into work as though nothing happened.

Of course being blind did make him feel far more vulnerable, and as such he developed an even worse personality as well as an extreme sense of caution to top it all off.

The Cons Reactions

The Decepticons (mainly Vehicons) are fragging terrified of blind Starscream as a general rule. He gives off the same predatory vibe as Soundwave, with his lightless optics gazing into the very sparks of those around him. And his ability to sense just about everything going on around him is downright frightening, especially when he silently appears and verbally destroys whoever it was that irritated him.

Megatron knows how dangerous the seeker is and does his best to keep him at arms length away. Starscream only grew more bold after losing his sight, no longer caring to suck up to Megatron and instead doing everything in his power to be an annoying prick when around the Warlord. Starscream regularly questions Megatron, even going so far as to insult him right to his face when he does something questionable or fails to kill any Autobots. The blind seeker will often attempt to drive a blade through Megatron's spark on occasion like some form of twisted game. Usually he will use his blindness as a get out of jail free card and blame his lack of vision for the attempted murder.

As much as he would like to kill him, Megatron tolerates Starscream because he is fantastic at his job and does well keeping the crew in order, but he does not mistake Starscream's blindness for weakness. He knows the moment he lets his guard down the seeker will pick up on it and not hesitate to end him.

Soundwave and Starscream have a tense agreement. As there is physically no way to stop him from trying to kill Megatron, Soundwave has put forward a contract that Starscream has dubiously consented to.

Starscream can make all the attempts on Megatron's life that he wants as long as the Warlord is capable of fighting back. But Starscream is not allowed to do anything to Megatron while he is injured or otherwise impaired. In return for keeping this agreement, Soundwave doesn't try to kill Starscream, rat Starscream out when he leaves the nemesis, or tell Megatron when he defies minor orders. Outside of their occasional passing's in the halls or discussions on the matters of war, neither associate with the other.

Shockwave sees Starscream as an interesting specimen and likes to check up on him randomly to look at his adapted coding. The scientist finds it downright fascinating to see how Starscream's entire code has shifted better accommodated his disability. Starscream tolerates his checkups because sometimes it results in improved software for him. But when it comes to anything not related to his blindness, neither get along on anything, especially with how vocal Starscream is about his scientific beliefs.

Dreadwing and Starscream hate one another with a passion, but Dreadwing also has a begrudging respect for the blind seeker. He is a honor bound warrior first and foremost, as such he sees Starscream's incredible combat capabilities highly impressive considering his lack of vision. While not fond of Starscream's personality or general disposition in the slightest, he recognizes his power and respects it. Sometimes he even asks Starscream for a spar, partially to take out his anger but also to learn from the seekers graceful yet brutal fighting style.

Breakdown is in a similar boat. He really does appreciate Starscream's capabilities and skill, but by Primus, Starscream's endless snark is the worst. Day in and day out Starscream goes around picking at every little thing and making bemoaning the world at large. The seeker has moments of incredible wisdom and intelligence which never fail to make Breakdown think for a moment that maybe he can be friends with him. But then the moment is always ruined when Starscream goes on to say something incredibly vain or demeaning, once again leaving Breakdown to wonder if he misheard.

However there have been occasions where Breakdown has caught Starscream having trouble. Sometimes when the seeker is extra tired or has just come out of an intense battle, he is unable to sense things as well as he usually does. This leads him to stumble, fall, misplace something and become unable to find it again, or in one rather hilarious case, walk right off the command platform. In those instances Breakdown assists and after enduring a slew of swearing from the Starscream, the seeker always ends up thanking him quietly before sauntering off like nothing happened. Breakdown takes great pride in receiving those muttered 'thank you's' from the blind seeker.

Knockout loves to hang around with Starscream, for two main reasons. He likes that Starscream speaks his mind and isn't afraid to stand up to Megatron. And he also really likes how often Starscream comes to him for a paintjob where they always end up talking scrap about everyone on the nemesis and swap gossip. To Knockout it is liberating to have someone equally sassy to chat with, especially since Starscream trusts him of all mecha to pretty him up since he can't exactly see his own paintjob.

Knockout makes it a point to always ensure Starscream looks downright stunning in return for the seeker's continued friendship and free gossip.

Predaking is not quite sure how to handle Starscream. On one hand, Starscream is very irritating, constantly gazing at him with empty optics as though he is a valuable tool to be used while also having a healthy dose of fear. On the other hand, Starscream is very reasonable when it comes to dealing with Predaking, even after he revealed his sentience. While likely due to the terror of possibly being eaten and not being able to see it coming, Starscream always treats Predaking respectfully. For that at least, Predaking is willing to tolerate him, even offer some form of protection when the need arises.

The Bots Reactions

Optimus may or may not have a minor fear of Starscream. He feels somewhat guilty for blinding the mech, but after seeing the terror that is blind Starscream, the guilt has taken a backseat for the most part. Starscream has not forgotten that Optimus played a part in his loss of vision, and he is vicious when he meets Optimus on the battlefield.

Starscream fears Optimus, and as such, is incredibly cautious. But he also hates Optimus with the burning passion of a thousand suns and will not hesitate to try and kill him when the opportunity presents itself. After nearly having been blown up, torn apart, shredded, crushed, and otherwise injured every single time he has met Starscream on the battlefield, Optimus has made it a point to steer clear of him. In response to this, Starscream has resolved to taunt and drop explosives on Optimus during battle just to be a pain before retreating. When they are forced to engage in combat, Optimus tries to get things over with as quick as possible, usually by tossing liquids at Starscream to screw up his senses before moving on or fleeing. The team have long since stopped questioning Optimus when he puts a jug of water in his passenger seat before a battle, they know its for Starscream.

Ratchet doesn't care about Starscream being blind. In his mind the Decepticon is just that, a Decepticon, nothing more and nothing less. If given the chance he would beat Starscream just as badly as he would any other enemy. He literally does not give a frag. However he does take sick joy in knowing that Starscream is paying for his sins through the loss of his optics. When on the battlefield Ratchet will even mock Starscream for it, stating that maybe if he were a better mech he wouldn't have lost his sight to Primus's vessel.

Bulkhead and Wheeljack are torn between genuinely fearing Starscream and hating him. They find it disturbing to fight a mech who can't even look them in the optics while also despising him for all he has done and his constant attempts to humiliate Optimus. They prefer to not fight him as his haunting ability to move silently and not be affected by any environmental issues that block out vision is... somewhat terrifying and difficult to deal with. Being in a dark cave and suddenly having the Decepticon Air Commander pop out of no where and launch a missile at their faces has left them cautious. And having the blind seeker pick them out immediately within the woods during an escape has left them even more unnerved. Overall they like to avoid him.

Ultra Magnus is like Ratchet in that he just does not care. He knows Starscream is dangerous and so treats him as he would any other foe. However as he is not quite sure what Starscream's limits are, he also carries around a jug of water when going into combat on the off chance he encounters the Air Commander. He also will never admit it to anyone, but he keeps a small file in his personal database which would allow Starscream to get a lighter sentence if and when he is put on trial for his crimes. He is aware that Starscream largely joined Megatron out of the desire to protect his people, and he also pities the seeker to a degree and as such is willing to put up some form of defense for him should the need arise.

Bumblebee admires Starscream for his incredible skill despite his blindness and looks up to him, though he will never say so. He does not allow it to distract him during missions, but when the opportunity arises he will watch Starscream in awe as he maneuvers himself through the air with utmost skill and grace. When Starscream was in their custody temporarily, Bumblebee sneakily asked him for an autograph and about how he handled his blindness so well. Starscream humored him and explained with no small amount of ego and snark that he became so amazing through his own perfection. Bumblebee was slightly disappointed at the answer but hasn't stopped admiring the seeker despite it all.

Smokescreen thinks Starscream is cool due to his genius battle strategies and skill, however he hates the seeker's guts. Starscream has disrespected Optimus Prime the great and mighty leader of the Autobots, avatar of Primus, protector of Cybertron, and last of the Primes too many times for Smokescreen to have any sort of affection for him. In fact, he takes it personally when Starscream taunts or pokes fun at Optimus, even going so far as to abandon whatever it was he was doing in favor of beating the seeker into scrap. He has yet to succeed and is always reprimanded for his efforts, but still he tries.

[acourtofthought]

"What if the Cauldron was wrong?"

“Wouldn’t the mating bond have snapped into place for them if it exists?” Rhys’s eyes shuttered. “I think that is a question Azriel has been asking himself every day since he met Mor.”

Then his gaze shifted to Elain, and though it was utterly neutral, something charged went through it

“And you were never with anyone after it?” Not the cold, beautiful shadowsinger who tried so hard not to watch her with longing on his face?

Azriel’s head lifted from where he was sprawled in his own blood, eyes full of rage and pain as he snarled at the king, “Don’t you touch her.” Mor looked at Azriel—and there was real fear there. Fear—and something else.

"Such terrible things that it was a sacrilege for his fingers to touch her skin, tainting her with his presence"

“The issue, actually, wouldn’t be me. It’d be him. I could peel off my clothes right in front of him and he wouldn’t move an inch. He might have defied and proved those Illyrian pricks wrong at every turn, but it won’t matter if Rhys makes him Prince of Velaris—he’ll see himself as a bastard-born nobody, and not good enough for anyone. Especially me.”

"He'd beg on his knees for a chance to taste it"

She wore a gown of pure white, little more than a slip of silk that showed off her generous curves. Indeed, a glance over her shoulder revealed Azriel staring blatantly at the back view of it, Cassian and the stranger already too deep in conversation to notice what had drawn the spymaster’s attention. For a moment, the ravenous hunger on Azriel’s face made my stomach tighten.

I had to look away to keep from laughing. Az, to his credit, gave Mor a smile of thanks, a blush creeping over his cheeks, his hazel eyes fixed on her. I looked away at the heat, the yearning that filled them.

"I'll defeat him with little effort"

Despite being an outsider, Azriel had wanted to invoke it when he's found Mor all those years ago. He'd been ready to challenge both Beron and Eris and kill them both.

Azriel stiffened, an outright sign of temper from him as he said quietly, “There is an innate darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to.”

She knew Azriel would say no, would want her safe. As he had always done. Az would have been pissed, and withdrawn even further into himself.

Correct me if I'm wrong but according to some, Azriel is completely over Mor after 500 years simply because a new female he's only known for two(ish) years has entered his life. Despite multiple books of buildup telling us of his love for Mor, despite Elain telling us as recently as ACOFAS that she didn't want a male and instead wanted a human man, despite centuries of love and longing and lust, he's easily moved on.

Moved on with a female that we've not seen he's had any feelings for that are uniquely special to Elain when you consider he's had the exact same thoughts about Mor.

So please do explain why Elain can't also be replaced just as quickly if someone else happens to come along? Someone who possibly turns out to be his Mate? Someone he already shows admiration for?

Love doesn't happen instantly but all he needs is another few months with Gwyn and Elain will simply become the new Mor.

Or.... What's more likely is Elain was never someone he truly loved at all and he instead transferred his unrequited feelings for Mor onto the only available female within his circle while she herself is looking to hook up with Az as a distraction to her own problems and the things she's been trying to avoid.

Rebounds are a thing and it does no good to pretend it's not a very real possibility. To me, Az isn't really over Mor and his focus needs to be on coming to terms with his past with her before getting involved with anyone else.

[pssyinboots]

Hate To Be You

Oh look i can actually make multiple parts of things!!!

again i listened to the entire Lexie Jayde album, along with Olivia Rodrigo (this took forever to write)

but the main song this is based off is i’d Hate to be you by Lexie Jayde

Strutting into family video you walk straight up to Steve who’s busy rewinding video tapes. Or well was before you walked. “Hey sweetheart, what are you doing in here?”. Leaning over the counter you pull Steve in by his work vest to give him a peck on the lips. Before he could respond Robin cuts in with her fake gagging “Ew. Gag me with a spoon. Do you guys really have to be all cutesy here. In public?”. Steve just glares at her while you hide your face giggling into his chest. “Really Robin.”, she just shrugs at him and returns to restocking. Turning his attention back to you, Steve leaves a kiss on your forehead. He began to ask if you wanted to hangout to tonight before being interrupted by the bell above the door. Signaling someone entered the store.

Eddie knew that it was risky entering Family Video,he knew that you told Steve and Robin what happened and they now despised him rightfully so. But Dustin was bugging him about some new horror movie that he “just had to see”. Instantly He regretted his decision immediately when he sees you cuddled up in Steve’s chest. Eddie was going to turn around and make a break for it, but before he could all eyes were on him.

You whip around to see who just entered the store when you see him. Eddie Munson, the man who you thought was going to be the love of your life before he threw it all away. You wanted to roll your eyes, to scream at him, to combust into flames. Instead you just smiled and waved, “Hey Eddie. What’s up?”. He just stood there with his mouth hung open. He didn’t expect to see you.He knew you were friends with both Steve and Robin,but he just hopped that he wouldn’t see you here. He certainly didn’t expect to see you with you and another guy. Especially when that guy was Steve.

You could feel the anger radiating off of Steve. He was the first person you went to after everything happen with Eddie, he was the only person to see you cry about everything that happened. To everyone else you put up a brave front, but Steve was the only person you could let your guard down with. Since the breakup you’ve basically spent every night with Steve. At first it just started as rebound sex. What he’s hot, plus it doesn’t hurt that Eddie has always been envious of him. plus he has a big dick. After a week you realized you might actually have feelings for him. You guys weren’t official official, it had only been two weeks after all. But Steve really helped you feel better, he was always patient and kind towards you. Not being able to take the tension any longer. Robin just had to say something,“Eddie are you ok?? If you keep your mouth open any longer you’re going to start catching flys”. Quickly Eddie closes his mouth and starts looking anywhere that wasn’t in your and Steve’s direction. “Uh- yeah…um Dustin said something about The Vindicator. How I really needed to watch it….” Quirking his eyebrow Steve just points over to the middle of the store, “Aisle 4.”. Nodding Eddie turns and walks over, tripping over his feet on the way. Wanting to not laugh you cover your mouth, but you couldn’t help letting out a small chuckle.

Turning back around you return your attention back on Steve, smiling up at him. “So what were you going to say?”. You could tell that he was trying to read you, see if you were ok or not after seeing Eddie for the first time. “Steve I promise i’m fine,it’s ok.”. You knew there was no point lying to him he could read you like a book,yet you still attempted to anyways. Steve grabs your hand giving it a squeeze and leans down so only you could hear him, “It’s ok. You don’t have to pretend like he doesn’t affect you. Im here for you. Plus i can always kick his ass if you want me too.” You just laugh at that, maybe a bit too loud catching both Robins, and Eddie’s attention, though his was already on you. Faking being upset, Steve takes a step back and puts his hand over his heart, “You wound me you know that.” Trying to stop yourself from laughing you lean up on your tip toes and give him a kiss,“I’m sorry Stevie it’s just you don’t really have the best record when it comes to fighting.”

Eddie swears he’s going to be sick. How could you move on from him that quickly? Sure he’s fucked people since you’ve broken up, but it was just to try and keep his mind off of you. Which didn’t work he couldn’t stop picturing you, he’s even said your name a few times every time. He was honestly starting to get angry. He knew it wasn’t fair considering what he did to you. It just felt like you were rubbing Steve in his face, you were. Going up to the counter he fakes a cough to get both your and Steve’s attention and places the tape on the counter. Scanning the Tape, Steve hands it back to him,”That’s gonna be three dollars.”. Eddie hands Steve the money, keeping his eyes glued on you. He just couldn’t help it. He hasn’t seen you in weeks and here you were looking like a walking wet dream kissing up on Steve fucking Harrington. “Hey can we talk outside for a second.”, startled your head shoots up to look at him. He looks desperate, like he would do anything for a second of your time. You were about to reply before Steve beats you to it, “She’s good man.”, Eddie just glares at Steve, “I wasn’t talking to you.”. Jesus Christ, men and their testosterone. “Ok, ok can we please save the dick swinging contest for another day? Steve i promise it’ll be just a minute. I’m fine I promise.” Reluctantly Steve nods his head giving his sign of approval. You start Walking outside Eddie trailing after you. walk him like a dog bitch.

Leaning against the back of Eddie’s van you signal him to speak. Eddie shoves his hands in his pockets staring down at his feet, “I missed you”, scoffing you just cross your arms. “Is that all?”, finally Eddie looks up at you with a secret plea in his eyes. “Please don’t be like this. Baby ple…”,you couldn’t believe him. How dare he try to call you that after everything. “Dont you dare call me that. You lost that privilege when you cheated on me.”. Eddie just hung his head in shame, he thought it would be easier than this. He really was a idiot. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I know there is nothing i can do to fix this. Im still in love with you can we just- please.”, he was on his knees at this point. Eddie Munson Was on his knees begging for you in a parking lot. You would be lying if you said you weren’t relishing in this. “Really? Are you really doing this. You broke my heart Eddie. You broke my fucking heart. You absolutely destroyed me, i’ve always told you that cheating was the worst thing you could ever do. And guess what you did Munson?”. You couldn’t help but laugh. This entire situation was fucking hysterical. You couldn’t do this, talking to him was a mistake. Turning back around you start walking back to the store. “I was drunk! You know if I was sober i would of never done that to you.” You were shaking with anger at this point, fuck trying to be nice, fuck trying to keep the tears inside. You couldn’t do this anymore. Whipping back around angry tears are freely rolling down your cheeks. Each one feeling like a bullet into Eddie’s heart. “IT DOESNT FUCKING MATTER, IT DOESNT EDDIE!!! I DONT CARE IF YOU WERE DRUNK, I DONT CARE IF YOU THOUGHT IT WAS ME, OR IF IT WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE IN YOUR LIFE!!! YOU STILL CHEATED!!!”, tears were falling from both your and Eddie’s eyes at this point. Robin and Steve could hear the entire encounter, Robin Physically had to stop Steve from interrupting. “No matter the cause, or the excuse it was still cheating. I cant stand here and say i don’t have feelings for you Eddie, But those feelings are covered with resentment and the idea of your lips on someone else.” Turning around you walk the final steps to the door, but you just couldn’t resist one final blow. “You know what Eddie, I would honestly hate to be you right now. You lost the best thing that will ever happen to you for nothing. There’s no one who will fill my place in your life. Even if you get married you will still be thinking about me, hoping it was me. And you deserve that.”

There was that stupid fucking bell again. Signaling the start of your future and Eddie’s end.