#its not even the money its the time. if we gave the car to them on monday we wouldnt be able to set off til like friday probably

[haveihitanerve]

Had an idea but I forgor it so here's a different one

Bruce Wayne, concussed and on several strong painkillers, socializing with socialites from outside Gotham. They ask him about his kids and joke about how they all look so similar to him.

His brain, moving at about 3mph, does not register that his kids were ADOPTED (safe for one) and answers their questions as if he gave birth to them, forgetting he also doesn't have the facilities for that (unless you want him to- we love old trans people)

"Master Bruce I really must insist-" Alfred tried for the fourth time in seven minutes, Bruce had counted, reaching to push him back to bed and pull off the suit jacket he had only moments before helped Bruce put on.

"'M going Alf." Bruce grumbled back, rubbing a bleary hand over his eyes. "There's no use in putting it off. Don't have a good excuse and.." He grimaced. "They need to see me. It's been a while."

Alfred opened his mouth to protest again, even going so far as to move in front of the door to block his exit. "You are on far too many medications Mr. Wayne, not to mention a concussion! You simply cannot."

Bruce's lips twitched it amusement. It was a rare day when Alfred's composure was rattled to the point of calling him Mr. Wayne, and while Alfred was admittedly very strong, there was no way his physical blockation of Bruce's path would actually stop him.

"Alf." Bruce began gently, and the butler scoffed, rolling his eyes as he moved out of the way, striding down the long hallway. "Well. I see my advice isn't heeded. As always."

Bruce threw him an apologetic smile, heading for the main door. "Love ya Alfie!!" The butler snorted, but Bruce could tell he was softening.

"Call if you need boy." Alfred murmured. Bruce grinned, offering a wink as he pulled the door open. "I will." He promised, sliding into the backseat of his limousine, heading to the Gala.

He hissed as the needle broke his skin, biting his lip to prevent any further sounds as the anti-biotic worked its way into his system. Alfred would most definitely have protested its use, especially as Bruce tossed back a handful of other added painkillers, but if he was being honest, he needed them to get through the night.

"Thanks Hank. Tell your wife I said hi and grab her a bouquet on your way home. On me." He patted his driver's shoulder as he climbed out. Hank grinned, tipping his black cap.

"You always make me seem like such a good husband Mr. Wayne, I appreciate it. Have a good night." Bruce grinned back, stumbling slightly as he moved towards the doors, using the car to stabilize himself.

"You give me too much credit, send your boys some love and you have tomorrow off, try to actually use that baseball glove I gifted you." Hank chortled, setting the car into drive. "Will do sir. Good night." Bruce nodded the same back, watching until the car pulled away fully to stumble up the steps.

"Maybe those pills weren't such a good idea." He mumbled to himself as he made it to the doors, pulling them open to walk inside, heading straight for the table laid out with food. Of course, one couldn't enter a Gala without greeting the hosts, and he barely made it two steps before he was intercepted.

"Mrs. and Mr. Ketch. How lovely to see you." Bruce offered a bow, bending too low before rocking back upwards. Mrs. Ketch was smiling at him, a lovely, true smile that Bruce noticed tended to happen whenever he greeted the woman first instead of the man. Mr. Ketch was frowning, but more at Bruce's bizarre drunken act than any offense towards being placed after his wife.

"Are you alright, Wayne?" He asked, and Bruce hated that he actually liked the Ketch's, because there was genuine concern in the mans voice. Another reason why he had come.

The Ketch's were new money, self made, and trying to blend in with the old elites, though Bruce had to admit they never would, they were just too good, too kind, too sincere.

He wondered, dimly, in the back of his foggy, drug addled mind, if perhaps they'd finally tire of all the snide comments, rude looks, sneers, and give up on their well meaning charity that they had chosen Gotham for. He hoped they wouldn't. He liked having actual good conversation at these dull events.

"M fine, truly." Bruce answered, a few seconds too late, smiling lazily. "Might've had a few." He tried his best imitation at a drunken smile, wincing as he realized it was dangerously close to how he really felt.. tipsy. Off balance.

Robert, because that was his name, he had told Bruce his first name instead of demanding he call him Mr., frowned a little in concern, and before he knew it they had herded him to one of the seating places, settling down by him.

"How're the kids?" Mrs. Ketch asked, handing him a glass of water that Bruce gratefully accepted. "Amazing." He answered. "Splendid. They're always doing so well. They don't see it though." He frowned at his glass, wondering why that was.

"They're so amazing though. It just doesn't make any sense," He sat up, leaning forward to look at the couple in front of him intensely. They both had their eyebrows raised in surprise, but leaned forward in tandem, intruiged.

"Because see, they're so brilliant, and lovely, and smart, really I think they're the smartest people in the world- like ever. And Dickie, he's so kind and sweet and nice, and he's got a few problems and I'm sorry about it but he's really just amazing and an all around good person, I really oughtta try and be more like him, and oh he's got my eyes, im so glad he got my eyes, but i love his nose too, its nothing like mine- anyway Jason too- whoo he got my height im so happy for him- he also has my eyes! they all have my eyes actually, except cass, and damian, but like he's so brilliant and smart and he was such a good kid, he is now too- oh he doesn't like me calling him kid, but he'll always be my baby, and oh i cried so much when he died, but he better now, oh and Timmy, oh timmy is so smart. Soooo smart like genuis level, and he's wayy smarter than me, wayyyy smarter, and alfie says he has my hair, but i dont see it- i think he got my jaw though- and then Cass oh Cassandra My baby girl she's lovely and sweet and a charmer, beautiful girl, so is Barbara, but she won't let me say that to her, no no, but she is, she's so pretty and smart and quick, she scares me sometimes but I love her, such a good girl yknow? And Stephanie? Oh she and Tim need to make it official so shes mine. mine mine mine. I need another daughter you know? Too many boys. Equality of men and women at home. I need them home. And then Duke. hes so lovely too. Oh and Damian. Damian took some adjusting but they're all so lovely yknow? I remember the day they were born so vividly. I was so happy. I love them so much. It hurt, of course, but what is that to the joy they bring now yknow?"

Bruce took a sip of his drink, nodding thoughtfully as he leaned back. Mrs. and Mr. Ketch blinked a few times, opened their mouths, closed them again, and leaned back as well, exchanging glances.

"Yes. Well. Quite." Mr. Ketch cleared his throat. "Bruce, perhaps we should call you someone? To take you home?" Mrs. Ketch nodded her agreement.

"Come on sweetheart, let's get you home. You need to go to bed and.. and sleep this off." Bruce nodded, letting them help him stand and guide him to the door as Mr. Ketch called someone.

"Yeah. I like bed. And sleep. Oh- but I can't. Uh-uh, I promised Dickie I'd call him." Bruce nodded, turning to head back inside as though that would help his quest.

Mrs. Ketch grabbed his arm and gently, but firmly, led him back outside. "Rob just called him sweetheart, he's on his way."

"Oh." Bruce nodded. "Oh. Thas good." Mrs. Ketch nodded her agreement, rubbing his back soothingly. "I like that." Bruce hummed, letting his eyes close. "Its like what my mother used to do." Mrs. Ketch looked at him in surprise, hand stilling for a second before resuming.

"Really?" She asked gently. Bruce hummed in confirmation. "Oh yes. Yeah she did. You do it well. You'd make a good mom. Just like me. Well, I don't make a good mom." At that he frowned at the ground, biting his lip. "But I try."

Mrs. Ketch smiled, turning them as a car pulled up. "Yes. You do. And you do it marvelously Bruce, truly. That's all we can ever do. Try." Bruce nodded his agreement as the door opened and his eldest emerged, rushing to his side.

"Bruce!" Dick looked genuinely worried, grabbing his shoulder. "You alright?" His son's eyes were searching, scanning his body.

"Oh hes fine." Mrs. Ketch waved with a smile. "Just a few drinks. I think it'd be best he go home though, sleep it off." Dick nodded his agreement, smiling at her. "Yes. I think thats best. Thank you." She shrugged, waving it off.

"Of course. It's what he would have done for me." Dick lowered Bruce into the passenger seat, heading for the drivers. "Bruce." Ketch tapped the window, leaning down. "Hm?" Bruce tilted his head, rolling it down.

"I'm pregnant." Bruce waited, jaw dropping slowly as the words connected in his brain. "You are?" She nodded, a small smile crossing her face.

"Yes. You're the first person I've told." She glanced nervously over her shoulder, to where her husband was waiting on the steps. Bruce reached for her hand, clasping it in his own.

"You'll make an excellent mother. And he will make an amazing father." He promised. She smiled, biting her lip anxiously. "You think?" Bruce nodded. "I know." At that her smile softened, and she patted his cheek.

"Thank you. And, for what it's worth Bruce," She glanced past him to Dick, who was kindly pretending not to listen. "I think you make an excellent mother."

[aledmorningstar]

╰┈➤Bad joke

Summary: Sukuna discovers that you don't like jokes.

Relationship: Ryomen Sukuna/Reader

Word count: 1.8k

Note: Slow updates, my editor and I are in a fight with my university administrators.

-‘๑’-: No curses au, uni au, sfw, humor, fluff, slight angst

The terrible hours of class had finally ended, the hard day of university had culminated its torture at 6:00 pm, every day you reconsidered the idea of ​​continuing studying so intensely, did you really need that university degree?

Without a doubt, life sounded more beautiful in an imaginary world, being a pretty housewife who patiently waited for her millionaire husband who loved her madly, your days would be spent helping your children with their homework and wasting an unreasonable amount of money on any whim.

“We've told you to stop daydreaming, it could be dangerous in the wrong places.”

Your daydream was interrupted by one of your best friends, it seemed like your group of friends had already finished putting away their belongings and were just waiting for you to leave the classroom.

"Oh I'm sorry. I was just thinking about the future."

“Is the young lady returning to the fantasy of married life with her impolite boyfriend?”

"Hey! I already told you not to talk about him like that."

You argue while you put your notebooks and computer in your bag, the one that your boyfriend Ryomen had given you on your birthday even though you told him that a gift was not necessary, you knew how difficult it must be for him and how limited which can sometimes be the money in your situation; his mother, playing the role of both parents and trying to provide a bright future for her children; Yuji, his twin who had to complete several courses to be a firefighter and also study a Bachelor's degree in automotive mechanics; and finally Ryomen himself, who had to complete his university career as a lawyer.

It was definitely not easy for him or his family, unlike you, who had lived the life of a princess in an imaginary bubble impenetrable by the dangers and worries of reality. Even though you had insisted on helping that modest family financially, you were not allowed to do so. Both Sukuna and his brother and mother refused to accept a cent of your generous support, saying that they did not want to take advantage of your kindness. That did not stop them from you gave expensive gifts to each one on special dates.

Maybe that was the reason behind that expensive gift from your boyfriend, one day he simply listened to you talk about that beautiful designer bag that was going to become fashionable with its next release on sale, he used all his savings and even did part-time jobs, washing cars, walking dogs, helping model clothes for the fashion design department; just to be able to see a cute and excited smile on your face.

You are a princess, the most beautiful flower he could find and of course he would give you everything you deserve, everything that fine society has given you and he does his best so that you do not have any lack by his side, to be worthy of you.

You didn't have the heart to tell him that you had pre-ordered that bag thanks to your father's contacts and that you had to refund it, angering some merchants for their wasted efforts.

“Hurry up, if we don't get to the cafe on time the tables will be full.”

Like every Friday you and your friends got together to talk about the latest news in your lives, your social circle was mostly made up of girls just as privileged as you, it wasn't difficult for your father to convince you to choose a career in law, much less make you enter one of the most demanding and prestigious schools in the country.

Your friends are good girls, you knew that otherwise you wouldn't have even looked at them; However, like you, they were overprotected and followed the sophisticated rules that society had imposed on them. This was one of the reasons why they didn't quite agree with your relationship with Ryomen Sukuna, a commoner in their eyes.

Like any conversation between friends, the topic of boys and relationships could not be avoided, a topic in which you came to light with your strange relationship of “opposite poles”, the little princess of the city and the delinquent of the campus, it was the funniest and most interesting experiment your friends could witness.

“So… How is our little princess's relationship going? Did he already ruin it?”

Of course there were going to be silly comments that doubted that your relationship was authentic and that waited for the slightest mistake from your boyfriend to shout in your face “I told you so.”

"No and he won't, you don't know my 'kuna"

“We know his history”

Even though all your friends were always supportive and kind to you, there was one in particular who wasn't very nice. Ann, always making sarcastic comments and believing herself to be better than everyone, everyone could see how jealous she was of you; She had been the last to join the group, one day you saw her alone and decided to integrate her into your group, unfortunately you never found the words to tell her that you no longer wanted to be her friend.

“Come on, darling, everyone here remembers how your relationship began.”

“He has changed, he is not the same person he was before, he is a new man”

Sure, your relationship may not have started off in the most convincing way possible, there were lies, misunderstandings and a lot of tears, but everything is different now. Now you have the romance that any girl could dream of, one full of love, affection and trust of those you only find in books, you would have your happily ever after.

“Well, I'll wait for your bad boy to do one of his things and don't say I didn't warn you.”

"When pigs fly, that's not going to happen"

The atmosphere had frozen in an awkward silence as you and Ann exchanged a big forced smile, it was strange to see you angry because of your sweet personality, but it would certainly be even stranger not to see you jump into an argument that included Ryomen Sukuna's name, you are his unofficial lawyer.

“Okay girls, let's talk about something else…”

╚══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╝

You love Fridays, the best day of the week, since you could sleep over at your loved one's house and enjoy the weekend in his arms watching movies, doing puzzles, taking photos, listening to music, talking, watching videos, going out on dates, ordering takeout or even when he played a video game on the console and you were left coloring the pictures he printed for you (sometimes he needs his space).

That Friday the drawings were finished quickly, so you decided to watch some videos on your tiktok while Sukuna played a video game that you only knew had weapons because of the shots. The videos on your fyp were about pranks between couples (something that amused you), some light and others a little harsh.

Sukuna was someone who was a joker, someone who liked to make jokes but couldn't stand having one played on him; However, you were a couple, a slight joke between you could be kind of funny, it wasn't even a funny joke you just wanted to see how funny his reaction could be.

A message made Sukuna's phone ring, you thought it was the perfect time for your little act as you held back your laughter.

“Who is sending you so many messages? You have another girl, right?”

Your comment surprised Sukuna slightly, you weren't the jealous type, he looked at you for a split second and that was enough for him to know you were joking, he can play too.

"Oh my love. It's not even one girl, they´re five precious ones."

The amused smile that adorned your face disappeared in an instant, being replaced by a strange grimace, your eyes glistening from the tears that formed and that you refused to let go as you bit your trembling lower lip, preventing any sound.

"Really?"

“Of course, pretty. I'm too cool to stay with just one girl."

Memories of your conversation with Ann invaded your mind, Sukuna Ryomen had a past that was difficult to overcome, would he really change overnight for you?

Your boyfriend quickly realized that you had started packing your belongings back into your suitcase, why would you do that? The plan was that you would stay with him like every weekend, what was happening?

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

Well, you had dropped a little bomb that exploded in your face and you didn't like it, but you wouldn't let him notice that it dealt a low blow at least for you.

“I'm just putting my things away. “Can you pass me my colored pencils?”

Sukuna decided to make the difficult decision to abandon his game and pay attention to the seemingly serious situation that was occurring with his beloved.

He did as you asked, you put away your colored pencils next to your other belongings with quick movements and finally wrote something furiously on your phone.

“I asked you a question, what are you doing?”

“Nothing… I'm asking my driver to come pick me up.”

"Now?"

“Yes, now. In fact I'm writing to him 'Please hurry up, I want to leave here right now, come as fast as you can'”

You could barely feel the force and speed with which Ryomen snatched the phone from your hands, he stood up and placed your phone on one of the highest pieces of furniture in the living room.

"Why would you do that?"

"What do you mean why? Did you hear what you said earlier?”

The hardest question you can ask a man, ask him the reason why his girlfriend was angry. The pink-haired man's reasoning quickly went to work.

Connect the dots, you had gotten angry within a period of 5 minutes, you weren't angry with him before that time, all he had done was play video games. Had that bothered you? No, he had given you drawings of your favorite characters to entertain you, the only thing he had done besides playing had been answering your joke... Oh.

“Ah, that's it.”

“Is that all you will say?”

Okay, a mental note for Sukuna: You like making jokes, you don't like having them made or returned to you. You're a crybaby, but he still loves you.

“Sorry, love, it was a joke. You know that I only love you, you are the only girl who occupies my heart, the owner of my soul and my body, I would kill for you, ask me to kill for you."

Ryomen approached to hug you from behind, he placed one of his hands on your abdomen and one on your shoulder, crossing your chest to bring you closer to him, you could feel his breath on your neck and after a few seconds you shivered from the kisses he gave you. he left on your cheek.

“I didn't find your joke funny.”

“In my defense, you started joking that I had another woman. You’re a baby, jokes aren’t your thing, darling.”

The look on your face made him feel like he had just kicked a puppy, his solution was to carry you back to the couch and hold you in his arms.

"I'm sorry baby. You can choose the movie we watch today, deal?”

"Deal"

⋆·˚ ༘ *🔭 master list is here

[simpingforheros]

Bring Me To Life

Pairing: Arkham Knight!Jason Todd x Female! Reader

Summary: Destroy the Batman and get his companion back? Jason almost didn't believe Slade until... Warnings: Usage of female pronouns, Nudity (NO smut), Swearing, Character Death, Angst, Resurrection, Infantization ( I didn't know how to better describe this), Unhealthy relationship dynamics, Kinda Dark/Obsessive! Jason, Mentions Electroshock therapy, Implied Brainwashing, Slade being a creep, Mentions of Drug Abuse, Mentions of Child Neglect, Mentions of Child Homelessness and unsafe situations, SPOILERS for Death in the Family (Comic 1988) and Arkham Knight.

Author's Note: Hiya Everyone, This is the first fanfic I've written in a while and the christianing fic for this account. I may start a casual little series with this, but I don't know yet. Also any comic and game inaccuracies are either because I forgot or I adjusted it to fit the story.

Also while this post is mostly safe for work, MINORS DNF AND PLEASE READ WARNINGS. I DO NOT AUTHORIZE ANYONE TO STEAL MY WORK OR REPOST IT ON OTHER SITES.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was supposed to be him...

Those dark nights he had spent alone on the streets as a child didn't seem so bad looking back on it. Jason understood struggle even when he had lived with his parents who spent grocery money on alcohol and drugs. Living on the streets didn't feel so much worse, especially since he had... "Jason, Mr. Accetta gave me some scraps from dinner rush today! There's even a whole pizza in here!"

Her. His one friend had since he was thrown into this harsh world. She was the only person he knew at the time to never stop smiling or finding a positive outlook on things. He couldn't even remember when they met, but he could hardly remember them being apart.

Whether he was stealing or fighting, she was there as a faithful lookout or a willing accomplice. She taught him how to take tires off of cars like her granddad taught her and he taught her how to throw a punch like his dad used to throw. An unstoppable duo who ran the alley as well as two 11-year-olds could.

The harsh winter nights they spent crowding together were his favorite memories from that time. Even with the bite of Gotham's winds at their toes, his partner would never falter to talk about anything and everything as he listened. She would talk about her dead grandparents a lot and all the stories she had with them before they passed away, but his mind couldn't recall them at all. He just remembers the constant dream that she told him every night.

"One day, Jay, I'm gonna have enough money and get an apartment in Old Gotham..." Jason's nose turns up as he listens to his friend as he bites on his food. "Why Old Gotham? Isn't it just falling apart?"

She giggles as she pulls the oversized coat closer to her shivering body. The jacket was from a relative but the fabric lost those memories as its fibers were now bones. She still had it even after she left the streets...

"Because it's the most beautiful place in the world...I will get an apartment someday and you and I will live there. We can even get like a cat or something."

The familiar burn on Jason's face blooms as he asks, "Why would you want me there?"

"Because it wouldn't be my dream home unless you're there with me."

He wouldn't find out until a few years later that her grandparents used to live in Old Gotham until her grandfather died and her grandmother had to move as she would unknowingly follow her husband not even a year later...

Those nights in the streets melted into nights spent in the warmth of Wayne manor. As the two thieves became kings after a faithful night with the Batmobile, Jason was brought into the world of crime fighting along with his closest friend. As they trained and donned their capes, She would show a new side of herself to Jason. The overly happy young girl from the streets became an anxious teenager as he became angerier.

"Jason..." Her voice woke him up in the darkest of nights. His body ached from the nightly fights from the previous day as he turned to see a familiar sight.

A now 14-year-old Y/N standing in the crack of the door. Her fidgeting figure indicated all he needed to know before he raised his blanket as she scurried to get in the bed. This was a ritual that started when they moved in. Both would grow anxious at night as they went from the open streets to a large, confining manor. Alfred almost had given up on trying to scold the teens as they were found sharing a bed more times than being separated.

As she curled into his side as much as she could without hurting him, he could practically hear her mind tinkering as her E/C eyes stared into his chest.

There wasn't the need to discuss what was on her mind. At least not right now. She was concerned about the growing tension between Bruce and Jason. He was becoming reckless and Bruce was having none of it with her often getting dragged into the middle of the fights.

He hated that he never tried more...

It shouldn't have surprised him when all the conflict had finally caused a break in the family. Especially when Jason began looking for his birth mother. Y/N tried to be supportive of him as he investigated his leads. Those leads eventually led to Jason reuniting with Bruce as he investigated a possible arms trade in Lebanon. The reconciliation and the prospect of finding his mother left him blind to any form of common sense, but what kind of common sense could a fifteen-year-old make in the life they lived?

He should have listened to her concerns when they finally found Sheila Haywood, his real mother. Y/N had a bad feeling from the start but he dismissed her worries. Jason had no clue that the night he was supposed to meet with Sheila was gonna end up being one of the worst nights of his life....

"Jason, maybe you should wait for Bruce to be here so he can come with you." She suggested softly.

His eyes roll as he adjusts his costume. "Because it's none of his business. I'm just meeting with my mom and talking out some stuff..."

He didn't tell her about the blackmailing he witnessed earlier that day between his mother and the Joker. But, he would find out later that she already knew about it through Bruce.

Her hand reaches for his shoulder and pulls him around to face her. "I'm serious. You shouldn't meet with a woman you barely know in some fucking warehouse in the middle of nowhere!"

Jason can remember the hurt he felt when he heard her snap at him, Oh, how angry he got with her when all she wanted was to protect him. He remembers yelling at her the worst thing he thought he could say to her.

Why the fuck did he ever say that to her?

"I'm sorry your parents didn't want anything to fucking do with you, but I'm not gonna let your bitter ass ruin my shot to be with mine."

He remembers the hurt that filled her eyes and the string of regret pooling in his gut. With a fake smile on her face and tears pooling in her eyes, Y/N says softly,

"Okay...I'm sorry," The sharp sting in his neck as she pressed the vial of sedatives Bruce gave her into his veins. "I'm sorry to do this, Jason, but Bruce said you wouldn't go down that easily."

Jason couldn't remember what he said after the spark of betrayal hit him, but he hated himself that the last time he saw those eyes they were clouded with the tears he caused....

"Y/N! Please talk to me!" Jason begs into the coms as he rod on the back of the motorbike with Bruce.

He should have known. Her instincts are never wrong and he doubted her.

When Bruce found him unconscious and told him about how Joker was involved in all of this, Jason should have known that it was all a trap. His mother wasn't a poor blackmailed soul, she was a conniving bitch who profitted.

He also should have known that Y/N was gonna go meet with Sheila instead of him. Where the Joker was waiting for her.

"Y/N, please. Please be okay...." He begged to the coms as he can only think about what he said to her the last time they spoke.

"J...Jason...."

"Y/N!" Relief washed over him like a wave as he heard her voice. Her broken pained moaned of his voice made him sick as he tried to at least rationalized that at least she was alive. "Don't worry, honey. We know where you are and we're coming to help you."

He didn't know that she was laying battered and broken against the locked door as she stared at the bomb that was ticking away on the wall. Her labored breaths blocked out the ticking on the comms as she whispers out.

00:12

"Do you remember the apartment?..."

"What apartment? The one you talked about in the alley? Why are you-?"

She interupts him, he can hear the familiar curl of her smile in her pained voice as she whispered,

"I wanted it to have a window facing the east end...the stars always looked pretty over there..."

00:10

"Y/N, what are you-"

"I wanted one of those Tabby-looking cats like the ones we saw in the alleyway outside of Mr. Accetta's restaurant...Name it Frank after that old Italian fucker...I was hoping we could go back and actually buy dinner in that restaurant someday..."

00:08

"Are you okay? Why are you talking like this? We are almost there. I can see the building! We are almost here. I'M COMING TO SAVE YOU."

Jason's desperation was palpable as he heard his beloved talk like she was on her deathbed. His panic causes Bruce to drive faster as the Batcycle inches closer to the warehouse. "Jason"

00:04

"Jason, I love you...I have since I was 13..." She admits as her voice trembles. "I used to dream we would become the family we always wanted with each other...Thank you for being in my life and I'm sorry I let you down..."

00:03

"Y/N, I -"

00:02

"Wait!"

00:01

"Goodbye, Jason..."

.

.

.

It should have been him who died that night... It was supposed to be him. NOT HER.

Jason blamed himself for her death as soon as he helped pull her broken corpse out of the rubble. He tried to convince himself that it wasn't her. This wasn't his Batgirl. Not his best friend who would run around the manor with him or help him pickpocket pedo freaks on the street. This broken little girl that was in his adoptive father's arms wasn't his first love. She was a bright, kind light who protected her loved ones, not this broken shell who wore her skin...

But, it was her...

He blamed Bruce for it too. He was the one gave her the orders to keep Jason away from the warehouse. He had to have known that she was gonna go instead. Bruce should have known she was because she wanted to be wrong about Sheila so Jason could be happy...

He also blamed the Joker. He wanted that Clown dead... His opportunity presents itself after he tracks Joker down to an abandoned wing of Arkham trying to flee from blowing up a children's hospital.

Blinded by his rage and bloodlust, Jason went in alone and without any communication. Y/N would scold him in her grave as he fell for the trap, sealing him in a cycle of hell for a year.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"What if I could?"

"Do what?"

"Bring her back. Would you be willing to work for Crane if I could bring back the little Batgirl?"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

He knew it was bullshit.

Bringing back someone from the dead was impossible.

Jason would have been satisfied if his pseudo-partner/ prisoner, Deathstroke, just told him that he would be able to kill the Batman and wipe the hell hole that is Gotham off the face of the earth. He already dedicated a full year after his escape from Arkham to building his army.

His only regret during this time was not killing Joker himself. Even after all the torture and pain that clown did to him, he regretted not bashing the Joker's skull in after their last encounter as Slade helped him escape. It wouldn't have mattered to him at the time that Slade would have killed him because it wouldn't have been revenge for his own torture.

it would have been for Y/N. For the hell she faced that night. After a few months in Arkham, Jason almost accepted his torture as punishment for not dying that day for her because he experienced everything she felt. Every day he experienced everything she had to feel those short agonizing hours for an entire year. She must have been so scared and Jason couldn't save her.

The only thing that kept him from giving up was the memories he had of her and the burning hatred for those who caused her light to be snuffed out too soon.

He just wanted to feel that warmth again...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"If you can do that, then I'll burn the whole world to the ground for that fucking lunatic."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Please Jason. Let us help you!" Barbara Gordan begged from her cell as Jason snaps at her.

"THERE IS NO HELPING! I CAN FIX IT!"

Jason was manic. His men were being tugged around like dog toys by Batman and Slade had left him hours ago to attend some matter he didn't care to ask about. His time was running thin and he knows he needs to end this soon. It didn't help that those he didn't want involved are here as well like Barbara.

"Sir..." A militia soldier says as he nervously walks into the room. HIs men were already aware how stupid it was to come near him when he's in a crazed anger. Jason's head whipped at him like a feral man as he grits out.

"What is it?"

"Deathstroke is here...and he uh..."

Impatience reaches a boiling point as Jason raises his gun and shoots the militia solider in the head as Barbara shrieks. The red puddle of death fills the sterile room with lead as Deathstroke walts in. Jason turns his back towards him as places his helmet back into place.

"My, what a mess you made." Deathstroke mockingly scolds. The hidden smirk almost causes Jason to snap again.

"Where have you been? Batman is out there taking down my tanks faster than my men can repair them. You told m-!"

The Arkham Knight's monologue was intruppted as he turns to scold Slade by his heart dropping to his stomach at the sight before him. He swore that if he didn't hear Barbara's gasp and the whisper of fate's name, he would have woken up back in that dreaded wing of Arkham Asylum.

Slade chuckles as he rattles the chain in his hand as he says coyly, "What? Am I not allowed to go fetch your payment?"

Standing behind Deathstroke was a naked woman. Her tangled up (H/C) hair ran down her shoulders as her wide innocent eyes shined through the now white tendrils framing her face. Her body seemed more mature but all muscle mass she had was faded. Her face seemed aged but he recognized the curve of her nose and those lips he imagined smiling at him through his darkest moments.

"Y/N?" He helplessly calls out to her as he feels himself pulled towards her like a magnet.

If it wasn't for the stark white streak and gnarly, painful-looking scars on her body, Jason would have thought this was Scarecrow's fear toxin. It couldn't be possible, right? She was dead. He knew she was because he held her body. He felt how cold she was and watched how her lifeless eyes looked up to the ash ridden sky.

Those eyes now looked at him with no familiarity, but a childlike wonder as she naively smiles at him.

"How?" Was all the Arkham Knight could muster as he reaches to grab her. To pull her into his arms and never let her leave.

Deathstroke grabs the collar that was wrapped around her neck and yanks her back behind him as she chokes on her breath. He chuckles as he looks back into Jason's voiceless mask.

"The Lazarus Pit brought back her body." He explains as he hauntingly twirls the chain in his hand. "Of course, after you agreed to work with Crane, I brought her back immediately. Unfortunately, the poor thing suffered from Pit Madness."

A cruel smirk appears on Deathstrokes lips as he pushes the girl's hair back to reveal circular scars on her temples. Jason felt rage bubbling up in his throat as he recognized what those scars were.

Prolonged Electroshock Therapy

"You sick!" Before Jason could throw a punch, Slade places his gun on Y/N's forehead as he chuckles. The woman didn't even sense the danger as she continued to observe everyone with a curious eye. Jason immediately backs off as Slade continues.

"Of course. Her treatment did cause her to be cured of the madness but at the cost of her memories. She barely remembers how to take care of herself so you make it like that. Especially when you want to fuck her."

Jason was thankful for his mask as he would have killed him from his glare. To imply that she was just a potential fucktoy made him itch to bury this man in the deepest bowels of hell. As he quietly glares at him, Slade finally offers him the chain. The Arkham Knight accepts the chain as the assassin warns him,

"Now since you got your payment. You better keep your end of the deal..." His voice becomes threatening as he says.

"Because I can easily kill her just as I brought her back.'"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

AN: I was gonna write more, but I got exhausted so this is all I got. Let me know if it's a vibe or not.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

@simpingforheros fanfic. I DO NOT AUTHORIZE THE COPYING, STEALING, OR REPOSTING OF MY WORKS ON OTHER WEBSITES WITHOUT CREDIT.

[milk-breadx]

with a ring pop, i'll get down on one knee - m. s.

mike schmidt x gn!reader

Fluff! ??? to Fiancés?!

A late night trip and you three stop by a convenience store. Abby finally gives you two the push you needed.

word count: 1,440 words

warnings: movie spoilers?

"Okay, okay, okay. 80's or 50's?"

"Really? These are the best options?"

"We've been here for a while, I think we've exhausted all other interesting options." You reach for another bottle of soda, opening it and letting the fizz settle down before taking a sip. "Now, pick,"

The two of you were perched on top of the trunk of his car. Very late at night, the nearest landmark being a nearby convenience store where you bought some chips and drinks to enjoy while you wait 'till you both weren't feeling droopy to continue your road trip. Abby, sound asleep at the back seat, who said she wanted to "stay up with you guys", was very eager to go on this trip. Especially since she rarely gets to go out with you and her big brother. Poor thing fell asleep and you didn't have the heart to wake her, so Mike stayed to watch her while you went to purchase some refreshments. Now, at the back of his car, you two talked nonsense for what felt like forever.

"Uhh, the latter." He takes a chip from the bag and eats it, all the while your eyebrows furrow at his answer. 

"Really?" The tone was laced with disbelief and you eagerly wait for his defense.

"What? You'd rather pick the 80's?"

"Uh, yeah? against the 50's who wouldn't?" You playfully nudge him on the shoulder, unknowingly bringing up his memories from his last job as a night guard at the pizza place. Your eyes widened when the realization hit you. "...Oh."

"Idiot." Mike flicks your forehead and you raise your palm to cover it after he does. You remembered that morning at the hospital when you received his call and rushed there only to find him injured, officer Vanessa unconscious, and Abby scared to leave his side. You could've sworn you almost passed out after hearing what happened a few hours before.

Ghost children possessing robot animals? Murderer who wears a yellow bunny suit? It all sounded funny but the serious looks in their eyes and their very REAL injuries made you believe them. Since then, you've been more active in helping them out. Whether it be moving in with them to help with the bills and keeping Abby company while Mike's out to look for a job or planning something for the three of you to enjoy, all to get them to recover and forget the whole ordeal about the pizzeria.

So now, 7 months after the incident, Mike got a job, and you both saved up some money to go on a trip for the weekend.

"I didn't realize! Sorry!" You sheepishly replied and Mike gave a small laugh. That moment made you pause for a bit. Mike had no time to relax for a long time, so it was refreshing to see him smile and laugh.

"When do you think we should get going? It's probably midnight by now and I am dying to sleep. Y'know? While you drive us the rest of the way there." He says and you playfully rolled your eyes at him.

"Hey! You said you were gonna stay up with me like I stayed up when you drove!" Mike shakes head and continues eating his chips. 

"No, no, I don't remember making that kind of agreement." A playful smirk starts making its way to his face. "I do recall you insisting to stay awake with me even though I said you should go to sleep," This little-

"Yeah! Because we're traveling at night, can't have us end up in a ditch somewhere?!"

The car door opens and shuts. Turning around, you see Abby rubbing her eyes as she makes her way towards both of you. Mike calls out to her and helps her sit in between the two of you.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Her droopy eyes turn to you and then to Mike.

"You looked like you were deeply asleep. Sorry, did we wake you?" Grabbing a cold bottle of water, bought specifically for Abby, you tried opening it. Noticing this, Mike grabs the bottle and opens it before handing it to his sister. You whispered "I loosened it for you" to him before Abby speaks again.

"No. But are we there yet?"

"Not yet. We stopped here because we were getting sleepy and wanted to rest for a bit before we go." You handed her the plastic bag that had 2 bags of chips left for her to pick. "You excited to be there already?"

She picks one from the bag and opens it, grabbing a chip and eating it. "Yeah. Can we go on more trips soon?"

You and Mike share a look, unsure how to respond, so he answers for you. "We'll see, Abs,"

She doesn't respond to that. Instead, she asks you another question. "Are you going to keep staying with us? I like when you're around."

"Of course. I'll be here until Mike kicks me out." She chuckles at your response before turning to Mike. "You're not gonna kick them out, are you?"

"We'll see, Abs."

You playfully glare at him and he shrugs. 

"Why don't you two just get married?"

Abby continues to eat, unaware how her question sounded to the both of you, but aware of your unique kind of friendship where borderline lovers was the most appropriate thing to actually call what you and Mike had. The fumble of words from you two comes quick but Abby doesn't take back her suggestion.

"You two have known each other for years and we've been living together for months now. I know you two have arguments sometimes, but you always work it out." She whispers the last part but the both of you hear it clear as day. "Plus you said you like each other-"

Two voices yelled out, "Abby!" You and Mike look at each other, the realization setting in that she's right. When you two looked away, silence ensued. Mike was the first to speak. "Maybe...maybe marriage... is too..."

"Fast?"

"Yeah,"

Abby's smile grows but she's tired of waiting for the two of you awkwardly fumble your words and just wants the two of you to get together. Yes, she's noticed the way you take care of her and Mike and how Mike takes care of you. How the house has been much livelier with you around and how well the three of you have been since living under the same roof.

Mike's also noticed how much better the two of them have been since you've gotten closer to them. He can't deny he's embarrassed but also flustered when the parents of Abby's classmates mistaken the both of you as her parents--A story for another time. He's open to the idea. Looking back to the times you two stayed up to watch some popular sitcom that was playing on the TV or messing up a new dish you three wanted to try, Mike really felt at ease those days. And the fact that Abby loves you too is an added bonus.

"Just propose already! You can get married years from now, just ask them already!" Abby grabs his shirt and you laugh as you see her futile attempt to shake him. 

Mike sees you and realizes he loves you. He cherishes you and wants nothing more than to see you smile and laugh over and over again. To be part of your life for the rest of his.

"Okay, okay, Abby stop." He grabs a hold of her hands before looking at you. "Will you-"

"You already don't have a ring, at least get down on one knee!" You laugh again at Abby.

Mike sighs and is ready to get up and down on the ground when he quickly runs to the convenience store. You and Abby share a look of confusion until he returns, unwrapping something in his hands. You couldn't see what it is until he got down on one knee and presented it to you.

He says your name softly and you get down from the trunk in front of him, smiling at the ring pop he's proposing with. "Will you marry me?"

You nod, giving him a small yes and let him put the ring pop on your ring finger. Too excited, Abby gets down and hugs you both so hard, you three almost topple over. But none of you cared. Abby was happy to see you and her big brother finally get together. Mike, relieved you said yes and was willing to be with him. You, happy to have these two brighten up your life.

I swear I was gonna finish that ushijima fanfic first but plans have changed and I have a new husband(a whole series was planned out in my delulu head)-

work by milk-breadx. DO NOT COPY/REPOST/MODIFY WORKS WITHOUT PERMISSION

[dreamauri]

♪ — 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗬𝗘𝗦 lando norris  x  co-worker! fem! reader (fluff) “. . . your co-worker and former classmate has a public crush on you, and you try to play it off. but who are you kidding? it's lando.”

( my master list | more of lando norris ) ( requests | taglist )

yn.ln posted on their story

liked by pieregasly charles_leclerc and 32.8k others ★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

yn.ln

liked by pieregasly charles_leclerc and 29.7k others yn.ln it's been a minute, lets recap.

landonorris Y/N WHAT ARE THESE??!! ↳ yn.ln my favourite parts of the year, duh

username this is GOLD! Lando's face in the third pic is a whole mood😆 ↳ yn.ln RIGHT?! that's his 'I just lost a bet' expression

landonorris when did you take that one in the hospital?? ↳ yn.ln you said and i quote "im looking very pretty right now. take a picture and hang it on my face." ↳ oscarpiastri i can see it ↳ yn.ln i can hear him saying "oscahh" in the corner ↳ landonorris . . . the block botton looks so good rn ↳ yn.ln do it i dare you. ↳ landonorris .... YOU DONT HAVE TO EMBARESS ME INFRONT OF THE INTERNET ↳ username 💀mom?

username lando pointing at the help me thingy pleas-

maxfewtrel send me the whole camera roll? ↳ yn.ln ya got it boss, that's 50 dollars ↳ landonorris ARE YOU MAKING MONEY OFF ME??

username THE LAST PICTURE!! WHY DIDN'T WE SEE THIS BEFORE??!! ↳ yn.ln sorry, i randomly found it in my camera roll, here it is now tho ↳ username god bless you y/n ↳ landonorris she cant be blessed cause she's a demon ↳ yn.ln 😇yet you're standing at my door holding a board game. ↳ landonorris STOP OUTING ME ↳ username god bless you y/n ↳ username god bless you y/n ↳ username god bless you y/n ↳ username god bless you y/n ↳ maxfewtrel LMAO

★ ☆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

landonorris and yn.ln posted on their stories

seen by pierregasly, oscarpiastri, and 76.9K others

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yn.ln and landonorris posted on their stories

seen by pierregasly, landonorris, and 67.9K others

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landonorris

liked by pieregasly maxverstapen1 and 29.7k others landonorris got our first date!

yn.ln not a date <3 ↳ landonorris i do not see👍 ↳ username please date him y/n ↳ username pleaseeeeeeeeeee ↳ username please y/nn ↳ yn.ln nahhh

maxfewtrell it's not a date if i was there ↳ landonorris YOU WEREN'T EVEN INVITED MATE ↳ yn.ln i invited him😛 ↳ landonorris traitorrrr ↳ yn.ln you love me ↳ landonorris i do. very much. ↳ yn.ln ew. my eyes are burning ↳ maxfewtrell 🙄some simp ↳ yn.ln lando no-rizz haha ↳ username y/n called lando ew?🥲 ↳ landonorris STOP BULLYING ME, I HAVE FEELINGS ↳ maxfewtrell says you, you destroyed mine flirting with y/n right in front of me ↳ yn.ln should we get him tickets to flirting lesson for Christmas ↳ landonorris 😔💔

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yn.ln

liked by pieregasly maxverstapen1 and 26.9k others yn.ln rain!!

landonorris no photo credits 🤨?? excuse me?? ↳ yn.ln laando

oscarpiastri keep your head inside the car ↳ yn.ln buzz kill 😒 ↳ maxverstappen1 he's right though ↳ yn.ln wont happen again, sir🫡 ↳ landonorris go away max🫠

username waiting for lando's weird ass girl energy comments

landonorris slay queen👑👑💗💗🥰

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landonorris ... you're very pretty ...??? ↳ landonorris DONT BLOCK ME IM SORRY ↳ yn.ln that was good for once. i'll take it ↳ landonorris 😁

landonorris very pretty <3↳ username i will seriously stop believing in love if they dont grow old together

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landonorris

liked by pieregasly oscarpistri and 26.9k others landonorris turns out, she really likes compliments!

yn.ln no, i actually like your eyes more ↳ landonorris im dreaming ↳ yn.ln i'll take it back then ↳ landonorris NO!

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yn.ln

liked by pieregasly oscarpistri and 26.9k others yn.ln just the eyes

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username its official?

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[steddielations]

“Evening, sir.”

It’s the Harrington boy. Again.

“I told you, son, it’s Wayne,” he manages a smile, harder to do these days, like chipping it out of cement and dusting it off. But he gets it done.

Steve doesn’t have the Henderson boy with him today, that’s a first.

“Where’s the curly one?” He steps aside, letting Steve into the trailer door, more rickety than before. No money left to fix it after repairing the bulk of the earthquake damage.

“Dustin? He doesn’t wanna watch the game, and trust me, you don’t wanna listen to that kid complaining the whole time,” Steve walks by, sorta chuckling to himself, “I always miss the replay ‘cause he makes me change the channel to those D&D cartoons during the commercials, just like—”

He stops in front of the couch, looking over his shoulder at Wayne like he’s afraid he messed up somehow. Wayne noticed that look often from him, less and less, but still often. All that confidence he carries can drop on a dime, sorta reminded him of—

“Like Ed?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“S’alright. I don’t mind talking about him if you want,” Wayne manages another concrete smile, but he means it. Steve always waits for him to bring up Eddie first, like he doesn’t want to remind him if it ain’t on his mind, but Wayne likes to be reminded. It’s nice to feel like he’s not the only one missing him. “But the game was yesterday and y’know the cable’s out.”

“Yep, got it covered. I uh, I taped it,” Steve fishes a VHS tape from his back pocket. Fancy. Wayne would worry about him using that for his sake, but he has a feeling Steve’s folks aren’t around enough to notice.

“The Colts win?”

Steve flips the tape around, “Haven’t watched it, so we can bet on it if you’re feeling lucky.”

It doesn’t feel so dry and heavy when Wayne laughs a bit then, waving Steve to go ahead and start up the TV. He already caught the game on the radio, but he bets on the Colts anyway. Loser’s supposed to do the dishes after they scrounge together some soup, but Steve does them anyway.

Wayne would make a stink about it but he can tell Steve just wants to help, to feel like he’s helping. Same thing when the Henderson boy comes around to see him, wanting to hear all the stories, even the scary ones. So Wayne doesn’t mind letting Eddie’s friends feel like they’re helping him.

His nephew didn’t have many friends. Real, cover-your-six kinda friends. The boys he played his music with, they’ve come by a couple times, Wayne always liked Jeff despite the racket. That older fella that’s doing time now, Wayne wasn’t too fond of. And some of Eddie’s dungeon buddies he talked about were the only few.

Now, casual acquaintances? Anybody who didn’t have anywhere else to sit when he had an empty spot at his table? Sure, Eddie had those in spades.

His boy was good at that, putting on a good old show for his crowd, on a stage to keep his distance. That damn Al did him in good, never could trust easily, having his old man pop up and drag him into his mess before he took off again. And Eddie’s poor momma would’ve done right by him, if she hadn’t gotten sick so young.

Took Wayne a long time to get Eddie to depend on him, to trust this was his place to stay and he didn’t have to earn it, Wayne wasn’t just filling his head to scheme something out of him.

Love ain’t a transaction that way. He wasn’t ever any good at saying it, but he tried to show Eddie the best he could.

His boy though, always carried a debt with him. Like he owed Wayne something for taking him in, had to graduate quick and make it outta here, do something with the better life he gave him. Al dug him in so deep, Eddie stayed roped into whatever his latest scheme was (the cars, the dealing, the gambling, thank God Eddie wasn’t there when the goddamn robbery went wrong, 25 to life) like maybe it’d be enough to keep him from running off again.

The odds have never been in favor of people like them, poor folk in a town that’s stuck in its ways, where everybody’s just like their old man, but Al made his choices and Wayne made his. Rest their mother’s soul, she did her best. Part of Wayne was relieved when Al got locked up, at least Wayne had a better chance of keeping Eddie from going down the same path, try to raise him right.

Being a Munson wasn’t a crime. He didn’t owe a darn thing to anybody. Eddie could graduate at his own pace, play whatever games and music he wanted, dress however, that didn’t mean he was up to no good. And a lot of boys get into dealing for a little easy extra money around here, he was gonna grow out of that just like Wayne did.

It worked until all this mess.

That’s why Eddie ran off after what happened to the poor Cunningham girl. He gets spooked when something goes wrong, like it’ll be the last straw he can’t make up for so he runs off. Like the first time he didn’t make senior year, went and hid out with that Rick fella that Wayne never did like, got Eddie deep into that business he tried to keep a secret.

‘Course Wayne knew. He knows exactly what and where his boy hides. If those damn cops weren’t tailing him, he would’ve gone straight to get him.

That was before he knew it would turn into all of this. Now he wishes he would’ve done it anyway. Gone right to Eddie, told him it wasn’t his fault that everything got all turned upside down. Told him he knew he was innocent right from the get-go, and got him away from this rotten old town.

But he didn’t.

He didn’t go get his boy.

So now he’s just trying to be there for Eddie’s boys, since he can’t.

“You have a night shift tonight right? Gonna put on a pot of coffee,” Steve says once he’s finished up the dishes.

Wayne hums. There’s usually more noise going on during these visits. Steve’s still alright at carrying on, even without the Henderson boy’s chatter to fill any gaps.

It was strange, the first time the two of them showed up. Wayne knew Eddie was close with Dustin, but he didn’t have a clue that he was chumming it up with the Harrington boy. Just don’t seem like the same type of company. He might not believe it if it weren’t so obvious that Steve cared about his boy. He suspected before, but now with Steve showing up here alone, he knows.

Steve misses Eddie in a different sorta way than Dustin.

“No cream or sugar, right?” Steve looks humored by that as he passes the mug of black coffee to him, “How are you related to Eddie again?”

Wayne’s mouth turns upward, remembering his nephew’s god awful sweet tooth. He picked up a box of Honeycombs the other day in the store out of habit. “Just happened to be standin’ there when they beamed him down.”

That gets a good chuckle out of Steve. Nothing wistful weighing it down and Wayne’s glad, watching Steve pour himself a cup of coffee too.

Then bitter-sweetness swirls in his chest, seeing the mug that Steve chose for himself. Must’ve dug it out from one of the boxes Wayne hadn’t hung back on the walls yet. The earthquake did a number on his collection. That Garfield one was the only one he’d gotten around to gluing back together.

“What is it?” Steve asks, cup paused at his mouth.

“Ah nothin’ just,” Wayne waves it off, “That’s the mug Ed always used.”

“Oh, I can use a diff—”

“Nah, nah go ‘head. It’s fine.”

Unconvinced, Steve takes a wary sip.

Mostly these days, Wayne just feels like a watch without a ticker, a chest with nothing beating inside it. He can’t name the feeling he has at seeing Eddie’s old mug being used by someone else, but at least it’s something.

“Y’know, he used to put everything in that sucker. Soda pop, soup, cereal, you name it,” Wayne shakes his head, mouth twitching into a smile, “I’d have to wrestle it away from him just to give it a good washing. It’s well loved, alright. Leaks now.”

As if on cue, Steve has to grab a napkin to sit underneath it.

Wayne lets out an amused hum, “He uh— Didn’t have much stability ‘fore he came to live with me, so he’d get real attached to things like that.”

Carried around a stuffed dragon they picked up at a garage sale ‘til Wayne couldn’t sew the wings back on anymore. Never wanted to throw anything away. Got real anxious about Wayne going to work sometimes, even when he was too old for a sitter. Held onto him saying “Stay home just today, Dad, please.” Which, he didn’t mind Eddie calling him that. It always softened him up, made him give in. Wishes now that he’d told Eddie upfront. Maybe he never would’ve stopped.

“Thought for sure he’d marry that damn guitar one day.”

Steve nearly sputters his coffee, laughing at that, “Yeah, those two are made for each other.”

It’s nice, seeing the way that story lit Steve up. Sorta like his boy can still make someone happy. Hurts like hell that he ain’t here to do it himself, but Wayne was always good at telling stories. That’s where Eddie learned it from.

“I’m uh,” Steve deflates after a minute, looking down at the mug, “God, I’m just really sorry, Wayne.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry too, Steve,” he says, because, well.

Wayne gets the feeling that his boy was Steve’s boy too.

Read the rest on Ao3

[honeygrahambitch]

"Will. I hope my timing is not too inconvenient. Do you happen to be in Baltimore?"

"Yes, what happened?" Will said as he picked up his phone.

"My Bentley was towed. Do you think you could pick me up so I can retrieve it?"

"Send me the address and I will be there in a moment."

***

"See what I believed?" Hannibal said as he showed Will the parking lot.

"And you were absolutely right. I always park here. There are always cars here. Look at that one parking right now. Since when are they towing them?"

"Could be a new rule."

"How much did you have to pay?"

"More than I would have liked."

"Let's go, get into my car. I am having a word with them." Hannibal didn't comment. The individuals who picked up his car were anyway destined to end up in his plate sooner or later.

No one touches his Bentley.

***

"Go there right now. Have a look. And tell all those cars the same thing."

"Sir, it's the law."

"The law my ass."

Hannibal lifted his eyes from the paperwork he was filling. He had to bite his tongue in order to stop himself from smiling.

"Excuse me but who are you? Since you are not the owner of the car?"

"You are damn right. That's my husband's car that you towed. And I am not leaving this place until you admit that it was a mistake on your behalf."

Hannibal dropped the pen on the floor and didn't even bother to pick it up. He almost dropped the papers as well.

"Sir, I would like to ask you to leave the room...your behavior is not very respectful."

"Did I hurt your feelings-" Will stopped to have a look at the name tag "Jeremy? I found your behavior to be more than unacceptable yet here we are. And listen, my husband might be very gracious with matters like this, but trust me, I am not."

"I am calling the police."

"Yeah?" Will said and pulled out his credentials. "Tell me again about the law."

Jeremy gulped and put his phone down. At this point Hannibal had to take off his coat. The temperature in the room was very high, of course.

"I know the law, and I am very much aware of the fact that you are towing only the expensive cars. It's been a matter the FBI has had its eyes on for weeks. So now, before my team arrives, you owe my husband some money. And an apology."

"Sir...our wages are low...please don't get us into more trouble. If our boss finds out..."

"I don't like repeating myself."

Jeremy was shaking but he rushed to took some money from a drawer. His trembling hands made counting them a lot more difficult.

Will turned to Hannibal who showed the same expression he would show in a museum. Fascination. Admiration. And something else.

The man gave Hannibal his money back and apologized multiple times.

"That was impressive, Will." Hannibal said as they left the building.

"I can't tolerate this type of things. Especially when it's you."

"Tell me, how much of it was real?"

"It was mostly bluffing. The FBI is not coming. But I had a feeling my assumption related to what they're doing is true." Will explained. "They never tried to pick up my volvo."

"We really need to get you a better car." Hannibal said, impressed by Will's mind even after all that time.

"Snob."

"I liked seeing you like that."

"Oh, I know. I put on a show mostly for your own entertainment."

Will's hand found his.

[luveline]

hiii!! i saw that you wanted some roan & eddie & reader requests sooo,, becuase barbie is trending so muchh i was wondering if you could write reader watching roan play with her barbies and instantly taken back to her childhood and getting very emotional ??

i mean its whats happening to me being reminded how much ive grown and how much effect those dolls had on me soo yeah 😭

tysm ♡ eddie and roan

A long, creaking squeal sounds from Roan when you come home. Eddie plugs his ears, knowing exactly what it is you have in the huge plastic bag at your waist —Roan's special treats, as previously discussed, for being such a lovely girl lately. 

It might be a silly thing to treat her for, but she deserves toys before any amazing behaviour, and you have the extra money to buy them. Why shouldn't she get them? You and Eddie chatted some while you were at work that morning, trying to choose what toys to get. 

"I haven't bought her toys by myself since we first met, what if I pick something crappy?" you'd worried. 

Eddie gave it a little bit of thought, hand twined in the curling wire of the telephone, slouched as he usually does against the back wall of the shop. "Hey, she hasn't had any new dolls since Christmas. They'd go over nicely. Or she always likes a new dress. I'm sure you'll find something when you're there. You can get me something fun at the same time if you want." 

You'd laughed at his joke and, if the light in your eyes now is anything to go off of, managed to find some presents you're happy with.

"Naddy's Toy Emporium!?" Roan shouts, rocketing off of the couch where she'd been standing waiting for you. 

You've a nightly routine, hugging her when you come home like your life depends on it, but clearly Roan has decided the hug can wait. For once, Eddie's finished dinner before you're return, so he has a good seat on the couch to watch everything unfold. 

You let her grab the bag's sides but lift it a touch when she tries to take it. "Hey, they're for you, I promise, but let's come inside and put them on the table!" 

Roan squeals and knocks into Eddie's knees. He sits up and grabs her gently by the waist, hoisting her onto his lap. You sit on the couch cushion trampled flat by Roan's feet, pulling the play table where she likes to eat her snacks closer. 

"Are you doing the speech?" you ask Eddie, putting down the bag. 

He grins. "Ro," he begins, turning skewiff, her back to the couch to allow you both a great view of her face, "you've been a really good girl, lately. Do you know that? You've been eating all your dinner, no tantrums before school, and now you're even starting to help clean up around the house. So me and Y/N just want you to know how proud we are and how awesome we think you are." 

"And we think all this awesome deserves some presents because we love you," you say. "Do you want the smallest or the biggest one first?" 

There's lots of nice presents. You've stayed within the confines of the agreed budget, which is a feat for you (as you love to spoil her). There's five new barbies, one of which comes with a car, and the other a puppy dog. They have clothes, accessories, and an abundance of plastic he needs to cut away with scissors. His hand is welted red by the time he's through. 

You also bought her a glittery lip gloss to replace the one she lost a few weeks ago. The proof of it sparkles on your cheek and Eddie's, twin thank yous. 

You go quiet as Roan retreats to her satin princess tent, driving the pink corvette back and forth as she makes the barbies talk to one another. 

"You okay?" he asks. You'd been wearing this huge smile for the last twenty minutes and now it's gone, he hates it. "I've been thinking maybe you deserve something nice, too." 

You smile weakly. Okay, so you're not wanting anything. 

"Dinner should be ready soon." 

"Thanks, Eddie." 

He gives up. He's about as subtle as a feather boa and you love him that way, drifting down toward your arm, his face smashing into your shoulder. "What's wrong?" 

You put your head atop his. "Well, I'm just thinking." 

"I may not look like it, but I think too, occasionally. Share with me." 

You push his arm until he sits up and sinks down into his side instead. Eddie supposes you're allowed, even if usually he'd call it sexist or selfish. "I had a lot of fun picking those out today, and I kept thinking about the look on her face…"

Eddie hums to show he's listening. Kisses the top of your head 'cos he can. "Yeah?" 

"I just remembered being her age. Do you remember wanting something really badly? There was something so nice about getting to grab a kart and– and to just stand there debating which ones to get." 

Eddie toys with your pinky finger. "That's not everything, is it?" 

Your smile presses against his arm, a deep emotion in your voice that's hard to pin. "Watching her makes me remember. Being a kid, playing make believe. I'll never be that young ever again, and there's no way to go back. But I," —you take in a steadying breath— "don't mind. I love seeing her so happy." 

He intertwines your fingers between his, shorter and a little bit softer than his. He soaks in your presence for a moment, the smell of you, your tiny sounds, the secret you've shared with him. You're a mixture of sad and happy. He's not sure which one overpowers which, only that they're hitting you hard. 

"There's lots of cool shit that comes with being a parent. You know the best one?" he asks you, raising his eyebrows at you with a fondness lining his lips. 

"No?" 

"You can play games without anyone judging you. I know it's not the same as being a kid again, but it's close." 

"Yeah?" you ask, sitting up. "You'll come play too, right?" 

Eddie casts his gaze to his daughter where she chit chats on the floor. "Hey, Roanie? Can we come play with you?" 

Roan is almost as pleased as when she first laid eyes on her treasure trove of dolls. 

[nanawritesit]

sugar-daddy!BM headcanons (NSFW section at the end)

SFW trigger warnings: fem!reader, he ends up being more like a rich boyfriend than an official sugar daddy, you call him daddy, he calls you honey and baby, light cursing, mentions of a sick family member

NSFW trigger warnings: p in v intercourse, oral sex, hair pulling, scratching, marking up, soft dom x obedient sub dynamic, spanking, handcuffs, lingerie, daddy kink, size kink, car sex, balcony sex, he calls you princess and baby

how you met:

you met matthew at the mall. you were working at a jewelry store trying to make some extra money, selling things you could never afford for yourself.

he came in one day to buy a new chain, and you were immediately taken aback at how gorgeous he was

he was tall, built, and had a smile that could make any girl melt. and the way he wasn’t fazed at all by the high prices of the jewelry meant that he had MAD money. in short, he was your dream man. but you knew there was no way he’d go for someone like you. guys like him only went after heiresses and swimsuit models, right?

still, you were super kind and helpful, as you were with all your customers who weren’t assholes. he greatly appreciated how interested you were in finding the perfect chain for him :)

you knew he was flirting with you… i mean, what man unbuttons his shirt and asks if you think his chain hangs low enough to show off his sternum? he knew how much he was flustering you, and he loved it.

once he had picked a suitable chain, you rang him up and packaged it better than you’d ever done before. you made sure to throw in some extra goodies for him too, just because he was just so damn fine 🤭

as expected, nothing came of your first interaction. he just thanked you again for all your help and told you he hoped you had a wonderful day, then walked off, presumably to another high end store

he thought you were gorgeous, sure, but he sees gorgeous women all the time. what really made him fall for you was when he saw you a few hours later.

he had in fact gone to a couple other stores, buying himself some designer clothing and fine accessories. as he was about to leave the mall with his shopping bags, his attention was drawn back to the jewelry store

a little girl had just ran up to the counter, tears streaming down her cheeks

“miss, please help me! i can’t find my mother!”

he was about to go help, but stopped once he saw you react

you immediately walked around the counter and crouched down to her level, putting your hands on her shoulders.

“it’s okay sweetie, don’t cry!” you reassured her with a warm smile. “we’ll get you back to your mother, okay?”

once she had calmed down, you asked her for her name and called security to ask them to make an announcement for her mother to come get her from the jewelry store.

“would you like to look at some pretty jewelry while we wait sweetie?” you asked her. she of course agreed, quickly forgetting her sadness as you showed her all the sparkly pieces in the case.

eventually her mother did come get her, thanking you over and over for helping her daughter find her. you told her it was no problem and to have a wonderful night!

matthew couldn’t help the little smile that crept its way onto his face. it was so sweet of you to take such good care of that kid. anyone else would’ve just dumped her off at the lost and found. suddenly, you became the most attractive girl in the world in his eyes. a beautiful girl is certainly enough to turn his head, but kindness is always what wins him over. 🥰

you were too good for this world. he wanted to take you away from this place, show you some of the happiness you always gave to others. you deserved everything, and he wanted to give it to you. 💞

becoming a sugar baby:

when he approached you and asked you out, you were honestly too shocked to even give him an answer. you thought you had seen the last of him after he bought his chain, but here he was, asking you to get dinner with him after your shift.

after collecting yourself, you told him you’d love to, but you didn’t think you were properly dressed. the white blouse, pencil skirt, and ballet flats you were wearing didn’t seem posh enough for the place he had in mind 😀

“don’t worry about it, we can stop somewhere to get you something. i think there’s a chanel around the corner, does that work for you?”

you blinked at how he said it so casually. “i think the only thing i could afford there is a luggage tag.” you laughed nervously.

“i would pay for it obviously.” he replied nonchalantly. “as well as anything else you’d like along the way.”

you wanted to protest, but everything just seemed to happen so fast. next thing you knew, he was opening the passenger door of his benz for you, and then you were in a chanel dressing room, zipping up a dress that costed more than your rent 😭

“look at you, you’re absolutely stunning!” he told you, smiling brightly with wide eyes as he looked you over. you were suddenly so bashful under his gaze, chuckling nervously and smiling at the ground

“i’m serious, you look perfect.” he told you again, taking your hands in his so you were inclined to look up at him. “you’re a total vision, own it.”

as an assistant was removing the tags so you could wear it out of the store, he pointed out that there was a pair of shoes in the display window that would go perfectly with your dress 👀

and, that you might was well pick out a bag to complete the outfit :)

“matthew, you really don’t have to do th-“

“i’ve got it, honey. i asked you out, remember? it’s no trouble.”

you usually hated it when men called you honey, but for some reason, it felt good coming from him 😳

at dinner, you had an amazing time. he was so funny and interesting, you guys just clicked immediately. for a while, you actually forgot you were in a designer dress at a posh restaurant. it was just the two of you having a nice meal together.

over dessert, he asked if you’d want to keep seeing him. you weren’t too sure if you wanted a relationship just yet… partly because you still weren’t sure why he was so interested in you, and also because you had some major trust issues from your past. men tended to swoop into your life and promise you the world, only to leave once you acted like a human being instead of a pretty porcelain doll they could carry under their arm and show off.

“that’s fine honey. if you don’t want any labels, i’m cool with that. i just want to spend time with you.” he confessed, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand.

you smiled at his understanding, thinking to yourself for a moment. finally, you gave him your answer.

“what about the label ‘sugar baby?’”

he smirked, obviously pleased at your suggestion. “i can definitely be your sugar daddy, if that’s what you want.”

you nodded, and the agreement was final 💋

falling for him:

adjusting to the sugar baby life was a bit difficult at first, but it wasn’t rocket science. matthew would take you out a couple times a week and give you a base allowance, and pay for everything while you guys were out. this included food, gifts, transportation, lodging, drinks… he didn’t want you spending a single penny.

“girl put your card away, daddy’s got it.” 😤

at first you kind of felt like a financial burden, but after a while you learned that he thoroughly enjoyed spending so much money on you. it was just how he chose to show his affection! he would honestly get just as happy as you did when he bought you something you really wanted 🥰

you were too shy to just go in and buy whatever you wanted, so he would usually just give you a spending limit whenever you got to a store

he took you to the jewelry store you used to work at and bought you the necklace you had always drooled over but could never hope to afford 🥹

and of course all your old coworkers congratulated you on finding a hot sugar daddy 💀

speaking of work, it was a bit awkward to explain to your family why you weren’t working at the jewelry store anymore. but they eventually came to accept it, as long as you were safe and comfortable with this new arrangement :)

he just randomly shows up at your house and tells you to pack your bags because he just booked you guys a foreign vacation

he’ll ask you where you’ve always wanted to go and then just spontaneously buy plane tickets 😭

he likes bringing you to work events as his arm candy, making all his colleagues jealous with his beautiful baby 💋

until they stare a little bit too long, and he gets possessive 👀 he tightens his grip on your waist and grits his teeth a bit, staring at them with cold, dark eyes until they look away from you

“i just had to have the prettiest girl in the world, didn’t i? now everyone wants my girl.” he’d huff, and you’d just lean into his side, whispering little flirty comments in his ear that would settle him down

“let them stare at me, you’re the only one who gets to be my daddy.” you smirked, biting his earlobe before pulling away ❤️

he liked that a lot lmao

he also likes bringing you into the studio with him! he loves showing you his work and getting your opinion on it :)

if he ever sees you even remotely struggling with anything, he immediately offers to help, both financially and emotionally

“why are you upset baby? do you need money? hugs? both?”

what truly made you fall for him was what he did when one of your family members was sick. he walked into your apartment with a gift for you, only to see you sprawled out on the floor sobbing :(

he of course immediately ran up to you to crouch down and ask you what was wrong. you explained that your relative was sick and that you had to travel quite a long way to go to them, but you didn’t have enough money for it

he didn’t even bring up the money at first. his main focus was calming you down. he cradled you in his arms and soothingly rubbed your back, shushing you slightly and telling you everything would be okay until you stopped crying

“shh it’s okay i’ve got you, everything will be okay honey, i promise.”

once you had settled down and wiped your tears, he then reached into his pocket and just handed you his card, which he had never done before.

“i want you to take this and just go to them. don’t worry about expenses, don’t worry about me, just go see your family. i’ll be here whenever you can come back.”

you could swear a cupid’s arrow hit your heart at that exact moment. this was when you knew he cared about you as much more than just a sugar baby 💞

when you got back home, you jumped into his arms without a word and kissed him harder than you’ve ever kissed anyone in your entire life. he chuckled as you pulled back, but froze once he heard what you said next.

“can i be your girlfriend matthew? like your real one?”

he just stared at you blankly for a minute, then his face broke out into the brightest smile ever. “of course you can baby. i’ve been waiting to make this official since the day we first went out.” ❤️

NSFW: (18+/MDNI)

him fucking you while you’re wearing nothing but the diamond choker he got you

he loooooves when you tug on his hair or dig your nails into his back. he’s not a masochist by any means, but a little bit of pain always gets him going 💋

he’s a soft dom 100%, but he wouldn’t mind being on the bottom if you wanted to ride him 💞 he’ll just most likely still take on a dominant role tho

(imagine his big ass hands gripping your hips and guiding you along his cock OMG)

i honestly see him being more into obedient subs than brats, but he can handle a little bit of attitude. he wouldn’t mind throwing you over his knee and spanking you if you’ve been purposefully making him jealous

oof actually he’s not always a soft dom… every once in a while he’ll put you in cuffs and make you beg for him to touch you ⛓️

will NOT let you hide your face when you finish, he needs to see you and hear you. it’s honestly what gets him off the most, knowing that he can make you feel so good ❤️

he’s possessive af so he LOVES marking you up. he’ll shamelessly leave hickeys all over your neck and chest, and ENCOURAGE you to wear low cut tops to show them off to people 💀

looooots of car sex is his benz… the windows will be fogged up and the whole car will be shaking 👀

him buying you expensive lingerie sets and leaving them on the bed before he leaves for work, then sending you a text telling you to put it on right before he gets home 🥰

now i KNOW everyone thinks matthew is a boob guy bc he’s always talking ab man titties, but i honestly thinks he likes EVERYTHING equally 😤 boobs, waist, hips, thighs, butt… he worships ALL of it!

MASSIVE daddy kink, which pairs well with his EQUALLY MASSIVE size kink. he adores pinning your wrists down with his large hands and just hovering over you, observing how small you look underneath him

i also know this man is PACKING

“awh my poor baby, is daddy too big for you? i know my princess can take it.”

“look at you, taking daddy’s cock so well… you deserve a reward, baby. i’ll give you whatever you want, since you’re being such a good girl.”

will literally stop fucking you if you call him any name other than daddy during sex 😭 (as long as he knows you like saying it, obviously)

“come on princess, you know better than that. what’s my name? yeah, say it again. louder.”

mans is a certified munch 😛 he loves receiving oral as well, but he derives a certain type of pleasure from having his tongue on your clit

him fucking you over the balcony when you guys are on vacation in a fancy hotel (don’t try this guys it’s very dangerous LOL)

overall, he’s not into anything super crazy. he’s just a dominant guy with a lot of passion. he can go rough or mellow depending on the day. he’s not super into punishing or denying, like i said, he just wants to make you feel divine. and he wants you to know that you’re his baby, always 🥰

[clarisse0o]

Camp Wiegman-Part 79

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternative Universe: Military School

Words: 5K

Masterlist

———————————————————————

Wednesday, April 13; 1:30 PM - Batlle House

The sun is shining. The weather has been wonderfully beautiful since we arrived here. It's pleasant. My only regret is that half of our time here has already passed. We've made the most of it, especially with hiking. I've never walked so much in just a few days. Lucy loves it, and I must admit, I’ve started to enjoy it too. From where we are, we have a lot of nature around, so I show her everything we can see.

“So, what do you want to do today?” Lucy asks me after putting the last plate in the dishwasher.

We just finished eating. I sent my grandfather to take his nap. He never wants to admit it, but he gives more than he should. He doesn't seem to understand that he's getting old. I'm glad we're here. We've been able to help him with a lot of things.

“Well, I was thinking you could take care of the car this afternoon.”

“Are you sure? You might get really bored.”

“Oh no. I'll play assistant, and I wouldn’t miss a chance to watch you,” I giggle.

She smiles, nodding her head. She kept her promise to my grandfather by checking under the hood on the first day. According to her, some sensors needed to be replaced if he wanted the car to last. Of course, my grandfather agreed and gave us money to get the parts that same day. However, the parts had to be ordered, and they arrived this morning, so we might as well take care of it right away.

“OK, let’s do that then.”

“And maybe after that, we can…”

She turns her head while washing her hands. I swallow hard.

“I think I’m ready.”

She smiles at my words. She turns fully after grabbing a towel to dry her hands.

“OK. We’ll go see him afterward. And if you want, we can spend the evening at the beach again tonight. The full moon will be at its peak, so we shouldn't miss that, right?”

I smile back and go to embrace her. Yes, it was time for me to go see him. Lucy kisses my forehead. She understood well that I wasn’t the most comfortable at first, but now that we’ve spent some days here, I feel more at ease. Her presence has been really reassuring.

“Well, I’m going to find some clothes before we head out,” she announces, kissing my forehead.

“Can I come with you?”

“Yes, of course.”

We head upstairs to my room. I sit on the bed while Lucy rummages through her things. I watch her intently as she changes in front of me. That tease has been toying with me for days. We kiss a lot before sleeping, or to put it another way, we heat things up, only for nothing to happen. I must admit, this little game is starting to get very frustrating. It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted someone this much.

“Everything alright, babe?” she teases gently.

“No. You’re such a tease.”

“Oh, really? A tease?” she giggles.

“Yes.”

“And you’re the one saying that?”

“What do you mean by that?”

She narrows her eyes playfully as she approaches me. I lean back on my elbows as she hovers over me.

“I mean it’s harder for me to hold back than you think.”

I give in to her lips when she kisses me. The moment is short-lived as she pulls away. I groan in frustration.

“Babe!”

“Stop complaining,” she laughs. “We’ve got things to do today. Plus, your grandfather is sleeping in the next room.”

“All the more reason to—”

“Do nothing,” she finishes my sentence. “I’m heading down. Do what you want until then.”

She leaves first, and of course, I follow with a sulky look. She’s opened the car hood in the driveway to start the repairs while I watch, sitting on the grass. Buzz is with us. He’s been following us everywhere. Lucy loved bringing him along on our hikes.

“Babe?”

“Hmm?”

“Were you serious about the idea of getting a dog?”

“Well yes, why? We both seem to love them.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner.”

“Oh, you’re not mad about that, are you? They say a dog is man’s best friend.”

“And do you believe that?”

“Well, yeah. I grew up with a dog, so obviously.”

“Really? What was his name?”

“Hercules.”

“Hercules?” I chuckle.

“Hey, don’t mock it. He was very loyal.”

“No, but Hercules, really?”

I burst out laughing, lying on the ground.

“Are you done?” Lucy scolds me.

Her serious demeanor can’t last when she sees me laughing. A smile stretches across her lips, and she drops the parts she was holding. She wipes her hands on a rag. My girlfriend is such a badass. Why do I feel like she doesn’t even realize it?

“Really, it’s not cool. I loved him.”

“Sorry, I just didn’t expect that. Seriously, Hercules... But it’s cute in its own way.”

“Right,” she laughs. “Don’t make fun of me.”

I smile like an idiot. I feel so happy. It’s strange being away from school, but at the same time, I love this life—just being us. I calm down when I see she’s no longer paying attention to me. She leans back against the car just as a voice calls out.

“Ona...?”

I frown. I sit up before turning around. I hesitate for a moment before recognizing the person in front of me, who seems to have recognized me right away.

“Hey,” I greet awkwardly.

“Ona Batlle. I can’t believe it! I never thought I’d see you again.”

I awkwardly get up to greet Nick, my childhood friend. We must have been so small when we met. We literally grew up together before I moved away.

“Hey!”

I giggle as he lifts me up when I thought we were just going to exchange a hug. We look each other up and down. After all, the last time we saw each other, we must have been twelve. Our parents divorced at the same time, and he left to live with his mother, just like I did. He’s grown. He’s even taller than me now, and let’s just say he’s become very handsome. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s an athlete now. He loved football back then. I recognize his short brown hair and his green eyes.

“Wow,” he laughs. “I can’t believe you’re here. And… seeing you like this… you’ve become a beautiful woman. It’s incredible.”

I laugh nervously at his admiration, playfully hitting his shoulder. It’s a bit awkward. We always had a strong bond between us. We went through some of the same struggles. I always loved being adventurous with him. A throat clearing brings me back to reality. We turn to my girlfriend, who’s watching us with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry, uh. Nick, this is Lucy, my girlfriend. Lucy, this is Nick, a childhood friend.”

He seems taken aback, but his surprise quickly turns into a smile.

“Girlfriend, huh?” he repeats. “A lot has changed, I see... But honestly, I’m not even surprised.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean? Why does everyone keep saying that?”

He laughs heartily, shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh come on, you were quite the tomboy back then. You hated hanging out with girls your age. You were always tagging along with me and my group of friends.”

“I wasn’t tagging along! You’re the one who always took me with you!” I reply quickly with a little laugh.

I calm down as I feel Lucy’s arms wrap around me. I lean into her, smiling at Nick.

“What are you doing here? I thought you moved away with your mom?”

“Yeah… That was before she passed away from cancer.”

“Nick...”

“No, don’t say anything,” he smiles sadly. “It must be just as hard as losing your father... your grandfather told me everything when I got back.”

I nod. Unlike me, Nick got to leave with the right parent. He was happy to be able to leave the family home.

- When did you come back?

- Two years ago. It was strange at first. I had to find my footing again, and you weren’t there…

We look at each other for a few seconds, and he seems uncomfortable. Maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say at the moment.

- But anyway, everything's fine now. I’m an athlete at university, I have a girlfriend, and I try to stay busy when I’m not doing anything. Did you know your grandfather can’t be stopped once you start helping him? I’d be careful if I were you, he warns my girlfriend, who giggles.

- Thanks for the warning.

- And you? Are you staying long?

- No, just this week, actually.

- That’s all? So, what about you? Here I am talking about myself, and I haven’t even let you speak. I already know you’ve managed to snag a beautiful woman, so that’s something. Do you live together?

I glance at Lucy, who looks much more relaxed than before. I smile and run my fingers across her cheek when I notice a black smudge.

- Sort of, yeah. In Manchester.

- Manchester? he laughs. Seriously? I thought you hated the cold?

- She still does.

- Stop, you’re exaggerating, I giggle. I’ve gotten used to it.

- And what about your mom?

- She still lives in Barcelona, with Marcus and Joan, my little brother. And she’s getting married next month.

- Wow, all that. I didn’t expect so much. A wedding? And a little brother, really?

- Yeah, well, half-brother technically. He’s going to turn seven.

- Wow. It’s been years. Almost as long as we haven’t spoken.

- Almost, yeah…

We exchange a small smile. I know it’s strange for both of us. Honestly, Nick is someone special to me. He holds my first kiss, which we shared when we each moved away. We were close, undeniably, and it feels a bit strange seeing him again now. Lucy takes the opportunity to slip her arm around my shoulders. I suppress a smile. I know she can’t help herself—it’s crazy. She’s really jealous of anyone.

- Are you still here this weekend? It’s just, I’m throwing a party on Friday night, you know, and I’d love for you to come.

- Uh... I would’ve loved to—

- Oh no, not that line again, he replies, rolling his eyes. Some things never change, it seems.

I laugh, nodding.

- Sorry. We won’t be able to make it.

- When are you leaving?

- Saturday afternoon. We’re heading to Porto to see Lucy’s parents.

- Oh, so you’re Portuguese too? And seeing your parents? Your relationship seems solid.

- It is, I say with a small smile.

- I’m happy for you.

- And you, with your girlfriend?

- It’s not as serious. I mean, it’s been a year now, but we’re not thinking about moving in together or anything like that. We’re taking our time.

- I see. Still commitment issues, huh?

- A bit, yeah. Looks like you’ve managed to get over that, he says, gesturing toward us.

- Let’s just say... you have to find the right person.

- Yeah, he chuckles. I’ll try to remember that. So... we won’t see each other this weekend?

- No, I’m sorry, I say with a small smile.

- A lot has changed, huh?

I nod softly. I can tell he’s changed too. He’s no longer the carefree kid I used to get into trouble with.

- Yeah. It was really great to see you again, though.

- Me too. Maybe we could... I don’t know, exchange numbers? I mean, if Lucy doesn’t mind. It’s just, I think it would be nice to talk to someone who understands me from time to time.

- I don’t mind, she says. It’s not like she can cheat on me between two country.

I smile and accept the kiss Lucy gives me before she lets go. She understands he’s not a threat. At least, I hope so. She goes back to what she was doing while I exchange numbers with Nick.

- Well... I hope it won’t be another eight years before we see each other again.

- We’ll try to avoid that, I say with a small smile. See you soon, and take care of yourself.

- Yeah... You too.

We share one last hug before I sit back down on the grass. Buzz immediately settles between my legs. He hovered around Nick a lot. He must be familiar to him. Still, my grandfather never mentioned him to me. It’s strange.

- So... Nick, huh? Lucy begins. How many more of those do you have up your sleeve?

- What? I giggle.

- I thought it was just Mapi and Feli before me.

I open my mouth to respond, but she cuts me off.

- Careful what you say, baby. You know you’re a terrible liar, and I’m no fool. Do you really want me to lose trust in you over this?

I close my mouth. I hate it when she catches me off guard like that. She turns away, arms crossed. OK, so she’s really serious. I was about to tell a little lie, but I didn’t think it would matter this much.

- Nick was like... I don’t know... my big brother...?

She raises an eyebrow. She doesn’t look convinced. OK... She knows there’s more. And honestly, who wouldn’t? I know there’s a kind of connection with him. We went through a lot together, like our parents’ fights. There was even one day when we ran away... Well, we hid out at my grandparents’ store and went home that night because we were hungry, but still, it was with him. We have memories together, like no one else.

- He was my first kiss...

- First kiss, huh...

My honesty earns a big sigh. I quickly try to recover.

- Don’t make a big deal out of it, please. It wasn’t that great, if you want to know the truth.

- Of course, she says dramatically. You expect me to believe that, given the man he’s become?

She turns back to her tasks, grumpy. I love her jealousy so much. I get up, forcing Buzz to move from his comfy spot between my legs. I apologize with a gentle pat on his head before moving toward my girlfriend. I wrap my arms around her body, which tenses at the contact.

- Come on, baby... Don’t sulk over this. I swear you kiss way better than he does, better than anyone, actually. At least you don’t have acne or braces.

My remark earns a small amused sigh. That’s already a good reaction. I kiss her exposed neck, which makes her straighten up.

- Sorry... she begins, turning around. It’s just that...

She avoids my gaze. I don’t like seeing her so... fragile. I run my hand through her hair.

- I don’t like it.

- You don’t like what? That there were people before you?

- No, she sighs, running her hand through her hair. I know there were others, that’s normal. I don’t know. I just feel vulnerable when you see people who meant something to you. It’s like I feel... like I’m nothing.

- Wow, I chuckle. Are you out of your mind?

I gently make her lift her head. She really does seem vulnerable right now.

- Don’t think that, baby. You’re my everything. How can you even think otherwise?

She sighs, shrugging.

- Will you... will you always love me, even after you really know who I am?

I raise an eyebrow. She seems so worried.

- What do you mean?

- I mean, the girl who left Portugal isn’t the one you see standing in front of you. Well... she is, but not entirely. I’m sure my parents are going to remind you of the clichés I used to be.

Oooh... So, she’s worried about going home. I smile at the realization. It’s really too cute. I thought I was the only one feeling this way, but she hides it well.

- What exactly are you hiding from me?

- We all have a past, Ona...

2

- Hey, are you done? I’m not the kind of person who’s going to push you away for some random reason, OK? You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Is this what you’re always scared of when you get in your moods?

She stays silent for a moment before relaxing.

- Yeah, a bit. I feel like I don’t deserve you. Like my old self doesn’t deserve you.

- Don’t talk down about yourself like that. You’re the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met, and I mean it. I don’t care who you used to be. The only one that matters is the person standing in front of me right now.

She takes a deep breath and nods. I gently stroke her cheek and kiss her tenderly, pressing a bit harder to show her all my passion. I can’t help but smile when she reacts with a soft moan. Naturally, she flips me over to take control.

- You really can’t stand it when I’m in charge, can you? I tease with a laugh.

- Not particularly, she whispers.

- Is that also because of your past? I tease her again.

Instead of answering, she kisses me roughly once more. For some reason, I have a feeling I hit the nail on the head. But I don’t say anything, letting her take the lead. It feels too good to interrupt.

- So, Nick...

I burst into laughter, wrapping my arms around her neck. She’s unbelievable, seriously.

- I was 10, Luce. He didn’t even matter, not even a little.

- Like a big brother, she murmurs.

- Yes, exactly. Like a big brother, I confirm with a small smile.

- Why did you turn down the party? We both know we could’ve gone.

- Why? Well, simply because I want to spend as much time as possible with my girlfriend, you see. That’s why we’re here, after all.

- OK, she whispers. Fine, I’m going to finish fixing up this old bike, and then we can go for a walk in town.

- Hallelujah!

Wednesday, April 13th; 6:00 PM - Cemetery

Here we are. I’m scared. The moment I’ve been dreading is finally happening. I even feel myself trembling in Lucy’s steady hand. I delayed this as much as possible, dragging us all over town this afternoon. But it’s time to go now.

- Do you want me to wait here? Lucy offers.

- No. I need you with me.

- Alright, she whispers.

I don’t move. I’m taking my time to gather the courage. I appreciate Lucy’s patience too. It takes a good ten minutes before I finally lead us inside. I’ve only been here once, but I could find his grave with my eyes closed. Row eleven, grave six. The path is short. We’re there before I’ve even had time to mentally prepare. We stand in silence, but Lucy’s presence reassures me. I’m surprised to see his grave so well-kept. There are even flowers on it. Maybe Grandpa... or Leila. I asked him about her, and he said she still visits town from time to time. I haven’t had the courage to reach out to her. Too many memories would resurface. Yet, I have so many questions for her. Lost in these thoughts, I bend down to place my white rose. Lucy waits a moment before doing the same. She insisted on getting one too, right after we did the shopping for tonight. She didn’t know him, but her gesture touches me deeply. I wait for her to stand back up before nestling into her arms. I take a deep breath as Lucy rubs my back. Her presence is vital to me. It’s hard being here, facing his photo, knowing he’s really six feet under. It’s different from mourning him in Miami. This feels real.

- He would’ve been proud of you, you know?

- I hope so, I murmur. He would’ve adored you.

- Really?

I smile softly. I’m glad I brought her here. She’s trying to take my mind off things, and it’s working.

- Yeah... He accepted everyone in my life as long as they made me happy.

She nods in understanding.

- Did he know about...

- My sexuality? Yeah. For some reason, he figured it out right away. Well... I did talk a lot about Mapi with a dreamy smile on my face.

- And... how did it go?

- I didn’t even have to tell him. We were at the dinner table one night when I came back here. After I rambled on about the things Mapi and I had done, he looked me straight in the eye and said, “Sweetie, is she your girlfriend? Because, you know, I wouldn’t mind if she is.”

I mimic his line, making Lucy laugh. I smile too. I really have nothing to complain about in that area. He accepted me, completely. All he cared about was that I was happy. The only thing that truly mattered to him was that I remembered the importance of family and loved ones. I get that now. That’s why he left me so many promises to keep—like with Mom and Joan...

- He was the only man I knew with such a big heart. So yes... he would’ve adored you, especially knowing how you saved me.

- I think it would’ve been mutual, she whispers.

We stay like that for a while. Normally, I would’ve poured out my heart, but with Lucy here, I don’t. We just enjoy the quiet. Eventually, the night starts to fall, signaling we’ve been here for at least an hour. Lucy really has extraordinary patience.

- Let’s go, I murmur.

- Are you sure? We can stay longer.

- No, it’s alright, I assure you. Thank you for coming with me.

- OK... she breathes. Let’s go then.

I’ll probably come back on my own another time. Lucy loves her morning walks on the beach, so I’ll take advantage of that. Hand in hand, we head back home. We set up a little camp on the beach earlier. We wanted to prepare for tonight with a campfire. We bought barbecue supplies and even marshmallows. It’s shaping up to be a great evening. As we arrive, Buzz runs up to greet us. Lucy says she’ll handle the fire while I gather some blankets. It’s getting chilly, and the last thing we need is to catch a cold...

5

- "Oh no. I'll leave you two alone tonight," my grandfather declines. "The neighbor invited me to dinner anyway."  

- "Really? Nick's dad?" I asked. "I saw him this afternoon, by the way. Why didn’t you tell me he was back?"  

- "Oh, I didn’t want to worry you with that. Did he tell you about his mother?"  

- "Yes," I sighed. "How are things between him and his father?"  

In fact, I had thought a lot about it this afternoon. His father was an alcoholic, which was the main reason his mother filed for divorce. Since he kept the house, I knew he’d gotten sober and even remarried, but I doubt his forced return brought any joy, knowing Nick.  

- "Nick is a good boy," he replied. "He’s struggling with the situation, but he channels his anger in a positive way. He’s rarely home. Actually, he often comes here to help me fix a few things. Or he takes Buzz for a walk."  

- "Yeah, he told me."  

I chuckled, remembering what he had added. Honestly, I think he’s happy to spend time here. It’s like a kind of refuge. I also understand why Buzz loves him so much too.  

- "Will he be with you tonight?" I asked.  

- "No. I think he’s going to his girlfriend’s."  

- "Okay..." I murmured. "Too bad."  

I would have invited him with us if I had known. I think Lucy wouldn’t have minded.  

- "Well, I’m heading out then. Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind?"  

- "Oh, no no. I really meant it when I said you two should enjoy yourselves together."  

- "You’re not a bother if that’s what worries you."  

- "Ona, sweetheart. It’s fine, I promise. Look, I’ve already got the wine to bring to the neighbor’s."  

- "Okay, I won’t insist anymore. You know where to find us if you need anything."  

- "Yes, yes," he laughed.  

I left to join my girlfriend and... Buzz. That dog has completely forgotten about me in favor of my girlfriend. He adores her. Well, she does take him running every morning. He must feel alive again in just a week. Though, not as much after what I just learned.  

- "He didn’t want to come?" my girlfriend asked when she saw me alone.  

- "No. Mister got himself invited by the neighbor," I joked.  

- "Oh. Well, that’s good. At least now you know he still has a social life."  

- "True... when you put it like that," I giggled.  

I spread a blanket on the ground. Lucy set up some kind of tent, or something you could call one. It’s more like a tarp, really, but it’s pretty cool. It shields us from the wind later at night. I smiled as she was already turning sausages over the fire. It’s simply perfect. Plus, the sun was finally setting, giving us a stunning sunset. I really feel like I’m on vacation.  

- "I brought you a sweater if you want," I told her, showing the clothing in my hand.  

- "Thanks."  

She quickly slipped it on over her t-shirt. I didn’t want to grab anything more, even though she was in shorts and flip-flops. She admitted to me that she loved feeling the sand under her feet. As for me, I stole one of her sweatshirts and a pair of bermuda shorts. They’re a bit big, but I feel so comfortable in her clothes. They smell so much like her, it’s delightful.  

- "Come sit," I said, patting the spot next to me after sitting down myself.  

- "Two minutes. Let me finish here first. Hey, check the cooler and get us something to drink."  

I smiled and nodded. To be honest, we bought a bottle of champagne. Who knows why. In any case, I happily popped the cork and poured us two glasses. Meanwhile, Lucy had prepared two plates for us. The evening went on. We talked, we laughed, never losing sight of the waves and the setting sun in front of us. Our legs constantly touched. We rubbed, we caressed each other, until the blanket ended up over our shoulders after we got rid of the plates and empty glasses. If time could stop, I would let it.  

- "Do you... do you think you know everything Feli did to me?"  

My question broke the peaceful silence. I was completely slumped on Lucy, who was supporting both our weights. She didn’t answer right away. The truth is, I need to know. Mapi was right in a way. I can’t hide it from her forever.  

- "I think so, yes," she murmured.  

I turned around at her words to straddle her. I needed to look into her eyes if I was going to tell her. Her hands instinctively rested on my thighs. It’s been a long time since I’ve pulled away from her touch, and it feels good. I feel like I’m coming back to life, able to accept any kind of contact.  

- "You don’t have to tell me, Ona... I’ve understood. You wouldn’t have been so broken otherwise."  

I nodded as a few tears welled up in my eyes. I had never dared to say it out loud. Saying it would mean acknowledging it. Yet here, with her, I just feel at peace.  

- "I-I want her to pay. F-for her violence, her acts, and those r-rapes too. Y-you’re absolutely right. S-she doesn’t deserve to get away with it."  

Lucy nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. With her other hand, she stroked my back, sending shivers down my spine. But my decision was made. I want to take her to court. I’m ready to do it now. I know it’s the last thing I need to do to close this chapter of my life.  

- "It’s going to be hard, you know that, right?"  

I nodded. I felt shaky because I knew many wounds would reopen, but I knew it was the right thing to do. He doesn’t deserve to get away unscathed.  

- "I-I can do it, with you."  

I looked at her pleadingly, but her small smile said it all. She had been waiting for this, for me to free myself from my past. It had been a long time since she wanted to reopen the case my mother had prepared for me back then.  

- "We’ll do it together, I promise you, my love."  

Gently, she laid me down on my back, coming to rest over me. She kissed me tenderly before whispering:  

- "You are the strongest woman I know. I’m so proud of you."  

I let myself be carried away by her soft lips. Everything had changed so much in just a few seconds. Everything became sensual. I clung desperately to her neck as her hand roamed freely over my body. I caught my breath when she started playing with the hem of my bermuda shorts.  

- "Are you kidding?" I whispered, amused.  

I was dying to, after such an emotional moment, but we were out in nature. It wasn’t reasonable.  

- "What? Don’t you like adventure?" she teased between kisses on my neck. "You know I wouldn’t do it in the house."  

- "Someone could see us," I replied, without actually stopping her hand from sliding down.  

The temptation was just too strong.  

- "There’s the tarp," she murmured, still kissing my neck.  

I gasped when she reached my... soaked heart. Yes, that’s the right word.  

- "Dare tell me you don’t want this," she whispered. "Just be discreet this time."  

- "Oh, you’re talking about me?" I managed to say, shivering at her first caresses. "Let’s see who can control themselves better."  

I followed my words by unbuttoning her shorts. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling this night is going to be long... A long night filled with love under a starry sky

[elizabethwritesmen]

The Devil Wears Lace

chapter 1 : July 2, 2022

pairing: simon “ghost” riley x reader

summary: you obviously weren’t expecting someone to kidnap you after your shift at the bar that night. even moreso, you weren’t expecting them to want to kill you. but the thing you weren’t expecting the most was the masked man who saved you.

warnings: 18+ for eventual smut, kidnapping, violence, talk of unaliving the reader, dark themes throughout this whole series, leg injury, talk of being tied up and drugged, i think that’s everything but let me know if i missed something!

a/n: this chapter is basically the prologue, so it’s super short but gives necessary background info (:

series masterlist

July 2, 2022

I don’t remember much. In fact, I don’t remember anything clearly after being taken.

What had happened was, I was walking to my car after my shift at the bar ended. I happened to be parked on the side, in the alley. There, three men were waiting for me. Waiting to take me.

I put up a fight, really and truly, I did. I think I even gave them a run for their money considering they were all quite large compared to me. I punched, and scratched, and bit what I could. But they overpowered me, and one of them hit me on the head with something. Who knows what? Doesn’t matter.

Since then, I’d been fading in and out of consciousness. The first time was on the ride there. I’d been shoved in the back of a van with several boxes, wedged in between them like some kind of cargo. The driver hit a turn way too sharp and slung one of them onto its side, the contents emptying onto me. One of the things in there was a small safe with sharp edges. It slammed into my ankle, breaking the skin and cutting deep. I instantly woke up, screaming, red hot pain searing through my entire leg, and they pulled over somewhere. One of them crawled into the back with me, and I tried to resist him but I was tied up with my arms behind my back. I even kicked at him, but there was only so much I could do with one good foot.

“Shut the fuck up!” he growled, taking a syringe out of his pocket and forcefully twisting me so he could shove it into my arm.

The next time, I was in a warehouse. Everything was dark and blurry, shapes fading together. I felt… wrong. Woozy, like I’d been drinking. Then I momentarily remembered the syringe and realized that thought wasn’t too far off. There was probably something in my system to keep me docile. That only lasted for a second before I was out again. Then again I just barely faded into a conversation two men I’d not yet seen were having in front of me.

“We’ve got to wait until the 4th or it won’t work,” one raised his voice at the other, tensions high.

“I say we kill the bitch now. She’ll be worth just as much dead as she will be alive.”

“You don’t know that!”

Everything went black again. I couldn’t even manage to panic about the fact that I was probably going to die. What day did I get snatched? I thought it was the 30th of June. How long had I been there?

I don’t remember waking up again at all, until a loud sound rocked the building. My eyes cracked open, vision still shaky, to see men rushing in. A fight ensued between them and my many captors. I watched as intently as I could manage as they took each one of them down, police arresting them all.

A man rushed my way. I couldn’t see him clearly until he was right in front of me, tall and large and… masked.

Strange.

I tried to scoot away from him, scared he was going to hurt me in my drugged up state, and he spoke softly as not to frighten me further.

“It’s okay, I’m here to take you somewhere safe.” I stayed wary, eyes focusing in on him. I had to focus in on him. If I didn’t, he just looked like a blob. “They’ve got you fucked up good,” he commented, then asked, “Will you let me cut off these ropes?”

I nodded and he leaned down, slicing through the binds on my ankles, careful of the wound that was looking worse for wear from being ignored. “Can you stand?” He asked, and when I didn’t respond, he tutted. “Let’s try.” He picked me up from under my arms, placing me on my feet.

Fuck if that wasn’t the worst pain I’d ever felt. I cried out as pressure was placed, falling into him in the least graceful way possible. His arms secured themselves around me, placing me gently back on the ground.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to stand,” he hummed, kneeling behind me to cut the ropes off of my hands. I relaxed my entire body, relieved to have mobility back. “Put this on,” he commanded, slipping his jacket off and handing it to me. I furrowed my brows, looking down to see my clothes were in tatters, ripped to shreds just about. The low cut T shirt with my work’s logo on it was completely open and the matching skirt was half off. My bra and panties were on full display, light hitting the lace perfectly. I gasped, grabbing the warm fabric from him and trying to put it on. I was too weak, though, so he had to do it for me. He zipped it up, and once he was satisfied with my modesty, he hauled me into his arms, carrying me out of the building. I started to slip out of consciousness again, my mind still foggy from whatever was in my veins. The last thing I remembered seeing was him, walking away.

[vampire-scones]

His perm is hanging on for dear life at this point. It's been about eight or nine months since his last appointment and the curls were really fighting for their lives. Billy sighed as he looked in the mirror and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't have that kind of money right now so he could do one of two things. He could start spending hours in the bathroom each morning curling his own hair, or he could just let his hair get in that weird in between of wavy and straight which he hated.

As he looked in the mirror the shine of one of his record sleeves caught his eye. It was Motley Crue's 'Shout at the Devil'. All the band members were on the front, done up in their stage make up and their hair teased to high heaven. His gaze immediately went to Vince Neil. Billy would be lying if he said he didn't think the lead singer was at least a little hot. But his hair...he'd never straightened his hair but he knew damn well he could pull off looking like Vince if he tired.

Billy found himself in the bathroom for the next hour and a bit, Susan's flat iron doing its work in taking the life out of the last of his curls. In one of his copies of Metal Edge he had been able to find a good photo of Vince Neil. His hair teased to hell but still framing that pretty boy face.

After Billy was finished with the flat iron he grabbed a comb, starting to tease and back brush his hair. It took a few tries before he had how he wanted it. All that was left was the hairspray. His new can was half empty by the time he was done with it. He looked in the mirror and couldn't help but grin. He looked fucking good. He looked like a rockstar. Sure this wasn't a style he was gonna be pulling off all the time, but as a little change before his next perm? Absolutely. Now the only thing left was to see how a certain someone would feel about it.

Billy cleaned up the bathroom, hid his magazine away again, and grabbed his keys. He put on a pair of boots and walked out to his Camaro. When he got in he cranked the volume of his 'Too Fast for Love' tap and drove off. With his sunglasses on and music blaring he drove way too fast down the back streets of Hawkins until he reached his destination. Harrington's house.

He pulled into the driveway and saw the door already starting to open. He guessed Steve knew it was him from the music. He leaned against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow as Billy shut off the music.

"Not even a call before you come over? You got something important to tell me?" He asked from his spot in the doorway.

Billy got out of his car and gave his hair a bit of a shake, making sure his hair caught Steve's attention. He took off his sunglasses and hung them on his shirt while he walked up to him.

"What? Can't I just pop by because I feel like it? Or do I have to have a formal invitation from the king?"

Steve stood there, just looking Billy over. His hair was so...different. Steve reached out to touch his hair. "Holy shit...you were busy in your bathroom today."

Billy let out a bark of a laugh and just grinned at Steve. "Like it, pretty boy?"

Steve couldn't help but nod. "Yeah...it looks good. Different. You look like a rockstar.."

"And I'm guessing your into rockstars?"

"I didn't say that! I just said you looked like one."

Billy smirked. He watched as Steve stayed mesmerized by his new look. He would take that as the approval from the masses he was looking for.

"Well you can't get your hands out of my hair, maybe we should go inside so you can pull it."

Steve didn't say anything to this and just grabbed Billy by his collar and pulled him inside, letting the door slam closed behind them.

(Inspired by some tags @flayedintheusa left on another one of my posts!)

[blueberrypancakesworld]

Commissioners favorite - Saw

Mark Hoffman x fem!reader

warning : +18, smut (p in v), sex work, kissing, nicknames, fingering, semi public sex, praises, age gap (reader is in her 30s and Mark in his 50s)

Summary : Everyone at the police station knew that when the black high heels walked down the corridors, it was best to stay out of her way. They knew that the woman who wore them was the commissioner's favorite. They also knew what happened when the lock and shutters were closed. The commissoner had his...special break.

Info : So I'm back again after a longer time with a story for our dear Hoffyman. So I thought "Hey older Costas = Older Hoffman = Sexy Guy" so yeah here we are. And it came out wax more smuty than I had planned but oh well. Have fun reading as always ;)

saw - masterlist

costas mandylor - masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~

How did it start? A question she had asked herself in the beginning. When she was out on the streets of the city, as she did every evening.

Her biggest fear wasn't a Jigsaw trap, she could have made money with that.

No, her biggest worry, like the others, was that she didn't have enough customers and not enough money for her pension.

Leaning against the brick wall, bag in hand and eyes on the street, she couldn't help but sigh, undermining the slight smile on her face.

It had been hours since she had stood in her usual spot. But not a single customer, and she couldn't blame the poor bastards.

Who wants to go out at night when you could wake up in a trap any second? she thought, reaching into her pocket for the pack of cigarettes. If she could wait any longer, she could at least go to her grave faster.

The cigarette between her lips, she held the fire underneath, but it seemed as if nature was conspiring against her. ,,Damn it" she hissed, trying to light the flame for the fifth time. But it seemed the lung cancer wasn't going to be her death.

Instead, she heard a car turn onto the street and stop in front of her. ,,Is swearing and smoking part of your price?" she heard a man's voice and looked up, but to her suspicion she saw that it was a police car.

She had a few customers here and there from the local police station, but even they were few and far between this time of year.

She hastily flicked the cigarette to the ground and slipped the lighter into her pocket, a smile forming on her lips. The red lipstick clung to her like the blood of its victims as she approached the car.

,,I can be good and gentle too, darling...or do you want to make me an offer? Do you want me to be good for you?" she asked, leaning against the open window frame. She had never seen him before, maybe a few years older than her early thirties.

But she liked his look, it wasn't lustful, more observant, watching and observing her, but not like a stalker, more like someone looking at her with devotion.

A nice picture in a museum. ,,A new one?" she thought, knowing that the new ones didn't really dare to come here.

They still followed the rules, some of them just gave her money. ,,I have to finance my studies as such a young woman," she said most of the time, and got more than enough.

But she had never seen the brown-haired, handsome one. ,,Well, good would be good, sweetie...but I need you for something else," he started and she thought it was going to be a threesome or filming a porno.

Not that she minded, she would get warm, but he just shook his head slightly. ,,I'm looking for informants with their eyes and ears open. I would pay you double," he asked her and she considered the offer for a moment.

She knew that the police were good for almost nothing, but now she would get money, protection and maybe a real date with him. ,,Well, I'm all ears, sweetie," she said and got into the car with him. That's how it went.

That's how they had met, he had invited her as an informant, had even taken her to a restaurant. She had done what he wanted, given him information, given her a better life.

Not only that, he gave her so much more devotion, love and human closeness. It was like a bad book, the whore who fell in love with her pimp who took her to a better life.

But he had never looked at her with disgust, he had cherished her. She had never asked herself why at first. Until now, almost two decades later, she knew.

He wasn't always the good cop, oh no, she knew he was so much more.

He may have been good and honest at first since the death of his sister, the death of his mentor John, the struggle to come to terms with it all. Not letting his own ego get the better of him.

He changed, she changed, it changed them both. She was, as always, his eyes and ears on the street.

She brought him the sacrifices he needed for his games. And she didn't mind since he was now the commissioner of the police station.

He always took care of her, had bought her a ring and even when she didn't have to be on the street anymore, she at least stayed there to gather more information.

Knowing full well that the bloodstains on his shirt were just a mistake.  Instead, it was his touch and words that made her forget everything.

When she asked him, he simply kissed her, when she was afraid of violence, he simply took her, touched her and made her forget everything.

It was always the same and at some point it seemed normal, it was normal for both of them.

That he gave her something and she gave in. But, as always, it was information that brought the now thirty-year-old to him.

When the two main doors of the police station opened, the heels clacked through the corridors. ,,Miss have you-" she heard the man behind the reception desk say, but when he saw her.

The shoes, the blood-red lipstick and the slight smile, an old habit, let everyone know who she was, what she was and to whom the gold ring belonged.

Continuing past the reception, she passed the other policemen. ,,Good evening, Miss...Hoffman," she heard the familiar voice of Strahm, who was only one step below her husband.

The man got up from his desk and approached her. She liked Strahm and had even spent the night with him a few times.

He was gentler than Hoffman, he wanted to motivate her to take action herself. ,,Good evening, Sir...I mean Agent Strahm," she replied, seeing something like discomfort pass through him for a moment. She had always called him sir when they were together, something she knew he liked.

That the rivalry between him and Hoffman only fueled it. But whenever she slept with Strahm, Hoffman came to her apartment all the more often.

The almost hasty unlocking of the door as the wood crashed against the wall and he rushed into her room with his gun drawn, always hoping to catch his colleague. Only to find his favorite wrapped the blanket around her naked body.

The hickeys visible and the money in her hand. ,,He's still doing it darling," she murmured with a grin and rolled her eyes in playful annoyance as he snatched the money from her hand. ,,Yes, I can see that!" Mark had snapped at her before she felt the gun against her thigh.

A game as usual. A giggle escaped her as she moved backwards onto the bed, slowly spreading her legs, the cool barrel of the gun giving her goose bumps.

,,Why don't you pay me better than him mhh darling? Fuck me better and next time I'll have it right here for you," she chirped and slowly let her hands wander between her thighs.

Only to feel his dominating kiss seconds later, the weapon roaming over her body and his voice, his befellings clouding her mind.

His hickeys, stained by Strahm, made them no longer visible, his bites deeper, kissing away her tears when Strahm would have stopped long ago.

If her body had given way, Strahm would have stopped. But Hoffman didn't, he wanted everything from her until the end.

His hands holding her up, the mattress holding her, her moans and murmurs in the room muffled by the pillow as he came inside her once more.

The click of his cell phone could be heard as he took a picture of his darling. In her most beautiful form sent to Peter knowing he would do nothing.

That he could do nothing but use his hand that closed around his hard cock like every time and wish he had acted in front of his colleague.

Because then he could have had this beautiful angel. ,,The difference Peter is," she began, moving closer to the older man and running her fingers over his cock before tightening her grip.

,,That he just fucked me better in the end," she whispered to him, waving him off before leaving him standing there on the way to her real destination. Mark Hoffman.

As she opened the door to his office, she saw him about to protest when his gaze softened and a cheerful smile spread across his face.

,,Darling, I was wondering where you were," he said and she smiled as he still called her darling. Still like then and slowly approached him.

She put her bag on the table and didn't pay much attention to the files as she sat down on the table.

,,You know, I don't keep my favorite customer waiting," she joked and saw his smirk, it seemed like they were both stuck in the past, but neither of them could blame him.

It was the day he went to see her that she came into contact with him for the first time. He leaned back in his chair and she still looked into his bright eyes, which had not changed.

Only he himself had grown older but, like her, they had both blossomed into beauty like flowers in this miserable city.

The beauty was all the more attractive when they were both built up by blood and control. ,,You're my favorite too," he replied, tapping his thigh lightly to let her know and she looked at the door.

Knew it was open, knew Strahm would come in at some point, knew it would be me again and yet she did what Hoffman wanted. She always did. ,,Good girl, you help me relax," he praised her, rubbing lightly against him, knowing that it was like a game for them both by now.

She was enjoying his break and she was getting a bit of a change. ,,Of course I always do," she said and grinned before letting a sigh of pleasure escape her as he began to kiss his way down her neck.

Gentle and yet always with a certain urgency, there were always two sides to Hoffman. Nevertheless, taking time off gave him more than enough time to spoil his darling and himself.

,,Always be good to me," she said and leaned in even closer, rubbing her back straight across his middle where he began to get half hard as he slowly slid his fingers over hers. His much rougher and bigger than her own.

She brought his hand to her lips, lightly kissing and licking her fingers, seeing his look of appreciation in the corner of her eye.

Too often she just came to him during the breaks for a blowjob or a quick fuck. But today was a little different, they both knew that somehow.

As he kissed his way down her neck again, he took his hand from hers and moved his hand between her thighs, pulling her panties aside as he felt the slight wetness.

,,Such a naughty girl, what would the others say?" he asked playfully as he moved two of his fingers slightly up and down between her lips to get her wet on his fingers.

,,So wet...just for you," she said, her breathing quickening slightly and becoming slightly more hurried as she relaxed on his lap. But with his smirk, she knew she would help him too.

Her hand, not holding onto him, traced small circles across his torso and down to his suit pants. Sliding under the warm, soft fabric and undoing the button, she grasped his half-hard cock and began to stroke it.

She heard him grunt and sigh as Hoffman leaned back in his chair, bringing her a little closer to him.

His fingers, now completely slippery from her arousal, penetrated her and her hips almost automatically snapped towards them as a gasp escaped her.

It wasn't enough and yet it was a first step for his cock. ,,Someone's impatient," he stated firmly, leaving a kiss on her warm ear with the remark before leaving a few more teasing bites and smooches on her neck and shoulders.

Each one deeper than the last but the sweet pain paired with the rhythm of his fingers and she suddenly let out a moan as he ran his fingers over her sensitive nerve bundle.

Her hand went lightly to her lips, the blood red lipstick smudging slightly as she tried not to be too loud. But they both knew that this was just part of the game.

Over the years they had both learned how good and exciting it was not only to take risks but also to get caught. This had happened more than once, especially at the police station.

,,Don't, darling, you know I want to hear you," he reminded her and an almost sad whimper escaped her as he let go of her with one hand to take her hand in his and stop her from holding back. In turn, she gripped his cock tighter and picked up the pace.

His own hips thrust against her and they both teased each other for a moment. It was exactly what they needed besides the moralizing.

The teasing like two teenagers in love. ,,And I-fuck want you," she countered, carefully rising from him as he released her.

Her jaw suddenly clenched, it was not uncommon for him to still surprise her with his quick movements. The hard touches she loved so much in the mix of pain and pleasure.

The kiss, intimate and yet possessive, her neck was only a reflection of his control and devotion to what he felt for her. For his darling.

She couldn't stop herself from giggling as he spread her legs slightly with an understanding movement and pulled the panty from her body in the skirt, which was too short without it, you would see it from a certain angle.

But nobody cared at that moment. ,,You know, some people might still call you an old pervert for that," she joked and saw him laugh for a moment as his chest heaved and he looked down at the underwear in his hand.

The slight stain of her lust visible before he stuffed them in his pants pocket.

The little souvenir until they would meet again in the evening. ,,And what am I to you? An old pervert, pimp, policeman, daddy?" he asked, teasing her chosen nickname for him.

This time it was her turn to laugh at those names she only ever used during sex.

But they both liked it and that was what mattered. The understanding and then the control in the pain and the power.

,,To me, you're my husband," she replied, watching him open his pants a little wider to make it easier before she slowly eased herself back onto his cock.

She couldn't stop the throaty groan despite the preparation and after all these years it always took her a moment to get used to his length and width.

But he just held it for a moment, kissed her, praised her and knew that there were moments in the past when he would have just taken her, taken his frustration out on her like that, and even though this rarely happened now, it was the age that was the biggest empty master.

They both had no problem making love, it was about enjoying it, the teasing and procrastination, the power they both had.

It was intoxicating and they wanted to keep it so why not savor it. He let her take the lead for a moment, letting her rhythm take over as she began to move.

,,That's it," he praised her, murmuring the words with a grin as he heard her moan and she leaned her head against the crook of his neck, closing her eyes as he placed his rough hands on her hips, taking over her rhythm for his. Faster and deeper she felt completely around his cock.

Her wetness almost seemed to suck him in. ,,Let everyone hear it fuck-so good...especially Strahm," he said, gasping as she used her muscles and tightened around him, making his cock twitch and the two of them moan out, knowing exactly what to say to make her feel the shame and arousal they'd shared enough times to find out.

His hand loosened from hers and she clung to his desk or leg with his aggressive rhythm. ,,Good-ah-yes so good," she murmured unintelligibly and almost arched as his fingers moved back to her clitoris.

The sensitive bundle of nerves was massaged and he almost seemed to have fucked her dumb. But she knew she wouldn't be at the end they still had some time.

But just as she had predicted, as it had happened almost a hundred times before. They heard the door open and she knew it couldn't be anyone else but him.

Hoffman would have snapped at anyone else or fired long ago. It was peter Strahm. Even though he was only a year younger than Hoffman, he seemed more than visibly tense.

The woman he had a thing for who was married but fucked in front of him by his boss was something he had hoped not to have to see.

,,What is it?" Mark asked, his hand that had been between her thighs before coming away with what sounded like a pitiful whimper from her lips before they went under her shirt.

And a loud moan suddenly went through the room, ,,Say hello, darling," Hoffman said, turning to her, kissing her neck again and enjoying rubbing it in his colleague's face that she was his. her eyes opened, veiled in lust, and an almost stupid smile crept onto her lips.

,,Hello-ah-fuck right there-yes-Pete Strahm," she almost moaned his name as Hoffman ran his fingers over her sensitive nipples and pinched them.

Knowing with a grin how sensitive she was, it fascinated him and he knew that in addition to the visible hard nipples pressing against the fabric of her shirt, a new wave of wetness was coming onto his cock.

He thrust into her again and as Strahm slowly approached the couple he saw the bulge in the pants of the man below. He grinned knowing that he wanted to ask Strahm for more.

Knowing he was coming home at night alone without the woman he loved, the image of the scene played in his head as he jerked off. It was the kind of take that gave Hoffman enough satisfaction.

The younger man put the files on the table and lingered for a moment. His gaze tried to take in every conceivable detail and yet not let anything show, which of course was impossible.

However, his gaze was more than obviously lost on her pushed-up shirt and her center. He could just about see the beginning of his cock, wet with her juices and his lust drops.

His hand under her shirt, the curve of her breasts that gave a hint of how hot and pleasurable it must be.

He seemed to bite his tongue to stifle any comment before Hoffman's ,,Is that all?" snapped him out of his thoughts and the younger man left the room, nodding. ,,You're-fuck mean," he heard the womans's protest, which was immediately silenced with a kiss as he moved his hips more.

He felt her slowly approaching her orgasm and his hand, which wasn't playing with her breasts, moved under her skirt.

She had done her job more than well and, as always, he would reward her. For every pinch, for every bite, for every blow, he rewarded her in the end.

She had greeted Peter, brought him information and had been a good girl. ,,Such a good thing," he praised her in a murmur, kissing her again and seeing her nod in agreement, which amused him a little.

,,Just let go...when you're ready sweetie" he pointed out as he did every time knowing she loved it as a reward when he used his fingers to pleasure her in addition to his cock.

The moans and pleas became indistinct mumbles as she clung to him only minutes later, her head in the crook of his neck, moaning his name.

But she barely noticed in her high as he began to move slightly, his hands back on her hips, using her as he wished.

She rode through her orgasm, his shaft covered in her juices as he became increasingly unconscious but all the harder.

And only moments later, he poured himself into her, praising her. She continued to kiss the last loudly, sinking into the play afterwards.

They both lingered like that for a moment before she slowly rose up and he steadied her as he always did. ,,My darling...I don't want you to get hurt," he joked and handed her a couple of handkerchiefs so that the two of them could clean themselves up.

Even though it was clear to everyone what they had done anyway.

The light film of sweat that had formed on her body was fortunately quickly removed by the air conditioning.

One of the pretile as a commisoner. But the ravaged hair, the smell of sex and the noises were enough.

After a moment's rest and another gentle kiss, she finally reached into her bag and pulled out the picture round notes for the victims. ,,All done, you can get on with your work," she said with a wink and took the bag back before heading for the door.

,,Thank you as always, my love...I'll see you tonight," he said almost casually as he put the unofficial evidence and report in his drawer.

He raised his hand slightly in farewell and gave her a final kiss and smile before she left his office.

Knowing that with the click of her heels, the police station had once again gotten a performance that was meant for the commsioner. But they would not stop for a long time yet.

Because in the end he was the set one, the highest ranking and she was his special one in the breaks and over all. She was Commisioner Mark Hoffman's favorite.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@callmeklarise , @megustadilf , @lola-max-sugar , @hoffwhorror , @faultlessheart , @librababe99 , @roman-hoffman , @costashoffman , @horrorxgorewhore , @xmissghoulx , @magmabayvi , @thewolveswithin , @oceansrose2002 , @c0stass , @slut4hoffman , @mysunfishpeedinmyroom

[fxckadoodledoomunson]

A Heart Divided -5-

Previous

|5| Truth and Consequences

Summary: Chrissy and Max tries to find Roxy on her own so they can interrogate her about your sister and the diary, while Nancy questions Steve about his closeness with Chrissy. Meanwhile, Eddie is conflicted over his relationship your sister, whilst trying to figure out where you’ve gone.

Warnings: swearing, mention of weed, abusive parent, blood.

Tagged: @somethingvicked @ali-r3n @mirandasidefics @mewchiili @erisdogwood @hufflepuffobsessedwithmarvel @yourdailymemedelivery @pretendthisnameisclever @sadbitchfangirl

The next morning, Nancy was parking her car outside of the Family Video, when Max asked the older girls, “You think this will work?”

“It’s worth a try,” Nancy said, as they all took of their seatbelts. “Anything to help us prove to Eddie who really wrote that diary.”

“I just hope that we can use the database to find Roxy,” Chrissy replied.

“Well, if Keith’s there and says anything, I’m sure Nancy can put on the charm,” Max joked, as they got out of the car.

“Very funny, Max,” Nancy sarcastically responded, which made Chrissy giggle.

Meanwhile, inside the store, Robin and Steve were debating on which movie to play.

“I’ve told you before, Robin,” Steve spoke as he was pushing the empty trolley. “I don’t do double VHS.”

“Oh come on,” Robin retorted, as Steve followed her to the counter, before picking up a cardboard cutout of Freddy Krueger. “You picked the movie last time. It’s my turn.”

“Okay, fine. But I’m not-“ Steve with the cutout in front of his face, turned around when he heard someone yelp, as he almost bumped into that person.

“Smooth move, dingus,” Robin snorted, as she was about to take the VHS tape out of its cover when Steve passed her cutout, before beginning to apologise.

“I am so sorry. Are you okay? I didn’t mean to bump into you, I should’ve…”

“It’s okay,” a sweet voice replied, prompting Steve to turn back, to find Chrissy standing in front of him, smiling.

“Oh, Chrissy. Hey,” Steve grinned as he greeted her, whilst Nancy and Max padded behind her. As Robin waved at the two girls, Steve greeted them, before asking Chrissy, “What brings you here?”

“The girl’s been single for five minutes, and he’s already making a pass at her,” Robin teased.

Steve turned to Robin, as he asked in a serious tone, “Don’t you have a tape to put on?”

Robin was about to continue with her teasing when Nancy cleared her throat, before informing Steve and Robin, “Actually, we need your help with something. You see, we’re doing some investigating, and…”

“Investigating?” Steve asked, before asking if it had something to do with your disappearance.

Chrissy explained, as she held up the diary, that they were investigating on who was responsible for forging your handwriting.

“Can I see it?” Steve asked Chrissy, before she handed it over to him.

“Why? Curious about what it might say about you?” Robin asked, causing Steve to sarcastically laugh, as he started reading the contents.

“He won’t find anything anyway, it’s only about Eddie,” Chrissy informed them, confirming that she, Nancy and Max thoroughly checked every single page.

After Steve read through the pages, he closed the diary and gave it back to Chrissy, as he confirmed, “Well, whoever forged the handwriting, definitely needed a dictionary. So many misspelling errors. And doesn’t she like, doodle stuff on the pages or something?”

After confirming that you never wrote in the diary, Steve asked Chrissy, “Any ideas on who it could be? If I had to put money on it, it would be her sister.”

“At first, I thought for sure that it was her sister who wrote it,” Chrissy mentioned. “But after comparing her friend, Roxy’s writing in the yearbook, I’m wondering if she’s involved too.”

“Okay, so what does that have to do with us?” Robin asked.

“We need to use your computer system to find Roxy,” Max bluntly responded.

“Well, even if we let you use it to find her and prove that the diary, do you really think that it would make a difference to Eddie?” Robin asked, before commenting on his recent ill treatment towards you.

“Maybe not, but it’s gotta be worth a try,” Chrissy replied. “So, can we please use the computer?”

Robin and Steve silently turned to each other, before Steve shifted his attention to Chrissy, silently giving the girls permission to use the computer by gesturing at it to them.

Chrissy smiled, as she thanked him. As the three girls started gathering around the computer, Nancy quickly turned to glance at Steve, whose eyes were fixated on Chrissy when Robin started making a kissing face at him, prompting Nancy to swiftly turn away. As Steve took notice of Robin, he glared at her, telling her, “Go and help them.”

Robin raised her hands with an innocent expression on her face, as she went to help the girls.

Suddenly, the phone started ringing, prompting Robin to turn her head when Steve picked it up, he answered, “Family Video, how can-? Oh, hey Mom. Why are you-?”

As the girls continue to search on the database, they heard Steve ask, “Really? Where?”

Chrissy turned her head, hoping that he was given some information about your whereabouts, as he Steve jotted down something on a scrap of paper.

“Okay, thanks for letting me know…I’ll go there right now.”

After Steve had put down the phone, he immediately took his work vest, as he asked, “Hey Nance, can you drive me to the tow yard? My mom said that the cops called, saying that they found my car.”

“Sure,” Nancy replied, before asking Chrissy and Max, “Will you guys be okay finding Roxy by yourselves?”

Chrissy remained silent, worrying about you when Max responded, “Yeah, sure.”

Nancy silently nodded, as Steve told her, “Let’s go.”

They were both about to leave when Steve noticed Chrissy’s worried expression.

Steve deeply exhaled, as he approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder, softly telling her, “Don’t worry. I’ll ask the cops about her. If they’ve found my car, then maybe they’ve found her too.”

Chrissy chewed her lower lip, holding back her tears, as she silently nodded.

“Listen, we can wait until you find Roxy’s address, and we’ll drop you off there before the yard,” Steve suggested, before asking Nancy. “Right, Nance?”

Before Nancy could respond, Chrissy replied, “It’s okay. I can call Aimee and ask if her brother can take us to her.”

“Are you sure?”

Chrissy silently nodded, when Nancy said, “We better get going before they destroy the car.”

Steve briefly rubbed Chrissy’s shoulder, before moving his hand away, as he stepped outside, following Nancy, who sprinted towards her car.

Meanwhile in the hospital, Eddie was still in bed, rereading your diary, ghosting his fingers against your drawings when he heard the door knocking.

As he quickly closed the diary and hid it under his pillow, the door opened, as a gruffly voice announced, “It’s only me.”

It was Wayne.

As Wayne entered the door, carrying a plastic bag, he told Eddie, “I’m not supposed to be here out of visiting hours, but the nurse allowed me to come and drop off a couple of things.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks,” Eddie replied, as Wayne placed the bag on top of the table, before taking out some comic books and a couple of cassettes for him.

“Did you managed to do your homework?” Wayne asked.

“Some,” Eddie grumbled, as he crossed his arms when Wayne leaned over, and asked, “Eddie? Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Eddie retorted. “I’m being discharged soon.”

“Well, it’s just…your eyes are puffy. Have you been crying?”

Eddie scoffed, as he shuffled in his bed, before denying, “Of course not. Just tired, that’s all. Didn’t get enough sleep.”

If there was one thing that Wayne knew, it was the fact that his own nephew wasn’t good at lying.

However, Wayne decided to let him lie, saving the interrogation.

As he took the empty plastic bag, Wayne told him, “Well, I’ll come and see you again during visiting hours. Has your girlfriend been to visit?”

Eddie stayed silent, not mentioning that your sister hadn’t been to see him.

Wayne sighed, “If you want, I’ll ask if she wants to visit when I go over-“

“Don’t bother,” Eddie coldly replied. “She’s probably busy.”

Wayne shook his head, before telling him, “I’ll ask anyway.” He then mentioned you. “It’s been a week since she went missing, I hope she returns home soon.”

“Me too,” Eddie mumbled. “I know we’re not close anymore, but I hope she comes back.”

Wayne furrowed his eyebrows, wondering about Eddie’s sudden change of heart about you.

“Well, we’ve got people to look out for her, so someone’s bound to see her,” Wayne replied, as he headed to the door, before replying, “ I’ll see you later, kid.”

Eddie silently waved goodbye to his uncle, who had closed the door behind him.

After he had gone, Eddie took the diary from under the pillow and opened it, rereading the pages. The more Eddie read, the more he was finally convinced that the diary was yours, especially how you described your sister as a succubus. Looking back, Eddie realised that you were right. He remembered the day when your sister showed him the fake diary…

“No…” Eddie tearfully said, as he sat on your sister’s bed, reading the insults about him in the diary, which your sister allegedly found under your bed. “No, that can’t be true.”

“I’m sorry, but it is,” your sister replied with fake sympathy. “You don’t know what she was like after you leave. She’s always badmouthing you for failing senior year twice.”

Eddie sniffled, as he slammed the diary shut.

“I didn’t want you to find out this way, but…maybe it’s for the best,” your sister said, as she cupped his cheek and pulled him into a kiss.

Eddie instantly pulled himself away, confused with your sister’s sudden move.

He knew that your sister wasn’t always nice to him when she was in his class. But then he thought maybe she had changed.

Your sister flashed a smile at him, as she seductively stroked his arm, before whispering to him, “She doesn’t have to know, not that she’ll care anyway.”

Eddie wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, he didn’t understand why she would make a move on him. On the other hand, he was too angry to care. He thought that maybe being with your sister would help him get over you.

“You know what? Fuck it,” Eddie exclaimed, as he dropped the diary, leaning into a passionate kiss, making your sister squeal with delight…

Eddie snapped himself out of that memory, as he closed the diary. At that moment, he realised that maybe you were right about your sister being a succubus, wondering if she had anything to do with the fake diary. Looking back, he should’ve left immediately after she kissed him and gone to the training camp to ask you about it.

He sighed, as he leaned back, trying to decide to whether break things off with your sister, or wait until she confessed.

A few moments later, Steve and Nancy were at the tow yard. After Steve signed and paid for his car to be returned, they waited for the car as Steve commented, “I hope that she’s been found.”

Steve stared at his watch, wondering how long it’ll take when Nancy spoke up, “Hey, Steve?”

“Yeah, Nance?” Steve asked, as he lowered his arm.

“I hope you don’t think I’m prying, but I uh… couldn’t help but notice how you are with Chrissy lately.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows, as he asked in a confused tone, “How do you mean?”

“Well, I noticed how you were ogling her earlier and-“

“Okay,” he let out a little laugh, before explaining. “I was not ogling her. I’m just worried about her, that’s all.”

He then mentioned that Chrissy was your best friend, and that you were like family to him, before carrying on saying, “So obviously, I am protective of her, especially after what happened with Carver. I mean, I’ve known Chrissy since we were kids, and-“

“Okay, I believe you,” Nancy interjected, before letting out a small laugh, as she turned to face the counter.

“Well, speaking of prying…How’s things with you and Jonathan?”

Nancy turned to him for a split second before facing forward, faking a smile, as she replied, “Great, we couldn’t be more happier.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows, as he saw through her. “Nance?”

Nancy turned to him, as she sadly sighed, before telling him, “Let’s just say…Things are a little complicated for us right now.”

Steve attentively listened, as Nancy revealed, “We got talking about college, and we got into a fight after I found out that he’s going to community college instead of Emerson. I tried calling him, but he’s either with this Argyle guy or the line’s busy because of Joyce’s job.”

“I’m sorry to hear it,” Steve sympathetically responded, before placing his hand on her shoulder, telling her, “You’ll get through to him, and you guys will fix it.”

Nancy smiled, as she thanked him when the officer came back with Steve’s keys.

“Here you go,” he said as he passed him the keys.

Steve turned around, before asking, “Uh…Where’s my car?”

“Yeah about that, it’s outta gas,” the officer revealed. “So, we couldn’t bring it over.”

Steve turned back, as he asked about you.

“There’s no report about your friend. Just your unattended vehicle.”

Steve’s face turned pale, as he thought about the worst case scenario.

“Don’t worry,” Nancy began to assure him. “I’ll get my dad’s gas tank from home, and-“

“Never mind the gas tank,” Steve frantically interrupted as he gripped his hair, before asking, “What about her?”

He cursed under his breath, before asking the officer if he could make a phone call.

After the cop had let make one call, Steve dialled Dustin’s phone, before hearing Dustin answer, “Henderson residence.”

“Dustin, it’s me.”

Steve then asked him to contact Max for them, informing her and Chrissy that you still haven’t been found by the police, before telling him that he and Nancy were going to find your last location.

On the other side of town, Max and Chrissy got out of a taxi which they had to take as Tony was unable to take them to Roxy.

After paying the driver, they started walking towards the street, as Max asked, “Do you think she’ll talk?”

“I don’t know,” Chrissy sighed. “But it’s worth a shot.”

Chrissy continued to talk as they approached the door when they heard Max’s supercom beep before hearing Dustin’s voice.

“Max! We’ve got a code red! I repeat, we’ve got a code red!”

Max took it from her backpack, as she heard Dustin say that you were still missing and Steve and Nancy were going to where the car was located.

Suddenly, Chrissy snatched the supercom from Max’s hand, and quickly answered, “Ask them where to meet-.”

Suddenly, the connection was cut off. Her lips started to tremble, as she dropped to her knees and started to sob.

Max kneeled down beside her, and placed one hand on her shoulder whilst grabbing the supercom from her with the other.

“Don’t worry, they’ll find her,” Max assured her.

“What if they don’t?” Chrissy blubbered. “What if she’s been taken? What if she’s…?”

Chrissy continued to sob, as Max wrapped her arms around her, trying to comfort her.

“After we deal with Roxy, we’ll find her, okay? If Steve’s car’s been found, then maybe she’s close by.”

Suddenly, they heard a door unlocking, causing the two girls to get back on their feet, as realised that it was coming from Roxy’s house.

As the door swung open, an older man, presumably Roxy’s father, with a beer bottle in his hand, leaned against the frame, supporting himself.

“Can I help you?” He slurred.

“Uh, I’m not sure if we have the right address, but does Roxy live here?” Max enquired, before mentioning Roxy’s full name.

“Roxy?” The man scoffed. “She isn’t here.”

The girls turned to each other before facing the drunken man, as Chrissy asked, “You mean, she’s not home or…”

“Home? Ha!” The man exclaimed. “That little harlot hasn’t been here for a long time. Now leave me be!”

After the man slammed the door in their faces, the girls stepped back and turned around, as Max sarcastically said, “What a charmer. So, what do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” Chrissy replied, before mentioning that they may have no choice but go to your place and ask your parents if they know Roxy’s whereabouts.

“Excuse me?” A female voice spoke. The girls turned to find a woman in a nurse uniform approaching them. “Did you say that you were looking for Roxy?”

“Yes, we are,” Chrissy replied. “Do you know where we can find her?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. She’s living with her grandparents. I’m actually heading there now to take care of her grandfather. I can you take you there, if you want.”

Before the girls could respond, they heard a door swing open. The carer groaned, “Here we go again.”

They turned around to find Roxy’s father throwing numerous items out of the door, as he shouted out to the carer, “Hey Shelia, next time you see my old man, give these back to that whore!”

Max and Chrissy stared in disgust as Shelia shook her head, about to say something when he slammed the door shut again.

Shelia sighed, as she picked up some clothes from the lawn.

Chrissy and Max, who had found a couple of pieces of paper before stuffing them in her pocket, helped pick up the remainder of the stuff, as Shelia thanked them, before walking to her car.

“You can put them in the box in the boot,” she told them.

“Does he always throw her stuff out every time he sees you?” Chrissy asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Shelia replied.

“What a piece of shit,” Max muttered.

After putting everything in the box, Shelia told them, “Listen, my offer still stands. If you two want me to drive you to see Roxy, I can take you now.”

The girls exchanged glances before deciding to go with her.

After finally getting fuel for his car, Steve and Nancy left the Wheeler’s residence, before heading to the location of where his car was found.

As soon as Nancy parked her car, Steve jumped out of his vehicle, trying to find anything that could help track you.

“Steve, wait,” Nancy called out, as she got out of her car, while Steve quickly followed footprints through the woods.

“Please be close by,” Steve muttered. “Please be close by.”

He continued to follow the tracks until he got to the edge of the lake.

He stopped, and turned his head, seeking for more tracks and any boats near the lake. However, he had no luck.

“Shit!” He growled, as he scratched the back of his head.

“She might not have gone far,” Nancy spoke. “Someone must’ve seen her-“

“Do you see anyone else here, Nancy?!” Steve shouted. “Where else would she go?! You don’t understand-!”

“I don’t understand?”

Steve’s face softened, seeing Nancy’s angry expression, as she continued, “Of course I understand, Steve! Have you forgotten about what it was like for me when Barb went missing before she was killed?!”

Steve slowly approached her, as he softly spoke, “Nance…”

“Let’s just keep looking,” Nancy retorted, before storming off in one direction, leaving a remorseful Steve behind.

Meanwhile on the other side of town, Shelia had pulled her car in front of a bungalow. As the girls got out, Chrissy asked the carer, who had grabbed Roxy’s belongings, with both girls helping her, “Do you think Roxy will be in?”

“Well, every time I’ve been to visit, she’s always been there,” Shelia recalled, as they walked up the pathway to the bungalow. “Especially as she’s got her baby to look after. She doesn’t like shifting her responsibilities to her grandparents.”

Chrissy and Max exchanged confused glances, wondering if it was the same Roxy they were seeking, as Max asked, “Baby?”

As Shelia knocked on the door, Max asked if you had mentioned to Chrissy about Roxy having a baby.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard about it,” Chrissy replied. “She would’ve said if she knew already.”

Suddenly, the door swung open, as an elderly woman stood in the doorway, and happily greeted the nurse. “Shelia.”

As the woman hugged her, Shelia said, “Hello Eunice. How’s Ronald today?”

“He was a little bit achy earlier, but Roxy helped him with his exercises, so he’s a little bit better.”

As she stepped back, Eunice told Shelia to come inside when she noticed that Chrissy and Max were standing outside. She smiled, as she greeted them, “Oh, hello dears. Can I help with something?”

“We’re here to see Roxy,” Chrissy replied, as Shelia went inside the bungalow. “Is she here?

“Yes, she is. Is she expecting you? She didn’t say anything about having visitors.”

“Well, we only met recently,” Max fibbed. “We were outside her Dad’s when Shelia mentioned that she was here. We thought that we could hang out with her today. That is, if she’s not busy.”

“Well, if you’re her friends, then I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you. Come on in.”

Eunice took them through the hallway, as she told them, “She and her grandfather in the backyard with her son.”

As they stepped into the back garden, Max and Chrissy noticed Roxy picking up a boy, no older than three months, from her grandfather who was in his wheelchair.

“There we go,” Roxy said, as she held her son, while Shelia pushed the wheelchair, heading back inside when Roxy saw her grandmother with the two girls. She instantly recognised Chrissy, but didn’t know Max. When she noticed the diary in Chrissy’s hand, she started to worry.

“Honey, these sweet girls are here to see you,” her grandmother informed her, before offering Max and Chrissy a drink.

“They’re not staying,” Roxy interjected in a panicking tone.

“Roxy,” Eunice began to sternly say. “There’s no need to be rude.”

Before Roxy could say anything else, Max explained, “We’re not staying long. We just need a moment of your time for five, ten minutes tops.”

Roxy turned to her grandmother, before shifting her attention back to Chrissy and Max. She then huffed, before telling them, “Ten minutes.”

After she had put down her son in his crib, Roxy sat down on the couch, opposite the two girls, when Max asked, “What’s his name?”

“Look, just what you gotta say, and then leave,” Roxy coldly retorted.

There was a brief silence when Max began to calmly speak, “We just wanna ask-“

“Did you do it?” Chrissy abruptly asked, as she lifted up the diary. “Did you write all of this about Eddie Munson and framed my best friend?”

Roxy crossed her arms, as she denied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Chrissy scoffed, “Bullshit.”

“Hey!” Roxy shushed her. “There’s a baby here, so mind your language.”

The girls turned to look at the boy sleeping, before turning to face each other.

Chrissy exhaled, before calmly telling her. “Look, I’ve seen your handwriting in her sister’s yearbook. It had identical spelling mistakes like in this diary. Can you explain that?”

“That doesn’t prove anything.”

Chrissy was about to speak again when Max asked, “Well, what about the sick note?”

Chrissy turned to her with confusion, while Roxy’s eyes widened, as she had let out a nervous laugh before she hesitated, “Sick note? W-What sick note?”

Max pulled out a couple pieces of paper from her pocket, one revealing a scribbled handwriting for an old sick note, and the other revealing an I.O.U from Roxy’s father with similar handwriting.

“This was amongst your stuff which your dad threw out when we went to find you earlier,” Max explained. “Care to explain?”

A worried Roxy avoided eye contact with both girls, as Max said, “Pretty good forgery…shame that some of the words aren’t spelled correctly.”

Chrissy looked at Max with astonishment, as the younger teenager asked, “So, why did you forge her handwriting in the diary?”

“I…I…” Roxy stammered, before breaking down in tears.

Chrissy and Max exchanged glances, before shifting their attention to a distraught Roxy, who was drying her eyes, as she apologised, before blurting out, “I didn’t want to, but she-“

Suddenly, her son started wailing, distressed by his mother’s change in mood.

“It’s okay honey,” Roxy softly said as she picked him up and held him, trying to calm him down when Chrissy asked if it was your sister who made Roxy write in the diary.

Instead of confirming, Roxy told them, “You need to leave.”

“But-“ Chrissy began to speak when Roxy hissed, “Now!”

She then burst into tears, as she begged them, “Please…”

Max stepped back, as she pulled a disappointed Chrissy, telling her, “Come on, Chrissy.”

The girls were about to leave when Chrissy turned around and said tearfully, “I don’t know what kind of hold she has on you, but all I know is that her sister and my best friend is still missing, and you’re both at fault for it. Actions have consequences, remember that.”

Chrissy sniffled, as Max put her arm around her, softly telling her, “Come on.”

As soon as they left, Roxy held her little boy close, as she sat back down on the couch, sobbing, unaware that her grandmother heard everything.

Max and Chrissy stepped out of the bungalow and started walking down the path. “She kinda admitted to writing it,” Max assured.

“But it’s still not enough,” Chrissy sniffled, worried that you might not get any justice.

“Excuse me.”

The girls stopped and turned to find Eunice standing in the doorway. At first, they thought she was going to scold them for upsetting her granddaughter. However, she sweetly smiled, as she asked, “Why don’t you come back inside? There’s something you need to know.”

The girls glanced at her in confusion when Roxy stepped out, as her grandmother held her hand.

After a long investigation with no success, Steve and Nancy headed back to their cars. As Nancy got in her car, she was about to close her door when Steve called out to her, “Nancy?”

She turned her head, as he approached her. She silently looked up at him, as he began to apologise, “Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

Nancy deeply exhaled, before telling him, “It’s okay, Steve-“

“No, no. It’s not okay. I should’ve been more empathetic. I just…I just can’t help but think of the worst.”

Nancy sympathetically gazed at him when Steve pinched his nose as he turned around and headed back to his car.

Nancy called out his name when Steve ignored her, as he got into his car. His first thought was to contact Dustin about the situation. He suddenly remembered that there was a spare supercom which Dustin left previously in the glove compartment. He opened it up to reach for it when he realised that it was gone.

“What? No way…”

He continued to rummage through the compartment when Nancy approached him.

“Listen, Steve. I…”

“It’s gone,” Steve muttered. “She must’ve taken it.”

“What?”

Steve revealed that the spare supercom was missing.

“Are you sure that Dustin didn’t take it?” Nancy asked.

Instead of answering her, Steve started the car and drove off, leaving Nancy to get in her own car and follow him.

A few moments later in the hospital, Dustin and Lucas were walking through the hallway, on their way to see Eddie. They were about to approach the door when Dustin heard his supercom going off in his bag. “Dustin, this is Mike, do you copy? Over.” He heard Mike say, as he quickly rummaged through his rucksack.

“Pick up, you little butthead!” He heard Steve yell.

“Get your hands off it,” Mike scolded Steve.

“Guys, seriously,” Nancy scolded from the other end, as Dustin finally got it out.

“What is it?”

Nancy asked him if he took the spare supercom from Steve’s car.

“No,” Dustin replied. “Why do you ask?”

Steve then told him to try to call it, in case you had it.

“Give me a sec,” Dustin responded, before he changed the frequency, attempting to contact you. “…do you copy? Over.”

However, there was no response. He and Lucas tried again several times, before realising that you might’ve switched it off or the battery had died.

Dustin sighed, as he reverted back to Mike’s frequency, before confirming that you were not responding.

“Well, keep trying,” Steve told him.

Before the two boys could respond, he heard the door swing open. He turned to find Eddie, who was in his own clothes, storming out of his room. They immediately followed him, as Lucas asked, “Eddie? Eddie, what are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” Eddie retorted. “I’m discharging myself.”

The two youngsters turned to each other, before catching up with Eddie.

“Eddie, Eddie wait!” Dustin called out.

“I’ve waited long enough. I’m gonna find her myself.”

Dustin stammered, as Eddie exited the hospital. “You can’t be serious. Wayne will lose his shit if you leave-“

“Yeah like I give a shit,” Eddie retorted, as he grabbed Dustin’s bike, before getting on it.

“Hey! You can’t take my bike,” Dustin scolded.

“I’ll get it back to you,” Eddie replied, as he started pedalling.

“Eddie! Eddie, come back here!”

Ignoring Dustin, Eddie continued to ride down the road, leaving the youngster to curse, “Son of a bitch!”

Lucas immediately took out his supercom, and contacted Mike, “Mike! We’ve got another problem. Eddie’s gone to find her.”

“And he stole my bike!” Dustin retorted before hearing a gruffly voice asked, “Eddie’s gone where?”

The boys turned to find Wayne standing in front of them.

Meanwhile in the bungalow, Max and Chrissy silently sat on the couch opposite Eunice and Roxy, who held her son close. “Tell them the truth, dear,” Eunice softly told Roxy. “Whatever happens next, your grandfather and I will give you support.”

Roxy turned her grandmother, before shifting her attention to the girls. She took deep breaths before revealing that, not only did she forged your handwriting, but your sister had made her do it.

“I didn’t want to,” Roxy sniffled. “But I had no choice. If I didn’t, she would tell my ex boyfriend who Shaun’s real father is.”

Max and Chrissy gazed at a grizzly Shaun, as Roxy tried to calm him down, as well as herself.

Eunice placed her hand on Roxy’s shoulder, encouraging her to tell them more.

Roxy exhaled, before confessing that a year ago, she had a fight with her ex boyfriend after she had found out that he and your sister hooked up while he was still with her.

“I got angry, and I wanted to get back at her,” Roxy revealed . “So, I.. I slept with this guy she was seeing at the time. She caught us, and got pissed off. She told the dean that I’ve been writing papers for some people in campus in exchange for cash, which led me getting expelled.”

She had let out a small chuckle, before confessing, “She got her karma though. Without me helping her, she got caught cheating on an exam, getting herself kicked out of college.”

Max and Chrissy glanced at each other with confusion, before Chrissy asked “Kicked out? I thought she dropped out.”

“Well, that’s what she told her parents. I’m guessing they still don’t know.”

“I don’t get it,” Max spoke. “Why would you still hang around with her after what happened between you two?”

Roxy sighed, before explaining, “If it weren’t for the fact that we share a mutual friend in Diana, I wouldn’t be hanging with her. Sadly, wherever I go with Diana, she would tag along.”

She then revealed that your sister wanted to ruin your friendship with Eddie for revenge. So, she made her forge your handwriting, making out that you were the one who wrote the entries.

“I guess my dyslexia gave it away,” Roxy had let out a small chuckle, before admitting that she was surprised that your sister didn’t catch on sooner. “Mind you, she was always a self absorbed bit-.”

“Roxy,” Eunice interjected.

“Sorry,” Roxy apologised, before Chrissy asked why your sister wanted revenge against you.

Roxy sighed, as she shrugged her shoulders, before telling her, “I don’t know. Probably jealousy as her sister have their parents’ attention. I wish I could tell you more, but-“

Roxy stopped , as she heard the door knock.

The four of them turned to find Shelia standing in the doorway, before she spoke, “Sorry to interrupt, but Ronald wanted to stop the physio session for today. He said that he’s getting tired.”

“Thank you for letting us know,” Eunice replied.

“No problem. I’ll be back later to give him his medication.”

Shelia turned to Max and Chrissy, and asked if they needed a ride back.

“Yeah, thanks. Could you drop us off at Family Video please?” Chrissy asked.

“Sure, I’ll need to get some supplies in town anyway.”

Chrissy thanked her, as they both got up and began to leave when Roxy spoke up. “I really am sorry for all of this. If I knew what the repercussions were going to be, I would’ve told my ex the truth sooner. I take it that Munson’s still in the hospital?”

“Yeah, apparently he’s gonna be discharged soon,” Max replied. “Why?”

“I wanna tell him that it was me who wrote it,” Roxy said, before telling them that she owed you that.

Chrissy gave her a small smile, before thanking her, when suddenly, she and Max heard Nancy’s voice on the supercom, “Guys? Are you there? I’m heading to Roxy’s house, can you let me know where you are?”

Max took out the supercom, before responding, “We’re on the other side of town. Can you meet us at Family Video? We’ll explain everything when we get back. Is Steve still with you?”

“He’s gone to find Eddie.”

Chrissy took the supercom from Max, before asking, “Why? I thought he was recovering.”

Nancy revealed that Eddie might be trying to find you.

At the Wheeler’s house, Mike was on the phone in the basement when Nancy came downstairs. She announced, “I have to meet Max and Chrissy…what are you doing?”

“What does look like?” Mike retorted. “I’m trying to call the Byers. I need to talk to El.”

Nancy sighed, before telling him, “Look Mike, I know you said that El got her powers back, but how can you be sure that she can help you find her? She’s never met her.”

What Nancy and Mike were unaware of was that Eleven was already in the void, listening to them…

“I know, and I’m not gonna force her to find her,” Mike told Nancy, as Eleven slowly approached them. “I just don’t know what else I do.”

While the siblings were debating on whether or not Eleven should find her, she turned to find a framed photo of him with the Hellfire club. It was the same photo that Mike showed her and Will when he came to visit during spring break. He had mentioned everyone in the picture to them including you.

Eleven turned to the siblings, before leaving the void….

In California, Eleven had removed the blindfold from her eyes, and wiped her bloodied nose, letting herself rest for a moment, before she had the image of the Hellfire members in her head, as she tried to remember your face. She was about to put the blindfold back on when she heard a knock, before hearing Will’s voice, “El? Jonathan’s making lunch, do you-?”

Eleven turned to find Will going into her room, as he stopped talking.

“El? El, what are you doing?” He asked as he knelt down beside her.

“I wanted to talk to Mike, but Joyce was on the phone, so I decided to check on him,” Eleven explained, before telling him that he and the others were still looking for you.

“El, you only got your powers back not so long ago. You should take it easy.”

Disobeying Will, Eleven wrapped the blindfold around her face, as she searched for you…

In the void, Eleven was walking towards a couch. As she moved closer, she realised that you were napping.

Eleven knelt down in front of you, as you mumbled in your sleep. “No…no…”

Eleven slowly moved her hand and placed it on your shoulder, causing you to jolt, as pieces of visions came to Eleven…

Broken down car…water…lake house…

The images repeated before they vanished, as you quickly moved away…

“El? Eleven?!”

Eleven left the void, as she heard someone call for her. As soon as she took off the blindfold, she turned to Will, who had brought Hopper to see her.

“El?” Hopper began to ask. “Why are-?”

“I think I know where she might be,” Eleven interrupted.

Before Hopper and Will could say anything, Eleven ran out of her room, heading to the dining room where Joyce was sitting, making calls.

As soon as Joyce hung up and placed the cordless phone on the table, she heard quick footsteps, causing her to turn her head when Eleven ran up to her and grabbed the phone.

“El…?” Joyce began to speak, as Will and Hopper caught up Eleven.

“What’s going on?” Jonathan asked.

As soon as Eleven finished dialling the Wheeler’s number, she waited for an answer, as Will explained what Eleven had seen.

“Wheeler’s residence,” Mike answered.

“Mike?” Eleven spoke.

“El! I tried calling-“

“Your missing friend… I think I know where she might be.”

Meanwhile in Hawkins, Eddie had finally reached your house. As soon as he got off the bike, he ran up to the door, about to knock on it when he heard a honk. He turned to find Steve’s car pulling up to the driveway.

“Hey!” Steve called out, before getting out of his car. He marched towards Eddie, as he told him, “Are you nuts? You should be resting.”

“Spare me the lecture, Harrington,” Eddie retorted.

“If you think that she’ll be back here, you’re wrong. Or are you here to see your stuck up girlfriend?”

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Eddie growled, which confused Steve. He was about to explain why he was outside your house when the front door swung open, as they heard a female voice shriek, “For fuck’s sake! I’m trying to get ready for a party-oh…”

The boys turned to find your sister standing in the doorway, in her dressing gown with a mud mask on her face. She quickly pulled a fake smile, before greeting Eddie with a baby voice, “Hey baby!”

Eddie felt his skin crawl, as he heard her speak. Jesus Christ, was her voice always annoying? He thought to himself.

She quickly grasped her gown, covering her chest, as she giggled, “I didn’t know that you were gonna be discharged today. I was just getting ready to come and see you.”

“Was that before or after the party?” Eddie coldly asked, before barging through the door, almost knocking your sister out of the way. She gasped, as she watched Eddie run up the stairs when Steve slid past her, as he apologised, following Eddie, who was searching your room.

“Eddie, what are you doing?” Steve asked, as he watched Eddie going through your drawers and closet, while your sister yelled from downstairs for barging into the house.

“What does it look like?” Eddie retorted. “I’m looking something, anything that might lead us to her.”

Steve sighed, before telling him, “Look, Eddie man. I don’t know how to say this, but…we, Nancy and I think that-“

“DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?!” Your sister shrieked, as she stomped up the stairs, and barged into your room. “YOU CAN’T JUST STORM IN HERE-“

“Recognise this?!” Eddie interrupted, as he pulled out your diary, which made your sister’s eyes widen, and Steve confused.

Your sister scoffed, before speaking, “What are you-?”

“It’s your little sister’s diary. Her actual diary, and not that fake bullshit one you showed me.”

Your sister had let out a nervous giggle, before asking, as she pointed to the diary, “How can you be sure that’s even hers? Are you sure that it doesn’t belong to that Cunningham girl?”

Eddie smirked, as he pulled out your letter, before telling her, “This was left in the diary, which she left for me in my room.”

“Wait,” Steve interjected. “She was there?”

Eddie handed him the letter, which Steve immediately read, feeling heartbroken reading about how no one was on your side, before your sister snatched it from his hands.

“Hey!” Steve exclaimed, as Eddie continued to search through your room when your sister snickered, before mockingly reading aloud, “I cannot stay somewhere where I’m not welcome nor can I be somewhere where no one’s on my side…”

She then started fake crying for a few seconds, before letting out a laugh, which made both boys angry. “God, she’s so dramatic,” she commented.

Eddie growled, as he turned around and marched towards her, before getting stopped by Steve, “Eddie, cool it,” he told him.

“It’s her fault that her own sister’s missing!” Eddie retorted.

“Well, you’re no saint either,” your sister replied. “You’re the one who jumped into conclusions.”

“Shut up.”

“ You’re the one who decided to jump into bed with me-“

“I said shut up!” Eddie moved closer to your sister, as his eyes darkened.

“Eddie, enough!” Steve pulled him back, before telling him, “I know you’re angry, but this…” He gestured between your sister and Eddie, as he continued. “This won’t help us bring her home.”

“How do you know that she’s not home?” Your sister snidely asked. “For all I know she might be hiding in the basement, or even in the Cunningham’s basement, like the rat that she is-“

Eddie was about to scold her when an angry Steve growled, as he turned and pointed at her. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that!”

“Aww…touched a nerve, Stevie?” Your sister asked mockingly. “Didn’t realise that you liked her in that way.”

Eddie faced Steve in confusion, wondering if he also had feelings for you.

“She’s family to me,” Steve dismissed her claim. “And I’m sure she feels that way about me too. At least I’ve treated her better than you do.”

“Oh my heart bleeds,” your sister sarcastically said.

The two of them continued to argue, leaving Eddie to search for clues, as he placed the diary on the desk when he noticed some of items on it. A Corroded Coffin tape, a few Polaroids of him, Steve and Chrissy. He then scanned the desk to find a pair of goggles. He picked it up and realised that they belonged to Reefer Rick. As he gazed at it, he remembered when you went with him to see Rick…

Eddie sat on the couch, as he waited for Rick to come back with his supplies.

He got up and turned to the window, looking through it as he watched you dove into the lake, wearing the goggles Rick lent you, so you could swim while Eddie was doing his deal.

He didn’t want to drag you into his deals, but you insisted on going, making sure that he attended the tutoring session afterwards.

“Here we are,” he heard Rick say, as he heard footsteps approaching. He turned to find Rick placing the bag on top of the table.

“Good old Mary Jane,” Rick commented, as he opened it.

As Eddie handed him the money, Rick said, “Pleasure doing business with you, junior.”

Eddie thanked him, as he picked up the supplies, and the spare towel from Rick, before heading outside, as he called out to you, letting you know that he was ready to go.

You swam towards the lake house and jumped out of the lake, approaching him.

You lifted up the goggles to the top of your head, as Eddie handed you the towel to dry yourself off.

“Thanks,” you said as you wrapped the towel around you, when Rick approached you both, asking how your swim was.

“Definitely refreshing,” you chuckled, before you thanked him for lending you his goggles. You were about to hand them back to him when he insisted, “Keep them.”

You thanked him again, when he said, “You know, I keep a spare key in the plant pot outside if you and Eddie wanted to come over anytime for a swim or something.”

Eddie was about to decline, not wanting you to get involved when you spoke up, happily accepting Rick’s offer.

“How could you say that about your own sister?!” Steve yelled.

Your sister continued to bitch about you, while Eddie’s eyes widened as he realised where you might be. He grabbed your diary and swiftly turned and ran out of your bedroom, leaving your sister and Steve confused.

“Eddie?” Steve called out, as he followed him down the stairs. “Eddie, where are you going?”

“I know where she is,” Eddie replied, as ran out of the house and towards Steve’s car, opening it when a confused Steve stopped, as he asked, “How did you-?”

Steve stopped, as he rummaged through his pockets, realising that Eddie had stolen his key.

“Not again!” He growled, as he ran towards his car, and got in front of it, telling him to get out of the car.

“No! I need to find her!” Eddie bellowed.

“Jesus Christ Eddie , just switch seats, and let me drive!” Steve elaborated.

Eddie reluctantly got out of driver’s seat and got in the passenger side, letting Steve drive when he saw Wayne’s truck driving nearby, before parking.

“Oh shit,” Eddie exclaimed, fearing his uncle’s wrath when Lucas and Dustin came out of the passenger side. Dustin started marching towards him, as he pointed at him. “You idiot! Are you nuts?!”

Eddie tried to answer, but Dustin continued to give the third degree for leaving the hospital prematurely, as he grabbed his bike, with Wayne and Lucas following him.

“Going off like that! You could’ve passed out-“

“Easy, son,” Wayne interrupted, trying to calm the youngster.

He then turned to his nephew, as he lectured him, “He has a point though, Eddie. What were you thinking? Your recovery could be delayed-“

“Hey!”

They turned to find your sister standing in her dressing gown with most of the mud mask removed, as she asked Eddie, “Are you seriously going after her?”

“Yeah, I am,” Eddie retorted. “Like I should’ve done ages ago.”

As he got in the car, she marched towards him, threatening him, “If you go after her, I’ll make your life a living hell.”

Eddie glared, as he retorted, ”You already did, when you ruined my relationship with her.”

Her mouth gaped, as he continued to speak, “Oh, and the way…”

He then pointed at his cheek with his middle finger as he told her, “You still got some right there.”

As she rubbed off the remaining mud, Eddie then flipped her off, which made her gasp.

“See you in hell, succubus!” Eddie cackled while Steve started the car and drove off, leaving your sister seething.

“You’ll be sorry!” She yelled, as she threw her hands up. “No one breaks up with me and gets away with-“

She then cried in pain, as Dustin pushed his bike, running the wheels over her feet, making them dirty.

“Oops,” Dustin sarcastically said as Lucas stifled his laughter. Dustin continued to push his bike, before telling her, “I guess we won’t be seeing you at Hellfire again.”

Your sister growled, as she stomped towards him, about to hit him as Lucas warned Dustin to look out when Wayne grabbed her hand, stopping her.

“Young lady, if you lay a hand on either boys or harm my nephew, you will be in big trouble with not only me,” Wayne sternly told her, whilst pointing to Dustin as he continued, “But with their mothers.”

“Yeah! My mom might look like a sweet lady,” Dustin retorted. “But she would kill you if you even tried to hit me!”

Wayne immediately let go of her hand, and marched towards his truck. Dustin was about to get on his bike when Wayne told him to put it in the back of his truck, so they can both follow Eddie and Steve.

After putting the bike in the back, Wayne, Lucas and Dustin drove off, leaving your sister screaming.

As Wayne drove, he and the boys heard Mike via the supercom, “Lucas, it’s Mike. El called.”

He then mentioned you might be at a lake house.

“Lake house?” Dustin asked.

A few moments later, the older boys drove up to the lake house, before Steve parked the car, with an impatient Eddie immediately getting out of the car.

He then squatted down and lifted the flower pot to check if the key was there, only to find that it was missing.

“Eddie, you do realise that Reefer Rick was incarcerated not so long ago,” Steve spoke. “And the cops might’ve seized everything including any spare keys-“

“Or she might have used it, and is inside,” Eddie retorted as he stood up, before peeking through the window to see any signs that you were in the lake house.

He was sure that you were inside, as he could faintly hear music playing in the background, specifically the Human Racing album by Nik Kershaw.

He continued to peek through, not noticing that Wayne, Lucas and Dustin had caught up with them.

“Is she there?” Dustin asked.

Steve was about to respond when Eddie heard a smash, prompting him to run around the back, with the three of them following him.

When they got to the back, they could see that you were just standing still, not reacting or even picking up the broken cup.

Steve wondered what was going on when Eddie, who realised what was wrong, cursed, “Shit.”

He grabbed the handle to open the back door, only to find that the door was locked.

“No no no, not again,” he mumbled, leaving his uncle, Dustin, Lucas and Steve confused, unaware of the horror that was approaching.

Next

[missmarveledsblog]

THE BABYSITTING TRAP PART 1 ( STEVE HARRINGTON X READER)

summary : when always being the babysitter has it's perks for once.   except their friends had plans for the two 

warnings: steve is a simp for reader , mutual pinning , scared steve

Friday night madness at family videowas definitely the least favourite activity steve harrington would count on his list . another would be stuck with the kids , he always found himself as the babysitter .saturdayhe was volunteered to looked after the lot since eddie and robinwere going to some concert he had no interest in ,nancy and jonathan had datenight ,evenhopper had a date night with joyce . " come on " he could hear dustin whiny tone before he even seen him pulling her into the store . Y/N Hopper and dustin's older cousin who mysteriously showed up the summer will byers went missing and arrived. though steve knew the real truth she was in the lab along with el . what was more surprising to find out chief jim hopper had one night stand with a henderson. another surprise was how beautiful she was and was no secret to the group of steve crush on the girl ...well except to her. " i'd say sailor costume was way better than this "she smiled up at boy . " you say that every time you come in here " he rolled his eyes . " its true though , please tell me you held that video or i'm leaving that kid in the car park " she pouted absolutely melting him from the inside. " what do i get in return " he asked feeling a little confidence. " i'll help you with the kids tomorrow night since eddie and robin are ditching us " she batted her lashes. " ok ok deal here you are " he smiled handing over the tape as she handed him the money . " Y/N fancy seeing you here sweetness " keith emerged even making steve jump. " hey ken sup " she smiled back hiding the cringe . " it's keith anyways what you say me and you drive in tomorrow i'll bring the mints" he wiggled his brows . " as appealing as that sounds me and steve are babysitting tomorrow night and any other night you happen to be free " she grimaced. " ook your loss babe " he scampered off with whatever was left of his ego . " your loss babe " she mimicked making steve laughed. " poor guy couldn't give him one date no " steve joked . " waiting on better offer " she winked going to pick out candy while dustin appeared . " ask her out seriously how many hints can a chick give you " he rolled his eyes . " wait what " . " you heard me,  here for the candy " he smiled dropping less then enough on the counter as he yelled to y/n he paid and to go . " wait no , ah shit " steve huffed putting it in the til watching them leave she gave him one last wave through the window then she was gone .

never in all his years of being the one left with the kids was he this nervous not even when faced with monsters or end of the worldsituations . And yet here he was wondering if he's clothes and hair looked good . He even had eddie and Robin sitting on his bed giving him advice . " you need to make a move dingus " she huffed bored and well blunt and to the point was her only advice . " yeah me and Robin didn't make up fake plans for you to screw this up harrington " eddie copied dramatically . " wait you both aren't going to some concert " he turned to the two . " nice going , no ok we're sick of the puppy dog shit , we thought it would happen during the whole vecna situation but nope so we are going to the movies with his bandmates and Vicki tonight so don't screw it up " she glared at the metal head before explaining. " what if your wrong and I make a fool of myself yet again " he sighed. " you think Henderson would help us if we were wrong " eddie asked honestly . " yes I would " steve deadpanned. " we're not wrong ok , now be yourself and get the girl and keep her this time " Robin pushed him out the door . " or one of us will take her instead I mean she's hot " eddie yelled after . " wanna raid his pantry " he turned to Robin.

Pulling up to dustin Hendersons was never as nerve wrecking . He had an argument with himself on whether to get flowers or not decided not to giving incase they were wrong , he felt they were wrong , he just hope this time it was him who was wrong . The first red flag was the quietness , he didn't hear the incessant chattering or dustin arguing with at least one or two of them . He was starting to doubt if he had the right day or not or if it was a prank just on him. Knocking on the door she answered wearing long t-shirt and shorts looking not long up after a nap . " shit didn't dustbin tell you they're spending day at the wheelers our services aren't needed today after all" she yawned stretching up leaving door wide open for him to come in . " no I guess he forgot .. I woke you up want me to go , I can come back when kids are back " he began to ramble. " or since all our friends abandoned us you can drop me home and we could hang out " she turned and smiled . " like your trailer just us " he asked almost shocked and little pitchy for his liking. " I mean only if you want to " she smiled brightly up at him earning a quick and fast yes . " let me grab my shoes " she beamed rushing to put them on along with grabbing her bag before walking out the door . " you not going ..ok this drive is gonna kill me " he mumbled eyes darting to wear her shorts hugged the globes of her ass perfectly . " what a good way to go " . " huh " she spun around head tilting in confusion . " its good we still get to hang out " he coughed trying to keep his voice steady . " yeah we haven't done that in a long ass time huh " she mused while he was lost looking at how her brows furrowed and her plump lips pursed . "Oh we can watch that movie I got last night " she giggled excitedly. " didn't you and dustin watch it " . " no he fell asleep before it started " she rolled her eyes. " well then we can watch it and rub it in his face " steve chuckled. " I love it " she clapped before jumping into his car .

It was hard to keep his mind off the fact he was sitting beside the woman of his dreams , going to her place alone being so close to her for whole afternoon . It filled him with both nerves and excitement. Even now it was hard to keep his eyes on the road while she was sitting beside him , slight bed head from her nap , the shirt ... wait was that his shirt. " is that my shirt " he asked confused. " dustin gave it to me" she looked at him confused. " I left it there after guys night sleep over " he chuckled hiding the fact he was screaming inside she was wearing his clothes . " well it's my shirt now, so soft and comfy " she sighed happily sending a shiver down his spine , she was gonna be death of him . Just hearing that come out her mouth made him short circuit . " ok looks better on you anyways " he smiled dreamingly at her . " you think" she looked down before seeing them pulling into the trailer park both waving to Wayne as they passed by . Pulling up outside her trailer or bain of hoppers existence he called it . Just as she got out the car she heard it . " who knew you be hotter in my clothes  " steve muttered thinking she couldn't hear him but she heard it as clear as she could hear the birds in the sky or the kids running around. Maybe the evening would be better than she thought.

Part two *

[gasolinerainbowpuddles]

𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚖 · · · · 𝙸. 𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝 ║ ⓒⓗⓐⓟⓣⓔⓡⓔⓓ

𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚖 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 || 𝚗 𝚊 𝚟 𝚒 𝚐 𝚊 𝚝 𝚒 𝚘 𝚗 || 𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 | PAIRING(s): Joel Miller x fem!OC/reader

| RATING: explicit material | 18+ | CHAPTER CONTENT: POV switching, toxic family dynamics, allusions to and depictions of mental/emotional/financial abuse, high functioning alcoholism | WORD COUNT: 3.3k

| CHAPTER SUMMARY: When your friend shares some exciting news, you fear this is yet again someone in your life who will move on and leave you behind. Joel reflects on how far he's come in life after running into an old family friend.

“Here’s a nice tip for you, sweetie,” Mrs. Baker chirped with a bright smile. You watched her wrinkly, dry finger scoot a shiny half dollar across the counter towards you. You fixed your expression into a million kilowatt smile of gratitude. “Oh, that’s so kind of you, Mrs. Baker, but we can’t accept tips.” You’d told her this every week for the past several months – every time she came into the grocery store where you worked.

“I won’t tell if you don’t,” she giggled with a conspiratorial wink. You felt rather certain of that, if your growing suspicions about the state of her memory and mental clarity was anything to go off of. The fact that she was still making these weekly trips by herself was enough to make you uneasy, and the fact that she was the one driving herself here presented an entirely new level of concern.

It was one of the few reasons you’d managed to compile when you were looking for ways to cheer yourself up over having nothing but your old cruiser bike for transportation. You were nowhere near what you needed in savings to even begin thinking about affording a car and all the expenses that came with it. All the progress you’d made previously had been wrenched from you when your dad had found the jar hidden in your closet. It had made him feel vindicated in his “random searches” he liked to conduct on everyone’s rooms. It gave him some sense of justification whenever something cropped up, no matter how rare it was.

But, hey, at least your door hadn’t been beat off its hinges like Calum’s had. And, hey, maybe by the time you can finally afford a car, insurance, gas money, license and registration fees ….. well, maybe you won’t have to worry about encountering Mrs. Baker on the road. You feel a little guilty the moment you think it and feel even more guilty as you shrug and take the half dollar from her. “Thanks, Mrs. Baker,” you say quietly.

You tuck the coin into your jean pocket that doesn’t have the hole at the bottom and finish loading her groceries into her cart. You laugh to yourself when she just starts walking off - you assume the direction of her car. You hope she can remember where she parked it. Your coworkers and boss Jeremy were never as patient with old, confused ladies offering you insulting bits of change in exchange for bagging up all their groceries just the way they like, loading them up into the cart, following them to their car, and offloading everything into their trunk. You always pointed out that it didn’t really take that much time away from your duties and probably made a big difference for someone like Mrs. Baker to have that sort of help. Jeremy would always roll his eyes and mutter something about “not my circus, not my monkeys.” You were just glad Mrs. Baker always came when it wasn’t very busy. 

The 17 minute bike ride to and from work was shaved down to a clean 14 with a bit of encouragement from the gloomy clouds rolling in behind you. It’d been a wetter than usual summer according to the weatherman, and it was expected to continue into the fall and maybe even winter. Combined with the fast approaching daylight savings, you’d be in for a wetter, darker commute. Bad news for someone who relied on a bike for transport, but you tried not to dwell on it. You’d just have to divert some of your secret savings and buy a heavier coat, one close to the color of the lightweight one you already had so hopefully your dad wouldn’t notice a new purchase and demand an explanation.

“Dad, I’m home!” you call out. No answer, but that was typical. After all, it wasn’t him who was required to announce every movement in the house. You walked into the kitchen to find him hunched over the table with the paper. You carefully place the six pack on the middle of the counter, casual and unassuming as though it hadn’t become a learned habit after too many times of you having to deal with him running out. His eyes drift up from his work and land on the offering.

“What’s that?” he asks as if he doesn’t already know. You aren’t sure what the trap is or what you’ve done wrong, but you also know there’s no other option than to find out what grievance you’ve committed.

“Just saw it on my way after clocking out,” you lie. You had to double back across the store to pick it out. “Couldn’t remember if there was still some in the garage or not,” you lie again. There was plenty in the garage, but “plenty” in your terms and “plenty” in your father’s terms didn’t always align. Better to play it safe than have to bike in the rain to replenish his stock.

He leans back in his chair now, having decided what exactly he’s going to take issue with. Because it’s always something. “You got a real talent for just throwin’ money away,” he sneers.

You steady yourself as you wash your hands at the sink. Slow movements. Nothing challenging in your response. He loved to lob these decentering comments at you, a sort of puzzle you weren’t really intended to be able to solve. The takeaway was always meant to be that “the obvious” was right there and shouldn’t have to be spelled out for you, but you were just too dense to figure it out. His statement was vague enough that it could be taken multiple ways, all of which inevitably pointed to some failure on your part. At least you always knew that was going to be factored into the answer somewhere.

Was he saying you weren’t good with money because you’d bought more beer when there was already some in the garage? Was he saying that spending money on full priced beer was like throwing your money away? Was he saying that spending money on something frivolous like alcohol was a waste in and of itself in the grand scheme of things? You decide to go with your first interpretation. It felt safest.

“I guess there’s some out there then? I couldn’t remember, sorry.” Accepting some of the imminent blame was sometimes enough to soften the edges of whatever was going to be launched at you. Sometimes it backfired and just added to the fire: you can already see how you deserve this censure, so at least you understand your shortcomings are why this conversation is having to happen in the first place.

“Ever heard of buying in bulk?” he huffs. As if he didn’t stock up every other week at the wholesale store regardless of if it was on sale or not. “Price per unit?”

“Oh, yeah,” you respond in feigned recognition of your so-called error. “Sorry, dad. I guess the 24 pack is just sort of hard to balance on the bike. I’m always nervous it’s going to fall off the handlebars when I get the bigger sizes.”

As if your difficulties getting to and from work were of any concern to him.

“So you acknowledge that you were paying the unspoken price of convenience,” he drawls. Ah, of course. The two birds one stone approach of insulting your efforts and inflating his authority as economic manager. The idea that you would pay a few more cents per unit to make things easier on yourself, to not have to worry about dropping and busting all the cans of beer because you couldn’t balance them. “At least you can admit it.”

He drifts forward again to his work, numbers and charts and graphs that you don’t understand and wouldn’t be explained to you even if you asked. The reprimand had been the short, simple kind. You quietly walk from the kitchen, place the beers in the garage fridge, and head down the hallway to your room. You lighten the load of your backpack and work shoes. The rain pelts gently against the window and is a full on staccato against the pane by the time you get out of your uniform and into your sweats. Getting ahead of the situation – making the call to get more beer without being asked or ordered to do so – had been worth it. You sigh and stare out the window. Thank goodness it was going to be a day where you’d played your cards well enough to come out mostly unscathed. Thank goodness today had been worth it.

The only upside to sweltering August days in the middle of Texas was that contracting jobs slowed a little bit. Sure, interior renovations were still in full swing, but it gave that tiniest bit of reprieve for all the decking, roofing, and sweat-dripping-off-your-balls-it-was-so-hot sort of work that he only ever scheduled for in the “cooler months.” It was the closest thing to downtime he had all year round, even though it was mostly spent on office housekeeping. Catching up on clients and completed jobs. Fostering those relationships so they’d sign Miller Contracting on for another project. Building enough good will and enough happy clients that word of mouth could not only sustain business but had helped it grow steadily over the past decade.

Joel hadn’t ever been much into religion except for Easter Sunday growing up when his mom would give him and Tommy so much chocolate they had barfed it all over the backyard more than once. Yet, he couldn’t help but think about how blessed he felt. He and his kid brother were doing well for themselves. He just wished his parents were around to see it. It would make him happy to show them all their love and hard work had eventually paid off. All those tumultuous teenage years of Tommy getting into all sorts of trouble and Joel winding up a young father without much of a plan on how to support his sudden family. They’d only been witness to the very beginning of their comeback kid storylines, and he’d kill for 5 minutes to show them he’d managed to make something of himself and made sure Tommy was okay, too.

The icy wall of air conditioning smacked Joel right in the face the moment the grocery store doors opened. As nice as it felt to be out of the heat, the jarring change of temperature was something he’d never gotten used to in all his years in the South. He made his way to the convenience section and nabbed a lemonade. He plucked another from the spring-loaded tray just before heading towards the checkout. He wasn’t sure what Jordan liked to drink since he never seemed to have anything except water to offer anybody. At least this way it wouldn’t be so obvious if Joel showed up with a lemonade for both of them.

The wall of heat smacks him in the face this time, along with the blaring sun. He squints and holds a hand to the sky to block some of the blinding rays. He hears the rattle of a cart coming his way and glances over. There’s that cute neighborhood girl he’d see every now and again if he was lucky. He doesn’t remember much about you from when he first moved in – other than that whole strange thing with your mom. He tries to remember your dad’s face in his mind’s eye. Something sort of stony and serious conjures into view. He wonders if he’s just imagining it wrong because your face is never like that. He must be thinking of someone else.

Regardless, he couldn’t remember any of your names. He used to be better at stuff like that. When you smiled at him, he returned it with one of his own and headed towards his car. Yeah, definitely couldn’t have been imagining your dad’s face correctly. No way the snobby frown of a man that came into his head was possibly related to you with your shy but deliberate smile. How on earth someone so insanely gorgeous could only find work at a grocery store was beyond Joel. He wonders if you were even aware of how much money you could probably rake in as a bartender around these parts.

“Is that Joel Miller?” a frail voice calls out.

Joel looks over to see none other than Mrs. Baker. “Well howdy there, Mrs. Baker,” he calls back. He walks over to her four door and wonders how on earth she’s still a licensed driver. She’d been friendly in the church with his mom especially, and even as a kid he was never too impressed with her driving skills. He dreads to think what they are now, multiple decades later.

“How are you, sweet boy?” she asks, all warm and bubbly. He grins back and shrugs.

“Just keepin’ busy. You know how it goes, Mrs. Baker.”

“Well that’s better than the alternative, I guess. Gotta pay the bills somehow.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Joel chuckles. He glances over to your retreating back as you push the noisy cart back into the store. “You got these folks so wrapped around your finger they deliver your groceries straight to your car, huh? You always were a charmer.”

Mrs. Baker joins him in a light giggle and taps his forearm. “Now now, Joel, I think we both know who the real charmer is between the two of us.”

“Hey, gotta pay the bills somehow,” he laughs in an echo of her words. Her smile widens at his teasing banter. “And, uh, your kitchen still workin’ good for ya?”

She nods and squeezes his hand. “Oh yes, it’s just as lovely as the day you finished it. You boys always do such good work.”

“Thank you, ma’am. M’glad to hear it.”

He edges around to open the door for her, partly to play his role as Southern Gentleman but mostly to get out of this conversation quicker so he wouldn’t be late for his next appointment with Jordan. She thanks him for his gesture and gives a little wave and brief goodbye as he heads to his work truck. If he made all the lights, he wouldn’t be late. 

“But there’s something else, and, I’ll be honest, it’s sort of a big deal.” Kenzie was practically vibrating in place. Her high energy was the fun, infectious kind more often than the grating, off-putting kind. You weren’t sure how she maintained such enthusiasm when all she ever seemed to have was good things to share. Wouldn’t you get tired being so happy and excited constantly? It sounded exhausting in a different sort of way, but maybe it was a good thing.

She had a perpetually sunny outlook thanks to her perpetually privileged life, but you didn’t want to rain on her parade by saying things like that. After all, who were you to take away from someone else’s joy? Not to mention she was probably the only actual friend you had these days after all your high school friends had gone off to college or took up actual jobs and move out and got roommates or got married.

Kenzie was just busy and self-centered enough to not really pry too much into your life. It was a dynamic that worked for both of you: her with a constant audience for all her triumphs and growing life experiences, and you with the comfort of never having to say much about yourself or your home life.

“Well are you gonna tell me or are you gonna make me guess?” you tease.

“Uh, definitely not gonna make you guess because you seriously aren’t even gonna believe this,” she whisper squeals.

You have no doubt whatever wonderful thing she’s about to share is very much believable. Good things happened to people like Kenzie. It was never much of a shock when another ray of sunshine came bursting through the clouds of her life. You only wish that some of that “luck” could rub off on our own life. You raise an expectant eyebrow when she doesn’t say anything.

“Okay, so–” she peeks over her shoulders from where you’re both knelt on the ground stocking canned goods “–I’m applying for this paid internship thing my professor recommended me for.”

Your brow scrunches. You thought paid internships were something that existed in the old days when you could still smoke on airplanes and down a vodka martini 5 months pregnant without anyone batting an eye.

“I know, I know, internships are sometimes blegh, but it’s like a legit office and nice company and everything” she explains, wholly misunderstanding your expression. “It’s not like those old offices off the Milton exit.”

You don’t even know what she’s talking about, but you take her word for it. “Oh okay, cool.”

“Yeah, so I’m basically, like, a shoe in for the job since my professor wrote my recommendation. It’s not a full-time thing yet since I still have another two semesters, but over winter break I should have some opportunities to have something more like a real job.” She cringes at her choice of wording. “Sorry, not that the grocery store isn’t a real–”

“–I know what you meant,” you interrupt. “Keep going.”

She shoots you a grateful smile and launches back into her tittering announcement. “So anyway, yeah, if this all goes alright then I basically already have a full-time job set up once I graduate. Can you believe that?”

Yes, you can believe that. “That’s so crazy!” You shake your head and give her a big grin. “I’m sure that has to feel amazing, Kenzie. That’s so awesome, seriously.”

She was a few months out from graduating with her degree in marketing. Or was it communications? You can never seem to remember, and you’re too far into the friendship to keep asking clarifying questions like that. Anyway, it didn’t matter much which one it was since she had pretty much already landed herself a “big girl job” with matching “big girl pay.” The ever present and nagging voice in your head reminds you that she is younger than you and already so much more successful than you’ll probably ever be.

“Hey, y’all both don’t need to be in canned goods. One of you go see what Erin needs help with, huh?” Jeremy scolds from the end of the aisle.

Kenzie rolls her eyes at you with her back to Jeremy. “Alright. You got it, Jeremy,” she replies in a chipper voice. He stomps off as she promises to text you later with the rest of the details. You give her a quick side hug from the ground and tell her again how great the news is.

You stew in it for the rest of your shift. It turns and spoils in your mind no matter how much you tell yourself you should be happy for her and not so focused on yourself all the time. By the time you make it home, it was impossible to ignore the reminders that this was yet another person in your life that you were bound to grieve once they moved on from their station in life and did better for themselves than what they had here. First your mom. Then your brother. Now one of the few people who you’d managed to befriend since graduating high school.

You were left behind. Again.

You were never going to make anything of yourself like everyone else seemed to do.

You were going to be stuck in this place for the rest of your life.

You do your best to control the hectic breaths that start squeezing your chest, but you’re well into a full blown panic attack before you can even pinpoint when it started.

This was going to be the rest of your life, and there was nothing you could do about it.