#like why is he certified in clapping back

[hawkeyeslaughter]

if there was one thing henry blake could do it was eat people UP with those one liners if he was annoyed enough

[fgumi]

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ LOSER IN A HOT MAN'S BODY

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 { PAIRING; non-idol!heeseung x reader, GENRE; fluff, school!au, headcanon, WC; 2.8k, A/N; i love losers that love that girlfriends entirely too much but, at the same time, not enough. TAGS; @en-dream @heeheesang @httpenhoon @r1kification @seungheartyou, @starfallia @sugarikiz @hoondolls @bamguetismee @jnysaln @cixrosie @wensurr @heartheejake @m1kkso }

(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ part two is up!

loser!heeseung was never the first one to get chosen for anything. well, he did get chosen first for musicals and solos! he had a beautiful voice and there was no denying that. but, for anything else? nope. it wasn't until you transferred over to his high school that he got picked willingly (and not because you guys were the only two left). you approached him in gym class after your teacher said to partner up for conditioning. "hey! i'm y/n. do you think we could be partners today?"

heeseung just blinked at you and then turned to see if someone was behind him. when he verified you were talking to him, he turned back to see you with a bemused look, a slight crease forming right between your brows. "you are talking to me, right?" he asked nervously.

a wry smile formed on your lips as you nodded. "there’s no one else around."

heeseung couldn't believe it. someone who wasn't a part of the theatre department was talking to him! so, he agreed with only a moment's hesitation. by the time sit-ups came around, heeseung knew about your basic interests and one secret: you were big on anime. you explained to him, during his sad attempts at pushups, that you loved anime but remained closeted because the boys at your last school made it weird. heeseung was careful not to let his excitement show; he didn't wanna scare you off before he really got to know you. eventually, after all the hellish exercises your teacher put you through, heeseung shyly asked you why you wanted to be partners.

"you looked like the type that doesn't judge people for struggling," you replied after drinking your water. you wiped the droplets of water that trickled down your neck and then offered heeseung some. "i don't have cooties. promise."

he gave you a faint, unsure smile, his hand reaching out slowly, half expecting you to pull it back and say psych! but you didn’t. you just patiently waited for him to take it. honestly, he just looked like a spooked deer to you, and you couldn’t help but find it endearing. after class was over and it was time for lunch, heeseung deflated. it was nice talking to you while it lasted.

“heeseung! wait up!”

he turned to you with round eyes, watching you rush over, a backpack draped over your right shoulder. you were freshly showered, water still dripping off the ends of your hair. you looked... happy? you slowed to a stop right in front of him.

“do you mind if we eat together?”

you wanted to eat with him? a cool girl like you wants to eat with a certified loser like him?

“it’s okay if you already have plans! i think i can find somewhere else to sit.”

no! you jumped a little. heeseung retracted into himself, rubbing the back of his neck. he’s never had someone ask to eat with him. he just sort of sat with his theatre classmates—not even friends. they all thought he was weird. you gave him a puzzled look.

“are you sure? you don’t have to pity me just because i’m new,” you pouted. gosh, was it just him or did everyone find you adorable?

“i’m sure. i was just hesitant since i’m not known for being, you know, popular.”

rolling your eyes, you clapped a hand on his shoulder. “as if that actually matters.” you tugged him along, linking your arm with his. thank goodness you were busy looking for the cafeteria because heeseung was struggling to keep the blush off of his face. as much as heeseung didn’t want to get his hopes up, he hoped that you guys would become real friends.

loser!heeseung loved his hobbies. he could talk about them for hours; they were his passion. he loved playing maple story, league of legends, team fight tactics, going to the renaissance fair, studying the metrics of trot (this one was a little too niche to really talk about though). none of these passions were greater than his passion for you. this man was dedicated to learning everything there was to know about you now that you were friends. you teased him about how stalkerish he sounded. almost immediately, he apologized.

the way his shoulders shrunk and eyes drooped down, you were definitely the asshole. when he stopped talking, you panicked. so, you didn’t think. you kissed his cheek. you blinked. he blinked. you blinked at each other. you know that ouran high school host club scene where tamaki realized haruhi is a girl and she complimented him? you’d bet your whole house that’s how red you were because you could feel the heat radiating off your face.

heeseung’s mind was still white noise. any sounds that were supposed to reach his ears were muffled, like he was underwater. was he underwater? was he dragged down into the depths of the styx river only to be lost forever? was he dreaming to cope with the harsh reality of his death? was he—

“heeseung?” you meekly called. “i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have done that without your consent. that was—”

he must’ve called upon achilles’s guidance and invincibility because he didn’t know where he got this courage otherwise. what courage you may ask? well, the courage that planted heeseung’s lips on yours.

your lips were so soft. they tasted like strawberries. he wondered if strawberries were your favorite fruit. he could kiss you forever. oh crap, he was kissing you.

anxiety crept up his spine, invading his every nerve; it was telling him he had to pull away or else you’d leave him forever. except, when he started moving away, he noticed you followed, reluctant to end the kiss. your eyes were closed too. he could’ve sworn they were open from shock.

heeseung could feel his back creaking in protest at the odd angle; he would’ve fallen over if it weren’t for you clutching the front of his shirt. huh? oh! maybe, you liked the kiss! you liked the kiss, like he did! oh, but now he couldn’t breathe. what should he do? he didn’t want the kiss to end.

he pressed back, holding out until the last possible moment. but you pulled away first, gasping for air. a blush dusted your cheeks and heeseung could guess that he was red too—probably not as pretty of a shade as yours though.

“s-sorry,” he stammered as you caught your breath. “i don’t know why i—”

you shut him up with another kiss (but this one was too short for heeseung’s newfound thirst for kissing you). when you pulled away, his big eyes tugged at your heart. they looked so sad that you moved away. it made you giggle—this whole situation. for someone that was trying to learn everything about you, he sure did miss your huge crush on him.

loser!heeseung didn’t know how he got so fortunate. was he a luck domain cleric in real life? he felt like he was rolling nat 20s continuously. he managed to ask you out (though, he was stuttering the whole time and nearly tripped on top of you—it was a whole affair that he’d rather forget) and be dating you 3 years later? he was one lucky man. and, some might say even luckier as time went on.

you got more confident once you guys got to college and, thus, you got hotter. you found your sense of self and your fashion reflected it. heeseung wasn’t doing so bad either. he found people that he got along with and could proudly (read: shyly) call friends. he found beomgyu in the league discord server that the university had and jeongin in d&d club! he’d meet up with them every once in awhile whenever they all felt like they needed to touch grass. of course, his friends knew you came first. you were heeseung’s everything. what they couldn’t wrap around their heads was how heeseung was your everything.

“you’ve been dating for 3 years!? no way, man.” “are you secretly rich? the son of some big conglomerate?” “all offense, she’s hot and you’re… not.”

heeseung didn’t let that bother him. his friends were idiots that had never felt the touch of a woman. plus, you trained him better (you told him to stop talking about himself like he was your pet, but he refused). you loved him so much without any strings attached. you were patient with him and listened to him ramble about how league kept nerfing his favorite character with every update. you never tried to change him and you told him it’s because you fell in love with him for how he was. but, there came a day when he wished you did. he happened to overhear a conversation between you and your friends.

“girl, there’s no way you’ve been with heeseung for 3 years and he hasn’t picked up a single thing about fashion from you.” “the face cards are mismatched, ma. you’re up here and he’s not even on this plane.” “don’t you ever get embarrassed whenever you guys go out? i mean, he dresses like he’s stuck in his mom’s basement.” “i hope he compensates in other ways because he’s not doing it where i can see.” “how are you okay with someone that much skinnier than you? doesn’t your body dysmorphia get triggered?”

you stopped talking to those girls after that. however, it didn’t stop heeseung from getting hurt by it. it was true, in heeseung’s eyes. you deserved much better than what he was giving you. how is it that you loved him even though he looked the exact same as he did 3 years ago? there were so many hot guys around and you never so much as turned your head to glance. there was nothing to support his insecurity about being hot enough or being enough in general. nonetheless, that horrid conversation sparked something in heeseung.

“baby, i’m heading to the gym. i’ll be back later to cook us dinner, okay?” if your brows raised any further, they’d merge into your hairline. “the gym?” heeseung nodded firmly. “gotta start working out to combat all the ramen i eat.”

“hee, you haven’t gained weight since we started dating, despite you eating my leftovers and your food. you don’t need to combat anything,” you laughed. when you saw heeseung was still tying the laces on his shoes, you let it go, thinking nothing of it. you kissed him and reminded him to stay hydrated.

thus began heeseung’s gym journey. it was difficult. muscle barely stuck even though he was eating well over 3000 calories. but, he could see his body getting toned, more cut, so he was happy. maybe people would stop looking at the two of you like you were wrong.

his wishful thinking remained at that. despite getting noticeably more fit, people still talked. they talked about his fashion, his haircut, and his hygiene (he thought this one was unfair considering he always did skincare with you and loved doing your nightly routines).

so, on the day you told him you were going thrifting, he asked to tag along. you were taken aback. heeseung never came with you; he didn’t see the point when he had perfectly good clothes at home. but you let him come along. you thought he’d just peruse with you or be there to make sure you paid with the card he gave you (he made a lot of money from his internship and begged you to use it for anything you wanted), but he didn’t. he asked a lot of questions.

“do you think this would look good on me?” “do these go together?” “are these good quality?”

you were excited. going thrifting was one of your favorite hobbies and to see heeseung taking such an interest in it was thrilling. you gave your opinions, always with a disclaimer that fashion is up to preference. he nodded along, processing your words. by the end of your thrifting trip, heeseung went home with a bundle of clothes to wear. the next day, he’d wake up earlier than normal to try and piece his new clothes together. he knew he wasn’t good at it. his friends let him know without reservations. hell, your friends let him know with their skeptical looks. it wasn’t until he talked to sunghoon in the gym that he got some actual constructive criticism.

“you’re taking an interest in fashion?”

“nothing crazy,” heeseung muttered, kicking the dust on the floor. “i just hate the comments y/n gets whenever her friends think i’m not listening.”

sunghoon looked at his gym buddy in pity. “look, man. if everything you’ve told me about your relationship is true, i don’t think y/n cares what you wear. she hasn’t in 3 years. what makes you think it’ll change all of a sudden?”

nothing. he didn’t doubt you. he just got sick at the thought of you having to listen to all those criticisms. so, sunghoon helped him. he showed him his pinterest moodboard and made heeseung swear to never tell anyone that’s how he chooses what to wear. after that informative session, heeseung got to work. he used your instagram feed as a reference, wanting to match your aesthetic, and created a moodboard inspired by it. using his pinterest board, he went thrifting by himself. he recalled the countless videos he watched while sorting through the clothes. cotton, not polyester. depending on the stain, you can get it out. tailoring is always an option when you find something that is a little too big!

he was very serious about his transformation. he even digitally scrapbooked the pictures of him in different clothes so he could be like cher in clueless. since then, his fashion started improving. your morning routines together changed ever so slightly with you telling him to spin for you. his heart warmed with every compliment you gave him.

“who is this diva?” “i feel very underdressed. i’m changing.” “are you getting dressed by law roach?” “you’ve been taking dress to impress a little seriously these days.”

heeseung’s confidence soared. now, he wasn’t ashamed to go out with you. your friends weren’t ashamed to be seen with him either. they even went as far as to compliment him! score! he’d gotten brownie points with your friends.

“finally, he’s dressing like a boyfriend fit to be with you, y/n.”

oh, that made you pull the brakes real fast. it completely escaped your mind how much your friends dissed your boyfriend (because you brushed them off as stupid comments). come to think of it, heeseung always did manage to miss the moments where they talked about him, but only by a minute or two. what if… what if he did hear those comments?

curious and worried, you asked him during your nightly routines. “hee, did… did you start dressing up for any particular reason?”

uh oh. heeseung hated lying to you; it physically pained him. so, he confessed. “i heard what your friends think of me and i didn’t want you to have to keep hearing them say things like that.”

“oh, baby, i’m so sorry you heard that,” you cooed. “i didn’t tell you because not even an atom of me agrees with them. i love you as you are, uni tees, basketball shorts and all.”

heeseung put down the moisturizer and looked down. “i know… i just wanted people to stop thinking we’re wrong for each other.”

you frowned and pulled him into a hug. “well, we know we’re perfect for each other. i’ve known it from the moment you started talking about the metrics of trot. i remember just nodding along and thinking how beautiful you were.”

heeseung blushed at your words. you always knew how to make him feel better.

“you don’t have to dress up for anyone but yourself, okay?”

he shook his head with a small smile. “i like matching with you. it’s fun.”

“well, i guess we really gotta dress to impress then,” you grinned, kissing his cheek.

with that, heeseung was reassured. no more pressure. he could just dress however he wanted (which was however you were dressing). but, his glow up didn’t stop there. no, he thought about a haircut. he wanted something that would shut your friends up forever. so, after scrolling forever on tiktok, he found that he liked a mullet with some face-framing pieces. he went and got it done at sunghoon’s trusted barbershop and came out a new man. he immediately sent you a picture, to which you responded, “don’t go anywhere. no errands. no grabbing food. come home. now.”

safe to say, you loved his new haircut. he loved his new haircut. he loved it even more when his friends and your friends couldn’t manage words. good. stay that way.

loser!heeseung was still a loser but, at least, he was in a hot man’s body with his very very attractive girlfriend. he still played league. he still larped. he still took the renaissance fair very seriously. he still loved you more than anything in the world. he was still your loser.

disclaimer: this, in no way, reflects the idol. this is purely fiction. ✧ comments and reblogs are appreciated! ✧ give my other works a read too!

[kissitbttr]

a very tiny fic of frat!miguel pining on cheerleader!y/n in college. might expand, we’ll see ;)

-

fucking. frat parties, man,

you hate it. despise it even. what’s so good about them anyway other than the fact watching dumb boys in snapbacks making a fool of themselves with drinking games?

definitely not your scene, but unluckily for you—it has always been your friends favorite thing to look forward to,

“you need to cut yourself some slack babe. this party will do you good! i promise!”

rolling your eyes, you slip on one of your favorite heels before glaring at her. “doubt it but thanks for the positivity”

“maybe todd will be there and you guys will catch up?”

“like hell we will” you scoff, walking towards the dressing table to pamper yourself,

“that shit is history, he’s a fucking dead man”

a certified douche bag, that’s what todd is. dated him in sophomore year and the relationship went for about six months before calling it quits because he had his tongue down some other girl’s throat and he had the nerve to blame it on you,

you were pretty much done with men at that point,

“she’s right” one of your friends, gloria points out. “you guys forgot what that asshole did to her, hm?”

“but” one girl steps in. “people change, right?”

you and gloria exchange looks, biting back a mocking smile at how innocent and naive the girl sounds. however, you shake your head at gloria, telling her to hold it in.

“yeah, sure” you shrug at her question, busying yourself with makeups as the other girls from behind you continue with their chatting,

“what about miguel? that tall sexy one”

your hand freezes at the name, as a collective of ooh’s and dreamy sighs fall upon your ears. yet you dismiss it anyway,

“and what about him?”

lyla, the pixie haired cut girl chimes in. “wasn’t he the one who blew you a kiss during the football game? you know, when you were cheering”

it was the championship game, one after finals had ended. you and your cheerleading team were on the sidelines doing the stunts. one of the duties of being one was to cheer for your home team. being extra perky and all smiley,

he scored another touchdown within the last ten seconds, in which the crowd had erupted into loud cheers. this man sure got some speed on his feet,

you clapped your poms poms together, jumping in excitement while yelling out his jersey number. the rest of the girls are doing the same thing, some even louder than others. leading the crowd to loudly chant his last name,

miguel took his helmet off, smiling proudly at the full audience while bumping his chest with his fist. then his eyes landed on you, smile going wider as he watched you cheer for his team,

then he did it. blew you a kiss as he waved. mouthing a ‘that one’s for you’ before winking, in which you only rolled your eyes at the respond. you truly had no time entertaining another heartbreaker on campus.

that man maybe devilishly handsome and charming, but he also shared some highly disturbing amounts of girls in his dorm,

or so you have heard.

his friend jogged towards him, clasping his hand around miguel’s shoulder,

“new girlfriend, o’hara? or looking for a quick fuck?”

if it was any other circumstances, he’d punch him for saying that about you. but he was far too entranced by your beauty to actually give a shit. instead he smiled, eyes refused sto leave yours as he watched your body move.

“girlfriend. working on it, compá”

his voice is confident. almost like he’s sure that you’ll be his. and you will

miguel finds you to be far more intriguing than the rest. beautiful, top of the class, fucking funny too. ever since he had exchanged a couple words with you during one the class you both shared, you pretty much occupy his mind from there.

and he had watched you punch one of the guys at his party one time so safe to say you’re the reason why his dick is hard for the rest of the night

“not only that. he touched down and said it was for you, didn’t he?! ugh! i am so freaking jealous!”

it’s almost funny how hopeless romantic most of your friends are. i mean sure, you are too, who isn’t? but you would argue that if it wasn’t coming from miguel, those girls probably won’t be swooning like right now,

“you both are overreacting. he was just in the heat of the moment.”

“nuh uh” gloria shakes her head in disagreement, scoffing with a small smirk. “she’s right, that boy wants you. he wants you bad. like ‘24/7 deep dick inside your pussy and won’t let you walk straight after fucking’ wants you”

“a very… vivid detail, gloria…” you widen your eyes with a laugh while the other girls agree. “but okay”

“how do you even know that?”

“beck said so” she shrugs, making you look at her with a deadpan expression. “what? me and him went back to fucking, don’t judge me!”

a snort escapes your lips, tugging the lipgloss back out of your makeup pouch before unscrewing the tube,

“he’s like a total player, no? i don’t think i could get together with a man who sticks his dick into any hole”

“that’s not true. they’re just rumors”

“yeah, wasn’t dana the only girl he had ever dated?”

“no that was xina. dana fucked his brother”

“what?!”

“isn’t it the other way around?”

“i’ve never seen him with girls that often. your opinion could be wrong y/n”

you brush it off and let the girls gossip in the back. whether it’s true or not, staying away would probably better. after todd, you don’t think you can afford another heartbreak.

fucking. men

-

the party had started a few hours ago, and it’s packed. a lot of students come and start filling up the house, the sound of asap rocky’s ‘frat rules’ booming through the speakers.

it’s not even close to midnight but miguel already spot a few kids getting drunk and throwing up in the backyard making him winces in disgust. he has told a few of his friends to keep an eye for broken furnitures but he doubts any of them listen,

they’re far too busy exchanging saliva with some of the girls from the sorority,

“yo o’hara! beer pong later! you’re on my team!”

peter, one of his frat brothers yells. miguel looks over his shoulder to see him standing by the pong table with the others, he has his arm around a red haired girl’s shoulder.

miguel flashes a smile, head shaking as he fixes himself a beer from the keg. “count me out, parker. go find other team player”

“oh boo! you’re no fun these days, o’hara! don’t tell me you’re standing by to see if she’s coming?”

“wait, miguel’s crushing on someone?” the red haired asks

“i told you babe, it’s the girl from cheerleading team”

miguel doesn’t respond, because peter is right. he has been scanning over the room, pacing back to back to see if you’re here yet. a disappointment sigh leaves his mouth each time he fails to find you,

his frat brothers think he’s gone crazy. because why would he get himself so worked up over one girl when there’s dozens of others lining up to get dicked down by him? pretty ones even,

but that’s the thing, miguel doesn’t find hooking up to be something that needs to be praised for. why would he pat himself on the back for screwing half of the sorority sisters? or bet on who gets to be the lucky bastard to get into the quiet girl’s panties?

gross. that’s for sure. but it seems that his brothers think otherwise. he has no say in that, obviously. to each their own.

“she’s coming, dude. chill. you’ve been eyeing the goddamn door non-stop” beck chuckles, sipping on his beer can

he ignores him, clicking the tongue against his teeth. “you told gloria, right? to bring her here?”

“i did. so stop worrying. enjoy for a bit”

beck leaves him with that, not before bumping miguel’s shoulder lightly with his fist, leaving miguel with his brows furrowed and lip in a small pout,

‘where are you?’ he thinks,

“hey miguel”

a feminine voice pulls him out of the trance, in which he quirks an eyebrow and notices a short haired girl appears by his side, dragging her long manicured nails down his bicep,

“not interested” he shoots her a quick glare before averting his gaze back towards the door,

the girl pouts, taking the bold move by resting her temple against his shoulder in which he shakes her off causing her to gasp,

“the fuck o’hara?!”

“i told you. not interested. beat it” he downs his red solo cup before scrunching it, licking his lips. “go find another guy to bang”

she huffs at that, stomping her feet like a child like her parents refuses to give her candy,

“i mean it. move, i am not—“

“y/n! gloria! you two made it!”

that does it for him. soon as he hears your name falls from beck’s mouth, his gaze never moves quicker. seeing his frat brother by the entrance, greeting gloria with a kiss and you’re standing by gloria’s side with a small smile,

oh god, you.

who looks absolutely breathtaking tonight. adorned in a pretty pink dress that hugs your curves in the right way, your makeup is light and he’s thankful for that. long thick hair fall against your back, leaving your shoulders exposed,

simple yet look so expensive,

miguel pays no mind to the girl besides him, simply just walking away. he doesn’t even bother to acknowledge the people who congratulates him on the win as he strides closer to you,

“y/n y/l/n… what a sight for sore eyes it is to see you, muñeca”

a familiar voice saying your name makes your head turn, seeing who it is. the head of fraternity. miguel o’hara,

he has his arms crossed, causing his biceps to bulge a bit, making him look bigger than he already is. you eye the outfit he has on. a black muscle tank and grey sweatpants. chocolate hair tucked into a bright red snapback that he props on backwards,

he shoots you a flirty smirk, walking a little bit closer just enough to create a small gap between the two of you,

“miguel o’hara” you speak his name, faking a smile. “surprised to see you still sticking around here. i thought you’d be by your room already, pleasuring another girl”

he winces playfully, hand over his heart pretending to be hurt. “ouch, muñeca” a small chuckles leaves his mouth as he watches you roll your eyes, “always with the horrible assumptions. care to play nice this time?”

you glance at him with a scoff. “we both know that’s a fact. you always leave with a girl, don’t you?” you question, eyebrows furrowing as you tilt your head to the side,

he hums, scanning the room before looking back at you. “false. but i’ll let you believe what you want to believe, muñeca.”

you try to guess if he’s being sarcastic with it or actually telling the truth, and you swear it’s the latter. however, you refuse to fall for it,

“what do you want, o’hara?” you sigh, sipping on the beer gloria had offered earlier,

with a chuckle, he leans against the nearest wall, hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. “is it a crime for me to talk to a pretty girl i have a crush on? is there any written policies about that?”

your heart flutters when he calls you pretty. not to mention, a crush?

yeah okay, you do find him extremely attractive and sexy. like, really really sexy. guilty as charged. but who doesn’t think so? his dashing smile and seemingly soft hair do make you a little bit crazy. he’s a total heartthrob on campus.

not only is he the vice captain of the football team but he’s one smart student. passes every class, rarely get a score below B’s. no wonder why teachers are chasing his ass for him to tutor some of the students.

and if that’s not enough, you know how much he loves to spend his time volunteering at local organizations, doing food kits for donations even providing a cost-free child care around the community,

he’s almost—too good to be true.

“i’m flattered, truly. but flirting won’t get you anywhere, mr.” you wag your finger side to side,

“seriously?”

“seriously”

“wow” he breathes out a sigh, faking a disappointment. “i got to try harder than that then”

a giggle leaves your mouth, head shaking. “my advice? stop trying, o’hara”

“i can’t do that, muñeca”

you tilt your head to the side,. “and why’s that?”

“i just told you”

“hm. surely there are other girls out there, o’hara”

“i don’t want them”

“persistent aren’t you?”

“kind of” he casually shrugs. “why, you don’t like it?”

“quite the opposite”

“and why is that entertaining to you?” he asks with a smirk,

“i like seeing men desperate. i like seeing them beg for something they know they can’t have” you bite down onto your lower lip. your respond is not meant to be flirty, but more of like a playful statement.

yet somehow, it triggers something in him. something good.

his eyes flicker down to your mouth, puffing out a deep breath. “shit, you’re making it harder for me now” he mumbles, tongue sticking out to wet down his lip,

“harder to what exactly?”

“to not want you” he replies bluntly, tone changes into a serious one. but it doesn’t come off as a lust or desperation,

your smile falters a little when you realize how serious he becomes. swallowing a lump on your throat, fingers digging into the skin of your arms. eyes are now onto his, and you don’t quite get why it feels so difficult to just look away,

“miguel i—“

“shit, i ruined it, didn’t i? eres un idiota” he curses himself with a grunt shaking his head. hands on his hips “sorry, i’m just— fuck you look so good right now muñeca and there’s like a million things going through my mind when i look at you—“

“miguel—“

“obviously i’m not going to tell you because it’s pg-13 all up in here” he points at his head. “and i don’t want to scare you—“

“miguel—“

“but i went past puberty so i’m not some kind of horny teenager that—“

“miguel! jesus, shut up!” you finally exclaim, and that does it for him. his movements stop when he hears you yell out his name,

clearing your throat, you regain your posture before setting the beer down on the nearest table,

“listen i—i just don’t know what to say after that” you begin with a nervous laugh, tucking a loose hair behind your ear. “you have a crush on me?”

his bushy brows dip into a frown. “didn’t i make it clear these past few weeks?”

“huh?”

“i brought you lunch, let you borrowed my favorite pen during class, i even asked your number through gloria but she didn’t want to give it to me” his shoulders slouch in disappointment. “i’ve had a crush on you since— I don’t know, too long. you’re a tough woman to please, muñeca. i give you that”

“that’s only one time! how am i supposed to know that you weren’t just looking to hook up?”

“ay dios mio! if i wanted to just have sex with you, i would try to get closer with you during a party! which is… technically what i’m doing right now but— that’s not the point!” he groans, rubbing his hands all over his face in frustrations,

“you seriously didn’t notice the signs?!”

“those weren’t fucking signs, dumbass. try to do more than being subtle, why don’t you?!”

“well it’s hard when you keep dodging me and rolling your eyes everytime i talk to you!”

“how can i?! when you slept with like half of the sorority girls on campus?!”

“how many times do i have to tell you that what you hear is not true? i don’t know where you got that from but i can assure you that i haven’t fucked anyone in months! and the idea of hooking up with random girls doesn’t sound appealing to me! want some prove? ask my brothers about that, go on! or ask beck, he’ll tell you the truth. that man is prone to never lying”

you go quiet. face softening a little,

“wait… then what about the girls i saw you walking with after a party?”

“to walk them safely to their cars or their dorm room. that’s it” he explains, watching the surprised look on your face.

“now.. how do you see me?”

you feel terrible for believing all those rumors first before actually knowing it’s confirmed or not. you are taught to never ever judge a book by its cover and you just did,

fuck you’re a terrible person,

“oh..” you mutter softly. “shit—i’m so sorry miguel, I didn’t know”

“it’s fine, don’t worry about it”

“what? no! i was acting like a complete bitch! ugh fuuuuck” you whine, stomping your heel on the ground as miguel watches in amusement,

‘you’re adorable’ he wanted to say,

“i feel terrible—no, i am actually” you grumble, “how can i make it up to you?”

a bright smile spreads across his face. “allow me to get to know you throughout the night? no funny business i promise”

his eyes are glinting with hope when he looks at you, feeling nervous that you might reject him but he’s not letting you see that,

you mirror his expression, feeling your cheeks warm by his question. “miguel—i’d love to but… no offense, i kinda didn’t want to go to your party in the first place, i only went because gloria asked me to and uhm.. i don’t know if i wanted to stay, actually—it’s not because of you but mainly because my social battery had died even before i got here”

“we don’t have to stay—we can go out. we’ll pick a place and go or you can pick, i’m down with whatever”

with wide eyes, you reply “what?”

“yeah. there’s a good diner i always go to when i’m craving for a good burger or a shawarma truck down the street. they don’t have tables and everything but we can order and eat in my car.”

“unless you have better options, it’s cool” he adds

you try to ignore the butterflies in your stomach but it’s hard not to when he’s being extremely… attentive?

my god, is this actually miguel o’hara? the man who’s painted to be heartless and a player?

“mig- this is your party. you can’t just leave” you softly laugh. “we can catch up another time, i hate to be—“

“it’s fine, muñeca. this party is good as it can be without me. besides” he reaches into his pocket to grab his keys,

“i’d like to spend time with you.. is that… okay?”

he’s being careful with his words, because he doesn’t want to scare you off or come off desperate. the last thing he needed was to have you feel repulsed by him,

you give him with a soft smile, looking up at his ruby eyes with your pretty doe ones and from then on, miguel is absolutely sure that he’s in. so fucking in that he knows there is no way out,

it’s not like he wants it any other way

“that’s okay”

-

i was going to make her super mean and bitchy but i figured i’d use that for some other time,

also please tell me this doesn’t sucked. i hate for this one to flop because i might start to fall in love with these pairings

feel free to send your ideas and thoughts about these two

(i might actually write one where they both meet the first time)

[simp-ly-writes]

The Jackals Companion

─────── · · A 'Day of the Jackal' (TV series) FanFic

Pairing: Charles "Jackal" Calthrop x Fem!Hacker!Reader

─ · · SUMMARY: After a shocking turn of events, you and the Jackal become lovers-of-sorts and you both share a moment in one another warmth as a snowy London sets the backdrop to your hotel room.

─ · · TAGS: second person perspective used, female-pronouns used, mostly fluff, cuddling, kissing, depictions of blood, mentions of guns and violence, usage of pet-names (ex. love) swearing, light angst.

─ · · MASTERLIST | TAGLIST REQUEST | WORDCOUNT: 2,401

─ · · A/N: thank you to @calmowl2407 for this sweet ask! sorry that it took me awhile 🫶 I hope you all enjoy :)

─────── · ·

─ · · You were a certified genius- or at least thats what your first job title while working in an a Apple store for a few years but now you were a freelance hacker and profiler; having graduated with multiple degrees in sociology, psychology, mathematics, and of course, computer science.

─ · · During the day you worked as a teaching assistant and seasonal lecturer but at night, you were known as "Robin." You loved your behind-the-scenes job, the disconnection gave you privacy yet enough money to live a plush lifestyle in reality and to do the things you loved most- teaching others.

─ · · When on one of your nightly "raids" you liked to call them you were toying with auction prices at an event, watching through the security cameras in order to pause the sale just at the right moment yet it appeared that someone had the exact same idea as you... just in a more direct approach...

Your vision snapped over to one of your other various monitors at the sight of a figure in a suit, moving outside of the outlined space for the event. You raised a brow, zooming in on pixelated face with a scoff- nobody ever invests in high quality cameras these days.

You watched as he moved through the various corridors and always knew where to face so that all the cameras did not get a clear sight of him. He walked in long purpose-filled strides, a gym-bag over his shoulder, the object inside odd in shape as you rendered a scan of it- a gun? But who's the target little assassin?

You did a quick search of the black-web, trying to find any details or contracts that had been posted in the last three months yet nothing particularly pertained to anyone attending this event. Your eyebrows furrowed, irritation growing as you couldn't find any information of why this man was here, who he was going to attack, and even who the hell this guy even was in the first place.

You tapped your finger against your desk, contemplating your next move, the clock was ticking down and with one click it would be lights out, the men posing as handlers would run with the object just as your contract requested and you would have yet another fat pay check in your lap... could finally buy that new wool coat, you thought to yourself with a smile, thats if this assassin doesn't mess with anything...

You watched as he unzipped his bag and set up his gear, sizing up for the shot, click, you giggled, leaning back in your chair as you watched through the various body cams to see the artifact successfully stolen and they made their escape. People were running around everywhere, police entering the scene as the auctioneer was lead off-stage before collapsing a bullet right between his eyes. You clapped your hands together, good shot, you praised before erasing all the security footage- leaving not a trace to be found.

CHAT ROOM OPENED: r0ob6^in* said: payment? now. A-%l^8e6x said: sent. good work. A-%l^8e6x said: next job? file.16937 r0ob6^in* said: will do.

You placed an order on that coat before turning off your screens and order in take-out before going for a shower and settling yourself into a set silk pyjamas and fluffy slippers.

─────── · ·

─ · · A knock sounded at your door as you went to go get your food and to your surprise there was a metal barrel awaiting you instead of a brown paper bag. You raised your hands, eyes wide and blinking, "uh you can have anything you want in the apartment! please don't hurt me!" you plead as they force their way into the space and... gently close the door behind themselves?

You blinked, one... twice... thrice in confusion, "sit" they ordered as you rapidly nodded your head and trotted your way to the living room and finding the nearest armchair while shaking like a leaf and whispering a prayer to whatever celestial entity would hear.

The tall man sits across from you, legs extended outwards and on to your rug. You did not dare look them in the face, instead playing with your hands with closed eyes wondering what they would do next. You felt the mans stare at the side of your head and across your body as they observed what you were wearing more closely, "look at me."

You took a second before raising your head and staring just past the top of their head, you prayed that the second of hesitation you took would not take your life as well. "Look at me," they demanded again as your eyes flashed down to... a young mans face? and an attractive face with that?

You tried not to let the shock and confusion come over your features but failed miserably once hearing him chuckle at you. "I've been... observing your talents from afar for awhile now, your little mission today was a surprise for me but I must thank you for deleting that footage... saved me frying their servers on my way out."

You nod, slowly, as you observe the suit the man wears and how put-together he looks for being a criminal breaking into your own home and threatening you with a gun that was still pointed in your direction. "You're welcome?" you say yet it comes out more like a question, you hear the safety of their gun click on as they place it back in the waistband of their pants. You lean back, slightly in your chair knowing that you most likely were not leaving this spot while under such a heavy stare... or at least not for awhile...

─────── · ·

─ · · When you said awhile back then... you would be surprised to know awhile meant more like over a year and not a day went but without you seeing "The Jackal" or Charles he told you to call him. He said he wished to have a camera on you when you reacted to his name for the first time, the way your lips pushed together like your eyebrows as you tested the name again and again on your tongue while picking and pointing at his face- he couldn't help but smile at your silly actions.

─ · · You had become the Jackals companion in some strange turn of events, always by his side or had him in your sights as you navigated him through building floor plans and got him onto planes quickly back to your house that had became a second home-base for him. You scoff shaking your head, your own damn burglar now holding the keys to your apartment to come and go as freely as he wanted but the Jackal never wanted you too far away from him, especially when he was completing large and dangerous missions like the one he was on right now... trying to assassinate a parliament member in London.

─ · · It was nearing Christmas time, a perfectly unsuspecting and joyous part of the year that would have your client easy to locate for you and for the Jackal- easy to target.

─ · · You waited anxiously for Charles to get back to the hotel room after providing him directions through local security cameras. You had ordered room service in preparation and held a half drank glass of red wine in your hand, swirling it around like your thoughts before setting the glass down and jumping off the bed, running down the hall at the sound of the door closing before jumping into his arms.

"Hello to you to, love," he teased you, pressing a kiss to the top of your head as you smiled and buried your face into his cold jacket, a shiver cascading down your spine as his large hands picked you up and carried you back to beg. You giggled, wiggling your feet with excitement once feeling him throw you onto the bed. You watched from the covers as he undressed layer after layer upon himself and his face before stripping back to the Charles you knew.

"Much better," he sighed out before crawling on the bed and towards you, capturing your lips in between his own before brushing the hair out of your face. "I see you already ordered food for two?"

"Mhmm," you hum out contently before patting the seat beside you and brining him a plate as you both talk over yet another successful mission. "Speaking of which," Charles wipes his mouth with one of the serviettes before gathering both of your empty plates and putting them on the desk within the room, "we have to check if we got payed for our hard work."

You nod watching as he bends down, reaching into his bag to pick up his laptop and glasses case as you reach for your own on the nightstand. Feeling the bed drip once again you shuffle closer to his side and hear in chuckle, "clingy are we today?"

You shrug, "Its the holidays, Charles, let your girl be," you defend yourself.

"My girl-hm?" he says back, wrapping his arm around your shoulders as you look up at him through his glasses- your heart begins to race as he looks down at you, the frames slipping down his nose as you reach over to fix them for him, "thanks, love."

─────── · ·

─ · · You both work silently beside one another, double checking your finances and going over the blueprints for your next mission in Croatia... after a much needed break and beach-filled vacation you both agreed upon.

─ · · By the time you had finished your side of things, Charles was still typing away and memorizing the blueprints. You played with the material of his shirt, pressing your head to the side of the arm in a silent ask for him to give you more of his attention. "A few more minutes then I'm all yours," Charles murmurs, zooming into an air duct right above the stage.

You watched his eyes move across the dimensions, you loved picking apart every micro-expression he let flash across his features only to be gone the next moment. Catching your stare he sighed, shutting down his device and casting it to the nightstand as you placed your head in his lap feeling his fingers rake across your scalp gently- as if coaxing you to sleep.

Yet you couldn't close your eyes as you had just remembered a file that you had accessed... freely... you opened and closed your mouth, thinking about how to phrase your next words before the Jackal cut you off and you pulled your head up, "whatever you want to ask in that brilliant brain of yours- do it."

"The things is," you try and explain, failing miserably to find the right words watching as Charles's attention moves away from you, your confidence slipping before seeing a notepad and pen being presented to you. "Would it be easier to write out whats going on in here?" He clicks the pen on by shoving it against your forehead.

You glare, snatching the items away as he holds up his hands. You look between the blank page and Charles one, two, and even three times before not writing anything down. The Jackal notices you struggling, he begins to get a bit worried himself as you stand up from the bed and move away to a separate chair in the room before writing out your list of questions, hiding your face behind your knees in order to escape from his questioning stare.

"Is this... something to do with my past?" The Jackal asks, remembering the last time you acted this way a few weeks after you both formally met. You freeze solidifying his answer. "My offer still stands, whatever if is I'll answer it... if I can," he explains, watching as you sit up in the chair and look him in the eyes, "Did you... kill your platoon?"

You watch as Charles freezes before slowly reaching over to take a sip of his glass of red wine, a bead of it dripping down his chin like blood as you grip your hands together in wait. "The simple answer is yes, I did but I believe it to be in fair fashion after... they massacred a wedding."

─ · · The following story has you nauseous and partially scared as you hold yourself and don't meet his eyes that search to observe your reaction- to hear your thoughts and heart. "Come 'ere" he pats his lap before opening his arms, watching as you hesitantly stand from your chair and walk over before being pulled down into the bed and feel his strong arms wrap around your torso like a weighted blanket to soothe your anxiety.

"I hope I didn't scare you- You know I would never hurt you, love, right?" he murmurs into your shoulder before pressing a kiss to the crook of our shoulder and neck, lingering in the spot until feeling you nod your head and rest your back against his chest more comfortably, "I know. But you're different now, right? And you're my Charles... but I would also understand if you needed to kill me." You feel as the Jackal freezes, his grip tightens around you, your breath hitches before you continue to speak, "A-and If you were going to... please shoot just shoot me straight in the face... I wouldn't want to be recognized by anyone."

You close your eyes feeling as Charles slips away form behind you, the cold air of the room spreading goosebumps across your skin as a tear slips from the corner of your eye. The sudden touch of a hand bringing your chin up has you wincing, "let me see your gorgeous eyes, my love," Charles asks softly. You shake your head in his touch before feeling it strengthen, "open them, please," he asks again, this time a bit more firmly.

You slowly blink them open, watching as he tears his glasses off and cups your cheeks, rubbing the skin thoughtfully with his thumbs, "I love you," he whispers before you feel his lips against your own. You both fall backwards onto the covers, Charles holding his weight above you as you break away breathless from the kiss, "I love you too."

─────── · ·

─ · · JACKAL TAGLIST: @swiftietevitdrewjew @groovyponypatrollamp @alelo23 @apaperflowerreader

[rikiislvr]

thanks for the req love <3 @chaevibes

pairing: nishimura riki x afab!reader

“baby?” you say as you were laying on the bed, your boyfriend laying on your stomach, he looked up at you as you were scrolling on your phone,

“hm?” he hummed, “can we do this trend? it’s really cute!” you smiled at your phone, he raised an eyebrow, “basically. i’ll record myself doing makeup and you just do a voiceover of what i’m doing!” you giggled as if it was so easy,

but for niki? he knows nothing about makeup..

“okay.. sounds easy..?” he shrugged, you giggled and got off the bed, running to your vanity, you set up your phone and recorded a video of yourself doing your makeup.

niki watched from the bed as you did your makeup, already trying to think of what you’re using, but he gave up eventually falling back to the bed and waited for you,

you finished your makeup, and stoped the video, walking over to your boyfriend, “okay, hold down the mic and just voice over what you think i’m doing.” you say, niki nods and grabbed your phone,

the video began and he held down the microphone.

“um.. so.. you’re putting on some.. weird clear liquid, not sure what it is.” he rubbed his neck, you giggled,

it was primer.

“now you’re.. oh! i know this, it’s foundation. you’re blending that in.” he says with a proud smile, you clapped lightly, “look at you go!” you giggled,

his proud smile suddenly fades away once he saw the next product you were applying,

“wha-? is that flour? why are you putting flour on your face?” he tilts his head, “isn’t that for baking? you’re baking your makeup?”

you couldn’t help but laugh.

i mean.. it was baking powder..

he shakes his head and continues to voice over, “okay now.. this is blush, right? yeah. blush.” he nods, you just listened in, the next thing you did had him so lost,

he furrowed his eyebrows. “uh..” he shrugged, “voice it niki!” you hit his arm,

“okay okay! i think this is.. im not sure.. you’re just putting dark lines on your cheeks..” he groaned, “its contour!” you pointed to your face, he looked like he was completely lost,

“what does it even do?” he looks at your cheeks, “it’s like.. makes it look slim..” you roll your eyes.

niki shook his head again, “you don’t even need makeup, you’re beautiful without it.” he looks back at the phone.

“okay.. now you’re putting on this bright stuff.. a bright shimmery line down your nose..” he was so focused on the screen, you couldn’t even stop laughing,

“it’s highlighter.” you shake your head, niki chuckled,

“what is highlighter? like the marker?” he looks at you, you just stared at him,

damn. he really was clueless..

“goodness me. just finish..” you turn his head back to the phone by his chin, making him laugh,

“okay. oh! i know this. it’s um.. eyeliner?” he looks at you,

you covered your mouth not to laugh, he furrowed his eyebrows, “am i wrong?”

you nod slowly, “mascara niki..” you chuckled, he face palmed himself, “ah.. i was close! i keep getting those two confused i mean what’s the difference anyways!?” he groaned and looked back at the screen,

“okay this is easy.. it’s lipstick.” he nods and smiled, the video ended.

you clapped, “yay! you did it! well.. most of it” you giggled and kissed his cheek, niki just put the phone down in defeat, “i thought i knew a lot about makeup..” he shakes his head,

“you taught me about it so much, you’d send me to go buy you makeup and i still messed up.” he chuckled,

“well this is definitely telling me you don’t.” you raised your eyebrows. niki gasped and grabbed the pillow to hit you, but you quickly ran away before he could protest,

“ey! i was close enough!”

a/n: bye this is so short but I WAS KINDA LOST ON HOW TO WRITE THIS ONE but i hope you enjoyed anyways <3

tl: @certified-ni-ki-lover @noblub-4ulolz @yourmyst4r @vixialuvs @ni-ki-ismyluv @judeduartewannabe @soobs-things @en-chantedtomeetyou @definitelynotherr @heyniki @wntersm @geniejunn @pkjay @baevsxii @k1ttylvr @geniejunn @pkjay @chaevibes @jiyeons-closet

[girlsneedff]

NSFW! Minors and Ageless blogs DNI!

Sukuna x f!Reader, fwbs, best friends, Sukuna's a dick, angst, unrequited love, mentions of sex

Word count: 1k

Author's yap: This is the start of the "NOT Over It" series! Should I have started with Over It first? Possibly. But this is my writing project, and I'm gonna do what I want <3

Fun Girl

And now you’re stuck here feeling shitty. And stupid. All because you decided to fall for your guy best friend. Who you know is a dick. You thought maybe, just maybe, that you would have the chance to get with him- to be in a real relationship with him besides the friends-with-benefits relationship that you have while he’s in between girlfriends, and you’re not distracting yourself with flings and short relationships. You thought that because he’s kept you around, you were different. News flash to you: you’re not. And now you’re wishing that you’d never even asked him about that possibility. 

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

The two of you were sitting in his car, coming back from the movies. He wanted to see some random action movie, and you would follow him to the ends of the Earth, so of course you went with him. You’re sitting in the parking lot of the movie theater in comfortable silence, both of you just scrolling through your phones, not really ready to return home yet. 

“You know the girl that I was talking to?”

Oh great. You rolled your eyes, shifting to rest your head on the closed window as you responded, while you continued to scroll through your phone. Trying hard to not show him how much hearing about his prospects bothered you.

“Which one?”

“I’m ghosting her. She’s hot, but talking to her is boring. I’d rather shit in my hands and clap.”

“Ryo you’re a dick.”

“A 10-inch one.”

“It’s smaller than that.”

He hits your leg in response. You shrug, glancing at him out of the corner of your eye. His body is facing you, his arm resting on the steering wheel. 

“What?”

“You think I'll end up alone?"

Your heart jumps a bit, taking this opportunity to subtly hint at something. Who knows, maybe it would work?

You scoff. “Well at this point, the only girl you’re gonna end up with is me.” You say, trying to sound absent-minded. Sukuna doesn’t even let that sentence, that possibility, hang in the air for a moment before he shoots it down.

“You know there’s no way in hell that’s happening, right?”

You could practically hear your heart cracking, feeling it crumpling in on itself. 

“Jesus, I was just saying.” You say quickly, trying to collect all of the shards of your heart before the hole is too big. Maybe you can glue it back together. He’s harsh- you know this. Don’t let it get to you.

“I’m not saying we’d be in a relationship or anything-”

“Oh yea fuck no. Sorry,” he says, in a way that you just throw the pieces you’ve collected up in the air, damning them all to hell, because you know that whatever he says is going to be devastating as he continues, “but I’d never date you. Ever. You’re not what I’m into.”

You were stunned. Looking back, you don’t know why you were stunned. You know this man. Certified womanizer, number 1 hoe. He’s noncommittal, selfish, rude, arrogant, abrasive. You knew this. So why were you so shocked?

“Oh, so I’m cool to sleep with, but not for a relationship?” You can feel your throat closing up, but you refuse to let him see you get emotional over this.

“We… have fun.”

“Fun?”

“You can’t tell me that you don’t have fun when we fuck.” He looks straight out the windshield, this conversation unconcerning to him.

You guys fuck?

It’s such a harsh way to put it. You hoped he would be softer about it- maybe salvage your feelings. You’re his best friend, for fuck’s sake. His kisses would be so tender as he slowly pushed into you, like he was taking care to not split you apart. The slow fucking and reassurance, the words of encouragement. Though it never lasted long before he’s thrusting into you like he hates you (which now, you’re wondering- does he?), you thought that those first moments were the most important. That they were his true feelings. Dumbass.

“I’m not your type, but you fuck me. How does that make sense?” You finally turn to look at him, your anger and tears combating each other to see which one holds out the longest. Your anger is winning, thankfully.

“Please don’t tell me you’re getting in your feelings about this.” He’s fucking smiling. Rolling his eyes, as if you’re getting worked up over something simple. Because to him it is simple. Sex is simple to him. He gets his rocks off fucking the shit out of anything that moves, and then he moves on.

“I don’t want to know about all of the guys that my girl’s been with. It’s emasculating.” 

“Oh, so you can slut around, but there’s an issue with me having a past?”

“No, there’s not. Because I’m not into you, so it doesn’t matter.”

“You’re such a fucking-”

Immediately you hop out of his car. You quickly start to walk to the sidewalk near the theater, keeping your eyes glued to your phone as you scroll to book yourself an Uber home quickly. Your vision is blurring, but you don’t stop looking at your phone, not giving a damn if cars are rolling through the lot. You may be an emotional wreck, but you won’t allow any man, no matter how in love with him you are, to tell you that he’s using you to your face. You can hear him call out to you- you can picture him leaning on the top of his car with that stupid grin, calling your name as if he doesn’t understand why you would be upset.

You’re that undesirable? But Ryomen Sukuna sees no issue with his past sexual escapades. His charm, and his ability to sweet talk any woman is attractive. 

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

And that leads you to where you are now, sitting in the dark of your room, sniffling and deleting everything in your Photo’s hidden folder.

[nanamineedstherapy]

Bubble Butt Problems

Nanami X Reader X Gojo

Part 2 of Bubble Butt Problems (Tumblr/Ao3)

Summary: Nanami Kento has a problem—your & your research!

A/N: I stole this idea from @Strangecountrydreamer's unhinged 'ass' comment (pun intended) on the last chapter of this on Ao3. (We all say thank you in unison!) This isn’t just a story; it’s a manifesto for all of us who’ve ever pondered the mysteries of the universe while simultaneously plotting our next reverberating smack! So grab your coins, your measuring tapes, and maybe a towel or two (you’ll see why), and let’s get this madness started!

Chapter 2 - Nanami’s Wagon & the Scientific Method

The fluorescent lights hummed their judgment as Gojo Satoru sipped bubble tea with enough enthusiasm to make the pearls feel seen, his legs swinging like an unbothered toddler.

You, however, were deep in your Villain TedTalk Arc, pacing like a mad scientist on the verge of a breakthrough.

“In my defense,” you began, brandishing a single coin like it was Excalibur, “we’ve shown remarkable restraint. We haven’t bitten him, we haven’t tested its jiggle with a ruler, and we definitely haven’t involved towels. But that—” you pointed dramatically toward Nanami’s glorious backside, framed perfectly as he chopped vegetables, “—deserves answers.”

Gojo slurped his drink, nodding solemnly. “A true show of self-control. Honestly, I think you’re doing God’s work.”

You pointed at him, energized. “Exactly. And yet! Kento Nanami parades around with that absolute dump truck, no regard for the moisture he’s causing in his wake. It’s criminal!”

Gojo gasped. “You’re so right. That man owes reparations to anyone wearing gray sweatpants within a ten-mile radius.”

“Exactly!” you exclaimed, tossing the coin between your fingers. “We’ve got a duty to humanity, Gojo. If NASA won’t investigate the gravitational anomaly that is Nanami Kento’s ass, we will.”

“Say less.” Gojo’s grin was practically feral. “You wanna toss coins? I’ll raid my piggy bank.”

“Physics, Gojo. It’s all about trajectory. With a perfect angle, that ass could probably bounce a quarter across the Pacific.”

“Meter minimum,” Gojo agreed solemnly.

Nanami, meanwhile, was oblivious of your scientific aspirations—or so you thought. His chopping rhythm faltered as the low hum of your voices reached his ears. But he kept his focus on the carrots, his aura screaming, leave me out of this.

“This,” you whispered, flipping a coin between your fingers, “is for Isaac Newton.”

Clink.

The coin sailed through the air, a shining testament to your audacity.

Boeing.

It hit its mark and rebounded.

High.

Embarrassingly high.

Like, Olympic pole-vault-level high.

You and Gojo stared, slack-jawed.

You staggered back, hand to your forehead. “We’ve just unlocked a new law of physics. Nanami’s ass is a literal phenomenon.”

Gojo gasped like a reality TV star witnessing street food. “Did you see that arc? Bro, I think it broke the sound barrier.”

“His ass is so phat he didn’t even feel it.” You marveled, eyes wide.

But before you could start drafting your Nobel acceptance speech, a shadow loomed over you, and a low, deadly voice interrupted.

You froze. Gojo froze.

Then turned, slow as molasses, to find Nanami standing there. Not blinking. Not speaking. Just staring. The knife in his hand gleamed ominously under the kitchen lights, but it was the deadpan death stare that really sold the vibe.

Gojo waved weakly. “Hey, Nanamin. We were just discussing the—uh—elastic properties of your posterior.”

Nanami blinked. “My what?”

You coughed into your fist, attempting to hide your laughter. “Your ass, Kento. Your glorious, gravity-defying ass.”

“Your wagon,” Gojo added helpfully, before clapping his hands. “Certified dump truck. Beep beep!”

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “You two threw a coin. At my—”

“For science!” you interrupted, because if you were going down, you were going down swinging.

Gojo jumped in. “And it bounced! Like, at least 1.2 meters. Honestly, you should be flattered.”

For a moment, Nanami said nothing. Then, to your absolute horror, a faint flush crept up his neck. “You’re joking,” he said, though his tone betrayed a hint of doubt.

“Oh, I never joke about science,” you replied, straight-faced.

“Or butts,” Gojo added helpfully.

Nanami’s eyes narrowed, and his grip on the knife tightened. “You two,” he said slowly, “are immature.”

Gojo grinned, unfazed. “You’re just mad because you know we’re right. Honestly, Nanamin, you should be flattered. People would kill for an ass like yours.”

And that’s when it happened. A twitch. Barely noticeable, but it was there. Nanami’s silence was deafening. Slowly, he set the knife down and rolled up his sleeves like he was about to baptize you both in regret.

Gojo froze mid-celebratory high-five. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes,” Nanami replied, voice low and terrifying, cracked his knuckles, and started toward you.

“Run,” you grabbed Gojo’s arm and bolted.

“Wait—what about the experiment?!” Gojo yelled, already halfway out the door.

“Run first, science later!”

Nanami didn’t run. He didn’t need to. His calm, measured footsteps were somehow worse.

He chased you with all the unrelenting energy of a dad fed up with your nonsense. You darted behind the couch, Gojo scrambled into the bathroom, and Nanami stalked through the apartment like Jason Voorhees in a business-casual ensemble.

You and Gojo ducked into the living room, panting. “Vents,” Gojo said. “We’ll hide in the vents.”

Moments later, you were crammed together in the claustrophobic space, both of you shaking with suppressed laughter.

“Do you think he’ll kill us?” you whispered.

Gojo grinned. “If he does, I’m haunting his perfect ass forever.”

You could hear Nanami muttering to himself below.

“Next time,” Gojo whispered, “we should try nickels. Bigger surface area.”

But before you could agree, a massive spider scuttled across your arm.

“SPIDER!” Gojo shrieked, scrambling out of the vent like his life depended on it.

You weren’t far behind. “Ken! Help!”

The vent became a clown car of chaos as you and Gojo screamed your way out, landing in a heap on the living room floor.

Nanami, who was already there, stared down at you both. “Why are you like this?”

“SPIDER!” You wailed, pointing.

For a moment, Nanami looked like he might leave you both to your fate.

But with a sigh so heavy it could crush galaxies, Nanami dispatched the spider with the broom, then turned back to you.

“If I hear the word ‘wagon,’ ‘elastic properties,’ or ‘buttcheeks’ again,” he said, voice flat, “I’m filing a restraining order.”

Gojo, ever the menace, threw an arm around your shoulders. “C’mon, Nanamin. Don’t be like that. You know you’re a national treasure.”

Nanami walked away, muttering something about therapy bills.

A/N: Let me know your creative ideas for our next ass-ault attempt below! What should our next scientific endeavor focused on Nanami be? The Great Sweatpants Investigation: Measuring the gravitational pull of Nanami’s assets in various fabrics. Nanami’s Ass Appreciation Day: A detailed study on the effects of his glorious backside on the emotional well-being of those around him.

All Works Masterlist

[dozing-marshmallow]

OTHER FRANKIE X READER: BIRTHDAY! ONE SHOT

In honour of my birthday today!❤️

You didn’t tell him it was your birthday.

Hell, you didn’t even remember it was your birthday today.

It’s hard to keep track of dates here, but even if you did have an up to date calendar or access to a computer, you would have kept it a secret. What business did this lazily written plot device have knowing your birthday?

Like your apartment, you have no idea how he knew.

Nor why he was making a big deal out of it.

“Frankie, for the last time, it’s not that deep. I don’t care about my birthday.” you grumbled, throwing your head back at the rabbit’s jarring refusal to listen.

“But lucky contestant! It is my duty as the host to honour the day you were birthed!” what kind of stupidity was that?

“No, it’s not.” you spat one more time before you walked off. Your thought process must have been hey, if I physically go, he won’t bother anymore, but nope. A few minutes later, he appeared in the doorway and knocked on the wall of the monitor room.

“Special delivery for the contestant.”

You turned around, and your eyelids shrunk. Frankie was holding a tray with a traditional birthday delicacy on it. He set it in front of you.

“What- Where did you get this cake from?” you asked suspiciously, eyeing it: it was in the shape of the contestant mask, however, the cake itself had clean white icing and sprinkles scattered all around it, with the words “Happy happy birthday!” piped in the centre in red calligraphy. You were slightly annoyed by how childish it was, though that annoyance slipped away when you sneakily dipped your finger in the frosting and licked it- the taste of vanilla explodes in your mouth.

Lighter in hand, Frankie began setting the candles’ heads ablaze,”Don’t question miracles, contestant.”

You were enticed by the glowing ovals, like you were ten years old again. It always fascinated you how gentle the fire was like this and how easily it could hurt you if you were too close.

You were about to blow them out, but Frankie stopped you by placing his hand as a buffer zone,“Ah ah, not yet, contestant!” you nearly kissed it.

“Huh? What-“

“No birthday celebration can be certified without the anthem!” he announced mirthfully.

Your face instantly boiled and you shook your hands,“No no, no, please, you don’t need to, I’m okay-“

In the face of your denial, he began, manipulating his voice to be lyrical as that permanent smile matched appropriately,“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to-“

Oh my God-,“No noooo, stop it! Frankie please, you’re embarrassing me.” you whined, covering your face, if only you had enough to cover your ears too.

It was almost like he was on autopilot, because he literally did not react to your pleas,“-you, happy birthday to our lucky contestant!”

“Please stop.” you let out defeated, knowing there was no point in asking when he had one line left.

“Happy birthday to-“ he took a deep breath, before finishing on a long opera style of tone,”You!”

You glanced up, surprised that he was capable of such a voice,”Well damn.” for a moment, you felt inclined to clap.

He gestured to your candles enthusiastically,“Go on, make your wish!”

You silently looked back at the cake, the glowing circles of flame on top of each colourful pieces of wax. The whole thing was hard to sit through, but it was your birthday. This was how you were going to spend it. You were now a year older. 

This setting, you had seen it many times, yet it was still appealing. It was strange how so much could change in such a short span. Your life, from your eyes, was lengthy, but to the universe, it was microscopic. The distance from when you used to be so excited to wear your Wellington boots, rushing home to play on your DS, playing with your kitchen set, wasn’t that long.

You quietly laughed to yourself. There the biggest tragedy was homework.

Ah, easier days.

Easier days that you would never get back. The time of being a little child, whose diet was mainly dino nuggets, who was still learning how to pronounce basic letters, whose biggest worry in the world was why the moon appeared to be chasing the car, was gone. All kinds of memories flooded through... The friends you would never see again after leaving the ball pit, the bouncy castles that your kindergarten hired every year around your birthday, the joy of finally riding the gifted bike without training wheels.

It was a good life, which was buried now. Little (Y/N) was buried. Little (Y/N) was still here, of course, but under the layers of reality checked adolescence and bleak adulthood. You would never be that innocent child again. You always knew that, but the occasion rubbed it in. Each birthday, you’re just gonna get older and older- that is, if the next season doesn’t kill you.

Then your heart tightened. How devastated would (Y/N) be to see you like this... A person who’s grown so numb to all things fun?

No. For the sake of that little child, you’ll live. You’ll appreciate every little thing and you’ll put a little more effort into making your life one worth surviving for.

The flames went extinct.

Frankie clapped, oblivious to your existential reflection,”Bravo! I hope you made your wish wisely, congratulations on seeing a new age! Here’s the knife-“ he handed you a cleaver from nowhere,”Do the honours!”

For a knife so large, it was surprisingly light. Or maybe it was your newfound determination. You grin at the robot, not only for making a big deal of your birthday, but for essentially reminding you of how temporary your life was,“Thanks, Frankie. I’m sorry I was rude earlier.”

He waved dismissively,“Don’t worry about that, contestant! It’s your special day! Now cut the cake, will you? I’m curious about the inside!”

[applestorms]

i was gonna write a more extensive post about this, but. fuck that i have too many points to write proper sentences rn, here's a bullet point list of my review of sonic 3. spoilers, obviously. tl;dr: i'm a hater

maria is fridged to hell and back, she is such a nothing character i have secondhand embarrassment for the writers every time she shows up. maria exists only to smile in flashbacks and lie in the flowers and go, "noooooooooooooooo, shadow :(( you can totally be whatever you want, dude," and then die on the floor. we don't even get to see her getting shot. fucking rip off.

to clarify-- maria absolutely does NOT have to be a fucking dead wife trope incarnate, imo. she can very easily be used that way, yes, but i think doing so also misses the core of her character and what she means for shadow. part of the appeal of the conversations that maria & shadow have on the arc in SA2 comes from the fact that they are characters coming from a very similar position, both being incredibly alienated from the rest of the world/humanity, daydreaming about it more than they are able to interact with it directly. like, come ON, they literally live on a fucking space station, the symbolism does not get that much more obvious?? it is the fact that maria CHOOSES to love humanity anyways, despite being unable to interact with it/live within it, that makes her words meaningful. jesus fucking christ.

anyways, speaking of. shadow has NO arc in this movie (literally and figuratively. did you seriously put the spaceship in Ohio) and it drives me up the wall. perhaps i'm just out of the loop on the Current Shit, but it feels like Nobody knows how to write that guy nowadays :((

not that i could fucking tell anyways in this particular movie from how little he shows up or SPEAKS. LET HIM SPEAAAAAK. i swear to GOD, he interacts w/ the main cast like three (3) fucking times in this entire movie and two of those interactions are fights. if you want those cute, quirky, somewhat cringe sonic/shadow interactions, you're better off watching the trailer plus whatever clips of the final fight inevitably end up on youtube, since that's basically their only real conversations in the entire movie.

the ending falls incredibly flat because of this. in the last movie, we at least had some decent character interactions between sonic & knux which made their fight and eventual team up at the end that much more satisfying. there was something to dig your teeth into, a back-and-forth that was entertaining (by sonic movie standards) but also established who they were, not only why they didn't like each other but how they could eventually bond. you had reason to care about knux, and reason to root for them to fight together!!

instead, here we got a whole lotta nothing. sonic and shadow fight, and it's cool, and it does all the Sick References and wowie yay clapping my hands live & learn blue/red lights cool. epic. yet i'm still left sitting here like WHO IS THIS BITCH??? WHO IS HE?????

fundamentally, the problem with this movie is that it Does Not Know what it's primary storyline is, or even who the main character is, and it falls flat on its fucking face because of it. there is no focus. sonic maybe barely kind of squeezes out an arc about teamwork and believing in your friends (a repetition of the last movie, i would argue, but whatever). eggman gets a much more hefty plotline about coming to terms with family, which i would be able to appreciate a whole lot more if it didn't feel like the only meaningful story arc in the entire fucking movie. robotnik bullshittery should be the B plot guys, come the fuck on. and shadow, of fucking course, gets NOTHING. he stands around looking grumpy and cool (and very cute, the animators did alright, i'll give them that), and emotes jack fucking shit. i know he's not a certified yapper like some people, but come the fuck on, he can still like. say words. right. RIGHT

is this review even comprehensible even more? i don't care, this is driving me insane. are you guys seeing this shit. are you.

this isn't even just me being a shipper and going wahh wahh no sonadow moments. you put those bitches on the poster why are they not talkinggg. even just an argument would be Great. it was like the one thing sonic prime figured out, why is it so empty here.

this also leads to the fundamental issue where i have NO fucking idea why either of them are so chill with each other by the ending. not only do i not know why shadow is so chill with sonic, considering he was just dead set on ending the fucking world to get revenge and one conversation is not enuf to convince me that he would get over it (even the lowkey suicidal tendencies fall somewhat flat for me since AGAIN. NOTHING), but i ALSO don't know why SONIC gives a shit about shadow!! or why he's so happy go lucky about all this!!! dawg he just killed the closest thing you have to a father. as much as i hate the humans in this series, even i have to sit for a minute and go uhh what? there is absolutely NOTHING to make their team up at the end of this emotionally meaningful other than the bland, surface level reaction of Yay Shadow And Sonic On Screen :) like the movie itself simply does not build up their rivalry in a meaningful enough way to make it feel worth it. one conversation can do a lot, but only if you have the build up to MAKE it mean a lot. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh

the ending being almost exactly the same as the beginning thus doesn't surprise me in the slightest cuz like. what else do you do. sonic Does Not have any reason to care about that bitch and neither does anyone else. his actual enemy eggman is presumably dead, so. who cares. a couple good fights then nice knowin' ya man o7 thanks for sacrificing yourself to save the world or whatever

the scene where shadow stalks the individual team members through the remains of their old military base/Ohio Arc stand in or whatever is cool, yes. one single hand clap for that. i like them making him ominous as fuck. but i just-- i need everybody to shut the fuck up for like two seconds so sonic and shadow can talk directly and have a proper fucking conversation before the literal end of the movie, like please just argue or SOMETHING. DO. SOMETHING. MEANING. LIKE A CHARACTER THING. WHO R U

also the eggman/stone shit drives me up the wall. another set of bitch ass writers too scared to make their characters canonically queer, so they bury their gays instead. idfc that they're inevitably going to revive him again, it's still stupid as shit. stone also does nothing in this movie so his internal "conflict" is dumb anyways aaaaskjdflksdjfl smacking my head on the keyboard

there comes a point in this movie where it really does feel like Everything is just about eggman and gerald. tails and knux stop being meaningful characters with personalities outside of quips by approximately the chao garden. sonic's weird human parents aren't even given a meaningful storyline outside of the one time that shadow punches him when they try to set up some miscommunication bullshit or whatever at the end. sonic and shadow fight but even that gets interrupted by... whatever the hell they were doing??? again, all of this would be way less aggravating if those scenes were able to fulfill their actual purpose: side bullshit funnie stuff to break up the serious scenes of the main plotline. unfortunately, this movie thinks a flashback to the traveling wilburys is sufficient to make its main character a complex, nuanced person. face in hands

seriously. why is that scene of eggman & gerald telling stone & shads to get back in the crab a microcosm of this entire film. orz

also also, before someone bitches at me for not paying close enough attention to [x] specific detail or whatever-- anything that you can easily miss on a first watch through should Not be integral to the plot of a movie. istg, i write scripts, i know how this shit works. if your audience can't figure out the emotional arc of a character after one watch, you have fundamentally failed your job as a writer. a flashback is not sufficient character writing, jfc.

and really, that's what it all comes down to, isn't it? the writing. it's always the Fucking writing with these movies. the animation here is, for the most part, fantastic, the voice acting is decent at worst, even the awkwardness of a half-human cast is somewhat smoothed over. yet the writing for these movies never fucking improves-- the jokes are still cringe at best, the references are blunt and unnatural, and the characters. have. no. arc.

perhaps it was somewhat inevitable that we end up at this point. this movie series has already been building up an entire universe of Other Bullshit, and it is here that we feel a lot of that crashing back down. the shelf could only stand up for so long.

i suppose in conclusion, my main takeaway from this movie is that it is an adaptation that fails. it does not understand who its characters are or what they want, it does not know why people connected to the characters it attempts to introduce on an emotional level, and it does not know how to make its own confusing lore work with all of the new details.

[mediqal]

Toji x reader hcs because why not and this is my first fanfic ever omg clap it up😊

Im trying to see if I would actually like doing this or not, but anyways enough chit-chat, Enjoy!🤪

Mostly Fluff, first headcannon, is slightly suggestive. Feedback is appreciated!

•Toji is IN FACT the type of guy who stares at your chest the whole time you're talking. You always have to remind yourself to look at your eyes and that it's rude to do that. And just when he starts to look up, 0.2 seconds, his eyes drop back down. You lost count of how many times you had to smack him across the face.

•Certified Crop duster. Will do it public, so when you make a comment about a smell, he'll say some shit like "whoever smelt it, delt". He'll also sometimes flat-out blame you for it.

•He will take pictures of you sleeping, sometimes, he'll take a selfie with himself posing, and you in the background. Sometimes takes videos you sleeping, just so he can make fun of your snoring and drooling later.

•He ADORES picking you up, whether bridal style, piggy back ride, or he'll just throw you over his shoulder.

•Tickling. He has a thrill tickling you. Especially when you try to ignore him, it's his go to, he just picks up and tosses you on the bed, using one arm to pin yours above your head, and uses his other to tickle your sides. You try to hard to keep a straight face, but when he goes slower, you can't hold yourself.He only stops when you laugh, squeal, or speak, finally satisfied.

•Loves mocking/mimicking you. If you're on the phone, he always mouth the words you're say, or if you make a snide comment, he pictches up his voice to copy you.

He's our little crop duster <3

[hyuge]

Oddities and Curiosities

“What, pray tell, do you think you’re doing in here?” Kuya clicked his tongue at the uninvited guest in his home.

Blade spun on his heel with one of Kuya’s knickknacks in hand. A bright smile flashed across his face, exposing his pointed teeth, and he held the palm-sized orb up into the light. “Ku-Ku! This is very pretty. I like how it sparkles in the light.”

Kuya snapped his fingers and the glass ball disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, reappearing in Kuya’s hand. “What are you doing in my home? Touching my things?”

“Ah.” Blade glanced out the window. “I was helping Darling in the forest, and we got separated. I thought maybe he wandered over here since we weren’t too far away.”

Kuya followed his gaze to the window. The flowers were in bloom around his small home and their fragrant aroma wafted in through the opening. “As you can see, he didn’t come here. You should probably go find the young master before he inevitably hurts himself again. He always seems to get into trouble when unsupervised.”

“Ku-Ku cares about Darling~ a lot!” Blade clapped his hands together. “You probably already know where he is too!”

Kuya huffed and folded his arms across his chest. “He’s in the village. No one steps into my territory without my knowledge.”

“I knew it!” Blade’s smile grew impossibly wider, and he crossed the room in two strides. He slipped his arm around Kuya’s, linking them together and gave a gentle tug. “Let’s go find Darlingtogether!”

“Why would I want to do that?” Kuya cocked a brow and moved to pull his arm free, but Blade’s grip was firm.

“Because Ku-Ku always wants to bully Darling, and Darling is cute when he gets embarrassed.”

Kuya tossed the orb onto his bed. The insides shimmered with a glittering cloud of turquoise smoke. Blade eyed it before dragging Kuya out of the cabin.

“Ku-Ku really does have such interesting odds and ends. There was a strange essence coming from that ball.”

“If you care about it that much, maybe I’ll show you what it does next time. Though, you’ll have to earn it.”

“Oh?” Blade’s curiosity was piqued. “Does it hurt?”

“It does indeed.”

“Exciting!”

Kuya shook his head. The android was an anomaly he would never begin to understand. Blade was always eager to please, just like some of the rest of them, but in a more innocent manner. How Eiden managed to turn a certified killing machine into such a gentle creature was beyond him.

Young Master’s sex skills are average at best. That couldn’t have been what did the trick, Kuya thought to himself as they walked. He could have made it to the village faster on his own with his magic, but Blade insisted on hanging on him.

“Ku-Ku’s thinking dirty thoughts~.”

Blade’s sing-song voice pulled him back and Kuya rolled his eyes. “I want to test something later.”

“Sure thing!”

A gift for Lee and @tellmewhatyouc.

You can also read it on AO3.

[eddiernunson]

Trapped | Eddie Munson | Part 9

Prev part | Master Post | Next Part

All parts are listed on all other parts. I'm tired.

Pairing: Eddie x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 17.9k

Warning: Cringey writing in which you are now written into the canon of the show. I gotta admit, it was a weird balance to wonder where the character would take a line from someone else, and when to give the character their own. Sorry, no smut. I tried to write one scene but it felt so out of place.

Authors Note: I desperately tried to capture the essence of the scenes. If you're wondering why you would read something you have already watched, that's fair. But if you want to see how she would fit in to the season 4's storyline then stay tuned!

I added one or two of my own scenes but it was only for it fill in those plot holes.

(There's not much Eddie in this part, it only goes up to the end of Dear Billy. Get fuckin ready next part.)

Chapter 9

Chapter One: Hellfire Club

In the middle of the cheerleaders dancing and the crowd’s loud cheering and show of school spirit, somehow Dustin and Mike had managed to get into another argument based on who’s girlfriend is better. Eddie would interject and decidedly win their argument each time, but he wasn’t there to claim you for the title.

“Look, I’m not saying that my girlfriend is better than yours. It’s just that Suzie’s like, a certified genius.” Dustin continues, yelling loudly over the band music.

“You do realize El saved the world twice, right?” Mike retorts, referring to his most used argument, attempting to somewhat pay attention to the cheerleaders.

“And yet you still have a C in Spanish.” Dustin answers, and Mike glares at him annoyed.

“Shut up.” You tell the two of them, done with the argument for the millionth time. “Both your girlfriends are cool. Just watch the pretty cheerleaders like normal people.”

Just in time, the music ends and one of the male cheerleaders ends with a final flip. The announcer comes on the speaker, yelling, “And let’s hear it for your Tigers!”

A group of teenage boys run through the giant banner lead by the ever-resented Jason Carver. You roll your eyes as he charismatically looks around the gym, putting on a show.

Mike and Dustin politely clap, attempting to show some inkling of support for their best friend. Anyone who was watching would be able to tell their hearts weren’t in it. They weren’t; they still didn’t understand why Lucas was on the team in the first place.

“Good morning, Hawkins High!” Jason yells into the microphone placed in front of him. He saunters from the stand, successfully putting all the attention onto him. “First off… hey. First off, I’d like to thank each and every one of you. Without your support, we wouldn’t be here. Give yourselves a big hand.”  He starts. And the crowd is eating it up already. As always, you’re left wondering how no one can see right through him.

You see Lucas waving awkwardly, and watch his eyesight to Max, who decidedly ignores him. Ouch.

“And of course, of course, I have to give a special shout-out to the best and the prettiest fans of all time, the Tiger Cheer Squad.” Jason continues and creepily makes eye contact with who you supposed was Chrissy. The two have been dating longer than you and Eddie were, but somehow the idea of Jason with someone as sweet as her made you feel nauseous. “Chrissy…” he pats his chest twice, ugh, “Chrissy, I love you, babe.”

Your eyes meet the back of your head and you didn’t realize going to support Lucas would be this painful. Maybe you should’ve gone to Eddie’s house for the morning.

Jason starts backing off away from the Squad and a serious aura radiates off him. Not because he seems sympathetic or genuinely serious, but because he made such a big show of it. “You know…” he starts, looking down, as if seriously considering how to approach whatever bullshit he was about to say. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say it’s been a tough year for Hawkins. So much loss.” The air of the gym becomes heavy with the unspoken in Hawkins. “And sometimes I wonder, ‘How much loss can one community take?’ In dark takes like this, we need something to believe in. So, last night, when we were down by ten points at half to Christian Academy, I looked at my team, and I said, ‘Think of Jack. Think of Melissa. Think of Heather. Think of Billy.’”

Oh, this asshole. You look at Max, and it seems the crowd around you and her had decided the same. You bump into her, letting her know you were right there, and she offers you a fraction of a smile.

“’Think about our heroic police chief, Jim Hopper. Think about every one of our friends who perished in that fire. What did they die for?’” You, Dustin, and Mike were all shooting daggers at him for making light of a fucking tragedy the four of you had to face. “’For us to lose to some crap school? No!’”

Several people around you shout No back to him, all eating this right up. “’For us to return home with our heads hung low in defeat? No!’”

“NO!” More people in the crowd shout back to him.

“’No. Let’s win this game. Let’s win this game for them.’ And that’s exactly what we did!” The crowd goes wild, as if he didn’t just name and use the tragedy of the mall fire to get them going. You sit in stunned silence next to Mike and Dustin, neither of whom had anything to say about it, either. “We embarrassed those candy-asses in their own house, and now tonight, tonight, we’re gonna bring home the championship trophy!”

The crowd roars, and it’s a very successful prep rally, all thanks to Jason’s ability to make a compelling speech.

“Tonight?” Mike asks, leaning into Dustin.

“How is that possible?” Dustin adds, also in dismay.

“They call it a tournament. You win one game, you go on until there’s only one team left.” Max speaks over you, knowing what Dustin was asking but still answering it, nevertheless.

“You really don’t pay attention, do you boys?” You ask, seeing this coming a mile away. “I warned you Lucas would need to find a replacement, but no one listens to the girlfriend.”

Mike watches as Lucas excitedly high-fives his teammates, getting pumped for the nights game. You stretch your neck out next to him, excited to leave the evil clutches of Jason Carver.

-

You made your way from the gym to your classes, being lightly annoyed as the day seemed to crawl on by. Eddie picks you up from your third period, arms crossed and bent at a slight curve against his new favourite locker to wait for you at. You smile at him as the hustle of the crowd engulfs you, the Friday seeming more busier than normal. You wondered if you were imagining the excitement on his face and the energy running through him.

You made your way to the cafeteria, being some of the first students to sit down. As Eddie sits, he pulls out a magazine with “D and D: The Devil’s Game” on the opened page of it. “Doing another dramatic reading?” You ask, hiking your arms bent around his neck from behind him.  

“Oh you know it, sweetheart.” He smiles up at you maniacally, and puckers up for a kiss. You lean down to kiss him, and he pulls away suddenly. “Oh shit, you’ll never guess who asked for a deal after school today. Like, never. In a million years.”

You narrow your eyes at him, wondering how far fetched his new customer could’ve been. “I give up.”

“Chrissy Cunningham.” He states, and your eyes go wide. “I know. I fucking know.”

“Holy shit. Please tell me how it goes. Like I want to know everything.” You ask, knowing Chrissy usually tends to stay away from anything remotely unwholesome.

“Don’t even need to ask, sweetheart.” He comments, starting to dig in the raisins sitting in his tin.

You give him a kiss on the forehead as some band members start to arrive at the table. “I gotta go, baby. I asked for extra help because chemistry is biting my ass this semester.”

“Speaking of biting your ass,” Eddie starts as you pull away, pinching your butt as you walk passed his table, saying hi to the Hellfire members sporting their matching shirts on the way. You roll your eyes at him, mouthing the words I love you, and start to make your way to the chemistry classroom.

As you make your way down the hallway, Dustin and Mike corner you and you blink at them awkwardly. “Make Eddie move Hellfire club.” Dustin starts, his tone not asking but demanding.

“I, hi to you too?” You ask, switching your eyes between the two of them.

“Yeah, whatever. Make him switch the days. We tried to reason with Lucas, but he wouldn’t budge.” Mike complains, attempting to persuade you.

You laugh, purely out of pity. “Oh, you poor things. You really think he’s gonna move the finale he’s been rambling on about to me for months for a basketball game? You know how he loathes literally anything Jason is involved with and that now includes basketball. He won’t budge.”

“Which is why we thought you could do it” Dustin explains unhelpfully.

“Yeah, I got that part.” You whisper, squinting your eyes at them. “I’m not cleaning up your mess. You do it.” You move passed where they’re blocking you off, smirking at their stunned faces. “Besides, I’m going to the game.”

-

After you walk to an empty classroom with your teacher gone to lunch you make your way back to the cafeteria, where you’re greeted by your boyfriend tossing yet even more fruits to the poor soul that had suggested he postponed the Cult of Vecna. Not that you saw it coming from a mile away, but again, no one listens to the girlfriend.

Rather than interrupt them, you watched as he seemingly couldn’t sit still, waddling around the cafeteria and claimed he was gonna flip Principal Higgins off. You rolled your eyes in adoration, knowing the bullshit that Gareth and Josh had called had some truth behind it.

“Yeah, yeah, and I was full of shit. This year’s different. This year is my year. I can feel it. ’86, baby.” He claims, and your breath hitches out of excitement to get the hell out of there with him. Eddie then crouches down next to them, letting them know they were the future of Hellfire. Hell, you knew he was planning on giving the head role to Dustin since October. As he effortlessly manhandles them by their shirts and pushes them to go find a replacement for Lucas, you gulp at the demonstration of his strength.

You finally walk up to him as he watches them stutter their way through a table, the group all denying the invitation off the bat. “You really needed to be that rough with them?” You ask him, watching the two with him.

“No. It certainly got the depth of the situation in their hands, and this way we’ll actually have a replacement for him.” Eddie says quietly, placing his arm around you.

“Always have an answer, don’t you?” You ask, leaning up for a kiss, much to the negative jarring of the members behind you.

“Always.”

-

As the day passes, Dustin and Mike run around like headless chickens asking people from every club if they would join. You meet your boyfriend after school right by your locker to give him a final kiss as you wouldn’t see him until tomorrow. “Hey, call me tomorrow morning, won’t you?” You ask, grabbing his hand as he starts to leave.

He gets tugged back to you, albeit a bit more dramatically than necessary.  “Of course. I’ll come pick you up and spill all the dirt, don’t you worry, love. Now, I am a bit late to meet her and I don’t need her thinking I ditched.” He gives you a kiss, and there’s some finality to it.

“Love you!” You call to him, and he turns around and shouts it back before running out the door to catch Chrissy.

You make your way home to get ready for the big game and you wonder who Dustin and Mike had managed to get, or if they were truly fucked.

Your phone rings as you finish getting ready for the game, starting to get everything you needed together to leave the house. “L/N Residence.” You answer half-heartedly, barely paying attention to your phone call.  

“Hey, sweetheart.” Eddie replies, presumably using the payphone at the school. “She wanted something stronger, and I don’t usually carry Special K at school, ya know? She’ll be stopping by my place after the game tonight.” Great, there goes any hope you had of spending the night over at his place tonight.

“Oh, okay.” You try to hide your jealousy of Chrissy going to your boyfriend’s house, despite knowing there’s a zero percent chance of anything happening. “Wait, why does she want special K?” You ask, wondering for what reasons she could have other than partying after the big game.

“She asked me if I ever felt like I was going crazy. I don’t know what’s going on with this girl, but I think she’s going through something.” Eddie admits, and you can hear the seriousness of his voice.

“Has to be, to date Jason Carver,” you mutter under your breath.

“Be nice.” He tells you, and it feels weird to be on the other side of this statement, something you usually have to tell Eddie.

“I just wanted to be the girl over at your house tonight, is all.” You joke, and he laughs before letting you go with an I love you.

You and a good portion of Hawkins make your way back to the school to cheer on the basketball team in their attempt at the Championship.

You sit by yourself but at a position where you can clearly see both Robin and Steve, something they have chosen to do to give each other side eyes at the games, and you only just joined their escapades, complaining you felt left out as they joked about it at work.

The band’s final song comes to the end, and Mr. Higgins comes to the front of the microphone, saying “Everyone now please rise for our national anthem. Singing us tonight, we have a very special guest. All the way from Nashville, our very own Tammy Thompson!”

As the crowd goes crazy the three of you catch each other’s eyes, incredulous at the random appearance of Robin’s old crush. The crowd goes to silent, and Tammy starts singing into the microphone off-key.

“Told you. Muppet.” You watch Steve mouth to Robin.

Robin switches her glance down to you, and you barely hold your laughter in, your mouth just holding back a smile. You nod in agreement, finally hearing the similarities.

“Okay she does sound like a Muppet.” Robin finally admits.

Little did you know in the drama club Eddie refuses to take Erica as a suitable sub, only accepting her for days they have all their team members. It only takes moments of Erica ripping him to shreds to formally welcome to her into the club as a member, immediately seeing her potential.

The game kicks off and the Tigers are really having a rough time staying on top of the opposing team, Jason yelling at his team to stay on top of them. Finally when one of their members end up falling to the floor injured Lucas is called to play off the bench for the first time since he joined the team and things get exciting from there.

Life imitates art and both Hellfire and the game were in their homestretch, being a matter of every decision counting.

Every one was on edge in the gym watching as the two teams remain neck in neck, neither one of them able to gain a strong enough lead to take a breather. Tigers need a time out.

Lord Vecna in Eddie’s carefully constructed finale is taking out members of Hellfire one by one to where only Erica and Dustin are left over, and they need their own time out.

Eddie offers an out, knowing damn well when given the offer it just puts fuel onto Dustin’s fire of spite. “There’s no shame in running. Don’t try to be heroes. Not today, ‘kay?” His challenge hits the right spot, and they land perfectly into his trap.

As the team takes a time out, you look up at Steve, curious to how his date is going. He solemnly shakes his head, letting you know it was not going well.

The team shoots, and the balls misses, creating the crowd to call for rebound. Lucas grabs the ball, making a three pointer at the last second, and everyone watches in baited breath as the ball hits the rim, the backboard, and finally into the net. The crowd goes wild, and you’re reminded why it’s cool to attend a game every now and again.

Across the school, the members of Hellfire are celebrating their unforeseen success against Eddie’s long awaited finale to a semester long campaign, a natural 20 landing when they needed it the most. You run up to the group, asking all of them how it went. “Dude, Erica slayed him!” Josh exclaims, high fiving her with much more ferocity than he intended.

As the night ends, your mom asking how the game went and asked why you weren’t at Eddie’s like you thought you might’ve been. You tell her you were both too tired to really hang out, and it’s a lame enough excuse but she doesn’t press on.

You go to sleep after a shower, refreshed and ready to see him in the morning before work, wearing one of his t-shirts that still had his strong scent on it.

Across town, Eddie was snapping his fingers at a girl who’s eyes had whitened over, seemingly unaware of her surroundings. Like she was already on something.

As she was lifted into the air, Eddie stared up at her, mind empty in fear of something he couldn’t see.

Her bones snap. Her eyes get pulled, and Eddie can’t get the sound of his head as he runs to his van.

His life would never be the same, and neither will yours.

Chapter 2: Vecna’s Curse

Your alarm snaps you out of a deep sleep, and once you gain your bearings and finally wake up, your mind is clouded in confusion as to why you weren’t woken by your boyfriend calling as he promised. He barely forgets to call, and when he did it was for a good reason. You rub your eyes, stretching from head to toe and you figure you’re just overthinking it and he probably fell asleep, and you prepare yourself to get ready for work.

As you make your way into work, already decently busy due to the Saturday before break, Robin and Steve are in the middle of a squabble which you can feel yourself getting dragged into. You put your hands as if to surrender yourself from the conversation, and it works only momentarily, leaving you to work on the big ass return pile in peace.

Your peace lasted about all of ten minutes. Robin practically skips to where you’re stationed at the counter doing rewinds, asking if you had wanted to hear how Vicki and her finally said more than a simple hello to one another on the bleachers after an agonizing semester of hearing her pluck up the courage.

Steve often called you a hypocrite for making fun of Robin for it, but you had to admit it was so much fun on the other side of it.

“Then Vicki laughed. And it wasn’t like a cheap, fake laugh either. It was like…It was a real, genuine laugh.” She emphasized, barely leaving Steve alone for two minutes as she explained it to the two of you.

“Of course. It’s my Muppet joke. It’s hilarious.” Steve mutters, claiming all the responsibility for their first genuine interaction, as per the norm.

You laugh out loud, causing Robin to shoot a glare back to you and it dies in your mouth as soon as she makes eye contact. She turns back to face Steve, and you suddenly don’t feel like she’s telling you anymore. “My point is that Vicki laughed, and everything was just like…it was just perfect.”

“But?” Steve asks, egging her on.

“But I’m having this problem, where it’s like I should stop talking. I have said everything that I need to say. But then I guess I get nervous, and the words keep spilling out, and it’s like my…my brain is moving faster than my mouth, or…or rather my… my mouth is moving faster than my brain.” Steve positions himself against one of the shelves, witching a look back at you as the two of you watch her unravel. “And I’m digging this hole for myself, and I want to stop digging, I’m trying to stop, but I can’t. And I’m doing it right now, aren’t I?”  

Steve and you share another look, fond and non-judgemental. “Yeah, you are.” He says, gentle.

“Oh, I’m hopeless.” Robin stares, backing up into the light up poster.

“Eh.” Steve shrugs, backing up next to her. “We both are.”

You watch them, leaning on the counter right in front of them, both pitying and emphasizing with them. How was it possible that the two that give you the most advice are the two that are the most lost?

Robin looks over, and you can tell she has a crazy idea. “If only we could just, like, combine.”

“Combine?” You ask for Steve, and they didn’t even realize you had still been listening.

“Yeah!” She and Steve make their way back to the counter. “Think about it. I know exactly what I want. I have found the girl of my dreams but I can’t get the courage to ask her out.” She places a hand on Steve’s shoulder both speaking about him and to him. “Meanwhile, he goes out on a million dates, and he has no idea what he wants.”

“Am I not still right here?” Steve asks to you, shaking his head.

“So if we just combined,” Robin continues, ignoring him, “all our problems would be solved. Because, I mean, alone, let’s face it…”

“We totally suck.” Steve finishes for her, blunt and in acceptance.

“Totally and utterly.” Robin agrees, the same sentiment.

“I mean I wasn’t gonna say it but as long as you two are aware I think that’s a good first step.” You smirk, moving back to your tasks.

“Ooh, I think I know our morning movie.” Robin perks up, going to grab it. “Doctor Zhivago.”

“Ugh. You know I don’t do double VHS.” Steve dismisses it off the bat.

“But it’s about doomed love.” Robin says, holding the tape like a teddy bear.

“Oh well, that’s relatable.” Steve sighs, starting to push the return cart more.

“Precisely.” Robin concludes. “Put ‘er in, there, sweetheart.” She hands the tape to you, and you roll your eyes as they have insisted on using Eddie’s nicknames for you lately. You start to look for the remote and can’t seem to find it. “Also, Julie Christie is b-b-bonkers hot in this. Like, seriously, the most beautiful creature I have seen in my life. Hey. Movie?” Robin asks you, pointing to the screen.

“Remote?” You ask her in the same tone.

“Oh right.” She yanks it out of her pocket, forgetting she had placed it there after misplacing the damn thing all morning.

The tv is turned on and you’re immediately greeted by the morning news broadcast. “We’re in the Forest Hills trailer park in east Roane County.” You were listening to the tv report, reading the back of a  movie you hadn’t heard of yet. You just miss as Eddie’s trailer leaves the background of the news reporter, but your ears perk up at his trailer park.

“Shit, that’s the park where Eddie and Max live.” You comment, moving up next to Robin and Steve.

 “We don’t have a lot of details now, but we can confirm that the body of a Hawkins High student was discovered early this morning. Police have not released the name-”

“Holy shit.” Steve comments, and the reporter continues.

“although we are told they’re currently in the process of notifying the family.”

Your breathing grows shallower, as you take in the crowds at the trailer park and you swear up and down you hope it was one of his neighbours, but it looked. It looked like Eddie’s trailer.

“Fuck.”

-

As you’re internally freaking out, you fall dead silent at work with Robin and Steve barely able to yank out about what’s got your jeans all jangled up, Max is ringing on Dustin’s doorbell, out of breath, and panicked.

“Chrissy Cunningham?” He asks, in disbelief. Eddie was barely seen dealing to the cheerleaders, they seemed to steer away from him. “You sure it was Chrissy?”

“She was in her cheerleader outfit. Same thing she was in when I saw her with Eddie.” Max responds, backing her evidence.

Dustin continues to pace, “Did you tell any of this to the cops?”

“No. No, but I…I can’t be the only one who saw them together. Eddie and Y/N were weird at first, but now they’re just together. These two stood out.”

“Eddie the freak, with Chrissy the cheerleader?” Dustin clarified, still wrapping his head around it.

“Exactly. You know, his name’s not in the news, yet or anything, but I guarantee you Eddie is suspect one now.”  She informs him, trying to make Dustin understand the gravity of the situation.

“That’s crazy. Eddie didn’t do this. No way.” Dustin claims, and he knows for a fact you would’ve fought Max on it. “No. Way.” Dustin repeats when Max gives him a look of disbelief.

“Well, we can’t rule it out.” Max claims, having seen the scene and knowing being the only last witness to see them together doesn’t look good for them.

“Yes, we can.” Dustin interjects.

“Dustin!”

“You don’t know him like I do, Max. Okay? When we got to high school, Lucas made all his sports friends. Mike and me? No one was nice to us. No one except Eddie. Besides, you really think Y/N would willingly date him for months if she thought there was a chance he could murder someone?” Dustin argues, making a case for Eddie.

“Okay. Well, they said the same shit about Ted Bundy. Yeah, he’s a super nice guy, but then he’s murdering women on the weekend. Plus, he had a girlfriend.” Max retaliates, and she’s only pointing out how bad it looks for him.

“So, you’re saying Eddie is like Ted Bundy?”

“No, I’m not saying- I’m saying that we can’t presume anything, okay? But it doesn’t look good for Eddie.”

Dustin sighs, falling onto his bed. He thinks about this for a second, and a thought occurs to him. “Why haven’t you told the cops this?

“I-I don’t know.” Max says, crossing her arms defensively.

“You don’t know?” Dustin asks, egging her on for more answers.

Max sighs, and the final thing she had witnessed that has been haunting her finally has to come out. “After I saw Eddie and Chrissy go into the trailer…something else happened. Nothing that weird or anything. I mean.. Eddie always drives like a maniac and the power goes off at my place all the time. It’s a piece of shit. But..this morning, I started to think back, and… I don’t know. The look on his face. He was scared, Dustin. Really scared. Maybe he was scared because, you know, he had just killed someone, or, maybe he um.. maybe… because… I don’t… I don’t know, maybe…”

“Something else killed her.” Dustin finishes off the sentence she was too afraid to admit out loud.

Max nods to him, confirming what she was hypothesizing. “But that’s impossible. Right?”

“I don’t know.” Dustin admits. “It should be. Only one person knows what actually happened.”

“Eddie.”

“Have you talked to anyone else?” Dustin asks, heading out the door with Max to figure out a plan.

“No. I can’t find Lucas or Nancy and Mike’s in-”

“California, shit, shit, shit.” Dustin’s mom calls for them as they leave, and Dustin shuts the door on her anyway, letting her know they’ll be safe. “Million-dollar question.” Dustin adds as they both grabbed their bikes. “Where is Y/N?”

“Her mom said she was working this morning. I don’t think the police have stopped by her house to ask her questions yet, or even if they have gotten that far. I don’t know if she even knows.” Max answers, holding her bike as they discuss the pros and cons of telling you themselves.

“We need to stop by to see if she might know where he would be hiding, anyways.  If she doesn’t know, we can use their phones to call around and ask.” Dustin figures and they finally figure a plan as they hop on their bikes.

Dustin goes over the scenario in his head. On one hand, if Eddie didn’t do it, it means the Upside Down wasn’t destroyed and they have another war to win. On the other hand, if Eddie did do it, he didn’t think that was any better.

-

As Dustin and Max arrive to Family Video, the news is still running in on the background and you’ve gone dead silent, silently wishing for any sign of Eddie, a phone call, a mid-shift visit, anything that will tell you you’re just losing it.

Robin and Steve have given up on getting you to speak, unsure of what’s got you so unsettled and wondering if they should send you home.

“Hey, guys. Y/N here?”

“You see this?” Steve points to the news, still watching.

“Is she here?”

“Someone was murdered.” Steve interrupts.

“Y/N. Is. She. Here?” Dustin emphasizes, and Robin points down the store to where you’re silently working on restocking the returned movies and fighting an anxiety attack.

“Wait, guys she has been silent since the news broke out you won’t get much out of her, what do you need out of her anyway?” Steve asks, following them to where they have crowded you.

You look up to see Dustin and Max, and you can already tell the gut feeling has been correct. “You saw the trailer the police are at?” Dustin starts tentatively, and you nod your head at him and your stomach plummets into the depths of the earth. “Do you know where he might be?”

Your head shakes no, and Steve feels like he had just heard you speak two languages at once. “Wait, what is going on? Who?”

“How many phones do you have?” Dustin asks, interrupting his questions.

“Two, why?” Steve answers, confused to how this was relevant.

“Technically three, if you count Keith’s.” Robin adds.

“Three works.” Max comments, and Dustin runs back to the front counter, Steve annoyed as he seemingly chases him around the store. Curiously you follow them, still silent but somehow the confirmation making you feel both better and ten times worse.

“What are you doing?” Steve asks, watching as Dustin throws his backpack off and over the counter. “Whoa, what are you-”

“My pile!” Robin yells.

“No, no, no! My tapes! Dude.” Steve yells as Dustin’s maneuver to throw himself over the counter meets some casualties. “What are you doing, man?”

“Setting up base of operations here.” Dustin answers, instantly starting on the computer.

“Base of operations?” Robin asks.

“Get off.” Steve attempts to shoo him.

“I need it.” Dustin claims.

You watch from the counter, not quite understanding what it had to do with Eddie or his trailer yet.

“For what?” Steve demands.

“Eddie’s friends’ phone numbers.” Dustin answers, not actually telling a single lick of his plan. You start to understand, walking around to where he’s sitting and watch him work through the computer.

“Ah, what do you have to get it from here, why can’t you get it from him?”

“Seriously, you guys, maybe on a Monday you can play around, but it’s a Saturday. It’s our busiest day.” Robin answers, cleaning up the mess Dustin tore up on his way into the counter.

“Robin, I emphasize, but this cannot wait.” Dustin drones out, starting to write down numbers of the other club members from Hellfire.

“Oh my god.” Steve mutters, rubbing his hands on his face in stress.

“Calling Eddie’s friends is an emergency?” Robin sarcastically announces, annoyed.

“Correct!” Dustin yells, not having explained anything but still annoyed they haven’t understood yet.

“Want me to strangle him or you want to?” Steve asks Robin, sharing the annoyance.

“We could take turns.” She jokes.

Dustin turns to face Max, body tense and erratic. “Can you fill them in while I do this?”

“Fill us in on what?” Robin asks, still mad confused.

“I think I get it.” You mutter, leaning up against the counter.

“She speaks.” Robin peeps out, and suddenly they’re all facing you.

“You’re looking for him, aren’t you?.” You pipe out, pleading with her by staring directly into her eyes.

You look up to Steve’s eyes and finally tell them what had you dead silent. “It was his trailer they were at. Either Chrissy is the dead student and he’s a person of interest, or worse, much worse, he is.” You look to Max for confirmation, and she neither confirms nor denies.

“Well, more or less.” Max starts and goes into what she had told Dustin not half an hour before.

-

At family video, after hearing Max’s recount of what she had seen the night before, it made you feel both miles better and worse. Underneath the hope that Eddie was just sleeping in for the morning you knew it was unlike him to not at least get a hold of you. Somehow this tiny bit of knowledge whisked you back into shape, realizing it does no one, especially Eddie, any good if you freeze up now.

Three of you were manning the phones while two manned the shop to make sure it still ran smoothly.

“Have you seen or heard from Eddie recently?” Was the most common question being asked, and as you made phone calls to his friends, they were all confused to why you were calling them but were sympathetic when they all answered no.

“Reefer Rick? No. Does this Reefer Rick have a last name? I mean, it’s kind of…” Max is on the phone, and as you over hear the conversation while crossing off another name, you wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself.

Rick was in jail; it was the perfect hiding spot.

“Hey guys, I might have a lead.” Max says, seemingly optimistic.

“Seriously?” Dustin asks, almost ready to give up.

“Yeah, apparently Eddie gets drugs from a guy named Reefer Rick, and sometimes Eddie crashes there.” You laugh without humour, hearing the musings of someone who didn’t know Eddie at all.

“That sounds promising where does Reefer Rick live?” Robin asks, and their eyes all turn to you, standing off to the side as you watch almost as a bystander.

“Y/N, you know where Reefer Rick lives?” Dustin asks, carefully approaching you.

You shrug, smiling sadly. “No idea. I just know he had a place on Lover’s Lake. Eddie got his supplies from him until he got arrested last month. It would be the perfect place for him to hide.”

“Cool. Does he have a last name?” Dustin asks, seeking a possible solution.

“No one knows.” You say, and Max nods her head in agreement, the same thing Gareth had told her on the phone.

“Bet the cops know the last name.” Steve comments, working with the discount bins and reorganizing them.

“What?” Max asks.

“Cops.” Steve states, still working. The four of you look at him in disbelief to see if Steve was actually suggesting what you had thought he was. “I mean, listen, if this Reefer Rick is actually a drug dealer, and was arrested last month, then he’s in the system.” Steve states, leaning onto the counter.

“The cops?” You ask in disbelief, and sometimes you remember how dense Steve was at times. “Really, Steve? That’s your suggestion?”

“I think they should be filled in on what we know, what’s going on.” Steve admits, and got a fraction of a point. None of you knew it was anything supernatural at this point, but if it were, then going to the cops would be bad news.

“Oh, you think Eddie’s guilty, don’t you?” Dustin asks, and your eyes widen, that doesn’t even occur to you that Steve might be thinking along those lines.

“Whoa. I believe in innocent until proven guilty, all that constitutional shit. I just, you know. Don’t think we can rule it out.” Steve admits as he casually rubs his arms together.

Your jaw locks and you give Steve a hard look. “If you think for a second that he is capable of this then you clearly aren’t as much as I friend to us as I thought you were.” You state, and there’s a guilty flash across Steve’s face. “Ruling it out is precisely what we’re trying to do.”

“And maybe we’d have a little bit more luck if you spent less time trying to find a girlfriend and more time trying to find Eddie.” Dustin adds.

Max looks at you in concern as you continue to grovel in anger at Steve. You shrug half heartedly, but the anger would sit with you for a minute.

“Somebody has to attend to the customers.” Steve obnoxiously states.

“Especially if they’re babes right?” Robin jokes, winking.

“Hey, that’s not fair, alright. I attend to all the customers equally, babes and non-babes alike.” you watch him with raised eyebrows behind him as someone literally walks in the door, unnoticed by him. “We have a very big selection in here.” Steve starts on a rant, and you, Dustin, and Max share a look of disbelief as he bullshits his way through defending himself. “It can be super overwhelming for people.”

This sets off bells in Robin’s head, and you love when she gets the light up in her eyes in a crisis. It’s always a good sing. “Yeah, it can be.”

Robin moves to the computer, taking the lead.

“What are you doing?” Max asks, wanting to know how much of an idea Robin had.

“Maybe we don’t need a last name.” You and Steve both join her at the computer, both aware of how your workplace’s system managed. She types it in and a bell dings as a list of Ricks cross on the computer. “Twelve Ricks have accounts here.”

“Lot of Ricks.” Max deadpans.

“So, let’s narrow it down. Rick Alderman’s latest rentals are Annie and Dumbo. Chances our drug dealer has a family?” She asks, sarcastic.

“Not likely.” Max comments the obvious.

“Alright, Rick Conroy. Sixteen Candles, Teen Wolf, Romancing the Stone.” All of you collectively agree No before she can even finish the list. “Okay, Rick Joiner. Mask, Footloose, and Grease.”

“Nah.” The group groans out, still a definite no.

Robin moves down the list of Ricks. “Rick Kimbrough. The Blue Lagoon and Splash.” You all laugh at it, a hell no.

“Definitely not”

“No way.”

“Okay, Rick Lipton. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie, Cheech and Chong’s Nice Dreams, Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke.” The list just got better and better, and you remember Eddie describing Rick’s heroes being Cheech and Chong.

“Bingo” you laugh, and narrowly avoid Steve as he laughs next to you.

“Lipton?” Max confirms.

“Spelled like the tea. 2121 Holland Road.”

“That’s out by Lover’s Lake, right where you said it was.” Dustin comments, making eye contact with you.

“Middle of nowhere.” Max adds.

“It’s a perfect place to hide.” Robin concludes, and you all pack up shop, locking the door behind you, to take off because if you didn’t leave by now, you wouldn’t be there until midnight.

As they all pack into Steve’s car, he catches your arm, and you attempt to angrily get out of his grasp. “Hey. What I said was fucked up.” You blink at him, waiting for him to elaborate. “Of course he didn’t do it. How could I think otherwise.”

“I don’t know.” You answer, still in disbelief. “I already know I’m going to have to defend him from everyone else in town. I didn’t think I would have to defend him from his own friends. Especially you. That’s why it hurt.”

“Are you ok? It’s a lot to process.” Steve replies, seeing the look on your face when Max had told her part of the story.

You sigh, and it’s starting to feel like last summer, or Halloween of 84, or the November of ’83. “When isn’t it? C’mon, we gotta get going. If he’s not there then we’re back at square one.” You get into his car, and hope time goes by much faster.

It was lucky the three of you left out the store when you did, and lucky the phones were busy for the better part of two hours. Police were coming to ask you questions after finding Jason, and they had tried your home address first. Your mom was calling to ask you to come home, as she recognized the trailer and was driven into calling after police came to your door. They had arrived when Steve’s car was long gone, but yours still in the parking lot. It didn’t look good for Eddie or you that his girlfriend had seemingly made herself unavailable to the police.

-

After seemingly hours Steve finally pulls up to the address, and your heart is in your stomach in anxiety. What if he’s not here?

What if he is? How the hell are you supposed to help him?

Dustin rings the bell, and only waits half a second before it escalates into multiple rings in a row followed by loud knocking. “Okay. Well, that’s settled. I guess he’s not here.” Steve opts out, giving up a little too easily.

Dustin continues to loudly knock, shouting. “Eddie! It’s Dustin!”

“Great.” Steve adds when Dustin so loudly calls out the wanted fugitive’s name.

“Look, we just wanna talk, okay? No cops, I swear. We just wanna help.” Dustin knocks again. “Eddie!”

“Shh” Robin shushes him, peering into the house with a flashlight. You peered in with her, and it looked empty, no sign of life.

“Eddie!” Dustin calls, ignoring her. “Rick!” He bangs more, starting to grow increasingly more desperate. “Reefer Rick!”

“Don’t scream that.” Steve chides him, looking around for any curious neighbours.

“He’s not there.” You state, walking back to the front door.

Max starts to wonder around the property, taking a look herself. Dustin is still yelling at the door, Steve attempting to get Dustin to stop yelling out the words “Reefer Rick.”

“Hey guys?” Max yells, catching all your attention. You all peer to where she is looking at, a big metal boat house, a great place to hide.

Your flashlights appear into the windows, first glance to see if any silhouettes pop in. “You go first, Y/N.” Steve whispers, pushing you lightly.

You push back, not wanting to be the first one to walk in a spooky boathouse at night. “What? Why me? Let Robin do it!”

“Oh, you big baby.” Robin chides you, slipping through the big metal door. “Hello?” She calls out, looking around. You follow right after her. “Is anyone home?” No answer, and neither of your flashlights reach anything.

Max, Steve and Dustin make their way into the boathouse, the multiple flashlights eluding creepy shadows on the wall.

“What a dump.” Steve unhelpfully comments, not adding anything to the search.

As the group continues their search for any evidence that Eddie could’ve been there at one point, (you’re hopelessly looking for his jacket), Steve reaches on the wall and grabs an oar, and starts using it against the tarp covering the boat.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” Dustin asks, incredulous.

Steve stabs the boat again, not answering.

“What are you doing?” You ask him, repeating Dustin’s sentiments for emphasis.

Steve continues stabbing with the oar. “He might be in here.”

“So take the tarp off.” You tell him, hesitantly reaching out to rip it off yourself.

“If you guys are so brave, you take the tarp off.” Steve snaps back, continually stabbing at the boat.

You’re still looking around aimlessly as Max points out some wrappers on a table. “Hey, look over here. You peer over as Robin goes to investigate, keeping an ear on the two idiots. “Someone was here.”

“Maybe he heard us.” Robin offers, and you want to cry at that idea. “Got spooked and ran.”

“Don’t worry”, Dustin offers sarcastically. “Steve will get him with his oar.”

“I know you think you’re being funny, but considering everyone in this room has nearly died a hundred times, personally, I don’t find it funny in the slight-” Steve doesn’t get a chance to finish his sentence, the tarp moving up and Eddie popping out of the boat he was prodding, with a broken glass and backing Steve up to the wall armed and afraid.

“Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!” Steve shouts, and Eddie doesn’t even listen, holding the glass up against his jawline in a defense position.

“Whoa, whoa, woah, Eddie! Eddie! Stop!” Dustin calls out, and for some reason you’re frozen in place, stuck watching the man you loved have an expression you’ve never seen before. He places himself in between you, Robin, and Max as they attempt to get the threat disarmed. “Eddie! Eddie! It’s me. It’s Dustin. This is Steve. He’s not gonna hurt you, right Steve?”

“Right, yeah.” Steve whispers, barely given any choice in the matter.  

“Steve, why don’t you drop the oar?” Dustin offers, and Steve complies, but the sound startles Eddie into using the bottle against Steve’s jaw even harder.

Steve groans in pain, the bottle starting to break skin. Somehow the action brings you out of shock, and you’re understanding Eddie is technically a threat to Steve for the moment. You step to Dustin’s side, holding Robin back.

“He’s cool, he’s cool.” Dustin continues attempting to calm him down.

“I’m cool, man. I’m cool.” Steve whispers, using his humour as a coping mechanism to distract from the slight pain at his jawline.

“What are you doing here?” Eddie asks him, interrogating, rather.

“We’re looking for you.” You answer, and it turns his attention onto you, the slight recognition on his face, hiding behind fear.

“We’re here to help.” Robin offers, also having calmed down a bit.

“Eddie, you know us.” Dustin answers, and you’re relieved tension is starting to ease in Eddie’s shoulders.  “Robin, from band.” She plays a pretend instrument to fuse the tension, and you suddenly wonder if Dustin knows they know each other a bit more than that. “This is Max, the one who never wants to play D&D.”

You step a bit further from where Dustin is, unable to help yourself.

“And of course, you know Y/N. Your girlfriend? The only person I have seen roast you and not get dried up grapes thrown at them for it?” Dustin says, and from the look on his face you can tell it’s working. “Eddie. We’re on your side. I swear on my mother. Right, guys?”

“Yes, yes. We swear.” Max agrees.

“On Dustin’s mother.” Robin awkwardly adds.

“Yeah…Dustin’s…Dustin’s mother.” Steve manages out, a last effort to get out of his sticky situation.

Eddie hold his place for about one second longer, before letting Steve go finally, and sinking to the floor. You watch pathetically, the expression on his face distant and afraid. You crouch down next to him, getting him to look you in the eye, and seems to see right passed you, and it scares you to imagine what he saw that affected him this much. You rub his arm comfortingly, not even attempting to take his safety, his weapon away from him.

Dustin lets you have the moment before crouching down in front of him. “Eddie. We just want to talk.” He reaches out to grab the bottle from Eddie so he can’t attempt to use it again, and you shoot daggers at Dustin when Eddie whimpers and grabs it out of reach. “Okay?”

Robin crouches down next to you. “We want to know what happened.”

Eddie sniffs, and it takes everything you can not to instinctively reach out and cradle his face in comfort. “You won’t believe me.” His voice breaks, and he sounds sure of it.

You make eye contact with the friends around you, all afraid of what this sentence implied to the five of you.

“Try us.” Max insists.

Eddie looks at the group in front of him, in disbelief that you were all giving the benefit of the doubt.

-

“Her body just, like, lifted up into the air and uh. And she just, like, hung there. In the air. And her bones. Uh she,” Eddie whimpers, and your grip on his arm tightens, unable to do anything but listen to him struggle through telling his side. “Her bones started to snap. Her eyes, man. It..it was like there was something, like, inside her head, pulling. I..I didn’t know what to do, so I… I ran away. I left her there.” The guilt was plain in his voice, and you’d wish you’d realized something was wrong when you woke up that morning. Maybe he wouldn’t have felt so alone.

His retelling is haunting, and you have to catch his breath after he finally manages to look at his audience. He immediately breaks away, scoffing. “You all think I’m crazy, right?” Eddie leans his forehead into his hand, wondering how he managed to get himself stuck here.

“No. We don’t think you’re crazy.” You answer, still offering affection even when he wasn’t leaning into it.

“Don’t bullshit me, I know how this sounds.” He shouts, and you try not to take his tone too harshly.

“We’re not bullshitting you.” Max says, her voice confident.

“We believe you.” Robin adds.

Eddie exhales, and you weren’t sure if it was in relief or disbelief, but his broken face was enough to keep you on track to try and soothe him as he struggled.

“Look. What I’m about to tell you might be a little… difficult to take.” Eddie makes eye contact with you, and you can almost recognize him.

 He looks up at the rest of them, processing what Dustin had just offered. “Okay…” Eddie says, opting Dustin to continue.

“You know how people say Hawkins is…cursed?” Dustin starts, and one of your nightmares comes to fruition, Eddie finding out about the Upside Down and getting involved. “They’re not, way off. There’s another world. A world hidden beneath Hawkins. Sometimes it bleeds into ours.”

“Like, ghosts and shit?” Eddie asks, wondering if he was being bullshitted.

“There are some things, worse than ghosts.” Max whispers.

“Those monsters, from this other world, we thought they were gone. But they’ve come back before. That’s why we needed to find you.” Dustin explains.

“If they’re back again, we need to know.” Max adds.

“Ahem.” You mention, drawing attention to yourself. “Not to be selfish but that’s not even in my top three reasons to come and find you.”

Eddie lets an inkling of a smile cross his face, connecting his forehead to yours for a second.

Robin interrupts it, but you knew it wasn’t the time nor the place. “That night, did you see anything?”

“Dark particles, maybe?” Max adds, giving an idea to what Eddie might’ve been looking for.

Eddie shakes his head, very confident he didn’t see anything.

“It would almost look like dust, swirling dust.” Dustin describes, giving a pretty good description.

Eddie continues shaking his head, insisting. “No, man, there was nothing you could see, or uh, or touch. You know, I tried to wake her, man. She couldn’t move. It was like she…she was in a trance or something.”

“Or under a spell.” Dustin offers a different word.

Eddie seems more brought down to earth as he understands he is believed and there is now a theory to as what he had seen. “A curse.” He adds, thinking of the creature that uses these same abilities from D&D.

“Vecna’s curse.” Dustin helps, remembering the abilities and how it lined with what Eddie had said.

“Who’s Vecna?” Steve asks speaking for the first time in a long time.

“An undead creature of great power.” Dustin answers, afraid of what the implications could be.

“A spell caster.” Eddie answers, all the hours reading up on lore suddenly useful in real life.

“A dark wizard.” Dustin finishes, and he and Eddie make eye contact as the gravity of the situation hits the entire group.

“Shit.” Steve unhelpfully comments, and the group dissipates, discussing their plans for tomorrow.

As they move into a corner to talk about plans you know you will have to catch up on, you catch his attention, offering a weak smile. “Fuck.”

“Should’ve known something was up when you didn’t call this morning.” You answer, tentatively raising your hand to brush his face. He leans into it, eyes closed and tension seems to leave his body like a deflated balloon.

“I was thinking about it, but I figured the police would be looking for me, and in case you were brought in for questioning I didn’t need you telling them I called you this morning. That looks bad for the both of us. Did they?” He asks, and you can tell his mind is still going at a mile a minute.

“No, but if they went to my house my mom would’ve directed them to the store, and we closed up shop early to come see if you were here.” You answer, and now it hits you that you’re probably being looked for by the police, as well. “Are you okay?” You ask him, knowing the answer but still needing to hear it.

“No, but if they believe me, hell if you believe me I think I’m doing much better than before.” He admits, and squats up to give you a proper hug, tugging you into his arms. “So you knew about this other world?” He asks, making sure you weren’t just along to find him.

“Unfortunately, yes. I tried to keep you from it in hopes I would never have to deal with it again, and you would never have to see it.” You admitted, annoyed and thinking if you had told him maybe he would’ve come to you instead of being alone the entire night.

“Do you have any idea what you are gonna do?” He asks, unsure where you would even go from here.

You laugh, and it feels good to see him break out in a wider smile. “No, but we have Dustin, and I can tell you he already has three or four ideas cooking in that brain of his. He’s a genius.”

“Guess I’m in good hands.” He mutters, watching as the other four make a sizeable plan, and before you know it, you’re tugged away from him and you kiss Eddie for good measure and you’re basically dragged to the car, Robin explaining their plan for tomorrow to you.

The start of something was brewing, and at this point, you were convincing yourself you ready to face the world ending yet again.

Hopefully.  

Chapter 3: The Monster and the Superhero

Neither one of you get a decent night’s sleep. The moment you got home your mom asked if the police got a hold of you, and you shake your head, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. She sighs, informing you that you should go the next morning to keep their benefit of a doubt that you or him were at all innocent.

You peered up at her, meeting her eyes for the first time. “You don’t think he did it?”

“No one is that good at hiding who they are.” She comments, letting you go upstairs, figuring you were just stressed about the whole thing. Who wouldn’t be?

As agreed, the group meets up at the grocery store, grabbing some snacks for Eddie before they give share any updates of news they had. Somehow you and Dustin end up arguing over some ridiculously trivial idea over which cereal he’d prefer, until Steve yells for you to shut up. “Just a pick a damn cereal, time is a-wasting.”

Steve pulls up to Rick’s lake house, and when you burst through the door, Eddie is by the window, prepared again with his broken bottle. “Delivery service.” Dustin announces, and Eddie visibly exhales in relief.

You waste no time running into his arms, inhaling his scent as if to burn it into your memory. He gently kisses the top of your head, and it takes all your self discipline to let go of him. Eddie kisses your temple again, as he walks past you to grab the bags, flinging them haphazardly as he sits down in his makeshift bed to begin eating.

Dustin exchanges a look with the rest of the group, and they all give him the go ahead to start the rundown. “So we got uh, some good news and bad news. How do you prefer it?”

“Bad news first, always.” Eddie replies, mouth full into a swig of pop.

“Alright, bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they’re definitely looking for you. Also, they’re uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy.” You gulp, remembering the helplessness of listening in with them, biting back tears as the police chatter with an unearned amount of conviction about Eddie.

“Like, 100% percent, kind of convinced.” Max adds, and you had to admit now wasn’t the time to sugarcoat it.

Eddie glances to you, and you nod solemnly. “And the good news?” Eddie asks, needing the pick me up.

“Your name hasn’t gone public yet.” You answer, thanking the fates.

“But if we found out about you, it’s a matter of time before others do. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning for you.” Robin states, blunt, but true.

Eddie stares off, a bitter disposition that he usually reserved for behind closed doors. “Hunt the freak, right?” You wince at the sentence, gritting your teeth.

“Exactly.” She confirms, and you make eye contact with her as she apologetically shrugs her shoulders. You shrug back, knowing it was only a matter of truth, one you instinctively knew yourself.

“Shit.” Eddie curses.

“So, before that happens, we find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence.” Dustin lists off, as if any of your misadventures with the upside down have ever been so easy.

“That’s all, Dustin? That’s all?” Eddie asks, voice hard.

“Yeah, no, that’s pretty much it.” He confirms, voice growing softer at the end of the sentence.

“Listen, Eddie, I know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but we’ve actually been through this before. I mean, they have a…a few times,” Eddie looks up for confirmation and you and Steve both casually nod your heads as she rambles, “and..and I have once. Mine was more human-fleshed-based, theirs was more smoke-related, but bottom line is, collectively, I really feel we got this.” You were glad Robin was confident, because you weren’t as sure as she was.

“We usually rely on this girl who has super powers. But uh, those went bye bye, so..” Steve adds, and Eddie side eyes you as to ask why hasn’t heard a single word of knowing someone with superpowers.

El, you mouth to him, and Eddie sits on it for a moment.

As you exchange this information Robin continues, “So, we’re technically in more of the-”

“Kinda..” Steve rolls off it, now thinking out loud.

“Brainstorming phase.” Max says putting the concept into words.

“Brainstorming.” Steve snaps his finger, thanking her for finding the word he needed.

“There’s.. There’s nothing to worry about.” Dustin offers, and doesn’t seem to believe it himself.

Steve scoffs, also not believing it either. You hadn’t even attempted to assure him, knowing he could see right through you, and in turn, your lack of confidence in the group’s lack of plan.

Eddie looks at the group, raises his eyebrow as if to ask if you were all joking. You truly wished you were.

Sirens pass, and Steve curses under his breath as you jerk yourself out of your seat, as if it would do anything, but unable to sit from the mere anxiety the police gave you.

“Tarp. Tarp. Tarp.” Robin repeats, telling him to hide. Eddie gets the message, and he’s hiding in the boat again, mean while you all run to where the sirens are coming from as they increase in proximity.

Multiple police cars pass by, and a fire engine, and an ambulance. It was a dead giveaway that something was off again.

Assuming that the numerous emergency vehicles meant an update to the case, you all hop into Steve’s car, and pull up to another scene surrounding resembling the one on the news from yesterday, this time Nancy speaking to the police officers. As you all pop out, Robin lightly pushes you back in. When you nearly ask why she whispers harshly, “You are still being searched for by them, too. You are technically someone wanted for questioning. Stay out of sight.”

Nancy offers a small wave, her tiny stature frigid with anxiety, and you’re not sure how much of a coincidence it all is.

-

The six of you sit down at the picnic table you at the trailer park, and you station yourself in a way you aren’t forced to see the crime scene tape surrounding Eddie’s trailer. You all tell Nancy what you have learned in the last 24 hours, getting her up to speed.

“You’re saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it’s from the Upside Down?” She confirms, and dread fills the air.

“If the shoe fits.” Steve confirms.

“Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse. Now, whether or not he’s doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don’t know.” Dustin says.

“All we know is that this is something different. Something new.” Max says, and there’s no arguing that.

“Doesn’t make sense.” Nancy pipes out, annoyed.

Dustin attempts to negate it. “It’s only a theory.”

Nancy realizes she has to explain herself. “No, Fred and Chrissy don’t make sense. I mean, why them?”

“Maybe they were just in the wrong place.” You had hoped that was wrong, because it was chilling to think how close it was to being Eddie in that case. “They were both at the game.”

“And near the trailer park.” Max points out, both cases surrounding the area.

“We’re at the trailer park.” Steve points out as well, making a decent point. “Uh, should we maybe not be here?” You all look around, spooked by the idea.

“I’d like to leave.” You admit, turning to face the plot that has been haunting you.

Nancy extends a hand to comfort you, adding on what Steve said. “There is something about this place. Fred started acting weird the second we got here.”

“Acting weird as in..?” Robin asks.

“Scared, on edge, upset.” Nancy lists, remembering his scattered brain.

Dustin recalls what Max had told him the day before. “Max said that Chrissy was upset, too.”

“Yeah, but not here. She was crying in the bathroom at school” She says, and it doesn’t seem to be only at the trailer park.

“Eddie said Chrissy wanted something strong. He said it was like she was losing her mind.” You add, voice small as you finished.

“Serial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right? So, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecman-”

“Vecna,” Dustin interrupts Robin, correcting her.

“Dunno bout you, but I saw some freaky wizard monster, I would mention it to someone.” Steve says, and you’re not sure you would’ve done the same.

“And? Say what? To who? If you don’t know about the Upside Down, like Eddie, chances are you would ignore it and hoped it went away.” You answer Steve, making a good point of Eddie not completely understanding what he saw with Chrissy.

“Well, maybe they did.” Max admits, and Steve give you a ‘see? Told you’ look that you roll your eyes at. “I saw Chrissy leaving Miss. Kelley’s office. If you saw a monster, you…you wouldn’t got to the police. They’d never believe you. But you might go to your-”

“Your shrink.” Robin finishes, and Max nods in agreement.

You all make your way to Steve’s vehicle, manning a plan to somehow get a hold of any information on Chrissy or Fred they might’ve shared with Miss. Kelley. Steve notices Nancy making her way to her own vehicle, and calls for her. “Whoa, whoa. Nance. Nance!” Nancy turns around, still on edge. “Where you going?”

“Oh, there’s just something I wanna check on first.” Nancy attempts to negate from the truth.

“Something you wanna share with the rest of us?” Dustin asks usually wanting the whole picture to solve the problem.

She looks down sheepishly, “I don’t wanna waste your time. It’s a real shot in the dark.”

“Yeah, okay. Are you out of your mind? Flying solo with Vecna on the loose? No, it’s too dangerous. You need… You need someone to…” Steve stutters through his sentence, and you’re confused to what the energy has been brought to them. “Here. I’ll stick with Nance.” Steve offers, tossing the car keys to Robin. “Take the car, check out the shrink.”

“I don’t think you want me driving your car.” Robin yells.

“Why?”

“I don’t have a license.” Robin barks out.

“Why don’t you have a license?” Steve asks, annoyed.

“Because I’m poor.” Robin deadpans, and it’s dropped.

“I can drive.” Max offers, half joking.

“No, no! Never again. Please. Here, you drive.” Steve hands you the keys, and you stare at them as he shoves them into your hands before glancing up at him in disbelief.

“Yeah, I’m not driving.” You say, shoving them back to him.

“What? Why not?” Steve asks, his frustration loud in the eerily quiet park.

“The police are looking for me, too. They have been driving around town all day. If they see me driving your car, something they wouldn’t know if I had permission to use, I’m toast, and so is Eddie. Not happening.”

Dustin makes a face, offering to drive, and Steve shuts it down.

“All right. Okay. This is stupid. Us ladies will stick together.” Robin takes charge, grabbing one of the long range walkies and tugging you to where Nancy was. “Unless you think we need you to protect us.” Robin jokes, and it’s decided.

“Be careful.” Steve yells, watching the three of you walk to the station wagon. Robin holds out a peace sign, both humorous and condescending.

Dustin watches Steve, amused. “Just gonna stand there and gawk?”

“Shut up.” Steve whines.

“Why don’t we go, okay?” Dustin offers, sweet talking him.

“Just get in the car.” Steve barks, unamused. “Wipe your feet.” Dustin does, on the fabric of the inside of the car, intentionally showing Steve. “On the outside, not the inside. Always the babysitter. Always the goddamn babysitter!”

The two different vehicles take off, and you’re feeing fortunate to drive away from Eddie’s place for once, the place now giving you the creeps.

-

You, Nancy, and Robin walk up the steps of the public library after she quickly explains her shot in the dark. The bells ring, indicating another hour passing by and creating a feeling of unease in the pit of your stomach. You glare at the clock as Robin gets the story straight, time isn’t your friend. “Help me get this straight.” She is continuing, still confused. “Eddie’s uncle, Wayne, thinks that Victor Creel escaped from Pennhurst Asylum and that he’s the one running around committing these murders?”  

As you’re walking fast paced Nancy shoots a glare to the two of you, signifying she knows she sounds crazy. “Pretty much.”

“But Victor committed the eyeball murders, like, way back in the ‘50s.” Robin points out.

“Well, ’59.” Nancy corrects her.

“So that means these murders predate Eleven in the Upside Down by about 30 years?” Robin continues.

“Yeah.”

You enter the library and make your way up to the front desk, and while you didn’t think it was a lead that would help the case in anyway, you had reason to trust Wayne. “Which makes spooky Victor Creel like 70 years old.”

“Yep.” Nancy agrees through gritted teeth, dinging the bell when the librarian wasn’t anywhere to be found.

“So he’s a grandpa murderer who can turn invisible and lift people into the air.” Robin concludes sarcastically, resting onto the front desk.

“It doesn’t make sense. I know. That’s why I said it was a shot in the dark.” Nancy explains, a little annoyed.

“Y/N, no concerns?” Robin asks you, looking passed you to where you’re stood on the other side of Nancy.

You shrug, absentmindedly looking at the pattern on the adjacent wall. “I trust Wayne. I also trust her gut.” You elbow Nancy lightly, and Nancy gives you a thankful look as she dings the bell again.

“Look, I know you trust her, it’s just that I thought by ‘shot in the dark’, you were being modest or hiding something super solid up your sleeve that you were gonna wow us with later.” As Robin continues on her tangent, Nancy starts dinging the bell repeatedly, seemingly done with her theory torn up. “But this is really, truly a shot in the dark. Like, we are snipers with blindfolds on who’ve been spun around fifty times.”

Nancy dings the bell more rapidly.

Robin stares at the bell, wondering what it could’ve possibly done to offend Nancy so much.

“Coming!” the librarian finally calls, holding a stack of books on her hip with a bright smile on her face.

“Hi. Sorry, we’re in a bit of a rush.” Nancy sheepishly says, turning on her good student tone. “Could we get the keys to the basement archives?”

“Of course! Give me one sec.” she answers, and you knew this was Eddie’s favourite librarian.

“Did I come off mean or condescending?” Robin asks abruptly, and you look at her inquisitively.

“No.” Nancy answers, and you’re not sure it’s all that true.

“Right. Sorry. It’s just, you seem annoyed. You don’t know me well.” After the many afternoons they have spent teasing you collectively you weren’t sure that was true, either. Although, Robin may be talking in terms of crisis. “I don’t really have a filter or a strong grasp of social cues.” That was true.

“Okay.” Nancy comments, clearly uncomfortable.

“If I say something that upsets you, just know that I know it’s a flaw. Believe me, my mother reminds me daily.” You think o the times you have guided Robin in a conversation where the lack of a grasp on social cues were clear and saved her from herself.

“Got it.”

“All right, ladies.” The librarian comes back holding the key. “Here you go. Have fun.”

“Thanks.” You take the key, the girls still ravelling after an awkward conversation. “We’ll try. C’mon.” You lug the two girls after you, unsure of the conversation that occurred and for the first time in a while you wonder if there’s some unresolved issues with those two.

-

Two of you sit in front of screens, scrolling through the archives as you continue to grab articles containing Victor Creel for the two of them. The tension is suddenly rough, and you wished you had also been a babysitter for today.

Robin interrupts the silent air, asking, “Anything…juicy over there?”

“Nothing new.” Nancy answers, her voice overly polite.

“Yep. Same here. Victor seemed like a normal guy. Dead family, missing eyes, took a plea deal, sent to Pennhurst. Blah, blah, blah, blah.” Nancy rolls her eyes deep into her head as Robin continues, and you wonder off to see if you could find any more articles to get you out of here.

Suddenly, as you’re moving through the archives, Nancy comes down the stairs to the drawer next to you, purposefully searching for something you’re not even sure she knows. “You know that Steve and I are like, totally not a thing, right?” Robin asks suddenly, and you jerk your head, wide eyed, wondering how this came up.

Robin shrugs, and gestures vaguely. That helps you understand nothing.

“What?” Nancy asks, turning to face her as well, and you share the same sentiments.

Robin moves around to the files, talking animatedly. “So, I figure you and Jonathan are still going on strong ‘cause you guys are going to college together. You’re one of those unstoppable power couples, but I..I just…I just wanted to make sure that Steve and I are just friends.” Robin moves to where you’re standing, and you decidedly move over a couple of slots. “Like platonic with a capital P.” Somehow this whole adventure just gotten more awkward as Nancy has no idea how to respond to either of this, and you’re almost ready to admit maybe they were right and you should’ve stayed behind with Eddie. “Just in case that’s adding any tension between us.”

“It wasn’t” Nancy answers, and she’s convincing as a fifteen year old with a fake ID.

“You look down to where you’re skimming, and your eyes catch a familiar magazine. “Holy shit.” You mutter. “The Weekly Watcher. Can’t believe they have this.”

“Didn’t they write about, like Bigfoot and UFOs?” Nancy asks, skeptical.

“First of all, UFOs are absolutely real.” Robin interjects, moving next you to look through the drawer as well. “Bigfoot, I’m still on the fence.” Holy shit, you think. She would get along with the members of Hellfire more than you’d realized.

“We are looking for information about dark wizards.” You add, considering what Robin has been saying.

“Exactly!” Robin says. “If someone’s gonna write about that, it’s gonna be these weirdos.”

“Those weirdos have kept Hellfire entertained for lunches on lunches.” You comment, now missing how mundane that feels in comparison.

“Case in point.”

Nancy glances down at the film and suddenly realizes you two may have a point.

You all gather around the screen, scrolling slowly passed each article, each one more ludicrous than the last. “Ah. Elvis Cloned by Aliens.” Nancy reads, and suddenly all hope is lost.

“You never know.” Robin lightly offers, and continues scrolling through the articles as she walks off.

She only goes past two more articles before landing on the exact one the three of you were looking for. “Holy shit.” You mutter under your breath.

“Victor Creel claims vengeful demon killed family.” Robin declares dramatically, and you stifle in laughter. “The murder that shocked a small community.”

“Ha, ha. That’s very funny.” Nancy sarcastically answers, apparently thinking it’s a cruel joke.

“She’s not kidding.” You answer for Robin.

“Get over here.” Robin calls her, and Nancy joins in-between the two of you. “According to several insiders, Victor believed his house was haunted by an ancient demon. Victor allegedly hired a priest to exorcise the demon from his home. Pretty novel for the ‘50s, Exorcist wasn’t even out yet.”

You shudder at the title, the film by the same name when Robin turned it on one night, you only lasting the first half of the film before you begged for it to be shut off.

“Keep..keep going.” Nancy urges, and the look on her face gives you a small sense of relief that this might’ve been successful.

“So, Victor clamed this exorcism failed but it angered the demon, which then murdered his family, removing their eyes. Victor believed he was spared as a punishment.” You continue reading the article for them, not that Robin needed it, just attempting to help.

“That’s pretty convenient for Victor.” Nancy comments.

“Yeah, or super inconvenient.” Robin bites back lightly. “Victor was declared legally insane by the court, right? What if this is why? It sounds insane. Just didn’t go public because—”

“The plea bargain. The records were sealed.” Nancy finishes.

“What if demon did invade Victor’s home?” You ask, and you’re almost sure you’re on the same track as the two of them, having not read the articles with them. “It’s just. This demon wasn’t any old demon.”

“It was Vecna.”

The three of you head out the library, daylight now gone and a sense of urgency filled the air. “Dustin, do you copy?” You ask on the walkie, following behind as Robin and Nancy go down the steps.

“Yeah, I copy.” Dustin answers.

“As always, Nancy is a genius. Venca’s first victims date back all the way to 1959. Her shot in the dark was a bull’s eye.” You answer, the three of you arriving to the Station Wagon.

“Okay, that’s totally bonkers, but I can’t really talk right now.” Dustin answers, sounding out of breath.

“What are you doing?” You ask, afraid to know.

“Breaking and entering school to retrieve confidential and extremely personal files.” Dustin answers, matter of fact.

“Can you repeat that?” You ask, wondering if you heard him correctly.

“Just get your ass over here, stat. We’ll explain everything.” He answers very vaguely.

“I thought they were talking to Ms. Kelley.” Complains Nancy.

“We leave them alone for two hours.” Robin sighs, and the three of you get into Nancy’s car to head over to the school.

 -

Chapter 4: Dear Billy

Nancy drove with more urgency and less care than normal, pulling up to the parking lot of the high school with an abrupt screech of her brakes. The three of you burst through the double doors of the school, flashlights shining every which way as you run through the hallway to meet the rest of the group.

It leads to Max leading the group down the hall, the flashlights shining Max’s silhouette on the wall as she stares blankly. “It was here. Right here.”

“A grandfather clock?” Nancy asks, and Max shakily nods her head.

“It was so real. And then when I got closer, suddenly I just…I woke up.” Max says, her voice thick.

She sounded scared.

Real scared.

“It was like she was in a trance or something. Exactly what Eddie said happened to Chrissy.” Dustin comments, and you can’t help but notice the look you get as his name is mentioned from Steve.

You ignore it, observing as Max’s breathing grew shallower. She turns around, her eyes wide. “That’s not even the bad part.”

When asked to elaborate, she emphasizes that it would be easier to demonstrate by showing you, and the five of you follow her back into Ms. Kelley’s office. “Fred and Chrissy, they both came to Ms. Kelley for help. Uh, they were both having headaches, bad headaches that wouldn’t go away. And then… then the nightmares. Trouble sleeping. They’d wake up in a cold sweat. Then they started seeing things. Bad things. From their pasts. These visions, they just they kept on getting worse and worse, until eventually… everything ended.”

“Vecna’s curse.” Robin diagnoses.

“Chrissy’s headache started a week ago. Fred’s, six days ago.” You glance around the office, staring at the writings of Miss.Kelley’s notes on both Fred and Chrissy. “I’ve been having them for five days.” The admission makes your eyes shot up to hers, and the serious threat of Max’s life is now an added stake in the case.

How fucking inconvenient.

“I don’t know how long I have. All I know is that,” Max gulps, “for Fred and Chrissy, they both died less than 24 hours after their first vision. And I just saw that goddamn clock, so” Max exhales shakily, “looks like I’m gonna die tomorrow.” She admits, and her tone is shaky.

As her heavy words hang in the air, a distant sound in the hallways catches all your attention, each of you whipping your heads towards it in sync.

Steve turns his head to face the group, makes eye contact with each person and makes a quick albeit impulsive decision. “Stay here.” His sneaker squeaks as he stumbles, and he pauses by the door to glance back for something. He finds it, grabbing an adjacent lamp and continues to make his way to the hallway.

The four of you remaining glance at one another, exchanging a look and sharing the same thought. Dustin says it out loud, “We just gonna let him…” Without another moment’s hesitation, you all saunter to the hallway behind him, deciding you weren’t gonna let him face it alone.

Another bang down the hall, and you all hold your breath as the sound of quick paced footsteps echo in the hallway, coming at an unprecedented rate, the sound growing faster.

As you prepare yourselves, you holding your breath, Steve preparing to swing, Robin scrunching her face up, Lucas comes wildly around the corner, resulting in a screaming bursting out of most of you.

After nearly colliding it takes a moment to understand who is standing in front of you, the group backing off instinctively once realizing their ‘intruder’ is no longer a threat. “It’s me!” Lucas shouts, his face illuminated by flashlights.

“Lucas?” Nancy asks, still catching her breath.

“It’s me.” Screaming, now bending over to catch his own.

“Jesus, what is wrong with you?” Steve yells at him, on edge.

“I’m sorry.”

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

“Sorry guys. Sorry.” Lucas pants, still completely winded. “I was.. I was biking for eight miles.” Lucas walks around in circles, holding a finger to indicate he still needed a minute. You glance at one another as he does, knowing there was some news you had to drop onto him. “We’ve got a code red.” Lucas says, finally seeming to caught his breath.

“What?” Steve asks, hands on his hips, the lamp somewhat forgotten.

Lucas walks passed Steve right to Dustin. “Dustin. I’ve been with Jason, Patrick, and Andy, and they’ve gone totally off the rails.”

At the mention of this Steve glances to you, knowing something about Jason you still haven’t told Nancy or Robin. Jason added to the equation was an unwanted and unwelcome extra.

“Wait, Jason?” You ask, needing to know what he meant by it.

“Uh yeah,” Lucas says, now talking to the both of you. “They’re trying to capture Eddie and they think you know where he is.” Lucas says the last part mainly to Dustin, but you had a feeling they were also on the lookout for you as well. “You’re in terrible danger.”

The feeling of dread from being sought out by him only came second to the feeling of how your heart sunk to the words ‘they’re trying to capture Eddie’. Jason knew Eddie was the person of interest and of course, he didn’t doubt it for a second.

“All right. Yeah, that definitely sucks, but we’ve got bigger problems than Jason right now.” Dustin answers him, and glances back towards Max. You glance with them and you feel humbled as you gain some perspective.

Right. Max might die. Jason isn’t even on the top five right now.

But fuck, Eddie didn’t know and you still fucking worried for him.

-

You, Nancy, and Robin spend the next morning coming up with a plan, and it took all the fighting in the world to convince them you shouldn’t have been involved. As Nancy was on the phone with one of her newspaper workers, letting them know the final details the two of you hashed it out and Robin finally interrupts it. “C’mon just give us one good reason why.”

“Cause my boyfriend is wanted for fucking murder and I don’t have it in me to go undercover and play pretend for some lunatic. I’m sorry, but I just can’t.” You admit to them finally, and Nancy uncovers her phone’s receiver as she answers the numerous calls to where she had gone on the other end, confirming they only needed two fake files.

“Do you need to talk about it?” Robin asks hesitantly as Nancy hangs up and grabs her keys to drive to pick them up.

You sigh, following them and gulping as you can feel her watching you, you leant up against the Wheeler’s kitchen counter. “I mean it sucks, but I feel like being in either of their position would suck more. I feel selfish when I want to whine about it.”

“I mean, it does suck.” Robin tells you, and you follow Nancy to her car. “There’s no doubt about that. You’re allowed to think it sucks. Don’t you think it would be nice to pretend your biggest problem is talking to a loony bin doctor about his patients?” Robin gives it one last try to convince you to go with them, and you glance up at her and shake your head silently.

Robin seems to accept it, and you feel Nancy’s eyes on you as the corner of your head bounces against her back window of her car and you let it go.

Nancy’s worker was ridiculously fast with a typewriter. All papers were ready by the time we got there. She gleamed at the papers, and glances up her lackey. “Aren’t you curious to why we want these papers?” Nancy asks, a light mischievous smile dancing on her face.

“No. I’m on spring break. I’ll ask questions later.” The girl admits, and she shuts the door in your faces before Nancy could even thank her. Cool. You had everything you needed and they seemingly had a plan in place.

You got back to the house, making your way down the steps to the Wheeler’s basement. Dustin, Steve and Lucas all on the couch while Max is still at the desk writing, just as she two hours ago when you had left.

“Okay so…” Nancy starts, and you’re all out of breath. “we have a plan.”

“Thanks to Nancy’s minions, we are now rock-star psychology students at the University of Notre Dame.” Robin explains to them as they go through the indoctrinated files.

“There’s only two.” Dustin comments.

“Uh, she’s sitting this one out.” Robin says, a finger casually pointing towards you yet still resting on her knee.

Steve glances up curiously at you, and you sigh. “I can’t. I’d rather stick with you guys.” You stop there, refusing to sound any more trivial in comparison to what Max is facing.

“Anyway.” Nancy says, and you silently thank her for bringing the attention off you. “I’m now Ruth.”

“And I’m Rose.” Said Robin.

“Ruth?” Steve asks, somewhat teasing, and you glance at the exchange he has with Nancy, eyebrow raised.

Whatever, you ignore it for the sake of your sanity.

“Nice GPA.” Dustin compliments, admiring the handiwork of the fake files.

“Thanks” Nancy takes it, and you glare at her, it was fake.

“So we called Pennhurst Asylum and told them we’d like to speak with Creel for a thesis we’re co-writing on paranoid schizophrenics—”

“To which they outright denied.” You commented, cross legged on the carpet, picking at a loose thread.

“But we landed a three o’clock with the director.” Nancy adds, adding some good news.

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

“Then maybe we can rid Max of this curse.” Nancy says.

“Yeah, about that.” Steve says, glancing back to her. “We’ve been doing our Victor Creel homework, and uh…we got some questions.”

“Lots of questions.” Lucas says, emphasizing.

“So do we. Hopefully, Victor has the answers.” Nancy says dismissively.

“Wait…wait…wait a second uh…where’s mine?” Steve asks, and Nancy glances up at you, scoffing. Did he just miss where Dustin did the math? How there were only two? And that was assuming you were going with them. Nancy looks at him, smiling tightly.

-

Steve angrily follows Nancy up the stairs, asking questions that are all going unanswered. As you sat picking at the carpet, Nancy goes back halfway down, calling for you. “C’mon.” She says, and you reluctantly follow them.

Nancy pushes passed Steve waiting outside her room and straight to her closet. “Nancy, you’re outta your mind if you think I’m babysitting again.” Steve complains.

“First, they’re not babies anymore.” Nancy answers, and you walk over to her bed, lying on it. “And Max is in real danger. She needs people around her.”

“I know. But why me. If Y/N is staying behind, then why can’t she do it? Why can’t I go?” Steve gestures to where you are lying there, and you lift your chin up, raising one eyebrow at him.

“We already have the papers!” Nancy half snaps, and Robin bursts into Nancy’s room.

“Oh my God, you have a Tom Cruise poster.” She glances back at her, smug. “You have a Tom Cruise poster.”

“Shit, you haven’t been in Nance’s room?” You ask, absentmindedly as Nancy goes through her closet.

“Nope.” Robin says, squatting as she unashamedly checks out Nancy’s cassette tapes on her bedside table.

“Can you please not touch anything?” Nancy asks, and Robin ignores her altogether, and you choose not to intervene, it’s far too entertaining.

“I can’t do anything here, Nance. Maybe I can be helpful with this asylum director dude.” Steve still attempts to make his case. “I don’t know. I could turn on my” Steve pops his lips animatedly, “my charm.”

“Not the charm we need.” Nancy shuts him down, incredibly smug about it.

“Ouch.” Steve says, and turns away from her.

Robin continues to dig through her room, you’re sat up watching her like a monkey in a zoo.

“No, it’s just. I did a little digging last night, and it turns out that his Dr. Hatch is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Harvard visiting scholar, okay? This is a lifelong student of the world. If we’re gonna win him over, we’re gonna have to convince him that we are too,” As Nancy explains this to a defensive Steve, Robin gleefully opens Nancy’s music box, all too excited about the knickknacks she is finding, “academic scholars.”

As if on her cue, Robin whispers, “Holy shit. There’s a little ballerina in here,” holding up the music box.

Steve nods bitterly, wondering how he lost to Robin. “Academic scholar? She’s giving you an academic scholar vibe? Yeah.”

Robin rolls her eyes, offended at the mere suggestion of her low intelligence.

You sit cross legged on Nancy’s bed, watching it all go down. It was entertaining, and it proved to be distracting. “No, but…” Nancy pulls out an outfit from behind the closet, holding it up to Robin. You have to bite back laughter at the ruffles and wait for Robin to turn around. “she will.”

Robin’s jaw drops, and she forgets all about mocking Nancy through snooping through her things. “Oh, please, tell me you’re joking.”

Nancy smiles, holding it up for her, and you are suddenly very glad you opted out of the undercover student plan.

-

You and Steve make your way back down the stairs after the two girls leave, Robin pulling on her neck level blouse, and wearing makeup for the first time since you’ve met her. Max stays quiet in her corner, writing and sealing envelopes.

You, Dustin, Lucas and Steve attempt to make quiet conversation but it eventually leads to looking after her, concerned no matter how hard you try.

“I know you guys are staring at me.” Max says, not even looking back.

You all move into action, as if she had pressed play and you grab at the nearest item to make you look busy.

“What sorry?” Steve.

“You said you needed something?” Lucas.

“Just hanging out.” Dustin.

“They really should be dusting down here.” You.

“How do you think your eyes boring into the back of my head is protecting me from Vecna, I don’t know.” Max says. She gathers her things and walks up to face you, but you’re all anxiously avoiding looking at her.

“You can look at me now.” She says, and you all instantly relax into it, putting your activities aside and mumbling your sorry’s to her. Max sighs, jerkily handing out an envelope to Dustin. “For you.” She does the same for Steve, Lucas, and surprisingly, you. “Oh, and um, give these to Mike, El, and Will.” She says, handing three envelopes to Lucas. “If you can ever get a hold of them again.”

You peer into your envelope, wondering what might be on it. “What are you doing? No, don’t. That’s not for now. Don’t open it now.” She rambles.

“Don’t…Okay.” Dustin stutters, staring blankly at his envelope. “I’m sorry. What is this?”

“It’s um… it’s a fail-safe. For after. If things don’t work out.” Max admits, and the air grows heavy and thick with tension.

“Wait, whoa. Max, things are going to work out.” Lucas says, reassuring both himself and her.

“No. No, I don’t need you to reassure me and tell me it’s all gonna work out. People have been telling me that me entire life and it’s almost never true.” You make eye contact with Steve and Dustin, and you feel eyes glossing over as you listen to her. “It’s never true. I mean, of course this asshole curses me. Should’ve seen that one coming.” Max admits, and you’re watching someone too young trying to grapple with the idea that her life is over. She exhales shakily, glancing around the room. “Where’s a walkie?” She asks, and you hold it for her.

When Dustin gives you a questioning look, you mouth ‘Eddie’ to him, having talked to him last night when you managed a minute alone. It was only a minute, and you barely managed to continue talking after the sound of his ragged voice tugged a tear out from you, but it counted, and you held onto the walkie in case he would reach out again.

“If we go to East Hawkins, will this reach Pennhurst?” She asks, holding up the walkie.

“Of course, yeah.” Dustin nods, knowing it could reach California if he had really wanted it to.

“Why are we talking about East Hawkins?” Steve asks, and he knows the answer before she even says it. “No. No. No!”

Max doesn’t even pay him any mind, grabbing her bag and booking it to the outside, and you all struggle to grab your things and follow her. “Max, Max. Seriously.” Steve yells, finally catching up to her. “Seriously, I’m not joking. I’m not driving you anywhere.”

“If you think I’m going to spend what is likely the last day of my life in the armpit that is Mike Wheeler’s basement, you’re out of your mind. Either take me where I need to go or tie me down, which is technically kidnapping of a minor. And if I live to see another day, Steve, I swear to God, I will prosecute.” Max ends her threat with a failed attempt to open his car, and they have a stand off. “Open the door.”

“Uh, no.” Steve dismisses her.

“I know a good lawyer.” She threatens him. Again.

Steve looks at her in disbelief, glancing up at you, sitting at the other side of your car with your hand on the roof. “Gotta be honest, Steve. I don’t really want to sit around all day waiting for something to happen, either.”

He looks back down at Max, who is staring him down, and reaches into his pocket, scoffing. “Henderson, that super walkie of yours better reach Pennhurst.” He threatens and the five of you finally crawl into his car. “Henderson, back seat. The adults sit in the front,” he says, wondering why you were sitting in the back.

“Cops.” You say to Steve, and he rolls eyes.

You sit on the other side of Lucas, and Max hesitates before climbing in. Hallucination? Hesitation?

Or just fucking scared? Cause even if was just the latter you wouldn’t have blamed her, regardless.

-

Even with the police on your tail, listening in on their radio hearing the reports of retrying your house and keeping an eye out for you to bring you in for questioning you wished you had sat in the front. Max slouches in her seat while Lucas does his best not to watch her, but fails miserably. It was far more awkward with you stuffed in with them.

You slouch your head back as well, catching Eddie’s trailer as you look out the window, and it feels as if your breath is caught in your throat. Steve pulls into Max’s parking lot, the dust settling around the car.

Steve puts the car into park with gusto. “This better be fast, Mayfield.”

“Twenty seconds.” Max promises, and the door is shut hard before you can even register she left the car.

You are left to wait for her, and Steve’s brow furrows. “That thing’s got batteries in it, right?” He asks, gesturing to the walkie in Dustin’s hands.

Dustin tilts his head to face forward, shaking it as he sighs. “I’m not even answering that question.” Steve grimaces, looking confused until Dustin responds, exasperated, “Yes, it has batteries.”

“Yeah, I got it.” Steve barks, and your eyes roll to back of your head as you let it heat the leather softly, closing your eyes.

If you had a nap right now, would shit be normal when you woke up?

You wake up to Steve yelling “Hey, that was longer than twenty seconds” at Max as she gets back to the car, in a hurried pace and worried disposition. Steve notices it, attempting to cut her off. “Hey. Whoa, whoa. You all right?”

Your eyes open to see all three boys now stood outside the car, no wonder since it was fucking blazing hot inside it. “I’m fine, just drive.” Max says dismissively, waiting for Lucas to get back to the middle seat before slamming the door shut behind her.

“Did something happen?” Dustin asks, his voice worried.

“Can we please just go?” Max asks, and avoids eye contact with every one of you.

-

Max lets Steve where-else she would like to go, and the car ride is dead silent. You can’t help but notice as Steve’s brown eyes look into his rear view every minute or so, and you know it’s not because he’s being a careful driver. He’s concerned.

The car radiates with concern for her from all of you, and she rejects it outright. She didn’t want it.

“Turn here.” The only things coming out of Max’s mouth has been directions, and this was the first one in over five minutes.

Dustin assesses their location to where she’s requesting, and it’s surprising, to say the least. “Here?”

Max says nothing, just nodding her head so lightly it was like she barely did it.

You, Dustin, and Steve share a look as you pull in the cemetery, and Lucas has barely stopped watching Max the entire ride. The car pulls into a long windy road and Max tells them to stop at the newer tombstones, leaving the car without a word and with conviction.

“Shit.” Lucas mutters, and he’s out of the car, he couldn’t stop himself another minute. “Max?” He calls for her, running to catch her.

You scooch forward in your seat, reaching across the centre console to Steve, “Hey, roll the windows down.”

“Already on it.” Steve mutters, the window already on it’s way, and you work on the back.

“Lucas, please, just wait in the car.” She pleads him, continuing her tread.

“Max, just wait. Max, please.” He continues anyway.

“Lucas, just wait—”

“Max. Just listen to me. Just, please.” Lucas begs, and she reluctantly stops in front of him. “I know something happened back there with your mother. Was it Vecna?”

“I told you, I’m fine.” Max insists, with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Okay?” Max sighs, adding, “I mean as fine as someone who’s hurtling towards a gruesome death can be.” Her voice drips in sarcasm, and it’s a coping mechanism, but it’s not helping her case in anyway. She loses her nerve, breaking her eye contact with Lucas as his face shows the genuine concern he’s feeling for her.

“Max…you know you can talk to me. Right?” Lucas starts, not believing her smile for a second.

Max takes in the expression, and it’s full of care for her enough where she feels uncomfortable. “Yeah, I know that,” she smiles awkwardly.

“Okay, then why do you keep pushing me away? Okay, look, I don’t need a letter. I don’t want a letter. Just talk to me. To your friends. We’re right here. I’m right here.” It was what Max needed, someone to take her and the situation seriously. She jerks her head towards the car, and back to Lucas, taking him in. “Okay?” He asks her, soft. “I’m here.”

Breaking up with him in January was the start of her closing herself off, and if this was the first conversation they’ve been able to genuinely have since then, then it was a long time coming. “Wait in the car. This won’t be long.” Max dismisses him, walking fast paced to the headstone in question.

You all watch her, worried and anxious.

-

Max sits crossed legged in front of Billy’s grave for a for a bit, and not much is said as she’s so far away. “Hey, Dust, that thing is on like all the time, yeah?” you ask, not hearing much of a peep from anyone for a while.

“24/7.” Dustin answers, staring after her, standing at the passenger side door.

You don’t answer back, anxious due to Eddie not reaching out all day.

Steve has been checking his watch frequently, his fingers anxiously tapping the window ledge of his car. When you were about to tell him to cut it out, Steve gets out. “All right, it’s been long enough.” He comments.

“Steve, just give her some time.” Lucas argues, now sitting on the hood of Steve’s car.

“I have, all right, Sinclair? I’m calling it. She wants to get a lawyer, she can.” Steve says with finality, running off to where Max is still sitting.

You get out of the car, relaxing onto the roof next to Dustin. Lucas glances back anxiously at the two of you, mostly at Dustin, and exhales sharply.

Steve is talking to her in the distance, and suddenly he bends down to face her. As he starts clapping, the three of you still waiting by his car realize she was back in a trance, your bodies tensing up as Steve yells at her to wake with no avail. “Max! Wake up!” He calls, voice carrying across the cemetery.

“Oh, something’s wrong.” Lucas mutters, and the three of you slowly start to make your way off the car.

“Guys!” Steve calls to you, and it pushes you into running straight toward her. While Dustin and Lucas don’t hesitate, your first instinct is to grab the walkie, something telling you that you would need it, and follow them as fast as your feet could carry you.

You spend an uncomfortably long time surrounding Max, calling to her, begging her to wake up. You stared at her, eyes white, not even flinching at you yelling at her face and wondered if this was how Chrissy had looked.

Steve pauses his yelling to direct it at Dustin. “Call Nancy and Robin! Go get ‘em! Call Nancy and Robin! Go!” Steve releases his hold, and Dustin makes a run for it.

“Dust!” You call, running after him. “Dustin!”

“What?” He asks, gesturing to you to let you know now was clearly not the time.

You toss him the walkie, and Dustin’s face lights up in understanding. “Oh, shit. Ok.” He starts calling for them, repeating the code red with the occasional use of curses in between.

It takes minutes of Dustin begging in the background, pacing back and forth on the grassy path as he keeps repeating the code red signal, until it’s met with Robin’s answer, “Dustin, it’s Robin, we copy.”

“Holy shit. Finally!” Dustin yells, and there’s nothing you can do but continue to beg for her to wake up. “Please, please tell us you guys have this figured out.” Dustin begs, and his voice isn’t just desperate, it’s borderlining on hopeless.

Dustin takes a sudden run off to the car as Robin is explaining, and makes a quick return holding a bunch of tapes and Max’s Walkman. He trips into the circle where you’re still attempting to wake her up, the tapes all clumsily landing onto the grass. “What, what is this?” Lucas yells, voice hurried.

“Her song! What’s her favourite song?” Dustin yells.

The question is understandably met with confusion, both you and Steve giving Dustin a weird look. “Wh-why?” Lucas asks, exasperated.

“Robin said if she listens…it’s too much to explain now. Whats. Her favourite. Song?” Dustin stumbles through, and suddenly it’s the most important thing in the world right now.

Four pairs of hands fumble over the tapes, fingers shaking as you all ask the same question. What was Max’s favourite song? Lucas holds a tape, fingers gripping against it desperately. “It’s right here! Got it!” Lucas yells, and it’s put into the Walkman and pressed play, you place her headphones on her, telling whoever had the Walkman to press play now. The matter of who did what was unimportant, as long as Max didn’t suffer the same fate.

Your shouts to wake her up continue, calling after her. You were running out of patience, but it didn’t matter. This was working. It had to be.

As you were clinging onto this thought, you find yourself falling stuttering backwards onto your ass as Max starts to levitate. She rises higher, and you are finding it harder to breathe as you stared at her in horror and heartbroken disbelief. Max finally stops rising at nearly twenty feet, and all of you can do nothing but shout after her and hope Kate Bush was working.

It felt as if you were yelling for forever, jumping up and down, calling for her, your arms bent as your hands hold your heads in a mutual incredulity of what you were seeing.

The desperation.

Her name was being repeated like a mantra, over and over when her eyes open, she gasps out sharply as she drops to the ground. You all crowd around her as she sits up, her voice shaking and sobbing, and you can’t make anything of what she’s attempting to say but thank god she was okay.

Lucas holds an arm around her, and she clings onto him just as much as he attempts to calm her hyperventilating. You reach out for them, comforting in any way you can, and you can’t explain the need to reach out for them like you did but it was all anyone could do.

“I thought we lost you.” Lucas croaks out, his voice cracking yet didn’t hold a candle to how desperate he felt.

The sentiment is echoed by all of you, and you look up from where you zoned out onto the back of Lucas’ jacket to see both Steve and Dustin clutching onto them as well, a sign of solidarity and unity. The relief you had felt was over whelming, and there was nothing any of you could do but sit there.

“I’m still here.” Max says, and it’s both for him and her, as Max nearly lost her life. She was telling herself this as well.

She was still here.

[monaisme]

Sicktember: Day 27

#27- “This is non-negotiable”

“But Dr. Cho!” Peter jackknifed up to sit on the edge of the med bay bed, trying not to look like the manoeuvre hadn’t just hurt. “You said yourself that this was a clean break! And I’m ME! I am literally already healing while we’re sitting here arguing about it!”

Dr. Cho sighed and rolled her eyes as she swivelled her chair to face Mr. Stark. “I am a world renowned geneticist, one of the biggest names in cellular biology, and work on cutting edge medical technology that will one day change the world. Can you please, Tony, tell me why, with all of that knowledge and expertise, I am sitting here having to try to convince a teenage vigilante that it’s in his best interest to wear a cast on his freshly broken arm and NOT a removable brace because he wants to go to the water park with his friends tomorrow?”

Mr. Stark heaved a sigh of his own. “He was tested, Helen, I promise... said he was a genius and everything.” He shook his head in disappointment. “So either the tests lied, or—” Mr. Stark paused for affect, “the kid is a certified idiot.”

“Hey! That’s not nice!” Peter protested, “And you know the team has been planning for this for weeks! It’s the social event of the season!”

“I do know that,” Mr. Stark agreed through his chuckles. “I also know that an uncomplicated bone break takes you an average of two days to heal enough to safely switch over to a brace. Not,” the man checked his Starkwatch and looked Peter dead in the eye, “twelve hours. I’m sorry, kiddo.”

“Gah!” Peter shouted out in frustration then dropped back in defeat onto the bed. “ow.” He glared up at the ceiling. “This is so unfair.”

“Fair or not, Pete. It’s what it is.”

“But why?” Peter whined. “I’d be careful with it, I swear!”

Tony looked unconvinced while Dr. Cho mumbled under her breath, “I’ve seen how you’re careful with things, Peter...”

“Hey,” Peter lifted his head up from the bed and glared at the two adults. “Super hearing here! You don’t have to kick me when I’m down, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Doctor Cho could see that he really was.

She pushed his head back down onto the bed, and with a sigh of defeat, got up from her stool, her own flashback to missing science camp when she broke her own arm all those years ago suddenly at the forefront of her brain.

“I can’t believe I’m even considering doing this,” she mumbled to herself before clapping her hands together and committing to the new plan. “Okay, how’s about this?” Dr. Cho headed toward a supply cupboard and started rifling through it. “I personally hate using this because all of you think it gives you permission to not follow my rules HOWEVER,” She plucked out her supplies as she located them, then placed it on the supply table, and rolled it toward where Peter still lay, “If you promise me that you’ll be careful with this cast, AND the arm lying within it, I will give you a waterproof cast.” She lifted up the blue, futuristic sleeve of resin casting material. “But only this once, do you understand what I am saying?”

Peter’s eyes widened in disbelief, “So, you’re saying I can—”

Dr. Cho cut him off. “Nope, don’t get ahead of yourself. Listen to me Peter. This is an absolute non-negotiable. You will NOT be on any waterslides or in any swimming pools. You do not know moderation and so you will still have restrictions. You can be poolside—did you hear that? On the side, but you don’t have to worry about splashing and the like. You can also have VERY limited use of the toddler splash pad zone, to splash—with your feet—IF they allow that even. Do you hear me? You will still be careful because you are still healing. No stupid stuff.”

Peter had paid rapt attention, then turned his head to look at Mr. Stark once she was done talking. “Is this really happening? Did I hit my head and I’m hallucinating? Please tell me I’m not imagining this,” he pleaded with his mentor. “Dr. Cho is being nice?”

Mr. Stark snort-laughed. “Dr. Cho is always nice. We’re just pains in her ass and she reacts accordingly.”

“True.” Dr. Cho chuckled in response. “Now stop talking and let me focus on putting Peter back together before I change my mind about this whole thing.”

“Yes, ma’am. I will be stopping with the talking right now. Not a sound. I will not utter a peep—”

“Kid.”

“Yes, Mr. Stark?”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, Mr. Stark."  

/-/-/

“I can’t believe you broke your arm the night before our big Aca-Deca Waterparkapalooza!” Ned exclaimed, making no effort to hide his disappointment.

“I know!” Peter replied, “It’s not like I did it on purpose, and besides,” Peter checked to make sure the rest of the Aca-Dec team was out of earshot. “At least I can be in the water park proper to hang out without wrecking Dr. Cho’s handiwork. And Mr. Stark says he’s going to rent out the park for an afterhours ‘private function’ when I’m all healed up.” Peter announced, “It’ll be for all of his family and friends, which obviously means, like, the Avengers, and Aunt May, and us and whoever else I decide to invite AND we won’t have to worry about long lines to get on all the best rides!”

Ned’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding? Please tell me that you’re not kidding!” Ned tried not to squeal—and failed.

“Ned!” Peter chastised. “Be cool!” he hissed loudly, trying to be both heard and not over the sound of all the water moving around them, “The more people who know, the more likely that I’ll have to invite—”

“Whatcha talkin’ about?!”

“Geez, Flash!” Ned clutched at his chest as he shucked Flash off his back and turned to confront him. “Way to give a guy a heart attack!”

“Ah, you’re fine, Ned.” Flash insisted, “So? Whose being invited where? Gimme the deets, peeps. Is it black tie? Should I rent a limo? Buy a lambo?”

Peter glared at Ned now that the cat was out of the bag. “It’s nothing, Flash. Mr. Stark is just going to give me a bit of a water park re-do because of the whole arm-in-cast thing, is all.”

“Sweet!” Flash replied then cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey, nerds!” Flash hollered over to the rest of the team off in the distance, “Peter’s hosting another water park visit once the cast is off!” He lowered his hands and looked over to Peter. “Do we have a date yet?” He asked.

Peter shook his head, ‘no.’

Hands came up around his mouth again, “Details TBD! Wahoooooooooo! Let’s goooo!” Flash bellowed as he rushed toward the others, all talking excitedly about their next water park adventure.

“Well.” Peter huffed out in frustration. “That went well.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Pfft. Don’t worry about it. I’ll just never get over the fact that Flash doesn’t set off my spider senses anymore.”

Ned grinned at Peter’s statement. “I know! It’s like were trapped in an alternate reality.”

“Eh, it’s not so bad, I guess.” Peter smiled. “Besides—” A tingle across the back of Peter’s neck distracted him. “Hold on a min—”

A high pitched scream echoed across the water park, and then everyone heard it, “HELP ME! SOMEONE STOP HIM!” A woman’s voice called from somewhere behind them, “HE’S GOT MY PURSE!”

Without missing a beat, Peter pulled out his cell phone and handed it over to Ned. “Call Mr. Stark,” he ordered as he walked briskly toward the sound of the running feet. “You know how he gets when he doesn’t know what’s going on!”

“But Peter!” Ned looked worried, “Your cast! Dr. Cho!?”

Peter didn’t have time to worry. “It’s a purse snatcher in an enclosed park with security and cameras everywhere. What can I really do? Besides, it’s just a matter of slowing him down for someone else to catch him, Ned. We’re good, okay?”

Ned nodded, not convinced, but entered Peter’s PIN regardless.

And Peter started his trek, if he could even call it that. 

It took him only a minute to come upon the poor woman, surrounded by both security and friends, as she gestured wildly toward one specific pump station located inside of the park as the direction the perpetrator had fled toward.

It didn’t really make sense to Peter, but that was okay. If he wanted to make Peter’s job easier, he was more than welcome. Honestly, Peter was gonna find him either way. He just needed to block out the noise—

He closed his eyes and focussed.

Yikes.

The intensity of trying to hone in on one bad guy in a water park where the hot summer air was filled with the overwhelming chemical scent of chlorine, the cacophony of thousands upon thousands of gallons of water flowing through pipes and filters then hammering down plastic slides, and so many people... it suddenly seemed a little tricky.

But what a rush! He could do this, Peter thought. All he had to do was concentrate... find something that didn’t-

fit-

in-

Gotcha.

The swoosh of dark blue denim jeans and a rustle of a black hoodie would have blended in just about anywhere else in New York on any day of the year, even today, but in a water park where even the security guards were wearing tank tops, shorts, and water socks?

Peter approached cautiously, he thought, but the man must have sensed Peter’s gaze upon him as he turned to face him. They locked eyes, Peter and the purse snatcher, and then the chase was on.

Well for a minute, at least.

This guy had no clue what he was doing.

At least it seemed that way to Peter, which he guessed was a good thing. If the fight had gone on too long, they’d have drawn a crowd which would not be ideal, and it was already going to be tricky trying to insert himself back into the role of curious bystander. Peter just needed to find something to tie up the guy currently slumped and unconscious against the concrete wall. Then security would find him easily enough and— “Hey!”

His spider sense flared, giving Peter barely enough time to lift his casted arm up to block the pipe that was flying towards his head. (Apparently his purse snatcher friend was a big ol’ Fakey McFakerton!) Peter ignored the nauseating vibrations running up through his casted arm, instead using his good one to grab hold of the man’s wrist and twist it away then behind him as Peter forced the pipe out of his hand and his face down to the ground.

“That was not cool, man!” Peter grumped as he fought down the urge to puke. “So not cool.” He scanned the area once more for something to secure Purse Snatcher Guy’s wrists, but was having no luck. Peter was about to give up on finding anything when he looked down at himself and had an epiphany. “Ah, well.” He sighed. “It’s better than nothing,” he pulled at the drawstring from the swim trunks he’d worn in hopes of a few blissful minutes on the splash pad with his friends, and then a few twists and knots later, “Et voila!” Purse Snatcher Guy was bound well enough to keep him where he was until security showed up.

“And now, to get on with my day,” Peter announced to no one as he stood up and brushed his good hand against his t-shirt. For all that racket at the end there, he’d been sure he’d draw some observers, but there was no one. All it would take was a little sneaking for Peter to make his way back to his group... just like he’d planned.

Perfect!

Peter exhaled shakily then smiled as he approached Ned, who eyes bugged out of his head as he took in Peter’s form. “Dude! Are you okay? You look a little—”

“I’m fine, Ned.” He put his hand out to take his phone back. “Why?”

The sound of the Iron Man boosters must have been masked by the sounds of the park so there was no hiding it when Peter jumped at Mr. Stark answering the question in his stead. “Maybe it’s the Casper impression you’re trying to pull off OR maybe even because your cast is currently sporting a dent that I’m 100% certain was not there when you left the tower this morning?”

 “Huh?” Peter lifted his arm to see what he was talking about, and there it was. Peter gulped. “I can explain?”

Mr. Stark looked over Peter’s head to the cluster of Aca-Deca team members that were watching the exchange with bated breath. “Maybe we’ll discuss this back at the tower with Dr. Cho instead?”

Now that the excitement has passed, Peter could admit that maybe the pipe had done a little more than dent the cast, and the idea of the med bay and a moderate dose of painkillers was sounding pretty good. Peter stepped forward, exhaled shakily, and replied, “That sounds good.”

“Perfect!” Mr. Stark smiled softly at the kid before flashing his press-ready grin to Peter’s friends, making note of each of their faces. “I’m assuming I’ll be seeing you all in a few weeks when we try this again?”

Every one of them nodded.

“Fantastic! Well then, we’re going to be off.” Mr. Stark looked over to Ned, “Ted, thanks again for the call. We’ll see you at the tower on Tuesday, right?”

“Right,” Ned smiled big.

“Okay then,” the Iron Man mask flipped closed and Peter was swept up in its arms. “Let’s go see what kind of damage you caused, kid.”

Peter simply rested his head on the suit’s chest and chuckled. “At least I didn’t get my cast wet.”

[fandom-alley]

You're So Gorgeous | Part 2 - First Date

Summary: Spencer goes on his first date with the girl he met on a dating app that Penelope and Emily signed him up for. Pairing: Spencer Reid/OFC and Spencer & Friends Category: Fluff Warnings: like very small bau work mention stuff, kissing Word Count: 3.6k Part One AO3

“I can not believe you’re actually doing this.” Penelope said from her seat on Spencer’s worn leather couch. She looked over to Emily, who stood next to his impressive wall of books. Some stacked on top of others, shoved in this way and that way to make room. And there still wasn’t enough room, as evident by the piles and stacks of books littered throughout his apartment. But, where as some would see it as clutter or hoarding, the friends just saw it as pure Spencer. 

“Neither can I. Who knew that some random girl I picked on a dating app for you based solely on the picture of her hair, would become someone you’re actually interested in,” said Emily.

The two girls had shown up unannounced to Spencer’s apartment on the night of his first date to help him get ready. It hadn’t taken them long to realize that Spencer had been messaging back and forth with Avianna after their lunch at the cafe. When he got back from the morgue with Derek, they were on him in an instant, asking why he couldn’t stop smiling when he was just looking at a dead person. He couldn’t hold back and told them about their conversation. 

Now, exactly one week later and lots of luck having not been called out on a case, Spencer and Avianna were meeting for the first time to go on a date at an Italian restaurant of her choosing. Spencer was glad he didn’t have to make the decision on where to eat, because they might have just ended up with takeout on his living room floor, and he wanted to make a better impression than that.

“Some studies have shown that 0.6% of men find a match through Tinder. For woman, about 10%,” Spencer said from his bedroom, where he had left the door ajar to listen to the conversation, but not have two of his best friends see him naked and changing. 

“Was it Tinder that we signed you up for? I can’t remember,” Emily said. 

“Not sure. We switched to texting that night when I messaged her that I was done work,” said Spencer again from his room, shocking both Penelope and Emily.

“Wow, if she can make you, certified boy genius, forget something, than she must be really special,” Penelope quipped. 

Emily was about to make a witty remark as well, but the sound of Spencer’s door creaking open further made her hold her tongue. He walked out slowly, unsure and maybe a little bit nervous, by his outfit choice. It was a standard Spencer ensemble. His best pair of black pants, a deep purple long sleeve collard undershirt with a dark brown sweater vest on top, paired with a black tie. He had a black suit jacket to wear with it outside hanging over his arm, waiting to be put on for when he left his place.

Emily let out a whistle with an approving nod as she took in his attire. Penelope jumped up from the couch with some excited hand claps, also approving his look. She ran up to him to begin fussing with his tie and making sure his shirt was tucked in nicely. 

“You look so handsome,” Penelope said in his ear. Spencer felt his skin get warm from their attention. 

“It’s not too similar to what I always wear?” He asked, uncertain. 

“It’s important not to change who you are or what you like when you’re meeting someone new, Spencer. You’re always handsome, and she’s going to appreciate you no matter what,” said Emily. “Unless she doesn’t. In which case ditch her and come back here and we can watch that Russian movie you were telling me about the other week.”

Spencer chuckled at her attempt to be up lifting. Sure, he’d only been talking to Avianna through text for a week, but he was pretty sure she wouldn’t be the type of girl to see him standing by a restaurant and just turn around because his looks weren’t up to par. I guess that’s what first dates were for. To see if there’s any sort of real life connection there between two people. 

Their messages for the last week were on a range of different topics. One of them would usually start the conversation by asking how their day at work was, but quickly the boring mundane talk would disappear and they’d chat for hours about the most random of topics. Like plant species that Avianna would spot on one of her many hikes, or Spencer’s facts about Doctor Who and magic.

Spencer broke away from Penelope to put his shoes on by the front door. 

“I should go. We’re meeting outside the restaurant. I’d rather be the one waiting out there for her, as opposed to arriving and seeing her already standing there,” Spencer said. He started to nervously play with his hair, making sure that his unruly curls were situated just right. 

“Awe, it’s like watching my child go on his first date,” Penelope cooed.

“Don’t worry. We won’t be here when you get back,” Emily winked.

“Oh. Well, you can stay as long as you want though. I really won’t mind if you’re both here when I get home,” Spencer said.

“Never mind, pretty boy. You go have fun, we will talk about how it went tomorrow,” Emily said. She pushed him out the door with a final goodbye.

Spencer arrived to the restaurant early, as planned. He didn’t see Avianna standing around, for which he was glad. It really would have made a bad impression if he had let her stand alone outside because he was running late. He gave her a courtesy text to let her know he was outside, and then tried his best to lean casually against the wall while he waited. However, three seconds after that he straightened up again. Leaning wasn’t good for the spine and he was pretty sure he looked like a creep. 

He did not have to wait long for his date to arrive. Just a couple minutes after his text, he watched as she stepped out of a taxi, thanking the driver. Spencer felt his breath catch in his throat. She was even more beautiful in person. Her long hair was pulled back in a French braid, resting over her shoulder. She wore a crisp white top tucked into a pair of high waisted beige checkered pants, her outfit tied together with a long black peacoat. It was simple, but it was beautiful, he thought. He made his way over to her with a wide smile.

“Avianna? Hi. I’m Spencer.”

She pulled him in instantly for a hug, which he hesitantly returned. He wasn’t the best at physical contact with people he just met, but he was drawn in by her aroma. Something floral, like lavender. 

“Sorry, that was a bit forward,” she said in a rush, pushing him away from the hug. “I went over this moment in my head so many times and I didn’t want us to just give some awkward smiles to each other before going inside.”

“That’s okay. It was a nice hug,” Spencer reassured her. 

“It was, wasn’t it? Wow, you are so tall,” she said, looking him up and down with bright eyes. She was probably a foot shorter than him. “And you look fantastic. Purple is a really great colour on you.”

“Oh, uh, thank you,” he breathed out. “You look very beautiful.”

Spencer was pretty sure he could see a blush forming on her cheeks, but she diverted the attention from herself and led them inside. The restaurant was decently busy, but not too crowded to be overwhelming. The sound of peoples cutlery clinking together as they ate was only barely audible over the soft instrumental music they had playing throughout the dining room. 

The hostess led them to a booth next to the window, placed their menus down and took their drink orders. Both of them asked for water, not even a peak at the wine or cocktails list that sat next to them on the table. Spencer didn’t want to comment on why she was opting for no alcohol, but he was kind of glad she did. He would never bring it up to his team, but sometimes going out with them for food and drinks was a bit hard and overwhelming when all of them drank alcohol besides him. 

They were comfortably quiet as they looked over their menus. Spencer worried for a second that maybe he and Avianna had already talked about everything they could possibly talk about over text messages, but those thoughts were quickly swept under the rug as she looked up at him from behind her menu with a sparkle in her eye.

“Not that anyone is paying any attention to us, but if they were, it would be so obvious that we’re both on a first date,” she laughed.

Spencer laughed softly as well before asking her to clarify what she meant.

“Just that, from an outsiders perspective, we both probably look so nervous. I mean, I can’t totally speak for you, but I’m very nervous. Maybe I’m just the one who would look like they’re on a first date. You actually look totally cool, calm, and collected.”

Spencer couldn’t help but give a real laugh this time, his eyes crinkling as he did. She rambles more than I do when nervous, he thought to himself.

“I’m definitely nervous,” he said. “I’ve never used a dating app before, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been on a real date. Actually, a couple of my friends set the account up for me without me knowing. Emily, my friend, sent you the first message on the app, but the rest was all me.”

“I’m so glad they did. Remind me to thank them if I ever meet them. I’m also so glad you answered my stupid little math question,” she laughed. Spencer wanted to listen to her laugh forever. It was so light and infectious.

“I was meaning to ask what that was all about. Emily nearly choked on her water when I asked if it was a normal thing to answer before getting to talk to someone,” he smirked.

“It’s kind of stupid,” she said, avoiding eye contact and looking back at the menu.

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.” 

Avianna grimaced, but started to explain anyways, “I kind of set my account up as a joke with my friends one night. None of us have ever been in any kind of long lasting relationship, and we were having mocktails night just goofing around when we all set up an account to see what was out there. But when we all instantly were getting matches with some of the same guys in our area, we knew people were just using the site as an easier way to try and hook up with anyone.”

“Hook up with someone?” Asked Spencer, a little unsure about what that terminology meant.

“Like have sex,” Avianna clarified for him.

“Got it,” he said through a cough.

“So yeah. We decided to ask everyone who matched and messaged us to answer some kind of skill testing question. Kind of like what they make you do when you win a prize online. Most of the guys would just never respond, and the few that did always gave some bullshit answer like ‘I could love you harder than this math question is.’” She lowered her voice to imitate a man.

“They thought that math question was hard?” Avianna laughed at Spencer’s question, which made him smile.

“Apparently they did. But not you,” she looked at him across the table with a small shy smile.

Their waiter came by to take their orders, both of them opting for the classic best seller, spaghetti and meat balls. The two of them fell into a comfortable conversation, further melting away Spencer’s worries about not having anything to discuss in person. The conversation flowed so easily between the two, Spencer was sure that if anyone looked their way now, they would no longer look like a pair on a first date. More like a couple just going out for dinner.

They chatted a little about work, about Avianna’s job at a bank, but they kept it light. Because talking about Spencer’s job with the FBI could sometimes bring the mood down. Mostly they just continued to get to know each other. Some of the stuff they messaged about got brought up again in person, like her love for hikes ant the outdoors and Spencer’s dislike for extreme physical activity. But it was nice to hear the excitement about her interest’s in person this time. He could study the way her eyes lit up when talking about a cool bird she spotted on her last hike, and the way the corner of her mouth would tilt down when she mentioned how she didn’t like the way someone would disrespect nature on the trails by leaving garbage and breaking off tree branches. 

Spencer would chime in with facts about over tourism and then their conversation would switch to destinations they would love to visit some day. He of course mentioned how much he traveled around the country for work already, but that he would love to spend time in Europe.

When their meals were finished and Spencer paid the bill, Avianna said she promised to pay next time. It made his heart beat a little quicker knowing she wanted to spend more time with him. 

As they made their way outside the restaurant, Spencer really didn’t want to just send her away in a taxi and head home, so he suggest they go for a walk along the waterfront. She happily agreed. He had a small inner battle with himself, on if he should hold her hand or not. On the one side, hand’s held lots of germs and sometimes he would even tell people it would actually be safer to kiss, than to shake hands. But on the other, he just spent an hour chatting with this beautiful girl, and he was feeling a little bit desperate to get closer to her. So eventually he reached down and grasped her hand in his.

Avianna looked up at him after he did, with a pleased smile on her face. He was more than happy with his decision. 

“So did you grow up around here?” She asked him as they strolled along a nice path near the water. It was a little breezy and cold, but something about the heat being shared between their hands made Spencer warm inside.

“No, actually. I grew up in Las Vegas.”

“No way. That’s pretty cool. Did you go to casinos a lot?”

“Yes. To the point where I got banned from most of them for counting cards,” he confessed. 

“Shut up, you did not,” she laughed.

“I am! From Laughlin and Pahrump as well.”

“Remind me never to bet against you then,” she said with a squeeze to his hand that he returned.

“Are you banned from anywhere?” He asked with a joking smile.

“My sisters bedroom, for stealing her clothes when I was a teenager,” she joked back.

The pair made their way to a small park that was empty now that the sun had set. As they were crossing a small bridge over a pond, Avianna stopped in the middle of it so she could lean over the edge and look at the fish. 

“Did you know that in every drop of pond water there is a microcosm of life? And a lot of ponds are actually home to some rare species,” Spencer informed her.

“So don’t drink the pond water?”

“Probably better to wait for filtered water, yes.”

Avianna stood up straight to look at him.

“Can I kiss you?” She blurted out. It took him by surprise, and she could see that on his face. “I’m sorry. That was really forward, it’s only the first date. We can wait for, like, the third or fourth date, if you want.”

When he’d recovered from the shock of not only her wanting a kiss but the mention of a possible fourth date, he replied, “Actually, I really appreciate how to the point you are. It leaves nothing to the imagination.”

“Oh, shit,” she said. “Should I be leaving things to the imagination?” 

“No, I’m sorry. That came out wrong,” he shook his head. “I meant, your forwardness means I’m not overthinking things. Wondering if you want me to call you back tomorrow or wait for a few days. It’s nice, to hear it right out in the open. I’m just not used to it.”

“Well, I’m glad. Because I’ve always been one to say what I feel or ask for what I want. Also, just to be clear, I’m totally okay with the answer no. It won’t hurt my feelings. I do want a second date, though,” she pointed her finger at him to make sure he understands that point.

“I want that as well,” he chuckled. Then he bit his bottom lip in contemplation, before making a decision. “I wouldn’t mind that kiss as well.”

“You do?” She asked and waited for him to nod his head. “Can I kiss you?” She asked again.

“Please,” he breathed out. 

They met each other half way. Spencer bent his head down, and Avianna got up on the tips of her toes. As their lips met, Spencer wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her steady, pulling her in closer and lifting her a little higher. Avianna moved her hands from his shoulders to the back of his neck, where she gently ran her fingers through his hair. Spencer took a step backwards until he was leaning on the wall of the bridge. He couldn’t believe that his was happening. That he was kissing someone on a first date, and that she was as beautiful as she is. And that she was just as into it as him. 

Eagerly, Spencer nipped at her bottom lip, kissing her harder when she let out a gasp of pleasure. He left one arm around her waist to keep her in place, and moved his other so that he could cup the side of her face with his hand. Gently, he rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone, before moving the hand to get a hold on her hair. He used his grip to pull her head back, exposing her neck. He trailed kisses along her jaw then down to suck on the tender part of her neck, making her gasp yet again.

“Oh my,” she gasped in pleasure as Spencer no doubt left a mark on her. “We might have to stop before we expose ourselves to someone in public.” 

Spencer nodded his head in agreement from his place at her neck, but he didn’t stop. Instead he moved back to her lips, in another earth shattering kiss. Spencer wasn’t quite ready for it to be over yet. They moved together like one, breathing each other in. This close to her, all Spencer could smell was that lavender again, and it went straight to his head, making him feel drunk on her kiss.

He let out a shudder when Avianna curled her fingers in his hair. It felt so nice to have someone in his arms. Spencer started to slow down when he heard a dog bark in the distance. He pulled away to rest his forehead against hers, going in for a small peck every few seconds because he just couldn’t believe how lucky he felt to have found her. He really did owe it to his friends.

Finally, when his heart rate went back to normal, he loosened his grip and lowered her down so her feet were flat on the bridge once again. She kept her arms around his neck, looking up at him in wonderment. 

“Sorry, I think I messed up your braid,” he said when he noticed strands of hair sticking out where they were once contained.

“That’s alight. It was worth it,” she said, then she took out the elastic and let her hair fall down in waves around her shoulders.

Unable to help himself, Spencer reached forward to run his hands through her hair. Then he used his grip to pull her head back, bending down a slightly uncomfortable amount to kiss her quickly once again.

“Sorry,” he said bashfully, then pulled his hands away from her.

“Don’t apologize. That was amazing, you can kiss me whenever you want.”

Slowly they started walking again, hand in hand, as they made their way back to the main road where Avianna called herself a taxi. 

“Spencer, I had such a wonderful time tonight. I am on the moon happy,” she said to him.

“Me too. I would love to do this again.”

“How about tomorrow for breakfast?” She asked right as her taxi pulled up.

“It’s a date,” he said. Like earlier in the evening, Avianna pulled him in for a hug. Except this time, he tightly hugged her back and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I can’t wait,” she said before hopping into the taxi. Spencer watched with a massive smile as it drove down the road and made a right turn, disappearing from sight. 

He turned around to start walking back to his apartment when his phone dinged from his pocket. 

Avianna - ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Yup. He really owed it to Penelope and Emily.

[ashandkatiewrite]

Chapter 10

FIC SYNOPSIS: Maggie Hastings meets her dream man after a flight into New York City— Bucky Barnes, a pilot who seems to be everything she’s looking for. Except that she already has a boyfriend who never has time for her. After a near-tryst with her dream pilot, Maggie runs, only to find out he later meets her best friend and they’re now crazy about each other. Among their group of best friends, between Chicago and New York, and four weddings and a funeral, Maggie and Bucky struggle to keep their fiery chemistry a secret so they don’t hurt the ones they love.

WRITTEN BY: @if-you-onlyknew & @katiekinswrites

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/OFC

Rating: M (Mature) & E (Explicit)

READ FROM THE BEGINNING

chapter preview...

“Give her some room!” An anxious voice spoke as Maggie was set on the edge of the bed again. Everyone else in the apartment took a collective step back, but no one left. Everyone was quiet, watching. Bucky’s face loomed in front of Maggie’s as he checked her pupils again. “Was it your results?” he whispered, knowing only something like that could possibly have garnered such a reaction from her.

Chris was standing beside Natasha next to Bucky. “Mags?” Chris asked. 

“I passed,” Maggie finally said clearly. “I passed the surgical boards. I am officially a certified surgeon…” 

A broad smile broke out across Bucky’s face and not a second later, he was shoved back, away from Maggie as Natasha threw her arms around Maggie, whooping with victory. “Of course you did, Pchela!”

Being tackled in a hug by Natasha was finally the thing that snapped Maggie out of her shocked state and she couldn’t help but cry and laugh from the happiness and excitement she felt in that moment. 

Steve and Sam clapped as they smiled too. Not only was Chris staring at Bucky with a raised brow, but Frank was too. But they all knew why Bucky had stayed with Maggie for two weeks. No one else had been able to. Someone had to. And Bucky was glad he had. It had been one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. Seeing how happy Maggie had been with him, and it had been reciprocated. 

Maggie’s eyes instantly searched for Bucky, watching as he kept his focus on both Chris and Frank. She wanted so badly for him to look at her so she could thank him for helping her study for the exam, for putting up with her crazy and being by her side these last thirteen days even when she told him he didn’t have to. Maggie — even though she knew Natasha was in the room — wanted to tell Bucky she was so unconditionally in love with him and always would be. She wanted to be held by him during the greatest moment in her life — she just wanted him. 

TAGLIST: @ocappreciationtag • @julieelliewrites• @acabecca • @arrthurpendragon • @darkwolf76 • @cas-verse • @victoriapedrcttis • @seb-soph • @cjand10 • @eddysocs  • @darylandbethfanforever9 

[morbidlyhumorous]

Scuba (Jake Webber)

I was tying off my air tank on the ship when I saw the three guys approaching. Sam and Colby had come to our dive shop a few days ago to get certified and their friend Jake had decided to tag along for 'moral support.' I honestly didn't mind as I found myself warming up to him and thought he was pretty funny. Sam and Jake were cracking jokes the whole way down the dock while Colby looked slightly stressed, though I couldn't blame him. Even though I was confident in my abilities from doing this for several years, I still sometimes felt a dull sense of panic. But I was fine, and Colby would be, too, because he would be partnered with Keline.

Once the three guys were on the boat, we casted off and were soon skipping over the waves. Keline did a run down of what we were going to do with the two guys and I sat next to Jake. We talked for a little while before the captain announced we were close to the site. I already had my wetsuit on halfway, so I focused on putting my gear together. I heard Jake laugh behind me, so I turned to see that Sam had fallen over trying to get his leg through the wetsuit. It was one of the funniest things ever.

Keline and I then checked their gear set up. "Sam! You forgot to turn your air on!" I called out. Sam froze and Jake beside him said, "Oh boy, that would not have been good.""No shit!" Sam exclaimed and I couldn't help but smile. "This is why we check things like this.""I can't even begin to imagine what would've happened otherwise." Sam said, his face slightly draining of color. "Nah, you would've been fine. We always triple check these things." Keline said as they clapped Sam on the back. Once everything had been put together, Keline was the first one into the water. I helped haul Sam up from his seat, slowly walk him to the edge, watched his stride off the edge, then I went back and did the same to Colby. 

Finally it was my turn. I got the rest of my wetsuit on before I turned to Jake and asked, "Can you zip up my back? I usually have Keline help, but they're already in the water." Jake walked over and replied, "It'll be my pleasure," as he zipped up the back. I thanked him and then strapped on my gear before putting my flippers on. I shuffled to the edge of the boat, made sure my BCD was inflated, placed my hand over my goggles and regulator, then strode off the edge. I signaled to the captain that I was okay and then waved at Jake before swimming towards the others. Jake was probably going to find some game to play on his phone while we were gone.

When the four of us reached our descent point, we began our descent. The world around me was quickly silenced as my head went under the surface and I began the frequent process of equalizing my ears. We slowly made our way down the line until we had reached the bottom, which was at about 75 ft. Keline began leading the way and the rest of us followed. A few minutes in, I felt the familiar feeling of underlying panic, but I ignored it. We swam around for about half an hour before we decided to start heading back. It was great to see all the marine animals that live down here, but we only had so much air. We made it to the line and began our slow ascent, making sure to take a safety stop part way through. When we finally broke the surface, Keline and I made the guys go in front of us when getting back on the boat...just in case. Colby took his flippers off and passed them up to the captain before he climbed the ladder up, where the captain grabbed him by the top of his air tank. He walked Colby back to his seat, tied his tank off, and then went back for Sam. After Sam was Keline, and after Keline was me. 

I walked back to my seat and got myself out of my BCD before I could tie my tank off. I managed to get the top part of my wetsuit off before I felt myself beginning to cry. I hastily tried to wipe them away, but they just kept coming. My breaths started coming in short gasps and I couldn't see anything. I tried to focus on the cool metal railing beneath my hands, but it didn't work. Suddenly, I felt a warm, rough hand on my bare shoulder. I looked up and saw Jake beside me, a concerned look on his face. As soon as he saw my face, he immediately made me sit down and took one of my hands in his, his thumb rubbing over my knuckles. His other hand was gently rubbing my back as I leaned my head on his shoulder. He rested his chin on my head and said, "Shh, it's okay now. You did it, you got through it, and I'm proud of you. It's over now and what matters is that you're safely here with me."

We stayed like this for a few minutes, Jake muttering soothing words the whole time, before I felt myself calming down. I let out a final shaky breath and used my free hand to wipe my eyes. I glanced towards the other end of the boat and saw that Keline was watching me. They gave me a little thumbs up and I offered a small smile in return. "There we go." Jake said once he had noticed I was calming down. "And look at that," he continued, "We're here." I gave him a little laugh before I stood up to take my wetsuit the rest of the way off and pack it away. 

When we had docked, the guys were nice enough to carry the air tanks off the boat. Once those were off, I grabbed my bag of gear and made my way to the side of the boat. Jake was there and graciously held my hand as I got off. The two of us walked together to the main building next to the dock to rinse my gear off. While rinsing my gear off, Jake got a hold of the hose and began spraying me. I shrieked and tried to block the spray, but it didn't work. "Jake! Stop it!" He laughed but finally turned off the hose. I packed my stuff back up and Jake carried it for me to me car. I popped open the trunk, Jake unceremoniously tossed the bag in, and then we both sat on the edge. Sam and Colby were still near the main building with Keline, so I knew we had a few minutes to kill.

"Hey, I wanted to thank you for helping me earlier. I really appreciated it." I said as I nudged his arm. He smiled and took my hand in his own, giving it a squeeze. "I was happy to do it. I completely understand what you were going through.""I think I should keep you around every time I dive, because that's the fastest I've calmed down from that." Jake laughed slightly at my words and said, "Well, I've always wanted to be certified." I smiled at him before I allowed my head to drop against his shoulder, starting to feel tired after the long day. Jake held me closer to him and we enjoyed watching the waves until Sam and Colby were ready to go. Before he left, Jake pressed a lingering kiss to my knuckles and said he would see me soon before he hurried off, leaving me a blushing mess.