#luca x original female character

[bleulone]

TO BUILD AGAIN

a Chef Luca fanfiction | Fandom: The Bear. Rating: Mature/Explicit. Status: On going. Slow updates. Type: Multi-Chapters, Pre Canon. Tags: Chef Luca/Orginal Female Character, Disability, Angst and Feels, Character Study, Eventual Smut, Family and Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Mature Themes, Mentions of Depression, Romance, Romantic and Sexual Tension, Romantic drama with a happy ending, Slow-burn, Strangers to Reluctant chef partners to Friends to Lovers, Sharing Cultures, Self-Love, Traveling.

SOFIA “WARDA” FILALI, a culinary superstar, conquered the hearts of many as the darling of a renowned French cooking reality show. Blessed with her distinct approach to molecular cuisine, adorned with a razor-sharp wit and a smile that could bewitch hearts, she seemed destined for a life of triumph and acclaim. However, tragedy struck when, almost a year after opening her celebrated Parisian restaurant, Radiance, a stroke left her with a devastating loss: the use of her left arm. Despite the hope of rehabilitation, Warda faced a daunting reality.

IN THE MIDST OF HER STRUGGLES, Warda discovered solace in her long-forgotten passions of writing and drawing. Setting off on a globe-trotting adventure to craft her upcoming book and explore the depths of her personal creativity, her journey led her to the enchanting city of Copenhagen—a place of significant memories from her youth.

LITTLE DID WARDA ANTICIPATES the reunion with Luca, the effortlessly cool and tattooed pastry chef with whom she had shared countless trials and joys during their time together in Cannes and Casablanca. Unforeseen was the rekindling of a distant yet familiar warmth, awakening something deep within her and resurrecting a unique flavor of solace she never thought possible.

• Read HERE on ao3 • Listen to the playlist HERE •

[fizzyxcustard]

For Her Or My Country?

Fandom: Spooks

Pairing: Lucas North x OC (Amy Holland)

Warning: Non-graphic smut, insecurity, language

Word count: 3731

Summary: Lucas has been given an assignment which means potentially sleeping with a subject who is linked to a Russian subject of interest. After discussing with Amy, will he put his relationship or duty to country first? 

Notes: As always, if you wish to be added to my Forever Tag list, let me know. Or you can request to be added to a list for a specific character/fandom. Please contact me if you wish to be added or removed.

Comments and reblogs are always appreciated. :) Any comment at all.

Read on AO3 here

Masha Petrova. Beautiful. Elegant. Rich. Holder of intelligence that MI5 needed. And Lucas had been assigned to the case. Being able to speak Russian himself and having a vast knowledge of the culture and risks that were posed to the United Kingdom, it was only natural that Lucas be placed on this case. 

The team of Section D were all seated in the main briefing room, watching as photos appeared on the screen, flipping every few seconds. Harry described each one and gave background to all the subjects and contexts of them. 

Lucas was to go undercover in two days’ time, posing as a potential client for Masha Petrova’s prestigious art gallery. She would be hosting an auction, where paintings worth millions of pounds were to be sold, and the money then transferred to her ex-husband, Konstantin Sidorov. But the man had disappeared three years earlier. He was a ghost, with his last movement being on a flight back to Moscow and then nothing. Her motives behind keeping in such close contact with her ex-husband were being questioned. 

“Jo will be on standby,” Harry began. He turned to the bleach blonde woman who sat two seats down from him. Her large blue eyes were locked on him, waiting for her instruction. “We’ll need you to mingle with the men, stroke their egos.” That normally meant sleep with them if necessary. “Lucas, Masha is known to always have a string of attractive men on her arm who wish to warm her bed…” 

That was it. Amy, desk-based intelligence officer, and also Lucas’ girlfriend of ten months, felt bile rise in her throat. She looked at the photo of Masha Petrova and felt that stab of intense self-hatred rise. This was the kind of woman that Lucas should have been with, not her. He deserved beauty and elegance, not someone like Amy who rarely wore make up and dressed constantly in jeans. 

Now Amy knew why she had been kept off the case for as long as she had. With Ruth Evershed on long-term sick leave, the team were bursting at the seams with workload and needed another pair of hands. Amy was the only person available. 

Harry gave both Jo and Lucas a briefing pack, outlining their identities which they would need to learn over the next forty eight hours. 

Lucas looked down the table at Amy and could see the bright red flush of her cheeks, paired with her inability to keep her eyes out of her lap. He could see her hands moving beneath the table, a sign of her fidgeting, which she always did when nervous. Every expression and movement was something that Lucas had become intimately acquainted with. 

Once the meeting had concluded, Harry requested that Lucas stay behind. Everyone else got to their feet, stretching due to the length of time they had all been sitting. Amy dashed out of the room first, being closest to the door. Tears were prickling her eyes. For most of the meeting her imagination had been running wild, churning over a vivid vision of Lucas and Masha Petrova in an erotic position. Amy’s chest tightened, causing her to flap her arms to try and get more air. 

“Are you alright?” Jo asked, approaching Amy. 

Amy smiled weakly at Jo, knowing that it had always been impossible for her to lie about her feelings. She was transparent, unable to mask any negative feelings. She couldn’t answer. 

“I’ll make us a coffee and we can pop outside for some fresh air, yeah?” Jo proposed.

Amy nodded, feeling as if her friend’s kindness was about to open the floodgates and the tears would never stop. But she swallowed hard, feeling the pain in her throat. That damn floodgate would remain closed, even if it killed her. 

Outside a few minutes later and Jo lit a cigarette and the two of them stood on the balcony, which gave them a view of London. It was grey and overcast. The colour of the sky was threatening rain. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jo asked. 

Amy’s green eyes darted this way and that, anywhere so they didn’t have to focus on Jo. “I don’t know,” she said softly. Then she sighed, and looked out over the Thames. “I just….I always knew this was something that would probably come, but I hoped it wouldn’t.” 

“Believe me, Amy, Harry wouldn’t have asked Lucas to do this unless absolutely necessary. He knows the moral dilemma and risks all of us face when we’re asked to go into situations like this.” 

Amy took a sip of her coffee. “Why is it always our morals and lives that we have to sacrifice?” Amy knew all this when taking the position, but now that she was here, facing the prospect of her boyfriend having to essentially cheat on her, it was worse than she could have ever imagined. 

Those words caused tears to slip down Amy’s cheeks, which she rubbed away angrily with the sleeve of her cardigan. “Lucas loves his job so much, and I should have always known that I would never be truly first.” 

“Amy, it’s not that, and you know it isn’t. He loves you. But the world we live and work in is a dark one, so much darker than people on the outside ever realise.”

“I’m still human, Jo, and I think I’m allowed to feel betrayed and heartbroken when my boyfriend has been told to sleep with someone else.” 

Jo watched Amy hang her head in shame and defeat. She knew that Amy had incredibly low self-esteem and had been living in constant shock for the last ten months that Lucas would even be interested in her. But Jo could see the chemistry between her two colleagues; Amy’s kindness towards Lucas, and his ability to make Amy feel seen and heard. Even before their relationship had begun, and Jo knew that they would be a perfect couple, despite Amy always having voiced how little she thought of herself. The two of them may not have looked as though they would date, when considering the way they carried themselves, but their interactions cemented the fact they complimented each other perfectly. 

Back in the office a short while later and Amy took a seat at her desk. She pulled out her drawer and picked out a Mars bar from the multipack. It was the only thing that could distract her from the fact that Lucas was sitting a few feet away from her, watching. She knew that he knew she was feeling emotional turmoil. If she had to look at him then she would break down. 

Tariq’s desk was behind Amy’s and he could see Lucas’ blue gaze studying her. Tariq watched in fascination for a minute and then turned his attention back to making minor amendments to Jo’s briefing pack. For once, he could see that Amy wasn’t smiling at Lucas or gazing at him, but instead keeping her gaze away. In his mind, anyone who didn’t notice Amy’s reactions must have been blind. 

For the next hour and Amy took up her time in a meeting with Ros, discussing the ANPR data results for a subject they had been investigating. At least for now, Amy could put her mind elsewhere. 

Meanwhile, Lucas remained quiet at his desk, feeling Tariq’s gaze burning into the back of his head. It had been common knowledge amongst all of the staff at Section D, that Tariq had a crush on Amy. All except Amy herself. 

Once Amy had emerged from the side room with Ros, Lucas got up and approached her. He stood with his back to everyone else and Amy with her back to the wall, looking down at her, almost shielding her from prying eyes. “Do you want to head out for something to eat?” he asked. Then he pulled his hands from his jeans pocket and picked up her hand, feeling her warm skin against his for a couple of seconds. But he frowned when he saw her look at the floor; he could see her throat quivering. He dropped her hand. 

Amy swallowed hard and looked up at him, feeling the overwhelming emotion wash over her. It was painful, so painful. Her beautiful, perfect Lucas. He was Amy’s everything and for some unknown reason, he also wanted her. 

“Come on,” Lucas whispered, holding his hand out to her to take. 

Amy knew she couldn’t deny him and took his large hand in her small one. 

Together, they walked out of the office, and into the mid-day air. It was drizzling, forming a mist in their hair as they walked the two streets to their usual café. They were both quiet for the duration of their walk, with the hustle and bustle of the busy London streets washing around them. 

Lucas grabbed his wallet from his back pocket and didn’t even have to ask Amy what she wanted. She’d already made up her mind and was on her way to grab a table. “A strawberry smoothie and a cheese and onion toastie, please,” her voice drifted back over her shoulder.  

Lucas sighed and placed their order. Every now and again he would glance towards her, noticing how she still wouldn’t look at him. Instead, she grabbed her sketchbook from her handbag and began to touch up one of her latest drawings. 

Suddenly Amy was taken aback as her sketchbook was pulled away from under her face, just as she rested her pencil tip against the paper. 

Lucas sat down. “Look at me,” he said sharply. 

“Give me my book back.” 

“No, you’ll talk to me. Your drawings can wait.” 

“What do you want me to say, Lucas?” Amy said, her tone low and her words to the point. “If you had to watch me go and sleep with a man as part of an operation, I’m sure you wouldn’t be particularly happy about it.” 

“Of course I wouldn’t,” Lucas hissed. “But this is our job. You know what’s at stake if I don’t do it.” 

“Keeping the country safe and all that crap. Yes, I know,” Amy scoffed. “I’m reminded of that every day. Funny how you’re always paired with the beautiful, elegant women.” 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Lucas snapped. 

Amy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. 

A young woman with blonde hair tied back into a ponytail came and set Amy’s food down on the table, along with hers and Lucas’ drink. She offered a quick smile, immediately recognising the familiar signs of a lover’s tiff. 

“No food?” Amy asked. 

“Can’t say I’ve got an appetite.” 

“Just fatten me up like a pig, then.” 

Lucas grit his teeth and closed his eyes, clasping his hands together on the table. He knew her defensive attitude all too well when she became overwhelmed by self-consciousness. Passive-aggression and sarcasm tainted her words as she tried to fling painful darts back at him. 

“Not here, please,” Lucas begged. His voice was quiet, full of defeat. 

Amy at least silently acquiesced to his request and slipped back into her seat, nibbling on the edge of her toasted sandwich. She adored the very breath of the man sat in front of her, and she was sure he knew that. But she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye, and instead let her gaze trace the crisscross stitch of the red and white tablecloth. 

Lucas sipped his coffee and watched Amy for a few seconds before sighing, resigning his gaze toward the framed quote behind her on the wall. It was some cliché shit that seemed to belong on every mantlepiece in the UK, apart from his and Amy’s. Instead, Amy had a line of Disney character figurines across hers, and the thought of it made a smile emerge on his face. This woman he had committed himself to had no idea how amazing and beautiful she was. Curious. Quirky. The kindest person he had ever met. Unbelievably strong of mind and spirit. Underestimated herself. Broken by the arseholes who had taken advantage of her introverted and generous nature. 

One way or the other, he would repair her. No ifs, buts or maybes. He would repair her. 

***

The flat was dark as Amy stepped back inside. Lucas was required for a further meeting regarding the new operation with Masha Petrova, so wouldn’t be home for a further hour or two yet. 

The isolation enveloped her along with the dark. 

Tears flowed down Amy’s cheeks as she finally allowed the locked floodgates to open. She dropped back into a chair in the dining room and sobbed. Amy would never be good enough for Lucas, always sitting in the shadow of other women. Everything that they were reflected what Amy wasn’t. These women reminded her of the dark shadow of lack which lived in her chest. 

Tension soon began to press down behind Amy’s eyes as she prepared hers and Lucas’ dinner. It felt like a huge weight was crushing Amy from above, pressing her down into the ground as her whole body became weak. 

Cheesy 80’s music played on the radio in the small box kitchen, and not even that could lift Amy out of her prison of darkness. All she could think of was Lucas with Masha Petrova. No doubt he would enjoy it. Of course he would. Being ridden by a blonde supermodel of a woman, with the confidence to fully express her sexuality. 

It had taken Amy a few months to become more confident in bed with Lucas. It wasn’t until they’d been together for six months that Amy could finally make love to him without the light turned off and not feel the need to shrink back at his touch. Now she openly enjoyed his touch, reciprocating it. But those whispers would still creep up on her when they lay together afterwards, telling her how unworthy she was of such a beautiful man’s love. 

Amy loved Lucas with her whole heart, having never felt so drawn to anyone else. Lucas, to her, was incredibly handsome, charming, intelligent, gentle and kind. He was perfection. Even when he woke in the middle of the night, sweating and shouting out, gripped by the horror of his memories of Lushanka, eventually waking her up, it only helped her to love him more. The vulnerability he shared with her helped her move closer to him, bridging the gap which her insecurity had always created. 

The closing of the front door suddenly echoed from down the hall. And Amy heard Lucas’ slow footsteps coming towards the kitchen. She felt her hands begin to shake and a painful lump rise in her throat. “Dinner’s almost ready,” she said.

“Dinner can wait,” Lucas instructed. It wasn’t often that Lucas was demanding, but when it came to digging into Amy’s insecurity and bad moods, it was the only way he could defend himself and fight for her. 

Amy sighed and placed her hands on the edge of the sink and looked out into the murky evening. She could see fog beginning to descend on the world and the brightness of the streetlamps lighting up the rooftops, showing the gleam of an earlier shower. 

Lucas stood beside Amy and curled his arm around her waist, then took her hand in his, kissing it. “The only thing I can say is that I love you, Aim.” 

Amy felt everything crumble and she couldn’t help but break down again, becoming a sobbing mess in his arms. 

Lucas held her tight, his right hand tangled in her hair and his lips kissing her forehead. “I love you more than anything.” That was all he could say, and he meant every single word, the emotion so overwhelming as he uttered them.  

“I should support you, Lucas,” Amy said, sniffing as she pulled from the embrace to look up at him. “I’m so proud of everything you do, but I…”

“I know,” Lucas whispered. “Don’t you think I know? I don’t want to do this.” His eyes were locked on hers, tears swimming in them, making them look even brighter a blue. 

“You’re being paid to sleep with someone. Perk of the job, I guess,” Amy said wryly. 

“Don’t you dare say that,” Lucas hissed. His eyes became alight with frustration, his frown casting a shadow across his brow. “Why do you always have to turn to sarcasm and pettiness when you’re hurt?” 

Amy pulled from Lucas’ grasp and stormed out of the room, casting him an expression of disgust mixed with hurt. Of course he was right; Amy knew it. Sarcasm and pettiness become her defence mechanism when hurt or cornered. 

“What do you want me to say, Aim?” Lucas shouted. “Do you want me to leave my job, get down on my knees?” 

“Just fuck off!” Amy hissed back. “Leave me alone.” 

The room felt as if it were becoming so much smaller as Amy stood facing the wall, sobbing, with breath almost coming in gasps. More than anything, in that moment, she wanted to disappear. 

“You don’t mean that, Aim. You never do,” Lucas said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I know you enough by now. When you tell someone to leave you alone, it means ‘hold me tight’. You want people to get closer when you’re hurting, even though you push them away.” 

Amy felt Lucas’ arms wrap around her middle, and she sighed, feeling that all too familiar wave of arousal spiral down her body and the butterflies swarm in her belly. She couldn’t fight off the way he made her feel. All of the attraction and love was far too strong to keep her away. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered. Lucas kissed her cheek, taking in the scent of her. It was strawberries mixed with the faintest hint of her perfume from that morning, Olympea. 

Slowly, Amy turned around and looked up at Lucas, sniffing over her blocked nose. Her eyes were sore and red. “It always comes back to this feeling of me not being good enough.” 

“And that’s what it is, just a feeling. There is no truth whatsoever in it. It’s a dark voice, nothing more. I chose you, Amy. Above everyone else, I choose you.” 

Amy threw her arms around Lucas and they held each other tight, remaining silent. The only sound was the patter of rain against the window, which gradually got louder and heavier. 

Heat spread through Amy as she felt his arms encase her, protecting her from the outside world and everything evil that was in it. 

The two of them kissed, the heat mounting, until Amy’s hands slipped up Lucas’ chest and she began popping the buttons of his shirt. She pushed the fabric aside to see his chest exposed, which was tattooed with William Blake’s Ancient of Days.

“You could have anyone,” Amy began, “absolutely anyone in this world. And yet you choose me.” 

“Why did you choose me?” Lucas whispered. “You don’t see your beauty, and your light. Any man you choose would be blessed beyond anything he could ever imagine, and you don’t see any of that.” His finger brushed a stray hair from her brow, and then the tips of his fingers trailed down her cheek and his thumb brushed her plump lips. “You made me feel again, and I owe you everything.” 

They kissed again and began to remove each other’s clothing, slowly. 

As Lucas stood before Amy in only his underwear, she traced the tattoos on his chest and stomach. “I thought about getting one, to match yours.” 

“Don’t,” Lucas demanded, his tone quiet but stern and saddened. “All they serve is a reminder of the darkness in the world, and I never want to taint you with that. Your skin is perfect as it is, untouched and unblemished.” 

“And I want to share everything with you. The good and the bad.” 

Lucas lowered Amy to the bed, her arms locked around his neck. And they kissed again, hard and hungry for every fibre of each other. 

Amy gasped as Lucas slipped inside her. 

A groan fell off his lips as he felt a wave of that beautiful euphoria. This was where he belonged. It was the only place on this Earth he would ever be safe: inside her, one with her, vulnerable and bare. Gradually he moved, rocking his hips against her as his hand gripped her thigh. 

Amy pulled him in closer, needing him against her, the closest in physical proximity that was possible. “I love you,” she whispered. 

Lucas’ blue gaze locked on hers and he stopped his movement, remaining still. He smiled. It was a content, peaceful smile. The first he had smiled since he was a child. “This is where I belong. It’ll never be anywhere else. I promise.” 

A while later and they both lay on their sides, facing each other. Lucas’ arm was draped idly over Amy’s hip. He was smiling at her again. Innocence, kindness, compassion and love had always shone through Amy’s face and been left on anything she touched, a golden light lingering behind from her fingertips. 

He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her snub nose. 

The happiness in Amy’s face drained and a serious expression rose. “I’m sorry about earlier. I know you need to do this.” A sadness began to wash over her green eyes. Then she forced a smile. 

Lucas never answered, but in his mind, he knew what needed to be done. He moved over her and drew her into another embrace, followed by more love making. 

***

The next morning, Lucas stood at Harry’s office door. His heart was racing in his chest, something that rarely happened when on the job. 

With one last backwards glance to Amy, Lucas knocked on Harry’s door. She looked up from her desk and smiled at him from across the room, those beautiful eyes sparkling so brightly. Lucas knew that he had made the right decision. 

For her or my country? Always for her. 

“Come in!” Harry’s voice came. 

Lucas took a deep breath and slipped inside the office, bracing the inevitable storm.

“Lucas? What can I do for you?” Harry asked, leaning back in his seat. 

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to stand down from tomorrow’s deployment, Harry.” 

***

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[hoppers-babygirl]

Beat his ass

Author: Hoppers-babygirl

ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/hoppers_babygirl

Word count: 2316

There was still an awkward distance between Cassie and Steve but that didn’t stop her from riding along with Steve, Dustin and a couple of his friends. Everyone knew she had been seeing Billy once Steve and Nancy got together but no one ever quite spoke about it out loud. That was until Cassie asked Steve to drive her over to his house. Things had been uneasy between the unlikely couple but Cassie tried her best not to let it show. It had been two weeks since Billy last spoke to her, she was sick and tired of his silence so she took matters into her own hands. 

Steve stayed silent as he drove towards Billy’s house, his knee bounced anxiously on his free leg. It struck up a bit of anxiety in Cassie but she took a few deep breaths. After Steve dumped her for Nancy; Cassie and Billy started seeing one another, even though they were an unlikely couple, the pair enjoyed one another’s company. They dated six months before this air grew tense between them. Cassie never thought he would act this way toward her but she was wrong in the end. She assumed Billy heard that Nancy broke things off with Steve, maybe thinking that he would try to swoop in and take Cassie away from him but that wasn’t the case. 

The matter of the fact is that Cassie grew sick, some days worse than before. She assumed it was just a simple cold, nothing more than the flu. Only she was wrong, after taking a test the liquid in the tube turned blue. Her stomach knotted up at the sight, causing her to fall to her knees in front of the porcelain bowl as she grew sick. 

Eventually Steve pulled up to the all too familiar blue house, except he was pulled off on the side of the road, across from the house. Snapping from her thoughts she looked over, her brows pinched together. 

Steve spoke up. “I know you just wanted a ride but I don’t trust the guy. I’ll stay here for ten minutes and if you don’t come out then I’ll leave. Just for my sanity, okay?” He offered her a small smile. 

She took a shaky deep breath and nodded before slapping a fake smile on her lips. No one except Jonathan knew what was actually going on with Cass, which she was thankful for as she knew she could trust him with her life. Even now she felt guilty asking for this from Steve especially while her little brother rode shotgun but she had bigger worries to deal with right now and that’s what she was focused on. Taking another deep breath she actually opened the door and stepped out the car, her legs felt like jello but she couldn’t stop her movement. It was like she wasn’t even in control of her body as she walked up the little stairs and up to the door. 

Cassie knew Max was home as she could see her bike still outside. It helped her feel a little at ease but soon her knuckles rapped at the door. Moments later Billy opened the door, his usual smirk not prominent on his lips as he took in the sight before him. Steve's car in the distance, Cassie in front of him wringing her hands and the dark circles under her eyes. He snorted and walked back down to his room to which Cassie followed behind him. “Hello to you too, Billy. Do you know that I’ve tried calling you for the past two weeks only to have Max lie to me? Because I know it's a goddamn lie.” She started in on him soon after closing the front door. 

He began to puff on a cigarette and opened his bedroom door. “Listen little bird, it's over. Whatever you thought we had going on is over, you’re a waste of my time.” Cassie scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “You think?” She sassed back. He turned and blew the smoke in her face, making her turn away and let out a quiet cough. “I didn’t fucking invite you here. You showed up, princess.” His voice dripped with venom but when the smoke cleared Cassie could see the mark crossing his cheekbone but with his attitude he wasn’t going to talk about it. “Yeah well maybe if you knew how to pick up the phone then I wouldn’t have had to come here and tell you.” Her voice began to hush. “Tell me what? That you’re not gonna be my whore of the week anymore?” He replied as he began to slip a shirt on. 

She shook her head, “I guess you just forgot the past six months then huh? That surely doesn’t add up to a week.” She replied just as harshly. Billy huffed out a breath almost like an annoyed bull would. “Get to your point or get the fuck out.” His voice had risen. Cassie assumed he and his father had a fight which only added to his annoyed attitude. “Look this isn’t the easiest to fucking say, okay?!” She raised her voice to match his. Anger and hurt welling up in her chest. Max must’ve heard their yelling and slammed her door shut which on some level helped Cassie calm down. One less set of ears to share the news with right now. 

“I know we’ve been pretty careful about things but uhm… well it seems that we weren’t as careful as we thought. I’m pregnant Billy. I’m fucking pregnant and you’ve been ignoring me.” She finally let it out. Billy was the first and only person to know. Billy began to shake his head and pace his room. “I knew you were just like the rest. Just a stupid whore.” He muttered under his breath. Her heart fell to the floor. Sure she didn’t expect to be spun around in his arms and given a big kiss but to be called such harsh words as if this was her fault? 

“I don’t give a fuck, Princess. Tell whoever else you’ve fucked that it’s their problem because you’re not going to make it my problem.”  His teeth grit as he speaks. Tears formed in her eyes and her lip began to wobble. This caused Billy to laugh. “It isn’t a problem I made by myself. You know damn well that I’ve only been with you so there’s no need to try and deny that. Just because your father treats you like a piece of shit doesn’t-” Just like that she was on the ground on her ass. Cassie sat in shock on the floor for just a moment before the pain in her jaw really hit her. Her hands shook as she stood up on jelly like legs, one hand protecting her stomach. “Fuck you Billy.” She spat at him before she turned and began to walk out the house, Billy hot on her ass, wiping his face from her spit. 

“You’re a stuck up little bitch. You opened your legs and got knocked up and now I’m supposed to care?!” He yelled as he followed after her, grabbing her wrist harshly. “Get the fuck off me!” Cassie screamed, tugging her wrist back to her body as tears now spilled down her cheeks freely. “I’m not the dumbass who bought cheap condoms!” She replied, still tugging her wrist from his grip which only tightened causing her to whimper. “Don’t think you’re getting a fucking thing from me. You laid on your back and took what I gave you.” He sneered. 

By now Max slipped out of her room and outside unbeknownst to Cassie and Billy. Finally she freed her arm from his grip causing her to stumble back and hit her hip into the table that was in the hallway. She yelped and began to move back to the front door. Only to tumble to which Billy used to his advantage, he pinned her hips down as he straddled her and grabbed both wrists to slam her down into the floor causing her to curse out. Her head rang, she hadn’t ever seen Billy act this way with her before but he figured that he wasn’t really fighting her but the things that angered him. She squirmed underneath him and tried to get out his hold but instead he was steadily screaming in her face, her head throbbed so badly that she wasn’t even sure what he was saying but she could hear the high pitched scream. Both Billy and Cassie looked up, Max stood in the front doorway screaming at the sight only to be replaced by Steve. 

There must’ve been blood as Cassie could see red streaks but they surprisingly hadn’t come from her head. Dustin helped her up with a devastated look on his sweet features. How the hell could he and Steve have known about the fight that was happening inside the house but she figured it was all due to Max’s scream.  

Meanwhile Max had gone out her window as Cassie and Billy had their scream fest. Max hadn’t realized that no one except Cassie and Billy knew about the baby. But everyone sat with a shocked expression. Steve gripped the steering wheel and questioned Max about what was going on inside but Cassie’s scream sounded through the house causing Max to run back to the house and the others to follow along. Upon opening the door and seeing Cassie on her back pinned under a screaming angry Billy, Max let out her screech alarming the rest of the group. Steve, Dustin and Lucas jumped from the car. 

Soon Steve had Billy by the shoulder pulling him off of Cassie. It was the first time Dustin had ever seen Cassie so scared, he ran over to her and helped her up off the ground. She looked sleepy but sad in a way. It scared Dustin to see his sister like this. Usually she was so sweet and funny, she had only ever seen her sad when they were younger. 

Cassie sat up and wiped her lip, it was split and she hadn’t even realized that the slap from earlier had caused her lip to split open. Dustin tugged her toward the kitchen to grab a rag to clean the blood. The house was loud as Billy and Steve wrestled together, Max yelling at BIlly to stop it and leave her friends alone and Lucas trying to calm her down. Cassie sighed and wiped her lip clean and gave Dustin a hug, her other cheek rested against his head. 

“I’m so sorry to have to see this bullshit.” She mumbled against his curls. 

“Why didn’t you tell me first?” He asked quietly. His question confused her at first but then the realization hit her. 

“Because he deserved to know. Or at least I thought he did.” She replied, his arms tightened around her as they hugged. 

“Come on, we gotta get Steve out of here before he and Billy get too fucked up.” She kissed his forehead and led him back out to where the guys were fighting. 

“Let's go Steve. It’s not even worth it. I just want to go home.” Steve shoved Billy away and threatened him which caused the other man to laugh. Max was in tears as Lucas ushered her out the door to which Cassie did the same with Dustin. 

Now stood Steve, Billy and Cassie. She sighed, “I’m sorry I ever met you and I’m glad our child never will.” Her lip quivered but she turned and walked out the door, Steve trailing behind her after a few moments. 

His hand on her back caused her to jump. “Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay? Is the- is everything okay?” He asked shyly. Great so everyone knew, Max must’ve heard their fight. 

“I’ll be fine. Thank you for stepping in, if you hadn’t then who knows what could’ve happened. But I’ll probably make up some lies and go to the doctors just to make sure.” She shrugged and gently tapped her lip to check and make sure the blood stopped. 

“You know, if you ever need anything, I’ll be there to help you. It’s the least I can do.” He gave her a small smile to which she returned. 

“Thanks Steve, I’m sure I’ll need all the help I can get.” He pulled her into a careful hug. A much needed hug. 

Eventually Steve took Cassie and Dustin home, but when Cassie climbed out the car Max followed. Lucas shrugged at Steve but he waited for the redhead. 

“Hey Cassie… I know you’re never going to go around Billy anymore and I’m not really related to you like Dustin is but..” The young girl trailed off. 

Cassie smiled and nodded. “You’re gonna be the best aunt ever, Max.” Cassie finished the girl's sentence which caused her to smile. She gave Cassie a quick hug and ran back to the car and got back in with Lucas before they drove off. Cassie went inside and cleaned up, making lunch for herself and for Dustin. Afterwards the siblings sat and talked and even watched a bit of television to try and make the day feel any bit normal. 

A few weeks later Cassie went to the doctors, thankful her tussle with Billy hadn’t affected anything seriously. She would have a little scar on her lip but she didn’t care much about that. She was just glad to hear that her little boy was doing just fine. Even after getting bumped and shook around she was beyond relieved to hear everything was doing good. Even if she was doing it on her own. But she wasn’t really alone was she? No. She had a family that she was lucky enough to have as her support. 

[realityparty]

Title: Blade of Grass Summary: Lucas seeks relationship advice from Eddie. Characters: Lucas Sinclair, Eddie Munson Warnings: Mentions of Racism

Note: I am unsure if this chapter did what I wanted it to. 

There were some things that couldn't be ignored. Like the sun was hot, water was clear, and Lucas was a black man in a town that was predominantly white. When he was younger, it wasn't something he really took notice of or the implications. Of course, he noticed that he was of the few black kids in his class, if not the only one. Yet, he never really felt out of place.

Will, Mike, and Dustin had never made him feel different. Sometimes he didn't know if that was for better or worse.

Sure, Hawkins was small and isolated. The things he heard from his parents' harsh whispers showed that violent racism was rampant outside of their idyllic town.

Lucas' own encounters with overt racism just had been from Troy and James. He was sure his being black wasn't the sole cause of their bullying. However, their verbal slurs couldn't be swept away as a side effect of bullying.

Still, just being made aware of the clear physical differences among his friends hurt. Because of the color of his skin, he would be looked at differently. People would already have notions about who he was as a man - a person. Despite Martin Luther King's words of hope that his children would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, proved to be a losing battle.

And now, he felt he was experiencing a different side effect of racism.

He was dating a white girl. He was dating Max. The relationship was new in middle school and the summer before high school. Despite the title of calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend, they just felt like friends that acknowledge they may have liked each other more than what was considered friendly. They weren't like Mike and El and were constantly kissing. In fact the first year of knowing their feelings about each other, they mainly swapped comics than spit. It was more about spending time with each other. They held hands and hugged more than kissed.

He thought that worked better for them. He enjoyed getting her flowers and finding a comic for her more than spending time just making out. He liked watching her with his friends as much as he liked hanging out with Jensen, and Eddie.

If he were being honest, he looked up to Jensen and Eddie the most out of their friends. Nancy and Jonathon were more reserved with their affection, but he also knew that sometimes they butted heads constantly due to the economic status of their parents. As much as they loved each other, sometimes he wasn't sure if the differences made them stronger or pulled them apart. There would always be that tension.

Lucas wasn't even sure of the last time Steve was in a relationship. Sure, Steve did provide some good flirting tips, but he didn't go to Steve to inquire about the maintenance of relationships.

Sure, he observed his parents and took his dad's advice seriously. His dad did have great advice. After all, it was his dad who had no problem showing open affection to his mother and even expressing emotions. His dad taught him the value of his actions matching his words.

Yet, there was something about watching Jensen and Eddie that was different. Jensen and Eddie were different so to speak. It wasn't as if he didn't see other couples together. It was it seemed Eddie and Jensen had found a balance. The affection between them was never too much or little. They had shared hobbies with each other, but hobbies outside of their relationship. They respected each other and their feelings. He knew that Eddie and Jensen claim they never fight, but there have been disagreements. There were times when he witnessed both Eddie and Jensen having to apologize to one another.

Yet, Lucas knew he watched them because they were the only example he had outside of Jensen's and Max's parents. They were all in an interracial relationship.

Lucas knew he was young and didn't pay attention to the gossip of others. Since he didn't have an older sibling, he wouldn't know about any of the drama with upperclassmen. Even then he would have been too young to really understand the nuisances of the situation. There were just things Max would specifically say to him that he got the impression that she was used to the looks and whispers when people saw them and her parents together. He hated that she was just used to it.

It just made him wonder what exactly she had witnessed. He felt embarrassed he never considered what their being together meant on the outside to the world. Yet, a part of him thought he shouldn't have to. They were just two people that loved and respected each other and that was all that should have mattered.

Yet, the world could never be that simple.

So he took his bike and made the trek over to Eddie's and Jensen's new place that was formerly the Byers' home. He felt that he had been over to this house more now than when Will lived here. It almost made him wonder how in the hell Will rode his bike this far. Lucas was hoping after this Eddie would at least give him a ride back home.

As he biked up to the yard, it was already becoming drastically different than how Mrs. Byers had the home. It wasn't as if Eddie and Jensen were rolling in money. They all knew that Joyce was very generous in selling them the home. Yet, the touch of Jensen was clearly felt especially as he biked up to the driveway that was becoming lined with shrubs and bushes. He found Eddie with a wheelbarrow out front smoking a cigarette. It seemed he was working on the flowerbed that Jensen wanted out front. He remembered she was wanting a butterfly garden.

Eddie turned his head in his direction as his tires crunched the dirt. The metalhead offered a wave. Sometimes, it was strange to think people thought Eddie was a conduit of the devil. For a while, he was scared for Eddie especially when the town became particularly nasty to him regarding Hellfire club and his sense of style. But now that he thought about it he wonder if the town's vendetta against Eddie was more than his curly hair and tattoos. He wondered if the pitchforks were because of who he was dating too. It was one thing to be into heavy metal and not have the slicked-back hair, but Eddie had kindled the fire even more by his choice of girlfriend.

"You're a long way from home, "Eddie mumbled with his cigarette between his lips. "Everything okay?"

Lucas parked his bike and nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah."

"You need help with a campaign?" Eddie inquired as he parked the wheelbarrow. It was filled with black mulch. Lucas almost snorted. He knew Eddie was the reason behind that as he recalled Jensen wanted red mulch.

"No, no," Lucas told him. "I…" Lucas trailed off as he wasn't exactly sure how to start this conversation.

"Is this about Max?" Eddie probed as he trailed off. He sucked on his cigarette before he flicked it over to where he had a glass ashtray on the edge of their porch. Eddie's deep brown eyes looked into him.

Lucas could admit he wasn't as close to Eddie as Dustin was. Mostly due to Lucas having tried to amass more interests outside of Dungeons and Dragons. He still played the game. He was there for every campaign. Yet, Eddie and Dustin seemed to click in the same way Dustin had latched onto Steve. Lucas believed it had more to do that Dustin didn't have that father figure in the house.

But Lucas was around Eddie a lot due to their relationship with Max and Jensen. In the beginning, Eddie had definitely intimidated him. He recalled the first date he and Max went on that Eddie and Jensen chaperoned. He remembered Eddie's eyes scrutinizing him and how protective Eddie was over Max. Lucas certainly was scratching his head as to why Jensen was with him, but he knew why now. He could see the love Eddie had for Jensen. The respect he carried for her.

"In a way."

"In a way," Eddie repeated. The man stood tall and stretched. "Well, I'm due for a break with some teenage angst."

Eddie motioned for him to follow him where they had two lounge chairs with a table between them. Eddie walked over to where a small cooler was and pulled out a beer. Lucas for a second thought Eddie was going to hand him one, but he found a wet can of Coke being placed in his hands.

Eddie cracked open his beer and took a big sip. He kicked his legs out. He looked relaxed - content.

This chill Eddie was vastly different from the loudmouth speaker in the cafeteria. He had a feeling Jensen put a ban on Eddie walking on tables with his shoes on.

Lucas picked at the tab on the can. "How…does -" Lucas couldn't get the words out because he wasn't sure what he wanted to ask. "Have you and Jensen ever talked about what it means for you to be together?"

"You're going to have to elaborate."

Lucas took a deep breath. "You're white and Jensen's not."

Eddie squinted. His ring figure tapped against the sweating can. "Someone say something?"

"Not to me directly," Lucas clarified. "I just…I just realized what it means."

Eddie nodded his head. His fingers tapped against his exposed knee in his old jeans. "You sure you don't want to talk to Mr. Thomas about this?"

"I could," Lucas said with a shrug of his shoulders. Lucas knew he would probably get a better point of view from him for sure. Yet, Lucas felt better getting advice from Eddie. Eddie had lived with Hawkins's prejudice all his life.

Eddie sighed. "It's hard to explain. Because it shouldn't matter, but it does." Eddie licked his lips. Lucas could tell he was deep in thought. It made him wonder how much Eddie did keep inside. He noticed that the reason why Eddie was loud and drew attention to himself was to keep the attention off his friends. So it made him wonder if Eddie did do some exaggerated things to keep the spotlight off Jensen. "We don't get much of it now. People are more focused on my taste in music and hobbies."

"But before?"

"Before we were officially together, we would get a lot of comments and looks. It was easy for me to tell her to ignore it. I was used to people talking about me and my family. It's why now I have no problem standing on top of lunch tables calling out bullshit." Eddie grabbed another cigarette. Lucas thought maybe this bugged Eddie more than he let on. "For me, the best thing I can do is just listen to what Jensen wants. I will never understand what you and her go through. I listen and learn."

"But how don't you let it -"

"Come in between us?"

Lucas nodded his head.

"I'm not going to say it hasn't. Because I didn't want her to have to go through anything on my behalf, but my love for Jensen is more than the hate people have."

Lucas rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb. He got what Eddie was saying. Lucas knew he loved Max. He loved her deeply, but it was hard not letting others taint that. Sometimes he wondered if it was worth it having her go through this bullshit.

"I just…I don't want her to regret being with me because of what it means to be with someone like me."

"Don't let this town make you feel like you deserve less than anyone else. If anything people should want to be someone like you."

"But unfortunately life doesn't work that way. I'm black before I am a man or even a person."

Eddie couldn't dispute that truth. "Have you talked to Mr. Thomas about this?"

Lucas shook his head. "Have you?"

"Of course. I mean there aren't a lot of interracial couples roaming Hawkins now are there?"

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me not to ignore it. That I need to see the color. I need to be comfortable with myself as a man to take on the struggle of the world because of who I love."

Lucas frowned. "That's it?"

"What do you mean that's it?"

"I thought it would be more profound."

Eddie snorted. "You're young."

"So?"

"Have you ever cried in front of Max? Told her when you were scared? Sad?"

Lucas shook his head.

"To be with someone truly means removing all those walls. It's almost like being fragile like a blade of grass. I needed to get rid of all that other bullshit and be comfortable with myself as a man. Because I can't ignore the hurt I feel sometimes because people judge me for being with Jensen. I have to tell her that. I need to be honest with that hurt. I can't protect her if she doesn't know my weakness as I know hers."

"Does she know all your weaknesses?"

"Jensen has built a fort around my blade of grass."

[4. No Glove, No Love] - [Stranger Things Masterlist]

[kalamataolivesssss]

Chapters: 14/? Fandom: S.W.A.T. (TV 2017) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Dominique Luca & Original Female Character(s) Characters: Dominique Luca, David "Deacon" Kay, Dan "Hondo" Harrelson, Jessica Cortez, Victor Tan, Christina "Chris" Alonso, Jim Street, Original Female Character(s), Original Child Character(s), Daniel Harrelson Sr., Darryl Henderson, Annie Kay, Lila Kay Additional Tags: Fluff, Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Past Child Abuse, Minor Character Death, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Abuse, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Summaries, luca is a sweetheart, Inspired by Music, I want slow burn but I'm impatient, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Feelings, Mild Sexual Content, Implied Sexual Content, Friendship/Love, Developing Friendships, Found Family, Love Story, Love, Developing Relationship, Tags May Change, Attempted Murder, Not Beta Read, Light BDSM, Dirty Talk Summary:

Dominique Luca finally bought a house. But, now he has to renovate it. The start of a long needed four day weekend, he gets a head start - only for his plans to get derailed after a quick trip to a coffee shop in the neighborhood.

Harper is just trying to make it to Saturday, when she has a scheduled girls night with her besties. After a late work night, Harper heads in for coffee later than usual, and meets a pair of blue eyes that threaten to drown her.

Read as these two go through such cute moments, friendly shenanigans, hardships, and past hurts that threaten to make a reappearance.

Title is a song by Kirby (highly recommend)

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of any trademarked characters from SWAT that I will use in this story. But I do own my OG characters.

This story starts up right after Luca bought his house in East Hollywood (Season 2 Episode 7(?)) and from this episode on, the storyline shifts from the TV show.

[wildsupernova]

cupid’s chokehold | steve harrington x fem! oc

summary: delphi walker’s world turned upside down when her brother was found dead. her entire life turned into a downward spiral into social suicide, from her mother’s self-destructive lifestyle and the steady loss of her best friend. when another boy goes missing a year later, she find herself caught in something far bigger than she ever knew, and she herself down a path to a brand new life.

cupid’s chokehold chapter masterlist

word count: 3.1k

warnings: vulgar language, underage drinking, smoking, demeaning words towards women (whore, slut, etc.), mentions of sexual content

authors note

hey guys! it’s been a while since i posted anything but college has been suuuuper hectic for me lately and my motivation hasn’t been the best. i’m working on getting stuff out a bit more consistently, but i always value quality over quantity and want to make sure what i’m giving you guys is good quality content. again, sorry for the hiatus, but here’s another chapter!

words in ‘’ quotations and italics are character narration

chapter four

‘I should have taken that camera out of Jonathan’s hand. I should have thrown it to the ground and never let him develop that film, but if I had, we never would have found out what really happened to Barb that night.’

Delphi tried to stop the shaking of her hands as she walked back to her car, staring at the ground while she tried to hold back the overwhelming rush of tears she hadn’t expected to push against her eyes. Her and Jonathan didn’t say a word as they made their way out of the woods, not even giving eachother a gesture of goodbye as they got into their respective cars and drove away. She had to take a minute to collect her composure, considering she was so upset that her foot had pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor of the car. She stopped for an extra few seconds at a stop sign, taking a deep breath and letting it out. 

It wasn’t like she didn’t know why she was feeling the way she was; it was pretty obvious when she faced the problem head on. Jealousy was a killer, and had always been her biggest flaw.

‘For as long as I could remember, I always wanted to be like Nancy Wheeler. Since the day I met her, she was this perfect, unflawed person; effortlessly beautiful, smart without even trying, compassionate to a fault. She lived a perfect life, in a perfect house down a perfect street with perfect parents and a perfect future set out for her. I thought that she’d always had everything I’d ever wanted. She had money, a mother who cared about her, a father who was still around. A brother who was still alive. But I was wrong. The day she got Steve Harrington was the day she got everything I’d ever wanted.’

A drink was sounding really, really good right now. As tempting as it was to just grab the bottle from her glove box and take a swig right now, she was only a few blocks away from her house, so she held off for a few more minutes. When she pulled into the rocky, broken driveway, she noticed the extra car parked in front of her house, rolling her eyes at the fact that her mother had brought home yet another horny 18-20 something to drown her lonely nights in. She ignored her mother’s closed bedroom door on the way to her own, slamming it shut and collapsing on the bed without changing or turning on the lights. Deciding to finish off whatever liquor was left in the bottle she’d been drinking from earlier tonight, she uncapped the bottle, bringing it to her lips and chugging down however much her throat could handle in one go. 

The loud noises of her mother and whatever guy she’d brought home tonight traveled down the hallway, slipping through the crack in her door as she covered her ears with her pillow. She waited a few moments for the sound to die down, but when they just continued, she opened her door and yelled out into the hallway. 

“If you’re gonna be a whore and fuck someone while I’m home at least be quiet about it!” She slammed the door again and climbed under the covers, soaking her pillow with tears and staining her sheets with her running mascara. 

When she finally fell asleep that night, she wished she’d never wake up.

‘Unfortunately, wishes don’t come true. I had no idea about the shitstorm that was about to hit me full force the next morning, and I really wish I had, because then maybe I could have prepared myself for all of the crazy shit I had no idea was happening right inside of Hawkins.’

Waking up with a pounding in her head and a strong urge to vomit up the little food she’d put in her stomach the night before, Delphi simply went through the motions she did every morning. Shower, get dressed in whatever clean clothes she had left before laundry day, eat yet another bowl of Corn Puffs for the 5th day in a row, and leave for school without so much as a goodbye to her mother. Unsurprisingly, the car that had been parked out front the night before was gone, making Delphi scoff and shake her head as she got into her own. 

She wasn’t necessarily concerned when Barb didn’t meet her at the door to the school when she arrived, considering it wasn’t a daily occurrence that she did, but she figured that at least after last night she’d need someone to rant to about how much she hated Steve’s friends or how Nancy seemingly ditched her for a guy she changed her entire personality to be with. She found it slightly odd, but she essentially paid no mind to it. 

She stopped at her locker briefly to make sure she had all her stuff, hoping and praying she didn’t forget any more books at home. As much as she would rather do anything else, she actually did want to make an effort to keep her grades up, considering she really didn’t want to get held back the second year in a row. Having to redo her sophomore year was enough, and already gave plenty of people the fuel they needed to make her hate herself even more than she already did. 

The only thing she seemed to be missing were the notes for Mr. Wilson’s 8th period English class, but she was sure she could just get them from Nancy and copy them down during study hall. She waited a few seconds until the hallways seemed clear enough that she wouldn’t have to bob and weave through anyone, letting her feet carry her down in the direction of Nancy’s locker. When she turned the corner and looked up, she stopped her movements with a sigh and a shake of her head. 

Nancy stood in front of her locker, but while Delphi had expected her to be with Barb, Steve was the one who stood next to her instead. While she couldn’t hear whatever words the two were exchanging, she assumed it was about last night, and she was in no mood to walk into or eavesdrop on that conversation. She decided she’d just try to get the notes from Nancy during first period, turning on her heels and walking down the hall a few steps.

She was a little surprised when she didn’t see Barb in her usual seat when she walked in, but still, at least for Delphi, it didn’t seem like there was any cause for concern. Her confusion only grew when Nancy walked in right before the bell, but Barb wasn’t with her. She sat in her usual desk one row behind Delphi, tapping her on her shoulder to force her to turn around.

“Have you seen Barb at all this morning?”

“No, I thought she’d be with you.” Delphi raised a brow at Nancy, who began looking around somewhat nervously. “You don’t think something happened to her, do you?”

“I don’t…I don’t know. I brought her to that party at Steve’s last night but she was gone by the time I left.”“Didn’t she drive you there?”

“Uhm…”

“You know what, I don’t need details.” Seeing it was enough. “I’ll let you know if I see her though. And I hope it’s not bad timing, but could I get those notes for Wilson’s from you? I left mine at home.”

“Yeah, yeah sure. I’ll just get them back from you in 7th  period.” Nancy handed her a piece of paper, Delphi taking it with a response of gratitude. She slipped it into her binder and turned to the front of the classroom, biting her pencil as her mind ran wild. 

‘Barb never skipped school. Even when she seemed to be deathly sick she still showed, no matter how many times we told her that if she felt that bad she should just leave. Her not being there the night after she left a party by herself was certainly something to be concerned about, and suddenly my small worry that she’d just gotten sick after last night turned into full blown panic that something bigger than anybody thought was going on in Hawkins.’

Delphi was mostly on autopilot for the remainder of the morning, barely tuning back into reality at lunch. She really wasn’t a fan of school food, so she spent most of her lunch hour drawing in notebooks or mindlessly watching the other kids around her. Today was much the same, except this time, she let her hand move on the paper in an effort to forget about the creeping dread in her gut. 

Her luck had been so bad that, at the beginning of the year, she’d somehow ended up one table down from Steve and his posse, meaning every single day was filled with unwanted eavesdropping on whatever stupid conversation they were having on any given day. Today’s conversation had to do with the party last night, so she tuned it out, as was common practice these days. When Nancy brought up Barb to the rest of the group, she let herself listen, although none of what she heard seemed to be of any worth to her. The sudden change to sex jokes about Steve and Nancy made her swallow down vomit, and once she had a enough, she grabbed her notebooks and left the cafeteria. 

As usual, the rest of the day went by with the same nauseating routine, complete with the grating, mindless droning of her teachers and the unwanted snickers from classmates. Once the bell rang, she practically ran to her locker, hoping to get home as soon as possible. On her way out of the building, she ran into Jonathan, stopping him in his tracks. He held something in his hands, glancing around nervously. 

“Hey, what’s up with you?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.” Delphi glanced down at what sat in his hands, snatching the papers away once she realized what they were. 

“You fucking developed these? Are you insane?”“What else was I supposed to do with them?”

“Throw them away, burn them, anything but this! It’s creepy, Jonathan. The photos you took in the woods? Fine. But creeper photos of people who hate you? Those should go in the trash man.”

“Who knows, maybe there’s something important in them?”

“Seriously?!” Jonathan just gave her a blank look, making her scoff and roll her eyes. “Did anyone see you with these?” Yet again there was no response, but his eyes wouldn’t meet hers. 

“You’re fucking with me, right? Put the damn things in your bag and let's get out of here, who knows what problems those things are going to bring.” 

Delphi hurried out of the school with Jonathan in tow, both of them keeping their heads down and staring at the asphalt. Thankfully, she had parked her car next to Jonathan’s today, so the venture wasn’t too far out of her norm, but it didn’t help any of the nerves that kept creeping into her gut. The nerves reached an all time high when they breached the hill, noticing Steve and the rest of his group hanging around Jonathan’s car. They seemed to notice the two approaching, standing a little taller and smiling wide. 

“What's going on, man?” The two were forced to stop walking, being cut off by the group in front of them. They largely ignored Delphi even being there, and she shoved her hands in her pockets and rolled her eyes. 

“What do you want?” “Nothing. We just heard you were quite the artist and we wanted to see…your work.” 

“Come on Jonathan, let’s just go.” Carol stood in front of Delphi, stopping her in her tracks with a sick smile. Delphi glared at her, giving her the same grin. “Get out of my damn way.”

“No thanks.”

Before she could stop it, Tommy had snatched Jonathan’s bag from him, rifling through the contents and pulling out the pictures. They muttered something Delphi didn’t really care to understand, looking through every picture Jonathan had taken last night.

“Seriously? Like this isn’t creepy.”

“I told you you shouldn’t have taken those pictures.” “Yeah, I get it now.”

“What’s going on?” As if the moment couldn’t get any worse, Nancy had to walk up right then, making Delphi hang her head.

“Our little friend here decided he wanted to spy on us last night.” Carol handed Nancy one of the pictures, presumably the one of her. 

“He was just looking for his brother.”

“Oh, was he? And how would you know that?” Realizing her slip up caused Delphi to be unable to answer, opening her mouth without saying anything. “You were with him, huh?” Knowing any response to Carol would only make things worse, she didn’t speak. “What, are you obsessed with us or something?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. There isn’t really much to be obsessed with.”

Steve seemed to ignore the entire exchange between Carol and Delphi, instead continuing to focus on Jonathan, who now stood, practically cowering, in front of him. He ripped up the picture he held in his hand and dropped the pieces to the ground, and once his hands were free, he picked up the camera off the trunk of Jonathan’s car. There was so much going on it was hard for Delphi to focus, but when the sound of the camera hitting the ground echoed through the air, she seemed to break. 

“What the hell, Steve?!” She rushed in an attempt to pick up the pieces of the broken device, realizing the endeavor was essentially hopeless. She stood back up and placed her palms against Steve’s chest, shoving him backward a few feet. She couldn’t place the look on his face, unable to read any sort of emotion. “Are you fucking insane?”

“What, upset that your little boyfriend can’t take pictures of you anymore?” Delphi’s head whipped to Carol, using her hand to shove her against the bumper of Jonathan’s car. Carol’s face twisted in fear as her chest heaved with nervous breaths, Delphi’s own making the same motions out of anger. 

“I suggest you shut that mouth of yours before I do it for you.”

After a few seconds, she backed away, Carol keeping her eyes on Delphi as she walked away with Tommy and Steve in tow. Delphi’s rough facade faded away as she helped Jonathan pick up the ripped pieces of his pictures, meeting eyes with Nancy, who was doing the same. When she stood up and turned to leave, Delphi called out to her. 

“Nancy!” She turned, raising a brow. “I’m sorry. I told him not to, if it’s any consolation.”

Nancy didn’t offer a verbal response, only a nod, but it gave her a little peace of mind that there didn’t seem to be any hard feelings. She turned back around to Jonathan, who continued to stare at the ground in defeat. 

“I’ll stay here in case they come out here again. You should get out of here, though.” Once again, he didn’t say anything, simply getting in his car and leaving the parking lot as quickly as possible. 

��As much as I hated Steve and his popular posse, they were right. What Jonathan had done was wrong, and no matter how many times I tried to tell him that, it only seemed to get through to him when he lost something important to him.’

Delphi let out the smoke that had collected in her mouth from the cigarette, allowing it to float off into the crisp autumn air. A call of her name had her head turning back towards the school, narrowing her eyes in confusion as she saw Nancy running towards her. 

“Nancy? What are you doing out here, aren’t you gonna watch the game?” “I think something happened to Barb.”

“I don’t know, I’m sure she’s fine.”

“Will you please just…indulge me? You’re the only one I think could help.”

“Why me? Why not ask one of your new best buds?”“Because I know you’ll believe me. They don’t give a damn about Barb, so please, help me find out what happened.” Delphi let it sit for only a moment, nodding her head and tossing her cigarette into the grass. 

“Hop in.”

‘The last place I expected to be that day was back at Steve Harrington’s house, let alone with Nancy Wheeler. She insisted on taking the same road her and Barb had the night before, and as if things weren’t confusing before, they were about to get a whole lot crazier.’

“That’s Barb’s car.” Nancy pointed out the window, Delphi slowing to a soft stop. 

“So she never went home last night? I can’t imagine she walked the whole way.”

“Keep driving. The best thing I can think of to do is retrace our steps.”

Delphi parked outside of Steve’s house, reluctantly exiting the car and following Nancy into the backyard. She wasn’t sure what they were looking for, so she let Nancy take the lead, wandering around the area until she headed into the woods surrounding the property. 

Delphi’s stomach flipped, unsure of whether it was from the nervousness of being in the woods again or the rush of emotion that had pelted her the moment she arrived at the house. She helped Nancy call out for Barb, snapping her body towards the sound of a breaking twig. 

“What the hell was that?”

“Maybe it’s…just a squirrel. Yeah, I’m sure it’s just a squirrel.”

Another twig snapped a few feet away from the last one, making them turn once again. They waited a few moments until they were satisfied that it was just some woodland creature, but a large figure running in front of them caused Nancy to fall and Delphi to let out a small scream. Delphi helped Nancy to her feet, the pair running out of the woods as fast as possible. Once they were back in the car, they panted for breath, trying to calm their beating hearts. 

“What the hell was that thing?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s good.”

‘We had no idea the importance of what we saw that day. We didn’t talk about it the entire drive back to Nancy’s house, and there was barely a goodbye when she left. I tried to keep the creature out of my mind the rest of my way home, hoping to sleep off the shock, but the night of rest didn’t help much. I’d hoped everything would return to a small bit of normalcy come the next morning, but it was the exact opposite.

‘Because that night, they’d found Will Byers' body.’

[stevessunglasses]

COULD’VE, SHOULD’VE, WOULD’VE

Chapter 25 of In the Midnight Hour

“Thought you’d be inside,” Lori said eventually.

Steve looked over his shoulder before shrugging and turning back to the pool and the forest. “Not really my scene at the moment.”

“Your party though,” Lori said.

“That was Dylan’s idea,” Steve said, rolling his eyes. “Said since it’s my eighteenth, I had to go big or go home. When I said I’d just go home, he invited the entire class.”

[dotthings]

Congrats to the fans of the wee woo show. I don’t go here but it makes me happy to witness how this arc for Evan Buckley got to bloom and I’m happy because I hope this reflects another shift in the TV industry.

For some media commentary context for you: ABC network is owned by Disney. Fox network was owned by Rupert Murdoch. So I can see how the network change for 911 can easily be a factor on how this got greenlit, after years of creator Tim Minear’s intention to work in hints, on the off chance he could take it there. (I don’t go here, but I did my reading). Oliver Stark who plays Buck also revealed he's been for it and couldn't say anything, until he was sure they could do it, until it aired and was out there. (*steeples fingers*)

For further context, Bob Iger—with George Lucas’ vocal support—just fended off a right wing coup on the Disney board from the kinds of people (like Peltz) who complain “why do we need so many female leads” “why do we need movies with all Black leads.” While it doesn’t mean Disney is no longer an evil megacorp, I’m pointing out that its CEO defended inclusive Disney brand content to the shareholders and the board, as well as dismantling the idea that it can’t be entertainment while being diverse.

The ripple of this goes outside of the wee woo show fandom. I’m seeing the joy on my dash from people who don’t watch the show or don’t watch it regularly, as well as from people who have been watching a long time and noticed things and realized there was a progression and it was there all along, and I know how much this must mean to a lot of people. With the world being how it is, with what people are facing inside the US from the far right, in their real lives.

It’s very hopeful in general for inclusion levels on a major network TV show, owned by a big evil megacorp. Representation matters.

Also I'm aware the wee woo show already had a queer couple, plus it's already an intersectional inclusive series, that’s great.

There shouldn't be limits placed on inclusion though. “But you already have X” shouldn't be weaponized to tell people to shut up. There is no “enough” or “too much” when it comes to inclusion. While I'm not for undermining the inclusion that's there, I've seen that weaponization used with a series that hasn't been great on inclusion, and I've seen that weaponization used for 911, which is. It's a sus argument.

Indirect and unintentional as it is, also bi Buck shut down every concern troll, every gaslight, every denial, every rationale I've ever seen people deploy against bi Dean. Everything from people who don’t understand what bi actual means—“but he likes girls so he can’t be bi”—to “but he wasn’t declared bi from the start of the show so he can’t”—yes he can and the wee woo show just did. On one of the original big three networks. Or people who say it would "ruin the character." Really? “But he’s an action hero”—so what? Evan Buckley is a hero, Dean is a hero, both badass action heroes. “People who see this as canon are delusional”—Evan Buckley went O RLY? Not so delusional now, is it.

Evan Buckley avenged bi Dean.

It’s self-evident. It’s right there. Different show, different network, but the concepts are familiar, the situation has a certain familiarity. This turn of events on an ABC show didn't just make bi Dean fans valid. bi Dean fans were always valid, the bi Dean reading was always valid. But I appreciate how much what happened on the wee woo show bonked people with a truth stick, about self discovery, character arcing, queer readings, queer coding, and the validity of merely noticing things.

[writingonleaves]

i tell you that i think i'm falling back in love with you - luca fantilli

pairing: luca fantilli x original female character

warnings: swearing, slight angst, mostly fluff, like one mention of COVID, proofread maybe once, probably too many taylor swift references

word count: 9.2k

based on: "the alcott" by the national ft. taylor swift + "this love" by taylor swift. title from "the alcott"

author's note: first one ahhh!!! had this done months ago when i saw that day in the life video the umich social team posted of luca and then promptly went on a six hour plane ride and banged this out. apologies if some of the details are inaccurate — i tried my best though some are also made purposefully to fit with the narrative

*****

Melody Lin rarely talks about it. 

In the instance that it gets brought up, she just shrugs, always giving just a brief overview because there’s no point in summing up 18 years of history in a few sentences, especially when she knows if she thinks about it too much and talks about it out loud she’ll get emotional. 

Growing up in the suburbs of Toronto was the typical suburban experience. She grew up only a street and a 2 minute car ride from her best friend Shayla and even though Shayla ended up going to University of Michigan and she went to Northwestern, they remained the closest of friends. Melody’s close with the whole Gallo family to the point where she just walks in and no one bats an eye anymore. Wherever Melody is, Shayla isn’t far behind, and vice versa. 

Being close with the Gallo family means she’s been to almost every family gathering, every big family event. Everyone in their families knows the other because the two girls are so close that they’re pretty much sisters. 

Melody doesn’t even remember the day she met Luca Fantilli. 

Luca is one of Shayla’s many cousins, only two years younger than Shayla. His family lives around a 10 minute drive away, so their parents love to gather on the weekends, therefore bringing the kids close together. Age wise, it goes Shayla, then Luca two years later, then Adam and Katie, Shayla’s younger sister, are the same age. There’s other cousins, older and younger, but these four have always been close, finding themselves naturally in a group when their families get together.

That means that naturally, Melody grew up also being close with the four, coming by many weekends when the cousins gathered and being dragged into their shenanigans, from playing tag when they were kids to piling in a car to get ice cream when they were teenagers. And they loved her too. Katie loved having another older sister figure with Melody being more calm compared to Shayla. Adam loved how funny she was and how no matter how much shit they gave her, she’d brush it all off with an easy smile. 

And then Luca. Like his brother and cousins, he loved how friendly she was. During the few years they overlapped in the same school, she always said hi to him in the hallways, never treating him or his brother any differently just because they were younger. When he needed a ride, whether it was to the rink or gym or that he just wanted to get out of the house, he could always text her and she would drive him, even if she gave him flack for it. And even though she started out as just Shayla’s friend, they quickly grew to have their own friendship, texting from time to time even when he was at Kimball for two years and she went off to college. He loved how giving she was and how smart she was and how no one ever really seemed to have a bad word to say about her. He’d always light up at seeing her and looked forward to the crushing hugs she would give him, especially after a few months of not seeing each other.

Those weekends are imprinted in Melody’s brain, when the Gallo house is loud and lively and all the adults are chatting and laughing and the kids are off doing whatever they want, her and Shayla always being put in charge because they’re the oldest of the five. Sometimes there were guest stars — Shayla’s high school boyfriend, Adam’s high school girlfriend, whoever the hell Luca was dating at the time, Katie and her best friend — but it was mostly just the five of them. 

It was always Shay, Mel, Luca, Adam and Katie.

(If you ask Luca now, he probably fell in love with her back when they were teenagers, somewhere between when she would drive him and his brother home after a rough practice and let them rant and when she’d laugh so loudly by the pool during the summer that she’d snort)

(Melody obviously loved everything about Shayla, thought Adam was one of the sweetest boys she’s ever met and adored Katie like a younger sibling. But even from the start, she had a special place in her heart for Luca, with his infectious smile and his positive energy. Somewhere along the way, he stopped being just Shayla’s cousin)

That friendship strengthened when he and Adam signed a commitment to play with the Chicago Steel starting Melody’s sophomore year at Northwestern. Shayla was thankful that her best friend was there for her two younger cousins, though the two hockey players never needed anyone to look after them. Since Melody had a car and her and Shayla’s breaks often overlapped, Melody would grab Adam and Luca in Chicago and then drive through Ann Arbor to pick Shayla up as they all headed home. The drive wasn’t all that bad, especially with the company.

Somewhere during the start of her sophomore year, she and Luca confessed to each other that they had feelings towards each other and started dating. It started out well. Inbetween her classes and college commitments and his practices and games, they’d find time to see each other. It helped that they both had cars as well. 

There was this cafe / book bar place between them called The Alcott that she had discovered by a recommendation from a friend who lived around the area that wasn’t closed because of COVID. That started to become the place for them to meet. Whether she had to drag along her laptop and notebooks or not, it started to become their place. She tried to go to as many of his games as she could and he tried to come to campus to be with her, even when she was cramming for exams and couldn’t give him much attention. 

She’d feel bad during the days where she wasn’t much fun, but he didn’t care. Being in her presence was enough, he’d always say with an encouraging kiss and a promise for milkshakes after dinner as a treat before he’d have to go back to Chicago. She met his teammates and he met her college friends and they tried and tried to make it work. When the Chicago Steel won the Clark Cup, she made it a priority to go to watch the final, not having been able to go to his last regular season game and all of playoffs due to final projects and labs. At the end, she had leaned over the boards to crush Adam in a tight hug before kissing Luca sweetly.

And then two weeks after that, when summer was about to start — which should’ve been the time they would be at their best and brightest together, things started to fall apart. Though, when Melody looks back at it now, things were slowly falling apart for a bit before then. Pointed questions about what each other’s plans were for the night when they could’ve been together, weak excuses for skipping the nightly FaceTime call, just generally not as much effort from both sides. 

Even throughout it all, she still deeply cared about him. That didn’t change even during their last argument that led to their break up. 

“Mel, I don’t know what you want me to do at this point,” Luca says, pacing around her room and running his hair through his hair. 

“I don’t ask for much,” she says, biting her lip, watching him pace and trying to keep her control. “I know hockey keeps you busy. I get it. I knew what I was signing up for. But I didn’t hear from you for a week, Luca. Not a call. Not even a good morning text. What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?”

“I told you I was going to be busy, angel.” Even the pet name doesn’t soften her. She starts raising her voice.

“Goddammit, Luca. I know! But guess what? I’m also busy too. You think college is easy? I don’t know if I’ve slept for more than 5 hours a night this last month. But I still make the time.” 

“Do you?” His eyes flash with something she’s never seen from him before. He’s not quite yelling, but he’s not talking at a normal volume either. “When’s the last time we went out to dinner? When’s the last time before the final that you came to one of my games? Jackson asked me before the final if we were still together since he hadn’t seen you. Do you know how fucked up that is?”

“Since when the fuck do you care about what anyone has to say?”

“Since all of their girlfriends are in the stands every week!”

She flinches. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to playoffs but you told me it was okay. I didn’t know you felt that way because you don’t talk to me anymore. I can’t read your mind. I’m trying my best here.”

“You know what? I can’t do this anymore.”

“Can’t do what?” She whispers. 

“This. Us. It’s clearly not working.”

“Luca.”

He sits down on the chair across from her and puts his head in his hands momentarily. “You’re right. We barely talk. We’re both so busy. The last thing I want is for you to resent me.”

“So that’s it?” She croaks out. 

His eyes are watery. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be, angel.”

“You’re the one making this hard!” She bites her lip and looks up to keep the tears from falling, which isn’t working because a couple tears still slip out. She fights a brief battle with herself and then deflates. “I’m always going to be your biggest supporter.”

He lets out a shaky breath. “Mel.”

“I mean it. I meant it years ago when we were kids. I mean it now. I’ll mean it forever.”

He laughs hollowly. “This sucks.” He lets out a shaky breath. “Do you think we could still be friends?”

She tries to smile. “Well, I’m still best friends with your cousin and that’s not gonna change. So I’m sure I’ll see you around.” She swallows. “I need time though, if we want to be friends in the future.”

“I get it. Yeah.” He sighs. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugs dejectedly. “I’m sorry too.”

“Can I get one more hug?”

The hug is already sad enough. The kiss in her hair has her crying into his chest. 

It was tough that summer especially, because she still wanted to spend time with Shayla and she also knew that Shayla still wanted to see Luca. But it was still too fresh, so when she knew that Luca was coming by, she avoided going to Shayla’s, which her best friend understood. She took Adam out for ice cream a couple of times, genuinely wanting to see how he was doing and catch up and everything was good and normal as they steered away from topics that were still fresh. Except during one hug as she dropped him off, where he whispered in her ear, “I know it’s too soon. I completely get it. But I know Luca would love to see you before you head back to school.”

(She doesn’t end up seeing him)

Junior year comes and goes. She has a great time despite the hours of studying for exams and the stress of classes. She makes new friends, gets closer with her old ones, collects new memories and laughs until there’s no sound coming out of her mouth. She sometimes wakes up with a hangover, but has to trudge to the library anyway to cram for a Monday morning exam. The first time she goes to The Alcott post break-up, she tries to sit in the spot by the corner and she has to leave within 5 minutes so she doesn’t have a meltdown in public.

Shayla tells her that Luca and Adam are both officially committed to play at Michigan next year, and she’s not sure if she should text them. She ends up texting them both separately right when they post on Instagram though because she’s so happy and excited and proud of them, even if Luca isn’t hers anymore.

i heard about the good news!! congrats on umich (officially)!! 

Thanks Mel!! So good to hear from you. I hope all is good at Northwestern

all’s good here! seriously, luca. i’m so proud of you. 

He simply had liked the text and it was enough for the both of them. It had to be enough. 

She tried her best to steer away from hearing about him, but it was really hard, especially when both him and Adam were doing so well in hockey and were the talk of the town, especially back home. They always had been, but nowadays it was more and more and it was bittersweet to hear. 

She didn’t come back home for the summer of her senior year, her internship leading her to New York City. And while it was sad because she couldn’t see Shayla, who herself was doing an internship in Detroit, it gave her a bit of relief that she wasn’t going to be in her hometown when a large  reason she calls it home is because of the boy who she had given her heart to. She had fun in New York, went on a couple of dates — which was the most she’s done with her romantic life since her breakup — but while her friends were living up their summers and she was cheering them on, she couldn’t shake the feeling of the younger Italian hockey player away from her mind. She hated that she couldn’t shake him off.

(You’ve been friends for almost two decades, Shayla would remind her. Of course you’re not gonna get over it quickly. There’s too much history there)

As Melody entered her senior year, she set out a goal to have fun. Work hard, of course, but also to have fun and really enjoy her last year. With parts of her college experience being interrupted by the pandemic, she felt like it was only right to give herself some time before she’d be in labs and research the rest of her life.

She still followed Luca on social media, so she saw his Snapchat stories and his Instagram posts. He looked like he was having a blast at Michigan and she honestly couldn’t have been any happier for him, even if there was always a stab of something in her heart seeing him pop up on her feed. She still drove through Ann Arbor during school breaks to pick up Shayla, and now Adam and Luca as well when they didn’t have to stay for hockey commitments. Shayla tried telling her friend that she didn’t have to, but Melody always waved her off. Luca texted her happy birthday and she did the same and she ended up crying in the shower both times. 

Shayla had convinced her to come to a Michigan vs Michigan State hockey game and Melody didn’t really have an excuse, since she was gonna drive up that morning from Northwestern to go home for winter break. She had been hesitant, not wanting to overstep but Shayla had just laughed in her face. Come to Michigan, stay the night with me, and then we’ll all head back to Ontario in the morning. Shayla had even gotten Adam and Luca to text her to convince her, with Luca’s text being the final push

Heard from Shay and Adam that you were hesitant on coming to the game. If that hesitancy is because of me, please don’t let it be. It’ll be a fun one.)

The game is fun and thrilling, just like Luca promised it would be. Melody’s met some of Shayla’s college friends before and they’re no less welcoming than they always are. After the game ends, Shayla and her are walking back to her apartment when Shayla stops. Adam just texted me, she says. They’re all at one of the hockey houses and they want to meet you. Let’s stop by. Melody stills for a moment before letting Shayla lead her in the opposite direction. She knows Shayla knows some of the guys, but she’s never met any of them and she doesn’t want to make it awkward. 

But that thought immediately goes away as Adam hugs her and spins her around as soon as they walk in, causing her to laugh and Shayla to pout playfully. Adam just rolls his eyes after setting Melody down. Shay, I see you all the time, he says. Melody gets on her tiptoes and kisses him quickly on the cheek, rolling her eyes as he playfully wipes it off. He leads them into the house and Melody’s thrown into a round of introductions and she’s a bit overwhelmed but she’s smiley and friendly and congratulates them all on the win. She’s immediately enraptured in a brief conversation with Nolan Moyle, Mark Estapa and Luke Hughes and she pretends to not see the other guys eyeing Luca with a knowing look.

Melody Lin rarely talks about it. She wonders how much Luca Fantilli does, especially since they all seem to know who she is. 

She would be the slightest bit uncomfortable, but a majority of them are younger than her and she knows how to deal with the rowdiness of hockey boys. So weirdly enough, she feels right at home, even though it’s her first time here. 

When she finally makes her way to Luca, she smiles, even if it’s a bit dimmed. She’s keenly aware of eyes on her but she tries to ignore them as she hugs him tightly, trying not to breathe in his cologne too much.

“Good game,” she mutters into his ear before pulling away. 

“Thanks, angel.” 

She kinda wants to kill him. He lost his right to call her that when he broke up with her. But she just smiles before turning to introduce herself to Ethan Edwards. 

When she pulls up to Adam and Luca’s place the next morning with a big yawn, Shayla in the seat next to her, Adam hands Shayla a hot chocolate and she’s pleasantly surprised when Luca hands her an iced coffee. She takes a sip as they dump their bags in the trunk. A latte with two pumps of vanilla syrup. He still remembers.

She hates him. She loves him. She’ll always love him

(She watches the game on her laptop and sighs sadly when Michigan’s run at the Frozen Four is cut short. She texts in the group chat consisting of Shayla, Katie, Adam, Luca and her rather than individually. 

💛💙proud of you both always

When Adam wins the Hobey Baker the day after, she immediately calls him, not expecting him to answer and ready to leave a voicemail. But he answers after two rings, and the first thing he asks is if they can switch to FaceTime. Suddenly, her screen is filled with Adam with his shades on in the Florida sun with the disgusting mullet. She just grins and congratulates him while he’s positively beaming. He shows her the trophy briefly and she hears some of his teammates yelling their greetings and she just laughs at all the chaos. She lets him go after another round of congratulations and tries not to let her smile fade when Luca comes on the screen with a wave.

Her heart aches.)

Graduation week is crazy and bittersweet and wonderful as she says goodbye to her younger friends and holds on to make some last minute memories with her best friends before her family and loved ones come to celebrate officially at the ceremony. She has dinner with her parents, her older sister Elena, Shayla and Shayla’s parents the night before her school convocation. She cheers for her friends when they walk across the stage the next morning, tries not to trip when she walks across and honestly kind of blacks out. Shespots her family in the stands purely from Shayla waving like crazy and laughs, waving back. Through all the chaos, she finds her family afterwards and pauses. 

Because there’s Luca. Dressed in a white short sleeved button down and blue jeans, hair out of a baseball cap for once and standing there with a sheepish smile, a beautiful bouquet of purple and white flowers in his hand. 

Why is he here? 

She tears her eyes away from him as she hugs her parents and sister with a big smile. She squeals as she hugs Shayla, swaying side by side, reflecting back to late April when Shayla was the one graduating and the positions were reversed.

But all she can see is Luca. You, you, you, her mind whispers. 

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

“I didn’t know you were coming.”

He shrugs. “Wanted to surprise you.” He hugs her and she can’t help but smile being tucked into his chest. “Congrats, Mel. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks,” She mutters, blinking as he gives her the flowers. “These are beautiful. Jesus.”

“Here, let me hold something for you.” He takes her bag off her shoulder as well as her diploma out of her hands as she adjusts the three bouquets of flowers she’s gotten, trying not to crush any of them. 

“Picture time!” Melody’s mom exclaims and then there’s a flurry of smiling and picture taking and lighting and angles and every combination possible, ending with Melody and Luca.

(When her mom sends the pictures later that night, she blinks at how couply they look. There’s a particular picture where she’s laughing at something Shayla said off camera and he’s looking at her like he might still be in love with her)

They stop by her apartment briefly so they can change before they all go to dinner. Apparently, everyone else knew Luca was coming because no one bats an eye as he comes along to their dinner. She’ll have to talk to Shayla about that later. 

And it’s good, really. The conversation is easy and the food is good and she tries to ignore everytime her elbows brush against Luca’s and notes when his arm is around her chair so she doesn't lean back. They discuss the plan for the next day where Melody is just planning on packing before the all university commencement the day after. Her family is planning to explore the Chicago area while Shayla is attending another friend’s commencement at University of Chicago. When Luca’s asked of his plans, he hesitates. She doesn’t know what makes her say her next sentence, but she says it. 

“If you wouldn’t mind, I could use another set of hands to help me pack.”

His head whips to her, mouth open a little. She tries to smile assuringly. He nods. “I don’t mind.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’ll be fun.”

She snorts. “Packing is not fun ever, but I like the enthusiasm.”

The next morning, she picks him up from the hotel all of them are staying at (“I’m in a room with Shayla and it’s a nightmare. How does someone’s shit get everywhere in such a short period of time?”) and drives in the opposite direction from her apartment. It takes him a surprisingly short amount of time to realize that they’re going in the wrong direction. When he asks where they’re going, she bites her lip.

“I’m craving one last iced vanilla latte from The Alcott.”

Silence and then a small chuckle. “Are their blueberry muffins still as good?”

“Yup.”

“We gotta get some of those too then.”

And conversation is surprisingly easy. They talk about Michigan’s run to the Frozen Four and how that was cut short but what an amazing season they had, Adam’s World Championship win with Canada and his upcoming draft (she was invited months ago by Adam and the entire Fantilli family to Nashville, to which everyone but her was not surprised about), her last year at Northwestern, his first year at Michigan, and anything and everything in between. It’s so easy that it almost aches, the familiarity of The Alcott and what it means to her and what it means to them as she watches him order for the both of them and pays even though she tries to fight. She wanders over to the corner — their old spot — because she wants to savor this one more time before she has to let go. Before she has to let go of this place and this boy. Because she can’t keep him. He was never hers to begin with. 

“Do you remember when we were snowed in here?”

She turns her head to look back at him before letting out a small chuckle at the memory. “Yeah. You were panicking because you thought your game was still on and I was surprised when it was cancelled, considering it’s Chicago and they never cancel anything due to snow.”

“And then they gave out free coffee refills and you were probably the happiest person in this place, just studying and humming along or scribbling in your journal.”

“We must’ve been here for, what, 6 hours?” 

“Probably more, to be honest. Donna wouldn’t let a single person even think about driving until the storm had passed.”

She smiles, even if a bit sad. “Good times.”

He hums in agreement, and if she was looking at him and not out the window, she would notice that he’s looking at her fondly. “You’re a college graduate.”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“You’re right. It’s not, because we all knew you were always the smart one. But it is a big deal because it’s just crazy how time moves so fast.”

“How do you think I feel watching you and Adam get old and go to college? Not that you were innocent before, but Adam sent me some snapchats of your shenanigans at frat parties and sometimes I genuinely wonder how you’re alive and kicking for practice the next morning.”

“Fucking Adam. Always painting me in a bad light,” Luca scoffs, before clearing his throat. “How have you been? How do you feel?” 

She lets out something between a laugh and a sigh. “Okay, I think. Overwhelmed. Excited. Scared. Thankful. Thinking about all the stuff I have to pack.” 

“Do you have most of it done?” 

She snorts. “Absolutely not. That’s what you’re here for.” 

“Glad I could be of service.” 

She stands up with her drink. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” 

Once they get to her place, Melody puts Luca to work immediately, instructing him on which boxes to put things in as she cleans up her room. They work well together. When he’s stepping behind her to get somewhere or something, he always touches her back or elbow or shoulder gently and he doesn’t get annoyed at her indecisiveness on how to pack things, just dutifully following all her instructions. They’re about 70% done when her roommates Alison and Carey come in briefly and they meet Luca and they know exactly who he is but Melody’s thankful that they don’t let it show and gives them a meaningful look as they leave. 

By the time most of her things are packed, it’s dinner time and she suggests that they drive to another one of her favorite spots on campus to grab a bite. A little sweaty, a little exhausted, she has to stop in her tracks when he shoots her the sweetest smile, adjusting the hat on his head and washing his hands before they head out. 

And because it’s only seniors left on campus, it’s not surprising when she runs into a couple people she knows, weaving through to order and find a place to sit at the bar. More often than not she’s stopped and she introduces Luca to everyone and he’s smiling and she knows that everyone is immediately charmed because it’s Luca and that’s always been his effect on people, ever since they were kids. He’s wearing a Michigan hat and gets some chirps that he takes in stride and that make her giggle. 

(If you were to ask Luca, it makes complete sense that everyone they’ve run into has nothing but a smile on their faces. Melody’s always been able to make anyone she’s come into contact with fall in love with her) 

She heads to the bathroom at one point and when she walks back out, she sees a drop dead gorgeous blonde girl sitting where she sat and Melody’s not surprised but her heart falls a bit, watching the girl clearly flirt with him, if her body language indicates anything. She observes for a couple of seconds before taking a deep breath and walking back. She platers on the largest smile she can muster, her lips softening to a more genuine one when she sees him perk up. 

“And there she is! The reason I’m here and the star herself.”

She can’t help but chuckle. “You’re sweet.” She turns to the girl. “Hey, I’m Melody. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Connie. Nice to meet you too. You graduated this weekend too?”

“Yup. You?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, congratulations.”

“Congratulations to you as well.”

Connie turns to Luca and Melody tries her best to not roll her eyes. “It was nice to meet you, Luca. I hope Melody gives you a proper tour of Evanston.”

“Best tour guide there is,” Luca responds easily, and Connie slips out of her chair with one last smile before Melody sits back in her seat. “Cool it with the death glare.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Uh huh.” 

She takes a sip of her coke, determinedly staring at his water. “You can flirt with anyone you want.” 

“She was flirting. I wasn’t flirting back.” 

“That doesn’t sound like you,” she tries to tease lightly. “I’m sure girls fall at your feet at Michigan.” I know what that’s like, she thinks to herself. “Speaking of, anyone I should know about? Just so I can prepare myself for when I get jumpscared when I take you out for ice cream.” 

“First of all, that’s an Adam move. And nope. No one’s caught my eye.” 

“No?” 

“No.” 

“Surprising.” 

He shrugs. 

She hums, letting it go and steering towards safer conversation topics. 

In the car on the way back to the hotel, she gets the courage.

“Luca.”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you break up with me?”

A sharp inhale. The words linger in the air. She grips her steering wheel. 

“I don’t know.”

Silence. A disbelieving scoff. 

“Thanks, Luca.”

“No, no. Give me a second. I truly mean it, especially now looking back. At the time I thought it was what was best so that we would stay friends and not grow to hate each other, but when I think about it more and more, that reasoning is shit so I don’t know anymore. You deserved better.”

(Honestly, it’s probably good that they’re hashing this out now. She was far too nice to him two years ago.)

“If I deserved better why didn’t you do better?” She whispers. “Luca, you didn't even give me a chance to fix it.”

“I know. I know. I panicked and I ran and I lost you.”

“You’ve never lost me. I’m best friends with your cousin. I’ve driven you and Adam to and from school. I’m still here. The last thing I wanted to do that night was break up. You practically jumped at the chance..”

“But I lost you in the way it mattered.” He reaches over to grab her hand and she doesn’t pull away. He takes that as a good sign. “I fucked it all up, didn’t I? All this time we could’ve been together but we weren’t because I just ran away.”

“Why did you break up with me?” She repeats stoically.

“I guess, I guess I got it into my head that you deserve so much better than me. I mean, I was playing junior hockey and you were at fucking Northwestern and you’ve always been so much smarter than I am which I love, don’t get me wrong. You are so, so beautiful and kind to everyone and generous and you’ve literally been there for me since forever and… I just felt like I was holding you back and you deserve better and-“ 

“It’s not your choice to determine what I think I deserve,” she says firmly. “If you had just talked to me about it…Luca. All I wanted was for you to talk to me that night. And the few weeks before. I loved you for who you were, junior hockey and all or whatever the fuck else you said. Do you forget that we grew up together? I’ve seen it all, and I’ve stuck by you because I loved you.” 

He takes a deep breath. “Do you know why no one’s caught my eye at Michigan?” 

She freezes, having a feeling what the answer is but hoping it isn’t true (or hoping it is true). “Why?” 

“Because the only girl who I see myself with is in Chicago.” 

She swallows roughly. “You can’t just say that shit, Luca. It’s not fair.” 

“I know, I know. I just-I…I’m sorry. I know I’m not being fair. I just…I miss you. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I was coming to your graduation but I couldn’t miss it. I really am so proud of you. I’ve always been your biggest fan.”

She stops at a red light and looks at him. “I hated you for a bit.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“But looking back, I don’t think I ever hated you. I was just sad and heartbroken.”

He squeezes his eyes shut. He had always vowed to himself that he would never hurt her. The light turns green and she drives again. 

She speaks up again. “Everyone always told me time is the best thing after a breakup. I didn’t know what they meant until I did. And seeing you got easier everytime, and I still wanted the best for you, even if I wasn’t the one by your side anymore. I still do. But at the same time, I wanted to forget you.”

“Would you consider trying again?”

“Luca-”

“I, just hear me out. I fucked up. I know that. God, I knew that the second I walked out of your place that night. I love you. I still love you. And I know I’m being unfair about all of this. But I just…my life is so much better with you by my side. I’ve realized that more than ever these last two years. And if you don’t feel the same way anymore, I get it. We can keep being friends or I can give you space if you want…whatever you need. I just had to say it. I love you. I can’t really see myself ever stopping, to be honest.”

In the middle of his little speech, she had pulled into the hotel and parked, killing the engine. It’s silent for a few moments as she mulls over his words. 

“You really hurt me, Luca. I don’t know if I love you anymore.” His face starts falling, but she quickly continues. “But I think I could. Love you again, I mean. Maybe. But it has to be different this time.” He perks up but she holds up a hand and he listens. “We need to communicate better. We have to talk through our problems when they come up, not run away from them. We can’t just sweep things under the rug.”

“Deal.”

“I’m gonna be working in Chicago and you’re gonna be in Ann Arbor. The distance is still gonna be like before. We’re probably gonna be away from each other more than we’re together.”

“Worth it,” a soft smile appears on his lips. “Congratulations, by the way. On the job. I don’t know if I mentioned it yet.”

“Thank you,” she looks down at her hands. She sighs. “I wanted us to work the first time. I really did. God, Luca. You’re one of the most important people in my life.”

“I’m gonna try so hard to be someone that you deserved the first time and that you deserve now.”

She smiles a bit sadly at that. “All you need to be is yourself. That’s all I ask.”

“Deal.”

“I know things are kinda busy coming up, with your cousin’s wedding and Adam’s draft and me going on my trip. But, uh, maybe we can go on a date when I’m back? If it isn’t too late.”

“It’s never too late when it comes to you,” Luca says. “I’d love that.” He leans in to kiss her cheek. 

“Come on. I’ll walk you up to your room.”

Things still don’t quite fall into place after that weekend. The next time she sees Luca is when she comes to Nashville for the draft. Luca’s been beaming all day, extremely proud of his brother, but it doesn’t compare to the feeling he felt earlier when Melody and Shayla walked out of their hotel room, Melody wearing a blue satin jumpsuit and looking as stunning as ever. When she greeted him with a hug, he planted a brief kiss in her hair and watched fondly as she embraced Adam, straightening out his collar and placing a sweet kiss on his cheek, muttering some words to him that only those two could hear, Adam closing his eyes and nodding as she smiled. Luca knows how much her being here means to Adam.

(Only close family knew that on Adam’s vest on the back are the names of the important people in his life. When he takes off the suit jacket to show Shayla and Melody, the former beams while the latter starts sniffling. Both so proud of him. Both honored to be on his back in cursive. And Luca just hands her a tissue when she sees a particular picture on the inside of his jacket of the four of them when they were younger at the beach. It’s one of her favorites. It means so much.)

She cries when Adam gets picked third overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets and squeezes Shayla’s hand in excitement as Adam walks onto the stage. Afterwards when she sees him, she practically leaps onto him and squeezes him so tight as he spins her around. 

(“Oh, Adam,” she says with a sniffle. “I’m so, so proud of you. Congratulations.”

“Thanks, Mel.” He says into her shoulder. “Thank you for everything. Everything.”

She pulls away but can’t help herself and hugs him again. “I love you. I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” he says as she backs away, biting her lip while placing her hands on his cheek.)

She’s then traveling with a couple friends around Europe and he’s in Pittsburgh for a few days for development camp before hanging out with friends and training. They text semi-frequently but she’s abroad and having fun and he respects that. He’s trying to figure out how to show her that he’s serious about the second chance she’s given him while trying not to overstep. 

When he picks her up from Toronto Pearson Airport in mid July, it’s 7 am and she looks and feels like shit. But she comes out of Arrivals and immediately sees Luca waving, big smile on his face, a Michigan shirt on, a hat flipped backwards on his hair and a bouquet of carnations in his hands, looking at her like she’s the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. She hugs him, taking the flowers with a smile as he grabs her duffle from her shoulder. Whether from exhaustion or simply because she’s missed him in more ways than she’d like to admit, she leans into his side as they walk out of the airport and into the parking lot and he immediately responds by putting an arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss on her forehead. 

It’s so easy to fall back into rhythm with him, as she just admires him while he’s driving, too tired at the moment to recount her travels. Once they get off the highway, he puts the windows down and opens the skylight and there’s a pang of deja vu as he turns up the music a bit, humming along to some country tune. He slows down in front of Betty’s Diner and she furrows her eyebrows. 

He smiles, stopping the engine. “I’m gonna go in real quick and grab some food, okay? Told Betty you were coming back today and she insisted on cooking you your favorite. I convinced her to put it in a to-go box but I promised her we’d come back to eat in at some point.”

Melody’s heart practically melts at the thoughtfulness. “Thanks, Lu.”

(He almost trips over himself getting out of the car. She hasn’t called him Lu in so long)

Luca’s house is empty, as Adam is training and his parents are both at work. Melody takes a quick shower to wash off the grime of the plane and when she comes out — in a UMich shirt and sweats she has to roll up that he laid out— the breakfast is all heated up on plates, the bouquet of flowers he gave her still wrapped but in a cup of water so they don’t die. Luca turns around at the sound of footsteps and something flashes through his eyes at the sight of her wearing his clothes again but he shakes himself out of it, instead just sliding a plate towards her. She slumps down on the kitchen island and thanks him with a hum before diving in. 

Once she’s full and Luca’s taking all the plates and washing them before she can even blink, she speaks up. “Is this the date?”

“No,” he admits. “I figured I’d give you a couple of days to get over the jetlag before taking you out for real. I just, I wanted to do something nice.”

She wipes her lips with a napkin. “Not that I don’t appreciate all of this, because I do, but what…why?”

“You gave me a second chance. I’m not gonna waste that chance.” His eyes widen in fear. “I-I’m sorry if I’m overwhelming you or being too forward. I-if you wanna go home or to Shayla’s, I can drop you off or-”

She smiles slightly. “Relax, Luca.” He blinks. It’s times like this he remembers that she’s two years older and much more level headed than he is. “I was just curious. You don’t have to do this all for me, you know?”

“I want to,” Luca replies simply. “Making up for lost time, I guess.”

“Then come over and finish up these waffles for me,” she says with a small smile, laughing when he barrels over and inhales them. 

After breakfast, he can tell she needs sleep even if she won’t admit it. So he puts on Abbot Elementary and puts an arm around her shoulder as she leans into him on the couch. Halfway through the episode, she’s fallen asleep on his chest and he just smiles, staring down at her. He very carefully turns the volume down and shifts so that they’re both more in a comfortable position. 

(When Adam comes back from training, he walks into the sight of his older brother and someone who might as well be his older sister cuddling, both asleep with Abbot Elementary still playing. He turns the TV off and tosses a blanket over them, staring at them both thoughtfully before heading to his room)

They do end up going on a date a couple days later. Luca picks her up at the door of her childhood home, waves to her mom and dad and gives her another bouquet of flowers (daisies this time). He then drives them to a nearby park that she hasn’t been to in at least 5 years and then pulls out a picnic basket of sandwiches, fruit, pasta salad, chips and cans of seltzer. She blinks as he lays it all out, because he’s really pulling out the stops and she has to stop herself from just leaning in and kissing him. 

And the conversation between them is, yet again, so easy, reminding her of one of the many reasons she always liked him, even before they started dating. Their ability to bounce off of each other and talk about practically everything isn’t something that she’s been able to replicate with anyone else quite yet. There are some instances where they slip into some dangerous territory, but they successfully steer away from it. Those are conversations that need to be had, but not today.

For awhile, especially after their breakup, Melody had only fixated on their differences, with his hockey and party life at Michigan and her research and much tamer college life at Northwestern. But during that picnic, laying down with her head on his lap, she had a realization that they were similar in many ways she hadn’t thought about before — their love for Toronto, their distaste for judgemental people, their passion for leaving an impact, the way they love their friends and family, their love for music.

(It probably only took that date for Melody to fall in love with Luca again, but she would never admit that to herself)

They book a last minute trip to Seattle in late July— it’s purely because Melody found tickets to Taylor Swift last minute that were a reasonable price. She would’ve taken Shayla, but she already saw Taylor in Detroit two days before Melody’s graduation. So the couple hike some trails, eat some good food and have a blast at Taylor Swift. 

(During ‘Fearless,’ which is one of Melody’s favorites, she’s hyper emotional, feeling Luca’s hands around her waist and him singing softly into her ear. He must also remember all the times she played this in the car growing up. During ‘Love Story,’ which is Luca’s favorite, she swears the stadium is shaking and it’s such a wonderful feeling to be a part of something like this. In the middle of the second chorus, she looks back at him with a smile, and he kisses her probably too deeply for what’s considered proper in public. But she can’t care less. And when he sings the last four lines to her in her ear, it feels something like a promise.)

He drives down with her to Chicago mid-August to help her move into her new apartment with a mutual friend from college who’s coming in September. Just like when he helped her move out, he doesn’t complain once. But this time, inbetween moving boxes, he puckers his lips and gets a kiss. The moment she realizes that she’s in her new home for the foreseeable future is when she’s placing some framed pictures around in her room, this particular one being of Shayla, Adam, Luca, Katie and her at the draft just under two months before. She doesn’t have that many framed pictures around, but this one was important to her to have up. She sets it down on the desk and just looks at it, even as Luca comes up to hug her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Shayla’s off to Houston for her job, Adam is off to Columbus to play in the NHL, Luca’s going back to Ann Arbor to do what he loves, Katie is going back to UCLA for her second year and she’s starting her job in Chicago. 

All five of them doing what they love, excited for the future, grateful for the past. And doing it together, even if they’re all in different states. 

He stays with her for a couple of days before heading back to Michigan. That goodbye sucks in particular, as she clings onto him. She’s trying so hard not to let tears fall, but when he softly mutters that he loves her (the first time he’s said those words since they decided to try again), the waterfall starts and she just sobs into his chest as he quietly whispers sweet nothings and rubs her back, kissing her hair and face and fingers and whispering that they’ll see each other in no time — which isn’t true. She has no idea when she’ll be able to get some time off as a new employee and he’s not gonna have that much time to spare once hockey season officially starts. 

(She doesn’t say it back yet, something inexplicable holding her back. But as he kisses her soundly at the airport before heading through security, she knows she does)

As she’s driving to Ann Arbor in December it takes her an embarrassingly long time to realize why it feels like deja vu.

Last year around this time, she made this exact same drive to see a game against the exact same team. Except this time, it’s different. Adam isn’t there. Shayla isn’t there. The team is different. Her and Luca are different. 

And as she’s driving to Ann Arbor, she knows she has to let him know. She has to let him know she loves him. 

This is only the third time she’s seen him since he helped her move in August. She would be lying if she said it hasn’t been tough and there haven’t been moments where she wonders if it’s worth it. But then her phone lights up, signaling a text from him or food she didn’t order ends up at her doorstep or she watches streams of UMich games and watches him score and then she’s reminded that she made the right choice in giving Luca a second chance. 

She loves watching hockey. She loves watching Luca play hockey. 

She got the number of Maggie, Kienan’s girlfriend, from Luca because she would only be able to make it to Michigan right before the game started, and Maggie was more than happy to lead her inside with her media pass and introduce her to some of the other significant others before she’d actually have to get back to work. It was a bit weird, being one of those significant others and being a bit older, but she was a college student up until June, so it’s not like she feels completely out of place.

She parks outside of Yost and texts Maggie, who directs her on which door to walk to. After an enthusiastic hug, she leads Melody through the back way into the arena, saying that the boys are already on the ice for warmups and that everyone is excited to meet her (“We’ve heard so much about you, from Luca and even from Adam last year, so we’re all really excited to meet you.”) 

She gets introduced to Ellie and Kayleigh, Jacob and Rutger’s girlfriends respectively, and they’re so peppy and excited and nice that she doesn’t feel as nervous as she sits down as they immediately want to get to know more about her. They have decent seats, so she can see some of the players’ expressions if she looks hard enough. She immediately spots 63 and just smiles before turning back to the girls, not wanting to distract him from warmups, even though she finds herself eyeing him while talking. It isn’t until one of the guys, Ethan, if she remembers his number correctly, nudges Luca and nods in their direction does she smile and give a small wave. Even from this far, she sees him light up and wave back before focusing on warming up again. 

The game, like any Michigan vs Michigan State one, is chippy, loud and exciting. She’s watched so many of Luca and Adam’s games growing up, yet she still finds herself nervously playing with her sleeves. Michigan ends up winning 2-1 and everyone’s in happy spirits as they leave the arena. She bids farewell to the girls and thanks them for letting her sit with them before Maggie’s back to lead her towards the locker room to meet up with Luca.

She waits patiently outside of the locker room with Maggie, just chatting casually, smiling when Kienan comes out and they embrace. Melody gives him a hug as well. The next guys to come out are Mark, Ethan and Seamus, who she remembers from last year and they all give her hugs before she wishes them a good holiday break. She tells them that they don’t have to stay and they all wave her off. (“Are you kidding? I’m not missing this reunion. Luca’s been talking about seeing you non-stop for forever.” Ethan jokes.)

They don’t have to wait long, as Luca’s the next one to come out. His cheeks are a bit flushed and he’s dressed in her favorite suit of his. His eyes dart all over until they meet hers. He immediately shrugs off his backpack and lifts Melody up in a hug. She lets out a little squeal and laughs as he spins her around.

“Hi.” She mutters into his shoulder. 

“Hi angel.” He pulls away and kisses her twice. “I missed you.”

She pulls back and runs a hand through his hair with a light smile. “Missed you. Good game.” She looks beyond his shoulder to see the rest of his teammates smiling or smirking, some she recognizes, others she doesn’t. She detaches herself from him and nudges him. “Introduce me to your teammates.”

He groans playfully. “Do I have to?”

She rolls her eyes and smiles at the boys warmly. “Hi. I’m Melody, if we haven’t met.” She gives everybody a quick hug as the freshmen introduce themselves, laughing when Dylan wiggles her around. 

Everyone’s a bit tired, so within 10 minutes, everyone’s saying goodbye and leaving the arena. She insists on driving Seamus, Rutger and Gavin since they all live together. When they get back, she’s helping him fold clothes to bring back to Toronto for break as he sits back on his bed, one hand behind his head and just looking at her. She’s grown out her hair and got a perm as a treat to herself after her first paycheck. And she had FaceTimed him immediately after she walked out of the salon, but seeing it in person is something entirely different. Still donned in his MIchigan crewneck that mysteriously disappeared from his closet over the summer and a yellow bow in her hair, she’s wearing flannel pajama pants now instead of jeans and folding a pair of his jeans before tossing it into his duffle and zipping it up. Luca’s suddenly overwhelmed by how blessed he is. 

The next morning, after brunch at one of Luca’s favorite spots around campus, when they’re at the start of their drive back to Toronto and at a long stoplight, she remembers. 

“Hey, Lu?” 

“Hm?” He immediately looks at her and places a kiss on the back of her hand that he’s been holding. 

“I love you.”

Luca’s eyes light up and she bites her lip so she doesn’t grin like a crazy woman. “Yeah?” He breathes out.

“Yeah. I love you.”

He leans to press a sweet kiss on her lips and then her cheek, and mutters against her skin. “I love you, angel. So much. Always have. Always will.”

And she chuckles under her breath when she tunes into what song is playing through the speakers of her car. 

This love came back to her, indeed.

[pretty-batty]

Return to Skull Rock

Eddie x Original Female Character Pt 6 of Eldath's Priestess 4184 words

Warnings: SMUT (18+ only), descriptions of bodily injuries and scars, borderline grotesque facial deformities, Monster F*cking (Eddie is not quite human anymore), reunion sex, oral (m receiving), fingering (f receiving), p in v, unprotected sex (oral contraceptive implied), creampie, body worship. Now on ao3 Thank you again to @anakinkshamer as my beta reader.

Summary: Judy's trip with the old "Silly Simon" leads her to Eddie's location. But he is no longer the Eddie she knew.

Notes: This is my magnum opus. I hope you enjoy our new Eddie.

Judy had returned to the void she had tried to forget, walking through the nothingness.

She continued to think of him, her Eddie. From when she closed her eyes, she focused solely on him. How he smelled, how he sounded, how he looked at her with warmth and wonder.

The air grew colder, smelling of burned trees and rot. In the distance, she saw it, a rounded rock formation known by the youth of the area. A common make-out spot that she had yet to see in person. Eddie never took her there, insisting on being closer to the lake itself.

“People are assholes,” he’d explain, “and I don’t like sharing your attention with assholes.”

She approached the rock, gazing upon the newly killed animal, mauled beyond recognition. Her heart sank as she instinctively brought her hand to her chest, face crumpling in sorrow.

Her attention was brought to a hoard of screeching from high above. Still nothing to be seen, but she still followed the noises. The ground began to slant down beneath her feet, she found balancing to be easy as she made her way, the cold soon growing damp. A cave, most likely near the grave of lover’s lake, along the shoreline.

A shaking sigh echoed from within. She continued, rushing into its craggy stone mouth. There had been doubts through this experience, the biggest being the ghost of Joey’s death. But all of those fears melted away when she saw a trembling Eddie, or at least a mop of filthy curls hanging over a huddled body. She reached for him, touching his warm shoulder before being yanked away.

Judy snapped awake, being shaken by her aunt’s hands and voice. She shot upright, meeting her aunt’s gaze. “What?”

“Oh, thank fuck, you stopped breathing for a second.” Margie sighed, wrapping her arms around Judy and bringing her into an embrace.

The others had gathered due to Margie’s panicked attempts at waking Judy. They now watched as the young woman pried herself from her aunt and take a deep breath.

“South of skull rock, along the tip of Lover’s Lake, there is a cave. He’s alive, scared shitless but alive.” Her voice regained its strength, bolstered by the excited and relieved exhales, “but there are things in the trees. I don’t think we can risk navigating at night.”

Judy gave the parameters, but her brain was not in a position for strategy. The shrooms were still affecting her, as she wondered into the kitchen and laid on the tile. It swam like white water. She liked that.

It had been some time before they had hammered out a foolproof plan. All that was left was for Judy’s trip to end, which took longer than desired.

Late in the afternoon, it was time to put the plan into action. 

“If we’re going to get him, we have to be in teams. One to locate the cave, the other to extract him.”

Judy, Robin, Steve, Dustin, and Lucas would start at Skull rock and find the cave. Upon doing so, they would radio to the pickup team and wait for extraction. Hopefully, Eddie was still there.

The plan seemed straight-forward and simple, get there and get out. Judy wasn’t sure if it was the shrooms still lingering or if she was incredibly naïve, but she was confident in their ability to carry this out.

That was before she was met with Skull Rock and turned south. Trees. So many trees. The creatures were quiet, no doubt sleeping. She had hoped for a straight shot to the cave, as her walk through the void was. But she stumbled through the woods all the same, trailing behind Steve and Robin who took point, makeshift weapons at the ready.

What took mere seconds in her dream took a half an hour, and the sun was beginning to set. They reached the mouth of the former Lover’s Lake, the ground slanting into its smoking maw.

“No way in hell we’re reaching that.” Steve said, stopping amongst the grass, “you sure it’s here?”

Judy rubbed the back of her head, as if to stimulate a memory from her trip. But nothing. She saw nothing else. Her back to the rock, she walked, the ground slanted and the trees shrieked, the cave was wet. 

Wait. the cave. It was wet. Damp. So, there was moving water near it.

She looked to the two younger boys, “Can you use your boy scout senses and find water?”

Lucas shrugged, “I can use my eyes.” He motioned to a deer slowly making its way through the woods. “It’s either going towards water, or away from it. My money is on towards.”

Without a doubt, Lucas was right. With each step they took through the thin tree line, the earth began to soften, plants flowering in the path of the moistened earth. Within ten minutes, they had reached it. Along a brook, beneath a small cliff, there was the craggy stone mouth of the cave. 

But the anxiety froze Judy, barring her from going in. “I’ll call the location,” she insisted.

Dustin handed over the walkie-talkie before following into the cave behind the others. After a moment of conveying their location, reading the numbers off the notepad in her hand, and receiving assurance that it was received, she turned to the mouth of the cave.

Silence. 

How far did it go? 

How far had they gone?

Taking those first few steps, the cave felt as it had in her dream. Passing through the threshold, she could finally hear their voices. Very distant but discernable. 

“Jesus christ,” said Dustin. 

“What happened to your face?” Lucas questioned.

“Why the hell didn’t you come back?” asked Steve.

“Wayne’s been a mess.” Robin added.

“I couldn’t go back.”

Judy breathed a sigh of relief.

Eddie. 

“How the fuck do you think I could come back to them? I mean look at me.” His voice grew louder as she stumbled through the cave, hands running along the walls to navigate. In her desperation to reach him, she had forgotten to pull out her flashlight. Still, she made her way to the voices of her friends, and to her Eddie.

“You know she was blind, for like…a month? When we first met, she was seconds away from having a seizure. Then she was blind. But I didn’t care. I read to her. I helped her. I liked her. Then those guys came in, took her away for days. One morning she was back and,”

Judy finally reached them. His voice came loud and clear from behind the wall of teens, flashlights pointed at the back of the cave.

“She could see again, and she looked at my face…” Eddie cracked a smile, hidden behind his black, necrotic fingers, “I knew I wanted her to look at me like that for the rest of my life.” He ran his hands over his face and through his matted hair, “but not like this.” The young man turned to face his former allies, bringing his now grotesque visage into the many flashlight beams.

Two stitches, about two inches long, from each corner of his mouth. Two more from his top lip, reaching an inch below each eye. And the final one, down his chin, black and filthy. It looked as if it were formed from a Demogorgon-like maw into a mouth that could speak again. The mess took away from his eyes in the darkness of the cave, a striking yellow swirling where the deepest and kindest brown had once resided.

“What are you talking about?” Judy, incensed, pushed through the group to take her place at the front. There was a lull in her movements, as if to gage the danger, but the ache in her chest took over and she plowed another two steps forward. “Show me.”

Eddie instinctively shrunk away before she cupped his face in her hands. He softened in her familiar touch, immediately tucking his chin down to hide. Her grip forced him to meet her gaze.

The flashlights gave her a clear view of every grody stitch, stale sweat on his skin, his eyes glowing back at her. Her thumb ran along his cheek, right beside the highest stitch, as if trying to wipe the grime from his skin. “Eddie…”

“Mm?” He managed to hum, jaw clenching back a cry. 

Her hands moved from his cheeks down his arms, taking his taloned hands in hers and bringing them to her shoulders. His blackened grasp clutching to her as she released them, returning to his cheeks, bringing his gaze back to hers. “You can touch me.” She whispered. His hands softened, running down the front of her jacket, over her buttons and homemade patches, before settling on her hips.

“Should we…. go?” Robin asked.

“No. It’s okay…” Judy sighed, smiling up at Eddie, “let’s get you out of here.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eddie stepped out of the shower, the warm plush mat beneath his feet. He couldn’t bring himself to look in the mirror, fearing the horror he’d face in its reflection. The commotion downstairs had quieted down. Judy’s voice was absent. His darkened fingers and thickened claws gripped the fluffy pink towel and held it to his face, taking a deep breath. It smelled like her, like home. Using it to dry himself off, he was able to take inventory of his healed wounds. A massive chunk of his right leg was gone, the memory of crawling on his belly through the Upside-Down came to him, shown by the scars across his chest. Then there were his two matching wounds, now forming inch deep pits over each hip, discolored but smoothed by regenerated skin.

At least he smelled better.

He wrapped the towel around his hips and exited from the bathroom, swiftly ducking into Judy’s open bedroom and closing the door, clicking the lock behind him. Only to be met by his lover’s wide eyes, a smile creeping across her face.

The butterflies in Judy’s stomach reached into her throat, forcing out a “um…” 

She took him in, drinking up his form and trying not to cry out in joy. She simply closed her lips, tamping down her smile, “your jammies are in the same drawer they’ve always been.”

“Kept them?” he asked, voice slightly croaked from the shower steam.

“Of course I did. You know me, can’t let go.”

He fished out a pair of Hawkins Tigers sweatpants and the old Led Zeplin shirt he had given her. “Can’t believe you talked me into buying these school spirit pants like a chump.”

“That was when I thought we would graduate together.” Judy turned away, facing the curtained window at the far end of her room, giving him some privacy.

She heard Eddie’s casual footsteps approach her from behind. “After all the things you’ve done to this body, you still worry about my modesty.” He reached out, running the back of his claws along her arms, just as he had without them many times before. His fingers slowly traced down to her hands, enveloping them in his. She felt his gentle breath against the back of her ear, lulling her to close her eyes. He brought one hand to his lips, pressing a kiss on her wrist. The other hand guided behind her, pressing her open hand against his naked cock.

Her eyes snapped open as she whipped around to look at him, slipping her hands from his grip and placing them on his chest, scarred, pale, but just as warm. 

“You dropped your towel…” She brought herself closer to him.

“Oopsie.” He smiled, his stitches separating slightly to make his grin a little uncanny. Judy’s fingers reached up to his face, ghosting over his stitched mouth. His smile faded slightly, grabbing her hands and pressing them to his flesh. 

“Do they hurt?” she whispered, a tremble in her voice.

“No, baby,” he lied. “Just feel a little weird, is all.” 

In truth, the pull was the least of his worries. It was the splitting that occurred when he needed to feed that caused him the most pain. The stitches kept his Demogorgon maw in the shape of a human mouth, but the skin would still split along the seams, the edges becoming fresh each week. 

But Judy didn’t need to know about that, not yet.

The feeding frenzy was at the will of the hivemind. At the will of Vecna, as the bats and monsters were. But he had more control than the others. Sleeping in Judy’s bed, hearing her sweet voice and heart-wrenching sobs through the veil had forced him to stay. There was hope that once the Big Bad was defeated, it would be over. He’d have control and would most likely die. 

But Judy didn’t need to know that either. She just needed to know that he was here, with her, for as long as possible.

“Tell me honestly, buttercup.” He took one step back, opening his arms and releasing her fingers from his grasp, “is my dick weird?”

She finally looked at him, all of him. The scars and abrasions healed over, purples, magentas, and blacks. Her eyes scanned down each extremity, hands and feet, fingers and toes, were now a dark purple, no longer a necrotic black as they had been. The tips of his fingers and toes, along with his talons still remained black as pitch. His eyes looked more jaundiced than cadmium yellow. It was almost as if being separated from that hellish dimension was healing him.

His cock, however, remained the same. She smiled softly, “not any weirder than it already was.”

He wiggled his hips slightly, his member rocking side to side, making Judy hold back a snort. She forced the corners of her mouth downwards, nostrils flaring. But she was losing the battle. Her eyes darted to her ceiling, but Eddie’s approach guided her gaze to his face. He walked forward and took her hands in his, placing them on his face and taking a deep breath, smelling her palms.

Judy pushed her hands up into his hair, his curls combed out in the shower. Her body pressed against his. He was the naked one now, vulnerable in his lover’s arms. And Judy sheltered his body with hers. She gazed into his big brown eyes, resting their foreheads together. “Hi…” she muttered.

“Hi…” Eddie answered.

“I missed you.” She blinked, her lips finally opening into a smile, “I missed you so much.” Her eyes began to burn as her vision grew blurry.

Eddie snaked his arms around her, walking backwards and drawing her to her bed. “I’m here now, Judy.” The mattress hit the back of his knees and he sat down, his face against her middle, nose to navel, the crown of his head skirting just below her breasts. His grip stayed around her, pulling her bare belly to his face, and pressing his lips against her skin. He closed his eyes, burying his face into the softness of her tummy. A sigh escaped his lips.

“Glad I decided to wear my cropped shirt,” she muttered, running her fingers through his hair. She heard him sniffle, then a broken sigh, knowing it well. Her chest ached, pleading softly, “Lay back, baby.”

He finally separated from her, eyes wet from tears. Slowly, he laid back on to her pillow, grateful that the bed remained unmade. Judy followed, pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it to the side. Her breasts dropping back into place, Eddie’s lips parted in a delighted smile, glassy eyes shining up at her. “God you’re somethin’ else, Judy.”

She dipped into a kiss, before traveling down to the scars on his neck. “Tell me if I hit something that hurts.”

“Mhm,” Eddie closed his eyes, his muscles relaxing as his nerves began vibrating with anticipation. Though he had made the mistake of getting his dick sucked by other people, it was never as good. There was something she did that no one else bothered to do. She savored every inch of skin, took her time. Her lips and tongue would latch onto his tenderest parts, lap at him, breathe him in, leave him reeling. She didn’t just suck him off. She went down on him and made him feel like a god. He was glad he snagged her before someone else did.

His treasure. His princess.

Eddie’s grip on her hair relaxed Judy in a way she couldn’t explain. She finally reached the matching scars on his torso, whispering blessings against the pits that were left behind. They were soft, as new skin tended to be, and tender beneath her lips. Her lover squirmed slightly, causing Judy to stop.

“You okay, Eddie?” She asked, “did I hurt you?”

He shook his head, damn near nonverbal as his cock stood, leaking for her.

“You want me to keep going, or just to suck you now?”

The grip in her hair tightened, regaining his composure. His eyes opened, dark and stern. His gaze flicked to his cock, a quiet command. “Your lips, there, now,” and Judy did as he said.

She left out a giggle, almost bouncing as she made her way between his legs. He stopped her half-way, ass pointed at the wall, knees against his scarred thigh. His hand released her hair, running his claws down her back and down her ass, gathering her shorts and panties as he went, pulling them down.

“What? You wanna pet my pussy while I take care of you?” she asked, kissing from his hip to his mound. His scent smacked her in the face when her nose rested on his dried curls, setting her in a hungry trance. It was muted from his shower, but it still lingered.

The back of his talons ran down her naked folds. She took that as the command, her hand taking his shaft, lifting it, and diving to the base of his cock, sucking at the warm crook between the base and his velvet sack. Her nose nestled in his curls fully, breathing him in. She let out a moan. Eddie opened his mouth, gasping for air for a moment before resting his head against the wall, lips curled in a cheshire smile, gazing down his nose as he watched Judy enjoy his cock.

And she did, drooling on his shaft as she ran her tongue to his tip. Her lips wrapped around the head of his cock, tongue running across it, lapping up his release and swallowing it. Her fist softly stroked his shaft. God, she missed the taste. He was perfectly sweet for her, and according to Eddie, she was just as sweet for him.

He ran his fingers along her pussy again, gathering her slick before bringing his claws to his lips. He hummed, satiated, like a bear with a pot of honey. His hand returned to its place, gently slipping his middle digit in her entrance, worried his new manicure would scratch her.

She moaned and opened her mouth more, taking him into her mouth almost fully. Her head slowly and gently bobbing along his length. Her tongue extended along his shaft, allowing him to slide into her mouth and grace the back of her throat. Spit pooled at her lips and ran down to his curls. Her throat clicked around his cock, a gentle whimper accompanying it.

Eddie’s left hand finally gathered her hair in a makeshift ponytail, letting him get a better look at her final few bobs. Their eyes met. “That’s my girl. Suckin’ me so good.” He whispered.

She lifted off his cock, jaw aching as she passed his shaft along her slightly parted lips. “Missed your cock, Eddie.” She whimpered, finally pulling away to catch her breath. In the calmness, she realized Eddie was three fingers in her pussy, knuckle deep. She was so soaked and soft that she hardly noticed. A rarity for her.

“You have been sucking and clenching around these fingers the whole time, buttercup.”

She shrugged, cheeks growing red with embarrassment. “I just…missed this.”

“My cock?”

Judy’s lips tightened, sitting up from her place, shaking her head in earnest, “You know it’s not just-”

“I know, Judy. I’m just lightening the mood.” He smiled, drawing his fingers from her with a wet shlick. He brought his claws to his lips, sucking each one while gazing at her.

Her gaze softened. “You want me to finish you off?”

Eddie shook his head, opening his arms. “C’mere,”

Giddy, Judy bounced back up to his lap, swinging her knee over him, resting her soaked pussy on his skin. “Fuck you’re so warm.” She smiled. Eddie grinned back, talons running through her hair before yanking her down into a sloppy kiss, flavors mixing on their tongues. All it took was a roll of his hips for her to slide down half-way on to his cock. Her pussy swallowing him whole as she eased the rest of the way down.

The valley of her breasts met his maw, open to accept her soft skin beyond his teeth. His tongue swirled around the bruise that was sure to form. His lips migrated from one breast to the other, his cock aching inside her. His hands ran over and gripped her curves. Judy cradled his head to her, smile pressed in his slowly drying curls. Joyful tears slowly slipped down her nose and onto the crown of his head.

Her hips began to move, gliding up and down his cock. The head sliding across her most sensitive zones, each pass along her walls bringing her closer to her peak. She groaned hungrily in his hair, picking up her pace, taking his gasps of pleasure as motivation.

Finally, Eddie managed to speak. His broken voice muffled against her skin. “So…good. Gonna cum.” There was a twinge of shame in his admission. He would have lasted longer, but given the circumstances, his mind was blown from Judy’s lips alone.

Judy understood, chest aching for him to fill her like he used to. Her voice vibrated in her chest as she purred, “It’s okay baby, cum in me. It’s okay.”

He crossed his legs beneath her, his grip on her plush hips tightening painfully as he took over and slammed her on his cock in short pumps. The thrusts growing desperate to stay as deep inside her as possible. His mouth dropped open, spit dripping down his lips as he pulled back to meet Judy’s gaze.

Her eyes were puffy, dried tears sticking on her skin as she bent back, hands bracing herself behind her. All she wanted was more, and she knew with all her patience and diligence, she wasn’t going to get it. Eddie’s gaze was completely lost, staring at the point of their union, and in a few more thrusts she felt that wet heat fill her. His lips parted in a spent groan, before twisting up in a grin. His clawed thumb reaching gently to rub circles over her clit, hips slowly regaining their pace as he fucked his cum into her.

He'd be damned if he let her go without a leg shaking orgasm. 

“You still on the pill?” he asked, punctuated by his grunts as he slid in and out of her. A bit too late of a question, but he already knew the answer.

Judy felt her walls flex in more sporadic intervals, managing a simple, “uh-huh.”

“Lost for words, baby girl? Not so in control now.” He smiled, “your turn, lay back for me.”

Without a second thought, Judy leaned back. Eddie gripped her thighs and pulled her up the bed. Her head finally resting on her sheets. One clawed hand on her hip, the other still stroking her clit, Eddie held her still, hips at an angle to keep his cum inside her.

Judy could feel herself spasming, drawing his cock closer inside, holding it and milking the already sensitive organ. The need made him double over, burying his face in her neck, pounding his cock inside her, soaking the sheets beneath them even further. Chest to chest, trapping his hand against her sex. He didn’t think he had anything left, but he was so wrong.

Judy’s entrance clenched around him, a burning ring around his cock as she felt lightning clap through her body. She slammed her head back and let out a gasp, her smile gleaming. Her release streaming down her lips and thighs, covering his as well. Eddie cried out in her neck, cum dripping from his abused cock. Tears pricking her eyes, pushing him off her before he finally removed his thumb from her clit, sliding himself out of her and watching his cum leak from her. A beautiful sight he could never get enough of.

Eddie and Judy gazed at each other, in wonder and relief. Judy managed to whisper his name once before he leaned back down, all of her limbs clamped around him, bringing him back to her chest, cradling his head to her neck, hand splayed out through his hair, still damp.

“Oh Eddie, my Eddie…” She whimpered in his ear, “my Eddie.”

Whew! That was a crazy ride! Our lovers are finally reunited. Thank you for reading, my loves!

Tag list: @loserboysandlithium

[coulsons-fullmetal-cellist]

Bedtime Stories

(Dieter x horror loving female)

Words: 1, 426

Summary: thanks to this lovely idea from @nell4now I wrote this adorable idea where Dieter reads to his family even when he’s away

Warnings: pregnant reader, all the pregnancy nausea, so much wholesomeness so maybe have some tissues, Stephen King

Check out masterlist here

“‘The operation was called hobbling, Paul, and that is what I’m going to do to you. For my own safety…and yours as well. Believe me, you need to be protected from yourself. Just remember, a little pain and it will be over. Try to hold that thought.’

Terror sharp as a gust of wind filled with razor-blades blew through the dope and Paul’s eyes flew open. She had risen and now drew the bedclothes down, exposing his twisted legs and bare feet.

Seriously honey cakes, you want me to read this?”

You opened your eyes and looked over at your husbands concerned face. Humming an affirmative, you nodded your head.

“Won’t this make you more nauseous?” he asked.

“Your voice is soothing.”

“It’s not your favourite voice though?”

You gave a little smile, “It’s in my top five of sexiest voices.”

“Top five? Wow, I’m honoured.”

“There’s a lot of sexy voices out there,” you rubbed your stomach. “Yours is the Things favourite.”

Dieter put his hand over yours, “Am I your favourite, cupcake?”

“Don’t talk about food or I’ll vomit.”

“So back to the crazy violence?”

“Yes! The Thing wants violence!”

“Aw,” he patted your stomach. “You’re already taking after your mama!”

*****

This tradition of Dieter reading to you started when you got pregnant. Trying various ways to distract yourself from the constant nausea, the only thing that brought comfort was your beloved horror. While watching a film, you’d end up falling asleep to the sounds of mindless teenagers falling victim again and again to the slow-paced serial killer. You’d wake up hours later with a blanket draped over you and a fresh glass of water on the table.

Reading also helped but it was hard to keep your eyes open. Dieter quickly learned that the best way to soothe your battling body was to read to you, his voice providing a gentle hum, the perfect vibration to cancel out the painful buzzing of nausea. It was so comforting to cuddle up with your husband while he read the words of your favourite books.

Sadly, he wasn’t able to read to you every night. He made himself busy so you wouldn’t have to work, and it would leave him with plenty of paternal leave once the baby was born. Technology helped in some ways but not always. Lying in bed with a few good pillows to prop you and your growing bump up, you answered your phone, Dieter showing up on screen.

“Hey honey cakes, sorry I haven’t been able to call later, filming has been hectic and-you’re lying in bed. Have you been sick again?”

“No, it’s just a pain in the arse to move around. Have you tried moving around with a watermelon attached to your stomach?”

“I’d have to check over my filmography.”

You both laughed but you stopped and shifted, letting out an uncomfortable sigh.

“Are you okay honey cakes?”

“Yeah, the Thing is just excited to hear you.”

“Hey cupcakes,” he addressed your stomach. “Have you been missing daddy?”

“I had to find something to stop the summersaults. I ended up using some audiobooks you did.”

“I did some audiobooks?”

“Yeah, I never knew you did the audio for Never Go Down to the Neverwoods. That’s my favourite werewolf trilogy. I liked that the main character Celina was a female werewolf. And it had creative werewolf lore with original werewolves being priestesses of Artemis and…”

“I narrated a werewolf series?”

You described the story to hopefully trigger a memory. “Small town suffers strange animal attacks which turn out to be a werewolf.”

“Sorry but when I read things out loud, it goes in one ear and out the other. But not with you, I’d never with you.”

“I know,” you sighed happily. “You probably don’t remember some chapters. Had to skip them.”

“Really? Why?”

“Sheriff Luca and Celina finally get together and have some babies, so it gets a bit spicy.”

“I really must’ve not been paying attention because I’d remember some spicy reading.”

You laughed, “So how is it on the other side of the country?”

Dieter sighed, “I tell you; I’m bored out of my brains here.”

“Do you have enough yarn?”

“Thankfully yes. And this small town is big enough to have a small yarn shop. I’m nesting now. Actually, let me show you what I found yesterday.”

He moved out of frame for a second and came back trying to move his object into frame. You managed to see a set of books.

“I found the complete Winnie the Pooh stories!” he declared. “It’ll fit great with the nursery.”

“That’s so sweet!”

“I can’t wait to read them,” he wiped a tear from his eye.

“You know, could you read them out now? Record them I mean.”

“You’d like that?”

“I know someone who’d like it,” you said rubbing your stomach.

*****

Clara loved it when her father read to her. Dieter noticed this early on as she’d always give a wide grin whenever he’d talk to her, smiling a toothless grin. Eventually she would understand the words he was saying, and she went on a magical journey every night before bed.

“Now one day Pooh and Piglet and Rabbit and Roo were all playing Poohsticks together. They had dropped their sticks in when Rabbit said ‘Go!’ and then they had hurried across to the other side of the bridge, and now they were all leaning over the edge, waiting to see whose stick would come out first. But it was a long time coming, because the river was very lazy that day, and hardly seemed to mind if it didn’t ever get there at all.”

“Can we play?” Clara asked looking up at him.

“You want to play Pooh Sticks?” she nodded. “Of course we can cupcake. We’ll do it as soon as I’m back.”

Dieter wanted to be there at every bedtime but sadly, his work didn’t make that possible. He was sad to leave his family as he went off to be several states away.

The timing became terrible as Clara came down with a terrible fever that warranted a trip to the emergency room. Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as you thought, your motherly instinct taking it to the extreme. Coming back home after a few hours with medication, Clara was put straight to bed, your bed as you wanted to keep her close. She was still restless with fever, so you put the headphones over her ears like you did when you put them across your pregnant bump. As soon as the dulcet tones of Dieter’s voice played, your daughter instantly calmed and fell into a deep slumber.

You only informed your husband once Clara’s illness was in the clear as he would have come straight back home. He did still call you as soon as he was able.

The ringing of your phone woke you from your slumber. You quickly forgave it as it was Dieter calling, soon seeing his face on your screen.

“How is she? How are both of you?”

“She’s fine. We’re fine. It was just a small fever.” You moved the screen so a sleeping Clara could fit onto your screen.

“She’s sleeping next to you?”

“It made sense. You’ve spoiled her with cuddles.”

He sighed, “I do. And I spoil you with cuddles.”

“Cuddles are nice.”

“She can’t wait until she gets cuddles from you again.”

“Has she been missing me much?”

“Only a little. I brought out your recordings to help her sleep.”

“Really?”

“Really really.”

 “Glad those recordings helped you again. Tell her I found the perfect place to play Pooh Sticks.”

“I will. Love you Dieter.”

“Love the both of you.” He put his fingers to his lips and held them up to the screen and you did the same.

*****

The recordings were used every night while he was away. Clara would happily listen to a story every night. But before she closed her eyes, she’d say “Night night daddy.”

This left you confused until you decided to listen to the recordings. You never heard them in full as the stories were purely for your daughter. Rewinding a little, you listened to the ending. What you discovered brought a tear to your eye.

“So they went off together. But whenever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.” There was a pause then Dieter said. “Night night cupcake, daddy loves you.”

Lovingly tagging @boliv-jenta @simpingcowboy @ellenmunn @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi @chaithetics @myloveistoolittle @cevans-is-classic @glshmbl @cupcakehp @gswizzsstuff

[bleulone]

TO BUILD AGAIN : ii. — En garde.

a Chef Luca fanfiction | Fandom: The Bear. Rating: Mature/Explicit. Status: On going. Slow updates. Type: Multi-Chapters, Pre Canon. Tags: Chef Luca/Orginal Female Character, Disability, Angst and Feels, Character Study, Eventual Smut, Family and Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Mature Themes, Mentions of Depression, Romance, Romantic and Sexual Tension, Romantic drama with a happy ending, Slow-burn, Strangers to Reluctant chef partners to Friends to Lovers, Sharing Cultures, Self-Love, Traveling.

CHAPTER SUMMARY : Prior to her impending departure for Copenhagen, Warda elects to make a final visit to her restaurant.

THE ATMOSPHERE AT RADIANCE seemed frozen in time, unchanged since her last visit. However, a persistent thought tugged at Warda's mind, urging her to seriously consider revamping the shopfront. Something about it didn't quite align with her vision. She struggled to pinpoint the exact source of her unease. Was it the stark shade of white, too clinical and lacking warmth? Or perhaps it was the font used for the restaurant's name, its rigid letters devoid of the graceful curves that mirrored her culinary philosophy. These elements seemed to fail to capture the essence of the cuisine she passionately championed—experimental, refined, and a vibrant fusion of Moroccan flavors with a new Nordic twist. (…)

• Read the rest HERE on ao3 (or click HERE to read from the beginning) • Listen to the playlist HERE •

[fizzyxcustard]

Coming soon!

Lucas has been given an assignment which means potentially sleeping with a subject who is linked to a Russian subject of interest. After discussing with Amy, will he put his relationship or duty to country first?

(If you wish to be added or removed from my fics tag list, please contact me and let me know!)

[scarabsinthestardust]

Better in the Morning // Ch. 8

MASTERLIST

Jake x original female character, and introducing a tiny bit of Josh x original male character

word count: 1600+

CHAPTER WARNINGS: Language, social drinking, vague mentions of questionable, probably unhappy childhoods, slight jealousy, insecurity, anxiety

When I was a kid and living in a small town in West Virginia, my brother and I made friends with a boy who lived down the road. The first time I saw him, he was burying something in the field across from our house. I think I scared him when I snuck up on him, asking what he was doing. He shied away, but when I promptly sat next to him and insisted on being nosy, he caved. He told me he was burying a dead bird he found in his yard; I remember thinking it was odd that he was so sad about it. Maybe that’s why we ended up being such good friends- we were both odd in some way.

Finn was two months younger than me, but he never attended school with me. Instead, his mother homeschooled him. I never met her, and anytime someone asked about his parents, he dodged the questions. Richie knew something was wrong there. Hell, even my barely present father knew something was wrong. As a child though, all I knew was that Finn spent an awful lot of time at our house, and he would find any excuse to not return home at night. There was a lot I didn’t know about the redheaded boy who always wore sweaters, even in the summer, and hated living in the small, rundown house at the end of the dirt road.

As we got older, we were practically inseparable. Luca would sometimes join us when he was well enough. And when Luca was gone, Finn was always there. He was the one that kept my head above water when I was drowning.

We grew into adults and went our separate ways, building our lives and doing our best to live them. He jumped at the opportunity to leave West Virginia and he didn’t look back. Of course, we kept in touch as much as our busy lives allowed, and when we saw each other again, it was as if no time had passed. We were always able to easily pick up where we left off. He was still, and always would be, the best friend I ever had.

I was sitting in the back room of the shop, munching on tacos that my wonderful boyfriend provided. I heard the bell above the door ding and Richie spoke to the person before calling for me to come out. I glanced at Jake before standing to go see what all the fuss was about, not knowing what to expect. But when I saw that very familiar face, complete with wavy red hair and a goofy smile, I let out an uncharacteristic squeal, making a running leap into a hug. He was taller than me, and I felt him lift me off the ground a few inches in a tight hug.

“Hey, kid. Missed you.”

Once back on the ground, I crossed my arms and gave him a look of faux annoyance. “Finley Dawson Carroway, why didn’t you tell me you were coming to town? And what do you mean ‘kid’? I’m older than you.”

“But I’m bigger than you.” He grinned and patted me on the head. Insufferable. “And I definitely don’t deserve the ‘full name’ treatment, Kya Marcela Castellano.”

I snorted at him and heard Jake chuckle behind me. “Fuck you. Anyways,” I motioned for Jake to walk over to us. “This is my boyfriend, Jake. And this is Finn, my best friend. We grew up together.”

The two men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. I don’t think anyone else noticed, but Jake seemed slightly uncomfortable. I made a mental note to get to the bottom of that later. For now though, I wanted to catch up with my friend.

“What brought you to Nashville?”

“Got a new job. Something I’m actually really enjoying, and I get to travel.” He was beaming, proud of himself. “I’m doing a sort of marketing management for wildlife protection agencies. Right now I’m based in Colorado, but I’ll be doing some work with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.”

“That’s awesome. Right up your alley. How long are you staying?”

“At least a few weeks, but it could always get extended. They’re paying for a vacation rental, too, so I can’t complain.”

Finn was all smiles the whole time we talked. It warmed my heart to see him genuinely happy; I know it wasn’t easy for him to get to that point.

Jake was polite but quiet as we talked, and it was starting to make me nervous. It did nothing to quell the anxiety when he abruptly decided to leave, claiming he was late for plans with the band. I knew that was a lie, but I didn’t argue, just gave him a confused glance when he kissed me goodbye.

Finn eventually left too, not before making plans to hang out later, leaving Richie and I alone, save for a few lone customers browsing the aisles of records.

“Kya.” The way he said my name reminded me of when I was a kid, and he would catch me doing something I knew I wasn’t supposed to. “Now, I’m no expert, but I think your boyfriend’s a little jealous.”

I couldn’t help but scoff. “That’s stupid. There’s no reason for him to be jealous of Finn.”

“I know that, and you know that. Does he?”

I wanted to immediately respond with, “Of course,” but I stopped and thought hard for a second. I had told Jake about Finn before, about my childhood friend and some of the trouble we got in together. It wasn’t like I ever hid texts, and I’d certainly never sent or received anything incriminating. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t. He… oh.” I remembered Josh’s words that night. Jake had been cheated on before by someone he loved. Maybe he was afraid it would happen again. Was he really misreading the situation like that? Did he not trust me, even after all this time?

“I’m… just gonna call him real quick.” Richie nodded his understanding, and I stepped away to the back room for some privacy. He answered right away, which was a good sign. “Hey, you. You okay?” I asked softly.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, let’s start with the ‘lying about plans and rushing out of here like you left the stove on’ thing.”

He was silent for a few moments, and it felt like such a long time that I thought he might have hung up on me. “Can I just say that I left the stove on?”

“Sure, as long as it’s followed by what’s actually on your mind.” I thought I’d nudge him along a little bit. “It wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with Finn, would it?”

He sighed into the phone. “No. Or… I don’t know. I just… should I be worried?”

“About?”

“You guys seem really close.”

I was starting to get annoyed, but I think I was doing an excellent job of keeping my cool. “We are close. He was my only friend for a long time in the shitty little po-dunk town we grew up in. But that’s it, Jake. There’s absolutely no reason for you to be worried. Have I ever given you a reason to not trust me?”

“No,” he answered dejectedly. “You and him were never…?”

“Never. I never saw him like that. He was family to me. Besides, he’s not really my type.”

He snorted. “Oh, and what is your type?”

“Hm, I tend to be a sucker for the moody, jealous types. Ya know, the ones that play guitar and wear their sunglasses indoors.”

That pulled a laugh from him, a sound I never got tired of hearing. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m an idiot.”

“Sometimes, but you’re still my idiot.” There was that little laugh again. “So, tonight after work, let’s go out. Invite the guys. We can get drinks and you can get to know Finn. I think you’ll like him if you give him a chance.”

~

Seated at a booth at our usual bar, some familiar song playing from the speakers, I sipped my drink as Finn conversated with the rest of the guys. Jake was friendly enough but judging from the grip he had on my leg under the table, he was still feeling a little possessive. I gave him credit for trying, though. I noticed Finn wasn’t drinking, and I assumed he had to get up early for work. He seemed to fall into the group with ease, finding plenty of common ground to keep the conversation afloat, especially with a certain curly-headed twin.

Josh stood to make his way to the bar for refills, taking everyone else’s orders to knock it out in one trip. Finn, quite enthusiastically, was the first to volunteer to help carry drinks. No one else seemed to notice, of course. I watched them as they stood at the bar, awfully close to each other. I don’t think they ever stopped talking, and Finn’s eyes were glued to the shorter man. Finn leaned over, speaking into Josh’s ear, sparking a laugh. But the deciding factor in confirming my theory was Josh reaching up to touch a strand of Finn’s hair that had fallen loose from his ponytail.

I nudged Jake and whispered in his ear, “Guess I was the wrong one to be worried about.”

“Huh?” He looked at me, confused, until I nodded towards the bar. The timing couldn’t have been better; Jake glanced at them just as Finn placed a hand on Josh’s hip. “Oh. So that’s a thing?”

“Yep.” After a few moments, we both broke out in laughter, earning some questioning looks from Sam and Danny. I’d let them figure it out on their own time.

///

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@hollyco

[dandelionterminal]

Invisible String (Sebastian x OC) Part 1: Prologue I

link to next part

tags: not beta read, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, like demon ranking stuff, Demon Deals, demon biology, Mentions of Myth & Folklore, Family Feels, Platonic Relationships, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Song: invisible string (Taylor Swift), Cross-Posted on AO3, eventually part of a collection

characters: Sebastian Michaelis, Original female character

Summary:

-One single thread of gold tied me to you-

Demons, angels, and grim reapers roam the streets of London in the latter half of the 18th century. Adelaide DuPont knows that whatever killed her parents was not human. Someone, or something, killed them and left no trace. Adelaide and her brother, Luca, are left almost desolate. Their only hope is to get the Earl of Phantomhive on their side as an investor in their parents' company. Sebastian Michaelis is a leashed demon. However, that does not stop him from smelling his mate. He will not let the fate of humans in this world take her away from him. He can balance two goals at once. He can care for his master and convince his mate to return to the pits of Hell with him.

Every faith in history holds some shred of truth. No one faith holds all the answers to the way of the world. No one being that exists on the mortal plane can answer all questions. No piece of folklore is entirely true. Many creatures exist, from the yokai of Japan to the Selkie of Europe. Many wives' tales are also true. Our story is based on a few shreds of folklore and faith. Demons, angels, and grim reapers roam the streets of London in the latter half of the 18th century. Within these streets, one earldom houses many strange people and… entities. 

Ciel Phantomhive, a dark-haired young man with fair skin, houses a rather odd band of servants. Mey-Rin, an outwardly bumbling and clumsy maid with maroon hair and wide glasses, has extreme farsightedness. She has an impeccable vision for seeing afar and is an invaluable sniper. Baldroy, a former soldier with dirty blond hair and lightly tanned skin, is a very headstrong man. He is stubborn and determined to prove himself, but he could be a better cook since he is a chef. Finnian, a walking ray of sunshine with equally sunny hair and freckles, is abnormally strong. Having previously been an experiment subject, he is not used to his strength and breaks objects easily. Tanaka, a butler from Ciel Phantomhive’s younger childhood of Asian descent, does not provide much in the form of serving. And finally, there is the “leader” of the servants. Ciel Phantomhive’s personal butler, Sebastian, is not human. He blends into the human servants well, given that they are all so peculiar. Their own non-human characteristics may help them ignore the russet red eyes and sharp fangs that protrude from his lips. The dark hair on his head matches the dark color of his nails and contrasts his inhuman pale skin. 

As we take a peek into their lives, we may observe the servants preparing for guests. The non-human butler cleans up the messes the bumbling staff make as they lay out provisions for these guests. He glances around at all of the staff, taking note of the auras that glow around them. Mey-Rin and Bard glowed with bright red energy, Finny glowed a brilliant yellow, and Tanaka a soft blue. He watched as his young master came down the stairs, speaking in that too-grown-up tone that masked the young boy inside, as he glowed in muted colors that were filtered by his blocked energy. The servants, including our demonic butler, all bowed to their master. 

“Where are our guests, Sebastian?” the young master asked.

“They should be arriving any minute, my young lord,” the butler answered. As if on cue, a knock resounds on the door. Mey-Rin scrambles to open the door for the guests. On the doorstep stood a young woman with light skin like fine porcelain. Her cheeks were hollowed and her emerald green eyes were dull and sunken. She wore a dress of cheap blue material that highlighted her strawberry blonde hair. Next to her stood a boy with matching hair and eyes who wore a suit of the same material. His figure was much healthier than that of the young lady, though. 

Sebastian took stock of the pair. The boy’s aura glowed a vibrant indigo, but he oozed introversion and anxiety. The female’s aura was a dull, almost black shade of grey. It was a dulled shade of white, a very rare aura color. He looked her up and down when he noticed a shimmer of gold near her hand as she curtsied to the master of the house. He did not hear her words, however, as his ears rang and hummed with his pulse. His heart raced as he took a deep breath, smelling the most alluring scent of discontent mixed with florals and musk. His eyes traced the thread as it flowed into the manor. His mind raced as he saw the thread reach him and go around his neck, tying and binding him to the thing human female standing before him. His face briefly showed his shock before he masked it in a smile. 

His master, the owner of the contract binding him to the mortal plane, spoke to him, “Sebastian, show Ms. DuPont and Mr. DuPont to their seats. We will dine and then discuss business,” he said sternly. His visible eye glowered at him, noticing his flustered state. 

Sebastian’s heart raced in his chest, thumping rapidly with excitement. The need to claim his bondmate was strong in his veins. 

“Of course, my lord,” the demon said. He glanced up at the siblings, “Please follow me, my lord and lady.” 

He led them to the dining room, desperately trying to ignore the scent that was filling his nose. The scent of his mate. The one who held the thread of his fate.

[twins-write]

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