#my mom ran this place when it first opened so she knows exactly who to blame for all the names lmaooo

[houseofwolvess]

i love restaurants that name their food weird shit. just had to look a server dead in the eye and ask for a shake called two swirls one cup

[negansfavlucille01]

THE NEW WIFE

Negan × f!reader

Summary: Negan and the reader were having a "romantic" dinner in his office, leading to Negan's bedroom

Warnings: Spanking, Unprotected p in v, choking, rough sex, swearing, creampie, squirting, shitty smut, negan missing reader's birthday

Word count: 1,5K

After the lineup, Negan took Y/N with him back to the Sanctuary with the intention of making her his wife. He knew she was young, of course, but she wasn't a kid anymore. Wanting to make it easier on the group, she went with him, even tho she hated his guts. Well, of course, who wouldn't after what he did? It took a few weeks to get her to relax and open up. Still hesitant, she always backed away when he got too close. Anyhow, slowly, she started developing feelings for him. It was wrong. She knew that. But he was so handsome and charming. And he knew that, so he used it against her.

Finally, she gave in and became his wife. At first, it was weird. She was still backing away and not letting him touch her. But he wanted her so bad. So bad that he was willing to wait for her to come around. He often invited her to dinners in his room or just something to do to get her to lose up. Sometimes, she refused, and sometimes, more rarely, she accepted.

"So, how old? Exactly." He asked as he ate from his spaghetti.

They were sitting in his office, on the big table. Negan made sure to get the best wine on his last supply run, so here they were, eating the spaghetti he made and drinking the wine. She was sitting on the opposite of him, looking at her plate. Then, she lifted her head. "Your mom never taught you that you should never fucking ask women for their age?"

"She did. But, cmon..." He grinned, sipping from his glass.

"Turned 20 yesterday."

He choked on the wine, his eyes widening. Slowly reaching for the tissue placed next to his plate and wiping his face, he spoke lowly. "You didn't tell me. Why? I didn't wanna fucking miss it!"

"Well, I thought you'd know your wife's birthday..." She laughed, clearly teasing him. "But when you got so many wives, you probably can't keep up."

He gave her an arrogant smile, setting his glass back on the table. "Wow, I didn't know you were this funny!"

"Why, thank you. But for real, maybe if you were focusing on what I was telling you instead of always staring at my tits and looking for a way to get me in your bed, you would've known." She shrugged.

His eye narrowed, and he looked away for a second. He adjusted in his seat. "I listened to every damn word you said, Y/N. And I know you never told me your birthday."

"Right... And did you remember it?"

"Uh-huh. Your dad left when you were 3, and your mom died the first day of the apocalypse. You were left with Daryl and Merle. I know what school you went to. I know your best friend's name. I know whatever you told me. And it's bad to assume I'm in just for the sex."

"You're telling me what's bad?"

"Yes, I am. I thought we were over this."

"Fine.." She crossed her arms and looked at her lap as he scoffed. "So.. how old are you?"

"47."

"You look older." She laughed.

He glared at her, then kicked her under the table. Y/N bit her lip to not make any noises. "Thank you. And you look 6. Act like it, too..."

"Fuck you." She spat at him, her eyes narrowing.

Negan stayed quiet, wondering if he should say what came to his mind. He licked his lips, and spoke after a short moment. "You wanna?"

"... Maybe." She mumbled under her nose. Negan stood up and walked around the table, getting to her. When he did, he ran his fingertips on her bare shoulder in the dress she was wearing. He leaned down, whispering in her ear.

"You should've just said so..." He kissed gently under her ear and chuckled. "Let's go."

She turned around in the chair, facing him. "Where?"

"WhErE?" He mocked her and chuckled. Taking her hand, he urged her to stand up. "My room, of course..."

She followed, his hand in hers. They walked out of the meeting room and down the hallway until Negan opened his room's door. The room was decent. Luxury for the apocalypse. King-sized bed and two leather couches, in between them a table.

"Should've known..." She smiled at him. "That you have all the luxury..."

"Yeah, well, what can I say..." He grinned as he wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her close. His eyes wandered on hers for a minute before he pressed his lips on hers. Soft moans escaped her mouth as his tongue slipped in her mouth. Suddenly, she felt her feet leaving the ground and she quickly wrapped her legs around his waist. His groin pressed against her wetness and they both groaned. Negan crawled on the bed with her and laid her down. He stood on his knees and reached to remove his boots. "You have no idea what you got yourself in.."

Y/N kicked off her heels as Negan threw his leather jacked on the floor. He then leaned over her again and grabbed her jaw, kissing her roughly. Her hand slid down his body until it reached his erection and squeezed it gently. He grunted in her mouth and pulled away, smirking. "Just curious..."

"Right..." Negan pulled the dress off with one quick motion. He licked his lip as he stared at her body in the white lace bra with blue flowers on it, which matched with her panties. "That's just fucking slutty, baby.."

"Shut up."

“Never.” He mumbles against her neck between kisses, his hands trailing over her breast over the bra, feeling the warmth of her body against him. He moves his mouth back up to hers and kisses her passionately again, nipping gently on her bottom lip with his teeth.

"You're an ass." He smiles before his lips leave her mouth and move to her stomach, planting kisses up and down it, his soft lips on her skin, his beard tickling her occasionally as well. He moves back up to her face and smiles down at her and rests his hands on her ass, gently rubbing it with his thumbs. "No, please, I need you."

Her desperate whines sent him over the edge and he quickly unbuckled his belt, sliding down his pants along with his boxers. It was big. Huge, even. Her mouth dropped open and she drooled. It was super hard, the tip red and swollen. Thick veins running down his shaft. "Wow.."

"Surprised?"

"I always knew you were packing, but.." He chuckled as she started stroking it. Her touch was all he needed for the pre-cum to drip out. He grabbed her harshly and turned her over, settling her on all fours. Without a warning, he slammed in her, making her scream out.

"What, that feel good?" He smirked arrogantly and started pounding her from behind. His balls slapped against her clit as she moaned. Reaching out, Negan wrapped his fingers around her throat, gripping hard. Y/N's eyes filled with tears when she couldn't take a breath. With each thrust, there was a groan coming from Negan and a scream from Y/N. A harsh slap landed on her right butt cheek. "I asked you a question."

"Yes! God, yes.. It does feel good...!" She whined. Negan's thrusts didn't slow down, if anything, they got faster. "Negan... I can't.. breathe.."

He released her, showing some mercy. Her walls clenched around his cock, making him lose his mind. The feeling of her was spongy and tight like no other pussy. Reaching over, he rubbed her clit roughly with his thumb while his middle and ring finger went to her pussy, adding to his cock like it wasn't big enough. "You're gonna cum all over my cock like a good little fuckin whore?"

"Yes." She whined.

"Say it." He grunted, keeping up his fast pounding. He looked down, seeing her ass juggle and bounce with each move he made. It was already red, put he decided to add another smack just for his pleasure.

"I'm gonna cum all over you cock like a good little fuckin slut.." She barely managed to finish before squirting all over his cock and fingers. He started moving his fingers in rhythm with his cock even after she came. His cock throbbed hard and he couldn't hold back anymore. His hot seed burst into her dripping cunt, make it his. She looked over her shoulder, seeing him with his head thrown back, his mouth slightly open and his eyes shut. The moans coming from his mouth were the hottest she'd ever heard.

He dropped beside her, breathing heavily as she barely managed to turn on her back. "Goddamn, that pussy is my new favorite.."

"Bet you say that to all of your wives." She stared at the ceiling.

"You'd be surprised then.." Negan took her chin in his hand and made her look at him. "You see... I was thinking about dropping them for you..."

[nottsbitch]

My Star- Theo Nott

Harry potter au singer girlfriend X theo nott Italics are flashbacks

✩✩✩✩

"June it's almost time for you to go on"

Since you were younger you had always known that you wanted to be famous. Whether it came from acting in front of a camera or singing on stage. While most people thought that was an out-of-touch dream you knew it was exactly what you wanted.

"I'm almost ready!" That was a lie.

You weren't ready. Tonight was the last show of your first tour and you were supposed to be excited but for some unknown reason, you couldn't be. Of course, that reason wasn't actually unknown.

Your long-term boyfriend, Theo, had been your biggest supporter and your biggest inspiration. You were so blindly in love that every milestone in your relationship had become a song.

Your first song that took off was called "Spring into Summer" which you wrote after your first fight.

"All I'm saying is you could've told me. You know gave me a warning instead of me being blindsided when my friends are texting me telling me that they see my girlfriend out to lunch with her ex-boyfriend who she told me stopped bothering her." In all of their relationship June had never seen her boyfriend this upset before.

She went to try and explain herself but before you could get her mouth open Theo was talking again.

"You know I love you but when you do things like this I have to wonder if you feel the same way about me."

A shot to the heart was all that June felt.

"Theo... Don't say that." You paused "You know I love you"

"So you have a good reason for why you were with your ex?" You stayed silent. "That's what I thought"

With that your boyfriend stormed out with a slam of a door leaving you with his scent and your thoughts.

That night you wrote the lyrics

"If I could jump into the past I'd only change one thing, I'd never hurt you first, I'd never let you leave"

Your next song that blew up was called "So American" and once again your boyfriend was the center of that one. This one was written about your first day all those years ago.

"So you're saying that every morning you wake up and choose to eat beans on toast?" Maybe not the best thing to say on a first date but you were so stunned you couldn't hold that in.

"You're so American and it's showing. Yes, I wake up and eat this." He muttered while chuckling "And yes I enjoy it very much."

After breakfast, you guys walked London getting to know each other. And when you were getting dropped off back at your aunt and uncle's house Theo handed you flowers he had bought just moments before and kissed your cheek. Once inside you quickly whipped your phone out texting your best friend:

"Oh god I'm gonna marry him if he keeps this shit up"

"So it went good then?"

"He laughed at all my jokes"

After many years together and many songs written, He had become a safe place for you. When you decided that you were going to go on tour Theo was almost as excited as you. Swearing that he would be at every show. But when his mom got sick he had to take a flight home missing over half the tour, and you couldn't be upset. But in moments like the one you were currently in you selfishly wish that your boyfriend could be right there with you.

"Okay, June you've got this. It's just the biggest show you've ever played. Don't let this psych you out." You looked a little crazy talking to yourself in the mirror like that but that was the least of your worries.

"Wow, Lucky Star. I haven't seen you for a few weeks and you're going crazy, Talking to yourself and all. Should we have you checked out?" Theo had been standing behind you for longer then you had noticed and decided that he should make himself known.

You turned around hopping out of your chair knocking it over in the process as you ran to your boyfriend. You jumped into his calming arms in silence just to make sure this was real.

"what are you doing here?" You uttered just loud enough for him to hear

"You think I would miss your last show?" He raised his eyebrows, smirking, like something was funny.

"what about your mom?"

"She'll be fine for a night although she wishes she could be here" He set you down moving his hands from your waist to your face "Enough about me how do you feel?"

No matter how long they had been dating he never failed to make your heart flutter.

"I'm a little bit nervous"

"I brought you something maybe this can help you calm down" He pulled something out of his pocket

"A keychain?"

He rolled his eyes "Flip it over"

YOU ARE MY LUCKY STAR

"Just so you never forget" He started quickly noticing the tears forming in your eyes "Don't cry you just got your makeup done. What youre gonna do is go out there and kill it like you always do"

✩✩✩✩

"Send her up" You heard in your earpiece as you started getting raised to the stage.

As you came into view all you could hear was cheers.

"Hi! Everyone!"

Cheers

"Thank you all for coming tonight. I know most shows I've stayed true to my setlist but tonight we're gonna switch it up a little bit. As most of you know most of my songs are written about my lovely boyfriend Theodore Nott."

You paused while everyone cheered as you put your guitar on

"Well, he's here tonight for the first show in a little bit so I'm gonna sing his favorite song I've written about him... So this one is called So High School."

With that, you started playing your guitar as the crowd got silent. Looking over to the VIP tent you saw your boyfriend smiling at you with his phone out recording like a proud mother.

"I feel so high school every time I look at you"

✩✩✩✩

[loveysloveclub]

forever and always - luke hughes

in which, it is ally and luke's first and last moments together.

tuesday, 16th of june 2023

"yes, mom. i told you i'm fine." ally grumbled into her phone as her mother gave her a new list of things to worry about. earthquakes, car insurance, expired milk.

the list continued to grow every time she called, and ally had only been living in new york for a month. "mom, i know it's a big city- yes! i have a map! it's called google maps."

if she had been paying attention to the bustling street of new york instead of her mothers concerned voice ringing in her ears, then maybe she would have saw the stranger who was also engrossed in a phone of his own coming straight for her.

but in true ally fashion (as her over bearing mother liked to call it), she hadn't realised until she was on the floor and her phone was being run over by an oncoming truck.

"no, no, no." ally mumbled to herself frantically as she jumped to her feet and ran to retrieve her phone, only for an arm to wrap around her waist and pull her back to the somewhat safety of the sidewalk.

"i'll buy you a new phone, but please, don't kill yourself because i broke it."

ally had completely forgotten about the other half of the collision that had occurred moments beforehand. looking up at the stranger who had saved her life, ally was sure she had met the love of her life.

the unknown man was exactly her type. almost as if he was crafted for her.

"it's not the phone," ally began to tell him, "it's the constant 'i told you so's' i'm about to get from my mother."

a small smile graced the face of the stranger before her as he let out a breath of a laugh.

"i'm sorry about your phone."

ally simply waved him off, "don't be, you honestly were doing me a favour. my mother was about to begin her daily lecture on how to take the subway safely. mind you, she's never stepped foot out of oklahoma."

"still, they're sort of expensive."

ally shrugged her shoulders, a devious smile tugging at her lips, "eh, at least a cute stranger offered to buy me a new one."

and with that, the girl turned on her heel and began walking down the street. "i only said that so you wouldn't dive into oncoming traffic!" the boy yelled after her, but she pretended not to hear him as she continued on her way. "do you really think i'm cute?"

this caused ally to halt in her steps as she turned to face the boy, narrowly missing the people pushing passed her as she shrugged her shoulder, "guess you're gonna have to find out."

janurary 11th, 2024

"i don't understand." ally shook her head as she looked over at her boyfriend, tears streaming down her face.

her and luke's relationship had been in a bit of a rough patch ever since around thankgiving. she had no idea what had caused it, and honestly, neither did he.

they just weren't clicking anymore. they weren't working, and this was obvious to both of them, but luke seemed to be the only one bale to admit it out loud.

hence the situation they were both currently in.

luke had offered up the idea of a break, which ally knew meant to break up. which had led to a remorseful luke and a crying ally standing in the hallway of her two bedroom apartment.

"i'm so sorry, al," luke began, his hands instinctively cupping the girls face and wiping at the tears. the tears which he caused. the tears that would keep him up at night.

ally placed her shaky hands over his, holding them there for a minute as she closed her eyes and revelled in her last moments with him.

she knew it. luke knew it. hell, even jack knew it when luke left their shared apartment earlier that evening.

opening her eyes once more, ally shook her head and pulled away from luke's touch. "i thought you- you said you loved me."

"i do, i do love you. but we both know this isn't working. and until we can figure out why, i don't think we should be together." luke rebutted, almost offended that the girl would even suggest that he wasn't head over heels.

ally sniffled, but nodded her head regardless. she knew there was no avoiding this like she had been the obvious issues in her and luke's relationship over the past couple of weeks.

so, the girl bit her tongue as she watched the boy lean down and give her one final kiss on the cheek before walking out the door.

god, she wished her mother had a lecture about this one.

[justmeinadaze]

Children of the Night Part 6 (Steddie X You)

Warnings: Vampire Steddie/ Daddy Eddie/Sub Steve X Human sub fem reader, SMUT, while drinking blood (nothing new here), holding wrists, lose of virginity (in a flashback between steddie), dirty talk, FLUFF, they love each other, flashbacks of how this Steddie met and their first time together, ANGST, reader and Steve get hurt due to a break in, reader blames herself, Eddie get worried about losing Steve, in flashbacks Steve's relationship with his family is touched on including them kicking him out for his sexuality (the actual fight isn't elaborated on; just the aftermath), mentions of the night Steve thought he lost Eddie.

A good amount of feels in this one so please...enjoy :)

Word Count: 4662

Loud knocking on their door startles you as both men roll their eyes. 

“Do you have to be so aggressive?”, Steve scolds after opening it and allowing the curly haired boy entry. To his surprise, another boy followed behind him. 

“I brought Mike to do some extra digging and help reroute the servers. We need to find out how they found you so we can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”, the young man explains before turning to face you. “Hi. I’m Dustin and this is my friend Mike.”

“I’m Y/N.”, you smile as you shake his hand. 

“Cool.”, he beams as they throw their bags down and take a seat at the computer. “Why didn’t you guys mention you made a friend?”

“She’s not our friend. We kidnapped her and she’s here against her will. You know you’re our only friend Henderson.”, Eddie sass as he hovers over them. 

“Ooo someone’s grouchy. When was the last time you ate?”

“It won’t help. This is always his demeanor.”, you tease making the vampire smirk in your direction. 

As they began to work, you explained to them what happened and listened to their feedback with fascination. You had never met kids so young who knew about all these things that you did but it tickled your brain to finally have someone to bounce off your computer knowledge with. Eddie and Steve sat on the bed watching you with small smiles on their faces. They loved seeing you be happy especially the metalhead who could feel the warmth through to his soul. 

“Where did you learn all this stuff, Y/N?”, Steve asked.

“Oh, um, that incident I told you about on the beach? That wasn’t the first time I ran off. When I was a kid and I knew my mom would have some creepy guy over I would stay with a friend whose dad was a computer whiz. That was when computers were much boxier though.”, you grin.  

“Yeah and back then it was easier to get away with the things you’re trying to get away with right now because it was in its infancy. You said, Y/N, they intercepted the traffic but not during the stream?” Dustin nods when you affirm his answer.

“That means they still haven’t found the exact location so the bounce is still working. Maybe we can just reroute that?”, Mike suggests.

“Is there a way we can hide it all together?”

“Um, not exactly. I mean we CAN hide it but not completely.”, the curly haired teenager responds to your question. “This may take us awhile if you three want to go out or something.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Henderson. Are we distracting you?”, Eddie jests making the younger boys chuckle. 

“Come on, grouchy. Let’s go for a walk.”, you beam.

***

While you and the vampire went for stroll around the neighborhood, Steve offered to go to your house to get a couple more of your things so you’d have a change of clothes and essentials. 

“So, they know all about your adventures in that scary place?”

“Oh yeah. They were handling it alone believe it or not for a while. Mike’s best friend was kidnapped by one of the monsters down there and they fought to get him back along with Mike’s girlfriend who has superpowers.”

“Jesus. There’s so much unknown in this world, huh. Kind of makes what I’ve been through seem so small.”

Eddie’s hand yanked you back as he came to a stop. 

“It’s not though. Don’t invalidate yourself like that, princess.”

“Y/N Y/L/N! Where the hell have you been?!”, your best friend shouts from across the street. 

“Hey Lilly.”

“Don’t you ‘hey Lilly’ me! I have been so worried. I almost filed a missing persons report! Where the fuck have—”

“I’m fine, Lil! Calm down. I’ve just been working a lot and hanging out with my friends. This is Eddie.”, you gesture towards him. 

A sarcastic smile spread across her face before she marches toward him and hits his arm with her bag. 

“I…have…been…worried…sick!”

“Ow! Hey, we told her to double check her phone.”, Eddie defends.

“Oh shit my phone. I’m so sorry. I haven’t checked in a while.”

“Y/N,” she sighs. “You can’t just disappear like that. I thought John maybe…”

“I don’t know where John is. I haven’t seen him since he came by my house.”

“Did you know Arthur’s missing to? Their dad is looking everywhere for them including your house. When he came to talk to me he said every time he goes to your place you aren’t home so… I panicked.”

“Lilly, honey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m alright, I swear.”

Your best friend exhales heavily as she wraps her arms around you. 

“If I call you next time, you answer do you hear me?” She smiles as you give fake salute. “If you hurt her I will kill you.”

He flashes her a smile of his own as she turns around and heads back to her car. 

“Should we be concerned about the dad?”, Eddie inquires. “She said he was looking for you and I felt your fear.”

“That entire family scares me but we should be ok.”, you try to comfort him but he still feels your hesitation. “Let’s, um, let’s go home.”

***

As dawn slowly approaches, you and the vampire begin to panic when Steve still hadn’t gotten back from your place. 

“Do you feel him?”

“I don’t. Wherever he is he’s not feeling anything but that could also mean—”

“He’s knocked out. I’m going to my house.”

“Wait! I can run you there faster.”

“No you can’t. The sun is coming up! Just stay here, baby, ok?” Taking the human boy’s keys, you run to his car and speed over to your house. As you park in your driveway, you realize your front door is wide open and you can see your house has been ransacked. “Steve?”

Cautiously you step inside, grabbing a knife from the kitchen and holding it out as you look around. As you turn into your bedroom you find Steve passed out on the floor, bleeding from his chest. 

“Steve?! No. No, no, no. Baby, wake up! Look at me!”

“Y/N?”, he mumbled at the sound of your voice.

“Fuck! Come on. We need to get you to Eddie.” Throwing his arm over your neck, you try to move him but it’s no use. He’s too heavy. “Please, Steve.”, you cry, finally giving up as you grab the phone to call 911. As soon as your hand makes contact with your device, something hard hits your head as the world goes dark. 

***

“There she is. Come on now, Y/N.”, a deep voice urges as your eyes slowly blink open. “There we go. I thought you were never going to come home.”

Taking in your surroundings, Steve is still knocked out in front of you and still alive but his breathing is shallow. You were restrained to your bedframe on the ground with your hands tied behind your back and when your eyes finally landed on your capture, you came face to face with John and Arthur’s father. 

“Good to see you again, Y/N. I see you’ve been busy.”, he gestures towards the bloody boy on the floor. “I guess my son wasn’t good enough for you. Where is he?”

“I don’t know.”

A hand flies across your face and you suddenly feel an anger in your belly you know isn’t yours. You must still have Eddie’s blood in you. Glancing out the window you realized it was almost sundown; you just needed to buy time. 

“Arthur said John was coming her to confront you about you cheating. Then he disappears. Two days later my son goes looking for his brother over here and then he disappears. That’s not a coincidence, Y/N. Where are they?”

“I don’t know.”

He hits you again and once more that anger rises. You can practically feel the vampire fuming as he paces. 

“If I were you, Thomas, I would leave now.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Because if you’re still here when the sun goes down, then you’ll be reunited with your asshole sons.”

Kneeling by your side, he holds the knife to your throat making you wince as he draws blood.

“What did you do to my kids?”

“It’s not what I did. It’s what they did to me! John hurt me constantly and the last night I saw him he gave me a black eye before he was ripped to shreds. Arthur fucking shot me before he was killed. I’m glad their gone but I feel bad for them having had you as a father!”

The man kicks your side hard causing you to double over in pain. 

“Stop lying, bitch. If Arthur shot you, you wouldn’t be up and moving around like you are.”

Steve’s watch beeps on his wrist and you chuckle as you spit in his direction. 

“Last chance to leave.” The front door crashes open as Eddie skids to a stop behind the man. “Too late.”

Closing your eyes, you listen as the vampire murders your ex’s father before there’s a sudden silence and you feel your binds being cut. 

“Are you ok?”

“Steve... He needs you.”

You both crawl to his side as Eddie lifts him in arms. 

“Steven, you have to drink now, baby, ok?” The boy’s eyes remain closed as his boyfriend shakes him. “No! No, sweetheart, don’t you dare leave me. FUCK! I’m so sorry.”

Lifting him into his arms, Eddie bites into his neck and slurps at his blood as you watch helplessly. After a few moments, he comes off him with a pop and swiftly slices open his wrist, allowing the blood to fall into the man’s mouth. 

“Come on, Stevie. Please, baby.”, he whispered. Abruptly, Steve’s eyes snap open as he clings to his boyfriend’s arm and drinks causing the vampire’s eyes to roll back. “Fuck, that’s it. Good boy. Y/N…can…can you move?”

“Yeah, what do you need?”

“Take his keys and head back to our house. We’ll be right—mmm--there but I need you to get those boys out. I don’t…don’t care if they aren’t done.”

Nodding, you sprinted out the front door to do what you were told and sped back to their house. 

“We rerouted everything and you guys are up and running again. I wouldn’t worry too much—Jesus. Y/N what happened?!”

“You two need to leave NOW.”

“Are you kidding?! What’s going on? Are Eddie and Steve alright?!”, Dustin shouted. 

“YES!”, you lied. “But we need you guys to go to hotel or home. I promise you I’ll make him call you and tell you everything! PLEASE!”

Hesitating for only a moment, they quickly gathered their bags and you watched as they got into their rental car to drive off into the night. As soon as they disappeared, Eddie flew past you and placed Steve on the bed. 

“I don’t know if it worked. He just passed out while drinking from me. Fuck. Fuck! I should have gone with you or gotten your things for you. Your house is never safe.” Sensing your guilt, he hastily turns around and cups your face. “No, hey. I didn’t mean it like that. This isn’t your fault, sweetheart. Ok? Shit.”, he flinches as he sways and you carefully guide him to the floor. “He took a lot from me. Can you—”

He didn’t even finish his sentence before you ran into the kitchen to find a bag of blood, tearing it open, and bringing it back to him. As he chugs it back, his black eyes scan you over.

“When I feel better, I can heal you to.”

“No, Eddie. I’m ok. I just want you to focus on you two.”

“Y/N, I woke up after 2 months…I don’t know how long it’s going to take him.”

###########

That evening, you looked after them both with Eddie refusing to leave his boyfriend’s side. Removing Steve’s shirt, you used a rag to clean the blood from where his stab wound had been and wiped away the mess around his mouth. All of the previous wounds were gone but his breathing was still extremely shallow. 

Curling up behind Eddie, you held him as he cuddled up into Steve’s nook and caressed his face. 

“Is this what it felt like, baby? When you thought I was gone… I’m so fucking sorry, Steve. You never should have experienced this. It hurts way more than those little fucker’s teeth ever did. Please, come back to me.”, he cried.

The memory of him waking up and feeling alone clouded his mind; the feeling of being lost before hearing his lover’s voice and their song on the little radio. 

“'Cause all I can taste is this moment and all I can breathe is your life. So and sooner or later, it's over…I just don't wanna miss you tonight.”, Eddie sang softly before kissing his cheek. “I love you, Steve Harrington.”

***

The sound of thunder startled you awake and as soon as your eyes snapped open they were met with fangs and black eyes staring down at you. His hair was hanging in front of his face and he was still in just his jeans with no shirt. The man’s cold hands were pinning your wrists to the mattress as he hovered over you bent at the knee straddling your waist. 

“Steve?”

He growled loudly at the sound of your voice causing the vampire beside you to jerk awake. 

“Jesus Christ… it worked.”, Eddie murmured, his eyes quickly taking in the situation before him. “Sweetheart, are you alright?

Steve didn’t move or make an indication that he heard him at all. 

“Baby, I can feel how hungry you are. I can take care of you, ok. You don’t need to feed on her.”

You squeaked when his body abruptly shifted as he leaned down to sniff your neck.

“Steven…”, he warned.

“Pretty girl…smells good. Hungry.”

You tried to control your emotions but you couldn’t help the way your pussy clenched as his long, wet tongue licked a line up your throat to your cheek. Steve and Eddie groaned at the same time driving you crazy. 

“Mine.”

“Ours.”, the metalhead corrected. 

“Hungry.”

“I have food in the refrigerator. You can NOT eat her. She needs to be healed first. She lost a lot of blood yesterday.”

Steve snarled but Eddie wasn’t amused anymore. 

“You don’t talk to me or give me attitude, little boy. Vampire or not I’m still your fucking Daddy. Now, let her go or I swear to God I will punish you.”

The boy’s massive, strong palms ran along your head feeling the slight bump and dried blood that remained there causing him to growl again at a much lower register before biting into his skin and shoving his wrist towards your mouth. 

Steve moaned when your lips attached to him while you drank, his hips grinding subtly against your core. 

“Pretty girl. Hurt.”

“Yeah, Y/N got hurt trying to save you.” Eddie’s eyes fluttered as he tried to control all the intense emotions running through his body right now. He was so relieved that Steve was alive so to speak but he could feel his anger and hunger as well as his desire for you.

Grunting, he forcefully pushed you back against the pillows and glared at his partner with his fury filled black eyes. 

“Who?!”

“Don’t worry, baby. Daddy took care of him.” The boy nodded before baring his fangs and leaning towards your neck, hovering just so before snarling in frustration and squeezing your wrists tighter. “What’s wrong, Steve?”

“Need…permission…”

The metalhead let out a breathy laugh that bordered between pleasure and relief. His boyfriend was still in there, he just needed to coax him out the way Steve did with him many times before. 

“Y/N, princess, are you ok?”

“Yes, Daddy.”, you whimper causing the boy above you to smirk. 

“Ok, my good boy. You can have her but when I say stop you have to listen to Daddy, understand?”

Steve nodded, wasting no time as his head fell back beside your neck and his teeth pierced your skin. As soon as his hands released you, you desperately reached between your bodies to push down his pants and move your panties to the side, groaning loudly as you guided his cock into your body. 

“Fuck, Y/N.”, Eddie moaned. “I wish you…you could feel what he’s feeling. Jesus…”

Gripping the other side of your neck, Steve’s hips slammed into yours toeing that fragile border between pleasure and pain as you clung to shoulder. 

“St-Steve…”

The long-haired boy heard the whine in your tone as tears fell from your eyes. 

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? D-Do you need to stop?”

“Too much, Daddy.”

“Steve, you have to stop now, ok?”

The man growled when Eddie touched him causing him to growl back. 

“Steven!”, you shouted in a firm tone making them both freeze. “L-Look at me NOW.”

Doing as you commanded, he lifted his head and his eyes immediately softened when he noticed the streaks of tears along your cheeks. Wrapping your legs around his waist, you urged him to continue while cupping his face. 

“That’s it, baby. I can’t give…give you more blood but you can take me. I’m…I’m so sorry, Steve. This is my fault.”

His head shook as he blinked rapidly, his black eyes receding and his beautiful honey ones pushing forth.

“No…No, honey. This isn’t your fault.”

Hearing his normal, sweet tone broke you as you wrapped your arms tightly around him and he did the same. 

“Keep going. Please. I need to feel you.”

Leaning his forehead against your own, he steadily began thrusting into you again at a much gentler rhythm. 

“I love you, Y/N. Fuck, I can feel you everywhere. It’s ok. Everything’s alright.”

You both desperately panted into each other’s mouths as he felt your pussy tighten around him as you came, following close behind as you felt him fill you up. 

With heavy eyes, you tried to focus your vision but it was too much as the adrenaline left your body and blood loss caught up with you. 

“Sweetheart, no. Keep your… Baby?! Open…eyes…”

################

Flashes of memories hit you at once. 

“Bill, are you kidding? You can’t stay another week just so you can fuck your whore! We have a son to take care of!”

“Mommy.”, five-year-old Steve coos as she slams the phone done after his father hung up on her. “Everything’s ok. I love you.”

“Hey, dad.”

“What is it, Steven? I’m busy.”

Twelve-year-old Steve twirls the basketball in his hand as he carefully enters his dad’s office a bit more. 

“I, uh, wanted to tell you I made captain of the JV team.”

“Seriously? That’s why you bothered me? Get out of here and come back when you actually have something good to tell me.”

“Like we’re in love? You don’t love me?”

A teenage Steve’s hand falls from the girl’s face as she tells him their relationship is bullshit. It feels like his heart was shattered as he angrily leaves her behind in the bathroom. 

“Ahoy. Welcome to Scoops. I’m your captain Steve. What can I get you?”

“Jesus, that was both pathetic and sexy, Harrington.” The man’s eyes shift up to lock on the metalhead in front of him as his big, tooth filled grin almost blinds him. “Only you could pull that off, pretty boy.”

“Eddie, right? Mumford?”

“Munson.”, the long-haired boy cackles. “I’m surprised you remember that much, sire. It’s not like we floated in similar circles. Plus, you were also an asshole.”

“Yeah.”, he chuckles. “I was. Sorry about that.”

The guitar riff for “Iris” begins to play making Eddie roll his eyes. 

“What? You don’t like the Goo Goo Dolls?”, Steve teases. 

“No and this song is fucking cheesy as hell.”

Turning on the couch to face him more, the man brings the beer bottle to his lips like a microphone as he begins to sing. 

“And I don't want the world to see me 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand When everything's made to be broken I just want you to know who I am!”

The metalhead smiles as he playfully cringes causing Steve to laugh harder before crawling forward and placing a soft kiss on his lips. 

“Woah…”

“Fuck. I’m sorry. Did I cross a line? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. We can just forget it happened and—”

Ring laced fingers grab his cheeks and kiss him again but much more deeply. 

“What if I don’t want to forget?”

“Wait, Eddie. Wait. Um…”, Steve pants as he lightly pushes at his boyfriend’s chest, his cock getting harder as he watches him struggle to pull his lips away from his own. 

“What’s wrong, baby?”, Eddie asks as he tenderly runs his fingers through the man’s fluffy hair. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“No, no. I do. I just…I’m nervous. I’ve never…not been with a girl…ya know?”

The metalhead grins at his shyness as Steve’s face blushes bright red. 

“I’ll go slow, sweetheart, ok? If at any point you want to stop just say the word.”

After getting the go ahead, Eddie strokes the lube along his shaft a few more times before lining himself up with the man’s entrance and gradually sliding in. 

“Fuck, Steve. You’re so fucking tight.” Opening his eyes, he scans the man underneath him whose eyes had also been closed but his eyebrows and nose were scrunched together. “Look at me, pretty boy. How are you feeling?”, he asks when he does what he says. 

“S-So fucking good. Hurts a little bit but—Jesus—please don’t stop.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”, he teased, placing his palm behind Steve’s neck as he leaned his forehead on his own. 

“Fuck, Eddie. I love you, baby. Just like that.”

The metalhead’s movements faltered for just a second before grinning down at him and kissing his lips. 

“I love you to, sweetheart.”

“Oh my god, Steve! What—”

The boy pushes past Eddie into the trailer living room, his dripping wet frame from the rain drenching the carpet underneath his shoes.

“FUCK HIM! He thinks he can tell me who to be or who I can be with?! Fuck. HIM!”

Eddie grabs his arms and forces him to stand still as he looks him over. 

“Who the fuck hit you?”, he asked with a tone filled with anger. “Was it Tommy or fucking Jason?!”

“My dad finally caught up with the town gossip.”, he answered sarcastically as he bounced on the balls of his feet. “Said no son of his was going to ruin the Harrington name by fucking a guy let alone the town freak. I told him to fuck off and that you were perfect. He said it was either you or them. If I chose to stay with them I couldn’t see you anymore. I told them I loved you and he hit me. And of course, what does my mom do?! Fucking NOTHING!”

Steve fell to his knees and Eddie sunk down with him collecting him in his arms. 

“It’s ok, baby. Everything’s alright. You can stay here as long as you need to. Fuck your parents. You know Wayne doesn’t care.” 

Eddie pushed his boyfriend’s head into his chest, trying to soothe him as he continued to cry.

“Eddie! Eddie! No, no, no, no.”, Steve panicked as he slid to the man’s side in the upside down. 

“I tried, Steve. I tried to convince him to come through the gate with me. He said he needed to buy more time.”, Dustin sobbed as the earth shook around them. 

“Steve, we need to go.”

“Ok, come on, Robin. Grab one of his arms and…”

The girl looked at Nancy sympathetically unsure of what to do. Even she knew they couldn’t carry him through a gate in the ceiling. None of them had the strength especially after being grabbed by the vines. 

“Steve, come on. We have to go.”, Nancy urged, pushing down the guilt that weld up in her throat. “We can’t stay here.”

“Neither can he. We can pick him up and I can—”

“STEVE! I’m so sorry.”

“Hey Mina.”

“Hey Renfield. Draculaaaaa.”, you jest, smiling widely when you see him smirk. “Thank you boys again for letting me help with your site. I love doing this way more than any other customer service bullshit.”

“I can imagine. I used to work at an ice cream parlor and a video store. I know how crazy customers can be.”

“I hope it’s alright. Since you trusted me with your whole empire I thought I’d be more vulnerable with you both to.”

The little box with your name suddenly illuminated with your face causing them both to sigh at the same time. 

“So…this is me.”, you giggle nervously.

“Pretty girl.”

“Very.”, Steve followed, beaming when you blushed at their compliments. 

***

“There she is. Come on, baby girl. Open your eyes, please.”, Eddie urged as he gently rocked you in his arms, trying desperately to hide how worried he actually was. 

When your eyes met his, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he tenderly moved some of the hair away from your face. 

“Steve?”

“I’m right here, honey. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to take so much. This is so new to me and—”

Your lips cut him off as you crawled into his lap and collapsed shakily in his embrace. 

“Let me grab her something to eat.”

“I saw it. I saw everything… your memories flashed before my eyes. You’ve been through too much, baby.” He couldn’t help but smile as he kissed your forehead. “I-I-I felt the love you have for him. How many times you felt like he’s saved you.”

Eddie came back and handed you a granola bar but you just held it in your palm as you sobbed while shifting your focus to him. 

“It’s my fault you almost lost him. You both should just go. Grab your things and leave me and LA behind. I’m going to get you both killed.”

Steve growled loudly as he grabbed your face and forcibly turned you to look at him.

“Y/N, what happened wasn’t your fault. What happened with your ex and his asshole brother wasn’t your fault.” Realizing how he was holding you; he swallowed nervously and dropped his hands to your sides. His body twitched and Eddie felt the emotion as he lightly chuckled. 

“Yeah, do you see what I mean now when I said it aggravates me that you both feel guilty about things you couldn’t control. You two feel it so strongly to.”

“It’s so weird. It’s like I can almost hear her thoughts but it’s a feeling. You…don’t believe me when I say it’s not your fault. You think your mom’s right about you. That you just ruin everything basically by existing.”

As you looked away in shame, Eddie reached out to lift your chin. 

“I get what it feels like to think that. My dad was the same way before he went in but, Y/N, it kills me when I feel you feeling that because—”

“You can’t see how perfect you are… to us anyway.”, Steve finishes. 

Silently, you opened the treat he brought you as you waited for them to take care of you. Watching with studious eyes, Eddie licked his thumb and showed his boyfriend how he heals the bites, marveling when the wound disappears. 

“I always did it while you were both asleep.” The metalhead scooted forward and cupped Steve face in his hands as the shared a passionate kiss. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, sweetheart. I love you so much, Steve Harrington.”

“I love you to, Eddie Munson.”

Series here

###################

@chelebelletx @mandyjo8719 @nailbatanddungeon

[gunilslaugh]

Cassette Playlist

Goo Gunil

Summary: Your mom’s old cassette player somehow sent you back to the summer of 1990, where you meet a goofy, yet confident guy. Who might make it hard to leave. (non-idol au) 

WC:11.6k

Warning:none

If this flops I'm never writing a long fic ever again lol

photo not mine credits to owner.

CRASH! SNAP! CRACK! Panic rages through your body as you stare at your mom’s old cassette player that is now in pieces.

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

“And why exactly have you decided to take a trip down memory lane?” you asked your mom. Letting out a heave as you set the heavy box down on your mom’s bed. 

“I watched Jetsons: The Movie yesterday and it got me feeling nostalgic,” your mom answers you, taking off the lid to the box. “My old cassette player!” your mom called out excitedly as she pulled the old device from the box. “I used to use this all the time,” she tells you. 

“I can tell. You used it so much it cracked.” You pointed to the crack that ran across the lid to insert a cassette. 

“I don’t remember it having a crack actually.” Your mom scratched her head trying to remember if she was forgetting how the player got the crack. 

“Maybe it happened while it was stored. We’re not always gentle with these boxes,” you chuckled. 

“You’re right that could be what happened. We should be more gentle with these,” she states gesturing to the boxes.

“I wonder if it still works?” you wondered, taking the cassette player from your mom. 

“It would definitely need batteries,” she says tapping the battery compartment. “We don’t have the type of batteries it takes right now. I’ll pick some up when I go to the store.”

“You still remember what batteries it takes?” You raised one of your eyebrows in shock. Your mom laughs. 

“I told you I used to use it all the time. I’ll probably never forget what batteries it takes. I bet I could still use this in my sleep,” she affirms. 

“I might have to test you on that,” you said playfully. Your mom smiles and shakes her head, looking into the box again. You join her in looking at the contents of the box. “Is this your year book?” you questioned pulling the book from the box.

“Yeah it’s from my junior year? I think.” You open the book, flipping through its pages. You stopped flipping through the pages when a picture of your mom with some guy caught your attention. Your mom had her arms affectionately wrapped around the guy’s middle. Her head tilted in the direction of the guy too.

“And who is this? One of your old boyfriends?” You nudge your mom with your elbow, showing her the picture.

“Oh um I think his name started with a G. I can’t remember right now, but no he wasn’t my boyfriend, not even a friend really. He was more like a nice acquaintance,” she informs. 

“So this picture is just for show?” you said. 

“Pretty much. That was the first day we met actually,” she tells you. You look at her with your head tilting to the side, as if asking her to explain more. 

“He came up behind me and gave me a really tight back hug. I pushed him away harshly because I didn’t know who he was. Then he began to profusely apologize explaining that he mistook me for someone else,” your mom tells you the story. 

“Oh my gosh that’s embarrassing. I would have died if I was him,” you laughed. 

“Yeah I felt bad for him. Anyway people for the yearbook were coming around, so I pulled him into this side hug to make us even,” she further explained. 

“How kind of you,” you remarked half sarcastically. To which your mom playfully shrugged in response. “Did he ever say who he mistook you for?” you questioned. 

“You’re so nosy and no I never asked,” she tells you. 

“Oh.” you look back down at the picture, wondering who this guy could have mistook your mom for.

After taking the little trip down memory lane you and your mom put the aged objects back inside the boxes, leaving out the cassette player since your mom was going to pick up batteries for it. Then you returned the boxes back to their places in the top shelf of the closet. Proceeding you returned to your bedroom to carry on with your day. You hopped onto your bed, opening your laptop to look for a show to watch. 

Later in the day your mom returned home from running some errands: buying groceries and batteries. You helped your mom put the groceries away. Once all the groceries were placed in their spots your mom excitedly ran to her bedroom to grab her old cassette player. 

“You’re like an excited kid who’s ready to play with their new toy,” you remark. “Well, I guess it’s an old toy in this case,” you added. 

“I am excited,” she states matter-of-factly, opening up the batteries she recently bought. She then opens the battery compartment of the cassette player and carefully places the batteries inside, making sure they're facing the right direction.  Succeeding hearing the satisfying click of the battery compartment closing your mom eagerly places one of the headphones into her ear then holds out the other one for you. You take it from her hand and place it into your ear. She looks at you to make sure you’re ready with her finger hovering over the play button. You nodded at her in confirmation and with that your mom pressed the button. Music began to play from the head phones filling the two of your ears. Your mom begins to excitedly jump up and down at her favorite nostalgic item still working. A smile makes its way to your face as you watch your mom’s happiness. While feeling impressed that the old device still works. 

“This brings back memories,” your mom says reminiscently as she listens to the song. 

“This song is nice,” you comment. 

“You like it?” your mom asked. You nodded your head. 

“You should keep this for a while then,” she suggested. 

“Huh? Why?” Your eyebrows raised in confusion. 

“It made me really happy as a teen. I would like to make you happy too. You’re a bit older than I was when I first got it, but that’s ok,” she explains. 

“Ok sure, why not?” you agreed. 

“Ooh I’ll go grab my other cassette so you can listen to them,” she takes the headphone from her ear before scurrying off to go grab the cassette. When she returns with the cassettes in hand she hands them over with a smile. You didn’t really know how much you would use the cassette player, but you figured you could at least listen to each cassette once. See what kind of music your mom used to listen to. You hit the stop of the cassette player and took off your headphone. You wrapped the headphones around the player as you walked to your room. You set the player on your bedside dresser planning to listen to it later.

Later in the evening you helped your mom make dinner. While waiting for your dad to get back from work. Your dad got home while you were dishing up dinner. 

“Perfect timing,” your mom said, greeting him. You all sat at the table together. “I gave y/n my old cassette player today,” your mom tells. 

“Oh really? That thing still works?” your dad asked surprised. 

“Just like it used to,” your mom says. 

“Except for the crack across the front,” you said. 

“I told you I don’t remember it having a crack. It’s a mystery how it got there,” she states. 

“Guess we’ll never know,” your dad shrugged. You all continued to eat, having the occasional side conversation. After dinner you did the dishes then headed to your room. You sat down on your bed. Your eyes fell over to your mom’s old cassette player. You reached over to your dresser and grabbed it, unwrapping the headphones around it. You put one headphone in each ear and hit play on the cassette. Music filled your ears and you rested against your headboard becoming fully immersed in the music. A couple songs played then you came across a song that you really liked. You wanted to listen to it again so you hit the rewind button, but nothing happened. You hit it again and once more nothing happened. You tried again only to be met with the same result. Growing a bit frustrated you smack the cassette player in hopes of getting it to work. You hit the rewind button another time and this time you hear the song begin to reverse. However your room began to look blurry. Like when you pass by something really fast. Then suddenly it all stopped and you were standing in a park? There were some kids running around playing on some playground equipment. Parents sitting on benches. A couple teenage boys were kicking a ball around out in the open grass. You walked around the park stopping under the shade of a tree, trying to gather your senses. Did you fall asleep while you were listening to the cassette? That’s when you notice that the cassette is in your hand and headphones are still in your ears. Much to your surprise the cassette player had been fixed. There was no longer a crack running across it. How was that possible? Was this all just a dream? Right then a ball lands by your feet. 

“Sorry, could you kick it back please?” you hear. You looked up to see one of the teenage boys. You looked back down at the ball then back at the boy. You gave the ball a swift kick sending it back over. “Thanks!” the boy shouted. You nodded in response. Quickly you went back to trying to figure out what was going on. This didn’t really feel like it was a dream, but what else could it be? You look around at your surroundings again. This time you notice that all the clothes people are wearing look like they're from the 90s. Certainly this was all a really weird dream. You began to leave the park not really knowing where you were going. Just trying to find some answers. Hopefully some confirmation that this was all indeed one weird dream. As you were walking you happened to come across a discarded newspaper. You pick it up and flip it around. Your eyes widened as they saw the date: June 3, 1990. You couldn’t really be back in the 90s could you? No, that would be crazy and impossible. There was absolutely no way. Your heart began to pound in fear. If you were really back in the 1990, what were you supposed to do? How did you get here? More importantly, how were you going to get home? You started to rack your brain. That’s when it hit you, the cassette player. You were trying to get the rewind button to work when you were suddenly transported here. You quickly brought up the cassette player. If rewind brought you back to the past  then fast forward should send you to the future as in back home. You couldn't hit the play and fast forward button soon enough. However much to your dismay it didn’t work. Well technically it did work. The song you were listening to began to speed up and fast forward, but you didn’t go anywhere. You weren’t back in your room. You were still standing about a block away from the park. You felt like crying, sinking down into the concrete pavement. 

“Oh hey it’s you again,” you heard a familiar voice. You look up to see the teenage boy from the park again.

“Hey,” you replied. 

“Why are you just sitting here?” he asked. Oh you know just having a crisis. No big deal. 

“Just…thinking.” is the word you decide to go with. 

“Shouldn’t you be headed home? It will be dark soon.” You didn’t even notice the setting sun. 

“Oh um…” If you could you would and really wish that you could. 

“Are you new around here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before?” he questioned. 

“Yeah I just got here,” you tell him. The boy has no clue how literal your statement is.

“Are you lost then? I can walk you home if you want? Just tell me your address,” he offered. 

“No, that’s ok.” I don’t have a home to go to.

“Did you run away from home?” he gasped. 

“What? No! I didn't, it's not like-” you sighed. “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you,” you say.

“Try me?” he challenged. 

“Fine. I time traveled from the future,” you told him seriously. The boy looked at you for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter. 

“Oh, that’s a good one. Seriously, did you get in a fight with your parents or something?” He takes a seat beside you on the pavement. 

“Told you wouldn’t believe me,” you said. “Just go home, don’t worry about me.” Sensing your upsetness he decides to give you the upper hand. 

“Ok, let’s say I believe you. How did you get here and from where,when?” he questions. 

“I’m from 2024. My mom’s old cassette player somehow brought me back in time. I know that sounds crazy because it is, but it’s true,” you explained. 

“This cassette player?” He points to the cassette player in your hand. 

“Yeah.” You held it up a bit. 

“Can I see it?” He held his hands out. 

“Knock yourself out.” You handed the player over to him. At first he only glances over it, yet he begins to squint at the clear plastic lid of the cassette player. He proceeded to hit the open button on the lid. “What are you-”

“1993.” you hear him murmur. 

“What?” you asked. 

“1993,” he repeated. 

“What about it?”

“It’s 1990,” he reminded you. That’s when it clicked. 

“It’s 1990 and this cassette is from 1993!” you said excitedly. “You believe me now right?” you questioned hopefully. 

“Well it’s not, what did you say 2024?” You nodded. “But it is evidence that you are from the future, so…yeah I believe you,” he tells you. 

“Oh thank you!” you tell him. 

“So what are you gonna do?” he questioned handing you the cassette player back. Your excitement faded away as quickly as it came.

“I don’t know. I just wanna go home,” you answered. The boy looks at you sympathetically. He has no idea how you must feel right now, but it’s clear that you're very stressed about your situation. 

“How about you come stay with me. I could help you figure out how to get home,” he suggested. 

“Thanks, but would your parents be ok with you bringing some random girl home?” you ask. 

“I’ll tell them that you’re a friend who needs a place to stay for a while,” he tells you. 

“What if they ask about my parents? I mean they…haven’t even met yet. They’re both teenagers right now.” The gravity of your situation hits you even more. 

“We can figure that out later. Sitting on a sidewalk isn’t going to solve anything though, so will you come?” he questioned. You thought for a moment. It’s not like you had a better option. 

“You’re sure it’s ok for me to stay with you?” you double checked. 

“Absolutely we have a guest room that you can stay in,” he tells you. 

“Ok thanks uh… you’re?” Something hits you while you’re looking at the guy, whom you didn’t know the name of. He looked just like the guy from the yearbook photo with your mom. “Something with a G” you mouthed recalling your mom’s words.

“Oh that’s right we kinda skipped over introductions. I’m Gunil,” he introduced himself, sticking out his hand. 

“Gunil, with a G,” you didn’t mean to say it outloud. 

“Yep with a G. I don’t think it would quite work with a J,” he joked lightheartedly.

“I’m y/n,” you introduced yourself and finally shook his outstretched hand. That had been waiting an awkwardly long time. 

“Let’s go y/n.” He stands up from the pavement, dusting off his pants. Then he sticks out his hand to help you up. You take his hand standing up. You still had no clue how you were going to get home, but at least you had someone who was willing to help. 

The walk to Gunil’s house didn’t take too long. He lived relatively close to the park. 

“This is it,” Gunil announced when you reached the bottom of his driveway. You felt your nerves begin to bubble up again. 

“Are you sure this is ok? I can figure something else out,” you say feeling uneasy. 

“Like what? Sleeping on a park bench? I assure you it's fine. Now come on.” Gunil starts to walk up his driveway. You follow behind him, nervously fiddling with your hands. “Mom I’m back and-”

“You have a guest,” his mom finished his sentence. After seeing you standing behind him in the doorway. 

“This is my friend y/n and they need a place to stay for a bit,” Gunil said sheepishly. 

“Oh, of course you friends are always welcome here, you know that,” his mom smiled.

“Thank you,” you thanked her.

“Sure thing sweetie, but Gunil, is there any reason why we haven’t met her before?” his mom asks.

“Have you been hiding her from us?” His dad now joined the conversation with a teasing tone. 

“What? No I haven’t it-” Gunil began to sputter, feeling flustered by his dad’s teasing. 

“It’s because I only moved here recently,” you saved. 

“Oh I see. I hope you like it here, but if you’re going to stay with us why don’t you have a bag? Certainly you need more than just a cassette player.” Gunil’s mom looked around for your belongings. 

“I wanted to get permission first. I can go pack my stuff tomorrow,” you told her. You felt your heart pounding. 

“That’s right. I tried to tell her that you would understand, but she didn’t want to intrude,” Gunil backed you up. 

“You’re just a sweet little thing aren’t you? Come on, dinner is ready. I’m sure you both are hungry.” She guides both you and Gunil to the kitchen table. You felt awkward as you sat next to Gunil at the table.

“So y/n where did you move from?” Gunil’s dad questioned you, trying to create some small talk.

You swear you could feel Gunil tense up beside you. 

“Michigan.” Why was that the first place that popped into your head?

“Did you like it there?” he followed up. 

“The lakes were really pretty,” you said the one thing you knew about Michigan. 

“Oh yes! I’ve seen pictures of Lake Michigan I would love to see it in person one day,” Gunil’s mom chimed in. 

“Dinner is really good Mrs. Goo. Thank you,” you state, trying to change the topic. 

“I’m already letting you stay here. There is no need to butter me up.”

“I’m not,” you pronounced, shaking your head. 

“I like her,” Gunil’s mom says and shoots Gunil a look. To which Gunil quickly shakes his head at his mother. A silent plea to ask her to stop. His mother laughs lightly at him. Thankfully you aren’t asked anymore questions throughout the rest of dinner. 

After dinner Gunil showed you the guest room. His mom came into the room holding some pajamas. 

“They might not fit perfectly, but they should be ok for the night.” She smiled at you as she handed them over. 

“Oh, thank you. You didn’t have to,” you said, taking them from her. 

“Don’t be silly. You’re our guest. You should be comfortable,” she insisted. 

“Well thanks again,” you say. Gunil’s mom then steps out of the room, leaving just you and Gunil.  

“My room is right next door”– Gunil pointed towards his room– “And the bathroom is right across the hall. Let me know if you need anything,” he told you. 

“Mmh, thank you” you nod your head.

“No problem.” Gunil turned around and left the room. You looked at the cassette player sitting on the bed. You walked over to the bed, setting down the pajamas that were in your hand to pick up the cassette player. 

“Can’t you just take me home?” you said to the old or you guess it’s not so old right now cassette player. “Please,” you begged, placing a headphone in your ear. You placed in the other one and hit play. Music filled your ears. You pressed the fast forward button, the song played faster. You sighed. Your finger now hovers over the rewind button. What if you hit it and it sends you even farther back in the past? However, on the other hand, what if it sent you home? You took a breath, closed your eyes and hit the rewind button. The song began to rewind. You carefully popped one eye open. Nothing happened, you were still in the guest room. Feeling defeated, you pulled the headphones out of your ears. You changed into the pajamas Gunil’s mom had given you. She was right they weren’t a perfect fit, but they would do. 

Later in the night Gunil’s mom stopped by your door to wish you goodnight. Before you could respond to her you hear Gunil yelling you a goodnight as well through the thin walls. You yelled him a goodnight back which made his mom laugh. Then you wished her a goodnight as well. You made yourself comfortable underneath the covers. Closing your eyes and waiting for sleep to take you away and hopefully back home somehow. 

Upon waking up in the morning it takes you a second to remember where you are. Once you see your mom’s cassette player sitting on the edge of the bed you remember. You were still stuck in 1990. You sat up on the bed not quite knowing what to do. It would be awkward if you just walked out of the room as you are right now right? What if Gunil wasn’t up yet then you would be stuck with his parents. That didn’t seem all that ideal. Your bladder apparently had an answer for you though. The bathroom was right across the hall from you. You would just have to do a quick in and out. You opted for getting dressed first, changing back into the clothes you were wearing yesterday. You carefully opened the door as silently as possible, peeking your head out. When you didn’t see anyone you quickly beelined into the bathroom. You were ready to beeline back to your room however right when you opened the bathroom door someone called you.

“Oh y/n you’re up. How’d you sleep?” Gunil’s mom asked you. You awkwardly stepped into the hallway. 

“I slept good, thanks. You?” you returned.

“I slept good too. Gunil is still sleeping, but I can wake him up if you want,” she offered. 

“That’s ok he can keep sleeping,” you told her. You kinda regretted it though. Maybe it would be better to just wake him up.

“You can come out to the living room. I’m almost done making breakfast,” she tells you. You awkwardly followed her out to the living room. Where you now see Gunil’s dad sitting in the chair. He bid you a good morning as you did to him in return. You tentatively took a seat on the couch. 

“Y/n you never told us why you’re staying with us,” he dad said. You feel your heartbeat pick up as you took a moment to think.

“...Oh my parents are out of town and I don’t feel comfortable staying in our new house by myself yet,” you explained. 

“What’d they go out of town for?” He was probably just trying to make conversation, but you really wish he wasn’t.

“Work.” That sounded reasonable enough, you thought. 

“What do they do for work?” It was too early for your brain to make up these fake answers. 

“They work for a cassette manufacturer.” Gunil answered for you emerging from the hallway. He came and took a seat next to you on the couch. He was still wearing his pajamas and his hair was a bit messy. He looked oddly cute. 

“Gunil you’re up just in time. Breakfast is ready,” his mom informed, coming into the living room. 

You guys all headed to the kitchen, sitting down and eating the breakfast that Gunil’s mom had made.

“Thanks for breakfast mom. I’m gonna go change then I’ll take y/n to go pack her things,” Gunil stated. Just like that Gunil whisked away to his room. You returned to the guest room to grab the cassette player. You had barely grabbed the cassette player when Gunil appeared in the doorway. 

“You ready?” he checked.

“That was fast,” you remarked, taking in his tidied up appearance. His hair was no longer messy and he swapped his pajamas for a black t-shirt and jeans.

“I didn’t want you to wait,” he told you. 

“Thanks, and yeah I’m ready,” you answered him. The two of you walked out of Gunil’s house. “Gunil how are we gonna pack my things when I have no things to pack?” you questioned once you two reached the end of his driveway. Gunil reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

“We have some shopping to do.” He waved his wallet around. 

“Gunil no,” you say, footsteps coming to a stop. Gunil lets out a sigh. His footsteps coming to a stop as well. 

“Do you have a better idea? You can’t exactly wear the same clothes everyday,” he pointed out. 

“I know that, but I feel bad having you spend money on me,” you explained. Gunil takes a couple steps closer to you. 

“Don’t feel bad. I want to. I’ve been wanting to go shopping anyway, so this is the perfect opportunity,” he tells you. 

“Still, won’t it be too much-”

“Shush, your only concern should be figuring out how to get back home. Let me take care of the rest,” he silenced you. He swings one of his arms around your shoulder prompting you to start walking again. When you try to refute again he simply shushes you more.

“Can I ask where we’re going then?” you questioned. You turned your head to look at Gunil, who still had his arm wrapped around your shoulder.

“The mall. It’ll have everything we need,” Gunil answered casually. 

“I haven’t been to the mall in ages,” you say. 

“Really? Are malls not that popular in the future?” Gunil asked with slightly widened eyes. 

“I don’t think they're as popular as they used to be, but plenty of people still go to them,” you answered. Gunil nods at your answer. “How far is the mall?” you asked. 

“About a twenty minute walk,” Gunil answered. 

“Wanna listen to music?” You held up the cassette player. 

“Are you sure it won’t send us to the past?” Gunil jokes. You scoffed. 

“Honestly no I can’t be sure, but it should be fine,” you say. 

“I’ll risk it.” Gunil reaches to take one of the headphones and puts it in his ear. You put the other one in your ear. You hit play on the cassette player, letting the music fill either of yours and Gunil’s ears. To any onlookers you and Gunil probably look like a couple. With Gunil’s arm that he is yet to remove from around your shoulders and now sharing headphones on top of it. You felt oddly comfortable though. This is probably the most relaxed you felt since you had arrived in 1990. 

Upon arriving at the mall both you and Gunil remove the headphones from your ears. Gunil’s arm finally leaves your shoulders. It’s not until he removed his arm that you realized it was there the entire time. Gunil finds that his arm now feels empty that it’s not wrapped around you. 

“Where to first?” you questioned as the two of you walked inside the entrance of the mall. 

“I was thinking we should probably get you a bag first, then we can go get you some clothes,” he tells you. 

“Sounds good,” you agreed. Gunil led you to a shop that had a collection of bags that you could choose from. You ended up picking a blue duffle bag that had teal carrying straps. Next, Gunil takes you to a clothing store. He asked you about your preferences for what types of clothes you like to wear then proceeded to help you pick out some outfits. 

“How about this one?” Gunil asked, holding up a shirt in a color you specifically told him you disliked. You make a very unimpressed face at him. 

“Gunil, I specifically told you I don’t like that color,” you told him. 

“Why? I think it suits you. You look pretty.” He steps closer to you, holding the shirt up to your frame. You feel a warmth trying to make its way to your cheeks. You shook it off. 

“Gunil, no.” You pushed the shirt away from your frame. 

“Come on please. I’m buying anyway,” he pointed. He kinda had you there. He was paying for all your things, so you felt like the least you could do is get something that he liked. Even if it wasn’t something you would pick for yourself. 

“Fine, but don’t keep using that against me.” You pointed a finger at him. Gunil raised his hands in a playful surrender. 

“Ok, I won’t,” he said, happily tossing the shirt with the other clothes you were getting.

Three shops later you convinced Gunil that you really didn’t need anymore stuff. He seemed reluctant, but agreed with you. He insisted that you two get some food before you head back to his place though. You couldn’t deny that all the shopping didn’t work up your appetite, so you and Gunil made your way over to the food court. The two of you got food from a place that Gunil recommended. After getting your food you walked over to the seating area. 

“So how are you liking the 90s mall experience?” Gunil questioned making you laugh. 

“I mean, I don't think it's that different from a modern day mall, but it’s nice,” you say. 

“Yo Gunil! You didn’t tell us you were coming here today. Oh who’s this?” One of, who are assuming, is Gunil’s friends asked. 

“This is y/n. They’re new around here,” Gunil introduced. 

“She looks kinda familiar,” one of the notes.

“I was thinking the same thing,” another one says.

“The park!” One exclaimed pointing at you. “She’s the one who kicked the ball back to us.” 

“Oh, that’s right.” 

“You mean they’re the one-” 

“What are you guys doing here?” Gunil cut his friend off. 

“We were gonna see if they have any new music at the music shop,” One answered. 

“Well then don’t let us stop you guys,” Gunil motioned for them to get going.

“Wait! Wait! Wait! We haven’t introduced ourselves yet,” one says. “I’m Jooyeon,” he introduced himself. 

“I’m Jiseok,” another one said. 

“Seungmin.” The boy gave you a half wave. 

“Jungsu,” he smiled. 

“I’m Hyeongjun,” the last one says shyly. 

“Nice to meet you guys,” you state. 

“You like to listen to music?” Jiseok pointed to your cassette player. You nodded. 

“Yeah you could say that,” you answered. 

“Do you want to come to the music shop with us then?” Jiseok offered. 

“Maybe some other time. We should be heading back now,” Gunil interjected, standing up. 

“Oh don’t be silly Gunil. It’s not even late afternoon yet. Let me see what you listen to, the music store probably has it.” Jiseok reaches for the cassette player you had sitting on the table. Wasting no time in opening it and taking a look at the cassette before you could say anything. “You listen to them too! I-why don’t I recognize any of these songs?” Jiseok starts to look at the cassette closer. 

“Oh that’s be-”

“1993!” Jiseok’s eyes widened. “H-how do you have a cassette from 1993?” Jiseok looked at you in disbelief. You looked at Gunil in a panic. He looked back at you just as panicked. “What’s with those looks? What’s going on?” Jiseok interrogated. 

“Well, you see, I may or may not be from 34 years in the future,” you said. Jiseok’s face deadpans for a moment before he bursts out laughing. 

“That’s a good one. I didn’t think you’d be so funny, but seriously what is this a fake or something?” He waved the cassette in his hand. 

“Listen to it,” Gunil tells him. 

“What?” Jiseok responded. 

“Listen to it,” he gestured for Jiseok to put the cassette back in the player. Jiseok looked skeptical, but he did as he was told. His eyes widened again as he listened to the song he’s never heard before, but is unmistakably from the artist. 

“How is this possible?” Jiseok asked, removing the headphones from his ears. You reach over taking the cassette player back from him. 

“That’s what I want to know,” you sighed.

“Wait a second, are you actually saying that she’s from the future?” Seungmin speaks up. 

“I know it’s hard to believe, but yeah,” Gunil states. 

“Hard to believe? It’s completely crazy!” Seungmin declares. 

“You don’t have to believe it if you don’t want to, but Gunil and I should really get going now,” you say. Gunil gathers the bags of your recently bought items and makes his way to your side. 

“Hold on you can’t just leave after saying you're from the future,” Jooyeon followed after you and Gunil. 

“Ok then you can follow us, but I told my mom we're gonna go pick up y/n’s things. She’ll start to worry if we’re gone for too much longer,” Gunil tells. Like a group of ducklings Gunil’s friends started to follow after you two. 

“We should probably put the stuff into the duffle bag,” you tell Gunil.

“You’re right. Let’s stop for a second.” Gunil stepped aside and the two of you began to pull your recently bought items and put them into the duffle bag. 

“I take it your parents don’t know that she’s from the future?” Jungsu inferred. 

“No, she’s a friend, who moved here recently and is staying with us while her parents are away,” Gunil informed. 

“Do you know where your parents are?” Jooyeon randomly asked. You stopped loading clothes into the duffle bag to think. 

“Umm…if it’s 1990 then,” you pause to do some mental math. “My mom would be sixteen, so she’d be living with my grandparents. I know she goes to the same high school as you guys do,” you say.

“How do you know that?” Gunil asked as he finished putting the last piece of clothing into the duffle bag and zipped it up.

“I saw a picture of you in her old yearbook,” you tell him. It’s a bit ironic that you called the yearbook old considering that it hasn’t been made yet. You go to take the duffle bag from him, but he ignores you and swings it over his own shoulder.

“Oh, that’s how you knew my name started with a G,”’ Gunil commented as he began walking in the direction of his house. 

“Does the name Lee Jooyeon mean anything in the future?” Jooyeon quickly followed behind you both. 

“No, sorry,” you shook your head.

“What about Kwak Jiseok?” Jiseok cut in, appearing beside Jooyeon. Again you shook your head.

“How about Seungmin then? Oh Seungmin,” Jooyeon tried. 

“Oh Seungmin?” you repeated a bit louder. You did recognize that name. 

“Don’t tell us he’s the one who got famous?” Jiseok said. You laughed. While Seungmin let out an offended “Hey!”

“No, he’s not famous. I just know the name because my dad hated him,” you explained. 

“Why would your dad hate me?” Seungmin asked with a bit of hurt in his eyes. 

“I thought you didn’t believe her,” Hyeongjun commented. 

“I-I don’t, not entirely, but if someone hates me,” Seungmin stuttered. 

“Because you always beat him at track. My dad was the top track athlete at his school, but whenever it came to school competitions he could never beat Seungmin. He always came in second,” you explained. 

“So you’re saying your dad is d/n?” he said your father’s name. 

“Yeah, that’s him,” you confirmed. 

“No way,” Seungmin states in denial. 

“What? You don’t see the resemblance?” You turned to face Seungmin. Seungmin leaned closer to inspect your face. You slightly turned your head from side to side to give him a better look at your features. Suddenly Gunil reaches for your wrist pulling you up beside him. 

“It doesn’t matter if he believes you or not. Let’s hurry up and get home,” he quickly said. You can hear the rest of the boys joking about something behind you.

“Mom, we're back!” Gunil shouted upon entering his house. 

“That took a bit longer than I- oh the boys are with you,” his mom says.

“Yeah we ran into them along the way,” Gunil tells.

“Well make yourselves at home,” his mom smiles and steps aside. You all make your way to Gunil’s room, making a pit stop by the guest room you were staying in to set your bag down.

Jooyeon, Jiseok and Hyeongjun made themselves comfortable on Gunil’s bed. Jungsu sat at a desk. Seungmin sat on top of the desk. You stood there awkwardly until Gunil grabbed some pillows from his bed for you two to sit on.

“So if you’re from the future how did you get here?” Jooyeon was quick to ask you more questions.

“This,” you held up your mom’s cassette player. 

“And you let me listen to it!” Jiseok yelled. 

“It happened when she hit the rewind button, not just from listening to it,” Gunil defended. 

“Still,” Jiseok grumbled. 

“Since you’re still here I’m guessing pressing fast forward doesn’t send you back?” Jungsu presumed. 

“Nope,” you shook your head.

“How are you gonna get home then?” Jooyeon questioned. 

“That’s what I want to know,” you sighed. 

“We’ll figure it out,” Gunil told you comfortingly. 

“Maybe it’s cause the cassette is from 1993,” Jiseok spoke. 

“Huh?” you questioned, not understanding what he meant. 

“The cassette is from 1993, so it technically doesn’t exist here yet. Maybe that’s why you can’t go home,” he elaborated. 

“Are you saying I’m gonna be stuck here for three years!” you panicked.

“No,no, no. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Gunil tried to console you, placing his hands on your knee. Meanwhile Jungsu was scolding Jiseok for what he said. 

“What he said kinda makes sense though,” you stated worriedly.

“No, what the others said is right. I’m an idiot, I don't know what I’m talking about.” Jiseok tried to fix the panic he caused you. Seungmin still doesn’t really believe that you’re from the future, but seeing the way you’re freaking out right now makes him want to. He definitely feels bad for you, cause even if you weren’t from the future your situation right now surely isn’t ideal. Gunil is still trying to ease your nerves.

“How about we go to the arcade?” Hyeongjun suggests amidst the bit of chaos happening. 

“I’m not sure now is really-” Jungsu started. 

“I’ve never been to an arcade,” you stated.

“You’ve never been to the arcade? Do they not exist in the future?” Jooyeon asked, astonished. 

“They exist. I’ve just never been,” you informed. 

“Oh, well we totally have to go then,” he said, hopping up from Gunil’s bed. 

“Right now?” Seungmin questioned. 

“Well we don’t know when y/n will return home, so if we want to do something with them we should do it now,” Jooyeon reasoned. 

With that you found yourselves walking to the nearest arcade. Jooyeon and Jiseok practically dragged you because they were excited to play games with you. While Gunil was trying to tell them to slow down, not wanting you to accidentally get hurt. 

The arcade was really fun. It managed to take your mind off your current situation for a while. Jooyeon and Jiseok were excited to teach you how to play the games and maybe tease you when you weren’t so good at one. Hyeongjun was much more chill and helpful when it came to games you had no idea how to play. Gunil stared at you admiringly. He felt like he could relax a bit seeing you genuinely smile and have fun. 

“Are you gonna confess to them before they go back home or are you gonna hide your feelings forever?” Jungsu asked, resting an arm on Gunil’s shoulder. 

“They want to go home. I shouldn’t complicate their situation any more,” Gunil said. 

“You’re allowed to be a little selfish you know?” Jungsu voices. 

“Even if I did confess it’s not like we can exactly be together. Plus I’m sure being in a relationship is the last thing on her mind,” Gunil notes.

“It’s a given that you can’t stay together, but do you really want to give up on being with her, even if it’s for a short amount of time?” Jungsu put to question.

Gunil saw you at the park on the day you first arrived. He thought that you were cute, so he may have accidentally sent the ball he and his friends were playing with your way. He was looking for an excuse to talk to you. When he saw you sitting on the sidewalk on his way home he couldn’t up the god given opportunity to talk to you again. Upon finding out about your situation it was clear that you were very stressed, but Gunil couldn’t help but feel a teensy bit glad. He was able to spend more time with you because of it. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want that. Jungsu told him that he was allowed to be selfish, but he was already being selfish. He didn’t simply offer to help you out of the goodness of his heart. No, it was because he liked you. He was already being selfish with his actions, so he didn’t know how far he should go with selfishness. Would it be too selfish to tell you how he felt about you?

Gunil is interrupted from his internal struggle when he sees you excitedly jumping up and down at a claw machine, reaching down to claim your stuffed prize. 

“Gunil look!” You hurried over to him to show him the turtle you just won. Gunil falls for you even more, finding you adorable. 

“It’s cute,” he smiles at you. He means both you and the turtle. 

After your time spent at the arcade you part ways with Gunil’s friends. Gunil enjoys it being just you and him again. He watches you as you walk looking down at the stuffed turtle you just won. 

“What should I name it?” you asked Gunil for his opinion. 

“Umm?” Gunil thought. 

A loud honk interrupts his thinking. He looks at the sound of the honk seeing a truck fastly approaching you two as you're midway across the crosswalk. Gunil quickly pulls you out of the way of the vehicle. The truck goes wheezing past you two. 

CRASH! SNAP! CRACK! Panic rages through your body as you stare at your mom’s old cassette player that is now in pieces. It was haphazardly shoved in your pocket and the force of Gunil suddenly pulling you must’ve somehow made it pop out of your pocket. 

“Are you ok?” Gunil looks you over still not noticing what had just happened. 

“I’m. I’m. Uh, the- how am I?” Your non-coherently sputter out, pointing at the cassette player.

“What?” Gunil flows the direction of your finger and sees the broken cassette player. Gunil quickly goes to gather the broken pieces.

“It’s gonna be ok?” He tried to calm you. 

“How is it going to be ok? That- that’s my only way home and it’s-” you heaved.

“Look at me,” Gunil says calmly. Your eyes hesitantly tear away from the broken pieces in his hands to look at his face.

“It’ll be ok. There’s a repair shop we can take it too. They’ll fix it,” he tells you. 

“But what if-”

“They’ll fix it,” he told you firmly. 

“Ok,” you let out a shaky breath. 

Gunil and you arrived at the repair shop. You’re shaking with nerves. Fearing for the worst. That your mom’s cassette player will be unfixable and you’ll be stuck here forever. 

“I think it would be easier to buy a new cassette player,” the worker of the shop informed. It made your heart sink to your stomach. 

“It was a gift from her mom. You can surely fix it right?” Gunil told the worker in a passive aggressive voice. 

“Look man-” Gunil leaned whisper something to the guy. “Ok, I’ll see what I can do. Come back in a week to pick it up,” the worker says. 

“Great, thank you,” Gunil said to the worker. 

“Come on.” Gunil wrapped his arm around your shoulder leading you out of the store. 

“Can he really fix it?” you asked, doubtfully. 

“He’ll fix it,” Gunil said confidently. This was going to be the longest week of your life.

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

It indeedly was the longest week of your life. Gunil tried his very best to keep you distracted. He wanted to show you the joy of living in the 90s. He took out around town, showing you his favorite spots. He invited you out with his friends (who have started to grow close with you.) You  could never completely shake the anxious feeling in your stomach though. Yes, you were having fun thanks to Gunil and his friends, but having fun didn’t make your problem go away. You were simply making the best out of a bad situation. 

Currently you are sitting on the couch with Gunil, a movie playing on the t.v. It’s the night before you go pick up the cassette player. You bounced your leg anxiously as the fear of the worst began to set back in.

“Are you not interested in this movie?” Gunil asked you. It was an indirect way of asking if you were ok. 

“I don’t think I’ll be interested in any movie. I’m too nervous. What if it couldn’t be fixed?” you told Gunil your worries. 

“I told you it’ll be fixed.” Gunil scooted closer to you on the couch. 

“You can’t know that for sure. What if I’m stuck here forever?” your voice raised slightly. Not because you were mad at Gunil, but because you were terrified of never being able to get home.

“Then I’ll take care of you forever,” Gunil answered. He tenderly took your hands in his. 

“You can’t do that Gunil. You’ve already done so much, too much. I can’t keep burdening you, and your parents,” you argued. 

“You aren't a burden y/n. I took you here because I want to look after you,” he tells you. His thumbs run over your knuckles. 

“Realistically, how long can you do that? Your parents are bound to ask where my parents really are soon. What are we supposed to tell them? That I actually ran away from home? That my parents abandoned me? That I’m from the future?” you ranted. 

“I get that you're really scared and stressed right now, but can you please just trust me. Let me take care of you. We don’t know if the cassette player is fixed or not right now. Let’s at least see how it goes tomorrow,” Gunil proposed. 

“What if it couldn’t be fixed?” you asked again.

“Then you can have a mental breakdown, but I’ll take care of you during that too.” His thumbs stop rumbling your knuckles, but his grip remains grounding on your hands. 

“Why do you care so much?” you questioned.

“Because I like you,” Gunil confessed. Your hands go slack in his due to shock. 

“What do you mean?” you asked not being able to understand. 

“I like you,” he repeated. “That ball didn’t accidentally land at your feet when we were in the park. I purposely kicked it over to you cause I wanted your attention. I thought you were pretty and wanted to talk to you,” he revealed. 

“Then all this time you’ve…” You trailed off, not knowing exactly what you wanted to say. 

“I know that you don’t like the situation you're in right now and that romance is one of the last things that would be on your mind. Which is why I wasn’t sure if I should tell you how I feel, but I’ve really enjoyed being with you this entire time. It’s selfish cause I know how stressed and scared you are. I really want to be by your side as long as I can,” he continued on. 

“I feel most relaxed when you’re with me,” you tell him truthfully. “You’re right romance isn’t exactly on my to do list, but I like being with you too,” you say. A smile tugged at your lips. You moved your previously slack hand to hold Gunil’s hand back. Your words weren’t exactly a confession, but for Gunil they were more than enough. You liked being with him. That alone made him feel over the moon.

Gunil moved to lean against the back of the couch, pulling you along with him. His hands never left yours. Both of your eyes wandered back to the t.v that neither of you were paying attention to. Gunil being too wrapped up in the feeling of you leaning against him and the fact that you liked being beside him, just as he liked being beside you. Your nerves about finding out if your way home was fixed or not definitely keep you distracted. However you also found that the way Gunil was absentmindedly playing with your fingers and the calming warmth that radiated off of him proved to be an equally good distraction. 

Sometime during you and Gunil basking in each other's presence the two of you drifted off to sleep. Your head falling on Gunil’s shoulder and his head resting on yours. Gunil’s hands placed protectively over yours from where they fell in the small space between your two bodies on the couch. 

“He really tired to convince us that she’s just a friend,” Gunil’s mom said when her and Gunil’s dad returned home from their date night to find you and Gunil cuddled up on the couch. 

“The hearts in his eyes were never fooling us dear,” his dad stated. 

“They look so cute. I need to take a photo.” Gunil’s mom quickly and excitedly rushed off to grab the camera. She snapped a couple photos of you and Gunil. Then Gunil’s dad ushered her away from your sleeping forms, not wanting to wake the two of you and ruin the moment.

Your eyes cracked open in the morning, taking in the lighter room. You notice that the t.v has been turned off. Next you realize that your head is resting on Gunil’s shoulder and you can feel the weight of his head resting against yours. You slowly tried to remove your hands out from under Gunil’s. When they were almost free Gunil’s hands suddenly grasped onto your hands, bringing them back to his hold. 

“Gunil,” you softly called out his name. You carefully lifted your head up from Gunil’s shoulder, which resulted in Gunil’s head coming down onto your shoulder.

“Gunil,” you tried again. “Gunil.” You shook your shoulder. Gunil started to stir awake.

“Mmh,” he mumbled, opening his eyes. 

“Good morning,” you told him. Gunil now realizes the position that the two of you are in and sits up straight. Then he realizes that his hands are holding yours. A shade of pink dusts his cheeks. 

“Good morning,” he said. “Do you want some breakfast? We have cereal or I could make some eggs,” he offered standing up from the couch.

“Cereal’s fine,” you say, standing up from the couch too. Gunil and you walk over to the kitchen and make your bowls of cereal. He pulls your chair out for you before you sit down.

“Thanks,” you smiled. He nodded then pulled out the chair beside you to sit down in. 

“Look who’s up,” Gunil’s mom said as she entered the kitchen. You and Gunil each wished her a good morning. “Did you two sleep well?” she asked. You and Gunil share a glance. You both know she must’ve seen you two on the couch.

“Yeah, I slept well,” Gunil answered. 

“Me too,” you followed. Your answer makes Gunil smile and Gunil’s mom certainly doesn’t miss it.

“That’s good. I know sleeping on the couch isn’t always the most comfortable, but you two looked so cute I didn’t want to disturb you guys,” she says. Both yours and Gunil’s faces flared red at her comment. 

“Should we go pick up your cassette player now?” Gunil asked, changing the topic. 

“Yes, we should,” you eagerly nodded. The two of you hurried up eating your cereal then rushed out of the kitchen. Gunil’s mom could only smile, finding you two adorable. 

Once you and Gunil got ready you headed to the repair shop. The closer you got to the shop the more nervous you got. Gunil easily noticed how nervous you were and slipped his hand into your, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

“I got you,” he tells you. 

The two of you arrive at the shop. You always thought the saying of feeling your heart in your throat was weird, but now you understand it cause it really did feel like your heart was in your throat. 

“We’re here to pick up the cassette player,” Gunil told the worker. 

“I know, I remember you,” the worker said, giving Gunil a look. The worker reaches under the counter and pulls out your mom’s cassette player. It looks like it’s fixed…accept for a crack that runs across the lid. “I couldn’t get rid of this crack, but it works,” the worker said. 

“The crack doesn't matter. Thank you for fixing it,” you told the worker, taking the cassette player in your hands.

“Just doing my job,” he replied. Then he turns to Gunil, so that he can pay. 

“Sorry about the crack,” Gunil says as you two exited the store. 

“It’s ok. It answered a question actually,” you disclosed. 

“What question?” Gunil asked. 

“Back in the future, my mom and I were going through boxes of her old things. This cassette player was in one of the boxes and it had this exact crack, but my mom had no clue how it got there. She never remembered it having a crack,” you told. 

“Well mystery solved then,” Gunil said. 

“Yeah, mystery solved.” You unwrapped the headphones from around the cassette player and handed one to Gunil. He gladly took it and placed it in his ear. He took this time to wrap his arm around your shoulder, just like the first time you two listened to the cassette together. 

Soon enough you arrived back at Gunil’s house to discover it empty, meaning his parents went out somewhere. The pair of you made yourselves comfortable on the couch.

“So what exactly happened when the cassette player brought you to the past,” Gunil questioned. 

“I told you I hit rewind,” you chuckled. 

“I know that, but did you hit any other button first or?” he clarified. You took a moment to think back.

“I smacked it,” you remembered. “When I first hit rewind it didn’t work, so I smacked it thinking it might get it to work,” you explained. 

“Have you tried smacking it again?” he asked. 

“No, but it just got fixed. I’m scared to smack it now,” you said. 

“I’m not saying to smack it with all you got, but it’s worth a shot,” he stated. You lift your hand to give the cassette player a smack then paused. 

“Are you that scared? Should I do it for you?” he offered. 

“It’s not that.” You lowered your hand. 

“Then what is it?” 

“It’s funny. Most of the time I’ve been here, I’ve been wanting to go home, but right now it feels hard to leave,” you say.

“Well you know I’m not going to tell you to go,” Gunil said lightheartedly. “There’s no guarantee that smacking it would work either,” he notes. 

“I know, but if it does. I think I’d rather try it later.” 

“You wanna go get ice cream?” he suggested. 

“Sounds good,” you agree. 

You spent the rest of the day out with Gunil. Having your ice cream then going to walk around the mall. After the mall you walk aimlessly around the town. 

“Well look who it is?” A voice spoke behind you two. Both you and Gunil turn your heads to see Jooyeon standing there with Jiseok. The pair of them had teasing smiles on their faces. 

“Yeah look who it is,” Gunil said. 

“It’s fixed,” Jiseok pointed to the cassette player in your hands. 

“Yep.”

“Any ideas on how to get home?” he asked. 

“We have an idea, but we don't know if it will work,” you said. 

“How come you haven’t tried it yet?” Jooyeon questioned. 

“Do you want me to leave without saying goodbye?” you said, quasi offended. 

“Of course not. I’d be very sad if you just disappeared. You just always seem like you’re eager to go home, so I’d thought you’d jump at any chance,” he responded. 

“I thought so too, but it’s harder to leave than I expected,” you say looking at Gunil.

“Aww have you grown attached to us! We’ve gotten attached to you too,” Jooyeon and Jiseok pull you into a sandwiched hug. 

“You seriously can’t leave without saying goodbye ok?” Jiseok states pulling away. 

“But there’s no way to tell when I’ll be leaving,” you brought up. 

“We should have a goodbye party!” Jooyeon shouted. Jiseok immediately agreed. 

“If we have a goodbye party and I don’t go home wouldn’t it be awkward?” You asked. 

“Maybe a little, but with a goodbye party we won’t have to worry about not getting to say goodbye,” Jooyeon answered. 

That’s how you found yourself at the very park, where you first arrived in the 90s. Surrounded by Gunil's friends, who are also your friends now too. Pizza boxes litter the ground along with soda cans. 

“I still think this party is kinda stupid,” Seungmin said while taking a sip of soda. 

“So if y/n just disappears and goes back home one day you’re not going to miss them and wish that you could’ve said goodbye?” Jungsu interrogated.

“Whether you believe she is from the future or not. She is still leaving one day no matter what,” Hyeongjun added.  

“But we don’t know when that is, so having this party when we could still see them tomorrow seems kinda silly,” Seungmin defended. 

“Exactly. We don’t know when. She could leave tonight, tomorrow, next week. This way we don’t miss saying goodbye,” Jooyeon said. 

Goodbye parties typically are kinda sad, but you didn’t think this one would feel as sad as it did. You hadn’t really been in the 1990 all that long, yet you’ve made great friends, met a guy who makes your heart flutter and makes it hard to say goodbye. The boys taking the turns saying goodbye to you at the end of the party had all your eyes turning glossy. 

“If I find you in the future then you’ll have to believe me then right?” you asked Seungmin. 

“Yes, if you find me in the future. Looking as you do now. I’ll have no choice, but to believe you.”

“Then goodbye till then,” you told him. 

“Goodbye y/n.” The party ended with a group hug and maybe some spilled tears that no one would admit too. 

“Should I try smacking it?” you asked Gunil. The two of you were currently sitting on his bed. 

“Do you want to?” he followed. 

“With having the goodbye party I feel like I should at least try,” you say. 

“Then let me say goodbye before you do,” he said. 

“Hold on, let me go grab something,” you excused yourself. You went to your room and grabbed the stuffed turtle you won. You returned to Gunil’s room and handed him the turtle when you sat back down beside him. 

“You’re giving this to me?” he checked. 

“Mhm,” you hummed. “I always planned on giving it to you. I doubt it would come back to the future with me anyway, but I won it with giving it to you in mind,” you tell him. “Thank you.” Gunil hugs the stuffed turtle to his chest. 

“It still doesn’t have a name,” you pointed out. 

“I’ll think of one for it.” He already knew what he was gonna name it, but he felt too shy to name it after you right in front of you. He sets the turtle down on his pillow and turns to pull you into a hug. 

“I’m really going to miss you,” he says, resting his head over your shoulder. 

“I’m gonna miss you too,” you hug him back. “I like you too,” you confessed. Gunil pulled back enough to look at you. 

“I’m a little late to say it back, but I wanted to say it before I leave,” you give him a sentimental smile. Gunil smiles at you back and cups your face in his hands. He leans forward, pressing a warm, loving, gentle kiss on your forehead. You close your eyes basking in the feeling of his lips on you. Your hands come up to hold his wrist lovingly. The two of you stay like that for a few moments. Saying nothing, but also somehow saying everything. 

“Give it a try,” Gunil says, pulling away.

“Ok.” You put each side of the headphones in your ears. You hit play then gave the cassette player a smack. You took a breath and hit rewind. Nothing happened. Literally nothing happened. The rewind button didn’t work, the song kept playing like normal. 

“It doesn’t work,” you say. 

“We’ll just have to think of something else then,” Gunil said. 

“No, like the rewind button doesn’t work. Did smacking it break it? This is what I worried about,” you complained. 

“Hey it’s ok. Let me see.” Gunil takes the cassette player from your hands. This time he gives it a smack. “Try it now.” He handed it back over to you. You give Gunil one last look before hitting the button. The song began to play backwards and the room started to blur.

You were back in your bedroom. Only the cassette player wasn’t with you. 

“Y/n can you come help me with these boxes?” your mom asked you. Help her with boxes? Like on the day you time traveled. You checked the date, surely enough it was the morning of the day you left. 

“And why exactly have you decided to take a trip down memory lane?” you asked your mom. Letting out a heave as you set the heavy box down on your mom’s bed. 

“I watched Jetsons: The Movie yesterday and it got me feeling nostalgic,” your mom answers you, taking off the lid to the box. “My old cassette player!” your mom called out excitedly as she pulled the old device from the box. “I used to use this all the time,” she tells you. There it is the very cassette player that took you back in time. 

“So much that it cracked,” you joked. Despite knowing very well where the crack came from.

“I actually don’t remember it having a crack,” your mom said, scratching her head.

“Must’ve gotten dropped at some point,” you say, recalling the memory of Gunil pulling out of the way of the speeding vehicle. 

“I wonder if it still works. I’ll buy batteries for it when I go out later,” she says. You looked into the box and pulled out the year book, flipping to the page with Gunil and your mom. A sad smile appeared on your face. Your finger slowly rubbed over Gunil’s image. 

“He wasn’t my boyfriend if that’s what you’re wondering,” your mom pulls you from your gaze.

“Honey, are you ok? Your eyes are red,” your mom looked at you concerned.

“I think some dust got in my eyes when we pulled the boxes down,” you lied.

“Let me go get you a wet rag,” your mom hurried away. You missed Gunil. You missed him so much it hurt. You want to cry looking at his picture. Now you know he mistook your mom for you that day. That he was probably all excited to see you again, pulling you into a super tight back hug. Only to find out that it wasn’t you. “Here you go. Wipe your eyes,” your mom gives you the rag. You couldn’t hold the couple of stray tears that escaped as you held the rag to your eyes. 

Later in the day when your mom got back with the batteries you listened to the cassette with her.

“Can I keep this for a while?” you asked her. 

“Of course you can! Ooh I’ll go grab you my other cassettes to listen to.” She went to grab the other cassette. You didn’t plan on listening to them though. You were only going to listen to this one and remember your time spent in the 90s with Gunil. Still when she returned you brought the cassettes up to your room and sat them down.

“We found my old cassette player this morning,” your mom tells your dad as you all eat dinner. 

“Oh really? Does it still work?” he asked. 

“Yeah, but it has this crack across the lid that I don’t remember it having,” she answered. 

“Guess it's a mystery,” your dad said. 

“No, I dropped it when I time traveled back to 1990,” you say. 

“That’s a good one,” your dad chuckled. 

After dinner you headed up to your room. You laid down in your bed and listened to the cassette player. Tears cascaded down your face. 

For the next week you cooped up in your room. Feeling what you would call a heartbreak. The worst part was that you couldn’t talk about it. All you could do was listen to the cassette as you thought about your memories with Gunil and his friends. You wished that you could see Gunil one last time. You spent the bulk of your time there worrying about how to get back home, but now ironically enough all you want to do is go back, just one more time. 

“Please, please, just one more time,” you pleaded. 

“Y/n!” You opened your eyes and there Gunil is standing right in front of you. 

“Gunil!” You throw yourself into his arms. He crushes you in the tightest hug. “Wait, how is this possible? I didn’t hit rewind or anything.” 

“I need to do something I really regretted not doing before you left,” he said. 

“What’s that?” you questioned. 

Gunil cups your face just like he did when he was saying goodbye. Expect this time instead of leaning in and kissing your forehead, his lips land on yours. Your hands travel to his shoulders and one of his hands moves to cradle the back of your head. 

“That.” He pulls away to rest his forehead against yours. “I really regretted not doing that.”

Your eyes open and again and your back in your bedroom. You don’t know if what just happened was a dream or not. You decide to go with not because you wanted it to be real. 

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

“Honey, can you run to the store real quick? I realized I forgot something for dinner tonight,” your mom asked your dad.

“Does dinner really need it?” your dad asked. 

“Yes, why are you too lazy to go?” 

“No, Seungmin grocery shops today I don’t want to run into him,”

“Are you serious? After all these years do you still hate Seungmin that much?” Your mom asked in disbelief. 

“It’s not my fault I ran into him at the grocery store. He just had to bag his belongings quicker than me. He's a stupidly fast asshole,” your dad complained.

“I’ll go mom,” you speak up. You needed to see Seungmin. 

“Thank you,” your mom told you. 

You arrived at the store, found what your mom needed for dinner and then walked around looking for Seungmin, hoping that he was there. 

“Oh Seungmin!” you called out when you saw a guy that looked like he could be an older version of Seungmin. The dude turns around at you looking perplexed at who could be calling his name. 

“Y/n?” he said. 

“You believe me now right?”

“How is this possible?” 

“You know how it is. Time travel,” you sassed. 

“You look exactly the same,” he says. He’s still partly in denial.

“Yeah, it’s been 34 years for you, but It’s only been a week for me. Are you and Gunil still friends?” you asked, changing your tone. 

“We’re friends for life,” Seungmin stated “Give me your phone,” he told you. 

“Why?” you asked, still pulling out your phone nonetheless. Seungmin took it from you and began to type something in. 

“You should give him a call. He’s been waiting,” Seungmin said. You stare down at the number typed on your phone screen. 

You got into the car and sat down. You stared at the number once more before hitting the call button. You feel butterflies dancing in your stomach. 

“Hello?” he picked up. 

“Hey Gunil,” you say. 

“Y/n?” he asked. He looked over to the stuffed turtle that he still keeps on his bed even after all these years.

“You’ve been waiting a long time right?”

“I’d wait forever if I had too.”

Taglist: @purplelady85, @odesonnets, @gingerjunhan, @chewednails, @ezlynkisses, @mon2sunjinsuver , @mxlly143

[drmaddict]

She takes after her mother

Summary: Children don't always take after their parents. This is a fact that Jason and Eddie are also confronted with.

Word count: 1.815

"What's she done this ti- Munson?", Jason looked in surprise at his former classmate, who was already waiting in the principal's office at Hawkins High.

"Carver?", he looked just as surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Probably the same as you.", he sighed and dropped into the unfortunately all too familiar chair.

The office door opened again and Headmistress White came in. She wordlessly placed a plastic coffee cup in front of Jason and nodded to him.

"Jason.", she sighed.

"Hi Beth." He just nodded and reached for the coffee. He pulled a face.

"Sugar's out.", she explained and sat down at the table. "Mr. Munson. I'm glad you could come."

Munson wiped his hands on his torn jeans. "No problem. What's the boy done?", he laughed nervously. "Handed a book in late? Was it dog-eared? Sometimes he forgets himself, when he's doing calculus."

Beth grinned. "I know you're a rare guest, but please take this seriously."

Munson nodded immediately. "Sure. Sorry."

A rare guest. Jason wanted to scream. And he sat here almost every other week, because his little brat of a daughter thought, she had to play rebel. Although her grades were impeccable, she just couldn't control herself and was always getting into trouble.

"So...", she placed the two files in front of them.

The one in front of Munson still looked almost virgin, while the one in front of Jason was almost bursting at the seams.

Annoyed, he took a sip of the much too bitter coffee. For the last two months, he had really hoped, that she had come around. No incident. No phone call.

"So. You two kids seem to be getting... getting closer.", she began.

They both looked up, perplexed.

"What?", they asked almost in unison.

She nodded. "Yes. From what I hear, they're probably a couple. And I'm just outing them here. Well. Now you know."

"Axel - my Axel, who can't look at a girl without blushing, has a girlfriend?", Munson asked incredulously.

"And Jennifer willingly lets a boy touch her, without breaking his nose?" Jason asked, equally puzzled.

Beth nodded. "I'm just as surprised. By the way, Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Jonsen's surgeries went very well."

Munson laughed. "Your daughter's a thug?"

"Self-proclaimed feminist.", Jason grumbled. At first he'd been happy, not to have to worry about some guy breaking her heart. Now he'd rather that, than constantly worrying about his daughter breaking someone else's.

"How can it be that your little girl is so crazy?"

"Takes after her mother.", Jason sighed, exhausted.

Munson laughed. "Oh, I'd like to meet her."

"If you find her, let me know. She ran off and left me alone with Jennifer, when she was ten.", Jason nagged at him. Since then, his daughter just hadn't been the same. He did everything, but she pushed him away more and more. No matter how he wanted to be involved in her life. He went to her debate competitions. He said, it was okay, that she didn't want to be on the swim team anymore. He allowed her horrible music. Nothing helped bring her closer to him again.

"Oh... I'm sorry about that.", Munson said tersely, looking down at his hands. "If it's any consolation. Axel doesn't exactly take after me either. He's a little wimp. But my wimp. His mom took off too."

"Hm."

"Gentlemen.", Beth chimed in again.

Jason wiped his face. "Sorry Beth. Shoot."

"Well we're pleased that the two of them complement each other so well. Axel is finally coming out of his shell more and Jennifer has become much calmer... Just... Well, the two of them were found today... They were found in a somewhat prickly situation today.", she said, slightly fumbling.

"Prickly situation?" Munson asked. "What, did they make out too hard and scare the janitor?"

Beth narrowed her eyes embarrassed. Jason suspected the worst.

"Please don't tell me-"

"They had sex in the school swimming pool."

Jason buried his face in his hands.

Munson just looked at the principal, grinning stupidly.

"Mr. Munson!", she reprimanded him.

"Sorry.", he interjected, but continued to grin.

She sighed. "Actually, I wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but the janitor caught them and since he's going through his second divorce, he's not too fond of young love." She pulled the school files back towards her. "At worst, they've broken a few hygiene rules. So they'll both be staying late this afternoon, picking gum off the benches. Nothing serious. But the janitor is looking in through the window right now, so I'd ask you both to look shocked, while I put these stamps on these scratch sheets. And action. Perfect." She smiled at them both. "Your little lovebirds will be in my office."

They followed the principal to her room, where there children were indeed waiting.

"Jennifer. Feet off the table.", Mrs. White said calmly. "And out of my chair."

She nudged the girl, who had made herself comfortable at her desk and was drinking coffee from one of the ceramic cups waiting for her.

"Sorry Beth.", she smiled and stood up relaxed. Jason looked at his daughter reprovingly, but she ignored him.

Munson, on the other hand, walked up to his son and smacked him on the shoulder, grinning benevolently. The little boy wanted to sink into the ground.

Jason looked closely at the scrawny heap of misery. You'd think his daughter would choose someone... just pick someone else. The boy sitting there was almost her photo negative.

He was wearing a checked, short-sleeved bottom up shirt, glasses with plain a metal fram and beige pants. He took an inhaler out of his trouser pocket and put it in his mouth. One pump later, he inhaled deeply.

Munson just rolled his eyes with a smile. "Just relax. You just have to scrape off gum. Harvard will still take you and you won't end up at a gas station like your old man." He tousled the boy's short curls, which seemed to be the only thing he had of his father besides his dark eyes.

"Dad!", he groaned and slapped his hand away.

He just laughed.

Jason looked at his daughter again. Torn jeans, a jacket with an impossible number of patches and a rumpled T-shirt, that he wasn't sure she hadn't already worn to sleep.

"Anthrax?", Munson asked cheerfully, pointing at her shirt.

Jennifer looked at Munson as well. "Yup."  she said, looking at him closely. "Black Sabbath... Classic.", she just nodded with a bored.

"That used to be the shit."

"Hmm. Back in the day, maybe.", she just nodded.

Munson grinned and looked back at his son. "Respect.", he just said and slapped him on the back again. The boy simply took another pump from his inhaler.

Jason sighed. "We're going to the gynecologist tomorrow.", he decided.

"Dad!", she exclaimed in shock.

"Nothing Dad!" he countered. "I'm not going to be a grandfather, until you finish school!"

"And we couldn't have this conversation in private?"

"If you'd seduced the kid somewhere more private, we probably wouldn't be having it at all."

"How do you wsnt to know, that I seduced him?"

"So you're telling me that this 110 pounds of asthma and fragile bones gave the gigolo. No offense to you, kid.", he turned briefly to little Munson.

He dropped his inhaler out of sheer shock. Hectic he bent down after it.

"Okay. They're going to serve their sentence now and they're welcome to leave.", Mrs. White interjected again.

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Munson. Jason. See you around."

The four of them left the room. The couple was collected by the janitor and Jason and Munson went outside to their cars.

"How did those two end up together?", asked Munson aloud. "I mean. I love my son, but what does she want with him?"

Jason shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Most guys she beats up. He must be doing something right... Tell him, he's invited to dinner Friday."

Munson nodded. "Kids, huh?"

"Kids.", Jason sighed. He rubbed his face. "Fancy a beer?"

"A beer with my former nemesis? Sure. But you're paying."

Jason rolled his eyes. "What else."

Jennifer and Axel lay entwined in each other's arms. Some would almost say, they were trying to eat each other. Axel jerked away, took out his inhaler and inhaled deeply.

"Sorry.", he mumbled.

She grinned. "No problem.", she sighed, playing with his shirt collar. "I know an abandoned boathouse by the lake. We'd have our peace and quiet there."

"O... OH... Okay." Axel groaned shakily as she ran her hand emphatically over his crotch. "Do you Do-you want to drive?"

She nodded and was already pulling his car keys out of his pants.

They drove in silence, listening to Pantera over a cassette Axel had found in a thrift store. Jennifer brought the car to a halt, almost dragging Axel with her.

The door was open, as usual, and she pushed her boyfriend through the opening.

"Hey!"

"Urgh!"

"Axel?"

"Mr. Carver?"

"Fury!"

"Munson."

The four of them looked at each other in surprise, until Jennifer took a closer look. Munson's hand was under her father's T-shirt and his lips were conspicuously red. Both of their hair were completely disheveled and her father's hand was stuck in Munson's pants.

"Urgh! Fuck no!" she groaned.

"Language!", her father reprimanded her immediately.

Munson laughed. "With the things you throw out sometimes-" Her father slapped him on the back of the head.

"OW!"

"What are you doing here?", her father asked angrily, trying to put them both in a more presentable position.

"The same as you, it seems.", she said confidently, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Munson grinned. Jason narrowed his eyes in humiliation. Axel just stood there silently and looked at the floor.

"Okay." Munson snapped out of his stupor and zipped his pants again. "We're getting out of here."

"But-", her father started.

"But nothing. They're old enough and at least they're not in the school pool. We both have a house each and we just wanted to pretend, we were still in high school here. Let the youth get the experience and let's go.", he said, pulling her father with him.

The two of them looked after their fathers, overwhelmed.

"I would have never expected this in my life.", Jennifer admitted.

"I've got a few more Oxis, if you want to forget about it.", Axel said bluntly.

"How can your dad not know, that you're selling this shit?"

"He trusts me and... Well, he's not the brightest light sometimes.", he grinned.

She laughed. "Okay. Give me that." She smiled and let Axel put the little pill in her hand. She kissed him briefly. "I've never had high sex before.", she grinned.

He grinned mischievously. "I'd be your first?"

"And I hope my last." She stroked his scrawny chest.

"I love you."

"I love you."

[cuddl3s4shur1]

•𝐁𝐎𝐗𝐄𝐃 𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒•

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆:Earth 1610! Miles x F! Y/N

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓,’𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏:REUNION

𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎:Your old bestfriend moves in with you for a while , during that time you gain feelings

𝐀\𝐍: This a little cute or whatever

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆:I dont know its a little angst but it gets happy an lovie dovie

Your room was like heaven in your eyes. It had most things you loved in ONE room. Your favorite books, your tv, your pc, And lastly your personal space. No one ever telling you about what you’re supposed to do in your room.

And yet all of them would come crashing down on one random day in June.

——————————————————

You would get up to your room taking another way to get up there instead of just coming in through the front door. You would get to your room like you always do. You were about to start your after-school routine, listen to music, and do your homework.

You open the door to see your room split in. Emotions would all come at you at once. You didn’t know what emotion you wanted to feel. But one that practically took over all the rest was confusion.

Why was it two twin beds instead of your queen, why were all of your beloved precious items pushed to one side while the other had items you never saw before,

“Mamá, ¿por qué mi habitación está a la mitad? ( Mommy, why is my room in half) “ you yell to her dance downstairs

You run downstairs, and in the process, you definitely felt like you missed a step, your mom was in the kitchen working on a meal.

You saw her recipe cards on the table.

Was family coming over you thought to yourself? your mother would only pull her recipe cards out if she had invited people over and wanted to impress them.

“Mama what’s going on first my room, Ahora tarjetas de recetas ( now recipe cards) . “you ask her confused about everything

The doorbell started to ring, she dusted her hands on her cooking apron. She would then remove the apron and head to the door . “ looks like the surprise came earlier than anticipated “ she would say.

“ You look at her confused, what surprise, and who on earth was at the front door?

“Honey this might be a little different for you, but remember Miles your childhood best friend, “ she asks you.

That’s when you knew exactly what was happening: she probably invited him over, but little did she know that you guys fell out a year ago.

“Sí, mamá ( yes mama) “

“Well I ran into his mom at the store, and You know Jeff is on a business trip, so u said they could stay with us... Isn't that great “ she says?

You begin to force a smile on your face “Yeah it's great “ you tell her.

“I was hoping they would come later so the food would be done, it's good there here now so they can get used to the home, “ she says, she answers the door.

You were trying to decide if you wanted to you upstairs or stay downstairs and introduce them to the house. You chose to stay downstairs you knew mama rio would want to see you.

“Ah, mi chica, mi chica (Ah my girl, my girl) “Mama Rio goes in for a hug with your mom

. “Te echaba de menos (I missed you) “ you mom whispered to Mrs. Rio

“Where’s my baby Y/n, I haven't seen her in forever, “Mama Rio says.

You walk close to the door and hug her.

She starts to squeeze you tight in her arms “I missed you too mama “ you hug her.

“Cariño, ¿dónde has estado? No te he visto desde el año pasado (Baby where have you been, I haven't seen you since last year ) “ mama Rio asks you.

“I've been busy you know “ you tell her

“ Mi chica, necesito que vengas a verme más ( my girl, I need you to come see me more)”she demands to you

she tells you “I’m sorry, I promise I’ll see more, “You tell her

, Miles brushes past you and starts to head upstairs. With bags in his hand . You go upstairs also and follow his lead . He places 2 bags in the room next to yours .

Mama rio was going to sleep their

Then he went into the room that you guys were going to share . He places his bags and go back downstairs. You were confused on why . You left it alone and went to your PC and started to work on your computer .

“So how’s life been “ miles try’s to break the silence you turn around while staying in your chair .

“Well and yours “ you ask him.

“I understand we're not really on speaking terms with each other but just so you know I still care about you, “ he tells you.

“Then if you care so much why did you start acting different and ghost me, “ you ask him “It's hard to explain, “ he says.

“just tell me the truth , when we fell out you made me seem like I something wrong like I made you go away “ you told him

“Thats not it y/n , i can’t tell you why “ he tells you , your mind goes confused.

“ok, thats fine, when you want to ... Then you can talk to me, “ you tell him and go back to doing what you needed to do.

He felt his heart beating fast like it was aching to tell you the truth.

He let out a sigh “You know Spider-Man “ he asks you, you turn around “ ofc, I mean you should know I love spider-man” you tell him

“Right right, we’ll let’s just say you know I know him, “ he says, you start to smile.

“Like really know him, Spider-man is me “Y'all both go silent, and a stare-off starts. You let out a tiny scram of excitement, he pulls you in his arm with his web shooter. He covers your mouth with his hand.

“Shh,” he tells you, “Y/n are you good “ your mom yells

He removes his hand from your mouth “Yes I’m good, it was a spider but Miles killed it “ you lied to your mom.

You guys both look at each other, you looking up at him, him looking down at you. His arm still on your waist .

“You can let go of my waist now, “ you tell him

. He removes his arm and you back up.

“Well uh that’s cool, I’m going to you know listen to music and do my work “

You say awkwardly and sit back down.

He was happy, he got his best friend and some new feelings for her Also.

[ashwhowrites]

Beginning is the background of how they started - it's not that important so if you want to skip ahead. The story truly starts with the first bracket of lyrics

Plot- Eddie falls for Steve's girlfriend

Eddie was always the guy you didn't bring home to Mom. He was a guy you sneak out to meet for a dirty fuck, and run back home like he didn't exist. He was a secret, a guilty pleasure, and disposable.

He couldn't tell if he hated it or if he loved it.

Eddie wasn't the type to fall in love, and he didn't know what it felt like. But he's scared he's starting to figure it out, and finding out, why falling in love is the worst thing that could ever happen to him.

He met her at a party, she was drunk and he was high. He sat on the couch, feeling his body melt when she walked up. In a tight dress and determination in her eyes. Her hand reached out to him, pink nails inviting him to take it. He politely declined, not sure what she was asking.

She accepted his rejection, walking to the middle of the dance floor. Staring in his direction as she rocked her body, moving her hips, and running her hands in her hair. Successfully, turning him on. He tried to fight the feeling of the tightness in his jeans, but his eyes couldn't help but drink her in.

Eddie didn't dance, but his feet were already walking toward her. His stomach tightened at the huge victory smile that took over her face. She immediately turned around, pushing her ass against him. Grinding and sweating into each other. His hands held a tight grip on her waist, helping her body move against him. Maybe he was high, but he noticed how amazing she smelled. Placing his nose against her neck, inhaling her scent as he bit her skin gently.

The air was thick with arousal. The sweat stuck his bangs to his forehead, her hair sticking to her neck. Eddie could feel the vibrations of the music throughout his body. Her hands reached behind to tangle her hands in his hair.

It didn't take long for their tongues to meet and their bodies messing around on a random mattress upstairs.

He didn't get her name or her number, just the ghost feeling of her lips wrapped around him.

~~~

He ran into her at every party he attended. Her eyes found his and both immediately raced to the nearest bedroom. Every Friday night he spent inside of her, feeling her clawing at his back and moaning under him.

Hook ups at parties lead to exchanging numbers. Texting each other late at night, knowing exactly what each other wanted.

~~~

It was another Friday and Eddie spent hours searching everywhere for her. All his texts were going unanswered, and he didn't know where she was.

Then he spotted her, against the wall, a boy shoving his hand under her dress. Eddie watched her face as she moaned. Eddie couldn't hear her, but he knew exactly what she sounded like. He watched her eyes roll and her jaw clench, he could feel himself getting turned on watching someone else making her cum.

He watched as the guy pulled away, shoving his fingers into her mouth. He wasn't jealous, he knew he didn't have any feelings towards her. It was just sex.

But the same guy was at the next party, she sat on his lap as he talked to a few guys. Eddie watched her all night, he didn't care if she came with someone, he wanted her screaming his name.

She caught his eyes and he felt himself smirking as she crossed her legs a little tighter. He nodded his head towards the hall, an inviting look on his face. He walked into a small bathroom, the door cracked so she could see where he ended up if she picked to follow.

Which she did.

The door flew open and slammed behind her. Within seconds her hands were going for his belt. His curiosity got the best of him and he prayed the question wouldn't ruin the mood.

"who's the guy?" His breath hitched when her hand froze on his buckle, her eyes looking up at him.

"My boyfriend, Steve why? Problem?" She snapped, her eyes were glaring and he feared he said the wrong thing.

He knew he recognized the boy. She was dating Steve Harrington, the king. But here she was on her knees for the school's freak.

"No! Just wondering since I saw you guys together last weekend." Eddie shrugged. Trying to seem like he was not heavily bothered by her hands so close to his cock.

"You aren't going to be jealous or something right? He's my boyfriend and he will continue to be my boyfriend. No matter how long I fuck around with you." She explained

"Please honey, I don't get jealous over a quick fuck having a boyfriend. If you wanna slut around on my cock, I don't mind." He smirked, running his fingers down through her hair.

"Good. Just don't start liking me." She warned.

He wanted to respond in a snarky way but her mouth wrapped around his cock and all thoughts went out of his head.

I'm somebody you call when you're alone I'm somebody you use, but never own I'm somebody you touch, but never hold And you're somebody I'll never really know

It's been four months since Eddie found out she had a boyfriend. At first, he found it incredibly hot sneaking behind Steve's back. He felt like it gave him an advantage. Fucking the King's girl behind his back. He liked the ego it gave him. Watching them walk in together but knowing she'd leave with his cum dripping down her thighs.

He found himself addicted to her. Bouncing in his bedroom until he got the call that she was alone. He never cared enough to ask why she never called her boyfriend when she was alone and upset. Something about feeling wanted to be made Eddie feel good. Even if it meant he would be used for his body.

Steve was hers and she was his. Eddie just kept her warm the nights she felt too cold to move.

Her touch lit Eddie on fire. The way her fingertips trailed over his boxers. Her nails scratching down his back, the grip of his hair in her hands, and the way her hips moved. She touched him like she cared, but Eddie wasn't dumb enough to believe that.

But he hated the way he wondered how she felt holding him. If her arms were warm, if she'd be the big spoon or settle down in his neck. If she liked to hold hands or liked space. He wondered how pretty she looked when she slept. What it would be like to roll over and see her.

But those were the things Steve got to do.

And Eddie hated that he'll never know.

He wondered what tv shows she liked to watch. What her favorite recipe was, did she like to cook? What were her hobbies and her dreams? All Eddie knew was how she liked to be fucked, and he hated that he wanted to know more.

I know I'm not the one you really love I guess that's why I've never given up 'Cause I could give you all you want, the stars and the sun But still, I'm not enough

The more he was with her, the more stupid he allowed himself to become.

He made the first mistake when she called, crying over the phone as she begged him to come over. He rushed to her house with no questions. Embracing her sobbing frame. That night she opened up about how bad things were going with Steve. Eddie's heart cracked in ways he didn't think were real when she cried over how much she loved him too much to leave.

He learned Steve wasn't emotionally available. He didn't plan dates and barely paid attention to their relationship. Showed her off like a trophy but didn't care to touch her in private. All she wanted was to feel loved.

Eddie made another mistake of allowing himself to show her what she was missing. Sneaking her out to late-night drives, smoking, and making out in his van. Stopping at random trashy bars to get wasted and eat everything on the menu.

Everything she couldn't get in Steve, she found in him.

But every night when he dropped her off, she reminded him they were just sex and no feelings.

Eddie lied and always agreed.

She warned him she'd never leave Steve, and Eddie hated that he believed she didn't know what she was talking about. Praying that maybe if he gave her everything, she'd see why he was enough.

Oh-oh, all I really wanted was that look in your eyes Like you already know that I'm the love of your life Like you already know you're never sayin' goodbye But I'm not yours I'm not yours, I'm not yours I want more, I want more But I'm not yours And I can't change your mind But you're still mine

Eddie used to fuck her from behind, not caring to see her when he fucked his orgasm out of him. But now all he craved was to look into her eyes as she swallowed him in. He watched closely every time, seeing her eyes roll when her cunt clenched around him the more he pushed in. Cursing himself for wishing that he saw something more in her eyes. All he wanted to see was that she felt something, something other than desire. See something he's never seen in her eyes before. He'd pound into her harder, begging with his hips that she'd give him that look. The look of love he saw when she looked at Steve. The look of adoration when she'd watch Steve smoke with his friends. Eddie wanted her to look at him like that. He wanted to feel like she needed him to stay.

But that look never came. The desire turned into coldness every time she finished. Once they were panting into each other, she lost all feelings she felt for him. She'd roll over and text Steve, a small smile on her face as she collected her clothes.

All Eddie wanted was just to be hers, because she was his.

He wanted more, but he knew he couldn't ask for more. She never was open to the idea of more and he was stupid enough to think he could control the way he felt. He wanted her every minute of every hour. He wanted to kiss and have it mean something, give her butterflies, and make her heart race.

But that's not what they are doing. They fuck, leave, and fuck again. That's all she'll ever want from him and he can't change her mind.

She was his, without even knowing. And it hurt like hell that he could never be hers.

So tell me that it's time for me to go 'Cause you know I can't do it on my own The only thing that's harder than sleepin' alone Is sleepin' with your ghost

"Eddie, hey." Eddie felt his body being shoved back and forth. Blinking his eyes open to see Y/N leaning over him. Her sex hair was fixed into a pony, hickeys on her neck were covered in makeup, and her naked body was covered by a dress.

"What?" Eddie groaned, trying to roll back over.

"You gotta go, Steve's going to be here in like twenty minutes." She scolded him, yanking the blanket off of his naked body.

Eddie felt the familiar gut feeling hitting him. The one that made him feel like he got off a roller coaster. The felt like he had to admit he was guilty of a crime. The bad kind of butterflies.

He nodded and stood up, catching her staring as he slipped on his boxers.

"Do you want to go?" He asked, walking up to her slowly. Her eyes watched as he crept closer. His right hand ran down her dress, slipping underneath the material. Loving the way her breathing picked up.

"It's a date, Eddie" she responded. She didn't get dates very often and Eddie knew it was a sensitive topic. But he couldn't care less. He wanted to be selfish, he wanted her more than Steve did.

"But will it be better than this?" He whispered into her ear, his fingers trailing closer to her cunt. Clenching his jaw when he met her bare clit.

"Hoping to get fucked or something?" He snapped, pulling his head away to look at her but keeping his fingers attached to her clit. Slowly rubbing circles as she gripped the desk behind her.

"Possibly. Got a problem?" She asked, but it was a warning. A button he shouldn't be pushing.

"Maybe. Not like he can fuck you the way I do. That's why you always run to me, right? King Steve doesn't have what it takes to make a girl like you cum. He turned you into a slut." Eddie purred, watching her eyes get darker, finally a new look in her eyes. But it was the opposite of what he wanted.

"I'm not a slut." She snapped, pushing his body away from her in seconds.

"Yeah? Look at you. You are going to go on a date, with a boyfriend you love, with some other guy's cock still lingering on your tongue and his cum in your cunt." Eddie barked out. He realized maybe he shouldn't be releasing his anger out on her but the words were already traveling.

She was breathing hard, and he felt his anger wash away when a tear fell down her face.

"I do love him." She said through her teeth. Saying it with her whole chest and that look in her eyes, the look she has for Steve. Eddie hated that he knew she meant it- she believed it.

"Right. And that's why you cheat on him right? True love right there. Fucking me behind his back every chance you have. What does that mean for me? What do you feel for me?" He asked. Allowing his vulnerability to show.

"I told you no feelings! I don't have any feelings for you Eddie. I never have and I never will. Steve and I are fucked up, we are a mess, but we never have loved someone else. We only love each other and he's the one I want to be with. You never were an option, Eddie. Us was never an option." She was honest, and it killed Eddie.

All he wanted was for her mind to change.

Eddie didn't have a chance to reply when a car pulled up to the driveway. She cleared her throat and looked out the window.

"He's here, it's time for you to go. I'll see you around." She dismissed him so easily, walking out of her room.

Eddie watched as Steve met her at the front door, placing his lips on hers instantly. The sight made Eddie sick.

Once they left, he went home. Throwing off his clothes, needing her touch to be gone.

He hated that he'd go to sleep with her ghost, and Steve got to fall asleep next to her.

What the fuck did I do in the end? Just to not be yours

He gave everything he had, praying she'd change her mind and want to be with him. That she'd realize he could give her everything she wanted in Steve and more.

Everything he did, just to not be hers in the end.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @somethingwicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @manyfandomsfanvergent @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93

[h2uji]

ADORABLE CHUBBY CHEEKS!!  ‹𝖧𝖠𝖨𝖪𝖸𝖴𝖴› 🏐

#pairing. Osamu, Hinata.

#genre. F!reader, Fluff, (d/n daughter's name), (s/n son's name).

#warning.. ‑

cute moments with the HQ boys kids

OSAMU squints his eyes, carefully applying the melted chocolate on top of the cake with a swirl focusing on writing his daughter's name under the 'happy birthday' neatly on her first birthday mini vanilla cake that him and his wife made it by themselves

"PAPA" hearing her tiny voice made him frown his eyebrows In confusion, didn't he tell his wife that it has to be a 'surprise' by keeping d/n distracted, well she think that's stupid she's only 1 doesn't even know that, just a toddler.

turning his head toward her his face softened when he noticed her cute pink puffy dress and the white colored bow band around her head, the wobbly steps walking toward her father with a smile

placing the swirl on the counter he lift her up kissing her forehead, "will hello princess, Don't you look nice on that tiny dress?" she start giggling placing her tiny hands on her fathers cheeks, "since you're here why don't you help me, your mother ruined the surprise anyways" he frowned as he pulled her chair closer to the cake and placing her

connected the seat belt he sighed "Alright baby look" opening the high cabinet he toke the rainbow sprinkles out slightly shaking it then twisting the lid open "now look carefully princess, I'll show you how its done" he carefully applied it on top of the cake slightly sticking his tongue out while d/n mouth was open her sparkly eyes are on the colorful sprinkles craving on eating them alone instead

"your turn" handing it to her he watched her is her tiny arms reached to taking it away "alright just like ho-" he got interrupted by his daughter who raised her head and opened her mouth shaking the sprinkles in her mouth "NO" quickly taking the sprinkles away from her

"mmm" a few sprinkles went down her tongue sucking the flavors, but she pouted it wasn't enough to satisfy her, "its for the cake baby" he continued on adding more while his daughter was still tasting the flavor on her tongue sucking and biting on her lower lip

she looked so cute her feet dangling on her high chair, her big eyes that look exactly like him staring at the cake, those chubby cheeks and the smile that look exactly like her mothers probably his Favorite thing about both of them.

HINATA "I can go my fever isn't that bad shoyo" your eyes were half lidded with a runny nose and dirty used tissues were all over the bed and floor, it was obviously a lie "NO darling rest how is 39.2 C fever isn't bad, me and s/n will go buy groceries real quick, right little man?" looking down at his 6yrs old who looked up at him with a smile and raised his arms "YES" walking to his mom who was laying on bed with cool wet towel placed on her forehead, "don't worry mommy"he ran his little fingers on her sweaty hair.

putting s/n inside the kart he took the grocery list out of his back pocket "alright bud, here is the list mommy gave us" he handed the paper to him relying on him to read it, "you read and I'll push the kart ok?" s/n took it with excitement on his eyes as he nodded his head aggressively

Hinata pushed the cart to the dairy section “Read the first grocery”, the 6yrs old squints his eyes as he opened his mouth “eggs” looking around the fridges he smiled when he found the eggs “EGGS RIGHT THERE” he pointed with his index finger

his father smiled at him as he petted his head "good job little man" pushing the kart he grabbed the egg trey placing it on the kart "alright what's next?", s/n slid his index finger on the paper as he start to get sweaty at the long word he was trying to read "t-to-ma" rising his head to look at his father waiting for his help but he only nodded at him

"I know you can read it bud, just divide them remember?" giving him a closed eye smile and pulling the stroller to the side, "u-uhm" s/n gulped once again squints his eyes trying his best to read the 8 words, "See the first 4 words you can read that right?", the orange haired kid nodded his head "alright read it nice and slow"

taking a deep breath he started "toma" Hinata patted his head praising him "good job!, now the other 4 words" s/n hummed giggling at the word "toes" looking at his dad he connected the words "tomatoes!" rising his hand for a high-five, s/n slaped his palm on his "you did great baby, now to the vegetable section!"

©h2uji ⋅ Please do not repost my work ⋅ or translating it in any other platform

[necroromantics]

🧺 — Laundry And Taxes

chapter 7. // (masterlist)

Toby stood frozen on the front step of the familiar quiet blue house. It was late into October, and a small pumpkin laid by his feet at the doorstep. He took a sharp inhale and knocked hard on the front door. Shortly after, the door creaked open to reveal his mother, who took a moment to process who she was looking at. Toby smiled awkwardly at Connie as he stood still, hands tightening onto his backpack straps. His mother quickly pulled her boy into a warm hug, choking back a relieved sob. As she pulled away, her hands cupped his cheeks, with wide eyes. Toby closed his tired eyes for a moment as he breathed in the smell of her perfume, and rested his head in her hands.

“I was worried sick,” Connie whispered.

“I told you I’d come back, mom. No need to be dramatic,” Toby shrugged his shoulders as he entered his childhood home once again, sighing with relief. It was good to be back, as much as he hated to admit it. Connie called out for Lyra, who was doing homework in her room. Toby could hear his sister groan in annoyance from her room as she shuffled down to the livingroom. He quietly chuckled to himself at the sound. He was glad to know she was still around, and safe. As soon as Lyra’s eyes met with Toby’s, her face contorted into an expression of anger, as she stomped up to him and began to whack him over the head.

“Hey! Ah, fuck- Quit it!” Toby yelled out as Lyra continued to smack him.

“Are you out of your fucking mind Toby?!” She shouted as she fought with her brother.

“Jesus, alright! Lay off! I’m sorry,” The boy said through a playful laugh as he grabbed his angry sister's wrists and put a stop to the altercation. He looked at her, and she glared daggers back at him, before the two broke out in smiles. They hugged for a moment, Toby patting Lyra on the back.

“Where did you go? We went to the police but they said they don’t do anything about runaways,” she asked.

“Uh, well. I first went to Alabama, visited Tuscaloosa, then I ended up in Mississippi. But I ran into some issues there… And I just wanted to come back home,” Toby fiddled with his thumbs as his gaze met the floor. Lyra and Connie glanced at each other, shocked to hear about the boy's journey.

“Well, you came back at a good time. I have dinner cooking,” Connie spoke out, clapping her hands together, happy to see her son was safe, and quietly hoping he was going to stay.

“I’m not all that hungry, I’ll be in my room,” Toby said, still averting his gaze from theirs as he turned to head into his old bedroom, brushing them off. He was tired, it had been a long journey walking, hitchhiking, and bussing back home. And he had been through so much since he had left. His family could tell something was bothering him, but they both knew it was best not to pry.

As his overworked body hit the clean, comfortable bed, he sighed out in relief. His bedding was unstained, washed. His room smelt like air freshener and home. The lights were off, the room only being lightened by the evening skies which were quickly darkening. It provided enough light for the boy to make out everything in his room. It was exactly the way it was when he left. He looked up at the ceiling, at the dinosaur-shaped glow in the dark stickers which had faded with time. There was no water damage, no mold. Everything was fine.

Toby thought how funny it was how he had been on the run this entire time, how he couldn’t find a place that he fit into. He had tried to settle down in Alabama, but ended up in Mississippi, and he ran from there as well. It was just like his life as a proxy, never staying in one place for too long. Always running from something. Always the boy who can’t escape.

He had survived so much, he had seen more than the average person would in their entire lifetime. He was alive, as much as he had been on that hill with Jack, and yet he was consumed with misery. From the moment he became branded with the mark of a proxy, he had been shown things, made to understand everything wicked. And here the boy lay, trembling with the sickness and fear of a thousand dying, because he knows. Because he has seen things not meant to be seen. Because he understands.

He felt terrible, ridden with the sense that he had done something unforgivable. And he had. He had slit the throat of mothers, and decapitated fathers. He looked at himself in the reflection of a dying child's eyes, and felt nothing. His hands had been coated with the crimson blood of hundreds — he had committed atrocities. Through it all, Toby had long forgotten how senseless death was. Long forgotten how precious life was. It didn’t matter to him; nothing mattered to him. He had been programmed a long time ago to not care about anyone, or anything. It was the way it had to be. He had no other choice.

Toby laid there quietly, listening to the sound of the clock on his wall tick away mercilessly. The sound nearly drove him mad. He covered his ears, but he couldn’t escape the noise. The hands continued to turn, the gears snapped. The ticking went on for an eternity, it drilled into his ears, crawled into his chest and into his gut. Toby grew irritated, fidgety. Jumping to his feet, he ripped the clock off of his wall, and threw it to the ground with a frustrated yell. He repeatedly battered it with his fist, his anger choking him. The protective glass cut into his hand as he continued to punch into the clock, eventually grabbing the remains and hitting it hard against the floor until it was nothing but broken parts.

The sound alerted his sister, who had been listening from the other side of the wall, in her own room. She slid into his room, flicking on the light, to see her little brother sitting huffing over a shattered clock, his hands cut and bleeding.

“Seriously, what has been going on with you?” She pestered, standing over the furious boy.

“What's up with everyone always on my ass huh? Do I gotta explain myself to you too now?”

“You worried us to death Toby, you owe me an explanation.”

“I don’t owe you shit,” he shouted out, causing Lyra to scoff at his attitude.

“You know, you’re really starting to act like Frank,” she said, storming out of his room. Toby screamed out at her, throwing the broken clock at the door she closed hard behind her.

Toby sat on the floor by his bed, placing his head between his knees, muttering pleas to just let him go back home, to the old world. Back to the world he spent so long getting perfectly adjusted to, the world he had earned his place in. Where he had been braver, stronger. He sniffled to himself, listening as his bedroom door opened once again, not looking up.

Lyra, without saying a word, sat beside her difficult brother. She had a makeshift first aid kit in her hands, as she placed it on her knees, and opened it up. Her soft hands lifted up Toby’s, which he had previously injured on the glass he shattered, and began to treat his wounds. In a sore apology, he stayed silent as he let her patch him up. He felt the warmth of her hand as she squeezed his.

“You’re supposed to be dead, Lyra. I watched you die,” Toby spoke quietly, sadness seeping from the cracks in his voice.

“You know how many times I thought dad was going to go too far one day and kill you?” She said as she continued to work at her little brother's cuts, “I was 16 years old, just preparing myself to attend your funeral some day.”

Toby raised his head, and stared at her as she continued.

“I don’t know what you’re dealing with, that's your issue,” she held his hand in hers, “Just do us both a favor and take care of yourself, okay?”

Finished with her work, she stood up, and turned to make her leave.

“Lyra, I've killed people,” Toby blurted out, causing the girl to stop in her tracks, and slowly turn back around to face her brother.

“It started with dad, and then I would just- Just wake up in abandoned cabins or a forest with blood all over, and my hatchets. I would kill families, junkies, maybe other criminals. I’ve killed so many people, Lyra, there's so much blood on my hands and no matter how hard I scrub, it won't come off, and I’m just a kid. I’m just a kid and I’ve seen and done things no kid should, Lyra. I don’t- I don’t know what to do.”

He rambled, confessed so quickly he barely had time to catch his breath through the words he spoke. Lyra stood still for a moment, before kneeling in front of him. She ruffled his hair and smiled worriedly.

“For moms sake, put a reign on your imagination,” She said, before leaving, closing the door behind her.

Toby sat silent on the floor, his bandaged hands picking at the carpet under him. His face was young: a pale complexion marked with sunspots and moles. But his eyes had bore witness to things no seventeen year old boy should see. He was knowledgeable about all things terrible, and the horrors he had committed had taken over him. It was all he was, and his crimes too, had been taken from him. There was no murder here, no bloodshed. A ruthless killer, now only a boy. He held on tightly, so desperately, to his past, that pieces of it remained under his nails as he clawed. It lingered, like having one foot in the door, too afraid to let it close. Toby remained sitting beside his bed, letting the darkness of the approaching night overtake the last bit of light dancing on the roof of his room. He choked back a suffocating desperation.

Back in the old world, there was a quiet sense of understanding amongst him and the others around him. There was a twisted sense of brotherhood, like soldiers in war, or hounds from the same junkyard. From the moment Toby had awoken in the strange new world that surrounded him, he had been alone. Nobody in the boy's life could begin to understand, and it seemed as though anger was the only one that stuck around. It nipped at him, sinking its teeth into his throat until it drew blood. Toby had then made the wretched decision that he didn't need anybody else, and that it was him against the world. He needed to be tougher, better, stronger. He needed to be so terrifying that nobody would dare mess with him. He needed, desperately, to get back any sense of power he had left behind in the old world.

He leaned back, tilting his head up to face the ceiling, and squeezing his tired eyes shut. Exhaustion ran through him, the gravity dragging him down, but he couldn't stop yet. Toby opened his eyes to look up at the stickers plastered on the roof. The same stickers he would look up at as a young boy. They called out to him, burned holes into his mind.

‘You’ve seen this all before,’ they called out.

‘You’re getting weak,’ they beckoned.

‘Look at what you've become.’

Toby’s breathing became heavy as the weight pulling him down began to suffocate him. The world was spinning around him, and he felt as though he were falling straight into an abyss that swallowed him whole. He told himself to get over it, to stop being so sensitive, and he beat down any humanity left within him. Violence wasn't his second nature, it was his first. From the moment he clawed his way out of his mothers womb, that boy was made to fight. Toby was built from metal and kerosene. Everybody in his life watched mortified as he left behind nothing but char everywhere he went.

It was written from the start. He fought against his creator, his father. He fought against his savior, The Slenderman. He fought against himself. There wasn't a moment in time where he considered anything but war, and maybe that's what did it. Toby had heard time and time again that his stubbornness was going to get him killed someday. Sitting on the floor, back in his childhood home, he had quietly hoped that he would be put down like a dog soon. Despite his rage, he knew there was no escaping who he was. That boy was built to hurt others, trained to come out on top by any means necessary. The perfect weapon.

Throughout the next week, Toby kept to himself, rarely leaving his room. He didn't want to see his family, or eat, or go outside. God had turned a blind eye to his sin, but also his suffering. Toby knew that he could not be saved like Jack, or effortlessly move on like Tim and Brian. He found solace under his covers, rotting away in his bed. He was supposed to be dead. The boy knew he had overstayed his welcome, and it was finally catching up to him. Jack’s words filled his head. There was nothing more anybody could do to help the lost cause of a boy, who decided to tough out his retribution alone in isolation. That way, nobody could see how small he had become. Nobody could see that the perfect weapon had begun to rust and crack.

There was a soft knock on his bedroom door, before it creaked open. Toby laid still hidden under his blanket, facing the wall, and pretended to still be asleep so that the familial intruder would quickly make their leave. To his dismay, his sister spoke out.

“Hey weirdo, I was going to go to a pumpkin patch with some friends tonight, but they ditched out on me.”

Toby squeezed his eyes tight and remained still, dreading her next question.

“Do you want to come with me instead? It’d mean a lot.”

The boy cussed silently to himself at his sister's request; ‘it’d mean a lot’ circling in his brain. Giving no reply, he continued to lay silently.

“Just think about it, okay?” Lyra said, taking her leave and closing his door.

Back in his lonesome, Toby tossed the covers off of himself and sat up, looking out of his bedroom window. The trees were painted a collage of oranges and yellows, like a raging fire dripping from the reaching branches. The sun was shining down, as it always had. Leaves had begun to rot, and fell gently down onto the ground, creating piles across the backyard. He stared out at the scenery for a moment; the daring boy kept fire in his eyes. He thought back to his sister's request, and let out a melancholic sigh. That cruel autumn, in the season of no war, Toby wanted nothing but to be left alone. He watched as an old crow perched itself atop a shaking branch. Everything was in motion there, in the land of the living. Toby kept one foot in a grave, he knew he should be dead, he knew his insides were nothing but rot and maggots burrowed inside his head.

Suddenly, there was a loud thump at his window as a small bird flew into it. Toby snapped out of his own dreadful thoughts, and jumped, his heart racing, and hand at his side to retrieve the hatchet that wasn’t there. He leaned forward to peer out at the ground below him, and watched as the bird laid there, twitching in pain. Quickly, the boy jumped out of bed and still in his pajamas, rushed out of the backdoor and into his yard. He stood silently over the bird, which had broken its wing. Toby knelt down over it, and watched quietly for a moment. He thought that there was no use trying to save it — he wasn’t a martyr. His clean hand reached for the tiny bird who was half-alive, and his fingers wrapped around its neck. Toby swallowed as he tightened his grip, squeezing as hard as he could until he crushed its trachea.

“What are you doing?”

Toby quickly dropped the bird, which had now succumbed to its death, and snapped his head over to the alarmed voice. His mother stood a few feet away, her eyes wide and mortified.

“Nothing mom, it was dead when I found it. I- I was just cleaning it up,” Toby brought himself to his feet and averted his gaze from Connies, as he rushed inside.

The boy leaned over the bathroom sink, avoiding his reflection in the mirror, as he scrubbed ruthlessly at his hands. The stench of death never left him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get rid of the blood which stained every crack and crevice on his merciless fingers. It seemed as though he was losing his mind once again. No matter who preached hope and forgiveness to him, no matter the forgiveness he sought, Toby knew that he would find himself there, in the backyard of his childhood home, wringing the life out of a helpless little bird, again and again. And he didn’t know how to stop.

After taking a moment to collect himself, Toby walked into the living room, to steal a glance at his sister who was watching a Halloween movie on TV. Her earlier request to go to the pumpkin patch once again overtook his thoughts. At the very least, it was an excuse to get out of the house. Toby didn’t want to look his mother in the eyes after what had happened. He couldn’t stomach telling her what he had become; though out of that house, it was something he took pride in, almost as if it were a badge of honor or strength.

“Lyra, are you still up to go to that pumpkin patch?”

Toby looked over at his sister in the driver's seat. He hadn’t listened to a single word she was saying, though she smiled when she talked. His stomach was tied in knots. The entire car ride, Toby was waiting for something to happen, up until the moment they reached their destination.

It was a chilly evening, and the skies had only begun to darken, still offering a fair amount of daylight. Out in the country, there was a crowd of people who had taken the time off to buy pumpkins, climb hay bales, and explore the haunted corn maze. There were stray children running around and laughing, teenage couples arguing over who had lost who in the maze. It had been awhile since Toby was around this many people. He felt entirely out of place. Though nobody knew the boy, Toby felt as if they had all come to the conclusion that he was fundamentally different from them. Something feral, dangerous. And he was. He thought to himself that it was in their best interest to avoid him like he were a diseased mutt anyways — for their own sake.

Lyra made her way past the people, and Toby followed beside her. She walked over to the large variety of pumpkins which had been laid out for purchase, and began examining them.

“Should we do pumpkin carving this year?” She said, raising an eyebrow at her brother. Toby shrugged. Lyra put the pumpkin down, and looked around for a moment, before heading for the hayride, which was boarding groups of people. The two rushed over as Lyra called out for Toby to hurry, before there was no room left. They hopped on to the back, squishing their way in, and took a seat. Struck with the cold air of late October, Lyra’s cheeks were flushed red.

Toby held his hands in his lap as he sat silently, looking out at the countryside scenery around them as the horses began to pull the wagon. As they rode past the corn maze, Lyra nudged at her brother who was sitting across from her.

“We’re doing that next.”

The family which sat next to the siblings talked amongst themselves, planning with the children which costumes they’d choose for trick’or’treating. As children, Toby would stay indoors on Halloween night, while Lyra would go out with friends. He would eat all of the candy she didn’t like. Toby glanced up at his sister, who was beaming at the horses as they walked along the wooded path. She had always liked animals. The boy wondered how she would react if she knew what he had done.

A light breeze rolled past them, gathering golden leaves which had been loosely hanging from branches. One of the leaves had gotten itself caught in Lyra’s hair, which she hadn’t noticed. Toby smiled to himself as he held back a snicker. He leaned forward and picked the leaf off of her, which gained him a strange look from his sister, to which he responded by flicking the leaf at her.

Once the ride had come to a stop, the evening skies had quickly turned pitch black. The area was lit by lanterns and yard lights which illuminated the patch with a warm glow. Lyra yanked her brother's arm, dragging him over to the maze with an excited look in her eyes. As they stood on the edge of the entrance, Lyra turned to face him.

“Alright, stay close. I don't want you getting lost,” she teased. Toby rolled his eyes with a smile as he walked close behind his sister. The two adventured into the dark labyrinth, Toby made a mental note of his surroundings. He had never been good with directions as a boy, always stuck confined to his home, but as a proxy he learnt quickly how to find his way around the forest he resided in. It proved useful as he watched Lyra make wrong turns, circling back to where they came from.

“We were already here,” Toby groaned. They were lost, and Lyra was too stubborn to listen to her little brother's direction.

“Okay, well, we’ll go this way then,” She argued back. Toby sighed to himself as she confidently walked down a path he knew they had already been down.

He could hear other groups of people talking amongst themselves from other sides of the corn walls; though he couldn’t see well through the darkness of the night, he knew how to utilize his other senses. Toby continued to walk behind Lyra as he tuned in to a passing conversation. Somebody had mentioned something about a faceless man. At least, that's what Toby had heard. In all likelihood, they had said something entirely different. But the possibility was enough to make the boy feel dizzy, sick — as if the eldritch parasite had followed him out into that maze. He kept his eyes to his feet as he walked, focusing on every sound, every breath he took. The world felt like it was spinning, his heartbeat quickened until it was beating like a snare drum in his chest. Toby’s breathing got shallow as he stopped in his tracks and looked up. Lyra wasn’t in front of him anymore. She wasn’t anywhere, and he couldn’t hear any more passerby conversations. He was completely alone in the twilight depths of the maze, and he didn’t know where he was.

Toby turned around, trying to pinpoint his location.

“Lyra?”

He stared out into the black abyss in front of him, wondering if the tall, faceless abomination would suddenly appear. Toby squeezed his hands tightly, his knuckles turning white. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath as dread overtook him. He almost felt as sick as he did back in Alabama. And nobody was coming to save him. The boy gritted his teeth and shook his head, heading back down the way he assumed he came from. It was only a minute of aimless wandering before he heard the sound of people chatting and laughing together. Toby continued towards the direction of the voices, until he saw the figures walking ahead of him. They seemed to have just entered the maze, which means the entrance was close by. Toby eyed his surroundings for a moment, still unable to figure out where he was.

He awkwardly followed behind the group, fighting with himself to ask for the directions they came. For years, he had been taught that if he couldn’t figure it out on his own, then he was better off letting himself die. And then, for a moment, he thought back to that fishing trip with Tim, and the nights spent on the porch of the cabin in Mississippi with Jack. Toby swallowed his pride for the first time in a long time, and caught up to the people in front of him.

“Uh- hey. I uh, I was just wondering which direction you guys came from. I lost my sister and-” Toby stumbled over his words, half preparing himself for a fight.

“Oh! We came from that way,” a girl spoke, pointing behind him, “and if you go left you should find the entrance.”

He looked at the girl for a moment, before awkwardly thanking her.

“No worries at all, I hope you find your sister!”

Toby exhaled heavily, having held his breath, as he made his way down the path the helpful girl had pointed out for him. Soon enough, he saw the lights from the pumpkin patch peer out from over the tall corn stalks, and found himself at the entrance. As he stepped out into the casual assembly of people enjoying themselves, he looked around for any sign of his sister. His eyes darted around, before landing on a terrible, horrifying, sickening sight. Toby couldn’t believe it. He nearly felt like throwing up.

The boy bitterly walked up to Lyra, who was standing by the exit of the maze, talking to a guy who was clearly flirting with her. Toby glared daggers at the man who appeared to be a few years older than him as he approached his sister's side. Lyra broke away from the conversation she was having as she turned to her brother.

“Oh, there you are. Did you get lost or something?” Lyra asked.

“Yeah,” Toby grumbled, still eyeing the man who was now standing around awkwardly.

“So this is your brother?”

“Mhm, we got separated in the maze, I guess,” Lyra put her hand on her brother's head, which the boy swatted off.

“Who’re you?” Toby said, his brow creasing as he spoke words of violence which matched his dark, glaring eyes. He had always looked out for his sister when they were young. Toby had spent so long trained to protect his family against his father, it had leaked out into his thoughts of the world as well. With everything he had witnessed as a proxy, he knew better than to let anyone get too close.

“Mark,” he said, sticking out his hand. Toby looked down at Mark’s hand with a hint of disgust, and then over to his sister who was smiling uncomfortably.

“Oookay then. Well, I gotta get going. It was nice meeting you,” Mark said, pulling his unshaken hand back in, and heading off with a wave at Lyra, which she returned before turning around to smack her brother over the head.

“What the hell was that?” She whispered angrily.

“Nothing, let’s just go home,” Toby shoved his hands into his jacket pocket as he left for the parking lot.

The ride home was quiet as they drove down the desolate country roads. Toby looked out the passenger window, staring into the night which enveloped the distant forest. The silence was suffocating. He didn’t know if Lyra was mad at him or not; he didn’t really care either way. Lyra, frustrated at the stiff atmosphere bubbling in the car as she drove, turned on the radio. Toby fussed to himself as he was made to listen to boy bands and overplayed pop music, and sank into his seat, pressing his head up against the window he continued to stare out of. He didn’t care for Lady Gaga or Pitbull; he didn’t want to listen to Black Eyed Peas. It was the type of music his sister would always blast on her boombox stereo when her friends were around. He listened as she quietly muttered along to the lyrics of the song and watched her reflection in the window as she nodded her head along to the beat. The last time they had a moment like this, it ended with her dead, and him with blood on his hands. Toby stayed silent as he tried to fight against his motion sickness.

Lyra looked over to her brother who looked as if he had too much on his mind and reached over to turn the music up. She matched the volume as she sang out alongside the singer, stealing glances at Toby who sighed with annoyance, nudging him to join along. Toby tried his best to ignore his sister's pestering; he wasn’t in the mood for this. As his luck would have it, his rejection only strengthened her resolve as she cranked the music louder, and sang louder to match.

Toby sat himself up straight from his slouching position and looked over at his sister who was dancing along to the song as she drove. She nudged him again as Ke$ha came on.

“Come on! You can’t not sing Kesha with me,” Lyra pushed, speaking loudly over the blaring music. Shaking his head at her wild demands, Toby gave in and shyly started to mouth the lyrics, which Lyra responded with a beaming smile as she continued to sing out. As the chorus chimed in, Toby began to sing along too, and nod his head along to the beat. He tried his best to fight against the smile creeping up on his face, but couldn’t help singing alongside Lyra as the pair shouted out together. The whole world stopped for those two as they drove down the city streets, harmonizing horribly to the boy bands and overplayed pop music.

The two siblings laughed together as they entered the quiet house, throwing off their shoes.

“Thanks for coming with me tonight, dork. It's good having you back home,” Lyra said as she patted Toby’s back and left for her bedroom. The boy smiled to himself. For once, he had a good day.

[06sunnybunny06]

Part 3 (Aren't we friends?)

[18+]

♡♡♡♡

The kingdom of Archon Krio (Snowy)

Run, run, just run. Anywhere, but away from him!

My head was pounding and my legs were hurting. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins. The burning snowstorm did not allow him to escape from his embrace. Mad laughter came from behind. This is a sign of his approach. - "No. To return to his hands again? I don't want to!"

Tears flowed down her cheeks, turning into icy droplets. My legs started to hurt terribly. You're tired. Your foot tripped over a snag, knocking you into a snowdrift. This was the last attempt to act in any way. "Maybe when he notices the body, the life will have already left me?" - Unfortunately, your thoughts were drowned out by the crunch of heavy footsteps.

- Nice try. I even thought that I had already lost you.

Despite the whole situation, his tone was still playful. You ran away. She ran away almost as soon as he moved away from your temporary shelter. It was a great plan, but judging by the result, it wasn't good enough.

Ajax easily picked you up in his arms. First he looked at your half-conscious face. When his eyes revealed no injuries or frostbite, he chuckled contentedly.

- Let's get you out of here. It will be a miracle if you don't get sick after that. I know how much you like our games, but I'm seriously asking you. Don't bring it to injuries. - The last words were spoken in a serious tone.

You don't remember what happened next. Just a wonderful dream from a previous life. A warm breeze played with your hair when you were flying a kite in the form of a child. Mom and Dad were sitting next to each other. They have the same peaceful smiles on their faces as you remember them. For some reason, my heart felt so painful and anxious. The kite flew out of the hands of an already adult girl when a thunderstorm was approaching in the sky. The place where your parents were sitting is empty. Loneliness consumed you and then you remembered.

His eyes flew open, staring at the ceiling. It turned out that the tears were real. Ragged breathing broke the silence in the room. You're here again. It would have been better to die in that snowdrift than to come back here again.

How did it all start? Oh, yes, with the news of your wedding. You went to Snezhnaya to meet with Child's family. He was obviously glad that he had already taken his fiancee with him. It seemed to you that all this was more like a performance than a real marriage of two lovers. Moreover, it's unexpected, but it couldn't be any other way. If only recruitment into the ranks of Fatui. So, Child is yours in every way, but at what cost?

After your wedding, his chains seemed to fall off, opening the way to you. He was weird before, but now he seems to have turned into a real obsessive maniac. When you arrived at this establishment, the dressing room was already filled with your new clothes. Although you never mentioned your size. Okay, winter clothes, you've never had them, but you have everything from outerwear to underwear. You doubtfully decided to omit this point because Child has always been generous. Perhaps someone convinced him to prepare for your arrival. There's nothing wrong with that.

Child's family turned out to be exactly what he was talking about. A real big family with loving parents and siblings. They welcomed you warmly. The mother's eyes showed that she was afraid for her child's future. Now that he has you, will he be able to temper his ardor? From that moment on, Child wanted to hear his real name, Ajax, from your mouth.

You did not stay in your parents' house, because you had your own corner, albeit temporary. Until the next departure on the harbinger's assignment. Naturally, you will have to go with him. The trip can take from several months.

"If I'm far enough away, how can I protect you?" Besides, Fatui are not particularly friendly. Leaving an angel like you with them is fraught with bad consequences for your psyche. Or there will be some idiot who will fall in love with you, and I would not like that.

You had no choice but to agree. Moreover, the trip will not hurt anyone. If he is traveling for work, then you can relax in peace, enjoying this or that country. But something was still wrong. For some reason, my soul is not at ease from the presence of your spouse. Maybe it's because of his grip, which is getting heavier and lingers longer than usual. Maybe his eyes are as dark as the depth itself, which scan your every move. His awareness of your life was terrifying. Yes, you were friends, but you were careful with him and never told him unnecessary information. I really want to get my old life back.

Ajax looked into your shared bedroom, thinking you were asleep. When he saw your open eyes, a smile appeared on his face.

- Thank the archons, you have woken up. The doctor has come to examine you. He claims that your health is not in danger, but strongly recommends that you no longer go out in light clothes. I had to tell him that you were sleepwalking, which is why you ended up on the street almost naked.

Of course he lied. What kind of crazy person would even decide to run away from her own husband in a snowstorm in the woods?

- Child, let me go.

His eyes instantly darkened. The figure of Childe looms over you, leaning on the hand that he brought to your face. "First of all, my name is Ajax. Secondly, it is impossible, given our circumstances."

- Then maybe I should die." Not really, but just to fake his death.

He chuckled when he heard your suggestion. - " Did you really decide to leave me all alone when you and I got married?"

There are tears in your eyes. There was nothing you could do but convince him.

- You've done a lot of bad things to me. You've made my life a living hell. Everyone I loved is dead. And it's all your fault.

He grunted in displeasure, looking away. "Do you really blame me for the death of your family? I told you what happens when one of the Fatwa members turns traitor. I didn't know until one of the soldiers reported the location of the deserters' hideout. Who would have thought that your parents were one of them? Is that the only reason you decided to run away? When did we come all this way together?"

You pursed your lips. His words accused you of doing it because of a little tantrum. Like a child who was not allowed to do something, and he took it with hostility. It's a shame.

It seems that fate itself is waiting for you, revealing the dark side of Ajax, as it should be. Some time ago, one of the employees came across you dropping reports. When he quickly disappeared apologetically, you noticed another piece of paper that had fallen behind a large flower during your encounter. You wanted to catch up with him, but your eyes noticed something much more interesting. The report clearly states who died at the hands of the organization and for what. The names of people I knew seemed to glow on the paper in red ink, and most importantly, who exactly started this operation was your husband. It looks more like a betrayal than an accident. If he was planning to commit genocide in your village, then what the hell does he need you for? Questions raced through my mind. It feels like you're going crazy. There is a clear line between the concept of "lying for good" and just lying. But what Child did was a real scam.

Considering that you are now surrounded by snow-capped mountains and forests, there is no direct exit from here. Are you trapped and with whom? Someone who buried your past with his own hands. If you go anywhere, you will be guarded. With such soldiers, you need to be practically invisible to slip away unnoticed. It seems that the cryo archon itself has taken you into its cold hands, despite its blessing of the cryo archon. There is only one thing left - to go to certain death....But this idea also failed.

Ajax tried to calm you down somehow by stroking your head. It's all about love. Yes, it's love. From your first meeting, you naively relied on Childe, knowing nothing about Li Yue, as if you were already connected. He remembered his younger brother, Teucer. Curiosity, naivety and a desire to live in a bright world accurately described your condition. The great similarity between you has activated the role of protector in the harbinger's soul. Your face sometimes took on a childish expression rather than an adult one, like other residents of Li Yue. This is a city of contracts, where everyone has an idea about finance, business, and so on. It is not difficult to see visitors, especially those who do not understand anything about society. It's like being born in a safe cocoon and being thrown into this dirty, cruel world.

He immediately noticed the snow roots in your face, behavior and manner of speech. It remains only to find out whose fruit of love you are. Imagine his surprise when the soldier sent your relatives in search of you. He talked about people who live in a small hidden village located in the middle of nowhere. In fact, these are the disappeared Statues. Each of them had some kind of tragedy behind them. From death in the clutches of one of the monsters to death as a result of natural disasters. Who had the imagination for what. His breath caught in his throat. Isn't this a great chance to win your heart? This is a great opportunity to make it clear what will happen if your family somehow deprives him of the opportunity to be with you. That was the plan-just to get to know each other better. But the former Fatui had other thoughts on this matter. They decided to fight for their existence, someone tried to escape. When he personally plunged the water blade into your father's body, your mother just stared, losing all hope. You and she really have something in common in your face. They didn't acknowledge your existence. It seemed like they didn't have a daughter, but what they left behind proved the exact opposite. Your room is tiny compared to what he can give you. Your clothes smelled like you, as if they had been taken off recently. He took away almost everything that reminded him of you. When Tartaglia turned to the still-warm bodies, a glint on the woman's finger caught his attention. A silver snowflake ring. This decoration will be a good addition to your love.

He sighed blissfully. Now there are no obstacles to creating your cozy nest. All that remains is to protect you from the Queen's influence. She'll be glad to see a soldier with his cryo element. But all this was not for her, but for Childe.

- I won't give it to anyone...

He is afraid of losing you, as well as his family, because of Fatua, because of the queen. They are all dangerous to you. Tartaglia specifically develops strength in order to protect her loved ones, but in your case this will not be enough. It will take a trick. Only marriage remains. Yes, this is what you need. You didn't realize at all that you grew up among traitors. Child, on the contrary, saved you from their influence. Fortunately, his nonsense reached the ears of the ruler. She blessed your marriage. That was enough to take you under my wing. The most important thing is that you don't find out the whole truth. That's what he thought until today.

Something was wrong. Your face didn't show its old smile during his departure. My gut was bothering me. When Ajax came home, you weren't there. You just disappeared. When he went outside, panic seized him. There was no one in the yard. "Where the hell are all the employees?! Why isn't anyone looking out for her?!"

When the guy didn't find you, he was overcome by a feeling of anger mixed with madness. He started laughing out loud. He couldn't even save one jewel. Calming down, Child began to act. Even if you left, you wouldn't be able to get far in such a storm. There were footprints in the snow. Your footprints. The panic began to recede, but there are many dangers in the forest. Plus, if you add a snowstorm. Unless you die of frostbite...

He was happy that you were alive. For some reason, you don't want to see him anymore.

"You know, I risked my life to save you. Do you have any idea what I'm like? Taking care of my family is part of my responsibilities, and now you've become a part of them too. All my life, I've done everything just for the people I love. Don't I deserve the same love from you?

His desperate thoughts surprised you. Until the Fatuis noticed your presence, they sometimes talked about Ajax as a killing machine. They were afraid of him. But this is not a monster in front of you right now. This is a man with his own fears and desires.

And here it is again. The feeling of guilt overwhelmed you. He's doing it on purpose! How many times have you fallen for his manipulations, but if you think about it, that's how it is. He protects you, pays for everything necessary for your comfort. If you weigh the scales, then his side will be heavier than yours. But his love is scary and obsessive.

You groaned in displeasure. My head is about to explode from so many contradictions. One person has just appeared in your life, and has already caused so many problems.

"I-I can't leave you, no matter what.... - Tears started flowing from your eyes. You're desperate.- I do not know what to do. It hurts me, I'm scared. You are guilty and at the same time not guilty at all. Why is all this happening to me? I wanted to live freely, like an ordinary person. To look at the stars when I can't sleep, to get up early because of workdays. There are all sorts of goodies, and when the weather is very warm, go to the sea. But none of this makes sense right now. Because of the connection with you, I feel like a puppet who is controlled the way they want...

Emotions have enveloped you. You burst into tears, having no idea how to continue living. Ajax lay down next to you and hugged you. Who knew that your tears are so exciting? His arms wrapped around your sniffling face as your lips closed with each other. His tongue found its way into your mouth without difficulty.

You were so preoccupied with your grief that you didn't notice how the light nightgown was slipping down. His hands started wandering over your body. The kissing tracks first marked the chin until they were at the level of the collarbones.

You exhaled when you felt a big cold hand squeeze your chest. Fingers squeezed the hardened nipples, playing with them. Ajax, for the sake of keeping warm, did not take off his clothes, continuing to descend lower and lower over your body.

Wait, what are you doing? - You realized his actions when Ajax started pulling off your white lace panties. His personal gift.

- Isn't it time for us to fulfill our marital duty? I'll prove to you how much I care about you. He licked his lips, admiring your entrance. He just wanted to taste her. His tongue began to wander over sensitive lips, penetrating inside. Whatever your taste is, it's divine, and now it all belongs to Ajax.

You tried to restrain your moans, feeling how pleasant it becomes in the lower abdomen from your husband's courtship. It feels like a knot is being tied inside. Your hand tried to pull his head away from your vagina, but Child wrapped his arms tightly around your legs for support, not allowing you to move an inch. He clung like an animal, absorbing any secretions. And now you are already standing at the aisle, breathing becomes heavier, the rhythm is faster and, finally, liberation.

With a loud groan, you sank onto the pillow. The blood was throbbing in his temples. It was so nice. The blanket with Childe rose above you. His chin was covered with wet tracks, and his tongue was defiantly licking everything off his fingers.

- Look what you've done. If you didn't love me, this wouldn't have happened. "Your face is red from his teasing.

"Are you kidding me again?" I can leave if you don't finish!

He just giggled at your threat. - "Well, no, since we started, we need to finish."

You felt something hard pressing between your legs. " Do you feel it? This is the fruit of my love. He's only like this because of you, silly. He must be deep inside you for us to finally connect."

You were scared. "It will be unpleasant for me. And if it hurts?"

-Shh, I'll be careful not to do that. - Ajax kissed your forehead, soothing you.

You closed your eyes, listening to him unzip the zipper. Something solid began to invade your space, which caused an unpleasant stretching. You suffered a little discomfort clutching the blanket in your hands. There was a groan from Child.

- God, it's so tight. My dear, you have received me so well. I entered almost completely.

His lips pressed against yours as he began to move slowly. His arms wrap around yours without opening them. After a while, the discomfort was replaced by pleasant tremors. The rhythm became even faster, accompanied by moans in your mouths. The room was filled with heat, moans, and skin-to-skin patting. A knot began to form in my stomach again. Ajax pulled away from you, forming a bridge of saliva between you. His eyes looked into yours with love, his cheeks were covered with blush. He hugged you again, moaning right in your ear.

- I love you, I love you so much. You have no idea how long I've wanted this!

He didn't mention that his patience could have broken down much earlier. How he wanted to kiss you, put you on his desk, spread your legs and enter. To taste you. These thoughts made his groan louder. At one point, you both froze, freeing yourself. His white milk mixed with the secretions inside you. You were breathing heavily, calming your breathing, when you felt the tremors resume.

- what? Isn't that all?

Ajax looked excited, and hearts seemed to appear in his eyes. "But we didn't fully enjoy it! I want more. You can't refuse me, can you? I've done so much for you."

It was more than once. You've already stopped counting the number of orgasms. He started all over again anyway, changing his position one by one.

Almost in the morning you were lying unconscious, hugging each other tightly. Ajax opened his eyes for a moment, listening to your measured breathing. He did everything to make you lose your strength for something. The guy hoped that your thoughts would now be directed in his direction, and not be sad about the death of your family. He is ready to please at least every day, for the sake of your love. You're not going to get anywhere anyway. Maybe if you create your own family, you won't torment yourself with the past anymore?

Ajax sighed blissfully and kissed your forehead. He got comfortable, hugged you tighter and plunged into the land of Morpheus.

[sapphicwizards]

“I have to hand it to you,” said the professor. “It is courageous of you to stand against one such as me.”

Two wizards faced each other under the mid-day sun. It was a hot spring day, the kind that's pleasant when you're in the forest or by the water, but here on the open stone road, the heat and humidity was oppressive. A young woman stood across from her opponent. Where he wore purple satin robes, her garb was a simply sewn tunic in traditional patterned weave. Where he carried a silver staff tipped with sapphire, she held a twisting bough of willow.

Heddle spat blood onto the road stones. She used her staff to steady herself, one hand holding her side. “I’m not feeling very courageous right now,” she coughed. She was caught off guard by his latest force-blast and took damage to her right lung. She was able to cast a spell to repair it but needed to buy some time for it to finish doing its work. Hopefully her opponent would think the fight is over. Wizards who cough up blood don’t usually make it another round. But she was not only a wizard. “My mother taught me... She said that courage is when you are afraid but...” She trailed off. Heddle didn't need to pretend to be in pain.

The man relaxed his fighting stance. Good, she thought. His face relaxed as well, though he was still red, and his lip still curled upwards in disgust.

He began calmly walking towards her. Before he reached her, the spell finished and Heddle felt a wave of relief as the pain melted away. She smiled. At this, the elf's eyes widened and he resumed his fighting stance. “I don’t care what your witch mother has to say about courage. Provincial filth.”

Mom isn't even a witch, she thought. Heddle put her arms behind her back and stood up straight in a mocking posture. This way she could begin casting a spell without him noticing. It was an offensive spell she’d concocted exactly for scenarios like this one. “Well, you see,” she said with a smug grin, “the reason I’m not feeling very courageous right now-”

“-you’re dead, girl,” the wizard interrupted. Heddle noted a hint of panic in his voice. Maybe he realized that he had no idea what was going on. If she could recover from something like that and keep fighting, then she must know magic completely unfathomable to him. He would be right.

The elf began to chant up another force blast but Heddle finished her spell first. She lifted both her arms in front of her and pointed both index fingers at him. The elf furrowed his brow, but before he could counter, two beams of blue light erupted from Heddle’s fingers meeting at the wizard’s feet. He looked down. Pop. The spell exploded and sent the elf spinning backwards and upwards through the air. His silver staff sparkled in the sun as it spun off in a different direction. Only a moment later, the wizard was crumpled on the ground in a heap of shiny lavender fabric.

Heddle ran up to the professor's landing place. He appeared to be unconscious, but she didn’t want to make the same mistake he had. After some inspection, she assessed that he was in fact conscious. Good. He had however dislocated a shoulder, broken a hip, and had a collapsed windpipe. Unless he had some tricks up his sleeve like she had, he wouldn’t be casting anything else today, maybe not for quite some time.

She bent down, blocking the sun with her head and spoke in a friendly tone. “I’m not feeling brave, Mr Awen. Because I’m not afraid.” She lied. She was lucky to be alive and she knew it.

Her opponent could not respond. His life was quickly slipping away. Heddle could heal him almost completely right now, but she wouldn’t. The priestesses were not far behind and would find him in an hour or so. The young witch made sure to stabilize him so he would survive the wait. She fixed his windpipe, popped his shoulder back in, and stabilized his hip so the injury wouldn't worsen. There was the matter of his concussion, but that could not be healed by magic, at least not for a witch of her skill. It would be a long and painful wait for rescue.

She needed this moment to be burned into his mind so brightly that he would never even think to go after her and her friends ever again.

Heddle leaned in closer. "Remember this mercy," she said. "If I see you again, I'll kill you." She lied.

[chaikachi]

ok ok - so you've mentioned Oscar's absence is just starkly obvious in Ever After. How so? Or more specific, how much different do you think things would have been if he was there? Especially in light of....... that recent event.

Thank you so much for your patience @skynapple! I knew this would be a long answer so it took me a bit to gather everything.

I think I've mentioned it in different ways across a few posts by now, but I'll try and summarize it all here!!

How Oscar's Absence Has Been Emphasized Throughout V9 (Specifically Through Ruby's Attachment to Him)

The first thing that clues us into this is actually how v8 is set up. When the teams are split, they're split by pairings. Or at the very least, foils (I will be referring to ship names just for conveniences sake).

Yang vs. Blake Ren vs. Nora Jaune vs. Weiss Oscar vs. Ruby

And we have multiple examples of who is supposed to foil who by the orders they're standing in the opening specifically. Which, as we all know, is full of symbolism and foreshadowing for the volume as a whole.

Example 1: We have the Bees at the center followed by Renora, Whiteknight, and Rosegarden left to right on either side of them.

Example 2: We have Ruby and Yang set as foils here with where they're positioned in proximity to the camera as the 'leaders' of each group. But if you look at them in a lineup order again from the outside in, it starts with Renora followed by RG, then WK and BB are flipped.

Example 3: Technically these are the first shots focused on division in the entire opening... and it's literally who mirrors who. Bees at the far left and right. Renora the next ones in. Then Whiteknight. And Rosegarden again.

Beyond the symbolism in the opening, this is reinforced by what happens over the course of the volume.

The divide that starts in the first episode is brought on by a disagreement between Ruby and Yang... but where Ruby worries about Yang, Yang worries more about Blake than her sister.

Yang: Do you... think she thinks less of me? For not helping out with Amity? (she asks while looking at a piece of purple machinery) Jaune: Ruby is your sister, she's always going to love you. Even if you disagree with each other. Yang: Yeah... Ruby...

And Blake, by extension, is worrying about Yang.

Ruby: I hope everyone is doing alright...* Blake: If you're worried about Yang, you could always try calling her? *flashback to when Ruby said "I'm just glad you're alright." when she found Oscar in the crater only to be separated from him again.

Ren and Nora's arcs and clash of ideals are clearly in focus as well, especially after their 'confession' in Risk.

Nora: I don't actually know who I am... without Ren... - Nora: When my mom ran from the grimm and left me behind... you found me. We became "Ren and Nora". But I realized on this mission apart... I don't know who just "Nora" is.

Jaune and Weiss is more subtle because they don't have as much character focus that volume, but they are the last two people left standing after Cinder's attack and were the only two present when Penny died. We instead see how that relationship is focused on throughout v9 in light of that shared experience.

That focus is exactly what happens with Ruby and Oscar's relationship as well, not just in spite of Oscar's absence, but because of it.

All the pairings I just mentioned? They all finished Volume 8 'reunited'. Or I guess a better description would be 'in the same place'.

Yang and Blake in the Ever After. Jaune and Weiss too. Ren and Nora back in Vacuo.

But Ruby and Oscar? They were the only two established foils that were split up in v8 that didn't get an actual reunion. And that's shown plain and clear in Ultimatum where we see everyone come back together only for RG's hug to be focused on and then interrupted. Foreshadowing to say they weren't quite there yet and to build up to a bigger reunion later on.

Part of the reason why I say his absence is so strongly felt is because RG is a ship built on absences. I am once again going to talk about other volumes first, I PROMISE i will get to v9 in a second, please bare with me ahaha.

In the v5 finale, we have focus on Oscar's reaction over everyone else when Ruby is knocked out of commission.

In v6, we have focus on Ruby when Oscar disappears and a focus on the two of them again when he returns in the following episode. (Not pictured in this gif is Ruby's eyes shaking in fear when she's told Oscar is missing, Ruby gasping when he opens the door, Ruby laughing when they tackle him to the floor, and Ruby helping him up afterwards).

In v7, it's established from episode 2 that they're having conflict which is elaborated on further in the following episode and further still by them being apart and in disagreement for the following few episodes. Until they both come to trust each other again during The Fumble in episode 9.

And I already spoke about the divide in v8.

But then v9? Where literally the first thing Ruby sees at the beginning of the volume is an illusion of Oscar? Not Yang first. Not Penny first. But Oscar?? And that illusion is one of him beaten and covered in bruises to really hurt Ruby more?

The scene where Neo flips between those people establishes three things that all get explored throughout the rest of the season.

Ruby's grief over Penny

Ruby's conflict and connection with her sister

Ruby's attachment to Oscar

The focus on her grief with Penny ties back into the Dojo Scene in volume 5. Where Oscar was the first and only person she actually talked to about that grief.

Ruby: When Beacon fell, I lost two of my friends. Penny Polendina and Pyrrha Nikos.

The focus on her connection to Yang in this volume, one where her sister finally enters a relationship with Blake, leaves Ruby feeling left behind by one of the few people she thought she had left. Even if it is irrational and not an actual loss, that distance feels stronger to Ruby here because she's already grieving so many other losses she hasn't processed yet.

I've gone over the above scene before, but part of what clues us into her thinking of Oscar, or at least the emphasis on his absence, is the symbolism used. Throughout the volumes, Oscar has been associated very strongly with sunlight, fire, and warmth that drives away the cold of Ruby's grief. This is most specifically and consistently shown with him being framed by lamps and lanterns.

So when she is placed in a room with her team, furthest from the fire (warmth), next to a lantern, across from an empty chair with a green/teal cloth on it? It's pretty easy to assume who she's thinking about. Weiss could have sat there. Or Jaune. But neither did. Because they wanted us to see how alone Ruby felt.

And then the focus on her attachment to Oscar with his death being the last illusion Neo uses against her. The illusion that breaks her to the point of reaching for the tea the first time and would have been the final straw had the Curious Cat not interrupted them.

Not only does this volume highlight what Oscar's absence in the Ever After does to Ruby... It also focuses on what the meaning of losing him in general would do to her. Because Oscar, above all else, is a symbol of exactly what motivates her to keep fighting.

In her letter in v4, she starts to tell Yang that they have to keep fighting for the people they've already lost... but then she hesitates. Crosses it out. Corrects that who they actually need to fight for is the people they haven't lost yet.

And Neo's personally tailored torture chamber starts by haunting Ruby with the memory of all those she has lost, or those whose deaths she feels responsible for...

...only to deal the finishing blow by telling her that if she keeps down the path she's headed, she will lose those she still has left. And she drives that point home with Oscar. Once again, not her sister Yang, not her friend Penny, not her team partner Weiss, not her Uncle Qrow, or any of their other friends.

Neo. Uses. Oscar.

Because he is who Ruby is closest to. And his loss is the one that would hit her the hardest.

As for the second portion of your question (I promise this section will be shorter) of how the volume might have been different had Oscar been around it's... really hard to say.

I truly believe his absence made this volume possible given how they structured it, and I really don't think it would have worked in the ways they needed it to had he been there.

That being said, I am down to speculate.

Oscar's always been very tuned into how Ruby is feeling or noticing when she's struggling and jumping to help when he can. There's a possibility he would have tried to do so had he been there. He may have had an approach like "No, enough of the moving forward nonsense, you are not okay and we are going to address that before we keep going". If he had and it had worked, then much of the conflict of that volume just wouldn't have happened, would have been postponed, or would have been resolved without Ruby ascending, which she needed to do in order to move the plot forward.

At the very least, Oscar would have snapped at both Weiss and Jaune for talking to Ruby the ways they had been before that boiled over. But I don't know that he would have actually been able to help with what little time they had... as well as some other factors.

Ruby was at a very low point, Yang was trying to get her to open up and Ruby wouldn't. Weiss and Blake also tried to offer support or reassurances but fell short.

One of the interactions with WBY that happens after Ruby snaps and storms off clues us into this:

Yang: Dammit! How could she just run off like that? Blake: She was clearly upset. Yang: That wasn't upset, that was... UGH! She could have just talked to us. Weiss: Maybe she didn't feel like she could.

I feel like this is a double edged sword. On one hand, with Oscar's absence being focused on, it implies that maybe Ruby didn't feel like she could talk to her team... but she might have been able to talk to Oscar because we know she felt safe enough to do that before. Both the dojo scene, and the fumble are great examples of this.

But there reaches a certain point for everyone struggling with mental health where community support doesn't cut it. Ruby may have been at too low of a point to even talk to him of all people. And Oscar trying to force her to open up when she didn't have it in her could have very well done more harm than good.

One other thing that's said in the volume after Ruby has begun ascending is this:

Weiss: We've done everything we can. Now it's up to Ruby.

I think Weiss of all people did more harm to Ruby's mental state than any good, but I digress.

The point of this line is that friends and family can offer support as best they can, but sometimes you have to fight your own battles. This was a journey Ruby had to do alone. Which as a side note, is a very nice parallel to Nora's current arc.

I think with enough time and support, that maybe Ruby would have been able to avoid locking it all away until she burst... But stories are driven by conflict and their subsequent resolution. Ruby's breakdown needed to happen one way or another and was a long time coming.

And I think they way they used Oscar - and specifically, his absence - to contribute to that breaking point was executed brilliantly.

Even if it hurt like hell 😭

[therealnightcity]

[Subject Interview: Ares]

NICKNAME: Ares is a nickname, actually. My full name is Arisa, but it's only ever that when I'm in trouble for something.

GENDER: Female

STAR SIGN: I'm a Tarus. (Bet you thought I was going to say Aries huh?) It says I'm dependable, and logical but also stubborn and set in my ways. I hope I'm the first, but I don't think I'm that stubborn, unless it's something that matters a lot. And that I'm attracted to people who make me feel safe and comfortable. I don't know who wrote this, but 'safe' isn't exactly in plentiful supply in Night City, or the Badlands.

HEIGHT: 6'3, (or 191cm for those of you across the pond)

ORIENTATION: Women please, not that I have anything again men. They're just not for me, thanks.

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: I was born in the Badlands, but my mom was from Brazil, and my dad was Japanese. I never met him, he ran off before I was born. I never met him and yeah I wonder what he was like, but if he was a nice person, he'd have stuck around. I have two amazing mom's though, and I can't complain.

FAVE FRUIT: I love cantaloupe! Dakota grows these melons that are the best thing I've ever tasted. Watermelon too! Or cactus fruit (but its's even better as liquor, at least till the next morning.)

FAVE SEASON: Spring is my favorite--when it starts to get a little warmer, and the flowers start peeking out again. Everyone makes the Badlands sound like it's devoid of life, but they've never been to the places where the wildflowers have been growing back.

FAVE FLOWER: I've always liked California Fuchsia. It has these little red flowers, and soft green leaves, that look like they're brushed with frost. I try to take a sprig home with me when I find it.

FAVE SCENT: It'd have to be campfire smoke. Always reminds me of summer nights, and the smell of something good roasting over the coals. I also love the smell of oil--I'm sure it's not good for me, but it's familiar, and there's comfort in that.

COFFEE, TEA, HOT CHOCOLATE: Coffee for me, no milk or sugar, and preferably over a campfire.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: I try to get at least 8, but let's be honest, that's a goal and not a given.

DOG OR CAT PERSON: Dogs for me! Not that I don't like cats, but I've always grown up with dogs. I have two, Luna and Jiji (who's the size of a cat anyway, so I think he counts.)

DREAM TRIP: I'd love to go back to Colorado. We traveled through the area when I was younger, and I've always wanted to stay longer. Or further up the coast would be nice too. Anywhere with nature, or open spaces. The cities have always been a little too much.

FAVE FICTIONAL CHARACTER POET: I can't pick a single character (there's too many I like) so you get my favorite poet instad. I love Jack Kerouac--there's this passage--

“As I was hiking down the mountain with my pack I turned and knelt on the trail and said ‘Thank you, shack.’ Then I added ‘Blah,’ with a little grin, because I knew that shack and that mountain would understand what that meant, and turned and went on down the trail back to this world.”

I don't know what his world was like, but I wish I could have seen it. One with "beautiful blue sunshine sky" or "hundreds of miles of pure snow-covered rocks and virgin lakes and high timber".

NUMBER OF BLANKETS THEY SLEEP WITH: I sleep with one, if the dogs don't steal it in the middle of the night.

RANDOM FACT: I know how to fly a plane! Not a big one, but my mom taught me. She's...a little weird about it when you ask her where she learned, but people have their secrets, I guess.

---

Happy to talk again, if you ever feel like it. Sure you don't want a drink? I think I have a couple beers if you've got a while.

[countrymusiclover]

57 - They Grow Up Too Fast

Part 58

Family is More than Blood

@melvia-ito @vavafaure1994 @kmc1989 @tallrock35

All the Mikaelson / Lane kids are now portrayed by the actors on the sequel cover 😁

Five years ago

Entering the main lodge room of the boarding school I felt the stiffening in my shoulders walking towards the podium in the center of the room. The decision I made today would change the course of this school for the rest of its lives. Stepping up in front of the podium I didn’t take my gaze off of my husband who was standing in the back corner of the room near the window. “Good morning, everyone. I know it’s been quite some time before you all have seen me around here and I will report that I am back to my old self. And I have an announcement that deals with the school’s current system in place.”

“Mom, where exactly are Alina and Jackson?” Hope raised her hand sitting beside Missy on the first row with the Saltzman twins.

Tapping my fingers on the podium I paused. “I was informed that your sister and her husband decided to take young Xavier to New Orleans to clear her head for a while.”

“Is it because of all the villain attacks, mommy?” Henrik asked, swinging his legs back and forth.

Nodding my head slowly, yes I placed my hands down on the podium hoping this speech goes well. “Particularly yes that was one of the reasons she mentioned. But y’all don’t need to worry as we haven’t had any attacks as of recently and I intend to keep it that way.”

“So what’s the new system then?” Missy piped into the group conversation.

“It seems in the best interest of you all that we go back to where all the stress of keeping the world safe from these monsters should fall on the headmaster's shoulders. So I have decided that some of you should spend the next year attending Mystic Falls High and get the experience of being somehat human for a change.” I heard muttering coming from the crowd of young students sitting before me. “Now I know that y’all might have objections to this but I assure you this will only be willing participants.”

Missy rose along with Josie and MG. “We’ll go.”

“Okay anyone else?”

The shut double doors opened and everyone turned their heads seeing the familiar face of Andrea. “I’ll go too when I turn 15 of course.” I parted my mouth open not expecting her to be here considering my brother and Hayley had also left the school for safety and other reasons.

“Then it’s settled these four will be the first run and if they are successful some more of you may join in. If you decide being human isn’t for you this school shall always be here for you.” Klaus vamped up to the podium standing by my side.

Footsteps ran into the room standing in the doorway glaring at my husband and I. “We need to talk now, privately.” Alaric left the room before we vamped into the main office that we heard him walk into.

“What do you want to talk about, Ric. We’re kinda in the middle of something here.” I asked moving to stand a few feet away from him.

He huffed, dropping his shoulders. “What were you thinking about sending some of the kids to Mystic High to pretend to be human? The reason we built this place was to protect them from the judgments of the humans in this town.”

“The monster attacks have put too much pressure on these kids. They need to just be kids again and the only way I see that happening is if they pose as humans.”

Klaus entered the conversation. “It’s been years ago, mate. But Caroline, Elena, Stefan, my wife and even Rebekah did your best to pose as humans when they attended that school. I also remember you pretending to be a human professor at a college when you met your wife from what you told my wife.”

“It’s too dangerous. This is a safe place for them.” Alaric snapped back at us.

Running my hands down my face I groaned. “We wouldn’t be kicking them out forever. They all would still be living here. But this gives them a chance to be somewhat normal and just be kids for once in their lives. Some of us never got that chance, this is what we should give to our children.”

Klaus crossed his arms over his chest. “Alaric, you know my wife has a valid point. These kids are supposed to be better. This is how they'll learn like we did.”

“Ric, please just give me a chance. You look after the ones at Mystic High and I'll look after the ones here.” I gave him a begging look where his eyes finally met mine and he did finally cave under the stare agreeing with me.

Walking up the stairs to the Saltzman girls bedroom I was hoping Lizzie would be there since I needed to talk with her about Alina. She was the only person she would contact, so she's basically my inside woman if you will. Opening the door I peaked my head inside seeing her sitting on the edge of her bed. “Have you heard anything from her recently?”

“Sorry Auntie Rae but I've got nothing. I'm assuming it's because she's busy with her hairy breatheron pack.”

I sighed sitting down on the foot of Josie's bed. “I never thought any of my kids would just stop talking to me or even my twin brother for that matter.”

“We just have to hope that one day the people we love will come back to us once they realize the huge mistake of cutting us out had on their lives.” She piped up and I knew she was referring to Josie still attending Mystic High with the others.

Alaric still had his principal job there so he could keep an eye on the group of kids we had sent over there. “We'll just have to keep up hope for that to happen - Henrik!” Whipping my head around to the door that got busted open I saw my oldest son coming in all frantically.

“Mom, it's Charming and Rapunzel. They're sliding down the staircases again.” He said in a huff, running a hand through his tousled curls that made him resemble so much of his father.

I raised a brow figuring he had more to say otherwise he wouldn't have come in here. “They'll be fine, baby. You and your sisters used to do that all the time when you were younger. So what’s really going on?”

“I know what this is really about.” Lizzie smirked in my direction. “Well aren’t you going to tell her?”

He shakes his head in defense. “No, I don't really want to.”

“She’s your mother. She'll find out eventually, might as well tell her now. Little wolf boy.”

Making a confused expression towards the siphon witch I looked back at my son. “Henrik, sweet boy you can tell me anything, remember. But if you're not comfortable that's fine too.”

“It's about a girl, mom. I want to ask her out. And - and she goes here.” Henrik's face turned red with embarrassment but he had a small smile on his face.

My mouth fell open in shock not expecting that response from him. “Klaus! I think we need to have the talk now.” I called his name knowing he'd hear me wherever he was. We'd have to realize that our younger children were growing up.