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labeteenmoi · 2 months ago

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Kings of the Subura

Part 3

Fandom : Those About To Die

Pairing : Tenax x OC

Warnings : explicit sexual content, violence mentions, alcohol abuse

Summary : The perfect date ;)

Tagging the beloved readers @pckji @somebirdortheother and @darkrose33

Notes : if you want to be tagged for the next chapter, just hit me

In the now well installed night, Tenax’s appartment was plunged in darkness, only the faint moonlight rays allowed to see where to put your feet to reach the long wooden table.

That's where she headed, mechanically, distantly hearing Tenax closing the entrance door behind her. Her mind lightly fogged by the wine, Briga felt his eyes on her back, his footsteps following her and his breath’s increasing intensity as he got closer. She turned around and was taken aback by his immediate proximity, more than she had perceived.

Tenax was only contours in the darkness, and a lunar flickering glow in the eyes that were leaning in on her. She barely had time to hold a breath in as his lips landed on hers.

That had been quite an interesting day.

That morning, as soon as Briga had joined Claudia and his master in the kitchen, he had declared:

"Claudia, please braid her hair. We’re going to the races."

Tenax held back a smile while observing Briga’s reaction, almost as well as she held back her thrill.

Four days and four nights had passed since the last race and just as much time following the other's actions out of the corner of their eyes, as if nothing had happened and yet, something had changed in the way they looked at each other. A curious tension was growing between them, and Tenax's discussion about the balance of power was not unrelated to it: each tried to keep the upper hand on the other, both in denial the obvious attraction.

He held his breath when Claudia brought her back, dressed like he'd never seen her before. She wore a sober grey dress but made of a thin and flowing good quality fabric that enveloped her silhouette lightly, making her appear even more slender; and a long, soft braid rested on her shoulder, falling to her waist. Her dark hair thus disciplined gave her a wise and serious air, but her smooth tanned face with its cold pale green gaze made her seem inaccessible, severe. This pleased him, very much. Above all, he liked that her appearance hid so well the ferocity that slumbered within her.

"Let’s go." He finally let out in a controlled exhale, forcing himself to take his eyes off her.

She followed him down the stairs, barely breathing, trying to refrain the excitement of finally seeing the sun and the sky wide open over her head, so concentrated that she almost bumped into Tenax when he suddenly stopped in his tracks when reaching the last door separating them from the outside, and turned around.

She looked up at him, surprised. There was a vague concern in his eyes that seemed to search her face for the words he wanted to say.

He hesitated. Was it safe to let her out, wouldn’t she just disappear at the first corner of the crowded streets. Should he impose his authority, threaten her as to keep her close. But when he saw a look of sincere disappointment growing on her face, he changed his mind and turned around, finally opening the door.

She followed his steps outside and stopped. Intense golden rays of sunlight of the late morning fell upon her and Tenax realized that was all she was longing for, to revel in the warm and comforting light. So, he waited for her to have her fill, watching her face raised to the sky with closed eyes, her skin seemed suddenly made of gold.

She had almost forgotten where she was, bathing in the soothing light of the sun. When she regained her senses with a deep breath, Briga saw Tenax staring at her intensely.

"I’m ready." She said, a slightly amused pout on her lips.

Tenax cleared his throat for good measure and continued his way without a word, leading her through the streets of the Subura.

She had never seen so many people in only one place, crossing paths and saluting each other; children running through their legs, dogs barking, merchants shouting, smokes and smells of food, sweat and flowers. A joyful chaos that respectfully parted on Tenax’s way, like a king honouring his grateful subjects of his presence. She followed right behind him for a while but as the crowd got denser, he slowed down to let her reach his side.

He sometimes commented the streets and tall monuments they crossed, and she would silently watch and listen with an unmoved expression.

They reached a large dim-lighted tavern. Like most of the streets they had been through, it seemed as if the place had been built in the basements of the city, like an anthill in the ground that only reaches the surface and the light of day through a few rare interstices. This one was in the shadow of the impressive Circus Maximus, a construction so large she could only have a glimpse of it from the outside.

"This is my betting tavern, the largest one in Rome." said Tenax with a proud smile, waving his hands as if he were making the place appear by magic.

He would have liked to see at least a hint of admiration appear on her face, but she remained stony. With a resigned pout, he took her to a table where several large men were eating and talking loudly; at their approach they became promptly silent.

"This is Briga, she works for me." Tenax declared with authority. They all nodded respectfully while eyeing her with curiosity. "Take a seat," he added to her intention, "I have some matters to discuss."

As he left her there and headed to the betting counter on the other side of a used brownish curtain, she turned to the men that kept watching her in silence while chewing on their food. Surely, knowing that they shared the same master prevented them of showing any kind of disrespect. She did appreciate that Tenax did not mention her as his slave, a fair gesture that somewhat made her feel at ease while she glared back at them.

After a few moments of intense mutual gauging, some stares becoming wary, others warming up; a tall, bald man gathered some bread and fruits onto a plate and pretended to hand it to her before placing it on the table next to him. She observed his gestures and as he waited, she nodded slightly before taking place at the table as silently as a cat and eating a few grapes.

"Wine?" asked the bald man while lifting a jug.

He had a little defiant air this time, a small, amused smile lifting the corner of his lips and hold still as if waiting for a particular answer.

"Yes." Briga finally let out with narrowed eyes.

"She talks!" happily let out one of the men.

His peers chuckled in unison before resuming their conversations as the man poured her the wine.

After a moment, Tenax popped out from behind the curtain and tilted his head in surprise at seeing her sipping on a glass, installed at the table with his men as if they had been long time acquaintances. He approached behind her and grabbed a slice of apple from her plate, hovering over her shoulder. She froze instantly, feeling him against her back, his arm almost closing on her chest as he picked the fruit. Such proximity felt strangely intimate, and the men next to her seemed to have the same feeling from their equivocal grins as they watched their master’s move. He had done it again, giving her some confidence before tauntingly taking it back. It felt amusingly annoying to her but she kept it to herself with the straightest face she could summon.

He stood-up, biting the apple with an amused grin, faking innocence in his intentions.

"Don’t you have anything else to do that would be worth my money?" he called out ironically to his grinning men.

How strange this degree of loyalty from all the people that surrounded Tenax, she thought. All of them had stood up like one, with no objection nor annoyed sigh on their lips, and left the room on the instant. Perhaps if he paid her, she would act the same way.

"Is the wine good?" he asked with a smirk.

"I’ve had better." She daringly answered while taking another sip.

Tenax chuckled: "Good enough for what it’s for, though."

Indeed, it was. It was suspiciously spicy on the tongue but with a sweet aftertaste, it didn't take a whole glass to start feeling her head and eyelids a little heavier. It reminded her that it had been a while since she hadn’t drunk wine, making it even more intoxicating.

"Come, I have matters to see at the stables before the race starts." He ordered, however reaching out his hand to help her up.

Briga’s eyes oscillated between the hand and his face with a discrete interrogative air, wondering if he could see that her senses were getting a bit numb, and chose to ignore his help with a defiant glare. She could play too after all. He snickered briefly at the attitude but seemed more amused than annoyed.

The stables were even more plunged in the darkness than the tavern, and the heavy smell left no doubt to where they were. Her master took her inside what he called the blue faction one and left her in front of the first box where a beautiful brown stallion was nibling on some hay, while he attended to whatever business he had there again, disappearing in the depths of it.

As she approached the box, the horse lifted his head when suddenly a familiar voice raised behind her:

"That is a beautiful beast, don’t you think?"

Scorpus. She rolled her eyes but didn't turn away from the animal.

The man came closer, speaking softer as he advanced:

"It’s heavy but fast… and powerful!... Do you want to touch it?" he added, his tone heavy with innuendo as he reached her side, eyeing her silhouette with a malicious grin.

His eyes suddenly lit up when she turned her head to him.

"You!" He searched his memory for a few seconds. "Briga! I’m happy to see you!"

His enthusiasm was quite disturbing to say the least. Despite the salacious words he had addressed her, he seemed a bit different than the first time she met him. He looked refreshed, wearing a clean blue toga under a leather breastplate with white pants, and smelled good. His wide smile reached his eyes, giving him an air of sincere sympathy. She even found him attractive, and for that, she blamed the wine.

"You couldn’t wait to see the great Scorpus, right?" he bragged.

She took her thoughts back; there he was, the one she had previously met.

"Are you all by yourself?" he questioned, tilting his head, getting closer to Briga.

"No." she retorted coldly, overtly turning her eyes away from him.

"Oh… Where’s your master, then?" he almost whispered in her ear with a hint of disappointment.

She winced at the mention of her status of slave, he was probably the last person she had wanted aware of that, he had showed a bit too much interest in it when he had learned.

Then she recalled Tenax’s words about how her impulsive aggressive reactions could undermine her in the eyes of others, and it provided her enough determination not to recoil at his closeness while calmly looking at him in the eye.

"He’s looking for you." She lied, implying that he was nearby in any case.

Scorpus’ smile turned slightly bitter.

"Yeah… it’s a shame I can’t take care of you right now…" he murmured, his eyes conspicuously landing on the neckline of her dress. "But come see me after I win the race, beautiful." He added, gently grabbing her waist and pulling her against him with both hands. She repressed a flinch at his touch.

"Why would I do that?" she sighed back, fighting the urge to extract herself from his grip.

His eyes fluttered at her words and his smile widened seductively: "Because… I know what you want…"

Her look turned a little lascivious. His face was so close to hers that their lips almost touched.

"Do you, now?... Charioteer…" Briga sough with a touch of scorn in her voice.

Scorpus snorted in surprise. What was with that tone of hers? He was the great Scorpus, the faster and most skilled there had ever been in Rome, not just any charioteer. How dared a mere slave talk to him down like that? For once he was left speechless, his frowned look flickering between indignation and dazzle at such effrontery.

Finally receding, his now irritated expression seemed to announce a scathing retort, but a loud voice cut him short.

"Scorpus!" shouted Tenax from the other end of the stables, "Shouldn’t you be at the weigh-in by now?"

Scorpus sighed heavily, biting his lip with an irate look at Briga who remained impassive, trying her best not to show her relief.

"I'm not done with you, slave." he grumbled, shaking his head grimly. "Well, I’m here, aren’t I?" he bawled suddenly at Tenax while moving towards him.

"You always liked to make yourself desired…" sneered Tenax with a sarcastic smile.

"Were’s the entertainment in races without me anyway?" Scorpus playfully reacted.

As he reached Tenax, he took a quick back glance at Briga who was petting the horse.

"You’ve brought your pet, I see." He maliciously whispered to Tenax who displayed a forced smile in return, "I preferred her when she didn't speak…" he bitterly grunted as he left.

A burst of pride made Tenax smile as he looked at Briga in the distance; Scorpus wasn’t easy to turn down for he had unfailing self-confidence; which usually really impressed the ladies. But from what he had seen, his friend's ego must have taken a hit, probably even more hurtful coming from a slave.

It was with that same smile that he joined her. She expected to receive some kind of reprimand, not knowing exactly what Scorpus had said to him.

"Let's go see the Circus now!" he announced cheerfully.

Her hard gaze softened then; she even sketched a smile for the first time. If he had known, Tenax would have offered her wine much sooner.

One must be at the higher places to grasp all the splendour of such building as the Circus Maximus was. The race was about to start. Already the drums and cornets were sounding to order the spectators to take their places before the emperor Flavius Vespasianus arrived in the arena to bless the spectacle.

As they took their seats in the last, uncrowded row, Briga looked around the entire perimeter of the magnificent structure. To her amazement, the building seemed even larger from the inside, immense and powerful from the hubbub of so many people in one place.

"Finally, you are impressed!" chuckled softly Tenax at her.

She gasped with a soft grin: " You Romans are not afraid of excess, for sure."

"There is the emperor, look." He declared, pointing his finger at the balcony where a distant, white-dressed figure appeared under cheers of the crowd.

"Small." She ironically commented, at what Tenax openly cackled.

"It must be why they all build such tall monuments, something to compensate for…" he joked, and she smiled so widely that her cheeks revealed dimples that Tenax had not known existed until then. Her gaze was transformed, bright and sparkling as if she no longer carried deep wounds within her.

He remained entranced at her beauty for a moment before starting to wonder what sort of awful circumstances might have led this young woman where she was.

"How did you find yourself on that slave market?" he asked out of the blue with a disconcerted look.

Her smile slowly faded on her face as memories began to flood into her mind. She breathed in deeply, feeling her throat tighten a little, and fixed her gaze on the chariots which had just roared off to the sound of the trumpet. It did not distract Tenax from watching every tiny movement her eyes and mouth made while probably recalling the origin of the events. He wasn’t sure she would answer, she may just as well shut down and decide not to speak at all anymore. He was preparing for this turn of events when, with her absent gaze fixed on the track, she said:

"I killed a Roman soldier."

"Oh…" he let out, widening his eyes in astonishment. Giving it some more thought, he wasn’t that surprised that it had to do with something violent. He was about to ask her to say more but she nibbled her lower lip like she was dithering, so he held back.

"So, they put me on a boat to Rome." She let out in a sigh, still avoiding Tenax’s look.

Tenax suspended his breath for a second, thinking there would be more to that story than the elusive answer she had just given him, then nodded slightly when he understood there wouldn’t. She kept her eyes on the chariots running around on the track, a metal fish-like sculpture would tilt down with every new lap completed under the cheers from the crowd that seemed to increasingly support the racers.

"That’s what people bet on at your tavern, then?" Briga unexpectedly asked, at last fleetingly meeting his eyes after two laps of uneasy silence.

He could tell she was trying to divert his thoughts towards another subject, and she was right sensing that he could not stop wondering what had happened.

"Yes..." he retorted, finally watching the track for an instant, "Scorpus is the one they mostly bet on. I’m sure you remember him." He sneered gently.

"I do." She commented sharply.

She seemed to loosen a bit, but there was still some defiance in her eyes, perhaps perceiving her master’s frustration and the burning questions he had on his mind to which, he was certain, she wanted to answer, but maybe not so easily. Both struggling mentally to know who would snap first, they barely talked much until the end of the race when most of the crowd stood up chanting the name of Scorpus who had won the race.

Tenax suddenly stood up as well.

"I have to check on the bets. Let’s go." He bluntly ordered without a look.

She followed silently, trying to keep up his pace, her eyes on his back while trying to repel a tingling feeling of guilt for apparently making him mad.

When they almost reached the bottom of the stairs, the crowd suddenly rushed in all at the same time, flooding the space they were in. So many heads and voices overwhelmed them, joyfully shouting and scrambling in between them, making her lose sight of Tenax. She stopped, trying to resist the flow pushing behind her, a hint of anxiety arising in her chest as she searched for him in the multitude. Her chest started tightening, making it hard to breathe, the air itself was becoming warmer and thicker, seemingly burning her throat at every breath she tried to take, coating her lungs and squeezing them. She found herself gasping for air when someone grabbed her hand and pulled her aside, extracting her from the crushing pressure of the mob.

She panted deeply, stunned by the suffocating sensation she had just felt before realizing she was firmly holding the hand that had grabbed her. She recognized Tenax’s dark brown toga, raising her eyes to a reassuring look on his face. Without a word, he pulled her gently towards the gigantic gates of the circus and did not let go of her hand until reaching his tavern.

"Alright, stay here." He commanded her as reaching a table near the tavern counter and making her seat. "You, bring her wine." He ordered unceremoniously a young man holding a pitcher before heading to the betting counter.

The place was darker than before from the well-advanced afternoon and its receding sun, and much crowded and noisy than at noon.

Briga was finally catching her breath when the boy brought her a pitcher and a cup. She poured herself a glass and drank more eagerly than she originally intended. The spicy beverage soothed her throat and her spirits. She had been so unsettled by the panic she had felt when overwhelmed by the crowd that she barely remembered how she got there.

Tenax soon joined her with a short-breathed sigh, as if he had rushed his chores, and sat at the table in front of her, holding an empty cup that he promptly replenished with wine before adding some into her well-emptied one.

He took a sip, staring at her wary eyes over his cup, before saying:

"There’s a lot of people here, huh. I too felt quite crushed the first time I found myself in Rome."

She snorted:

"How did you get here?"

That wine was definitely stronger than the one back in Lusitania, and quite treacherous. As saying this she could already feel its disinhibiting effects taking control of her tongue.

"By foot." He joked softly with a playful look.

Briga narrowed her eyes with a smirk, appreciating the wit.

Tenax was dying to ask about the circumstances of her actions, and he could just as well have said it out loud because she unexpectedly addressed the matter on her own:

"His name was Caius." She said, looking into her cup before bringing it to her lips, taking a sip to give herself courage.

"He was part of the battalion detached near my village in Lusitania, by the sea." She resumed, holding her cup with both hands with an absent look. "As Romans do, they just acted like they owned it, but well, at least they paid for the fish and meat they bought me almost every day. This soldier came to see me more and more often, he was friendly. We started spending a lot of time together after a while, talking, sometimes hunting, fishing. He was nice, I thought."

She took a deep breath and another sip under Tenax’s scrutinizing stare. He had ears only for her, so much so that the shouts and the commotion of the tavern's many customers did not even reach him.

"One day he told me his battalion was returning to Rome the next day, so he wished to see me that night, he had something for me. I said yes. The fool I was thought he wanted to kiss me." She bitterly snickered. "But when I arrived near the forest where he wanted to meet, he wasn’t alone. Two of his friends snuck up on me and held me down while he raped me." Her mouth twitched with anger at the memory and her hands squeezed her cup harder. "He laughed so hard when he saw the blood between my legs. "I had never fucked a virgin!" he said."

Tenax raised an eyebrow, both in disgust and in surprise; she looked to be in her twenties and for all he knew at that age girls are usually married, if not with children already.

"Then his friends’ turn came." She kept on in an exhale, her eyes still in the void. "I pretended to have fainted, so it would be over quickly, and when he came over me again, to bloat, I caught the sword at his belt and stabbed through his neck with it." Briga paused, raising a chilling look at him. "He did not laugh much then."

Tenax could literarily feel the cold anger raging under her skin, he could tell she only regretted not making him suffer more.

"His friends panicked and knocked me out; I woke up chained in a boat heading to Ostia." She concluded sternly.

Tenax hummed softly with the most neutral pout he could muster. She was proud, he knew that much, and the wine aiding, she would most probably overreact at any kind of condescendence. Even if he suspected other things happened between Ostia and Rome, he chose to leave it there for the time being.

"I still don’t see why you dislike Romans that much." he smoothly jested.

Briga sniggered briefly, her eyes slowly softening into an amused wavering look on Tenax.

"I may be a little thin-skinned." she let out with a smirk.

He chuckled back softly, already caught in a kind of fascinated contemplation. She seemed so strong and vulnerable at the same time. Innocently hoping for a kiss from the man she liked and ending killing him for his disgusting betrayal. At that instant, picturing her story in his head, he found himself overcome with resentment, he too suddenly hated those damned soldiers for what they had done to her. She probably never had the chance to experience any kind of sweetness, nor pleasure, only violence. Not even a kiss.

At this thought he caught a glimpse of her lips where a trace of smile lingered and felt an irresistible urge to repair that unfairness. The wine was working its magic on him too it seemed. The air suddenly grew warmer, and a salacious tingling began to taunt his crotch.

He cleared his throat sitting up in his chair, trying to recover his composure under Briga's now inquisitive stare. When she looked at him like that, he always had the feeling she could read him, almost hear his thoughts. He couldn't have it.

"Do you know why I bought you?" he bluntly asked all of a sudden.

Briga tilted with a cold look, biting her lip in a restrained rise of annoyance.

"I was cheap." she retorted sharply.

Tenax pouted softly, hardly repressing a smile at her repartee before locking his eyes on hers with authority:

"Yes, they couldn’t sell you for much anyway…" he said, facing the growing anger in her eyes, "but no. You were unwavering." Tenax paused, observing her mood shifting. "You were beaten, mistreated, humiliated, and yet you stood tall and proud, indomitable in the face of the fate that awaited you. That’s what frightened them all. That’s what struck me the most. You reminded me of myself."

Something flickered inside her. Many questions arose in her confused mind about his past, but it was the pleasant shiver that ran through her skin that prevailed and kept her tongue-tied. She thought he just wanted to fuck her, like the others, and realizing Tenax may be truly different, an unexpected, aroused twitching shook her lower belly.

She swallowed, speechless in front of this man who was looking at her so intensely that he could probably guess her thoughts, when a loud voice echoed in the tavern.

Tenax widened his eyes, recognizing Scorpus who had probably already celebrated his victory widely. He turned and saw him staggering between the tables, laughing, an overly made-up woman under each arm.

"Time to go." He addressed firmly at Briga without a glance as he stood up and set off to meet him. From his eagerness to go ahead of Scorpus, she sensed his annoyance. That loud man really had a terrible timing, always showing up when things were getting serious between them.

She stood up behind him and did her best to remain out of Scorpus’ sight.

"Congratulations on another victory, Scorpus!" extravagantly rejoiced Tenax.

Scorpus smirked with undisguised satisfaction.

"Fortuna favours me, always!" he brazenly declared, wavering his head rendered heavier by the excess of strong beverages.

Tilting his head to catch a glimpse at Briga who was looking down, he licked his lips before resuming in a drawling voice.

"Yeah, hum I’m having a celebration with these huh… beauties! Would you like to join, you and… your slave?"

Briga ticked at the words and raised a riled glare at Scorpus who gloated, seemingly satisfied of the way he had caught her attention. She cursed herself for this lack of self-control.

"Hum… Another time." Intervened Tenax with a tensed smile, stepping in between their glances.

Before Scorpus could replicate, Tenax intimated to Briga to pass him by with a tilt of the head, which she did while still staring at Scorpus with a now disdainful look.

His smile faded.

"Why is she looking at me like that?" he mumbled almost indistinctively, turning around as they were leaving. "Whipping!" he started shouting at them angrily, "You should whip her, Tenax! Show a slave how to behave!"

They continued without turning around.

"You enjoy your night, Scorpus!" Tenax shouted back.

As soon as Scorpus’s voice could not reach them anymore, Tenax sighed and threw a quick glance at Briga; she looked upset.

"You could have fallen on a worse master." He said in a light tone.

She looked up at him with a perplexed look before getting his meaning and sighed. The vapours of wine in her body seemed to have receded with this unpleasant encounter but suddenly resurfaced when she crossed his eyes, he was right but why would she admit it?

"No whipping then?" she enticingly questioned.

Tenax chuckled softly, she just kept surprising him. As he eyed her up and down, he felt a warm rush in his veins, wondering if she had any idea of how she made him feel.

"No need." He retorted with an inflated voice, suggesting that his natural authority was sufficient in itself.

She chuckled too; a letting go that she thought would never happen again. This growing bond was a new feeling and so pleasant that she could well get used to it.

The path seemed much shorter for the return than for the outward journey. They hadn’t stopped, nor watched the buildings around them, walking straight towards Tenax’s apartment with a rising anticipation in their chests that rendered them too breathless to speak.

As they arrived, they instinctively slowed down their pace, almost lingering on their way up, each uncertain of what the next moments would be made of and what to do with all the excitement blooming inside of them.

It’s with this persistent incertitude that Briga had entered and turned around when reaching the table to find herself facing him closer than ever, mere instants before she felt his soft lips on hers. The stupefaction made her forget to breathe but her body took over and she exhaled shortly as his lips retreated from hers.

He soon leaned again and pressed her mouth harder, closing the remaining space between them, making Briga recoil against the large wooden table behind her. The retained eagerness was breaking out of their bodies as their kiss became more frenetic and their exhales in each other’s cheeks deeper and faster.

Tenax pressed her head as he parted her lips with his tongue, entering her mouth as she let out an amazed moan and grabbed his toga fervently. He pushed his body against hers tighter and slowly moved his hands along her neck until under the ties of her dress on her shoulders. Gliding further, he liberated her shoulders from the fabric and bared her chest, clenching his fingers to better feel her firm skin under his touch, the roundness of her breasts and the curves of her waist and hips.

When his hands reached her thighs, he grabbed them smoothly and lifted her to sit on the table, parting her legs and lifting the bottom of her dress up until he could feel her skin under his hands before pushing his waist on hers. She gasped and tightened her legs on him, nagging the hardness she could feel growing against her crotch that he made even more obvious when pressing on her ass with both hands over her undergarment.

Something snapped in her mind at that moment, a familiar sensation that did not fit with the thrill of the moment and she broke the kiss abruptly, instinctively pulling Tenax’s tunic back with her body stiffening.

Tenax held back his gestures instantly, feeling the sudden reluctance for his touch, and waited a few seconds for them to catch their breaths. He couldn’t read her face in the darkness, but he could well imagine why she would react that way.

"I won’t hurt you, Briga" he softly whispered, gently pressing his hands on her.

She kept silent, breathing shortly. She wanted to believe him, there was this itchy sensation inside her that she knew only he could relieve, but she feared it would feel the same way as with the others.

"Let me show you." He suggested in a murmur, waiting for a consent which soon came in the form of a light caress on his back. Her body seemed to relax a little, her breathing becoming more regular and calmer.

He leaned over her, placed a kiss on her lips before brushing her chin with his lips, slowly hovering over her skin as going down her neck. He nibbled and kissed her breasts and started kneeling before her. She felt his warm breath and touch travel down her stomach, his growing beard tickling her skin as he passes, and breathed heavily when he reached her crotch and gently kissed the inside of her thighs, brushing her skin slowly until reaching the loincloth covering her sex. Briga grabbed the table frenetically in expectation. Tenax retreated his head, breathing as calmly as he could, and reached for her hips to untie it in slow motions as if not to startle her.

Her sex exposed, he grabbed her thighs and moved his face along her legs until delving his face further in between. Briga let out an uncontrolled whimper when he started kissing and licking the sensitive slit that she feared would be harmed by a man again. That was as far from harm as it could be. The touch of his lips and tongue, in turn delicate and slow, and sometimes intense as eager to consume her whole, rendered her out of breath. She had never felt such tingles in her body, such heat under and over her skin.

She started sensing a vertigo and held on to his hair, entangling her fingers in his soft locks and pressing his head ever so tight against her, frantically moaning and gasping as he held stronger on to her legs and bottom.

Squeezing his mouth uncontrollably on the very spot that gave her so much pleasant shivers, she felt the vibrations of Tenax’s gasps and lascivious groans against her, increasingly aroused by her demonstrative pleasure.

As he teased the burning and moistened little bump of flesh with his tongue, at times sucking on it, the shivers grew wider inside of her, expanded in her belly in waves until bursting through her whole body, leaving her stunned and trembling in the aftermath of the climax.

#those about to die #those about to die fanfiction #tatd fanfiction #tatd #fanfiction #iwan rheon #kings of the subura #kings of the subura part 3 #tenax x oc #tenax #tenax imagine

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eddiemunson-reader-shame · 22 days ago

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A Freak and A Basket Case (Like the Lord Intended)

“The Camping Episode”

You know how in anime there’s usually a beach or a camping episode? This is that episode.

Eddie Munson x OC

Tags: established relationship, original characters, sad Dustin, mentions of alcohol and drug use, general dirty talk shenanigans, mentions of period typical racism

****

“Good afternoon ma’am… um… is Dustin home…?”

Allie made sure she used her best ‘I am small and vulnerable’ voice as she fidgeted at the Henderson’s doorstep. First impressions weren’t her strong suit. Then again she was basically allergic to any event that required making a social call. Unlike the polished and put together girls in Hawkins, Allie resembled a small half drowned mouse— wet and frightened.Her forehead was drenched in sweat, her blow dried bangs sticking to her forehead. Like always, she refused to take her jacket off even in the face of Hawkins humidity. The quilted lining around her armpits worked overtime to absorb the sweat like a thirty wick, and she stood all hunched and chest heaving to catch her breath. A butterfly gold Pyrex dish with a cream color lid was held out before her as if an offering to a Pagan god. The aroma of fragrant green chile, cream of chicken, cheese, and corn tortilla slipped through the cracks of the lid.

Mrs. Perea always insisted time and time again that you didn’t just return a Pyrex empty, porque tenemos dignidad, cabroncita. You don’t just show up to a house empty handed. That was number 279 on the list of rude little nitpicks that Mom harped on. Allie hadn’t even put up a fuss when her mother pushed the warm dish into her daughter’s hands before she left — she had a mission for Dustin, and would be remiss to not show up at the Henderson house with a little tit for tat.

“Are you little Alexandra?” Claudia Henderson gushed, and Allie tried not to wince at the use of the overly anglicized name that the majority population of the United States had given her.

“Well hello there, sweetheart! Dusty Buns is just in his room right now, I think he did mention you’d be coming by. Was that your little voice on the phone? Would you like to come in? You look like you’ve run a marathon, aren’t you hot in that jacket? You look a little damp, sweetie! It’s not good for you to be wandering around with the wrong clothes, why don’t you come inside before you catch heatstroke?”

Much like a stray cat reluctantly approaches someone with an outstretched palm, Allie entered the Henderson house in a similar reluctant shuffle, clinging to that Pyrex dish like a shield. The house to her was unremarkable. It was a home, much like hers and maybe a little cluttered. If she was honest, it reminded her more of a kind grandma’s home if anything. This was the house your parents sent you to for the summer to get plump on cakes and foods cooked in liberal amounts of butter.

Still, she didn’t truly trust Claudia. Not everyone who was nice had good intentions. All she knew of Dustin’s mom was little snippets mentioned here and there, along with context clues gleaned from the Henderson’s home decor choices.

Judging by the gray fur embedded in the shag and the overlooked scratches in the wood paneling, Claudia obviously was a cat owner. An obsessive, even. With the way she had hundreds upon hundreds of sepia and color photos of a chubby, smiling kid with curly brown hair interspersed between the kitten decor, it seemed the obsession extended to her son as well as the cats.

Suffice to say that Claudia operated on infantilizing everyone and everything. She seemed to think Allie was still in elementary school (typical, it was the height and babyface). The whole conversation had started off so juvenile, and Allie almost had to stop herself from reflexively asking in a tiny voice if Dustin could come out and play. Now she was just standing there as the older woman talked at her, firing a hundred and one things all at once.

Claudia complained about the humidity. She whinged that just looking at Allie in her coat made her hot flashes act up. She whined that her kitten had been lethargic all day and uninterested in playing, and that the summer months always made her little “love muffin Dusty Bun” irritable and uncomfortable. Ergo, because her little “Woogums” was irritable, Allie must have also been suffering.

“Are you sure you’re comfortable? I can get you an iced tea? Do you like lemonade? You can take off your coat and hang it here in the coat closet next to mine if you like. Here, let me take it for you.”

Rose pink fingernails reached for the quilted brown Carhartt, and Allie immediately flinched away.

Claudia’s face softened when she saw Allie’s nervous response, shaking hands struggling to stabilize the casserole dish. Unbeknownst to the girl, it worked to her advantage. They didn’t call Allie a Basket Case for nothing; she could appear helpless to an adult, and startlingly unstable to a bully. It unnerved her peers and endeared her to adults. The perfect camouflage.

“No thank you ma’am um this is for you…”

Her voice came out all in one breath, and she kept Claudia at bay by holding the Pyrex out with her eyes trained on the cream color shag carpet. She hoped the woman would just stop talking and take the dish.

“Thank you for the jello, um… we made this for you. It’s uh… green chile chicken enchiladas… they’re real mild… uh, not so hot that you can’t like, eat them. I tried them to make sure.” Alex muttered.

Mom had made sure to craft the enchilada dish with Allie’s delicate palette in mind — mainly because she was the only person in the house with a delicate midwestern constitution— and with her delicate tongue, Allie had declared the dish perfect during the taste test.

Not too hot, but just enough of a tiny kick that it complemented rather than overpowered the other seasonings.

“Oh thank you, thank you so much!” Claudia Henderson gushed, taking her Pyrex from Allie..

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble for us! Thank you for making it mild — you know Dusty and I can’t handle much heat. My poor baby, it makes his little bowels just ache and I won’t get him out of that toilet until Christmas. My Dusty’s widdle belly and mine appreciate you!”

She gave a girlish giggle as she patted her own generous middle. Allie cringed.

“It’s no problem thank you again for the Jell-O ma’am…” she whispered.

Instead of heading off immediately to continue her mission, Allie struggled through small talk with Claudia. Interest in the conversation was lukewarm at best. Not like it was anything substantial anyway, just little baby voice anecdotes of Dustin’s various gastrointestinal issues and deeply personal stories that could only come from a woman with a lot to say and no one around to really say it to. To tell the truth, she didn’t dislike Claudia. Conversations like this were just a new thing to her. Back in New Mexico everyone was less than enthusiastic about speaking to new people. You kept your head down most of the time, and ignored everyone else.

But, Claudia Henderson had taken the time to bring the Pereas a welcome to the neighborhood dish. It was the nicest thing anyone had done for them. Not one adjacent neighbor had come out to say hello since the Pereas had moved in at the beginning of August. And because of that fact, Allie had enjoyed the partially melted red Jell-O with the encapsulated strawberries just a little more.

Maybe a good five minutes of this one sided conversation passed, but to Allie it felt like eternity before she made her mumbled excuses to escape.

Time to focus on the mission: secure a dog sitter, pay him in cash, then leave for home where Eddie would be waiting with the van.

The worn out rubber treads of her converse whispered against the shag as she scurried away from Claudia, thankful for the quiet reprieve found at the back of the house. Keeping her eyes on the carpeted corridor – because she always looked at her feet when she walked – Allie stopped short when she saw a Siamese kitten stretched out just along the threshold of Dustin’s closed door.

Instantly, she fell in love with it.

“Well hewwo widdle cutie bag of doughnuts…” Allie wibbled, her voice raised almost to Claudia’s baby pitch, “Aren’t you a soft widdle pumpkin seed loaf? What’s our name, huh? What’s a fuzzy’s name?”

The kitten yawned as she stroked its soft fur with her fingertips. With a stretch (which Allie encouraged with an ‘Ooooh, big stretch!’) the kitten took its time getting to its feet, lazily rubbing itself along the rolls of her slouchy socks.

Now, obviously there was no way she could avoid giving this kitten love. Testing the waters, Allie wrapped her hands around its middle and lifted. Not so much as a struggle. Instead, the kitten nestled in her arms. Very laid back, relaxed even, it began to purr as she cradled it like a baby. Nearly forgetting why she’d come, Allie kissed its soft fuzzy head over and over, giggling as the cat batted her face with dainty little smacks with its soft paws. She was mush. Totally absorbed with the little fuzzy baby, until she stopped mid forehead kiss and realized she still hadn’t come to do what she’d set out.

Okay, mujer, focus. Take the cat with you and just ask him already. In fact, I’ll take the fucking thing home. This is my cat now.

She knocked on Dustin’s door, calling out to him.

“Muad’Dib…?”

There was a bout of awkward shuffling inside, followed by what she thought was sniffling. She waited. And waited… Until she got fed up and decided to just try again. She tapped smartly on the door again with her knuckles, shave and a haircut. No two bits responded.

“Muad’Dib…” she insisted, “Apúrate bro, it’s me. Open up, I come demanding a favor from my most esteemed Mentat-…”

Her words stuck fast like glue when the door opened, plugging her throat up. Immediately she clocked that Dustin was trying to hide the fact that he had been in the throes of a mental breakdown. She knew the signs well. Wiping tears from his face like he was brushing hair out of his eyes, putting on a brave smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Ah! Hey…!” He laughed awkwardly.

“… you alright?” Allie asked.

Dustin was struggling to keep his composure. Shoulders shaking. Eyes watery at the corners.

“Um, yeah, yeah I’m okay. I’m good. Feeling good in the neighborhood.” He insisted.

Allie frowned a little in concern. Dustin began to panic, opening the door and pulling at her jacket sleeve.

“C’mon,” he insisted, yanking her forward, “Come check out my room. Uh… See you found Tews there, he can come in too.”

Allie wandered in with the kitten. Both her and Tews were looking directly at Dustin as he closed the door behind them.

“You look like shit.” She observed.

Immediately she felt bad for blurting out her rude comment when she saw the young boy scrub his face and try to smile.

“Jesus, you’re brutal, chica.” He laughed, “But what else did I expect from Hellfire’s Reverend Mother-…”

“What’s wrong, Muad’Dib?” She tried again, coming up directly to stare him in the face, “Why’re you crying?”

“Huh? Me?! No, no I’m okay, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”

She reached out with one hand, still cradling the kitten. With a gentle swipe of her index finger against his cheek, she wiped a tear that had managed to squeeze out.

“No, it’s not nothing.” She insisted.

“Allie, I swear on my life, it’s nothing. Anyway, what’s going on? You said you needed a favor…?”

“My favor can wait. What’s wrong with you? How come you’re crying-…”

“I’m not crying!” He barked, his face turning red, “God dammit!”

Now she knew something was wrong. And deeply wrong at that. Dustin Henderson never yelled, he never lashed out in anger. Dustin usually acted like a smartass, and hovered around her and Eddie every chance he got, buzzing like a mosquito in her ear about his new little inventions or quizzing her on certain aspects of Chapterhouse: Dune. This was so… unusual to see him like this. Angry and defeated..

“You didn’t come to Hellfire Club.” Allie said gently, electing to ignore his outburst, “None of you guys did… we missed our freshies.”

She and Eddie had at least expected Dustin to show up for Hellfire on Friday, but surprisingly, he pulled a no call no show. It had just been her, Eddie, and the Corroded Coffin guys. That’s how it had been before Eddie had corralled the freshmen, but the new blood always added some extra spark to the mix.

Mike and Lucas typically flaked. That was nothing new. But surely Dustin would always show up?

“I…”

It took a while for him to answer. Tews began to struggle in Allie’s grip, so she gently set the kitten down on the ground so that he could disappear under Dustin’s desk. With a soft grunt, she sat down on his bed, looking up as she dangled her legs off the edge.

Their eyes met. And when her own eyes softened behind her large glasses, Dustin broke.

“It’s just… it’s been a shitty week...” He croaked.

From what it sounded, he’d been going through the motions trying to keep it together. What began as a mournful recount of events, soon devolved into a passionate rant about every single wrong done this year. One atop the other, each micro transgression riding pig-a-back on the last until it seemed like it just snowballed out of control. Things were different, Dustin wasn’t dealing well with different.

“— and my mom has just been up my ass all week after school, and just… everyone except me has plans…”

Queue another impassioned rant. His childhood friends were drifting apart and leaving him behind. Mike was spending Labor Day weekend in California with his girlfriend and their buddy Will. Some girl named Susie-Poo would be attending a weekend long family reunion in honor of Labor Day weekend — no electronics allowed in favor of activities involving banana pudding, fireworks, prayer, and cornhole — and Dustin seemed to take it as a personal affront that she had refused to bail on family time to spend the weekend talking with him. A little lover’s quarrel had ensued, and her older sister had unplugged the radio on the Utah side after complaining about the noise.

When Dustin told Allie that Lucas had practice, she frowned. Obviously that was a lie, because Chrissy Cunningham told her she had been invited to that same Labor Day “basketball practice”. It was what they were calling it when in earshot of the adults so as not to arouse suspicion.

But it was so cookie cutter, too perfect and almost too stupid of an excuse, that immediately Allie had laughed. She had swatted at Chrissy’s arm, and demanded the truth. And because Chrissy and Allie gossiped like broody hens about everything— from pregnancy scares to the ragers that caused them— Allie knew on good authority that Lucas would not be spending his weekend practicing defense or rebounding drills. Instead, he would most likely be partaking in seven hundred and fifty milliliters of Frangelico with Chance. Meanwhile Jason, Patrick, and Andy would be playing strip beer pong with the pep squad in the McKinney’s two car garage.

“No, dude. It’s not a practice. He’s going to Patrick’s party this weekend.” Allie said bluntly.

“Wait, seriously?!” Dustin exclaimed, “He’s going to a party?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, “I don’t know why he lied. He should have just told you…”

As much as Eddie hated Jason Carver’s “Good Ol’ Boys” chapter, he didn’t begrudge Lucas for going to a party. Hell, the hefty little markup profit Eddie had made from Andy’s need for speed was currently sitting pretty in Alex’s skirt pocket. After securing his bag, Eddie had come to her house grinning like a maniac, having come away from the jock encounter a couple hundred dollars richer.

That was how their weekend getaway had come about anyways. Originally the intention was to use half of Andy’s markup as a house sitting incentive for Dustin, and to use the remainder as extra spending money for a weekend camping trip for two since everyone else had plans.

If Eddie had known ahead of time that Lucas had planned on going, he would have encouraged him to go (and probably tried to sell him a little extra bud to help boost his popularity). But the fact of the matter was that it seemed like Lucas didn’t trust Eddie fully with the truth. Or any of his other friends for that matter if Dustin didn’t know.

Allie wasn’t angry at Lucas, just disappointed that he’d given a dodgy excuse.

“Eddie’s not happy about it, he said Lucas should have just been honest and told him he wanted to go drinking.” Allie admitted, “It’s not like we’re all prude. We could have just canceled club.”

Unspoken things floated up in the air between the two of them like dust particles. The truth pierced like an arrow, and it had hit the boy in front of her hard. Watching Dustin deflate like someone had let the air out of him was the saddest, most pathetic thing that Allie had ever seen before. She cleared her throat, and spoke up to alleviate the unease.

“But um… Eddie wanted me to check on you, because you’re not all flighty, and you don’t usually cancel on us. But with Lucas gone last minute, it left us a few players short. So like, we landed up ending the Palace of the Silver Princess early… and we all kind of just went home. Because it wasn’t the same without you making commentary.”

A shuddering sob transformed into a noncommittal shrug on Dustin’s shoulders. He was betrayed. Bewildered even.

“Whatever.” Dustin gulped, his voice guttural as though he was trying desperately not to burst into tears, “It’s whatever. Fuck it. If he wants to go party with the jockstraps, let him. I always get left behind, it’s okay.”

You don’t mean that… Allie thought, Come on, Muad’Dib… you don’t truly mean that.

It was normal to be angry at your friends every once in a while. But seeing him like this — seeing her Muad’Dib hurt like this — it was painful.

His expression stabbed her heart. Like the burning poison of a Gom Jabbar, his sadness infected her.

“I’m sorry, Muad’Dib…” she said, “I didn’t know that you didn’t know…”

“No it’s fine.” Dustin insisted, “I don’t care… like I said, everyone leaves me behind, why should I matter now? Clearly everyone’s majorly top secret Labor Day plans don’t involve a fat nerd like me!”

Much as she saw him as a nuisance on a good day, she saw something else in him now.

She saw a younger version of herself standing in front of her. Hurting. Trying not to cry. Cursing everyone who had ever wronged her. Always excluded. Always lied to for protection. As if her feelings were too delicate to handle the truth. Maybe Lucas was just trying to protect Dustin from the backlash if the boys got caught? Maybe he had done it on purpose? Who could say.

This was all far too complicated of a situation. At the very least, far too complicated for Allie to understand why Lucas’ white lie was so hard for Dustin to take on the chin.

“Ugh… shit…! Anyway, what was the favor you needed? What did you come here for?” Dustin asked, still trying to wipe his boogery nose with the back of his hand.

You don’t need to try to be brave, Muad’Dib…

“About that…”

Everyone always teased Allie and Eddie to no end that Dustin was secretly their love child. He had the same coiling curly hair that they both did, and Lucas swore up and down that Dustin had Eddie’s dimples. Mike even said that they both had similar dental problems, even though Dustin had corrected him over and over, because diastema wasn’t actually the same as cleidocranial dysplasia.

Maybe Dustin wasn’t quite at the level of affection she’d have for a love child, but she did feel something else…

Pity.

Specifically younger sibling pity.

She didn’t see him as a love child, not quite a best friend, but some secret third thing…

A brother.

An awkward, annoying, startlingly intelligent and innocent younger brother who had read the same books she did, and then some. A short, chubby, and awkward nerd brother like her who always got left out. Who everyone always thought needed to be coddled like a baby.

In that moment, seeing her poor desert mouse— her Muad’Dib — so vulnerable, she felt honest-to-god compassion.

“… There’s a slight deviation to the favor now.” Allie said.

Dustin looked up, utter confusion on his face.

Allie scooted off the bed until she was standing up. Automatically her damp sleeve cuff went to her mouth. Reacquainting her tongue with the damp, salty tang of the stretch knit, she began to chew and suck on the fabric in quiet contemplation.

“What are you doing for Labor Day weekend?” She asked, voice muffled by the cuff.

“Wha… huh?!”

“Specifically, tomorrow and Sunday?”

The question totally caught him off guard. She could tell by his body language, not by his eyes. Allie couldn’t stand to keep looking at those sad little wet eyes.

“I don’t have any plans…” Dustin admitted rather grudgingly, “Why?”

She sniffed. Looked at Tews who had come wandering back to her to play with her shoelaces. Then, with a sigh, came to her final decision.

“… How would you like to go camping with me and Eddie?”

****

Cursing loudly and nearly tripping over her untied shoelaces, Allie finally tucked the loose strings into her socks. No time to tie them in a nice and neat bow, because Eddie was laying on the horn and blasting “Love Me Like a Reptile” right outside her home. Laughing and scrambling to get to him, Allie was already half way to the van by the time her lover caught sight of her scurrying like a mouse with a cat in hot pursuit. The Gaucho was parked haphazardly with one wheel on the sidewalk, and it looked like Eddie had been waiting for Jaime to pull out his Monte Carlo so Eddie could take the spot in the driveway.

Just as she crossed the street into her own cul-de-sac, Jaime nearly ran Allie off the road with a petty side swipe of his ranfla, laughing and holding up a middle finger at her as he drove off to partake of his own Labor Day weekend plans.

“Fuck you, asshole!” She screamed.

Allie leaned on the driver’s side of the Gaucho with her middle finger raised at her brother, before leaning over to kiss Eddie.

“Jesus Christ.” He laughed, stubbing out one of his Camels into the overflowing ash tray, “No love lost between you two, is there?”

“I don’t have time for his fucking bullshit.” Allie grumbled, “There’s been a change of plans.”

The passenger door was sticking again, and it finally opened with a grunt and a mighty yank. Once she was in, Allie turned off the stereo and shed her coat. Eddie frowned, and was about to open his mouth to ask what was wrong when his girlfriend began to walk him through the whole Dustin Henderson situation. There were no lurid details spared. Everything was fair game for her to explain. Of particular emphasis was how he’d been abandoned, how he had just been on the verge of losing it…

“- and then he just started like, ugly crying,” Allie said, gesticulating her arms wildly, “And he looked so fucking sad. It was like looking at a kicked puppy, babe.”

“Wait… are you serious?!” He asked, “Dustin Henderson started ugly crying?!”

“Oh my god yes…” Allie was tugging at her hair, only stopping when Eddie swatted her hands away with an admonishment of “don’t do that”. It had been his personal mission to try and break her of these nervous habits, and a roach was offered to her for the nerves which she gladly took.

Puff, puff, give.

“He lost it, I’ve never seen someone like that before.” Allie admitted, curling up in the bucket seat as Eddie took a hit, “Like, he almost had a whole mental breakdown in his room about it.”

A plume of smoke billowed out of his nose, like a dragon idling with a fireball in its mouth.

“That’s why I felt like a bitch for wanting him to sit for us, and I just invited him along... Babe, he’s got nobody in that little room.” Allie said, “All his old friends are gone. He doesn’t have any plans for the weekend, he was miserable.”

She tugged on her jacket, almost wanting to bite her cuff again, but stopping and instead hitting her mouth with the back of her hand softly.

Eddie inhaled through the nose, exhaled through the mouth.

“No, you did a good deed. I know he takes things on the chin, but he’s human.” Eddie admitted at last, blowing a raspberry as he looked in the rear view mirror, “At the end of the day, it’s shitty being left behind like that. Even if it’s not intentional.”

“I know.” Allie nodded, “That’s why I figured I’d invite him along.”

This side of Allie was a new facet that she had never really shown to Eddie. She was sweet and non judgmental of course, he knew it from the first time. Where as all others saw a bitch of a basket case, or someone that ought to be ignored, Eddie saw the real her. The Allie Perea that had giggled and smiled at him, the one who treated him like a human being when they first met.

But it had taken Allie some time to warm up to Dustin and the freshmen. Lucas toed the line on her shitlist for ditching sessions without notice, and Mike Wheeler and Alejandra Perea were like water and oil with the way he nitpicked her to death during the campaign.

Dustin by association with Mike was also on her shitlist, but now, Allie seemed compassionate. In her heart of hearts, she cared very deeply that Dustin was being left out. That was her Muad’Dib. It wasn’t fair he was being left behind.

“You’ve got a pure heart.” Eddie teased, ruffling her hair, “You know that?”

“God dammit, no.” Allie murmured, “I am darkness, I am the night…”

“You’re about as dark as a basket of kittens.”

“But they’re evil kittens.” Allie argued, sticking out her tongue, “Evil kittens that commit war crimes.”

“Name one war crime.” Eddie grinned.

“Oh… Shit I dunno, but I’m pretty sure my very existence is a crime against humanity in some districts.”

They both laughed, leaning against one another and enjoying the light they brought to each other’s lives. Fuck being miserable and sad and alone, this was what Allie loved about being around Eddie. And if Dustin was going to be sad and alone on Labor Day, he deserved a little happiness too. Even if it didn’t mean much because his friends were still gone. Tenderness for his plight made Allie want to spread the happiness, and if she had to make sure this sad little nerd went camping with two freaks with issues of their own, then that was how it was going to work out.

It was what she would have wanted… especially when she was back in New Mexico.

“You with me, babe?” Eddie asked, looking over briefly at Allie as he shifted the Gaucho into gear to leave.

“Hm?”

The image of Dustin’s sad, watery eyes had made her distracted and melancholy. But it wasn’t anything that she wanted to unpack just yet.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” She insisted, “We better get a move on to Rick’s, you said you wanted him to buy you a six pack, right?”

Nodding, he pulled the van out of the driveway and began the trek towards Mulberry.

“Yeah.” Eddie nodded, “It ain’t camping if your man can’t have a beer. Jesus knows I’m gonna need it if we have to deal with Henderson’s smart ass on this trip.”

He was joking, of course, but Allie couldn’t help but give him a dirty look until he laughed.

“Kidding, babe.”

“You better be.” She warned, “Otherwise I’ll leave Scruffy instead of bringing him.”

“Wait?! You’re bringing my baby boy?!”

Alex nodded, while Eddie punched the air. He was obsessed with the dog. Nearly every visit to the Perea household deviated from a planned make out session, because Eddie would often be too busy playing fetch with the family’s mutt.

“Hell yeah!” He cheered, “I get to have my boy with me for Labor Day!”

“But, if you wanna bring Scruffy, we gotta bring Tiffany too.” She said, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

The car horn sounded as Eddie pounded against the steering wheel, a loud “fuck!” erupting from his throat. Tiny Tiffany was a terror. She had the nasty habit of pissing on the tires of the Gaucho whenever Eddie came over. She snapped at his ankles when he and Alex took her for a turn around the neighborhood on her leash. When she wasn’t snapping at his jeans, Tiffany was chewing on Eddie’s Reeboks… she’d already went to town on his Converse, and Allie was still apologizing for it.

Nearly every day Eddie expressed his disdain and displeasure for Allie’s crusty white dog. Since day one, they had been sworn enemies. Doing battle like knights of old for the affection of a nervous wreck of a girl.

“Nooooo!” Eddie wailed, “Fuck no! Not the rat dog!”

“Yes, we are bringing both of my dogs, and don’t call Tiffany a rat!”

“You know damn well that dog is a yappy, toothy little rat.”

“No she’s not! She has abandonment issues, she’s just grumpy when she feels neglected.”

“Neglected my ass, she’s a spoiled bitch.”

Allie huffed, swatting Eddie with the sleeve of her jacket. If she was going to have peace on this trip, then Eddie would just have to make peace with the dog. As much as she didn’t want to go the drastic route, Allie knew there was only one way that Eddie would treat her sweet pup with kindness.

“You little… Listen honey… You be nice to Tiffany, and I won’t take away your tit privileges for the weekend.” She huffed.

“Oh come on! Don’t hold my girls hostage! They need me!”

Nearly making the car swerve into the tree line, Eddie cried out pitifully like a baby as he tried to reach for her chest. But Allie pulled away, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring hatefully.

“Nah uh, full on Fort Knox until you’re nice to my baby.” She snapped.

No matter how much Eddie whined or made faces, Allie did not budge. She was sick of the constant yapping from both her boyfriend and her dog. Labor Day weekend was supposed to be fun, and if Dustin was going to join them, she fully intended to make sure everyone got along. Even the animals. It took a long time for her boyfriend to finally acquiesce to her demands.

“Ugh… fine. I’ll be civil with rat dog, but you better let me have unfettered access to my girls.” He pouted.

“You’re not going to be civil, you’re going to be nice.” Allie corrected.

“Fine… I’ll be nice to her, I’ll even try to make her like me, how’s that sound?”

“Sounds like Eddie Munson is a sucker for fat tits.” Allie laughed, “But it sounds good. Hope you can keep up your end of the bargain.”

Eddie snorted, looking over at her as they pulled into Rick Lipton’s driveway.

“Oh I’ll keep my word alright. And hey… If they’re your fat tits, I would suck scum off the bottom of a boat just to get a good handful.”

“Jesus Christ, you’re fucking dirty!” Allie laughed.

“Gotta keep my eyes on the prize, baby.” Eddie smirked, “And you best believe, I will do anything for a little smackerel of boob.”

This weekend was going to be arduous, of that, Allie was certain. But maybe she’d get lucky? There was always the possibility that she could get eaten by a bear and not have to deal with drama.

Please let this be a normal trip… she thought.

And please… don’t let me regret changing my plans...

#stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson fandom #stranger things fics #stranger things oc #eddie munson x original character

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dancingsunflowers-ocs · 2 months ago

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🐧 + my bestest goddaughter Claudia? 💜

Their favorite Disney/Pixar movie: Sleeping Beauty, she adores Princess Aurora, and thinks Mary Costa has the most beautiful singing voice out of all the Disney Princess voice actresses. She also loves the animated version of Beauty and the Beast, as she sees herself in Belle, and she has a soft spot for anything Winnie-the-Pooh related.

Their go-to style of clothing: Claudia’s style is mostly what some would describe as light academia, especially knitted cardigans and jumpers.

Their favorite vacation memory: Going to The Walt Disney World Resort with her mother and father, before her father’s death in the fifth grade.

Their favorite fairy tale: Cinderella, she loves the whole theme of romance, kindness and courage within the story.

One hidden talent of theirs: Gymnastics

One thing they’ve kept since childhood days: Both a Winnie-the-Pooh and Eeyore stuff animal.

Their favorite holiday memory: That one year when Claudia invited Francesca to spend Christmas with her family, when Francesca fell out with her family. She shedded a tear of joy when Francesca admitted that she was so happy that Claudia’s mother treated her like another daughter.

Their first crush: She would never admit it, but it was actually Zac Efron in High School Musical.

Something they would never admit to anybody: That despite her awful personality - that Quinn could actually become a decent person, if she got her shit together.

Their favorite wild animal: Koala Bears.

Thank you for the ask @daughter-of-melpomene 💕 Also tagging @luucypevensie @ginger-grimm @ginevrastilinski-ocs and @manyfandomocs

#oc: claudia green #fd: glee

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skyfallslayer · 8 months ago

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Character Sheet For My Fanfic

Here's my character design for my rewrite of Stranger Things, Feat. Henderson!OC x Steve Harrington - ("Should We Stay or Should We Go?")

|| Background Information -

Stephanie Henderson is one of the main characters in Stranger Things, older sister to one of the boys in The Party, and an ex-best friends with a teenager her age, Steve Harrington. The truth around their broken friendship is a mystery that will soon take some time to unravel in the story, but despite her brother constantly telling her to let him go, she still wears the necklace he'd gifted her. She's a good role model to The Party, which includes her brother, Dustin, that she cherishes with all her love. The story follows her becoming really close-- and to everyone's surprise --to Will Byers, the boy she has to protect in a world that looks like their own but is filled with horror.

|| Biographical Information -

DOB: January 21st, 1967 (Aquarius)

Age: Sixteen

Alias: Steph (By Most); Phanie (Pronounced "Fan-nee") (By Dustin); Fia (Pronounced "Fee-ah") (By Steve); The Ranger (By Will); Nerd - Nerdy Girl (Fun/Insult); Grunge Chick (Fun/Insult)

Residence: Henderson House, Hawkins, Indiana

Family: Dustin (Younger Brother); Claudia (Mother); Walter (Father)

Other Relations: Steve Harrington (Ex-Best Friend/Friend/Crush); Will Byers (Brother Figure); The Party (Friends)

Occupation: Student at Hawkins High School; Unnamed Burger Joint; Will's Guardian In The Upside Down

|| Physical Information -

Height: 5'4" (162cm)

Eye Color: Sky Blue

Hair Color: Dark Brown

|| Trivia -

Stephanie is describe to be very sweet and caring, extremely witty and temperamental - Which might come in handy for her sense of danger, but not when it comes to a broken promise. The loneliness when she felt after Steve left made her over think a lot a things about herself, wondering if being the "tom-boy/grunge girl" she is messed with his vibe. But rest assure, Dustin always knows how to make her feel better.

Favorite song to sing is "Separate Ways" By Journey (*Release January 5th, 1983)

Journey, Metallica and Nirvana are her top picks for bands

Despite having a guitar pick necklace, she's never once played guitar nor any instrument

Her favorite color is Sea Foam Green

Steph's only unique trait, minus the freckles on her nose, is a scar on her shoulder from "the incident" (*Hint*Hint* This might have to do with a certain someone 👀)

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bratshaws · 10 months ago

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through the hourglass 350.brb x oc

a/n: eeeee (comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

/316/317/318/319/320/321/322/323/324/325/326/327/328/329/330/331/332/333/334/335/336/337/338/339/340/341/342/343/344/345/346/347/348

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix @lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @louisahale @leobabbyyy @booklover2sblog @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @fanboyswhore9 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu @teacupsandtopgun @insominac23 @gh0stsgoodgirl @mygyn @chavivaelisheva @kmc1989 @enchantingharmonyalpaca @callsign-magnolia @mrsbradshaw01

Beatrice is nibbling on a piece of toast as she sits besides Rooster, watching her husband learning truco - quickly too - was so relaxing. None else was there yet, Nicole was playing with Bianca and Ewoyn while the twins were on a playmat her mother bought for them in case they came over.

The brunette propped her chin on Rooster’s shoulder, smiling at the waft of his cologne, as she watched, “You are doing good,babe.” she says, “Michael looks…disgruntled.”

Rooster grinned, his eyes focused on the cards in his hand. "Thanks, gorgeous. Michael's a tough opponent, but I'm picking up the strategies."

“At least you agree.” Michael grumbled, “See Leo? Brad think I’m a tough opponent.”

“Well,Brad hasn’t shared a room with you,so he doesn’t know.”

Beatrice chuckled, reaching for a glass of homemade limoncello that her mom had just brought over. She took a sip and savored the citrusy sweetness. "You'll fit right in with this competitive bunch. Truco gets serious around here."

Rooster raised an eyebrow, his attention momentarily shifting from the cards. "I can see that. Michael is giving me the 'I'm plotting something' look."

Beatrice laughed, taking another sip of her limoncello. "Oh, that's just his terrible poker face. Don't let it intimidate you.”

"I'll be on the lookout for any sneaky moves, then."

Claudia, returned, placing a plate of freshly baked biscotti on the table. "Biscotti, anyone? Get it before Guillermo arrives, you know how your older brother is."

“A sweet tooth with a bitch face yeah-FUCK!” Michael grumbled in annoyance, slamming his forehead down on the table, “Fuck how did Brad get so good,so fast?!”

Rooster chuckled, looking genuinely amused. "Beginner's luck, maybe?"

Michael groaned, rubbing his temples. "If this is luck, it's seriously unfair. Leo, help me out here."

Leonardo smirked, glancing at the cards in his hand. "Sorry, Michael, but you're on your own. I can't help you win against the newcomer."

Beatrice grinned, kissing Rooster’s cheek "Looks like Roos has found his hidden talent. Maybe he was a Truco champion in a past life."

"Next round is mine," Michael declared, shuffling the cards with determination.

“You are too competitive,Mike.”

“Shut up.”

“What’s happening?” Guillermo’s deep voice broke the banter and his immense form covered most of the doorframe as he watched all of them at the table. His green eyes dropped to his siblings then to Brad, “Brad’s winning?”

"Hey, Guillermo. Yeah, you won't believe it, but Roos is giving Michael a run for his money in Truco." she says, proudly, hugging Rooster’s arm.

Guillermo's bushy eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? B?"

"Surprised me too," Michael grumbled, looking at his cards with a determined scowl. "Beginner's luck or something."

Rooster grinned, playing along with the banter. "Just adapting.

Claudia joined them at the table, offering a plate of biscotti to Guillermo. "You're just in time. Join the game and give Michael some competition."

“Who else is missing?”

“Our other sisters,” Michael grumbled, “God damn it. Gui,help!

Guillermo hummed, taking a biscotti. "I'm afraid I've retired from the Truco battlefield. My skills are rusty."

Beatrice rolled her eyes. "Rusty, my foot. You're just scared Michael will cry if he loses."

Michael shot her a mock offended look. "I never cry." they all looked at him, “I never cry.”

Beatrice raised an eyebrow, "Really? Because I distinctly remember the time you lost a bet and had to watch 'The Notebook' with us."

Michael's face turned a shade of pink, and he grumbled under his breath. "That was a one-time thing."

Beatrice laughed, leaning into Rooster. "Maybe we should have a movie night soon. Watch something that will make Michael cry again."

Michael shook his head, waving off the suggestion. "Not happening. I've built up an immunity to tear-inducing movies."

“You didn’t honey,” Hannah says, “You cried watching tik tok a few days ago. And you cried while playing something with yoru friends.” and Michael felt the utter betrayal coming from all sides…so much he just huffed and kept his eyes on his cards

But as the Truco game reached its final rounds, the competition intensified. Rooster, still adapting to the game, managed to hold his ground against Michael's ‘experienced’ plays. In the midst of the game, Sabrina's laughter echoed from the doorway as she entered the scene. "What's all this noise about?" she asked, glancing around the table.

"Roos is schooling Michael in Truco," Beatrice announced with a proud grin.

Sabrina raised an eyebrow, her eyes flickering between Rooster and Michael. "Really now? Brad, a card shark in the making?"

Rooster chuckled, nodding. "Beginner's luck."

Beatrice lookd back to cyheck on the twins, who were now carried by her dad who just walked around the backyard, pointing at the orange tree growing close to the fence, bouncing the babies now and again.

Suddenly,Nicole zipped closer to Bea, ‘Mama, look!” she was cupping something in her tiny hands, “S’a fwend!”

Beatrice leaned down to Nicole's level, her eyes widening as she saw a small ladybug nestled in Nicole's palms. "Oh, it's a little friend. How did you find it?"

Nicole beamed, "It has spots!"

Beatrice smiled, "That's so sweet, Nicole. Ladybugs are good luck. Let it crawl on your hand gently." She watched as Nicole carefully extended her hand, and the ladybug crawled onto her tiny fingers. She gasped, then giggled, “There you go, are you having fun with cousin Bibi and cousin Eowyn?”

And Nicole nods, “Yesh.” she giggles more, “Mama,keep it?”

“Keep the ladybug?” she nods, ‘Oh,honey, no,no we can’t. She has to go back to her own mama,okay?”

Nicole pouted slightly, her eyes widening with a hint of disappointment then she looked down at the little bug. "But... I like fwends."

Beatrice chuckled, her heart warmed by Nicole's innocence. "I know, sweetheart. We can enjoy our time with the ladybug, but then we have to let her go back to her family. It's important to share our friends with others too."

Nicole considered this for a moment, her brows furrowed in thought. After a brief pause, she nodded in agreement. "Okay, Mama. We share fwends."

"Exactly," Beatrice said, giving Nicole a gentle hug. "Now, let's go show your little friend to nonno and the others."

Nicole walked over to where Rafael was now seated next to Michael,still holding the twins to his chest. Nicole excitedly displayed the ladybug to her grandfather. "Nonno, look! Fwend!"

Rafael's eyes lit up as he examined the tiny creature. "Ah, a ladybug! You know, in our culture, ladybugs are considered a symbol of good luck. It's said that they bring happiness and prosperity."

Nicole blinked at him, “...huh?”

“Papa,please,” Beatrice laughs, “She’s only one year old, she only got half of that.”

Rafael chuckled, "My apologies, little one. Ladybugs are like tiny messengers of good things. They bring smiles and good wishes wherever they go."

“Whu’s that?”

“What?A wish?” she nods and Rafael blinks, still holding the twins and furrowing his brows, “Uhhh…well….a wish is something you want really bad.” Beatrice noticed that while her father was speaking, Nicole just watched him intently, unblinking, “And stuff has that power.”

“...mkay! Papa!” Nicole quickly turns on her heel and shows the tiny bug to Rooster, who immediately stops to smile at her, “Wish!”

Rooster grinned at Nicole's excitement, gently picking her up from under her armpits, “Oh you got a ladybug,huh? That’s nice.”

Nicole's eyes sparkled with innocence as she gazed at the ladybug. "Wish fwends forever!"

The simplicity and sincerity of Nicole's wish brought smiles to everyone around. Beatrice exchanged a glance with Rooster, their hearts warmed by the genuine joy of their little one.

"Well, I think that's a beautiful wish," Rooster said, his voice filled with warmth. "Wishing for friends forever is something special."

Nicole beamed at Rooster's approval, and she continued to showcase her newfound friend to everyone that looked over at her. Beatrice smiles more, her hand rubbing her heart as she inhales shakily.

Sometimes she can’t believe this is her life.

She got not only the man of her dreams - said man winked at her before he got back to the game - she got amazing kids and a family that loves her husband just as much as she did…and he deserved it. She couldn’t help but feel her eyes stinging, because like her aunt said ‘they were meant to be’

If there’s any universe where the two aren’t together, she hopes her other version runs over and finds him there…because there’s no way life would be the same without him. She clears her throat, checking the time and seeing she had to make sure the twins’ got fed, “Roos.” her husband looks over, “I’m going to feed Gavin and Aurora,okay? I’ll be in my old room.”

Rooster nodded, his eyes following Beatrice as she made her way inside, only looking back when she disappeared from view. Beatrice entered the familiar halls of her childhood home, the echoes of her footsteps seemed to harmonize with the music being played outside As she approached the door of her old room, she couldn't help but smile at the flood of emotions.

Pushing the door open the soft glow from the bedside lamp illuminated the room, it made her smile. Her mother was slowly making it more neutral, it was a slow process but it was happening.

Settling into her old bed, Beatrice cradled Gavin in her arms, his tiny hands reaching out as he fidgeted in anticipation of the meal. Aurora, on her opposite arm just babbled quietly. Just as she was about to feed both, she saw her mother’s head pop in, “Oh, hi mom.” she says, gently pulling her shirt up “I’m going to feed them–you alright?” her mother’s eyes were shining with tears, but she was smiling.

Claudia walked into the room, her eyes gleaming "Oh, Beatrice, it's just so heartwarming to see you here, with your beautiful family."

Beatrice smiled, a softness in her eyes. "Thank you mama…”

Claudia approached, sitting on the edge of the bed. She gently brushed a strand of hair from Beatrice's face. "You're a wonderful mother, tesoro. I couldn't be prouder."

Beatrice's heart swelled with warmth at her mother's words. She had come a long way from the young girl who once inhabited this room, and now, she was a mother herself. Gavin latched onto her breast, nursing peacefully, while Aurora, in her own baby babble, seemed to share in the moment. “...I—”

“You are amazing, oh tesoro, I…” Claudia inhales, “When you told me about Bradley I have to admit, i was worried, I was worried…but the way he looks at you oh-” she shakes her head, “He doesn’t look away a second…and that fills me with joy and happiness and…and now you have three wonderful kids.”

"Mom, I couldn't have asked for a better partner," Beatrice admitted, her voice soft. "Brad…Brad is so…h-he has been my rock, especially through all the ups and downs. “

I didn’t think he’d stay, she wanted to say.

Claudia beamed, her eyes still glistening with emotion. "He's a good man, and he loves you so much. It's evident in every glance, every touch. I'm glad you found each other." she cups her daughter’s cheek, “...your life will be filled with love and joy, tesoro. It will.”

“...thank you,Mama.” she says softly, sniffling, “I…thank you…I…I know it will. It’ll be amazing.”

As Gavin finished nursing, Beatrice carefully shifted him to her shoulder, patting his back gently to soothe him. Claudia watched with a soft smile, her hand still resting on Beatrice's cheek. "You've become such a natural at this, sweetheart. It's like you were born to be a mother."

Beatrice chuckled, a hint of exhaustion in her voice. "I think Nicole,Gavin and Aurora did a good job training me. It's a learning experience every day."

Claudia laughed warmly, the sound like a comforting melody. "That's the beauty of it, tesoro. Motherhood is a journey of continuous learning, and you're navigating it beautifully."

Beatrice's gaze shifted to Aurora, who was now peacefully nestled against her other arm, her little fingers curled around Beatrice's shirt. "I always wanted a family like this," Beatrice admitted, her voice soft with nostalgia. "I wanted to recreate the warmth and love we had in this house."

Claudia nodded, her eyes reflecting the shared memories. "You've not only recreated it, but you've also expanded it. Our home is filled with new laughter, new stories. Bradley and the kids have woven themselves seamlessly into our family tapestry."

A thoughtful expression crossed Beatrice's face. "Roos has become an integral part of our lives, hasn't he? It's strange to think about the time when he was this new face in our world."

And how scared she was then.

Claudia's eyes twinkled with affection. "It's not strange at all, tesoro. Sometimes, the most unexpected connections become the most precious ones….Your father and I feel so blessed to have all of you here," Claudia expressed, her voice a gentle whisper. "Our home is filled with love, warmth, and the pitter-patter of little feet. I couldn't ask for more."

Beatrice sighed contentedly, gazing at her sleeping children. "Mama…you are going to make me cry.”

Claudia reached over, her hand gently resting on Beatrice's cheek,swiping a tear that dared to go down. "Crying is not a bad thing, tesoro. It's the overflow of a heart that's bursting with love and gratitude."

"We're truly grateful for everything you and Papa have done for us," Beatrice confessed, sniffling . "And–and,” she closes her eyes to regain her composure, “And everything is going so good now, with the kids and my job and Brad’s promotion–”

“...what?”

“What?”

Claudia’s eyes widened, “...Brad is getting promoted?”

“...I…I didn’t tell you?” oh no. Her mother’s face started to change and before she could stop her very fast Italian mother, she heard it, loud and piercing, with some teary tones downstairs.

“BRADLEY YOU ARE GETTING PROMOTED?!”

Funny,she was pretty sure she told her mother that.

#im happy yall are still here #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x named reader #tgm oc #tgm fic #tgm fanfiction

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