#oh I love that ronnie is in this too

[waugh-bao]

“Charlie biffed Mick once during the '80s in Holland. I'd been out for a drink with Mick and he didn't have a jacket so I lent him my wedding jacket. Mick's not a big drinker and he can get a bit silly after he's a had a couple. So about five in the morning, he calls up Charlie and says, "Is my drummer there?" There was this ominous silence at the other end of the telephone and I'm like, "Mick, I don't think that was a very clever thing to say." Twenty minutes later, Charlie knocks on my door, Saville Row suit, tie, polished brogues and says to Mick, "Don't ever call me your drummer!" Smack! And there's this long table with a platter of smoked salmon on it and the window's open and there's a canal outside and Mick falls on to the platter and starts sliding down the table towards the open window. And I'm grabbing his legs because he's going to fall out the window into the canal in my fucking jacket.

Oh, and I biffed Ronnie Wood once. In San Francisco. I guaranteed he'd be a good boy and he wasn't and I wanted to kill him but the old lady stepped in, tearing my shirt off, before I could land more than one on him.”

Keith Richards in Uncut Magazine (1994)

[bellatrixscurls]

i’m thinkinggg about inexperienced ron weasley. more specifically, the one who has never more than kissed a girl, that girl being lavender brown. and maybe she let him touch her, finger her, but he was under the influence of a love potion.

now, ron wants to feel it. to really feel it with his dove, the one whom he actually loves and craves but... doesn’t know how to say it. so, sometimes you just feel his nosing at your neck, gripping your hip a little bit too hard whenever you kiss.

you tease him, make him work for it. “you gotta tell me, ronnie. i cannot read minds” you raise your eyebrows at him, and he whimpers, head burying farther against your shorts.

“i want you to touch me... please touch me, ynn” ron says softly, doe blue eyes looking up at you with such sincerity and need, that you just have to bring his face to yours and kiss him deeply, the pretty boy on top of you moaning needily into your mouth.

“bloody hell” he whispers when your lips release his, his own glossy and red. you reach between your bodies and take a hold of his clothed cock, fairly prominent as it is rock hard.

you stroke it, a bit harsh at first, wanting to hear him collapse all because of your hand. “please, please- oh g-god ” he cries against your lips, struggling to kiss you once again, but he only manages to suck your bottom lip into his mouth, continuing his pathetic crying.

“yeah, ronnie?” you taunt, your hand moving to hold him by the waist as your other hand slides down his abs and into his boxers.

ron shudders when he feels your hand on his hot skin. “yeah. fuck yes yes, please” he pleads with you, but soon enough you feel his cum coat your hand and hear a pained cry out of ron’s mouth, his lips puffy and red from all the biting.

“good boy, honey” you kiss his forehead and ron relaxes against you, your hand still on his cock.

[unholyhelbig]

request: oversight au, nat and reader run into reader’s ex or ronnie’s father who was abusive to them… how will mob nat react?

Title: Old Flames [An Oversight Oneshot]

Ship: Female!Reader x Natasha Romanoff

Summary: When reader has an unexpected run-in with an old flame and things go less than well, Natasha takes things into her own hands.

Warnings(PLEASE READ): Talks of past domestic abuse, talks of abortion, buried alive references, broken glass, blood (always), Heights, threatening statements, non-consensual kiss, horrible grammar (aways).

[a/n: Okay, I had way too much fun with this. While I loved writing the main story, it's also super great to branch out into some more dynamics with Mob Boss Nat, because I haven't made her mean enough yet.]

Check out the full Oversight universe

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven

The apartment building on the corner of twelfth and Hawke was a large midcentury brick building that structure that stretched to the sky. A metal fire escape latticed up the side and stretched clotheslines dripping with shirts and pants connected it to the adjacent building that had long since been used for storage.

Up until this point, you had avoided this building. Luckily, the tenants were quite timely with their rent and left little need for an enforcer to knock door to door. But it was right after the holidays and things were tough. That much, you understood. But it didn’t’ change the fact that three units were more than two months behind on their rent.

Them, you could appeal to with hot chocolate and some gentle urging. But according to Clint, there was a particularly nasty group of people living on the top floor that had gotten multiple noise complaints thrown their way.

The address hadn’t seemed familiar until you stood at the entrance and got a good look at the golden door that contrasted the rest of the structure. You’d written the code to the door on your palm, and you were having trouble differentiating the last number. It was a zero, or it was an eight.

“Gross, you’re sweaty.” Kate had pulled your hand a small distance from her scrutinizing stare, trying to read the smeared purple markings. “I knew we should have used the napkin.”

The woman dropped your hand and stepped up to the small box on the side of the entryway. She hit every button known to man until the fragile voice cracked through the speaker. “Yeah, uh-huh, pizza. I have pizza. Pepperoni-“Her ramblings were cut off by the loud buzz in.

You were treated to an innocent smile as she wrenched open the door and allowed you to follow her in. She was innovative, annoyingly so. Most of the time it worked in your favor but sometimes you found her testing your temper just to prove a point. Thankfully, she hadn’t noticed your hesitation.

It was coming back to you now; the large entryway that was lined with lock and key mail slots and a bolstered wooden staircase that was scarcely used compared to the elevator. Natasha kept good care of the place, had repainted and made sure every single lightbulb was humming in synch.

Some would say that she improved the neighborhood, block by block. But there were still those who liked the way things used to be; living paycheck to paycheck with an angry and withering stare being sent your way with each collection call.

“I’ve got Miss Henderson.”

“Oh, come on.” You protested “She sounds so cool.”

Miss Henderson was an older woman who lived on the fifth floor. Most of the time, her rent was late because it had simply slipped her mind. One look at Kate and she’d write a check before offering some of the sweetest cookies you’d ever tasted, often sending her back with a plateful.

From what you had heard, she used to travel with a circus as an acrobatic performer. Her act was death-defying; a performance that relied on her partners quick bladework. The Swordsman and his Enchantress. There were illustrations of their travels hung up around her unit- ones that you would kill to see.

“Too bad, next time.” Kate mock pouted at you before clapping you on the back. “Don’t make too much of a mess up on the top floor, alright? I don’t want to scrub carpets today.”

She took the stairs two at a time and left you alone in the lobby. A cool blast of wind hit your back as a tenant walked in with their dalmatian, pink tongue lolling to the side as his owner checked the mail, barely sparing you a glance.

The type of New York residents that occupied this space had changed greatly. The last time you’d been here was a walk of shame that left your feet raw and bleeding. You’d rushed from the apartment with so much fever that you never returned for your shoes, or your dignity, for that matter.

This time, you had shoes on, ones that you had scrubbed free of blood until they looked presentable. They were leaden on the stairs up to the top floor. Once you reached the fifth, you could hear Kate’s distinctive laugh behind the oak door. At least she was close.

The top floor was nearly silent. You could hear a television, a hockey game that you’d been listening to sparingly on the way over here. It sounded like Toronto was pulling through. The sound of a beer cracking pulled you away from the muffled announcers words.

A radio was resting in an upper window. You and Kate had heard it from the street below, a French Pop station that you could barely make out the words of. French was never your strong suite, one language requirement in high school was enough for you.

Silently, you prayed, that it was a coincidence. That the radio didn’t’ belong to the very men that you were meant to speak to. They were flighty, you told yourself. They weren’t ones to stay and if they chose to stick around after all these years- well, you’d be impressed.

You knocked twice on the center door, the deep forest-green paint threatening to chip under the elements. The music stopped abruptly, and while you could hear that someone was whispering quietly in French, you couldn’t make out the words.

The man that opened the door was too familiar for your liking; his pale waxy skin, his deep brown eyes that were so dark they were almost black, the tattoos that were smattered in different designs against his throat, down his collarbone. Pockmarked on his arms. His hair was longer than you remembered, greasier and tied up in a bun.

He took you in for a singular moment, shock reflecting in his stare, but before he moved to shut the door. You stopped the action with one strong hand, putting your boot between the frame and the wood for extra measure. “Don’t be like that, Kazi.”

“All these years, and now you’re coming back for child support?”

He raked his eyes up and down your body in a way that made you feel violated. You held your stance. He seemed impressed by the bout of strength.

You tsked “if I wanted child support, I would have gone after it by now. Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

He scratched under the sleeve of his tank-top, considering you the same way you considered him. Eventually, he seemed to figure he had nothing to lose pulling the door back and letting you enter the apartment. Waves of memory washed over you.

Kazi still had the same futon covered in the same ratty blanket. There was a kitchen table that was stacked with different folders that he would never, in a million years, let you view. A blue funnel was drying on the dishrack, and countless liquor bottles that had been emptied and cleaned were lined up, ready to be filled with the slightest bit of homebrewed alcohol.

He was still running the same scam after all of these years. You remembered liking the danger about him, the way his stubble felt against you when you straddled him. He’d been so alluring to a good girl like you. He would street race at night with another guy you’d met a handful of times, Robbie Reyes.

God, you had been so naive back then. He was drawn in by your innocence and you were entrapped by his experience. If only you knew where you’d end up in seven years; with Kazi’s biological daughter being raised by the most powerful woman in the city.

The moment you told him you were pregnant, he told you bluntly to get rid of it. That same night, he’d thrown an empty liquor bottle at you, just barely missing your head. You’d refused outright and accepted his anger in turn. Glass shards cut into the soles of your feet, and stained the snow all the way back to your dorm room.

The way he stared at you now infuriated you. “What do you want, then?”

“You’re two months late on rent.”

“I figured you’d keep tabs. Most women do. But my rent? That’s a new one.”

You picked up a small paperweight that you remember being fond of when you returned to this apartment after a first date where Kazi was a perfect gentleman. He’d bought dinner, and walked you back to his place. The glass object was tinted yellow, a small mosquito suspended in the center. He must have gotten it in a museum gift shop.

“Truthfully, I’m shocked you still live here.” You tested the weight of the object. “Most landlords aren’t very lenient about tardiness.”

“Yeah, well. She’s not very attentive. What can I say?”

Oh, but Natasha was quite attentive in more than one aspect, at that. You couldn’t’ help the smile that spread against your lips. Kazi was growing agitated with your presence, always quick to temper.

With all the strength you could muster, you threw the paperweight at the wall directly behind him. In its innate cheapness, it shattered into a million pieces, littering the carpet and slicing little bites into his skin. Kazi flinched and covered his face with his arms.

“Fuck! Y/n, what the hell!” He screamed.

“You have two weeks to backdate the rent, Kazi. Another week to get us this month’s amount. That sounds reasonable to me. Attentive, even.”

He reached into the back of his sweatpants and pulled out a silver Kimber, pumping the top chamber and aiming it at you with a shaky hand. He was too lax with his hold. A pinprick of crimson was dripping from a cut on his cheek.

“Come on, Kazi. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure you can push some half-rate liquor. Sell a few of your gold fillings, and come up with the money my employer is required.”

“Employer? You work for that… monster?”

“Now, there’s a big word.” You closed the distance between the two of you, not giving him a moment to react before you wrenched the gun from his hand and threw it onto that ratty old blanket that adorned the futon he’d found on the side of the road. “So much horrible implication behind it too. You shouldn’t name call.”

Your boots crunched against the shattered glass. Kazi was barefoot, he flinched as flesh was dug into by uneven shards. You could smell the rancid coffee on his breath. He had a mole just on small of his nose.

“What happened to you?” he whispered, “Where’s that girl that stormed out of my apartment because she didn’t get her way?”

“A lot can change in seven years, Kaz.” You glanced around his apartment. “Well, most people change. Some people don’t go anywhere in life.”

Kazi pressed forward, his dry lips suddenly against yours. You froze in an instant, appalled by the acrid taste of cigarettes and stale morning coffee that he had no-doubt heated up in the microwave and drank black. The kiss was strong, rushed and painful in the way that his teeth knocked against yours.

It took less than a second for you to push him away. His head hit the cabinet behind it, rattling the glasses inside. Your hand was splayed out on his chest, nails digging into the stained tank-top he wore. He grinned wolfishly at you. Your teeth had dug so hard into his lip that it drew blood.

“I like this rough version of you, sweetheart. It’s hot.”

You reeled back and slapped him across the face with as much force as you could muster in your close proximity. The radio in the window seemed to flicker out of power at that moment, or maybe they had just run out of shitty pop music to play. Either way, the two of you were engulfed in silence.

“Shit, baby, hit me again!”

He had no idea how much you wanted to abide by that, though, you were quite positive that it would do nothing but spur on his arousal. This wasn’t going to work. If he kept pushing the way he was, you were afraid you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from pulling your own weapon.

It suddenly became too much, standing in the middle of this time-capsule of an apartment. The memories were too strong. When the two of you were together, everything you did was for his benefit. And while this had been fun at first, testing him like this, it was too much.

You grabbed the collar of his sweat-soiled shirt, wrapping it around your fingers with enough force to tear the fabric away. “Two weeks, you fucking asshole. If you don’t have the money by then, I’m sure the city will have a fun time scrubbing your brain matter from the sidewalk.”

“I love it when you talk dirty to me.” He sneered.

You pressed your booted foot down on the top of his, listening as the glass dug deeper into the soft skin. This time, he did cry out in pain, the grinding of pieces close to bone making his eyes water. You placed your hand over his mouth, muffling his protest. “I will make your miserable existence a living hell, with or without the money, for what you did to me. Do you understand?”

“You’re so full of shit-“ you pressed your full weight down and you squirmed under your hold. “Yes! Yes, I get it. Fuck!”

You pulled yourself away from Kazi entirely, straightening his shirt. He was slumped against the counter, staring at you with pure rage in his eyes. He shifted his full weight to his other foot, grimacing at the edged stain on the wooden floor.

“You should really clean that up.” You gritted, mouth still tasting of stale smoke. “Glass can be dangerous, Kazimirez.”

By the time you got to the car the only thing on your mind was taking the hottestshower possible. You’d pawed through Kate’s glovebox rather frantically and counted it a small blessing that that there was a single unwrapped piece of gum at the very bottom.

She cringed as you popped it in your mouth and let the minty dusty taste coat your tongue. If you could, without raising suspicion, you would have dumped solvent on it, just to take the taste of Kazi out of your mouth.

“I don’t know how long that’s been in there.” Kate said, watching you warily as you picked up her water bottle and downed half of that too. It seemed to take the rest of the rancid flavor away.

“I don’t care”

“You should care, I bought this car used.” She frowned, tapping her fingers against the wheel. “Okay, I didn’t’ buy it. I bought the license plates though, that’s my civic duty.”

Her words were enough for you to roll your window down and toss the gum from it. Despite your profession, you weren’t a very good liar. Not when it came to Natasha. She’d ask you about your day like usual and you’d crumble under her seemingly innocent gaze.

Nothing Natasha did was innocent.

“What happened up there?” Kate asked.

The two of you were well out of the city by now, and still had about a half-hour until you got to the mansion. The family liked their privacy, and after a year of living there permanently, so did you.

When you didn’t answer right away, she kept going. “Because I got cookies. Nearly choked on one when Miss Henderson insisted on a private show. It’s seriously a wonder that a woman her age can still bend like that.”

“Katie,” You warned, “Gross.”

“Impressive actually. She kept her clothes on, which I am eternally grateful for. It looks like you had a more eventful visit with the French dudes upstairs.” She scoffed, “Who the fuck is French anymore?”

You rolled your eyes and slumped further into your seat. Kazi was French. You used to crumble when he gave you the choppiest lines that he could remember. According to him, the language is harder to speak than it is to read and write. You never questioned him, just like you didn’t question a lot of things.

“I have a… history with the man who rents 807.”

“A history, or a… history?”

“The first one. The second one. Shit- I don’t know, both! He’s Ronnie’s dad.”

Kate slammed on the brakes with enough force for a layer of rubber to be peeled from the tires of her mostly stolen care. The seatbelt cut into your neck and you figured yourself lucky that you’d taken a back road that was rarely used, god forbid she cause an accident.

“Dude!” You shouted as she put the car into park.

Kate twisted her entire body in the seat, placing her hand on the back of your seat. The motor was sputtering wildly, trying to compensate for her abrupt stop. Something had to be damaged, you thought, with her force on the pedal.

“Don’t dude me. Are you really that dense? If you haven’t noticed, Natasha is possessive over her things. And you? Well, you’re one of her favorite things. She’s not going to take this well in the slightest.”

“Kate, I think I know how to handle my girlfriend.”

“No, you know how to handle Natasha, the sweet, loving woman who would die for you and your child. Admirable, really. But you don’t know how to handle Miss Romanoff, mob boss extraordinaire.”

But you had seen Natasha in action before, countless times. She’d always kept this calm coolness about her that you were in awe of. Maybe Kate was right. You’d only seen a fraction of her jealous side at the first party you had ever attended in the house. That night she ripped the dress she’d picked out specifically for you to shreds.  

“I was dating a man named Eli when I was first taken in by the Romanoff’s, He turned out to be… not so favorable despite my constant reassurances. Natasha just knows. She had him dig a grave right off I-25 and then she made him lay in it.”

Your jaw threatened to drop at the simple fact. Kate removed her hand from the back of the seat and eased off the brake before she slowly got the two of you back up to an acceptable speed.

“All Eli did was cheat on me one night in a club. It wasn’t great, but I wasn’t sure if it warranted that kind of reaction. I never knew if she was proving a point to me, or to Eli. Either way, the smallest offense against any of us is met with archaic conviction.”

You didn’t respond to Kate, instead you stared at the trees that were whizzing by in a lush green wall of color. You’d decided that she was right- any type of reaction Natasha was going to have to Kazi would be severe.

“You’ll be fine.” Kate tapped her fingers nervously on the wheel, trying to backtrack her words. “As long as he didn’t’ touch you.”

It didn’t seem to matter how ferociously you scrubbed your skin with the honey scented soap you shared with Natasha, you swore you still smelled like smoke. It clung to your clothes, and lingered in the air after you’d shoved them to the bottom of the clothes basket.

The water was blazingly hot, filling the bathroom with a thick mist that made it slow to breathe. Natasha had chosen a dark blue tile that seemed to transport you into another world. Even without the scaring remembrance of Kazi’s lips against yours, his hands where you didn’t want them, you could stay here for hours.

Her hands were freezing cold and startling as they splayed against your naked stomach. You let out a small noise, going rigid before registering Natasha behind you. Her front was pressed against your back, and you’d know the curve of her body anywhere.

“Izvinite, moya lyubov', I didn’t mean to scare you.”

You turned in her arms and took in the state of her. She’d stripped down just as you had, small drops of water littering her skin like a constellation in the sky. She’d been in the sun today, a smattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose giving her away.

There was a bruise forming against the side of her jaw, one that you ran your waterlogged fingers over. Her eyes were an intoxicating shade of green, playing off the indigo tiles. You wanted to scold her for getting the bruise in the first place, but you were so entrapped by her simple presence, the way she fit so perfectly against you.

Natasha closed the distance between you both, pressing her lips against yours in a hurried kiss. You moaned into the embrace, allowing her tongue to find purchase in your mouth. God- you had missed her in the short few hours you’d been apart.

“Did you take up smoking?” she asked, barely pulling away, the words were spoken flushed to your lips. “It’s a terrible habit, darling.”

The glovebox gum hadn’t done its job, and apparently the swish of mouthwash and subsequent teeth brushing hadn’t done anything either. Of course, Natasha noticed. Of course. You weren’t going to try to hide it, though the thought did occur to you to save some heartache. But you were hoping you could placate her in a less slippery spot of the house when you were less naked and incredibly turned on by her presence.

A groan of a different cadence than she was used to escaped you as you dropped your head to her shoulder and clenched your eyes shut. “No, I didn’t take up smoking.”

“You taste like you have,” She gently led your eyes to hers. It was tender compared to the first time she had done so. “Licking ash trays again?”

“Gross, no.”

Natasha valued honesty above all. That much had been clear from the moment you met her. She’d nearly taken your head off in the gym when you repeated your one-night-stand with the enemy. The devil incarnate who happened to only be decent in bed. You remembered her hand wrapped around your throat, squeezing just enough for you to give her the answers she craved.

“What is it, pet? You can tell me.”

“Do you… I’ve been with men before.”

She let out a small chuckle that reverberated off the deep tile. “Yes, I know. I didn’t want to make assumptions, of course, but Ronnie does have a father.”

The way you stared at her in the silence that followed the statement made the smile on her face falter until it dropped entirely. She must have seen something behind your eyes, something that weighed the situation down more than she was intending on a typical Wednesday night.

“I’d completely blacked it out and didn’t realize it until I stepped foot into the lobby, but he still lives in the same apartment on the top floor. He thought I was after child support, or something but things sort of… escalated.”

You felt like a child, spilling your secrets about a vase you had broken. This time it was a cheap paperweight with a bug in the center that you frankly felt bad for. The words came out like emotional vomit, granted, Natasha had become used to your rapid admissions.

Her grip tightened against your chin, “Escalated how?”

“He kissed me, and I hit him hard enough to break his jaw.”

That same silence enveloped you again. The scalding water had lost its effect, numb and beating against your back. The two of you were still impossibly close and there wasn’t much escape for you in a shower this size. The glass door having fogged up and only giving you a stunted view of the large bathroom.

Natasha had an immeasurable rage behind her stare, her lidded expression ran as dark as old blood. It chilled you to your core. She reached beside you and shut off the constant flow of water. You’d been in here for about an hour now and the cold air that touched your skin felt like an assault of needles. You instinctively wrapped your arms around your center to preserve warmth.

“He laid his hands on you.”

“Yeah, Nat, he did.”

“He touched you.”

“I gave him hell for it, but it didn’t seem like it was enough.”

“Without permission.”

“He’ll never do it again.”

Whatever split-second decision she made; it was done without the usual calculation behind her eyes. She threw the door to the shower open and forcefully shoved a towel into your arms. While you revered in the warmth, you watched as she sauntered in her usual way out of the bathroom and into your shared bedroom. She was dripping wet.

“Natty!” You stumbled over the partition and nearly slid on the bathroom floor. It was much colder outside of your cocoon of warmth and subsequent mist. She thankfully hadn’t left the room and was pawing through her side of the dresser. You nearly lost your footing once you reached hardwood. “Fuck,”

She seemed to find what she was looking for, a plain black tank top that hugged her sides and looked entirely uncomfortable to wiggle into while damp. You watched with baited breath in a sloping towel as she adorned herself with underwear and pants, before turning towards you.

“Get dressed.” She ordered in a dangerous tone.

Shit. She was going to make you dig your own grave. You’d just showered all of the grime from Kazi’s apartment off and in a matter of minutes you would have dirt up to your knees. Natasha may have let Eli live after his blunder, but maybe she’d cover you completely and let you suffocate in your own efforts.

Numbly, you put on a pair of sweatpants and the closest shirt you had. There was no need to get dressed for your own funeral, you supposed. The worms would chew through whatever you wore regardless.

Clint was stretched out on the chase in the foyer, a pair of thick-lensed glasses balancing on the tip of his nose. Regardless, he still squinted at the book in his hands. You wondered why he wasn’t in the living room, but caught a glimpse of a particularly intense game of twister between Ronnie, Yelena, and Kate.

Darcy held onto the board, flicking the small plastic needle and calling out the colors. When Kate clocked the anger in Natasha’s eyes, she dropped to her back, taking down Yelena and Ronnie with her.

She gave you a pleading look, but you were already too far gone to return anything other than a flushed expression. You followed obediently after Natasha. She opened the front door and watched you with a calculated expression before slamming the front door hard enough to shake the glass fronting.

“Get in the car.”

“Do you want me to grab a shovel?”

“What?”

She contemplated this for a minute, growling softly. The near silence was terrifying. Her arms crossed over her chest was terrifying. Your mouth with incredibly dry, and you wished that you were back under the constant stream of water.

“No. I don’t think we’ll need that. Get in the car.”

Numbly, you did as you were told, placing your hands in your lap. This was quite possibly the last time you would be sitting in any car, much less, next to Natasha. She reached across you and pulled your seatbelt into place, tugging on the upper portion until she was sure you weren’t going anywhere.

The tires picked up traction on the gravel and the drive that usually took an hour seemed to whiz by. Natasha was quiet, the route to the city more than familiar by now. She run her hands against the steering wheel until her knuckles were white. You could hear her breathing deeply, trying to ease her nerves. You didn’t dare say a word.

For a moment, you figured that she’d abandoned the idea of burying you alive and switched her ideals to something much more sinister and public. She pulled her car up to the front of the very building you had left a few hours ago, the sun just barely setting behind the skyline. You blinked at her, and then up at the very property that she owned.

“Come on.”

There was no room for discussion. The air here was clouded with the scent of smoke and the coolness of the cement structures around you. It was moments like these where you much preferred the country.

Of course, Natasha knew the code, she had recited it to you earlier as you and Kate ate lunch by the docks, stretched out on the hood of her car. It was wrong then and your nerves were too elevated to pay attention now. She got in without the theatrics.

There seemed to be more activity as the day for working folks began to wind down. Two people halted their conversation by the mail-slots, nodding solemnly at the woman. On the third floor, you caught a glimpse of a woman struggling to push her keys into the lock, juggling her gym bag. The sixth floor held a small boy who darted from one apartment to another, edging across the hall.

She kept climbing until that same irritating French pop filled your ears. He must keep it on at all hours of the day, just to drown out his own miserable thoughts. “What apartment?”

You lifted your chin slightly, hands shoved in the pockets of your sweatpants to ward off the biting chill. “807.”

“Spasibo, lyubimyy.”

Natasha’s booted foot connected with the center of the very door you had politely knocked on earlier in the day. You flinched, covering your face with a guarded arm. The wood of the doorframe seemed to splinter, slivers reigning across both sides of the entrance.

“What the fuck!”

Kazi was hunched over the kitchen table, the funnel that had been drying by the sink was positioned perfectly in the mouth of a soaked and peeled liquor bottle. He had a stack of his own labels ready to place evenly on the finished product. Both of his feet were haphazardly wrapped with gauze, small sprouts of blood worming through the soft material.

He’d taken care to clean up the glass, but with the way Natasha headed straight towards him, that didn’t matter much. More of it fell to the floor and shattered upon impact. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and started walking him backwards across the living room. Kazi seemed too stunned to speak, his words caught in his throat.

“I-I-I didn’t mean it! Please!”

“When you speak to me, you’ll do it clearly.” She gritted, shoving him towards the window. Somewhere in the scuffle, the radio had fallen from its perch on the cracked windowsill, crashing to the alleyway below with one last fizzled cry. “You had no trouble saying whatever you wanted earlier, did you?”

“I’m sorry! Fuck! I told that bitch I would have the rent!”

“Yeah? Was that before or after you shoved your tongue down her throat?”

Natasha bent Kazi’s torso fully over the screenless window. He grasped frantically at her hands, clawing at them as the balanced him over the long drop to the pavement below. His bare feet kicked, trying to throw her off her equilibrium, but he was much too weak for any type of damage.

“You walked out on them.”

“What? Oh, my god, what?! I told her to get rid of it- I didn’t walk out on anyone! You’re batshit lady!”

To you, it didn’t’ seem very wise to throw insults at the woman holding you above an eight-story drop, but Kazi never was known for his intelligence. His bravado, maybe, but never anything more. He looked so small compared to Natasha’s anger.

“She didn’t get rid of it, Kazi. She kept the kid that you couldn’t have bothered to give another thought to. She made a life for both of them. She fucking loves that kid enough to fill the absence you left.” Natasha let her hand slip, letting him waver in his height for a moment before pulling him back up. He was crying, sobbing for his life. “And you have the nerve, to touch her, to break her and then come rushing back when she was strong enough to pick up the pieces?”

“I wasn’t ready,” he moaned out “I couldn’t be a dad.”

“It seems like there are a lot of things you can’t do, doesn’t it? You’re a pathetic excuse for a man. A pathetic excuse for a human being and once we leave here- I never want to see your face in my city again. Am I clear?”

Kazi let out another course of intelligible, wet, words. His back was nearly breaking under the force of Natasha’s hold, her knee directly up against his crotch, pushing down with all the strength she could muster.

“Y/n, I think this is a teaching moment, don’t you?”

The softness of her words as she addressed you caught you off guard. There was no malice. In fact, she beckoned to you as if she was calling you into the living room to join her under the blankets for a movie. Your heart raced fast enough for your chest to ache as you closed the distance between you both.

“See, the trick is making them think that you’re going to let them go.”

She said this to you as if Kazi wasn’t a slobbering mess under her touch. He’d carved little half-moon marks against the tops of her hand, some of them starting to leak blood with the sheer force of his struggle.

“You have to get creative with the fear aspect. If they think they’re going to die, it tends to work in our favor. Doesn’t it, Kazi?”

“Please,” He whimpered, “I’ll do whatever you want. I’m sorry, y/n, I’m sorry.”

Natasha did the seemingly impossible, she pushed him further out the window, his calves struggling for purchase against the drywall. “Oh, now that simply won’t do. You must keep her name out of your mouth.”

“In situations like these, darling, it’s best to keep full control. If he was anything other than wretched, then maybe you’d have to worry about him fighting back. You’ll get some people like that, but that trick is having leverage, literal and physical in cases like this.”

“I see,” You let the words escape you in a single breath “and how long do we play this game?”

“Until they know it’s not one.”

It took little effort for Natasha to push Kazi the rest of the way out the window. In spite of his clinging grip, the force of gravity was enough to do the work for her. His cry stunted in his throat and it only took a few seconds for a dull thud to echo through the alleyway, followed by the unmistakable sound of a car alarm going off.

With a small gasp, you leaned over the window yourself, staring down at the white Toyota that now had a sizeable dent in the top, the windshield spiderwebbing. Kazi let out a groan that you could hear from up here, blinking up at the sky with malice and shock in his eyes.

“Nat,” You breathed.

“Please, eight stories is survivable. Some people need to be taught a lesson.” She shrugged, pulling you back into the apartment by the sleeve of your shirt. “I’ll pay for the car repairs, if that makes you feel better, detka.”

“You didn’t have to do this, you know.”

“Of course I did.” She reached forward and cupped both of your cheeks, forcing you to look at her. It was impossible to ignore the gesture, the words that she had said with so much blind passion. Tears threatened to overtake your waterline. “moya lyubov', he put his hands on you without permission and before that… before that he hurt you in ways unimaginable. I meant every word I said.”

You could hear sirens in the distance, a hazard of living in the city. They could be for Kazi, you supposed, something to take care of the surely broken ribs and the bruised ego. But, they could be for something more important.

You pushed forward and kissed Natasha delicately. You wanted to be impossibly close to her. Most gestures you had received in the past had come in the form of flowers, maybe the occasional box of chocolate from the drug store. Once again- Natasha had proved something to you.

Her chuckle vibrated into the kiss, “Mm, we should probably leave.”

You couldn’t agree more. You wanted to get out of this stupid apartment that was teeming with memories of your time with Kazi. The way he claimed his love for you, and forced you to make a horrible decision all in one exhale.

As the two of you walked down the long and winding steps, Natasha asked, “What was with the shovel thing?”

You laughed, suddenly feeling foolish for fearing Natasha in the first place. Her silence caused waves, and somehow, that was worse than if she’d threatened you outright, something that she never did with much heat.

“Kate, she told me about her ex-boyfriend, Eli, I think she said his name was.”

“Ah, Eli.” She frowned, “He cheated on her, and I only made him dig for an hour.”

“You don’t have to justify yourself to me, as long as you never make me dig my own grave.”

 “I would never do that. There is no punishment in things you can’t control.” Natasha gave your hand a squeeze, her solemn words punctuated with a slowly creeping smile. “Besides, detka, that’s simply not my style. It was much too messy.”

[Taglist🕷♡: @dumbasslesbi, @lostremind, @toouncreativeforausername @autorasexy @eringranola @mikookaaaaaao @marvelwoman-simp @pacmanmiles @mostlymarvelsstuff, @mrsrushman, @milfsandtittyenthusiast, @random-raccoon4, @ravenromanova, @mysticalmoonlight7, @ahintofchaos@cowboyboots236 @lissaaaa145, @natsxwife@a-spes, @kyleeservopoulos]

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Kissin' in the Blue Dark

Pairing: Abraham (Grantchester) x f!reader Warnings: Choking, smut. Word count: ~2k

Summary: Less than enthusiastic about the game of Cluedo he's been forced to play, Abraham finds his own form of entertainment.

Author's note: Day seven of Smuffmas - board games and breath play. No tag list. Follow @fics-by-ewanmitchellcrumbs and turn on post notifications.

“Look at what I got in town earlier!” Cora said excitedly, holding up the white box and shaking it for emphasis, causing the contents to rattle.

“What is it?” she asked, reading the word ‘Cluedo’ across the front.

“It’s a board game,” she explained excitedly, turning over the box to study the back of it. “A murder mystery. You have to guess who the murderer is, what weapon they used and in what room they murdered the person. I’ve been wanting to play it for ages.”

“Oh, right,” she replied, attempting to feign enthusiasm she didn’t really feel. Truthfully, the concept sounded boring to her, she had never enjoyed forced fun. “I’m sure you and Ronnie will have loads of fun playing that.”

“You need six people to play it,” Cora told her, lifting her gaze back to her, “maybe you and Abraham could come over for a game?”

“Oh yeah…maybe…that’d be nice,” she said, nodding and giving a tight smile. There was absolutely no way Abraham would ever agree to sit around and play a board game, it just wasn’t his idea of fun at all, but she didn’t want to be rude to Cora and tell her that. “Anyway, I’d better get off, got a hot date with a pile of ironing!”

“See ya, love,” Cora called to her, before closing the caravan door as she walked away.

Unfortunately, the game of Cluedo happened a lot sooner than she had anticipated – that same night.

Abraham came back from tending the horses, his clothes thick with the scent of the stables, and wrapped his arms around her waist as she stood ironing one of his shirts. She smiled as his warmth enveloped her, his back pressed tight to her chest, and turned her face to his, her lips meeting his in a soft kiss.

“Good day?” she murmured against his lips as he pulled back slightly to look at her.

“Yeah, was alright,” he replied, giving her a gentle squeeze, then flopping down on the settee. He sat with his legs spread wide, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips as he watched her working behind the ironing board. “Pal and Ronnie have a fresh batch of homebrew ready. Ronnie said we should go over tonight for a few drinks.”

“Sounds good,” she replied, placing the iron down and beginning to button the shirt closed. She shot him a playful smile. “You should have a bath first though, you stink of horses.”

“Bloody cheek,” he grinned, standing and giving her a playful swat on the bottom.

Later that evening, they sat in Cora and Ronnie’s caravan, with Pal and Freda. It was a tight squeeze for the six of them, all crowded around the fold out dining room table. She had Abraham’s thigh pressed tightly against her to the left and Freda’s on the right, with barely enough elbow room to lift her glass to her lips. Several brown, glass bottles of strong home brewed beer were scattered across the tabletop, and a half empty bottle of gin was slowly making its way around them too.

The small space was warm, her cheeks felt flushed, and everyone’s voices grew progressively louder the more they drank, all attempting to be heard over each other. A look of realisation passed across Cora’s face, her eyes went wide, and she clapped her hands, causing a hush to settle over the circle they were sitting in.

“I know what we can do, we’ve got enough of us for it,” she exclaimed, before standing and reaching up to grab the Cluedo box from the shelf behind her.

She felt her heart sink knowing what was to come, it would sour the mood around the entire table.

“What you got there then, Cor?” Pal asked, eyeing the box with curiosity as he rolled a cigarette.

“Cluedo!” she replied happily, placing the box heavily in the centre of the table. “It’s a murder mystery board game.”

“How d’you play it?” Freda asked, sliding the gin bottle across the table to Ronnie.

“So, there are cards for the murder suspects, weapons and rooms, and one of each is chosen at random and placed into an envelope – that’s the answer. The rest of the cards are split out between us, and we each get to play a character and move around the board, between the rooms and guess, based on our cards, who we think the murderer is, what weapon they used and which room they did it in. You all get stuff to take notes with so you can keep track of what’s been guessed wrong. If you guess correctly you win, if you guess wrong then you’re not allowed to guess again. If any of the cards guessed are ones you’re holding, you’ve got to show them privately to the guesser so they know what they guessed wrong. They’re also then allowed to look in the envelope to see the correct answer, but can’t tell anyone what it is.”

Pal and Abraham groaned in unison as Cora lifted the lid and spread the board out. “Christ, that sounds so shit,” Abraham complained, “can’t we just play cards or something instead?”

Ronnie elbowed him gently, leaning in conspiratorially to whisper to him, “just humour her this once. The novelty will wear off or she’ll lose one of the pieces eventually. No point in upsetting her.”

Abraham scowled, leaning back against his seat and folding his arms across his chest as he watched Cora set the game up.

It was slow going, given that none of them really knew what they were doing and Abraham was less than impressed with being given the character of Professor Plum. “Sounds like a twat,” he grumbled, holding the game piece between his forefingers as he examined it.

She had been given the character of Miss Scarlett, and as she moved her red game piece into the library portion of the board, she decided she’d take her chances and make a guess. “Was it…Colonel Mustard with a revolver in the library?”

Freda shook her head, leaning across to show her that she had the card for the revolver.

“Ah, bugger,” she sighed, placing her own cards face down on the table, “guess that’s me out then. I don’t wanna see the answer, I’d rather it stay a surprise.” She tapped Abraham lightly on his thigh, “shift over, love, I’m off to spend a penny.”

She squeezed out of the tight space with difficulty, as Abraham maneuvered his long legs to allow her to pass. The crisp coolness of the night air was a welcome sensation against her skin, as she pushed open the door, allowing it to swing closed behind her as she descended the rickety wooden steps. She felt warm from the combination of the wood burning stove in the caravan and how crowded it was in the small space, as well as the effects of the gin and homebrew she’d been swigging all evening. The fresh air made her light headed and unsteady on her feet as she made her way towards the outhouse.

Having done what she needed to do, she was about to head back when she felt large hands grab her waist, making her gasp as she was backed up against the hard, wooden exterior of the barn. She looked up into the smirking face of Abraham, the pale moonlight just barely illuminating his sharp features.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, grasping the front of his plaid shirt to steady herself.

“Told ‘em I was coming out for a piss,” he said, a predatory glint in his eye as he stared down at her, his grip on her waist unrelenting. “We could just go home though, now we’re both out here.”

“We can’t just leave and not say anything, it’s rude,” she chided, giving his chest a light tap.

“Oh, come on, it’s fucking boring and you know it is,” he argued, keeping her pressed against the wall.

“It is,” she agreed, winding her arms around his neck, “but it’s just this once. Cora was really excited when she told me about it earlier.”

Abraham raised an eyebrow. “You knew she was gonna make us play this?”

She bit her lip, a guilty look passing across her face. “Sort of, yeah…but I didn’t think she’d make us play it tonight.”

“Mmm,” he leaned in, the tip of his nose brushing against hers, “so, this is your fault then.”

She leaned up, pressing her lips to his, smiling into the kiss as she felt how eagerly he responded, his body pressed flush against hers as his hands slid to her lower back.

“We should get back,” she whispered breathlessly, when they finally parted for air, “or they’ll come out looking for us.”

“No rush,” he murmured, eyeing her hungrily, “I already know who the murderer is.”

“Oh, do you now?”

“Yeah, me, with my hand up your skirt against the barn,” he uttered, pushing her back against the wall, as the roughness of his calloused fingers slid up the soft flesh of her inner thigh, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in their wake.

She whimpered softly, trying to ignore the dull throbbing sensation of her core. “Not here!” she hissed, though she made no attempt to push his hand away.

“I think here will do just fine,” he grinned wolfishly, the pads of his fingers toying with the gusset of her underwear.

“Abe—”

“Shhh,” he soothed. His free hand rose to her throat, wrapping around it and applying just enough pressure to silence her protests, as he slipped two fingers past her knicker elastic and swiped them through her slick folds. “Oh, you like that, don’t you?”

She had felt light headed when she had stepped outside to pee, but it was nothing compared to this – Abraham’s thumb and forefinger pushed against the sides of her throat, the dizzying lack of oxygen serving to heighten the sensation of his digits working rhythmically against her sensitive flesh.

He squeezed experimentally at her neck, tightening his grip ever so slightly, as his index finger sought out her pearl and began rubbing tight circles upon it. She bucked her hips, her lips parted as her eyes fluttered closed and she lost herself in blissful surrender, completely at his mercy. Abraham was so dominant like this – restricting her airway with one hand, while the other was beneath her skirt – it was all too easy to forget that anyone could catch them, but it felt too good to care.

Little spots swam in her vision, obscuring her view of him as she opened her eyes. He was staring intently at her, loosening and tightening his grip on her delicate neck in tandem with the insistent rubbing at her swollen bundle of nerves. She could feel the coil tightening in her lower belly, as her thighs started to shake. Unable to breathe properly, her pleasured pants were shallow and laboured.

He chuckled darkly, clearly able to sense she was close, and sped up the movement of his fingers as he increased the pressure on her throat. “That’s it, good girl, just let go for me.”

His words were enough to send her tumbling over the edge and she let out a quiet, broken cry of pleasure as her body shuddered against his and white, hot pulsations of ecstasy rippled through her, causing her inner walls to spasm around nothing, as he continued to rub at her, until it became too much and she had to jerk her hips away.

Slowly, he released the hold he had on her throat, moving his arm around her waist to hold her limp form steady. He pulled his hand out from beneath his skirt and wiped it unceremoniously on his trousers, as she clung desperately to his shoulders to keep herself upright.

“You ready to go back in then?” he asked, once she’d had a moment to catch her breath.

“Not after that,” she grinned up at him, “take me home.”

“With pleasure,” he winked, ignoring her squeal as he lifted her effortlessly over his shoulder, and brought his palm heavily down upon her bottom, the sound ringing out loudly in the still night air, as he strode back through the farmyard. They never did find out who the murderer was, and neither one of them cared.

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[amnesique]

Hi! Can you write a possessive Nick Leister imagine?

oh, mami — nicholas leister

the music was roaring in the speakers, people were whistling and cheering, so that the sound of the car wheels accelerating on the asphalt could barely be heard in all this chaos.

this is how one of the illegal car races was described. the car races where all the four gangs of the city used to be present, with the well-known son of a billionaire, nicholas leister, and the dangerous ronnie being the centre of the attention.

nicholas revved the engine, and the members of his gang, the red one, whistled for him once more.

you rolled your eyes, and fed up with the lead the leister young man had on your gang member, the blue ones, you placed your hands on the cheeks of another member of your gang and pulled him into a sensual kiss, just as the red car of that one rival passed by you, causing him to clench his jaw and lose his concentration. nicholas leister would never admit it, but he let you, a member of one of the opposing gangs, get under his skin.

you continued to kiss him and and cling onto his body, under the watchful eye of nicholas, who barely managed to get back on track, only after losing his lead.

his jaw was still clenched and he imagined how many ways he could kill the one you had the courage to kiss and touch him, as he pressed the accelerator without a second thought.

meanwhile, lion, his right hand, started yelling at him, cursing, trying anything, just to get his attention. and all in vain.

after all this time, the blue gang had managed to win a race with the famous leader of the red gang, and that was only because of you.

you pulled back, grinning satisfied with your plan, and walked away from the boy in front of you, walking away, not before giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder and a playful wink.

you took a walk by yourself where you knew you'd find a toilet, and after you got out of it, you were suddenly pulled and pressed against a wall by a much stronger and better-built body than yours, a man's body.

and before you could make any sound or see anything in the darkness that surrounded you, a hand made contact with your lips, blocking your cries from being heard.

the man you were glued to moved his mouth to your ears. "i don't think this was the smartest move on your part, what do you say?" he whispered to you.

at the sound of his voice you shuddered to the core and your toes curled involuntarily, feeling your knees weaker than they were minutes ago.

you knew that voice all too well.

when he realized you had no intention of yelling anymore, the man freed you and he took a few steps back, looking down on you due to the height difference.

"nick," you whispered his name in disbelief.

"in the flesh, love," he said, full of himself, and moved closer to you again, enough to put his hand on your waist and press lightly. "how did you allow that loser to kiss those lips that belong to me?" he asked you, his free hand casually touching your bottom lip.

you quickly turned your head, making him withdraw his hand. "i wear the blues bandana, nicholas. you have no right to mess with me."

he chuckled, amused by your remark, and glared at you. "that hasn't stopped me in the past," he began and moved his head to the area between your neck and collarbone, leaving soft wet kisses at the base of your neck, "and it won't stop me now either."

a faint sound, like a silent plea, left your lips as they felt his other hand on your waist as well.

"it should," you said in a weak voice, weighing the option of pouncing him and walking away from him or the option of begging him to make you feel pleasure again, as only he had managed to do.

he moved away from your neck, only to make a disapproving sound, then to moving from your neck to your lips, like a hungry lion getting its food after a long time.

you kissed him back far too quickly, allowing his tongue to explore your mouth, while you would've barely stayed on your feet if his hands on your waist hadn't held you against the wall behind you.

his kisses were maddening, knowing how to soften any girl just the way he wanted to, and you weren't the strongest fighter against those.

he broke away from your lips as quickly as he approached it, making space to give you both time to breathe as he lifted your legs up to wrap them around his body. "did he kissed you as well as i do?” he asked you, his breathing heavy.

you were silent, going crazy with the desire you felt, as your area was throbbing against his because of the position you were in, and you threw your head back, parting your lips.

"tell me," he whispered in a more serious tone, pressing you into that wall, against his hard chest, as you did with that guy. "did that loser manage to get you as wet as i do?"

"no," you murmured, way too fast, before you could stop yourself.

"what you said?" he asked mockingly as he slipped a hand over the space between his body and hers, fumbling with the button of the illegally short jeans you were wearing. "i don't think i heard you," he added, making his way under the fabric of your jeans to cover the area where you needed him the most through the material of your underwear.

you took a deep breath, bitting your bottom lip, and you could swear you could feel how he was getting harder and harder by any action you managed to do. "he couldn't get me as wet as you do," you managed to say, while his hands could feel you even better. in this case, you wouldn't have had a chance to lie to him.

"that's what i wanted to hear,” he said with a smirk on his lips and removed his hand as quickly as he suddenly put you down, you sighing involuntarily at the lack of your body being so close to him. "now," he said as you glared at him as deer in the headlights of his car, "i hope i don't have to make sure no one comes near you with my fists, because, love, you know very well that i'm capable of doing that too."

he walked past you, winking at you, letting you yearn for him, just like you had done before with that guy.

[lee-laurent]

Caught (Red-Handed) - Quinn Hughes

Summary: Sneaking out to see her boyfriend isn't as easier as she thought it would be

notes: i know this is a cliche plot. but i have writers block. so here we are. sorry :/ cute little summer romance tho with some drama

content: fluff, angst, kissing, mentions of sex but no actual smut, mentions of being a "puck bunny", slight age gap, supposed cheating (it's not really. you'll see)

Veronica Zegras was head over heels in love with Quintin Hughes. She had been since Jack and Trevor were in the USNTDP and she'd met him when going with their mom to pick up Trevor from the Hughes' house.

In fact, when she thought of that day it still made her heart flutter all these years later.

"Wanna come in with me? Officially meet the Hughes? They have a son your age... Luke, I think," Julie smiled at her daughter.

"No."

"I wasn't really asking, V. Let's go."

The girl sighed, following her mom to the front door. Veronica hated meeting new people.

"Julie! Hi! And this must be Veronica," the blonde woman that opened the door smiled widely.

"Hi," Veronica waved slightly, peering behind the woman into the house.

"Come in! Come in! The boys are just cleaning up the game they were playing in the basement."

Veronica followed her mom, to the living room. Her eyes falling on the teenage boy fiddling with an Xbox controller.

"This is my oldest, Quinn. Quinn, this is Trevor's sister, Veronica."

"Hi," he paused his game, smiling shyly.

Veronica felt her cheeks heat up. He was so cute! She felt herself squeal on the inside when he smiled at her. She wasn't one for talking about boys with her friends, mostly because all her friends thought Trevor was cute (ew.) but she was definitely going to tell them about this Quinn character.

"Trevor! Your mom is here!"

"COMING!"

The sound of loud footsteps running up the stairs filled the room, but Veronica had yet to take her eyes off the cute boy sitting on the couch.

"What's Ronnie doing here?" Trevor questioned. Veronica cringed when she heard Jack laugh at her nickname.

"She's going to her friend's house. Now hurry up before we make your sister late."

"Whatever," Trevor rolled his eyes, "Later, Jack. See ya, Quinn."

"Bye. Bye, Veronica. It was cool meeting you," Quinn smiled.

"You too," she blushed, rushing out of the house before her brother noticed.

"What're you thinkin' about?" Quinn asked, brushing some of her hair from her eyes.

"Hm?"

"What're you thinkin' about?" he repeated, a smile covering his face.

"You."

"What about me?"

"The first time we met."

Quinn laughed, "When I didn't even get off the couch to say 'hi?''"

"Yeah, but I still thought you were cute."

"Oh, I knew."

"What?! You never told me that!!"

"You were blushing the whole time. It was funny."

"You're so mean," she pushed him away teasingly, pouting at his words.

"I am not. You love me," he pulled her closer to him, pressing kisses all over her face. She giggled, finally planting one on his mouth.

"I do."

"Do what?" he smirked.

"I love you, Q."

"And I love you, V."

Quinn leaned in, kissing her hungrily. She wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to roll her onto her back. She giggled, breaking the kiss. He rolled his eyes, going in for another one. Just as his hand was sneaking under her shirt, the door swung open.

"God! You two are like fucking rabbits," Luke complained, shielding his eyes with his hand.

"Shut up," Quinn spat, pulling the covers over them to give them at least some decency.

"Keep this up and it'll be Trevor that walks in next time."

"What do you want?" Veronica sighed.

"Trevor is up. Thought you might wanna go back to your own room for when he decides to come 'wake you up,'" Luke suggested. "If I walk in you two having sex one more time, I'm never helping you again."

"We weren't having sex."

"You were getting there," Luke scoffed, closing the door as he walked off.

"See you for breakfast, babe," Veronica kissed Quinn one last time, pulling her long shirt down to cover her ass as she ventured down the hall to the room she was supposed to be sleeping in.

Luke had found out the two were dating two months prior and had promised to keep in under wraps, mostly because Quinn threatened to kill him if he told anyone. It wasn't that the couple didn't want to tell Trevor and Jack, it's just that they liked being in their own little bubble. And Trevor would actually freak out if he found out his 20-year-old sister was dating a 24-year-old. He was weird like that. Trevor knew she had a boyfriend, but he didn't who he was. He didn't even know his name.

"Morning, Q! How'd you sleep?" Trevor asked, annoyingly awake for it only being 8:30.

"Great," Quinn sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"V still sleeping?" Jack asked Trevor, slicing some strawberries for breakfast.

"Probably. She was probably up all night texting her boyfriend. Mom said they're doing a 'long distance summer' or some shit."

"She's still seeing him?"

"Yeah," Trevor shrugged, stealing one of the berries. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Just thought she would've ended things by now. Your sister isn't known for her commitment," Jack replied, pulling the bowl away from his friend.

Quinn rolled his eyes at the remark. He knew standing up for her would seem suspicious, so he kept his lips sealed. Sure, before she'd made the move to Vancouver the year before, Quinn would also question Veronica's commitment issues, but their relationship was proof that it was all just in the boys' heads.

"Her puck bunny era ended," Cole laughed.

Trevor chuckled, "Yeah, like a month after she moved to Vancouver. Guess the Canucks just aren't her type."

God, he couldn't be more wrong. In fact, the front man for the Canucks was the definition of her type.

"I'm going to wake her up."

"Have fun."

Trevor bounced up the stairs, knocking aggresively on the door of the room his sister was staying in, "Rise and shine, bitch!! Boat day!!"

"I'm coming!" she yelled back, fixing her hair in her phone camera.

"Hurry up before we eat all the food."

"Your fat ass would!" she retorted, pushing past him to go downstairs.

"I'm not fat! Jack, tell Ronnie that I'm not fat!"

Jack laughed, almost choking on his toast, "He's not fat, Ronnie! Jeez!"

"He eats like he is," she winked at Quinn, grabbing the piece of toast he was about to bite. He rolled his eyes, reaching for another.

"You finally gonna wakesurf, Ron?" Luke smiled cheekily.

"Hell no! And risk my life in front of you idiots, count me out."

"Bet you'd look hot doing it," Jack teased, earning a slap to the back of the head from Trevor.

"No, she'd look average as usual."

"Shut up, Trev. Fucking annoying ass," she mumbled to herself, stealing more food from Quinn's plate.

"Get your own," he grumbled, using his arms to guard his plate.

"But the food from your plate tastes better than food from my plate," she whined, trying to manoeuvre her way past his blockade.

The bickering between Veronica and Quinn was so usual that nobody even batted an eye, choosing to continue their own conversations while Veronica attempted to wrestle Quinn for his food.

"PUT ME DOWN!" she screeched, hit at his bare back as he marched outside with her thrown over his shoulder.

"If you promise to stop stealing my food," he smirked.

"NEVER!"

And with that her body hit the lake with a loud SPLASH! Veronica surfaced, coughing to clear the water from her nose. The rest of the boys had gathered at the sliding glass doors to the back porch, laughing loudly at the scene in front of them.

"I hate you!" she sputtered, pulling herself out of the water. She peeled her soaked t-shirt off, chucking it at Quinn. He laughed, admiring her figure as she sauntered back to the house, hair dripping wet.

The group gathered on the boat, Veronica changed into dry clothes. She hated sitting there all wet and cold, especially with the wind from the boat. Quinn was driving and she was sat in the passenger seat as always... Quinn's passenger princess.

"Why does Ronnie get to sit next to Quinn?" Trevor whined, "Maybe I wanted to sit next to Quinn."

"Pretty privilege. You'd never understand," Veronica sassed, pulling her sunglasses off her head.

"Who told you that you're pretty?" Trevor scoffed.

"My boyfriend."

"Are we sure he's real?"

"Rude! He's very real."

"Yeah, he's just Canadian," Jack laughed.

"My boyfriend doesn't go here. He's Canadian," Cole joked.

"Shut up!" she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hate you dumbasses. Should've gone on a girls' trip."

"Alright, who's surfing first?" Quinn asked, ending the petty argument about how real his girlfriend's boyfriend was.

"Are you sure you're not mad?" Trevor asked again, watching as his sister rummaged through the fridge for vodka he'd hidden from her.

"I'm not mad, Trev. Just drop it."

"I didn't mean to embarass you in front of the guys. I swear."

"Trev, I said it's fine. Where's the alcohol?"

"You're not drinking."

"What? Why not?"

"Cause you always get wayyyy too touchy-feely when you drink."

She rolled her eyes, going to find her boyfriend. He'd get her alcohol. Her knuckles rapped against his door.

"Come in! Oh, hey, baby. What's up?"

"Trev hid the alcohol from me," she starfished on his bed.

"Why?" he asked, pulling out some regular shorts to change into.

"He said I get too 'touchy-feely' when I drink."

"I mean..."

"Shut up. You're supposed to be on my side."

"I'm not saying I'm on his side, babe. It's just... he kinda has a point."

"Quiiiiinnnnnn."

"Why don't you do that water bottle trick you showed me?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I won't say anything. Just... try to keep your hands to yourself."

"But what if I wanna touch my super hot, hockey star boyfriend?" she smirked, placing her palms on his chest.

"I'd strongly advise against it. But... if you come to sleep in here tonight, I won't argue," he replied, leaning down to kiss her.

"I love you, Qball."

"Love you too, V."

Veronica had emptied a quarter of a plastic water bottle, filling the rest with vodka. It was a trick she'd made in high school, one that her brother still hadn't picked up on. She was sat next to Quinn, slowly sipping at her 'water.'

Luke, who was also underage, was allowed to drink. But not her. Whatever. Quinn would make up for it. He always did.

"How's school?" Cole asked, sipping his beer.

"Oh, it's good. Almost done."

"You, uh, you live on campus?"

"No, I have my own place."

That was a lie. She lived with Quinn.

"How's that? Lonely?" Jack questioned.

"Not really. I have friends that come over like every day."

"And her boyfriend," Trevor smiled.

"Yeah. And my boyfriend."

"How long have you guys been together?"

"A year back in June," she grinned, noticing the blush covering Quinn's face.

"Damn. Getting serious?"

"Uh, I guess."

"He gonna meet Trev soon?"

"Whenever he's ready," she nodded, taking a much larger sip of her drink.

"Who? Trev or your boyfriend?"

"Both," she cackled, side-eyeing Quinn.

The rest of the night went smoothly and Veronica was just about to make her way down the hall to Quinn's room. She had brushed her teeth, put on her cutest pjs (one of Quinn's old Canucks shirts and a pair of tiny shorts), and fixed her hair from the lake water.

"Hey, babe," he smiled, putting his phone down on his bedside table.

"Hi," she beamed, sliding into the bed next to him.

"Nice shirt."

"Thanks. I stole it from this loser I know."

"Loser, huh? I would've guessed he was like super cool and hot."

"Meh."

"Oh, that's it," he laughed, attacking her with kisses. He pinned her wrists down, their teeth clashing as they kissed. It was sloppy and they were both a bit tipsy, but God did they love kissing. They'd do it all day, every day if they could.

She hummed, feeling his hands reach under her shirt. They skimmed the skin of her chest, his lips coming down to press wet kisses along her neck.

She gasped at the feeling, "No marks."

"I know," he groaned, "Can I take this off?"

"The shirt?"

"Yeah."

"Sure," she helped him pull it over her head, laying back down on the pillows.

"Fuck, you're perfect, V."

"That's all you, Q."

Just as he was about to snake his hand higher up her thigh, the door opened.

"You didn't lock it?!" she whisper-shouted.

"No?"

"What the hell?!" Trevor jumped, covering his eyes.

Quinn was quick to pull his shirt off, using it to cover his girlfriend.

"You can uncover your eyes," the older boy sighed.

"What is going on?! Veronica! You HAVE A BOYFRIEND! You're cheating on him with QUINN?!"

She rolled her eyes, "No, Trev-"

"You clearly are!"

"No, Trevor. I'm not cheating on my boyfriend. Quinn is my boyfriend."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah, surprise?" she shrugged, smiling sheepishly.

"Your boyfriend of a year?"

"Yeah."

"The boyfriend Mom said gave you a promise ring?"

"Yeah."

"There's no way."

Quinn flipped his phone around, showing his wallpaper to Trevor. It was a picture of the couple at family skate, laughing at something someone behind the camera had said.

"WHAT?!"

Veronica laughed, making Trevor frown.

"This is insane. I'm going to bed. This is just a weird dream," he walked off.

"I wonder what he's gonna say in the morning when he finds out it was real," Veronica giggled.

"Doesn't matter right now. Now, where were we?"

[dannyricsmirrorball]

everything is papaya? • ln4 part 1 ੈ✩‧₊˚

ੈ✩‧₊˚ pairings || lando norris x m.mount gf!reader

ੈ✩‧₊˚ genre || social media au

ੈ✩‧₊˚ summary || y/n and mason have been together for three years, they’re the picture perfect couple. what happens when they get swept away by the world of formula 1 and a certain papaya driver?

alt. y/n is in love with her boyfriend, chelsea golden boy mason mount, but what happens when she meets another certain golden boy?

ੈ✩‧₊˚ warning || cheating, reader is not the best person ever

ੈ✩‧₊˚ a/n || title is inspired by colours by halsey if you couldn’t tell LOL i thought it was kinda funny like everything is blue (chelsea) but then papaya (mclaren) idk if it is tho hahah. also i know everyone wants p4 of tying the knot and i promise it is coming.

NOT PROOF READ

2022

liked by masonmount, chelsea fc, and 198,093 others

yourusername you did it baby! world champs 💙

tagged masonmount, chelseafc, lew.mount, jazbenham

username18 LIVE BLUE BLEED BLUE DIE BLUE

username82 obsessed w them

chelseafc LFGGGGG 💙

masonmount we did it baby ❤️💙

masonmount my luckiest charm 😍

⤷ yourusername 🤭

username63 BEST WAG

benchilwell YEAHHHH LETS GO

jazbenham 😘😍💙

username18 literally the cutest couple ever

username63 my parents fr

liked by declanrice, benchilwell, and 103,038 others

yourusername bleed blue forever

tagged masonmount

username13 i actually cant

username45 mase w kids 😭

username22 THE MATCHING FITS IN CHELSEA BLUE 🥹

cartiamallan 😍

username18 chelsea princess

username2 she’s the biggest chelsea and mason supporter 💙🥰

masonmount my favourite things all in one 🤩

⤷ yourusername 🥹

username17 this is a mason mount fanpage and i love it

chelsea our girl in blue 💙

username64 the only wag to ever exist

liked by sophiaaemilia, declanrice, and 98,092 others

yourusername little dump 🌷💐🌸

tagged masonmount, benchilwell, declanrice

username18 I HAVE JUST DIED

username63 dec and mase bts 🥹

username3 MUM AND DAD

username85 love her friendship w chilly and dec

benchilwell did me dirty mate

⤷ yourusername your best pic me thinks

username16 her photo dumps are always so iconic

masonmount in love with you

⤷ yourusername in love with YOU

⤷ declanrice gag

declanrice thanku for getting this photo of me and the loml… what’s ur name again???

⤷ yourusername permanent thirdwheel 😭

liked by yourusername, landonorris, and 309,727 others

masonmount f1 debut 🏎️

tagged redbullracing, philfoden, bennyharris, woody_, adamdavidharris, googlepixel

username18 omg my worlds colliding

redbullracing great to have you mase 🙌

username83 need to know if he met any of the drivers

⤷ username14 he was w rbr so i think he met checo and max

declanrice 😍

landonorris great to meet ya mate 🤝

⤷ masonmount mega drive pal 👏

username27 OMG LANDO AND MASON??!

philfoden mega weekend

yourusername cutie

⤷ masonmount love u baby ❤️

mclaren our garage next time 🗣️

⤷ username72 YES PLEASE I NEED A LANDO MASON INTERACTION

username19 aww that selfie is so cute

liked by landonorris, jackgrealish, and 180,007 others

yourusername watched cars go vroom with my best friend ❤️🏎️

tagged masonmount

philfoden aw thanks mate ur my best friend too 😍

⤷ yourusername love ya ronnie 😅

username87 omg they’re so stunning together

username4 she would make a perfect f1 wag

⤷ username73 too bad her and mase are never splitting 🤷‍♀️

masonmount the best time with you love

username17 omg lando liked??

⤷ username4 aw i hope he and mason+y/n actually hang out

username27 my queen at the monaco gp 😍

username74 immediately need y/n at every gp purely for the fitssss

declanrice he should wear a helmet every time he drives

⤷ yourusername agreed 😀

⤷ masonmount oh 😕

username16 the way he’s looking at her in the last slide 🥹

liked by riabish, yourusername, and 41,082 others

maxfewtrell monaco 2022 🇲🇨

tagged riabish, landonorris

username17 who’s the girl on lando’s right

⤷ username15 probs their friend lol?

username93 y/n liking?

⤷ username11 we are witnessing the merge of the mason mount circle and ln4 circle and i’m living for it

riabish fun times 💕

quadrant fresh 💚

username62 to be in monaco playing volleyball w landonorris and his mates

liked by username81, username4, and 1,098 others

ln4_updates lando is back in the uk after the monaco gp 🏎️

sources: landonorris ig story, maxfewtrell ig story

username17 yay finally back home

username73 awww quadrant reunion 🩷

username92 missed seeing lando w the team

username63 not for long LMFAO

username4 home for five seconds apparently 😭

username71 guess he was home for a layover 💀

username13 mans was back for all of 12 hours 😀

username02 i’m so confused what everyone means by not for long

⤷ username4 check the latest post

liked by username18, username83, and 12,982 others

lm4_updates lando seen with new mystery girl in croatia. many believe her to be the same girl from the photo previously posted by maxfewtrell. has our favourite papaya boy finally found love 🧡

username17 lando finally got a girl

username6 tough day for the ln4 girlies

username83 awww they look so cute

username01 he looks smitten!!!

username3 i refuse to believe that he has a girlfriend

username16 there goes my paradoxical relationship

username24 another gold digger

⤷ username7 stay mad he’s not gonna fuck u

liked by yourusername, declanrice, and 230,968 others

masonmount my baby 🩷

tagged yourusername

username17 god i have seen what u have done for others

username83 somebody sedate me they’re so cute

declanrice whipped

yourusername mine 💖💘🤍💕💞💗

⤷ masonmount miss u sm baby come back 😕

⤷ yourusername 🥹 counting down the days masey 🩷

username62 THEYRE SO CUTE

username17 never met any couple as whipped for eachother as y/n and mason

⤷ benchilwell neither

username61 the it couple

username19 them being so cute in the comments i literally cant

liked by username7, username44, and 13,092 others

wagsworld BREAKING: y/n y/l/n photographed today with mystery guy in the balkans, all we know is that this is not y/l/n’s long term boyfriend and chelsea starboy mason mount… have the pair broken up? or is this a matter of infidelity?

username18 NO FUCKING WAY

username55 love is dead

username64 i can not see 👩‍🦯

username71 cheap slut. always knew she wasn’t good enough for him.

username16 I DONT BELIEVE IT

username1 NO FUCKING WAY

username92 no no no NOOOOO

username17 this is crazy but u know what’s even crazier… the fucking comments she left on his post?!?

⤷ username78 RIGHT? what level of psycho do u have to be to tell ur boyfriend u love and miss him so much and quote on quote ‘counting down the days’ whilst CHEATING ON HIM

username62 yk who else was spotted in the balkans with a mystery girl just yesterday…

⤷ username7 dead could u imagine lmao

⤷ username49 there’s no way tho

⤷ username72 is kinda random that they’re in croatia at the same time…

liked by username18, username91, and 12,082 others

wagsworld following cheating and break up rumours, it seems chelsea golden boy mason mount and model girlfriend y/n y/l/n have repaired their relationship.

according to sources close to the couple, the couple were not broken up and were in a good place. mount asked his girlfriend of 3 years if he knew the guy (see photos on our page), and if not, he didn’t want or need to know who it was. y/n says it was not someone either he or her knows, calling it the worst decision of her life.

username21 i knew mum and dad wouldn’t give up this easily!

username16 i’m sure there’s an explanation but the important thing is they are getting through it together 👏

username14 i’m gonna be real… y/n does not look like she could care less

⤷ username5 literally she’s like ‘ok yep soz cool’

username2 why does it look like mason is apologising when y/n is the one that cheated lol

username16 nah no way he’s taking her back

⤷ username26 don’t think they actually ever broke up

username7 bro is spineless

username18 i too would forgive my stunning supermodel gf even if she cheated on me

liked by masonmount, jackgrealish, and 231,028 others

yourusername my forever ❤️

tagged masonmount

masonmount always ❤️

comments on this post have been limited by the user

liked by sophiaaemelia, judebellingham, and 140,082 others

yourusername 🎞️🎞️

tagged masonmount, jackgrealish, declanrice, benchilwill, cartiamallan, judebellingham, kaihavertz29, sophiaaemelia

username18 this is so so cute

username52 crazy how she cheated and everyone just pretends it never happened

⤷ username28 it’s been 4 months get over it she obv regrets it and they’ve worked out everything

cartiamallan awww this is so sweet babe

judebellingham i made it into the dump! 😎

username16 the ones of mase are so 🥹

jackgrealish 🤘

england the gang is who we trust 🩵

sophiaaemelia ahhhh ily

masonmount film DUMP

masonmount love u baby

⤷ declanrice mwah 💋

⤷ yourusername oh…?

liked by ameliadimz, declanrice, and 89,082 others

yourusername football, friends, and fun

tagged masonmount, sophiaaemelia, chunkz, ameliadimz, declanrice

usernams44 fave chelsea girl

ameliadimz friends!!!! 💕💕

⤷ yourusername get mase on csd so i can crash!

⤷ ameliadimz let’s just have our own date 😘

sophiaaemelia star girlllll

masonmount my girl 💙

username16 poor y/n always thirdwheeling mason and dec

⤷ benchilwill a struggle most of us face

⤷ yourusername it’s even worse when ur there mate 🤨🙄

username17 her game pics and fits are unbeatable

username62 once again may i say 🗣️ chelsea princess 🗣️

⤷ chelseafc louder for the people in the backkkk

liked by england, cartiamallan, and 180,726 others

yourusername bring it home 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🍻

tagged england, masonmount

username17 mason’s biggest supporter 🤩

england 🗣️🗣️

masonmount yeah babyyyy

masonmount can u wear that everyday?

⤷ yourusername we’ll see how u go and if it brings u good luck then maybeeee

username47 her little england set WHAT 😭

username73 girl drop the link i NEED

jazbenham cutest 🌸

riabish 😍

⤷ username18 random?

username62 the most stunning wag

username5 RAHHHH 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🍻

declanrice lfg mate but was the second pic necessary

⤷ yourusername just jealous aren’t ya dec?

liked by mclaren, yourusername, and 308,937 others

masonmount proper thanks to mclaren for this amazing opportunity. so so very cool to finally meet landonorris (properly), doing big things mate 🧡

tagged mclaren, landonorris, yourusername

masonmount also look how cute my baby looks 😍

⤷ yourusername you’re so cute baby 💖

username17 TECTONIC PLATES SHIFTED

username4 my worlds colliding omfg

username91 big day for annoying people (me)

username67 mans cant go anywhere without his emotional support girlfriend

username62 y/n and mase are literally attached at the hip

mclaren so great to have u champ 🧡

declanrice formula 1 lad

landonorris cheers mate, mega time 🧡

⤷ username62 NOT OKAY

⤷ username72 scremainf xrying theiwing up

⤷ username17 THEY CANT JUST SPRING THIS ONTO US

liked by yourusername, masonmount, and 409,837 others

landonorris mega day at the factory with this champ in the house 🧡 we’re rooting for ya 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

tagged mclaren, masonmount, mclarenshadow

username17 i will never shut up abt this

username63 big win for the lando mason girlies

masonmount great day brother 💙

username72 obsessedddd

username16 f1 and football’s certified pretty boys

username8 need the vids from today

mclaren 🧡🧡

chelseafc love to see it 🤩

username37 need them to become best friends IMMEDIATELY

maxfewtrell 😶

liked by landonorris, masonmount, and 90,082 others

yourusername on the green ⛳️

declanrice acting like you didn’t get absolutely trashed

⤷ yourusername omg fight back?!? masonmount

⤷ masonmount he’s not wrong love

 ⤷ yourusername third wheel in my own relationship smh

username17 awww they went golfing how cute

username64 i love that y/n always goes golfing w mase even tho she finds it so boring bc she said that being w him makes it fun

masonmount my fave caddie ❤️

⤷ yourusername foreverrrr

landonorris what’s ur handicap? 😳

⤷ yourusername 😶😬🫨

⤷ username55 lando y/n bestie agendaaaaa

⤷ username13 this also reaffirms my mason lando bff agenda

lilymhe we should play!

⤷ yourusername OMG YES 💖 but for both our sakes maybe we should just hit the town instead 😬

⤷ username18 ummmm WHAT??

⤷ username6 lily and y/n are friends…? since when?!?

⤷ username83 the lore is going crazy

⤷ alex_albon yeah if she’s as bad as last time i think that’s a good idea too

⤷ yourusername wounded

⤷ masonmount when did u guys play? 🤣😅

⤷ username36 😶🫨

liked by england, masonmount, and 234,860 others

yourusername couldn’t be prouder 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🩵💙🤍

tagged england

username15 so so proud of the boys 🫶

username54 this post is so sweet

declanrice family 🩵

username16 the second pic 🤣

username46 i love her relationship w the boys so much like mase isn’t even in the third pic but she’s just that close w everyone

jazbenham 💖💖

england big moves 💙🤍

username26 tough loss but mega plays throughout the cup

masonmount i love you i love you i love you x100000

⤷ yourusername so proud of you love 💗 a million kisses for u 💋

username35 fave wag fave team

judebellingham love ya y/n/n 💙

benchilwell just the start

⤷ yourusername so proud chilly 🤍

username72 mason mount w kids p273636 makes me explode every time

2023

liked by landonorris, masonmount, and 340,521 others

yourusername monaco you beaut 🥂

tagged masonmount, landonorris

username16 all hail y/n y/m/n y/l/n

username72 slowly becoming queen of the paddock as well

username19 i am FLOORED

username82 holy ferrari red

username18 omg above lando’s garage? so cute

⤷ username47 fueling my lando mason besties truthhh

username79 is mason going to man united??

username17 THE LANDO AND MASON PICCC

masonmount the most beautiful girl in the world ❤️

username71 people died

riabish pretty gal 💕

landonorris big ln4 fan?

⤷ yourusername huge

cartiamallan we are going to monte-carlooooo

⤷ yourusername but what abt our crap tour?! 😉

username12 were her and mase not w redbull tho? why is she at the mclaren garage lol

liked by joaofelix79, maxverstappen1, and 6,098,827 others

masonmount thank you redbullracing for this amazing opportunity! had the best time with the best people.

congrats on the win maxverstappen1, and big shout out to landonorris - mega proud 🧡

tagged joaoxfelix79, benchilwill, yourusername, landonorris, maxverstappen1, redbullracing

username17 the pic of y/n he’s fr her biggest fan 🥹

username47 i just keep winningggg

username88 and the lando mason universe expands

yourusername 🩷

benchilwill great time mate

declanrice yes max family good??

username71 are u going to man u?

redbullracing 💙

landonorris great to see ya mate 💚🧡

username16 TRAITOR

username72 the last photo I HAVE DIED

username14 “chelsea is my blood” rumours better not be true mate or u have another thing coming

liked by username3, username18, and 12,082 others

ln4_updates new couple alert? model y/n y/l/n, notably football star mason mount’s longtime girlfriend, has been spotted with lando a handful of times in the past couple of days following the monaco grand prix (which both mount and y/l/n attended together). y/n and mason’s recent posts don’t allude to any break up or fallout but rather affirm their ‘strong’ relationship. is this a mere friendship or is there something else going on here…?

username4 welp wouldn’t be the first time…

username71 no fucking way

username8 lando and mason are literally friends. he was probs with them or going to meet up with them in all of these.

username62 not again 🤦‍♀️

username37 yk what they say. once a cheater…

username18 or maybe just MAYBE they’re fucking friends?

username27 this makes a lot of sense tho

username62 not her literally hanging out w lando and his friends while on holiday w her BOYFRIEND

username26 no way she’s doing this to him while he’s going through all the chelsea man u shit

username2 my man has ENOUGH going wrong for him already

liked by masonmount, benchilwill, and 189,082 others

yourusername you’ll always be my babyyyyy

tagged masonmount

username18 parents fr

username73 they’re beating the cheating and broken up allegations!!!

username1 girl-

masonmount my girl ❤️

⤷ yourusername forever 🥰

username72 not y/n trying to save her ass from the cheating allegations 😭

⤷ username13 well she obv didn’t bc her and mase are still together

declanrice sickening but cute

lilymhe cuteeee

⤷ yourusername 😘

⤷ username17 THEYRE FRIENDS??

username62 icl they’re so cute even if she did cheat

username17 the orange flowers tho HAHAHA

ig stories - yourusername, landonorris

swipe up

liked by yourusername, declanrice, and 592,082 others

masonmount forever yours. forever mine.

tagged yourusername

username7 when we go crashing down we come back everytime!

username62 beating the cheating allegations!!

username73 best couple

username12 she’s chelsea princess FRRRR

⤷ username3 repping the blue even at tennis matches 😭

⤷ username8 wonder how she’s gonna take his move

⤷ username92 he ain’t moving!

yourusername my love ❤️

username4 i cant believe we thought hey were over

username91 the legendary miss y/n y/l/n and the unstoppable mason mount

username82 modern day posh and becks fr

username53 they’re forever 🩷

liked by pierregasly, username16, and 70,083 others

f1.wags BREAKING: y/n y/l/n and lando norris spotted getting close in spain just days after denying cheating rumours. wonder what y/n’s boyriend, chelsea wonder boy mason mount, thinks about this…

part 2 coming x

[mctartney]

Okay I feel like so much of it was a blur but let me try and write what I remember and share some of my highlights!

- Before the show we heard screaming and everyone rushing the other side of the arena and were like who the FUCK has turned up??? Well now we know lol

- He is such a genius starting the show with AHDN because that first chord??? Instant Beatlemania 

- Let Me Roll It ok ok ok listen. Not usually an old Paul fucker. Him taking his jacket off before and everyone cheering was funny. BUT then him slowly rolling up his sleeves and undoing his top button during the verses?? oooOOH let me at him 🥴

- He didn't tell the "Jimi asked me to tune his guitar" story like usual, was just like "he was a lovely guy, very humble" 🥺

- I don't know why but I found My Valentine so emotional?? I don't know, it's just Paul has lost so many people but I'm so glad that throughout his life he has always found people to love and who love him

- I've Just Seen A Face in front of the Cavern backdrop made me UNWELL

- Paul get everyone to do the little "oh-oh-oh-oh"s in In Spite Of All The Danger and then the crowd kept doing it when the the song was over and he looked so happy and it made him laugh so he did the last verse again AW

- Blackbird -  I've heard him tell the story about seeing the kids going to school in Little Rock before, but he told a story about how he got a text from a lady in Jacksonville who saw The Beatles there when they refused to play a segregated show and she said it was the first time she had ever stood next to a white person. Glad he makes a point to tell these stories because it makes it very clear - this was not long ago in the slightest.

- Here Today, okay I've never seen him have an emotional wobble in person, he's got through it okay. Every time I've seen him have a wobble in a video it's been on the "I love you" line. But this time he kind of had a moment on the "I really loved you and was glad you came along" and oh man. It's just so sad, isn't it? It's so sad.

- Now and Then, he had a little moment to admire the heart cards the crowd held up and it was very cute!!

- He started telling the story of the lost bass and then brought it out to play it and it was SO surreal to be in the same room in that guitar. He was like "I'm going to play it for the first time in 50 years" and then twanged the strings and was like "Well, it sounds like a bass!" djskf

- Get Back with the lost bass and Ronnie Wood was just so fun and they all looked like they were having so much fun!

- Let It Be was really beautiful, everyone lit up the arena with their phone torches. It was so special. Afterwards, he looked out to the audience and says, completely serious, like your dad giving his best advice "Let it be. There will be an answer. Let it be." I love him so much.

- Live And Let Die, one of the loud fireworks accidentally went off in the middle of a verse and scared the LIFE out of me. I jumped a mile and then looked back over to Paul who was just laughing djkdg. Him covering his ears for the last explosion at the end is so cuuute too he's the funny uncle at the party it's true.

- I've Got A Feeling. Ohhh. Sweet boy. Seeing him sing with John. Hearing John's voice ring through the arena so clearly. It's a lot.

- Paul: "We've got another special guest for you" Me: 🧐🙏 The Crew: *start dragging a drumkit on* Me: 😨 Paul: "Ringo Starr!" Me: 🥴😵

- IT WAS UNREAL!! THEYRE SO CUTE. Ringo truly is so little aww and they had a cuddle and Paul kissed him on the forehead. Honestly the affection between them was palpable, I dunno how to describe it. Just really fond.

- Lowkey Sgt Peppers and Helter Skelter were a blur bc my brain was just going PAUL AND RINGO SAME ROOM 50% BEATLES

- Then Abbey Road Medley went way too quickly and was all over so soon sighh

- He kissed the camera on the way out 😘😘 Love him to bits forever & always

[httpknjoon]

spotted | jjk

plot | This is how it started for the princess and the rockstar.

words | 3.8k

genres | fluff, modern royalty!au, celebrity!au

pairing | rockstar!jungkook x princess!reader

note | hi!! this is my first entry for this series and I'm so excited to write more about this pair in the future. let me know your thoughts! enjoy reading :)

main masterlist | drabble series

Royal Sisters, Princesses YN and Astrid Spotted Dancing at Sweet September’s Concert

On Friday night, the princesses were snapped watching the rock band at Crystalline Stadium.

Following the closing of the Royal Games earlier that day, Princesses YN, 25, and Astrid, 19, were spotted attending another big event in the country: Sweet September’s first Denim Jungle stop.

Fans of the rock band were stunned to see the two royalties in the said concert. Although the two sat in secluded seats in the stadium, they still attracted attention. Some concertgoers managed to capture pictures and short clips of the royalties enjoying the band’s performance– mostly Princess Astrid.

The usual contrast between the royal sisters is evident during their presence. Princess Astrid sported a rock-themed outfit with her oversized black leather jacket, red graphic tank top, flare jeans, and platform boots. On the other hand, Princess YN stayed true to her classy fashion style, wearing a black and white-collared Prada dress and knee-high boots. Both princesses wore black sunglasses during the whole event. The youngest sang and danced along to Sweet September’s tracks while the crown princess just nods her head to the beat. 

Worry not! Princess Astrid made Princess YN jump and dance along with her during the band’s performance of their hit song, My Fair Lady.

“You two will have your own entrance and exit spots. Ronnie and Ben would accompany you two to the entrance and would meet you at the same gate after the concert.”

Your father’s trusty courtier, Eddie, guided you and your sister with what you’re supposed to do. There were rules you have to remember. Especially since Astrid practically begged your parents to not have bodyguards with her in this event. Your father only agreed to let her come if you come too, knowing that you rarely go out outside of your royal duties. But since you love your sister, you agreed to go even though you don’t really listen to Astrid’s types of music.

After the closing of Zafiro’s Royal Games earlier this day, your parents left for a conference in Scotland. That reason made you in charge of your younger sister. But since you two don’t really live in a simple household, you are still looked after by your Royal Staff for your safety.

“Is that all, Uncle?”

Astrid already had her arms crossed as she asked that. It’s been fifteen minutes since your car arrived in front of this secret entrance to the concert. But because of the King’s instructions, you and your sister are now itching in your seats to go.

Eddie smiled, noticing your sister’s tone, “I know you are excited about this concert, Your Royal Highness. But His Majesty still has one last message… and this is a very important one so listen.”

Your sister is ready to let out an exaggerated sigh. You are ready to calm down her rising shoulders. But Eddie continued,

“Please remind my lovely girls to enjoy the night amidst my tiring instructions. Take pictures and sing along. I would love to hear stories from them about this very important concert– based on what my Astrid said– when I and my queen get back from our short trip to Scotland. Follow what your Uncle Eddie says.”

A small smile formed on your lips with that. Finally, Eddie lets you two go with your bodyguards until the gate. Then, Gerald, a nice concert staff, welcomed you into the venue and led you and your sister to your seats.

“Oh, my god. I cannot believe Papa let us come here alone.” your sister said as she slipped the Xyloband into her wrist.

“I know…” your voice trailed off when you heard the people singing along to the song playing not too far away. You turned to the staff, “Excuse me, is the concert starting already?”

“No, Ma’am. We’re just playing the band’s music videos before they perform on stage. But they will be performing in a few minutes.”

You nodded with that. You went to concerts before, but not like this one. You liked jazz and classical music and would always try to go to concerts whenever you can. Those concerts are very much different than this band’s.

“These are your seats, Your Royal Highnesses,” Gerald spoke.

“Thank you so much.” you and Astrid said as you walked to the two empty seats.

With that, the staff left you. The seats are not that close or far from the main stage and it’s in the center. For safety purposes, your father and the security team agreed to not put you two in the floor spots where you can see the band better. Still, Astrid finds these spots great.

You assumed your father pulled some strings to make this possible since you heard from Astrid that the tickets were sold out as soon as it’s started selling. It made you wonder what’s good in Sweet September. You probably heard about them before, mainly because Astrid’s a rock-music enthusiast, but you don’t really know anything about them. Except that they recently worked with UNICEF for a campaign focused on cyberbullying. But you know nothing about their music.

“Oh, look at that! Look at those signs!”

Your sister was laughing while she points her finger somewhere. Your eyes followed where she was pointing.

DEAR CARTER, I’M A DRUMMER TOO. LET ME ROCK YOU! ;)

I SOLD MY CAR FOR THIS

MARRY ME MINGYU

HAIL KING WOOSUNG

CAN Y’ALL BE MY VALENTINE <3

Among those aggressive signs, there is one that made your eyes stretch wide and look away.

JUNGKOOK LET ME PUT OIL ON YOUR ABS

What was that supposed to mean? You wanted to ask Astrid but she was already talking to another fan who’s seating beside her. The said fan seemed surprised and delighted at the same time when she locked eyes with you for a second. You just smiled. As a highly-regarded crown princess, you know that they least expect you to show up in a rock concert next to them.

You then turned to your other side, where you immediately locked eyes with a lady who seemed a bit older than you. She instantly looked away and slowly looked back after a few seconds. She probably thought you were not looking at her anymore. But you are. And you can tell who she is by her awkward aura and stiff movements.

Part of showing respect to royalties, the public cannot talk to you until you speak with them first. So you decided to say something directly.

“Did the King hire you?” you asked her in a small whisper.

You don’t Astrid to hear it. You want her to focus on the fact that she is free from your parents’ overprotectiveness tonight. You can see the hesitation on her face but you can already tell that she is a secret security Eddie hired.

“It’s fine. I understand.” you gave her a reassuring smile. “Please, enjoy the concert too.”

The woman nods and bows subtly. You turned away. Astrid already has new friends. Between you two, she definitely is the friendlier one. It’s not like you are hostile. But she is just more carefree than you. Ever since you were a kid, you already followed the rules by the book. You know that you are in line for the throne and you need to be rightful for it. So you always try to be professional in your duties. You studied and work for your country.

“It’s a surprise to see you in here, Your Royal Highness.” one of Astrid’s new friends said.

“Please, just call me Astrid or you can add that princess title if you’re uncomfortable with calling me by name.” she quipped and they laughed. “Actually, the King only let me come here when Princess YN agreed to accompany me.”

Her friends’ mouths all formed into a small o. You waved at them, and they bow their heads. Suddenly, the lights slowly dimmed down and everyone began screaming– including Astrid. To say that your sister is excited was an understatement. It’s like she slept with a hanger in her mouth with how wide she’s smiling. Your cheeks hurt for her. But you’re happy to see her happy.

Taps on the microphone can be heard before someone cleared their throat, building up everyone’s excitement. You stood there, just listening to them and observing.

“Everyone, welcome to the denim jungle!”

Someone began playing a good riff on a bass guitar. The band’s silhouette is recognizable on stage. In the first beat of the drum, the lights snapped open. There, your eyes directly spotted the lead vocalist.

Droplets of sweat made his skin feel gluey as he ran his hand through his damp dark hair. His plain form-fitting white top is almost useless with how it almost got transparent with his body. His chest heaves as he removes his earpiece.

“Great show tonight, boys!”

A staff greeted them on their way down from the stage. After almost three hours of singing, playing with instruments, and interacting with the audience, Jungkook can finally feel relief in his body. With his throat feeling a little sore earlier, he was careful with it throughout the whole concert.

“Okay, let’s take a picture first!” a staff declared.

Jungkook, Carter, Mingyu, and Woosung lined up and posed for a couple of pictures that their staff would post later. After that, the four talked about their performance as they cool off.

“My earpiece is a mess.” Woosung shared. “I cannot hear the drums well. I think it stopped working for a few seconds during Blue Skies.”

“Okay, we have extra of those. You can test your new one in your next rehearsals.” Tara, their manager, responded.

The others shared their thoughts for tonight. Jungkook just listened for the sake of his throat. When he felt it getting strained, he cleared his throat and reached for a bottle of water.

“How are you feeling now?” Mingyu tapped his shoulder.

“The same,” he answered shortly. “It didn’t feel better or worse than earlier.”

“Well, let’s go back to the hotel to let our Jungkook rest,” Carter replied.

The others agreed before standing up from the soft couch. Jungkook is already heading straight to their dressing room when Tara spoke.

“By the way, you had very special guests tonight. It made tonight’s tag trend worldwide on Twitter.”

Being trending is not new with the group. Ever since they started the tour a month ago, they have been on various social media trend lists every other day. They also had bid celebrities and personalities as part of the audience before.

“Who? The king?” Mingyu joked, making the others chuckle.

Tara clicked her tongue, “Eh, close. It’s his daughters, the royal princesses.”

The boys stopped in their tracks. Even Jungkook froze. He did not even notice his members simultaneously turning their heads in his direction. As if they were waiting for him to say something. Instead, it was Tara who spoke again.

“Maybe we can meet them.”

All while the concert was happening, a fan who was also present in the event posted a stolen picture of you and Astrid. It led to your name and Astrid’s trending. Fans were excited to see royalties in such an event.

@/rockjeykey: no one told me princess astrid is a fan

@/denimparty: SOMEONE TELL JUNGKOOK ABOUT THIS

@/CRAYONNO7: YOOOOO i was just a few seats next to them! THEY ARE SO NICE AND FUN I HAD SMALL TALKS WITH THEM PRINCESS YN SAID SHE LIKES MY BAND SHIRT

Replying to @/CRAYONNO7

- @/eunwoobass: ur so lucky!!!

@/ASTRIDLOML: i’d like to think yn is astrid’s forever chaperone in events 🤣

Replying to @/ASTRIDLOML

- @/crownprincessyn: haha going to a rock concert is not so yn 😆😆

@/multifandommyg: imagine having zafiro’s princesses as your fans

@/sweetmonthof9th: i want to see the boys' reactions 💀

@/cartermatters: lolololol mingyu would be teasing the hell out of jk 

@/ZafiroRoyaltyNews: Princesses YN and Astrid attended Sweet September’s concert after today’s royal events! 💜✨ #DenimJungleInZF [insert photos]

@/SweetSeptember_twt: Hey! Hey! Hey! Rubies are red. Sapphires are blue. You guys are a gem that is hard to find! A big 💜 to Zafiro. Thank you all for coming tonight! #DenimJungleInZF

“Thank you so much!”

Your mouth felt dry. You lost track of how many times you gulped throughout the whole performance as your eyes focused on someone. You felt like in a haze– a very hot one. 

Jungkook.

That’s his name, right? Whoever he is, he has the prettiest voice. You rarely listen to their genre of music but you managed to be entertained the whole time. But you don’t know why. When you saw him in that white shirt after he removed his leather jacket on stage, your brain stopped working for seconds. It’s probably because you didn’t expect him to have that arm sleeve tattoo. 

It’s so pretty.

He’s so pretty.

“Oh! That was so much fun! Thank you so much for going here with me.” Astrid cut off your thoughts. “I know this isn’t your type of music. So, I really appreciate you here with me.”

She jumped to hug you and you hugged her back, trying to cleanse off the thoughts in your mind. You just excuse your reaction now as a shock since this is your first rock concert. After saying goodbye to her friends, Astrid pulled you with her out of your seats. She continued talking to you about her excitement. You tried to listen but failed. You just remembered that lead singer playing with that guitar like his life depended on it. His fingers were smooth on playing that thing like he’s used to–

“Excuse me! Excuse me! Princess YN! Princess Astrid!”

Again, you snapped out of your thoughts. Both you and Astrid turned your head back when you heard your names. The lady who was next to you during the concert is now wearing her security earpiece. She was probably following you two since you walked out but you didn’t notice for obvious reason. She also looked at that someone who called for you.

That someone was also a concert staff. You read that card that she wears in her lanyard that says, MANAGER. She was almost out of breath when you stopped.

“Oh, I apologize for the informalities, Your Royal Highnesses.” she tried to speak with her hands on her knees, to catch her breath. After some seconds, she continued, “I am Tara Montez, Sweet September’s manager.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Montez.” you smiled, offering your hand for a shake, which she accepted. Astrid also did the same thing.

“Nice to meet you too, Princess YN and Princess Astrid. Thank you so much for being here!”  You see Tara paused. “It was totally unexpected and rare to see princesses at the band’s concerts. Uhm… We were hoping the band could meet you. They are big fans of your country. It would be an honor for them to meet you two even just for a short time.”

Astrid audibly gasped. You looked at her and her eyes say it all. You can even see the sparkles in her eyes. You can also hear your bodyguard communicating through her wireless device. You’re sure Eddie would definitely want you to walk out of the venue now but you know your sister would love the offer. It’s a one-time thing.

So before your bodyguard can interfere, you answered.

“Of course.”

Back in the green room, Jungkook and the other members now showered and changed into their casual clothes. Carter and Woosung munched on the chips they saw on the table. Mingyu was giggling as he secretly takes a clip of Jungkook walking back and forth.

“What should we do?” he asked them, trying to keep his cool. But everyone can tell, he’s failing. He just never thought he would meet any royalty– you.

Out of distraction from the chips, Carter replied, “Curtsy?”

Before the others can laugh with that, the door opened and they immediately stood up straight. Carter and Woosung wiped their hands and even sanitized them. Mingyu wiggled his eyebrows at Jungkook. The latter gave him an annoyed look.

“And this is Sweet September.” Tara, who got in first, introduced them.

Jungkook’s heart almost stopped when he sees you entering with your small smile. Every photograph posted in the news and articles didn’t give your beauty any justice as he found you more attractive now you’re in the same room as him. When you locked eyes with him, he swore his heart fluttered.

Following what Carter said, Jungkook was ready to curtsy when you spoke.

“Oh… Uhm, we don’t really do that here, Mister. That’s more of like the UK’s thing. A bow would be fine.”

Everyone in the room laughed except you, who tried to be professional. But you found it cute. Especially when you saw that tint of red forming across his cheeks.

“Oh— uhm— My apologies, my quee– princess.”

“It’s your royal highness, dumbass.” his bandmate whisper-shouted at the back.

Your sister scoffed, finding the lead vocalist’s mistake as funny. You looked at her sternly. She acted appropriately again. You looked back at the boys again, trying to break your sight away from Jungkook.

“Thank you so much for coming to our country. I’ve never seen a crowd as energetic as that.” you began the conversation to break the ice. “It’s a surprise for me to hear our people here singing almost every song in your set. I just learned they are a big fan of your group.”

“How about you, Your Royal Highness,” Jungkook asked. He doesn’t know where he’s getting all this strength to talk to you. But he just knows that this might be his first and last.

You replied with the truth, “Oh– I– this is actually my first time listening to your music. Princess Astrid right here just invited me to go here with her.”

“She’s more of a jazz fan.” Astrid shared and they nodded.

Before the conversation continues, your bodyguard spoke, “Excuse me. Madams. The Royal Staff is asking us to go out now.“

Woosung was quick to request when they heard that, “Can we take a picture with you, Royal Highnesses?”

“Of course!”

This time, Astrid replied with uncontained excitement. You stood in between the four members. Mingyu was supposed to be next to you but he pulled Jungkook to exchange places with him. Jungkook instantly smelled the sweet and flowery scent just by being next to you while you ignored that strange feeling in your stomach when you felt your arms touched.

“Okay, one… two… three!”

The band stood in line once again after that. You and Astrid shook hands with them in turns. You introduced yourselves and so they did too. Ever since you were a kid, when you began attending public royal events, you always followed the royal protocol. In every person you met, you would shake their hand while having good eye contact. Another part of the protocol is the public cannot physically touch you unless you initiated it first. So, you did.  

The boys seemed surprised but showed their respect by bowing their heads while you shook hands with each of them. You just hoped your hand was not stone cold since you felt like it was since you stood in front of their lead vocalist. But when it comes to the last person in the line, Jungkook smoothly managed to kiss the back of your hand when you offer it for a handshake.

You were taken aback by the action. Not because he did it. But because it felt something else. The kiss was feather-like. It was light and brief. But you felt something electric run through your veins the moment his lips touched your skin. Your heart shivered. Then, it suddenly beat fast and you’re scared that everyone around you can hear it. You gulped as you made eye contact with him again.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Royal Highness,” his deep and slightly hoarse voice said. It made you feel things you don’t know and you hate and like it at the same time. “I’ve read a lot about you.”

You pursed your lips, “You did?”

“Yeah.”

You wanted to ask and know more about what he reads about you. But before you can say anything again, 

“The Royal Courtier is waiting, ma’am.” the guard interrupted.

You tried not to show annoyance. But sighed.

“Well, we shall go. Our staff is waiting outside.” you smiled. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here in our country. Congratulations on your concert.”

They bowed and you turned around with Astrid, ready to leave the room.

“Wait!” Mingyu stopped you one more time. “Is there any way we can reach out to you and invite you girls again to our future events? E-mail? Phone number? Telephone number?”

Your sister was over the moon hearing that while you tried to hide the smirk forming on your lips. Jungkook knows what his friend is doing and he is somewhat thankful for Mingyu.

“The only way to contact us is through Zafiro’s Royal Communication Office. I believe their e-mail and telephone numbers are on their websites.” you sounded like you were teasing. But you just honestly found their attempt funny. “Other than that, feel free to send us a letter through the mail.”

Of course, you would not give your personal number. Jungkook thought. Do you even have that? You probably have your own assistant who answered calls for you. It is known to almost everyone that even though every royalty in Zafiro has their own social media accounts, you just use them to share your duties and advocacies.

“Again, it was nice meeting your band. We hope you come back to our country soon.”

You left the room, sharing knowing glances with your sister.

While on their way back to their hotel, Jungkook scrolls on his Instagram account. His notifications were on blast as usual. But something caught his attention when he almost exit the app.

97.sapphire is now following you!

His eyes squinted. He clicked on the account. It only has twelve followers and two posts. It follows nothing. The account’s two posts are photos of artworks. One is a watercolor painting of a flower field during sunset. While the other is a detailed pencil drawing of what seemed like a coffee shop. Then, another notification popped out.

97.sapphire sent you a message.

Jungkook raised an eyebrow before he clicked on it. Without really expecting anything, he reads the message. As he go through the words, his eyebrow lowered while his lips formed into a smile.

let me know what do u want to read more about this pair! :) thank you so much for reading.

taglist rules

THE PRINCESS AND THE ROCKSTAR TAGLIST

@heartjiminie @rbrm094 @rjsmochii @jjkreblog @sugaslittlekookies @saintsugar @thvlover7 @alpha-mommy69 @natalia-rmnva @coralmusicblaze @stupendouscookiehumanmug @namgoogieee @yoonjinhusbands @borahaeb1ch @lilliankoo @0rubyrose0

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@dunixxd​ @cixrosie @jksjx @embrace-themagic @buttvi @starbtslove @missseoulite @vanntaesworld @kenqki @miyukihoshi @stopeatread @seolaquotes @greyrain23 @chimchimmarie @petalsofink @jayhope88 @moonchild1

[waugh-bao]

So I was watching "The Rolling Stones w/ Mick Taylor - Midnight Rambler (Live at Roskilde Festival, July 3rd, 2014)" on youtube because who doesn't love Midnight Rambler? At the end when Keith is faced towards Charlie waiting to give him that signal to change speeds, the camera operators made the excellent choice to put Keith's face up on the big screen. It is complete and total heart eyes for Charlie, just a big grin and love shining out of his eyes. I wish it was possible to get a montage of Keith and Charlie in that moment from every time they played Rambler live because it is always just looking into each other's eyes, in love with the music and each other.

[sheloveshp]

„All talk“- ron w.

warnings: little smut// virgin!ron// fluff at the end

confronting shy little ron „all talk“ weasly after he has been crushing and flirting on you for a while

masterlist

“Where did your confidence go Ron?” You whispered into his ear. You’ve had enough of him and his remarks about your body (or rather how, saying them is the most he does to you.)Today all of this shall end.

You were up for yet another Study Session in his dorm. Ron Weasley has gotten much more suggestive even in front of the others students. Gladly for the both of you it didn’t bother you. What bothered you was that he wasn’t shy to talk about how good your tits looked while he was playing quidditch and that, that was the reason for Gryffindor’s loss, while being seated next to all the other gryffindors . Yet whenever you came suggestively close to him, his whole body shut down and he suddenly remembered to “feed his old ass hamster” or rat or whatever it was and left.

“All those remarks when i visited you at training about how good my ass looked in those black shorts” Your fingers played around sliding them up and down his chest while you talk.

„All that undressing me with your eyes in class and at parties and now you won’t even look into my eyes ronnie?“ you stopped. Now looking directly into his eyes. His cheeks being as red as his hair and heart beating out of his chest.

Yeah sure he was in fact, in love with you and throwing these perverted things at your head was much better for him than being vulnerable to you and telling you how he actually feels. He was also scared of dating you. You were the (y/n) (l/n) after all. Gryffindors baddest bitch. Yes, even badder than Hermione. He was scared of what others might say when they find out that you’re dating him out of all people. He was scared of rejection and how he would carry on living his life when you broke his heart by rejecting him. So if being close to you means only being your friend and talking in a not so shy manner to SOMEHOW release his inner feelings for you. He will.

Ron tried his best to keep calm and stay cool. He didn’t want to seem like a weakling infront of you of all people, but then again. It’s you he is talking to and you who has him pushed onto the wall of his dorm room.

Fucking you would be a great thing too tho <3.

Trying to fabricate even one

string of words he completely failed and just gulped really loudly.

„I want you and I know you want me but I‘m getting tired ron.“

lies.

You loved the thrill you get when you think about him. thinking about what he would do to you once he would finally let go of whatever is holding him back and fuck you.

At first you hated to admit it but you thought about him every day. The way his hair shines when the sun hits it. The way he is always eating. The way he will be the last one on the Hogwarts Express to make sure everyone got in safely.

The way he would bend you over his desk at this very desk you’re standing next to in his room and fuck you straight is also a nice thought. <3

„Tired of you not doing shit about it.”

“talk. talk. talk.” slightly hit his chest with your pointed finger.

oh how you would’ve loved to leave a kiss on every part of his body and rip his clothes of his body right now but sadly your pride didn’t let you. The pride that is hanging onto a string threatening to rip every time you look up into his eyes and see him looking at you so shy.

„Tell me you want me Ronnie“ you whisper into his ears cupping his cheek with your left hand while the other remained rubbing circles on his chest. „I want you“ he finally breathed out. He knew that he wanted you. so. so bad. It’s the way he twitched whenever he saw you talking to anyone that he doesn’t trust. It’s the way all of his synapses came to a stop last Friday when, you opened your dorm room to study with him, only for him to find you in your short biker shorts and a white shirt with no bra on. Obviously, he had to retake the exam.

„You’re all talk.“ you looked at him now

His patience finally ripped and he kissed you so passionately as if he was waiting a lifetime for it.

When the kiss came to a halt he didn’t want to yet and followed your lips with his. You both looked at eachother. breathing HEAVILY. “That was-“ you cut him off before you jump into his strong arms and kiss him again and again.

Trying to locate his bed he bumped into serveal things he finally found it and threw you onto it.

“Now we’re talking.” You whisper against his lips trying to cool the situation a bit. It will be his first time after all.

Ron kept kissing and kissing and kissing you just to make sure it wasn’t one of his wet dreams again.

Stoping for a moment you grab your wand of the bedside stand and put a spell on this room to muffle the room and lock it.

“Muffelatto e chiudare.” Ron noticed these spells and immediately knew now that you were here on business. Now back to making out, your hips moved a lot on his crotch area forcing him to buckle his hips to get some sort of action going on down there.

You would’ve loved to ride him straight but you also wanted this to last longer so you decided to take the lead. With longer you mean several weeks of teasing him like he did to you and only giving him little after little taste of you.

Turning around to straddle him now you left a few hot kisses on his jaw and neck before you went lower. way lower.

Unbuckling his belt Ron looked down on you seeing you with his sex in your hands he internally freaked out.

“Relax, Baby.” You coo, noticing his nervousness. You start pumping slowly after you noticed him calm down a little because what will come after this might send him into cardiac arrest. Dropping the word “baby” on him hit him like a truck, even more than you pumping your hand up and down his already hardened cock.

It was his first time and yet again…he was shy but you wanted to hear him moan your name and whimper so bad.

“You can make noises, baby. No one will hear you but me.” And with that he let loose. Whimpering, Moans, all of it rushed out his mouth immediate like he has been holding it back for years.

“Y/n” he said as he covered his eyes with his hands to keep himself from coming to fast. Otherwise he would make a complete fool of himself. You though… You knew exactly what would get him rilled up.

Finally, you take him inside your mouth. Ron removes his hand at the speed of light to see you and shrieked. That was it. You had him and this moment shall forever be engraved in his mind, for as long as he lives.

His cum tasted like cola cherry for some reason. You didn’t like cola whatsoever but this was nice so you took his whole load into your throat and swallowed.

Ron immediately fell back after he has been keeping himself up to watch this all unfold. He was shook to his core.

“You can eat that????” Ron being Ron, that was the first thing he asked you after having his blowie v-card being taken.

“Yes, Ron.” You wait in anticipation for anything else for him to say. As you lay down next to him.

“You are so amazing y/n.” He finally breathes out while searching for what to say in your eyes. “You weren’t so bad yourself, Darling.” There it goes again. Making him all dizzy with you loving words. Although it wasn’t much he was already gone.

“Wait! What about you? What should I do for you?” Honestly he felt kind of bad that you didn’t get what you wanted. Also he didn’t get to feel that bad cuz he was still on his orgasm high.

“Next time, Ronnie.” You say kissing his cheek and the other side. Finally, you had what was yours and what you desired the most. You are never going to let him go.

It has been a tough week at Hogwarts so both of you became really tired, really fast and dozed off.

For once in his life Ron was the first to wake up. Realizing that this scene isn’t a dream and you were still on him, sleeping like an angel, Ron chuckled to himself.

If he wasn’t still in another universe mentally trying to process what happened last night, he would be worried. Worried about wether this all is a friends with benefits kind of thing or something serious?? But the way you were holding him and laying on him chest on chest, heart on heart. He knew that this might be serious and he couldn’t wait for the day where this would become his day to day life. Waking up to the love of his life.

[bejeweledaus]

BACK TO YOU | Jack Hughes au!

—

CHAPTER FOUR;

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yourusername posted

liked by jackhughes, Ihughes_06 and 4,557,123 others

yourusername; such a fun shoot, thank you a million for having me elleusa

view all 100,345 comments

melissabarreram look at you shine 🤍

user90 marry me please y/n

user123 and dare I say her best photoshoot yet?

user30 this is a close second, her glamour photoshoot will forever remain number one

yourinstagram user30 that’s forever my number one photoshoot as well <3

user30 did that just happen? did y/n really responded to me? nobody pinch me

user86 currently waiting for Jack to comment 👀

user56 same, comment already Jack please 😭

user24 she legit posted this like 5 mins ago and he instantly liked it, he probably has her notifications on lmao

yourinstagram jackhughes do you, the people want to know 🤨🫣

user94 Y/N?!?

user78 this is the first comment where she mentions him… dare I say…

masonthegooding okay y/n we see you

yourinstagram 👀

user65 y/n responding in the comment sections again 🫶🏼

_quinnhughes congrats bud!!

yourinstagram thank you bud :)

user129 can **** comment already

user34 el liked this 🥹

ememyers my stunning little dove 🕊️

user37 idk if you will see this but thank you for being so kind yesterday at the game. meeting you will forever hold a special place in my heart, thank you for the sweet advice as well. love you y/n 🤍

* liked by yourinstagram

yourinstagram thank you for talking with me, hope you had an amazing time last night and please hold onto what I said, I promise you that you got this my sweet angel bug 🕊️♥️

user45 she really was at the game last night 🥺

user37 she indeed was and she was supporting Jack through it all as well, she really did have the biggest smile on her face last night despite the lost

user57 was she really wearing his jersey number like twitter is saying? you don’t have to answer if you don’t want too :)

user37 yes, yes she was 🥰

jackhughes proud of you ♥️

yourinstagram 🥰

user80 EVERYONE WAKE UP, SHE REPLIED BACK TO HIM !!!

user96 oh I know that ronnie fan is very happy

user101 his comment towards her and her comment towards him 🥺

user112 second chance at love, I don’t care what anyone says

user47 important question y/n…how was meeting gritty?

[unholyhelbig]

oversight request if ur down! what if nat’s enemies captured ronnie? how would nat get her back? (i love seeing this darker side of nat… she’s hot asf when she’s mad 🥵) thx !!

Title: We Have Your Daughter [An Oversight Oneshot]

Ship: Female!Reader x Natasha Romanoff

Summary: When Veronica is taken from a friends house in the middle of the night, it's clear that reader and Natasha will stop at nothing to get her back and get revenge.

Warnings(PLEASE READ): Gun use, kidnapping, use of gags & zipties, broken glass, threating statements, knife use, strangling, and horrible grammar.

[a/n: This one wasn't my favorite thing I've ever done, but I was way too far to scrap it. I might take a small break from Oversight oneshots so I can clense my pallet a bit!]

Check out the full Oversight universe

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven

The phone buzzed against the mahogany table on Natasha’s side of the bed. You were in a haze of sleep, something so cloying that it was hard to distinguish what the noise was. There were four monotone vibrations and then a silence so thick that you nearly drifted back into unconsciousness. But then, it started again, louder this time, it seemed, as the phone fell from the nightstand and to the carpeted floor.

An alien blue light filled the room and you groaned softly against the side of Natasha’s neck. You’d ended up laying fully on top of her; legs tangled. Your hands were under her, holding her as close as possible. The rhythm of her heart picked up when she stirred from her own sleep.

She blinked a few times before reaching blindly to the carpeted floor and retrieving the phone. It had stopped ringing again, but soon amped back up. The number was unknown, which formed a small marble of dread in the pit of your stomach.

Natasha sat up carefully and you shifted to the side to give her more mobility. Both of you shared a frowned look of confusion. It was three in the morning, and a stranger was calling. That was enough to arise panic in anyone, but with your profession, it seemed to echo further than most.

“Romanoff,” Her frown deepened, then. You couldn’t hear much, just the warbled and panicked voice of another. “Wait, slow down.”

She flipped back the duvet and stood up, flicking on the bedside lamp. You winced at the sudden brightness but tracked her frantic movements all the same. She was pacing. It often helped Natasha think. All trace of sleep had left you both.

“No, no. We’ll be right there. Thank you.”

When Natasha hung up and her eyes met yours, any hope of a peaceful existence had been sucked from the room. The words ‘I’m sorry’ seemed to be on the tip of her tongue. But she didn’t’ say it. Instead, she threw the cell phone on the end of the bed and moved her hands through her messy russet locks.

“Natasha,” you said, almost viciously. “What happened?”

“That was Luke. Someone broke into the house. We should… get dressed. We need to get dressed and get over there.”

Her words were broken, causing you to rise despite the wave of nausea that overtook you. Unsteady on your feet, you closed the distance between and grasped onto her shoulders as if to stabilize you both. Natasha’s eyes threatened to boil over with tears, they were red-rimmed and oh, so broken.

At thirteen years old, you both had deemed Ronnie mature enough to start having sleepovers with the other kids in her class. Of course, you’d meet with the parents first, and give them all the emergency contact information. Never tightening the reigns there.

But the Jones family were trusted more than most. Ronnie and their daughter Dani had been close since diapers. You’d spent days by the pool together and even took a family vacation with them to Niagara Falls this past summer, despite how ‘lame’ Jessica’s son deemed it when they dawned the yellow plastic ponchos.

“Is she hurt? I know we told Luke and Jess to call us first if something like this happens but if she’s hurt we really should get over there right away and get to the hospital. Call an ambulance maybe? God, please tell me she’s not hurt.”

Natasha’s hand cupped your cheek, and she peered into your eyes. There was sadness behind her stare that was incomprehensible. You couldn’t stop your thoughts from rushing at you in all different directions. Her touch quieted the noise, if not for a moment.

“She’s not hurt,” Natasha frowned, backtracked. “I don’t know if she’s hurt. She’s just… gone.”

The man said his name was Grant. He didn’t give a last name, and Veronica did not ask for one. Grant would do just fine. He looked like a Grant; his eyes were beady and black, his hair combed in various directions with a generous amount of gel. He was trying to look effortless and cool.

Veronica thought he looked like he was trying too hard. Of course, she didn’t say that, but the fact remained the same. The gag that had been nestled tightly against her mouth tasted stale, like the way a thrift store smelled. Maybe it was the carpet in the trunk of the car that lodged itself into her lungs.

She was calm and collected; prepared for something like this. As much as her mothers had poked and prodded and huffed and puffed when she suggested she start to learn basic things (like how to get out of zipties, or what to do if you were trapped in the trunk of a car), they had yielded.

Really, her aunt Lena had Yielded. While she still was discouraged from the heavy-hitting stuff, she did know how to break free of most contained spaces. She could also throw a mean punch if she put her entire body weight into it. But she had been sleeping when Grant shattered the window, and groggy when he hit her temple with the blunt end of his pistol.

The selfish part of Veronica knew that her mothers were scared right now, and reveled in it, for only a brief moment. She’d let out a grunt from being jostled when the car hit a particularly bad speedbump. Her teeth bite down harder on the gag, releasing a sordid taste that did not settle her stomach.

Even at the age of six, which Veronica remembers in bits and pieces, she knew that something wasn’t right with her mother. It wasn’t wrong, either, but it put her on edge and kept her voice trapped in her chest like a music box without a key.

You’d come home smelling metallic, sometimes like the salt of the earth itself. It was much less palatable than the sweet coffee that often graced your collar. She used to inhale the familiarity of it, but had stopped when you’d begin to get bruises and deep red gashes against your skin.

It was something that you’d try to hide from her, from Aunt Darcy, but in the deepest moments of your sleep, the fabric of your shirt would lift and expose the camouflage markings on your ribs or the crack of flesh on your back that Veronica was certain hadn’t been there before.

Then there was Mama.

Natasha. Natalia. Romanoff.

She’d heard every variation of the title. The name was spoken with a certain type of urgency in some, fondness from you, and fear from most. It wasn’t until Veronica was eight and paid more attention to those around her that she realized Natasha was the source of the un-well scent on you.

“Your moms whack people,” Dani had told her one day as they played up in her room. Veronica was meant to stay the night but there had been a heated and insignificant argument about who got to marry Malibu Barbie.

She’d whined back, “They do not,”

“They do too! I heard the other mommies at the playground talking about it. They whack people and it makes everyone else afraid of them and you.”

“You’re lying!”

Veronica had felt the tears prickling at her eyes. Not because Dani’s words were too much, they were just the right amount of hurt. Deep down, Veronica knew that something was fucked up about her family. And while they tried to shield her, it never stopped people from talking.

She would get looks from the parents of her schoolmates. Once that reeked of worry, and sometimes pity. It fed her anger, stoked the coal fire that burned within her. She shouldn’t be angry at her moms, she knew it was unfair. But as she clenched the barbie in her little fist, anger was the only thing she could truly feel.

“They don’t hit people!”

“That’s not what whacked means, dummy.” Dani seemed to catch her bearings, lower her voice to keep her own mother from hearing the accusations. “People that are near your family are never seen again. That’s what Cassie’s mom said. People that are near your family die.”

How could that be true? Things were so different here. There were different smells and Dani’s family didn’t eat around the table like hers did. The house was smaller and cozier. There were pictures on the wall that were black and white and worn with age. But there was love here, just like there was love in Veronica’s house.

A house with love couldn’t be a house where her mothers… whacked people.

Natasha held her with so much warmth at night. She read her two stories if Veronica asked and would get her a glass of water in the middle of the night. Sometimes, on the way home from school, they’d stop for ice cream even though you had cautioned against it.

Someone who let her get extra chocolate sprinkles was not a killer.

But the thought lodged itself in Veronica’s head and refused to leave. She was unnaturally quiet on the ride home, having called you to pick her up early from the wall phone. She held back tears and pressed the plastic close to her face until it was numb.

Natasha had cooked steak and mashed potatoes. Usually, it was Veronica’s favorite, but she watched as the pink runoff seeped into the white mush and quelled the nausea in her stomach by taking little sips of water.

She pretended not to notice the wary look her mothers gave each other, but it was impossible to ignore the way you cleared your throat, palming the wine glass to give your hands something to do. “Baby, is something bothering you?”

The dam broke. Veronica hated when you took that tone with her because it made her cry each time, made all of the hidden emotions bubble up until her cheeks were red and she was a sniveling mess.

This time, she blinked them back and looked between both you and Natasha. She clenched her fork in her little hand and drew in a breath. These were big emotions for such a small girl and she didn’t quite know how to swallow them.

“Why is everyone afraid of you?”

Your hand tightened on the glass you were holding, just loose enough to save it from shattering. Natasha had been mid-chew, her stare moving frantically to you before she swallowed and used her napkin to wipe the edge of her mouth.

“Sweetheart, did someone tell you that?”

Veronica seemed to tremble, shrinking into herself. She had gotten so verbal over these last few years, and this was a side that you refused to let her fall back into. You set the glass down and reached across the table. You covered her hand with yours, despite her refusal to unfurl it. It helped to ground her, had since she was little.

“Dani said that people are scared of you, and that they die around you. I called her a liar, a dirty liar, but she kept telling me it was true.” She looked up with tears in her eyes. “That’s not true, right?”

The silence seemed to answer her question, but she stared at both of you. She wanted to hear it. She wanted you to look under the bed and slay all of the monsters that were intent on grabbing her ankles and pulling her down. Natasha looked down at her plate, almost shy. You gave her hand a squeeze.

“Baby, it’s complicated.” You started, her wild eyes moving to yours. You felt her grow tense. “Your Mama and I, we want to be honest with you no matter what. This family is complicated, but that will never change how much we love you.”

They’d abandoned the food and spent most of the night explaining what they could. She was still only eight years old, and they held back from her. Each year of her life, they revealed more, eased her into it. And if she asked a question, they never, ever, lied. They answered truthfully- even if it wasn’t an answer she didn’t’ want to hear.

Veronica’s muscles had become stiff. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been shoved inside of the trunk, but light was leaking through the edges. She’d drifted in and out of sleep, her legs burning. She wanted to break free of her binds and stretch them out. Grant tied a good knot.

It was no matter, she thought, because her mothers wouldn’t let her linger for long.

Glass and blood sprayed across the back patio. Someone had clearly wrapped their hand and shattered it with sheer force. They’d cut themselves at one point or another, but it didn’t’ seem to stop them from muscling their way into the Jones’s home.

Luke, in his hulking nature, reached into the highest cabinet and got his daughter a glass of water. She hadn’t touched the muffin that was set in front of her. Luke was nesting, trying to ply her with gifts to ease the horror of what had just happened.

You felt bad, having to dredge it up when the memory was still so fresh. She had the deer-in-headlights stare. Wide eyes flicked to you and Natasha. She opened her mouth and closed it in succession twice. She looked like a fish.

It wasn’t that you hated Dani, you didn’t. She was thirteen-year-old child, after all. But, you were admittedly wary about her after she had brought Veronica’s walls down when they were younger. Kids, you reminded yourself. They were innocent, but they were also mean when they wanted to be.

“I already told you, “She said, frowning down at her untouched muffin. “We were both asleep when we heard a loud crash. It didn’t wake up mom and dad. I wanted to call the cops, but Ronnie was against it. Why haven’t we called the cops?”

The silence in the room was palpable. You were studying the edges of the glass, the dried dark blood against the edges. It was better for you to focus on that, than the fact that Veronica wasn’t here. You would spiral, then. You’d think about all the places she could be, and none of them were particularly good.

“Fine. There was a man with a gun in the kitchen and he… aimed it at us. Ronnie wasn’t scared. I don’t know how, the look in his eye was determined. Horrifying. He said that he wasn’t going to hurt us, he just needed her and then he would leave.”

“And she just went?” Natasha urged; her voice strained with exhaustion.

“Yeah, yes. I didn’t try hard to stop her, he had a gun. A gun!”

“Okay, alright. Thank you, Dani.” Luke placed his hand on the small of her back. She crumbled into him, dwarfed by his sheer size. Jessica glared at her own reflection in the mirror above the sink. She had been deathly quiet.

Suddenly, Dani looked so tiny in his arms, hugging her close. Your heart seized and you frowned at the broken glass at your feet. Natasha willed herself to continue. “Dani, I’m incredibly sorry about this. About all of this; but we need to know what he looked like.”

“I don’t know, he was tall and had these blue eyes that were just unsettling. He was sort-of good looking.”

Jessica seemed to find herself at that moment, working her hand through her hair. It was damp and unkempt with sweat. “You both need to leave.”

“Jess,” Luke interjected.

“You need to leave!” She raised her voice, turning to face the group. She kept her palms on the counter to steady herself, refusing to look at Natasha, but clocking you with a deathly stare. “We’ve ignored so much. We’ve watched Veronica when the two of you leave on your business trips, and come back looking like you’ve been raised from the dead. We pretend not to notice the guns you carry even at the fucking beach! But this is not something we can ignore. Y/n, this is my home.”

Her chest was heaving with rage but there was immense sadness in her eyes. Dani’s fingers clenched at the fabric of her father’s shirt. Natasha’s hands were in her back pockets, her red-rimmed stare trained on the ground.

“I understand. Thank you for everything. We’ll uh, get someone to come by and fix the patio door. I apologize for all of the trouble.”

Natasha moved to follow you, her hand on your shoulder. You hadn’t realized you were trembling until her firm touch was there to quell it. Her words were said with a gentle authority. “I made a few calls. A patrol call will be positioned across the street for the next week. Longer, if you’d like. I’m sorry.”

“Wait,” Dani stood from the barstool. “There’s one more thing. The man, he had on this gaudy jacket and there was a patch on the pocket. It was red and there was a skull with these tentacles coming out of it. Totally villain coded.”

You frowned, diverting your stare to the small bug light at the corner of the door. It emitted a small buzzing sound that was barely noticeable. If you stared at it long enough, the tears that threatened to spill over would eventually go away.

“I hope you find her.”

Dani had said in a quiet voice. And you hoped beyond hope that you did too.

There was ugly green tile in the bathroom. Veronica had counted them twice over, and then to check her blurry math, she multiplied the length and the height until the numbers matched. She was bored and cramped in the off-white bathtub of a shitty motel.

For the first half-hour, she had her eyes on the water-stained ceiling. There was an abnormally large roach that crawled in circles. It had the whole ceiling, why did it confine itself to one spot? She’d made up a story; the brown little bug was training for a race. He was following the imaginary track.

He’d win, she decided, tugging softly on her binds. Even if though the horsefly can move up to 90 miles per hour. They’d learned that in class and it was one of those facts that she just couldn’t seem to forget.

Veronica could hear Grant on the other side of the wall. He had made an exasperated phone call and threw it down on the bed. He’d been oddly gentle and patient with her when he removed her from the trunk and subsequently locked her in the bathroom.

After living with a family of deadly criminals for the better part of her life, Veronica toyed with the idea that she was being held for ransom. Her mama, she didn’t hesitate when it came to stuff like this. Veronica had asked her once if that was easier.

They’d been jogging along a small path that cut through the woods around the property. Natasha was used to doing stuff like that alone, pacing herself and breathing in the crisp scents that nature had to offer.

It had shocked her when Ronnie asked to join, but she was quick to agree. She’d slowed to a brisk walk when the girl started to fight for air. Natasha may have pushed a little hard, but she was content to walk with her daughter, all the same.

The question had caught her off guard. “Ronnie, I don’t think your mother would appreciate me answering this.”

“You’re my mom too.” She stopped by a particularly large rock, placing both hands behind her head to stretch her chest out enough to ease her breathing. “Unless you’re afraid of her.”

“You’re baiting me.”

Veronica gave her a wolfish smile. Of course, Natasha wasn’t afraid of you. She wasn’t. You would sometimes get a deep look in your eyes that made her squirm in her seat. It was the mom look- the type of look that you seemed to inherit from the moment you first hold a baby against your chest. The need to protect was deep seeded.

Natasha felt it too, especially with the girl that goaded her right now. But she knew when not to push, and when to gently suggest something to you. Right now was a terse moment that blurred the line between something you’d be okay with, and something you’d initiate the silent treatment for. She sighed.

“Sometimes, there is more to suffering than the pain that’s inflicted. Does that make sense?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Waiting for the end is more tortuous than the act of ending itself. What I mean is, putting someone out of their misery is not only a mercy in some situations, but a necessary evil. I’m not a monster, Ronnie.”

She believed her in that moment. Natasha wasn’t a monster. Not to her. She could see how some of her charges would think differently, but this was the woman who would curl up in fuzzy pajamas and watch shitty romantic comedies with her, even shedding a few tears when the lead got the girl.

Veronica let out a long sigh and slumped further down into the bathtub. An uncomfortable and sluggish hit of pain moved through her legs and to the base of her back. First the trunk, and now this.

Her body stiffened when she heard the giggle of the door handle. Heels dug into old porcelain as she pushed herself up. Parts of Veronica’s stance was numbed entirely. Her shoulders were tight with tension, and a fine layer of dust was kicked up.

Grant clenched his jaw and unclenched it at the sight of her. He’d left her to her own devices for far too long. She watched carefully as he unscrewed the cap of a water bottle. The seal cracked and she relished in the sound, praying that it hadn’t been tampered with.

He knelt down against the side of the tub, pulling her gag from her mouth. She drew in a desperate and clear breath, clocking him with a glare. Sickeningly, he smiled at that. “You must be thirsty.”

She didn’t’ dignify him with an answer but allowed him to guide the water bottle to her lips. She gulped down more than half in a hungry fashion. Spare drops soaked into her collar and drip against her jaw. He pulled away and recapped it.

“I want you to know this isn’t personal. I’m not big on the whole ‘kidnap kids’ thing. I have a son of my own, and I wouldn’t ever want something to happen to him.” He paused and resituated himself into a more comfortable position. “This is business. I do what I’m told.”

Grant was trying to relate to her, make her feel some sort of sympathy for him. She wasn’t going to fall into his tactics. Instead, she glowered at him. “I hope he has a good mom. Because when mine find you, he’s going to need one.”

“Yeah, sweetheart. I’m counting on it.”

This time, you had made sure that the gun was fully loaded. You were all for showmanship, leaning into the nickname that those who roamed the streets had given you. Even those who didn’t, a woman at the laundromat or the waitress that had replaced you at the diner all knew you as Roulette.

Once upon a time, you couldn’t push past the shadow that Bucky Barnes had created. He was the Winter Soldier, Natasha’s immoveable force of nature. She’d command him with a solid hand and anyone on the other side of that wrath was doomed.

It was a reputation that was impossible to live up to, yet somehow, you had done it. Not only could you kill with such ruthless abandon, but you had found a family along the way. Bucky would never question Natasha’s orders. But the two of you made them together, and that brought a new type of fear.

When Leo Fitz had moved for the weapon tucked into the back of his neatly pressed pants, you made sure to move with a quickness that rivaled anyone else in the room. The tip of your revolver was pressed to his temple, his gloved hands raising in surrender.

Ophelia Sarkissian smiled. Blood dripped across her teeth from where Natasha had connected her fist with bone. She was slammed up against the back wall of her office now. Her mantle shook with the force of the hit, and dust rained down from the ceiling.

“That’s the problem with old buildings,” she said, a mix of sticky saliva and russet discharge. “The aesthetics are there, but you sacrifice the integrity of the room. Don’t you agree, Nat?”

“I’m not here to discuss architecture.”

Natasha reached into her own pocket, not releasing her hold on the leader of Hydra. The little organization of evil had gotten admittedly bigger than either of you thought was possible. They’d gotten more men, more property. But they were resigned to Hells Kitchen and that was simply not under Natasha’s jurisdiction. She never found it in herself to care, not until now.

Knives were Yelena’s weapon of choice, but Natasha still found joy in the subtle bout of fear that flashed momentarily across Ophelia’s serpent stare. Leo attempted to move, but stilled when you pulled the metal hammer back on the revolver. All you had to do was pull the trigger and there’d be a new mural in Ophelia’s office.

“Natasha, would you mind calling your dog off? Doctor Fitz is a brilliant scientist. It’s not any old brain she’s fixing to blow out.”

The side of the silver blade had found its way to the edge of Ophelia’s eye, not quite touching it, but she knew that the slightest movement would spear her iris. She stopped squirming under Natasha’s threats.

“Okay, okay! What is it that I can do for you lovely ladies?”

“What is it you can do for us?” Natasha’s voice was a thick and hollow growl. Any sign of mercy had escaped her, one hand clenching the woman’s throat, the other pressing the tip of the knife hard enough to break porcelain skin. “Sweetness, I think you know exactly what we want.”

“You’ll have to be more specific, Natty. I have my fingers in a lot of cookie jars.”

“If you’re inclined to keep your right eye intact, I suggest that you lead us to our daughter. I have no trouble taking a woman’s sight.”

Ophelia laughed and it infuriated you. Rage and impatience made a dangerous cocktail. You had tolerated the woman and her lackies through dinner parties and the occasional get together. But that was the extent of your relationship.

Seven full years and she still viewed you as nothing more than Natasha’s pet waiting to be house trained. You’d long since left your probationary period. You’d married the woman who had an iron grip on the city and in turn, raised a competent daughter in your stead.

“I have no godly idea what you’re talking about. You think I’m stupid enough to steal from you? I wouldn’t take a wine glass, much less your daughter. I have some common sense. What led you to believe that I would?”

You hated to admit that you believed her, but you still refused to remove the gun from Fitz’s temple. “The symbol on the jacket of the man who took her. It was your insipid mass of tentacles.”

Fitz cleared his throat “Ma’am, it could be Ward.”

“Ward?” Natasha asked.

“I fired him months ago. He’s mostly harmless but would do anything to get into my good graces. I suppose it would be possible for him to pull a stunt like this. Last I heard, he was living at the Motel six off county.” Ophelia gritted her teeth “It’d be greatly appreciated if you both left before you do something you regret.”

Natasha mocked a pout, dragging the tip of the blade against the side of Ophelia’s face. A trail of pin-prink spots of blood rushed to the surface of her skin. “But you’d look so good with an eyepatch.”

Veronica had drifted into an incredibly fitful sleep. She could hear the world around her; the skittering legs of the bug that ran laps on the ceiling, the slow and steady drip of the sinks faucet, the football game that Grant had turned on to drown out her movements.

It was the unmistakable sound of woods splintering that had caught her attention. Ronnie forced herself to control her breathing, just like you had taught her. She clenched down on the sour tasting gag in her mouth, heart pounding violently in her chest.

The television had been turned off and Grant’s muffled voice seeped through the crack in the door. She knew that her mother’s preferred to work silently. They tried to shield her from everything and everyone that held a potential threat. But there were some things that Veronica wanted to see. Including the downfall of her captor.

She made a small noise against the back of her gag and slammed her heel on the puke-colored tub. The dull thumb was enough to halt the movement in the room. There was shattered glass, and an exclamation that could have only been from Natasha.

Grant had locked the bathroom door from the inside and closed it. There was a strong hit that rattled the weak wood. Her breathing picked up as another hit caused the door to bend like it wasn’t a solid force at all, but entirely breakable.

Finally, it gave way and you stumbled into the bathroom in a cloud of slivers and dust. None of that seemed to bother you, eyes darting directly to the tub that your daughter had been housed in for the last six hours.

Veronica was reduced to a bubbling mess of tears. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted to see you, needed to see you. There was something so warm and safe about your touch and it cut through the cold bathroom air like nothing she had ever felt before.

“Oh baby,”

Your voice cracked as you dropped to your knees, making quick work of the gag. Veronica’s jaw ached when you removed it, tossing the cloth aside. You used the very knife that Natasha had used to threaten Ophelia with to cut the zip ties that had cut dark purple bruises into her wrists.

“Oh, my baby, I’m so sorry.”

She gripped you with a strength that reminded you of the first day you’d dropped her off at kindergarten. She’d cried then too, wetting the collar of your shirt with nervous tears. Veronica had clung to you and wicked her fingers into its fabric. It broke your heart to let her go then.

You’d had a meltdown in the driver’s seat of your car with all the other parents that had emotional attachment issues. It was where you met Jessica for the first time. She’d dropped Dani off. Her second child so it was easier this time. She brought you a beer and told you that everything would be okay.

“Mom,” she whispered, over and over again, gripping you to make sure you were real. She was much too old to carry, but you didn’t give a damn in this moment. You scooped her up like she was six years old again and she wrapped her legs around your waist without any protest.

You tucked her head into the small of your neck. “Keep your eyes closed, baby girl. You’re safe now.”

Veronica clenched her eyes shut and dug further into you. She tried to ignore the noises she heard in the single-bed motel room. The choking sounds that Grant let out as Natasha did what she did best with the electrical cord of a lamp.

She kept her eyes shut in the freezing stairwell, and even when the warm mist of an early-morning dew coated his skin. She waited until she could smell the familiar leather of her mother’s car, and even then, she held you in a vice grip that you weren’t willing to let go of anytime soon.

You’d taken your jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. She curled into herself in the backseat of the car. It only took a few more minutes for Natasha to exit through the same service door that you did. Her hair was disheveled, a long gash against the side of her arm that you were certain would need stitches later.

Black blood dripped from the wound and pooled from her fingertips in small splashes against the pavement. She didn’t’ seem to notice, her adrenaline screaming loud enough to quell any pain she would have felt.

Natasha gently urged you to the side before she climbed into the backseat wordlessly. Ronnie seemed to let out a long breath of relief. She launched herself into the woman’s arms. Natasha grunted at the force but squeezed her as tightly as she could, letting her cry.

“Mama, I’m so sorry.” Veronica sniffed “I shouldn’t have gone with him, but he was going to hurt Dani.”

“Do not apologize moy malen'kiy strelok.” She pressed a kiss to Veronica’s temple, fighting back tears. “Never apologize.”

[Taglist🕷♡: @dumbasslesbi, @lostremind, @toouncreativeforausername @autorasexy @eringranola @mikookaaaaaao @marvelwoman-simp @pacmanmiles @mostlymarvelsstuff, @mrsrushman, @milfsandtittyenthusiast, @random-raccoon4, @ravenromanova, @mysticalmoonlight7, @ahintofchaos@cowboyboots236 @lissaaaa145, @natsxwife@a-spes, @kyleeservopoulos]

[campbenji]

jwct s2 thoughts after first watch (spoilers under the cut!!!):

ok.... look, i'm just gonna say it: i put my expectations too high for this season and i ended up slightly disappointed. it's not a bad season or anything of the sort, but i guess i just didn't enjoy it as much as i did s1.

individual thoughts now, starting with the good:

-brooklynn. she's always been the camper i ignore most because i've never been able to connect with her but HOLY SHIT they really changed that this season. i desperately need to know what's going through her head, i'm so glad we got to see a good part of her pov from before and after the attack, and how she's adapting to losing her arm. i can't wait to see where she's going after that finale, the stakes went off the roof fr

-THE ANIMATION??? THE WET HAIR, THE RAIN, THE DINOSAURS LOOKED MAJESTIC, THE WAY YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE CHARACTERS TREMBLING NOW IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL

-ben's arc. the amount of stress i felt for him he was going through it </3. the moment i realized he always wanted to tell them broke my heart, he knew it was a huge thing and tried to be careful with how he revealed it but never got the chance. i really wanted them to address other things about him but this will have to do

-episode 7 seems to be the best episode in every season now. yaz getting a solo adventure was something i didn't expect, and it was interesting to see how another one of their own going missing affected the group.

-kenji being reckless and putting himself in danger for other i dreamed and feared of times like these i shit you not. this was his entire arc in a jwcc s4 rewrite i made, i've been waiting for this for so long. it didn't go exactly like i wanted but i still found it interesting

-BEN AND KENJI SCENES BEN AND KENJI HEART TO HEART I'M QUITE LITERALLY SHAKING. that was the best part of the season actually (heavy /hj btw). them finally getting to open up to each other, the gyrosphere callback, them bickering around in the last few episodes, and the fight?? i really hope they're setting up a good continuation for that next season, i need more moments with them

-kenji taking care of speckles (bumpy's egg) so much throughout the season was lovely, he's such a proud father omg. the day that egg hatches is gonna be the happiest day of his life

-loved to see more of ronnie, it was kind of obvious that it was her who saved brooklynn and talked to her through dark jurassic but it was nice to have it confirmed

-it's still so weird to me to have a recurring cast who isn't just the villains, but i'm growing quite fond of them

-the blind baryonyx from episode 9 sent chills down my spine, my sister and i were fucking terrified. i would've loved to see more of it

-THAT FINALE HAS ME DEVASTATED. brooklynn giving them the egg, i hate that everyone was right about "i'm not the same brooklynn you knew", i have no idea if they're coming back from this one because what the fuck

now to the not so good stuff...

-darius felt, and oh my god i hate to say it, sidelined. again. so much of the season was centered around others that even crucial moments like him realizing brooklynn is alive were underwhelming. there was barely any followup to his issues from s1, it felt like he didn't even have an arc this season, he was just there.

-they dragged a lot of stuff in the middle of the season. i can't pinpoint it exactly but everything from the a plot in episodes 4 to 7 is a blur in my head.

-there was nothing about sammy either. it's still heavily implied that she's on bad terms with her family (her crying when aminata hugs her and her almost sibling-like bond with zayna), but she just doesn't get to talk?? about anything??? i'm so tired

-although i really liked her character, i feel like they could've done so much with zayna?? they had this girl joining them on the adventure who's around the same age as them when they got stranded, and did... nothing about it. sammy mentioned her age, but that was it. with how much they doubted her knowledge sometimes, it would've been interesting to see darius approaching her and making sure she's heard, with him being the youngest in jwcc and whatnot. the group making sure zayna didn't have as bad of an experience as they did could've been a great subplot.

-i DESPISED the dinostar flashback scene and everything they added to it. i needed to be convinced on dinostar, not completely drawn away from the ship! the implication that brooklynn was with darius ONE WEEK and darius was already head over heels when he wasn't before is insane; of course she wasn't ready for a relationship, SHE BROKE UP WITH KENJI LESS THAN A MONTH BEFORE WTF. anyways canon unrequited dinostar is out long live fanon qpr dinostar

-atp i hope they don't make dinostar canon or set brookenji back together, they should all be single for a while after everything that's gone down, although i can't help but be a little mad because then why make darius go through that, the grief was strong enough as purely platonic

-where was the handler. i'm not even obsessed with her and i missed her

-i think it was slightly obvious that soyona was going to be the broker so i'm a little confused as to why the promo made such a fuss about it, but anyway

-dr. sarr was wasted potential, those creations were insane and admitting to having fed the rest of the crew to the baryonyx felt straight out of a horror novel. that was some good horror stuff and then it got all thrown away in one episode.

-something i noticed a lot is that, even if there were barely no clips, they still revealed a lot about the season from just the trailer. half the trailer came from the last three episodes and there was a lot of spotlight to things that in the end didn't amount much to the plot (*cough* the DLN *cough*). i feel like that may be one of the reasons i didn't enjoy this season as much

that's pretty much it, sorry for being a hater about it but I had a lot of mixed feelings that i needed to get out. it's still not the worst season ever, it would take something truly awful to defeat s4 in my heart, but it's definitely in the lower middle.

[swiss-mrs]

EDDIE MUNSON X SINCLAIR!READER

just me rambling on again about how Eddie loves a black woman from infinity to infinityyyy

there's a 'face claim' under the cut because i said so. you've been warned

okay, listen here.

Ever since your family moved to Hawkins, life has been... different

You just turned 13 when your family uprooted to the small town in Indiana. Lucas was 10, and Erica was only 6.

It was a bit easier for your younger siblings to adjust, but you had to start fresh during your last year of middle school, going into high school. That sucked like a bitch.

Transitioning from a larger city with a decent mix of races to a predominantly white town was about as smooth as it sounded, not at all.

Though racism was not terrible, there were plenty of backhanded compliments, passive aggressiveness, and snarky comments.

You were always so "well-spoken", "well-mannered", "presentable".

You didn't "sound black".

You didn't "act black".

You were "pretty for a black girl."

Whatever the fuck that means.

You knew that begging your parents to move elsewhere was not an option, waste of time, so you always knew that the moment you had the chance, you weren't gonna stick around for too long.

Going into high school at the end of '82, just shy of a year after moving into Hawkins, was how yours and Eddie's paths crossed, just barely.

Since you could practically count on one hand how many black families were in Hawkins's population, not knowing one another by name was near impossible.

You know Jeff by proxy.

Your parents knew each other, and you were the same age, so of course you knew each other.

You wouldn't call him a friend per se, but you were friendly enough to exchange quick greetings in passing.

Jeff was with three older kids when you passed him in the hall.

A chubby, curly haired, white boy, a pale brunette girl, and a slim, lanky kid who looked like he was trying to grow out a bad haircut, all of which were decked out in jean and leather.

The polite smile and wave he gave made the lanky boy to turn and see who Jeff was waving at.

As soon as you caught each other's eyes, his curious expression turned into a lovestruck one.

You didn't pay much attention to it, though.

"Who is that?"

"Oh, no one. She's just the daughter of some friends of my parents."

Since you were in separate grades, you didn't regularly cross paths with any of the people you saw with Jeff often, but you did end up having an elective class with the brunette girl.

It was a couple of weeks in when you were partnered up with her for a project.

"Veronica is my government name. Call me Ronnie."

During lunch, Ronnie mentioned to Jeff how adorable you were.

"You got to meet her?!"

Ronnie would then go on about how you were so nice and polite, but you were also extremely smart and sassy.

She got to witness your wit first hand when you made a sneaky comeback at someone who gave one of those stupid 'for a black girl' comments.

"I think Eddie is going to blow a fuse."

"You got to meet HER?!"

The boy was starstruck every time you would unknowingly pass him in the hall or when he saw you from across the cafeteria.

"Would you just go up and talk to her, numbnuts?" Ronnie would say as she smacked the back of his head when she caught him staring a bit too hard.

"I can't just 'go up' to her!"

"The fuck not?"

He'd reply with silence, not really knowing what answer to give.

You were too good for him? He'd have no chance? You'd dismiss him? Reject him? What would he even say?

"I wouldn't know what to say..."

"Maybe try, 'Hello'."

He spent the next four years pining over you from a distance.

Now, in your senior year, you were more excited than anything to get out of this shit hole.

The cute super super senior with the loud mouth, long hair, and less than stellar reputation had always caught your eye, but you both still had yet to actually say anything to each other. Paths never crossing further than beyond the hallway.

You never bothered to make a move on him.

You were convinced that you weren't his type, or anyone's type for that matter, especially not here.

But you're both seniors now.

Much to Eddie's surprise and delight, you now had classes together.

He never once liked being in high school for longer than necessary, but here he was, oddly thankful for being held back.

Your schedules are almost completely aligned, save for the fact that you had a couple honors classes.

For the first few days of your senior year, Eddie was a ball of anxiety every time you were around.

He sat either behind or beside you in the back of all your shared classes.

It wasn't until one fateful Tuesday, in the second week of that school year, that your pen ran out of ink, and you finally said your first words to him.

"Hey, do you have a pen I can barrow?"

You were turned around in your seat to look at him behind you. He was stuck for a few beats before he blinked away his shock.

"Uh, y-yeah. Here." He handed you the very pen he was using to doodle in his notebook instead of actually taking notes.

The small smile and the gentle brush of your fingers against his nearly made his heart stop on the spot.

He was absolutely gone.

It was in that moment that he realized he'd never properly heard your voice before.

He wanted to hear it again.

You even remembered/bothered to give him his pen back at the end of that class.

He spent every single one of his classes for the remainder of that day coming up with a full ass tactical plan to approach you.

Every day that passed, he for some fucking reason just couldn't find the right moment to put his plan in action.

It wasn't until a few weeks later when you threw his plan through a loop.

You showed up to a Hellfire meet just as they were all leaving out the drama room.

He heard your voice coming from outside once some of the freshman members walked out the door.

"Hey, Baby Bro! How'd it go? Have fun?"

Eddie eyes widened, and he stilled for a second before he dropped what he was doing to rush out the door.

He tried to play off his stumbling by leaning against the wall right outside the door.

"Oh, Hey! You're in this club too?"

"This is Eddie. He leads the club." Your little brother's curly haired friend, Dustin, clarified immediately.

Before Eddie could give Dustin a look to 'shut the fuck up before he ruined his shot', you raised your brows with somewhat of an impressed look on your face.

"Oh, so you're Eddie."

The way his name rolls off your tongue makes him want to melt into the floor.

All the false confidence he once had completely depleted, and he was back at a loss for words. Thank God you didn't leave room for him to make a fool of himself.

"The boys talk so highly of you. Thank you for looking after them for a couple hours after school. See you tomorrow!"

He watched, awestruck, as you walked away with your brother and his friends.

"Y-Yeah, no problem!" He'd finally yell after you a you made it to the exit doors.

You turned to wave bye before fully exiting the building to the mostly vacant parking lot.

Eddie waved back weakly.

"See you tomorrow." He says to himself in the empty hallway, still waving even after you couldn't see him anymore.

A cheesy grin would grow on his face as he went back into the drama room to collect his DM stuff.

"Holy shit. You actually exchanged words!" Jeff would say.

"~See you tomorrow~" Gareth mocks, clasping his hands together, resting them on his cheek and batting his eyelashes.

Eddie glares at the younger drummer. "Shut up, asshole."

Early October is when he finally leaned forward to ask you a question.

"Hey, I don't really understand what's going on. Could you help me?"

There it was.

You accepted, falling right into his hands.

His plan was now officially in motion.

You were smart and nice. Of course, you would help tutor him.

Eddie knew that would work.

You were well aware of his academic status, or rather lack thereof.

You couldn't help but let that little 'I can fix him' part of your teenage brain take over.

You really wanted to help him pass and graduate, ESPECIALLY since he reached out to you for help.

You couldn't say no. wtf

You two had spent all of October studying together.

Even though he was distracted by you most of the time and always going off topic to get to know you, he actually was kind of learning something.

A win-win for him.

"Hey, so, uh, you know, Halloween is right around the corner, and, uh, there's a special rescreening of 'Alien' this weekend. Would you, uh, you know, if you're into it, would you like to go see- watch it, like, with me, I mean?"

The question came at the end of your recent study/tutoring session.

Over the last few weeks, you had shown nothing but kindness towards Eddie. You two even had conversations with one another out in the open, outside of the safe privacy of the library.

He finally had the courage to ask you out.

You hesitated.

"Oh, uh..."

Your apprehension was not for the reason he was thinking, but it was enough for his mind to start caving in on itself.

"I mean, I just want to show you my appreciation, you know, for all your help. There's no- no pressure at all. I get it if you don't wanna be seen with me too much. I won't blame you."

His response takes you aback.

"Hold on. That's not what I was trying to get across at all."

Your firm tone made his chest tighten with anxiety. If that wasn't it, what was it? Did you have plans already? Maybe with a boyfriend? Shit, why didn't Eddie make sure to get your current relationship status out of you before asking.

"It's just that, uh, I'm kind of a... wuss... with scary movies. The sci-fi part of it seems intriguing enough, but I heard that it was pretty scary... The Boys snuck the VHS during one of their movie nights a couple years ago. I just remember Lucas being on edge for weeks after watching it." You chuckled nervously.

Eddie chuckles, relieved by your answer.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be there to protect you from all the monsters." The use of his DM voice at the end goes straight to the pit of your stomach like hot coals.

You hold back a girlish giggle, not wanting to show how much that effected you.

"Okay, fine, but if I fail our test due to a lack of sleep, I'm blaming you."

After you agree to go on a date with him, he fully unleashes his inner flirt.

His surprising change in attitude towards you makes butterflies erupt within you.

His overt flirting brings out your sassy side as you two go back and forth.

That movie-dinner date was the first of many.

Eddie wasn't huge on physical PDA.

He was always super respectful and reserved in public, but he almost always made a show of you.

"There she is! The most beautiful woman to ever exist!"

"Look at her. A goddess among us mortals!"

"Here she comes! Make way for the queen!"

You eventually got used to his over the top antics, going from telling his to "shut up" with a shy grin to just embracing your new 'royalty status' with your head held high and a bright smile.

You'd been dating for months.

Your tutoring actually helped raise Eddie's grades, especially after you told him how much you wanted him to graduate with you this year.

Come spring, Lucas is now unsuccessfully splitting his time between Hellfire and basketball.

When Dustin and Mike bring in the third Sinclair into the drama room, Eddie can't help but cave quickly once she shows off her dnd knowledge.

Erica definitely gets her sass from you, though she's a lot more blunt with it.

Eddie can't help but form a huge soft spot for her, even after the game is over.

While Erica, Dustin, and Mike were waiting in your car to leave, Eddie stopped you.

"So, you know, we've been dating for quite a while now-"

"Five months and counting." You beamed.

Eddie grinned happily. So, you were keeping count.

"Yeah, soon enough it'll be six, then seven, then ten, then 12, then-"

"OK, OK" you giggled. Eddie's smile only got bigger.

"So, I was wondering..." That shy boy who could barely ask you on a first date returns, bringing a soft grin to your face. "Do you... Would do... I... Will you be my... my girlfriend?"

"Of course." You smiled without missing a beat.

"Really?!"

As the news sunk deeper and deeper, it became harder and harder for him to physically contain his excitement.

He jumped up and down, grabbing you by the shoulders to pull you into a hug, bouncing up and down with you in his arms.

Your shared laughter filled the empty parking lot of Hawkins High.

From that moment on, the word 'girlfriend' was used in place of your own name for months.

"I'm convinced you've forgotten my name."

"I could never forget such a thing, girlfriend~"

He introduced you to metal music.

You introduced him to leave in conditioner.

You two were high school sweethearts, ones that would last forever.

🥹🥹🥹

[eddiemunson-reader-shame]

A Freak and a Basket Case— The “Seven Inches of Satanic Panic” Edition

An Eddie Munson x OC Fanfic

[ Click here for “Sounds From A Freak and A Basket Case” ]

All my love to @writhingg and @eddiemunsonmash for some productive workshop sessions that helped me get chapter 2 out.

This was one of my favorite chapters to do, honestly. I loved writing from Eddie’s POV and adding that little bit of spice that was the true Poverty Experience™️. Oh and especially the Lamb Chop references. Today I learned that Lamb Chop was a drunk back in the 70’s.

Warnings: period typical racism, swearing, mentions of suicide, mentions of abuse (more tags to be added as the story progresses), references to the film “Deliverance”

Divider by: @strangergraphics-archive

[Previous Chapter] — [Master List] — [Next Chapter]

Chapter Two - Made in Heaven

“ When stormy weather comes around

It was made in heaven.

When sunny skies break through behind the clouds

I wish it could last forever… ” - Queen

The ’85-’86 academic year had to be his year.

It had to be.

It was his last shot. The last hoorah. He had just barely made the cutoff age at twenty for his re-attempt, and it was a miracle in itself that Principal Higgins had a modicum of decency to give him a break and let him even try to attend school again. He would be cutting it too close for comfort, and during the summer, Eddie Munson had sworn to his uncle that he would get his head out of his ass this time around. No more screw ups. No more bullshit scams. No more throwing his life away to be something he wasn’t.

He was going to graduate, and once that diploma was in his hands, he was going to get the hell out of Hawkins and live his goddamn life.

That promise was made at the beginning of summer break. Once school ended in the middle of May, all shackles of oppression were off: he was able to sleep in, hotbox the feelings of shame and guilt away in his van, and gorge on junk food during unholy hours of the early morning before passing out until noon. Hello darkness, my old friend.

Now in August, it was back to hell. Uncle Wayne was coming into his room at four thirty in the morning and kicking the mattress, jolting Eddie awake to get dressed. He’d done it, and then instantly fell back asleep until the shrill sound of the radio alarm pierced through his ear drums. Conveniently just before he’d had the chance to fully wake up. Eddie was ready to throw in the fucking towel by the time he threw a half ass lunch together and got into the van, bitter thoughts swarming in his mind.

Fuck it. Kick me out of school. See if I give two shits. Do me a fucking kindness.

It was one of those things one didn’t really mean, but in his heart he knew he could only slam his head against the brick wall so many times before it got old. School was going to get easier, and he was just going to continue getting tired and bored of what he felt was busywork. Since third grade, all work felt like busywork. Eddie could recall the answers in the textbooks and run circles around the teacher in calculus, but with the constant depression, school didn’t hold his interest long enough for him to really care.

He was at the point where he was forgetting what was important.

Last year was a year of losses. Almost losing the Hellfire Club to bullshit blackmail orchestrated by a sadistic son of a bitch of a principal that he did not fully trust. Ronnie had at least reached out via letter after a time, and she sent a few clipped sentences written with an electric typewriter all the way from New York whenever she had enough money left over from dorm expenses to buy postage stamps. But Dougie had gone nuclear. Played nice that one campaign, and then never talked to Eddie again. Whenever Eddie saw the messers Teague in their HVAC truck, Dougie made a point to look the other way. He had never quite forgiven his best friend for what he had almost undone.

And then there was Paige…

Eddie had been thinking of that mess for some reason, nonstop the first day back at school. Paige was probably still doing the same old thing, images of record deals and bigwig execs sucking their penis sized cigars, laughing at a table she headed, danced in his mind’s eye. Almost as if mocking himself, he’d hear: This is what you could have had if you’d just not fucked it up. This is what you could have had if you’d just been a rockstar, not a Munson.

Hawkins wasn’t cursed, Eddie was. Straight up.

After running late, getting stuck behind a green Dodge with wood paneling, battling the commuters during the clusterfuck that constituted rush hour in Hawkins, nearly sideswiping his van when trying to get over into another lane, he was done. He didn’t know why he bothered to hurry anymore. There was nowhere to go, and no money for the gas it cost to get there. Emotions were running high and low, he felt like he was trapped on a broken-down roller coaster at a shoddy side of the road carnival. Wanting to jump off, throw up, scream, and cry all at once as the reality of everything set in.

Eddie Munson had fucked everything up. Lost a potential record deal, lost a girl, and lost friends over his own stupidity. Once in a lifetime opportunities lost to the ages in the year of 1984.

’86 had to be his year. Otherwise, he had nothing else left.

He was on his way to his locker when a string bean of a freshman wearing khakis and a button down polo from the Gap slammed into him from behind. Eddie immediately turned around to catch him before he hit the ground. The kid yelled out at someone as Eddie lifted him by the armpits. After asking the dazed boy if he was okay, Eddie then looked for the attacker in the crowd of students. He assumed it was a jock, it always was, but he saw no suspicious green letterman jackets lurking in the throng of mindless zombies looking to get their class schedules and locker assignments.

Something was different in the air. He could sense it.

There was a gaggle of girls laughing and pointing, but he couldn’t see the object of their teasing. Once he came within five feet of their gaggle, they saw Eddie the Freak and bolted. So far the first day back was shaping up to be one of those weird days. Stopping to piss before homeroom, Eddie was mid stream at the urinal when he heard whispers from the stalls behind him. Vitriol most vile of some bitch that had run crying in the girl’s bathroom. Between farts, the other guys described a curly haired dork dressed for a cold front in August apparently was trying to terrorize the school.

“She’s some gap-toothed bitch of a basket case.” One of them said, “Ugly as hell too.”

For obvious reasons, Eddie was intrigued. A gap-toothed bitch of a basket case was new. Especially ones wearing winter coats in summer when the humidity drowned you before the heat got to you. He doubted there was any merit to the rumor that she was ugly, truth be told, but he had to see it for himself. Zipping his fly and giving his hands a careless rinse, he immediately vacated the bathroom to conduct his research. The journey to find the bitch took him high and low, and he decided to ditch his first period class to see if he could catch a glimpse.

Fifteen minutes had gone by, and there was no sign of her anywhere. Sighing, he made up his mind that maybe he’d misheard the whispers. Maybe it was just some bullshit that two morons made up in the spur of the moment.

And then like an answer to his prayers he heard a siren call:

Metallica on cassette. Kill ‘Em All Album. Side 1. Approximately thirty nine minutes and six seconds into the album. Track number nine. Seek and Destroy.

Blasting so goddamned loud that from his distance it sounded faint, but he knew that whoever was listening to it directly would be deaf before their twenty-first birthday.

He saw a short girl beelining passed him for the front door, and instantly Eddie was fascinated.

Ah ha! Speak of the devil, there was the little basket case herself.

Sure enough, she was all bundled up in her jacket like a blue collar worker braving a blizzard, gray skirt swishing as she power walked down the hall. The music beckoned to him, and the Black Sabbath patch on her blue backpack encouraged him to follow. Despite the stormy look on the girl’s face and the fuck off aura radiating from her, Eddie couldn’t help but allow the admiration to take over.

Seek and Destroy was one of Eddie’s screaming vents to the ether when the world pulled down its drawers and took a shit on him.

He wondered if the world had done the same to her.

He wasn’t intimidated, he wasn’t repulsed by her demeanor or appearance. Quite the contrary, Eddie could see something in the way the girl’s body communicated to the world:

She wasn’t a bitch, or a basket case. This was one of his little lost sheep. A lost, pathetic little lamb. Bleeding from the heart. Trying to butt heads with everyone and everything, unaware that the world was fanged and scary, and it could spit her out in a malformed bolus should it so desire. And yet she was still trying to fight back.

It was as if his body was moving of his own accord. His heart knew before his brain could logically process what was happening. A compulsion— his inner wild child— sent signals to his feet to quicken his pace as he raced after her. Adrenaline was coursing through him as he heard nothing but the steady pace of her gait matching the pulse of Seek and Destroy. Eddie didn’t stop until he was so close to her, he was breathing in her scent.

Fresh lemons.

Citrusy.

Sugary.

Delectable.

In a sudden burst of confidence, both hands flashed out and snatched her by the backpack straps, yanking her up until she was flush against him. He pulled off her headphones, getting in close until his lips were grazing the shell of her ear.

“You’ve got bitchin’ taste in music there, princess. Metallica, right?”

“FUCK ME FREDDY!” She bleated.

Her scream cut him off, and he held onto the girl like he was holding a wild stallion steady. Nearly went up with her when she jumped like a frog. Eddie kept her pressed to his chest, her own heaving with fear.

“You scared the shit out of me!” She cried.

Laughing hard, he spun her around to face him, hands steadying her broad shoulders as he smiled in her face.

“Sorry, sorry… Relax. Didn’t mean to scare you there. But hey, at least that got your attention, right?” He grinned.

The girl hit the Walkman’s pause button and killed the music, looking up with a stormy and defiant expression. Her eyes, minimized by the thick coke bottle lenses within the frames of her glasses, began to soften when she looked at him. He could see the tightly wound tension leave her body. The facade was slipping. Before him was an individual army crawling through hell to survive.

“You uh… you heard my music, huh?” She murmured.

Eddie nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh yeah. From all the way down the hall. You like Metallica?” he asked.

“Uh huh…”

He gave another full dimple smile at the shy answer. Adorable.

“Hell yeah, good taste. Metallica is one of my favorites too.” He replied, “Let me guess, you had someone show you their music, right?”

There was a brief hesitation as she gathered her thoughts.

“… Kind of. A lot of my tios- my uncles- like their music. My brother likes them too.”

“Older or younger brother?” Eddie asked.

“Older…”

“He get you into metal?” He asked.

“Yeah.” She said, “He started me on Black Sabbath and Ozzy when I was a kid. Um, and they’re my favorites. My dad was the one who showed me Alice Cooper, and Mötley Crüe…”

“Rad… your dad and your brother got you set up with the best of the best.”

He noticed she wasn’t much for eye contact. As hard as he tried to meet her gaze, she wouldn’t look right at him. It seemed as if she was closing herself off from everyone, a purposeful and calculated act. Understandable if Eddie was being honest. The girl’s eyes were red rimmed, nose still red and dripping like a moistened cherry, and her thick glasses were smudged with tears.

The morning must not have been kind. For a moment he saw her vulnerability in her sorrows, and he remembered that she was just a lost little lamb.

“I’m Eddie, by the way.” he said gently, holding out his hand as the chainlinks on his bracelet clinked.

The lamb cocked her head to the side, sweet little face looking up at him as if expecting a trick.

“Eddie?”

“Yup.”

Eddie playfully popped the consonant at the end, and he tried to give a sweet disarming smile to show his sincerity.

“That’s me… Eddie Munson. Hi.”

Gently, slowly, he felt a warm, shaky hand envelop his. He shook it just enough; not too firm of a handshake that he scared her off, but not so weak that it seemed he didn’t want to touch her. Because, if the way his heart was racing was any indication, he very much did want to touch her, and some part of him yet wanted her to know it.

After gulping, clearing her throat, and glancing briefly up at him with wide, brown eyes, she finally spoke up.

“My favorite person in the whole wide world is an Eddie…” the lamb mumbled softly.

“Yeah? Who’s this other Eddie?” He raised an eyebrow, dimples showing with the big cheeser he had on his face.

He noticed she wasn’t in any big hurry to let go of his hand. His ringed fingers squeezed her hand to ecourage her.

“Um… uh…” she attempted.

God… she was so cute when she was scared. She had that soft murmur like the little drunk sock puppet lamb that Eddie loved as a kid. What the hell was its name…?

“Eddie V-… Eddie Van Halen…” she stammered.

Eddie’s heart nearly stopped. Eddie Van Halen was a fucking god among men. His guitar skills were phenomenal, and Van Halen was also the reason why Eddie had gotten punished with the buzz cut in middle school. After that, Eddie tried growing it out again, finally successful.

“No way, are you shitting me right now?” he demanded.

Lamb shook her head.

“No… I’ve seen him live… he’s… he’s really cool.”

Inhale through the nose, hold for five seconds, exhale through the mouth so he didn’t start having a heart attack.

“How the hell did you end up going to one of those concerts?” He managed.

“… my dad. He took me for an early birthday present…”

So okay… skittish little lamb evidently had good taste in music, had a dad that took her to concerts like Van Halen as an early birthday present, and was just parading around the school halls unattended?!

“They were pit side. I got one of the shirts at my house.” She continued, oblivious to his existential crisis.

God dammit… No. There’s no way. There’s no way in the hell that this little thing in the brown jacket was real…

“Which concert was it?” He croaked tentatively.

“The 1984 tour last year… I saw them and Autograph play… Live in Albuquerque.”

He had to stop her right there.

“Okay wait… Just wha— hold on, your dad seriously took you out of Indiana all the way into the middle of nowhere in buttfuck Albuquerque, New Mexico just to see Van Halen… for your birthday?!”

He would have known if some girl from Hawkins was going out of state for Van Fucking Halen’s 1984 tour for their sixth studio album. Both him and Ronnie had been trying to scrounge up money for tickets, but between the two of them selling the last of their food stamps, they’d still managed to come up short. The first leg of the tour didn’t come closer than Roanoke, but when the concert started migrating towards Indianapolis, the rent on the Forest Hills lots experienced a price hike. Because Ronnie and Eddie had still wanted to come home to a roof over their heads every day, they had given up on trying to make it to the show in Indy and forfeited the cash to Wayne and Granny Ecker.

Meanwhile, this girl had been right there in the middle of the action. Basking in David Lee Roth’s versatile vocal range and listening to Van Halen himself shred the shit out of his Fender.

“Wait, wait…” he suddenly realized she said she had seen them in Albuquerque, not in Indianapolis.

“They came to Indiana three times, and you went to New Mexico?! How in hell did your dad figure going to a whole different state to see Van Halen play was a feasible option?! That’s a twelve hour drive at least!” Eddie demanded.

“I used to live in New Mexico, like… not that far from Albuquerque.” She said softly. “I’m not from here…”

Yeah, yeah of course she wasn��t from Hawkins. Eddie should have figured. There was no way in shit someone as cool as this little lamb, someone who had been pit side to Van Halen, could be from Indiana. It almost gave him flashbacks to shades of his ex, and he nearly wanted to pull away from the conversation entirely. Don’t go messing around with out-of-town ass, Jeff had told him. In fact, none of his crew even wanted him to start messing around with any kind of ass again after he’d been trying to uproot his life for a woman.

Yet this one was so quiet, and at the very least they were both on the same high school turf. Couldn’t they at least be friends? Even if he was still uncertain about the potential age gap problems, he knew if he let this sweet face just become a random anecdote in the annals of time, he would be throwing up for weeks and contemplating the jump into traffic. Especially if he saw her being poached by someone else, and God help him if the goons on the basketball team sniffed her out. Big guys that threw around their athletic power climbed over hot coals to bang short chicks, and a new girl who had no status was open season.

He pressed on. Heart racing and trying to maintain his composure so that he didn’t spook her.

“You’re from New Mexico?” Eddie asked.

She nodded.

“Could’ve fooled me, you don’t have the accent for it.” Eddie said, leaning up against one of the tan lockers.

The lamb hesitated and bit her lower lip, nodding and rocking side to side on her feet as she began to pluck at the loose threads of her jacket cuff.

“… people here don’t like to hear it. So I cover it up…” she mumbled.

Eddie let out a puff of air in annoyance.

“It’s not worth going to the trouble… You’re in Hicksville now. Hawkins isn’t the first narrow-minded white bread town, and it’s not going to be the last.” He said, waving his hand absently for emphasis, “You already have like, what, three strikes for being new, being tan, and being a chick. Sorry to say their club is restricted— if you know what I mean— couldn’t get in even if you tried. Hell, I don’t even fit in. I don’t doubt you’ll get the same amount of bullshit I do.”

“You…?” The lamb blinked, confusion written on her face, “Why would anyone make fun of you?”

Harsh laughter erupted from his throat, and he was so consumed by the absurdity of the question that he didn’t notice her flinch backward.

As if he was being crucified, Eddie held out his arms dramatically wide, his battle vest opening up to show off his Led Zeppelin baseball tee dotted with holes where the fabric had worn down from the friction between the fabric and his jean rivets.

“Take a good look at ‘Eddie The Freak’, lamb chop.” He said, voice lowering an octave and taking on a nondescript tone in the way that one might try to imitate a psychiatrist giving a mental health diagnosis.

“I’m a long haired, satan worshiping cult leader. I play disgraceful Pantera and Slayer covers in a dive bar for maybe two perpetually sloshed deadbeats and three cockroaches. I deal speed and grass to the preppy kids that have more money than sense. I lure innocents into my nonexistent basement to play my little satanic games where we sacrifice animals and engage in sodomy, and then I hotbox it in my van afterwards.”

He went on and on, the word vomit not stopping. If he was going to be honest with himself, he knew this potential thing the two had going on was dead on arrival from the moment this princess opened her purty little rose pink mouth and started talking about Van Halen.

“I’m a Munson, not a schoolboy. And Munsons are not proper Hawkins pedigree. No, no, we Munsons drop out of high school and go to jail young, and we die young in some tragic accident that leaves our kids orphaned bastards.”

She was way out of his league. From what he gathered this girl had money— or at least her dad did— if he was able to take her to shit like Van Halen concerts. Something Eddie could only dream of. Everything about this whole interaction was scary. It was scary and horrifying and the only thing he could think of doing was self sabotaging and scaring off this pretty faced lamb before he got too attached to her.

And then she frowned, still looking at the floor. It took time until she finally spoke up, looking him directly in his eyes.

“That doesn’t make no sense… Sounds like a bunch of horseshit to me.” She said.

He watched it all happen so suddenly and he couldn’t look away. His large brown eyes widening and his heart turning cartwheels in his chest when he saw the little twinkles of light, the little pinpricks of stars beginning to glimmer in her eyes as the new girl held direct eye contact with him. It wasn’t just that she was cute, because Jesus H. Christ,she was the cutest thing he’d ever seen in his life. She had so many lovely qualities: an eleven inch height difference, a round face, Rick Moranis type glasses, and the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes that glimmered, like amber cognac, in the sunlight filtering through the double doors of the school.

There was also honest to god romance novel pining on her face, soft lips parting slightly as if she wanted to speak but had lost the words. Her body moved in closer to him, and his own reciprocated purely on instinct, inviting her into his space.

Magnetism.

Pure, unadulterated magnetism.

“None of it makes any sense does it?” He said, voice so low his lamb chop had to lean further in to hear him, “But this is Hawkins. Judgemental jackanapes abound and people like you and me are lambasted for the crime of being different. Double for you I’m guessing, since you’re the new Hispanic kid in town.”

She nodded, very solemn.

“But you know what? Right now, you are the coolest fucking person in all of Hawkins.” Eddie praised.

The solemnity on the lamb’s face became joy. He wished he had complimented her sooner, because now that he had her giggling, he caught a glimpse of a huge gap between her front teeth.

“… and that’s a hell of a smile you’ve got there. And a cute laugh to match.” He smiled.

“Quit it…” she chuckled.

“Hell no, you can’t just tell me to quit it the second I give you a compliment. Gotta take the compliments where you get them. So take it.”

There was that imperfect smile again, flashing the gap and letting loose that goddamned cute giggle. The reaction he wanted. The lamb covered up her mouth as she began to shake from trying to contain the giggles. Eddie loved people like her. Naturally giddy, as if they had taken a fat hit of reefer and had the permanent giggles. But he didn’t like how she was trying to hide those gap teeth from him. He wanted to see it. Wanted to see that smile and bask in the good feeling it gave him.

“Ah ah, none of that!” He scolded, holding up a finger, “You quit hiding that pretty face from me.”

“Nuh uh!” She giggled.

“What? You don’t want me to see your teeth?”

“No!” She said, scrunching up into a ball, “No…”

A devilish grin came over Eddie’s face.

“You gonna make me get forceful here?”

“Noooooo…!” The girl whined, laughing harder as she quickly shook her head.

Eddie creeped closer. Hands to his face and fingers wriggling in anticipation.

“You knock it off, now.” He joked, his new cadence not unlike the hicks in that one John Boorman film, “Git that hand down girl, lemme see that purty mouth.”

Eddie began to wrestle the girl’s hands from her face. The squeal of delight made him holler, laughing at the moment he was having.

“Stop! Stop!” She begged, face red, “Uncle, uncle, uncle!”

“Squeal piggy, weeeeeee! Weeeeeeee!” He cried, and she gasped when it dawned on her what terrible movie he was referencing.

There was a pause, and Eddie wondered if he’d just fucked everything up with his bad Deliverance jokes.

“A la maquina!” She exclaimed, her grin huge, “You are fucked up!”

She started laughing and trying to pull away, and Eddie realized this one’s humor was just as fucked up and dark as his was.

This was heaven. He was enjoying this, enjoying the feeling of giving in to his compulsive behavior, and not having his face slapped or being punched in the stomach for it. Instead Eddie’s lamb welcomed his touch, almost craved it. She flew into a fit of hysterical laughter when he played dirty and grabbed her by the sides, tickling her pliant abdomen so that she was forced to move her hands away from her face to shield her pudgy belly.

At the end of it, Eddie was breathless with laughter, holding the girl’s sides and swaying. Coming down from the fun, he saw the full extent of that smile for the first time. No pearly whites. Just the huge, glaring gap and yellowed edges from where the toothbrush missed.

Something real… When you find it, you can’t look away…

This was real. Eddie holding this girl by the love handles was very much real. She was warm and soft and real underneath his fingertips.

“Sweet thing.” he breathed.

The lamb cocked her head, swaying side to side as she gave him a big smile. Her eyelashes were even batting at him, and they were so thick he was again reminded of the sock puppet lamb…

“There we go.” He said softly, stroking her sides, “There’s that smile. See? Much better when you’re not hiding it behind your hands.”

“My dad calls it my Elton John face.”

“He does?” Eddie grinned.

“Yeah… y’know… because of the gap. He and my brother used to call me Honky Cat when I was eleven…”

Eddie burst out laughing.

“Honky Cat?! Oh my god… that’s goddamned adorable.”

They both laughed aloud, swaying together in each other’s arms.

“Is that your name?” He asked, getting into her face and using an exaggerated southern twang, “Are you not a sweet thang? You a Honky Cat?”

Her eyes were shimmering. There were stars in them. Whole galaxies that looked at him with sincere awe.

He’d only ever seen hungry eyes before. Only ever been desired like one desired a succulent steak or a rich slice of cake. Paige’s glance had been predatory, hungry like her mama did not bother to feed her. Last year felt like he was giving up so many vital aspects of himself trying to appeal to that hungry gaze.

He felt like an imposter. Trying to change his image so the hungry gaze wouldn’t turn away from him. He thought he wanted it, a smidgeon of acceptance and a shot at a better life. But like always, everyone had taken from him; gnawing at the bones of his exquisite corpse until there was nothing left.

Paige looked at me like she wanted to eat me…

But you…

“-jandra…” she mumbled.

“Huh?”

He leaned in closer. She was red faced, twirling a lock of brown hair already curling even though it was evident she had gone through great lengths to style her hairdo straight.

“Aleja-... um… uh… Alexandra.” the lamb said, then quickly clarified when he looked at her funny, “I forgot to-… My name is Alexandra Perea. But uh, you can call me Alex…”

He frowned a little. She was holding something back. He clocked it immediately: that wasn’t her name.

“Is that really your name…?” Eddie asked.

“Kind of.” she admitted, “Um, it’s uh… It’s what everyone around here calls me, anyway.”

“What is it like, your white name or some shit like that?”

She nodded. Looked embarrassed. Like she’d gotten caught.

“What about your real name?” he insisted, “The one on your birth certificate?”

“It’s uh… It’s Alejandra.” she said.

“And do you want to be called that?”

“I don’t really care…”

“No, you need to tell me so I’m making sure I’m calling you by the right name.” he insisted, shaking his head, “Everyone always calls me Junior, or freak, or fucking Eds. Anything except what I tell them I want to be called. Makes me mad as hell. So tell me… what do you want to be called?”

“I dunno… I… well, maybe.”

He tested the name. Alejandra. Even butchered to hell, it was sweet on his tongue.

“And you’re sure you don’t want to be called anything else?” he asked, looking her in the eye.

Alejandra paused, and then shrugged.

“Okay, well then… I’ll call you Alejandra.” Eddie said, a confident smile on his face, “It suits you. I like it. And who knows? Maybe I’ll find something fun to call you later on, if you’d like me to, of course.”

There was that look again. As if she were awestruck by him, and as shocking as the feeling was, it made him feel beautiful for a split second. He felt important. He felt valued, like he’d been the epitome of good alignment his whole life and the chaotic parts of it didn’t matter.

Alejandra looked at him like she was seeing a mythical hero. As if her village was burning to the ground all around her and he’d just come in the nick of time, clad in mithril armor, immune to the flames and devastation and ready to swoop her off her feet.

But that defiance when she first faced him, the fire, it was a strength. A raw untapped power he was drawn to. Realistically he knew if he were to swoop in it wouldn’t be to save Alejandra. It would be to help this poor, mousy girl pick up her own sword and fight alongside him.

He wanted that. He wanted someone to face the demons of the past alongside him.

Eddie wanted that someone to be her.

“ Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic. ” - Frank Herbert