#pulled out a snack as soon as I got to work about 2 hours later and snarffled that

[briarsrose]

Hongry.

[sscieloz]

Live my life

band!aespa x groupie!reader

Synopsis: It’s been less than a year since the band Aespa was created. Karina, Minjeong, Giselle and Ningning travel all over the country with nothing but a few gigs, little money and much love for the music. They’re far from superstars, and they still don’t have a lot to offer, and there’s something they can’t quite grasp: why you, the band’s most faithful fan, follows them blindly.

Warnings: smut. lowk confusing… but it’s the aesthetic

Word count: 9.9k

Notes: I HAVE RETURNED FROM THE DEAD 😤😤 I was obsessed w the MV as soon as it was out so I wrote this work!! it ended up being too long (lol) so i decided to split it in 2. I SHALL NAWT VANISH ANYMORE PINKY PROMISE.

pt.1 | pt.2

—

“Do you think it’ll fit?” Ningning’s hesitation is easily explained by the amount of suitcases hanging from the small hood of the car. The four girls agreed to bring each a single backpack of clothes for themselves, so the instruments and sound equipment could also be transported.

Clearly, it was still too much.

“It has to.” Winter answers, her tiny frame reaching up as she tries to grab one of the big suitcases herself. With Ningning’s help, she manages to do it, and they both stare at the car, wondering about an adjustment that would work.

Just as both girls imagined how to rearrange the space, Giselle and Karina stepped down the house's stairs, frowning.

Karina, is, as always, not amused by the struggle placed in front of her, but Giselle scoffs, judging her bandmates for not having things ready yet. They were supposed to pack their stuff in the car while she and Karina prepared their snacks and made sure all the windows and doors were closed, so they’d find no surprises once they got back home from their trip. Now, they’d leave later than expected, which would result in them facing the road at night— which was exactly what they were avoiding.

This day was starting to piss her off.

“What are you doing?” Giselle crossed her arms against her chest, trying her best to not sound as irritated as she was. They all knew, though. The girls know each other too well.

“Playing Tetris.” Minjeong stared back at her, with a tone that was just as presumptuous. “What does it look like we’re doing, Gigi? The space is obviously too fucking small for all of our stuff.”

Karina takes a step further before Giselle is able to open her mouth and give her friend a petty response. Her clumsy hands rearranged the suitcases so fast the three girls barely registered her actions, closing the hood of the car in a quick motion so everything wouldn’t fall off.

“Mhm, you won’t be able to see much of what’s behind the car, Gigi, but I don’t think it can get any better than that.”

The girls simply stare, impressed by Karina’s skills.

“So… problem solved?” Ningning asks, and they all nod.

Without a word, the four girls enter the small car, squeezing themselves as they prepare for their small trip. It wasn’t uncommon for the band to spend hours stuck in Giselle’s stepfather’s old 2000 Civic, but the lack of space was always annoying, making them all feel packed in like sardines. However, the vehicle was the only option they had to make their way to nearby cities to perform, so they avoided making any complaints.

The band was just about an hour into their 4-hour drive when Giselle pulled over, cursing under her breath.

“Fuck.” She mutters, biting her nails as she looks at the line of cars being stopped by the police, just a few miles ahead. Her face was even paler than usual, which set the girls on alert mode immediately— out of the four of them, Giselle was the least likely to panic at any unusual situation.

As soon as her body tensed, the Uchinaga felt long, lithe hands on her neck, applying just the right amount of pressure to soothe her, filling her with reassurance. Karina’s, naturally. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Yeah, why did we stop?” Ningning adds to Karina’s question, just as curious.

Minjeong’s brows furrow and she adjusts her posture, trying to stare at the horizon in the same position Giselle was, from the passenger’s seat instead. As always, she’s quick to understand the situation. “They’re stopping the cars ahead, but it’s just their normal procedure. They’ll stop us, of course, since we’re young girls traveling by ourselves with a bunch of luggage, but we’ve got nothing to hide, so… keep going, unnie. It’s fine.”

Seconds went by before Giselle grunted, a tense atmosphere hanging in the air while she fidgeted her fingers. Only then, her answer came, barely in a murmur. “I don’t have a license.” She could only hope they hadn’t heard her.

Judging from the way her bandmates’ mouths opened in shock they all started to speak together, though, they did.

Such a selective hearing, huh. She always had to yell at them at least three times for someone to get up from the living room and do the dishes, whenever they were home.

“What the fuck, unnie?”

“Do you really drive us illegally? Girl, we go everywhere by car!”

“I can’t believe you’re so damn irresponsible, I fucking swe—“

Karina stops their banter by out-screaming the two younger girls, a few minutes after Giselle had shrieked down on her seat so much she could merge with it anytime. “Wait! Wait.” Three pairs of eyes stare at her, inquiring. The quietness was odd, but it didn’t last much anyway. “I thought you had your permit taken last month?”

It’s Giselle’s turn to roll her eyes, then. “I literally told you that I failed. Do you pay attention to anything I say?”

Despite the situation they found themselves in, Minjeong and Ningning couldn’t help but giggle. It wasn’t news that Karina’s got her head up in the clouds, but her innocence was always funny to the girls. Despite being the oldest, she’s just a big puppy, after all.

And she looks outraged, ears red from the thought of being fooled by Aeri.

“What? we even celebrated!” Her face comes to the realization, as Minjeong tries to hide her laughter with a fake coughing fit. Winter’s blonde hair blows effortlessly when she turns her head to the window, in an obvious attempt to escape Giselle’s piercing stare. “Oh! Was that why you were being such a jerk the entire night, at the club?”

Giselle ruffles her hair in frustration but nods anyway. “Yes, that was the reason. Thanks for reminding us of that wonderful day, Jiminnie.”

Ningning taps on Karina’s shoulder, in hopes of offering some comfort to the desolated girl. She whistles, then looks from Aeri to Minjeong as if hoping they’d pull a permit out of nowhere and start driving again. Once it’s clear none of them would provide any solution, she does so herself, lifting her hips to grab her phone from the back pocket of her jeans.

“I’ll call Y/n.” Is all she says, clicking on the red number with 13 missed calls on the screen. “She’ll do something about it.”

Karina’s even more outraged, then, staring at Ningning in disbelief. She tries to reach out for her friend’s phone, but the maknae pulls her hand away with a huff. “Why do you even have her number, anyway?”

Sure, you’d be at their presentation, even if it were at a nearby town, hours away from where they lived. Somehow, you always show up. The girls couldn’t even remember when it happened; all they know is that they played at Ningning’s cousin’s club once, and from then on there you were, accompanying them in every step. You took pictures, edited videos to upload on their YouTube channel, and even helped them get some gigs every once in a while. It’s difficult for the girls to understand the reason you spend so much time and effort with them— a broke, nugu band who’s been doing this for a little over a year, yet there you were. Their first and most faithful fan, ready to drop everything to help them with any situation, at any given time.

Just like now.

Nonetheless, they had agreed to keep you at an arm's distance, only so the lines wouldn’t get too blurry. With time, they got to know you better, and it was noticeable you were as spoiled, obsessive, and explosive as you were sweet and passionate about the things you liked.

Truth be told, you scared them a little.

“I thought we had agreed on not talking to the psycho anymore,” Minjeong commented, resting her head on the window.

Ningning pauses at that, muting herself on the phone for a moment before answering, straightforwardly. “Well, do you want to get there or not?”

Her honesty is harsh enough that Minjeong lifts her palms in surrender, while Karina and Giselle share a knowing look. Ning’s right, naturally —what matters is that they get to the club on time.

“Fine,” The blonde sighs, turning to point at Karina. “But you’ll have to handle that nightmare of a weirdo. Don’t let her freak out or anything, like she did last time.”

“Why do I always have to do it?” Karina pouts, rolling her eyes. “Come on! What the fuck.”

Giselle giggles, grateful that Karina can’t reach out to punch her as she nods. “I agree… it’s a leader’s duty.”

With her brows furrowed and her rosy lips, the oldest member of the band looks much like a doll, adorable in all of her mannerisms. Even when she scoffs, it doesn’t come out nearly as rude and intimidating as she intends it to be. She still looks like a painting, so pretty Ningning pokes her playfully, brushing the irritation out of Karina with her ticklish fingers. Once she’s left ticklish in her seat, Ningning drops her phone, done with her call.

“Y/n said she’ll be here soon.” She announces, and the girls hum faintly in response. It’s enough for her to giggle, reaching out for her bag in hopes of finding a snack. “Don’t be too excited, damn...”

“I just hope she doesn’t take long,” Giselle mutters, ignoring the glares she gets by being to blame for their current situation.

“Well, if someone had just passed their driving test, we wouldn’t—”

The Uchinaga turns to Winter so fast her neck makes a weird noise. “Shut the fuck up, Minjeong.” Her tone is full of mockery, which is dangerous. Giselle gets irritated easily, but it’s hard to get her mad. Whenever she does, though… None of the girls like that. “I don’t see you driving around either.”

Minjeong, who’d rather die than recognize she doesn’t excel at something, puts a hand on her chest with the comment. Her face is quickly filled with red and, in a minute, she’s defending herself as if she’s just received a 5-year sentence.

As much as their banter is entertaining, Ningning still clings onto Karina on the backseat, resting her head on her unnie’s shoulders.

“I do hope Y/n arrives soon.” She tells her friend, closing her eyes despite the noisy background.

Karina smiles, ruffling the maknae’s hair with tenderness as she relaxes beside the oldest. “Don’t worry, Ning. She will.”

If there’s something she’s sure of, is that you don’t play when it comes to their band. Be it for good or for worse.

—

“Hello, cuties.” You say, tapping your knuckles on the driver’s window to gather attention. It works: the girls all jump in their seats, cursing under their breaths as they try to gather themselves from the scare. “Your knight in shining armor has come! Hurry, hurry! You’re running late.”

It had been less than an hour since Ningning’s call, so there’s no way you could’ve reached them so quickly. None of them say those words out loud, of course— some questions are better left unanswered.

“Here comes the devil.” Minjeong mumbles. The smile she gives you is drenched in feigned politeness, yet yours is sincere, bluntly ignoring her grumpiness with a wave of your hand.

“Hi, Y/n.” Karina greets you as the four girls get out of the car. You hug each one of them energetically, clearly pleased to be urged to help.

It doesn’t even bother you that Giselle, Winter, and Ningning only mumble, not paying you much attention. If only, your happiness would take long to wear off.

Still swooning, you gesture to the van that’s parked beside their car where a handsome, baby-faced boy waves at the girls with ease.

“My brother won this van at a bet a few days ago, and fortunately, he lent it to us. It’s more fitting for a band anyway.” You gesture at their car, still explaining. “Gyu can take your stepdad’s car back to your house, Gigi. Don’t worry.”

They already know Beomgyu from the previous times he’s dropped you off at their rehearsals and shows, so it’s nothing new. Although Giselle doesn’t seem convinced about your idea, she reluctantly gives him the car keys anyway. There’s no other option; she can’t just leave the car on the road, even though giving it to a stranger makes her uneasy.

“Thank you, Beomgyu-ssi.” The girls bow at him, thankful for the extra space, to which he simply nods.

The girls are quick to transport the suitcases to the van, stretching their legs out as they sigh with contentment. It’s like they can finally breathe, now that they’re not cramped in a tiny space. Even Minjeong is smiling, her little banter with Giselle being long forgotten by now.

Giselle is in the passenger’s seat, this time, and she’s surprised to see how easy it is to talk to a happy Y/n. You laugh and gossip over other bands the girls come across sometimes, and you tell them the entire story of how Beomgyu actually got the van. Time flies by while you’re on the wheel, and soon enough the four girls find themselves at the back door of the club, fixing their instruments for the time they go on stage.

—

“Do you get all those insane takes with this old-ass camera?” Ning asks curiously, holding the straightener against her hair as she watches you record Winter, who’s busy tuning her bass and pretending you don’t exist.

“It’s vintage, unnie.” You correct her, zooming in on the blonde girl’s delicate hands and her precise movements against the cords. “It has amazing quality, still.” Because Ningning is still staring, clearly waiting for a more direct answer, you add, “Yes. Pretty Much. Hey Minjeongie, look at the camera so I can get a better shot of you.”

All Winter gives you is an irritated look as she scrunches her nose and shakes her head. The girls enjoy arriving early at their events so they’re able to gather a few minutes of quietude, strictly to relax and focus on not letting the nerves overcome their abilities to shine on stage. You know that— it’s something you’ve seen them do countless times before. You find it adorable how they’d just close their eyes and try to control their breaths, fingers tapping their thighs to ease the anxiety that always comes with the wait of going on stage. No matter how many times they perform, the thrill will always be the same.

Although you don’t mind interrupting Winter’s time of focusing at all. Seeing you won’t give in, Winter scoffs, dropping the bass onto her lap. “Be polite, Y/n. Say please.”

Her intentions are as obvious as daylight. She’s mocking you, defiant like the insufferable being she is. Out of the four girls, Minjeong is the most stubborn, and you’re much alike. She was the one you got into most arguments with, none of you backing down from the opportunity of being right.

Said banter is the reason you turn and adjust the camera focus to Ningning, instead of giving in to the blonde girl. Yizhuo looks pretty as always, smiling at you as you kneel to get a take of her from a better angle.

You’re immediately interrupted by the same girl who was irritated by your presence just seconds ago. In a blink, Winter’s hands go to your chin, forcing you to face her with an assertive grip. “No. Film me.” Her porcelain skin shines against her dark eyes, who pop out even more, making her intimidating aura stand out in the small room as she adds with an icy, commanding tone, “And have manners.”

God, you’d gladly take her down just to get rid of that cocky tone.

“Stare at the fucking camera so you can have some decent solo shots, Winter unnie.” Your reply comes immediately, tone dripping with venom, “Please.”

Winter’s face is so red you’re afraid she’s going to combust at any second. She never spares hurtful words during arguments, and you’re ready for her to give it all. Disaster is set to happen until Giselle pops her head backstage, looking for you. Her eyes disappear and her cheeks flare up as soon as she meets your face, breaking the tension with a smile once her presence unintentionally ends the small battle you were having with Winter.

“Y/n!” She calls, handing out her hand to help you stand up. “Could you come help us with the drums, please? The guys from the bar are trying, but they’re so damn useless… We need you.”

You look away and Winter’s grip on you fades, although her trimmed nails still scratch your jaw as she lets her hand fall to her sides and returns to the couch, tuning her bass as if she had never been interrupted.

“Sure, Gigi. Let’s go.” It’s impossible to not smile back, allowing yourself to be guided through the narrow stairs of the place until you arrive at the stage. You don’t bother saying goodbye to either Ningning or Winter, knowing you’re going back to them as soon as you’re done.

The two younger girls are left by themselves, in silence for the first time since you arrived to pick them up, hours ago. It’s unsettling yet peaceful; not uncomfortable by any means. They’ve known each other for too long by now, so being with each other is more than natural— it’s one’s absence that is unsettling.

After giving her hair a few finishing touches, Ningning turns to her bandmate, pulling the chair beside her as she gestures for Minjeong to sit. Its leather cover is torn and the comfort is long gone, but they don’t mind. They’ve performed in far more awful places anyway.

“Okay, I’m done! Be still while I do your makeup, now, unnie.” Minjeong does as told, closing her eyes while the maknae starts moisturizing her skin.

The silence has Winter’s mind replaying the previous banter nonstop. She tries to stay silent, but the memory of your petty smirk is enough to leave her fuming, pumping with rage.

“Can you believe her, Ning? That fucking bitch, ugh. She’s so insufferable.”

“Oh, definitely.” Ningning smiles, thankful Minjeong has her eyes closed. She lets out a small giggle, still focused on brushing the concealer through her friend’s face. “God forbid someone puts you in your place, right unnie?”

She nearly doesn’t escape the highlighter Minjeong throws in her direction, now laughing freely as she continues with her task.

—

Aespa is a band of many talents.

The girls all met during sophomore year of high school, all trapped in detention for the day (as much as Minjeong would rather die than admit she’s ever gotten detention in her life). Even though they differ in personalities, in a clear contrast of cultures, manners, and experiences — their differences somehow added to each other until there wasn’t something missing anymore. The feeling of longing and loneliness that had accompanied them for so many years had finally ceased. After that, the girls found themselves at peace: the world was finally silent, as long as they were together. No matter how chaotic it was, Karina, Minjeong, Giselle, and Ningning knew they’d like nothing else but to be together.

Luckily, they all shared two main passions: the love for music and the desire for attention, so being in a band together was something that happened rather naturally. The members all agreed, then, that Karina should be the leader. She was soft-spoken, calm, and had the experience in the industry the others lacked, from being a child model. It was the right decision: the oldest would do anything to protect her girls, and knew just the right people to ask for opportunities. They weren’t famous, nor did they make enough money to live off exclusively from the music, but it was enough, for now.

They had trouble understanding you, though. It was hard to grasp why on earth would they have someone so faithful, so committed to following their every move when they weren’t even famous? They didn’t have money, influence, or anything to offer you whatsoever. Yet you were always there, giving them your endless support without asking for anything in exchange. You could be a handful sometimes, sure, but still… your commitment was something that left the girls constantly wondering.

Because you’re special. The world will see this too, someday. is what you’d always answer, followed by a giggle and a wave of your hand, muttering about how it all wasn’t that big of a deal.

But as Giselle watches you help them relocate their instruments and set the tripods and cameras straight, she wonders if that’s truly it.

“Hey, Gigi.” You smile at her, looking down at the ground once you realize you’re the object of her piercing, focused gaze. “Are you and the other girls ready to go? Everything’s in order here.”

Now isn’t the time for that, though, Aeri reminds herself. As of now, the only thing she should focus on is her upcoming stage. Music is one of the many things she was strict with: she pushed herself to nothing but perfection, no matter where she was performing.

The other girls are quick to follow your call, grabbing their instruments and getting into their starter positions as they’ve done countless times before. They all adjust their mics to the perfect height until Karina is the only one left in the center, tapping hers to make sure she sounds loud and clear. Ningning’s hands fiddle with her drumsticks nervously, paddling along with her whole body— surely from the energy drinks she’s had minutes before, while Minjeong and Giselle stay each on one side of the stage, waiting for their leader’s cue.

Offering free tickets for those who arrived before 11 PM was a great strategy that many clubs implemented to fill up their spaces. And even though you’re well aware the girls are known enough to gather such a crowd without that stunt, you’re glad to have a full house staring at the small stage with expectation.

Karina waits until you’re done with your camera’s finishing touches up to speak, her voice echoing through the noise so easily that your hands stop adjusting the device’s focus to pay attention to her. With a smile so big her eyes grow small, her face is like a beacon, gathering all the focus to herself without the need for a spotlight.

“Goodnight! I’m Karina, and those are my bandmates: Minjeong, Giselle, and Ningning.” She points to each of her friends, who bow and wave excitedly, still waiting for her cue. “And we’re AESPA! We hope you like our music, we’ve worked hard on our songs! Please enjoy.”

With that, Ningning taps on her drumsticks, as they’ve done countless times before. Minjeong’s bass and Giselle’s guitar sync with Karina’s voice as soon as they start playing, the melody echoing through the place like physical particles. Music is more than just a part of their lives: it’s who they are, how they express themselves, what they breathe, and it’s easy to forget they’re at a shitty pub and not at a fancy festival. As long as their voices and instruments are harmonizing together, the girls get lost in their passion and nothing else matters.

Even though they’re a new group— barely a year into the industry, original songs are not something that lack from their setlist. The public is screaming, the girls are jumping as they sing and dance along the rhythm and you try your best to capture their best angles, but the distraction in the form of a sin that is Karina prevents you from doing a good job. Her dark eyes glow in the dark, giving her an angelic aura as her strong voice reverberates through the place with ease, despite her shitty mic. It’s an impressive crowd they’re performing for, but she’s only staring at you. Preventing you to breathe or even move, afraid she’d lose her interest and look elsewhere.

No, you’d have none of that. Like all the girls, Karina was yours: you’d share her utter attention with no one.

So you stay at the front line, with your hands holding onto the camera as your head is held up in a frozen frame, looking at her.

You’d always look at her.

—

The afterparties are always one of the girls’ favorite events. The adrenaline rush is still present, giving them tons of energy to drink and party with strangers. They are constantly showered with compliments, being pampered, and indulged with all the attention they crave. It’s part of the reasons why they deal with music, obviously: Minjeong, Giselle, Ningning, and Karina. Because the desire to be seen and recognized for their music is a feeling they’ve been looking for ever since they can remember.

And that’s exactly what they were indulging in before hearing a loud crack from outside of the backstage room. The noise, followed by a bunch of ugly screams, startles the four girls, who exchange a quick, worried glance before storming down straight into the sideway alley.

“Damn.” Ningning whistles, covering her mouth with her hand to hide the smile coming from her lips. At her side, Minjeong and Karina are equally shocked and frozen at the scene unraveling in front of them.

People usually use the dark, space to smoke and get a break from the noisy, heated space of the club. Instead, the four girls find a huddle of girls so entwined with one another it’s hard to tell how many there are. Four, maybe five? Of them are vividly screaming, kicking, tugging, and pulling hairs. Despite the mess, the girls realize there’s one that keeps beating the shit out of them, which is impressive due to being gravely outnumbered.

As the commotion stops for seconds once the strangers become aware of the newer company, it’s easier to tell a specific head of honey hair apart from the others.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Minjeong’s murmur doesn’t come off nearly as disappointed as she intends to. If anything, she’s also holding back her laughter while you prove that one does not need that much muscles to win off a fight.

“Go Y/n!” Karina claps, cheering. None of the three girls make any move towards the scene, so Giselle turns her head towards them in disbelief.

The Japanese girl shrugs, quickly making her way onto the ground to break off the fight. She’s always been strong, and her time spent at the gym pays off as she grabs you by the waist and throws you over her shoulder, heading back to the backstage room as if you weigh nothing. Any attempts of resisting are useless, yet you don’t make Giselle’s job any easier— your kicking and screaming are now directed at her, hands curling into fists while you use your entire strength to hit her muscled back.

“Put me DOWN! I’m not done with those whores.” Your feverish voice is ignored by the four girls, who are used to your tantrums by now.

They know you’re naturally provocative, and never one to back down from a fight, even if you were in the wrong. And, somehow, you were good at it too: even if you left bruised and scratched, your opponents would somehow always turn out worse.

“Sorry ladies, we have some issues to deal with. If you excuse us.” As the group goes back inside, Ningning offers the poor beaten-up girls a calculated smile before closing the door on their faces. She doesn’t bother to check in on them— they’re strangers, after all.

You’re thrown onto the worn-out sofa with little care, suddenly staring at four serious faces. The funny atmosphere of the fight is long gone, so you cross your arms under your chest and grunt, face held high to put up with their judgmental looks.

This is their job, and they can’t have you causing trouble over anything. You’re associated with them by now, whether they like it or not. It’d be an awful occurrence.

“So, troublemaker, tell us.” Giselle is the first to speak, brushing the bangs out of her face. Even after carrying you for solid minutes, she still looks flawless, much different from your disheveled self. “What had you beating their asses out there?”

There’s a pout on your lips, and the defiant air in the room stirs up their nerves. It’s an annoying interruption of the fun they were having just now, and the alcohol makes it hard for them to stay patient.

Minjeong takes half a step forward, her hands messing up your hair even more. “Speak, Y/n. We have better things to do.”

She doesn’t coddle you, tone cold as it always was when directed towards you, but you don’t mind. If anything, you take pride in making her life a bit more difficult every time. You know they won’t give you their attention for much longer, though, which is why sigh deeply.

“I was defending your honor, you idiots!” You gesticulate towards the door, huffing. “Those whores were out there, talking about you, speaking the most vile things… I had to do something. You should be thanking me, and not look so pissed.” You roll your eyes, muttering the rest to yourself as you sink on the dirty couch. “You never acknowledge anything I do anyway.”

It had felt too hot inside, so you passed the backstage area to gather some fresh air at the alley when you encountered the group of girls. They were in love with the band, obviously, and were very vocal about the things they’d let the girls do to them: how their leather clothes were so tight and how hot they were… Hearing such things being said about your girls made your blood boil. They were yours, and no one else had the right to desire them like that. So you were quick to take action and make sure everyone knew who Giselle, Winter, Karina, and Ningning belonged to. As a matter of fact, It was a successful attempt: after the lesson you taught them, those girls would think twice before saying anything again.

Your gaslighting does little to the band; it’s easy to look further into your façade now that they know you. They don’t pity you in the slightest, well aware you’re one to be cautious around.

Karina smiles at your act. She can’t help it if the pout on your lips makes you so adorable, and your crossed arms are the reason your send nudes crop top rides up so your boobs are even more evident. “Which things, Y/n? What were they saying, exactly?”

“What they said doesn’t matter.” You huff, dismissing Karina’s question with a wave of your hand. “The important thing is that they’ve been dealt with, and your honor is intact. You’re welcome.”

The electronic music is loud, and it’s easy to feel the rhythm reverberating through the furniture, sending electric waves to your bones that rile you up even more. You’re energized, ready to go back to the crowd, drink, smoke, and stir up some trouble again.

Aeri must’ve been thinking the same thing since she merely shakes her head and leaves without a word. Ning is the next one to follow, proceeded by Minjeong, who rolls her eyes and points her finger right at your face.

“You’re such a menace, Y/n. Acting like an animal… you can’t behave at all.” You’re used to the disdain in her voice, so the only thing you do is mirror her snobbish stare as you watch her leave.

Unlike her bandmate, Karina’s eyes are kind— even though you’ve just messed up hard. You’re the only ones left in the room, you realize, as she holds out her hand to you. With her presence, the music ceases, and the only thing you can focus on is the sound of her heartbeat, and how her little chin mole goes up to match her smile, which is equally sweet.

Sweet, patient, and definitely too good for you: that’s Karina, a soul that should stay untouched, not yet ruined by the world and by other people.

Too bad that you’ve never been one to do the right thing.

You navigate towards her in a magnetic motion, taking her help so fast your bodies nearly crash once you get up from the couch. Instead of complaining or making fun of you for being so abrupt, Karina takes her free hand to your face, cupping your cheek before carefully wiping the dirt from your skin.

“Troublemaker.” She repeats Giselle’s words from earlier, although they sound almost reverent when said in her raspy voice, tired from the crazy routine they live with. “She’s a bit right, don’t you think?” The smirk on her lips is playful, and she toys with you. “You keep us on our toes, for sure. I guess someone has to.”

She doesn’t mind. If anything, Karina misses your presence when you’re gone— which is thankfully, a rare occasion. Sure, you’re stubborn, spoiled, and very annoying, but the band somehow needs you to keep their engines running. She knows the other girls feel the same way about you too, even if they’re good at not making it known.

Being with Karina feels right. She’s Aespa’s peace, their leader, and their oldest member. And, just like everybody that has ever met her, you long to be around the older girl.

“Let’s go back to the party, Jimin unnie.” You tell her, crossing your arms behind her neck. If there’s anything she’d want you to do, you would. Gladly. “I want to dance.”

She smiles back at you, looking at the half-open door before nodding. “As you wish, Y/n.”

—

Aespa’s hotel room for the night is precarious, to say the least. The wallpaper is peeling from the walls, the furniture is dusty— and the small dining table seems to barely handle your laptop and media equipment. The bed makes too many weird noises at the slightest movement, and the smell of mold is a bit unsettling for those with a decent sense of smell.

It’s Minjeong’s job to deal with their spending and to book their stays, whenever the band wanders off their hometown. Her father works as a treasurer at a well-established company and has taught her how to handle her own money from a young age. Sometimes, though, she tends to spend too little, given the fact that they still did not earn much with their performances, and the five girls would end up in situations like the current one. Not that they truly minded: they had two rooms to sleep in and breakfast by the morning, which was more than enough. They would handle the rest.

Karina, Giselle, Ningning, and Minjeong are all rockstars, it’s natural for them to thrive under attention. They live for it, and you love to record their pretty faces. Out of all the experiences of being with the girls, getting to take pictures and videos of their performances and looks— be it before, during, or after their shows. Editing might also be a pain and sometimes feel like a chore, but it was also something you enjoyed doing.

Besides, the praises and the proud, enamored look Giselle, Ningning, Karina, and Minjeong gave you whenever you updated something new to their channel and social media was something you looked forward to, naturally. In fact, you’re so focused on your task that you barely notice a sudden wave of hot breath on your shoulder.

“How far are you, yet?” Karina’s wet hair clings to your neck as you breathe in her post-bath scent, so refreshing. You’re unable to see her sulk behind you, but her whiny tone is enough for you to figure her feelings out before she adds, “Also, why am I the one with the least videos, Y/n?”

You don’t even stop your work to look at the vocalist, who stares at your laptop’s screen with expectation: the answer is obvious to anyone who has ever had the privilege of getting to know Aespa's leader."

“Because I’m always too busy looking at you to focus on anything else.” The words leave your mouth immediately, exposing facts. “But I’ll improve for next time if that’s what you wish.”

Doing anything after Karina opens her mouth is impossible. Her angelic voice and sharp moves draw all the attention to her immediately; one would be completely insane to not be mesmerized by her. By all of her.

“It is.” She nods, still so close you’re able to feel her body pressed against you through the chair’s cracks. Like a kitten, Karina purrs, finally breaking the tension between you by pressing small, wet kisses to your neck. “Y/n…”

You’re doomed. You’ve known that ever since she left the bathroom, with wet hair and red, swollen lips that did little to hide what she was up to while the shower was running.

Karina’s long, purple-painted nails scratch your neck, forcing you to pay attention to her— as if you’d do anything else. You’re quick to comply, closing your laptop as you stand up and walk away from the oldest member, onto your backpack. Her confused brows are adorable, but the realization comes soon once she reckons the camera on your hands. By then, there’s a dirty smirk on both of your lips; you know she loves this as much as you do.

“Are you up for another show, doll?”

Karina nods, suddenly shy from all the dirty thoughts going through her head. Her skin throbs, and there’s a familiar sensation building up in her core from the anticipation.

After waiting for the camera to be well adjusted and centered in front of the bed, with the familiar red dot announcing the recording, she turns around, removing her robe with practiced ease. The silk fabric of her robe cascades from her back, exposing her milky skin in its most perfect form. She’s indeed like a doll; body still untouched, announcing it’s been a while since she’s had any fun, and her Venus dimples flare up with every step she takes towards the bed. Her curves are perfectly enhanced by her sensual walk— she knows so, grabbing her hair out of the way so you’re able to get a clear shot of her body.

You’re so lucky to even have the privilege of looking at her. Karina seems to think the same thing; her knowing smile turns malicious just as she sits on the bed, spreading her legs out for your delight. Playing around with her is almost a routine, by now: Karina needs something, someone to be her stress-relief, and you’re more than eager to help.

However, seeing her bare and so eager to welcome your touch was something you’d crave forever. No matter how many times it happened: you’d always be hungry for the slightest glimpse of her pretty pussy.

And it was no secret that Karina loved to show off, so you drink on her like you haven’t had a single drop of liquor in ages.

It had indeed been too long.

“How do I look, baby?” Her voice is soft, calm as she looks deep inside your eyes and taps on her pussy with two of her fingers. A small strand of wetness lingers between her fingers and her slit, and she takes her fingers forward to make a show for seconds longer. It’s only when the strand dissipates that Karina brings her fingers into her mouth, taking them in ever so naturally. You don’t even register the whine that comes from your lips once she releases them with a ‘bop’, right after licking them clean.

“Absolutely stunning.” Your answer comes in a heartbeat, which pleases her deeply. In a blink, you’re in front of her on the bed, although still careful to not cover up her frame for the camera. Not that you have to worry about that; Karina is well aware of her best angles. “As always.” You lick your lips, eager to have your mouth on her, licking every part of her body until she’s more than satisfied, coated with your saliva.

But you know better than to touch her without permission, so you simply wait, aware she needs more indulgence than merely a few words. You run your hands up and down her legs, ever so obedient, hoping she’ll allow you to touch her.

Instead, her fingers go up to her chest, groping her big, voluptuous breasts. She’s so evil— Karina knows how obsessed you are with her boobs, “You caused so much trouble today, Y/n… I shouldn’t let you touch me at all.”

Her feigned innocence only adds to your desire, dampening your pussy even more. Even though you’re burning up, you can’t help but be in awe by how much of a goddess she looks, and it takes everything in you to not just grab her by the ankles and suck on her clit until she was screaming and leaking white from her pussy. Still staring at you, Karina twists her nipples and moans, biting her lip as she breathes in deeply.

You’re already throbbing yourself, and she’s done nothing. That’s the amount of power she has over you.

“I’ve been bad.” You nod almost eagerly, ready to do whatever she commands you to if it means you’ll get to pleasure her. “Can I still have you, though? Promise to make you feel super good.”

At first look, Karina might be the most inviting one out of all of the girls, but you know better than to fall into her trap: just like her bandmates, the leader thrives on playing games, manipulating people, and fooling around. Thankfully to both you and her, you’re happy to indulge in all of her wishes. So you add, battling your lashes at her as you take off your clothes yourself, not bothering for a command on this matter. “I’ll do my best for unnie…”

Karina’s eyes darken at the sight of your naked body; it’s so empowering to know she’s just as affected by you, and she runs her fingers through your hair with practiced ease. Taking her silence as an encouragement, you lie down until your face is lined up with her soaked cunt, blowing warm, rapid breaths onto her sex.

She smiles, then, caressing your cheek before giving it a light tap. “Go get the strap, baby.” Your smile fades immediately, and you contemplate ignoring her words until she’s changed your mind before your cheek is met with more of Karina’s fingers, her touch stronger this time. “Now.”

You huff, muttering incoherences because she’s such a bitch, ruining all of your plans, but still do as told, grabbing the strap without much further fussing. With the toy in hands, you return to the edge of the bed, staring at her with a puzzled look on your face.

“Are you going to use it?” You ask, curious. Taking Karina’s cock was something you always looked forward to, and the sight of her pounding onto you was enough for your walls to clench, eager to welcome her.

Karina launches forward before you even finish your question, grabbing your thighs with practiced ease as her fingers brush your pussy. The surprise touch makes you let out a loud moan, which stirs up a laugh on the older girl.

“If only you’d behaved today… I had so many things planned for us to do.” Karina’s voice sounds almost regretful, making you kneel once again, “No, baby. Tonight’s only about me. Now suck.”

There’s little time for you to think her thoughts through. Your mind goes blank, and you open your mouth to give her a show this time, reversing the roles. Always eager to please, you gag on her cock. Saliva drips onto the sheets as she shoves it down your throat, but you don’t seem to care, emptying your mind to give her will over you to use you like a toy. She’s not sweet or slow by any means— Karina’s innocent smile, welcoming posture, and puppy-like personality make a good disguise for hiding how dirty she is. Part of her tells herself it’s wrong, and that’s why she tries to reject how much her body craves rougher actions, but the truth is that the hiding and the expectation also turn her on.

Those thoughts hover in your mind as you bob on her strap, looking at the leader through your lashes while you gather all your focus on giving your best for her. You try to look your best, and give your best for Aespa’s leader: she deserves nothing less, after all. It seems to be enough for Karina, who sighs at the sight of you staring from behind your lashes with your hair all over the place ever since her tangling hands went to your scalp, encouraging you to keep going for so long you’ve lost track of time.

“Beautiful. You look so beautiful like this, baby.” She murmurs with a low, sultry tone as she takes the strap from your mouth and seals your lips in a slow kiss. You’re starved for her; your boobs press together when you deepen the kiss, desperate for more. At this point you’re already soaked, leaving a deep, wet spot on the sheets— and your skin burns. “Don’t be rude. Say thank you.”

Such a tease, she is. You roll your eyes at her trying to rile you up, and she laughs. “Don’t even.” You mutter, rolling your eyes at her.

Karina’s hands go to your thighs, caressing your skin as she motions for you to get up once again. “You’re so stubborn.” She chants, adjusting the strap on you. Per her request, you lay back on the bed as soon as you’re done, somehow managing to sink under the shallow pillows.

There’s such a mean smirk dancing around her lips. Your cunt aches and it’s borderline painful; sweat covers your body and you’re nearly sure you’ll go insane if you don’t give her all the pleasure she’s worthy of very soon. All you want is to eat her out until she’s breathless, porcelain skin all marked begging for you to stop. Then, you’d lick her clean, making her cum so many times there’d be plenty of milk dripping from her hole for you to drink on. All yours. She’s all yours to tend to.

“Why don’t you just let me do it already…” You whine, drawing your head back when she grabs one of your nipples and twists— the friction feels so good it sends a hit of pleasure straight to your pussy.

Instead of indulging your needs, Karina laughs, and there’s a hidden mockery in her tone that only adds to your frustration. She comes close until her hips rest on your thighs, with the strap being the only thing that keeps a distance between you. Before you’re able to test her patience even more, she positions the dick on her entrance, slightly rocking back and forth so it hits deliciously against her clit.

“You can look.” She says, grabbing your shoulders to steady herself. “But you can’t touch. Understood, baby?”

Karina’s eyes, big and expressive, stare at you with feigned innocence as one of her hands caresses your jaw, lifting your face so you’d stare at her. Having her making such luscious sounds so close to you is like a death penalty. Karina’s mouth hangs slightly open, and you gulp whenever she aligns the fake dick with her entrance, giving you a serious look that makes it clear that she expects an answer to her command.

A huge bitch, she is. A hot, sexy, and huge bitch. It’s nearly impossible to stay still, but you can see the challenge in her eyes as soon as she cocks her head at you. Although her little act of defiance is silent, her intentions are as clear as day: she wants you to humiliate yourself: to beg for forgiveness so you’ll maybe get granted the privilege of touching her.

So you smile back, placing your hands on your hips and doing nothing else, even if you’re itching to run your tongue all over her body. “As you wish, unnie.”

Karina is so wet, of course she is— it’s not hard to leave her drenched. The dick slides in easily, and she takes her time with taking down its inches. Your grip on her hips turns slightly stronger at the sight of her looking so angelical, as her big, soft boobs are all in display to your face. That earns you a censoring look, and you move your hands with another eye-roll. There's nothing more you want but to touch her.

After a few breaths, Karina finds a steady pace, bouncing on your lap. The gushing sounds of her pussy that echo through the room are nearly pornographic, and you find yourself letting out desperate whimpers, too.

“So good.” She murmurs, lost in pleasure. Her grip on your shoulders tightens, and you feel her muscles tensing up.

You can’t help it— watching her pleasure herself is almost too much. Without much thinking, your fingers make their way to her clit, circling her hardened as you study her, testing out the waters. She lets out a gasp at the sensation, closing her eyes to enjoy the way her lower abdomen kept building up the tension. The tingling sensation increases with the rhythm of your strokes, along with her moves, and it doesn’t take much further for Karina to cum.

Just as always, Karina’s strong voice fills the room as she takes her head back, clenching her pussy once the waves of pleasure hit her with strong motions. Her entire body trembles, and she relies on you to keep her steady.

“You look the prettiest when you cum.” You tell her, after a few moments of silence.

The laugh she lets out is weak, more like a giggle as Karina sighs deeply, carelessly throwing herself on your side of the bed. She turns to you, then, so close your noses are nearly touching, disregarding your words as if you hadn’t said anything at all. “And you can’t ever behave, can you?”

You mirror her smirk, pecking her lips before shaking your head. “You like it that way, though.”

The two of you stay in a comfortable silence, one you don’t mind at all. The girls have had some busy, tiring weeks, and you know Karina needs rest. She’s tired—they all are, so the tension relief was well welcomed by the oldest girl. Despite being all sweaty and breathless, Karina is much less anxious now that you’ve helped her relax. She runs her fingers through your body, taking her time until she reaches your pussy. It delights her to feel how soaked you are: she’s aware of the amount of power she holds over you, and the fact that you’re gulping, still throbbing yourself, is something so empowering to her.

It makes her insides tingle all over again, asking for more.

“Jimin…” You whine again, opening your legs to give the girl better access to your entrance. You need her to touch you or else you’ll explode.

Two of her fingers enter your cunt before you can cry any further, hitting a fast pace without warning. The action is well welcomed, and you hold her wrist, motioning to go further. But Karina loves to make you frustrated; it’s almost as if she thrives on it: just like they made their way inside, her fingers are gone, and her mean smirk is back.

“You haven’t behaved at all today.” She repeats herself, laughing as she kisses your pout away. You bite her lip in response, which makes her pull your face away, although she’s still giggling. “You’ll get nothing tonight, baby. I’m sorry.”

You narrow your eyes at her, “You’re such a fucking liar! You’re not sorry at all!”

Karina turns her back to you, making a show of ignoring you as she grabs the covers just as a big yawn hits her. “Goodnight to you too, pretty. Sleep tight,” You roll your eyes, ready to give her a sneaky remark when she adds, “Oh, and don’t forget to turn off the camera. We don’t want you running out of battery or anything, do we?”

“You’re such a bitch.” Although you still get up and do as told, knowing she’s partially right.

Karina waits patiently for you to return to bed, with her small eyes and big smile. The sensuality and roughness from earlier have been replaced by her usual bubbly self, which you adore just as much. It has always been amusing to you how easily it is for her to just switch back and forth from the luscious, gorgeous woman she is to her puppy personality, and you adore her either way.

You hop into her arms, humming when she fills your neck with small, wet kisses.

“You have to behave, silly.” Is what she tells you, biting your skin gently. You’re one to bruise easily, you both know it as much. However, you say nothing, allowing her to do as she pleases. “Otherwise you won’t get a reward.”

“We’ll see about that.” You murmur, happy to get lost in her cuddles. “I sure need something after that torture session.”

Your words cause you to be pushed back, although you know Karina’s only joking.“Oh my God! Go to sleep, Y/n. Goodnight.”

“Ugh.” Is all you answer, closing your arms around her waist.

“Y/n.”

“Right, right.” You sigh, “Goodnight, cutie. Can I get a kiss?”

The hand that goes through your face is enough of an answer.

“Sleep. We’ll have a busy day tomorrow.” She commands.

And because it’s Karina, you obey. You’d always hail the band’s leader.

Your personal camgirl.

—

Breakfast has always been something you’d skip if you could. It’s a pain to wake up so early, and you need at least an hour to be somewhat presentable and another two until you can properly talk to anyone. However, the soon you leave this shitty hotel the better, so you resume sitting beside Giselle and Ningning while they talk excitedly. You chew on your bread with scrambled eggs with perhaps too much patience, still marveling at how composed they look despite running on 5 hours of sleep.

“So, we’ve got good news. Amazing news, actually. Like, the greatest news ever.” Ningning’s nearly jumping in her seat, her eyes darting from you, then Giselle, Minjeong, and finally to Karina multiple times in seconds. Yizhuo plays with her hands, nudging Karina while nearly dying of anxiety. “Unnie, would you please tell them? Go, go.”

The excitement in her tone captures enough of your attention; you, Giselle, and Minejong collectively sit up straighter, exchanging a confused look. The fact that they know as little as you do is comforting, and stirs up a nice, warm feeling of being included within your heart. The girls could be harsh and a little mean sometimes, naturally, but there are times when they’re also very sweet.

Karina laughs, pinching Ning’s cheeks. Even though Ningning pretends she despises it, you love to baby her and spoil her rotten.

“You can do it, Ning.” She encourages her baby girl to speak up, loving the smile that brightens up the maknae’s lips after the command. “Go ahead, tell them what we’re doing next.”

With her leader’s blessing, Ningning lets out a happy squeal and launches herself upwards. The upper half of her body hangs on the breakfast table as she looks around before whispering as if the topic is top-secret.

“So, this guy approached me after our show.” She stops abruptly at your reactions, waving her hands, “Hey, don’t make such faces! He wasn’t a weirdo or anything, I promise. Anyway, he came up and said he worked for AKT Music Ent. and that he liked our music and thought we had potential.” Ningning pauses, looking up to her leader for reassurance. Once Karina nods, giving her a knowing smile, she adds, “And then I told him to talk to Karina, of course, because she’s our leader and all… but basically, he invited us to compete at The Box, next month. Can you believe it?”

“You’re fucking with us.” Minjeong answers, in awe. She looks at Karina, with her mouth still slightly open in shock. “Please tell me you’re serious. That this isn’t a joke or anything.”

Karina has a proud look on her face as she nods. “It’s a thing. We’re doing it.”

“HELL YES!” Giselle screams, laughing loudly. She reaches out her arms and squeezes you and Ningning in a tight hug, her embrace so strong it’s borderline suffocating. Not that you mind— if anything, it fills you with warmth to be with them in their first big accomplishment. “WE’RE PLAYING IN THE BOX! OH MY FUCKING GOD. WE ARE AMAZING!”

Minjeong and Karina laugh at her reaction, just as happy from the news. Taking part in the event is an amazing opportunity for them: the mere thought of performing at the stage is enough to give them goosebumps, both of fear and excitement.

The Box is a week-long competition where the top 3 winners get a 2-year long contract, each signed with one of the Big 3 music companies of the country: SM, JYP or YG. It’s an elite program where successful bands have gained popularity and recognition, like SNSD. It’s set at a big, open area at the countryside and held much like a festival: the event has become more and more capitalized with every passing year. The companies make sure to hold a big show out of the entire thing, broadcasting the events that happen simultaneously 24/7— numerous interviews, commercials are shot by the participants to support the sponsors of the competition, which helps them to make their debut on national television. There are various foods, restaurants and parties being held at all times. It’s also a great opportunity for fans of nugu bands to personally interact with them, and actually super nice to meet other bands and artists. Besides the main goal, being at the event alone is a huge honor and opportunity for the band to grow as artists. They certainly won’t take for granted.

Minjeong claps excitedly. “We need to celebrate!”

“Absolutely.” Giselle agrees, looking in disgust at the men who kept sitting at the nearby tables even though it was still fairly early, and the Diner was still empty. “At home, though. Let’s get out of here, please.”

The five of you exchange a knowing look, collectively getting up at the same time as you grab your belongings and hurry to leave the shitty hotel. Your hearts are filled with pride, and you couldn’t be happier for them.

“You deserve this.” Is what you tell them, breaking the steady silence that reigned in the car. The girls look at you, all returning from dreamland.

Even though their only response is a faint hum, the satisfaction on their faces tells you they needed to hear that. “This is only a result of your hard work. All the hours of practice, the shitty-ass places you played at before, the No’s you’ve gotten… It’s going to work out, trust me.”

Karina’s arms go to your neck, in a gentle caress as she adds, looking at her bandmates. Her best friends. “Y/n is right. We got this.”

There’s nothing they can’t do, as long as they’re together.

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

Endings and Beginnings - Rooster

Pairing: Rooster / Fem!Reader (Wife!Reader)

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: Pregnancy, Second Person POV ("You"), No Physical Description about Reader

This work, all of my other works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only.

Summary: It's Maverick's retirement party but Rooster's far more concerned about you, his pregnant wife, than anything else.

A.N. Rooster is retired in this story and it's set a few years after TGM.

Edit: Part 2 is now out!

Master List

Maverick was officially retiring from the Navy. Or finally, depending on who you asked. The Hard Deck had been cleared out for the party and several generations of naval aviators, active and retired, and their families were spread out around the space. Drinks were poured continuously, there was pizza and snacks and even a cake with a Tomcat on it for later.

“Are you sure that you’re okay to be here?” Rooster asked you softly, grabbing your hand.

“I’m fine,” you assured your husband. “Just pregnant.”

“Very pregnant,” Hangman added, causing Rooster to glare over at him. Phoenix whacked Hangman on the arm your behalf, causing the blond to huff and complain. “What? It’s true!”

“I’m fine,” you repeated, squeezing Rooster’s hand. “I’ll sit down if I need to and there’s plenty of water and snacks that I can eat.” You released his hand and nudged him in the direction of Maverick, who was chatting with a few pilots his own age. “Go, mingle. Shoo. It’s a party. Party.”

“Only if you promise to let me know if you need to go home or to the hospital or—”

“—Rooster, I’m fine. The baby isn’t coming for another two weeks. Now, go. I think Mav’s been trying to subtly introduce you for an hour now.”

“Keep an eye on her for me,” Rooster told the others before heading over to Maverick.

The newly retired pilot was all smiles as he chatted with his old friends. But as soon as Maverick spotted Rooster walking over, he quickly moved to pull him over to the older crowd of pilots.

“She finally kicked you over here?” Maverick asked, referring to you.

“Apparently, I’m hovering too much,” Rooster joked with Mav.

“Well, it’s a perfect time to reintroduce yourself to everyone.”

Maverick gestured around the half-circle of former naval aviators. Slider, Hollywood, Wolfman, Chipper, Sundown, Merlin, and Viper all nodded to Rooster and Rooster shook their corresponding hands. It had been a long time since he saw any of them, what with the whole paper incident, but Slider still dragged him in for a noogie like he was eight-years-old.

“So, you were Maverick’s RIO in that whole business?” Merlin asked, referring to the mission.

Even though the mission was still highly classified three years later, the fact that Maverick and Rooster had barely made it out alive wasn’t. Well, that and word got around when an old smashed up Tomcat was unloaded off of a carrier.

“How was that?” Merlin continued.

“Most terrifying experience of my life,” Rooster responded, half-joking, half-serious.

“I understand completely,” Merlin mused, causing Maverick to smile and shake his head.

“That’s not why you turned in your wings, is it though?” Viper asked with a knowing expression.

“No, no,” Rooster replied immediately. “When I got married and my wife and I started to plan for having our family, I decided that I wanted to be there for every step. And I didn’t want her to worry about me coming home at the end of the day. So, I finished up my service requirements and retired.”

And, well, for a kid who lost his father to the Navy, Rooster’s reasoning didn’t raise a single eyebrow. Every naval aviator knew the risks involved in their line of work and while technological advancements helped decrease training accidents and fatalities, they were still always a possibility.

He wouldn’t—couldn’t—let his child learn about him from pictures, like he had to with his own father.

“And Maverick says that you’re switching to commercial?” Wolfman spoke up.

“Yeah, I have one more test to take and then I’m ready to fly, but I probably won’t start until we’re settled with our baby,” Rooster explained, nodding along.

“Your first one?” Viper guessed with an all-knowing smile.

“How could you tell?” Rooster inquired, earning a chuckle from the other fathers in the group.

 “You got that look in your eye.”

“Not too different from the rookies at flight school,” Hollywood added with an amused smile.

“It’ll pass eventually, but the first one always gets you jittery,”  

“Being a father is like learning how to fly—utterly terrifying at first, and there’s definitely a learning curve to it, but once you’re up there and you’ve leveled out, you won’t even remember what it was like before you learned in the first place.”

“I keep telling him to relax. He’ll be a natural,” Maverick spoke up, squeezing Rooster’s shoulder.

Rooster glanced through the crowd to check on you and found you sitting at one of the tables with your feet propped up on the opposite chair. You looked calm, but uncomfortable—though you’d told him that ‘nearly nine months pregnant’ and ‘comfortable’ did not go together no matter the situation.

“But speaking of, I should probably go check on my wife,” Rooster replied, his nerves and ‘Mother Hen’ tendencies, as Hangman called them, shining through.

“Of course.”

“Don’t let us keep you.”

“It was an honor to meet all of you again,” Rooster offered in goodbye, before checking on you.

The retired naval aviators watched him go and then turned to Maverick.

“God, he looks just like Goose,” Slider replied quietly.

“And with the mustache and the Hawaiian shirt too,” Wolfman agreed, sharing looks with the other retired naval aviators.

“Yeah, he does,” Maverick stated softly, watching Rooster weave through the party. “Just wait until you see him at a piano.”

Rooster slid through the crowd over to the back tables. You were still sitting with your feet propped up, a full glass of water in front of you, and your usual easygoing smile on your lips. Bob, Phoenix, and Hangman were keeping you company and spread out around you.

“You alright?” Rooster asked, walking to your side.

“I’m fine. Just wanted to sit down for a little bit. Baby Bradshaw seems a little excited about the party,” you stated, your hands resting over the swell of your bump. Rooster placed a hand under yours, where Baby Bradshaw tended to kick for the last few days. “How’s Mav doing?”

“I think he’s enjoying himself a lot. He hasn’t seen his old TOP GUN buddies in a while, so it’s nice for them to all come out to see him.”

“Well, Penny can be very convincing when she wants to be,” you mused with a smile.

Wordlessly you moved Rooster’s hand to the side, where the baby was pressing on you. Though you were growing tired of being pregnant, you didn’t think that you’d ever get tired of the way that Rooster just flipped a happy switch whenever he felt your baby.

“What are you all doing over here?” Rooster asked, turning back to the others.

“Actually, we’ve got a poll going about the baby,” Bob explained to Rooster.

“What are the votes?”

“I think it’s a girl,” Phoenix declared confidently.

“Which means that it’s a boy,” Hangman stated, just as confident.

“You only said that after you found out that Rooster and I think it’s a girl,” Phoenix retorted, causing Hangman to shrug his shoulders.

"So what?”

“I think that it’s a boy too,” you offered up. “The way that I’m carrying says that it’s a boy.”

“It’s not an exact science,” Rooster pointed out.

“No but call it mother’s intuition.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that.”

“God, you’re so whipped,” Hangman grunted, earning an elbow to the side from Phoenix.

Rooster and you ended up leaving the party among the first wave of people—mostly elderly and people with small children. But not before you received a whole bunch of random baby gifts from all of the people who missed your shower a month earlier.

“Do you want a hot bath when we get home?” Rooster offered, glancing over at you as he drove home.

“Maybe,” you sighed, shifting in your seat.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just uncomfortable. Nothing either of us can do for that.”

“You want more of that tea that Penny got you then?”

“Yeah, maybe that’ll help,” you murmured, leaning back in your seat. Your hands rubbed up and down your bump, trying to soothe yourself. “I think that Baby Bradshaw just got a little overexcited about meeting everyone all at once. But maybe some tea and a bath will help.”

“Coming right up,” Rooster assured you.

You pulled into the driveway and Rooster walked around to help you out. Usually, yo would just push his hand away and insist that you were more than capable of getting yourself out of the car, but this time you happily accepted his help.

“Are you sure that you’re alright?” Rooster asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” you replied, pecking his cheek. “Just slow.”

Rooster walked with you to the front door, keeping a protective arm around your waist. You walked into the kitchen and Rooster instantly moved to heat up some hot water for your tea. You leaned on the countertop, just looking completely uncomfortable with your existence.

“I’ll grab the bags out of the car and then I’ll start your bath,” Rooster promised, pressing a loving kiss to your forehead.

“Thank you.”

Rooster jogged down to the car and gathered whatever bags were sitting in the trunk. He left the go bag in the car, just in case, before heading back into the house. He wasn’t even completely through the door when he spotted you waddling towards the stairs.

“I’ll run your bath, babe, just sit and relax.”

“I’m not going to take a bath,” you called back, moving up the stairs slowly.

“You need help?”

“No, I just need to change.”

“Oh, okay,” Rooster replied, setting down the bags.

“Also, don’t walk through the kitchen yet,” you warned him, grunting a bit as you walked.

“Why?” Rooster asked, moving to stand at the bottom of the stairs.

“There’s amniotic fluid all over the floor and I haven’t gotten a chance to clean it up yet.”

“Amniotic . . .” Rooster trailed off before the realization hit him like 10 G’s all at once. “Babe!?”

Part 2

[of-a-chaotic-mind]

I Can't Say Part 3 (Finale)

Summary: Everyone is waiting for Reader to wake up after surgery. Eddie finds out what has been causing her behavior and as soon as she wakes up he apologizes for doubting her. She knows she'll never lose him again after what he does next.

TW/CW: Eddie Diaz x Reader, Make Up, Injured Reader, Hospital Setting

Requested?: No   

Word Count: 3,194

A/N: Our grand total of words for this trilogy is 11,325… I’m ngl was kinda stuck on how I’d get from break up to make up but then I was rewatching season 2 the other night and well… Earthquake it is. Anyways, hope you enjoy the read! Love to all! Requests are Open!

Part 1

Part 2

--- Third Person POV --- 

Hours later, the team has been given the go ahead to go home but every one of them is heading to the hospital in hopes of seeing (Y/N). Hen cleared it with Bobby first but decided it was best if she stayed with Eddie who has been pacing the waiting room the entire time since they sent (Y/N) back. She had sent messages to everyone she could think of, letting them know which hospital they’re at and keeping them updated. Unfortunately, the phones have only just now been able to start working again. Her phone begins exploding with notifications. Carla is bringing Chris as well as a change of clothes for Eddie. Athena says she and the kids are on the way but stopping for coffee and snacks. Karen confirms she’s getting Denny and Mara in the car now with a change of clothes for Hen. Maddie and Jee are on their way too. Every single person that Hen texted, responds except for the 118 members, Talia, and Tommy who all changed out of their gear as soon as they got to the station and piled into Bobby’s truck and Buck’s Jeep. 

Those who responded all trickle in with Athena, May, and Harry bringing up the rear as they drop several bags of snacks and a couple gallons of cold brew on the coffee table that everyone has gathered around. Carla and Chris have convinced Eddie, who is now nursing a cup of cold brew, to sit down and are posted on either side of him, Carla rubbing his back and Chris holding his hand tightly. Karen and Hen are playing patty cake with Jee while Maddie begs the nursing staff for an update. Harry, Denny, and Mara are quietly discussing some video game while they snack. Athena and May share a look before they make their way over to Maddie and gently tug her back to the group. It seems everyone lets out a breath they had been holding when the group of firefighters step through the glass doors. The waiting room is brought to life as everyone greets each other. Eddie on the other hand is rooted to his seat and staring at the floor. 

Just as Bobby is about to place his hand on Eddie’s shoulder, the doctor enters the waiting room. Everyone waits with bated breath as he approaches them, Talia and Eddie both rushing to meet him. He looks around at the rather large group before chuckling, “You’re all here for (Y/N) (Y/L/N)?” Several in the group nod so he continues, “Good. She’s out of surgery. It was a little touch and go but she’s stable. The anesthesia will wear off soon but, due to the amount of blood she lost, it may take her some time to wake up. Once we get her settled into a room, I’ll let you all know.” Everyone nods in understanding and releases the breath they were holding. A few of them thank the doctor as he walks away. Eddie drops back into a chair, laying his head back against the wall, and grabs hold of Christopher’s hand again. Talia is pulls Tommy away from the group to ask him what’s going on between (Y/N) and Eddie, soon finding herself in tears upon hearing the news. Tommy pulls her into a tight hug, hating that he had to break it to her. The others strike up conversations to pass the time. 

A short while later, the doctor returns to the group, “She’s in a room. Anesthesia should be worn off but as I explained earlier, she’s not awake yet. That being said, you can see her now but you’ll have to take turns. I don’t want more than two or three in there at a time. You can find her in room A204.” As he departs, Eddie kisses the top of Christopher’s head and heads to her room.  

Everyone else has their eyes on Talia who hasn’t moved a muscle. Tommy places his hand on her shoulder, “Go.” She looks up at him and around the group with uncertainty but with a nod from Bobby she’s off toward the room as well. 

When Talia enters the room, Eddie is sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the bed from the door. He is holding (Y/N)’s hand tightly, tears streaming down his face, and mumbling under his breath, “(Y/N) please, you gotta wake up for me.” She takes a seat on the other side of the bed and the room falls silent aside from the steady beep of the heart monitor. 

A few moments pass before he clears his throat, “If it weren’t for you, she- she wouldn’t be alive right now.” 

Fresh tears paint her cheeks as she looks down at her lap, “If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.” 

He looks at her, head titled, “What do you mean?” 

“If it weren’t for me, the love of her life wouldn’t have broken up with her, she wouldn’t have been in that therapy office, and she wouldn’t have been run through with rebar,” she admits, struggling to get the words out through her tears. He is immensely confused at first but she clarifies before he can ask, “A few weeks ago I called her because I needed someone to keep me from hurting myself. She came no questions asked. She’s been stopping by to check on me a lot. She always answers the phone when I need her. Selfishly, I made her promise not to tell anyone because I didn’t want my team finding out.” Eddie’s heart breaks as he realizes but she continues, “If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t be in this mess.” 

He reaches his hand across the bed for Talia’s who hesitantly takes it. He looks her dead in the eyes, “You cannot blame yourself for any of this. You did the best thing you could which was ask for help when you needed it. You don’t know where she would’ve been if not in that office with you. It could- it could’ve been much worse.” He pauses for a moment, looking back at (Y/N), “I wish I would’ve just believed and trusted her when she said she had a good reason.” 

Talia wipes her tears away; she still feels terrible about everything but knows (Y/N) would’ve told her the same exact thing that Eddie did. She squeezes his hand gently, “I know I’m not around you and the rest of her new family that much but I’ve heard a lot about everyone.” He looks up at her and she continues, “I’ve heard more about you and Chris than anyone else. She always has a blindingly bright smile on her face when she tells me about you two and I know without a shadow of a doubt that she loves you more than life itself.” Eddie nods as Talia squeezes his hand once more before dropping it and standing up to leave. Before she opens the door, she stops and looks back at him, “She still does. She wouldn’t hesitate for a second to take you back. Hell, I don’t even think she even let you go.”  

Eddie kisses (Y/N) knuckles as Talia leaves, “I don’t deserve it but I hope to god you can forgive me for being so stupid...” 

It’s not long before the door opens again, this time by Buck and Tommy. Eddie does his best to slap on a smile when he sees Chris right behind them. He watches his son take the seat Talia had been in previously and grab hold of (Y/N)’s hand, “Is she gonna be okay?” he asks hopefully looking up at his father.  

Eddie nods reassuringly, “Yeah, she’s just sleeping so her body can recover.” 

Chris nods and looks down at where his hand meets hers, “Where’s her bracelet?” 

“They had to take it off so it wouldn’t get messed up during the surgery and recovery,” Eddie responds. In his peripheral, he sees Buck and Tommy patiently waiting their turn. 

Chris seems deep in thought for a few seconds before stating, “She’s gonna kick their asses when she finds out. I gotta fix it.” With this, he gets up and exits the room on a mission. Buck goes after him, motioning for Eddie to stay put. 

It’s quiet again as Eddie and Tommy listen to the steady beep of her heart. Finally, Tommy takes a seat. Eddie makes eye contact with him, “I’m sorry. Talia told me everything. I know I fucked up and I know she means the world to you.” 

Tommy looks over at (Y/N) face and reaches up to brush her hair out of her eyes as he thinks. Taking a deep breath, he responds, “Just promise me that the next time you think about doing something stupid, we hit the mat first so I can knock some sense into you.” 

Eddie chuckles, nodding, “I will.” It’s quiet again while Eddie debates with himself before finally pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to Tommy, “Does this count as something stupid?” 

Tommy looks down at the ring box in his hand as his smile grows. After opening it, he answers, “Never in a million years.” He closes the box and hands it back to Eddie, “But you should know that Buck was looking forward to helping you pick it out. He’s gonna be heart broken.” 

Eddie puts the box back in his pocket, “Technically, he did help me pick it out. Whether he remembers that or not is a different story.” 

Tommy knits his brows together in confusion, “What?” 

Eddie smiles, “I went with him when he bought you that bracelet a while back. He was looking through the cases while we waited on them to bag it up. I was zoned out thinking about (Y/N) when he slapped me on the shoulder and very excitedly pointed at a specific ring saying, ‘(Y/N) would love this one!’” 

Tommy shakes his head chuckling, “So, you bought it?” 

Eddie shrugs, “Not right then but after a few days of constantly thinking about it, I had to.” Tommy laughs but Eddie’s face drops. At the tilt of Tommy’s head, Eddie adds, “I held onto it, trying to find the right time to ask her but then she started acting weird and...” 

Tommy sighs, “You still have it though. You didn’t let her go.” 

Eddie shakes his head, “I couldn’t. I broke up with her because I was scared of getting hurt but it hurt so much more to do so. I thought maybe if I just distanced myself from her for a while that it would stop but if anything, it got worse.” He takes a deep breath, “I just hope she’ll forgive me because I don’t know how much longer I can take this ring burning a hole in my pocket.” 

Tommy nods, “She will. She’ll do it in a heartbeat but then you gotta nut up and give her that ring.” 

Eddie smiles, “Would it be too much to ask her to forgive me and marry me in the same conversation?” 

Tommy shakes his head violently, “Absolutely not.” 

Eddie laughs, “Good.” 

Over the next few hours, people come and go. Everyone gets their own turn of checking on her and reassuring Eddie that she’ll be okay. Finally, with only Eddie in the room, she stirs. She squints up at the ceiling as she tries to process where she is. The sound of her moving her head to look around alerts Eddie who jerks up from where he lays on her arm, “Hey, you’re okay. You’re in the hospital.” 

She nods, trying to speak but her mouth is dry. Eddie hands her the bottle of water, Carla had brought him earlier, from the side table that and helps her take a few sips. When she pulls away, he sets the bottle back down on the table and brushes her hair from her face, “How are you feeling?” 

She stares at him for a few seconds before whispering, “I’m just glad you’re here.” 

He kisses her knuckles, “Of course I am, baby. I love you so much and I’m so sorry I doubted you.” The confusion on her face prompts him to add, “Talia told me what happened. I can’t believe I ever thought you’d do something like that. I should’ve known you had a good reason.” She smiles softly but he still feels the need to ask, “Will you forgive me?”  

She nods immediately, “Of course.” Out of habit she reaches to fidget with her bracelet but finds it missing, “I’m gonna kick someone’s ass.” 

Eddie laughs heartily, “Chris said you would.”  

She reaches up to cup his cheek, “I love you.” 

He leans into her touch, “I love you too.” 

The moment is interrupted when the door opens again but both are immediately delighted to see Carla opening the door for Chris who is overjoyed to see (Y/N) awake. He takes a seat as Carla waves with a smile before closing the door to give the small family a moment. With one hand, Chris reaches over and takes (Y/N)’s left wrist and wraps her bracelet back where it belongs with the other. She smiles brightly but Eddie is suspicious, “Chris, did you pester the nursing staff for that.” 

He grins proudly, “Yup, I told them my step mom would kick their butts if they didn’t give it to me.” 

Eddie and (Y/N) share an amused look before she ruffles Christopher’s hair, “Thanks, buddy.” He grins and reaches up to take her hand in his. 

Eddie’s eyes flick between the two before he stands and joins Chris on the other side of the bed.  (Y/N) is slightly confused when he places his hands on Christopher’s shoulder and whispers something in his ear. Chris listens intently before nodding incessantly, “Yes! Do it. Do it now.” 

Eddie grins and ruffles his son’s hair, “Alright, alright calm down. I will.” He places himself between Chris and (Y/N). She is utterly bumfuzzled but Chris is dancing in his seat excitedly. Eddie removes something from his pocket and drops to one knee causing her to slap her hand over her mouth. The man smiles up at her, “I know this isn’t at all the ideal time or place to ask you this but,” he looks around the room and then back at her, “I was very recently reminded that we aren’t promised tomorrow, especially in our line of work.” He opens the ring box and holds it up to her, “(Y/N), will you marry me?” 

Chris cheers happily upon hearing her answer, “Yes!” Tears of joy fill both Eddie and (Y/N)’s eyes as he slips the ring on her finger, stands, and kisses her with every ounce of love that he can. 

The couple parts when the door opens again as Buck and Tommy poke their heads in. Tommy grins, immediately noticing the ring on her finger. Slightly confused having missed the small but important detail, Buck stutters, “Sorry, Carla told us she’s awake. Are-are we interrupting something? We can come back later.” 

Tommy pushes past his boyfriend and makes his way to (Y/N)’s right side, making eye contact with Eddie, “I told you she would. Does your leg feel better without that hole burning in your pocket?” 

Eddie nods, laughing as identical looks of confusion settle on (Y/N) and Buck’s faces as Buck paces over to Tommy’s side. Eddie looks down at her, “I showed it to him earlier.”  

Understanding replaces her confusion but Buck is still lost, “What hole? Showed who what? I’m so confused.” (Y/N) holds her hand up to Buck showing off her ring. He gasps for words as excitement floods his entire body and he takes her hand in his to inspect it. None of them notice as the doctor stops in the open doorway, observes what is happening, and then immediately makes his way to the waiting room. After a minute or so, Buck’s face drops to disappointment as he looks up at Eddie and Tommy, letting go of her hand, “I kinda wanted to help pick it out...” Tommy pats his head before wrapping his arm around his waist.  

Eddie shakes his head chuckling, “Do you not recognize it? You were so damn sure she’d like it that you bruised my arm to get my attention.”  

It takes a few seconds but realization finally smacks across his face as he gasps, “This is that ring?”  

Eddie nods as (Y/N) who is admiring the ring confirms, “He wasn’t wrong. I love it.” Everyone smiles as Eddie kisses the top of her head. Before anyone can say anything else, the door opens and their friends and family flood in. Everyone gushes over the ring, offers the couple their congratulations, and states how glad they are that (Y/N) is okay.

Talia takes a seat on the edge of the bed to (Y/N)’s right, “The doctor had to step out of the way of the stampede after he told us you had a ring on that you weren’t admitted with.” (Y/N) laughs, barely able to spot the doctor in the doorway through the crowd of friends and family. She gives him a thumbs up and he nods with a smile as he returns to his rounds.  

She looks to Talia and takes her hand in her own but before she can say it, Talia assures, “I know what you’re gonna say. Eddie already did.” (Y/N) looks to Eddie who is locked in a tight hug from Bobby with a smile on his face that is bigger than she’s ever seen. Talia leans over to whisper in her ear, “You weren’t kidding when you said Tommy is wrapped around Buck’s finger.” As (Y/N) turns back to look at Talia, she spots Tommy who is wrapped around Buck from behind. Both are smiling brightly as Buck and Maddie are already discussing bachelor party plans.  

“They’re next, I’m calling it now,” (Y/N) tells Talia who laughs loudly. Their hands stay locked together as (Y/N) looks back to Eddie who now has an arm around Christopher’s shoulders as they chat excitedly with Carla. Carla notices her looking and nods in her direction as she shoves the two toward her. Eddie takes the hand she offers him and Chris climbs up to sit beside her. An hour or so passes before a nurse squeezes through the crowded hospital room. She smiles at (Y/N) before proceeding to check her vitals and give her fresh bandages. Only when (Y/N) is nodding off and very obviously struggling to stay awake does everyone wish her well, promise they’ll visit again later, and head home. Soon, the only ones left are her boys. She kisses the top of Christopher’s head as she notices he has fallen asleep carefully tucked into her side. She pats the right side of the bed for Eddie to join her. The three of them have to scoot in real close to fit on the hospital bed but after the week she’s had, she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

More 911

Main Masterlist

[starluvsx]

★𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭

𝐒𝐭���𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 𖦹 𝐏!𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤

proofread:YUPPP

word count:1.4K

WARNINGS:swearing?thats rlly it

A/N:i wanna do more headannons and stuff like this.this was rlly cute and fun to write.also I look wish the baby project was like a thing at my school but we don't even got working lights in some of the bathrooms soooo.

nick

you guys turned to each other as soon as the teacher said you could choose parameters

y'all were so convinced you would be great at taking care of the kid

you were wrong

You guys didn’t know you were supposed to change the baby until one of your friends told you

the first night nick took the baby too his house and left it on the kitchen table for six hours

he didn't realize he left it there till his mom came home from work and heard crying

you left it in your backpack twice

people said you were starting to look like an actual mom because of how stressed you were over this robot baby

almost set the bay on fire then you guys were trying to make pancakes

"so then I told her I was like why the fuck would you-"you began before you realized neither of you had the baby.you looked around before seeing the babies head dangerously close to the fire coming from under the pan in the stove. "Nick oh my gosh!"you said as you shot up from your seat at the table, grabbing the plastic baby from the counter. “you almost killed her!"you dramatically said as you cradled the baby, touching it's now warm head lightly.you didn't let him touch the baby for the next 2 days.

"y/n I have to hold the baby eventually,I don't wanna fail."He tried to negotiate a few days later.

"only if you promise not to put my baby's head near an open flame again."you asked him to do while rocking the baby.

"bitch im not gonna burn your baby."he joked, making the two of you laugh.you then handed him the baby, still smiling at your best friend's stupid joke. as soon as the baby was in his arms though it began to cry and wail. "Actually you can have your baby back"he said before handing it back to you jokingly.his gesture made the both of you laugh even more.

you guys got a C+, partly because some of the babies' hair was a little burnt.

Matt

treated that baby as if it was real.

literally named it Issac

set timers for every time he had to feed it and change it

The baby had a built-in voice box to make him laugh so he loved to make it laugh and giggle.

wouldn't let the kid go

had to stay on the phone with you on the nights you kept the baby

like the whole night

there was one time where you forgot to feed the baby and he literally freaked out

on the last week of the project he realized he didn't wanna give the baby back

you were already done with it though

everyone at school said you guys were like actual parents by the end of it

you didn't even realize how attached he was to the baby until you walked in on him sleeping cuddled ups that the baby

your phone rang from inside your pocket.the gas station you worked at was empty at the moment so you didn't hesitate to answer it. "Matt" read the caller id, confusing you because he knew you were at work but you still picked it up nonetheless. "Hey baby."he said into the phone.

"hi matt, what’s up,i’m at working right now so I can't talk for long" you explained as you saw a car pull into the parking lot.the headlights standing out in the darkness

"Well i was just wondering if you wanted to come over after your shift, i got some snacks but nobody to share em with." he asked cheekily though the phone.the people from outside stepped into the gas stations mom and her daughter.you laughed at his slyness until faint baby cries in the background.

"Is that isaac?did you forget to feed him?''you asked worriedly through the phone.the mom and her daughter looked at you confused as your young face was talking, presumably, about her baby.

"No I just have to change him" he explained through the phone.shuffling could be heard from the other line before you could say anymore.matt letting out a dad like groan while getting up made you smile to yourself.

"ok yea i'll come over in a little, probably like 9:30, is that okay?"you asked through the

phone.he mumbled a small 'yea thats fine' before we said 'I love you's and 'goodbye's and hung up.the lady and her kid coming up to the register once I put my phone in my pocket.

later

I let myself into the house and was greeted with Mary Lou and Nick watching a movie in the living room. "Hey guys,"I said sweetly, smiling and waving at the pair. They greeted me the same way before I asked "is Matt in his room?"

"Mhm" Mary Lou hummed. I walked down the hall till I made it into his room.i knocked on the door before opening in slowly.i was met with matt sleeping soundly,plastic baby cuddled up to his chest.i giggled a little before taking out my phone to take a picture.

Once I snapped the picture I tapped him on the shoulder lightly to not scare him.he fluttered his eyes open and looked at me tiredly. "oh hey babe" he mumbled out while sitting up and looking around wearily. "Was I cuddling with the baby?" he asked,confused at the doll that was in his now unraveled arm.

"yea you were"I laughed out before moving the 'baby' and climbing into bed with him.

"I was wishing it was you"he said as he pulled closer to him.the little comment making me laugh lightly.

I turned my body to face him before asking "so where are the snacks?" which made him

reach over to his bedside table and grab some chips, candy and 2 sodas.

"right here"he said while smiling and kissing me on the cheek.

you guys got an a+ on the project and your teacher even said you would be “perfect parents one day"

Chris

he actually asked you to be his partner instead of it being the other way around

It was way more stressful than you guys thought it would be

First you guys lost the bottle for a whole day

Literally looked up and down to find it but you just actually could not.

Turns out Chris left it in his locker

He def posts pictures of him and the baby with captions and stuff saying “ me and @youruser babyyyy” and “I think she looks more like me but idk” on instagram and snap

Was actually a very good parent despite thinking he wouldn't be

Dropped the baby like twice though

He also bought like little clothes for the baby so she wasn’t just walking around nakedly

you were so confused when he brought them home

when he would play video games you would tease him and ask him to "not swear in front of the child"

both of you ended up very emotionally attached to the kid

was very committed to being an actual dad after the fact

you guys were tired.watching a movie in chris' bed after a long day at school wasn't the best idea for staying awake.but while you were very tapped into the movie, you could also simultaneously feel his eyes boring into you.you didn't know why but also didn't think much of it.he's always been a bit of a starer.

you decided to continue focusing on the movie until it was abruptly paused. "hey why'd you do that?"you questioned.looking over at the boy who had been looking at you most of the night.

"Wanna have a kid?"he asked.the question leaving you stunned and confused at the sudden idea.kids had always been a possibility in both of your minds but it never something that could manifest into a real physical thing.

"Right now, like at this age?"you asked him to clarify.

"well now, in a years, five years, i don't really care"chris answered

"definitely not now, maybe when we're older with a house, a steady paycheck and you know, a high school diploma."you attempted to explain.

"I can't wait that longggg."he whined

"Well I definitely can,"you sassed. "Now turn the movie back on, I wanna see how this ends."

"probably with them having a baby."he joked under his breath as he reached for the remote to do what you asked

"chris you've seen this movie before you know how it ends"

[urfavlarry]

You’re so annoying!

Barron x reader

warnings: swearing, mentions of sm0king/ciggar3ttes, fights, blood, bruises

A/N: Barron doesn’t bully Logan in this AU, he’s just someone most kids at school fear and don’t mess with him because of his short temper :3

｡ ⋆ ⋆ ˚｡⋆ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆ ⋆ ˚⋆⋆ ｡

╰┈➤ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ 🚬 ɞ˚‧｡⋆

You’ve been working at the local gas station for a few months now, teens coming in and out of the store since the store had the most cheap snacks and drinks, and of course gas, which attracted the adults. A frequent visitor was a boy named Barron. He was a year to older then you, but you knew him since he played on the schools baseball team and was known to be a pretty short tempered guy. He got into fights often, most kids being scared of him so nobody really messed with him. One incident made the adults fear him as well, you seeing it with your own eyes. You were just working after school like usual, putting the money someone payed with in the cash register when Barron came in. You couldn’t help but stare every time. Most people would think you’re crazy for liking the most feared boy in school, but he was just so perfect! Well, not that perfect. He usualy came to the gas station and kept annoying you with stupid pranks, sometimes even stealing some cash from the register which you had to put back from your own allowance. You couldn’t stand those pranks, but you believe he was nice if you got to know him a bit more. Anyways back to the story! He came in with his friends, getting the usual, cigarettes and some energy drinks when some man in his late 40s came in. He looked pretty annoyed, something seemingly bothering him. Barron payed for the stuff, sending you a quick wink and left, well at least wanted to.

The man crashed into him making him spill his drink and his cigarettes getting wet, making them literally useless. You knew shit was about to go down so you eyed his friends and motioned them to stop the fight, which they weren’t quick enough to do. They managed to get him off but the man didn’t leave without a bleeding nose and a black eye. Everyone in that store spread the word so from then on, when someone saw him entering the shop they kept their distance or waited until he left.

A few months later, which was now, you were waiting for Barron to show up. He usually came her on the weekend and sometimes on Fridays and Wednesdays around 3-4pm. Today he came with only 2 friends, which was unusual since he mostly came with a big group of friends. You didn’t really care that much tho, continuing your job and told the weird 12 year olds to leave for the 100th time this week after trying to buy alcohol and cigarettes. You sighed, just wishing for your shift to be over when you hear snickering. You see two of Barrons friends in the snack isle, but Barron was no where to be seen. You suddenly get grabbed by the waist, making you jump and squeak, since your sides were quite ticklish. You heard laughter in your ear, getting pulled into someone’s chest, that someone being Barron. “Your reactions get better and better every time doll~.” He says and walks in front of the cash register, putting the usual energy drink on the counter. You huff, rolling your eyes and scan it. “1.32$” You say, trying to keep the conversation as short as possible. He pretend to get the money from his pocket and then smirks. “Aww, must have forgotten my money. Mind if I may in another way?” He asks and yous shrug. “Whatever, just leave.. You’re so fucking annoying.” He slips a note down on the counter and grabs the drink, sending you an air kiss. “See you soon, angel.” He walks out with his friends, disappearing into the distance. You put the note in your pocket and continue working.

Finally after a few more hours you finish your shift, switching places with another girl a few years older then you. You finally open the note after changing from your work clothes. You walk home, opening the note along the way. It wasn’t anything really romantic, but it was sweet.

“ Date, tommorow 5pm at the lake ? Bring your cute smile with you <3 “

Yes. No.

“What a cheesy asshole.” You think to yourself, smiling at the note. You circle the yes after finally getting home, doing homework and get ready for bed.

After waking up and getting ready for school, you take the bus and slip the note into Barrons locker. You walk to your first class which was math, how boring. After school you went home, noticing Barron smiling at you when you walked down the hall, which you did back. Maybe he wouldn’t be so bad after all. You got ready for the date, changing into [clothes of your choice] and walk down the hall and put on your shoes. You grab your keys and phone, some money and walk to the lake. You had to take the bus which would take 10 minutes and walk another 15 minutes to the lake from there. When you finally get there you notice your a few minutes late and see a very dissapointed looking Barron. You walk behind him, sneaking up on him and cover his eyes, making him jump. “Guess who~” You tease and he chuckles, grabbing your arms and spins you around. “I thought you ditched me for a sec.” He says and grabs your hand, interwining your fingers. You slowly walk towards the lake, walking along it to a picnic table. It had flowers on it, along with a gift. You smile st the gesture, watching how he carefully takes the two things in hand and slowly aproaches you.

“Y/N L/N. I’ve admired you for some time now, I know I haven’t been the best at showing it and i’m not great with words either so i’ll try to keep this ‘speech’ as short as possible. I love you, like a lot. I can’t describe how hard i’ve fallen for you and I finally wanted to have you be mine. Not as an object, something I can throw away, but as a person that I can love with my whole heart. Yeah okay that was cheesy sorry I tried.” He rambles, handing you the things which you gladly accept, embracing him in a embrace. “I love you too.. maybe you aren’t so annoying after all.”

｡ ⋆ ⋆ ˚｡⋆ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆ ⋆ ˚⋆⋆ ｡

╰┈➤ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ 🚬 ɞ˚‧｡⋆

[tearfallpixie]

Soulmate Necklace - Chapter 1: Finding You

Tags: @nerdraging4point0 @thesazzb @synthetic-wasp-570 @circle-with-me @beaker1636 @itsjustemily @witchyweeb34 @agravemisstake @cookiesupplier @cncohshit @faceless-mirror @nonamessblog @yournecessaryevil @black-damask1999

@lyschko666 @vinyardmauro @skulliecadaver-blog @some-daniela @latenightmusiclover @rye14-blog1 @somewhere-diamond @Shilohrosechicken @abiomens @awkwardalex @rumoured-whispers @miss570 @dominuslunae @th0ughts-pr4yers

I was sitting in the drab doctor’s office waiting for the nurse to return with my necklace, the dread rising in my bones. The government had issued a statement that they had completed research on a soulmate project and made the decision that everyone was to report to their local doctors office to get assigned their necklace. No exceptions. The necklaces were supposed to be a perfect match of your soulmates and when you saw them it made it easier to identify. This was some fucked up way to combat underpopulation or some shit and was met with a lot of push back.

“Here we go, Miss Scarlet. Your blood work came back and the necklace took a bit to process but we have it.” She held up a chain with a single silver skeleton key on it. It had a heart for the hole on the top and hung on a simple silver chain. The necklaces were also designed so that it was impossible for you to remove so there was no visible clasp. “I just need to place it on and you are good to go.” I nodded and turned my back to her as she hooked it around my neck. “You’re a quiet one, aren’t you?”

“No. I just think this whole process is fucked up.” I mumbled.

“I’m sorry sweetie. I think it is too. I’m lucky that I was married before it got put into place.” That was the downside to this. If you were already married prior to the law being put in place you didn’t have to get a necklace however there was no exception for the people in relationships or the lgbt community. Even if you were engaged to the opposite sex you, you had to fight your reasoning for staying together. “I’m done. You are good to go.” I nodded my thanks and jumped off the counter before walking out. I made my way home to where my roommate, Elara, was sniffling on the couch.

“Hey, what's wrong?” I murmured, pulling her into my arms, my previous woes disappearing to the back of my brain.

“H-he broke up with me.” She sobbed. Her boyfriend Zach had been a total tool so I wasn’t upset by it but I held her close and hugged her tightly. “H-his soulmate is that bitch, Makenzie.”

“I’m so sorry sweetie.” I whispered. “She’s the one he cheated on you with isn't she?” She nodded weakly.

“W-we were supposed to go see Motionless in White tonight and now I’m stuck with this extra ticket.” She grumbled, chucking her phone across the room.

“I can go with you. They are your favorite band so I don’t want you to miss them because of some asshole.” I offered and her eyes lit up.

“You would do that?” She exclaimed, sitting up. I nodded and felt myself being pulled into a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She rambled.

“Of course. Let's get ready. That concert is worth fighting for the barrier.”

“We need to be on Ricky’s side. I love him. Though I am a Vinny girl through and through.” She gushed, fiddling with her necklace. It was two triangles pointed at each other with a line through the bottom one, so it looked like an hourglass.

“Vinny is the drummer right?” I asked.

“Yes! Ok, so, we need you to get caught up.” She pulled out her phone and started showing me all the pictures she had on her phone of the band. The one she said was Ricky caught my attention and I couldn’t deny that he was hot as sin.

About an hour later we were dressed and ready to go to the concert. It was about 1pm so we would arrive at the venue at about 2:30. Not many people were there when we pulled up which was nice and we ended up getting a spot at the front of the line. We had brought snacks and games to entertain us for the afternoon and soon we had an entire group of girls playing cards with us.

“When we get inside lets get our spot first and then we can go get drinks or anything that we want.” I agreed and brushed myself off as the security opened the door. We got in relatively quickly and managed to weasel our way to the barrier on Ricky’s side of the stage. “God I can't believe we will be right next to him.” Elara squealed. Watching her gush over the concert actually made me start getting excited. “Ok, I’m going to go get drinks. I’ll grab you one, just hold our spot and I’ll be back.” She was gone for about 30 minutes and when she returned she had brought us both a can of beer. “Here we are!”

“Thank you! I’m actually excited to see them perform. You hooked me.” I giggled.

“Only took two years.” She teased me. The first band came out and we watched as they sang through their set list and danced around the stage. They weren’t exactly our type of music but we did enjoy the show they put on. There was another 30 minute break as they tore down and set up Motionless in White's stage. Vinny, the drummer, was the first to come on stage and the crowd went wild,  Elara letting out a noise between a scream and a sob when he looked our way.

“You are pathetic.” I nudged her playfully. Justin and Ryan were next causing another round of screaming from the crowd.  Ricky was next one onstage and the moment I saw him my breath caught in my throat. He was more beautiful in person and I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. He was messing with his guitar but the moment he got far enough on stage it was as if he noticed something. His eyes snapped up and scanned the crowd until they landed on me. He stared at me for a moment until I noticed it wasn’t me he was staring at, it was my necklace. I cocked my head and he quickly looked away with a frown.

“What was that about?” Elara asked.

“I don’t know.” I whispered, still staring at the retreating guitarist. Finally Chirs came on stage and waved to the crowd as he started singing Meltdown. We ignored the strangeness of the guitarist and danced the songs away. They sang through 7 songs before Chris spoke.

“Man you guys are insane tonight. How are you guys?” There was a resounding scream from the crowd making the singer grin. “Well are you guys ready to hear the heaviest fucking song we’ve ever written?” After letting the audience calm down once more he started the Intro to Slaughterhouse. Ricky stepped up on his platform right in front of me and started his signature headbanging that I had noticed that he always did. What caught my eye though was that his necklace that he was wearing slipped free and as he stood up I noticed the shape of a very familiar key.

“Scar, is that your-“ I nodded wordlessly. Ricky glanced over and saw my shocked face, immediately looking down and glaring at his chest. He quickly put his key back under his shirt and tossed me his pick before moving away. I glanced at the pick before slipping it in my pocket and turning back to the stage. “What are you going to do?” Elara asked.

“I don’t know.” The rest of the concert was a blur and I barely registered it. The last song came on and it was Scoring the End of the World. I had listened to that one a few times so I knew that Ricky had a part at the end that he sang butI felt like my emotions were so out of control at that moment and I wanted to cry. I almost begged Elara to leave but they started tossing pics and drumsticks to the crowd as they said their goodbyes. Vinny came over to our side of the stage and tossed a stick out that Elara caught. Vinny grinned and waved until his eyes trailed down. His eyes immediately went wide and he knelt down to whisper something to the security guard before pointing to Elara. The security guard nodded and motioned for her to come past the barrier. I followed her due to her death grip on my wrist and we were both led back to the green room.

“Holy shit. Does this mean what I think it means?” My best friend exclaimed. I pulled her over to the couch and we sat down to wait for the boys to get back. 

“I don’t know. I just really don’t want to see Ricky right now.” I muttered. He made it obvious that he disliked me so I didn't want him to say it to my face.

“Why? He’s your soulmate!”

“Yeah, who doesn’t fucking want me.” I huffed. It was a few minutes later that they walked in and Vinny made a bee line for Elara. Ricky looked over and glared at me before coming over and getting into my face.

“Look, We may be soulmates but I don’t give a fuck. Ok? This whole thing is stupid and I don’t need some fucking science shit to tell me who I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with.” My jaw hung loose in shock and I didn’t know how to respond.

“Woah, Rick. Calm down.” Ryan pulled him back away from me and kept a grip on his arm.

“You know what Olson? I don’t fucking want you either. I’m just sorry I got stuck with you as a fucking soulmate.” I spat. I stormed out of the room but the singer Chris followed me.

“Hey, hey.” He grabbed my arm and turned me around. “Please don’t leave.”

“Why? He obviously doesn’t want me.” I snapped.

“Because I don’t need my guitarist ending up in jail because he ignored a government mandate. And I don’t think you want that either.” I went limp and dropped my head. That was the stupidest part of this soulmate necklace rule was that if you refused to be with your soulmate then you get thrown in jail until you agreed to go through with it. “Look, Ricky is a stubborn knucklehead sometimes that gets too into his projects and ignores the world. But once you get to know him, he is the most loyal, caring and kind friend that you could ever ask for. He’ll come around but you can’t leave.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do?” I asked, glancing up at the purple haired singer.

“Tour with us. You’ll be in his vicinity, and he’ll have to at least get used to you. It’s not perfect but it's enough to make the feds think you are together. People saw you; they saw your necklace. You two just have to pretend for the cameras and behind the scenes you two can hate each other all you want.”

“I can't just up and leave my photography job.” I huffed.

“We’ll hire you as the personal Motionless photographer. It's something you have in common already.” I glanced up at the singer and sighed with a nod. “Thank you.”

[ughgoaway]

home for christmas // day 11

content warnings; swearing, weed and just general anxiety lol

a/n; omg the second to last fic already!! (if we ignore the 2 I haven't finished from past days...) anyway when it's a flashback the text is in italic, I hope it's clear what's happening lol <3

word count; 1.9k

(this fic takes place after they've gotten together)

12 days masterlist

✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿✿❀✿

“Darling, you've got everything, don't worry” Matty assures you as he locks the front door and grabs the bags from your hands, refusing to let you carry them. 

“Are you sure we have your mum's gift?” You ask chewing on your lip anxiously.

“Yes, we-”

“What about Lincoln’s gift? Do we have that, too?” you say, interrupting Matty and chasing after him as he walks down the concrete stairs to the car.

He pauses where he stands, drops the bags, and pulls you in. Wrapping his arms around your waist, Matty starts to speak but stops himself. One hand slides from your waist up to your lip and pulls it out from between your teeth.

As his hand slides back, he begins to reassure you, “My darling, we have absolutely everything. We’ve also got Louis present packed, annies ready in the car, and buzzing to see her nanny. You’ll be fine, okay? There’s no need to panic.” he gently smiles and pulls you closer. Instinctively, you burrow your head in his neck and breathe him in, matty smiles and presses a kiss to your temple.

“Sorry. First Christmas as a couple with your mum just has me panicking a little. But you're totally right, it's fine.” You mumble into Matty's jumper. Eventually, you pull your head back and shoot Matty a nervous smile. Reluctantly, you both pull away and finish your walk to the car.

“Are you excited, Annie?” You ask, reaching back and ticking her stomach lightly. You can't help the massive smile that fills your face at her excited giggles. She weakly slaps your hand away as she laughs.

As you get in, you immediately spin around to look at Annie in the back. She's sitting in her car seat with the happiest look on her face. ready with a poorly wrapped present gripped in her hands, the one she had made ready for Denise.

She insisted on wrapping it herself and wanted to keep it with her the whole journey, just to make sure it arrived safe. Next to her was a little lunchbox filled with snacks for the journey. You could tell Matty had been stuck with a screaming child in the back of his car on this trip far too many times to not be prepared.

//////////

She nods assuredly, “So excited! And im gonna stay awake the whole time to talk to you and Daddy.” she says confidently.

Despite it being 7 a.m., she was filled with enough energy to power your journey back to manchester, so you almost believed her.

Not even 1 hour later, Annie's gentle snores could be heard from the front of the car. You shot Matty a fond look, and he was already grinning to himself.

“Ooh she almost made it to an hour this time, a new record!” he joked, flicking his eyes up to the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of his sleeping daughter. You watched his eyes light up as he looked at her. He stared at her as long as he could, but soon enough, the road demanded his attention.

Every other time he’d brought a girlfriend home he was wracked with nervousness, chewing at the skin around his nails, and quizzing her on facts about his family before they arrived. But he knew it would work with you. It always just worked with you. 

In his peripheral vision, Matty couldn't help but notice your jiggling legs. Clearly, you were still filled with nerves about spending your first Christmas with his family.

But Matty couldn't be less anxious if he tried.

Denise saw how Matty looked at you that night at the nativity play. She saw the light in her son's eyes as you spoke. She knew it was over for him the second they walked into that room, and all he did was seek you out. So she already loved you. If you made her son that happy; how could she not?

But Matty sympathised with your nerves. He decided there was only one way to really calm you down. It was time to bring out the embarrassing teenage stories, the first of many you would hear this Christmas, he's sure.

“I’m gonna tell you a story to try and calm you down, okay, sweetheart?” Matty said softly, moving his hand from the gear, resting it on your shaking thigh in an effort to stop your bouncing leg.

You look over at him with pinched eyebrows, “Okay..” You start suspiciously, “What kind of story?” Your hand slides over his on your thigh, and you intertwine your fingers without a second thought. 

“Ah now you have to promise to not laugh at me or hate me afterwards, yeah?” he says with a sly smirk on his face. Snapping his head between you and the road, Matty waits for your tentative nod to continue. 

“Okay, so this is the story of the very worst Christmas of my life, just so you realise there's nothing you could do to fuck it up worse than this.” Matty squeezed your hand as he finished in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture.

“Cmon, how bad could it be?” You say innocently,

“Well, it was the first time my mum found out I was smoking weed, so needless to say it wasn't great”

/////////

Freshly baked gingerbread sat on the kitchen side, underneath it, a decorative Christmas blanket embroidered with each name of the Healy family. 

“Boys! Gingerbread!” Denise shouts up the stairs, midday on Christmas meant it was time for both her boys to run off to their rooms and use all their new gifts, Denise has been hearing the strumming of Matty’s new guitar all day.

Matty comes tumbling down the stairs, obviously excited at the prospect of freshly baked cookies. He takes in the living room, which his mum had been cleaning in preparation for visitors later. The Christmas tree sat in the corner, covered in a mixture of homemade decorations and ornate ornaments.

It was Louis job at the tinsel, so it was a bit haphazard, but he's pretty sure his mum adjusted it once Louis walked far enough away. Warm lights string around the room and the tree, creating that Christmas arua his mum strived for. Finally, sitting atop the tree was a slightly wonky angel, put on by Louis as Matty held him up. Denise didn't have the heart to adjust that one.

Right now, all the lights just looked hazy to Matty. Maybe it was the christmas spirit! or maybe it's because he was stoned out of his mind..

Ross had hooked him up with some nice stuff for Christmas, and Matty had decided what better time to smoke it than just before Christmas dinner. Just as the munchies kicked in, Matty could swoop in and eat his weight in turkey and stuffing. Then he would go up to his room and fall asleep in a food coma, overall a very solid plan.

He didn't, however, factor in his mum's early baking mixed with his lowered inhibitions. He also forgot to factor in his mum wasn't an idiot and when he came down stinking of weed with red eyes, she would connect the dots.

Just as he was reaching for a gingerbread man, he felt his hand get slapped away, and Denise snatched his wrist. She pulled him in and grabbed his face between her hands, smooshing his cheeks as she did. 

Of course, hearing that also sent his dad running in from the sofa, a newspaper still in hand. And soon enough, both his parents were standing in front of him with their hands on their hips, waiting for an answer.

Matty simply smiled a dopey smile at her, his red eyes blinked heavily as he looked at her face. But before long, that grin was wiped clean off.

“MATTHEW HEALY. ARE YOU HIGH RIGHT NOW!” his mother shrieked out.

Shit.

Matty weighed up his options; is he honest about being high and risks his mum never speaking to him again, or does he try and figure out a way to lie and hopefully get away with it? I

f he gets caught lying, he's sure he won't be alive to see next Christmas, but if he gets away with it, then he can happily go back up to his room and finish his zoot.

Apparently, his stilted silence and shifty eyes answered any question his parents could've had. Pretty soon, he felt the wallop of a rolled-up newspaper on the top of his head.

As he tries to way his options, the smell of gingerbread is the only thing on his mind, the munchies kicking in earlier than he thought. The warm spices fill his nostrils as he imagines the feeling of biting into a warm soft biscuit. 

///////////////

“Oh my god! What happened after that?” you asked laughing in disbelief, sure you knew young Matty would've been a twat but god you wouldn't have guessed something that stupid.

“Well needless to say that Christmas was ruined. My dad shouted at me for a good 15 minutes, you know the usual parent stuff. The dangers of illegal drugs, the addictive nature, how bad smoking is for your lungs all of that. But the real kicker was my mum.” Matty said, glancing over at you, the wicked smile he had whilst telling the story had dropped into a sort of sad but fond one.

Matty lightly giggles at your response, “No no, that was the worst part. She did nothing. She didn't go mental, she didn't threaten to kill me or Ross. She simply stood by my dad until he finished, shook her head, and walked away. In total silence.” Matty flicked his eyes over to you only to see you with your mouth dropped open. 

“What did she take away your new guitar or something?” You ask, sitting up in anticipation of Denise’s response. You knew she was a fiery woman, so you were expecting the worst.

“ooh or did she ban you from seeing Ross? You didn't dob him in, did you?” You gasped at the scandal that was unfolding before you. 

A few seconds of silence fill the car before you say, “Well… karma is a bitch I suppose” with a shrug. Matty can't help but burst out laughing at your blase reaction. 

“Too right it is sweetheart. But you'll be happy to know she got her own back soon enough. She found my stash in my room, and instead of just taking it, she swapped it out for oregano. The next time George and I tried to get stoned, we were sorely disappointed.” Matty chuckles as he remembers his mum's petty antics. 

“But yeah, obviously I still smoked weed after that, but I always made sure to at least try and cover it up” Matty recounted as if he was doing his parents a favour. 

You can't help but roll your eyes at his response, “oh how chivalrous of you Matthew” you sarcastically say, lightly pushing at his shoulder. 

“Hey! At least I wasn't ruining her house with the stench of weed anymore. Although that was particularly good weed from memory… I wonder if Ross remembers where he got it from?” Just as he was mulling over the idea of phoning Ross, Matty heard the worst thing he could possibly imagine. 

A small voice piped up from the back and simply said, “Daddy, what's weed?”

Fuck. 

[warmaidensrevenge]

It's not a never

Pairing: Eddie x friend!fem plus size reader

A/N: Hi! So I lied. This is gonna be a three part series. I was getting a little carried away with everything I wanted to put in this fic. So that pushed it out to one more part. Tonight's part is basically filler. Just a heads up this is a slow burn. So if you don't like that kind of fic, this one is not for you. Anyways, thanks for reading. As always love ya. Byyyyeeeee

I do not give permission for my work to be posted anywhere else. Please respect all creators. Also, all pictures and songs are from a Google search and found on Spotify. A credit to original posters and artists. Thank you for your work.

Word count: 3,230

Warnings: 18+ no minors please. Language, angst, pinning, slow burn, slight fluff and not proof read.

Summary: A trip to be remembered and a confession that leaves Eddie puzzled.

Part 2

Bags were packed and loaded. Snacks and drinks were bought. A Ziploc bag full with coins for tolls and a map were in Eddie's glove box. And hours of music were picked. All that was left was to wake up at the ass crack of dawn. 

This senior ditch day was going to be epic. Months and months of saving and scrimping was all going to be worth it. 3 days of total and complete freedom. The road trip of a lifetime. One last hurrah. Together. 

Only this was gonna be tough. Being in close quarters with you for 3 whole days. How was he gonna deal?

Lately he was doing pretty good at keeping his feelings at bay… well that wasn't true. You had left for a week after the senior outing to visit the college you got into.

He missed you more than ever. But over those few days, he reflected back on everything. Sure how he now felt about you came unexpectedly. Still, he never wanted to be with anyone more. Especially since he realized you were perfect for each other.

However if he decided to make a move, there was no certainty that you would be up for it. Also, what would it do to the friendship? You guys had been friends way too long. It would be awkward. 

So he chose to push all that he felt away and enjoy this last trip with his friends.

… 

It was 4 am on Friday and everyone was ready to hit the road. You had just hopped in the passenger seat with a huge thermos of coffee. 

“ Sorry. Thy birth giver wanted to pray for safe travels and a safe return.”

Eddie smiled. “ Welp, hopefully one of the pagan gods heard her.”

You turned around and offered up some coffee and donuts to everyone. When you turned back, you pulled out the map.

“ Okay Eddie. Please for the love of all that is holy. Please don't kill us.”

He chuckled. “ Ye have little faith kid.”

You rolled your eyes and took a bite of a donut and pointed forward. “ Let's do this.”

Everyone whooped and hollard. “New York! Here we come!”

-

3 hours later

“Oh crap! Munson please!” Jeff whimpered.

Gareth backed away a little. “ Man oh man. I told you not to have that second cup of coffee.” 

Eddie shook his head while you were laughing your butt off.

“ Calm down.” He said. “ The next gas station in 3 miles out.”

“ I-I don't think I- I can hold it!” Jeff stammered.

“ YOU BETTER!” Grant yelled.

You turned around. “ Guy, guys guys!” It's gonna be fine. Jeffrey. 2 ½ minutes. You can do this. Just squeeze.” 

You looked back at Eddie and just grinned away. All he could think about was how nice your eyes looked. 

As soon as he pulled into the parking lot, Jeff kicked open the back door and ran into the store.

Once Eddie turned off the engine everyone sat there quietly for a few seconds before laughing like crazy.

When it died down you guys got off to move your legs around.

Eddie went to fill up while the other guys went to see about some real breakfast. 

He had just put in the gas nozzle and turned to find you doing toe touches.

He shouldn't have done it, but he did. He checked you out. Loving how your leggings hugged your round bottom. How beautifully wide your hips were.

When you stood back up you walked towards him.

“ Eddie? Can you pop my back?”

He nodded and took a step closer to you. “ Turn around and cross your arms around your chest.”

Once you did as you were instructed, he stepped behind you and wrapped his arms around you. He then took a deep inhale in and caught a whiff of your shampoo. He instantly got goose flesh. 

Stop it! He told himself.

After lifting you up for a second, he quickly put you back down. Your bottom brushed his lower half in the process. 

Fuck!

His hands fell down to your hips. He mentally had to tell himself to not pull you to him.

“ W-was that okay?” He nervously asked.

You turned around and nodded. Bodies only inches apart.

“ So much better. Thank you.”

He stared at your lips as you spoke. Were they always so full? They definitely looked incredibly soft.

“ G-good.” He stuttered as he kept looking at your mouth and thinking.

“Eddie? You okay? Do I have something in my teeth?”

“ Hmm?” He met your gaze. “ Yeah. No. Yeah. You're good. I just ummm…sorry I was just trying to decide if I should take a leak.” 

“ Alright dude." You held up your hand. " Too much info. Go, I'll finish pumping.” 

With that said he practically ran away. Rushing into the first stall that was empty. While sighing deeply he cursed himself. He really wanted to kiss you.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a god awful stench.

“ UGH! Jeff what the hell man?! Ever heard of a courtesy flush?”

“ S-sorry man.”

…

Eddie smiled when he saw the buildings in the distance. He looked at you and your eyes were so big. 

“ Guys look! We're almost there.” You said excitedly. 

Gareth moved between you and him. “ Awwwww yeah baby. Just think, in a couple of weeks we're moving here.”

Eddie caught a sad look on your face. He knew how bad you wanted to go to Columbia. To be close to them while they followed their dreams to be rockstars. But things didn't work out. Instead, you were going to a college on the west coast. 

It was a good school. Everyone knew that. It had a great biology and geology department. Something you were excited about. Still, you were scared because you didn't know anyone there. Everyone you knew and loved would be on the other side of the country.

That's why Eddie understood the sad face. He remembered conversations he had with you about it. He remembered wiping away your tears as you told him about your rejection from Columbia. And though he was the one to talk you into getting some California sun, he now realized he didn't want you to go either.

He tapped your knee and started writing.

‘ okay?’

You peered out the front windshield and slightly shook your head. Then you put your hand on his and squeezed it gently. Letting him know you would be fine. 

He knew you would be. You were awesome and you would make friends easily. It's just now he didn't know if he would be okay without you.

…

You put your finger against your lips.“ Shhhh! Guys I know you're freaking out, but I need you to trust me.”

Everyone was following you down these concrete hallways for a good 5 minutes now. After checking into the hotel and getting food, they had all found themselves sneaking into a building.

Jeff was the first to doubt you. But as soon as a security officer came close to catching you guys, everyone tried to convince you to turn back.

Eddie looked into your eyes and nodded. “ Okay.” He whispered. “ If we go to jail, it better be worth it.”

You held out your hand for him. “ It will be. I promise.”

Your hand was everything he thought it would be. Soft, warm and fit perfectly in his. He swore he would follow you anywhere if it meant that he could hold your hand. 

Once you guys were finally in the spot, you told them to stay put. When you let go of his hand, he now felt like a part of him was missing. 

You were only gone for a second. But in those few moments they had all realized where they snuck into.

Eddie was speechless. There were absolutely no words that could describe how he felt. 

A few spot lights turned on. Pointing directly in the middle of a huge stage.

You returned on top of it. “ So?”

“ Shit!” They all said in unison.

You gave them a huge smile. “ I know right? Obviously you guys can't perform or anything like that. But I wanted the first time you step foot in here, that it's with your biggest support. Cuz I know one day I'm going to be standing right there… screaming my head off.”

They looked at the spot where you pointed. It was right in front of the platform.

You locked eyes with him.“ So get up here and take it in.”

The guys looked at each other then ran to get up too. Once up there you asked for help getting down. You then watched them laugh and wrestle playfully.

“ Alright freaks!” You announced. “ Imagine this.  Every seat is full. And the floor is packed with bodies. All waiting for you.” 

They all stared at you after moving to their respective place. As if they're standing by their instruments.

“ The crowd is chanting. Corroded Coffin. Corroded Coffin….Then the lights go out. The ones that are sitting jump up and everyone screams in anticipation. But then... it goes silent…”

Eddie pictured everything. It was all him and the guys ever wanted.

“ Then they hear you.” You point at Gareth. “ Then you.” You looked at Jeff. “ Then of course you bud.” You nodded towards Grant. “ And finally the strum of a guitar along with oooooohhhhs and awwwws from you.”

Eddie finally had your eyes on him. And he knew right then and there that he was in love with you. It wasn't just a silly crush anymore. It was the real thing. The can't eat, can't sleep, the winning touchdown, the home run, the one in a lifetime love.

He loved you because you loved them. You believed in them. And the way you laid out the scene with so much conviction, it had him convinced that they were gonna make it too.

You smiled at him and continued. “ And while you blow off the roof of this place, the crowd sings and sways with you."

-

Later that night everyone settled into the shared room. Gareth and Jeff in one bed, Eddie and Grant on the sofa bed. And of course being the only female of the group they gave you your own bed.

Eddie has just come out of the shower to find everyone asleep. Except you. You weren't even in the room.

He looked at Grant who took up the whole bed and he sighed. Looked like he was gonna sleep on the floor. 

He waited a minute to see if you would come back but after about 5 minutes, he went to look for you.

You weren't far though. He found you sitting on the steps reading something.

“ Hey kid. Whatcha doin?”

You gave him a quick little smile before looking back at your book. “ Uhhhh nothing really. Just checking out courses.” 

He sat next to you and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Before he could light one you plucked it from his mouth.

“ No you promised. No smoking on this trip.”

He gave you a thin lip before taking back the smoke and returning it to the carton.

“ You really should quit. I don't want to see you end up with an oxygen tank.”

He put the pack back in his pocket. “ One day. I promise.”

You flipped a page. “ I'll keep you to that.”

You guys sat quiet. Listen to the bustle of the city. Eddie was trying to gather the courage to tell you how he felt. But he was scared. What if he took a leap of faith and it turned ugly? What if you did like him the way he liked you and things didn't work out? Or what if his confession lead to you guys not being friends anymore?

Doubt filled his thoughts. But then a bit of hope shined on him. What if it did work out? What if you guys made it past the long distance thing and were truly happy together? What if this love was meant to be?

“ Eddie?”

His inner rambling came to a halt. “ Y-yeah?”

You closed your book and started fidgeting with the corners. “ You know you're my best friend right?”

He softly cleared his throat. “ Yeah.”

“ And we always tell each other everything.”

He nodded. “ Yeah.”

You sighed a little. “ So you know that I have family out here….well my uncle actually works as a security guard at the garden. He worked tonight…he knew we were coming and he did me a solid…we wouldn't have gotten in trouble if we got caught.”

For a second there his heart sank. He thought you were gonna say that you liked him too. But then he smiled and wrapped his arms around you. 

“ I'm really gonna miss you.” He said softly.

You hug his waist. “ I think I'll miss you more.”

The hug lasted a minute or so, but it was the best damn hug he had ever had. And when you tried pulled away he hugged you tighter. Making you giggle. 

When he finally loosen his grip, you stared deeply into his eyes. The way you sat there, it was like your eyes were trying to tell him something your mouth couldn't. It was almost as if you were asking him to kiss you.

He was gonna go for it. He was gonna take that leap. However the second he leaned in you yawned. Pulling completely away from him so you wouldn't do it in his face.

“ Wow I'm beat. We should get some sleep. Big day in Time's Square tomorrow."

He frowned at the fleeding moment that seemed to be fate. 

“ Yeah you're probably right.” He conceded to it. “ You think you could lend me a pillow and that blanket you brought?”

You looked at him and raised a brow. Silently asking why?

“ Gonna crash on the floor. Grant's a bed hog.”

You laughed lightly and yawned again. “ No. You can sleep with me.”

His breath hitched in his throat while asking a shaky. “ W-what?”

You grinned and stood up, holding out your hand. “ Like when we were kids. If you're worried that I'll get handsy then we can make a pillow barrier.”

He chuckled. “ Maybe I like handsy.”

He regretted it as soon as it came out.

The silence that followed his comment nearly made him shit a brick. You stood there with an almost visible question mark above your head.

Shit! He thought. Shouldn't have said that.

You then shook your head and laughed. “ Stop being weird and take my hand.”

He practically wiped his brow and said whew before grabbing your hand. Allowing you to lead him back.

He laid there for a while thinking about all that happened. He couldn't believe he was gonna kiss you before telling you how he felt. That wasn't the guy he was. He always made sure he got consent. And with you it would be no different. All he had to do was get some real alone time with you so he can finally say something.

When we get home. He said to himself. 

He heard you sigh and felt you move a bit. Then he felt your arm sliding across his stomach. Without thinking he lifted his arm and gently pulled you closer. Slipping his arm under your head. 

Both of you sank further into the bed. He smiled and his last thought before falling asleep was how much he loved you.

…

The next day and a half was the best in his life. Exploring the city, eating the best pizza and getting some information about playing at clubs when they moved there. It was fantastic. 

Now it was time to head home and finish up the school year.

The drive seemed longer this time. More quiet. And he knew why. In exactly 2 weeks things were going to be different. Everyone was going to graduate and their adult lives were going to start. For a long time he couldn't wait to get the hell out of Hawkins. So did his friends. But now that it was happening, it was so hard to see the next chapter. Well with this little monster of love inside him.

When it was time to switch off. Jeff and Grant traded places with you and him.

You guys crawled in the back with the sleeping Gareth and tried to catch some z's. 

You leaned your head on his shoulder and started to hum a familiar tune. He put his hand on your knee and started tapping to the beat. He caught a small smile from you. 

“ Hey Jeff? Could you drop me off first when we get into town?” you asked.

“No problem.”

You went back to humming and Eddie was trying to figure out what exactly he was gonna say. Before he knew it he was sound asleep with you. 

Until he heard the vans break squeak to a stop. 

He opened his eyes and saw they were in front of your house. You had just opened the door and hopped out. 

Though he wanted this to be a private moment, it was now or never.

He sat up and followed you. “ I need a minute man.” He said to Jeff. “ Hold up kid. I'll help you.”

You tried to refuse his help in carrying your duffle bag, but he could see you were too tired to try.

You stoped on at your doorstep and reached for your bag. “ Thanks Eddie.”

He handed you the bag and took a deep breath. Just as you turned to open the door he said your name.

“ Yeah?”

His eyes fell to the ground as he rubbed the back of his neck. “ Uhhhh nevermind. I'll tell you later.”

You cleared your throat gently and took a step towards him. “ I hate when you do that.”

His gaze shot up to yours. “ D-do what?”

You put your free hand on your hip. “ When you look like you have something important to say then just brush it off…Just tell me because I'm gonna be up all night wondering what you wanted to say.”

He looked away and stood quiet for a few seconds. “ I-I’ve been acting different lately.”

“ I know.”

He met your eyes again. “ Yeah?”

You didn't say anything, but he knew that you did.

“ So I-” he cut off. Suddenly his nerves were getting the best of him. “ I don't- ummm shit…I- well the reason…damn it! I cant- I don't know-”

You grabbed his hand and lightly squeezed it. Letting him know that it was okay. To calm down and take a breath.

He took a deep inhale and slowly let it out. “ I think possibly, maybe I’ve fallen for you.”

Your expression after that gave him a sinking feeling. You didn't feel the same.

Your frown said it all.

“ I'm sorry. I-I just needed to say something.”

You nodded but surprisingly you didn't let go of his hand. You were actually staring at his hand in yours.

“Eddie…I want to talk more about this. But I can't even think straight and my knees are about to give in.”

That wasn't what he was hoping for. 

“Right! Umm yeah. Sorry, just forget I said anything.” He said trying to walk away. 

But you held his hand firmly. Preventing him from taking a step further. “ No. Don't do that.”

He looked back at you and you had your eyes closed. 

“ Eddie, this is important. If it wasn't then you wouldn't have said anything at all…This deserves a real conversation that I can't give you right now. So please don't leave thinking that I don't feel the same way."

He was in disbelief. Did he hear that right?

You gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go and going inside.

He stood there staring at the door. Did he dream that? You like him too?

Gareth rolled down the window. “ Munson, let's go. I wanna go home!”

He sighed and smiled to himself. " Y-yeah. Okay."

…

@salenorona23 @browneyes528 @ohmeg @eddiesguitarskills @crookedcrone

[probably-writing-x]

Rooting For You

Summary:

Warnings: Just a load of fluff I can't lie

Author's Note: This was so cute to write !! I'm sorry I had to make it a UK team, I'm originally from England so I know that soccer scene more, I hope that's okay <3

---

"Okay babe I'll speak to you later, they're calling for us so I gotta go," You say into the phone, a communication you'd grown overly used to.

"Yeah, okay, good luck darling, I'll speak to you later," Drew responds, his voice breaking when the connection breaks momentarily, "I'm rooting for you."

"Always," You smile in response, waiting for him to hang up first before you set the phone down.

The two of you had been long distance for a little over eight months, having been dating for six months beforehand. When you got offered the job to play for the Arsenal women's team in the UK, it was an impossible opportunity to turn down. It killed you when you had to tell Drew, but he'd done everything he could to make it work since you'd left. He flew over whenever his schedule had a break, he watched every single one of your games when he could get it, he was on the other end of the phone whenever possible. It felt like you'd won the lottery with this one, really.

"Ready to go (Y/N)?" Leah smiles at you, pulling up her socks one last time.

You tuck the tiny square photo of you and Drew into the elastic band of your own socks - a little good luck tradition he never let you forget about - and stand up to follow her, "Let's do it."

~~~

Two sweaty hours later and you manage to pull back a 2-1 win after being down at half time - the icing on the cake when you scored the winner. The crowd had been behind you but it always feels the strangest bit quieter when you know Drew isn't occupying one of the seats. You're back in the changing room and pick up your phone to see a notification that Drew has tagged you in an Instagram story.

It was a photo of his TV screen as your goal had just gone in, you celebrating with a tap to your sock, where his photo was kept, like you always did. He'd written the caption '@Y/N makes it so easy to be proud of her'

You were sure your heart just did a backflip, a blush rising to your cheeks to add to the blotchy redness after the workout of the game.

"Your boyfriend makes me sick," One of the girls calls out from the other side of the room, "He's too nice."

You laugh and look down at your phone again, "Yeah, he is."

He's texted you too - Knew you could do it x See you soon angel &lt;3

The blush isn't disappearing any time soon.

~~~

"Okay, which looks like the better option?" You ask Drew, TV remote in hand as you flick between the choices, "Couple on the brink of divorce, or world on the brink of apocalypse?"

Drew's screen was currently just an awkward view of his couch as he'd left to go and get himself snacks for the movie.

"Apocalypse, always apocalypse," He shouts from the other side of the room as he comes back in, a mouthful of popcorn.

You glance down at the screen of your phone to see him just sitting back down onto the couch, picking up his phone as soon as his hands are free. You squint a little at the small display, a little pixelated as your connection cut off and returned.

"Babe, what are you wearing?" You frown at him, your face close to the screen as if you would see it any better.

He offers you a shit-eating grin in response, "Your jersey! Check it out."

Drew turns around to show you your name and number on the back of the red top.

"It's cool right?" He wiggles his brows, "I knew you'd like it."

You laugh at him, mainly for how blatantly proud of himself he was, "You're adorable."

He kisses the badge on the left side of the shirt, just over his heart, "I know."

For a few more seconds, you just sit there in awe of him a little more than normal (which felt generally impossible).

"Stop gawking, I know I'm handsome," He narrows his eyes at you, "Ready to press play?"

You speak in chorus as you both say "Three, two, one," and both press play on the film. There must be less than a second's delay between them but it works well enough as both of you settle down to watch it - continents and hours apart, but never too far.

~~~

You hadn't heard from Drew this morning, but you'd just assumed he wanted a lie in - after a busy week of work. It was your next game tonight, one you'd told him you were nervous for. For now, though, you were in your apartment getting ready for the day, blending together a concoction of fruit to make your smoothie. When the buzzer for your door goes, you almost miss it.

"Hello?"

"Let me up."

Three words. That's all you needed. You recognise his voice, the way he's smiling through them. Three words, three syllables, and your heart skipped a beat.

"Oh my god."

He's already gone from the other end as you're buzzing him up as fast as your hands can move. You open the door to your apartment and stand in the corridor, hearing the sound of the elevator opening, and him stepping out, a duffle bag in one hand.

"Oh my god," You repeat, a hand flying to your mouth.

As quick as your feet can catch up with your brain, you run down the length of the corridor and jump into his arms. A deep rumble of a laugh rises from his chest as he embraces you and spins you around. When he lowers you to the floor, you cup one hand to his cheek and and the other on his chest over his racing heartbeat.

"What are you doing here?" Your eyes flick between both of his like you're still trying to convince half of yourself that he is real.

"Little birdie told me you needed a bit more support tonight," He shrugs so nonchalantly, a smile tugging at his lips once again, "I got an overnight flight."

"You're crazy," There are tears brewing in your eyes like you're overwhelmed at the thought that a boy like this could even exist.

"Hey come on," He squeezes your waist, "Rooting for you."

"Always," You whisper in response, letting him dip down to kiss you slowly, like he's drawing the past month without seeing you into that little moment, savouring it.

~~~

Drew is by your side when you arrive at the stadium that day, and he's stood pitchside as you're warming up, watching your every movement.

"You flew all the way over for the game?" One of the news reporters comes up beside him, "Do you mind if we do a quick interview?"

"Yeah, of course, that's fine," He nods, tugging off his jacket so that they can see the jersey he's wearing beneath.

"Alright, some of you fans will notice we're here with a special guest, Arsenal star (Y/N)'s boyfriend, and actor, Drew Starkey."

"Boyfriend first, actor second," He jokes, his eyes crinkling when he smiles.

"So you have flown over from New York to be here, what does it mean to you to get to see (Y/N) playing here?"

He smiles once again at the mention of your name, "You know, it's incredible. I watch all of the games from the states anyway, no matter what time it is for us over there, but there's something so special about being here to experience it. She just has such an energy when she plays, it's electric."

"You're known amongst the team as a bit of a cheerleader for your girlfriend, will we be hearing you from the stands today Drew?"

"Always, I'm always rooting for her," His eyes drift away from the interviewer and towards you, where you were lining up to take a mock penalty.

When the ball hits the back of the net, he is sure his heart swells twice as big.

~~~

After you win again that night, the rest of the team are out to celebrate, but you can't think of anything better than going home and having a night with Drew, without thousands of miles of ocean between you, without having to squint to see him clearer.

"What do you want to order babe?" You call out to him, dragging a towel through your wet hair after a much needed shower.

You're met with the sight of Drew in the corridor between your bedroom and the lounge, setting up to kick a football at the mini soccer net you had in the room.

"What are you doing?" You laugh, throwing your towel back aimlessly into your room.

He turns to you and you're sure there's a blush in his cheeks, "I was bored waiting for you so I've been getting further and further away from the goal."

You look at the short distance between him and the net, no more than a few metres now, "And?"

"I think my legs are weak," He grimaces, "Like it doesn't look as cool as when you do it."

You can't help but laugh, trying to hide it behind your hand.

"Oi," He jabs at your side, "Don't laugh at me, help me."

"Okay, okay," You move your hands to his waist from behind him and turn them at an angle, moving your foot down to his foot and nudging it into place too, "Okay, one foot here, and you're going to swing this one in the direction you want it to do, don't think about the ball just think of it like swinging a golf club, okay?"

He looks down with each of your movements, trying to match up exactly as you tell him. When Drew swings his leg, he looks like he's all limbs and no real direction, lanky and his leg swinging wild like he's got much further to go than he does. The ball flies upwards and over the top of the net, bouncing into the lounge and hitting the back of your couch.

"See, if that was a real net, you'd have scored," You point out, leaning against the wall behind him.

Drew turns to you and rolls his eyes, "I'm thinking maybe I let you stick to football and I'll stick to reading lines on TV."

"Deal," You laugh.

He comes up to you and lifts you up, and you wrap your legs around his waist so that he can hold his hands beneath your thighs, "I'm so proud of you baby, you were the best out there tonight. Well, every night."

You blush and kiss both of his cheeks again and again, until he's laughing at you tickling his skin.

"Come on, it's your turn to pick the film," He comments, leaning in until his lips are centimetres from yours.

You hum and lean in to complete the contact quickly, "Rom com?"

"Obviously."

[nights-legacy]

Body Snatched - Hawks

Masterlist ~ MHA Masterlist ~ #2

Note: This is a romantic pairing. I have a request for a parental Hawks as well that I haven't done. So, I just wanted to clarify!!

Body Snatched Masterlist

2109 words Warnings: unwanted touches and actions, attempted assault, small mentions of blood -You and Hawks have been together for years. You both had come onto the hero scene about the same time. Hawks was a lot higher than you in the charts but everyone knew you two were together. So it was beyond everyone's understanding on why a new sidekick of Hawks' decided to take interest in you.

Hawks had responded to a distress call in a beat up neighborhood. The call was put out by his sidekick, Radar. When he got there, Radar led him back to where the 'problem' was. They were met by a man who began to tell Hawks what was going on, only to switch Radar and Hawks as soon as the Hero was distracted.

Y/N's POV

Soft music was playing through the room as I filled out some reports. They had backed up and I took the afternoon to work on them. It was getting to the time of shift changes and I was expecting Hawks at any time. I kicked off my boots and pulled my legs up to get more comfortable.

"H/N?" I loved up at my office door to see my head sidekick. "I'm going to head out for the day. Is that okay?"

"Of course. Go on. You did good work today, Fauna." I nodded.

"Thank you, H/N. The next shift is in the locker rooms so they should be out shortly." She informed me. 

"Alright, thank you. Oh!" She paused as she left. "Have you seen Hawks?"

"No, I'm sorry." She shook her head.

"Okay, thank you. Have a good night." I said.

It was nearly an hour later when I heard the familiar voice of my boyfriend echoed through the office. I looked up as I heard him come closer. He popped his head in giving me a classic smile.

"Sorry I'm late, babe. I got a distress call at the last minute." He stepped in, closing the door behind him.

"Oh? Is everything alright?" I looked back down at my last report.

"Yeah. Turned out to be a false alarm." He came over and heart against my desk next to me. I could feel him staring at me as I worked. He reached out and began to twirl a piece of hair. He then leant down and brought the strands to his nose. I raised my eyebrow in question.

"Enjoying yourself?" I asked. He hummed an acknowledgement. I chuckled and set the report in the done pile. I sat back and looked up at him. He gave me a charming smile.

"Done?" He asked as he knelt in front of me. He set his hands on my thighs and began to run them up and down. I nodded while reaching forward to brush some hair out of his eyes. He moved in closer and tapped his nose against mine before he traced his nose down my chin to my neck. He inhaled deeply causing me to giggle.

"What's gotten into you?" I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck. He began to nip at my skin. "It's not close to season, is it?"

"Huh?" He pulled away and gave me a confused look. "Season? What are you talking about?"

"Keigo..." I gave him an equally confused look. Before I could ask further, a sidekick came in the door.

"H/N I just got a call from... Oh I am so sorry." They exclaimed. I looked to see they standing there with a hand over their eyes.

"It's alright. What were you saying?"

"Oh, umm... I just answered a call from Endeavor asking if you were still in?"

"Oh, no. Definitely not." I got up, grabbing Hawks by hand and pulling him from the floor. "Tell him I'm off for the night. I am not dealing with the hot head tonight." I threw my boots on quickly. The sidekick chuckled.

"Got it. Have a good night." They left. I turned to Hawks.

"Come on. Let's get home." He nodded. We left quickly and began our stall home. Normally, he offers to fly us home but he didn't even mention it. I figured he was tired though.

As soon as we arrived home, I was stripping out of my hero suit. I was ready for a shower and eat something more than just snacks or take out. I had just taken off my shirt and turned to speak to Keigo. I paused though when his eyes were nearly popping out of his skull, staring at me.

"Are you okay, Kei?" I asked in a light voice, cocking my head to the side.

"Hmmm." He didn't seem to hear me and looked down my body. Something was definitely up.

"Keigo?" I tried again, louder.

"Huh? What?" He met my eyes frantically. I looked him over to check if he was hurt or anything. I didn't see anything.

"Are you okay? You're acting strange?" His wings tense on his back. That sent up a warning in my mind. "Tired from the day?"

"Uh, yeah. Just tired." He quickly agreed. I pursed my lips slightly, not convinced.

"Okay... I'm gonna take a shower. See if there is anything in the cabinets or fridge you want for dinner." I went to go to our room.

"Yeah, yeah. I can do that." Once inside our room, I paused in thought. 

What is up with him? I've not seen him act like this in years. I pondered for a few minutes before deciding to deal with it after my shower. The hot water was a welcomed distraction. My muscles relaxed and I let out a low moan. Halfway through, I could hear my phone going off in the other room.

"Hey Keigo! Can you check my phone?"

"Yes!" I waited for a few minutes before asking about it.

"Anything important?"

"No!" His voice pitched, causing me to pause. "No, no. Just some spam stuff."

"Okay." I could hear him rustling around in the other room and hurried to finish, starting to get uneasy.

Radar's POV

I stared at the text that was on their phone. Encleaver had called and Text multiple times. I tried to unlock it by the fingerprint and it opened.

"Shit. They let him into their phone..." I snickered. I quickly went to check the messages.

H/N the man with you is not Hawks. It's Hawks' body but it's not him, it's Radar. Be careful. I cursed under my breath.

"Anything important?" They called out. I jumped before lying through my teeth. I quickly hid their phone after silencing it. 

Y/N's POV

I got out of the shower quickly after that. I dried off slightly before wrapping the towel round me. I padded into my room, Keigo was nowhere in sight. I got out some clothes and laid them on the bed before drying off and getting dressed.

"I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly..." I sang quietly as I dried my hair. A sudden chill went up my back before hands were placed on my hips. "Shit! Keigo, you scared me."

"Hmm, sorry." He said against the back of my neck before kissing it. He moved his body against mine and I could feel him begin to subtly grind his hips against my ass.

"Hey, hey. Calm down there." I pushed his hips away. He whined heavily and pulled me forcibly back to him. "Hey, Keigo! I told you to calm down! Stop!"

"But you're so sexy! I want you so bad." He grinded harder, knocking me off balance. I caught myself on my hands on the bed. My hand landed on my watch. I remembered the message he said was spam and quickly looked at it.

"Shit..." Dread filled my body with words. My skin crawled as he began to remove my shorts. I tried to relax before speaking up. "Hey Keigo?"

"Yeah?" He pulled away from neck.

"Can You let me turn over? I want to see you." I said sweetly.

"Of course, baby." He got up and I flipped over and sat on the bed. He knelt down in front of me and I cupped his cheeks.

"There's my pretty boy." I brushed my lips against his. When he didn't physically melt at my words, all the confusing behavior and actions made more sense. He moved his hands to my waist, trying to push me down and assert dominance. "No, no, no."

"What?" He furrowed his brow at me, still trying to push me down.

"You don't get any of this."I quipped. I booped his nose.

"Oh come on. Stop playing." He said irritated. I sighed before grabbing his chin roughly.

"I said no, Radar." His eyes widened before I head butted him. He fell bachkanto the floor groaning. Keigo's wings twitched as he gripped his nose. I stood up and looked down at him. "No wonder you've been acting weird. I mean I should have known something was up when you were confused about 'season'. Damn."

"I don't..."

"Did you really think you would succeed with this?" I asked. Before he could answer, a loud bang echoed through the apartment.

"H/N!" I heard Endeavor yell. I walked out of the bedroom and saw him and Radar's body. Endeavor was holding another Man in cuffs.

"Bedroom." I pointed towards the door. Endeavor made the man sit and walked that way. Radar's body walked towards me.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm alright, Keigo."

"Good." He relaxed.

"What happened?"

"Radar had organized this whole thing! He hired him..." the pointed to the man sitting in my dining room. "To switch us two just so he could have you. The pervert." Endeavor drags Keigo's body from the bedroom. I was getting a headache from all this.

Tag List: @keigos-baby-bird @lilparcheesie @dxnaii-rxse @iris-shihabi @l0vely-lee

[silentmagi]

Rising Star

Thank you to all those who vote, I hope you all continue to enjoy the story, and ask that you please share if you are like the story.

2 - Planks and forming walkways

With the grapnel hook in hand, she groaned as she realized the major flaw in her plan, and then several minor ones. How would she get her precious books down if she didn’t set up the return path so she could carry them? She had never used this thing before, so she didn’t even know what she was supposed to feel when catching the hook. No, she would have to gather the boards and make a scaffolding ramp where the stairs had been. 

The act of stuffing the hook and rope away was perhaps not the most difficult thing she’d ever done, however, it was emotionally taxing to not get to the books that were waiting for her just up the missing stairs. Stupid physical limitations that couldn’t be overcome with magic any longer.

Carefully skirting the edge of the large hole, she began picking up the boards from the floor, piling the ones that were in the best condition next to the stairs. About three loads in, she looked at the mess of boards and realized she should have been sorting them by size the entire time. Looking up, she tried to picture the size of the first opening in the stairs, and collected several boards. This is when she ran into another problem.

Setting the boards over the opening on the stairs created a slanted surface, one that began sliding down as soon as she released it. That wouldn’t do, how did they…

The boards with nails.

Finding one of them, she set the nails against the wood of the stairs and hammered it down with her metal hook. A few tests showed it was secure, and would hold her weight, especially after she added the others beside it, and used another board with nails in it to cross the middle of the boards. It would probably keep her from sliding, right?

Right. That seems to be good.

Repeat with the next hole, and then there was the one that was too big for even the longest boards. Could she do something here?

There was probably an answer in one of the books above, but it wasn’t able to magically make the boards get longer or fuse together. Not like there was magic to do that with anyways. Think! How would the repair people do this at the school?

Oh, uh… if she overlapped them and nailed them together, they’d be long enough, wouldn’t it? It looked like it was time for a break. 

Sitting on top of what might have been a chair once, she pulled out her water flask and took a drink before grabbing a few pieces of fruit to chew in thought as she calmed down and let her brain cool off before she got to over thinking again. She knew this would happen if she didn’t take care of herself, and with the lingering frustration from the vanishing of magic, she had to be cautious as she could hurt herself with this project.

One thing that was for certain, she was taking that construction theory course when she found the cause of magic disappearing and turned in her report of how this happened. Her teachers and the school would be able to take that and share it with the experienced mages so they could reverse or fix it.

Finishing off her snack, she got back to work, refocused, refueled, and reminded. The body and the mind are united. You needed to care for both, or you would fail both.

Several hours later, she had a functional mix of stairs and ramps that allowed her access to her prize, the library. There was so much here that begged her for her attention. Walls of books of spells, scrolls of theories and notes. She didn’t know where to start.

The books upon books were overwhelming, but familiar to her. Something that she longed to go through for days and days. She could practically feel her fingers against the rolled parchment of the scrolls as she studied the notes and experimental procedures chronicled there.

The big red chair next to the hole in the wall where she guessed a fireplace had been would look inviting, if it wasn’t visibly soaked and coated in things that she didn’t want to guess at.

But if this glorious treasure was all here for her to read to her heart’s content, why would she ever leave until her quest was done. Seeing three large chunks of stone fall around the hole reminded her that this place was not as stable as it had been. Maybe she should take the books back to the cabin and read there?

But there was just so much to carry, she doubted she’d ever be able to get them all down before the tower collapsed.

[weak4skz]

Han Jisung x Reader

Genre: friends to lovers, fluff, angst, idol au

Summary: Han and y/n have been friends since before they remember. But what happens if their friendship is severed by an unfortunate situation and Han goes off to be an idol while y/n is in college. When they connect through a mutual friend, what happens then?

CHAPTER WARNINGS: self harm, suicide attempt, eating disorder, body dysmorphia, reader isn’t in the right mind, body insecurities, just a lot of feelings, insecurities in general, self consciousness (tell me if I missed anything)

NOT PROOF READ!!!

A/N: chapter 2 is finally up!! If you couldn't tell, my life has been kind of a mess lately and I've been really busy with school as well as personal matters. But thank you for sticking around and being patient <3

COMMENT TO BE ADDED TO MY TAGLIST FOR THIS SERIES!!!

want2besomeoneelse lixie-jisung-stan jisuperboard mentoslol i-dont-know-me-either mooncallerautumn poisonivy21

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Going home my mind was working overtime but at the same time not working at all. My body went into auto-pilot while I was absolutely mentally wrecked. My biggest priority was to drive home without dying or having a mental breakdown; so I focused for the 15 minute drive home. As soon as I was safe inside my house I allowed myself to go numb. To have millions of thoughts but at the same time have no thoughts. It was a coping mechanism I developed over the years. 

I found out I could get into this little headspace after Jisung caught me cutting myself. Since I didn’t want to be caught doing something so embarrassing; I had to find another way to cope.

And to think I thought my night couldn’t POSSIBLY get worse 

I know I told myself I had gotten past this; but I really needed to feel something. So I went to the bathroom and picked up my blade and started cutting.

 It’s not enough

The pain wasn’t painful enough to fix my broken self so I cut deeper than I knew I should.

 Ah… sweet relief 

While relishing in the floaty feeling, I hear a quiet ping come from my phone. I pick it up, reading the text on my screen.

Hey y/n. I wanted to tell you that I passed that audition that I told you about and got accepted to become a trainee at JYP Entertainment. The only thing is that I have to leave tomorrow; but I promise I’ll keep in touch. Don’t die while I’m gone lol

Hannie

I let out a humorless laugh before making one more cut on my left thigh; it was so deep it gushed out blood. I didn’t really mind though; I needed the pain, maybe even liked it. Or I at least preferred it over everything that had happened in the past couple hours. The bathroom started to blur and I started to see stars; I decided to close my eyes and let the darkness take over.

SIX YEARS LATER

I walk into the cozy coffee spot trying to spot my friend. When I do; I rush over and give him a tight hug while he gently sways the both of us back and forth gently. He hugs me so tight I pull back from a lack of air.

Now, one might think that our greeting is a little much for not seeing each other for two days; but there is nothing dramatic enough for the man who saved my life

“Hey Y/n”

“Hey Chan” I say back breathlessly.

Chan, the 5’7 father of seven who is the reason I’m still here today FOUR YEARS AGO

After receiving the news of my mom’s death; I was devastated. She was at the hospital more than she was home; but when she was home we had so much fun. I could remember nights when we would stay up until 4 am surrounded by our favorite snacks. We would talk about anything and everything: me, her, the new episode of our favorite drama, Jisung.

Jisung

He hasn’t contacted me since the night of that party two years ago. I kept my old phone and number, even when I got a new one, just in case he called. I even pay the ridiculous rent for my childhood home just in case he came by. But maybe he just forgot about me; I mean, I am pretty forgettable. Not much special about me when he is a musical genius. 

I look out onto the bridge I’m on; the city looks so pretty from up here. Then, I look down at the water and the reflection of the city on it. Honestly, I would rather be in that city than the one up here. So I walk a little closer to the edge; not to jump, just to look. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. When I get to the edge and lean over it a little, reaching for the city in the water; I feel arms pulling me back. I immediately tense in the man’s arms, trying to figure out what type of person he could be. I lower it down to three options

A pedophile

A man that thought I was gonna jump and is trying to save my life

A drunk guy

‘Hey’ the man says in a gentle voice. “You’re a little close to the edge; why don't we back up a bit, yeah?” the voice says, gently pulling me back to a safe distance from the edge of the bridge. While still in the mystery man’s arms, I begin to analyze him. He’s strong, definitely stronger than me, so I can’t fight him. He also seemed to have the accent of a native English speaker. Before I could finish my detailed analysis the mystery man turned me around. 

“Hi,” he starts. “I’m Chan, Bang Chan. And you are?” he asks, looking at me with expecting eyes. “Y/n,” I responded in a quiet voice. 

“You looked like you could use some company. Why don’t we walk around and talk for a bit, hm? We can grab some food if you’d like.” 

“Oh, I’m not that hungry” 

That is the dumbest lie I have ever told

The truth is I am hungry. I have had nothing but a protein shake every other day. I skipped at least two days a week for the times I would go get food with friends or go eat with my mom at the hospital. But, I couldn't stop now. I've finally started to look normal, maybe even pretty. 

“Y/n, when’s the last time you ate, and I mean a full meal.”

Y/n, are you really about to spill all of your emotional trauma to some random stranger you just met?

Yes, yes I am

“About a month ago” his eyes automatically widened. “Yeah I have an eating disorder that I developed from body dysmorphia,” now Chan is looking at me like I’m crazy. Which, at the moment, I probably am. “Yeah I know. My mom died last week.” now even I know I’ve gone insane. 

“I wanted to jump” this time, I’m a little quieter; the fact I wanted to end my life a little harder to admit. “I’ve been cutting for years but after she died, cutting wasn’t enough” 

That was when I realized I was crying. It 's the first time I had cried since I was at my mom’s deathbed. Not while I drove home; not while I was cutting myself on the bathroom floor, not even at the funeral. 

I expected Chan to walk away. To consider me another depressed college student and to move with his life. But instead; I feel his arms wrap around me and his hands stand to gently move up and down my back. In my estranged state, I’m confused as to why the man I just met is comforting me. What’s even more confusing is how loved and cherished I feel in his arms. So, as any normal person would do, I cry my heart out into the man’s arms. 

After my loud sobs turn into quiet sniffles, Chan pulls me back and looks at my face.

“No offense, but you look like a mess”

“You look worse,” I sniffled.

Now that I got a good look at him, he looked a mess. His hair was  in messy, tangled curls, he had really dark bags under his eyes, and he was wearing different shoes.

“We both look like shit. But why don’t we fix our shit together, yeah?’

“Sure, why not”

BACK TO PRESENT TIME

“Ok, hear me out,” Chan starts. “What would you think of meeting the kids and becoming our manager for our upcoming comeback?”

“Let me get this straight. You want me, a broke girl straight out of college with no experience; to manage you and your friends' world-wide popular band?”

“Yes?” he says, but it sounds more like a question. 

“I haven’t even met them yet. First let me meet your so-called kids then we can talk about me becoming one of your managers,” I negotiated. Chan talks very highly of his kids; but again he couldn’t say a bad thing about anyone. 

“Ok great! How about right now?” he asked with a smile. 

“WHAT?” Chan grimaced at my loudness. “Bang Chan I am not dressed to meet a bunch of world-famous kpop idols!” Truthfully, I wasn’t dressed that bad. I was wearing a white tank-top, maybe a little too tight for a girl like me to be wearing; under a dark blue zip-up with some black, wide leg cargo pants. 

“You look fine,” he said a little more seriously. “They are at my apartment, we don’t  have to go if you don’t want to.”

“No, I'll go. I’ve been wanting to meet them for a while, this is just a little more sudden than what I had imagined.” are the words I force out of my mouth. “Yea sorry about that. I just knew if I didn’t ask you to come over today you would put it off for weeks,” he responded with a small smile.

This man knows me too well

He knows how I panic when meeting new people. How I get anxious about everything from what I say to how dirty my shoes are. He knows that I worry myself into panic attacks when it comes to first impressions

I let out a choked laugh, as if I were trying to laugh at a lame joke.

Except I am the joke

I tell him I’ll go, even if I kind of don’t want to. Don’t get me wrong, I do want to meet everyone; it’s just they seem so perfect. They just had to look good in everything: serious pictures, funny pictures, music videos, interviews, you name it. 

Slightly against my own will; I begin to get up, expecting us to leave.

“Y/n, you’re forgetting something,” Chan reminded me. I look at the table to see if I left my phone or wallet on it, but I don’t spot anything that’s mine. “What am I forgetting?” I asked him confused. “Y/n you forgot your sandwich”

My brain is working at 500 mph trying to come up with a better lie than ‘I had a really big breakfast’ because Chan knows I ever eat in the morning. “Y/n, did you eat at all yesterday? And I mean real food.” Chan asked, or rather scolded.

The truth is I didn’t, but it’s justified because the day before yesterday I went out with my old college friend, Yeji, and we ate hot pot; 3750 calories if I calculated correctly. And that’s way above my daily intake for two whole days. So technically, I ate enough for two days in one day which means there was no need to eat yesterday.

“Y/n,” Chan sighed; “Can you at least take a couple bites? Please?

“I can’t eat when I’m nervous,” was my excuse of choice. I mean, it wasn’t the complete truth but he didn’t have to know. 

Chan seemed to accept my answer and stood up. “Fine, are you ready to go?” he asks.

[imyourjettt]

Next to Me

Pairing: Phillip Graves x f!Reader

Word Count: 727

Warnings: None!! Just a whole bunch of fluff.

Summary: After a long day at work for both you and Phillip Graves, you both decide to relax and get some sleep.

Authors Note: I love taking requests since I have such bad writer's block right now :))

You were exhausted by the time you got home. Your workload today was off the charts, so you were ready to relax and get a good night's rest. As you unlock the door, your phone rings, it's a message from your boyfriend, Phillip Graves. 

It reads, "Sorry hun, I'll be home late again- tons of shit to work on. Don't stay up, I'll join you soon." he explains, then follows it up with, "I love you." 

You couldn't help but smile at his message. You loved him so much, but some days you didn't get to see him often due to his work. You weren't upset because you knew he would always make it up to you. Replying quickly, "Don't worry about it, see you soon. Love you <3." 

And with that, you got ready for bed- taking a quick yet relaxing shower, eating a late-night snack, and watching your TV show on the couch while waiting for Graves. He never liked you staying up, wasting your precious sleep just to wait for him. But you knew, deep down, he did enjoy the effort you put into waiting. Even though by the time he got home you were knocked out, with the TV still on. 

That exact scenario happened yet once again. You promised yourself you would stay awake just for him. Your eyesight starts to go in and out of focus, not understanding what the TV show was talking about at this point. Then your eyes rested, and you got comfortable on the couch and drifted off to sleep. 

Around 2 hours later the front door quietly jingles open and Graves walks in. He always tries his hardest to be very quiet when coming home, since he knew you would probably be sleeping somewhere in the living room. Since this was a common occurrence he takes a quick shower at his base before he came home. He walks over to the couch to find you sleeping peacefully with the TV still on. If he was being honest, he could watch you sleep forever. He found comfort in it- just knowing you are safe, comfortable, and near him. He quietly turns off the TV and looks back over to you with a smile. He kneels, watching you, and wonders what you're dreaming about. He gently raises his hand and pushes the hair out of your face, tucking it behind your ear.

“Phil?” you whisper- still half asleep.

He hums in response. 

You open your eyes slightly and once they adjust you see him smiling down at you lovingly. “Sorry I couldn’t stay up… and wait for you” 

“It’s alright Doll, I told you to sleep anyways.” he quietly says. He leans over and kisses you softly. 

You reach over to him, entangling your arms around his neck and pulling him in while mumbling some nonsense. 

He took this opportunity to lift you, bridal style, and carry you over to the bedroom. You snuggle up against him, holding onto him as if you never wanted to let go. 

"I'm so tired," you said quietly into his ear. 

He laughs. The low grumble of his laugh made you feel even warmer inside. If he keeps laughing like that, you could fall asleep right in his arms. "I know, I know. Don't worry we're going to sleep," he says.

The bedroom door opens and Graves walks over to your side of the bed gently putting you down. He tucks you in and promises he will be right back. He walks away to change out of his clothes and into just a pair of comfortable pants. He walks over to the other side of the bed and gets in. His arms wrap around you pulling you close- practically on top of his chest. Graves usually lays on his back, with one hand behind his head and the other holding you close to him. You enjoyed the way he always held you close when sleeping together. It gave you comfort and a sense of security. With your head on his chest, you could hear the rhythm of his heartbeat. It always lulls you to sleep. The hand that held you slowly moves back and forth across your back, it soothes you. 

You let your mind drift off, "I love you Graves." you say softly. 

He smiles tiredly, "I love you too sweetie." 

[goodnightmoonvale]

Today was not my day. Today is laundry day, and I have a project that's overdue at work, and I meant to sort the laundry as soon as I got home from dropping off Kid#2 at school, take a shower, and then immediately start working, but instead I sat down on my bed and played one of those water sort mobile games for 4 hours instead.

I tried to reset by taking a shower at lunch, but by the time I'd taken a shower and eaten lunch it was like 2 hours later. So I at least tried to sit down and work but I got stuck reading fanfic instead. Managed to pull myself together enough to work for 45min before I went to pick up Kid#2 from school and then hopefully start dinner.

He was having an emotional meltdown about something that happened at school so instead of going home we sat in a park and talked about it for 40 minutes. Which was good, he very much needed it, but by the time we got home, everyone was starving and dinner wasn't even started so the kids ate leftovers and snacks for dinner while I helped first one, then the other kid with homework.

Managed to throw in a load of laundry and get dinner started. Then it turned out I forgot to put the rice in the instant pot with the rest of the stuff and had to cook the rice separately and add it afterwards. :( So dinner was like an hour later than even "late" normal. At least I was able to eat some dinner myself before having to put the kids to bed, and everyone will have at least some clean clothes tomorrow.

Ended up missing my D&D group for the second week in a row to work on this stupid project I was supposed to finish last Monday. :(

Anyway, things turned out mostly okay and I managed to keep from blaming myself too badly for most of it but. I hate how busy I am and it really sucks to have ADHD as an adult with responsibilities sometimes

[reservoirreputation]

'Birds in the Spider's Nest' extras part 2

Below is draft one, containing two chapters, and some notes on changes to draft two. Current author's notes are in []

spoilers below

Draft One

Chapter One

1992

The doors to the warehouse burst open, two men wearing suits spilling through. Entrance shut, the hot LA sun banished to the other side, and they wait for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. It helps to take off their shades, of course, which is exactly what Blonde and White do. Sweaty, wired with adrenaline, the two of them break out into smiles. The heist went off without a hitch. The whole crew, soon to reach the meetup, along with their loot, are all but rich beyond their wildest dreams. 

White’s feeling particularly excited, and slaps Blonde’s arm, bringing the tall bastard in for a hug, “We fucking did it!” he laughs, pulling away, “We’re set for fucking life, man.”

Blonde doesn’t make a move, just keeps smiling. It’s a bit unusual for him, personally. He’s just a stoic kind of guy. But, hey, who wouldn’t grin from nabbing hundreds of thousands in dollars in diamonds? He imagines himself and Eddie, taking the money and just going. Somewhere, anywhere. Didn’t matter, as long as it was the two of them.

More people join, first Mr. Pink, with the loot in hand, then Brown, who fled the scene with Mr. Blue, and then Joe and Eddie Cabot, their bosses. Joe, the patriarch, is beaming, “Great work boys.” he jabs a thumb behind him, “Let’s blow this joint.”

Any good job needs a good hideout. In this case, Northern California’s the place. The drive, in two separate cars, takes several hours. By the end of the day, they’re surrounded by woods and nature, truly as far away from any major city as they can get. It’s getting dark, so they crash at a cheap motel for the night. Blonde and White, though they don’t say it out loud, let alone to one another, think about how it’s been nearly twenty years since they were last up here. It sours their respective moods just a little, but neither show it around the other guys.

The whole group has since changed into more casual clothing, better fitting the colder climate. They head to a local diner for breakfast, not unlike their activities twenty-four hours before. It’s all joking and smiles, talking about anything other than the robbery, but they seem alone in their jovial mood. The rest of the patrons, some half dozen of them, hold an air of tension about them. After the first fifteen minutes or so, Eddie’s slapping arms and kicking feet under tables, telling in all but words for the rest of these chucklefucks to read the room.

“Wonder if someone died.” is Brown’s tone deaf response. 

“The guys I sent out here a month back didn’t mention anything.” Joe says, “Must’ve been more recent than that.”

“Well, let’s ask the waitress when she comes back over.” suggests Pink.

“Don’t be tasteless. She’s just here to do her job,” Blue begins, “not serve as tour guide.”

“If she wants a tip, she’ll tell me whatever I need.” he gives a humorless smirk, and does just that.

“Oh- this?” the older woman, maybe mid-fifties, gestures to the rest of the diner with her pen, “Yeah, it can be a bit of a dramatic bunch, here.”

“What happened?” Pink asks, more than a little impatient.

“Just some ghost stories going about. The more gruesome, the better.” she shakes her head, “You know how small towns are.”

Pink nods his head in agreement, tipping the lady one whole dollar at the end of their meal for her troubles.

Back on the road and thirty minutes later, they stop at a gas station for a top off and some supplies; namely that of beer and smokes. Brown gets the gas, and White heads inside. There’s not many options, but enough in supply to last them about a week. He’s got a couple of cases in hand and a basketful of snacks as he heads up to the counter. There’s one person ahead of him, waiting for assistance.

White can’t help but the stare; the guy in front of him is pretty cute, at least from behind. Almost like he can feel White staring, the man looks ever so slightly over his shoulder, blond hair falling just a bit into his face, and White would swear he’s smirking.

“You’ve got more than me.” The stranger steps back, pack of cigs in hand, “Why don’t you go first?”

White blushes, feeling like he’s been caught, “You don’t have to.”

“I insist.” There’s just the hint of teeth in his smile, and White gets a real good look at the guy in just a few seconds; Big green eyes, with that puppy dog quality, an even bigger nose, and the kind of rounded face that guarantees he’s gonna get carded for that pack. There’s something else, specifically about the eyes that gets White’s attention. He gives in before he can think about it more.

Now at the counter, White’s on the receiving end of stares, “Great ass for a grandpa.” Jesus, was all of California this forward? He thought that stuffed was relegated to LA. Serves him right for looking.

“I’m not that old.” he sets the beers on the small counter, basket in hand, not even dignifying the comment by turning to face the guy.

“So, just daddy?”

That shouldn’t be as funny as it is. White fights a grin, “You sound desperate.”

“You started it.”

“Did I?”

“Look me in the eye and tell me otherwise.”

The attitude on this guy. Well, he’s acting more like a cocky kid, and White can’t help but think of him that way. He turns around, and the kid’s wearing an admittedly great poker face. Actually has some air of authority to him. Where the fuck did he learn that? Worst of all, White can’t even get a word out without grinning.

“Thought so.”

“Shut up.” he laughs.

“Tracy’s still on her smoke break,” the kid observes, “you probably have enough time to give me your number.”

“I can’t do that.” and White actually regrets having to say it.

“Alright. Where you headed?”

“Why would I tell you?”

The kid nods to the van White and company came in, “You telling me you and your buddies are scared of one fag?”

“Of course not.”

“I’ll make it fair; I’m going up to my family’s cabin. Gotta check out reports of squatters. Wouldn’t care normally, if they weren’t making such a racket.”

The more they talk, the more White feels like he’s met this stranger before. Not physically, but in demeanor. He just can’t quite think of the name. Until he does.

“My friends and I are meeting up with Matthew.” like he’s a local, “Staying at his cabin for the week. He’s real generous like that.” Most of that was a lie; Matthew was dead.

The kid’s face becomes unreadable, “Matthew, huh? Got a last name?” before White can decline the information, he continues, “Matthew Reynolds?”

Shit, “Uh, no, don’t know-”

“Cabin number nine?”

Oh. Fuck. “I mean-”

“You know he’s dead.”

White does know that. Tries not to think about it. And that’s been especially difficult over the past forty-eight hours, “… I know.”

“What you don’t know is that number nine is my cabin.” he looks White in the face, studying him. A small smile, “Have I finally met the squatters?”

No way to un-ring this bell, “We only just got up here, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” for once, the truth.

“You know it’s probably a mess up there?”

What’s that have to do with anything? “Which would only be a problem if we were going to number nine. And we’re not.”

“Gonna go throw a rager of a party?” he gestures to the copious amount of beer on the counter.

“… No?”

“Because I’m looking to sell the place, but gotta tidy up first. How about I let you and your buddies hang out, I get to tag along, we get to screw each other’s brains out, and you all help me clean up at the end of the week?”

The cashier returns, and White doesn’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse, “I need to talk it over with my friends.”

The cheeky fucker practically takes it as a ‘yes’. “You do that.” as Tracy begins to ring White up.

Because he’s already deep in it, and because he’s infinitely curious, “You bought the place from the Reynolds?”

A flash of sadness in those green eyes, “Inherited it from my parents, same way they got it from my Uncle Matt.”

Oh. That changes everything.

They owe this kid.

As the older man leaves, Freddy turns his attention to Tracy, “Long break.” he says playfully.

“Had to get something from my car.” She pulls a crumpled paper bag out of her jacket, “My boyfriend’s aunt made me promise to give it to you.” Tracy holds it out.

Amused, Freddy takes it, looking inside, “Table salt and a bundle of sage?”

“For the ghosts.” she tries to smile it off.

“There’s no such thing.” he tries handling the bag back. Tracy doesn’t reach for it.

“Burn some sage when you get to your cabin. Pour some salt at every window, every doorway.” like she’s reading from her aunt’s recipe book, “Make a circle and stay in it for protection. Make a circle around an entity to contain.”

Creeped out, “When did the locals get so superstitious?”

“Spend more than a few summers here and find out.”

He smirks, “Now I get it. Always an outsider unless you’re born here. You don’t have to pull my leg.”

“It’s not cabin that’s haunted.” [WTF is this sentence??]

“It’s squatters.”

Tracy rings up his cigarettes, “Stay safe, Officer.”

“Retired. Have a good day.” Freddy tries being pleasant about it, but his stomach’s in knots. His mind’s been on his uncle a lot, and it’s the kind of thing he’d say.

Uncle Matt and his sister, Freddy’s Mom, were different in many ways, their opinions on the afterlife just one of many, and not even the most controversial. So very often Freddy wanted to side with the former, but the idea of wandering spirits, restless after death, just makes him uncomfortable. These troubled thoughts leave him as he watches the handsome stranger talk with his companions, Freddy’s mouth upturned in a smirk.

“What the fuck are you on about, junior?” Joe demands, “How the hell does he know where we’re going?”

“It’s Matty’s nephew!”

“Who the fuck is ‘Matty’?” Pink asks from the backseat.

“The guy whose cabin we’re hidin’ out at.” Eddie says, “Old employee of Daddy’s disappeared years ago.”

White shouldn’t be surprised, but still gives Joe and incredulous look, “We owe it to the guy to not kill his family.”

“Right, the nephew of a guy that used to work for me just happened to be in town.” Joe shakes his head, “Go with him in his car, make sure he meets us at the, and we’ll whack him there.”

“Joe-”

“He’s making it up!”

“Just, listen to me!” White composes himself, “Take one look at his eyes, and tell me it’s not Matty’s kin. If you don’t believe me, I’ll take care of him, myself.”

“What exactly would you mean by ‘take care of’?” because Joe’s not stupid and White’s not that slick, “Seems to me you’re eyes have been wandering again, buying us more trouble than we need.”

“Come on man, just take one look at him.” White waves the guy over, baggies in hand. For the first time, White sees the kid walk, and there’s a distinct limp to it. 

“Christ they even got the same shitty fashion sense.” Blonde mumbles, causing Eddie to turn to look at him.

“You’ve met this ‘Matty’?”

“Ages ago, before I even met you.”

The kid leans in just enough to be heard through the open window, “You the guys that are gonna wreck my place?”

Joe sighs, ‘fuck, that’s his fucking nephew, all right’, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Want me to go ahead so you fellas don’t get lost?”

Blue chokes back a laugh, covering it with a cough, ‘boy’s got a death wish’.

Back on the road, Joe comes to a few conclusions; one, it’d be tacky to kill Matty’s kid, after all is said and done. Two, the kid obviously had no fucking clue who any of them were, or what his Uncle did for a living, else he wouldn’t be so cavalier. Three, Larry made the right call in bringing him along. As far as Joe’s concerned, this nephew is going to be the most welcome hostage in history, to the point where he won’t even know he’s there against his will. By the end of the week, they’ll just leave the little bastard in the dead of night, and get several hours on him before he comes to.

White’s sweating as the kid calmly leads the caravan of two. The air between them, at least on his end, is awkward as fuck. Every idea to break the ice just screams ‘terrible’, and White doesn’t know what to do with himself.

“So, what’s your name?” a brief glance over, and it shouldn’t be as much of a turn-on as it is.

“We’re not supposed to say.” He tries being light about it, like it’s no big deal.

“A masquerade minus the masks?” he smiles, and shit, he’s so hot.

“You could say that.”

“Got a pseudonym? Something better than just ‘Daddy’?”

White laughs, “Oh god, you weren’t serious about that?”

“Depends on how you like it.”

He shakes his head, “My boss’ son calls him that, so I’m afraid not.”

“Oh, that’s cute. He like, five or somethin’?”

“He’s the redhead in the car behind us.”

The kid bursts out laughing, “The one in the tracksuit?!”

He can’t help it, joining in, “And the bald guy in the front seat’s his ‘Daddy’.” the combination of words feels weirdly cursed, and would earn him a hard smack from either Cabot if they heard him.

“The fucker that looks like the Thing?!”

He tries covering his mouth, holding back the laugh that threatens to come out. Failing miserably, White wipes tears from his eyes, “You mean the rock monster from the Fantastic Four?”

“You see it, right?”

White’s stomach hurts, afraid he’s about to pull a muscle, “Jesus christ, I can’t unsee it.” God, when’s the last time he laughed like this? ‘Too fucking long’.

“So we got tracksuit, we got the Thing, what are you called, stranger?”

Oh, fuck it, “Mr. White.”

He nods, “No first names?”

“Nope. And I wouldn’t call those two ‘tracksuit’ and ‘Thing’ if I wear you.”

“And the others?”

He shouldn’t feel this uneasy, the codenames are there for a reason, and what else was the kid gonna call them? “The really old guy’s Mr. Blue. Tall and silent is Mr. Blonde. The weaselly looking guy with the bug eyes is Mr. Pink. The nerd with the soul patch is Mr. Brown.”

“Oh god, is this party ‘Clue’ themed?”

Another laugh, “Shit, hadn’t thought of that.”

“At least their names are a lot more interesting and varied, what with ‘Plum’ and ‘Mustard’. We doing some murder mystery game?” He seems really into the idea, “Can I join in?”

White actually regrets having to say, “No, there’s no game, and even if there were, you probably wouldn’t be invited.”

His mouth twists at that, “Okay, but I get a name, right?”

“Why the fuck not? Pick your favorite color.”

He frowns, “Blue’s already taken.”

“Second favorite.”

The kid glances at the charm hanging from his rearview mirror, it being a leather cord with orange glass beads. “Orange. How’s that sound?”

‘I’d rather know your real name’ White pushes the thought down, “Great. Where’d you get this?” he gently holds the beads, cool to the touch.

“From my Uncle.” is the subdued response, “Guess this whole weekend’s just gonna be a tribute to him, huh?”

Guilt twists in Larry’s gut. White smiles it away, “Can think of worse ways to spend the time.”

“You knew him, right? You didn’t just pull a name out of your ass and decide to crash at his place.”

“Yeah, I knew him. Not terribly well, but we worked together a bit.” Shit, was that too much?

“That could mean anything.” he smiles, “My Uncle never held a steady job in his life.”

“That’s freelancing for ya.”

The kid- Orange- is so happy to hear that. Like he barely got to know his family member. And really, that could be the case; Larry was last up here in, what, 1974? Thought he’d never forget, but the years have a funny way of sneaking up on you. Eighteen years, and Orange couldn’t be thirty, yet. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. 

The cabin looks worse than what both Orange and White were anticipating. Aside from the dirt and grime coating the wooden roof and walls, the vegetation surrounding it overgrown, several species of vine climbing into crack in the interior and through broken windows, the fucking door was gone. Just, ripped off its hinges. A quick survey shows it lying some twenty feet away, partially hidden by some bushes. As both cars stop, and everyone begins to file out, White watches the other’s face, heart hurting is sympathy; the kid looks shocked, eyes more than a little moist. He shakes it off, and steps out, White following close behind.

Everyone helping with bags of supplies, the group starts to file in, careful not to step on shards of glass that litter the hardwood floor. It’s not rained up here in a minute, so there’s no sign of water damage, making it all the more clear ‘door incident’ happened fairly recently. There’s a somewhat large room in this small cabin, and after some examination, it’s clearly meant to be both the living room and the kitchen. Every surface is dirty; if it’s not dusty, it’s moldy, if it’s not moldy, it’s covered in literal dirt. The furniture is musty, the fire place long cold, and no one can find any kitchen utensils to speak of. “Guess someone took them.” is Orange’s toneless observation.

“Fuck’s sake, my boys didn’t tell me the place looked like this.” Joe turns in place, taking it all in, “I swear, it’s only been a month.”

Orange just slowly wanders down the short hall, to what one would assume to be the bedrooms.

“Hey!” Eddie tries calling, but is ignored, “He can’t- we can’t just let him go off-”

“It’s his place, junior, let him be.” White says, just a little bitter.

“What are we gonna call him?” Brown wonders, “Can’t exactly ask for his real name, and not expect him to ask the same thing back.”

“He’s not a fucking dog.” Pink rolls his eyes.

“We-” oh no, “-ah, already settled that.” White pretends to look around the decrepit room in order to hide his deepening blush, “Told him we were having a party with codenames. He’s Orange.”

Eddie stares at him like he’s crazy. Blue says what the others are surely all thinking, “He’s not one of us.”

“He’s our host that’s pretty fucking chill about us crashing here. Consider him a temp.” White looks back at Joe for his approval. 

The boss’ face is unreadable, and then, “It’s a good idea, Mr. Brown. Can’t ask something of a man you wouldn’t answer yourself.”

Brown looks over the moon at the praise, and Pink frowns.

“So good, we should follow suit.” he turns to his son, “You’ll be Red, I’ll be Black.”

It’s the final straw, “Seriously?!” Pink whines.

“I’m in charge, I get pick of the best names.”

Orange sits at the edge of the bed, dust being sent up  into the air. He waves it away from his face, then looks down at the shelf in front of him. It’s short, would come up to just his knee if he stood, and is filled sci-fi novels, both the short ones you devour in a weekend and the long ones that can feel like epics. Orange remembers some of his earliest memories of this place; his parents taking him up here the summer before starting pre-k, bringing a mish-mash of items meant to keep his attention. How, even at four years old, he gravitated towards the covers of robots and spaceships, just to look at them. The way his brain filled in what the adventures may be taking place before he could even properly read. To say these pictures of tech-heavy skylines, desolate alien worlds, otherworldly women and (later on really hot) muscular men started his love for the genre, and led to his love of comics, specifically of science experiments gone wrong, ordinary people becoming something more, it was all connected. It all started here.

A twinge of pain as Orange stands back up. He has a low-level amount of pain, these days, usually it can be ignored. The drive up here definitely aggravated things, though. Pills or pot, which would he choose this time? He hopes that a bit of the devil’s lettuce isn’t a hard line for these guys, all things considered. A smile as he thinks of it as yet another habit of his Uncle’s that he picked up.

Getting a cigarette instead, Orange lights up, turns to see Mr. White in the doorway. “You okay?” he is asked.

“Yeah, I just-” shit, why’s his throat so tight? “Usually when I check up on the place, I don’t get any further than the main room. Make sure the place is still standing and then fuck off.” pack and lighter now safely back in his pockets, “Don’t know why y’all wanna stay here, there sure as shit ain’t enough room for ya.” a forced smile, startling after all the others for this stranger came so easily. When White doesn’t answer, Orange feels the need to get into ‘host’ mode; “There’s two bedrooms. This one was my Uncle’s, and for two weeks out of the summer, it was my parents’. Room next door was mine. If Uncle Matt was visiting at the same time, he’d take the couch.” A few puffs, “He was a good host like that. Guess I should do the same.”

White shrugs, “The youngsters can crash in the car. Although, it is looking like the better option at this point.” and Orange shares in his smile.

“God, I’m sorry.” Orange stubs out the butt in a very dusty ashtray, “I feel like I’ve been nothing but a downer since we pulled up.”

“Nothing wrong with that.”

“No, I was approaching this-” points between the two of them, “-as a chance to fuck around, have fun. Instead, I just feel fucking depressed.” he sits back down on the edge of the mattress, “Feel like I’ve promised you something I can’t deliver.”

White takes the spot just to Orange’s right, “No problem, at all. Really, I’m just flattered you were interested to the first place.”

“I still am, I just-” he sighs, “I knew coming up here would be tough, especially alone, and I guess I thought a gaggle of guys would make it easier.” That makes White laugh, and Orange feels so damn accomplished, “Guess I was wrong.”

“You never know, it could get better.”

Orange is a bit surprised at how much he needed to hear that, “Yeah, it could.”

Rejoining the rest of the party, Orange sees the guys have already begun tidying up; he knows it’s for their own comfort, but can’t help seeing it as being supportive. ‘You’re not that important to them. They don’t know you.’ he frowns at the thought. He’d be a fool to think otherwise, but usually he was kinder to himself than this. Shaking it off, Orange grabs a pillow from the couch, takes it outside and starts beating the dust off of it. The one called Mr. Brown is also out front with his own cushion.

Looking over, “Orange, right?” seems friendly enough.

He nods, “Mr. Brown?”

More than a little bitter, “Yeah, yeah, Mr. Shit.” he grumbles.

Biting back a laugh, because the guy really seems to care about it, “What are y’all allowed to share? Can you tell me what you do?”

“Freelancing.”

“Ah.” as if this is the only answer Orange will ever need. “So, are y’all like nomads or somethin’? Part of a homeless caravan?”

“Do I look homeless to you?” 

A bit unexpected, “You look well off and that you have the protection of a group. And that you were wanting to break and enter private property.” 

Brown’s face softens at this, “Well, when you put it like that, I guess that does look like what we’re up to, huh?”

“Really, I don’t care if you just want a place to crash.” Orange starts on the other side of the pillow, “Just curious about where you’ve all been.”

“Well, we’re not homeless, and we’re not nomads.”

“That all you can say?”

“Look, I know that with you’re Uncle, you’re kinda one of us, but we really can’t talk about it.”

That’s not at all what Orange wanted to do, “I’m not-” and the other’s already off, back inside, “-one of you.”

1974

Vic Vega is led into a nice office, where two men already sit. Spotting him being escorted by the henchman, they both stand. The man behind the desk is the infamous Joe Cabot, and, if Vic plays his cards right, his future boss. The guy is tall, imposing, reminds him a bit of a bulldog. The guy in front of the desk, next to the empty chair meant for Vic, seems to be the complete opposite; he’s quite short, but stocky. Much younger than the big guy, and actually looks quite kind. Vic notes to watch his back around this one; kindness was always an ominous sign, as far as he’s concerned.

Joe gestures for him to sit, then gives his attempt at a smile, “Mr. Vega. You come highly recommended. Your brother has nothing but good things to say.”

“A miracle, really.” is his dry reply, because Vic and his brother rarely get along.

“Maybe he thinks you’re qualified, maybe he just wants you to get some work and fail miserably. Either way,” he looks up and down at Vic’s imposing height, “You’ve got potential. You interested in interning?”

It’s the most exciting thing to happen to Vic in years, “Sure.”

“This here’s Larry Dimmick.” The man to Vic’s left gives a polite nod, a slight smile, like he knows he’s gotta handle him with kid gloves, “He’ll be your mentor.”

The first week of on-the-job training is interesting, to say the least. The first day was nothing but talking and driving, meeting some people in very public places, making small talk while Vic waited in the car with the windows rolled down. The next two days involved even more driving, but with Dimmick going into various buildings; houses, apartments, small businesses. Again, Vic not allowed anywhere near the conversations. Day four of being on his best behavior, Dimmick looks over and says, “If you can keep your mouth shut you can tag along for the next meeting.”

Vic doesn’t respond with anything more than a nod.

‘Meeting’ turned out to be a shake down, with some associate being behind on payments. Three months worth. Vic could feel dread build in the pit of his stomach, but still wears his best poker face. He’s been pretending he doesn’t give a fuck about any awful thing since he was ten, this would be no different. So, when Dimmick and another heavy grab the bastard’s arm, smacking his hand on a flat surface, he’s expecting to see broken fingers. When Dimmick gets out a knife, instead, Vic can’t help but look away.

The sound of steel cutting through flesh and bone will haunt him just as much as the man’s screams.

As the weeks wear on, Vic’s exposed to more of the inner workings of the business. He meets various employees, most of whom are very out of the loop about Joe’s activities. It’s a silent lesson; the people around you only know as much as you allow them to. The debt collectors don’t need to know the same things as the accountants, despite how connected the two are. The wholesalers don’t need to know everything about the dealers, and they’re meeting one such of the latter, right now.

Larry’s a protective sort, despite being much shorter than Vic. Every new face Vic comes across, Larry insists on leading, physically keeping Vic behind him. So, when they meet a pot dealer named Matty, also a short fuck, Vic just feels like ac overgrown freak.

Larry doesn’t quite like Matty. That much is obvious. Later on, Larry will say to him that not many people do, because Matty’s a bit of a screwup. The initial meeting, though, the guy seems quite nice.

The dope dealer is about Larry’s age, maybe younger. He has light brown hair, a thin face. Skin is freckled and pale, and eyes a striking green. He wears jeans ripped at the knees, a loose t-shirt and an even bigger plaid button-up over this, like the guy’s permanently wearing someone else’s clothes. He stinks a bit of pot, but of the good stuff. His expression is tired, like he doesn’t get enough sleep. Like he doesn’t get enough of anything. Where Larry comes across as being in control, Matty seems like he’s just along for the ride. Vic can’t help but see part of himself in the dealer, the kind of instant connection when you see someone who’s the same kind of fucked up as yourself.

Chapter Two

1992

The first night is ended with a supper of gas station snacks and a lot of booze. The talk is pretty minimum, tight-lipped. Orange feels less and less welcome, despite the loving glances from White. He just… doesn’t want to be here. There’s something about the place that feels oppressive, forbidding. How can the place where his happiest childhood memories were made now feel so awful? Orange thought he’d be a lot more conflicted about selling the place, and now he can’t get ahold of the papers fast enough.

The group as a whole is also disappointing; Orange was hoping they would throw a rager of a party, fuck shit up, making chucking everything that much easier. It’s hard to feel bad about throwing out broken things, after all. Now? The group might as well be sitting on their thumbs. Plus, there’s no TV to watch, as the set was busted years ago, none of them brought books (Orange selfishly wants to keep his Uncle’s all to himself, afraid one of these guys will pinch one), no one even brought a deck of cards. It reminds him, “Anyone wanna play a board game? Scrabble, Monopoly, something like that?”

Brown seems interested, Pink just rolls his eyes, “I’ll take whatever you’ve got.” says the former.

“Great!” Orange replies, a little too eager, himself, “Just need to see what we’ve got.” He gets up from the couch, heading towards the kitchen.

“You keep your games in the kitchen?” Blue says, just to give the kid shit. He doesn’t see Black or Blonde glance over to one anther, watching Orange carefully.

“No, in the basement.” Orange answers, opening a door and stepping through.

“This place has a basement?” White asks out loud, not really expecting a reply.

“As if the shit hole couldn’t get creepier.” mutters Pink, “Watch it, he’ll come back up with a fucking ouija board or somethin’.”

“Oh, I can’t handle that.” Brown shakes his head, “Think I’d have to ditch y’all and take the car the fuck out of here, at that.”

“You’d ditch your cut?”

“Nothing’s worth sticking around after fucking with a demon.”

“There’s no such thing.” says White, like Brown’s just a child bullshitting at the playground.

“Easy for you to say if you don’t believe in hell.”

White just shrugs at that, “It certainly helps.”

“But, what about that talk of ghosts?” Brown says, “The waitress said the town’s spooked.”

“She’s probably just fucking with us.” Blue yawns, ready to sleep then and there, “Was hoping for a better tip.”

“Shut up.” Pink retorts, getting up to stoke the fire.

“Okay, so the alternative is that it’s animals.” Brown adds, “Worse yet, people.”

“Anyone skulking around out there should be afraid of us,” Eddie says, “Not the other way around.”

“What if it’s a serial killer? Or a murder cult?”

“Geeze, will you give it a rest?” Pink whines, “’Bout to throw myself in this fire.”

“You’re the one that brought up ouija boards.”

“So I should go fuck myself?”

“Shut the fuck up, the both of you.” Joe glares, “Quit working yourselves up, or go fuck in the car, I don’t care. Just shut up about it.”

The kitchen door gently closes behind him, as Orange fumbles for the light switch. Finding it, his path is illuminated; the stairs have about twenty steps, leading down into the basement. at the foot of it, he turns, facing the room proper. It feels wrong, like he’s seeing the space with fresh eyes. This must be what they mean, in that everything’s bigger when you’re a kid. Back then, the room felt huge, with tall shelves he couldn’t begin to see the tops of. Now, he saw the tops easily, barely an inch from the ceiling. God, even the floor looked different. It’s like Orange doesn’t recognize the place, anymore.

Going over to a dusty, plastic bin marked ‘games’, he opens it, the smell of old cardboard wafting out. He grabs a box, and nearly jumps when he hears a whisper.

“Hello?” Orange whips around, thinking he’ll see one of the guys at the top of the stairs, “Did one of you say something?”

Silence.

Cold sweat dripping down his back, Orange grabs the game, and does everything in his power to not sprint up the stairs. At the top, throwing the door open, he hears the tail-end of a conversation.

“We’re not-” Brown starts.

“It’s not like-” Pink says at the same time.

“Found something!” Orange catches his breath. Realizes he never properly looked at his pick, “Er- Trivial Pursuit? Yeah.” A totally not nervous laugh, “Sorry, couldn’t find Clue down there.” he looks at White, who gets the joke, and just tries to focus on him, like the older man is a lifeline.

“Great, didn’t think it could be worse.” Pink quips, and Orange is completely lost.

To the surprise of most, Black elects to sleep out in the car, and maybe White was right about that being the better option. Blue seconds it, being able to sleep anywhere, really, and Pink attempts to be polite, asking Orange if he can sleep in his car. Unlocking the doors, but keeping the keys, Orange does, and just hopes the guy doesn’t know how to hotwire stuff, or at least chooses not to.

Red and Blonde claim the main bedroom, and Orange shouldn’t be that surprised; the two are obviously together, even if the big guy’s weirdly quiet. Orange is about to say he’ll take the couch, when Brown’s already there, blanket and all, fast asleep. It doesn’t feel right, like Orange really got a certain notion in his head that the only way he can be a good host is by doing what his Uncle would do. And, again, when things get confusing, there’s White as a lovely distraction.

The two of them end up crashing in the guest bedroom, what was usually reserved for Orange. Thankfully, the mattress a full,

 

(White and Orange talk, Orange shares memories about Uncle Matt, and White feels guilty. Tell Orange his version of the truth. The realization that Orange knows about the robbery down in LA, and how he detests the LAPD specifically, come up. That there’s a few good ones, but they’re kept in the dark about the important stuff. White asks if Orange is ‘one of them’, the latter saying no. When trying to press further, they hear a scream. Rush out of the living room and see Brown sitting up, looking terrified. He stares back at them, including Red and Blonde, and says, “That wasn’t you?” pointing to Orange)

Draft Two, because draft one is both too similar to NMO and is lacking a certain pizzazz:

Keep the first few paragraphs the same. Have Larry and Freddy have their meet-cute. Larry gives the name ‘White’ and that’s it, both assuming they won’t see each other again, both regretting not jumping at the chance.

The robbers get to the cabin, and Freddy hangs out in town an extra day, because he’s further putting off the checking up of the cabin. Thus, we get the guys in a much looser, more natural environment, where they get to freely share their names/talk about their plans with their cuts. Cutesy shit ensues. Eddie and Vic, established couple, claim the master bedroom. Brown and Pink (Dennis and Mark?) cautiously claim the spare, being real hot for each other, but not wanting the others to necessarily see. Blue and Joe crash in the car, because Joe doesn’t wanna hear his son fucking, and Blue is over it, too. There’s not really room left for Larry, and Joe snores, and he can at least get a room between himself and the horndogs. This is where he starts to think of the missed opportunity of the cute twink at the gas station.  

Mid morning the following day, and the group gets quite the surprise; a car pulling up out front. See, the robbers hid their car out back, and even went so far as to cover it with dead branches (maybe not), so Freddy doesn’t see that anyone’s ‘home’. He’s spotted, and there’s a couple of the guys waiting behind the door, gun in Freddy’s face before he can even blink.

They can’t get a word out before Freddy confusedly says, “Mr. White?” and a short version of the gas station is recalled, “What are you doing in my place?” “Your place? This thing’s abandoned.” “I might not have been here for a while, but it’s my cabin.” “Say I believe you (could be Eddie or Joe talking) why show up here, now?” “Because I’d been getting calls about disturbances at my place. Finally got the time to come up here and deal with it.” Brown voices, “You mean what the locals say are ghosts?” “Yeah, but I guess it was just you guys, right? Look, I don’t care if you’re squatters, we all gotta make it however we can, but maybe don’t wreck the place?” “You assume I believe any of that shit.”

[how my fics tend to go is that I have an outline, but will wing the details, some of the more interesting stuff I've come across being the result of improv. And, sometimes it just doesn't fit, or things progress too quickly/slowly. In this case, it was too quickly, and we didn't get a chance to get to know the characters before they clammed up, again.]

[Freddy noting how different the basement feels is a hint about how the room got renovated and rearranged for 'reasons']