#shit sucks dude. drop out of school kids

[sevens-evan]

anyways sorry for ventposting i go back to college on sunday and i had a nightmare abt it last night and i feel very weird today <3

[haveihitanerve]

Imagine for me please Gothamites mocking Batman because sure he’s their ‘savior’ and all, but he’s also one of them and it’s been a few years since he’s become Batman so he’s well known and just- Batman: *growling* go home! Teenager:… gO hOmE~ like what are you? My dad? Batman:… Teenager:… I’m kidding please don’t adopt me - Batman: I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman.  Gothamite: ~I aM vEngeAnCE~ like do you practice that in the mirror? Batman:…  - Batman: don’t sell drugs to students Drug dealer: doN’T sElL dRuGs tO stUdeNtS- please as if you didn’t need drugs to live in college  Batman:… Batman:… just… not too much Drug dealer: *scoffs* of course not dude I don’t want them overdosing we need more smart people who don’t want to kill everyone- plus if they die I lose a customer Batman:… good to know

Teenager: *walking home from school, drops books* Batman: *watching from a nearby roof* damn that sucks Teenager:... Batman: Teenager: *grumbles as they bend down to grab stuff* Batman: stay in school! Teenager: *flips him off* ~ Visitor from Metropolis: ugh omggg this city is soooo grosss! its because none of you have superman! all you have is that wannabe furry Batman! Gothamite:... *looks up and spots Batman* yeah you right Batman: fuck you! Gothamite: *grins and flips him off* Batman: *leaves* Gothamite: *beats the shit out of the Metropolian for saying something as blasphemous as that* ~ Gotham citizen: ugh i got my hair all done and no one notice- Batman: *from above* ohhh emmm GGGGG that sucksssss Citizen:.... Batman: :) Gothamite:.. no one asked you you furry black hotpocket Batman: :( ~

[eddiernunson]

Really Drives Me Mad | Older!Eddie x Fem!Reader | 18 +

Previous Part | Master List | Next Part

Big big thank you to @forget-you-morelike-fuck-you for editing and spit balling ideas and giving feedback.

Another big thank you to @bebe07011 for spit balling ideas and fueling my ego &lt;3

I have no idea where this story or be without either of you girls. Or me, for that matter.

Word count: 16.6k

Warnings: Degradation/praise, light use of sir without any discussion, light hunter/prey play, crying while fucking (eddie), and a whole steddie story at the start. Lots of talk of their future in this part.

Author's note: When I say I am blown away by the reception of this fanfic, wholeheartedly mean it. Any word of kindness you have given just fueled the fire in me. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing it and exploring where the story will take us.

Due to some worry in the comments from last part I will clear this up: Neither Eddie nor Reader will be cheating, they're it for one another. Steve is here as a long time friend, someone with a wife and kids at home.

That being said, thank you so much, I really do appreciate it.

edit: somehow the first paragraph was missing? all fixed.

About 26/27 Years Ago:

At the failure of both their university careers, Steve and Eddie both dropped out within weeks of one another. This was unplanned, neither one of them knowing as they went back to Hawkins to a mini reunion. They agreed to meet one another for a drink, just the two of them, where Steve kindly asked how Eddie’s schooling was going, to which Eddie answered sheepishly that he had dropped out. Steve let out a bark of laughter, laughing through his response that he had also dropped out.

The mutual sigh of relief waved over them both, the two of them grateful they wouldn’t be receiving that same damn look of pity again. Their conversation then flowed into ease; the embarrassment was no longer there for either of them. Since they both dropped out, they each had found a dead-end job to make their ends meet while they figured out their next move.

Simply, they were at the exact same spot in life. This would be reoccurring for them over the next few years, finding their wives within the same six-month span, and both Arlo and Dylan being born within a year of one another. It’s no wonder why they became so close.

Steve had a crazy idea in their third hour in the bar booth, a little bit buzzed. “Dude. We should go to Vegas.”

Eddie wrinkled his eyebrows, completely thrown off by the suggestion. “What?”

“C’mon, Vegas! Our jobs both suck, and we’re the only ones who actually understand each-other’s shituations.”

Eddie sighed and took another sip of his beer. “Fuck it, let’s go.”

“Fuck yeah!”

“When?”

“Now!”

Eddie nearly spit out his beer, looking at Steve like he was crazy. “Now?”

“Dude. I still have my parents’ credit cards. They’re too lazy to actually cut me off.” Steve’s words were a bit slurred, holding up the many black cards.

Eddie downed his beer; the financials were his number one reason not to go. If this was gonna be on the Harrington’s dime, you best believe he would take full advantage of his friend’s shitty parents’ money.

Halfway through their first bus, Steve and Eddie started to sober up and wondered if it was a good idea. Too late, they were already four hours away. It took a total of 31 hours of driving on the road and about six different buses, but they finally made it to Nevada with nothing but the shirts on their backs and delirious glee.

The first two days they spent gambling and shooting the shit, both nights staring up at the bodies of women with numerous dollar bills in string thongs. (Eddie will omit this part when he tells it to you, for your own sanity’s sake.) On the third night, as Steve was a bit more drunk than the previous two, Eddie found a strong ass strain of weed on the strip and was a bit stoned. One of them managed to convince the other that finding girls to hook up with was the good idea.

They both went on with their night, keeping an eye out for any girl they could prospect. Even with a few conversations with some girls, they both came up short. Hooking up with women who were also running away from their problems was a bad idea.

Steve found a girl, but soon realized she was a dud when she made fun of Eddie’s bandana wrapped around his head. Eddie came up to Steve as she rolled her eyes and stomped off. Jesus. As he rested on the bar, he noticed something he wondered if he had imagined the whole three days they were there. Eddie’s eyes lingered on him, checking him out not-so-subtly. Steve leered on Eddie’s soft pink lips for too long for Steve to confidently tell himself he was not interested. His eyes raked down Eddie, taking in everything, subconsciously licking his lips. Having these thoughts, he realized Eddie was talking to him the entire time and he didn’t take in a single word.

“Well, that was a bust. C’mon. Let’s go get our sleep, we’re spending the next two days bussing home.” Steve yanked Eddie by the sleeve of the gift shop shirt he got up to the hotel elevator.

Eddie wandered into the bathroom when they got to their room and when he came out, he saw Steve sitting on the edge of his bed, legs out and leant back on straight arms. Eddie chuckled nervously. As dorky as it was, Steve looked fantastic in the makeshift gift shop outfit he had gotten himself.

“Steve?” He asked, hesitantly walking towards him.

An uncontrollable huff of laughter left Steve’s mouth, he stood up to face Eddie, accidentally meeting him only inches away from his face. It was a flicker. Only a flicker. A flicker of Eddie’s eyes looking directly to Steve’s lips, and Steve couldn’t help but smile. “You know, Eddie. If you want to kiss me, all you have to do is ask.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide, the panic in his face was clear. “I-I…” He stuttered, his breathing picked up exponentially in the last two minutes and the air in the hotel room was thick.

Steve gently placed one hand on Eddie’s cheek bone, slowly caressing it as to calm the nerves he could tell were radiating off Eddie. He smiled, glancing down very obviously to Eddie’s mouth to ask for permission. Eddie nodded the tiniest goddamn nod in the world and nearly blacked out when Steve’s lips came rushing for his own.

When their lips met, Eddie moaned into it, moving to someone’s bed, he couldn’t tell nor did he care which, and let Steve fall on top of him.

The kisses were messy, clothes were thrown all over the hotel room, and the sex was rough and giggly, but desperate.

And only one time, they decided as they woke up on opposite sides of the bed, laughing at the sheer absurdity that filled the air as they were both wrapped in white sheets.

-

“Uh, Eddie? It’s for you… his name is Steve Harrington?” Eddie pauses, in the middle of hanging a sweater in what seems to be the designated spot for knitwear. A quick assessment tells you that you now have more sweaters than you need, observing them all hung delicately by his hands.

“No way.” Eddie mutters, a smile slowly creeping up on his face. He jogs right past you to the hallway and down the stairs, the quick thumping of his feet loud in the silence of the house.

Your brain takes a moment to catch up to you, following Eddie’s lead back down the stairs. As the front entrance comes into view halfway down the stairs, you see the two men wrapped up in a genuine embrace, arms flexed as they hug one another. They separate, but not by much, maintaining only a few feet between them.

“You didn’t tell me when you were coming!” Eddie accuses playfully, patting Steve on his shoulder.

Steve’s hands are on his hips, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, I ended up coming 2 weeks early.”

“No shit, hey?” Eddie leans back, crossing his arms.

They fall into a conversation so easily that their comfort with one another radiates off them. You would be offended Eddie hasn’t introduced you to him yet if it weren’t for their entertaining back and forth with one another.

“How long have you two known each other?” You mistakenly interrupt them, cutting off the conversation.

“Uh, since high school.” Eddie answers, elbowing Steve.

Steve’s eyes widen deliriously, jerking back at the neck. “Uh, try Jr. High.” He laughs. “Eddie here was the new kid.” He seems to laugh at the memory of young Eddie. Man, you’ll need photographic proof. “The weird-o new kid.”

“Oh, sorry my mom abandoned me, Steve.” Eddie laughs, not a lick of remorse behind it. You gulp, your heartstrings pulled at his throwaway comment.

“Abandonment issues can forgive weirdness only for so long, Eddie.”

“Yeah, but I got it renewed fifteen years ago. Didn’t even have to ask, she just did it for me.”

There’s a moment of silence until they break into laughter, poking fun at one another.

“I’m so sorry, who’s this?” Steve gestures to you, walking over to where you’re standing by the stairs.

“Oh, I’m Y/N.” You hold your hand out to him, somewhat nervous to be meeting someone who’s known Eddie for so long. Decades long before you were even born.

Steve’s hand meets yours and shakes it gracefully, his kind chocolate brown eyes meeting yours. “He paying you well?”  You’re not sure how to answer this, your hand still holding Steve’s as you and Eddie give another a look of confusion. “Oh, sorry. You must be Dylan’s girlfriend! Where is he off to, anyway?” Steve lets go of your hand.

“Steve?”

“Hmm?”

“Remember I told you I was seeing someone?” You smile to yourself under the mere indication that Eddie talked to someone about you.

Steve nods, remembering the life in Eddie’s voice when he called. “Yep.”

Eddie points to you, gesturing multiple times until Steve finally gets the hint. “Oh…oh. Oh!” Steve’s hands move back to his hips, his eyes switching back and forth between you and Eddie quickly. “But she’s a child.” Steve deadpans, pointing to you and furrowing his brows at Eddie.

Eddie chuckles, placing his arm around you as Steve takes it in. You’re slightly offended on your own behalf at the prospect of being called a child. Eddie places a kiss on your temple to ease the tension, making you melt into it. “No, she’s not.”

You tilt your head back at Eddie, giving him a sleepy smile, eyes half closed. He kisses you as if to put the final nail in the coffin in any disbelief Steve might’ve had. You breathe deeply as he pulls away, and goddamn, did you have a long day today.

“Wait until Robin hears you’re dating someone half your age.” Steve muses, shaking his head. “She’s gonna have a field day.”

“Wait till she hears we’re already shacked up.” Eddie jokes, bringing you to the couch and therefore leading Steve as well.

As you sit down on the couch, you cuddle into him, head laying down on his chest. Steve asks how his shop is doing, to which Eddie gives the run down on the nicest cars he’s seen and a customer’s hunk of junk he couldn’t believe was still driving around. Steve explains the logistics of his job, and by the tone of Eddie’s voice, you could tell he had no idea any of what Steve was saying, but he was being supportive in tone, nonetheless.

“How are the kids?” Eddie asks, and you watch as Steve’s eyes light up in response.

“Oh, they’re great.”

“How old are they?” You ask, a tad curious.

“Uh, Arlo is 24, Nick is 17, Dustin is 15, and Eliza is 4.” Steve riles off, letting his head fall back on the couch. Damn, he sure didn’t look like a dad of four.

“Is Eliza 4 already?” Eddie asks, shaking his head.

“Sure is.” Steve answers, bringing out his phone. He unlocks it, and presumably goes into his photos until passing it over to you and Eddie. “Here. This was from yesterday.”

“Awww.” You let out, seeing the image of a little girl with Steve’s curls playing on a water mat.

“Oh, aww” Eddie lets out, laughing through it. Eliza is adorable, that much is clear. But as you look up at Eddie scrolling through a few of the photos of Eliza playing in the water, the hearts in his eyes are undeniable. He laughs softly at them, as if he can’t get enough of any of the photos. As Eddie passes the photos with his praises of Eliza, a stirring gut feeling sits there, a feeling you’ve been proud that you’ve been able to hold off with Eddie already having a grown child.

Goddamn, you wanted to have this man’s babies. Or at least, baby. The idea of him looking this sweetly at a child you made together invades your heart and makes you squirm on his chest a bit. You lean off his chest, afraid of these strong feelings of wanting this much of a future with him; it was a little scary. “I’m sleepy. Been a long day, I’m gonna go take a nap.”

“Alright, here.” He gets up with you, taking your hand and walking you around the couch. “Be right back, Steve.”

Eddie goes up the stairs to your room, escorting you to your now shared bed. Last week it had dark grey sheets. Now it has your favourite yellow daisy-themed sheets that Eddie insisted upon using. You lie down, still thinking of the way his eyes lit up and the smile that took over his face from the pictures. It made something stir in you. You were exhausted from your long day, that was no lie, but needed the excuse to leave before you did something crazy.

Like riding him on the couch. (And begging for his babies)

“Have a good sleep, sweetheart. I’ll wake you when dinner’s ready.” He kisses your forehead, soft and sweet. “Love you.”

“Love you.” You mutter through your breath, eyes already closing.

-

You’re already fast asleep by the time Eddie closes the door. As he reaches the bottom of the steps, Steve looks up at him expectantly, his brow slightly furrowed. He’s concerned, and to be fair, he has a reason to be. “So, we’re dating 20-year-olds, now?”

Eddie bites his tongue from correcting your age. “I guess you could say that.”

“What is this, some sort of midlife crisis? Get a red sports car, not someone who beats my oldest by months, hell your kid by months. I mean, come on, man. Use your brain.” Steve taps his shoulder on the last sentence, surely thinking he’s putting Eddie’s head back on right. However, Eddie just sits through the lecture without defending himself so he can say his piece when the time comes. “I-I mean where did you even find her, on her way to school?”

The front door slams. Dylan’s home. “Dad, am I tripping or is Uncle Steve’s car out front—Hey!” He cuts himself off, jogging toward them as soon as he sees Steve on the couch. Steve stands up to give him a tight hug, having known Dylan since the day he was born. “What’re you doing here?”

“Came by for a visit, turns out your dad’s having a midlife crisis.”

Dylan’s brows pinch together as he glances around Steve to Eddie for clarification. Eddie shrugs his shoulders, pretending not to know a single thing Steve was talking about. “What, did he get a sports car or something? He says they look pretty but they’re not made to last.”

“No, no. I was talking about his pretty new girlfriend.” The pang of possessiveness that hits Eddie in the chest is unprecedented for Steve just calling you pretty.

Dylan hardly holds in his laughter, walking into the kitchen before a full-on laugh escapes his throat. Steve stares off at him, glancing at Eddie and clearly asking, what the hell is wrong with that boy? Dylan makes himself calm down, coming back into the living room with a shit eating grin on his face. “So did he tell you how they met?”

“N-no.” Steve hesitates based on the grin on his face.

“He hasn’t let me get that far, yet.” Eddie chimes in, looking a little cozy as he settles into the couch. You were right, it has been a long ass day.

“I’m gonna tell him.” It wasn’t a threat per se, Dylan just wanted to watch the panic in his dad’s eyes.

Eddie lifts his head off the back pillow of the couch, having been looking up at the ceiling. “He’s gonna find out eventually. I was just gonna wait until she woke up.”

“Tell me…what?” Steve asks, tired of watching Eddie and Dylan’s back and forth.

Dylan gives one last chuckle, the laughter telling Eddie it’s not something he’s very bitter about anymore. They still haven’t talked about it; he’s been waiting for Dylan to come to him. “She was my girlfriend, first.” Dylan says through a smirk. “She cheated on me. With dad.”

Steve processes it, both Dylan and Eddie can see the hamster wheel turning in his head. He looks back and forth between Dylan and Eddie, his eyes staying on either one for a moment. His eyes don’t blink the entire time, switching back and forth for a solid minute.

“Dude!” Steve finally says, landing on Eddie. “What the fuck happened, Ed?”

Dylan continues laughing, walking over to his dad. “Yeah dad, what happened?”

Eddie lets his head fall back on the pillows again, closing his eyes for a brief second. “Well, I tried to keep my distance…she did not.” Shit, that’s putting all the blame on you. “I wasn’t strong enough to tell her to break up with Dylan, first. Felt like I was seventeen years old, hormones just raging to a point where I couldn’t think straight with her right there.” He gets up from the couch, walking up to his closest friend of 30+ years. “She’s not just some 25-year-old, Steve. This girl, Steve, she’s everything, and somehow, she’s convinced that she’s the lucky one.”

When his dad spews cheesy shit like this it certainly softens the blow. Feels funny that he ever dated you in the first place at times.

Steve seems to miss the fact that Dylan has gotten almost completely over it by now. “That’s all good and nice, but I think you’re missing the fact that you stole your son’s girlfriend?”

Dylan lets out another laugh, wishing Steve was here when everything went down. That would’ve been a show. “Listen, Uncle Steve. I appreciate you standing up for me, truly, I do. If you were here three weeks ago when they fucked in my truck, then that would’ve been…just great.”

“You fucked in his tru—”

Dylan cuts him off, “But honestly, I didn’t date her for very long. If anything, I had only begun to develop some deeper feelings for her, but these two had it right away. They’re good together. I wish they could’ve just told me their feelings and then slept together, but with Maya…if she was dating one of my boys I would’ve done the same thing.”

Steve’s hand lands on Dylan’s shoulder, seeing the truth in his statement. “Well, you’ll have to tell me about Maya, then.” He turns back to Eddie, a pinch appearing back between his brows. “But seriously, you fucked in his truck? What kind of sicko are you?”

“His was unlocked. He knows better.” Eddie shrugs, Steve rolls his eyes fondly.

“Good god, man.”

“I was actually just here to grab something, but I’ll see you for supper?” Dylan shoots, mid stride towards the stairs.

“We’re eating out, be back by 8:30.” Steve calls up, and Dylan waves his hand in acknowledgement.

“We are?” Eddie asks, sitting back on the couch.

“Oh yeah, Munson.” He sits on the cushion beside him, leaning onto his knees. “But tell me about her. Sorry I just assumed…but Robin will absolutely be calling you to rip your head off.”

“Or…she can find out in person one day.”

“Like at your wedding?” Steve teases, but lets out a burst of laughter when the blush appears on his cheeks. “Seriously, you hear wedding bells?”

“I’m not getting any younger, dude. But my hormones are, man, she has me doing multiple rounds, sometimes more than one a day!” Steve’s eyes widen, intrigued by this. “I haven’t fucked like this since my 20s.” Eddie pauses, thinking about his sex life back then. “I’m not even sure I fucked like this in my 20’s, to be honest.”

Steve lets out a laugh, shoving Eddie for good measure. Of course, being men, they both skip over the fact that yes, Eddie has had wedding bells in his head enough to start looking at rings…and go for the sex talk.

“Okay, sex aside. Tell me about her.”

It takes only five minutes of Steve listening to Eddie ramble on about you to realize it absolutely was the real deal. No mid-life crises here. Eddie seemed calm and laxed, whereas his ex always made him wired. For the record, Steve never quite liked her. She had Eddie looking like a wet chihuahua, yapping at every drop of a hat. Steve was a little relieved when she left, ‘cause no one could convince Eddie she was not good for him.

Turns out he just needed to wait a few years. 15, in fact.

-

You wake up to the feeling of Eddie’s hand on your cheek, carefully petting you as he places gentle kisses on your lips. “Baby.” He mumbles, causing you to stir. “Baby, wake up.”

As you start to wake up, you become increasingly aware that he was lying right behind you. “Mmm.”

“C’mon, we’re going out for supper with Steve, you have to get up.”  

Still reeling from the dream that you were just ripped out of, you arch your back slightly, grinding your ass against Eddie’s instantly-hardening cock. You hear a sharp inhale, Eddie’s grip on your hip intensifying. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but we literally don’t have time.” Eddie comments, his forehead falling onto the back of your head in an act of self discipline.

You frown, giving a good hip swivel. “We always have time.”

“Not today, you don’t! Get up!” You pop awake, aware of Steve’s presence in the hallway as he overshadows Eddie, waking you up more fully.

“He knows me enough to know I’d try to sneak something in.” Eddie murmurs, as not to be heard.

You turn around in your bed, now lying face to face with him, a devious smile creeping on your face. “So, sneak something in.”

Eddie’s brows lift at your suggestive tone. “Fuck.” He mutters, crawling out of bed before you could give his neck one of those licks that just melts him into a puddle. “C’mon baby. Get all dressed up, meet you downstairs by 8:30.”

Your teeth grit together, grabbing your phone that was tossed haphazardly aside when you fell asleep. The screen illuminates itself and your eyes widen when you realize you only have…fifteen minutes to get ready. Well, why didn’t he just say that?

You rush into your closet, and for the first time, the amount of clothes you now own settles in. How the fuck are you ever getting ready ever again? You go to the dresses, skimming through the more family friendly options. You trail  over each hanger one at a time until you reach the right one. Some light makeup is done, a five-minute routine.

You finally reach the bottom step at 8:29 pm, all the guys sitting on the couch watching the tv. “Ready!”

Eddie glances at you and breaks into a smirk. “You look great, sweetheart.”

Your face heats up as you find a pair of shoes that won’t make you hate yourself. You smile, recalling your afternoon in the crowded dressing room. “Thanks, Ed.”

Meanwhile, Steve takes only two seconds as he witnesses this interaction to realize. “No. Go change.”

“W-what?” You stutter, not used to Steve’s blunt stature.

“I-just-just go change. I don’t need to be watching this all night!”

“Fine.” You roll your eyes, kicking your shoe off to put on a dress that Eddie didn’t salivate over that very afternoon.

“Wait, what? What was wrong with the dress?” Dylan asks Steve, not having a clue as to what just transpired.

“Trust me, you don’t wanna know.”

“Hey, Dyl, you remember that green little dress that she had?” Eddie asks, recalling it on his carpeted floor earlier that day before he burned it.

Dylan smiles, then recalls what was so special about the dress. “Oh.” He mumbles, now feeling uncomfortable.

“I think she’s overwhelmed with choices, which is why she picked the dress in the first place. I’ll go help. Meet you there.”

-

Steve put up a fight on just meeting you there, but one on one time with his boy is something he wouldn’t pass up. Especially when he talks about a girl the way he did about Maya.

Eddie didn’t give Steve much of an option, still trying to get rid of the hard on that he had. He bursts through the bedroom and closet door, and as he does so, the front door slams shut. Eddie walks in to you staring aimlessly in your underwear at the dresses, not knowing which one to put on. Eddie comes from behind you, placing his stubbly chin onto your shoulder. “What’s up, baby?” He asks, casually drifting your underwear down your legs.  

You sigh, the trail of his fingertips sending shivers up your spine. “You got me too many dresses.”

“No, I didn’t.” Eddie says, you hear and feel behind you as he lets his own pants drop. “Bend a little bit.” He whispers as you feel his hard cock against your ass.

You do, lifting your ass up at an angle where he can slide right into your folds. He does, arms drifting below your torso and up to play with your tits as he fucks you from behind.

“I got the perfect amount for my sweet baby.” He mutters into your ear, both his hands doing things to your tits that make you whimper. “Love to spoil my beautiful girl.”

“Fuck, daddy.” You whine, your heat already so goddamn hot. “Help. Can’t decide on a dress.”

“Here.” Ed pauses, causing you to whine, but puts a dress in front of you. “Wear this one for daddy.”

“O-ok.” You stutter, barely paying attention to it. “Love you, daddy.”

“I love you,” he kisses your neck, wet and sweet, “so much, pretty baby.” You turn your head to face him, leaning in for a delicate kiss, your pussy clenching around him as you do.

You lean onto the white walls separating each compartment of the closet, closing your eyes as he fucks into you. “Daddy,” you whine, and he pulls your hair gently in response, bringing your head back to his.

“Yes, baby?”

“You’re so good to me, I’m so-so close.” You pant, giving him lustful eyes.

“Cum with me,” Eddie mutters, having been close himself a few times. He leans down, rubbing at your clit. You cum around him hard, yelling his name.

He catches your lips in a kiss when he cums, so you have no idea what he said.

He lets you catch your breath, wrapping his arms around you protectively until you let him know you’re okay. “Thank you, baby.”

“Oh that was just a spur of the moment, I just got lucky.” He jokes, bringing up the dress to you to get redressed.

“You think Steve—”

“Oh, I guarantee Steve already knows.” Eddie interrupts your worry, that Steve knew you were hooking up. “Just had to be sneaky.”

You put yourself in the dress, staring at it in the mirror. Okay, Eddie is seriously good at picking things that fit you well. Damn. “Let’s go baby.”

“Fuck, with you in that dress I’ll be gunning for round two all night.”

“Then we better go so we can come back and do it!” You assert playfully.

“Fuck, I love you.”

-

As you and Eddie sit down at the table where your ice cubes are already melted with the water droplets making a pool on the table, Steve doesn’t say a word, but the look he gives says enough. If he’s your boyfriend’s best friend, how come he already has the ability to make you feel like you had disappointed him?

The restaurant is a steakhouse, something worth dressing up for, but not like the one Eddie took you to. Steve managed to talk about all his kids, describing each one of the four and their distinct personalities to you.

Arlo is apparently a near carbon copy of his father, only differing on a few personality quirks here and there. He was in every sense of the word the eldest Harrington, making a reputation for the Harrington children to live up to at the daycare, elementary school and finally, but most importantly, high school.  Considering Steve raised his kids in Hawkins, Arlo knew the expectations for him and met them, tenfold. Steve never says it, but you can tell he’s so proud of how cool his kid turned out to be. Apparently, though they were closest in age, Dylan was closer to Nicky than to Arlo.

Nicky was the middle child for most of his life. He still considers himself to be, despite getting a younger sister four years ago. He had found himself gravitating towards the arts, and Steve found himself with a kid who spent his early mornings watching broadway bootlegs and collecting song books. This turned him into somewhat of a ladies’ man like Arlo, his baritone vibrato beautifully toned as he starred in most of his school musicals. Someday, Arlo wants to enroll in a drama school, and Steve still isn’t sure how he feels about it.

Dustin is the third child, and for a while, the baby. It’s explained to you that Dustin is named after a mutual friend, someone younger than both Eddie and Steve, someone they took under their wing and mutually adopted. When Dustin’s name was announced, Steve and his wife made sure he was in the room, so for the first hour of Dustin Harrington’s life, he was unnamed. Tears streamed down Dustin’s, (the original), face when he realized that Steve had named his child after him. Immediately, Dustin was his. Because of Dustin Henderson, Dustin Harrington is a complete dork. He’s completely invested in Star Wars, has built his own Magic the Gathering deck, used to spend weekends on Skype for DnD sessions with Uncle Eddie, and has even been to a convention or two.

Basically, none of his boys were the same.

You resented little Eliza coming up in conversation, only for the sake of her photos enticing some sick and cruel twist of fate.

Eliza, however, is the apple of everyone’s eye, and the darling of the Harrington family. She’s a handful, to say the least, a stubborn personality and even worse temperament. Steve swears he thought her toddler years were a handful; until she reached the independent thinking stage. Now, she wants everything, but she never wants help. Her three brothers are fiercely protective of her, each in their own ways, on top of having her dad, her uncle Eddie, and a few names that aren’t familiar to you (note: ask Eddie who ‘Hopper’ is), she’s got the world wrapped around her pinky.

Steve is at the end of a tale of chasing little Eliza around the mall, having slipped his grip in a quick getaway, creating havoc as she clutched a teddy bear that wasn’t paid for. He laughs fondly, describing how she evaded three security guards attempting to aid Steve in his mission, finally catching her when she was hungry enough to decide to end the chase.

You all sit with your food in front of you, chuckling at Steve’s well-told story. “Man,” Eddie starts, mouth still full. He waits until he swallows to continue, “I don’t know if I could have a toddler now. Especially if they’re as wild as Dylan was.”

“Hey!” Dylan calls, gesturing to himself. “I’m right here!”

“No offense, kid, but you were a menace. I looked away for two seconds once and found you on the roof with an umbrella to see if it would work as a parachute.”

“You remember what you told me?” Dylan challenges him, leaning onto his elbows on the table. “Hmm? You tell her what you told me.”

You perk up, leaning into Eddie. “Well, I came out and asked him what he was doing. He said he wanted to see if it worked.”

“And…you said?” Dylan asks, eager to get to the punchline.

“I told him to try it then and see how it works out for him!”

“So, I did!” Dylan exclaims, exasperated.

“What?” You exclaim, and the three men around you nod their heads solemnly, all having heard this story several times before.

“I didn’t know he was actually going to do it!” Eddie laughs, defending himself at your bug eyes aimed at him.

“You’re my dad, I trusted you had my best interests at heart!”

“How you didn’t know sarcasm before that is beyond me…” Eddie mutters, shaking his head fondly at his son. “That story was used against me several times in court, too.”

“They tried to make him out to be a terrible parent. I was pissed.” Dylan explains, and your heart melts over it. “I maintained that even though I had a cast for a few weeks, doesn’t mean I didn’t learn my lesson. Don’t jump off the roof. You will get hurt. That’s what my dad was telling me before he dared me.”

You intertwine your fingers with Eddie’s, smoothing his thumb with your own. There’s a nagging in the back of your mind as you recall his claims of being too old for a toddler, a slight disappointment. You shove it far, far back into your brain, not wanting to dissect that. “So, you staying the night, or?” You ask Steve.

“No thanks, Dylan has made it clear that you two are insatiable.” He says, toying with his food. “He has told me every story where he has caught you, even the ones you don’t know about.” He pauses, giving Eddie a resigned glance across the table. “Freaks. The both of you.”

Your phone buzzes on the table, and you reach for it momentarily to check out the text from Bethany. As your attention is stolen, Eddie mouths over you, Jealous? Steve spurts out a laugh, as if the idea is so absurd. Your head shoots up, Bethany’s text is fresh on your mind. “Baby, can…can I take a picture of your hand?”

“Uh, sure.” Eddie agrees, placing his hand out from your grip and onto the table. “What for?”

“For my Insta,” you answer, somewhat preoccupied by getting a good angle while making his hand intertwined with yours look natural.

“Oh, soft launch?” Dylan comments, and you snap your fingers in confirmation.

Eddie chuckles, all the words coming out of you and Dylan sounding like a different language. “What?”

“Okay, so it’s not just me!” Steve laughs, holding his chest dramatically. “Seriously, what are you two on about?”

Dylan answers before you can–  you’re still trying to get a good angle of his hand holding yours on the table. “It’s posting an update to your relationship status without giving a name to the person. It’s telling the world you’re taken, but not by who. Usually in case they break up, but I don’t think it’s why she’s doing it.”

“No, Eddie has no social media and I know…” you pause, leaning back to take one more, “that he wants to keep it that way, so, I’m showing him off in my own way.” You glare at your phone, swearing softly when it still doesn’t look right.

“For fucks’ sake, let me,” Dylan snatches your phone and gets up from the booth, squats and places the phone as if you were the one taking it yourself, snaps a photo, and tosses the phone back to you. “There.”

The phone falls past your hand and into your lap. You gently pick it up, assessing the photo in your recents. Damn. It was the exact vibe you were looking for. “Well, thanks.”

Dylan shoots an eye roll back, his heart not really in it.

“Let’s see?” Eddie asks, leaning into you, resting his chin against the strap of your dress on your shoulder. You’ve already captioned and posted the photo onto your Instagram, so you let him view the screen. He lets out a chuckle, a wide grin appearing on his face. “I like the photo, but what does the caption mean? Greater than what?”

Caption reads, ‘Him>’.

“Oh, it just means you’re ‘greater than’ everything else. There is no one thing to put because it would be useless.” You explain, turning your phone off and placing it face down on the table.

Eddie shifts the two of you so he can see your face, eyes switching between yours as he assesses you. You look up at him, curious to what could possibly be on that brain of his. “You think I’m greater than everything else?”

Of course you’ve seen it plastered on social media sites, somewhat of a common way to refer to your personal opinion of something. It’s so normalized, and you figured it was a simple way to announce that you were taken by the finest man you’ve ever seen in your entire life. You nod, “Of course!”

His hand frames your face and suddenly his lips are on yours. Your breath hitches in your throat as the kiss and the pure love you feel in his reaction makes you feel like you’d be knocked off your feet if you weren’t already sitting down. Your limbs catch up and one hand lands on his thigh, ignoring the subtle heat you feel pooling in your cunt.

Steve and Dylan are forgotten as you get caught up in a frenzy, lips locking with a level of need for one another that would give any other person envy over the display of passion. Dylan has gotten used to it, you two were in the habit of kissing one another like this often. Steve takes a large sip of his bourbon, leaning back in his booth and leaning right to him. “So, this—”

“Yeah, that’s normal.” Dylan tells him.

“Jesus, I thought you were exaggerating.” Steve pauses, moving his plate away from him, all done. “Thought he was exaggerating.”

“Exaggerating what?” Dylan asks, afraid of the answer.

Steve smirks, taking another sip of his drink. “Just drink your apple juice.” He nods to Dylan’s beer; Dylan shoves his shoulder fondly in response. Steve takes one last big swig of his drink, gesturing to the waitress across the room for her assistance. “Hey. You two. Take a breather.”

Your kisses haven’t gotten any more intense, though his hand placed gently on your thigh was a tease. You could make out with him for hours, knowing your limits in the restaurant booth. Eddie finally pulls back, kissing you delicately a few times on the lips as to not leave you hanging, leaving you reeling when the server stops by.

“Just the check, please.” Steve tells her, smug.

The waitress nods, grabbing plates when the four of you insist you’re all done with your food. Steve and Eddie end up telling a story from their early 20’s when they were both single, finishing each other’s sentences as they remind each other how unruly they were back then. Your eyes flick back and forth between them, something clicking.

“Hmm.” You muster, letting yourself think about it.

“Yes, baby?”

You zone back in, blinking as you realize the three of them are staring at you expectantly. You hadn’t even realized you hummed out loud. “Oh, nothing.” But he’s not budging. None of them are. “Seriously, it’s nothing.”

Still no dice.

You lean forward towards Dylan, who sits across from you, lowering your voice. “Do you want to be traumatized by your dad’s sex life?” He shakes his head, the smile leaving his face. You lean back, satisfied. “Then don’t worry about it.”

“For the record, I think you mean more traumatized.” Dylan mutters, just loud enough for you to hear. You kick his shin underneath the table, light enough to hurt but not do anything. You giggle at his reaction, leaning into Eddie’s arm as it snakes around your own.

Your phone buzzes, another text from Bethany. You smile as you check it, content in Eddie’s arms as the waitress comes around again with the bill. Steve hands her a card as he watches Eddie speak softly to you, nothing important, just something causing you to giggle. He feels confident in his own marriage, a love that gave him four kids with a stable home to drive back to. It just made him happy to see Eddie in a relationship where it’s clearly reciprocated.

As Eddie whispers to you, you can barely take in the words Bethany has texted you, but what she has to say to you is seemingly important, your phone buzzing repeatedly in your hands. You allow your eyes to focus back on them and the all-caps of her texts become clear.

CHECK YOUR INSTA

HELLO???

BABE

HELLO

GO CHECK IT YOUR POST ALREADY HAS OVER 500 LIKES

BITCH IT’S AT ONE THOUSAND

HELLLLOOOO

“Oh, shit.” You switch apps to make sure it’s true. In your notifications, there are over 300 comments and more likes than Bethany had claimed, 1.5 thousand. By no means is it viral, but most of your posts got no more than 100 due to your circle of friends in the app being so small. “Holy shit.” There are several comments praising Eddie’s hand, even some drool emojis. The only solace you can give yourself is that you now know you are never exposing his face. “Um, Ed. Your hand has gotten attention.”

He leans over, seeing the amount of engagement on your post. “Cool.” He comments, the numbers not meaning much to him.

“I could’ve told you that much.” Steve laughs.

You peer at him questioningly, silently asking what he meant by it.

“Listen, the ladies in Hawkins are…what is it…thirsty?” He checks with Dylan. Dylan chuckles and confirms it. “Yeah, okay, thirsty. They are mad thirsty over Eddie. If I accidentally mention that the Munsons are coming into town, it becomes town gossip. It’s like Billy Hargrove all over again, except this time it’s age appropriate.”

You turn back to Eddie, serious as you can be. “You’re never going back.”

 He laughs, wrapping his arms around you to bring you into a hug. “We’ll talk about it.”

-

As you walk towards the front door of the restaurant, the sun has set on another day. Eddie’s arm is wrapped around your shoulders, and Steve calls out to Eddie as he leads you to his truck, drawing your attentions. “Munson!”

Eddie turns around, the use of his last name certainly grabbing his attention. They quit using last names on one another years ago. The last time Eddie fully recalls being called Munson by Steve; Steve was pulling at his hair… “You rang, Harrington?”

“Can I steal your girlfriend for a drive?” He asks, sending a smile your way.

“Uh,” Eddie looks at you, making sure you’re comfortable with it. You nod your head, sharing a look with him. “Sure. Have her back within the hour, though.”

“Yes, sir.” Steve jokes, laughing to himself when Eddie subtly grits his teeth, and a pink blush reaches his cheeks. “C’mon, I don’t bite.”

You give your boyfriend a hug, embracing his kiss of safety and comfort. “Love you.” As you walk the steps toward Steve, Eddie tugs you back by your fingertips, one last kiss for good measure.

“Love you more.” He mutters, and for a second you believe him. Oh, to follow him into his truck and ride with him in a comfortable silence on the way back.

“Come on! One hour won’t kill you.” Steve grabs your hand before you can register, leading the way to his SUV.

Dylan passes you on the way to his dad, waving cheekily on the way and you flip him off.

You get into the dark blue SUV, a Range Rover, no less. It’s evident he has a four-year-old with the car seat and the mess in his back seat, but you know that if he didn’t have Eliza, the brown interior would’ve been spotless. Steve turns down the radio he had blasting, turning his iPhone connection on. “Ready for some oldies?”

“You and Eddie. Terrible, the both of you.” You mutter, shaking your head.

Steve laughs, pulling out of the parking lot and turning the opposite way of Eddie’s (yours too) house. “Don’t worry, just taking the long way.” He assures you after he sees you staring wistfully off at Eddie’s tail lights.

It’s about five minutes of silence until Steve talks again. “So, I just wanted to apologize about earlier, I was…I was shocked. When you opened the door, I didn’t know who you were, but I certainly wasn’t expecting the answer I got. Can you tell me your version of how you two got together? I didn’t want Eddie interjecting.”

“Oh.” You clear your throat. “Uh, Dylan forgot a parking pass on our way to the beach, so he stopped by the house to look for it. Eddie comes down, sweats low on his hips and hair still wet from his shower, and I could barely focus on anything else around me. I should’ve broken up with Dylan the moment I got to his truck.” You tell him, making sure Steve knows full well that you are still apologetic about the cheating.

“Oh sweetheart, that’s all fine and dandy. As far as Dylan is concerned, it hurt, but it’s long gone in his mind. Trust me. Any hesitation is aimed at Eddie, and for good reason.” Steve reassures you, feeling your defense build. “Don’t worry. Just tell the story.”

“Okay. I didn’t end it because I was afraid he’d lash out and it would’ve been forever before getting ahold of Eddie again. I couldn’t risk it, so I stayed. It lasted until that weekend, when I was doing horny things in the living room with Dylan just because Eddie was home. Maybe he’d hear something, maybe he’d look…maybe he’d watch…” You drift off, remembering the sheer urgency you had for him. “I wore skimpy outfits, I bent over around the house, I was fully prepared for Eddie, and to be honest, I was too hormonal to care or understand the repercussions.” You glance out the window, lights blinding you as you pass each neon sign. “So, we hooked up. After spending more time with him, I realized how much I had already cared about him. Now, Steve, now, I love that man so goddamn much.”

Steve smiles at you as he drives, his head waving with the bumps in the road. “Where do you see this going? For your future? In the long term, are you willing to accept that his body will give out a lot earlier than yours?”

 A knot forms in your stomach in the shape of a confession. You switch your glance to Steve, and you feel safe with him. Not like Eddie, no. It was like he would never tell your secrets, or like he’d protect you. “Uh, this evening, I had the terrifying displeasure of realizing one day I’d want kids with him. One day, after he marries me and tells the whole world who I belong to, I want to have his baby. I want to raise a baby into a handful of a toddler into a snarky teenager. I thought I was totally in the clear for kids with him, but you showed him the video of Eliza and now it’s…I can’t get rid of it. So, thanks for that, Steve.” Admitting to this, out loud even…it’s too much. “I want to spend my life with him.”

You wait for an answer, somewhat on edge as you fiddle with your fingers. “And you’re okay with the knowledge that you will bury him one day?” Steve pressures on, and you respect it.

“I’ve accepted the realities, yes, which is why I’m not telling him I want kids. He said he’s too tired. I can’t force that on him.”

A full belly laugh escapes Steve as he shakes his head. “If you told him that you want a baby, he would absolutely give you one without a moment’s hesitation. I have never seen him like this, not even with his ex.” He pauses, thinking on how to tell you. “Listen, I don’t know if you know much about her, but Eddie’s ex was not all that…kind to him.” He chooses his words carefully. “He was into her from the get-go, but it was obvious he was more into her. Eventually, when Eddie realized she was cheating, he called me, panicking about losing Dylan.

“I sent my best lawyer to him. Less than a week later they have court dates for custody hearings. Honestly, she was angry she was caught and angry she wasn’t the one to file. I think it took her being angry and belligerent in court for Eddie to finally see who she was. The judge was patient, more than she should’ve been. When she didn’t listen to the judge’s warnings, Eddie was granted everything he wanted. He thought it was a goddamn miracle, the only two things he wanted were the shop and Dylan. The shop had people’s livelihoods; it was their only income. Dylan just wanted to be with his dad, he made that very clear.

“Once the dust settled, it sank in. He called, finally, crying on the floor of the closet. He had spent all year on it just for her to only have it for a handful of months. It was a labour of love for him, and it turned out she was sleeping with someone else the entire time.”

Your teeth grit, fucking seething for Eddie. If either Eddie or Steve knew what was good for her, they’d never tell you her name.

“I came immediately, bringing Arlo and Nick to help cheer him up. Nick was only about 2, so he would’ve done more cheering in the way that toddlers do. But even Arlo knew something was up so it’s the one and only time he’s ever played DnD and fully embraced it. When Nick went to bed, the four of us all played together.” Steve observes your body language, your jaw locked and fists clenched. You’re so angry for him. He decides to omit the fact that after the kids went to bed, Eddie was inconsolable in his heartbreak. Steve knows it might come out one day, but that was not the point of this discussion.

“I promise, I didn’t tell you to make you mad, I just need you to know that Eddie will love you selflessly and wholly, because he doesn’t have it in himself to love any other way.” He slows to a stop at a red light, turning his head to face you. “I was very worried at first, but man, I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

The question still echoes in your mind, but the answer is starting to lean towards a yes. “How did you guys become friends?” You ask instead, leaning away from your boyfriend’s heartbreak and his bitchy ex.

“That… is a very long story.”

“Eddie gave you an hour, of which you’ve only used 15 minutes.” You point out, smirking.

“Alright, buckle up. It’s Hawkins, Indiana. 1996. Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson is missing.”

-

Steve was right, the story of their friendship was a long one. He didn’t necessarily dive into the nitty gritty, just implied he was falsely accused in a situation where he had no alibi and helped him out. One day, years later you would finally feel comfortable asking and Eddie would get into the full details of the Upside Down.

Steve brought you home with ten minutes to spare, you cling to Eddie as soon as you see him. The unresolved lust from earlier on top of the empathy for how hard it must’ve been for him drove your need for him, just you and him. “Can’t wait any longer.” You whisper, fingers digging into the now open button up shirt he wore to dinner and fisting the material into a ball with your hands.

You feel a huff of silent laughter come from him, a long sigh leaving his lips as he considers his options. It’s only 11 o’clock. Usually, when Steve is in town he stays for hours into the night to talk and laugh together. Dylan started a habit of joining their conversations as he got older. He knows it’s what they’re expecting, and he knows exactly what you need. He lifts your face with his hands. “Go get dressed into something more comfortable. Be right up.”

You nod, feeling sleepy, and for once, not conscious of the audience you held with him.

As you run upstairs, Eddie turns to Steve. “You and Dylan go to your hotel room. I’ll meet you there. Later.”

Steve’s eyebrows raise. “Didn’t you say you were exhausted?”

“I could just stay home all night. I have no problems with that.” Eddie bites back, a tone of endearment at the root of it.

Steve rolls his eyes. “Okay, okay. God, I miss when you were single,”

Dylan and Steve leave for the hotel room, the two shooting teasing glances at Eddie.

You lay on your side of the bed, scrolling on your phone but only paying the littlest attention. Eddie opens the door, his long legs take him to the bed quickly as he lies right next to you. You immediately crawl into his arms, the phone forgotten. Your chest feels tight as you mentally go over what Steve told you, the way his ex treated him. There’s no way it was true, because Eddie ever feeling like he deserved any of it was too much for you to bear.

Eddie feels the shift in you, something’s different. It isn’t one of your normal hugs. Your arms are wrapped around his, as if you’re sheltering him. “You okay, baby?” He asks, brows furrowed as he notes your quickened breathing and heart rate. You’re lying down; you should be far more relaxed.

“Steve…Steve told me more about your ex, and it made me sick to my stomach.” You admit, not wanting many secrets between the two of you. You’re already harbouring one, you don’t need another. “I don’t know how anyone could possibly treat you like that.”

Eddie’s eyes well and he looks up, trying not to let a tear fall from the tone of your voice or how genuine you sound in your anger for him. “It’s ancient history, now, baby.”

“Doesn’t make it right.” You counter, hands squeezing him. “I love you more than I can even conceive. More than I can wrap my head around… I can’t stand the thought of you being heartbroken because that bitch decided someone building her a closet wasn’t good enough for her.”

Eddie can’t wrap his mind around how loved you just made him feel, and how in your own way, you just told him he would be just as protected as you are by him. You would stand up for him the same way he would for you. He doesn’t have the words or the strength to hold back the tears, so he leans in and kisses you, really kisses you.  

As his lips meet yours, you taste the salt of his tears and lightly use your thumbs to brush them away. He climbs on top of you, brushing his hand under your PJ shirt, testing the waters. You guide his hand to your tit, aching for him to touch you for what felt like hours. Your kisses are slow and purposeful, the stream of the salt still coming, and you ignore it for the sake of his hand feeling so goddamn good on your nipple as he teases you. He doesn’t seem to want to talk about them, anyway. Your mouth opens against him as he flicks it, whimpering.

You wrap your legs around his hips, unwinding them from between his legs and his bulge presses into your covered heat immediately. You kiss down his jaw, gently decorating his neck with wet kisses as you kiss away the salt that streamed down his face. Your hand moves down to palm him through his slacks, a whimper leaving him. “Do…do you want to?” You check, slightly stroking him through his jeans.

He sniffles, bunching up your shirt to help it off. “Yes. Sorry, I can’t handle strong emotions, they…overwhelm me.”

“I’ll handle them for the both of us.” You offer.

Eddie is a mess already, and he tugs on you to kiss you some more. “I didn’t know I could love someone this much.” He mutters, gulping through his kisses.

You don’t answer him, grabbing at his shirt to take it off. As the shirt flies off, his chest comes full contact with yours and you arch your hips up to meet his, the bulge hitting your heat almost too perfectly. You grind on it, needing him now, wanting to feel all of him.

Eddie reads your mind, tearful but still in tune with everything your body needs from him. His hands move your pants down your legs, placing kisses down your torso as he does. He crawls back up to you, taking his own pants off as he continues to wantonly kiss you. Before you know it, you feel his cock against your thigh as he presses your legs into your stomach.

Eddie leans into you, connecting your foreheads. You frame his face, staring at his wet brown eyes. “Please baby.” You kiss him, your hips barely able to stay still. “I love you, I fucking need you.”

“I know.” He mumbles, nodding his head. He guides his cock into you, pushing in gently but deeply into you within seconds. Your legs tighten around his torso, your pussy sucking him in. “Christ.”

His face finds itself in your neck, giving sweet kisses up and down as he starts to move his hips. You hold onto him, hands wrapped around his torso, spread-out palms down on his back. His hips rock so slowly, taking in every inch of your pussy he possibly can. His forehead finds yours again and his eyes open and stare into yours. His mouth is parted, his cheeks are flushed, and no longer wet. Somewhere in the midst he stopped crying, but the emotions he felt were still there. “Feels good?”

You nod, breath hitching by the sheer emotion you see in his eyes. “So good, baby.”

He smiles softly, staring at you half lidded. “Don’t want it harder?” He teases, bucking his hips hard once before moving back to his soft pace.

The buck releases a loud cry of pleasure from you, not expecting it. “Fuck, Ed. Can you do that again?”

Eddie smiles wider. “Mmhm.” He bucks into you harder again a few times, and your eyes close immediately, the heat from your pussy starting to pool. “Oh my god, Eddie.”

“More?” He asks, slowing his hips again. “My love, if you want me to fuck you harder, you need to tell me.”

“Fuck me harder, Ed. Please.”

Eddie chuckles softly, stopping his movements altogether to give you a kiss, taking your breath away by the love in it. “Sure thing, baby.”

Before you know it, his hips start at an unforgiving pace, the force takes you aback so badly, you moan loudly at every buck, every rut of his hips against yours. His thumb connects to your neglected clit, and the subtle heat explodes into a frenzy. Eddie feels your velvet walls pulse around him as you get closer. “I wanna feel that perfect pussy cum all over my cock.”

“Eddie, so close…love you so much…” you’re seeing stars, your legs tense around him. He leans down to you, giving your torso one long lick down your tummy and, oddly enough, it was the final thing to drive you over the edge.

Your pussy tightening around him does it for Eddie, watching your face as your orgasm rips through you, filling you up with his cum, white ropes shooting into you. He collapses on your chest, the physical exhaustion from the day mixed with the added exhaustion from emotionally breaking down finally piling on him. “Sweetheart, I love you. So fucking much. I just…can’t believe how much better you’ve made my life.”

“I love you.” Your entire body wraps around him, holding him close to you. “Do you have to go?”

“Would you like to come with me?”

You nod your head, knowing full well you’ll probably fall asleep on the couch in Steve’s hotel room.

“Alright, let’s go.”

-

Eddie scratches his head while working on some paperwork in his work office, glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose as he goes through some numbers. One of the things he hates about owning a business is the math part of it. Luckily, he’s good at math, it’s just when the numbers suddenly go negative, it creates an issue.

His phone sitting on the desk starts to ring and he picks it up, expecting it to be you, but instead he’s met with an unknown number. Eddie sighs and reluctantly answers. It could be a customer with a new number for all he knows.

Wrong. Dead wrong.

“Eddie Munson speaking.” He answers, scanning over another invoice.

“Why the fuck are you dating a 25-year-old?” It occurs to Eddie this phone number has an area code from Boston…which is where she moved to. Fuck.

“Hi, Brooke.” He sighs, tired.

“Yeah, yeah. When and why the fuck are you dating some little hot piece of ass? You know she’s probably a gold digger, right? This morning she posted a selfie from my closet and it looks like she’s already moved in?”

“We met through a friend” Eddie wraps his head in his hands, wondering what the hell he ever saw in her craziness. “Wait, why am I telling you this, what fucking nerve do you have to call me and accuse my girlfriend being a gold digger?! How the fuck did you even find out?”

“Her little Instagram post with you two holding hands, which by the way, was cheesy and not in a good way. It got a lot of attention and Laura recognized your hands immediately and sent me the post.”

Fucking Laura. “Good for you, you found her Instagram.” He sighs, leaning back in his office chair. “I owe you nothing, Brooke. Nothing. I’m not sure what you had expected from this conversation but I’m sure this wasn’t it. Oh, and Brooke? That’s not your closet, hasn’t been for 15 years. Don’t call me again or I'll get my lawyer.”

“Oh, calm down.” Brooke huffs, her voice agitated. As if her voice had any other tone. Eddie hears her muffle the speaker to her phone. “Boys, quiet down for five minutes? I’m on the phone!” There’s another shuffle of noise on the other end, then her voice is directed back at Eddie, “That won’t be necessary. I just need to make sure you know that she will ruin your life because she’s a little skank.”

“Talk about my wife that way again and you’ll be hearing from a lot more than just my lawyer, you absolute cunt.” Eddie hangs up on her, missing the satisfaction of slamming a phone on the receiver. He picks his work phone up and slams it down. There, much better.

Wait until Steve hears about this… Holy shit.

Wait until you hear about it. Oh, fuck.

-

Steve manages to stretch his visit for one more day, laying on the couch with you as you watch a movie he recommended to you. He lays down with his torso on the arm rest, legs resting on your lap. When his legs landed, you glared at him, asking if he had nowhere else to place them. Steve said in response, “Of course, I do! You’ll just hold them because you’re so nice.”

So, you do. The movie is called The Gentlemen, a fast-paced comedy about a drug lord attempting to sell his business and all the shenanigans that follow. You find yourself laughing with him, expecting some movie like The Godfather or Fight Club, though it came out only four years ago.

Eddie swings open the door, rubbing his eyes tiredly with a smirk on his face. “Oh my god, Steve. Oh my god.” Eddie came straight from work, the phone call not allowing his brain to go over another invoice, especially when the numbers didn’t make sense. He struts to the couch, lifts Steve’s legs and sits right next to you, placing Steve’s legs back on his lap. He places his arm around you, looking at Steve with a smirk plastered. “Steve. Oh, my god.”

“Ed?” You ask, taking in his flustered features. Not flustered in the way you’re used to, but flustered nonetheless. “Everything okay?”

He nods his head, an incredulous laugh escaping as he does. “Oh, yeah. Totally okay. Got a phone call today.” You and Steve share a look of concern over his shoulder. “From Brooke.”

Now, this name means nothing to you. But from Steve’s reaction, in a split second you realize it’s the name of the woman you have grown to viscerally hate. “No way. What…what did she say?”

“She found Y/N’s Instagram post from last night and recognized my hand.” Eddie says, squeezing your shoulder. “She uh, then proceeded to insult me, insult her, and remind me how grateful I am she left me before I realized what a terrible person she is.”

“Anything else?” Steve asks, eyes wide. Brooke has literally been radio silent for years.

“Yeah, but nothing worth getting into.” Eddie comments, leaning into the couch, raising his eyebrows at Steve. Not something he wants to get into with you around, but definitely will with his best friend. “She sounded…jealous.”

“Jealous how?”

Eddie looks at you, twisting his body to face you. “Jealous of you. Out of line, absolutely, but jealous.”

The satisfaction that ripples through your body is simply too much. A woman took advantage of his kindness and left him for dead and now she’s jealous? Good. “Wait, she stalks my Instagram?”

“Uh, I suppose, yes.” Eddie answers, not so sure he understands the use of stalk.

“I could have some fun with this.” You mutter, thinking to yourself.

“Baby?” Eddie asks, slightly scared of the wicked smirk he sees displayed on your face.

“Hmm.” You mumble, opening your phone to your Pinterest app. “Yes?”

“What do you mean?” Eddie asks, talking low as he watches over your shoulder.

“Nothing. Just be ready for a picture when I need you.”

Eddie laughs, ready to calm you down a bit, but finds himself a little fearful of the plan in your mind.

You scroll through your Pinterest for about ten minutes while Steve and Eddie converse about the boys again. If you have learned one thing about Steve, it’s that his kids are his pride and joy. The conversation leads to Eliza, and you feel that pang in your stomach again. It’s getting harder to ignore as you watch Eddie’s face light up at the endless stories of the kids’ mischief.

Steve gets up from the couch, needing to use the bathroom. While he’s gone, you take advantage, finally having a moment to ask the question that’s been on your mind. “Hey, Ed.” You start, his head turning to face you, almost impossibly close.

“Yes, baby?”

Shit, his lips are so tempting. You sigh, ignoring the pull to his lips. “I just have a question, and please don’t be offended if the answer is no.”

Eddie huffs out a laugh, pleasantly surprised by your reaction to his ex-wife calling, so he’s certainly intrigued by what you’re about to say. “I make no promises.”

That’s not comforting. “Okay. Have you and Steve…did you guys ever hook up?” You ask, avoiding his eyes, which is impossible because they’re right there.  

Eddie breaks into a smile followed by incredibly contagious laughter. You were certain you must’ve been dead wrong based on his laughter alone. You’re just reading into things that aren’t there. He finally stops, grabbing your face for a smiley, giggly kiss. You pull back, looking at him in confusion, as he laughs again. “I should’ve known you’d figure it out.” He says, eyes searching yours.

Oh, fuck. You were right! “Wait.” You say while giggling. “I…I was right?”

“Yeah.”

“When?!”

Eddie squints comically, looking up. “Uh, 27 or so years ago in Vegas.”

You squint back at the sheer cliché of it all. “Vegas? Really?”

“Well, we were both down on our luck, we thought, very drunkenly, might I add, a trip to Vegas would help. It certainly did the trick, I think.”

You laugh, the situation described much differently than what you had expected. “I bet it did.” You boop him on the nose as he scrunches it adorably.

Steve comes out from the bathroom and sees your silly display of love, jogging to the couch. “You guys are cavity inducing. Seriously.”

“Steve.” Eddie says, turning his head to face him. “She figured it out.”

Steve smirks, silently asking Eddie if he was talking about what Steve thought he was talking about. “Hmm?”

“Mmhmm.”

“No shit! What gave it away?” Steve asks, genuinely curious as he attempts to extend his legs onto Eddie’s lap again.

“No offense, you guys, but you both act like you have a secret with one another that you won’t share with the class. There’re only so many secrets that could be.” You offer an answer, and they seem to accept it…for the most part.

“What, we don’t give off two very straight dudes?” Eddie jokes, making you shove his shoulder.

“See, Dylan’s great, but I’ve been dying to ask since last night, and I wasn’t gonna ask with him around.”

Eddie chuckles, leaning in for one last gentle kiss. When he separates, he clutches onto Steve’s leg, startling him. “Sorry,” he laughs through his apology. “I have to take a shower then I have one more errand to run, and I need your help before you take off tonight.”

“Sure, dude. What do you need?”

You go back on your phone, checking your Pinterest and mostly tuning out the conversation, looking for subtle ways to show Eddie off on your Instagram that will piss Brooke off. Eddie nods his head to indicate it isn’t a conversation to be had around you, and you don’t even notice.

Steve nods in understanding, fist bumping Eddie as he runs around the couch and up the stairs. The silence that settles around you while he’s upstairs is comfortable, Steve paying attention to the movie as the plot thickens while you scroll through your phone and gather devious ideas. You barely notice the ten minutes pass by as Eddie comes back downstairs. You clock the scent of his freshly showered self, causing you to look up.

Eddie is wearing a pair of jeans and a button up loosely tucked in with a chain necklace. You pick your jaw off the floor, gulping as he walks up to you with a smirk on his face as he witnesses your very visible reaction. He lays a chaste kiss on your forehead and taps on Steve’s leg.

Steve gets up from the couch and Eddie grabs his keys. “Be back soon, baby!”

“Could you get some pop?” You ask him as he opens the front door.

“Baby, we have so much to drink that’s not gonna rot those pretty teeth. It won’t kill you to drink water.” He says, stopping in the doorway. You roll your eyes, tempted to order in from a convenience store if he was gonna be this stubborn. “If there’s pop here when I get home, you’re gonna see a consequence.”

“Yes, daddy.” You bite back. Well, if you order one drink and place it in the bottom of the recycling, he won’t see it, right?

“Hey. Drink some water. I mean it. Take care of yourself, for Christ’ sake.” He yells, hearing your eyes roll. “Love you!”

Eddie shuts the door, reminding himself to check the recycling when he gets home.

“Daddy, huh?” Steve asks, poking fun as they get into his truck.

“Yeah, yeah, shut up.” Eddie rolls his eyes, shoving the keys into the ignition. His hands move to put the vehicle in reverse when something occurs to him. “Shit.”

“What?”

“Uh, give me a sec.” Eddie brings out his phone, going through the 15 contacts, scrolls right to Maya. He rings it.

“…Hello?” Maya answers, sounding understandably perplexed.

“Hi, Maya, how would one know what kind of ring to get without asking the person it’s for?” Steve’s brows rais, the errand being ring shopping is news to him.

“Well… it depends. Do you want to buy her a ring just because…or are you shopping for,” she pauses, slowly saying it. If she was wrong, it could set off an alarm, “…an engagement ring?”

“Yeah, an engagement ring.” Eddie admits, saying it out loud feels crazy to him. “How would one figure that out?”

“Give me five minutes.” She says, and abruptly hangs up the phone.

As Eddie stares at his phone in bewilderment, Steve leans into him. “Engagement ring, huh?”

“Won’t be asking her until at least another few months, if I can even wait that long. I said something on the phone with Brooke today. It just came out.” Eddie offers, his voice soft as he explains to Steve what’s been invading his mind for the last hour. “Brooke went a bit far on the insults. She called her a skank.”

“How classy.” Steve offers dryly, his face suggesting it was anything but.

“I got so mad. I’ve never been as mad at her as I was when those words left her mouth. I said if she ever called my wife a name again, I would be calling more than just my lawyer.” He quotes himself, letting the word sink into Steve’s skin.

“Oh shit.” Steve mutters, the weight of the word kicking in.

“Yeah, it slipped out, but calling her my wife felt so damn good I couldn’t help myself. I’m not getting any younger.” Eddie pauses before saying anything else, the next confession might be too much to say out loud yet.

“C’mon. If you can’t tell me, who can you tell?” Steve says, giving him some comfort.

“Her eyes when she looks at pictures of Eliza, or listens to stories about your boys, fuck I thought I never wanted another kid, but Jesus Christ, I need to see her face when she looks at one of ours.” Eddie admits out loud for the first time, the words scaring the shit out of him. Dylan in his 20s was exhausting. Could he handle another newborn? Another toddler? Another teenager?

Steve felt like he held all the power in knowing you two both wanted a kid. Feels like neither of you are ready to tell the other, so it’s a secret he’ll have to keep to himself for now. (If he’s strong enough.)

Eddie’s phone buzzes, a link appearing in a message from Maya. He opens it up and it directs him to your Pinterest page. Eddie wonders how Maya even found it. Your name isn’t connected to it. The link is specific to a board labeled Engagement Rings with a bunch of sparkle emojis surrounding it. Eddie looks at a few of them, screenshotting a handful to get the basic idea of what you’d want. He texts back Maya to thank her and puts his truck in reverse before Steve even knows what’s happening.

-

Eddie and Steve go through at least three jewelry stores before Eddie angers Steve at his indecisiveness. It isn’t that Eddie is indecisive, it’s that he’s hoping for a jeweler to look at the general vibe of your board and have the perfect ring to offer. Instead, Eddie’s met with vague indications of where he could look. These interactions all leave Eddie feeling frustrated as just walks out of the store for the next one only about ten feet away.

It takes Eddie a few tries until he finds the fairy godmother he’s been looking for, but finally he shows an engagement ring specialist the general aura of the rings you had saved, and she brings out four or five options that fall into the same category for Eddie to look at. Maybe Eddie could’ve been clearer with other stores of what he needed, but it felt as if they didn’t think he was going to buy one, anyway. Here, in this store, he feels like a respected customer, which goes a long way with him. In his shop, he spends his extra time making sure his men don’t treat any ladies like they know less just because they’re women. He hoped that even though he had a few faded tattoos and dressed alternatively, he’d be extended that same courtesy.

The helpful sales lady holds up each ring and explains to Eddie why she picked it in relevance to the photos you saved. Eddie sighs, each one in the right field, but not quite there. As she puts rings away to keep on looking, Eddie clutches onto the glass in frustration, feeling completely unprepared. Brooke basically gave him her ring and told him to propose when he had the balls. He wants you to love this ring, he wants to see it and know that it was made for you.

Maybe that’s too much to place on a ring. But for Eddie, just the simple prospect of searching for this ring means he has the hope that you will be his for the rest of his life.

Just when he’s ready to leave for the next store, she brings another one, a look on her face that tells Eddie she might’ve found exactly what he’s been looking for. She lays it out on a cloth, as Eddie marvels at it. It’s a thin, silver ring with four blue stones lined up along the band as the metal crosses over itself like vines. Eddie knows all of the jewelry you wear is silver, dainty, and has a few hints of blue. From the moment he sees it, he knows it’s the One.

Eddie holds it up for a few moments, circling it around in his hand. It takes all the self control in the world not to just head home and propose that night. He hands over a ring he took from the center console in your closet to the sales lady for your size. Within ten minutes, the papers are signed, the ring paid for, and Eddie walks out with a small white bag.

They get into the truck, the white bag small, yet significant as it sits in the back seat. “Well, that’s a step you’re taking.” Steve observes, carefully assessing his best friend’s emotional state.

“Mmhmm.” Eddie hums, staring at the bag in the rearview mirror. “And now, I’m fighting the urge to propose tonight.”

“Tonight?” Steve asks him, the speed of your relationship knocking him in the gut. “Let’s not scare her off. Plan a nice meal, set out a pretty dress on the bed for her. I bet she’d appreciate that.” Eddie considers this, knowing Steve is probably right.

So, now the ring sits in its box in the bottom of Eddie’s underwear drawer.

-

When Eddie and Steve get home, they find you on the couch napping while a movie neither of them has heard of plays on the TV, a bottle of nearly empty coke on the table next to it. Eddie sneaks upstairs to hide the evidence, the bag shoved into the bottom of a trash can, and the ring tucked safely away. When he comes back down, Steve is in the kitchen making himself a snack for the road while Eddie crouches in front of the couch to wake you up.

“Morning, baby.” He says in a low voice, petting your left cheek with his thumb.

Your breath hitches as you wake up, the last thing you remember is being giddy as you picked up your order from the front step with chips, candy, and a single bottle of pop. As you finished most of your snack, the movie started to matter less and less, a phenomenon that only occurs when you know that you’re about to pass out on the couch.

“There she is.” He mumbles as your eyes take in your surroundings. Him, the end of the movie you picked out, and the setting sun through the curtains. “Hi. I see we didn’t take my concern for the amount of pop you consume to heart?” He musters, gesturing to the side table.

You stretch, every muscle in your extended limbs feeling it. “You made it pretty clear it was for my teeth.” You mumble, unable to prevent a smile at Eddie’s floored reaction.

“I see.” He mutters, and the smirk on his face is enough to send a thrill of fear through you. “C’mon, Steve is about to leave town. Let’s go say our goodbyes.”

He tugs on your hands, lifting you up off the couch, guiding you to where Steve’s packing a recyclable grocery store bag with snacks he found around the kitchen. He comes out of the kitchen clutching the bag, his brown eyes shooting a fond look to the both of you. “Sorry, guys. Gotta get to the actual purpose of my trip eventually.”

You squint at him, pretending to consider forgiving him. “I suppose we’ll forgive you. If… you bring Eliza next time.”

“Another one bites the dust.” Steve mutters under his breath, chuckling. Eliza Harrington really has the whole world wrapped around her little pinky. (And oh, boy, does she know it.) He grabs onto your shoulder, pulling you in close for a hug. “Take care of him, will ya?”

You nod into his bicep, the soft spot he had gained for you over the last two days taking you by surprise and vice versa for him. “You know I will.”

Steve can’t resist the joke. “Oh, I know you do.”

You hit him playfully, feeling the heat creep up on your cheeks.

Steve and Eddie share an even longer hug, something about saying goodbye to old friends is always hard, you know that. As they separate, still clutching each other, Steve says something under his breath that makes Eddie hit him harshly. “Steve.”

“What?”

“Dude. Subtlety?”

Steve chuckles as he picks up his bag of goodies. “If you two are one thing, it ain’t subtle.”

You’re left questioning what could’ve possibly warranted the reaction that Eddie let out as Steve and Eddie do a few more rounds of farewell. It never seems to end as they keep bringing up new topics with each step Steve makes toward the door. It reminds you of your mom at the grocery store when you were eight.

The door finally slams, Steve yelling an "I love you" while Eddie shouts “Yeah right!” He brings out his phone soon after, sending I love you, too to Steve as a text. Well, Eddie is realizing that a next time is never guaranteed.  

The moment Steve’s SUV takes off, the low hum of the engine riding off to the end of the street, you turn back to the couch for a night in with Eddie. Alas, he has other plans. You lead him to the couch, holding his hand. Eddie tugs you back sharply, your limbs flailing as a result. “Woah, there, sweetheart.”

You give him a questioning look, wondering if you were just picturing his eyes darkening. “Hmm?”

“I asked you, very nicely, not to order pop. For one thing I think you drink too much of it, and for another there is water, juice, alcohol, even. Baby, I would just appreciate you taking my wishes into account.” His voice is serious, to a point that startles you. “So. As mentioned, there will be a consequence.”

“Like…like what?” You ask him, gulping as he traces his fingers along your collarbone so lightly you barely feel it.

He leans down, leaning into whisper, “Run.”

Your heart rate stutters as you turn away from him and run straight towards the basement, a place you know was once Dylan’s hangout spot, but now is just a dusty living room. Your feet trip over themselves as they run down the steps, pure panic and adrenaline coursing through your veins as you run to a guest room, hiding in the corner.

Upstairs, there are footsteps leading directly to the steps you just ran down. He fucking walks. He takes his time, step by step, and you can tell with each step as your heart rate picks up that he’s taunting you. He knows you’re in some corner somewhere, but he just doesn’t know which one. “Downstairs, huh? Didn’t see that coming.” Eddie admits, peering around each corner with his hands behind his back.

Fuck, you’re just a sitting duck here. You crawl up by the door, waiting patiently as he walks into the room right across from the one you’re hiding in. You make a quick run for the stairs, your breathing tight in your chest as you run, but for some reason, can’t recall why you’re running, you’re so fucking turned on right now. Your first few steps are loud and you curse out loud when suddenly Eddie’s feet are right behind yours, giggling with glee as you do.

Somehow, you make it up the steps and run straight to the kitchen, stopping at the island. He lands on the other side, his face hungry with want, his shirt untucked. There’s a wild look in his eye you can’t quite understand. You giggle as you attempt to go either way, realizing you’re stuck where you are.

“Oh, how is she gonna get out?” He taunts, watching you assess the situation.

Your instincts take over. You miraculously hop onto the island, using some sort of kicking method against the counter straight across and crawl into a dive for him, attacking his lips with yours. He accepts you without fail, wrapping his arms around you and kissing you back hungrily. You place kisses down his neck, focusing on the one spot on his collarbone you knew he loved when you sucked on it.

“Like that.” You answer him, starting to run straight towards your bedroom.

Laughter like music to Eddie’s ears leaves your mouth as you reach the top of the stairs, and he books it straight after you, not waiting another second to chase you to where he suspects is either the hallway or your closet. You’re crouched down in the hallway, hoping he’ll go straight to the bedroom. He doesn’t, seeing you as soon as he rounds the corner.

He fists your hair at the crown and you help as he lifts you to your feet. “Looks like I caught ya.” He hums, his face watching you closely. His hands let go of you and he moves to kiss you again, his tongue feeling a sort of rough it hasn’t before. “Holy shit.” He mutters, guiding you so you’re up against the wall.

You kiss him back, and for what felt like the first time, you didn’t spend an ounce thinking about it, just giving in. “Ed.” You whimper, the heat between your legs now begging you to provide friction.

“Hmm?” Eddie asks, his hands moving roughly up and down your body. “What, baby?”

“Ed. Please.” You beg him, lifting your leg so you can at least feel his boner peeking at your clothed cunt.

“Nuh uh.” He tuts, lightly pushing on the knee. Your leg falls down, as well as your face. “You don’t get off until I tell you to. So, unless I move your leg, or remove your shirt, you just let me kiss you and respond. Got it?”

You gulp, nodding your head. “Yes.” Eddie licks his lips, his eyes faltering for a fraction of a second. “Eddie?” You ask, making sure he’s okay.

Eddie loves that you can pick up on this, even as he gives you new rules and a new playground to explore. “Do you mind just…doing one thing for me? It kind of stuck with me since you moved in.”

“What?” You ask, your heat still aching, but for the sake of his sanity and for his good graces, you attempt to stand still. (You’re terrible at it.)

“Call me sir?”

You reflect on moving day, the men calling him the name that so obviously gave him a bad taste in his mouth. Apparently, when you commented on it, you made an impact. “Yes, sir.”

“Holy shit.” Eddie hisses, marveling at you now, staring up at him through your eyelashes, waiting to be told what to do. “Now, be a good girl and bend over against the wall.”

“Yes, sir.” You tell him, turning around against the wall.

“No, actually.” He says, taking you by the hand and taking you downstairs. He guides your hips so you’re right in front of the kitchen sink and he bends you over. “Much better.”

He moves your sweats and panties down only to the middle of your thighs, bending on his knees as he admires the slick that has already gathered. “So wet.” He murmurs. You whimper as he barely dips a finger into your entrance, gathering some slick on his finger. He lifts it up to your mouth, “Open.” You do so without hesitation, licking your tongue all over the three knuckles he places in your mouth, tasting your own arousal. Without warning, he takes his finger out from your mouth and wipes it on your shirt. You waited for the praise that never came.

“Oh, now brats get praise for doing what they’re told?” Eddie asks, knowing exactly what you’re thinking as he pulls down his pants.

“No, sir.” You mutter, now craving that praise even more.

“That’s what I thought. Now be a good girl and take this for me.” It’s the only warning you get before he slides his cock in. Your feet are practically planted right next to one another so you start to open your stance to allow him to go in deeper. “Ah.” You freeze in place, realizing your mistake.

He places his hand around your neck and brings it back to him, your neck extended feeling both incredibly uncomfortable and hot. “What did you do wrong?”

“Move without your say so.”

“Hmm?”

“Oh, move without your say so, sir.”

“Here. If you ask, and I say yes, or, if I tell you to. That’s it. Understood?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

Eddie smiles down at your blown pupils and half open mouth. He was afraid he jumped in too deep and threw you into the bathwater, but he could feel your pussy tighten around him. You’re so into this. He gently kisses your forehead and lets go of your neck. He slides his cock in even more, and keep in mind, he hasn’t even started to fuck you, yet. He’s barely halfway in your pussy and holds onto your hips as he sees you start to squirm. “You need something baby?”

“Could you move please, sir? Just a little bit? Need it so bad.”

“Should’ve thought of that sooner, then baby.” He musters, sounding bored, though he’s anything but. “Here.” Without warning, Eddie moves his fingers against your clit and has you teetering the edge in mere minutes. You’re so close, you can see the edge. It’s right there.

He stops. He slides in a bit more into you as his mouth gets close to your ear, his breath giving you goosebumps. “Consequence.” He grunts out, his grip on your hips bruising.

Your knuckles are white as you hold onto the edge of the sink like a vice. It’s like you can taste it. He doesn’t move another inch, his heartbeat against your back and the only audible sound coming from you is your panting in need. Eddie pushes in the rest of his length and a second beautiful sound is added to the mix, one he couldn’t get enough of, even if he tried. Why would he ever try? The sound of your pussy as you gush around him is perfect. “Taking me so well.” Eddie mumbles as he places both of his hands over yours on the sink.

The whimper that leaves your throat forces its way out, your body is tense from doing everything you can not to swivel your hips or back yourself into him. “Baby, you’re so tense.” His arms flex along yours, a shaky sigh leaving your mouth. “Why, hmm?”

“You…you said not to move unless you say so.” You tell him, frustrated because, of course, he knows.

“Or, unless you ask to.” Eddie adds, his chin resting on that spot on your shoulder. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”

“Sir, can I please move my hips?” You ask him, hoping he isn’t teasing you again.

“Of course, baby.” Eddie’s tone is sweet and endearing. What a goddamn liar he is.

The words are like music to your ears as you start to move your hips, testing the waters. When your movement isn’t met with any punishment, you start moving more frantically, fucking yourself on his cock. Eddie lets out a sigh of content, hands raking down your back to your hips, the palms rough against your bare ass. “Sir, can I please move my feet?”

“See? My good girl is catching on. Of course you can, baby.” He answers, a smile lacing his voice.

Giddily, you move your feet further apart. “Sir, please…please take my clothes off?” You ask, waistband restricting your legs. “Wanna feel you.”

Eddie’s hands move down the apples of your ass to the sweats that started moving down your legs from the impact of your ass that had just started bouncing on him. He kisses your clothed back as you step out of them, kicking the garment aside. You feel the cotton of your shirt move up your back, your arms lifting over your head to assist Eddie as he takes it off. His lips touch the bare skin of your back, his tongue sending ripples down your spine as you shiver under his touch. Eddie grunts as you continue to swivel your hips against him.

“Fuck.” Eddie grunts, watching your naked form wither against him. He can no longer fight the incessant need that’s grown while waiting for you to ask him for movement. His hips start mercilessly pounding into you without a hint of a warning. The moans that fall from your throat are uninhibited and radically full of relief. “Is this what you’ve been waiting for, baby?”

“Mmhmm.” You nod your head, curling over the sink as your arms give out.

Eddie slows down and takes himself out, and your hand moves to push yourself off the sink the littlest bit when you realize your mistake. “You can move.” Eddie smirks, noting your obedience. He’s still standing with his pants down to his calves and his shirt disheveled. He steps out from his pants, tossing the pair toward your pile of clothes. Then he goes down each button on his shirt, slowly exposing his chest to you. As his fingers move over each one, you eye his chest hungrily, aware he’s watching your face while you watch him.

The shirt falls down his arms with a slight flop as the material hits the floor. “Sir…” you gulp, the two of you staring at one another. “Sir, can I kiss you?”

Eddie smirks, nodding his head. You take the two steps toward him and your legs wrap around his hips as you hungrily kiss each other. He turns toward the kitchen island, a small yelp leaving your mouth as the cold granite counter hits the warm flesh of your ass cheeks. He guides his cock into you, slowly pushing into your heat, watching your face as your eyes roll back. “Feel good?”

You nod, a laugh escaping your lips.

“What’s so funny, hmm?” Eddie asks, using his mouth and tongue against your neck.

“Good? Your cock is perfect, Ed.”

“What happened to sir, baby?” He asks, yet continues to rut into you. Your face falters, realizing your mistake. He lets out a laugh, pitying you.

He places his fingertips on your clit, circling slowly, making the heat that’s pooled in your stomach hotter and larger than you could even conceive. “That…that feels so good, Ed.” You tell him, letting your head fall back.

“God, I love when your tight pussy just-” he inhales through his teeth, “sucks me in… Feels like heaven.”

You giggle, the end of it cut off by a particularly rough thrust. “Heaven?” You gasp out, Eddie starts to move his fingers faster and matches the pace with his hips.

“If Heaven isn’t fucking this tight pussy all day, then I don’t fucking want it.” Eddie gasps back, a growl forming under his breath.

“Ed, I’m gonna—” the feeling overwhelms you, the edge muting your senses as your orgasm ripples through your body.

Eddie moans as you tighten more around him, a fix he figured impossible. He still rotates on your clit, you release two sharp exhales, the heat too hot, too much. “Too much, Ed.”

“You can do it, baby. I could just edge you more.” He mutters.

You giggle, frightened at the goddamn prospect of it. “No, no, no.”

“No? Well then show me. Let’s feel that pussy make a mess all over my cock.” You came from the words alone, giggles intertwined through your moans. “Oh fuck, good girl,”

“I’m so close, baby.” He moans.

“Gonna fill me up?” You ask him, your legs tight around his hips as you bite at his collar bone.

“Keep doing that.” Eddie begs you, and you happily oblige. Every nip, bite and suck at his collarbone had him gasping over you, the chain of his necklace hanging between you two. Your hands go into his hair, pulling at him and you could probably have a third one at the rate he was going at.

No probably about it, but Eddie’s panting and you’re exhausted.

Even then.

He pushes you down as he cums, your back screaming with cold as it hits the island counter. Eddie collapses on top of you, and you breathe heavily together, both catching your breath. His mouth latches on your neck, kissing a trail to your lips. “Oh, I love you.”

You smile into his kiss, your noodle legs falling from his hips. “I love you.” You find yourself wrapped in his arms, the smell of sweat and sex invades the kitchen. His chest is covered in sweat and there’s nothing better.

“Join me for a shower?” He asks after you two have a moment of silence, his fingers single handedly causing a brigade of goosebumps down your side as they move in a whisper over your skin. His other hand is wrapped on your left hand, and you don’t realize he’s unconsciously rubbing at your ring finger.

“If I can walk.” You giggle.

Eddie chuckles, pulling himself out of you and giving you a sleepy half smile. “I could always…” He begins, and then he scoops you up over his shoulder to take you up the stairs. You protest for the first minute of it, but when the view is his toned ass as he walks up the stairs, you really couldn’t complain.

-

Thank you so much for reading! I love to read your comments, replies, and reblogs. As always, reblogging is the best way to support your fic writers on tumblr.

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[schrijverr]

Stiles as a Roommate

Classic outsiders POV of Stiles in college, where his roommate, Mike, and their other friends try to figure out who all these people are that keep calling Stiles.

On AO3.

Ships: Sterek

Warnings: they think Stiles is wrapped up in some bad shit (which valid tbh)

~~~~

Mike’s roommate is profoundly disturbing and highly hilarious to have around. On the first day he comes crashing into the room, tripping over himself like an old school physical comedy, before assuring Mike that he’s fine and it doesn’t even come close to being beaten to a pulp by a grandfather.

It’s quite the introduction and for a while Mike was worries that his roommate is going to suck. Stiles isn’t the typical college student, you see.

He has amassed an entire herb garden in the windowsill, skips out on most parties, keeps a metal baseball bat by his bed and calls home every single day. On top of that, he doesn’t know how to shut up and his rants devolve into the strangest bullshit about the most random topics that make Mike wonder why the hell criminology major had looked into them.

So, Mike thought he is stuck with a weird paranoid kid, who doesn’t know how to have fun. He worries about Stiles getting mad about him getting back in late or judgmental about not studying as much. However, his worries had soon been put to rest.

Because Stiles is fun and Stiles is easy. He can become anyone’s friend in minutes and is up later than healthy most of the time, doing weird bullshit on his laptop that he calls research, though Mike never knows what for.

He might not be a party-goer himself, but he absolutely doesn’t care about what Mike does, just jeering at him to use protection when he goes out and waking him up with a smug smirk and coffee when Mike wants to disappear into his mattress with a hangover, kicking his ass to classes.

Stiles is probably what is keeping him from failing right now and Mike will go to great lengths to keep him as his friend, because, yeah, they’re friends now.

It’s impossible not to befriend Stiles, he grows on you like a very persistent mold.

His friendship with Stiles starts six weeks into rooming together. Classes are in full swing alongside parties and Mike has just started to get worried about his roommate being a stick in the mud, when he comes home at 4:00 AM piss drunk.

Naturally he tries (and fails) to quietly enter the room, trying not the be the dickbag that wakes people up every night to find the lights still on. He blinks a few times at Stiles, who is sitting on his bed with a laptop and smartly says: “Huh.”

“God, you’re so fucking drunk it’s not even funny, dude. I can smell it from here and I don’t even have a freaky nose,” Stiles comments, before he gets up from the bed.

Mike sways slightly in the doorway, mentally trying to decide if he can do a stumble and drop to his bed or if he’ll sleep on the floor when Stiles is suddenly in front of him. He startles and nearly falls over, saved from faceplanting by Stiles, who is usually the one meeting the floor.

“Oh, hey, there, hey, buddy,” Stiles says, righting him. He slips an arm around Mike and masterfully stumble-drags him to the bed, depositing him on it. He points at Mike, who is still reeling from the movement and sternly says: “Don’t move,” as if Mike had any big plans.

Moments later he returns with a glass of water and gets Mike upright, telling him to sip and not allowing him to stop until the glass is empty.

Mike isn’t sure what happens next, but the next morning he wakes up with a groan to find two painkillers, a glass of water and a glass of orange juice on his bedside table along with a note reading: go to your classes! And you’re not a very eloquent drunk

In that moment, it feels like the nicest thing anyone has ever done for him, swiftly forgetting all his parents have done under the pounding headache. He takes his painkillers, drinks his drinks and actually manages to drag himself to his lecture, deciding that Stiles might not be so bad.

When he comes back from his class, Stiles is there, typing away on his laptop again. He greets Mike when he enters and Mike returns it: “Hey, dude. Thanks for the painkillers and stuff.”

“Yeah, man, no problem,” Stiles smiles back. “It’s just instinct at this point, I’ve had to drag worse people off to bed.”

It’s a bit of an odd reply, but something Mike can work with. “You friends with many party-goers?”

A strange look flits over Stiles’ face, but it goes as fast as it comes and Stiles says: “Something like that. I was the one with a car, who wasn’t a prick about it getting dirty on the inside when in crisis. I have passed up on many party experiences except the clean up. All my friends are idiots.”

Mike chuckles at that and plops down on his own bed, as he comments: “Do you have a big friend group back home?” See, he can have conversations, mom.

“Oh, yeah,” Stiles tells him with a grin. “We’re like a family. A very weird family.” A brief pause. “But how about you?”

“Nah,” Mike shrugs. “I’m making up for it now.”

“Yeah, I can see,” Stiles grins. “Alcohol is a poison, my man. Besides, I’m not sure you’re remembering the friends you made.”

The bluntness is something Mike has encountered before and turned him away, but it doesn’t sound mean. He remembers that he is going to try with Stiles, so instead of ending the conversation there, he shrugs: “Probably, but it’s fun while it lasts.”

“Come on, man, that’s not fun,” Stiles says. “I have some friends from introduction. We get fries on Thursdays and study on Sunday. You can come sometime, it’s fun.”

Okay, so the bluntness was genuine concern and Mike honestly could use some actual friends. He likes parties, they’re fun, but the loneliness is starting to get to him. So he replies: “Sure, sounds fun.”

“Hell yeah,” Stiles does a genuine fist pump and Mike snorts. Yeah, alright, maybe Stiles isn’t so bad at all.

“Why were you awake so late anyway?” Mike asks, suddenly remembering that Stiles was just sitting there when he stumbled in.

“Oh, Jackson called me,” Stiles says. “He’s in studying in at Cambridge, because his parents are pretentious fuckers. He needed to check in about… something and I was still awake. I had to look something up, I was just emailing him the details when you came in.”

“All the way in England?” Mike whistles, a bit impressed.

“Tsk, don’t let hear him that. Dick has a big enough ego as it is,” Stiles rolls his eyes.

“I thought you were his friend?” Mike says, a bit confused, because Stiles had literally picked up the phone at 4:00 AM for this guy, couldn’t be that much bad blood, could there?

“Surprisingly enough. He had a restraining order against me in high school for a while,” Stiles informs him casually, before realizing how that sounds and quickly amending: “Obviously, he revoked it, because it was completely unnecessary and a big misunderstanding. We’re cool now, promise.”

And that’s Mike’s cue to drop the conversation, giving Stiles a tight nod, before turning to his own work. He’s giving the other a chance, not inviting crazy. Though he does allow himself to be invited for fries on Thursday with Stiles’ friends.

There is Maya a shy, but enthusiastic biology major; Aalif, a kind but serious looking pre-law student; Nikki, a hilariously insane art major; and Kai a bit of a dorky English major. How Stiles had found this ragtag group Mike doesn’t know

“Mike,” he introduces himself. “I do history. I’m Stiles’ roommate,” before he’s pulled into a discussion about whether or not fries can be classified as a salad. (Potato salad exists, Mike, and it’s a side dish).

It’s honestly a lot more fun than expected and it’s nice to see that Stiles does know how to have fun, he just has fun arguing about nothing with someone studying to argue professionally instead of getting wasted.

While Mike doesn’t think he’ll keep away from parties entirely, he might cut back to make place for this. The genuine connection is way nicer than not remembering who you talked to, or if you even did.

They’re about to start opening the famous is cereal-soup debate when Stiles’ phone starts to ring. He nearly hits his head on the table as he dives to get it out of his bag, calling out a quick: “Sorry, guys, gotta take this real quick.”

But since he is stuck in a booth, all he can do is turn away from them as he greets: “Isaac, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

It’s not the most standard greeting and Mike raises his brow at the others, who all shrug. Apparently this has happened before. Mike watches as Stiles gets a reply, fascinated by how Stiles seems to melt, worries leaving him as he grins fondly, before practically cooing: “You missing me already? I am flattered, pup.”

He grins some more at what Isaac is saying, before raising a brow, voice turning into a tease: “I feel used here. Like a cheap replacement. You knew Scott was going to be busy with Allison, I even warned you. Not my fault no one in this p- family ever listens to me.”

Another reply to which Stiles says: “Yes, you heard correctly, I’m with friends, you can make those at college. I encourage you to try.”

An eyeroll at Isaac’s answer, then a sigh: “Yes, Isaac, having your own friends will get their attention again. But try also for yourself, meeting new people is fun. Maybe you even meet someone you like.”

“Bye, Isaac,” Stiles says pointedly, it sounds faintly like Isaac is protesting his departure, but he hangs up on him.

“Sorry about that, you know how they can get,” Stiles grins, trying to play it off, while Mike tries to ignore how much it sounds like the conversation he had with his mom last week, before deciding to join the others in not commenting.

And after that it their friendship takes off until they’re at the ‘waking him up with a smug smirk and coffee when Mike wants to disappear into his mattress with a hangover, kicking his ass to classes’- stage.

Turns out that if you’re closer to Stiles, he’s even weirder. He goes home pretty often, now that he has settled in alright, nearly every other weekend, at least once a month, though he complains about his dad forcing him to stay at college to get the full experience, air quotes obvious in his voice.

Mike doesn’t say anything, since he kind of agrees with Stiles’ dad. It’s a bit unhealthy how much Stiles’ calls home. Or at least, Mike thinks he does, though it always sounds like it’s someone else on the phone, because Stiles will tell the same story a bunch of times or tell the person that another person told him to tell them etc, like they couldn't call themselves.

The conversations are also just weird. Stiles cuts himself off sometimes, sending Mike looks, or he’ll fuss over whoever is on the other side of the line like he’s their therapist, or their fucking mother. Not to mention the fact that he always – always – picks up.

Mike has tried to call Stiles a few times, a lot of the time his roommate won’t pick up, or call back apologetically, yet he’ll leave a lecture if someone from home calls.

It’s just odd.

So, brave soldier as he is (as well as the head investigator of their little friend group, who are all more curious about Stiles than Mike expected when he first met them), he asks: “Hey, man, who are you always calling?”

Stiles look up from where has just hung up with a: “You be careful okay? I love you,” looking a bit confused, before smiling and shrugging: “That depends, honestly. It’s a bit much.”

That sounds like a deflection, but Mike is curious and got better at talking to people and standing up for himself. So, he goes: “I have time. I’m smart. I think I can take it.”

“Alright,” Stiles shoots him another uncertain look, before starting, “Well, my dad and Derek are holding down the fort, so I call them just to see how life is going. Boyd and Erica are there too, so I call them too, but Boyd doesn’t talk much, so I mostly call with Erica. She is my Catwoman, you know, we chat, she spills about Boyd. He has his own carpentry shop, it’s been going well. I’m glad for him, you know. And Erica is taking a gap year, but to be honest, I think she likes being a park ranger too much to ever go back to school.”

Mike nods along to Stiles’ rambles. His dad is explainable and the fact that he added Derek in there must mean they’re a unit in his mind, maybe a brother? Or even his father’s boyfriend. Erica is someone he’s close with and knows well, called her his Catwoman, so maybe girlfriend? But he connected her to Boyd, who sounds like a far friend of sorts, so maybe not.

“Of course there is Jackson in England,” Stiles continues on happily. “I told you about him. He is a bit of a dick, but we’ve forgiven him. Well, Lydia did and we all trusted her and it worked out okay.”

And yeah, Mike remembers Jackson with the apparent restraining order and wonders who Lydia is. Luckily he doesn’t have to wait long.

“Lydia,” Stiles sighs, making Mike think he loves her, which he naturally immediately disproves by going, “I used to be in love with her, but turns out, no. She’s being an absolute genius doing mathematics at CalTech. She terrifies me in the best ways.”

That’s not concerning at all.

“And then you have Scott, my best friend,” Stiles rambles on and Mike knows that the other probably won’t even notice if he leaves. He gets like that. “Now my man Scott is at Colorado State

to become a vet alongside Allison and Isaac.”

Those two names are also familiar and Mike feels awkward staying silent, so he says: “They’re all become vets?”

“No, just Scott, but they’re all at Colorado State, because Scott will probably perish without Allison and Isaac hates being lonely and didn’t get into Stanford with me,” Stiles says, like that’s the most obvious reason to pick a school.

Mike is distracted by Stiles hitting his arm enthusiastically: “Allison is also doing history, man, I hadn’t even thought of that! I don’t know how it would be relevant either, but you know, fun fact! I love fun facts, like did you know that human teeth are the only part of the body that can’t heal themselves, because enamel is dead tissue. That was fun to find out.”

He senses that there is a story there, but Stiles is already moving on: “And Isaac, my beautiful boy, is doing social studies, which I think will really help him. He’s come so far and he’s really happy with his courses.”

Isaac was the one that called during that first Thursday fries run Mike was a part of. He recalls the nicknames and the fact that Isaac was missing Stiles, not to mention how fond Stiles sounded and the fact that Isaac wanted to go to college with him. Maybe Isaac was the boyfriend?

“Anyways,” Stiles ends his rant. “I told you it’s a bit much, but I like knowing they’re okay and getting by and if I only call one, the others will get jealous. There’s only so much Stiles to go around and everyone wants a piece,” he grins.

Mike thinks Stiles has a weird relationship with his friends from back home, but also that he doesn’t want to create any friction with his roommate and best friend on campus, so he just nods and smiles a bit.

“But how about you?” Stiles returns the question. “You never call home, at least, not that I’ve witnessed.”

Since Stiles decided to share, something he rarely does, Mike knows he should return the favor, so he shrugs. “Not really much to call.”

“Is no one there?” Stiles asks, all concern.

“My mom and dad are, but you know,” Mike shrugs. “Dad just cares about my grades and mom is always prying, like she thinks I can’t manage by myself or something. It’s fucking annoying. I’m an adult now, she doesn’t need to hover.”

Stiles frowns at his reply, then bites his lip as if he isn’t sure he should say something, before he breaks and blurts: “But isn’t that nice? To have someone who worries?”

“What?” Mike hadn’t thought Stiles would pick his mom’s side, though maybe he should have seen it coming.

“I mean, I don’t know your situation of course, but I get it,” Stiles shrugs, backing off a bit. “You’ve always been her baby, who she saw every single day and knew when you had a bad day, when you got a good grade, etc, now she has nothing and you don’t tell her, so her mind makes up all the horrible things that could have happened to you between calls, resulting in what is practically an interrogation until she is satisfied that you’re truly as okay as you claim you are… Wow, that was one hell of s sentence,” Stiles ends his keen observation with a joke to lighten it up a bit, since he got way too into that.

Mike attempts to wade through the sea of words just slung to his head, before he realizes Stiles kind of has a point. He breathes: “How do you even know that?”

Stiles scratches his nose and shrugs: “I might be a bit of the mom-friend.” And Mike is reminded of the fact that Stiles is really weird with his friends and that he probably knows that because he does the exact same thing his mother does.

Next Sunday, he reports all this to the study group, which Stiles has had to skip out on, because someone called at midnight, which obviously meant Stiles immediately packed is bags and left, something that is more common than Mike would like.

“That’s a lot of friends,” Maya comments once he is done. “But it’s sweet he cares so much about them.”

“He cares mom-levels about them,” Mike points out. “I’m telling you, he got so intense while defending my mom, like it was personal.”

“So, he’s a bit intense about is friends,” Nikki shrugs. “One girl in my class is making a shrine to her boyfriend as a final project. We’re not at that level yet, so I think we’re good.”

“He took off in the middle of the night on a three hour drive, because someone called,” Mike replies.

“I don’t think it’s really any of our concern,” Aalif interrupts, before it can get out of hand.

“But what if they’re like a creepy cult or something?” Nikki asks.

Aalif levels her a look as he says: “I don’t think Stiles would get drawn into a cult.”

“You don’t know that,” she raises a brow. “It happens, even to smart people like Stiles.”

“He has a metal baseball bat by his bed,” Mike offers, not sure why he is backing Nikki in this debate.

“He does?” Maya asks, a bit concerned.

They all now look at Mike and he suddenly realizes that they’ve never been into their room, which is why he has become Stiles source number 1. He shrugs: “Yeah, he took it with him when he left for home tonight. It’s all damaged and shit, though I think some carvings are intentional. They look a bit like runes.”

Nikki raises a brow as she looks at Aalif and says: “But you don’t think Stiles could have joined a cult.”

“I don’t think a cult would have allowed him to leave for college, not to mention do criminology,” Maya offers. “I think he’s following a seminar about cults right now actually.”

“Okay, but even without a cult, still suspicious and weird,” Nikki huffs. “And it’s still a possibility, right, Mike?”

Mike startles a bit unsure how he got on the pro-cult side and not sure he isn’t agreeing. “I mean, he does have all these herbs and some weird books, but those could be from the library.”

And now they’re giving him more looks. Great. He puts his hands up defensively: “It’s not like I know, alright. Stiles never exactly cooks, maybe he just likes the smell of the herbs. And the books could be an aesthetic thing, though he keeps him under his bed in a box if they’re his.”

“What sort of books?” Kai asks after a beat.

“They’re leather bound. Old,” Mike shrugs. “I haven’t seen him with them much. He shoves them out of sight when I get in and the only times he hasn’t was when he thought I was asleep or very drunk.”

“Creepy,” Maya shivers.

“Come on, this is Stiles,” Aalif says. “He is not in some creepy cult. Do you all even hear yourselves? Seriously. Now, the midterms are coming up and I would like to get some passing grades.”

That gets a few boos and boring’s thrown at him, but Aalif doesn’t falter and they do all giggle a bit at the ridiculousness of Stiles in a cult. Before they can truly get anything done, Nikke snorts: “Maybe he tripped into it,” sending them all into giggles again.

It isn’t a joke anymore when Stiles reappears again on their Thursday fry run his face more bruise than skin and his hands both wrapped in bandages.

“Stiles!” Kai exclaims, already out of his seat. “What happened to you?”

“Hey there, guys,” Stiles attempts a grin, wincing at the action. “I’m good, I’m good.” He eases himself into their booth, wrapped fingers taking some fries and popping them into his mouth as the rest watches him with careful eyes. Of course he notices as he chews slowly, whispering to himself: “Knew Derek was right about the liquid diet. Fucker.”

“What happened?” Aalif asks when Stiles seems like he is going to ignore the whole situation that is his face and hands. “Stiles, if someone did this to do, you have to go to the police, file a report. You can sue.”

“Of course you’d say that, lawyer-man,” Stiles grins again, falling flat once more when his already split lip, re-splits and starts to bleed. “Ah, fuck,” he hisses, grabbing a napkin to press against it as he makes a disgruntled face.

“Stiles,” Nikki snaps.

“What?” he replies as if it’s not incredibly obvious.

Mike surprises himself by jumping in: “What the hell happened to you, man?”

It dawns on Stiles that they’re not letting it go and he sags a bit in his seat. Then says: “Nothing, I promise. It was just an accident, really.”

That’s just a thousand red flags there and Maya takes the lead for them, putting a hand on Stiles shoulder and saying in a soft voice: “We’re not going to judge you, promise. But right now, not knowing is so much worse.”

“Derek told me not to come,” Stiles sighs after a moment. “I knew it was stupid, but I wanted to come. I mean, he only had Boyd and Erica with him, because all the others were too far away. That wasn’t enough.”

“What were they doing?” Nikki asks, unable to keep her mouth shut and be patient.

Luckily, Stiles isn’t silenced by it. “Derek lives on the preserve, it’s in the middle of the forest and something was killing the animals. It was a mountain lion, we have a lot of animal attacks. They wanted to take it out before it moved into the town.”

Mike remembers Stiles telling him Erica was a park ranger, but Boyd was a carpenter and he knew nothing about Derek, which is weird on its own. Stiles loved bragging about his friends, or would casually comment about them or pick up the phone with their name on his lips, but Mike had before now heard the name Derek only once.

“Of course I tripped over a few branches in the dark,” Stiles laughs self-deprecatingly. “I should have known better. I’m a klutz, you know. Though I did get a hit in, before I went down in a not so glorious blaze of branches and a curse.”

“You hit a mountain lion?” Kai whisper yells.

“Yeah, with my bat,” Stiles shrugs, like it’s a normal thing.

“Dude, are you insane?” Mike asks.

“Oh, okay, I see what’s happening here,” Stiles backs up, like they didn’t make sense before now. “I didn’t want to admit I fell, because it’s embarrassing as fuck. And like, I know I’m clumsy, but after all the running away from shit trying to kill me, one would think I’d have gotten better at it, but noooo. I am surrounded by people who can do crazy shit, while I hit my head on a fucking branch, because why not.”

“Stiles!” Nikke cuts him off. “Running away from things trying to kill you? What the hell.”

“I was getting there,” Stiles says, though it’s obvious to all of them that he was getting further and further away from the point. “When I was in high school there were all these murders in town. My friend was targeted at one point, I got caught up in it. Nothing makes a friendship like getting locked into a school and running from a crazed murderer or holding someone up in a pool for two hours. It was a whole thing. Plus my father is the sheriff.”

“What the fuck,” Nikki voices the shared sentiment after a moment to process.

“Wait, here I have proof,” Stiles taps away on his phone, before showing a news article with the tagline reading: Five teens trapped in high school with murderer still on the loose

After letting them read it, he puts his phone in his pocket and proudly says: “We’re having a project about crimes in our hometown right now and I have an advantage over the rest.”

“That’s- That’s not-” Maya stutters. “…Stiles…”

“What?” he says confused, as if what he just bragged about isn’t heartbreaking. God, no wonder he’s a bit fucked from it all. Mike would want to know if all his friends are okay if he nearly saw them all killed alongside him.

“Are you, like, okay?” Mike asks.

“Probably not, like in general,” Stiles tells him honestly, “but I am really fine. As fine as I get anyway. Derek says I have to work on that, but he’s not the boss of me and I actually am doing better. I don’t know why I’m telling you all this, sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Maya smiles kindly. “We just want to know you’re okay. Thanks for trusting us with that. Did you get those wounds checked out?”

“I did,” he returns her smile. “Got a clean bill of health and everything. Dad wouldn’t let me drive back before that.”

“Good,” Aalif says.

They’re all quiet for a moment, before the thing that has been niggling on his mind comes out. He asks: “Who is this Derek person anyway?”

Stiles regards them all for a moment, before saying: “I don’t think we reached that level of friendship yet. Sorry. Like, you’re all my friends and stuff and I like bragging about my other friends to you, but I don’t know.”

“What?” Mike exclaims as Nikki points out: “You just told us you nearly got murdered, but telling us about a friend is a step too far?”

“You know, that is actually a good point,” Stiles says. “I must still be a bit lightheaded from everything, I normally don’t tell people that.”

“Should we take you to a hospital? Kai asks worriedly.

“No, no, I’m kidding, I think,” Stiles jokes, before quickly adding, “I am truly kidding, please don’t take me to a hospital. God, no one appreciates my humor.”

“Stiles,” Aalif sighs tiredly when Stiles deftly gets them on a different topic than Derek.

“Derek is my husband,” Stiles finally tells them, shutting them all up as they stare at them with their jaws on the floor. That explains Stiles trips home and lack of partying or otherwise getting laid, he had a whole fucking husband waiting for him at home.

None of them could know that Stiles’ reluctance to talk about Derek and his relation is that as a prominent alpha, broadcasting that they were ‘mated’ (and yes, Derek, that term is still weird to a human) isn’t really smart. Especially after everything that had already come to Beacon Hills.

“Y- Your husband?!?” Kai squeaks.

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you all,” Stiles groans. “You can’t imagine the rumor mill at home when it happened, like seriously, people were acting like I was signing my life away to the devil or something.”

“Why?” Maya asks and Mike has to agree. Marriage so early isn’t exactly uncommon, it just took them by surprise this time. What would make this different.

“I-” Stiles looks genuinely sheepish, “I might have gotten him arrested for a murder he didn’t commit and stuff. But that was like, what? Two, three years ago.”

Immediately their table exploded, voices overlapping, because – again – what the fuck.

“He didn’t do it!” Stiles exclaims, shutting them all up. “He was framed. Set up. Look, I know he wasn’t the killer. Derek saved my life, like a bazillion times at this point. I love him.”

Despite the bruises, the look on his face is quite clear with love oozing off of it. Like full on, ‘Disney princess, soulmate, found the one’-love. It’s a bit disgusting in Mike’s terribly single opinion.

“Well, then I want to see him,” Nikki demands. “You can’t tell us you got swept off your feet by a mysterious would be murderer and not expect us to want to see him.”

Stiles shoots them all a suspicious look, which is pretty rude all things considering, but Mike lets it slide in favor of satiating his curiosity. Then Stiles pulls out his phone, showing them a sequence of pictures that said more than words could.

It’s obviously their wedding day. They’re both in full suits, standing in a forest with the sunset hitting them, putting them in a glow of light. Derek is apparently a handsome, muscled man, who screams not bad boy as much as serial killer.

The first picture is pretty standard. They’re looking at each other, Derek’s bad boy vibe killed by the fact that he is smiling softly at Stiles, who is smiling back. Derek’s smile is toothachingly fond in a way that Mike feels in his chest.

In the second picture, the murder vibes are back in full force, with Derek glaring at Stiles, who looks like he’s saying something, his face smug like it’s an inside joke, his hands up to gesture like he always does.

Then, in the last picture, Stiles has Derek’s cheeks between his hand, face contorted in something Mike would call a coo, if Derek didn’t look like the kind of guy who would allow anything resembling a coo being directed at him. Though, Mike might have to rethink that assumption, because while Derek is raising one murderous eyebrow, the smile has returned again.

“I am his favourite annoyance,” Stiles announces proudly. “It’s wonderful how much bugging someone can do.”

And all of them would have guessed Derek was the one, who had pursued Stiles, but here Stiles is, telling them all about how he is a master at befriending people and Derek honestly needed someone to tell him how horrible he was at decorating or socializing, before fixing it for him.

Beside him, Nikki mutters: “Dear god, he has an ‘I can fix him’-mentality. We’re doomed.”

“I heard that!” Stiles exclaims indignantly, though he doesn’t deny it per se. But when Nikki’s soda arrives, it explodes in her face and Mike would almost suspect Stiles had something to do with it if he had to go off the smug look.

They drop the topic of Stiles injuries and apparent husband, for the evening, which Stiles seems grateful for at least, before catching him up on campus gossip. Still, they keep their eye on him and it’s hard to forget with his face all fucked up.

When they leave, Maya leans in and whispers to Mike: “Keep an eye on him for us, okay?”

He nods quickly, before hurrying after Stiles, who is yelling at him to hurry or he’ll drive back without him.

Mike also keeps his word, so when Stiles’ phone starts to ring, he pretends to be engrossed in his book, while secretly keeping an ear on Stiles’ conversation. He usually doesn’t listen in, unless something is so weird it breaks through his mental barriers, but he feels like this can be an exception.

“Hey there, big guy,” Stiles greets, voice much gentler than Mike ever remembered it being.

“Yeah, worrywolf, I’m fine,” Stiles tells whoever is on the other side. “Dad wouldn’t have let me drive otherwise and neither would you for that matter. You checked me yourself before letting me go, quite thoroughly I might add.”

And that last part is definitely an innuendo, dear god, Mike did not want to know that. However, it is confirmation that it’s Derek on the line, so he listens even harder.

“I know I overdid it, but no one got hurt except a few bruises on me,” Stiles argues. “And I get hurt even when I’m not in danger, you know how doors and the air are my biggest enemies. Come on, Derek. If it was bad, I would have told you. We promised remember? You made it part of our vows, because you are a complete softie.”

Okay, Mike isn’t going to lie, that’s actually pretty cute and he slightly hates that he’s becoming team Derek when all he knows is that he was (falsely) arrested for murder and married to Stiles, who comes running home when called on.

“I promise not to run into danger again,” Stiles tells Derek. “Well, I promise not to run needlessly into danger again and honestly one could argue that this time wasn’t needlessly, because you are my damsel in distress as much as you want to cast me in that roll.” A beat. “Yes, I will never let you forget the pool, we discussed this.”

“Yes, Derek, I always take care of my wounds,” Stiles rolls his eyes. “I’ll even send you picture updates and call you every day. How does that sound?”

Oh god, Derek is actually a concerned boyfriend – excuse me, husband – who needs updates and called the day Stiles left because he was worried. Mike is never going to be able to tell the others that without it turning into a riot.

“Great, because I am going to bed,” Stiles says. “Midterms are coming up and while spending time with you is a hundred times better, I actually need to pass these if I ever want to get a degree. So, goodbye, I love you.”

A bit of silence, then a very love-filled chuckle: “Of course I’m going to think of you. I always sleep better with you, you know that. Now bye. Love you, again and always.”

Fucking hell, Mike is going to die of a toothache, caused by his happily married roommate, which is honestly where his life is at right now.

Though, Mike can honestly live with a weird roommate. It’s a source of entertainment and he now can rest knowing Stiles has someone watching out for him, preventing him from going off the deep end, which was an honest concern.

Stiles is weird, but with what Mike knows, he’s allowed to be a bit strange and he honestly doesn’t want to know more than he does.

~~

A/N:

Disclaimer: I am not shitting on parties, if you like them, go nuts. I just don’t drink and hate social interaction, so I wouldn't know how to write a good party scene even if I wanted to, lmao.

Idk how well it came through, but Stiles is magic and burned his hands while overdoing it in the fight he got injured in. He also totally exploded Nikki’s drink as petty revenge, his herbs are also related to magic.

[pathetichimbos]

Ok actually I've been in love with your toughts about Thomas, YOU'RE AN AMAZING WRITER!!!

Btw, I can't stop thinking about how this man deserved a childhood friend that would eventually become his lover, someone that decided to treat him like an human being once and discovered he's just really sweet boy and not a monster.

Do you think that would change anything about how Thomas behaves in the future?

Oh, this is something I have thought about, I could write a whole fic on the AU, but let's not bite off more than we can chew and put that idea to the side for a future project. Please bear in mind that this post may seem lesser than my others and more rushed, that was quite literally because I had to continuously stop myself from writing endless drabbles on this idea.

But, I digress. Let's dive into the factual and realistic results of giving Thomas a childhood friend.

So, as we know, Thomas has had a lot of health issues from birth, and the Hewitt family did their best to get him the medical help he needed, taking him to doctors up until he was about thirteen or fourteen.

We also know that Thomas has been bullied for most of his life, and was isolated from his peers and community at a young age.

And we know that Thomas is some flavor of neuordivergent, so if we add all of these things together, we get a school record full of absences, low grades, and detentions from fights he didn't start, because we all know that in small southern towns, teachers really don't give a shit who starts the fight, they care about who's family has the better reputation.

So, he's in an out of school from the get go, has a bad reputation with all his teachers (and going into every new grade because teachers talk), and struggles with learning in the traditional way.

This starts tons of rumors about him.

They float all around the school, everyone knows who Thomas is, and no one in particular likes him.

But! Let's back up here, and take it back to, oh, I don't know, first, second grade? Around that time frame.

Thomas is still a little dude, being harassed and bullied by his peers and generally not having a fun time.

But, this time around, we'll drop another little dude in there. (that's you!)

And this little dude (non-gender term) doesn't particularly care about Thomas' deformities and disabilities. Who would?

So, you start hanging out with him. And Thomas, (who we all know thrives on positive attention), is confused, but not unwelcoming.

I don't think he'd be really clingy right of the bat, but give it a school year (maybe two if he's out of school a lot that particular year), and he's going to be a lot more comfortable with you, and that's what's going to lead to that clinginess.

Especially if you're nonchalant about grabbing his hand or touching him in general, because, remember, most people are afraid to even come near him, so the fact that you don't care and are willing to just casually touch him, is a huge thing in his eyes, and as he gets older, he's going to want more.

So, we'll skip ahead a bit until y'all are 10-12ish, and at this point, you're Thomas' best friend. Everyone knows you two hang out, the Hewitts love you, and it leads to a bit more isolation on your end, because no one wants to be friends with the freak, let alone the freaks weird best friend. (and yes, you're weird, I know you are because you're listening to me rant about leatherface /affectionate <3)

But, this also opens Thomas up to people a bit more, as the few people that do talk to you, eventually talk to him, maybe not go as far as to be his friends, but enough to be friendly.

Of course, some people are fake, and they'll ditch the both of you the moment the 'popular' kids find out they talk to you.

And other people don't, it's middle school, life in general sucks. Y'all are just trying to survive your way to highschool.

Now, if we assume you help tutor Thomas and you help keep him out of trouble (i.e. a large tree limb tends to deter bullies), we can assume his grades will go up, which will probably get his teachers off his back. All of these things are good. Thomas has a real friend, and not everyone treats him like a monster. His grades are better. His family is proud of him.

But Thomas still has mental health issues. And just like he hid them from his family, he hides them from you as well. His peers and community may have shunned and isolated him, but he also shuns and isolates himself from his family and friends, so I believe that despite being clingy and wanting to be around you a lot, if he hits a depressive episode, he's going to isolate from everyone.

That's what leads to his self mutlilation.

He slices the skin off his cheeks in an attempt to "fix" his deformities, believing that if he just gets rid of them, his disease will go away.

...But it doesn't. And he doesn't get to see you for a long time, a worried and frightened Luda Mae keeping her baby locked away and protected from the world while he heals.

That's when Thomas stops speaking. The healing wounds and eventual scars make it harder for him to speak, making anything more than a mutter or whisper painful for him.

This is when he finally drops out of school. It's a small southern town in the early 1950s, so there's no fight to stop him, after all, he's expected to help his family run the farm.

When he finally sees you again, he's worried you'll have changed your mind about him, and even though you haven't done anything wrong, it takes time for him to trust you again, his own self doubt ruining his confidence in your friendship.

But, after that, you're pretty much inseparable again. Everyone in town knows that if they see one of you, the other isn't far behind. Thomas still struggles a lot on his own during this time, and I don't believe he'd be capable of loving himself enough at this point to love you, or at least, I don't think he'd believe you actually like him, and for the sake of this post, we'll keep it that way.

Thomas spends a lot of time at his house at this point, so you spend a lot of time after school there with him. His house is practically your house. Luda Mae, Charlie, and Monty all know that once school lets out you're headed over, and they set an extra plate at dinner for you. (They don't know how Thomas could be so possibly blind to your affection towards him, but other than Charlie's stray comments encouraging Thomas to 'give it a shot', they mind their business)

Once Thomas gets a job at the slaughterhouse, and you get your own job in town, you'll often walk to the slaughterhouse after work to meet Thomas just finishing his shift, and the two of you will walk together until you have to separate to go to your own house.

It breaks people's minds seeing how soft Thomas is with you, their own preconceived ideas about the man leaving them baffled when he's gentle and caring to his friend.

It's about his early to mid twenties, when people start looking at you as more than just his friend, and as someone to actually chase and date, that Thomas finally snaps.

You don't know what comes over your best friend, but he becomes extremely affection and protective of you, no one can approach you in a flirtatious way without Thomas following close behind, simply standing behind you as a warning for them to move on.

But he doesn't actually try to date you. He's still torn by his own poor self esteem. It drives you insane.

You'll have to confront him, and give him an ultimatum. You can't keep playing this game, where he refuses to let you out of his sight but runs away every time you try to make a move.

He caves, obviously, not willing to lose you in any capacity, but your relationship is slow and careful, working at his pace as he learns to accept himself and your love for him, which takes a very long time.

He's not comfortable with any PDA, just barely letting you hold his hand when you meet him after work.

"But we've always held hands." You point out, and he looks away with a shrug.

It's different now.

But, let's step away from the drabble territory. I've already had to rewrite this post like five times now.

Over the years, Thomas becomes more and more comfortable with your relationship, and you have to teach him practically everything. He genuinely doesn't know anything going into this. And I mean anything.

As the town starts to die, and your family decides to leave, the Hewitts welcome you with open arms, but Luda Mae moves you into the guest room. After all, you're not married.

That doesn't stop you from sneaking into his room at night though.

But, despite the implication I just made, I don't think Thomas would be ready for actual sex until marriage. He's still a traditional man, just the way his mother raised him.

But, again, not my main point. Stick with me, I'm wrapping it up now.

All in all, I don't think Thomas would be that much different. A little more self confidence and self esteem, sure, but he'll still be Thomas. When the factory shuts down, he'll still snap, and he'll still kill the supervisor. He'll still start preparing human meat like he's asked. But other than feeling a bit more comfortable in his own skin and mind, he wouldn't be much different. He's still our same old Tommy.

Ok, that's all for now. Thanks for sending in the ask love <3

[ladykailitha]

Can Anybody See Me Part 4

Yeah...I’m sorry for the long wait on this one. I’m like a crow, I see a shiny, I go after said shiny. But I’m back to working on this one. Just a heads up tag limit is 50 and it’s been reached, so I haven’t replied to you about being on the list, that’s why. I’m sorry. I don’t know how people can do lists of 100 or more. I just can’t.

But because it took forever, this part is longer than usual. And you get Max AND Wayne.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

*

It was the last day before winter break and Steve still sat by himself. It wasn’t that Eddie hadn’t asked him to sit with him and his friends but Steve was resolute in keeping his distance from the Corroded Coffin boys. His reasoning was he was trying to protect them from the popular kids.

Eddie rolled his eyes, but respected his wishes. After all he had the rest of the year to wear him down.

But not today. Eddie immediately sat down when Steve did.

Steve looked around him in fear. “You can’t keep doing this, man. I don’t them to pick on you, too.” Billy had hip checked him into his locker just that morning.

Eddie grinned. “I’m immune.”

Steve’s jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. “No one is immune, Eds.”

Eddie leaned forward. “Their drug dealer is, especially if they want to keep buying weed.”

Steve blinked. “Oh shit. You’re the one Tommy would buy from.”

Eddie’s grin turned feral. “And if I wanted to make their lives miserable, I could get up on this table and declare you off limits and all the bullying would come to a complete standstill.”

Steve’s mouth worked but no words came. He settled for blushing and going back to digging at his food.

“But that’s not why I’m here, Harrington,” he continued, gleefully. “I was wondering what you were doing for Christmas.”

Steve’s brain went off line and it took a bit to come back on. “Um...I don’t know. My parents didn’t come home last year, just sent me a check to buy myself presents.”

Eddie winced. “Ouch.”

“If they weren’t expecting to see piles of loot around the house, I would have blown the whole thing on booze and weed.”

Eddie scoffed. “How much did they send you?”

Steve looked down at his tray, poking at his food. He licked his lips and coughed, “$375.”

Eddie’s eyebrows went up. “That’s a lot.”

Steve shrugged. “I don’t want fancy cars or piles of clothes I’m only going to wear once. Instruments I’ll never play. The latest movies and the biggest TV. I don’t want any of that.” He stabbed at his food again, this time with more force.

“You want them to care enough to come home,” Eddie reasoned. “When was the last time they were home?”

Steve scratched his cheek in thought. “Before Thanksgiving.”

“But not for Thanksgiving?” Eddie asked. The picture Steve was painting was starting to look pretty fucking grim.

“I think I ordered in,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, okay, dude,” Eddie growled. “If they don’t come home, you are coming over to my place.”

Steve put down his fork. “No, man. Please. I’ll be fine.”

Eddie jumped up on the table and slid across it. He planted both feet on the bench next to Steve and clasped his hands. “It’s not okay, dude. I know.”

Steve looked up at him in shock. “I didn’t‒I mean.” He looked down at his tray again. “That sucks.”

Eddie nudged him with his foot. “So you’ll come over if they don’t come home?”

Steve nodded. “I’ll give you my phone number, if you’ll give me yours.”

Eddie grinned. “And if you pretend that they came home, I will find out. I promise that.”

Steve laughed. “Whatever you say, man.”

“Munson!” the lunch lady screamed. “Get off the table!”

Eddie grinned. “And that’s my cue.” He jumped up.

“Exit stage left?” Steve asked.

Eddie laughed. “Drama’s already got it’s hooks into you, hasn’t it?”

Steve shrugged. “It’s been fun.”

“I’ll put my number in your locker later,” Eddie said.

“And I’ll get you mine after school,” Steve replied.

Eddie walked back to his table with his friends waiting for him.

“So what did he say?” Jeff asked.

Gareth huffed. “Let me guess, skiing in Aspen or even the Alps.”

Eddie shook his head. “His parents haven’t been home since before Thanksgiving.”

“But they’ll just send him a plane ticket to wherever they are, right?” Brian asked.

Again Eddie shook his head. “Last year they sent him a check to buy his own presents.”

The three other boys looked at each other in shock.

“What? Jeff squeaked.

“That’s what he said,” Eddie huffed. “I don’t think he’d lie. Not about that.”

“That is so messed up,” Gareth grumbled. “He loses his friends to fucking Bill Hargrove, his girlfriend to Byers, and now his parents aren’t coming home for Christmas? What the hell did this dude do in a past life to get fucked up so hard in this one?”

“I don’t know,” Brian said softly.

They all looked over at Steve who was pushing his food around his tray morosely.

“We’ve got do something for him,” Jeff said. “Eddie you know him the best.”

Eddie munched on a pretzel. “I guess. It’s not very well.”

“It’s better than nothing,” Brian pleaded.

Eddie dropped the pretzel he was holding. “Actually, I think I might have an idea on how to get more information on him without letting him know we’re doing it.”

The other three shared glances.

“Watcha got?” Gareth asked leaning forward.

“I’ve got a Max.”

They all looked confused as Eddie grinned.

*

Eddie had called Steve a couple of times over the weekend, but he was biding his time until his opportunity opened up.

It came that Sunday when Max slipped in front of her trailer while Eddie was cleaning off Wayne’s truck so that he could get to work.

“Whoa!” Eddie called out and jogged over to her. “Hey, you okay?”

She looked down at jeans and cursed when she saw a rip in the knee. “No. Those were my favorite jeans.”

Eddie winced. “I know how that goes.” He pointed to a rip in the knee of his own jeans.

“Yeah, but you make them look cool,” she grumbled. “I’m Max.”

Eddie grinned. “Well, Max, I’m Eddie.” He jutted his head over to the trailer behind him. “I live just over there.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know.”

“Which part?” he asked with a wink.

“All of it.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Fair enough.”

“Billy buys from you,” Max muttered.

Eddie grimaced. “Ah.”

She shrugged. “I get it, really. No judgment here.”

He stood up and held out his hand to her. She looked at it as if it would turn into a serpent, but sighed, taking it anyway. She slid a couple of times but he held her steady until she was firm on her feet.

“Want some hot chocolate?” he asked jutting his thumb behind him.

She looked at her trailer and then nodded. He opened the door and let her in. “I just need to finish the truck and I’ll be right in. And don’t worry about Uncle Wayne. He doesn’t bite.”

Uncle Wayne burst out laughing from inside the trailer. “Not hard anyway.”

Max smiled and went inside.

Eddie finished clearing off the truck of snow and went inside. He found Max at the counter with a mug in front of her. She had chosen the “Fuck Off Before I’ve Had My Coffee” mug. Eddie liked her already.

He picked the Garfield mug and went to cupboard, getting out the can of cocoa mix.

“How rich do you like it?” he asked, digging out a couple of spoons from the drawer.

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I like mine super rich, like half the cup is mix rich,” he said.

Max grimaced. “Not that rich.”

Eddie laughed. “About half that, then. You can always add more if you want.”

“Sure.”

He filled their mugs and went to the fridge. He pulled out milk and added some to his mug.

“That’s weird,” she said.

“Can’t afford to buy whip cream all the time,” he explained with a shrug. “So it adds a little creaminess to it.”

She scoffed. “Still weird.”

“Don’t knock until you try it.”

Just then the kettle went off and he filled their mugs with hot water.

“What grade are you in?” he asked after taking a sip.

She leaned over the counter. “How come yours is frothy and mine isn’t?”

Eddie grinned. “Should have had that milk, kid.”

Max thumped back into her seat. “I didn’t know it could do that.”

“Next cup,” he promised.

“You’re on,” she murmured.

“Still haven’t answered the question,” he said smiling over his mug.

“What are you the cops?” Max grumbled.

“I think it’s pretty obvious I’m not,” Eddie said with a chuckle.

She cocked her head to the side. “Yeah, I guess. Eighth.”

“You like it here?” he asked.

She scoffed. “No.”

Eddie laughed. “I hear that.”

Max frowned. “Weren’t you like, born here?”

“Oh hell, no,” Eddie said after drinking from his mug. “Moved out here when I nine or ten.”

Wayne came out of the bathroom, tucking his shirt into his pants. “You were nine. It was just before your birthday.”

Eddie grinned. “There you go. I can never remember if it was before or after.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Wayne said with a chuckle. “You came to me with a concussion.”

Eddie cocked his head to the side. “Best day ever, though.”

Wayne just shook his head. He grabbed his coat and gave Eddie a kiss on the cheek. “Be sure to lock up if you go anywhere.”

“Waaaayyynnne,” Eddie whined. “I’m nineteen! I’ve got this figured out.”

Wayne just raised an eyebrow before waving goodbye to them both.

Eddie looked over at Max who was glaring at him. “I thought you were in Steve’s class.”

Eddie grimaced. “Yeah...about that.”

She raised both her eyebrows.

“I didn’t graduate last year when I was supposed to,” he explained. “So they’re making me do a do-over.”

“You suck,” she said and went back to her cocoa.

“How do you know Steve?” Eddie asked leaning on the counter. “Like you said, he’s in my classes. You, however are an enigma.”

She shrugged. “He saved my life from a pack of rabid junkyard dogs.”

Eddie blinked. “Come again?”

Again she shrugged. “I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

Eddie raised his hands. “Okay then.”

She wrapped both hands around the cooling mug. “He talks about you a lot.”

Eddie frowned. “Yeah, what’s he say?” He wrapped his arms around his waist.

“That you’re too good for your own good,” she said.

“That was not what I was expecting, I was honest,” he murmured, shoving his hair into mouth.

Max reared her head back. “Why?”

“You’re new so you probably haven’t heard,” Eddie said through gritted teeth, “but they call me ‘The Freak’. I’ve tried to turn it into a positive, but it still stings.”

Again she shrugged. “I’ve heard Steve used to be an asshole. But I have yet to see it, so...”

Eddie set his mug down and hopped up on the counter. “He keeps trying to protect me, it’s a little disconcerting to be honest.”

Max laughed. “That’s Steve for you. It’s like an honest to god superhero.”

Eddie hunched his shoulders up around his ears. “I’m older than he is. I really don’t need his protection.”

She huffed out a breath. “You’re going to just have to deal with it.”

“I’m starting to get that,” he said. “But I’m going to wear him down and befriend the asshole if it takes until graduation.”

She shook her head. “Good luck. Usually it takes trauma for people to break to down his unusually high walls.”

“And you know all about those high walls, wouldn’t you?” Eddie said with a sly smile.

“It’s safer.” She paused for a moment. “But it would be good for Steve to have friends his own age that don’t include his ex and her new boyfriend.”

He winced. “Tell me about it. He spends time with them, but I can tell it hurts to do so.”

“I could help,” she murmured. “I could tell you what his interests and hobbies are.”

“You’re on.”

Eddie grinned. That worked better than planned.

Part 5 Part 6  Part 7  Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17 Part 18  Part 19  Part 20  Part 21

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[miniwheat77]

Save a horse. (Tommy Miller x Farmhand!Reader.)

(I read a fic that mentioned the cowboy hat rule, cannot for the life of me remember which fandom or who the fic was about but that’s a bit of my inspo for this.)

!NSFW, animal death, animal attack, guns, wounds, virginity loss, unprotected p in v sex, 18+ MDNI!

"Who's that?" Joel asks Sarah. He spots a very tired looking girl, she's got plain jeans and a band shirt on. Her face is bruised to hell.

Joel is parked in the drop off line outside of Sarah’s school.

"Oh.. that's Y/N. She's a super senior."

"Why's her face all messed up like that?" He's confused. Sarah sighs. "Nobody really knows but.. before she turned 18, CPS would get involved a lot so.. it's rumored her dad does it." Sarah shrugs. "Jesus." He shakes his head. Tommy sits in the passenger seat. Glancing at Joel. "You friends with her?"

"No."

"Why not?" He asks. "Cause.. nobody likes her." She shrugs. "Excuse me?" He turns to look back at her. "Dad." She huffs. He looks at Tommy. Tommy glances back at her. "Not cool dude. Maybe she needs a friend." Tommy looks back. "Yeah well, I don't. So whatever." She rolls her eyes. “She’s a super senior anyways, she’s way older than me.” She mumbles. Climbing out of the car to go up to the school. "Christ in heaven I thought I raised her better than that." Joel shakes his head.

Tommy shrugs. "She's a kid, kids are cruel."

"Yeah, now to drop you off." Joel rolls his eyes. "Don't even start with me Joel."

"You're lucky this guy is allowing you to do farm work for community service. If not, you'd be picking up trash off the side of the road like everybody else." Joel laughs. Tommy is on probation for a few months along with a thousand hours of community service. He had his work cut out for him.

The drive is quiet, Tommy is nervous but he knows he shouldn't be. The farm isn't too far out of town, maybe fifteen minutes or so, which is nice.

Joel drops him off at the gated dirt road that leads up to the farm and Tommy says he'll call a cab for a ride to Joel's. That's where he's staying for now.

Tommy makes his way up the dirt road, up to the massive farmhouse that's a little dingy. It needs new siding and paint. He knocks at the door, glancing around to get a good look at the farm. "What?" The man opens the door. He's gruff, an old man. "Hi, I'm Tommy. I'm supposed to help out for some community service." He explains. "Ah, nice to meet ya. I'm Jacob." He shakes Tommy's hand, he's got a firm handshake. "Let me show you around." He mumbles. He wastes no time to get right to the point.

For the next couple of hours he shows Tommy everything he's gonna be doing. He shows him how to care for the animals. Driving the extra farm truck to haul hay bales out to the pastures for the cows, feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs. Making sure the animals are in their designated pins at night, and to let them out in the early morning. It doesn't seem too tough.

"Me n my wife are going out of town tonight to pick up some furniture or some shit. Whatever the ol' lady wants. Be gone a few days. The kid will be here to help you figure everything out."

Tommy nods. "Kid?" He asks. "Ah. It's a girl I took in when she was a baby." Tommy wonders why he didn't call you his daughter. "She not here?" He asks. "No. She's at school right now." Tommy nods. "Anyways, we got a little guest house. It's small, you can stay there while you work on the farm if you want. The commute to get here at 5am sucks." He nods. Tommy nods. "Thank you sir. I appreciate it."

When all of the morning work is done, Tommy retreats into the guest house to check it out. It is small, about the size of a shipping container. Just like a tiny house. But it's perfect, considering Tommy has been staying with Joel. He takes the time to call Joel and let him know where he'll be staying and not to worry about him, then he takes a nap until the evening farm work.

When it's about time for the later farm work, he hears the loud diesel farm truck disappearing down the dirt road, letting him know that Jacob and his wife had left. He makes his way out, thinking he's alone when he catches a glimpse of a girl carrying a bucket into the hen house. He makes his way across the dirt road and walks up to the entrance where she is. He opens up the chicken wire door.

"Hey." He smiles. When you turn to look at him, he recognizes you immediately, by the massive bruise you have around your eye. "Hey, you must be Tommy." You say, turning back. Your attire now is far different than it was. Boots, bootcut jeans, and a wife beater. You had gloves on your hands. "Yeah, I didn't catch your name." He reaches a hand out and you shake it. "Y/N." You nod. He smiles. "Right, nice to meet ya. I'll be your farm hand for the next couple weeks" he laughs. You smile. "Cool."

"Your dad is cool with leaving you here with a stranger?" He tilts his head. "He ain't my dad. He knows I can handle myself. But he really doesn't care what happens to me." You mumble. He nods. "Right. Seems that way. That's a hell of a shiner, girl." He laughs. He can see you stiffen slightly. "Yeah, his wife packs a hit."

"She hits ya?"

You nod your head. "Nothing but a drunken bitch." You mumble, tipping the bucket of feed over for the chickens, they all start flocking at your feet and you step over them to get away. Tommy follows you around. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be." You laugh.

"He show you around?" You ask. He nods his head. "Cool. Thanks for the help Tommy."

He stops following after you, figuring that he should start on another side entirely and help you. He'd meet you some time down the line.

For the next few days, it's the same. Every morning you're awake in the early morning helping Tommy with the work load, every night you're doing more work. He wonders how you balance it with school but you seem to figure it out. He imagines that’s why you’re stuck in high school for another year. Probably held back. He can only imagine how this work takes a toll on your schooling.

Tommy is finishing up work, you've been inside a while now. He was just finishing up putting the chickens away when he hears commotion from the stable. An area Tommy was told not to worry about, Jacob said you'd handle it because you knew the horses better and he didn't want Tommy getting hurt.

Tommy understood.

He can hear the horses going crazy. Something definitely isn't right. He thinks about going and looking for himself but decides he should go get you instead. Feeling bad that he's pulling you away from your free time once more.

He makes his way to the farm house and knocks at the door. You open up the door, looking at him. You're still wearing jeans and that wife beater you like. Only now he can see you don't have a bra on. Your jeans hug your hips and ass just right. He needs to focus. "Something wrong?" You ask. "Uh.. well. Yeah. I just hear the horses going nuts, something doesn't sound right." He explains. "Alright." You nod. Cracking the door for a second. He doesn't see you reach for the table by the door, grabbing the pearl gripped handle, tucking it into your waistband and covering it with your shirt.

You follow him out to the stable and when you step in front of him to enter, he spots it.

Realizing why Jacob trusted you to hold your own.

He smiles to himself. He follows you inside, seeing you shine a flashlight into each of the stalls, but the stall on the end has the lock broken off. "Shit." You mumble. "What?"

"Horse got out." You mumble. You can see in the dirt where she'd taken off, so you follow her hoofprints. Your flashlight passes along the disturbed dirt. You spot the other footprints right away.

"Wait." You stop immediately, Tommy nearly runs into you.

"What?"

"Mountain Lion." You glance. You can't hear anything.

"Shit, stay close Tommy." You mumble. Starting to walk faster.

After a few minutes of walking. you can hear her. Your fast walk turns into a full sprint.

"Shit!" He hears you. You shine your flashlight up, now he can see it, the cat holds onto her back. Clawing at her. "Tommy, ears!" You yell. You grasp the pistol out of your waistband and draw it, aiming at the cat. Tommy covers one ear as you fire the gun a few times. He hears the cat yowl, letting go of the horse and running off. Clearly wounded. Both of your ears ring.

You stand back for a second while your horse continues to panic. She's in a frenzy, bucking and spinning in circles. You start walking slowly toward her, soothing her as you move toward her. "Shhh... it's okay. It's alright." You breathe. Hearing your voice alone she starts to settle. Eyes wide and she shakes her head. She's hurt. You get even closer, reaching out and petting along her neck to calm her.

When she's finally calm, you grab hold of her reigns and start walking back toward the stables with her.

When you get her back, finally getting a good look at her. You can see the deep gashes and bites on her backside. "You can head in Tommy. M'just gonna clean her up." You mumble. "Nah, I want to help. Tell me how I can." He mumbles.

You look at him, almost shocked. Like you're not used to people helping you. You start telling him how to help you. You flush her wounds and dress them, patching her up. Asking Tommy to get you some stuff here or there, but most of the time he just watches. When you're finished, you hesitate. The sun is starting to rise.

"I can handle the morning work if you wanna get some sleep."

He laughs. Your horse is back inside the stable, the door now repaired thanks to Tommy. "I'm fine, darlin." He laughs. "I can sleep when morning work is finished. Maybe you should go up and get some sleep before school."

"Nah, I won't go today." You grasp the gun off of the workbench. "I'm gonna go after that cat, make sure it's dead."

"Alone? I don't think so." He mumbles. You laugh.

———

He helps you find the cat. Seeing that it hadn't made it far from where you'd shot it. You're a good shot. Tommy helps you pack it back to the house. You dress it and skin it, telling Tommy to get started on the farm work while you cut it up. It surprises him at first, there's seemingly nothing you can't do. But he knows the meat is useful, it definitely won't go to waste.

He listens this time. Starting in on the work and letting the chickens out. A few hours later he catches up to what you've already finished. Your half of the work. He spots you sitting up in the hay loft of the barn, legs dangling over the edge. It's been almost a week of Tommy working here. Your dad has been gone nearly this entire time. Your face is even mostly healed.

He makes his way up the ladder, walking up behind you. He sits down next to you, dangling his legs over too. He's tired, exhausted really. But he's not worried. He sits next to you in silence. You'd gone in and taken a shower. Your hair was still damp. The collar of your clean wife beater was nearly transparent from the water. He could smell your body wash and whatever it was, it smelled really good. He felt bad, he still hadn't cleaned up.

"How old are you, Tommy?" You break the silence.

"Ah, I'm 32." He mumbles. "And you're doing community service why?" You turn to look at him. He laughs. He gets embarrassed. Usually Tommy didn't mind telling a funny story of him putting some asshole in his place, but when it comes to you, he feels different. Like he needed to be good, he didn't want you to think of him as some convict. "Cause I'm a dumbass."

You raise an eyebrow.

"I like to drink and have too much fun doing it. Get myself into trouble sometimes." He laughs. "Yeah, a fight?" You look at him. "Mhm. Some guy mouthing off to me in a bar." You nod your head. "Was it worth it?" You look up at him. You're clearly judging him. "Well. I suppose you wouldn't have got to spend time with the coolest guy ever if I hadn't.. so." You roll your eyes with a scoff. "Whatever." You laugh. "That stuff is stupid, yknow?" You look at him. He smiles. "I know. You think I'd learn." He mumbles.

"You a cowboy Tommy?" You ask. "Not really nah." He mumbles. "So what's with the cowboy hat?"

"Had it for a long time." He shrugs. You nod. It's a light colored cowboy hat. "Why don't you wear one?" He asks.

"Not my style."

"Yeah, you like band shirts right?" The words have left his mouth before he realizes just how creepy it will sound.

You look at him in surprise. "I.. wait." He laughs. "I ain't a creep, my Neice goes to the same school and I saw you walking in the doors. A few days ago." You nod. "Gotcha." You mumble. "Who's your niece?"

"Sarah Miller."

You nod your head. "How’d you know it was me?"

"That big ol' shiner made her dad point you out, asked how you got it. She's kind've a spoilt brat." He mumbles. You nod your head. "Right." You laugh. "So.. why don't you wear that stuff at school?" He asks. You shrug. "Don't really want people to know. They're mean enough to me as is." You laugh. He nods. "What's with the wife beaters here? Why don't you wear that stuff at home?" He asks.

"I wear these jeans cause they go around my boots. Wear boots cause I'd ruin normal shoes in just a couple days with mud and stuff. The jeans go over the boots so I don't get stickers and thorns in them. And I rip holes in my shirts and get stains all over em. You can buy like 5 of these in a pack at Walmart for cheap and it doesn't matter if I ruin em." You pause. "And I just wear that stuff to school because they're not farm clothes. Not exactly my style anyways." He nods.

"Makes sense to me. I don't know why I keep the hat. Just like it I guess. Never really had a reason to wear it."

He adjusts his hat and you smile, reaching for it. He catches your wrist. "Ah- you know the cowboy hat rule." He smirks. "What?" You look confused.

"You take a cowboys hat, you have to ride the cowboy." He smirks.

Your eyes widen slightly. "I didn't know that, actually. Thanks for your info Tommy, you pervert." He laughs. "Keeps girls from taking hats, right?"

You stand up, snatching it off of his head. "Does it?" You smirk. You take a few slow steps backward. He turns back to look at you. "Oh, it's like that huh?" He smirks. He stands up, looking at you. "You gonna run from me, hm?" He smirks, taking slow steps toward you. You set it down on your head, tugging it down slightly. "How about you come take it back, big boy." You smirk. He makes a move toward you and you go to turn around to run away but he's faster, grasping onto you. You try to squirm out of his grasp, laughing. He makes a 'tsk tsk' sound with his tongue. You squirm even more, until the both of you are tilting over into the hay, a gasp leaving your lips when you land on top of him. "Shit-" he laughs.

Your cheeks are beat red as you straddle his waist.

He picks up his hat that had fallen at some point, propping himself up on the hay bale. "Why don't you show me what you got, cowgirl." He smirks, setting the hat back onto your head. "Don't think you're ready for it."

"Think you'd be surprised." He's sly. You gnaw at your lip for a second.

"Fine." You mumble. You reach for your waistband.

He looks at you in surprise. He really didn't think he'd get this far. Once you've got your jeans off completely, his hands are on your hips. He feels bad because his hands are dirty. You deserve a better situation. You work at his jeans, unbuttoning them and unzipping them. Tugging the waistband of his boxers down to free his cock. He hisses when you clutch him in your hand. Your hands are soft.

You move up onto him, raising yourself onto your knees and lowering yourself onto his cock. The fat tip of his cock presses past your folds, you swallow him up. "Oh fuck-" he gasps. You lower down around him completely. You squeeze around him, wincing slightly. He catches it, but assumes it's just because you're not used to him.

"Shit." You rock your hips forward. He groans out. "Damn baby. You're so tight." He grits his teeth, seeing you smile.

Your nipples harden and he can see them under the wife beater you've got on. You never did put a bra on. He hisses. "I think I like this more than your band shirts darlin'" You lower your head to where he's looking, seeing the way you look. You roll your eyes. "Yeah, don't want every guy starin' at my tits all day, Tommy." You roll your eyes, the entire time you haven't stopped rocking your hips into him. Bracing yourself and lifting off of him. He notices you don't seem to be all of that into it, not at first anyways. It takes a little bit before you relax into him. Letting out small pants. He glances down, swallowing hard when he sees blood. "I didn't mean t'hurt you honey. Been a while? You even been with a guy as old as me?" He sees you roll your eyes.

"No, and no it hasn't been a while. It's been never." You laugh. He grasps hold of your hips to stop you. "What? What do you mean?"

"I've never done this before."

His eyes widen. "Shit-" he stops you completely. "Why didn't you say something? I wouldn't have-"

You laugh. "That's why I didn't say anything." You cut him off.

"Y/N..." he hesitates.

"Tommy. I'm a big girl and I know what I want. You ain't hurting me, I'm fine. Now shut up." You shake your head, rocking into him. He hisses. No wonder you're so tight.

He flips you over. Rutting his hips into you. He slows down, giving you time to adjust to him properly and taking his time with you. You really start to react to him, clutching onto him. Your eyes are slightly wider than before. Pupils blown out. You're letting out little mewls and cries and it's how he knows you're getting close. Tommy has been riding the edge for a few minutes. Not wanting to cum too fast and embarrass himself.

"T-Tommy." You grit your teeth. "I.. I think I-"

"Look at me darlin'" he says through gritted teeth. "Look at me when you cum sweet girl. Show me how you do it." He smiles. You look up at him, clutching onto his shirt. He hits his high the same time you do, thrusting into you harder than he intends. Hearing you cry out when you cum. Eyes rolling back before they screw shut. He doesn't pull out. He fills you right up with his cum.

He tries not to blush, having been so long since he's been with someone. Tommy doesn't think he's ever been with a Virgin before. This was new for him. "I'm sorry if I hurt ya."

"You didn't.. I got blood all over you though Tommy. 'M sorry." You blush.

He shakes his head. "I don't care baby, you know that. I care more that I made you bleed."

You shake your head. "It didn't hurt that bad. Nothing I couldn't handle." You mumble. He laughs, moving to lay next to you on the hay. He traces your lips with his thumb. "You should've told me. Coulda made your first time at least a little more special. It's supposed to be."

"I don't think I would've wanted it any other way Tommy." You laugh. "Just.. pretend like I wasn't."

"I can't do that. To be honest. It's.. the best I've ever felt." He runs his palm down his jeans. He's tucked his dick back into his jeans by now. Clearly Tommy had liked it, way more than you thought he had. You laugh. "Stick around and maybe it won't be your last with me." You mumble, standing up. "Cmon. I'll let you use the bathroom in the house to clean up. Sure Jacob has some old shorts lying around while I wash your jeans." You nod.

A couple hours later, Tommy's jeans are hung up on a clothes line to dry and he lays in your bed next to you, wearing a pair of old shorts that haven't been worn in decades.

You're sound asleep next to him. His phone buzzes with a text.

Howdy Tommy, Jacob here. Turns out the ol' lady likes it in the big city. Y/N is gonna be pissed when I tell her but you and her are gonna be taking on all the work load until the farm is sold.

Tommy swallows hard. This was about to drive a wrench right through his plans.

Thanks for the heads up Jacob. I can always break the news to her if you don't want to. But outta curiosity, how much are you going to sell your farm for?

There ain't much to it anymore. The house is pretty run down. All we got are just some horses, cows, and chickens. Probably a couple hundred thousand.

I'd be interested. Maybe we should wait to tell Y/N. If I buy it, she's more than welcome to finish out her school here.

Tommy swallows hard, glancing at you as you slept. He wondered if you'd hate him or love him for this.

Sounds good to me Tommy. Either way the girl would figure it out.

———

A couple weeks later, the farmhouse is fully in Tommy's name. He drained his savings for it, but it's his. And it's the only thing Tommy has ever had. And even though Joel thought it was a horrible idea, Tommy didn't. Not as long as you were here. Tonight, he was breaking the news to you.

"So uh.. can we talk?" He asks.

Your relationship had been strictly platonic after that day in the hay loft. You hadn't made another move and Tommy hadn't pushed. But since Jacob had been gone for so long, he'd been helping you cook dinner and he'd been inside the house a lot.

He figured you'd be really mad at him after he tells you what he's about to. You sit down on the couch across from him. Opposite him and between the two of you lies an antique coffee table. "What's going on?"

"A couple weeks ago.." he sighs. "The morning after uh... the hay loft." He laughs. Looking down at his hands. They're entwined together in his lap. "I got a text message from Jacob." He mumbles. Running his hand over his stubble. "He said that uh.. his wife liked it in the big city." He looks up at you.

"He ain't coming back, is he?" You ask.

Tommy hesitates for a second. Shaking his head. "He.. said that you and I would be working here until he sells the farm."

He can see the tears gathering in your eyes. "But.. did he say anything about me? About where I go? My horses?" You stand up. "Hey- just sit down alright? Relax." He breathes. He makes his way round the table, sitting down next to you. "He told me how much he was selling the farm for. It wasn't all that much." He bites at his lip. "But no. He didn't say anything about you. And he said everything goes."

You look down. "Why did you wait so long to tell me this?"

"Because. I just.. had to think about some things alright? But the farm sold."

He can see your heart break in your chest, so this is where he needs to say it. Your eyes are fixed on the coffee table in front of you. Tears pool at your waterline but you don't let them fall.

"He sold it to me."

Your eyebrows narrow, eyes drawing up from the coffee table to look at him. "What?"

"I bought it from him."

You say nothing else for a minute. Before standing up. "Tommy, I'm sorry but are you stupid?" He laughs, surprised at the words coming out of your mouth.

"This farm is nothing but a burden. The work sucks and it's worth nothing!"

"You really think so?" He smiles.

"Tommy. You had the opportunity to leave all of this behind and forget about this stupid farm and everything on it. I would've forged his signature on anything you needed to get away. Why didn't you?"

"Cause.. Y/N." He smiles. "I'm nothing but a fucking wreck outside of this farm. Having something that relies on me like these animals, it gives me something to keep out of trouble for. And I don't mind it all. I quite like it actually." He laughs.

"Now.. for.. what I was gonna bring up." He wipes his eyebrow. "You're more than welcome to stay. You don't have to move anything at all, you don't even have to help me with the work load like you do now, just focus on school n I'll take care of ya. On one condition."

You look at him.

"I'll need your help fixing it up." He smiles.

"Okay." You nod. Looking down. "Okay Tommy. Thank you."

"Hey. No need to stress alright? We'll get this farm back in business and get this shit handled." He claps his hands together. "But it's late and you got school tomorrow, so you better go get some sleep." He smiles.

———

For the next couple months, Tommy sells a bunch of old farm equipment and spends every single dime putting it back into the farm. The biggest thing that needed updating was the farm house and the barn. He focused on those things and even had Joel out to help him with it. When the farmhouse and barn were completely updated, it really started coming together.

They had new siding, new paint, the insides were completely updated and remodeled. Even Joel couldn't deny just how nice it looked. The kitchen had brand new countertops, he got your bathroom sink working and not leaking for the first time in your life. It was amazing.

After that though, Tommy hit a dry spell.

Tommy spent the next few months doing contract work with Joel. Outside of bills, he saved every single dime he made. After the winter was over, he started in on everything else and since you had graduated. You slaved away day and night helping him alongside Joel.

You drew up some plans with Tommy and completely changed everything about the farm. Made an entire blueprint for where the animal pins will be, where they'll fit best. He fixed up the horse stables, and found a few new animals to add to the farm. He got in new calves, sold off some cows, got more chickens and added ducks. He even helped you start a garden and it seemed to flourish.

It didn't take too long after that. Once the farm was in the swing of things, it had already paid for itself along with all of Tommy's debt and he didn't owe a single thing aside from regular bills. But groceries didn't cost much since he grew his own, he had a massive savings account for any reason at all. Maybe some vet bills here or there. But that was it.

Joel was proud.

"I gotta say little brother, I'm impressed." Joel nudges him with his elbow. "Trust me, if you're shocked, I'm even more shocked." He laughs. "You've done pretty damn good. I mean this is the longest you've been off probation in how many years?" Joel laughs. "Ah. I think I'm over all that stuff. I love it out here. No people to piss me off. I'm always busy so I got no free time to fuck this up for myself. I think I'll hold onto it." He smiles.

"I gotta ask though." Joel's eyes follow your form as you walk out of the newly finished chicken coop.

Same tight bootcut jeans and a wife beater. "What about the girl?"

"What about her?"

"Why'd you take her in? Trying to play dad?"

Tommy laughs. "Oh god no. Y/N.. she's about like talking to a fifty year old woman. She doesn't get bossed around and she's a good girl. Works real fucking hard." Tommy slicks his hair back. "Jacob is a real prick, I only met the guy once though. You know the story. I couldn't just tell her to get lost."

"You ain't like.. in a relationship with her or something like that... right?"

"Nah, nothing like that." Tommy's cheeks flush.

"You said that like you wouldn't be mad if you were."

"Well.. we're definitely past the friend stage if you know what I mean." Tommy laughs, leaning up against the fence post. "Jesus Christ Tommy. The hell happened? That girl is real young." Joel shakes his head. "She's over eighteen Joel. And It only happened once, 'bout a year ago. Couple months after I first got here." Joel nods. "What exactly happened?"

Tommy laughs. "She took my hat."

Joel is confused for a second, realization crossing over his face when he realizes the kind of hat Tommy has on.

Tommy leans off the post and starts walking away. "Jesus Christ." Joel rolls his eyes. "Cowboy hat rules Joel!" Tommy calls to him. Joel starts to follow after him. "Crazy motherfucker.." he shakes his head.

———

You sat across from Tommy, you'd made him dinner.

You couldn't be more grateful for Tommy coming into your life. You'd most likely be in some dingy apartment in the city or on the streets. He saved you pretty much. Thats why you'd gotten him a gift. You had just finished dinner, Tommy was looking at his phone. "If you wanted to go get some sleep, I'll pick up." He looks up at you. "Alright." You smile. "Before I go though, I got you something." He looks up at you. You pass over the box. It's a gift box and he looks confused.

"What's this for?" He asks. Sliding it closer to him. "It's.. a thank you." You mumble. He opens it and sees snake skin. "It's a hat band." You mumble. "Was gonna go for copperhead but the western diamond back had the rattles crossed over each other on the front." You blush. "That's awesome." He smiles. "Show me how to put it on?" He asks. "Yeah. Course." He takes his hand off and sets it down. You pick up the hat band and slide it down onto the cowboy hat. Noting to steal it and clean it for him later because it's dirty. Once the hat band is on, he places it back on his head.

"I appreciate it. This couldn't have been cheap." You roll your eyes. "Doesn't matter how much it was. It's to say thank you. For.. takin' care of me." He smiles. "I'll always take care of you, alright? Besides. I need help here. Even when you decide to run off at some point." He laughs.

"Now go get some sleep honey."

You stand up and push your chair in, going to walk past him.

Just as you pass by, your hand moves up. Snatching the cowboy hat off of his head. He turns to look at you. Flirty smile on his lips. "Orrr..." you smile. Setting the hat right on top of your head. "Maybe we can pick it up later." You've got an evil grin on your face. He stands up. "Think I like your idea better." He chuckles. He walks toward you, lifting you up so you can wrap your legs around his waist, carrying you up the stairs. "This is how it should've been for your first time, you know?" He smiles. You roll your eyes. "I think if someone asked me 'how'd you lose your virginity?' And I told them it was in a hay loft with a farm hand, it'd be more interesting than a bed." You smirk. He laughs. Rolling his eyes.

"You're somn else." He mumbles. He sets you down at the edge of the bed. Reaching for his waistband. You were actually wearing shorts and a t-shirt for once. Something you'd picked out. He offered to buy you better clothes but you didn't want them. Just wanted the comfortable ones.

He takes a deep breath as you tug your shirt over your head. Seeing all of you for the first time. When he's gotten his clothes off and they're discarded on the floor, he's back on the bed. You're crawling on top of him. Making due, cowboy hat rules after all.

You line him up with your entrance, he gasps when you sheath yourself on his cock. Feeling your tight walls once again. You look down at him. Raising your hips up and watching him grit his teeth as you rock into him. He tugs you down, your chest flush to his and he kisses you for the first time.

He doesn't let go, even when you're ready to draw back for air, he keeps you there. When he finally pulls away, you sit back. Sitting straight up on him now. Your nipples are hard, lips blushing and swollen from his now. He glides his hands up your hips and cups your breasts in his hands. Toying with your nipples. Your hair is damp with sweat and it's the sexiest thing Tommy has ever seen. You. All you. How the hell he got himself here after nothing but being a complete ass, he'll never understand. He runs his hands up your thighs, resting his palms on the tops of them. "Stay." The words leave his lips before he has time to stop himself.

You pause your movements. Chest rising and falling with each breath you take. "What?"

"Stay here with me."

"I'm.. here Tommy." You breathe. "No. I mean.." he hesitates. "I want you here with me, always. I know you hate it here but.. I can take care of you."

"Are you.. asking me if I'll-"

"I want you to be mine. Here. Forever."

Your lips start to part in surprise, your eyes seeming glossed over. "I don't hate it here Tommy. To be honest.. it's the best it's ever been. I didn't want to leave." You shake your head. "I'll stay Tommy. But you have to stay on the straight and narrow. If you start to fuck up, I'll leave." You look down at him. "I wouldn't dream of fucking that up. Not with you. Not here."

You rock your hips into him again. Picking up the pace. "You're mine, I'll show you." He breathes. He grasps you, flipping you over like he'd done before. But this time, he doesn't slow. He's more rough than before, fucking you. He wants you to feel him. Every bit of him. He holds onto you, tight. He keeps you steady as he hammers his hips into yours, the bed frame slamming into the wall with each forceful thrust he takes. Tears gather in your eyes, not sure if you were exactly ready to take this much force but you were going to. You can feel that knot forming in your stomach. The coil wound up tight, you cry when it snaps. Sending you spiraling. Your pussy clamps down around Tommy's cock and he hisses.

He can feel you throbbing around him and it sends him into his own orgasm. Whining out. Again, he doesn't pull out. Your eyes widen when you can feel him. All of him. You're full, his warmth settles between your legs and he collapses on top of you. He's panting.

Right here, right now. This is nothing Tommy imagined he'd ever want. But it's what he needed. And he was so grateful for it.

[steddiealltheway]

WIP Wednesday

pretend this isn't the fourth thing i've posted in the past like... two hours

but this is so cool! Thank you @zerokrox-blog for tagging me!

So this is a Soulmate AU that has been in my head for YEARS, and I've finally started writing it down so... here's the first chapter or maybe only part of it? I'm not sure yet. But here it is :)

A few weeks earlier… 

Steve sprints to the window, unlatching it easily and jumping through just to tuck and roll onto the soft carpet of Robin’s bedroom. 

“What the-” Robin starts to yell until she catches sight of Steve who holds a finger to his lips. He signals for her to close the windows and curtains quickly while he lays on the ground wiping the rain water mixed with blood out of his eyes. 

Robin quietly freaks out as she locks the window and pulls the curtain tight. She flicks on a lamp then digs under her bed for a first aid kit that makes Steve want to squirm away, but he can’t deny the need for some type of treatment for his wounds. As she’s carefully putting bandaids on what he assumes to be a large cut on his forehead, she whispers out, “What the hell happened?” 

Steve breathes out and does a quick assessment of himself. Nothing appears to be broken at the moment, but his vision is slightly swimming as the adrenaline wears off. He lets his eyes close as he leans into Robin. “Turns out I’m going to college with you after all.” 

He doesn’t have to open his eyes to know that she’s giving him a weird look, but he opens them to let her know he’s serious about this. “Robin, promise to never call me ‘Steve’ again, okay?” 

Robin freezes and lets her hand fall from where it was smoothing out a bandaid. “What?” 

“Please,” Steve pleads and looks around frantically. “Call me… call me…” his head is pounding and his stomach slightly churns, so he relies on the last thing he saw, a name too unique to belong to any soul, “Call me Keys.” 

“Okay… Keys,” Robin says testing out the name as Steve’s eyes lull shut. “Now tell me everything.” 

Now 

Moving in sucks. Well, moving Robin in sucks. Steve had told her that she didn’t need to pack her entire room, but she insisted, “Keys, I will not be returning home after my first twenty-four hours away from it! And maybe I’ll need the whistle I got in elementary school! You never know.” 

Steve just sighs and hefts up yet another box from his car, carefully glancing around for anyone familiar before heading up to Robin’s dorm. He curses the broken elevator but realizes it likely wouldn’t have been much help since everyone else is moving in at the same time. He swerves just at the last second as some hyper dude with long hair runs down the stairs past him and Robin. For some reason, he feels a weird draw to them, but they probably just remind him of Dustin who he would’ve yelled at to slow the hell down. He misses that kid. 

Steve huffs as he makes his way to the third story of the building and spots the door to Robin’s room slightly ajar. Robin shoots him a look and they rush over to it only to slow down as they approach. Steve sets down the box and riffles through it settling on grabbing a random plaque from... “Your fourth-grade spelling bee, really?” 

“It’s one of my greatest accomplishments!” Robin whisper yells at him and nudges his shoulder. 

Steve rolls his eyes but takes the plaque and holds it up. He holds up his hand signaling three... two... one... 

Steve shoves the door open and yells as a blonde girl starts to scream. Steve quickly realizes his mistake and puts the plaque down on a nearby table and holds his hands up. “Woah! Oh, shit. Sorry. You must be Robin’s roommate. I’m Steve,” he introduces himself cautiously holding his hand out. 

Only, the girl doesn’t take it. Instead, she seems frozen as she glances over Steve’s shoulder. 

Steve’s hand drops and he looks over his shoulder to see what's happening but he’s only met with the sight of Robin staring longingly at the other girl. Steve looks back at the girl and sees it. “You must be Chrissy,” Steve breathes out. 

The girl nods slightly, and happiness alongside jealousy churns in Steve’s stomach. “Well, it’s been great meeting you. And I’ll just... see myself out. Robin, we can get the rest of your stuff later. I’m just going to head to my dorm.” 

Robin slightly nods, mirroring Chrissy’s same nod from earlier, and Steve is almost positive that neither of them are getting any of what he’s saying. Damn soulmates. 

Steve heaves Robin’s box through the doorway and lightly shoves her in before closing the behind her. This is certainly not how he wanted his college experience to start. 

He rushes down the stairs and tries not to think too hard about the whole Robin finding her soulmate thing. Like, yes, it’s great. He’s glad she has the perfect roommate and a soulmate who clearly just by first looks is crazy about her. But this means... fuck. 

Steve might be abandoned. He knows it’s unlike Robin, but he’s heard the soulmate stories. Christ, they’re literally a person’s other half, so of course they’re going to want to spend all their time with them which leaves Steve... alone. Or awkwardly third wheeling, but the sight of happy couples makes him irrationally angry. 

Well, with everything, Robin says that he should be reasonably angry about the whole soulmate thing, but... 

Steve shakes his head as he climbs into his car and watches that same long-haired boy heave a box up towards the building. Eddie. A voice in his head unhelpfully supplies, and Steve shakes it away because that would be impossible. 

He forces himself to tear his eyes away and look at the campus map. Sadly, he and Robin aren’t living in the same residence hall, but the buildings should be about a five-minute walk away. He spots his building and takes a deep breath as he thinks about dealing with parking. Luckily, he only has about one trip worth of things with him. 

He finds parking and curses under his breath as he rechecks his dorm number and pockets the key they gave him a few hours earlier. He pushes around the few boxes Robin has left so he can get out his one box and old backpack. Hopefully his roommate doesn’t judge him too much. 

The trek to the building isn’t horrible from the parking lot, but Steve is definitely thankful that he lives on the first floor. 

He finds his room fairly easily and digs his key out of his pocket so he can unlock the door. He sighs when he finds it’s already unlocked and prepares to meet his roommate. He tries to appear pleasant as possible and even tightly smiles as he enters the room. Half of it is filled with weird shit like posters and drawings that Steve thinks that Dustin would like. And he’s definitely gotta ask why the hell he has a giant sign that says “Corroded Coffin.” He whistles low when he spots the guitar propped in the corner of the room. He knows nothing about instruments, but he can tell it’s well taken care of. 

The only thing that he finds odd is the lack of a roommate in the room, but maybe he’s in the bathroom or something. 

Steve doesn’t think too hard about it because he’s filled with relief of finally being alone so he can breathe. It’s not that he isn’t a social person it’s just... he needs time to process the whole Chrissy and Robin thing. More than anything he wants to rant to someone about it, but his options of ranting are: Robin. 

But there’s probably a landline in the common area and definitely pay phones nearby so he can call Dustin eventually. 

He tugs at the leather band around his right wrist for a few minutes as he thinks before realizing the anxious tick and trying to stop. He needs Robin to go back to flicking him in the head every time he does it. Soulmarks don’t like being suffocated he guesses. 

He unpacks the few things he has, stuffing the few pairs of clothes he has in the supplied dresser and slipping sheets over his mattress and making up the thin comforter (curtesy of Robin’s mom) and pillow (also Robin’s mom) to make the place look somewhat like a home. He gets a framed picture of him and Robin out of his box and puts it on his desk lastly before turning around and walking towards his door. 

He stops and takes a breath before turning around and taking in his sad display of a room, but he can’t help but smile. Nothing can be worse than his room from a few weeks ago. 

All the sudden, the door swings open and collides with Steve’s back causing him to stumble forward and curse. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were...” the man trails off as Steve turns around. 

It’s the same long-haired guy he saw before, but close up he’s absolutely... 

Eddie. Soulmate. 

Steve’s entire being feels drawn to him, and it’s like he understands what all the soulmates mean when they say as soon as they saw them they just knew. And it feels so right. He’s somehow everything that Steve had always dreamed of since he first got his mark, and nothing at all like what he expected. He’s about to finally say that it’s him, it’s Steve, when he finally shakes himself out of it. 

No, it’s not him. It’s not possible. He’s already met Eddie. 

So, Steve sticks his hand out and says, “I’m Keys.” 

And something about his name must falter whatever is going on in the man’s head as he reaches out and replies, “Kas. Uh, you must be my s- roommate.” 

Steve smiles tightly as the label doesn’t rest well with him. He shakes his hand and can’t help but notice the way his hand feels right in his, but he’s also wearing a band around his wrist that kind of jostles with Steve’s and it feels so wrong like he needs to pry them both off- 

“My roommate who I just hit with the door. Shit, I’m sorry, man, I just got some crazy news that my best friend found her soulmate. At least, I think that’s what I was witnessing because she was just making out with this other girl, and I don’t know, I just kind of ran like hell. And I wasn’t thinking and bam hit you with the door,” Kas rambles out and it’s overwhelmingly endearing to Steve especially when he pulls his hair in front of his face and continues, “Sorry, man, I’m just kind of freaking out.” 

And Steve knows exactly what he means. “I can’t blame you. I just had the same sort of shit happen. My best friend just found her soulmate, and I’m at a loss. I know I should feel happy for her, but I can’t help but think I’m going to be abandoned or some shit.” Steve stops and wonders why the hell he’s talking so much and basically spewing his soul to a stranger. “Sorry,” Steve apologizes and shakes his head, “I don’t usually open up so easily.” 

“Neither do I, but that’s just because I have to keep up my dark and mysterious persona,” Kas says with a bright smile as he raises his hands and wiggles his fingers. 

Steve can’t help but laugh. 

Kas’s smile falls, but more in a dramatic way than a hurt way. “What? Do you not think I’m all dark and mysterious?” 

This makes Steve laugh even harder. He has no idea how this man with the energy of a hyper puppy and the biggest brown doe eyes he’s ever seen has ever appeared threatening or rather “dark and mysterious.” 

Kas sighs and frowns at him, but that just further drives home the point. Steve can’t help but try to stifle his laughter and reply as seriously as he can, “Oh, you’re dark and mysterious alright.” 

Kas lightly shoves him as a blush comes to his cheeks, and Steve doesn’t remember ever feeling so connected to someone as soon as he met them. He can’t help but think that Kas is thinking the same thing as they stare at each other, both smiling as something like hope stirs in Steve. 

He wishes more than anything that soulmates didn’t exist. 

“Hey, Kas!” 

“Keys!” 

Kas and Steve jump back as they stare at the two girls in their doorway who glance back at each other. “No way,” Robin and Chrissy both say together and laugh. 

It takes Steve a moment longer than everyone, but then he’s looking at Kas with wide eyes as he realizes how cruel and kind the universe really is. 

[reborn--maggot]

Off to College!

Hey man, Can’t believe you’re making me drive Two fuckin’ hours to come see you In your school’s fall production… But I’m gonna be there. Watch out.

Dude, I have that class on those mornings, too! We’ll see each other then! … What do you mean your class is at 7?

Woah, You got into that school? Hell yeah, dude! I’m so happy for you!!

We will probably never speak again, And I am devastated by that thought.

Yo, Saw you in the hallway today, But you were looking at your phone, And I didn’t want to distract you. You looked busy.

So fucked that you’re moving next week. Why did you have to pick a school so far From everyone else?

Oh, shit, I have that class too, It’s just at a different time. Maybe we can meet up in the library To study sometime?

We will probably never speak again, And I am thrilled by that thought.

Yeah, it is cringe that our schedules Clash that much. You’re absolutely right. We’ll fix that going forward.

No, I know what I’m going in for, I’m just taking it easy this semester. Yeah, I’m not sure where I’m going to transfer. I think it’ll be alright. I’ve got time.

Holy shit, I haven't seen you since 5th grade! Hey, you're going here, too? Man, that's awesome. Maybe I'll see you around.

Oh, I took that class over the summer. It sucked, yeah. I can help you if you want. Sure, I don’t mind.

Hey, This class looks pretty fun. Do you wanna take it with me next semester? Next year?

We will probably never speak again, But we never really spoke in the first place.

Saw a kid that looked just like you on campus today. Jumpscare, right?

So, I know you're across the country right now, But I don't suppose you could fly back in For my birthday party this month Could you?

Aw, I’d love to go, But I have a class at that time. Maybe next week?

Okay, Mom, I'm serious. You can keep taking pictures, But I'm walking away now. I don't want to be late on my first day.

Hey, I saw that you were listed on the roster, But you weren’t here. You dropping this class? Can I convince you not to?

You’re the fourth person at this party To tell me you held me in your arms When I was a baby. I don’t mind, though. It’s kind of endearing.

If there’s a reunion in, what.. Five… Ten years… Would you go? ‘Cause I will, But only if you do.

I hope we do speak again. It was nice being in high school with you.

[where-are-the-spooky-gays-2]

My fam is having car troubles and it's preventing me from being able to go to school (frustrating bc I already have the attendance office on my chronically-ill ass 😭) so here's more mechanic Remus things with a little sprinkle of "Roman's his little brother instead of twin (remember that?)"

- he and Virgil don't come into contact super often for a while. This shits a slur burn. But eventually things just keep winding up wrong with the car and he keeps calling remus

- he calls Remus specifically (Remus gave him his personal number) (said all the other guys there were shady as fuck and Virgil was too cute for that bullshit) (also in case Virgil was interested)

- looooootta trips where Remus comes to Virgil's place

- awkward host Virgil who is like ".. do u want some water?" meanwhile Remus is just straight up under his car

- Remus coming inside the house with completely pitch black hands like ":D please turn on your sink for me. And maybe put some soap in my hands. So I don't turn your whole ass kitchen black." my dad always makes me do this it's so fun /j /lh

- Virgil DOES hang out w him outside though don't get me wrong I just mean that one time

- Virgil once went inside and then came out an hour later and saw his backseat completely removed and was freaked out (Remus needed to check smth. He put it back!!)

- once Virgil just kinda. lied. said he wanted Remus to check this Weird Noise the car was making. (There was no weird noise he just weirdly missed him)

- one time, different car, Remus mentions how their scheduled time is really close to when he has to get his brother. So like. When he shows up. Remus will not be alone.

- cue Fuck It™ and Roman comes with him

- what a day for Virgil, dude (Jesus Christ this kid never stops talking) (also Virgil couldn't spoil Disney for him?? Wtf Remus?? He has to learn eventually??) (it's fine whatever he's a good artist) (did call Virgil easy to draw, though... lil bastard—)

- otherwise, when it's just Virgil and Remus, they find out they have a lot in common! Interests-wise, but they def. bond over music at first. Gotta have smth going on in the background.

- Virgil can't get over the fact Remus looks hot though. It like becomes a problem for him. I can't blame him tho— greasy mullet mechanic in a tank top working on my car? Sweating and covered in grease?? Hello??? Shits hot. If virgil is weak I am too.

- their first date is when Virgil offers to buy Remus dinner for a really tight squeeze-in for a check on something. Remus takes him up on the offer and they schedule for that weekend. They have a really good time and then at the end Remus mentions how he kinda wished it was a date. Virgil realizes he did too. Oh Shit™.

- they kiss anysay

— 👑

Damn that sucks man hope everything starts working soon but Y E S Mechanic!Ree and lil bro Ro!!! I will never get over Vee constantly calling Ree specifically for his car even when there isn't an issue he's simply Gay for a chaotic man in a mullet and feels safer XD I'm cackling at the thought of Vee just making a snack for Ree and seeing the backseat completely gone and he just almost drops the plate jaw dropped and all XD Also the fact that Ro's lowkey a lil shit and Vee can't spoil Disney for him has me cackling Ree get your bro XD It's really nice to see the beloveds easily click and it all started because of Vee's car <3

[angel-gone-dark]

He’s Got His Mother’s Hips - 2 [Cigarette Daydreams]

CWs: smoking, swearing, shamelessly inserting me and my fav mutual, lesbians. also kenny accidentally steals a lighter but that’s ok.

Leigh gnawed at his lower lip, tapping his pencil on the paper as he glanced at the clock. The morning had gone on awkward and choppy, an introduction in almost every class. He was just glad his mother had put his preferred name in the system. The bell rang and he shoved his shit in his bag, dashing off through the cafeteria and the back doors to be alone outside.

Except he wasn’t. He looked up at the blonde, who nodded at him politely. A cigarette hung from his lips, and he scratched at the scruff of his chin.

“Thought you didn’t smoke.”

“I don’t. Needed to get out of that stuffy ass school. I hate these people.” Kenny nodded at that.

“I get it. Can I bum your lighter again?” He felt a bit bad asking, but Leigh was happy to oblige, and tossed it to him.

“...What kind of cigs?” He wasn’t the best at small talk.

“Marlboro. Reds.” Kenny showed him the package. “Why?”

“Those smell the best. My dad used to smoke them all the time.”

“What happened? He quit?” Kenny lit his cigarette.

“...No, he died.” Kenny sputtered, almost dropping the lighter and choking on the smoke.

“Dude, bombshell.” He patted his chest with his fist.

“I know, sorry. I just haven’t had anyone to talk to about it.” Kenny ruffled the new guy’s hair. 

“‘S okay.” He cleared his throat and took a big drag off his cigarette. “I… that’s gotta be hard. I’m sorry.”

“It is, yeah. Not to mention my mother uprooted my life and dragged me here.”

“Maybe you need a cig.” He joked. Leigh smiled up at him.

They stayed like that until the scruffy guy finished. They walked right into the lunchroom together. 

“McCormick, what the hell have you done to him?” April glared, obviously joking. 

“Nothing!” He put his hands up in mock defense. 

“Good.” She slung her arm around Leigh, walking him over to the lunch line. “Boy, you smell like cigarettes. You smoke?”

“Nah, Kenny smoked next to me. I like the smell, though…” He nodded. “I’m sorry about it…”

“Nah, I’m used to it. Kenny smells like that all the time.”

“You two hang out a lot?” April shook her head. 

“Not much anymore, since I’ve been going out with Wendy.” Leigh looked shocked, and she laughed. “What? I know I don’t look queer but come on, that girl is everything.”

They got their lunch, thanking the cafeteria staff and sitting at a table. The temporary peace the two found was interrupted by the same five boys from the bus that morning. Leigh fell silent, his gaze trained on where he prodded at his food.

“Aw don’t act scared of me now.” Kenny teased, stealing a fry from Stan’s tray (to the latter’s dismay).

“Dude, he’s scared of all of us. At once.” Kyle snipped, shoving glasses up his nose. Leigh noted they were… a lot nicer than his own. 

“Buddy!” Butters chirped, plopping right across from Leigh. He would have sat next to him, but Kenny had stolen that spot first. 

“Oh great, now we’re sitting with the faggot and bimbo? Wonderful. My day can’t get any better.” Cartman sat down, too. 

“You don’t have to sit with us, fatass!” Kyle said through grit teeth. 

“Yeah, well, everybody else fucking sucks ass. You guys just suck the least right now.” He spoke no further, digging into his plate. 

“So Leigh,” Kyle started. “Where are you from?”

“N-New Hampshire.” He didn’t look up. 

“Oh, nice. What’s it like there?”

“Like Colorado but… more hills, I guess?”

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Stan raised a brow at him.

“No, not really.” He finally took a bite of his food. 

“Do you hate us?” Butters pouted a little. Leigh nearly choked on his salad. 

“No? Why on earth would I? Should I?” He gave April a concerned glance. She shrugged back at him. 

“No, no,” Kyle said, reading a textbook as he ate. “Except Cartman. You can hate him.”

Cartman exclaimed in protest, but the rest of the table filled with giggles. The conversation began to flow, and the new kid found himself listening and laughing along- especially to wacky stories from the boys’ childhood. He found April was the real star at the table, witty and funny. She also went to bat with Cartman just like Kyle did.

As everyone split for class, Leigh found a huge grin overtaking his face. He figured he could get used to it here. 

word count: 755

[dreamwatch]

STWG daily prompt 08/10/23

Prompt: you’re shaking

****

“Eddie!”

“Jesus Chr-!”

“-the fuck dude?”

The van screeches to a stop. The girl stands right in front of the van staring at him, mouth open in a little ‘o’. Another cheerleader pulls her out of the road, and she runs off, strawberry blonde ponytail bouncing. Someone flips him the bird. Someone else calls him a freak. 

He’s still looking at Chrissy.

People are shouting at him, inside and outside of the van. Doors are being slammed shut and yanked open. He can feel someone pull his hands from the steering wheel, only now realising he’s had his fingers tightly curled round it. Voices, which he wishes would just shut up because she was right there, and if he could only hear her, they could talk and he could say sorry. He just wants to say sorry.

Eddie takes one long, heavy blink and watches as Steve Harrington takes the keys out of the van. The voices have quietened, and when he tunes back in all he hears now is Steve talking to him like he’s a frightened dog, a steady babble of words meant to soothe.

“-gonna turn the engine off, okay? Just going to grab the keys… there ya go… I’ll look after those for you, okay?… Lets get you out of there and then I’ll drive you home, how does that sound?”

Steve takes his hand, tries to guide him out of the van, but Eddie just blinks and stares at him. 

“Eddie, come on man, we need to get you home. Wayne’s going to be worried.”

And that’s the thing that snaps him back.

The cheerleader that looked like her, not stopping, Dustin and Gareth screaming at him, slamming on the brakes. He nearly hit her. Them, he nearly hit them, there were three of them but he was only looking at her. The van had stopped inches from her, close enough that he could see her name sewn on her sweater. Bethany.

Not Chrissy.

Eddie stumbles out of the van, nearly drops to the gravel but Steve catches him under his arms, holds him steady. He feels sick, starts to sweat.

“Dude, you’re shaking.” 

Eddie stares at him. “Sorry.”

Steve huffs a little laugh. “Man, you’re a fucking mess.”

They ride silently to the little house close to Forest Hills where the Munsons live now. They pull up outside, Steve cutting the engine, but they don’t move.

“Where did… Dustin, and Gareth, where did they-“

“Jeff. He was still in the parking lot, he’s dropped them home.”

Eddie just nods. “How come you were at the school?”

Steve smiles at him. “Same as you, picking up kids. There was a basketball game tonight.”

“Lucas.”

Steve nods. “What happened, man?”

“I saw Chrissy.” Pull the bandaid off all at one.

“Ed-“

Eddie cringes. “No, I know. I know. It just. At the time, you know?”

Steve looks at him in a way that suggests he doesn’t know at all, but Eddie doesn’t expect anyone else to really understand.

“Do you see her a lot?”

He sees her all the time. The checkout girl at Bradley’s Big Buy. The nurse in the outpatient clinic at the hospital. The bank teller at Hawkins Savings and Loans.

The cheerleader called Bethany.

“Sometimes,” he replies.

Wayne steps out on to the porch. No doubt there’s been a phone call, from someone to someone to someone else to Wayne. It seems to be how they operate, this new little family he’s been sucked into. No man left behind, and all that shit.

“Thanks for getting me home. And um… sorry, you know. For ruining your night. And Lucas’s.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, man. There was no way I was letting you drive after that.” Steve taps at the steering wheel. “And how can a night be ruined when I’m with Eddie Munson, huh?”

Eddie smiles at him and Steve smiles back and it feels likes something. It feels like Eddie saying ‘please don’t leave me behind’ and Steve saying ‘never, man, I got you’. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” says Steve.

Eddie scrunches his face in confusion. “What’s happening tomorrow?”

“We have to get your van back, man.” Steve grins at him. “Can’t have Eddie The Freak Munson being chauffeured around town in a BMW by the jock that peaked in high school. Would totally ruin your image, dude.” 

Eddie is fucking exhausted. Feels adrift. But he laughs. He laughs like he means it, not because it’s expected. Feels like there’s all this shit, all this horror, but he got these people from it. Got Steve from it. 

Steve pulls out of the Munsons driveway, and Eddie heads up the porch steps. Wayne takes a good hard look at him, and pulls him in to a side hug. “You okay?”

He’s not. Not really, not yet anyway. But it’s coming, right? He can feel it. 

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

It will be true eventually.

[harmonictechnicality]

Here's the first chapter of Passing Notes :)

[2:15pm]

Steve Harrington does not punch Eddie Munson in the nose. In fact, Steve is notorious for losing fist fights - watching countless action scenes in movies truly did not prepare him for legitimate altercations. 

Tommy Hagan does punch Eddie Munson in the nose, however. Well, he pushes him onto the linoleum floor, punches Eddie directly in the nose (like The Nose itself has personally assaulted him somehow), and then runs out the nearest fire exit. Steve is standing right there, watching it all play out at half speed. Once his brain renders back into the proper frame rate again, Steve instinctively drops to the ground to help Eddie get back up.

“Holy shit,” Steve blurts out, reaching for Eddie’s bloody nose. “Dude, lemme help… you’re like covered in blood!” Which is somehow both the truth and a hyperbole. The lower half of his face is stained with red and dripping onto his distressed gray tee. The floor tiling beneath him could now be mistaken for a kid’s finger-painting project, all red splotches mixed with Eddie’s thumb prints. Steve’s hands are aimlessly reaching to help, but the carnage he has just witnessed must’ve short-circuited his brain - leaving him just flailing towards Eddie’s face with absolutely no plan whatsoever.

“Get the hell away from me,” Eddie kicks Steve in the side and pushes himself back up against the nearest locker, red trails following behind him. Steve lets out a deep cough and grabs the side of his body where he was kicked.

What the living hell is happening? He is just trying to help and somehow ends up with a sneaker-sized pain in his guts. Organs. Whatever anatomy that’s on his lower left torso. Seriously?

“That’s enough!” Principal Coleman yells over the whole scene. Steve isn’t fully aware of how much time has passed and is definitely oblivious to the audience that has accumulated around them. But about 30 wide-eyed teenagers are staring back at them, waiting to see what will happen next.

[3:12pm]

Detention. Detention happens next. More specifically, detention for both Steve and Eddie for the next two weeks. And look, Steve could care less about how long he has detention. Going back to his Big Empty House sucks regardless, so being stuck in a Big Empty School isn’t going to suck any more than that. Except for tonight. Because tonight, he was supposed to take Nancy Wheeler on their first date. He had the whole thing planned out meticulously and now… now, he has to cancel because he did not punch Eddie Munson in the nasal cavity. Makes sense.

Even after Steve replays the whole timeline back in his head, it only kills about 12 minutes of detention. 2 hours and 48 minutes to go. Eddie walks through the door about 7 minutes into Steve’s fourth mental play-through of The Fight: starring Tommy Hagan and Eddie Musnson, featuring Steve Harrington. Steve stares up at the guy who is holding a bag of frozen vegetables to his slightly crooked nose. 

He’s changed out of his blood-soaked outfit and into an oversized gym class uniform. It kind of makes him look like an entirely different person, Steve thinks to himself. At first glance, Eddie now looks like any other student at Hawkins High. But then Steve examines the details. The loose, dark tendrils of hair that graze his shoulders. The chunky rings that skip every other finger to give each one space to claim his hand. The dark palettes of ink on his skin that are partially hidden by the uniform - only fragments of designs uncovered, insisting to be seen anyways. The details are sucking Steve out of the temporary illusion that Eddie is anything like the other students at Hawkins High.

Eddie skulks to the corner desk on the back row. He lets out an exasperated sigh that makes Steve twist his whole neck around and gawk. 

"Take me out to dinner before staring at me like that, Harrington,” Eddie sneers. 

Steve blinks. “You look like hell, man.” 

“Never been, but I’m sure I’d fit in great there.” Eddie bites back and props his legs up on the desk directly in front of him. Just then, Ms. Arnold cracks the classroom open door and peaks in. 

“I’ll be down the hall grading midterms, but I’ll be checking on you boys every so often,” she warns. “So don’t try anything stupid, please.”

“Yes m’am,” Steve replies, practically on autopilot. She smiles and leaves as quickly as she came in. Ms. Arnold is one of the most passive teachers at Hawkins, so he figures that detention will be rather low maintenance. Which is exactly what Steve needs after the kind of day he is having. 

The reason he can’t stop rewinding the details of the fight is because he is determined to find a scenario where he wouldn’t have gotten the blame for hitting Eddie. Maybe if he hadn’t reached down to help him stand up. Maybe if he had just run out the exit along with Tommy. Maybe if he had just kept walking when he noticed Tommy was instigating trouble with Eddie in the first place. But none of those things happened - no matter how many times Steve replays the chain of events, he can’t change the outcome now. Just gotta deal with the injustice and get through these next two weeks.

Okay, how much time has passed now, he wonders. Steve glances up at the clock:

[4:02pm]

He bangs his head against the desk and just leaves it there.

“Little dramatic, aren’t we?” Eddie’s voice sings in a pitch that resembles a kid taunting ‘oooo’ whenever they witness someone getting in trouble. Steve just groans in reply and says something that is incoherent, even to himself.

There’s a fairly long pause. “Sorry for kicking you… by the way.” 

This is unexpected - Eddie showing genuine remorse. The way the apology reaches Steve, adds weight to his chest, enough to drop into the soles of his shoes. It feels incorrect.

“Come on, don’t do that.” Steve lifts his head and turns his body to face Eddie. “You had just gotten your nostrils bashed in. I wasn’t exactly helping much anyways.”

Eddie’s lips tighten, moving to one side of his mouth. “Yeah, just seemed like you were flinging your arms around my face.”

“I wanted to do something.”

“Wasn’t very clear if that ‘something’ was going to be more punching or not.”

“I think the blood freaked me out.”

“The blood or the freak underneath the blood?” No trace of humor showing on Eddie’s face anymore. All of his jokes are cast aside by his honesty.

Steve hesitates for a minute too long. “I… you don’t freak me out.”

“That wasn’t very convincing, Harrington.”

“You kicking me freaked me out a little.” Nice recovery, asshole.

It earns him small laugh from Eddie. “Okay fair… well, sorry it happened.”

“Sorry I wasn’t more helpful.”

“Sorry you got detention for no reason.”

“Sorry Tommy is such a dick.”

“Sorry you’re friends with such a dick.”

“Sorry you have to wear that gym uniform.”

“Now that’s the real crime, isn’t it?”

Steve laughs into his hand and takes that moment to notice how un-Eddie he looks in these spare clothes. He doesn’t know much about this guy, but he always seems confident. His clothes must play a large role in that because without them, a part of Eddie seems deflated. That and he’s certain it must hurt like hell to have a broken nose.

“Had to cancel my date with Nancy tonight.” Steve doesn’t know why he shares this information. Doesn’t know why Eddie would even care.

Eddie: Wheeler?

Steve: Yes. Wheeler.

Eddie: Wheeler’s a sophomore.

Steve: Thank you for stating the obvious.

Eddie: So, she's like what-15? 16?

Steve: She’s 16, dude. Don’t be gross.

Eddie: And you’re 18?

Steve: Last time I checked.

Eddie. Right. She’s only 16.

Steve: Why did you say ‘only’ like that? What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Eddie: Means you’d have to say that you’re her guardian if you wanted to get her into an R-rated movie.

Steve: She’s a sophomore, that’s not that young.

Eddie: Fine, fine. Just didn’t know you had already run out of juniors.

Steve: Are you aware how annoying you are?

Eddie: Are you aware how easy it is to tease you?

He flicks his tongue across his bottom lip, then bites down on it. And Steve doesn’t know why, but the sight of Eddie’s teeth biting down the pink flesh of his lips, forcing it white for a few seconds, torches all his insides aflame.

In a pathetic attempt to not let the embarrassment read on his face Steve begins to clear his throat - nasty, rattly sounds. Which ends up being a total mistake, because now his face feels hotter than it did one minute ago. And nothing makes a person blush more than being hyperaware that they’re blushing.

Clearly, Eddies notices the effect this has on him and cackles loud enough to cause a rippling echo in the classroom.

“That reaction was almost worth getting punched in the schnoz,” Eddie lets out a laugh that leads to a snort, causing him to wince. He puts the frozen bag back up to the bridge of his nose and tilts his head toward the ceiling.

“Ow! Oh fuck- I think your face is gonna make me start bleeding again.” 

Steve covers his mouth. “Don’t know what is more bruised: your nose or my ego.” He turns back around and lays his head on the desk, still covering his red complexion.

“We’re gonna have so much fun these next two weeks, huh Stevie?” Eddie says devilishly. Steve can just hear the smile in his voice.

“Ugh,” is all Steve can muster through his mortification. He lays there trying to wrap his brain around why Eddie licking his lips had impacted him so goddamn much. He falls asleep trying to figure it out.

[4:48 pm]

“Steve, please get up,” Ms. Arnold murmurs from the doorway.

“Yeah, Steve,” Eddie chimes in. “Falling asleep in class is very disrespectful. Tsk tsk.” 

Steven rubs his eyes and mumbles an apology to Ms. Arnold. She clearly isn’t upset at him. “Maybe you can start on some homework to keep yourself busy,” she suggests as she walks back out the door. He is awake enough to realize that Eddie is now sitting in a desk on the front row. He’s changed back into his previous outfit, dried blood and all. 

Eddie abruptly gets up and starts furiously scribbling numbers on the chalkboard. He’s mumbling and counting things out on his fingers, deep in thought. The handwriting is almost illegible, but he notices that he writes out ‘Steve,’ followed by ‘Nancy.’

“What could you possibly be doing now?” Steve asks.

“If you must know,” Eddie starts, “I’m trying to solve your little ‘date’ predicament, King Steve.” 

“Please explain.” Steve rests his head against the palm of his hand.

Eddie points at where he’s written Steve. “This-” he quickly draws a stick figure with an exaggerated amount of hair. “Is you.” 

“Ha.” Steve rolls his eyes. “Very accurate.”

“And this-” he draws another stick figure in a triangle shaped dress, with significantly less hair than the Steve drawing. “This is Nancy.” Eddie draws an arrow connecting Nancy to the numbers that he scribbled earlier. “Now here’s the part I can’t solve. Detention ends at 6,” he circles the number 6 aggressively. “And sophomores have curfews at what- 10? 11?”

Steve shrugs. 

“Love the enthusiasm,” Eddie wags the piece of chalk at Steve. “Now I’m no mathematician, but I do know that would still leave at least 3 hours for… necking, or whatever it is you do on your infamous dates.”

“For the love of God, please don’t call it necking, Munson.”

Eddie starts walking over to Steve. He places his hands on the desk and is hovering over Steve, breathing in his personal atmosphere like it’s an easyboundary to cross. “My point is: it’s not adding up, Harrington. Why would you cancel the whole evening with half of the night still available for the taking?”

Steve leans back in his chair, trying to regain some of his own personal air again. “She said she’s busy most nights.”

“Okay,” Eddie lingers. He sits on the edge of the desk. “Doing what?”

Steve accepts defeat on this guy invading his space and just shrugs again.

Eddie: Did you ask?

Steve: Why should I?

Eddie: Because that’s literally how communication works.

Steve: I guess I just figured she would’ve told me if she wanted to.

Eddie: Would you just share unsolicited information with older men?

Steve: What’s your point, Munson?

Eddie: That smart girls like Nancy Wheeler don’t just share their exact coordinates for the next 8 hours. Not even when life drops a pretty boy at their feet.

Steve: Wait, pretty b-

Eddie: -unless he had asked her very nicely. In a very non-Ted Bundy way.

Steve: First I’m ‘pretty’ and now I’m Ted Bundy. Awesome.

Eddie: Ted Bundy was pretty. That was like, his whole thing.

Steve: I cannot believe we have spiraled into arguing over whether Ted Bundy is attractive. 

Eddie: Not an argument - he’s objectively hot.

Steve: Oh, dear GOD, please let this conversation be over.

The conversation is very much not over, unfortunately. Eddie continues, “Okay, new approach - tell me something you like about Nancy.”

“Her eyes, I guess.” Steve generically states.

“What about her personality?”

“What about it?”

“What do you like about her personality, Harrington?” Eddie’s words come out pointed. Sharp edges, targeting him directly.

Steve attempts to give his answer a bit more thought this time. Maybe that will shut Eddie up. “Um. She gets answers right in class a lot.”

It does not shut him up. In fact, he’s full-on rambling now.

“No. That’s not- like…” Eddie huffs, blowing the warm air in Steve’s face. “What’s her favorite band? Her favorite cereal? Favorite flower? Subject in school? What was her favorite gift she ever got for Christmas? Does she even celebrate Christmas? Has she ever broken a bone? Does she have any siblings? Are they close? Is she-“

“I don’t know, dude!” It comes out louder than Steve had intended. “I don’t know, okay? Aren’t those things that you’d learn from going on a date? And why do you even care? We’re not even friends.”

And Steve could hear it. Sure, it was him speaking but it came out sounding just like Tommy. Like Steve’s voice box had temporarily been taken over by his friend’s in order to weaponize his words against Eddie. It makes him sink down in his seat and avoid eye contact with anything - anyone - except the floor.

[5:29pm]

Eddie twirls off the desk and says nothing for a while. He starts erasing his chalkboard scribbles and rearranging the chalk supply back to where it was prior to him taking over the classroom. Steve looks up at him a few times, but mainly keeps his gaze down.

“You’re right.” Eddie admits. Steve feels miles away from Being Right.

“Guess I just thought you found something you liked about her. Maybe common ground. You don’t travel in the same circles, so I was just kinda curious…” Eddie trails off. He is answering Steve’s question, but the volume of his voice makes him think that he is primarily talking to himself. 

Steve doesn’t answer because he doesn’t really know how to. He just thought Nancy looked nice. He knows she is smart and is friends with members of the Honors Society, but that is pretty much the extent. And Steve definitely doesn’t have any friends that are in academic-based clubs. It doesn’t matter that they don’t have any common interests at a base level, but Steve hadn’t even cared if they found other connections later on. He automatically assumed that if the physical connection wasn’t there, that he wouldn’t ask her on another date. That was the routine he had always followed up until this point.

Why did he care if that sounded superficial now? Why did Eddie’s stupid math equation featuring goofy drawings make him question his entire dating history? They aren’t even friends, so why does his perspective matter so much? Why why why wh-

“Alright boys,” Ms. Arnold’s voice frees Steve from the questioning voices in his head. “You’re free to go. Don’t forget tomorrow you’ll meet for detention in the AV center, not here.” 

[6:00pm]

Eddie is already slipping past her and down the hall. Steve gathers his things and thanks her sheepishly before heading out as well. 

When he gets to the parking lot, Eddie is already in his van blaring some distorted version of a guitar solo. The music makes Steve’s ears wish they had a different occupation besides Listening. It forces him to unlock his car door and get in as quickly as possible to block out the sounds. 

Nine more days, he thinks.

And without a better explanation besides ‘Eddie Munson is making me question my lack of morals,’ Steve finds himself driving to Nancy Wheeler’s house.

[clonerightsagenda]

me finishing Station 11: losing fluids at an alarming rate bc I was sobbing my eyes out me finishing Lockwood & Co: losing fluids at an alarming rate bc I caught my annual start of school year cold and am now sucking down Liquid IV with a deadpan expression while watching Lucy and Lockwood work-break up. again

Anyway episode 10

Tbh I feel like I am watching an AU angst fanfic where the writer fudged the characterization to do more pre-relationship arguments.

Is Joplin wearing one of the silver capes? Or just a silver net seal over her shoulders gesturing at the same idea?

George does all the fucking inventory and restocking??? Give this man a raise he's also cooking for all of them

Yknow considering ghosts can manifest right after a murder (see: that guy from the furnaces in the fourth book) bold of these adults to try to kill a bunch of kids after dark. Even if they win, for round 2 they wouldn't be able to see them coming.

"He always mentions adults. He didn't know it's young people who could see beyond the veil." Ok so if the skull isn't the child servant who helped him deal with ghosts, who on earth is he? I suppose if they aged everyone up 3 or so years he'd be like 20

me googling 'scrubber British slang': ah I learned a new slur. Tbh the way things were going with their Female Character TM shit I figured we would not get out of this without someone calling her a slut

Lockwood siccing a bunch of freshly released ghosts on people: I call this the Lucy Carlyle fastball special

I was wondering if they were going to imply Gale was the one who arranged his parents' accident, since he's Marissa's hired killer. Also after all the dramatic sword fights I admit I did snicker when he just pulled out a fucking gun. Why did no one do that sooner

After the whole thing about George being the overlooked third wheel they took away the bit where he cons everyone by faking his death because no one bothered to notice he'd lost his glasses lenses? Bro I'm so sorry you got upstaged by a fucking… laser beam for some reason

"Something's wrong, they're trapped" foreshadowing again although in the books he already knew that. Dude did you not phone home once in the last 50 years

Joplin exploded. I guess. Why not at this point

The second half of this show has gone wildly off the rails and I'm honestly not sure why they made any of these choices. Like they're not objectively bad or anything but what was wrong with the original sequence of events.

They left out the skull calling for his master and getting snubbed which I feel like was pretty significant but they left almost all his other stuff out too so. Rip again skull in a jar, they cut all your best lines, none of which sounded like anything a kid from the 1860s would say. He would've loved the Mercymorn speech

Oh thank god they at least kept Kipps' gifted kid burnout speech.

Dropping villain!Penelope way earlier I see

Listen if they're making everything darker and edgier I hope he really DOES have his sister's ghost locked in there

[mikasuxxx]

MW2 Random Headcanons part 2

this one includes graves and price

Graves

this man is definitely floridian

like he was a beach boy, like he has old pictures from when he was a teen with a tan

He's southern, and so is his family

They're the epitome of white people, but they're actually pretty nice people

like if you're Graves' girl spending the holidays at his family's place they'll beg you to eat with them and say its no trouble

Truly the southern hospital is strong with his family

He used to go miami and pick up girls from the club, and just have one night stands with them.

He has an older brother who's a professional poker player/gambler

and you can tell because of the big gold chain and the tommy bahama shirts and loafers he always wears (even when its cold he'll still wear them)

He also lives in vegas

He tries to flirt with you but Phillip shuts that down real quick

Phillip used to play baseball in high school, and his girlfriend at the time loved watching him play (but really she just liked how his ass looked in his uniform pants)

His brother played football for a bit

Surprisingly, Phillip was at the top of his class in high school. And he got a car for his graduation gift. a red 1967 chevy impala

that car was his pride and joy

You cant tell me that he wasnt a frat boy in college

Constantly picks up sorority girls in his car, and invites them to his dorm to fuck

Even girls who weren't sororities; atheltes, shy girls, even his professors (but that was when he was like a junior and senior, and he did it because his grades sucked and he was desperate)

What makes him different from other frat boys, is that he takes no for an answer. like hes flirting with you and and you say no he'll back off, no questions asked

He still has friends from college

Okay now to the sad shit: he constantly gets compared to his older brother. mostly by his dad (his mom is a sweetheart and loves both of her sons equally)

His older brother wasnt good at school, was an alcoholic, dropped out of college, the only thing that makes him better in their father's eyes is that he played football, and he's found a way to become rich

Phillip was good at school and sports, won prom king, went to college, had a degree and a decent job and yet that still wasnt enough to please his dad

His dad is...an old fashioned dude. like if phillip has a daughter and he sees him playing with her, he'll call him a pussy

Or even if he has a son and he even so much as hugs him, his dad will also bicker and bitch about him "acting like a mom"

Phillip still goes to family events but avoids talking to his dad as much as possible, or if he's forced too he'll just try to end the conversation

His uncles are alright, somehow. Like they're funny, but not in a misogynistic way. they're still kinda ignorant in their own way tho

His mom is a very good cook. like she actually uses seasoning and stuff (and of course his dad bitches and whines about it)

She wanted a third kid because she was hoping for a daughter, but the dad said he didnt wanna push their luck because he didnt want a girl, so they just stopped at 2 kids

Price

Jokingly calls Gaz his son. gaz is happy about it honestly

He loves kids. like when he had kids he was literally the happiest man alive

Yes, this man is a certified dilf

He has twin girls, both of which he loves to death and will die for them

He's always been able to tell whos who. Hes learned every detail about each one of them

Sometimes they try to gaslight him by switching identities but hes way too smart for that

Twin 1(pretending to be twin 2): "hey dad, can i have some candy?"

"You're [Twin 1], youve already had a ton of candy today"

Twin 1: "..no im [Twin 2] and i havent eaten any candy today"

"You're not fooling me [Twin 1]"

Twin 1: "damn..."

Has a small silver heart locket with their picture in it. he wears it all the time under his uniform

After missions he'll bring them gifts when he comes back from wherever said mission took place

One of them is really jealous and fussy, the other is chill and cuddly

like when they were babies/toddlers she'll screech if she sees Price giving her sister even an inkling of attention

when they were babies, sometimes price would be found on the ground in the living room sleeping with his daughters sleeping in his arms

as babies they would always tug at his mustache

would both freak out if he even so much as trimmed it

[disregardcanon]

yellowjackets disney's descendants au

okay so a quick run down of basic roles. these will not directly correspond to everything but it's a basic framework

how the roles line up

VKs

natalie as mal

jackie as evie

shauna as carlos

van as jay

crystal as dizzy tremaine

AKs

lottie as ben

tai as audrey

jeff as chad charming

misty as jane

laura lee as rapunzel and eugene's daughter <3

akilah as tai's best friend in auradon tiana and naveen's daughter. if she has a corresponding role it's probably lonnie?

mari is a madrigal who hates singing. absolutely ABHORS IT

coach martinez as the tourney coach who is also the coach from airbud because i think that's HILARIOUS.

airbud as dude the dog

travis and javi don't really have corresponding canon roles but they're here and i love them

okay so. here is The Vision

lottie has recently been given the crown of auradon. this is due to absentee parenting from king malcolm and his wife, who are off doing vacations because they had so much fairy tale bullshit over the course of their lives. queen charlotte the first decides that it's unfair for the children of the isle of the lost to suffer for the actions of their parents and does some research about who would be the best to invite to move to auradon to test out a relocation program.

tai is the daughter of sleeping beauty who has issues with supernatural sleepwalking, presumably a strange holdover from her mother's curse. she's not entirely sold on lottie's idea, but she tries to give it a chance, at least. if there's anyone who feels stifled by every bit of auradon's pomp and circumstance and Why Don't You Find a Nice Prince or Nobleman to Settle Down With? it's tai.

lottie, tai, akilah, laura lee, and mari are The Tourney Girls. there are some other extras out there but they are the main ones. airbud is the next most important player. he doesn't talk he's just there barking and being Amazing At The Game. travis is there but he hates it. like, absolutely HATES IT. he is so bad at tourney but there aren't enough good players for his dad not to have an excuse to make him play. tai akilah and mari really resent him for Being There, Sucking, laura lee is kind because she feels like she has to be, but lottie actually really likes him. she doesn't talk shit so travis talks nothing but shit. For Her

javi is always around just chilling in the stands and drawing. he goes to the attached auradon middle school.

misty wants to be the equipment manager and do lots of Cool Things TM for Cool People TM but her mom wants her to do certain fairy things. and she HATES IT.

okay so our VKs

natalie- okay so natalie is mal but she has a different backstory. maleficent did not want to deal with raising a kid, but since abortion does not exist in descendants, she dropped the kid off with her dad and peaced out. the dad was clayton from tarzan and natalie never knows who her biological mom is because her canon mom is around and married to clayton. things go basically the same as yellowjackets canon where a year before the events of descendants clayton is beating her step mom and nat gets the gun and he accidentally puts a bullet through his own head. her "step mom" that she never knew wasn't her bio mom throws her out on the streets with nothing but the name of her bio mom and nat, angry and hurting, goes directly to maleficent's lair. maleficent, who never wanted to have a child, is more than happy to have an angry, powerful teenager who presumably killed her shitty ex.

jackie is evie and mrs. taylor is the evil queen. she grows up with all of evie's Must Be Perfect Wonderful Wife conditioning, the knack for poisoning and subtle manipulation, and the love of fashion, but she has source of solace in-

shauna, from a narrative standpoint, is carlos. she's not cruella's daughter, though. shauna is the daughter of one of cruella's goons (take your pick). on the isle there is a very strong expectation that henchkids become henchmen, and this, of course, does NOT work for shauna shipman and her sixteen different complexes. her dad tries to conscript her into following around and doing cruella's kid's bidding at a young age, and it... does not work for her. she has a violent little outburst and then runs away, living on the street and killing animals to eat for a while. she finds jackie instead. perfect, wonderful, Almost Fit for Auradon princess jackie. they clump together and shauna moves into their castle, under the pretense that she's become jackie's handmaiden. (a princess needs a handmaiden, darling). this chafes too, but with jackie's insistence that it's not true, not their real relationship, not anything tangible, it's a lot easier to ignore. they go to school together everyday at the weird little isle school, and shauna is the top of their class. it's hard for that to feel like it matters, though, when the biggest currency in the outside world is fear and the biggest currency inside is Being Jackie. the resentment still happens and chafes, but it's just simmering. it won't boil over until auradon.

van, from a narrative standpoint, is jay, but she's the daughter of madam medusa from rescuers rather than jafar because. van is so white it could blind you. madam medusa has a junk shop just like she did in the world before the isle, and van spends a lot of her time super athletically stealing for it with a lot of parkour. her mother spends all the time she isn't running the shop collapsed on the couch, just like in van's canon. she doesn't really have anyone her own age until natalie, daughter of maleficent, starts upending the power structures on the island and she decides she wants in. they become fast friends, but it's always "second" and "commander", because van never met a power dynamic that she didn't jump on. they also try their hardest to make things as good as possible for the isle kids in their area, but they refuse to admit that. come on, and look weak? dumb

jackie and shauna end up with nat and van pretty soon after they become a They. natalie wrests control of the taylor castle from jackie's mother and the evil queen refuses to surrender, leading to a bitter siege. jackie and shauna finally come out to try to broker a surrender, but natalie steps on jackie's toes and then jackie turns from Perfect Princess to Top Tier Bitch. and then she's like oh shit oh shit oh sHIT i pissed off maleficent's daughter this is going to be-

and shauna's back here getting her hunting knife out like sure, maleficent's daughter might have magic but if she DIES first then she can't use it- and nat just laughs. boisterous, delighted laughter.

"i think this castle's already got a queen." then she glances over to shauna's no longer concealed knife. "maybe two?" they both blush.

natalie, feared daughter of maleficent, setting the isle into a chaos it hasn't known in more than a decade, holds out a hand.

"Truce?" she asks. then suddenly natandvan becomes natandvanandjackieandshauna and they have half the isle under their collective thumb.

but then the invitation comes from queen charlotte for four children to move to auradon, and suddenly maleficent, who is still the most powerful person on the isle, has a single, itsy bitsy favor to demand from the daughter she so kindly took in after her father's death. who she taught to wield the magic she barely knew existed, who she loved and cherished and fed and clothed-

and a plot to steal the blue fairy's wand and dismantle the barrier is born.

how things go in auradon

natalie is torn between what she feels she owes to her mother and the other denizens of the isle, her friends (who are the most important in this equation), and then her emerging feelings for lottie. lottie who is so kind and who trusts her and is trying so hard for her and her friends, who she's so attracted to but is just using (right, that's all this is? right????) who is trying to make her own shitty society better too.

jackie is finally in the land of the royals and is trying to put all that life training to good use, but it's not... really working. we have something resembling the chad plot with jeff and something resembling the doug plot with laura lee, who thinks that jackie is very kind and deserves to be treated better (though their relationship isn't romantic). shauna is standing at the sidelines and crossing her arms and pouting. fine! if jackie wants to get her heart broken by this dumb auradon boy be my guest! i'll just. go do something else. fuck you

shauna and van both join the tourney team, because it's part of their collective How to Infiltrate Auradon Society and Get Lottie's Good Graces plan. also because shauna is very angry right now and needs a physical outlet and van has been cooped up for too long and is gonna go crazy. they're both good enough to make it and travis is like FUCK YEAH I'M FREEEEEEEE

his dad is very upset about this but shauna and van are way better than him already and it's hard to justify making his son do something the kid doesn't want to when there are better options and the nepotism isn't even wanted.

shauna and javi become friends and she encourages his interest in art like. huh. wouldn't it have been nice to have one singular adult who was nice to me? and then does not examine it beyond that. shauna also befriends tai, who tries to show her all of the things auradon has to offer because shauna is the most obviously Intelligent TM of the isle kids.

van flirts with tai a lot, but neither of them make a lot of progress with that because tai is pretty closeted and van is. not trying as desperately as shauna to try to be acceptable TM here.

by the end of the movie, they all decide that they don't want to use the wand to burst the barrier and talk with lottie about ways to help the other kids integrate over here in auradon instead. lottienat happens first, taivan happens second after van starts to commit to being in auradon and tai starts to commit to Going Against Dumb Auradon Rules like Homophobia (I'M A PRINCESS DAMN IT) and learn more about what's up with her sleepwalking with van and also nat. it takes a really long time for jackie and shauna to work things out because jackie keeps trying to force things with prince jeff and shauna finds better uses of her time and energy than worrying about it, but eventually they come together too. and crystal comes too! and she and misty become besties. and misty does not do any insane things, thnx