#so heres a jeff i made with new brushes

[lesservillain]

best friend!eddie x reader

cw: SMUT, unprotected piv, pregnancy scare, one sided feelings, sort of sad at the end? an: the prequel to baby daddy!eddie but could be read as a stand alone if you wanted wc: 3.4k

A few years ago…

Music played on the stereo in Gareth’s garage, filling the house through the cracked door that connected to the house. The host himself was passed out on his living room couch, the rest of the boys laughing at him for falling asleep. The only ones left at the party were Jeff, Grant, Eddie and you, the few other guests who came to celebrate their graduations left not long ago.

You rolled your eyes as they placed Gareth’s hand in a bowl of water, a prank that one of them heard would make someone piss themselves in their sleep. Instead of taking part in their stupid prank, you chose to help out with cleaning up. Empty beer cans and other snack bags started filling up the trashcan as you made your way around the kitchen.

“What are you in here doing, sweetheart?”

You turn to see Eddie leaning against the door frame of the kitchen, watching you as you pick up more trash.

“Trying to be helpful,” you say, shoving as much trash into the can as you possibly can. Eddie laughs, pushing off from the frame to walk over to you. He grabs the bag from the can and proceeds to tie it. You smile up at him. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” he says after a moment of looking at you. You get an overwhelming feeling of domesticity as you watch Eddie take the bag out the back door. You watch him through the window as he places the bag in the can. Lighting up a cigarette, he waves at you from the cans, and you feel your cheeks grow hot from being caught staring. 

Eddie was your best friend. Has been since he moved to Hawkins back in 4th grade. The two of you met after you spent the summer in the trailer park where his uncle and your grandma both live in. You rolled with most of the kids there, but Eddie was like a new toy to you. 

He was hard to get out of his shell at first, mostly due to traumas you weren’t aware of at the time. In retrospect, you really pushed him hard, ever persistent in your daily trips to Wayne’s trailer to get him to come out. But when he finally did agree to play with you, the two of you became immediately inseparable. 

Everyone always joked about the two of you spending so much time together, laughing at the grossed out reactions the two of you would have at the mention of the two of you getting married one day. If your grandma was still alive, she would probably be distraught knowing that you had a massive crush on anyone other than Eddie.

After replacing the trash bag, you decide to join Eddie outside. The cool air feels amazing on your skin. The boys don’t have a lot of friends outside of each other, but when all of them start drinking and playing games they seem to generate a lot of heat in such a small space.

“Want one?” Eddie asks as you approach, smoke billowing from between his lips. You nod and he pulls out his pack. 

“Did you have fun?” You ask as he lights the cigarette for you, your hands brushing as he hands it over. The feeling of your skin touching felt like electricity through your hand.

“Uh, yeah,” he says, taking a drag. “I mean, I think it could have been just the two of us and I would have been happy. I’m just glad to finally not have to go back to that hell hole.”

“I’m happy for you, too,” you smile, taking a step closer to him. “Eddie, you honestly have no idea how proud I am of you. Like, I want to shout from the roof tops that Eddie fucking Munson graduated!”

Eddie giggles at your praise, swaying a bit where he stands from the amount of alcohol he’s consumed tonight. He stretches an arm out and you oblige, accepting his tight embrace. He smells like alcohol, weed, sweat, and notes of cheap cologne that he sprayed on earlier in the evening. It was a bit intoxicating in your current state. 

Drinking either made you super friendy or super horny, and tonight you were heading towards the latter. 

You would never admit it, but you’d been watching Eddie all night. There was an air about him tonight. Call it confidence or call it something else, but it was something you’d never seen in him before. It’s like he’s gotten a new found sense of life knowing that he was finally free to do whatever he wants in life. There was nothing left to tie him down and he knew it.

And, maybe unfortunately, it was doing something for you. You’d never really thought about Eddie like that before, your long time crush on Steve clouding your mind when it came to paying attention to anyone else. But something has…changed.

And after a shot or two that you took with a few of his friends from theater class (those kids are wild), everything he did just seemed to be doing something for you. You almost fell over when he lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his stomach that you’ve seen a thousand times on on display looking extra lean and just…

“Hey, are you okay?”

You instantly went from feeling good to being super aware of the way Eddie’s body was touching you. With the way he was holding you, his hand rested just above your chest, almost resting on your breast. The veins in is hand seemed more prominent, the rings on his fingers suiting his hands well.

“Y-yeah,” you stutter, letting go of the breath you didn’t know you were holding. When he doesn’t say anything, you slowly turn to look at him. Which was a mistake, because the way he was staring at you took your breath away again. His big brown eyes stared into yours, lidded in a way that made you want to squirm.

“Eddie? Are you good?”

He doesn’t respond, only blinks. His gaze shifts, flickering back and forth between your lips and your eyes and you feel your stomach flip. 

This isn’t how best friends look at each other. Friends don't caress your cheek like he does. They don’t pull you in, making your fronts flush with each other. They don’t start to block out the light from the moon as they lean in. Their lips don’t meet yours, and you aren’t supposed to accept it, kissing them back.

But, before you know it, your kiss turns into kisses. Feverish and hungry, tongues dancing in sync like lovers do. You’re not lovers, but you feel that line blurring as your body is being pulled away. 

The two of you don’t disconnect until you suddenly stop. Eddie is the first to break off the kiss, reaching behind him to open the doors of his van where he pulls you in. You don’t protest, gladly jumping in and pushing him down so that he lays under you. You can tell by the look on his face he wasn’t expecting it. His eyes watch you as you pull the van doors closed.

Once they click together, everything happens quickly. Rushed touches and clothes flying in every direction, the two of you melt into each other.

Your perched in his lap, breasts are pressed into him with arms wrapped around his neck as you almost eat him alive. His hands rub down the expanse of your back until they land on your ass, palming you underneath your panties as you grind down against him.

Eddie is painfully hard under you. For the brief moment that you looked down at him, you were shocked at the size of the tent in his boxers. It was the one thing about him that you didn’t know anything about after all these years. It sent waves to your core that only made you feel things for him you’d never felt before.

In an attempt to speed things up, you let your hand trail down his chest, his stomach, and down past the hem of his boxers. Your brows shot up when you gripped him, his true size in your hand taking you by surprise.

“Mmmm, shit,” he moans under you, and your breath hitches. You watch him carefully as his face contorts in a way that you’ve never seen; a new side of Eddie that you feel privileged to witness.

And then his his hand is on your head, guiding your mouth up and down on his huge cock. Tears threaten to fall down your cheeks with how far down your throat he tries to get you. But you do your best to take it like a champ. Especially with how he praises you.

“Fuck, you’re amazing.” The words fall from his lips like flowing water. He lost the barrier to keep his thoughts to himself as soon as you took your bra off. “Please don’t stop.”

How could you possibly deny him? You can’t. You blow him better than you ever have before, until his thighs are clenching around your head. You were fully expecting him to blow his load in your mouth at this point and you would have let him. But he pops you off of him and holds you in his hands until he can catch his breath.

“Eddie, whats wrong?” You ask confused.

“I’m sorry,” he says with heavy breaths, “Didn’t want to waste this chance by cumming too quick.”

Your heart leaped in your chest at his words, insinuating that he wanted more than just a quick bj in the back of his van. You’d never thought you’d be doing this with him, but in your current state Eddie could tell you to kill someone you would without question.

“Okay,” you say with a nod, shifting your body until you were sitting in front of him. There was an awkward pause as the two of you stared at each other. You waited for him to make the next move but it seemed like it was never going to come. You’re sure Eddie is just as wrapped up in the moment as you, so you decide to go ahead and make the next move.

You crawl towards him until you’re sitting just above his lap. His eyes never leave your face, round and in awe of you as you move closer to him. You place a hand on either shoulder and you can feel how tense he is.

“Eddie, are you sure you want to do this?”

He’s frozen for a moment. Until his head begins to nod so quickly he could have given himself brain damage from the speed.

“Yes, yeah, I am. As long as you are…”

“I do, too,” you assure him. You look around the messy interior of his van for a moment before looking back at him. “Do you, um, have a…”

Eddie’s eyes look like they’re about to bulge out of his head as his face shifts into that of a state of panic. He starts to babble, words incoherent until he’s able to form a sentence.

“I-I-I don’t, um, I don’t have any…condoms.” The last word comes out in a hushed tone, almost ashamed as he admits it.

“Well, shit,” you say, finger coming to tap against your lip as you think. You’d never done it without a condom before, and even if you trusted Eddie, the last thing you two needed was an accident to happen.

“I’m sorry, I just--I’ve never done this, so--”

“Wait, what?” You say, stopping him in his tracks. He looks up at you like he said something wrong and it kills you. “Eddie,” you try and keep your tone as neutral as possible, “Are you…still a virgin?”

Eddie swallows, eyes now looking anywhere but you. Eddie’s never brought up anything about his sex life before to you, but you’d not really been all that open with him for that very reason. But you’d always assumed it was just a mutual respect thing, not that he didn’t have anything to share to begin with.

“It’s okay if you are,” you add, “It doesn’t bother me.”

Eddie looks at you again, though now with cheeks pinker than ever. He sighs, nodding once again, but with less vigor than before.

“Yeah, I’m a…virgin.”

Something inside you flips when you hear him admit it out loud. A giddy feeling inside takes over your thoughts as you come to a realization.

“Do you want me to help you change that?”

You barely recognized your own words, and the look that Eddie gave you told you that it came out just as suggestive as you intended. 

“Are you sure?” He stutters out, “I don’t want you to do it because you feel like you have to--”

“Shhh,” you shush him, placing a finger on his lips. “I’m doing this because I want to,” you say, lowering yourself so that the tip of his cock sits right at your entrance. You feel it jump in your hand at the contact. “You just have to say the word.”

Eddie’s eyes are locked where the two of you touch, his breath hitching as your juices coat his thick head. 

“Please,” he says, still looking between you. “I want to.”

You smile, a heat taking over your body as you realize what you’re about to do. But, you try not to let the idea of taking your best friends virginity take you out of the moment. You had to be in charge here and you didn’t want to let Eddie down.

Without a second thought, you start to lower yourself down on him. He’s bigger than you’ve been with before, so you take your time to work him in since you didn’t get any prep before hand.

“Wait,” he says suddenly, stopping you just as you get the tip all the way in. 

“What, what’s wrong?” You ask, starting to pull off of him. But his hands land on your hips to keep you in place.

“I want to do this. Like, you have no idea how much I want this right now. But, what about the no condom thing?”

You blink, thinking quickly over your options. The two of you are too intoxicated to go and get a condom right now. Plus, he’s already technically inside of you, so what good would one do that pulling out wouldn’t, right?

“Just…when you’re about to cum, just tell me and I’ll get off. Okay?”

“Are you sure?”

“Do you want me to change my mind?”

Eddie mimics zipping his lips, and you roll your eyes at his playfulness.

“Can I continue now?” He nods again, giving you a thumbs up.

You try to get yourself back into the moment by slowly moving up and down, focusing on the feeling of Eddie’s cock inching deeper and deeper inside of you with each movement. Eddie’s head rolls back and you feel his hips bucking subconsciously beneath you. 

You decide not to torment him anymore and fully seat yourself in his lap. He bucks forward, face colliding with your chest as he’s taken aback by the feeling. 

“You okay?” You say with a giggle, though you’re barely holding back a moan yourself at feeling his cock fully stretching you. 

“Mhmm,” he whimpers into your skin, the grip he has on your hips almost bruising. 

“Do you want me to give you a minute?”

He shakes his head. “No, please move.”

And so you do. You take your time at first, really to give yourself ample opportunity to prepare to take him at a faster pace. But with the sounds he’s making, you feel yourself getting wet enough that you can bounce yourself on his cock with more ease. He keeps his face burried in your chest as you move up and down on his cock.

Eddie’s hands loosen on your hips and move themselves up your sides until they land on your breasts. He holds them around his face, fondling and groping as they rub against his face. He takes one of your nipples in his mouth, licking and teething at it softly, sending little shocks of pleasure through you.

All of the feelings were honestly a lot for you to take in. And the more you looked down at him the quicker your own orgasm was approaching. You let yourself forget about his pleasure for a moment as you chased your own high, fully seating yourself to let the thick patch of hair at his base rub deliciously against your clit. You rolled your hips against him and he whined into your chest.

Suddenly, your vision goes white as you feel yourself cumming on his cock. Your body starts to shake, and you’re pussy spasms around him, coating him in your cum.

“Is that you cumming? Holy fuck, I--”

There wasn’t much time to react as your pussy was suddenly being filled. Eddie’s body tenses under you as you’re only just now coming down from your own high. But when you finally realize what was happening, you jump up as fast as you can, head hitting the top of his van.

“Fuck! Damn it, Eddie!”

He snaps out of his post orgasm bliss and jumps up after you, also hitting his head on the ceiling in the process. 

“Shit! Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Eddie’s never been more panicked in his life than right now. Not even when he almost got caught by Hopper selling out in the woods. “I can fix this! I-I-I-”

“Eddie, how the hell are you going to fix this? Fuck me, this is my fault. I should have just said no when you said you didn’t have a condom.”

“No, please don’t be mad,” he says, grabbing your arms and giving you the most pathetic, sad look you’ve ever seen. 

“Do you have any money?” You ask him after a moment.

“I probably have like $3 to my name right now. Why?”

“Shit, I just paid my car payment so I only have like $10. I was going to say we could run to the pharmacy and get a Plan B.”

“What’s that?” 

“It’s like a pill that’s supposed to keep you from getting pregnant. But they’re, like, $20 or something crazy like that.”

“I’ll go to Rick. I can probably get some supply from him and sell it in a couple days.”

“I think it only works like the next day. It’s called the morning after pill for a reason I think.”

“Shit, shit, shit.” 

“What about Wayne?”

“I can’t go to Wayne.”

“Why not?”

“Why don’t you ask your mom?”

You sigh. He had a point. There was no way you could ask your mom without her asking why. And money was already tight so there wasn’t a good excuse to make up for you needing $20 out of the blue. 

“You know what, it’s fine.” You say, convincing yourself that it was. “My period should be coming soon, so I think we’re okay.”

“How soon is soon?” Eddie asks, clearly not convinced.

“Like, in a week and a half? Usually around the beginning of the month.”

Eddie breaths in, then out, head slumping. He drops to his knees before you and you can see his body start to shake.

“Eddie?” You drop down to his level and get a look at his face. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and it sent an arrow through your heart to see him so upset.

“I’m so sorry.” His words come out watery, his head starting to shake. “I didn’t want this to be how it happened.”

His words hit you like a truck. Of course he didn’t want his first time to be like this. He probably wanted it to be with someone he loved, not with his friend, and definitely not with the possibility of getting you pregnant. 

Guilt washed over you. You should have been the better person and not given in to your sick desire to share something like this with him. 

But it’s too late.

You can only hope that this doesn’t ruin your friendship forever.

than you for reading!

[mssorceressupreme]

Summary: with you being a med-jack and Minho being a runner, there was hardly any time for the two of you to spend together. Ultimately, you decide to entertain your boyfriend and tease him because he’s not giving you attention.

Warnings: spicy content, not proofread so there might be mistakes lol

——

Tease

“And…done! You should be good to go now Winston.” You chimed, after bandaging Winston’s fifth wound of the week. Being a slicer was no easy feat, the amount of slicers and builders that rushed to the med-jack hut on a daily basis shocked you. You knew there would be cuts here and there, but not to that extent.

“Maybe they’re just coming for you.” Jeff joked, observing as Winston strolled out, admiring his bandaged wound.

“Please, if Minho knew that, they’d all be fed to the grievers.”

Speaking of Minho, you wondered what he was up to. Life in the glade was a constant whirlwind of activity, especially with Minho being a runner and you being a med-jack.

Days turned into weeks with barely a moment to spare for each other, your interactions reduced to fleeting glances and hurried conversations. You missed him terribly, the ache of his absence growing stronger with each passing day.

Determined to surprise him and steal back some time together, you planned to visit him at the runners hut.

It was unconventional, especially since only runners were allowed in there, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Hey Jeff, is it alright if I call it a day? Got some things on my mind…”

“If by things you mean Minho then no.” He began, to which you frowned jokingly as a response, “Tsk tsk just go. Don’t get too comfortable, I’ll get Clint to grab you asap if there are any emergencies!” He warned, waving me off.

“You’re the best!” you beamed, grabbing your belongings before leaving the hut. By belongings, you meant your jacket and drink bottle.

——

You slipped into something skimpy, a red lace bra and underwear. Covering your undergarments with your zip up jacket and a pair of black shorts. Honestly, you didn’t even know why these came up in the box once day but you mentally thanked the creators for sending this set up.

Taking a deep breath, you made your way to the hut. It was late in the afternoon, Minho and the other runners would’ve been back by now.

Your heart pounded in your chest as you placed your hand on the door, hesitant to push it open. Muffled voices could be heard from the other side of the door, it was no surprise that the runners were engrossed in discussing their latest findings in the maze.

It wouldn’t hurt to be selfish for once and have Minho to yourself would it? Just this once, you sucked your breath in and pushed the door open.

Minho was at the centre, his focus on the model of the maze was intense, but the moment you entered, the atmosphere shifted.

His attention immediately shifted to you, while the others were still engrossed in their discussion.

You smirked, lowering the zip of your jacket slightly, allowing for a glimpse of your lace bra to be exposed. Before zipping it up again, so the other runners wouldn’t see anything explicit.

Minho cleared his throat, his eyes widening slightly as he took in my appearance. The other runners paused and darted their focus towards Minho, then to you.

“Oh hey Y/N!” Ben greeted, “sorry we didn’t see you there, we were a bit occupied.”

“Don’t let me stop you guys, pretend I’m not here.” you I nsist, walking towards Minho.

As you walked past him, your fingers brushed against his biceps, sending shivers down his spine. Oh it gave you great satisfaction to see the leader, the great keeper of the runners, melting at your touch.

“Jack, Leon—”, Minho began, “anything new from your section today?”

“Yeah actually, we found another opening…” Leon spoke, explaining this new opening they found but Minho, as strong, athletic and intelligent as he was, could not focus. He was getting flustered from your touch, well, to be fair, both of you were definitely touch deprived.

Your hands grazed his lower back, then started massaging his back muscles. To the others, it appeared as a normal affectionate gesture from one’s partner, but to Minho, he could not contain himself. This was much needed and he wanted to let loose by moaning out loud.

“Uh huh…I see…” he mumbled, nodding as Leon spoke.

You smirked to yourself as you knew he was crumbling, giving in to your contact.

You managed to find his weak spot as you further massaged into it, he jerked, humming slightly. “That’s good…” he hummed, you weren’t sure if he was referring to you or to Leon.

“We were thinking of exploring it further tomorrow and—” Jack was interrupted by Minho’s sudden shift in mood,

“Noted. Let’s explore that section tomorrow. You guys did a great job today, and uh, meeting adjourned!” Minho clapped his hands together.

None of the runners moved a muscle. “Don’t you want to talk about our progress? We haven’t discussed that yet? Or areas of improvement? You haven’t even—” Ben was the first to pick up on this unusual behaviour.

“We will carry that forward and discuss that in tomorrow’s meeting.”

Ben raised his brow, looking to the other runners for help. “But we haven’t—”

“You guys are free to go.” Minho was abrupt, you smirked to yourself knowing how needy he was for you right now.

The runners filed out, their expressions a mix of curiosity and astonishment. You could feel their eyes on you but you kept your gaze locked on Minho.

Once the door closed behind the last of them, the room fell into charged silence. Minho stayed in the same spot, gaze focused on the maze, but mind elsewhere.

“You needy runner.” You whispered into his ear, trailing my hand against his waist.

Grabbing him by the belt, you pulled him closer to you. His body was now shifted to you and merely an inch away from yours.

You eyed him up and down, it was now apparent why the meeting was adjourned early. “So hard for me and I barely touched you.” His bulge was starting to grow bigger and you could see it on his face that he desired you immensely.

Minho stepped closer to you, “What brings you here dressed like that, in the middle of an important meeting no less?”

“I missed you,” you admitted, taking another step forward, “We hardly see each other anymore, and I needed to remind you what you’re coming back to.”

He reached out his fingers, brushing against your cheeks then cupping them. He leaned in for a kiss but you put your finger against his lip, “You won’t get this so easily. No attention for days and now you expect to kiss me so easily?”

You honestly had no idea where this confidence or dominance was coming from, it was always him who took the lead.

But this was an interesting change, and you could see that he too, was intrigued by this shift.

“You need to take a seat.” You shoved him against a chair forcefully and he smirked.

“You’re so sexy when you take the lead Y/N.”

“Watch.” You commanded, as you slowly unzipped your hoodie, sensually. Not breaking eye contact with him while doing so.

You smiled, feeling a thrill of anticipation. Your movements slow and deliberate, savouring the way his eyes followed your every move. His gaze grew hungrier, more intense and you could feel the heat between you two building.

Piece by piece, your apparel fell to the floor, and with each discarded item, the distance between you two seemed to close.

His desire for you grew with each movement. It was no secret that he was now fully hard on. Minho’s breathing was ragged, his desire palpable. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” He murmured, his voice hoarse.

You stepped closer and sat on him, now straddling him on the chair. His budge against your heat made you even more needy for him.

“I missed you so much.” You say as you began grinding against him. He let out a moan, throwing his head back.

“Fuck, my girlfriend is breathtaking in this set.” He admired your beauty, every detail of you had him awestruck.

You leaned into him, plating soft kisses on his neck. He let out a shudder, breathing heavily as you sucked on his sweet spot.

“Y/N…” he moaned.

You continued to move your hips again, feeling your wetness grow, you let out a soft moan as the pleasure grew. The pent up neediness you had for Minho was finally getting released.

He lifted his knees up adding to the pressure beneath as you picked up the pace, making it more pleasurable for you. “M-Minho—” you could feel yourself getting close.

Your moans became desperate heavy pants, while he smirked, seeing you melt into him. He bucked his hips up, then it came crashing onto you, a wave of pleasure, released.

You let out a loud moan, as your walls throbbed, ecstasy clouded your thoughts. “Minho!” You cried, as you felt him release too. The wetness of your womanhood against his now, wet pants was satisfactory.

You brushed your lips against his. He responded instantly, his arms wrapping around you, pulling you close. The kiss was hungry, desperate, a reflection of all the time you’d been forced apart.

In that moment, the world outside the hut ceased to exist. It was just you two, lost in each other, reclaiming the time you’d lost.

When you finally pulled away, both of you were breathless, “I’ll make more time for us,” Minho promised, his voice filled with sincerity, “I can’t keep doing this, being away from you.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” I replied, smiling.

“I love you.” He smiled against me, gently stroking my hair.

“Now let’s take this to the bedroom where I can properly take care of my baby.” He demanded, taking off his harness.

[joelswritingmistress]

Camp Crystal Lake: Chapter 11

Requested by @yellowjacketsbuzzbuzz

Joel Miller x f!reader (romance/horror)

Setting: Camp Crystal Lake

The reader is taking on the position of a camp counselor at the infamous Camp Crystal Lake. While she begins to enjoy her summer, even crushing on the camp director Joel, a killer lurks in the woods unbeknownst to anyone.

I couldn't remain in the cabin with all the commotion going on outside. I already heard Joel addressing the situation as I got myself together and hurried out the door, reaching for a paint brush as a prop for good measure.

Ralph stood there in the same clothes I'd seen him in the other day, gripping the rusted handles of his bicycle as he glared at Joel.

“I told the others!” The old man said, “They didn't believe me. Don't you care about your people here?” Ralph’s glare doubled down, “You're doomed! You're all doomed!”

“You can't keep doing this,” Joel said to him. “I'm going to have to call the sheriff the next time-”

“There won't be a next time!” He motioned with a crooked, boney finger. “Not if you stay!”

“Alright.” Joel removed the cell phone from his pocket and began to dial, though Ralph quickly hopped on his bike and struggled to take off into the woods - again.

“What's with this guy?” I grumbled, looking at Joel first and then to Sandra who leaned an arm on Jeff’s shoulder.

“He's a real prophet of doom,” Jeff said, smirking as he shook his head.

“And the cops hauled us in.” Sandra rolled her eyes. “But not that creep.”

“I'll call up the local department and let them know he's been hanging around,” Joel assured all of us. He wiggled his iPhone and nodded, “Let's get back to work.”

My eyes met Joel's and we shared a subtle smile before returning to the cabin. When I went to dive back in, his lips met mine but he pulled back and rested his hands on my waist. A lazy grin lingered on his face.

“Why don't we agree to meet back here after dinner tonight?” Joel suggested, “We can have a little privacy. I should probably be keeping a closer eye on things, anyway.”

“That's fair.” I nodded closed my eyes when he pressed his lips against mine again. I giggled when he playfully kissed down my neck and then back to my lips.

“I'm giving people one last night on the town, so maybe we can have a few drinks, I'll come back and make my rounds and then we could agree to ten o'clock?”

“I'll be here at 9:45.”

Joel chuckled and pecked my lips again. “Alright. I'm going to chase down Ralph and call it in, then I'll be back to help you paint.”

When three o'clock rolled around I felt the muscles aching in my sunburned arms. “No wonder Mr. Myagi had the Karate Kid painting all the time,” I said when I met up with Sandra down by the lake. We both stripped off our t-shirts, sporting bathing suits beneath them. “That was an arm workout.”

Sandra tossed her shirt and did some arm circles, shrugging her shoulders each time she did. “You're telling me. I'm wiped out.” She hurried onto the dock ahead of me and began a tiptoed jog down the length of it before diving into the cool water.

I trailed my new friend, following her lead as I, too, didn't waste time jumping into the lake. Mine was more of a pencil dive.

“I'm joining you!” I heard Teri call out when I resurfaced. She ditched her shorts and tank top on the beach sand to reveal her tye-dye bikini and came sprinting down the dock. Her petite body managed a giant cannon ball, causing Sandra and I to laugh when water splashed over us.

“Perfect 10!” Sandra shouted.

The boys joined in soon after, leaving Vicki and Mark at the edge of the lake where she doused his broad shoulders with lake water. He didn't seem to mind as their flirtation continued.

My heart ached for Joel, even though I was having plenty of fun splashing around in the water with everyone. When he finally appeared through the trees, a heat rose in my chest.

“Coming in?” Scott asked when Joel made his way down the dock.

“Not right now.” Joel grinned and put his hands on his hips.

“Forget your Speedo?” Ted asked.

“I have my pink one on under these,” Joel teased back, toying with the fabric on his cargo shorts. I giggled along with the rest of them.

“No, I'm actually here to let you know that if you'd like one more night on the town, tonight's the night; at least until mid summer when we have a week break to prepare for the second session.”

“A night out, I'm in!” Sandra said right away.

Jeff slicked back his hair, “I'm in, too. What kind of nightlife does this town have?”

“A couple dive bars,” I told him with a laugh.

“There is that place on the water on the opposite side of the lake.”

“The Casino Bar?” I asked.

“You have a casino here?” Sandra asked.

“Not quite,” I said with a laugh, “That's just the name of it.”

“It's a semi dive,” Joel said with a laugh. “Good views though.”

“I'm in,” Sandra repeated.

Teri scrunched her nose, “As much as I might regret it, I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to stay back and get to bed early.”

Scott pretended to yawn, “I'm sorta tired myself.” He smiled at the still-uninterested Teri, “Think I'll stick around, too.”

“I'm going,” Ted raised his hand.

“You driving?” Joel joked.

“Ehhhh…” He made a face.

“Mark?” Vicki turned to him and smiled, “Do you want to go?”

He made a face. “Nothing spoils a party faster than a drunk in a wheelchair.”

“That's crap.” She shook her head, “I'll take care of you. We can go together.”

“I think I'd rather stay in.”

She wore a little grin, “Would you mind my company?”

Mark smiled back. “I wouldn't mind at all.”

“(Y/N)?” Joel looked right at me.

“Yeah, sounds like fun.”

“Okay, then it's settled.”

Ted cleared his throat, “I think our wanderers should drive us.” He motioned to Jeff and Sandra, “They caused the uproar over here with the cops, and-”

Jeff swam a few feet over and dunked him under the water. When Ted came back up for air he never opened his eyes but continued trying to make his point about Jeff driving. Jeff dunked him again.

I couldn't help but laugh. This group felt like they were my people. I had only been around them for a short time but we all seemed to click.

“What time, boss?” Jeff asked, finally letting go of Ted.

“You want to leave here around seven?”

“Early bird special,” Ted continued to tease him, “The old man gets tired around nine.”

“Seven is fine!” Sandra shouted over him.

“Don't make me change my mind,” Joel shot back with a lopsided grin, pointing at Ted.

“Teddy!” Sandra shouted and Jeff dunked him again.

I looked up at Joel and he gave a wink, mouthing the words, “Ten o'clock,” and holding up all ten fingers.

I smirked and nodded before he bid everyone a temporary farewell and headed back through the trees towards the main cabin.

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER

@gissellec1 @cattt777 @mellymbee @armybts20137 @bbiophiliaa @littleblackcatinwonderland @mermaidgirl30 @brittmb115 @yellowjacketsbuzzbuzz @beltzboys2015-blog blog @lwfics @pedropascal111 @mellymbee @itscatrodriguez-thepearl

[thisapplepielife]

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest.

Room 1015 - Gareth

Day #23 - Up and Coming | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: E | CW: Sex | POV: Gareth | Pairing: Gareth/Di (OC) | Tags: Famous Corroded Coffin, Touring, Winding Down After The Gig, New and Exciting Love

1 Night, 4 Rooms Each is standalone, but takes place on the same hotel floor.

Eddie | Goodie | Gareth | Jeff | Steve (Bonus morning after!)

Gareth hears it on both sides, and tries to block out the sound. The last thing he wants to be thinking about is any of his bandmates, his friends, having sex while he's hopefully getting ready to do the same thing himself.

They really need to start booking rooms on different floors. But that would just make more work for Steve, so that's probably not gonna happen. They're on the bus most of the time these days, anyway. Hotels are for special days off, like tonight, because Di was coming in to meet him.

Sounds like they all made good use having rooms tonight. A clean sweep, a home run, the full monty. All of them coming home from the bar with company.

That almost never happens. It's more rare than, well, fuck, just about anything. 

But, one-by-one, they left the bar. First Eddie, but that was with Steve, so that's hardly a surprise and should really be thrown out of all present and future statistics. It's skewing the data. A done deal.

A constant. 

But then Jeff picked up a girl, then another girl kept circling the table, and Gareth couldn't exactly tell if she was trying to catch his eye, or Goodie's.

And it was Goodie she wanted to fuck, apparently.

Gareth wasn't interested anyway, but still. Way to make him feel like the last loser left behind. Goodie eventually struck up a conversation with her at the bar, and then he was gone, too. 

And that left Gareth, all alone to pay the tab that the rest of them conveniently left for him. He didn't even drink tonight, not wanting to be sloshed when Di showed up, so having to pay the entire tab was really kind of fucked.

Now, he's on the bed in his own room, waiting. Somewhat patiently. This thing between them in still pretty new, and long distance, but hot and fucking heavy. Maybe he should check with the front desk again. Make sure she's not waiting. He left very specific instructions that she was to be given a key and let up. 

When the door finally swings open, Di's standing there in a floral sundress that she immediately strips over her head, leaving her in her bra and panties, as soon as her suitcase hits the floor. 

And he's lucky. 

Very, very lucky.

She crawls up on the bed, and straddles his thighs. Pressing right down against him. He runs his hands all over her back, just wanting to touch her.

"I missed you," he says.

Her flight was delayed, and she missed the show. They were both disappointed about that, but she's here now.

"I missed you, too," Di says, rocking on his clothed dick. "I'm sorry I missed the show. I tried. Believe it or not, you can't just talk your way onto a plane with a sob story."

Gareth laughs. If anyone could, it'd be her, though. 

He wishes she'd made it, but knows it was totally out of her control. If Steve couldn't make it happen, it was impossible. That much Gareth knows. There'll be other shows. A lifetime of them, maybe.

At least they'll have tomorrow, a day off, together. It's a travel day, so they'll have to get on the bus, but he's called dibs on the back bedroom. The only bit of privacy. 

She feels good on him, and he knows they could both get off like this, have, they are that fucking horny for each other. He met his match in her, somehow. And he wants more, but has other plans first. He anchors himself, rolling them, flipping her onto her back. Settling between her thighs. 

She laughs, touching his forehead, brushing his hair back. He yanks down her panties and breathes in the smell of her, as his tongue gets to work. He didn't need to drink tonight at the bar, he'll get drunk on her.

It's his favorite thing. Always has been, always will be. 

Eating pussy. That's his gift. Well, and drumming. Equal talents, he's pretty sure. 

He loves her. 

He hasn't told her that, it's probably too soon. But he's loved her since the first night, he's quickly realizing. Love at first sight always seemed like such bullshit, even after he basically saw it happen with Eddie and Steve.

He still didn't believe.

Now, he thinks he just might.

His tongue licking upwards, then back down, delving inside her, getting her even wetter than she already is. Wanting to make her happy, wanting to make her come, over and over. 

He circles her clit with the tip of his tongue, and her breathing changes. Raggedy, as she works towards an orgasm, thighs shaking around his ears. 

She's quiet, though. Unlike whatever the fuck is happening in the room next door. Goodie ain't that good in bed. No way in hell. 

He pushes it out of his mind, focusing only on Di. She makes a breathy noise and clenches around his ears, coming. 

If he keeps it up, he might be about to stretch it into a second.

She cards her fingers through his hair, rubbing his scalp, "Gare. Now." 

He's happy right where he is, but he comes up, reluctantly, and can smell her on his upper lip in a way that makes his dick throb as he reaches for a condom, rolling it down. He expects to slide on top of her, but she's climbing on his lap, guiding herself down onto his cock. 

"Like that," she says, and he'll continue to do anything she wants, for as long as she'll let him. Forever, even. 

Chest-to-chest, she's just rolling her hips, fucking him. He hugs her close, both hands on her back, his face buried in her neck. 

She's perfect. He doesn't know how he existed before her, honestly. He knows he's got lots of shit, lots of baggage, and he's nowhere near perfect.

But he wants to keep her, keep them. 

He really, really wants to love her. 

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @corrodedcoffinfest and follow along with the fun! 🦇

[gucciwins]

Can you write one where Harry accidentally posts a photo of y/n on his story. But she hasn’t noticed yet and when he comes home he just keeps apologizing but she doesn’t really mind.

Okay…you didn’t say harry and bel but that’s where my brain went through. So here’s a little something. roughly 1kish 💜

+

Harry thought social media was a nice way to connect with fans, but he mostly used it to post on his stories to show his friends new documentaries he was watching, his favorite wine, and new songs his girlfriend was always showing him. It was his own private world that only his close friends could see. 

His girlfriend was busy at work today working on a photo shoot with a friend’s new lipstick line and needed Bel to be a test subject, and she was more than happy to help. Harry was sitting in the studio listening to everyone’s thoughts on their new song when he heard his phone ring. Harry can’t help the smile that takes over his face when he sees Bel’s contact name. 

Bel: what do you think? 

He stares at the attached photo of you posed in front of the mirror, a seductive look on your face, and he knows that look well. Fuck. He wants to be there with you giving you everything you could ever dream of. 

Harry: You’re the most beautiful person in the world. I’ve convinced you’re an angel. 😭😘 xx

Harry: How’d I get so lucky xx

Bel: stopppp 🙈 xx

Bel: love you, mi vida. will see you when you get home xx

Home. 

You loved his house. 

You saw it as home. He’s been wanting you to move in for ages, but you always were hesitant. Now slowly, he’s noticed you bring more items over, you’ve made less effort to spend equal time in both your homes and, instead, happily stay in his large house that has begun to feel even more of a home with you around. 

Harry was so lost in his head, staring at the photo you sent, that he decided to share it with his friends. He did it often, sharing pictures of you both or you alone happily showing you off. He was always careful to add it to his private story. Harry captioned it: pretty girl. He added a yellow sticker of the sun that read, “you are my sunshine” as Harry was adding it to his story Tom called for him. He locked his phone and focused on Tom and Mitch, who had been trying to get his attention for the last few minutes. 

“Sorry, I’m all yours now.” He promises. 

Mitch laughs, “oh wait until I tell Bel that,” he teased. 

Harry playfully shoved him, telling Mitch to play the track again. 

They got to work for ten minutes when all their phones started ringing simultaneously. Harry reached for his and was flooded with messages and calls. Mainly from Jeff and Viola. 

Shit.

This could not be good. 

“H, you posted on your story,” Mitch tells him. 

Harry is too focused on calling back Jeff to focus on what Mitch is saying. “Yeah, earlier.” 

“Jeff, what’s going on?” 

Jeff laughs, “H you posted Bel on your Instagram.” 

Harry rolls his eyes, “what else is new?”

“No, Harry. You’re not hearing me,” Jeff explains. “You posted her on your story for your 48 million followers on Instagram.” 

Harry gasps, “fuck.” 

He quickly hangs up on Jeff and opens Instagram, and around his name is a pink circle and not the usual green. Oh, he’s the worst. The world knew they were dating, but you sent him the photo privately, and he shared it for the world to see. He deleted the story but knew there was no point because there must be thousands of screenshots. 

“I-I need to go home. Fuck.” He runs a hand through his hair, not knowing what your reaction will be. “I need to apologize. Bel was on her way home.” 

Mitch gives him a pat on the back, “it’s Bel chances are she brushes it off like nothing.” 

Harry doesn’t want to risk any chances and rushes out of the studio. He tries calling you, but it goes straight to voicemail. “Come on, Bel.” He gets home in twenty minutes and is relieved when he spots your car in front. He hurries inside, throwing the door open, not bothering to slip off his shoes. Something you will chastise him for later. You’re caught by surprise by the door opening and Harry rushing in that you drop your book, and you know you’ll have trouble finding the page later. 

“Harry?” He hurries over to your side, worry etched all over his face. “Amor ¿qué pasa?”

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” He kneels in front of you and holds your hand tight. “I didn’t mean to. I’ll do anything for you to forgive me.” 

You sit there, getting more confused by the minute. “H, what are you apologizing for?” 

Harry is so lost in his own head and repeating his apology that he doesn’t seem to hear a word you’re saying.

“Harry!” You raise your voice, and it’s enough to snap him out of the panic he’s put himself in. You soften, “baby, tell me what happened?”

Harry takes a deep breath, rubbing, bringing them close to his chest, needing it for comfort. You would do anything to see his dimpled smile. 

“I posted you on Instagram,” he shares, dejected. “On my public. Not the private one.” His voice sounds defeated, and you hate that something as a photo of you sent him into a panic. 

It breaks your heart, seeming him upset. You know it was an accident. Of course, you do. 

“H, want you to listen to me, okay?” Harry nods, keeping his emerald eyes focused on you. “I’m not mad or upset,” you assure him.

“You’re not?” 

You shake your head, “H, I saw it the minute you posted. I get your notifications. Sent you a text to check, but you didn't reply, so I assume you knew, and I let it be.”

Harry tilts his head, looking like a confused puppy. “You knew?” 

You let out a small laugh, “I did.”

“Why didn’t you answer my call?” You know he must have been referring to a few minutes ago on his way home. 

“Left it charging upstairs,” you apologize.

Harry sighs, letting his head drop into your lap. You run your hand through his hair and let him take however long he needs to let this all go. Although, you have the perfect idea to help him forget the incident. 

“I love you, Bel.” 

You repeat the sentiment, happy to have him home. 

“Do you want to make it up to me?” 

“Thought you weren’t upset,” he mutters.

You giggle, “no, I mean for scaring me for the way you barged inside.” 

Harry raises his head, an eyebrow raised, and waits for you to go on. “See, I happen to like this position we’re in. Except, it’d work better if I had less clothing on.” A smile spreads on Harry’s face, and you know this moment will be one you laugh about on a later date, but for now, this is the perfect distraction.

“I am so lucky to have you in my life, Bel.” He whispers as he helps remove your joggers. 

You feel the same way. 

[helpimstuckposting]

Part one | part two | part three

Artwork

—

Robin and Steve went up to sing a few more times, though Steve was still emotionally rattled a bit. Give me your phone, Eddie had said, come to the show any day this weekend, he said, just text me and I’ll come out to give you a pass. What the fuck was Steve’s life right now? Once he told Dustin about this, Steve was going to have bragging rights for the rest of their lives, the kid would never have the high ground again. No matter what his ego said.

Eddie was back at the table with his band mates. Jeff and Gareth, Eddie had introduced them. Steve was just a little bit tempted to do a Corroded Coffin song to fuck with Eddie, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to pull off the vocals anyway. The band had refused to go up at all, said they had to rest before their show tomorrow, that causing a commotion wouldn’t be a good idea either. Steve was a little bit sad he wouldn’t get a personal show in such close quarters, that would have really made Dustin jealous. As it was, Steve could probably claim this as the kid’s birthday gift for life. Not that he would.

He was almost more excited just to tell Dustin than he was to go to the show at all. Though, he was very excited, this all still felt like a hallucination. Robin had pinched him multiple times, just to check he wasn’t dreaming. Not that he asked her to, she just did.

He couldn’t tell what Eddie was saying to his band mates, but Steve could still see the wide smile on his face, and for once Steve didn’t choke on his words or skip a breath.

Across the bar, stage lights in his eyes, he could see Eddie throw his head back and laugh - the pull of his skin making Steves mouth water. He was so drawn to Eddie, to the soft edges and eyes that held fireflies, and sure he was nervous around him, who wouldn’t be? But at this point, Steve could either not do anything and he’d never see Eddie again, or he’d shoot his shot and if Eddie rejected him the outcome would be exactly the same; Steve had nothing to lose. If he had to wrap himself just a bit in King Steve in order to finish the song calmly and walk over to Eddie, that was his business. Everyone needed armor now and again, and growing up the center of attention taught Steve exactly how to pull that armor out and engulf him.

After their song, probably the last of the night, Steve marched right up to Eddie’s table with a new-found determination. He had nothing to lose.

“Hey Eddie, can I talk to you?” He asked, lightly brushing his fingers against Eddie’s forearm. He didn’t want to grab and seem too forward or pushy, didn’t want to seem crazed or too much.

“Sure!” Eddie replied, glancing once over to his friends (who shot him mocking looks and little smirks) and leaned heavier into Steve’s touch. He followed Steve over to the dark hallway past the stage, the one leading to the bathrooms. It was a bit dingy, but perfectly quiet and out of the way for what Steve wanted to say.

Steve turned around to face the rockstar, felt closed in with him in this little space. The worst Eddie could do was take back his offer to go to the concert this weekend, that’s it. Steve kept repeating it over and over again in his mind, trying to convince himself he could really do this. Before, in school, Steve had been so cocky and so confident. It didn’t matter that Robin always told him to cool it, to humble himself, he was a Harrington, he was King Steve, all the girls wanted him and all the guys wanted to be him, it was easy.

But then a high school girlfriend, one he was genuinely serious about, had called his love bullshit. She said he wasn’t worth it, that it was all an act and their relationship was another bullshit dance their parents had pushed onto them. He never felt like King Steve after that, not really. He felt the mask and the act and the character he played but he never felt like that person again.

Here, in the back of the bar with the lights dimmed and the music from the stage dampened between the close walls, with Eddie looking at him with so much patience for someone he only met yesterday, he felt like it didn’t matter if he had the kings mask on or not. He could be Steve and that would be okay.

“Steve?” Eddie asked when Steve hadn’t said anything. His fingers trailed lightly against Steve’s forearm, gently gliding into the palm of his hand. Steve clasped onto the soft touch, turning his palm into Eddie’s.

“I was wondering how long you were going to be in town?” Steve said, his inflection pitching up into a question.

“Tuesday we’ve got another show about two hours from here. Going back to our roots, so to speak, and after that we’re back on the road,” he replied. So, four days. They had performances Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and Steve worked the weekends anyway. He could take Dustin to the show on Friday and then maybe… if Eddie was free, maybe Monday…

“Would you go to dinner with me?” Steve asked, tugging on the hand still held in his own. He pulled Eddie toward him just a step, letting the musician get closer if he wanted to. If he chose to.

Edit took a step closer, then another, the tips of their shoes stopping against one another.

“I’d love to,” he whispered between their shared space. “Does Monday night work for you?”

Steve huffed out a laugh, “Monday is perfect,” he said. “I’ll probably stop by your show tomorrow, if that’s okay?” Steve still wasn’t quite sure he was awake and not hallucinating, that he wasn’t drugged and unconscious in a hospital bed somewhere. He just wanted to double, triple and quadruple check that he was fully awake and welcome to just show up at this concert without a ticket.

“I said any day this weekend, of course you’re allowed to come tomorrow.”

“Well, sorry for kind of not believing this is actually happening after a rockstar I met yesterday said I could just show up to his concert completely unannounced without a ticket and waltz right in like some kind of famous lunatic or something!” Steve shouted a bit more than he intended to, quieting quickly and glancing around to make sure he wasn’t causing a scene.

Coast clear, his eyes darted back to Eddie who was pulling a strand of hair over his lips, and very clearly trying to hold back his laughter. Steve rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe how quickly he was thinking fondly of this rockstar, like he knew him, like was comfortable being around him.

“Sorry, sorry,” Eddie laughed, “I promise it’s allowed. Just text me when you’re outside and you’ll be lead into the venue, okay?”

Steve nodded, tugging on Eddie’s hand just to remember the feeling.

The two groups dispersed shortly after their conversation, Steve and Robin heading back to their apartment while Eddie and his band mates went back to their hotel or bus or wherever musicians on tour stayed while in town. It was late, around 1am, but Steve couldn’t wait to tell Dustin the news. The little twerp would be awake anyway, Steve was certain.

He called the second they got back to the apartment, Dustin picking up on the second ring.

“What’s up, what’s wrong, what happened, are you okay? Is Robin okay?” He answered in a panic.

“What, I can’t call my favorite duckling just to talk?” Steve replied, trying to lighten the mood so Dustin wasn’t worried.

“Duckling? Steve what the fuck, it’s one in the morning!”

He rolled his eyes, though Dustin couldn’t see, “oh what, like you were asleep? Tell Suzie I say hi.”

“Hi, Steve!” a soft voice crackled through the line. Dustin and Suzie always FaceTimed until one of them passed out, talking about nerd things until some ungodly hour. He smirked down the line.

“Yeah, okay, whatever. Why are you calling?”

“You’re gonna want to sit down for this, Buddy, are you sitting? Are you planted firmly on your ass?”

“My ass is firm,” Dustin joked back, a small ‘very firm’ chirped in the background.

“I… did not need to know that, never ever say that to me ever again. I hate you so much.”

Steve could practically hear Dustin rolling his eyes over the speaker. The kid was predictable, Steve could probably guess his every move on the other side of the phone.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m the love of your life, what do you want? Why do I have to be sitting?”

“Robin is the love of my life and you know it,” Steve said. He took a deep breath, preparing to give the best news of Dustin’s life. “So you know that band you’re obsessed with?”

“Do I know the band I’m obsessed with? Yes, Steve, I know Corroded Coffin.”

“Okay, you keep up this little attitude of yours and I won’t tell you I just got tickets for their show tomorrow,” Steve blurted out. He was half expecting Dustin to continue through more arguments about his attitude, completely bypassing what Steve just said. Of course, Dustin was never one to miss the important information.

It was silent on the other end.

Steve pulled the phone away from his ear, waiting a few seconds before the inevitable scream from the other end. He could hear Dustin yelling back and forth between asking Steve questions and relaying the information to Suzie. He wasn’t loud enough to hear any actual words or questions, but there was no way in hell Steve was going to put the phone back to his ear with Dustin going berserk on the line. He didn’t want to ruin his hearing before even stepping foot inside the concert venue, how ironic would that be?

“Dustin!” Steve shouted into the receiver to no avail, “Dustin… Dustin! I swear to god I will answer your questions but you have to ask them one at a time, bud.”

There was a deep breath, a few muffled reassurances from Suzie, and then it was quiet again. Steve hesitantly placed the phone to his ear, waiting for the first question.

“Steve… how the hell did you get tickets? The show was sold out! All the days are. I know, I checked!”

“Okay, so I… didn’t technically get tickets,” Steve cringed.

“… WHAT? YOU-,”

“Dustin! I swear to god, I’m getting us into the concert tomorrow.”

“How, Steven?? HOW are you getting us into a sold out concert tomorrow for the biggest band to perform in Indy in years, the day before opening night?”

“Okay first of all, never call me Steven again. Ever. You got that? Never ever. And second…,” he paused, mulling over his choice of words, “I uh… I know a guy who’s working the venue.”

Steve could only hear Dustin’s breathing over the speaker. He didn’t know if he broke the kid or if he was trying to decide if Steve could be trusted after nine years of friendship. Maybe Dustin thought he was delusional, he wouldn’t be the first person to think that tonight.

“Is this a rich person thing?” Dustin finally asked.

“A rich- Dude, I make $20 an hour, no this isn’t a rich person thing, Jesus Christ,” Steve muttered. A snort like a lawn mower revved from behind Robin’s bedroom door, and Steve contemplated the pros and cons of shaving her head in her sleep for the third time that night.

“Well sorry! Forgive me for not believing you!” Dustin shouted sarcastically, the earlier hysteria bleeding into his words again (though thankfully not as much as before). Steve told Dustin to take another deep breath before continuing.

“He told me to text him when we got there, they’ll let us through. I already told him we’re going tomorrow, he’s prepared and reassured me like three times that he’ll personally make sure we’re let in. Do you want to go or not? I swear to god, kid, I could still rescind the offer.”

“Steve if you take this back I will shove my hand so far up your ass-”

“Oh like you could take me, Henderson, I don’t think-”

“You lost to Jonathan, I think I could do just fine.”

“Sounds like you don’t want to see a concert tomorrow, I think what you mean to say is ‘Oh my god, Steve, this is the best news of my life, you’re the greatest guy ever, I can’t believe I know someone who can get me into a concert for my favorite little rock band’,” He taunted, raising his voice to a pitch that absolutely wasn’t Dustin’s, but he knew it would rial the kid up anyway.

Henderson’s put-upon sigh crackled through the receiver, and Steve couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. Dustin could be exasperated all he wanted, Steve knew this was going to be an amazing experience for him, even if they had the shittiest seats possible.

“They’re metal, Steve. Metal.”

“Yeah, yeah, pick you up at 7!”

“This better not be a trick, or-,” Steve hung up before he got caught in another round of banter. Cutting Dustin off always brought Steve a sick kind of pleasure, the kid could go on and on and on, honestly it was self preservation. He headed to his room to finally sleep, kicking Robin’s door as he went. She would be spared from a buzz cut tonight, he was in a good mood.

—

I’ve started tagging these as ‘the upside downers’ because that’s what I’m naming Stobin’s band, if you want to follow that tag specifically! I also always tag helpimstuckwriting for any of my writing

Tag list:

@weirdandabsurd42 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @estrellami-1 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @snapshotmaestro @youraveragemushroom @stxrcrossed186 @remuslupinisthevoiceofgod @notfrogsunderatrenchcoat @irethsune @m-owo-n @phantomcat94

[pasta-in-the-pudding]

Jeff with a child reader who died like cc from fnaf?

𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕕𝕠 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕫𝕖𝕕 𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕟 𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕥𝕠𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕤 𝕛𝕖𝕗𝕗 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕟 𝔻𝕆 ℕ𝕆𝕋 𝔾𝕆 ℕ𝔼𝔸ℝ 𝕋ℍ𝔼𝕄 𝕋ℍ𝔼𝕐 𝕎𝕀𝕃𝕃 𝕋𝔼𝔸ℂℍ 𝕐𝕆𝕌 𝕋𝕆 𝔻𝕆 𝔻ℝ𝕌𝔾𝕊

ℂ𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕘𝕠 𝕥𝕠 @𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕡𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕤-𝕟-𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖!! 𝔾𝕠 𝕗𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕦𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜!

𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕤𝕠 𝕞𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘!!

Jeff x Crying Child!Reader

Like I've said before, jeff doesn't like kids and kids don't like jeff

When you arrive to the manor, your biggest fear is that no one else will have any scars or wounds like you do

Moving to a new place is already scary, but moving to a new place where you could potentially be the center of attention is even more scary

So when you get there, one of the first people who catches your eye is Jeff

You are quickly escorted up to your bedroom, where Slender leaves you with the other children to help get set up and learn the rules of the manor

The other children are immediately all over you, very excited to have a new friend

They ask how you got your scars, and then they show you theirs

Eventually one of the caretakers come to check up on you, give you your uniform and give you your schedule

Your caretaker is Tim, who informs you that you will be having a party to welcome you into the manor, as well as make some new friends with the other kids

"There won't be any adults there, except me, the other caretakers and Slender." He tells you, folding up your uniform and putting it on your bed

"If I wanted to have someone there could I invite them?" You ask nervously, fidgeting with your fingers

"Uh, I guess so...Who did you have in mind?"

"I wanna meet the guy with the cuts on his face. With the really big eyes?" You say, putting your fingers on either sides of your mouth and stretching out your cheeks to try and imitate his smile

Tim stops for a second, seemingly trying to put his finger on who you're talking about

When he finally gets it, his eyebrow raises "Jeff? Are you serious??"

"Yeah, he has scars like me!" You say excitedly, pointing to the wounds around your neck

He sighs and rubs his face "I mean, I'll ask him but don't get your hopes up, kid. Jeff isn't a very friendly person"

You frown, and Tim leaves, patting your head on the way out

Bedtime for the children comes, so you brush your teeth and climb in bed, worrying about the party scheduled for you tomorrow

When the time for the party comes, you are pleasantly surprised by how much fun it is

There is good food, good drinks, and lots of new people you can befriend! And you quickly realize how nice people are in the manor

Unfortunately, Jeff doesn't seem to show up

That is, until about an hour into the party

He has his hands stuffed into his pockets, and when Tim sees him, he goes over and whispers into his ear something you can't quite make out

When Tim pulls back, Jeff rolls his eyes and goes to sit at the table, playing on his phone

Sally, who likes everyone insists that you go meet him, despite how nervous you are to actually talk to him

She ends up dragging you over to him and bouncing up and down once she reaches his chair

"Jeff, Jeff!" She squeals happily

"What is it, sal?" He asks, not bothering to look away from his phone

"Look at my new friend!" She says, wrapping her arms around you in a big hug

He glances at you for a moment and mutters a "hey"

"I um, I like your scars" You say nervously

To this, he raises a brow and looks at you again questioningly

"They have them too, see!" Sally says, pointing to your neck and scalp where your major scarring is

"Yeah. I made mine myself. You?" He asks

He's only really even here because Tim basically forced him too, and he really does not want to spend his morning talking to a bunch of 3-9 year olds

But he remembers how it was as a kid feeling really upset at his scars, so he guesses the least he could do is make you feel good about yours

(You tugged on his heartstrings and you're his favorite now)

[tic-toc-clock77]

Clockwork and Nina headcanons/Fic by Tic-toc-clock77

Clockwork and Nina had met one night after Clocky was sent out on a mission with Jeff. Nina had shown up, as per usual to beg Jeff to date her or just to be in his presence. Unfortunately, she didn't get to him in time.

"Jeff, I'm here for you again my prince!" Nina yelled, startling Natalie who jumped at the sound of the other girl's loud voice, dropping the body she was working with to shove into a bag. Jeff had already run away, which left the two girls by themselves.

Clockwork, who had already heard of Nina and her antics, groaned softly and let the body hit the floor with a thud. Behind her and in the doorway of the apartment, Nina looked around frantically for Jeff but came up empty handed.

She started to pout and walk away until she swung her body back around and ran at Clockwork. "Who are you?" She demanded, aiming her knife at Clockwork's throat, who just moved the knife down with her fingers using the backside.

"Clockwork." She said, furrowing her brows slightly. Nina's scrowl grew as she continued to question her, each time she moved closer in a desperate attempt to look scary, Clockwork would step back until she had her pinned to the wall.

The creak of the floors and the condensation left on the walls of the studio apartment, made it more uncomfortable for them both to stay in but Nina was nowhere close to done with her, question after question, much to Nat's displeasure.

"Look, I don't know what you want from me." She said, her back to the wall. Ultimately she was entirely unthreatened and had only been going along with this in the hopes that it would be a one time thing; it wouldn't be.

"Are you in love with him?" The question made Clockwork raise an eyebrow, did she really assume that? "No." She had always thought of him as more of a brother figure anyway, so the answer was obvious.

Still attempting to pull what she believed was the truth from Natalie, she asked her a couple more times and each time she shook her head; "No." So finally, Nina resorted, "Are you dating anyone?" She asked, finally pulling the knife away.

Being relatively new to her relationship with Toby, she looked away and nodded, Nina was finally able to draw some emotion. "OMG!" Nina said the acronym aloud as her suspicious glare turned into a bright smile, her eyes lighting up. Now, she was asking new questions.

"Who is it?" She asks, giggling while shaking Natalie's shoulders. Clockwork brushes her off and makes her way back over to the body bag and begins stuffing the body in. "Toby." She says, packing an arm into the bag. In her efforts to hide her emotions, she moves to work. Her face is flushed and hot at the mention of him and she hates it.

"It's..." Clockwork starts to explain but quits midway. After the bodies are packed, Clockwork escapes through the window. She hoped she'd be leaving Nina behind but soon enough...

"Hey Clocky!" 2 days after their first meeting, Nina had somehow found her. Clockwork groaned, sitting up in her usual tree to draw. Her mind was focused on the burned down barn in the distance so Nina's intrusion was more than a small inconvenience.

Nina struggled up the tree, her legs kicking desperately. Natalie sighs and puts her sketchbook down to pull Nina up by her small arms. "You're strong!" She remarks, stretching out her arms once she's sitting on the branch. "You're not." She retorts, frankly. Natalie goes to grab her sketchbook but is stopped by Nina putting her face up close in a grin. "Have you seen Jeff?" She asks anxiously, Natalie shakes her head. Truthfully, she had seen him before she left the cabin but she wasn't about to tell Nina that.

Nina sighs, "My prince is always playing hard to get." She complains. "But I won't lose hope!" Natalie watches as Nina stands up on the branch, legs wobbling. Nina stands triumphantly with a wide smile across her leathery face. The sunset is orange and blue with the falling sun in the sky. The sunset illuminates Nina's body as she begins to tiptoe across the branch.

She stops suddenly at the very tip of the branch, staring out at the barn that was burnt down a few months ago when Toby and Clockwork first declared that they wanted to become a couple. Cheeks burning from the memory of that December night, Clockwork stood alongside Nina. The moment is quiet, serene and birds chirp distantly.

"Clocky." Years later, Nina and Clockwork sit on the branch once again as it had become a meeting spot for anyone who wanted to see her. "Yeah?" Clockwork's head perked up, she'd become increasingly more used to Nina's constant talk about Jeff but she didn't mind anymore. Having become more comfortable in her own relationship, her and Nina could share those things together, even if Nina's 'relationship' with Jeff was one-sided and deluded.

"Have you ever thought about kissing a girl?" Nina asks, she runs it through her head for a second before clicking her tongue.

"I guess not."

"Would you kiss me?"

"What?"

"Would you kiss me?" Nina repeats herself, "You know, just to try." She adds. "Well..." Clockwork looks down, starting to seriously consider the offer. She turns and drapes her legs over the side of the branch, "It's really late...I think I need to head in and you know, see my boyfriend." Clockwork jumps down after making her runaway statement awkwardly.

"And then she asked if I wanted to kiss her!" Clockwork vents out to Jeff, her boots hit the hardwood of the nice suburban home they'd just killed the residents of as she paces around. "Isn't this a conversation you should be having with your boyfriend?" Jeff says, stuffing the decapitated head of a victim into a garbage bag. Clockwork sighs, looking down at the blood puddle of her victim, which she kneeled back down to continue dismantling. "Fine then, did you want to kiss her?" Jeff asks, stuffing a leg into the bag.

"I guess." She says, passing the arm of her victim to Jeff which he stuffs into a bag. "But, with Toby...and our relationship...I wouldn't want him to think I was considering cheating on him." She sighs again. Jeff rolls his eyes, deciding to give the advice that Liu had once given him before he became a worker and had a similar situation. "Why don't you just talk to Toby about it?" He suggests, his mind trails back to Liu for a second from back when they were 12 and 10, living in New Jersey when Jeff was dating (as far as dating can go for 7th graders) a girl but another had wanted to date him which was when he vented to Liu, same as what Clockwork was doing now.

"Okay." She takes a breath and runs off, determined to talk to Toby about it. "You bitch, you left me to clean all this shit up!" Jeff yells out the window as she runs, "I'm getting Slender to give you overtime!" He screams.

Once back at the cabin, she runs to Toby's room and shakes him violently awake. "What's going on?" He asks, slowly opening his eyes. "Can I kiss Nina?!" She asks nervously. Toby, who was left without a second to register this just looks up at her for second before sitting up. "Kiss who?" He questions.

Clockwork explains the whole situation to him. "I guess I just wanna figure out if I like it or not." She finishes her ramble with that, quits pacing and sits with Toby on the bed. "Alright." He says, "I don't consider it cheating if you're just figuring yourself out...I might do it too." He adds. It had turned out better than she expected, she hugged him tightly and he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Brush your teeth before you kiss me, though."

"Okay."

"I don't want Nina's leftovers on my mouth."

"Okay, okay, I get it."

They kiss quickly.

You can read more of this in my Wattpad fic but here's spoilers for said fic lmao

[ros3ybabe]

Daily Check in - October 18th, 2023 🎀

Hello my lovelies <3

Here's a little update for today!! It feels nice to be posting again!

🩷 What I Ate Today -

Breakfast - southern style hashbrowns with ketchup, a cup of coffee

Pre Workout snack - one medium banana and a 3/4oz single serve cup of jiffy peanut butter, 1/4 scoop of preworkout (in water ofc)

Lunch - 1 large bowl of protein pasta w 2 slices of buttered bread, a coffee

Dinner - 1 bowl of spicy ramen with a small handful on shredded cheese

Snack - 1 bowl of mint chip ice cream

Extra - 3 cups of coffee TOTAL

Feels like a lot and I did go over my eating goal for the day but it is what it is, I had an emotionally rough day filled with a lot of crying, a therapy appointment, and a lot of calming down from my boyfriend over video call. Rough days happen, and I tend to let myself just feel the emotions in order to sleep easy and have a better next day!

🩷 Personal Accomplishments -

Made it to the gym, attempted a glute workout (left early due to frustration, lack of proerpr form, and to minimize risk of injury)

Wrote down everything I ate and my workouts in my new fitness and health journal

Showered

Did both morning and night skincare routines

journaled a little bit

brushed teeth

did a large load of laundry and put away all clean clothes

washed dishes

had a therapy appointment

cleaned up parts of room, put away new stuff

There were no academic accomplishments bit I am going to complete a good amount of homework before my cooking shift (for my cooking class) tomorrow. I've been trying to take it easy in a way that doesn't set me behind in my academics.

I broke down crying today with my boyfriend. I realized I've been feeling like such an imposter lately. Like I don't deserve all the good and all the accomplishments I've achieved. Like this life I'm living isn't real or this is the calm before some storm. I just feel so undeserving of everything. I feel inadequate, like I'm not good enough for a lot of thing. I feel like I'm perceived as this good daughter, good friend, good girlfriend, good employee, good student, good person but that it's not actually true? Though my boyfriend and my father have both reassured me that it is true and I am doing good. They've reminded me that I just need patience, discipline, and consistency in my habits and that everything is going to be and already is okay. I'm lucky to have such a loving boyfriend and such an awesome dad, too. The men in my life are the people I look up to most <3

🩷 Personal ToDos, Oct 19th -

morning + night skincare

morning cardio workout at the gym

read a chapter or two of a self help book

shower + brush teeth AM/PM

wash comforter + air dry

morning and night guided journal

morning stretching

Daily journal prompt

zoom call with boyfriend

sleep 6 to 8 hours

track all food and fitness in journal

complete 1 duolingo lesson

complete 1 busuu leson

complete 1 kanji review lesson

🩷 Academic ToDos, Oct 19th -

pre lab 8 quiz anatomy lab

lab 7 lab report anatomy lab

component 2 psyc class

nutrition chart: toddler nutrition class

quiz 10 psyc class

culinary nutrition ch 10 quiz

chapter 12 and 13 quiz nutrition class

My goal is to complete all of that between the time I wake up at 5am and 2pm with my morning routine, workout, meals, and getting ready for my cooking thing all in between. But I can do it, I'm not worried. I'll have the time to do it all! I just need to manage my time and not be on my phone as much.

I'm trying to get back into listening to podcasts and watching more producitve and healthy vlogs from youtubers I enjoy! I'm currently watching vlogs and content from Rebecca Jay, Michaela Bento, The Bliss Bean, LenaLifts, truly.jia, Study to Success, Lindie Botes (her earlier language videos), and Mikalya Mags. My favorite podcast is The 5AM Miracle: Healthy Productivity for High Acheivers by Jeff Sanders.

If you have any health, lifestyle, fitness, or productivity youtubers or podcast recommendations please comment them or inbox me so I can check them out!! I am always looking for new content to enjoy!!!

til next time lovelies 🩷

[uramilf]

The Record Shop - Chapter One

A/N: Surprise!! It wasn’t bedtime after all

Warnings: SMUT. Oral (f receiving), weed mentioned, alcohol consumption, Matty being a bit too hot to handle also how cutesy is this gif

*Penny’s POV*

“Can I help you with anything darling?”

I opened my eyes wide at the sight of the beautiful boy in front of me. He smiled at me, and I blinked, pulling myself together.

“You can, actually,” I nodded. “I’m just looking for some Jeff Buckley?” He grinned. “You like him too, huh?”

I smiled back. “Yep, do you have Grace?”

“Of course, let me go grab one from the back.”

He left for a moment or two, and I heard him rummaging about through the back of the store. When he returned, he was holding a Grace vinyl. “I swear this is one of my favourite albums of all time.”

“Oh totally, it’s amazing,” I smiled back. He stood there for a moment, looking at me with those deep brown eyes. I looked back, meeting his gaze. We were quiet, but it somehow wasn’t awkward. It almost felt like I was meant to walk into his store.

After a moment or two, he broke his gaze and cleared his throat. “Sorry, do you need anything else darling?”

I shook my head. “No thanks, it was my first day at a new job today so I thought I would come treat myself to a record. I usually go record shopping after something big like that, you know?”

He looked surprised. “New job, huh? Where are you working?”

“Attitude hair salon, just down the street. I’m a hairdresser, just moved up here from London though.”

“Oh hey, my friends girlfriend gets her hair done there,” he replied. “She got it cut there last week and she’s been going on about it ever since.”

I grinned and he made his way behind the counter and scanned my record for me.

“I’m Matty, by the way. Oh sorry, you probably already saw that. Name tag. Duh.” I could tell he was getting slightly nervous, so I smiled at him again.

“I’m Penny.”

“That’s a pretty name, love. You mustn’t know many people here if you’re from London, then.”

“Nope, pretty much nobody, apart from the girls at work. I met them when I came down for an interview.” Matty nodded slowly whilst putting my new record into a plastic bag for me. I handed over some cash and he put it into the register, handing me back my change. Our fingertips brushed slightly and I saw a ghost of a grin on his lips. I could tell I was turning red.

“Will you wait here for just one second, darling?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Um, sure.”

He disappeared into the back of the shop once more and I heard him talking frantically to another man, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I definitely heard my name, along with ‘London’ and ‘doesn’t know anyone yet.’ I blushed a bit. I didn’t want him thinking I was pathetic for having no friends in Manchester. However, when he returned, he was accompanied by a man quite a bit taller than him, who had fair curly hair and dark eyes, with the same logo on his t-shirt: the word “fusion”, which was the name of the store, and a little embroidered vinyl record, and his shirt was dark grey instead of black.

“Penny, this is George. He’s my best mate, we’ve been working here together since we left school.”

George stepped forward and shook my hand.

“Hi, George, lovely to meet you.”

He returned the sentiment, smiling confidently. I have to say, it was turning into the strangest interaction I’d ever had in a record shop.

“So basically, George is having a party tonight, and all our friends are gonna be there. I thought since you haven’t really met anyone down here yet that you could come along? Don’t feel pressured to say yes, of course, but it could be nice for you to get to know some people in the area.”

I felt overwhelmed by their kindness and nodded eagerly. “That would be amazing, guys. Thank you so much.”

“No problem, Penny. Why don’t you gimme your number and I can send you my address?” George asked. Matty looked panicked.

“Actually Penny, if you give me your address I could always pick you up and take you. You know, that way you could have a drink without worrying about getting home.”

I laughed to myself. “Thanks Matty, that would be great.” I gave him my number and scribbled down my address quickly, before grabbing George’s number too in case of emergencies. I thanked the boys again, taking my record in the plastic bag and leaving the store.

“I’ll pick you up at nine, Penny!”

—————

I looked in the mirror one last time. I had opted for a tight black dress that reached my mid-thigh, but had a slit that went up my leg and left little to the imagination. My makeup looked good, some dark eyeshadow and a red lip making me look quite bold, a feeling a wasn’t used to. I was wearing black strappy heels that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk in after a few drinks, but I supposed I would just have to chance it. My phone buzzed and I checked to see a text from Matty: “I’m outside your building love x”

My heart fluttered at the message, especially the “x” at the end. I shook the feeling off. I had just met this guy, and he was really only inviting me out because I had no friends. Super romantic.

I grabbed my keys and headed out of the flat, getting the lift down to the ground floor. Stepping out the main door of the building, I shivered slightly at the cold air against my bare arms. My eyes fell on Matty, standing against his car.

“Hi darling. You look stunning.” He was in a similar pair of black jeans as he had been in earlier, but he was now wearing a white button-up and a leather jacket. He shrugged the jacket off when he saw me shiver and made his way to me, draping it round my shoulders right away. Holy shit. That was fucking hot. He even opened the car door for me, as if we were on a date. I tried to shake that thought from my mind. Of course we weren’t on a date. We had just met. It was just a party. I didn’t know anything about him - fuck - did he have a girlfriend?

Matty shutting his car door and switching on the radio pulled me out of my train of thought. Arctic Monkeys was playing - Fluorescent Adolescent. The song seemed to fit Matty. He must have been must older than me but he had a kind of boyish air about him, like a teenager constantly in trouble, but in a cheeky way that you couldn’t help but find funny. He turned his head to look at me. “You ok love?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. You look great, Matty.”

He began to pull out of the car park, smiling at me.

“Thanks darling. I meant it when I said you looked stunning. You really do.”

My stomach was churning now. Even my ex boyfriend Alex had never made me feel this way, and I dated him for three years.

“Thank you Matty,” I said quietly. He eyed me again, for longer this time, until he had to look at the road again.

“Really, Penny. I know we’ve just met but if there’s something wrong, you can tell me. If you’re not comfortable hanging out with us this quickly it’s ok.”

I shook my head and giggled.

“No, Matty. It isn’t you. Honestly I’ve never been as glad to meet someone as I was to meet you, I thought it was gonna take me forever to get to know people.”

“So what’s up then, love?”

“I was just thinking about my ex. Our breakup was kinda the reason I moved, to start over. Me and Alex were together for three years, and it ended pretty badly.”

“I’m sorry to hear that lovely, I’ve been there.”

His hand crept onto my knee and gave my leg a reassuring squeeze, before placing his hand back on the wheel. My breath caught in my throat. I don’t think he knew how attractive he was without even trying.

—————

We arrived at George’s house at a quarter last nine, and there seemed to already be quite a few people around. I spotted George almost as soon as I walked through the door, wearing faded blue jeans and a button up similar to Matty’s. He strode over to me, wrapping me in a warm hug. George was someone I couldn’t help but like, even having only met him once very briefly before.

“I’m so glad you could make it, Penny! You look great.”

“Thanks George, great house,” I said, looking around. The house was small but, much like myself, he had made it beautiful. I noticed a photo of him and Matty hanging on the wall above the stairs and smiled to myself. It had clearly been taken years ago, when the boys were teenagers. Matty’s hair was longer and curlier, and George’s was less blonde. They stood at a similar height and had their arms around each other, grinning into the camera. They were both in shorts and Newcastle United shirts, and their arms were stick thin and bare of tattoos. In front of them was a little boy with light brown hair and a grin similar to Matty’s, who was clinging to one of George’s legs.

“That’s a nice picture,” I commented.

George looked up and laughed. “I think that was taken about 7 years ago now. We were only 17. That’s Matty’s little brother Louis in the picture, he was only 5.”

George led me into the living room, where most of the people were. A girl around my height came running over excitedly. She had long, black, straight hair which tumbled down her back and moved beautifully when she moved. I found my weird hairdresser brain thinking about how much I wanted to touch it. She slung an arm around George’s waist, barely coming up to shoulder height on him.

“Oh my god, you must be Penny! George said he met you earlier.”

“Yeah, that’s me!”

“I’m Charli. It’s so nice to meet you, babe. Let’s go get a drink.”

With that she stood on her tiptoes to give George a kiss on the cheek before linking her arm with mine and pulling me towards the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Charli introduced me to Adam and Ross, who were apparently some of Matty and George’s closest friends. Adam worked in a bar down the street from my flat, and I promised to call in next time he had a shift. Ross worked in a place a few streets over that did tattoos and piercings, and told me he had done most of his friends’ tattoos. Adam called his girlfriend Carly over to meet me, and she embraced me warmly much as George had when I arrived. The boys left to go for a smoke and I was left with their wonderful girlfriends.

“So Penny, George said you’ve just started at Attitude. We both get our hair done there,” Charli remarked, whilst pouring me a vodka lemonade (which seemed like a lot more vodka than lemonade, not that I was complaining.)

“Wait, really?” I took a sip of my incredibly strong drink. “I hope I get both of you when you next come in, I always prefer customers I know.”

After a short conversation with the girls about work (and how much I loved their hair), Matty appeared in my peripheral vision and draped an arm around my shoulder. “Sorry girls, do you mind if I steal Penny for a bit? I wouldn’t want such a beautiful girl to leave without me getting to know her.”

Carly raised an eyebrow. “You’re such a flirt, Matty. Give the girl a break, you just met her for god’s sake!” I giggled, unable to resist walking away with Matty, after catching Charli give me a knowing look.

—————

George had a small balcony attached to his bedroom which Matty and I had ended up on, sharing a blunt. We were sat side by side on the cold ground, the night air cooling us down. The weed hadn’t kicked in yet, but we were chatting away with no awkwardness whatsoever.

“So how old are you anyways, Matty?”

“24, you?”

“21.”

“So it’s totally ok for me to do what I’m about to do then.”

I snapped my head up to look at him. He gently cupped my jaw and pressed his lips to mine. I was shocked but kissed him back. Our lips moved together for a few more seconds before he pulled away. “Shit, love, I’m sorry. I should’ve asked before I did that.”

“Hey,” I whispered, lifting his chin so our eyes were aligned. “I wanted you to.”

Matty’s smile could’ve lit up a thousand cities. “I know we only met today, and we know virtually nothing about each other, but I want to know you. I just have to.”

I caught my bottom lip between my teeth, taking the blunt from his hand and inhaling deeply. I put out the blunt in the ashtray next to me and snaked one hand around Matty’s neck, the other resting on his cheek. I pressed my lips to his and exhaled the smoke into his waiting mouth, where he inhaled it and breathed out the excess.

Matty stared at me for a moment, before leaning back on his hands and patting his lap. I swung a leg over his to straddle him, before crashing my lips to his again in a much more desperate kiss. His tongue swiped against my bottom lip and I opened my mouth slightly, allowing his tongue to enter my mouth. He tasted of weed and smoke and mint. My hands crept up to play with his hair, fingertips grazing against his shaved sides which seemed to be growing back a little. I was glad. Mullets were definitely not my thing.

Matty’s hands were venturing up and down my sides and my back, sometimes coming up to tangle themselves in my carefully curled hair or cup my jaw. I pulled away to catch my breath, and Matty used the time to press small kisses onto my neck and jawline. He began to get a little more cocky, sucking a bright red mark into the skin of my neck. I giggled; usually I would be a little annoyed but the weed was beginning to kick in and everything he did felt perfect.

“Hey, Penny?” Matty pulled away from sucking on my collarbone to speak. I took his face in my hands and whispered “what?”

“I just smoked weed and I drank a bit so I probably shouldn’t drive. Do you wanna get a taxi?”

“To where?”

“My flat. If you want.”

I couldn’t have thought of anything better at that moment, so I rose from his lap and pulled him along with me. I went to slide open the balcony doors, but Matty pulled me in for one last kiss, even dipping me back slightly in his strong arms. How could a stranger be more romantic than my ex-boyfriend of three years? I felt like I was going insane. I couldn’t even believe I had kissed him within only a few hours of knowing him, never mind going home with him. Maybe it was the weed talking, but I trusted Matty.

—————

Matty and I managed to get a taxi fairly quickly. He slid into the back seat beside me and told the driver his address. As soon as we started driving, his lips were attached to my neck again, kissing the skin gently. I turned my head and placed a hand on his cheek, pressing my lips to his. His tongue entered my mouth once more and I could still taste the weed in his mouth, along with some red wine he had downed before we left. I started to feel bad for the taxi driver and broke the kiss, resting my head on his shoulder and reaching for his large, calloused hand. He continued to press soft kisses to the top of my head and stroke my hand with his thumb for the remainder of the short taxi drive. It felt odd to be so intimate with a stranger. I had hardly even felt this close to past boyfriends. What was it about Matty that made me feel so safe?

When we arrived at Matty’s apartment building he paid the taxi driver quickly and basically pulled me out of the car and all the way inside, pressing the lift buttons frantically. I laughed at him, placing my hand on his jaw and pulling him down to look at me. “Chill out Matty, we have time.” I kissed his cheek as the lift doors opened and he pulled me inside, barely waiting until the doors had closed to pull me into another deep kiss. He bent down slightly to wrap his hands around my thighs. “Jump,” he whispered with a grin. I jumped up and he caught me, pushing me against the cold metal wall. I moaned into the kiss as his hands made their way to my ass, squeezing gently. The doors began to open again but Matty didn’t put me down, instead running down the corridor with me in his arms, until I was screaming with laughter and begging him to drop me. He lowered me to my feet when he reached the door to his flat as he fumbled with his keys to open the door.

No sooner were we through the door than he slid his jacket off his shoulders onto the ground and kicked off his shoes, connecting our lips again. “Please, Matty,” I whispered into his mouth, and he ran his hands up and down my back a few times before finding the zip of my dress and pulling it down. As the dress fell to the floor, he devoured me with his eyes. I had gone braless to the party and my nipples were rock hard with the cool air and anticipation of what was to come. My lower half was barely covered by a lacy black thong which seemed to attract Matty’s attention. He was already hardening in his jeans, and I couldn’t wait any longer, so I stepped forward to start unbuttoning his shirt. He yanked it off and threw it behind him, before pulling his jeans off and kicking them away from himself. He stood in a pair of black Calvins, eyeing me up and down and smiling. “How did I get this lucky? It’s not often girls as perfect as you come into the shop, babe, never mind me taking them home on the first night of knowing each other.”

I blushed, before saying “get a move on, Matty. I’m not standing here all night.”

He lunged towards me, tackling me onto the sofa and attacking my nipple with his tongue, making me cry out between bursts of laughter. He sucked a few dark red marks into the skin of my breasts, to match the one he had given me on my neck. He scooped me up, making me giggle, and carried me into his bedroom, throwing me down on the bed before stripping himself of his boxers and pulling off my thong, dropping to his knees when he saw my exposed pussy. He looked up at me for permission. “Can I?”

I nodded. He started by licking the whole way from my hole to my clit, making me cry out in pleasure, before settling on my clit and sucking, licking, grazing it with his teeth. I was dripping now, and one of his hands crept up and was catching some of the wetness on his fingertips. He inserted two finger into me, thrusting them in and out, curling them to hit my g-spot, while he kept licking my clit over and over. I screamed his name and clutched at his dark hair, nearing the edge. Him sucking my clit again and thrusting his fingers into me faster than before had me cumming over his hand and mouth, my arousal dripping down my thighs. He retracted his hand and placed his fingers in his mouth, sucking them clean of my wetness. I lay panting, heart pounding, legs shaking.

“Fuck, baby. You’re incredible,” he whispered, as if I was the one doing the work.

He crawled up to hover above me and kiss me, the taste of my cunt on his tongue.

—————

Matty had tucked me under his duvet with a kiss to my forehead, crawling into bed beside me and pulling me tight to his chest. We had decided not to take things any further that night, realising that despite the feelings that had obviously generated extremely quickly and the connection we seemed to have, we didn’t want to rush into anything. I knew we were both drunk, both high. I didn’t want to wake up the next morning and think I had made a mistake. I rolled over to face him, pressing a kiss to the smooth skin of his cheek, before tucking my head into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent, and drifting off to sleep; our hearts beating in sync and our breathing matching each others.

—————

A/N: First chapter! Lemme know what you think PLEASE I’m begging give me feedback. Hope y’all enjoyed. Btw in the future when a few more parts are out I would LOVE to take requests for Record Store!Matty blurbs. We’ll see though 🫶

[thebirdandthebee]

Easy As

A Carmen Berzatto Universe

A/N: This is another request from the inbox! I am running low on requests for this series, so feel free to hop in there. There is an exciting little nod in this one that’s new :)

Vanessa Monaghan is the breath of fresh air that Carmen had been gasping for.

Chapter 19: Smoke

Vanessa tossed the dirty socks down into the washing machine before slamming the lid shut. She stalked through the house, heels first into the hardwood, tearing open the refrigerator door and grabbing a can of ginger ale, cracking open the top.

She was pissed, and rightfully so, even a few hours after Carmen had gone to work she wanted to wring his stupid neck. Trying her best to cool off, she leaned against the kitchen counter, shooting off a text to Gina so she could commiserate.

As she composed the message, a separate message came through from Sydney.

From: Syd

So do you know why Carmen is on a warpath today?

Vanessa sighed, not wanting to ignore her friend, but she really was trying to forget about their giant argument earlier that day. Trying to keep from reigniting her anger, she left her phone on the kitchen counter before heading to the living room.

She was even more annoyed at the fact that she’d taken the day off from work to relax after a tough week, only for the day to explode into a big fight.

She heard her phone ding again atop the kitchen counter and couldn’t ignore Syd again.

From: Syd

Seriously though, he’s about to lose half of his staff.

Vanessa sighed, running a hand through her hair.

To: Syd

Do you think you could trip him?

From: Syd

So you’re aware of this situation?

To: Syd Sorry, yes. We got into it before he left for dinner service.

From: Syd

Please fix this, he’s making my life hell.

It was unfair for Carmen to be taking out his personal issues on his staff, and it made her all the more annoyed at the chef.

She weighed her options. She could leave it alone and hope the team survived the night, or she could make her way down to The Bear and tell Carmen to pull the stick out of his ass.

Unfortunately for Carmen, her father didn’t raise her to back down. So she tossed her hair up in a ponytail, stepped into a pair of her bitchiest heels and called an Uber.

Rolling up The Bear, the team had already finished for dinner service for the night and had clearly moved into side work and cleaning. Vanessa knew that during service, the customers often served as a buffer between staff members, giving them something to focus on.

“If you let that slip again, Marcus, you can leave your apron by the door on the way out!” She heard Carmen shout from the back just moments after pushing open the front door. “What I’m asking is not hard, do your fucking job!”

Vanessa frowned, she loved Marcus who was a big softie and was truly always trying his best.

“Thank God,” Richie sighed, popping his head out of the service entry to the front of house. “Nessie, he’s off his goddamn rocker, can you fix this?” Richie asked, tilting his head back toward the kitchen.

“If you guys are almost done, it’s probably best to start clearing out,” she advised. Richie watched Vanessa walk back toward the kitchen.

“I don’t know how many times I have to ask, if these lowboys aren’t cleaned out properly, I’m going to lose it!” Carmen shouted, taken aback as he saw his fiancé enter the kitchen. It wasn’t too often she got to catch him completely by surprise. “Hi,” he said curtly, quickly silencing the room.

It was not the way Carmen Berzatto ever greeted Vanessa, and his whole staff knew it.

“Mom and Dad are fighting,” Ebrahim said, eyes glancing all around. Vanessa could see the anger creeping up Carmen’s neck.

“I think we’re good here,” T murmured, grabbing her things. “See you Monday, Jeff,” she brushed by Carmen, “hope you’re less of a dick.”

Carmen shifted on his feet, rolling his neck as his staff filed out.

Thank you, Sydney mouthed to Vanessa, creeping backward to her locker and quickly grabbing her coat.

“What are you doing here?” Carmen asked, tossing a kitchen towel over his shoulder. In other circumstances, she’d have a hard time taking her seriously in those crocs, but seeing his face reminded her why she was so pissed at him.

“Your team asked me to come because the said you were being a monumental asshole,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Who?” Carmen asked, leaning into one of his shoulders.

“Doesn’t matter,” she replied.

“Well they shouldn’t be calling you,” he said, turning back to walk around the other side of the kitchen. She watched as he took the towel off his shoulder, wiping down counters. “You didn’t need to come down here,” he added, knowing full well she was watching him.

“And you don’t need to be laying into your staff because you’re pissed at me,” Vanessa countered. Carmen paused his ministrations momentarily.

“I’m not,” he said pointedly.

“You are!” Vanessa countered, “did you not see how fast they split out of here?”

“Ness,” Carmen warned, “I can’t get into this again,” he finished.

Vanessa’s jaw ticked.

“God you’re such a dick,” she shook her head, “I swear to god.”

“Vanessa I already apologized,” Carmen said, throwing his towel down.

“You’re not sorry, you’re just sorry I found out!” Vanessa narrowed her eyes. “If I wouldn’t have come home early from the office, I never would have caught you,” she elaborated.

“It’s not that big of a deal!” Carmen huffed, tugging at his curls. “Everyone in this goddamn kitchen smokes!” He gestured around him.

“Sydney does not smoke,” Vanessa spat back immediately. “You told me you quit!”

“I only light up once and a while!” Carmen said, “at work!”

“Clearly it’s not just at work because you were smoking in our home!” She laughed.

“I was out on the patio,” Carmen returned, a little wind out of his sails.

“You lied, you told me you quit and clearly you haven’t,” Vanessa listed off. “It feels so disrespectful of you to do that in our home after I made it very clear I didn’t want you to.”

Carmen felt a little guilt. He knew he should feel more, but that’s what people did in the restaurant industry, they smoked cigarettes to keep from going insane. It was shitty he’d smoked at the apartment, even if he was outside, knowing how much Vanessa hated it.

And he had told her he quit several months ago, because he really did have every intent of doing so – but it was harder than he thought it would be as someone who only smoked one or two time s a week.

“I am sorry for smoking at the house,” he sighed, sounding anything but genuine.

“I can’t stand you,” Vanessa sighed. “I’ll see you at home, enjoy cleaning on your own,” she waved off, turning to leave the restaurant. She shouldn’t have come down there to begin with.

Carmen dropped his head down, hanging over the stainless steel counter.

He didn’t realize how much this affected her.

“Ness!” He called out, turning and heading to the dining room. She had a foot out the door and tossed him back a look that didn’t indicate she was too excited to talk to him anymore. “Can we talk about this?” He asked. Vanessa debated waiting outside for her Uber, but she remembered she was committing the rest of her life to this man, and they’d need to talk this out eventually.

Against her desires, she walked back into the restaurant, leaning against a tabletop.

“I am sorry,” he said, “I didn’t realize it was that big of a deal and I shouldn’t have tried to hide it.” He elaborated.

“I told you it was a big deal,” Vanessa frowned, “and you must have known on some level because when I asked, you lied.” Carmen leveled a direct stare with that blue gaze. It wasn’t too often they spoke to one another like this, but it was a serious situation after all. “It’s a deal breaker for me,” she added, watching as his eyebrows crept up toward his hairline.

“A deal breaker?” Carmen asked.

“Yeah, if you don’t care about yourself that much, it’s unfair to me,” Vanessa replied logically. “And I want babies, so it’s unfair to me, and it’s unfair to them,” she shrugged. “I’m not bringing them up in a house with cigarette smoke, or where their Dad is fine putting himself at risk for lung disease and cancer,” she finished. “You’re either with the program, or you’re not, I’m not doing it all alone.”

Carmen had tunnel vision. There was not anyone else on God’s green earth that was going to be raising babies with Vanessa, and if he had to give up a few cigs to ensure that, he would without hesitation.

“They’re gone,” he nodded. “They’re not worth it,” he said. They were both quiet for a few beats. “I’m sorry, Ness,” he said, much more softly.

“I accept your apology,” she mumbled, “still want to pinch you, though,” she added. Carmen barely allowed his mouth to turn up at its corners.

“You wanna pinch me?” He asked.

“Yeah, I really do,” she sighed, crossing one ankle over the other, perched gently against the table.

“Can I get within pinching distance?” He asked, not wanting to breach her personal space given the conversation they’d just had.

“Yeah, you can get closer,” she nodded. Carmen entered her personal bubble.

“Want to be annoyed with me at home?” He offered, “it’s getting late,” he commented. Vanessa nodded, letting him drape his arms around her shoulders. “I’m sorry baby,” he said, smoothing her hair back from her face, her big brown eyes looking up at him. God he was screwed if their babies had her eyes.

“I know,” she nodded. “No more beign mean to Syd and the team,” She said, tugging on the sides of his apron. Carmen huffed but nodded resolutely.

“Can’t believe they called you,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of their head.

“They know who’s in charge.”

[hellyeahgeorgekennedy]

Director Jeff Lieberman and George Kennedy on the set of Just Before Dawn (1981)

"We're out in the dead center middle of nowhere in a national forest outside of Salem, Oregon shooting a movie called 'Just Before Dawn'. Mike Kellin, the 'hunter' from the opening scenes of the movie, was also shooting another movie with Burt Reynolds called 'Paternity' at the same time in New York City. So, to make it work, Mike had to shuttle back and forth three times between the two movies.

So George and I figured, hey we're out here in the wilderness and Mike is going back to civilization, then coming back. Why not put in our orders for New York City take out. We made a list - New York Post, bagels, cream cheese, and a deck of cards.

Five days later there's Mike, trekking through the brush in full wardrobe and big grin, holding up the New York Post, along with a bag full of the other goods. We all sat down on apple crates for a game of Gin Rummy and bagels and cream cheese, pretending we were back in New York.

We should have shot that scene for future use when this thing called 'extras' would be created for DVDs and Blu-rays.

Who knew?

RIP George. A great, great man."

-- Jeffrey Lieberman

Director of Just Before Dawn

[strangersteddierthings]

AO3 First Lines Tag Game

I was tagged by @afewproblems. I appreciate the tag!! :D

Rules: post the first lines of your 10 most recently published ao3 stories (if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics)

Shovel Talk(s) - [Ao3] -Steddie

Steve and Eddie aren’t even together when Steve gets the Shovel Talk from Eddie’s uncle, but it is what tips Steve into talking to Eddie about his feelings, so he’s not upset by it.

Save Max - [Ao3] - Steddie

1. Make Sure Eddie Lives

Convince Wayne to move away? (how??)

Befriend Eddie sooner? (tried and failed)

Graduate Early?

2. Save Max

Stop Billy on Fourth July. Save Billy? Does he deserve it?

3. Help El With Powers. How?

Save Hopper? How to learn location of Russian prison if saved?

4. Convince Everyone To Move Out of Hawkins

That’s all that’s written on this slightly crumpled piece of paper.

Assuming Makes An Ass of You (And Me) - [Ao3]

It's Saturday evening and Steve is annoyed. He doesn't understand why everyone won't just stop asking if he wants to talk.

Class of '85 - [Ao3] - Steddie

August 25, 1984 - Two Days Before the Start of School

There's a good view of the whole party from their dark corner of the yard, where Jeff, Gareth, and Brian are huddled around him. Eddie'd told Carol Perkins he'd show but only if his friends could come, too. If she wanted weed, then his friends could have beer.

The One Where Steve Plays D&D - [Ao3] - Steddie

“Okay, that’s gotta be all there is, right?” Robin asks as she flips through the book again, pausing to flip back and forth between two pages, eyes narrowed like these pages have offended her personally. She’s leaning against the customer side of the counter at Family Video, and Steve is on the other so they can be facing each other.

Bad News First, Eddie - [Ao3] - Steddie

"Bad news first, Eddie," Steve sighs as he leans back on his heels, cleaner in one hand and a rag in the other. "They vandalized your headstone again. Good news, I beat Wayne out here so he won't be seeing it."

Enough - [Ao3] - Geraskier

It doesn't matter that Geralt's stomach does a little flip every time Jaskier accidentally brushes against him when they walk. It doesn't matter that his heart beats faster than he ever thought possible when Jaskier sings (sometimes literally) his praises for even the smallest of things. It doesn't matter that he would move heaven and earth just to see Jaskier smile. It doesn't matter that he loves Jaskier.

This has made me realize I need to put more of my fics on Ao3. I definitely have more posted to Tumblr than I do Ao3.

I'm going to tag: @i-less-than-three-you, @nburkhardt, @ladykailitha, and everyone else who hasn't done this yet but wants to!

[imagines-ahs]

Chapter Thirty-One: Fog.

Summary: Wilhemina Venable felt it was finally time to leave Kineros Robotics and get a job with people who weren’t such morons like Jeff and Mutt. What she didn’t expect, however, was for her new boss to be so damn insufferable. She didn’t expect to fall in love with her, either.

Tag List: @mayfair-fleur @mistysswampmud @paulsonsratched @msvenablx @notmeellaannyy @rwoolfe @golddustdykes​ @lovingsarah @slut-for-sarah @geinobinarie​ (message me to be added if interested!)

Right? It was… and did Venable feel comfortable around Emma? She did, more than she had felt around many people in a long time. But… was it enough? I wish I could feel like I do with Billie Dean. But Billie was only her friend… that’s why it felt so right. “You’re right…” But then again, when had she ever felt comfortable enough to not even brush her hair nor look at herself in the mirror while being with someone else? And she wasn’t even scared of being judged… being judged was always there. But not when it came to Billie Dean, it seemed. I don’t think I’d ever allow Emma to see me like that.

I should stop. The thought crossed Billie Dean’s mind once again. She decided to listen to it. “Just know I’m here if you ever need to talk about it.”

Wilhemina nodded. Something had shifted deep inside.

Billie Dean offered her a comforting smile and reached for the chocolate syrup; she poured a good amount of it all over her pancakes before taking another bite. A hum left her lips. “This is really good,” she commented.

Venable nodded as she ate, mind struggling to stay present. Why don’t I feel as comfortable with Emma? She couldn’t shake that question off of her mind. “I’m glad you like it.” She focused on Billie Dean again. “What time do you have to be on set today?”

“Only at six.” Billie took another bite. “We should wrap it up today, which means we’ll film until tomorrow morning.”

“Gosh, you should rest.” Wilhemina reached for her glass.

“Yeah,” Billie Dean nodded. “I should go home.” She didn’t want to impose her presence on Venable, after all; surely Wilhemina had better things to do.

Brown eyes fell down to her plate as Venable took a sip of her juice. “You can stay here, if you’d like… I can cook us lunch, and then you can take a nap in my bedroom…” Slowly, she looked back up at Billie. “If you’d like,” she repeated. I don’t like asking for things. It made Venable feel vulnerable, for what if Billie denied? It was a decision she couldn’t be in control of.

Something in the way Wilhemina made that offer caused Billie Dean to squeeze the fork in her hand; she was as calm and collected as always, but there was a hint of something there. Something longed for. And once again, Billie found herself asking how could she deny such a thing? “I don’t want to bother…”

“You won’t.” Perhaps Venable had answered too fast. She shifted on her seat. “You won’t. I’ll be home all day anyways. Truly.”

With a small smile, Billie Dean nodded. “Alright, then. But I’ll help with lunch.” She took another bite. “We can even order something. I’ll pay.”

“Absolutely not,” Wilhemina chuckled. “We’ll share.” She took a forkful.

“You’re already sharing your house.”

“That doesn’t count.” But not many people were invited over to Venable’s house… and even fewer were actually welcomed enough to sleep there. In fact, no one had ever been in her house in the past years. Would I be comfortable with Emma spending that much time here? The answer was one Wilhemina didn’t enjoy. Playfully, Billie Dean rolled her eyes. And funny enough, Venable felt like laughing instead of feeling disrespected. Is this intimacy? She didn’t know, but she could only assume so.

Honey eyes fixated on dark ones, and Wilhemina looked so damn lovely Billie wondered how someone like her could even be real, with her hair up and face so fresh from the morning, mouth full of pancakes. “Sharing it is, then,” she said after a moment, voice as soft as velvet.

“Thank you.”

Billie Dean nodded. Their plates had gotten empty by now, and so Billie got up to grab the dishes. “I’ll wash them.”

“There’s a dishwasher, you just have to fill it.” Reaching for her cane, Wilhemina got up as well.

“Are you sure?” Billie now collected all the used silverware and plates.

“Positive. It’s more economic to only run it when it’s full, anyways.” There were no pancakes left, so Wilhemina grabbed the syrup to take it back to the kitchen. Billie Dean nodded with a hum, and so they got to the kitchen and put everything away. Once they were done, Venable reached for the sink to wash her hands. “Would you like some coffee?”

“I’m okay, thank you.”

Wilhemina nodded. After drying her hands, she guided them to the living room. Purpura jumped on the couch, demanding for pets as Venable sat down. “Hi, darling.” The cat meowed.

Billie Dean smiled as she took a seat next to Wilhemina. After tucking her feet up underneath herself, she reached to pet Purpura as well. “I love her little sweater,” she commented.

“Thank you. She loves it, too.” Venable scratched between the cat’s ears. “She gets cold easily, so she needs one during winter.”

“I can see that.” Billie Dean watched as Purpura sniffed her hand, soon bumping her head against it. Wilhemina now moved to caress the cat’s back. “Purple suits her, too.”

A small chuckle left Wilhemina’s lips. “I agree.”

Billie kept on caressing the cat, small smile adorning her lips. “How did she like Emma?” The question left her lips before she could stop it. And why the fuck did she even ask that? Emma just wouldn’t leave her mind, it seemed, and for all the wrong reasons. The tiny bruises on Wilhemina’s neck didn’t help, either.

The reminder of Emma felt like a foreign body cutting through their bubble. Wilhemina cleared her throat as she gathered her thoughts and redirected them. “She hasn’t met Emma.” The answer was a surprise. Billie Dean looked up at Wilhemina for a second. I’m tired of thinking about Emma. All the mixed up emotions and all the internal questions were exhausting. “Emma hasn’t been to my place yet.”

“Oh, right.” Were these good news? Wilhemina is my friend. We’re friends. Even if Venable weren’t trying things with Emma, would she even be interested in Billie?

Wilhemina nodded. She was thankful Billie Dean didn’t ask anything else. I just want this subject gone for now. She would have to give her thoughts more time for her to understand whatever she was feeling. “I don’t think you’ve told me about your work yesterday.”

Billie hummed. She doesn’t want to talk about Emma. Why was that, Billie Dean wondered. “It was the usual… I had to wear reindeer antlers, which was definitely something.”

“Antlers?” Venable looked up at her. Her mind tried picturing Billie’s glamorous self with the antlers poking out of her luscious blonde hair, and a small chuckle left her lips.

“Antlers,” Billie Dean repeated with a laugh. “Stupid, right?”

“Fairly.”

“I know.” Billie Dean chuckled yet again.

“I bet you look good in them, though.”

“Hm?” Honey eyes looked back at Wilhemina.

“I bet the antlers look good on you.” Venable didn’t think anything could possibly make Billie look bad. “A little bit silly, but still good.”

Billie Dean couldn’t help but laugh. Wilhemina’s honesty was just rare to find, yet she deeply craved it into her life. “I’ll take it.” Purpura moved to lay down beside them. Billie kept on scratching her head.

Wilhemina nodded. “Was Jenny there to help you?”

“She was.” Billie Dean licked her lips as she looked back down at Purpura. Jenny had been there alright, but for the first time Billie had noticed she actually didn’t help much… well, she did do her job, but she didn’t seem to notice when she needed support. Wilhemina is the only one who does. The realization was painful for many reasons.

“That’s good. Will she be there today?”

“Yeah,” Billie nodded.

“Good.”

I’d rather for you to be there. Billie Dean decided she didn’t have to say that out loud. “What about your plans for tonight?”

“I have no plans.” Wilhemina rarely had any; her weekends always consisted on spending time with Purpura and watching movies, reading books or painting. That was Venable’s element. “Why do you ask?”

Billie shook her head in dismiss. She wanted to ask Wilhemina to join her on set; wanted to ask her if she could sleep at her house again, if they could spend the day together tomorrow. But that was selfish, and Venable probably wanted some time alone and some time with Emma, too. “Just a question.”

Wilhemina nodded. She side eyed Billie Dean, noticing how focused she was on Purpura; how her eyes didn’t move, but she didn’t seem to be actually paying attention to anything at all. I wonder what she’s thinking about. “What about your plans for tomorrow?”

“Bed,” Billie chuckled. Her eyes moved up once she blinked, and she met Venable’s. A small smile touched her lips. “I’ll probably sleep and eat and then sleep again and wake up to work on Monday morning.”

“You won’t be taking the day off?”

Billie Dean shook her head. “I have too much to work on. Mainly the Christmas party… it’s next Friday already.”

Venable frowned to herself. Billie worked too much, even to her own standards—which were definitely harsh. “If you’d like, I can take over on Monday so you can take the day off to rest.” In all honesty, having to plan a party would be absolutely dreadful, and Wilhemina wasn’t sure why she had offered such a thing… but Billie Dean had circles around her eyes and a very much needed sleeping schedule to fix.

“Oh, no.” Instantly, Billie shook her head. “The party is always a surprise. It’s my way of thanking my employees.”

“Billie Dean, I don’t mind. Truly.” Venable wasn’t a fan of surprises, after all.

“No way. Especially since it’s your first one, you deserve to just enjoy it.”

Wilhemina held back a sigh. And how annoying could Billie Dean be sometimes? Why was she so damn selfless when everyone around her seemed to take and take until she no longer could stand on her own? How could Billie have everything everyone could ever want and still… be just another kind soul out there; one of the precious ones. And how could Venable not want to be around someone like that? How could I possibly not want to kiss her? Wilhemina looked away and down at Purpura again. “If you insist…”

“I do.” Billie kept her eyes on Wilhemina. She has freckles, Billie Dean noticed. Just another detail she would add to her collection. Venable nodded at her words, and Billie’s honey eyes kept on staring at her while she pet the cat. After a second of silence, Billie Dean spoke again. “I like your eyes.”

That was out of nowhere. Wilhemina chuckled and moved to look at Billie again. “Why are you saying that?”

“Because it’s true,” Billie Dean shrugged. “And because I just realized you have freckles, and that’s absolutely cute.”

Venable’s cheeks turned bright pink. “They’re ordinary brown.” She couldn’t hold Billie’s gaze any longer; not with the way she was staring at her. It was as if she were cold, and Billie Dean was simply so warm it hurt.

“Not at all,” Billie Dean protested. She scooted closer, and Purpura now jumped off of the couch. “They’re deep brown.” Carefully, she reached to turn Wilhemina’s face back at her. This is too much. But she needed it. I’m playing with fire again. A soft fingertip traced the bridge of Venable’s nose, following the freckles there. “There’s nothing ordinary about your eyes,” she said after a moment, barely in a whisper.

Wilhemina gulped heavily. Her body allowed Billie Dean to mold it however she pleased, and that was absolutely terrifying. How could Billie posses such power over her? Why did she do so? I have never felt like that before. “I prefer yours,” her words, too, were as soft as velvet. Billie’s lips curled into a smile, fingertip still tracing the skin there. “They’re as soft as warm honey.”

“I don’t think they match me… perhaps green would fit better.”

Instantly, Venable shook her head. Green wasn’t Billie Dean’s color. Green didn’t make her herself. Green didn’t felt as safe as honey brown. “No,” Wilhemina said softly. Billie’s hand now rested on her shoulder, caressing it. “They are perfect like that… inviting…”

“Inviting?” Don’t do it. But before the thought could fully register in her brain, Billie Dean had already taken a glance down at Wilhemina’s lips. Inviting. She was the one to gulp now.

“Inviting,” Venable repeated, more to herself than to anyone else. Her stomach took a turn. She shifted uncomfortably on her seat. I want to kiss her. She kept her eyes on Billie’s, afraid to look anywhere else and lose all senses of reality. Her lips tingled. And Billie Dean’s eyes never left hers, either… their breathes mixed and matched again, and when Wilhemina realized, her hand had moved to caress one of Billie’s legs, right on top of her knee. Venable could no longer think. I’ve never wanted someone so badly… What was happening? Her mind was too confused and her body refused to move and why was she feeling that way towards someone who was a friend? She should be feeling however she was feeling for Emma, and not for Billie Dean. That was the correct thing, right? And then it hit her, in a gush of thoughts and as thin as a gush of air, that perhaps… things were swapped. And friendship didn’t feel like what she felt for Billie, and romantic interest wasn’t what she had for Emma. Fuck. She gulped again. But as fast as the thoughts came, they went away. Her phone began to ring from her bedroom, and they both pulled away as if they had been caught doing something wrong. Deep brown eyes looked down. “I—I should, um, I should go get it.”

“Yeah. Yeah, yeah.” Billie Dean moved to fix her hair, occupying her hands with something else. She didn’t look at Venable’s eyes. Too close. That couldn’t happen anymore. That shouldn’t even have happened again.

With a weird nod and with her heart nearly flying away from her chest, Wilhemina reached for her cane and got up. She followed to the bedroom and, on autopilot, picked up her phone without even looking at the name on the screen. “Hello.”

“Hi!” Emma’s voice beamed from the other side of the line. Venable took a silent deep breath as she sat down on the edge of her bed. “It’s Emma. How did you sleep, gorgeous?”

“F-fine.” Wilhemina cleared her throat. “Fine.” Gorgeous. The nickname confused her. With her free hand, she squeezed the cane. “What about you?”

“Absolutely well.” Emma sounded very excited. “I’m in the market right now and I was thinking about cooking us lunch tomorrow. Would you like it? There’s this very good looking piece of salmon here, and I was thinking I could cook it for us with a side salad.”

In all honesty, Venable could barely register Emma’s words. Her heart was beating so fast it kept on sounding like it was inside of her head, and her billion thoughts per second weren’t any help, either. “Sure.”

“Yeah? Perfect! I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Ten-thirty?”

“Yes.”

“Alright! See you, gorgeous.”

“See you.” Wilhemina barely gave Emma any time to say anything else as she ended the call. Setting her phone aside, she took a deep breath. I can’t do this. I can’t do any of this. Billie Dean was the closest she had ever felt of belonging… she couldn’t ruin it. She couldn’t risk causing things to get like they were with Emma: good, but not ideal. Billie was… ideal. I don’t want her to leave me. Dating meant sometime Billie Dean would see her without any clothes on… and that meant Billie would leave her when she saw her body; her spine. I won’t handle Billie Dean leaving me. She couldn’t have anything with Billie. If Emma decided she didn’t like her, that wouldn’t hurt half of as if Billie Dean did so. She took another deep breath and got up to use the bathroom.

In the living room, Billie Dean stared down at her hands. Too close. Too close. Too close. She couldn’t keep on doing that to Wilhemina, doing that to herself. That was too painful, and for fuck’s sake, Venable still had fresh bruises on her neck! I need to go home. But Wilhemina had asked her to stay for lunch. I can’t. Billie was still tired, and she had to work tonight again. If she stayed, who knew what else she’d end up doing? Would she have enough self control? Would she even kiss me back? How foul of her, to be at Wilhemina’s house and think of her under that light, think about her touches in a way that were certainly not meant to be thought about. Am I taking advantage of her? The thought scared Billie Dean. A yawn left her lips, and she wondered if her tired brain was trying to play a trick on her. I need to go home. Billie couldn’t risk it; she couldn’t risk ending their friendship, she couldn’t risk the possibility that she was taking advantage of Wilhemina, she couldn’t risk anything, for everything was too precious for her. She got up and followed to Wilhemina’s bedroom, carefully stepping inside when she realized it was empty. From the other side of the door, she heard the sink running. She’s in the bathroom. Swiftly, Billie undressed and put on her own clothes; she made sure to place the purple pajamas neatly folded on top of the bed. I don’t want to leave. But she had to.

When Venable opened the door and stepped inside her bedroom again, fiery eyebrows drew closer together; she frowned. Billie Dean was all dressed and now sat down on the edge of the bed while putting her shoes on. “Are you leaving?” What did I do?!

Without looking up, Billie nodded. Wilhemina’s quiet tone already hurt. “I need to rest for tonight.”

“What—what about lunch?” Venable stepped closer. I did something wrong. “You can sleep here, if you’d like.” Even though she tried, her usual calm and collected words leaked a tiny amount of desperation. Billie Dean noticed it, and her own chest grew heavier.

“I really need to sleep… I don’t want to bother.” Finally, she looked back up. Venable had that worry dimple between her eyebrows again. I’m so sorry.

“You could never,” Wilhemina quickly answered. She sucked on her lower lip, frown still on her features. I did something wrong. I did something wrong. “I—I don’t mind. I might take a nap, too.”

To realize the Wilhemina Venable was trying so hard to get her to stay was an utterly bittersweet sensation. Billie Dean opened a sad smile. “Wilhie, I really need to go home… I’m sorry.”

Wilhie. Was Billie Dean really mad at her? Why did it matter so much? There were so many emotions and so many feelings in her head right now, Venable could feel herself starting to suffocate. Breathe. “O-of course. I didn’t mean to impose.” She squeezed her cane harshly in order to ground herself. If Billie Dean wanted to leave, there was nothing Venable could do.

Oh no. Wilhemina looked hurt. “You’re not. You’ve been nothing but kind to me.” Billie bit her lower lip. Is it right to leave? “Thank you for having me.” She had to.

“You don’t have to thank me, Billie Dean.”

Billie Dean now reached for her purse. Wilhemina shifted on her feet as she watched her. Is she nervous? Had she done anything wrong? “Will you be alright?”

“I’m fine,” Venable nodded. She gulped quietly. “Will you?”

“Yes.” Wilhemina looked so small in her purple pajamas… leaving her was hard. “I just need to rest.”

Venable gave her another nod. “Don’t forget to eat.”

“I won’t.”

Hesitantly, Wilhemina guided them to the front door. Purpura watched them from afar, sitting in the corner of the room. She reached for the keys and slowly opened the door. “Text me when you get home? So I know you’re safe…” Brown eyes met honey ones. Did I do something wrong? Maybe Billie Dean had finally grown tired of her… it was bound to happen, right? She had opened up, had been vulnerable… of course Billie would leave.

She looks hurt. Billie Dean couldn’t stop second guessing her decisions. “I will.” She reached to tuck a lock of her own hair behind her ear. “Wilhie, I’m sorry I can’t stay for lunch… I’m just really exhausted,” she repeated.

Venable nodded. She nodded and looked away. “It’s alright.” She’s lying.

Billie Dean wasn’t sure she believed Wilhemina. But she didn’t want to force her to say anything, and so if she said it was alright, it was alright. I’ll come see her tomorrow. “Okay… hug?”

Hug? Did she want a hug? Yes. Yes, she did… she desperately wanted it. And so, Wilhemina leaned closer and tightly wrapped her arms around Billie, making sure she positioned herself in a way Billie Dean would have to hug her waist, not shoulders and spine. Soft arms wrapped themselves around her own body, and Venable allowed her eyes to close. Did I do something wrong? She didn’t want to ask it; she didn’t want to hear the answer, she didn’t want to be seen as insane had she done nothing. Billie Dean was hugging her, and that was all that mattered right now. Floratta Blue invaded her nostrils. “Billie Dean?” Wilhemina nearly whispered.

“Yes?” Billie caressed Venable’s waist. Why was it so hard? Why was love so hard? Feelings so hard? Why was being human and having emotions so damn difficult? People were difficult. Life was difficult.

“I really like you,” Wilhemina whispered again, just because she could; just because she wasn’t staring at Billie Dean’s eyes, just because if Billie was mad at her, then what could she do? Everything was probably gone to crumbles already, anyways.

She’s upset. Billie Dean never wanted to upset anyone, especially Wilhemina… but she had to go. She had to think about everything carefully, had to think about Venable, had to think about her own feelings. “I really like you, too.” More than I should. “A lot.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Billie held her just a little bit tighter. She took a deep breath, focusing on the lavender notes that invaded her nostrils. What am I doing? Her fingertips caressed the place they lay on Wilhemina’s waist, feeling the cloth of her pajamas. After a moment, they both pulled away.

“Take care,” Venable said softly as she stepped aside.

“I will.” Billie Dean walked outside and followed to her car. When she turned back around, Venable watched her from the doorframe. She’s an angel. How painful was that? “Bye,” she waved at her softly.

“Bye.” With a sad smile, Wilhemina waved back. She watched as Billie got into her car and, eventually, began to drive away. She took a deep breath. What am I doing?

The ride home was anything but sweet. Billie Dean yawned nonstop, and her lower lip got caught between her teeth time and time again out of sheer overthinking. Why the fuck do I feel like crying? Billie didn’t understand… she sniffled as she stopped at a red light, reaching to wipe a tear away. Didn’t understand was really a lie, though; she knew why she was crying, she knew why she felt so damn bad and so damn defeated and like everything always failed for her. She was in love with Wilhemina… and Wilhemina had her neck full of hickeys from another woman, Wilhemina touched her like a friend would, Wilhemina saw her with no second intentions. And she desperately craved those second intentions. But she couldn’t do anything about it. She couldn’t tell her how she felt, she couldn’t hold her hand and hope for her to hold it back the way she did. She had to think about Wilhemina first, about the journey she supposed Wilhemina had on finding someone, about her feelings and fears and about how much she had grown in the little time they had known one another. How was it fair to ruin it? How was it fair to come between her and Emma? I just can’t. Billie Dean sniffled again as she began to drive. I want to sleep. Billie wanted to stop thinking for a second and to stop feeling for a second and to stop wanting and longing for a woman she could not have. “Fuck!” Billie yelled to herself. Tears roamed freely on her face now, cascading down her cheeks and eventually drying or falling down to her lap. She was so damn tired of this game, of having to deal with her mind and having to deal with everything all the fucking time. I need a cigarette. How long had it been ever since she had last smoked? Billie rushed way more than she should in the streets, getting home in nearly half the time she was supposed to have gotten. Tears still streamed down her face, and when she stepped outside in her garage, Billie Dean yanked her purse and rushed her fingertips to grab a cigarette and push it between her lips. She took a long, slow drag. Her eyes closed, wet eyelashes clumping together. Fuck my life. Billie Dean leaned against the wall, purse hanging from her forearm and cigarette between her fingers. Finally her thoughts gave her a break. The tears began to dry out as she took drag after drag of her cigarette. The smell of tobacco filled her lungs and relaxed her in a way she didn’t exactly appreciate, but couldn’t live without. Once the cigarette was nearly gone, honey eyes opened again. Billie stared at nothing at all from the distance. I can’t keep doing that.

[mygif2u]

Washed on Your Shore

Pairing: Karenatalie Character(s): Karen Gaffney/Natalie Jones Rating: T Warnings/Tags: Alternate Universe - Selkies, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Emotional Infidelity, Forced Relationship, Natalie x Tim and Karen x Jeff is present but not endgame

"I had something stolen from me a long time ago. Ever since I have felt...empty. Like a whole other part of me is missing. Coming here is like a balm to my soul."

It was then that she chanced a look at Karen. The other woman had inched closer to her, their shoulders almost brushing.

"It has been my only source of comfort. Until you."

or

The Karen/Natalie Sealwife AU you never knew you wanted or needed.

Read it below, or on AO3.

A/N: So this has been sitting in my drafts basically since the movie came out, but I never got around to actually finishing it until now (thanks to the WIP Big Bang for the motivation to get it done, even if it ended up being over a month after it was originally meant to be posted!). This fic was inspired by phoukanamedpookie’s post on a potential seal-wife take on the movie.

Thanks to loopyloo2610 for beta-ing this! It is a far cry from the raggedy draft I resurrected all those months ago XD

Mind the tags (though nothing too far out of the ordinary for a selkie story.)

Hope you all enjoy :)

"Hey Nat, have you seen my new suit?"

Natalie sighed as she rifled through Tim's side of the closet before pulling out a navy suit still covered in its plastic packaging. Why her husband hadn't pulled it out the night before was beyond her.

“It’s here.”

He looked towards her while putting on his tie in front of their mirror. She held the suit out to show him, and he gave a small smile.

"Thanks honey, you're a lifesaver."

Natalie nodded before hanging the suit on the bedroom door knob. She made to leave the room before Tim stopped her. Again.

"Sweetheart, do you mind giving me a hand with this?"

Natalie turned around to see Tim continuing to fiddle with his tie, vainly trying to adjust it to sit flat on his chest. She stepped in front of him and batted his hands away before fixing the knot herself. In all the time they had been together, Tim had never done up his own tie for work. It was something that had always confused Natalie, since it was not a hard thing to do. When she had asked Tim about it, he had remarked that the tie “always looked better when she did it.” A comment that she used to find flattering but was starting to become irksome as time went on.

Once she was done, she made to step away from him, but was stopped by his hands on her shoulders.

He grinned at her, before moving in for a goodbye kiss. Dread curled low in her stomach as he drew close, and she turned away from him, making his lips graze her cheek instead of her mouth. She tried not to grimace as she felt the short hairs he had missed shaving scratch her skin.

Tim froze.

Hurrying to dispel the suddenly tense air between them, Natalie quickly rubbed her hands up and down his arms in reassurance.

"You're going to be late for work, babe."

She flashed him a quick smile before darting from the room and down the stairs to prepare his lunch.

It was easier, before. The few months after Tim had seen her on the beach. Their whirlwind romance and marriage. Talks of children. Now it seemed that any passion that had existed between them had fizzled out and died.

Physical affection between them used to be so much more common, but as time drew on, Natalie became more reluctant to seek out or accept Tim's touch. This morning, however, was the first time that she had so blatantly refused his advances.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoing down the stairs made Natalie quickly wrap Tim's lunch in a paper bag.

"Have a good day at work."

Tim gave her a tight smile, before taking the bag and striding out the door.

Natalie breathed out a heavy sigh, muffled by the ignition of Tim's car revving to life. When was it that she had started feeling like this? This feeling of dissatisfaction and discomfort – was it a new feeling that was to be expected at a certain point in a relationship? Or had it always been there, simmering under the surface of their entire time together, only now making itself known?

Before she knew it, Natalie found herself walking out the back door, stepping off the porch of the house and padding down the well worn trail. Tim wouldn't be home until later in the evening. She made her way along the narrow path, not stopping until she reached the shoreline of the beach behind their house. The wind whipped up her hair, and she welcomed the sensation, along with the cool water swirling around her feet.

A flock of squawking gulls flew overhead, their calls accompanying her as she continued along the beach until she reached her destination: a hidden grotto scoured from the cliff face. Smooth sand eventually gave way to rocks and gravel as Natalie picked her way further inside, until she came into a cavern that had long since been carved from the sea beyond.

Walking towards the farthest wall of the cavern, Natalie settled against the smooth stone ground.

Running her hands along the stone beneath her, she shut her eyes as she laid her head against the rock wall, the distant sound of crashing waves filtering through the craggy entrance and echoing around the cavern.

The taste of salt was sharp and tangy with her every inhale; it lingered on her tongue, and the itch to feel water sluicing over her body pulsed within her very being.

The waves seemed to echo louder, to the point where it seemed to reverberate around her. The phantom pull of her skin tugged at her; the silken mahogany pelt stolen from her years ago.

**

It felt like an age had passed when Natalie summoned the strength to leave the cavern. It never seemed to get any easier no matter how many times she had done it in the past, although with the sun now shining directly above her, it seemed that she had left earlier than she usually did.

She had just stepped foot onto her porch when she heard the sounds of voices and several car doors slamming. How strange; she never expected visitors, and the neighbours usually kept to themselves.

Curiosity piqued, she walked around the side of the house towards the sounds, and found them coming from next door. An SUV and a large truck were parked in the front yard, and a ginger-haired woman was directing two men carrying a sofa into the house.

"I think that's the last of the heavy stuff, guys."

A football soared past the woman's head, followed by two boys bursting out of the house, both shrieking in laughter.

Natalie watched as the football hit the ground and skip one, two, three times, before rolling to a stop in front of her.

Before she could move, the two boys dove for the ball, spraying her jeans with a wave of dirt.

"Mike! Patrick!"

Trying to dust off the dirt streaks on her jeans, Natalie looked up to see the boys' mother striding towards them, a disapproving frown on her face.

"I told you two to take it to the backyard!"

"No, Mom, you told us to take it outside. This is outside."

Natalie tried to hide a smile as the eldest child spread his arms out and gestured around him. The quirk of a lip she got in turn from the boy's mother told her the gesture hadn't gone unnoticed.

"I think Daddy's all done putting your boxes in your rooms. Why don't you go and unpack all your toys?"

The boys didn't need to be told twice. They both bolted back into the house, leaving the football in their wake.

A rueful sigh came from the boys' mother, before she moved to pick up the ball still laying by their feet. A sudden urge to help the other woman propelled Natalie forward to get to the ball first.

“Here.”

A flash of surprise swept across the other woman’s face, and Natalie could feel her own heating up as the woman stared at the ball in her hand.

A grateful smile broke out across the other woman’s mouth, and the warmth across Natalie’s cheeks lingered for a different reason entirely as the woman took the ball from her, their fingers brushing as she did so.

"Thanks. Look, I'm sorry about that. Boys will be boys and all that, you know?"

Natalie didn't know, but she smiled back at the other woman anyway.

"It's no trouble."

And then, the same urge from earlier returned, emboldening Natalie to step forward, hand outstretched.

"I'm Natalie Jones. I live with my husband, Tim, over there," she said, tilting her head back at their house.

The woman moved forward to clasp Natalie's hand in her own. It was warm and smooth to the touch.

"Karen Gaffney. You've already met Patrick and Mikey, and my husband Jeff is - "

" - right here."

A man just a little taller than Karen sidled up next to her, slipping his arm around her waist.

"Oh honey, this is one of our new neighbours, Natalie Jones."

Natalie sent a smile Jeff's way, but her eyes were drawn back to Karen almost as soon as they left her.

"Do you need any help?"

"No thanks,” Jeff replied. “Everything's been put in the house already."

"Are you sure? I'm not doing anything exciting at the moment, so if you need an extra pair of hands..."

Natalie could see Jeff about to decline again when Karen interrupted him.

"Wait, Jeff, if Natalie's offering, why not? We've got a lot of stuff, and this is a big house."

Jeff looked between them, his eyes lingering on Natalie as he pondered Karen’s suggestion. Natalie felt a tinge of unease under Jeff's gaze – he wasn’t scrutinising her, but she felt as though she was under some wordless assessment that wasn't entirely borne from a decision to accept help from a kind neighbour. Natalie tried not to let the relief show on her face when Jeff finally nodded in grudging assent.

"Well all right then."

Karen beamed at him, then at Natalie, who found herself a little taken aback by Karen's brilliant smile, but couldn't help a small one in return.

Karen took that as an invitation to grab Natalie's hand and whisk her into the house.

"Come on this way."

**

It was hours later when Natalie got back to her own house. She huffed a quiet breath as she shut the door behind her and slumped back against it. The Gaffneys definitely had more belongings than she had expected; when they had finally finished, the sun had long set over the horizon, and her muscles ached in a way that told Natalie she would feel it in the morning. It had been nice though; the house had been filled with talk and laughter, and the Gaffneys had thanked her for her help with a delicious lunch. It was a welcome change to her usual routine of cleaning her already spotless house and cooking until they ran out of space in the fridge, waiting for Tim to come home.

Who probably was home by now.

Natalie pushed herself away from the door before padding down the hall into the dining room. She saw Tim standing by the dining table, his phone to his ear.

"Hi sweetheart, how was work?"

Tim looked up, and held the phone away from his mouth as he answered, "Ah same old, same old. Ordered Chinese for dinner; I got you your usual."

A complex mix of emotions swirled in Natalie’s chest — annoyance that Tim hadn’t taken something out of the fridge to reheat instead, and dull warmth at his preparing dinner for them at all. It wasn’t often that Tim demonstrated his thoughtfulness — there were times where it felt like she was a prized possession rather than a life partner, and such acts of consideration had become rarer the longer they had been married. And even though Natalie’s excitement at such acts had faded, she still held some appreciation for when Tim did these things for her.

He smiled at her.

"Where'd you go earlier?"

"Oh, I was helping our new neighbours."

Tim raised his eyebrows at that.

“Huh, so the Mortimers ended up selling the place after all.”

“Seems so.”

Tim opened his mouth to reply, before he stopped to listen to the other person on the phone. He pointed at it with his other hand, a contrite frown crossing his face.

“Sorry, it's Dan — you know how he gets. Let me know when the food gets here, alright?”

Tim slid his hand across her hip and kissed her cheek before retreating to his office.

Natalie sighed — another meal spent eating alone.

Still, her disappointment at missing out on spending a dinner with Tim didn’t sour her mood too much as she still felt the heartening effects of her day with the Gaffneys. Karen, in particular, was quite the conversationalist, regaling her with stories of the boys, and the chaos that surrounded the move from the Gaffneys’ old place.

They had only known each other for a few hours, but Natalie could already tell this woman was going to be an exciting new part of her life. Probably the most exciting part of her life.

She couldn’t wait to get to know her more.

**

Fortunately, Natalie’s next encounter with Karen came sooner than expected.

It was just a few days later when the other woman invited her over for coffee while Jeff was at work and the kids were at school. Natalie deliberated over what to bring for her new neighbour – Natalie had known from the other times she and Tim had guests over that it was a common custom for people to bring gifts when visiting each other, but she really wanted to give Karen something she would love. Natalie turned the thought over and over in her mind, trying to glean from the one day she had spent with Karen the sort of gift that she would appreciate. Natalie dismissed buying anything from a store, since Karen loved homemade things, as Natalie had seen from the various items she had helped the Gaffneys unpack. And given Karen’s excitement over the dessert they had after lunch, she would probably appreciate something sweet.

Natalie eventually settled on baking a cake for the other woman, who welcomed her in with the blinding smile that had dazzled Natalie the first moment they had met. She had never come across someone so disarming before – granted, she had met few people after marrying Tim, and none of her sisters had ever had the same effect on her as Karen, as though she was the sun that broke through the clouds after a storm.

But she was – she could reel Natalie towards her like the fishermen with their catches once they had cast their nets and lines out to sea.

“Hey Natalie!”

Karen looked down at the almond cake Natalie had brought, and if anything, Karen’s smile widened.

“Oh, and you brought cake! That’s very sweet of you.”

Natalie looked down at the cake in her hands in confusion.

“Well, it does have honey in it, but I don’t think it’s that sweet.”

“I meant that you’re sweet, Natalie. It was thoughtful of you.”

A lightness filled Natalie’s chest at Karen’s compliment – the woman’s initial reaction was a promising start.

She gave a small smile back as Karen ushered her into the house.

Natalie was led into the Gaffneys’ kitchen, and they both set about preparing everything, Karen on the coffee and Natalie on the cake. Once they were done, Karen brought her to the Gaffneys’ back porch, where they sat at the outdoor dining table to see the ocean over the bushes marking the edge of the Gaffneys’ property.

Natalie waited and watched as Karen took the first bite of cake.

The other woman closed her eyes and hummed appreciatively.

“Natalie, this is so good! And it’s just as sweet as it needed to be.”

Natalie couldn’t help but smile, pleased at Karen’s reaction.

“That’s great! I’m glad.”

“Are you this good at everything? I mean you’re a handy removalist, a great baker…”

Natalie’s smile faltered for a moment. Tim’s lack of attention recently – or was it not so recently? – had made her start to question herself. And the strength of their relationship.

“No, I guess I’m just a woman of many talents.”

Karen looked up at her from under her lashes, a conspiratorial twinkle in her eye.

“Well, I look forward to discovering those other talents.”

The conversation flowed between them easily after that. Karen revealed that she and the rest of her family had moved from the leafy suburb they had lived in as they wanted to have a ‘sea change.’ Natalie had never heard the term before, but she deduced that it must mean that the Gaffneys had wanted a change of environment. The boys loved being so close to the beach, and Jeff loved being able to hike through the greenery along the shore. Karen loved it since she no longer had to live next to horrible neighbours who were only interested in competing with each other to have the newest cars and clothes, and being as involved as possible in something called ‘the PTA.’

In turn, Natalie shared the things she usually told Tim’s friends and business associates; that she had been visiting the area when she and Tim first met, and that they had been drawn to each other almost instantly, leading to their marriage and Natalie staying permanently. Which was the truth, but left out many details Natalie never shared with anyone.

It was hard, though, to omit the details she usually did, since Karen’s attention never wavered from her – something that couldn’t be said about Tim’s guests. Karen’s dark brown eyes would hold hers, and would make words flow where usually they would be punctuated by vague statements and terse, yet polite, comments. It was hard, both since Karen would ask Natalie questions she didn’t have to answer before, and because Karen’s gentle words and warm smiles made Natalie want to tell her everything.

They were only interrupted when a ringing sound emanated from inside the house.

“Ah, shoot, it’s time for me to get to work.”

Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Work?”

“Yes, I work half days on Thursdays and Fridays so Jeff can get a bit more time with the boys.”

“I see.” Natalie tried to contain her disappointment; she had been enjoying the time she had spent with Karen, and it was coming to an end sooner than she had expected.

Karen, seeming to sense this, said, “Oh, you can stay here if you’d like? I’ve got a bunch of books you could read, or the TV if that’s what you’d prefer. We have everything on there.”

Natalie’s immediate thought was to jump at the offer, eager to prolong the time she had with Karen. But working while guests were over is difficult to balance, and the last thing Natalie wanted was to overstay her welcome.

“Oh no, I’ve already taken so much of your time. I should let you get to work in peace, and –”

“Natalie,” Karen placed her hand over Natalie’s and squeezed lightly. Zips of electricity travelled between Karen’s palm and Natalie’s knuckles.

“It’s fine – I’ve really enjoyed your company, so don’t worry, OK?”

Natalie’s eyes dropped to Karen’s hand over hers, and caught sight of the gold band wrapped around Karen’s finger. Natalie had a similar one in a box in her bedside drawer – Tim had given it to her when they got married. She hadn’t worn it in months.

“Still, I would feel bad if I stayed.”

Karen gave a wistful sigh, but nodded in acquiescence.

“Well, alright. But if you ever change your mind, you’re always welcome here.”

An odd feeling fluttered through Natalie. She couldn’t put into words exactly what it was, but the invitation comforted her more than she would admit.

“Thank you, Karen.”

**

That was the first of many days spent in each other's company, and soon enough, they settled into a routine.

On the days Karen wasn’t at work (and on some of the days she was), Natalie would find herself at Karen’s place. She would go after her morning visit to the grotto – once the kids were at school, and Jeff had left for work. Karen would then welcome Natalie into her home and invite her for coffee.

It was on one of these mornings when Karen first asked her about her past. It was almost inevitable that this would happen – the topic was going to be raised at some point, considering how much time they had been spending with each other. While it set Natalie’s nerves on edge, it turned out to be easier than expected to open that part of herself up to Karen.

"So you must travel a lot, huh?"

Natalie raised an eyebrow at that. She couldn’t think of anything she had said that might have revealed that to the other woman.

"How can you tell?"

"That's quite an accent you've got there. "

Ah, that explained it.

Natalie hesitated before responding. She and her sisters had indeed travelled far and wide, roaming the world’s seas and oceans, for years at a time, but how to explain that to Karen without revealing the true nature of their kind?

“Yes, I used to.” Natalie said finally. “With my family – we saw many different places, many different people. When my sisters and I were younger, we would often play by the shore, chasing schools of fish and racing each other among the waves.” A smile tugged at her lips at the memory. “Our mothers would always chide us for getting too close to –” Natalie paused, trying to think of the best word to use, “– strangers.”

She had almost said the word “humans.”

Karen frowned.

Natalie felt her stomach drop – Karen must have caught her mistake when she said –

“Mothers?”

Relief settled Natalie’s nerves.

“We were not sisters by blood exactly, but we knew each other since birth.”

“That’s so nice that you got to have such close friendships.”

There was a hesitance with the way Karen said that last word, and there was only one direction Karen’s thoughts had to have turned.

“Where are they now?”

Natalie grew quiet. The truth was that ever since she had been shackled to the land, she had not seen hide nor hair of her sisters. No doubt they had now heeded the warning their mothers gave them so many years ago. Wanting to escape the fate she herself had been trapped in.

“We don’t see each other anymore.”

Karen’s face fell.

“Oh.”

Natalie nodded mutely.

It was then that Karen reached over and curled her fingers around Natalie’s.

Natalie looked up, and Karen squeezed her hand. The feeling of their hands intertwined once more was just as familiar as the first time, although now it seemed to last longer, the weight of Karen’s fingers resting heavy on Natalie’s hand. The smooth metal of Karen’s ring was the only thing that separated Natalie from feeling every inch of her skin.

“I haven’t heard you mention having other close friends."

Natalie tensed up, which Karen must have noticed, as she had started to rub the pad of her thumb along the back of Natalie’s hand.

“It’s strange to me because you are so well travelled, you’ve gotten up to so many adventures, and you're gorgeous to boot."

Natalie’s face burned at the compliment even as she shrugged. How would she be able to explain to Karen that there were no other friends at all, let alone close ones? The only other person she had in her life now was Tim, and, well, they had never been friends. No, it was better to sidestep the topic entirely.

“Well, I may not have those friends with me now, but I have you.”

Karen looked up to meet her eyes, the surprise that had flashed there giving way to affection. A soft smile that Natalie was beginning to see more and more of graced Karen’s lips.

“You say the sweetest things, Natalie.”

“I mean it Karen,” Natalie said earnestly, wanting to impress upon the woman exactly what she meant to her.

Hands still intertwined, Natalie drew Karen into her arms. She held in a soft sigh at the feel of Karen settling comfortably in her long arms. The thought that Karen was a better fit than Tim’s bulkier frame flitted through Natalie’s mind.

"I am so, so glad I met you."

**

That conversation brought them closer after that. Too close, Natalie realised in hindsight. Having spent years with Tim as her only company had made Natalie crave the time she spent with Karen, but it also meant that Natalie had to re-evaluate every boundary she had put in place since setting foot on shore.

It was a day that started off like any other, and nothing seemed too different, until Karen said –

"Is it all right if I ask you something?"

Natalie peered over the rim of her coffee mug at Karen. She had never felt the need to ask that question before – there was an edge to it that Natalie found odd, a hesitance there that was a touch stronger than what Natalie was used to from her. But then, they had been constantly learning new things about each other. It wouldn't hurt for Karen to ask. Natalie nodded.

"Where do you go every morning?"

Natalie froze. She hadn’t realised that her morning walk had been under observation, but clearly it had. Natalie searched Karen's face, trying to deduce her intentions behind the question.

“Nowhere in particular.”

Natalie’s dismissive tone couldn’t quite hide the firmness behind the answer, and Natalie saw how

Karen caught it the minute the words left her mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I ask because I see you leave your house when I get the kids ready for school."

Natalie nodded as she took another sip from her mug. For all that she was slowly becoming accustomed to sharing parts of her life with Karen, this was one thing that she wanted to keep for herself. No-one would know how she spent the first few hours of her mornings. Not Tim, and not a friend, no matter how close they were becoming,

"I promise not to ask you again."

**

Natalie did not visit Karen the next day, or even the day after that. She heard no word from Karen either, but on the third day, the pull on Natalie to check on the other woman roused her enough to go to the Gaffneys’ house.

It had been empty during the day, and when Natalie tried again later that evening, it was Jeff who opened the door, only to tell her that Karen had left on a work trip and would be back the next week. It was strange, but the keen awareness Natalie had of Karen’s absence rivalled only that of her missing coat. However, rather than a soul-deep ache that was ever-present but could (at times) fade into the background, Karen being away was like an acute pain lodged in her chest, like when one remains below the waves for too long and desperately needs to resurface.

She had taken to watching the Gaffney’s house every morning, and had even started to cut her time at the grotto short just to see when Karen would reappear, sending off the rest of the Gaffneys for the day. Natalie’s patience was eventually rewarded, as a few days later, she found herself leaning against the frame of her front door watching Karen wave Mike and Patrick goodbye, Jeff in the driver's seat.

As the car vanished into the distance, Karen turned to go back into her house when she caught sight of Natalie.

The sharpness lodged in Natalie’s chest shifted slightly – they had spent too long away from each other, and Natalie decided that enough was enough.

She pushed herself off her door frame and walked towards Karen.

Natalie took in the nervous look on the other woman's face, and the tentative smile she sent her way. The sharpness in her throat dulled further.

"Natalie, I'm sorry about the other day. I didn't realise that might be a sensitive topic for you. Will you forgive me?"

Natalie bit her lip at the contrition she heard in Karen's voice. The woman had – inadvertently – hurt her, yes, but that paled in comparison to the misery that had been the previous week without Karen’s company.

Unbidden, a small smile slipped onto Natalie's face as she stepped closer.

"It has already been forgiven, Karen."

A look of relief passed over Karen's face, and the familiar beaming grin Natalie had forgone radiated back at her. The last vestiges of pain dislodged itself from her throat.

"Oh, that’s good."

And then, before she could think twice about it, Natalie said,

"I want to show you something."

**

"So this is where you go every morning."

Natalie nodded as she watched Karen run a hand along the cavern's rock wall. They hadn’t said much on the way there, but it had not been an uncomfortable trip, as Natalie had offered a hand to Karen at some of the more difficult parts of the walk.

"I have been coming here ever since Tim and I have lived in that house."

The words spilled out unthinkingly, something that Natalie seemed to be doing the more time she spent around Karen. Which should be cause for concern, especially since it was also something that was becoming increasingly harder to stop once she started.

"I had something stolen from me a long time ago."

Natalie stared up into the sky above them through the hole in the rock face, taking care to avoid Karen's eyes on her. It didn’t stop the warmth rising in her cheeks as she felt Karen’s gaze on her.

"Ever since I have felt...empty. Like a whole other part of me is missing. Coming here is like a balm to my soul."

It was then that she chanced a look at Karen. The other woman had inched closer to her, their shoulders almost brushing. The careful look Karen directed at Natalie didn’t hide the questions that burned in her eyes, but she did not voice any of them, to which Natalie was grateful for.

She hesitated before saying her next words – she wondered if they would be too revealing, but then, they had gotten past that point the moment she had decided to bring Karen there.

"It has been my only source of comfort.”

Karen tilted her head consideringly, and Natalie looked away again.

“Until you."

Natalie didn’t dare look at Karen. Tim’s face flashed in her mind’s eye, and an ugly feeling flared in her belly at the thought of him.

"I have never brought anyone here before."

Natalie's heart swelled as she breathed out the confession. It hung suspended in the air between them, filling the space around them. Natalie wasn’t sure if it would force them apart or wrap around them, bringing them closer than ever.

It became too much for Natalie to resist. She needed to look at Karen. Her heart simultaneously settled and soared when she saw Karen looking at her with a gentleness that soothed her nerves.

"Thank you for telling me, Natalie."

**

What had been empty days, and sometimes empty nights, had become ones filled with the warm companionship Karen offered her. Whether it was at one of their houses, or down at the beach, the hours that Natalie whiled away with the other woman were some of the happiest she had in a long time.

Even if it was just in Karen’s living room, with Karen working away on her laptop and Natalie reading a book, the silence that hung between them whenever they were together was more companionable than the loud dinner parties Natalie would host for Tim and his friends.

However, such ease would vanish whenever Jeff came home. Like a stone sinking in Natalie’s chest, an oddly unpleasant feeling – guilt Natalie’s mind would whisper to her in her more honest moments – would settle over her when he walked through the front door.

Or when the light would catch on the ring on Karen’s finger. Or when Natalie felt the hard metal edge of it when Karen would hold her hand or squeeze her shoulder.

Surely, there was no need for it? It was not like she and Karen were doing anything wrong; in fact whenever they were together, everything in the world seemed right.

But this guilt that was becoming a more frequent companion for Natalie was further compounded every time she would return home to Tim. It was fine when she came back to an empty house; it gave her time to ready herself for Tim’s arrival from work. But when her husband (and when did that word start to fill her with such dread) was home before she was, it felt like she was caught doing something she shouldn’t.

It was dangerous, really, what she and Karen were doing. It was only a matter of time before her heart was no longer her own, and would leap willingly into Karen’s hands. Natalie wouldn’t, couldn’t, dare to think of whether the other woman would catch it or not.

But it couldn’t be helped – whenever Karen looked at her with that twinkle in her eye, whenever she laughed at something Natalie had said, whenever she would reach out to squeeze Natalie’s hands in comfort – she just couldn't bring herself to stop...whatever this was.

The pull this woman had on her, the one that had made her throw caution to the wind, tugged at something that her mother had once told her when she was just a pup. It had not been something Natalie had thought much about – why would there be a need to? – but with just how much Karen had a hold over her, it was one that Natalie was starting to think of more and more. It wasn’t as though it was true, right? Just a story that mothers would tell their daughters to lull them to slumber at night.

But the more time stretched on, the more likely it appeared that the old tale held more truth than Natalie first believed. And just like everything else when it came to Karen, it was something that Natalie revealed eventually, though not in a way she had anticipated.

It had started on one of the mornings when Karen joined her at the grotto. Karen had been animatedly talking about some of the new design concepts she was creating for a client, and Natalie had taken her excitement in with silent awe, lips curled in fondness. So caught up was she in Karen’s enthusiasm that it took her a moment to realise that Karen had stopped talking and was looking at her bemusedly.

“What?”

It took Natalie’s mind a moment to think of an answer.

“If I had known I could have met someone like you here, I would have made more of an effort to befriend people.”

Karen let out a small laugh, before she sent Natalie a teasing smile.

“Oh, but what about those people that visit you and Tim?"

“They are Tim’s friends, not mine.”

It slipped out without further thought, and with more seriousness than Natalie intended.

The joking lilt to their conversation disappeared, and Natalie instantly missed it.

She looked away from Karen, wanting to recover the lightness from moments before, but the change that came over Karen immediately after Natalie said those words was apparent.

Natalie toyed with the edge of the picnic blanket they had brought down with them – it was up to her to say something.

“In fact, you are the only part of my life that is truly mine.”

There it was again, one more thing she could not keep from Karen. As if she could keep anything from her – after all, Natalie had never been very successful when it came to keeping secrets from Karen.

Maybe it would be better to lay everything out for the other woman once and for all – Natalie was growing tired from carrying this burdensome weight on her own. She just hoped this would not cost her the closest – the only – friend she had.

"There's something you need to know about me, Karen."

When she looked back at Karen, Natalie fell into the other woman’s warm, doe-eyed gaze, and it coaxed out the words that had lodged themselves in Natalie’s throat.

"I haven't always lived like this.”

Karen’s brow furrowed in endearing confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Natalie sucked in a breath, before she pushed herself off the rock wall and started to pace.

“This life, in this place, with Tim. I – I am, I’m not – ”

Natalie closed her eyes. This was it – if she could get the words out then that would mean –

“I am not truly human.”

Natalie re-met Karen’s gaze, and found the confusion had deepened. The hard part had been done, but clearly further explanation was needed.

“Do you know of a creature called the selkie?”

Karen shook her head slowly, “It rings a bell, but I don’t know anything about it.”

“A selkie is a daughter of the sea; a being that can shift between that of a seal, and that of a human. This is made possible through the selkie’s fur coat; when she wears it, she assumes her seal form, and when she takes it off, she assumes her human one.”

Natalie turned to face the ocean, tides ebbing and flowing in time with her heartbeat.

“The coat is the most precious thing to a selkie, as it grants freedom, the ability to live outside of man’s world. If it is taken, the selkie is bound to the land, to the world of men. And bound specifically to the one who takes it, as they, according to the magical laws of their kind, will be joined in matrimony.”

Natalie turned to face Karen again, and could see understanding slowly cross her face. Other emotions were also appearing; disbelief and sympathy warring on the other woman’s face.

“So what you are saying is - ”

“I am one of those selkies.”

And there it was. The admission that had been stuck in Natalie’s throat, on the tip of her tongue, for years, leaving her mouth with the same ease as diving between the waves. A relief that this woman was hers.

Skepticism and – was it pity ? – crossed Karen’s face, and Natalie felt an urge to address it.

"I know you are finding it hard to believe me, but know that I'm telling you the truth. I haven’t told any human about who I really am. Until you.”

Karen eyed her warily.

“Not even Tim?”

“No.” The response was bitter, and would have been curt if Natalie had not continued, “I have tried, but was never able to tell him.”

Because he is not my destined one, Natalie thought to add, but stopped herself from voicing it out loud. Perhaps she had confessed enough for one day.

Natalie noted Karen’s wariness had faded slightly to give way to contemplation, written in the lines of Karen’s brow. And then she asked the one question that Natalie had tried not to think about – the one that defined her relationship with Tim.

“Do you love him, Natalie?”

Natalie remained quiet. The question that had lingered in the back of Natalie’s mind for some time now, casting a shadow she had not truly noticed until Karen voiced it. What was there she could say but –

“I, I don’t know. I thought I did, at the beginning, since he was a handsome, kind man. He still is. I – ”

I hold love for someone else.

Natalie faltered, searching for the words to explain how everything she had shared with Tim paled in comparison to what she shared with the woman before her.

“If there is more, you can tell me.”

And oh, did Natalie know that now.

“It is bizarre. Well - ” Natalie paused in thought, “ - you probably think this whole thing is already bizarre, but this is something that even I did not believe until it happened. ”

“There is a story my kind has, one you may be familiar with.”

Natalie drew closer to Karen before dropping to sit beside her on the picnic mat.

“Some selkies are blessed with soulmates. It is said that when a selkie meets her soulmate, it is as though a calm has settled over the selkie, as though a kind of peace has been granted to her. It is not immediately obvious, and so it can take some time to notice.”

“Once the selkie and her mate get better acquainted, however, the signs become more apparent; difficulty from being apart from one another, the inability to hide troubles from each other.”

Natalie’s eyes flicked over Karen, dropping to her lips, before looking away quickly. “Desire that gets stronger the longer it goes unsatisfied.”

Natalie clenched her jaw and shut her eyes at Karen’s sharp intake of breath.

“I have never told Tim this.”

Natalie tried to remain motionless as she felt Karen shift beside her. The fingers sliding along her arm to rest on her wrist wasn’t unexpected, but it made Natalie shiver anyway.

Turning to face the other woman, Natalie opened her eyes. It didn’t prepare her for the heart-aching tenderness she was met with. “Oh Natalie, I – ”

Natalie smiled sadly at Karen.

“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted – needed – to say this to you.”

For a heart-stopping moment, Natalie thought Karen would leave. Rejection she could handle – painful though it would be – but total withdrawal from this, from her, would be nothing short of devastating.

“Come here.”

And then Karen gripped her wrist and pulled her into her arms. Natalie sighed, allowing herself to fall fully into Karen, the other woman’s slight build against her own willowy frame fitting like the pearl in a clam.

“Please do not tell anyone.”

**

Things become different after that. It was like the shift in temperature as one swims from shallow to deep water, from a comfortable warmth to a sudden chill. Natalie felt it all the same, felt Karen slowly pull away from her, out of her grasp.

They didn’t stop meeting, and Karen never brought up that conversation again, but she didn’t linger the way she used to, didn’t spend as much time with Natalie as she used to. It felt as though Karen had put a barrier between them, and Natalie found herself wishing she had never confided in the woman, if only to have her the way she used to.

It was probably for the best though – she had been neglecting Tim, and it would do no good to long for a woman who did not want to be hers. No matter how right it felt whenever they were together.

So she buried the feeling behind the strained smiles she sent Karen, hoping it wouldn’t appear in her eyes. How she would let Karen go as soon as the other woman moved to leave her embrace, no matter how much she wished for her to stay in her arms.

**

It ended up happening out of nowhere. Natalie had wondered, for more times than she could count, exactly how the situation would play out, and how it would end.

Never had she ever thought it would go like this.

It was a weekend, nothing out of the ordinary. On those days Natalie would wake and leave for the grotto earlier than during the week, wanting to be back at the house before Tim woke.

Karen used to accompany her on some of the days, but those were coming so few and far between that Natalie no longer waited for a message from Karen to say she would be going.

When Natalie stepped off the path and made her way towards the back door, she found it ajar.

She frowned; Tim was normally still asleep at this time, and she never usually left the door open.

Approaching it cautiously, she could hear voices echoing from the direction of the kitchen. As she followed the sounds, she came upon a rather strange sight; Tim and Jeff were mid-conversation when she stepped into the room. That in itself was unusual, as she had never heard Tim talk about Jeff, or that they were in any way friends. But, she realised, as she took in the suddenly tense atmosphere that she had, indeed, stumbled into a conversation between two not friends.

They looked at her, and then each other.

“What is happening?”

“Natalie, I - ,” Tim began.

“Tim knows where your coat is.”

That knocked the wind out of Natalie’s lungs. It felt like the ground beneath her was going to give way. Jeff could not know anything about the significance of that, unless…

“What - ?”

“Natalie, I’m sorry. Karen told me about it.”

The sight of Tim and Jeff turned blurry as a tidal wave of hurt and rage washed over Natalie. After everything she had told Karen, she couldn’t believe that –

“She’s gone to find it.”

That redrew Natalie’s focus immediately.

“What? Why did no-one tell me?” she snapped.

“We didn’t get a chance until now,” Jeff replied.

An ugly heat crawled up Natalie’s neck and cheeks as she struggled to tamp down the fury that roared under her skin.

Through gritted teeth, she uttered, “Where did she go?”

And it was Tim, one of the biggest targets of her ire now who answered.

“She’s gone to the beach.”

And Natalie, with the strangest, knowing feeling in her gut, did not hear the rest of what Tim had to say. The feeling tugged her out of the house and back down the path she had just trodden, well-worn from the daily ritual she had engaged in all this time.

She took off down the path through the underbrush, bursting out onto the sand, just as she felt the alien feeling of someone holding her pelt. She pushed on faster, cursing at how slow she was on land compared to if she were swimming beneath the waves.

She found Karen in their grotto, next to a hole as deep as Karen was tall, holding the mahogany pelt her heart had been searching for in what felt like eternity. She saw Karen cradling the coat, marvelling at the glossy shine of it, undulled from its time underground. She shivered as Karen ran a hand over it, as though she was touching her very soul with her fingers.

“Karen!”

The woman whipped around at the sound of Natalie’s voice, and before she knew it, Natalie was standing in front of her, unable to tear her gaze away from the coat in her hand. Her heart was rabbiting in her chest and she struggled to catch her breath enough to cry out, “Why did you tell him?”

“I’m sorry Natalie, I just didn’t know how to do it without his help - ”

“It was not your secret to tell!”

“Yes I know, I’m sorry. I - ”

At this Karen choked on a sob, “I just wanted to see you free, even if it means I lose you.”

Natalie’s heart clenched at the admission. The truth laid bare cut deep in the light of day. All this time she had thought she had been wrong, that her affections had been one-sided, that Karen had been trying to spare her from heartbreak. But now she could see in the desperation in Karen’s gaze, the anguish dragging at the corners of her mouth, the unconscious trembling of Karen’s frame, that the woman was holding herself back from throwing herself into Natalie’s arms.

“Here.”

Karen held the coat out to her, and she had to choke back a sob.

Karen had no way of knowing what she had just done, the gesture one few of Natalie’s kind ever received, but one that was cherished and held sacred. It was something she had dreamed of, what her sisters dreamed of, and yet Natalie couldn’t look past Karen’s betrayal, couldn’t look past what Karen had done.

And so, with tears brimming in her eyes, she asked Karen, begged her, to place the coat on the sand between them.

“Please.”

Karen looked back at her, agony twisting her own face. With trembling fingers and a worrying mouth, she placed the coat on the ground between them gingerly. Natalie shivered as she felt the hands of her beloved pass over it one last time. Karen stepped away, making Natalie feel like she could breathe.

“Thank you.”

The words passed from her lips as Natalie stepped forward to pick up the coat. As soon as she took it in hand, it was like a piece of her heart had been returned to her. Every day that had been spent listlessly pacing the shore, every night being reeled back to Tim’s side fell away as her own hands smoothed over the pelt.

The tug of it pulling her back to the ocean was stronger now given all the time she had been separated from it, impossible to resist. And there was nothing to stop her any more.

Save one thing.

She looked up at Karen, the other piece of her heart, and knew she must heed the call, or she never would.

“I…I have - ”

Karen quirked a tremulous smile at her, a watery sheen covering her own eyes now.

“It’s OK, Natalie. Go.”

Natalie looked down at her coat, the deep mahogany of it. She had seen this shade elsewhere, and she didn’t know how she had missed it then. She looked back into Karen’s eyes, marvelling at how the colour of her coat was reflected in them.

“Goodbye Karen.”

And before she could let herself see Karen’s tears fall, she strode away, slipped the coat on and dove into the waves.

**

Natalie swam and swam and swam. The tides washed over her body in a way it had not done in years.

She found her sisters, who welcomed her back, relieved at her return. And though their company somewhat soothed the ache of loneliness inside her chest, Natalie’s mind couldn’t help but turn to the red-haired woman she had left on shore.

She refrained from seeking her out, though, refrained from returning to the place she had been shackled to for more time than she could ever get back. Even still, the memory of the other woman was not one that ever readily left her mind.

She gave in only once, just to see if the houses they had once occupied had gone, and though she saw the one she used to live in stood empty, Karen’s still held life. She caught a glimpse of the woman herself on the beach, but did not see if she was seen in turn, as her sisters were quick to sweep her away and back to open water.

**

It was somewhat inevitable that she ended up at this point. The call of a mate, a true mate, was one as hard to resist as that of the sea. Natalie did not regret answering the ocean’s call, only that it had drawn her away from the woman she loved.

But the sea doesn’t always claim things forever, and it can return things in the most unexpected times and unexpected ways.

The lone figure sat waiting by the rocks, a shock of red hair covering their face.

Natalie slipped off her coat, limbs lengthening, back straightening until she had assumed her human form once more.

Slinging the pelt across her arm, she made her way towards the figure, who looked up at the sound of skittering pebbles, and stared unmoving as she drew closer. Karen was looking at her with a cautious hope, not unlike a sailor lost at sea that had just sighted land, but who had been fooled by mirages in the past.

As Natalie came closer, she saw how Karen’s eyes widened at the sight of her, staring into her eyes even with the temptation of every part of Natalie present for her gaze. Karen’s mouth opened, breath catching, and Natalie revelled in hearing her name fall from Karen’s lips.

“Natalie…”

Natalie stopped before her, trying to stop herself from moving further into Karen’s space so that she could say her piece. Karen deserved that much at least, even if she did not feel the same.

“You returned my coat to me. I’m so sorry I couldn’t accept it at the time. But I hope by giving you this in turn - ,” Natalie held up the ring she had kept on her finger for the past few moons, “ - we can be married according to human custom as well.”

The ring was one fashioned from a diamond found at the bottom of the sea, hidden from view – it had glittered in the darkness when Natalie had brushed the silt on top aside.

Natalie’s gaze flicked over Karen, and honed in on her hands, fingers now free of the gold band that had haunted Natalie so thoroughly when she was still living on the land.

Natalie saw the moment it dawned on Karen, saw how her mind’s eye replayed her own offering from all those months ago, and how it mirrored Natalie’s in that very moment. A watery sheen welled in her eyes and her mouth quivered in desperate hope.

It was all the warning Natalie had before Karen surged to her feet and launched herself into Natalie’s arms.

Their mouths crashed together as the waves just beyond the cavern do. Natalie could taste the salt between their lips, but whether it was from the sea she had swum in, or the tears on Karen's cheeks she couldn't say. In that moment, all Natalie knew was that this must be what freedom truly tasted like.

A/N:    And it is done! Egregious amounts of sea-related metaphors and similes and all!

[unabashegirl]

Different (5) **SNIPPET**

DISCLAIMER: only available on my PATREON for $3 OR $5 for every single piece of writing.

Author's note: I really can't believe that I have posted 9 chapters in a month on my PATREON. I didn't think it was going to be possible, but here is the last chapter of different from the month. Don't worry new pieces will be posted to keep you entertained.

Anyway here is a little piece of the 2000 word chapter.

--------

“Holy shit” Mitch screamed as they all got into the car. “What the fuck is happening?” He punched the steering wheel. “Did she really invite us over?!” Jeff and James laughed in the back as they buckled themselves in.

“She is way too hot” James added as he scrolled through his phone. Harry only wished he were in the car, riding with her.

“Are yeh done?” He asked as Mitch started following her toward her apartment.

“Fuck no!” Mitch exclaimed as they stopped at the red light. “Are you sleepin’ with her tonight?”.

“What do you mean?”

“The only reason she is letting us sleep over is that she wants to be around you” James slapped his shoulder emphasizing.

“Are you sleeping with her then?” Jeff asked again with a chuckle. Harry suddenly felt nervous and didn’t even want to attend. However, it wasn’t because he didn’t desire to be around her, but because he wouldn’t know what to do if the occasion occurred. He was a man. He had seen porn before, but he knew all of that was fake. And most importantly he had feelings for her and genuinely wanted to make her feel good. Harry had always placed girls on the back burner. He had never been one of those guys who desperately desired to get laid. His main priority had always been education so that he could have a stable future and provide for his future family and have better opportunities than he had. Now Y/N had come into his life and had quickly become the only swarming thought in his head in his sleep, in class, and at every single moment.  He was constantly thinking of her and how she was doing.

“She is just being nice” He shrugged and brushed off their comments.

“You have to sleep with her, H” Mitch advised as he drove. Harry didn’t respond, he just kept his thoughts to himself. He started playing, in his head, every outcome and or scenario that could derive or develop in her apartment. “And don’t you dare to start stuttering and get all shy in front of her” Harry wanted to punch him, but he held himself back and ate back his words.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Y/N’s. The apartment was stunning. Sure, it was big for only one person, but Y/N had made sure that it felt cozy with the help of lots of carpets and cushions and pillows and warm light.

“What does your dad do again? Jeff asked, under his breath as she closed the door and slipped off her shoes in the foyer. Harry shrugged his shoulders not sure.

“Welcome! Make yourselves at home” She smiled and hung her coat in the closet beside the front door. Y/N stood back and watched how they all scrammed to take off their shoes and hang their coats.

Meanwhile, she wrapped her arms around his torso. Y/N detached herself and waited until they all pushed each other around trying to place their shoes in order.

“There are two bedrooms upstairs and one down here. So, it’s up to you where you want to sleep tonight!”

“Shotgun upstairs! Sarah yelled, right before the rest of the guys tried to interrupt her. Y/N giggled as Jeff and James pushed each other, she covered her ears, shaking her head at Harry’s silly friends.

“I am sleeping upstairs and ON MY OWN!” She yelled after everyone had quieted down a bit.

“Makes sense. You are the only girl”

“So, who is sleeping with whom? Does Mitch sleep with James or with Jeff?”

“Rock, papers, scissors?” James suggested as he turned to look at his other friends with his hands on his hips.... REST AVAILABLE ON PATREON!