#swiss x y/n

[x-reader-theater]

Unexpected Kindness

summary: While rushing through the Ministry to complete a task for Sister Imperator, Swiss scares you, and is unexpectedly kind to you.

pairing: Swiss Ghoul x Gender Neutral!Reader

category: Gen

word count: 1,413

warnings: There’s some suggestiveness in the story but nothing described. I’m thinking of making this a series that will be explicit, but there’s nothing like that yet.

Disclaimer: This story is using the fan interpretations of these characters ONLY. No real people are being used in this. I have no problem with real person fic, but I know some people do, and so I wanted to make a disclaimer for those people. 

a/n: i just really like Swiss, okay?

You were walking through the halls of the ministry, a stack of books in your hands as your footsteps echo down the empty halls. There isn’t another member of the clergy that’s out at this hour, with how early it is in the morning.

That is, except Swiss.

You feel something long and leathery dip into the back of your pants and untuck your shirt. You feel the flat spade-head of a tail press into your bare lower back, and you jump, the books you’re holding dropping from your hands as they land on the ground with a loud THUMP that echos.

“Mother fucking Satan!” you exclaim with a hand over your heart. The tail that is around your waist tightens and you’re pulled into strong arms.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, little one,” he says into your ear. His mask, which he and all other ghouls are required to wear by Sister Imperetor, knocks against the side of your head, one of the tubes off the side squishing.

You scoff and push Swiss away. He doesn’t fight to keep you next to him, but his tail continues to stroke up and down your back. “What do you want, Swiss? I’m busy.”

You look over your shoulder and see him grin, his white teeth blinding against his dark grey skin. “I was lonely,” he says, grin becoming roguish and flirty. “You were just the first I saw…”

You roll your eyes and bend down to pick up the books that were dropped, but you just drop them again when you feel that tail slink out from underneath your shirt and swat at your backside. You yelp and turn around, glaring at him as your books drop again. “I have a hard time believing that you just happened to be awake at 6am,” you say, vitriol in your voice. You pick up the books once more and stand again, this time out of reach of Swiss’ wandering tail. “Besides,” you say, hugging the books tighter to your chest, “I don’t sleep with Ghouls. We’re not allowed.”

Swiss starts walking towards you, slinking forward, and you step back, matching him step for step, until you back hits the wall. Swiss keeps walking forward and when you shrink down, trying to get away, he places an arm above your head. You swallow as he leans in, and you can see his red eyes behind the tinted lenses of the mask.

“Just not allowed? Do you want to?” he asks quietly.

You swallow again, frozen in place, eyes boring into Swiss’ lenses, his strong arms bracketing your head, and you grip the old leather books tighter in your hands. You eyes dart down to Swiss’ exposed lips, and Swiss’ smile widens. He begins leaning in, slowly, like he’s giving you a chance to escape. But, like a deer in headlights, you’re frozen. Even your breath is frozen in your lungs. You can feel Swiss breathe against your lips, his breath smelling faintly of sulfur, but that you’ve heard tastes like the most addicting drug one could get their hands on.

A door slams down the hall and both your heads swivel towards the noise. You take the opportunity to slip out from underneath Swiss’ arms and hurry down the hall away from him and towardsyour goal. Your actual goal, not a fantasy goal.

But you running away from Swiss doesn’t actual deter him at all, and he jogs to catch up to you. He swivels himself so he’s walking backwards in front of you, a grin peaking out from underneath his full lips.

“Where are you going?” he asks slyly, hands clasped behind his back.

“To Sister Imperetor’s office,” you say, tilting your chin up slightly as you try and walk faster to get past Swiss. He doesn’t take the bait however and just moves beside you, keeping pace, his steps in perfect sync with yours.

He lets out a low whistle, “Figures she would have you working all night,” he says. “Mind if I join you? Just to walk you there, nothing else, I promise.”

You slow down, thinking on it for a moment. You haven’t been very close to any of the Ghouls, but Papa Emeritus always seems so close and they all seem to like each other more than anyone else. They seem like they have fun, which is something you’re sorely lacking right now.

“Okay,” you say slowly, suspicious of Swiss’ intentions but willing to be open.

The ghoul grins widely and his steps become less in sync with yours, a bounce added to them.

The two of you walk together through the Ministry in silence, just enjoying each other’s company as your footsteps echo off the stone of the hallway. You feel Swiss’ arm brush against yours every once in a while as you walk, but he doesn’t go further. In fact, it almost seems like every time he brushes your arm he takes a few small steps to the side, but always ends up right next to you anyways, like magnets, always drawn to each other.

Eventually, you come to the door to Sister Imperator’s office, and you both slow to a stop. Swiss stops in front of you, and you smile at him, going to reach for the handle, but Swiss’ hand on your elbow stops you. The grip isn’t hard or strong, but gentle, something you haven’t seen from Swiss before now.

“[Y/N]… after you drop these books off, you should tell Sister that you need sleep,” he says, voice soft and gentle. “You know how she pushes the other siblings of sin.”

You stare at him with wide eyes, before nodding slowly. He smiles, a closed mouth smile so different from his typical cocky grin. He squeezes your elbow and begins walking off further down the hall. You smile as you watch him go down the hall and disappear around the corner. You open the door and walk into Sister Imperator’s office with a small smile on your face.

She’s sitting at her desk, her severe face and tight bun helping her look as strict as she is.

“Was that Swiss?” she asks, still looking down at the work she’s doing on her desk.

You nod. “Yeah. He walked me over here,” you explain, your smile getting dreamier.

She doesn’t stop working as she cuts through your words. “Stay away from him. The ghouls are not meant for you.”

Your smile drops, your body tensing. “Yes, Sister,” you say, even tho your body fights against it. You clear your throat. “I have the books you requested.”

“Good, yes,” she says, waving a hand in the air. “Put them over there on that table.”

You do as she asks and set the books down on the table she gestured to with a loud slam. She doesn’t seem to notice however, still working on whatever the hell has her so busy all day.

“Sibling, I need you to go to the-”

“Actually, Sister,” you interrupt, biting your lip as you wait for her to say something. She doesn’t. “Uh, I’ve been awake for over 36 hours and haven’t had time to rest. I am asking for some time off, just enough to sleep, and then I’ll be able to help you once again,” you say, succinctly and professionally.

Sister Imperator finally stops working and looks up at you. “What a disappointment,” she says, making eye contact with you. “I gave you this position so you could show me that you were ready to move up in the Ministry, but I can see that my faith was misplaced.” She leans back in her chair and steeples her fingers in front of her thin lips. “Since you seem so attached to the Ghoul's, I’ll make you their newest handler.” Your eyes go wide but you're unable to say something as she continues forwards. “They have no sense of time and are always late to services and rituals. Maybe I'll give you a second chance if you do a good enough job.” She leans forward in her chair once more and goes back to working on whatever is on her desk as she dismissively says, “Go fetch Sister Reinhardt. Maybe she won't disappoint me.”

You nod and turn to leave the room, giving one last look back at Sister Imperator before finally leaving her office. You sigh at what happened but you can't help but be a little excited for what’s coming next.

[inkpot909]

First Love Headcanons: Bruno Bucciarati x Reader

↳ Gender neutral Reader with they/them pronouns. Implied the reader is shorter than Bucciarati? Canon-divergent. The reader is not made out to be very morally upright and is hinted at having a rough past.

A/n: Doing another one of these has been on my mind for a while now. Thank you to the lovely person below for the request! I hope y’all enjoy. <3

Warning(s): None.

There’s no time in Bruno Bucciarati’s schedule for a relationship.

Growing up in the mob kept him focused on the ‘family’ that took him in. It was his purpose, and the only reason he was able to support his father as well as himself. Before he learned the truth of the organization’s operations, he felt a pride in even the… messier aspects of his work.

Eventually finding a disconnect between it and his own morals leaves an empty spot in his heart. A shame so deeply buried within him that even the members slowly joining his team know little of it how deeply it affects him.

He now goes on with his work as normal, all while feeling like a bit of a hypocrite. His heart feeling so betrayed it needs little to push him towards full betrayal on his part.

Surely, a relationship would only muddy the waters.

All the cute girls that wave to him as he passes by on the street… who of them would be able to take such baggage? How could he expect anyone to? He wouldn’t have it in him to willingly bring anyone into this lifestyle, if his reluctance to let Narancia join is anything to go by.

Barely an adult and already he’s responsible for a small handful of people. Though, that thought never crosses his mind, as he’s unfortunately felt like an adult for an unfair amount of time.

And despite his own inner turmoil over his position in Passione, he’s formed meaningful relationships through the members of his team.

He’s the connection that binds them together, the head of their group, and by proxy the head of their little family. The purpose that the organization originally gave him now lands on the shoulders of his motley crew.

It’s them that keeps him going in spite of it all.

He finds his heart still beating, still moved each time he brings someone underneath his wing. That alone is good enough for a man like him.

No… there’s no time in Bruno Bucciarati’s schedule for a relationship.

And so, with that thought constantly repeated in his mind, he didn’t at all bat an eye when your own need eventually brought you to Passione’s metaphorical doorstep.

In your mind, it must’ve felt like fate.

Reaching for assistance at lowest point, you were subtly pointed toward one Bruno Bucciarati.

You don’t know what you expecting from the mafioso. A degree of harshness or coldness, perhaps. Only to be greeted with a hearty meal and an understanding personality so moving you fell into the trap of the mob right then and there.

How could you hope not to? When all you saw in that moment was a pair of gentle blue eyes looking at you with unspoken empathy, allowing you to speak freely despite his status as a gang leader.

So when he gave you an offer, you could only accept with newfound vigor.

The next couple of days felt like a blur, a change to your very view of your own psyche is made when it is suddenly able to manifest something you soon knew to call a stand. It is life altering to you, yet mundane to Bucciarati.

That kept you grounded.

Exiting a prison, golden broach in your hand, there’s no pit in your stomach that usually occurs when you lie straight to someone’s face. You had looked up at Polpo- an impossibly intimidating capo -and told him a lie. Said you’d kept the lighter on for 24 hours, and he… took your word for it, creepily enough.

You’re observant, able to discern that you were never meant to actually keep the lighter on the whole time, that the goal all along was to acquire a stand.

Distantly, you remember telling yourself as you left the prison that you ought to grow accustomed to lying anyways.

You didn't chose the mafia to be a player in your future, but life hardly goes the way people want.

And lying to a man like Polpo really didn’t feel like it counted anyways.

Still, Bruno’s reaction to your own twisted priorities was a darkly comforting one. It made you feel better about the coming days ahead:

Bruno Bucciarati finds himself checking his watch a third time, standing just a few yards away from a prison’s main entrance. Not many people like to pass by the looming building, leaving him alone and not likely to be recognized by anyone- Passione member or not.

He sighs, This should not be taking this long.

There’s only so much he can check the area around him before he starts looking suspect. Not that there’s much hustle and bustle in the surrounding area to distract himself with. A familiar impatience bubbles within his stomach, one that only occurs when he’s about to introduce his team to a new member.

Well… hopefully.

Before he starts growing gray hairs, he hears the prison gate creak open. Turning his head, he finally notices your figure exiting the large entrance with prison guards escorting you.

A smile finds its way onto his face, a gesture you return as you approach him. Once the gate is closed, and the two of you are left without any watchful eyes, you subtly gesture with your arm. The action causes his attention to move towards your hand that shows off a little golden broach in your hand.

He gives a nod, and you don’t waste time before shoving the little piece of gold into your pocket. Just as you do, you halt your footsteps- now standing close enough to hold a casually quiet conversation.

Every one of your movements are noticed and dissected within his mind, something you clearly understand just by looking at your poised body language. That, or you’re still on alert from talking to Polpo.

“I was beginning to think I’d have to go in there myself,” he jests lightly, though there’s not much actual humor in his voice. “Afraid I’d find you there attempting to choke the capo out.”

“The thought didn’t cross my mind,” you reply, a trying smile playing on your lips. You appear much more collected than the day you first met him, a detail he’s glad to see. “That would be an awful first impression of my own loyalty, wouldn’t it?”

Ah, so either Y/n is simply that nervous, or Polpo’s words actually got to them. Bruno shakes the thought off, as the distinction is not worth dwelling over right at this moment.

“One of your new teammates was damn near close to trying to pull a stunt like that in the past-“ he doesn’t miss how your eyes brighten up at his roundabout way of welcoming you to his team. You joining it went without saying, but the subtle omission being enough to make you look so inspired is something he can already tell he’ll find endearing about your personality. “-But no matter… walk with me, please.”

You do as you’re asked, something Bruno does not care take note of.

It's the one part of your behavior he doesn't quietly run through his brain. It’s your first day after all, he’ll see in a weak how well you actually listen to him. His experience with the others has taught him as much.

“I do have to admit…” you speak up when he doesn’t, “Lying to him didn’t make me feel bad at all.”

He turns to you, something flickering in his gaze before he lets out a soft chuckle. His smile now seems a little less formal, and the amusement on his face looks more natural. “If that’s an omission of guilt, then you’ll be an interesting change of pace.”

“It is,” you admit, figuring there’s no need to put up a front for a man this observant, “Lying to someone is almost worse than killing them.”

“How do you figure?” Bruno raises an eyebrow, not batting an eyelid at your statement. Honestly, the first time the two of you met, your words were much more morbid.

“Well… lying leaves room for feelings to stir within me or the person of interest. It lets emotions fester inside of people. Killing stops all regrets or feelings of betrayal- stopping everything, you understand? That, I can live with. A bad mark on my heart I find more difficult to walk away from."

It’s no surprise he’s silent after that, but his hesitation does take you off guard.

Oh, god, was that too loose-lipped? It’s easy to feel comfortable around Bucciarati. Far too easy. He’s the type of man that makes people inclined to open up. You always talked casually before about macabre things. Isn’t that normal for a mafioso? What if-

“No need to be nervous, L/n; I’m already impressed by you. You’ll do well with us.”

Oh.

Something about his words, spoken so calmly without even looking over at you, have a calming effect to them. Just a week into knowing him, and already you’re slowly growing accustomed to his genuine yet subdued warmth.

As Bruno drones on about Passione and its systems- more specifically his duties that directly trickle down into being your duties -you can’t help but let your mind wander a little to a distinction you made when you first met him.

Bruno Bucciarati’s fundamentally different.

There’s a kindness to him you never would’ve expected from someone in a gang. It kept you nodding along as you spoke, and distantly you felt as though your entire future is in the palm of his hand.

And scarily enough, you were fine with that.

Him being a sort of exception was a thought you assumed yourself to be mad for making, at least, until you found out the others on the team noticed the exact same thing.

All while Bruno himself only looks at you and sees your potential to grow.

A place in his team… something that he’s always well-spotted. An intuition he’s not once been wrong with before, so there’s a degree of confidence there as well that rubs off on you.

You got his attention in a familiar way, and after you join the team, you’re his responsibility and his purpose- just as the others are.

He’s just your leader. Nothing more, nothing less.

That said, he grows to appreciate the genuine gratefulness you offer him in a… special way.

The others are thankful for him too, and he knows that fact, but it’s nice to here the sentiment so openly and often in nature. And in the tones of your voice, it’s especially calming.

He’s really just making excuses for himself, but it was early on enough where it was okay.

That’s what’ll first make Bruno truly see you as not only a member of his team, but a member of his little found-family. The not-so-subtle ways you show that you want to be with them and a part of what they do… how could he hope to not find that charming?

Your softer side, however you chose to express it, is never missed by a man like Bruno. He easily recognizes it, and almost immediately respects you for it.

Hell, after a while, he relies on you for it.

There’s little in his life that’s more grounding than a gentle expression, thick with anticipation, displayed on your face after each mission you’re not a part of.

You always check up on the returning members as soon as possible, making sure everyone is up and moving. “I won’t be able to relax unless I see for myself that you’re all okay,” he recalls you saying on the matter. The fact that it’s how you treat everyone on the team only makes the relaxing feeling sink in deeper.

It’s not long before he sees you as a genuine soul, and he’d consider himself to be a fool if he didn’t recognize that.

Since the very beginning, Bruno’s personality has touched you emotionally. And although he always saw a sort of spark in you, getting to really know you- becoming your friend in tantum with acting as your superior -allows him to see that little spark for what it actually is.

Genuine care for the people you’re close to. An eye for good natured people, and a responding gentleness. Couple that with a darker, more proactive role during missions or anything work-related, and Bruno finds himself falling back on you more than he’d care to admit.

The others, though? They have no hang-ups over mentioning it. It gets to a point where- specifically Fugo, Mista, and Narancia -start to complain about Bruno showing you a degree of ‘special treatment.’

Mista and Narancia’s complaining jabs are easily shot down with only a look, but Fugo proved to be a lot more serious about it.

To the extent to where an argument or two emerges between them. Fugo insistant in his observations, trying to get Bruno to at least admit he treats you differently than the rest. But Bruno remained headstrong, stubborn in his belief that he would always treat his subordinates equally.

He’s just your boss. Nothing more, nothing less.

In the months that pass, when you’ve since naturally found your place on the team, at what point did that start to be the common refrain playing in his mind?

At what point does he go from insisting he has no time for a relationship at all, to continuously having to remind himself he’s your boss?

And that question alone tugs at his heartstrings in a manner he’s not quite used to. It’s a delightful feeling, but it is foreign.

For a man like Bruno Bucciarati, it’s not so much a refusal to believe he could be developing feelings, but a worry if he should even do anything about the attraction.

That said, it does take him some time to realize his own feelings due to his position as a boss to you and out of sheer unfamiliarity with the subject.

He’s not too obvious as to receive knowing looks from the others whenever he’s around you (Which is often). Hell, Mista even admitted to him much later that Narancia didn’t even notice until Fugo told him to start paying attention.

And after a certain point, Bruno has to admit it to himself and does so with surprising ease. It may have taken some time, he may have been stubborn speaking with Fugo, but he won’t continue to lie to himself. He’s old enough to know when he needs to swallow his pride and admit Fugo was onto something, if only a little.

And after that point of realization, his own love language starts to naturally shine through a bit more.

Bruno generally prefers acts of service and quality time when showing his affection. Cheeky and openly flirtatious, you may have assumed he’s been in relationships before given his confidence.

He’s always had a special care for you when it comes to missions... but now he finds himself offering to help you with grocery shopping. Or paying for a maid to clean up your home when you’ve had a particularly busy week, and offhandedly mentioned needing to clean once.

What? You thought he would forget? That only makes him chuckle smugly, prompting him to lean to eye-level and ask you, “What kind of man do you think I am?”

It seems like he remembers everything that pours from your lips. Always listening to you intently, and never brushing you off.

And during down time, Bruno naturally finds himself preferring to spending it in your company. A lot. Preferably alone, thank you very much.

The two of you even began to start watching TV shows with one another. And neither of you would dare to watch ahead without the other. It’s usually true crime shows, comedies, or shitty soap operas.

All this time with you after realizing his feelings... and they only grow- to his personal panic. The more he stays at your side the more he would hate to ever leave it.

So this is what it's like... he remembers thinking while lounging around, and watching a movie with you one evening. This is.... what I’ve been missing my whole life.

As beautiful as the feeling you bring him is, should he... really do anything about it?

He can see that look in your eyes when it’s just the two of you, a gleam that speaks of an internal joy you’re not sharing with him just as he refuses to share with you.

He gets a sneaking suspicion that you like him the exact same way he’s grown to adore you. And Christ almighty- what’s he supposed to do with that?

Yet, even though you’re a part of Passione, meaning he needs not to stress over bringing you into something so dangerous unwillingly... he is still hesitant.

His care for you so often is expressed through worry, something he usually handles with authority and maybe even harsh words if he deems it necessary.

But this is far more personal, and he can only mull it over by himself. He’s not the type to bring it up to others, not even Abbacchio.

If he reached for you... and the two of you began something real; something official... it would be a no-brainer for enemies to target either of you in order to send some sort of message.

He can’t stand the thought of your broken heart, and absolutely refuses to think of something like that happening to you.

Then again, if a bit morbid, he eventually realizes the result would still be the same with the way things are now. Only, it’d be coupled with Bruno's deep regret over not having said anything to you.

He can only wonder if you’d feel the same, and at the end of the day, he really does think that would be the case.

And it’s around the time he’s fully digesting this, that you end up genuinely taking him aback. Acting before he can begin convincing himself to make the first move:

Giorno, Fugo, and Mista walk behind Bucciarati, looking up at him in silent awe.

If you were to look into each of their eyes, you could likely peace together what they’re thinking while looking upon the freshly appointed capo. Opportunity twinkles within their gazes, all coming from a sincere place of respect for their leader.

You, however, are not looking at them.

As Bruno approaches the rest of his team, anticipation turns into cheers and hollers of excitement from the others standing next to you. Abbacchio has the widest smile on his face you’ve seen since Giorno entered the picture, yet your gaze stays glued onto Bruno throughout the nearly youthful display of glee.

He’s noticeably silent and calm. It’s like there’s no off switch to him- likely already going through the duties now landing on his lap due to his promotion within his mind. He’s not going to want to take the night off, no doubt wanting to get down to business.

Your heart swells despite the slight strain on it. It’s so like him to be that way in a time like this, but… I can’t help but wish he’d celebrate… if only a little, you find yourself thinking.

“Mista… guys, please,” Bruno tries to calm the two (In all honesty, Giorno’s ‘celebrating’ amounted to simply smiling) excited boys walking beside him, waving his hand.

Mista goes on about how everyone must celebrate somehow, still lecturing as they finally approach and reunite with the rest of the group. His words go over Bruno’s head, however, a fond smile making its way onto his face when he turns to meet your gaze.

Maybe it’s the adrenaline from him finally achieving the well-deserved position. Feeling so proud of him that your body jerks forward without thinking. Maybe it’s the excitement of everyone else rubbing off on you, and simply causes you to act without thinking.

All you do care to think as your feet move you right up to Bruno is, To hell with it. If he won’t start celebrating on his own; I’m making him celebrate.

Bruno opens his mouth to speak as you move well within his personal space, but is cut off by the swift movement of your hand tightly grabbing the collar of his jacket. One good tug of your arm and your pulling him toward you, lips meeting with his eyes widely open in surprise.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!”

Fugo’s exclamation, along with startled gasps from everyone else melt away the moment you feel Bruno melt into the kiss and reciprocate.

He follows your lead, gently sighing against your lips when you neglect to take your hand off his collar. His arms, which you’ve always found to be so comforting, snake around your waist. He keeps you securely in his hold, and your other hand flies to cup his jaw.

After a moment or two, the kiss breaks. Bruno looks at you as you pull away, eyes still wide and mouth gently agape. It’s enough to make you chuckle, seeing him so cutely taken aback by both your and his own spontaneous actions.

“Congratulations, capo,” you smoothly whisper, finally removing yourself from his hold. “You earned it.”

“I-… thank you, Y/n,” he responds softly, a smile growing on his face.

As much as you’d like to hold onto the gentle intimacy of the moment you just shared with him, movement out of the corner of your eye catches your attention. Shifting your gaze, you catch a glimpse of Fugo silently sliding some cash over to a smug-looking Abbacchio.

No… they didn’t…

“Did you-“ you breath, embarrassment beginning to boil inside your stomach and fuel the rising volume of your voice, “-Did you assholes bet on us!?”

“It’s Fugo’s fault for assuming Bucciarati would make the first move,” Abbacchio replies dryly, scoffing as if it’s beneath him.

“Excuse me!?” you and Fugo shout in tandem.

The team erupts in accusations and yelling, the celebration over nearly three minutes after it began. Bruno can only smile at his team, not expecting anything less.

And just like you moments ago, he cannot take his eyes off you.

It’s moments like those that serve as a reminder as to why it’s Bucciarati that leads the team.

Still… the smile playing on his lips that day did not falter once after your sudden display of affection. It was a beautiful, unexpected thing… much akin to how you entered his life.

The two of you were much closer after that event. Other members of Passione outside the team noticing another that’s always at the young capo’s side. Whispers and rumors flood Naples of your relationship… but he never pays them any attention.

He knows what the two of have, and he’s confident in saying that it’s love.

After all, all that matters to him is you staying at his side… even behind closed doors. He’s never experienced something like this before in his life, but now that he has you held in his arms, he never wishes to let you go.

[swiss-mrs]

EDDIE MUNSON X SINCLAIR!READER

just me rambling on again about how Eddie loves a black woman from infinity to infinityyyy

there's a 'face claim' under the cut because i said so. you've been warned

okay, listen here.

Ever since your family moved to Hawkins, life has been... different

You just turned 13 when your family uprooted to the small town in Indiana. Lucas was 10, and Erica was only 6.

It was a bit easier for your younger siblings to adjust, but you had to start fresh during your last year of middle school, going into high school. That sucked like a bitch.

Transitioning from a larger city with a decent mix of races to a predominantly white town was about as smooth as it sounded, not at all.

Though racism was not terrible, there were plenty of backhanded compliments, passive aggressiveness, and snarky comments.

You were always so "well-spoken", "well-mannered", "presentable".

You didn't "sound black".

You didn't "act black".

You were "pretty for a black girl."

Whatever the fuck that means.

You knew that begging your parents to move elsewhere was not an option, waste of time, so you always knew that the moment you had the chance, you weren't gonna stick around for too long.

Going into high school at the end of '82, just shy of a year after moving into Hawkins, was how yours and Eddie's paths crossed, just barely.

Since you could practically count on one hand how many black families were in Hawkins's population, not knowing one another by name was near impossible.

You know Jeff by proxy.

Your parents knew each other, and you were the same age, so of course you knew each other.

You wouldn't call him a friend per se, but you were friendly enough to exchange quick greetings in passing.

Jeff was with three older kids when you passed him in the hall.

A chubby, curly haired, white boy, a pale brunette girl, and a slim, lanky kid who looked like he was trying to grow out a bad haircut, all of which were decked out in jean and leather.

The polite smile and wave he gave made the lanky boy to turn and see who Jeff was waving at.

As soon as you caught each other's eyes, his curious expression turned into a lovestruck one.

You didn't pay much attention to it, though.

"Who is that?"

"Oh, no one. She's just the daughter of some friends of my parents."

Since you were in separate grades, you didn't regularly cross paths with any of the people you saw with Jeff often, but you did end up having an elective class with the brunette girl.

It was a couple of weeks in when you were partnered up with her for a project.

"Veronica is my government name. Call me Ronnie."

During lunch, Ronnie mentioned to Jeff how adorable you were.

"You got to meet her?!"

Ronnie would then go on about how you were so nice and polite, but you were also extremely smart and sassy.

She got to witness your wit first hand when you made a sneaky comeback at someone who gave one of those stupid 'for a black girl' comments.

"I think Eddie is going to blow a fuse."

"You got to meet HER?!"

The boy was starstruck every time you would unknowingly pass him in the hall or when he saw you from across the cafeteria.

"Would you just go up and talk to her, numbnuts?" Ronnie would say as she smacked the back of his head when she caught him staring a bit too hard.

"I can't just 'go up' to her!"

"The fuck not?"

He'd reply with silence, not really knowing what answer to give.

You were too good for him? He'd have no chance? You'd dismiss him? Reject him? What would he even say?

"I wouldn't know what to say..."

"Maybe try, 'Hello'."

He spent the next four years pining over you from a distance.

Now, in your senior year, you were more excited than anything to get out of this shit hole.

The cute super super senior with the loud mouth, long hair, and less than stellar reputation had always caught your eye, but you both still had yet to actually say anything to each other. Paths never crossing further than beyond the hallway.

You never bothered to make a move on him.

You were convinced that you weren't his type, or anyone's type for that matter, especially not here.

But you're both seniors now.

Much to Eddie's surprise and delight, you now had classes together.

He never once liked being in high school for longer than necessary, but here he was, oddly thankful for being held back.

Your schedules are almost completely aligned, save for the fact that you had a couple honors classes.

For the first few days of your senior year, Eddie was a ball of anxiety every time you were around.

He sat either behind or beside you in the back of all your shared classes.

It wasn't until one fateful Tuesday, in the second week of that school year, that your pen ran out of ink, and you finally said your first words to him.

"Hey, do you have a pen I can barrow?"

You were turned around in your seat to look at him behind you. He was stuck for a few beats before he blinked away his shock.

"Uh, y-yeah. Here." He handed you the very pen he was using to doodle in his notebook instead of actually taking notes.

The small smile and the gentle brush of your fingers against his nearly made his heart stop on the spot.

He was absolutely gone.

It was in that moment that he realized he'd never properly heard your voice before.

He wanted to hear it again.

You even remembered/bothered to give him his pen back at the end of that class.

He spent every single one of his classes for the remainder of that day coming up with a full ass tactical plan to approach you.

Every day that passed, he for some fucking reason just couldn't find the right moment to put his plan in action.

It wasn't until a few weeks later when you threw his plan through a loop.

You showed up to a Hellfire meet just as they were all leaving out the drama room.

He heard your voice coming from outside once some of the freshman members walked out the door.

"Hey, Baby Bro! How'd it go? Have fun?"

Eddie eyes widened, and he stilled for a second before he dropped what he was doing to rush out the door.

He tried to play off his stumbling by leaning against the wall right outside the door.

"Oh, Hey! You're in this club too?"

"This is Eddie. He leads the club." Your little brother's curly haired friend, Dustin, clarified immediately.

Before Eddie could give Dustin a look to 'shut the fuck up before he ruined his shot', you raised your brows with somewhat of an impressed look on your face.

"Oh, so you're Eddie."

The way his name rolls off your tongue makes him want to melt into the floor.

All the false confidence he once had completely depleted, and he was back at a loss for words. Thank God you didn't leave room for him to make a fool of himself.

"The boys talk so highly of you. Thank you for looking after them for a couple hours after school. See you tomorrow!"

He watched, awestruck, as you walked away with your brother and his friends.

"Y-Yeah, no problem!" He'd finally yell after you a you made it to the exit doors.

You turned to wave bye before fully exiting the building to the mostly vacant parking lot.

Eddie waved back weakly.

"See you tomorrow." He says to himself in the empty hallway, still waving even after you couldn't see him anymore.

A cheesy grin would grow on his face as he went back into the drama room to collect his DM stuff.

"Holy shit. You actually exchanged words!" Jeff would say.

"~See you tomorrow~" Gareth mocks, clasping his hands together, resting them on his cheek and batting his eyelashes.

Eddie glares at the younger drummer. "Shut up, asshole."

Early October is when he finally leaned forward to ask you a question.

"Hey, I don't really understand what's going on. Could you help me?"

There it was.

You accepted, falling right into his hands.

His plan was now officially in motion.

You were smart and nice. Of course, you would help tutor him.

Eddie knew that would work.

You were well aware of his academic status, or rather lack thereof.

You couldn't help but let that little 'I can fix him' part of your teenage brain take over.

You really wanted to help him pass and graduate, ESPECIALLY since he reached out to you for help.

You couldn't say no. wtf

You two had spent all of October studying together.

Even though he was distracted by you most of the time and always going off topic to get to know you, he actually was kind of learning something.

A win-win for him.

"Hey, so, uh, you know, Halloween is right around the corner, and, uh, there's a special rescreening of 'Alien' this weekend. Would you, uh, you know, if you're into it, would you like to go see- watch it, like, with me, I mean?"

The question came at the end of your recent study/tutoring session.

Over the last few weeks, you had shown nothing but kindness towards Eddie. You two even had conversations with one another out in the open, outside of the safe privacy of the library.

He finally had the courage to ask you out.

You hesitated.

"Oh, uh..."

Your apprehension was not for the reason he was thinking, but it was enough for his mind to start caving in on itself.

"I mean, I just want to show you my appreciation, you know, for all your help. There's no- no pressure at all. I get it if you don't wanna be seen with me too much. I won't blame you."

His response takes you aback.

"Hold on. That's not what I was trying to get across at all."

Your firm tone made his chest tighten with anxiety. If that wasn't it, what was it? Did you have plans already? Maybe with a boyfriend? Shit, why didn't Eddie make sure to get your current relationship status out of you before asking.

"It's just that, uh, I'm kind of a... wuss... with scary movies. The sci-fi part of it seems intriguing enough, but I heard that it was pretty scary... The Boys snuck the VHS during one of their movie nights a couple years ago. I just remember Lucas being on edge for weeks after watching it." You chuckled nervously.

Eddie chuckles, relieved by your answer.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be there to protect you from all the monsters." The use of his DM voice at the end goes straight to the pit of your stomach like hot coals.

You hold back a girlish giggle, not wanting to show how much that effected you.

"Okay, fine, but if I fail our test due to a lack of sleep, I'm blaming you."

After you agree to go on a date with him, he fully unleashes his inner flirt.

His surprising change in attitude towards you makes butterflies erupt within you.

His overt flirting brings out your sassy side as you two go back and forth.

That movie-dinner date was the first of many.

Eddie wasn't huge on physical PDA.

He was always super respectful and reserved in public, but he almost always made a show of you.

"There she is! The most beautiful woman to ever exist!"

"Look at her. A goddess among us mortals!"

"Here she comes! Make way for the queen!"

You eventually got used to his over the top antics, going from telling his to "shut up" with a shy grin to just embracing your new 'royalty status' with your head held high and a bright smile.

You'd been dating for months.

Your tutoring actually helped raise Eddie's grades, especially after you told him how much you wanted him to graduate with you this year.

Come spring, Lucas is now unsuccessfully splitting his time between Hellfire and basketball.

When Dustin and Mike bring in the third Sinclair into the drama room, Eddie can't help but cave quickly once she shows off her dnd knowledge.

Erica definitely gets her sass from you, though she's a lot more blunt with it.

Eddie can't help but form a huge soft spot for her, even after the game is over.

While Erica, Dustin, and Mike were waiting in your car to leave, Eddie stopped you.

"So, you know, we've been dating for quite a while now-"

"Five months and counting." You beamed.

Eddie grinned happily. So, you were keeping count.

"Yeah, soon enough it'll be six, then seven, then ten, then 12, then-"

"OK, OK" you giggled. Eddie's smile only got bigger.

"So, I was wondering..." That shy boy who could barely ask you on a first date returns, bringing a soft grin to your face. "Do you... Would do... I... Will you be my... my girlfriend?"

"Of course." You smiled without missing a beat.

"Really?!"

As the news sunk deeper and deeper, it became harder and harder for him to physically contain his excitement.

He jumped up and down, grabbing you by the shoulders to pull you into a hug, bouncing up and down with you in his arms.

Your shared laughter filled the empty parking lot of Hawkins High.

From that moment on, the word 'girlfriend' was used in place of your own name for months.

"I'm convinced you've forgotten my name."

"I could never forget such a thing, girlfriend~"

He introduced you to metal music.

You introduced him to leave in conditioner.

You two were high school sweethearts, ones that would last forever.

🥹🥹🥹

[nameless-ghoul-trash]

Sodo x F!Ghoul!Reader Pt.2

As requested, here is part 2 for my Sodo x Ghoul Reader. It's my first full smut, but I hope it meets your expectations!

MINOR DNI

Word count: 1.2k

Lightly proofread

Warnings: P in V, fingers, oral female receiving, degradation, slight praise. (If I missed any, let me know)

Part 1

------

   The moment the door to Sodo's room closed, he pushed you against the wall. His lips landed on yours as his body presses into you. Slotting his leg between your thighs, the feeling his throbbing erection sends shivers down your spine. The fire low in your stomach grows with every touch, kiss, and sound. Growling Sodo grinds into you, his knee catching on all the right places. "You're always such a brat. Always so naughty." Kissing his way from your jaw to your caller bone, you turn your head to the side to give him better access. Grabbing you, he swung around and pushed you on the bed. "Strip." He demands taking his own clothes off. You happily do as you're told, but you're taking your time. Slowly bringing the hem of your shirt up, you lock eyes with him. Finally, bring it over your head. You let it fall to the ground. Then you go for your bra.

   Once your top half is bare, you reach down to work on your bottom half. With an impatient rumble, he loops his fingers into your waistband and pulls off your pants and underwear. Throwing your legs over his shoulders he lowers himself, bring his face to your exposed pussy. "Look at you so wet for me already." He drags a finger down yours slick, and brings it to his mouth.

   Sucking his finger clean, he held eye contact. Pulling his hand away from his face, he uses it to push you thighs open further and brings his face closer. Running his split tongue over your clit causing you inhale sharply and arch your back. He pulled away. "You want more of that." He taunted. "Yes!" You nod, tail thuding on the mattress. Flicking your clit again, he taunts you.  "How bad?"  "So bad. Please. Please. Please!" You sounded so needy. You were so fucking turned on and sensitive. Reaching down you intertwined your fingers in his long hair, griping his right horn with one hand. You use your grip to pull his face closer as you thrust up, needing the feeling of him giving your clit his undivided attention. Slowly he wraps his arms around your thighs and pressed his hands to you hips effectivly holding you down.

   "You've been such a naughty girl, tho. Naughty little slut. Giving me such a hard time. All the sass and sarcasm. The insults." His voice had a teasing tone in it. "Maybe I should just take what I want, leave you wanting. Leave you to think about your actions." At the last word he blows on your clit. You give a drawn out whine. "Please! Please, I need you!" You beg. Growling he finally began his assault on you aching pussy. Moaning at the sensation you tighten your grip on his hair.

   Drawing one of his hands lower, he replaced his tongue with his thumb and proceeded to tongue fuck you. The feeling of his ghoulishly long slipt tongue abusing your hole had your mind going blank, ripping a series of moan from you. The coil in the pit of your stomach begins to tighten. As he goes down on you like a man starved you can feel yourself getting close. Arching your back as that coil begins to come undone, the sensation stops. Let's out an unceremonious whine, your tail thuds on the bed, clearly irritated with the loss. Looking back at him, he smirks. Unraveling your hands from his hair you bring your fingers to your pussy to try and finish the job. Before you can make contact he grips your wrist. "Only good girls get to cum."  Standings, he brings his free hand to his cock, giving it a few lazily strokes. "Get on your hands and knees."  He let go of your wrist and motioned for you to move.

   Flipping around, you settle with your ass in the air.  Grabbing a hole of both ass cheeks, he spreads your lips with his thumbs and runs one through the ever growing pool of arousal. "Such a little slut. Your dripping wet." The sound you let out only fuel the fire. Pushing two long fingers in he sets a small pace, scissoring every few strokes. "You going to let me fuck you rough like a good girl?"  He produces a low rumble deep in his chest when you moan out a needy yes. He hastily removed his fingers from you. Rubbing the slick on the tip of his cock he lines himself up, keepingone handon your hip. In one fluid motion he drives into you, giving little time to adjust to his size.

   You both let out a moan as he bottomed out. "Take this cock so good." Pulling almost all the way out he slams back into you setting a brutal pace. Reaching he grabs ahold of your shoulder, fingers curling lightly around your throat. Using this new found leverage he drills in to you harder. Your tail wraps tightly around his forearm.  "So good. Feels so good." You could barely get the words out, so taken by the sense of him abusing your pussy. You are startled by the flat of Sodos tail rubbing aggressive circles on your neglected clit. More unintelligible word spill from your mouth mixed with heavy moans. The tight coil slowly begins to return.

   Sodo groans when your walls clinch around him. "You little whore. You love my cock deep inside you." Keeping his pace he pushes your shoulders down so your face is in the mattress. The new angle causing him to hit that sweet spot inside you. "Right there! Keep going! Please! Please! Please! Please! Don't stop!" You plead to him, moans racking your body. "You going to be a good girl for me?" He taunts. "Yes! Yes I'll be good! I'll be so good!" You cry out, the coil tight and ready to snap. He let's out a pleased grumble. After a few more thrust the coil snaps. A sob tears through you, your body trembling. Moaning he doesn't slow down working you through your orgasm. "That's it. Good girl."  His  thrusts begin to get sloppy and his breath uneven. With a low groan he comes to a full stop, filling your pussy with his cum.

   You unravel your tail from his arm, allowing him to let you go. Getting up, Sodo made his way to the bathroom attached to his room. You slide into the bed, staying face down. Sodo returning a minute or two later with a warm wash cloth walks back over to you. He had already taken care of himself. "Here, let me clean you up." His voice was soft. Rolling onto your side, you basked in his gentle touches. "How do you feel? Do you need anything?" His asked. "I feel good, tired, but good."  You give him a faint smile. "Can I stay here tonight?" You look away a little anxious. You had never stayed in any room but your own, and you half expected him to say no. "Of course you can!" You look to see him smiling.

   He pulled back the covers and motioned for you to get under. Quickly doing so, you make yourself comfortable.

------

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this. As always, I appreciate any feedback! Requests are open! Nobody asked for it, but here's a picture of Sodo!

[bupia]

What if I said 20 (nighttime) with Swiss ghoul…

Going to bed at night: Swiss, Ghoul

“Good night, my love.”

It was the first time you two were going to spend the night together. After a long tour schedule, your Ghoul, Swiss, was finally free to meet you. You had been eagerly anticipating his arrival, and all you needed was his comforting presence beside you tonight.

Hours passed, and there was no sign of him. Doubts began to creep into your mind. Had you gotten the date wrong? Was he not coming back today? Feeling disappointed, you decided to blow out the candle on your bedside table, preparing to settle in for the night.

Just as you closed your eyes and started to drift off to sleep, you felt the bed move, causing you to snap awake. Turning your head, you saw Swiss, standing there. He was unmasked, and unclothed.

"Swiss? What..." you started to say, confused by his sudden appearance.

"Oh, my! I didn't mean to wake you up," he apologized, looking sheepish.

You sat up. "It's okay, Swiss. I'm just glad you're here. I thought you weren't coming."

He gave you a warm smile, coming closer to the bed. "I'm sorry it took me so long. The tour was more exhausting than I anticipated, but I couldn't wait to be with you."

You reached out to take his hand. "I'm glad you're here now. I missed you."

He climbed into bed beside you, wrapping his arms around you. "I missed you too, little one. I couldn't wait to hold you in my arms."

You snuggled into his embrace, feeling a sense of comfort. This was the best sensation in the world, having him close to you like this, it was magical.

"Let's just sleep now, I'm very tired." He yawned.

You nodded, closing your eyes, feeling the comfort of his presence. "Good night, Swiss," you whispered, feeling grateful for his presence.

"Good night, my love," he murmured, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. "Sleep well."

[lifeeternalseries]

Chapter Six: California Girls

Life Eternal Series

Eddie Munson x Rockstar!POC

Word Count: 4.7K

All writing is in second POV, but No Use of Y/N.

“Hello California!!” Steve exclaims as soon as they’re out of the airport doors and on the street.

“Was that really necessary, dingus?” Robin raises a brow behind her sunglasses, her suitcase dragging behind her. Steve turns to face her, walking backwards.

“Yes. Yes, it was.” Steve smirks, peering over his own dark shades with a teasing gaze. The larger man in a black suit opens the backseat door for Steve and Robin. Just as Steve goes to lift his suitcase, the man puts a hand out.

“Leave your bags on the curb. I’ll put them in the back.” He then gestures for the two to get in the backseat before opening the passenger door, nodding cordially at Eddie. Steve and Robin share a surprised look, nodding with impressed frowns.

“Wow, I could get used to this.” Robin says with a grin and pushes passed Steve, climbing into the backseat. Steve rolls his eyes and climbs in after her. The driver moves to close the door behind them, grabbing their backs and heading to the trunk of the black SUV.

Eddie wordlessly moves to climb into the passenger seat. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit disappointed when the trio got to baggage claim, and you weren’t there. He knew it didn’t make such sense for you to be the one picking them up. This was official business after all but still. He was itching to see your face, give you a hug ‘hello’, and hold you tight.

Steve and Robin were having a conversation amongst themselves, deaf to Eddie’s ears as he stared out the window during the drive. You haven’t been able to talk since your last conversation a week ago. You’d been busy with the band, and you weren’t home. ‘I really need to get a job.’ Eddie thought to himself. Maybe that would keep him busy, occupy his mind while you weren’t there.

The car stopping and shifting into park brings Eddie out of his daze. “Wow…” Robin sighs out in awe. The driver gets out of the car and rounds the vehicle to open doors and start unpacking luggage. The three slide out of the SUV and stare up at the massive hotel.

“Wow.” Steve repeats once they’re lined up side by side on the curb. This had to be the fanciest hotel any of them had ever seen, in person at least. It was countless stories high and had a castle motif. No doubt those inside were probably actual royalty.

“I didn’t know we’d get it like this.” Robin follows. Just then, a hotel hostess walks up to them.

“Good Afternoon. Party of three for Mr. Munson, correct? Right this way.” She says with a polite smile, leading them inside.

Impossibly, the interior seemed even larger than the outside would lead one to believe. The floors were marble, the ceiling might as well be none existent with how high it was, and there were matching marble columns as wide as the trunk of an oak tree. “Jesus Christ.” Steve blurts out as soon as they get into the lobby. The hostess then turns to look at them over her shoulder as she walks.

“Welcome, we have your rooms already prepared. Please continue to follow me to the elevators, and I will show you where you’ll be staying.”

“Um, what about our bags?” Robin asks. The hostess smiles at Robin over her shoulder.

“No need to worry. They will be brought to your rooms.” The trio continue to follow the hostess all the way to their rooms. She gives each of them a key to their respective suites, Steve and Robin on one side of the hall and Eddie on the other. “Someone will be back to escort you to the rooftop for the event at 7:30 PM. Please don’t hesitate to call down to the front desk if you need anything.” She gives them another polite, customer service smile, before disappearing back to the elevators.

“See you guys at 7:30!” Steve says as he enters his room. Robin followed Steve’s lead by entering her own room, a faded ‘Holy Shit!’ could be heard as soon as she entered, the door closing behind her. Eddie chuckles and shakes his head at the two, being the last to enter his room.

As soon as he opens the door, he immediately echoes Robin’s shock. “Ho-ly shit.” He breathes out. His suitcase was already in his room at the base of the short steps down into the living room. Yes, the living room. The hotel ‘room’ was basically a luxury apartment. It had its own kitchen connected to the living room, only separated by a marble top bar. To the left was a small corridor that must be the bathroom and bedroom.

Eddie walks down the two steps, grabs the handle of his suitcase, and heads left. He slowly opens the door to the bedroom as if afraid to reveal a surprise. Peering his head through the door, he’s welcomed with a bedroom damn near the size of his entire trailer. On the far wall, there were ceiling to floor windows with long, burgundy curtains opened and resting on the sides where the glass met the walls. In the middle of the room was a large king bed with posts that almost hit the ceiling. There was a couch near the windows and a huge walk-in closet and bathroom to the left.

Eddie lets go of his tattered suitcase and drops his backpack on the ground, running to the bed and diving into it. The linen was incredibly soft and pristine, and the entire bed smelled like fresh laundry. Eddie sighs into the mattress, fighting the sleep that washed over him. He turns his head to look at the clock on the bedside table. 5:14 PM. He had a little over two hours until they had to be at the release party. He could take a nap. He sighs again, closing his eyes.

This bed was just so damn comfortable. He wouldn’t even know what to guess when it came to the price of just two nights here. Hundreds? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? He’s just glad he doesn’t get to see the bill. Regardless, he would probably faint at the sight of that many numbers on a receipt.

The overall experience reminds him of his New York visit. The first time seeing your home, feeling the blankets of your guest bed. Does your bed feel as soft as the guest bed? Softer? What did your room look like? Did you have posters on your walls like he did or did you have a more ‘mature’ decorative theme? What would you think of his room? Everything of his is old, half of it outdating Eddie himself. Would you be grossed out by the amount of dirty laundry on his floors seemingly at all times? Would it change your opinion of him? What do you think about him? Do you think of him?

Great. Eddie sighs heavily, exasperated. Now, he can’t sleep. His mind is running rampant with thoughts of you. He turns his head to shove his face into the duvet, letting out a muffled groan. After a few seconds, he decides he should probably come up for air. He pushes himself up and off the bed, heading over to the bathroom.

Eddie leans over the bathroom counter, resting his hands on the cool marble top. He stares at himself in the mirror, analyzing.

It's almost strange looking so closely at himself in the mirror. It's rare for him to just sit and stare. The more he stares, the further into his head he gets. Could you ever feel about him the way he feels about you? He's just him, and you're you. You're amazing, talented, beautiful, all the things he wishes he could be. Everywhere he ever dreamed of being, you've accomplished. The records, the game, the stardom, the escape, you got out. Would you even want to backtrack for him off all things?

Eddie wonders, did you feel sorry for him? Is that why you were doing all of this? Did he remind you of you? Was this… pity? That had to be it. You saw too much of your past self in him and just couldn't help but intervene.

He wasn't complaining, by any means, but that would make the most sense. You were just being nice, and he was mistaking it for something else.

Eddie could see his reflection’s brows furrow and his jaw tighten. Of course, he was getting too far into his head. He can't know what you're thinking. He needed to stop beating himself up and just let things flow as they go.

He turns on the faucet and splashes his face. “Relax, Munson. Get out of there.” He says to himself as a small peptalk. He closes his eyes and lets out a big sigh. “Okay, okay.” He starts bouncing up and down, shaking his arms out beside him and stretching his neck by tilting his head side to side. He opens his eyes to look at himself once more in the mirror. “You,” he points at his reflection, “Don't fuck anything up.”

Before Eddie knows it, 7:30 rolls around. Though he spent the last two hours getting ready and mentally psyching himself up, as soon as he hears a knock at his door, the effects of every pep talk he repeated over the last 135 minutes evaporated and the blood drained from his body. Eddie freezes, staring at the door from across the living area. “7:30, Munson!” Steve's voice could be heard from the otherside of the door. “Let's go!” Eddie takes a few seconds to scramble around for nothing. He'd already ensured he had everything he needed 30 minutes ago. He rushes towards the door but stops to look at himself over again in the full body mirror next to the entryway.

He messes with his hair again, meticulous moving around the hairs of his bangs, unable to get them just right. “You better not be sleeping, numbnuts!” Robin yells.

“Coming!” He shouts back, smoothing down the fabric of his black blazer and fixing the already perfect collar of his matching black dress shirt. He fiddles with the top buttons, ultimately deciding to leave the top few unfastened. Before he can do anything else, he sighs, stopping himself and turns to the door. He takes one step forward before pausing, turning back to the mirror and pointing at his poor reflection just as he did in the bathroom earlier. “No. Fuckups.” He glares before his eyes look up and spot a flyaway hair. He goes to reach up and fix it but another, more stern knock wraps against the door.

“Eddie!” Steve shouts again. Eddie rushes to yank the door open.

“I'm here, Jesus!” He rolls his eyes as he pushes passed the two, pulling the door closed behind him. A different hotel employee stood a few steps away from the trio. His hands are clasped in front of him as he waits with an amused grin.

“Good Evening. If you will follow me…” The uniformed man gestures with an open palm towards the direction of the elevators before leaning into his gesture and leading the three to the same elevators they arrived in.

As they step into the elevators, Steve breaks the silence. “You two clean up pretty damn well, I must say. Why haven't I seen this side of you before?” Eddie and Robin throw glares simultaneously, but Steve ignores it. Robin smooths down her tailored suit jacket with her chin up high.

“Why would I waste my good clothes on you?” Robin shoots back, undoing the front button of her almost black suit jacket to reveal a matching button down vest, the deep V of her vest exposing the pale freckled skin of her sternum. Her suit pants were tailored slightly shorter to stop near her ankles, exposing the bright red boots that add a pop of color to her otherwise monochromatic outfit.

Eddie glances over at Steve, “I’m more so surprised to see you own this much black.” Eddie shoots back, eyeing Steve's attire. His light weight, button down shirt was unbuttoned just enough to show off his hairy chest. Eddie reaches out and picks at the shoulder seam of Steve’s jacket. “Leather? Who are you?” Eddie teases with a raised brow. Steve rolls his eyes and jerks his shoulders forward to adjust his jacket before smoothing his hands down his gray and black pinstripe trousers.

“This is a famous rock band’s album release party. I have to fit the part, don't I?” He rebuttals, running his hand gently through his styled hair.

“I never thought I’d see the day The Steve Harrington wore anything outside of his usual jean and crewneck slash polo combo.” Robin teases with a wide smile. Eddie huffs out a small chuckle through his nose as he fails to contain his amused smile. Steve rolls his eyes again, head rolling around to turn his body away from the two to face the elevator doors just as it beeps. He pulls out his old faithful pair of sunglasses from his shirt, placing them on his face.

“Whatever.” He grumbles as the doors open to reveal their rooftop destination. As soon as the trio exit the elevator, they’re met with loads of wealthy looking artist types, the party seemingly in full swing. Eddie let out a small sigh of relief to know that the three of them weren’t the first three dorks to arrive, but he also couldn’t help the anxious feeling building in his chest.

Eddie was always a designated loser in school. He only started to get invited to parties when he started dealing in his Junior year. Even then, he mostly hung out outside, away from the crowds. One, to keep a low profile, and two, to avoid the hoards of teens.

Now, he was invited as a proper guest to do neither of those things. He wasn't just any guest either. He was a VIP, an honored guest. He was one of the celebrated, at least that's what was said on the card he got in the mail with the tickets and event info.

Steve let out a low whistle, lifting a hand to tilt his sunglasses down his nose, eyeing the party and its female guests. “Down, Dingus.” Robin pipes up, reaching forward to slap a hand down on Steve's shoulder.

“Who knew Eddie would be the one to get us here?” Steve said, smirking and waving at the model types glancing over at him from the bar. Eddie scoffs, the anxiety calming for a split second as his friend ground him.

“Thanks, dickhead.” Eddie purses his lips and rolls his eyes.

“I don't see your girl here, yet, so I say let's grab some drinks while Dingus reserves us a table.” Robin states while shoving Steve towards the small round, bar height tables, the opposite direction from the actual bar.

“Hey!” Steve shoots, offended by the push.

“I think I deserve a fair chance before you embarrass us all.” Robin raises her brows with a teasing expression. Steve scoffs and rolls his eyes, putting his hands on his hips and shifting his weight to one side.

“Please. Coming from the person who thinks eye contact is flirting.” His expression is pure sass. Robin turns her back on him and starts walking away.

“Better than shitty pickup lines.” She waves him off. Eddie gives Steve a pursed lipped smile and lifts his brows, shrugging before catching up with Robin. Steve sighs, turning to properly walk to an empty table to keep warm for the trio.

Eddie lets Robin order the three of them drinks while he scopes out the event. As expected, the rooftop party was both gorgeous and obviously expensive. The view alone was to die for, but the subtle gold and black decorations, the complimentary drinks and food, the well-dressed and pretty faces all oozed Hollywood. It was a far cry from the small town house parties. The party was not nearly as loud or as unhinged. Everyone seemed a bit more reserved, mature. That was to go without saying as Eddie, Robin, and Steve were amongst the youngest attendees.

Taking in the decorations and the party’s guests were only a byproduct of Eddie’s search for a familiar face. Obviously, you were going to attend your own album release party, but Eddie was internally starting to panic. He couldn’t find you anywhere. Matter-of-fact, he couldn’t spot any of the band members. “I’m sure they are going to make some sort of grand entrance.” Robin interrupts his silent thoughts, looking at him through the corner of her eyes with a raised brow and a slanted grin. Eddie sighs, rolling his head dramatically while turning his body to lean his elbows on the bar. Robin gets him a little too well at times. He still has yet to decide if he likes it or not. “It’s crazy how much she has a chokehold on you.” Robin chuckles out, turning her body to assume Eddie’s previous position, leaning her weight backwards on her forearms. Eddie just sighs a bit louder, letting his head drop hair falling around his face. Robin lets out another small chuckle. “It’s honestly kind of weird to see you like this. I didn’t think Eddie Munson was the type to ‘crush’.” Eddie lifts his head and looks over at Robin, slightly offended.

“What is that supposed to mean?” She shrugs. 

“Well, since I’ve known you, you’ve never given off the… vibe of, you know,... ‘a romantic’.” He scoffs.

“I wouldn’t really call myself ‘a romantic’. I think I have too much awkwardness to sweep anyone off their feet.” Robin shrugs again.

“There’s different types of romance, bird brain.” She turns a little to face Eddie, still leaning on one elbow. “You’re no Steve.” Both her and Eddie look over at Steve’s location across the venue. He was leaned up against the table, obviously talking up some random girl. “But honestly, for your girl, they don’t seem like the type to be ‘wooed’ by a Steve.” She laughs again, but Eddie only grimaces.

“I mean he makes us cringe, but he does have the kind of unwavering confidence that we lack.”

“Hey, don’t sell us short, now. There are plenty of hot girls who are into the whole ‘shy charm’ thing.”

“Okay, but,” he leans up to mimic Robin’s posture, facing her, “how do I even know she’s, like, into me. Like, sure, she’s my type. Hell, she’s the one who made me even realize I have a type.” He looks up at the orange sky, letting out another exasperated sigh. “She’s literally perfect, man. I’m letting myself fall way too hard when I don’t even know the first thing about,” He flails his hands around, gesturing at nothing, “this.”

“To be honest, dude, I wouldn't call myself the best person to be giving any type of advice on confessing to crushes,” she pulls a face, “but I will say, a blind man can see you’ve got something between you two. It’s kind of painfully obvious.”  Eddie looks over at Robin and raises his brows, his eyes widening.

“You sure?” Robin lets out a little huff, her face flattening as she lifts a brow.

“Yeah, doofus. I’m not an idiot.” Eddie lets it sink before leaning in a little towards Robin, lowering his voice.

“Okay, but,” Robin rolls her eyes, “Hey, hear me out.” Eddie gives her a serious look.

“Okay, okay, what?” She caves. Eddie fixes his jaw, not really sure how to ask what he wants to ask.

“So, you know, you’re, like, a girl-”

“Last time I checked.” She interrupts. Eddie gives her another look. She raises a hand in surrender. “Sorry, sorry.”

“As I was saying, you’re a girl who's, like, you know, into girls...” Robin squints, fighting the urge to interject with something sarcastic.

“Mhmm…”

“And, well, she’s also into girls.” Robin’s brows shoot up.

“Really?!” Eddie is quick to shush her. “Sorry.” She quiets down, “Really?!” she whisper yells. “Well, shit, maybe… fucking hell.” Robin sighs heavily. Pursing her lips to one side as her brain racks. Eddie winces.

“Does… Does that change things?” Robin looks up at her friend’s face. Her heart aches for him. His eyes wide and nervous, the one look deaging him to a boy. She looks away from him.

“Well, kind of?” She says, also a bit nervous, not knowing how to really navigate the situation. Eddie’s jaw tightens, his shoulders hike up, the actual visual representation of bundled up nerves. His eyes close as his hand comes up to smack his forehead. Robin puts up her hands as if trying to damage control. “Okay, but wait. Is she, like, exclusively, you know, girls only or is it more half-half?” Eddie drops his hand and shrugs.

“I- I don’t know. How do I even ask a question like that without being too, you know,... revealing?” Robin sighs.

“I mean you could just ask.” She winces.

“You can just ask that? I- I don’t want to be, well, is that not, like, offensive?” His inner turmoil is quite evident in his physicality. Robin shrugs.

“I mean, times have changed. It’s obviously not, like, widely accepted, but in my opinion, if she was comfortable enough to tell you that, I think she may be comfortable enough to let you know if she’s, like,... exclusive or not.” Robin herself was obviously not trying to hide her own preferences while out and about, but she still had trouble when it came to talking about sexuality. She sighs and turns to face the bar again, “I think it will be a lot worse for you to go on like this without knowing for sure if you have a chance, trust me.” She looks down, speaking from experience. Eddie nods subtly. Just then, the bartender brings them their finished drinks. Robin mutters out a small thanks before standing up straight and turning to face Eddie with a drink in each hand. “Let's get to the table. Maybe we should fill in The All Knowing Hair.” Robin says tipping her head to the side to gesture for Eddie to grab the last drink before walking off in the direction of Steve.

Eddie stands at the bar for longer, staring down at the drink glass, so deep in thought the ringing of a microphone turning on doesn’t reach his ears. “Ladies and gentleman!” A voice announces. Eddie’s head lifts as he lazily turns his head in search of the source of the voice, finding a guy across the rooftop with a curtain behind him. “It is my honor to present the stars of the night, or, more accurately put, rockstars of the night.” Eddie grimaces at the guy, but he still managed to get a few laughs at the poor joke. “I present to you all, Cydonia!” He steps aside in perfect time for the band members to emerge from the curtain. Applause erupts from every party guest, Eddie’s hands moving by their own fruition as his brain is in a completely different place and time.

Adam walks his way up to the microphone stand as the applause dies down. “Good Evening, Everyone! How’s everyone doing?” Another eruption of cheers comes in response before Adam continues with his introductory speech.

To Eddie, the world quieted and time slowed. It was as if everyone disappeared and there was a spotlight on you in an empty void. You were dressed head to toe in black leather. The seams on your leather pants, gloves, and jacket all coordinated to create an almost armor-like illusion. Each member was dressed in a similar fashion, with only slight differences in fits and seamlines. Your hair was braided away from your face with various silver metal pieces interwoven. Everyone had silver details to keep the theme consistent. The band looked like one big, futuristic, badass biker gang (who were also probably mercenaries). It must have something to do with the concept of the album, Eddie thought. “With that being said, enjoy your night!” Adam’s conclusion brings Eddie out of his head as he claps along with the rest of the party guests.

Once the band steps off the stage, they are bombarded with different groups of people wanting to converse with them. Eddie can see you trying to make your way to him, but you continuously get stopped by different guests who want to say something. Though he can’t hear what you say, he can tell you must be cutting each interaction short as you give each person a fake smile and head nod before walking off to the next interruption. Between each guest you make eye contact with Eddie, making it obvious you’re coming to him specifically, not just the bar.

The longer your eventual meeting gets dragged out, though, the worse Eddie feels. He finds himself running through every possible scenario of what could happen, thinking about what Robin told him to ask. As you get closer and closer, he can feel his heart rate increasing. When you’re just a few feet away, he feels like he’s going to faint as he tries to keep himself from panting.

Just as you’re reaching him, a girl with bright red hair styled to look perfectly messy steps between you and Eddie, stopping you right in your tracks. She obviously catches you off guard a bit as she gets right in your face, causing you to finch back a little. “Hey, there, hot stuff.” She says in a sultry tone, her red stained lips curling into a smirk as she runs a finger down your front.

“Uh, hi.” You offer a small smile with a curious brow. For the split second your attention is taken off Eddie, he quickly disappears, nearly running over to Steven and Robin.

“Jesus christ, I’m gonna pass out.” He blurts out as soon as he reaches the little table. Steve is still too wrapped up in the girl he’s talking to, but Robin looks over to Eddie a bit confused and concerned, placing a hand on his shoulder as he heaves.

The girl in front of you keeps talking your ear off. You pay no mind, grabbing her by her upper arms and gently moving her to the side so you can try to sneak passed her, but as soon as you successfully maneuver her, you realize Eddie is gone. You are taken aback, immediately questioning your sanity. He was just right there.

The entire inner conflict you had does little to interrupt the girl and her advances. She immediately reaches up to place a finger on your cheek to manually turn your head, forcefully bringing your attention back to her. She continues to talk nonsense and flirt, and all you can do is nod and offer a polite grin as your eyes wander to try and find him again. “So how about a drink?”

“Um, yeah. Sure, whatever.” You say as you look around. You both lean against the bar, and she starts ordering. Your head remains on a swivel, but you can’t find Eddie anywhere.

Eddie was hunched over the table, forehead against the table top with his arms surrounding his head. Robin rubs his back to try and help whatever he’s going through. “Dude, what just happened?” Eddie mumbles something she can’t quite hear. “What?” She leans in further.

“I chickened out!” He says, lifting his head but still shrunken in on himself.

“Oh my god.” Robin says annoyed, rolling her eyes. “You fucking shithead! I thought you were going to say she was…!” she lowers her tone, catching herself, “exclusive.” She leans next to Eddie. She glances over to the bar to see you drinking with a redhead girl and sighs. He groans and plops his head back on the table.

“What the shit, man.” He groans. “Why am I such a coward?” Robin shakes her head, rolling her eyes again.

“All you gotta do is ask, dude. I told you, the longer you wait-”

“The harder the rejection will hit. Yeah, yeah, I know.” He finishes, lifting his head. Robing smacks the back of his head.

“There hasn't been any rejection yet. You still don’t know, numbnuts.” She glares at him, obviously annoyed with his antics, acting like she wouldn’t be doing the same thing in his position. “Stop moping like it’s already happened. You’re just going to make shit worse for both of you.” Eddie sighs, pouting.

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[evermoreseries]

EVERMORE: Chapter Three

Eddie Munson Fic - Evermore Directory - Word Count: 9.1k

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Immediately after lunch, Eddie had about 30 minutes to kill until his next class. He used this time to wander around campus some more. At this time, plenty of students were already into their next classes, so it gave Eddie a chance to see things without the in-between class scrambling.

Where Matthew left him was just at the beginning of a long paved walkway to what looked like another building slightly off the main campus. Most of its structure was obscure by surrounding trees, so naturally Eddie curiously walked towards it to scope it out.

The wide paved path was at a slight downward slope. Eddie leisurely walked towards the building, running his fingers along the short stone wall that lined the bridge. As he glances to his left, he catches a glimpse of what appears to be water through the trees, the edge of the huge lake the academy sits on. In the absence of others, it almost feels like he’s back in the Upside Down. He furrows his brows as he thinks of the time he spent there just the night before.

Everything is stale and cool there. Here, the last bits of autumn sun bring warmth to his skin, and the air is fresh. It almost sickens him. This time last year, he would be celebrating a day like this, a gentle breeze rolling through, but plenty of sunlight to make you almost forget the impending rainy, overcast days that hit before winter. Now, it’s just bearable. Luckily, this summer was spent in hiding. It was the first time in history that the AC in the trailer didn’t go out. Since he quite literally could not leave the confines of his room in fear of being seen, he could take as many ice cold showers his heart desired. Now that it’s becoming cooler all round, he is able to walk around on days like these just slightly uncomfortable, but again, it’s bearable.

At the end of the bridge is a singular building. On either end were two huge, rounded greenhouse looking structures connected by a brick rectangle. The center of the building, the brick structure, seemed to be the main entrance. Above the double doors were bold letters, Conservatory.

Eddie makes his way around the building, opting to walk around instead of through. As he walks around one of the large glass greenhouses, he notices what looks like a class being held, black and purple uniforms all seated with textbooks and notepads.

He easily makes his way to the back of the conservatory, finding the sidewalk abruptly ending and turning into an overgrown dirt pathway cutting through the grass and leading into the woods. Eddie lazily kicks his feet through fallen leaves as he aimlessly follows the path. The trees closely follow the path for a while until they gradually expand, making room for a wide, circular platform with matching stone structures that have all seen better days.

Eddie makes his way around the open area before stepping onto the short platform. He stands in the middle of the platform, slowly spinning in a circle to fully grasp the structures around him. Something on one of the stones catches his eye. This particular stone is wider than it is tall. It reaches just about to Eddie’s thigh and has a few green vines and weeds growing around it. Eddie kneels and bends down to move some of the weeds, dusting off the stone.

Just under a thin layer of dirt is a drawing, presumably done with a black sharpie. It’s a little stick figure with a fierce expression and fangs. Drawn in one of its hands is a sword, and on top of its head is a crown. Eddie can’t help but crack a smile, as just above the figure is an arrow and a name, “Laika Reider was here.”

Walking into the South Building, Eddie is quick to take in the familiar stench of floor mats, locker rooms, and rubber. There are a million echoes of talkative students bouncing off the vast walls. Just from the entrance, he can see a long hall that has two doors on one side and four on the other. He quickly glances down at his schedule to make sure he has the right room number in mind. “S-100.” He mumbles aloud to himself.

“Over here.” A small voice catches him off guard. He looks up to find the same thirteen year old boy from his first class shyly waving him over.

“Tony.” Eddie says confidently with a smile. He jogs over to the kid, coming to a slow stop and slapping a hand on the younger’s shoulder. “The Little Wolf,” Anthony blushes, “How’s it goin’, little man?”

“Hm - hi.” Anthony replies with a timid grin, “This is our classroom.” He points to the glass window on the door. The text reads ‘S-100, Transmutations, Safierto’.

“So it is. Thanks!” Eddie boasts, reaching over to pull the door handle, gently pushing Anthony through the door first before following behind.

They both take a second to take in the space. It’s little more than four walls. The space was about half the size of a basketball court with cement walls and glossy wooden floors, of which held a few scratches and marks. Windows and vents lined the edges of the ceiling and there were a small set of wooden bleachers at the far end of the room.

Sitting in the corner of the bottom bleacher bench was a woman. She had her yellow-gold eyes focused on a few papers inside a folder. Her skin was a rich, warm brown, her muscular arms were on full display in a black, sleeveless top that covered her neck. Even with a completely neutral expression, her face was clearly scarred on one side. Three long lines stretched from just under her left eye, along her cheek, and disappearing under her turtleneck.

After a few beats of silence, she finally looks up from her papers over an invisible pair of glasses. Her eyes do a quick once over both boys before she closes the folder, sits up straight, and uncrosses her legs. “Looks like we’re all here.” She stands just as the bell signaling the start of class rings. She tosses the folder down on the seat behind her and begins walking to the center of the room. “Go ahead and set your stuff down over there.” She says pointing to the bleachers. Eddie and Anthony share a quick glance before they begin moving further into the class to follow her instructions.

Both boys set their belongings down on the first bench and turn back to face their instructor. She now stands with her arms crossed in front of her chest and an almost deadpan expression. She then motions for them to sit with a simple wave of her hand. They follow promptly, curious and a little intimidated. “I will be your instructor for this class, here to help you get through your transformations. Help you get comfortable and in control.” Her head dips in a curt nod to affirm her words. “Most students call me Ms. Saf. I’ve been here helping Nevermore students for the last seven years.” Eddie instinctually spares Anthony a quick side glance before giving his attention back to his teacher. “Now, no worries if you are not a wolf, werecreatures all go through transformation in relatively the same way.”

“Does it hurt?” Anthony asks outright. Ms. Saf’s face ever-so-slightly eases into an amused depression. She huffs a small laugh, shaking her head.

“No, you’ll be alright.” She affirms. “The first time, first few times, will feel a bit foreign, strange even, but it doesn’t hurt.” She breathes in, squinting off as if trying to find the right words before sighing out, “It will feel more akin to stretching. The more you form, the easier it will become to slip in and out of. The more time you spend in your were-state, the stronger and more connected you will become with your powers.” She offers Anthony a tightlipped grin. “It’s a lot like learning a new sport or a new workout.” She tilts her head side to side as she goes through the explanation. “Your body is using muscles you don’t normally use, but maintaining regular practice will help to improve yourself in your altered state. You will be sore afterwards, and you will experience aches most likely all over, but the purpose of the class is to build strength and confidence. Before you know it, you’ll be mastering the switch.”

Anthony sighs, deflating with relief. Eddie holds back a chuckle. Though Eddie is just as happy to hear that they won’t have to Wolverine-’hurts every time’-it, seeing it openly expressed on someone else is a bit comical.

“Since we only have an hour together on Wednesdays, this first class will mainly be for Q&A and demonstrations, so let’s just get into it.” Ms. Safierto rolls her shoulders back. “For early transformations, most people need some type of trigger to change. Over time, these triggers may change. They may be positive or negative. It really depends on the person.” Eddie’s brows furrow a bit as he starts to feel a little anxious at the thought of being triggered to change into a creature he doesn’t know if he can control.

“Will we always need a… trigger to change?” Anthony asks.

“No, not always. Like I said, this is really just some tips for beginners. Once you gain a bit of experience, you should be able to change at will.” She looks over to Eddie, leaving a bit of room for more questions before continuing. “At some point, particularly in your early days, you might find that you may feel better in your were-state as opposed to your human state. ‘Better’ may mean something different to everybody.” She begins talking with her hands as time goes on. “Some students say they feel more confident than usual, less anxious, less… burdened.” She raises a stern, warning brow. “But don’t get too cocky or full of yourself, or even too… down on yourself. Physical strength, enhanced senses are all things that naturally come with transforming, mainly because these creatures we change into are more instinctual, primal. Your were-counterpart is not what makes you ‘better’. It merely opens your eyes to a grander picture, connects you,... grounds you.” She looks back and forth between the two boys to ensure her message is sticking. She clasps her hands together in front of her lap and continues, “Have either of you transformed before?”

Anthony shakes his head vigorously, “No, ma’am.” Both turn their gazes to Eddie.

“I, uh…” He clenches his jaw, twitching his head to the side as he tries to come up with something on the spot. “I, uh, had, um,” he swallows, “a nightmare… once…” His leg starts to bounce, “about, uh, turning into a… rampaging monster…” He chuckles to deflect, no humor behind it at all. “When I woke up, my mattress suffered some bad claw marks.” He shrugs, nodding. “That’s as close as I’ve got.”

Ms. Safierto nods, understanding, “You may have a trigger stemming from anger… or fear.” She tilts her head, “In such a relaxed state, like sleeping, you may have been able to transform without knowing it per se.” She shakes her head, “It’s not uncommon.”

Eddie clears his throat, trying to find some confidence in his voice, “Do, uh… Do you keep in control… while… transformed? The human part.” He twitches his head to the side, “In.. my dream… I…” He shakes his head, “didn’t feel like I… was in the driver’s seat.” His brows furrowed as he recalls. “I could hear,... see,... smell… everything that was happening, but it felt like…” He shrugs, “Someone else was… piloting…” He frowns, squinting at the memory.

Ms. Safierto’s look hardens a bit as she lets Eddie’s words hang in the air for a moment, much to his dismay. Anthony looks back and forth between Eddie and their teacher nervously. She shakes her head, “You should always remain in control of your actions while in your were-state. Your body is the only thing changing. We do not transform into mindless beasts. The person inside remains the same, regardless of the physical state.”

Her stern, matter-of-fact tone brings slight comfort to Eddie, but he can’t help but think back to his dreams. He remembers each one more than he’d ever remembered a dream in his life. They all had way too much detail, and he was way too aware.They felt real. He sighs with relief, nodding, but something deep down tells him not to trust this ‘were-counterpart’. We desperately wanted to take her words to heart, but the look she gave him worked against his judgment.

“What happens to our clothes and stuff when we transform?” Anthony asks with a raised hand. Eddie mentally thanks him graciously for changing the subject to something a bit less dramatic.

“Well… It depends on the creature’s transformation and the degree in which they transform.” She raises a brow, “Think of transformations in terms of percentages. This is quite advanced so don’t feel pressured to master this skill. It takes a lot of practice to control your ‘percentage’. When it comes to clothes, most creatures tend to not transform into something too much larger than or different from their human form. Clothes may be stretched, torn, ripped, and so on. Therefore, one of the best teachings to keep with you is to be mindful of what you wear and the fabrics you choose. Sweats, baggy or loose fitting clothes will almost never get… shredded. Jeans, linens, thick, or stiff fabrics tend to not be recoverable, but again, depends on the transformation and the creature. Some tend to be more humanoid than others. You might be able to get away with a few stretched jackets or ripped seams. Which in that case, we have an amazing seamstress at Nevermore who, I'm sure, would be more than happy to fix it right up.”

She gestures to Eddie, “As your counterpart is still unknown, you may be one of the lucky few who get to keep your jeans.” She attempts at a joke, offering a small grin. “Anthony on the other hand.” She turns her attention to the younger. “Sorry to say, but wolves tend to be on the list of creatures who need to stick to stretchy pants.”

“Eh, I’m not really fond of jeans anyway.” He shrugs earnestly, getting a chuckle out of Eddie and their teacher.

“Maybe, you’ll get lucky and be one of the few wolves who can fully ‘wolf-out’ as I’ve heard it called.” She says sarcastically. Anthony scrunches his face.

“Probably not. No one on my mom’s or dad’s side has that trait, so I’m good.”

“Wolf-out?...” Eddie asks, searching for clarification. Anthony takes over before their teacher can respond.

“Some werewolves can turn into a full wolf.” He holds out his hands to add emphasis. “But… it's pretty rare.” He nods to confirm his own statement.

“Out of my forty-five years of life and fifteen years of teaching. I’ve only come across three wolves who can do it.” Eddie’s brow lifts in surprise at the mention of her age. He would’ve guessed twenty-seven, maybe even thirty, but only because she mentioned seven years at Nevermore. He glances over at Anthony now getting why he looks younger than he is, determining that werewolves must have slowed aging or something. Ms. Safierto shrugs, “Honestly, after seeing them go full-wolf in person, I’m a bit jealous. It’s really a sight to see.” She pauses as she remembers one of her old students. She sighs into a small smile, before shaking the memories from her consciousness. “Moving on. Let’s get into some demonstrations.”

The bell rings, shaking Eddie out of his focus and marking the end of Eddie’s school day. He quickly packs up his belongings off his desk and into his backpack. Arcane World History I was extremely interesting for him and also was the first class he had with more than three students. As all the students pack up and get into their own conversations as they leave, Eddie consumes himself in all he’s learned in one day.

At the start of his morning, tieflings, werewolves, and elves and magic have all been confirmed to be real. He witnessed with his own two eyes a woman transform into a werewolf right in front of him, even though it was ‘only 60%’ as that was how far Ms. Saf could push herself without losing her human speech.

As soon as Eddie leaves the classroom, he is immediately met with a hallway full of bustling students. He looks from left to right trying to remember the way he came in, halfway hoping to spot his roommate trying to flag him down somewhere. Soon enough, Eddie just decides to pick a direction and go for it. He turns left once there is a proper break in students for him to slip his way through.

He’s noticed since he is now in uniform and in a crowded area, no one really pays him any attention. No one is trying to hassle him, no name calling, no malicious stares. For once he’s just another student. Eddie’s hand clenched around the straps of his backpack. He can’t help but remain a bit tensed up with his chest puffed out, ready for something to come his way, but nothing does. He finally reaches a flight of stairs to take him down to the main floor of the East Building. He walks through the corridor until he reaches the shared indoor common area that connects the East and West Buildings.

Upon reaching The Common, he’s quickly overwhelmed with the amount of chatting students going in all directions, almost as if they were swarming with the way they effortlessly avoid other students, chairs, and tables. He makes quick work of the north exit, making his way outside. He’s hit in the face with a breeze of cool, fresh air, and it suddenly feels like he’s never breathed air in his life. He takes several deep breaths, regaining himself before deciding it’s probably best to walk along the perimeter of the campus in hopes of finding a familiar face. He’s bound to run into someone from the club eventually. He turns left again to make his way around the West Building.

Thankfully, there are much less students on the sidewalk outside of the West Building, most opting to walk through than around. Eddie walks leisurely but with his head on a swivel, constantly in search of an embroidered jacket. Just as he gets to the juncture between the West Building and the Cafeteria, he spots the gold embroidery on the back of a student heading towards the bridge that leads to the Conservatory. “Hey!” Eddie shouts, jogging up to meet them.

Sensing someone coming up behind them, the student turns a full 180 to get a look at the perpetrator. Eddie stops in his tracks, falling back a little to avoid bumping into the guy. Immediately upon facing each other, Eddie feels thrust into an awkward position. The slender guy looks Eddie directly in his eyes with something unreadable and standoffish. Eddie does a quick once over taking in the guy’s almost purple complexion.

His skin tone was muted, like a cool, desaturated taupe color with purple undertones. His eyes were misty, and Eddie could have sworn he saw purple trindles moving behind his irises like smoke. “Hi, uh…” Eddie swallows and looks away as the weight of the guy’s gaze was building a lot of pressure. “You’re a part of Slayers, right?” The student leans in a little as his eyes squint slightly, deepening his glare.

“Who are you?” The student’s voice takes Eddie even more off-guard for a second. With such an intense look, Eddie expected a voice more akin to a guttural growl, but on the contrary, with that line, this guy could be a pretty convincing voice actor for the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland.

“Eddie… uh, Junior’s roommate… I was at the meeting during lunch?... uh, Reider said I could come to today’s meet-up.” Eddie says, spacing out his words as if trying to jog the memory of this person. The guy glares even deeper.

“Sire permitted your presence?” Eddie finds himself at a loss for words, but it doesn’t matter. The guy stands up straight as a board. “Very well.” He completes before turning and continuing on his way almost robotically. Eddie’s brows furrow at the exchange, but he follows regardless.

The student walks fast and even as if he’s floating. His chin is held high and his back is straight as a board. He holds himself as if he's a knight of the highest court. His thick, dark gray, almost black hair is brushed back into a low ponytail, waves stopping just at the base of his neck. His elongated, pointy ears each have a golden earring dangling from his earlobes, and his hands are clasped in front of him as he walks.

They make their way down the bridge leading to the Conservatory, around and to the same overgrown path, all without a word. Every so often, Eddie has to break out in a jog to catch up with the guy, but eventually, they reach the club’s meeting point, the stone structure Eddie stumbled across earlier this afternoon. It is now lively and filled with students, changed from their school uniforms, now in various combinations of linens, leather, and metal armors. Shields, swords, and the like now sit perched up against the stone structures.

As soon as they break the tree line, Reider spots Eddie. “New Guy!” She shouts with a smile, jogging over to meet them. Eddie readjusts his backpack in an attempt to alleviate the tension building in his chest now that Reider’s around. “Thanks for showing him the way, Meru. Apparently, Junior didn’t think to meet up with him, or even tell him where to go.” She says, purposefully loud enough for Junior to hear. Eddie can see him shrink from across the small field.

“Of course, my liege.” The guy now known as Meru states before bowing slightly and walking away. Once again, Eddie gives Meru a weird look as he walks off.

“Don’t worry about it.” Reider says, getting Eddie’s attention back on her. “Some club members really take the whole ‘monarchy’ role to heart.” She smiles at him before turning slightly and motioning him to follow her. As they’re walking over to the stones, Reider continues to fill him in. “Since you’re coming in on the day we actually start our first quest, I’m just going to have you follow me, so you can get a feel of how things work. I doubt I will be able to get a great sense on where you’ll be placed, but if not, we’ll just have to talk about it more later.” Eddie simply nods, still ever-stunned that she’s even giving him the time of day. Somehow, the prospect of interacting so much with Reider was not something he let sink in. She smiles at him once more, patting his shoulder before she walks up to the front of the small crowd. She steps up to stand on that same stone Eddie examined earlier. His eyes couldn't help but navigate towards the area the drawing was in. Though he couldn’t see it from this angle, the thought of it brought a little smile to his face.

“Alright, everyone! Now that we’re all here, it’s time to get started!” She gets a few excited cheers in response, causing her to laugh a little. She claps her hands and rubs them together, shaking her head with a smile before dropping her hands and lifting her head with a now determined look on her face. “Citizens of Glynthira, Brothers and Sisters. It pains me to say that our homes, our livestock, our land has been unlawfully seized by the wretched Kullak. Those foul, hateful barbarians have left nothing but a trail of slaughter and carnage in their wake. Some of you…” She looks around at each member, “have lost more than material things.” Her bottom lip quivers as she frowns. “My mother is dead.” She pauses to ‘gather herself’, putting on a brave face. “But there is no time to mourn. My people need a leader. They need a Queen.” She clenches her jaw and lifts her chin defiantly. “And I will do everything in my power to strike those demons down!” They all yell in agreement. “It is what my mother would’ve done. It is what you all deserve! Someone who will fight for you when you’ve been wronged! And, I, for one, will not go down without a proper fight.” More cheers erupt from the group. Reider nods in approval, pausing as they cheer. “Tonight, we’re making the first move. Our lead scout, Meru, has detected a small Kullakian camp just Northwest of us with plenty of stolen resources and food they’ve gathered during their raids. Tonight, we take it… Dona and Meru will lead a small team to scout the area first and secure the perimeter. Once we have secured the area and confirmed their usual guard rounds, Josie and I will come up with the best route of attack. Once Meru and Josie’s teams have been set in place around the camp. Arman and I will lead the first attack, followed by the rest. “ Reider nods to affirm her brief overview. “I hold great pride in all of you. Tonight will mark the first of many victories… I am sure of it.” She nods curtly, marking the end of her speech and immediately causing an uproar amongst the crew.

Reider steps down from her stone and heads straight towards Eddie. Everyone parts for her, busying themselves with readying up. As the autumn sun begins to set and the moon rises, there’s a golden glow casted over Reider’s skin. Eddie is near awestruck with how awesome she looks. Just like the others, she has changed from her usual school uniform and into a simple, off-white, linen long sleeve with brown leather bracers that cover her arm from her elbow down to her knuckles. Her dark gray pants were fitted but possibly just two sizes too big. She had a few belts and miscellaneous fabrics wrapped and tied around her waist and hips, so he presumed that one of them had to be in charge of holding up her pants. “You might wanna readjust your fit.” She says with a teasing grin.

Eddie shakes his head to try and bring himself out of the trance she had him in. “Oh!” He begins to strip off his backpack and jacket.

“Do you have anything valuable in there?” She points to his backpack.

“Uh, no. Nope. no, not really.” He rambles out. She nods her head.

“It will most likely go untouched, but you can never be too safe.” Dona steps up beside them, handing Reider two swords, one wood and one metal. “Thank you.” She says, Dona giving her a nod before walking off again. “Usually, we require at least a few training sessions before we hand over any metal weapons.” She lifts the wooden sword in Eddie’s direction, hilt first. He’s a bit hesitant, but he takes it. “This will get you by for the first few quests. It’s mainly for the safety of everyone else.” She taps the tip of her blade with her fingers. “These things are dull. It’s near impossible to cut yourself but still could really hurt someone if there’s enough force behind it.” He nods in response. She begins walking towards the back of the stone structure, where the stone with the drawing sat. She walks around the stone to head where Meru stood at the edge of the clearing. “You won't really need to worry about anything. You’ll just be running behind Arman and I.” Just as she finishes her sentence, the boy he saw with her and Dona in the courtyard on his first day here pops up next to her.

“That’s a me!” The boy’s dark brown curls bounce on his head as he flops it to the side, throwing an arm around her shoulders. Arman gives Eddie and Reider a huge grin. She returns the smile, but Eddie just eyeballs his exposed, tan arm around her shoulders. He’s wearing what looks like light gray linen wrapped around his body and draped over his left shoulder to create somewhat of a shirt, the tails of the fabric tucked into his loose pants. Eddie eyes the boy’s half exposed chest and naked arm, eyeing every place he makes contact with Reider. “Arman The Great. General of Strikers. The Curl God.” He dramatically leans his head back and shakes it from side to side, causing his luscious curls to bounce around. He lifts a hand and waves it next to him as if throwing hair over his shoulder when in reality his curls just barely touch the tips of his ears. Reider laughs and shakes her head at his antics.

Once they are a few steps away from Meru, with a wave of his hands, a purple smoke swirls and grows into a swirling circle about 7 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Eddie’s eyes wide as they all continue to walk straight through. Eddie pauses before entering. He could see where they were walking to, the other side looking identical to the real world, but everything had a purple hue and it was darker, further into the night than the world they were coming from. Reider turns to look back at Eddie, Arman’s arm dropping off her shoulders as he continues walking further into the other forest, more students filing in behind him. Reider waves for Eddie to come closer with a smile, but he finds himself frozen. Reider walks back towards Eddie, reaching a hand out to him while her body remains on the other side. He stares down at her hand with a torn expression before looking back up to find her eyes. The last few club members walk around him and Reider, passing by with no issue or second glance.

Meru waves his hands over himself, smoke appearing over him as his uniform turns into black and purple robes with gold accents. He bows his head slightly before walking through to the other side. He stands a few paces away from Reider and Eddie to offer them a bit of privacy but remains close enough to keep the door open.

“It’s alright.” She says softly with a gentle smile, nodding her head to affirm Eddie. His heart rate starts to increase, and his breathing picks up as he looks back down to her hand, the grayish purple smoke swirling around in his periphery. She reaches out further, placing her hand on his upper arm to try and regain his attention on her. His eyes meet hers again. “It’s okay… Come on.” She works her hand down to his, grabbing it in hers and pulling him towards her. Just one step forward and he’s successfully passed the threshold, glancing over his shoulder as the smoke swirls closed behind him.

Meru walks off to meet with the rest of the group. “Portals?” Eddie sighs out. Reider nods her head.

“That's one of Meru’s specialties.” She begins to slowly walk with him towards the rest of the club who’ve all separately gathered in their respective groups and started conversing. Eddie’s brows raise slightly.

“Specialties.”

“Yeah, powers? He’s had his gifts since birth and comes from a magical family. It’s very rare, but portals, illusions, and whatnot are his specialty. It really makes all the difference with Slayers.” She smiles and nods. “We both got to Nevermore around the same time, and one day I told him how cool it would be to make our adventures even more immersive with costumes and maybe some combat dummies… He said he had something even better, and here we are.” She concludes by gesturing around to the general area. “He made this all reality, literally.”

“He made this?” Eddie asks.

“Yeah, well, with my help obviously.” She says with a sly smile. “I’m more of the creative visionary. He… does all the rest.” She giggles and shrugs. Eddie gives Reider a ghost of a smile in return, her giggle bringing it about but his mind unable to allow for a full grin to form. He tosses around the weight of the sword in his hand to try and distract himself from his own nerves. “I’ll explain it more later, if you’re interested. It’s pretty cool.” She grins. “For now, let's run these Kullakians down.” Reider scrunches her nose in the cutest little snarl Eddie’s ever seen.

By the time they get over to the group, a few members are missing, Meru, Junior, and Dona being among the ones gone. A girl with brown hair tied up with a white ribbon turns to meet Reider as they walk up, her blue eyes a striking contrast to her almond toned skin. “Dona and Meru have begun leading our first group. Shall we get going?”

“Yeah, let's get going. We don’t want to be too far behind.” Reider gives the girl a small smile and head nod. “Aye, boys!” She shouts over Eddie's shoulder. 

Eddie turns to look behind him towards said ‘boys’. Just a few feet over were two boys, probably Juniors or Seniors. One had rich brown skin with dark brown locs reaching the tops of his cheekbones while the other had a light tan complexion with loose, brown waves down his shoulders. They both had black linens with the short sleeves rolled up their shoulders and brown trousers. They both dropped their playful stances immediately like they were caught doing something bad by their mother. “Arman, Enid. Let's move.” She concludes before she begins to walk further into the thick of trees, motioning for Eddie to move behind her.

As Eddie follows the brunette girl directly behind Reider, Arman jogs up to meet Eddie. “Hey,” He bumps his shoulder by leaning into him. Eddie turns to see Arman grinning at him. “Armando, officially.” He reaches towards Eddie to offer a hand to shake. “Arman for short.” Eddie lifts a hand to shake his.

“Eddie.” They shake hands.

“Nice meeting you.” He nods, Eddie giving him an up and down once over. Arman lifts his left hand to pat Eddie's shoulder. “Don't be nervous. We get pretty into it, but it's all dramatized for fun. You'll be just fine.” Arman nods his head towards Reider, driving Eddie to look back ahead of him in her direction. “We haven't had any new recruiters in a while, but she's always gone easy on them.” He chuckles. “When we get out there, make sure to stay close to one of us. If you lose us for whatever reason, head towards the outskirts of the camp. Katrina, Junior, Riand and Crow will be keeping an eye out and maintaining the border. Josie and Meru will be at the top and bottom of the camp. Dona, Enid, Otis, and Fargo will infiltrate the camp with us. Try your best to stick with us, if you can, though. Ideally, we'd wanna get a feel on your instincts, but then again, no pressure, bro.” He pats Eddie's shoulder once more before slowing down to keep his three trailing squires in line.

Eddie’s eyes wander around, taking in the setting around him. The forest is dark, moonlight peeking through the leafy canopy to light their way. The world has a slight purple foggy overcast. The air feels normal, and the ground beneath him crunches under his shoes no different than their dimension. There’s no sentient vines, no lightning in the sky, nothing to draw similarities between the Upside Down and their universe.

A little distracted, he nearly runs into the brunette girl in front of him, but he catches himself just a few centimeters before. He takes a step back and looks toward Reider to see her hand held up in a motion to stop walking. She then crouches and looks back at the group, moving her hand down in a patting motion, signaling for them to get low. Everyone follows suit, mimicking her crouch as they walk a few steps forward.

Eddie can see a warm flickering light in the distance. It looks to be a campfire. Once they get close enough, they all squat behind some bushes just outside the camp’s perimeter. Reider, Eddie, and the brunette girl all squat behind one bush, Arman, Enid, and his two other squires just a few feet behind. Coming out of nowhere, Meru silently hops down presumably from the tree next to them, causing Eddie to jump in surprise. He curses to himself as they pay him no mind, beginning their conversation. “How are things looking, Meru?”

“Good evening, sire. Everything is according to plan. There have been zero changes in their nightly routines.” He bows his head as he concludes. Reider nods, turning to the brunette girl.

“Josie, ideas on how we should proceed?” Reider questions. The brunette girl, Josie, nods. She peers over the bush to look at the camp, pointing as she speaks. Eddie and Reider both look over as well to follow along.

“We should begin our attack by sneaking in through the right. Those wretched imbeciles have their guard way down on that side.” She points. Much to Eddie’s surprise, he catches a glimpse of these ‘Kullakians’.

There are goblin-like beings chattering and cackling on the rightmost part of the camp, 4 of them. They all were pretty short, the tallest no higher than Eddie’s shoulder. They all have a yellow-green hue to their skin, some a bit more gray than others. They have oversized, pointy ears reaching passed the back of their big heads, and black hair, some covered with hoods. If they were anything like the goblins he knew, they’d be relatively easy to take down, but then again, if they were anything like the goblins he knew, he alone probably didn’t stand too much of a chance. They aren’t the strongest individually, but that’s why they run in packs. Strength in numbers.

Eddie looks around him at the surrounding club members, finding all traces of goofy teen energy gone. They all had determined looks on their faces, even Enid put on a serious face. This group could definitely take on a horde of goblins, probably even a horde of orcs. Just looking at the crew around him made him a bit more confident in their fight, but he started to feel a bit nervous. He did not want to look like a fool out there against a goblin of all things.

“I will take post at the east point.” She points to the entrance closest to them. “Meru can take over Dona’s post in the west.” She points to the furthest point opposite of their current position. “Once Meru takes over for Dona, you and Arman should meet her in the middle to proceed to the south point while Enid, Otis, and Fargo continue in the northern point. Any stragglers should be covered by those of us on the outposts.” Meru and Reider nod.

“Their leader should be in the southernmost tent.” Meru adds, pointing towards the largest tent on the south edge of the camp. “He keeps two underlings with him.” Reider nods.

“As long as we are swift with the foot soldiers, the captain and his guards shall be no problem between Arman and I. I’ll have Dona watch our backs with Eddie.” Eddie’s eyes widen, but it goes unnoticed or ignored by Reider. Before Eddie can say anything back, Arman pats his shoulder again with a boasting grin.

“We got this in the bag.” He smirks, confident. Reider nods.

“Let's get this plan in motion.” She smiles at Josie as her and Meru nod in response. Meru immediately jumps back up into the trees, silently jumping from branch to branch until he’s over at his post. Josie closes a bit more distance between her and the camp, remaining covered. Reider looks back at the three Strikers. “You guys got everything?” They all nod.

“Hell yeah.” The wavy haired boy nods.

“Let’s get this party started.” The dreaded boy adds. Enid smiles brightly, silently squealing in excitement.

They all stand from their squats, sneaking over to their next positions. Eddie hears a quiet shinkt, looking behind him to find Enid has released her multicolored claws. He looks around at the other two boys to find them grinning, anxiously tossing around their swords in their grip, ready to fight. Eddie looks over at Reider who stands next to him. She is just as determined as the rest. Out of the corner of his eyes, Eddie spots two other club members a few yards back, in their stations behind some trees.

Once the six of them are in position, Arman makes his way to the other side of Eddie, while Reider remains on Eddie’s left. The two boys stand in front while Enid stands in the back, behind all five of them, claws ready to strike. “Whenever you see your opening, boys.” Arman tells the two in front. Reider turns to Eddie with an excited grin. 

“Here we go.” He can only give her a nervous one in return.

In the blink of an eye, the two boys hurriedly sneak up on their respective targets, slicing them from the back before lunging at the other two in sync. As soon as their swords make fatal contact, the goblin creatures disappear into a heavy purple smoke, falling to the ground in their place.

Reider and Arman start to move, Eddie moving right along with them. The two boys continue to slice through opponents as they come across them. A few steps into the camp, there is a screech heard from behind them. Eddie turns to see a goblin has come out of one of the tents they passed, now screeching and pointing towards them, causing alarm to ring through the camp. Enid is quick to lunge at the goblin, striking it down with her claws. Reider and Arman continue without so much as a flinch, Eddie regains his steps to ensure he’s kept between them. 

The two boys and Enid take on those on their side of camp while Reider, Arman, and Eddie push forward. Soon enough, they reach the midpoint, meeting with Dona who has already made good work in clearing a path for them. Reider and Arman quicken their pace, taking a few steps ahead of Eddie to begin slicing down goblins on their end, Dona working behind Eddie to keep ones off their backs. As Arman and Reider effortlessly strike their hits, Eddie is left in the middle, frozen and unsure of what to do. A screech reaches Eddie’s ears as he turns to find a goblin running straight towards him out of their tent. The goblin has a club raised and ready to strike him down. Unsure of himself, Eddie just goes on autopilot, swinging his wooden sword once the goblin is within reach. Once the sword makes contact with the side of the goblin’s neck, Eddie feels the slightest bit of resistance but follows through with all his might. In the blink of an eye the goblin is soon replaced with a purple smoke, falling to the ground and dissipating. Reider and Arman are quick to Eddie’s side to keep any other goblins from trying something. Arman quickly takes over as Reider turns to Eddie amidst a break in oncoming goblins. “Nice hit.” She gives him a proud grin before going back to the task at hand.

Eddie’s anxious breath is heavy in his chest, but he feels a bit of pride build up at that one comment. He just killed a goblin with one blow. “Watch our backs!” Reider shouts over to Dona. Eddie sighs out a shaky breath, trying to get it together before he stumbles up to meet Reider and Arman as they march towards the biggest tent.

A large orc parts the curtains of his tent, walking out to meet Arman, Redier, and Eddie, leaving several feet between them. He’s about half a head taller than Eddie and probably three times his body mass. His skin is a muted green, a sickly gray. He has small pointy ears and beady eyes on his large head. He held a large, stone ax in one hand, a smaller one hooked in his leather belt. Fur pelts hung over his leather pants, a dinged up pauldron on his shoulder being the only thing on his upper half. Two goblins walk out behind him, both a lot smaller than the orc, but larger than the other goblins they’ve encountered so far. These two were just an inch or so shorter than Eddie and roughly his same stature.

Arman lets out a low whistle. “Now, that is a face I’m not even sure a mother could love.” He winces at the sight of the creature.

“What is this?” The orc gruffs out. He holds his hands out towards all the fighting behind them. He lets out a deep chuckle. “You think you can just come in here and take my camp?” He boasts with a disgusting smirk on his face.

“Of course we can. We already took it.” Arman boasts right back with a matter-of-fact tone and confident grin.

The orc looks around with a snarl at the fighting and all the destroyed tents, some set ablaze by the candles undoubtedly once held within them. “Worthless scum.” He growls. He roars, raising his ax, his two minions running towards Reider and Arman. The two overgrown goblins put up a good fight. The echoes of metal weapons clashing sound throughout the forest. Not knowing how to jump in, Eddie refrains from inserting himself and instead holds his ground in the middle of Arman, Reider and Dona. The orc’s gaze lands on Eddie. The hulking creature lowers the ax to point it straight at him. Eddie’s eyes widen in panic as the orc tries charging for him, intimidatingly swinging his ax around like a maniac.

“Shit. shit. Shit.” Eddie says, panicked, but still keeps his ground, steadying his forward facing stance with a tight grip on his wooden sword. Eddie closes his eyes and lifts his sword to block the incoming ax swing, but just before it makes contact, another sword comes in the way.

“I don’t think so.” Eddie opens his eyes to see Reider standing in front of him with her sword struggling against the orc’s ax. Arman comes up from behind and slices the orc on the back. The creature yells in pain, turning to try and swing an arm at his attacker only for Arman to already be moved out of reach. While the creature’s attention is away, Reider stretches an arm out to move Eddie along with her, also just out of the orc’s immediate reach. Once they stop, Reider drops into a stance, never shifting her gaze from the orc. Eddie also drops into a stance, trying to mimic the one Reider is in.

“You little rat!” The orc yells at Arman who is laughing at the orc’s anger, only enraging him further. The orc looks around to find his minions gone. He growls, frustrated. “I will just kill you myself!”

“I’d like to see you try.” Arman retorts in a sing-songy tone, skipping around the orc, remaining just out of arms-length. Reider chuckles and shakes her head. The orc roars, rushing Arman at a surprising speed but then again not fast enough to catch him. Right before their eyes, Arman disappears, leaving a golden, swirling cloud in his place, only to appear behind the orc in another puff of smoke. “Over here!” Arman calls out just before slicing another non-fatal wound on the orc’s back. The orc turns to reach behind him, swinging where Arman once was, only for him to poof somewhere else. “Too slow!” Arman sings out again.

Dona meets up with Eddie and Reider, taking over Reider’s spot before Eddie watches her rush into battle, sliding on her knees to slice at the orcs legs. She rolls out of the way before he is able to catch her with his ax. Arman laughs in the orc’s face. “Come on! Are you even trying?” The orc roars out again, swinging his ax around madly as Reider and Arman take turns slicing and confusing the hulking monster. He huffs and puffs, obviously getting tired and dizzy.

“You puny humans!”

“EEEHH! Wrong!” Arman blurts out as he slides by, slicing at the orc’s thigh and poofing away. The orc turns around, trying and failing again at catching the teen.

“We’re not human.” Reider says calmly, the orc turning towards her just as she plummets her sword into his chest. Arman appears on the orc’s back.

“Nice try, though.” Arman teases the orc as he drives his sword down into the creature’s back. As it falls forward, dissipating into purple dust, Arman jumps over Reider, rolling as he hits the ground and effortlessly stands, lifting his hands above his head like a gymnast. “Thank you, thank you.” He turns and bows in all directions for an invisible audience. Reider shakes her head at him but can’t help but smile. She sheaths her sword through a loop in one of her belts and lets out that same melodic whistle Eddie heard her do earlier at lunch. From all sides, Eddie could hear cheers of kids and teens alike, all members understanding that the whistle meant they’ve successfully completed their mission.

Eddie turns to the blonde girl next to him. She paid him no mind, just grinning and nodding her head at the sight in front of her. Now that they are nearly shoulder to shoulder, Eddie realizes just how much Dona and Enid look alike. Her hair had a more golden tone to it than Enid’s pale blonde. She has a more mature look, but they share the same eyes and nose. They are very obvious sisters.

Soon enough all the remaining club members come to meet, circling around Reider with happy faces. “We did it!” She starts. They all cheer along with her. “As predicted, this shall mark our first victory of many more to come! The Kullak vastly underestimate us, and that will be their reckoning. They do not know of the power we hold. They may have taken our land, but we are Glyntheria!” The members shout out in proud defiance, waving swords and fists high. “No matter how hard they try, not one person on this plane, Kullak or not, can take that from us!” A chorus of ‘yeah’s and hollers ring out. “Tonight! We will celebrate with a feast!” Another chorus of delighted cheers yell at the sound of food, this one even more prolonged than the previous shouts. Reider can’t stop the laugh that leaves her lips. She tries regaining herself before continuing. “So, let’s head back to base and collect ourselves, so we can head out!” She smiles at each member, getting ‘whoop’s and ‘yay’s in response as Meru begins to lead them back the direction they came.

As everyone walks ahead, Reider sticks in the back with Eddie. “So…” she drags out. “What’d’ya think?” She asks, tilting her head with a small smile. Eddie blinks a few times, nodding.

“I…” he huffs a short laugh, “That was awesome!” Reider laughs. “You were all,” He poorly mimics her sword swings while making a ‘woosh’ sound with his mouth, “And Arman was all,” He jumps to one side making a ‘poof’ sound, swinging his sword with a ‘shing’ noise before repeating his actions by jumping to and from all different sides and all around Reider, causing her to giggle. “Then that final move?!” He jabs his wooden sword upwards. “We aren’t humans.” He turns to stand in front of Reider as they make their way to the edge of the clearing they arrived in, Meru on the other end, reopening his portal as members walk through.

Eddie shoves his sword through his own armpit, theatrically reenacting the death scene before falling to the ground onto the purple tinted grass and dirt beneath him. Reider doubles over giggling. Eddie rolls to lay on his back, staring up at Reider with a huge grin, happy to make her laugh. “Holy shit, you guys rock.”

She looks down at him, her laugh still working its way through her words, “I could say the same for you!” Eddie perches himself on his elbows as Reider unsheaths her sword, takes a couple steps forward and swings it with a sharp strike to the side. She then turns to face Eddie, placing the flat of her dull, silver blade against her neck and making a ‘bleh’ sound before crumbling on her side to the ground. She giggles on the ground, rolling to her back. Eddie chuckles in return. They both sit there softly laughing for a few short seconds before Reider turns her head to face Eddie. “So, what’d’ya say, Eds?” Eddie’s heart flutters at the nickname. “You down to join us for good?” She gives him a soft grin. His smile widens.

“Of course! What do you take me for?” He confirms, getting another giggle from her. She moves to get up. Eddie quickly stands and walks over to her, offering her a helping hand. Reider smiles up at him, grabbing his forearm. He grabs onto hers and lifts her up with a surprising strength. Reider is a bit taken off guard how easily he almost just threw her in the air but laughs it off. She lets go of his arm and grabs his left hand in her right.

“Let’s go.” She then begins running towards Meru’s portal. He could be seen on the other end of the portal, standing off to the side, holding it open. Reider and Eddie jump through it just as Meru closes it behind them. “Everyone, I’d like to officially welcome our newest Slayer, Eddie!” She lifts their joint hands in the air as everyone cheers and claps. Enid could be seen jumping up and down next to Junior as they both cheered along. Eddie glances over at Reider with a bashful smile, thinking to himself, ‘Maybe getting shipped off wasn’t so bad.’

Evermore Tag List (OPEN):

@ali-r3n  @mother-oshun @madelynraemunson @starmilks @ohmeg @avidreader73 @evileyeandthecattywhumps

Swisslist (General Taglist): @rosecentury @smashingmodels

(OP: 11/18/2024)

[zyonsay]

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[swiss-mrs]

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RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT ME

a/n: i don't have any other explanation than he smiled when the gun was to his forehead and the rest is history. i have a thing for sad unhinged men. and apparently seeing deadpool and wolverine was the stepping off point for a new fixation. so enjoy my mindless rambling and possible borderline obsession.

summary: logan was familiar with death. he understood why it happened, what could cause it to occur, and finally how to accept it. so when his family - the people he cared for most - died...he thought he could handle it. only you didn't die. you left. now he's found himself in a new universe with a person who wears your face, yet doesn't hold your memories.

pairing: logan howlett/wolverine x f!reader

each chapter has it's own warnings, but the story is 18+ only!!

INSPO TAG | PLAYLIST

MAIN STORY

➛ in dreams we rest

➛ lost in time and space

➛ bridge over troubled water

➛ felled by you

➛ angel of small death

➛ time can never mend {COMING SEPTEMBER 15TH}

➛ beneath the stains of time {COMING SOON}

➛ losing dogs {COMING SOON}

➛ desperado

➛ TBA

EXTRAS

➛ earth 1400

➛ forty five minutes in the closet (ch4 au)

WADE'S WORLD

➛ let's discuss

➛ #wade's world

[moonlightwritingf1]

The fire between us | LN4

☃️ summary ━━━━━━━ Trapped in a Swiss cabin during a snowstorm, Lando and Y/N, who’ve been friends for less than a year, are left alone. As they play strip poker, hidden feelings surface, leading to a playful, intimate night where their connection deepens.

☃️ pairing ━━━━━━━ Lando Norris x she!reader

☃️ word count ━━━━━━━ 7.4k

☃️ warnings ━━━━━━━ +18, sexual content

It was the week before Christmas, and the Swiss Alps had transformed into a winter wonderland. A luxurious cabin was nestled at the foot of the mountains, offering everything one could dream of—cozy fireplaces, panoramic views, and an atmosphere thick with the promise of festive memories. Lando had been the first to arrive. As the one who’d paid for the cabin and organized the trip, he had eagerly anticipated the getaway with their friend group. He loved skiing, but even more than that, he loved the idea of spending a few quiet days away from the hustle and bustle. More than anything, though, he was excited about being alone with her—Y/N.

From the moment they met less than a year ago through mutual friends, Lando had been captivated by her. She was different, making his heart race just a little faster whenever she was near. He tried to hide it—keeping his feelings buried beneath casual conversations and friendly smiles—but every time he saw her, his heart betrayed him. He couldn't stop thinking about her.

Despite his efforts to keep his feelings hidden beneath casual conversation and playful teasing, they simmered just below the surface, growing stronger each time they hung out.

But Y/N had no idea. At least, that’s what he thought. She treated him like a close friend—nothing more. They’d spent time together over the months, enjoying each other’s company, making memories, but it was always just... friendly. And Lando had become all too familiar with that painful distance—the fine line between friendship and something more that he had no idea how to cross.

That was until this trip.

When Y/N finally arrived, she was the second person to make it to the cabin. And just as she stepped out of her car, the snowstorm began. The storm had been forecasted, but it hit much harder than expected. Before long, the roads were impassable, and their friends were stuck on the other side of the mountain, unable to get to the cabin. Just like that, Lando and Y/N were alone together, stranded in the middle of nowhere, with only each other’s company to keep them entertained.

Y/N was still adjusting her coat, brushing the snowflakes from her hair as she walked inside, her cheeks flushed from the cold. Lando, who had been staring out the window with a faint smile, snapped out of his daze when she appeared in the doorway.

“Hey! It’s freezing out there,” she said, stomping her boots on the mat as she entered.

Lando couldn't help but grin, his heart skipping at the sight of her. “You're telling me. I wasn’t expecting this kind of snowstorm.” He glanced outside. The flakes were falling heavier now, swirling around in the night sky. “Looks like we’re snowed in for a while.”

Y/N laughed. “Great. I hope we’re stocked up on food. I’m not sure I can survive on just wine and Christmas cookies.”

Lando chuckled, holding the door open for her to come inside. "We've got plenty of food. We’re going to be fine. Don’t worry."

“And it looks like it’s just you and me for the next few days,” she said, her voice light but with a hint of something more—something he couldn’t quite place.

Lando smiled, trying to act nonchalant, but his pulse quickened. “I guess so. Should be fun,” he replied, glancing around the spacious cabin. The fire was already crackling in the living room, the tree twinkling with Christmas lights, and everything felt so cozy. But it was also... quiet. Too quiet. Just the two of them.

After they had settled in and exchanged pleasantries about the snowstorm, Y/N collapsed onto the couch, kicking off her boots and letting out a sigh of relief. “This place is amazing, Lando. I could live here.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Lando replied, smiling at her. “It’s the perfect place to get away.”

They exchanged a few casual words, laughing at some of the jokes their friends had sent through text. But as the night grew darker and the storm raged outside, they were left alone in the quiet of the cabin, with only the sound of the fire and the wind howling through the trees.

Y/N stretched out, glancing at Lando from across the room. “So, what now? We’ve got the whole place to ourselves. What should we do?”

Lando’s eyes twinkled with mischievous intent. “Well, we could play a game.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “A game? Like Monopoly or something?”

He shrugged nonchalantly, though his mind was already racing with possibilities. “Or something a little more... interesting.”

Her curiosity piqued, Y/N leaned forward. “What did you have in mind?”

Lando’s lips curved into a sly grin. “How about strip poker?”

Y/N blinked, clearly taken aback. “Strip poker? Really?”

Lando chuckled, knowing how she might react. He’d teased her with ideas like this before, but never seriously. Tonight, however, it felt like the perfect opportunity to let the playful tension between them simmer into something more. “What? You scared?” he asked, his voice dipping into a low, teasing tone.

She crossed her arms over her chest, clearly thinking it over. “Scared? Of you? Please.” Y/N shot him a teasing grin of her own. “You sure you want to risk it?”

“I’m not scared. Are you?”

Y/N laughed, shaking her head. “Fine. Let’s do it. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Lando grinned, gathering the cards. He wasn’t entirely sure how they got to this point, but there was no turning back now. He could already feel the playful, flirty energy between them, and it only made him want to tease her more. The game started innocently enough. They each took turns dealing the cards, laughing as they made their moves. At first, it felt just like any other game—light, easy, and full of jokes.

But as they started shedding clothes, something shifted. Lando couldn’t help but notice how Y/N’s eyes lingered on him just a little too long, how her lips curled into a teasing smile whenever he lost a round. And she was good—really good. Each time she won a hand, she would make a show of pulling off a layer of clothing, the way her body moved making Lando’s pulse spike in ways he didn’t want to acknowledge.

When Y/N was down to her tank top and leggings, she shot him a look. “Looks like I’m winning, Lando. Are you sure you’re alright with that?”

Lando could barely keep his eyes off of her. The way she smiled, the way she moved... everything about her made his heart race. “I’m just getting warmed up,” he said, trying to sound casual. “You should be worried.”

“Worried?” She let out a soft, melodic laugh, clearly enjoying the challenge. “I’m not the one losing clothes here.”

Lando grinned, trying to shake off the growing heat that he felt every time she looked at him. He could tell by the way she kept glancing at him that she was feeling the tension too. This wasn’t just a game anymore—it had become something else, something more dangerous, and he couldn’t seem to pull back. “It’s not over yet,” he said, his voice low.

Y/N shrugged, her lips curling up into a smile. “I’m not sure you can come back from this, but we’ll see.”

Finally, it was down to the last round. Both of them were now only in their underwear, the cards spread out between them on the floor. The fire crackled in the background, the only sound in the room except for their breathing.

“So,” Y/N said, her voice low, “you ready to lose?”

Lando swallowed hard. “Not yet,” he replied, trying to sound confident, though his mind was racing. The last layer of clothing between them felt like a barrier he couldn’t cross, but the tension was thick enough to slice with a knife.

They played their final hands, both of them taking risks, both of them desperately trying not to give in. And in the end, it was Y/N who won. She threw down her cards with a laugh, eyes sparkling.

“Well, looks like you’re the one who’s going to lose this time,” she said smugly, leaning back with a satisfied grin.

Lando stared at her, a slow smile tugging at his lips. “I’m just getting started.” Without another word, he closed the gap between them, pulling her into a kiss that was nothing like the playful teasing they had shared moments before. This kiss was slow, deliberate, filled with the intensity of everything that had been building up between them for months.

Y/N froze for a second, surprised by the suddenness of it, but then she melted into him, her hands cupping his face as she kissed him back with equal fervor. The heat from the fire seemed to intensify as they deepened the kiss, their bodies pressed close together, the game now forgotten.

When they finally pulled apart, their faces flushed with more than just the warmth of the fire, Lando whispered, “I think I lost... but in the best possible way.”

Y/N’s smile softened as she traced the line of his jaw with her finger. “I think we both won,” she said quietly.

They decided to keep playing, though the silence between them was heavy, thick with unspoken words and unfinished moments. Lando could feel it in the way Y/N’s breath hitched slightly when he leaned closer, and in the way her fingers trembled just enough to be noticeable as she reached for another card.

This is it, he thought, his pulse quickening. One more round. One more chance to either lose everything or finally claim what he’d been wanting for so long.

“Your move,” Y/N said, her voice low but steady, her eyes locked on his. Her lips curved into a faint smile, teasing but laced with something deeper—something that sent a shiver down his spine.

Lando swallowed hard, his fingers brushing against the edge of the deck. He could feel the heat radiating off her, even from across the makeshift table they’d created on the floor. Her bra hugged her skin, the straps resting delicately on her shoulders, drawing his attention and making it impossible to focus on anything else. His own boxers felt like a damn prison at this point, constricting every thought and movement.

“You’re staring,” she murmured, her voice light but pointed.

He blinked, caught off guard, and forced a laugh. “Am I?”

Y/N tilted her head, her grin widening. “A little. You might want to focus. If you lose again, there won’t be much left to look at.”

Her words were playful, but there was an edge to them, a challenge that made his chest tighten. Focus, Lando, he told himself. But no matter how hard he tried, his gaze kept drifting back to her. To the way her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulder, the way her cheeks were flushed from the warmth of the fire and whatever tension was simmering between them.

“I’m focused,” he said, trying to sound confident even though his heart was pounding. “Just... taking my time.”

“Mmhmm,” she replied, clearly unconvinced. She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the ground, and the movement drew his attention to the way her bra shifted, revealing just a hint of skin.

God, he thought, how is she doing this to me?

He picked up his cards, his fingers trembling slightly as he flipped them over. Two pairs. Not bad, but not great. He glanced at Y/N’s hand, trying to gauge her expression, but she was too good. Her face was calm, composed, her eyes still locked on his with that same spark of mischief.

“Well?” she asked after a beat of tense silence. “Are you going to fold, or are you in this to the end?”

Lando hesitated, his mind racing. He could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on him, the knowledge that this wasn’t just a game anymore. It was something more, something that had been building between them for months. And now, here they were, alone in this cabin, stripped down to the bare minimum, their bodies close enough to touch.

If I fold, he thought, then it’s over. And if I don’t...

He looked at her, really looked at her, and saw the faintest flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. That was all the encouragement he needed.

“I’m in,” he said, his voice steadier than he felt.

Y/N raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by his decision. “Alright then. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

She laid down her cards, and Lando’s stomach dropped. Three jacks. He couldn’t believe it. She’d beaten him again.

“Damn,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “You’re good at this.”

Y/N laughed, a soft, melodic sound that made his chest ache. “Told you you should’ve folded.”

“Yeah, well,” he said, forcing a grin. “Guess I’ll have to live with the consequences.”

He started to move, reaching for the waistband of his boxers, but Y/N stopped him with a single word.

“Wait.”

Lando froze, his hand hovering above his hips. “What?”

Y/N met his gaze, her eyes dark with something he couldn’t quite place. “Let’s make this interesting.”

His pulse quickened. “Interesting how?”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she pushed herself up onto her knees, bridging the gap between them until she was close enough that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his skin.

“Take them off,” she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. “But not yet. Just... stay like that.”

Lando’s throat went dry. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, in his chest, everywhere. “Like what?”

Y/N’s gaze flicked downward, lingering for a moment before returning to his face. “Tease me first. Make me wait.”

The request hung in the air between them, heavy and charged. Lando could feel his heart hammering against his ribs, the blood rushing through his veins. He wanted to protest, to say something clever or sarcastic, but the way she was looking at him—like she was daring him, testing him—made it impossible to think of anything else.

“You’re serious?” he managed to ask, his voice barely above a whisper.

Y/N nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his. “Very.”

For a moment, neither of them moved. The fire crackled softly behind them, the storm outside howling louder now, as if urging them to act. Lando could feel the weight of her gaze, the way it seemed to pierce through him, stripping away any pretense of control.

And then, without thinking, he reached for the hem of his boxers, tugging it upward just enough to reveal the barest hint of skin.

Y/N’s breath hitched, her lips parting slightly as she watched him. “More,” she said, her voice low and husky.

Lando swallowed hard, his fingers trembling as he pulled the fabric up another inch. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, in his chest, everywhere. “Is this what you wanted?”

Y/N didn’t answer right away. Instead, she leaned closer, her fingers brushing against his thigh. “Almost,” she said, her voice a sultry purr. “But not quite.”

Lando’s breath caught in his throat. He could feel the heat of her hand on his skin, the sensation sending sparks of electricity coursing through his body. “What do you want, Y/N?” he asked, his voice rough with need.

She smiled, slow and deliberate, her eyes locking on his. “Show me,” she said simply. “Show me how much you want this.”

Lando’s fingers brushed against the waistband of his boxers, his breath hitching as he hesitated for just a moment. His eyes remained locked on Y/N’s, her gaze steady and unyielding, daring him to go further. The firelight danced across her face, casting shadows that made her look even more alluring, more demanding. He couldn’t resist—not anymore.

With a slow, deliberate motion, he slid his boxers down, revealing himself completely to her. The air between them seemed to thicken, charged with an electric tension that made his skin prickle. He was fully exposed now, every inch of him on display, and yet it didn’t feel humiliating or uncomfortable. Instead, it felt... thrilling. Dangerous.

Y/N’s breath hitched as she took in the sight of him, her cheeks flushing a deep shade of red. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. She was clearly caught off guard, though whether by surprise or arousal, Lando couldn’t tell. What he did know, though, was that her reaction only fueled his own desire. He was playing with fire, and he wasn’t about to back down.

“Satisfied?” he asked, his voice low and rough, practically dripping with challenge. The corner of his mouth lifted into a sly grin as he watched her squirm under his gaze.

Y/N blinked, shaking her head as if to clear it. “I... I don’t think so,” she stammered, her voice uncharacteristically breathless. She leaned back on her hands, her legs crossed at the ankles, trying to maintain some semblance of composure. But the way her chest rose and fell rapidly, the way her eyes kept darting to him and then away, gave her away.

Lando chuckled softly, leaning forward just enough to shift the dynamic between them. “Come on, Y/N,” he said, his tone teasing. “You can’t expect me to believe you’re not impressed.”

She rolled her eyes, though the effect was ruined by the flush that spread across her neck. “Impressed? By what? Your poker skills? Because those definitely left something to be desired.”

He smirked, knowing she was just trying to play it cool. “Oh, I see. So you’re still mad that I lost. Fine. Maybe we should play another round. Even the odds.”

Y/N’s eyes widened slightly, her expression shifting from playful to wary in an instant. “Another round? Really? You’re not exactly... dressed for the occasion.”

Lando leaned back, stretching casually, his movements slow and deliberate. “Who says I need clothes to play? Besides,” he added, his voice dropping to a whisper, “it’s not like you’re shy about winning.”

Her breath caught again, and this time she didn’t try to hide it. The heat in the room had reached an almost unbearable level, and it wasn’t just from the fire. With only her underwear on, every subtle movement was impossible to ignore. Lando’s eyes flicked to the way her pulse jumped at the base of her throat, the way her legs shifted restlessly against the floor as if she was trying to maintain control. She was fighting it, resisting the pull between them, but he could see the cracks forming in her resolve. And honestly? He loved watching her struggle.

“Alright,” she said finally, her voice trembling just enough to betray her nerves. “But this is your last chance. Don’t blame me if you lose everything.”

“Don’t worry,” Lando replied, his grin widening. “I’m used to betting big.”

They shuffled the cards once more, their fingers brushing more often than necessary. Each touch sent a jolt of anticipation through Lando, making him wonder if Y/N was feeling it too. The game began, but it was hard to focus with the way she kept stealing glances at him, her eyes lingering just a little too long on places they shouldn’t.

The first few rounds were tense, both of them holding their cards close to their chests. Lando tried to keep his confidence up, but the way Y/N’s breathing quickened with each passing moment made it difficult. She was getting flustered, clearly struggling to concentrate, and it only made him tease her more.

“You alright over there?” he asked after a particularly long pause, his voice dripping with mock concern. “Need a break? A glass of water, maybe?”

Y/N glared at him, though the effect was softened by the blush spreading across her cheeks. “I’m fine,” she snapped, though her voice wavered slightly. “Just... focusing.”

Lando chuckled, leaning closer until their knees nearly touched. “Focusing on what? The rules of the game, or... other things?”

She swallowed hard, her eyes flickering to his before darting away. “Maybe both,” she admitted quietly, her cheeks burning brighter.

It was the admission Lando had been waiting for. Her honesty, her vulnerability, it was all he needed to see that she was just as affected by this as he was. And with that realization, his confidence surged.

“Well, then,” he said, his voice smooth and assured. “Why don’t we make it a little more interesting?”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, her bravado returning in full force. “Oh? And how do you propose we do that?”

Lando leaned in even closer, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, “How about... a forfeit? For every round you win, I have to do whatever you say. And for every round I win...” He paused, giving her a moment to process. “You have to do whatever I say.”

Her breath caught again, and this time she didn’t try to hide it. The tension between them was palpable, the air thick with unspoken desire. She knew this was dangerous territory, but the way Lando’s eyes burned with mischief and intent was impossible to ignore.

“Fine,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Lando grinned, his heart racing as he dealt the next hand. This was it. This was where the real game began.

The cards were shuffled again, the deck slick between their fingers as they settled into another round. The fire crackled softly in the background, casting flickering shadows on the walls of the cabin. The storm outside raged on, but inside, it was warm and intimate, the air thick with unspoken promises.

Lando leaned back slightly, his eyes fixed on Y/N. “Your move,” he said, his voice low and deliberate. There was a spark in his gaze that made her stomach flutter—a mix of challenge and something deeper she couldn’t quite name.

Y/N met his stare, her lips curling into a small smile. She could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on her, the stakes higher than ever before. Every movement, every word, seemed to carry more meaning than it should. She shifted slightly, her legs brushing against his under the makeshift poker table, and Lando’s breath hitched just barely.

She played her cards carefully, her mind working overtime to anticipate his moves. But even as she focused on the game, she couldn’t ignore the way his presence seemed to fill the room. His knee grazed hers again, deliberately this time, and she shivered despite herself.

“Bold play,” Lando murmured as he laid down his hand, a sly grin tugging at his lips. “But I think I’ve got you beat.”

Y/N glanced at his cards, her heart sinking slightly as she realized he was right. She bit her lip, trying to hide her disappointment, but Lando was already leaning forward, his expression teasing yet somehow serious.

“Looks like you owe me,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper that sent a shiver down her spine.

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice steady despite the butterflies in her stomach. She knew whatever he had in mind wouldn’t be simple, and part of her reveled in the idea of giving him control.

Lando paused for a moment, as if weighing his options. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face, his fingertips lingering against her cheek. “Take off your bra,” he said simply, his tone light but his eyes burning with intent.

Y/N froze for a second, her breath catching in her throat. The request was direct, unexpected, and yet… not entirely unwelcome. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, but she refused to let it show. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, meeting his gaze with a confidence she wasn’t sure she truly felt.

“That all?” she teased, her voice cool despite the way her pulse quickened.

Lando chuckled, low and deep, the sound sending a thrill through her. “For now,” he replied, his eyes never leaving hers. He was enjoying this, she realized—enjoying the way she fought to maintain her composure, the way she challenged him even as she gave in.

Y/N hesitated for just a moment longer, then reached behind her back. The clasp of her bra came undone easily, and she slid the straps down her arms, letting the fabric pool at her waist. She kept her posture relaxed, her shoulders straight, refusing to let him see how much his attention affected her.

Lando’s gaze dropped to her chest, his expression softening for a moment before he forced himself to meet her eyes again. “Gorgeous,” he said quietly, his voice almost reverent.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” Y/N replied, her tone light as she tried to keep things playful. But there was an edge to her words, a hint of something raw and unspoken that made Lando’s breath hitch.

They sat like that for a moment, the tension between them palpable, the room feeling smaller with each passing second. Then Lando spoke again, his voice low and rough. “Another round?”

Y/N nodded, her heart racing as she picked up the cards. This time, there was no mistaking the electricity between them, no pretending that this was just a game. It was something more, something dangerous and thrilling, and she was all in.

The next few rounds passed in a blur. They teased each other mercilessly, their banter sharpening with every hand. But there was an underlying current of desire now, an awareness of how close they were, how little separated them except for the thin layer of her underwear and the rules they’d set.

Lando won again, his grin widening as he laid down his cards. “Looks like I get to collect my prize,” he said, his voice dripping with mischief.

Y/N’s breath caught as she realized what that meant. “And what exactly is your prize?” she asked, her voice steady despite the heat pooling in her lower belly.

Lando leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, “I want to taste you.”

The words hung in the air between them, heavy and charged with meaning. Y/N felt her heartbeat accelerate, her skin tingling in response to his proximity. She should have said no, should have put a stop to this before it went any further. But the truth was, she didn’t want to. Not with him. Not when he looked at her like that, with such fierce intensity it stole her breath.

“You’ll have to be more specific,” she said finally, her voice trembling just slightly. She was playing with fire, she knew that, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Lando’s grin widened, and he slid his hand along her thigh, his touch warm and insistent. “I want to make you come,” he said, his voice low and smooth, “with my tongue.”

Y/N’s breath hitched, her entire body flooding with heat at his words. She could feel the flush spreading across her chest, her nipples tightening in response to his nearness. She wanted to say yes, wanted to give in to the hunger that had been building inside her since the moment they’d first kissed. But part of her hesitated, afraid of what it meant, afraid of how far this would go.

“Are you sure about that?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lando didn’t answer with words. Instead, he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against hers in a soft, fleeting kiss. “Never been more sure of anything,” he murmured against her lips.

Then, without waiting for her reply, he stood and pulled her to her feet. In one swift motion, he guided her backward until she was sitting on the edge of the couch, her legs dangling over the side. He knelt in front of her, his hands resting on her thighs, his gaze locked on hers.

Y/N’s breath hitched as Lando’s hands slid up her thighs, his touch warm and deliberate. She swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest as she stared down at him. His eyes were intense, almost predatory, and the way he looked at her made her feel like she was the only thing that mattered in the world.

“Tell me to stop,” he repeated, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down her spine. “But if you don’t…”

If I don’t? Her mind raced, torn between the sudden rush of desire and the lingering caution that held her back. But then she met his gaze—those deep, dark eyes that seemed to see straight through her. There was no hesitation there, no doubt. Just pure, unfiltered need, and it was contagious.

“Don’t stop,” she whispered, her voice trembling with anticipation.

Lando’s lips curved into a slow, satisfied smile, and then he was moving, his hands sliding beneath her thighs as he gently urged them apart. Y/N sucked in a sharp breath as he knelt lower, his face now level with her aching core. The firelight danced across his features, casting shadows that made him look both dangerous and irresistible.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his voice thick with admiration as his fingers grazed the edge of her underwear. “I’ve wanted this for so long.”

Y/N’s cheeks burned, but she couldn’t deny the thrill that coursed through her at his words. His honesty was intoxicating, and it made her want to surrender completely. “Show me,” she said, her voice barely more than a breath. “Show me how much you want this.”

His answer was immediate. In one swift motion, he hooked his fingers under the elastic of her panties and pulled them aside, exposing her to the cool air again. Y/N gasped, her body tensing as his breath ghosted over her sensitive skin. Then, without warning, his mouth was on her, his tongue darting out to taste her.

“Oh!” The sound escaped her before she could stop it, a mix of surprise and pleasure that left her head spinning. Lando chuckled softly against her, the vibration sending another wave of sensation rippling through her. He teased her with his tongue, flicking and circling in lazy patterns that had her gripping the edge of the couch for support.

“Lando…” she moaned, her hips twitching as she tried to push herself closer to him. But he wasn’t done teasing her yet. His hands gripped her thighs tighter, holding her steady as he explored every inch of her with his mouth. His tongue delved deeper, curling and pressing in ways that made it impossible for her to think clearly.

Her breath came in short, jagged bursts, each one louder than the last. The fire crackled behind her, its warmth spreading through her body along with the overwhelming sensations Lando was stirring within her. He’s so good at this, she thought dimly, her mind fogging over with pleasure. So in control.

But just when she thought she might actually pass out from the intensity of it all, Lando changed his pace. Instead of the slow, deliberate movements that had been driving her wild, he began to move faster, his tongue darting in and out of her in a rhythm that matched the pounding of her heart. His teeth grazed lightly against her clit as he sucked, creating a new kind of friction that had her arching her back and crying out his name.

“Yes, yes, yes!” she chanted, her words incoherent as her orgasm built and built inside her. Lando didn’t let up, not for a second. If anything, he intensified his efforts, his fingers brushing against her folds as his mouth worked furiously. The dual stimulation was too much—too perfect—and within moments, she was shattered.

“LAN-DO!” Her scream filled the cabin as her hips bucked against his face, her entire body trembling with the force of her release. It felt like everything inside her was exploding, over and over, until she was nothing but a quivering mess. Lando rode out her climax with ease, his mouth never leaving her as he licked and kissed until every last bit of tension had drained from her body.

When she finally collapsed back onto the couch, her chest heaving and her legs still shaking, Lando pulled away slowly, his lips wet and his expression smug. “Better than winning at poker?” he asked with a grin, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Y/N glared at him, though her smile gave her away. “Don’t get cocky,” she panted, batting his hand away playfully.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he said, standing and towering over her. “Round one was just the beginning.”

Before she could respond, he grabbed her by the hips and lifted her onto his lap, positioning her so that she was straddling him. His erection pressed firmly against her core, already demanding attention, and Y/N couldn’t help but shudder at the sensation.

“Ready for round two?” he asked, his voice low and husky as he nipped at her earlobe.

Y/N’s response was instant. She ground her hips against him, relishing the way his breath hitched and his grip tightened on her waist. “Show me,” she whispered, her voice laced with challenge. “Show me what else you’ve got.”

Lando didn’t need to be told twice. With one hand on her back and the other guiding himself, he lined his length up with her entrance. Y/N braced herself, her heart racing as she felt the blunt pressure of his tip against her slick folds. Then, with a deep groan, he pushed forward, filling her in one smooth thrust.

“Fuck,” she gasped, throwing her head back as the fullness hit her all at once. It was overwhelming—his size, his strength, the way he claimed her so utterly. She’d never felt anything like it, and the realization only heightened her arousal.

“You feel so good,” Lando growled, his voice rough with need as he pulled back and thrust into her again. “God, Y/N, you’re so tight.”

She clung to him, her nails digging into his shoulders as he set a steady rhythm. Each stroke was deliberate, hitting all the right spots and sending sparks of pleasure shooting through her veins. The firelight flickered across their entwined bodies, casting a golden glow that made everything seem even more intimate.

“Harder,” she demanded, her voice breaking as she shifted her hips to meet his thrusts. “Please, Lando. Harder.”

He didn’t hesitate. With a growl of approval, he grabbed her hips and drove into her with renewed vigor. The slap of skin against skin echoed in the quiet cabin, mixing with their ragged breaths and the occasional moan that slipped past her lips. Y/N clung to him, her body writhing as she surrendered to the sensation.

“Yes, yes, yes!” she cried out, her voice rising with each thrust. Lando buried his face in the crook of her neck, his teeth grazing her skin as he fucked her with relentless determination. He was everywhere—his hands, his mouth, his cock—and it was too much. Too perfect.

“I’m going to come again,” she warned, her voice trembling as her orgasm began to build once more. “Lando, I’m—”

“Come for me,” he commanded, his voice a raw, primal demand. “Let go, Y/N. Let me feel you come around me.”

Those words were her undoing. With a cry that echoed through the cabin, she threw her head back and shattered around him. Her inner muscles clenched tightly around his cock as her orgasm tore through her, leaving her breathless and trembling.

Lando’s thrusts slowed as he watched her fall apart in his arms, his own release nearing. He buried his face in her neck, whispering sweet, frantic promises as he continued to move inside her. And then, with a final, desperate thrust, he came undone.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he groaned, his voice strained as he spilled deep inside her. His whole body shuddered as he emptied himself into her, the sensation of being so intimately connected to her overwhelming.

They stayed like that for a moment, their bodies locked together as they caught their breath. Y/N pressed her forehead against his, her heart still racing as she tried to process everything that had just happened.

Lando and Y/N remained intertwined, their bodies still twitching with the aftershocks of their shared climax. The fire crackled softly in the background, casting a warm amber glow over them as they clung to each other, their breaths mingling in the quiet space between their lips.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sounds were their heartbeats slowing to a steady rhythm and the occasional pop of a log in the fireplace. The storm outside seemed distant now, its fury muted by the cocoon of warmth and intimacy they’d created within the cabin.

Y/N shifted slightly, her fingers tracing lazy patterns across Lando’s back. Her skin was still flushed, her body languid with satisfaction, but her mind was racing. She couldn’t believe how deeply she had let herself go—how completely she had surrendered to him. And yet, it felt right. It felt inevitable.

What is this? she wondered, her thoughts a jumbled mess of emotions. What are we doing?

Lando pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, his eyes searching hers. His expression was soft, almost reverent, as if he were trying to drink in every detail of her face. “Hey,” he murmured, his voice low and tender. “You okay?”

She nodded slowly, her lips curving into a small smile. “Yeah. Just... catching my breath.”

He chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair away from her cheek. “Same here.”

Their eyes held for a moment longer before Y/N broke the silence again. “You’re really bad at poker, you know that?” she teased, her tone light despite the heat still simmering between them.

Lando grinned, the corner of his mouth quirking up in that playful way of his. “I thought I was pretty good at bluffing. Guess not.”

“You weren’t bluffing when you said you’d do anything to win, though,” she said, her voice dropping slightly as she remembered the intensity of his actions.

His grin faded, replaced by something far more serious. “No,” he admitted quietly. “I wasn’t.”

The air between them shifted, the playful tension giving way to something heavier. Y/N’s breath hitched, her heart racing as his words sank in. He wasn’t just talking about the game. He was talking about her.

She swallowed, her voice barely a whisper. “You mean it?”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.” He shifted closer, his hand brushing her cheek with a tenderness that made her pulse quicken. His thumb traced her skin, his touch warm despite the chill lingering in the air. “You’re worth more than winning a game, Y/N. You’re worth everything.”

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding against her ribs. She wanted to say something—to tell him how much his words meant to her—but the words stuck in her throat. Instead, she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes for a brief moment as his warmth enveloped her. For months, she’d ignored the flickers of possibility between them, convincing herself it was all in her head. But now, there was no hiding from it.

When she opened her eyes again, she found him watching her with an intensity that made her stomach flutter. “Lando,” she started, her voice trembling slightly.

But he cut her off with a kiss, soft and lingering, as if he were savoring the taste of her. When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, their noses brushing as they breathed each other in.

“Don’t overthink it,” he murmured, his forehead resting lightly against hers. His lips curved into a soft smile, the teasing edge of his usual grin still there, but gentler now. “Just… let it happen.”

And for once, she did. She closed the distance between them, leaning into the warmth of his touch and the quiet certainty in his eyes. When their lips met, it was soft, tentative, but it carried the weight of everything unsaid.

The fire crackled in the background, but all she could feel was him—his warmth, his presence, and the promise held in the quiet stillness of the cabin.

Lando shifted again, rolling onto his back but keeping her close. Y/N curled up beside him, resting her head on his chest as his arm wrapped around her, pulling her even tighter against him. The steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her ear was oddly comforting, grounding her in a way she hadn’t realized she needed.

“So,” she said after a while, breaking the silence with a tone that was equal parts playful and curious. “What happens now?”

Lando chuckled, his chest vibrating beneath her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” she said, lifting her head to look at him, “we can’t exactly keep playing strip poker. Not without clothes, anyway.”

He grinned, clearly enjoying her teasing. “Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean we’re out of games.”

Her eyebrow arched in question. “Oh? What did you have in mind?”

“How about truth or dare?” he suggested, his voice dripping with mischief.

Y/N laughed, shaking her head. “Seriously? You want to play truth or dare? After all that?”

“Why not?” he countered, his grin widening. “It’s a classic. And who knows? Maybe we’ll learn something new about each other.”

She considered his proposal for a moment, her curiosity piqued. “Alright,” she said finally, sitting up slightly so she could look at him. “Let’s do it. But fair warning—I don’t hold back.”

“Neither do I,” he replied, his tone confident. “Your move.”

She bit her lip, thinking for a moment before deciding. “Truth.”

Lando’s grin turned sly. “Alright... what’s the last thing you Googled?”

Y/N blinked, surprised by the simplicity of his question. “Really? That’s your big question?”

“Yep,” he said, leaning back with a satisfied smirk. “Spill.”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips. “Fine. I Googled the best places to visit in Switzerland.”

“Huh,” he said, his expression thoughtful. “Planning a solo trip?”

“Maybe,” she said, shrugging nonchalantly. “Or maybe I just wanted to see if there was anywhere else worth checking out while we’re here.”

Lando’s smirk softened into a genuine smile. “Well, if you’re looking for recommendations, I’m your guy.”

“Good to know,” she said, tilting her head as she studied him. “Your turn. Truth or dare?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Dare.”

Her grin widened, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Alright... I dare you to kiss me until I forget my own name.”

Lando’s breath hitched, his eyes darkening as he processed her challenge. Before he could respond, she slid her hand along his jaw, guiding his face toward hers. Her lips met his in a kiss that was slower, deeper than before—a kiss that left no room for doubt about how much she wanted him.

He groaned softly into her mouth, his hands gripping her waist as he deepened the kiss. Every movement, every touch, seemed deliberate, as if he were etching the memory of this moment into his very soul.

When they finally pulled apart, Y/N’s cheeks were flushed, her breathing heavy as she looked up at him. “Okay,” she said breathlessly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I think you win this round.”

Lando chuckled, his thumb brushing across her lower lip. “Careful,” he warned, his tone teasing but with an edge of seriousness. “You’re playing with fire.”

“Good,” she said, her smile turning wicked. “Because I like it hot.”

Before he could respond, she kissed him again, her hands sliding down to his shoulders as she pressed herself closer to him. The fire roared behind them, the storm raged outside, but all that mattered was the connection they shared—a connection that was growing stronger with every passing moment.

They stayed like that for a while, lost in each other, the world beyond the cabin fading into obscurity. And as the night wore on, they continued to explore the depths of their desire, pushing boundaries and discovering new ways to bring each other pleasure.

It was a night unlike any other, a night that would stay with them long after the snow had melted and the fire had burned out. A night that marked the beginning of something extraordinary—something that neither of them could have predicted but that felt utterly, undeniably right.

[n0vazsq]

Underneath the (ice) sheets | MV1 x Reader

pairing . . . max verstappen x figure!skater!reader

summary . . . When Max suddenly starts appearing in Switzerland between races, fans get suspicious and decide to start researching. What they didn't expect to find was that his girlfriend was an olympic medalist figure skater

request . . . idk

word count . . . N/A

warnings . . . none! just one usage of the words 'fuck' and 'bitches'

alexavia yaps . . . FINALLY i started to write this after 829 centuries!! my first tumblr smau so i hope you guys like it <33 for the users its gonna be their names w no space bc im lazy also ignore the name i didnt know what to name it! it's a bit short but i'm on a writing grind so yes we can ignore that

maxverstappen1

liked by schecoperez, redbullracing, charlesleclerc and 709k others

maxverstappen1 taking a much needed break from racing

click to view all comments

username this is so pretty oh my god

victoriaverstappen so kind of you to invite me!!

maxverstappen1 yeah yeah

victoriaverstappen whatever you say, lover boy

username lover boy?? my delusions tell me hes visiting someone

charlesleclerc come visit us soon lover boy

maxverstappen no??

charlesleclerc enjoy your visit to switzerland then

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, yourbff, alextrustova and 210k others

yourusername would much rather skate in the lake but i got fined last time

click to view all comments

username mother is posting again!!

username HOW DO I BECOME Y/N'S FRIEND?? URGENT

yourbff buy her food

alextrustova tell her coach that she didn't eat snacks

username she's so pretty omg i saw her in the olympics

username i'm so delusional to think that i can be with her

username max in the likes??

username as a f1 and y/n girly thats my dream relationship

username it's not fair why is she so lucky i need her luck

maxverstappen1

liked by yourusername, yourbff, schecoperez and 672k others

maxverstappen1 i tried my best

click to view all comments

username WHO. IS. THAT?!??!??!?!?!??!

schecoperez tell her i said hi 🥰

maxverstappen1 sure

username WHY is y/n here?

username max is in switzerland.....y/n lives in switzerland.....she's an olympic skater......

username wait because y/n has the same jacket and skates as the girl in the pic??

dannyric lover boy is risking it

maxverstappen1 like you didn't give me a 40 minute lecture telling me what to post

dannyric so?? ive got everyone guessing who ms figure skater is

maxverstappen1 DANIEL

dannyric sorry? it's not like i said her full name or something

maxverstappen1 daniel i know you're about to type her full name i swear to god i won't let you live to see tomorrow

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, yourbff, dannyric and 341k others

yourusername when he's fast on and off the rink and his name rhymes with axe>>>>

click to view all comments

username girly literally hard launched

username yall STOP playing with usss

username i don't need any more pics i know who it is

username the innuendo?? y/n isnt as innocent as we thought

username cleanse yalls minds hes an f1 driver

username why is everyone such a dirty thinker :sob:

username i came here from max's insta and isn't this the same bow the girl he posted was wearing??

username WAIT I SEE IT???

username YALL ITS HER I SAW THEM TOGETHER IN ZURICH

username NO WAY WE JUST CRACKED THE MYSTERY

f1waggossip

liked by f1gossip, motorsportwags, pierregasly and 192k others

f1waggossip fans spot y/n l/n and max verstappen together in a romantical date in zurich! its reported that l/n and verstappen have been dating for over a year, and that max's swiss trips were to visit his lover.

click to view all comments

username MY GOATS ARE TOGETHER OH MY GOD

username its legit a dream come true

username they werent even trying to hide it oml

username WHEN WILL THEY CONFIRM

username max's type is himself because she's the verstappen of figure skating

username LITERALLY

username realest thing i saw today

maxverstappen1

liked by dannyric, yourusername, schecoperez and 720k others

maxverstappen1 guess the secret's out. i love you, schatje tagged: yourusername

click to view all comments

username IUYEGDFVGBSHJIUEYGDHJIO

yourusername my no.1 skating partner <33

maxverstappen1 and my no.1 supporter ❤

dannyric photo dump coming very soon yeah?

yourusername make sure to put good pics of me

maxverstappen1 it's impossible to put bad pics of you because you don't have any

dannyric DISGUISTING

username my parents

username they're my parasocial relationship

username do they need a third??? a pet?? i can bark, meow, tweet, anything really

username can they adopt me omg

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, yourbff, dannyric and 827k others

yourusername: i'd jump in a lake and get fined if it meant i spend eternity with you tagged: maxverstappen1

click to view all comments

username MY WIFE GONE TO A MAN?!?!?!?

username girl really was mad about that lake fine

maxverstappen1 and i'll say 'fuck' and touch rear wings a million times just to spend a moment with you

yourusername you drive me insane

dannyric you were already insane

username two stubborn bitches in one relationship couldn't be more romantical

username "THAT SHOULD BE ME"

username the way this could be about max or y/n lmao

landonorris does this mean you'll finally let me skate with you and max?

daniel3.jpg

liked by maxverstappen1, yourusername, yourbff and 382k others

daniel3.jpg finally got to post photos ive been waiting months to post. these filters don't do your romance justice. here's to my favourite couple, cheers to many more! tagged: maxverstappen1, yourusername

click to view all comments

username when will it be me

yourbff thank you from saving me from the third wheeling daniel, really appreciate it!

daniel3.jpg no problem! really enjoyed taking those photos (i didn't)

yourusername you're our favourite third wheel daniel <3 we love you!!

maxverstappen1 we love you a lot danny

daniel3.jpg aww, my heart. so when can i stay at y/n's cabin??

yourusername you're not max

maxverstappen1 🥰

yourusername <33

username they're so in love it's disguisting

username i need this

username love, such a lovely thing

[willowsnook]

He isn't you

salami, swiss cheese, and white bread please <3

joe burrow x gf!reader

he isn't you

The easiest thing about dating Joe Burrow was that he wasn’t the possessive type. Some girls liked that in a partner, but you found it suffocating. You didn’t need him to mark his territory; your connection was clear without that.

This dynamic was perfect for your busy life as an ESPN reporter. Covering college football meant you were often on the road, but Joe was fully supportive. When you were both home, you made time for each other, and when you weren’t, you checked in often enough.

One quiet morning, you felt Joe wrap his arms around you from behind as you cooked scrambled eggs and sausage for breakfast.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he mumbled sleepily.

You turned to smile at him, giving him a quick kiss. “Hi, Joey.”

He grabbed coffee for both of you. “What’s on the agenda today?” he asked.

“We have a new guy filling in this week,” you explained. “So, a longer prep session.”

“Someone you know?”

“No, he’s from a smaller affiliate, so we haven’t crossed paths.”

After breakfast, you kissed Joe on the cheek, grabbed your coffee, and headed out the door to the ESPN office. There, you were set to meet the new colleague, Harrison.

Outside, you spotted a man with curly brown hair and green eyes waiting by the door. “Are you Harrison?” you asked, shaking his hand as he smiled warmly.

“Yes, nice to meet you!” he replied cheerfully.

The day flew by. Harrison was easygoing, and you enjoyed discovering you had mutual friends and had even attended rival high schools. That evening, you told Joe all about your day and your new colleague.

“...I’m looking forward to working with him this weekend,” you finished, noticing Joe’s slight frown as he poked at his food.

“Awesome,” he murmured, not meeting your eyes.

“Are you okay?” you asked, sensing his mood shift.

“Yeah, just tired.”

“Was practice hard today?” You asked, taking another bite of your dinner. 

“A little,” he said, subconsciously digging into his shoulder muscle. 

“Let me give you a massage after we clean up then,” you offered and he smirked. “Just to help you relax.”

“I can think of another way you can help me relax,” he flirted, and you rolled your eyes and laughed.

-----------------------------------------------

The next Monday, Joe was not happy as he scrolled through his Twitter feed, having been tagged in tons of tweets about you and your colleague Harrison. 

“User1: Wow, the chemistry between Y/N and the new guy is unreal. Are we intruding?” “User2: Wonder how Joe Burrow feels watching his girlfriend get ‘rizzed’ on national TV.” “User3: Joe took two Ls this weekend: losing to the Eagles and seeing his girl flirting with her colleague on air.”

Joe knew you hadn’t meant anything by it, but watching those clips felt like a punch to the chest. He decided he’d stay out for the night, texting you that he was still with the team and might crash at Ja’Marr’s. You frowned, confused, knowing he’d been home just an hour earlier. His texts had been scarce all weekend, and his silence stung.

Y/N: Is something wrong? Are you mad at me? JB: It’s fine.

Something was definitely off, but he wasn’t ready to talk. Trying to shake off your worry, you settled in for the night alone.

-------------------------------------

The next morning, you buried yourself in work to distract from Joe’s cold shoulder. Harrison popped by your office, noticing your downcast expression.

“Everything okay?” he asked, taking a seat across from you.

“Joe’s mad at me, but he won’t say why,” you sighed, recounting the strange tension between you and Joe.

Just then, Joe appeared at your door, his eyes narrowing as they fell on Harrison. As you introduced them, Joe’s handshake was noticeably firm, and Harrison shot you a wide-eyed look.

You looked from him to Harrison, and it all was finally clicking in place, which instantly made you giggle. 

You smiled sweetly at Joe. “Oh, I was just telling Harrison that it’d be nice to have him and his partner David over for dinner sometime.”

Joe’s hand went slack, his surprise evident. “Yeah... that’d be great,” he stammered, dropping Harrison’s hand, relief settling over him.

The tension dissolved, and you couldn’t help but chuckle as Joe’s jealousy melted away, leaving him sheepish.

After Harrison left, Joe lingered around you in the office, quieter than usual but clearly wanting to say something. You leaned against the desk, watching him nervously run a hand through his hair.

Finally, he sighed. “Look, I know it’s stupid, but seeing you with him… I couldn’t help it. Watching people online talk about how good you two looked together…” He trailed off, his expression softening as he took your hands in his.

“Joe,” you said gently, squeezing his hands, “I like Harrison as a colleague, and he’s a great guy, but he isn’t you. No one could be.”

He smiled then, a hint of his usual confidence returning as he finally seemed to believe it.

You stepped closer, wrapping your arms around him. “You’re the one I come home to,” you murmured. “The only one.”

He pulled you in tightly, his voice quiet as he admitted, “I know. I just… needed to hear it.”

With the last bit of tension fading away, you leaned up, pressing a reassuring kiss to his lips. He wasn’t possessive by nature, but every now and then, a reminder didn’t hurt. And maybe you didn’t mind giving him one.

[requiemforthepoets]

señor ginger 𖦹 CS55

PAIRINGS: carlos sainz x female!reader

SUMMARY: just you, carlos, your daughter gabriela, and her señor ginger.

REMINDERS: this is purely fiction, the way how the character is portrayed in my story does not reflect the person that is portraying my character in real life. always separate fiction from reality, and do not repost or copy my work in any way.

WARNINGS: no use of y/n, named daughter, food (gingerbread cookies), typos, and few gramatical errors

WORD COUNT: 1.5k

AUTHOR’S NOTE: hiii. as you all know, i’m taking a break and been practicing to write in my own pace, but i can’t help but post something christmas related one shot! so this is the first one—a carlos one shot! also, i’m working on the my series as well, hoping that i get to finish and post a new part before 2025. i’ve been writing whenever i get ideas, but i’m taking my time as well so i can’t wait to post it soon. i’ve managed to write a few for lando, but i’m 50/50 about it lol. as for the requests, it will be vvvv slow but i’m working on it too. i hope you’ll enjoy this one!

The crisp Swiss air welcomed you as you strolled through the mall with Carlos, your fingers entwined with his. The polished floors reflected the warm glow of holiday lights, and soft carols played faintly in the background, adding to the cozy atmosphere. Ahead of you, Gabriela bounced with uncontainable energy, her little boots tapping against the tiles. Her curls bobbed with her movement, and every now and then she would turn to you both with a wide grin, her excitement evident in her sparkling eyes.

“Mamá! Papá! Look!” she exclaimed, pointing toward a quaint bakery adorned with festive decorations.

The window display showcased an array of intricately designed gingerbread men and tiny, colorful gingerbread houses, each one of them looking like they belonged in a fairytale. Without waiting for a response, Gabriela darted forward, her tiny hands pressed against the glass as she peered inside.

“Careful, cariño.” Carlos called out, voice laced with amusement and mild concern.

He gave your hand a gentle squeeze, and you exchanged a knowing smile before following her. When you reached her, Gabriela spun around to face you, her cheeks flushed from all the excitement.

“Mamá! Papá! Can we buy one? Please?” she pleaded, her wide eyes impossible to resist.

“Okay, which one do you want, solntse?” you asked softly. She pressed a finger to her lips, scrutinizing the display with all the seriousness of a child making the most important decision of her life.

“That one!” she declared finally, pointing to a gingerbread man decorated with a bright red scarf and tiny buttons. “He’s the prettiest!” Carlos chuckled, stepping forward to open the bakery door for the two of you.

“Prettiest? You mean handsomest, no?” he teased, ruffling Gabriela’s hair as she followed you inside.

“No, Papa!” Gabriela giggled, shaking her head. “He’s pretty! Look at his scarf!” she insisted, her tone firm as she held her ground.

The warmth of the bakery enveloped you, carrying the scent of cinnamon and freshly baked bread. A friendly staff member approached with a bright smile.

“What a lovely family,” they said, their eyes softening when they looked at Gabriela. “And what a gorgeous little girl!”

Gabriela beamed at the compliment, standing a little taller, face pressed on the glass counter, her breath fogging the glass slightly as she examined the colorful array of gingerbread men.

“I want the gingerbread man with the red scarf, please!” she said confidently, pointing at her chosen treat.

The staff member chuckled, carefully retrieving the gingerbread man and wrapping it in delicate parchment paper. “Good choice! He’s one of our favorites too. Do you like gingerbread, sweetheart?”

Gabriela nodded enthusiastically. “Uh huh! He’s my new friend!”

“Such a little sweetheart,” the staff member cooed, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Gabriela. “Enjoy your gingerbread man, sweetheart.”

“Thank you!” Gabriela chirped, voice bright as she accepted the bag with both hands. She then turned back to you and threw her arms around you, hugging you tightly. “Merci, Mamá! Merci, Papá!”

“Okay, you’re welcome mi amor.” Carlos replied warmly, brushing a stray hair from her forehead. He stood and handed his card to the staff member, who smiled and nodded as she completed the transaction.

“Have a wonderful day!” the staff called as you exited the bakery, Gabriela skipping happily ahead of you with her prized gingerbread man in hand.

Outside, Gabriela twirled in delight, singing a little song she had improvised on the spot. “Gingy is my friend, gingy is so sweet, he has a red scarf, and shiny little feet!”

You and Carlos exchanged glances, both of you barely suppressing laughter as her song grew more elaborate.

“She’s quite a songwriter.” you said, leaning into Carlos as you walked side by side again.

“She’s something else.” Carlos murmured, slipping his arm around your waist.

“Well, she definitely takes after you.” you teased, earning a playful nudge from him.

Gabriela spun back towards you, holding the gingerbread man up as if introducing him to you both. “His name is Señor Ginger! Isn’t he cute, Mamá?”

“He’s adorable,” you agreed, crouching down to admire the little cookie. “And I think he’s lucky to have you.”

Gabriela beamed before running back to Carlos. “Papá, do you like Señor Ginger?”

Carlos scooped her up effortlessly, holding her close as she giggled. “I think Señor Ginger is the luckiest gingerbread man in the world,” he said with a grin. “But you know what’s even better than gingerbread?”

“What is it, Papá?” Gabriela asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

He leaned closer, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “When Señor Ginger gets to meet a glass of milk.”

“Papá!” Gabriela’s laughter rang out again as she wrapped her arms around Carlos, her excitement bubbling over. “You’re very silly!”

Gabriela kept babbling about Señor Ginger with a mix of giggles and how he’s the best gingerbread man ever, her endless chatter filling up the air. Watching her with happiness, Carlos pressed a quick kiss to your temple.

“This is the best kind of day, no?” he murmured, eyes lingering on yours.

You smiled, your heart full. “It really is.”

Later that night, the dinner was peaceful. The soft hum of conversation between you and Carlos, and clinking of plates and silverware filling the air. Gabriela finished her meal faster than either of you, she pushed her plate away, and wiped her mouth with her napkin with a satisfied sigh, legs swinging beneath her chair. She then looked up at you with those wide, sparkling hazel eyes.

“Mamá,” she began sweetly, voice carrying a note of hope, “can I please eat my gingerbread man now?”

“Alright, but you have to be careful not to make a mess, okay?” you said as you stood up to retrieve the gingerbread man from the counter.

“Okay, Mamá!” Gabriela’s face lit up as she wriggled in her seat, eagerly waiting for her treat.

You returned with the carefully gingerbread man, sitting back down beside her as you carefully opened the festive packaging.

“Here you go,” you said as she squealed in delight, then the cookie on her plate, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Make sure you use your plate to catch the crumbs, so we don’t have any little ant trails later, alright?”

“Yes, Mamá. I promise!” she said, her tiny hands gently cradling the gingerbread man before taking her first excited bite.

You watched as she chewed happily, legs swinging under the table, and humming. Carlos leaned in, with his arms crossed on top of the table, his gaze fixed on Gabriela.

“Is it good, princesa?” he asked, voice soft and curious.

“Yes, Papá!” she nodded enthusiastically. “It’s a very yummy cookie!” Gabriela held up the gingerbread man proudly, but you couldn’t help noticing something.

“Solntse,” you said, trying to keep your voice light, “who are you eating?”

“My gingerbread man,” she said matter-of-factly, holding the cookie up for you to see. The head of the cookie was already missing, a clean bite taken out of it.

“Oh no! Señor Ginger!” you exclaimed dramatically, putting a hand over your mouth in mock surprise. “He doesn’t have a head anymore!”

Carlos, catching on to your game immediately, glanced at you with a knowing look, his lips twitching as he tried his best not to laugh. Gabriela looked down at her cookie, brows furrowing slightly as she began to process your words.

“Awe, bye bye Señor Ginger,” you continued, tone playful. “Señor Ginger doesn’t have his head anymore. Solntse, who ate Señor Ginger’s head?” you asked, voice filled with mock seriousness.

Gabriela’s lip began to tremble as she stared at the headless cookie in her hands. Her big, round hazel eyes started to glisten with unshed tears.

“Mamá…” she whispered, voice breaking. Carlos couldn’t hold back a quiet chuckle, shaking his head softly.

“Don’t cry, mi amor,” he said, leaning in closer to her. “It’s food, remember? Señor Ginger is supposed to be eaten.”

You leaned forward, voice gentle but teasing, asking her, “is the cookie good, solntse?”

She nodded slowly, lips still trembling as a tear slid down her cheek. Gabriela did not answer, she just bit into the cookie again, her small sniffles tugging at your heartstrings.

“Then why are you crying, mon chou?” you asked softly, reaching over to brush her cheek.

Gabriela didn’t respond, her eyes fixed on her plate as she took another careful bite, her little fingers clutching the gingerbread man tightly.

Carlos’ voice was soothing as he tried to comfort her. “Hey, it’s okay, mi amor. Señor Ginger is happy in your tummy now. He’ll give you lots of energy so you can play tomorrow, okay?” he wiped the tear mark stains on her cheeks. “No more crying, princesa.”

She sniffed again, glancing up at him with wide, watery eyes. Gabriela nodded, finally calming down enough to take another bite, though her pout remained.

“Can Mamá have a bite?” you asked as you leaned in, reaching a hand toward her plate.

“No!” she declared firmly as she pulled the cookie closer to her chest, eyes narrowing protectively.

Both you and Carlos burst into laughter, the sound echoing throughout the room and melting away Gabriela’s remaining tears.

“I guess Señor Ginger is all hers.” Carlos said, grinning at you as you shook your head in amusement.

[swiss-mrs]

EVERMORE: Chapter One

Eddie Munson Fic - Evermore Directory - Word Count: 7.7K

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Music blared through Eddie’s ears as he stared out the dingy bus window. “It's for the best, kid.” Wayne's voice echoed through his mind. “You know I care for you, son, but I got no clue how to handle this.” His uncle's sorrowful and concerned expression was drilled into Eddie’s mind.

It's been three months since his return, six since his ‘death’. The world has fallen into autumn, red and brown leaves adorning the trees that pass in a blur. “You'll master your powers and meet others like you. I'll miss you all over again, man.” He could still feel Dustin's tears soaking through his shirt.

Eddie wasn't completely alone on the bus. Aside from the driver, there was a girl, probably around 15, softly sobbing in the back of the bus, and a boy who looked no older than 12 or 13 towards the front of the bus, right behind the bus driver. He stared out the window in a similar fashion to Eddie. His eyes were dry, but he didn't really look happy to be on this bus ride either. 

Eddie was sat in the middle, a good amount of space between both the others. According to his new rubber watch, they were about 11 hours into their 13 hour drive. He glances over his shoulder to find the girl passed out against the window with dried tears on her face. He turns to look in front of him to find the boy still staring out the window blankly. He wondered if either of these children went through the same thing he did. Did they also suddenly gain mysterious, super natural powers they can't seem to control? Did they too do something unforgivable to put them here? He sighs and averts his eyes back to the window. The morning sun was peeking over the skyline. Did they always do night pickups? Was it to hide their shipments?

Eddie's leg began to bounce as they neared closer and closer. ‘Welcome to Vermont’ the sign read as they passed. He knew this was the best choice but that couldn't stop his heart from feeling betrayed and bitter.

Over the last three months, he was plagued with night terrors and migraines. It made him detached and irritable beyond belief. He lost count how many times Wayne was unfortunately on the wrong end of those lash outs. Every time, Eddie felt a pang of regret immediately after, but that didn't keep it from happening again and again.

Eddie was never this bad. He'd always been a good kid despite what everyone thought, despite his transcript. Wayne had no clue what to do when Eddie came back a full 180. The last thing he was expecting that day was to find his dead nephew alive and passed out on their front porch.

Wayne genuinely thought he might’ve been hallucinating. All the exhaustion had fleeted, and he rushed Eddie inside to keep him from prying eyes. It was a miracle no one saw him. When he woke, Eddie was too weak to actually explain himself, not that he even had answers to give. Eventually, Wayne just said to hell with it, and simply catered to his kid. Never in all of Eddie's years had he ever known Wayne to take a day off, but for Eddie, he took several. Three days and nights were spent aiding Eddie back to health. He fed him when he was too weak to lift a spoon and held him when he cried from head splitting nightmares. By the morning of day four, Eddie was at least able to make it to the bathroom and back on his own. Wayne made sure to have some food prepared for Eddie in case he got hungry during his night shift and told him to call if anything went wrong. He'd be back in a heartbeat.

As the weeks went by, Eddie became stronger and stronger, more than before. His night terrors didn't stop, but he was at least able to stop screaming and crying himself awake.

It was just two weeks ago that Eddie had done something he couldn't forgive himself for. He hurt Wayne.

He remembers the dream like a real memory. He was taller, bigger, but, somehow, he also felt lighter. He remembers looking down at his hands and seeing his pale fingers were replaced with slender, dark gray appendages. His blunt fingernails were now black sharp claws. His back felt heavy, like someone had strapped 300 pound weights to his shoulder blades. He remembers looking down at his body and being horrified. He's a monster, a real monster. His breathing started to pick up, and he began to feel lightheaded, a dull thumping in his mind. Though he was panicked at the sight of himself, there was this itching in the back of his brain. Something was there. He had felt an urge he'd never felt before. It was dark and malevolent. It scared him. What's happening to me?! He began thrashing about at the stale air around him, an unfamiliar roar coming from within him, rumbling through his chest. It was so boisterous that it rattled his own eardrums.

He was shaken out of his dream by the sound of his uncle's voice, “Christ!” Eddie's eyes rip open, and he immediately realizes his back on the ceiling. As soon as the realization hits, he falls to his bed, bouncing off and onto the floor with a heavy thud. Still in his panicked state, he yells, scrambling to back away from an invisible horror in front of him. Wayne made the mistake of rushing to his aid.

Feeling a grip on his shoulder in the midst of his screaming panic, Eddie swings an arm around, clawing at the perpetrator. “Ah!” His uncle's voice rings out in pain. Eddie's eyes snap up to the source, finding Wayne falling back, clutching his chest. Blood escapes his skin, staining the torn front of his shirt. Eddie stares up at his shocked uncle in terror.

“Wayne!” He yells, full of concern. He reaches out to him but is immediately taken aback when he sees the black, blood soaked claws on his hand. The tips of his fingers were shade gray as if halfway turned into the monster he was in his dream. He screams in horror at the sight of his own hand.

“Son!” Wayne's voice yells. Despite the blood rising down his front, Wayne closes in on Eddie, gripping his shoulders to grab his attention. Eddie's eyes find Wayne's, and he stops screaming. Tears immediately fill his eyes, and his uncle painfully brings him into his chest, holding him tightly. As Wayne rocked side to side, Eddie could feel the warmth of his uncle’s blood smear on his face and neck. Eddie sobbed uncontrollably, struggling to breathe as his heart pounded irregularly in his chest.

Eddie closes his eyes and leans his head against the bus window with a dull thud. He could feel his eyelashes dampen at the memory of that night, an all too familiar anxious drumming behind his ribs. This is for the best. He repeats in his head. He can't allow something like that to happen again, ever. 

Before he knows it, the bus is passing a ‘Welcome to Jericho’ sign. Then not 30 minutes after, it drives through a black metal gate that reads ‘Nevermore Academy’ at the top in a gothic font slowing to a stop into the main driveway.

Wordlessly, the driver exits the bus after opening the doors for the few passengers. Eddie takes in the new location through the window. There's an older, dark skinned man with dreadlocks conversing with the bus driver, giving him a friendly greeting with a smile. Are those horns? The man helps load the few bags that were in the bus's storage compartment into a trailer on the back of a small cart-like vehicle. They give eachother their farewells and the bus driver goes to tend to the bus while the man hops in the cart to drive away.

“Hey, mister?” Eddie's gaze switches to the little boy who was now standing in the aisle looking at Eddie. Eddie takes one of his wired earbuds out.  “It's time to get off.” The boy says timidly. Eddie nods and stands up in his seat, towering over the kid. The little boy turns to rush off the bus as Eddie puts his backpack on. He glances around the bus to realize it's empty. The girl must've already got off too.

Eddie trudged down the aisle, ducking a little to avoid bumping his head against the roof of the bus. He walks down the stairs, slowly stepping off the final one as he takes in a deep breath. The air here was a bit chilly, crisp, but it filled his lungs graciously. He walks up to stand beside the two younger kids. They stand in a line, all in front of an impossibly tall platinum blonde woman dressed in a monochrome, light gray outfit and matching heels. She began to speak a disingenuine speech, no doubt repeated a million times to every new arrival. Eddie tuned her out, just taking in her appearance. Her eyes were a piercing blue shade, and her lips were colored red, highlighting her smile. Her teeth were white and perfectly aligned. She had an unreadable aura around her. She reminded Eddie of a shark. Her sheer existence is just off-putting.

It seemed like her speech was coming to an end as she then gestures to a student beside her. “This will be your mentor, your guide, Mr. Sheridan.” She averts her eyes to look down at the young man standing next to her. He could easily be around 18 years old, most likely a senior or something. His near black hair was cut short and styled perfectly. He had blue eyes, defined lips, and a strong jawline. Judging from his looks, his neat appearance, and ironed stiff school uniform, he must be this school's ‘The King’ equivalent. He held a tight, polite smile. “Mr. Sheridan here is a great student who will ensure to take good care of you. You truly are in good hands.” He looks up at the official looking lady with a bashful grin before looking back at the three. He nods to the younger kids then looks over to Eddie with a curious expression, something Eddie clocked instantly, putting a bitter thought in his mind. Eddie looks deadpan at the guy as he turns to address the full group.

“It is an honor to meet you all.” His English accent rings out. Eddie fights the urge to roll his eyes. “I will be your go to informant to guide you and get you accustomed to the ins and outs of our daily life here at Nevermore Academy.” Jeez, this guy sounds like a douche. Eddie thinks, using the second scripted speech to get a good look at the building and grounds from where he stood. “Please, follow me.” Eddie's attention is brought back to the senior as the kids next to him start moving.

“Welcome to Nevermore, dear students!” The lady calls out as they walk passed. Eddie ignores the spiel getting rambled off about how their first days will be laid out, instead looking around at the campus as they walk through. He's enamored by the sights the school offers.

Originally, when the news hit Eddie that he was being shipped off to some boarding school by order of the government, he was expecting some sort of cross between jail, juvie, and military school. This was proving to be something much different. Visually, it's something straight out of a book. Externally, no one could see the giddy feeling that was blooming in his chest.

The campus seems strangely empty for being as large as it is. As if reading his mind, the young boy raises his hand to ask a question, “Excuse me, Mr. Sheridan?”

“Please, my name is Matthew.”

“Where are all the other students?” The tan boy asks. The student, Matthew, gives the shorter kid a kind smile and nods.

“Good question.” He chuckles, “Classes are in session right now. You three arrived kind of mid-day for most of us.” He looks down at his silver, expensive looking watch, causing Eddie to subconsciously do the same with his much less expensive, black one. 10:36 AM. Eddie drops his wrist. “Actually, this class period should be releasing some students here in about the next 15 minutes.” He looks back up at the trio with a polite grin. “We're making pretty good time. Our first stop is going to be the administrative office. We'll get your schedules. You'll get fitted for your uniforms, and we'll get your dorm keys.” He turns back around with a motion to continue following him. Eddie trails behind a little, not necessarily in any hurry.

Matthew opens up the door to the office, holding it ajar for the trio to enter ahead of him. The two younger kids walk in first, then Eddie. Matthew nods cordially at him as Eddie passes, following shortly behind. Eddie grants him zero attention. “Matthew, my boy!” A deep voice booms, naturally demanding Eddie's attention.

“Good morning, Professor Shaw. I have our new arrivals here.” The blue eyed boy turned to gesture to the new students, all of whom were staring at the horns atop the older man’s head. Man, this guy looks something straight out of D&D. His deep skin tone complimented his golden irises. He stood quite a few inches over everyone else and was obviously built sturdy underneath his neutral toned, professional attire. His voice also adorned an English accent, but it only added to his mysticality to Eddie.

“I see! Hello, young man.” The older man directs at the little boy. “M'lady.” He nods to the teen girl nicely. He then turns to Eddie. “Mr. Edward Munson. I presume?” Eddie's brows raise, shocked to hear his name come off the older man's tongue.

“Eddie, sir.” He corrects. The man raises his brows slightly and gives a frown of approval, nodding his head.

“Eddie it is. Pleasure to meet you. Pleasure to meet you all.” His attention is brought back to the other two. “I'm Professor Gardnal Shaw. I primarily work here in the admissions office, but I am also the teacher for Intro to More class, a course you all will undoubtedly be attending.” He smiles proudly. He lifts a hand towards the right side of the huge office. “If you would please, follow me.” He leads the way to a portion sectioned off behind a heavy velvet curtain, Matthew second in line. The teenage girl was next then the little boy after her. Eddie towered over the both of them from behind. His eyes are forward, but he catches the young boy in front of him timidly glancing back at him. Eddie offers a ghost of a smile, not wanting to make the kid any more nervous or uncomfortable around him. The boy's eyes widen when Eddie's eyes catch his gaze. An awkward smile sneaks onto his adorable face as he quickly turns to face forward. Eddie holds in a chuckle, curiosity overtaking him. He couldn’t help but ponder what on Earth could’ve possibly landed the small boy here. Was it anything comparable to him?

As the group passes the threshold of the curtain, they are met with an older, glasses wearing woman. She stood just an inch or so shorter than Eddie with the best posture he’d ever seen. Her hair was slicked back in a low bun, showing off her graying hairline. She looks just as neat and put together as the shark lady, but unnerving would be that last word used to describe her. The way her face lights up at the sight of new students instantly makes her the nicest middle aged lady Eddie has ever encountered. “Students, this is our lovely seamstress, Ms. Glenda. She will be assisting you with your uniforms.” Mr. Shaw announces with his hands clasped together in front of him.

“New arrivals!” She exclaimed excitedly.

“Good Morning, Ms. Glenda.” Matthew adds. She turns to him with a kind grin, her eyes crinkling at their corners.

“Well, good morning to you, Matthew. Very dashing, as always.” She compliments, motherly. The young man blushes, his bitten back smile extenuating his cheekbones. She turns her attention back to the new faces before he can come back with anything. “Now, who do we have here!” She adjusts her little, wire rimmed glasses and squints at the three. “A stunning young lady, an adorable little man, and quite a handsome young fellow, hmm.” The three all have their respective bashful, avoiding glances. “You,” All three lift their heads, but find her attention on Eddie specifically. Eddie's heart picks up slightly, nervous of what she may say next. “You, young man, are a bit older than the normal new arrivals I'm used to seeing.” She lifts her chin to look down the tip of her nose through her falling glasses. Eddie's brows furrowed in confusion as his eyes flit from one face to another, awkwardly glancing at each person in the room. Before he can open his mouth to say anything, Mr. Shaw buts in to take over.

“Eddie here is the first of many to come. Our academy is expanding the age range of our admissions to include those who may have found changes later in life.” The man eloquently clarifies, giving Eddie a comforting grin, but it does little to ease Eddie’s thoughts. Great, ‘first of many’. Eddie offers a grin that thinly veils his annoyance at the new found information.

“Ah, I see. Well, that's wonderful news.” The older lady says, voice full of warmth and welcome. She grins softly. “Well, let's get you all fitted! I’m sure you all have a lot more to do than sit around here all day!” She smiles widely before pulling each new student in one by one to get them situated with uniforms.

The next two hours were spent in the office, getting uniforms, schedules, and whatnot. After the admin office, Matthew guided them around campus, giving them a tour of the common yard, the libraries, showing them different wings for the different studies before finally leading them to the massive cafeteria.

The café had two levels. The main floor held a buffet spread of rotating foods, vending machines, and several rows of tables. The second floor was a balcony that had additional seating overlooking the main floor, some bathrooms, and another vending machine. On the far side of the cafeteria were floor to ceiling windows, presenting a mystical view of the Vermont countryside. “Alright, I think this is a perfect time as any to take a break and get some lunch.” Matthew announced, looking down at his watch to see the time as 12:45 PM. “Take an hour to relax and eat. I'll be back to collect you three around 1:45, so we can head to the dorms for you all to get settled in. For now, help yourselves to whatever you’d like.” The uniformed guide clasps his hands together, gives them a curt nod, and walks away.

The two kids glance at each other then at Eddie. The teenage girl walks off first. The little boy glances back to Eddie after watching the girl walk away. He looks like he wants to say something, which Eddie raises a brow to, but ultimately, he scurries away.

Eddie sighs and follows suit, assembling himself a plate of food that appears too appetizing to be a school lunch. He spots an empty seat next to the massive windows on the main floor. He’s one of the only few not wearing a uniform, so on top of his obvious age difference, his attire makes him stand out like a sore thumb. This causes him to catch a couple curious glances from some passing students, but it’s nothing he hasn’t experienced before.

As he walks to the empty table, he gets a pretty decent idea of different cliques. Even in this world, high schoolers aren't too different. On top of grouping up by sport or ‘status’, one of the obvious differences is that some are separated by species.

Eddie had to use everything in him not to stare at some of the more obvious ones, some with unnaturally colored skin tones, some with horns, others with tusks for canines. It was incredible to see in person something he’d only ever imagined or seen in movies and books. Man, what the guys would say about this. He shakes his head, looking down at his plate with a small chuckle. He successfully makes it to the targeted seat without issue. He drops his bag to the floor beneath him and starts eating, “Holy shit.” The food here is just as good as it looks. He hums to himself. After that first bite, suddenly all the hunger his emotions were hiding came to the surface. His stomach growled, begging for more. He scarfs down half his plate before something out the corner of his eye catches his attention.

Outside, several feet down in somewhat of a courtyard he didn’t visit on the tour, there was a group of students. Are those real? The thing that caught his eyes was the glimmering of metal, the afternoon sun reflecting off steel weapons and shields. Eddie drops his hands to the table to watch the commotion going on outside. There were stone stairs that led off the slide of the cliff that held the main school building. There were two students walking down them with trays of food. On their uniform jackets were added emblems that took up most of the space on their back panels. It was difficult to get a clear view of the golden embroidery from this far, but from what Eddie could tell, it looked like a sword with wings where the crossguard should be.

Eddie’s brows draw closer together as he squints to try and get a better look at the group below. All of the ones sparring had taken their jackets off, leaving them in their white button ups. The others that were seated and eating were too small for Eddie to see their jackets any clearer, but he does notice one person in particular. 

Atop a boulder on the edge of the courtyard stood an observer dressed in the same purple and black striped uniform jacket and black slacks. This observer had a golden sash hanging across their torso, fastened together at the hip, something only seen on royal families. They seemed to be yelling out orders or instructions ever so often. Standing next to the boulder was another onlooker.

She had long, bright blonde curls pulled back into a low ponytail and a hard gaze. Her white button down shirt was tucked into her ankle length, black and purple uniform skirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Eddie looks on curiously and a bit in shock. Eddie’s eyes are back on the golden sash student as they hop down from their high point to go up to two sparrers.

Taking one of the swords as they talk, they ready themselves for what seems to be a demonstration. Eddie watches as they start swinging the sword around, immediately catching the attention of all the other students around. They can be seen talking as they move so fiercely. Each swing of the sword is incredibly controlled and impactful. The fight was intense, yet they were basically floating, light on their feet, and still talking. Everything done was talked through and masterfully executed. Their ‘leader’ status was easily confirmed in Eddie’s mind.

Without much difficulty, you were able to disarm your opponent, turning to the one you assumed the place of with a nod, handing them back their sword. Some of the students watching even clapped. Eddie looked on in disbelief at the scene that just unfolded. He looks down at his half empty plate suddenly becoming a bit insecure and envious.

The rest of his lunch was spent taking bites of his food as he looked out the window, utterly intrigued. A cough of someone clearing their throat brings Eddie out of his trance. He whips his head around to see Matthew the Guide looking down at him. “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for you to become acquainted with your new dormmate.” He says with a small smile at his own little play-on word. Eddie raises his brow and nods.

“Sure thing,” Eddie stands, bringing his backpack up with him. He stands barely two centimeters above Matthew, but it makes all the difference in Eddie’s confidence. He cocks his head to the side and gives him a sarcastic grin. “Sir Matty the Dashing.” Eddie says, mimicking Matthew’s accent. Matthew’s small smile drops a bit.

“We’ll be waiting for you over by the doors.” He turns and strides away. Eddie huffs out a puff of air. He picks up the remnants of his lunch and drops it off at a trash can on his way to where Matthew and the other two new kids stand. “Alright, now that we’re all here.” He smiles sarcastically at Eddie before turning to the other two with a more genuine smile. “Let’s head to the dorms.”

Matthew leads the three to the different student housing areas. They dropped off the teenage girl to her building, Matthew handing her off to that building’s dorm manager to lead her the rest of the way. Next was the young boy Eddie would come to know as Anthony. He was dropped off at his door as he, Eddie, and Matthew all stayed in the same building. Once he disappeared behind the door with his new roommate, Matthew and Eddie were left alone. “Come on.” Matthew says, walking away without sparing another glance at Eddie. Eddie’s lip turns up in a grimace.

“Hey, man. What's with the attitude.” He bites back, catching up with Matthew.

“Me? You’re the one with an attitude, young fellow.” Matthew scoffs and gives Eddie a hard look. Eddie is stubborn with his defiance.

“Whatever, man.” Eddie scoffs and looks away.

“Listen, I understand if you are not necessarily happy to be here, but you don’t need to be rude.” Eddie’s brows raise in disbelief.

“I’m not being rude, and perfectly peachy.” He says with a disingenuous grin, cocking his head to the side. “I have no issue being shipped off,” he lies, “and being judged before I get a single word to vouch for myself is nothing new to me.” Eddie shoots back. Matthew sighs.

“Look, like Shaw said, we don’t usually get new students over the age of like 15, so I was just a bit caught off guard.” He sighs, but his excuse is going in one ear and out the other. “I admit I could’ve controlled my face a bit better, but I don’t think that should get me on your bad side before we even start.” Henry goes on.

Eddie glances over at the guide through his peripheral. They enter the empty elevator, heading up. Matthew stares forward with his jaw clenched, obviously annoyed that he has to be in an enclosed space with Eddie. There’s a few seconds of silence after the doors close before Eddie sighs.

“Look, man.” Eddie starts. “Like I said, I’m used to the judginess.” Eddie waves his fingers around. “You being assigned to me doesn’t have to make us friends. I can tell by your…” Matthew looks over his shoulder at the pause only to find Eddie waving his hand over Matthew’s entirety, causing him to roll his eyes. “That you aren’t usually the guy known for ‘hanging out’ with guys like me.” He holds his hands up in surrender. “And look, I get it if you don’t wanna tarnish your perception being associated with this.” He gestures to himself.

Matthew glances over his shoulder again, “I’m here to help.-”

“I’m also not going to be a charity case to heighten your ego.”

Matthew faces forward again puffing air out. “Look who’s being the judgy one.” Eddie rolls his eyes. Though Matthew isn’t necessarily wrong, Eddie doesn’t care to admit it.

“Just listen, buddy, these past few months have really turned my world… upside down.” Eddie frowns with a fleeting gaze. Eddie rolls his shoulders back to try and roll the thoughts off his back. “I’m used to being Eddie ‘The Freak’. It’s, of course, nothing new to me being the odd one out, so excuse me for trying to cut through the bull early.” Matthew nods understandingly.

“You know, you should realize something,” Eddie looks up, eyes on the back of Matthew’s head as he stares forward. “Nevermore is a school just like every other, but most people here are coming from a similar place. Sometimes people here forget, but outside these walls, beyond that gate, we’re all just freaks, monsters,... evil to the rest of the world.” Matthew looks down the bridge of his proud nose with a familiar distant stare. The elevator doors open and Matthew walks out without missing a beat.

They pass a few doors before Matthew speaks up again. “I am your ‘mentor’,” He halts in front of a door, turning to Eddie, “I am not your enemy.” He looks Eddie in the eyes with determination, trying to get through to him. “You should know, even if we are not meant to be ‘friends’, I am still an ally. If you need help with anything, you can reach out to me.” Eddie holds Matthew’s stare, searching his gaze for any malice. Matthew’s lips form a thin line as he gives Eddie a tight smile before nodding once. He lifts a hand to knock on the door.

There's stumbling and a commotion on the other side of the door. Eddie’s brows crease in suspicion at the noises, but Matthew just sighs and rolls his eyes. The door swings open revealing a young, dark skinned boy with wide, shocked eyes. He was huffing like he just ran a marathon, undoubtedly from stumbling over stuff in the room to get to the door. “Junior.” Matthew says in a warning tone through gritted teeth and an annoyed smile. Junior avoids Matthew’s eyes by awkwardly glancing at anything but him.

Eddie glances between Matthew and the kid, Junior. Matthew turns to Eddie, “Eddie, meet Junior,” He turns to gesture to the kid. “Your new roommate.” Matthew raises a threatening brow at Junior. “Junior, meet Eddie.”

“H-Hi,” The kid’s voice cracks awkwardly, “Come… Come on in.” Junior turns to walk away from the door, going further into the room. Eddie glances one last time at Matthew. He looks over to Eddie with a sigh and raises his brows.

“Good luck.” He mutters as he walks away. Before Eddie can follow up with Matthew’s concerning final words, Junior starts rambling.

“Here, over here is your bed, obviously as it’s the empty one, and over here is mine,... obviously. I, um, I moved some things around, but you’re more than welcome to move anything around how you’d like, well, I mean, as long as you,… you know, you leave my side of things alone, unless you want this side, we… we can figure something out that works for the both of us. Over there,” he turns to point at a door next to the one Eddie just entered through. “That- That’s the bathroom. It’s pretty nice, we have a tub, shower, sink, toilet, everything needed, and, uh,” Junior keeps rambling as Eddie slowly walks through the space.

It’s shockingly spacious. Once he passes the entryway, the place expands into a large, square room. This is nothing Eddie expected for a dorm. The full-sized beds are on opposite sides of the room with enough respective furniture for two people. Each side has its own bed, dresser, desk with a lamp and chair. Junior has a foldable, wooden divider next to his bed, blocking the view of his bed from Eddie’s. On either side of the room were two archways leading into an extra individual area. Without being too nosy, Eddie could see that Junior’s side has a plant and a bookshelf. His side seemed a bit barren.

Eddie back glances at Junior’s side, finding it an odd mixture of neat and messy. The younger’s clothes were filling a dirty laundry hamper to the brim, but there was not a trace of anything on his floor. His mirror was squeaky clean, but his dresser had different, mismatched nicknacks littered over the top. His desk had papers spewed all over with multiple open books, but the chair was tucked in and pens, markers, and pencils were organized by color and size in a storage container. His bed wasn’t made, but he had shiny shoes neatly lined under the bed frame.

The rambling kid himself was set up in a similar fashion, his appearance is pristine, his white shirt tucked into ironed pants, shoes shined, necktie tightened and perfectly aligned, but man, the kid would not take a breath. “It’s nice to meet you.” Eddie interrupts whatever he was on about. Junior comes to a complete stop, turning to Eddie with raised brows.

“Sorry. …I- I’ve forgotten my manners.” He shoots out a hand with his chin lifted high, back straight as a board in perfect posture. “Junior Shaw. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” Eddie slowly reaches out to shake Junior’s hand. He squints with a small smile.

“Shaw?” They shake hands for a bit too long due to Junior not knowing when to let go.

“Yeah… He’s my dad.” Junior tilts his chin down to hide his face. This is the first time Eddie notices the small horns growing atop his head, just barely peeking out in his thick dark hair. Eddie nods as his smile grows. “Oh.” Junior drops his hand. “Sorry.” The awkwardness of the kid makes Eddie’s heart swell. It’s oddly comforting. “Uh…” Junior trails, seemingly trying to fill the silence but not knowing what to say.

Eddie walks off, heading over to his side of the room. His eyes immediately land on the bed, seeing his new uniforms and his old suitcase. “That was fast.” He mumbles more so to himself. He runs his fingers gently across the striped fabric.

“Oh!” Junior says abruptly, grabbing Eddie’s attention. He turns to see Junior running to his dresser, picking something up, and turning to rush up to give it to Eddie. “Here.” He hands Eddie a small welcoming gift. It was a gift basket with some pens, pencils, notebooks, and other miscellaneous school supplies. On top of it all was a purple card with glittery gold writing on it. ‘Welcome, Edward!’ it read, causing Eddie to bite back a small smile. “I know,” He raises a brow looking up from the basket to Junior. “It’s kind of cheesy, but my dad said giving you a welcome gift would make you feel more… welcome… yeah.” He says. Eddie gives him a kind smile.

“Thanks, kid.”

“Welcome.” He says before walking away to go to his desk and sit in the wooden chair. Eddie takes a seat on his bed, next to his uniforms, and places the welcome gift beside him on top of the neatly folded clothes. “So, uh…” Junior starts, “You’re kind of old…er… older. Older than the usual new students.” Eddie chuckles and nods.

“Yeah, so I’ve heard.”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I’m just curious, is all. Sorry.”

“No worries. I’ve been getting it all day.” He tilts his head. “You know I’m not old. I’m only 19, going to be 20 this year.” Junior nods without looking up at him, instead focusing his eyes on the papers on his desk.

“That’s cool. My dad told me we’re taking in more students, probably opening up a new department or something like that. So,... how’d you end up here?” Junior asks absentmindedly. The question takes Eddie off guard a little. What is he supposed to say? He turned into a monster and attacked his uncle after dying in battle in an alternate dimension? Would that make sense, even here? Junior takes Eddie’s elongated silence as a sign. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to tell. Told you, I’m just curious, probably too much for my own good.”

“I… just got some new… powers?” Eddie thinks of how to word an explanation without going too in depth. “So, I got sent here to try and help… control them.”

“Oh, an Acquirer. That makes sense.” Eddie tilts his head in intrigue at the new lingo, but before Eddie can ask for clarification, Junior bombards him with some more questions. “Have you looked at any of your classes yet? Seen any clubs, you know, if you’re into that? Were you in any clubs or sports back when you were in your old school?”

“No,” he chuckles, “No sports. I’m not a sports guy.” Junior nods. “But I did have a club I was leading, called Hellfire.” Junior turns in his chair to look at Eddie with a curious look.

“Hellfire? What was it about?” Eddie’s eyes light up a bit, now that’s a question he loved to answer.

“Well, it was a mystical gathering of the most daring and creative minds.” Eddie began with a smirk and squinted eyes, enjoying the familiar innocent curiosity on the young boy’s face. “Creatures of all kinds, from all over would gather to travel together and fight great battles, solve fantastical mysteries, and establish their title as heroes.” Eddie says in a theatrical tone, drawing Junior’s interest. Eddie chuckles, shaking his head and looking down. “It was a club where I would host D&D campaigns after school.” He smiled, reminiscing. Junior raises his brows and nods.

“Oh, I’ve heard about D&D! I’ve always thought it sounded a lot like Slayers, just minus the tabletop portion.” Eddie lifts his head to the smiling boy.

“Slayers, huh?’ Junior nods.

“Yeah, Dungeon Slayers Club, officially, but we just call it Slayers for short. It was kind of inspired by D&D, but you know, we’re the actual ‘creatures’.” Junior explains. “It takes all the fun of D&D and brings it into real life. We really train and fight and go on quests and everything. It’s really fun.” He beams.

“Is that the club with the emblems on their backs, the group of students out in that courtyard during lunch?” Junior’s brows raise.

“Yeah. I wasn’t there during lunch today. Usually, the lunch gatherings are just us hanging out during our break. The real club takes place after school.” Junior says matter-of-factly. “First official meetup of the season is tomorrow.” Eddie nods.

“Think I can come and check it out?” Junior's brows raise again, and his eyes go wide.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know. I mean, we’re always welcoming to new people, at least they were with me. I was the last person who joined, but, uh we’re not really the most popular group.” He rambles. “Slayers doesn’t really have the best reputation. It’s kind of…infamous? Most of the other students see us as a paranoid bunch of…well, losers, like end of the world preppers or stuck in the past people or whatever. I don’t know if you’d want to start yourself out by associating yourself with us. You- You may want to check out something else like the fencing team or- or something first.” He says bouncing his gaze around in one of his awkward antics.

“Nope,” Eddie stops him, “I want to check it out.” He says firmly. Junior, though a bit shocked, becomes excited.

“Oh Okay, well, tomorrow then, I can bring you with me to the club during lunch, so you can meet some of the members and maybe get you to talk to Reider. She’s awesome.” Junior begins with a glint in his eye. “She’s been heading Slayers for, like, the last, like, four years, been in the club for even longer. She is so cool, really.” He says seriously, nodding his head. “If the world ever did come to an end. She’s definitely someone you’d want on your side. They’re, like, really amazing. She can out fight and out smart anybody, I swear.” He nods in approval. Eddie smiles, being reminded of his own Little Sheep back home. Junior turns back to the homework on his desk, “Reid’s a great leader. You’d like them, 100%.” He nods again.

Reider. Eddie repeats the name in his mind, thinking back to her image. Cool name.

Eddie and Junior sit in a comfortable silence, the loudest noise coming from Junior’s pencil against paper. Eddie stands after a minute or two and begins unpacking his things, organizing his half how he wants. “Do you usually study in silence, or is it just cause I’m here?” Eddie asks as he closes his last drawer and turns to look at the back of Junior.

“No, I usually work this way. Sorry if that’s weird, but- but don’t worry about me. If you want to play music or watch something, don’t worry about me.” He lifts a hand to wave dismissively. Eddie nods and walks away from the dresser.

“You know, I think I’m going to do a little exploring.” Eddie announces as he heads to the door. Junior lifts his head.

“Oh, do you want me to come with? I could help show you around.” He offers, but Eddie shakes his head with a wave of his hand.

“No, just continue with your work. I’ll be fine. I’m just gonna wonder and get familiar.” Eddie says with a small smile. “Be back later, kid.” He turns to leave without another word.

As soon as Eddie is outside of the dorm building, he decides to just pick a direction and start walking. He walks around the campus, again getting some looks from passing students as he’s the only one out of uniform. He leisurely wanders around, eventually stopping in an outdoor hallway that surrounds a small courtyard in the middle of one of the buildings. As he stands there, he stares at a familiar stranger’s face. Reider.

She was sitting at the end of a wooden bench at one of the picnic tables. In front of her, sat on top of the table was a boy with ivory skin and brown, fluffy, curly hair. He was slim but obviously muscular and had a killer smile that Reider couldn't help but return. Sat beside her was the same curly blonde he saw earlier.

The blonde seemed a bit more relaxed and was leaning on elbows that were resting on the table in front of her. Her loose curls were free from their ponytail and now let down, bangs framing her forehead. She was also looking up at the boy who was talking, quite animated, about something Eddie couldn't quite hear.

Though Reider didn't know of his existence, Eddie couldn’t help but admire her smile. It was easy to get distracted. Aside from being a total warrior badass, she is simply gorgeous. The shine in her eyes, the way the world around her brightens with each smile, the curve of her nose, the creases of her face as it contorts with laughter. There’s no way she could possibly be considered the leader of the ‘loser’ club. Eddie couldn't comprehend how anyone could not like whatever had her stamp of approval. Everything about her was positively infectious and contagious. It was plain to see. Even from a distance, Junior’s fanboying over her made total sense.

Eddie stood in the shadows of the hall just watching. He couldn't help but feel a bit envious. Abruptly he winces, flinching at the all too familiar feeling in his brain.

The sharp migraines he'd gotten ever since waking up in that place have started to dull, feeling more akin to an unreachable itch or a fuzzy static. He didn't know if the pain was weaker or if he was just building a tolerance. Eddie sighs, opening his eyes to see Reider and her friends standing and collecting their things. Before anyone can notice his presence, he takes his leave, disappearing out of the courtyard corridors and closing in on a new found back exit off campus.

Eddie walks along the road that leads up to the campus before he makes his way into the wooded area that lines the pavement. Once he feels he's gone far enough, the buzzing itch returns. He groans, annoyed at the feeling.

He knows he's alone out here, but he can't help himself from looking around him to see if anyone is watching. Once he decides the coast is clear, he kneels down, closes his eyes, and takes a few deep breaths, slowing his heart rate. He reaches a hand out and rests it on the massive trunk of the fallen tree he'd stopped in front of. He takes deep breaths during the entire exchange, feeling the wood beneath his fingers crack and shift.

The feeling of a numb rush floods his veins as the headache dissipates. He knows that means he's done right. He opens his eyes, seeing the newly opened glowing gate. Again, he looks around him before looking back at the portal. Every time he opens a new door between worlds, that area in the back of his brain tells him he's done something right, but his heart still makes him feel like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar, constantly scared he's going to get caught doing something he's not supposed to. One of these new found powers of his was the ability to open passages from this world to the other. At first, it felt wrong. There were so many bad memories there, but he'd always felt compelled to open these doors. Now, it's more so akin to a guilty pleasure, something he knows he shouldn't enjoy, but he can't resist. It calls to him.

prev - next

Evermore Tag List (OPEN):

@ali-r3n  @mother-oshun @madelynraemunson  @starmilks @ohmeg

Swisslist (General Tag List):

@rosecentury @solacedthistest

(OP: 04/27/2024) (Revised: 11/13/2024)

[lvnleah]

Hello , i wanted to request a lia walti one, it is basically awfc x teen reader , please ignore if you don't writer her .

May I request an awfc x teen!walti reader who is much younger than lia and is almost the opposite of lia. She is a pest to her sister but lia adores her anyway , she is destined to be the next star girl of the Swiss team and woso in general and joins awfc and the team gets to know the young walti is very different from her sister almost as menace as Kyra and they become very good friends with all the youngsters and well more headache for awf team and captain Kimmy and her older sister lia herself but they adore her .. thank you

double trouble | lia wälti.

thank you for this request! :)

Joining Arsenal was a dream come true, but it was also the worst nightmare for one person in particular. Your big sister, Lia.

At 21, you were already being hailed as Switzerland’s next big star. On the pitch, your technical ability and football IQ were undeniable. But off the pitch?

You were a menace. A lovable, chaotic, ADHD-driven menace.

Lia had spent your entire childhood keeping you in check, and now, thanks to Arsenal, she had to do it all the time.

The warning came before you even stepped foot in the training ground.

“Y/N, I’m serious,” Lia said as she drove you to your first session. “No pranks. No messing around. You want to make a good impression, right?”

You turned to her with your best innocent face. “Lia, come on, you act like I’m some kind of—”

Lia scoffed as she cut you off, “You hid my boots in the freezer before an international match.”

“…Okay, but that was funny.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“It kind of was.”

Lia let out a long, tired sigh. “Just please try to act professional, yeah? I want this to work for you.”

You lasted maybe ten minutes.

The first training session went as expected, meaning you caused absolute chaos. The moment you walked into the dressing room, Beth slung an arm around your shoulder. “The little Walti! We’ve heard so much about you.”

“Aww has Lia been singing my praises?” You asked with a cheeky smirk, “Lia, you really don’t have to!”

Lia rolled her eyes as she set her bag down, “Trust me I have not been singing your praises. I’ve been warning them.”

You gasped, “Warning them about your own baby sister? I’m heartbroken! What have you been seeing?” 

Kim rolled her eyes from beside Beth, “Enough to know you’re a little troublemaker.”

You grinned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The team wasn’t buying your innocent act for a second. Lotte raised a sceptical eyebrow as she laced up her boots. “Yeah, sure. You and trouble? Completely unrelated.”

Katie, who had been watching with amusement, leaned in. “I like her. She’s got that little shit energy.”

Lia groaned. “Please, don’t encourage her.”

That was when Kyra walked in.

You didn’t know who she was at first, but the second she spotted you, her face lit up. “No fucking way. You’re the other menace? Sick!”

Lia’s head hit the locker with a soft thud. “Oh no. No, no, no. This cannot be happening.”

You turned to Kyra, eyebrows raised in confusion, “Other menace? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kyra grinned, slinging an arm around your shoulders like she’d known you forever. “Means we’re about to be best friends. I’ve been carrying the chaos around here all on my own,” She smirked at Lia. “Now I’ve got backup.”

Lia groaned again, already regretting every life choice that led to this moment. “I give it a week before one of you gets banned from the training ground.”

Beth snorted. “A week? You’re optimistic.”

You turned to Kyra, grinning. “So what’s the worst thing you’ve done here so far?”

Kyra looked thoughtful for a moment before smirking. “Let’s just say Jonas doesn’t leave his office door unlocked anymore.”

Your eyes widened with admiration. “Oh, I like you.”

Lia looked absolutely horrified. “I hate this. I hate everything about this.”

Kyra shot a look at Lia, then she turned back to you with a smirk. “I think we’re gonna be best friends.”

The room collectively groaned.

“Nope,” Beth said immediately, pointing a warning finger at both of you. “Absolutely not.”

Steph shook her head. “This is a disaster waiting to happen.”

Lia looked like she was having a crisis. “You guys were supposed to keep them apart!”

“Oh, come on. I’m actually very responsible.” Kyra smirked

“Kyra, you stole Jonas’ tactics board last week.”

Kyra scoffed. “It was an accident.”

“You wrote ‘Kyra’s Master Plan’ on it.” Steph reminded her, “The plan was to just kick everyone or egg them…”

“…Okay, maybe not an accident.”

You burst out laughing. “I knew I liked you.”

Kyra grinned. “We’re gonna have so much fun.”

Lia turned to Kim. “I need a transfer.”

Kim patted her on the shoulder. “Too late, Wally.”

The rest of the team was already exchanging wary glances. They had survived Kyra. They had survived you. But the two of you together?

They might not make it out alive and that was proved over the next few weeks. 

It started small.

Little things.

A missing boot here, a mysteriously locked physio room there. The occasional mysteriously swapped training bibs that had everyone confused about which team they were on during drills.

Harmless.

Mostly.

Lia had been watching. She always did, with that big-sister sense that had kept you in check (or tried to) for years. She saw the way you and Kyra exchanged glances after Jonas called for a tactical review. The way Beth’s locker mysteriously refused to open one morning. The way the team chat suddenly blew up with debates over whether a ghost haunted the gym after the lights flickered for two nights in a row.

Lia knew.

But the final straw came when Leah stormed into training one morning, face red with frustration with her boots in her hands. 

“You two,” she said, voice dangerously calm, “Did you two little shits pit googly eyes on my boots?”

Silence.

Leah held the pair out, each one sporting a pair of wide, cartoonishly oversized eyes that wobbled slightly in the wind.

Lia didn’t even look at you first. She looked at Kyra.

Then you.

Then back at Kyra.

Leah exhaled sharply, muttering something under her breath before rubbing her temples. “I don’t even know why I bother.”

You were doing a terrible job at keeping a straight face. So was Kyra. Katie was openly laughing, and Beth had turned away, shaking with silent giggles.

“We tried to stop them,” Vic deadpanned.

“No, you didn’t,” Lia accused.

“No, we didn’t,” Vic admitted.

Leah pinched the bridge of his nose and turned back to you and Kyra. “You’re running extra laps.”

Kyra groaned. “But—”

“Now.”

Lia, arms crossed, watched you go with the weight of a thousand exhausted big sister sighs.

“I told you this would happen,” she muttered.

Beth clapped her on the back. “Cheer up, Wally. At least they’re funny.”

Lia did not find it funny. Not when you and Kyra turned your extra laps into pretending to be Olympic sprinters. Not when Kyra fake-tripped and rolled halfway down the pitch like a footballer diving for a penalty. Not when you did the world's worst cartwheel in an attempt to "make training more fun."

But if the team thought googly eyes were the worst of your antics, they had another thing coming.

[pitchsidestories]

can't stop this feeling II Alessia Russo x Reader

part 2 I masterlist I word count: 2954 I

a/n: hi, the oneshot is based off the ask to write for Alessia, we hope you guys like this one, it's on the longer side, so get cozy.

Vick Hope looked expectantly at the two players who formed The Tooney & Russo Show together. The question she read out loud only a couple of seconds ago, was weighing heavy on the Arsenal forward.

They were playing a quick-fire question round of who’s more likely for the new episode and the moderator asked them:” Who’s more likely to kiss a girl?”

“Alessia, she just did last night!”, Ella yelled enthusiastically.

“Tooney!”, Alessia gasped.

Shooting an innocent smile in her best friend’s direction the Manchester United footballer defended herself:” What? You just told me.”

“Yes, but that was just a kiss between teammates.”, the Blonde explained, her cheeks turning slightly pinks as she spoke.

“You never kissed me.”, Ella reminded her with a cheeky grin.

“Yes, because you’re my best friend. I’d never kiss-.”, Alessia licked the lips nervously.

“Your friends? Liar.”, the midfielder clicked her tongue reprovingly.

The remark of the fellow footballer made the blonde blush even harder:” Can we change the topic please? This is ridiculous. It was fun and meant nothing.”

“Sure, so who’s more likely to get into a bar fight?”, sensing the change of the mood in the room Vick Hope switched the discussion to something more light-hearted.

“Definitely Tonney.”, Alessia laughed.

“True, I can’t deny that.”, Ella responded, shrugging her shoulders in a nonchalantly manner.

Last night, when the kiss which the podcast had hinted at, happened the Arsenal team has been out in the bars, celebrating the end of the season. The temperature been up letting everyone know that summer was around the corner.

“No, drinks for, y/n.”, Lia told her teammates at the table seriously. The room was nicely lit, with modern art on the walls and a lot of plants as decorative elements.

“Wally, I’m 23 and not longer 16 anymore.”, you scowled at her.

“Still, the rules are the rules.”, the Swiss woman declared, she didn’t seem to be impressed by your throw in.

Clearing her throat, Katie offered you grinning:” You can take a sip from my drink.”

“Thanks, Katie.”, you replied happily.

“Katie!”, Kim scolded the Irish player.

“She turned 23 this month, you guys need to calm down!”, she scoffed.

“Listen, I’ll order a drink now!”, Leah announced as she banged on the table, to underline the seriousness of her decision.

“Lee, I love you. Thank you!”, you sighed gratefully.

“Excuse me? I thought you loved me more.”, Alessia interjected, her pretty lips formed to a pout.

“Did you buy me a drink?”, you rose an eyebrow at her, but couldn’t help to giggle because of her silly facial expression.

“No?“, Alessia replied truthfully.

“See?“

Your teammate shrugged: “Fine then. I still love you.“

“Love you too. But not as much as Leah.“, you replied when the blonde defender reappeared next to you with a drink in hand.

You carefully took the glass from her: “Thanks, Lee.“

“You’re welcome.“, she laughed, holding up her own glass so you could clink your glass to hers.

“Cheers.“

“Cheers.“

You both took a sip of your drink and you had to admit, Arsenals vice captain had a surprisingly good taste in alcohol.

Lia playfully hit her best friend on the arm: “Leah, you’re breaking the rules!“

“The rules aren’t for her anymore.“, she replied decisively.

You nodded enthusiastically: “Exactly!“

The Swiss midfielder shook her head in faux shock: “Unbelievable.“

You suddenly felt an arm snake around your shoulders. When you looked over, your eyes met Beths. She leaned her head on her shoulder, obviously not on her first drink anymore and said: “You’ll always be our baby, y/n. No matter how old you get.“

“Oh yes.“, Lia agreed.

You shook Beth off and grimaced at your older teammates: “Ugh, you’re horrible.“

Between some gasps and a few protests, Kim only looked at you with an unimpressed expression: “No, we know you love us.“

You were about to respond that maybe they should have their alcohol consumption supervised instead because none of them seemed sober at the moment when Alessia grabbed your wrist. Your attention immediately shifted to her.

“Want to go get some fresh air?“, she asked, her blue eyes twinkling.

“Yes, please.“, you nodded, happy to escape your teammates for a moment.

A smile appeared on your friends lips as she pulled you along: “Come on then. Maybe they have calmed down until then.“

You both stepped outside into Londons night air. It was chilly and you wrapped the arm not holding your drink around yourself. “Let’s hope so. It’s just so annoying when they’re babying me like I’m still that academy youngster who joined them seven years ago…“

You sighed quietly. You were still grateful for these women. They were welcoming and supportive when you first joined Arsenals senior squad. By now you even considered most of them your family. But they still seemed to ignore that you had changed since then.

“Maybe they still want to believe that.“, Alessia grinned, bumping her shoulder against yours.

“Possible.“

“Maybe it makes them feel less old.“, the striker suggested while taking your drink from you and having a sip.

You let out a laugh: “I guess that could be true.“

While she was busy enjoying your drink, you used the opportunity to reapply your lipgloss. As you followed the contour of your lips with the applicator, you realized that Alessias eyes were following your movements.

You frowned at her: “What?“

“That’s a pretty gloss.”, the blonde muttered under her breath.

Her visible nervousness amused you.

“I could put some gloss on your lips if you’d want to?”, you offered her, smiling innocently.

“Sure.”, Alessia nodded as she kept focussing on your lips. They are so kissable, the forward thought to herself while you applied the gloss on to her.

Stepping a bit away from her, you noted:” It looks great on you.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s true.”, you replied but before you could add anything more your teammates lips were on yours, you exchanged short and sweet kisses.

In between those Alessia stated with a huge grin on her face: “And very kissable.”

“Oh, do you think so, Russo?”, you gave her a challenging look.

“Yes.”, she declared laughing.

“Too bad you’re only for the boys you’re a pretty solid kisser.”, you sighed dramatically. Despite the joking, it did hurt you saying this out loud. You couldn’t dwell on it for too long as Alessia showered you in more kisses to stop you from talking.

“I can still kiss you anyway.”, the forward claimed confidently. The two of you have been too oblivious to your surroundings, so you didn’t see your teammates turning up behind you, who have started to worry what took you two so long.  

“Oi, Lessi kissed y/n!”, Katie yelled.

“Katie.”, Caitlin scolded her girlfriend.

“Wait, what !?”, Beth gasped, the shock has been written all over her face.

“Relax, girls, it was just a kiss.”, Alessia tried to soothe them with her response.

“It’s never just a kiss.”, Beth answered in a serious tone.

“Well for us it’s, right y/n?”, the younger forward asked you.

“Uhm, yeah sure.”, you mumbled, you could feel the rest of your team could sense that you were lying.

The Irish woman was clearly ready to reply something sharp, but Caitlin stopped her. “Don’t say anything right now, Katie.”

“I think I’ll be going home now.”, you decided quietly.  

“Already?”, Lia questioned surprised.

When she saw you nodding the Swiss woman continued: “I can bring you home.”

“Oh, you don’t need to.”, you told her.

“I was about to leave anyway.”, Lia shrugged.

“Okay, fine.”, you gave in, after you said your goodbyes to everyone, the older midfielder and you were on your way home by foot.

While you were walking Lia was absently smiling at her phone. Normally the Swiss woman wasn’t clued to her device this much, she would have pointed out the beauty of the gardens you both were passing on the way or talking about whatever crossed her mind.

“Are you texting Mariona again?”, you teased her smirking.

“Again?”, the midfielder repeated, biting her lip guiltily.

“Oh, please, you know what I’m talking about, you playfully rolled your eyes at her before adding more earnestly, I’m happy for you, Lia, you deserve it.”

“Thanks, I’m just surprised, I haven’t told anyone yet.”, Lia confessed.

You shrugged, biting back a smirk: “Yes but you know we all have eyes and access to Instagram, right?“

“It wasn’t even obvious!“, the midfielder protested, throwing her hands up in defeat.

“Doesn’t matter we all know.“

“I guess you do.“, she sighed.

You raised your eyebrow: “See?��

“Yes. But Lessi…“, Lia suddenly changed the topic.

You could feel your heart skip a beat but pretended to remain unfazed: “What about her?“

Your teammate studied your face for a moment. “What was that about?“

“I don’t know…“ There were a million thoughts in your head, a million explanations but the reality was that you had no idea why this had happened. You were thinking about blaming it on the alcohol but you knew Lia would not buy it.

Seemingly unsatisfied with your answer, the Swiss midfielder followed up with another question: “Was it just a kiss like she said?“

You knew where she was going but you decided to act dumb: “I mean… you know Lessi. She’s just very affectionate.“

Your indifference seemed to bother Lia. She stopped right on the pavement. “But kissing is a different level of affection.“

“Yeah…“, you admitted slowly, your gaze trained on the tips of your shoes as you paused by her side.

Lia let out a sigh of understanding and when you looked back up at her, her eyes were full of empathy. “You wanted it to be more than that, right?“

“I did.“ Your voice was hoarse and quieter than you expected. You cleared your throat.

“Oh, y/n.“

Before you could protest, Lia had pulled you into a tight hug.

For the first few seconds, the embrace felt soothing and comforting but then you shook your head, signalling your teammate to let go.

“But it’s okay. I know this will never happen with her.“, you said, once Lia took a step back.

The older player whipped out her phone again and started typing: “Let me text the others.“

“Wait, what?“

“They should talk to her.“, she explained quickly.

“Oh, that’s probably useless…“

With a stern face, Lia looked directly into your eyes: “No. I know you think this is probably not a big deal. But it is. It is hard enough being a queer woman, this should not be one of the things we should have to worry about as well.“

“What do you mean?“ The fierceness in her voice almost left you speechless.

“Being randomly kissed by a straight girl. I’m sure Lessi didn’t mean it like that but… she should know.“

“She should know what it means…“, you whispered. The kisses from earlier in the evening replayed in your mind and only then did you realize that Lia was right. Alessia was the one who had initiated this.

“The others will talk to her.“, Lia plainly said before gently pulling you along.

You immediately fell into step with her as she walked you to your flat. She only left when you assured her that you would be okay.

Crawling into your bed in the quiet of your home, you hoped that sleep would come quickly.

On the next day Leah was the first to approach her teammate, opening the conversation in her earnest England captain tone: “Lessi, can we talk?”

“Sure.”, Alessia mumbled a bit nervous due to the stern expression on the older blonde’s face.

“About last night.”, the defender continued, getting straight to the heart of what was about to be discussed.

“Is this about a kiss?”, she bit her lip in front of the older woman.

“Yes., Leah confirmed her fear before adding, Lia texted me that y/n wasn’t happy.”

“Of course, she wasn’t as a queer girl getting kissed by a straight one.”, Beth joined their talk shrugging.  

“That’s not what I..”, Alessia interjected with a helpless look on her face.

Clearing her throat to draw back the attention on her Leah asked the younger forward:” Why did you kiss her?”

At this point Alessia felt like she was being cross-examined by her friends.

“I just like..her so much.”, the blonde tried to explain her feelings for you in front of your teammates stammering.

“Like Lotte and Tooney?”, Beth questioned.

“ I thought so. But they never looked so..”

“Kissable?”, the England captain ended the sentence for her.

“Yes.”, Alessia nodded, licking her lips anxiously.

“Does she make you feel things like you did with boys before?”, the oldest of the players threw in.

“No, I’m not into girls.”, the younger forward shook her head.

More softly than before Leah responded:” Maybe not into girls but into her.”

“Into her?”, Alessia ran through her open hair to calm down her nerves, but she had to admit that this gesture didn’t help at all in this situation where their questions stirred something inside her for which she wouldn’t have simple answer.

“Yes.”

“I don’t even know what that means.”, the half Italian pointed out.

“Alessia.”, Beth tried to soothe her.

“I mean I’ve only been with men before.”, she reminded them and more important herself.

“Doesn’t mean it always has to be that way you know?”, Leah told her gently.

“But..”, Alessia begun.

“You don’t have to give yourself a label if that’s what’s concerning you.”, the defender emphasized.

“Thanks, girls.”, she whispered already deep into her own thoughts.

“Do you want to hear my humble opinion on this.”, Vivianne tuned in, turning up next to her girlfriend’s side.

 “Of course.”, Alessia said.

The Dutch woman looked deep into her eyes while talking solemnly:” Nothing of this matters. Who you dated before, how you label yourself. But if you want to keep kissing her, don’t deny yourself that. Otherwise, you should apologize to her.”

“Well, said Vivi.”, Beth said padding the shoulder of the taller player.

“You girls are the sweetest, but I don’t know.”, the younger Blonde forward answered genuinely.

“You don’t have to know yet.. just trust your feelings.”, Leah reassured her.

Alessia nodded slowly: “I think I should talk to her.“

“That sounds like a good idea.“, Vivianne agreed, giving her teammate a gentle pat on the shoulder.

You were on your way to leave the pitch when Alessia stopped you right after training.

“Oh hey, Less.“, you said casually, trying to move past her.

“Hey. Can we talk?“

You had dreaded this question but still nodded cautiously: “Yes.“

You took a deep breath, preparing yourself to get hurt.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you, that was wrong.“, Alessia apologized sincerely.

Trying to avoid her bright blue eyes, you looked straight over her shoulder: “To be fair, I kissed you back which… wasn’t right of me either considering you only kiss boys.“

“Don’t. I initiated it. I don’t know what had gotten into me.“

You finally looked at her, searching for any sign you could find. “So you really think it was just a mistake, huh?“

The striker frowned: “I didn’t say that.“

You were surprised by the defensiveness in her voice. “True.“

For a second, Alessia just stood there, studying you. Nervously, she ran a hand through her hair. “I’m just really damn confused about what happened.“

You immediately believed her. You knew the desperate expression in her eyes too well from yourself: “Trust me, I’m confused too.“

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to confuse you.“

In this moment, you wanted nothing more than to put your lips on hers to stop her from apologizing.

“I just don’t want you like a best friend, Less…“, you said, your jaw set defiantly.

“I never felt about anyone this way…“

“And I never felt like this about a teammate.“

There was silence between the two of you. Both scared to make the wrong move.

Alessias voice was light as a feather as she whispered: “Do you think this could be something?“

“I do.“

It felt like your heart was somersaulting in your chest.

Your best friend took your hand in hers, her face softening even more: “But you’ll have to be patient with me. I’m new to all of this.“

You let out a soft chuckle: “I mean your kisses were the opposite of patience.“

She playfully hit you on your arm: “If you don’t shut up, I’ll have to kiss you again!“

“Try it.“, you challenged her but quickly added with more seriousness: “But I promise we can take it slow.“

“Promise?“

“I promise.“

“Come here.“, Alessia said, pulling you in for a gentle but long-lasting kiss.

You broke apart as Katie yelled from somewhere: “Guys, I think the kids will be alright!“

As you looked up, you saw your teammates standing at the gate of the Arsenal grounds, watching you.

Lia winked at you before turning to Katie: “I think we have to admit that they’re not children anymore.“

“Told you so, Wally!“, Leah joined in.

Kim Little grimaced: “Ugh, young love is so disgusting.“

“Oh, Kimmy, we know you love them.“, Beth grinned at the small Scot.

You looked at Alessia with raised eyebrows: “I think it’s time for us to leave, Lessi.“

“I agree.“

Maybe this was just the trial stage but the way Alessias hand fitted so perfectly in yours, told you this was going to last.

You were almost out of earshot but you could still hear the smile in Kims voice: “Such a pretty couple.“

“We knew you thought that!“, Leahs voice shouted.

You bit back a smile. What would you do without those girls?

pictures are from pinterest.