#the “haha im older than you!” jokes are funny until you realize. hey. hey wait. im fourteen and youre eleven. hey. wait.

[blighted-lights]

children of war.

[sevensymbols]

play date (m)

PAIRING: kim namjoon + reader GENRE: smut WORD COUNT: 4k WARNINGS: dom!namjoon, sub!reader, choking, degrading names, overstimulation, rough sex, daddy kink, light bdsm. this is literally the dirtiest smut i’ve ever written and i’m so sorry cause it’s kind of... brutal. i wrote this one night when i couldn’t sleep and im so sorry about the content of this story. if u don’t like rough, as in really rough stuff, please don’t read this one. apologies to the cute little sunshine that is namjoon, i just- i have a lot of dreams, you know? anyways, enjoy.

SUMMARY: you and namjoon have always been on good terms, even flirting from time to time. but once you get invited to a so called ‘play date’, certain misunderstandings may lead to some dirty actions.

I’ll be there soon.

seen 4:27 PM

You’ve read your message over and over as you skipped down the street to your friends’ place. Namjoon invited you over a couple days ago, cheekily adding you two are going to have a play date.

A play date, huh?

You weren’t sure what Namjoon meant when he said that. You knew about play dates as a scheduled meeting for children to play with other kids. But both of you were clearly adults. Besides, the events of the last few weeks suggested that there might be something more than just plain friendship.

There were “accidental” touches, different dirty jokes between you two, and glances, oh the glances. You weren’t sure if this wasn’t just all in your head, which was the reason why your outfit consisted of a short tennis skirt, a white blouse, pink socks and black mary jane shoes - in case if he really meant it just for fun, you can just go: “haha! I knew that all along!” and your outfit wouldn’t twist your words.

To top it all off, you wore a black heart choker and two pins on each side of your middle parted hair, something your friends weren’t really used to see you in.

You were almost immediately buzzed in, although it was not by Namjoon, but his older friend, Hoseok. You two had a good relationship - him being a good comedic relief everytime you hung out together - and so it was no surprise when you heard him running down the stairs excitedly just to hug you.

Once he saw you however, he halted his actions.

Looking you up and down, his mouth fell agape and it took him a few seconds to finally greet you. “___! What- I mean how-”

“What?” you giggled - you’ve never seen your friend this confused.

“Hobi? Is ___ her-”

Your eyes met with Taehyung’s, who was followed by Jeongguk.

“Hey guys!” you greeted them. “How are you?”

“Better now,” Jeongguk smirked, which earned him a playful slap by Taehyung.

“Good... we-”

“We- are good.”

“Okay? Uh, is Namjoon here?”

“Yeah, he is upstairs.”

“Okay, I’ll see you guys later!”

You practically ran up the stairs, your heart beating in your chest in excitement. The thought of seeing Namjoon, hell, Namjoon seeing you in this outfit made you feel elated.

Knock, knock, knock.

You heard footsteps and suddenly the door opened, revealing Namjoon in his casual outfit - an olive green hoodie and some grey sweatpants.

“Hel- oh.”

It took him one glance - one surprised glance to be exact - before he yanked your arm towards him, making you stumble into his room. He kicked the door so it would close, throwing you onto the couch.

“What the hell is this?” he asked, his gaze fixed on you.

Now it was your turn to stutter. “W-what is what?”

“Your outfit,” he said.

“Oh, I... I thought it would be funny if-”

“Did the boys see you?” Namjoon interrupted you, slowly making his way towards you.

“I- well, uh-”

He sat down next to you, tracing patterns onto your thigh, making you whimper quietly. “I, well, uh. You’re a big girl, use your words.”

“Th-they saw me, yes.”

“Who did, darling?”

“Hobi, Taehyung and Jeongguk.”

“Hmm, I see.”

And before you knew it, his lips were on yours. The kiss was not romantic, it was hot, sloppy and needy. His tongue explored your mouth all while both of his hands were occupied - one was holding your chin, the other one danced on your thigh.

He suddenly broke the kiss. “Continue.”

“Ex-excuse me?”

“You said you thought it would be funny and I didn’t let you finish. What would be funny, darling?”

You tried to speak, but his hands were everywhere and-

“Speak.”

“Uh, I thought, since you said this was a play date, tha- oh my god - that I would dress up like I-I was going to a p-”

“So you decided to wear the skimpiest outfit you could find? So that you could tease me? You don’t think you do that enough already?” His hand traveled into your panties, cupping your sex. “Bending over in the tiniest shorts you own, like you did during our kickback? Fuck, how I wanted to fuck you into oblivion right there, right in front of the boys.”

You moaned and he pinched your clit in return. “Shut up. You knew damn well what you were doing to me, didn’t you? Yet here you are, this time not only teasing me, but the other guys as well. You’re just asking for it, aren’t you? You filthy little girl.”

With one swift motion, his strong hand was ripping your underwear, pushing the scrap fabric down your legs before his fingers returned to your pussy.  “Look at this. Look at this pretty little pussy. It’s so swollen, kind of like it needs-”

Now you were the one interrupting Namjoon, crying out a string of ‘oh god’s as the man’s two slender fingers pushed in and out of you.

“...this?” he smirked, glancing at you. Your head was thrown back up until this point which he didn’t like. Next thing you knew, his hand was tangled in your hair, pushing your head forward so that you could see his fingers.

“Fucking watch,” he growled.

You watched his fingers mercilessly going in and out of you, little droplets of a clear watery liquid flying onto Namjoon’s hands and pants, and also your thighs.

“Push,” he ordered, hands not leaving you.

You pushed, face hot and red, eyelids heavy as you watched yourself squirt for the first time ever.

“Good fucking girl,” Namjoon uttered, swatting his juice coated hand so that you get covered in it too. He leaned closer to you, cupping your face with both of his hands as he lovingly kissed your forehead.

His roughness, however, returned quicker than you thought, because seconds after the kiss Namjoon was already pulling down his pants, revealing his thick cock that was just waiting to be freed. “Open your mouth.”

You obey and he grabs you by your ankles, making your knees hit the wooden floor. Namjoon grabs his cock, swatting your lower lip with it a few times before pulling away completely, confusing you.

“Tell me how much you want this cock. Tell me how much you need me in your mouth.”

“I need you so bad, please, I-”

“Daddy,” he interrupts, smirking down at you.

“Please Daddy, I want to please you with my mouth, just- ngh-”

You were interrupted once again as his dick slips past your lips into your warm mouth. Namjoon holds you by your hair, close to the roots, all the while pushing himself in your mouth, face-fucking you.

You gag on his cock which only seems to turn him on more, your glossy eyes looking up and seeing him with his head thrown back, pleasure taking over his body. He stops, pulling your saliva-covered face away. “What do you say?”

“Th-thank you Daddy,” you rasp out, voice still hoarse from the abuse of your throat.

Namjoon however doesn’t seem to care, as he grabs your small frame like a sack of potatoes and throws you on your side on the couch, climbing behind you to rub your sensitive clit once again.

“You want this dick, baby girl? You still want me to pound you?”

“Yes Daddy, please Daddy, I want your big cock in my tight pussy- agh!”

The male doesn’t wait, quickly ramming into you and grunting in the process. His strong hands grip your arms so that you have as little movement as possible, your moans echoing throughout the room.

He pulls you off of him, sitting down on the couch and making you sit on his prick. “There we go,” he breathes out as you sink down on him, the feeling of being stretched almost sends you over the edge. “Ride me, baby.”

Moans and grunts fill the room, as well as the sound of skin slapping together. You notice a mirror right in front of you and Namjoon realizes it too.

“Look at yourself,” he commands, bucking his hips up to make you jump, “Filthy little whore fucking her Daddy for all to see. I bet Hoseok or Jeongguk would love to see you bounce on me like that, wouldn’t they? I bet the’d come on the spot.”

You follow his orders, seeing your disheveled state. Smeared makeup, wet sweaty face, hair sticking out everywhere. But you don’t care, as long as your Daddy’s fucking you this good.

Namjoon’s grip on your hips tightens as he lifts you up and lays you on the ground, pulling your legs towards him so that your back is on the floor and your cunt is in the air, awaiting his dick.

“Fuck, look at you. I’d love to keep you like this forever,” he hums, guiding his dick in your hole before pulling all the way out, “just collar you and keep you here as my personal cumslut.” He repeats the process, slapping your clit with his cock a few times, “then everybody would see what a dirty fucking slut you are, dripping for me and ready to be used whenever I please.”

He starts ramming into you and you can’t even moan this time, the pleasure being so intense that you can clearly hear the squishing sound of your pussy being destroyed by his needy cock. “Ah-ah, Daddy, I’m going to cum, please-”

“Cum, cum you little vixen,” he grunts and you do, his words sending you over the edge.

Namjoon doesn’t seem to be done with you, however, because in the following seconds, he pulls out of you, only to push you on all fours on the couch. He climbs behind you, grabbing your arms again before fucking you mercilessly. You can hear each thrust so well all you want to do is thank him. “Thank you, Daddy. Ah, ah, ah, oh my God, Daddy, you’re going to destroy me! Ah!” you moan over and over again, “please don’t stop.”

“Needy little cockslut,” he chuckles, slapping your behind with such force that you can feel yourself jump forward, “So hungry for Daddy’s cock. Whose are you?”

“I’m yours, Daddy!” you whimper.

Another spank echoes through the room. “And whose pussy is this, hm?”

“Yours, Daddy!”

Smack!

“Say it out loud, make those little fuckers outside hear you!”

“It’s your pussy Daddy, only yours!”

Smack! “Good fucking girl. You’re gonna make Daddy cum. Are you close, too?”

“Yes, Daddy, I’m so fucking close,” you whimper, not sure if what you just said made any sense at all. Your mind seems to be quite occupied.

“Cum, you whore. Show me how filthy you are, coming for the third time today.”

His words were like a gospel to you, his name a prayer as you yelled your final ‘Daddy!’ before coming undone on Namjoon’s dick. The male pulled out, slapping your overstimulated cunt to make you cry out some more, before making you sit on your knees again.

“Open wide, baby girl.” His voice is authoritative and you’d never consider disobeying. Your lips part as his juice-coated penis slips past them for the second time today as you can’t help but taste yourself on him.

“So needy,” he points out again, jerking his cock a few times before his hot seed fills your hungry mouth and stains your face. Namjoon leans forward, wiping his cum from your face towards your mouth. “Swallow it.”

You obey your Daddy, swallowing everything you could. You’re red in the face, your ass is covered in handprints and your legs are still trembling.

Again, you make Namjoon chuckle when he sees your disheveled state.

He turns around for a second, opening one of his drawers before pulling out a blanket, wrapping it around you. The man picks you up, this time gently laying you down on the sofa and curling up beside you.

You feel his hands around your waist and he gives you a kiss on the forehead, suddenly pulling away in an awkward manner.

“You know, you can kiss me, Joonie,” you laugh.

“I- uh-”

“You’re acting all shy and cute now, but five minutes ago you were pure sin, so I don’t believe this act anymore,” you inform him.

“I don’t know what came over me, ___. Honestly. I’m sorry if I hurt you, I really like you, you know,” he admitted, eyes travelling mindlessly across the room.

“You didn’t hurt me, Joon,” you smile. “And I like you too. Shame we didn’t go on that date though.”

“That’s no shame,” he shook his head. “I wanted to take you on a date so that the guys know whose team are you on, if you know what I mean. But you are a screamer as I found out so the guys already know who do you belong to.”

“Namjoon!”

[michael-hearteyes-wheeler]

As Strange As it Seems

[1] [2]

Chapter 3: Saddle up, Partner!

Read on (AO3) or (FF.net)

[A/N] So, fun fact, I made three moodboards for this fic, and I wanted to find a way to use each of them. Im calling this phase of the fic ‘Act II’, and this moodboard fits the tone better than the original one. I hope its not too confusing lol! And I hope you enjoy chapter three.

The week that followed, went on much the same as opening day. Hot, humid, big crowds, 'Saddle up, Partner', a lunch break that was really just a mad dash to shove something into your face, and then it was off to the rides with Max.

Mostly it was fine. And getting that first paycheck, that was pretty great too, but by far the best part of everyday was right before closing. When the sky turned pink and orange, and the sounds of laughing crowds faded, leaving only the constant calliope jingles to be heard. By Wednesday Max didn't even have to ask for Lucas to join. He would just hop over the counter and they would cross different things off of her checklist. By Friday they had ridden the Scrambler 8 times, and all of the kiddy rides at least a dozen times each.

Still, he was unsure of what to call their relationship. Were they friends? Was she only spending time with him because no one else would agree? Was he overthinking everything? (Probably, yes to the last one, for sure).

The answer, to at least some of his questions, came in an odd form on the last day of the first week.

Saturday had been essentially a repeat of each day before, the only difference was that there was a live performance of some magician happening in the evening. 'Great Value brand Mind-Freak' as Dustin had referred to him. Which was, all things considered, pretty accurate. But it also meant that most of the rides, as well as the midway would be closing early, and that during the 'pre-show' show, Lucas's lunch break was extended to a full hour. A gift from god himself.

Lucas decided that a milkshake sounded pretty good. But, then again, so did the idea of a bucket of ice getting dumped on his head. He made his was towards the cart he had come to frequent over the last several days.

"Aw hey, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Dustin grinned toothily from behind the food stands sliding glass window. He had his curly mop of hair pulled back in a messy ponytail to help keep off some of the heat. He wore a little paper hat with the fairs logo, and a striped polo that reminded Lucas of something an old timey barber might wear.

"It's my break, I just came to beat the heat." Lucas looked past his friend into the little booth, wear a row of slushie machines sat churning their sweet treats.

"Well come on in then!" Dustin disappeared from his place behind the window, and popped out of a small door a moment later, gesturing for Lucas to follow.

The space inside the cart was small, and what little floor space there was was covering in shipment boxes of food. A giant fan sat on the back wall above a small window, and a cooling breeze pushed its way through the space. There was a bubbling deep fryer for elephant ears, and another one for curly fries. There was a big class cooler with buckets of ice cream inside, and a long counter covered in sprinkles that didn't quite hit their target.

Lucas found a place to sit on top of a couple of sturdier boxes, and Dustin busted around the cart, like a well tuned machine, making them both milkshakes all without breaking conversation.

"I swear, some of these people have to be millionaires. $5 for a large fry!? You have to be kidding me! That's really the only perk though, that I get to eat for free." Dustin handed Lucas his shake before leaning against the counter opposite him.

"At least your job has a perk. I just have to stand there all day and press a button a thousand times." Lucas leaned back against the cool metal walls of the cart. He only then realized how sore his feet were.

"Don't sweat it, you get to close up early and run around while i'm still in here slaving away." Dustin paused to take a sip from his shake. "And besides, I can't think of a pretty good perk that you have."

Lucas furrowed his brows. "And what might that be?"

"You work directly across from Max! I'll bet you anything that the two of you fall in love before the end of the summer." Dustin winked and Lucas groaned.

"First of all, that's ridiculous. Second of all, we both just like rides. It's not like we get to just hang out all day, unless I yelled across the walkway, and that would just be weird."

"Look, ill i'm saying is that on your break you could have gone and chatted up a cool girl, but instead you came and talked to me." Lucas could feel a headache coming on from the amount of eye rolling he was doing. Why had he come here in the first place?

"Alright, Henderson, time for our switch." A voice called gruffy from the back of the cart. The boys turned to look at the woman who was clambering through the cramped space. She was older, with grey blonde hair pulled up into a hair net, and the face of a bulldog. An unlit cigarette dangled from her lips.

"Thanks Susan!" Dustin said as he hurriedly grabbed his things, and motioned for Lucas to follow. Lucas watched Susan give him an uneasy look up and down before turning to the window.

As soon as they were outside, Dustin untucked his polo shirt, and tossed his already finished shake into the trash.

"Thats Susan. She's one tough nut to crack. I used some of my best food puns on her, and nothing! Not even a chuckle!"

"Well yeah, if they were your food puns then im sure not." Lucas joked, elbowing his friend in the ribs as they walked.

"Haha very funny. You wanna go see Will? I think the backstage has AC."

"Hell yeah!"

They backstage did have AC. It hit them both like a wall, stepping into utter paradise. It looked a lot different than it did the first time they had walked through. The cavernous room was filled with people rushing back and forth across its cement floor. People yelling things at one another, people hoisting things up on ropes, and Will himself painting lazily in the corner, looking bored out of his mind, across from a wildly gesticulating Mike.

"Will Byers!" Lucas hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth to make his voice boom through the space. Nearly everyone turned and scowled at him before continuing about their business.

"Oh! Hey guys, what's going on?" Will set down his paintbrush, and wiped his hands on his apron. Mike stopped whatever he had been going on about and turned to wave at them.

"We were hot," Dustin plopped down on the cool ground at Will's feet. "And Susan scares me, so we came here to bother you."

"Well, there isn't anything interesting going on here." Will shrugged. He looked... off. Sad Maybe? Disappointed? Lucas couldn't quite place it. He made a mental note to ask him later. "But you could probably hide out here all day. I'm still not even sure who is in charge back here."

"William, I might just take you up on that." Dustin leaned against a large wooden crate, arms tucked behind his head and legs outstretched.

They all sat and talked for the rest of Lucas's break. It was nice, catching up, and it affirmed what he already knew to be true. That it really was more fun that they had agreed to join him. If it weren't for his friends being there to hang out with, he would probably have just been standing around the Midway like an idiot. That, or be off spending his entire paycheck at the arcade.

"And then, he got off the ride and basically fell over the edge! He was passed out for like five minutes! I thought we were going to have to call the paramedics." Mike was telling them a story about one of their old Middle School bullies, who handled the Tilt-A-Whirl with the grace of a dying whale. They were all howling with laughter. "The best part is that his date didn't even wait for him! She just went home!"

"Serves him right!" Dustin chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. "God I wish I could have seen that."

"It was pretty great. Definitely blows the Hotdog Incident out of the water." He finger quoted the words and Will smirked up at him.

Just then, Lucas's watch beeped. He sighed, and stood up, dusting his jeans off. "Alright guys, I gotta get back out there. Are you all going to watch the show?"

"Yeah, may as well." Mike shrugged and Dustin nodded. Will looked like he wanted to say something, but he didnt.

"Cool, i'll find you guys later then."

Lucas made his way back through the fairgrounds, passing happy families and rambunctious teenagers, towards the shooting gallery. He made the trek take as long as possible, shuffling his feet slowly across the dirt pathways. By the time he got back to the midway, the crowds had mostly cleared out. People were already flocking to the stage, wanting to find the best places to stand to watch whatever bogus tricks would be performed. Lucas imagined a lot of smoke and mirrors and sequins. As he neared the game booths, he couldn't help but look up as he passed by Max's stand. His heart dropped momentarily when he saw that she wasn't behind the sunbleached counter, and instead some other bored looking teenager stood in her place.

It wasn't until he turned the corner to his own booth that he saw where exactly she had run off too.

Max was sitting on the shooting gallery counter, swinging her tanned legs casually and drinking from a bottle of orange soda that almost matched her hair in color. When she saw Lucas in the corner of her eye, she turned and smirked.

"Your break ended ten minutes ago." She scolded playfully, hopping from the counter.

"Uh yeah I know I... Had to wait in a long line for the bathrooms." Lucas winced at his own lame excuse. Smooth, Sinclair, really smooth. He didn't think that taking his sweet time on the walk back would affect anyone he actually cared about. Not that he cared about Max, no not at all (aside from the fact that he cared a lot).

"Shame on you, Lucas, look at all of these customers just begging to shoot something!" Max gestured out at the completely empty space around the booth mockingly. "You have deprived them of a good time, and now their entire trip is ruined all because of your small bladder."

Lucas felt himself smile as her condescending facade faded into a giggle. "Sorry Miss Mayfield, i'll make sure to keep my bladder in check next time."

Max laughed hard at that, and it was a sound that made Lucas's face feel hot. "See that you do. You wanna make it up to me?"

"Sure, how?"

"Let me kick your ass in a shooting contest." She patted the top of one of the plastic guns.

"You can try, but I hate to break it to you, i'm the best sharp shooter in Roane County." Lucas crossed his arms in defiance. He really was good, if not on his credentials shooting tin cans with his wrist rocket as a kid, then the week of practice he had amassed working here would surely secure his victory.

"We'll see about that, wont we?" Max flipped her hair over her shoulder as she took her place behind the player 2 shotgun. Lucas smiled and followed suit. After they were both in position, Lucas leaned over the counter and pressed the little red start button hidden underneath.

"Saddle up, Partner." Max and Lucas both spoke along with the games droning prerecording, having heard it a million times before. It made them both laugh before they fixed their rifles in their hands. Then, a western themed song played, and it was off to the races.

Little cardboard cutouts of sharp shooters and bandits would flip up with a number telling you how many points each hit was worth. Some moved slowly and were easy to hit, others flipped up for only a few seconds before flipping back down again. However, it's not exactly that simple, because hitting the cowboy, his horse, or a barmaid will deduct points.

Max and Lucas were firing at full speed. Each turning and aiming, the barrel of their guns crossing on a couple of occasion as Lucas went for a 10 point bandit, and Max went for a 15 point burglar.

"Stay on your side, Stalker!" Max hissed, determination and excitement in her voice.

"I will if you-" Bang "Do!" Lucas taunted back.

Lucas felt pretty confident, there weren't many targets he was missing, and he only hit the Cowboy once. It was probably his best game so far. Max was doing pretty well too. Aiming low and high, getting heavily invested and cheering after she caught the big 50 pointer that flashes up only for a split second. They were both laughing and bumping into one another before;

"That's some sharp shooting, buckaroo!" The game signaled that the round was over. Each cutout lowered back into place, and they returned their guns to the stands on the counter. They were both panting slightly, grinning from ear to ear. At least until Lucas looked up at the scoreboard.

Player 1: 445 - Player 2: 560

"Holy shit!" Max cheered, "I totally owned you!" She threw her arms up and spun in a small circle. Lucas's mouth just hung open. "Oh man, like I mean, I knew I was going too, but you weren't even close!" She punched his arm.

"Jeez, someone is really a sore winner." Lucas chastised and Max threw her head back in a loud cackling laugh. The same laugh that she always had when they were whirling together on rides.

"I can't help it!" She giggled, "You are just so fun to beat. Your face gets all confused and then you scrunch your eyebrows together."

Lucas felt his eyebrows, involuntarily, press together.

"Yeah, like that!" She laughed again and flicked his forehead. If it had been anyone else, he probably would have smacked their hand away.

"Yeah yeah yeah, congratulations or whatever, are we even now?" Lucas crossed his arms, watching her dance in place celebratorily.

"Totally even, I mean, i'm still going to gloat about this for the rest of today, and maybe forever, but we are even." She lifted her chin, looking proud.

"Until I find something I can beat you at."

"Is that a threat, Stalker? Video games are kind of the only thing i'm good at, and i'm really good."

Something really honest past through her eyes at this last rib. He realized that he had never heard Max say anything even remotely self-deprecating before. Not even to be funny. It was strange. It felt off.

"Hey, that's not even fair, you are good at lots of things, maybe just... extra good at video games."

Max looked at him puzzled for a moment. She was still smiling, but her eyes peered deeply into his own, shifting back and forth, almost like she was reading him.

"Okay. Maybe just extra good." She grimaced, her mouth turning downward crookedly.

He felt as though he had stepped into some sort of weird, uncomfortable, territory.

"I will find something to beat you at though. One day." He smiled as earnestly as possible, and let himself slouch against the counter, wanting to change the energy of the situation.

"Well," She slouched beside him, her face shifting back to a more normal, playful one, "If that day ever comes, then i'll owe you big time."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

Her face shifted yet again. She was closer to him now, looking up at him. He could see the small flecks of green that framed her brilliant, blue eyes. How had he never noticed that before? She was looking... Mischievous. Like she had a secret she was just dying to tell.

"I will tell you when and if that day comes, Stalker, but for now, you have made me miss some of my lunch break." She punched his arm, again, and pushed herself off of the counter.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to play!" He hollered as she began walking back towards the main part of the fair.

She didn't respond, or if she did, he didnt hear it, but his heart buzzed in his ears. That small exchange had told him... well, nothing really. If anything it just gave him more questions. Max was always making him second guess and over think things. Which was, admittedly, really out of character for him. He was always the 'level-headed' friend. The one who said 'No, Dustin, you shouldn't try to eat a burger in one bite.' and 'No, Mike, you shouldn't spend all weekend trapped in the basement, come have fun.' It kind of alarmed him, actually, the fact that she could waltz over to him, flash a smile, and his brain would turn into mush. He sighed, and hopped over the counter back into his station.

The midway closed soon after that. There were just no crowds to try to sell too, and the entire carnival was basically empty save for the Main Stage. Lucas walked off after being relieved for the night, and he met up with Dustin as soon as the food cart closed. Together they found Mike, and then Mike found El and Max. Soon the entire group was on a mission, searching high (and mostly low) for Will. If he was somewhere deeper in the crowd, the thought of finding him would have to be dashed, but he made himself be found in a way that left the entire group reeling.

Will Byers. On stage, dressed in some ridiculous, blue velvet suit, being locked inside of a gaudy box by the magician.

The group was at a loss, silent and in awe, just like the rest of the crowd, but for very different reasons. Will had always been shy. More a behind the scenes sort of personality. It was immediately agreed upon that he had either been bribed, blackmailed, or hypnotized.

Will stepped out from behind a curtain. The Magician introduced him to the crowd as 'The Invisible boy!' He was asked to step inside of a huge rectangular box in the middle of the stage. Everything about Will, the Magician, and the box shimmered in the dusk lighting. Lucas had been right about the sequins, there was no denying that. Will did as he was asked, looking less 'mystified', and more just terrified.

The Magician tapped on the box several times, spinning it around, then spinning it again to show it was a solid structure. Then, he said some sort of magical word gibberish, and swung the door open. Only Will, and his very horrible suit, were gone. In his place was a beautiful and busty woman wearing a swimsuit version of that blue velvet ensemble.

The crowd went nuts, and so did the Party, but again, for very different reasons. Max and Dustin both cupped their hands around their mouths to let out loud and ear piercing applause, before Max grabbed Lucas by the hand, and pulled him towards the backstage area. He could feel the others behind him, but mostly he could just feel Max holding his hand tightly.

They found Will in the dressing room, hanging his suit delicately onto a hanger. He looked green with nausea, and pink with embarrassment all at the same time.

"William Byers!" Dustin gasped.

"Please, please for the love of god, tell me you weren't watching the show." Will groaned somberly.

"Oh, we watched buddy, and you killed it! Who knew royal blue was your color!"

"I didn't kill anything. I just looked like an idiot and walked into a box." Will rolled his eyes.

"You didn't look like an idiot," Mike placed a hand on Will's shoulder. "It was... surprising, but cool. Why did you go out there?"

"I guess the normal assistant for that part never showed up, and i'm the only person small enough to fit through the trap door." He shrugged.

"Trap doors!? Thats awesome! You have to give me a secret tour." Max winked at him and mussed his hair like a mom. That made him smile as he smoothed his hair back into place. Max speaking made Lucas realize that she was still holding his hand tightly. She must have noticed too, because she dropped it, and stuck her hand in her pocket.

"Yeah, sure, maybe. Can we just go? It's going to be crazy getting out of here." Will sometimes did this thing where he would anxiously bounce in place. It was nowhere near the level of twitching and bouncing that Mike often demonstrated, but it was his own version of it. And that's how he looked now, his flush face, and hair bouncing as his eyes flickered to the exit.

It made Lucas remember that sad expression he had worn when they saw him backstage. Was this the reason? Being forced out of his comfort zone? Either way, they all nodded and followed him outside.

"Sure, whatever you say, Invisible boy."

Will just groaned.

The group made their way out into the parking lot. It was basically silent. The only sounds were the 'oo's' and 'aa's' coming from the crowd still inside the gates. It had become a routine for the girls to walk with them to the van, before deciding it was really time to go home, and walking to Max's own car. It was nice, and the conversations they all shared before splitting lasted longer and longer each day.

El was talking about someone who came through the ticket line and had made a big fuss about the price. They all commiserate with her and laughed at her jokes. She was surprisingly really funny, in an understated sort of way. Unlike Dustin, who told a story about some kid who wanted sour apple sherbet and vanilla ice cream, and they all laughed about that too. It felt so... natural. Like they all got along, and the conversation never fell into awkward silence or a dead lull. Not with personalities like Dustin and Max, who bickered over basically everything as if they were old chums. Somewhere the path of the conversation had become skewed to comic's, and it was all downhill from there.

"Dustin, shut up, seriously, if I hear you say one more thing about the MCU im going to kick you." Max rolled her eyes and laughed.

"I'm just saying! It's an objectively better franchise with objectively better narratives!"

"Yeah, I think we all caught that. I even like Marvel movies, and you are making me want to pull my hair out." She flipped her hair back over her shoulder, as if to prove a point, and turned away from him to Lucas. They were sitting on the floor of the van through the open sliding door. "Anyway, Stalker, I have to go before I kill your friend."

"Hey, it's your life, you can kill whoever you want."

"You promise you would still be my friend after?" She put a hand in front of her mouth, as if to keep it a secret, although she still talked loud enough for anyone to hear. Mike chuckled and Dustin sighed.

"Max, if you did something to shut Dustin up? I might be your best friend."

"Alright, it's settled then," She clapped her hands together. "Dustin your days are numbered, El you have been replaced."

"Oh get bent, Maxine." El teased back. El was currently leaning into Mike, who had one arm wrapped around her shoulders, and one arm wrapped around Will's shoulders.

Max popped up from her seat next to Lucas with a smirk, pinching El on the arm. "Let's get out of here, lover girl, I can feel them destroying my last good brain cells." And then she sauntered off, her hair swishing back and forth.

"You know," El began as she stepped out from under Mike's arm, "She only insults people that she likes." And then El was off too, waving goodbye and following her friend to their car.

"Jeez, Dustin, then you must be her favorite." Will said with a grin.

"Hey now, I like Max as much as the next guy, but I think we all know who her favorite is." Dustin gave Lucas a shove as he moved past him into the van.

He didn't respond, not being able to think of a good enough comeback, and he let himself smile. Everyone took their normal seats, and they set off just as the sun dipped below the horizon.

The drive back to Hawkins each day felt as though it was getting faster and faster. Maybe it was because of Will's expertly made playlists, or maybe it was just that they had now made the drive seven times. Either way, it was a nice and fulfilling experience to watch the sky get darker, as the long stretches of farmland faded into quiet suburban neighborhoods.

Before he knew it, Dustin was pulling onto Maple Street, and he and Mike were jumping out of the car.

It was now their first official weekend off of work. The fair was closed on Sundays and Mondays, and the group was looking forward to not doing much of anything. They had talked passively somewhere around Thursday at having a movie night, but if those plans fell through, Lucas probably wouldn't complain. He was looking forward to just sleeping in, and maybe using his paycheck to buy some better shoes for standing in.

When he walked inside, His dad was sitting in the easy chair in the living room watching some History channel documentary. His mom was in the kitchen washing up from supper. He heard the TV go silent and took a seat at the breakfast table in front of a plate of leftovers.

"Hey, son, how was work?" His dad bellowed.

"It was good!" He replied through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Oh! I saved you a plate from din-" His mom turned around from the sink, "Oh well look at you, are you eating enough at work? Do I need to start sending you with a lunch?" His mom was always the type to fus about whether or not he was eating enough. She was a great cook, so the answer was almost always yes.

"Im fine, Ma, dont worry about it."

"Okay, well you just let me know." She turned back to the sink. "Work is going well? You and your friends are having a good time?"

"And what about you girlfriend?" Lucas eyes shot up to where his little sister, Erica, was spying on him from the stairs.

"Shut up, Erica! You- You don't even... That's not!" He stuttered, dropping his fork back onto his plate. "Why do you-"

"You should know by now that I hear everything." Erica walked into the kitchen and stole one of his diner rolls.

"Erica! Leave your brother alone, and I think you have had enough bread today." His mom scolded, ringing her hands on a rag.

"It's not my fault he talks so loud!" She shrugged, and turned to stomp back upstairs. He liked his little sister a lot, but she was probably the nosiest person he had ever met.

"I- I don't have a girlfriend." Lucas crossed his arms, suddenly feeling not hungry at all.

"Mmmhmm." His mom hummed.

"Mom! I don't!"

"That's fine, I didn't say anything. Now you wash up before bed, you smell like a churro." She pinched his check and walked into the living room.

Lucas sighed, but he smiled to himself. He finished his food and washed his plate, and all the while he thought about Max. He realized that she had said they were friends, and that made him want to dance in place the same way she had after beating him at the Shooting Gallery. It was an affirmation to at least one of the dozens of questions he had about her.

That at the very least, they were friends. And that was good enough for him, figuring that was as far as he was ever going to get.

At least for now.

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