#the only thing is it would be like pulling teeth to see my favorite bands live unless its a world tour

[acridblood]

chat do I make a kinda drastic decision and choose to study abroad in germany

[xxbimbobunnyxx]

Beer and Bunny’s

(Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader)

Summary: Eddie can’t seem to get himself to make a move on the new bartender at the hideout he has a crush on, but one night you decide to take matters into your own hands and he sees something that he just can’t resist. Wk:4.5K

Warnings: 18+MINDI Smut (unprotected P in V), Oral (M & F), Eddie being a lil pervy but reader is into it, kind of inexperienced!Eddie (he’s really nervous and has a lot of self doubt. My head canon for this Eddie is that he’s been with a few girls but none of them were interested in more than a one night stand), no use of Y/N so pet names, and I think that’s it? The smut is kinda soft n sweet, nothing too crazy. Lmk if I missed any!!

A/N: So I was running errands wearing my black mini skirt and my pink bunny panties the other day and this idea came to me. It’s super self indulgent tbh, but in my mind Eddie would lose his shit over something like this and I’ll die on that hill. 🫡 Also I usually read through my shit obsessively but I only read through this once so if you see mistakes, no you didn’t. (Not really tho pls tell me so I can fix them bc typos make me crazy) My Masterlist

Eddie was in a trance, playing his guitar on autopilot as he watched you bus tables, make drinks, and occasionally indulge a customer’s flirting for extra tips. Not that you needed to, that dress and your sweet smile was enough to have any man dumping his wallet out and emptying his bank account for you. Or maybe that was just him.

He knew it wasn’t though, because even though his band was up there putting their hearts into playing for 15 people tops, most of their eyes followed you. Granted it was mostly drunk middle aged men besides Ruth, a 60 something year old woman who was always sitting in the same stool at the bar, drinking the same cheap vodka, with her red lipstick smudged on her teeth. But still, he’s convinced even if the room was filled with a hundred women you’d still be the prettiest one there.

You started working at the hideout a few months ago when you moved to town and ever since then it was like Eddie was possessed by you. He thought about you constantly, the way those cut up band tees always fit so perfectly and how your ass always looked in those tight little skirts has him fisting his cock sometimes twice a night. He wanted to record the way your voice sounded saying his name when you’d bring him his favorite beer after a show without him even asking and play it on a loop over and over again.

But that wasn’t all, he thought about little things like holding your hand, or going to the drive-in and watching horror movies with you. Or just kissing you, god, he wanted to kiss your pretty glossed lips.

The only issue was every time you talked to him it was like his brain turned to mush and everything he had practiced to say disappeared from his mind.

Tonight was different though. After their last song when you came to bring him his beer, you gave him that sweet smile and told him how awesome they did like you always do. But then it happened. You accidentally walked backwards into one of the small amps, tipping it backwards.

“Oh my god! I'm so sorry, shit!” You apologized before turning around to pick it up and when you did Eddie felt like he was about to cum in his pants.

You were wearing this tight little faux leather mini dress with a zipper that went all the way down the middle and these sexy calf high combat boots. But when you bent over he saw you were wearing the cutest pink panties that had little bunnies printed all over them and something about that combination made him absolutely feral.

He heard a whistle behind him and when he snapped his head around to see where it came from he saw one of the guys sitting at the table closest to the stage practically licking his lips while he ogled you. He instantly felt possessive and moved closer so he was standing a few inches behind you, blocking you from everyone else.

You pulled the amp up with a huff before turning around and nearly jumping out of your skin when you realized how close he was.

“Holy shit! You scared me!” You brought your hand to your chest and laughed. “I didn’t know you were so close.”

“Y-yeah I’m sorry, when you bent over, you could uh- see your panties and um… people were looking.” He turned beet red and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Oh, you’re so sweet Eddie, protecting my modesty.” You placed a hand on his forearm and caressed it with your thumb a few times before you stepped close enough to him to whisper in his ear. “Were you looking too?” You pulled away just enough to look up into his eyes through your lashes.

“I- I mean- fuck.” He sighed and looked down at his feet. “I’m sorry… I know I shouldn’t have you were just standing right in front of me and then that guy whistled and-“

“Eddie!!” You squeezed his arm gently to get him to look at you and when he did you just wanted to kiss him. Those big brown eyes all filled with a mixture of lust and guilt were driving you crazy. “It’s okay… I want you to look.”

He’s pretty sure his brain just short circuited, you want him to look? What does that mean?

“I- you want me to- really?”

“Yeah.” You nodded. “You think I dress like this every time I work? Nope. Only on Tuesdays… just for you, Eds.”

“Shit. Really?” He looked at you in disbelief, he couldn’t believe the girl he’s been dreaming about is really standing here in a sexy little dress telling him that she wore it for him.

“Yeah.” You nodded and bit your lip. “I like how you look at me, it makes me… So. Wet.”

He threw his head back and groaned, he never thought you’d be so forward like this.

But he didn’t know that you had been waiting for him to make a move on you for weeks. You were tired of dancing around your obvious attraction to one another so you decided tonight you were going to take matters into your own hands.

“Shit sweetheart. You can’t just say things like that to me in public. You’re seriously going to make me bust in my pants. ”

“Well… don’t do that.” You giggled. “I know somewhere better that you can cum though…” You ran your hand down his arm and linked your hands together causing him to shiver. God, he was so responsive, you knew he liked you but apparently you didn’t know just how much.

“Fuck. Are you serious?”

“Deadly. You have a van, right? What’s the back like? Maybe you can show me.” You winked at him.

“Shit, yeah, I’d love to. But I have to put all this shit in the back and take it back to Gareth’s garage.” He looked so disappointed you just wanted to kiss his pouty pink lips.

“Hmmm… well, I live down the street. What if you drop off your stuff and meet me at my place after?” You suggested.

“GARETH! Take my van to your house, I’ll come get it later.” He turned to his drummer and threw him his keys.

“Dude. Seriously? You’re just going to leave us to pack up all this shit?”

His other band mate, who you think is named Jeff, looked between you and Eddie and put two and two together pretty quickly.

“We’ve got it man, have fun!” He wiggled his eyebrows at him before going back to packing up their equipment.

“Well, it looks like I’m all yours.” Eddie smiled at you nervously. God, he was just too cute.

“Looks like it, cutie. I’m off now, just gotta clock out. I usually walk so if you just wanna wait outside I’ll be right there.” You got on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek before jumping off the stage and walking toward the back of the bar, making sure to swing your hips extra for him.

•

The walk back to your apartment was filled with easy conversation and stolen glances, hands grazing but not quite grasping onto each other. The air heavy with the tension of what was to come.

“This is me!” You gesture towards the front door of your apartment before unlocking it and letting him inside.

Eddie looked around as you turned on some lights, he saw some cool posters on the walls and a large bookshelf in the corner. But before he could take in too much of your world you walked over to him and put your arms around his neck.

“Hi.” You smiled at him with a glint in your eye.

“Hey.” He returned your smile with a crooked smirk, bringing his hands to rest on your hips.

You brought one of your hands to his jaw, cupping it and running your thumb along his cheek. “I really really want to kiss you right now.”

He didn’t respond, instead he pulled you closer by the hips and smashed his lips against yours. His lips felt just as you imagined, pillowy soft and just the tiniest bit chapped. He tasted like the beer you gave him, the cigarette he smoked on the walk, and something that was just him. You moaned into the kiss, shoving your hands into his hair, tugging slightly. He groaned when you licked along his bottom lip, allowing you access. He kissed you until your knees were weak and you were both breathless.

“You are so beautiful. Fuck. I can’t believe I’m here right now. This feels like a dream.” He ran his hands up your sides over your dress. “Also this fucking dress… Jesus Christ.”

“Yeah? You like it? It’s new.” You took a step back so you could do a twirl for him. “I thought about you when I bought it, you know…” you brought your finger to the o-ring at the top of the zipper and tugged on it a little.

“I thought about you dragging me to the dingy bar bathroom, shoving me up against the wall and ripping it off me.”

“Holy. Fuck. You’re naughty, huh?” He chuckled.

“Maybe, wanna find out?” You grab his hand and start walking backwards toward your bedroom, dragging him with you.

You plop down on your bed to take your boots off but before you can reach for the laces Eddie walks forward and takes your foot in his hand, unlacing your shoes for you. Once they’re loose enough he pulls them both off your feet and he’s pretty sure you aren’t real at this point.

Your socks are the same pink as your panties with cute little bunny ears at the top of the ankles. Your socks match your panties.

“Yeah, you like these too?” You wiggled your toes in front of his face and giggled while he looked at you and froze, his face turning bright red.

“Shit. Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, you did. Wanna know if my bra matches too?” You sit back on your hands and stick your chest out.

“Hell yeah I do.” He nodded dumbly.

“Why don’t you take my dress off and find out then, pretty boy.”

He didn’t hesitate to lean down and slip his finger into the o-ring zipper of your dress, slowly beginning to slide it down. When the tops of your breasts were exposed it became more and more clear that your bra didn’t match your panties because you weren’t fucking wearing one. He pulled the zipper down until it was just under the bottom of your tits and just as he thought, no bra. Your chest was on full display, slightly glistening with sweat from the material of your dress and he wanted to lick it off.

“Fuck, look at you… prettiest tits I’ve ever seen.” Not that he’d seen many but he’s pretty sure these are the best tits in the world regardless.

“You can touch them Eddie, I want you to.” You brought your hands up to squeeze them a few times before grabbing onto your nipples and twisting.

“Hold on, I’m appreciating the art before I destroy it.” He grabbed back onto your zipper and pulled it the rest of the way down so your dress was hanging open. You let the straps fall down your arms, leaving you in just those little panties and socks and he had never seen anything sexier. Your hair was a bit disheveled but still in the style you had done it in before you left for work earlier that night and your slightly smudged dark eye make-up contrasted with the soft pink of your garments. You stand up in front of him and play with the hem of his t-shirt.

“Take this off? I wanna see you too.”

He reaches behind his back to pull his shirt over his head and god damn. He has a few tattoos littered across his pale chest, his skin mostly smooth aside from his happy trail that you wanted to nuzzle your nose into on your way down to his cock.

“Wow. You are so sexy Eds.” You run your nails down his chest and torso, hooking your fingers in his belt loops and pulling his chest against yours. The feeling of your bare nipples pressed up against his warm skin sent shivers down your spine.

“Yeah? You think so? I think you’re the sexiest girl in the world.” He blushed.

“Thank you baby, can I take these off?” You pull on his belt loops with your fingers, running your thumbs along his soft waist.

“Please”

That’s all you needed to hear before you were on your knees in front of him, undoing his pants and pulling them down with his boxers.

“Holy shit Eddie…” Your eyes widen and your mouth waters at the sight of him fully bare in front of you. “You have the prettiest cock I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to taste it.” And you meant it, his cock was fucking huge, the hard tip leaking just for you.

He was speechless, looking down at you on your knees in front of him with wide eyes.

You lean forward and run your tongue along his slit, holding eye contact with him while you take his tip in your mouth, suckling on it a few times before taking him deep in your throat.

“Oh fuuuuckkk holy shit.” He brought his hand to the back of your head and rested it there gently, letting you set your own pace.

But it was too gentle. You didn’t want him to hold back.

“Eddie.” You pulled your mouth off him with a pop and a string of saliva. “Use me, pull my hair, fuck my mouth, don’t be shy.”

“Holy shit. Are you- are you sure?” He was panting, looking down at you like you just told him he won the lottery.

“I’m so fucking sure, so so sure. If I don’t like something I’ll tell you baby. I promise, I like it rough.”

You spit in your hand, grabbing onto his cock and tugging it a few times before looking up at him with your tongue out.

He was still looking down at you with those big shiny doe eyes and you were about to lose it if he didn’t do something. Your other hand grabs onto his, guiding it to your hair and signaling for him to grab onto it. It took his mind a second to catch up but when he did it was like something snapped in him.

He grabbed onto your hair hard and slid his cock along the length of your tongue, hitting the back of your throat.

“Close your mouth- yeah, like that.” Once your lips were wrapped around him he started to slowly rock back and forth in your mouth, testing you by going deeper with each thrust.

After a few times of him hitting the back of your throat and causing you to gag he realized you liked it. Your eyes were watery, mascara starting to run down your cheeks, drool was dripping down your chin and you were fucking moaning around him like you were getting as much pleasure out of this as he was.

He was fully fucking your mouth now, pumping his cock down your throat while he cursed and moaned, using you just like you wanted. You reach your hand up to grab onto his drool slick balls and take them in your palm causing him to jerk forward and let out the sexiest moan yet.

“FUCKING SHIT!” He used your hair to pull you off of him and you look up at him with hooded eyes, a mixture of his precum and your drool dripping down your chin and he has to physically will himself not to cum at the sight. “ If you keep that up I’m going to cum in the next thirty seconds and I was really hoping I’d get to fuck you.”

“What? You don’t wanna cum twice? We have all night, unless you’re busy then I guess you can stop.” You said dramatically, in a way that he would’ve stopped to find really cute if he wasn’t so fucking turned on right now.

He practically growled as he grabbed back onto your hair and resumed his assault on your throat. One of your hands finds its way back to his balls while the other snakes around him to grab a handful of his ass for leverage.

“F-fuck this mouth is so fuckin- You’re such a good girl fuckin droolin all over, grabbin my balls while I use your little mouth. Wearing those little fuckin panties and socks. Fuck!” His grip on your hair tightened and his hips sputtered as you felt him explode in your mouth. You swallowed around him, moaning at his taste and taking all that he gave you.

He released his hold on your hair and you pulled your mouth off of him, bringing your pointer finger to the corner of your mouth to swipe the cum that dripped there into your mouth.

“Mmmm, you taste so good Eddie.” You smiled up at him, still on your knees.

“Yeah? I bet you taste even better.”

“Wanna find out?” You smirked at him, getting to your feet and laying back on the bed.

“Fuuuuuck” Eddie groaned at the sight of you laying there for him with your legs spread, a very prominent wet patch in those fucking panties, your hands grabbing on to your tits while your fingers pinch your nipples. You looked like the only meal he wanted to eat for the rest of his life. He got on the bed on his knees between your legs, smashing his lips to yours and kissing you like his life depended on it. He slid his tongue along your bottom lip and you immediately granted him access. He tasted himself on your tongue and it caused him to moan into the kiss.

He kissed down your jaw to your neck, running his tongue along the column of your throat, stopping just behind your ear at your pulse point to suck a mark there. He kissed and licked and sucked all the way down your body, stopping to pay your nipples extra attention.

When he reached the band of your panties he licked across your waist and nipped at your hips causing you to let out breathy little moans. He placed a kiss on each of your hip bones before placing one right on the top of your mound, looking up at you with those fucking eyes.

“Mmm baby, I can smell you.” He groaned as he breathed in your scent, flicking his tongue out to run it along your cloth covered slit, adding extra pressure to your clit. He wraps his lips around your bud, swirling his tongue, and even with the small barrier between you it still makes you see stars. He licks all around your cunt, soaking your already wet underwear as he laps at it. Finally he brings his finger to your panties to move them to the side and you barely even have time to process before he’s shoving his tongue as deep as it can go inside of you. Your back arches off the bed as you cry out.

“Oh f-fuck! Yes Eddie fuck!” Your hands come down and tangle into his hair, tugging it and causing him to groan into your pussy, the vibrations going through you like a shockwave.

His tongue came back up your bud, rotating between rough and soft flicks. His pointer and ring finger circle your hole before he inserts them both fully without resistance. He pumps them in and out of you, the room filled with the sounds of your moans and wetness as he laps at you. He sucks harder on your clit just as he curls his fingers just right and you see stars. Your grip on his hair tightened as your hips rocked against his face, his name on your lips like a prayer, riding out your high until it becomes too much and you’re pushing his head off of you.

He looks up at you with your jucies still running down his chin and fucking smiles.

“Sweetest pussy I’ve ever tasted.”

“Yeah? And have you tasted a lot of pussys, Mr. Munson?” You tease.

“I mean-“ Suddenly his face flushes red and that shy nervous boy from earlier was back “Not… that many, a few. I’m no lady killer or anything I mean you know this town is I-“

You grab his face in both of your hands and place a soft kiss on his lips.

“Honey, I was just teasing, I don’t care how many girls you’ve been with, I wouldn't even care if you hadn’t been with any.”

You smiled at him sweetly, pushing his bangs off his forehead and he smiled back, kissing you deeply. There was something so comforting about you to him, he felt like he could truly be himself with you and he’s not sure he’s felt that when he was with a woman ever.

You sit up and push him down by his shoulders, swinging your leg over to straddle him. Your underwear were still pushed to the side, your slick pussy lips were nestled on either side of his shaft as you slid back and forth on him with ease.

“I can’t wait to feel this pretty cock splitting me open.” You leaned forward and slid your fingers in the band of your underwear to take them off but Eddie’s hands came down on yours, stopping you.

“Can you keep them on?” His eyes were pleading, his lips pouty.

“Anything for you, sweet boy. You really like these huh?” You giggled.

“The whole cute pink panties and socks underneath the black leather thing is really doing it for me, if you couldn’t tell.” He bit his lip, running his hands down your sides before bringing them to your tits to squeeze them roughly.

You giggled as you rose up to your knees, taking him in your hand so you could line him up with your entrance and sink down on him slowly. Once your hips were flush against his you both moaned loudly.

“Fuck, so big, filling me up so good Eds.” You rocked back and forth slightly, just adjusting to the feeling of him so deep inside you. Once you felt adjusted you rose almost all the way off his cock before slamming back down on it causing him to jerk forward and moan out your name.

“Holy fuckin shit, your pussy is suckin me in so good holy fu-fuck, ridin me s-so good baby.” And you were, you were riding him like your life depended on it. “Bouncin on my cock just like those little bunnies on your panties, is that what you are? A lil bunny?”

That snapped something inside you, it was like he said the magic words and nothing else mattered in that moment besides riding his cock, being his little bunny.

You were on your heels now, using his shoulders for leverage as you bounced on his cock. Rotating and rolling your hips, the patch of curly brown hair at his base rubbing against your clit just right.

Eddie was in Heaven, he wanted to throw his head back and shut his eyes but he couldn’t tear them off of you. You were bouncing on his cock like a rabbit in heat. A layer of sweat glistened on your body, your hair a mess, there was a bit of drool dripping down your chin and your pussy was swallowing him hole over and over again, you were so wet he could see a milky white ring of your cum on his cock. He was going to cum soon but he absolutely needed you to before he did.

His grip on your hips tightened causing your movements to halt, but before you could even protest he was fucking up into you hard and fast.

“Oh fuuuuck yes, just like that baby, right fuckin there don’t fuckin stop I’m so close.” That’s all Eddie needed to hear, he brought one of his thumbs down to your slick clit and started rubbing fast circles on it while he continued to fuck up into you at a brutal pace.

“Shit, me too bunny, I’m gonna cum. Where do you want it?”

“Inside! Inside please Eddie I want you to fill me up.”

“Oh godddd” He let out a guttural groan, throwing his head back while he pumped his cum deep inside of you. The feeling sent you over the edge, coming undone on his cock while he continued to sloppily fuck you both through your highs.

You sighed, and exhaustedly let your body slump over Eddie’s while you both tried to catch your breath.

“Holy. Shit. That was… wow” he chuckled, running his hands up and down your back.

“Yeah, it really was.” You giggled as you rolled off of him, laying on your side next to him and resting your chin on his chest to look up at him. He was so pretty, his hair disheveled, his skin flushed and decorated in your nail marks, his lips swollen with your kisses. He smiled at you sweetly, shifting around so he could hold you better, he finally got a glimpse of your room.

He didn’t even really look at it when you walked it, he obviously noticed that you had a black open canopy on your four post bed but what he didn’t notice was the cute stuffed animals that were sitting by your black silk pillows, or the cool ass horror movie posters on the walls that contrasted that completely. You noticed him looking around, his eyes filled with awe, like he was genuinely interested in your world and it warmed your heart.

“I like your room, you really have this whole creepy cute thing down to a science don’t you?” He smiled at you, cradling your jaw in his hand and you leaned into it.

“Mhm, I guess I do.” You returned his smile with your own sleepy one, yawning. “You wanna stay the night? You don’t have to if you don’t want to but-“

“I want to.” Eddie cut you off, it was his turn to reassure you. You had seemed so sure of yourself all night but when it came down to if he was going to leave or not he could tell it made you nervous, like maybe people didn’t usually want to stay with you after and that broke him a little. Who wouldn’t want to stay with you? You’re perfect. To him at least. “I want to stay, and I want to take you to breakfast in the morning. I also would really like to take you on a proper date, if that’s something you’d want to do.”

Your heart swelled, because you did want that, more than he knew.

“I’d love that actually.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

You both giggled and kissed each other sweetly, whispering jokes and sweet nothings into each others ears until sleep peacefully took over.

[aggro-my-beloved]

Oh, My Darlin' Sam Collins x Reader Imagine

note: this was meant to be posted a lot sooner, but i struggled to be satisfied with the finished product. I've re-written this 3 different times and still am unsure about it so please let me know if you liked it by reblogging or interacting with me!

pairing: samuel collins x gn!reader

summary: post-quinn, tank has been trying to rebuild their social life and relationships with pack members. little do they know, their is one relationship david has been withholding them from kindling. when they make a surprise visit to solstice bar, however, the alpha's hands become tied...and the attractive bartender with the nice accent catches this wolf's attention — part of the pick your poison series!

warnings: mentions of alcohol, midwest emo band things, and protective alpha davey (he and tank are twins!)

wc: 1.8k

estimated reading time: 8.75 mins

“Sorry, I can’t let you in. We’re full.” David’s palm was inches away from Tank’s face. They suffered a momentary flashback of when they were kids and he would do the very same thing at their attempts to go on a rollercoaster they did not exceed the height requirement for, or trying to sneak into the theater for an R-rated film after buying tickets to a Disney feature. 

“Seriously?” They quirked a brow, going as far as to crane their neck and view the barren parking lot. If not for her vehicle tagging alongside David’s, Milo’s, and one she hadn’t recognized upon her arrival, a tumbleweed blowing past would be fitting for the sight. “It’s 8 o'clock on a Tuesday.” 

“Still busy. Asher’s here trying to kiss up to the staff to let him and Christian’s band play. Private meeting.” He scowls. While Tank enjoyed the live demos played before them, they understood it was not David’s favorite type of music. He doesn’t even label it as that. 

“I’m sorry, but wasn’t it you who said I should stop secluding myself from others?” Their slow-building anger urges some prominent veins to adorn their neck. David’s eyes try not to linger on the piercing bite marks credited to Quinn, the sight of them still makes his insides wrinkle with guilt. 

“I’m here to support the pack’s business. Here, maybe…” they pause for a moment to rifle through the knapsack hanging from their shoulder, “this will change your mind.” David rolls his eyes at their license photo staring back at him. Tank was arguably the worst pick for posing in pictures. If their eyes weren’t closed in the shot, the morsel of food jammed between their teeth was the focal point. 

David merely glances at it and deadpans. “It’s fraudulent.” 

Tank replies, “It’s not.” 

“You’re underage.” He tries.

“We’re twins!” They scoff. “The fact that you’re older by a minute says nothing about my naivety, Davey.” The tips of the bouncer's ears scorching something rosy makes Tank hum in delight. 

“I’ll…I’ll eat it.” 

“David, why are you so set on keeping me from your hard work?” Their brows are furrowed, and much like the siblings' stubborn attitudes, remain unmoving.

The truth is, David would love nothing more than to share his second home with Tank. He and Milo built this place from the ground up and cranked it into a full-fledged business with some help from old connections of Gabe. The only thing stopping him from letting Tank in was…

“Sammy I promise you—“

“Call me that again and the deal is off.” The vampire’s rasp shoots out like venom, coating the room in a tense air. 

“Alrighty, Mr. Collins,” Sam is nonetheless impressed with the alternate name—he releases an exhausted sigh to show it. Nevertheless, he allows Asher to plead his case. The younger of the two momentarily struggles to pull out the compact disc, and finally hands it to the bartender when he does.  “Just give it a couple of spins through this week and see what your customers think. It’ll grow on you, I promise.” 

“What in the hell is this drawing?” Sam brings the CD to his eyes to squint at the black squiggles across it. 

“What drawing? That’s our band’s name!” Asher clarifies with a small laugh. For being known to have sharp senses, this drummer could have him fooled. 

“And that would be…?”

“Howl’s Highway.” Asher flashes him a boasting smile. Sam only lets out an unimpressed grunt. 

“Subtle name. Definitely won’t come back to bite you in the ass.” 

“Sheesh, no wonder you and David get along so well.” Asher still has his roommate’s ten-minute-long speech echoing in his mind about how such an epic name was one step closer to a covert breach. 

“What’s your intermission consist of? Shifting mid-set and running out all our returning customers?” 

“Pfft, no..” Asher rolls his eyes, before shifting them down to the notes app on his phone and pressing the backspace button several times. 

“Hey boys, hate to interrupt your top-secret meeting.” An unfamiliar face draws Sam away from the disc, and he’s enamored by their aura immediately. He can sense they’re a shifter, most likely a wolf by the way David looms behind them with crossed arms. 

“Hey, look who finally emerged from their cave!" Asher chuckles and untucks a free barstool beside him. "Pop a seat, let me introduce you to Sammy--ahem, forgive me--Mr. Collins. This is one of our pack members, Tank."

“There’s no need for that. They’re just here for a plate of fries to go. Milo!” David alerts the chef. He hears a distant clatter, followed by a string of swears, and can only assume his colleague is checking his hair in the stainless steel frying pan yet again.

“On it!” 

“I’d also like a drink for my trip over.” Tank raises a finger and seats themselves beside Asher on the open barstool.“Have you closed the deal yet?” 

“I don’t know. Sam, have I?” Two pairs of eyes turn in the vampire's direction, but he only finds himself lost in one. A glance is enough to entice him, and though he’d never admit it, he’d be trying to recreate the exact shade of Tank’s irises in his dreams tomorrow morning. 

“Yeah, why the hell not?” He mutters, never breaking eye contact with the new acquaintance sitting at his bar. “What can I get for you to drink, darling?” They feel an unfamiliar scorch of their cheeks at the pet name but do nothing to object to it. This newfound sweltering in the pit of their stomach is something they’ve only felt once or twice, and they’d be damned to extinguish it. 

David, however, has different plans.

“It’s all good, Sam. I can make it. Go ahead and take your break.” David slinks behind the bar.

“But I just got here half an hour ago…” his southern drawl becomes even more present with the mild fear lacing his words. He becomes suddenly aware of how tense David’s stature is, and the clenched fists at his side. 

“Go take a break or I'll cut you early. Understood?” David snarls, and Sam takes a step back towards the swing door of the kitchen. A few seconds go by before he concedes.

“Yes, sir.” He retreats behind the kitchen door, both confused and frightened by David’s sudden change in attitude. As he’s wandering the kitchen to find any leftover appetizers from the lunch rush earlier in the day, his ears perk up at the hushed voices from outside. 

“What crawled up your ass?” He hears the Tank ask.

“Yeah, what did Sam do?” Asher jumps in.

“Nothing.” David insists. “What do you want?” Sam can practically hear the sneer in David’s voice, complemented by clinking glasses.

“Ooh, ooh, Bud Lite please!” 

“I wasn’t asking you, Ash,” a few seconds later, the noise of air decompressing and a bottle cap being flicked is heard.

“I want the nice bartender back. He seems less… aggravated.” Hot as fuck, is also another attribute Tank associates with him, but decides not to indulge. 

“Well the nice bartender just went on break, so it looks like you’re stuck with me.” 

“That’s okay, I can wait.” Sam snickers at their persistence. Milo turns his head to see what’s so funny. Sam waves him off and clears his throat. Perhaps the fryer is so loud, or the bar is so slow, Milo couldn’t care less to acknowledge the commotion outside of the kitchen. 

The wolf decides to break the silence when he brings the fryer baskets up from their grease bath and allows the fries to cool down. “Whatcha thinking for dinner? We’re fully stocked on everything from the truck this morning.” 

If he answered honestly and told Milo he’d lost his appetite, that he just wants answers as to why David has a sudden vendetta against him communicating with this pack member, that would only result in more questions. Instead, he eyes the shifter piling a styrofoam box with freshly cooked and seasoned fries and halts him short of his walk out the door. 

“Why don’t I send this out, if you make me a batch of those small hamburgers…the ones with the toothpicks in them?” Milo snorts, and genders:

“You mean sliders, Sam?” 

“Yes, those. I’ll be right back.” He spares him a thankful smile, and cracks open the kitchen door to concentrate back on the trio’s conversation. Sam isn’t sure whether he should feel disappointed that the focal point of their chat was back on Asher’s band. 

“Play track four—that’s my favorite!” The drummer suggests to David, who grumbles as he fiddles with the CD player stowed in one of the bar cabinets.

“What’s the name of the song?” Asks Tank.

“The Voices in the Basement Are Getting Loud Again and the Basement is My Brain.” 

“…oh.” 

“A side of fries to go,” Sam reintroduces himself by swiftly taking a seat beside the empowered person at the bar and offering them their still steaming box of food. 

“Oh,” their tone morphs to something of interest as they readjust their body to face Sam with a pleased smile. “Didn’t you hear?” Without breaking eye contact, they undo the tabs of the styrofoam box and flip the top open with ease. “I’m staying to eat now.”

“Ain’t that somethin’,” says Sam, who harbors a pleased grin. David clears his throat, now towering over the two with folded arms and an unimpressed glaze over his eyes. 

“It’s something alright.” 

“David, come help me with the trash!” Milo’s voice beckons the Alpha to stand down from the bar and retreat to the kitchen, much to his dismay. 

“Saved by the bell.” Sam jokes, before offering Tank a tilt of his head. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but…you seem like you can handle yourself in the face of trouble. Is he always this protective of his pack?” Tank’s fingers drum against the countertop as they ponder how to word their answer. 

“He’s just been wary about me hanging around vamps lately because of…some trouble I got into. Let’s put it this way, the other guy had it coming.” Tank tilts their chin up, unintentionally revealing a few of the remaining marks left by Quinn. Sam doesn’t need to study them hard to figure out the vamp was feeding out of spite, not biting for their equal pleasure. 

“I’m sure he did, messin’ with a member of one of Dahlia’s most reputable packs. Care to share this fella’s name so I can add him to my shit list?” He inquires.

“How about we share a drink first?” Tank smiles, before sliding the plate of fries closer to his direction. Eagerly, Sam plucks one from the platter and bites down on it, his fangs sparkling beneath the dim lights of the bar. 

“I know just the one.”

[jazeswhbvault]

Glad to see you open request again cuz I've just came up with a fun and silly idea :)

So you know the MC in WHB is originally Korean right? That makes me wonder how the kings (+ any characters you like) would react to MC asks them for a trip to Earth with them so they can go to her/his favorite K-Pop idols' concerts together. I think some of them would love to share the fun and even enjoy the chaotic atmosphere 😄

Hope you accept my request. Have a great day! 🫶🏻

Hi anon! I know it's been a while since I've been over here on this blog, but it's bittersweet to be over here. And oo there was an ATEEZ tour just recently I think? A couple moots of mine went and they had a lot of fun so this should be cute to talk about with the bois.

Kings

Satan's always wanted to go to a concert, there are a couple on Gehenna but they don't always last so long before everyone gets too drunk/rowdy to continue. When MC invites him to the local K-pop concert that's in town he accepts. Thankfully, everyone is dressed up so he doesn't have to really change how he looks and everyone thinks the horns are just cosplay. MC picked good seats, and the concert starts and the crowd starts going wild. Satan watches, intrigued by the band's uniformed movements and outfits and a how the girls in the crowd scream every time there's a bit of fan service. There was a point....where he has an idea to go up on stage and join in, but yeah not happening when MC grabs him by the collar and forces him to stay put.

Well....going to a K-pop concert with Mammon is truly the VIP experience. He has his own boy group in Tartaros so he's familiar. He claims that's where humans got the idea from anyway. He buys out an entire section of the venue for him and MC and any friends they want to bring. it's a good thing he did buy out the section and it's balcony seating because no one would be able to see over him otherwise. Drinks, snacks, MC has it all. Mammon doesn't react much but he's happy to see that his Master is having so much he doesn't really care if he feels the music is a bit of a "copy" to his group.

If there's a local tour happening, Beelzebub is the devil to ask to travel to every single one with MC. He has no issues booking hotels, no flights because he can just "poof" them there, and it doesn't matter what seats they get at the venue because he's not going to stay in the section anyway. It's odd how no one seems to challenge him when he pulls MC through the crowd to get to the front, or somehow the two end up backstage and no one questions it. Perhaps that's just Beel's magic. But also he finds it intriguing to just travel, listen to good human music and have fun with his favorite human.

At first, asking Leviathan was like pulling teeth. Why would he want to go watch a bunch of humans that MC possibly finds attractive dance and sing across a stage and listen to a bunch of screaming from others who also found these humans attractive. They possibly can't be that entertaining. He ends up going anyway, but it doesn't go quite as what MC thought. Not only did they have to leave the venue due to the chaos that was caused by Levi arriving, but the K-pop group performing literally tried to recruit him and the manager was chasing them down for a few blocks. Let's just say, that Levi's jealous energy leaked onto everyone, and the fans literally began to fight each other and some tried to claw towards Levi thinking he was part of the group. He was amused, MC...was not lol

Lucifer isn't the one for crowds. If he does go to a concert with MC, he requests that they get the seats furthest away from people. Also because he can't exactly hide his bloodied wings that well, sitting in front of someone would a bit grisly. MC picks the best seats where they won't be disturbed even if they have to pay more to get them. But once the concert starts he seems a bit uncomfortable, so MC tries their best to get him to enjoy it with them the best they can. Eventually he does smile and says he enjoyed spending time with them, but it's best that he does it at home next go around.

Belphegor didn't even show up. He rolled the dice, it came up as an odd number so he laid back down in bed and said "better luck next time." Beleth didn't see a smoking section at the venue so he declined respectfully. Gusion isn't really the one for it, and Bathin is missing. Oddly, it's Agares that agrees to accompany MC. He finds the K-pop idols interesting, while he's peeling an orange and enjoying some fine liquor from the bar. It's a very different experience going with this devil, but hey it beats having paid for two tickets and going alone! Plus, a lot of compliments were thrown MC's way saying that Agares looks like a sexy sugar daddy. He also seems to appreciate the compliments, although MC had to explain to him exactly what the phrase means.

Nobles

Paimon and Eligos bother MC to go as a group. These two are already planning outfits, Eligos has eaten and packed snacks to sneak inside. Paimon is best sassing any rude fans that push MC or say something weird about their outfit. Eligos brought cash so he's of course paying for most of the merch, drinks, everything. Best seats, meet and greet, tons of photos. MC pretty much had a blast from the beginning of planning the trip all the way until coming back to Hell again.

Belial is another devil to accompany MC to a concert. I mean it's his entire thing to do this stuff. He leaves Jjyu with Ppyong so there isn't someone yelling out insults the entire time, and he wears his best outfit and brings glow sticks to cheer since he can't use his voice to show appreciation. The music has Belial in a trance, and he's even dancing and smiling. MC is having just as much fun and it's nothing but good vibes with Belial even if he can't vocally express his excitement.

Did I mention? That Amon would be a perfect devil to ask to go with to a concert? He already dresses the part, he's got the cool laid back energy, and he's totally boyfriend coded when he links arms/holds hands with MC if he feels someone is trying to hit on him while they're standing in line or defends them if someone is trying to skip the line. Now, when it comes to music, Amon may be a bit picky, but he's spending time with MC. To him this is the most fun he's had while not dealing with the day to day mess of Avisos. He gets to unwind and be himself for once. Plus he found a cute keychain he bought for Beel as a gift.

[darlingsfandom]

Since you’re taking requests: Tommy Shelby pleasing a reader with high libido.

I will always take request ☺️

You were the life of the party. Everyone was adoring you but you couldn't care less. The only thing you wanted was Thomas to take you right there in front of everyone. The party was in full swing as the band played on while people danced around. It was yours and Tommy's fifth wedding anniversary so of course wanted to do something big. Tommy wanted to make you happy so he went along with it.

He took a shot of whiskey as he watched you mingle around the room. The way the dress you had on flowed down your body beautifully as your hair was pulled up into the most delicate braid, you looked gorgeous. You caught his eye and raised your glass at him before excusing yourself from his cousin. Once over at Thomas you wrapped your arms around his neck and he smiled at you before he kissed you. Your lips slowly pulled away from his when you looked, his lips were now the same shade as yours. You bit on your bottom lip before leaning into his ear. "I know this is our party , but I need you Mr.Shelby." You purred as his hand rested on you hip and squeezed it hard.

"Fuck you." He whispered back into your ear. "You know what that does to me." He gritted his teeth before pushing you forward towards the hall. You looked over your shoulder to see him pulling out his smokes and looking at you with bedroom eyes. You disappeared into his office and sat on the couch with your legs crossed until the door opened and Thomas came in demanding the room. You quickly stood up on your feet and rushed to him. "I'm sorry Thomas but I need you tonight."

"Tonight? You always need me baby. I fuck you every second of every day and I know you're thinking that sounds bad but in reality, I love it. I love you. I love how every time I fuck you, it feels like the first time over and over again." He smashed his lips against yours again while gripping your face in his hands. His hands moved down to the zipper of your dress and pulled it down so it was pooling around your ankles. His lips moved down and wrapped around your nipples.

"Thomas!" You gasped loudly at the feeing of his warm wet tongue swirling around one nipple while he twisted the other one. Your legs felt weak already and he could tell, so he set you up on his keeping your nipple in his mouth before detaching and pulling his own pants down. You reached forward and wrapped your hand around his cock. Playing with cock was one of your favorite things. You leaned down a little to spit on the head. You pumped it over and over as he groaned "I know you want to suck me off baby, but I gotta fuck ya now!" He moved your hand away, angled your hips upwards and slowly pushed his cock all the way in until you were ready . Once you were ready Thomas started off slowly making sure to give nice even strokes while looking into your eyes. You kissed him softly before you but his bottom lip and dug your nails into his back.

"You want it rough, don't you pretty girl! My pretty baby!" he held you up a little while the palms of your hands stayed rested on his desk . Thomas wrapped your legs around his waist to push deeper into your warm wet walls. You were squeezing him so tight , he wasn't going to last but this was going to be his sixth orgasm of the day. You always needed him in ways that would make even the devil blush.

"Please Tommy! Please! Fuck! You feel so good inside of me." You we're crying out while clawing his back. No one at this point even cared that you two were gone since it was an open bar. You two were busy fucking like rabbits. "Please mr.Shelby cum in me again! I need to feel it in me." You cried out as Thomas began drilling deep into you with loud groans and pants. Both of you couldn't hold back anymore. "FUCK!" Thomas cried out while squeezing your tits. His cum dripped out of your pussy as your own orgasm caused you to milk his cock leaving a nice creamy ring around the base of his cock.

Both of you laid on top of his desk. The room smelled like sex. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. "Happy Anniversary Mr.Shelby ." You smiled against his lips. "Happy Anniversary Mrs.Shelby."

[heartfullofleeches]

Thxxx! To the anon that asked about Erin wearing a skirt! because what if he found out his darling has a thing for tough guys in skirts!💖 I don’t know what type he buys tho? Like a long black maxi skirt? A cute one (that’s your favorite color) with ruffles and bows? Or a super short skirt (of any one you want) that barely manages to hide all that BADONKADONK 💖💖

Also maybe some nsfw if your up for it!

Erin getting sucked off while on top of a counter? (Or anywhere else if you prefer) you making him hold his skirt up as you stare at him while sucking him off. Legs on you shoulders and hands on his thighs! Just incase he tries to close them! 💖

Pegging Erin in the skirt (obviously) it allows you to easily give his ass a good smack and keeps him looking cute. Does he (fake) complain? Yes. But once you start praising (or degrading) him, how cute he looks all dolled up, only pretty sluts get fucked, and how would everyone that he bullies react if they found out their tormentor likes to wear cute skirts and get fucked like a cheap whore. He can’t help how much he loves it!

Thank you for reading my ask btw! Hope you like it!

(So I saw this ask after yesterday's post, but I felt that this would be a good continuation)

Erin runs three yellow lights on his drive to your place. He's already half way there before you send him your address. He knew your address due to the harmless act of following you home on weekends and when he wasn't hanging out with his click. At stops he's unable to past he adds a second coat of lip gloss and draws under his eyes with the eye shadow he picked up from a drug store on the way. His heels clack loudly against concrete as he marches to your door. It opens right as he raises his fist to knock.

Erin quickly brushes his hair over his shoulder. "Hi."

"Hey. Heard you coming."

"Yeah... Just got a little excited to see you is all..." Erin trails off. Fuck, was that too far? He was desperate for you, but he didn't want you to know he was. That, amongst other things would probably scare you off. Was he trying too hard? Too little? God, he just wanted you to kiss him already.

"So what are we going to-"

Grabbing Erin by his collar, you drag him into a kiss and your home as you slam the door behind him. The pressure on his neck makes his vision fuzzy, but he parts his lips as your teeth and tongue abuse the soft flesh. He feels your hands going up his skirt as the muscle violates the back of his throat; palming him through the panties he wore. You pull back, lifting his skirt to see the lace fabric in your grasp; the tip of his cock peaking from it band.

Erin forces a shakey smile. "Like what you see?"

"Thought I was jumping the gun at first, but you were hoping this would happen, weren't you? I figured last week in the cafeteria was to get my attention, but- wow."

"Been trying to catch your eye for a while. Do anything for you at this point."

"Guess I should make it up to you." You bring him over to the couch and dive in for another kiss as you lift his shirt over his chest, stealing those last bits of lip gloss clung to his lips. The initials engraved into over his heart should bother you, but he looks so pretty that you can ignore it for now.

"Freak."

Erin's cock twitches at the insult. You peck his cheek and catch the drool falling from his open mouth before sinking to the floor. You free his length from its restraint, skirt blocking the view.

"Lift up for me."

Erin rolls his skirt up his legs, thighs clenched as you pump his cock. You push them apart with ease and get into position as you take the head of his cock into your mouth. He whines, spreading his legs more rather than trying to close them as you swirl your tongue around his girth. He wants to hold the hand gripping his thighs, but prioritizes keeping his skirt out of your face. Your nails dug into his skin as your mouth closes around him. Whether intentional or not - Erin throws his head back with a drawn out moan.

"Y/n, s-shit, too much- I cant-"

He weakly taps your shoulder, but you pay no mind as you take him down to base. You stare up at him with a look that ties his stomach into knots. Pulling back, his cock shines with your saliva and the gloss you had sucked off his lips minutes ago. The tears in his eyes leave messy, black streaks down his face as you edge him; kissing and slowly rolling your tongue over his cockhead as you lick the drops of pre-cum. His body tenses, knuckles as white as sheets gripping the hem of his skirt. Your nails go over the red marks in his skin once more and he sees white.

"F-fuck..." Erin shutters and moans through his release, shooting his load directly on your tongue as you stroke him through his high and stick it out to catch it all. His cock falls limp against his stockings which you tuck in it as you climb up his body and into his lap. Dazed, he licks his now dry lips and lifts his head signaling for a kiss. You comply, the taste of his release fresh in your mouth as you plant another kiss on his lips. He could hardly care less as he allows you to spit in his mouth right before you tangle your tongue with his. You give him a moment's rest before sinking your teeth into his neck, groping his thighs as you lead his hand to your waist.

"Up for more, pretty boy~"

[starsinmylatte]

Thrawn is a hosiery guy send tweet

warnings and more below the cut ;)

If y'all like the short drabble at the end, let me know and I may continue it!

Banners and headers by the lovely @saradika

Join my taglist here 💕

Warnings: What it says on the tin, hickeys, lingerie kink, glove kink, praise, slightly possessive Thrawn, lingerie heels and stockings (oh my), oral sex, liquor consumption, the barest hint of sadism, author refuses to call paper flimsi, not beta'd

No gendered pronouns are used for Thrawn's lover. This piece can be read as any gender. The term "you" is used, but you can easily insert your favorite o/c or other character :)

Ch'eo visahot: My darling

Bun vutucni: Good dove

Thrawn is a man who enjoys the finer things in life, so his gifts to his lover would certainly reflect that. I could see him buying you all kinds of beautiful clothing, as well as beautiful things to wear under each outfit. He would enjoy all kinds of lingerie, but the ones with stockings and garters would be his absolute favorite.

He loves the way they cling to every curve, especially when the band at the top of the thigh-highs indents the soft skin. It drives him absolutely insane, and there will absolutely be a very dark hickey marking the spot for a few days. I wouldn't be surprised to see quite a few of them decorating their skin like Thrawn's personal masterpiece.

He will lay his lover back against a sofa or on a pile of pillows, lovingly placing their legs on either side of his head to kiss, nip, and lick at their soft, warm skin. Thrawn wants them to be whimpering and begging before he pushes past their panties to sink his tongue into their sweet core.

Thrawn likes to buy his lover expensive sets made with the most luxurious fabrics the galaxy has to offer: Corellian laces, the finest shimmersilks, and cotton so soft it feels like wearing nothing at all. Some sets are adorned with precious gemstones or metals, making each one a true work of art….. but Thrawn also holds a certain affection for the inexpensive, flimsy stockings he can rip right off your body. The expensive ones are a lesson in patience for both of you. Because, of course, it wouldn’t do to ruin a work of art.

You come to his study one night after he's had his fill of paperwork, dressed in a sheer, glittering robe and the latest set of lingerie your lover brought back for you from his travels. Thrawn glances up from his datapad to see you enter and he smiles as you lean against the doorway, a mischievous glint in your eyes.

"Come here, ch'eo visahot. Let me see you," he purrs, raising a gloved hand to beckon you closer.

You saunter over, slowly, relishing the flare of his gaze as he drinks in your form. He pushes his chair back from his desk slightly, patting his thigh and gesturing for you to take a seat. Your heels click softly on the cold floor as you oblige, much to his delight.

"Simply stunning," he murmurs against your ear when you lean back against his broad chest. One of his hands finds your waist while the other plucks a lowball glass from his desk. Thrawn takes a sip of the dark, amber liquor, letting out a low, contented hum. You can practically feel it rumbling throughout his chest as he pulls you into him. His hand slips beneath your robe to trace circles on your skin as you fully shift onto his lap, casting your legs over the opposite arm of the chair.

Thrawn looks down at you in rapt approval, studying your form as he would any piece of artwork. The soft sound of glass hitting the desk is audible as he sets his drink down, but you are far too captivated by his smoldering eyes to look away.

He raises a hand to your lips and you nip at the end of the glove, taking the soft leather between your teeth. It smells of real parchment -the kind only found in the oldest manuscripts- leather conditioner, and him....

Your gaze must've gone hazy, because Thrawn chuckles as he tugs his hand free from the glove, reaching up to caress your cheek before taking it from your mouth. "Bun vutucni."

The glove is summarily discarded on the table before your lover tips your chin up, capturing your lips in a passionate embrace. The kiss is long, languorous, and eager. You can taste the smoky liquor on his lips, and eventually his tongue as he parts your lips with a practiced ease. Thrawn's ungloved hand trails up your jaw, keeping your head perfectly positioned for him to savor you.

He nips at your bottom lip, drawing it into his mouth to gently suck on the tender flesh. You whimper, feeling him grin. The hand at your waist stops moving, and all of a sudden you feel it greedily cup your ass. The warm leather of his glove caresses your bare skin, tangling into the elastic of your panties.

You giggle as he continues to tug and toy with the hem and his smile grows devious. Thrawn snaps the elastic of your garter, greedily devouring the sharp whine that falls from your lips at the sting. He soothes the hypersensitive skin with more caresses, reaching down to unclip the garter.

Thrawn's practiced fingers move to the stocking, rolling it down ever-so-slowly. His pressure is just enough to tease and tempt you to squirm as your lover studies your reactions intently, sanguine gaze hazy with desire. You shift closer to him on instinct, tired of his teasing, but Thrawn just tsks softly, "Come now, vutucni. Impatience does not suit you. Good things come to those who wait."

Tagging some friends: @saradika @djarrex @superfunething @thefireflyreader @thefact0rygirl @mysticalgalaxysalad @babygirl-leon-kennedy @ele-millennial-weirdo @justanothersadperson93 @thestudyofwhyiexist @mittheresabosen @vibratingbonesbis @hereforthesunrise @ashotofspotchka @ironandglass @amyroswell @cassandrablacker @zeldurz @mithresha

If you don't see your name on the list, I may have an outdated username for you. Please feel free to re-join my taglist with the link here 🥰

[musingginger]

living after midnight // eddie munson

Synopsis – Eddie takes you to a show, and well… things get pretty… metal. 😉

Pairing- Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader, Eddie Munson x You

Warnings –some cursing, fluff, lots of nicknames (princess, sweetheart, angel), no Y/N, smut, 18+ only, minors DNI, exhibitioninsm, cockwarming, grinding, oral (receiving), p+v sex, soft!eddie, a tad bit of possessive!eddie, softdom!eddie, praise, squirting.

Word Count – 3.3k

A/N- The way that writing this made me ABSOLUTELY FERAL! Dear god, I need to see music live ASAP. Honestly, this is a selfish fic because I would be inconsolable if Eddie Munson did this with me. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated. Also, this is only edited by me, so apologies if there are typos. And of course, if you enjoy it, please reblog! Hope you enjoy! Thanks! <3

I do not grant permission for anyone to use my work. Under no circumstances, repost my work on any other sites. I do not consent to anyone taking my work and posting it as their own.

Bright flashes of from the stage was the only light illuminating the crowd.

You and Eddie had driven an hour outside of Hawkins for a night out. He had snagged a couple of tickets for a concert of a local metal band that was currently blowing up. The venue was definitely over capacity, and sweaty bodies bumped against each other in time to the music. It was euphoria.

Eddie was singing in your ear right behind you. He always insisted on standing behind you, so he could hold onto you during the show and pull you out of the way in case a mosh pit started. Tonight however, he was a bit handsier than usual. Maybe it was the fact you were wearing your fishnets and burgundy leather mini skirt, a favorite outfit of Eddie’s.

You found him multiple times during the night checking you out. Honestly, ogling you. Respectfully objectifying, he would say. When you caught him, he just shrugged and would say, “Can you blame me? Look at you!” You didn’t care though. You liked his attention, especially the pervy attention. But you did want to make him suffer a little bit.

About 30 minutes into the show, you had caught Eddie staring at your tits yet again. His head was peering over your shoulder, staring, big eyed. Smirking and biting your lip, you got the most devilish idea. You pushed your ass into his crotch and jumped a little bit “to the music”.

The movement made Eddie’s breath get caught in his throat. “Princess… what are you doing?”

You ignore him, and push your ass into him a little firmer, hand gently rubbing his thigh. Immediately, he starts to get hard, which makes his face flushed and flustered.

“A-Angel…” He stammers a little.

“What? I’m not doing anything, babe.” You turn your head to half face him, batting your eyelashes and plastering on a naïve smile.

“Uh huh… sure…” He rolls his eyes, holding your hands in front of you. He kisses your cheek, then your neck ever so gently. “Watch it, princess…” He warns gently.

“Watch what, babe?” You kiss his ear softly before pressing your ass into his ever-hardening bulge firmly. You couldn’t help but let out a whimper feeling his throbbing bulge so close to your pussy.

Eddie shivers for a moment, pressing his hips into your ass harder too, wrapping his long arms around your waist. Two could play at this game. His cock was rock hard against you and pulsing.

You gently bounce on his bulge, thankful for the low light in the venue, pushing your ass out so that the denim clothed mound was barely rubbing against your clit. The idea of getting away with this, in a crowd of people was exhilarating.

“Such a bad girl. Doing this in front of all these people?” Eddie growled in your ear, lips moving up and down the space right in the hollow below your ear. He let go of your waist, rubbing both of your thighs up and down slowly. Cold rings felt like lightening on your skin. As he traced along the fishnets, you felt his cock twitch a few times against your ass. He groaned softly as he tugged your earlobe between his teeth.

Your hands found their way in his hair with ease, pulling his face closer to your neck. If others around you noticed what was going on, no one said anything. You closed your eyes softly, letting out a low moan that only Eddie could hear over the music as his cock bumped against your clit so perfectly.

Eddie started to roll his hips in half time with the music, dragging his cock against you slowly. God there were a lot of perks dating a guitar player. He placed wet, sloppy kisses against your neck, interchanging with sucking and biting. Pretty lilac marks burst from under your skin, painting your neck with gorgeous love bruises.

Your hands gripping Eddie’s hair tighter, desperately trying to hold on. You feel yourself starting to climax on Eddie’s dangerously slow movements. The lead singer hits a high note as your legs buckle beneath you, cumming hard. Your whole-body shivers as Eddie holds you tight.

“I got you, sweetheart.” He murmurs in your ear, biting the cartilage playfully. Eddie slides his fingers up a little higher up along your inner thighs, just under your skirt, arm still wrapped around your waist as your knees knock against each other, holding you tight against him.  

“Mmmm…” Eddie hums into your ear.

You feel your pussy dripping into your panties. The hot imprints of Eddie’s fingertips burning against your skin. His lanky arm squeezes against you against his torso and slides two fingertips up and down the front of your panties in the same slow, steady rhythm.

You grip onto his forearm tightly as he holds you in place, unable to get away even if you wanted to. He presses in slightly, tracing your labia through your panties, just barely grazing your clit each time.

“Eddie…” You whine.

The metalhead tugs your earlobe again with his teeth, slipping his hand under the waistband of your panties. Your lips lock with his, kissing him hard. The music fading into the background as you feel his fingers on your cunt.

Calloused fingers rub your clit in tiny, slow circles. He kisses you back deeply, slipping his tongue between your lips. You couldn’t help but moan into his mouth while your hand slid down the front of his pants, teasing his cock through his jeans. The touch made him growl and eyes darken.

“My naughty girl.” He groaned softly into your ear, the phrase filling you with pride.

“Should we go to the bathroom?” Looking back at him playfully. Eddie thinks for a few second, biting his bottom lip.

"Here, c'mere" grabbing your hand, weaving through the crowd toward the back exit. You giggle as he grabs your hand, pulling you through the sea of metalheads rocking out. He walks you two quickly out of the main room. He looks around quickly, opening a side door and leads you down a dim back hallway. He checks a few of the doors, finds one unlocked and ducks inside a dark room.

“C’mere.” He pulls you inside, making you laugh loudly. He shuts the door behind you, locking the deadbolt. There’s an old couch and a couple of chairs. The overhead light is off but a dim lamp on the end table is on. The turns to look at you, giving you a big shit-eating grin.

“Has someone done this before?” You muse, touching the arm of the couch, smirking at him.

“No baby, but I’ve hung out back here before smoking with some people.” Walking over to the couch, playfully falling back onto one side with his arms out along the back of it, smiling up at you. You roll your eyes and straddle your lover boy on the couch, giving him a soft kiss.

“Whatever you say, Munson.” Smirking before leaning down to kiss him again. He pushes you back a little, his hand to his heart.

“M’lady. You know I’d never lie to you.” He says with his dramatic D&D flair. The theatrics make you giggle. You lean down, giving his bottom lip a gentle, but playful bite. Eddie’s hips shove forward involuntarily as he moans into your mouth. Strong hands rub your thighs back and forth slowly. You in turn grind steadily along the length of him through his jeans. Eddie leans his head back for a moment, closing his eyes, hips immediately grinding into yours finding your rhythm.

“MMm fuck…” You groan softly, feeling his rough denim rub against your sensitive bud. Eddie’s hands slide up your shirt palming your waist, grinding into you harder.

“Mmm fuck is right, sweetheart…” His eyes glassing over, watching his hands grope you.

“You better watch out, or else I’ll cum on your jeans again.” You warn gently, biting your lip hard, eyes fluttering shut.

"Is that a threat?" Eddie groans, holding your hips, pulling you into his grind, squeezing your hips with each push forward. You let out a few high pitched moans as his hands grip onto you. Your hands on his chest, pushing your tits together, giving Eddie an eyeful.

“Please… please…” You whine softly, a knot building in the depths of your stomach.

“Please what, princess?” Eddie murmurs kissing your neck, biting harder than before, lingering in that one sweet spot under your ear. A loud high moan escapes your throat.

“Please can I cum on your jeans?” You pled, looking down at Eddie, eyes watering with want and desire.

“Mmm go right ahead sweetheart.” He kisses you again, tugging on your bottom lip, not letting go, working his hips hard and slow.

The wave of your orgasm breaks over you. You moan into his mouth as your clit throbs against the tent in his jeans. Legs trembling as you cum hard, leaving a little wet spot where your pussy meets the denim.

“God, fuck…” Eddie groans, his cock twitching against you a few times. “That’s my good girl.” He gradually let’s go of your hips, biting his bottom lip looking into your eyes.

He looked like an angel, his hair slightly frizzy and spread out along the back of the couch. The light from the side table illuminating him in the most perfect way. The halo around his head making him look god-like and divine.

Your panting slows as you press your forehead into his. You give him a soft kiss on the lips, then his cheek, then his neck. Eddie moans gently, tilting his head aside, his hips still subconsciously pushing forward and back ever so slightly. Each movement of his hips was like a shock of electricity, making you jolt.

He traces little swirls along your thighs gently. “You know what I wonder?”

“MMmmm, what Eds?” Whispering into his ear.

“I wonder what you taste like today.” Eddie’s voice was horse and thick with desire. He tucked back a few tendrils of your hair behind your ear, causing goosebumps to erupt along your neck and chest.

You gulp. “Do you?”

Eddie smiles and kisses your ear. “Gotta see if you’re sweeter than yesterday…” You whimper against his cheek, nodding. You loved that he ate you out every day for “research purposes”, as he liked to say.

Eddie runs his fingertips along the back of your neck and whispers even more quietly, "Are you gonna let me taste you, sweetheart?" He lightly flicks your earlobe back and forth with the tip his tongue. You nod, sliding to the side of him, letting your lover boy get on top of you.

He grins, and slips off the couch, pulling your legs so that you’re sitting on the couch. His knees on the floor, hands eagerly reaching up, tugging playfully at the hem of your skirt. Your skirt was already rumpled up on your hips from grinding against him. He spreads your legs open gently with his palms, licking his lips when he sees the wet patch from your orgasm in the crowd.

He licked his lips.

The action had you squirming against him. Warm hands hold your inner thighs open as his face moves closer to your crotch. Conveniently, you put your panties over your tights, which he smoothly slides down your thighs.

“You won’t be needing these now, will you?” Before you can grab them from him and put them in your purse, he pockets them in his back pocket, gently patting the pocket. He looks back up at you, eyes filled with lust and love.

“Don’t worry. They’re safe.” You smirk down at him, knowing better than that. You’ve lost another pair to his growing collection. His hands push your skirt up, giving him a full access. Hot palms, rub the tops of your thighs softly.

His eyes flit back to your now bare crotch, thumbs moving to gently rubbing the delicate skin of your inner thighs. In a flash, his teeth rip a hole in your fishnets, causing you to gasp loudly. Eddie sits back again, parting your thighs, and leans in, kissing back and forth between them. He gradually moved inward, each kiss a little longer than the last.

You feel your pussy already drooling. God, he was good at getting you worked up.  

Eddie slides the tip of his tongue all the way up your inner right thigh, stopping just short of your pussy, then up your inner left thigh and along your labia, and over your clit very slowly, looking up at you. His chocolate brown eyes dilated, a man completely pussy drunk.

You whimper, looking down at him, holding the couch cushions, white knuckling them. Your nipples were rock hard, made harder from your slight shaking.

Eddie bites his lip in a smile, then nestles his face between your thick thighs. Inhaling your scent, he slides his tongue up your labia and over your clit again, and then again slower, and then just your clit, starting to settle into a slow swirl around it, making your legs twitch.

“Fuck! Oh GOD!” You yelp out, eyes rolling back, quickly putting your hand over your mouth, worried someone might hear you two.

Eddie wraps his arms around your thighs, hands on your hips, and nestles his face deeper into your thighs. Smirking as he wraps his lips softly and tightly around your clit, sucking on it very gently, starting to tap it very lightly with the tip of my tongue. He loved watching you squirm under him.

“Eds… ohfuck…” You shiver pushing your head back into the couch cushions, breath making your tits jiggle. You wanted to cum so badly, but knew he wouldn’t let you until he was good and ready.

"Mmmmm" Eddie hums low and quiet as he taps your clit more quickly, softly squeezing your thighs around his face. Gradually, he lets the quick little taps become quick little flicks up and down, sucking just a little harder, still gently.

You moan and writhe above him, pushing together your tits, letting your eyes roll back into your head as he eats you out so perfectly. Your hands run through his messy curly mop of a hair.

“Don’t stop… please don’t stop.” You pant.

Eddie starts to suck on your clit on and off in a slow, steady rhythm, still flicking up and down fast and light. Every so often it just barely grazes his teeth, which makes you jump. He squeezes your hips as you play with his hair. He keeps up the pace, gentle, steady, humming softly now and then. You buck your hips against his teeth, dying for more friction.

He sucks harder, letting his teeth graze your clit more often, humming louder without realizing it, his hips subconsciously rocking forward and back slightly, looking for pressure. After a moment, he eases off and looks up.

"Do you want a finger, sweetheart?" He asks, immediately burying his face between your thighs and sucking and flicking your clit as he waits for you to answer.

You nod quickly, whimpering at the thought of him inside you, even if it was just a finger. Your body betraying you slightly as your pussy drools onto the couch.

Eddie reaches between your thighs with one hand, very slowly sliding one finger into your pussy, letting it stay there for a moment as he starts to flick your clit side to side now, very quickly.

“OH GOD!” The sensation of his finger inside you causing you to scream.

Very slowly, Eddie slides his finger in and out of your pussy, sucking harder on your clit, flicking fast and light. Going steady, starting to slide his finger in and out a little faster, and a little faster, and a little faster, and suddenly plunging two fingers into your pussy, in and out faster.

“FUCK! OH!” You scream out loudly, not caring if anyone ears you. Gripping Eddie’s curls, you pull him up roughly to kiss you hard. The change of positions causes his fingers to hit your G-spot, making you moan loudly again.

Eddie kisses you hungrily, teeth knocking together once or twice, hips shoving forward into yours. Hard, metal rings add to the sensation.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum… oh god I’m gonna cum…” You whisper into his mouth, panting lowly, rocking your needy pussy into his fingers.

"Cum for me princess." Thrusting his fingers into you fast and hard, kissing you deeply, sucking on your tongue. Your eyes roll back as you gush on his fingers, pussy clenching hard around his digits.

"Yes, angel, yes…" Eddie praises you, biting your neck hard, pounding his fingers into you, shivering from his own arousal. Still shaking, you lean up and grasp at the zipper of his jeans. There was a small wet spot from where his precum seeped through.

“Whoa-sweetheart! Give yourself a second…” He pants as you slide his pants down his thighs, exposing his rock-hard cock.

You shake your head, a woman possessed. “Need you-n-now…” You yank at his hips, pulling him on top of you. He gulps hard, looking into your cock hungry eyes.

With no protesting from Eddie, he enthusiastically kisses your puffy bitten lips, lining himself with you. Eagerly, he slides into you, hitting your G-spot immediately. You can feel the vibrations of the music outside the door on your back, overstimulating your body. 

A low, animalistic moan releases from his throat as he cages in you in, pressing his body on top of your, rutting into your wet, pretty pussy. His pubic hair brushed against your clit, causing your eyes to roll back again and your fingernails dig into the exposed skin where his t-shirt rolled up.

“Princess, I’m not- not gonna be able- to-” He grunts into the messiness of your hair. You knew he was dangerously close. His body trembling against yours. God, you were right there too.

“Eds-I’m-” You strain the last word as your climax crashes into you like a mac truck. You yelp out loudly, squirting on the two of you. Eddie thrusts into you one, two more times, and cums hard, filling you up with hot, white ropes. The sounds of your moans mix with the music, filling the room.

Eddie chuckles a little bit in your ear. “Sweetheart, that was so… metal…” He pushes up and looks into your eyes, a wide grin taking up the lower half of your face. “Can we do that again?”

“Now?!” You eyes widen, laughing lightly.

“Well not now.” He kisses your cheek tenderly. “Show’s almost over. But sometime… maybe at The Hideout?”

You snort a laugh, pecking his lips. “We’ll see.” Eddie grins wider again, grunting playfully while getting off you. He quickly slides his pants back up from around his ankles, wincing as he tucks his sensitive cock back in his jeans. Holding out a hand to you, he helps you off the couch.

“My princess.” He bows to you, theatrically. You giggle softly, as his gentle hands help smooth out your skirt. You hold out your hand for your panties back, which Eddie shakes his head to.

“No no. Safe, remember?” He pats his back pocket, giving you a crooked smile.

“But Eds-” You start to protest but your protestations are cut off by his lips pressing into yours.

“Plus, I like the idea of us dripping down your leg while we watch the rest of the show.” He says devilishly, nipping at your cheek playfully, hand cupping the crease of your ass. Spanking it gently, before lacing his fingers in yours.

His free hand unlocks the door, poking his head out, looking both directions to check if the coast is clear. Once he’s confident you haven’t been caught, he tickles your side lightly, making you jump, laughing. He roughly kisses your cheek, nuzzling into your neck.

“Comeon, sweetheart. Let’s finish the show so I can take you home and do that all over again.”

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tags: @theoreticslut @immatheoreticslut @misskittysmagicportal

[cowboyemeritus]

Sleeping Beauty (Aurora/Reader)

Aurora gets a wake up call. (18+)

Read on AO3

i'm still kind of on hiatus but here's a little thing about my pretty pretty princess. just a quick warning because this one's got somnophilia.

reader is gn here but i would kill to be aurora's loser failgirl gf. just putting that out there.

A conveniently placed beam of morning light rouses you from your slumber. With a yawn, you sit up and stretch, cringing at the loud pop your back makes. Long days and nights on the road have left your muscles tight and joints stiff. Everyone on the Ghost Project, yourself included, is thankful for this day of rest, and for the chance to sleep in a real bed.

Surveying the hotel room sends the highlight reel of the previous night’s events whirling through your mind. You recall frenzied kisses and layers of clothing shed in rapid succession as the two of you rode the post-ritual high in each other’s arms. A glance over at the alarm clock on the bedside table tells you it’s a quarter to nine, earlier than you would like to be awake, but better than your usual five-thirty.

You note slow, deep breathing next to you. Aurora is still fast asleep, clad in only a white tank top and lacy pink panties. It’s only natural that you’re awake long before she is; the ghoul practically goes into hibernation as soon as her head hits the pillow. You can’t help but smile at the messiness of her fluffy white hair and the small line of drool dribbling down her chin. The last few weeks have been full of anxiety given her new position in the band, so it’s good to see her finally relax and drop the decorum. Even like this, though, she’s exquisitely beautiful.

Deciding to try and get a little more sleep, you lay back down, draping an arm over Aurora’s waist. Although completely dead to the world, it seems she can sense your presence and lets out a faint, contented hum. The sound of her breathing acts as your lullaby, gradually pulling the blanket of sleep back over your mind. 

You’re just about to slip into unconsciousness when Aurora shifts, rolling from her side to lay on her back. In the process, your hand slips under the hem of her top, the tips of your fingers brushing against the soft skin on her stomach. It’s barely perceptible, but your eyes finally crack open at the noise that works its way out of her throat. You suppose it’s ghoul instinct, being able to rest while still having some sense of one’s surroundings. Resigning yourself to the waking world, you decide to make the most of it. This is her favorite way to be woken up, after all.

Slowly, you drag your hand up her torso. It must tickle, as Aurora flinches slightly. Once you’re sure she’s still asleep, you continue, coming to a stop when one of her breasts is in your grasp. You knead the soft flesh, smiling to yourself as her nipple quickly hardens against your palm. Taking it between two fingers, you give the pink bud a light pinch. The ghoul hums out a soft moan that has you salivating like a dog. You already need more.

Carefully, as not to risk waking her, you shimmy down so that your face is level with her chest. Pulling the flimsy top up, you quickly latch on, dragging the tip of your tongue across her nipple. This time, the ghoul’s lips part, a melodic sigh dissipating into the morning air.

While you suck gently, your arm slinks down to the waistband of Aurora’s panties. They’re your favorite: baby pink lace that just barely contains the swell of her ass. Dipping under the fabric, it doesn’t take long before your fingers are drawing slow, lazy circles around her clit. She gasps out what sounds like your name, the sound stoking the flames of arousal now flickering in your gut. You smile to yourself as you take her nipple between your teeth and tug. Aurora’s hips buck against your hand, the tips of your fingers slipping down to find that she’s already exorbitantly wet. Something in your still foggy, sleep-addled mind screams at you to taste her.

Throwing caution to the wind, you detach from her breast. A small pop! bounces off the walls of the hotel room as the seal between your lips and her soft flesh breaks. Finally you retreat from her side, propping yourself up on your hands and knees to hover above her. Your form practically swallows hers, and you take a moment to study the small ghoul. Even in the dim light, her cheeks are noticeably flushed, her exposed nipple glistening with your saliva. Despite her horns and tail, she looks like an angel laying there under you, completely oblivious to what you’re doing. 

Satan in Hell, you’d eat her if you could.

You snap out of your reverie when Aurora whines with need, squeezing her plush thighs together. She must be having a particularly vivid dream. Deciding to have pity on her, your fingers quickly hook around the waistband of her underwear and you pull, exposing her soaked core. It takes a bit of maneuvering, but you’re eventually laying between her legs, licking your lips at the sight of her arousal.

When you can’t take the suspense any longer, you descend on Aurora’s clit, giving it a gentle suck. She convulses against you and for a moment, you think you’ve woken her. You wait a beat with no further reaction before burying your face between her thighs once again. While you work, her moans and whimpers get closer together, but you can tell by the volume that she is still very much asleep.

It’s the eventual protrusion of your finger into her tight cunt that finally has Aurora gasping awake. Her hands immediately tangle in your hair, the tips of her manicured nails scratching against your scalp. You hum at the pleasant sensation, pulling a full-bodied moan from the ghoul.

“Fuck, baby. Don’t stop,” she groans, grinding her hips into your face. Having had no intention of letting up, you continue lathing your tongue across her clit and fucking the lone digit into her. Soon enough, her pussy starts to flutter around it, and you know she’s almost there. With well-practiced precision, you angle your finger just right, massaging that spot of spongy flesh that has Aurora keening. A few more swipes of your tongue and she’s falling over the edge, thrashing beneath you with a drawn-out cry.

It briefly crosses your mind that your room is sandwiched between Papa’s and Dew and Rain’s. That thought is immediately forgotten when Aurora sighs, lovingly running her fingers through your hair. Migrating upwards, you situate yourself on top of the ghoul, and she giggles as you smother her with your weight. You cup her cheek with a hand and kiss her hard, forcing your tongue into her mouth so that she can get a good taste of herself. She happily accepts, and you smile as her hands find their way to the globes of your ass.

“I was dreaming about you,” Aurora says with a pout once you pull away. You laugh, nuzzling your face into the crook of her neck.

“Sorry for waking you, princess. You looked so pretty, I just couldn’t resist.”

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 1: cowboy take me away

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, healing, dealing with some post trauma, fairly tame tbh

* Word count: 4,198ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: Hey everyone! We’re back at it again at the Krispy Kreme ✌🏻😝 (💀 I cannot believe I just did that along with a vine reference lmao.) (Please don't run in the other direction lol.)

Welcome to the continuation of Steady Heart! Thank you for coming along and continuing the journey with me! Here we are at the beginning of season 3! I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for our favorite, as Rip calls them, “merry band of misfits”. I hope everyone enjoys our soft start into the season, and the adventure ahead!

The door to the foreman’s lodge opened. It pulled Stella’s attention from the book she was reading, her heart dropped and her hand fell to her gun. She'd been jumpy ever since the night she got attacked. She glanced up and saw it was Kayce who greeted her from the doorway. Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled softly to avoid pulling the gash on her face and folded her book closed, placing it on the coffee table.

“Hey, you.” She welcomed and started to stiffly rise from the couch to be gentle on her ribs, but Kayce met her at the couch stopping her motion.

He bent down and gave her a quick kiss. “Hey back.”

She closed her eyes and hummed. “I still gotta get used to that.”

Kayce chuckled and sat next to her. “Me too. How’re you feelin’ today?” He gave a quick glance at her pistol.

Stella leaned back into the couch slow and steady and crossed him with a look of her own to stop any argument about being skittish. “I think I’m alright.”

“You think?” He placed his arm behind her on the back of the couch.

“Well I mean my ribs are probably gonna hurt for a while no matter how healed they are. My bruises don’t hurt anymore though.”

“What about,” he motioned to his eyebrow.

She grabbed the side of her bottom lip between her teeth and contemplated the change to her face. “I just gotta be careful to not stretch the skin too much, which is ass.” She laughed. “I never realized how much I actually used my eyebrows.”

“I coulda told you that, sugar.”

She flattened her face and gave him a side-eye. “Ha ha, you’re hilarious,” she quipped sarcastically. “Anyway, how’s Tate?”

Kayce blew out a heavy breath. “He’s okay, sleeping a little better, but still waking up scared.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? I understand being scared at the moment.”

Kayce stared down at her in the crook of his arm and shook his head. Of course she was worried about everyone but herself. “No, Monica is still with him. When she isn’t, I am.”

“Yeah, it probably wouldn’t be good for him to see me still so busted up right now. It would do more harm than good. How’s Monica?”

“Very happy that our son is alive. Grateful to you for trying to stop them.”

“I wish he would have kept running to the big house.” Stella placed her head back against Kayce’s arm and closed her eyes. She had to turn her brain off from thinking about everything she should have done versus what she did. It wouldn’t get her anywhere. “I’m still exhausted from all that mess.”

“I don’t doubt you are, but him coming back might have been the only thing that saved you.”

“I still wish he wouldn’t have come back. I would have been fine, eventually, and he wouldn’t have gotten kidnapped.”

“We’ll make it through, Stell. I’m just glad you both are still here.” Kayce draped his hand on her shoulder.

For a few moments, Stella pretended like everything was okay, that she and Kayce just got back from a long day. It was peaceful in his presence. She was grateful that he and Ryan found her when they did. She shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if she went untreated for longer. She opened her eyes thinking about her brother. “Oh, Ryan told me you guys are building a new barn further out?”

“When we’re out in the farther pastures, it would be nice to have a spot to go to that has extra supplies and things.” He faced her. “Speaking of which, we’re settin' up a spike camp until July.”

“Why?”

“Rip and I wanna be sure the clover isn’t gonna come back. We checked the fields this mornin’, and it didn’t look like there was any growing back, but we can’t be too careful. So we’re gonna babysit the herd. You wanna come with us?” He knew she would love the change of pace. He decided to not mention Tate coming along just yet. He didn’t want her to worry about him seeing her.

“I would be kinda useless for a little while yet. I shouldn’t even technically ride, as much as that fact pisses me off.”

“I’m not bringin’ ya up there to work, Stell. I just want you to have a change of scenery. But if you get to feelin’ right, you’re more than welcome to join the guys.” Kayce cringed. “If your brother doesn’t have a heart attack about it.”

She smiled at him. “C’mere.” He scooted closer for her. She leaned into him and whispered, “thank you,” on his lips as she kissed him.

Kayce carefully leaned his forehead against Stella’s. “I should go back up to the main house to be with Tate, but either myself or your brother will come get you in the mornin’.”

Stella nodded and stiffly stood with him. “What time?”

“Early. Probably 4:30 quarter of five.”

She groaned, “ugh, fuckin’ ranch hours,” and followed him to the door. Reaching out to grab his hand, she pulled him into a hug. “I mean it.” Stella didn’t know how else to say thank you anymore.

He pulled back just enough to gaze affectionately down at her. “You’re welcome, sugar.” He closed the gap and placed a gentle kiss on her lips as she brought her hand to his chest.

There was a groan that sounded behind the couple. “That’s the last thing I needed to see tonight,” Ryan grouched.

Stella faced down at the ground, with her eyes closed. Nervous about being caught so soon. “Hey, Ry.” Her face and neck heated up.

Kayce laced his fingers through hers as he stepped back, avoiding Ryan’s gaze. “I’m gonna go let Monica have a break.”

“See ya later, cowboy.” Their fingers squeezed each other and then slipped apart as he stepped away.

While Kayce walked off, the siblings stared at one another. Both of them had their lips pressed together and arms crossed. Stella’s face felt like it was on the sun with how red it must have been. The pair dissolved into laughter.

Stella cleared her throat. “You wanna come in?”

“It doesn’t smell like sex in there, does it?”

Stella rolled her eyes. “Oh my fuckin’ god, Ryan. No.”

Ryan nodded and stepped up to the door, trailing behind his sister. He watched while she made her way to the refrigerator.

“You want anything to drink?” She grabbed a Sprite from the fridge.

He stepped up to a kitchen chair, pulling it out and taking a seat. “Nah, we’re gonna be drinking later. I just wanted to check on you for the night before we did.” He took notice of her gun on her hip, but made no mention of it. He’d been keeping an eye on her, everyone had, especially with how edgy she’d been.

She cracked open her soda and leaned back against the sink to face Ryan. “I’m doing alright for the most part. Just starting to get bored,” she complained as she took a sip of her soda. “Very bored,” she sighed.

“I understand, but we need you 100%. Don’t need you hurting yourself more.”

“Yeah, I know,” she grumbled. Just because it was true didn’t make it suck any less. “Kayce invited me to come to the spike camp with y’all.”

Her brother's eyebrows shot up. “Oh he did, did he?”

“Yeah. Figured I would like a change of scenery. Which I would. Very much.” Stella stared at him, hoping to make her point. “Also, most likely so both you and himself could still keep an eye on me and keep me out of trouble.” She grinned.

Ryan leaned in the chair and propped his elbow on the backrest. “It’s irritating how smart he is.”

Her grin widened. “You’re just mad he thought of it first. He’s always been that smart.” She sat her soda on the counter and crossed her arms. “Is it okay if I go? I don’t wanna be stuck here by myself.”

“You wouldn’t be by yourself.”

“I know.” She shrugged. “But I wanna be with you and Kayce because y’all don’t treat me like I’m fragile like everyone else has been.”

“As long as you follow through with not working.” He fixed her with a look.

“Okay, okay.” She held up her hands in surrender. “I promise. I’ll sit with John and give everyone shit.” She smiled. “Now you go have fun. I’ll see y’all in the mornin’.”

Stella wandered around the foreman’s lodge aimlessly. She thought about going to hang out with the wranglers while they cut up, but she didn’t have the energy to be around the rambunctious bunch. She loved them, but she needed quiet. Reaching to grab her soda, she made her way to the little front porch area of the lodge. As she strode across the room, she made sure her gun was still on her hip.

She dropped into the single chair and fixed her glasses. Her feet swung up to cross at the ankles on the small table in front of her. The fizzy carbonation of her soda tickled her nose as she took a swig and swallowed. Stella surveyed the landscape carefully.

She could see the round pen, the cow pen, the barn, and the bunkhouse from where she sat. The lights were on in the house, so that gave her some comfort that her brother was close by if she needed him.

A breath pushed past Stella’s lips as she forced herself to calm down. The guys who were responsible for kidnapping Tate and beating the shit out of her were taken care of. She had to convince herself no one was going to sneak up on her.

“Everything is okay. We’re okay. We’re alive. Just breathe. You’re safe.” Stella encouraged herself, taking a few deep breaths in between her affirmations.

She’d been telling herself that a lot lately. That’s why her gun was glued to her hip. She had made the grave mistake of being caught without it, and it almost cost her her life. Stella vowed to never get found without it again.

The sounds of the ranch made her startle every once and a while, but eventually she settled and allowed herself to relax back in the chair. The thought of Rip probably wandering around somewhere nearby like a prowling bear made her fully sit back. Yes Kayce and her brother were nearby, but Rip was closer. She knew he wouldn’t be done with making sure everything was closed up for the night yet.

The longer she sat there, the calmer she became and the sounds of the ranch finally convinced her eyes to shut. Stella could still hear the horses in the pasture nearby, and the settling of the farm equipment, so she wasn’t fully asleep. It was a catnap state. She hadn’t been getting the fittest sleep since she came home from the hospital, so whatever rest her body would allow, she’d take it.

The crunch of the gravel that led up to the foreman’s lodge in between the stepping stones, startled Stella awake. “Stella-belle?” A gravelly voice intoned softly from her side. A warm calloused hand draped around her forearm and her eyes shot open. Without thought, she whipped her arm out to the side and hit the offender away from her. She scrambled to stand and back away from the intruder. Her hand dropped to her holster.

Rip stood back quickly and held his hands out like he would to a frightened horse. “Woah woah! Stella it’s me!”

Her eyes focused and her brain finally came out of its sleepy haze. “Oh my fucking god,” she wheezed out. From her quick movements her ribs smarted at her angrily. She moved her hand to her right side and hissed at the pain.

Rip wanted to help her, but knew she didn’t like being touched when she was in pain. He felt helpless as he watched her pant, trying to get her breath back. She paced back and forth, regulating her way through the discomfort. Slowly, it backed down to a throbbing versus a stabbing sting.

“Damn, Wheelie.”

“I’m sorry. I should have made more noise.”

Stella pursed her lips. She knew he didn’t mean to do it, and her anger was misplaced because of the pain of her own doing. She shouldn’t take it out on him. “It’s alright. What’s up?”

“I just got done laying into the wranglers because their asses are still awake and we got shit to do this morning. I saw you out here and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I actually fell asleep after a while.” She yawned and scratched her head. “What time is it?”

“3:45. You should head to an actual bed, Stella-belle.”

“I should probably just stay up and get packed.”

Rip frowned. “Packed?” He pushed open the lodge door and motioned her inside. “For what?”

Stella grabbed her empty soda bottle and followed his direction, stepping into the house. She tossed the bottle into the little recycling bin next to the fridge. “I’m going to the spike camp with ya.” She smirked over her shoulder while she went to grab one of Kayce’s duffelbags.

“You’re what?”

“You heard me. And my brother and Kayce agreed. So I’m coming with y’all.” Stella opened Kayce’s closet and made a small “ha,” when she found the medium-sized bag on the floor. Heavy boots hit the ground behind her and she spun around to face the angry bear of a man she’d become so fond of.

She grinned up at him. “I already promised that I would sit with John and give everyone shit while y’all worked.”

The corners of Rip’s mouth turned further downward in a frown. “Stella…,” he let her name hang in the air.

“Riiip,” she dragged out his small name. Stella gently weaved around him to the dresser Kayce was letting her use for her clothes. Rip sighed behind her and she ignored him. She went about pulling out her clothes for at least a week, more than sure she’d have to come back down and get more. She decided she would cross that bridge when she got there.

“You love running us ragged, don’t you?”

Stella placed the pile of clothes she had in her hand in the bag and turned to look at him. His shoulders sagged, he looked exhausted. Not only did he have everything else going on, but he had become her unofficial babysitter. Kayce and Ryan were smart for that because they knew if she didn’t listen to them, she would listen to Rip. Her lips pulled together in an affectionate smile. She adjusted the frames on her nose, opened her arms and waved him over. “C’mere.”

When he didn’t step toward her fast enough, she met him halfway and engulfed him in a hug. “I’m sorry, Rip.” He placed his arms around her shoulders to keep away from her ribs. Stella took as deep a breath as she could and settled into the curve of his arm. “I know you worry and don’t tell anyone. Think of it this way,” she leaned back and Rip slowly let her go. “You’ll have me within eyesight, uninterrupted, unless my brother or Kayce steal me away.”

Stella backed up and brushed her shirt off nervously. “Plus, I need to do something about being this edgy. I think nature will help me reset that.” She shrugged. “Help me trust myself again.”

Rip gave a quick look down at her holster, thankful that she hadn’t pulled it on him outside. He knew she was having a hard time adjusting to being back on the ranch, the same place that the awful event occurred. He’d observed her jump at sounds and people she’d known for years over the last few weeks. It definitely wasn’t like her to spook that easy. He reached out and ruffled her hair quickly. “Alright, you heathen. I suppose that’s a good deal.”

“Hey!” Stella backed away from his hand giggling. “That’s hurtful.”

“Where’s the lie? Can’t be a lie if it’s the truth, now can it?” Rip crossed his arms and leaned back against the door jamb and smirked.

“I am not a heathen, I’m a lady.”

“Bullshit, you and this merry band of misfits are all heathens. You and your brother are at the top of that list.”

Stella clutched at her nonexistent pearls. “Rip Wheeler! I thought you knew me better than that.”

He chuckled deeply. The warmth from seeing her smile spreading throughout his chest, even if it was just for a minute. He stole a glance at the alarm clock he had set up on the bedside table and read that it was pushing on 4:00 am. “Alright, Stella-belle. I’ll leave you be to finish getting ready. Is anyone coming to get you?”

Stella smiled at him, not as wide as she would have liked, but wider than a few weeks ago. “Yeah, my brother or Kayce. Which from the sounds of it, it’ll be me getting him instead.” She huffed out a laugh through her nose. “So I’ll finish up here and see you soon, Wheelie. You go wrangle those boys into shape.” They shared a smirk, as Rip nodded and quietly made his way out of the lodge to agitate the guys.

Stella waited about 20 minutes before she started getting antsy. She knew that Kayce had other things to worry about, he shouldn’t have to worry about being responsible for her too. She hurried into the bedroom, gripped up the duffel bag, and rushed to the door. She slipped on her boots and threw her hair up in a messy bun that looked slept in. Making her way out the door, she made sure her hand gun was on her hip still and her knife on the other and made sure to close the door behind her.

She looked out by the barn and saw everyone mostly ready. Lloyd had been dubbed the driver of the wagon. Tate climbed up into the cart next to the older man and settled himself in. The little boy looked as if he was vibrating with excitement for this new adventure. Stella’s stomach dropped at the thought of him seeing what had happened to her. She didn’t want him to blame himself. Rip was off to the side holding John’s horse, Red, and Tate’s horse, Lucky. She watched as everyone milled about. Ryan worked on setting up Blue Jeans, exhausted, and quite honestly still looked drunk to Stella. Kayce was on top of Tank, making sure everything was ready to go for their ride. Abigail was tacked up next to him. He must have felt her staring at him because when he looked up they locked eyes.

He noticed she had one of his duffelbags slung on her shoulder, and one of his larger flannels overtop of her t-shirt. His eyes twinkled with affection at her display, and he dismounted from Tank, cutting a path directly to her.

Stella met Kayce and welcomed the soft hug he offered. He carefully transferred the bag to his hand from her shoulder and gave it to Jake to put in the wagon. He looked around to make sure no one was gawking, and scanned his gaze back down to Stella, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead to the left of the healing gash. “I was gonna come get you in a few minutes, I was hoping to give you more time to sleep.”

“Well, luckily for you, I’ve been awake since like quarter of four.” She laughed inwardly.

Kayce made a disapproving face. “Did you sleep at all?”

Stella withdrew from the comfort of his hug and sighed. “Yes, Kayce. I did. On the porch ironically enough. Rip already yelled at me,” she smirked over at Rip who’d been listening in this whole time. “Didn’t you?” He dipped his head in confirmation. She turned back to face Kayce. “And I slept pretty well for the first time in a while. I’m ready to rock and roll. Thank you for getting Abs ready for me.”

Her gaze landed on the mare that she’d only been able to walk around, lunge, and pet due to her restrictions recently. She moved over to her and brushed her hand along the roan’s nose softly. “Hey baby. You ready for an adventure?” Abigail blew a sigh into Stella’s hand.

A throat cleared from behind Stella. John came up beside her. “You sure you’re good to go on the trek?”

Stella bobbed her head. “Yessir. I should be right as rain in no time. I’ll be your buddy for giving everyone else hell.” She giggled quietly. “Besides, I gotta get away from here for a while.” They shared a look because John knew exactly what she meant. She almost died not too far from where they were standing. A little vacation would do her well. John nodded to her and stepped back to let her mount up. He didn’t go too far just in case she fell. Kayce took a few steps closer, joining his father if Stella needed a hand.

Stella stepped forward and placed her left foot in her stirrup. She reached for the horn and tried her best to step up into her saddle without showing the mild discomfort it caused. A quiet groan escaped her barely parted lips. She bent forward to pat Abigail’s neck. “See, girl?” Stella huffed, trying to catch her breath. “Wasn’t so bad, was it?” The large mare grunted back at her as if to say, ‘not for me, but it was awful for you.’

John spotted Jamie as he trotted up to the group. John instantly moved to give him directions. He had other plans for his son in mind. “Stick that horse back in the barn.” He pointed in the building’s general direction. “Move your gear outta the bunkhouse.”

Jamie halted his horse, and his stomach twisted into knots. “Move it where?”

“The lodge.” John explained simply.

Jamie dismounted, ready for an argument. “Why?”

Stella piped up from on top of Abigail. “Uh, sir? That’s where I’m staying.”

John eyeballed his son for questioning him instead of just going with his plan. “Cause I can’t have the Livestock Commissioner living in the bunkhouse.” Jamie took off his hat and shot his dad a questioning glance. “I’ll make the appointment official tomorrow.” John panned his gaze to Stella and continued. “And I’m moving you up to the big house with Kayce.”

Stella’s jaw dropped so fast it almost came unhinged. The tightness in her chest bubbled as she gave a panicked look to Kayce, who looked just as stunned as her, if not more. “Uh, are you sure that’s a good idea, sir?”

“Damn it, how many times do I have to tell you to call me John?” He scolded her. “And god damnit why doesn’t anybody just follow my directions?”

“John, you’d kill over if any of us followed your direction blindly.” Stella’s face flattened as she pointed to Rip. “Even Rip questions you from time to time. You’re pissed about something you taught all of us to do.”

“No, it’s what Kayce has taught you to do.” John grumbled.

“Now c’mon, dad.” Kayce tried to interject, but his dad was having none of it this morning.

He pinned Stella to her spot with a look that dared her to defy him any further. “I’m moving you up to the house with Kayce. Gator will move your things before Jamie gets settled in.” John strode over to Jamie and leaned in close. “And if you betray me again? You’re dead to me son, you understand?”

Jamie nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you.” John pivoted to go get his horse, but Jamie reached out and stopped him. “Dad. I won’t betray you. You have my word.”

“Well,” John cleared his throat. “We’re about to find out what that’s worth.” The air hung heavy between the father and son as John turned back around. Stella shifted in her saddle at the unspoken threat.

The patriarch started doling out orders. “Kayce!” The aforementioned son was stepping up into his saddle. “You and Rip take the wranglers, start pushin’ the herd. We’ll be right behind. Stella, you stay with me and Lloyd.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Rip directed the wranglers.

“Keep an eye on him.” Kayce instructed his dad.

John climbed up onto Red. “You know I will.”

Kayce glanced down at his saddle and tapped the horn. “I’m uh, I’m sorry about the Commission. It’s just not me.”

John rearranged in his saddle. “You’re my son. I know exactly who you are and don’t you ever be sorry for it.” Kayce looked around and walked Tank on. Lloyd and Tate watched as the prodigal son marched away. The little boy stared at Stella with big, sad eyes.

“Are you okay, Aunt Stell?”

Stella took a breath, as deep as she could, and smiled at the youngin’. “Yeah, buddy. I’m okay.” It looked as though Tate’s shoulders dropped in relief. “You should see the other guys.” She winked at him and he smiled at her. He was comforted by the fact that she seemed like her normal self.

Lloyd peeped over Tate’s head to spot John. “We’re ready here, boss.” They observed John taking in the herd and the surrounding nature. “Nothin’ prettier on this earth.”

“It’s as free as a man can be.”

“Makes you wonder,” Lloyd moved the reins around in his hands to have a better grip. “Who’s gonna feed this world when there’s none of us left.”

John laughed. “Nobody, Lloyd. This world’s just gonna go hungry.” He spurred Red into motion. Stella would have galloped off with him but decided against it. She followed beside the cart with Abigail at a fast walk.

[thefreakymunson]

Anywhere But Here, Chapter 15

taglist: @rockautumnviking @hazzaismyreligion @iratetourist @xcatnapsx @haylaansm i@iamaslutforcoffee@tlclick73 @eclipseeetop @lullaapots @benztrip @micheledawn1975 @fuckmeupeds @edsforehead @livasaurasrex @prozacandnicotine@fuckmeupeds@shinydixon@hellfirefiend@anaisweird@spookygally@morganamoonstone@leather-n-velvet@harringtonfan4 @gaysludge @eddiemunson95 @nullampuella @hanahkatexo

A/N: We're getting close to the end!! Are you excited? Anywhere But Here Masterlist

Every day you spent with Eddie out on the road, you felt yourself being pulled deeper and deeper into the pit of endless love that was him.  The stolen moments were your favorite, the two of you traveling together in the RV  while the rest of the band traveled on the tour bus.  It was nice to have your little safe space to just be with him.  Sam had to fly back home, and you missed her, but this bonding time with Eddie meant the world to you.  Waking up to him, falling asleep next to him, getting to know the little quirks, and just listening to him talk about anything and everything. 

Your favorite things were to sit and watch him get immersed in music.  He spent so many moments, tucked away on the bed in the back, either singing a older song – mostly love ballads that made you internally melt, or writing new Corroded Coffin songs.  You loved watching him in the quiet moments, the way his face would go lax, and his mouth would form a hard line in concentration as he scribbled the words down to a song he would play later. 

His hair was in a messy low bun, guitar pressed up against his bare chest as his chin rested on the first curve on the body of the guitar, and his legs crossed underneath him. He was lost in thought, eyes glued to the paper in front of him as his hand stalled out mid thought and you watched as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. 

You liked watching him.  His face was expressive of whatever thought was going through his mind, unable to control his mouth or his expressions.  He said whatever flew through his brain and while that got him in trouble, you respected it.  Learning him had been your favorite thing – learning his moods, his expressions, his favorite things and his dislikes.  Eddie Munson had  a big heart when it came to those he loved and loved him. 

You looked down at your stomach and sighed softly.  You didn’t feel any different and you definitely didn’t look any different.  Your breasts were sore and you were hungrier than usual, but morning sickness hadn’t really affected you, thankfully.  You had been around plenty of pregnant women to know just what hormones could do to a woman.  So far, it had been easy.  The only thing that was weird was…you craved the way Eddie smelled.  Not his cologne, just him, fresh out of a shower or even sweaty when he first came off the stage. 

“Are you sniffing my shirt?” Eddie had asked quizzically one day after he walked in on your sorting out laundry to wash.

You had your nose pressed to it, taking a deep breath in.  It smelled just like him, like cigarettes and a hint of old spice, his leather jacket, and him.  It was one that he had taken off the night before – a ratty old Metallica shirt that had seen its better days, but it was one of his favorites.

“Just checking to see if it’s clean,” you said, trying to hide the embarrassment because truly, who wanted to admit to that?

“A little in-depth research, hm?” Eddie smirked.

“Stuffy nose,” you shrugged and shoved the shirt in the dirty pile. 

You didn’t see the small smile he bit his lips to suppress when he kissed the back of your head and walked back out into the front room of the RV.  It was silly and embarrassing and you didn’t want to admit that you were caught sniffing his shirt and you felt the tears prick up in your eyes because of course now, he would totally think that you’re some sort of creep who just goes around sniffing his dirty clothes.

Eddie found you a few minutes later, sitting in the middle of the bed with tears streaming down your face as you cried silently.  He frowned when he walked over and squatted down in front of you, his fingers coming up to wipe your tears away, he kissed your lips and whispered, as if he just knew:

“I don’t mind you sniffing my shirts.” He said, cupping your chin so you would look up at him, “But if you want to cuddle…you can just say so.  Is that why you’re crying?”

When you nodded, too embarrassed to actually verbally say anything, he slipped in bed behind you and pulled you against him, kicking the pile of dirty clothes to the side as he wrapped his arms tightly around you.  You pressed your nose against his bare collar bone and sighed softly, tucking yourself into him. Safe and warm.

Yeah.  You were still totally feeling normal.

For the most part.

There was a week left on the tour and nothing had been resolved between Gareth and the band.   You hadn’t seen a glimpse of Gareth since the last time him and Eddie got into an argument, but that wasn’t for you not looking.  Luckily, they were able to find a replacement pretty easily.  Eddie was right, to an extent, drummers were easily replaceable.  You could still tell Eddie was hurt.  Gareth and him had been best friends for years now.  He said it didn’t bother him, but you could tell by the look on his and the guys faces that that wasn’t the case.   They missed their friend first and their drummer second.

You were walking into the hotel by yourself, having come back from the venue earlier than the band, when you were stopped by the familiar blonde headed guy in the lobby once you rounded the corner.

“Gareth,” you said, glancing at him up and down, making sure to keep a distance.  You had your experience with addicts.

"Can we talk?" Gareth asked, shifting back and forth on his feet.  He was jonesing by the looks of it.

“What’s up?” You shrugged.

“In private?”

“I don’t feel comfortable going somewhere private with you, Gareth.  We can speak here or not at all.” You shrugged.  Guarded and protective of not only just yourself now.

He was silent for a moment as he looked around.  He crossed an arm over his chest, gripping his other bicep.  He was trembling and there was a sheen sheet of sweet over his entire face.  He was actively withdrawing.  He stepped a bit closer, his gaze down to the floor.  Guilt ravaged his face.

“I want help,” he nodded, “I want…I want to come back to the band…but I need help more.”

“You want to go to a rehab?”

“Yes,” he whispered, “I…I think I do.  Eddie kicked his addiction, you know, and I want that too.  He’s…he’s good now, I think.  I only bring him down and I don’t want that for him or for me anymore.  He’s right…I do need to grow up.”

“You really hurt him, Gareth.” You frowned, “This isn’t about him, I know, but you hurt his feelings.”

“He hurt mine, too.” Gareth nodded, “I know it doesn’t make it any easier, but…I want to make it right with him.  He’s my best friend.”

“They should be back any minute now,” you nodded, “I can get in touch with the label and have them send you to a good rehab.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course,” you nodded, “They’ll take care of you, Gareth.  But you gotta want this for yourself, too.”

“I do,” he nodded, “My girlfriend…she’s pregnant…and I want help.  I want my band back and I want help and I want…I want to do good and change my life around like Eddie has.”

“What are you doing-“ Eddie’s voice came from behind you as he walked around the corner and playfully smacked your ass.  He cut himself off midsentence when his eyes landed on Gareth standing there. “Gareth.”

“Hey, Eddie.” Gareth said.

“What’s going on?” Eddie asked, glancing between the two of you.  His demeanor had changed, and his jaw ticked – he was confused and still a little bit angry.

“He wants help,” you said, reaching down to grasp Eddie’s hand, “He wants to talk to you, too…right?”

“Yeah, man.” Gareth nodded, “I uh…I got some news yesterday and the label told me where you were staying tonight, so I just…I knew I needed to come and ask.”

“News?”

“Eliza is pregnant.” He nodded, “And I don’t want my kid to grow up with a strung-out dad.”

“Congrats, man.” Eddie nodded; his voice was flat, and he didn’t make any attempt to move closer to congratulate his friend.  Cautious as he should be. “But yeah…you need to get some help.  That baby is going to be worth it.”

“I know,” Gareth nodded, “I know.”

Eddie puffed his cheeks up and blew out a steady stream of air before he looked down at you and then up at Gareth.

“You want to come up to the room so we can actually talk?” Eddie shrugged.

Gareth nodded and swallowed as he looked over at Eddie and then at you, “Yeah.  Okay.”

You threaded your fingers through Eddie’s and lead them both up to the hotel room, hearing the small talk between the two of them, praying to whatever god existed that a fight didn’t break out between the two of them.

You unlocked the door and stepped inside, letting them both in.  You noticed Eddie kept a barrier between you and Gareth as if he needed to protect you.  It was sexy – he was sexy.

“So lets talk,” Eddie sighed softly, “What do you gotta say?”

“I’m sorry,” Gareth glanced between the two of you, “To the both of you – I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have called you a bitch, Y/N, and I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did.  I got mad because you flipped my tray and in hindsight, it’s fucking stupid.”

“It was stupid,” Eddie nodded, “But I’m sorry, too.  Bands not the same without you, man.”

“I love you, man.  You’re my fuckin’ brother and…I seen how you turned your life around and I want to do the same.” Gareth nodded, “I want to turn my life around, too.”

“It’s hard, but you can do it.” Eddie nodded, “It’s not…linear, but it’s definitely something you’ve got to do for that baby and yourself. I got to get myself back on track for Madison and the new kid.”

“New kid?” Gareth’s eyes widened.

“I’m pregnant,” you said softly, leaning against the doorframe, “7 weeks today.”

“Holy shit,” Gareth glanced between the two of you, “Are you really?”

“Yeah,” Eddie laughed softly, “She is…that’s why we were late getting to sound check before we got into that fight.”

“Eds, man.” Gareth laughed and shook his head, “Congratulations…to both of you.  Shit, I mean, that’s crazy.”

“It is,” Eddie nodded, “But ya know, it’s a good thing, too…showed me it was time to do what’s right.  I want my drummer back, Gareth…but I want my brother back, too.”

When Gareth started crying, you watched with a full heart as Eddie walked over and pulled him into a tight embrace, one hand moving to cradle the back of Gareth’s head as he cried and the other to pat his shoulder. 

“I got you, man.” You heard Eddie say before you slipped into the bathroom to give them some privacy. 

You’d put him in a room and call the rehab in the morning first thing.  For now, they needed to have a good long conversation by the sounds of it. 

                The next morning, you were in the middle of getting dressed in the bathroom when two arms wrapped around you from behind.  Eddie’s sleepy face appeared over your shoulder, moving to press sleepy kisses to your neck.  His hands rested over your stomach and you could feel his erection pressing into your lower back.

“You’re getting all dressed up,” he frowned, “You going somewhere?”

“Just felt like looking nice today,” you gave him a small smile, “That’s all.”

“You look nice every day, baby.” He whispered in your ear as his hands slid over your stomach and up to your chest, “Like a fuckin’ sin.”

“Can’t believe the tour is almost over,” You sighed softly, “And we’re going to part and never see each other ever again…it’s sad.”

“I will kidnap you and keep you in my basement,” Eddie deadpanned into your reflections, his face breaking when you started laughing.

“You don’t have a basement!” You turned to face him.

“I’ll build one especially for you, then.” He shrugged, “Never gonna let you escape, either.”

“Gonna keep me forever and ever?” You smirked as he lifted you up to sit on the counter and stepped in between your legs.

“Definitely,” he whispered before kissing your lips.   

You spent the better part of the day getting in touch with the record label and setting up transportation so that Gareth could get the help he needed.  You were sprawled out on the bed, deep in the endless lists you had to check over every day.  Eddie had stepped out to get you two something to eat and you were in the middle of cleaning your papers up when there was a knock on the door.

Moving to answer it, you found Gareth standing on the opposite side.  He was cleaner than he was previously, his blonde hair didn’t look so dingy.  The clothes, which were Eddies, seemed to drape off of him.  He needed more help than you had realized.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” Gareth looked down at you, “For…ya know, not swearing me off.  I fucked up and I’m acknowledging that.  The front desk called and told me they were here to pick me up, so…and I didn’t get to thank you last night before I left – I never got to apologize, either. Eddie got lucky when he found you and I’m happy for my brother, but I’m also happy to know you as well.  I shouldn’t have treated you like I did.  I apologize.  You’re a good person, Y/N.”

“I accept your apology, Gareth.  It’s okay, but you’ve got to get your hand on this addiction and beat it.  You’re strong, I’ve heard the stories Eddie has about you.  You’ll beat it.” You gave him a small smile, “The band misses you.”

“I miss them too, man.” Gareth sighed.  He gave you a small appreciative smile and nodded, “Okay.  So…I’ll see you back in Hawkins, yeah?”

“I think that’s the plan,” you nodded, “Take care of yourself, Gareth.”

“You too, Y/N.” Gareth gave you a small smile, “Tell Eddie I said to fuck off, yeah?”

“You got it,” you laughed softly.

He gave you a small smile and a wave as he turned and walked down the hallway.  You took a deep breath and sighed slowly as he turned the corner.  You truly hoped the best for Gareth.  He wasn’t a bad guy…he just had bad habits.

That night, when Eddie went on stage, after their preshow ritual of their huddle, he walked over to you and kissed you lips, and then in a move that completely melted you, he bent forward and pressed a kiss to your stomach. 

“Got two good luck charms with me now,” he gave you a quick wink before the band started paying and he ran off on stage.

He done that for the remaining four shows.  On the last show, on the sold-out tour, he seemed a tad bit sad.  All the guys did.  For old times sake, you decided to join the guys on the bigger bus one last time.  Walking through the tour bus while it was empty, you could vividly remember everything.

Meeting him, and the guys, on the first day.

Trying to sleep but being woken up by the sound of his guitar.

Your first kiss in the front room.

The quickies in the bathroom.

The way he’d sneak into your bunk after the other guys had went to bed.

But your favorite part was the back lounge, where you had fallen helplessly in love with him.  Thinking back, you realized it happened the night he told you about his guitar and the tape on the front.  Just watching him talk about his past, the way he sounded so beautiful when you walked in on him singing.  Your hormones riled up again and you found yourself starting to tear up, but you willed them away.  It wasn’t a sad cry.  You were sad the tour was ending.  This would be your last tour for a while.  It was bound to happen sometime or the other… but you never expected this to be the outcome.

You heard the bus’s front door open and you turned around to see them loading in, tired and sweaty from the hell of a show they put on.  They gave it their all plus fifty percent more tonight.  Eddie walked straight to the back room where he saw you standing by the door and gave you a small smile as he walked closer to you.

“Ready to go home?”

[wordynerdygurl]

Someone to Watch Over Me

Part 1:  “Love is Blind”

Author’s Note:  Do you think the Duffer’s realized what they were doing when they brought Eddie Munson to life on paper?  I don’t think so.  Because it’s been, what, nine or so months now, and I’m still all in on my favorite ne’er do well metal head.

This is my first time with an Original Character standing in for “reader”.  Just like with my reader insert fics, our OC is female and plus size. Pairing:  Eddie Munson x Plus Size OC Amanda Patterson Summary:  It’s love at first sound, pitch perfect and fated, everything in harmony.  If only life were a love song.  

Amanda and Eddie meet by chance but their connection is real.  Some night music and milkshakes maybe all it takes to show that Hawkins’ resident bad boy is worthy of love.  The kind of love a misfit like Amanda is ready to give to the right guy.  Have they each found the right someone to watch out for them? Warnings:  This is a slower burn than my usual, but I think it’ll be worth it.  There will be SMUT in additional chapters, but for now, there’s making out, eating a lot of junk food, some size shaming and self doubt.  Oh, and a character gets slapped.

“There’s a saying old, says that love is blind”

1990

“So, Eddie, how’s the tour been going?”

Pulling a long strand of dark hair over his cheek, a nervous habit he couldn’t seem to break, Eddie raised his dark eyes to the reporter asking the questions, ignoring the video camera and boom mic hovering overhead.  It took everything in him to keep the sarcastic edge in his tone to a minimum, “Well, Chuck, it’s been a helluva time.  Me and the boys, we’re just taking what comes.  It’s been fuckin’ amazing to see so many cities and of course, our fans.” “Oopsie!  Can’t curse like that, Eddie.  Can we cut around that?”  Chuck was asking some producer, talking over Eddie’s head, ignoring him all in the name of being appropriate for television.  Already he was over this whole experience.  What Eddie really wanted was to get back to the green room, have a beer or a smoke- scratch that.  And a smoke, before having to play tonight’s show.

The conversation around editing was still happening, Eddie’s interview on pause.  It gave him a minute to evaluate the man asking the questions.  Smarmy, yea, that’s the word Eddie would use for a guy like Chuck.  Hair slicked back and suit a little too colorful to be classy, the guy was cheesy as hell, but he was going to film a piece about the band.  Something for MTV to use in promos or some shit.  Eddie didn’t really care to know.  There were people for that now.  The same people who kept assuring him that there was no such thing as bad publicity.  Not when there was a nationwide tour that needed to sell tickets and t-shirts and records, so he bit his tongue and smiled sheepishly, waiting for the next question. “We rolling?  Great.  Ok, ready Eddie?” Nodding in answer, Eddie gave him the green light.  The interviewer tapped his finger against the skinny microphone in his hand, picking up seamlessly from where they had stopped earlier, “That’s good to hear.  Now, Corroded Coffin plays specifically metal but who has influenced your musical journey?  Which artists do you listen to?” Blowing out an exhale, his lips parting, Eddie thought for a minute.  “Ya know, all the greats Chuck.  I mean, I cut my teeth on Led Zeppelin.  Heart, Black Sabbath, obviously-” he rolled his eyes for emphasis, “-Iron Maiden and Metallica.  You play metal music and I’m there, man.” Chuck nodded along, agreeing with everything coming out of Eddie’s mouth, trying way too hard to seem interested.  He seemed more like a Madonna kinda guy, too caught up in the look of something to worry about its substance.  It grated on Eddie’s nerves, set his teeth on edge. “Gotcha.  So, the people want to know-” Chuck drug out the question, clearly enjoying the way he baited his interviewee, “-What is Eddie Munson’s favorite song?” Toffee colored eyes widened.  Despite the movement around him, the roadies hauling in speakers and gear, the conversations between stage crew and security guards, the clicking of boot heels on parquet flooring, Eddie could hear it.  His favorite song.  Clear and distinct, the memory a perfectly preserved bubble of sight and sound.  From over his shoulder someone coughed, bringing Eddie back to the here and now.  “Uh, sorry.  Didn’t mean to zone out there.” “Don’t worry, we’ll edit it out.”  Chuck’s hand made a motion urging him to continue. Eddie’s ring laden right hand rubbed across the skin on the back of his neck, internally debating just how real to be with his response.  In the end, Eddie told the whole truth.  He spilled one of his deeply held secrets to a douche bag with gelled back hair and a smile that was too much teeth. Looking directly into the bubbled lens of the video camera, Eddie offered up a reluctant, almost embarrassed smile, “My favorite song?  That’s a great question, man.  And, uh, ya know, I wanna say something hard rocking and fast.  But honestly?  Someone to Watch Over Me by the Gershwin brothers.” Eddie’s voice was practically a whisper at his admission.  He was ready for a ribbing.  A hard rocker like him, known for bad boy behavior and leaving a lady behind in every city?  No way Eddie Munson could possibly be a romantic at heart, right? Fully expecting a laugh from smarmy Chuck, some jab about the softness of his choice, or a comment on it being a standard, something old fashioned or behind the times.  But Eddie only heard the insipid agreement of the interviewer, “Great song.  A classic.” “Yea.  It is.”

—

1987

It had always come naturally to Amanda.  She opened her mouth and the sound just came out, warm and round, with the right amount of inflection and sweetness of tone.  Singing was what she did.  From the time she could talk, Amanda was making music, using her body as the instrument. Church choir taught her how to sight read sheet music, her voice moving up and down the scale in time with the half and quarter notes.  Learning how to let her high Soprano melt in with the other members of the chorus so that no individual could be heard over another.  Discovering the power of dynamics; an effective hushed line that built into a climaxing crescendo, the rush of belting out a powerful note with all of the choir members doing the same.  Amanda continued to discover the best ways to utilize her voice, really only ever happy when she was humming or whistling or belting out a tune. One Christmas there was a tawny wooden guitar under the tree.  She carried it with her everywhere she could.  Teaching herself the chords from a beginner’s guide until she could play “Frosty the Snowman” without stopping.  And her unquestionable love of music grew with every new song she memorized until the entire book had faded from overuse. There were high school musicals, of course.  Grease, Annie, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes.  And even if she was always the sidekick with no solo, hanging around in the back of the chorus lines, she loved performing.  Being on a stage, with the lights and excitement, the tension of anxiety turning into the power needed to propel her through the show.  Amanda lived for the thrill of it.  Something could go wrong or things could go incredibly right.  In either case, you could never truly know which way it would play out until it was happening.  Then, the curtain would fall and there would be bows and applause. Amanda loved the spotlight, absolutely and unequivocally.  Only, the spotlight didn’t love her back. Her round, full cheeks wouldn’t do to play Sandy.  The curvy, womanly figure she’d grown into wouldn’t work for Annie or Pepper or even Mrs. Hannigan.  Despite the lovely, lyrical quality to her voice, it wasn’t enough to outweigh her looks. So Amanda sang out loud and long from the back row of the chorus, her robe tight across her ample chest.  She learned the simple choreography for musical numbers and was told, “you’re so light on your feet” as if it was shocking to see.  Every year was a new chance to gain that place in the middle of the stage, singing for all she was worth for everyone to hear, but never making it due to a healthy appetite which made her soft in the places where people would rather she be firm. It was the bitterest of pills, but she swallowed it, happy just to be involved.  Pleased to have her name printed in the program as a participant even if she was living off of the scraps of lesser performers who just so happened to look prettier under the hot stage lamps.  She accepted hugs from the pretty boys who tried on singing and dancing as a way to meet girls, but wouldn’t give her a second glance.  The boys who saw her as the funny, talented friend of the group.  Always happy to drive everyone home, listen to everyone’s troubles, offering sage advice and asking for nothing in return.  That was Amanda.

All too soon, school was ending.  Over.  And college loomed in front of her, full of promise and secret worries.

She knew what she wanted, what she had always wanted.  It had never changed despite the wacky directors who hid her behind scaffolding or pushed her to the dim corners of the stage.  Amanda was on the earth to do one thing only: make beautiful music. It was, after all, her favorite thing to do. Unfortunately, it was also incredibly difficult to make a career out of, something her parents constantly felt the need to remind her about.  They only wanted what was best for her, that’s what they said anyways.  And what was best, in the opinion of Mr. and Mrs. Patterson, was a steady job as a hairdresser or nurse or preschool teacher.  Anything really to fill the gap until she met “the one”, got married and started having their grandchildren. Too bad Amanda loved the music so much more.  It had taken a lot of work, hours and hours of debating and shouting but somehow she had convinced them to let her go to school for music.  The catch?  She’d also study education.  It was a compromise Amanda was willing to make, just to get her foot in the door.  Worst case?  She’d wind up a music department chair at some high school or another, a great back up plan to her real dream: musical super stardom like Linda Rondstadt or Carol King. Only, school was expensive, especially when you were trying to make music your career.  And her parents did as much as they could, which she was incredibly grateful for, but everything cost so damn much.  So, almost broke and entirely desperate, Amanda searched around until finding a part time position at The Music Shop.  She started selling sheet music and drum sticks, auto tuners and guitar straps from a squat building painted an obnoxious shade of ocean blue that could be seen for miles in any direction. Occasionally there’d be a student in need of some musical mentoring and she’d drag out her acoustic guitar, the tawny one she kept in its cardboard case after all these years.  Showing them where to hold their fingers and how to press against the tough strings in order to get a pretty sound out of the instrument brought her a lot of joy.  It was still making music and that was enough for her between class work and socializing and generally trying to be a good person. The college classes related to music and music theory were fascinating.  Her collection of records and tapes had grown significantly.  It seemed as though every new person she talked to had a list of bands she “just had to listen to” and Amanda did. How could she ever thank her roommate’s boyfriend for turning her on to Lou Reed?  Did she live before knowing all the words to Pirates of Penzance?  How did Whitney Houston sound so incredible all of the time?

Writing a paper on the importance of Tom Petty’s ability to pen pretty lyrics, Amanda found herself surrounded by like minded musical folks.  She was invited to parties where everyone sang along to the radio, getting rowdy in the tame way theater kids everywhere are prone to do.  Drinking beers was fun.  Smoking cigarettes killed her throat through and Amanda refused to damage her instrument with nicotine like that.  Besides, she couldn’t afford them anyway. When she wasn’t studying or singing or stocking, Amanda did gig out.  Sometime during her first semester she had been approached by Jim, a cellist, Mark, a drummer and Carly, a pianist.  Having met the threesome at someone or other’s pre-Thanksgiving break bash, Amanda hadn’t realized it right away but she was casually auditioning for their band.  Not once did her size come up.  All the three seemed to care about was how quickly they could get her into a rehearsal.  They had a jazz trio and wanted someone to vocalize for them, someone with a soft tone, an easy timber that could get them playing in front of bigger crowds.  That she blended in with their group dynamic made it an easy fit and soon, the four of them were playing shows together all over the area and regularly too. Now, well into her third year at school, Amanda had a good idea of what her life was going to look like.  She would work the store, teaching a couple of private students the ways of the guitar, and sing out with the band on the weekends.  If they happened to get a wee bit drunk after a show, who could blame them?  After all, they were barely twenty and the world still had so much left to show them. At the music shop, one late September Saturday, Amanda took a minute to hang up the flier for Hawkins’ Autumn Concert Series.  Their quartet had been asked to entertain, practicing for weeks now getting the set list perfect for their biggest concert yet.  Smiling happily to herself, she gently forced the pushpin into the cork board where the typical announcements of used instruments for sale, lessons for keyboard or piano, and imploring alerts for new band members all co-existed in a colorful, clashing collage. Stepping backwards, Amanda wasn’t entirely paying attention, her mind already drifting to the highlight of the performance.  What she was going to wear, how she’d do her hair, all the little details that she liked to get right in an effort to make sure that the show went off without a hitch.  That’s how she missed the fellow who was crouched down behind her, ringed hands reaching for the Iron Maiden song book that was propped up on the bottom shelf. Her booted foot hit something solid, something that shouldn’t be in the aisle, and she turned quickly.  A blur of black leather and curls flew upwards fast.  The joint of her ankle rolled and Amanda reached out blindly, connecting with a solid wall of a person, holding on with a death grip to keep on her feet. Holy shit, did this chick have pretty eyes.  It was his first thought and boy, was it a doozy.  Eddie could see the shock clearing as worry crept in, crowding around the wide irises, her lips parted in a panicked “o”.  Clipped nails clawed into the denim vest he always wore, holding herself upright against the unfair tug of gravity, her forearms pressed tightly to his chest.  Bringing a steadying hand to her wrist, he shook his head, shyly smiling, “You alright there?  Took a bit of a tumble, didn’t ya?” Inhaling shakily, Amanda nodded dumbly, her heart still thrumming.  Still standing much too close to a stranger.  She had been certain of falling but having this, this guy break that fall, was disconcerting in an entirely different way.  “Oh, I am so sorry!  I didn’t see you, and-” “Hey, it’s ok.  No harm done, so long as you’re ok.  You are ok, right?”  There was a brief flash of concern that crossed his face, but it faded when Amanda bobbed her head at his question. She hadn’t moved.  Eddie was still looking down at her upturned face, the way her hair fell softly against her cheeks and the sweet sweep of her nose making her look about as precious as he had ever had the pleasure to see.  Eddie didn’t want to look away. For another beat they stood there, together, surrounded by score books and tutorial materials while an instrumental version of “Don’t Stop Believing” played through the store speakers.  Shifting in his Reeboks, Eddie swayed to the melody and Amanda let herself be carried along with him.  In another second, Amanda was certain that she would wrap his arms around her waist and call it a day.  Already, Eddie’s free hand was sliding towards her shoulder, another point of contact with this unknown, but very cute, man. “Yo!  Amanda?  Are you-”  Kyle’s voice cut through the force field around the pair.  At the sound of her manager’s shout she panic jumped back far enough to thud against the very cork board which held her proudly hung announcement, knocking the air out of her lungs with a grunted, “Oof!” “Jesus!  What are you doing?”  

Amanda’s eyes went wide at Kyle’s intrusion, and she pressed a hand to her chest to stop her startled heart from bursting free from the unused adrenaline, “Me?  Kyle, you scared the crap out of me!” Eddie’s head had snapped towards the interruption before pivoting back to the pretty lady he now knew was called Amanda.  His hand reached for hers reflexively, to help steady her, the same shy grin tugging at his lips.  That she took it and held it like a lifeline sent a zig-zag of energy from his fingertips straight to the muscles of his tummy which tightened at the contact. One of Kyle’s eyebrows shot skyward, his face skeptical, “What’s going on over here, anyway?”  He asked as if he already knew the answer, questioning eyes full of judgment. Amanda’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly.  What was going on back here?  She didn’t know, really. Luckily, Eddie did.  “Uh, your beautiful sales associate was just helping me find this-” holding up the song book with Iron Maiden’s logo splashed across the cover, he continued, “-and uh, then you came around the corner and, ya know, scared her half to death.” “Were you dancing?” Sneaking a quick glance her way, Eddie chuckled, “Dancing?  While she’s supposed to be working?  Naw man.  Like I said, she was helping me out.” His arms crossed over his chest, Kyle stared directly at Amanda, all but demanding her side of the story.  Running a palm up her neck, leaning into her hand, she exhaled loudly, “He’s- he’s right, Kyle.  I was just giving him, ya know, a hand.” Narrowing his eyes, not believing either of them, Kyle groaned in frustration, “Fine.  Whatever.  Just, I had a question for you.  Ya know, when you’re free?” Nodding, “Sure.  Yea, of course.  Just um-” she gestured towards Eddie, “-Give me a minute, ok?” “Yea.  Ok.”  Snorting, Kyle moved back towards the register, leaving Eddie and Amanda alone once more. Blinking those amazing eyes his way, Amanda locked her hands together to keep from touching the broad boy in front of her anymore, “So, thank you.  I’m not entirely sure what was going on, but I’m glad I don’t have to explain it to my boss.” “Right.  Well, I’m sorry for tripping you up.  Covering for you seemed like the least I could do.” Amanda heard the store’s music shift, something by Annie Lennox filling the space, and she took a tentative step away from Eddie causing him to lean forward, “Wait-” “Yea?”  Her hair swung over her shoulder, that’s how fast she spun around to face him, her stare open and curious. Nervously, Eddie bit his bottom lip as he rocked on the worn down heels of his sneakers.  For the first time in as long as he could remember he was almost unsure of what to say, “Uh, can I see you again?” Amanda didn’t laugh in his face and she didn’t shy away, both reactions he fully expected if he was honest about it.  Instead, and to his utter amazement, she reached behind her, yanking down the flier she’d only just hung up, “Absolutely.”  And she pushed the paper into his hand before scurrying toward Kyle. Shit.  He was in trouble already. Waiting just another couple of minutes, Eddie made his way to the cashier, patiently standing behind a flustered mom and her teenage son.  That the kid kept trying to get her to look at the cherry red electric guitar and amp set, already staged for Christmas, wasn’t lost on Eddie.  It’s exactly the type of gear he’d lusted after when he was young and eager, before he’d gotten his Sweetheart, and never looked back. Mind wandering, he didn’t hear her at first, “I can help you over here, sir.” Tilting his head towards her voice, Eddie took a shuffling step toward her register, “Ah, thank you, miss.” “No problem.”  But it most definitely was a problem, because Amanda couldn’t lift her gaze his way.  Not when her body rolled over hot at the memory of his chest under her fingers, his brown eyes peering down at her with sweet desire in their burnt caramel depths. Amanda punched in the code numbers, reading the price sticker and busying herself with recording the sale correctly.  “Amanda?  What’s the price for the Fender capo?” “Twelve fifty!”  It’s automatic and Eddie was astonished at how she kept focused on his sale while answering her colleague from memory. Finally, she raised her face to find Eddie’s smiling one already looking in her direction, and struggling to keep the flush of her embarrassment in control managed to ask, “Is uh, is there anything else today?” “Naw, Amanda.  I think this’ll do it.”  Giggling, a bit more timid now that she was safe behind the counter, Amanda bagged up the book and relayed the total.  Eddie pulled the bills out of his wallet, his chains clinking together musically, as Amanda made change for him quickly and precisely.  When he grabbed for the package, his fingers rested over her own for just a heartbeat, “I’ll see you soon then.  And uh, thanks for the dance, Amanda.” Stunned, all she could do was stand there, confused at the Dio patched metal head who pushed through the doorway and onto the street.  Under her breath, Amanda swore, “Fuck.  He knows my name.” —

Eddie didn’t know what he was supposed to wear to an outdoor concert in Hawkins Memorial Park at the beginning of October.  Was it a jacket and tie sort of situation?  Were jeans enough?  Was he going to stick out like a sore thumb if he was wearing a Metallica t-shirt? All of these questions and more burned through the bong ripped brain of Eddie Munson.  Pacing in front of his mirror, he fluffed his hair with his fingers, fidgety and fussing.  “Dude.  You’re fine.  What’s the big deal anyway?” Fixing Dustin with a stare that would wither lesser beings, Eddie folded down the collar of his red checkered flannel shirt, “The big deal?  I’ll tell you, Henderson.  The big deal is-” grabbing for his well used bottle of Aqua Velva and splashing a few shakes into his hands, “-I don’t wanna look like a jerk.  I want to blend in.  Just uh, enjoy some new music, and a nice night.” “Psst.  Bullshit.  Who’s the chick?” His eyes widened.  How could the little butthead know?  Eddie hadn’t said a word about the music store beauty and still, somehow, the pipsqueak was calling him out. “What chick?  Who said chick?  There’s no chick.” “Me thinks thou doth protest too much.” Pausing while he fiddled with the buttons on the sleeves of his shirt, confusion filling his face, Eddie blinked, “Wha?” “It’s Shakespeare.  You protest too much ‘cause, ya know, you’re covering up.”  Frustrated, Dustin shook his head, closing his eyes as he exhaled heavily, “Nevermind.  You’re clearly lying.  Tell me about her.  Who is she?” Looking over at his youthful friend, Eddie thought about it for a long second.  Tell Dustin about Amanda?  What was there to tell?  Shrugging safely into his shirt, Eddie bought himself some time fiddling with the buttons.  “Uh, well.  I don’t really know her all that well.  We, literally, bumped into each other at the music shop when I was picking up my new bible.”  He was now entirely focused on his hair which had decided to go fluffy.  Disgusted at what he saw, looking more pampered poodle than suave rocker, Eddie continued to run his hands through the curls as he chatted with his sidekick, “She’s uh-” “Pretty?” Dropping his gaze to the top of his dresser, Eddie’s cheeks colored at the word, “Yea.  So cute.  And, she seems smart.  Funny, ya know?” Nodding, Dustin came up behind his friend, plucking a stray hair from his shoulder, “Sounds pretty damn perfect, man.” “I’m sure there’s a catch.  There always is when it comes to women.”  Eddie couldn’t help trying to keep his excitement in check.  It was better to set his expectations low.  Less likely to hurt so bad when someone disappointed him and people always seemed to be disappointing Eddie Munson. Catching his older friend’s eye in the mirror, Dustin offered up a toothless smile, “I don’t know, man.  Maybe she’ll surprise you?” —

People were scattered around the park.  Some hovered near benches, others sat on blankets and a lucky few used their lawn chairs, dragged from home, all to get a good view of the small stage where the quartet would be performing tonight.  It was exciting. Amanda had unpacked her mic and cord, scatting a bit so that the guys could get a level on her voice and ensure a balanced sound through their mixing board.  She didn’t really understand all the technicalities, but in the end it helped make sure that they all sounded as good as possible, so Amanda played along.  “Testing one, two, three- testing one, two, three.  Can y’all hear us out there?” A smattering of claps and one enthusiastic “Woo hoo!” met her question.  Carly’s electric piano came next, banging out a couple of chords, before Jim slid his bow across the strings of his bass.  Not to be excluded, Mark took a couple of rim shots, making them all laugh. Now all that was left was waiting for the start of the show.  Seven o’clock and one of the town’s cultural council staff members used her microphone to blab about why they were hosting this event and to welcome Amanda and the band.  The lawn had filled in a bit, more people milling around which was always a good sign, so Amanda took a deep breath before greeting everyone, “Good evening everyone!  We’re the Indiana Four and we’re going to play for you tonight.  If you like what you hear, there’s a tambourine-” jingling the instrument to get everyone's attention, Amanda added, “-and I’ll leave it right here, in case you wanna put a little something in it!”

It was still too early for a full on sun set, but the sky didn’t know it.  Painted in bold streaks of orange that melted into petal pink due to the rays of the sinking sun, it created a warm glow which outlined everything around them with a gilded golden edge.  The moon was already a ghostly crescent barely visible in the rainbow tinted ether when Amanda let her voice rise into the oncoming night.  Mark counted them in with a broad smile in her direction and Carly’s piano joined the swell of music.  The deeper bass notes of Jim’s cello grounded the opening strains of their first song.  Amanda gently shut her eyes, letting her body feel every word of the song she was singing, just like she would do at home in her shower or behind the wheel of her tiny car.  Unaware of herself and completely at ease, letting her instrument, her voice, blend into the melody the four of them created together. Eddie was never going to get over the sound of her voice.  Sweet and soaring, she seemed to change the quality of its tone depending on the song, always leaving him guessing.  Which version of this lady was going to sing next?  A sultry vixen, heart broken and mournful?  The shy ingenue, new to love?  A plaintive bard, looking for answers?  Or some new character created to enchant him with only the power of her voice? In between songs, Amanda smiled brightly, joking with the people gathered and teasing her band mates playfully.  It made the entire concert feel comfortable- easy.  Like the folks who came down to see them were in on the funniest joke.  All one big, happy family who simply wanted to share music on a random October evening in the middle of Indiana. “Ok everyone, you’ve heard us sing a little of this and a little of that-” wrapping her hands around the microphone, Amanda pulled the silver stick closer, “-but now we’re going to do a favorite of mine, if that’s alright.” At the opening strains from the piano, a couple, older with matching graying hair, stood in front of their chairs and started swaying together, wrapped in each other’s arms.  Amanda’s lips spread in a wide smile pointed in their direction as she started, “There’s a saying old, says that love is blind. Still we’re often told, seek and ye will find. So, I’m gonna seek a certain lad I’ve had in mind.” Moving from the lamp post he had been leaning against, no longer content to watch from the shadows, Eddie stepped directly into Amanda’s line of sight.  She saw him.  How could she miss the leather wrapped, long haired guy who was peering straight into her soul?  And she wanted to look away, give someone, anyone else in the assembled listeners, her attention, but Amanda found that she couldn’t.

Had she expected him to be there?  Shaking her head for the crowd to see answered her own thoughts.  No, Amanda had no idea that the metal loving smooth talker would actually come to seek her out.  But, she had thought about it in the small moments between guitar lessons or while driving to her classes in the morning.

So, no.  Seeing Eddie stand there, bold as brass with his wide eyed stare and his hands in his pockets was not what Amanda had been expecting.  Hoped for, maybe.  Wished for, absolutely.  Reality though was better than anything her mind might have considered. “Looking everywhere, haven’t found him yet He’s the big affair I cannot forget, Only man I ever think of with regret.” Eddie swallowed hard.  The words she was singing wrapped around him on the night’s breeze and held on tight.  It was as if they were having a conversation that no one else could decipher, a conversation for only two. “I’d like to add his initials to my monogram, Tell me, where’s the shepherd for this lost lamb?” And she sounded lost.  Abandoned.  Alone.  Exactly like the type of person that Eddie was collecting for Hellfire or the band.  A person who needed someone like him to shield them from the big bads in life.  A guy who could protect her from the sort of wolves that a shepherd like him knew about all too well. “There’s a somebody I’m longing to see, I hope that he turns out to be Someone to watch over me.”

She was singing just to him.  Only Eddie.  There was no one else to look at, no one else who could understand or appreciate what the lyrics demanded.  “I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood, I know I could always be good To one who'll watch over me”

Eddie felt his smile slide into place.  It wasn’t the wide, dimpled, open grin that showed off his teeth and let you know he was happiest.  No, this smile was small, secret.  It drew his pretty pink tongue over the plush swell of his lips, something Amanda could see from a distance.  Then, just to be coy, his pearly top teeth bit into the pillow cushion of his bottom lip, teasing her from her position on the small stage. Even from this far away, Amanda could see that he had made an effort.  A shirt with a collar was buttoned across his chest, all red and black squares that looked soft and broken in.  Sure, it was still under his leather jacket, but the denim vest must have been left somewhere safe, because he wasn’t sporting the pins and patches that she remembered from their first encounter.  Jeans, dark blue or was it black?  She couldn’t really tell, but it didn’t entirely matter.  Either way, they fit snugly around his thighs and only sported a single torn knee.  The threads stretched across his joint, frayed and begging to be played with. His hair was wild.  It fell in waves of dark tendrils, looking to all the world like no care had been taken in its shaping and styling.  Amanda stretched the fingers of her right hand, the one not holding her mic, imagining how Eddie’s curls would feel wrapped around her fingers. He saw it all.  The way her hand fisted at her side before trailing up the chord of her microphone, tangling the slack in her fingers.  How Amanda let every note have its own moment before the next one rose to join it. “Although he may not be the man some girls think of as handsome, To my heart, he carries the key”

Eyes fluttering shut, Amanda took a breathy inhalation as the melody shifted, daring to break the spell by denying herself the sight of Eddie in the crowd.  Her heart thumped in time with Mark’s gentle drumming, thick hips swaying without her conscious approval, the crowd around her all but forgotten.  Sliding back to the original cadence, the song swelled up and out of Amanda, nearing the end. “Won't you tell him please, to put on some speed, Follow my lead, oh, how I need, Someone to watch over me”

Eddie was transfixed.  There was only him and Amanda and her voice and the falling sun burnishing everything rose golden in the fading light.  He caught the way her skirt curled happily at her ankles with every shift of her feet.  The way her mouth formed around the lyrics.  How her chest rose and fell with each expressive stanza. The words repeated: “Won't you tell him please, to put on some speed Follow my lead, oh, how I need Someone to watch over me”

Amanda let her eyes flutter open.  Closer now, unavoidable and un-ignorable, Eddie was standing directly in front of her.  The final note, held until her lungs burned from want of air, faded into the ether and she winked at him.  She couldn’t help it, really. Not when she had somehow managed to carry on as if the most handsome guy Amanda had ever bumped into wasn’t staring straight into her soul as she sang.  Not when every note was rich and ripe and reverberated across the people packed plaza even if, presently, she sang solely for an audience of one. Applause.  Clapping and whistling came from every corner of the park, jostling Eddie’s attention.  From the stage, Amanda giggled at his reaction, but smoothly covered her response, “We are just so grateful that you all came to see us tonight.  So-” tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a shy smile pointed in Eddie’s direction, she continued, “-we’re going to do one more song before we say goodnight.” She didn’t look at Eddie at all this time.  Amanda wasn’t even sure she could, not after the intensity of singing, to him, for him.  But she could tell he was there all the same, with his elbows bending outward like leather wrapped wings, nervous energy causing him to bounce on his toes in time with the music.

The new melody started and Amanda let it take her away too.  This number is lively, the rhythm more rock than jazz, and she gave herself permission to have a little fun, show off a little bit.  Still, she actively ignored the one set of eyes that didn’t seem to stray from her own through their final song. Soon enough, it was all over and the Indiana Four began breaking down.  A few friendly folks from the audience came up and said kind words.  Luckily there were a few dollars in the tambourine and Amanda happily handed the take to Carly, “Not so bad.” “Not bad at all-” But her friend stopped mid sentence, a voice familiar and still foreign cutting through the conversation, “Um, excuse me?  Amanda?” Turning around, Amanda was surprised to find Eddie so close that the toes of her boots brushed against his Reeboks.  She looked up at him through the curtain of her mascara, “How can I help you?” Now her voice was breathy.  Husky.  And it made Eddie’s skin prickle hotly.  “Uh, I just wanted to tell you- all, tell you all just how much I enjoyed your set.” Only, Eddie never looked past Amanda’s face.  Couldn’t really.  Not when her wide eyes were staring into his own, their long lashes accentuating her curious gaze, her head tilted in a way that showed sincerity.

His calloused palm rubbed against the back of his neck, nerves getting the better of him the longer that Eddie stood there.  It felt like hours.  Long, silence filled hours where no one spoke and he dangled from a weak branch of his own social awkwardness. In reality it was only seconds before Amanda giggled like a crushing school girl, dropping her gaze to break the spell she had unwittingly cast, “Well, that’s awfully kind of you…?” Clearly she was prompting him.  It was unfair that she was at the disadvantage of not knowing his name when he had learned hers through the forced politeness of the customer service industry.  Behind her, Carly snorted as they watched Eddie extend a heavy ringed hand, taking Amanda’s in his own.  Raising it high enough to press a chaste kiss to the back, adding a saucy wink for good measure as he answered, “Eddie.  I’m Eddie.” “Eddie.”  Amanda wasn’t aware that she’d whispered it out loud until her friend was reaching past her, extending her own hand Eddie’s way for a greeting, using her flirty voice to try and charm the very handsome, very out of place guy, “Carly.  That’s me.  And-” dropping her hand when Eddie failed to take it, Carly laughed ruefully, “-you don’t care.” Carly was absolutely right.  Neither one of them paid her any attention because the world as Amanda knew it no longer existed.  Not anymore. There was a new sun, a new sky.  One with raven curls and plump, pink lips.  A center of the galaxy that smelled like Aqua Velva and cinnamon gum and something mossy green.  The world had shifted off its axis, tipping her right into the arms of Eddie Munson. For Eddie, well, he had been gone from the second Amanda had tangled herself around him so tightly that she’d almost fallen.  But it was amazing to recognize that these feelings he was having were mutual.  He got shy then, toeing at the patch of grass in front of her, hands in his pockets while he played at casual, “Wanna get outta here?” Nodding wordlessly, Amanda agreed, only to realize her unspoken intention.  “Yea!  Uh, yes.  Yes.  That would be nice.” When Eddie cocked his chin up, the smile on his face was dazzling, “Excellent.”

— She was sure that she told the band where she was going and who she was leaving with, but Amanda couldn’t be certain.  It felt like so long ago.  An age had passed since she had been standing on the simple stage, singing for all of Hawkins to hear.  Since then, the long ago days of the early evening, so much had happened. Eddie had held her hand as he walked her to his van, holding open the door and ensuring that Amanda was tucked safely inside.  Boys didn’t do that- not for Amanda Patterson.  Not for the chubby girl who still had her baby weight to lose. When he caught her nibbling worriedly at her bottom lip, Eddie asked pointedly, “Everything alright?” “Uh, yea, I just-” “Afraid I’m trying to kidnap you, huh?  I get it.  Vans do have a-” he waggled his eyebrows suggestively while pressing the tip of his tongue to the center of his top lip, “-certain reputation.  But I promise you, Amanda.  No funny business.”  With one hand over his heart, Eddie extended the other, holding his pinky finger out. She recognized the gesture.  Every school aged kid would.  “Is that- are you making a pinky promise?”

His cheeks split into a solar powered smile as he nodded, “Oh, yes.  Absolutely.  And it’s ironclad, since, ya know, we link our little fingers.” Chuckling with her whole body, her shoulders lifted as Amanda agreed by reaching out her own pinky, “Ok, ok.  No funny business.”

They wrapped their littlest fingers around the other, huffing out laughs like naughty children.  And it did comfort any nagging fears that might have flooded Amanda’s mind because it was so silly.  So unexpected.  It was also entirely sincere. Roaring to life like a beast roused from slumber, the van started and Eddie shifted into gear, “Are you, by any chance, hungry?”

He was hoping against hope that she was because Eddie wasn’t ready to say goodnight.  Not now when he finally had this beautiful songbird buckled into the passenger’s seat, looking at him with those electric eyes.  Eyes that kept pulling him in anytime he dared glance Amanda’s way, now fully focused on him and beaming. Normally a question like that would be fully loaded for a young woman very aware of her size and stature, but for the first time and without any hesitation, Amanda answered without reservation, “Starved.”

Exhaling through a grin, Eddie shook his hair off his shoulders, “Then let’s go!” The drive to the diner was filled with chatter.  He offered kind words about the band, the concert and her vocals.  “You, you’re just incredible.  Never heard someone sing like that before.” “Thanks, but truthfully, Carly and Mark and Jim, they make me sound better.”  Amanda did that thing where she deflected the words, the attention, to anyone else in order to minimize herself.  What she didn’t count on?  Eddie’s ability to see right through her. Blowing his bangs off his face, Eddie swiveled to face Amanda, his tone finally serious, “Uh uh.  Nope.  No way.  You’re gonna have to accept that you’re the star of the show, sweetheart.”  Then, he leaned over the center console, right into Amanda’s personal space to bump her shoulder with his own, “Please, take the compliment.” Her jaw snapped shut, hands in her lap where Amanda fooled around her with fingernails, fidgeting.  She swallowed thickly and bobbed her head, her voice gaining strength.  “You’re right.  I, uh, I appreciate you saying that.” “No problem at all, hun.  I’m only telling the truth.”  That’s when she noticed his little finger wiggling her way, “Pinky promise.” — Normally Amanda would frown at the idea of a booth.  They tended to be a tight squeeze, embarrassingly so when she’d have to slide across the bench, her supple thighs sticking to the tacky pleather. She desperately did not want to be embarrassed in front of the forthright dude in front of her. But Amanda didn’t need to worry.  Eddie, lacing her hand in his, tugged her to the back table, “My usual spot- out of the way and the most comfortable one in the place.” Deep and roomy, the color of jellied cranberry sauce from a can, the cushion was accommodating because of its indeterminate age.  She plopped onto the seat with room to spare, more than a little relieved, “Oh yea?” “Yea.  I’ve been breaking it in for years.” Cocking her head in a way that made Eddie’s breath hitch, a clever half teasing smile curling one corner of her mouth higher than the other, Amanda joked, “So you bring all your women here, then?” The deep barking laugh that came straight from Eddie’s chest made an elderly gentleman sitting at the countertop turn around with a scowl.  “All my women?  You make me sound like a lothario.” “Mr. Goodbar?  Is that you?”  She squinted her eyes, leaning into the bit. “Oh, Mandy, honey.  I am nowhere near that good with the ladies.” “I don’t know.  You’re doing pretty good with me, so far.”  And it was out of her mouth like a runaway rocket.  There was no way to pull it back, no way to reign it in.  It was there- out in the ether, like a comet bound to crash through the atmosphere. Amanda froze because now she’d done it.  She had pointed out her interest, revealed herself as wanting, knowing that any other time she had dared to give voice to her attraction it had always been met with let down and heart ache.  The embarrassment boiled through her. God, she had wanted so badly to play it cool.  To ensure that Eddie was really into her before making any kind of declaration that couldn’t be passed off as a joke.  Stewing, Amanda waited for the inevitable rejection from the man far prettier and sexier than she should ever hope to have for her own. But instead of a dismissive shrug or, worse, a comment about liking her as a ‘just friend’, Amanda got to watch as Eddie’s eyes lit up joyfully.  He couldn’t hide it either, apparently, since his smile widened enough to show off a pair of precious dimples, “Yea?  Ya think so?  That’s- uh, that’s good to hear.” Something about his own reckless enthusiasm caused the flood of worry to ebb away, leaving Amanda filled with a warm, gooey sensation that was not as familiar.  Could it be?  Was this what mutual attraction felt like?  Was this what love songs had been selling for generations and greeting card companies were always trying to find new ways to describe?  Was this… love? “Hey lovebirds, what can I get ya?”  It is a universal law that wait staff appear at the table when it is least convenient and this interruption by Cheryl ensured that all was right with the cosmos, her tiny pencil poised and ready to write. They had spent no time reading the menu, but Eddie had it memorized cover to cover.  Looking at Amanda, he nodded, “So, uh, do you trust me?” Again, her head tilted, appraising this nearly perfect stranger with the gorgeous grin and shaggy hair.  “Uh huh, yea.  I trust you.  Why do you ask?” Licking over his lips, he turned all of his unfiltered attention to their waitress, dialing the charm up to eleven, “Hiya Cheryl!” “Hi yourself, Eddie.  What’s it gonna be?”  There was a familiarity there that spoke of too many late night coffee cups and slices of pie.  It wasn’t friendly, really, but it was warm enough and Eddie’s puppy dog eyes moved the conversation into safer waters. “Hmm… patty melts.  Two please, with the curly fries, ok?” A curt nod answered his request, “Yea, and to drink?” He looked at Amanda, that impish twinkle shining bright in his cinnamon dark eyes, “Milkshakes?” “Oh!  Yes!  Vanilla for me, please.”  She beamed at Eddie, excitement at the consideration evident in Amanda’s face. “And I suppose you want chocolate, right Eddie?” Cheryl lifted her gaze from the scribble filled notepad to stare down at Amanda’s dinner companion. Placing his ring covered hand over his chest, Eddie batted his eyes, “You know the way to my heart, Cheryl.” Snorting approvingly at his antics, she jotted down Eddie’s preferred flavor, “All right kids, be right up.” And she wasn’t kidding because before either of them could let the silence grow, two tall and frosty milkshake glasses were being slid across the glittering formica, each topped with a mound of whipped cream and a luscious, over sweet cherry as a crown.  A pair of straws were tossed down without much thought and Amanda greedily grabbed one, eager to taste the delectable treat in front of her. “So, tell me about you.  What do you- like, what do you do for fun?”  Eddie was toying with his straw’s paper wrapper, making small talk and working hard at looking effortless.  He hadn’t been out like this, with a girl he was so into, in ages.  Maybe ever, really, and he was rusty, more than a little out of practice. Amanda swirled her own straw through the thick vanilla shake in front of her, biting into her bottom lip before replying, “Well, I work.  A lot.”  “At the Music Shop?” She shrugged, “Yup.  But it’s not all restocking sheet music and replacing guitar strings.  I teach-” “Like guitar?”  Something about the prospect was so exciting.  A fellow musician to noodle around with and she just happened to have the voice of an angel?  Was this paradise found, or what? Amanda nodded at his eager response, “Yea.  Also some keyboard, like, really beginner piano, ya know?” Eddie slurped at his chocolate shake, brain going a mile a minute.  Shaking his long hair off his shoulders, nearly gawking, he clicked his tongue before sighing deeply, “It’s not really fair.” Worry filled Amanda’s features.  Had she done something wrong?  It had all been going so well, maybe too well?  “What’s not fair?” Rapping his ringed knuckles against the tabletop before pointing her way, “You.  You’re like, too good to be true.” Shy now, Amanda turned away from his kindness, his honeyed praises, and fiddled nervously with the pendant of her necklace.  It wasn’t something she had a ton of experience with; flirting and compliments and genuine appreciation.  If she was on a stage, under a white hot spotlight, Amanda would know exactly what to say, what to do, but here on the worn out bench seat of a small town diner, Amanda found herself unmoored by all the attention Eddie was sending her way. “Oh, that’s like- I mean, I’m not-” she let her voice trail off, suddenly transfixed by something outside of the plate window. “Hey-” Eddie laid his hand, palm up, on the worn down table, his voice dropping to a whisper.  He’d said something to upset Amanda because she had taken those brilliant peepers away and that felt wrong on a primal level. “-Amanda?  Did I- uh, shit.  Did I do something, ya know, wrong?  Shit.” There was something in the defeated sound of Eddie’s expletive that brought her around.  She saw his open hand, still laying on the table and cautiously linked her fingers with his.  But she still could not meet his questioning look.  Twirling one of those big, heavy rings around his large and frankly, distracting fingers, Amanda finally huffed out a lungful of air. “I guess I should like, be honest here and tell you that I’ve never really done this.”  She motioned between the pair of them with her unoccupied hand as if that alone would explain her behavior. Eddie squeezed her fingers for a second, a trace of teasing in his tone when he asked, “Had dinner in a shitty diner?” Rolling her eyes skyward, she snorted out a small laugh, “No.  Well, kinda?  I mean, I haven’t really had a-” she let her eyes lock onto Eddie’s maple brown ones, holding him still, “-a date.  I, uh, never really had anyone, ya know, wanna take me out.  So, this is new.  For me, anyway.” Eddie could see what the admission cost her.  The once pleased smile now turned just a little pouty as her bottom lip puckered from the effort of opening herself up.  Her chest rose and fell rapidly as if she couldn’t keep the air inside her for too long, but perhaps the most telling was the way that Amanda’s hand clung tightly to Eddie’s. For a long second neither one of them said anything.  The kitchen crew could be heard, banging around pots and plates.  Another couple in a nearby booth was laughing loudly.  The radio was tuned to the oldies station so everyone could listen to Sam Cooke singing about Cupid. And when Amanda realized that Eddie wasn’t going to respond, she sat up, stiffer than before, readying to take her hand with her.  But Eddie closed his fist around her fingers, keeping his hold on her and tugging her gently forward, a pained pinch obvious in his voice, “Me either.” “What?” He closed his eyes and swallowed thickly, “I don’t date.  Uh, that often.”  Popping one eye open, just to see if Amanda was still with him, Eddie continued, “Um, I’ve got a bit of a, well, a reputation.  And for some reason, the ladies around here aren’t into that.” Shooting for levity, Eddie hoped to lighten the mood.  Moments like this, where he was on display emotionally, where he was open and vulnerable, made him nervous.  Anxious.  Twitchy.  It was fucking scary to be sitting here with this pretty bird and tell her how much of a disaster he really was with no bravado to use as armor.  And if Amanda wasn’t already heading for the hills, there was no way he would be able to stop her now. “It’s the van, isn’t it?  All the people you’ve attempted to kidnap, right?”  At her gentle jest, both of Eddie’s eyes popped open.  She was still there, sitting sweetly behind her melting shake, a tentative twist of her lips making it impossible for Eddie to stop imagining what kissing her would be like and he felt himself nodding with a hoarse giggle, relieved, “Yea.  That’s, uh, that’s it.  I’m just a creepy metal head with a super creepy van.” “You probably have candy too and uh, puppies?  For the luring of innocents?” “Of course.  What’s a kidnapper without his bait?”  “A weird guy with an empty van?”  And that absolutely shitty punchline was enough to send them both into a giggle fit, shattering any lingering tension created by being a touch too honest in the moment.  There would be a better time to talk about deep dark secrets and the reasons why two lonely people could find comfort in each other, but this wasn’t it. When Amanda pulled her hand back this time, Eddie let it go.  She used her napkin to dab under her eyes, clearing away the tears that laughing together had created.  Then she was dipping down to slurp at her creamy concoction, grinning, “This is so good!” “Right?  But, I gotta say, vanilla is-” “What?  What’s wrong with vanilla?”  Shaking his head with a laugh, Eddie raised his eyebrows, “Vanilla is kinda boring.” “It is not!”  Scalded by his choice of words, Amanda leaned over their shared table at the diner, motioning him closer.  When she was near enough for her now vanilla scented breath to skate across Eddie’s mouth, Amanda husked, “Vanilla is smoky.  Sweet.  It’s hard to grow, super hard to harvest and while there are many imitators out there.  Real vanilla.  The good stuff?  Well, that shit would rock your world.” Amanda, feeling bolder, pushed in tighter despite the formica between them, continuing in a hushed tone.  “And Eddie-” her voice dropped even lower, forcing him to concentrate on every word leaving her tenderly parted lips, lips that smelled like bourbon and sugar and cream.  Lips that Eddie wanted to taste so badly that he was sure he was going to go mad, right here in the goddamned diner, before their burgers ever made it to the table.  Lips that begged to be kissed stupid, carried on, unaware of his rising desire, “-never forget this: chocolate needs vanilla to taste so damn good!”  Sitting back, pleased as punch now that her point was made, Amanda slurped down another sip of her vanilla shake.  Eddie needed a minute.  Or seven.  He was still almost lying chest down on the booth’s table, having to cock his head up to look at the vanilla loving vixen gloating over him.  Spreading his broad hands over the tabletop, Eddie dramatically pushed himself back into his seat, eyeing Amanda warily, acting contrary for the fun of it.  “It’s a good story, kid.  But I’m still not convinced about vanilla’s superiority.  Maybe-”  He was pushing his luck, he knew it.  God, but he knew it only too well.  She’d admitted to being new to all this, inexperienced, but still, fortune favors the bold, isn’t that what some famous person had said once?  Amanda, unknowingly, waited for his follow-up, her mouth wrapped around the striped straw, her cheeks round and smiling, “Maybe?” Leaning onto one leather wrapped elbow, Eddie reclaimed the space at the center of their table, “Maybe I need to taste it again?” She’s confused.  Yea, definitely, confused.  So Amanda moved, ready to slide her icy half filled glass his way.  But Eddie shook his head slowly and waved her forward until their foreheads were almost pressed together.  That’s when he cupped her cheek, gently, softly and Amanda, powerless to stop her body, nuzzled into the warmth there. It felt natural.  Right.  Easy.  And there was no way that Amanda was going to deny herself this little bit of pleasure being offered so openly. If what Eddie had admitted was true, and the way his eyes had scrunched gave her a pretty good idea that it was, then he was in uncharted waters himself.  Something about that idea, that they were both in this raging waterfall of connection together made it safer somehow.  It made it easier to shut her own eyes and enjoy the calloused caresses of Eddie. Eddie slid his thumb over her plush bottom lip which parted without question, “Wanna taste you.  That alright, Mandy?” God, did she like being called Mandy.  She bobbed her head ‘yes’, her eyes shut from the want, already anticipating Eddie’s movements.  But he surprised her again, asking- no, telling, “Open your eyes, baby.  Please?” And only when Eddie could spy the blown open pupils of his dinner companion did he allow his mouth to surge forward.  His slightly chapped lips separated enough for his tongue to sweep across Amanda’s own and he was rewarded with a sultry sigh.  It made Eddie braver.  Bolder.  

Now he was intrepid in his search for the flavor of vanilla, teasing and taking a taste of every muggy corner of her mouth.  His tongue brushed against her own, the fresh flavor of vanilla sweetness everywhere.  Heady and exotic and exciting.  Amanda tipped her chin downward, ready to deepen this first kiss that arched over forgotten milkshakes and the paper napkins wrapping up their silverware, tentatively running the tip of her tongue over Eddie’s teeth.  Traces of chocolate and the syrupy sweet cherry from the top of his treat lingered on Eddie’s lips making Amanda hum harmonically.  Her fingers fisted into the collar of his flannel shirt, ensuring that Eddie couldn’t escape, at least, not without effort. But she wasn’t worried.  When his second hand molded to the curve of her other cheek, Amanda couldn’t avoid smiling, knowing that Eddie was as into this as she was.  As far as first kisses went, this one was ranking pretty high on the list of all time greats and both were reluctant to pull away first. “Ahem!  AHEM!  I have your order.” Two heads turned toward the intruding voice of the bored and bordering on disgusted server Doris but Eddie and Amanda didn’t jump apart like a couple of randy teens might have.  Oh no, Amanda leaned further into the cup of Eddie’s palm, offering their put upon server a small smile, dazed and almost drunkenly, “Hmm, thank you so much.” Eddie would have rather died than forfeit the pleasure of her trusting touch.  With his free left hand he reached for one of the two plates, “Here, lemme have that.” “Whatever.”  Without any further ceremony, Doris, because that’s what her name tag read, plopped both heavy ceramic dishes to the table, “Need anything else lovebirds?” Amanda lifted her head slowly, licking over her bee stung lips and nodded towards the pink cheeked shaggy headed boy still draped across their booth, “Uh, yea.  Could we have another vanilla shake, please?  It’s his favorite flavor.” Chuckling, Eddie let his broad thumb with the bitten down nail graze over the apple of her cheek, speaking to Doris but only looking at Amanda, “Two cherries, huh, Doris?” Rolling her elderly eyes, the waitress shook her head, “Right away.” Steam rolled off the two cheeseburger melts and stacks of seasoned french fries but they remained huddled as close at the table between them would allow.  Cocking his eyebrow, Eddie couldn’t help the teasing, “My favorite, huh?” “Oh yea.  You’re a convert now.” Settling back reluctantly, Eddie smirked your way, “Ever think that you’re my favorite flavor?” He was rewarded with a small kiss pressed to the inside of his wrist and what he realized was a trademark tilt of her head, “I told you that everything tastes better with vanilla, Eddie.” “Yea, you sure did.”  Biting into his burger, Eddie grinned through the grease on his face, sure he had never been happier in his short life.  And if the triumphant smirk Amanda flashed his way proved anything, she felt the exact same way.

— The second their empty plates had been cleared away, Eddie’s hand naturally kind of reached for Amanda’s, needy and greedy for the reassurance of touch.  Just as natural, Amanda slotted her fingers between his, “I gotta say, Eddie, that was a pretty amazing burger.” Pleased at the recognition, Eddie squeezed her digits for a second, “Thanks for trusting me.”  And then he seemed to realize the full implication of his statement.  Thanks for trusting him on the drive over.  Thanks for trusting his judgment about the restaurant and not just his menu choices.  Thanks for trusting his intentions. Her eyes rounded at the sentiment, giving Eddie a flash of sympathy before leaning into a flirty smile, “I had to.  You did pinky promise me that there would be no funny business and that’s ironclad.  At least, that’s what I’ve been led to believe.” “God, you remember everything, huh?”  But he sounded impressed.  Happy that she hadn’t lingered on his more revealing comment. Nodding, Amanda agreed, “Yea, I mean, I kinda have an ear and it’s always been easy for me to memorize stuff.  Lyrics, melodies, lines from movies-” Leaning forward again, engaged and interested, Eddie licked over his bottom lip, “No shit?” “No shit!” Eddie couldn’t help it.  He let his eyes roam over the pretty face in front of him, etching all of the details into his own memory, vowing never to forget the greasy sweet shine of her lips around the red striped straw or how she folded her disposable napkin up primly before laying it across her dinner plate.  The way Amanda’s hand felt so right in his and how her mouth tasted like vanilla ice cream with a trace amount of menthol throat drop lingering along her teeth. Eddie needed to remember it all for later.  For tonight when he went back to his trailer, like a gentleman.  For tomorrow or the day after or the day after that.  For all the days that would spread between this time together and the next time Eddie would be able to see her.  He was going to live off the sound of Amanda’s begrudging laugh when he made a joke that was funnier than it had any real right to be.  He planned to survive on the nourishment of her sugared sighs when those perfect, plump and pouty lips had welcomed Eddie’s own.  It was food for his soul.  Essential for life like oxygen or water. “Uh, Eddie?”  Amanda’s quiet question yanked him out of his own head and back into the present moment. He tugged the forward chunk of his hair between his long fingers, embarrassed at being caught, “Hmm?”  “You’re, uh, staring.” “Yea.  Sorry about that.  It’s just-” “Do I have something on my face?”  Panicked, Amanda patted at her cheeks to find the non-existent stain. And how could he help himself?  “Oh, yup.  A little higher.  No, lower- uh, nope, other side.  It’s right there-” he directed her wildly, pointing at the corner of his mouth to watch Amanda lick the same spot of her own, “-almost.  How do you keep missing it?” “You little shit!”  It was suddenly crystal clear that Eddie was full on fucking with her.  There never had been anything on her face. “What?  You got it.  Just now.”  Eddie’s impish grin made it impossible for Amanda to be truly mad so she settled for shooting him a playfully spiteful glare, “Uh huh.  Yea, sure.” His thumb rubbed along the side of her pointer finger, the gentle drag a grounding reminder of Eddie’s unwavering presence.  Amanda rested her chin against the flat of her right palm before sighing deeply, “What am I gonna do with you, Eddie?” Reflexively, re-actively, he answered, “Whatever you want, baby.” It was Amanda’s turn to stare.  There was an open honesty in the hot coffee color of Eddie’s eyes that hooked her right through the heart and tugged like a caught fish on a rusty lure.  He was being serious, there was no denying it. Around them the air shifted.  It was no longer funny.  It was no longer polite. The world narrowed once more, big enough for only the two of them and the dingy diner booth where they sat as everything else fell away. Her throat tightened and a lick of heated flame unfurled through her belly.  Words flooded her thoughts but Amanda couldn’t seem to settle on the ones that would say what she wanted desperately to express.  Eddie’s seemingly simple declaration had untethered her. Because it was too soon to speak with such clarity of purpose.  Too early for the implication of more to be made.  And yet, for the first time, Amanda saw the ghostly shape of possibility in the earnest expression Eddie wore. There was a promise there, stronger than one created when two little fingers linked, and something about that was spooky.  Scary.  Only, Amanda didn’t feel frightened like she thought she should, shrugging smoothly, “I- I wanna stay with you.” That was her truth, in the singular sparkling now.  Leaving Eddie, even for the comfort of home, was a thought so daunting, so disruptive, that she was actively moving against it.  Everything in Amanda Patterson said ‘stay’.  Eddie’s head bobbed in understanding.  He had no intention of letting the night end so early and without any plan in place for a follow-up rendezvous.  At Amanda’s declaration, he’d changed the grip of her hand, turning it so that their palms touched, textured heat melding together.  

He’d be lying if he denied the libidinous way his blood shot south at the whispered want in Amanda’s voice.  He was a young and virile guy, after all.  But Eddie wasn’t thinking with his dick when he said, “I don’t wanna let you go, Mandy.”

“Am I-” pausing to catch her breath, Amanda started again, “-are we crazy?” “I uh, I don’t think so.”  Conspiratorially, Amanda huffed, “Then what do we do now, Eddie?” His free hand brushed through his curls roughly before landing on the back of his neck, “Let me take you home?” It was a question born of chivalry and Amanda agreed with a thin, “Yes, please.” Eddie stood up first, somehow managing to keep her hand in his as he slipped out of the booth smoothly.  Once he was on his feet, he tugged lightly, bringing Amanda to the edge of the bench before offering his arm.  She watched as Eddie threw some loose bills on the table and then he was leading her outside of the bacon scented diner and onto the sidewalk. She floated at his side, the swaying of her skirt brushing against the stiff denim of Eddie’s jeans.  What had been an appropriate outfit for the early evening was now a bit too thin and he saw her shiver under the bright and clear Indiana sky.  Popping open the van’s door, he saw her settled inside and as she buckled her seatbelt, Eddie shrugged off his leather jacket, “Here.  Snuggle up under this, yea?” Gripping the body warm coat with greedy fingers, Amanda clutched it to her chest, humming her thanks.  He watched as she spread it over herself, nudging the collar with her nose, “Oh man, it smells like you!” “Cigarettes and bad decisions?” “Nope.”  Inhaling deeply, she thought for a minute, “Cologne?  Aqua Velva, like my granddad wears and uh, Green Apple shampoo?”  She couldn’t hide the surprised way her eyes widened or the knowing little smirk her mouth made at this discovery. “What?  I think it smells good.”  Lingering in the space between inside the van with Amanda and outside on the sidewalk, Eddie’s arms leaned into the rusted metal frame, effectively caging her in the seat. Not that she minded when every time he stretched his flannel shirt rode up just enough for an alabaster white slice of belly to peek over the waistband of his jeans.  She had already noticed splashes of black ink over each hip but couldn’t be sure of its shape.  His forearms were on display, the strong veins of his wrists visible under the artfully stained skin, and Amanda let her mind wander at the idea of what Eddie looked like under all that cotton and cloth. Amanda swallowed thickly.  She was very aware of the protective bubble Eddie had built around her, here in the cab of his vehicle.  The scent of him.  The sight.  It was a feast for the senses. And now all she wanted was to taste the plush and pillowy softness of his lips.  Lips that were moving, saying something but her mind had gone over into staticy silver.  She couldn’t help it.  Not when he was standing with his trim waist nearly at eye level, the belt of his jeans drawing them low on his hips.  “Huh?” That grin.  Broad and toothy, spread smugly over his face, “Uh, did I lose you for a second?” “Hmm, yea.  Kinda.  Sorry, what were you saying?” “I was saying, I don’t want to say goodnight, at least-” he raised a hand to her cheek, brushing the calloused pad of his thumb across her smooth skin, “-not so soon.” Having already melted into his touch, hoarse and throaty, she agreed, “Yea, no, me either.” “Yea?  So, if you’re up for a little adventure, I may have an idea.” Amanda lifted an eyebrow, questioning the boy before her with a sarcastic thread to her words,  “An adventure?” “Don’t worry, babe.  I'll make sure to get you there and back again.”  His pinkie finger was wiggling, just waiting for Amanda to link them together in a silent show of trust. —

Thanks for reading!  Part 2 is coming soon!

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[casspurrjoybell-27]

Claimed by the Beast - Chapter 26a

*Warning Adult Content*

Covered - Part 1

- Everett -

As their kiss ventures into erotic territory, Everett's hands grip Knox's biceps tighter while the man undoes the zipper on his jeans.

Everett's cock is forming an angry tent in his underwear, which causes him to shiver when Knox slips his hand inside his pants to grope and squeeze.

"Mine," Knox murmurs the affirmation centimeters away from Everett's lips, their gazes locked as the energy around them crackles like static. "Every single fucking part of you belongs to me..." Knox nips at Everett's bottom lip, making him gasp, while he moves his hand up and down, teasing Everett's shaft. "No one else will ever get to see you like this. Only me. Have I made myself clear?"

Everett nods.

"I'm yours."

"And I'm yours."

Knox kisses Everett again, his tongue wasting no time as it demands entrance to one of it's favorite places on Everett's body.

That perfect, filthy mouth.

Everett gives Knox what he wants.

He opens his mouth while sweeping his own tongue forward, licking and tasting and moaning as he claims Knox in his own way.

The man's touch sends a flurry of flames dancing across Everett's skin, one hand rubbing on his cock while the other keeps him in place by gripping the back of his neck.

Knox isn't being gentle and Everett likes that.

He likes it so much that he whimpers into the smoldering kiss and rolls his hips forward to seek even more friction.

Knox chuckles at Everett's impatience, lowering his hand from Everett's neck to place it on his lower back as he carefully walks Everett backward into the bathroom.

It should be impossible but the kiss deepens once they're inside.

Their body heat rises and teeth clash as the intensity of the moment builds to a new level.

"You're so fucking hot. I'm obsessed with everything about you..."

Everett reaches for the band that keeps Knox's long hair in place on top of his head, twisting and tugging until Knox's bronze-colored locks fall to his shoulders.

"Wanna sink my hands in this and pull while I ride you," Everett says while demonstrating with a harsher tug.

Knox growls from the pain.

"Will you let me?"

"Fuck yes."

Knox lowers himself to the ground to help Everett out of his shoes and socks, then his jeans and underwear.

"Coming back to this later."

Knox looks up to meet Everett's eyes as he licks off the bead of precum leaking from the tip of Everett's dick before standing to pull Everett's shirt off.

"Get in the shower and turn on the water. Can't fuck you while I'm covering in dirt and smelling like oil."

Everett follows orders with a smile.

"I disagree. You still look pretty fuckable to me and I didn't even know I was into role play until now. You need help undressing, Mr. Mechanic? I can lend you a hand... or my mouth. Whatever works for you."

"You're a fucking mess, you know that?" Knox laughs and undresses.

There isn't an angel or devil on Everett's shoulder today.

No one to encourage him to take things up another notch.

No one to list all the reasons why this is a bad idea and that he should put a stop to it.

A sliver of common sense does linger, however and it shames Everett for being so fucking turned on right now.

Knox just does it for him and his cock is in agreement that their sexual chemistry is off the charts.

Doesn't matter if the man smells like gas and oil, his body covered in a light sweat.

Everett would take Knox however he could get him.

Their mouths collide after Knox enters the shower and shuts the door behind him.

Everett's hands wander up and down Knox's tall, muscular frame, his hands pausing long enough to grip Knox's firm ass.

The thought of topping the burly man makes Everett's head spin and his cock tip throb despite Everett primarily being a bottom.

"Not happening," Knox says as if he can suddenly read Everett's mind. "I fuck. I don't get fucked."

"That's unfortunate. You're really missing out," Everett licks his lips and moves one hand between their bodies to stroke Knox's fat cock, causing him to groan deeply and thrust his hips forward. "Then again, you said you're mine. You have to let me get a taste one day. It's only fair. What do you say to that?"

Knox can't say much when Everett rubs his thumb over Knox's slit, swirling it around and around in slow torturous circles.

Knox curses and his body trembles in response, his cock harder than fucking steel.

He's jacked off plenty of times in private and sometimes with a partner but for whatever reason, it feels a hell of a lot better when his cock is in Everett's smooth hand.

"Where'd your voice go?" Everett teases with a smile.

He uses his free hand to cup Knox's balls, then he squeezes.

"Tell me your answer, babe."

Watching and listening to how Knox responds to his touch makes Everett's mind go wild with thoughts of how the man might react when Everett finally has his tongue and fingers fucking deep into Knox's ass.

A fantasy that Everett refuses to let die.

"I'll think about it," Knox speaks after his brain powers back on, his chest rising and falling as he works to catch his breath. "When the fuck did the roles reverse? You a witch in disguise or something?"

Everett laughs at how quickly the man folds.

"If I tell you the truth, I'd have to kill you afterward."

"Would love to see you try to take me out," Knox smirks before kissing Everett hard, regaining control.

Their tongues search each other's mouths as if they're looking for treasure.

Everett's moans get lost in the sounds that Knox is making, his large hands gripping and stroking and gliding over Everett's wet body.

The feeling of his nipples being pinched causes Everett to break the kiss and speak.

"Want you to fuck me like this is our last day together," Everett says. "Need to be covered in your cum and bruises. We almost done in here? I think you're clean enough."

"Fuck, kitten."

Knox's cock throbs and his eyes widen at Everett's words.

"Covered in my..."

"Yes. I promise I'm not as fragile as I look."

"Good to know."

Knox spins Everett around and kicks his legs apart with his foot, spreading them open wider and then fingering the crack of his ass.

"When's the last time you had sex?" Knox nips at his ear.

Everett moans and uses both his hands to brace himself against the shower wall, his body twitching from pleasure every time Knox's fingers brush against his hole.

"And I want to know the name of the fucker you did it with so I can make sure it never happens again."

There it goes... the threat of violence that should absolutely not cause Everett to moan.

"God, Knox. Please..." Everett pants, his back arching and fingertips pressed hard against the shower wall.

Knox's very real threat of causing bodily harm to someone and especially on his behalf, should have Everett's dick deflating.

Knox nearly choking Hayes to death should've been enough to throw Everett into a panic attack.

The opposite has happened instead.

He's so fucking hard that he can barely think straight.

"It's been a few months, now," Everett says. "A one-night stand."

"You clean?" Knox questions. "Tested and cleared?"

"Yes," Everett answers, then turns his head to look over his shoulder. "You?"

"Yeah. I don't fuck around like that. Can show you my papers if you don't believe me," Knox says, slowly easing his middle finger inside Everett.

The heat and tightness make Knox's cock jump and his chest rumble with a low groan.

"Might be bad timing but I had to ask because when I take you, I don't want any barriers between us. Understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I-I want the same thing," Everett responds, his heart doing somersaults inside his chest.

He never goes bare with the men he hooks up with.

Hell, he can count on one hand how many times he considered letting a man fuck him without having a condom on.

The fact that he's willing and ready to give himself to Knox in this way speaks volumes about how much he trusts the man.

They end the conversation with another kiss that makes Everett's knees buckle.

Knox's mouth moves to mark Everett's neck while his finger continues to push past that tight ring of muscle in Everett's ass.

Everett whimpers and curses under his breath, his forehead resting against the shower wall while Knox has his fun pushing his finger in and out, teasing and stretching and exploring.

Everett nearly cums when Knox's teeth dig into the dip where his neck and shoulder meet.

His ass reflexively clenches around Knox's finger as pain joins the party to dance with pleasure.

"Not enough," Everett says. "N-Need your cock. Want it inside me."

"You'll get it when I give it to you, kitten. Remember who's in charge here," Knox whispers near Everett's ear before pulling his finger out to smack Everett's wet ass.

He cries out and Knox does it twice more.

"Don't want to push you too hard, so I need you to speak up if I'm too rough..."

"No. Don't stop," Everett interrupts, his voice dripping with desire.

He spins around and grips his erection, stroking himself fast while Knox watches.

"I like it rough as much as I do gentle. This isn't proof enough for you?" Everett's breath shudders when he rolls his thumb around the sensitive tip of his dick, another dribble of precum appearing.

"Look at what you do to me, Knox. What you do to my body. I-I have no control. Fuck, I'm so hard... Need you to make me cum..."

"I know you do, kitten. But not yet. The sadist in me hasn't had his fill."

Knox replaces Everett's hand with one of his own, his grip firm and the pacing just right.

They kiss again like they're trying to devour each other.

Knox swallows Everett's moans while Everett's fingers dig into Knox's hips, his nails scratching at the skin.

The air is thick with the smell of their arousal.

Everett's little gasps and whimpers bounce off the shower walls like ping-pong balls as Knox edges him to the brink of insanity.

"Too s-sensitive," Everett says several minutes later, nearly breathless.

His face is flushed and his brows are furrowed, his hips still pumping forward to slide his dick in and out of Knox's grip.

"Stop torturing me and fucking let me cum. Or are you deliberately trying to kill me before I get to sit on your cock?"

"Impatient brat," Knox chuckles and finally pulls his hand away.

He moves back a step to grab his loofah and body wash, completely ignoring Everett's pout.

It's so prominent Knox can almost hear it.

"You just gonna stand there and stare at me the whole time or are you gonna wash up? The quicker you move, the quicker we can get out of here."

"You're such an asshole," Everett exclaims, then points to Knox's erection. "How are you so controlled right now? I'm fucking falling apart here while you look completely unbothered."

"It's because I found patience," Knox smirks, dragging the soapy loofah all over his body.

Everett's eyes track the movements like it's their job.

"Just enough to keep myself from jumping on you like some wild animal. Gotta work you up to that kind of fucking."

Everett playfully rolls his eyes and reaches for his own loofah.

"Yeah, well, maybe you can hurry up with that? Because I lost all my patience the first night we met."

[marsplane7]

‘Pretty eyed boy’

Chapter 1

I remember this feeling, like my chest had been split in two and was placed a torch covered in fire. As if the fire reached all the way down to my inner thighs. I don’t know what it was I just knew the moment I felt his hand on my leg I couldn’t keep the flame from spreading to the rest of my body. The way I couldn’t understand why he made me feel so warm and filled with strange feelings. How I wanted to pull my body so close to his I could make him feed the flame that had started in me and never let it die till the morning. The way his eyes fed my hunger by the look of the sky gazing at me rather than I gazing into the sky. The beautiful blue eyed boy read me like no other.

I had always spent my morning in school that year my sister joined her band, so I never knew what she sung, what her band name was, what they did, or who they were. All I knew this was the year my sister finally began her dream of being a singer and proving being a doctor wouldn’t be the only job people can get. She is my idol my sister tells me she wouldn’t want me to become her, but how could she say that she is a fucking rockstar. The way she wore her ripped jeans with oversized shirts and runny eyeliner and pounds of mascara that would leave the sage green pupils popping out of the surrounding darkness in her eyes. I could hear her singing her songs in the shower at times I would sit on the nearest couch by the hallway that would echo her soothing raspy voice through the walls. I felt like I had been hearing a jazz singer who would smoke too many cigarettes and sing so sadly but have such an angelic voice. We were all we had, my dad works all day and night so we feel as if we are left to fend for ourselves. Karley had to learn how to drive so that she could have a easy ride to work and her band practices, but also so I can have a chance to be present in school Everyday. Karley was all I knew to be family she was my sad guardian angel.

I would spend 8 hours looking at a different adult for an hour talking of things I need to learn to be better and get good school grades. I think it’s all bullshit school is just an excuse to be working just not getting paid. When Karley picks me up she always comes 20 minutes late. Her car makes a screeching noise even when you have headphones in or a mile away from her car it is loud. On our way home she played her cd track filled with random sad songs I would barely listen all I can ever remember is the background music never the lyrics. Karley is not one to stay silent in the car rides. She’ll bring up random shit, “did you learn any new math” or “do they still sell meat loaf for school lunch?”. I wouldn’t know of course I wouldn’t eat lunch or even step foot in the cafeteria. Karley leaves me at home before she leaves for her friends house. Three of the band members live together in an apartment where they practice for the band. She said an old lady lives under them and she has never complained about their music. When I got in the house I noticed the heat had been on which made my day better, I sat in my favorite seat near the window where a pregnant squirrel comes to our trash can to look for food. When I finish eating I sit in my sisters closet and take a large container of cinnamon from the kitchen. I take two spoonfuls to the point my lungs start to close and it’s hard for me to breath, I lay down and gasp for air until the powder turns into chucks in my throat and burn my tongue. It leaves me with bits of cinnamon in my teeth.

Later in the day Karley came home and told me she wouldn’t be working the summer, that she wants to focus on her band which was understandable she wanted to be famous from her music not from having Americas best fried chicken. Spring was coming to an end which meant the end of school as well. I was going to be one year away from never seeing the shit hole of my school again. “If your not working this summer does that mean your going to be home more?” I said. “Sorry Den I don’t think so it’ll be like now just no school for you” Karley said. Knowing things wouldn’t be any different I decided to give the conversation up and go to my room. I was pissed on that fact that she called me den but what made it worse was her not caring I would be more hours trapped in this house more than I am now. Den is the nickname my mom gave me as a baby, I saw it on the back of a baby picture of me “my sweet little den” at least I thinks it’s my nickname. My dad l told me the story of how my mom was unconscious while birthing me and my dad thought she was dying and went to drink and when he came back to check up on me he thought the paper asked where we lived and he put Denver, Colorado as my name. My mom was so in love that she didn’t change it so did my dad. My sister told me when she was younger and I was baby she would call me Dinner instead of Denver. Which is kind of funny but is mainly like our family joke which is nice to have. The last time I’ve heard my nickname was three years ago. So why would she say it now, what do I could shut up and leave her alone? If that’s what she wanted she got it.

[sesaxton]

Afternoon Thoughts

Haven't gotten to sit down and write for a very long time. I have so many ideas for stories but until my almost one year old is older I can't sit down and put it on a page. This is the first time in a while I get a short me day. It's nice to finally breathe and have a few moments to myself.

Its funny back when I first got divorced I took for granite my alone time. I was so depressed back then that being alone would feel like a punishment. Now it is a reward. Don't get me wrong I love spending time with both my daughters, they make me laugh so much. I also look forward everyday when my husband comes home. He is the best thing that has happened to me. However my life right now is hectic and stressful and the few times a month or less that I get to sit and breathe are so precious and helpful for my mental health. I can't fill others cups if mine is empty.

Now to empty my thoughts. My baby girl is one years old next month. I can't believe it. It seems like I just had her. This year has gone by so fast. She was hardly ever a tiny baby. She was 8 pounds 3 oz at birth and already holding her head up. At one month she rolled over for the first time and was crawling at six months. She hasn't walked yet but could if she really wanted to. She stands on her own now. She wants to practice when we aren't looking, she has been doing this for everything. She is so careful before she masters the next thing. She already has eight teeth as well and eats only solid food for the past 3 months. Its like I birthed a toddler. But she is such a joy to have and I am so blessed I get to share her with my husband who is the best father I know. She is a daddy's girl for sure. I got her a bunch of band tees to match his energy and they are so adorable together.

So blessed to have my family, to have what my heart always wanted. To have a man that will listen and not yell at me, not tell me I'm stupid and everyone hates me. To not gaslight me in everything and to actually tell me he loves me daily and is careful not to trigger me as I have ptsd from my past marriage. Four years together now (minus the year we thought we had to be apart until we talked to the Guardian ad-litem). It has been challenging but I would walk through it again to be with this most caring, loving man. I wish all could see his heart and not his past mistake.

My oldest is now 13. Except for being addicted to technology she is like a mini adult. Always sharing the drama with her friends at school. I do my best to keep up. She loves horror movies and occasionally gets me to watch. I'm not really a fan of horror so sometimes she watch's with her stepdad and I pull out a book when I'm not chasing after the baby. They mostly make fun of the cheesiness of the movies. Her favorite is the Purge movies which is one I can handle as its more of a thriller and a good storyline. We own all of them. She needs more motivation in school though. She's smart, but lacks motivation if the subject isn't of interest to her. She just learned about the Alamo in school and was excitedly telling me about it so over Christmas break I took the girls to see it. We all had a good time. It was really neat to see history is person, to be where such an amazing battle took place. Much better for kids to see something like that than just go on a cruise or a theme park. Those will be useless if the world ends. She needs to learn life skills. Her birth father and uncles taught her how to use a knife and shoot a gun. These are life skills she needs to know. When my baby is older we will teach her also. She loves Japan and their culture, she said when she graduates she wants to go to college there. Her style is kinda goth punk with some pink punk as well, she's also taller than I am now.

For me I am just taking it one day at a time. It is hard to get much done with a baby that is now mobile. We only trust my mother and each other to watch her so I am not working at the moment. My mother in law can only handle her for like 30 mins before she hands her back. We don't trust day care (she will be homeschooled in the future). I joined a walking moms group and a playdate group to get out of the house and get exercise. It helps my mental health too, to be around other moms that motivate me. Someone who shall not be named tried to get me kicked out of the group just because of my husbands past. But they are wonderful women and after telling them my story, they chose me. Goodness wins in the end. It's sad that so can be so miserable that they want others to be miserable as well and not just let people be. I feel sorry for this person ( the group confirmed who they are.) Anyway that is the tea on what's happening so far. Love you all!

[saviorellie]

gentle.

pairing : eddie munson x reader

pov : third person , she/her pronouns

word count : 1,235 words

warnings : depression mentioned, unstable parental relationship mentioned, eddie being the sweetest ever (definitely needs a warning), friends to lovers, crying love confession!!!

notes : eddie munson the latest love of my life! here’s a cute lil eddie blurb after some inactivity!

main masterlist 

what was eddie’s love if not gentle?

pressing soft kisses to the back of her neck while she’s studying, stopping to tie her shoes if he notices one is undone, painting one of his nails in her favorite color. all the things that made eddie, her eddie.

and they weren’t even dating.

the love that they had for each other was unanimous, but they were both blissfully unaware of the special spot they held in each other’s hearts. being best friends for 8 years, their falling in love was bound to happen eventually. but they didn’t know that they would be so oblivious when it did.

eddie thought that eventually, she would see that the kisses and the hand-holding and the special softness he held only around her weren’t just because she was his best friend. he loved her, needed her. he needed her on his good days, his bad days, days where he felt less than. and in return, she needed him maybe more than he needed her.

on days when her parents were fighting, days when she was too tired to brush her teeth all she wanted was to hold and be held by eddie. she needed his reassuring back rubs and the sweetest i love you’s whispered in her ear.

today was one of those days. the taunting at school and the teasing at home had finally gotten the best of them. needing each other now more than ever.

and so there she was. in tears on his front steps, knocking so softly she wondered if he had even heard it. and of course, he did.

the door swung open, revealing eddie in his pajamas. it was barely 4pm. he had skipped hellfire, skipped band practice. he was too tired to pretend that he cared today. and despite how tired he was, how drained, all he wanted was to be in her presence.

“hi, angel,” he said softly, noticing her tears.

she hiccuped. “hi, eddie. can i…” she trailed off because she knew that he knew what she wanted.

he opened the door wider and gently guided her inside, shutting the door behind her.

they both just stood there in his living room for a moment. her arms tucked under her armpits, guarded and closed off, tears streaming down her face. his arms at his sides, open and welcoming, eyes brimming with worry. and then she looked up at his face. her eddie, standing there having a horrible day and all he was worried about was her.

it finally hit her. and she broke.

she all but ran into his arms which wrapped around her almost immediately. she was sobbing, wetting his shirt, mumbling incoherently. but he didn’t care. she could flood his trailer, send it floating down the streets of hawkins and he wouldn’t mind.

“shh, baby, it’s alright. i’ve got you,” eddie whispered into her hair. he didn’t know if she could hear him over the sound of her cries, but he hoped she did. the reassuring back rubs were present and they helped her calm down, just like they always did.

“i-i’m sorry. i’m so sorry” she gasped in between cries. she pulled away from his grasp to look at his face. his eyes were filled with worry, with tears.

“y/n, it’s ok. really, i don’t mind.” he was confused. she had broken like this in front of him before. but, yeah. it felt different this time.

“n-no eddie. i’m sorry. i’m sorry i didn’t see it. i didn’t see that you were hurting while i was busy and distracted with other things, other people. god eddie, i’m so sorry.”

he wiped her face, tucked her hair behind her ear, searching her face for any sign of what she was thinking. “angel, what are you talking about? i’m sorry, i have no idea what you’re apologizing for.”

she bit her lip, trying to form the words she’s been wanting to tell him for so long.

“god eddie, i love you. i’ve loved you since i was 14 years old. but you were so busy with hellfire and corroded coffin and selling that i didn’t even think you had time for me. i didn’t think you had time for a girlfriend. i’ve told you that i love you so many times over the past 5 years with so much meaning behind it, wondering who would be the first to say something. well, this is it. this is me saying something. i love you, eddie munson.”

eddie’s mouth was agape, the tears that has been threatening to spill earlier were falling down his face. he just looked at her. so many words were bouncing around in his brain; he didn’t know how to form a proper sentence.

so, he kissed her.

he had kissed her before, “friends can kiss sometimes” they would say, but this was so much different. this was pure passion, pure love, and pure admiration for the person on the other end. their lips slotted together like they were made for each other. like he was made for loving her.

he was sobbing by this point, tears that would not stop. he started pressing soft kisses all over her face. her cheeks that he loved to pinch when they were teasing each other, her nose that he loved to poke at when she was pretending to be annoyed with him, her eyelids that covered the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

“jesus christ, y/n,” he looked at her, eyes spilling with love, chuckling softly at her flushed face. he didn’t know whether her rosy cheeks were from her crying or him.

he pressed another kiss to her lips. “i love you. so much. i’ve been waiting for you to say that you love me like this for 8 years. since the day we met. god, i didn’t know love like this existed.” he was smiling sweetly at her, his dimples showing. she wanted to put her finger there and keep him smiling forever.

“please, y/n. let me be your boyfriend. let me do this every time that i see you. getting to love you would be the honor of my life. i’ll beg on my knees if i have to.”

her eyes went wide and then she was laughing at him. he took that as a sign to do what he promised. so he got on his knees.

“please, baby, please,” he took both her hands and kissed each knuckle, “i’ll do whatever you ask of me.”

she was pulling at his hands and laughing as he let her pull him off the ground. “get up, please. that’s what i’m asking of you.”

he smiled and wrapped her up in his arms again, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. “is that a yes? you gonna let me be your boyfriend?”

she smiled softly up at him, bringing a hand to cup his face. “hmm, ‘this is my boyfriend eddie’ does have a nice ring to it.”

they were swaying as they spoke. “it does doesn’t it. been thinking that for some time.”

she laughed at him and her eyes might as well have been heart-shaped. “yeah, eddie. i’ll let you be my boyfriend. you gonna let me be your girlfriend?”

“baby, you don’t even have to ask.”

and he kissed her again and again. and he will for the rest of his life.