#there are too many great clips sigh
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pleasedontcareaboutme · 3 months ago
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Yuta cutie let me put you in my pocket
| 2001 / Soyo Rock Festival
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clockwayswrites · 4 months ago
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The bitties must cuddle. ""Birdtritch"" Part 5
masterpost
“Nightwing!” Tim shouted, leaning forward on his perch.
Nothing.
Then a black and blue stripped hand poked out of the green feathers in a thumbs up. “I’m okay!”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Nightwing,” Hood grumbled as he stalked forward. “Hey bird brain! Let go of my brother.”
“Aww, he called me brother,” Nightwing cooed over the line.
“…maybe you can keep him after all,” Hood said to the bird thing that had leaned down to peer at him.
The green glint of the bird thing’s eyes reflected off of Hood’s helmet. Then it blinked and in that moment dozens of abstracted cyan eyes blinked into existence around Hood.
Hood reached out to poke at one with the muzzle of his gun. It went right through the ‘eye’. “What the fuck…?”
The bird thing trilled back at Hood.
Tim tapped his comm to open the all channels line. “Um, so, we have… an eldritch bird creature that has been exposed to cuddle pollen. It’s is already cuddling Nightwing and… yep, yeah, now it has Red Hood. Don’t shoot it, Hood! It’s friendly!”
“It’s a fucking menace!”
“A bird?” Robin’s voice piped up.
“Don’t get too excited, baby bat, eldritch bird. It’s the size of an SUV and has too many arms. And eyes. Sorta eyes? And yep, there goes Hood, absorbed by the fluff. Oh great, it’s looking at me now.”
“Avoid the entity, Red Robin,” Batman said across the comms, tone clipped and worried.
“Sorta hard to do, big B. It has a lot of legs right now and all eyes on me. There so many eyes.”
“Avoid the entity!” Batman barked again.
Yeah, like that was going to go well.
-
“Father! Make this creature unhand me at once!” Robin shouted.
“Calm the fuck down, it’s not hurting us,” Red Hood grumbled. “Not that it’s letting us go…”
“Actually pretty comfortable,” Red Robin said in a voice tinged with the edges of sleep. Bruce couldn’t even see a part of Red Robin in the mess of feathers.
Bruce just sighed and pinched his nose. “Boys.”
“Did you just ‘boys’ us?” Nightwing asked, though he sounded like he was enjoying the whole circumstance.
“Yes. Black Bat isn’t involved in this at all,” Bruce said. “So, boys.”
Black Bat’s soft laugh over the line was mostly drowned out by the warble that the bird entity made. Bruce absently started comparing the creature to the types of birds that roosted in Gotham as the surprisingly long neck unfolded and reached out towards him.
He regarded the bird entity steadily.
It warbled again, tilted its head, and then started preening the ears of the cowl.
Bruce sighed heavily.
“Likes you.” Cass’ lyrical words came over the line. Bruce knew that tone. She was taking pictures for blackmail.
(And everyone said girls were easier.)
“I really don’t think it’s going to let us go, B. It might not even be able to with the cuddle pollen,” Nightwing said. Bruce could see the blue tips of the boots now but nothing else.
Bruce hummed. “Gotham doesn’t have the facilities to humanely keep such a creature.”
Robin hit the ground in a crouch and started forward. “Father—”
The bird entity reached out again for Robin with one of its too many limbs. Robin parried with his sheathed blade. The coo that the entity made in response was heart wrenching. Almost instantly Robin deflated at the sound.
He crossed his arms and looked away with a huff. “Fine.”
With a much happier sound, Robin was grabbed carefully around the waist and placed on the bird entity’s back, right behind its next.
“Get off,” Red Robin grumbled from wherever he was in the mass of plumage. Some shifting along the back feathers followed the sleepy words. Then a yawn. “The Cave is the only choice.”
“You can’t be serious,” Red Hood said.
(Bruce thought Red Hood might be clasped firmly under a wing.)
Red Robin yawned again. “Large, secure, safe for us…”
“Yeah, and how the fuck do we get this thing to the Cave?” Red Hood snapped back.
After a considering silence, Black Bat pipped up with that same mischievous lilt. “Idea.”
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on-leatheredwings · 7 months ago
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Second Chances 18+
Yandere! Older! Damian Wayne / AFAB Reader
> romantic, 18+ > tw/cw: dub-con, manipulation into sex, gaslighting(?) > request: Can we get damian gaslighting and manipulating a fem reader into sex when she tries to leave him please :? Like the typical "we've never talked about (insert issue) you know I wouldn't keep doing it if I knew it was upsetting you" and "let me make it up to you" > a/n: this reader is captain fix-a-hoe i can't > word count: 2187 > damian wayne is 21
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You crane your neck away, but he takes it as an invitation. 
“Damian, I…” you struggle. 
His hands slide forward underneath your arms, kneading your chest. It does feel good, you regret to admit. 
“Okay, okay,” you sigh, trying to inch away but his hands drag you back once more. Not by force, just by suggestion. By pulling the invisible strings that play your body like a fiddle, and it seems this morning Damian wants it to play his favorite song. You shrugged on your flimsiest robe on your way out of bed this morning, and nothing else. So here you were, paying the consequences. 
“Mm, maybe later, Damian. I have–” you gasp at a wandering digit “–to run errands today.”
You hear a huff, feel an exhale hit the shell of your ear.
“Errands? Where? With who?” 
The questions, absolutely dripping with disdain and suspicion, make something in you snap. 
“Oh, that’s it– I want to break up!” you cry out, throwing your hands up. You bound out of his hold, whirling around.  
Damian flinches backward as if struck. He had snuck up behind you in the kitchen, peppering kisses along the column of your neck. A sweet gesture, but too little, too late. Fuck waiting until you were better prepared – better scripted – to break up with Damian. You just can’t take it anymore. 
Damian stares at you in disbelief.
“You... What?”
You sigh, annoyed at the squeeze of your heart at his dismayed expression. Life as Damian’s girlfriend had been great at first. Like, really great. 
Despite his surly exterior and sharp tongue, Damian proved to be nothing less than devoted, adoring, and awfully caring. He was giving and generous. During dates and every minute besides, he was a perfect gentleman. None of your exes had ever opened doors for you. Or pulled your chairs out. Or guided you gently through a crowd of paparazzi with a protective hand on the small of your back. 
Maybe it was his unique rich kid training that made him the perfect lover for you: the presence of a British butler in his developmental years paired with the strict assassin upbringing. Or maybe, as your friends claimed, you simply had standards below sea level and were lucky enough to fall for a man who could throw money around without blinking. 
You didn’t listen to them, didn’t question your good fortune. You had been glad Damian was in your life. You had been.
“I want to break up,” you say, nearly a whimper. You look away from his shell shocked face. He must have seen this coming, right? How could he not see this coming? You two seemed to barely be getting along these days.
You recall green eyes narrowing after a glance over your outfit. “... I never liked her,” from a sneered lip, when you mention you’re going to your friend’s birthday party. The guilt tripping that occurred once you got home. The unsaid accusations of entirely untrue infidelity. You recall many more instances identical to that. How draining it all was. How you rarely seemed to go anywhere without hesitation, a niggling feeling bidding you to see how Damian felt about it first. 
Without missing a beat, Damian’s jaw hardens. He folds his arms. 
“You want to break up,” he responds in a clipped voice. “Why.” 
‘Why,’ he asks. Though it was hardly a question. He was demanding you answer for yourself. Answer for your crime of daring to maintain agency in your life. How dare you dump him? You narrow your eyes.
“You… you isolate me,” you say, folding your arms and mirroring his stance. You wish you could get angrier. Damian could really bitch out in an argument when he wanted to. Fights felt more balanced if you decided to get angry too. If you didn’t let him kick you around. But any lingering fury has simmered into hurt at this point. Decayed into you prematurely grieving a good thing gone bad. 
“You accuse me of things. You don’t trust me! Or worse, you do trust me, and still want to monopolize me because I’m something you own. I… That’s not good,” you blurt.
Damian isn’t moved. He taps his foot, and your eye twitches. “Is that all?” he says.
Perhaps you did have enough anger, after all. Before you can curse him out, Damian takes a step forward, like a piece on a chess board. 
“If I had known I would have stopped. Immediately,” Damian presses, not looking very apologetic or thoughtful. He instead looks determined. He seems entirely like his old self, at the very beginning of your then-tenuous friendship. That was three years ago, and you liked to believe he had grown a lot since. 
You roll your eyes. “Okay. Good to know,” you return flatly, unsure what he expects you to do with that information. 
Another step, and he grasps your arm. Had it been anyone besides him, you would’ve felt fear. But Damian – for all his faults – could never hurt you. Even if he already has, you think drily.
His grip trails down to your hand, and brings it to his chest, above his heart. Your own heart skips a beat at the gesture. “I would have. You’re everything to me.” His heart beats under your palm. It beats for you, he always liked to say.
You cringe. Not at his words, but because of how they’re said. Damian wields them like a weapon. And they’re effective. You already feel guilt begin to fester.
You swat your hand away, scoffing and shaking your head. “It feels like half of the time, you say that to make me feel like shit. It’s… it’s manipulative.”
“Manipulative? So every time I’ve said I… care for you, you felt manipulated?” He looks at you, in a pitiful expression crossed between crestfallen and offended. You sigh, exhausted. That’s not what I meant, you want to interject, but he continues. “I feel… very deeply. For you.” 
Even now, sharing his feelings was hard for him. You feel proud that he’s trying. You feel angry that he’s trying. You feel angry that you’re the bad guy. The croak in his voice makes you want to reach for him, but...
“Feelings… feelings aren’t enough,” you say mournfully. You hug yourself, because you need one. And giving one wasn’t his place anymore. 
You two stand in silence in his kitchen, which you’ve shared together for a year now. You glance around. You spy your colorful cooking sets, the couple's aprons that hang beside the pantry, the photos of you two at Wayne family holiday parties stuck to the fridge, and other paraphernalia.
You haven’t even left yet, but already you can see the ghost of you that will haunt this house. The hollow chill of guilt sweeps through your body, but you ignore it. You instead tread to one of the kitchen barstools under Damian’s watchful eye and settle on the seat.
“I’ll… I’ll stay at a friend’s,” you say, fighting admirably to keep your voice from cracking. “And I’ll have all my stuff packed within a week.” And you can keep the cat, you want to jest, but you luckily were born blessed with the skill of reading the room. Damian blanches, as if realizing, finally, what you were saying.
“You’re leaving.” God, his utter shock was not making things easier on you. 
“We fight all the time now, Damian,” you reason, almost pleading with him. Why was he making this so hard? The entire situation seems so … undignified. ‘Unlike him,’ is what most people would say. But no, this is entirely like Damian. Always deceptively more delicate than what meets the eye. Always trusting you to hold his heart gently. Not rend it to pieces. Guilt swirls once more, while Damian’s shock yields to insistence. 
“We fight because we’re in love,” he asserts, confessing. You are in awe of his cheeks flushing - what a pure display to be had during a break up. “People fight when they’re in love. Sometimes.” You frown, knowing he’s referring to his father’s failed relationships. What great role models, you scoff inwardly. You had zero desire to emulate that dysfunction.
“... Don’t you?” he says, a desperate lilt in his voice. You bristle. “... Love me?” And the way he says it breaks something in you.
You respond, the words like ash on your tongue, “Of course I... I do love you, Damian. But–”
“I love you, too,” he says quickly. “... so please, don’t leave.” You start to get up from your seat, unable to withstand anymore of this, when Damian falls to his knees in front of you.
You fill with mortification that Damian may start begging. And you don’t know if you can withstand that. He’s Damian Wayne. He who does not beg. 
“... Please,” he begins, as if the word was physically taxing. For him, it probably was. Damian bows his head, dots kisses on the expanse of your thighs. Each kiss is loosening your resolve. Each a balm over bitter wounds. 
“You haven’t given me a fair chance to correct myself. That… that’s not fair. That’s cruelty,” he whispers, along with other such mutterings that drive knives into your heart.
How heartless you were being. Were you going to give up on him so easily? Had he not shown he could change? The guilt swarms into an evil, dark monster. One you know you cannot defeat. You throw back your head, trembling from his butterfly kisses.
“Let me… let me make it up to you,” he says after he finds you writhing under his lips. You don’t know what to say, mesmerized by the need in his eyes and the promise in his words. “I can be better. I will be better.”
No, your mind begs you to say.
Yet looking into those green eyes, lost in its dark forest, you can’t deny him.
“... Okay,” you condone. Your okay is barely audible, weak and helpless like pollen in the wind. But it’s enough for him. It’s going to be enough for you, too. It’s okay. He’s going to change. He knows if he doesn’t, you’ll leave. You’ll leave.
You sate yourself with these thoughts, numb to Damian’s continued affection. You finally do realize he’s still licking at you, when a pair of hands gently separate your knees. 
“Damian!” you exclaim, snapping your knees shut. Your robe flutters with the action as you look at him with disbelief. “D-Damian,” you say. His eyes flutter open at the calling of his name. You sharply inhale at the lustful glaze over his pretty eyes. 
“Let me show you how deeply I feel for you,” he requests. 
But you know this is … strange. Maybe even wrong, if the uncertainty in your gut meant anything. You had just agreed to mend your relationship. You didn’t need the throes of an orgasm to complicate and muddle your feelings.
“... Please.” His voice mutters into your thigh. You’re so close you feel the vibration of the sound, and your skin prickles over with goosebumps. That’s the third ‘please’ he’s said within the hour. It's usually three a day. “Unless," Damian says, brows pinched, "you do not want me anymore.” The look on his face makes you feel sick. 
You don’t know how you can ever leave him in good conscience. Damian’s grown, yes, but he’s still that confused, frustrated boy from when you met. Still searching for acceptance and belonging.
“Yes,” you blurt. “I want you, but–”
“Then, ‘but’ nothing. You are mine.” You fill with heat, from irritation as well as arousal. It’s not as though you’d stopped being attracted to him, after all.
“I–” am not yours, you begin to combat, when Damian licks a hot stripe up your cunt that makes your mind blue screen. 
“And of course, it goes back the same way. I am yours.”
Damian lowers his head, wasting no time in suckling on your clitoris. He knows exactly how you like it, after all. Your hands leave your side and find his hair. You pull on short raven locks, enough that it’s probably painful, but Damian doesn’t protest. 
Damian hikes your legs onto his shoulders, and he’s off to work as if you hadn’t been about to break up with him just ten minutes ago. You feel whiplash. It’s all back to normal. You’re together. He’s between your legs. And despite his administrations feeling great, amazing – it also somehow feels like punishment. 
He may need you, but you need him as well. Only he can make you feel like this. Only he has ever made you feel like this. The heavy tongue that’s probing into you, the hands whose thumbs draw circles on your skin – they’re his. The pressure building in your body, the pleasure being wrought from you – he causes it. The devotion, safety, security and love you have in your life – it’s due to him. 
When you eventually finish in his mouth, you come with a whimper, eagerly being lapped up by the boy before you. He's right. You do belong to him.
And a growing part of your mind is having a hard time finding that so wrong.
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oneforthemunny · 2 months ago
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🧸🍯🎸 this is mine
for your blurb, rockstar!eddie, fluff, lore/flashback. set during the sneaking around phase, like a month before the engagement for timeline purposes.
"You're going back to the hotel room?" Jeff gawked, mouth nearly dropping at the words he was sure he was hallucinating.
"Yeah," Eddie flicked the lighter, bringing it to his usual post show joint. "Not really feelin' it."
"Not- Ed, we're in Amsterdam." Jeff scoffed.
"And?"
"You fuckin' love Amsterdam." Jeff blinked in awe, partial confusion.
"Yeah, I used to. Kinda boring now. Seen it, done it, need somethin' more exciting than hookers and weed." Eddie shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, his hands twitching with irritation, anxious to get into the car and back to the hotel.
"Lemme know if it's somethin' good, though. Maybe I'll stop by later." Ducking into the black car, Eddie nodded at the rest of his bandmates, shutting the door quickly.
His knee bounced the entire car ride, all seven minutes of it, ringed fingers tapping on the edge of his torn jeans. The car had barely slowed to a stop before Eddie was out, throwing a wad of Euros his tour manager had given him towards the driver, practically sprinting towards the private elevator entrance.
"Hey, uh, you don't happen to know what time it is in Los Angeles right now, do you?" Eddie turned towards the hotel manager accompanying him on the ride to the penthouse.
"No, sir, but I can get the front desk to call and-"
"-That's alright. Thank you." Eddie nodded, stepping towards the door before it opened, sliding through the opening gap.
"Looks great!" He turned, giving a half grin and a thumbs up, jamming the key into the lock.
"Uh, if you need anything, Mr. Munson-"
"-I won't even hesitate to let you know. I promise." Eddie cut off the nervous hotel manager, too familiar with the schtick- too many hotel rooms, all saying the same thing. Normally, he'd be less pushy and in a rush, on his best behavior with the staff because- "Fuck it, they're just doing their job. Why would I be an asshole about it?"
But tonight, he had bigger plans. He'd timed the closing number just right, no off topic rants or mid song chaos like usual- his tour manager should be thankful. No, he'd timed it all perfectly, striding over to the phone, dialing out for an international number.
The phone rang once, twice- Eddie's leg hadn't stopped bouncing until,
"I thought you said you'd call me at four." The familiar playful purr in your tone had his heart skipping, a nearly boyish grin spreading across his face. "It's almost five, here."
"I'm sorry, baby. Had to wrap a few things up at the venue. Didn't plan on it being late." Eddie cradled the phone to his ear, leaning back on the pristine bed. "What are you up to?"
"Hm, about to go out to dinner with a few friends." You sighed, nearly bored, like your heart wasn't fluttering the same way his was.
"Friends? Any I should be worried about?" Eddie's voice dropped, a low gravel in his tone that made heat rush through your veins.
"I think I should be asking you that, rockstar." You teased back. "You're the one in Amsterdam, and who called me late. Too busy with the hookers?"
"Psh, you caught me." Eddie snorted sarcastically. "Got one here with me right now if you wanna talk to her."
"You better not." Your tone clipped, teetering away from playful and towards possessive. "I'd hate to have to catch a flight down there."
"Well, in that case..." Eddie teased, rolling over on the bed, the phone chord stretching with him.
"Eddie,"
"'M just messin' with you. No hookers here. Just me." Eddie muttered, the silence of the room falling around him. "Wouldn't be mad if you did catch a flight, though. I've missed you, baby."
Your cheeks pricked with excited heat, swaying with the phone pressed to your ear. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I've missed you too." You whispered, like it was a secret. Maybe it was, to everyone else. "What are you doing tonight?"
"Smokin'." Eddie hummed, patting his bedside table, looking for the pre-rolled joints he'd requested. "Sleepin'."
"That doesn't sound like much fun." Eddie could practically hear your pout through the phone.
"Eh, it's not bad. A little lonely though." Eddie sighed. "Wish I had someone here with me to keep me company."
"You better be talking about me, Munson." You clipped.
Eddie grinned, a huff of laughter floating though the other end. "You know I'm talking about you. Everyone else is boring t'me now, baby. You ruined them, ruined me."
You bit back a giggle, lips curing in a grin. "Where's your next stop?"
"Uh, Berlin." Eddie muttered. "Leave tomorrow."
"Maybe... Maybe I'll stop in and see you." Your heart skipped when you suggested it. "Maybe we can go back to that cafe."
"You're too good to me." Eddie grinned, lazy and silly. "I'll pick you up at the airport."
"No, just send a car-"
"-I'll pick you up." Eddie insisted. "Don't worry, baby, I'll keep it hush-hush. Very low profile." He could practically hear your smile. "I don't wanna keep you from your friends tonight, so I'll get off the-"
"-You're not." You shook your head. "But I should probably go before Farrah kills me... and I need to call Jaques and let him know I'll need the plane tomorrow."
"I can't wait to see you." Eddie grinned into the receiver.
"You too." You squeaked, a giggly blush practically spilling through the phone. "I'll call you with the times."
"Alright, sweetheart. Have fun tonight. I'll see you soon." Eddie paused, his tongue running over his bottom lip. "Love you, baby."
"I love you." You sighed sweetly. "Don't party too hard. I'll see you tomorrow."
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ohsc · 2 months ago
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Imagine Sam with his daughter and she's dressing him up and doing his hair. You know those fairy wings you can wear, her forcing him to wear those and she's wearing a princess dress.
tysm for the request!! i’m a bit rusty so i feel like this kinda sucks and it ended up being much longer than intended lol but i’m loving this verse sm so much more to come :) | juno verse, single dad sam winchester x fem!reader, 1.5k, kid fic, fluff, not proof red, requests open only for juno fics
“Don’t laugh.” Were the first words out of his mouth when he opened the door and saw her stood there.
He had been trying to clean up the apartment when he knew that she was coming over after work — also in an attempt to starve off the giddiness, which hadn’t worked out either — when his daughter had attached herself to his leg and refused to let go until he played with her. Juno, he was convinced, had all of the stubbornness of a Winchester, and he’d rather just give in easily then peel her off of his leg and have a crying toddler and a messy apartment.
Y/N had been visiting more and more over the recent weeks, she had started to work herself into the little routine that he and Juno had been building, and it made him so soft. There hadn’t been somebody that he’d looked forward to seeing like that in a long time.
Her lips were curving upwards as she looked at him, lips pressed together in a clear attempt to not laugh at him. “…you look pretty.”
Juno’s recent game of choice had been dress up, which was honestly just a kinder way of saying she liked to hold him hostage and dress him up until she got bored. His hair was pulled into three pigtails, there were god knows how many butterfly clips up there, and he was pretty sure there were at least two stickers on his face somewhere.
“Thanks,” he rolled his eyes, stepping aside to let her into the apartment. He really tried not to stare as she stepped past, but she really was just so pretty. It would help if he didn’t have Dean in his ear whenever he called telling him that he clearly had a thing for waitresses. “My stylist got bored waiting for you, here.” Sam gently took her jacket from her and hung it up next to his own and Juno’s red coat on the hooks by the door.
“I’d say I’m sorry but I’m not, you look great.” She giggled, a hand reached up with the intention of touching his hair, but the shout of her name from down the hall took both of their attention.
She crouched down just in time to open her arms to the toddler barrelling down the hall towards her, almost slipping on the material of her princess dress in the process which made Sam wince.
“Hey, sweetheart.” She caught Juno in her arms with a tight squeeze, somehow not knocked to the floor. Sam was so immeasurably soft whenever he got to watch her with his daughter, how much she was adored by Juno and how much she adored her back. It was the most important thing to him, that his daughter liked her. And she really did — more than him, he thought sometimes.
“Oh I missed you so much,” she squeezed his toddler once more before pulling back to look at her, smiling as she touched the puffy skirt of her dress. “Oh don’t you look so pretty, Junie? I love your dress.”
“It’s sleeping beauty’s dress,” Juno informed her, smile full of pink chubby cheeks as she soaked up the praise. “Daddy got it for me for my last birthday, when I was three.” She held up three fingers to show her, somehow covered in glitter that Sam could only dread to think was in his hair.
“Well it’s very pretty,” she beamed, gently smoothing over a few wrinkles in the dress. “Are you dressing up daddy to match?”
“No,” she shook her head, tone firm as if it was obvious. “He’s a fairy,” as if she suddenly just remembered what they’d been doing she frowned and let go of Y/N, clumsily stepping around her to grab at Sam’s hand and tugged with far too much strength for her little body. “Daddy, not done.”
Sam sighed, eyes down on her as she tugged on his arm as if she could pull him down the hallway herself. She had turned her big puppy eyes on, the ones he could never really say no to. “I know, Bug, why don’t you let me make Y/N a coffee and then—”
“No,” she whined, tugging harder. “Now.”
The clouds were forming for a tantrum, it had been that way all afternoon, it’s why he’d settled for letting her play dress up in the first place. She always got cranky after pre-school on Mondays. “Baby—”
“It’s okay,” a hand touched his arm and he turned to look at her. “I know where everything is, I can make one. I did interrupt play time.”
“Thanks,” he breathed, ever grateful for how amazing she was with Juno. If he didn’t know any better, he’d have assumed that she had kids of her own. “Really, I’ll make it up—”
“Daddy.” Juno was whining louder, tugging his arm again, and he just let out a breath as he leaned down to scoop her up onto his arms, settling her on his hip.
“Why are you acting up, hm?” Not really annoyed, he knew she couldn’t really help it, he reached his free hand up to tickle at her side until she giggled. Satisfied that he’d successfully worked around a tantrum he led Y/N down the hall with his daughter on his hip, though she already knew the place like the back of her hand. If he wasn’t so nervous he would’ve invited her to stay the night already.
He watched her disappear into the kitchen to make herself a drink before he took Juno back into the living room, and returned to his spot on the floor where he’d been held captive for the past twenty minutes. The floor was littered with hair clips and tiaras and plastic shoes which he’d clean up when she went to bed, but he didn’t really mind the mess if it meant she was happy.
“Daddy,” she was pulling at his hair again, stood on his thighs, only not falling off onto the carpet because of his hands on her sides. He watched her reach for another hair clip, a glittery yellow butterfly, and tried not to wince as he felt it’s teeth scrape against his scalp as she shoved it into place. “Can Y/N play too?”
Juno had been attached to her ever since they’d become friends. It was sweet, endearing really. Aside from himself and Dean, the only other adults she really got to see were her teachers at pre-school. Juno really adored her, clung to her every moment she could. She’d come with Sam to pick Juno up from school once and she’d practically screamed across the playground when she saw her.
“If she wants to, Junie,” he hummed, holding her steady as she leaned to the floor to grab something else. “She had a long day at work, she might be tired.”
“I still play after school.” Her nose scrunched up in a way that made him smile.
“Waitressing is a little different to school, baby. It’s not very fun.”
Juno hummed like she was thinking about it as she scrambled off of his lap to reach into her toy box. “Then she should get a new job,” she settled on, tugging out her pink fairy wings from the crate. “A fun one.”
Sam nodded a little, smiling softly as he murmured, “I agree.”
Little hands pulled at his arm, and he leaned forwards like she’d moved him herself. The elastic loops of the fairy wings were a little small for his shoulders, but he didn’t complain about the tightness of the band as he helped her get them on him, worth it to hear her giggle when it was all done.
“Those look great,” he looked up and watched as Y/N walked into the room, two mugs in her hands, one of which she placed down on the coffee table for him. “You did a really great job, Junie, now he really looks like a fairy.”
The way she was smiling at him was making his face heat up. Jesus, he needed to get a grip.
“Can you play?” Juno clambered off of Sam’s lap again to head over to her, grabbing some butterfly clips from the floor on her way. “Pretty please?”
“Baby, I’m sure she’s probably really tired—”
“It’s okay,” she waved him off with a fond little smile, before she looked back to Juno. “I’ll play if you make a deal with me, sweet girl.”
Juno nodded furiously like it was the most important thing in the world.
“If you promise me that you’ll eat your vegetables with dinner you can dress me up however you like, hm?”
Juno beamed and nodded, her little pinky clunkily hooking around the one that Y/N held up.
Sam met her eyes over Juno’s head, mouthing a thank you that earned him a smile in return. God, he was smitten.
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coco-loco-nut · 6 months ago
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Book Club - Part 8
Pairing: Grid x Reader, mentioned Lance x Reader
Summary: Headcanon-ish, book club reacting to clips of reader, short but utterly adorable
requests open masterlist
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In honor of your fifth season and your birthday, the F1 social media team has gathered your best friends to comment on some moments across your five years in F1:
Moment One
When you joined your first team, a video resurfaced of you from your days in F3, you admitted that your Formula One crush is Nick Hülkenberg, "I mean, look at him when he was driving for Sauber!". Naturally, your team brought you in for a media video, made you watch it, and surprised you with THE Nico Hülkenberg standing behind you. Cue you crying, blushing, and hugging him. Kevin was there too, no one really knows why.
Nico and Kevin laugh, it's one of their favorite memories with you. Despite your mortification and admiration, they invited you to hang out with them in Haas. They genuinely wanted to get to know the newest member of the paddock, which started the best grid friendship. "I knew right away that we were going to be good friends," Kevin tells the interviewer. "My wife surprisingly found it hilarious, she loved Y/n from that moment, probably because she agreed with Y/n," Nico adds. "Not to brag, but we are her best friends,"
Moment Two
In your first year as a driver, you had the absolute pleasure of sitting in an interview with Lando, George, and Alex. It wasn't a press conference, so it was a lot more relaxed. As the three boys joked around and acted like, well, boys, your irritation was clear on your face.
"Oh! I remember that day, she went to find Nico and Kevin, who I was with at the moment and was complaining about how some of the younger drivers were too immature. We invited her to lunch with us and Valtteri," Fernando's face lights up at the clip. "I joked that we were like an old person book club, it ran from there," Valtteri says, smiling at the memory. "How many drivers are in the club now?" The interviewer asks. "We started with just the five of us, the number stands at 10 including Checo," Fernando says, having to think for a second. "I miss Checo, he really was the epitome of our club," Valtteri sighs.
Moment Three
One morning, you were walking into your motorhome, tired and not really paying attention, you slipped on a slick step, not quite having had the chance to dry after the overnight rainfall. You quickly got back up, acting like nothing happened.
"Ouch, poor Y/n, that must've hurt," Lewis grimaces, meanwhile George and Logan are laughing. "She hasn't gotten any better, still uncoordinated," Checo says, he returned just for this surprise. "Yeah, but she got right back up and acted like nothing happened, our unbothered queen," Daniel points out. "Guys, quit laughing at Y/n," Lewis looks at George and Logan disapprovingly. "Don't act like you didn't laugh when the video first came out," George replies, giving the older drivers a knowing look. "She's gonna murder us all," Logan's face loses its color, suddenly remembering the video is recording.
Moment Four
After a night out, you were dragged out of your bed by your wonderful boyfriend, you show up to the paddock with a wealth of juicy gossip. You quickly find Valtteri, Fernando, and Checo just past the gates. As the four of you speak, you spot a camera focused on you. The dirty look you sent it quickly became a meme.
"Haha, that was a great day for gossip, and I usually don't like it," Checo says. "Before you ask, no, we can't tell you what it was. Swore an oath never to share," Valtteri stares at the camera. "It was-" Fernando starts then pauses when the other two look at him. "haha, you thought I was going to spill the tea. I am not,"
Moment Five
Most of your career has been spend on bottom of the grid teams, so when you made your first podium, you couldn't help but to celebrate. Lance ran over to you as you pulled your helmet off. You pulled him into a kiss as the crowds cheered you on.
As soon as the video is shown, the group collectively gags and cringes. "We love them, but sometimes she forgets that we didn't sign up to watch them be all lovey," George tells the interviewer. "There is your proof that she loves someone more than me," Nico chuckles. "We were all so proud of her, we forced her to go to a celebratory dinner with us instead of Lance and Kimi," Logan provided some insight.
Moment Six
Your first win came with your return post injury. But the video that the drivers are shown doesn't just show that, it shows a part of one of your post-race interviews that was previously edited out. "Yeah, the car was good, I drove well too, but I genuinely think that if it weren't for my support system, I wouldn't be here. There were times when I thought about not resigning because I wasn't performing like I thought I should. My support system, they know who they are, reminded me why I drive and have reminded me of my passion. They provided so much guidance and wisdom, they introduced me to Kimi who is now, in every way that matters, my dad, I've taught them slang. More specifically for this race, they helped me recover from my injuries, especially after free practices and qualifying when I would be incredibly sore. Sorry that I'm yapping, I just love them all so much."
All of the guys are trying not to cry. "If it isn't clear by now, we all love her too," Lewis says, passing around tissues. "She really does glue us all together, doesn't she?" Kevin hums. "I've certainly enjoyed the past 4 years, it's hard to believe it's her fifth year here," Nico agrees. "She won before you did," Fernando teases him. "Seriously, we love her so much, not because she is the only woman, but because she is so easy to get along with. She is friends with everyone on the track, never spreads malicious gossip, and is just so down to earth," Daniel says, refocusing the group. "She immediately got Kimi, the Iceman, to like her, that says so much about her," Valtteri agrees.
Similarly to Nico and Kevin in the first clip shown, you are snuck in to watch the last bit. "Guys," you cry a little, pulling them into a group hug. "Happy birthday, hija," Fernando says, starting a euphony of similar comments. "I love you guys so much," you are fully crying. "We love you too, kiddo," Daniel wipes your tears, pulling you into a bear hug.
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szasfuckingwife · 5 months ago
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thinking about widowed!reader struggling after Johnny’s untimely death. And trust me when I say it was really untimely.
You’d nearly saved up enough money to move from your (not-too-bad) high end apartment to a countryside house, You were days away from your 3rd year anniversary and then there was the whole daughter situation.
As in, the daughter you both raised. The very same daughter he promised he’d return too after this mission.
It almost makes you chuckle. Especially when watching his video logs. Some of them he’s just talking to himself, same old Johnny talking about how the clouds seem slightly greyer for a day in June. Or one where he’s sat on the balcony of your old apartment sipping a latte.
Then you find the one of him after you told him you were pregnant. It’s clear that it was midnight, the sky looks pitch black, you had to have been asleep. You hold your breath as you see him adjust the camera and sit on the toilet seat.
“Where do I even start?” He says to the lens, his thick accent echoing through the bathroom. Johnny’s eyes look a bit teary but he clears his throat anyway.
“Y/N’s just told me some news. Some life changing news actually..” He sighs. “And you know, I’m happy. Who wouldn’t be, it’s a great thing.”
He continued, “But I’m scared. I’m not worthy of her, let alone a baby. I dunno…The kid may hate me. I’m gonna be away on these crap missions, away from their mum…It’ll be rough.”
You watch as he lets out a tired groan. He’s so beautiful, the thought crosses your mind. You’ve never not been lost in his eyes, “I hope it’s a girl. Too many lads in our family. I’ll be breaking a curse. And I know Y/n will be a great mum. That’s what soothes me.”
A tear escapes your eye before the next video plays automatically. The clip shows Johnny with your baby girl on his chest. Moments of caring for her after the premature birth flashes in your mind as you watch him stroke her back.
She’s sleeping snug on his chest as he records her. “She sleeps like her mum.” He whispers, making sure the bass in his voice doesn’t wake her up. Johnny was thoughtful like that. “So peaceful, aren’t you, bonnie?”
He places a kiss on her forehead which causes her to stir lightly, “No no no! Don’t wake up…If your mum knew you weren’t in your crib because of me, she’ll kill me.”
But much to Johnny’s dismay, his baby girl begins to cry and it is loud. A laugh escapes your lips as the video ends abruptly.
A couple of more videos play, one from your daughter’s first birthday, to him secretly filming the engagement ring next to you whilst you were sleeping to honeymoon vlogs. It felt like a trip down memory lane.
But then a particular video began to play.
It was the Cyprus holiday. You remember that day because your daughter begged to go one the beach as you were leaving the next day to return to the UK. Even more bittersweet as Johnny left for another mission when you returned.
The video starts and Johnny is sat on the sand in his trunks, sun glasses resting on his head, “My girls are playing in the water and I am far too tired to join them.”
“Daddy! Look!” Her angelic, tiny voice shouts and Johnny turns the camera to her. Swiftly, she picks up a bucket of water and splashes it on Johnny’s toes. “You devil! Come here you-”
The sound of Johnny’s teasing along with your child’s giggles earns another tear. But you don’t notice it. You smile.
And then Johnny sits back down and points the camera at you, who is also in the water. Against the blushing sky, your silhouette is immediately the focus of the video.
“My beautiful wife…She’s so pretty..” He sighs. The compliments earns a smile from your lips.
“Look at that ass. Wow, that’s all me!” He chuckles, and so do you. “We might have a second one on the way sooner rather than later.”
Your husband turns the camera back to him, “Well, bye for now, I’m gonna go spend time with my family.”
The camera is propped up against some object as Johnny runs up to you and picks you up, peppering you with kisses before his daughter begs for her dad to prop her on his shoulders.
From another pair of eyes, they’d see the perfect family, or the goal. But your eyes won’t ever be the same after seeing his autopsy, his funeral, his badge.
But you smile regardless. Because he’s there.
He always will be.
BONUS:
“Hey, dad…” She whispers, staring at the grey headstone. The tulips rests next to his name as the sun shines down on her. It’s quiet, like how mornings with her did used to be.
She hasn’t visited his grave in years, not coming to terms with him really being gone. But with her wedding quickly approaching, all that was on her mind was some one on one time with her daddy.
“You would like him, dad. He’s great. Mum loves him because he can cook..” A chuckle leaves her lips, “Mum says that his carbonara may be a little better than yours but…I never trued yours so I can’t compare…”
Her voice dies down as she continues. The absence of memories is what really gets to her. She should have had father days, she should of had christmases with him, she should’ve had her father/daughter dance for her wedding.
But she’ll never have that.
“Uncle Riley and Uncle Price like him…took them a while. It was a lot of questions..” She smiles reminiscing on the nearly 5hr sit down they had with her fiancé.
Unbeknownst to her, a tear left her eye. She stroked the headstone and sighed, “I’ll start to visit more, I promise. I just can’t…”
The steadiness of her voice breaks as a mini sob erupts from her, “I don’t like seeing you like this. I miss you so much, daddy.”
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i remember seeing a tiktok/reel of a woman with stones that were made from her dads ashes and it made me tear up
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alotofpockets · 5 months ago
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Traitor | Reneé Rapp x Singer!Reader
Where your girlfriend does nothing to shut down rumours about her dating Towa Bird
Reneé Rapp Masterlist | Words: 1.4k
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Going on tour at the same time as your girlfriend had seemed like a great idea in the beginning. Instead of each of you being away 6 months after each other, you'd spend approximately the same 6 months away, and would be reunited after.
However, that also meant you saw very little of each other. You tried to facetime and call as often as you could, but since you had pretty similar fanbases to Reneé, your team had decided it would be best for you to do your tour backwards, starting on the other side of the world.
One thing you loved about social media, was that people loved to share their concert clips everywhere. This way you were able to see parts of Reneé's tour even while being on the other side of the world. 
Amongst the many tiktoks of her performing, were a fair few edits of fans shipping your girlfriend with Towa Bird, her support act. You didn't blame the fans for shipping them, your relationship with Reneé was private, the fans and the media weren't aware that the two of you were together. It didn't affect you much at first, just two friends who enjoyed performing on stage together.
That changed when Reneé was doing quite the opposite of shutting down the rumours. She now added a moment in the song where she and Towa would both get on their knees and play a little too close for your liking. As well as Reneé posting about it, clearly giving the fans what they wanted.
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reneerapp just posted
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reneerapp: These are no longer Reneé Rapp concerts, they're Towa Bird concerts now
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You're worried that there might be something going on between them, but you trust Reneé so you shook it off. 
As the weeks go by, you see less and less of your girlfriend. The one time you finally seemed to have some time together, Towa swooped in to ask Reneé to go for pizza. You thought Reneé would decline because you had barely seen each other all week, and she had Towa with her the whole tour, but you were wrong. “I gotta go. I'll talk to you later?” You nod, afraid your emotions would show in your voice. You were hurt that your girlfriend didn't seem to care much about spending time with you. 
With you being about halfway through your tour, you were closer to where Reneé was performing, so you decided to go to one of her shows to figure out what you should think of all of this. With a few nights off yourself, you flew over without telling your girlfriend.
You stood in the back of the crowd, hoping to not get noticed too much. Which of course a couple people did, you posed with a few for pictures before you put on a hat and blended into the crowd. 
Your heart broke seeing Reneé openly flirt with Towa on stage. The unnecessary touches and closeness was too much for you, so you retreated into the stadium. Finding Reneé's manager, you convince her to let you into Reneé's dressing room to "surprise” her. 
While Reneé was still out performing, you had plenty of time to think, and know what you wanted to say when Reneé would get to her dressing room. Still the moment she walked through the door, you forgot what you wanted to say for a moment as she enthusiastically ran over to you.
Before she was able to wrap her arms around you, you set a step back and put your hand out in front of you. “We need to talk.” A look of confusion took over her face. “Oh, is everything okay?” You let out a frustrated sigh, “No, everything is not okay.” Before you could continue your train of thought was interrupted by none other than Towa Bird herself to walk through the door. 
“Oh, hey, sorry am I interrupting something?” You look at Reneé expectantly, but when she doesn’t respond with no, it really is over for you. “You know what, no you aren’t.” Then you turn to Reneé. “I am done.” You try to storm out of the room, but Reneé grabs your arm, “Hold on. Please talk to me, what’s going on?” 
You pull your arm away from her hold on it, your eyes a mix of sadness and anger. “What’s going on, really? Do you not see what is right in front of you?” Reneé furrows her brow, “What are you talking about?”
“I am talking about the way you have been treating me. We’ve barely had a minute together, and each moment we have you cut short to hang out with Towa. You are flaunting whatever this is with Towa to the fans, and did not stop the rumours at any point. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?” 
Your words hit Reneé hard, but the only words she can find are. “I didn’t cheat on you.” A tear escaped and rolled down your cheek, “I don’t even care if that is true or not, you let the fans believe that something was going on between you and Towa and from the moment the fans noticed, you have done nothing but try to prove their points. Maybe you didn’t cheat, but you’re still a traitor.” 
Reneé steps towards you, hoping to close the distance you kept creating. “It’s not like that, I swear. The on-stage stuff it’s just a performance, Towa and I are just friends.” You shake your head. “So, you just didn’t care about my feelings, publicity was what was important. Thank you for making that clear. We are over Reneé.” You look between them while slowly nodding your head. “Well, I’ve got a plane to catch.” This time Reneé didn’t try to stop you from leaving the room.
You went right back to your tour, it was a nice distraction being surrounded by thousands of people that loved you, every single night. Tiktok was a funny place while trying to move past everything that happened, because the algorithm thought you would still like to see Reneé perform every night. 
Like your whole conversation before the breakup didn’t happen, Reneé and Towa were still acting the same way on stage. Usually you scrolled right past them, hoping that your algorithm would understand that you were no longer interested, but the current video caught your attention. Two weeks after your breakup, Reneé was kissing Towa on stage. 
The anger began to boil inside you once more, so you turned to what helped you most in managing your emotions: you picked up your guitar and started writing a new song.
Usually you wouldn’t play new songs while you hadn’t recorded them, but your feelings were currently too big, and you needed to scream them into a room full of people. So, that night you decide to play it on stage. 
What you didn’t know was that Reneé had come to your show that night. Just like you she was standing in the back of the room, trying to blend in with the crowd. She was there to try and win you back, to apologise and tell you it was all a big mistake on her end. But then you started singing your new song.
When the chorus hit, she knew that nothing she would have to say after the show would matter. The chorus, the part of the song you so desperately needed to scream into the crowd. 
You betrayed me
And I know that you'll never feel sorry
For the way I hurt, yeah
Your fingers fly over your guitar, each note you play intentional and filled with raw emotions. 
You'd talk to her
When we were together
Loved you at your worst
But that didn't matter
When you look into the crowd you spot her for the first time that night, because the door to the concert hall opens and lets in a streak of light. You sing the final words of the song as you walk her leave. 
It took you two weeks
To go off and date her
Guess you didn't cheat
But you're still a traitor
The crowd loved the new song, though you weren’t able to take much of it in, as your eyes were still focussed on the concert hall door that was now closed. The moment starts to sink in when you finally hear the crowd cheering, you manage a smile onto your face and thank the crowd. The door closing seemed like a metaphor for closing a chapter, and with having screamed your feelings into the crowd, you somehow felt lighter.
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💗 If you enjoyed this fic, please consider liking, commenting, and reblogging! You can also supporting me by leaving a tip 💗
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taytjiefourie · 2 years ago
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Show Don't Tell: Anger
Greetings, lovely people! It's great to be back with another post in my 'Show Don't Tell' series! I hope you've all been doing well. Without further ado, let's dive right into today's topic: anger.
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Anger is a powerful and complex emotion that can manifest in many ways. It can range from a mild irritation to a full-blown rage, and can be triggered by a variety of factors, including frustration, injustice, or hurt. While it's natural to want to avoid anger in our personal lives, it can actually be a useful tool when it comes to creative writing.
When it comes to writing, anger can add depth and complexity to characters and their interactions. By showing a character's anger, we can reveal their motivations, values, and flaws, and create a more dynamic and realistic portrayal of human emotion. Additionally, anger can create tension and conflict in a story, driving the plot forward and keeping readers engaged.
But hey, I'm not here to talk about the nitty-gritty of anger. I'm here to help you learn how to effectively show your character's anger in your writing! So let's dive right in, starting with the powerful tool of body language.
Clenched fists
Tightly crossed arms
Stiff or rigid posture
Facial expressions like frowning, scowling, or furrowing their brows
Pacing or restlessness
Grinding teeth or jaw clenching
Aggressive gestures like pointing or shaking a finger
Staring or glaring
Raised voice or shouting
Heavy breathing or sighing
Pounding a fist on a surface
Tightened or bulging neck muscles
Sweating or flushed skin
Looking away or avoiding eye contact
Physical violence, such as hitting or throwing objects
Tensing or flexing muscles
Clenching or unclenching fists repeatedly
Baring teeth or showing a snarl
Raising eyebrows or narrowing eyes
Rolling eyes or making sarcastic facial expressions
Biting or chewing on their lips
Tapping their foot or fingers impatiently
Leaning in aggressively or invading personal space
Hunching over or making themselves appear smaller
Using a monotone or clipped tone of voice
Holding their breath or exhaling loudly
Clapping hands sarcastically or making dismissive hand gestures
Making fists and shaking them at someone
Puffing up their chest or standing tall to appear more imposing
Stomping their feet or making loud footsteps.
Scrunching their nose or flaring nostrils
Puckering or twisting their mouth
Tugging or pulling at their hair or clothing
Crossing or uncrossing their legs or ankles abruptly
Bending or clenching their toes or curling their toes tightly
Bouncing or tapping their knee rapidly
Grinding or rubbing their hands together
Picking at their nails or skin
Covering their face or eyes with their hands
Throwing their head back in frustration or exasperation.
Raising or lowering their voice
Slamming things down too hard that they are carrying.
Pursing their lips and nodding.
Running their tongue on the inside of their cheek.
Stalking instead of walking
Scratching their head or neck vigorously
Pulling or tugging at their ears
Biting their tongue or inside of their cheek
Flinching or tensing up when someone approaches them
Nodding their head sharply or repeatedly
Squeezing or gripping an object tightly, such as a pen or a phone
Slamming doors or drawers
Puffing out their cheeks or blowing air out forcefully
Fidgeting or shifting their weight from foot to foot
Raising one or both eyebrows in surprise or anger.
Shrugging off someone's touch or pushing them away
Curling their lips or sneering
Tilting their head back and closing their eyes
Scrunching up their face in disgust or disapproval
Stomping their foot or kicking an object
Folding their arms tightly across their chest
Clutching their stomach or chest
Rubbing their hands together quickly
Stiffening their body or freezing in place
Turning their back on someone or walking away abruptly.
Making a fist and pressing it into their other hand
Running a hand through their hair in frustration
Holding their hand to their forehead or temple
Biting their lower lip or the inside of their cheek
Tensing their jaw and grinding their teeth
Clenching their fists behind their back or in their pockets
Tugging at their collar or tie
Staring daggers or giving someone a withering look
Curling their toes or flexing their feet
Drumming their fingers or tapping their nails on a surface.
Covering their mouth with their hand and closing their eyes.
Scratching or rubbing the back of their neck
Rubbing their eyes or face vigorously
Putting their hands on their hips and leaning forward
Standing up abruptly or pacing back and forth
Pushing a chair or other object out of the way
Clapping their hands sharply or slamming them on a surface
Breathing heavily or audibly
Hunching their shoulders or shrugging in frustration
There are so many ways to bring your character's anger to life in your writing, and your readers will feel it in their bones! Body language is just one tool in your arsenal, but there are plenty of others to explore. Next up, let's talk about sensory details. While there may be some overlap with body language, there are also unique ways to use sensory details to convey anger.
Sensory details are all about bringing your reader into your character's experience by describing what they feel, see, hear, taste, and smell. But it's not just about surface-level sensations; it's about capturing what your character feels on the inside too. Think about the way anger might make your character's heart race or their vision narrow, or the way it might leave a sour taste in their mouth or make them hyper-aware of certain smells.
Clenched teeth or jaw
Rapid heartbeat or pounding in the chest
Flushed or reddened face
Sweating or clammy skin
Heavy breathing or panting
Muscles tensing or knotting up
Twitching or trembling limbs
Ringing in the ears or muffled sounds
Vision tunneling or blurring
Sensitivity to light or sound
Tingling or numbness in the fingers or toes
Pounding or throbbing headache
Dry mouth or tightness in the throat
Stomach churning or nausea
Tingling or itching sensation on the skin
Increased sensitivity to smells or tastes
Loss of appetite or overeating
Difficulty concentrating or focusing
Racing thoughts or an inability to think straight
Feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
Tense or stiff neck and shoulders
Clammy or shaking hands
Uncontrollable shaking or shivering
Rapid speech or stuttering
Breathy or strained voice
High-pitched or shrill tone
Swelling or throbbing veins
Rapid blinking or eye twitching
Heavy or labored sighs
Chills or goosebumps
Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Flushed or blotchy skin
Pacing or restless movements
Increased energy or restlessness
Headache or pressure in the temples
Chest tightness or discomfort
Dry or sweaty palms
Fidgeting or tapping feet or fingers
Frowning or scowling
Clenching or grinding teeth.
Action is the next layer in showing your character's anger. It's all about capturing the choices they make and the way they interact with their surroundings and other characters while feeling that intense emotion. Maybe they lash out and say things they regret later, or they bottle up their anger and internalize it until it explodes. Maybe they turn to self-destructive behaviors like substance abuse or reckless driving, or they channel their anger into a creative outlet like writing or painting. Whatever actions your character takes, they can reveal a lot about their personality, values, and motivations, and help your readers connect with them on a deeper level.
Yelling or screaming
Throwing objects or slamming doors
Punching or hitting walls
Physically attacking someone
Storming out of a room or location
Refusing to engage in conversation
Passive-aggressive behavior
Giving the silent treatment
Ignoring or avoiding the source of their anger
Interrupting others or talking over them
Criticizing or belittling others
Blaming others for their problems
Making sarcastic or cutting remarks
Engaging in risky behavior or taking unnecessary risks
Excessive drinking or drug use
Engaging in self-harm or other destructive behaviors
Seeking revenge or planning retaliation
Seeking control or power over others
Using manipulation or coercion to get what they want
Betraying or sabotaging others
Withholding affection or love
Sarcasm
Eye-rolling
Mocking or imitating others
Giving ultimatums
Exaggerating or lying about their feelings or experiences
Making threats
Refusing to compromise
Refusing to listen or hear other perspectives.
Getting physically tense or rigid
Clenching their fists or teeth
Biting their nails or lips
Fidgeting or tapping their foot
Pacing back and forth
Making abrupt or sudden movements
Staring or glaring at someone
Crossing their arms or legs defensively
Scratching or rubbing their skin
Crying or showing signs of distress
Withdrawal or isolation from others
Demanding attention or validation from others
Disrupting the peace or harmony in a space or environment
Refusing to follow rules or guidelines
Engaging in arguments or fights with others
Becoming overly competitive or aggressive in their pursuits
Ignoring advice or guidance from others
Showing a lack of empathy or compassion towards others
Being overly critical or nitpicky
Refusing to apologize or take responsibility for their actions.
Exhibiting physical symptoms like sweating or shaking
Making demands or issuing commands to others
Engaging in reckless or dangerous behavior
Becoming overly defensive or argumentative
Engaging in self-destructive behavior or self-sabotage
Refusing to acknowledge or address the source of their anger
Blaming themselves for problems that are not their fault
Seeking out conflict or confrontation with others
Using passive-aggressive behavior to communicate their anger
Engaging in obsessive or compulsive behaviors
Struggling to focus or concentrate due to their anger
Engaging in self-soothing behaviors like rocking or pacing
Using humor to mask or downplay their anger
Becoming distant or disengaged from others.
Now, let's talk about setting. It's not just where your characters are, but how they react to it. This means the environment can be used to show off their anger or even help readers understand why they are feeling angry.
Secluding themselves in a quiet, isolated part of the environment
Moving quickly and aggressively through the environment
Becoming agitated or restless in a peaceful or serene environment
Ignoring or avoiding other characters in the environment
Intentionally damaging the environment or objects within it
Distancing themselves from others or backing away from objects in the environment
Taking actions that disrupt the peace or harmony of the environment, such as slamming doors or turning over tables
Focusing on negative aspects of the environment, such as dirt or clutter, and feeling anger towards those elements
Becoming fixated on a particular aspect of the environment and feeling anger towards anyone who interferes with it.
Avoiding eye contact with others in the environment
Making sarcastic or biting comments about the environment
Displaying impatience or frustration with slow-moving objects or people in the environment
Purposefully choosing a more hostile or uncomfortable location to match their angry emotional state
Remember how a bright, sunny day with chirping birds and fresh flowers can instantly put you in a happy mood? Well, the same goes for the location in your story. Even without a character present, scenery can influence the way readers perceive the mood. So, when it comes to anger, the location can be used to set the tone just as much as the character's actions and emotions.
Weather: Dark clouds, lightning, thunder, and heavy rain can create an ominous and angry atmosphere.
Time of Day: Nighttime or sunset can create a moody and angry atmosphere.
Location: A rundown or dangerous part of town can create a sense of anger or unease.
Objects: Broken or destroyed objects can indicate a character's anger and frustration.
Colors: Dark or vibrant colors like red or black can be used to create a sense of anger.
Noises: Loud, jarring noises like alarms or sirens can create a sense of anger and urgency.
Crowds: A crowded or noisy environment can be used to create feelings of anger or irritation.
Architecture: Cold or sterile environments like hospitals or government buildings can create a sense of anger and frustration.
Nature: A barren or lifeless landscape can create a sense of anger or despair.
Animals: Aggressive or hostile animals can be used to create a sense of danger and anger.
Now, let's talk about dialogue. There's nothing quite like a character yelling and cussing up a storm to show their anger, right? It's one of the most powerful ways to convey intense emotions through words. So, buckle up and get ready to explore the ways in which dialogue can be used to show anger in your writing!
Cursing and using expletives
Speaking loudly and aggressively
Interrupting others and speaking over them
Using sarcastic or mocking tones
Making threats or using violent language
Using short, sharp sentences or phrases
Speaking through gritted teeth or a clenched jaw
Insulting or belittling others
Using repetitive or redundant language
Refusing to engage in conversation or responding with silence.
Using rhetorical questions that are meant to convey frustration
Interrupting themselves mid-sentence with a burst of anger
Repeating a particular phrase or word to emphasize their anger
Using a dismissive tone to indicate irritation or impatience
Speaking with a tone that is icy or cold
Using a monotone voice to convey anger and frustration
Resorting to name-calling or insults
Being defensive or argumentative in their responses
Speaking rapidly and stumbling over their words in their anger
Using a confrontational or challenging tone to express anger.
And what comes after all of that? Well, my dear friend, when you've exhausted their words, body language, senses, and actions, what's left? That's when you dive into their mind and explore their point of view. You can write about their thoughts and inner dialogue to really capture the depth of their anger.
Negative thoughts about others or the situation
Self-criticism and frustration
Dwelling on past events that caused the anger
Increased cynicism and pessimism
A desire for revenge or justice
Difficulty concentrating or focusing on tasks
Racing or intrusive thoughts
A feeling of being overwhelmed or out of control
A sense of injustice or unfair treatment
Blaming others or external circumstances for their anger
Now we come to the last item on our list - metaphors and analogies. They are frequently used in writing to create colorful and vivid descriptions, and can also effectively convey a character's anger. However, it's important to be careful with their use, as readers can become annoyed if they are overused.
"Her anger burned like a wildfire, consuming everything in its path."
"He felt like a coiled snake, ready to strike at any moment."
"Her anger was a thunderstorm, building and brewing until it finally erupted."
"His anger was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any second."
"She felt like a volcano, with her anger bubbling just below the surface."
"His anger was a raging river, with powerful currents and dangerous undertows."
"She felt like a caged animal, trapped and helpless in her anger."
"His anger was a sharp sword, cutting through everything in its way."
"She felt like a stormy sea, with her anger churning like the waves."
"His anger was a blazing inferno, burning everything in its wake."
"His anger boiled like lava in a volcano, ready to erupt at any moment."
"Her words sliced through me like a knife, leaving me raw and bleeding with anger."
"He was a ticking time bomb, just waiting to explode with fury."
"Her temper was a wildfire, spreading quickly and uncontrollably."
"His rage was a storm, brewing and building until it unleashed with a violent outburst."
"She was a snake, coiled and ready to strike with venomous anger."
"His fury was a thunderous roar, shaking the very foundations of the earth."
"Her temper was a beast, wild and untamed, impossible to control."
"His anger was a whirlpool, pulling me down into its dark depths."
"She was a volcano, her anger a fiery eruption that left nothing but destruction in its wake."
Well, that's all for today's post. It's always bittersweet to say goodbye, but don't worry, I'll be back soon with more juicy writing tips! Before I go, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this post. Did you find it helpful? Did you learn something new? And more importantly, what other emotions do you want me to tackle next? Let me know in the comments below!
You can find plenty of these posts on my Tumblr, so be sure to check them out! or you can find a more organized version here!
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gintrinsic-writing · 10 months ago
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Twilight was a no-good filthy traitor. Legend hoped a bird shit on his head, or that he had to walk with wet socks, or that all of his hair burned off during the next monster fight. It would only serve him right.
“He looks like he’s plottin’ my demise,” Twilight muttered in an aside to Hyrule.
“Because I am,” Legend bit out, only keeping his voice down so the others didn’t wake. If there was any mercy to be found, it was that Twilight hadn’t told anyone else yet. Goddess knows that would only make things worse.
Hyrule took a slow, deep breath—bracing himself, or maybe out of patience. Legend didn’t know him well enough to say, yet. For a healer, he was surprisingly prickly at times. “We’re only concerned, Legend. Let us help you.”
“And I’m telling you, there’s nothing to help.”
“Twilight said he’s seen you wearing those rings every night.” Hyrule glanced at Legend’s fingers pointedly. “We recognize them. You once mentioned they’re for healing.”
“So what?” Legend snarked.
“So quit being a stubborn bastard and tell us where you’re hurt,” Twilight grumbled, voice just shy of too loud. “You wouldn’t wear ‘em without reason. You’ve said yourself you don’t like wastin’ magic.”
“They’re passive,” Legend sighed, then held up his hands when they both scoffed and opened their mouths to argue. “Why can’t you simply trust me to handle my own shit?”
“Because you’re not on your own now,” Hyrule argued. “We’re a team, and if you’re hurting when one of us can help—”
“Good Three, are you deaf?” Legend snapped in a whisper. “I already said you can’t!”
Hyrule’s ears flattened, and he lowered his gaze. Legend instantly felt like shit.
“Prove it, then,” Twilight said. “Let him do a quick scan, and if there’s truly nothing, we’ll apologize and leave you alone.”
Legend wanted to throw something. He half-considered shoving Twilight just to have an outlet for some of his frustration, but the farm boy was built like a brick shithouse. Probably wouldn’t do Legend the courtesy of budging. “You know what? Fine. Since you’re incapable of respecting my privacy, fine.”
They both looked chastised, but not enough to stop them from taking advantage of Legend’s reluctant acquiescence. Hyrule stepped forward—and wasn’t that its own sharp discomfort, allowing someone into his space without bristling—and placed glowing hands near Legend’s head and chest. For a moment, the only sound was the crackle of the camp fire. Then Hyrule made an unhappy sound in the back of his throat.
“Your right knee…”
As if on cue, an ache shot up through Legend’s leg. “Old ACL tear.”
“It didn’t heal well.”
“No.”
Seconds passed, Hyrule chewing on his lower lip. “What about your back?”
“Nerve damage after a fall.”
Twilight winced. “How high?”
Legend bitterly recalled the unforgiving rocky slopes of Tal Tal Heights. “High,” he answered curtly.
Hyrule shifted his hands. “Your hip—was it dislocated?”
“Mhm. Lynel clipped me.”
“It’s not… Your socket must’ve been damaged as well. It’s not a great fit.”
“I’m aware.”
“And your left ankle?” Hyrule asked quietly. “A fracture?”
“I didn’t have time to set it properly. Had to chug a potion and run.” He figured it went without saying that the alternative would’ve been much worse.
Hyrule frowned. “There’s some scarring in your lungs. Does it hurt to breathe?”
A small raft, a large storm. Choking on salt water as waves crashed overhead. Waking up on Koholint, convinced he must’ve drowned— “Not enough to matter.”
“I see…” Hyrule suddenly took Legend’s left hand in both of his. He was so, so gentle. It made Legend want to hide under a rock. “Can you feel anything in your palm?”
“Besides pins and needles?” Legend shrugged. “Hardly. Burn went too deep.”
Twilight shifted uncomfortably where he stood. “Hyrule, can you heal any of this?”
Hyrule hesitated, then took a step back, letting go of Legend’s hand. “I can try but…” He shook his head sadly. “There’s so much more. So many little traumas that healed wrong, or weren’t addressed in time. Some of your joints are relying on scar tissue for support to function. The arthritis alone, it—I can’t even imagine. Oh, Legend, I’m so sor—”
“I know,” Legend hissed, feeling his face burn with embarrassment. “I fucking know, but you both insisted, and—and there’s nothing to be done, is there? Nothing to do but deal with it, like I always have.” He scoffed, fidgeting with one of his rings. “Only now, you know how broken I am. Congratulations, I guess. I’m proof of what it means to be the goddesses’ favorite.”
Twilight reached out, probably intending to offer comfort, but Legend flinched away. He wasn’t sure why he’d said that last bit. He wished he could take it back. “Just… please,” he started, too tired and ashamed to keep up his anger. “Give me some privacy, and don’t tell the others. Can you at least do that for me?”
Twilight finally looked appropriately regretful. Too bad it didn’t make Legend feel any better. “Of course, Ledge,” he murmured. “And I’m—truly, I’m sorry for pryin’.”
“It’s fine,” Legend said, which wasn’t true, but it was better than “whatever” or “you should be.” He thinks they understood anyway.
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obessedwithfictionalmen · 8 months ago
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Finals season
Callum Turner X Female! Reader
Summary: Callum spoils his girl as she studies for finals.
Warning: None
Word count: 500 words.
A/n: I wrote this for myself, I'm studying and working my butt of for finals. I'm going to try to keep posting, but yeah. :)
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Books were displayed on the table; her laptop was opened, and empty cups of coffee were all over the table. Y/n was studying for her finals, and she was tired. She’d been at it since 8:30 this morning, it was 23:15. Callum entered their house, he’d been away all day for his press tour. He knew that his girlfriend was studying hard, and he decided to buy her a gift. He bought her flowers and a ring. Not for a proposal, but she spotted the ring a few weeks ago and she loved it. The ring was gold and had a small aquamarine stone on top of it. It was really simple, but it was pretty. When he came in the kitchen, he smiled at the sight of his girlfriend, she was a mess and looked so tired. ‘’Hey love, how are you?’’ he asked as he kissed her on the cheek.
Y/n looked up to him, she had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was held by a hair clip, and she was dressed in sweats. ‘’I’m okay, how was your day?’’ she asked, her voice sounded so tired. ‘’Great, how long have you been at it?’’ he asked, pointing out her books. ‘’Since this morning’’ she admitted. He sighed as he sat next to her. He pulled out the flowers and handed them to her. ‘’What are they for, thank you’’ she smiled, looking at the flowers and him. ‘’Well, you work so hard, and I have another surprise’’ he said, taking the box with the ring out of his pocket. ‘’I’m not proposing, but remember a few weeks ago? When you saw a ring’’ he said, opening the box, showing her the ring. ‘’Cal, it’s too much’’ she smiled. ‘’It’s not enough, you work so hard my love. I’m so proud of you and you’re so smart and amazing’’ he praised her. Y/n’s eyes filled with tears, she was so tired, she needed to hear those words.
‘’I’m so scared of failing, I feel like I’m forgetting everything’’ she says, looking at the books on the table. ‘’What are you working on?’’ he asked, getting closer to her. ‘’I have to write this paper on the impact of disinformation on kids. I have to quote a lot of stuff, hands all the books. And I have to find so many statistics and it’s driving me nuts’’ she blurts out. Callum places a hand on her back, in support as he looks at what she wrote on the laptop. ‘’Hey, you got this, you’re the best.’’ He kissed her cheek. She leaned her head on his shoulder, taking a deep breath. ‘’Thank you for the flowers and the ring. I really appreciate it and I needed it’’ she whispered. ‘’You’re welcome, I’m really proud of you, love. You got this, I know how hard you’re working and it’s going to pay off. I’m sure you’ll get straight A in your exams. I love you, Y/n’’
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msmk11 · 2 months ago
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This Thing Called A Date
Yelena Belova x gn!reader
WC: 606
CW: idiots in love; fluff; first date nerves
Summary: You take Yelena on her first ever date.
Day 29 of mk’s mad dash
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You really hope that your date with Yelena goes more smoothly than asking her out had.
“You look like you want to say something,” the blonde declares rather bluntly.
“Well, I uhm. There’s this thing,” you scratch your neck anxiously, “this thing called a date and-“
“I know what a date is,” Yelena interrupted matter-of-factly.
Heat rises to your cheeks, “oh right, well, I just didn’t know if you knew about them because of the red room and…”
You trail off at Yelena’s amused face and let out a nervous chuckle.
“Sorry, I’m rambling. I just, well I wanted to know if you wanted to go on a date?”
Now, you fidget anxiously in front of Yelena’s door, working up the courage to knock. And you should be able to. You’re an Avenger for goodness sake.
But before you get the chance, the door opens.
“You’ve been standing here for five minutes. Why didn’t you knock?” Yelena asks.
“How- I.”
She smirks at you and shakes her head, “so silly.”
You just stare at her, your mouth opening and closing silently like a fish.
“So are we going somewhere or…”
“Right, right, sorry!” You shake yourself out of your stupor, “let’s go.”
After countless hours of thinking about where to take Yelena, you’d finally settled on the park near the Avengers Tower. It felt like the most neutral place to go- no risk of spilling food on yourself, no embarrassing yourself at mini golf or bowling, and no chance of paying for a movie that would end up being the worst one known to mankind.
Besides the few dog-walkers, kids playing, and old folks chatting, the park is peaceful and perfectly intimate.
“So are you, like, taking me for a walk? Like a dog?” Yelena asks casually as she walks beside you.
“I- no- uhm- we can go somewhere else if-“
The blonde busts out laughing, “I’m joking, I’m joking! Why so serious?!”
You stop in your tracks and huff, “because, Yelena. I like you, a lot. This feels pretty serious to me.”
The grin on her face falters and is replaced by her ever-so familiar frown.
“I’m sorry. I’m not being very nice. I’m just,” she sighs and scuffs her heel on the concrete, “I’m really nervous. And when I’m nervous, I rely on jokes.”
“You’re nervous too?”
Her eyes don’t meet yours, instead focusing on the ground, “yeah, of course I am. You’re you, and I’ve never been on a date before and….”
Tentatively, you reach out and grab her hands. She looks up, surprised by your touch.
“Why don’t we both agree to just stop being freaks and just talk. I mean it’s you and me. We’re great together, okay?” you insist.
The blonde starts to smile again and your heart flutters happily in your chest.
“Okay, silly.”
A small giggle escapes your lips and she chuckles too.
“Okay.”
And as Yelena looks at you like that- so sweetly and sincerely, you can’t fight the urge to kiss her. You grab onto the loops of one of her favorite vests and pull her towards you, kissing her intensely.
When you pull away she sighs, “that was nice. I liked that very much.”
“And I like this vest,” you teased, “it’s very handy.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling everyone,” she exclaims, “the vest has so many uses, it can hold things, you can clip stuff-“
And as much as you love to hear her ramble on and on, she’s just too cute for you to handle. You pull her back in and kiss her again, her words getting muffled by your mouth on hers.
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pia55tri · 3 months ago
Note
Carcar prompt!!
Carlos follows Oscar back on Insta randomly and Oscar is very ??? about it hehe
thank you for sending in a prompt 🫶
Oscar gets so many notifications on his public socials that he’s muted them all. That isn’t to say that he isn’t immediately informed when anything happens, because he is.
This time, it’s a message from his social media manager, who doesn’t really manage his posts, but does keep an eye out on them for the team. It goes, Just a few comments from some drivers on your latest post. And Carlos followed you back.
And Oscar’s immediate instinct is to ask, Carlos who?
Is it Carlos Alcaraz? That would be cool, but unlikely.
Even just as unlikely is Carlos Sainz Jr. following him back. But that’s just what happens.
Oscar stares at his followers list for a long moment. He isn’t on bad terms with Carlos, per se. But they’re not on — on great terms either. They just.
They talk. A lot. Carlos talks a lot, in general, and Oscar is exactly the type to goad him, so when they end up in the same vicinity — which is often, nowadays, given that they’re both living in Monaco and bumping into each other at the gym, or the padel court, or even Lando’s favourite haunts around the city — they end up talking for longer than Oscar anticipates.
And they take the same private jets. Same planes, if they’re flying commercial. They have the same friends on the grid. They go to the same gym.
It just happens. Oscar never expected it to, but it does. And somehow all those coincidences and those conversations snowball into texting on the regular and sending each other ridiculous posts from the internet and sports news clips and short messages about their very separate days. And.
Anyway. Throughout it all, Carlos never followed Oscar back on instagram. It was funny, at first (and still is, really), because Carlos would leave comments on his posts like a terrible stalker. For the first few weeks of their sort-of-friendship, Oscar doesn’t think that Carlos even knew he hadn’t been following Oscar back. But it’s since been a little joke between them.
(And imagine that, an inside joke between Oscar and Carlos Sainz Jr. Oscar was a child and spectator at one of Carlos’s rookie races. Little Oscar would have laughed in disbelief. Rookie Oscar would have also laughed in disbelief, in, albeit, a mildly different manner.)
So, now. Oscar is up at an unreasonable time, lounging in his underwear, in the middle of his messy room, and staring at the carlossainz55 in his followers list.
What the fuck.
He needs a sympathetic ear.
🏎🏎
“Okay?” Logan is not at all sympathetic. “And, uh, how does that make you feel?”
“I’m. Normal about it.”
“If you were normal about it, you wouldn’t have called me about it at,” a rustle and a sigh, “three in the morning about it. Mate, I have a meeting in, like, four hours.”
“Logan, please.”
“Call Fred or something.”
“No!” Oscar immediately protests. “And no calling Lando either. They’ll just tell me to— to smooch him or something.”
Another pause. “Well, mate, I don’t know what to tell you, but I personally think that if you’re thinking about ‘smooching’ someone at three in the morning, then you should probably do that.”
Oscar groans. “Fuck you, too.”
“Cheers,” Logan says brightly, then hangs up on him.
Oscar groans again.
🏎🏎
He finally gives in to his little lizard hindbrain and pulls up his messages with Carlos.
So you’re finally signing up to seeing me on your timeline regularly?
He stares at his screen with some shock at his own audacity. What is he—
A buzz. And a reply from Carlos.
Much easier than me going to look for your account every time I want to see you, yes?
Oscar stares some more.
Carefully, he places his phone screen-down on his bed. Looks up at the ceiling.
He can feel his heart in his throat.
Well.
Well.
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ahonice · 1 year ago
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lucky; pt.2
part one
luke hughes x fem reader
word count: 8.4k
warnings: cursing, drinking, implications of sex/sexual jokes & situations, slight hate towards business majors, probably definitely incorrect knowledge about pre med shit.
note: since so many people asked for a part two (literally only fifteen but still) i finally got over the grudge i have against series/part twos and i'm here to relieve you all. this is the opposite of planned out, i am writing this as i go along so i hope it doesn’t suck too badly (actually scared no one will like this because of how much love part one got). anyways enjoy, leave feedback, have a great day, love y’all babes <3
italics are flashbacks
+++
you and luke didn’t arrive back at the house until past midnight. neither of you expected anyone to be awake when you entered through the front door, but the sound of multiple voices proved that theory to be wrong.
“i think my brother’s friends got here a little earlier than we anticipated.” luke told you as he opened the door, going unnoticed by the small crowd in the living room. “let’s just get to my room and go to sleep, we need some rest.” you nodded at luke’s words as he moved himself behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, you knew he was subconsciously attempting to protect you from the group of guys, more specifically his brothers.
we didn’t make it far though, only a few moments later a voice called out at luke, causing everyone else to focus their attention on us. sighing, luke let go of you and moved forward to greet everybody, muttering an apology as he passed by you. 
you stood there awkwardly, trying to decide if you should wait for luke to finish with his tiny game of catch up or if you should just go up into his room and wait for him there. after what happened today luke asked his mother if the two of you could stay in the same room today, she agreed after a little bit of begging on luke’s behalf. before you could make your own decision the room’s attention was no longer on luke.
“who is the girl luke?” 
your head shot up at the mention of you, instantly becoming a bit self conscious because of the number of eyes on you. you made eye contact with quinn for a split second before tears started to build up again, seeing him just reminded you of everything that you had been through in the past twenty four hours.
“that’s my girlfriend, y/n.” luke said, making his way back to your side and attempting to block you from the eyes that were visibly making you uncomfortable. “-and if you don’t mind we would like to get to bed, it’s been a long day. you can all be properly introduced in the morning.” without letting anybody else get a word in, he turned around and guided you up to his room with his hands around your waist.
+++
you woke relatively early, the sun was just beginning to rise so you took this as your opportunity to go outside and spend some time on your own, you needed it. it took a little bit to get luke’s death grip on you loose enough for you to wiggle out of bed, but after you were successfully free you grabbed one of his hoodies to throw on over your pjs and pulled your hair out of your face with a claw clip. 
you silently made your way out of the house and took a seat out on the dock, taking a quick picture of the view as the sky turned shades of pink and orange. you dipped your feet into the water before grabbing your journal, deciding it was best to write your feelings down on paper just for your better understanding of everything that has happened.
as you finished up your journal entry you noticed the sun was now peaking over the tree line, you took a picture of the view, as well as a picture of your legs with your feet in the water and the pink journal in your lap. you opened up instagram and put all the pictures you took this morning and posted them to your private instagram account, captioning it “yesterday was one of the worst days of my life, can only hope today and each day after will be better.” 
you spent a few more minutes in silence, enjoying the fresh air you were getting. your trance was broken by the sound of footsteps on the dock.
“hey dear, what are you doing up so early?” you turned around to look at the man speaking.
“hi jim.” you smiled as he sat down next to you. “i’m just spending some time outside. i felt like i needed some fresh air.” 
jim nodded before speaking, “i’m sorry about everything. i had no idea any of this was going on, and i am sorry that i didn’t pick up on it earlier.” 
“it’s okay, don’t feel bad for not noticing it earlier. i should’ve spoken up when it first started happening.” you told him, giving him a reassuring smile. 
“would you like to join me and ellen today? we’re just running some errands but it could be fun, help you escape the sausage party that has become the lake house.” jim offered, causing you to laugh at his use of the phrase “sausage party”.
“yeah i would love to.”
+++
you had gotten ready for the day without waking up your boyfriend, so you decided to continue to let him sleep. you went to your room and began packing your bags because you would be leaving in two days and you needed to begin getting ready for your departure back home. once the room was all sorted and looked like nobody was staying in it, you put your luggage back into the closet and made your way downstairs, cleaning had always been a way for you to relieve stress. 
“sorry to keep you guys waiting, i wanted to clean up my room.” you told ellen and jim as you made your way downstairs.
“no need for apologies sweetie, let’s go. our first stop is breakfast.” 
+++
you had gone to breakfast with luke’s parents and told them about your plans for after college.
“right now i’m planning on becoming a medical examiner.” you explained as you waited for your orders. “i just have to see if i made it into the pre-med program before i can begin properly planning my future.” ellen and jim nodded, and continued to ask some questions about how your first year of university was going and other school related topics. 
+++
after breakfast they took you to the local farmers/flea market, you were excited as you had been meaning to ask luke to come along with you. as you were browsing your options you saw a couple booths near each other with fabric for sale, you quickly made your way over and began looking at what was all there. after a few moments you found the colors you were looking for. 
you purchased your rolls of cloth as well as some embroidery floss in an assortment of colors because you had been meaning to stock up on it and some yarn for one of your experiments. after getting everything you made your way back towards ellen and jim, telling them what you got. 
the next stop was the grocery store, with jack’s friends arriving early the house wasn’t stocked up for everybody staying over. during your morning with luke’s parents the topic of what happened the day before didn’t come up until your last stop of the day. 
you were looking around a local garden shop, looking for a new plant to bring home, when ellen came up to you.
“i just want to apologize again for what happened yesterday. i am beyond embarrassed for how my sons have been treating you. you mean a lot to me, jim, and luke, and after the talk i had with them yesterday i’m hoping jack and quinn will come around as well.” you smiled at ellen, a couple tears were brought to surface when she said that you meant a lot to her. 
once you and luke were gone ellen walked up to her oldest sons and they immediately knew what was coming.
“mom, please don’t-”
“no quinn! i am going to.” she sighed, “y/n means so much to luke, and for you guys to be so rude and disrespectful towards her is unacceptable. has she ever done anything to make you guys feel that way? or were these assumptions completely based on snap judgements?” ellen took her son’s silence as an answer. “y/n is good for luke, i’ve never seen him happier. he loves her enough to introduce us and allow us to spend time with her, and this is how you pay him back? you two need to figure out a way to fix this, i suggest you start with opening up the presents that y/n spent hours making for you two that you guys never had the common decency to be appreciative about, i think you’ll like what they are.” after giving them one more look of disappointment she walked back into the house to find jim and explain to him what was going on.
“i think they want to open up the gifts you made, but i never got to properly ask because their friends showed up.” you smiled at her. them opening up the gifts wasn’t going to fix everything, ellen knew this, but it was a start. 
+++
it was only eleven when you returned back to the lake house, with how late everybody stayed up last night you didn’t expect anyone to awake yet, you were wrong. ellen and jim had some more places to go but didn’t want to take up your whole day so they dropped you back off at the house before continuing their list of things to do. when you got up to the front porch you heard the voices of multiple people, one being your boyfriend, and they were all yelling.
“this is all your guys’ fault! my girlfriend left because of you two and how you’ve been treating her.” you heard luke shout. you quickly realized you never informed luke of your last minute plans with his parents, you kind of expected ellen to send a message to him or to any of the boys to explain her and jim’s absence when they woke up. 
“luke calm the fuck down. her car is still out front, she obviously didn’t leave.” jack’s voice was heard as you tried to open the front door, of course it was fucking locked. 
“her luggage is gone, her room is spotless, it looks like nobody has stayed in it for weeks.” luke voice was breaking. you quickly knocked, more pounded, on the door needing someone to let you in. shortly after your began hitting the door it was opened, you didn’t recognize who it was so you knew it had to be one of quinn or jack’s guests.
“found her.”
you pushed past him and made your way to the living room where everyone was at, dropping your bags and wrapping luke into a hug. he noticeably relaxed under your touch, he grabbed onto you like his life depended on it and you heard muffled sobs against your neck where his face was buried into.
“i thought you left me.” he said, you were the only one that heard it he was that quiet. 
“i’m so sorry luke, i–” you were going to explain what happened but you were cut off before you could continue.
“where the hell did you go?” you weren’t expecting that question, especially from who it came from. jack looked at you, anticipating your answer. you stood shocked, the genuine worry in his tone was enough to throw you off balance and leave you unable to speak. your silence seemed to just agitate him. “luke was worried sick. i get that you’re upset with me and with quinn, i do, we have been treating you horribly, but pulling this shit, causing us all to worry for you and your safety, just to get back at us is not okay.” 
you felt bad, until he said that. “jack i didn’t run away as a form of revenge, i didn’t even run away, i went out with your parents. they thought i could use a break from everything going on here, and they were right.” you detached yourself from luke, your heart cracking a little bit when he whimpered at the loss of touch, and went to grab your bags from earlier. once they were in your hands again you walked up the stairs, grabbing Luke's wrist in the process. “i don’t owe either of you assholes any further explanations.”
+++
“i thought you left me because of how my brothers were treating you.” once you and luke made it into his room he broke down again, causing the guilt in you to bubble up.
“i’m so sorry baby, i would never leave you. your dad invited me to spend the morning with him and your mom and i thought it would be good to spend some time away from the house.” you said, rubbing his back as you sat in his lap, chest to chest.
after a few more minutes and a couple more apologies luke stopped crying, his sadness replaced with a slight amount of anger.
“don’t you ever do that again. i am your boyfriend, you are my guest in this house, i don’t want this to come off as insanely possessive, but i have a right to know where you are.” you could only nod at his words.
“i’m sorry luke, it didn’t even cross my mind. i wrongly assumed your mom would tell you, or that you would still be sleeping by the time i got back.”
“hey i’m not that lazy.” his joking nature allowed you to further calm down, you both got what you needed to off our chests.
“i can’t believe i called your brothers assholes.” you groaned, knowing that would probably make them dislike you even more.
“they deserved it.” luke said, giving you a kiss right after. “anyways, it was hot.” 
“oh really?” you giggled, a blush forming on your cheeks as his hands began wandering.
“it’s a good thing i locked the door when we walked in.”
+++
it wasn’t for a couple more hours that you and luke went back downstairs, he thought it was time that you were actually introduced to the guests that joined you at the house.
“y/n this is trevor, cole, and alex, guys this is my girlfriend. y/n.” you smiled at them and said a faint hello, they all smiled back except for one. it was the one who asked luke who i was last night and opened the door for me earlier, the one who was now identified as trevor. he quickly went up to me and hugged me, taking me by surprise, i hesitantly brought my arms around him and gave him a slight pat on the back.
“it’s nice to finally meet you, i’ve heard many different things about you but i can already tell most of them were full of shit.” you smiled, knowing exactly what he was referring to. “well we were all planning on going out on the lake for a bit, eat dinner, watch the sunset, you two in?” you and luke both nodded before heading back upstairs to get ready.
+++
the tension on the boat was very evident, you felt bad for the three boys who probably had no idea what had happened just a day before, you’d probably feel even worse if they did know.
luke was quick to gain your attention, talking to you about the most random things. you kept up with his conversation before you noticed that jack and his friends were huddled up and whispering on the other side of the boat, you wouldn’t have been bothered if it weren’t for them constantly looking up at you before going back to their gossip session. you began to feel a little self conscious, you made an effort to cover yourself as much as you could with the one towel you could find near you. luke noticed the shift in your focus.
“is everything okay? you seem distracted, i’m sorry if you didn’t want to be near them so soon.”
“no luke it’s fine, i just feel like they’re talking about me.” you tried to subtly motion towards jack and his friends. luke just glared at them, seeing what you were seeing.
“here come sit on my lap, i’ll wrap my arms around you and protect you from them.” you giggled at his joking tone.
“anything to touch me huh hughes?” you poked at him once you were in his lap.
+++
dinner was served, an assortment of caprisuns and beers as well as uncrustables were on the menu for tonight. you moved up to grab some for you and luke when you got into a conversation with cole.
“so how long have you and luke been together?” 
“ten months, our one year is in september.” you smiled, already excited for whatever the two of you would have planned for that night. 
soon you were whisked away into a conversation, more like interrogation, about your relationship. trevor and cole sat next to you while jack, alex, and quinn sat in front of you. the oldest hughes put your boyfriend on wheel duty so he was on the other side of the boat, shooting you a worried glance each time you made eye contact with him. 
“how did you meet?”
“we were in the same orientation group, we got paired together for this water balloon game.” you smiled at the memory, remembering how horrible luke was at simply catching the balloon.
“what are you studying?” quinn’s question caught you off guard, seemingly since for the past ten minutes all you’ve been asked about was his brother.
“i’m currently hoping to go pre-med, i will find out if i made it into the program in the next couple days hopefully.” you told him with a smile.
“so you wanna be a nurse or something?” trevor asked.
“no. if i wanted to be a nurse i would be in the nursing program.” you told him, taking a sip of the beer you were holding before continuing. “i’m planning on being a medical examiner, conducting autopsies, figuring out the time and cause of death of a person.” you could tell the topic of dead bodies made your small q/a crowd uncomfortable which caused you to giggle. “any more questions? or can i return to my boyfriend now?” the boys just shook their heads in response, so you got up and sat on luke’s lap.
“so how did that go? you don’t seem too tense anymore.” luke asked once you were both situated.
“it went decent, i think, they just asked about us the whole time.” he nodded at your answer. “-oh, but quinn did ask me a question about myself and just myself, nothing that had to do with you.” luke looked over at his oldest brother with a small smile, who returned it before you, unknowingly, interrupted the moment by asking luke to take some pictures of you.
+++
you spent the night in luke’s room again, the boys needed a room to stay in anyways, so you had convinced ellen and jim that staying with luke for two nights wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
“i don’t want you to leave.” luke said quietly, stealing your attention away from the tv screen.
“i don’t want to leave.” you replied, shifting to face him.
“then don’t. i can guarantee my parents wouldn’t have any problems with you staying for another week or two.” 
“luke i can’t, my sewing machine and all my other clothing stuff is back at my house and i’ve honestly gone a little insane just going five days without it–” luke rolled his eyes at your reasoning, giving you a look of disbelief.
“seriously, a machine is the reason you don’t wanna spend more time with your boyfriend?”
“-also i get my pre-med acceptance letter soon, if i get in, and i want to be with my parent’s when that happens and i know that they’re gonna want to celebrate with a party.”
“i think if you want to get closer to my brothers, or at least have them get to know you, you should stay here an extra week or two. they mean just as much to me as you do and i’m not saying you need to be best friends with them, but it would be nice if you guys got to know each other more and spend more time together.”
silence, and eventually sleep, consumed the two of you. both knowing an argument would only start if you continued to talk about it.
+++
you woke up in an empty bed, frowning you got up and looked around the room to see if he was at least still in his bedroom, he wasn’t. you got up and began getting ready, throwing a pink bikini and some jean shorts before braiding your hair.
once you were downstairs your boyfriend was still nowhere to be found, you made your way outside where you saw his brothers and friends, luke was not with them.
“hey guys, do you know where luke is?” you asked the group, hoping one of them had an answer for you.
“he left like two hours ago, didn’t mention where he was going though.” jack answered, you nodded. “if you would like to join us, we were planning on going wakesurfing today, i don’t want you getting bored in the house by yourself.” you smiled at his offer and accepted, telling the group to give you a few minutes so you could grab some things for the boat, sending luke a text on your way back into the house.
to: luke <3
hey, where are you?
to: luke <3
i’m going on the boat with your brothers and friends so wish me luck lol
you packed your bag and joined the boys outside who were already on the boat waiting for you.
+++
an hour later you still hadn’t received a response from luke and you were getting worried.
to: luke <3
are you okay?
to: luke <3
i find it funny that yesterday when i did this exact thing you said you had a right to know where i was at all times, do i not have that right either? 
“y/n do you wanna try it?” my attention was drawn away from my phone to look at cole.
“sure, i don’t know what i’m doing though.” you replied, moving to take off your shorts and put on the life vest.
“didn’t do it before we got here?” alex asked.
“no, i had other things distracting me.” i glanced over at quinn who gave me an embarrassed smile before speaking.
“i’m sorry for that, i really am, it was uncalled for.” you just nodded in response, not really wanting to talk about it in front of everybody.
+++
you sucked at wakesurfing. you were able to keep your balance for thirty seconds at most before you slipped, or the one time trevor tackled you into the water. which of course was filmed and posted onto trevor’s story, the embarrassing scream you had let out was now viewable to his thousands of followers
once you guys got off the boat you quickly made your way inside to see if luke had shown up yet, he still hadn’t. you quickly opened your phone to call him but got no response, now you were mad. you two had talked about the importance of communication and the risks of not knowing where the other was yesterday, and here he was doing the opposite of everything he asked of you yesterday. 
to: luke <3
idk what the hell you’re doing right now but it has now been six hours since i’ve woken up and you’re still nowhere to be found and no one has heard from you. 
to: luke <3
i’m going to dinner with your brothers, so wish me luck, and if i don’t hear back from you by the time it’s dark i will send in a missing persons report.
to: luke <3
just lmk you’re safe.
you weren’t planning on leaving for dinner for a couple more hours so you spent some time getting the proper measurements for some clothes you would be working on, as well as studying up on how to knit a sweater since you would be trying that for the first time when you went back home. 
you didn’t change for dinner, just throwing one of luke’s michigan shirts on top of your swimsuit and putting your shorts back on. soon you made your way downstairs where it was just quinn waiting, everyone else apparently still getting ready. when you saw it was just him you quickly tried to make a run for it and go back to your room.
“you know you don’t have to avoid me, i think it’s about time we talked anyways.” quinn’s voice stopped you from going up the stairs. you wanted to keep walking away, you really did, but you knew you needed to have the discussion. you made your way back into the living room and sat on the couch seat furthest away from quinn. 
“ok let’s talk.” you started once you sat down. “can you tell me why you did what you did?” 
you got straight to the point, not wanting to spare any time. 
“i was just looking out for my little brother, i didn’t know you.”
“-you still don’t know me. the only information you know about me is my name and that i’m an aspiring pre-med student at michigan.” you interrupted quinn, earning a glare in your direction.
“yes. i still don’t know you, but i’m hoping that in the next two weeks that you’re staying here i can get to know you.” he finished speaking with a sigh, like it almost pained him to say those words. 
“wait what? i’m leaving tomorrow to go home, i’m not staying for an extra two weeks.” you were confused, your parents were expecting you home in the next twenty four hours.
“luke told me this morning that there was a change of plans and that you were going to be staying an extra two weeks.” quinn said, equally as confused. “did you not know this?”
you could only shake your head as an answer while you pulled your phone out to text luke.
to: luke <3
i don’t know if you were trying to surprise me with an extra two weeks at the lake house but i told you i couldn’t do that, my parents wont allow it.
from: luke <3
*image*
i’m with your parents right now, they said it’s okay. i’m at dinner with them though so i’ll talk to you later, but please wait to yell at me until i’m back at the lake house tonight. i’m gonna hit the road soon.
“that little shit.” you muttered, making quinn laugh.
“what did he do?”
“he has been ignoring my texts and calls all day, which is a problem on its own especially because of what happened yesterday, and now he is at dinner with my parents five hours away in my hometown convincing them to let me stay here longer than what was planned.”
“you don’t want to stay here longer? is it because of me and jack? because i meant what i said on the boat, i really am sorry. no matter what the circumstances were, i took it too far. i’m shocked it took you so long to call us assholes.” quinn’s last comment makes you laugh.
“i’m not gonna lie, you two are partially why i want to leave, but also because i know that next week more of your guys’ friends will be here and that ellen and jim are leaving, i just don’t want to intrude.” quinn nodded at your reasons.
“well if you do stay i think it would be a good time for me to properly get to know you, i would say that we could just start over and forget everything that happened…” he trailed off waiting for an answer from you.
“-not a chance. what you, and jack, did was not okay. i forgive, but i don’t forget.” before quinn could say anything in response the rest of the boys came downstairs and we all headed out to the cars to go to dinner.
+++
dinner was another interrogation, but this time it was almost all questions about you.
“so what do you do for fun?” that can be a loaded question, alex asked you it in hopes to be able to spark more conversations about things that might tie to your answers.
“well i like to design and create clothing, or add things to a boring sweatshirt from the thrift. i do lots of upcycling with things i find at goodwill.” you answered, not knowing how they would respond.
“do you have any pictures of things you have made in the past?” cole asked this time, you nodded and got out your phone. showing them some pullovers you had embroidered things onto, the swimsuits you had made from scratch for you and luke, the apron and hand towels that were gifted to ellen, as well as the ties and matching pocket squares that you made for the hughes boys.
“oh that’s the set you made for my dad.” jack said before pausing, noticing the embroidered initials and numbers on the ties next to the one his father owned. “were those our gifts?” he had gotten so quiet you were shocked you were able to hear it.
“yeah they were, still are if you want them, luke told me the colors of your teams and i went from there to make them.” you told jack before looking at quinn who had a matching look as his brothers.
“can’t believe you ever made gifts for them after how they had treated you.” trevor’s joke made you wince, it seems like they don’t know the full story. 
“well i didn’t do it to get on their good side, i did it just because i thought this would be something they would enjoy, something personal to wear before games or at events, and creating things for people is something i really enjoy.” you kept your head down while talking, not wanting anyone to see the emotion in your face. the waitress soon brought everyone’s food out, you thanked anything and everything that lived up above as something was there to distract everybody for the time being.
+++
once back from dinner you went to hangout by the docks and watch the sunset, the boys had dropped you off per your request because you desperately needed some alone time. after the sun had fully set and you were pleased with the photos you had taken, you decided to go for a swim, stripping off your shirt and shorts, shivering as the cold breeze of the night came over you. you didn’t give yourself time to rethink your actions and jumped into the lake, you were freezing but it felt good. the cold being exactly what you needed.
you don’t know how long you were out there before you heard the sliding door open.
“babe are you out here?” luke’s voice brought immense comfort over you, it felt like it had been days since you’d last seen him. slowly swimming towards the steps you made yourself known.
“yes” you shouted, stepping out of the water and onto the dock. luke quickly made his way towards you, stopping once he was at the end of the dock and could see what you were wearing.
“you look really hot in that swimsuit.” you blushed at his compliment, and at the way his eyes were raking over your body. “you shouldn’t be able to look this hot babe.”
“oh really?” you said stepping closer to him, looking at his lower half to see if he had anything in his pockets, he didn’t. “well, we should do something about that then.” you reached out to grab his shoulders and turn him around, leaning in for a kiss, but before your lips could touch you shoved him into the water. “that’s what you get for ignoring me all day.” 
you jumped into the water a few moments later, luke’s shocked face making you laugh harder. 
“what the hell y/n.” luke asked once the shock from the cold died down in him.
“it seemed like you needed some cooling down, also you spent the whole day ignoring me and then went behind my back to get me to stay an extra two weeks.” you replied, swimming up closer to him, wrapping your arms around his neck.
“i have a surprise for you when we get back inside to make up for it.” luke’s arms instinctively wrapped around your waist. 
you stayed like that for quite some time, luke filling you in on his day and vice versa.
“so quinn apologized to you and said he wanted to get to know you during the rest of your stay?” you nodded at his question, making luke’s smile grow wider than it already was. “that is so great y/n.”
as you were about to add something to what luke had said the sound of footsteps made you close your mouth.
“yeah mom they’re out here.” jack yelled back in the direction of the house. “you two are in trouble, get inside.” 
+++
“so luke, do you see you and y/n lasting? like once you start in the NHL?” 
you weren’t sure when you fell asleep, but you knew that you had woken up while luke’s brothers were grilling him about our relationship. you didn’t open your eyes, you knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but they should know the risks of talking loudly while someone sleeps a few inches away from them.
“i do see us lasting, for a long time. i know you guys might think this is premature but i can see myself spending the rest of my life with her.” luke’s words made your heart rate pick up, “i want her to come to new jersey, but after she has completed all her schooling. i can’t ask her to give up her education for me, it means too much to her.” 
“but if she goes pre-med she will have a lot more years of school, it’s an extra four years and usually more. could you wait about ten years for her? is she worth it?”
“y/n is absolutely worth it, i don’t care how long it takes for her to finish school she is it for me.” tears had started to well up in your eyes, you couldn’t pretend to be asleep anymore. 
you shot up from your spot on the couch and tackled luke in a hug, you had never doubted luke’s commitment for you, but to hear him say it, especially to people who aren’t the biggest fan of you meant a lot.
“i love you luke.” you whispered, a few tears spilling out. 
“i love you too baby.” 
you both missed the look his brothers gave each other, a look that said “maybe she isn’t so bad”
+++
 you didn’t make it into the pre-med program. your parents had opened the letter with you over facetime, you were crushed. yes you could apply next year, and every year after that until you got accepted, but you didn’t want to do that, you wanted to get into the program after one try and that didn’t happen. 
luke was there for you, he held you while you cried, comforted you when trevor accidentally got you a congratulations balloon thinking you were accepted, and stayed with you during the days even though you knew he wanted to spend time with people that weren’t you.
one day you did force him to go out on the lake, dylan and mackie had arrived that morning and you know he wanted to hang out with them, even though he told you he was happy to spend the day with you. you spent a lot of the day cleaning, with ellen gone the house started to look like only teenage boys were staying there. once you were done with that you made lunch and headed back upstairs to finish your next task. after plenty of talks with your parents, and a few emails with your advisor, you decided to change your major to business. all your life you’d been making clothes, you thought you might just make a career out of it because you enjoy doing it so much. you hadn’t told anyone other than your parents, you were scared to. you didn’t want anyone, more specifically luke, to think you were giving up on becoming a medical examiner just because you got one rejection letter. and you did what you did best when you were anxious about something, you made clothes and cleaned. when luke went back to your hometown last week he grabbed your storage tote full of all the essentials, your sewing machine, the brand new embroidery machine your parents bought you to celebrate completing your first year of university, and way too many fabrics. while you’ve been bunkered up in luke’s room, not wanting to face the world just yet you’ve made lots of items. ties for jim, a sweater for ellen, another bathing suit for luke, and today you were determined to make matching shirts for you and luke. you started with making basic white tee, you could’ve easily bought them but there is no fun in that, and then you decided to do a heat transfer of the design you picked out.
they were gonna be gag gifts, every year one of the frats hosts a “twin” party where you and your date show up in matching outfits and this year you and luke were going together. your shirt would say “i 🩷 my boyfriend” with an image of the two of you on the back, and his would be the exact same but with girlfriend instead of boyfriend. the creation of the shirts didn’t take as long as you thought it would, so now you were looking for more things to do, you weren’t able to make a decision as luke’s door was opened by jack. 
“hey me and quinn are going to get ice cream, would you like to come?” you accepted their offer, knowing that you needed to get out of the house. 
it didn’t hit you that this would be the first time you would be alone with luke’s brothers, ever. sure you had your conversation with quinn the other night, but now that jack was here it made you just as fearful, a bit more even.
+++
“so what did you do today? i know that luke went out with dylan and mackie, we haven’t been seeing you much.” jack said once you all sat down for ice cream.
“well i assume you guys heard that i did not make it into the pre-med program so i’ve just been in a small slump lately–” you were cut off by quinn.
“we actually didn’t know, but that makes sense why trevor felt so guilty about the balloon he got you.” 
“yeah, but today i actually switched my major. i’m gonna study business now, possibly entrepreneurship, i decided to pursue a career more based on starting my own clothing company.” you told the boys, who glanced at each other.
“well that is amazing, congratulations. have you told luke yet?” jack asked, beating quinn to speaking.
“no, you guys are actually the first people i’ve told, trying to avoid others thinking i’m giving up on pre-med.” the boys nodded at your reasoning, quinn decided to fill the silence this time.
“luke told us he brought up your clothing stuff, have you made anything?”
“yeah, i’ve made a couple ties, some shirts, a sweater, and a swimsuit.” you laughed at their shocked faces. “i’ve had a lot of free time since i haven’t been leaving the house.”
+++
it had now been five days since you switched your major and you still hadn’t told luke, even if you wanted to tell him you probably wouldn’t have the time to since he has been with dylan, mackie, and the couple other michigan players that have arrived at the house. this is one of the reasons why you didn’t want to stay any longer than a week, you knew luke was going to become distant when his friends showed up.
waking up to an empty bed became normal, luke and the other boys would do some training in the mornings. so like you did yesterday, and the day before, and the day before, you got up and made your way downstairs to make breakfast. quickly distracted by the mess that had been made from what you assumed were smoothies or homemade protein shakes. you silently cursed whoever made the mess while you cleaned it up, then moving on to do some laundry. towels and swimsuits had been piling up in a very overfilled basket and you knew none of the boys were gonna do it. once the load was in you moved on to tidy up the living room, folding blankets, fluffing pillows, vacuuming. 
“stress cleaning?” you whipped your head around to see jack sitting on top of a freshly fluffed pillow and unfolding a blanket.
“no, why would you think that?” you said, while walking over to get him off of the loveseat to make it presentable again.
“because you still haven’t told luke about switching majors and the more you hold off the worse you think he is going to react.” jack stated, “also, you just kicked me out of my seat to do whatever the hell that is.” pointing to you as he sat down on the floor.
you scoffed and stopped karate chopping the throw pillow once it looked nice enough. “you don’t know what you’re talking about.” 
 “just tell him y/n, i’m serious. he is only going to be more hurt the longer you take to tell him, and you don’t wanna hurt my brother, i’ve just started to like you.” he smirked when you glared at him.
“haha very funny jack.” 
“what’s got you so scared to tell him anyways?” jack asked in a much softer tone of voice, patting the spot on the carpet next to him. 
you sat before sighing. “i don’t want him to think i’m giving up on something just because of one small hardship. all the time i hear him bragging to his teammates and friends about how his girlfriend is super smart and is gonna be the best doctor for the dead in the world one day, i’m scared to disappoint him.” you felt a couple tears in your eyes before you continued to speak. “i’ve seen him researching med schools near newark, one’s that have the best program for medical examiners. he believes in me, he knows i could do this even if i don’t, and i don’t want him to think i’m dumbing myself down to a bachelors in the most basic study field ever.” by the end of your small rant the tears had begun falling, they weren’t sobs but they were there.
“y/n, luke loves you so much. you getting a four year degree in business is not going to change that, yes he is your number one supporter when it comes to you becoming a medical examiner, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be your number one supporter when it comes to you being a fashion designer, or whatever it is you want to do i’m a little confused.” you laughed as jack continued. “do you know how much shit me and the guys have given him for some of the things he wears, we don’t even call him luke anymore he is just “simp” to us now, but he doesn’t care about that, he cares about you and your happiness, and if getting made fun of for wearing matching swimsuits with you or wearing a hat with your initials on it means making you happy, he is going to do it. he will be there for you no matter what because he loves you, and i can see why he does. you’re an amazing person y/n, and i’m so sorry for how i have been treating you over the past ten months. i know that sorrys aren’t enough to make up for what we did to you, but i hope it can be a start to us becoming friends because i need more people to bother luke with me.” you smiled and pulled jack into a hug, thanking him for the apology and kind words as well as forgiving him.
“one more thing, did he really refer to you as a future doctor for the dead?” jack asked, laughing a little.
“yes, it was so funny.” 
+++
you and jack decided to watch a movie while you waited for luke to come back from training, quinn soon joined you two on the floor after he had woken up. it was nice, there was no awkward tension, no glares being thrown in your direction, you felt like you were all getting along for the first time and that made you smile.
“um why are you all on the floor?” dylan’s voice cut the peacefulness that had come over the three of you, all three of you quickly looked away from the tv to see the boys all back from training. you made eye contact with luke who was looking at you with a shocked, but very happy, expression. you just smiled and gave him two thumbs up, before turning towards jack and quinn to excuse yourself. you made your way to luke and gave him a kiss and grabbed his hand to take him upstairs, but not before telling jack to switch the laundry loads for you.
+++
once you were in luke’s room he began asking you questions about what he had just walked in on.
“well i was stress cleaning and jack walked in on me doing it and somehow got me to tell him about all my problems, if hockey doesn’t work out for him you should tell him to join the counseling field, but after i went a mini rant about what i’ve been fixated on lately he apologized and we talked everything out and i think we are officially on good terms.” you said in one breath, smiling as luke wrapped you up in a hug.
“what about quinn? is everything okay between you two?” you nodded and explained that you had talked it out with him a couple days ago. 
+++
you and luke started getting ready for the dinner party that the hughes brothers were invited to and you were going as luke’s plus one, you didn’t fully understand what it was for but all you knew was that it was a semi-formal event, making it the perfect opportunity to have luke wear the tie you made him a few days prior, the one that matched your soft pink dress. 
as you were doing your makeup luke spoke up again, going back to your conversation from before.
“wait babe, you said that you were stress cleaning. what are you stressed about?” luke asked, walking into the bathroom and leaning against the counter. you looked at him through the mirror and continued applying mascara as you told him.
“about a week ago, after i got the rejection letter, i switched my major to business and entrepreneurship, to pursue a career in fashion. i didn’t tell you because i was nervous on how you would react, and the longer i kept it from you the more stressed out i got. i’m sorry i didn’t tell you sooner, i know how excited you were to be dating a genius and now i’ve let you down.” you looked at his face to see his reaction, but his face wasn’t telling you anything. 
silence took over the bathroom as luke tried to find the right words to say.
“you could never let me down y/n, yes i am a little upset that it took you so long to tell me, but i understand why you did it. i am proud of you and everything you have accomplished so far. so med school isn’t for you? you are going to kick ass in the fashion industry babe, they won’t know what hit them.” he smiled at you before wrapping his arms around your waist and placing his head on your shoulder. “i love you y/n, never doubt that.” 
“i love you too luke.” 
+++
you and luke sat in the living room waiting for his brothers to come downstairs, you began to get a little antsy as you feared you would be late if you didn’t leave in the next five minutes.
“would you two hurry up! y/n is pacing back and forth cursing you guys for making us late.” luke yelled up to his brothers, who quickly made their way downstairs.
“sorry we weren’t sure how to tie these ties.” quinn said once they were both at the bottom of the steps.
you looked up at them and instantly began smiling. “you’re wearing them.”
jack and quinn looked at you, both with huge grins on their faces, before pulling you into a hug. they were wearing the ties you had made them for the holidays, nearly a year ago. 
“we love our gifts.” and “better late than never” were said but you weren’t sure who said which.
you quickly called for luke to stand with his brother so you could take a photo of the three of them. 
“you better post that on your main y/n, show the world you have the coolest future brother in-laws ever.” jack shouted as he raced luke for shotgun. 
you don’t know how you got so lucky.
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note: OMG it’s done. this was a bit hard to write because the whole time i was horrified it would flop or people wouldn’t like it, and i’m still horrified lols (the ending is so rushed i don't like it). anyways i hope you enjoyed, feedback is so greatly appreciated. it lets me know what i’m doing that people like and what i could be changing about my writing. just hoping this one does number like lucky did. have a great day, love y’all babes <3!!
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feralwritings · 4 months ago
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three's company
part two
word count: 3.1k
part one | masterpost
Hours that felt like days passed. 
They’d taken turns listening to music until the battery in her Walkman died, played three rounds of hand slaps before their skin grew too red and sensitive to continue, and now, they were taking turns throwing cereal crumbs into a small tin can placed several feet away from them, competing with each other for money.
“Dammit!” Eddie muttered as she sunk another crumb squarely into the can, “How are you so good at this?”
She shrugged, popping a piece of cereal into her mouth, “I dunno, natural skill, I guess.”
He threw his crumb, which landed two inches to the right of the can.
“You’re down a whole seventeen cents, Munson.” She teased, bumping his shoulder with hers, “Are you sure you wanna keep this up?”
“I dunno,” he huffed playfully, returning the bump, “You’re gonna bankrupt me if we keep this up. I’ll have to start paying you in favors rather than cash.”
She snorted at that, taking a swig of the soda they’d been sharing. He’d requested beer, got a disapproving look from her, and amended his request to a pack of Coke.
She sighed, leaning her head back against the riveted metal of the boathouse wall, staring up at the watery reflections of the lake water on the ceiling. She was obviously deep in thought, biting and rolling her own lip between her teeth.
Before he had the chance to ask her what she was thinking about, there was a noise outside, like a car door slamming.
“They must be back,” She said, getting to her feet and padding sleepily over to the window, crouching to look outside.
Eddie knew that there was something wrong before she said anything. Her body grew taut, and he heard the sharp intake of breath she took, her knuckles turning white where her hand gripped the windowsill.
She turned, and whispered, “It’s Jason,”
She watched as the color drained from his face, and he had that cornered animal look again, and right before the adrenaline kicked in and her mind went into that cold, pragmatic state she felt his panic course through her like an electrical current, hitting every nerve she had on the way.
She looked out the window again, narrowing her eyes against the darkness. Flashlight beams were dancing in the windows of the house, too many to count but enough to know that if they were found, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
She heard a flutter of plastic behind her and turned. Eddie had ripped away the tarp and had drawn a pocket knife and was hacking at the ropes that kept the boat aloft, and as each one snapped, the boat plunged into the water with a great deal of noise, noise that she knew would reveal them in seconds, if they hadn’t been already.
Silently, they both got into the boat, Eddie grabbing the oars and her attempting to start the engine. As they moved farther into Lover’s Lake, she watched as the flashlight beams reached the shore, and under the roar of the oars in the water, the sputtering engine, she heard yelling, and most horrifyingly, the sound of swimming.
Jason and Patrick had dove into the lake, and were following the boat, increasing speed.
“Keep going!” She shouted over her shoulder, “This fucking-” She pulled the cord on the engine again, to no avail, “Piece of shit!”
“Hey!” Jason shouted, spitting water out of his mouth, “Where do you think you’re going with her?”
Her head snapped to look at Jason, who was gaining on them, moving in and out of grabbing distance of the boat. The rowing had slowed to a stop and she felt the boat lurch as Eddie stood, grabbing her and shoving her behind him, waving the oar threateningly over the side of the boat at Jason.
“Just stay back, man!” Eddie pleaded, nearly clipping Jason on the head twice with the tip of the oar.
“Eddie,” She grabbed his elbow, “Eddie, stop!”
She peered over his shoulder at Jason, and watched as recognition bloomed across his face.
“You,” Jason panted, “Are you okay?”
She stared at him, eyes wide and mouth open, “I’m fine, Jason, you need to-”
“He killed Chrissy, you realize that right? What sort of spell does he have you under, huh?” Jason edged toward the side of the boat reaching out a hand to her, as if to save her, “You can break out of it, I promise, just take my hand, okay? Just take it.”
“Jason, he didn’t kill Chrissy,” She said, having to stand on tiptoe to keep eye contact with Jason, pleading with her eyes for him to understand. Eddie stood in front of her, one arm twisted behind him and pressed against her back protectively, the other holding the oar over the side of the boat. Both hands were shaking.
“Yes, he did!” Jason punched the side of the boat, making them both jump, “He tore her apart!”
“Jason,” she ducked under Eddie’s arm, much to his displeasure. He wound his arm around her waist instead, pulling her to his chest, “Jason, shut up and listen to me. l am not lying-”
She never got to finish her sentence. In the time she’d been negotiating with Jason, none of them had noticed Patrick, who’d been staring off in the distance for about a minute. All three of their heads turned as he was pulled underneath the surface.
“Patrick?” Jason whimpered, “Hey, Patrick, stop messing around-”
They all started as Patrick was ripped from the water and into the air like a marionette, limbs hanging loosely.
“No,” She heard Eddie breathe against her hair, the grip on her waist tightening to the point of pain, “No, no no no no.”
When the first crack echoed across the lake, she couldn’t do anything but stop breathing. She watched, in sheer terror as Patrick’s limbs twisted and broke, one right after the other, a sinister orchestra of nothing but percussion. Each crack made a part of her body twinge and as blood spurted from his eye sockets, tears sprang from hers. When he crashed back into the water below, Eddie had taken a startled step backwards, too fast, and soon, they were both toppling out of the boat and plunging into the freezing lake.
She kicked wildly, and as her head broke the surface she looked over and saw that Jason was already dragging Patrick’s lifeless, broken body to the opposite shore, blood blooming like ink in the water behind them. Next to her, Eddie’s head had emerged as well.
“Swim for it,” he choked.
Struggling, shivering, muscles burning and lungs aching, she pulled the rope attached to the boat along with Eddie, and together, they swam for it. 
They both flopped onto the shore of Lovers Lake, coughing and retching, and in Eddie’s case, sobbing uncontrollably. 
It took her a moment or so to notice, too busy expelling all the water she could out of her lungs. But once her ears registered the heaving sobs, about five feet to her right, she scrambled against the rocky shore towards him. 
“Eddie, we have to move,” she spluttered, coughing up more water. 
He didn’t seem to hear her, his entire body racking with sobs. Tears sprung in her own eyes, and she got in front of him, gathering his face in her hands.
“I know, I know, I know,” she pleaded desperately, trying to make him look into her eyes, “I know you’re scared, I know, but we have to keep moving, honey, we just have to, okay? I’m here, you’re not alone. Eddie,” he looked into her face at the sound of his name, his expression one of absolute anguish, pinched brows and trembling lips, misery and grief and fear oozing like tar from every muscle, “Eddie, we need to move. Can you do that? Can you do that for me?”
Eddie nodded, choking out another sob before allowing her to pull him to his feet. Hand in hand, they ducked into the woods, her in the lead, pulling him along. 
“We’ll go to Skull Rock,” she muttered into the night, the breeze turning the water that clung to her skin to ice, “It’s a good landmark, they’ll be able to find us.” 
“Right,” Eddie choked out, more than willing to listen to her instruction. He tightened his hold on her hand, pulling her to a stop. She turned, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.
“What?” She asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
“Thanks,” he breathed, “For not leaving me.”
“It’s not like I really had a choice, Ed, we were in the middle of a lake,” Even in the dim moonlight, he can see the expression in her eyes, bashful, and as she looked away, he watched as she pressed her lips into a fine line. 
“That’s not what I meant,” he said softly, tugging a little on her hand in hopes that she’d look at him. She didn’t, “Back at the boathouse,” he slipped a finger under her chin, turning her head gently so he could look into her eyes. He didn’t know where the need came from, but he could feel it, stirring deep within him, “You could’ve left. But you didn’t. So, thanks.”
The way she looked at him - wide, shining eyes, eyebrows drawn together in a gentle furrow, lips slightly parted, the slight tilt to her head - made the need within him stir more, something that he thought long dead within him raising its head curiously.
“You don’t need to thank me,” she whispered, barely audible over the breeze. He saw her say it more than he heard it. 
“Yeah, I do,” he whispered back, just as quietly. The finger under her chin had turned into a gentle caress of her face, fingers splayed along the side of her neck and his thumb running along the soft line of her jaw. 
She leaned into his touch a little, a small, sad little smile on her lips before she pulled away, hand still in his, and dragged him forward.
“Gotta keep moving.”
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Once they got to Skull rock, she took stock of her surroundings, “This is good. We’ll be okay here, until they can come for us.”
Shivering, she pulled her shirt over her head, wringing it out.
“Uh, what are you doing?” He asked, suddenly averting his gaze from her almost bare torso.
“It’s too chilly to be wearing wet clothes,” She said, draping her shirt over a nearby branch, “They’ll dry faster if we take them off, and we won’t get hypothermic and die.”
She pulled off her shoes, pouring lake water from each of them in turn. Then came her socks and finally, her pants. She winced uncomfortably as she peeled the wet denim off of her legs, sighing in relief when they were finally off. The cool night air made goosebumps erupt across her supple, soft skin and she shivered, standing on tiptoe to drape her pants over the branch, fussing at them to make sure that they would dry the fastest.
When she turned around, she caught Eddie staring at her before he pointedly looked away.
“You should probably…you know…” She gestured vaguely to his body, running a hand through her wet hair before leaning to the side to wring it out.
“Right.” He muttered, and he slowly started to peel off his own layers. It took quite a bit longer than hers hand, considering the vest, jacket, shirt, undershirt, belt, and various other accessories.
She moved away from him to scout around their little area, glancing every direction. She couldn’t hear voices, or see flashlights that would indicate that anyone was looking for them, so for the time being, they were safe. 
“Well,” She said, “We’ll be fine here, I think we should just stay. This is a good landmark for them to find us at. Does the supercomm still work?”
He pressed the button, and nothing happened. Flipped various switches to no avail.
“Fuck.” She muttered, “We’ll have to figure something out. Bad news is, Jason knows that I’m with you now, and apparently thinks you’re holding me hostage, so any little forays into town are now out of the question for both of us. Good news…can’t think of any.”
It was a dire situation. Cold, alone, in the middle of the woods, with no way to contact their friends to let them know that, hey, Eddie was at the sight of another murder so if the cops didn’t want to find him before, they sure did now!
She turned to look at him, taking in his diminished, pale frame. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest and his wet boxers were clinging to him in such a way that she would’ve almost preferred he was naked. She knew that she couldn’t look much better: an old bra and panties, hair starting to frizz from her little dip in the lake, makeup running.
She took in their surroundings once more. The pale moonlight streaming in through the canopy of trees above gave just enough light for them to be able to see each other, but not much else. 
Without another word, she sat down underneath the rock, pulling her legs close to her chest and resting her head on her knees. The night had warmed the slightest bit, so she wasn’t shivering as bad as she had been before, and with her skin being almost dry, the cool breeze didn’t sting as much. 
He followed suit, sinking against the rock wall across from her, sighing.
A few minutes passed in silence, nothing but the distant crickets and gentle breeze permeating the air. 
“What happened that would make Steve not want to leave you alone with me?” Eddie suddenly asked, looking at her. She looked so pretty in the soft moonlight, the faded blue of her bra set delicately against her soft skin. Her eyes, more shadow than light, staring at him, and he can see in the gentle furl of her brow and the way her knuckles have tightened around her knees that this subject that he has broached is touchy. 
She sighed, leaning her head back against the rock, her eyes cast to the sky. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, and she took a deep breath, as though bracing herself for something. 
“There’s been…a couple times where I’ve taken what he deemed to be unnecessary risks. Do you, uh,” she swallowed, “Do you remember Billy Hargrove?” 
The flare in Eddie’s nostrils and the sharp breath he took seemed to indicate that, yeah, he did. 
“Right,” she sighed, running her hands over her face, “He tried to kill me on a couple of occasions. Granted, the second time he was possessed by this evil force from the Upside Down, and so it wasn’t really him, but the first…that was all him.” 
Eddie nodded slowly, “So, were you guys like…together? And something went…wrong?”
She laughed, sharp and biting, into the night, “No. Nah, he’d never date someone like me. He showed up to the Byers a couple years ago, when we were in the swing of this Upside Down bullshit, and me, the kids, and Steve were there. Billy came after Lucas, I stepped in, we fought, Steve showed back up, they fought, and it all ended when Max stuck a needle full of tranquilizer in Billy’s neck.”
Eddie nodded slowly, “Jesus.”
“Yeah,” she agreed softly, “Steve didn’t deem me stepping in front of Lucas as an unnecessary risk, but the second time it happened, Steve wasn’t too happy with me.” 
Eddie waited. It seemed like he didn’t want to hear anymore, but couldn’t help from wanting to know, to understand. 
“Second time, we were at the mall, right before it burned down. We’d all met up there, after Steve and Robin had been held hostage by the Russians, and the kids, Nancy, Jonathan and I had been attacked by the mind flayer numerous times. Billy showed up, again, so I tried to distract him, leading him away from everyone. I woke up in the hospital a few days later. I don’t remember what happened, and no one knows because we were alone, but I had a concussion, four broken ribs, and a gnarly wound on my back.”
She turned, showing him the scar. Right across the middle of her spine, angled, four inches long. Gnarly, indeed. 
“You’re lucky he didn’t sever anything,” Eddie gasped out, “It’s a fucking miracle you’re walking and talking, an injury like that so close to your spine.” 
She snorted, “That’s what Steve said! Maybe you two are more alike than I thought.”
Eddie didn’t know how to feel about that, but her smile was nice, so that quickly eclipsed whatever insecurity had bloomed from being compared to Steve. 
He wondered, though, how she was able to talk about these instances, these traumas, with such ease. He voiced this thought, and she tilted her head in consideration. 
“I dunno,” She shrugged, “I was protecting the people that matter to me. Or at least, I was trying to. If I was going to go out before my time, I don’t think that would’ve been such a bad way to go. Painful, maybe, but those kids are just…they’re kids, with their whole lives ahead of them, ya know?”
Eddie nodded, “Yeah. I get that, I do, but…”
“But what?” 
“You’re, what, nineteen? Twenty? Don’t you have a whole life ahead of you too?”
She shrugged, “Yeah, I guess I do.”
Her tone was disarming, worrying, casual in a way it shouldn’t be when talking of such things, and it unsettled Eddie more than he would care to admit. The way she viewed her mortality, her place in the world and within the group dynamic was…scary, to say the very least. 
Eddie at least understood where Steve was coming from, when it came to her. If she’d always been this cavalier about something as precious as her life, it made sense why Steve seemed to keep such a close eye on her. 
Since Steve wasn’t here, Eddie supposed that the mantle of keeping an eye on her and keeping her from doing something stupid and reckless fell upon him. Not that he minded, she’d been keeping an eye on him this whole time, keeping his panic from boiling over the surface, keeping him safe through a wealth of knowledge someone as young as her shouldn’t have possessed. 
He felt a strange sensation then, as he looked at her. Something inexplicable, that made his breath feel a bit sharp in his lungs, a surge of anxiety that was entirely separate from the way he had been feeling for the past two days.
She, ever perceptive, must’ve sensed the change within him, because she peered at him curiously, “You alright?”
“Yeah,” he choked out, clearing his throat, “Yeah, I’m good.”
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dragonnan · 6 months ago
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May Prompts 2024
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May 10: "Choice"
What had that busybody old neighbor of hers called this? May December romance; that was it – with Martha decidedly in the winter category, grey tips and all. Oh, it certainly wasn’t anything actually romantic. At her age! And not with one, who’d scarcely looked out of short pants, the first time Martha had spotted him outside the club with that awful Jefferies person. She’d seen far too many, like him, given her husband’s line of business. She had nearly sighed and looked past this one, as well, except...
It was those eyes that had done it. Not stirring her to passion, goodness no. But that way he'd looked through her skin, all young and ancient, and saw the self she'd hidden under bright scarves and foundation; thick enough to hide the darkest bruise.
William, he'd called himself. Too skinny. That had been her first thought followed by “too young”... to be on his own and sleeping rough and buying drugs from those terrible dealers, who hadn't even the decency to offer clean needles, much less clean product. She'd, quite quickly, made the choice that he couldn't stay there and had arranged to provide a room above the club. It wasn't very quiet, sadly, but it was clean, off the street, and relatively safe. Little chance of harassment, from dangerous types, with David and Brass standing watch outside the doors below.
And maybe... maybe it was that posh voice... reminding her so much of the home that she hadn't seen in sixteen years.
The first time Martha had seen William cast aside that child-like aura had been after another one of Frank’s rages. He’d held a tissue against her split cheek and told her not to worry – that he’d take care of things. Far from soothing her his statement had frightened her. She knew Frank was involved in a good deal of terrible business. She also knew that he’d been married once before and that his previous spouse had died. Martha was a smart woman and hadn’t needed to be led to water to know there were bodies beneath the surface.
So, when Sherlock had gone out that evening – and remained out all night – Martha had been terrified.
However, when he’d returned, the following morning, several Miami police had been with him. It would be weeks before she’d gotten the entire story from him – enough time for the investigation to complete and to assure that she truly hadn’t known anything.
By the end of the trial, Frank had been extradited to Texas, where he would face the death penalty. Martha had divorced him and she had sold off the business and all of Frank’s assets.
It was William's testimony which had ensured the death penalty at the trial held months later – a period of time in which Martha had gone though tremendous life changes. In addition to selling the club, she she had also sold their massive home, and had purchased a smaller beach house in Ponte Vedra. William had gone with her to assist her in her move. She had invited him to stay on for a while, as her first boarder. Well, she hadn't felt right about leaving him on his own. He'd seemed the type to get into trouble without someone to look out for him.
The day they’d moved in, William had given her a small wrapped package. “A housewarming gift”, he’d said. Inside had been a necklace. It was gold, with a delicate, fleur de le pendant, and tiny amethyst stones.
“Oh, William, it’s lovely!”
“I nicked it from Frank’s safe the night they arrested him.” he’d said – then chuckled when she’d scoffed and slapped his arm.
When had things changed between them? Martha supposed the better question would be if they had ever changed – truly – or had always been that way from the start. First impressions aside there had been no great sea change; no sudden transition from barely acquaintances to motherly guardian. Her life with Frank had never allowed for even the concept of children. The conversation, in their early days of marriage, had been clipped short and final. But now, with William... It should have felt odd – thinking of him like a child when he was, at least technically, a grown man. But there was no shaking the affection she felt for the boy. They would sit for hours, at the beach, as the waves rolled up the sand and the sky went deep blue to hazy pink and orange. His long, skinny, fingers would gather beneath his chin and he would seem to be seeing nothing at all while she would page though a book or simply watch the people go by.
In the evenings she often enjoyed cooking – though she wasn’t his maid and insisted on his participation if he wanted to eat. And, oh, what a precious, awkward creature, he’d been. Once, she'd been preparing dinner, spaghetti, when he'd leaned over her shoulder with that endless, cat-like, curiosity of his. She'd batted him away with her fingers and he'd dodged backward – only to trip over one of the kitchen chairs and land on the linoleum in a tangle. He’d spent the rest of the evening locked away in the spare bedroom; obviously embarrassed. It hadn’t been until the following morning when, sheepishly, he’d emerged in time to help with breakfast.
Ah, but it couldn't have gone on forever and, far too soon, it was time for him to move on.
One evening, some months on, she'd been washing their few dishes from dinner. While rinsing soap suds from the plates, William had glided, silently, into the room. Without a word, he’d taken up station at her side to dry. It had only required minutes to wash up; after which they had simply remained there, watching the neighbor’s children playing outside her kitchen window. Finally he'd said, in a voice so small and sad, “I don’t want to go home.”
Martha had hugged him and he had clung to her, tightly, without saying anything more.
A week later he had been gone. She'd insisted he keep her contact information. He'd assured her it wouldn't be “deleted” though she'd stopped trying to understand his odd word choices long ago.
She'd watched him board his plane; bag filled with his favorite pastries, she'd insisted on preparing for him, while feeling so much like a mum sending her only child off to college.
She would not see him again for nearly a decade.
One morning, out of the blue, she'd received a call from a man introducing himself as “Sherlock Holmes' brother”. The reason behind her silence had been quickly deduced by him (as if she'd need anything more than that little eccentricity to confirm this man as family). In a stiff voice, he'd followed with, “you know him as William.”
He was needing a place to stay. This “Mycroft” would, of course, cover the majority of the cost.
Martha had told him he could very well keep his money. She would not allow another man to have a single quid to hold over her head.
And, of course, he could rent from her.
Of course he could.
She couldn't wait to see him.
When the movers had brought Will- Sherlock’s things to the flat, she had been delighted to discover he wouldn’t be moving in alone.
She had a good feeling about it. A very good feeling indeed.
She knew – had known from the first, really – that the best choice she had ever made was to take in that young, frightened boy, all those years ago.
With fresh excitement, that had not caught her so keenly in a decade, Martha grabbed her hoover and headed up the seventeen steps to the flat above. It was time to get ready, after all.
William was coming home.
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