#twice vcr

[kuromaroll]

TWICE | READY TO BE VCR

[speakofcompersion]

For jjong month ♡ part [4/4]

[britneyshakespeare]

hey wait. so if you grow up as an only child or with siblings who like the same tv as you how do you learn tolerance?

[seokmatthewz]

THEY DID SO WELL IM SO HAPPY

[josephsaturn]

13 Sentinels AU where every time you see Izumi in the story instead of whatever form he’s taking it’s just him with a dumb accessory

[reuptakeinhibitor]

went to gyn appointment

called out of work bc i was high and Did Not Feel Good

slept the rest of the day and had stressful dreams and muscle aches

woke up to my family being In A Mood

finally feel asleep after midnight and had more stress dreams this time featuring many needles piercing my skin

🫠💀

[cottoncandyswisherz]

working at the pyramid

this is long a fuck for no reason so its small font lol

softdom!chris x stripper!reader

warnings: smut, unprotected sex (double wrap w aluminum foil) p in v, oral, (male receiving) pole dancing

-

the club is dark. all lights are off and the only thing you can hear is jay, our dj, yelling into the mic. 

"okay fellas, its saturday, you know what that means. its time for our favorite girl to do her thangs. make some noise for our money maker, our heart breaker, MISS CLEOOOO!" 

and the crowd goes wild.

the music starts and i strut onto the stage, in character. 

the projector displays a burning sun behind me, the lights shines a dark orange. this is my time to shine. all these men are here watching me with hungry eyes and i'm about to feed them. 

laying with my back on the ground i wait for my cue. 

wake up to your girl for now lets call her cleopatra i watch you fix your hair then put your panties on in the mirror, cleopatra

i arch my back and pull at my hair. then your lipstick, cleopatra then your six-inch heels, catch her she's headed to the pyramid

i roll over onto my stomach and stretch my arms in front of me, kicking my feet slowly, making eye contact with some shmuck in to crowd before turning back on my back.

she's working at the pyramid tonight

the beat drops and it begins. 

grabbing the back of my heels i raise my hips in a kegel position and grind my hips slowly in the air.

then i raise my butt all the way in the air, holding myself up and bring my knees together and twirl them before straightening one and pointing my toes over my head. keeping my legs in that position i slowly bring them down

pimpin in my convos bubbles in my champagne let it be some jazz playin top floor hotel suite twisting my cigars floor model tv with the vcr

back on my stomach i slowly bring myself on all fours and dramatically throw my head back, allowing my hair to fall down my arched back. 

got rubies in my damn chain whip aint got no gas tank but it still got woodgrain

i get on my feet and bounce before standing all the way up

got your girl working for me hit the strip and my bills paid that keep my bills paid hit the strip and my bills paid keep a nigga bills paid

prancing to the pole, i lock eyes with a white boy. like everyone else, he's got a shit eating grin on his face. but unlike everyone else, he doesn't throw 1's on the stage. he throws a flurry of 20's. 

i grab the pole and saunter around it twice, then press my back against it and grind again. 

time to climb this bitch. 

she's working and the pyramid tonight

i turn around and step around the pole before swinging and wrapping my legs around it tilt my head back and now i'm spinning, as the pole rotates. i do my tricks and shit, giving them the show they want.

keeping my grip, the pole stops and throw my head all the way back, allowing myself to be upside down. only for a second though because i place my hands on the floor and flip into a split as the beat drops again. 

the men go insane, and i'm showered in bills. 

you showed up after work, i'm bathin your body touch you in places only i know you're wet and you're warm just like our bathwater can we make love before you go

i grind to the beat in various positions, before bringing myself back to pole, placing it between my heel and shoe so i can limp all the way to the top. 

once i'm there i hook one leg around the pole and drop my head. upside down once again. i spread my arms out and spin. 

shouting and money flying once again. 

the way you say my name makes me feel like i'm that nigga but i'm still unemployed you say it's big but you take it ride cowgirl

after a few seconds, i bring my body back up right and slide down. with my legs under me, i move my hips, so it looks like i'm riding

but your love ain't free no more baby but your love ain't free no more

then i fall back so i'm laying on my back, like before i started. 

she's working at the pyramid she's working at the pyramid tonight

and the lights shut off. 

just like that, i move off the stage and go to my dresser and drink some water. 

5 minutes go by and i've caught my breath. thomas, another employee comes in with my earnings from tonight. but i don't have time to count it, so i put the bag in my locker and go out to work the floor. 

a few of my regulars make their usual requests and soon i'm $150 richer. i walk over to the bar and ask for a lemonade and while i'm waiting a hand taps my shoulder. 

"i'm on break. " i mutter in an agitated tone, not bothering to turn around. 

"i'll pay double." 

and just like that, I GOT MOTION!

i turn around and see the white boy from earlier. 

with a seductive grin, i shake my head. "go find a seat on the floor and i'll come find you after my drink."

"the floor?" white boy turns around and looks at the room, full of idiots. "no, i want a private room." 

"those are 150 an hour..."

"where do i pay?"

is he for real...

"usually people who want them have a group."

"just me."

wow.

"you pay up front." he pulled his phone out.

"you guys take apple pay?"

i was flabbergasted. "uh... yeah i think so."

"great. you finish your drink and i'll come get you when everything is paid for."

-

20 minutes later i'm stepping into a private room. 

"you can play whatever music you want. i can dance to pretty much anything."

this is so fucking awkward by myself. usually there like 5 of us in here with an equal amount of guys. 

but he won't see me sweat. 

"anything?"

"yup."

he pulls his phone out, connecting to the bluetooth. 

"okay you better be telling the truth." he begins searching for a song. 

he plays the fucking macarena. 

"be so fucking for real." i fight back a smile. "i'm half naked and you want me to do the macarena?"

"hey you said you can dance to anything." he chuckles, putting his hands up. he has a small duffel bag next to him. i can just smell the money in it. 

fuck it. i think then begin the dance. 

money falls at my feet as i do the routine and laugh. 

soon the song is over and a new one starts. 

this one slower.

i start with a little floor routine that ends with me on my knees, so i can crawl over to him.

placing  my hands on his thighs, i lift myself up and turn around so my ass is right in his face and i dance, dropping and coming back up. 

i felt his hands grip my waist, and usually, clients aren't allowed to touch us, but this ones fine as a motherfucker so i'll allow it. 

he pulls me down so i'm sitting in his lap, my back to his chest. i move my hips on him and he turns my head to the side so i'm kinda looking at him. then his hand grabs my neck and his other one drops 20's. 

the bills fall down my body and land in my lap and it's the hottest thing i've ever encountered. 

with a smile, i turn around so i'm straddling him and grind some more. i feel his erection on my clit through his shorts and it makes my pussy flood. 

if i keep looking in his eyes i'm gonna cum. so i look at the wall to distract myself. but that doesn't work because he grips my jaw and forces me to look at him. 

"eyes on me mama."

fuck. 

now we're locked in. eyes trapped in each other. i can't escape. 

but i have to. 

so place his hands on my hips and lean back, so my back is arched. 

i thought this would help. 

it didn't. 

one of his hands spreads on my belly and reaches up my front, his large hand on my chest. 

i come back up and decide no physical contact was the solution. 

so i get up and begin another floor routine.

he stands up and walks over to me, looking in my eyes a-fucking-gain so i turn around and dance until his hand is on my hips again with his other one the back of my neck, bending me over. 

and now we're lowkey dry humping. 

shit. 

standing up right again, i turn around and take a step back. 

i can't fuck him. i'll lose my job. i'll lose my dignity. 

"we can't-"

the motion is swift when he tugs me towards him and my body collides with his. my hands automatically come up and land against his chest, and my eyes fall shut. 

my fingers spread out, trying to feel as much of him as i can. 

his lips brush against my ear. "tell me to stop, cleo. tell me to stop, and i will."

i pull my head back enough to look at him and think. 

i have two options. 

1. walk out and do my job like nothing happened with the worst case of blue ovaries i've ever had. 

or 

2. fuck this man and walk out and do my job like nothing happened having had what i hope will be the best orgasm i've ever had.

i don't know about you but option two seems like the obvious choice. 

"i don't want you to stop." 

his fingers grip me tighter.

"you want me to fuck you?" 

my breath hitches and i slowly nod my head. 

"my name's chris. say 'yes, chris.'"

my thighs clench as i feel my pussy flood again. "yes, chris."

a sound leaves his mouth, then its pressing against mine.

i melt into the kiss. his full lips slanting over mine, demanding them to open. 

i try to focus. i try to remember who i am and that i'm a badass who refuses to submit to a stranger. i try to focus, but there's a lightening storm going off inside my body and i can't hold onto a single bolt. 

my arms wrap around the back of his neck, anchoring him to me. 

chris' large hands move up my side, the heat of them seeping through my skin and putting my body on fire. keeping the tips of his fingers against my ribs, he spreads his grip out until his thumbs trace along the underside of my tits. 

i lean into the touch. the press of his body against mine is divine torture. but then he's gone. 

his hands leave my sides at the same time his mouth leave mine. 

my eyes blink open, but instead of finding his gaze on mine, i find his hooded eyes focused on my chest. 

with slow movements, chris reaches behind me and unclips the bra i'm wearing. it falls at my feet. 

chris tongue slides across his lower lips as he eyes my pierced nipples. he uses his thumbs to rub over each one, the buds tightening and i can no longer stay quiet. 

letting out a whimper of appreciation, i raise my arms and grip his white tee. 

"fuck." he groans the words as he palms my breasts, leaving my nipples exposed between his thumb and index finger. "fuck." he says again, dipping down and taking one small barbell into his mouth. 

"oh god.." i groan, my fingers leave his sides and dig into his hair.

this isn't the first time someone has played with the piercings but with him, its so much better.

he tugs and pulls at my other nipple and i'm so needy, i'm ready burst.

"chris." i pant. "please, chris."

letting my breast pop free, chris stands back to his full height. 

my hands reach for the string of his sweat shorts, undoing the knot and tugging them down. 

dark, tight briefs are all that stand between his cock and my hands and i tug those down too until his erection bobs free. 

of course it's perfect in every fucking way. 

my fingers wrap around his length, gliding up and down. chris' hand closes over mine and squeezes, forcing me to grip him tighter. 

freak ass. 

"take off your panties." he squeezes my hand once more before releasing his grip.

letting go of him, i shimmy out of my thong.

chris strokes himself while saying, "gimme a spin."

i smirk and slowly twirl around, making a show of it, moving my hips to the music that's still playing. 

"you're fucking perfect." then he's stepping to me, lifting me, and walking me to the bar in the corner of the room. the surface has bottles and glasses on it, so i'm half on the bar and afraid of sliding off in a heap of embarrassment. 

but then chris is using his hands to spread my thighs and when he steps between them, all thoughts other than him leave my body.

my hands grab ahold of the bottom of his shirt and pull until he chest is naked in front of me. 

at this point i'm beyond wet. i should be embarrassed considering the fact that he hasn't even touched my pussy yet, but the look on his face is pure hunger. 

he taps my thigh and lets out a command. "wider."

i press my thighs open further.

chris runs the tip of his dick up the length of my pussy. "please tell me you're on the pill."

red flags wave in my peripheral. i should stop this. i don't know him. there are worries beyond pregnancy. this man is a fucking stranger.

but instead of being smart, i nod. 

chris growls gripping the base of his cock lining it up with my more than ready entrance. the hand not on his dick runs up  my side, squeezing my breast, pinching my nipple then gripping the base of my neck. 

he presses his lips against mine while pressing into me. 

his tongue shoves into my mouth and i'm filled with him. 

all i can feel his him. 

all i can taste, all i can hear, all i can smell is chris. 

i was bracing for a quick thrust. but this... this is slow.

i arch. i writhe. i moan. 

with both hands on my ass now, chris pulls me forward, so i feel all of him. he picks up his speed. pulling out, slamming in. over and over. 

his hands are everywhere now, tugging on my piercings, gripping my ass, feeling all the skin he can. 

"chris!" i cry out, feeling my orgasm approaching. 

"that's it." he moans into my mouth.

and thumb presses on my clit and i jolt in surprise. 

"oh fuck-" my head falls back.

he circles my clit, faster and faster, pressing harder and harder. 

"eyes on me mama." he demands. my eyes flutter open and find his. "good girl." his fingers don't stop.

"i'm gonna cum."

"that's right ma. cum for me."

that was the last piece of the puzzle. 

i shatter around him, shaking and convulsing.

"yes, chris. fuck! thank you. oh my god thank you-"

i'm a mess. from one fucking orgasm. 

removing his hand from my clit, chris steps back and pulls out of me, my body arching towards his, trying to keep the contact. 

he lifts me off the bar and sets me down in front of him. my legs are like jelly so i'm relieved when i hear him say "on your knees, cleo."

that fucking name. he's just took me to mars so i guess he can know my government. "my names y/n."

a smile spreads across his face as he presses a kiss to my lips and slides his had to my jaw. "on your knees, y/n."

i comply, dropping down in front of him. he drags his thumb across my lips. "open up." my mouth opens wide and allowing him to guide his cock between my lips. 

i close my mouth around him, sucking his length and it's like all his self control flies away. 

he gathers my hair into a ponytail and presses in deeper. 

"i wanna fill you up." 

please.

he pulls back and thrusts deeper into me until i feel him in the back of my throat. 

"i wanna watch my cum dripping out of that pretty pussy." 

fuck.

"i wanna cum all over your piercings."

jesus fucking christ.

"but you gotta go back to work."

WHAT?

he pulls all the way out, letting me breathe.

"let me back in." he says 

i open my mouth and hes back, deep in my throat. "that's my good fucking girl." he groans out and throws his head back. 

i let out a moan at the praise and his whole body shakes. 

"fuuuuuuuck.." his grip on my hair tightens and he looks down at me. 

he picks up the speed of his thrusts and fucks my face with so much force i have to lean back and put my weight on my hands to stable myself. 

i feel him twitch in my mouth and he goes to pull back but i wrap my hand around the back of his thigh and move my lips to his tip, sucking. his eyes cross and his load shoots into my mouth.

chris pulls me up by the ponytail and brings my lips to his in a kiss. this one was softer, but just as passionate. 

pulling aways he says "you know i have to see you again right?" 

"i'd like that." i whisper. 

"good girl."

niyah speaks 2930 words dawg. sorry i've been MIA. me and my boyfriend broke up lol. but uhhh im backkkkk

taglist: @mattslolita @mattssluttygf @muwapsturniolo @chaossturns

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Hell Pride University 2: Charlie & Vaggie

Charlie: (unlocking the door to her dorm room, her workout clothes are slick with sweat and rain, cheeks flushed, and out of breath) Thanks again for *pant-pant* helping me out with my stamina and *huff-puff* endurance, Vaggie. I appreciate it.

Vaggie: (drops her soaked duffle bag off on the floor) No worries, Char. Thanks for letting me stay over while the storm passes o- (glances at the dorm) -ooooooh....

-The dorm has a queen sized bed, desk, full closet wardrobe, desk, and is twice if not three times larger than the regular dorms. Kitchenette stands in the corner with a personal shower and bathroom. Razzle and Dazzle are passed out in their oversized dog bed that's too big for them both-

Vaggie: ....Charlie.... why is your dorm room so huge?

Charlie: Oh! Uh! (pulls a spare set of sweat pants and hoodie out of her closet and passes it to Vaggie along with a clean towel) You know..... My dad's the dean of the college.

Vaggie: (takes the clothes and towel) .....And.... that gives you a damn near hotel suite for a dorm?

Charlie: (sweating and blushing) Would.... you believe me if I said I was the Hall Director and lived here full-time?

Vaggie: (jaw drops) Don't you need a master's degree for that? .....Wait.... That's a full-time JOB!!!

Charlie: Well... (pokes fingers together) I'm working on my graduate degree... so... my dad may or may not have pulled a few strings to get me the job....

Vaggie: YOU'RE GETTING YOUR MASTERS AND YOU WORK HERE?!?!?!

Charlie: Vaggie, it's not that bad!

Vaggie: I just thought you were late to going to school like me! How old even are you?!

Charlie: (mumbles and looks away bashfully)

Vaggie: What?

Charlie: ......almost thirty.....

Vaggie: THIRTY?!?!?! I'm twenty-four!!!

Charlie: ALMOST!!! ALMOST thirty!!! I still have two months, one week, and three days....

Vaggie: Ay, dios mio! (plasters her head against the dorm door) I'm interested in a woman who could have been my baby sitter....

Charlie: (perks up and eyes sparkle) You're interested in me????

Vaggie: I-I mean... Yeah... But I thought you were MY age!!! YOUNGER even!!! I was starting to feel like a perv because I thought you were eighteen!!!

Charlie: I'm the same person I was dying on the track fifteen minutes ago, Vaggie!

Vaggie: You probably know how to use a VHS player!

Charlie: I mean. I do, but that's beside the point. Also, they're called VCR's.

Vaggie: (flops onto the bed and groans) Clara and Odette are gonna have a field day when they find out.

Charlie: Clara and Odette? Oh! I didn't know you were a Carmine. I had those two come see me in the tutoring center when I worked there as an undergraduate!

Vaggie: ........of course they did.......

[zerobaselove]

like a phantom | shen ricky

pairing: ricky x reader

genre: suggestive MINORS DNI

word count: 1111

warnings: no actual smut it just gets suggestive ! lowercase intended, not proofread.

notes: for my fave ricky stan ! also can yall tell i am also a wayv ult LMAO anyways this was a huge war in my mind between ricky and hao but here we are,,, maybe i will write smth similar for hao too idk

being the partner of a world famous idol definitely had it's struggles, but that's not to say it didn't have it's perks too. like how you found yourself sitting backstage to one of the most anticipated concerts of the year, the first stop of the zerobaseone tour.

though the behind the scenes of a big event like this was hectic, you and ricky still managed to find a few moments to spend in each others presence, even if it was just helping him with the finishing details of his outfit. with nine members, the few stylists on hand were thankful for your helping hand, it was one less person they had to worry too much about. not to mention, you enjoyed the few minutes together before he had to go on stage, and ricky swore it made him perform better. did he ever perform badly though? you smiled to yourself, thinking of how proud you were to call him yours.

"y/n" his voice was barely audible over the shuffling clothes around you, "can you tighten this up for me?" he pointed to the garment around his waist, and your eyes nearly popped out of your head. a black satin corset hung loosely on his waist, the strings hanging off the back, waiting for you to tug them tight.

curse your mind and the places it could go, you thought to yourself as your jaw hung slack in front of your boyfriend. you couldn't even begin to process the rest of his outfit or the makeup that complimented his features so perfectly before he was turned around in front of you, awaiting your helping hands.

"you okay?" ricky's voice pulled you from your thoughts, shaking your head slightly before giving a curt reply, bringing your hands to tightly grip the ribbons attached to the corset.

you twisted the ribbon around each of your hands, tugging them in opposite directions. which, to your dismay, pushed a whiny gasp out of the boy's mouth from the sudden movement. you were going to pass out.

"sorry rik," you hummed, gently tightening the strings until the boning perfectly contoured to his waist before tying it all into a pretty bow at the small of his back.

you didn't realize the way you had been staring until ricky cleared his throat, looking up to find him now turned to face you with a smirk on his face. "i would say wish me luck, but it looks like you might need it more than me right now." he chuckled lowly, causing you to swallow the breathe you had been holding, hoping to push down the wandering thoughts with it.

your conversation was cut short by the call to get to the stage, so with a small kiss on your temple, ricky was off to the stage.

as you watched from the sidelines, you realized you didn't actually know what they were about to perform. you racked your brain to think of any zb1 songs that would require an outfit like that, but before you could settle on a song, a familiar tune started playing. phantom by wayv.

suddenly the outfits made sense as you thought back to what you could remember from the music video that you had seen once or twice.

to say the song choice was perfect for ricky would be a severe understatement in your humble opinion. the concept felt right up his alley, and was one you had rarely gotten to see on him. the closest had been over me, and even that seemed to pale in comparison to the performance before your eyes.

the rest of the concert continued on, stealing a few minutes for yourselves between outfit changes and vcr clips. but your mind kept coming back to your boyfriend in that black corset, like a moth drawn to a flame.

you found yourself counting down the minutes until you would have the boy to yourself for more than a few moments, and it was driving you crazy. but soon enough the boys were home at their dorm, and you had joined them for the night to celebrate.

you spent an hour or so with everyone, laughing and joking with all of them together before ricky leaned down until his lips nearly grazed your ear, "come back to bed with me?" he whispered, his hot breath on your skin causing a shiver to run down your spine before quickly nodding.

"i think we are gonna head to bed," ricky smiled innocently, grabbing your hand, "it's getting late." you let out a yawn to only further convince them of his excuse, saying your goodnight's and heading back to ricky's room.

alone at last.

you plopped your body onto your boyfriend's bed, not realizing how much you missed it. despite only being gone for the day. you closed your eyes for a moment, taking in the scent of his cologne that encapsulated the room until you felt the mattress dip beside you.

"so you're just gonna pretend that we both don't know you've been waiting to get your hands on me since phantom?" he chuckled, his hand resting on your thigh as he looked at you expectantly.

"listen," you mumbled, sitting up to look at the boy, taking a moment to notice the slightly faded lipstick adorning his lips and the way the small lamp on his desk perfectly illuminated his skin with a certain warmth that the stage lights could never replicate. "how am i supposed to stay sane when you looked like that," your voice trailed off, a mere whisper now, "or like this." your eyes flickered between his lips and his eyes, trying to commit every detail to memory.

he only smiled as he inched closed to you, leaning back in towards your ear just as he had done a few minutes ago, "well you have me now, what's stopping you?"

any words you had thought of speaking aloud had gotten trapped in your throat, being quickly replaced by your rather obnoxiously loud heartbeat.

"or do you need me to help you now?" he smirked, letting his lips graze your ear, finding the sweet spot on your neck and placing delicate kisses on the sensitive skin as he awaited your response. you could only manage an eager hum, not quite trusting your voice in this position.

his lips ventured from your neck to your collarbone, eventually finding their way back to your own lips before pulling away slightly, his hand lightly pushing on your shoulder until you hit the pillows behind you.

"don't worry baby," he positioned himself above you, caging you between his arms, "i'd be happy to help."

[hellfirenacht]

Wing Man 11

Fic Summary: Steve ‘the Hair’ Harrington is your best friend, and is constantly striking out. Sick of this, you two make a deal; you’ll wing man for each other. Hooking Steve up with dates is easy, but he finds himself struggling to find you a date. At least, until Dustin starts talking about his new cool friend Eddie.

Chapter Summary: Steve talks shit. Paige and Eddie talk business.

5.2k words

(1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10)

Working for Family Video came with many upsides, especially when you worked with people who you also enjoyed seeing outside of the store. Rentals were already dirt cheap with your employee discount, and near expired candy and popcorn never quite made it into the dumpster out back and somehow magically appeared in your bag instead at the end of your shift. 

You always liked to think that Family Video was sponsoring your bi-monthly movie nights with Steve and Robin. The Harrington household was always the meeting spot, as he was the only one who had a tv and VCR in his room. Well, you did as well now after Keith had tossed out an old player, saying it was broken. You’d brought it home to tinker with and found that some kid had stuck gum in the tape slot. It had taken you a week to clean and another month to figure out how to hook everything back up, but it was yours. Steve still had the nicer home and tv though, and more importantly his parents bought brand name snacks. 

The three of you were in Steve’s living room, the movie playing on the screen long forgotten as the three of you caught up with each other. Robin was usually the barometer for if a movie was worth watching, she and Steve might have had very different tastes, but Steve would usually get sucked up into whatever movie she chose. 

“So is his band any good?” Robin asked, dumping a bag of m&ms into her bowl of popcorn. 

“I think so.” you shrugged, cracking open a drink. “If anything, they’re good enough to be scouted twice.”

“By the same person.” Steve pointed out. “You know, his ex.” 

You had brought the news of Eddie’s meet up with Paige to your friends with mixed results. Robin seemed indifferent, but that’s because most of the time she didn’t have the same interest in talking about boys. Steve, however, seemed less than thrilled about this idea. 

“Yes, Steve, his ex. As in, not together anymore.” you sighed, wishing you felt as confident as you sounded. “Whatever happened between them sounded like it blew up for both of them.”

“But she still wants to have lunch with him!” Steve said. 

“Yes, to talk about the band!” you shot back. “And it’s lunch. Didn’t you tell me that dinner is a date and lunch is just two people hanging out?” 

“Since when does my advice apply to you or Eddie?”

“Since Paige isn’t me or Eddie, so your dating advice might actually apply here.” you snapped and took a breath. “Sorry. This is all new to me. I’m really not sure how I’m supposed to feel right now. It’s like every time things start to go well with me and Eddie, something happens. Paige, Chris, you-”

“Hey-”

“I like him a lot.” You leaned back against the couch, grabbing the popcorn bowl from Robin. “When I’m with him, I get that same feeling that I do when I’m hanging out with you two or when I’m at the show every month. I don’t feel like I’m hiding myself when he’s around.”

“There are other weirdos and freaks around.” Steve pointed out. “If I had known there were that many of you around, I would have agreed to go to the show earlier to help you get phone numbers.” 

“Yeah, but have you seen the way she looks when she’s talking about Eddie?” Robin hopped into the conversation. “I don’t think anyone even existed to her that night.”

It was true, no one other than your friends and (unfortunately) Chris had truly registered to you at the show. Yeah, you’d noticed the few cast members but they weren’t the metal head with the long hair and crop top that had held your hand all night.

“Oh shit, did I tell you guys that we ran into Chris?!” You asked suddenly, changing the subject. 

“Wait, that guy you and Eddie kept talking shit about?” Steve turned to look at you, grabbing a handful of popcorn and getting crumbs on the couch.

“Yeah!” you said. “He actually works for the show now, I guess? He said he’s been there for a while and he’s seen me at the show before. It was so fucking weird.”

“Is that the guy who said you were too normal to play with Hellfire?” Robin asked. 

You nodded. “Yeah, and he ran Hellfire into the ground until Eddie took over. And now he’s doing tech for the show. Also, he was Rocky in the shadow cast.”

“The guy in the metallic shorts?!” Steve gawked. 

“Columbia did say that the cast changed for the night.” Robin said, and you gave her a quizzical look, remembering the lipstick mark you’d seen on her jaw that night. “She came by and talked to us before the show!” 

“She couldn’t resist my charm.” Steve gave you a smile that you were sure worked with someone like Nancy Wheeler, or Tammy Thompson. You just shook your head and laughed. 

“Right, anyway. Chris came and talked to us after the show and he told me auditions are gonna be open for the cast. He gave me his card, and told me that it was invite only.” you explained.

“You’ve been talking about wanting to be part of that since we started working together.” Steve said. 

“Yeah, I guess I get a shot to do something, too.” 

“Chris turned you down for Hellfire, and now is letting you audition?” Robin asked. 

“We aren’t in school anymore.” you pointed out. “I know how it sounds, but none of us are the same people we were back then. I’m not the same person I was two years ago, none of us are.”

“I hate it when you’re right, you know.” 

“I’m just saying that if I can give you the benefit of the doubt and make friends with you then maybe Chris isn’t as big of a prick as he was back then. I might not have even given Eddie a chance, either.” You picked out a few m&ms from the popcorn bucket, getting your fingers covered with butter and colored candy coating. “I mean, at the end of the day, isn't that what this whole deal was about? Shaking off old habits and trying to step outside of contentment?”

“I thought your deal was so that you can stop having Steve check you out every time you wanted to rent porn.” Robin snickered. 

“I thought we were just trying to get dates.” Steve looked confused and you gave him a pat on the head. It always amused you how his hair could spring back into place like that.

“That too.” you said. 

“So, you’re really okay with Eddie going to see his ex?” Steve said, forcing you back into that topic. 

”I’m not thrilled about it.” You finally admitted. “But we only went on one date and this might help his band. Besides, if we start... Whatever this is without some sort of trust then is it even worth starting?”

“So you trust him?” 

“I trust you and Dustin, who vouched for him. He was honest enough to tell me that it’s his ex who wants to talk about his band. What happens next is up to him.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Steve relented and his eyes wandered back to the tv. 

You didn’t, but you were tired of letting other people tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. 

Ever since Benny’s shut down, there wasn’t really any good place to meet up with someone for lunch in town. Every time he had seen Paige before, it had either been at the Hideout, or his van. Neither of which was really a good place to talk about Corroded Coffin. 

It was Paige’s idea to meet at the small hole-in-the-wall pub that was just out of Eddie’s comfort zone in terms of price. Eddie arrived on Saturday afternoon, earlier than he meant to with his nerves. He leaned against the wall outside of the pub, watched the cars go by as he waited for her. 

She didn’t leave him waiting for long, and ten minutes before their agreed upon time, Paige was standing in front of him for the first time in over two years. She hadn’t grown an inch, but her wavy dark hair had, and now barely brushed her shoulders. In the daylight, Eddie could see a faint tint of red that he never noticed before. Other than two or three times, he realized that he and Paige had never spent a lot of time together when the sun was out. Paige’s freckles were as prominent as ever. 

To Eddie’s surprise, she looked happy to see him. 

“Hi, Eddie.” she said, and to his relief she didn’t go in for a hug. 

“Hi, Paige.” He responded and reached over to open the door to the pub for her. 

The two didn’t say anything until they were sitting at a dimly lit booth in the corner, where Paige broke the ice. 

“Before we get into any business talk, I need you to be honest with me.” She started, sitting up straight and looking him in the eyes. “If you care about your future in music, and your band, you need to tell me what happened. Tell me how you ended up in jail two days before the most important moment in either of our careers.” 

Eddie had expected this, and the past week had been spent trying to find a way to spin the story so that he didn’t look like the biggest asshole on the planet. In the end, he decided that he should be honest with her. Paige wanted real, and he would give that to her, tarnish and all.

Someone came by and took their drink orders, giving Eddie a moment to collect his thoughts. 

“I did something stupid.” He started. 

“Obviously.” She gave him a wry smile. 

“Moving to California isn’t cheap.” He watched the tone of his voice, searching for that piece of him that made Hellfire and Corroded Coffin listen to him. Being a dungeon master for so long had given him a way of speaking that could draw someone in when he tried, and right now he knew he needed to try and convince Paige that Corroded Coffin deserved a second chance. “I needed a way to pay for everything that came with moving across country. My dad... he-” Eddie’s voice wavered for a brief moment. “He had an idea to make some quick cash for the two of us. It wasn’t smart, and it really wasn’t legal.”

“Jesus,” Paige sighed, looking at him with a deep frown. “I would have helped you, Eddie. I was already willing to let you live with me for free until we got you set up. I told you that you didn’t have to be alone in this.” 

Asking for and accepting help wasn’t something that Eddie was ever good at. He’d been hyper-independent since he was a child, when his dad would disappear for long stretches of time, even after his mom died. Asking for help after (or especially because) Paige had put in so much money and effort for him already, wasn’t something that he could bring himself to do. 

“I know.” Eddie said. “I had this stupid idea that if I didn’t make the effort on my own, then I didn’t deserve the change. So I did something stupid, really fucking stupid, and it cost me everything.”

“Mark told me that you shot a cop.” Paige said, and before Eddie could speak up, she continued. “I didn’t believe him. When I wired the money, I was able to get an idea of what happened. You saved that guys life.” 

“I couldn’t let him just bleed out on my yard.” Eddie said. “I couldn’t- it wouldn’t be right to run away like that.” 

“You really caused a lot of trouble, you know that?” 

“I know.” Eddie took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry. I fucked up. I did a lot of stupid shit I shouldn’t have, and I paid the price. It cost me more than just the audition.”

There was a time between getting the news about his audition with WR Records and the heist that Eddie flew. He had everything he had ever wanted; he got the girl, had his dad back, he had a future, which was something he never thought he’d have. For a few beautiful weeks, he had spiraled up, up, and up. 

In the end though, what goes up must come down. Eddie had reached for something that would never be meant for someone with the last name ‘Munson’. He had crashed back down to earth, to the reality of who he was and it had cost him everything. His dad, his childhood house, his audition, Paige, and even Ronnie for a short time. 

For the next two years, Eddie swore to never even think about reaching for the sun again. 

“Thank you for being honest with me.” Paige said. “I still think you’re an asshole.”

“I was an asshole.” He didn’t even try to fight it. “The biggest one in Hawkins.”

Even with her declaration, Paige still had a look on her face that was the ghost of an expression she had in the passenger side of his van on the night that she had given him the news that WR Records had liked him. 

“Things went downhill for me when you bailed on the audition.” Paige said, and Eddie swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. He had never known what had happened with her after their fight over the phone. “I got in a lot of trouble because of you. Davey doesn’t like anyone, but he liked you. When I couldn’t get you out there, it really screwed up any trust I had with my job.”

She stopped talking for a moment as a waiter came by and dropped off their food. Eddie couldn’t bring himself to touch the overpriced sandwich in front of him yet. His mouth felt dry and he reached for his water instead. 

“I was stuck in a dead end job, where any talent I tried to bring to the label was shot down without being given a chance. I was being paid to do nothing, except babysit the studio and paperwork.  I got demoted, and I was already at the bottom of the totem pole.” Paige never looked away from Eddie, her gaze unflinching and sharp. “I stopped liking music.”

Guilt washed over Eddie, and there was something in him that screamed at him to run away to avoid this. Being the reason someone stopped liking music? He knew he’d fucked up but that... that was something deeper than just missing an audition. 

“They didn’t have the means to really fire me, I hadn’t done anything wrong.” she continued. “They moved me to a smaller label under the WR name. That label was where acts they had given up on went to die.”

“Which label?” Eddie managed to ask, despite how dry his mouth felt. Even the water wasn’t helping. 

“Left Turn Media.” Paige said. 

During those weeks when things had been good between the two of them, Paige had mentioned the label once or twice. It was considered a death sentence to be put on that label, and working for them was WR’s way to get people to quit without firing them. The two had listened to a few cassettes from the label. The bands weren’t bad, and that was what stuck out to Eddie. The music wasn’t bad, but it was clear that the production was lacking and half-assed. Paige said that the music would be sent out to small radio stations to be played in the middle of the night. 

“Shit.” Eddie said. 

“Yeah, shit.” Paige let out a laugh. “But if there’s one thing I am, it’s stubborn. I threw myself into my work. I’ve been spending the last two years breaking down and completely reassembling Left Turn, and now I’m in charge of it.”

“You.” His eyes went wide as he stared at her. “You’re in charge of Left Turn Media.”

“It’s amazing what you can do when you’re pissed and have something to prove.” Paige shrugged. “I had a lot of time to think about my relationship with music in the last few years. I realized if I wanted to bring something real to the music scene of L.A. I was going to have to do it myself.”

Her dark lips curled up into a smile. “I should almost thank you for fucking up. Because you bailed, I was put in charge of a sinking ship. I patched it up with my own time and money and now Left Turn has become the label for all misfit bands who don’t fit any shiny polished label. I proved to myself and everyone around me that I belong in this industry.”

“I-” Eddie wasn’t sure how he was supposed to respond to that. “You’re welcome...?”

“We’re expanding the label outside of California.” She continued. “I’m in charge so I’m trying to bring good music to my hometown. It’s still not the biggest label, and we can’t offer half of what the bigger labels would, but it’s something.”

“And what are you offering?” Eddie felt dizzy, the more she talked. His words were careful, as if asking the wrong question could end in another blow up between the two of them. 

“What I’m offering is another chance for Corroded Coffin to be signed.” Paige’s arms crossed over her chest. “Left Turn is still finding its footing outside of L.A., so we’re flexible. I’m here to work with local radio and college stations around Indiana to get them to play the few bands we’ve signed so far. Who we have are okay, but they aren’t...”

“Real?” 

“Eddie you have something, as much as I never wanted to admit it again after what happened between us. There’s something about the way that you play that I haven’t been able to find since. I could do this without you, but I think that this is the real sink or swim moment. WR Records goes on with or without you, but I think what you have is what could turn Left Turn around.” Page took a deep breath. “If Corroded Coffin wants another shot, this would be it. If you still have that do-or-die energy when you play, I could offer you a real deal to put together an album. I could get you on the radio.”

Eddie listened to her words, taking in what she was offering. Yes, it wouldn’t be the easy street that WR would have been able to offer, but it would be something. And this time, it wouldn’t just be him auditioning, but Corroded Coffin was wanted this time. 

“You’re serious.” Eddie said, his heart rate picking up. 

“As serious as shooting a cop.” 

“Jesus.” Eddie couldn’t stop himself from letting out a laugh. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing up his fringe as he replayed everything that Paige had just told him in his mind. She wanted him to audition again. This was a chance that he wasn’t sure could be passed up. 

“Some of the band is still in high school.” He said, feeling reality settle like a stone in his stomach. He didn’t mention that his name was on that roster. 

“Like I said, we’re flexible.” Paige said. “I still need you all to audition again, and even then it’s going to take me a few months to set anything up here for the band. I want you all to audition with me and a few others from the label before the end of the year. If everything goes according to plan, Left Turn might have the recording studio ready by next June.” 

“You’re setting up your own recording studio?” Eddie perked up, the anxiety and guilt that he had originally felt was now shifting into something new. He found himself relaxing enough to eat his overpriced sandwich. 

“Yes. We need something that’s a step above Live Mike Studios in Lafayette. We have the building picked out and are already gutting it for Left Turn.” 

“You’ve really thought of everything, haven’t you?” Eddie smiled at her. 

“I have.” Paige agreed. “But I learned not to put all my eggs into one basket. This industry has taught me to have a plan A, B C, and D.” She let out a long sigh. “I made it to plan L before and I would prefer not to do that again.” 

“What was plan L?” 

“If I go into the whole story, I’ll need a strong drink. It involved a guitar player with his head up his ass thinking he was going to be the next Gene Simmons.” Paige groaned. 

“Gene Simmons doesn’t play guitar.” Eddie pointed out. Paige gave him a thousand yard stare, which said everything he needed to know. “Ok. Gotcha.” 

“I’m hoping to get everything set up with minimal surprises.” She concluded. “Get with your band. I’m going to be in town for the rest of the year setting things up.”

Eddie nodded. “So... why Indiana?” he asked. “You were in California. Why come back here to set this up?”

“Like I said, I want to bring good music to my hometown. Once everything’s done, I’ll be able to move back and forth from California to here.”

“And Corroded Coffin?”

“Will stay in Indiana.” She said firmly. “I can’t turn you into the Rock Hero you could have been two years ago, but I can try and make you a Hometown Hero.”

Another story. Paige had always been good at spinning stories. Once upon a time, Eddie had been a barback turned frontman turned Rock Hero. Now he’d be barback turned frontman turned Hometown Hero. That part felt less believable than before. 

That’s how Paige saw him, but how did he see himself? Barback turned front man turned drug thief turned drug dealer turned uber senior? None of that was a story worth selling. And what about the rest of his band? Would Gareth, Jeff, or Zack want to be part of this? Ronnie hadn’t, she just wanted to play just to play. Jeff had been excited about this when the opportunity was first presented, but would he still want the chance? Gareth was the youngest and still had over a year of school left. 

One thing at a time. 

“I’ll talk to the guys next practice.” Eddie said. 

“Good. Are you still playing at the Hideout?” Paige asked. 

Eddie froze for a second, as he imagined Paige and you in the same space to watch him play. He imagined your excited face, and the way you would cheer for them after every song, the excitement that radiated off of you after every set. Even earlier this week, when you’d dropped by to watch them, knowing that Eddie was going to see Paige, you’d still shown the same enthusiasm as before. 

He’d thrown you another pick. You’d handed it back to him at the end of the night, telling him that he could toss it at you again next week. 

“You look like someone who loses your picks the second they are out of your sight.”

You’d been right. The only one he could consistently find was the one he’d turned into a necklace. His dad’s picks had been packed away, shoved under his bed where he wouldn’t see them. Eddie didn’t use those picks anymore. 

A few weeks ago, he couldn’t stop comparing you to Paige, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about how different you two were. 

“Yeah, we play on Tuesdays now.” Eddie said. “People stopped complaining enough that Bev decided to give us a steady slot.”

“Good to know.” Paige said. She wasn’t confirming or denying if she’d show up, but that look in her eyes said that he could expect to see her again soon. 

After all, The Hideout was the only place in twenty miles of Hawkins that offered any live music. 

For the rest of the meal, the two caught up with each other. It didn’t feel as weird as Eddie would have expected, but it was nice. He let Paige do most of the talking, letting her tell him about her work in the industry, he didn’t need her knowing more than she needed to if he wanted to have this shot. Would she want to sign a bunch of high schoolers? He hadn’t even told Paige the first time that he had dropped out when Higgins blackmailed him. 

That was alright for now though. Paige talking meant that he didn’t have to and he added to the conversation by asking plenty of questions about her work. Hearing about the music industry from her end was something that he had a genuine interest in, anyway. 

Paige told him about how she had been given a copy of Iron’s Maiden’s Live After Death by Davey. She was even willing to make Eddie a copy of it. It wasn’t the video, but he wasn’t about to turn down audio of one of his favorite bands that wasn’t even released in the US. 

When the check came, Paige didn’t even blink as she paid the tab and the two of them made their way outside again. It was still pretty early in the afternoon, and the chill of the late autumn air contrasted the bright blue sky.

Trying to still be somewhat of a gentleman, Eddie walked Paige to her car as she recounted the tale of how she had been on the flight from Indianapolis to Los Angeles where Izzy Stradlin had been arrested for pissing in front of everyone.

Paige stopped with her hand on the door to her car before turning around to face Eddie before getting in. 

“I don’t hate you, you know.” she said. “I was mad for a really long time at what you did. But I don’t think you’re a bad guy, Eddie.”

Eddie didn’t feel like he deserved the forgiveness she was offering him. Being told that he was anything other than some satanic cult leader or freak wasn’t something he’d ever get used to.  

“Paige I...” He wasn’t sure what to say. 

She had that look in her eyes, the same look she’d had after she’d given him the news about his original audition. What are you waiting for? Paige was moving closer, freckles like constellations on her skin and the moon in her eyes eclipsed by her eyelids. 

Eddie's hand fell on Paige’s shoulder before her lips could get any closer to his. “I can’t.” he said. 

Her face went through a few emotions. Surprise, disappointment, and settling on embarrassment. 

“Shit. Sorry.” Paige said, shaking her head. 

“No it’s.. It’s fine.” Eddie said, and he could have sworn that Paige looked just as confused as he did. “I don’t think it’s a great idea to do.... That.” 

Eddie hadn’t once entertained the idea of Paige and him together again. It didn’t feel right. He wouldn’t lie and say that he didn’t find her attractive, but it wasn’t the same feeling he got that first night in the Hideout. As a teen, he’d been thrilled that a pretty girl was paying any attention to him at all, and was willing to do anything and be anything she wanted. 

Any relationship with Paige was business, plain and simple. She wanted a Rock Hero to help her get up the ladder, Eddie wanted to make it with his band. Sex had just been a bonus in their past relationship. Paige knew her stuff with music and the industry, but she didn’t rant about Ozzy and his bats, or have a real interest in D&D or put herself out there the same way that you- 

“I’m seeing someone.” He blurted out before Paige could say anything else. 

Paige looked surprised for a moment and shook her head and laughed. “Right. That... I’m sorry. I don’t even know why I did that.” she admitted. “I guess I got swept up in this stupid fantasy about being a power couple. We’re a bad idea.” 

“I’m sorry.” Eddie said, not sure what else could be said in this situation. 

“Don’t be. You’re right, ‘us’ is a bad idea.” she ran her fingers through her hair. “It’s a good thing my offer isn’t dependent on if we’re sleeping together or not.”

“I know you bought me lunch, are giving my band a second chance, and forgave me for one of the biggest fuck ups of my life, but I don’t put out that easy.” Eddie smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood.

Paige offered her hand and Eddie took it. “Business only then.” she said. “Talk to your band and call me to set up the audition.” 

Eddie watched Paige’s car drive off, and suddenly felt a lot lighter. He blasted his music and drove home, nearly laughing like a maniac. Today had been a wild roller coaster of emotions, and he couldn’t wait until the next band practice to bring the news to his band. 

At home, he grabbed his guitar and immediately began sorting through Corroded Coffin’s small pile of original songs, and the covers that they were able to perform the best. Eddie was off, lost in his own world as he wrote, re-wrote, and re-worked the set list. 

What would you think? Would you be excited for him? If this worked, he was going to make sure to get you concert tickets. Okay, he was getting ahead of himself. Maybe you could at least come for the audition as moral support. His band liked you, so maybe they wouldn’t mind. 

Eddie didn’t come back down to Earth until the phone rang that evening after Wayne went to work. He almost missed the call because of how deep he was into perfecting the riff that had eluded him for the past few months, determined now more than ever to get it down. 

He reached the phone on the last possible ring. “Hello?”

“Hey... Eddie?” Your voice cracked over the phone, and that feeling of excitement came crashing down. “Sorry I... Can you come pick me up? I’m at home.” 

You were crying. He could hear it in the way your voice strained and cracked. He was already reaching for his keys. 

“I’ll be right there.”  

a/n: As I stated before, I do like to try and keep everything as time accurate as possible. However things happen, and sometimes things are too good not to use. The Izzy Stradlin incident did not happen until 1989, but the fact that it was on a flight from Indianapolis to LA was too good to pass up. I also would like to notate that I did make a mistake when it came to the Ozzy Bat Incident. It was not a 17 year old girl, it was a 17 year old boy and the bat was already dead. Chalk that inaccuracy up to the tabloids of the time, and the lack of Google. No, this will not be addressed in the future of the fic unless it’s funny. 

Dividers By: @strangergraphics

Tag List @k8loo @terrormonster55 @sp1dyb0y1008 @crocwork-clockodile @ali-r3n @mxcheese @josephquinnschesthair @gagasbee @peaches-roses-sins @witchwolflea @vintagehellfire @royale1803 @cumslutforaemond @prestinalove @browneyedgirly93 @perpetualmess @thebook-hobbit @cultish-corner @grishaversecaptivated @sortagaysortahigh @halialex1119 @siriuslysmoking @huffledor-able541 @pookiesnatcher @eddiesguitarskills @browneyes-8288 @sheneedsrocknroll92

[drpeppertummy]

[banging a bunch of vcrs together] werewoof tummy story who wants werewoof tummy story

[hunger, stuffing, context/setup involves medical stuff but nothing graphic]

Teddy's belly rumbled loudly, and he dropped his head back against the pillow with a groan. He'd eaten an enormous breakfast not that long ago and a snack after that, but it didn't matter; his stomach was starving yet again. Hugo had warned him that hunger was a common side effect, but he had no idea it would be this bad.

Teddy had finally had the opportunity to get top surgery, but there had been one obstacle--he couldn't exactly care for his incisions if he was transforming into a giant wolf every month. This issue had kept him from pursuing the procedure at all for years; he'd just sort of accepted that it would never work. Until, that is, Stelian--Luna's vampire friend--introduced him to a friend of a friend. Hugo, a sweet old wizard who ran a magic shop selling everything from card tricks to interdimensional elements, was able to set Teddy up with a few doses of werewolf transformation blockers. Not enough to be dangerous--it wasn't safe to take them for more than a few months, he'd told him--but just enough to get him through the healing process safely.

Of course, the blockers weren't without side effects. Hugo had run him through everything: He'd likely feel uncomfortable and restless for about a week after the full moon, as he typically would the week before, the next transformation after he stopped taking them could be unusually aggressive, nothing that couldn't be guessed. And, of course, a markedly increased appetite. Teddy's appetite was always stronger during the week approaching the full moon, but now, on the blockers, it was twice as strong the week after as well. He was astonished at how hungry he'd been for the past couple weeks. He was a small man, and his stomach seemed to want more food than he could possibly fit into himself.

He hugged his belly, feeling frustrated and hoping to muffle the growls. He knew his housemates understood; they'd figured out the werewolf business long before he ever told them about it, and they knew all about the transformation blockers and their side effects. He felt lucky to have such caring friends looking after him. Still, he couldn't help feeling self conscious about his endlessly hungry belly. He wasn't typically shy about his appetite, but this was a different ballgame. He felt self conscious about how noisy it was, and how much of their food he was putting away, and the fact that his friends had to help him get said food, and the fact that he was almost certainly going to put on a good heap of weight since there was no transformation to burn off everything he was eating. He felt like a burden and a pig, and, of course, he felt agonizingly hungry on top of it.

His stomach yowled sharply, then let out a long, low whine. He couldn't fathom how it was still hungry; he still felt a little bloated from the big breakfast Bruce had made him. Bruce was an absolute saint. He loved cooking and he was great at it, and he was more than happy to make Teddy the biggest portions he could put together. Ordinarily, his tall stacks of waffles would leave the little werewolf feeling absolutely stuffed silly for the rest of the day. Today, they didn't hold him over for two hours.

"You're hungry." Stelian's quiet voice nearly startled Teddy right out of his seat.

"Oh, gosh, I didn't even know you were here," he exclaimed, holding his chest. The vampire was hard to read, but Teddy thought he could detect the tiniest hint of amusement on his lean face. Silently, he passed him a bowl of pot roast.

"Aw, I'm alright, Stelian, really," he said, feeling guilty. "I just ate a little while ago, I can wait a little longer--"

"You're healing. Your body is asking for food. You need it," Stelian said matter-of-factly. Teddy's stomach growled eagerly in agreement.

"I guess so," he sighed, accepting the meat. He looked up at him, smiling meekly. "Thanks, Stelian." Stelian retreated to his hiding space without a word. He was far from the sweet, warm, caring type that Bruce was, or the silly, playful, friendly type like Luna, but Teddy liked him regardless. He was caring in his own way, quietly protective and viciously loyal, and Teddy admired and appreciated him.

Alone again--or, at least, pretty sure he was--Teddy dug into the pot roast. It was a big serving, and the tender, flavorful meat satisfied his carnivorous cravings in a way that waffles couldn't. He tried to eat slowly and enjoy it, but he couldn't help wolfing it down, at least at first. He was absolutely ravenous. Gradually, though, his stomach settled as it filled up, and he was able to slow his pace, taking the time to savor his food.

It wasn't until he was mostly through the bowl that Teddy really began to feel full. He slowly went from satisfied to full to comfortably stuffed, and then he began to push it, his belly growing tight around the big meal as he went at the last few bites. The heavy meat and bulky vegetables pushed out against the walls of his stomach, and he found himself struggling to finish. In fact, he nearly gave up, but, wanting to hold off his insatiable hunger for as long as possible, he forced down the last little bit, his belly aching as it strained to make space. He swallowed it down with a heavy sigh and let his head fall back against the pillow, resting a hand on his full tummy. It let out a soft little gurgle of contentment, appeased for now.

Teddy tried to set the bowl down on the coffee table, but it was just a hair farther than he could comfortably reach. He was just about to get up when a slender hand swooped in and took it.

"Oh, gosh, Stelian!" Teddy looked up to see the vampire looming quietly behind him. He set the bowl down and disappeared, and a sleek black cat hopped silently up onto Teddy's lap. He gave him an unreadable look in the eye, then curled up against his round belly. Teddy reached out, hesitated for a moment, then cautiously stroked his back. Stelian remained in place, and, feeling more at ease, Teddy went on petting him.

Teddy and Stelian were both fast asleep when Bruce and Luna came home with plenty of takeout to go around, and they took about a hundred pictures of the two of them all snuggled up together. Judging by the size of Teddy's round little belly, they determined that he'd already eaten, and they stuck some food in the fridge for later before sitting down with their own. It wouldn't be long before they'd be getting it back out, though--they were amused to hear that, even in his sleep, his tummy was already rumbling again.

[fairyniceyeah]

💎🍚Day 9: Overdramatic Caretaker

@sicktember

Summary: “You should sit out for the rest of the concert.” Had Hoshi finally completely lost his mind?

CW: emeto, fainting

Sickie: Woozi/Jihoon Caretaker: Hoshi/Soonyoung

“You should sit out for the rest of the concert.”

At first the words didn’t even make sense in Woozi’s head, even less so the fact that they were directed at him. He blinked up at Hoshi, brushing back his long blond hair that fell into his face. They had just come down from the stage for a short VCR break a.k.a. “if you change your outfit quick enough you may even be able to use the bathroom before going back out”. They had still the last parts of the concert left, having just finished All My Love and were about to perform Maestro. 

“What?”, he stuttered out, completely confused. 

Had Hoshi finally completely lost his mind?

Seungcheol and Wonwoo, who were standing close enough to overhear the conversation, looked just as lost as Woozi felt. Wonwoo even had stopped halfway through switching his pants, only one leg clad in the new trousers for the next set. The leader on the other hand was blinking in confusion, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world - which, to be fair, Hoshi’s statement just might be.

“You dropped your mic when we left the stage”, Hoshi added when he saw the confusion, sounding so logical as if that explained anything.

Woozi flushed, embarrassed. Luckily the mics had already been turned off but still some of the other members had startled at the loud sound, Mingyu joking that maybe Woozi was just as clumsy as he was.

“I promise I won’t drop it on stage if that's what you’re worried about?” 

“That’s nice but I think you really should sit out”, Hoshi insisted.

Seungcheol seemed to have enough of the vague explanations and said: “For the love of God, just say what you want to say, Soonyoung-ah.” He looked around. “And Wonwoo-yah, put on your pants, it’s getting awkward.”

The other rapped flushed, quickly getting dressed as Hoshi rolled his eyes. 

“Fine, I’ll say it outright: You’re normally not clumsy at all, Jihoon-ah. I don’t think I have ever seen you drop anything unless ... you’re having a migraine aura, aren't you?”

That was what Hoshi was worried about? It would have been cute if he hadn’t made such a fuss out of nothing. Sure, Jihoon normally didn’t drop stuff easily but he had been more focused on not falling than the microphone. The contrast between the extremely bright stage and the darkness backstage had temporarily made him unable to see anything and he hadn’t wanted to fall down the stairs, thank you very much.

“No, I don’t”, Woozi replied, glaring at Hoshi, Seungcheol, Wonwoo and all the others who had suddenly given up on pretending not to listen after hearing the word migraine. “I feel fine.”

“Are you sure?”, Seungkwan called worriedly, apparently unable to understand that Hoshi was making a mountain out of a molehill and the words I am fine.

“Yes”, Woozi insisted, annoyed. “I just dropped my mic, it happens. Do you want me to remind you that you nearly dropped Dino’s phone into the pool yesterday? Twice, I might mention.”

“You did what?”, Dino screeched.

“Relax. Notice how hyung said nearly? It’s still working, isn’t it?”, Seungkwan defended himself. 

Woozi focused on changing his outfit then, happy the conversation was turned from him. If throwing Seungkwan under the bus was all it took, he should do it more often. 

The others seemed satisfied with the explanation, dropping the subject and soon enough they were about to enter the stage again. Well, all of them except Hoshi.

“I’m keeping an eye on you. And that is a promise, not a threat”, Hoshi said just before the mics turned on, robbing Woozi of a chance to reply.

💎

It was sometime around Together that Woozi had to admit to himself that maybe Hoshi had not been overly dramatic at all. Everytime the stage lights shone into his direction he felt stars explode in his vision. His hand and a part of his face felt a bit numb, like they always did when he in fact had a migraine aura. And he never had had a problem with the difference of lighting on stage and backstage before.

It couldn’t have come at a worse point in time. 

Still, he was Woozi, an idol. He was not going to let what might be an aura stop him from performing. Besides, they only had Headliner and, well, an uncertain amount of Aju Nice’s left.

He could do it. If he was lucky he had about an hour until he was reduced to being a miserable, queasy mess. It was enough time to finish the concert and well, he preferably wanted to be at the dorm if that really was his future. It didn’t seem likely that they would finish that soon and they’d still be at the stadium or in transit when it hit but the most important thing was to finish the concert. 

He decided to push all thoughts of unwellness aside.

It was until they were on that huge moving platform that he succeeded. He trailed after the other hyung-line members, only speeding up a bit when he realized how far back he had fallen and managed to catch up with Wonwoo and Jeonghan who seemed exhausted as well. Wandering around aimlessly was better than standing still, even if the motion was making him dizzy.

When Joshua wrapped an arm around him to wave at the Carats below them he just smiled and hoped it didn’t look like a grimace. His stomach was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable and he crossed his arms protectively around his abdomen, hoping it just looked like his nonchalant personality or even as if he was trying to show off his muscles.

He may have been able to fool Carats but Hoshi took one look at him when arranging them for the dance part and his worry came back instantly. The older placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing in support. His eyes read a concerned “Are you okay?”

Woozi nodded at him and hoped he would be fine.

It wasn’t like he could not be. He was so far away from any exits that there wasn't even a chance for him to leave if he wanted or, he hoped it never came to that, had to. All in the eyes of the fans too. No, he couldn’t be anything but fine.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he at first didn’t even notice he was jumping into the opposite direction as his hyungs despite having started the same way and it took a few more jumps until he was clumsily able to correct himself. By then they were nearly done and he gave up on the motion as soon as he could. 

His vision was spinning and flashing and the upright movement of the platform was only worsening it. At least he was able to sing while it moved; concentrating on the words and notes saving him. He was supposed to walk towards the fans on the balconies but as soon as a stage light hit him directly in the face, he spun around and walked back to oversee the Carats on the floor. They wouldn’t be able to see if he was wincing or showing discomfort as easily as any Carat on the same height as they were.

But as the platform moved, and that was a horrible horrible feeling, he was starting to get blinded by the stage lights again. He had no choice but to turn to the Carats on the balcony. He just hoped that walking around (and not tripping over his own feet) was enough to not have any of the fans focus on him, instead choosing to focus on the members waving at them. 

💎

It was in the middle of the platform moving from the front stage to the middle stage when the first tendrils of pain began sneaking in, a wave of uneasiness and, worse, queasiness following. Woozi stopped in his tracks for a second, panic taking over. It was only then that he realized that he was trapped on the platform with no way out, all while thousands of Carats watched. He had no choice but to push through. He had no choice at all. When the platform finally arrived on the other side, Woozi ignored the pain in order to sprint off the deathtrap they’d been on, glad for the solid ground and closer exits now. Still, he would only give up when he had no other choice.

In the end, Woozi had no idea how often they had sung Aju Nice. Four times? Five times?

He had tried his best to pretend he was fine but with his vision constantly exploding with lights and the sound starting to hurt his ears it had been incredibly hard to hide that he was going down fast. Nausea was starting to make him feel simultaneously chilled and too warm and saliva was gathering in his mouth. Hoshi had given him worried glances all the time, sticking as close as possible without making it too obvious. At one point Woozi even had to switch microphone hands as he feared that he would drop it again, his hand feeling incredibly numb. And then, when they were just done, just about to end, the real pain hit unexpectedly. It was like a supernova erupted in his eye and his knees nearly gave up on him. Just a few more minutes he told himself.

Holding on and praying he would be fine was all he could do when it was time to say goodbye. Seungcheol’s speech seemed to drag on longer than normally and when they bowed it took all his strength to not throw up right then and there on stage and just stand back up again.

💎

The screen separating them from the view of Carats had not even fully closed when his knees gave out and he crashed to the floor. 

Woozi was aware that somebody was carrying him away, aware of the chaos and the worry. But everything just hurt. He was in so much pain he couldn’t even tell who was with him and what they were saying. He just whimpered and buried his face in the person’s shoulder, needing to escape from the light at last. 

He was laid down on what he assumed was a waiting room couch, the leather cool against his overheated skin. Voices were still washing over him but he was too disoriented to know what was going on except for the awful pain in his head. 

Something was placed over his mouth and nose. An oxygen mask? Only then did he realize how fast and irregular his breathing was and how it made his pain worse. Taking deeper breaths was barely helping.

An ice pack was pressed to his forehead and Woozi breathed out in relief. It was the first nice thing he had felt since, well, maybe his bed that morning. He became aware enough of a hand stroking his hair back and then Soonyoung whispering to him in a low voice. Woozi couldn’t make out the words but it was comforting enough. 

Sadly the comfort was soon replaced by another stab of pain. Jihoon couldn’t help but cry out in pain, tears gathering in his eyes. It hurt so badly. He just wanted it to stop.

Instead it got worse. The nausea that had been threatening him for so long finally boiled over and the person holding the oxygen mask to his face didn’t even have enough time to pull it away between the first gag and the hot vomit rushing up his throat.

Jihoon coughed, desperately trying not to breathe in the sick that was running back into his mouth, and then people started shouting. He pathetically whimpered at the noise level. Luckily somebody shushed the voices and then, finally, Jihoon was turned to his side.

He choked and gagged helplessly for what seemed like an eternity, unable to feel anything but the white-hot lava in his skull and the unrelenting waves of disgusting vomit coming up. 

When it was over, Jihoon just closed his eyes and let himself pass out.

💎

Jihoon had no idea if he had been awake before he woke up the next day around lunch. 

(He had been but the members were glad he didn't remember his crying and throwing up and the terrible pain that had left him helpless and sick for hours nor how scared they all had been since he had just collapsed on them unexpectedly to anybody other than Soonyoung.)

As he blinked his eyes open at last, he was greeted by Soonyoung sitting on the floor by his bed, a bucket still at the side just in case. The older smiled brightly at him when he came to understand that Jihoon was not in the throes of the migraine anymore, just a bit shaky and still with a slight headache.

“Hey, Hoonie”, he whispered, still mindful of any possibly remaining symptoms, “how are you feeling?”

“Okay”, Jihoon breathed out, “good.”

“Good”, Soonyoung repeated, brushing Jihoon’s hair out of his face, “huh, guess I wasn’t overly dramatic after all?”

Jihoon groaned and buried his face in his pillows. It may have been embarrassing, yet, yet it did feel good to know that Soonyoung was looking out for him.

Notes: Somehow this unexpectedly turned into a “re-telling”/”what if” of Seventeen’s Follow Again concert in Seoul on April 27th 2024. Below are the yt links I used as references, obviously the videos don’t belong to me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvJKdvzuBtM&list=PL0n1IhkYiG2wx43JrJgevoNW_kBqXSL_o&index=31

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loydPUp--qE

Masterlist links: Fairy's Full Masterlist Fairy's Sicktember 2024

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1967 Toyota 2000GT

1967 Toyota 2000GT

1967 Toyota 2000GT

1967 Toyota 2000GT

When James Bond star Daniel Craig was asked what his favourite Bond car was, the answer was a bit surprising as it was from a film made many years before his time as 007. It was the Toyota 2000GT that starred in the 1967 film 'You Only Live Twice'. Its the one where Sean Connery is disguised as a Japanese citizen despite being about a 18" inches taller than anyone else...

Apparently James Bond was a very big deal in Japan and Toyota were very keen to allow the makers to use one of their cars and the 2000GT was chosen and 2 coupes were supplied.

However the first problem was that Sean Connery was simply too tall so Toyota went off and made two convertibles which also made filming inside the tight car a touch easier. they were the only two roadsters ever made.

Next problem was also slightly daft: the actress who played Bond's lady friend, Akiko ‘Aki’ Wakabayashi, couldn't actually drive so in the end Toyota had to supply a couple of their own drivers to operate pedals and gears.

Toyota and Sony kitted the car out with typical futuristic Bond gadgets such as CCTV, a VCR, cameras behind the front number plate, two-way radios, voice-controlled tape recorder and an audio system.

I think three of the four cars used still exist; one was reputedly crashed and written off though there were rumours that it had been sold on anyway.

[ebongawk]

"Baby, baby, baby," Eddie practically shouted as he kicked his way into the apartment. Chrissy jumped from her curled up position on the couch, the book in her hands nearly launched across the room.

"Oh, my God," she laughed breathlessly, laying a hand over her heart. "Eddie, Jesus."

"Sorry," he said, not sounding particularly apologetic at all. "But you will never guess what I found at the store!"

He was holding up a paper grocery sack like it was a trophy, having dropped three other sacks when he barged in, and Chrissy's eyes darted between it and him incredulously.

"Groceries."

"Har, har." The grin still stretched over his cheeks made his sarcastic laughter almost genuine. "No. Well. Yes, but." With a flourish, he tore the paper bag away, revealing another plastic bag beneath. Chrissy blinked at it.

"Chicken nuggets?"

"Dinosaur chicken nuggets!" he shouted, evidently very pleased with his discovery. "The most epically childish thing in existence! One hit of these is guaranteed nostalgia!"

Pursing her lips around a grin, Chrissy shrugged. "I've never had them before."

Eddie looked at her for a long moment. The expression he wore when he wanted to wrap her up in a blanket and coddle her, which slipped into his eyes every time she admitted something sordid about her own childhood.

Instead, he just grinned, his eyes twinkling.

"Oh, sweetheart. You're in for a treat."

...

Two hours later, the oven was just finished baking their costumed chicken.

Eddie and Chrissy were also just finished baking.

She was sitting on the couch again, relaxed and riding the buzz of their shared joint as Eddie set a plate piled high with nuggets on the coffee table. Adorned on either side by ranch dressing, buffalo sauce, and barbecue sauce, he traipsed across the living room to load Predator into the VCR and plop down beside her.

"Dig in, sweetness," Eddie said, easy smile and red-rimmed eyes half-focused as he fast-forwarded through the movie previews. Chrissy leaned forward, plucking the nugget off the top as Eddie grabbed a couple and dipped them into various sauces.

Chrissy stared at the little nugget in her hand.

It was clearly a stegosaurus. The ridges on its back like fish scales and the curve of its spine made it easy to identify. It was ridiculous, how some tiny fried piece of chicken could take on the form of another animal, wasn't it? Even if that animal had been extinct for millions and millions of years. And the stegosaurus would never know that humans created a little snack to emulate its visage. They would never know that humans existed at all.

"Chrissy?" Eddie asked, his mouth half-full of her little stegosaurus's friends. "Baby, what's wrong?"

Her eyes suddenly blurred, and Chrissy let out a hitched breath.

"Oh. Shit. Sweetness." She could feel Eddie's hands on her shoulders, trying to turn her body toward him as she held that tiny little chicken nugget in her palm. Staring at his grainy little body even if she couldn't see him. "Baby, are you okay? Are you having trouble with this kind of food right now? I could make–– Well. Uh. I don't know if I can make anything, but––"

"He's just––" She broke off with another sob, thrusting her hands toward where she assumed Eddie's face was to show him the stegosaurus. "He's just so cute, Eddie! Look at him!"

She couldn't see Eddie through her tears, but she felt his hands squeeze her shoulders once, then twice, as she ran her fingertip over the tiny breadcrumb ridges of the stegosaurus's spine.

"Chrissy––"

"He doesn't even know that he's edible!" she cried. "He's just trying to live his little dinosaur life and be adorable!"

Eddie laughed, bodily pulling her into his arms until she was tucked up against his chest.

"Oh, baby girl," he cooed, rocking her back and forth. "He is pretty cute, isn't he?"

"Yes," she pouted. "He's just–– He's just a baby, Eddie! I can't eat him!"

"He's an herbivore, y'know? He was gonna get eaten in the Jurassic period too. You're just playing your part in the circle of life."

"I'm not a t-rex!" Chrissy retorted, unable to keep from crying harder. "And h-he doesn't deserve that! He's too cute!"

Eddie's laughter rumbled against her, bubbling up from his chest and tucked into her hair. Affronted, Chrissy looked up at him.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"No, princess, no," he said quickly, his nose scrunched up in humor. "No, it's just–– Baby, he's just a nugget. He's not even a real stegosaurus."

"I don't care," she huffed around her own laugh, looking down at the little nugget in her hand. The tears had begun to dry on her cheeks, and she nuzzled into Eddie's chest as she continued holding the stegosaurus close.

"You're literally too adorable for words, Cunningham." She felt the tell-tale sign of lips pressed against her crown as Eddie slowly stroked his fingers up and down her spine. After a moment, he let out a long sigh. "Should I put our reptilian friends away and order a pizza instead?"

"Yes," Chrissy replied, still pouting a little. "We can't eat them, Eddie, they're just babies."

A finger came up beneath her chin, gently tilting her head back until she had to look up at him. Those chocolate eyes she loved so much danced with mirth, lips twisted like he wanted desperately to conceal his smile. Which he was doing a poor job of.

"We'll see how you feel about it when you're sober," he acquiesced. "For now, how does pepperoni and hamburger sound?"

Chrissy grinned, leaning up to kiss him in lieu of an answer.

[nachosncheezies]

The Bet - Chapter 4

(chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3)

Chasing Elves

Little Green Men; also on AO3.

~~~~~

Fast friends. That must be the term for it, because although their superiors intended her as a spy, he found that he really liked having her around. Scully was open and curious, enthusiastic and fun. She challenged and questioned and teased him. There was something easy and familiar about her company. Samantha would like her, he thought.

As an agent she was green but a quick study, and she worked overtime to hone her scientific rebuttals. She took advantage of his expertise by practicing her profiling at every opportunity. Her integrity was firm, but she had a bit of a rebel inside her; she could be remarkably conciliatory with others, but didn't shy away from getting a little mouthy when needed. And she was loyal. Once or twice, when she perceived others trying to mess with him, he saw her get her hackles up like a fierce little guard dog. She once backed up her concern for him with a hijacked car, a stolen gun, and an NSA man held hostage. She flipped the metaphorical bird at her academy friend just because he seemed too concerned with his career to risk taking an unorthodox but potentially life-saving truth to his superiors. She drove hours to bail him out of the drunk tank, and bought his breakfast, too. What he learned was that she took her assignment seriously, not just as a reporter on his life's work, but as a true partner in furthering that work wherever it made sense to her. Soon, his more outlandish requisitions were being approved at a much higher rate, and his solve rate was through the roof. It should have alarmed him, how quickly he trusted her, but she had earned it.

The longer he worked with her, the less he thought about their bet or its implications. The cases were not always fun, and had them drawing their weapons and looking over their shoulders more often than most new agents would on their first assignment. Her unrestrained laughter began to subside and became a little more understated, more often substituted for a poorly-suppressed, mirthful little grin. But she also intuited him more, and more and more often she knew exactly what to say to him. She was a straight shooter, and never stopped at just what he wanted to hear. 

Now, their office was locked up tight with cheap plastic dust sheeting over the furniture. Scully was back at Quantico, and his own new assignment was frustrating; mere busywork. He listened to one conversation after another about the finer points of pay-for-nudity etiquette, and wondered if the men on the wiretap had ever heard of a damn VCR, or Pay-Per-View, or the 1-900 prefix. They were using various questionable establishments to launder money and commit bank fraud, and for all their boasting, they weren't even very good at it. If they would talk less, just shut up and get their rocks off in peace, he wouldn't have three folders and counting of evidence to gift wrap them in for the prosecutors.

Three folders, and his superiors still wouldn’t give him a new case. He must be in professional purgatory. He wondered what Scully would have to say about that.

Since the Bureau had first reassigned them, he thought that perhaps it was for the best. He was troubled to lose his access, of course, but there had been a simmering sense within him that the honeymoon period between his his work and keeping Scully in it with him was wearing thin. The business that had ended Deep Throat's life - that could've cost him his - was a potent lesson in how seriously the forces behind it all wanted to keep prying eyes away. They had no qualms at all about killing. He still wasn't sure why they'd honored the deal and let him go. Perhaps to avoid publicity, or perhaps something more sinister. 

Once or twice, Scully passed through headquarters and tried to speak to him, but he pushed her away. There were dangers in every corner and shadow, dangers that she did not see. That must be a failure on his part: he hadn't adequately prepared her for what he had dragged her into. She was better off riding a desk. Haunting the labs, the morgue. Scully would not be dissuaded, though. She tolerated it for a time, but eventually his scrappy, erstwhile partner activated their secret signals, calling him to a clandestine nighttime meeting in an unpopulated parking garage. A ditched car. A cab, a bus, and two different subway lines. Dodging, weaving, doubling back and then doing it all again.

All this, to ask him how he was.

Later he dreamed of the beach at Martha's Vineyard. "Foooox," came a sing-song voice from behind him, and he turned around. Samantha stood there, age eight, smug and haughty with her pigtails and sun-kissed cheeks. She threw a beach ball at him as hard as she could and it landed right in his face, far harder than soft vinyl had any business being. The firm smack! of it left his nose smarting.

"Dammit, Samantha," he said, and lunged to grab for the ball as she darted and caught it on the rebound.

"Agent Mulder!" called a familiar voice behind him. Mulder turned to look; Deep Throat was watching them. The man’s hands were in his trench coat pockets, and he seemed to carry his own fog of darkness, making his figure a grim contrast to the sun splashing off the waves. Before Mulder could speak, Deep Throat pointed back toward Samantha. "Keep your eye on the prize, my boy."

When he looked back, Samantha was gone. In her place stood Scully, dressed for the forest with a scuff on her cheek, her hands dirty and her knuckles red. She had a tear in her sleeve, and sweat dripped from beneath her frizzy fringe and ponytail. 

"Where are we going?" she asked; all freckles and mischief and a big, toothy grin.

"I… I honestly don't know," he answered.

~~~~~

Puerto Rico. Hale's elves indeed; as if a new base pair she couldn't talk about hadn't been crazy enough.

She was a little wounded that he hadn't told her anything; she had to find out he was gone from Assistant Director Skinner, and no more than a day after she’d tried to encourage him. Perhaps it had worked a little too well. Somehow, he'd found a new ‘Wow’ signal, and whether it was or wasn’t a message from outer space didn’t really matter, because clearly he had decided to follow it. At least he left her a clue in the name he gave for the flight manifest.

Whatever it was he was onto, someone thought it was something. He had won back the surveillance he'd been assuming, and she earned a tail of her own, too. For being god-knows-who from god-knows-where - professionals, presumably - her shadows were surprisingly easy to shake. The fact she'd had shadows at all, though. The intensity of their interest made her deeply afraid for him, and she didn't need the bygone word 'partner' or the obligation of a silly pledge from a lost bet to ride her fears all the way into the jungle.

She found him on a mountaintop, unconscious and then seemingly delirious.

"We'll have to take separate planes, Scully," he said earnestly as she navigated down a series of dusty backroads. She had forced him to let her drive at the earliest opportunity, when the initial adrenaline rush of their escape had abated to reveal his dehydration and apparent lack of sleep or food or… any of the other things one usually requires to maintain biological function. She had been checking the mirrors constantly since she pulled roughly back onto the road at speed, but it seemed they'd been let go. "They'll be trying to track us."

"They knew we were here, Mulder. They sent half the army." She was exasperated. Frightened. Relieved. She was entirely uninterested in leaving him up to his own devices again, especially in his current state. Besides, "You need a shower. And clean clothes. You try to get on a plane right now and you're going to draw a whole different kind of attention."

She was aware her brow was pinched and that she had been halfway grinding her teeth. When she glanced away from the road, he looked perplexed and a bit chastened. He had twisted in his seat to watch her, and his head lolled a bit on the headrest. "Are you trying to say something about my bouquet?"

She glanced at him again and found him smirking. Some of her tension eased; she chuckled. "You look like some kind of hobo. A vagrant."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Shower. Clothes."

"Food," she chimed in.

"Food," he nodded. "I am a little hungry."

"Sleep."

"Right, sleep. There's, uh… there's one problem with all of that. I seem to be a little hard up.” He looked down at a fistful of crumpled, sweaty bills. “Think I only have enough left for my return ticket. Maybe some food."

She rolled her eyes. "I have enough."

“I can always count on you,” he beamed.

“I’m going to have to start advance-billing you for bail and rescue,” she said wryly.

As they entered San Juan, she stopped at a market, where she found a pair of baggy blue basketball shorts and a gaudy souvenir tee-shirt - highlighter green with two roosters fighting on the front. The old man hawking these garments tried to haggle with Scully, but when Mulder came plodding up from another shopfront he’d been examining, the man looked him up and down and gave Scully a sympathetic, almost pitying look, as though she'd brought him a wet and sickly puppy. He made a show of giving her the price she'd asked for.

A little over an hour later, she returned with a bag of food to the small room she’d found for them in a modest hotel. Mulder was on his bed, clean and dressed in his new tourist garb, but looking dewy with some combination of humidity and sweat. His jeans and gray tee hung in the window, swaying gently with the breeze as the evening’s failing sun ceased drying them. He stared at the tape reel he'd managed to salvage, listless; morose. "All that evidence,” he said sadly, and shook his head. “It was amazing, Scully. Terrifying. And I lost it all.”

“You got away with that," she offered.

“I should’ve had more. I can transcribe what’s on this tape, but without the data to go with it....”

She nodded, and silently handed him his share of their meal. He took it absently, and she sat down on the edge of her own bed. She stared blankly at the bag in her lap and sighed.

"I wish you had told me you were going," she said. 

"I couldn't," he answered. "This isn't your responsibility, Scully."

“I could’ve helped.”

"We're not partners anymore."

She felt a sting at that, disappointed more than anything else. "And yet here I am," she said quietly. He looked over at her, inscrutable, then turned toward his food.

Unfortunately the food did not improve his mood, and he said little else. He'd left his glasses in Alexandria, and silently squinted at a Spanish-language newspaper until he fell into a restless sleep. The next morning they found side-by-side seats back to Dulles.

He'll die for this, she thought as the sunny waters of the Caribbean passed beneath them.

"You'll be okay," she said as they parted ways at the airport.

The tape was empty. “But I still have you,” he said.

He kept in touch after that. When she met the new recruit he’d partnered up with, she was relieved to know he wouldn’t be out there alone. But she didn't really care to give the kid the time of day.

[bangtanhoneys]

GRACE TOUR: March 19th 2025 - SEOUL

Gocheok Sky Dome was starting to fill up nicely. Vendors were selling the last of their merch and ARMY were getting their drinks and snacks, making their way to their seats…all 25,000. Of course, there were plenty of celebrities who had turned up for what was going to be the first night of Grace Chu’s solo tour. 

Members of Seventeen, Tomorrow By Together, XG, Black Pink, IU, CL, Ateez, Twice, Ailee, G-Dragon, Jay Park were just a few names that ARMY were whispering about when they had spotted the idols in the various VIP seats. Not only that, there were entertainers, comedians and politicians who had turned out tonight. It seemed as if half of Seoul’s idol world had turned out to see what was going to become of the In My Head Tour.

As the arena was filling up, various BTS music videos with the appropriate song were played over the speakers. With most of the members still in the military, only two members were present and they were backstage enjoying the snacks provided for the main star. 

“Did you come for the food or to support me?” Grace asked, laughing in the makeup chair as she watched Seokjin fill up his plate with traditional British food. J-Hope was next to him, doing exactly the same but on a smaller plate. It was a nice distraction from the nerves that were swirling in her stomach as updates came in from Sejin about the arena capacity and who he had spotted in the audience. 

“Both!” the two men said as they sat down at the small table provided. 

She rolled her eyes and tried not to move again as the make up artist applied the make up, not a lot but enough to do give her the look she was going for. Her newly dyed blonde hair had been styled down into loose waves but pushed away from her face so it wouldn’t get in the way of anything. 

The dancers, fourteen males and seven women, were in their respective rooms getting ready as well. The noise from them was enough to drown out the noise from the crowd above, singing along to the music being provided. 

“Here she is!”

Grace glanced over, seeing Bang PD arrive with Sejin and Hobeom, all with flowers in their hands. 

“I didn’t know you were coming,” she grinned as the make-up artist paused and allowed her to jump off the chair to go hug her favourite men. 

“Of course! I’ve got a box with the two hungry men over there and a few others,” her CEO nodded in the direction of the BTS members who were currently resembling their BT21 characters with how stuffed their cheeks were. 

“One hour call,” the stage manager announced from the door. 

“You finish getting ready, boys finish that up and I’ll meet you upstairs.”

It wasn’t hard to ignore the noise that suddenly erupted from the seats as the VCR started playing as Grace crouched on the lift, letting out a deep breath as she held onto her mic tight. Her female dancers were spread onto two other lifts, all looking excited and nervous but ready to go. 

The moment 7 Rings began to play, Grace was lifted to the stage.

The roar from the crowd almost drowned out the music in her ears and from the band behind. ARMY had been waiting years for Grace to show off the skills they knew she had for a solo stage and for a solo concert. The hype around this tour had been immense, with international news also picking up on what was expected to be one of the highest grossing tours. 

From her view, Grace could see the ARMY bombs light up purple in tandem with the beat of the music and all worries and fears went out the window when she could hear them singing back to her. This was (mostly) a Korean crowd, singing in English, back to her. 

The dancers moved easily with her, especially the seven male dancers who moved past the female dancers as they had been practising for over a year. It felt complete to dance with seven dancers, making her feel like she was back with the boys again and each male dancer had been, jokingly, given their BTS equivalent. 

The worries about hitting the high notes and making sure she breathed easy felt stupid now. They flowed out with ease and while she was sure it wasn’t going to be like this for every tour, it gave her the confidence as the music and lights and VCR slipped into In My Head. 

The song choice was met with another roar of approval from the crowd as Grace moved down the stage to the start of the thrust stage where one dancer, given the nickname Jimin was waiting for her and another nicknamed Tae was waiting further down to join them. 

By the time they got to the next costume change, Grace was on cloud nine. 

Of course, they didn’t expect her to bring Butter to the stage. 

Nor did they expect her to sing everyone’s lines perfectly, stay in the centre of the formation and deliver the song perfectly.

From the VIP section, Seokjin was recording the Butter performance to send to the boys while everyone in their box sang along to the lyrics. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Hobi narrowed his eyes when the dance break came and remained like that until it was finished and the final verse was being sung.

“Perfect as always,” Hobi yelled over the sound of the music, giving a thumbs up to the camera with the big screen in the background as Grace rapped ‘ice on my wrist I’m the nice guy.’ Seokjin laughed and zoomed in, as the dancers formed their ARMY sign with Grace at the end, throwing a finger heart to the camera. 

By the time the concert was over, ARMY had been left on the biggest high. It had been awhile since they could sing and dance along to BTS’ songs in a concert environment and Seokjin could hear them as they began to leave once the lights came on and staff were directing them on where to go. 

Backstage, Grace found herself covered in the arms of her parents. 

“We’re so proud,” her mother cried as her father patted her head. 

“Mum, let me go, I’ve got to get this makeup off,” Grace laughed but hugged her back all the same as she watched her father then shake and hug all the dancers as they headed towards their respective changing rooms. 

Everyone was happy, content and more than made up that the first concert had been a success. The noise down the corridor from stage hands, HYBE management, staff, make-up artists and the like was louder than the ARMY’s singing as they left. 

“Ah who needs BTS when we’ve got Grace Chu,” Hobi laughed as he entered the dressing room, arms wide open which Grace all but bounced into. 

“Did I do okay? Are you happy?” she asked her dance captain, who threw his arms around her and spun her around the room.

“Happy? He was crying at one point,” Seokjin mentioned as he was followed by Bang PD, IU, CL and even Tomorrow by Together. 

By the end of the night and by the time Grace got home, social media had exploded with the news. 

Grace Chu had been turned into a solo megastar.