#well i drew this before trailer so yeah

[meouwuw]

Happy birthday Rain World :3

[starscabaret]

☆Meeting Yandere! Vincent ☆

pairing: yandere! Vincent x fem reader 

summary: Meeting Vinny <333

warnings: n/a 

authors note: 

Vincent had brushed into the small town a few months earlier on a contract for his engineering firm. The job paid well and he had little to no attachment anywhere so he made the move. He lived in an upscale condo about 30 minutes out from the actual town he’d be working in. Paid for by the company of course. 

He had a routine, call mom once a week, send a letter once a month, go to work every weekday, go to the gym every weekday, grocery shop on Sundays, and get a haircut every 3 weeks. Not much changed for him really unless it was necessary. 

He liked it that way, in his free time he drew, invested, and dabbled in a few books and tv. He wouldn’t call himself the happiest man alive, but he was getting by, and his mom was doing well. That’s all he ever wanted. 

Just like any other day on the job site Vincent set in his small office inside the mobile trailer going over blueprints and whatnot. That is until you came banging on the flimsy trailer door. Vincent thought the damn police were here. Lo and Behold when he opened the door there you were in pajamas, and slippers, and sleep still in your eyes. 

As soon as the door opened you spoke, “Look man, I really was nice at first and didn’t say anything but do y’all have to be so loud at 7 am? It’s waking me and my son.”

Vincent stood there deadpan he didn’t know what to reply. There was nothing he could really do to delay construction in the early hours without derailing the whole project. And normally he would have slammed the door in your face had it been anyone else. But you, you made his heart beat fast and he blanked on a response. Besides the fact that he was a man of very few words.

“Come in.” He said as he pulled you into the office like trailer.

“You seem to be the boss sir, is there anything you can do?” You said while rubbing your eyes.

“You must live in the house a few acres over, what’s your name?” He spoke low and grumbly.

“Yeah I do, it’s a family house but no one gives a shit anymore. All moved off to the big city, scared of the water. Oh, Im f/n l/n” you replied in an annoyed tone.  

“I can’t tell them to halt all work in the morning is there anything I can do instead?” He asked, wanting to remedy this. He didn’t want to upset you. You were alluring to him. This was also the most he had spoken to anyone in days.

“You come to explain to my son why you’re disrupting his sleep!” you said with irritation in your voice.

When Vincent got to your home to apologize to your son, he was met with Ben. Ben was a 3-year-old beautiful Doberman. 

Vincent was a bit relieved it was a dog and not a child, as he was already daydreaming about how he would give you your first child.

Vincent didn’t speak much or have the best social skills but he knew that his interest in you wasn’t normal. Nor did he know how to express such interest.

Good thing you found him handsome, and took interest in his quiet reserved demeanor. You had to know more, you had to dig past the surface. You were bold and willing to take charge and make the moves. You had never seen a man like him in your town before, or anywhere for that matter. 

You were happy you went and complained that morning. Who said complaining didn’t get you anywhere?

[avroravia]

☆ desert eagle. - I ☆

pairings: trailer park!dallas winston x f!trailer park!reader

summary: dallas can’t seem to keep himself from the pretty girl wandering throughout the park, now can he? but, it seems neither can she.

warnings: f!reader, swearing, familial descriptions, outfit descriptions, may not be time accurate (?)

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡

the blazing summer sun of tulsa beat down onto the park, yet everybody seemed unbothered. children continued running around, water guns in hand as they seamlessly weaved through all the trailers. teens funded the gas stations and mini-marts, with icees and cokes in hand as they flocked to the shade. adults were either at work, or running errands throughout tulsa.

wiping the sweat off of his forehead, dallas shut the hood of the car. he tossed his borrowed-box of tools onto the grass, before making his way to the entrance of the car owner’s trailer. living in the park wasn’t necessarily bad, just mundane. going from odd-job to odd-job, then party to party.

dallas’ boots thudded along the metal ramp towards the entrance. met with the sight of an open door, he rapped his knuckles against the frame before peeking his head inside. dallas didn’t see the woman who had originally ‘hired’ him, but rather a younger girl. you. your head perked up from the small mini fridge’s door, which you seemed to be stocking.

“money’s on the table.” you told him, gaze returning to your chores.

dallas examined the trailer further, narrow brown eyes darting from the dusty chandelier to the bruised wooden floors. despite the years of use, it was still relatively clean. he could see the crumpled 10$ bill on the dinner table, which he stuffed into the pocket of his dark-washed jeans.

as you stood up, dallas’ gaze was averted to you. he had known of you, but he never held more than a two second conversation with you. dallas recognized you as ‘angela’s best friend,’ having seen you many times in the shepard’s trailer when he went to visit tim.

once dallas’ brain had made the connection, he turned to actually look at you. he took in the sight of your brown, beat-up cowboy boots, low-rise denim shorts far too short for any mother’s taste, and a cropped budweiser shirt. with your lower midriff exposed and a hand on your hip, you waited for him to say something, anything.

“you- you’re angel’s friend, huh?” dallas asked, almost instantly regretting it. he thought his words were stupid.

“something like that, yeah.” you responded, a faint southern accent showing through.

stepping closer to him, you had an almost sinister smile on your glossed lips. you placed a manicured hand onto his exposed shoulder and slightly swayed your hip outward, making butterflies bloom from every crevice in his guts. regardless, dallas kept his unamused expression. brows furrowed and his drowsy brown eyes narrow per usual.

“s’dallas, right?” you drawled, thumb toying with the thick strap of his white tank top.

dallas only hummed in response. something about you seemed so enticing to him. it drew him in like a sailor to a siren, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. despite the mixed feelings, dallas would be a liar if he said he didn’t like the feeling of your hands on his skin, or the way you looked at him.

“well, dallas,” you mused, “i’ll see you around then...”

he watched as you returned to tidying up the trailer, before taking your words as a cue to leave. stepping out the trailer, dallas shut the door behind him. his thoughts were kept clouded with the memory of you, and he swore he could still feel your soft hands on the skin of his shoulder.

grabbing the tool box, dallas made a mental note to return it to buck. though, the thought was quickly replaced with you. as he walked home, dallas looped your voice in his head, particularly the way you said his name.

man, would dallas get his kicks in with you...

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡

a/n: i hope you guys enjoyed this little drabble! i’m planning on making it a little series, on how tp!reader and tp!dallas first met along with the beginning of their relationship. once im satisfied, it’ll probably just be random moments in their relationship from then on. i’m also happy to take requests on these two and all my other readers >:)) my ask box has been so dry lately lmaoo!

[probably-writing-x]

Curtains Closed

Summary:

Warnings: Heartbreaking angst I’m so sorry, cursing but I think that’s everything

Author’s Note: I am so sorry this is so sad fhskghs but i loved writing this request !! Please send me any more that you may be thinking of and I’ll do my best

The set is bustling by the time you get there, crew and cast dotted around everywhere all preparing to film and refilm scenes. This was the first time that you’d been able to make the visit, and yet Drew had been filming here for at least a month. It was a new film he was working on, but with you filming recently too, it felt like your paths just weren’t crossing.

“Hey (Y/N)!” One of the assistants smiles when she sees you, “His trailer is just over there.”

You thank her and turn in the direction of Drew’s trailer, where his character’s name is printed on a sheet of paper in the window. You knock and wait, almost nervously, for the door to open. You always felt nervous when you went weeks without seeing him properly, even a year into your relationship, that hadn’t changed.

It takes a few seconds before he comes to the door, swinging it open exaggeratively. His hair is messy and his top splashed with patches of water, a grin on his face.

“Hey baby!” Drew grins, though the moment stops quickly when he’s shot at with another spray of water, “You bitch!”

Your heart feels like it sinks for just a second, enough for you to notice. He hadn’t thought to kiss you when he saw you, not even reach out and wrap you in his arms.

“Sorry, sorry, come in,” He encourages, stepping out of the way for you to step through.

In the trailer, he’s joined by his costar, who you knew was called Emily. She was a beautiful girl, being a model before she’d become an actress, and she played his love interest in the film.

“Hey, you must be (Y/N) right?” Emily grins, holding a water gun in her hand that is still pointed at Drew.

“Yeah, it’s nice to meet you Emily.”

She doesn’t respond to you, instead squealing as Drew shoots her back, spraying her hair on either side of her face.

“So, how’s filming going?” You ask, sitting on the sofa across from Emily.

When Drew sits down, he takes the seat next to her.

“It’s good,” Drew nods, “We finished pretty early today, always easy doing scenes with Emily, you know?”

“Yeah, of course,” Emily grins, “We’re like a dream team on set.”

Your words seem to fail you, and you’re not sure why your chest feels so tight. This was stupid, right? They worked together, they were friends, it was good that Drew was working with someone that he got on well with. But that’s how it was when you two first got together, and part of you felt a sinking feeling that your instincts hadn’t failed you here.

“So where were you thinking of going tonight?” Drew asks, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table between the two couches.

You swallow the lump in your throat to respond but Emily cuts in quickly.

“Ooh why don’t you go to that Thai place we went to?” She suggests, and you’re sure that she has shuffled closer to Drew on the sofa.

“Yeah, we could do, it was so good,” Drew nods, “Me and Em went last week, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much in my life.”

The lump is back in your throat, “Yeah, sure, whatever you fancy.”

~~~

That night, you and Drew decided to order food in instead of going out, after you’d told him that you didn’t feel well. He’d eaten three slices of your pizza when you told him that you couldn’t finish it. And he had believed you when you told him there was nothing else that was wrong.

You were both in the kitchen now, washing up the plates you’d used for your food.

“So, Emily seems nice,” You nod, dragging the kitchen towel over your plate.

“Yeah, she’s great, right?” Drew smiles, “We just have such a laugh on set, genuinely I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much.”

You felt like you could cry in that moment, not just from that comment but from the way his eyes seemed so bright when he spoke about her, the way you felt like his eyes hadn’t been on yours as much as normal.

He hands you the last plate and shakes his hands off into the water, taking one side of the towel in your hands to dry his off.

“Hey,” He takes it out of your hands and sets it down, wrapping his arms around your waist, “It’s good to properly see you again.”

You force yourself to smile, setting a hand on his chest.

“I mean it, I feel like we’ve both been way too busy recently,” He nods, “It’s good for us to have days like this.”

You still can’t force your body to bring out any words, just looking at the boy in front of you like you’d never seen him before.

“Hey?” Drew dips his tall figure down to try and catch your eyes, “This is good, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” You smile and he kisses your cheek, releasing his arms from around you.

Your heart feels heavy and empty all at once, your mind running a thousand thoughts and thinking of nothing at all. When he walks off to disappear into the lounge, you feel like a part of you disappears with him.

~~~

That night, you both get ready for bed like you normally do. You brush your teeth together and he goes into the bedroom whilst you’re washing your face. It’s all the routine that you’re used to, and when you shut off the ensuite light, he’s already sat propped up against the headboard, scrolling through his phone. You’re still wearing one of his tops to bed, another piece of normality that it felt comforting to keep.

“Drew, can I ask you something?” You ask cautiously, hovering by the side of the bed like you’re worried about getting in.

“Sure, what is it?” He shuts off his phone screen and puts it on the bedside table.

“Do you think things are still the same between us when we don’t see each other as much? You know, like when we’re both so busy?”

You watch the way his face drops a little, “What are you talking about?”

“I mean… we’ve just both been so busy recently.”

“Yeah, and we make it work,” He continues, “We still text, we call, and it’s only been a few weeks, we’ve done worse.”

You drag a hand through your hair, pulling out one of the tangles to distract yourself, “I don’t-“

“What is this (Y/N)?” He shakes his head, “Is there something you need to tell me?”

“I just,” You take a deep breath, if you don’t say it now you never will, “I saw you with Emily today and I-“

“This is about Emily?” He sits up straighter, “Are you kidding?”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you two went to dinner together?”

His words fail him and it’s like you can see the confidence crumble just a little, “I don’t-“

“Is it because you knew that it would look weird? For you two to just be going out together?” You continue, a new sense of confidence fuelling your words, “If you didn’t think it was weird, you would’ve told me. We talk everyday Drew. What excuse did you come out with?Or did you just hope that I wouldn’t ask?”

“I just told you I was going out with the cast, it was last Friday,” He admits, as if he’s just been caught in the act completely.

Your heart sinks, “So you lied to me.”

“I didn’t lie to you, I mean, it wasn’t like that,” He scrambles, standing up now so that both of you were on either side of the bed now, too much and too little space between you all at once, “I just knew how you’d think it looked, and we hadn’t seen each other in a couple of weeks, and you were busy with work, and I just didn’t want you to worry.”

“So I’m busy working, and you’re out on dates with a girl I hadn’t even met before?!”

“No, no, no, don’t be like that!” He seems more aggressive now, “It wasn’t a fucking date, okay? We’re friends.”

“Friends? Because she’s just so funny, and you’re fighting in your trailer, and you’re sat next to her, and you’re doing everything with her?”

“I’m sat next to her?” He half-laughs, “So you’re noting down where I sit now?”

“But it’s not just that, is it, Drew? I haven’t seen you in weeks and you didn’t even care! It could’ve been anyone walking through the door and you’d have had the same reaction! It’s like I was fucking interrupting!” You are waving your arms around as you speak, the way Drew knew you only did when you were getting angrier.

“You weren’t fucking interrupting,” He shakes his head, “But if you don’t trust me in that then maybe this is more of an issue than just Emily. What else, (Y/N)?”

You look at him there, his features darkened by the lack of light in your bedroom. He’s more toned than ever for this role, the muscles of his abs dipping in and out of his stomach and casting small shadows over his torso, his arms larger and his shoulders broader. If you looked for long enough, it felt like he was completely different. But his eyes were still yours, in the way they creased when you made him laugh, and the way his dimples hooked either side of his lips when he saw you happy. But this time it felt tainted, your mind overloading with thoughts of him giving the same eyes, the same smile, the same dimples to her.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Drew,” You whisper the words, uncertain of how they’ll sit in the air between you.

“What does that mean?” He shakes his head, the fury in him settling down into worry.

You’re silent, complete silence between the two of you.

“Let’s just go to bed, okay? We’re just tired,” Drew states, convincing himself along with you, “We’re not thinking straight, this isn’t us. Let’s just go to sleep, and we’ll wake up, and we’ll be fine, okay?”

You don’t reply.

“I’m sorry for raising my voice, okay?”

“Okay,” You croak out, your eyes threatening to spill unforgiving tears.

He takes a deep breath and gets back into bed, pulling down the sheets on your side. You follow suit, climbing in beside him and pulling the sheets high up over you as if a shield from the argument that still lingered in the air. Drew dips an arm beneath your back and pulls you into him, another piece of normality he seemed reluctant to give up. His body is warm but it feels too warm beneath your skin, burning into you just a little. His chest rises and falls but it’s not in the same rhythm, his heart slowing down as yours still felt like it was racing.

Eventually, you’re sure that he has fallen asleep, and you stay awake for far too much time after, your eyes staring at the closed curtains on the other side of the room, willing for the light to come through.

~~~

The following morning, you’re awake before he is, though you’re sure that you hadn’t had more than a couple of hours sleep the night before.

It’s cold in the apartment, like an air of the inevitable had settled over everything that the two of you had. When Drew wakes up, you’re sat with your feet and knees tucked up to you on the sofa, your hands around yourself.

“Morning,” He says, his voice still sleepy and thick, joggers hanging low on his hips, forcing the V-line of his torso to poke out.

You look up and offer him a small smile, the biggest that your lack of energy can muster.

“Did you sleep okay?”

He regrets the question almost as soon as it is said, as if he’d just asked you the worst thing possible in the moment. Instead, he walks over the short distance to you and sits down, close to you on the sofa like he wants to draw you into him.

“Listen, (Y/N),” He begins, “I know things aren’t ideal. We’re both busy, we’re working in different places, different hours, and it’s not going to end any time soon. But we can make this work, okay? We can change things. I’m going to tell you everything, I’m not going to lie to you, I’ll make sure I have more days off and I can come and visit you, and we can facetime more instead of just calling,” He pauses to take a breath, “We can fight for this (Y/N).”

“I don’t know how much longer I can just keep fighting, Drew,” Your voice is croaky, threatening to break.

“But this is us, baby, we can’t lose this,” He sits himself closer to you, though avoiding contact like he is afraid you’ll shatter in front of his eyes.

“Drew, listen,” You let yourself breathe for a moment, “This has worked for us, it has. We’ve always made it work. But, right now, it doesn’t feel like that anymore. We’re in different places, and this time it was only weeks, next time it might be a couple of months. You’ll go on press for the film, I’ll be here. I don’t know how much we can keep doing that.”

“We can try, can’t we?”

“I’ve never seen you with anyone and felt the way I did yesterday, I saw you with Emily and I felt like a completely different person, like I was this jealous and overthinking version of myself, and I don’t want to be that. I don’t want to see you after weeks and just argue with you,” You’re speaking through tears that you are fighting back, “This isn’t us, you said it last night. But if we stay together now, this is what we’re going to be, and I don’t want you to be someone I end up hating.”

Drew’s silent, staring at you like he’s hoping he’ll wake up from a nightmare.

“So I think we need to break up,” You choke through the words, though they feel cold as they leave your lips.

“(Y/N) please,” He whispers, tears spilling over his eyelashes.

“I can’t fight for this anymore Drew,” You shake your head and your tears fall too now, staining your cheeks as they do.

He moves forward and grips your hands, pulling them into the middle of his larger palms and bringing them to his lips. You drop your head forward and press your forehead to his. His tears drop down and mix with yours over your tangle of hands, neither of you wanting to move as if moving would solidify what had just been finalised already.

“I’m never not going to love you, (Y/N).”

You nod against his chest, “Then you’ll go, and I’ll stay, and we’ll find our way back.”

(((Adding a normal people reference so that you don’t all hate me for breaking your hearts xoxo)))

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

You always have good things to say in your essays, so I am curious what your overall thoughts are on the Sonic Movie 3 trailer?

Ah, well, thank you! I'm glad that you like what I have to say🥺❤️

So, I originally watched the trailer quickly before I had to go to work. I think at that time my general thoughts overall were basically:

Team Sonic!!🥺💖

Every new installment they surprise me with just how sad and wet Agent Stone's eyes can get in the presence of Robotnik

Pop pop?! Gerald?? He's alive??

Ough parallels between movie sonic and movie shadow

...What if Movie Shadow made a connection with Tails and Knuckles over their individual struggles in finding home despite their pasts?

Movie!Knuckles wants Movie!Shadow so bad it makes him look stupid. I love how excited he is to fight him. Like they just took Sonic's initial onesided fixation on fighting Shadow from SA2 and gave it to Knuckles and I'm not complaining

They should make Shadow and Tails implied friends like the Tailstubes did. For me 👉👈

Wooo fat movie Robotnik!

Ajsjsjjsq I love how he just ripped Stone's shirt off and kept it for himself

The juxtaposition between Sonic and Knuckles here is hilarious to me. Knuckles insulting Sonic when he sees Shadow, right in front of Sonic. Sonic trying to tell Knuckles they should be reasoning with Shadow and Knuckles is like "Nope can't hear you I need to fight him!"

I wonder just how much they're gonna tie in the Knuckles tv show. I kinda hope Wade and the flames of disaster make an appearance at least

ㅤ

I did, however, rewatch the trailer for this ask, so if you'd like to see some more in depth thoughts on the trailer, I've put them under the cut

ㅤ

"Sonic, you've finally found your family."

This line is interesting to me simply because Tom says it, but it only shows Knuckles and Tails onscreen.

Now, personally, I think this series is perfectly capable of presenting a version of "family" that doesn't 100% mean the nuclear family dynamics. In other words, especially since images of Maddie and Tom weren't put onscreen during Tom's line, I like to think that harkens back to the wish Tom and Maddie expressed for Sonic back in movie 2 to find his squad (his team of best friends and wingment to grow up with). In essence, I personally do not believe this line means "oh Knuckles and Tails are your siblings now", especially since it would contradict that sentiment in movie 2 and (while I don't think Knuckles finds them family in a nuclear family way either) would be weird paired up with Knuckles calling the Whipple family "home" in the Knuckles series.

So yes. Family because they're friends, wingmen, comrades who have each other's backs and work together, not because they're siblings unified under one particular household.

Woo! I see the flames of disaster!! Nice to see tidbits of things carrying over from the Knuckles series

I am very interested in the shot of Tom uncovering the picture Sonic drew of himself and Long Claw.

I suspected back after movie 2 that we wouldn't be done talking about Long Claw. Of course this is true by default if they want to touch on the Echidna/Owl war stuff any more, which they have in every installment thus far, but I mostly mean in terms of how Sonic's past.

Personally, especially with Knuckles turning out to be the Iblis trigger after the Knuckles series, and those lines from Long Claw about Sonic potentially being hunted for his power (even though we yet have no evidence the Echidnas were hunting Sonic for any purpose), I still think there's a possibility of the movie universe touching more on Sonic and Long Claw for bigger reveals into the past (quite possibly into Sonic's origins??)

But at baseline of course we will be getting parallels from Sonic's past to Shadow's. So I'd say that how much we touch on Long Claw and Sonic's past in this movie and the importance of it will remain to be seen.

"I know it's not easy, but you didn't change who you are in here." "Yeah. In my lungs." "Or your heart."

(The following is partially a joke) Tonhon Chonlatee reference making it's way into Sonic movie 3??

Okay, so it seems to be that someone is still going to free Shadow on Prison Island? The visuals kind of suggest he just broke out, but that line from Commander Walters can also still suggest that someone breached the security (Ala SA2 Eggman) to facilitate the freeing of Shadow. In this case, I'm highly curious as to who will be doing it, and whether they will be present when Shadow exits the pod. Personally, after Movie 2 I hoped it would be Agent Stone, but we'll get our answer when the movie comes out.

WOW that shot of Shadow punching through the glass of his stasis pod is freaking EPIC. Definitely a fav scene of him in this trailer for me

TEAM SONIC MENTIONED! (Team Sonic is my favorite team, so movies 2 and 3 are wins from me in seeing team dynamics with them)

THEM CRUMBS🥺💖

I am a shameless sontails shipper and lover of Tails so this shot is everything to me

Okay, so earlier in the trailer we saw Team Sonic separately in places all over the world. Here I think at least one of these is to show them looking for someone like Shadow with intent to stop him (or to stop another threat at baseline). Also in the trailer we see a short clip of Sonic searching in a room with a flashlight.

My first thought on this is that during the course of the movie, Team Sonic's secondary objective (either self imposed or given by GUN) is to find out more about Shadow and his past. So this scene could be related to that.

My second thought is that this scene could also be Sonic taking a look for clues on the arc, though I'm not sold on this interpretation.

Third, at baseline, this is clearly a scene of searching for someone or something. No matter who it is though, I suspect the reason or room is related to either Ivo or Gerald in some form. Plus the fact that Sonic is searching most likely means he entered the scene with intent to search rather than spontaneously deciding this.

Finally, though I don't have many thoughts here. A figure can be seen in the background in the right of this clip. Since they are not also searching with a flash light, this could be a scene where we see Sonic caught in the act of what he's doing.

Commander Walters talks about how similar Sonic and Shadow's stories are during the clip of Sonic searching, Shadow in the pod while Maria stands outside of it, both pressing their palms to the glass.

While not necessarily a confirmation, this is why I believe that scene of Sonic searching is related to Shadow's past or possibly Gerald.

Also, unrelated, I really love that clip of Shadow smiling in the pod at Maria while they press their palms together over the glass. I'm completely normal about it (sarcasm)

"But where you found family and friends"

This line from Commander Walters is overlayed over shots of Tails (during "family") and Knuckles (during "friends"), a line which (like the earlier family line) I'm sure the loudest Sonic fans are making 1k note posts about.

Anyhow, I have two interpretations of the intent of this clip in the trailer, especially since it's another scene where they neglected to show Tom and Maddie in the mini montage

1. Where the scenes are cut is meant to associate Knuckles more strongly with "friends" and Tails more strongly with "family". In this case, "family" will be used in a found family/found home manner that does not denote in nuclear family with/siblings to. In any case, while Knuckles and Tails are both his friends and undoubtedly part of his squad, it remains that Knuckles and Tails do not have the same relationship to Sonic. Despite all being friends, we see at the beginning of the Knuckles series that Tails is comfortable living with Sonic and his textual adoptive parents, and that he doesn't have the same problems as Knuckles fitting in as Sonic's roommate. Likewise, based upon Movie 2's attachment to Sonic in particular and love of being considered Sonic's friend (with those moments in movie 2), combined with what we see at the beginning of the Knuckles series, it's clear to me that Tails' home is with Sonic and Sonic in specific. Tails is Sonic's friend who considers him his home, but while Knuckles is also his friend, he goes on a journey in the Knuckles series which was meant for him to find his own home (which he finds in the Whipple family). In other words, I'm saying that one interpretation of this clip is to denote the difference in strength of bond to and relationship Sonic has to members of his squad. Tails is his family, his best friend, and Sonic is part of Tails' home. Knuckles is his friend, squad member, ally, but he does not find home in Sonic.

2. The downfall of interpretation 1 is that it contradicts what I said about Sonic considering them both his family, his best friends, his squad earlier with the other family line. So interpretation 2 asserts that the whole friends and family line is meant to be applied to team Sonic. Again, especially with the absence of Tom and Maddie, I believe this is not in a nuclear family way, but as in "they are my friends, my squad, my family". As in, Sonic feels connected to these two and feels that they are family to him in the sense that they are important to him and a big part of his life. The family one chooses to stay connected to.

For the record, I'm also biased towards this interpretation of the family lines (not just because I don't personally like the alternative), but because every main character thus far has avoided ever labeling his relationship to Tails or Knuckles as inherently sibling like. Sonic movie 2 even had Maddie and Tom at the very end saying Sonic had found his squad and best friends for growing up, and the beginning of the Knuckles series has Sonic call the two his roommates, while Maddie treats the two more like other kids that live in the house than necessarily *her* kids. Then there's also the Knuckles series ending, where Knuckles calls the Whipple family his home, but the series purposely chooses not to make it clear what his role would be in a nuclear family dynamic, only that he's a part of it. All of that juxtaposed with the fact that Tom and Maddie were explicitly confirmed as Sonic's parents in movie 2 (and combined with the fact that it's not taboo in Eng Sonic media to consider Sonic and Tails as bros or media in general to confirm characters of the same sex as basically adoptive siblings to each other) tells me that those involved in these movies purposely choose to consider these characters family to each other in a way that doesn't conform to nuclear family dynamics and friends to each other as well. In other words, they have had every available opportunity (especially if Sega wanted it or approved it) to confirm this sort of relationship outright (and might I mention that Sonic being given explicit adoptive parents is more big in terms of the past mandates than someone like Tails being a bro (which has been let into eng media on occasion in the past)), and have not done so. They have not given any indication they will do so. And I feel that at this point after showing us good examples of canonically platonic relationships that are important without necessarily being sibling/nuclear family dynamics, it would be a waste to just go "yeah they're siblings" and call it a day, ripping the complexity out of it.

But that's just me.

Right after the clip I just mentioned, we see Team Sonic race each other, with Tom and Maddie starting the race.

Now I've already seen postings about how this shot is confirmation about how Tails and Knuckles are so siblings to Sonic.

Since I have my own post here, I just want to say that at very baseline I think that reasoning is incorrect. This is because the Knuckles series, again, explicitly confirmed Knuckles' home to be with the Whipple family, in contrast to how the beginning hammers in how he doesn't fit in with the Wachowski family or feel quite at home with them. They literally cannot be canonically siblings to each other if they haven't referred to each other this way and if one of the characters involved in the scene doesn't even consider this family in question his home. At best to me the association of this clip and the words about friends and family beforehand implies that Sonic considers these 4 all parts of his family in different ways (again, not necessarily with all 4 fitting into nuclear family dynamics). I don't endeavor to say Sonic sees Knuckles and Tails as siblings to him (in a situation where the feelings aren't exactly the same both ways) because, again, Sonic outright avoids considering them this way, and considers them his friends and roommates explicitly in the first episode of the Knuckles series.

Anyways anyways. I digress. The point of this clip.

At this time I'm thinking either this is a friendly race they've asked Tom and Maddie to intervene for (possible), or this is the start of the journey earlier when we see the trio at different places all over the world. In other words, it's possible they started their separate journeys around the world with a race, intending to beat each other to doing something with a friendly contest.

"Shadow found only pain, and loss"

I know how people have been talking about this set of clips, but at this time I do not believe the fire (aftermath of possible explosion) we see is the original event on the Arc resulting in Maria's death. Yeah, sure, the movie universe isn't 1 to 1 with canon, but I really do not feel like that scene is depicting the arc. This instead reads as a scene to me where Gerald and Shadow are going through a painful moment of loss in the present and being cornered by GUN for capture. It seems more like a scene that occurs partway through the movie as an event that happens rather than a flashback.

Take that with a grain of salt though. That's just my interpretation, and there's not a lot of proof to find to back up any particular one.

We've also heard rumors of time travel being involved, so it's also possible there's a plot bit involving saving Maria and reversing the hurt that way and it tragically failing? Don't know.

Also love the shot of Shadow looking at the cracked glass👌

S sorry just them again looking at each other and Sonic turning to Tails for guidance 🥺🥺💖

This entire mini clip means quite possibly a bit too much to me for a mere trailer but I love their dynamic

I have talked about it before but damn. Knuckles "He is much more impressive than the hedgehog I fought previously"

We literally see a shot of Shadow revealing himself, and then Knuckles starts talking about how impressive he is.

I know there were a lot of jokes made in the last couple years that Sonic would see Shadow and instantly be enamored, but oh how the turntables! In the end, in this trailer at least, it's actually Knuckles who becomes instantly enamored. One look and he's calling him impressive. One look, and he's already ignoring any direction on Sonic's part to perhaps de-escalate the situation by talking to Shadow, because Knuckles wants to fight Shadow so badly it makes him look stupid.

The way the interaction is done reads to me that Knuckles wants to get a go at tussling with Shadow either more than the stakes of the plan at hand, or would want to despite reality. In other words, even if Shadow "switches sides" so to speak successfully here, Knuckles would still want to fight him for personal reasons.

Of course right after this we get the subject of a billion jokes about how Shadow hates Tails so much in specific that he goes out of his way to beat him up.

Where is that meme image of the guy looking out the window holding his cigarette, just tired? (Rhetorical question)

I did not think it would be need to said but here.

If you watch the scene, Shadow kicking Tails is not presented as more important or targeted than anything else. First of all, it is within a sequence where we see him take down the members of Team Sonic one by one in a single blow. Second of all, Tails' is actually the least focused on in the trailer. Knuckles punching Shadow only for Shadow to (presumably) break his wrist is shown as a big thing (especially as a call back to the first big clash between Sonic and Knuckles that was advertised a lot for movie 2). Shadow going for Tails is something he literally cuts behind Sonic to do, which quickly segues into him grabbing Sonic and using his air shoes to boost them high into the air so he can slam Sonic down into the ground. Tails being kicked here is presented like something he had to do to get to Sonic, not him going out of his way to beat up Tails. Seriously. How can that even be true when Knuckles and Sonic get flashier and longer beat downs?

Anyways, all that aside, this scene is very neat. It's very clearly to set up the disparity in power between Team Sonic and Shadow the same way it did between Sonic and Knuckles in movie 2, with the framing this time presenting Shadow as a powerhouse unlike anything anyone has ever faced. In other words, combatting Shadow will be more of an ordeal than combatting Knuckles was.

The scene where Tails says "this is a bad idea" and Sonic goes "when has that ever stopped me".

It would be completely fine and dandy if this does turn out to be about the crew looking for Robotnik and deciding to join with him. Personally, I think this is one of those cases where a line from a movie is cut in the trailer to show that it's about something when it really has to do with something else.

Besides the fact that we just don't know when or how everyone will learn Robotnik is alive (since it's pretty well considered by the main characters that he died at the end of movie 2), I think with Tails outright opposing this and Sonic looking angry, this scene is referring to something potentially more risky and dangerous than joining forces with Ivo Robotnik. Depending on how epic the scene is, this could predate a major moment

But I'm excited to see the context regardless of what it turns out to be!

Sorry I know I said it earlier but WHOO fat Robotnik. Hollywood fatphobia aside, I'm honestly glad that Jim Carrey has been winning his battle of moving his character closer visually to Robotnik's canon design.

It's pretty clear by the "we" have visitors that Stone has been with Robotnik taking care of him at some point since the ending of Movie 2. I remember a lot of us assumed the battle in movie 2 did kill Robotnik but that Movie 3 would involve Stone bringing him back somehow. Either way, though I know this was technically dependent on whether Jim Carrey would return to this movie, I do feel vindicated for saying "Robotnik isn't gone for good since we didn't see a body and GUN didn't find one at the end of movie 2".

Agent Stone and his sad wet eyes

So to go into a lot of detail would require a proper essay post, so I'm going to try to make this section as short as possible.

Now, as far as I've gathered since movie 2, Stone's sad wet eyes appear in 1 of 3 instances.

1. When he misses Robonik so so dearly (as seen in the beginning of Movie 2)

2. When he is jealous and fears being replaced by someone else Robotnik chooses to hang out with and go on his missions for the evil plan with (as seen during the scenes where Robotnik has Knuckles with him in the Mean Bean in movie 2)

3. When Robotnik continues to change from the exact kind of slick, collected, confident, and fashionable guy we see in movie 1 in ways which Agent Stone would percieve as him "getting worse" (As seen in movie 2 where Stone sees Robotnik again for the first time, remarking that he looks different, and in the annoyance he gets in movie 2 when Robotnik leaves him out of his plans and continues to include Knuckles rather than consult or use him (Stone))

Now, clearly it is not option 1, given that he is fully aware of Robotnik's location and has clearly been watching over him.

I also do not believe it is number 2, for two reasons.

1. The context clues imply Robotnik has likely only been around Stone all this time. There's no one already living in this space for Stone to be jealous of.

2. We see Stone and his bike blocking the path between Team Sonic and Robotnik, and it's Stone who brings Team Sonic inside to appeal to him. Since it's implied Stone chose to let them in and doesn't seem annoyed when he announces their presence, he does not have the sad wet eyes because he's jealous of their connection to Robotnik in any way.

So this leaves us with option 3: Robotnik is changing further in ways that are messing with Stone, and Stone sees it as Robotnik beginning to "fall from greatness" so to speak.

And I think this interpretation is actually pretty clear. We don't see evidence of a struggle on Stone, so it's unlikely he seriously fought Team Sonic. Rather, it seems to me that they told him they wanted to appeal to Robotnik to get him to help with protecting the world, and they convinced Stone to let them see Robotnik because Stone hopes their involvement (or such a mission) will get Robotnik out of whatever his current rut is (with the state of his hair and stache and the mess in the place he's staying in, it's pretty clear he's in a depressive rut). Stone is sad to see Robotnik this way and hopes Team Sonic can fix it.

We are not actually done with Stone's sad wet eyes though, as he still has them during the scene Robotnik retreats to the bathroom for an outfit change (yes, the scene where he rips off Stone's shirt). It's also worth noting here that Stone still sounds sad during this scene.

So, this is where I take the time to talk MORE about Agent Stone in relation to Ivo Robotnik (but again without going too in detail and doing too much outright essaying). This bit is connected to the previous part, but I wanted to give it its own section since this has to do with my prediction for the future.

My theory? Stone may be set up for an eventual Dr. Starline parallel.

Let me explain a bit.

So, if you don't know who Doctor Starline is, he origates in the IDW Sonic comic adaptation. He is a very intelligent (and fashionable) scientist who holds great admiration for Robotnik, and is obsessed with him. From the beginning he'd put Robotnik on a pedestal and had wanted not only to be like him, but to be vital to him. Starline wanted to be a great help Robotnik to take over the world, and essentially superimposed himself into the position of Robotnik's number 2 (a position comparable to Stone's in the Sonic Movies, Snively in SATAM and the Archie comics, and Grimer's in the Fleetway comics). Over the course of Starline's time together with Robotnik as his self imposed number two, the two start out fairly strong only to clash more and more often as Robotnik expects a lackey who only does what he says, and Starline expects a partner who will listen to his advice. Tensions grow, Starline becomes more disillusioned in the genius and superiority of his hero, and finally, Starline takes it upon himself to be insubordinate. Believing that Eggman's plans are short sighted and destined to fail, he takes it upon himself to "fix things" by going behind Robotnik's back and bringing in the Zeti as (assumed) pawns. It is after this act where Starline decides he needs to save his hero from himself that Eggman tosses him to the side and fires him.

Now, it's worth mentioning that Eggman so easily tosses him aside because there is one thing Starline does not have in common with the other examples of Eggman's number two in other media. This is that they have the advantage of time spent with Eggman, allowing him to become attached to them enough that even smaller acts of insubordination aren't enough for him to fire them completely.

But in any case, Robotnik didn't completely reject Starline after this. He was of the mind that he'd be willing to take Starline back if Starline begged at his feet and apologized. However, since Starline had too much pride, he did not do this. Rather, he begins to believe that Robotnik still is a grand genius, just that he's short sighted and can never take over the world with how he handles the threat of Sonic. So, Starline takes it upon himself to take over the world for Eggman (since he believes he himself is smart enough to do so without falling into Eggman's folly), and then dreams of doing such a good job that it's Eggman who begs to he at his side, since Starline is hung up on Eggman's rejection and wants him to choose him.

So, what does this have to do with Stone?

Well, I have no doubt that Stone was a smart man from the start given his position related to the US gov and that he's been able to perfectly Robotnik's assistant. But you can also take Eggman's word for it as well, courtesy of the prequill comic (which takes place between movies 1 and 2)

It is also by this very comic that we know that Stone was the only man Robotnik trusted to enact his plans in his absense, and perhaps the only man he had ever shared the secrets of his manifesto.

And it's how we know that Stone undoubtedly undergoes major changes by movie 2 compared to movie 1. Not only does he have it in his mind that he is Robotnik's number 2, a man personally responsible for doing what Robotnik cannot with the mission of personally rebuilding Robotnik's glory, but this entire experience contains the purpose of molding Stone to be more like Robotnik himself.

Stone by movie 2 is more cunning and calculating in the way Robotnik is. He was given a personal mission to rebuild his master's former glory, and he throws his entire self into it. It is not a stretch to assume that Stone is saddened upon meeting Robotnik again in movie 2 because it did not match his expectations.

All in all, especially since he'd given Robotnik the tools for a makeover, I think from Stone's end he was expecting for Robotnik to return to him a man who has gone through an ordeal but maintains his style and greatness (essentially, looking like he did before), as a man of who would congratulate Stone on his work in his absense (praise him even), and take him at his side as they work together to enact Robotnik's world takeover plan.

But Stone's expectations are dashed as Robotnik arrives in a new fit, with a new stache, seemingly more mentally unstable than before (keep in mind, Robotnik's thing in movie 1 was that he was more intelligent and thought differently than everyone else, not that he was unstable. He was the kind of "genius who is written off as unstable but sees what no one else does", but since his involvement with Sonic HAS been seemingly less cool and collected and more unstable), and with a space echidna at his side. In the span of one meeting, Stone had the means to feel replaced and to feel as if Robotnik was falling short of his glory/falling from greatness as he's changed.

And then over the course of movie 2, though there are people who do Movie Ivo character study who'd agree that Robotnik does genuinely care about Stone, just is bad at showing it or doesn’t show it conventionally, it's pretty clear that Stone himself doesn't really see it. He doesn't feel valued. He doesn't even get to be used by Robotnik as he was in movie 1, actively on the road trip with him. Nope. Robotnik leaves him at the Mean Bean most of the movie.

And this is why Stone doesn't seem happy most of the movie. This is why it excites him so that Robotnik accepts him at the end of the movie and makes room for him as a vital helper.

What I assert, in essence, is that after the prequill comic, Stone can no longer just be okay in his role as he was before with little praise/acknowledgement, nor can he even he even take solace in the fact that Robotnik will always keep him around because he needs him.

So here's where the Starline parallel comes in. Now that Stone sees himself as a much more important figure in Robotnik's life, with a mission given to him by a version of Ivo who Stone could possibly see as "at his most sane" to make sure he succeeds and attains his former glory, I think he sees his number two role as less of a guaranteed thing and something he must fight to keep (this means stuff like putting himself out there at the end of movie 2 and begging to go with Robotnik, or taking it upon himself to find Robotnik after the battle and support him). And so, I suspect (especially with those shots we got in the trailer, Stone being sad at presenting Robotnik's current state, his potentially angrier faces as he's finally allowed to groom Robotnik and shave his hair, his continued sadness even as Robotnik has moved out of his rut) that we're going to see Robotnik to continue to take Stone's presence as his "sycophant" for granted, while Stone continues to become disillusioned with his idol and master.

But in the end, this is just my theory. I do not yet know how much of this will actually come to pass, but I hope it's food for thought for you all.

I predict Stone will continue to become so disillusioned with Robotnik due to seeing him as a man falling from greatness and due to lack of acknowledgement and appreciation, that Stone will eventually turn on Robotnik. But not to stop him or to become better than him. No. I predict, Starline style, Stone will take it upon himself to restore Eggman to his former glory, to eventually go behind Eggman's back and enact his own plans, to attempt to take over the world for Robotnik, and to accomplish it all in such an amazing display that Robotnik has to express that he wants him around and to acknowledge him as a partner and to praise him.

At least, that could be the plan/setup. It would remain to be seen how these two characters resolve this event (essentially, in which ways this diverges from the parallel and the two inevitably come back together again). After all, no matter what ends up happening between Stone and Robotnik, I think something will need to give and change eventually, and the two will need to make their feelings/wishes...more clear to each other

By the way, I too love the Stobotnik scenes in this trailer. We are eating good👌👌👌 However, it really is hard not to see that scene where Ivo rips Stone's shirt off as another moment where Stone doesn't feel appreciated. Ivo over here ripping off a man's shirt (gay. Sorry. The people are right when they asked if it was gay for him to just rip it off and then choose to wear it during the movie), and it's entirely possible the man in question thinks that this is proof that Robotnik doesn't think much of him in this state (even if Stone is clearly not going to keep him from doing what he wants here)

"When we're done, there won't be anything left"

Cool, so Shadow is actively planning on destroying the world here. Potentially to satisfy revenge.

Interesting. So the scene with the Chao mascots also looks like an ambush is happening, with Team Sonic specifically being targeted with missiles

"What did you do?" "What I had to."

Movie Sonic has his classic extremely angry face here too, so Shadow must have done something major. It's either world ending, or it put the lives of his family and friends in HUGE jeopardy (or both).

AND FINALLY. Gerald reveal

I cannot express the surprise I felt here. This scene shows us that Gerald is here in the present, not just a man who died 50 years ago by execution. So, possible time travel shenanigans or not, the fact that he's involved in the present conflict (perhaps with Shadow personally) is highly interesting and I'm excited to see where this goes.

Also, based on the layout of the room here, it's potentially possible that either this is the same room Sonic is searching earlier in the trailer, or that Gerald had multiple lab like living spaces he was jumping between over the years to stay under the radar, and that Team Sonic and Team Robotnik ended up finding Gerald while looking into clues on Shadow

ㅤ

And...done. Whew. Wow. I had a lot of thoughts so uh. I hope my ask satisfied your curiosity, flashonetwo. I also hope for anyone that read this far that you enjoyed it at least a little bit, and that your mind is running with thoughts of your own.

I'm beyond excited for this movie, and I genuinely can't wait to see what happens next. So here's to seeing how much we get right in the future, and here's to enjoying what we get!😊❤️

[storiesbyrhi]

Witch!Reader x Bat/Vampire!Eddie Munson Series Masterlist The Grimoire The Timeline

Warnings: canon typical violence, horror genre typical violence/some infrequent gore, swearing, animal death, no beta, death in childbirth (mentioned, not described), abusive parents, suicide, spiders/bugs, grief/mourning; light smut; warnings updated each chapter.

Synopsis: No witch has stepped foot in Hawkins since 1845, but when Vecna opens the ground and poisons the town, a voice begins to call to you. Have you been brought back to this cursed place to heal the townspeople’s wounds, to save a hexed bat that always finds its way to you, or to redefine your history with a reunion 150 years in the making?

Chapter Summary: Life goes on. 2994 words.

1986

The calendar looked the same as it had five minutes ago. Yet, you found yourself back in front of it, staring at it silently. If Eddie was home, you would have pretended you were at least there to get something from the fridge the calendar was stuck to. But you were alone to space out and look at the numbers and lines as if they meant something different.

A knock at the trailer door eventually pulled you away from the month of October.

“Oh. Hi!” The boy looked shocked to see you.

“Hi, Dustin…”

“Sorry. Hi. Um. Hi,”

“Hi,”

“Hi. So… How are you? How have you been?”

You looked him up and down. He was as you remembered him, though less sad, but not entirely happy yet either. You stepped aside. “You wanna come in?”

Dustin looked around Forest Hills with hesitation. Neighbours were out enjoying the cooling breeze. The heat of August was gone, September had just finished ushering in just a taste of what October would offer.

“Lots of witnesses seeing you come in. You’re safe,” you told him.

The kid looked back up at you. “Is the…”

You knew what he was asking, but instead of putting him out of his misery, you just raised an eyebrow.

“The vampire. That’s what he is, right? Nancy and Robin told me-”

“He’s not here,”

“Oh. He’s out? But it’s daytime?”

“Yeah. I can turn him into a bat. He’s immune to all that when he’s the bat,”

“Is that a good idea?”

“Are you a vampire expert now?”

“I mean… I am an expert in a lot of the, you know, monster type situations that happen here,” Dustin countered, putting his hands on his hips.

“So I hear. Come on. What do you need?”

Dustin followed you inside the trailer. “I, ah, love what you’ve done with the place,” he quipped as he drew a smiley face in a pile of dirt on the kitchen bench, then picked the leaf next to it up, spinning it between his fingers.

“Don’t touch that!” you squealed too late, grabbing Dustin’s hand and healing him before the Dendrocnide moroides had a chance to take effect.

Dustin’s eyes were wide, the panic sweeping across his face. “What was that?! Am I gonna die?!”

Letting him go, you examined his hand. “No. You just would have been in a lot of pain,”

“Like poison ivy?”

“No, like an excruciating pain that feels like being burned with acid. And it can linger for months. Flare up after years,”

“And you have it just laying around?”

“Well, Dustin, it has no effect on me or Eddie. And I don’t get a lot of visitors.”

He nodded sheepishly. “Sorry… Sorry. I didn’t mean to- I’ll… keep my hands to myself,”

“For the best. But the couch is safe. Sit.”

Dustin sat, picked up a throw pillow and hugged it to himself. He said nothing and avoided eye contact.

“Can I make you a cup of tea?” You added, “Not magic tea,” before he could ask.

He nodded.

You brewed chamomile and honey, took a mug of it to Dustin, and sat next to him with your own. “So, put my mind at ease; no new monsters for me to worry about?”

“No. Nope. Hawkins is… safe,”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

Dustin laughed out a strange cackling sound.

“…Dustin?”

“Sorry. No. No more monsters. Nancy and the others keep telling me it’s done. Finished. Even El says so…”

“But you don’t believe them?” you asked gently.

“I want to. I want to be happy that everything is going back to normal. But…”

“You’re scared. I get it. I really do. I know what it’s like to have the war end and be left to… you know, live. It’s hard. But he’s gone, Dustin. Whatever he was. There’s nothing left here of him. The gates are closed. There’s no way between there and here,”

“But what if there’s someone else? What if there is another way? Not now. But one day. What if we all grow up and have kids and they have to do this all over again?”

Dustin’s hands had begun to shake. You placed the mugs of tea on the coffee table and took his hands in yours.

“If we get stuck mapping out all of the ‘what ifs,’ we never get to move forward. And there are no guarantees. We don’t know if Hawkins gets to be safe forever. We can watch over it. We can hope. But other than that… We just have to figure out how to be okay.”

The boy nodded, tears rolling down his face. You pulled him into a hug.

“I miss them. I miss Steve,” he cried.

“I know. The grief never goes away. It becomes easier to carry though,”

“Can you make it go away?”

Clenching your jaw, you shook your head. “It’s better to remember. You don’t want to forget what love felt like. You don’t want to forget them. If this grief is the price, we have to pay it.”

You held him until he could take a shaky but mostly controlled breath.

“Do you… Do you know if you’re staying in Hawkins?” Dustin asked.

“Ah, yeah actually. Something about being here feels right,”

“If something happens then…”

“I’ll be here. For you and your kids,”

“Are you like, really old?”

You laughed. “Yes. I am. And, I have some other really old friends coming soon too. There’ll be a few of us to keep watch,”

“More witches? Or vampires?”

“Witches. Eddie is the last of his kind.”

Dustin nodded, considering the information. He wiped his face on his sleeve and picked up his mug. He liked the tea; you could tell.

“You can always come here, Dustin. Maybe not literally here here. But to me,”

“Where are you going?”

“Well, can’t have a coven of witches sharing a trailer, can I?”

Dustin smiled wide, toothy, and happy. “A coven?!”

“Yep. My very own,”

“They can come too,”

“Come where?” you asked.

“That’s why I came, actually. But being here reminded me of… Steve…” Dustin fished a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to you.

When you unfolded it, a black cat with bright green eyes greeted you. It was carving a jack-o-lantern. “Black cats can’t wait to meet you… Golden pumpkins agleam… Owls and bats guide you… To our party Halloween,” you read. A place, time, and date were listed.

“Will and his family are throwing it,” Dustin told you.

“To be honest, I’m surprised all your families decided to stay. Long ago, when my kind fought an enemy here, we left once it was done." 

Dustin shrugged. “Most people don’t know what really happened. Government handed out some pretty big cheques,”

“Most towns are built on graveyards, I guess,”

“Well, on that cheery note…” Dustin stood.

“You’re okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I guess… You should come to the party. And your… friends, if they’re here,”

“What about Eddie?” you asked, almost just for fun.

Dustin walked down the trailer’s steps, looking back at you. “He’s one of the good guys, right?”

It could have been a coincidence, but it was far more likely to be Eddie’s sense of drama. He came swooping by Dustin and you, landing on the coffee table between the mugs of chamomile and honey. You rolled your eyes.

“Is that…?”

“Yes. King of theatre himself.”

Dustin looked at the bat. “Um. Hi. You can come… to the party… but maybe… not like that.”

Eddie chittered and you knew the demand. You cast him back.

“Jesus, man!” Dustin screeched, shielding his eyes. “A little warning!”

You and Eddie both smiled stupidly at each other.

“I think that’s a crime! Public indecency!” Dustin continued as Eddie casually strolled naked to the bedroom, avoiding the burst of sunlight from the open door.

“He’s in his own home,” you shrugged.

“Fine! Child endangerment!”

“Yeah, he’s got you there,” you said over your shoulder.

“I’m going now,”

“Bye, Dustin,” you farewelled.

“Goodbye, Dustin! Nice to meet you, Dustin!” Eddie yelled.

Dustin was on his bike and on his way out of Forest Hills before you even closed the door.

“To our party Halloween,” Eddie read, picking up the invitation. “Well, that’s cute,”

“It is. They’re resilient, aren’t they?”

“All humans or specifically yours?”

“All of them, I guess, but these ones in particular. They just keep going,”

“They do… Will you be attending this celebration of All Hallows Eve?” he asked, letting his voice dip into a Vincent Price impersonation.

“I don’t know. Halloween is so far away. I have so much to do before then,”

“Speaking of, I scouted the whole area out near the forest gate. Not a house or paved road in sight,”

“Yeah? Cool. It might work then…”

…

It would have been a harder task if Hawkins had not recently had major groundworks and construction happening.

“We had to map out everything from here to bloody Fort Wayne!” the woman at New City Hall, Nell, had said. “So, you came at the right time. Now, which part did you want to know about?”

“Over here,” you pointed to a map Nell rolled out. “Near this forest, then out beyond that,”

“Oh, jeez, honey. You don’t want to be heading out there. Nothing good out there,”

“What do you mean?”

Nell sighed. “Well, Merrill Wright was all set to buy some of the land. Expand his pumpkin patch and whatnot. But after all that hullabaloo with the poisoning, then the earthquake… Don’t think he’s thinking on expanding. Take a lot of work to make that land good again… But… Looks as though you’ll be wanting to talk to the Klines…” The way her sentence tapered off suggested talking to the Klines was going to be a difficult task.

“They own all of this? One family?”

“Klines have been in Hawkins as long as Hawkins has existed. Guess they just… claimed it at some point.”

You couldn’t recall any Klines from before, when Hawkins was referred to as ‘the flatlands.’ Rightfully, the land belonged to the Native American peoples, those that coexisted with the land before British and French rule. How the Klines came to own the land was probably another lesson in displacement and colonisation.

“Where can I find them? The Klines?”

“Ah, well, Larry Kline is…” Nell covered her mouth and whispered the next part – “…in the slammer.”

You nodded and tried to look scandalised.

“He had some shady dealings with some… Let’s just say… unsavoury characters. Some bad comrades, if you catch my drift,”

“No!” you hissed, as outraged as Nell expected you to be.

“I know! Poor Winnie… When it all came out, she found out he was cheatin’ on her too. With his secretary no less! She moved right after. Not sure what happened with the land… Probably still sitting in Larry’s name… Maybe the government took it when he was locked up?”

Following Nell’s directions, you drove across town to a law firm that had once represented Larry Kline. They confirmed that all the land his family once appropriated now was property of the U.S. Government.

“And that’s a good thing?” Eddie questioned when you returned home and filled him in on the findings.

“It's... good and bad. Either they won’t sell it privately, and we just use some stronger wards and protections for now. Or, they do sell it to us and we can return ownership to the Native Americans and ask permission to base our coven there,”

“Can’t you just… make them… sell it to you?”

“I mean…”

Eddie knew what the debate in your head was. “A good witch wouldn’t make them,”

“Probably not, no… But, I don’t know if I am a good witch anymore, right?”

“Right. You’re better. You don’t tie yourself to archaic notions of a moral right and wrong,”

“Sure… I’ll think about it. They might do the right thing themselves,”

“They? The government? Of the United States of America? Have you fallen ill?” He pressed his palm to your forehead. “Are these visions from another dimension plaguing you?”

You laughed and pushed him away. “The drama never ends,”

“I prefer the term showmanship. The showmanship never ends,”

“Okay, showman, well let’s get the cards out and see what they say about magically forcing land back, yeah?” An hour later you were laughing at Six of Pentacles and The Chariot. “Can’t get any clearer than that!”

…

The room you were led into was sterile but still had a thick air of toxic masculinity. A family photo of the man, his wife, and children was up high on a bookcase. Dusty and never looked at. A crystal decanter half-filled with bourbon sat on the corner of his desk. No artwork on the walls. A pen with a picture of a pin-up girl wrapped around it, when the cam was clicked, her naked form appeared. He said it was embarrassing, claimed was a gag gift from the 1985 office Kris Kringle, yet never got rid of it.

“We received your proposal. That’s a lot of land you’re looking to buy.”

Resisting the urge to say ‘I know,’ you smiled and nodded.

“What’s a girl like you want to do with all that land?”

What, exactly, is a girl like me like? 

“The land is relatively untouched at the moment. There are neighbouring farms and a few private roads, but it is mostly just woodland and open plains. Hawkins has seen a lot of devastation over the past couple of decades. We would like to see the land taken care of. You know, returned to its rightful owners. Any deforestation or development staved off.”

You knew it was risky mentioning the ‘rightful owners’ of the land but you wanted this man, in all his white-collar sweatiness, to have a chance to do the right thing.

“Hmm… And the ‘we’ is you and your…”

“Collective. We are kind of like a non-profit. A charity. We all have other jobs, but dedicate our free time and resources to helping people and the environment,” you answered, reciting the proposal that he very evidently did not read.

“How does a group of…” He flicked through the pages. “…women. A group of women raise enough cash to make this kind of offer?”

“Campaigning… Bake sales. That kind of thing.” You shrugged and batted your eyelashes. It was a stupid and obvious lie but it fit into the man’s preconceived idea of the economics of women, so he brought it.

“Still… We’re more in the business of innovation. Indiana needs to keep up with the East and West coasts, you see. And, we like to see our proposals a lot more financially sound. There’s no clear way for you to make the repayments,”

“You’re not a business though,”

“Sorry?”

“You’re not a business,” you repeated. “You’re the government. Specifically, the part of the government that is meant to do the right thing for the people and the land, by deciding what happens to the land. Your objective isn’t to make money,”

“Right, but-”

“And, as far as you are concerned, the proposal is financially sound. The money to buy the land is there. What we have free and clear, then the rest in loans not owed to you. So… you’re paid. The hypothetical debt we get into and the repayments don’t concern you at all. That just seems like an excuse to not approval the proposal,”

“Miss-”

“No. Absolutely not,” you interrupted again.

“Miss, I’m going to have-”

From the moment you sat down, your hand had been in your pocket ready for the moment. You curled your fingers to your palm, collecting the dust. “Actually, I’m going to have to do this,” and you blew it in his face. The man froze in place. He couldn’t even blink.

“Okay, you can come out.”

You opened the lid of the backpack carefully sat at your feet. Eddie crawled out and looked around. He flew up and perched on the man’s desk.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you with a bat attack or anything,” you told the man. “He’s just here to watch… And don’t worry about not being able to move. I’ll fix that before I go. We just have some business to attend to first,” you said with a grin that would haunt the man for the rest of his life.

It wasn’t dark magic. It was… morally grey magic used for the greater good.

The man felt compelled, entirely committed, obsessively in support of your proposal. He felt like if he didn’t hand over the land at an insanely reduced price he might die. He would die. Everyone could die.

When you freed his body from your hold, tears rolling down the man’s face from lack of blinking, he coughed hard. He looked at Eddie with a frown.

“Who’s this?” he asked.

“Who’s who?” you replied.

“The…” but your face told him that you couldn’t see Eddie… Maybe he was going crazy. It was the cursed Hawkins land. He had to get rid of it. To you. Yes. Yes, perfect. Sell it off cheap. Get rid of it. And to a charity? Well, everyone would think he’s a hero! A true American hero! Maybe he’d even get a bonus. Yes. Sell it. Sell it. Sell it. “I think I can make you an offer…”

On the drive home, you pushed The Head on the Door tape into the deck and sang along with Robert Smith loudly. When the sun set and Eddie swooped through the open window, you turned him back and laughed when he refused to put on pants.

“Out of curiosity, little witch, would that freezing spell work on… say… you… or me?”

You looked over at him and his sly grin. “Is your mind in the gutter again?”

“It’s always got a foot there. Care to join me?”

End Note: Click here to see the inspo for the Halloween party invitations.

Also, I forgot to say this last time: the reason that Mel, the music journalist coven member, is haunted by Steve is because my IRL bestie @kookygranger (who the character is based on) reblogged a chapter and added her own little blurb to it. Kind of like fanfic of my fanfic hehe. You can read that reblog here. She has now expanded it to be its own entire fic (read here). It deviates from what my characters are doing, so it’s pretty much a Burning Yarrow AU. Obsessed.

As always, I hope you are all well and I'd love to hear your thoughts and feelings. xo Rhi

Fic Taglist:  @paranoidmunson  @idkidknemore @paprikaquinn @stardustworlds @loz-brooke @wyverntatty @vintagehellfire @dark-academia-slut @scarletwitchwhore @becks1002 @mrsdollardog @heyndrix @luceneraium @rosaline-black @devilinthepalemoonlite @goldencherriess @iamwhisperingstars @wiltedwonderland @blueywrites @breezybeesposts @jadehowlettthewolf @spikesvamp79 @foreveranexpatsposts @tortoiseshellspells @wingedpeachjudgegiant @stardustmunson @live-love-be-unique @fangirling-4-ever @reanimated-alice @b-irock @gh0stlybunnie @myown-worstenemy-2003 @woozzz @cyberxlust @hiscrimsonangel @buckysbarne @m00nlight101 @word-wytch @spicysix @briasnow-blog @goth-cowgirl-03

All Eddie Taglist: @solomons-finest-rum @ruinedbythehobbit @sweetpeapod @thorfemmes  @corrodedhawkins @grungegrrrl @lilzabob  @averagemisfit03 @ches-86 @ilovecupcakesandtea @onehotgreasymechanic @hazydespair @mel-the-fangirl @eddies-hid3out @siren-lungs @aheadfullofsteverogers @hiscrimsonangel @dashingdeb16 @cultish-corner

[ambrossart]

Post Prom - Part II

⏪ part one

summary: after leaving prom, you and eddie go to the hideout to reminisce and listen to music. one thing leads to another, and you end up going back to his trailer.

pairing: eddie munson x dwm!reader word count: 7,167 warnings: language, new relationship, underage drinking, reminiscing about the past, pent-up feelings finally being expressed, very slightly NSFW, mostly just a lot of making out, plus a little dry humping, nothing too explicit, some suggestive language, talk of sex but no actual depictions of sex, eddie being adorable, eddie being romantic

This short story is the epilogue to Dancing with Myself. For proper context, I highly suggest you read that before reading this.

Eddie had to fiddle with the lock a few times before the front door would open.

While he jiggled his keys and cursed under his breath, you stood on the step below with your stomach all knotted up like macramé, watching the tiny moths flutter beneath the gleam of the porchlight. This wasn’t your first time standing here. You had been here before, almost six years ago, when you came and started banging on Eddie’s door at ten o’clock in the morning, yelling for him to get his stubborn ass outside. The memory made you giggle. You had been so nervous back then. Shit, you were nervous now… just a different kind, you supposed.

A soft creak drew your attention back to the front door. Eddie pulled it open with a triumphant smile and held it for you.

“Well,” he said, “this is it…”

And right before you went inside, you saw Eddie suck in a shallow breath. He was nervous, nervous about letting you see inside his house—his private, most intimate place—completely unprepared. You felt honored and grateful to know he trusted you that much.

Smiling, you brushed past him and walked through the front door. As soon as you did, you were overcome with this overwhelming and indescribable warmth that spread through your whole body. It felt less like you were entering Eddie’s house and more like you were entering his world. After years of standing outside it, only ever getting as close as the front porch, you had finally been allowed inside. It was hard not to get a little emotional about it.

“Sorry about the mess,” Eddie said, but honestly, you didn’t even notice it. Your feet moved on their own and carried you deeper inside, into the living room. There, you found a dark brown sofa chair sitting in the far right corner and a light brown loveseat resting against a draped window. A bit worn, both of them, but still in good shape. Pushed against the opposite wall was a small television, a writing desk with a built-in shelf, and a roll-out folding bed, where you imagined Eddie’s uncle resting after a long night’s work. It was a charming room, well-lit and cozy, full of all these random little knickknacks that you could have spent hours browsing through. There were hats hanging on the walls, dozens of them, and long wooden shelves lined with nothing but souvenir mugs, more than you could even begin to count.

“You know, your uncle could open a gift shop with all this stuff.”

Eddie was watching you from the front door, a faint smile on his face. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, he’s quite the collector.”

You nodded absentmindedly and proceeded into the kitchen, humming as you ran your hand along a small dining table set for two, with mismatched chairs.

Eddie gave you a bemused look and said, “What are you doing?”

“Just looking around,” you answered with a shrug. “Why? Do you not want me to?”

“Uhh, no,” Eddie said, a little taken aback. “Go crazy.”

So with his permission, you did. You fingered through some of the clutter on the counter, cracked open a few cabinets and drawers, snuck a little peek into the fridge—just a quick one to sate your curiosity, perfectly harmless. And as you did this, you imagined Eddie growing up here: making breakfast for himself before school, doing his homework at the counter, eating dinner with his uncle at the dining table. Did he use the upholstered chair or the simpler metal one leaning against the pantry? You couldn’t quite decide.

Then you moseyed down the hallway, looking at this and that. You pushed open the door, switched on the light to see into the bathroom… and stopped dead in your tracks when you reached the bedroom at the end of the hall.

Your stomach flipped twice, end over end. Yeah, you didn’t dare step foot in Eddie’s room. Instead, you spun around and went scurrying back the way you came, feeling much less adventurous than before.

As you shyly approached, Eddie said, “Well, did you enjoy your little tour?”

“I did,” you said while you played with the tip of your pinky. “Yeah, I really like your house.”

“Well, good,” Eddie said with a crooked, bashful smile. “I’m glad you like it.”

And then you both fell silent, listening to the low hum of a lightbulb that wasn’t quite screwed on tight enough. You stood with your back pressed against a metal storage rack. Across from you, Eddie was still by the front door, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. He had his left hand on the backrest of one of the dining chairs, and his nails kept scratching against the upholstery as he slowly curled and uncurled his fingers. His silver-plated rings winked at you every time they caught the light. After a while, it was starting to drive you crazy.

Those damn rings, you thought, they’re gonna be the death of me, I swear.

Eddie’s voice made you jump.

“I’m gonna grab a beer,” he said. “Do you, uh, want one?”

“Sure,” you said.

After all, a little liquid courage couldn’t hurt, could it?

Eddie grabbed two cans of beer from the fridge, opened one, and handed it to you. “Thanks,” you said, and then he went into the living room and made himself comfortable on the sofa.

No, on the loveseat.

Eddie threw his feet up on the coffee table, cracked open his beer and took a few slow sips. Upon lowering his drink, he turned toward you and made a beckoning motion with just the tip of his finger.

This one simple gesture set your nerves on fire! You made it only a few steps into the living room before you backpedaled into the counter and huddled against it like a coward. It dawned on you now, actually now, that you and Eddie were finally, truly, alone. Yeah, this wasn’t two kids whispering downstairs in a basement or two high school students flirting in a public restroom on prom night. This was you and Eddie.

Together.

Alone.

Oh fuck, you thought as a shiver ran up your spine. You brought the aluminum can to your lips and took the biggest gulp of your life.

Now Eddie was getting up and walking toward you. He sank down beside you with his beer in his hand and said in a hushed voice, “Why are you hiding?”

“Why are you whispering?” you said, and Eddie’s face scrunched up adorably, like he didn’t have a clue.

“I dunno,” he answered in his normal voice. Then he took a long, long drink and wiped his wet lips with the knuckle of his thumb. “Seriously, though, why are you hiding from me?”

You opened your mouth, closed it, and turned away. “You make me really nervous.”

Eddie’s eyes widened. “Really? Well, that’s… interesting.”

You looked over your shoulder and saw his lips curl into a proud grin.

“Oh, don’t get all smug now!” you said, giving him a little shove.

“I’m not, I’m not. It’s just…” His face softened with a gentle smile. “It’s a good feeling, knowing I make you nervous.”

Eddie’s words made you blush. You set your beer aside and burrowed deep into Wayne’s jacket. “I’m not used to you being like this.”

“Like what?”

“All… confident and flirty. I dunno, I guess I’m just used to you running away from me all the time.”

Eddie’s brow furrowed. “I never ran away from you.”

“Really?” you said with a teasing smirk. “‘Cause I can think of at least four separate occasions where you saw me and immediately took off in the opposite direction.”

“Well, that’s… because I was scared of you.”

You bent your head and started to giggle. Eddie watched you out of the corner of his eye, struggling to hold in a laugh of his own.

“You finally admit it.”

“I finally admit it…”

Eddie put down his beer and smiled at you. Then his eyes took on a strange glint, as if inflamed by some mysterious spark of emotion. Without speaking, he rolled his weight onto his right arm and swung his body over yours, pinning you up against the counter.

His deep brown eyes bore into yours as he said, “Luckily, I’m not fourteen anymore.”

Your lips parted with an inaudible gasp. No, you definitely aren’t, you thought, and drew away from him a little. This was too much. The house was too quiet; Eddie was too close; and you… you were silently chanting the Lord’s Prayer in hopes of banishing the evil spirit that was currently possessing your thoughts.

Your eyes closed as Eddie’s nose grazed your cheek.

“Hey,” he whispered, “can I tell you a secret?”

You nodded vaguely, unable to speak. When you opened your eyes, Eddie was hovering over you and staring at your face with a soft, almost sleepy gaze.

“You make me nervous, too,” he said. “Pretty much on a daily basis.”

“Really?” Your nose wrinkled in disbelief. “You don’t seem nervous.”

“You don’t think so?” he said. “C’mere.”

He took your hand and held it to his chest. His heart thundered desperately against your palm.

In a flustered voice, you said, “Okay, if this is a move, it’s a good one.”

Eddie’s chest shook as he laughed. “Well, good,” he said. “I’ll make sure to use it on the next girl I invite over.”

A smile tugged at your lips. “Shut up,” you said, but you didn’t raise your hand to smack him like you normally would. Instead, you closed your eyes and let your hand melt into him, feeling his heat, feeling his heartbeat, riding each wave of his ragged breath. Was this what it always felt like? When Eddie saw you in the hallway, in the cafeteria, in class, did his heart ache for you just like this? It almost seemed impossible, didn’t it? Before tonight, this would’ve been nothing more than a fantasy, but now… right now… it felt too real to be anything but true.

You laid your head on Eddie’s chest, felt his heart jog and then settle back into a steady rhythm: slower than before but still beating strong. Then you felt his arms wrap around you and pull you tighter against him. You nuzzled your head into his chin. He pressed his lips to your hairline and sighed against your skin.

“I really missed you,” he said.

After that, time seemed to stop. You raised your head off Eddie’s chest and smiled at him. He kissed you softly on the lips and drew back with smoldering eyes. You touched your hand to his face, gently brushing your fingers over his bottom lip, and he leaned in and kissed you again, taking the last six years of yearning and heartache and igniting them into passion. His grip on your waist tightened. Your fingers curled around the back of his neck and pulled him closer. You kissed slowly, deeply, and then he grabbed your hips and lifted you onto the counter.

Items scattered and shifted. Somewhere behind you, a cup fell with a hollow clink. You broke the kiss, laughing, and craned your head to see where it landed. Eddie hooked his hand around your jaw and pulled you back, kissing you again and again until

Brrring! Brrring!

the phone rang.

The sound blared through the silent house like a fire alarm. You and Eddie broke away and stared at each other, breathless and bewildered. Then you buried your face in the crook of his neck and crumbled into giggles.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Eddie said, looking up with a wide, defeated smile. He cupped your face and pressed one more kiss to your lips, and as he pulled away, he whispered in a slow, forceful voice: “Don’t move.”

He went to the ringing phone and lifted the handset off the wall.

“Yeah?” he said while rubbing his forehead.

“Hey, man!” It was Gareth, calling at almost two in the morning. “I thought you’d be home by now…” Lips smacked and popcorn crunched. In the background, an old sci-fi movie was playing. “So, how’d it go, dude?”

“Uhh, good.” Eddie glanced back at you and a smile came to his face. “Really good.”

He turned around, looked for a seat, and sat down on top of the kitchen table. Meanwhile, you had climbed down from the counter and were now carefully rearranging the ruffled layers of your taffeta skirt, making sure they lay neatly against your thigh. A guttural sound emerged from Eddie’s throat as he watched you. He closed his eyes and cursed his friend’s timing.

“No shit,” said Gareth in disbelief. “You actually got Chrissy to dance with you?”

“Uhh… no,” Eddie said. “You were right, man, that was a terrible idea.”

A terrible and wonderful idea. It brought him straight to you.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, buddy,” Gareth said. “How’re you doing?”

Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m, uhh…” You caught his eye and gave him a sweet smile that he couldn’t help but return. “I’m better than ever, man.”

“Is that Gareth?” you asked.

Eddie nodded, rolled his eyes, and said, “Uh-huh…” while his friend’s voice faded into the background.

He watched you fidget in sheer boredom for a while: tracing random patterns on the counter with your finger, flicking the lampshade and making it spin, picking up a pair of pliers, fiddling with them for a second, and putting them back down. Then you leaned forward and laid your chin on your palm, giving him a coy, impatient little pout that awakened something primal within him. The handset slipped out of his hand, pulled the coiled cord taut, and clattered to the floor. Eddie picked it up and clumsily brought it back to his ear.

“Hey, I gotta go, man.”

“Huh?” Gareth said. “What do you mean, you—Wait, are you with someone right now?”

Eddie didn’t answer. He was on his feet and moving.

“I’ll, uhh, talk to you later, buddy.”

“No, wait! Eddie! Eddie!”

“Don’t call me back,” Eddie said. He pulled the handset away from his ear and

“Edd—”

hung it on the base with a click.

During all this, you were snickering with your hand over your mouth. Eddie stepped away from the phone and—suddenly, it was ringing again! Your laughter grew into muffled snorts. Eddie picked up the phone and growled: “Fuck off!” then slammed it back down. And when it rang a third time (because, of course, it had to ring a third time), he grabbed the cable and yanked it right out of the socket.

“What if there’s an emergency?” you said, giggling, as Eddie came toward you.

“I… don’t care,” he muttered dazedly, and he scooped your face into his hands and kissed you.

This was not a chaste, gentleman’s kiss. This was a lover’s kiss, full of heat and passion, desperation and desire. You closed your eyes and parted your lips as Eddie trailed kisses down your chin and along your jaw. His calloused hands, strong but tender, traced down your neck and tugged on the collar of Wayne’s jacket, pulling it over your shoulders, down your arms, and letting it fall to the floor. “Watch the jacket,” you said, and a sharp gasp escaped you. The contrast between the warmth of Eddie’s hands and the coldness of his rings made you shiver as he caressed your bare arms, slowly, gently. He kissed his way up to your mouth, cupped the side of your face, and slipped his tongue between your lips. You curled your hand into his shirt and let out a soft moan.

But then he drew back with a wince.

“Hey, I didn’t plan this or anything. You know that, right?”

Eddie’s dark eyes passed over your face, searching for any signs of doubt. “I mean… I didn’t bring you here to uhh, y’know, try to get in your pants.”

Your grip on his shirt loosened. “Oh,” you said, and looked at the floor with an embarrassed smile. “Well, that’s a little disappointing…”

(because you were definitely trying to get in his)

As those words left your lips, the air between you became thick with tension. You timidly ran your hand down Eddie’s chest, a faint blush rising to your face, and his eyes grew wide as realization washed over him.

“Oh shit,” Eddie said. He gulped deeply, combed his hand nervously through his hair, and spoke in a heated, trembling voice: “Umm… are you sure?”

You pulled him in by his shirt and kissed him. As you broke away, your eyes were calm and unwavering.

“I’m sure.”

The world seemed dreamlike as your body sank into Eddie’s mattress. His fingers interlaced with yours as he slowly crawled you backwards toward the wall, his chest above yours, knees astride your legs while he pressed soft, tender kisses to your greedy lips. He pushed down on your chest gently and the mattress came up to meet you: your elbows fell one after the other and your head landed gently on the pillow. Eddie’s scent lingered in the fabric, a mixture of sweat, soap, cologne, and cigarette smoke. You breathed it in deeply and shivered.

All the while, his hands never left yours. They rubbed against your palms, slid between your fingers, and pushed your hands deeper into the mattress. Your eyes rolled up to the ceiling as he kissed down your neck and along your chest, the moisture of his mouth lingering everywhere his lips touched. The sensation overwhelmed you. Your chest heaved with heavy breaths as you stared around Eddie’s bedroom with half-lidded eyes, taking in everything—the posters on the walls, the clothes strewn about the floor, all the clutter on his desk, dresser, and nightstand: beer cans, guitar cables, cassette tapes, empty packs of cigarettes. Next to the desk was an acoustic guitar with a message painted on the body. You had to sit up and squint your eyes in order to read it.

“This machine slays dragons?” You threw your head back against the pillow and giggled. “Wow, Munson, just when I thought you couldn’t get any nerdier…”

Your laughter broke into stifled gasps as Eddie caught your skin between his teeth. He nibbled gently on your collarbone and ran his tongue up your neck, then trailed lazy kisses from the edge of your jaw to the corner of your mouth, stopping there as he leaned back onto his left elbow.

While playing with your fingers, he said with a cheeky little smile, “Sorry, were you saying something just now?”

“Uhh, no,” you said, feeling breathless and dizzy. “I, umm…”

Eddie lowered himself back down until his mouth was hovering over yours, close but not quite touching.

“You forgot?” he said in a low voice.

Your head bobbed slightly as you stared at his lips, desperately craving the contact that was currently out of reach. You moved up to kiss him and he pulled away, a smile dragging up the side of his face.

A frustrated huff blew through your nose. “Please,” you said, and immediately snapped your mouth shut.

Shit, you thought. That one was gonna cost you.

Eddie’s eyes brightened with surprised delight. “Uh, what was that? Did I just hear you say please?”

“No,” you said as a shameful heat engulfed your face.

“Oh, I think I did,” he said, chuckling. “Uh-oh, now I have to make you say it again.”

“I’m not saying it again.”

“Yeah, well, I kinda need you to say it again, so…”

The corner of Eddie’s mouth lifted into a tantalizing smirk as he parted your lips with his thumb, drawing a whimper from deep in your throat.

“Please,” you whispered, and a switch went off in his head.

All of a sudden, Eddie’s eyes darkened with a naked, carnal lust that made your core clench and quiver with need. You arched your back as he lowered himself back down to you, and when he reached your lips, he kissed you with a hungry motion that left your whole body crying out for more. You dug your hands into his back, pressed yourself tighter against him. He ground his hips into yours and sucked gently on your neck, leaving faint marks all over your skin. Your breath hitched as you felt his hardening length through the fabric of his jeans. He moaned against you and moved back to your face, kissing your mouth, your chin, your cheek, and he whispered huskily into your ear, “Are you a virgin?”

The question hit you like a sobering slap.

“Maybe,” you said. “So what?”

“Hey, you don’t have to get defensive. I’m just asking, okay? It’s important that I know.”

“Okay, well… now you know.” You recoiled from him and turned your head to the side, staring at the heap of clothes on his floor. A lump formed in your throat as thoughts churned in your head. You swallowed hard and said in a small voice, “I take it you’re pretty experienced.”

Eddie gave you a funny look. “Well, I’m not that experienced. Mostly, I just watch a lot of porn.”

A giggle burst out of you, making your chest feel fluttery and light. When you turned back, you were welcomed by Eddie’s warm, comforting stare. He kissed your lips softly and a smile illuminated your face.

“So Corroded Coffin doesn’t have any groupies?”

“Not unless you count Gareth’s mom… which I do.”

You two broke into laughter. Eddie took your hand, pressed a few kisses to your knuckles, and leaned down to kiss you. As you parted, a question slithered its way into your mind:

“Hey, can you really tie a cherry stem with your tongue?”

Eddie arched his eyebrow. “Have you been thinking about that all night?”

“No, not all night,” you said with a sheepish smile. “So can you?”

Eddie snickered, his warm breath fanning your face. “No,” he said. “No, I was just trying to make you blush.”

“Oh,” you said, and felt your face get hot again. Well, you could’ve fooled me.

The previous urgency of his desire was replaced with caring deliberation. His hands gently caressed your waist, your hips, your thighs, tracing around every curve until he had each one of them memorized. You felt short of breath as he lowered his head and started kissing your breasts through the fabric of your dress. A whimper rose in your throat and you withered helplessly against him. You dragged your foot up his left pant leg, ran your hand up his right arm, feeling his hair between your fingers, drawing over his tattoos, pushing up his sleeve to squeeze the hard muscle of his bicep. He kissed the tops of your breasts, your chest, the side of your neck, and felt your hand on his face, beckoning him.

You both shared a moan when your bodies reconnected. Soft breaths filled the room as your hunger for one another grew, your hips moving together in a slow, passionate rhythm. Eddie panted against your lips, stared deeply into your eyes, and when his hand slid between your thighs, you pulled away and said through the static of your thoughts,

“Umm, Eddie? I don’t mean to kill the mood or anything, but umm… do you have a condom?”

The resulting silence was deafening. Eddie’s lips grazed your cheek and he drew back with a muddled expression, his mouth open, eyes slowly blinking, blinking, blinking.

You shrank away from him and grimaced. “It’s just, umm… you know, getting pregnant on prom night wasn’t quite the cliche I had in mind.”

You forced out a laugh and it instantly died in your throat. Great, you thought. Turns out, you hadn’t killed the mood at all. No, what you did was far more sadistic and cruel. Instead of taking it out in one clean shot, you missed all its vital organs and now you had to watch it limp away and die a slow, agonizing death. Way to go, sharpshooter.

Eddie shook his head and, finally, the haze in his eyes cleared.

“Uhh… right, shit,” he said, “just, umm… hold on.”

He climbed to his feet, pulled out his wallet, and froze as soon as he peeked into the fold.

“Shit,” he said under his breath.

You pressed your lips together and nodded. “You don’t have one, do you?”

“No,” Eddie said quickly, with a little tremor of panic in his voice. “No, I do… just, uhh…”

He went to his dresser and started going through all the drawers: pulling them open, rifling through them for a minute, then slamming them closed. Then he went to his desk and did the same thing. With every slam, your cringe deepened. It was like watching a massacre in slow motion. You had shot and missed, and now Eddie was savagely beating the mood to death with a rock. Just put the poor thing out of its misery already!

“Eddie,” you said.

He pushed his palm toward you. “Don’t… Don’t go anywhere,” he said in a distracted voice, and he spun around and stumbled out of the bedroom.

“Where would I even go?” you said, baffled. Then you slapped your hand to your forehead and cursed yourself for saying anything at all. Of all the times to listen to your gut, you chose now—now, when you were this close to living out all your horny teenage fantasies with the man of your dreams. What happened to the angel and the devil on your shoulder? Should you? Shouldn’t you? The funny little back-and-forth? You figured there would’ve been at least a little bit of that, but nope! The stop sign went up and you slammed your foot on the brake right in the middle of a four-way intersection: crash, smash, KABOOM!

“Goddammit.”

You sighed, rolled onto your side, and started shuffling through the comics you found beside Eddie’s bed.

“Hey, you have Creepshow!” You plucked it out of the pile and opened it to the first short story. “Have you seen the movie? Oh my god, Munson, that last one with the cockroaches… boy, did that mess me up for a while. I freaked out every time I had to turn on the light in the kitchen. And I have a pretty strong nerve when it comes to horror. Michael Myers, Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, zombies, monsters, blood, gore, stabbing—I watched Cannibal Holocaust, for God’s sake! But fucking bugs? Yeah, I draw the line there. It’s like that movie, The Fly, that scene with the spiderweb… Nope, I turned my TV off so quick. I still haven’t finished that movie. I’ll probably watch the remake when it comes out, though, ‘cause… well, I do love Jeff Goldblum.”

You figured Eddie wasn’t listening and, honestly, you didn’t care because your silly babbling was the only thing saving you from the discomfort of this incredibly awkward situation. Without it, you would have spontaneously combusted out of pure shame. Eddie, meanwhile, was fumbling around helplessly in the kitchen: slamming cabinets, opening drawers, cracking open the…

fridge?

You looked up in bewildered amusement, then casually flipped to the next page. “I don’t think you’re gonna find any condoms in the fridge, Munson.”

“Yeah, well, there weren’t any in the oven, so…”

The fridge closed with a quiet thud. A moment later, Eddie appeared in the doorway with a hopeless expression on his face.

“You’ve completely lost it, haven’t you?”

“I’m the Sahara,” you said, and Eddie winced at your brutal choice of metaphor.

“You’re the Sahara, huh?” He pounded his fist on the doorframe a couple times, then hung his head and chuckled miserably to himself. “Great, just great.”

He slumped down by your feet and sat doubled over with his elbows on his knees. The seconds dragged on like hours as you two sat on opposite ends of the bed, not saying a word to each other. You kept flipping through the comic, but you didn’t read any of it, not a single word. You thought you had ruined the whole night.

You sucked in a quiet breath and—

“Sorry,” Eddie said, making you jerk your head up in surprise. As you looked at him now, he seemed strikingly timid, like the fourteen-year-old boy who could barely hold your gaze. “Guess I should’ve been better prepared before I, umm…”

His shoulders bounced with light, easy laughter.

“What’s so funny?” you asked.

“Nothing,” he said while fiddling with the ring on his right hand. “It’s just, uhh… y’know, I’ve thought of this moment for a long time, a long time, and now that I finally got you here…” A peaceful smile touched his face. “It’s just funny how it all worked out.”

“Yeah,” you said. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

Eddie sat up and turned toward you. “We don’t have to rush this,” he said. “In fact, it’s probably better that we don’t.”

“Yeah,” you said. Then, with a shy dip of your head: “Except now you’ve got me a little curious.”

“Hm? About what?”

“Well… you said you’ve thought about it…”

Eddie grunted low in his throat, a guilty, guttural sound.

“Uh-huh,” you said, snickering. “So… how was I?”

“You were, uhh…” He ground his jaw in thought for a minute, then closed his eyes and said with a deeply satisfied sigh, “Sensational.”

That sent you over the edge! You fell over, chortling hysterically until your stomach started cramping and you just couldn’t take it anymore. While drying your eyes, you said, “Sensational, huh? Well, there’s a bar I’ll never reach.”

“Yeah, I’m not too worried,” Eddie said.

The conviction in his voice threw your heart into a panic. You turned away, pressed your burning face into the cool pages of Eddie’s comic book, and pretended to go back to reading. That’s when you felt the bed dip as Eddie stretched out beside you, lying on his stomach with his elbows supporting him.

“So you’ve been snooping, huh?” He gestured toward the comic with his chin. “What’d you find that’s so interesting?”

“Creepshow.” You turned to the next page. “Hey, why do you have this, anyway? I thought you didn’t like horror.”

“Yeah, well… apparently, I’m Halloween-themed.”

Your breath hitched in mid-sentence. You lifted your eyes off the page and met Eddie’s affectionate stare.

“I still don’t get what that means, by the way.”

“Yeah, neither do I,” you said, and let out a quiet laugh. “I thought I knew when I said it, but now that I think about it, it doesn’t really make that much sense, does it?”

You gave Eddie small smile and went back to reading. He lay next to you for a bit longer, observing the subtle changes in your focused expression. Then he suddenly got up and started rummaging through his desk drawers again. The familiar slamming sound made you giggle.

“Okay, the condom fairy doesn’t exist, Munson. No matter how many times you open that drawer, a box of condoms won’t magically appear.”

“Oh, I’ve already given up on that dream,” Eddie said. He crossed the room, dropped to his knees, and started digging through all the junk under his bed.

Now you were getting a little curious yourself. You climbed to your knees, put your hands on the edge of the mattress, and peered down at him.

“I’m not interested in your porn collection, either.”

Eddie popped his head up and smiled at you. “This isn’t where I keep my porn,” he said, and tossed you a flirty little wink. Then he went back under the bed and—“Holy shit!”—dragged out a black three-ring binder.

Your jaw dropped as soon as you saw it. “Wait, is that…?”

You gasped excitedly and made a “gimme” motion with your hands. When Eddie couldn’t meet your demands fast enough, you snatched the binder off the floor and sat down with it in the middle of the bed. He didn’t seem to mind.

“Fuck, man,” Eddie said while scratching the back of his head, “I haven’t seen that thing in years.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” you said, and swept some of the dust off the cover.

The binder looked exactly the same as you remembered, right down to the black-and-white Black Sabbath sticker with the giant rip in the corner. You opened it up and started flipping through it like it was a fully illustrated, limited-edition novel from your favorite fantasy author. It had everything: character sheets, ability guides, spell lists, equipment and inventory tables, maps, drawings, detailed notes from every session, and all these little extra reference pages to help describe his character’s attacks, actions, and movements, because Eddie wanted to sound so cool during combat. You couldn’t stop smiling as you went through it. It was like a little time capsule.

“It’s so weird,” Eddie said in a quiet, captivated voice.

You looked up and saw him sitting directly across from you, staring not at the binder but at you.

“What’s weird?” you asked.

“I dunno, it’s just… sometimes when I look at you, I get these little flashes of back then. It’s kinda freaky, actually, like déjà vu or something.” Eddie’s face flushed a light pink, seeming to catch him by surprise. He immediately shook the thought away. “Uhh, sorry. Go ahead and keep snooping.”

Your eyes lingered on him for a moment longer, then went back to the page. You turned to the next section and said, “Oh my god, here it is! The Shrieking Queen’s Catacombs, Scottie’s infamous campaign. How many pages are there of you just complaining about me, Munson? Let’s count, shall we? Uhh, one, two, three…”

You flipped to the next page and a loose paper slid out.

“What’s this?” you said, and casually looked it over. “Well, this looks like a very poorly rendered dungeon map.” Laughing, you examined it closer. “The Labyrinth of Neverending Nightmares. Ohhhh, how spooky… Wait, this doesn’t look like one of Scottie’s, though. No, his are like ten levels deep and full of all these annoying traps that someone always gets caught in, and by ‘someone’ I mean you, Munson. Then I have to get you out because for some reason you can’t roll higher than a fucking two…”

You giggled at the memory, then showed Eddie the paper and said, “Okay, I give up. What is this?”

“It’s mine,” Eddie said with a modest smile, making your face fall in astonishment. “Yeah, that’s my dungeon. Or at least one of them, anyway. I thought I chose one of the better-drawn maps, but obviously not…”

Your eyes were wide as you listened to him. When you finally blinked, they became wet and blurry.

“Wait, what? You wrote a campaign? How come you never told me?”

“I was working up to it,” Eddie said. “I had it in my backpack for like two weeks ‘cause I kept chickening out. And by the time I finally gathered up enough courage to do it, well…”

“I killed you.”

“Yeah…”

The words echoed in your mind like a curse. You buried your face in your hands and cried out in anguish: “Oh my god, I’m a monster!”

“Well, you’re a really pretty monster,” Eddie said with a light-hearted chuckle, but you didn’t laugh like he thought you would. Instead, you sat hunched over with your hands covering your face, sniffling back tears. He reached for you and gave your shoulder a shake. “Hey, come on, don’t cry. Please, don’t cry. I’ve already seen you cry way too much tonight, and I really don’t like it.”

He leaned over and brought his lips close to your ear.

“Hey,” he said softly, “it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“It matters to me,” you said, and raised your chin to look at him. The compassion in his eyes almost made you burst into tears again. You didn’t deserve it. “Four years, Eddie. That’s a really long time. I can’t help but think of all the things we missed out on, and now…”

Now they were all piling onto your chest like bricks. The weight of it was enough to crush you. You lowered your head and felt your eyes well up with guilt and grief.

“But we didn’t miss out on anything.” Eddie gently took your face into his hands, dried your tears with his thumbs. “We’re still gonna do everything. I’m gonna take you on a date, a real date ‘cause I don’t think this one technically counts. And I’m gonna meet your parents, which I’m already kinda dreading, if I’m being totally honest. And we’re gonna, y’know, cut class and go make out in my van. That’ll be really fun. Yeah, I’m actually really looking forward to that one. And then, uhh, let’s see… we’re gonna have our first fight in like three weeks, so I better start preparing for that now ‘cause I just know you’re gonna fight dirty. Yeah, you’re definitely gonna hit me below the belt a couple times. But that’s okay ‘cause the make-up sex will be fantastic—y’know, once we actually have condoms. I’ll buy some tomorrow. A big box.”

You snorted under your breath. “I think a regular box is fine.”

“No, just… trust me,” Eddie said. “We need a big box.”

You blinked at him for a second, dumbstruck and speechless, your cheeks all aflame. Then your head slipped out of his hands as your whole body collapsed into giggles.

With a shadow of a smirk, Eddie said, “You think I’m joking right now, but I’m not. I’m buying the biggest box they have.”

“Please, stop,” you said, barely able to breathe.

“I’m just saying, I’m gonna be fully prepared next time… assuming there is a next time, anyway.”

You lifted your head and smiled at him, your face glowing in the aftermath of your laughter. “There will definitely be a next time,” you said. Then you placed a feather-light kiss on his lips, drew back, and he pulled you in for another, deeper kiss, his hand coming up to cradle your jaw.

“So, is it scary?” you asked afterwards.

“Is what scary?”

“The campaign you wrote, is it really scary?”

“I made it extra scary just for you.”

“Wow,” you said with an awestruck grin, “an extra scary campaign just for me? Well, now we have to play it… Can we?”

In a tender voice, Eddie said, “You’re the only one I’d ever play it with,” and you felt your eyes tear up again.

Choking them back, you returned your attention to the binder and discovered something that made your heart swell with indescribable joy.

“Hey… this looks familiar.”

It was the character sheet you had made for him. He had kept it, after all.

“I tried to fix it,” Eddie said while you carefully brushed your fingers over the softened wrinkles in the paper. There was a giant iron burn in the middle.

“How hot was the iron?” you asked.

“Oh, it was scorching,” Eddie said. “Yeah, it’s a miracle I didn’t burn the house down.”

Your laughter rang together effortlessly. For a second, it was like you two were back in middle school, giggling and goofing off in Scottie’s basement while everyone else stared at you and wondered what was so damn funny. It was a surreal feeling, being together like this again. In fact, it felt a little like

Déjà vu… Yeah, that is weird.

You touched the burn mark gently. “I thought you threw this away.”

Eddie furrowed his brow and shook his head, as if the thought had never even occurred to him.

Then, after a brief period of silence, he said, “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Hm?”

“Do you still have your journal?”

The question brought a smile to your face. “You know I do.”

Eddie nodded and put his hand over his mouth, concealing an ever-growing smile of his own. With his lips pressed against his knuckles, he said, “Okay, so… how many pages was I really in? I’ve always been curious.”

You went quiet for a minute, trying to count the pages, but you soon realized it was pointless. Even if you counted them a thousand times, the answer would always be the same.

“Not nearly enough,” you said, and Eddie’s eyes lit up with amazement.

“That’s… a really good answer,” he said, surrendering an embarrassed laugh. “Shit, okay… yeah, I think I need a second to recover from that one.”

He turned away and tried to regain his composure while you sat and watched, resisting the urge to tease him. Outside, a car was pulling up in front of the house across the road, its headlights flashing through the cracks in Eddie’s blinds. The sound of the engine made you both pause and reflect.

“I should probably take you home,” Eddie said.

“Yeah,” you said, “but then again, it is very late.”

“It is very late.”

“And you’re probably tired.”

“I am incredibly tired.”

“Plus, you’ve been drinking.”

“You’re right, I have been drinking… So have you.”

“Mhm,” you said, and felt your heart quicken with a surge of anxiety and excitement. “So, for both our sakes, I think the safest thing would be for me to just stay here tonight.”

You hid your eyes as you said this, worried you might’ve overstepped and crossed some invisible line, but then you heard Eddie let out a quiet, contented sigh and you felt silly for worrying at all.

“Okay,” he said, smiling to himself.

He went to his closet, pulled out two shirts and presented them to you. “All right, pick one: Slayer or Megadeth. Choose wisely ‘cause this decision could very well determine the future of our relationship.”

You pressed your lips together and thought hard about it for a while.

“Megadeth.”

“Good choice,” Eddie said, and tossed it to you. Then he gave you a pair of his boxers, blushing a little as he did. “Umm, I’ll be outside waiting on the porch, so uhh… just knock on the window when you’re done, ‘kay?”

“Okay,” you said, giving him a timid smile.

The air felt lighter, crisper as Eddie stepped onto the porch and sank into his uncle’s chair, a chair he had sat in over a hundred times: in the morning before school, at night while he watched his uncle leave for work, when he needed to think, when he couldn’t sleep, when he was simply bored and didn’t have anything better to do. Now here he was sitting in this beat-up old chair again, this time waiting for you.

Instinctively, Eddie reached for his cigarettes and realized he wasn’t wearing his jacket. Normally, this would make him grunt in frustration, but tonight he just threw his head back and sighed happily into the cool night air.

This was a good night, he thought, probably the best night of his life.

Then he heard your gentle tap, tap, tap on the window, stood up, and went back inside.

⏩️ bonus scene

taglist:

@loserxdenbrough @sweetpeapod @videogamesandpoorlifechoices @afriwrites @andromeda-andromeda @boeutiful @holdonmars @ramona-thorns @jules-tv @munsonbb @shadow-h-cipher @lagataprrr @secrethologramflower @lostinwonderland314 @unknidthots @to-the-world-kpop @neewtmas

@aizawash0e @albedobrainrot @alina-janelle @allexthakatt @allie-smile @ameliachs @anxiousstark @apolixyan @aquariusbarnes @asshats23 @atreyuinthemidle2 @bakulova @bbyitskt @blacklikemysoulx @blankcanvas48 @booksarekindaneat @breehumbles @bria25163 @buckys-black-dress @buckysxgal @callmeyesterday @cam-peggio @camilledove @candlelightniall @captainskyline @carolineesnell @cateycollins @cazza2009 @chaoswrites @chesirehaz @chicha027 @chxosunbound @cinnamoonsworld

taglist reblogs to follow.

DWM MASTERPOST

FANFICTION MASTERLIST

[siancore]

You're All I'll Ever Want

M | 935 | FF.net | AO3

A/N: That TOWL trailer brought me back. Rick calling Michonne his wife? Love that for us. Anyways, I wrote something. Enjoy.

Content: Sex

The work Michonne was doing on the Charter was long forgotten when Rick’s deft lips found her neck. He smiled against her skin as he peppered kisses up to her ear.

“Hmm, this is much better than workin’,” he whispered before shifting them so that they were reclined on the bed. “Rather be doin’ this all day.”

He brought his lips to hers once more as his hands searched her body. The roughness of his work-hardened skin a contrast to the softness of hers. Rick trailed his fingers up under her tank top for more contact; more warmth.

He pulled back, stared down at Michonne with fiery eyes, and said, “Take this off.”

She acquiesced and began to disrobe as he did as well. Soon, their garments were discarded and they were pressed together. Skin-to-skin, glistening with sweat from the bright afternoon sun and their desire which flamed just as hot.

Rick kissed his way down Michonne’s body, eliciting giggles and moans as he went. He pressed a kiss to her inner thigh before settling in between her legs; she opened for him like a blossoming bud. Rick’s mouth met her sweetness as she grabbed for his hair.

Michonne let out a pleasured moan as he worked his clever mouth over her most secret spot; his tongue drinking up her quick release. He lifted his head from between her thighs and then covered her body with his. Their mouths came together in a passionate kiss as Michonne relished in the highs of her climax. She barely had time to catch her breath before Rick lined himself up and pushed his hardness into her pulsing, wet heat.

…

“Now, aren’t you glad you took that break?” asked Rick, cocksure as he drew Michonne’s body to his.

She rested her head on his shoulder and draped her arm over his middle. Happy and sated from their lovemaking.  

“Oh, yeah,” she replied with a smile, the joy present in her voice. “You do know how to distract me.”

“It’ll still be there when we’re done here,” said Rick, kissing the top of Michonne’s head.

She hummed an affirmative response as they both settled in against one another. The afternoon sun peering through the window and caressing their satiated skin. After a moment, Rick cleared his throat and began to speak.

“This Charter,” he started. “It’ll contain all of the rules and laws of our new society, right?”

“Right,” said Michonne as she took hold of Rick’s hand.

“Not just what we want from our alliances, but what we want for ourselves?” he asked, sounding thoughtful.

“I hope so,” said Michonne with a small huff of a laugh. “If I can get it right.”

“I got no doubts you’ll get it right,” he replied, entwining their fingers. “If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

Michonne smiled, brought his hand to her lips, and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles.

“Not me,” she replied. “Us.”

Rick let out a small chuckle and said, “I don’t have your brains, but I’m here for you to help you in whichever ways you need me to.”

“Thank you,” she offered.

“Don’t even mention it,” he replied in earnest.

They fell silent again a moment before Michonne spoke up.

“There’s another question?” she asked. “I can hear you thinking.”

He huffed out a little laugh and said, “Yeah, you know me too well.”

“Of course. So, go on. Spit it out.”

“This Charter, with all the rules and laws, do you think there’ll be some mention of marriage laws?” he asked carefully.

“Well, yeah. It was part of society before, it’ll be part of society now.”

“Hmm, good,” was all Rick said.

Michonne shifted, lifted her head, and looked down at him.

“What’re you thinking?” she asked, with a raised eyebrow.

He licked his lips and gave her a charmingly crooked smile.

“Just that I love you and I’d love to have you as my wife,” he said firmly, staring into her eyes.

Michonne smiled softly at Rick and pecked a quick kiss to his lips.

“I love you, too,” she replied sincerely. “But you know I don’t need a ring on my finger to prove it, right?”

“I know,” Rick replied with a warm smile, as he caressed the side of her face. “It’s just that marriage was important to me. You are important to me. I’d want one of the first laws that you instate be one that reflects our love and our promise to one another. I’d want us, me and you, to stand there in front of our communities and make vows to one another. To commit to one another in every single way. To show that we commit to the new laws of the land, too.”

Michonne’s eyes glazed over as she took in the earnestness of Rick’s words.

“And if I’m bein’ truly honest here, I just want you to have an excuse to put on a pretty dress and have me twirl you ‘round the dancefloor. You deserve that. You deserve everything I have to offer and more. You deserve the world.”

Michonne smiled brightly as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Yes,” she said as Rick wiped the tear away with his thumb.

“What?”

“If you’re asking, then my answer’s yes.”

“You’ll marry me?” asked Rick, unable to contain his utter joy.

“Let’s get this Charter done first, but yes, I’ll marry you. If that’s what you want.”

Rick caught her lips in an ardent kiss before drawing back slightly, pressing their brows together, and whispering, “That’s all I want. You’re all I’ll ever want.”

[berenwrites]

Closure - Stranger Things - Steddie - G

Rating: G| cw: blood | tags: post season 4, eddie lives, fluff no angst

Prompt: Love is having hope for the future together (acasualcrossfade)

A/N: Written for @steddielovemonth day 12. Sorry I have missed so many days – had lots of ideas, just no umph to actually get them on paper. Feeling more creative today. Enjoy!

Also on AO3 | All My Other Stranger Things Fic

Closure: Rifts & Reactions

Steve grabbed Eddie’s hand as it was offered and let the other man drag him out of hole they had both been in only moments before. He could barely believe it as he staggered to his feet and the fissure behind them groaned as it closed.

“Teams sound off, over,” came over the walkie slung across his back in Dustin’s urgent tones.

“Team 1, all safe, over,” came the first response from Hopper.

“Team 2, all safe, over,” was the second from Nancy as Steve pulled the walkie round to the front.

“Team 3, all safe, over,” he said, as clearly as he could.

He looked at Eddie, battered, bruised, filthy, just like him, and he couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of his throat. It was over, really over this time. Vecna was dead. All his monsters were dead. The Upside Down was sealing itself off without his influence to keep the gates open. And they were all alive.

“Finally losing it, Sweetheart?” Eddie asked as Steve laughed so hard his legs gave out.

He was exhausted, had a three-groove gash across the front of his left leg, luckily not too deep, and he ached all over, but he couldn’t stop laughing.

When they had gone in, Team 1 containing El, to confront Vecna head on, Team 2 to distract as many of Vecna’s monsters as possible, and Team 3 to take out the lab in the Upside Down that had machinery in it Vecna had been using to keep open his gates, Steve had mentally given them about a fifty percent chance. That they had all come through it alive and kicking was simply amazing.

Eddie sat down next to him.

“It’s over,” he said, unable to keep the wonder out of his voice. “It’s finally over.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed, smiling at him.

If the rifts closing hadn’t been a huge giveaway, there was something in the air as well. It was as if a weight had been lifted. Maybe a psychic one had been.

“You’re still bleeding though,” Eddie pointed out.

The wounds were oozing a little thanks to all the vigorous movement, but it wasn’t much, as far as Steve could tell.

“Can I kiss you,” was what he decided to respond, gazing into Eddie’s eyes, and watching them go wide and shocked, “please,” he added.

Finding Eddie wandering around the evacuated trailer park in a fugue state had felt like a miracle at the time. His reaction to it had given Steve a clue that he had become more attached to the metalhead than he had admitted to himself before that. Then helping nurse Eddie back to health and to his old self had only deepened the fledgling feelings.

They’d all been focused on only one thing though: defeating Vecna, so he’d put all those things on the back burner. Even when he was pretty sure he’d seen Eddie looking at him the same way, he had pushed them down because there was too much to do.

There wasn’t any more.

“Yes,” Eddie said, and now it was him who sounded like he couldn’t quite believe it.

Steve leaned in, just lightly touching his lips to Eddie’s. It was Eddie that grabbed him by the straps on his combat jacket and pulled him in for a much deeper kiss. Steve revelled in it. They both tasted of ash, but he didn’t care. He never wanted to stop kissing Eddie if he could help it. It was only when a groan was forced from his mouth, and not in a sexy way, when he made a move that had his leg complaining loudly that Eddie drew back.

“More later,” Eddie said and took the walkie from his hand, pulling the strap over his head. “This is Team 3, over.”

“Central here, over,” Dustin’s replied instantly.

“Could do with a pickup,” Eddie said, “Steve’s hurt. Bikes are a no go, over.”

They hadn’t wanted to be seen on the way in, so they’d biked to their entry point.

“Bad?” Dustin came back, completely forgetting the ‘over’.

“No worse than usual,” Eddie replied. “He had to make sure he has some more badass scars, of course, over.”

“This is Team 1,” came over the walkie from Hopper. “Can swing by and pick you up once I’ve dropped off my lot. How urgent is it? Over.”

Steve took the walkie back.

“I’m fine,” he said, giving Eddie a look for worrying everyone, “I just can’t pedal. Over.”

“Got it,” Hopper returned. “Sit tight, I’ll be with you soon. Over.”

“Will do, over and out,” Steve responded.

“This whole kissing thing better not be due to blood loss,” Eddie said as Steve put the walkie down.

“Nope,” he replied, “that just made me brave. Want to kiss some more?”

“Sweetheart, I’ll kiss you forever if I can,” Eddie replied.

“I’ll keep you to that,” he said with a smile, leaning back in, but making sure he didn’t do anything stupid with his leg this time.

All My Other Stranger Things Fic

[rainysofsunshineao3]

"You don't talk much," Robin notes, eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of those...Things. The sun illuminates most of the dilapidated highway and barren, wilted fields on either side. It would be easy for either of the two to spot one, but then again, that was a double-edged sword, and with how fast those things could move... It was a good chance that if the creatures spotted the trailer-towing van they would tear it to shreds faster than they could escape. Nancy humms in false thought, momentarily bringing Robin's eyes away from the scenery around them.

"Not a fan."

"What, of talking?" Nancy glances away from the road, a look mixed half of genuine questioning and annoyance.

"Not a fan of talking, no." She responds finally, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel, and Robin couldn't help the flutter of relief and something else entirely in her chest when the frizzy-haired brunette finally drew away her gaze.

"You know," Robin wasn't sure where she was going with this. Nancy seems more annoyed than usual, and it wasn't like they hadn't had this conversation before. "You do talk to me. Eventually." She was rewarded with the small chuckle it drew from the woman driving, albeit dry.

"Do I?"

"Oh yeah," Robin smirks. "It's usually around Lyons." She looks down in thought, fiddles with the immense amount of rings on her fingers. "You tell me about the time you went there with your family."

Nancy looks back at her, drawing the taller woman's gaze back up to her crystal eyes.

"Your brother got lost," She continues and Nancy looks away again, biting her lower lip lightly.

"I've never been to Lyons." Oh, the multiple times you've said so would suggest otherwise.

"You tell me your middle name; Danielle." She says it almost like a question, knowing full well that that piece of information had never been disclosed to her. Nancy's answer is harsher than before, quicker, almost like she knows the game Robin's playing.

"That's not my middle name." It's so quiet, almost a whisper, but the murmur carries through the entire van with ease. Robin almost leaves it at that, but something about Nancy's expression makes it impossible to keep her damn mouth shut.

"You find your brother in the arcade, by the way. 'Mike', you said. "

"Maybe I said it all just to keep you quiet."

"But," Robin sighs, "You do talk to me."

"Buckley, I do not need to get to know you." She huffs. "Saving the world doesn't necessarily require deep, personal connection, and," Her eyes darken, brows furrowing in a way that has Robin leaning closer, studying the guise as if it was the last thing she would see on Earth. "And if you knew what was good for you, you wouldn't want to get to know me. It's the only way you get through this...whatever this is."

And because Robin just can't seem to let something go, she whispers again, not meeting Nancy's gaze.

"What about Holland? You get to know him?"

The van screeches to a halt and Nancy whirles around on the soldier.

"How..." Even through the anger, Robin can see the tears filling Nancy's eyes. "How do you know that name?"

She swallows, genuinely wondering if this conversation would lead to another reset.

"You mentioned him."

"That's not possible."

"Then how do I know his name?"

"When..." Nancy pinches the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. "When did I mention her? Under what circumstance-"

"Her?"

"When, Buckley?" But Robin's brain was still on a continuous loop.

Her. Her. Her.

"Is she the reason you won't talk to me?" She whispers finally, and maybe it was the sincerity in her voice that had Nancy sighing, turning her pricing blue eyes away and back to the road.

"Don't ever mention her name again." Her tone was harsh, but Robin didn't miss the single tear that fell after the shorter woman blinked.

"Why," Her voice cracked. "Are you..." She trails off, because she had originally been going to ask "Are you in love with him?" But...

Her. Her. Her.

"She's dead." Is what she settles on. It's not a soft answer, not a kind one, but she says it without a hint of bitterness.

Nancy only nods.

"I watched her die 300 times over and I remember every single detail." The "I couldn't save her" remains unspoken, but Robin understands.

"I'm sorry," She offers, and Nancy meets her delicate gaze. "You don't, you don't have to talk about it."

"It's fine." The answer is short, clipped. It's said in a way that means finality, but it's Nancy who continues after.

"It's just war."

-Or-

THE EDGE OF TOMORROW - RONANCE AU

Ya'll, should I continue this? I had this thought at 3am and couldn't stop thinking about it.

[fuctacles]

in love and war part 2

For Spicy Six Winter Challenge hosted by @thefreakandthehair

T | 2221 | feelings realization, bi awakening | read part 1 here | part 3 here

And this takes us to the present. The revenge plan.

The sun has just come up and there are four of them camping in Steve’s car, sharing thermoses full of hot beverages of choice. (Steve brought one full of hot cocoa and it's the crowd’s favorite.)

“Eddie is not an early riser, we’re wasting time,” Lucas complains while observing the trailer with his binoculars. 

“I think his uncle’s gonna wake him up for us,” Robin assures him. And like clockwork, Wayne Munson’s truck comes into view, almost knocking down one of their sculptures. The man steps out, takes a look at the dozen snowmen surrounding his trailer, and disappears inside. 

About fifteen minutes later, the curtains in one of the windows move. Steve’s buzzing in his seat. Or maybe just shivering. He reaches into his pocket for a tissue to wipe his runny nose.

“There’s a message!”

“Well, read it!”

“Nice move, Stevie,” Lucas reads the paper that appeared in the window. “Can’t play with you tho, I’m sick. Sad face.”

“Did he draw a sad face or…?”

“Of course, he drew it!”

Steve yanks the binoculars from Lucas to see for himself. The papers disappeared but Eddie took their place in the window, wrapped in a blanket. There’s a scarf around his neck and his nose is red. He looks bad.

“Damn. He really is sick.”

“Full offense but you look like shit, too.”

“Can it, Mayfield.”

He steps out and walks up to the trailer. Eddie finally spots him and he perks up and waves at him.

“Hi!” 

Even through the window, Steve can hear how croaky his voice is.

“Guess there goes your next campaign.”

Eddie laughs weakly, it turns into a cough.

“Guess so.”

“You started it,” he reminds him.

“I know. Sorry.”

“Why?” Steve frowns at him. Eddie shrugs.

“Seemed like a fun idea.”

“Imagine how much fun you could be having playing DnD now.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie waves his hand. “But. You know.” He shrugs again.

“No, I don’t know.” He shakes his head, frowning again.

“You don’t play DnD.”

He taps against the glass nervously and Steve collects himself quickly.

“We can find something that doesn’t end with you in bed.”

Eddie’s eyes sparkle with mischief and Steve immediately realizes the double meaning in his words.

“Okay, shut up.”

He turns around and leaves quickly. The inside of his car is surprisingly warm and he shivers from head to toe.

“Well, I’m leaving before I catch whatever this is,” Max eyes him before escaping the car. She stops once outside. “Lucas, you coming?”

The boy scrambles behind her.

“Let’s get you home,” Robin squeezes his arm. 

He takes one last glance at Eddie’s trailer and nods. 

It’s all misery from there. He makes camp in the living room because that’s where the tv is and he needs some entertainment while sitting on his ass and coughing. Robin takes stock of his medicine cabinet and whatever else he may need while housebound. She forces him to take his temperature. He’s prissy about it because it would make the sickness real, but it’s barely above average.

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.” Robin pats him on the head while inspecting the thermometer. “Where’s your walkie?”

“There’s no need-”

“Little shitheads need to know they’re on their own. Or rather on their parent’s mercy.”

He nods.

“It should be on my desk.”

She’s gone for a while which makes him assume he’s excluded from the conversation. There’s probably a lot of yelling happening from the kids and Robin’s saving him the headache, bless her heart. She comes back eventually, walkie in hand. 

“I’ll leave it nearby in case you need anything, but I told them not to bother you, that you’ll contact them if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” he smiles. “You’re the best.”

“I know,” she smiles back. “Dustin isn’t happy, of course, but his mom said they’ll come with some soup later. Max said, and I quote “serves them well.”

“She's not wrong,” he mutters.

“Will and Lucas said they’re sorry. Will said Mike’s sorry too.”

Steve snorts.

“Course he did. What did Eddie say?”

“Nothing,” she shrugs. “Either he was sleeping or too sick to speak up.”

“Huh.” He’s weirdly disappointed about that.

“Anyway, I gotta go to work now because my coworker called in sick.” She pats his knee as she stands up.

“Uh, I’m sorry?”

She shakes her head.

“You’ll pay me back when I come down with whatever I just caught from you. I’ll come over tomorrow with some movies. don’t forget Dustin’s coming later today!”

He groans.

“Right, of course.”

“Yeah, not jealous about that, buddy.” She pats his head. His hair is ruined enough that he doesn’t protest. “Walkie if you need anything, do not leave the house, keep yourself warm. Toodles!”

“See you, Rob.”

Later he has to listen to Dustin yelling at him from the other side of the room (“I’m not getting any closer to your germs, Steve!”). Claudia, the wonderful mom she is, doesn’t have such reservations and hands him the soup she brought after heating it.

“Dusty made us make rounds to all your friends to gather a care package for you.”

Steve makes a surprised sound over his cup.

“Being sick is so boring, we thought it could help!” Dustin adds, still yelling from afar. But the anger seems to have seeped out of him. “We’re going to Eddie’s next, his care package is cooler.”

“Dustin!”

Steve laughs.

“He’s probably right, Ms. Claudia, I don’t think our interests overlap as much as with Eddie.”

“Well, you’re gonna get educated because we do not have boring jock shit for you.”

“Dustin!”

“What?! It’s the truth!”

Steve snorts so hard, he needs a tissue.

After they leave, he digs into the care package like it’s a Christmas morning. Everything has little post-it notes with get-well wishes and signed who it’s from. From Robin, he got promised medication restock and some hard candy for his throat. Will gave him a copy of Hobbit and a tape which upon opening, turned out to have a small joint hidden inside, courtesy of Jonathan. El lent him a Wonder Woman comic. Dustin gave him a Batman comic and a handwritten guide titled “D&D for dummies”, that actually made him chuckle. At the bottom, probably because Dustin was ashamed of his friend, was an issue of Sports Illustrated with a note “Read the Magic Johnson interview!” and below that, a girly-looking magazine, dryly signed “from Erica.” He chuckled to himself and opened it first. Inside was another Post-it note that read “page 17”. Intrigued, he flips the pages to find it.

On page seventeen, there is a segment titled “Flirting or bullying?” and one of the questions/stories is highlighted with a pink marker. Steve gets to reading.

“Dear TM team,

My friend, S, is being followed by this boy who keeps starting snowball fights. He’s waiting for S’s shift to end, sitting in his van outside the shop to do so. It’s turning into a full-blown snowball war by this point. My other friend thinks they are pulling pigtails, but I just think they are dumb. So, is it flirting or boys being idiots? -E”

Steve drops the magazine and goes into the kitchen to have a refill of his soup.

When Robin comes in the next day, the magazine still lies where he left it, taunting him. His heart stutters when she picks it up with a laugh.

“I guess under all her snark Erica is just another girl, huh?”

Oh, how wrong she was.

He licked his dry lips before speaking up, barely audible and fucking terrified.

“Open it.”

Surprised, her eyes snap at him, but something in his tone makes her comply without a word. He pretends to busy himself studying the romcoms she brought.

“Huh,” he hears among the rustle of the pages. He looks up, too tempted to watch her face while she reads.

“What’s so fucking funny?” he asks, watching her lips quirk.

“Nothing!” she squeaks. “I’m surprised she did that.”

“I’m not. It’s Erica.”

“True,” she giggles, closing the magazine. He frowns at her.

“What did they say?”

“You didn’t read it?”

He taps his fingers against his mug.

“I chickened out,” he admits.

“Why don’t you ask Eddie yourself?”

“Robin,” he whines.

“Steve,” she whines back. She scoots closer and takes the mug out of his hand to lace their fingers together. “Listen, I rejected you and now we’re friends. You’re friends with Nancy too. You can let him down gently, it’s not the end of the world.”

“No, Robin…” He sighs, squeezing her hand. “I think I was, um… pulling his pigtails back.”

“Oh shit.”

“Oh shit,” he nods.

They look into each other’s eyes, giddy and nervous, before bursting into giggles. Their eyes fall back on the magazine. 

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“Didn’t Eddie get a care package from them too?”

“Oh shit.”

“Dude I can’t stay here forever, pick up the phone!”

“Your yelling is really not helping me.”

“Oh, so you’d rather do it by yourself?”

He winces.

“No? Yes? I don’t know!”

She groans and he’s pretty sure she’s about to strangle him when the phone calls. They both jump and stare at it. Robin eyes him but he’s not moving a muscle so she groans and picks it up in the middle of the third ring.

“Yes?” She sounds calm and collected. “Oh, hi Eddie!” She smiles like an imp, staring straight into Steve’s soul. “You sound like shit.”

He makes a sound of protest, but she puts a hand up to stop him.

“Oh, you just got your voice back? And you’re calling Steve first thing? How sweet!” She’s making kissy faces at him and he’s about to commit murder. “Yes, he’s awake, I’ll get him.” She holds out the receiver. “For you.”

“Fucking obviously,” he murmurs, snatching it from her. She snickers.

“I’ll be in the living room,” she says and struts away, but he keeps an eye on her just in case she decides to eavesdrop. 

“Steve?” 

He does sound terrible.

“It’s me, hi.”

“Hi, um. Did you, by any chance, maybe, perhaps, get a care package from the kids?”

Steve’s insides twist.

“Yes?”

“From Erica too?”

“Yes.”

“A magazine?”

“Page seventeen?”

Eddie breathes hard into the receiver. 

“Yes, that.”

The silence hangs between them. His clogged sinuses make it hard to formulate thoughts.

“What did they say?”

“What?”

“Was it flirting or bullying?” he clarifies, fumbling with the cord. 

“You didn’t read it?”

“No.” He tries to find an explanation that doesn't sound bad. “Wanted to hear it from you.”

Eddie takes a ragged breath, it turns into a coughing fit. Steve frowns.

“You should go back to bed, we can talk about it later.”

“No!” Eddie protests straight away. Coughs a bit more. “I just… Yes, they say it was flirting,” he spits out.

Steve suddenly feels worse.

“But they were wrong,” he pushes for clarification.

Eddie sounded like they were.

“I don’t know,” he admits instead. Steve frowns.

“What do you mean you don’t know? You either flirt or-”

“I never thought about it, okay?” Eddie interrupts him. “I always assumed I’m into chicks but I’d definitely not flirt with one like that.”

It feels like a punch in the gut and Steve knows his own answer. Robin’s right, he’s survived rejection and unrequited feelings and got life-long friendships out of it. He can bear one more.

“Well, I’m pretty sure it was flirting on my part.”

Eddie starts coughing again.

“It’s okay if you weren’t i just wanted to be clear,” he adds as soon as the coughing subdues. “I never thought about it before either.”

“No, listen. Steve. Stevie.”

Steve’s stomach makes a backflip against his will.

“Yes?”

“I’m still thinking about it, okay? Just, the fever isn’t helping. Like, I want to say yes, but I’d rather say it when I’m not sick and half out of it, you know?”

Steve barks out a laugh, relieved and hopeful.

“Sure, makes sense. I’ll still be here.”

Waiting, like a dumbass.

“Cool. I’ll call you tomorrow, I’m out of stamina for today.”

“Sure, uh, sleep well.”

“You too, sweetheart.”

Steve’s too stunned by the pet name to put the phone away, so they just breathe into each other's ears, startled. But he won’t let Eddie one-up him like that.

“Goodnight, handsome.”

Eddie made a choked sound before ending the call. Steve puts the phone down and walks back into the living room, where Robin is waiting for him, the TV forgotten.

“Well? What did he say?” she asks before he can sit down.

“That he’s still thinking about it.”

“Nooooo!”

“But he did call me a sweetheart.”

“Oh?”

“I guess neither of us realized we were flirting.”

“Steve!” She starts slapping his arm.

“What? What?!”

“I hate you so much! You were each other’s gay awakening? How is that fair?!”

She’s pouting when he grasps her hands to stop the assault.

“Well, we can plot a snowball war against Vickie next,” he offers.

“Are you kidding me?! She’d hate it!”

Steve imagined a gaggle of kids ganging against the poor little redhead.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I guess men are a simpler species.”

“You are so lucky I love you.”

[maxxxineminxxx]

summer love || Eddie Munson

a/n: i am thinking about writing a few blurbs for this story like when Eddie realized he liked her and also maybe some memories from when they were young like when they first met. so let me know if you want those or if you have any other ideas.

summary : y/n hasnt returned to Hawkins since she was fourteen and on her first day back she bumps into her old childhood bestfriend who she hasnt spoken to or seen in years. They are having an amazing time until he asks one question. why didnt she return? warnings : fluff and some angst

Summer was your favorite time of year, cherishing the warm weather, the much needed break from school and being able to hangout with your friends whenever. But this summer was different. You had to visit your mom in Hawkins, Indiana and spend your summer there. The journey to Hawkins, Indiana, felt like a step into the past. The memories of those childhood visits were hazy, a blend of long-forgotten adventures and fleeting moments with your mom.

The small town welcomed you with friendly faces. Yet, you couldn't shake the feeling of being almost a complete stranger here. The memories were distant, and much had changed since your last visit at the age of fourteen.

The first day was as fun as it could be in the small town where you arrived at forest hills trailer park. Your mom greeted you warmly, but quickly headed off to work, So you opted to explore your surroundings. You set out to revisit the old places that had once been your havens of adventure and wonder. The book store.

The bell tinkled gently as you entered the bookshop. The scent of aged paper and ink filled the air creating an inviting atmosphere that seemed to embrace every visitor. You made your way past rows of neatly arranged shelves. You began to read the titles of the romance novels running your fingers along the spines, drawn to the promise of captivating love stories.

A shiver ran down your spine as you continued to scan the titles in the romance section. The feeling of being watched hung heavy in the air, and you couldn't shake the sensation that someone's eyes were fixed on you. Your heart quickened its pace, and you discreetly glanced around, trying to identify the source of your unease.

When your eyes met another.Your eyes locked across the bookshop, his gaze intense. He stood amidst the fantasy section.A strange sense of familiarity washed over you, a feeling that you had encountered before, though you couldn't place when or where. His face held a familiarity that teased at the edges of my memory, like a half-remembered dream.

You  broke eye contact and drew your attention back onto the book in your hands. Walking over to the cashier paying and walking straight out. As you were walking out you heard your name being called, turning around you saw him again. The guy in the bookstore. 

“y/n” he said but it sounded more like a question almost as if he was unsure. “Yeah” I replied back, sounding just as unsure as he did. “Woah uh you look different… you look good not that you didn't look good before but i just haven't seen you in like so many years i wasn't sure if it was actually you but you are and wow” the boy rambled on rather fast, not even stopping for air.

His features slowly came into focus, and a rush of memories flooded back.

‘’ Eddie?’’ you screamed as you launched yourself  into his arms and he hugged you back tightly.“You look so different, how have you been?” “Well you know, I could be better still stuck here, redoing senior year for the third time but other than that im just peachy’’ he said with a genuine laugh you smiled back at him. “Well third times the charm” you laugh. At that moment, you felt as happy as ever, grateful for this unexpected reunion.

It was a joyous moment, filled with laughter, as we strolled back to the trailer park, eagerly sharing stories and catching up on the last few years. you noticed a hint of disappointment flicker across his face every time you brought up a funny memory from your childhood. you did your best to brush it off, sensing there might be something more beneath the surface.

We sat down on my front porch and you looked over at him before he spoke. “Can i ask you a question y/n” you nodded your head.

“Why didn't you come back ? you told me you were coming back and that you would be here for the summer again, you came to hawkins every summer and then one day you just didn't show up. I waited for you at the bus stop and I wrote to you… but I never got a reply.”  

The question you had been dreading finally surfaced. you looked up at him with a sad smile and let out a shaky sigh. " I didn't want to be your friend anymore. I only came here every summer to visit you, my mom didn't care if i was here or not though she most likely would of enjoyed it more if i had just stayed at my dads. We had been friends since we were six years old and i started to feel different okay?’’  

1980 flashback 

Today was Eddie's fourteenth birthday. You spent all morning making him the perfect chocolate cake that you knew he was going to absolutely devour in five minutes. You had spent all weekend trying to find the perfect gift for him and settled on the Lord of the Rings books which he had been talking about wanting forever. You put on your nicest sundress, curled your hair slightly and even did some basic makeup. You weren't sure what these new feelings were. Why did you all of a sudden feel the need to look your best infront of him? You shoved those feelings down and headed over to his trailer. Gift bag in one hand and cake in the other. 

“Eddie” you screamed excitedly as the boy rushed out of the trailer to help you inside.

You placed the cake on the table and put his gift bag in front of him.you started singing happy birthday to him and he flushed red hugging you tightly.He was already eyeing the cake and bouncing with excitement. “You can open your gift first or we can eat cake first it's up to you birthday boy” you said to him 

‘’ I can multitask, how about we do both” he replied, overjoyed, grabbing plates and digging into the cake. Then grabbing his gift bag and opening it.you watched as he looked at the books with nothing but happiness. 

He jumped up from his chair and gave you a bone crushing hug lifting you from your chair.

“Eddie, I need air please’’ you said , hardly breathing at this point.

“Oh yeah sorry” he replied, letting you go and staring at you for a moment before thanking you a million times and placing kisses all over your face.you giggled uncontrollably and started pushing him away. You stared at him for a moment. Both of you are out of breath from laughing and smiles on your faces. 

Were you in love with your best friend? 

“ I'm really sorry eds” you said to him as he stared at you and hurt was all over his face.

“ i think- i think maybe i liked you” you told him truthfully he laughed softly The sadness that had clouded his face suddenly lifted, replaced by a glimmer of relief and understanding ‘’ i liked you too y/n” “ no eds not in a best friend kind of way… more than that’’ you said shyly 

‘’ i know’’ he said looking at me happily

“ what- what do you mean you know? I never told you and I tried really hard not to show it too. Do you know how hard it was not to tell you ! i didn't want to ruin our friendship because i thought it would never work cause we only saw each other once a year for a couple days and there was no way you felt the same” you rambled quickly not stopping for air once before he put his hands onto your face and smiled at you. you looked at him for a second before quickly looking at his lips. His lips crashed into yours and you smiled into the kiss. You felt like you were fourteen again giggling like a school girl with her first crush. 

In that very moment, you were overjoyed and you realized that the 14-year-old version of yourself had envisioned this scenario a million times, at the very least.It was a revelation you never saw coming. All those summers of concealing your feelings for the boy you had grown to care for more deeply than you had ever imagined possible were over. You didn't need to hide those emotions any longer, because it turned out he felt the same way. 

[buckysgrace]

One

Part two of Cruel Summer!! Will continue to include stepcest, smut, violence and drug/alcohol abuse

September 6th 1985

Friday’s were becoming Kim’s favorite day. 

Susan always worked a double and Max usually ended up at El’s house. That left the trailer solely for Kim and Billy. She craved alone time with him. She craved any time that she didn’t pretend to not be with him. She was growing frustrated with being in such a small house and being unable to touch him. 

Her mind felt scattered as she stared at the clock on the wall, willing for the remaining hours to go by faster than what they were. Study hall was dragging on as Kim pictured the different things she’d do with Billy tonight. 

“Hey,” Robin leaned forward, her elbow resting on Kim’s desk and a smile forming on her lips, “Steve and I were going to hang out later, maybe you want to join us?” Kim fumbled with her pencil for a moment before she sat it down across her desk. She paused for a moment, trying to think of an excuse. 

This was the second time that Robin had invited her to hang out and Kim would once again be rejecting her. It had nothing to do with Robin’s crush, rather that she didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to have alone time with Billy. She felt like she didn’t get that much time with him anymore.

“Oh,” Kim smiled kindly, “My mom needs me to help her around the house. I can’t tonight.” It wasn’t an exact lie. Susan’s arm was still in a cast, but that didn’t stop her from working. She had two jobs this time as she tried to keep up with the bills. It made Kim feel bad, like she wasn’t doing enough to help. 

“Is she feeling any better?” Robin questioned gently, “You know, is her arm healing right?” Kim nodded her head but began to think about how Susan had started drinking. She wasn’t acting her normal, but claimed that the alcohol helped in a way the pills didn’t. Kim couldn’t find it in herself to fight with Susan about it. Every time she tried to suggest something else Susan got bitter and snappy. 

“Oh, yeah I think so,” Kim responded as she tucked her hair behind her ears, “She doesn’t act like it hurts as bad.” She lied as she began to fiddle with her pencil again. She was giving Susan a lot of excuses for why she was behaving the way she was. 

“Steve could drop you off.” Robin’s face brightened as her fingers tapped against Kim’s eraser. Kim felt her eyes widening, unsure if that was the best idea. Billy still clearly hated him and she really didn’t want him to think that she was willingly hanging out with Steve. 

“Oh, well Billy usually gets me,” She replied quickly, “He just works later today.” He always closed up the garage on Friday’s, but she had no issue with that. She liked walking there. Sometimes it felt like it cleared her mind. She would usually curl up on the guest chairs as she waited for him to finish. She liked watching him work and she was sure it was from her fascination with his hands. He had a special way about using them. 

“We could drop you off there,” Robin grinned like it was a great idea, “Come on, look at the way it’s pouring rain. You don’t want to walk in this.” Kim glanced towards the window, looking at the way the rain was dancing off of the glass. The whole school had seemed gloomier today because of the storm that seemed stuck on top of them. Kim thought deeply for a moment. She was sure she could try to wait out the storm, or attempt to get a hold of Billy once school ended. She temporarily considered asking Addi, but figured that showing up with Eddie would be just as bad as riding with Steve. 

“Okay,” Kim drew out softly, “I could take the ride.” She confirmed, watching the way Robin’s lips curled into a deep smile. She felt bad suddenly, hoping she wasn’t leading Robin on. Kim had tried her best to set clear boundaries between the two of them, trying to reinforce that they were only friends. She honestly didn’t know how to do that without revealing what she knew.

“Miss Buckley, I do believe your desk is facing forward,” Mr. Coleman spoke loudly to the otherwise quiet classroom. Kim felt her face burn, mirroring Robin’s as she quickly swiveled around. Kim smiled bashfully, pretending that she was focusing on her math homework, “Thank you.” Kim stared at the numbers on her paper as she took a deep breath, trying to change the focus in her mind.

The back of her neck began to prickle as she rubbed the back of her neck, feeling like her hair may begin standing up straight. She glanced towards her left, only to meet Jason’s cold eyes. She froze for a moment, taking in the intense way he was staring at her before she looked back down at her paper. She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to will her beating heart to slow down. It was clear what he still thought about her.

She slumped forward on her desk, resting her left elbow on the table and her hand on her cheek so her hair could hide the rest of her away. She inhaled sharply as she pretended to work on her paper, hoping that she could ignore that Jason was still clearly looking at her. 

The bell couldn’t come fast enough for Kim. She packed up quickly, swinging her backpack over her shoulders quickly as she bolted from the room first. She supposed she should’ve asked where to meet Robin, but she didn’t care about that at the moment. She felt like she needed distance between her and Jason, before she really started to freak out.

She walked a few hallways over until her familiar locker pulled into view. She opened it, temporarily taken aback by her reflection in the mirror. She looked at her wide eyes and panic stricken features. She inhaled deeply, trying to relax her nerves as she reminded herself that nothing would happen. Jason could stare as much as he wanted, but she was sure that he would never really mess with her again. 

“Hey,” Addi approached her as Kim emptied the books in her locker into her bag, “What are you doing tomorrow?” Kim huffed out a spurt of air to get the hair from her face. Addi crossed her arms as she leaned against the locker next to Kim’s. 

“I’m not for sure,” Kim admitted, knowing that she’d probably do something with Billy, “I’ll probably clean up the house a bit. Maybe do the grocery shopping for my mom.” She shrugged her shoulders as she pulled her backpack up over her arms. Addi bit her bottom lip, like she was considering if it was safe to share her thoughts. 

“I miss you,” Addi admitted, “I feel like I never see you anymore.” She rubbed her arm as she spoke. Kim felt bad suddenly, thinking that it had been a while since they’d done anything alone. They had a few classes together and shared the same lunch period, but hadn’t ventured out further than that. There was still something unspoken between them, an odd tension that neither could seem to solve at the moment. 

“I know,” Kim told her honestly, trying not to feel guilty at her words, “It’s just been busy around the house.” Kim wasn’t lying about her statement. Kim had taken over most of the housework, as Susan either complained about being too tired or in too much pain to handle much else. Part of Kim wondered if it had to do with the drinking as well. It made Susan act like a completely different person. She wasn’t as happy. Most nights she didn’t even make it into her room. Usually they’d wake up to find her passed out on the couch, if she even made it that far. 

“With Billy?” Addi questioned underneath her breath as she raised a dark eyebrow on her forehead. Kim stiffened for a moment as she glanced around the emptying hallway. Kim gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment. 

“He works a lot,” Kim defended Billy after a brief pause, “Mom just isn’t in the best place right now.” She told Addi slowly, not feeling safe enough to reveal her family secrets in these hallways. The nasty looks she had received from Jason and his friends since school had started left her feeling uneasy. Addi nodded her head, waiting a moment as she walked

“Eddie’s terrified of him,” Addi admitted as they continued to walk towards the exit. Kim thought for a moment before she realized she had no words to reassure Addi. Billy hadn’t said anything else about the subject, but she had noticed the irritation that grew on his features anytime he heard the sound of Eddie’s van, “We should have a day without boys.” Addi suggested, bumping her shoulder against Kim’s. She smiled, like there was no tension between the two of them. 

“I’d like that,” Kim said as she thought for a moment, “Saturday will be the last day the pool is open, we could hang out there for a while?” She asked, thinking that it would be fun to swim last time. She thought it would be a nice bittersweet memory, considering they spent the beginning of their summer lounging around the pool. She thought it would be nice to end it the same way. 

“I thought Billy still works there on weekends?” Addi cocked an eyebrow again, looking at Kim with an amused smile. Kim blanched for a moment, the thought of Billy being there being overlooked on her behalf. They paused near the double doors, watching as the rain continued to pour down. 

“Yeah,” Kim felt a bit embarrassed as she tugged on her hair, “I guess you’re right.” She muttered underneath her breath, feeling a bit dumb for suggesting the pool. She began to think quickly again, wondering if a trip to the pool would suffice. 

“That’s fine,” Addi shrugged her shoulders as if she had thought it all through again that quickly, “We can hang there. I could meet you at noon?” Kim nodded her head, figuring that would work. She may have to go a bit earlier, depending on what time Billy worked. She didn’t mention that, wondering if she seemed too reliant on him. 

“Sure,” Kim grinned, “I can’t wait.” Kim glanced outside again, looking at how there seemed to be clouds of steam rising off from the pavement. She figured the rain must be very cold and the ground very warm for it to be doing that. 

“Do you need a ride?” Addi asked as she crossed her arms, watching as a van approached. Kim bit her lip, figuring that it would’ve been more comfortable to ride with Addi and Eddie. She glanced over her shoulder, wondering if she had already missed Robin. 

“Actually,” Kim drew in a slow breath, “I’m supposed to hitch a ride with Robin and Steve.” She turned to smile at her friend, suddenly remembering that she had never told Addi about what she had found out. She felt her smile faltering for a moment, realizing that it wasn’t a secret she should share. She wasn’t sure how Addi would react to something like that and she didn’t want to expose Robin. 

“Oh,” Addi smiled a bit teasingly, like she was considering that Kim might still have feelings for Steve, “Will Billy like that?” She nudged Kim again, looking too playful. Kim rubbed her arm softly, still feeling like she had Neil’s hands on her. 

“It’s just a ride,” Kim shrugged her shoulders, feeling her face burn at Addi’s suggestion, “It’s not that big of a deal.” She reasoned with Addi, although it felt like it was more towards herself at this point. She knew Billy didn’t like Steve, but she was sure he’d be fine with one car ride. She gnawed on her bottom lip, thinking that if she showed up drenched he’d just start talking about how she needed to get her driver’s license again. 

“Alright,” Addi raised a hand down the hallway and Kim watched as Robin approached, dragging along a very large suitcase. Addi smiled at Kim again, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She reminded Kim, smiling brightly before she was pushing the door open and rushing through the pouring rain. Kim smiled as Robin approached, watching the way her blue eyes were gleaming. 

“Ready?” Robin questioned, linking her arm with Kim’s. Kim felt her cheeks burning again, wondering if this was a friendly gesture or if Robin thought it was something more. She quickly shook her head, feeling bad for thinking such a thought. She turned towards Robin, smiling warmly at her.

“Of course,” She told Robin quickly, wincing as they pushed the doors open. Robin pointed out towards Steve’s car through the steamy rain clouds. She inhaled sharply before she held a hand up, her fingers pressing against her forehead to keep the rain out of her eyes. She yelped, scurrying with Robin as the cold rain poured onto her skin. She rushed forward, stepping through the deep puddles, “Oh shoot.” She shivered as she struggled with the door handle for a second before it opened. 

She held the door open wide, her eyebrows crinkling as the cold rain continued to pound against her skin. Robin yelped as she quickly shoved her band instrument into the backseat. Robin smiled awkwardly before she rushed towards the passenger seat. Kim hopped into the back, shivering as the cold air conditioning tickled against her skin, drawing goosebumps. 

“Hey,” Steve turned in the seat to look back at her, “I didn’t think you’d join us.” Kim felt shy for a moment, unsure of how she was supposed to speak to Steve now. She wondered how much he had told Robin from their previous conversation, or if he had mentioned anything at all. She suddenly panicked, wondering if Robin still thought that she was into women. Kim quickly vowed to herself that she would never drink again. 

“Shut up,” Robin quickly turned to him, hushing him, “I told her it was pointless to walk in this.” Robin gestured around to the rain that was continuing to pour down around them. Kim nodded her head, hoping that Steve wasn’t putting any thoughts in his head. She inhaled softly, wishing she was allowed to be in public with Billy. Everything would be so much easier if she could be his girlfriend in public. 

“Yeah. Thanks,” Kim brushed her damp hair off of her forehead as she glanced towards Steve, “I appreciate it.” She mumbled, her cheeks burning as she began to feel awkward as she slipped into her shell. She wasn’t sure if she had ever  been alone with Steve and Robin before. A few months ago, she would’ve killed for this moment.

“It’s fine,” Steve glanced towards her in the rearview mirror, “To the trailer park?” She furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion, until she figured that Max must’ve told him that they’d moved. She hoped that Max hadn’t said too much. She was sure that Billy would be irritated if Steve knew the full truth. Kim couldn’t understand it, but Billy still thought of himself as weak. She tried to avoid talking about Neil as it had become a sensitive topic throughout the whole house. 

“No,” She fiddled with her hair again, hoping that her request wouldn’t seem odd, “The older car garage down Main Street.” She referenced softly. His brown eyes moved back into the mirror, a hint of curiosity hidden deep within. She tugged on her hair, hoping she could brush off any accusations. 

“Is that where Billy works?” Steve questioned her softly. She nodded her head, worried that he could become suspicious, “I do need an oil change.” He mumbled underneath his breath. She sighed deeply in relief as she realized Steve was just thinking of a way to mess with Billy. It was better than him being suspicious of the two of them. 

“You’re such an idiot,” Robin rolled her eyes dramatically as she looked back to Kim, “He’s just teasing.” Kim didn’t miss the sharp look that Robin sent towards Steve. Kim grinned to herself, nodding as she turned to look out the window. 

She settled in as Robin and Steve began to discuss something in great detail. She felt like she didn’t have the attention span to try and keep up with what they were saying. She felt her own grin forming as she thought about Billy again. Excitement was pooling inside of her stomach as she rubbed her knees together as she fell into deep thought. 

It had been tense trying to sneak around the house with Billy. Max had stayed true to her word and other than to grab a change of clothes, never came inside the bedroom. Despite that, they hardly got any alone time. Susan was always barging in, always needing something or searching for something else. She never acted like she was suspicious, but she was beginning to wonder if she might be. 

The other issue arose with their schedules. They really weren’t that different, but the school work for this year was much more difficult than Kim had originally thought it would be. Most nights she was up late finishing up homework, meanwhile Billy would be passed out from being exhausted from how often he was working. She didn’t like that he was putting in so many hours, it made her worry that he’d eventually be too burnt out to do anything. 

“Do you want me to park closer?” Steve questioned as he pulled into the gravel room. She shook her head as she moved towards the edge of the seat. She tugged her backpack over her shoulders again.

“This is fine,” She told him honestly. Robin turned to look back at her, her blue eyes holding a bit of longing in them. Kim swallowed hard, hoping that she wasn’t leading Robin on. She quickly brushed away her thoughts as she smiled back at Robin, “I’ll see you around. Thank you for the ride.” She added softly as she pulled the door handle open. She squealed again as the cold water hit her skin as she rushed towards the front doors. It was raining so hard that she was sure her socks and shoes would be soaked. 

She was greeted with the smell of oil and musk as she pushed the large door open. She looked around, listening to the sound of clanking as Billy’s loud music filled the otherwise quiet garage. She slowly tugged her bag off of her shoulders, resting it on the seats as she walked towards him. 

The sound of the door shutting drew his attention away from the task at hand. She grinned, once again pushing her wet hair from her face as Billy pushed himself out from underneath the car. She stared at the way his hair was pulled back, at the sweat on his skin as he rose from his low chair. He exhaled as he walked towards her, wiping his greasy palms against his uniform. 

“Hi,” She drew out softly as she ran her fingers across the front of his uniform. His cheeks were reddened from the heat, sweat collecting on his forehead as he wiped his forearm across his skin so he wouldn’t smear the grease from his hands, “How was work?” She asked, watching the way he took a step back to drink from his water bottle. She stared, watching the way the liquid trickled down the corner of his lips. 

“Hot,” He chuckled when he pulled his lips away from his cup. She stared for what felt like the longest time as he glanced towards her, “Did you have a good day at school?” He asked between another gulp of water. Kim nodded her head, her eyes lingering against the drops of water that dripped down his chin. She moved towards him, her body reacting on its own. 

She leaned forward, licking away the remnants of water from the corner of his lips. She slowly dragged her tongue along his skin, tasting the mixture of sweat and water. He hesitated for a moment, his lips parting temporarily before he gently tugged her away.

“I’ve got to finish this,” He said briskly as he turned away from her. She watched, her stomach clenching in anticipation as he positioned himself back onto the trolley chair. She found herself moving closer, watching the way he disappeared underneath the car, “Then we can head out.”

“What do you have to do?” She asked, even though she knew she’d have no idea what he was talking about. She squatted down, looking down curiously as he messed underneath the car. He was too far underneath for her to actually see his face.

“Tightening some bolts,” He muttered as he began to twist the wrench around. She hesitated for a moment before she crawled over his thighs, and straddled his lap, “What are you doing?” He paused his movements, sounding a bit more serious as he began to roll backwards so he was no longer underneath the car. She giggled as her shoes dragged along with his motions. 

“Missed you,” She said simply, feeling as if she was purring as her nails brushed along his uniform, “You can keep working.” She told him earnestly, knowing that she had no issue in doing all of the work. She thought that he looked too tense, that he deserved some time to relax. He sat up a bit and she wondered just how uncomfortable the chair must be.

“Kim,” He chuckled as his hands found her waist, “It won’t take long to finish this.” He responded quickly, but he had the same lustful look in his eyes that she felt deep within her chest. She bit down on her bottom lip, feeling a bit cheekier than usual. She blamed it on the lack of their sex life at the moment. 

“No one will know,” She giggled softly, “It’s fine. You look so handsome right now.” She breathed out quickly as her fingers found the buttons to his gray uniform. She looked up at him curiously, waiting for him to tell her no. He watched her for a long moment as her fingers brushed against his top button. He breathed out roughly as he nodded his head quickly, waiting for her to continue. She felt a giddy smile forming as she went to quick work.

“You really are a whore,” He grinned devilishly as he lifted her skirt up over her hips and roughly tugged her panties aside, “Don’t tease me.” He smacked her ass harshly, the sound echoing in the room. She bit her lip as she slowly pulled his uniform down, breathing in deeply as her fingertips brushed along his golden skin. 

“I want you so badly,” She told him quickly, feeling a strong desire to have him buried deep inside of her, “It’s been so long.” She responded quickly as her dainty hand wrapped around his thick cock. She moaned to herself as she slowly pumped his throbbing cock in her hand. She stared at the precum that was forming against his tip, feeling a deep desire to lean down and lick it away.

“Yeah?” He grunted out softly, his blue eyes darkening as he watched the way her hand moved up the length of his cock, “You could’ve had me.” He reminded her. She felt her cheeks beginning to flush as she shifted her hips closer towards his cock, her walls already clenching at the thought of having him deep inside of her. 

“I was on my period,” She whined softly, licking away the saliva from her lips, “It’s messy.” She quickly reminded him, watching the way his lips parted as if he was going to argue again. She rolled her hips forward suddenly, pressing his tip along her wet cunt to hush him. He breathed out roughly, his argument forgotten as she slowly slid his throbbing cock inside of her.

She felt her lips parting in bliss as he stretched her slowly. She rested one hand against his knees, squeezing tightly as his cock filled her deeply. She whimpered, rolling her body until she was adjusted around him. She moved her hand away from his balls, moving it back so both were resting on his knees. She found herself moaning louder as she began to roll her hips along the length of his cock. 

“Hey, hey,” He grinned as he pressed her hips down until she was sitting fully. She tried to wiggle again but he kept her still, “Stop it.” He said, sounding more fierce this time. She exhaled deeply, feeling a whine settling deep in the bottom of her chest. 

“Why?” She did her best to keep from whining, wanting nothing more than to feel her walls clenching tightly around his cock. She fluttered her eyelashes, feeling like every time she exhaled he slid deeper inside of her drenched cunt. 

“I can’t finish this if you’re moving,” He smirked, looking pleased with himself as her face fell, “Just sit there and warm my cock. I’m almost done.” He smacked her ass again as his dirty hands rubbed along her pale skin. She thought that his idea sounded like torture. 

“I can’t,” She whined pathetically, “I need you so bad.” She nodded her head in an attempt to convince him. He simply shook his head, looking all too used to her antics as he moved his hands away from her. 

“Then you’ll listen and behave,” He grinned as he slowly moved himself back underneath the car, “We have all night. There’s no need to rush.” She huffed and moved her hands back along his warm chest, hoping that he might change his mind as she dragged her nails along his skin. He simply hummed to his music as the sound of his wrench filled the garage again.

She shifted again, just soft enough to earn a grunt from him. She sent him a sly smile, feigning her own innocence as she adjusted back onto his lap. She bit her lip hard, fighting the urge to roll her hips forward. She could feel her wetness dripping along the length of his cock, begging for him to thrust his hips forward. 

“Please,” She begged again, feeling like she may lose her mind, “I want you.” She pleaded again, wanting so desperately to move against him. She was smart enough to realize that if she didn’t listen to him that he would relentlessly tease her for the rest of the night. She didn’t want that either. 

“I’m working,” He reminded herminded her gruffly, not even sparing a glance in her direction, “You need to respect that.” She bit her lip, trying to keep from arguing with him. She rubbed her nails across his uniform, inhaling sharply to try and calm the throbbing that was growing inside of her body.

She kept quiet, holding back her own moans as Billy continued to work. She was biting her bottom lip hard, trying to ignore the way his cock was fluttering inside of her each time he moved his hands to work. She was beginning to believe that he was doing it on purpose, just trying to drive her up to her breaking point. She swore he was working slower, just trying to drive the minutes up.

She squeaked as he finally moved back out from underneath the car. He grinned at the sounds that left her mouth before his messy hands were smacking her bottom, “Up.” He commanded as he lightly gripped her flesh to give her a boost onto her feet. 

“What?” She looked at him in disbelief, her eyebrows furrowing together like she couldn’t believe what he had just said. Her cunt was aching, crying at the thought of not feeling him moving inside of her wet walls. 

“I’m done,” He said simply, “Let’s go home.” He chuckled, sitting up as he pushed her off of his hard cock gently. She whimpered at the loss, her cunt clenching around air as he stood her up. She stared at him, feeling frustration building inside of her tummy. 

“You’re mean,” She breathed out sharply, watching the way he was beginning to look like he would laugh, “And very cruel.” She told him in a matter of fact way. She didn’t understand how he could easily tease her. She wanted him so badly and couldn’t understand how he didn’t want the same thing. 

“Sorry, baby,” He pressed a gentle kiss to her bottom lip that was beginning to grow into a pout, “You know you love it.”

///////////

“What do you want for dinner?” Billy asked as he walked back into the room, fresh from his shower. She stared at his freshly cleaned skin, her eyes lingering against the smooth skin on his chest. She drew her eyes up slowly, her lips melting into a smile as his warmth filled the room. “Nothing yet,” She grinned, resting her chin on her interlocked fingers as Billy continued to squeeze the moisture out of his hair with a towel, “I’m not hungry.” She added softly as she swiveled in her chair. She hoped that he would get the hint, that she was still craving something else. 

“You don’t want food?” He looked at her curiously as he glanced towards the clock on the wall. It wasn’t that late, just barely hitting 5:30. They could cook something later, she was craving something entirely different that he had just barely given her a taste of. 

“No,” She bit her lip softly, “Not yet.” She hinted softly again, hoping that he would initiate what she wanted. He looked at her curiously for a moment as her body warmed, her heart thumping harshly inside of her chest. He walked around the counter, a knowing smirk placing on his lips as he approached her. 

“What do you want?” He grinned, tilting her chin up towards him. She shrugged her shoulders, growing shy again, “Come on. Use your words.” His thumb pressed against her bottom lip, just slightly pouting it before he released her lip. She flicked her tongue across where his skin had met hers, watching the way his eyes flickered as he gazed down at her. 

“I want you.” She told him truthfully, knowing there was more than one meaning. She could feel herself pressing her thighs closer together, her lust growing insatiable as she desperately craved to skip the little game that was happening at the moment. He grinned, looking like he wanted to see just how far he could push her before she lost control. 

“You have me.” He reminded her as he drew his finger down the curve of her neck. She breathed out slowly, her skin growing tingly from where he touched. She kept her eyes drawn towards his face as he looked down at her neck as his fingers pressed against the ring that rested there. She inhaled sharply, feeling a sense of confidence growing inside of her. 

“I want your cock,” She admitted bashfully, her face only growing warmer as his eyes snapped up towards her, “I want to feel you inside me.” She spit out quickly, watching the wolfish grin that formed on his lips. His fingers moved against her skin again, sliding until they were curved around her neck.

“Oh you do?” He drew out hotly, his warm breath fanning over her skin as he pulled her closer to him, “I think that makes you a slut.” His eyes lingered against her plump lips, watching the way she licked her bottom lip before he looked back into her hazel eyes. She found her lips curling up into a smile.

“I can’t help it,” She told him honestly, liking the way his large hand fit around her neck, “I just need you so bad. All the time.” She breathed out, feeling like she was soaking her panties. He hummed, his eyes glazing over her for another moment before he was tugging her up against him. A whimper slipped free as his lips slid against hers harshly. She moved just as urgently, her lips pressing against his sloppily as she tried to keep up with his movements.

He pulled away briskly, just enough that he was able to tug her shirt up over her head. His fingers moved to unstrap her bra as his lips hovered against her parted mouth. She breathed out slowly as he pulled the straps down her shoulders. She giggled shyly, nearly going to cover herself before he was tugging her hands down again.

“Pretty,” He mumbled as he rubbed his thumb along her hardening nipple. Her face burned as his warm hands cupped her boobs. She pushed her hair out of her face, unsure of how to respond before he was kissing her again. She melted against him, his compliment warming her whole body, “Want you too.” He spoke huskily, his lips moving against hers.

Her hands moved against his chest, soaking in his warmth as he loosely guided them into the living room. She pressed her fingers into the hem of her skirt, hurriedly discarding it and her panties as he fell back against the couch. They both rushed to pull at his pants, urgently tugging them down over his hips.

She giggled as he pulled her onto his lap. Her hands rested against his chest as she peered down at him, a smile forming on her face as she pushed his blonde curls from his forehead. She analyzed his features for a moment, happy that his bruises were long gone. He looked up at her, a tenderness wedged in his blue eyes as he admired her. He slowly drew his index finger down the curve of her spine, his lips parting like he was debating about telling her something. She cupped his jaw softly, letting her thumbs rub across his now smooth skin.

“What?” She asked softly, feeling the air rush from her lungs as his blue eyes shot up towards her. She watched the way his eyebrows furrowed together, like he didn’t understand what she was asking, “You looked like you were going to say something.” She mumbled softly, feeling warmth continually spreading through her tummy.

“Just had an idea,” He said softly, his blue eyes shining brightly. She traced her thumbs further, just lightly pressing her fingertips against the corner of his lips. She liked the way his mouth moved as he spoke. She nodded her head, urging him to continue, “Do you want to try a different position?” She looked at him curiously.

“There’s more?” She asked honestly, her ears humming in response from the laugh that came from deep inside of his chest. She grinned, feeling a bit embarrassed even though her question was serious.

“Of course,” He teased her softly and gave her narrow hips a little squeeze, “Turn around.” She bit her lip as she nodded, moving one leg away from his hips. He rubbed her skin softly before he was tugging her back onto his lap. He guided her, leaning her spine against his chest as he spread her legs wide. She could feel her face burning but found no time to protest as he linked his arms underneath her knees and pulled them up towards her chest.

“What are you doing?” She panted out softly, already feeling as if she was being bent in an unknown position. He chuckled as he pressed a kiss against the crook of her neck. She exhaled softly, her heart hammering roughly inside of her chest. 

“You’ll have to slide me in,” He mumbled against her neck. She shivered at his words as she slowly reached between their legs, searching for his hard cock. She giggled as she gripped it, giving it a light squeeze before she brushed his tip against her wet hole. She sighed in relief as she pushed him inside, her walls stretching wide as she gladly took him, “Move your arms back.” He groaned out softly. 

She sighed as he adjusted inside of her, bottoming out completely as she rested against him again. She drew her arms back, too taken over by the pleasure that was traveling up her spine to notice that he was tugging her knees up higher towards her chest. She gaped as he shifted her, easily picking her up until her knees were pressed up against her shoulder blades. He held onto the back of her neck, his rings digging into her skin as he held her in position.

“S’lot,” She spit out at last as her legs burned from the unknown position he had tugged her into. She breathed out harshly, the stretch slowly beginning to fade away as he slowly moved his hips forward. She cried out, already overwhelmed from how intense the position felt. She was breathing in slowly, unable to fully inhale from how he had her bent and twisted, “Feels good.” She whimpered after a second thought. His chest vibrated against her skin as he laughed.

“Does it?” He teased her with a mocking tone as he snapped his hips forward harshly. She felt her mouth dropping in awe as the pleasure tickled deep inside of her stomach and up her spine. She tried to nod her head but was unable to from how his hands were gripping a hold of her neck. 

“Yeah,” She moaned out loudly, her toes curling as her pussy clamped down around his thick cock. She whimpered as his muscular arms squeezed her, pulling her closer together and her legs higher up as he continued to press his cock further inside of her, “Oh my god.” She whined, her head falling back in awe. 

He grunted underneath her, his lips dragging across her smooth skin as he rolled his hips up further inside of her. She gaped, her clit throbbing from all of the pleasure that was coursing inside of her body. He was dragging her along the length of his cock, bouncing her easily as if she weighed nothing. 

“Billy,” She cried out in bliss, her eyes feeling stuck in the back of her head as her feet bounced with his powerful thrusts, “Oh my god! More.” She cried out, pleading with him as he continued to move roughly inside of her. She was whimpering as she licked the drool away from her lips.

“You like that?” His voice was husky and warm as his fingers tightened around the back of her neck, “You sound so pretty around my cock.” He groaned as he dragged his lips over the curve of his spine. She gasped at the feeling of his tongue along her warm skin, the sensation tickling her clear down to her toes.

“It feels so good,” She confirmed with a whine, moving her hands up to grip a hold of elbows. This position didn’t allow for her to hold onto anything else for support. She rolled her head back as his cock pressed deep against her bundle of nerves, knocking loud moans from her lips, “You’re so big.” She whimpered as his hips became more sporadic, rocking them both closer to their orgasm. She exhaled harshly, her chest feeling compressed from the tight position he was holding her in.

The tune of their skin meeting echoed in the room, bouncing off the walls and leaving Kim with a glorious shameful feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her head bobbed with the movements of his cock dragging against her drenched walls. She squeezed at his elbows, her nails beginning to dig into his skin from the pleasure that was traveling up her body. 

“You’re such a little slut, baby sister,” He grunted as he continued to press kisses along her freckled skin, “My little slut.” He confirmed with a deep groan. His muscles flexed against her shoulders as he pressed her down harder onto his cock. She whimpered again at the feeling of his balls pressing against her skin as he fully pressed into her. Her eyes drifted down, taking in the bulge that was pressing against her stomach every time he thrust deeper into her. 

“Love being your slut,” She nodded her head encouragingly, her mind feeling fuzzy from the sensation of his cock pumping into her. Her clit was throbbing, begging for more of him as the muscles in her stomach clenched tightly together. She gnawed on her bottom lip, not yet wishing to finish around him, “Need your cock all the time.” She spit out between rough spurts. 

“Whose cock?” He demanded roughly, his arms clenching tighter around her as he slowed his thrusts down. She moaned in protest, desperately trying to wiggle her body in an attempt to push his cock inside of her again. She was sure that he was smug underneath her, probably smirking at the way she was reacting.

“My big brothers,” She moaned out as she spasmed around him, trying to keep his pulsating cock inside of her needy walls, “Need to feel you all the time.” She told him urgently, wishing she could turn to look at him. She felt the vibrations of his laugh against her back as he slowly began to build up his pace again, huffing loudly as he rammed his cock deep inside of her wet cunt. She whimpered at the feeling of her slick sliding down the length of him, the sound of her pussy squeezing him echoed deep within the room. 

“Such a dirty whore,” He tsked underneath his breath. Kim nearly missed his words as he began to grunt loudly, sounding like he was concentrating as his thrusts became more rough. She felt her head bobbing with his movements, the back of her neck repeatedly hitting against his fingers, “So fucking tight.” He exhaled in bliss.

She found herself jolting at the feeling of his nose pressing against her warm skin. His mustache tickled against her skin, causing goosebumps to erupt as he continued to bounce her along the length of his cock. His tip pressed against her bundle of nerves repeatedly, causing her moans to grow louder from the sensation. 

“Billy,” She found herself chanting as she clamped down around him, her body shaking as he throbbed inside of her, “Oh my god, yes!” She squealed out as her toes curled together in bliss. Her head lolled to the side, nearly topping her over as she came around him. Her whole body curled in bliss, spasming deeply as her orgasm rocked roughly inside of her. 

“Oh fuck,” He was close behind as his thrusts became sporadic, thrusting up rougher and slower as she kept a tight grip along his cock. His arms became tighter around her neck, keeping her in place as his grunts filled the room. He pressed into her fully, his cum spurting deep against her walls as he huffed underneath her, “Fuck, fuck you’re so good for me.” His hands quickly pushed her hair aside as he tilted his head up to kiss along her neck.

Her body slowly relaxed as his grip on the back of her neck released and he slowly let her legs fall back onto him. She panted hard, still resting on top of him as tingles raced up her legs and down her arms. His hands rested against her abdomen, drawing soft circles into her skin as their mixture slid between their legs.

“Tired,” She said at last, when her tongue was finally able to make words, “That was a work out.” She found herself giggling softly but quickly stopped at the sensation of his softening cock moving inside of her. She felt too stimulated to go another round so soon. He chuckled lightly, his tired voice sounding as if he agreed.

“You’re telling me,” He lifted her again, just enough that he could pull his dick out of her. She whimpered as their mixture pooled out between her sore legs. She bit her lip, watching as he reached for his discarded towel and began to clean her up, “I’m starving.” He told her truthfully as he glanced up towards her again.

“We can make something,” She told him, giggling as he leaned down to press his lips against hers, “What sounds good?” She asked him as she adjusted herself onto the sofa again. She looked around the floor, following the trail of their clothes until she looked back at him.

“Spaghetti?” He questioned as he rested his cheek against his knuckles. She smiled towards him, liking how carefree he looked at the moment. She pretended to think about it.

“I think that sounds good,” She moved slowly, her legs burning from the motions as she began to pick her clothes up from the floor. He sighed before he stood, following her same lead. She grinned, glancing back towards him as she fixed her bra, “Tomorrow is your last day at the pool, are you excited?” She questioned him as she began to wash her hands. He shrugged as he slipped his pants on.

“Not really,” He admitted as he joined her at the sink, “I’m going to miss swimming.” He told her honestly. She reached for the towel and began to dry her hands, thinking about how he said winter was alway worse for her. She never minded how the seasons changed, but now she was beginning to grow more worried about it. She wasn’t sure how she’d be able to help him at all, only that she would try. 

“Maybe Tommy can let us use his cabin?” She suggested, thinking that they could handle the colder water until it got too unbearable. Billy smiled softly as he took the towel from her. He leaned against the sink as he wiped his hands dry. 

“He’s in California,” He reminded her with a smile, “Otherwise I would’ve asked already.” He said truthfully. She bit her lip and nodded, remembering how it hadn’t been too long ago that Tommy had left for college. 

“Lucky for him,” She teased as she moved towards the fridge. She pulled out what was left of their hamburger and began to rummage through the rest of the ingredients, “Do you want to start on the noodles?” She asked him as she plopped her ingredients out onto the counter. She bent down, reaching for the various pans as Billy grabbed for the box of noodles.

“I hate that part,” He watched as she began to squish the hamburger together with her hands, molding together little meatballs, “It feels weird.” He shivered, as if he was actually touching it. She looked down at her hands, agreeing that it felt very squishy between her fingers.

“I like it better like this,” She told him as she continued to roll out meatballs, “They’re more fun.” She wasn’t sure if it really made sense, but it did to her. She finished them and moved towards the sink, quickly beginning to scrub her hands with soap and hot water. She jumped, turning to look at him just as his hand left her ass. She grinned towards him, watching as he pulled out a can of tomato sauce. 

“Very gourmet,” Billy agreed as he dumped the canned tomato sauce into the pan. He grinned cheekily towards her, “I bet this is just how the Italians do it.” She giggled softly as he handed her the empty can. She quickly tossed it in the trash can behind her. For a moment she winced, fearing that the spare red liquid would splash from how hard she had tossed it. She was quite pleased when she realized it didn’t happen. 

“I’m sure,” She teased back as he nudged his hip against hers, “I bet it will be the best spaghetti ever.” She drew out slowly, fluttering her eyelashes as she looked towards him. He grinned at her. 

“Anything you make is good,” He leaned forward to press a kiss against her forehead, “I can’t wait to try it.” He told her honestly as she worked on cooking the meatballs. She rolled her eyes playfully, figuring that he was just being sweet to her. His hands rested against her hips as she worked, his lips were humming to the music that was playing on the radio. She turned towards him after some time had passed. 

“How’s it taste?” She blew on the meatball softly before she leaned over, holding the fork out towards him. He placed it in his mouth, taking a full bite as he nodded his head. She inspected him for a moment, trying to read his expressions. 

“Really good,” He told her honestly. His hands moved towards her hips again, giving her a reassuring squeeze as she turned back to the stove, “You did good.” He praised her softly as his fingers traced up the curve of her spine. She felt goosebumps arising from his touch as she temporarily stalled until he was gently pulling at the ends of her hair. 

It didn’t take long for their meal to come together. She was still grinning when Billy made both of their plates and sat it on their small table. She poured herself a glass of ice water before she joined him at the table. Her stomach felt full of butterflies, wondering if this would be similar to their life in the future. 

“I’m going to hang out with Addi at the pool tomorrow,” She said softly as they began to eat, “If you don’t care to give me a ride.” She hinted softly. Billy would be at the pool anyways, surely it wouldn’t matter if they rode together. She was sure Eddie would be driving Addi anyways. 

“I think you should drive us,” He told her seriously, “Then you can take your test.” He stated as he pointed his fork towards her. She watched as his noodles danced off onto his plate. She grinned bashfully at him, fearing that he would eventually drop her off at the testing site and just make her do it. 

“There’s no point,” She shrugged her shoulders after a second thought. Her cheeks still felt warm from his words, “It’s not like I can afford a car of my own anyways.” She told him, feeling a bit realistic with her statement. Even if she had a car, she didn’t know when she’d use it. Billy already took her and picked her up from school every day except Friday afternoons. 

“You can use mine whenever you want.” He suggested again, giving her a knowing look. She tried not to grumble, figuring that his answer would be that. She paused as she twisted the noodles around her fork. She appreciated his offer, but didn’t want to be the reason she ruined something that brought him so much joy. 

“Thank you,” She told him seriously, “But you have a very intense relationship with that car. I don’t want it to come between us if I wreck it.” She teased him gently, but she really did mean her words. She really did hate thinking about taking her driver’s test, however. She could feel her stomach clamp up in nerves each time Billy brought it up. 

“We can find you a cheap one,” Billy chuckled as he leaned over the table to steal one of her meatballs with his fork, “How’s that sound?” He asked as he settled back into his chair. She bit her lip as she considered what he had said. 

“Good,” She shrugged her shoulders softly, fighting to keep from grinning too widely, “I guess I can live with that.” She grinned as she bit into more of her noodles. She thought that it was very sweet how he seemed to be so concerned with her gaining her license. He watched her with a smile before he switched the conversation again. 

“What do you want to do for your birthday?” He asked softly, looking like he was pretending to be nonchalant over the whole ordeal. She set her fork down and linked her fingers in front of her. 

“Oh?” She grinned widely, unable to help herself, “Are you planning something?” She tried to tease him, but was more curious than anything. She could practically feel the excitement growing within her as she tried to keep from bouncing in her chair. 

“Just had an idea.” He said softly, meeting her wide eyes as he took another bite from his plate. She stared, waiting for him to continue. She gaped, horrified that he was keeping her waiting. 

“What idea?” She asked urgently, wanting to know more about what he was planning. She wasn’t the best with surprises and she could feel the excitement eating her alive at the moment. She should’ve known that he was going to try and surprise her with something. 

“Maybe you could skip school next Friday,” He suggested slowly, “I want to take you somewhere for the weekend.” He pushed his plate away, looking as if he couldn’t eat another bite. Kim beamed, leaning closer over the table as she absorbed his words. 

“Yeah?” Her heart was pounding harshly in her chest as she listened to his words, “I’d really like that.” She paused for a moment, thinking of Susan again. She could feel her eyebrows beginning to furrow together as she wondered what her mom would do without her. Billy nudged her underneath the table, gaining her attention again. 

“Don’t,” He shook his head as if she had done something bad, “Don’t question it. We’re going. You need a break too.” He reminded her fiercely. She licked her bottom lip, trying to not be filled with guilt. She didn’t want anything to happen to Susan while she was gone. However, she knew she shouldn’t miss out on such an event with Billy. 

“Okay,” She said softly as she made up her mind, “I just don’t know what I’ll tell my mom.” She admitted briskly. Susan didn’t seem much for negotiating lately. Everything needed to be done in her way. 

“I don’t think she’d even notice,” He said softly, like he was afraid of what her reaction would be, “She drank my last six pack.” He mumbled underneath his breath. Kim felt her eyes widen in surprise at his statement. She didn’t think Susan’s drinking was that bad, but she was beginning to grow more and more unsure. 

“I can get you another,” She offered, feeling bad that Susan had done such a thing, “I didn’t know she did that.” She tucked her hair behind her ears, feeling guilty despite it not being her fault. She wasn’t able to control what Susan did, however, she still felt like it was part of her responsibility. 

“It’s not your fault,” He shrugged his shoulders, “It’s just weird. I’ve never seen her drink before.” He said a bit softer. He glanced up at her, like he was expecting her to reveal some deep secret. She paused for a moment before she shrugged her shoulders. She had never seen Susan drink either, nor to her knowledge did she know that Susan may have an issue with drinking. 

“Maybe she’s thinking of my dad,” She admitted after a second of thinking, “He drank away his pain.” She rubbed her bottom lip, thinking of the various times she’d find Sam passed out on the floor of their apartment. “What pain did he have?” Billy snorted, like it was outrageous. Kim glanced up at him, her eyebrows furrowing together as she tried to think of a way to defend Sam. She fell short as she rubbed her thumbs together, realizing she knew very little about her father. A bitter feeling filled her stomach and she was suddenly hoping for a way to change the conversation. 

“I don’t know,” She said at last, “He never talked about it. I don’t think he ever talked about his childhood.” She shook her head when she was finished speaking, deciding that it was best to forget about her father at the moment. She didn’t want to ruin the night that they were having. Billy nodded his head as he stood, quickly cleaning up their dirty plates.  

Their routine felt domestic as they cleaned their mess, listening to the radio as they worked. They were often distracted with one another, constantly pausing their actions so they could kiss or hold onto one another. It left Kim with a giddy feeling and only convinced her that she had grown lucky to find the one in her life.

They would settle onto the couch afterwards, watching whatever program until Billy would begin to drift off. His head was resting in her lap this time as she gently ran her fingers through his curls. His ankles were crossed, his mouth parted as his eyes continually fluttered shut. She felt bad, thinking of how exhausted he must be working two jobs. She wondered if he was saving up for something. 

“Hey,” She kissed his forehead gently, trying to wake him up as softly as she could, “Let’s go to bed.” She told him, ignoring that it was barely nine at this point. He looked up at her, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion until he nodded his head. He looked too tired to argue about it.

“Sorry,” He mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck. She shut off the TV, then worked on shutting the lights off as they walked towards their room, “Just been tired recently.” She watched as he walked, a soft grin forming on her lips as he realized he was probably embarrassed over how early it still was.

“I was tired anyways,” She told him, even though it wasn’t true. She liked to lay with him and would usually turn her lamp on to read her novels anyways. She pulled open her dresser door as she began to undress and switch into a nightgown, “You’ve had a long week.” She glanced over towards him, watching as he stripped down to his underwear before he crawled onto the bed. He needed his head but she was sure if he had even heard her. 

“I just have tomorrow,” He spoke tiredly as he laid on his side to face her. She shut off the light before she crawled into the bed and placed a kiss against his forehead, “Then I have Sunday off.” He spoke dreamily. She felt bad, knowing that he really didn’t have to work as hard as what he was. She was sure that he felt bad and wondered how much of his paycheck he was giving to Susan. She began to grow worried, hoping that he wasn’t really doing that. 

She rested against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling and wishing she could sleep. She had been struggling with it lately and really wasn’t sure why. She twisted the chain on her neck before she moved her finger down towards the ring that rested on her chest. She glanced towards Billy, confirming that he was still awake. 

“Did your grandpa wear it a lot?” She asked softly as she slipped her finger into the large ring. She tilted her chin up so she could peer up at him better. His lips were curled into a soft smile as he peered down at her. 

“I hope so,” Billy chuckled softly as his finger came down on the other side of the ring, just barely pressing the material against her skin, “It was his wedding ring.” He told her softly as he drew his finger along the curve of the ring. He bumped against her finger just as her eyes widened from his words.

“What?” She stumbled out, feeling as if her tongue was far too heavy in her mouth. She thought about rubbing her ears, thinking that she may have heard him wrong. She didn’t realize that the ring was something so significant, so special. 

“It’s nothing like that,” Billy spit out quickly, his eyebrows raised high as he shook his head, “I just thought you’d like it.” She wondered if his face was burning as hot as hers was. She hadn’t thought much about marriage, but realized that Billy would be the one that she would one day want to marry. He was the only option for her. 

“I do,” She squeaked out quickly. She paused to clear her throat, “Thank you. It’s very beautiful.” Her cheeks were still warm as Billy averted his eyes and moved his hand away from the ring. She gulped hard, wondering if the marriage talk had been too much for him. 

An awkward tension filled the room as they laid stiffly next to each other, their shoulders just lightly brushing against one another. She thought of something to say, something to fix the situation so they could go back to normal. Her mind felt fuzzy, still focused on the fact that Billy had promised her something without meaning to do so.

“I wouldn’t get you a ring,” He said at last, “I mean, not one like that. It would be pretty. Like a diamond or some shit like that.” He was speaking briskly, wincing like he had said something wrong. Her heart relaxed as her lips grew into a smile. 

“It doesn’t have to be a diamond,” She looked towards him as she slipped the ring around her finger again, “I like other gems.” She giggled softly as he leaned over her again and gently pressed a kiss against her lips. 

“I love you.” He told her softly, his eyes shining truthfully as he tucked her hair behind her ears gently. She grinned as she moved her finger away so she could link their hands together. Her heart throbbed harshly in her chest, feeling like she may explode from his words.

“I love you too.” She whispered softly as her eyes looked over his pretty features. She felt like things were getting better. She only hoped that they would stay that way.

////////////////

Kim gently untangled herself from Billy’s arms, feeling alarmed at the sound that had echoed through the house. He was sleeping deeply, soft snores leaving his parted lips as he rolled back onto his side. She bit her lip, listening to the sound of shuffling coming from what she figured was the kitchen as she slowly rose from the bed.

She blinked hard, hoping to adjust her eyes to the dark house as she slowly pushed the door open. She leaned against the doorway, exhaling softly as she watched Susan stumble against the couch. Susan collapsed against it, laying awkwardly as she groaned and rolled her head to the side. Kim moved forward, feeling like this was becoming a new routine. 

“Mom,” Kim struggled to put her arms underneath Susan’s before she was tugging her back onto the couch. Susan grunted, swaying her left hand in the air before she dropped it again. She turned onto her left side, resting there more comfortably. Kim bit her lip before she pulled the blankets up over Susan, hoping that she’d rest well, “Have a good night.” She mumbled as she bent over to press a kiss against Susan’s cheek.

Susan didn’t respond to any of Kim’s motions. Kim pulled over one of the trashcans by the head of the couch in case Susan got sick in the middle of the night. Then she got a glass of water and set it up neatly. It took her a second to realize that her actions were almost natural from how often she had done it with her father. 

The thought of her father made her sick to her stomach. She didn’t want to think about him right now. Nor did she want to admit that Susan had fallen that far off. She tried to reassure herself that the couch was just more comfortable than her bed. Surely, Susan just struggled to get comfortable. This had nothing to do with the alcohol. Kim looked down at Susan again, hoping that it would get better before it got worse.  

[rustys-lodge]

Right now, I’d rather baby you than watch you die.

Prompt by : @pietromaximoffluvr​ ​

"stop babying me, I can take care of myself"

A/N : Hello, peeps. Please leave a comment if you can, it’s very helpful ❤❤❤ 

Warnings : Mentions of ED behaviour and kind of forced feeding. Please do not read if this might hurt you. Mentions of medical procedures.

------

Car honks drowned as you entered the deserted road leading to the lovely mobile home that you shared with Frank.

You limped the whole way there, stopping to sit down on some junk just a few steps away from the door.

You weren't the type to give up, even less with people around, but your foot stung with every little move you made. It felt like lightening traveled from your foot all the way to the rest of your body. It stung enough for tears to build up and threaten to fall from your eyes.

So you just sat down. You just sat down and breathed the tears back in. You'd rather get punched repeatedly in the pussy than to have Frank see you cry. The punisher, defeating death on more occasions than the normal human would. And you, crying over a little bloody wound....bloody wound.

You shook your head at your own thoughts right when Frank spoke.

“Are you gonna sit there all night ?” 

You shot your head to the side. “Yeah.” You unjokingly joked. “I’m going to sleep here, even.” You raised your voice, murmuring a painful “Why do you care.” right after that. 

“Did you say something ?” The punisher’s voice drew closer and so did his steps. Looks like it wasn’t that much of a murmur after all. “I asked. did. you. say. something.” Like stressing the words would make you tallk ??

You quieted for a second, shrinking into yourself when his eyes grew angrier. “No, i didn’t say anything.” You sighed.

Stressing the words will, in fact, make you talk. 

“Come on” 

Before you could even say anything, your body was lifted off the ground and a painful moan is unintentially piercing Frank's ear.

“I’ll do it myself.” You groaned through gritted teeth,even jerked your body agaist his grip but He ignored you nonetheless and carried you into the trailer. 

Setting you down on the couch, Frank threw you a couple of glances that you only felt. You kept your gaze down on the floor, made sure not to voice your pain, nor to look at the man in your weakest moment. You’d thank him but you hated him right then.

“Do not move.” He commanded and....you could only obey. 

“It’s not like i can fucking move.” You murmed, loud, again. And the man only responds with an annoyed glance and pursed lips. 

You watched him as he rummaged through his black duffel bag, picking out things you couldn’t make out from afar. And as soon as he started walking towards you, you dropped your eyes to the floor, again. 

Then a bottle of whiskey was set right before you, as well as bandages and few medical supplies and a chill ran up your spine. You weren’t ready for any of this. You were not fucking ready. But The man walked away

You wondered what other shit he was going to force you to do. 

As if he heard your question, the punisher opened the fridge, pulling out a couple eggs, causing a long sigh to painfully out of you and a knot to quickly clogg your throat. 

God fucking damn it, this cannot get worse. 

“What are you doing, Frank.” Your voice low and tired, you brought both hands to your temples and started massaging them, going harder when you started hearing oil sizzling. Your temples hurt, badly. 

“Cooking.” He said, emmiting a scuff out of you. 

“Cook ? Are you trying to get rid of me, Frank ? If you want to kill me at least do it like a man.” You joked. Frank ? cooking ? 

“Funny.” Frank did not laugh, instead he turned the heat off, tossed whatever...poison he made in a plate and came to you. He kneeled down on the ground, pulled the little table closer towards you and very carefully pulled your leg up, but you pulled away, wincing and shrieking from the sudden pain you did not expect. It hurt.

The simmering anger you had in you finally seethed and you huffed. “Stop babying me, i can take care of myself.” You leaned back into the couch, agonizlingly ignoring that pain in your leg. “I can take care of myself.” You said again, almost as if you were trying to convince your own self. 

Frank only sighed in response, it sounded more like a huff than a sigh, but you weren’t really in a state to care. You would do whatever you needed to get this man away. But he didn’t. Instead, he gripped your leg harder, his touch was still as gentle, it was just stern...like he wouldn’t let go if you tried to pull away from him, and it would only hurt you. He was telling you that he was in charge.

“Right now, I would rather baby you than watch you die, kid.” 

In charge, but gently. 

You couldn’t hold your tears in much longer. They weighed down on your eyes, just like the pain from al that’s been happening weighed down on your shoulders. “Eat.” He commanded but you weren’t going to obey this time...Even though your stomach rumbled at the sight of freshly cooked egss and meat. 

But you weren’t going to stop fighting so easily, so you crossed your arms over your chest, defyingly shaking your head at his command. “No.”

“Kid.” 

Your body shivered as anger washed over Frank’s face, causing you to slightly shifted in your seat. 

“I’m not stupid, i see how you avoid every meal, how you suddenly Have something to do” He mimicked you. “But right now, if you do not eat, the moment i put alcohol on your leg, you will faint. And if you do faint.” The man’s voice rose higher. -so did your anxiety- “So help me g-”

“Okay.” You muttered, cutting him right off. You hadn’t eaten in two days, anyways. Too busy trying not to die...

Keepig your face away from him, you lean down to pick up the plate, eyes carefully watching the man before you. He watched you back, eyes menacing but comprehensive. But you couldn’t eat while he was staring, so you just aimlessly pushed your fork around the plate. 

“KID” 

You flinch at the yell, startled. What the fuck is wrong with him ? 

“I can’t eat while you’re fucking staring into my fucking soul, Frank.” You yell back....a bit less loud, as you were afraid he’d fucking shoot you. Your eyes wide and aware, you cocked your head to the side, waiting for an answer but he just looked down. Poor man was done with you. 

“If you do not finish that plate in the next 5 minutes, Y/n, i will shove that food down your throat myself.” 

You shivered, again. You’ve heard that tone before, low, menacing. You knew, if he used that tone that whatever he said he meant. You’ve seen it in fights. And so you obeyed as tears streamed down your face. You obeyed because you knew he’d shove that food down your throat. 

“Good girl.” Your, now, oppressor encouraged, voice still low but a bit less dangerous. 

As soon as you finished, He started cleaning your wound, first pouring alcohol on it to clean it and then wrapping it in bandages. 

He had to shush you a few times, rub reassurance on your leg and even "attagirl" you in the most unauthetically encouraging voice you've ever heard.

You saw him reach up for your cheek a few times before he quickly drew his arm away, hesitance getting the better of him. You even noticed his lips moving to soothe you before he closed them again. If only he could,

After finishing up, the punisher pulled you up into his arms again. You wrapped your arms around his neck. You weren’t trying to get away from him this time. You were too tired...So you just rested your head on his shoulder and let him lead the way. 

Frank set you down on the bed, pulling the covers from under you to place them over you. He looked you in the eyes...affectionate and warm. “Feel better, kid.” He smiled and turned on his heels before you could respond. 

I guess it’s too soon. 

Too soon. But it didn’t matter to you. Frank will forever be the closest thing you’ll ever have to a father. 

------

Hello, peeps, i hope you enjoy this one. ❤❤❤🌹🌹🌹

[probably-writing-x]

Bad to Worse to Better

Summary:

Warnings: Cursing, but other than that just a whole lot of cute fluff

Author’s Note: I thought I’d combine the two requests here so that the story wasn’t too similar to ‘stunned stunt’ but I hope you like it <3 My requests are always open !!

~~~

“I’m just saying if you learnt your lines earlier you wouldn’t have to get up so early every morning,” You point out to Drew as the two of you get out of the car.

He comes over to your side and takes your hand quickly, “And where would be the fun in that?”

“Well it would stop you from making so much noise around the flat before the sun is even up,” You point out, the two of you diverting towards where the rest of the cast were.

“Good morning all,” Drew smiles to the group as they’re all sat around the table with their morning coffees.

They all look up at you simultaneously and offer tired waves.

“You have way too much energy in the morning,” Jonathan grumbles, stifling a yawn.

You laugh and take one of the spare seats, Drew sitting down beside you and slinging an arm over the back of your chair, “Well, it’s not morning for him when he’s been up since 4am.”

The group go on chatting about something and you watch Drew pull away from you in his chair, pausing momentarily before sneezing loudly.

“You okay babe?” You frown at him as he sneezes again.

“Yeah, yeah,” Drew gives you a small smile, “Must just be allergies or something.”

He must see the uncertainty on your face but he smiles again, nodding his head at you like convincing you to believe him before he turns to the rest of the group and fits back into their conversation.

~~~

You’re just finishing up a scene when you realise that you haven’t seen Drew around, normally catching him behind the camera watching you act whenever he got the chance. After asking around a few times, you head up towards his trailer, knocking on the door until you get concerned at the long wait. Eventually, you let yourself in.

On the sofa that stretched across one wall, Drew is squashed between the armrests, a cushion underneath his head and his eyes shut, chest rising and falling with faint snores.

“Drew?” You frown, crouching down in front of him and running a hand over his face.

He jumps awake just a little, relaxing when he realises it’s you in front of him.

“You fell asleep?” You frown, scanning his features.

He groans and tries to push up to prop himself up, “Yeah, I must’ve done, I thought I just needed to rest my eyes.”

You press the back of your hand against his forehead to check his temperature and realise your frown deepens instantly, “Babe you’re burning up.”

“No, no, I’m okay,” He nods, “It’s just because I woke up early, that’s all.”

Before you can say anything, there’s a knock at his door followed with a call out to tell Drew that he was needed on set. You look between the door of the trailer and him.

“Are you sure you’re okay to go to set?” You say, the worry seeping into your words.

“Of course I am,” Drew smiles, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek, “Don’t you worry about me, darling.”

With that, he disappears out of the trailer and you’re left not completely convinced as you try your best to believe him.

~~~

Now that you’ve got a break, you go down to set to watch Drew’s scene, where he was filming a Rafe and Barry shot. He always seemed to look so different when he was in character. But something seemed off today - like neither him or Rafe was completely there. He pinches a hand over his eyes as he messes up another line.

“I’m sorry can I-“ He pauses for a moment, inhaling quickly before sneezing once, twice again.

“Are you okay Drew? Do we need to take a minute?”

“I’m good, sorry, I think it’s just allergies,” He nods, his nose now red and his cheeks flushed too.

He drags a hand over his face and lets out a groan, his shoulders slumping a little like he’s struggling to hold himself up.

“I just need a few mi-“ He starts to walk off of set, and as he does, hits into the stand of the overhead microphone, the end of the metal pole hitting into his ribs harshly.

The contact makes him double over slightly, groaning even louder as he clutches a hand to his side.

“Oh my god are you okay?” You hurry over to him quickly.

Drew looks down to your eyeline and lets his shoulders relax even more, “No.”

You try to stop yourself from smiling at his pouty face.

“I keep sneezing and I’m boiling hot but I’m shivering and I have a headache and I’m tired and now I just hit myself on this stupid thing,” He hits a hand out at the microphone stand, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

With that, he drops his head forward onto your shoulder, burying himself into the contact. You wrap your arms around his back and he wraps his around you two, seeming to relax even more into your hold.

“Okay I think we need to get you home,” You encourage, “I’ll speak to the director, I haven’t got anymore scenes to film today anyway and they can reschedule yours.”

“No, I’ll be fine, I’ll get it done,” He shakes his head, sniffing as he pulls away from you.

His eyes are half shut and you can practically see the pain oozing from him, “Drew you look like you’re about to fall asleep right now, you can’t work today.”

“Go to your trailer and grab your stuff and the car keys, I’ll speak to the director and I’ll meet you by the car, okay?”

He nods reluctantly, rubbing his hands over his eyes before walking slowly away towards the trailers. You turn to find the crew and go over to speak to them, watching as they already start to pack away the bits of the set.

~~~

When you walk over to the car, Drew’s already sitting in the driver’s seat, resting his head back against the chair with his eyes just lightly closed. You go around to that side and open the door.

“Babe you’re not driving, move over,” You nudge his shoulder.

“No, no, I got it, it’s fine,” He nods his head, eyes just fluttering slightly open.

“Drew, move your ass over to the other chair or I swear to god I’ll sit on top of you.”

He pokes his eye open, a smirk over his lips, “I mean… if you’re offering.”

You roll your eyes and hit his shoulder, eventually watching as he moves himself over to the other side of the jeep, wrapping his arms around himself. You climb into the driver’s side and start up the engine, driving home with Drew curled up beside you, his eyes shut and his body seemingly shrinking into the seat.

~~~

It’s not a long drive back and the two of you get back to your flat soon, Drew blinking his eyes open as the car comes to a stop. You hold his hand as the two of you take the elevator up to your floor, Drew resting his chin on your head as you unlock the door.

“Alright, go get into bed, I’ll get you some water do you want anything to eat?” You ask him as he drags his legs towards the bedroom.

Drew shakes his head, “I’m okay, thank you.”

You pour him a big glass of water and rummage through the cupboard to find any medicine the two of you owned, carrying it through to the bedroom. Drew is stood by the bed, in the dark with the curtains closed, but he’s visible enough for you to see as he pulls his top off, a bruise splaying across his ribs, seemingly getting darker.

“Oh my god is that from set?” You frown, setting the things down on the nightstand to go over to him.

“Yeah it’s bad right?” Drew frowns, wincing as he touches it, “I didn’t think it felt that bad, but it’s bruised already.”

“Alright, we’ll see how it is in the morning, okay? Just get some rest now,” You pull back covers and let him climb into his side of the bed, “Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

Drew frowns, opening his eyes, “You’re leaving?”

You look at him and smile, “Well, if we’re home for the rest of the day I was just going to get some chores around the flat done, that’s all.”

Drew shakes his head and then groans at the feeling, “Please stay.”

He’s tugged the sheets up to his chin on his side but folds down the side closer to you, his eyes fluttering shut as he snuggles into the mattress. It’s impossible to say no to him on the best of days, but today seemed extra impossible. You change into one of his jumpers and a pair of shorts, folding your clothes up on the chair of your vanity before climbing into bed next to him.

He buries himself into your arms, his head dipping into the crook of your neck as he waits for you to wrap your arms around him. You bring one hand up to his head and run your fingers through his hair, watching as he hums against the contact.

Your phone pings on the nightstand and the light flashes into the room, before it pings again and then once more.

“Who’s that?” Drew grumbles, “Should I be worried?”

You laugh and stretch back one arm to grab your phone, seeing three separate messages from the cast.

Rudy: What the fuck happened to Drew? Is he okay?

Madelyn: The crew told me about Drew, hope he’s okay <3 Let me know if y’all need anything

Chase: hey! hope drew’s doing okay, he looked rough earlier !! don’t let him die

“It’s just the guys asking about you, they’re all worried,” You explain, going to type a response quickly.

He waits until you stop typing and then takes the phone from you, setting it back down on the nightstand, “They can wait, I only want you.”

You laugh gently, “You’re so needy when you’re ill, you know that?”

He pokes his eye open and and pulls away just enough to look at you, “I’m allowed to be.”

You giggle and push his head back into your neck, hugging him tighter, “I’m not complaining.”

“You will be when I make you ill,” He points out, his words muffled against your skin.

Before you can say anything more, you hear his breaths start to even out and deepen as they mix with the lightest snores. Your arm starts to lose feeling under him and your shoulder aches from being bent at a weird angle to run your fingers through his hair. But you don’t move, letting him sink deeper into your touch as he sleeps, thankful he’s getting some much needed rest.

~~~

After Drew’s been sleeping for over an hour, you manage to wiggle away from him, replacing your touch with a pillow next to him for him to snuggle into. You go into the kitchen and potter around as quietly as you possibly can, stirring a pot full of tomato soup, cooking a grilled cheese, boiling water to make him a cup of tea.

When you get back into the room, he’s just waking up, grumbling as he stretches out an arm to realise you’re not there.

“(Y/N)?”

“Morning sunshine,” You beam, carrying over the tray of food, “I made you some lunch if you’re hungry.”

He hums and pushes himself up to sit in the bed, leaning back against the headboard, “You’re an angel.”

“I know,” You smile, setting the tray down on his lap and perching yourself on the edge of the bed, “It’s the classic - grilled cheese and tomato soup.”

Drew grins, rubbing his hands together, “My favourite.”

You glance down at his ribs where the bruise seemed to have fully developed now, wrapping around towards his pecs but luckily not seeming much worse than it had done before.

“Does that still hurt?” You gesture towards him.

Drew shakes his head, “No more than a normal bruise,” His voice is thick from the combination of sleep and how his words seemed to deepen with his blocked nose.

You nod, leaning forward to press the back of your hand against his forehead, “Okay you don’t feel like you’re burning up as much as you were. You worried me earlier.”

Drew smiles, setting down the grilled cheese and brushing the crumbs off from his hands, “C’mere.”

He stretches out an arm for you and you crawl under his touch, your body fitting perfectly between his arm and his torso.

“You don’t need to worry about me, angel,” He presses a kiss to the top of your head, your hair soft under his lips.

“You never get ill though,” You mumble, wrapping an arm around him.

He chuckles and it rumbles in his chest against your head, “I don’t, do I? Maybe I should get ill more often if it means I get to skip work, cuddle with my girlfriend and get food in bed.”

You laugh and tighten your hold against him, “Please don’t.”

Drew keeps one arm around you, eating the rest of his food with his other hand as he hands you one half of the grilled cheese. At some point, you reach over and turn on the TV at the foot of your bed, putting on a Disney film of his choosing. He sings along quietly after finishing his food, setting the tray down on the floor beside the bed so that he can wrap both of his arms around you, your head settling over his heart. His eyes feel more tired but he’s sure he doesn’t want to fall asleep and miss the moment - a little bit of light in a really shitty day.

[stinkysam]

Eddie Munson - 1985

Warning : none

Genre : fluff

Synopsis : Knowing reader wants to be a tattoo artist, Eddie offers you his skin as training canvas but you refuse, not trusting your skills. You finally caves in at the idea of matching tattoos. If Eddie gets a shitty one, so will you.

Reader : male (he/him)

A/N : end is rushed. Don't wanna rewrite it. Maybe a part 2. Maybe not. Will see.

The afternoon was warm and calm, P.E having exhausted most of the students for the rest of the day. So in this peaceful afternoon you had joined Eddie at his trailer and soon you found yourself sitting on his floor with Eddie on the side of his bed in front of you, his knee at eye level.

He stays silent as he watches you shave his leg meticulously, your head bopping out of beat to the music playing as you were too focused to be in sync.

You clean it up and take your pen as you quickly begin to draw on the shaved square of skin, ignoring your friend's intense staring, only pulling away after several long minutes. You’re not finished but Eddie gets up and walks to the mirror.

"Nice”

“Would be nicer if you’d let me finish, Munson.”

“I’m telling you, it’s gonna be sick” he says as he regains his place to let you continue.

With one hand you held his leg in place while you drew with the other one. You’ve never tattooed on a live canvas before, not even yourself, too indecisive to dare try. You couldn’t help but think this was a bad idea, but at least, in support of his ugly tattoo you’ll get one as well.

Once you’re done you allow him to go look in the mirror while you prepare your ‘workplace’ and remind him to not touch his skin. You give him a quick glance to judge his reaction in case he asks for modifications but he stays silent, admiring the soon to be tattoo from every angle.

"Already love this baby"

“Yeah I saw you flirt with the mirror.”

“Aw, don't be jealous now, darling,” he says, making you chuckle before continuing

“do you need me in the same position or do we have to change ?”

“Same position s’good.”

And with that Eddie sat back on his bed. As it crinkled under him he realized you had placed cling wrap and paper towels on most parts of the bed and floor, also covering the hanging bedsheet. He didn’t know if you simply didn’t want to leave any ink stain or if you were slightly becoming a clean freak. Maybe a bit of both.

“I won’t get it infected, relax.” he said.

But you ignore him, scrubbing your hands thoughtfully with soap before putting on some gloves. Good, now he’s stressing as well. Though it all washes away once he hears the buzzing of the tattoo gun, he’s beaming with excitement, ready as ever with a smile on his face.

“No second thoughts ?”

“You wish.”

Despite being familiar with that kind of pain, Eddie still grimaces from time to time but he says nothing about it. At this point it is more of an uncomfortable sting-like feeling than hammering pain. It’s only after an hour and a half that you pull away.

“Done ! Go check yourself in the mirror, do not touch it.”

“Oooh god ! It’s fucking metal, dude !"

You laugh at his reaction, silently sighing in relief at his pleased expression. It was not perfect, some lines were wobbly and it definitely will need to be touched up but you were still proud of your work. It was not so bad for a first time.

“I- Love- It. Now though,” he says as he abruptly turns around “it’s your turn, mister, and you cannot escape it.”

“I would never.”

You still clean up his skin and place cling wrap around his leg while reminding him how to take care of it. You know he knows but he lets you do. It reassures you and it helps you prepare for when you’ll really face someone you don’t know, when you’ll have actual customers. He kind of envies you. You already have it sorted out, you know what your dream job is and you have everything to make it happen, you won’t even need to leave Hawkins —although it’s heavily advised—. It’s also your last year while he’ll have to repeat his, again.

Eddie watches you replace all the cling wrap and paper towels on his bed by new ones. You’re clearly determined on doing it correctly. Once you’re done you also change the needle and ink and instruct him how to clean his hands correctly. Then you shave and clean your arm yourself for him to draw on.

You wait patiently while Eddie cautiously begins to draw on your arm, near the shoulder, he tries to not be shaky but he feels like the more he tries to contain his body the less it works. After a few minutes he lets you check in the mirror as he turns the small TV on. It’s wobbly and messy but it perfectly fits the style you want.

Eddie is careful while using the tattoo gun, holding it the way you showed him and how he saw his previous tattoo artists hold it. It's not his first time but he doesn't want to mess up your tattoo. And you're also stressing him out, watching over him and laughing when he sticks his tongue out in focus.

In the end, Eddie was almost a natural. Or maybe it was because it was not as painful as you thought.

“Careful, you’re gonna put saliva on my arm”

“Shut up, you’re stressing me, looking over my hand like a fucking hawk.”

“You did the same, dude”

When he finally stepped away you looked at it in the mirror. It looked funny and a bit different than planned. But you loved it.

Maybe matching tattoos wasn't so much of a bad idea.