#which means poor Eddie is going to have to deal with the both of them throwing weird dick hypotheticals at him

[solarmorrigan]

The boundaries of Steve and Robin's friendship quickly become all but nonexistent. They can talk to each other about anything, ask each other about anything

And Robin has questions

She's never seen a dick before, has no real intention of seeing one in the future, and finds the concept of them both mysterious and weird. But she can admit to a certain amount of academic curiosity about how they work. And then she remembers that her best friend, Steve, is A Guy™ and could surely answer at least some of her questions

Meanwhile, Steve, due to the aforementioned lack of boundaries, has all but forgotten that he never actually came out to Robin as trans. He's been merrily carrying on just assuming she already knows

These two facts collide one day at Family Video when they're both idly watching some mindless teen movie they've put on for the day while waiting for customers to show up. They reach what seems to be a very contrived skinny dipping scene, which makes Robin think, and she turns to ask Steve, "Hey, do dicks float in water?"

And Steve, without even looking away from the screen, shrugs and asks her, "How the fuck should I know?"

It takes half a minute of silence for him to realize that Robin is staring at him with no small amount of bewilderment and concern

(They later come to the agreement that they'll just have to wait and see if Steve ever gets a boyfriend, and then ask him all their dick-related queries)

[honey-flustered]

Along For The Ride (Part 1 of 2)

MDNI +18 Only!!

Farmer!Older!Beefy!Eddie Munson/ Mean!Bougie!Fem!Reader

Summary: A drunken joyride leads you in the midst of Eddie Munson, who’s seeking repayment for the damages made to his property by you. Fed up with your constant misbehavior, your father makes a deal with Eddie in which you will do some manual labor around his farm in exchange. You’re not too pleased with this arrangement and your differences in personalities lead to a clashing of heads…and tongues?? (8.5k words)

A/N: I have not written in ages. It is really tough being a writer with the pressures I place on myself to be perfect, to gain more likes and followers, to write things as quickly as possible. I’m learning to fall in love with writing again. It’s a slow process but someday I’ll be able to share all the great things I’ve been working on for the past year. Anyway, here is my start to starting my journey again and thank you all for supporting me.

Older!Eddie photo edit by: @/eddiemunsons-missingnipple

CW: fluff and lots of angst, enemies to friends to lovers trope, SLOW BURN, age gap (Eddie 40s, Reader 20s), mean!affluent!reader, bad girl reader, light smut/eventual heavy smut, bratty!reader, ugly duckling turned swan trope, reader character development, mean friends, minor canon events from tv series (chrissy death, eddie accused of chrissy and other victims deaths), limited knowledge of farm life and work, drunk driving, consumption of marijuana and alcohol, committing of property crimes, return of reader’s ex, mentions of insecurities, descriptive and graphic language, lots of sexual tension, kissing, dry humping, eddie cums in his pants

You bellow out the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together” along with your three friends, not a care in the world for who would be unfortunate enough to hear you in the chilly 3 am evening. The girls pass around a bottle of tequila when your best friend, Tana, —seated in the passenger seat— attempts to pour a shot into your mouth.

“Babe, no. I drank enough at the club. The guy that asked for my number was practically throwing them at me. I had to kill a plant by pouring my drinks onto the poor thing. Men ruin everything.” You pout.

“Amen to that, sis,” Tana says, snapping her fingers. “Had a guy tell me that he thinks I’m the one for him. Turns out, he’s married with a baby on the way.”

You all playfully point your index fingers to your tongues, faking gags before leading into a giggling fit.

“I had a guy ghost me because he didn’t like me sharing my selfies on social media. Said that ‘they should only be exclusive to him’.” Your friend, Essie, shares.

“I feel like we need to get back at men for the shit they put us through,” Brooke chimes in. “I’m in the mood to make a man fall to his knees, whimpering for mercy.”

“You kinky little minx!” You laugh. “Are you trying to make men pay or are you trying to get laid?”

“Can it be both?” Brooke says, biting her acrylic-donned thumb.

“I say…” Tana calls attention to herself, raising a hand. “We choose a random house on this street to wreak our vengeance. One of the homes has to belong to a man.”

“I’m in!” Essie beams.

“Me too.” Brooke says, high fiving Tana for her devious plan.

“I don’t know, guys,” You say, reluctant to rain on their parade. “We’re pretty drunk but I don’t think we’re drunk enough to want vandalism charges. Let’s just go to one of those rage rooms and let out all this pent up energy. We could scream out female rage lines from our fave movies and break shit.”

“That’s…okay but it’s not as epic as Tana’s idea,” Essie says, leaning forward to be in better earshot range. “Come on, y/n. It’s only for tonight. You know, we’re just having some harmless girl time fun. It’s not like we’ll be breaking and entering. We’re just gonna do some silly stuff then leave. Pleeaaase. I just broke up with my boyfriend. I need this.”

You take a quick glance at the girls who all send big, puppy eyes your way. You sigh then laugh. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

They cheer at your response, knowing that they’ve won. You raise a hand to cease their cheers and they quickly go dead silent. “Since, I’m the most sober one here. We’re doing this my way,” While staring at the road ahead, a smirk slowly spreads across your face. “I get to choose the place.”

——————

The four of you sneak onto the open field, tiptoeing through the tall grass. Based on the smell wafting in the air, you are certain there are barn animals nearby.

With a nasal tone in her voice from holding her nose, Tana says, “Ugh, how could anyone work around this icky smell?”

“Shhh,” You order, putting a finger to your lips. “If we need to be quiet if this is going to be a successful in and out mission. Do you remember the plan?”

“How could I forget? It’s the most basic prank ever.” Tana whisper-yells, holding up the two rolls of toilet paper in her hands.

“It’s still a huge pain to the homeowner,” You defend confidently before letting out a wicked giggle. “He will be so inconvenienced when he wakes up in the morning.”

Tana shakes her head lovingly at you before peering to her right and left. “Umm, y/n, where’s Essie and Brooke?”

Your eyes widen as you unintelligibly peer to your right and left as well despite knowing the space is empty. “Oh shit,” You facepalm. “How could we have let them out of our sight? Who knows what those morons are doing?”

“Hew we awe,” Essie carries a ‘baby talk’ inflection as she materializes from the dark bluish night with a medium-sized pig cradled in her arms. “Evwyone meet Wilbur.”

“I’m sorry but where the hell did you get that pig?!” You say, no longer able to keep your voice to a whisper.

“The barn, obviously.” Brooke replies.

“What happened to not breaking and entering?! I take my eyes off you two for a second and you’ve already broken a handful of crimes.” You scold.

“But we’re saving him, y/n. You don’t want this pig to become bacon, do you?” Essie says, holding up the pig near your face only for it to wiggle out of her grasp and take off running.

“We’ve gotta catch that stupid fucking pig!” You yell and the girls obey. The group comically chases the animal around, slipping and sliding through mud and crops. In the chaos, the pig makes contact with the toilet paper you’ve long abandoned, tossing it around with the help of the forceful winds to guide it all over the field.

You spot the pig approaching the door of a small blue cottage. You dive forward, fully immersed in the thick mud that soiled your white tank top and denim skirt and you cared little for this fact with your concerns focused on obtaining the pig in your arms. He squeals and whines against you as you plead for its compliance.

Suddenly the porch lights turn on, shining down on you like a spotlight. The door swings open and not long after you’re forced to look into the eyes of your prosecutor from the ground.

A rugged, older man with unruly, curls of brown hair cascading down his shoulders and the deepest brown eyes that are as large as buttons. The same eyes that were now staring down angrily at you.

“What the fuck?” He says through gritted teeth. It’s not until he sees the full extent of your wrath that he decides to emphasize his previous statement with a fury of a thousand suns. “What. The. Fuck!”

You swallow hard, releasing the pig as you collect yourself off the floor. The man feels no need to check whether his pet had entered the home safely, wanting his eyes to focus on you in case you tried running.

“I-I could explain. W-we were just—”

“We?” He abruptly interrupts, upholding the gruffness in his tone.

You were afraid that he’d say that. After all, those bitches were a little too quiet for your liking. After looking behind you to confirm their abandonment, you slowly face your prosecutor once again.

Swallowing the hard lump in your throat you begin, you try scrambling for an answer. This is already a very terrifying situation. This man looked terrifying himself. He’s robust in build, littered with tattoos, and had piercings. You don’t see men like him everyday or at all on your side of town. Men usually groomed themselves like ken dolls where you come from. But when you have come across men that look like him, the experience has always been a negative one—-only this time you were the one at fault.

“I’m sorry.” You shrug with an awkward smile then tack on a “Please don’t call the cops.”

He sighs deeply. “I’m not going to call the cops…”

“Oh, thank god.” You sigh in relief, a hand to your beating chest.

“You’re going to call your parents,” He finishes. “And you are going to tell them that we’re going to come up with a solution for this or I will be calling the police.”

“Oh, fuuuck.” You groan.

————-

“I’m so very sorry, sir. Truly,” Your father says after profusely apologizing for the 7th time since his arrival. “She’s been acting out a lot ever since she’d gone away to university. My wife and I don’t know this girl but she is not the y/n we raised.”

You roll your eyes at the comment, texting away at your friends who wanted to know the details of your capture. Meanwhile, you’re too busy cursing them out to care about how badly you’ll be punished for this.

“I’m just glad things didn’t get any worse or when someone could’ve seriously ended up getting hurt.” The farmer says, staring pointedly at you.

“Now I was thinking…though I could very well pay for the trouble and we could be out of your hair, I’m a man that likes to go above and beyond when it comes to taking responsibility. My daughter’s exceedingly aware of this fact about myself,” Your father scoots his seat up closer to the table, fingers together as if proposing a business plan. “It appears that you might need some temporary assistance in tending to your farm work. If you’re looking for an extra set of hands to help with some manual labor for the next two weeks, my daughter is happy to oblige.”

“Excuse me!” You say, attention fully invested in the conversation. “Tell me you're joking.”

“Nope. You are grounded. Meaning that though you are visiting for spring break, you are currently under my roof, my rules. I am still your parent after all. To clarify, there will be no going out with your friends. You are to come straight to

Mr. Munson’s farm every day after your time at your mother’s shop. You’ll help the gentleman around with whatever he asks of you.” Your father explains.

“And what if I don’t?” You ask, defiant.

“Then you’ll be cut off and you’ll have to earn money on your own.”

“Y-you m-mean a j-job?” You ask, horrified.

“Exactly.” Your father confirms.

You stare wide-eyed at farmer Munson who has a prominent smirk on his face. “I like the sound of that, sir. You’re a good man.”

You shriek in anger. “You’re the worst!”

You furiously stomp out of the home, hating your life and men once again.

————

Your father had no doubts that you’d be going to work on the farm once he’d threaten to take away your (his) money. When you arrive at the address, you’re immediately reminded how you're not on your side of town anymore. It’s officially Hickville.

Reluctantly knocking on the door, you hope that Eddie won’t answer the door, praying that he’s changed his mind and took the money instead. Unfortunately, he answers the door with a huge smile in contrast to your deadpan demeanor.

“Oh, come on, lighten up, sugar. I made some of my famous iced tea ahead. One taste and it’ll all seem worth it.”

“It’s not fair!” You rant, pushing passed him. “Why am I being the only one punished? This was all Brooke’s idea. And Essie was the one who stole the goddamn pig.”

“His name is Wilbur,” Eddie corrects. “And who are we talking about exactly?”

“Doesn’t matter,” You sigh. “Bad things always happen to good people.”

“I’ll say.” Eddie says, staring you down.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“You really think you’re the victim in all of this?”

“Are you?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t we check out the lovely view of the TP’d trees blowing in the wind?” He asks sarcastically, gesturing to his window.

“It’s just a little toilet paper. Never had a little prank done on you.”

“Wow,” He feigns a smile, shaking his head at you. “Your audacity to diminish all the negative things you’ve done to me into the spirit of good fun is astounding.”

“My therapist did always say I have a knack for looking at things on the bright side.” You retort.

“Is that so?” He asks mockingly. “Well then, you’re gonna love this special job I have for you.”

—————

Which leads you to the situation you’re in now. You’re staring into the eyes of a cow whose large brown eyes kind of reminded you of farmer Munson except they actually held kindness in them and not pure disdain.

“There’s no way I’m milking this thing. I have no idea how to do that,” You say, prompting Eddie to raise a suggestive eyebrow at you. “You know what I mean, pervert.”

Suddenly, an idea clicked in your head. Maybe you could use this ‘pervert’ thing to your advantage. He’s obviously single or he wouldn’t be this much of a crab. You can easily seduce him and get out of doing anything!

“Mr. Munson,” You say with a purr in your voice as you press yourself up against him. “I’m actually really good at milking other things after all. You’ve got me pegged at that. Maybe…I can show you just how skillful my mouth and hands can be for you.”

He laughs. He fucking chuckles in your face. How fucking dare he?! “That was rich. Seriously, that performance was just…moving. You can try to sway me with sex all ya want, hun. Trust me there are women and men who’ve tried,” He slightly narrows the gap between your faces, staring you down. “I don’t buckle under that kinda pressure, sugar. It’ll take a lot more than salacious words to make my dick jump. Now why don’t we go back to the task at hand, shall we?”

You’re fuming. This asshole really thinks he can get away with making you out to be a fool. Well, two could play that game. You’re going to make his existence for the next two weeks feel like a total nightmare.

He seats you on a small stool beside the cow before instructing you on how to milk her. You halfheartedly reach for an udder, shrieking at the feel of it between your fingers.

“This is so gross!” You whimper, squeezing your eyes shut. “I’m going to disassociate and imagine that I’m in a niche boutique in Manhattan.”

“Ah, spending daddy’s money even in your dreams. How thoughtful.” He mutters.

“You have no right to judge me just because you think I’m privileged.” You snap.

“I don’t ‘think’ you’re privileged. You are privileged. See the difference?”

You tug on an udder, purposefully targeting him as the milk drenches him. His face puckers his face before staring daggers at you.

“Oops.” You say in a sickeningly sweet tone.

——————

You begrudgingly enter your house key into the doorknob, body aching from the day's work. The moment you enter, your father’s happy-go-lucky spirit engulfs you and it takes everything in you not to explode.

“Hey, honey, how was your first day?”

“Question, father,” You begin, calling him the formal term instead of “papa” or “dad”. “Do you love me?”

“Now what kind of silly question is that?” He reverts back with his own question, befuddled.

“I’m just curious because I don’t think a father who truly loves their daughter would ever put her through the kind of hell I just went through today.” You respond.

“You milked a cow,” Your teenager brother, Aspen, enters the dining room before beginning a dramatic act. “Someone save the poor girl! She’s gaining new life experiences! You are such primadonna.”

“Shut up, ya little twerp.” You say, pulling his hoodie over his face.

“Your brother’s right, dear,” Your father says. “You are being really dramatic. I don’t get it. You never used to be this way. You loved reading books and conducting personal science experiments and geeking out over your favorite movies—”

“That just isn’t me anymore, dad. The sooner you accept that, the better it is for us all.” You grumble.

He decides to drop the topic in favor of keeping the peace for the dinner your mom prepared for the family to enjoy as a unit. But your mind couldn’t help but to wander back to those times where you were seen as a nerd and bullied for being different and having different interests. University was a different story though. There, you were able to reinvent yourself into the hot bad bitch you know today.

But why is it that your father’s words resonated so much with you? Had it been because it wasn’t the makeover or the new friends and partners you’d make along the way…it was the fact that he knew that you, yourself, couldn’t believe your own act. He knows that you're lying to yourself about liking the person you’ve become. No way could ever admit such a thing to him. And it’s not like you’d feel this way forever. Once you’re done with this hell labor with Eddie “The Devil” Munson, you can go back to your popular life.

————

The routine continued including your constant pushback. It went: shadowing your mother for the day with her bridal clients, heading over to the Munson farm soon after, non stop bickering between the two of you for 2 hours, then heading back home to soak your aching body and curse out the world.

Today is no different with the task of you grooming the stupid pig that got you into this mess in the first place.

“Wilbur. His name’s—”

“I know!” You shout at him, gathering the metal pail and wooden brush from the table. You grumpily made your way to the backyard of the home in search of the shed supposedly carrying the soap to clean the pig. When you notice Wilbur rushes out of a trailer home stationed in the backyard. “Hey, get back here!”

The pig is long gone and you don't care to chase after it once your interest is piqued by the mystery home in the backyard. Searching around to make sure there were no signs of Mr. Munson, you enter the place cautiously.

It’s as if the trailer had been stuck in the 1980s. Everything is vintage and old looking but also well kept. You see photos of the younger Eddie Munson scattered around the walls of the home and—-though you hate to admit it—he was just as handsome as he is now. In some of the photos including one pinned to the fridge by a magnet, you can see an older man. Maybe his father.

Your eye catches an old poetry assignment also pinned to the fridge with a large ‘C+’ above it. A little note at the top explaining his grade being contributed to some misspellings and some inappropriate language despite the good work.

You raise the paper to your eyes and read:

If I Were A Hobbit

If I were a hobbit, I’d be so free

I’d frolic in the grass and smoke some trees

With furry feet and a merry heart

From adventure’s call, I’d never depart

With Bilbo’s tales, I’d while away time.

In the beautiful land of Middle Earth’s rhyme

I’d wander the fields beneath the sun

I’d travel it world cause it’s all in good fun

If I were a hobbit, maybe I wouldn’t get laid

But, hey, it’s goddamn worth the price I paid

You giggle, amused at how fun Mr. Munson had been long ago. You wonder what could’ve happened. Immersed in the poem, you were unaware of his arrival until he whispered haughtily into your ear.

“We’re continuing the trend of breaking and entering, I see.”

You jolt away, facing him. “I-I’m sorry. But you said that I had to look for a shed. Should be more specific.”

“This looks like a shed to you, sugar?”

“Trailer…shed…it’s no different.”

He chuckles dryly. “You are a piece of work.”

“Look who’s talking? You know, you seemed a lot more fun when you were a teenager.” You comment, holding up the poem.

“Give me that,” He yanks from your hands, placing it back on the fridge. “Ain’t anyone ever tell you it’s wrong to go snooping around people’s things. Wait, who am I kidding? I met your father. Even if he were to have taught you these things, you’d probably go against him.”

“You’re a pain in my ass.” You hiss.

“Right back atcha, sweetheart.” He retorts.

“Then, I hope you don’t mind if I continue to do so.” You say, pushing past him to go into the hallway.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He asks, hot on your trail.

You enter a bedroom and it’s another blast from the past. The typical kind of teenage boy bedroom. It’s no shock to you that he's a metalhead. You begin to rummage through his collection.

“You little brat,” He huffs. “I’m too old to be dealing with this shit!”

“Live a little,” You say, popping in a blues cassette into the radio. “Dance with me.”

He stands in the middle of the room, arms crossed as you begin to dance in circles around him. Your boot kicks up a newspaper article crumpled up on the ground and you go to retrieve it, ignoring Eddie’s protests.

It is an article about 15 years ago that expresses Eddie Munson’s exoneration in the death of Chrissy Cunningham and him receiving only a $50,000 settlement. It also goes into detail that his only known immediate family and caretaker, Wanye Munson, had died just a month before his release.

“Oh my god, Mr. Munson. I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t…” You trail off, knowing what to say or even where to begin.

“It’s all in the past now,” He sighs. “Besides, I’m fine now. I still have my friends. They are like family. They’ve got their own lives but when they can they check on me. That’s more than enough.”

Without thinking, your arms curl around his body and for the first time you get to feel his body against yours and it’s addicting. He tenses for a moment, unsure whether this is okay but eventually he melts into your embrace.

His beefy arms cradle you, a large hand resting atop your head. Your heartbeats fall in sync with one another’s and you allow yourself the brief moment to nuzzle into his chest, the chest hairs peeking above his tank top tickles the tip of your nose.

You dare to look him in the eyes, seeing them already looking down at you. They were wet with unshed tears, pleading with you for something. It’s the first time you’ve seen that look on his face and like a magnet you're drawn to it. You’re suddenly moving on your own accord, tiptoeing to brush your nose against his. He lowers his face to your level. Your lips are only a mere centimeters from his full ones when the sound of his phone ringing takes you both out of the moment.

He’s quick to pull away as if freed from an intense spell. Excusing himself, he leaves the room and heads outside. You’re left standing in the room alone, the soft, rhythmic melody of blues playing in the background.

Willing yourself to cool down, you decide to go on with your original task and find Wilbur while hoping it’ll shake off the electric feeling he left on your skin.

————————-

Bathing the pig proved to be quite the distraction because this little shit is making you use all your brain power to keep it still. Having stripped into just your bikini and rainboots, you held the pig for dear life as you washed and scrubbed at him and practically yourself.

You notice Eddie from the corner of your eye, stifling laughter as he leaned against a nearby tree.

“By the way, I’ve already washed off all the barn animals, tended to my crops, and was able to make myself a sandwich in the meantime. You, however, you’re still working on Wilbur. Or should I say, he’s working you.”

“Hardee har har,” You say, unamused. “Will you just help me with this pig?”

“Alright, alright,” He says, heading over to you. The pig immediately jumps from his grasp and into your arms. “It’s all in the technique.”

“Easy for you to say. He already knows you.” You grumble.

“Now what you’re gonna want to do is come up behind him. He's a big fella so in order to hold him down you’ll need to straddle him like this and place your hands down firmly on his back. That way he’ll know to stay put,” Eddie says getting into position, his boots digging in the dirt for some leverage. “He’ll tussle with ya a little but it’s only because he’s not used to being handled by other humans. He’s still a little frantic with me even after all these years. I saved him from the slaughterhouse so it comes with the territory.”

“You mean you weren’t going to turn him into bacon?”

“No, sugar, Wilbur’s family. Now get up on here with me. Don’t put too much of your weight on him. Only just enough to hold him down.” He instructs.

You follow suit, straddling the pig and placing your hands over Eddie’s before looking back over your shoulder at him. “Like this?”

“Just like that, sugar. You’re a natural. See? Now I’m just gonna go ahead and get up and you’ll take the—”

“What? No, don’t leave me! He’ll just shake me off again.” You protest.

Sure enough, the pig began to shake the both of you off its back, side to side until you both fell back into the soil. You fall right into Eddie’s lap and he instinctively grips your hips hard, causing you to let out a yelp and scramble out of his grasp.

You sat on your knees, looking at him with wide eyes and he returned with the same expression. The blush on his face intensifies and you follow the way his hands rush to pull the cowboy hat from his head to hold against his lap.

He quickly looks away from you, clearing his throat.

“You’ve got—erm, your bikini bra…” You’ve never seen him so flustered. So speechless. You eish you could relish in it but when you realize exactly what he’s insinuating, you feel your cheeks begin to heat up as you wish the world will swallow you whole.

Your tit is hanging out for the world to see. A fucking nipple slip! Why did God cease at nothing to make you the butt of every joke?

You briskly adjust your bra, shaking in your boots. The itching desire to run heavy on your mind.

“I-I s-should go,” Your shaky legs somehow allow you to stand as you peer down at him. “Have a good evening, Mr. Munson.”

You stiffly power walk your way to the small cottage home to gather your discarded clothes on the porch. Eddie’s large hand rests on your shoulder.

“Wait! I can’t send you off like this. You’ll track mud in your car.”

“It’s not like I haven’t done that before.” You scoff.

“Why don’t you shower here and I’ll offer you some fresh clothes? I’ll be making my stir fry in case you're hungry.”

“You being nice to me all of a sudden, Mr. Munson?” You ask, raising an eyebrow. “Can’t help but think there’s some kind of hidden agenda.”

He smiles a genuine 100-watt smile. “No, sugar. I’m just extending some needed hospitality is all.”

—————

You pull on the long sleeved t-shirt Eddie offered you, studying its logo. A horned demon, swords, dice and so on.

“It’s my old high school club t-shirt.” He says, coming to sit beside you on the couch.

“You were in a Dungeons and Dragons club?”

“You know D’N’D?”

“Know it?! I loved that game.” You say, excitedly.

“I didn’t think kids in your generation still played that game.” He laughs.

“Oh, yeah,” You nod. “I was a dungeon master. My campaigns were fire. Anyone who’d joined my games would always go around telling their friends to come see me in action.”

“No way! I was a dungeon master, too! I took it a little too seriously at times but it was like my second passion,” He looks you up and down. “I would have never thought someone like you would be into that kinda stuff.”

“I’ll ignore your sly comment to clarify that I wasn’t always like this back in high school.”

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“Well, you heard my dad. I used to be a goody two-shoes. A nerd. And I even dressed the part, too. The old me would’ve totally geeked at your Hobbit poem. I’m different now though.”

“What’s so wrong about being a nerd?” He inquires, scooting closer to you.

“I used to get bullied everyday. Boys would ignore me. Even the geeks would only ever see me as a friend. When I got to university, that all changed. Everyone wanted me.”

“I think if I’d known you then, we’d probably be good friends.”

“Yeah right. I seemed like the bad boy type who falls for the cheerleader. You wouldn’t have looked twice in my direction.”

“No,” Eddie says firmly, staring you intensely in the eyes. “I would see you.”

He repeats for emphasis. “I see you.”

You swallow the hard lump in your throat, choking back tears. You’ve never felt so vulnerable. It’s strange to be so open with a man who 5 days ago you would have choked with your bare hands.

“Besides,” He says, breaking the silence. “I think it’s you who would have ignored me. I’m not the bad boy you think I am. Sure, I was a bit of a troublemaker here and there. But I was a huge geek, too. Hadn’t even lost my virginity until age 36. A year after my release. No girl wanted to fuck me back in high school. I was ‘the freak’. To some people today, I still am one regardless if I’m innocent.”

“I would’ve believed you’re innocent. I’d have been by your side, too. Us, geeks, have to stick together, yeah?”

He huffs out a laugh. “Yeah.”

There’s that magnetic pull again. The attraction that makes you want to be as close to him as possible. You resist not wanting to make that move again but he takes the initiative, leaning in further only this time you're interrupted once again with the sound of your phone ringing. You throw a silent fit in your head. Eddie’s just as frustrated, expelling a long duration of air from his nose.

“Hello.” You say, answering the phone.

“Hey, baby,” A familiar voice says on the line. “It’s been months. I still think about our time in Venice and this spring fever is only making it harder to ignore.”

Now the memories come flooding in. It’s an ex-fling you met while studying abroad in Italy during your freshman year of university. The man who’d taken your virginity and showed you the ropes to popularity. The moment you left Italy you expected him to call you back but he immediately ghosted you. From then on, you became the maneater you are today.

“What do you want?”

You, of course. I hear you are back in your hometown. Luckily for you, I am doing some research here and I was wondering—-“

“Luckily for me? Are you on drugs, Stefan? I don’t care if you want me. You could forget my number and then you’ll forget me. Have a goodnight.” You quickly hang up the call, ignoring his pleas.

“Is everything alright?” Eddie asks, noticing the way you’re hyperventilating.

“I am now,” You sigh. “That was my ex. He was also my first. He treated me like shit made me feel stupid and like I needed him as if he created me. And back then, I felt like I did need him. Then he ghosted me. It felt good to give him a piece of my mind although I wish I could have said more.”

“I think you said enough. I’m certain you hit him where it hurts.” He laughs.

“I should probably go.” You say, standing up from the couch to grab your coat.

“What happened to staying for dinner?” He asks.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Munson”

“Eddie. You can call me Eddie.”

“Eddie,” You say, testing his name on your tongue. You’re not exactly sure if you’re ready to be this informal with him despite your almost kisses and the boob slip incident. “I’m sorry but his call has left me shaken. I think I need to be in the company of my girls.”

“You mean, the girls who got you into trouble and left you behind? The ones your parents warned you to stay away from?”

“Come on, dude, I need this. It’s not like you can give me great advice about guys.”

“I could. Considering I am one.”

“Well, I don’t think we’re close enough for that kind of session.”

“We just had this whole heart to heart. I thought we were seeing some improvement in our friendship.” Eddie says.

“We’re friends?”

“Us, geeks, stick together?”

“That’s just an oath. Doesn’t exactly confirm a friendship between us.”

He exhales deeply, trying to contain his anger. “Well, I guess you wouldn’t mind if I tell your father about your little hangout.”

“Are you blackmailing me?” Your eyes narrow at him.

“That would suggest that I’d be getting anything of value out of this which I wouldn’t be. Therefore, no this isn’t blackmail but it is definitely a threat. I don’t care if we’re friends. I don’t care to be your friend, sugar. But as the more responsible adult between us, I think it’s within our best interest that you don’t hang out with the people who cause you to commit crimes. So, I think I’ll be taking you home, hmm?”

“And what about my car?”

“I’ll take good care of it for tonight. I’ll pick you up tomorrow for your next job.” He smiles smugly.

If looks could kill, he’d be 7 feet under and you’d already be in hell.

————

Eddie pulls up to the front of your house. The whole ride there had been silent. You angrily gather your things, hurriedly trying to exit his van.

“Have a goodnight, sugar!” He shouts as you slam the door in his face.

Once you’re inside, you do the routine process of angrily ranting out your annoyance with farmer Munson while stomping angrily up the stairs. Your family used to this by now simply goes about business as usual.

You dial up Tana and after a couple rings she answers. “Hey, bitch! I was just about to text you the news. Did you hear who’s in town?”

“Yeah, Stefan, I know. How’d you know?”

“He's been calling me nonstop asking for you. Says he wants to talk to you.”

“I already did. Told him to fuck off,” You say. “And I thought I’d feel a lot better about it but I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I didn’t get to stomp on his weirdly-shaped small dick.”

“Oh, yeeahh. I remember the dick pic he sent you. It is weird, isn’t it? Like an undeveloped banana. Anywho…you wanna get high at my place and watch America’s Next Top Model reruns. I’ve got Jell-O shots.” She singssongs the last statement.

“I can’t remember. I’m on lockdown,” You sigh. “If I get into any more trouble or I might as well hand over a contract of my soul to the devil.”

“Bitch, you are a grown woman. These are the best years of our lives where we’re supposed to live it to the fullest. Sneak out! I’m coming over to pick you up.”

“Tana, n—” But she’s already hung up the call. Sometimes, you really hate this girl. With no choice, you’re forced to make a plan.

Firstly, you create a human-shaped pile in your bed, disguising it with your comforter. Next, you’ll be climbing out of your window and quietly land on your lawn. Finally, you enter your friend’s car and you’ll be homefree.

Although, the climb is a lot more daunting than you anticipated. It seemed like a lot of a higher jump from where you are standing. Tana’s car pulls in and she rushes out to jump up and wave, whisper-yelling to encourage you to do it.

“Tana, this is fucking crazy. You always make me do crazy shit.” You yell down at her.

“But it’s all for the sake of fun experiences.” She retorts. “Come on and jump. Be the bad bitch, you are. Think for a second. WWBD: What would Beyonce do?”

“She'd probably fire you as a friend.” You growl.

“Fair enough.”

“Okay, I’m ready to jump. Just be ready to catch me.”

“What?” Before Tana could register what you meant, you jumped, hurtling into her arms and straight to the ground.

“Huh, that wasn’t so bad.” You smile.

“Yeah, because I’m the one breaking your fall.” Tana groans.

“Payback’s a bitch, love.”

—————

“So, is the farmer plowing your garden?” Tana asks, while applying mascara to your eyelashes.

“Tana!”

“What? That’s got to be the only reason you’re officially over Stefan.” She says.

“I was already over Stefan. Eddie’s just my headache.”

“You’re on first name bases with him. Oh, you are definitely fucking him.”

“I’m not!” You insist.

“And did you say Eddie? That’s the infamous Eddie Munson. How could I have not seen the connection? He’s so hot. Is that okay to say about a murderer?”

“He’s not a murderer.” You quickly defend him causing Tana to raise her hands in surrender.

“Yikes, I’m sorry I didn't mean to offend your friend.”

“He’s not my…well, he is. But…he’s not a murderer. He never killed her. I did some digging on the internet and this town used to be really strange back then. Not how it is now. I don’t know but the circumstances in all the deaths that happened back in ‘86 are all too weird. No human could do the things that I’ve seen done to those corpses.”

“Bummer. Guess we’ll never know who did it. I hear people who know of this case still harass him to this day. It’s no wonder he practically lives off the grid.” Tana sighs. A knock at her front door leads her away and you’re alone to ponder your thoughts.

An overwhelming need to comfort Eddie hits you as you thought back to the moment he’d asked you to stay for dinner. You assumed it was all a ploy to get into your pants but now you realize that he’d genuinely enjoyed the little company he’d gotten.

You hear Tana’s footsteps and a set of another coming up the stairs and before you could get a chance to tell her that you’ll be leaving, she enters the room with your ex.

“What the hell is this?” You sneer.

“I just thought maybe you should hear him out.” Tana says with an anxious smile.

“I’m out of here.” You say, grabbing your jacket from her bed.

“Where are you going? Your car’s not here.” Tana rushes down the stairs after you.

“I’ll walk!” You hiss over your shoulder, pulling the door open where you’re unfortunately met with the presence of your father, brother, and the devil himself.

“Mr. Munson? Dad? What the hell are you all doing here?”

“Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing.” Your father says.

Stefan steps out from behind you, handing you a piece of paper. “I can see that it is a bad time, mi cara. Please, call me when you can. It’s a new number since you’ve blocked my old one.”

With that, he acknowledges the men before him with a nod and leaves. It’s not lost on you that Eddie stares him down with a dirty look on his face before his eyes land back on you.

“If I could just explain...” You begin.

“No, y/n, I’m sick of your excuses. You sneak off at night to god knows where. You reek of pot and booze. Is this the type of example you want to set for your younger brother? He’ll be graduating next year. Should anticipate that his time in university will consist of lollygagging around instead of focusing on his career?”

You look over to your brother who, instead of carrying a smirk, he had a look of genuine concern for you.

“I was just having fun.”

“Is that all you can think about? When did fun require drugs and alcohol and committing crimes?! Fun for you used to be attending cosplaying conventions, not vandalizing properties and drunk driving.”

“Well, I’m not that anymore so you could fucking stop clinging to the past.” You yell.

Your father is taken aback and you could faintly see the waterline rising in his eyes. “Get in the car. Now!”

You shoot Eddie an angry look. “Us, geeks, stick together? Forget anything I ever said about believing in you.”

Your heart twinges at the shattered look on his face at your statement. No longer wanting to see the extent of your blow, you brush past him and follow your father’s command.

“As for you, young lady,” your father points to Tana. “I will be in touch with your parents regarding your misconduct.”

Tana’s mouth drops in complete shock at this revelation and for a moment you actually are proud of your dad.

————-

You plop yourself onto your bed, crying your eyes out. Not even really crying for yourself but for Eddie. How could you have been so cruel to him? All for the reason that he cares enough about you to make sure you aren’t getting into trouble. There’s no way he’d ever forgive you for the way you spoke to him.

A knock on your door calls to your attention. You reluctantly answer, knowing you’ll be getting yet another punishment. You’re surprised to find your brother, Aspen, at the door.

“What do you want, twerp?” You say.

“You should really apologize to dad. You made him cry. I’ve never seen him like that.” He says.

“I know. It’s just that I hate when people remind me that I was…a loser. I didn’t mean to be so awful to him, though.”

“You were never a loser. In fact, I used to think you were pretty cool. I wanted to be comfortable in my weirdness as you were. I’m happy that you’re finding yourself and all. But you don’t have to change who you are to appease anyone. Not even dad. It’s your life, sis. If you like drinking and partying, that’s okay. If you like reading nerdy books and cosplaying, that’s okay, too. As long as it’s something you want to do and not something you do to make people like you. So stop acting like you’re some psycho fembot that wants to spend the rest of her life in and out of jail.”

“Wow, Aspen, I’m impressed. I did not know you could speak incoherent sentences.” You tease, pulling him into a hug.

“Fuck off.” He laughs, struggling to free from your tight embrace.

————

The next day, after some time to think of your apologies. You began with your father. He admitted to you that he was scared of the thought of you growing up and not needing him and let’s just say that the two of you ended up bawling in each other’s arms and confessing your love and appreciation for one another by the end of it. Your busy event planner mother stumbled into the scene both heartwarmed and confused.

The next one is going to be a tough one for you. But you felt prepared with a handy long written note in your hand in case you needed to find the right words.

However, the moment you arrived on his farm and were met with the look of indifference on his face, you began to break down sobbing. Hard. The thought letter long abandoned to the ground.

His demeanor immediately softens, placing a hand on your shoulder to comfort you.

“I-I’m s-so sorry….you…friend…mean…,” You gasp an unintelligible apology through your tears. “Bitchy…geeks…believe you…stupid pig Wilbur…never would have met a great man like youuuu.”

He gives you a small smile, pulling you into his embrace. “I know, I know.”

“Understand?” You ask.

“Yes, sugar. I understand what you said. Crystal clear.”

“Accept?”

“Yes, I accept your apology.” Eddie laughs.

“You don’t hate me?”

“I never hated you. Even when you’re being an annoying brat. ” He says.

“Good,” You sniffle, pulling away from him to wipe your tears and compose yourself. “I’m happy we’re friends again.”

“Friends? Who said anything about friends?” He quips before patting your shoulder. “Yeah, we’re friends again.”

“Now you could get to work and then later you can make me that stir fry that I've been dying to try.” You beam, skipping into his home.

“Only if you’re a good girl.” He challenges.

For the day, the two of you would groom the horses together. Of course, you were still quite jumpy and the bougie princess he knows you to be but it was nothing he didn’t find amusing about it anyway.

“You should seriously take a look at my note though. I really thought out all the things I had to say for you. My weeping apology was only the tip of the iceberg.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think anything in that note will top that moment but I’ll take your word for it.”

“Read it when you’re alone though. I don’t want to see your face when you read it.”

“Why?”

“Because I know you’ll be all smug about.” You say, rolling your eyes.

“And you say you hardly know me,” He chuckles then switches to a serious, gruff tone. “So…Stefan…he’s a looker. Thinking about going back on your word to end things with him.”

You laugh. “I’m playing it by ear. He says he’s changed but that’s every jerks’ favorite line.”

“Just let him know that if he ever hurts you, I’ll kick his ass.” He threatens.

You step into Eddie’s space, his face flushes at the close proximity. Your hand raises up to cradle his heated cheek. “You couldn’t hurt a fly, Edward Allan Munson.”

Lost in your eyes, he fails to notice you tug the joint nuzzled behind his ears. Until you raise it up to his face with a knowing smile. “You smoke weed?”

“Baby, I used to be a dealer. In fact, I still grow my own supply.”

“No way.”

“Oh yeah. Maybe I was the freak but those jocks and cheerleaders were begging for a piece of my supply.”

“You wouldn’t mind if we smoke this one together.” You suggest.

“After your father chewed you out for it last night?”

“He knows I do it. And I learned this morning, after our heart-to-heart, that he was once a pothead, too. And now that I know that you are also a pothead, not only does this confirm my personal theory that most people smoke weed but also this makes our friendship so much more interesting.”

“You’re starting to throw that whole ‘friendship’ word around a lot more enthusiastically now.”

“My friend’s a dealer. I’m going to take full advantage of that.” You loop your arm around his guiding him to an empty stable so you can both fall against the hay.

He picks the hay from his hair, laughing. “I don’t even have a lighter and the fumes are not safe for the animals.”

“Babe,” You say almost insulted. “I always carry a lighter. You never know when you’ll find yourself in an impromptu smoke session or possibly get lost in the middle of the woods. Besides, we released the animals into the field for their little recess. We’re the only animals left here. Just you and me.”

“Alright, fine I guess we’re doing this. Don’t tell your dad about this, though. This will just be a one time thing.”

“Mhm, yeah sure, bud,” You say nonchalantly, busying yourself with lighting the joint. You hand over the joint to him and he protests, wanting you to take the first hit. You oblige. “It’s your joint. Don’t you know the rules? The one who bringeth, smoke..eth.”

“You wanted it badly so I let you take it first.”

“I didn’t want it ‘badly’. I’m not a fucking addict,” You laugh, bellowing out a puff of smoke. “I just thought it’d be a nice bonding moment. Wanna see how you get when you’re high.”

“It’s nothing special. I’m the same as I am now.” He shrugs.

“You mean, ‘a stick in the mud’?”

He bumps you with his shoulder causing you to lay back against the hay.

“You jerk, I just pick all that out of my hair.”

“Serves you right. Now hand me the joint. You’re hogging it,” He tries to reach for it but you raise it above your head. “You’re such a tease.

He attempts to reach for it again, falling on top of you. His full weight on your body is so damn delicious it takes everything in you not to moan. It doesn’t help that the weed has heightened your senses making you feel EVERYTHING. The way his hot breath feels tickling your neck along with the way his curls on his head gently caress your skin as he reaches for the joint. He seems oblivious to the state he leaves you in even after he’s gotten it until he lets out a puff of smoke in the air then looks back down at you once again. It’s evident he can see the darkened lust in your eyes because of the way his adam’s apple bobs in his throat. He suddenly feels so thirsty and it isn’t because of the weed.

Afraid a moment like this will be interrupted once again, you lunge forward attacking his lips. He’s caught fully by surprise, a strangled moan swallowed up in your frenzied fit of passion. You’re the one controlling the kiss, forcing him to roll on his back so you can grind down on the sizable erection in his jeans. The friction from the fabric of your lace underwear and the rough denim of his jeans are an undefeated combination against your puffy clit, sending flood after flood of your wetness to pool between your legs.

The kisses are sloppy. Your hands are everywhere; in his hair, yanking his shirt for dear life. His hands cup your face before entwining in your hair then they’re around your neck, unable to keep them still because he’d like to feel every part of you just as you wish to do to him. Every so often growls would escape your lips as you grind harder and harder against him.

“Fuck, Eddie, you feel so fucking good.” You whisper desperately into his ear.

“So do you, sugar. Ain’t even inside you yet and I’m already about to blow.” He groans, sweaty forehead pressed against your own.

“Can I fuck you, Mr. Munson?” You plead.

And the whine Eddie lets out confirms that it won’t be happening anytime soon. You look between your bodies, seeing the dark, wet patch on his jeans then back up at him.

He’s obviously embarrassed. “I’m sorry. It’s been a while.”

“That’s okay. Um, this was…this was really spontaneous.” You don’t immediately get off, wanting more and hoping he’d give you more so that he can make you cum, too.

Instead he grabs you by waist, lifting you off him in a hurry. “I’m sorry. I need to—-this was a mistake.”

And once again, he leaves you to your thoughts. All you could do is stare as he grew smaller and smaller in the distance, while you began to feel smaller and smaller on the inside.

[imfinereallyy]

Dinner Date

For STWG daily drabble and, more importantly, for Goldie @steventhusiast. Happy Birthday, you deserve the world. I know you’re asleep right now, but it’s technically still your bday here. 

“Dingus, this is a really fancy restaurant.” Robin leans back in her chair, but her hand plays with the fork on her napkin. 

Steve sips his wine; some of it tips over the edge onto the tablecloth. “What? Can’t a guy take his best friend out to a fancy dinner?” He tilts his head and takes in his best friend. What was once an awkward teen now had a beautiful, but still awkward, woman in her place. 

“Steve, I love our friend dates, but usually they take place in a greasy diner or dollar pizza.” Robin picks the fork up and starts twirling it into her napkin. Steve watches her get mesmerized by the wrinkles that wrapped around the silverware, even though they both know the napkin should be in her lap by now. 

Steve smiles softly, moves his napkin from his lap to the table, and begins to mimic Robin. “Okay, maybe I wanted it to be a special occasion.”

Robin giggles at Steve's poor fork-twirling form and leans over the table to fix it for him. “All occasions are special when we are together, so that doesn’t really mean much.” Robin’s nose scrunches in concentration as she gently guides Steve’s hand. She has done this plenty of times before, guiding Steve where he needed to be. Like taking him to the bookstore near her college so he wouldn’t have to go into sex with Eddie blind, or when she taught him how to whisk eggs properly. Both are equally important skills he now uses in his everyday life. “But you seemed nervous. You keep sipping your wine, and I know for a fact that you hate dry wine.”

Steve puts down the glass that was halfway to his mouth, “It’s not my fault Moscato tastes like candy!”

Robin snorts, “Seriously, Dingus. It’s just me. What’s up?”

Steve puts down the fork and his glass and looks Robin in the eye. “I wanted to ask you to be my best man.”

Steve expects a lot of reactions out of her: excitement, an eye roll, hell, even straight-up rejection. Maybe a little speech about how weddings for them aren’t even legal. Instead, a look of betrayal crosses her face. “You asked Eddie to marry you, and you didn’t even tell me you were proposing?”

Immediately, Steve clenches his stomach in outrageous laughter, nearly having to bend over the table. Steve tries to take Robin seriously; he really does. But she is supposed to be the smart one out of the two of them. 

Rage takes over Robin completely as she reaches over the table to start slapping Steve’s arm. “Don’t laugh, you asshat! I am actually mad at you!”

“Ow—” Steve laughs. “Ow, Robin!” Another giggle escapes him as he gets her to sit back in her chair. “I’m laughing because, of course, I didn’t propose to Eddie without talking to you first.”

Robin settles a bit at this, “I’m confused.”

Steve reaches for her hand across the table; Robin doesn’t hesitate to wrap her fingers around his. “I’m asking you to be my Best Man first, doofus. Before I even pick out the damn ring. Which I definitely need you to steal one of Eddie’s rings for me so I can get the size; man watches those things like a hawk.” 

Robin squeezes his hand, “Wait, why would you ask me that first? Isn’t that kind of backwards.”

“I do everything kind of backwards, babe. Kinda the Steve Harrington special.” Steve rubs a thumb against the back of soulmate's hand. “Of course, I ask you about being my best man first. There would be no wedding without you, so if you say no, there would be no proposing.”

Steve could see tears beginning to fill Robin’s eyes, “What are you saying?”

“Whoever gets stuck with me gets stuck with you. We’re a package deal, babe.” 

Robin throws herself across the table, knocking the wine everywhere. Steve laughs and clenches her tightly. “Of course, I’ll be your best man! Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t hurt yourself going down the aisle.” She sobs.

Steve’s throat gets thick, “Pretty sure that’s the father's job, Robs. And you’d have to fight Jim for that role.”

“Fine.” Robin sniffs, leaning back to look him in the eye. “But I get stand by your side as you make a complete fool of yourself with your vows.” 

“Deal.”

Robin leans forward, placing her forehead against Steve’s. “You and me against the world, babe.”

Steve hugs her tight, “You and me against the world.”

[lokirulzart]

WILD WEST AU!!!!

You ever notice that when fools do a western AU, they cheap out on the horses or ignore them entirely??? WELL NOT HERE, FOLKS. ONLY THE HIGHEST QUALITY HORSE CONTENT. BECAUSE I LOVE Y’ALL AND ALSO HORSES.

Frank has a snooty Appaloosa because he’s fancy, but also appaloosas are reliable trail horses, so that means he can go bug collecting without worrying much. His insect collection is the envy of all the rich collectors in the whole county.

Wally ended up with a chestnut Arabian mare, because Wally is too small for a bigger horse and I just think it’s funny. HANG ON THERE, PARDNER!! SHE’S A WILD ONE!!! Luckily, Wally is usually unaware of his own horse acting up, and the mare ends up tiring herself out just because Wally simply doesn’t even notice her… he’s too busy spacing out. But he’s one of the best Bronco Busters around thanks to her!

Hunter/trapper/fur trader Barnaby has himself a lovely Shire mare with a sweet and patient disposition. She has no trouble carrying whatever Barnaby has hunted as well as big ol’ Barnaby himself… but he still feels bad about making her work, so he only ever hunts what he needs to in order to get by.

Julie and her mustang are BOTH wild. Julie had the chance to tame her, but instead she just fed off of her spirited energy and now the two of them just tear around being crazy together, getting into trouble, rolling in the dust… Julie wouldn’t have it any other way.

What better steed for a Pony Express postal worker than a sure footed mule?! Seriously, mules are the mountain goats of the equine world. Eddie’s mule might not be as fast of a sprinter as some horses, but this animal can trek over ANY terrain, ensuring that all of the mail gets delivered on time. They have yet to miss a single delivery.

(Snake oil) Salesman Howdy Pillar has a general store in town as WELL as a covered wagon to travel around, ensuring that everyone gets the best deals on their pork ‘n’ beans, biscuits, tobacco, and tonics. You want it? Howdy’s GOT it… and his team of 3 dapple gray Connemara ponies, and one brown one, will make sure that you can get it… also the tallest character having the smallest horses makes me giggle.

Poppy doesn’t have a rideable horse yet, which is perhaps for the best. She spends a lot of time at Howdy’s general store or riding in his wagon. She is his best customer. But she has recently come by a thoroughbred foal that she is now raising from a bottle. So perhaps one day very soon Poppy will have her own tall and elegant steed to carry her around… let’s just hope he’s not too fast for her.

Sally is a performer at the local saloon by night and helps out with cleaning during the day… she knows NOTHING about horses… but one night, after all the local drunks went home, a poor American Paint got left behind. Nobody came back to claim the animal, so Sally boards him at the local ranch and visits often. She hopes one day to learn how to ride him, but it’s slow going. She is, after all, a singer and actress first.

AND THEN HOME THE SALOON!! YOU DIDN’T THINK I’D FORGET HOME, DID YOU?? He has a small stable in the back and a second floor, where Wally lives! Wally gets to spend all his free time hanging out, meeting up with his friends, and drinking all the apple juice he wants! (Just don’t tell him it’s apple juice, he’ll get confused. He thinks he’s just drinking whiskey like everyone else. It’s easier this way.) Also Home is the only saloon that can kick out belligerent drunk people itself!

Also Bonus OCs, Luna O’Hare the bilingual cartographer (created by @m0stlygh0st) and Simon, my boy, the ranch hand! Luna has an Andalusian that she likes to dress up, braid it’s mane, and stick flowers in it-… as snacks for later. They’re also grazing buddies and Luna can often be found eating the horse feed because it’s so similar to rabbit food. Simon has a gelding Quarter Horse with golden retriever energy and not a single braincell to his name. Poor Simon… but at least his horse loves him.

YEEHAW!!!! 🤠

[deceptive-daydreams]

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 |

Smoke Signals

Chapter Four - Boiling Point

W/C: 7.4K

Eddie x Fem reader - Grumpy!Bartender!Eddie x Shy!Reader

Warnings: Mentions of vomiting, slight SA (groping), drinking (if I missed anything please let me know)

A messy night and several unfortunate events.

A/N: This one got a little long but it was so fun to write, chaos is really fun to coordinate but my poor babies are taking the brunt of it all woops

Masterlist

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Working nights had flipped your entire sleeping schedule upside down.  Two weeks had passed since that first evening where you worked an entire shit show and you still weren’t accustomed to resting in the afternoon in preparation for the night shift.  It didn’t seem like such a big deal seeing as the bar thrived around three nights a week and remained quiet to steady the rest of the time but with a staff of only four, the workload piles up.  Tossing and turning on the couch, you groan, longing for a peaceful sleep that would energize you.  The bed wasn’t doing you any justice which is why the couch sounded that much more appealing but as it turns out they both had the same effect.  

Keeping you awake.

Now, there wasn’t anything remotely wrong with either one however, you just couldn’t seem to get comfortable enough to find that blissful sleep you were yearning for.  

You were restless.

What didn’t help was the incessant shredding of an electric guitar next door.  The high pitch clawed at your ears and echoed throughout the canyon your house was settled in.  You could either suck it up and muffle the sound as best as you could with a pillow, or you could confront your noisy neighbor and politely let him know you were trying to sleep in order to fuel yourself to run his bar.  Confrontation was not your specialty and you would avoid it by any means necessary.  But it couldn’t hurt to just ask him to stop.  The worst he could do is laugh in your face and slam the door.

And that would be enough to turn your blood hot, not in rage, but in shame and embarrassment.  Maybe it was best to tuck your sweaty and fidgety body back into the couch for long enough that the imprints of the rough fabric would show up as indentations on your skin.  Hopefully the shrieking of the guitar would eventually fade away and become background noise in your dreams.  

It never did stop.

–

“Jett, could you please toss me that rag?  Major spill at table four.”

It was 6:00 PM, Friday night.  Just about every table and every stool was occupied, a competitive game of pool provoking many men to yell at the top of their lungs, causing your ear drums even more grief than the endless guitar solos you had to endure earlier.  On top of it all, drunk people on a Friday night were not easy to clean up after, several spills inevitably happening on your watch, with more than enough evidence to back your claim up.

“I’ll get it, you go on your break.”  Jett advises.

The Bourbon was nearly at capacity, a majority of the town’s regulars seated along the bar and even more of its residents engaging in their pre-weekend activities.  The people of Knife’s Edge were rambunctious or at least, that’s the only side of them you’d seen so far.  Most likely because they were all getting hammered.  Maybe you should get out more?  Then you could see their personalities sober and not glazed over with the confidence of alcohol.

“You sure?”  You ask sincerely.

Jett didn’t even have a second to glance up at you from the beers he was collecting, a whole round of them for a table of five men roaring with laughter.

“Yeah, if you don’t take it now it’s only going to get busier and you never will.”  He yells over the booming music.

“Okay.”

You’re reluctant to leave him alone but you trust his judgment, seeing as he has no issue making that call.  And customers seemed to love him, joking back and forth until he practically dragged himself back behind the bar.  They hadn’t seemed to take that kind of liking toward you quite yet and the only compliments you received were gross comments from older men that slurred their words, you respectfully dismissing yourself to tend to other customers just to escape.

Quickly, you make your way toward the back through the narrow hallway that leads out to the alley.  The bar had become stuffy, too many humans populating the small space, prompting a much needed break for a breath of fresh air.  Almost reaching the door, a haven that would relieve your sweat coated skin with a crisp breeze, you collide into something firm, a deep grunt coming from the source.

“Watch it, Bambi.”  Eddie barks, glaring down at you.  He holds an unopened bottle of tequila, knuckles white as he tightens his grasp.

“I-I’m sorry.”  You stutter, taken back by his stern voice.  It was for the most part, always stern but this time it was especially disapproving.

“Where are you going?”  He asks, brows furrowed.

“My break.  Jett just–”

“Your break?  Now?  I need all hands on deck right now, take your break in like thirty when it calms down.”  

A vein in his neck looks as if it’s about to pop, stress evident in his entire demeanor.  Even his lips are bitten and red from what seemed to be constant tugging from his teeth.  Maybe he needed a toothpick to chew on instead?  Maybe that’s why he chewed on them in the first place?

“Well I–Jett just sent me on break.”  You reason.

“Jett?”

“Yeah.”

He breathes in deep, head tilting toward the ceiling as he exhales through his mouth, clearly trying to maintain his calmness.  Although it always seemed like he was going to blow up and cause a scene when he got like this, he never did.  

“Jesus Christ, kid’s gonna give me an aneurysm.”

Walking down the hall toward the commotion of the bar, he shakes his head, curls bouncing and that famous frizz framing his head like a halo.  You keep your movements halted, feet glued to the floor in confusion as to whether you’re meant to follow him or actually go on your break.

“So do I–do you want me to take my break or–”

“Just go.”  He calls back, this time a calmer tone detected in his voice.

If you were meant to do the opposite in some sort of reverse psychology moment, you didn’t.  The cool air called to you and you were going to use all ten minutes to bathe in it, and reset your nervous system.  Eddie could sweat in your place for the time being.  

Things had been easier since that first shift; the cook, Randy, had returned and said that he left in the heat of the moment, explaining the following day that he lost his cool and was so certain he was going to quit.  Then he came back to his senses and realized how unrealistic that was and that he was in no position to be searching for a new job right now.  He was on the verge of begging for his job back but what you’d heard from the back office was Eddie telling him not to ‘pull that shit again’ and to ‘get back to work’.  No further discussions or arguments on the topic ensued since that day.

The chilly Autumn air brushed against your cheeks upon stepping out the door, not too much of a bite to it yet but enough to warrant a slight shiver.  The sun had already set just over an hour ago, darkness already enclosing the surrounding world.  It felt empty and devoid of life, but not in an apocalyptic way, but rather in a serene kind of way.  It was quiet except for the whisper of leaves of the birch trees in the wind.

This place still felt so far from home and your loneliness was still as prominent as ever.  You worked, went home, slept, woke up at around 10:00 AM, fixed breakfast, attempted to go back to sleep, failed and sometimes visited Donnie at the supermarket, and repeated.  The routine was sad and you might as well have been a grouchy old woman that no one spoke to or went near, not a twenty something year old who should be making the most out of her life.  The locals weren’t unfriendly, you just couldn’t seem to fit in.  Jett was the closest thing you had to a ‘friend’, although he was your coworker and some may see it as mandatory that he remains friendly with you.  Outside of work you had little to no interaction with others, usually opting to stay in and clean or watch reruns of some shows you had pre-recorded on a collection of VHS tapes.  It’s not to say you didn’t enjoy your nights in, you just wished you had the option to call someone up to hang out or make plans every now and then.

Ten minutes flew by like it was seconds, the door leading inside swinging open unexpectedly and smacking against the concrete wall, Eddie’s head poking out in search of you.  

“Excuse me, do you work here?”  He asks sarcastically.

You control the urge to roll your eyes, having a better sense of his antics in the past two weeks and knowing that no real consequences would apply to you under these circumstances.  You still maintain the need to react to his dramatics and remind him that you were helping him out just as much as he was helping you.  But you push it down and straighten your posture.

“Yes.”  You reply, eyes staring up at him with a hint of resistance.

“Could’ve had me fooled.”  He snaps, ducking back inside.

Following him, you finally give into the urge to roll your eyes behind his back.

“I timed my break just right.”  You notify him, glancing at your watch.  “I was about to come back.”

“You’re a minute late.”

Instead of allowing you a chance to argue with him, he jumps right back into action and starts clearing off a vacant table.  The rush hadn’t stopped all night, table after table being cleared only to immediately seat a new party.

After he strides off with a pile of glasses and a few plates, you get to work on wiping everything clean.  It was a newfound system, a plan that hadn’t been agreed on by either of you but was understood regardless.  With how understaffed the bar was, it worked like a charm.  

Jett’s main role was behind the bar but every now and then he would catch onto whenever you and Eddie were running behind and he would swoop in to take care of a table or two.  Recently, you learned that the other bartender, Pete, had quit and skipped town about a week before your arrival, making it that much harder to keep up with the demand of the customers who regularly chose The Bourbon to decompress at.  So now it was only you, Eddie, Jett, and Randy running the whole place.  It turned out not to be too bad of a gig, weeknights were slow enough and Sundays the bar was closed, leaving Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays as the busiest nights of the week.  The tips were decent enough as well.

Especially from those creepy old men which was an unfortunate situation you could do without but hey, it helped pay the bills.  If you ignored their advances and didn’t completely reject them, they’d leave behind a nice tip.  It felt icky, pocketing the money but the more you thought about it, the more compelled you felt to take their money.  If they were going to waste your time, you might as well be compensated for it.

One man in particular had been lurking at one of the corner tables, purposely opting out of the bar seating to instead have a higher chance of you waiting on him.  He must have been in his sixties and had an unnerving stare that just made you want to hide back in the kitchen.  You failed to inform Eddie, simply because he didn’t need further reason to see you as dainty or incapable of holding your own.  

So you gulped down your fear and put the blinders on as best you could.  

Just take his order and get it over with.  Then you can move on with your night and hopefully he’ll be out of here soon.

And right off the bat, his disgusting mouth started running.  Something about ‘can a pretty little thing like you get me a drink?’.  Then a few more unsolicited nicknames with a smirk and some remark about how good your body looked.  Something you didn’t care to hold onto in your mind, you only felt the need to take a shower.

As you rounded the corner of the bar and got to work making the pervert’s drink, you found yourself lost in thought.  Thoughts about if he found out where you lived, you may be done for.  It was a small town after all and it wouldn’t be difficult.  

“Hey, you good?”  Jett asks, shaker in hand, concern obvious in his knit eyebrows.

“What?”  You’re pulled out of your mind, shaking your head as if to lure yourself back to reality.  “Yeah, I’m fine.”  You assure him.

He nods but his expression shows that he’s not very convinced.  You finish off the drink you’d been absentmindedly making, a scotch on the rocks while offering Jett one more reassuring smile before making your way out from behind the bar.

Like you were throwing yourself back into the lion’s den, you approach the man’s table, hoping to quickly drop off his drink and be on your way.  If only life were ever so kind to you.    

“Thank you, sweetheart.”  A disgusting grin paints his face and just before you can mumble an ‘mhm’ and rush off, an unwelcome hand gropes your ass, sliding down, down, down.  You can’t see his face but you know he displays the most revolting smirk following his actions.

With a yelp followed by a gasp, you freeze.  Paralyzed, you aren’t sure how to move forward, how do you recover from being reduced to a piece of meat?  Flesh to be gawked at and held onto without permission.  An object to be handled.

“I-I’m sorry but—“  You begin to stumble over your words but never get the chance to say much more when the sound of a chair screeching against the wood floors, arguably worse than nails on a chalkboard, is heard behind you.

Upon turning around, you’re met with the sight of your boss shoving the repulsive man toward the door by the collar of his mustard stained shirt.  Eddie's strength shows despite his lean figure, appearing to have no trouble in maneuvering the man where he wants him against the door.

“What the fuck was that?”  Eddie bites, nostrils flaring as his cheeks seem to heat with a hue of red.

“Listen—“

The man’s hands are thrown up in surrender but it’s apparent that wasn’t the true intent behind his actions.  An excuse was on the tip of his tongue before Eddie cut him off, not an ounce of patience left.

“What.  The.  Fuck.  Was that?”  He repeats, grip tightening on the shirt collar, face inching closer to the man as a means of intimidation.

“Just a little flirting, she was into it.”

You can’t help but grimace at the pathetic attempt to cover up what had actually happened.  And it seemed that Eddie didn’t take too well to that answer either, further pushing the man into the door if even possible.  The scene had drawn the attention of almost the whole bar, a sea of eyeballs glued to the altercation about to happen, your very being flushed from embarrassment from the mere idea of being the source of all of it.  Had you walked away quicker, it would’ve gone unnoticed and you could’ve gone on with your night, leaving everyone else undisturbed.

“Yeah?”  Eddie cocks his head to the side, his chest heaving.  “Didn’t seem like she was into it to me.”  

“She was—“

“I wasn’t fuckin’ asking.  She wasn’t into it.”  

If looks could kill, the guy would be erased from existence with no trace of life left behind on Eddie’s account.  His big brown eyes showcased pure rage, a distinct difference from the annoyance and the fiery glare he’d cast on you every so often, especially when you would forget to pile up the dishes his way.  No, this was far more devastating and should you one day be the recipient of his aggressive stare, you’d be reduced to tears on the spot.

“Now you’re gonna get the hell out of my bar.  I never wanna see you again—“

“Listen man, I’m not—“

“I’m fucking talking.”  Eddie growls.  “You get the hell out of here and never come back, you hear me?  And you better fucking hope I don’t catch you pulling some shit like that again, I will kick your goddamn teeth in.”  He promises.

Confrontations like this were not something you were familiar with, always running off before things got too far.  You suppose that’s why people feel it was okay to use you as a doormat.  It always feels easier to drop it and walk away, ‘be the bigger person’ or whatever they say.  Even if it actually meant making you feel like the smallest person on earth.

All the back and forth and frequent swears with intention of aggravation had labored your breathing, your chest struggling to allow movement, feeling like a straw was delivering air to your lungs.  Just when you’d attempt to swallow a big enough breath of air, it would all go to waste and only provide just enough oxygen to get by.  A cold sweat threatened to spill from your hairline, your palms clammy to match.  The murmurs and whispers of witnesses had your eyes darting from person to person, suddenly all too aware of the life you were living.

Too human.  

You don’t remember another word exchanged between the two men and you certainly don’t remember how you managed to claw your way to the bathroom amidst the turmoil.  But here you were, staring into the dingy mirror with no purpose other than to escape.  And it wasn’t working.  Suddenly the lights were too bright and the room was too small, but it was secluded and that's what mattered.  Having some kind of an episode in front of the entire bar would be far worse, having an episode alone where prying eyes cannot dissect your every movement and reason for being is the better option.  It wasn’t often that your mind went to this extent when being faced with a challenging situation but when it did, you didn’t find it easy to come out of.

You heard your name floating somewhere in the bleach scented air but couldn’t quite bring yourself back enough to recognize who required your attention.  There was a head peeking in at the door after some frequent knocking and though you kept insisting you were okay and just to give you a few minutes, the individual seemed to have reason not to believe you.  

“Hey, Ed!”  He called behind him.  It was Jett.  A sweet and scared out of his mind Jett from what you could decipher through squinted eyes and blurred vision.  He was obviously being faced with unfamiliar territory, I mean who is ever prepared to talk someone down from an anxiety attack in the middle of a shift?  Panic was evident in his voice just as much as it was evident in your whole body.

“Eddie, I need some help!”  He yells again.  “Hey, you okay?  What happened?  Do you need–”

“Move over.”  You hear Eddie mumble before the door swings open, the hinges squeaking painfully.  “You’re asking too many questions.”  

With a swift shut of the door, Jett hurries back to attend to the several customers awaiting service.

“Listen to me, Bambi.  You gotta breathe.”  His voice is smooth, a huge contrast to what you’d just heard moments ago. 

When your legs begin to feel wobbly, as if you were a calf taking its first steps, you slowly lower yourself to the ground, a sturdy hand wrapping around your upper arm to support you.  

“In.”  Eddie inhales, though you can only hear him since your eyes are shut so tightly, your eyelids might rip.  “Out.”  He exhales.  “C’mon, breathe in–”

“Is she oka—”

“Jett, fuck off for a minute.  Please.”  Eddie begs, clearly fed up before returning to his newfound gentle tone.  “Can you look at me?”  He diverts his attention back to you, Jett taking the hint and shutting the door, leaving you and Eddie alone.

Eyes squeezed shut, you shake your head.  Your body shakes involuntarily, the anxiety becoming even worse when you try to contain it, like it wants to jump out and strangle you.

“Okay, okay.”  He attempts to soothe.  “You wanna get some air?”  He asks just above a whisper.

“I-I dunno.  ‘M sorry.”  You manage to choke out, sniffling.

“Okay, no big deal.”  He sighs, running a hand down his face, not out of irritation but more so exhaustion.  “Let’s get you outside, it’s too hot in here.”  

Before you can protest, he’s wrapping an arm around your shoulders and supporting the majority of your weight against him, walking you out of the bathroom and out the door into the alley.  The chilly air bites at your skin and thankfully, reality slowly starts to return again.  

“Try breathing again, in and out.”  Eddie encourages.  

You nod, jaw locked tightly both from the cold and from the paralyzing anxiety coursing through your veins.  Your teeth feel as if they could crack at any second, the pressure from you biting down too immense but you can’t bring yourself to unhinge your jaw.

“In.”  Eddie coaches, exaggerating a large breath, his chest rising with the motion.  “Out.”  He exhales through his mouth, his breath visible in the air.

He continues the breathing exercise a few more times, you following carefully as things become clear again.  And from all that had just happened, all you could gather was that you were a huge baby who couldn’t handle a rogue customer.  You weren’t capable of holding things down when it got rough.  

Pathetic.

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know–I don’t know what happened–”  You try to make sense of it all, failing miserably.

“What happened was some pervert copped a feel and we don’t play around with that shit here.”  

Anger is obvious within his expression, even more so when he pulls out his pack of cigarettes and lights one hastily.

“Did you…”  

The question is on the tip of your tongue however, you won’t let yourself say it at the risk of sounding even more like an injured bird.  

“What?”  He asks, kicking around a few pebbles, the cigarette hanging from his lip before he brings his fingers up to grab it and inhale.  His brows are knit together, still beyond bothered by the dispute that just occurred.  

“Nevermind.”  You mumble.

His gaze meets yours, lashes casting perfect shadows just over his cheek bones in the warm lighting of the street lamp and once again, among all the darkness that pools in those chocolatey irises, there is a twinkle.  Barely noticeable but still there.  

“What?”  He urges again, voice monotone.

“Did you…did he…?”

“Did I fuck him up?”  He asks, brows raised.

You nod bashfully, a hint of fear flashing in your eyes.

“No.”  Eddie scoffs.  “I should’ve though.”  He flicks the ash from his cigarette toward the ground.  “Motherfucker.”  He mumbles.  

“Why didn’t you then?”

It was too forward and you had no business asking.  Really, it just tumbled out, off of your tongue, barely a thought behind it before it was too late.  Now you were just asking for a reaction, not a good one at that.

“It was either that or let Bambi suffocate in the bathroom.  Gotta pick your battles.”  He gestures toward you, shrugging.  

It wasn’t the reaction you were expecting, you were bracing for a bigger explosion.  Waiting for him to tell you to get back to work and to stop asking questions.  But he didn’t.  He just continued to kick little pebbles around on the pavement, his boot scuffing along the surface as he smoked.  He looked relaxed for once.

“Oh.”  You reply, staring down at your own shoes.  “I-I’m sorry.” 

“Is apologizing like…your hobby?”  He questions, shoving his other hand into his pocket.

“Well–uh no, no–”

“I love that you’re out here having bonding time but I’m a one man show in there and I need some supporting acts.”  Jett interrupts, the door creating a gust of wind and then flooding you with temporary warmth from the air inside.  “I at least need Eddie.”  He pleads.

Nodding frantically, you begin to make your way back inside, Jett already speeding off to resume his duties.

“Hey, you okay to go back in there?”  Eddie asks, dropping his cigarette and stomping it out.  “You can take another minute–”

“I’m fine.”  You insist.  He didn’t need further evidence that you were frail and incapable.  Whether it was intentional or not, he had bruised your sliver of self-confidence.

–

The rush was finally over, the last of it being a party of ten which left a table full of dishes to be delivered to the kitchen for washing.  Each plate was stacked in your palms, piled high as you worked one hand out from underneath to add on a few cups, cutting down on the amount of trips you would need to make.  You’d blocked out the vile events that occurred earlier in the night, at least until you had time to cry about it to yourself which when working at The Bourbon, there was never time for that.  So it would have to wait until the drive home.  Maybe you’d even save it for the shower where you could truly release all of your emotions in peace, no judging eyes or risk of a car accident.

Successfully stacking a few cups among the tower of plates, you spin on your heel, making your way toward the kitchen as the others cleaned up, Jett wiping down the bar and kicking out the lingering drunks, and Eddie cleaning up the mess that the pool table had become.  It was 1:00 AM and if everyone did their part, you’d be out of here by at least 1:30.  Tensions had been high all night, one inconvenience after another occurring, only adding onto everyone’s stress and only giving more incentive to clean quicker and go home.  A broken glass here, a messed up order there.

The kitchen door is just in reach and when you push into it with your shoulder, all of your calculations fail, the pile of plates collapsing as they hit the door frame rather than dodging it like you intended.  Each plate crashes against the floor, shattering into pieces, a few of the cups also breaking on impact.  It was the icing on the cake of a bad night, the final straw and your reason to burst into tears and yet you don’t.  

Not yet.

Not here.

A total of four eyeballs watch in shock, two more joining in as Randy, the cook peeks out from the kitchen door.  Though the tears didn’t burst from your eyes quite yet, they did sting, they stung horribly.  You could feel them brimming at your waterline, just a centimeter away from trickling down your cheek and exposing you as the biggest crybaby in the world.  If it wasn’t already apparent.

Do not cry.

And if it wasn’t already bad enough, Eddie seemed to completely reverse his gentle attitude you’d become suddenly accustomed to earlier.

“What the hell.”  He glares, slowly approaching as he sets a few glasses back down on the pool table.  “Do you watch where you’re going?  Do you have eyes?”  He asks.

You don’t dare answer, frozen in place as your nerves tingle in panic once again.  You don’t feel real.  You feel as if your spirit has risen from your body and is watching over the conversation playing out.

“Now I’m out what–ten or so plates?  Do you know what it costs–”

“Eddie.”  Jett tries to take control of the situation, taking notice of your watering eyes.  And unfortunately so does Eddie.

“What–oh, you’re gonna cry?  What did I tell you?  I told you this job wasn’t for someone like you.”  Eddie snaps.

He was bitter, unpleasantly bitter like a shitty cup of coffee.

“Eddie, stop it.”  Jett tries to defend you, though you wish you could defend yourself so you didn’t seem so pathetic.

“I told you I can’t babysit you–”

“I know.”  You manage to quietly sob, bending down to start collecting the broken pieces.  There’s an awkward moment of silence, the air thick with tension and anticipation of more insults.  All you can do is wait.

“Just leave it, just–leave it.”  Eddie sighs, running a hand through his bangs.  “Just go home.”

The demand isn’t necessarily an insult like you’d imagined but it still feels backhanded.  Like he was telling you ‘I told you so’ and rubbing it in your face.  As if he gave you a chance with the means of preparing for this moment, the moment you fucked up even slightly.

“I’m gonna get the broom.”  Jett says, eyes wide as he scampers to the back.

Staring up at Eddie, large pieces of plate collected in your hand, all you can make out in his eyes is outrage.  Downplayed outrage that hadn’t fully escaped yet and you didn’t want to hang around long enough to witness it.  He was capable of much more than he was letting on.

“If you can’t handle–”

“You know Eddie, you’re just mean.  You’re being mean.”  You declare through a frown, internally screaming at yourself to keep it together, to not let a tear spill over.  He didn’t deserve the satisfaction of watching you cry.

“Did you know you never even asked for my name?”  You swipe underneath your eyes, catching any tears that longed to trail down your cheeks, displaying your distress, instead wiping them on your apron.

His unkind stare lets up, eyes softening ever so slightly.  

Too late.

“I’m not a person to you.”  You drop the shards from your hands, standing up to head toward the back for your things.

“Wait–”

If he kept talking, you didn’t stick around to hear it.  You scooped up your bag from the rusting lockers toward the back of the kitchen, tucked away in a corner before striding to the front, toward the bar.  If he thought you were some kind of an entitled brat that needed babysitting then you were going to give him more than he bargained for.  Granted, you weren’t thinking straight either, the stress of the night only adding up and creating an outburst you would otherwise bottle up.

Grabbing a shot glass from under the bar, you reach for one of the nicer tequilas, something smoother that wouldn’t burn as much.  Tequila always put you in a good mood and never gave you a hangover.  Filling the shot glass, you don’t even bother looking over at Eddie or Jett, who was now sweeping broken plates into a dustpan.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”  Eddie hurries over, staring you down.  All you offer him in response is a shrug before tossing the liquor back.

Refilling the glass, you sneak a glance over at him from across the counter, his jaw dropped in shock and his face red and flushed with anger.  Steam was nearly shooting out of his ears.  The second shot is thrown back and your muscles begin to relax, anxieties melting away even at the basis of creating more problems.

If that wasn’t enough for him, you finished it off with a third shot, hoping it wouldn’t be too much all at once.  You were brave enough to look right into his eyes, daring him to say the wrong thing.  

“What are you doing?”  He asks again, calmer but still heated.

“I’m just acting how you think I should.”  You answer, a fake smile painted across your lips.

“I’m not comping those.”

His focus burns into you, lips in a tight line as he watches.  If looks could kill.  For the second time that night.  Except this time, you were on the receiving end and had you not been three shots in, it would’ve terrified you and had you apologizing profusely.

“Well, I’m not paying for them.”  You say, pouring yourself one more for good measure, swallowing it like it was water.

As you go to make your big exit, you’re faced with a harsh reality.  You’re definitely drunk, or at least very close to being drunk as the alcohol consumes your body, and you’re definitely not driving home like this.  You did not think this through.  But you kept walking anyway through the kitchen and out to the back just to lean against the concrete wall pathetically.  You were starting to wish that you’d gulped down some water before leaving to aid in sobering up.

If the sight of you leaning against the wall behind a bar at 1:12 AM wasn’t sad enough, tack on the fact that you had finally let the waterworks flow, your drunk self especially susceptible to your muddled emotions.  

“Bambi, what the fuck.  You gonna drive?”  Eddie emerges from the kitchen door leading outside, seemingly cooled down but you still don’t trust it.

“Don’t call ‘m Bambi.”  You slur. 

“What are you doing out here?”  He ignores your protest.

“‘Jus gimme a few minutes.”  You whine, eyes shut as if it would make him disappear.

“No, not a few minutes.  You’re not driving.”

You never intended on driving but you were finding it difficult to fight him off in your discombobulated state, willing to say anything to get him to leave.  Obviously he had the upper hand at this moment, clearly able to outsmart you.

“I know.”  You wail, tears on full display for him.

“I’ll drive you, let me get my keys.”  

“Nooo, wha ‘bout Jett?”  You ask, wiping away your tears, mascara coating your fingertips.

“Jett doesn't live right next door to you, you’d just be making him go out of his way for no reason.”

Snot dripping from your nose, you glare up at him, earning an expectant stare from him.  All you can do is roll your eyes, too drunk to care anymore.  You still preferred having Jett go out of his way, at least he respected you as a person.  But the argument was lost among gargled thoughts and a short term memory.

“Still mean.”  You insult, finger poking at his chest harshly.  It doesn’t do much.

It feels like hours that you two are staring at each other, likely due to the alcohol running through your system.  He hesitates in running back inside, even if just for a few seconds to grab his keys, his eyes looking you over in concern.  A muttered ‘be right back’ is heard and then he’s gone.

The stars catch your attention, drastically brighter than they would be back home, many more of them too.  A few stand out, gleaming in the sky and making them that much more admirable.  Your mind drifts off to thoughts of the Milky Way, swirling around the universe and ultimately making you feel infinitely smaller and more insignificant.  

What was your place?

Eddie steps back out, keys twirling around his fingers, straight-faced, not an ounce of amusement in his handsome features.  Glancing at him briefly, you then tilt your head back up toward the sky, dazed and almost in a trance.  If you weren’t careful, you could’ve been staring at him like that.  But you weren’t that drunk.  

Or so you thought.

Thinking about it, you must have been the spitting image of insane; mascara smeared across your face, tears glimmering in the moonlight, and your bottom lip set in a perfect pout like a child waiting to get their way.  Your bag was twisted around your body in the most uncomfortable way but you couldn’t find it in you to untwist it and realistically, you should be wearing your jacket but instead its clutched in your fist, the cold pricking at your skin and eliciting goosebumps up and down your arms.  The chattering of your teeth interrupted the silence and played as the soundtrack of your hazy daydreaming.  

It also let Eddie know that he needed to either force you to put your jacket on, or get you in the car.  And he knew he wouldn’t win that first battle so ushering you to the passenger seat it was.  

“C’mon.”  Is all he says, huffing out a breath.

You vaguely recall being helped into the passenger’s side but you don’t remember walking a few yards to actually reach the car or if you were even able to do so on your own.  From what you could tell in your state, his car was a beaten up thing, kinda old but it smelled like those little pine tree air fresheners.  

Once the scenery outside started to move, all thoughts subsided, the only one left was solely to keep yourself from vomiting all over your boss’s car.  You would stoop as low as to drink his most expensive tequila but vomiting all over his carpeted floor was another low you wouldn’t dream of wishing upon anybody.  

Trees zoomed by and you were sure you were going cross eyed from trying to keep up with each and every one.  Some metal song plays through the speakers but in your own little world, you hardly hear it, still subconsciously bobbing your head to the fading beat.

One minute you were sitting content in your dream land, the next Eddie was shoving something into your hands while urgently pulling over.  Your mind hadn’t caught up to what was happening yet however, you could vaguely make out Eddie yelling at you to aim for the bag while you stared directly into said bag.  When you glanced over at him, everything felt as if it were in slow motion and again, he was panicking while yelling at you to ‘puke in the bag!’.

The perfect cocktail of a situation for an individual so reserved and so inexperienced with this much attention.  At least most of it would be a blur by morning.

–

“There you go, just grab my–shoulder!  Ow!”  Eddie complains, your fingers a bit too comfortable with digging into his skin through his cotton shirt as you attempt to hoist yourself up into a standing position from the passenger seat.  

Home was only steps away and then you could collapse wherever you pleased.  Forget about this stupid night.  At least until you awakened as your regularly anxious self.  You’d have a few hours of drunken bliss to forget about life but that’s all you were allowed.  Then you would need to face your consequences, whatever they may be.  Come the morning, you most likely wouldn’t have a job anymore, Eddie would probably come knocking at your door and let you know that you blew it.  And he’d probably laugh in your face at the fact that you proved yourself to be too weak, too dainty, as he so adamantly proclaimed before.

“Oh no.”  You mumble, feeling yourself wobbling, knees giving out underneath you.

“Whoa, whoa, okay!  You’re fine, you’re fine.”  Eddie stabilizes you, arms around your waist.

Your limbs might as well be Jello at this point, rendering you a useless human unable to even stumble to your destination.  It dawns on you that you can’t remember if you even actually puked in the car or not.  Was it coating his interior or had you shoved your head in the bag just in time to spew your guts?  Or did you bravely swallow it down?  Whatever the case, Eddie doesn’t seem to currently have any grievances or any trouble touching you so you must have been somewhat responsible about it.

Your weight depends on him, leaning into his chest as he practically carries you toward the house.  Your eyes flutter repeatedly and—your question of whether you had already puked or not is quickly answered as the contents of your stomach spill out and onto his shirt before you’re able to aim for the ground.  Humiliation was starting to look like your middle name.

As you dry heave and allow a long string of saliva to drip from your mouth while hunched over in the dirt, you hear Eddie muttering several curses.  You think for sure he’s going to ditch you for creating such a stir up throughout the night until his boots come into view in front of you, his hand pulling the hair away from your face as you finish emptying your stomach.

“Okay.”  He sighs.  “Puke it out.”  A hesitant hand smoothes over your back, the lightest touch.

The smell of putrid vomit invades his nose, nausea threatening to take over him as well if he didn’t hold his breath.  Try as he may to ignore the chunks of god knows what on his shirt, it was still all that was on his mind.  He didn’t even want to chance looking down if there was the slightest possibility that it had also gotten in his hair.  Even being covered in your sick, he knows he should be fuming.  But he’s not and it's all so puzzling.  

You marched your ass behind his bar and consumed more tequila than you could handle which in turn forced him to drive you home and then you vomited all over him.  If that’s not enough reason to be pissed beyond belief then he doesn’t know what is.  Yet he remains calm and collected, running his hand between your shoulder blades as he soothes you throughout your dry heaving and gagging.

“It won’t–oh god–it won’t stop.”  You sob, looking up at him, a mixture of snot, tears, and saliva coating the lower half of your face.

You look repulsive and yet he can’t tear his eyes away from you.  The prettiest definition of repulsive he’d ever seen.

“Don’t hold it back, let it all out.  You’re only gonna feel like shit if you hold any of it in.”  He instructs, kneeling down to meet your eye level.

With a few sniffles and hiccups, you nod.  Only now you’re hyper aware of being watched.  It was a sobering experience, puking right in front of your house, not able to even make it to the nearest toilet while your boss spectates and–oh.  

It hits you that the front of his shirt is caked in your puke, bile soaking the fabric while remnants of your late lunch displays itself on his perfect black shirt.  You would never live this down and you would certainly never work another shift at The Bourbon again.  Even if he did scream at you for no good reason, you took it a few levels too far.

“Y-your shirt, oh no–”

“Relax, okay, Bambi?  I can handle a little puke, now where’s your key?”  He asks.  

It’s not that he could handle a little puke, he had to.  Because what good would it do if the two of you were both throwing up in your front yard?

Attempting to answer him, the rest of your stomach interrupts and unexpectedly spews all over his combat boots.  As if the night couldn’t get any worse.

“Shit.”  He mutters under his breath.

“‘M sorry, ‘m so sorry.”  You whimper, glassy eyes staring up at him with regret.  “I din’t mean it, I swear, m’ just–”

“I know.”  Eddie exhales.  “You done puking, is there anything else left in there?”

Shaking your head in sorrow, a few more hiccups escape your lungs but there are no further signs that you’re going to be sick again.  Even if you were, it didn’t matter anymore, Eddie was already well acquainted with your vomit, what harm would a little more do at this point?

As you start shuffling through your bag and patting at your pockets, panic settles in and you can only recall that the last place you’d seen your keys was at the bar, where you set them down to spitefully gulp down as much tequila as you could.  Now it was biting you in the ass, hard.

“Left my keys at the bar.”  You pout pitifully. 

Eddie glares at you, rightfully so.  The man was covered in foul smelling vomit, kneeling on the ground, taking care of you.

“Fucking christ.”  He mumbles.

~end~

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[rosenrot234]

Sort of sequel to that post about that specific theory with James.

While I don't think he was assaulted. I do think he at least had schizophreniform disorder. It's like schizophrenia but only lasts around 1 to 6 months.

Because"present day playable" James really doesn't have the usual symptoms of schizophrenia. ( Unless all the weird noises we hear is actually in his head and not the town doing it. ) Like he's going THROUGH it obviously.

Symptoms include even stuff like poor hygiene. I get why people thought "Oh he doesn't want to be naked because he was assaulted" but he could just straight up not give a damn about bathing. ( He keeps his gross poo sleeve for AWHILE after that one toilet puzzle )

Heres what I was looking at. Now if all the spooky noises James hears is just all in his head instead of Silent Hill messing with him, then yeah that sounds like a full schizophrenia diagnosis but I'm just some nobody on the internet. I can't obviously diagnose lol

This could also explain or at least be another explanation for Maria showing up. But Maria is just a buncha shit. You could interpret her existence in so many goddamn ways.

The "self inflicted injury" mentioned in said theory could also just be James performing self harm out of paranoia. Like some of the memos that mention tearing off skin etc etc.

I know I said the theory still had a bit of meat to it, these are all just gentle responses against at least some parts of it.

James and his reaction to Abstract Daddy could just be "lets just use the footage from the actor even tho the camera is behind them for this shot". They wouldn't hide something THAT important behind the player actually manipulating the camera. That's nonsense.

I feel like the "similar darkness" Ito mentioned with Angela and James was just their trauma having sexual elements to it. Angela with her dad and brother. James with his obvious lack of intimacy. And / Or guilt at possibly finding other women attractive when he still obviously loves Mary. "Similar darkness" doesn't mean "exactly the same purely". Silent Hill has James fight the Abstract Daddy because to me its basically going "are you like this man?". Just like its trying to warn him to not go down that path. The town does the same thing with Eddie with asking James "This you?" at the whole "MURDER IS GREAT!" thing with Eddie. ( Which is deliciously ironic because James is going "NO" as they then kill Eddie in self defense )

Adding to this real quick: I also like to think the reason Silent Hill keeps having James bump into Angela. I think the towns trying to show her in its own fucked up way "not all men are bad" ( which is ironic because its using James. Who I do not consider evil but this is complicated ) . Having James kill Abstract Daddy to see how both James and Angela would respond to it. Like a "ooo two for the price of one!" deal

[tlbodine]

Overthinking: You Can't Scare Me

This is one of those Goosebumps books that completely missed my radar at the time. I didn't know it existed until I started doing this series. Which is, on the balance, probably for the best. I think kid-me would have been very excited by the cover, which is one of the scariest in the series, but disappointed by the story, which is basically a daisy chain of shaggy dog stories.

You Can't Scare Me came out in January of '94, the first book in the second year of the original run and #15 in the series. It's also a playful, one may say indulgent, experiment with form. A frustrating near-miss of a story? Or a thoughtful treatise on the art of writing horror? Let's overthink it.

First, the Plot: This one has another ensemble cast, and much like Say Cheese and Die, a great deal of You Can't Scare Me is simply spent riffing on the interplay of its various characters. You've got Eddie, his friend Hat (who always wears a baseball cap), and a couple gum-chewing girls named Molly and Charlene.

All of them are jealous of class know-it-all and possessor of Big Dick Energy, Courtney.

It starts with a field trip where Courtney not only shows off her academic prowess, but fearlessly handles a snake and some bees, both of which had frightened Eddie. He's embarrassed about this and vows to get revenge by scaring her, and his friends conspire to make it happen.

Unfortunately, no matter what they do, they simply cannot scare Courtney. Their plans keep going sideways.

They hide a rubber snake in her lunch bag, but she shares her lunch with the teacher and HE gets the scare instead.

They try dropping a tarantula on her head but miss, catching Molly instead, and Courtney saves the day.

They try to get Charlene's dog to do a vicious Cujo act and scare her in the woods, but they lose the dog and Courtney ends up finding him -- and another, vicious-seeming-but-sweet-in-her-hands stray.

Courtney is infuriatingly calm and heroic. She even rescues a cat out of a tree.

Finally, at wit's end trying to find something to do, Eddie convinces his brother to help join the scare attempts. Eddie's brother has been filming a movie about a local legend of mud monsters, who were created when a poor part of town was flooded and the rich folks did nothing to save them. Now, on full moons once a year, the mud monsters rise up for vengeance.

Nobody believes in the mud monster myth, but they decide to give it a shot anyway, having the older teens dress in mud monster makeup and luring Courtney out into the woods by the creek. Just as they are creeping up on her, staggering and moaning their way toward her...Eddie sees his brother and friends. They had a flat tire and were late.

The mud monsters coming up on Courtney are REAL.

She is scared for the first time -- truly terrified! -- and runs away. Unfortunately, Eddie and his friends are ALSO too scared to gloat and enjoy it, so they also have to run away.

Later, Courtney is gloating about having seen real monsters, and Eddie is resigned to the reality that they will never be able to scare her. They're just too scared themselves.

Overthinking It: This book is so strange. The backstory of the mud monsters is both tragic and horrific, but they are relegated to a final twist, more background character than anything. The majority of the "scares" in this book are actually inverted. We see, time and again, Eddie imagining how the scary scene will play out. And then we witness how it ACTUALLY goes, unravelling the frightening bits.

It's like that forum game, where you undo the thing the person above you said. Or like de-powering a boggart with laughter.

You know how every Goosebumps book has a fake-out "Gotcha!" scare in an early chapter? This book is all gotcha, all the time.

What's particularly funny about this book is that the main characters are clearly the villains. Courtney is a little condescending, but she's well-meaning and generally kind. She's not a bully. This isn't like a Haunted Mask situation, or Be Careful What You Wish For, where she's tormenting these kids and they're here to get back at her righteously. Eddie and his friends are kind of dicks, and they deserve to have their pranks blow up in their faces once in a while.

I think in some ways, You Can't Scare Me is actually a book about writing Goosebumps books. It feels like an exorcism of sorts, a release valve for the frustration of churning out title after title of what you hope will be your best, scariest work, for an unappreciative audience who is impossible to please. You want to be scared, kids? You REALLY want to be scared? Well, damn -- how do you do that without getting too real, and actually traumatizing the little brats?

But perhaps that's too cynical of a take. It's not rooted in anything - just my own projection - and it may simply be that Stine (a comedy guy at heart) wanted an excuse to write something funny. And this book is funny, if you meet it on its own terms. It made me laugh aloud more than once. And, hey, you know what? Sometimes that's enough.

If You Liked This, THESE Will Really Give You Goosebumps:

Weird recommendation, but hear me out: Last Cut of the Dead. It's a zombie movie in three acts, and I don't want to spoil it for you, but let's just say it's a movie about theater, and it's both scary and extremely funny. Very similar vibes.

For another darkly funny take on the "friends conspire and scheme, and a prank goes horribly wrong," try Jawbreaker (wherein a group of girls has to cover up an accidental murder).

Incidentally, there's a folklore root to this particular story, as collected by the Brothers Grimm: The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was. It's one of my favorite fairytales, actually, because it's about a guy who spends the night in a haunted house and just repeatedly fails to be afraid by all the spooky shit going on around him.

[shrinkthisviolet]

5+ headcanons for an AU where Barry actually manages to tell Iris he's in love with her the night of the particle accelerator like he intended (right before getting struck by lightning, he's so bad at timing)

He really is, poor guy 😭

He works up the courage for months…and when she says, “There is nothing that I want more than for you to find the right person who loves and adores you for the amazing guy that you are”, he replies, “what if I already have? Iris…I…I love you.” “Aww, Barry, I lo—” “No. Not like that. Well, I mean…yes, like that, but also…not like that.” And he launches into a confession much like the one from 1x9 (without mentions of Eddie because ofc at this point, neither of them has interacted meaningfully with him). Before Iris can respond, someone steals her laptop, they chase after the thief, and Eddie beats them to it.

They both go back to the station, and Barry goes back to his lab—Iris insists on going with him, but Eddie wants her to give a report, and Barry can’t stick around to wait with sensitive evidence he needs to process. He promises Iris they’ll talk later, and she reluctantly agrees. And then he gets struck by lightning for 9 months

So…naturally, with Barry’s confession hanging over her, Iris never dates Eddie. Maybe she goes on one date with him, but she doesn’t want to start anything serious until/unless she talks to Barry. She knows people think she’s crazy for still hoping he’ll wake up, but…she’s always believed in the impossible, ever since she and Barry were 11. So she and Eddie are good friends, and he understands when she explains her situation. “He’s a lucky guy, your Barry.” “Yeah, well…I’m lucky too. To have him.”

Iris and Barry talk about things properly when he wakes up, and they agree to date. Barry’s emotional appeal to Joe also goes much better because…now the only secret he’s keeping from Iris is this Flash thing, which he doesn’t want to keep. He even gets upset at the idea that Iris somehow needs more protection than him—Iris, who’s a skilled marksman and boxer, the latter of which she does even better than him? Iris, who’s a force to be reckoned with even without powers? Idk if Joe agrees, but either way, Barry finds this all ridiculous and tells her. This also strengthens their relationship…and Iris writes about the Streak and ignores Barry’s whining about the name (tho she changes it when he comes up with “the Flash”)

With Iris now spending a lot of time at STAR Labs, becoming almost a part of the Team (Eowells doesn’t like having her there (considers her a distraction to Barry) and it shows…neither does Caitlin, but she’s at least warming up to Iris)…she notices some odd things, particularly about Eowells. Her investigation begins much sooner…maybe she’s even the one who discovers Ronnie is alive, and Caitlin warms up to her significantly when Iris a) tells her, and b) supports her through realizing Ronnie isn’t the same. She’d probably even realize Hartley’s deal and try to help him…for her trouble, she nearly ends up on the wrong side of his gauntlets (but Hartley won’t admit, he’s touched by her compassion and genuine attempt to help. He just doesn’t entirely trust her, since by all appearances, she’s backing up Eowells)

This AU has the waterfront kiss! But since they’re already dating, it’s one of those “in case I never see you again” “don’t you dare say that, Bartholomew. You come back to me, you hear me?” “As fast as I can, Iris.” Isn’t that much more romantic than cheating 🥰

Things kick into high gear after that. Iris discovers more suspicious details that aren’t lining up, she tries to tell Barry, he insists it’s probably nothing. The scales haven’t yet fallen from his eyes—he gets agitated when Iris insists for too long, so she stops insisting to him. Eddie meanwhile lets slip about him and Joe investigating Eowells, and Iris teases them about not having an “in” until they ask her to help. It’s nice to be asked and appreciated, she thinks, and agrees, though makes them promise not to tell Barry about her involvement

Beyond that, I’m not totally sure—maybe they catch him earlier, maybe not…maybe Eddie still has to die, and Iris is still devastated because she and Eddie were close friends.

send me an au and i’ll share 5+ headcanons about it!

[twoset-updates]

[100623 云外一朵云 weibo post]

translation of op's post; bolded text is op's original english.

I'll share an answer from today's Q&A. I remember their answer very clearly, because this question is something I've been thinking about for a long time as well. The person who asked the question is a guy, and he and his girlfriend are both studying music, majoring in the same instrument. He asked Twoset if they get competitive all the time, or argue who is better, and how do they deal with it?

Brett's answer was basically that he doesn't really have these feelings, because when you're on stage you're too nervous to care about how well others perform. "I just get really nervous."

Next was Eddy's answer. I almost cried over his answer, it had too many moments of sincerity. I'm sharing it because it feels so precious. (I was only able to remember this portion; Eddy actually said more than this, and I may have missed a few sentences here and there, but the essential meaning of what he said is pretty much intact.)

"I have two ways of thinking about this actually. I have the practical answer which is interacting normal day life and I have like the bigger picture what I think about relationships. So I think in life, meeting people that are genuinely close that you form like lifelong relationships with is something that's so rare, so meaningful, and that to me is always gonna be more precious than winning some competition by someone that you can trust that you know you guys will support each other. And for me, like for Brett, for example, I think it's always that you should want the best for the other person. And you should also know that they want the best for you. And so you know if you see someone else exceed, let's say for example, he won the Bach prize and I didn't, even if in the moment I feel a little bit like jealous or envious, I'm not saying I don't remember how I felt, but if I did I think I've done that you should still commit. There's something you can practice, actually just practice being like: no, I'm going to congratulate them. I'm gonna feel happy for them, because I want the best for them."

At this point I was already crying in my heart (who would know). Then maybe Eddy's answer had sparked more of Brett's thoughts, so Brett added, "You might feel it (envy), it's okay to feel it, you don't need to think 'Oh my god! I'm a bad person,' just kind of be like, 'okay what's there,' but I'm not gonna act on it, and I shouldn't respond to it, I just look at it. It's a 'Hi, envy.'"

I don't know what else I can do to describe this conversation with my poor language, because it's just what Twoset is. I'm thankful to them.

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

A Light in the Darkness {Part 04 of 07}

Pairing: Eddie Munson X Hargrove!twinsister Reader

Chapter word count: 1.6 K

Summary: After Billy died, you got stuck in a dark place, where you didn't have to deal with your feelings. Your friends don't know what to do but to drag you away from the many fights you pick. And life was dragging itself, an agonizing day after the other... Until Eddie Munson broke through the very high walls you built around yourself.

<- Previous part (03)

Next Part (05) ->

{Stranger Things Masterlist}

Gentle Touch

The doorbell rang and you knew immediately who was. He had to be on time, you think, checking the clock.

You had a change of heart in the afternoon, telling Maxine to get in touch with Eddie to let him know you wouldn't be going to any party. But she said no, there was a huge argument - as usual -, and here you are, forced by a kid to dress up for a stupid party.

When you leave your room, there's that odd feeling as you pass through Billy's bedroom. His things are still in there, you couldn't throw them away or donate them, the reason why Susan suggested you all moved to another house. Might be unhealthy for you, she once said, living here. But you can't. First, Neil is forced by the law to pay for this house, and second, you can't leave it all behind. The last memories of your brother, alive and breathing.

“Oh my!” Susan exclaims when she sees you coming from the hall. “You look absolutely gorgeous!”

Looking down at yourself and then back at her, you offer a small smile. “Thanks.” The outfit was hand-picked by Maxine. The dress, sparkly black with pink details, has thin straps, which you covered by a very feminine, beige leather jacket. The red lipstick brings out the blue in your eyes, and Max also helped you style your hair in waves, letting the dark strawberry locks roll down your shoulders and back. “All Maxine's doing, I must confess.”

“You look fabulous.” The girl says, a bright smile on her lips. Eddie, who stands next to her near the couch, has his eyes set on you. And... A weird expression on his face. “Right, Eddie?”

Max elbows him, and the guy clears his throat, nodding. “Have you lost your tongue, Munson?” You ask, wondering if this heat crawling over your cheeks means that you're blushing. God, you hope not.

“Yeah. I mean no.” He steps closer, glancing at both Maxine and Susan before walking over to you. “You look... Stunning. Like, you always do but really, this time...” His voice fades as his eyes move through your body, a dazed look on his face.

“Go now, before the poor boy passes out,” Susan says, touching your arm affectionately. “I'm happy to see you going out again, (Y/N). Have fun, alright?” It feels like she wants to hug you, but as usual, Susan keeps her distance. She blames herself for what happened, you know it, but you also know it wasn't her fault. After the marriage, Neil acted like a good father before her eyes. It took a year for her to be pulled into the mess.

Three years into the marriage, Neil started hitting her too, every once in a while. It wasn't as often as you and Billy, but if she crossed him, she'd pay for it. So, you're not that different, you think.

But it doesn't matter now, with Neil God knows where and you heading to a party. “Alright.” Sighing, you head to the door, car keys in hand.

“Hey, I...” Eddie mutters, jogging a little until he's next to you. “I came with the van.”

“Sorry, Munson, but that won't happen,” You say, swinging the keys in front of his face. “Do you even know how fast this baby can go?”

“I'm not sure I wanna find out.”

“You don't have to. I know.” Shrugging, you make the way to your car, getting into the passenger seat. “Don't get me wrong.” You say when he's seated by your side. “But driving is one of the few things I still find joy in life.”

“Well, I'd let you drive the van if that's the problem.”

For some reason, that makes you chuckle. “My car is also one of the few things I still find joy in.” With that, you speed off, not minding the seatbelt.

On the way to Olivia's, Eddie keeps the small talk. Maybe it's on purpose, the way he avoids anything delicate or dangerous. Maybe not. Whatever reason, you just go with it. Nothing wrong with being a normal girl for one night. Or pretending to be.

Olivia's house is lit up. There are Christmas lights all over, and the music is loud. You're already singing along when you park the car over the lawn, with two others. “Kinda rude, don't you think?” Eddie comments as you turn the ignition off.

“It's already ruined. One more car won't matter.” Checking your face in the mirror, you get out. “Let's go surprise some people.”

The front door is open, and the people hanging on the porch are the first victims of the night. They look at you, eyes going wide, and when they see Eddie, their mouths go almost as wide as their eyes. You being here is shocking enough for them, but seeing you here with Eddie Munson? D&D roleplay game leader Eddie Munson? They're dumbfounded.

As you move inside, through the living room, and into the kitchen to grab yourself a soda can, many eyes move with you. It makes you smile, a quick, fading smile, but still, an improvement. “I don't think they're happy to see me,” Eddie says on your ear as you take some sips from your can.

“So what? If they don't they can place a formal complaint.”

“Complain to whom?”

Smirking, you look at him. “To me.” You simply say. “I'll give you fifty bucks if anyone in this party dares to say anything about me bringing you.”

Eddie looks around, leaning against the kitchen island. “Jason might. If he's even here.”

“He wouldn't. And he isn't.” Jerking your head to the living room, you take his arm. “Let's go. I need to find Olivia and then dance.”

“You? Dancing?” He yells above the music.

“Well, since I'm already here.”

It's hard to find Olivia in the ever-growing crowd, but you manage to corner her in the upstairs hall. The girl's face lights up, and she pulls you into a tight hug.

“I can't believe you came!” She shouts, not letting go of you. “I had no hopes at all.”

“I didn't bring any gifts.” You mutter, pulling away gently, embarrassed. It's your friend's birthday party and buying her a gift didn't even cross your mind. “I'll buy you something tomorrow.”

“No, no. Having you here, finally out to have some fun is the best gift I could ever have.” The honesty in her voice has you controlling yourself not to cry.

“I don't even know what to say, Livie.”

“Don't say anything. Grab your date and let's dance.” She takes your hand, you take Eddie's, and you let her guide you back to the living room.

For the next hours, you dance. Without a damn worry in the word, you dance to every song. With Olivia, and with Eddie too. You don't think much, you just focus on this moment. Eddie is a great dancer, you're impressed to find, and you're also perplexed to find that you don't mind Eddie's hand on you, not one bit. He feels warm and gentle, and many times during the night you're actually chasing his touch. He seems eager to give it to you. And if you could, you would make it last forever.

It's very late when you're seated in the backyard, playing chess with some random guy you don't know. By now, only the closest friends of Livie's are here. You don't know how to play it, but neither does the other guy, so the two of you are just doing as other people tell you to.

But you're tired. It'd been a fight to keep your eyes open, and you feel like you'll pass out any moment now. “As much as I enjoyed the party,” Eddie says, a hand on your waist. “I'm on the verge of falling asleep.”

No, he isn't. Looking at him, you furrow your eyebrows, getting up with him. “We should get going.” You say, realizing he's doing this for you. “Thanks, Livie. See you on Monday.”

“See you, (Y/N). Thank you again for coming.” Another hug, and off you go.

On the way to your car, rubbing your eyes, you feel as heavy as a mountain. “(Y/N),” Eddie calls. “I know you love it, but let me drive. Your eyes are closing.”

He's right. “Shit.” Throwing him the keys, you head to the passenger seat. You hate being in the passenger seat. “I'm up for...” Making a pause, you quickly make the calculations. “Eighty hours? Yeah, something like that.” And you let yourself fall on the seat.

“What?” Eddie sounds serious, and it snaps you awake. “You can't do this. Lack of sleep is-”

“I know, Eddie. Just drive before I take the keys from you.” Running a hand through your hair, you lie back, a hand covering your eyes. You feel when the car starts moving, but then, you feel nothing at all.

There are stickers on the light pink ceiling, but you can't make up their form, despite the familiarity. A shout makes you shake like a leaf, your guts turning to liquid. When the door is pushed open, so violently that it falls off the hinges, you run to the furthest wall. “I told you,” Neil says, a huge belt in his hand, so pitch black it shines. “I told you, (Y/N).”

“Billy!” You hear yourself yelling, your voice much thinner, smaller, like a child's. “Billy, where are you?!”

“You'll learn to do as I say!” The first blow comes, and your sight becomes red. Even when you close your eyes, you can still see him, the belt snapping against your skin over and over again.

“Billy!” You shout again, over Neil's voice, the cursing and the yelling. “Billy!” But nobody answers your cries, you alone, pain pulsing through your body, as the belt slashes through your skin.

@lovesanimals0000

[fastcardotmp3]

hi! me again! composing this as i'm reading the post you linked (thank you!! and pls forgive any insane rambling as i've just finished writing all my midterm report cards and my brain is much l m f a o)

when i thought of them breaking up, i wouldn't have guessed it would be steve to initiate it! this bit specifically was so interesting:

"It's not just one thing, it's bigger than them just like the world, and it's Steve, ultimately, who decides he's scared enough of all the big upheavals that he can't be attached to Eddie like that right now, trapped in a tiny apartment together with nowhere for all the complexity to go.

Steve says he can't take care of himself while he's waiting for the other shoe to drop on Eddie's end of things, and so he walks away before Eddie can."

we are in eddie's head so thoroughly that i think it's easy to maybe brush aside how steve must be feeling throughout the entirety of this? poor steve always choosing the most difficult (but lovely) people to love, and always putting them first until he can't anymore!! that fear of being hurt or left behind is So Real and I actually could read 160k of meta from steve's POV solely so i can see his reaction to finding out eddie has run off. MOVING ON!

do they live apart during this time? i imagine if that were the case that it might have been difficult, having lived on top of one another for so long. also difficult for the ladies as well, considering they are all very much entangled.

"It's Eddie who says, I don't think I ever really grasped what it was like for you when I ran. I don't think I ever really apologized. I'm sorry.

It's Eddie who lays it all out on the table and makes it clear, I don't need you to fix me anymore, I just like holding your hand."

TO ME, this is so important!!!!! how lovely for steve to hear something like this, to maybe be validated and reassured in a way he probably hasn't been in a while.

the idea of it not being earth-shattering every time, of giving themselves breathing room...ugh. i just love it!! talk about dynamic.

tysm for tolerating me!! once my brain is no longer mush i will be crawling back to talk wasteland with you because i love an apocalyptic take so fucking muuuuuuuuuch and i need to know more.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🥹💚💚💚💚💚💚

first of all when i tell you i have thought about writing about the chapters when Eddie runs away from Steve's POV one trillion and one times only to not do it because it would be a ton of work and approximately 3 people would end up reading it fjkadslfj...... but trust that it lives in my brain that fic...... it lives......

SECOND of all!!! it's so important to me that it's steve who creates that boundary! as much as he loves Eddie, the guy put him through so much and he only really let himself feel it for a very short period of time! they are all about the give and take to me and finding the balance within each other for what that means! that's why in META i gave him that chance to say I need to be mad at you about this, because they both needed to realize that Steve had been going through it too GAH

which is why, in the unwritten parts of it that exist only in my head, they definitely do live separately while they're broken up. it takes months for them to find their footing and they genuinely aren't sure for a minute that they'll work it out, so yeah, they live apart in all the ways they can while still being intrinsically linked and you know what? i think it's good for them. hard! but good.

because like i said in that other post, it gives them a chance to realize that the things they've thought for a while were necessary about sticking together aren't something they need for survival anymore. the closeness isn't keeping them alive, it's just something they want. figuring out that distinction is a big deal and they deserve the chance to discover it!

i am not simply tolerating you dude i am thriving i am living i am grateful for your thoughtful thoughts! i wish you luck on your post midterms life and when you want to talk about wasteland i am here because....... that is also my baby omg

<3 < 3 <3

[ambrossart]

Hi lovely. I read that you’re still unsatisfied with the intimate scenes in the second part of the epilogue, but I want you to know that it’s some of the best I’ve ever read. The awkwardness is so realistic, and the emotion really shines through. (WHEN HE SAYS HE MISSED HER BEFORE KISSING HER. OH MY GOD.) And the newness of the experience for both of the characters is so endearing, and it’s perfectly balanced with the sudden spikes of boldness from both of them, too. (Speaking of, when Eddie made her say “Please.” I actually dropped my fucking phone.)

Not to ramble, but the conversations throughout the intimate moments were also incredible and really grounded the whole scene.

I know I sound like a broken record, but this series has seriously given me so much comfort (even though it made my heart beat so fast that I had to pace around my room, which I also loved). Thank you so so so much for this story. It’s made a little home in my head that serves as a respite throughout my days.

I can’t wait to read The Morning After and any other works you put out. And belated congrats on your recent move!! 💓💓💓

You know... I dunno, maybe I'm just being overly critical of myself. Those scenes are just so emotionally charged. This is such an important moment for both of them. Even without the physical part, just having her in his house is a huge deal. That’s why I love how, while he’s initially kissing her on his bed, she’s trying to look around his room and take everything in (I swear, just being in his room is probably enough to get her going 😂). It’s a very special moment and I’m not sure if I captured it well enough, but I did the best I could.

Of course, that’s not to say I’m unsatisfied with all of it. There are parts that I really like, like when she feels insecure about Eddie’s past sexual experiences and he pokes fun at himself to make her feel better. He’s just so precious. 🥺

And speaking of that “I really missed you” line, that sequence is one of my favorite parts of the entire epilogue. It was such a struggle for them to overcome their emotional hurdles. These idiots put themselves through hell and they finally made it through to the other side, and now they get to just relax and enjoy being together.

Some of the earlier high school fics are going to highlight just how bad it was before. There wasn’t a bunch of cute, flirty banter or bickering. No obvious sexual tension. It was just… a wall of ice, broken up by rare glimpses of how things used to be (not enough to give him hope, but just enough to torture him). And there are periods early on where Eddie tries to get through to her, and it just blows up in his face, and he eventually stops trying. Now he has to accept the loss of not just a potential love interest but also a really good friend.

So, yes, this poor boy really means it when he says he missed her. 😭

Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Your comments always make my day ❤️

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Ahh BMT I hope you're ok with this kind of 3-way conversation on your blog. I'm the original fashion anon and I just saw the most recent post and I have so many thoughts.

WRT Jimin/W Mag - I agree. I thought the styling was great. I think for me right now, what has my back up in caution against Dior is not their SS show (which is what Jimin shot in for the magazine), or even their pre-fall, which is what both Jimin and Hoseok showed up in to the show- it's explicitly the very distinct and almost odd turn towards both equestrian and explicitly British (and especially Scottish) styling that this specific FW show took. I don't think all Korean stars need to be in distinctly Korean-inspired clothing all the time, but putting them in kilts feels equally weird. It just doesn't fit. Like I said, only time will tell as far as my judgement goes.

And I agree neither Jimin nor Hoseok were show-stoppers, my favourite of all their celeb stylings was Jirayu Tangsrisuk that sheer coat was very good. But god if you want to see a bad suit fit, look at the picture they posed on instagram of poor Eddie Redmayne. If I was on his PR team I would have had that deleted immediately.

As far as a general sports inspiration goes, again we'll see. I think that tennis jacket that Jimin wore to the airport drowned him in a bad way (also LOL at your condom hat anon). It's not that sporty doesn't suit him, it's that this specific brand of explicitly almost hamptons sporty may not suit him.

I agree on the comments re: YSL and other brands. Ultimately, signing a brand deal means signing some freedom away. My desire to see Jimin in one of those glorious bow-necked blouses aside, I hope he chose a brand he feels happy and comfortable with.

Parting thought - some familiarity and observation on these kind of deals tells me that they're usually for "casual" wear only. Which is to say that typically artists reserve the right to style themselves as they see fit in things like music videos. These brand deals come more into play with airport fashion, red carpets, casual appearances, and even then only a portion of the time. It doesn't mean they're literally never allowed to wear any other clothes. See, as an example, how BTS wore all sorts of brands in the Butter music video mere weeks after being announced brand ambassadors for LV. See also how their red carpet styling was awful for a full sixteen months. I expect this is how the members individual contracts will go, but only time will tell.

So I have two fashion anons, it's now confirmed! Yes, I am open to this 3-way conversation or to anyone else with the knowledge. I'm having a good time with these posts.

The aspect of the British, but mostly Scottish influence and a Korean brand ambassador is something that I didn't really think about, but I think it's quite a nuanced situation altogether and sensitive/complicated to navigate. Inspiration and muses come from everywhere and borders are extremely relaxed (as long as it doesn't fall into cultural appropriation, but that's a completely different topic). Kim Jones is English, an artistic director for Dior Homme. He made a collection inspired by very specific British elements (plus the T.S. Eliot poem), as a tribute to YSL, all for a French fashion house. And this is quite common. Perhaps next season could be inspired by something else across the world and a different culture. But this is just the basics, you know this stuff. Sometimes the collection is really tied to someone's heritage or/and political message (remember McQueen's Highland Rape?) and other times it has nothing to do with it. So, in that vein, I wouldn't think of Jimin wearing clothes from this collection to be necessarily a weird choice. It does have specific influences, but the basis is that these brands are creating a globalized Western style. Be it Dior, Chanel, YSL, Valentino, etc. Ultimately, I think someone can make it work as long as it becomes individualized, to a certain degree. What I mean is, regardless of the influences, if Jimin is able to wear it and not be just a "mannequin", then maybe the result will be a good one.

It's interesting that, with Western celebrities that I'm interested in (usually actors) that have brand deals with luxury fashion houses, I never had these questions over their style freedom and identity. It all depends in this case as well. If I look in the past, Catherine Denevue and YSL was a match made in heaven. It's a style identity that everyone will associate her with. Sixty years later and her clothes in Belle de jour are still iconic. Or Givenchy with Audrey Hepburn. These are ideal cases. And now there's this online complain (obviously social media changes the game and we are part of it) about how boring it became all of Kristen Stewart's or Margot Robbie's event appearances because of their respective deals with Chanel. Perhaps a case by case situation makes the most sense. As to Jimin, this is still very early so we're not really shooting in the dark, but I'm also taking the position that we simply can't entirely know how it will turn out until it happens. Although it is fun to talk about it anyway.

I looked up those two you mentioned, Eddie and Jirayu. I saw photos of Eddie yesterday, he was completely forgettable. But in contrast, Robert Pattinson's outfit was something that it made sense for him and it worked. I'll add some photos here for everyone else.

Thanks to you as well for stopping by again. Since I don't have a background in this area, but given that these days this is the hot topic to discuss, I appreciate anyone with more knowledge than me adding some valuable insight to this.

[nights-are-better]

hold my beer, mate.

if you look into the canon couples, they weren't in the right mind either, and im about to break this down (and obviously spoilers so no one yells at me).

bathena (love them, have nothing bad to say against them) happened of the back of bobby moving to LA, he was still mentally unwell, he had just binned his notebook and was looking for reasons to live again the same day he went on his first date with athena. and athena was dealing with the fall apart of her marriage. they found comfort in one another, they were both mentally unstable/unwell whilst getting together, still recovering from major traumatic events happening in their lives. maybe becuase or in spite of these events, they managed to build a new support system that they needed (and yes, we are now seeing the issues of poor communication, which is another conversation).

madney (once again love them like the rest of us) happened off the back of maddie leaving her abusive husband, who then attacked her and chimney, who was recovering his self worth (you can't argue this with me) at the time, they were both in unstable/rough places. and even though they took some time after dough attacking them, they still found their way back to one another, just like bathena, they built a support system and managed together. these topics came back as they developed their relationship, they found a way to work through it together.

henren (please just let them be happy), they've been through it, hen was dealing with her issues with eva and her childhood, and karen was having to date hen with the thoughts that she wouldn't live up to eva. they've gone through some shit in the show, but since they were able to communicate (eventually) and rebuild what was damaged, it shows that, have a good support system is vital to recovery.

buck and all his bloody relationships pre-tommy, it is no mystery that buck is seriously unstable mentally, sure he's been working on himself in the later seasons and showed to make good progress, but at the start of the show... that is something else.

eddie... him and ana... need i say more? he was unwell and unstable while married to shannon, but so was she, and instead of being able to build a support system they both pulled away and ended up hurting one another. eddie's next serious relationship after shannon died being ana, and we later find out that he still needed closure from her, he was still dealing with his ptsd. which leads me on to my final point.

when it comes to dating while being unwell/unstable, it take a certain combination of people for it to work, it's not impossible, but hear me out. from my experiences, it does take a lot to recover and date at the same time, sometimes you can find people who make it worse. but you can also find people who make it better. what's vital when recovering is having a loving support system that doesn't make you feel like a burden, that makes you feel loved and safe.

mentally unwell people aren't unloveable, recovery alone is scary, and i really hate this rhetoric that you need to love yourself in order to love other people. nah, you gotta find people who don't take advantage of the fact you are unwell, you gotta find people who are gonna be there for you no questions asked, who can help, who you can lean on. and vice versa, this shit is a two way street.

obviously, stuff like this is different for everyone, but (and this is a big fucking but) people who are mentally unstable need love and support, it can be shown in different ways depending on the person. nothing is universal, ok, everyone's recovery is different the same way everyone's dating is different.

(im so sorry op, i didn't mean to go off on one like this)

deeply hate the idea of "eddie isnt in the right place for buddie to happen" and i wanted to type it all out but truly i cant be bothered so heres the short version. Mentally ill people, no lets get specific, mentally unstable people can love and be loved. just because buck is in a very stable and helathy place and eddie is not does not make them in any way incompatable. Buck has never and will never feel like eddies struggles are a burden and that would literally never ever be a factor for him when it comes to loving eddie in any way. plus if you wanna get into it? eddies problems right now are that he literally feels broken and unlovable because hes never loved someone the way he loved his wife, wouldnt genuine and unconditional love be the RIGHT thing for him to seek out and let himself feel?

[alba8688]

Love hurts

Chapter 41

Word count:2648

Warnings:just kissing and mention of nudes

March 18

Dani’s pov

Today is the day I'm telling my mom and uncle Wayne about me being pregnant. I was more nervous than anything. I felt like a teenager back again scared of my mothers reaction.

I mean I shouldn't be scared I'm old enough to make my own decisions.

But somehow I feel like I'm 17 again .

And somehow I feel this is so wrong.

As I  lay here next to Eddie in bed with his arm around my waist and my butt pushed back to him just the way he likes it ,a lot of things go through my mind .

I know I shouldn't care about what people say about me .

But right now I was afraid of being judged or being called names for Being with someone younger than me ,I mean he is only two years younger .

I tell myself.

But he is still in high school .

That's what worries me the most, that Eddie is still in high school and I was his teacher Jesus H.that was wrong in so many ways.

I was 11 weeks pregnant and I didn't leave the job a few weeks ago not even close to 11 and I know that was going to come back and bite my ass.

It was a small town and rumors where gonna spread .

Maybe I should ...

Suddenly I felt my tummy acting funny. It felt a bit weird, something wasn't right ,I wasn't hungry .

Oh shit I knew what it was .

I jumped off the bed running to the toilet spilling my guts out, well almost ,I kept vomiting like crazy. I think I look like the exorcist. Suddenly I felt someone holding my hair back .

It was probably Eddie but I couldn't turn around to thank him because it wouldn't stop, everything I ate was now out of my system and now flush down the toilet .

And knowing myself I'll be hungry soon.

Damn this pregnancy was killing me ,the nausea was worse than when I was pregnant with Nate .

Is like as soon as I found out about being pregnant the symptoms got worse ,I couldn't stand the smell of certain food .

Everytime we passed by McDonalds, Nate's favorite restaurant, I gag. I couldn't stand the smell.

I couldn't even stand the taste of coke or Dr.pepper which is my favorite soft drink .

The smell of spices killed me ,I was bad, I just wanted to feel better .

I stood up slowly with Eddie helping me and walked over to the sink to wash my face and brush my teeth .

Eddie stepped out then came back with a glass of water in his hand .

"Thank you baby ." I said softly ,he pecked my forehead making me feel a little better. I don't know what it is about Eddie .

But He makes me feel so safe and secure.

"Let's go to bed sweetheart." He rasped

My poor Eddie has had sleepless nights since he found out I was pregnant, waking up in the middle of the night to take care of me ,even though I tell him that I'll be ok that I have been dealing with this for a few weeks already .

But he is too persistent these past days. He has slept only a few hours and I hate that because he goes to school tired even though he tells me he is not. I know he is .

He tells me he is just excited because this week I'm moving in with him and we are taking Dustin on that promised Spring break vacation .

I still haven't told him where I was taking him. It was a surprise for both Nate and Dustin .

Eddie knows and he has been super excited counting the days before we leave .

Will be leaving in my car because Eddie's van only has the two front seats and in the back it has the bed so we won't be able to fit .

So my car it is ,it's only us 5 and Ozzy. Eddie and I made Wayne take the whole week off. He was undecided at first because he said he was going to miss a whole week of work and his paycheck was going to be low and he had bills to pay .

So I did something. I gave him what he usually makes in a week. At first he didn't want to accept the money but after my insistence he took it .

He started crying and hugging me telling me that no one has cared for Him and Eddie the way I do .

But like I told Eddie everything I do I do it because I care and love them .

So uncle Wayne is coming to the trip and Nate couldn't be more excited .

I also invited my mom but she didn't want to leave our cat alone so she is staying with Mews Junior ,she has been super protective of Mews Junior since the Real Mews got eaten by a demo dog ,well she doesn't know that .She just thinks he got lost .

And I rather her think that .

————————

Eddie pov

"Mmmm." I moaned Feeling great pleasure. I thought I was dreaming but I pinched myself and nope I wasn't dreaming I opened my eyes and   looked under the covers and there was my beautiful girl waking me up with her mouth around my dick .

"Fuck I wouldn't mind being woken up like this every morning ." I groaned

"Hmm." She hums, sending vibrations from the tip of my cock and all the way down to my balls.

I couldn't control my moans I don't know what the fuck she was doing that it felt so fucking good .

"Oh shit ..."I looked down and she was already looking up at me, her eyes teary .

And fuck I wish I could Take a picture of the way she looks right now .

She looks so fucking hot with my dick in her mouth.

I was so fucking close I could feel it but Suddenly the door open and Dustin walk in looking down at his phone asking I don't know what the Fuck .

Dani didn't stop even though I kept tapping her shoulder .

"Dustin, get out !!" I shouted

Dustin looked up from his phone to me and made a disgusted face "you guys are disgusting i'm gonna be traumatized for life ." He says walking out of the room, closing the door behind him .

I was a moaning mess right after he left Dani wouldn't stop till I felt myself cumin deep down her throat. I grabbed a pillow covering my face and moaned into it .

I felt Dani come from under the covers and take the pillow from my face .

"Good-morning." She says taking off her AirPods

That's why she didn't hear Dustin come in .

"Shit sweetheart Good-morning ." I cup her face kissing her passionately "by the way Dustin walked in on us ." I pulled away slowly

"What ?!"

"Yeah you were down there and he saw ,but at least you were under the covers ." I chuckled nervously

"Jesus Christ ,that's embarrassing." She flops next to me .After a while we got up to shower together .

After getting ready for the day we headed to the grocery store to buy what we needed for dinner tonight .

Dani was craving meatloaf so that's what we were making. When I say we, I mean I'm gonna watch Dani while she makes it.

As soon as we got home Dani started preparing the food and thankfully we haven't seen Dustin because I couldn't even see him right now .

I couldn't even look him in the eye .

I went back to Dani's room scrolling through my phone and I saw a white envelope that had my name on it  on top of the pillow .

I took it and opened it and inside were the pictures that Dani had taken for me .

And holy shit I think it got hotter in here I know I seen them before but damn my girl

Was hot and now i was hard and Dani was  busy making dinner .

I groaned, falling back in bed .

I kept the pictures in my hand looking at each carefully .

Fuck I need to stop looking at this because it wasn't helping with the problem I had right now .

Maybe I can look at them in the restroom alone where I can fix my problem or I can message Dani so she can help me with my problem.

Jesus Christ !!

I'm a horny guy ..

Is true what Dani says..

Or maybe it's the baby giving me pregnancy symptoms.

Is that even possible?

Who the fuck knows .

"Someone's happy ." I heard that familiar voice that I really wanted right now .

Well that I needed so bad at this moment..

"Hey there sexy ." I stood up walking over to her ,I leaned down to press my lips on her starting softly but it got hungrier by her slipping her tongue in my mouth .

There was something different about this kiss it felt so fucking different and I couldn't explained it .

She wrapped her arms around my neck pulling me closer to her holding me tight as if I was going to leave her .

I take a few steps back but stop when Dani hits the wall with her back .

I put my arm on her lower waist and the other on the back of her neck .

"I love you ."she whisper

"I love you too ." Why did this feel like a goodbye ?

"Dani ,mom says that if she makes mashed potatoes as well?" My little sheep Henderson walks in again .As always the cockblocker.

"Henderson, do you ever knock !!" I pulled away from Dani and dropped myself dramatically to the bed .

"Well is not my fault you're always sucking face with my sister or my sister is sucki..." Dani covers his mouth with her hand before he could even finish that sentence .

"Dustin Henderson, keep your voice low please ." She whispers not wanting Mrs.Henderson to hear .

"Tell mom yes ok and please knock next time ."

"Ok" his voice muffled by Dani's hand on his mouth

"Eww Dustin what the fuck !!" Dani cleans her hand on the side of her jeans Dustin must have licked her hand .

"So yeah to the mashed potatoes then ." He says walking out of the room.

"Mom !! Dani says to make mashed potatoes with extra butter please !!" Dustin shouts

"I'm gonna kill him ." Dani runs out of the room chasing after Dustin.

And the moment was ruined .

"Dani!!" I get up from my comfortable position to go break up the fight .

"I didn't say to make them mom ,Dustin ask me because he said  you were asking ."

" Mom is not true, she is lying !!"was all I heard when I got to the kitchen and watched my girlfriend arguing with her little brother .

Is times like these that i'm glad I was an only child

"Eddie sweetie I didn't know you were here ." Mrs.Henderson walks past her two arguing kids to say hi to me .

"Hi Mrs.Henderson looking beautiful as always ." I take her hand place kiss on it .

"Oh Eddie, always the gentleman ." She fans herself. I guess I have an effect on the Henderson girls .

"Are you flirting with my mom??" Dustin stands next to us crossing his hands over his chest raising an eyebrow .

"I would never little Henderson." I smirk

"First you take my sister, now my mother ." He shakes his head and walks away to his bedroom, closing the door with a slam .

As the day goes by Dani starts getting more nervous and I think so am i .

But somehow I feel there's something else going through her head .

But maybe it's just my imagination playing tricks with my kind .

Maybe she is nervous as well ..

Fucking shit I'm just starting to realize that I'm going to be a dad in a few months .

I really need to find a better job and graduate fucking shit .

I think I'm going to faint or something .

But what worries me the most is the way Dani has been today.She has been so quiet in her own world .She has been missing me more and telling me how much she loves me .

She has been hugging her mom and brother like if she was saying goodbye .

I even saw her crying when she was waiting for the meatloaf to be done .I don’t know what’s going on in that head of hers to be honest .But I wish I knew .

the doorbell took me out of my thoughts I got up to answer it .

"Son, nice to finally see you ." Uncle Wayne hugged me.I haven't been at home for as long as I can remember since I started dating Dani. I was at her place then we Left to New York for almost a month .

I mean I would go back once in a while to get clothes and stuff I need.

Yeah I think I'm with Dani 24/7 no wonder she got pregnant .

Jesus Christ !!

"Wayne, I'm glad you made it ." Mrs.Henderson greets him .

I let them do their thing and head to the kitchen. Dani was taking the meatloaf out of the oven. She looked beautiful wearing her overalls with black huge shoes. I don't know how many times I have to tell her to stop wearing those, especially now that she is pregnant.

"Need help sweetheart ?" I ask

"No, it's ok baby ,I'm done here but can you please put those boxes on the table in front of each seat ." She tells me pointing to the four white boxes ,I wonder what they are, maybe they are little gifts like the one she gave me .

I put one on each chair making sure I put the correct box in each chair .

"Dani ,Steve is here sweetie!!"Mrs.Henderson shouts  from the living area .

Dani had told them to stay there while she prepared everything. No one was allowed to come into the kitchen. She didn't want no one to help .

She wanted to make the perfect dinner .She wanted everything to be perfect.

"Ok, you're ready ?" Dani looks at me and I nod yes there's no turning back my uncle is going to kill me and my unborn child will have no father.

"Mom's food is ready !!" Dani shouted and everyone walked in the kitchen but stopped when they saw the white boxes in the chairs even Nate had gotten a small box .

"What is this ?" Uncle Wayne asks, looking at me and Dani .

"Open it ." I tell him "everyone can open it ."

Dani and I watch them all opening their boxes. There's a lot of gasp and profanities coming from Dustin.

I didn't know what was in the box. I'm guessing something that said you're gonna be a grandma or a grandpa or something.

"Holy shit!!! "

"Dani!" Steve gasped holding a shot glass that said uncle Steve

"You're pregnant?"uncle Wayne asked, looking down at his mug then at Eddie .

I couldn't tell if he was happy or mad...

"Yes I'm pregnant . Well Dani is and I'm the father ." Wow that felt good to say .

Steve and Dustin were more excited than anything. They both rushed over to us hugging us saying how happy they were and that they couldn't wait to meet baby Munson..

uncle Wayne and Mrs.Henderson didn't say anything, they were both quiet  .

Were they not happy ?

They both kept staring at their mugs then their eyes met mine and Dani's .

Nate didn't know what was going on but he still came to hug his mom and me .

"You're gonna be a big brother." Dustin carries him and spins him around, him giggling .

He was laughing. He seemed so happy. I knew he was going to be a good big brother .

Danielle, Eddie, can we speak with you alone?

Next chapter 💔

[winterapocalypse]

Winter Apocalypse chapter 6

The Magic Sygils

Renly Baratheon loved everything about being in his seventh year at Winter Hogwarts, especially because he understood what many could not. Namely, that the final year had been created solely and exclusively for partying - the professors absolutely no longer cared about the performance of the students on their way out, after all, they had learned their magic, and all the younger students respected them as if they had achieved enlightenment or who knows what. But Renly knew that most of the seventh years were nobodies, some more and some less. So Renly, having come into possession of the Marauder's Map (which was rumoured to have been created by his older brother Robert and the austere, wand-wielding, magic-fighting professor Ned Stark when they were still young and particularly stupid) had decided to deal with his senior year as he saw fit, i.e. drinking too much butterbeer and skipping as many classes as possible (Venom's note: bravo Renly xD you're a good boy!). Of course, he'd been doing this since about the fourth year, but at least now that he knew the location of every single person at Winter Hogwarts, it was much easier for him to avoid his poor loser brother Stannis, who as soon as he finished his Defence Against the Dark Arts class would go looking for him halfway around the castle. Renly was convinced he had a radar of some kind to detect when he was skipping class.

So that morning Renly got up calmly, probably at least half an hour late, stood in front of the mirror for an endless amount of time before deciding that her long black hair absolutely needed to be put up in an elegant braid that day and finally had breakfast with a juicy peach in the Slytherin common room, and then decided to go and look for Loras Tyrell. He would probably have to get him out of some class with an excuse. He shrugged and set off, wandering serenely through the corridors.

What he had not expected, however, was to be confronted by two figures once he had exited his dormitory - he recognised them both immediately.

"Dearest Chris!" chirped Renly with a bewitching smile. "Have you and your special friend decided to give up classes?"

"What? No, I would never do that," replied the young blond with the mighty physique. His short Sothoryosian friend seemed to find this amusing, letting out a giggle that was stopped by a knowing look from the other.

"Oh, well, that's a shame." Renly placed a hand on his shoulder, definitely not an excuse to feel up his toned physique. Chris looked at her vaguely indignant and shifted it with his own. "I was just going to find Loras…maybe you fancy a butterbeer too."

"Yes I want a butterbeer, homes!" the long-haired boy looked extremely enthusiastic at the idea. Renly shot him a wink.

"Eddie, focus on what we were doing at least for once…" sighed the young and charming - at least in Renly's eyes - Chris DeBenedetti, adjusting the scarf in Hufflepgjkds colours around his neck. How a hufflekjgsjds and a Slytherin like Eddie Guerrero were such good friends Renly had never explained.

"Oh, were you doing something…secret?" Renly was beginning to be completely intrigued by the matter. Loras might as well had been waiting after all.

"We were looking for the loser professor of defence against the dark arts." Eddie shrugged and the other gave him an incredulous look.

"It was supposed to be a secret!" muttered Chris exasperatedly, covering his face with one hand. And what a big, mighty hand, Renly thought.

"You mean my brother? Who in their right mind would want to meet my brother on purpose?" asked Renly amused.

'Oh, we were stalking him. But we're not that good, ese. He was talking to that chick in red earlier…not sure what the hell she does for a living or here at Winter Hogwarts. Anyway, they were talking about something juicy, I tell ya." Eddie nodded convinced of his own words, and Renly decided he had found what to do with his day.

"If only I had a map that could tell us where they went…" Renly shrugged off the braid falling over his shoulder haughtily, and immediately saw the Slytherin's eyes glow with a mischievous light.

Twenty minutes later they were all three hiding behind a wall on the third floor - a forbidden place where if they were found they would more or less be expelled before they could say "quidditch". But this mattered little to Renly, his school career had already been made. A little further on, his loser brother Stannis was arguing with the woman in red - an almost mystical figure at Winter Hogwarts, because more or less no one really understood who she was and what her role in the school was.

"That horse was crucial. There's no way they could have failed like that. It was the last of the seals. Do you know what that means? Apocalypse! Or maybe worse!" thundered Stannis altered.

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