#anyway @party @robin I will still be here chatting it up I just feel like I'm doomscrolling too much

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

I think I'm really gonna try to back off Tumblr for a few days. I'll still very much be around, particularly for conversations and stuff I've been involved with with people, but I'm not gonna be scrolling my dash

[chelseeebe]

still into you

after abruptly leaving hawkins (and you) seven years ago, eddie munson, ex-boyfriend turned rockstar, makes a grand return. how will things pan out when your lives couldn’t be further apart?

this has been in the drafts for god knows how long and you can definitely tell where my writing started to improve as i came back to it.. hope y’all enjoy anyway! this is so long good lord. also includes a bit of bestfriendism with stevie!

18+. mdni. smut. mentions of alcohol. eddie is a dickhead. no use of y/n!

read part two here.

‎♡‧₊˚

‘you know he’s coming back next weekend?’ steve mutters, nodding towards you as you rip the sellotape from the brown box, beginning to stack the cans of soup.

‘is he? oh my god oh my god,’ feigning excitement with a straight face.

you’d already known he was coming back, you’d received the invitation just like everybody else. except, you’d swiftly put the gimmicky piece of paper into the trash and got on with your day. confused why everyone else seemed to be losing their goddamn minds over it.

he huffs quietly, helping you with the heavy tins, ‘are you gonna go?’ steve didn’t actually work in melvalds but came in on his breaks purely to chat and distract you from your work.

‘am i gonna go? hmm, let me think.. no.’

‘he wants to see you.. you should come,’ prodding his elbow into your side, collapsing the box into a flat piece of cardboard.

‘you spoke to him?’ ears perking up. you didn’t care if he’d mentioned you. no, really.

‘yeah.. he called a few weeks ago, y’know when the invitations got sent out,’ picking up the next box to start filling the shelf.

‘oh! it’s nice to know he called you and just hilarious to know i never got a phone call,’ getting frankly quite sick of hearing about eddie fucking munson and his grand return.

once upon a time, eddie had actually been your boyfriend. must’ve been 7 or so years ago by this point.. anyway, that was before he’d got his big break and decided that he was going to completely forget about hawkins.. and about you. you’d still been together after his first tiny tour, excitedly waiting for him to come home when he just.. never did.

he’d had the decency to at least call and tell you that he was breaking up with you.. we’re just in different places right now.. it’s not you.. i don’t want you to ruin your life waiting for me..

it was essentially a whole bunch of bullshit, because the very next month he was spotted with some bottle blonde model looking suspiciously close at some club he’d have absolutely hated the year prior. it was like a punch to the gut, flicking through the pages of the trashy magazine just knowing that you hadn’t been enough for this new lifestyle of his.

from then on, you’d decided to disengage with any and everything about him. turning the tv off when corroded coffin came on one of the morning talk shows, leaving the room at parties when one of his song’s inevitably came on and just completely blanking out of the conversation when his name was brought up. it was easier that way, saved your feelings and the awkward glances you’d get.

at some point things had become slightly more complicated and you’re not sure how exactly it had happened but you had wound up pregnant. and by jason carver no less. maybe it was your shared disdain for eddie that had brought you together. who knows?

but it had happened and now you had to deal with it. and although jason may come in a close second to world’s biggest assholes.. you had gained a beautiful daughter from it all and had become quite content with your single mom life.

people had come and gone, robin jetting off to some fancy college in california.. jonathan and nancy ending up in new york at some hot-shot newspaper.. the kids you’d sort of gathered had all gone off to various colleges, becoming adults themselves. all except for steve.

steve had stayed in hawkins like you, begrudgingly following his father’s footsteps, getting a job at his accounting firm. it was good money and kept his dad happy so he couldn’t fault it really. he’d even got his own place just down the street from your house and at some point you’d just accepted that he was probably your only friend in hawkins.

it had brought the two of you undeniably closer and maybe you’d even call him your best friend now. well, except for right now as he was beginning to piss you off with all this fussing over eddie.

‘you have to come.. it’s not just for him, everyone is going.. it’s a reunion,’ steve continues to pester you despite your efforts to shut him down.

‘steve, i’m not going and that’s that.’

he sighs, staring at you with a blank expression, ‘okay, well.. i’ll tell him it’s a maybe,’ checking his watch before frowning, ‘shit, i’m late.. i’ll see you later,’ throwing the empty cardboard to the floor before dashing off down the aisle, giving you an exaggerated wave as he disappears.

you just knew that he was not going to drop this until you agreed to go. but he could kick and scream as much as he liked, you had absolutely zero desire to go this flimsy reunion and even less desire to see eddie in the flesh.

-

it’s another dull week of stacking shelves and managing a team of absolute morons and before you know it, it’s the day before that fucking reunion and steve is still as incessant as ever that you must go.

‘my mom can look after ella.. please just come,’ he sounded like he was a second away from getting on his knees to actually beg you to go.

you’d started to just ignore him now, getting on with whatever you were doing, choosing to give him the silent treatment. he hated that.

‘you’re so annoying,’ he scoffs, still helping you unbox the bags of chips, ‘will you just come for five minutes.. you don’t even have to talk to eddie, it’s the first time we’ll all be together again.. puh-leaseee,’ breaking into a weird sort of sing-song tone.

you exhale through your nose, visibly frustrated by the man, ‘i’m going to ban you in a minute,’ raising your eyebrows, taking the same tone you used when ella was being a brat.

‘no you won’t,’ furrowing his brows, ‘what if i promise to stand in between you the whole night? i’ll beat him with a stick if he even tries to talk to you,’ completely serious with what he just said.

you chortle, covering your mouth as one of the elderly customers walks past, slightly bewildered by the noise that just escaped your mouth, ‘couldn’t you just beat him with a stick anyway?’

‘ehh.. not really, he is paying for the whole thing,’ straightening the bags of air he’d just placed on the shelf, ‘i mean, i could if you really want me to.’

you roll your eyes, of course he was. he’d rented the fanciest restaurant just outside of town for your gaggle of pals. any chance to flaunt the fact that he’d made it out of this hell hole and left the rest of you in the dirt.

‘i have a child, steve, i can’t just go out and leave her at home.. some of us aren’t free like you are,’ turning to face him with a stern hand on your hip.

‘i just told you my mom’ll look after her.. she hasn’t seen her in so long and.. and you can stay at mine and i’ll take you to her first thing in the morning,’ his eyes are round, glimmering in the harsh overhead lights.

‘i don’t have anything to wear,’ shrugging, you really didn’t. becoming a mother isn’t quite so glamorous and a lot of clothes you’d once fit into had become a little tight.

‘when d’you finish?’

narrowing your eyes at him, ‘two..’

‘great.. okay well, i’ll take a half-day and we can go shopping.. on me,’ wiggling his eyebrows at you. the thing about steve is that he believes that most problems can be solved by throwing money at it.

he wasn’t wrong, of course.

because you reluctantly agree to go shopping with him on the condition that you weren’t definitely going to this thing. you were just going to try on dresses. that was it.

-

you get a cab to the restaurant, there was no way in hell you were doing this sober nor did you want to subject steve to being sober for your sake. palms clammy as you clamber out of the vehicle, immediately regretting your decision.

no one would care if you didn’t go, right? you could quite easily just get back into the taxi and go home without forcing yourself to endure the night.

steve’s one step ahead of you, grabbing your hand so you can’t run away. throwing him an awful glare but you weren’t really mad, just annoyed that he’d succeeded in persuading you to come.

‘c’mon.. it won’t be so bad once you’re in there,’ smoothing down his fresh shirt as he begins to walk up the winding path, dragging you along behind him.

he’s wrong. it’s so much worse inside. the place was huge, extravagantly decorated and full of people you’d once regarded as your best friends, all too busy in their own conversations to notice you and steve walk in.

it wasn’t like you hadn’t heard from them, it had just been through occasional letters and christmas cards rather than seeing them face to face. robin would call sometimes, fill you in on whatever she had been up to and beg to speak to ella who absolutely loved it. you were sure they were on the same wavelength.

you look to steve with wary eyes, digging your fingertips into his hand, ‘we could just leave right now.. no one would even know,’ tugging gently on his arm.

‘hey,’ he whispers, ‘it’s okay.. look, robin’s coming over, we’ll say hi and see how you feel,’ using his spare hand to wave at the bubbly girl, dropping your hand to give her a hug.

‘oh my god,’ she rushes, ‘how are you? you look so good.. and i don’t mean you,’ pulling away from steve to throw her arms around you, her gentle hands rubbing on your back.

‘hah, it’s nice to see you too,’ steve rolls his eyes, grabbing two of the champagne flutes being ferried around by fancy waiters.

she pulls back, ‘i didn’t think you were coming.. how are you doing? how’s ella?’ the words falling out of her mouth at super speed, it was as if her mouth moved before her brain did.

‘i wasn’t gonna but i wanted to see you guys,’ you nod, taking the glass from steve’s outstretched hand and taking a lengthy sip, ‘i’m okay.. ella’s okay.. you’ll have to come and see her before you leave.’

‘i will i will! i literally landed like two hours ago and had to rush but i’m back until friday,’ her hands flying around as she spoke, ‘come and say hello..’ her arm intertwines with yours as she leans in closer to your ear, ‘he’s staring y’know..’

your eyes roll back on their own, not even wanting to search the room for him, ‘i’m not speaking to him so he can stare all he likes,’ straightening up as you approach the group robin had left.

nancy’s talking to max about something in incredible detail but is quite to stop when you approach, mouth in a small ‘o’ as she hugs you, ‘you came? i thought we were gonna miss you,’ grinning wide when she pulls back.

you give an overdramatic sigh, ‘of course i had to come.. you’d all miss me too much,’ waving to the rest of the group.

there are a lot of small pleasantries swapped, asking about their journey’s here and how they’d been.. standard small talk. but then el asks to see a picture of ella, ecstatic that their names were so similar. you’d come prepared, pulling the creased picture out of your bag.

they all gush and coo over her, it was a picture you’d snapped from her first day of kindergarten, cheesing with her pigtails and pink hair bobbles. passing it around the gathered group, still steadily sipping on the bitter champagne.

‘who’s that?’ eddie asks, you hadn’t noticed him sidle over to the crowd, stood peering over lucas’ shoulder at the photograph.

your eyes meet his, seeing his face for the first time in what felt like centuries. he looked older, obviously, still sporting the same long curls except now it actually looked as if it’d been styled. he’s in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, forearms now littered with tattoos and a nice looking watch. your heart just about stops beating when you realise you’ll now have to explain exactly who that is.

‘uh.. that’s ella,’ you nod, not quite meeting his eyes, ‘..my daughter,’ taking the photo from lucas’ hand, the atmosphere had quite suddenly shifted and people begin to scatter, starting their own conversations so they don’t have to bare witness to this one.

‘oh.. oh, right.. well, congratulations then,’ the shadow of a smile on his lips, could he feel how fucking awkward this was?

‘thank you,’ giving him a half nod, startled as steve’s hand brushes the small of your back. he’d seen that you were in conversation and had left dustin to fulfil his security guard promise.

‘it’s nice that you two found each other.. you have a beautiful daughter,’ still not fully committed to smiling but he was getting there.

your face contorts, immediately looking to steve before letting out a god awful cackle, ‘oh no.. she’s not steve’s,’ covering your mouth before another taunting laugh comes out.

steve is trying to stifle his grin but fails, reaching his hand out to shake eddie’s hand, ‘ah man, no ella’s not mine but she is beautiful, isn’t she? how are you?’

you’re eternally grateful that he he’s managed to sway the conversation and you aren’t forced to explain why or how you’d had a child with jason fucking carver. turning back to robin as you hear steve ramble on about work and corroded coffin’s new album, something you had absolutely no care about.

‘shall we get another drink?’ robin asks, eyeing the open bar and your empty glass.

‘please.’

the rest of the night is going.. relatively well. it’s kinda unsettling to watch the younger kids drink legally, getting more boisterous and loud as the night progresses. it’s nice, if not a little sad just thinking about how you weren’t really able to enjoy yourself at their age because you had a newborn.

you must’ve been deep in thought as you don’t even notice eddie creep up to the empty table, standing awkwardly besides your chair, ‘can we talk?’

your eyes shoot up to meet his, baffled by his presence, ‘what could we possibly have to talk about?’

he exhales through his nose, ‘uh.. a lot? we don’t have to do it here.. i have a room upstairs or.. outside?’

‘no,’ gripping onto your glass of wine, desperately trying to grab the attention of someone behind eddie to come and save you, ‘i don’t want to speak to you.’

he’s exasperated, clutching onto his beer with strained white knuckles. how were you ever supposed to move past this when you wouldn’t even give him the opportunity to explain himself. but that was exactly it. you didn’t care about any of the silly excuses you’re sure he’d conjured up, he did what he did and that was that.

‘i’m trying here..’ sounding exasperated, ‘how ‘bout dinner? sometime this week, on me,’ his voice is deeper now, raspier. you figure as a result of constant partying and chain smoking while on tour.

‘i have a child and a job.. i don’t have time for dinner with you on top of that,’ swallowing the rest of the sweet white wine, putting the empty glass back on the table with a forceful slam.

you make brief eye contact with will who was passing behind eddie and decide to take the opportunity to pounce, standing from your chair and rushing over the second he nears your table.

‘will.. hey,’ speeding to catch him up, mouthing a small save me, clinging to his arm as you move away from eddie who was stood deflated at the table.

will thankfully catches your drift, steering you towards the bar, ‘you okay? i was just about to leave..’ placing his empty glass onto the bar with a soft sigh.

‘what? no.. if i can’t go then you’re not allowed either,’ talking sternly to the boy even though he now towered above you and just about everybody else in here.

he screws up his face, looking over to the dance floor, ‘it’s just..’ sighing once again, ‘awful, isn’t it?’ following his gaze to an intoxicated mike performing an elaborate air guitar routine in the middle of the floor.

it wasn’t exactly the same, but you could empathise with the difficult situation and that foul feeling in your stomach that you were sure he could feel too. you could imagine that it wasn’t easy to see the man you’d once, or perhaps still loved after so long. in fact, you didn’t really need to imagine at all.

deciding it was better to change the subject, distract him from the unraveling scene on the dance floor, ‘d’you smoke?’

he looks around quickly, watching out for a listening jonathan, you assume before he nods quickly, ‘but no one can know,’ a hint of a smile creeping onto his face.

you return the devilish grin before hooking your arm in his, pulling him towards the door where you could get the hell away from annoying men and their long black hair.

-

it’s gone three by the time you get back to steve’s, genuinely having to coax him from the party and into the cab you’d shared with a belligerent dustin, making sure he had got home safely.

‘i wasn’t too mean, was i?’ snuggled up in steve’s blankets, facing each other in the low light of his room.

‘nooo, no you were on fire,’ he laughs, he was still tipsy and slightly reeking of booze as he lay next to you.

‘really? you’re sure?’ he was definitely just drunk and blabbing on but you’d take it.

‘yes.. it was perfect,’ he hiccups, interrupting his sentence, ‘buuut.. and i’m not the only one who said this so don’t kill me..’ kissing the back of his teeth, ‘you’re not gonna like what i have to say.’

‘what? what is it?’ prodding his shoulder with a quick jab. knowing eddie, he’d probably gone round the party whispering some bullshit about the two of you.

‘well..’ holding his hands in the air, ‘there’s still chemistry there.. y’know i could see it,’ raising his eyebrows, hands collapsing onto the blanket.

‘right, i’m going to sleep.. you’re drunk and just saying stupid shit now,’ rolling your eyes as you settle into the soft pillow, closing your eyes so you no longer had to entertain his idiotic nonsense.

he chortles, hiccuping mid-laugh which makes a horrid choking noise, ‘i’m not that drunk.. robin said it too,’ the lamp clicks off, darkening the room, ‘and dustin..’

‘go to sleep steve,’ unamused and tired.

‘okay okay.. goodnight,’ he calls, you can hear the smile in his voice as he turns to face the other way, taking that as your opportunity to rest your head on his back, nuzzling into the soft cotton t-shirt.

-

monday is particularly awful and you’re reminded exactly why you don’t drink often. two days on and you’re still exhausted, half-heartedly filling the shelves and just trying to make it to two o’clock.

in your tired state, one of the bottles of shampoo you were putting out, falls out of your hand and rolls off somewhere down the aisle. you sigh, a deep, fed-up, exhaustive sigh and get up to go and fetch it when the bottle appears before your face, a tattooed, ring-filled hand latched onto it.

‘carver? really?’ eddie frowns, watching you from above, eyebrows furrowed together.

you place the bottle onto it’s rightful spot on the shelf and choose to ignore him. if he’d come all the way down here just to piss you off about your poor life choices then he could get fucked.

‘when’d that happen?’

blanking him again as you continue to put stuff onto the shelves. this was the easiest way to guarantee that you weren’t going to get yourself fired for being rude to him.

‘you gonna ignore me? i just wanna know,’ still poking and prodding, he clearly wasn’t very good at picking up on context clues.

nothing.

‘fuck, can you just talk to me for five minutes?’ your silence was driving him crazy, aggravating him to no end.

‘i’m at work, so no,’ hurriedly trying to finish the stock you had so you had an excuse to rush out the back and away from him.

he was fortunate that it was a quiet monday, the store full of mostly older ladies who had no idea who he was. you sorta hoped that he’d get mobbed and would have to hurry off and leave you alone.

‘why jason? out of literally everyone else in this shithole you choose jason?’ screwing his face up in disgust.

you slam the box cutter down with a loud clatter, causing a few turned heads and raised eyebrows. fuck ‘em. if you had done what you’d really wanted to do, you’d be locked up forever.

‘i don’t know if you remember this but my boyfriend of like, two years ran away and never came home so yeah.. that kinda fucked with me a little and lucky for me, jason carver was there and also hated my ex’s guts.. so it was perfect, you know?’ staring flatly at him, you were not dealing with his shit today.

eddie scoffs, ‘so you had a kid with him? and now.. what? you play happy families just to spite me? is that it?’

‘yes eddie, i had a whole child just to piss you off.’

he gawps back at you, clearly also did not possess the ability to sense sarcasm.

‘no,’ scowling at him, ‘it was an accident and now he’s.. i dunno, coaching basketball at some school in ohio or some shit.. why don’t you go and bother him?’

‘so you’re not together?’

you can only roll your eyes in response, in sheer disbelief that he’d made such a fuss because he couldn’t just outright ask if you were single.

un-fucking-believable.

you’ve had just about enough of this conversation, pulling your little trolley back towards the swing doors that lead to the warehouse. at least he wasn’t allowed in there.

‘wait! wait..’ he grabs onto the other side of the trolley, stopping you from walking off, ‘have dinner with me tonight or.. tomorrow?’ eyes big and pleading.

‘now why would i do that?’

‘because i want to explain myself.. i need to.’

one of the younger shoppers notices who he is and begins trying to talk to him, coming over to where you two stood rather excitedly. eddie is kind enough to smile and give her a few polite words, eyes still latched onto yours despite the ecstatic woman beside him.

‘okay,’ honestly just wanting to get away from all this commotion, ‘tomorrow.’

his scowl subsides, replaced by a gleaming grin, ‘six o’clock.. pino’s, i’ll sort it, okay?’ already starting to walk away from the crazy woman.

‘right,’ you nod, pulling your trolley away and into the back warehouse, leaning against the concrete wall. the whole exchange was tiring, knocking whatever tiny bit of energy out of you.

were you actually gonna go?

absolutely fucking not.

-

by the time six rolls around the next night, you really had forgotten all about it. rushing to get ella her dinner after swimming lessons, already worrying about paying for yet another field trip she’d sprung on you earlier. you’d begun to wonder if they even taught in the classrooms anymore with the amount of permission slips she brought home.

she’s finally settled into bed, after much protesting and a lot of coaxing. you’re just about to finally relax on the couch when someone hammers on your front door. and if you weren’t already pissed off with ella’s whining, you were most definitely about to be with whichever mindless prick was banging on your door.

‘what do you want?’ you hiss, jerking the door open to reveal a pathetic looking eddie on the other side, face forlorn and dejected.

he’s in that white shirt again. it makes you sick to your stomach to admit that it really does look good on him. his arms now more defined, the cotton sticking to his muscles, briefly showcasing the new tattoos underneath. maybe he’d actually got off of his ass and did something other than smoke weed all day.

‘oh so you are alive, d’you forget about something?’ he’s snarling now, having conjured up some elaborate excuse in his head as to why you hadn’t showed, only to find you at home, seemingly with no care in the world.

‘oops,’ the corners of your mouth twitching into a smile, you hadn’t even actually meant to stand him up, you were just gonna call his hotel and cancel but the thought had just completely slipped your mind.

and even if it shouldn’t, it really did feel good. knowing he was the one sat waiting for you for once.

‘oops? i sat there for an hour waiting for you and then spent the last hour trying to convince dustin to give me your fucking address.. and all you can say is oops?’

you shrug, ‘feels pretty shitty to be forgotten about, doesn’t it?’ tilting your head, watching as his face falls. he’d been got.

‘okay.. okay, i get it, and i’m sorry.. there’s not a day that goes by that i don’t feel like shit for how i treated you,’ his head dips low, looking particularly sorry for himself.

and for a second you do too. not that he deserved it. quickly having to remind yourself exactly what he had done to you, which was not at all helped by the fact that he now had everything he’d ever wanted in life.

and you couldn’t fault your life. truly. but fuck did it sting sometimes, to know that your life had stagnated, stuck in the same shitty town you’d grown up in while he was on the other side of the country, more money than sense and a hoard of doting fans that would do absolutely anything he’d ask of them.

‘good,’ you bark, going to slam the door shut only for it to bang against his black boot wedged in the door, ‘if you don’t move your foot i’ll- i’ll call the police.’

‘no you won’t,’ his hand reaches out to grab onto the other side of the handle, he could’ve easily pushed his way in if he’d really wanted, ‘let’s talk.. like adults,’ begging you now, ‘please.’

you huff, this would end with you either letting him in or being forced to wake ella after you bashed his head into the doorframe. it was easier to just accept the first option and you’d find some bullshit to get him to leave later on.

opening the door wider to let him in, keeping your eyes square on the ground as he walks through, peering around at your home. probably comparing it to his mansion in the hollywood hills the pretentious fuck.

‘nice..’ he nods, leaning in to look at the photo of you and ella a few christmas’ ago, she was tiny then, sporting a miniature santa hat.

‘yeah well, she’s asleep upstairs so.. make it quick,’ you frown, closing the door behind him, watching as his eyes take in the cluttered room, smile fading when he catches sight of the singular picture you have up of jason and ella.

‘i can’t believe you chose to fuck jason of all people.. i mean, i’ve made some shitty decisions in my life but..’ he stops himself from going any further when he sees your face, if looks could kill, he’d be long gone by now.

‘did you come here for a reason? or are you here to talk about my life decisions.. because i really don’t want to hear it from you,’ crossing your arms over your chest, wanting him out of your house.

‘no.. no, shit- i’m sorry,’ he shuffles on his feet, banging his head, ‘i wanna talk.. properly.’

you roll your hand to motion for him to continue, ‘go on..’

he inhales, chewing on the inside of his cheek, trying to psyche himself up to actually say what he wanted to say. it wasn’t that he didn’t know what to say, he just couldn’t string it together to make sense.

‘i’m sorry for the way i treated you.. it wasn’t right and i know that now,’ his hand coming to rub the back of his clammy next, why was your house so fucking hot?

‘okay.. apology accepted, was that everything?’ you say flatly, glancing up the stairs to make sure ella wasn’t awake and out of her room.

his face falls, ‘can you just.. just let me explain,’ his adam apple bobbing as he swallows, ‘why don’t you sit down..’ motioning towards your ratty couch.

you relent your stern stature, hesitantly going to sit on the couch, trying to ensure that he couldn’t possibly sit next to you by sprawling your legs out onto the empty cushion. so he takes the seat furthest away, running his hands down his tight jeans. designer, no less.. the only person you knew stupid enough to spend thousands on designer jeans just to tear holes in them.

‘when i ended things with you, i wasn’t.. well, it was me, but i had my manager screaming in my ear that it’d never work and he could hook me up with some fuckin’ model.. it’d help the band.. so that’s what i did,’ and for once, he looked genuinely remorseful, fiddling with the loose threads on his expensive jeans.

‘so you sold out? that’s your excuse?’

his head shoots up, mouth hung open with absolute disgust all over his face, ‘i am not a sell out.’

which is incredibly refutable, you’d heard a snippet of one of their recent songs on the radio at work and it had sounded exactly like the commercial shit he used to rag on when you were together. not a touch on the corroded coffin you sat and watched practice for hours on end.

‘oh? so you didn’t break up with me to further your career? you just wanted to fuck hot models? which one is it ‘cause i’m a little confused here,’ completely losing it, springing up from your slouched position.

‘okay, yeah.. yeah i did, i broke up with you because i wanted to fuckin’ make something of my life.. and look at where i am and look at-,’

‘-don’t you dare finish that sentence,’ you snap, gritting your teeth together as you near his face, positively shaking with rage.

‘what’re you gonna do? you gonna hit me? do it,’ his chin tilted to match your elevated position, eyes glued to yours.

‘i should.’

his lips twitch into a smirk, ‘you won’t.’

and before your brain has the time to really process your next movements, he balls his fist into your t-shirt, causing your chest to collide into his as his lips smash into yours, knocking the air out of your lungs.

scrambling to find his shoulders for balance, sliding one hand onto his stubbly cheek. it’s all teeth and tongues, he’s ravenous and unrelenting, letting go of his grip on your shirt to place his hands on your hips, ‘move,’ mumbling against your lips as he attempts to manoeuvre you onto his lap while twisting around.

he slides down the couch, keeping a solid hold of your body as you find the right position. your legs are either side of his waist, sliding into the gap between his body and the couch sitting right on his crotch. wasting absolutely zero time in connecting your lips against, honestly not wanting to run the risk of him opening his mouth and ruining this.

his large hands find solace on your ass, creeping up to remove the oversized shirt you’d thrown on. you place your hand above his, restricting him from moving any further. it’s not that you were embarrassed- okay, maybe you were a little. but your body had changed since becoming a mom and eddie had become accustomed to gorgeous models and perfect women that he’d certainly not want to see your boring, frumpy mom body.

he groans in protest, trying again to lift the shirt further only for your fingernails to dig into his hand, ‘no,’ speaking into the filthy kiss.

eddie pulls away from the kiss, fingers coming to gently brush the hair from your face, ‘you can’t be serious? i’ve seen it all before,’ he grumbles, fingers itching to try lift it again.

‘not like this you haven’t.. i just.. want it on, okay?’

‘no- why won’t you let me take this off?’ fingers curling around the hem, already trying his luck with getting it up again.

you sigh, meeting his blown out eyes with your glossy ones, ‘i don’t even know what i’m doing.. fuck,’ attempting to climb off of his lap while the spare hand he has on your ass clamps you down, keeping you pressed to him.

‘hey.. hey, keep it on.. i don’t care,’ already trying to chase your lips, ‘i’m just saying, you don’t need to,’ the denim covering his growing erection starting to rub against your throbbing clit, the sparse material of your pajama shorts were not leaving much to the imagination.

‘jesus christ, just take it off,’ giving up in your protest, it was useless against eddie’s persistence.

you press your lips to his the second your shirt is off, there was no time to judge your body if he couldn’t see it. pulling at his jacket to get it off, the metal buttons digging into your now bare skin.

‘i didn’t.. i didn’t mean.. what i said..’ babbling through the kiss as he shimmies out of the jacket, landing on the floor with a soft thud.

‘shut up,’ you whine, running your hand along the length of his chest until you reach the hem of his black shirt, gripping your fingers around the fabric and lifting it slightly, exposing his midriff, the soft trail of hair ascending the skin.

his head jerks backwards, allowing you to tug the shirt off, finally allowing his eyes to wander to your chest. ‘holy shit,’ he remarks like he’d never seen a pair of tits before. it’s futile for him to pretend that he hadn’t seen some amazing boobs in his time so you scoff, rolling your eyes.

working your hand at his belt buckle, fiddling with the metal until it pops undone. he’s hard already and it makes you groan, brushing your hand over the raised denim. this week seriously must’ve been difficult if he was getting hard so easily over you.

it doesn’t ever occur to you how much of a mistake this was. and even if it did, you didn’t have much time to ponder on it as his hands are grabbing at your breasts, palming them as his lips suck at your jaw and down onto your neck softly. guaranteed to leave a lovely violet mark that the old ladies at work would certainly gasp at.

he’s helping you with his jeans, one hand gripping onto your waist to keep you steady as he lifts his hips from the couch and the other hurriedly yanking them down just enough to reveal his boxers. that’s the next port of call, fingers grabbing at the thin black cotton, pulling them down his thighs as his cock springs into action.

eddie’s lips are still on your neck while you mindlessly wrap your hand around his cock, pumping your fist as you shuffle upwards. his breath hitches in his throat, still peppering sloppy kisses to the sensitive skin.

‘oh god,’ he whines into your collarbone, feeling his eyelashes flutter against your jaw. for a man who had been painted as womaniser in the media, he sure was still just as pathetic as he used to be underneath you.

you’re a little annoyed that it’s you who’s taking control right now. after so many years of disrespect from his end, you think he at least owed it to you to take charge.

your hand grabs onto his shoulder, pulling his face from your neck, ‘be quiet, okay?’ sitting taller to position yourself comfortably, the harsh fabric of the couch grazing your knees.

he nods, sliding his hand up your waist and back to your hip, taking in the sight of you. you wouldn’t ever admit it aloud, but truthfully, you really did miss him sometimes. missed the way his pretty pink lips looked after being glued to yours or the way he gazed at you doing the most mundane tasks.

you cant your hips, sinking down onto his length slowly, biting down onto your bottom lip as his cock fills you to the hilt. his eyelids flicker, fingernails digging into your doughy hips. it’s been a little while since you’d done this so you have to take a second to become accustomed to the slight stretch. it’s good, in the most masochistic way.

your hands cling onto his shoulders, watching his slack jaw, tiny breaths escaping from his mouth as you attempt to move. painstakingly slow at first, knees beginning to shake as you try to remember what you should even be doing. your cheeks flushing, feeling so incredibly embarrassed. the man was fucking models and then you’re here, pitifully trying to ride him. it’s awful, you know it’s awful.

his arm comes to snake around your waist, taking matters into his own hands and flipping the two of you around, your back suddenly pressed into the couch. holy shit. you appreciate the initiative, wrapping your legs around his waist, readjusting your grip on his shoulders.

‘need you a little faster than that darling,’ large hands digging into the couch either side of your head. you’d feel utterly mortified if you weren’t thoroughly enjoying the sight of him looming over you, his hair falling beautifully into your face.

eddie starts slow at first, moving his hips slowly, obviously well versed. your mouth opens but no noise escapes, well aware that you weren’t the only ones in your house. instead you pant softly, desperate for his lips to grace yours again.

it’s not long before he’s quickening his pace, unable to contain himself when you feel so perfect around him. ‘i missed you- fuck, i’ve missed you so much,’ he groans, keeping his voice low despite wanting to start screaming.

you don’t reply, too fucked-out to even think about words. eyes drooping as his cock nudges against the soft spongy spot no one other than him had been able to reach.

the couch creaks beneath you, the old thing unable to keep up with his rutting hips, the top of your head knocking into the arm rest every time his hips collided with yours. your living room had never bore witness to such filth and as quiet as you were trying to be, the sounds are indistinguishable.

having to bite down onto your lip when his thumb meets your clit, legs tightening around his waist with every soft circle he draws around the sensitive bud. eddie was never bad in bed but holy shit, maybe money had done something right for him.

he sits up, soft sighs falling out of his lips as his hand disconnects from your clit, sliding toward your knee and positioning your leg onto his shoulder. your nails press into his forearm, willing yourself to stay quiet even now he’s seemingly trying to kill you.

and through it all, he’s smirking. relishing the way you’re writhing around, trying not to cum when he nudges against that sweet, spongy spot this position allowed.

his thumb finds your clit again, ‘holy shit sweetheart.. you gonna cum?’ grunting softly with every thrust.

you’re positively wrecked beneath him, face pressed into the couch cushion as your stomach flips. panting into the fabric, incoherent ramblings of eddie’s name and a bunch of curse words fill the room.

‘cum for me baby.. shit,’ struggling to keep his own pace as you tighten around him, leg trembling around his neck as your orgasm takes over. pleasure overtaking your limbs as your hips buck instinctively, thankfully muffled by the couch.

‘oh my god,’ you breathe, struggling to see straight when your eyes eventually reopen, gazing up at eddie above, certain he’s about to draw blood from his teeth digging in to his lip.

‘where.. where shall i- shit,’ he squeezes out, feeling his hips begin to stutter, eyes rolling to the back of his head. he’s just about quick enough to pull out, thick ropes of cum paint your thighs. narrowly avoiding the couch.

if you had the energy to get annoyed, you would’ve snapped, but in all honesty, your brain was still reeling and anger was the last thing you felt.

eddie reaches over, ever the gentleman and grabs his shirt to clean his mess. didn’t matter to him obviously, he had more than enough money to buy another.

and there it is. the bitterness filling your body again the second he’s no longer on top of you, or inside of you rather. you attempt to bite it down.

‘you wanna talk now?’ he asks, pulling his boxers back up to a more respectable position.

‘i’m tired eddie,’ and you are, on a school night like tonight you’d have been fast asleep by now.

he sighs, shoulders slumping over. even after you’d just had the most mind-altering sex, you couldn’t speak to him. ‘please,’ pleading with you almost, desperate for one more chance.

maybe it’s the exhaustion or maybe the dopamine still pumping through your brain but you concede, pulling your shirt back over your head before motioning for him to speak.

‘i don’t have any excuses, i’m just-,’ he sighs, turning on the couch to face you fully, ‘i’m sorry for hurting you, i was wrong and i know that,’ his eyes are dipped, peering at you from underneath his spindly lashes, ‘why d’you think i’ve avoided this place for so long?’

‘i don’t know? because you’re a pussy? because you’re too scared to face me?’ letting the words rattle off your tongue without much thought.

‘because i’m embarrassed,’ he corrects, without much offence, ‘because i’m ashamed and feel like i owe you more than some dick and a shitty apology.. i just didn’t know how i could ever make it up to you,’ half-moon eyes glossy in the low light.

your heart thumps in your chest, blood echoing through your ears. eddie munson, world renowned rockstar was sat on your couch, apologising for something you should’ve forgotten about a long time ago.

the years of hatred and avoidance come tumbling down in a millisecond. all you’d ever wanted was to hear him say sorry. to admit that he’d fucked you over for a life of fame and now you had it, you weren’t exactly sure what to even do with it.

‘okay.. now what? are you gonna make it up to me? because i want to believe you eddie, i do.. but you can’t just traipse in here and expect me to forgive you like that,’ the tears roll over, sliding down your warm cheeks.

he nods, grabbing onto your hands in a last ditch gesture to show his sincerity, ‘i’m going to.. i-i want to,’ he’s still nodding, bringing his face closer to yours, ‘tell me how, i’ll do anything,’ adam’s apple bobbing with every word.

‘stay here,’ your eyes are trained on him, ignoring the blurred vision, ‘not forever, just for now,’ lips pursed, ready to be broken once more.

you half-expect him to come out with some sorry excuse, tell you he had to get back to his hotel so he couldn’t possible stay here.

but he doesn’t.

eddie takes your hand, tugging it gently and with words you don’t register, babbles something about bed. so you follow him, allowing him to guide you to your room and slide in between the sheets next to you.

everything is so gentle, soft and pure. something you hadn’t felt in a long time.

-

‘hey.. sweetheart,’ eddie’s hand gently shakes your arm, whispering into your ear, ‘you awake?’

you squint in the dim light, feeling his hand descend onto your waist, chest pressed against your back, ‘i am now,’ you grumble, it was early.. early even by ella’s standards.

‘i gotta go.. you got work today?’ he asks, making no effort to actually get up and leave your bed though.

you nod into the pillow, rubbing your sleep heavy eyes. in your sleep hazed state, you shuffle, moving backwards against him.

‘okay.. shit- don’t do that,’ strained as you shift against him, unknowingly brushing against his cock, ‘i’ll be back.. after you..’ he’s losing it a little now, ‘after you finish..’ lips pressed to your ear.

you were moving deliberately now, just ever-so-slightly rocking your hips back and forth, you could feel him growing against your ass.

‘i can’t..’ he groans, grip tightening on your hip,

‘please,’ you breathe, reaching backwards to find his mop of curls, taking a fistful for leverage as his own hip’s thrust into your backside, his low growls only spurring you on.

you had been on your own for so long now, could he really blame you?

eddie doesn’t leave for another hour, creeping out of your house with his head low and a shit eating grin plastered on his face.

-

the key turns in your door as you’re loading the dishwasher. you’d given steve a spare for emergencies but it seemed to get used for anything but.

he slinks into the kitchen where you stand with your back to him, ‘hey,’ already knowing who it was.

‘well hello,’ announcing his presence, something about his tone of voice already seemed off, he sounded short, annoyed almost, ‘how have you been?’

‘i’m good..’ you spin to face him, puzzled by his strange demeanour, ‘how are you?’

he’s holding onto something behind his back but you can’t quite catch a glimpse, ‘actually.. i’m a little pissed off,’ you can tell he’s not completely serious by the hint of a smile on his face.

‘hmm? why’s that?’

he looks around the room expectedly, ‘oh i don’t know.. you don’t have anything to tell me, do you?’ shaking his head, still gripping onto this mystery object.

‘no..’ narrowing your eyes, determining whether he knew what you thought he knew.

he did, he one hundred percent did. holy fuck. he’d figured you out already. eddie had opened his big, stupid mouth and told dustin, who would’ve told steve and god knows who else. fucking moron.

‘no? soo..’ his pulls the magazine from behind his back, flipping it to the page he’d already saved, ‘this isn’t real then?’ shoving the glossy pages into your face, ‘because to me.. this looks an awful lot like eddie.. at this very house,’ he jabs his finger at the pixelated image, ‘and this little blob here.. that’s you, no?’

you’re utterly gobsmacked. mouth hung open in pure shock. because that most definitely was eddie.. and your house.. and you. you hadn’t seen anyone with a camera, hell, you hadn’t seen anyone on the street at all.

‘and correct me if i’m wrong, but is this not our friend eddie leaving your house the next morning?’ showing the next image of him leaving your house the day after, hair unruly and messed up, holding his denim jacket in his arms as he climbs into his car.

your mouth moves but no words come out, croaking as you struggle to meet steve’s eyes. completely speechless, there was no feasible excuse. you had been caught with your pants down. literally.

‘i can explain,’ waving your hands around while steve stands smug against the kitchen counter. ‘..no i can’t,’ shoulders slumped as you blink at your best friend, no you really couldn’t. suppose you could’ve come up with some lie about a look-a-like you’d been seeing but that would’ve made you look particularly strange.

‘were you ever gonna tell me?’ he’s almost hurt that you hadn’t ran to him to tell him immediately. this was true best friend gossip and you’d kept him from it.

‘i was! steve.. i don’t even know what happened- he came over to apologise and then we were arguing and then.. then we had sex and it’s not my fault..’ you’re trying, and failing, to contain your smile, flashing your cheeky grin to your best friend in the hopes he would let this slide.

‘i can’t believe you didn’t tell me!’ jutting his bottom lip out, ‘so, you’re getting back together?’ his eyes sceptical yet sparkling with a sense of hope. you’re grateful that all he seems to care about is the fact you lied. or actually, withheld the truth as you preferred it.

‘no.. well.. no, we had dinner together yesterday and he might’ve stayed over but no..’ shaking your head, ‘he’s leaving again soon and we both know what happened last time..’ you shrug, leaning back against the counter, ‘i guess i don’t hate him now, that’s good isn’t it?’

steve looks perplexed, ‘wait wait wait.. so you’re just.. screwing around? and then he leaves again, that’s it? what’s the point?’ taking a seat at the small kitchen table, fully engrossed in the conversation.

‘i dunno.. i guess that’s it?’ you hadn’t really thought about the fact that he’d be leaving again, in fact, you hadn’t really had time to think much at all about what was happening.

you’d just sort of acknowledged that at some point he’d go back to california and you’d stay here and whatever was happening would.. end? it wasn’t as if you were going to be super upset about it like you once were. lots of people fuck their ex’s.. this was fine.

because that’s what this is, right?

just sex with an ex?

‘that’s it?’ steve reiterates, looking completely flabbergasted that the woman who once left the room whenever eddie munson’s name was mentioned was now being so casual about this.

‘yeah,’ you shrug, not wanting to make a massive deal out of it though you could always rely on steve to be over dramatic on your behalf.

‘no,’ he straightens up in the chair, ‘all of this can’t be for nothing,’ sounding utterly exasperated, ‘you two obviously belong together so why don’t you go for it? i could see you living it up out in la.. big house, big car-,’

you cut him off before he can divulge into his delusions any further, ‘i think you’re getting ahead of yourself steve,’ shaking your head at his ludicrous attitude.

you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about it once or twice but it seemed silly to start imagining this crazy life together after all these years. he’d barely just made it into your good graces again, you were hardly going to run off to california with him. it was utter delusion.

‘okay okay..’ he scoffs, ‘but i still think you need to talk to him. i don’t want you getting hurt again, okay? just make sure that you’re both on the same page,’ nodding as he stands from his seat and begins to rummage through your cupboards for something to eat.

he was probably right and you knew it deep down. you weren’t keen on being the one to bring the conversation up, not after that first night. after you had sobbed in his arms in bed, letting him soothe you to sleep with a bunch of probable empty promises.

-

when eddie lets himself into your house a few hours later, steve’s eyebrows fly up his forehead but he doesn’t say a word. instead, he nods at the man, keeping his opinions to himself.

the pair of you resemble an old married couple, except you’re the grumpy old man with your wife cuddled into your side. your wife being steve that is.

‘oh.. is this uh, something that happens often?’ eddie asks, settling into the empty chair across from you. slightly miffed that steve was nestled into your side.

‘yup,’ you nod, smiling at him your chin resting on steve’s head. he hadn’t a reason to be jealous, you’d really rather poke your eyeballs out with a fork than do anything remotely sexual with steve.

‘right.. yeah okay,’ eddie says, looking perplexed but sitting back in the chair. if he was going to stick around then this would have to be something that he got used to. because you sure as hell weren’t going to stop being so close with steve for the guy that broke your heart at eighteen.

‘you want a drink?’ you ask, realising that you should probably be a good host even if it was only eddie.

‘yeah sure.’

you untangle yourself from steve and trundle off into the kitchen. steve takes this as the perfect opportunity to grill eddie on his intentions, sitting up straight and making sure that you were really gone before beginning his interrogation.

‘so.. you two?’

eddie shrugs, not wanting to get into it with steve after such a long day.

steve sighs, leaning toward eddie, ‘i’m gonna say this once.. but if you hurt her again, i will kill you,’ staring the other man down. contempt in his eyes. he was dead serious too.

‘i’m not- i’m not gonna hurt her,’ eddie sits up, praying that you’d hurry back with this damn drink.

‘i mean it eddie,’ raising his eyebrows, ‘you didn’t see how she was after you left.. i’m not going through that again, i’m not letting her go through that again.’

‘steve-,’ eddie blinks, stopping himself as you re-enter the room. hoping that you hadn’t heard their conversation, he’d only just got you to stop hating him. he wasn’t prepared to go back to that like, ever.

‘what’re you talking about?’ placing the bottle of beer in front of eddie and collapsing back into your spot on the couch.

‘football,’ steve answers quickly, groaning as he pushes himself off of the sofa, ‘i’m gonna head home, got work in the morning but i’ll see you tomorrow,’ he smiles, winking at you from above.

‘okay,’ you utter, sounding more like a question than a statement, watching carefully as he gathers his things without so much as a glance at eddie. you can only imagine what was actually said but that was truly none of your business.

you’d just grill eddie later to make sure steve hasn’t been too much of an asshole.

‘byee,’ you call out behind him, already eyeing a sheepish eddie. this’d probably be it. you’d known it was coming at some point, you just weren’t sure of when.

if steve’s sudden departure was anything to go off, you were probably right.

the door clicks shut and you turn your attention to eddie who was still sat on the solemn chair. oh god. maybe you had got a little used to having him around again and now to know that it’d all be coming to an abrupt end once again.. yeah you felt a tad shit.

‘what’d you say?’ you ask outright, it made zero sense to beat around the bush.

‘me?’ he looks almost offended, ‘i didn’t say shit.. didn’t get the chance to,’ but he’s smiling ever so slightly and your heart relaxes.

christ you were so stupid. letting him back into your life just to let him walk away a second time. perhaps you’d done something horrific in a past life to deserve this same fate twice.

‘so what did he say?’ you press, unsure of if your even wanted the answer.

eddie sighs before coming to collapse on the couch next to you, ‘it wasn’t important.. look, i wanna be honest with you,’ his hand comes to grab yours and you freeze, bracing yourself for what was inevitably going to come next. ‘you mean a lot to me and.. and i don’t want you to think that i don’t care or that i’m just leaving you again,’ his eyes are focussed on yours, full of what you hope is sincerity.

you don’t reply, instead you nod slightly and urge him to continue. this was it. the kicker. 

‘i’ve gotta go back to la next week,’ his grip tightens around your hand, ‘but i’m coming back as soon as i can, okay?’ he’s serious too and you’d like to believe him but if the past was anything to go by, you weren’t eager.

you nod silently. fuck this. once again, you were sat before eddie munson, listening to his plans to jet off to la. it felt like the cruelest case of deja-vu. if anything, you want to kick yourself for even allowing him to wiggle his way back into your heart. most people know better after the first time.

‘it’s three weeks.. maybe a month, but i’m coming back, i promise,’ he pleads, hanging his head low. he knows there’s absolutely nothing he could say to you that would make you believe him but he had to try.

you hum, frowning just a little before finally replying, ‘i’ve heard that before,’ not meaning to sound as snarky as you did, but it was true.

‘i’m serious, i’m not.. not gonna lose you again, i’ve learnt my lesson,’ his eyes are big and pleading and you’re thrown right back to being eighteen, listening to him convince you how going to la would be the best decision.

‘so.. what? you’re gonna come back to hawkins just to see me? i don’t-,’ you sigh, as much as you wanted to believe him, it just wasn’t plausible in your mind, ‘i just don’t understand, are we together or are you just coming back to fuck? you don’t have to, you know? i’ve made peace with it all and i’m fine.. you don’t have to lie to me anymore.’

if anyone was going to fuck this up, it would be you. that’s for certain.

‘what the fuck?’ he exclaims, genuinely flabbergasted, ‘this is me telling you that i’m serious about this.. about you,’ he takes your hand into his properly, scooting around to face you fully, ‘i love being here with you, and ella and there is nothing out in la worth more than this,’ you think he might just start crying, or you might. or perhaps both of you.

you sniff, not wanting to speak in fear of bursting into hysterics. it was all just so confusing and weird. you’d grown accustomed to eddie being on the other side of the country and now suddenly he was back in your life with what seemed like a a declaration of love. it was just too much to handle. and maybe you blame yourself a little, for not truly thinking about the implications of fucking your ex that had abandoned you years prior. but now it all just seemed to be hurtling in the most intense direction.

you were the one that had told him to stay after all. because really, you could’ve kicked him out, refused to ever even acknowledge him again. but you hadn’t.

‘are you telling me the truth?’ is all that you manage to squeak out. baring resemblance to a small child.

you really must’ve looked pathetic, eyes brimming with tears, bottom lip quivering as you hold in the implosion of emotions. it’s always scary being vulnerable with someone, let alone someone that once meant so much to you.

he still did. as much as you’re absolutely petrified to admit it, he’d weaselled his way back into your heart and now here you are, a mess of emotions and perplexing feelings that are too complicated to handle.

‘i promise you,’ he sighs, clearly fed up of your whining, ‘i’m coming back this time.’

and maybe you’re stupid. maybe you’re still hung up on some high school relationship that ended long ago but you can’t help it, you nod.

idiotically believing him because what else can you do after letting him into your home and your heart again.

[steviewashere]

Filling Static in the Dead Air

Rating: General Pairings: Robin & Steve, Steddie, Robin/Original Female Character CW: Robin and Steve Being Assholes To Each Other, Friendship Breakup Tags: Post-Canon, Angst, No Comfort, Bittersweet Ending, Unhappy Ending, Dialogue Heavy, Phone Conversations, Letters, Steve & Robin's Friendship, Time Splitting Up Friendships, Platonic Stobin, Steve Harrington Loves Robin Buckley, Robin Buckley Loves Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson is a Sweetheart Am I basing this off of experience? Maybe. Is this kinda out of character? Probably. Anyway.

☎️—————☎️ *BEEP*

“Hey, Robbie…it’s…well, it’s Steve. Um, I-I’ve been trying to catch you for a while now…seems we’re missing each other a lot these days, huh? No big deal, I’ve been busy…you’ve been busy. I get it. So. Just wanted to call and say that I…I really hope you have a good day. Think that’s all I say nowadays, but I mean it. Wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. And…and I hope that exams go over swimmingly. You’re, like, the smartest person I know—don’t tell Dustin I said that, if you…if you, um, still keep in touch with him—anyway. You’ve got this. You’re gonna do amazing, I know it. Soooo…yeah. Yeah, that’s all. If you need anything from me—or even Eddie—or um…if you just wanna talk to your favorite dingus, I’ll be here. There’s a gap in my schedule, new job on the horizon, hopefully. I’ve got the time for you, that’s all I’m saying. Yeah. I…I think that’s it? Love you, Robbie. Call me soon?”

——— Steve can admit—now that it’s been a couple of years—that when Robin said she was going to college out of state, his heart and stomach dropped out of him to the floor. It was a sort of sixth sense he’s adapted to. This aura, a curdling sick sense, that would sit dormant until the words left somebody’s mouth. “I’m leaving.” That’s all it took. 

Not the kind of leaving when a hangout was over. Not the kind of leaving when the party came to a halt. Not the kind of leaving when the day’s been run through.

No, it was the kind of leaving that meant business trips and a stale home, playdates by himself on his knees in the wood chips, and friends going over yonder from grass fields and tornado sirens.

His brain was kind enough to flip an hourglass distantly for him. Once the sand dwindled from one side, it was over. And that had been approaching a while with Robin. He always knew that it would happen in the aftermath of one of those Upside Down free-for-alls. Just…he didn’t expect it so immediately. When Vecna crumpled into himself like a paper bag, wounds scarred over, and July came rolling on in.

And then 1987 passed.

Followed by 1988.

Now, in the dead winter of 1989, during the big college winter break season, before a whole new decade rolled in, he’s not so sure about this friendship anymore. That’s not to say that it wasn’t a good one. That he didn’t laugh and spill his secrets and have weird proximity sleepovers in his basement—despite having the guest rooms upstairs. No, he loved Robin with every coiled fiber of his soul. To the moon and back. All those cliche things.

She was the only girl that ever mattered in his life nowadays. He dreamed of her. Wept over her. Celebrated with her. They chatted for hours after she lost her virginity, whisper calling while her hook-up (now girlfriend) snored in the background. Robin was the first one to hear about when he was eventually kicked out of his parents’ place, when he hauled ass to a dingy shoebox apartment near a dilapidated McDonald’s that didn’t survive Vecna. When he stirred up forgotten feelings in his chest, he laid star-spread on his bathroom floor, spooning melted ice cream past his lips, sobbing about a boy. And, eventually, when he had Eddie problems? To Robin he went.

He knows that she’s busy. Always is. Between foreign language club meetings, study sessions in her college’s library, and having brunch with the girls…Robin’s not a free bird anymore. She belonged to the college life, to sorority parties where she frenched her girlfriend in a linen closet and managed handstands over kegs. Sometimes, he’d be lucky to get a call at those parties, Robin’s syrup slurred voice and her hideous hiccups like muffled laughter over the speaker. Other times, he just had to hope she made it back to her dorm okay.

It’s partially his fault, too. Been switching rapid between jobs. Family Video to RadioShack to Circle K to Walmart. Then, after that, he fell into his couch with a pink slip in his hand. Too many tardies. Too many late nights where he fought sleep as if it were Billy Hargrove’s racist mouth, but he couldn’t call Robin those nights and he couldn’t curl into Eddie the right way. So. He misses her calls, he wipes his answering machine because it gets too full, he’s between jobs on his sorry fucking couch, and Robin’s too busy nowadays to reach out.

But he keeps trying. Boy, does he keep trying.

——— *BEEP*

“Steve…Stevie…*sniff* hey, um, I’m sorry. Keep missing you, dingus. I miss you like crazy. It’s…this place isn’t right without you. But I spent kind of a lot of money to be here. And I think I’m gonna be in debt until the day I fucking die and—*sniff*—sorry, shit. My new roommate this semester…god, can you believe it’s been a whole semester since you called me? I’ll try and get better on that, swear. Anyway. My new roommate is a colossal bitch, just capital B Bitch. Had, um, th-that nightmare about Scoops? You know the one. Where you…yeah…um…she hates that I cry in my sleep. That I—*sob*—do that, sobbing. And then I try and call you on those nights, but either you aren’t home or you’re busy doing Eddie or something or…or she yells at me for calling you. But…but I swear, Steve, I miss you, too. And if I could, I’d come bother the fuck out of you. Finals went well. January’s being January over here. Snowing like crazy. Anyway. Just called because you did, to say I’m sorry, to just…I was hoping to hear your voice. Make sure that you’re not…I’ll call you, okay? If I don’t…if I don’t, I’m sorry. My schedule’s out of my control most days. Yeah…yeah, I’m sorry.”

——— “You’re gonna burn a hole into that phone if you keep staring at it, Steve.”

He blinks, eyes dry, and looks over to Eddie. Backlit by the bright snow through the windows, hanging up his wet coat by the door, stepping out of his shoes. His cheeks are rosy, blushed by the cold. The soft smile Eddie flashes him makes his chest cave, words caught like thorns in his throat, his already pink waterlines burn fresh.

Taking his silence for what it is, Eddie shuffles through to the living room where Steve is sitting hunched on the couch, and bends down to kiss the top of Steve’s head. His left hand comes up to brush through Steve’s tangled hair, stringy and unwashed. “How long have you been out here, baby?” Eddie asks softly. “Look like a leaf that could fall any moment.”

Steve takes a shaky breath. “Robin called.”

“Oh?” Eddie takes a seat in the armchair diagonal to the couch, mismatched blues they are. “After her voicemail the other day? Or were you listening to it back?”

“No, after. It’s just…we had nothing to talk about.”

“Nothing? You guys have all this time apart, how is there nothing to talk about?”

Shrugging, Steve mumbles, “Don’t know.” He runs a tired hand over his face, through his hair, messing with the knots at the end of it. Can’t even bring himself to look Eddie in the eyes. “Chatted about her school. Her new roommate. The foreign language club she’s got. And then we got to talking about me and…and I had nothing to say. I’m in between jobs, I clean all day because I can’t just lay around and do nothing, I can’t sleep at night…told her about how our neighbors argue. Then, well, then I just talked about you.”

Eddie hums. “It’s okay, you know,” he murmurs, “if you guys can’t find stuff to talk about? That’s okay.”

“Is it? I just”—he sighs—“she’s been my best friend for years. We’ve got nothing to talk about. Like we’re just acquaintances on the bus or something. It’s dumb. It’s so stupid.”

“Honey…” Eddie coos. “Steve, what’s stupid about that? There’s nothing dumb about having a stilted conversation every once in a while.”

“It’s not just once in a while, though, Eds!” he snaps. Affronted with himself, Steve curls tighter, shoulders up to his ears. “Every time, now. When I wanna talk to her, there’s nothing. My life is so…so dull and dumb and…I feel so small compared to her now. Which isn’t fair of me to say, because she’s out there following her dreams…And…” He trails off with another shrug.

Once the room goes completely quiet, Steve pushes himself back, deep into the backrest of the couch. He puts his face in his left hand, pointed away from Eddie, and looks off. Nowhere in particular. No more words to dredge up.

“Steve?”

“I think I’m gonna write a letter. Maybe…maybe the phone’s too easy to forget.”

——— Robbie,

New thing. Letters. It’ll be easier, yeah? Just put what I wanna say out to you.

So. No new calls coming for me about my applications. Think a bunch of firings on my resume has employers turning away. Can’t even use my mom as a reference anymore, kinda lost on that end, I guess. Reached out to Hopper, though. Maybe getting a cop’s reference will look good? They’ll see me come in with Jim Hopper’s signature and number and they’ll think, “That kid must be a goody two shoes,” or something like that, and they’ll want to hire me. You think it’ll work? You know better than I do.

Watched The Apartment finally. It’s a good movie. You know, Fran kinda looks like Vickie. I found you out, Robs. You’ve got a big secret lesbian thing for redheads. Who would’ve thought? Does your current girlfriend look like Fran? I’ve been dying to meet her. I feel bad, I can’t even remember her name right now. I hope she treats you good.

Eddie treats me good. Made spaghetti last night for me, meatballs and everything. He burnt the hell out of the corn I bought, though. Ended up with just spaghetti, some beer, and a couple pieces of garlic bread. I’ll make a chef out of him one day. Though, gotta admit, I feel bad somedays. He goes out and works all day, brings home most of the money, and then also cooks sometimes. I try and keep up with him. Do some chores or something. You know, so I don’t look like a bad partner.

Anyway. There isn’t much else to say, really. Just hope you get this. Maybe you’ll take the time to answer?

Your cursive is the only cursive I can read, so. If you do write back, make it pretty for me? I like the way your letters curl.

—Steve

——— There’s been no new mail in weeks. Other than the bills and Eddie’s paychecks. He got one call from the manager of some local, newly built steak restaurant. Got the job as a new waiter, so that’ll be thrilling for him. More customer service.

He gathers the mail that comes in their little mailbox, runs back up the stairs to their apartment, and snuggles next to Eddie on the couch. An arm thrown over his shoulders. Hands passing through envelopes like he can manifest a returning letter.

“Damnit,” he eventually mutters, tossing the envelopes onto the coffee table. Steve leans back, nestled deeper into Eddie’s side, and pouts. “There’s nothing, Eds. What the hell.”

“Give her some time,” Eddie gently says—ever the reasonable one, oddly—“she’s probably still settling into her new semester. Almost a college graduate, babe, not a lot of time on her hands.”

“She could call, you know. Now she’s gonna respond and I’m gonna be too busy with work. This is bullshit.”

Eddie sighs next to him. Heavy and tired. “You’ll find the time, Steve. You always do.”

——— *BEEP*

“I got your letter, Stevie. Listen, I’ve gotta make this call quick, but I just need you to listen. I can’t write back, I’m sorry. My mind’s already scrambled with a million essays and other assignments right now, so letters aren’t really a priority for me. But I’ll call, okay? I missed you this time, but we’ll get it right eventually. I know it. Uhh…yeah. Oh! Yes, my current girlfriend, Rita, she definitely looks like Fran. You got me, dingus, I’ve got a thing for redheads. Anyway. Shoot. Sorry, I gotta go. Rita’s taking me to this new queer place in town. Gonna get drinks! It’ll be awesome. Okay, Stevie, bye. I love you, bye.”

*BEEP*

“Steve…Steeeeveee…I am very drunk right now. And sweaty. So much dancing. *hiccup* Just wanna tell you that you’re a good friend, m’kay? Rita…ooo, Rita ordered nachos. This payphone is crazy sticky. Bye, dingus!”

——— *BEEP*

“I hope you got home safe. Thanks for not answering. [silence] I can’t have you calling in the middle of the night anymore, though. Okay? I love you to pieces, Robs, but seriously. Eds and I were sleeping, we have work today. [disgruntled silence] And if you’ve got homework or whatever, then you should probably stay back at your dorm and do it, right? Instead of getting shitfaced at the bar? I—[*a large sigh*]—Eddie’s trying to tell me I shouldn’t be mad at you. That I should just give you time to reach back. But.

"This is just getting…it’s bullshit, okay? I call you and you don’t answer. You call me, I try to get back within the next day. And that’s what I did the last time you called me. And then…what? I start writing you letters, but you’re too piled up with homework to respond? Oh, but you’re not too busy to get shitfaced on a…Wednesday? A Wednesday, Robin. Wednesday? I know you’ve got class today, should you really be out…Never mind. I’m not your parents. I’m not. I’m just your good friend, Steve. Your good friend from back home who you don’t visit when you’re on break because you don’t have enough time. [silence] Promise me you’ll take some Advil and have a few glasses of water? I’d bring you a bagel or something, but…just take care of yourself, Robin. Please just take care of yourself. I have to go to work. Maybe I’ll get some big tips from boyfriends on late Valentine’s Day dates. Send you flowers or some shit. I love you, Robin. Even when you piss me the fuck off, I love you…Bye, Robs.”

——— “You don’t answer either, Steve.”

“Well good evening to you, too, Rob”—

“Don’t be a bitch. Just because I found the time to go out with my girlfriend doesn’t mean I’m fucking ignoring you like you’re…you’re my spoiled little dog.”

Steve tosses a glance over his shoulder, standing with his back to the front door just as Eddie comes through it. He shields himself, shadowing over the phone with his head lowered. “Robbie, can I call you back, please? I’m about to have dinner with”—

“Oh, so you can have dinner with Eddie? But I can’t have drinks with Rita? Fuck off, Steve. You know that’s a bunch of horseshit, right? I’m supposed to make time for you, but you can’t make time for me when I call”—

“Oh, when you finally call me back—what is it—three days later? Sorry, Robin. Guess I have some double standards that I didn’t know about! Guilty as charged!”

Over the line, he can hear her take a steady, deep breath. He imagines it, her face red with anger, and feels a sick lick of satisfaction deep in his gut. “Don’t be such a little fucking brat, Steve.”

He rolls his eyes so hard it hurts. “Like insulting me is gonna keep me on the phone with you. I’ve got chicken that’s thawed in the fridge right now and it needs to be made tonight. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna make dinner for my boyfriend and I”—

Suddenly, there’s a hand on his shoulder. He jerks in surprise, turning swiftly with the phone in his tight grip. Eddie’s behind him, furrowed eyebrows and eyes narrowed in concern. Steve throws up his free hand as if to signal, ‘What.’ Instead of a huff or an eye roll, Eddie’s soft with him. Petting his hand down his back. “I’ll make dinner,” Eddie whispers, “I want you to figure this out with Robin.”

Steve muffles the phone with his empty hand, pulling it away from his mouth. “She’s being an asshole, Eds. I don’t want to”—

“Baby, I don’t want you guys to lose each other. You two matter to one another. Figure it out…even if you have to argue, figure it out.”

With a pat to his back, Eddie steps away. Steve sighs, relenting—knowing Eddie’s reasonable and right, damnit—and brings the phone back up to his ear. “You still there, Robin?”

“Yup.”

“Listen…Robs…I-I don’t know what to say to make this better, okay? I’m gonna be honest. I don’t know what to do.” He shifts awkwardly on his feet. Eventually, though, within a matter of seconds, he decides to plop down onto the closest couch cushion. Hunched over his knees, pinching between his eyebrows. “I miss your calls, I know that. And I’m sorry, okay? Shit, I’m…I’m really fucking sorry”—his voice wavers, eyes burning despite trying to pinch the waterworks closed—“there’s no excuse. I’m not in college. I’m not, like, busy with my family or anything. I just. I’m just Steve. With his stupid minimum wage job. And I’m really fucking boring now, okay? I get busy with my shifts and I forget to answer. I try to get caught up in Eddie, trying to—shit, you can’t let him know this, okay? I’m gonna drop my voice”—and he does just that—“I get caught up trying to distract myself from…from myself. That doesn’t make sense, I know it doesn’t. And it’s not an excuse. Sometimes, Rob, sometimes”—and here come the blubbering tears…—“I just stand at the phone and wait for you to call me. Then you don’t. All I do is…all I do is work and sleep and wait.

“I miss you so fucking much, Robin. You…it’s so fucking pathetic…you’re my only, like, adult friend other than Eddie. But he’s in his own category, y’know? So. It’s just. Shit. I don’t know what I’m trying to say, Robs. I just miss you. I wait and I miss you.”

For a moment, there’s a steady stream of stilted silence. Then, quiet, Robin breaks with, “I miss you, too. But…Steve, I can’t be your only friend. And…and you’re not my only friend anymore. I know I’ve been shitty with answering the phone, responding to your letters. Things are busy. And I don’t have the time. And when I find time for myself, I’m sorry, but I don’t think of you first anymore. You have to…you have to understand that, Steve.

“Believe me, I try to reach out to you. When I have the time, when I…when I remember, I call you. You aren’t the first person that comes to mind anymore, okay? I have to be honest with you, too. I’m sorry. I can’t say that enough and I also think I’ve said it too much.

“But I’m about to graduate. Rita and I…we’re moving in together once I get my diploma”—

“Will you send me your new address? If you remember?” God, he can’t believe he just said that. He can’t believe he’s been…forgotten. “Maybe I can send you some congratulatory flowers or something?”

She takes a deep breath. Noticeably settling into something.

He sorta hates that he can picture her, shimmying into her spot. Getting comfy. Can imagine her in her dinky pajamas, the same ones she’s had since freshman year of high school. Thinks of her with her makeup freshly washed off, hair neatly brushed, relaxing in her bed. Wonders if she’s reading anything.

But he won’t ask. It doesn’t feel like that kind of conversation.

“I’ll give it to you before I graduate, okay? We’re gonna settle on an apartment before I’m done here. Um…yeah. Yeah…

“I’m sorry for being an asshole, you didn’t deserve that.”

“I’m sorry, too. You didn’t deserve it either. Just, y’know me, I get in my head.”

“Yeah,” she sighs. And it hurts, only a little—like a minor burn from the edge of a frying pan—that she didn’t reassure him. “I know I called, but I’ve gotta go. I have a test in the morning. And I’m ready for bed, so…yeah.”

“Okay…yeah…that’s—I’ve gotta help Eddie with dinner so”—

“What are we gonna do?”

“Hm?”

“…What are we gonna do? I don’t know when I’ll be able to call again. And I know you’re getting busier. I won’t have a break until, maybe, June? I don’t wanna leave you like this…but I can’t promise anything this time and”—

“I don’t know,” Steve softly interrupts. “We’ll figure it out, though, okay?”

There’s a long lull of silence. Longer than any he’s experienced with Robin. Softly, “Okay,” she says. Though, it doesn’t quite reach his ears the right way. It’s not a hopeful sound. It’s…tired and broken and weepy.

He knows that, after this, they won’t hear from each other anymore.

It’s a claw to the chest. A knife in the gut.

If he removes it, he’ll die. If he lets it linger, he’ll die. The way the word breaks in his head, her soft okay in his ear, he’d rather the knife remain. The pain, the blood, the simmering ache.

“Robin?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

A murmur, “I love you, too.”

The phone crackles between them. Those are the last words he hears before the line goes dead. “Bye,” he whispers into the plastic, to nobody on the other side. And with the receiver gripped tight in both hands, nestled between his legs, he lets the burn behind his eyes engulf.

Tears sluggishly worm down his cheeks. Hot and burning.

“Steve?” Eddie softly calls to him. “You okay?”

When he looks in the direction of his name, Eddie is sitting next to him. A hand between his shoulder blades, the other reaching for the phone. Without much thought, Steve is turning into Eddie’s chest, dropping his grip on the receiver.

In one sweeping motion, Eddie brings him in, burying him closer. “I gotcha, baby,” he whispers into Steve’s hair, “I’ve gotcha.”

“I lost her,” he sobs, “lost my best friend.”

With Robin’s words floating through his head, the soft crackle of her raspy voice, that image of her comfy in bed, he breaks. Coughing, gagging, and crying, he breaks against Eddie’s neck.

——— November, 1985

“Steve? Do you think we’re best friends in every universe?”

“Hm…if we aren’t, I’m glad we’re best friends in this one.”

They’re holding hands, sprawled on his mattress, both sweat drenched from Scoops nightmares.

“Me too,” Robin whispers, “I love being your friend.”

“I love being yours,” he matches, “we’ve got each other for life now. No way to get rid of me.”

“Like we’re ever going to be apart.”

“Yeah,” Steve laughs. “No way is that happening. We’re stuck on each other like glue.”

☎️—————☎️

[brucewaynehater101]

i absolutely love your jane doe au and i was just wondering where steph, cass, and babs are in this

Hi!! Here's a link to more posts

Tw: SA, underage prostitution

Imma just go over their backgrounds with Tim for this AU. As far as where they're at before or during any reveals? No clue.

In the og post, Cass is mentioned to be the "good sibling" to Jane and the one who managed to escape Gotham (but still visits on occassion) [in the perspective of the other sex workers]

If you're wondering: "How did Tim manage to hide Jane Doe from Cass?" He's been doing it since before she arrived. There was nothing new in his body language for her to pick up on. It's an established part of him. She might pick up on him having trauma-based responses to sex (particularly after she saves him from SA), but pretty much the entire batfam has some history of sexual harassment [if not assault]. They've also witnessed fucked up shit that's bound to give them second hand trauma. The Bats are also notorious for hiding shit from each other with Tim being known for his ability to lie or redirect.

So, yes. Cass loves and pays attention to Tim. She may or may not know *something* is up with how he gets his info, but also no one else questions Tim. As long as he can prove it, they don't question it. Why should she just decide to up-end a set family habit?

For Steph.... This is an intriguing and tricky one. She and Tim dated at one point and presumably had sex. This could indicate that she is clued into him having some trauma/peculiar reactions to sex. On the complete other hand, there's a few factors working against them.

One: They were young and inexperienced when they dated. Neither had significant examples in their life of what a healthy relationship/partner should look like. They kind of were just trying to fumbling around with their efforts and youth to fit their relationship into what they thought it should be. If Tim and Steph had started dating after he becomes RR, Steph would have had more perspective and understanding on Tim's behaviors/habits (and, after she finds out [besides the pain and heartbreak and grief she feels for Tim], a lot more of their past relationship started to make sense)

Two: Steph and Tim come from different socioeconomic statuses. A lot of his weird insistences, ideals, behaviors, etc. could be waved away as a weird rich people shit (Examples: He keeps buying her gifts after every time they have sex, him keeping an arm around her shoulder or wanting her to hold his arm when they are in public, trying to take her to fancy places for dinner and buying her outfits beforehand, offering an allowance, apologies with sexual favors, etc).

Anyways, Tim might draw from his Jane Doe encounters on what "dating" should look like. So... Maybe Steph (because she's smart and also a detective too y'all) thinks that Tim has some sexual trauma from some weird rich people shit.

Now Babs!!!! I've been thinking about this one. At first, I didn't quite grasp how Oracle wouldn't have known about Jane Doe (not that Tim is them, just that a sex worker is obtaining/hoarding information and performing some type of vigilante work). Jane ends up getting a bit of a reputation, so there's no way they slip under her radar.

And that's the point. Of course she knows about Jane. Jane would have to be an informant of Oracle. They don't work *for* Barbara, but with her. They are a third-party contact that occasionally chats up Birds of Prey or Oracle herself. It allows Oracle and ear in the streets and provides Tim and avenue to pass on information Robin can't reasonably obtain/explain.

Barbara knows that Jane is young, but she doesn't quite know how young. When they first start working together, she assumes (and hopes) they are at least eighteen. She offers them resources and a life out of sex work, but Jane doesn't take it. Barbara also has Black Canary and Catwoman train Jane to at least protect themself [Tim: "Free training?? In heels???? Fuck yeah."]

By the time Tim becomes RR, they're practically friends. Not as close as Barbara and Tim (natually), but still a decent relationship.

[And of course this means that Barbara frantically pours over all her files on Jane's past cases and client when she finds out. She vomits and screams until her throat is hoarse when she realizes how young Tim was, that Tim thought this was a *necessary* cost of the cape, and that Barbara unintentionally encouraged and benefited from it]

[denim-mixtapes]

Congrats with the 1k followers! 🥳 Don’t know if anyone asked yet, but I’d love to ask for Mistletoe with Robin.

Hi buddy, thank you!! <3 <3 She was the one I was most excited to write this prompt for so I got a little carried away! Giggly awkward Robin is my FAVORITE.

Robin's mistletoe kiss, w/c: 1k

Join the Christmas Party!

“What’s with you? You’re acting weird.” 

You glare across the drink table at Steve’s comment, but don’t argue. He has a point. You’re not usually like this at parties, distant, hovering around the kitchen and doing little more than sipping your drink and observing. Usually, you’re more social, flitting from room to room and saying hi to all the friends and acquaintances you can find, fueled by the false confidence that cheap beer provides. 

But that’s because she isn’t usually at these things.

Robin Buckley. Your neighbor Steve’s best friend and the reason you’ve been avoiding the rest of the party. She just makes you nervous. With her wrinkle-nosed smile and melodious laugh, the way her eyes always managed to find yours during band rehearsal and the cute blush that followed when you caught her looking. She’s stupid. And she’s mentioned before that she hates big parties so you’re not at all used to seeing her in this setting. 

“Oh, I get it,” Steve says, hiding a smirk behind the rim of his bright red plastic cup. “You’re avoiding Robin.” 

“No!” You say, too fast, too loud. 

“You know, you don’t have anything to worry about.” He sighs. He’s a good guy, he doesn’t want to out his best friend, but if he has to keep track of one more awkward lesbian he’s going to lose his mind so he’s trying to move things along for both of your sakes. “She’s not scary. Neither of you are, you just need to–” He throws his hands up in defeat when you cut him off with a fixed stare. 

“Fine, I’ll go mingle, but only because Eddie looks miserable all alone over there.” 

You pour another drink and kick away from the counter, if only to shut your friend up, and make your way to the living room to chat with Eddie for a bit. From your new spot on the couch, you can feel eyes on the back of your head, the warm, tingling feeling of being watched. Peering over your shoulder, you catch Robin at the window, talking to Nancy Wheeler and suddenly staring very intensely at her shoes as she takes a sip of her wine cooler. Your cheeks heat, but you force yourself to turn back to the conversation at hand. She was probably staring at Eddie, anyway. 

Later, when you’ve made your rounds and visited with (almost) everyone, you circle back to the empty kitchen for another drink. The white noise of a successful party is quieter here, but you can still hear the cheek in Steve’s voice when he yells, “I think I left it in the kitchen! Robin, could you look?” 

Oh god. 

She’s grumbling about his lack of self sufficiency when she crosses the threshold, but as soon as she looks up from her glare at the floor, she brightens. 

“Hi,” she breathes, knocking her fists together awkwardly. 

You’re just as awkward back, chewing on your lower lip and leaning back against the counter, “hey.” 

Maybe it’s the red Christmas lights hanging from the kitchen cabinets casting a rosy glow on her face, but you swear she’s blushing. 

“Did Steve leave a record in here?” She asks, looking around the room with a pinch between her brows. “He’s insisting on playing Blue Christmas like, right now.” 

“I haven’t seen it, sorry,” you laugh nervously, then gesturing to the array of bottles on the table, “but maybe a drink will help you avoid him longer? I've been told I make a mean cocktail.” You’re not sure where that came from, but the bright smile that breaks out on her face is worth it. 

She rounds the table and nods, ready to accept your offer, but before she can speak Steve’s voice rings out from the doorway. 

“I think maybe I left it on the, uh, ceiling.” He says, which prompts both of you to shoot him a confused look. Behind him, Nancy is rolling her eyes but still watching expectantly. “Try looking…up.” 

Despite his lame attempt, you fall for it, and glance upwards to see that in your time mingling, he’s haphazardly hung a sprig of mistletoe from the ceiling fan. The hitch in Robin’s breath is audible, but you’re no better. 

“Steve this is–” you protest, but get cut off. 

“It’s the law of Christmas!” Robin blurts, a little too loud and with the hint of a shake in her voice. She clears her throat and tries to force an air of nonchalance, “you know, you can’t… you can’t leave unless you kiss, right? Like the mistletoe traps you, or something?” 

Your heart slams in your chest, fingers twitching where your hands dangle loose at your sides. “Y-yeah, okay.” Quickly, you dart your gaze to Steve in the doorway, suddenly hyper aware of your audience, but he just shoots you two thumbs up and he and Nancy dart away (thankfully). When you turn back to Robin, she’s minutely closer, stepping toward you expectantly but still buzzing with nervous energy. Your cheeks hurt from the force of your smile when you mumble, “c’mere, then.” 

Neither of you know what to do with your hands. It’s supposed to be quick, a peck to appease Steve the Christmas Gods or whatever, but as soon as your lips touch it’s all over. All the denial and every claim that Robin couldn’t be into you because she must be straight go out the window. 

It’s like static between you. A fizzle and a pop! against your skin where your lips meet, warmth flooding your cheeks, and you’re drawn to her. A small squeak of surprise escapes her throat and has you smiling into the kiss, unable to resist touching her now. You bring your hands to her cheeks, holding on for dear life as if she were going to disappear if you didn’t, and much to your delight, hers wind around your waist to keep you in place. 

You both giggle as you pull away, chapped lips sticking together slightly, and you rest your forehead on hers. 

“I knew that idiot was up to something,” she sighs, shaking her head, jostling yours where your foreheads connect and forcing another laugh from you. 

“I’m glad he was.” 

“Mmh,” she hums her confirmation and hugs tighter around your middle. “Me too.” 

[non-binary-lil-star]

After the nightmare

It was a cold Friday night when Eddie left his trailer to go to Wheeler's house. Yeah , he was late to the end of the campaign, but he could deal with the little shits complaints later. In the moment , he was smoking a cigarette , wondering if nights like this were truly real. Quiet was uncommon for him. There was always a party to sell drugs at , some rock to listen too or a D&D game to play. It wasn't bad , it was just... different. 

   By the time he got there , Dustin and Lucas were already arguing while Mike talked to his girlfriend. The new kid , Will Byers , was drawing something. He had never been to the Wheler's basement , mainly because his parents wouldn't approve of a guy like him there , but they were out of town for the weekend with their youngest kid. And because the rest of the party wasn't coming, the teens insisted on the game being there. Eddie agreed , after all , it wouldn't be that bad to see everyone again. 

  It had been a few weeks since Mike's girlfriend aka super power girl defeated Vecna. He had talked about it with the other survivors. Even tried writing his fucking feelings down. At least in form of music. 'Cause shit. He was a survivor of something now. Sometimes he could see it all again at random. Like he would just be walking and it was like the world went dark and he could see blood. But the nightmares were always worse. So real. And so , so fucking scary. 

  It was weirdly nice though , to know that other people  would always understand what happened like he did , and be there for him. Sice it all happened , they got together a lot of times To support each other , to cry and to laugh. He felt... cared about. And he always loved to see Harrington. 

  It was no secret that Eddie was the towns weirdo. Would it be so crazy to add queer to the long list of reasons why people didn't like him ? I mean , not that they knew. Even for him that was too dangerous. He usually had crushes on girls and boys that he kept for himself. It was just easier to be a lone wolf. And also more metal , he thought. 

  But Steve was somehow different. He was close in a way Eddie didn't quite understand. Caring like no other boy he'd met in his life. And so very fucking handsome. Ever since the beginning,  since he'd met the actual Steve Harrington and not the asshole everyone painted him as , Eddie had the urge to get to know him. To talk to Steve. To touch him. 

  When he entered the basement , it took people a few seconds to realize it. When they finally did , Dustin shouted : 

  _ Finally! If we were waiting any for you any longer, the Demorgogon would've gotten here first and killed us. 

  _ Haha, very funny , kid, joking about the monster that nearly killed you a dozen times. 

  _ Why are you late again , anyway ? _ Mike asked. 

  _ None of your business. You should be more worried about how your  characters are gonna defeat what I'm throwing at you today. 

  When he said that , they did share a worried look. But before anyone could say anything else , Eddie decided to ask : 

  _ Where are the grown ups ? I only see you brats here. 

  _ Nancy and Robin are in her room, Steve brought me here but he is upstairs watching TV or something. And Jonathan is outside smoking with Argyle. _ Dustin said, sitting down. 

  _ Well , well , well. Guess I'll go talk to my fellow babysitters while you guys set up the game. 

  Without waiting for a response, he went upstairs wondering how he didn't see Steve in the living room when he came in. 

  _ Hey Stevie. _ He nodded in his direction. 

  _ Hey , man.  

  The silence lasted for about two seconds. Then they started talking about Dustin and the gang , joking and complaining. Eddie loved interacting with him , because he always listened, no matter what they were talking about. People who did that were rare. 

  After some time chatting with him , he finally went back to the basement and six hours later , still not finished with the campaign, they called it quits for the night because Dustin fell asleep on top of Lucas. 

  Apparently they were all gonna spend the night there , and Eddie (a litle hurt for not being invited ) started mentally preparing for his walk back , since his uncle was with the car. But Steve offered him a ride since he was taking Robin anyways. It was past midnight and Eddie didn't wanna end up eaten by an upside down monster , not after all they went through to kill Vecna , so he took it. 

  Robin and Steve spent the whole time arguing with each other. They were so close they seemed like siblings which was kind of cool, Eddie guessed. He would join the conversation uninvited every now and then due to his lack os capability to shut up ever. 

  When they got to Robin's house , he was nearly falling asleep in the backseat of the car. 

  _ Hey , are you alright ? _ Steve looked at him worried. 

  _ I'm good , I'm good. Just not excited to go back to the trailer just so I can have nightmares and shit dude. 

  _ Oh _ He paused. _ I've been having lots of nightmares too. Maybe...

  _ Maybe what ? 

  _ Nevermind. 

  _ Don't you dare leave me curious , Harrington. I get enough of that trying to figure it out if Dustin's got a real girlfriend or not , babe. 

  _ Well , I was just thinking you know... Since you're alone , and I'm alone tonight and we both have been having bad nightmares why don't you stay at my place for the night ? 

  Eddie considered the offer. It wouldn't be bad to have company. The trailer was unusually quiet because his uncle was traveling. What the hell? A cute boy was inviting him to his house. Who was he to say no ? 

  _ Yeah , that doesn't sound bad. 

  _ Alright then. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

    Steve tried to not say anything while he listened to Eddie rant about this new song a band had released or something. What was he doing ? What was fucking happening to him ? His heart was racing and he felt this weird kind of warm feeling when he thought about Eddie. It was almost like the feeling he had before, when looking at Nancy. But Nancy never looked at him the way Eddie did. He tried to take a deep breath. Steve though Eddie was a nice person , so he was just trying to protect this nice person from nightmares that he knew were terrible. Just that. Right ? 

  It was one a.m. when they got to his house. He unlocked the door and entered,  spreading his arms. 

  _ Welcome to the Harrington's home. _ He paused _ Or just one Harrington since my parents are never fucking here. 

  _ Not bad , not bad at all. Do you fancy people have anything to drink around here ? 

   _ Of course. 

  They drank their beers watching TV and chatting. He was still impressed at how natural it was interacting with Eddie. He always thought it would be awkward, but it never was. It was nice. But... Steve kind of wanted more. He was painfully aware of Eddie's hand lying beside him.  His voice cracked when he laughed, like he couldn't contain the joy. It was getting late, and Steve was tired. He was also tired of pretending his feelings weren't real , just because other people might not like them. Maybe it was time to do something. 

  So in a wave of courage, he turned to Eddie , leaned in and...

  _ Where are we gonna sleep ? I don't mind sleeping on the sofa, but I'm assuming you have a room. 

  _ Hum , yeah. I mean, yes, I do. _ Steve laid back again. _ Do you wanna.... Hum, go upstairs? 

  _ Sounds good to me.

  Steve was pissed with himself. What was he fucking thinking ?  He was just gonna kiss Eddie Munson ? And then what ? They couldn't date, could they ? He was something of a popular guy who found out he didn't have to be , and found people who loved him beyond that. And Eddie... Eddie was the outcast. The drug dealer , the rock and roll guy and according to pretty much everyone , a bad influence. 

  He was so much more than that, though.  When they talked , Steve could see how passionate he was about absolutely everything. It was almost beautiful to see him talk about what he loved. One day , Steve hoped he would talk about him that way, too. And the way Eddie was himself so much and showed it ? Like to not be who he was would hurt him way more than the bigoted townsfolk ever could. Steve was fascinated by that and even envied it a little. 

  They sat on his bed , now both in this awkward silence. 

  _ So...

  _ So... Do you have a spare mattress I can sleep in ? Or maybe a guest room since this place is so fucking huge ? 

  _ Hum , yeah, actually, I have both. But hum... 

  _ Sad you can't use the "there's only one bed" thing to sleep near my amazing self , Harrington? 

  Actually he was. 

  _ I just thought we both would have fewer nightmares if we slept in my bed. You know , knowing someone's there and all that shit. But whatever, man. 

  _ No , no , no. _ Eddie said , his eyes widening like he was surprise with the answer _ I would be very much pleased to sleep near your majesty , Steve Harrington, King of Hawkin's High. I think he is kind of cool, and not that much of an asshole. 

  _ Is that so ? _ Steve responded, smirking . Then maybe I should say that Eddie Munson, the Hawkin's High one and only freak , is kind of a cool person, too. Is he a weirdo? Oh yeah , but that's what makes him cool. 

  Eddie paused at that , like no one had ever told him that he was cool (which was probably not true since his D&D party adored him so much) and all of a sudden, the room was warmer and Steve felt electricity running through his veins. Probably 'Cause Eddie freaking Munson grabbed his shirt and kissed him. 

  It was obviously an impulsive decision, but by the time Eddie could've stopped to think about that, Steve was kissing him back. Eddies hands on his shoulder and his on Eddies hips. He thought he could stay the rest of his life like that. And he was so glad Eddie kissed him , when he had the courage to fight monsters but not to kiss his a guy. 

  There was no super romantic declaration or conversation about it at that moment. They were too tired , besides , they understood each other like others couldn't. They knew. So they fell asleep in Steves bed. Yes it was a cold night after a devastating adventure. But they were warm under the blankets , hugging, and while they had each other, things would be at least ok.

   While Steve had Eddie's smile and passion around him and Eddie had Steves caring and brave personality near him, they would make it day by day. Apart from the fact that they didn't know one another for that long, their love was as unstoppable as it was unpredictable and would burn for as long as the stars in the Hawkin's night sky would shine. 

_ By Robin to @tragedy-at-its-peak , love you tons

[theladyofdeath]

Scared & Horny {Nessian}

31 Days of Halloween: Day 9.

All installments co-written with @snelbz​

Based on a prompt sent in by anon: “ Halloween prompt idea - “Well, Mark me down as scared and horny”. Doesn’t necessarily have to be smutty... but ya know... thirsty anons and all... X”

Autumn/Halloween 2020 {Collection}

Cassian walked through the front door of the party, looking around for any of his friends. He spied Mor chatting up a sexy bunny, but figured she wouldn’t appreciate his interruptions.

Figuring he could take care of and entertain himself, Cassian kept wandering through the herds of people. When Elain Archeron threw a party, she really threw a party. Cassian didn’t know half the people there, and didn’t bother to introduce himself as he found his way to the kitchen, where appetizers were laid out on the island.

Elain had really outdone herself. All of her treats were Halloween-themed, and Cassian should not have expected anything less, but he was truly amazed. There were pretzels dipped in chocolate that looked like monster-fingers, chocolate-covered cherries that looked like eyeballs, and an alcoholic punch that was bright green and bubbly. 

Considering he was alone, Cassian decided to indulge himself. 

After his third cup, he realized the punch was one of those dangerous kinds that didn’t taste like alcohol, but it was definitely there.

A firm hand clapped on his shoulder. “You finally made it.”

He turned and found Rhys standing there, dressed up in full Batman regalia. “Please tell me Feyre is Catwoman.”

He snorted. “She’s Robin.”

Cassian blinked. “She’s Robin?”

“Is there something wrong with Robin?” Rhysand asked, pouring himself a glass of punch. 

“Catwoman is so sexy, though,” Cassian said, sighing. “She really missed an opportunity there.” 

“Maybe that’s why she chose Robin,” Rhysand muttered. “To keep you from calling her sexy.”

Cassian rolled his eyes as the door was pushed open, yet again, and Azriel strolled in, and took one look at Cassian. 

“What the hell are you supposed to be?” he asked.

Cassian blinked, looking down at his outfit. “I’m a space cowboy.”

“A space cowboy?” Azriel repeated, then looked to Rhysand. “Have you already made fun of him for this?” 

“Didn’t have time. He was too busy wondering why Feyre isn’t Catwoman.” 

Azriel frowned. “That’s actually a good argument. Catwoman is way better than Robin.” 

Rhysand rolled his eyes and drank from his punch without another word. 

When the door opened again, Cassian’s and Azriel’s laughter died down.

A zombie strolled in, her hair a wild mess, her makeup done as well as the world’s best cosmetologist. 

“Fuck,” Azriel muttered.

Rhysand had stopped drinking his punch. “You look….nice.” 

“Well, mark me down as scared and horny,” Cassian grinned, taking in Elain’s sister’s beautifully gorey, wild appearance. 

Nesta rolled her red eyes as she met them all where they stood by the island to get herself a cup of punch. “A space cowboy? Really?” 

“A space cowboy is a badass,” Cassian grinned, downing another glass of punch.

Rhys asked, “You couldn’t decide whether you wanted to be an astronaut or a cowboy, could you?”

“Nope, and both costumes were expensive, so I made it work.”

Nesta rolled her eyes and said, “Where are my sisters?”

“Feyre is playing Cards Against Humanity,” Rhys offered.

Azriel shrugged. “Elain is probably running around making sure everyone is having a good time.”

Nesta shot him a look. “Shouldn’t you be helping her with that?”

Azriel hesitated, but Cassian was the one that said, “Az isn’t really the social type, I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed-.”

“I can be social,” Azriel muttered, knowing full well it was a lie. 

Rhys clapped his hand on Azriel’s shoulder. “Let’s go find our girls.”

The two of them were making their way into the living room, leaving Nesta and Cassian alone in the kitchen. The bass of the music was subtly shaking the floor under their feet and Cassian filled a glass with the green liquid, before handing it to her. She sipped on it, her eyes staying on Cassian. They were bright but hazy, and he could tell she’d been drinking before she made the short walk over from her house.

“You really do look great,” Cassian said, voice low.

She smiled, but took another sip of punch, and tilted her head to the side before she spoke. “So which part is more dominant? The scared or the horny?”

Cassian didn’t try to hide his gaze as he let it trail down her body. Her face wasn’t the only thing that was “zombi-fied”, large holes and tears were ripped and shredded along her clothes. Glimpses of her toned stomach and legs were visible as she moved.

“I don’t think you really want me to answer that,” Cassian muttered.

“No?” Nesta asked. “Why’s that?”

“Because last time I voiced a thought like the one I’m having now we ended up fucking in-.”

“Cass,” she hissed, looking around, desperately hoping no one heard, even though it was obvious they were alone. “Keep your voice down.”

Cassian groaned, running his fingers down her arm. “I’m tired of keeping all this a secret.”

“We don’t even know what this is yet,” Nesta said, finishing her punch and pouring more. 

“You like me, don’t you?” he asked.

Nesta looked around again before giving him a tight-lipped, “Yes.”

“And you think I’m cute?” he crooned, his words starting to slur and stumble together. 

She rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

“Then what is there to figure out?” he whispered, taking her hips and pulling her closer.

“Don’t kiss me,” she muttered, her eyes meeting his.

“Why not?” he asked, coming in closer.

She held up her hand and blocked his lips. “Do you know how long it took for me to do this makeup?”

“I’m going to fuck it up later, what difference does it make now?” He breathed, his lips barely brushing hers.

“Because no one has seen it yet,” she replied, laughing quietly as his fingers brushed over her stomach. She was so easily ticklish. “And I didn’t spend hours working on this makeup for just you to see it.”

“I’m the only one who matters,” he whispered.

Nesta’s fingers clung to his arms, feeling his muscles beneath the ridiculous plaid shirt he wore over the NASA t-shirt beneath. She held onto him, regardless of the fact that she didn’t want her sisters to know yet.

“What’s happening here?”

They jumped apart, looking to the doorway.

Elain stood there, her brows shot up into her hairline. She wore a fairy costume with thigh high socks and incandescent wings. 

Nesta hesitated, but Cassian instantly tapped into his bullshit zone. “She was feeling a little dizzy. Just making sure she was keeping upright.”

Nesta was nodding. “Yeah, too much alcohol, not enough water, I think.”

Elain chuckled, hurrying to the island. “Been there. Anyway, have you seen Az? I want him to help me pass out appetizers.”

“He just went looking for you,” Cassian assured her. “I can help, if you want?” 

Elain’s smile softened as she pushed a tray of goodies to him. “You’re sweet, Cass. Thank you.”

He nodded his head before taking the tray out into the party. Mor, as usual, was the life of the party, dancing in the middle of the living room. Rhysand was with Feyre, drinking on the sofa, but Azriel seemed to have gone MIA.

After making a quick pass of the room, offering the chocolate-and-red vine spiders to everyone, he ended up on the couch with Rhys and Feyre, a beer in his hand. He was chowing down on spiders when Feyre looked at him.

“So what is this fainting spell Nesta was having earlier Elain was telling me about?”

Cassian trained his features into boredom. “She’s fine. Just drank a little too much on her way over. A little water and she was just fine.”

“That’s all she needed?” She asked.

He nodded, biting the head off another spider. “That’s all.”

“Then why is there white makeup on your lips and fake blood on your shoulders?”

Cassian froze, looking down at his shoulder. Sure enough, there was fake blood smudged on the plaid. “I caught her.”

Feyre rose a brow. “With your face?” 

“Nesta seemed fine when we were in the kitchen,” Rhysand said, shrugging. “A little tipsy, maybe, but not drunk, at all.”

Feyre looked back and forth between Rhysand and Cassian before her eyes settled on her friend, her eyes widening, her grin spreading. “You and-.”

“No,” Cassian interrupted. 

“Yes,” she said, excitedly.

“Wait,” Rhysand said, connecting the dots. “You and Nesta?”

“No,” Cassian repeated.

“Yes!” Feyre followed. 

“Seriously?” Rhysand chimed in.

Cassian’s hand ran down his face. “You can’t say a word.”

“Why not?” Feyre asked, gripping his arm. “Cass, this is so exciting.”

“Because,” he said, pulling Feyre’s death grip from his arm and running a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to freak her out. She doesn’t want to label us and I don’t want to push her to.”

Feyre’s face fell just a bit. “But you’re together, right?”

Cassian raised his shoulders in a shrug. “I like to think so, but I have no idea.”

He looked up and caught her gaze for a split second across the room. She was talking to a broad-shouldered fireman and laughing at something he’d said.

“I’m going to talk to her,” Feyre said, standing up.

“What?” Cassian asked, practically shouted, instantly on alert. “Why?”

Rhysand, still on the couch, looked back and forth between them, amused. 

“Because she needs a kick in the ass to know how good she has it,” Feyre went on. “We’ve all been waiting for the two of you to get together for years, and she has, too.”

Cassian blinked. “What?”

“You heard me,” she said, simply, before walking away.

By the time Cassian remembered that she was going to talk to Nesta, she was already halfway across the room. “No! Wait!”

Nesta had hardly come out of Feyre’s lips when Cassian made it to them and yanked Feyre away.  

“Let’s dance, Feyre,” he said, pulling her to the middle of the makeshift dancefloor. 

Nesta simply shrugged and went back to her conversation with the fireman. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Cassian asked.

“Me?” Feyre asked, exasperated. “What the hell is wrong with you? Both of you!”

“I don’t want to push her away!” He said, in a loud whisper, keeping his hands at a very safe spot in the middle of her back. “I don’t want to scare her by showing her how much I want a label.”

“Yeah, well, she wants one, too, but for whatever reason, her head is up her ass,” Feyre replied, looking over her shoulder at Nesta.

Cassian watched as she touched the fireman’s arm and he said, “Maybe she wants to play the field. When we started sleeping together, we didn’t make any promises-.”

“You’re sleeping together?” Cassian swore that Feyre’s squealed question registered on a scale that only dogs could hear.

“Fuck,” he sighed, realizing he was only digging his own grave even deeper.

“When?” She demanded. “When did this start?”

“August-.”

“August?!” Feyre shrieked, and Cassian begged her, yet again, to keep quiet. 

“Yes, August,” he sighed, sneaking a look at Nesta, who had disappeared.

Cassian couldn’t help but wonder if it was with the firefighter. 

“Have you been with anyone else during that time?” Feyre asked, quietly.

Cassian shook his head. 

“Then you’re together,” she said, simply. 

He didn’t bother to tell her that Nesta probably had just gone off with the firefighter. “Just keep it quiet, yeah?”

The song ended and Feyre sighed, but nodded. She stepped back from him and said, “Ask her to be your girlfriend. Don’t just let her dictate it or she’ll keep dancing around it.”

“I’m not-.”

“Robin and a Space Cowboy… This is an interesting combo.”

Cassian and Feyre turned to find Nesta walking towards them. She looked decidedly more drunk than she had been when she’d left the kitchen.

He cleared his throat. “We were just-.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she interrupted, grabbing a handful of his shirt. “Let’s dance, cowboy.”

She tugged him towards her, but ended up stumbling herself. He caught her, and chuckled. “That’s Captain, to you.”

At some point, Feyre had made herself scarce. Cassian went to step back, but Nesta held onto him. “People will see us,” he breathed.

She could barely hear him over the music playing, but she glanced up at him. “Is that such a bad thing?”

He blinked, not understanding her change of heart. Yes, she was pretty drunk, but that would just come back to bite him in the ass when she sobered up. He hesitantly asked. “No?”

“That fireman just asked me to go home with him,” she said, dragging her fingers up his arm.

Cassian’s fingers tighten around her waist. “That was nice of him.”

“It was,” Nesta mused. “But then I realized I didn’t want to go home with him. I don’t want to go home with anyone.”

Cassian was nodding. “Gotcha.”

“Anyone but you,” she added under breath, teasing him. 

Cassian’s lips twitched at the corners. “Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah,” she breathed, then a look of pure offense overtook her facial features. “You didn’t say it back.” 

Cassian paused. “Didn’t say what back?” 

“That I’m the only one you want to go home with,” she said, that frown remaining. 

“Nesta-.”

“Is there someone you want to go home with?” she interrupted, leaning back. “Fuck, who-.”

“No one-.”

“I should’ve known-.”

“Mother’s tits, will you shut up?” Their lips met.  

Just as she was pulling away, ready to dramatically storm off, Cassian had grabbed her by the hips and pulled her back toward him, instantly reconnecting his mouth with hers.

They stopped dancing, and suddenly nothing mattered but them in that moment.

It was a public announcement. 

A declaration.

One that no one was really surprised by at all.

[starshine583]

can we see damianette with v?

(Let me just say that I absolutely LOVE this concept!! I could write a whole ficlet on this one too! anyway, I hope you like the snippet as much as I did.)

Darkness. That was all Marinette had ever known. In fact, it was all a good portion of the world had ever known, and it was thanks to this little thing called Soulmates.

A long time ago, the gods decided that humans had become blind to the true purpose of love and romance. So, to remind them of this, they cursed the world with literal blindness, and the only way to nullify this curse was to touch your soulmate directly. Then, the gift of sight would be restored to both parties, and they would finally be able to see for the first time.

At first, Marinette was extremely excited to find her soulmate. After all, who wouldn’t be? The life of the seeing sounded wonderful, especially when her Maman and Papa would tell her stories of the sea and the stars. And having the love of your life, the person you’re going to be with forever, be the first thing you truly see? That sounded incredibly romantic, and she couldn’t wait to experience it. 

As the years passed, though, and more people around her found their soulmate, the excitement that had been bubbling inside her began to fade, and a quiet resignation took its place. If she hadn’t found her soulmate yet, that meant she probably wasn’t going to be one of the lucky ones who found their soulmate early. Therefore, she needed to learn to be patient, instead of tearing herself apart with anticipation. 

This revelation led to Marinette exploring her capabilities and becoming affiliated with her blindness as best she could. She could already get around fine, but she wanted to get around better than fine. She wanted to get around so well on her own that people forgot she was blind altogether. Then, perhaps, she would be able to forget too. Or at least forget that everyone but her could see. 

She had just started being able to walk without using her cane when she received a pair of strange, magical earrings. The discovery was definitely a shock, but the thought of being able to push herself to the absolute limit as a superhero intrigued her. So, she accepted the earrings and became Ladybug, savior of Paris. 

Imagine her surprise when she found out that her partner was also blind. He didn’t move around as easily as she did, but their gadgets helped them find their way well enough to fight. For example, her yo-yos would use beeping sequences to tell her when she was near something, while Chat Noir used his staff as a makeshift cane, and the akumas were normally loud enough that they didn’t have to guess their locations. 

Alya joined their school around the same time that Marinette became Ladybug, and Marinette was absolutely delighted to meet her. Not only because the new student gave Nino his sight, but also because she was able to describe the colors to Marinette in a way that she could understand. Her parents had tried to tell her about the colors before and how beautiful they were, but in the end, the descriptions always depended on sight. 

Alya, however, described them with feelings.

“Blue,” she would say, “is like dipping your hand into the pool. It’s cool and calm and sometimes sad, but it’s beautiful. It’s the color of the sky and the sea and your eyes.”

“Red is the color of heat, of anger, of blood.”

“Yellow is the color of sunshine on your skin and happiness and things that make you smile.”

“Green is the color of envy or disgust, but it’s also the color of summer’s grass.”

“Black is the color of darkness, the same thing you see now.”

Now that Marinette had at least somewhat of a shaky grasp on what colors were like, she wasn’t nearly as annoyed when Mlle Bustier decided to take the class to an art gallery during their field trip to Gotham. It was still an inconsiderate thing to do, but she had Alya to guide her if necessary and had heard about a section of the gallery that was made specifically for blind people. So she had hope that the visit wouldn’t be as awful as it sounded.

“Remember class,” her teacher called as she led everyone inside the gallery, “everyone needs to have a safety buddy at all times. Gotham is well known for its villain attacks, so stay together!”

Alya sighed next to her. “It’s not like it’s any different from our akuma attacks. Why all the fuss?”

“Well, the villains here don’t transform back once they’re caught.” Nino pointed out. “It’s kind of like a ton of Hawkmoths running around instead of akumas.”

Marinette nodded in agreement, though none of them were probably looking at her anyway.

“True, but they also have more super heroes here.” Alya argued. “Batman, Red hood, Nightwing, Robin- if a villain attacked us, they’d be surrounded in ten minutes!”

Marinette held back from commenting on that remark, but she knew from personal experience that superheroes had their own lives too. Just because a single villain showed up somewhere didn’t mean that all of the heroes in Gotham would show up at the same time to fight it, or that the villain would be any easier to take down once outnumbered.

She lightly touched Alya’s arm to get her attention. “I’m going to go find that blind section that Mlle Bustier was talking about .”

Alya paused her conversation with Nino to reply, “Do you want me to come with you?”

“Would you mind?”

“Of course not! I’ll go tell Mlle Bustier where we’re going, but you can start walking now if you don’t need any help?”

“No, I can manage.” Marinette smiled. Mlle Bustier had passed out a special map of the gallery the night before that had bumps for the walls and statues and braille to tell them which rooms were what. Besides, if she could fight akumas across the Parisian rooftops on a regular basis, she could certainly find her way around an art museum.

The two separated, Alya going right to speak with Bustier, and Marinette going left to find the blind room. She idly tapped her cane on her shoulder as she walked across the hardwood floors, the echoing footsteps and hushed talk of other visitors giving her directions on which way to step and which way to avoid. Some of the voices spoke in different languages, and it caused Marinette to wonder whether the people around her were tourists like herself or locals. Probably a decent mix of both.

When she was sure that she’d found the correct room- there was a sign with braille on it that said “blind section” - she let her cane tap against the floor and began wandering around the room. The pictures inside had bumpy textures for her to run her hands across, and the statues that were open to anyone above the age of eleven were a mix of grainy and smooth, most likely made from different types of rock. It was admittedly strange tracing her hands over things that were supposed to be human bodies, but if it was the only way to observe the master pieces..

A few minutes passed of her dragging her hands over the displays when something strange happened, something that made her pause.

Footsteps and voices had been a consistent background noise from the moment she walked into the gallery, but for some reason, both of those sounds abruptly stopped in the last minute of her being there, as though everyone that had been in the room with her suddenly left. That wasn’t possible, though, because she didn’t hear anyone leave, and she couldn’t fathom why a whole group of strangers would tip-toe out of a room to avoid being detected by her. 

Before she could call out to the people who had to be around her, somebody gasped, proving that other people were, in fact, still in the room with her. Then, another person gasped, then three, and someone shrieked. 

Now Marinette was panicking. What was going on? Why were they screaming? What did they see that she couldn’t?

Where footsteps had been scarce before, there were now footsteps everywhere, along with more screams. People were running, but from what? She didn’t hear anyone else enter the gallery, nor did she hear a villainous outburst. 

Marinette strained her ears to listen for something more, something out of the ordinary that would cause people alarm, but it was hard to hear anything else over the screams. The only other thing she could catch was a strange, hissing sound. They couldn’t be running from that, though, could they? What would be making a hissing sound that had everyone bolting out of the gallery?

“Marinette!” 

Alya’s voice nearly made Marinette jump five feet in the air out of fright, but she caught herself and turned towards the direction she assumed her friend was coming from.

“Alya, what’s going on?”

Somebody grabbed her arm, and Alya’s voice spoke up again right next to her. “We need to go. There’s this weird, green gas that’s filling the gallery, and it’s causing people to.. to..”

Alya’s explanation faltered as she let out a snort, which confused Marinette. Didn’t she sound panicked a second ago? Why was she laughing now? This wasn’t a prank, was it? No, Alya would do that..

Another laugh burst from her friend’s lips. Then another. It almost sounded like she was trying to contain it, like she was laughing against her will. 

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. What did she say about the gas again? It was causing people to do something? What if it was causing them to laugh?

“A-Alya?” Marinette said, trying to remain calm as she grabbed Alya’s shoulders. If the gas was causing people to laugh, does that mean she’s inhaled it already? Was the effect going to be permanent? Was it going to be fatal? Why would someone release that type of gas into an art gallery?

“Mari-Marine-” Alya wiggled out of Marinette’s grasp and began laughing harder. Marinette tried to grab her again, but her friend fell to the floor. 

“Alya!” Marinette cried, kneeling down next to her. The girl was writhing on the floor now, cackling like she’d gone mad.

“G-Get- you need- you need to- need to go-” She said through laughs, but that was all she said. After that, Alya fell into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, and Marinette was left panicking and wondering what she should do. She could try to go get help, but she didn’t know where the gas was coming from. Even if she did, she had no way of knowing who might be waiting for her outside. The gas might be a way to push herself and the other civilians out onto the street. 

Marinette stumbled to her feet and took a moment to listen to her surroundings again. She could still hear screams, but they were more towards the back of the gallery, while laughter could be heard towards the front. That meant the gas must have come through the front entrance. Was that the hissing sound she’d heard earlier?

Just as she was about to call out Tikki to give her a visual on the gallery, another sound reached her ears. This time it was a clicking, similar to that of metal being hooked onto something, and it came from above her. Was someone on the ceiling? What would they be doing up there? How would they get up there in the first place?

A whizzing sound followed the click, and Marinette tensed as she listened to it grow closer. Something or someone was coming towards her. Was it the villain who spread the gas? Why didn’t she hear it move on the ceiling beforehand? Was she going to have to defend herself and Alya as a civilian? 

A pair of boots hit the hardwood floor, and Marinette shifted into a fighting stance, holding her cane up like a sword. If she had to go, she didn’t plan on going easily. “Who are you?”

“My name is Robin.” The response was quick, almost automatic. “We’re evacuating the premises. I need you to come with me.”

Marinette hesitated. Wasn’t Robin one of the heroes Alya had mentioned? The person in front of her sounded like another teenager. (Then again, being a teenager didn’t stop her from saving Paris on a weekly basis)

A leather glove wrapped around her fore-arm- his hand, she realized -and he pulled her against him. 

“Hold on tight.”

Hold on tight? “What do you me-”

Robin clicked a button, and with a sharp tug, they were flying through the air. Marinette let out a yelp, and then she did something that changed her life forever.

She wrapped her hands around his neck.

As soon as she did, a bright flash of light invaded her vision, and suddenly, colors were everywhere. There were light colored walls and dark colored floors- perhaps that was the brown she’d heard about? -and the statues were a mix of light and dark colors, similar to the marble rock that she’d been taught about. And the paintings- oh, the paintings were just bursting with color and life! It all looked positively extraordinary and amazing and-

Robin gasped above her, no doubt from the shock of seeing as well. His hand must have slipped from whatever was pulling them upwards, because in the next moment they were falling back to the ground. (And she could see it! She didn’t have to hear the rush of wind or feel the pit of her stomach rising to know!)

The two hit the ground with a grunt, and Robin swiftly shifted their position to use his body as a shield to protect Marinette from further injuries as they rolled across the floor. This resulted in Marinette landing on top of Robin and Robin rubbing the back of his head with another groan. 

“A-Are you okay?” She asked as she pushed herself up to hover over him. That fall didn’t feel too steep, but having extra weight on top of him most certainly would have made the landing worse.

Now that she could actually see the person in front of her with her own eyes, she could tell that he was definitely a superhero. He had an entire costume on, equipped with a cape and everything. She even spotted a utility belt on his waist that appeared to have a hefty amount of gadgets on it.

Robin looked up at her, and though his mask hindered her view of his eyes, the surprise was clear on his face as his eyebrows shot up.

“Who..” He trailed off, his head tilting slightly as he glanced around the room. He was still absorbing the fact that he could finally see, just as she was.

His gaze snapped back to her. “Who are you?”

I could ask you the same question. She thought. After fifteen years of searching, she’d finally found her soulmate, and not only did he live halfway across the world from her, but was also a superhero just like her. What were the odds?

Reality slapped both of them in the face when another scream pierced the air, and the two scrambled to get back to their feet. Soulmates or not, they were still in the middle of a villain attack. They couldn’t get distracted.

People were still laughing hysterically on the floor, but now a strange gas was trailing into the blind section. Marinette knew she should be panicked seeing it, considering what it did to Alya, but another part of her felt giddy, because Alya had also told her that the gas was green. She finally knew what green looked like!

“We have to get out of here.” Robin said. He pulled something off of his utility belt- was that a gun? -and shot it upwards. Marinette’s gaze immediately followed it curiously, and she managed to catch sight of a shiny object latching onto an open hole in the rooftop. It made a clicking sound, reminding her of the sound she’d heard when Robin first swooped into the gallery.

So, that’s how he got in here. She thought to herself. 

Robin pulled her against his chest again, clicking the same button he had earlier to start rising to the roof. “No surprises this time, all right?”

Marinette couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her lips, but it wasn’t because of the gas. The ludicrousness of the situation was simply too much. Who asks their soulmate not to give them another surprise such as the gift of sight? Who finds their soulmate in the hero who’s saving them during a villain attack?

Apparently, Marinette does, and this field trip, she decided, was turning out to be much more interesting than originally expected.

(Send me a letter and I’ll do a thing!)

(The next one I’ll be doing is O with Felinette!)

[shireness-says]

The Set-Up Scam

Summary: They’ve always been friends first and foremost - Emma and Killian, Killian and Emma - until suddenly, they’re something a little more too. But with a $600 betting pool on the line about when they’ll actually get together - well, maybe there’s incentive to keep the good news a secret. ~5.5k. Rated T for language. Also on Ao3. 

~~~~~

A/N: Merry Christmas, @nevertothethird! I was delighted to be your pair for @cssecretsanta2020. It’s been wonderful chatting with you, and I look forward to a full stalking. ;)

You said you liked secret dating, friends to lovers, and characters being forced to work together - so I, like a fool, tried to include all three. I hope you like the result!

Special thanks, as always, to my beta, @snidgetsafan - the greatest treasure under any tree.

Tagging: @ohmightydevviepuu, @welllpthisishappening, @thisonesatellite, @let-it-raines, @kmomof4, @scientificapricot, @thejollyroger-writer, @superchocovian, @teamhook, @optomisticgirl, @winterbaby89, @searchingwardrobes, @katie-dub, @snowbellewells, @spartanguard, @phiralovesloki, @profdanglaisstuff

Enjoy - and let me know what you think!

~~~~~

They’re friends, first and foremost. Best friends, really - Killian and Emma, Emma and Killian. Partners in crime and two peas in a pod and every other cliché there is (and Killian would definitely know all of them). It’s been that way since the very beginning, when Killian let her peek at his attendance quiz answers in that awful intro to astronomy class in college. Their relationship had grown from there: late nights in the library and each others’ dorm rooms, studying or watching movies or chatting, all the way through graduation and eventually grad school. They get each other in a way that usually doesn’t happen for Emma, both coming from rough backgrounds and determined to make the world a better place because of it. Hell, they even work together now at Misthaven County Middle School - Killian as an English teacher, and Emma as a guidance counselor. 

And all that time, it’s been strictly platonic. 

It’s not like Emma hasn’t looked. He’s an objectively good looking man, and smart and sweet and funny. But he’d been in some “it’s complicated” situation with a grad student when they’d met, and then Emma was in that weird period where she and Graham gave it a shot, and by the time they were both available… well, by that time, they’d been Emma and Killian. Killian and Emma. A collective, a pair, absolutely entwined every way but romantically. He’d become her person, and it wasn’t worth risking that. There was no guarantee a romantic relationship would work out, anyways - or that Killian felt the attraction too. 

The thing, though, is that they’re Emma and Killian. Killian and Emma. Always together, always in each other’s stories, two birds of a feather. People constantly think that they’re together - or should be.

Emma doesn’t really mind, most of the time. She and Killian usually think it’s pretty funny, trading stories back and forth on his or her couch. Where it gets annoying is when each and every one of their friends are determined they should be dating. It’s been years of meaningful looks and hints about “so why aren’t you seeing anyone, Emma?” - but the last straw is the stupid, stupid bet.

“I just don’ unnerstand why you and Killian aren’t a couple!” slurs Mary Margaret, assistant principal and friend, at her yearly end-of-summer bash. “You’re ovviously in loooooooooove.”

“Sure we are, Mary Margaret,” Emma placates. 

“But why haven’t you yet?” she demands. “You made me lose the pool!”

That draws Emma up short. “I’m sorry, what?”

The little pixie-haired brunette frowns. “Don’t you know? We’ve had a betting pool going for ages about when you’d get together this year. I thought for sure it’d be the Fourth of July.”

It’s a good guess, actually - Ruby throws a famously boozy bash every year at her grandmother’s diner, conveniently situated right below the inn. It’d make sense for them to get drunk and take things upstairs - except for the fact that none of this is rooted in sense in any way, shape, or form.

“That obviously didn’t happen,” Mary Margaret frowns sorrowfully, staring down into her plastic cup full of god-knows-what. It doesn’t last long, though, as she perks right back up. “But they let me make a new guess! I’ve got my money on the Friday after your birthday.”

“How much money are we talking here?” Emma can’t help but ask. It’s like a compulsion, one she doesn’t like or understand. 

“Five hundred and fifty dollars.” At least that’s what she thinks Mary Margaret says; the slurring gets particularly bad on the f-sounds. It’s an astounding sum. Truly stupid.

Kind of tempting.

“And everyone bet that it would happen this year?” she makes sure to clarify.

“Yup!” Mary Margaret pops the p-sound and then giggles to herself about the noise. 

“Then I’m putting fifty dollars on it not happening this year. That Killian and I won’t get together.”

———

She means it at the time, too. Because yeah, there’s sometimes that niggling little what if?, but they’ve known each other for eight years. Emma and Killian. Killian and Emma. It’s not going to happen - honestly she’s not even sure she would want it to.

Until. 

It’s not the Friday after her birthday, when they’re all going to hit the bar, but it’s the night before her birthday - a Tuesday. Killian comes over to grade vocab quizzes and eat greasy pizza, and stays to drink beer and watch stupid baking shows with her on the couch. Honestly, in so many ways, it’s a night like any other: two friends, just enjoying each other’s company.

Until.

Maybe it’s the beers. Maybe something’s been building for longer than she ever thought. Maybe it’s just that they’re both feeling good and, well, it is her birthday. But Killian kisses her - or she kisses Killian - they kiss each other and it’s like something slots into place. Like of course this was going to happen - they were just waiting for the perfect moment. It makes sense, in a way that Emma hasn’t let herself think about; he’s the person she trusts most, the best man she knows, probably the most important person in her life. Her best friend - and, probably, something more.

“That was…” he gasps, some indeterminable amount of time later. Somehow, he’s wound up on top of her on the couch - not that she’s complaining.

“Only the beginning,” Emma completes, smirking in a way she definitely picked up from him. 

Now that this has started, she has no intention of stopping. 

———

“Ok, don’t kill me - or, like, run away immediately - but I need a favor. A huge one,” Emma says much later, both of them naked and sated beneath her sheets.

Killian laughs beside her, peering up from the pillows with a smile. “After that, darling, I’m predisposed to give you just about anything you want.”

“And I’ll give it to you again,” she quips back, mostly to make him keep laughing. It works. “But seriously. Did you know that everyone’s got a bet going on us?”

That pops his head up. “I’m sorry, a bet? I… What? Who?”

“Seems like pretty much everyone. Ruby, Mary Margaret, David, Robin, Belle… I could go on and on. A six hundred dollar pool on when we get together.”

“Typical,” Killian mutters - though Emma catches a fond note in his tone. “Who’s the lucky winner, then?”

“Ok, this is where the favor comes in.” Hopefully this isn’t a breaking point for him; Emma would hate to have this taste of them, only to have it ripped away from her. “See, Mary Margaret told me about this when she got trashed at the back to school party, and I’d had a few too and was all hopped up on righteous fury or whatever, and I kind of… put fifty dollars in the pot that we wouldn’t get together this year at all.”

Killian stares at her for a moment, and Emma’s frankly scared that he’s going to get out of bed and go - but instead, he bursts into a near-hysterical cackle. “So you want to keep this a secret until the new year, so you can win the pot?”

Emma grins, knowing she must look like the cat that ate the canary (or however that weird-ass saying goes - again, English is Killian’s thing). “Exactly. We could spend it on a weekend getaway or something.”

“I’m in, then. Under the radar.”

“It’s just two months and change,” Emma says. “It’ll speed by. How hard can it be?”

———

Turns out - their friends are determined to make it as hard as possible. Even if they don’t know it.

Things are fine, at first. In fact, nothing really changes: Emma and Killian still show up at each others’ doors most nights, and Killian comes to hang out and grade papers in her office during his free periods most days. It’s just that their evenings are now filled with kisses and touches, and those afternoons in her office with all kinds of promises of things to come. It’s thrilling, in a way, to put on the front of normality for everyone else while only they know the truth. It’s nice, too, to be able to get their feet underneath them in this relationship without so many prying eyes watching them figure it all out. 

Just because they don’t know, though, doesn’t mean their friends stop trying. There’s a bet on the line, after all, and their friends have never exactly been ones to step back and let things naturally run their course. Not for those busybodies; not with six hundred dollars and Emma and Killian’s supposed happiness on the line.

(The fact that they’re right - that the two of them really are happiest together - is irrelevant.)

David, of all people, is the first to start meddling.

“Do you guys want to get dinner?” he asks out of the blue one day - calls Emma up on her phone and everything. “You and Killian and me and Mary Margaret, I mean.”

Emma’s antenna raises immediately. “What, like a double date? C’mon, David —”

“No! No,” he says hastily - a little too hastily, Emma thinks. “No, a cousin of mine - Kris, you’ve met him - he’s opening up his own restaurant. Some place with Scandinavian food, I guess?”

“That’s actually a thing?” 

“I guess. I don’t know, he studied abroad in Norway in college. Anyways, he could use a little business, support or whatever, so Mary Margaret and I figured we’d bring some extra people along. You know, help him out. And maybe Scandinavian food is good after all.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

The line sits silent for a moment, before David breaks. “So… you in?”

And as much as Emma suspects this is all some elaborate set-up - well, it’s supposed to be to help someone else. David’s cousin, who she has in fact met and is really a good guy. And so she reluctantly agrees. “Yeah, I’m in. One of us will have to check with Killian if he’s available —”

“What, he’s not right there with you?”

(He is, his lips kiss-swollen and pulled into a delicious smirk, but that’s not the point and none of David’s business.)

“ — but yeah, I’m down.”

In the week between the call and the dinner, Emma actually finds herself starting to look forward to it. Yeah, it won’t be a real date - not with David and Mary Margaret there - but it’s still a chance to wear a pretty dress that’ll make Killian’s eyes bug a little. She’ll have to pick something he’ll have fun taking off of her later, once they’ve pretended to go back to their own homes. 

Emma’s just pulling into the parking lot, however, when her phone rings, David’s name popping up on the screen. 

“We’re not going to make it tonight,” he says without preamble, followed by the most fake-ass cough Emma’s ever heard in her life. “We’re sick.”

“Yeah, sick off your own lies,” Emma mutters. “Alright, well, I guess we’ll go another time —”

“Oh no, I insist you guys still have dinner. You and Killian deserve to have a night off!”

“David, c’mon, don’t play dumb —”

He ignores her. “Besides, you’ll be doing me - and Kris - a huge favor. I already told him to charge whatever you guys get to me. Splurge a little, have dessert and a bottle of wine. It’s all on me.”

Killian climbs out of his own car as David pleads his case, cocking his head in confusion at the no doubt frustrated look on Emma’s face. He looks like he wants to kiss it better; Emma wishes he could actually do so.

“Fine,” she caves. “If you’re sure. But I’m running up the bill.”

“You say that like it’s a surprise.”

Emma takes particular glee in ending the call. She should have seen this coming. “Looks like David has come down with a possibly fatal cough, so he and Mary Margaret aren’t coming tonight,” she tells Killian, rolling her eyes. No need to resist that particular urge.

He snorts. “Ah, liar-itis. I thought he might be coming down with a case.”

“Complicated by meddler’s cough. Don’t forget that.”

“Of course not.” He dips down to capture her lips in a gentle, lingering kiss - another urge they don’t have to resist with none of their friends around to see it. “You look lovely tonight, Swan.”

She smirks back. “I know.”

“Of course you do,” he laughs. “I’m sure you wore that just to torment me through dinner. Now, shall we?”

“We shall.” Emma slips her hand through his offered arm. “Dinner’s on David, by the way.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

———

“So, how was dinner?” David asks the next day, his cough mysteriously cleared up. 

“Good,” Emma replies, knowing exactly what he’s digging for. “Your cousin’s got a good lingonberry cheesecake. Don’t worry, Killian and I totally ran up the bill. Kris has been well supported. You’re welcome.”

“And?” he demands.

Emma makes sure to play up her confusion. “And… what? It was a great dinner, might even go back if I ever have a date, and then I went home. Honestly, what did you expect to happen, David?”

Even through the phone, she can almost hear him audibly deflate. Something like a sigh, or perhaps the sound of his entire plan collapsing in on itself. Personally, Emma thinks it’s hilarious.

(It’s especially funny when she vividly remembers the way Killian had stripped her out of that dress, can still feel the scratch of his beard on her inner thighs.)

(But again - those are things that David doesn’t need to know.)

———

The set-ups multiply like rabbits, and Emma starts to notice her and Killian being forced into more and more situations together, just the two of them. Fuck only knows why they think these clumsy attempts will work; after all, Emma and Killian held out for 8 years of each other’s company before finally getting together (without anyone’s help, she might add). Still, 

Trivia night is a weekly tradition for them all, down at the Rabbit Hole. Some weeks, the turnout is good; sometimes, not so much. They usually meet up at someone’s house and carpool from there because there’s not a ton of parking spots outside the bar, and it’s always worked well - two, maybe three cars instead of a half dozen or more. It’s a good time, and Emma always finds herself looking forward to Thursdays. 

Tonight, they’ve met at Robin’s, Killian’s former roommate. It’s a good crowd tonight, too - Robin and his fiance Marian, Mary Margaret with David, Belle the librarian, Ruby and Mulan, even Graham and Lance and Tink. The gang’s all here, probably trying to let loose a bit before holiday obligations set in, and they’re raring to go - all twelve of them.

Emma hopes that it’s not planned - that there just happen to be two cars and then some worth of people here - but it’s more likely planned. Robin probably twisted their arms to come, just for this.

“Emma, would you mind checking the door one more time?” he calls as they congregate in the driveway. “I’m sure I locked it, but I’ve just got that niggling little feeling…”

“Sure, no problem.” And it isn’t - it’s checking the damn door. Except it’s actually winding down his stupidly picturesque front garden path to the front door, and then having to maneuver around the always-unlocked outer glass door to make sure that the real door is locked, and then maneuvering and winding and everything back… and by the time Emma makes it back, everyone’s already piled into Mary Margaret’s station wagon and Robin’s little SUV, even the middle seats everyone usually hates, leaving just the conniving man himself and Killian standing on the asphalt. 

“Sorry, looks like the two of you will be riding together,” Robin says, not seeming remotely sorry. “This is convenient anyways! I know how much time you two spend together, if you decide that it’s easier to crash together afterwards… it wouldn’t be a problem for the extra car to stay here overnight.”

“Oh, I’m sure it wouldn’t be,” Emma grumbles. “I don’t suppose you have any underlying motive here, do you Robin? Say, to the tune of six hundred dollars?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” he responds cheerily. “I just really, really want you to know that you can keep your options open. And, you know, other euphemistic things if the urge moves you.”

Asshole.

(Emma does not leave her car at Robin’s overnight - but that doesn’t stop Killian from meeting her at her place afterwards.

“This euphemistic enough for you, love?” he teases as Emma pulls at his shirt, trying to tug the cotton tee over his head.

“How’s this for a euphemism: fuck me.”

“That’s not exactly how that word works, Swan.”

“I could not possibly give fewer shits about semantics than I do right now, Killian, unless it somehow relates to you getting your pants off.”

Somehow, even in the midst of their frantic stripping, he manages to laugh. “As you wish.”

She’s always preferred straight talking anyways.)

———

“Thank god I found you both!” Mary Margaret declares, bursting into Emma’s office a little too dramatically for her tastes. Until now, she and Killian had been having a wonderful lunch together, but that’s obviously a thing of the past now. 

“That seems a little extreme for a Friday,” Killian comments mildly as he sets his cafeteria burger back down on the styrofoam tray. Personally, Emma thinks the cafeteria food is disgusting, but Killian’s got a real fondness for the cheeseburgers, and especially the french fries. No one’s perfect, she guesses. “What terrible impending tragedy can Emma or I save you from, Mary Margaret?”

“Kathryn’s father is in the hospital, so she and Fred can’t work their assigned booth at the Winter Carnival tomorrow.” Storybrooke County School District’s charity carnival is a tradition every winter - one Mary Margaret takes very seriously. Something that’s clearly about to come back and bite them all in the ass. “Would you two be able to cover tomorrow? You’d be doing me such a huge favor…”

Killian raises a single eyebrow as he turns to meet Emma’s eye - that eyebrow that always seems like a dare. “My schedule’s clear this weekend. Count me in. What do you say, Swan, think you can find room in your schedule to save Mary Margaret from the tragedy of all tragedies?”

Emma rolls her eyes at the way he’s putting it on thick, but truth be told, her only plans had been spending the day with Killian. Might as well. “Sure, what the hell,” she says, reaching for another bite of her microwave pizza. “I don’t have anything else going on.”

In retrospect, Emma realizes that Mary Margaret could have done something terrible with this - assigned them to the kissing booth or something. God, she hopes that there’s not a kissing booth at a middle school carnival, but it feels like just the kind of thing she’d pull. Thankfully, they’re set up at the ring toss game. It’s not strenuous in the least; they don’t even have to take money, just paper tickets. Really, the only questionable thing is that they’re crammed right together in the box formed between the booth walls and the counter and the table of bottles behind them. Maybe that’s something that would have bothered her a few weeks ago, back when they were Emma and Killian but not Emma and Killian. Now, it’s just an excuse to get right up in his space and enjoy all those little touches, right under everyone’s nose.

(Maybe, every time they have to duck under the counter to retrieve poorly-thrown rings, Killian takes the opportunity to steal a quick kiss while no one else can see. And maybe - just maybe - Emma uses those same opportunities to steal her own kisses right back.)

“Soooooo, how’s it going?” Mary Margaret chirps when she pops up out of nowhere mid-afternoon. It’s like she thinks she’ll find them making out in the middle of the carnival or something. Which… fair. The urge is there. But they’re professionals - and Emma wants that money, dammit. She’s not caving here.

“Just fine, Mare,” Emma replies. “Nothing worth reporting.”

“There’s not? You two are looking awfully cozy in there… nothing to report?”

“Well, you’re the one who set up the booths, so…”

“Aye, just making the best of it,” Killian helpfully adds.

Emma almost feels guilty about the way that Mary Margaret visibly deflates.

“You know this was another ridiculous set-up, right, love?” Killian asks once their friend has walked away. “She probably never even needed our help. It was all a ploy.”

“I see it now,” Emma sighs. “I had just weirdly hoped she’d be above all that bullshit.”

Killian quirks that eyebrow yet again. “Mary Margaret? Infamous meddler? Of course not. It’s cute that you thought that though, darling.”

“Oh, shut up.”

(“Mary Margaret told me to take the weekend off, that they’d over-scheduled,” Kathryn tells Emma later when she tries to ask how the other woman’s father is doing. “Was that not the case?”)

(Fucking figures.)

———

Ruby, frankly, is not a surprise. In fact, if there was one person Emma would figure would be pulling this bullshit, it’s Ruby. The girl’s too competitive for her own damn good - not to mention that mile-wide chaotic streak running through her soul.

“Pucker up!” she crows, thrusting what Emma assumes is a sprig of mistletoe over her and Killian’s heads. They’re at Ruby and Mulan’s place for… some party; it’s probably, maybe holiday themed, but Ruby’s never needed an excuse to throw a party. Anything to get them all drunk and laughing and forgetting about the stresses of the week.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Emma demands. “Ruby, don’t be stupid. This isn’t college anymore.”

“Oh, like we ever did this in college,” Ruby scoffs with that devious twinkle in her eye. “Besides, college shenanigans are a state of mind. And I’m not giving that up. Now c’mon, no weaseling out of this.”

“It is the rules,” Mulan points out, appearing to slip her arm around Ruby’s waist and drop an affectionate - if slightly tipsy - kiss on her shoulder.

“Yeah, you hear that? Smart half says it’s the rules. So go ahead and pucker up and kiss him. And then go make out for a while and maybe bone each other so I can win the pool.”

Killian blushes a little bit at the phrasing - something that’s surprisingly cute on him, knowing how often he usually tosses around the innuendoes and exactly how dirty a mouth he has when they’re alone. Before Emma knows what he’s doing, he leans in to press a gentle kiss to her cheek, and then another, smacking one for good measure. “Who are we to deny the great, determined Ruby Lucas?” he proclaims grandly. “One kiss: delivered.”

Ruby’s face gets a bit mutinous; it’s the only word for that particular storm cloud, really. “No it isn’t! That’s cheating!”

“Eh. Technically, it was a kiss.” God bless Mulan for being the only one willing to go against Ruby when she’s got a plan; perks of being the girlfriend, Emma supposes. 

“And more importantly, Rubes, that’s all you’re going to get from us.” And that’s Emma’s last word on the subject.

(“Happy Christmas, darling,” Killian whispers into her neck later once they’re back at her place, dangling his own sprig of mistletoe over their heads. “How about it? C’mon, give us a kiss.”

Emma is more than happy to comply.)

———

Emma wouldn’t say it’s common for her to get calls from the school librarian, Belle, but it’s not unusual either. So when Belle calls her up in mid-December, shortly before Christmas break, Emma doesn’t think twice about it.

“The new Scholastic catalogs are here,” Belle informs her. “I haven’t started sending them to classrooms yet, but if you want to take a look now…”

“I’ll be right there.” Yes, the catalogs are full of books for middle school students, but Emma still loves those things. They’re chock-full of nostalgia.

“I haven’t even taken them out of the box yet,” Belle explains when Emma meets her at the check-out desk. “They’re all still in the back room. Here, I’ll let you in.”

That should have been Emma’s clue here. Why would a box of new catalogs, just arrived in the mail, already be shoved into the storage closet? But Emma’s too excited about the prospect of those newsprint magazines to think about it. By the time Emma realizes there’s nothing in this little closet but printer paper and old yearbooks… Belle’s already closed and locked the door, trapping Emma inside. 

So it’s yet another set up, most likely. It’s a good thing she’s not claustrophobic, at least.

Sure enough, not five minutes later, Emma can hear Killian’s voice outside the door. 

“How many boxes did you say it was, Belle? I’m happy to help haul, but I’m just wondering if we should get a hand cart to assist.”

“Oh no, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Belle’s voice responds. “Just a few trips for each of us. Right in here…”

And suddenly, Killian’s in the cramped little closet too, and the door is shut and latched behind them. Gee, what a surprise.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Emma comments dryly. Somehow, probably on some kind of ridiculous romantic instinct, Killian’s hands have already found their way to her hips. It’s nice, really, ignoring the circumstances.

His face is adorably confused, looking around the room and back to the door and then to Emma’s own face and all over again. “Did she just lock us in here?”

“Yeah, keep up, Jones,” Emma teases. “I assume another stupid set-up effort.”

That makes the confusion disperse alright, a smirk full of promise creeping across his face instead. “If that’s the case… we’ll just have to make the most of it.”

“Oh no you don’t,” she warns. “There’s a camera in here.”

“So? It’s not like she’s watching the monitors.”

“So, Belle recently started dating Will Scarlet in IT. You want to take the chance she locked us in here, and forgot to have her boyfriend monitor us?”

“Fuck,” Killian swears, dropping his head back in dramatic emphasis. “They’re really going overboard, aren’t they?”

“I’ll make it up to you later. I promise.”

Thirty minutes later, when Emma and Killian have done nothing but talk and try to find some little extra space in the crowded closet, Belle finally lets them out, just in time for the end of Killian’s free period.

“I’m sure you have no idea how that happened,” he comments, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“It’s just the weirdest thing,” Belle agrees.

Well, that’s one way of putting it.

(Emma makes it up to him, several times over, at her place that night, with a take-out pizza to boot.)

———

After what feels like an eternity, it’s finally here: New Year’s Eve. As long as they make it to midnight and the new year proper without anyone finding out, this whole ridiculous farce is over, and they can be the couple they’ve technically already been since October. Emma and Killian, Killian and Emma - but more than they had been before. 

They’d spent Christmas together - not that that was anything unusual. With everyone else going to visit family, the two of them often spend the day together, eating take-out Chinese and watching holiday movies. Killian’s got a brother back in England that he makes sure to call, and some years Liam will fly over, but Killian usually saves his visits for summer vacation, when he can stay in whatever little English hamlet his brother calls home for weeks at a time. There’s always something nice about spending the holidays together, just the two of them, but it was extra special this year. Who knew Emma was the kind of girl who wanted to trade kisses under the Christmas tree between swapping gifts?

(Killian, apparently - but then again, he’s always claimed to know her better than she knows herself.)

“Just a few more hours,” he murmurs against her neck, twining his arms about her waist from behind as Emma carefully brushes on mascara. “Few more hours, and then it’s all in the open.”

“Thank god for that, too. After all the PDA we’ve gotten from certain people all these years, I’m looking forward to rubbing it in their faces a bit.”

They carpool to Mary Margaret and David’s, just like they do every year. It’s routine, really; Emma always crashes at Killian’s after the annual New Year’s Eve party so that someone is there to help her with the hangover in the morning. Killian makes better hashbrowns than anyone she knows - even Granny - and they always manage to pull her out of the worst of her misery. He’s good about taking care of her, too, with water and Advil and making sure to shut all the shades as tightly as possible. They even share a bed a lot of years; it’s just that tonight, Emma knows there will be a lot fewer clothes involved.

They drink. They eat. They mingle. Sometimes, they’re together, carefully not touching, and sometimes they drift apart. That’s how this party usually works, after all - and Emma is nothing if not committed to seeing this entire thing through, pretending nothing is different this year, that she and Killian definitely aren’t together. Nothing to see here, folks.

God, she’s so fucking lucky he didn’t cut and run once it became obvious just how much of a competitive lunatic Emma is.

Finally, though, it’s the moment - less than a minute left. Killian is already waiting for her by the patio doors, just like he promised. Emma is only too happy to wind her way over there, grinning when she finally finds herself in front of her boyfriend - about to be secret no longer. Behind them, the assembled drunken crowd loudly counts down the last seconds of the year. They keep their hands determinedly to themselves - just as agreed, so no one can try and claim anything happened before the strike of the new year - but Killian still looks at her with that twinkle in his eyes and wiggling eyebrows. It’s anticipation, and excitement, and a good bit of joy - knowing that soon, this will all be out in the open. No more keeping their hands to themselves. 

“You ready for this, love?” he says just loud enough for her to hear as the clock hits ten seconds. 

“Hell yeah,” she grins back - because she is. She so is. This has been a long time coming - years in the making, really - and you know what? The whole secrecy may have helped her wrap her head around the whole thing, as well as win her the pot, but she’s ready to take it public. Maybe rub it in everyone’s faces just how happy she is and how she did this on her own schedule. Why the hell not?

Cheers erupt all around them, and Emma’s grin stretches to something that almost hurts her face. Killian looks much the same. “Happy New Year, love,” he says, finally pulling her towards him by the hips. “I think it’ll be our best one yet.”

Fireworks are going on outside, lighting up the snow on the ground, but Emma can’t be bothered to pay attention - not when Killian attacks her lips with purpose, grinning happily into the kiss before she insistently deepens it, slipping her tongue into his mouth to play. It’s just another in a series of kisses, they know - but it’s more than that. It’s a display, in the best way, declaring them them.

Emma and Killian. Killian and Emma. A pair, a unit, a couple. 

“HA!” shrieks someone across the room as their make-out finally gains attention. Emma thinks it might be Ruby - though, at this point, it might be Mary Margaret. Maybe both. It’s definitely Ruby who materializes just as Emma and Killian finally break apart with a laugh. “It’s about fucking time!”

“Yeah,” Emma agrees - something that seems to short-circuit Ruby’s brain for a moment, if that look on her face is anything to go by. “It really was. And you know what else?”

Ruby shakes her head mutely, that twist of her eyebrows demonstrating that she’s still trying to get her bearings about what the fuck is happening here.

“It’s the new year. That pot is mine.”

“That’s my girl,” Killian whispers in her ear.

Best. New Year’s. Ever.

———

On January 1st of the new year, Emma and Killian - Killian and Emma - they, them, a pair, a unit, a couple take their six hundred dollars in winnings and treat themselves to a goddamn massive lunch at Granny’s. Together. In public. Because they deserve it. 

Grilled cheese has never tasted so good to Emma - especially the crumbs off the corners of Killian’s lips. 

[chemist-ana]

The New Rules- Sams POV

Book: The Nanny Affair

Characters: Sam, Ana Schuyler (MC), Robin, Sofia, Mason Sr., Mickey and Mason

Pairing: Sam Dalton (male) x Ana Schuyler (MC)

Rating: 18+

Content Warning: Sexual Language, Adult Language, Sexual Situations

A/N This is a brand new series that I was inspired to write. I am going to go chapter by chapter in Sam Daltons POV. This story is completely inspired by Choices The Nanny Affair. I have used most of the dialogue from the actual story, anything written in BOLD was taken directly from the book and therefore is not my writing- credit to our good friends over at Pixelberry! All characters are credit to Pixelberry except for my OCs

Summary: Life with Sofia around isn’t easy, but we are determined to not let it get to us.

Word Count: 5018- I just can’t seem to control myself with this story.

Tag List: @txemrn @secretaryunpaid @lifeaskim @aussieez @pixie88 @thefrenchiemama @sfb123 @mainstreetreader @shewillreadyou @khoicesbyk @choicesficwriterscreations @lady-calypso

I rarely used to have sleepless nights. Now? They are the new norm. I always wake up before dawn, and try to run the sexual frustrations of my restless dreams of Ana out of my system. I should have known by now, months after introducing her into my everyday life, that running alone doesn’t seem to satisfy my craving of her.

I step out of the shower, feeling the all too familiar burn of my exhausted muscles. I place my hands on either side of my bathroom sink and eye my reflection in the mirror, noticing the dark circles that have formed under my eyes. I take a deep breath and shake my head, here we go again, duty and responsibility right Dalton? Who the fuck am I kidding?

I pad into the kitchen, desperate for a cup of coffee to kick start my clouded mind. I pause for a moment when I see Ana, barefoot in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the boys. God, I could get used to this view. I think she senses my presence, because she looks up and flashes me her beautiful smile.

“Morning, Ana. Something steamy to start your day?” I ask as I grab the coffee pot and two mugs.

“You read my mind.” She responds with a smile.

I mix her a cup, a little sugar, a little cream. Just how you like it. I hand it to her, our fingers brushing for a moment before she takes it out of my hand. She takes a sip and her lips curve into a small smile.

“So, you are the kids are hitting Coney Island this afternoon?” I lean back on the counter, bringing my coffee to my lips with a grin.

“All the rides and games we can handle. Sure you can’t come?” She glances over her shoulder at me as she mixes the ingredients for breakfast. Waffles I assume, god she does love my boys.

“Tempting, but-“ I hear the elevator ding. The only person who would show up here this early is Sofia. Why didn’t she text me that she was coming over? I drop my shoulders and fight the urge to sigh, I just do not have the energy for this right now.

“Darling!” Sofia walks into the kitchen, setting a grocery bag on the counter and walking up to me, throwing her arms around my shoulders, what the fuck?

“Oh! Sofia, what are you-“

“Saying good morning to my boo-bear, duh!” She chimes, as she tries to pull me in again but I step back with a smile. My eyes flick over to Ana who is watching us with a frown.

“We have company.” I turn my attention back to Sofia and her eyes narrow at me.

“It’s just Ana.” She bristles.

“Yeah… I’ve lost my appetite anyway.” Ana moves to set her coffee cup down on the counter. Damn it Sofia.

“Ana, you don’t have to leave. This is your home too, and Sofia needs to remember that.” Boy I am going to be eating those words later… but Sofia just rolls her eyes at me.

“Whatever. I’m here to see Ana anyway.” Her lips turn up in a devilish grin as she turns her attention to Ana. “Grab me a cup of coffee, and let’s chat.”

I clench my jaw, and take a deep breath as I watch Ana’s face turn to annoyance.

“Sofia, we talked about this. It’s not appropriate to ask Ana to fetch you things.” I see Sofia’s shoulders stiffen at my words, but she turns to the coffee maker and pours herself a coffee. I watch as she purses her lips, clearly biting her tongue.

The boys come running into the room, perfect timing.

“Morning. What’s for breakfast?” Mason asks pushing his glasses up on his nose as he takes a seat at the bar.

“Oooo, waffles! Score!” Mickey smiles as he takes a seat next to his brother.

“I thought you boys could use a little treat for breakfast.” Ana grabs the plate piled high with waffles, a loving smile on her face. I watch her face turn to frustration as Sofia grabs the plate out of her hand.

“Hey!” Ana exclaims.

“Sofia, surely that’s not necessary-“ I try to diffuse the growing tension, but Sofia interrupts.

“This kind of unhealthy eating is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, Ana.” Sofia says with a smile. Oh great, we don’t all want to eat your cardboard Sof.

“But waffles…” Mason looks at his brother, their excitement turning to anguish.

“Don’t worry, Mickey. I grabbed some fresh spinach and mushrooms to put in an egg white omelette for you and your brother.” Sofia removes the contents of her grocery bag onto the counter.

“I’m Mason.” I cringe at his tone but Sofia appears completely unaffected.

“That’s what I said.” She responds without even looking up.

You are making this so difficult Sofia… why can’t you just get it right? Her matter of fact tone sends a clear message, she doesn’t care. I try to catch her eye but instead she walks over to the trash can and dumps the fresh waffles right into the garbage. I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“Sofia!” Goddamn it.

“Nooooo!” Mickey calls out.

“Sofia! That’s so wasteful! You just threw out perfectly good food!” Red hot color is spreading up Ana’s neck, her fists balled up at her sides.

“We can afford it.” Sofia sets the dish into the sink and gives Ana a smirk.

“Food waste is about more than just money, you know.” I can see Ana’s knuckles turning white as the resentment in her tone grows.

“Sam, back me up here.” Sofia finally turns her attention to me with a challenging look. Oh fuck.

I look back and forth between Ana and Sofia. Shit shit shit, ok, diplomatic answer time Dalton.

“While I don’t agree with her methods… maybe Sofia has a point?” I think that was good?

“Really? Not you too…” Mason trails off. Not now Mason.

“Sam, I know you gotta defend your fiancee, but seriously?” Ana turns her blazing emerald eyes on me.

“We should try to eat a little healthier… as a family.” I give her a pleading look.

“See?” Sofia chimes with victory.

“But Sofia, you owe Ana an apology for throwing her breakfast out. That kind of behavior is not acceptable.” I turn my attention back to Sofia. She narrows her eyes at me and I can see her bite the inside of her cheek.

I clench my jaw, don’t back down Dalton.

Sofia slowly turns to face Ana and utters a quiet apology. God even Mickey could apologize better than that. I shake my head and turn my attention back to my coffee, which has grown cold. I set the mug on the counter.

“Can we still get cotton candy at Coney Island this afternoon, Dad?” Mason has disappointment written all over his face when I look up at him.

“Coney Island? That rat-infested germ factory? Absolutely not! Boys your age need to be educated, not entertained. There are plenty of museums you could go to instead.” Sofia places her hands on her hips and looks back and forth between Mason and Mickey.

I manage to stifle my aggravated laugh. Goddamn it Sofia.

“But Dad! You said we could go ages ago!” Mickey’s eyes widen as he looks between Sofia and I.

“Boys… Sofia is a part of this family now, and we have to respect the adjustments that might require.” I say imploringly. “Besides, a museum doesn’t have to be boring. You two loved it when Ana took you to the planetarium, right?”

“That was totally different.” Mickey looks down at his empty plate.

“Yeah, no one promised we could go to Coney Island first.”

I bite my lip in frustration with a shake of my head. It's going to be a long day.

***

“Isn’t your father back in town now?” Sofia asks breaking me from my thoughts.

I bite the inside of my cheek and take a deep breath. Why did I agree to ride with her again?

“Yes.” I answer without breaking my focus on the people walking down 5th Avenue.

“Sam, darling, you better not be upset about this morning.” She purrs as she places her hand on my thigh.

I turn my attention back to her.

“Sofia, I really would rather not talk about it. I have other things on my mind.” I turn my gaze back to the window. Like Robin, my father, and our meeting this morning. I pull my leg out from under her hand right as the town car pulls to a stop outside of Dalton Enterprises. Perfect timing.

“Well alright, bye boo-bear!” She leans in and presses a soft kiss to my cheek.

“Bye, Sof.” I exit the town car before her driver can open the door, stepping out into the humid morning.

***

I tap my pen against my desk, my mind racing. I glance down at my watch. Are they both actually late? I haven’t seen Robin since my engagement party, fuck, I hope he doesn’t bring up Ana in front of my father.

I hear my office door open and look up to see Robin, his usual cocky smirk plastered across his annoying face. I narrow my eyes at him and it makes him smile even bigger.

“Mornin’ Sammy. How is my favorite nanny?” He sits down in the leather chair across from my desk.

“Rob, I swear to god, leave her alone.” I clench my jaw and ball my hand into a fist on my leg.

He laughs and puts his hands up in defense.

“Sam, really dude? What is going on between you two anyways? Clearly she is into you, you know that right?”

I don’t entertain his question with an answer, instead I look down at the quarterly numbers.

“Sam. What the fuck? You do know. Dude, what are you doing? You are going to be the one to hurt her. I should be telling you to leave her alone.”

“You have no idea what you are talking about.” My eyes fly up to his.

My office door opens again, and I look over Robin's shoulder to see my father enter the room. I turn my gaze back to Robin and shake my head. He gives me a scoff and looks up at the ceiling.

“My boys, it feels good to be back in the city.” My dad takes a seat in the chair next to Robin, looking between the two of us. “What? Did I interrupt something?”

“Did you know Sam got a new nanny for the boys?” Robin places his hands on his knees and leans back in the leather chair. “She is pretty great, isn’t she Sam?”

My whole body stiffens at his words. I clench my jaw and bite the inside of my cheek. Fuck I want to punch that look off of your play boy face, you ass hole. My dad shifts his attention to me.

“Thats great Sam. We want to meet her, I will have your mother call you later to arrange that. Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

***

When I get home that evening, I find Sofia in the kitchen. I walk up and place a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Are the boys home yet?” I set my stuff down on the bar.

“Nope, just you and me. By the way, this house was full of junk food. I took care of it though.” She makes a point to brush her hands as if she was cleaning up a mess. She walks up to me and wraps her arms around my waist pressing her hips into mine. I look down at her brown eyes.

“Soon this will be our home together Sam, I just want everyone to be on the same page.” Sofia bats her eyelashes at me.

“I get it, let’s just take it one day at a time okay? These boys are dealing with a lot of major changes, we need to be a little forgiving.” I lean down and kiss the top of her head. I pull away from her embrace and grab the New York Times off of the counter. “I am going to go read this.”

I take a seat on the couch, my eyes settling on the darkness that is settling over Central Park. I am lost in the transformation that happens between the day and night in this city. I have lived here for damn near my entire life, but I still can appreciate this view. I hear the elevator ding, and then the sound of footsteps echoing through the penthouse. I look up and my eyes land on Ana.

“You’re back. How was your day-“

“We went to Coney Island, and it was the best day of my life!” Mickey interrupts with the biggest smile on his face.

“Don’t tell Aunt Sofia. Okay, Dad?” Mason walks up next to his brother with a matching smile.

“Excuse me?” Sofia walks in behind them, her mouth twisted in anger.

“Uh, boys… why don’t you go start your bath?” I look between the twins and flick my eyes towards their bathroom.

“Dad, are we in trouble?” Mason asks his eyes growing wide.

“Not at all. I’ll come help you in a few minutes.” I give them both a reassuring smile and they turn and run out of the room, avoiding Sofia’s glare.

“You took them to Coney Island? After I explicitly told you not to?” I see Sofia turn her sights on Ana, her scowl deepening.

“Sofia they still had an educational day.” Ana doesn’t back down and color rises on her cheeks. “I taught them about physics and-“

“That’s not the point!” Sofia interjects.

“It seemed like the point this morning…” Ana takes a step towards Sofia, her hands balled into fists at her side.

“Calm down, Sofia.” Shit that usually has the opposite effect. “It sounds like the boys had a good day, plus they got to let off some steam after all these new changes.” I look at Sofia imploringly.

“Are you seriously siding with her?” Sofia wheels on me, narrowing her eyes.

“It’s not about sides. It’s about what’s best for Mason and Mickey.” I say calmly, trying not to get defensive. “And while art galleries certainly have their place in a well-rounded educational experience, I approve of Ana’s decision to take them to Coney Island today.” And I am their father. I hold my breath, gauging her reaction to my words. She stares at me for a moment, I assume because she thinks I am going to back down. I rise to her challenge and straighten my shoulders.

“Fine. I can tell when I’m not wanted.” She narrows her eyes at me one last time before turning on her heal and walking out of the room to call the elevator. Fuck, I am going to be answering for this later.

I take a deep breath as I watch her leave the penthouse, pinching the bridge of my nose and shaking my head. I turn my attention back to Ana, her emerald eyes trained on me.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go after her?” The corners of her lips turn up in a small smile.

“It’ll be better for everyone if I give her some space before we try to talk.” I bite my cheek to keep myself from matching her smile. “She’s gotta learn this relationship is going to have its compromises at some point.”

I cross over into the kitchen, inhaling the sweet scent of Ana as I graze by her. I fight the urge to wrap my arm around her waist and pull her delicious body to my chest. Instead, I open a bottle of merlot and pour us each a glass.

“So, Coney Island, huh?” Our fingers graze as she takes the wine glass from my hand, igniting that all too familiar spark. I lean against the counter and take a sip of the smooth wine.

“Yup.” Her eyes dancing with humor.

“You could at least pretend you feel bad about starting a fight.” I watch as her cheeks turn a rosy pink and she looks away with a smile.

“I could, but we both know you’d see right through me.” Her emerald eyes rise back to mine.

“True.” I admit, taking a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m glad you went. Sofia can be unreasonable, and she doesn’t get the boys… not like you. You make learning fun for them, and you let them be kids. I appreciate that.”

I finally notice the prize she has tucked under her arm.

“I guess the twins aren’t the only ones you let still be a kid.”

“Oh, this old thing?” She pulls the stuffed penguin from under her arm with a smile. “I got this for you.” She take a step towards me and boops me on the nose with it. Eva used to do that… it makes me laugh out loud as I look at it in my hands.

“I’ll think of you every time I see it.” I look back up at her eyes which have grown dark. I feel her gaze in my core. Goddamn it woman.”Seriously, Ana. Thank you.”

“Sam, I wish you could’ve been there. You were the only thing missing from an otherwise perfect day.” She studies my face for a moment before looking back down at the penguin in my hands..

“It would’ve been nice to enjoy the day with the twins… and you.” Like a real family. “Next time. I’lll fake sick. Promise.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” Her eyes lock back on me.

I can’t help but stare into her eyes, and I hear her breath catch. The electricity arcing between us. Before I realize it, our bodies are only inches apart.

“Sam…” Ana whispers, her lips parting in anticipation. What are you doing Dalton? Robin’s words echo in my head. You are going to hurt this beautiful woman and its going to be all your fault.

“Dad, how full are we allowed to make our bath?” Mickey calls from the bathroom. A blessing in this moment before I do something else I am not supposed to…

The moment between us broken, Ana’s laugh echos in the room.

“You should probably go.”

I nod, searching her face. I wish I could tell her that we can’t do this… but the words die on my lips. I leave to finish the routine with the boys, her infectious laugh bringing a smile to my lips.

***

I glance at my bedside clock and groan. God, I am so hungry. I get out of bed and pull on my jeans and a plaid button down. I need to find something else to eat.

I pad out into the dark penthouse, flipping the lights on in the kitchen. I take a deep breath before digging into every cupboard, she had to have missed something, right? Nope. She got it all. I sigh before opening the fridge.

“Sam? What are you doing?” I jump slightly at the sound of Ana’s voice before shutting the door and focusing my attention on her.

“Same as you, I’m guessing. Searching for sustenance. Fair warning, it’s every man for himself out here.” I say with a mocking smile.

“Are you threatening to eat me?” She says her eyes growing wide.

I take a moment to appreciate her pajamas, the way her yoga pants hug her curves and the thin sheer fabric of her t shirt exposing her hard nipples.

“I wasn’t thinking about that, but now that you’ve mentioned it…” I see her blush at my words and she gulps, which makes my cock twitch. I know you taste sweet beautiful girl, but I need more tonight. “Seriously, though, you don’t have nearly enough gluten to satisfy me right now.”

I turn my attention back to the kitchen, closing all the cupboards with a sigh.

“Giving up?” Ana leans her hip on the counter.

“Going out. I’m thinking of sneaking off for a burger and fries… maybe a slice of pie… definitely a milk shake.” I look back to her.

“You’ll have to burn any leftovers.” She says with a smile.

“Oh, there won’t be any leftovers. Would you like to come with? The boys are asleep, and I’m sure Carter can hold down the fort while we’re gone. I think we both could use a little something sweet to tide us over…” Plus I wouldn’t mind spending an evening out with you…

She bites her lip and gives me a small nod.

“Let me go change first.” She turns quickly on her heels and leaves the room.

I type out a quick text to Carter and meet Ana in the foyer. We take the quick ride down to the street which is still bustling with people.

“Dare I ask where you’re taking me?” She smiles as I place my hand on the small of her back leading her down the street.

“You can ask… but I won’t tell. It’s a surprise.” I glance sideways at her with a smile.

“I’m not so sure I like surprises.” She says in a defeated tone. If only all surprises were as good as you.

“Really? I’ve recently come to like them.” I wrap my fingers around her waist as we dodge oncoming pedestrians.

“You mean like when Sofia surprised you on your birthday?” She looks up at me.

“God no, I was thinking more about when you suddenly appeared in my life…” I look down at her to see her lips spread wide in a smile. There’s that beautiful smile. “Ah, here we are.” I stop in front of Clements and open the door, ushering Ana inside.

“Ohmygod, is this heaven?” I watch Ana’s eyes flutter closed as she inhales the smells.

Close beautiful, especially being here with you.

The waitress gives us the go ahead to sit wherever we would like and I follow Ana to a corner booth in the back. I slide into the booth and Ana slides in right next to me, settling so our bodies are touching. I hear her sigh and I look down at her, a content look on her face as her eyes wander around the small diner.

“Comfy?” I ask her quietly.

“Very. I could stay like this forever.” She looks back over at me, her emerald eyes shining. Oh beautiful there are a lot of other ways I would rather spend forever with you, like on top of you, or under you.

“Really? There are a few other positions I’d prefer… although all of them do involve having you in my arms.” I remark, a familiar surge of desire shooting through me. ‘

Her eyes darken in response and I see her clench her thighs together, you have the same effect on me.

“What can I get started for you?” The waitress brings me out of my fantasy.

“What are the specials today?” I ask turning my attention to her.

“We’ve got the Sweetheart Special right now. Perfect for a couple like you two, if you’re interested…”

“Us? A couple? You caught us!” Ana says quickly before I have a chance to respond. I look at her out of the corner of my eye and I see her lovely smile. She reaches for my hand and we intertwine our fingers together. “We’re newlyweds, actually.”

I will play this game with you.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine my life without her.” I pull our locked hands onto my lap and flash her a loving smile, your hand feels perfect in mine.

“Makes sense! You have that glow about you.” The waitress looks between us writing something down on her pad. “Consider the Sweetheart Special on the house.”

I order the rest of our meal, and as the waitress leaves, an uncomfortable silence descends on our table. I can feel the nervous energy pouring off of Ana as she avoids my gaze.

“You doing okay over there?” I look over at her, our hands still intertwined on my lap, her gaze focused on the table.

“Totally! I was just thinking about how I’ve never been here before. It’s nice. I cook all he time, but it always tastes better when someone else does it for you. Especially if your cooking is terrible. Which maybe mine is. Ohmygod, I never asked you guys, I just assumed-“ Ana’s cheeks have turned rosy as she answers my question. She’s nervous Dalton, why?

“Whoa, whoa, slow down.” I give her hand a squeeze and I watch her take a deep breath. “It’s just me, Ana. You don’t have to be nervous.”

“Sam, I can’t help it. You’re you, and I’m me!”

“Exactly. We’ve had tons of conversations, just the two of us. Nothing’s changed.” Except everything is different right now, I know…

“This is… well, it’s different. It’s not the same as all the other times we’ve talked before.” Her eyes have grown wide as she finally looks up into mine.

“‘Cause we’re at a diner?” I ask casually.

“‘Cause we’re basically on a date.” She puts emphasis on her last word and her face drops as she looks back at the table. “And you’re still engaged to Sofia.”

She pulls her hand away from mine and places them in her lap. I watch her wring her fingers together for a moment. God, I definitely didn’t mean to make you upset… comfort her asshole. I take a breath and bring my arm around her shoulders, she immediately leans into my touch with a soft sigh. You fit so perfect…

“I’m sorry, Ana. I was being insensitive to your feelings. I didn’t invite you out here to make you feel bad. I just wanted to treat you to a piece of pie, promise.” And I wanted to spend time with you… alone… like a ‘normal’ couple.

“I know, it’s just… it’s all so confusing.” She responds quietly.

I know she was about to say more when the waitress returns to the table, setting down a large strawberry milkshake and two straws. When she leaves my eyes return to Ana’s face, hoping she will elaborate.

“Sam, let’s just enjoy the night. Starting with this milkshake.” She leans away from me, grabbing a straw and taking a sip.

“Are you sure?” I narrow my eyes at her slightly, not convinced she is alright.

“Positive. Dibs on the cherry.” She says with a laugh as she pops the cherry in between her pink lips. God I can think of something else I want to put between those pretty pink lips. The thought makes my cock twitch. The waitress returns with the rest of our meal and I watch the smile spread on Ana’s face. So beautiful…

“I was right, this is heaven.” She surveys the burger and fries.

“Wait ’til you try the pie.”

We eat in a comfortable silence, the nervous energy from earlier suddenly gone.

“Wow, you really don’t know how much you miss sugar until it’s completely eradicated from your diet.” Ana sits back with a sigh.

“In the future, we’ll just have to satisfy our sugar craving in other ways…”

“Oh? Got something particular in mind?” She looks up at me, her emerald eyes darkening.

Oh you know what I mean, beautiful. The waitress shows up with the pie, removing our empty plates and setting it down between Ana and I with a smile. Ana’s eyes never leave mine.

“You’re not getting out of answering that easily.” Her voice laced with desire.

“You already know exactly what I’m thinking, Ana.” I clench my jaw and lower my eyebrows. I watch her breath catch and a blush creep up her neck at the intensity of my gaze. I turn my attention to the cherry pie. I can see Ana’s eyes still trained on me as I take a bite of the pie.

“I want…” Her voice trails off.

“What do you want, Ana? Tell me, and it’s yours.” I look into her eyes.

“I want you to feed me.” She says breathlessly.

“Consider your wish granted.” I take another piece of pie and lift it up to her lips. She opens her mouth and a surge of desire shoots through me.

“Ohmygod…” She moans her eyes fluttering shut. Fuck you are making me hard, and you have the smallest bit of cream on your lip.

“You’ve got a little something on your lip.” I lean towards her, inhaling her scent, and reach my thumb up to wipe the cream from her lip. Before I have a chance to move away her tongue darts out of her mouth and licks my thumb. Fuck. I moan her name as I reach out and place my hand on her cheek. Her eyes flutter shut again, her long eyelashes fanning across her delicate skin. I can imagine you taste so sweet right now… cherries and Ana…

Suddenly my phone buzzes on the table. Ana’s eyes fly open and she leans back in the booth. I grab my phone to silence the incessant noise with a loud sigh.

I clear my throat when I see its my mother calling.

“Hello?”

“Hello Sam darling, your father told me that you have a new nanny for the boys.”

“Oh… yes. I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“Robin told your father that she is quite the young lady and great with the boys.”

“Yeah, she’s great.” My eyes flick to Ana as she stares at me quietly.

“We want to meet her, and of course I want to see my grand children. Why don’t you guys come to the club next week?”

“You want to… Next week? A-alright, Mom. See you then.” Shit… goddamn it Robin.

“Ciao, Sam and say hi to the boys for me.”

I hang up the phone with a sigh. My eyes meet Ana’s.

“What was all that?” She eyes me curiously finishing another bite of pie.

“My parents. They want to meet you.”

I turn my eyes to the people walking by outside the window… fuck.

[kingofno-whereville]

I was on my way home from my grandma’s and I passed a bar that was like. right next to a daycare, they literally shared a driveway, and not only is that fucking hilarious but it also got me thinking about a harringrove au?

Y’know like a freshly 21 year old Billy gets drunk at a party and has a one night stand with a girl just because he needed to fuck something but it’s the late 80′s, he’s still gotta be careful about the whole gay thing. Next thing he knew, the girl dropped the baby on him a year later and dipped. So he needed to find a job. And finding babysitters is really hard but there’s a daycare that takes babies. What do you know, it’s next to bar, and they’re hiring. It’s a lucky strike for Billy. 

He wants to be the best dad he could be because his daughter deserves that much. She’s not even a year but he already feels for her. Absent mom and all. But he refused to let her have the shitty dad too. Anyway. First day he brings her in. Sunshine Palace Daycare. The place really screamed small town daycare. It was quiet, a couple of kids sitting at a little table eating snacks. It was only 7:30 so most kids probably wouldn’t be there for another 15 minutes. 

“Hello?” He was expecting maybe some blond hair, blue eyed girl in a floral dress, because that’s his preconceived image of daycare babysitter. Instead he got this:

The most gorgeous man he’d ever seen with big brown eyes and pretty brown hair to go with them in a pink apron trying to carry a stack of boxes. He watched him carefully set them down at a counter and brush the dust off his hands.

“Hi, can I help you?” Billy felt like his brain was short circuiting.

“Uhm-I-yeah. I’m Billy, I called?” To be fair a woman had answered the phone. 

“Oh, right! This is Poppy then?” He just liked the name. Refused to name her something generic, which made him glad her mom hadn’t named her.

“This is her.” He smiled and set her carrier down to take her out. She was still sleeping from the car ride, which was only 10 minutes from his apartment. She never stays awake in the car, he learned.

“I’m Steve by the way.” He shook his hand. No wedding ring. Steve held his hands out. “Can I hold her?”

“Yeah of course.” He’s wary of strangers around his baby but 

1) Steve’s hot. How could he not trust such a pretty face?

2) Steve’s her babysitter so he has to suck it up and deal with the idea of him and anyone else working there holding his baby.

He watched him closely while he held her. He liked how carefully he held her. Made him feel safe leaving her, even if he was right next door. 

“She’s pretty like her daddy.” Fuck. Billy used to be so goddamn smooth but he couldn’t even think of an equally flirty line to throw back.

“Thank you.” 

“I’m sure you’ve gotta get off to work. Poppy’s in really good hands though.” He looked at his watch. It had been almost 15 minutes but felt like 5. 

“I work at the bar right by here so call if anything happens. Sometimes she won’t eat unless she’s sitting up and I left her extra formula in the front pocket of her diaper bag-”

“I’m guessing this is your first time being away from her?” He nodded, looking at the ground in embarrassment. “She’ll be okay. She won’t even leave my sight.” Billy handed him the diaper bag and kissed Poppy’s head. 

“I’ll be back at 4:30.”

“She’ll see you then!” Steve waved as Billy walked off. He waved and left before he could panic and just call in sick.

-

He would bring Poppy in at 7:30 every morning to have those few extra minutes to chat with Steve before work. He learned that Steve was single and also possibly into men. He likes to paint. He wanted to be a teacher but was working at the daycare until he got the money for school. He has the prettiest laugh.

After 3 months of early morning chats he started bringing Steve a coffee from the place across the street from his apartment. Steve likes the sugary flavored stuff with whip cream and cinnamon, which seemed completely fitting. He was pretty sure he was in love with him. 

It was a breezy September morning, 6 months after he started bringing Poppy to Sunshine Palace. She was almost a year old. He was sitting at the counter in the little kitchen with Steve, sharing their usual coffee. 

“Sorry if this is...uncomfortable or anything but would you maybe wanna get dinner sometime?” Billy felt his heart skid to a halt inside of him.

“Like..a date-”

“It doesn’t have to be a date.” He could see panic in his eyes. He’s gotten good at reading his emotions.

“What if I want it to be?”

“Then it can be.” It made his stomach warm to see the smile return to Steve’s face. “Are you free tomorrow? Robin could watch Poppy for you.” Robin was the girl who worked at the daycare with Steve. Billy had a momentary scare when he met her, mistaking her for Steve’s girlfriend. Turns out she’s “pretty fucking gay” in her words.

“That could work.”

- 

The date went so well it lead to 2 more dates. Steve celebrated Poppy’s birthday with him. And then they went on 3 more dates. They celebrated Steve’s birthday and Poppy called Steve daddy. Billy felt like dying but Steve loved it. They went on a handful more dates before they decided to move in together. 

(and yes, Steve ended up going to school to be a teacher.) 

[mrvdocks]

Redamancy

The act of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in full.

Steve Harrington. Residential popular boy until high school came and went. Now, he was actively clawing to stay relevant or at least, a ladies man.

Steve Harrington. Childhood crush since the sandbox incident in first grade. And perhaps you could throw unrequited love interest into the mix.

Maybe you should’ve read the signs that he wasn’t interested when you saw him and Robin at the mall. Or when he stopped hanging out with you after joining his “cool” gang. Or when he would try to not stare so much at you in algebra or across the room during lunch. You weren't sure about his feelings anymore. He always hid everything.

You didn’t mean to pine for him for so long. You knew you shouldn't have. But that chance encounter after Nancy broke up with him made you think you had some semblance of a chance. You didn’t want to be the rebound, but how your heart swelled when your eyes met his, your lips upturned in an easy smile. The party seemed to slow in front of you, bodies becoming blurry and your eyes only focusing on his figure coming to you.

If this was anything like the movies you’d seen and dreamed of, you hoped it would end with him confessing his mutual feelings for you and not him taking your face in his hands and kissing you sloppily. You could practically taste the spiked punch on his lips.

You pushed him off, staring at him in shock. He inches closer, his sweaty hands trying to bring you back to kiss you again but you refuse. “Steve?” You whisper to him.

He just stares at you, eyes flickering back and forth, you don't recognize the look. But something about it feels so innocent, so soft. It feels like he’s searching for something deep within you. You shake your head, tears brimming in your eyes. “I’m not Nancy.”

He reeks of punch and hairspray. “I know that.” He manages out.

His hands come back, one hand resting at the nape of your neck, his fingers entangled in your hair. The other caresses your cheek. The feeling made you feel so warm, so loved. You were delighted in his gentle yet sloppy touch, internally screaming for more of the connection.

But you weren’t sure about him anymore, about the things he wanted. It seemed to be a shitty year for him.

Certainly, someone who made it their mission to get over you with cliques and drama didn’t deserve you.

But you were anything if not human in your possibly unrequited feelings.

“Steve.” You say again. You break out of the trance to step back. The moment was accompanied by sounds of loud teens and music, you shook your head again and darted for the door.

Steve mumbles out your name but it gets lost in the sea of screams and synths. You’re out the door by the time he searches for you in the crowd.

He can’t stop thinking about you at work. He stares at the chocolate chip flavor ice cream and thinks of how you dropped yours in the sandbox in the first grade. How he gave you his without a second thought. Robin thinks there’s something wrong with him. And it wasn’t just the pathetic attempts at trying to chat up customers. She said he looked - what’s that word again? Forlorn.

This whole time he thought he wanted Nancy back, but he couldn’t get you out of his head. He missed your laugh, the snorts that would follow. The way you smelled followed him and the way you looked at him that night at the party, the tears in your eyes, haunted him.

He regretted so much of his later high school experience. He regretted being such an asshole. What good did it bring if you were locked out of his life?

He sees you pass by on your way to work at the diner in the mall. He tries to bury his feelings by asking out the random girls he serves but every time he’s turned down it comes back full force.

“Whatever happened to that girl you liked?” Dustin asks from behind the binoculars.

“Which one?” Steve asks. There must’ve been so many Dustin was referring to.

“That one that you always talk about, likes the same "nerd stuff" I do? Pretty? Cool?”

“That’s not my type.” Steve dodges the question, but nonetheless has a clear image of you in his head.

“Oh yeah? What is your type again? Not cool?” Dustin deadpans.

Steve huffs. “Alright, time’s up, give me the binoculars.”

Dustin passes them, eager to get on with his Russian mission. Steve scans the area, he’s about to give up on this whole mission when he lands on the sign of the diner you work at. He can’t help but focus on you at the register, deep in conversation with another co-worker and bursting into laughter. A captivated smirk came onto his face.

“You should probably go talk to her. She’s definitely a step up from the girls from the shop - actually from all those girls you've been trying to ask out.” Dustin says.

Steve looks up from the binoculars. “What’re you talking about?”

Dustin laughs. “You’re so obvious. Whatever happened to not letting girls know that you care?”

Steve shrugs. Stupid advice anyways.

Steve tries to not think of you when everything goes downhill in a span of a few hours. If he died without having said anything to you, even so much as an apology, he thinks the guilt would’ve killed him instead.

“Have you.....ever been in love?” Robin’s raspy voice asks him.

They’re just coming down from their highs and sprawled out on the floors of the bathroom. The near-death experience had scared him shitless enough to rethink a lot of things.

“Yup. Nancy Wheeler. First semester, senior year.”

“Bullshit. She’s such a priss.”

He hums. “Turns out, not really.”

“Are you still in love with Nancy?”

“No.” He says, a little too quick.

Robin’s interest is piqued.  “Why not?”

“I think it’s because I found someone who’s a little bit better for me.” He fiddles with the frayed ends of his uniform.

“There’s this girl, the one I like. It’s somebody that I.....kind of ignored in high school. I didn’t mean to but I just know Tommy H would’ve made fun of me. Or I wouldn’t have been prom king. It’s all just a bunch of bullshit anyway but when I think about it, this girl knows me. Inside and out. She always has. I should’ve been hanging out with her the whole time.”

He breathes out, hands shaking as he confesses what he’s bottled up for so long.

“First of all, she’s hilarious. She would have me in stitches all the time,” he chuckles. “She’s such a nerd, she likes Star Wars and math and books and things I made fun of. And she’s so smart. Probably much smarter than me. What do you think?”

“Of?”

“The girl.”

“She sounds awesome.”

“Yeah,” he nods solemnly. “And what about the guy?”

“I think there is something seriously wrong with him. To have something real right in front of him and leave it for something so fake.”

“Yeah, I’m an idiot.” He whispers.

“Have you told her? How you feel?”

Steve shakes his head. “I feel like all the bad I’ve done to her...I just deserve the rejection at this point.”

“You never know until you try. Maybe she feels the same.”

“Yeah maybe.” He concludes.

He didn’t think he’d survive the Russians but he does. With one evil defeated, he thinks the worst is over. And it would’ve been until Billy showed up.

The kids are ready for him, shaky, but on guard. Steve can see Billy’s figure illuminated under the neon mall lights and his heart drops when he sees what he’s carrying.

You’re in Billy’s arms, unconscious and beat up but hopefully still alive. Still dressed in your diner uniform, Billy had snatched you up close to after hours and was planning on putting you to good use. He’d laid you down close by but still far from everyone’s reach.

Everyone’s eyes widened when they realized who he had. They hadn’t planned for this. Heather had gone long ago and if Billy’s plan was for you to become the next Heather, then you were in very dangerous territory.

“That can’t be-” Dustin asks but he’s interrupted by Steve.

“That’s it.” He grits. His knuckles are white and he feels the adrenaline rush through him. Nancy glances at him. The sheer determination is what she saw but the fear is what drove him. She signaled El.

The kids alter their plan to distract Billy so Steve has a shot at pulling you away from the danger. If the Mind Flayer gets anywhere near you, you’re as good as dead.

El gets the Mind Flayer going, letting it try its luck at her. She’s got Billy right where she needs him when she gives Steve the signal.

Steve’s never run so fast in his life. He only gets angrier at the eldritch terror as he comes closer to your body, bloody knicks marking your cherubic face, and a bleeding side wound. You clearly put up a fight.

“No, no, no, no.” He utters in shock, lifting your upper body and supporting your neck with his left arm. His hand grabs at your cheeks, shaking you to gain some response.

“Hey! Come on, wake up! Please.” He cries. When he gets no response he brings you up to his chest, hugging you as tight as he can.

The smell he remembers is there but coated in dirt and slime and blood. He’s horrified. He can’t close his eyes for fear that you’ll pass.

“Not you. Please not you. Come on, wake up.” He rocks you back and forth.  “You can’t leave me too. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. About everything. I'll do anything please, wake up."

He feels you stir under him just then, wincing in pain and moving as slowly as your body would let you.

“Steve?” You mumble his name incoherently.

It’s a miracle he hears it among the commotion in the background. You feel the stinging pain in your side and your hand shoots up to touch it.

“Hey, hey, no. It’s okay. You’re okay.” He takes your hand in his and squeezes it reassuringly.

He’s thankful, so thankful that whatever being there was beyond the Mind Flayer let you come back to him.

“Am I going to die here?" You cry, unable to move without feeling white-hot pain throughout your body.

“No, okay? Just stay with me."

“Steve.” You groan. Your eyes feel so heavy, but he urges you to stay awake. It just feels impossible.

“No hey, we don’t have to talk right now. Okay? Stay with me, please. When this is all over I’ll take you on a hundred dates. You can yell at me, hit me, do whatever you want but stay with me.” He pleads.

A roar startles you both, and upon seeing the Mind Flayer charge to reap its pound of flesh, Steve accepts his fate. He shields you and buries your face in his neck, bracing himself.

The impact never comes. Instead, he hears screams and wills himself to open his eyes. Billy stands just inches away, tendrils impaling him as El lays on the floor in front of you both.

Steve’s shaking worse than before, he’s in shock. He almost thinks El’s dead but she’s a sobbing mess. Everything stops and the Mind Flayer falls dead.

He can hear Max’s cries for Billy. The silence that follows is deafening. Steve immediately looks down at you, making sure you’re still alive. When you wince in pain, he takes some comfort in it.

He kisses your forehead and utters profuse apologies and thanks. With whatever strength you can muster, you squeeze his hand in reassurance.

You sit in the booth, waiting for Steve to come back with the ice cream. You're humming along to the music coming from the loudspeaker in the shop absentmindedly. Today was part of many recoveries.

Steve smiles warmly when he returns, passing you it and watching as you take an eager bite. Chocolate chip, without fail.

“Final verdict?” He clapped his hands together in anticipation.

“It's gonna be a hard pass from me. Scoops did it better.” You giggle, breaking your faux serious face.

“Damn.” He smirked.

You both broke into a fit of laughter, his shoulders bouncing with glee.

Your hand came across the table to hold his, fingers interlocking. You finally realized what that look at the party meant. That gaze he held. He was in love. Completely and utterly at its mercy.  

It’s been three months since the battle at Starcourt Mall. Your side is somewhat healed but the scar will always be there to remind you of the ordeal. Steve’s nightmares about losing you to the Mind Flayer are starting to fade. You managed to get an internship outside of Hawkins doing what you loved and Steve was going with Robin the next day to see if the video store was hiring.

Steve kept his promise. The first date you two had was out of the hospital. It was scary at first, acknowledging bottled up feelings and things from the past that neither of you wanted to own up to before. But when he finally confessed and made it up to you in a million ways, you caved. Since then, dates have become sweeter and funnier, they surpassed the good old days.

You’d like to think things have changed for the better now. Hell, you even managed to convince Steve to start looking at colleges. You wanted to get out of Hawkins as soon as you’d saved up enough and graduated. But for now, you were taking it one day at a time.

You think you’ve earned your soft epilogue, here with him. At least the peace you read about in books. The kind where you can finally breathe. The calm after the storm.

[taliaquinn]

Why Me!? Chapter 18

You guys really are mini-dectives so I am just going to put this warning out. I might mix up my times, due to the fact that in the story, the setting is in both Gotham and Paris, both of which are in completely different timezones. So yeah just a PSA :)

Both Parties were staring at each other, one in shock the other in fear.

“Hey guys, uh t-that was an illusion for uh a magic trick I was practicing since I am a secret magician wellnotsecretsecretsinceuhsinceobviously I have to perform but uh yeah that was uh an illusion…..” Marinette trailed off at the deadpan faces that Jason and Dick had. They were not buying it. 

“Nice try pixie pop explain now” Jason demanded. One normal sibling that was all he asked for. He quickly walked over to help Dick sit up from where he was laying on his couch.

“Marinette it's okay you can trust us, we’ll help with whatever it is,” Dick said, looping his arm over Jason's shoulder.

Glancing between the two she was having an internal debate. Should she just tell the truth? It would be nice to no longer have to hide her alter ego and get a little bit more of support. But Jason is a civilian, Dick at Least is a cop. She couldn’t put them at risk like that. Hmm, Tell the truth or lie? Decisions decisions.

“Fine”

“I’m ladybugs helper” Lying won today. 

“Hold up what?” Jason was confused but a little regardless he had a little bit of hope reignite. “Who is ladybug?”

Marinette let out a sigh of relief and out of exhaustion, both emotional and physical. “Ladybug is a superhero in my city, she sometimes needs help when the villain Hawkmoth is a bit too strong.”

“Wait so you are a superhero?” Dick asked cautiously. What was it with these Wayne kids? Is it genetic?

“WHAT!? No, it's just uh a lot of akumas come from my class so I would give Ladybug a heads up” Marinette couldn’t help the shiver that ran up her spine when she said this “somehow lead to me becoming the unofficial helper” Marinette paused before coming up with the next part of her lie “Chat, her partner was uh decommissioned, she gave me his ring and Kwami to take care of” She quickly went into her purse and pulled out a protesting Plagg out by his tail to show them. 

“See” she showed them the now grumpy upside down Plagg to the dumbfounded pair.

“Hold up, what you're telling me is that you aren't a superhero, just an assistant, a gal in the chair?” Jason said elatedly. His dreams and hopes alight once again.

No. “Yes,” Guilt was crashing down on her now. How did Lila manage to lie constantly? She felt so dirty with each lie that she spewed.

“That's nice, you know your sister's secret,” Plagg piped up “Hello I'm Plagg god of darkness, one quick thing to add QUIT HOLDING ME UPSIDE DOWN WOMAN” he yelled. Marinette immediately released him. Whoops. 

Plagg quickly swooped over to Dick who was still processing the newly revealed secrets. “I can't believe I was manhandled like that. I wanna switch babysitters, Hey got any camembert?” Plagg immediately asked, swooping in Dicks face before noticing the bruises “Hey what's up with the bandages, DID MARINETTE ABUSE YOU TOO!!” he gasped. 

“Plagg” Marinette scolded before quickly sidestepping Jason to make her way to Dick to check up on him. Looks like she found Bludhaven Dingwatt?

“How did this even happen?”

“Uh Motorcycle accident, I called Jason to help me tow it with his…. truck”

“Jason owns a truck?” Crap. Note to self get Bruce to pay for a new truck for Jason. 

“Yep I most totally do, it's really nice and really expensive with custom wheels and leather seats” Jason replied. Doing a mental happy dance. He was getting a new truck!!! He was going to milk this lie for all it's worth and best of all Bruce is going to be forced to pay for it! Santa came early this year.

Dick shot Jason a glare while Marinette was busy poking his torso. 

“So…..you're Ladybugs assistant? Do you have like your own hideout or lair or something?”

“Are you joking? Nope I help her and this other girl run a website called BugOut and I make sure to take note of Akuma attacks and try to somehow find a pattern, unfortunately, I recently became a babysitter to two mini gods” She said glaring at Plagg who was busy rummaging through Marinette's desk. 

It has been 30 minutes since he has been fed. He was starving for some cheesy goodness. The audacity.

“Who's the second one?” Jason asked, trying to pull the cat god out of his little sister's desk. “Hands off Gramps” Plagg spit out zooming to avoid getting caught.

“Kaalki come on out,” Marinette asked, Kaalki zoomed out to offer her paw to Dick who was now sitting on Marinette's bed. Which was comfier than the sofa.

“Greetings, May I ask what family do you descend from?” 

“Oh my gosh she’s a mini Alfred,” Dick squealed.

“So Like basically you work as Ladybugs, Paris’s Heroine, girl in the chair?” Jason asked, biting into the pastry while holding a struggling Plagg who he finally caught.

“Yep,” Marinette answered, checking Dicks Bandages wrapped around his torso and making sure he was made comfortable. Motorcycle accident my as-

“Now explain how you got trapped babysitting this mangy cat, the other one seems nice enough”

“YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!!”

“Jason let Plagg go before he bites you, trust me he will, and like I said Chat Noir was decommissioned, now it’s my job to babysit him until a new wielder is found”

“But no superheroing right?” Dick asked giving Kaalki a small bit of pastry

‘No superheroing at alllll” Marinette replied. She needed to switch the conversation, she was feeling too much like Lila now.

“Anyways would you guys mind keeping this a secret?” The last thing she wanted was for Mr.Wayne to start nosing around.

“Maribug this seems dangerous, we’ve seen how the attacks have destroyed buildings, killed Chat Noir, It’s only because of Ladybugs cure thingy majig that everything is restored” Jason explained. What if she was used as leverage against Ladybug?

“Plus how are you planning on hiding this from everyone else for long?” Dick was already making a mental plan on how to help her regardless “It didn’t take long for us to figure it out”

“Uh lemme figure that part out” Marinette was gonna have to start planning “Speaking of which, how did you guys figure out it was a fake me on the bed?”

“Beats me, it was dick wad over here who figured it out”

“Let's chalk it up to older brother instincts and leave it at that” Dick teased. He was the original Robin. He practically wrote the handbook on “Sneaking out of Wayne Manor 101”.

“He’s also a mother hen”

“Yeah that too”

Agreste Manor                                                                                                    Paris, France                                                                                                    6:00 a.m

Adrien walked up the stairs to his home heartbroken. He has just lost his very best friend. He has lost his job. His only escape from the pressures of being an Agreste. He needed it back. He will get it back no matter what. Right now all Adrien needed was someone to talk to. His father was very obviously a no. Nino was a definite negative. He had broken up with Alya, his other good friend. 

The last thing he wanted to do was be dragged into another conflict. He was already dealing with the whole Lila and Marinette conflict. Wait a minute. Marinette. Marinette can be trusted. He can talk to her!!!

Immediately whipping out his phone he clicked on Marinette's contact and held it up to his ear. Ready to confess his secret and talk with her.

Line Disconnected

What!? Nononono this had to be a mistake. He retried again quickly. After being met with the same message he called Chloe. 

After a dial tone, Chloe picked up “Adrien? Do you know what time it is?” she asked in a sleepy voice.

“Sorry Chlo, it's just....do you know what happened to Marinette, I know she's in the States with family, but why isn't she answering? Her phone is disconnected” Adrien asked apologetically. The other end was completely silent before Chloe started shuffling around before releasing a sigh

“Not that it's any of your business, but Marinette doesn't really wanna talk to any of her old classmates” 

“What about me?”

“Especially you” 

“WHAT!? 

Authors Note: This blog stands for diversity and being inclusive. I will not tolerate hate towards others, least of all between my readers. I know that a few of us might be upset over recent occurrences over in the Harry Potter Fandom. Just know that I am a writer that loves all my readers 

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The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for all the love.  Black Lives Matter.  I stand with those who are actively dismantling racist attitudes, behaviours, and systems, and want to remind you that you are always welcome on my blog.

October 31st, 2019

Aberdeen Bloom was dressing up.

Her hair, long and wavy and a bit frizzy on its own (thanks dad) was now teased, crimped, and made purposely frizzy.  She outfitted herself in a blazer embroidered with poppies, leaves, and other floral insignia, a pair of 1970s style black pants, and a ridiculously ruffled shirt.  She looked over at Kasha, whose own hair was curled and crimped then teased, a pair of skin tight light wash jeans, a plain tank top, and a Japanese cherry blossom-printed kimono-style cardigan left loose but tied around her waist.

They were Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin.  And they were going to the Leafs’ Halloween party willingly dressed like this.

The purchase of the exact replica blazer embroidered with the poppies was probably one of the most ludicrous purchases Aberdeen had made in her life, but she now had a Halloween costume for life.  It wasn’t exactly her parents’ proudest moment, but they made explicitly clear growing up that any money she made was her money and she was free to do with it whatever she wanted.  Did that mean buy an exact replica Jimmy Page blazer?  Probably not.  But Aberdeen didn’t hear it that way.  All she had to do for the rest of her life was find a friend or partner (or three friends or partners) to be the rest of the band.  That proved harder than she thought.  

“I can’t believe you’re bringing me to a party with the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Kasha said as she layered some mascara onto her lashes in front of the full-length mirror in her room.  

“I can’t believe you agreed,” Aberdeen said, applying her own mascara as she sat on the floor in front of the same mirror.  

“Hey, I only agreed for an hour,” Kasha reminded her.  “Then Evan’s picking me up and we’re going to his friend’s house party.”

Aberdeen didn’t want to think about the fact that Kasha would have to leave her alone with the Leafs after only an hour.  She should be thankful that Kasha was coming in the first place.  “What does Evan think of your costume?”

Kasha chuckled slightly.  “He dressed up as John Bonham.  Fake moustache and everything.”

Aberdeen swooned.  “That boy is in love with you,” she said.  Kasha stayed silent.  “But why doesn’t anybody ever want to be John Paul Jones?”

“Oh, one of his friends is being John Paul Jones.”

Aberdeen almost poked her eye out with her mascara wand.  “Okay, can I come to your party instead?  You guys obviously need a guitarist.”

“Um, no.  It’s not every day that someone gets invited to a Leafs party,” Kasha said, a devilish look on her face.  “Besides, I bet Will is looking forward to seeing you.”

Now Aberdeen rolled her eyes.  “Stop.”

“No way.  Do you know what he’s dressing up as?”

“No idea.”

“Maybe he’ll dress up as John Paul Jones.  He’s definitely got the hair for it.”

Aberdeen laughed.  “I don’t think he even knows who Led Zeppelin is.”

“I barely know who Led Zeppelin is,” Kasha quipped, making Aberdeen laugh.  “The only reason I know is because of you and your dad.”

“And thank God for that.”

***

“Aberdeen!  You made it!” Travis Dermott greeted her at the door dressed up in a unicorn onesie.  He didn’t move to hug her but he gave her a very obvious up-down to take in her costume.  “Are you supposed to be the seventies?” he asked.

“Jimmy Page,” she pointed at herself, then moved to point to Kasha, “and Robert Plant.  From Led Zeppelin.”

“Well, rock on baby,” he smiled.  “And this is…?”

“This is Kasha, my roommate.  Kasha, this is Travis Dermott.”

He led them further inside the venue, The Burroughes, before introducing them to his girlfriend, Kat, dressed in a matching unicorn onesie.  Zach Hyman came up to them as well, introducing his wife Alannah.  They were dressed up as characters from Stranger Things, which Kasha got a kick out of.  Morgan and Bee came to say hi too – Bee was dressed up like Bruce Springsteen, and Morgan as Courtney Cox from the ‘Dancing in the Dark’ music video.  Aberdeen got a kick out of that.  

“Where’s Jason?” she asked Morgan as he led them to the bar, looking around for him.  He was the one who invited her to be here, after all.  She thought he’d be running up to her to say hello.

“Jason’s trick-or-treating with his kids.  Where else would he be?”

Her face dropped.  That little bastard.  He invited her to the Halloween party and then didn’t even bother to show up.  She thought for sure he’d take delight in watching her squirm the whole night and interact awkwardly with the team.  “Oh, that’s nice.  He was the one who invited me.”

Morgan smiled.  “He was the messenger,” he said, almost underneath his breath.  She saw Bee try to discreetly elbow him.

“What does that mean?”

“What are you ladies having to drink?” Bee asked, changing the subject completely.  “Everything’s on the house.”

Aberdeen ordered a gin and tonic while Kasha ordered a Tom Collins.  A few more of the guys and their girlfriends came up to say hi, confused by their costumes until she explained them.  Their costumes were much cuter, much more couple-y, like Alex Kerfoot and his girlfriend, who dressed up as Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat, or Mitch Marner and his girlfriend Steph, who dressed up as Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo.  Even Nic Petan and Frederick Gauthier dressed up as Holmes and Watson.  Bee soon started chatting up with Kasha, which left Aberdeen sipping on her drink and vulnerable to Auston Matthews seeing her approaching her.

“I must say, I think you’re the only person in the world who would get invited to the Leafs’ Halloween party and not dress up in something provocative,” Auston said, a drink already in his hand.

She knew Auston was Auston, but she still rolled her eyes.  “I work with you people.  We have to see each other tomorrow.”

“And you’re not trying to impress anybody?”

“No!”  It was the most ridiculous notion in the world.  Most of them were married or in long-term relationships.  Plus, she was an employee.  Did he not read the MLSE Employee Handbook?  “In case you forgot I work for Brendan Shanahan.  You know, the president?”

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes playfully at her.  “What are you supposed to be, anyway?”

“I’m Jimmy Page,” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  It should have been, since he was dressed up as Freddie Mercury.  She assumed he would know his rock stars if he dressed up like Freddie Mercury.  

“Who’s that?”

“Led Zep—you know what, never mind,” she shook her head, trying not to laugh.  “Maybe I should have dressed up like Justin Bieber.  Then you’d know.”

��Is there something going on between you and Willy?” he asked suddenly.  

Aberdeen practically spit out her drink.  Was he already drunk?  “No,” she said firmly.  “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know,” Auston shrugged his shoulders.  “He’s always just kinda looking at you.  And when Kappy hit you in the face with the soccer ball…he was so red afterwards from being so angry I thought he was gonna murder Kappy.”

Aberdeen got defensive.  She couldn’t help it.  “Well, there’s nothing going on.  I don’t know why you would even think that.”

“I think he’s got the hots for you,” he tried to provoke her.  

“Oh, shut it, Auston,” she said.  “You’re just trying to get a rise out of me.  I’m just trying to do my job here.  What Willy does or does not feel is none of my business.”

As if on cue, William appeared behind Auston, dressed as Batman.  So stereotypical.  She wondered who was his Robin.  For a brief second, she wondered if he brought a girl.  “What’s none of your business?” he asked, throwing an arm around Auston but looking directly at her.

“What Kyle Dubas’s coffee order is,” Aberdeen thought on her feet, answering quickly.  “He’s got Peter for that.  Although I think he’s partial to a latte.”

She could see William giving her an up-down and briefly got self-conscious.  “Are you a rock star or something?”

“Jimmy Page.”

“Who’s that?”

Aberdeen rolled her eyes as Auston laughed out loud, turning to walk away to find someone better to talk to.  She felt a rush of blood flood her cheeks as William continued to look at her.  Kasha was still talking with Bee, and she wished to God either one of them would pull her into their conversation.  But they didn’t.  So she was stuck with William.  “Who’s your Robin?”

“Would have liked it to be you, but it’s Rasmus,” he said.  It made her head spin.  “Who’s your…I don’t know, partner?”

“Kasha, my roommate,” she pointed quickly to her.  “She’s Robert Plant.  The lead singer.”

“You got my texts that day, right?” he asked, changing the subject quickly like Auston had.

She gulped.  “Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you text me back?”

“Did I have to?” she asked.

William shrugged his shoulders.  “Would have been nice.”

“How’d you even get my number?” she asked.

He smiled.  “Don’t worry about it.”  He looked down at her drink.  “Cucumber mule?”

“Gin and tonic.”

“Ah, that’s right,” he smiled.  “You’re more of a gin girl, right minskatt?”

Her heart fluttered in her chest at those words.  My treasure.  My treasure.  She’d told Kasha about it and Kasha almost teared up.  “Don’t call me that.”

“Don’t call you that?”

“At least not here.  Not in front of everybody.”

“So I can call you that when we’re alone?” he countered.

He was really dead set on making her heart fluttered out of her chest.  “When are we ever alone?” she asked, looking around the room at the team that surrounded them.

“We can find time,” he said.  “At least I will.”

“Aberdeeeeeeeeen!” she finally heard Kasha’s voice call out her name, tugging on the elbow of her blazer.  “Aberdeen, you have to see how cute Bee’s cat Bruce is!  Oh my God, he and Minerva can be best friends!”  When Kasha noticed Aberdeen wasn’t moving, too busy staring at William still, she looked at him.  He looked just as she remembered him from that night in June.  Blonde hair, blue eyes.  A total dreamboat.  A total hottie.  What she should have done is pat Aberdeen on the back for landing him.  “Hi, I’m Kasha,” she extended her hand to shake his.  “I’m Aberdeen’s roommate and best friend.”

“Nice to meet you Kasha,” he shook her hand, taking his eyes off Aberdeen momentarily.  “So, roommates, huh?”

“Mhm,” Kasha looked at him knowingly.  

“Here’s Bruce!” Bee intervened, bringing her phone up to Aberdeen’s face.  “Kasha tells me you have a grey ragdoll?  That is adorable.”

***

Kasha was too good a girl to break her promise to Evan, so over an hour into the party, she told Aberdeen he was here and she had to leave.  They had spent the first half of their time talking to William, who wouldn’t leave Aberdeen’s side, and the second half talking to Bee, Aryne, and Alannah.  But even when it was just the girls laughing and giggling, ordering drink after drink, whenever Aberdeen’s eyes left any of the women’s, she found William somewhere in the room staring at her.  

As Kasha hugged Aberdeen goodbye, Kasha held her in place to whisper in her ear.  “Okay, but listen.  He’s so sweet.  And he said he wants you, Aberdeen.”  When she pulled away, her eyes flashed and she nodded slightly, signalling that William was probably coming back.

“Kasha, don’t leave.”

“Evan’s waiting.”

“Kasha, if he’s coming, please don’t leave.”

“Leaving so soon?” Aberdeen heard William’s voice asked as he saw the two girls hugging.  

“My boyfriend is here to pick me up.  I’m going to another party,” she informed him.

“Boyfriend?  Auston’s gonna be heartbroken,” he smiled as he hugged her goodbye.

“Tell Auston there’s no way he’s getting near her,” Aberdeen said immediately, skeeving at the thought of Auston hooking up with Kasha.  Kasha would never, but still.  There was only one fuck up that was going to hook up with a Maple Leaf, and that was Aberdeen.

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you sometime soon,” William said to Kasha as they let go of their hug.  Kasha raised her eyebrows at Aberdeen when she heard William’s words before turning on her heels and walking through the door.  

When Aberdeen turned around, she saw Kasperi and his girlfriend Saylor, dressed as what looked like the twins from The Shining, approaching her and William.  For a guy who apparently wanted alone time with her, tonight or otherwise, it looked like William wasn’t going to get it.  “You must be Aberdeen,” Saylor said, smiling at her.  “I’m Saylor.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Aberdeen shook her hand politely, but smiled awkwardly.  

Saylor grabbed her hand, leading her towards the bar.  “We have so much to talk about.”

“We do?”

“Did you know my boyfriend and Will used to be roommates?  Oh my God, it was a disaster.”

Saylor liked to talk.  Aberdeen didn’t know whether to chalk it up to the fact that she was a bit drunk or that she just had a lot of information and gossip to tell, but she did about 95% of the talking throughout their “conversation”.  Aberdeen would nod her head and laugh along at the stories Saylor would tell, but at the end of the day, they were just stories Kasperi told her of when he and Will lived together when they were like, nineteen.  She wasn’t around then, and so these were just second-hand accounts.  

It was 12:30 in the morning before Saylor stopped talking, and Aberdeen was finally able to realize she was tired and wanted to go home.   Everybody was quick to take the group picture, and when they finished, she began saying goodbye to everybody.  John and Aryne first, then Morgan and Bee, and then she saw that William was watching her give goodbye hugs and waves.  

He made a beeline towards her, like if he didn’t get to her quick enough, she would disappear into thin air.  “Are you leaving?” he asked.

“Yeah.  I’m exhausted.  Listening to Saylor took a lot out of me.”

“Can I walk you home?” William asked, his tone hinting on the side of desperate.

“Unnecessary.”

“Why not?”

“It’s only a twenty minute walk away,” Aberdeen explained.

“Are you joking?  All the more reason,” he defied her.

“Will.”

“It’s late at night, it’s dark, and there are drunk people everywhere from Halloween parties—”

“—William—”

“—Who knows if one of them will scare you or throw up on you or God knows what on the way home…I wouldn’t feel right knowing you’re out there walking alone and—”

“If I say yes will you shut up?”

William smiled.  Aberdeen rolled her eyes.  “Let’s go.”

They left the The Burroughes rather inconspicuously, beginning their walk along Queen Street.  If it was any other night, of course, they would have looked ridiculous – Robert Plant and Batman walking along the street together – but tonight nobody even gave them a second look.  William kept looking over at her, though.  The only pair of eyes on her.  

“So, you and Kasperi used to live together?” she asked, trying not to feel awkward with his eyes on her as they walked down the street.  

“Yeah,” William nodded his head.  “He’s actually one of my best friends because of it.”

“Does he know?”

“No,” he answered automatically, shaking his head.  “The only person that knows is my brother.  I told you I wouldn’t tell anybody on the team.  I don’t break my promises.”  He was so soft spoken that Aberdeen felt bad for insinuating she wanted him to shut up not even five minutes ago.  “Do any of your friends know?”

“Well, Kasha knows.  She is my roommate,” she said, suddenly nervous.  “And I told my sister Siena.”

“Are you guys close?” he asked.

Aberdeen nodded.  “Kasha’s one of my best friends but Siena is my sister and my best friend.  She’s the person I’m closest with in the whole world,” Aberdeen explained.  “I know I can tell her anything.  And I mean anything.”

“Sounds like me and my brother,” William smiled slightly.  “He’s the person I trust most in the world.”

“Yeah.  That’s Siena for me too.”

There was a moment of silence between them before William spoke up again.  “I mean what I say, you know.  I’m not going to tell a soul.”

“I believe you, Will,” she said, well, because she did.  When she really thought about it, he gave her no reason to think otherwise.  If he wanted to be vindictive, he would have told the entire team already, maybe even spoke to Brendan about it.  But he didn’t.  

“Why do you call me Will?” he asked.

“That’s how you introduced yourself to me,” she said.

“But you hear everyone else calls me Willy.”

“So?  You introduced yourself to me as Will.”

He smiled at her again.  “I like it.  I like it a lot.”

She blushed again.  She wished they had taken the streetcar because she didn’t want keep blushing in front of him because of his cute, stupid, adorable, dumb one-liners that made her swoon and his cute, stupid, adorable, dumb smile that made her swoon even harder.  “So your brother.  What does he do?” she asked.

“He plays hockey too.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” he giggled.  He thought she would have googled him by now.  “He plays for Chicago.”

“That’s pretty cool.  And then?  I remember Kasperi mentioning in Newfoundland there’s three others or something?”

“There’s three girls after us,” he explained, loving that she remembered that from all the way back in September.  “And my older half-sister before me.  So it’s Michelle, me, Alex, Jacqueline, Stephanie, and Daniella.”

“Oh my God, there’s six of you?” she asked.  William nodded.  “God bless your parents,” she said, causing him to giggle again.  

There was another moment of silence.  Aberdeen didn’t know if it was her or William that had slowed down the walking pace, but she noticed.  She wasn’t going as fast as she usually did.  God, it was probably him.  He clearly wanted to spend time with her.  He left his entire team to walk her home (in a Batman costume) and now he wanted to elongate the experience as much as possible, regardless of how ridiculous they looked.  He wanted to spend time with her.  He found time and got her alone, like he said he would.

“Has Ethan done anything else I should yell at him for?” William suddenly asked, taking Aberdeen away from her thoughts.    

“No no, don’t worry about it,” she said, shaking her head.  He’d made some comments here and there, but again, she wasn’t going to let William know about it.  The most annoying was that he kept referring to her as Girl Friday instead of her name.

“I told Mike about it, thinking that he’d say something to Brendan,” he explained.  “He decided not to.  But I can go to him if you want.”

“It’s fine Will, don’t worry,” she continued to shake her head.  The absolute last thing she wanted to do was cause a ruckus with an established member of staff.  “I know I’m like, the rookie around the office, and he’s just trying to test me.  I get it.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Will said strongly.  “He still shouldn’t be doing that.  Rookie or not.”

Aberdeen bit her lip.  Clearly Will had a protective side that she hadn’t seen yet, and was only getting a small glimpse of now.  “Did you get hazed when you joined the team?” she asked.  

“If you count paying for an entire team’s meals and bar tab, then yeah.  But that’s the extent of it nowadays.  Harmless stuff,” he said.  “Anything worse is just bullshit.  Plus the media would pick up on it and it would become a shitshow.”

“Brendan tells me the media in Toronto is ridiculous,” she said.  

“They are.”

He didn’t say anything else.  Clearly, he didn’t want to talk about it.  Maybe something had happened to him in the past and that’s why he didn’t like them.  She didn’t really read about what they said about the team – she left that to Brendan.  When she got home from work, she didn’t really want to think about work.  She never googled articles about the team or anything like that.  She wanted to keep that portion of her life separate from the one she lived outside of work.  

She changed the subject, bringing it back to hockey and playing with Alex as they continued their walk home.  He was much more upbeat talking about his close relationships with his siblings, particularly Alex.  The endearing smile on his face couldn’t be missed – he clearly loved his family.  When she spoke about Siena and Camden, there was a similar endearing smile on her face, too – one that William wished would never fade.  He heard about the shenanigans she and Siena would get into as young kids, and she even recounted the day she went to the hospital to see Camden for the first time.  She and Siena had to end up sharing a room so the baby could get his own.  

Sometimes, their hands would brush against each other’s, and William would feel a jolt of electricity surging through his body.  

They stopped outside her condo building.  His smile was still on his face, as was hers.  Their walk was nice.  Their talk was really nice.  Aberdeen held her breath.  She didn’t expect to enjoy it so much.  She looked him in the eye, and suddenly, her word vomit got the best of her.  “You don’t regret that night, do you?” she asked before she even thought about what she was saying, or its implications.

“God no,” William said in less than a millisecond.  The notion was absurd to him.  “No.  Never.  Why would you even ask that, minskatt?”

She couldn’t think for a moment because he said that name.  Again.  “I don’t know…I just…”

He purposely reached forward slightly to brush his fingers against hers, like he was going to hold her hand.  He could hear the breath hitch in her throat.  “Don’t ever think that again,” he told her.  

Aberdeen didn’t say anything.  She couldn’t say anything.  All she could do was look into his eyes.  She was doing that a lot lately, apparently.

Then he moved closer.

And closer.

And looked down at her lips.

And licked his.

And then he leaned forward.  

“Will…” she whispered, moving back slightly.  He looked her in the eye.  “We can’t, Will.”

He bit his lip, sighing.  “I’m sorry.  I know.  Fuck, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“You just…I can’t help myself sometimes when I’m around you,” he confessed. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what you think it means,” he said, cocking his head to the side.

Aberdeen could only handle so much of William making her heart flutter in one night.  She felt like she was going to develop heart palpitations if she stayed any longer.  “I’m gonna go upstairs.”

“Aberdeen…” he said longingly.  

“Goodnight,” she said, turning away from him.

“Aberdeeeeeeen…”

“Goodnight Willy,” she said as she looked at him over her shoulder, walking into her condo building.  

William stood outside, watching until she disappeared down the hallway towards the elevators.  He brought his fingers up to his lips, rubbing them gently as he chuckled to himself, turning on his heels as he walked down the street.  

[alexiessan]

Never alone - Chapter Thirteen - Soulmate AU

AO3

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Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all your reaction! I love it when you guys tell me what you liked in the latest chapter. I love interacting with you too :) 

It was nearing the end of the school year — and the beginning of exams, French and Sciences for the Economics classes — and Marinette couldn’t help for the year to end.

Robin was coming to Paris in June.

The thought always brought a smile to her lips. Finally, she would get to spend more time with her boyfriend. Maybe she would get to know his identity and they would get to act like a couple and go on dates…

Marinette sighed at the thought. Their first year anniversary was coming and they have never gone on a date. They wouldn’t be able to do anything on that day either, it’s not like she could go to Gotham and she didn’t want to make Robin come all the way to Paris either.

She envied Alya and Nino, who were always together and going on dates.

The fashion designer would never say it aloud, especially not to her best friend, but she missed her friends. This year, they were going on more dates than ever and Marinette found herself alone more than not. Adrien was busy and his father didn’t allow him to go out ofter, and while she was still in contact with her former classmates, they weren’t as close as they were before.

So she found herself getting closer to some of her new classmates. She was spending more time with Claude, Allan, and Allegra than with Alya and Nino.

Alya and she were still best friends, of course, but it wasn’t the same anymore.

Those kinds of things happened. Ever since the reporter started dating the DJ, Alya spent a little less time with Marinette. And she didn’t mind, at first. She understood that she wanted to spend time with her boyfriend and she accepted it.

But now, she hardly saw the journalist out of school.

She was happy that she still got her weekly meeting with Kim and Nino. Ever since they rekindled their friendship back in middle school, they decided to pick Friday night as their night to watch movies, play games, or whatever.

This meant that at this point in time, she saw more Nino and Kim that she saw Alya.

Maybe she should talk to the bespectacled girl about it. She probably wouldn’t take it to heart and would try to spend more time with her friend if Marinette brought it up to her.

But she didn’t want to be that kind of friend. The one complaining about being left behind.

And, as she said, she got to form new friendships so it’s not like she was entirely alone. Alya became really good friends with Aurore too. Instead of seeing her as a rival in journalism, she bonded with her thanks to their shared interest.

She should probably call her after she got home, so they could have a nice chat about anything and everything.

Right now, the Eurasian girl was going to a dance course with Claude, Allan, and Allegra. Claude has been ranting for weeks about this course and had managed to convince her and the other to join him.

She was actually looking forward to it and even left her house extra early so he didn’t miss it.

She was about to cross the road, already seeing Claud and Allan waiting for her and Allegra and something caught her attention.

Lila Rossi was standing a few feet from her, a man talking to her and invading her personal space.

The Italian was clearly uncomfortable. She was trying to take a step back, but the man always followed her.

Looking around, she saw that almost no one paid them attention, and the ones who did look as uncomfortable as Lila and clearly, weren’t planning to intervene.

It made Marinette sick. She knew what it was like to be harassed by unknown men in the street and she wouldn’t wish that to anyone.

She may not like Lila at all, but there was still a girl code. If Lila bled through her pants, she would discreetly tell her, give her her cardigan to hide it, and give her a pad or a tampon.

If she got harassed, she would pretend to be her friend and get her away from a creepy man.

Seriously, the man was in his late thirties, early forties, what the hell was he doing seducing an underage girl?

Without any other thought, the black-haired girl made her way to the green-eyed girl.

“Hey, Lila! I’m sorry for making you wait! We can go!”

She took her arm in hers like she did with Alya and smiled at the taller girl.

“You ready to go?”

She could see the look of relief in the brunette’s eyes and didn’t wait for the guy to react before taking Lila away and crossing the road after making sure it was safe.

She let Lila go once they were out of the guy’s sight.

“Thank you.”

Lila looked directly into her eyes, confident as ever.

“You didn’t have to do this, especially after everything I’ve done to you.”

The blue-eyed girl shrugged.

“I don’t care anymore about all that, you know? I hate street harassment, and no girl deserves that. You were uncomfortable and I wasn’t just going to let that guy harass you like that. Girl code, you know?”

Lila smiled at that.

“Yeah. Girl code. Thank you, Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette waved a hand. “Don’t mention it. Do you want me to accompany you somewhere.”

The Italian girl scoffed.

“No need, Dupain-Cheng. I’m good now.”

Without another word, Lila left, her hair almost hitting Marinette in the face.

The baker’s daughter watched her leave until she was out of her sight and left too, joining Claude and Allan.

“Hey, Mari! We’re still waiting for Allegra! We were thinking that we should go to our coffee shop after the course, what do you think?”

She smiled.

“Great! I’ve been thinking about their opera cake all week!”

The end of the year came pretty quickly after that. The exams came and went and she got to go to a party with her class at the end of the exams. Alya and Nino were there and she finally got to spend some time with her friend. The reporter had noticed during this night when Marinette told her a few months’ worths of stories that she had neglected her best friend a little in favor of her boyfriend and apologized for a good five minutes.

The French-Chinese girl forgave her on the spot, happy to get a bit of time with her best friend. She told her that it was ok for Alya to go on dates with her boyfriend and that she would never throw a fit over it, but she wanted at least an hour or two per week only for the both of them.

Alya had laughed and agreed, telling her that it should have stayed that way.

After that, Alya had confided in Marinette that if she went out more with Nino was because she was scared. She had a feeling that one of them would find their soulmate soon and that it would be the end for them. She wanted to get the most out of their relationship since she knew it wouldn’t last.

She could not not forgive her after that. She didn’t know how Alya and Nino lived with the fact that they loved each other and yet, knew that they probably wouldn’t stay together for their whole life.

Marinette hoped that their soulmates were platonic ones. Nino and Alya loved each other so much, it seemed cruel if their soulmates were not platonic ones.

She had kissed Alya’s cheek then, no words coming to reassure her about her relationship and told her that if she was scared about that, that she didn’t have to agree with her demand.

Alya had laughed.

“I want to spend time with you as much as I want to spend time with Nino, Mari. And you know, if I want to keep you as a friend, I have to put as much effort into our friendship as you do. It’s not a one-way friendship. So, no, I will make time for you at least once a week. You’re my best friend, and I failed in that role this year. Just like I did back with Lila. Never again.”

Marinette smiled. She had never thought that Alya failed in her role, but it was a bit lonely without her best friend so she didn’t say anything.

“Anyway,” said Alya, “I was thinking about reuniting our old class for a picnic or something, what do you say?”

“That would be great. I’ll send a message to our old group chat and see what date would work out for everyone. It would be great if Adrien could come, I feel like it’s been forever since we hung out.”

“Yeah, I know. His father has been even more strict than before.”

It was true. Gabriel Agreste made sure that Adrien had no time at all to spend time with his friends. He scheduled more photoshoots, more Chinese lessons… Adrien didn’t have time anymore for his friends.

“We should really call child protection service.” Marinette whispered.

“Nino tried that, you know.”

The bluenette raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah. But it didn’t go anywhere. I mean, it’s Gabriel Agreste. They didn’t even send anyone to investigate.”

“I’ve talked to Adrien about getting away, about emancipation, but he flat out refused.”

“Yeah, the guy loves his father despite everything. We want to help him, but we can’t force him to do anything either.”

Marinette thought about it. Was there really nothing they could do to help Adrien? Especially since he didn’t want to be helped?

“When are they coming again?”

Ladybug and Chat Noir were on a roof after patrol, discussing their collaboration with the Bat Family.

“In a week, now.”

“Wow, I can’t believe we’re going to work with Batman! That’s so cool!”

Ladybug laughed.

“Well, we’re not going to work with Batman but with Robin and Nightwing.”

She had discussed it over the phone with the whole team. Robin was an obvious choice, with their soulbond and because apparently, in his civilian life, he made sure to get into an exchange program for his last year of High School and would be coming to Paris anyway.

Batman couldn’t possibly come, his absence would give a chance to the criminals of Gotham to cause chaos and as an adult with a job, he couldn’t possibly leave that behind.

Nightwing had a job too, but there was a branch of the firm he worked at in Paris and he managed to get transferred there for at least a year.

She didn’t know why the others couldn’t but she wasn’t going to ask, it was too personal and she didn’t know their identities yet, so she swallowed her questions.

Nightwing was a great detective, almost as good as Batman, and she didn’t doubt that he would be of great help. Plus, he was a funny guy from what she gathered from her video calls with Robin.

“They will be meeting us at the top of the Eiffel Tower next Wednesday at 11 pm.”

“Roger that!”

The picnic with their former classmates was wild. Everyone was so happy to see each other again, it has been so long since they have all been together like that.

For once, Gabriel agreed to let Adrien go to this outing with his friends. The Gorilla — Simon, if Marinette recalled — was there to look after them and it made them want to roll their eyes. They were sixteen-years-old on a picnic, not wild teenagers at a party with alcohol.

Even Luka, Juleka’s brother was here. He was a very good friend to Marinette and even more after he confessed. He took it very well when she had to reject him and there were no hard feelings between them.

She was happy to hear about their year. Rose loved her literature classes, which wasn’t a surprise for the fashion designer. She could very well see Rose writing children’s books in the future. It would be a good fit for her.

And she told her just that.

“You know,” she began, eyes shining with something Marinette couldn’t describe, “I’ve never thought about it before. But I think you’re right. I love Fairy Tales and I could see myself creating some.”

The blonde bit her lower lip, looking at the bluenette.

“If… If I wrote a story, would you read it and give me your opinion?”

“Of course! I would love to read anything you write, Rose!”

The pink-clothed girl beamed.

“Thank you Marinette! I’m so happy you and Alya organized this picnic! I’ve really missed you guys.”

She hugged Marinette before joining Mylène, Ivan, Juleka, and Luka, probably talking about Kitty Section.

She had seen Kitty Section during rehearsals and when she designed costumes for them but she didn’t have the opportunity to just hang out with them.

She watched around, seeing that Lila was talking with Nino.

“I can’t believe you invited Lila, girl. You would have done everything to exclude her before.”

The designer winced.

“Yeah, well, you know. Bridge. Water. It’s all in the past now. It’s not like she’s doing everything she can to ruin my life anymore.”

The reporter grinned.

“Look at you, being all mature and grown-up!”

“Hey, I am mature!”

Tag List:

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Damienette arranged marriage: part 22

Credits: Miraculous Ladybug team for the elements I take from MLB show. DC for their characters, @ozmav for the AU, @maribat-archive for giving me access to so many different stories to have take inspirations from, @thyladyanput for idea for Chat Damian and me for the plot.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 part 14 part 15

part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20

Part 21

Damienette arranged marriage: part 22

NEXT

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“I can assure you me and your father can take care of ourselves.”

“Against normal villains yeah, but what if someone scarier comes. Or a particularly vicious Akuma?”

“What do you want to say sweety?”

“Maman… I want you to join the miraculous team.” Marinette stated and pulled a small box from her bag. 

--------------------------

“Oh sweety.” Sabine took the box and opened it. Inside laid a panjas bracelet with tiger mark in the middle. “You didn’t have to. Your old lady can kick ass without such things.” She smiled and put on the bracelet. A dark pink spirit reassembling a tiger appeared.

“Oh! Hi there. Hi hi. I see I have a new wielder.” Roaar turned to Marinette. “Thank you guardian for choosing me for this. I am sure we will achieve great things together.”

“No problem Roaar. I hope you two will get by great together.” The girl smiled at enthusiastic Kwami.

“Uh… Hi little spirit. My name is Sabine.” Mother spoke, getting Roaar’s attention. 

“Ah. Pleasure to meet you. Hi Hi. I am Roaar, the kwami of power. I can grant you the strength, speed, agility or endurance in battle.”

“Roaar is also very friendly. You told me that you wish to have someone to read books with like the old times but I am always busy. She said she loves adventures. I am sure you will have a perfect time together maman!” Marinette was beaming. She could already see that her mom and the kwami would match each other perfectly. 

“That is indeed very considerate Marinette. Thank you for this gift. I can assure you we will do our best to help you sweety. And kick Chat Noir in the ass the moment I see him.” Sabine smiled overly sweet at the thought. 

-----------------------

The next two months passed without much progress. Police disregarded the evidence whatsoever and all attempts to infiltrate Agreste manor ended with failure. The new heroine Pink Tigress joined the permanent rooster of heroes in Paris. Ladybug offered her father a miraculous too, but he decided that he will leave this stuff to the awesome girls in the house. 

Marinette spent most of her days either with Damian or Chloe. The girl didn’t pester Marinette for a miraculous like she expected and even covered for the young heroine when she needed it. She declared that she will earn her right be hero properly this time. But she was still her sassy self.

Alix indeed shifted sides, but so far she was unable to convince anyone else about Lila’s lies. Any attempt would end up with some Akuma and later the person would not remember what caused it or would eat up Lila’s lies. In the end it seemed that the liar was rooted too deeply to remove her. It didn’t really disheart neither Damian nor Chloe from trying. The two made it their personal mission to at least make Lila fear for her little empire at each step, albeit with little success besides few Akuma attacks. Marinette had no way of persuading them to stop. 

On the bright side of things, Sabine got in contact with Cass. At first the girl was reluctant to trust her newly discovered aunt, but as the relationship progressed the two woman got on the good side. Roaar also helped. Even if the sprite was not visible on camera, she still spoke on the phone and somehow the curious cat made Cass open up just enough for Sabine to make a connection. 

---------------------------------------

With the trip rapidly approaching, Ladybug called the war council. All of the active heroes (and Chloe) gathered in Hotel Grand Paris since it was easier and less risky. They all came in civilian clothes under different excuses. Only Pink Tigress actually used her hero persona to enter. And Chat Noir was not invited.  Nobody wanted him and Tim decided that he had some revelation about the cat. 

“Okay. We can begin.” Tim said as he activated the scrambler. No transmission could now enter or leave the room without his permission. 

“Yes. As you all know soon Damian and I will have to leave for Gotham to finalize some of the… matters.” Marinette started, but her husband interrupted her

“tt. We are formalizing the marriage.” Damian bluntly explained.

The girl blushed, but continued anyway. “Yes. And it will be hard to keep fighting Akumas on the distance and with the time difference.”

“Maybe give someone else the earrings for the time.” Stephanie disregarded the matter. “I mean look at how many heroes there are here. I am sure we can deal with this.”

“Actually, the only two staying will be Ryuko and Viperion.” Sabine quickly dozed off the girl’s hopes.

“What?” Stephanie was surprised by this. 

“Miss Bourgeois...” Damian stopped himself from saying ‘Yellow Menace’. Just because the two worked against common enemy (Lila) didn’t mean they had to like each other. They both rivalized for Marinette’s attention. So far Damian still got most of it, but the girl made sure that Chloe didn’t feel neglected. She always made sure to invite the mayor’s daughter to all group activities and things that weren’t dates. Or at least what she didn’t think would be dates. That was one weird evening. 

“Chloe is going with the class. And I am very sorry Chloe but I am still hesitant to trust you with Miraculous.” Marinette stopped Damian from saying something that would turn the war council into just war.

“No worries Mari-bug. I know I acted utterly ridiculous! and I still must work for the trust. And I have some business in Gotham that I couldn’t really miss.” Chloe grinned maliciously. 

“Do we want to know what is that you seek in the city of crime, miss Bo… Chloe?” Kagami asked. She was still not used to referring to others by their first names. 

“Nope!” The girl stated smugly, popping the ‘P’. 

“Maybe it would be best to look back at Paris right now.” Luka decided to remind them why they were here between humming some songs. 

“Yes! But before the Hawkmoth matter, “ Marinette looked at the older Wayne in the room. “Tim, you said you had something about Chat Noir.”

“Right. Just let me get some coffee first” He stood up but Steph and Damian pulled him down.

“No coffee for you before this is over Drake. Some of us had evening plans.” The glare Damian sent him could only be rivaled by his fathers one, but Tim just shrugged. The boy was either bravest person on earth or just much too tired to care about his health. Given the amount of coffee he drank, it was almost certainly the second one.

“Fine Demon Spawn. Way to ruin the mood.” Red Robin instead displayed the video of fight with Chat d’Amour from various cctv cameras. “One thing bugged me about this one. He was akumatized to go after Mari, but it doesn’t make much sense. What would get him upset?”

“I… Actually I have no idea…” Marinette admitted.

“Oh! I can have few ideas.” Chloe chimed in. “But none are good. The best one is that this leather-clad jerk was just self-pitying himself so much that he attracted Akuma. But the other one is much worse: he actually followed you around and got angry with the fact you were dating Damian. It means he is even more creepy.” At this idea Marinette couldn’t help but notice that Kagami and Damian instinctively grabbed their swords. The fencer now carried a katana around. Her mother was pleased when the girl extended her repertoire and Damian had a sparring partner. Plus both looked less awkward if both brought swords to school. What Mari failed to notice is her mother slipping one hand into the sporting bag she had and pulling a rather large knife. It only got her attention when Sabine started sharpening it while looking about as casually as Chloe when she was applying make-up. She seemed natural.

“Uh… I apreciate the protectiveness, but I think you are scaring someone maman.”

“Don’t worry sweety. I just remembered that I forgot to do this back home.” Mother said casually, trying to calm her daughter. “I asked your aunt to get me one with Cat motif on it.” 

“Maman!”

“ekh.” Damian faux-coughed, getting their attention.

“Right. So what is the real reason Tim?”

“Well, I did some thinking and I came to the conclusion that while both reasons are probable, neither match the timeline.”

“Get to the finish line hon.” Stephanie urged him.

“Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste.” Tim sighted.

“I take it back. Explain.” The dumbfounded expression on Spoiler’s face spoke volumes.

“So first I back-tracked the time of his akumatization. Based on the moment he crashed your party I put it against how long it would take him to get there from each point in town and how long it would take Akuma to get from the spawning zone to him in that location. All times were average and I factored in the uncertainty. But no matter how you look at it, to match with this exact timing he had to start from this circle.” To make it easier to understand, Tim displayed the map of Paris with maked Hotel, the spawning zone as they came to call area from where Akumas supposedly originated (now even smaller than before with Agreste Manor close to the center), and a ring around the hotel. “As you can see, the ring goes directly through College Francoise Dupont. It would make sense if he was actually in the building or at least close. We also already knew that Chat Noir was around the same age as Marinette. This leaves us with three options. He would either need to be home-schooled, attend the college or not go to school at all to be able to be there. That is unless he was skipping school, but it is improbable.”

“And why is that Sherlock?” Chloe interrupted.

“Because it would be too hard for him to skip school enough to stay Chat Noir. I checked his arrival time on other Akuma cases. There is no other school in close enough proximity for him to attend if he didn’t constantly skip classes just to patrol the city or more specifically shadow your class. Take that Queenie!” He raised his hand in the air before resuming his serious tone. “Anyway. Based on this and the fact he was always close to his class I came to conclusion that he was a student at the school. Then I just went through all the male students that weren’t akumatized and compared their confirmed locations with Chat Noir sightings. I admit the Gorrizilla case threw me off track for a moment, but then I noticed that Chat was not present for the most of the case until Adriens head was covered by a helmet. It just so happened that our model just so happened to meet his look alike on that day. Coincidence? I think not!” He screamed.

“That is indeed some revelation…” Kagami started, but Tim shushed her.

“That’s not the end. I believe that Chat Noir is now working with Hawkmoth!”

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