mystic-recs

[mystic-recs]

Call It What You Want - Steve Harrington

Author: @harringtonstilinski​ Characters: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader Word Count: 3,080 Warnings: fluff, squint hard for angst, ignore the fact that eddie has risen from the dead, lol Requested: no | yes; i hope it meets your expectations, @stevesxyellowxsweater!! came from this prompt list Smut: no | yes; A/N: Hi, friends! So, this hellsite decided to delete/eat the original fic of this. If you like this, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

Steve Harrington. Your childhood best friend turned… acquaintance? Hell, you don’t even know anymore. You two used to be inseparable before he became King Steve, then your friendship went to shit… or at least you think it did.

When he started spending less and less time with you over the course of high school, your mind couldn’t help but go to the worst case scenarios. He didn’t want to be your friend anymore, he didn’t like you as a friend anymore, he was in the popular crowd while you weren’t so that made him not like you, Tommy H. and Carol, and many more.

Everything came to a head during both of your Senior year. You had asked him to hang out a couple of days after he and Nancy broke up, just wanting to cheer up your best friend. When he ditched you for a whole ass month, you decided to quit trying.

It was now summer of ‘86, just a couple of months after the earthquake. You were volunteering at the high school gym, or makeshift shelter, when you spotten him, folding clothes.

You tried to avert your eyes when he looked up and over, feeling eyes on his figure, but you couldn’t. Lost in those hazel eyes that you were once your favorite things to look at.

He pulled his lips together in a tight smile, nodding his head once at you before looking back down at the shirt in his hands, finishing the fold he started on it.

“Why don’t you just, I don’t know, talk to him?” Robin said, effectively scaring you.

After jumping ten feet from your skin, you placed a hand over your heart, bending at the waist ever so slightly, resting your free hand on the table in front of you. “Holy shit, don’t do that again.”

“Look, I know it’s been years since you guys have talked, but–”

“If you tell me it’ll benefit us both in the long run again, I’m gonna take these suspenders and snap them on your tits,” you interrupted, eyebrow raised.

Robin held her hands up, looking down slightly as she said, “Okay, fair enough. But seriously, though? Just saying hey and catching up wouldn’t hurt anyone. Especially Dustin.”

You looked over at your little brother, watching as he continued to hand people cups of water and blankets, his leg having long been healed from his fall back into the Upside Down. Sighing, you whispered, “I know,” before looking back at Robin. “I know he’s already lost Eddie. He can’t lose Steve, too.”

“Even though it feels that way,” your brother said, setting his tray down next to you.

Wrapping your arm around his shoulders, you sighed. “You haven’t.”

“He’s always going on dates.”

Brows furrowed, you replied, “He’s always gone on dates. His asshole of a father always told him that if he wasn’t settled down by a certain age then he was considered a failure in his eyes. Which he isn’t… nor will he ever be.”

Dustin and Robin looked at each other behind your head, both of them raising their eyebrows in unison at your words, realization hitting them both. You had a crush on Steve. 

And of course, your shithead of a little brother looked back at you with a devilish smile after watching Steve take a few steps towards you. “Well, here’s your chance to get that date you’ve always wanted.”

Looking at him confused, you asked, “What are you–” before being interrupted by both him and Robin saying, “Bye!,” walking away as Steve approached the table.

You looked from Dustin to Robin as the two of them walked away, mouth ajar before bringing your bottom lip between your teeth and looking in front of you. A small smile appeared on your face, seeing that playful smile that Steve always gave.

“Hey, loser,” he said.

Releasing your lip, you scrunched your eyebrows, greeting him with, “Buttface.”

A chuckle came from his mouth, his head bending forward as his chin became parallel with his collarbone. When he brought his head back up, you saw nothing but amusement in his eyes as he said, “Buttface? Really?”

Crossing your arms, you retorted, “Well, you are. You fucking ditched me.”

All amusement left his eyes at your words, fear and anxiety crashing into yours. “Oh, my god. Steve, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say it. I just slipped out–”

“It’s okay,” he said, stopping your words. Nodding, he added, “I mean, I did deserve it. I was an asshole and I’m majorly sorry for that.”

Smiling a little to yourself, you tilted your head and quietly asked, “Did just say majorly? What is this? 1982?”

He looked at you confused, but laughed nonetheless. “Yes. Yes, I did.”

Going back to messing around with the items in front of you at the table, you said, “You were always one for trends. Still are, apparently.”

“What do you mean?”

Gesturing to his clothes, you eyed his outfit before locking eyes with him again. “Need I say more?”

“What about the hair?”

“Still on trend with that. It’s your best attribute. I predict, though, in about… twenty or so years, you’re gonna cut it short.”

Leaning his hands on the table, he asked, “Will I still look good?” “Of course,” you chuckled. “You always have. Even when we were kids and your parents made you get those… oh, what are they called?” You thought for a moment before gasping. “Oh, my god! It was a bowl–”

“You finish that sentence and I’ll make sure everyone sees your haircut from the late 70’s.”

With wide eyes, you said, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Don’t try me, princess.”

You narrowed your eyes at the nickname he used to call you when the two of you were kids. You loved it until you reached high school when Carol started calling you princess to get under your skin.

He started using it in a derogatory way after that just to please his friends, which pissed you off to no end. Steve would end up going home after school or hanging out with Tommy H and Carol, regretting the words he’d said to you.

That’s when you both made the conscious decisions, separately, to stop hanging out. When you two walked across the stage at graduation, you cheered and clapped for each other, spotting each other in the crowd and giving each other a small smile.

Realizing what he’d called you, his eyes went wide with shock. “Sweetheart, I am so sorry.”

Waving him off, you looked down. “It’s okay, Steve. I’m over it.”

“Clearly not with the way you just looked at me.”

“And how was that?” you asked, looking from the blanket you were moving into Steve’s eyes.

With a small smile, he replied, “Like you wanted to kill me.”

“Oh, my god. Just ask her out!” Dustin said, walking behind Steve.

Your eyes went wide, not believing that just happened, but… Steve apparently believed it because not five seconds after Dustin had disappeared, he asked, “Would you? Go on a date with me?”

Flabbergasted, you opened and closed your mouth like a fish out of water, your brain going a million miles an hour as you tried to come up with an answer as an arm came around your shoulders, ultimately halting your train of thought.

“Of course she’d love to, dingus,” Robin said. You could hear the smile behind her words… and see it as you turned your head to face her.

“Robin,” you quietly hissed.

“Oh, shush,” she whispered. “You know you want to.”

You knew, deep down in your heart you knew you wanted to go on that date with one Steve Harrington. You had always wished that he would ask you, but alas… he never did. Always asking out the popular girls, the girls on the cheerleading team or dance team. And it always broke your heart.

This time, though, was different. It was you he was asking, not some other girl that only wanted to get into his pants… or he into theirs.

Sighing, you closed your eyes for a moment before gathering your thoughts and nodding your head. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Yeah, okay, what?” Robin said, the smile evident on her face.

“Yes, Steve, I’ll go on a date with you.”

~~~

Two weeks had gone by before you were standing in front of your vanity mirror, looking over your outfit.

“Hey, female - holy shit.”

You turned and spotted Eddie standing at your doorway, a cassette tape in his hands that he nearly dropped. Chuckling, you said, “Hey, Eddie. What’cha got there?”

“Uhh,” he said, looking from you to the cassette. Looking up with a devilish smile on his face, he played with it, before tilting his head and scrunching his nose. “Maybe it’s that album you’ve been looking for.”

Scrunching your brows in thought, you wracked your brain trying to think of what album he could be talking about until it hit you with a gasp. “Def Leppard’s Pyromania?”

Pointing at you with the cassette, Eddie smiled and said, “The very one.”

Squealing happily, you ran and jumped into your best friend's arms, hugging him tightly around his neck before releasing him, hands cupping his cheeks. “Thank you, Ed.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” He gave you another quick hug before adding, “Oh, by the way. You look beautiful. You’re gonna knock Harrington’s socks off.”

Chuckling, you said, “Thanks, Eddie.” At the sound of Steve’s laugh, your body tensed the slightest bit, your best friend noticing.

“Hey,” Eddie said, voice gentle. “It’s gonna be okay. Don’t worry. If he tries anything, just let me know and I’ll kick his ass.”

“In what? D&D?”

He was silent for a moment, his eyes going the tiniest bit wide before he nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, you got me there.”

You laughed as you turned to put the cassette on your vanity, giving yourself one more look over before exiting your room, purse on your shoulder. When you spotted Steve standing at the door with Dustin, laughing, your heart leapt into your throat. Steve looked damn good, and you knew tonight wouldn’t end without the two of you making things official… after talking everything out.

When Dustin looked at you, his smile never faded. “Well, here she is. The lady of the hour.”

“Oh, shut up,” you said, giving him a side hug as Steve chuckled.

He opened the door for you, escorting you out, Dustin, your mom and Eddie wishing the two of you a good night.

“Ten bucks they end up together,” Dustin says.

“I’ll up you ten and say they’ll do more than just ‘get together’,” Eddie replied.

With a disgusted look on his face, Dustin looked up to his mentor, saying, “That’s my sister, you gross ass.”

~~~

The car ride to the movies was silent, but comfortable. The film choice for the night was The Karate Kid Part II. Your main reason for seeing it?; Ralph Macchio.

Max had told you if you didn’t see it that she’d hunt you down and murder you in your sleep. An empty threat from the redhead, but nevertheless, you told that you’d see it, a smile spreading across her face at your words.

Once the movie was over and you voiced that you were starving, Steve drove the two of you to Benny’s, home of the best burgers and fries in Hawkins. As soon as you two walked into the diner, the waitress smiled to herself, already getting her notepad and pen out, writing down yours and Steve’s orders.

She waited on the two of you during your Freshman and Sophomore years of high school before Steve became King Steve. Gloria, the waitress, had always wondered where you were when Steve would come in with Tommy H and Carol. Steve had explained that the two of you weren’t really hanging out anymore, which made her sad, so seeing the both of you at the diner together, made her smile.

The both of you took your normal booth in the middle along the wall of windows. You turned your head to the right, looking out at the cars passing by on the road. Sighing, you felt content before looking back at Steve, whose eyes had been on you the whole time.

Steve was immensely happy that you had decided to go on this date with him. He always felt bad at the treatment you got from him, and always wanted to make it up to you in the best way possible. This was the best thing he thought of. Doing what you’d always used to do; movie and then burgers at Benny’s.

“What?” you asked, reaching up to touch your cheek. “Do I have something on my face?”

Chuckling, Steve looked down at the table before looking around the diner, eyeing Gloria, giving her a nod, a small smile on his face as he did, your eyes watching his movements.

Turning your head to look towards Gloria, your face lit up with happiness, the seasoned waitress walking over with her tray resting on her hand, bringing the two of your food.

“Oh, my goodness,” she smiled. “Look at how grown you two have gotten. I was wondering when you two were gonna come walking back in here together.”

Your face flushed as Steve’s eyes widening the slightest bit at her words. She always rooted for the two of you. After Gloria had set your drinks in front of you, she smiled and said that she’d be right back with a special treat for you and Steve.

Shrugging, you picked up your burger after topping it with your condiments and veggies of choice that were on your plate, you took the first bite, eyes practically rolling into the back of your head. “Oh, my god. I forgot how good these burgers were.”

With furrowed brows, Steve picked up a fry and asked, “When was the last time you were here?” before popping it into his mouth.

“The last time we both were here,” you said, after swallowing your bite, going back in for another.

Steve hummed to himself, taking a bite of his cheeseburger, having topped it with his toppings of choice. 

About half way through your meal, Gloria set your favorite milkshakes in front of you, a big smile spreading on your face after she walked away. Using the spoon that was in the cup, you brought a spoonful of the thick milkshake to your mouth, quietly moaning with an eye roll at the flavors hitting your taste buds.

Pointing to the shake with the spoon, you said with a mouthful, “The best damn shakes in Hawkins.”

“The best damn shakes in all of Indiana!” Steve exclaimed, holding his own spoon out with some of his shake on it.

Scooping another spoonful, you ‘clinked’ your spoons together, laughing at the silliness of it all. You had missed it, though, and so had Steve. Once your laughter had died down and you were finished with your meals, Steve had tried to pay, Gloria insisting that it was on the house, courtesy of Benny himself.

The drive back to your house was quiet again, but comfortable. Steve had his hands on the steering wheel and gear shift, respectfully, while yours was in your lap. All the words you wanted to say were a mess in your head, every thought that was tumbling around in your head caused you to lose track of time… and where you were.

A hand on your shoulder brought you back, your head turning towards Steve. “I’m sorry, what?”

He chuckled, his hand never leaving your shoulder. “I said, we’re here and asked if you were okay.”

“Oh,” you said, sheepishly. “Yeah. Got lost in thought, I guess.”

“What were you thinking about?” 

Shaking your head, you looked down and whispered, “It’s nothing.”

Putting his hand on yours and gaining your attention, Steve said, “Hey. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

All you could do for the next ten seconds was look into those hazel eyes you used to get lost in before you leaned forward, resting your forehead against his, closing your eyes and sighing. Steve sighed and closed his eyes, as well, bringing his hand from yours to cup your cheek.

“I’ve missed you, Stevie,” you whispered. You felt him stiffen just slightly, your opening and head lifting from his for just a moment before he brought your forehead back to his. “I’m sorry. I know you hate being called that.”

This time, it was Steve who lifted his head to look at you, his hand never moving from your cheek. “You’re the only one that gets to call me that, ya’know? Always have been, always will.”

A small smile spread on your lips, Steve’s hand moving slightly back towards your neck, his thumb rubbing at the top of your jawline near your ear. “Don’t hate me for this,” he whispered.

“What are you–” you started, but your words were cut off by Steve’s lips on yours. You were a little shocked, to say the least, but you kissed him back regardless. It wasn’t a hungry kiss. It was more of one that was testing the waters

With lips slowly moving in sync, you couldn’t help but feel happy that his lips were actually on yours. You hated to admit it to yourself, but you’ve always wondered what it would feel like to have Steve’s lips on yours, and now that they are… you couldn’t get enough.

You wanted to keep kissing him until your lips were red, swollen, numb, the whole nine yards. All you wanted was Steve, and now… you think you have him.

When you both pulled away, breathless, you rested your foreheads against each other’s, simultaneously. As you caught your breath, you smiled, a soft chuckle making its way from your lips.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, a smile on his face as well.

Rolling your head to the right a little, you bit your bottom lip before lifting your head and looking at those hazel eyes you’ve always loved. “I just can’t believe that happened.”

Moving his hand back to your cheek, Steve smiled that smile you hadn’t seen in years. “Well, you better believe it… because I plan on doing that more.”

“I’m counting on it, Stevie.”

Steve chuckled while shaking his head, bringing your lips back to his with a smile on both of your faces.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N 2:  hi, friends! let me know what you thought about! again, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox.

Additional Notes: 

~~~

Forever / Everything Taglist: @stiles-o-dylan24 @stixnstripesworld @fandom-princess-forevermore @quanticobae @mischiefandi @kellyashcroft @lauren-novak

Steve Harrington Taglist: @madaboutjoe​

If you’re tagged and didn’t want to be, please let me know.

Italics wouldn’t let me tag!

~~~

*Please don’t post my writing anywhere else without my consent. The author of this work will always and forever be @harringtonstilinski​.

All characters, story lines, and plot aside from y/n and her storyline & plot, are all of the work of The Duffer Brothers.

*These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

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Posted on March 22, 2024

[mystic-recs]

once again in your arms

joel miller x f!reader

A/N: mwahah, hello boys i’m baaack (10 points to whoever knows what movie that quote's from). took an unexpected break coz life, but i’m ready to get back on track. this was requested by a beautiful anon a while back (sorry for the wait angel), but i hope you enjoy! x

Request: hello! so this is kinda angsty: joel and the reader are married and have a baby (plus sarah, obviously). the day of the outbreak, reader and baby were in town and she couldnt call joel (or viceversa) cause the phone lines were down. they were separated for a few years until they arrives at the quarantine zone he's in, and he recognizes them in the crowd.

Word count: 4.5k-ish

Warnings: mentions of pregnancy, birth and having a baby, domestic fluff, angst, pre and post outbreak, some spoilery things if you haven’t seen the show yet, heartbreak, loss of a child, apocalypse things, i sweat at the idea of caring for a baby during the end of the world, soft reunions, fluff, cameos of my fave oc’s made in a different series

It’s a fact you had learnt in the very early days of your relationship... the Miller men knew how to care for a lady. Whether it was Tommy sliding in to open the door for you before you could reach for the handle, or Joel draping you in blankets and taking on the responsibility of keeping your hot water bottle warm to fend off cramps for the evening, not a moment went by when you didn’t feel the constant reassurance of their care.

Especially now, fresh from the hospital and tender from your days of excruciating pain and an extensively long labour, Tommy quickly slaps the pillows into something plusher, hands gentle as they guide you down until you’re reclining into the armchair.

Joel keeps an eye on you from across the room, the brief wash of concern slipping away with the easy smile that grows along his lips when your eyes meet.

He rocks the wrapped bundle in his arms softly, a big hand dwarfing the small head that peaks from the blankets. His fingers brush through the light smattering of hair peeking out from the cotton burrito, his index running along the tiny peak of a nose and you feel your heart swell in your chest.

“Dad,” Sarah whines with an eager smile, shifting restlessly on the couch, “come on, I’ve been waiting all weekend.”

“Oh my god,” Joel drawls sarcastically, “all weekend? Baby girl, how are you survivin’ right now?”

“Shut up,” her grin widens, “give me my baby brother before I explode.”

“Well, we don’t want that mess all in the livin’ room,” Joel quips, stepping over your weekend bags tossed on the floor and closer to the couch, “ain’t treadin’ your brain all into the rug—thing was damn expensive.”

Sarah shrugs, readjusting her body to sit straighter and holding her arms out expectantly, “Least I have a brain.”

Tommy snorts in amusement, grinning at his brother's expense, “That’s true.”

“Are you still here?” Joel side eyes him, barely fighting the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

They bicker, throwing their little snippy sibling comments back and forth before Sarah clears her throat, her eyebrows rising in impatience.

“Alright, alright. Here, watch his head,” Joel instructs gently, a smile playing along his lips, “that’s it, baby, you got him.”

It’s a beautiful picture, Sarah carefully bringing the baby closer and tucking him carefully into her arms, and the sentiment is shared with Tommy as the flash and click of a camera goes off. He removes the polaroid sliding from the slot and sits it on the coffee table to develop before instructing Joel to slide in next to her and smile.

Both Joel and Sarah are oblivious to his instruction, lost in the bubble that has overcome them. You find peace watching them, warmth spreading along your limbs by the sweet tenderness of it all. The love is clear between the three of them cuddled on the couch, and it’s almost too much for your heart to bear.

Sarah beams down at her baby brother, cooing soft words and stroking a gentle finger down Matthew’s cheek. Joel throws an arm to rest on the top of the couch behind Sarah, turning into her and answering her questions quietly.

8 pounds, 3 ounces. Smaller than you. No, he didn’t cry at all—gave me and the docs a damn heart attack. She sure did a great job. 

Your Joel was never a man to wear his heart on his sleeve, but the emotion shines from his eyes, bleeds through the lines in his face and it’s enough to bring tears building along your lash line.

“You okay over there?”

His familiar drawl brings your attention to him, and you smile at him, tired and fully at peace. It’s bliss, despite the ache of birth still hanging in your limbs. M

“I’m fine,” you respond quietly, lids heavy with exhaustion, “I’m just so happy.”

He fucking beams. His grin creases his cheeks and he nods softly.

“Me too, honey,” he mutters, turning his attention back to his children and playing with a strand of Sarah’s hair as he gazes down at Matthew, “me too.”

—

Four months later.

Chaos.

Matthew wails against your chest, the deafening sounds of screams, bullets, sirens and explosions setting him off into hysterics. Your arms tighten around him, keeping his face tucked closely into your throat so your scent could hopefully provide him some reassurance.

You crouch beside cars, you run until your legs ache. You take cover in stores, the soles of your shoes crunching over broken glass of the shattered windows. Every phone you try gives nothing but a dull tone. Radios are filled with static and emergency broadcasts play on the view screens you run past in your effort to escape whatever the hell is happening.

Worry stirs along the edges of your mind. Is Joel okay? Sarah? Tommy? You can’t call him, you can only run and hope nothing takes you down in your effort to get back to your car. You pass people crouched over others, blood smearing along their lips as they tear unforgivingly into the flesh of another.

It’s a nightmare, and it’s everywhere you look.

Almost there.

You see the sign of the parking lot and it only makes you run that much faster, even though your legs threaten to give out at any minute. You pass an elderly man crouching beside a woman, blood flowing from the open gash on her throat, and the ache clutching your heart only increases when his pleas reach your ears over the mayhem.

“Gloria,” he mutters in an aged rasp, “up you get, love. You’re alright, come on now—”

You can’t help it.

Somewhere in your mind you can feel Joel screaming at you to keep running, to get yourself to safety and not give a damn about anyone other than Matthew, but the image of this man cradling his wife’s wrinkled, bloodied hand is enough to get you advancing to him before anyone could hurt him. 

“Sir—”

He ignores you, too busy with brushing the woman’s blood soaked white hair from her face.

“Sir, we have to move—”

You wrap your fingers around his shoulder and shake firmly. His head gives a shake of denial as he clutches his wife’s hand tighter.

“No… no, she’ll need help—she has a bad ankle.”

Shifting Matthew unsteadily onto your hip, your fingers wrap under his arm and tug him onto his feet. He fights you, bats your hold away with an infuriated expression at your rough handling of him.

“I’m so sorry, but she’s gone—we have to run. I—I have a car, please… just come with me, please!”

“I won’t leave her—”

“Please… they’re coming! I—would she want this for you? To die like this?”

He blinks, his frown softening ever so slightly before screams pierce the air, much closer than you anticipated, and terror claws up your throat until you feel you’ll vomit.

You hold out a hand, relieved when his own rough, calloused hand finally takes it, and then you’re running, albeit slower than before, but you make it to your car with no issues.

You dive into the driver's seat, passing Matthew over to the stranger when he makes an impatient gesture to hold him and then you’re tearing out of the lot, running down the few rabid looking beings that advance on you with bloodied expressions of hunger.

You don’t think you take a proper breath until you’re past a military barricade that had seemingly been destroyed in the attack, flying down the highway and around other panicked drivers with sweat slicking your skin. 

Taking a deep breath to slow the brutal pounding of your heart, you look at Matthew, now calmed and looking up at the stranger with an obvious shine of curiosity. The old man is clearly softened by the baby, letting his small hand wrap around his finger and wiggling it playfully in his hold.

“That’s Matthew,” you mutter shakily, meeting the eyes of the elderly man before gazing back out the windscreen. You take another breath before giving your own name, tears biting at your eyes when you utter the name Miller.

Do you still have a husband? A step daughter? A brother in law? The unknown scares you, outright fucking terrifies you. 

The man nods in your peripheral vision.

“Harold,” he finally says, voice rough and tired.

—

There are people everywhere, screaming, crying.

People run, shout, wail over family and friends.

Tears have long dried on his face, his head thumping relentlessly with the remnants of his heartbreak. Tommy’s grip is firm on him, tugging him out of the way of people tearing down in their direction, pulling him to where a makeshift table is thrust under a tent as a reception of sorts.

He doesn’t care about the people already there asking about their family and friends. He shoves them out of the way, hands shaking as they clutch the edge of the weak table.

“I’m lookin’ for a woman… she’d be with a baby boy, not even four months old—”

His voice shakes. He can’t get it to stop. He struggles to get out the detailed descriptions of you both down to the clothes you were wearing, speaking your names through trembling lips. His stomach jolts at the thought of you somewhere, lying helplessly on the floor with your flesh getting torn into while Matthew screams in his car seat.

He’s a damn baby. He wouldn’t know what’s happening, wouldn’t know why his mama’s not there with him—

The woman gives a small expression of sympathy over the thin surgical mask covering her mouth, “I’m sorry, sir. We’ve had no babies that young come through, and nothing like that has come in over the radios.”

He retches. 

His body heaves, almost as if it’s rejecting the mere idea that you weren’t somewhere safe waiting for him. He had failed. Failed to keep Sarah safe, failed to keep Matthew safe, you—the vows he had made now meant shit. He hadn’t been there for better or worse. He’d hadn’t done what a father should have and kept his kids free from harm.

Sarah had died, terrified and in agony, in his hold. Her bloodied handprints remain dry and caked on his arms. Matthew had died, not even making it to six months. A baby, still fresh to the world, only just able to hold his own head up. You had died, not knowing where he and Sarah were, if they were even safe.

Tommy hauls him to a close trash can, rubbing a firm hand up and down his back as he chokes on vomit, tears soon streaming down his cheeks when his body eventually has nothing left to give. His heart hammers in his chest, thundering against his ribs and filling his ears until he’s unaware of the noises around him. 

“They’re gone,” he whispers hoarsely, clutching at the rim of the trash can in an effort to keep himself up.

“Now we don’t know that—”

“God damn it, Tommy, you saw what it was like out there!” 

Tommy sighs, his own eyes filling with tears. “We gotta keep hope, Joel—”

“Hope?” Joel spits at his brother, “What good is hope against that shit out there? She would’ve been alone, you know as well as I Matthew only would’ve slowed her down. They were in the city. We couldn’t even keep safe out here! They’re—they’re gone. My wife… my baby boy, my baby girl—”

The sobs tear from his chest, harsh and painful. He mourns for hours, unseeing of the flurried movement still happening around him, his sorrow mixing with the flood of agony filling the makeshift safe zone with every new unhurt civilian looking for someone familiar.

Tommy doesn’t take his arms away from around his brother until dawn starts to pierce the horizon, 

—

Two years later.

He still fills your thoughts daily.

Your life, your old life, would flash behind your eyelids at night when sleep would finally claim you. You’d feel his touch, kiss his lips, touch his face. It all felt so normal. The dreams would be nothing but memories, and somehow, it made them feel more like nightmares.

Mornings making breakfast with Sarah, dancing to the music falling from the radio. Family game nights, watching Tommy and Joel get more and more competitive with each game. Grocery shopping with Joel, simply wandering down the aisles and relishing in his comforting touch warming your lower back. 

You could never quite make peace with the possibility that he was dead. It didn’t sit right. The idea that your Joel had been lost to the disaster that had claimed the world just seemed impossible. Your heart rejected the notion, refused to accept that its counterpart wasn’t somewhere out there, living, breathing, surviving,

Sarah and Tommy, too.

They had to be somewhere, holed up safely and keeping well. They had to.

“They’ve established a quarantine zone close by,” you say quietly, mindful of Matthew sleeping on your lap, “it’ll be a lot safer there than out here. I think we should give it a go… find a more secure place to live. I’ve heard they have work available, good flow of food and medicine…”

Harry snorts quietly, shifting under his old, thick jacket, “That doesn’t mean they’re happy giving it out. There’ll be a catch somewhere.”

You eye the long carved frown in his features and lean forward to fix the blanket covering his tired legs, “Don’t you think we should try at least?”

“Maybe they’ll put a bullet in me,” Harry grumbles moodily, “I’m old—I can’t work like they’ll want me to. Although, it’ll beat living through this bloody nightmare any longer.”

“Harold,” you chide softly, heart aching at the thought of losing the grumpy old man after spending so long by his side.

He’d quickly become a grandfather figure of sorts, to both you and Matthew. The little boy was obsessed with him, and had been since the day you had come together, and though he tried to hide it behind his usual icy facade, Harry was smitten, weak from the boy learning to call him pa.

“He’ll be safer in there,” Harry finally grumbles, gazing at the sleeping toddler. “This is no life for him out here. It’s getting worse and worse. Stability will do him good.”

“And you’ll come with us?”

He sighs sharply, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fine—I’ll come. But if they don’t kill me, I’ll be bloody upset with you.”

You snort in amusement, a grin curling your lips. “Fair enough. Now drink your soup.”

“I’m not hungry. You have it.”

He shoves it away, pushing it in your direction, as he usually does. It’s a daily fight—him refusing food in favour of giving you and Matthew more, ensuring you both never went hungry despite his own hunger and rapid weight loss due to the sudden lack of food.

You give him a playful frown and hold the small cup out to him.

“Don’t make me force feed you, old man, drink it.”

—

The walls of the Quarantine Zone are a lot more daunting than you had originally thought they would be. They tower high, and the barely there movement of soldiers along the front and top of it have nerves start to build in the pit of your stomach.

Maybe this isn’t a good idea. Surely they wouldn’t shoot without asking questions? Would they even give you a chance? What happens to you if the zone is full? Would they let you go on your merry little way?

God, you feel sick. 

The ice creeping along your skin doubles, and you tighten your grip on the baby carrier strapped to your chest. Matthew hums quietly against your back, his little fingers tracing random patterns along your shirt as he bounces with your each step. Harry walks somewhat steadily beside you, his cheeks reddening with the more distance you cover.

He gives you a reassuring nod when you look to him for guidance, and you continue forward, swallowing the lump building in your throat when you become aware of them yelling about your presence.

Their guns are raised when you eventually make it closer, and it’s automatic to throw your hands up in surrender.

“We’re not infected!” you shout, hoping they’d listen. 

A soldier steps forward. “On the ground, now!”

“Shit. Okay! Please, I—we’re not infected—”

“Get. On. The. Ground!”

“I have a kid! I have a—please, we’re not—”

“Get the kid out.”

Panic flares to life in your chest. You fight the tremble in your fingers as they raise to the clip across your chest, winding a supportive hand around to your back to keep Matthew from falling out of the carrier as it loosens from your torso.

After a bit of shifting, Matthew stands on shaky legs, his eyes darting between you and the few soldiers with their weapons raised.

“It’s okay, baby,” you soothe softly, “we gotta do what the man says, okay? Can you do that for mama?”

You continue to lower until your front hits the rubble covered ground, and you motion for Matthew to do the same, heart breaking as he cowers in fear and falls to his knees before copying your posture and hiding his face against the road.

More voices fill your ears, the obvious presence of more soldiers swarming from the gate causing your pulse to skyrocket as Harry lowers on the other side of the small toddler.

“Check ‘em.”

“Everything’s fine,” you murmur, keeping your gaze on Matthew and smiling when he peeks at you from between his fingers, “we’re okay. Keep your eyes on me, baby. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

It stings.

You automatically flinch away from the device someone holds at your neck, freezing when more weapons are raised in your direction. The device gives a small beep and the soldier gives a loud clear, before moving for Matthew.

He cries out at the pain, his chest heaving with his growing sobs. The guns move in his direction and you’re flying towards him before you can even think, yelping when arms pull you away from your baby before you can console him. His screams worsen. 

“Please,” you beg, “he’s just a baby—!”

The soldiers remain emotionless.

Another beep, another clear.

The fingers digging into your arms loosen and then you’re free, hurriedly crawling on all fours until Matthew’s in your arms, his tear stricken face pressing into your throat. You soothe him softly, murmuring how well he did and that he’s safe with you while the soldiers move their attention to Harry.

When the device gives a final clear, another soldier steps forward, a small smile stretching his lips.

“Sorry about that,” he says, stepping forward until he’s only a step away, “but we can’t be too careful.”

It’s surreal being around people again.

For the longest time, it’s just been you, Matthew and Harry. The people left after the event had turned cruel, desperate for any remaining resources and resulting to violence left, right and centre. It’d been sheer luck that you three had escaped some of the nastier characters you’d come across during your treks. Sure, you’d lost a few supplies every now and then, but you were thankful you all were still here at least.

The man leads you into an office of sorts, with rusted old chairs to sit on while he goes about ‘registering’ you. You’re surprised at the process of it all, confused when he says you’re in luck because after this morning, there are new rooms available. What does that mean? Had something happened to the occupants?

Your stomach turns, but you dare not dwell on it.

Safety for Matthew, that’s all that matters. That’s why you’re here.

It feels like hours before you’re stepping into the sun again, lead out onto a relatively normal looking street with written directions to your new accommodation. The door bangs loudly behind you, fully closing you from the horrors of the outside world, and you try not to focus on the looks of curiosity, borderline hostility, as you start to walk further into the QZ, the height of the wall casting a large shadow over your path.

There’s a main square of sorts, filled with small stations of people selling various items. Your stomach grumbles at the sight of shitty looking food, desperate to eat something other than the random old bits and pieces you’d find through your looting, but you’d have to begin work to even afford a single half burnt bread roll. The two ration cards you had received at your ‘registration’ wouldn’t make a dent in what you’d need to afford any of it.

You pass the sellers, sharing a sullen look with Harry as he too realises he wouldn’t have enough for any of it.

There’s crowds, and you try to keep to yourself as you move, but something catches your eye, as if your sight had been automatically pulled to that direction and you’re oblivious to the people bumping into your frame.

For a moment, you’re sure you’re dreaming.

Did they end up shooting you at the gate? This couldn’t be real, couldn’t be unfolding right before your very eyes. You feel alive. You feel your pulse, your breath. You feel Matthew shift in the carrier, you hear Harry making comments about the people and the surrounding buildings.

You can’t look away.

You’re pulled in his direction, certain with every bone in your body that it’s him. It’s him.

The man turns, and his eyes are meeting yours through the crowds before you can even brace for it, and you see the moment it hits him.

He freezes, his eyes unblinking as if they don’t want to risk losing the hallucination his mind had conjured. He steps forward, and again, and again, slow in his movements, cautious.

“Joel?” You breathe, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hear you over the bustle of your surroundings and the distance between you, but he must see your lips mould his name because then he’s running, ducking through the people and heading straight your way.

You start to jog, careful not to disturb the carrier holding Matthew too much, and then he’s there. He’s there and he’s real and he’s saying your name so sweetly, a broken rasp of disbelief and a tremble taking over his hands as they raise to cup your cheeks.

You sob at his touch. 

The tears flow from your eyes and you grasp at whatever you can on him, your fingers tightening around the jacket hanging from his frame as you attempt to pour two years of loss into your embrace. He cradles the back of your head, keeps your face pressed tightly against the dirtied skin of his throat as he mutters brokenly about how he thought you were dead and that he’d missed you so damn much.

“Oh baby boy,” he rumbles, noticing the baby carrier and the toddler within it with tears filling his lash line, “look at you.”

You hurriedly unclip the harness and sweep Matthew out of it, bringing him into the middle of your embrace. Joel runs a hand along Matthew’s cheek before sweeping down and kissing him on the forehead, his tears dropping over the toddler’s cheeks in obvious relief and utter joy. 

“How—”

You shake your head, nuzzling into the rough hand holding your cheek. “Later. We’ll talk later about everything, I just—god, I’ve missed you so fucking much, Joel.”

His head lowers until his forehead is pressed against yours, and his eyes flutter closed. You feel it in the simple gesture, how much he had missed you, mourned for you. He gives a small nod, followed by a quiet okay, before another presence suddenly makes themselves known.

Your body jolts with the weight hitting your side, and you jump in fright before your eyes come across a slightly skinny looking Australian Shepherd desperate for attention.

His tongue lolls from his mouth as he attempts to lap at your cheek, and you chuckle through your stream of steady flowing tears at the cheerful dog.

“Chip,” Joel grunts in slight annoyance, shoving the fluffy beast away from where he tries to jump and sniff at Matthew’s cheeks, “down—down, boy!”

“You have a dog?” You ask in curiosity, reaching out to pet the animal. Your smile widens when he eagerly nuzzles into your touch with an excited whine.

“He was wanderin’ the QZ when I came in,” Joel replies, one of his hands leaving your waist to deliver a rough rub to the dogs head, “followed me home one night and hasn’t stopped botherin’ me since. Tommy said he’d be good for me.”

“Tommy’s here? And Sarah?” You perk immediately in excitement, your eyes flying past his shoulder to look for his brother and the other part of your heart that’s been missing for years. “I’m so glad they’re alright, where are they?”

You don’t notice how considerably quiet he’s gone until you look at him. He’s defeated, guarded, his dark eyes drawn to the floor. He can’t look at you. Why can’t he look at you? What’s happened?

“Joel?”

“Sarah… she—she—”

He struggles to finish the sentence, the words stick uncomfortably on his tongue. His features twist in clear anguish and you feel the world around you shatter. Sarah, she… she’s gone? When? How?

Your heart sinks, weak and broken by the unexpected news. Your mind struggles to wrap itself around the notion that you’d never see her again, that the last time you saw her was truly the last. 

Regret begins to build in the pit of your stomach. That last day… you should’ve hugged her tighter, kissed her forehead, told her how much she meant to you and how lucky you were to be in her life—

The tears begin again.

“Oh Joel, I-I’m so sorry,”

You both share the heartache, wrapped in each other's arms and breathing in the other. His tight hold doesn’t loosen for a second, and you attempt to put every ounce of energy in your tired body into returning it.

The world stands still, just like it did that cursed day.

How can you be so elated that he’s here, and yet be filled with so much pain at the same time? How long has he been lost, no doubt blaming himself for his baby girl not making it to where he is now? You mourn her, mourn him for being lost, stuck on a path of despair and believing he had lost everything for so long.

What had become of him? What had the pain done to him? Surely it would’ve been pure torture for the man who practically breathed family. 

Harry can wait. Introductions can wait. Food, drink, sleep—you care for none of it. Not now. All that matters is that Joel is here, truly here in the flesh, wrapped in your arms and holding the child he hasn’t seen for two years. All that matters is that you had found one another in the violent hellscape the world had become.

Peace, but that tranquillity will forever be tainted by loss, a void hanging in the midst of relief, never to be filled again.

-

tag list 1: @maievdenoir, @javier-pena, @lv7867, @dihra-vesa, @katronautt, @radiowallet, @januarystears, @missminkylove, @beskarprincessjenny, @mswarriorbabe80, @danidrabbles, @sergeantbannerbarnes, @amneris21, @eri16, @absurdthirst, @hnt-escape, @acourtofsnakes, @ezrasbirdie, @mstgsmy66, @lovesbiggerthanpride, @coaaster, @sherala007, @kelseyxyeslek, @greeneyedblondie44, @wyn-n-tonic, @you-got-me-starry-eyed, @shirks-all-responsibilities, @withasideofmeg, @harriedandharassed, @andruxx, @buckybarneshairpullingkink, @spideysimpossiblegirl, @prostitute-robot-from-the-future, @tanzthompson, @mad-girl-without-a-box, @hope-for-the-best-98, @fangirl-316, @christina-loves, @jediknight122, @hallway5, @xoxabs88xox, @nicolethered, @churchill356, @massivecolorspygiant, @just-here-for-the-moment, @gracie7209, @pinkie289, @lavenderluna10, @goodgriefitsawildworld,

tags that have continuously not worked will be deleted from my taglist soon x

[mystic-recs]

Mitch is in his 2nd year of college, with a freshly broken heart and a semesters worth of work to do at home. His little brother’s best friend is just about to graduate, is hopelessly in love with him as he pines for Lydia, and happens to have grown up absolutely gorgeous. A little friends-with-benefits never hurt anybody, right?

✦ Prologue ✦ Part One ✦ Part Two ✧ Part Three ✦ Part Four ✦ Part Five ✧ Part Six ✦ Part Seven ✦ Part Eight ✦ Epilogue

Word Count: 74,000

Warnings: This series will involve copious amounts of sex, a little bit of heartbreak, mentions of cheating, a lot of sneaking around, it’s not that bad, actually.

Extras: moodboard

[mystic-recs]

Hairspray

pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

word count: 1.7k

warnings: pregnancy, before the outbreak, established relationship with joel, sarah is a little snitch, denial, age gap (not really specified), descriptions of childbirth, money insecurity, 2003 references

a/n this was too good to give up. lets pretend that the outbreak never happened and the miller’s got to live happily ever after :)

summary Sarah finds Y/N’s hidden pregnancy tests

masterlist

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read time: 6 mins 14 seconds

The phone was new. Joel had installed it a few weeks ago. No more cord! Your opposite hand felt awkward not having something to fidget with while your sister told you the horror stories of her giving birth. Something Mandy had brought up numerous times after confiding in her that you were pregnant.

Keep reading

[mystic-recs]

Silver Springs

Plot: Something has always lingered between you and Daryl, even if the world never settled long enough to let it grow. Four years after Rick’s death, that hasn’t changed, but it doesn’t stop you from seeking him out by that river when Judith gets sick. (Set in Season 9, spoilers for 10) 

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Word Count:
 4.8k

Warnings: spoilers for season 9 and onward. especially 10x18… yeah… you already know what this is gonna be. all that fun angsty stuff. 

A/N: decided I’ve been writing too much fluff lately so i’m going back to my favourite…. angst<3 

thank you to @normanplusdaryl, my lovely friend, for bearing with me through the writing process for this. I love u. I hope it doesn’t make u cry too hard (just a little) <3

and of course thank you to my amazing beta @dreamingdixon. you never miss and your help is always greatly appreciated. ily. 

—————————————————————————————

“How much longer do you think they’ve got?” You asked, overlooking the Sanctuary’s common room. 

The main building was always dark despite its tall windows, surrounded by too many towers of concrete to allow the sun’s rays to slip through. Torches lined the structural columns of the factory below. A soft glow carried across the grey, desolate walls in a futile attempt to cast a feeling of security and comfort. Everything inside those walls was artificial, designed to make the hopeless space appear inviting and homely. 

It wasn’t working. 

More crops were dying by the day and you certainly weren’t the first to question how much longer the Sanctuary had left. It didn’t seem to matter that people were still working hard, weaving amongst each other in the busy room below. The place was slipping away with each sunset. But even if hope was running out, they never refused to help. Everyone that was still here volunteered their labour all for the mere chance of it working out. 

While that fact meant a lot to Rick, it didn’t lessen the weight of a failing community on Daryl’s shoulders. No matter how much work and care went into the place, it just never became what they hoped it’d be. It couldn’t even sustain a damn garden; if it wasn’t for Alexandria’s crops, they’d be starving. Daryl was losing his patience, finding himself more and more displeased within these walls, and it wasn’t just the lingering memories of that dark closet or the smell of dog food that crawled down his throat and turned his stomach.

Daryl shook his head, “I don’t know.” 

You nodded, leaning against the railing Negan used to make his speeches from. Since Daryl had rejected that way of leadership, it became a spot to find quiet, or even a moment between two people who rarely got to be alone anymore. 

“Do you think…” you mumbled, “do you think things will ever settle?” 

Like always, he caught your eye and said more with his look than his words. 

“I hope so.” 

You gave him a small smile. “Yeah. Me too.” 

You could hope until your last breath, but the harsh reality was that things might never settle the way you wanted them to. Just like the sanctuary might never become the community Rick prayed for. That unspoken promise between you and Daryl— that once you had a moment to rest, once and for all, you’d finally let this lingering tension and care grow into something more— might never come to pass. 

After Rick died, you started to understand that. 

Keep reading

[mystic-recs]

I Didn't Run Away This Time, Right? - Steve Harrington

Author: @harringtonstilinski​ Characters: Steve Harrington x Munson!Reader Word Count: 5,584 Warnings: aaannngggsssttt, fluff, major character death, tried not to use y/n or y/n/n, hallucinations (reader sees someone 👀) Requested: no | yes; i hope it meets your expectations, anon friend!! Smut: no | yes; A/N: Hi, friends! Reader is 18 in this fic, Steve is his canon age (which I think is 19..?) If you like this chapter, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

You couldn’t get there fast enough as your feet pounded the pavement below you. There was one person you had to get to; your older brother, Eddie. It was stupid as shit of him to drop from the tied up sheets that led your group from Hawkins to the Upside Down before cutting them.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you spotted a body on the ground. “Eddie!” you yelled, running faster than you thought possible to get to him. Sliding on your legs, you were careful to not kick him in the head like you used to do accidentally when you two were kids. 

“Hey, kid,” he grunted. “Bad, huh?”

“No, no, no, you’re gonna be fine,” you said, checking over his wounds. “We’re gonna get you back home and I’ll patch you up.”

“Okay,” Eddie sputtered.

You went to help him up, but with the amount of pain he was in, he said, “I think I just - I think I just need a second, okay, kid?”

“Okay,” you said, getting at least his head in your lap. The tears were non-stop streaming down your face, the droplets hitting his cheek.

As he started choking on the blood trying to come up his throat, he looked at you before sadly gritting through his teeth, “I didn’t run away this time, right?”

“No,” you sobbed. “No, you didn’t.”

You could hear the tears in his voice as well as see them in his eyes as he said, “You’re gonna have to look after those little sheepies for me, okay?”

Taking a shaky breath, you cupped his cheek, saying, “You’re gonna do that yourself, Ed.”

“Nah, kiddo.”

Your cries started to come out harder, knowing that you were going to lose your big brother. Resting your forehead on his, you let the tears fall from your waterline, Eddie’s eyes closing for a moment before he said, “Repeat it, kid. Say it.”

“I’m-,” you sobbed. “I’m gonna look after ‘em.”

“Good.”

Grabbing his hand in yours, you laced your fingers with his, not caring about the blood, sweat and dirt covering both of your hands. 

“ ‘Cause I’m actually gonna graduate this year.”

“You are,” you nodded, sitting back up to look at him. “We are.” He chuckled weakly, his grip on your fingers starting to go slack as you both said, “It’s our year.”

“I think it’s fiiiiinally my year.”

You could feel his life slipping from you as you held him as you whispered, “It is. But you have to hold on. Okay? Just hold on.”

Choking more on his own blood, Eddie looked at you, and he knew his time was coming to an end with you, so he decided to say the one thing you barely said to each other. “I love you, kid.”

The sobs were wracking your body at this point, knowing that his life was slipping away. You sniffled a deep breath, releasing it as you looked away from him, trying to blink the tears away. When you looked back down at him, you cried, “You can’t leave me all alone, Eddie. Don’t leave me here alone. Do you understand me? We have to graduate… together.”

Grunting as he choked, he whispered, “Say it back, kid,” as you gave him sad eyes. The last thing he heard from you before succumbing to his wounds was, “I love you, too, bubba.”

As you watched the life drain from his eyes, you cried harder than you ever had before; harder than when your mom left, harder than when your dad got hauled off to jail, screaming his name as the anguish washed over you. “EDDIE!!”

As you cried over Eddie’s lifeless body, you whispered tearfully, “Please, don’t leave me.” Laying uncomfortably over Eddie’s body, you couldn’t really hear anything over your sobs. Not even Robin, Nancy and Steve’s footfalls. Not even Dustin’s own cries. You didn’t register hands on your arms, pulling you up. It didn’t hit you until Eddie’s body started to get smaller and smaller.

“Wait, wait, wait,” you said, pushing at the body that was all but covering you. 

Steve's arms went tighter around your body as you struggled to get out of his hold. “Babe-,”

“Let me go!” you shouted, realizing that you were now back in the trailer. “I can’t just leave him!”

“Babe, just - what happened to the sheets?”

Resting your forehead on Steve’s chest, you sobbed into him, gripping the sleeves of his jacket tight in your fist. As Steve placed a kiss to the top of your head, he sighed, feeling extremely bad for you in this moment. You just lost your brother and you had to leave his body behind.

When the six of you had figured out a way to get back to Hawkins, you ran straight to yours and Eddie’s room; Wayne having let the two of you have it when he took you both in. Everyone tried to protest about you going in there, but their voices quieted down once they saw what was in your arms; your favorite shirts of Eddie’s, including a Hellfire shirt that he had made for you.

You weren’t a part of Hellfire, but more of an honorary member. You knew about the lore behind D&D because of Eddie, but you had no desire to play the game.

Steve ended up taking you back to his house to shower and change, and to try and get some sleep.

Of course, neither of you got any sleep. Every time you closed your eyes, all you could see was Eddie’s lifeless body in your lap. The morning after Eddie’s death, you’d all learned about the ‘earthquake’ that happened after Max’s death on the news, the reporter having said if you have items to donate, you could take them to the high school’s gym, where they set up a shelter for those who lost their homes.

You didn’t have any items that you wanted to donate, mainly because everything you would want to donate… was Eddie’s. 

Two days after Eddie’s death, Steve finally got you out of the house to help volunteer at school’s shelter. You had made a pitstop with Robin and Dustin to the Wheeler’s house to gather the items that they were going to be donating.

After greeting and hugging the Byers boys, Mike and El, as well as meeting their friend Argyle, you left with Steve, Robin and Dustin to head to the school. You didn’t know where to go after the volunteer gave suggestions on where to go, so you stuck with Dustin, passing out cups of water, and giving blankets and pillows to those in need.

Your heart shattered when you saw your uncle standing by the bulletin board, watching as he took down a graffitied missing person’s paper on Eddie, just to put a fresh one up. Walking up to him, you placed a hand on his back. “Wayne?”

He looked down at you, a sad, but relieved smile on his face. “Hey, kid.” Hugging you, he sighed. 

“Can we talk?” you asked.

“Can’t imagine we got anything to talk about,” he said.

Pulling back, a small smile formed on your face. “There’s that Munson sarcasm.”

You both sat down, a deep breath escaping your body. 

Wayne sighed a deep sigh, putting his arm around you. “Your brother is innocent.”

“I know,” you whispered. “He wouldn’t’ve hurt a fly.”

“He’s still missing.”

Tears formed in your eyes because you knew the full truth as he continued, “I’ll put as many posters as I need until he’s found.”

Wayne went to stand, but you grabbed his shirt, keeping him in place. “I was with him. I was with him when the earthquake hit.”

“And where is he now, kid?”

Taking a shaky breath, you closed your eyes, not ready to break your uncle’s heart. You reached into the top of your shirt, bringing out the guitar pick necklace that was around your neck, the one you had grabbed the night he died. With a tearful voice, you sobbed, “I’m so sorry, Wayne.”

He took a shaky breath, resting his head on top of yours that you had rested against the front of his shoulder.

“I wish everyone knew the real Eddie,” you whispered-cried. “Like, really know him because they would’ve loved him. They would’ve known how much a good big brother he was; like, the best. He always made sure I had something to eat when dad would go off and do… whatever the hell he did. Ed would… would put me first before himself. He’d let me sleep in his bed when I had nightmares.

“Everyone would’ve seen how good of a person he is-was. Even right there at the end, he never stopped being Eddie. Despite everything we went through. I never even saw him when he got mad. He kept that part of his life away from me because of our father. He could’ve run, or even saved himself, but he didn’t. He fought. He fought and died to protect this town; this town that hated him. He fought to protect me. He isn’t just innocent. He’s a hero, Wayne.” You looked up at him, seeing the tears streaming down his cheeks as you said, “A goddamn hero.”

You and Wayne held onto each other as you both wept over the loss of one of your favorite people. Feeling a tap on your shoulder, you looked up at Wayne, seeing him looking over your head.

Turning to look at whatever or whoever was looking at you, you saw Steve standing there, a solemn look on his face. You stood and wrapped your arms around his neck, sobbing into him. “I miss him so much.”

Wrapping his own arms around your middle, he sighed pressing a kiss to your neck. “I know,” he whispered.

You and Steve had started dating right after you turned 18. Since Dustin was in Hellfire and the two of you became friends, he’d introduced you to Steve. The two of you hit it off like fireworks, feeling those sparks the first time you and he laid eyes on each other; you thought he was cute, he thought you were beautiful. Steve, of course, waited until you were 18 before he made any sort of move on you, respectfully.

You knew of Steve from school, but the Steve you knew of was King Steve, not… Steve. Having known about him and Nancy when you were a freshman, you tried not to make the same mistakes that were made during their relationship, so when you told Steve that you loved him, you meant it. When Steve said it back to you, he meant it.

Being with Steve meant the world to you, but losing your brother put you in a state of depression that you weren’t sure if you could bring yourself out of. You wanted to try for him and for everyone else, but you built up walls that no one could tear down.

If Robin asked you how your day was going, you’d give a short “Fine,” and stick your nose back in your book. If Nancy asked if you wanted to go shopping, you’d make up some excuse to not go. The same with Steve; he’d ask you on countless dates in the weeks since your brother passed away, but again, you’d give some excuse to not go.

Dustin took over creating campaigns with Mike, Eddie having asked him to before he ran off to save the world. You’d be at Hellfire, but were distant, giving spaced out looks while sitting in your brother’s chair.

You’d still sit with Hellfire at lunch and walk with them to the classes you’d have together, but even they couldn’t break your shell, Dustin being the main one.

“Come on,” he would half-whine. “You gotta talk to us. We lost him, too.” All you would do was give him an upset look before grabbing your things and walking off school grounds, where Steve would find you walking on his way to Family Video.

Eddie had asked Dustin to look after you, something he was trying to do, but since you had built up your walls, the young teen couldn’t get you to talk about your grief, but he kept trying… for Eddie.

Since your trailer was basically destroyed because of it being the home of Chrissy’s Gate, you didn’t have anywhere else to go but to Steve’s. His parents weren’t home half the time, so it’s not like they would care or not if you were there. Wayne was fine with it, as long as you kept him updated. 

He didn’t want to leave you by yourself, considering the state of mind you were in, but you’d promised him you wouldn’t do anything stupid to yourself, and he’d believe you. Steve would be worried sick about you while on his shift, all but fumbling with his work.

When he’d come home, the smell of food would hit his senses as he locked the front door. Walking into the kitchen, he’d find dinner prepared; a plate being left out for him with the utensils he’d need. A note would always be left on the plate in your handwriting. 

Sorry for not waiting up for you. Also, sorry if it’s not good. I don’t really know how to cook that well. Eddie always did the cooking. Anyway, I hope it’s good. I love you. -Babe

It was three weeks after Eddie’s death when you all decided to have a service for him. It was beautiful, something he would’ve wanted. When you snuck back over to retrieve more of his stuff, as well as some of your own, you’d listened to all of his tapes that you took to find the saddest metal song for his funeral service.

At the reception afterward, Jeff suggested that Eddie’s favorite song be played, which happened to be the same song he played for Chrissy in the Upside Down; Master of Puppets by Metallica. You cried and Steve took you home.

Since Steve was still at work a few days later, you’d decided that looking out of the window was cutting it anymore for the moment, so you were now sitting on the floor of Steve’s room, back pressing againsting the mattress. Legs bent at the knee with your schoolbook resting on your thighs, your walkman laying beside you with the headphones pressed to your ears, having decided that homework would be a good distraction.

You didn’t register when Steve had walked into his room, hearing your voice sing Def Leppard’s Rock of Ages. Even with your walls up, he could see the real you shining through. 

What Steve didn’t know was that when you weren’t around anyone and you were alone, you let your mind wander. Today’s daydream, Eddie sitting on the bed behind you, strumming on his guitar as you did your homework.

Feeling tapping your shoulder, you swatted at the hand, saying, “Stop.” When it happened again, you sighed. “Eddie.” Shoes were now in your line of sight, seeing that it was Steve’s shoes, not Eddie’s.

As Steve squatted, you crawled back into your shell, hiding yourself from him. “Baby,” he whispered. When you didn’t respond, he sat facing you, his arm resting on his bent knee. “Baby, talk to me.”

You looked at him, seeing a figure standing behind him. Looking behind Steve, your eyes went wide, seeing Eddie standing there, hands in his pockets, giving you a small smile that you instantly recognized.

Tears welled in your eyes as you looked back down at Steve, who was looking at you confused. “Uhm,” you whispered, seeing movement. Looking back up, you watched as Eddie moved from directly behind Steve to stand to the side of him. Eddie pointed to his ears, signaling you to take off the headphones.

Quickly taking off the headphones, you reached down to your walkman, pausing the cassette tape and looking back up as a tear fell from your waterline, Eddie suddenly gone. Your eyes danced around the room, Steve looking more worried.

“Babe?” he voiced. He looked behind him, not seeing anything but his posters on his wall. When he looked back at you, you had more streams covering your cheeks. Sighing, he whispered, “Oh, baby,” before moving to sit beside you, his back resting against his mattress with an arm around your shoulders. 

Steve pressed a kiss to your temple, resting his chin on the top of your head when you dropped your head to his shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said softly.

“I’m so tired of crying,” you whispered. “He’s such a dumbass, basically sacrificing himself like that.”

Releasing a deep breath, Steve moved his head to rest his cheek where his chin just was. “I know, baby. He did what he thought was right.” When he moved his again to look down at you the best he could, he noticed your notebook, seeing your homework written along the lines of the pages. “What’cha working on?”

Looking down at your papers with a deep sigh, you sniffled before picking your head up. “Math. Eddie and I had the class together. Teacher’s a real bitch. Always has been.”

“Wait, who’s your math teacher again?”

“Mrs. Martin.”

Chuckling, Steve nodded his head. “Yeah, I had her last year. Barely passed.”

“You barely came to school,” you said, chuckling.

Steve smiled at hearing your chuckle. It wasn’t much, but it was something, and it was music to his ears. “Hey,” he whispered, gaining your attention. “What do you say we go downstairs, order some takeout and have a movie night? Just us.”

Softly groaning, you tilted your head back. “As much as I would love to do that with you, I have about a week’s worth of homework to catch up on.” You didn’t really have that much homework, you just needed an excuse to not spend time with him, even though that’s all you wanted to do.

Placing his lips on your temple once more, Steve gently squeezed your shoulder. “Okay. Well, I’ll get you something. I’ll bring it up when I get back, okay?”

Nodding your head, you looked at him. “Okay.”

Since Eddie’s passing, you’ve only kissed Steve a total of two times. Those two times that you placed your lips on Steve’s, you were taken back to that night in the Upside Down, the two of you having shared a kiss before he went off to flambe Vecna. 

Steve understood when you expressed your concerns to him about it. He said he’d wait until you were comfortable with kissing him again.

You thought it was stupid that you couldn’t kiss your own boyfriend, but your mind kept taking you back to that night over and over again when you did. In this moment, as you looked at Steve, you wanted to kiss him, but couldn’t bring yourself to.

So, you closed your eyes as he placed his lips on your forehead, your eyes closing at the feel of his lips on your skin. When his lips disappeared, you opened your eyes, seeing his already on you.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too,” you whispered, voice shaky.

Steve stood and walked out of his room, wiping a tear that had fallen from his waterline as he stepped into the hallway. When he closed the door behind him, you put your walkman back on and got back to your homework.

When he got back to his house around 30 minutes later, he went upstairs after calling your name and getting no response. Opening the door, he sighed at the sight before him; you curled up on his bed in one of Eddie’s t-shirts. Your face looked the softest it’s ever looked in the last three weeks. 

He walked over to you, placing the bag on the floor before kneeling beside the bed, watching as you slept. Leaning forward to press his lips on your forehead for the second time that night, he stood as he grabbed the takeout bag before heading back downstairs to take off his shoes and place his keys in the bowl on the entryway table.

Sitting down on the couch with this plate of food, he let out a groan before turning on the tv to watch his favorite sitcom, Family Ties. The newest episode was to air the next night, so the network was playing reruns of the past episodes.

He wasn’t that far into the episode before he heard you screaming Eddie’s name. Placing his plate onto the coffee table, he stood and quickly made his way to his room, seeing you gripping the sheets tightly in your fist.

It wasn’t until you screamed again that he jumped into action, laying behind you on the bed, putting his arm around your own to keep you grounded. “Baby!” he exclaimed. “Sweetheart, wake up!”

When you let out a whimpered cry, he rested his forehead on your shoulder, kissing the skin he could reach. “You gotta wake up, beautiful,” he said, voice soft as ever.

Feeling arms around you, grabbed onto them, breathing shakily before turning onto your back, opening your eyes as you cried. “I’m so sorry,” you whispered, voice filled with tears. “I hate that I’m putting you through this shit, Steve.”

Sitting up to rest on his arm, Steve looked at you with nothing but love and adoration. Shaking his head as he cupped your cheek, he whispered, “Don’t be. I’ll always be here for you. I’ll help you through your grief and trauma.”

That only made you want to cry harder, but you willed the tears away before taking a deep breath, smelling the food on his breath. “Go eat, please. I’m sorry I took you from your food and sitcom.”

“It’s fine, baby. Do you wanna come and eat with me?”

Placing your hand on his wrist that was by your face, you tightened your lips, looking down at a random spot before shaking your head. It was killing you not spending time with him. The main thought that ran through your head was the fact that Steve would leave you, too, if you kept this charade up.

Releasing a deep breath, Steve nodded and moved to hover over you for a moment before getting off the bed and exiting the room. When his feet had hit the floor, you turned your back to him, letting the tears fall. The last thing he heard before he shut his door was your soft cries.

~~~

“I don’t wanna do this,” you said, panic in your voice. You were standing with Robin and Nancy in your Hawkins High green graduation cap and gown. “I can’t do this without Eddie.”

“Hey,” Robin said, placing her hand on your shoulder. “He’s here with you. He’ll always be with you.”

Your breathing started to pick up slightly, so you reached into your gown and grabbed the guitar pick necklace that you never took off. “It’s not the same, though, Robs. I need him here with me. Physically, not… mentally or emotionally.”

Feeling another hand on your other shoulder, you knew it was Nancy. “He is here. In spirit.”

“Yeah, okay,” you muttered.

Robin and Nancy looked at each other, sympathetic looks on their faces. When Robin looked back at you, she watched as a tear fell from your waterline, knowing that you were trying your hardest to keep the tears at bay.

When it was time to go and take your seats, you couldn’t leave Nancy and Robin, so the administrators of the school let them sit with you, holding each one of your hands, the roses that you all were given sitting in your laps, only… yours had two roses; a red one and a black one.

If Eddie had lived, he’d be holding the black rose that was given to you, muttering how stupid it was that he received a rose because roses were for girls, and you would snicker next to him, trying not to get in trouble with the teacher sitting at the end of the aisle. 

When Robin’s name was called, she patted your hand and stood up, walking to the stage to receive her diploma, the same thing with Nancy when she called. It seemed like the entire Class of ‘86 was graduating except for you.

“And now, we’d like to bring to the stage–” When Principal Higgins called your name, you looked up from your lap in shock, Nancy and Robin smiling big at you, happy that your time had come. They helped you to stand, walking with you to the stage so that you wouldn’t fall.

You looked at the sky and you swore you could see Eddie flipping everyone off. Looking at Principal Higgins, you looked him dead in the eye, flipped him the bird before snatching your diploma from his hand.

But before you could run like hell off the stage and off the field, you looked at where your friends and family were sitting, shocked to all hell when you saw Eddie sitting in between Dustin and Wayne, clapping and smiling. You could’ve sworn you saw him mouth the words, “Our year, kid. Good job,” before vanishing.

You broke down in tears right on that stage, falling to your knees in front of your graduating class, not caring that they were witnessing your very public breakdown. 

Steve, Dustin, Robin and Nancy all four rushed to the stage, helping you to stand as you sobbed uncontrollably over the loss of your brother. Since you couldn’t walk very well because of the sobs taking over your body, Steve had to bend down and pick you up, carrying you to the car.

He didn't get very far before you took a shaky breath, looking off to the side in front of Steve, saying, “I saw him. I fucking saw Eddie!” Steve stopped his feet from moving any further as he looked down at you.

“What did you just say, kid?”

Resting your head on Steve’s shoulder, your forehead touched the skin of his neck as you stuttered, “I-I saw E-Eddie. He was s-sitting between Wayne and D-Dustin.” As you tried to calm your breathing, you only cried harder.

“Oh, shit,” Dustin breathed.

“Kid, your mind is just playing on you,” Wayne voiced, sighing. 

With your tears still ever present on your face, you looked up at Steve, eyes red from crying. “Put me down, please, Steve.”

He looked down at you the best he could, seeing the red in your eyes. Sighing, he nodded and set you on your feet. Feeling bad about keeping his hands on your waist, all he could do was look at you, knowing that you were probably going to run. “Are you gonna run?” he whispered.

You didn’t answer him because you both knew the answer. You would. But where, Steve didn’t know. Only you did. When he sighed and looked down, Steve let go of your waist, and not missing a beat, you turned and ran as fast as your feet could carry you.

With your feet hitting the pavement and your breathing heavy, you had only one goal in mind; getting to Eddie’s grave as fast as humanly possible. You weren’t sure how long you were running for, so when you found yourself sitting on your knees at your brother’s headstone, you were almost on the verge of a panic attack, you were breathing so heavy.

“You’re a liar,” you gritted through your teeth, tears streaming down your face. “You’d said this was our year. Our year, Edward. That makes you a fucking liar. I can’t believe you’d leave me alone, too. Ever since Wayne took us in, you always told me I’d never be alone, that you’d always be there for and with me. But you’re not.”

Hitting the side of your fist on the ground as you bent at the waist, you sobbed. You sobbed for the loss of the little boy you saw through your six year old eyes, for the fifteen year old who held you when your dreams became too much and introduced you to metal music, for the eighteen year old who failed his senior year the first time, for the young man he grew up to be right before your eyes.

Hitting the ground again, you took a deep breath, sitting up. Looking at his headstone, all you could see next to his name was his smiling face. This only made you cry more, the sobs wracking your body

“You lied! You’re a fucking liar! I hate you!” you cried, smacking the front of his headstone where his name sat, repeating those last three words over and over again. “You’re a fucking coward, Edward Munson! You hear me? A fucking coward!”

Placing your forehead at the top of the headstone, you let the tears flow down your cheeks, not hearing tires on the pavement behind you or the steps on the grass from someone’s shoes.

Steve watched as you took a deep, shaky breath sitting back up on your knees, your hand replacing where your forehead just was. He took a couple of steps towards you as he heard you say, “Nothing’s the same without you here. Wayne had to move trailers because of the Gate, I couldn’t donate anything of yours because the thought of getting rid of your things hurts me to my core.”

Kneeling down behind you carefully, Steve was fully prepared to listen to you grieve for your brother.

“You were wrong, Eddie… so terribly wrong about not being a hero. You are a hero. You saved me… a-and you saved Dustin.” Sighing, you closed your eyes and hung your head for a moment before picking it back up to look at Eddie’s name. “I love you, bubba. So much.” You leaned forward on your knees to kiss the top of his headstone before sitting back on your knees.

Steve knew that you were done talking to your brother, but he waited a moment, hearing you sigh in finality before he placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, causing you to jump at the feel of someone touching you.

Quickly turning to face him, your features softened when you realized it was just Steve. You looked at him for a moment before smiling softly at him, both of you moving to sit next to each other, his arm around your shoulders as your head rested on his shoulder.

He sighed, resting his cheek against the top of your head. “I know that I’m sorry is the last thing you want to hear right now,” he whispered. “So, I’m not gonna say it. What I will say is that he’s always going to be here with you. Maybe not physically, but in your heart. I know him being in your heart isn’t the same as being here physically, but…” He stopped his words, looking down at you the best he could before bringing his hand to your chin, gently raising your head up to look at him.

“...he’s always going to be with you.” Putting his hand gently on your chest where your heart sat beneath your sternum. “In here.”

Smiling slightly, your eyes danced between Steve’s, asking, “My boobs?” before letting out a small, quiet chuckle at him as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“No, smartass. Your heart.”

Placing your hand over his, you leaned your head back against his shoulder, your eyes still locked on his. “I love you,” you whispered. “And thank you.”

“For what?” he asked, confused.

“For everything. Letting me basically move in with you, for letting me grieve even though we both know I’m gonna be doing that for a while. For loving me even when I put the walls up.” You looked back at your brother’s headstone, tears filling your eyes once again. “I just can’t believe he’s gone.”

Holding onto you a little tighter, Steve sighed, kissing your forehead when you turned your head into his neck. “I know. I’ll always be here for you, baby, even if you just want to cry, my shoulder is available 24/7.”

You chuckled at his words, looking up at him. “Again, thank you. This time for being supportive, or… at least trying to be.” Smiling softly, you couldn’t help but hear Eddie’s voice in your head, saying, “Kid, if you don’t love up on him, I will resurrect and do it myself.”

Steve didn’t wonder why you chuckled before looking over at the headstone once again. “What’s up?”

Shaking your head, you said, “Just something Eddie would say popped into my head.” Taking a deep breath, you sighed it out, saying, “It’s going to be tough,... but I’ll make it through.” Looking back at your boyfriend, the soft smile never leaving your face as you said, “Especially because I have you by my side.”

Resting his forehead against yours softly, Steve sighed, letting you take the reins on the next set of words that leaves your lips.

“I love you, Steve.”

“I love you, too, baby.”

The wind that blew over the two of you was just wind to Steve, but as you closed your eyes and took a deep breath in, you thought it was a sign from your brother, telling you everything was going to be okay.

Opening your eyes, you gave Steve a small smile before cupping his cheeks, and finally, finally giving him the kiss he oh so deserved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N 2:  hi, friends! let me know what you thought about! again, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox.

Additional Notes: i'm running out of nicknames to give reader when not using y/n or y/n/n. give me some suggestions?? also, i'm irritated at myself for not finding the gif i wanted.

~~~

Forever / Everything Taglist: @stiles-o-dylan24 @stixnstripesworld @fandom-princess-forevermore @quanticobae @mischiefandi @kellyashcroft @lauren-novak

Steve Harrington Taglist: @madaboutjoe​

If you’re tagged and didn’t want to be, please let me know.

Italics wouldn’t let me tag!

~~~

*Please don’t post my writing anywhere else without my consent. The author of this work will always and forever be @harringtonstilinski​.

All characters, story lines, and plot aside from y/n and her storyline & plot, are all of the work of The Duffer Brothers.

*These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Posted on February 22, 2024 *Happy 31st Birthday to me!!*

[mystic-recs]

Doctor’s Orders

Plot/Request: When a sprained ankle takes you off run duty, the new girl goes in your place. Which would’ve been fine– if she didn’t have that brilliant wit, gorgeous smile, and effortless skill. But she did. And it was only a matter of time until Daryl noticed too. (Season 4) 

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Word Count:
 6.6k (this is ridiculously long SORRY lol)

Warnings: insecurities, mentions of injury, 

A/N: not another sick fic, but apparently the reader has a nasty habit of getting herself hurt/sick, huh? also, she’s super jealous… cue evil laughter. 

—————————————————————————————

“Two weeks, at least.” 

You groaned. 

“I’m serious,” Dr. S scolded, “without proper time for rest and recovery, you’ll just make it worse.” 

“Fine.” 

Dr. S stood from the chair at the end of the bed, packing the rest of the bandages in his black duffle, “Hey, far as I’m concerned, you’re one lucky lady getting away with only a sprained ankle and a mild concussion.” 

Keep reading

[mystic-recs]

SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS - J.M

Warnings: pregnancy, main character death, violence, blood, grief

Pairing: pre-outbreak!Joel Miller x fem!reader

Summary: you loved Joel more than you had ever loved anyone else and when you were finally ready to start the rest of your lives together, the world collapsed

Wordcount: 4.1k

The alarm woke the two of you up that morning but he ignored it, tightening his arms around you as the two of you lay there in his bed.

"Alarm," the young girl called out, hand pounding on the door.

You didn't want to be taken out of the dream you had even though you knew that the morning sickness would wake you up any second.

You hadn't mentioned it to Joel yet but you'd checked and you were going to surprise him before he left for work for his birthday. You were 7weeks along and couldn't be happier.

You were snapped out of your thoughts of your future by Joel's groan as he pulled you tighter against him, "Five more minutes," he said, his voice gruff in your ear.

As you turned over and looked at your husband of two years, you thought of everything you'd done and been through. You were 5 years his junior and had met five years ago at a work event. You were a secretary at a work event he wa doing construction for and after spending the whole night staring at you, tommy had finally convinced him to ask you out.

Now as you lay here in his bed, looking up into his eyes, you knew that he had made the best decision. "Happy birthday handsome," you said and he pulled you closer to him, arms tightening around your waist.

He smirked, eyes opening to look at you as he spoke in his deep morning voice, “Do i get my present now?” He questioned, hand slipping down to pull on the bottom of his oversized shirt you were wearing.

You chuckled, pressing a hand against his chest as you pushed him away before sitting up in your share bed, “We have to make breakfast, Ill meet you downstairs,” you said, getting out of bed.

After getting changed, you walked down the stairs to the kitchen where you saw Sarah as she stood at the stove, cooking some eggs. As you walked past, you pressed a kiss to the girls temple as you went to grab a glass of water from the fridge.

Sarah had only been 7 when you started dating her dad and she love you from the second that you two met. She had never had a mother like any of the other girls at school had had but you were more than enough.

“You want any help lovey?” You asked as you saw the girl cooking the eggs.

Sarahs nose scrunched up in disgust, she loved your cooking but eggs was in no way your forte, “I’m good,” she said, trying to be polite as you sat down at the counter.

You looked over at the stairs when you heard a noise, watching as Joel walked into the room. He walked over to his daughter, pressing a kiss to her forehead before reaching for the coffee machine.

Sarah asked where the pancake mix was and her fathers face scrunched up in the same way Sarahs had earlier, they were more similar than they thought they were, "I don't like pancakes," he said.

"I know, but me and mum do," Sarah said, grinning at you. You would never get over her calling you that because it showed just how accepted you were in the little family. She turned to the fridge, pouring her father a glass of orange juice, "It's Vitamin C,"

He shook his head in disgust, sliding the juice over the counter. You smiled, picking it up and taking a sip as he drank his coffee. You picked the glass up as you both walked over to the table, watching as Sarah placed their food on the table.

"How old are you again?" Sarah asked teasingly.

"36," he said, taking a sip from his coffee. He had missed out on so much in his life but the only thing he wanted now was to grow old with his daughter and his wife, ready to live the rest of their lives together.

He was snapped out of his daydream when he heard the door open and and they all turned to him as he walked in, "Hey, still alive you old fucker," he said, grabbing a cup of coffee fron the pot, "You look cheery, you get some last night?"

"Course he did," Sarah said and Joel choked on his food, looking up at his 12 year old daughter, thinking about what she had just insinuated.

"Sarah!' The two adults exclaimed, looking over at her as Tommy laughed at the idea.

“At this rate, you two will have some evil mini mes running all over this house,” Tommy joked and Joel laughed at the concept.

Your face scrunched up as you looked over at him, brows furrowed at the idea that he didn’t want that with you, “Would that be so bad Joel?” You questioned and he looked at you, mimicking the same confused look.

He shrugs, looking at you with the ghost of a smirk on his lips, “No, I don’t think it would,’ he said.

The words sent a wave of relief through you and though you didnt want to mention it now, you were. You had the tests upstairs and the first scan that you had gotten the other day at the hospital to prove it. You smiled at him at the idea and his face sank, almost like he was going through all five stages of grief.

“Honey,” he said, his voice quiet as he looked at you, your smile growing every second that you looked at his shocked face, “Are you serious?”

The room was silent as they waited for your answer. Sarah had a huge grin on her face as she looked at you, the excitement of having a baby brother or sister bubbling up inside of her. Tommys eyes were wide as he looked over at the table, realising that he spoiled the surprise - you had mentioned it to him the other day as he had driven you to the hospital.

“Surprise,” you said, your voice quiet as you waited to gauge the reaction from the others, “I had this whole thing prepared for tonight Joel-“

You started to speak and he cut you off, pulling you into a kiss - he didn’t normally kiss you that much in front of Sarah so the act alone made it clear how happy he was. When he pulled away, his hands came up to cup your cheeks and he looked into your eyes, tears welling up in his.

“We’re going to have a baby?” He questioned again, trying to keep his emotion in as he looked at you. Sarahs mother had never stuck around but he knew that you would, he knew that you were everything he was looking for in a person.

You nodded your head and he kissed you again, one hand going down to rest on your stomach, “7 weeks,” you stated when you pulled away from the kiss.

Joel looked around the room, a huge smile on his face as he looked at his family, “We’re going to have a baby!” He exclaimed, repeating the sentiment as he looked at the others.

When he noticed Sarah had started crying, his face sunk as he wondered if she was unhappy about it, even though she was the one who had been begging for a little sibling since you two got married, “What’s wrong baby?” He asked and Sarah sniffled.

“I’m so happy,” she said, laughing in between the tears. He pressed a kiss against her forehead with a smile.

“Me too Sarah, me too,” he said, looking back at you. Nobody in the room had ever seen Joel miller smile that much before but right now, it looked like he would never stop.

“Congratulations you two, guess I get to be the fun uncle for another kiddo,” he said, a smile on his face.

The rest of the breakfast went smoothly, all of them talking about how exciting it was going to be, what they were going to name the baby, how they were going to paint the nursery but all good things must come to an end. Joel left for the day to pull a double shift at the construction yard and you drove to work.

You were laying on the sofa, fast asleep, when you heard a noise coming from outside. When you finally fully woke up, you checked the time and noticed the sound of helicopters flying overhead.

You started to panic and pulled a jacket on as you rushed to Sarah’s room, you bag slung on your back. When you noicted that she wasnt in bed, you rushed outside, screaming her name.

That’s when you saw Joel’s truck rushing down the street - he had gone out to pick tommy up from jail after an incident - and when the car parked, he jumped outside.

“Where’s Sarah?” He asked, looked around, a wrench in his hand as he walked over.

Just as he said that, she ran out of the Adlers house, the girl running into your arms as you tried to protect her from whatever it was that Joel was scared of.

Nana Adler started crawling out of the house and anyone could tell that the three adults were scared and unsure what to do. You didnt even know what was going on but with Tommy standing there, a shotgun in his hand, you knew that something was wrong.

"What are we doing Joel?" Tommy asked, his voice loud as he pointed the shotgun at the old lady. She seemed sick, her face morphing into something horrid as she scrambled towards them.

When she got closer, Joel did the only thing he could think about doing to protect his family, he hit her over the head. He had to kill the elderly woman because if he didnt, then there was any chance that she could kill his family.

You gasped, pulling Sarah’s face into your body in an attempt to make sure that she didn’t have to watch her elderly neighbour being bludgeoned to death by Joel.

"He killed her," Sarah whispered into your chest and Joel came over to the two girls, knowing that you both deserved answers.

When he looked into your eyes, he could see that you were scared and confused and he felt bad that this was happening to you now. You two were just about to start your family and now you were being flung head first into an apocalypse that you had no idea about.

When his daughter looked up at him, he noticed the look of pure fear in her eyes - she had never looked at him like that before and he could feel the guilt sinking in his stomach "It's not just the Adlers but we're gonna be brave,"

You nodded and he grabbed your hand, checking on the both of you quickly. You watched Sarah get into the car and he pulled you close, pressing a kiss to your forehead, “You okay baby girl?” He asked and you nodded, “We’re going to make it through this, all of us,”

You got into the car, sitting down next to Sarah when you noticed that the other two Adlers were rushing towards the car - they were infected, "Get your seatbelt on!" Joel yelled out and the two girls did.

"I'm scared," Sarah said as she looked up at you. You didnt know how to reassure the girl, you didnt even know what was going on. All you could think about was your family, your baby. You looked down at the bag that you had carried out; inside was the present for Joel, the sonogram.

“What’s going on boys?” You asked, trying to hide the shake in your voice as you looked out of the window as they sped through the streets.

Tommy shook his head in the front from where they were sitting, "They're saying its a virus. Some sort of parasite," he explained, looking back at them.

Sarah let out a shaky sigh, "Are we sick?" She questioned, eyes wide as she looked over at you.

You took her hand in yours, "Course not," you said as you tried to comfort her on a subject that you knew nothing about. You could all be sick for all that you knew but you had to make sure she wasnt too worried

"How do you know? How do you know we're not sick?" She questioned an you could hear the fear in her voice.

The girl had been so excited this morning, she had picked out baby names that she wanted and was preparing for the rest of her life as a big sister. Now she was preparing to potentially die.

Joel turned back and looked at the two of you, "They're saying it people in the city, that's why they got the highway blocked off," he explained and you nodded, unsure what that meant.

He hated seeing his daughter like that, so upset and scared, but he knew that you would look after her and that you were going to be okay. He didnt know how this morning he had recieved the greatest news in his life and now he was sitting here, planning on runnning away to save his family.

As they drove through the streets, Tommy looked in horror at a house on fire in a field, "God. That's Jimmy's place," he said, almost like he finally realised the extent of all of it. It was surreal as they heard the sirens on the streets and prepared for the end of the world as they knew it.

"The Adlers would take nana into the city," Sarah said almost absentmindedly suddenly. You nodded, listening to Joel reassure her that that must be how they got As they drove onto the highway, Joel swore as he looked at all of the other trucks lining up in an attempt to escape the hell, "Everyone had the same fucking idea," Tommy said.

He was just as scared as you and Joel were. This was his family too, but he had to put on a brave face.

"Take the field, we'll pick it up on the west side," you suggested, and Tommy nodded, the car jolting back and forth as they drove across the grass.

When they were driving through, Tommy stopped aburpty when he noticed that the entire military was lining the highway that they were trying to get to, "The fucking army," Tommy said.

"Keep moving, head north," Joel said and you could hear the panic in his voice as he starts to yell, explaining that there was nowhere else that they could go, "Tommy, come on,"

He would do anything for his family, especially now, "Where do we go?" You questioned, not knowing what they were going to do now. You werent even write sure what really was going on but also, nobody else seemed to know either.

"We go as far as we go, I don't know, Mexico," he said, shaking his head as he tried to save the family that he had spent so long building, "Go to the river, get across. Pick up the highway and then we're out,"

As he looked back at you and Sarah, you whispering to the girl to try to keep her calm, one hadn on her shoulder and one on your stomach, he wanted to cry. He wanted to break down and destroy whoever had done this to his family.

"Maybe its everywhere, maybe there's nowhere to go," Sarah said, trying to stay strong for everyone else but you could tell that her voice was breaking.

"We will be fine sweetheart," you said, reaching down and grabbing the girls hand, “You’re a strong girl and you’re going to make it, we all are,”

You were absolutely terrified for your family, for your baby but you couldn’t let it show for Sarahs sake. You had never had a good family life and now that you had this one, you couldn’t bear to lose it.

They started to drive through town, the four of them horrified ad they looked at the crowds of people. Some people were running for safety and some were chewing on other people.

Tommys eyes were wide as he stared into the distance, "I can't drive through them," he said, his hand shaking on the wheel.

"Keep going," Joel yelled out, all of his protective instincts bubbling up. There was no part of Joel that would ever let anything happen his family, to his brother, to his daughter, his wife and his unborn child and he knew that he would kill people to protect them if he had to.

All of a sudden, a large crowd started to emerge in the distance and they realised that there was something going on over there, probably more infected people. There was no way they'd make it through.

"Back!" Joel exclaimed, his voice breaking slightly "Tommy go faster, mow the fuck over them,

"Joel!" You yelled out and he turned to look in the front window when he noticed that a plane was crashing down and was going to land in their direction - it was going to kill them all.

Your head was a blurry for a second as you crashed and when you woke up, you were upside down and Joel was reaching through the car to grab you. You winced as he pulled you out.

He pulled you into his lap, whispering your name under his breath as he checked to make sure you were alright. His heart was pounding as he looked over at the other side of the car where Sarah and Tommy were standing.

For a second there, when you weren't responding, his entire life flashed before him and he couldn't bare to think about what life without you would even look like. He might as well be dead if you were.

“Dad? Are you and mom okay?” The girl called out from the other side of the car, holding onto her uncle.

"She's fine, you're fine, aren't you baby," he asked, hands coming up to her face and she nodded, looking in his eyes like it would be the last time.

You took a deep breath, nodding your head, "My ankle hurts, but I'll be fine," you said and he helped you stand.

Just as you were about to make your way around to check on Sarah and tommy, another car crashed into theirs, blocking the way around, "Head to the River, we'll find a way," Tommy said, knowing there was no way round.

“Let’s go babygirl,” Joel said, wrapping his arm around her as they started running. When they made it into an alleyway, they started running at the sight of one of the infected behind them. They started running as fast as they could, legs carrying them into an abandoned field at the back.

Just as you thought that you weren't going to make it through, the infected man was shot and you and Joel both looked over to see a man from the State police standing in the field.

Joel wrapped his arm round your waist, your ankle had gotten worse from all that running and he could hear you wincing as he walked over to the man.

“Help us, my wife, she’s hurt her ankle,” he said and the man was hesitating, hand on his gun, “She’s pregnant, please,”

You both stood there for a second, not knowing what the man was going to do or say. You looked up at Joel, looking into his deep brown eyes for wht you wondered may be the last time.

The man picked up his radio, “we have two civilians, a man and his injured wife, she’s pregnant,” the man said.

They couldn’t hear what the man said though the radio after that but when he received his orders, he held up his gun and you both knew that this was not going to end well.

“Please, we’re not sick, we’re not sick,” he repeated almost begging the man and when he heard the bullet fire, he did the only thing that he could think of doing, he turned his body around to shied you but it was too late.

When he opened his eyes, he looked up at the man who had the gun still pointed at you. The man never shot again and Joel flinched when he heard a gunshot. When he looked at him, the man was falling to the ground and Tommy was standing there with the shotgun in his hand.

The first thing he heard was Sarah’s scream and then he turned to see you laying there. He crawled over to you, tears in his eyes as he looked at the bullet wounds all in your stomach and chest. There was no way you were going to make it.

“Babygirl, babygirl, come on,” he said and when he tried to move you, you screamed. He pulled you into his lap, tears in his eyes as he held his hand to your abdomen in an attempt to save you somehow.

“Joel, Joel, it hurts,” you said through gritted teeth. It was like someone was pulling at you, peeling your skin off completley. You don’t know how you could bear it any longer so you closed your eyes.

“Look at me honey, don’t do this to me,” he said, listening to your sobs. He turned back, tears in his eyes as he looked at Tommy and Sarah, the latter of which had tears streaming down her cheeks, “Don’t let her see, dont let her look,”

He pressed his hand against your wounds desperately no matter how loud you screamed. He was watching his future slip away from him in those last seconds and you closed your eyes, sobs getting quieter.

“Stay with me baby, come on, come on,” he repeated over and over again and you opened your eyes, looking into his eyes.

“It hurts Joel,” you whispered, “The baby Joel, my baby,”

You let out a scream as he pressed his jacket to your stomach in any attempt to save you. He wasnt going to sit idlely and wait, “We’re going to make it darling, just stay with me,”

“I’m cold Joel,” you said, a chuckle escaping you as you closed your eyes, “Its so cliche, I’m cold baby,”

He let the tears flowed down his cheeks and your eyes fluttered open, focusing on him. You thought back to the first time you looked into his deep brown eyes from across the room and wished you could go back there. As the world slipped away, his hand in yours, you let his face ground you.

He let out a guttural scream as he pulled you into his arms, feeling your body go limo against him. Joel couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. He had failed at the only thing he had ever promised you to do. He had failed to look after you.

Even tommy closed his eyes as he watched his brother lose the only woman he ever really loved. He couldn’t watch, he could listen to the sobs from his niece and the screams from his brother as he tried to hold onto any piece of you that he could.

Joels eyes opened when he heard something flutter to the ground and he looked at a crumpled up sonogram that had fallen from your pocket. The pad of his thumb wiped the blood off of it, your blood, as he looked at what could have been his future.

He had lost almost everything in one moment, his unborn child, his wife and the only woman he had ever truly loved. His hand came down to your stomach, hands stained with blood now as he kept trying.

He let out one more visceral scream as he held your body to his. He wasn’t ready to let go and he never would.

[mystic-recs]

Untied

Plot: After months of friendship, Rick’s suddenly started avoiding you. You decide enough is enough and confront him. (Season 4)

Paring: Rick Grimes x Reader

Word Count:
 2.2k

Warnings: none that I can think of? 

A/N: I seem to have lots of motivation to write for mr. grimes when im having trouble doing something for daryl… interesting… (as always) thank u to @finalgirlrick for the constant support & advice. if u want more rick fics, check out her stuff. mwah <3

——————————————————————————

Rick Grimes. What an asshole. 

A bitter huff slipped past your lips, just like the broken cane you held slipped between the fence and into the eye of a walker. Across the field, where your attention really shouldn’t have been focused, said asshole was wearing those stupid gardening gloves you found him, dragging a hoe along a new patch of soil. 

Had he thanked you for those gloves? Even pretended to care about the scrape on your forehead and the blood splattered up your sleeves after you got back? No and no. Why the hell would he? After all, you’d only spent the last year surviving together. Given him your shoulder to rest on when the burden of over a dozen lives became too much to bear. Comforted him through all those hallucinations he had after Lori… 

Your jaw tightened. Maybe you were an asshole too; frustrated about your dead friend’s husband not paying you enough attention. Even if you’d never admit it out loud, certainly not to Maggie who seemed to never let up, you knew it was more than just familial care you craved from him. 

Rick wiped the back of his hand over his forehead, dripping with sweat under the hot swell of the Georgian sun. As he reached up, so did his shirt, revealing a peak of stomach that meant shameful thoughts were about to swarm your mind. Fuck, you’d break a tooth if you kept squeezing your jaw like this. He was an asshole. A stubbornly quiet, unjustly attractive asshole. 

“Hey,” Maggie called your name with a loose smirk. “You alright over there?” 

You turned back to the fence and stabbed another walker’s skull. “Fine,” you muttered. “Just fine.” 

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[mystic-recs]

gilded lily

pre/during-outbreak!joel miller x f!reader

a/n: gif by moi. just me over here clowning around and hurting my own feelings lmaoo. we start off soft af, and then it all goes downhill very fast so enjoy the angst-fest! x

word count: 2.6k

warnings: brief mentions of potential pregnancy, graphic violence, blood/gore, violent murder (does it count as murder if they’re a zombie? lmao), infected characters, heartbreak, mourning, angst angst angst - don’t like, don’t read. this does not have a happy ending.

note: this follows the general direction of the outbreak and how it unfolds in the show, it’s not identical, but i’ll still put a spoiler warning so yeah - consider yourself warned.

It’s a low buzz, a barely there ringing in your ears, settling in the background and never wavering despite your efforts to clean your ears and pop them. It draws your attention for most of the early morning you spend awake before the others, and it’s not until a body suddenly steps in the way of you staring vacantly at your reflection in the bathroom mirror that you even notice other things are going on.

Your eyes come to focus on Joel who stares at you expectantly, his brows raised at your silence.

“Oh, hi—sorry, what did you say?”

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[mystic-recs]

Heartburn

Plot: After a drunken confession and a gentle rejection, there was only one way to describe how seeing Daryl made you feel. Burned. The two of you grow distant while your wounds still sizzle. Daryl finds himself facing a choice he never expected: let you slip from his grasp or admit his deepest secret. Loosely inspired by “Heartburn” by Wafia. (Season 5-6)

Listen here.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Word Count:
 5.7k

Warnings: swearing, miscommunication cause… ughhhh <3 

A/N: hey! long time no see. I haven’t written anything other than university papers for like three years, so i’m sorry for any mistakes! i’m honestly nervous to post this, but the more I keep rereading and editing it the longer it gets… and its already pretty long haha. so screw it, here ya go! 

I hope you enjoy it! :) 

—————————————————————————————

There were plenty of ways to describe love and loss. Many that you had learned firsthand before the world ended. Yearning. Heartache. 

What you’d never known before was what you felt when you saw Daryl’s face.

Heartburn.

That was the best way to describe it. The only way you could. It wasn’t romantic. It wasn’t endearing. It sounded painful and bitter because it was. Your heart burned when you saw him. Those familiar hooded eyes, his long and curling bangs, and that goddamn vest. It felt like every little pump of blood spread the flame through your body. The feelings you had for him were consuming, hot, and nothing like you’d ever felt before.

You’d take butterflies over this, any day.

But he’d already made his decision. Friends. Nothing more. The rejection was supposed to make these feelings dissipate. It’d only made them worse.

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[mystic-recs]

I knew you’d linger like a tattoo kiss

Warnings: major angst, breakups, heartbreak, allusions to cheating, self doubt, mean!Steve, King!Steve, hurt/comfort, love triangle, mentions of an ED, past trauma. Eddie x reader ending.

Parings: Steve Harrington x fem!cheerleader!reader | Eddie Munson x fem!reader | Steve Harrington x Nancy Wheeler

Summary: Steve was slipping through your fingers and you desperately held onto him not realizing that his heart wasn’t yours anymore. Dealing with the aftermath of your breakup turns out to be harder than you thought. Steve’s presence still lingers and while he keeps a hold of your heart, someone else sneaks their way into it too.

prologue | part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | part seven | part eight | part nine | part ten | part eleven | part twelve | part thirteen | part fourteen | part fifteen | part sixteen | part seventeen | part eighteen | part nineteen | part twenty | part twenty one | part twenty two | part twenty three | part twenty four | part twenty five | part twenty six | part twenty seven | part twenty eight | part twenty nine | part thirty | epilogue

-

random headcanons about Steve

random headcanons about Eddie

headcanons about Cheer (reader)

[mystic-recs]

monty's fic rec library

hey! i'm monty, or @mystic-writings, and this is the dedicated masterpost for all of the (admittedly hundreds - but i'm still catching up) fics i read! every link on this masterpost leads to a tag for the corresponding character!

series masterlists, drabbles, one-shots, and multi-parts will be tagged accordingly! however, i have decided not to tag themes and genres within each post, as most of them are disclosed within the original post! please read carefully before you proceed!

OSCAR ISAAC CHARACTERS

poe dameron

marc spector

steven grant

jake lockley

santiago garcia

blue jones

DOCTOR WHO

tenth doctor

eleventh doctor

STRANGER THINGS

eddie munson

steve harrington

robin buckley

GILMORE GIRLS

jess mariano

logan huntzberger

SUPERNATURAL

sam winchester

dean winchester

TEEN WOLF & MAZE RUNNER

stiles stilinski

newt

MARAUDERS

james potter

sirius black

regulus black

THE WALKING DEAD

rick grimes

daryl dixon

glenn rhee

UMBRELLA ACADEMY

five hargreeves

ben hargreeves

MISC

joel miller

evan 'buck' buckley

[mystic-recs]

Colourful Beginnings

Fandom: 9-1-1 Pairing: Evan Buckley (Buck) / Reader (female) Prompt: Soulmate AU - black marks turn to rainbow when your soulmate touches you for the first time Word Count: 3060 Summary:  Reader has an accident at work and finds herself in need of help from the 118 crew, leading to an entirely unexpected event. Rating: PG

              It was nearing the end of your shift, and you just couldn’t wait to be finished.  You had committed to staying an extra two hours to help because one of your coworkers had gone off sick, but as the end of your ninth hour approached you were seriously starting to regret agreeing to the overtime.  You dipped deeply into your willpower in an attempt to keep your eyes open, but kept yawning as you restocked a shelf with packets of wildflower seeds.  It had been a trying day with many rude and difficult customers, and though the last rush had finished a couple of hours prior, the department had been left in chaos. It had taken you nearly two hours to clean up all the spilled and discarded items left behind, and you still had to finish replenishing stock.

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[mystic-recs]

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Characters: Sam x Reader, Dean, unnamed demon

Word Count: 1,593

Warnings: ANGST, major character death, no fluff in this at all just a lot of heartbreak

Request: What about a SamxReader where Sammy yells “i hate you” at her during a fight and her having a breakdown, so she runs to the woods craving some alone time but there she encounters a demon(or some other monster) and she dies and Sam regrets everything he said. I know a looot of angst!

Summary: You would do anything for Sam Winchester. Anything. When you and him get into a fight because you protected him, things are said and mistakes are made. You leave, needing to clear your head but that’s not the only thing that happens.

Author’s Note: I didn’t use the phrase “I hate you” because I don’t picture Sam saying that to anyone, no matter how mad he is so I changed it up a bit. I hope you all like it! This is unbeta’d and any and all mistakes are all mine.

Feedback the glue that holds my writing together

Tags at the bottom

“Sam, please just try to understand!” You yelled at him, holding your arm close to your side because if you moved it, you might rip your stitching on your ribs.

“No! What you did was reckless!” He yelled back. You and the brothers just got back from a hunt and you saved Sam by putting yourself in the line of danger which resulted you getting a deep cut. Sam fixed you up and stopped the bleeding but that didn’t change the fact that you were still injured.

“Reckless? I saved your ass so, uh, you’re welcome!” You glared at him.

“You had no right to do that! I had it covered! The only thing you did was get in the way!” He turned around and glared at you.

“Fuck you! I was saving your ass because you would have died if I hadn’t! So, sorry for caring so much about you!” You got tears. You may have gotten injured but you didn’t deserve this. But, this was just Sam being Sam. He hated people putting themselves in danger for him. He thinks he doesn’t deserve it or something but fuck that. You cared too much to feed his ego. You would put yourself in danger a million times if it meant to save him.

“I didn’t ask you to do that! You don’t get to put yourself in danger for me. It doesn’t work like that! I can’t do my job if I have to worry about you fucking it up every single time! You know what? Just stay home next time. You can’t hunt, not with a cut like that. You might even be useful here instead of out there. Okay? Maybe next time you won’t get in the way.” What he said hurt you even more than your cut. You stared at him and let the tears fall. You wiped them away hastily before glaring at him. If only looks could kill.

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[mystic-recs]

buck x fem reader work together / secretly dating but they act like they hate each other and the team doesn’t know. reader is also bobby’s daughter (or niece up to you) and scared of his reaction (prompts 17, 37, 42, 81)

Unconventional

Evan Buckley x Reader 

Prompts: #17: “We shouldn’t be doing this”, #37: “Uh why is your shirt inside out?”, #42: “I love you”, #81: “I can explain” 

Warnings: fem!reader, worrying, vulgar/suggestive comments (kinda but not really ?), suggested sexual content, a few swear words, kissing, mentions of hospitals, surgery and injuries. 

Category: fluff with a lil angst 

Word Count: 4.4k

Author's Note: I wrote it as bobby’s niece, it just made more sense :) hope you liked it!! 

---- 

Evan Buckley was a pain in your ass. 

He had been since the day you met him. His annoyingly attractive face, his stupid pretty blue eyes and his smile, not to mention how sweet he was. You couldn't help but hate him. Not in the typical “I hate your guts and hope you fall down a flight of stairs” way but in the “god you’re gorgeous and I want to marry you” way. 

Did you plan on liking the ridiculously attractive firefighter ? Most definitely not. 

Were you also planning on dating him in secret ? Also a no. 

Hence why you were sitting in his jeep on a Saturday at 3 in the morning. The two of you had gone on a date to this little restaurant outside of the city but everything that could go wrong kind of did go wrong.

Buck’s shift was supposed to end at 6 but they got a call last minute so he didn’t get home until 7:30. You called to push the reservation back and when he did pick you up, you got stuck in traffic. By the time the two of you got to the restaurant, it was 8:30 and the woman said she called to see if the two of you still needed the reservation but there was no answer (she didn’t call but neither of you were in the mood to argue) - Now it's 9 pm and the two of you still haven't had dinner. Venturing down the block, there was nowhere that seemed appealing. The night really began at some random mom and pop dinner you spotted by the beach. Deciding to have your own little dinner date on the beach, it was now 9:30. Buck had a blanket in the trunk (you didn’t ask why nor did you really wanna know) and you sat on the beach and had dinner. Time flew by, it was around 1 when the two of you began wondering what time it was. 

The date was now prolonged by Buck’s craving for something sweet so once again, the two of you were on a hunt but for somewhere to go. He googled the closest ice cream parlour but most places were closed, he searched until he finally found a place that was 20 minutes away. It was totally worth the drive considering it was some of the best ice cream you've had in your life. Which now brought you to 2:20 in the morning, the two of you were still sitting on the hood on his jeep, a container of half eaten ice cream between you. 

Buck looked over at you, a smile on his face. “Did you have fun ? despite, you know, all the shit that went wrong ?” you chuckled, “I did.” Buck had a shift at 11 so it was time for the night to come to an end. One of his hands held yours and the other on the wheel, you were staring out the window as the breeze blew by. 

“Something on your mind babe?” Buck asked you, glancing over at you as you turned towards him. 

“We shouldn’t be doing this” you mumbled, you didn’t want to end things with him but that didn’t mean that you didn’t have doubts about where this relationship was going. “What do you mean ?” he asks, his eyes on the road. “I mean how long are we going to hide this from everyone ?” your eyes back out the window, Buck sighed and the conversation dropped. There were a few minutes of silence and the tension filled the car, Buck finally spoke up “you were the one that didn’t want to say anything.” his voice came off a bit harsher than you expected, letting go of his hand, your body shifted towards the door and way from him. He noticed your change in emotion and seating. 

“Babe, I'm sorry. It's just that you didn’t want to say anything and it’s entirely your choice. I get it but we can figure it out. One step at a time, okay ?” Buck looks over at you when he pulls into the parking lot. “Yeah, I know. It’s fine.” leaning over the console to press a kiss to his cheek.  “Good night Buck, thank you for tonight” you give him a smile and get out of the jeep. Buck follows you, “let me walk you up,” he grabs your wrist, the two of you stopped in the middle of the parking lot. “That’s fine, I'll text you so you know I’m okay. You need to get home anyways, you have a shift and you need your sleep” shaking your head, you pull your hand away from him and head inside before he can ask again. 

He was right, it was your choice not to say anything but you weren't sure how your uncle would react. This relationship wouldn't just affect your relationship with him but also his relationship with Buck. You didn’t- couldn't let Buck jeopardize his work life for his love life. 

Shutting the door once you get into your apartment, you send a text to your boyfriend. 

To Lover Boy Buck: I’m home, text me when you get home. Sleep well <3

From Lover Boy Buck: Just pulled in, goodnight babe 

----

Athena’s birthday was on Saturday and Bobby had planned a surprise party for her. With a little help from May, things were in place. 

Bobby had taken Athena out for lunch at some fancy cafe that was impossible to get into and then to see a play. While they were out, you headed over to their place to help May set up. Upon arriving, you saw that Hen was already there as was Buck. 

“Good afternoon my loves!” you shout as you walk over to the kitchen. “I come with coffee” you hand a cup to May and the other to Hen, the two are thankful for the coffee as you had a shit ton of decorating to do and only a few hours to get it done. Buck leant against the wall by the kitchen entryway, “where's mine?” he asked which made you roll your eyes. “Didn’t know that you were gonna be here, no one invited you anyways.” you reply, sorting through the packages of balloons on the table, you toss one and it hits him square in the face. 

“Ow!” he shouts, rubbing his cheek. 

“Oh did I hurt you ?” you ask, pouting at him mockingly. 

Considering the weird note that the two of you left on during your last date, plus not being able to see each other that week left things in a bit of a mess. 

May and Hen exchange glances, “Buck, how about you help put up the banner in the backyard ?” she practically dragged Buck by the arm and into the yard. May was in the kitchen icing some cupcakes that she and Harry had made the night before when she called for you. 

“Why don't you get along with Buck ? I don't know him all the well but he seems like a good guy” May pleads his case unintentionally. 

He is a good guy 

“Ever meet someone and you just don’t like them ?” you ask, she hums. “That’s me with Buck” is what came out instead. 

“I get it.” she nodded, she began telling you about a guy in her chemistry class that just got on her nerves all the time. You excused yourself when the doorbell rang. Chim and Maddie had arrived right as Karen pulled into the driveway with Denny and Nia. You let everyone in and they began helping too. About an hour later, Eddie arrives with Chris and the cake. You take the cake from him so he can help Chris with his jacket.  

“Buck!” you shout

“Yeah ba- yeah ?” he corrects himself last second. Your eyes widen at the word that almost slipped out of his mouth. No one seem to catch it except for Chim who gave you a weird look but you just brush it off. 

“Take this, I need to change.” you hand the cake off to him and head to the bathroom to change into your dress. A few moments later, there was a knock on the bathroom door and then it opened. 

“Hey! I'm chang- oh it’s just you” you mumble as he shuts the door. Buck’s back pressed up against the door. “Are you just gonna watch me or are you going to help me?” you turn, your back towards him now. Pulling your hair over your shoulder, you feel one of Buck’s hands on your waist and then the tug of the zipper.  

“Must you always fight with me, y/n ?” he presses a kiss to your shoulder, his arms wrapping around your waist. “Must you always get on my nerves, Evan ?” you were looking back at him in the mirror, he flashed you a smile and nodded, a rather amused look on his face. “Yeah, it's kind of my job to irritate you” his arms loosen as you turn around to face him now, leaning back against the counter. “Well I guess then I have to fight with you” running your hand through his hair, he leans into you, his forehead against yours. 

“You know, they say make love, not war” he whispers, his lips almost touching yours. A little chuckle slips past your lips, “is this your way of saying that we should stop fighting ?” you mumble as you press a kiss to his lips. Buck pulls you closer to him - which you didn’t even think was possible, “no, it’s my way of saying we should make love” he smiles against your lips as he lifts you up onto the counter and you let out an obnoxiously loud laugh. “Oops” a hand comes up to cover your mouth. Buck can't help but smile, you were adorable and all he wanted was to go out there and tell everyone that he’s in love with you, something he hadn't even told you yet, but at last, he could not. 

“You’re cheesy, you know that right ?” looking up at him whilst you fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “If you want to fuck me, just say so” he tells you to which you reply “you're so vulgar Evan” while rolling your eyes. 

“Oh I'll show you vulgar” he chuckles and pulls off his shirt, his hand reaching behind you to unzip your dress. 

--

Buck left the bathroom first, the house had filled up within the 20 minutes the two of you were in the bathroom. He ran his hand through his hair in hopes to fix it from the tugging that just happened. As he stepped out into the backyard, his sister’s voice called out to him.

“Buck!” she walked over, “you’ve been so busy I haven't gotten a chance to say hi yet” she pulls her brother into a hug. Maddie’s face screws into a confused look. “Did you try a new body wash or something ?” she looks up at Buck, his brows furrow but he shakes his head. “Why?” he asks, “you smell like mint” she informs him. 

You step out into the backyard, a tube of mint chapstick between your fingers,  being applied to your lips. Buck’s eyes were on you, watching as the tube rubbed across your lips, his mind back to those lips were moments ago. Chimney’s voice caused him to pull his eyes away from you and onto him. 

“Uh why is your shirt inside out?” Chim asks him, brows raised. Buck looks down and his shirt is on inside out, “uh, I- uh I had to change.” he says, hoping they’d believe him. 

“You had that shirt on when we got here.” Chim had a puzzled look on his face. 

“Oh Christopher is calling for me, excuse me” Buck walks off before they could say anything. He did indeed make his way over to Eddie and Chris, you were on the other side of the backyard when your phone chimed. 

From Lover Boy Buck: Couldn't you have told me my shirt was on inside out?

To Lover Boy Buck: And how was I supposed to know that ? I didn’t have time to look at you

From Lover Boy Buck: Oh really ? You had plenty of time a few minutes ago 

To Lover Boy Buck: Behave. 

From Lover Boy Buck: Make me. 

You roll your eyes at his comment, May coming out and shouting that they just pulled in. Everyone stood by the backdoors, waiting for Athena and Bobby to come in. 

Athena had a blindfold on as Bobby led her down the stairs to the backyard. “I swear if you did somethin-” he undoes the blindfold mid sentence. 

“Surprise!!” everyone shouts, Athena had a huge smile on her face. She turns to Bobby, “you did all this ?” he smiles but shakes his head, “I had some help” nodding towards May, Athena walked over to her daughter to give her a hug. Bobby and Athena went around to say hello to everyone, Bobby coming over to you and Eddie, Buck and Chris were sitting beside each other. “Hey” Bobby smiled at the two of you, “hey” you smiled back before you gave him a hug. 

“What do I own you for today ?” he asks you

“Nothing at all, I'm glad I could help.” 

“Are you sure kid ?” 

“Yeah, I'm good. I’ll let you know if I need something uncle Bobby” 

He smiles and goes off to talk to Chim and Maddie. Eddie switches places with Buck, Christopher showing his father the trick that Buck just showed him. “You’re good with kids” you tell him, “yeah, I know” he replies. “You're also an arrogant asshole but perspective I suppose.” Buck chuckled at your comment, watching as you walked away. 

It was a while before you sat down for dinner, you were in the house with Bobby, helping him bring stuff out while everyone got seated. When you returned, there were two seats left. One at the head of the table, which was where your uncle was currently headed, leaving you no choice but to sit beside Buck. “Pass me the green bowl ?” he asks you, “no thanks” you reply nonchalantly. Bobby gives you a look, “y/n, pass him the bowl” you sighed and handed the bowl to Buck who was snickering. It took all of you not to smack this man in front of everyone. 

A hand on your upper thigh startled you, you coughed and Eddie looked at you from across the table, his brows furrowed. Your hand comes down to rest on top of Buck’s. Chris followed his father’s look over to you, “are you okay y/n?” he asked you sweetly, you smiled at him. “I’m okay buddy, thank you for asking” Buck bit the inside of his cheek, holding back a smile. Oh how he wanted to kiss you right now, but again, he couldn't really do that, could he? He settled for holding your hand under the table like teenagers for now. 

----

8 o'clock and you were supposed to be there 20 minutes ago. Bobby was probably there wondering where you were. You were supposed to be having dinner with your uncle tonight to tell him about you and Buck. Buck offered to tell him but you felt like it was only right for you to tell him. 

You dialled the number but it rang out. You assumed he was still driving or maybe he was ruining late too. The phone rang while you searched for something to wear. It was Bobby. 

“Hey!” you answer, “I'm gonna be a little late” 

“Y/n, we’re gonna have to take a rain check on dinner.” Something was wrong, you could tell from the way he answered. 

“Everything okay ? Are you still at work ?” 

“I’m at the hospital.” 

“What? Why? Are you okay ? Is it Athena ?” 

“Athena and I are fine. It’s Buck, he’s in surgery right now. I don't think I'll be leaving anything soon. I’m sorry about dinner.” 

Your heart dropped when he said it was Buck. 

“Did anyone tell Maddie ? Do you want me to pick her up ?” 

“It's alright, Chim went and got her. You don't have to come, we’re ok-” 

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes” 

Grabbing the keys, you’ve never run down the stairs so fast in your life. The whole drive over, it felt like the world was moving in slow motion. He’d still be in surgery when you arrived but you needed to know what happened. 

I love you Evan Buckley. 

The 5 words replaying in your head over and over again. The 5 words you hadn’t gotten the chance to say to him. The team plus Maddie and Athena were in the waiting room. Bobby came over and gave you a hug, “is he okay ? Did you guys hear anything ?” you ask as you sit beside Maddie. “Not yet” Bobby returns to his seat. 

“Mads, I'm sorry” you gave her a hug, she gave you a small smile. “It’s okay. Buck’ll pull through. He always does.” 

-- 

3 hours later and still nothing, he had been in surgery 2 hours prior to you arriving, bringing it to a total of 5 hours. Athena and Bobby left for a few minutes to see if they could get an update on him. You looked around the room, Eddie was leant against the wall, his legs on the chairs in front of him, Hen stood by the window on the phone with who you assumed was Karen. Chim’s arm was wrapped around Maddie, her head resting on his shoulder. 

Bobby and Athena returned telling everyone that there was no update other than he was still in surgery. Your leg bounced as you waited, Bobby rested a hand on your knee when he sat back down. 

“You okay kid ?” 

“Mhm hm why ?”

“You only bounce your leg when you’re nervous. You’re sure you’re okay ?” 

“Yeah, I'm gonna go get some coffee” you announce as you get up. If you spent another minute in that room, you were going to combust, you couldn't take it. “Does anyone want anything ?” there were a few mumbles of no but Eddie gets up and says he’ll come with you. The two of you walk down the hallway to the other end. Slipping a bill into the machine, it buzzes and then nothing. Eddie watches as you push the button a few times. Frustrated and tired, your hand smacks against the machine. A few nurses glare in your direction. 

“Hey, go get some air okay ? I’ll get the coffee and meet you outside” Eddie’s hand on your back, leading you to the doors.

“Eddie, I'm fine” 

“Y/n, go. You’ve been in here for a while and honestly, I could use the air too.” 

Not in the mood to protest, you step outside. It was a little past 11 now, it was dark and cold out. Your back pressed up against the brick wall, the coldness seeping through your shirt. A hand running over your face in an attempt to wake you up, you sigh as the door opens. 

“Here” Eddie handed you a mug that didn’t look like it came from a machine. The mug read “#1 nurse” on it and his says “world’s best mom” your brows furrow, looking at the man standing beside you. “I sweet talked one of the nurses, it's fine. I promised to return the mugs when we're done.” he says casually, making you smile. You had always enjoyed Eddie’s company, he didn’t ask questions or poke around in your life, he just lived in the moment. 

“Cute shirt” he chuckles, looking down at the blue t-shirt you had on. You hadn't realized that you left wearing it. “Oh thanks” you mumble, taking a sip of coffee. “It’s Buck’s, isn't it?” he asks, you almost choked on the coffee. 

“Wha- why would you ask me that ?” 

“It reeks of his cologne,” Eddie chucked. “I’ve known for months, y/n. The two of you aren't as slick as you think.” 

“Who else knows ?” 

“No one that I know of, Chim has an idea but he hasn't said anything” 

You hummed, looking out at the parking lot in front of you. “Does Bobby know ?” Eddie’s eyes practically burn into your side.

“I was going to tell him tonight.” 

Eddie’s phone buzzed before he could say anything else. “Let’s go in, the doctors are out.” Eddie followed you into the building and back into the waiting room. The doctor has just stepped in, she glanced back at you and Eddie, “Are you here for Buckley as well ?” 

“Yeah, how is he?” Eddie asks, the two of you step further into the room. “He’s stable as of now, we managed to stop the bleeding. He’s asleep but he’s got a long road ahead of him.” the doctor inform everyone, you watch as Maddie lets out a sigh, her hand squeezing Chim’s. “I can take someone in, if they’d like to go in” Chim let go of Maddie’s hand as she went to follow the doctor down the hall. Eddie could sense the change in body language, you were relaxed until Maddie stepped out with the doctor. His hand rests on your back again, “let’s sit down. You can go in after” he whispered to you. To anyone else in the room, it would look like something was happening between you and Eddie but he was just comforting you. There was nothing happening. 

The person you were in love with was laying in a hospital bed at the other end of the hallway. 

One by one, everyone went in to see him. Chim went in first, meeting Maddie in his room. When they return, they let everyone know he’s awake. Bobby and Athena are next, they go in for a few minutes. Hen was after them, you could hear them laughing from the other end of the hallway. 

It was so good to hear him laugh. 

You and Eddie went in last. Eddie sat beside his bed on the chair, he and Buck having a conversation. Eddie looked over at you, you were standing by the door. “I think I'll go call Chris and let him know you’re alright” Eddie pats Buck’s shoulder before stepping out the room. 

Buck’s attention was now on you. “hey you” he mumbles, trying to shift into a sitting position. “Don’t move, you’ll rip your stitches.” you take a seat where Eddie was a few moments ago. Buck’s hand reaches for yours, although he was awake, his hand felt cold. Your hand rubbed against his, his eyes on you. Neither of you say anything to the other. 

“I thought I lost you for a minute there.” 

“You’ll never lose me, y/n” Buck’s hand squeezes yours. 

“But I almost did and I hated every minute of it.” the tears welling up by your eyes, you blink a few times to get rid of them but instead a few slip down. Buck reaches up to wipe your tears, his hand cupping your cheek. 

“All of this for me ?” he teases, “there was no need to worry, you know that, right?” 

“You scared me you ass, don't do that” you sniffle, your hand wrapping around his wrist. 

“Y/n, I need to tell you something” his eyes were on yours, now you were worried again. “Okay, what is-” 

“I love you” he blurts out. 

“Oh Buck” you breathe, the soft expression on his face changes to a worried one. “Oh god, I'm sor-” your hand comes up and covers his mouth. 

“I love you too” you smile at him, you can feel him smile against your hand. Moving your hand to his cheek, “you do ?” he asks, you nod. “How can I not ?” Leaning out of the chair, your lips meet his. Your hand is still cupping his face and his hand lifting off the bed to meet your waist. Shifting from the chair to the bed, you sat beside Buck, your lips still on his. 

“Excuse me?” someone clears their throat, Buck pulls away to look at who's by the door. Bobby stood in the doorway, his arms folded in front of him and a rather amused Athena beside him. Buck’s eyes widen, you look over your shoulder to see your uncle standing there. 

“I can explain. Bobby I-” Buck starts, but Bobby cuts him off. “It’s okay Buck, I know.” he steps into the room. 

“You do?” the two of you say at the same time, both of you looking at him. Bobby nods, “I might be old - well older than you two but I’m not dumb” he chuckles, “if anything, you two are the dumb ones for thinking I wouldn't know.” he says 

“I was going to tell you at dinner” 

“I figured as much, I also figured you’d want to be here when Buck woke up” 

“Thank you for calling” you smile at him, he gives you a nod. “Everyone is heading home, are you going to stay with him ?” 

You hum, your attention back on Buck. You could hear Athena and Bobby whispering in the back and then the door shuts. Buck shifts slightly on the bed, making space for you. Laying on your side, beside him, your finger traces over the words tattooed on his forearm. The world had come to a pause finally, the things around you didn’t matter right now. Everything you cared about was beside you, the hospital wasn't the ideal place but all you cared about that he was okay. 

“Tell me again” you whisper, your head on his shoulder. Buck turns his head to look at you. 

“I love you y/n l/n” 

“I love you Evan Buckley” 

Turns out you did get to say those 5 words after all. 

--- 

Taglist: @reiidsbby @ssa-volturi @advicefromnixxxx @dralexreid @keenmarvellover @venusrosepetal @mikaelson-emma @beth-winchester21 @averyhotchner

[mystic-recs]

Streetdogs and Chest Compressions // Evan Buckley

IN WHICH: Reader reconnected with her estranged younger brother in the cruelest of ways as the 118 is called the scene of three young men suffering after eating streetdogs. Unfortunately, this is how Buck meets the future brother in law he had no clue even existed.

Warnings: Swearing, family problems (aka estranged), withholding personal information, angst, medical emergency, and fluff

Words: 4.7k

A/N: This fic is a crossover between Julie and the Phantoms and 9-1-1 in which Luke, Reggie and Alex eat the streetdogs in modern times. Don’t worry, someone still dies. Reader’s nickname is Spitfire 

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Masterlist

It seemed Los Angeles was taking pity on the 118 with not even a single fire to be put out or medical needed. It was slow. Painfully slow, and you weren’t even halfway through the twenty-four-hour shift. Hen and Chimney had taken the circular table for a card game, Bobby was reading a new cookbook. Eddie’s Abuela had brought Christopher to the firehouse for his online schooling, the Diaz’s wifi was malfunctioning. Buck and you had snuck off the bunk room to catch some sleep.

“Lazy movie day?” Buck asked with his arms tightly wound around your hips. Your form almost rested entirely on his front due to the narrow bunk.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” You replied to the content man underneath you. You could only hum as he shifted to kiss the top of your head, “Now shh. I want to slee-”

The bell sounded before you could even finish your sentence, “And what I didn’t want to happen just had to spite me.”

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