#- ; Gotta do the same for her crush even though it's embarrassing

[hxzelwallflower]

( 🌻 ) - :: Dreamlight!Valley Eileen, expect she’s got a robot son to care for and she’s down bad for Wreck-it Ralph but sucks at admitting her crush because the man is a video game character. How do you even go about that? 

[darlingshane]

Something Crazy

Pairing: Michael Berzatto x F!Reader

Summary: On Natalie's wedding day, life takes an unexpected turn when you learn that your former crush, Michael, might be interested in you.

Content/Warnings: 18+, Explicit, Smut, P in V, Vanilla, Alcohol, Eating, Fluff, Crack, Pet Names, Kissing, Dancing.

Word Count: 4,6k

— You can read below or at AO3.

Today is the big day for your best friend Natalie. She's marrying her long-time boyfriend, Pete, and you've come back to Chicago for only two days to celebrate this lifetime milestone with them.

They've picked a perfect Saturday in the middle of spring to celebrate their union. Flowers are in full bloom, gardens are lush green, wind has calmed, welcoming a balmy weather to allow having a wedding ceremony outdoors.

Bright Sun rays slip like gold ribbons through the sheer fabric of the curtains as you carefully hang Natalie's gown and remove the garment bag. It's a simple but stunning empire dress, strapless, with lace and pearls adorning the corset. Though you've never fantasized about your own wedding before, as your hand slides softly along the skirt, you can't help but imagine yourself as a giddy bride, wearing that same dress.

Tying the knot is not on top of your list right now. Settling with someone? That's more likely to happen. But there's nothing like being chosen as the maid of honor, especially if you're single, to find yourself trapped in that Disney daydream of getting to meet your prince charming and live happily ever after. Hopefully, that unwelcome, sudden longing will vanish after a few drinks at the reception. Until then, your top priority is making sure your best friend's special day is as magical as she planned.

You're in the designated dressing room of the hotel with the rest of the bride's party laughing, sipping rosé, telling stories while the beautician works against the clock, getting all four of you primped and ready.

While you help Natalie get into her dress, Gigi comes back with a tray of pastries to soak the alcohol before anyone gets too drunk.

“You guys gotta see Mikey. He's so fucking hot I could die. I've never seen him all dressed up and clean like that,” she announces loudly, going around the room like a whirling handing croissants and muffins. “I swear to god his pants are so tight, it’s like looking into an x-ray photograph… you can see everything. And I mean everything,” Gigi stares at you, raising an eyebrow, while you stuff part of a croissant into your mouth.

“Ew, that's my brother,” Natalie frowns in disgust.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you say after swallowing part of your pastry.

“She's looking at you like that because, as we all recall, it was you who had a crush on him for the longest time,” the bride sharply indicates.

“She's got a point, babe.”

“I was like fifteen,” your tone pitches a little higher, as if you were still that age. “Why do you always have to bring that up?”

“Cause let's be honest, you were hung up on him for way longer than you said, and your face still lights up every time you see him. Why can't you just admit you're still love-struck?”

You open your mouth to counter her accusation, but words refuse to come out. You can't even lie for dear life cause admittedly, as fucking annoying as they are, they're also right. Michael was one of those crushes that was hard to shake off. Your friends quickly jumped from one infatuation to another, but you pinned for Sugar's cooler, slightly older brother for longer than you should have. And that's probably the reason every time all your friends get together, they use that embarrassing piece of information to tease you. Even if you ever wanted to forget, they'll never let you.

The last time you saw Michael in person was a few weeks ago for only a few minutes when you came to help Natalie with the last details of the wedding and barely exchanged a couple of words. You moved to Detroit for work three years ago, and the few times you've come back here, you haven't crossed paths with him that often. The soon-to-be married couple also forgo the rehearsal dinner altogether to save money, so you didn't get a chance to see him before the ceremony.

“All I'm saying is if you wanna take a stab at that, this is the perfect time. He's single, he has great hair, he's wearing a dope suit, and did I mention hot?” Gigi keeps cajoling. “Hell, I'll hit that, If you don't. So better act fast.”

“He always had great hair,” Samira agrees, downing the rest of her wine.

“And he asked about you the other day when I showed him the pics of our trip,” Sugar adds.

“Oh,” you try not to sound too pleased, cause you doubt he ever paid any attention to you. Why would he start now?

“Yeah, he was definitely checking you out, and loved that video of you at the karaoke bar,” Samira chimes in as she pours another glass.

“Okay, you're making that up. No more wine for you, missy,” you promptly snatch the bottle from your friend and put it away while they all laugh. “Wait… he saw the video of me singing?”

“Uh-hm.”

You file that information for later and once you are all dressed up, you hand Natalie a stunning bouquet of roses before leaving the room.

“Thanks,” she grabs your arm for a second as Gigi and Samira head out. “Sorry for making fun of you… again. You know we love you and that we just want the best for you.”

“I know,” you mumble timidly.

“Sweetie, you don't need my permission, but if you wanted to ask Michael out, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. He'd be lucky to have someone like you.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because… You've always been like a sister to me, and part of me wanted him to see how amazing you are, so I kept telling him about you. I showed him photos and videos, hoping that he would. And he did! He really loved that one of you vibing to TLC. Thought you were funny.”

“You told him, didn't you?”

“I plead the fifth.”

“I'd stab you if you weren't about to get married,” your serious tone makes her snort.

“Look, you’re not dating anyone. He’s not dating anyone… I could ask him if he's interested before Gigi swipes him up.”

“Nat,” you sigh into a heavy pause, looking into her clear blue eyes. “We’re not in school anymore, you don’t have to play matchmaker. And it's your day! The last thing on my mind is hooking up with someone. Let alone your brother. So drop it.”

“Just saying. It could really be a wedding present for me if you two were to…” you scowl at her, which makes her leave that thought unfinished.

“Okay, that's gross, let’s get you married, so I can kill you right after.”

“Alright, alright. I promise I won’t mention it again.”

In your lavender dress and matching heels, you wait for your cue as the wedding starts. The quartet starts playing. Once the officiant and the groom are in position, groomsmen, and bridesmaids walk down the aisle in pairs. You line up with the bridesmaids by the floral arch on the side of the bride in the lush garden and watch as Natalie walks down the aisle, escorted by both brothers, Carmen and Michael.

She looks radiant, but your stare darts slightly to your former crush. He’s dressed in a dark suit and royal blue shirt, no tie. His fluffy hair pushed back, shining under the sun like black licorice. His features are sharply defined as usual, but there's definitely a certain glow around him that makes him look more handsome than you remember.

Credit where credit's due, Gigi was right. They all were. He still manages to stir those intense feelings and butterflies in your stomach that you thought gone when your eyes meet for a split second as they get closer to the altar. There's also a glimpse of a smile in his lips, directed at you. Or so it looks like. Maybe you're making it up in the chaotic mess that is your mind.

Carmy and Michael kiss either side of Natalie's face when they reach the altar, and then they take their seats on the first row as she stands face to face with Pete.

The quartet stops playing, the officiant starts speaking, and you aim your focus to the ceremony.

Once Natalie and Pete are pronounced husband and wife, there's a time dedicated to take a few pictures of the wedding party in that very same garden before losing the natural light.

Despite promising she was going to let it go, your now-married friend insists on making sure you and Michael end up in several pictures together.

“Mmm… Marcus, is it?” you shake hands with him, pretending to have forgotten his name.

“Michael,” his grip is firm around your hand.

“Oh, sorry, Mario. I have a terrible memory.”

“Don't be cute. I know you remember,” he scoffs, amused, linking one arm around your waist per the photographer's instructions.

You swallow, nervously placing your hand on his firm back, trying to keep your cool. As the photographer takes a series of snapshots, Michael starts humming a familiar song. No scrubs. The one you sang in that famous video your friends filmed.

You press your lips together, and pretend you're not hearing it. It seems like they've all been scheming together against you, or in your favor. You're not sure. You know Sugar wouldn't do anything to make you uncomfortable, but this is getting ridiculous.

“Save me a dance later, would you?” he requests with a wink once the photoshoot session is over.

“I can't, Mitchell. I've already promised that to one of the groomsmen,” lie.

“You're gonna keep that bit the rest of the day?”

You shrug your shoulders, “it's not up to me, Marley.”

“Alright, come find me when you grow up.”

He presses his lips in a tight smile and walks away, leaving you dwelling in that awkwardness that washes over you, and wondering if he's messing with you or if he's suddenly into you. Those are good questions that you can't leave unanswered. If there's a chance that Michael Berzatto likes you, and that's a big IF, you really need to find out. The ball is in your court now. The question is… Do you want to throw it back?

The party moves to the banquet room in the hotel. There's plenty of food, drinks, music, and people in the room, but none of it can't distract you from the presence of Michael. This isn't how you expected to spend the day of your friend's wedding. And it's really going to bother you if you don't at least try to have a nice conversation with him. This is probably your last chance, so right after your heartfelt toast, you wipe your tears, throw back some liquid courage to walk up to his table.

He's nursing a glass of scotch, watching people on the dance floor, when you quietly take the empty chair besides him.

“No Richie today?” you break the ice.

“Oh, you remember his name but not mine?”

“Get over yourself, Michael. You know, I always got a little awkward when I was nervous. And unfortunately, it still happens.”

“Think you're doing pretty good right now.”

“Had a little help,” you tilt your glass in his direction.

“Well, I'm glad you decided to join me,” he nods and points at the bar where Richie is conversing animatedly with your friend Gigi. “I had to convince Sugar to invite him. Hope he behaves for my sake.”

“Oh no, you're a dead man. Nothing good is gonna come out of that.”

“How so?”

“They're both insane, divorced and desperate. That's a dangerous cocktail nobody wants to drink,” you point out.

“Yeah, you're right. I guess I didn't really think it through.”

“You're screwed, Berzatto,” you take a sip of your glass and turn your eyes from the bar to Michael. “You know I was just joshing earlier, right? It surprised me that you were so… Direct.”

“Men aren't usually direct with you?”

“No, I guess I haven’t been very lucky in that department… Or maybe I’m just a bitch with unreachable standards that scares away any potential suitors.”

“That would explain a lot.”

“Gee, thanks!”

“I’m kidding. I’m sure your standards are reasonable. And I don’t think you’re a bitch if that helps.”

“Yet you’re wondering why I came here alone?”

“Not really. I didn't bring a date, either.”

“Yeah? Why is that?”

“I dunno. Maybe I have really high standards, too,” he winks casually at you, knocking you out of your game.

You should have come prepared for this, but you never thought in a million years that Michael Berzatto would ever show any interest in you.

Still trying to figure out if you're picking up the right signals from him, you prop your elbows on the table and let out a sigh as he presses the rim of his glass to his mouth to take a swig.

You bite your lip and watch the guests swaying animatedly on the dance floor.

“So. Do you wanna dance?” he softly taps one of your arms.

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why?”

“Did your sister put you up to this?”

“Why would she?”

“Don't play dumb. I used to have the biggest crush on you, and if you didn't notice, I'm sure your Sugar has told you.”

His lips draw a lopsided smile. “She might have mentioned something a while ago, but she didn't put me up to this, I swear. This is all me. I only asked you for a dance. I didn't ask you to marry me.”

“I suppose a dance wouldn’t be that bad.”

“I'll take that,” he throws back the rest of his drink in one gulp, stands up, offering his hand up to you, “shall we?”

You were hoping to have some more time to prepare, but his sharp conviction is something you can’t reject. That’s part of Michael Berzatto’s appeal. He’s always been such a bold and outgoing guy, it's daunting. It’s good to see that hasn’t changed at all. The only thing that’s different is that now he’s wasting his charms on you.

With some apprehension, you follow his steps into the dance floor. There’s a mid-tempo song playing that you don’t recognize that makes you forget altogether how to move your body. So you just stand there, three feet away from him, like a deer caught in headlights, bobbing your head, avoiding his eyes.

Michael stares at you, slightly entertained by how uncomfortable you look right now, and throws you a lifeline by stepping closer, picking up your hands and placing them on his shoulders.

“What are you so afraid of, sweetheart?” he asks, planting his palms on your waist, guiding you slowly to move with him.

“I'm afraid that I'm not a very good dancer.”

“I doubt that.”

“Wait till I step on you,” you subconsciously look down at your feet.

“Follow my lead. You'll be fine.”

“Okay, Johnny Castle, but don't make me mambo, salsa, waltz… Or anything that requires taking my feet off the ground.”

“Who the hell is Johnny Castle?”

“Patrick Swayze? Dirty Dancing?” you question, as if it was the most outrageous thing that he hadn’t heard about that film.

“I’m more of a Road House kinda guy.” Of course, he is. “Was that another crush of yours?”

“Oh, big time!”

“Ok, got it, nothing fancy, we're just swaying. See?�� His hands guide your body to move side to side, but it's impossible not to feel a little clumsy in your steps.

“Hey, what do you think of Pete?” He asks, using his head to point at the newly-weds.

“Uhh,” you glance to the side to see Pete wrapping an arm around Natalie, “he can be a total douche sometimes, but he's always sweet to her. I guess that's what matters. Why? What do you think about him?”

“Words out of my mouth.”

“Michael?” You glance up to his deep dark eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Be honest, why did you want to dance with me?”

“Do I really need to spell it out for you?”

Your lips pull up on the sides as your head nods.

“Cause I wanted to dance with the prettiest girl I've ever met.”

If this is a dream, you don't wanna wake up to find out that this was just a concoction of your mind. It's not. It feels real. If you weren't holding onto him, you'd fall to your knees after hearing his words roll past his beautiful lips.

There are so many questions you wanna ask, but you can only sigh, and smile wider under the sweet glow of his brown eyes fixed on you.

“You really think that I’m that pretty or interesting?” your mouth opens after a pregnant pause, at the same time the song switches to something incredibly romantic.

“I've always thought that. It just took me a while to realize it.”

“God, you have the perfect answer to everything. That's really annoying.”

“I don't. I swear. You just caught me in a good mood.”

“I don't remember you ever being in a bad mood.”

“I have my moments. Trust me.”

He unexpectedly picks one of your hands from his shoulder, lifts it in the air to have you spinning ungracefully under his elbow before quickly wrapping his opposite arm around your waist to dip you. He grins at the shocked expression on your face for a second before bringing your body upright.

“Please, don't do that again,” you brace your hands to his chest right after.

“Why? That was perfect, sweetheart,” he laughs, “Johnny Castle would be proud.”

Your lips curl softly, letting your palms tentatively slide on his blazer until they're caught on the warm surface of his neck.

“Am I making you nervous?” he dares to ask, knowing pretty much that he's driving you crazy.

“A little,” a lot, actually.

He whispers, – sorry – as you run your fingers at the hair at his nape. You observe up close how he licks his lips, noticing his hands clutching harder to your waist. His head leans closer, and you draw a breath, preparing yourself for having his lips colliding against yours. It feels like the world stops spinning for a second and just about when he's about to kiss you something, someone in this case, crashes against your back making you lose your balance. Michael anchors you to the floor quickly before you can fall, as a slurred-drunk voice apologizes at your back.

“Fucking idiot,” Michael mutters and checks on you, “you okay, sweetheart?”

You're not. The spell is broken, and your dress suddenly feels cold and wet from the drink that was spilled along your hip.

You excuse yourself, and rush out of the dance floor, so you can clean yourself up.

There’s a big surprise in the nearest bathroom you find, and that is your friend Gigi making out with Richie with such passion, they don't even notice you opening and quickly closing the door.

The tiny glimpse that you caught of Richie propping your friend on the sink and sliding his hands under her skirt makes your jaw almost fall to the floor. You wish you could erase that from your memory immediately, but at least it has made you forget momentarily about your dress.

When you turn around, you’re faced with Michael again. You ran out so fast you didn’t notice him following behind.

“What’s wrong?”

“Richie and Gigi,” smacking your lips, you point with your thumb to the door with no further explanation.

“Wow, they didn’t waste any time.”

“That's the thing about weddings. They make people do crazy things.”

“Tell me about it,” Michael looks down for a beat, licks his lips, and steps closer.

He holds your chin between his fingers, tilting your head up. As he leans to capture your mouth, you flinch, “what are you doing?”

“Something crazy,” the corners of his mouth quirk up, making another move, and you jerk your face a second time in reflex. It’s not that you don't wanna kiss him, you absolutely do. You just need another moment to process it.

“Damn, girl. Can you just stay still, so I can kiss you already?” He demands without an ounce of entitlement. Just driven by the desire to taste your lips.

“Alright, okay… just give me a second,” you yield to his craving, letting him slowly guide you, so your back is pressed against the wall.

There’s no escape now, this is the moment you’ve dreamed with many moons ago that seemed like a pipe dream back then. All those thoughts vanish the moment his lips are pressed against yours firmly, before letting them bounce a couple of times together. His alcohol-tainted breath mixes with yours as his lips part wider. He captures your lower lip with a light suck, followed by the tip of his tongue shamelessly drawing the curve of your mouth. It's deliciously sexy and sweet and everything in between. You close your eyes and follow his lead, opening your mouth and letting him slot his lips against yours. His tongue invades past your teeth without resistance. It challenges you to kiss him back. It takes you a moment to respond, but soon enough, you're fully immersed in the depth of his mouth, taking the reins of the kiss.

You haven't been kissed like this in a while. Maybe ever.

When your mouths separate, you realize your hands are anchored to his back, and he's fully pressed against you. His lips are covered in your saliva and vice versa.

“I'm going to change my dress,” you sigh, giving him a little push, so you can put yourself together.

“Oh… Okay,” there's a hint of disappointment in his tone.

You clear your throat and harness an ounce of confidence to ask, “do you wanna come? I might need some help. The zipper is a little tricky in this thing.”

Right.

His expression turns on a dime, eyes wide open, white edge teeth showing behind his slightly parted lips. Speechless by the implication of your proposal, he cleans his lips on his palm before responding, “I… sure.”

Proud of yourself for taking a gamble and hitting the jackpot, you go back inside the banquet hall first to collect your purse from the table and then head up to the elevators with him following closely behind.

A palm lands at the small of your back while you press the button. The anticipation makes your stomach flutter wilder than ever. Who would have thought you'd be taking Michael to your room on this day? It feels surreal. Absolutely bananas.

You don't say a word during the elevator ride up to the fourth floor.

When you reach your door, you notice his palms framing your hips from behind. His touch makes your pulse tremble while using the key card. It takes you a couple of tries to open the door.

There's a strange force, an electricity buzzing, that grows more powerful the second you're inside.

You hit the light switch, drop your purse on the chair and turn to face him.

Following that unstoppable whim, you place your palms on his chest and push back his blazer. He shrugs it off as you move to undo the few buttons he's fastened. Your fingers tremor anxiously as you uncover his defined torso. You want to stick out your tongue and trace those two lines forming a V oh his abdomen that leads to the outline of his cock behind the tight fabric of his dress slacks. It’s too bold of a move for you right now, so you let your fingers do your bidding.

When your hands reach his belt, they proceed to unbuckle it under the lust-filled shadow of that flame of his gaze that could scorch the surface of the earth if he wanted to in a second.

He’s already half hard when you unzip his fly, and that's as far as he allows you to go. Michael's dying to touch you, to undress you and fuck you. He quickly turns you around, making you gasp, and finds the zipper of your dress. Your skin rises into goosebumps when he pulls the tab down. He nibbles at the crook of your neck, pushing the top of your dress down to your waist. You shimmy your legs out of it as his hands invite themselves to your skin.

His all hands and mouth around you as he removes your strapless bra and guides you to lay down on the bed.

The fire that lights up his eyes sears through yours as he slips out of his unbuttoned shirt. He then props a knee on the bed, hovering over you, and lowers his head to kiss your stomach. His tongue darts out and draws a circle around your navel. Your head falls back on the mattress, as he leaves a trail of wet kisses up your torso. He nibbles once more at your neck, increasing your arousal up to eleven.

“Michael, please,” you groan as he presses himself between your legs, grinding slowly behind layers of fabric, coaxing your juices to stain your underwear and growing himself a hard-rock erection that can barely be held by his boxers.

Lifting lifts his head, he props himself on his elbows, and surveys the tortured expression on your face as his hips keep relentlessly moving.

“Fuck, you're goddamn gorgeous, baby,” he exhales, proceeding to swiftly rid you off your panties, and pushing his pants and underwear down.

He drives his hardness inside you with great care, pushing inch after inch of that monumental erection that stretches your slicked walls. You close your eyes as he experiments with his thrusting, molding your opening to its generous size.

“Is this how you imagined this?” he pants against the corner of your mouth.

“No. This is better… Much, much better,” you purr, palming his ass, encouraging him to move faster.

If you had a free hand, you'd pinch yourself to check if this is really happening right now. It still blows your mind thinking that Michael Berzatto is deeply buried inside you, wanting you, claiming every cell of your body for his enjoyment. You gladly surrender to his desires as the cadence of his hips drive you into madness. As much as you try to contain your moans, he does everything in his hand to force every moan, curse, and breath to fly out past your teeth.

He slams into you with passion, bites your skin, grips your tits, devours your mouth, setting every inch ablaze. It’s as mind-blowing as it is fast, but he earns himself a good squeeze of your walls when he brings you to orgasm. He comes undone just merely a second after, releasing a wild grunt that ripples all over your skin, and pouring all his warm seed into the depths of your pussy, having his hips jerking erratically until he’s spilled every drop.

His cum sticks to your walls as he rolls to the side of the mattress with a grunt. Your head is spinning out of its usual axis, overtaken by that powerful boost of endorphins, and your lungs struggle for a deep breath.

For a long minute, you both stare at the ceiling while you regain your breath.

When he composes himself, he turns to the side to look at you, sweetly letting one of his fingers brush your cheek, “do you wanna do this again tomorrow?”

“Can't. I'm leaving, remember?”

“Right.”

“But you can stay the night if you want. And repeat later. And maybe one more time even later. Would you like that?”

“I'd love to, sweetheart.”

[atinylittlepain]

In a Pinch

Joel Miller x f!reader

joel miller masterlist

Joel keeps throwing his back out, but Ellie knows just who to go to for help.

warnings | 18+ allusions to smut, that's literally it, fluff ahead

a/n | is this entirely self-indulgent nonsense? why yes, yes it is. also, this ficlet belongs to the sweetness universe, but can totally be read on its own

.............................

This is the third time this week that Ellie has come home from her classes at the community school to find Joel sprawled on the floor with a pained look on his face. 

“Back hurting again, old man?” He huffs, glancing at her from where he’s laying on the living room floor.

“I’m just– stretching.” She snorts at that.

“Oh yeah? What’s this pose called? I’ve given up-dog?” She bursts out in laughter, impressed by her own joke. Their pretty teacher-slash-neighbor-lady had been offering yoga classes during their free elective period in school, and Ellie had gone only because Dina wanted to do it, but now she’s happy for the material it provided for her to razz Joel with. He, however, does not look equally amused at her wordplay.

“Alright, smartass. Will you just help me up? Goddamn.” He shuffles into a seated position with a hard groan and Ellie begrudgingly offers him her hand. Right as he starts to pull himself up though, he lets out a yelp of pain. She didn’t know Joel could even yelp, quickly getting worried by the way he flops back down onto his back, his face twisted up in what could only be agony.

“Jesus– fuck!” That can’t be good.

“What? What’s wrong?” She hovers over him, getting more and more worried by the way he’s not moving a muscle.

“It’s my fucking back– I– something popped.” Because she isn’t a geriatric menace like Joel, Ellie knows nothing about what that could possibly mean, just that it’s probably not good that he literally cannot sit up right now.

“Uh, ok– should I– should I get someone?” Joel tries his best to shake his head no, more of a jerky side to side than anything else.

“No. Just gotta– wait it out.” She scoffs.

“On the fucking floor? What if I just get Tommy? He could at least get you onto the couch or something.” The shaky jerk of his head gets a little bigger, but Ellie’s already headed toward the door. Because she’s her, she turns on her heel just before slipping out.

“Be right back, old man. Don’t you go anywhere!” She just couldn’t help herself.

However, as she steps out onto their front porch, it dawns on her that Tommy is on patrol today. Shit. She racks her brain for who else she could ask for help, coming up with a big fat nobody. She’s distracted from her dilemma by the sound of faint humming, whipping her head around to see their neighbor - pretty teacher-slash-neighbor-lady whom Joel has a huge crush on - walking up the steps to her own porch and unlocking her door before slipping inside. Ellie grins, a clear solution suddenly laid right before her. Yoga is good for bad backs, right?

She’s already bounding across their yard toward pretty-teacher-lady’s house. It would take a fool to not notice that something has been going on between Joel and her, ever since that dance they both just happened to disappear from at the exact same time. As far as Ellie’s concerned, asking her to come help out the old man and his messed up back is a win-win, a two for one really. In one fell swoop, Ellie will get Joel some help and embarrass the living shit out of him in front of the woman he’s got the hots for. Now that’s a prospect she could never pass up.

…

“Ellie, what the hell–”

“Shut it, old man! She can help you with your messed up back.” Joel hasn’t felt this mortified in a long time, a hot flush creeping up his cheeks as his eyes dart between his smartass of a kid and their neighbor, the same neighbor he’s been fooling around with for the last few months. Probably not for much longer, now that she knows I throw my back out if I even sneeze funny. 

“I’m fine– really. Just– letting things loosen up a bit.” Ellie snorts at that, turning to their neighbor with a smug look.

“He couldn’t even get up off the floor–”

“Ellie.” If there was a way for someone to die of embarrassment, he reckons he’d already be six feet under by now. Their neighbor, however, seems unphased by the whole thing, putting a hand on Ellie’s shoulder and offering her a smile.

“Ellie, I think Dina was looking for you at the stables, why don’t you–” Before she can even finish, Ellie is already whipping out the door. Joel lets out a huff, and then winces at the pain it sends shooting through his back. 

“I don’t need any help.” She quirks a brow at him, kneeling down by his head.

“You sure about that?” He hums a yes. She doesn’t seem convinced.

“If you don’t need any help, can you sit up for me?” Fucking hell. 

“I mean– I can. S’just, I’m good like this for now.” She tilts her head at him, her crooked smile letting Joel know she doesn’t buy that for one second.

“Ok, I’ll let you stay like that. But can you tell me what happened at least?” He turns his head just slightly to look at her, letting out a deep sigh.

“It’s my back.” She chuckles.

“I can see that. But what happened to have you laid out like this?” He presses his lips into a thin line, furrowing his brow, not wanting to admit to her what happened. She brings a hand to his shoulder.

“It’s embarrassing.” 

“Joel, there’s no need for that. Besides, I’ve already had you on your back more than a few times before, haven’t I?” She can barely get the last words out, dissolving into a giggle. Joel, however, does not think it’s very funny.

“Now you’re just being cruel.” She sighs, squeezing his shoulder as she dips down to give him a peck.

“I’m kidding, don’t pout. Seriously, I might be able to help you if you just tell me what happened. Please?” He huffs, already melting at the soft look she’s giving him.

“It happened at the stables– earlier today. Bent over to pick up a saddle and it just– something just tensed up. It’s happened before– usually just gotta lay down and it’ll work itself out– but then the kid came home and she tried to help me up and–” “Let me guess, something popped?” His jaw goes slack at her knowing smile and she rather comfortingly rubs her palm up his arm.

“Can you tell me what kind of pain you’re in right now?” 

“It’s tight in my low back– but the pain is sorta– spreading? Down into my legs.” He’s surprised when she looks at him like she knows exactly what he’s talking about.

“Sounds like sciatica.”

“Come again?” She smiles.

“We all have something called a sciatic nerve. It runs from your low back down both of your legs. It tends to get pinched pretty easily from stuff like heavy lifting and the pain this causes is called sciatica.” He squints at her.

“Why exactly do you know this?” She sighs, already setting into action, shifting down to his feet to tug off his boots.

“Well, I was a yoga teacher in another life. Had a lot of men just like you come into the studio with the same complaint.” A new detail he hadn’t known about her. He nods, peering down at her where she’s still working at his shoes.

“Do you know how to fix it then?” She hums, shifting back up onto her knees and shuffling to his waist.

“Sort of. I can move you through some stretches right now to at least get you off the floor. But the real fix for something like this is gonna be strengthening everything around it. If you keep up with the exercises I’ll show you, this shouldn’t be a problem anymore.” Joel can’t help but grumble at that. He’s never had to do “exercises” in his life. His work always kept him fit, and after that, scraping by in the apocalypse had worked just as well, though he supposes things have gotten a bit more lax in Jackson. He doesn’t have much time to ponder this when she’s abruptly undoing his belt and unbuttoning his pants.

“Woah, hey– not that I, uh, mind exactly. But what’re you doing?” She grins at him, her hands stilling at his waistband.

“Easy, Miller. I’m just gonna take off your jeans. Need you to have your full range of motion for these stretches and tight denim isn’t gonna fly.” He’s trying real hard to not be weird about it, but the sight of his pretty neighbor whom he happens to have seen naked on multiple occasions now gently shimmying his jeans down his legs is making his heart slam against his ribcage. 

When she gets his pants all the way off, leaving him in his boxers and t-shirt, she stands up with her hands on her hips, surveying the situation. Joel can’t help but grumble.

“Feel like a fucking invalid.” She snorts at that, kneeling back down alongside his waist.

“Alright, enough of the pity party. I’m gonna guide you through some stretches, you tell me if anything hurts too much, ok?” He nods, trying to ignore the shiver that runs up his spine when she rests her hand on his hip.

“Which leg are you feeling pain in?” He tells her it’s his left side, the one closest to her, and she nods. She slides her hand down from his hip to the hinge of his knee, and he can’t help wondering if this is the treatment she gave all her clients before. He sure hopes not. 

“Here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna bend this knee in toward your chest and see if that doesn’t release any of the gripping. If that feels ok, we can take it a bit deeper, alright?” He’s not really sure what any of it means, a little too focused on the way she’s reassuringly stroking her thumb along the crook of his knee, but he nods. 

With a little assistance from him, she starts to bend his knee, tightness immediately pulling in his back as she tucks his leg in toward his chest. Well, sort of. His leg only bends to a bit over ninety degrees before it just stops. Her eyes dart to his, a furrow of concern clear in her expression.

“Does that hurt too much?” He huffs, shrugging a little.

“Not really– s’just tight. I don’t think it’s gonna bend anymore. Feels– I don’t know– rusty.” She sighs, her hand that’s not supporting his knee rubbing his chest in soothing circles.

“Ok, my sweet tin can man. Let’s try something else.” As she maneuvers him into what she calls a “figure four stretch,” he can’t help but study her face. He’s never seen her so focused, so determined, so at ease, and it’s clear to him that all this was a big part of her life before.

“So, this is what you did for a living? Helped people out with their messed-up backs?” She breathes out a laugh at that, keeping one hand on his shin as she looks up at him.

“This was part of it, yeah. I went to college for human physiology– suppose that’s why they have me teaching science at the school now. It just made sense to me, y’know? Muscles and ligaments and bones, how they move. Yoga just happened to be a passion that I turned into a job– I loved it.” He nods at her words, enjoying the distraction of learning a little more about her far more than the tight pulling sensation of the stretch she has him in. 

Then, all of a sudden, another pop resounds through his back. But this one doesn’t feel like a tightening up, it feels like a huge release. 

“Sweet jesus.” Her head whips up to look at him, hand slackening where it had been holding firm pressure to his leg. 

“You alright?”

“I’m pretty sure something just let up– felt another pop– but a good one, I think.” She nods, sitting back and resting her hands in her lap as he tentatively unwinds his legs from the stretch she had him in, planting his feet flat on the ground with his knees bent. 

“Well?” He sits up with a little groan, holding onto his shins to stay up straight.

“Feels a lot better. Still tight, but the pain has eased up for sure.” She practically beams at that and suddenly Joel’s heart is hammering in his ribcage again.

“Now that’s what I like to hear, Miller.” She helps him up, and this time, he actually makes it off the floor, quick to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her into him.

“Thank you for your help, darlin. Gonna have to repay you somehow.” She laughs into the downright salacious kiss he steals from her, lightly pressing on his chest to get him to let up.

“Oh, I’m not done with you. Still got exercises to learn.” He groans at that, jostling her in his hold and burying his face in her neck, but she rakes her fingers through his hair, tugging lightly to get him to look at her. 

“And I’m gonna be checking in everyday to make sure you’re doing them. Can’t have you throwing your back out anymore, not on my watch.” He can’t help but smile at that, trying to kiss away the stern expression she’s giving him.

“Yes ma’am. Whatever you say.” He reckons if the instructor is as pretty as she is, he won’t mind doing a few exercises every now and again.

[reputationmunson]

Hii I was wondering if you could write a Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader where she’s like 2 or 3 years younger than him and she’s in love with him and he knows about it but he pushes her away because of the age gap but when they’re in the upside down she gets hurt and he freaks out and they have an argument and he realizes his feelings for her. Sorry if it’s confusing :) she/her pronouns please

I am so sorry this took me so long! I’m already a perfectionist and then i’m even worse when it comes to requests because i’m scared of disappointing people that request things. I hope you enjoy and thank you for the request and being patient!

Bloodshed, Crimson Clover | s.h x fem!reader

content: angsty, mentions of unrequited feelings, reader is 20 and steve is 22, blood/injuries, the upside down, mentions of death, happy ending!, henderson!reader(i made reader adopted so that way there’s no indication that she has to resemble dustin) 

Word count: 2.3k

What is it that causes such an incessant need for someone’s validation? Especially when that person has never even given you an inkling of recognition. 

Is it low self-esteem? Is it to fill a void? Or is it because your “adorable”, “genius” younger brother overshadowed you for the majority of your life? 

If you would get a B+ on a test, Dustin would come home and say he got the highest grade in his class. When you got your driver's license, Dustin had just invented one of his gadgets. Those were just two examples out of many instances. 

You know it was never intentional or malicious. You considered him to be your best friend and your mom always talks about how excited you were about having a baby brother. You were adopted as a baby, but biology never mattered much to you. Your mom was your mom and your brother was your brother. No ands, ifs, or buts about it. 

Your issue with approval didn’t start until your freshman year of high school. When you met him. 

Steve Harrington, to be specific. 

It’s cliche, right? The quiet girl who’s a bit of a loner having a huge, almost embarrassing, crush on the popular guy who practically runs the school. 

Much like the rest of the girls, you fell victim to the fascination of Steve. 

As expected, he never paid much attention to you. There was a time period during sophomore year that he would occasionally copy off your tests in science class. He tried to be subtle about it, but that only made it more obvious. It never bothered you, though. It made you feel special, however silly that sounds. 

Then, the unthinkable happened. your little brother, who was still in middle school at the time, befriended Steve. 

To say it was mind boggling would be an understatement. 

Here you were, spending your first two years of high school trying to get his attention, and out of the blue Steve drives Dustin to a school dance. Ever since then, he became a glorified babysitter and mentor to Dustin. Even now, after all these years since Dustin has grown up, their relationship remained the same. 

“I’m always gonna look out for you, buddy” you once overheard Steve say to your brother, making your heart swell. 

You thought for sure this was going to be your chance to get closer to Steve, maybe you’d be lucky enough for him to fall for you the way you fell for him. A silly school girl crush had turned into a pining, unrequited mess. You felt like a fool the way you would try and put yourself out there, only for him to drift further and further from you. 

“Hey, Steve, wanna watch a movie after you drop Dustin off at the arcade?” you’d ask and he’d reply “Sorry, I can’t. Gotta do laundry tonight” or some other half-assed excuse and pity smile to try and let you down easily. 

The way you acted was cumbersome. Laughing at his jokes too loudly when they weren’t even really that funny, putting on your best outfit when you knew he was coming over, and baking him cookies as a ‘thank you’ for taking care of Dustin. You weren’t subtle about your crush, making it even worse that the feelings weren’t reciprocated. 

At first, you chalked it up to being a sophomore while he was a senior, then being a junior once he graduated. After that, you blamed nothing but yourself. Were you not pretty enough? Not funny enough? Not good enough? Too upfront with how you felt? Too desperate?

The same questions run around your mind almost every night before you fall asleep, hoping that one day maybe it’ll hit him that he wants you just as much or maybe you’ll wake up one day and be over him, which is the more likely option. 

At least it was, until tonight. 

_

“Jesus christ, y/n, you could’ve gotten yourself killed!” Steve reprimands for what feels like the thousandth time. His arm supports your waist as your arm is wrapped around his shoulders as you walk into his house.

“So you’ve said” you grunt, barely audible due to the fact you feel like you won’t make it if you use up all your energy to speak. 

_

A gate had opened to the upside down, which you only learned about two years ago. You all thought the gate was closed for good, but alternate dimensions seem to be a bit unpredictable. 

You refused to let Dustin go with you and Steve agreed. Both of you had one thing in common; you’d do anything to protect him. It was only you and Steve that had gone and it wasn’t exactly how you pictured having alone time with him. 

After what felt like hours of going in circles, you strayed from him in an attempt to find your way out and then planned to go back to him then lead the way back home. Steve ran after you, but ended up losing you. 

All of the sudden, the weirdest looking creature you’d ever seen came out of nowhere, scratching and biting at you. You fought hard, finally grabbing hold of your weapon and killing whatever the hell was trying to kill you. 

You laid there for what felt like an eternity, covered in blood with blurry vision and the feeling of slipping away from your body. 

“Oh my god, y/n!” you had heard him shout and he sounded like he was a million miles away. “Nonono, what happened?” he kneeled on the ground, hands flew to try your wounds to try and stop the bleeding

“I tripped” you attempted to joke, hissing in pain when you let out a small chuckle. He didn’t laugh, though. Didn’t even crack a smile. He just looked at you with wide, concerned eyes. “I’m gonna help you stand, okay?”

“I-I c-can’t” you began to sob. “It hurts so bad, Steve”

“I know, I know, but we gotta get you out of here. I’m gonna clean you up and make you feel better, but you gotta stand up” He tries to help you up, but you can’t do it. “Just leave me. You need to get out of here. Please don’t make me move, please” you beg. 

“I can’t lose you, y/n. We can’t lose you. Think about Dustin and your mom and your friends a-and me” you swear it sounds like he’s choking on a sob. What does he mean he can’t lose you? You barely mutter out an ‘okay’ and muster up all of your energy to move. 

Somehow, you escape the hellhole and you don’t remember how you make it back to his house, but you do. You’re battered and bruised, but you're safe with Steve’s arm around you, nonetheless. You’re gonna have to find a way to send the weirdest thank you note to that demonic creature. 

_

Steve runs around the bathroom frantically, gathering every possible first-aid item as you sit on the sink counter. 

“We gotta get you cleaned up first, alright?’’ you give a small nod and he turns the shower on before rushing out of the bathroom, going as quickly as he can so you aren’t left alone too long. 

“Here take these pain pills” he says when he returns, handing you the pills and water. “And I’m gonna put this stool in the shower so you can sit down, okay? Oh, and here are some clean clothes and towels” he’s talking so fast, still in a panic. “M’gonna be fine, Steve. Don’t freak out”

“Can you, um, get undressed by yourself?” he asks, avoiding eye contact. “mhmm” you respond and he helps you down from the counter. “I’m gonna be right outside that door. Let me know when you’re dressed” 

Steve shuts the door behind him and sits on the floor right outside, just like he said he’d do. 

The hot water bites at your wounds, blood and dirt flow down the drain and you can’t stop the tears that start to burst. You almost died tonight, but Steve saved you. He’s still saving you. 

His words echo throughout your mind. “I can’t lose you’’ he had said. Did you hallucinate or something? Did he actually say that? 

On the other side of the door, Steve sits with his head in his hands and trying to quiet his sobs. He’s seen and experienced things unimaginable, but the image of you lying on the ground almost lifeless makes him sick. He thought you were already dead. The feeling of his heart dropping to his stomach hasn’t gone away. 

Steve has never thought of a world without you in it and now that he has, regrets swirl in his head. 

He remembers you in high school. The introverted girl with an obvious crush on him that he never thought twice about because let's be honest, he was no stranger to girls being attracted to him. At the time, Steve only thought of you as the girl two years younger than him who would get flustered everytime he sat next to her in science class.

 As time went on, he knew your feelings never went away, but it took him almost losing you to realize how he feels about you. A world without you in it would be a world not worth being a part of. 

Steve hears the shower turn off and your groan as you get dressed. He quickly wipes his tears and tries to compose himself. 

“Steve” you mutter, voice meek. “Are you dressed?” he asks. “yeah. Can you help me now, please?” he’s never opened a door faster in his life.

Despite the look of defeat on your face, you still look beautiful. Especially in his clothes. 

“Can you sit on the counter?” he asks and you hoist yourself up with a grunt. “I’m gonna lift up your shirt then clean the wounds with rubbing alcohol. Might sting a little” he informs you. 

When the alcohol hits your wounds, you grab Steve’s shoulder and squeeze. “sorry” you mutter. “s’fine. I know this hurts. I don’t mind” he assures you. “If you wanna talk as a distraction, that’s fine. It’s helped me in the past” he suggests. 

“What did you mean when you said you couldn’t lose me?” you ask, getting straight to the point.

“I don’t think i said that” he lies. “you did” you counter. “I said everyone else couldn’t lose you” he responds. He’s too scared to tell you how he really feels, even after all this. “Are you really going to argue with a dying person?” “You aren’t dying. You’re fine”

“Then why were you crying?” you argue. “I wasn’t. I’m tired” he lies again. “You’re impossible” you scoff. “I’m impossible? You’re the idiot who ran away and almost got killed!” he exclaims. “I was trying to find a way home!” you defend yourself and he rolls his eyes. 

He stops cleaning your wounds to look at you. “And how did that go? You do understand that you almost died, don’t you? It was so fucking stupid”

“Then why didn’t you just leave me like I asked you to?’

“Dustin would never forgive me” he states. “Is that all?” he hesitates for a second

“Yes” 

“Tell me the truth” you demand. “That is the truth,” he insists. “I don’t believe you”

“Fuck, y/n! What do you want me to say? That if I lost you I would never fucking recover? That if I had to go the rest of my life without hearing the way you laugh, I’d never smile again? Or do you wanna know that the thought of you being gone would kill me and I would never forgive myself. Ever” 

“Don’t say that if you don’t mean it or ‘cause you know that’s just wanna hear” you look down at your lap and a tear falls down your cheek. “I’m not and I hate that this is what it took for me to realize that I lo-” he stops himself and you look up at him with wide eyes. “Do you really feel that way?” you whisper and he nods, huffing out a sigh. 

“Can you kiss me?”

“I will once I put the bandages on. I promise” he swears “They can wait. I’ve been waiting for five years”

He rests his hand on your cheek and you try to lean in, but whimper in pain when you move. “Sit still, baby. Let me take care you”

Steve Harrington just called you ‘baby’. If you found out you died and went to heaven, you wouldn’t be surprised. 

Steve leans in slowly, pressing kisses to the corners of your lips before fully placing his lips on yours. You sigh into the kiss, feeling the weight of a thousand pounds being lifted off of you. His lips are as soft as you imagined they would be and his hand that cradles your face makes you feel safer than you’ve ever been. 

“I love you” he whispers against your lips “I love you, too. I always have” 

“Way to one up me” he teases. “You better get used to it ‘cause you loooovvvee me” 

“Yeah, I do, so you don’t have to write sad love poems in your diary anymore”

“You read those?!” you gasp and he laughs. “Dustin told me about them. They sounded like shakespeare, you should write a damn book or something”

“Shut up and kiss me again”

He kisses you again and again, only stopping to finish tending to your wounds. When you start to cry over the scars you’re gonna have, he promises that he’s going to kiss and adore them for the rest of your lives. You don’t doubt him for a second

Tonight was equally the worst and best night of your life, but you’d do it all over again for him in a heartbeat.

_

thank you for reading!

_

[itsabouttimex2]

I've been brainrotting on your LSO au so much and the bot is very fun to mess with. I've been brainstorming angst comfort, etc in my head, and I gotta ask

If Clover met Monkey King, and asked him to train them, since the Monkie Knight is, ahem, 'postponing' their training, would Monkey King do it? If he did, would MK find out? How would he feel about that? Especially since one of Wukong's way of training is just to throw them into battles

I don't know if this counts as a request, or a question, so take it as either!

Let’s Start Over:

Second Option

(Part One) (Part Two)

“I’m not mad at them,” the Monkie Knight hisses into the phone, gripping the metal tightly. “I’m not mad at them. I wouldn’t go to confront my own student if I was still mad.”

Mei giggles from her side of the line, lighthearted and airy. “You sound mad, dude.” The sound of metal clinking and fire hissing emanates from the background- she’s probably getting her bike worked on. “Like, super mad. Like you’re about to blow your lid.” Even after a full decade, she hadn’t lost her sisterly teasing and frequent ribbing.

“I’m not mad,” MK repeats. “I can’t be mad at Y/N. I did the same thing when I was a kid.”

“But you’re calling them by their first name, though?! You only do that when you’re mad, MK!”

“Or when things get serious. And if my kid might be in danger, then things are serious.”

“…promise you won’t blow up at the kid, alright? They came to me for advice before running off, so it’s not like they were running around recklessly.”

He’s not surprised to hear that. You had dubbed his best friend as “Auntie Mei”, and frequently went to her for help that he couldn’t provide, or information that he might be a little embarrassed to provide. Not that the Monkie Knight wouldn’t sit through an awkward chat about bodily functions or crushes with you, of course. Just that Mei was much better at it.

“I swear, Mei. Clover is just a kid- making the same mistake I made. I’m not gonna get mad at them. I’m worried sick because I haven’t seen them since yesterday, and they weren’t

“They’re… the kiddo’s out at that new burger place with the Monkey King.”

“…with who? With who?”

“Look, I’ve got the restaurant cam pulled up right now- I’m making sure nothing happens. They just ordered their food.”

“Nothing is happening?”

“Nothing,” she reassures. “They’re just treating the kid to a meal.”

“…thanks, Mei. Talk to you soon. Friday?”

“…yeah. Yeah, Friday works fine.”

MK smiles, just a little. He’s gotta be better for you. No letting his close relationships fray. He can’t set the example that fighting and living alone is acceptable. You need to learn to rely on others, so he has to put his best foot forward with at least a few people.

He has to be better for you.

———————————————————————-

“Aww, you’re the sweetest! But I’m not sure MK would want me doing that, bud. He’s pretty insistent on teaching you without help.”

You look away from the Monkey King with a sigh, focusing instead the basket of fries in front of you. You haven’t had much of an appetite recently. Lunch was especially miserable, given that your mentor insisted on big meals to promote proper muscle growth and high amounts of energy.

“Oh, don’t look so down! Look, MK’s just trying to do what’s best for you, alright? If he’s putting your training on hold, it’s probably what’s best for you. Here, lemme see your wrists…”

Sun Wukong takes your hands gently, turning them over to observe your still-bruised skin. His thumbs drag reassuringly across your knuckles, offering some small comfort.

“You haven’t even healed yet, kiddo. MK is just a little worried still, okay? He’s got your safety in mind, trust me. That’s what all of this is for.”

His hand drifts over one palm, the seal crackling into sight. And though a slight frown mars his exuberant face, the king fights it off to reassure you.

“I’m sure things’ll get better once you’re all fixed up, okay? You can bear with it a little longer- I know you can, Y/N.”

“Of course they can. They don’t have a choice.”

Both of you whip around to see MK stood near the table, his foot tapping impatiently. Arms folded over his chest, the man leans forward to meet Wukong’s eyes.

“Any reason you’ve got my kid miles from home without telling me, Monkey King?”

Though he expects to see anger, Wukong finds worry and exhaustion on the man’s face instead. Sleepless nights and long patrols.

Maybe it’s time the king stepped in, huh?

“Hey, hey- let’s talk outside, alright? No arguing in front of the kid.”

The simian leaps over the table with a fluid start, clearing it without trouble. He lands easily in front of a very unamused MK.

“…fine. Outside. As for you- I want to see you at least halfway through that basket by the time I’m back inside. Do not make me say it again.”

Folding under your mentor’s stern tone, you snatch a handful of the greasy appetizer and a condiment package, tucking in without a word. MK tries to remake the best out of even a bad situation- getting you to fill your stomach after a long period spent rejecting food makes him a little less upset about the whole thing.

“Are you mad?” Is the tentative question from between your lips.

“I’m not mad. Stay here and eat, Clover. Can you do that for me?”

With a nod, you return to the basket of fries, grabbing more packages from the end of the table. He’s angry (somewhat) at Wukong, not you. He wouldn’t still be calling you ‘Clover’ if he was.”

The Great Sage doesn’t have the same worried and upset expression- he reaches put to ruffle his old student’s hair, grinning ear to ear. With a lopsided smirk, he hauls MK away from the table and out of the burger joint.

And though the renowned Knight wants to launch into a lecture, or maybe even get physical- Sun Wukong interrupts his intentions with a big hug.

“I missed you, bud! I’m glad you’ve been doing well, huh? Sorry I haven’t been staying in touch with you!”

The hero freezes for a moment, overwhelmed by the sudden surge of warmth and unconditional support. God, when was the last time that he was just held? He really should be tearing into Wukong for taking you so far from home without permission or notice, but… it’s so hard to focus on anything but just how right the world feels at the moment.

“You… you need to leave a note next time. Or- or send a text. I worry. You know that I worry about everything.”

“I know,” the king chuckles, holding the knight like he was still a kid. “I know, bud. Just take a minute to catch your breath. I’ve gotcha, MK.”

“…you’ve got me?”

“Always, bud.”

MK allows himself to go slack, collapsing in the warm arms of the sunny simian. Wukong hauls him back inside, waving to you with a smile. He props the man against your side and slides into the booth with a hearty laugh, slowly rubbing his back.

“It’s gonna be okay, bud. Everything is gonna be okay.”

If he were less tired, less worried, less “running on four hours of sleep”, MK might have not believed him. He might’ve put up more of a fight. But his head is foggy, his limbs are already limp.

So MK puts his trust into the king once more, and chooses to close his eyes.

And for just a moment for the first time in months, maybe years- his life is peaceful.

[doublerainebow]

Roronoa Zoro x Reader

Look, I gotta be honest, I've never actually watched One Piece outside of the episodes that would air on Toonami back in the day, and I only really cared enough about it because my brother-in-law and my irl best friend both LOVE One Piece... and now my older brother is getting into One Piece too... but like I said in a previous post, I caved and ended up watching the One Piece Live Action (though I guess it didn't help that seeing Taryn cosplay as Zoro kinda reawakened my crush on ZoloZoro as a 4kids)... and I'm also sick right now and I have nothing better to do than write some Zoro boyfriend headcanons apparently. Aside from watching the OPLA, I did do my research on Zoro.. research being reading his page on the OP Wiki 😂😂

Okay, I'm rambling too much and this is still the introduction asdfghjkl

EDIT: Added the links lmao

~ Masterlist ~

The way Mackenyu said that he looked at his wife and knew that he wanted to marry her (supposedly, I couldn't find any concrete sources for this save for a YouTube video using TTS... but hey, it fed my imagination for this), I felt that so much for Zoro.

Of course, it doesn't happen overnight for Zoro. It takes a while, maybe even years, for him to look at you and be like, "I wouldn't mind settling down with you if possible." Oh boy, but when it does happen, he becomes very perceptive of you.

Just like his training, he takes his relationship with you very seriously, and even if he doesn't act on his feelings for you straight away--because one, he has a strong sense of duty to Luffy first, and two, you'd be his first and maybe only romantic partner ever--he'd still reserve a certain amount of softness and gentleness to you when not in the presence of others.

Let's go back to Zoro's perceptiveness really quickly. Yes, my man can be a dumbass at the best and worst of times and we all love that about him, but when it comes down to what's important, he knows how to analyze and read the situation. So, because he views you as someone important and someone he should take seriously, he's going to personally be making sure that you're okay, mentally, emotionally, and physically. He's that dedicated to you.

There will be times where his loyalty to Luffy might have to take center stage in the relationship, especially if its during a critical juncture, rest assured that he will do his best to make it up to you afterwards. He doesn't voice it often because of his strong loyalty to Luffy, but there are brief times in which he wishes that he could just spend time with you.

Now, Zoro isn't one for PDA, he gets very embarrassed by it because showing affection in public isn't something that he's comfortable with doing, but, get him out of public and into private, that man is on you, no question. The most affection he's comfortable with showing in public is you two taking a nap together, or even sharing a bottle together (which is very hard to get him to do, the man loves his alcohol, so congrats if you manage it).

As an official romantic partner, he's actually very sweet. Yes, he can come off as very blunt and cold sometimes, but he's just being honest with you. To him, its more important to be truthful than to sugarcoat things. For you, however, he's working on saying things more gently if in the case you get hurt by his initial blunt tendencies. Past that, however, he tends to you with the same care he tends to his swords. He sees a fruit or snack that you adore in the markets when he's helplessly lost? He'll absolutely buy it for you. Finds an item you've been wanting for a while? Don't worry, he's already paying for it. He finds out that you maybe feel a bit homesick? He'll begrudgingly ask Sanji to cook one of your favorite hometown dishes. He sees that you're feeling down on yourself? He's there to either quietly lend an ear or his presence, whichever you need. My man is an attentive boyfriend.

Also also, Zoro is a man of few words, so don't expect to hear him say, "I love you," very often, but that's okay. He's a man of few words, but his actions speak so much for him. You can feel him say those words in the way he kisses you thoughtfully, in the way he holds you so securely to him when you two nap or sleep together, in the way he dutifully monitors your alcohol intake (if you drink alcohol of course), in the way he tends to you carefully if you get hurt in a fight. To him, words are useless and actions mean so much more.

In other words, Zoro would make the best boyfriend in his special own way.

[ninapi]

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┊┊┊✧ ⁺ ⁺╚══ Roommates…? ╝

Premise: Living together as friends was easier than expected, but being a couple, things change. Will it be for the best or for the worst? Experiencing all sorts of first times with your now boyfriend while sharing the same room can get a bit chaotic.

Word count: 3184

Note: This is a continuation from my previous work, you can read the first part here.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tanjiro called you and Genya into the living room after Inosuke came downstairs, seemingly traumatized. He made you sit together on your knees while the rest shared the couch, a very distressed looking Inosuke sitting on a chair to the side, still holding the basket full of cookies.

“I called you all today to take part of the first shared house trial. Seems to me like something has been going on behind our backs and need clarification. As you can see, our witness here,” he motioned towards Inosuke, “suffered some severe trauma this evening. Care to share your experience with us?”

Inosuke cleared his throat, both of his hands laying on his knees trying to recount what happened, “Here I was, taking the cookies Kanao baked over to everyone around the house. I started from the third floor just because it was easier that way, my room is on the first floor as you may know. When I went in their room…I…I saw….they…were pink…with a little white polka dotted bow…and…and…please tell me I have more back muscles than he does, Tanjiro. Do I need to work it more? It didn’t seem fair to me in that angle…”

The look of confusion in everyone’s face was priceless, though, you both knew what he meant by all that.

“Hashibira Inosuke, did you deliberately stare at my panties??? How can you remember so many details? You were in the room for less than a second!” Aoi’s gasp could be heard on the background, making Inosuke grow nervous.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, ok? He had your skirt all the way up! When I got in is all I could see! I told you to lock your door, didn’t I?”

“And did I not tell you to knock? Seriously, Inosuke, you gotta stop barging into rooms like that!” Genya’s fist was trembling with rage, he didn’t even get to see them, he felt them, yes, but he didn’t know they were pink or had a bow even, how was it possible that the damn pig had seen them first, outrageous.

“Wait, wait. I’m not getting what’s going on. What do back muscles have to do with (Y/N)’s panties?” Zenitsu was munching on a sandwich, seemingly confused with the random assortment of details.

“Oh god. Is this what I think it is? Did you go into their room again without knocking and…”

“YES” you and Genya shouted in unison, glaring towards Inosuke.

“I TOLD YOU TO FUCKING LOCK THE DOOR (Y/N)!”

“YELL AT HER AGAIN AND I WILL FUCKING DESTROY YOU, YOU HEAR ME PIG?”

Tanjiro got up from his seat, getting in between both of them and motioning for both to go back to their place, your hand gently tugging on Genya’s for him to sit down.

“Ok so, is this a thing now? Are you like together?”

You were mumbling quietly, hiding your face on Genya’s shoulder, you really didn’t want to talk about this in front of the entire crew, you hadn’t even talked about it with Genya yet...“Why does it matter to all of you? Isn’t it common decency to knock before barging into someone’s room? What we do or don’t inside our room is our damn business.” his hand came over to yours, rubbing soothing circles on the back of it. You were more than embarrassed, not only have you not told them anything of what’s been going on but one of your oldest friends saw your panties, among other things…

Tanjiro’s eyes were on your joint hands, a little smile making its way over to his face. He’s always known of Genya’s crush on you. He saw the entire scene unfold when you shared your book with him all those years back, he saw his friend’s ears turn pink, his expression turn soft every time you addressed him or said something funny. He was happy for him, for the both of you really.

“So Genya and (Y/N) are fucking or something? Sorry I don’t get all this, Nezuko-chan sent me a selfie with the cutest cat ever, I lost track of the conversation.”

“I will fucking crush your skull…” Genya was gathering you in his arms as you buried your face on his chest in shame. His protective self shielding you from the prying eyes, his own burning holes into Zenitsu with passion.

“Now, now. Let’s not get ahead of our ourselves. (Y/N), are you two together now? Is that it? C’mon let me see your pretty face.” Tanjiro was now crouching in front of you, giving Genya a soft adoring smile as he waited patiently for your reply.

Going out of your safe space, you looked at him with one eye, the rest of your face still hidden away. “Yeah…I think so…”

“Thank you, that’s all we needed to know. Now, let’s get into an agreement. Inosuke, you won’t go into ANY of the rooms without knocking. They aren’t the only couple around, if you don’t want to get even more traumatized, I advise you start listening to others. As for you two, please lock your door from now on, that’s what we all do when, well you know…” Genya’s face was bright red, giving Tanjiro a little nod.

“Wow, so am I the only one single now? This sucks…Tanjiro let me date Nezuko-chan already, she’s not a child anymore!” the glare he received left you all speechless, everyone made their way over to their respective rooms quietly, loud cries of intense pain could be heard for the rest of the evening.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Now that all your friends knew you were together, things quieted down.

Everything went back to normal, except for maybe the fact that Genya placed three additional locks on your door and now you have to carry a bunch of keys in your bag. He still can’t get over the fact that Inosuke saw your panties before he did, he has to keep the menace away before something worse happened.

Though, with back to normal I mean Inosuke barging into your make out sessions constantly, a normal thing this days, it did happen often after all.

First he found you making out in the game room; everyone had fallen asleep while playing or were knocked out drunk on the floor after a fierce Friday night of friendly bonding, or so you thought, but Inosuke was still very much awake and saw you perched on your boyfriend’s lap, enjoying everything but the games on the screen. His loud obnoxious complaints woke everybody up.

A similar thing happened a few days later, but in the laundry room, you were sitting on the folding table, your limbs clinging onto Genya almost desperately while you both waited for your garments to be ready. Inosuke heard your quiet whimpers and blew the door open just to have one of his arms almost ripped to pieces by your very much annoyed boyfriend as he barged in once more to kill the mood on purpose.

But it all ended after you caught him and Aoi, half undressed in the living room past 3AM when the munchies hit you both after a movie marathon. The gasp of horror that left Aoi’s lips and Inosuke’s histerical outburst trying to cover his girl were engraved in your mind forever.

You got to experience the awkwardness of it all and kept your hands to yourselves in public places from then on, also Inosuke started being more considerate after seeing his girlfriend crying in shame, he felt bad for exposing you the way he did, so he bought a tiny bore plushie and left it on your pillow as a sign of peace and as a long overdue apology.

Things went back to how they used to be before you were together after that encounter, or so you like to think but sharing your bed with Genya was definitely not something you used to do, now though, that became the new normal for both of you.

“Do you wanna go somewhere together over the weekend?” you’ve been together for a few weeks now, yet you haven’t had your first official date, you were looking forward to it even if it didn’t matter much in your unusual circumstances.

“Sure, where do you wanna go?” he was comfily pressed to your side, half asleep while you browsed on your phone, his hand aimlessly rubbing circles on one of your thighs.

“Hmmm…I always wanted to go on one of those cheesy dates, you know what I mean? Like going to an aquarium and buy matching phone straps, then maybe go eat some crepes and hold hands while we walk in a park. Is that too much for you?” you giggled, kissing his shoulder gently in a playful manner trying to sway his decision.

Groaning, he buried his face on your chest nuzzling your softness, “I hate you…”

“Is that a yes~?”

“Whatever… you owe me at least ten thousand kisses, and I want them by tomorrow if you want me to do all that girly crap…” chuckling in excitement you rolled around in your bed, getting on top of him and showered his face with soft kisses, “Gotta start now then~”

This would be fun.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Your typical cheesy over the top date was fantastic.

You walked around the exhibits in the aquarium hand in hand, making comments on the pretty fish and forcing your boyfriend to make silly faces for your selfies. Both wore matching head wear obtained at the gift shop at the front to make it all even worse for poor Genya.

You wanted something cute like a dolphin or jellyfish headband, but he refused to wear anything that wasn’t the cool white shark hat that the mannequin had in display. Not like you cared really, you were just happy to wear matching items with someone like him, it felt like an accomplishment, like if you were in some sort of sweet dream you didn’t want to wake up from.

Genya enjoyed it more than he thought he would, aquariums are unexpectedly quiet and fun to be in. He made you touch a sea cucumber and laughed at your disgusted face for about twenty minutes, he just couldn’t stop. So you grabbed his hand and pressed it gently to a starfish, making sure to capture his mortified expression in video. He realized he’d be fine wherever you’d want to take him, being with you was fun, even if he had to wear crazy hats, he really likes to see you smiling.

You got to buy the matching phone straps you wanted, they had a tiny dangly shark hanging from them of course, and he ended up getting a dolphin plush for you out of a claw machine.

This was the first time Genya had been to an aquarium, to a date in general, but he hoped it wasn’t the last.

After your under the sea adventure, you stopped by the crepe stand in the big park outside of the building, it had a long line but he knew you really wanted some for your utopian date plan, so he queued next to you for an hour even if he grumbled the entire time, nothing a couple of sneaky kisses couldn’t fix.

You got back to your room by sunset, exhausted but happy. Having a boyfriend that is willing to indulge you even when he wasn’t one to do such things made you feel loved, and that was new.

“Wasn’t so bad, was it?” you were poking his side while he took off his socks, too lazy to take a bath, you ended up walking a lot, who would have thought dates were this tiring.

“That shark was freaking cool. Do you think they’d let us buy one as pet?” you chuckled, laying flat on your bed, the wild image of your boyfriend feeding Zenitsu to the shark crossed your mind.

“I doubt it, baby.” he nodded slightly disappointed, reaching over to nestle himself on your side. “Too bad. Maybe one day we could get one, those tiny ones might fit in a house tank.” he was dozing off quickly as you threaded your fingers through his hair, dreaming of a future were you two would still be together.

“That would be nice.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Dating your roommate had more perks than anything.

You both always knew what the other forgot before it was too late, always supported the other in bad days. Always ready for cuddles and kisses or a very deep conversation and pep talks.

But it also came with a bad side.

Being comfortable is a good thing, but some times being too comfortable can be a double edged sword.

You were currently in the shower, getting ready for school. Your phone kept ringing and it was driving Genya crazy.

He went over to your desk to make it stop when he saw the caller on the screen, making his stomach turn.

‘Sensei~ ♡’

Why was he calling you, why was his name saved like that in your phone? It made him want to throw your phone off the window and get you a new one so he wouldn’t have your number…

He was about to walk away when a text message arrived, a notification displaying on the screen, ‘I miss you…can we meet today after class?’

“He what??? This bastard…” he was fuming at this point, his imagination running wild. Why would he miss you? Is not like you two had a thing. Did you…? No, no, he trusts you, you are his girlfriend, you even live together, not like you could cheat on him without him noticing.

You went out of the bathroom, Genya reached over for one of the books on his own desk, trying to fake ignorance. His heart was racing, doubt was filling his insides and he didn’t like the way that felt.

You checked your phone but didn’t reply, just continued getting ready.

“S-shall we go for some burgers tonight, babe? Inosuke said they were super good in that new place downtown.” He sounded a little insecure, something he hasn’t been for a while, at least not around you.

“Can’t, not tonight at least, have something to do.” you were rushing out of the door, grabbing your backpack on the way, “See you later, baby!” you blew him a kiss and ran downstairs trying not to be late for your first class of the day.

“Something to do? Since when she doesn’t tell me what that ‘something’ is? She always tells me what she’s doing, why not today? Fuck…” he didn’t want to believe you would cheat on him, but things were just not adding up, his brother was also your first love, and a very dangerous competition to have, didn’t want to but he had to admit he had doubts, he was jealous, hurt even, but he would give you a chance.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Genya was waiting for you sitting on his bed with his arms crossed, it was almost midnight, and you hadn’t even texted him since lunch.

When he saw the door being unlocked, he tried to look calm, reaching for a discarded notebook on his bed to look like he was studying and definitely not waiting for you.

“You still awake, babe? Isn’t it too late? Or were you waiting for me~?” you gave him a loving smile, making your way over to his bed, craving the warmth of your boyfriend after a long day. But he wasn’t having it, even if he didn’t want to be, he was still annoyed by the situation.

Pushing you over to the side, he rolled over, making you face his back.

“Babe? What’s up? Are you mad?” snaking your arms around his waist, you placed a kiss between his shoulder blades.

“Why would I be mad? Did you do something that would make me mad?” his voice was gruff; you could hear the annoyance lacing his every word.

“Not that I know of…” to this he scoffed, throwing the notebook to the ground and turning back to face you, an angry scowl adorning his rather handsome face.

“Yeah right…I fucking saw my brother’s message! Are you toying with me (Y/N)? Am I not enough? Do you really need to go pleading for his stupid attention? Is he that great???” you were speechless, trying to grasp the situation.

“You think I went on a date with Sensei and that’s why I came home late? Is that why you’re mad?” now you were the one scowling. You didn’t mind him seeing your notifications, what made you upset was his lack of trust.

“Why else would you be so fucking late? You didn’t even want to tell me what you were doing after class today…and…and you’ve never rejected a date with me before!”

“It was LATE! I had to run to class! We fell asleep this morning after snoozing the alarm, remember??” you got your phone out, unlocking it and throwing it his way, showing the conversation with his brother.

Genya’s eyes were glued to your screen, re-reading the very short conversation you had with Sanemi in disbelief.

Not only did you declined his offer, but you plainly rejected him.

He grabbed your phone and went into your contacts, an overwhelming need to delete his phone number overtook him but he was able to control himself. Instead, he changed his contact name from 'Sensei~ ♡' to 'Brother in-law', making you giggle. That's what he was now, not your sensei, not your crush, your boyfriend's brother.

He was feeling many things at that moment, he felt proud, of your relationship, of how you didn’t need him to intervene, how you stopped him from the start and didn’t fall for his antics. He felt shame, of his attitude, of the way he shouted at you just now, of how he couldn’t trust you enough. But overall, he felt happy, loved, and oddly, somewhat horny. You’re so hot when you get all bossy like that, shutting him off completely, drives him nuts.

And that was the feeling that won him over.

He threw your phone to the side, climbing on top of you as he smashed his lips against yours. “I was so angry...so jealous...He keeps on lusting over you… over MY baby. You’re mine…Just mine.” he kept grumbling, kissing every available patch of skin he could find like a starved man, his hands roaming over your body with an overwhelming need.

“All yours, my love.” he stopped his ministrations, looking down at you with a mix of confusion and awe. You hadn’t crossed that line just yet.

“What?” you laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck, gazing lovingly into his widened orbs.

“Your l-love…?”

“Yup that’s you. My boyfriend, the man I love. So, my love. Right?” you tilted your head to the side, a bit saddened by his confusion, was it one sided-

“I-I guess so, yes. You are my love too then, my girlfriend, the woman I love.” he nodded with resolution, making your smile grow once more, the urgency getting even more unbearable as time went on, his skin was on fire, same as his heart.

“Genya…?” your eyes were shut in bliss, all you could think about all day was on coming home, to be in his arms…

“Hmmm?” he couldn’t stop kissing you, he just needed more and more of you.

“I love you.” that though, made him stop, looking at you while panting heavily. You felt the need to make things clear, wanted him to hear it properly coming from your mouth, to clear any doubt he might have about your relationship.

“I love you too, babe.” this time you were the one to pull him over to you, not before pulling his shirt over his head in as swift movement, getting rid of the very much unnecessary piece of clothing, needing to feel every inch of him.

“Can I…?” his hand stopped right at the hem of your dress, waiting for your permission to proceed. To this you just nodded, bringing him down once more for another deep kiss as clothing went flying on its own.

Another line was crossed that night, one you both eagerly waited for the right moment to cross fully.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Next morning, Inosuke had gone to pick up the groceries, you had added to the list some of your girly essentials and he went over to your room to leave them there.

He saw the door wasn’t locked, which made him go in after he knocked and there was no reply from any of you.

The room was in fact empty.

He walked over to your bed, dropping the supermarket bag on it and was about to leave when he felt something fall on his head.

Terrified and ready to fight whatever it was attacking him, he saw something pink fall to the ground.

The item that followed him to his nightmares fell from the lamp above the beds, your pair of pink lacy panties with the polka dotted bow he still remembers to this day to perfection.

“FOR FUCK SAKES (Y/N), WHY??? JUST WHY????”

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Note: Just a little extra something for those who asked for more, hehe~ 🙊✨

Masterlist

[ambrossart]

THE SHRIEKING QUEEN'S CATACOMBS

— Session 1: Friday, May 23, 1980

summary: on the first day of scott sloman's infamous summer D&D campaign, you're excited to showcase your original character and sorely disappointed by eddie's lack of creativity. you promised chrissy you would be nice to eddie this summer, but...

seriously, that's the best you could come up with, munson?

pairing: eddie munson x dwm!reader word count: 8,450 warnings: middle school; young!eddie; insecure!eddie; secret crushes; the unnamed freak is named grant in this series; inaccurate d&d gameplay; seriously, I'm taking a lot of creative liberties here; eddie has a tiny crush on chrissy

series masterpost | series playlist | fanfiction masterlist

“Okay, should we go over the rules one more time?”

“No… I think I got ‘em down pretty well.”  

“Let’s go over them one more time.”  

Chrissy Cunningham paced the floor of her bedroom with an authoritative stride, her arms folded neatly behind her back, chin held proudly in the air. Standing at only five-foot-one, she looked like an adorable little drill sergeant… until she looked over at you, sitting on her bed with your chest puffed out and hand raised in mock salute; then her composure shattered and she reverted back to her goofy, giggling, eleven-year-old self. 

“Don’t make me laugh,” she said. 

“What? I’m showing you respect.” 

Chrissy raised her eyebrows in friendly disapproval. “Stop,” she said. “We need to be serious.” So she donned an expression of stern command and resumed her stride. “Okay, repeat after me: I will not be mean to Eddie.”  

“I will not be mean to Eddie.”  

“I will not mock him.”  

“I will not mock him.”  

“I will not tease him.”  

“I will not tease him.”  

“I will not call him names.”  

“I will not call him names.”  

“I will laugh only when it’s appropriate, and in a good-hearted manner.”  

“Wait, how are we defining appropriate?”  

“Just repeat it, please.”  

You sighed in surrender and echoed your best friend’s words dutifully: “I will laugh only when it’s appropriate, and in a good-hearted manner… even though I don’t really know what that means.” 

Chrissy shot you a strict glare and continued: “I will not let my anxiety make me forget rules one through five.”  

“I will not let my anxiety make me forget rules one through five.”  

Chrissy stopped in front of you, put her hands on your knees, and smiled warmly. “I’m gonna have fun this summer.”

“I’m gonna have fun this summer.” 

“I’m gonna show Eddie what a smart, creative, and wonderful person I am.” 

“Well…” You looked away, embarrassed. 

“Come on, say it.” Chrissy started shaking your knees gently. “C’mom, c’mon, you gotta say it.” 

Her words made you squirm a little. Timidly, you looked at her and said in a bashful voice, “I’m gonna show Eddie what a smart, creative, and wonderful person I am.” 

“Because you are.” 

“… Because I am.” 

Her smile grew. “Good!” She drummed her hands on your knees and stepped away from you. While rifling through her desk drawers, she said, “So what game are you playing exactly? Is it like a board game or something?”

“Uh, no… it’s like this fantasy roleplaying game. I don’t really know how to describe it.” 

“But you know how to play it, right?” 

“Yeah, for the most part.” 

“For the most part?” Now Chrissy sounded worried. “I thought you had been practicing. Isn’t that what you spent the last two weeks doing?”

“Well, yeah… but it’s a surprisingly complicated game.” 

“You weren’t paying attention, were you?”

“No, I totally was, I promise.” You had put in the time and the effort. Every day after school, you rushed home, hopped on your bike, and peddled down the street to the Wheeler house. You sat in that stuffy, smelly basement for two hours while a group of third-grade boys explained all the rules and then bickered over said rules. “There was just a lot of information being thrown at me in a short period of time. And I guess not everyone plays the game the same way, either, so even if I learned how they play the game, I still might not know how they will play the game, so… I’m just gonna wing it and hope my creativity saves me. Dustin said I made a pretty cool character for my first try, so…”

“Who?”

“Dustin Henderson. Third-grader. Doesn’t matter. The point is…” 

Mrs. Cunningham poked her head into the room and said brightly, “Chrissy, dear, don’t forget we have to leave in twenty minutes.” Then she saw you and her whole demeanor frosted over. “Oh… I didn’t realize you had company.” 

You had been Chrissy’s best friend for five years and Mrs. Cunningham still referred to you as “company.” It was like she didn’t even see you as a person. You were just this disgusting blob that took up space in her daughter’s life. 

“I just stopped by for a minute,” you told her. “I’ll be leaving soon.” 

“Oh, don’t be silly,” she said. “You know you’re always welcome here.”

(But were you, really?)

Mrs. Cunningham lingered in the doorway for a moment longer, smiling at you and restlessly wringing her hands. Before leaving, she tipped her head toward her daughter and said, “Chrissy, stop slouching, dear.”

Chrissy heaved a frustrated sigh. Then she padded across the room and closed her bedroom door. When she turned around, you both said in perfect unison, “Chrissy, stop slouching, dear,” and broke up into giggles. She was still laughing as she hopped onto the bed and sat down cross-legged beside you.

You turned around to face her. “So where are you going in twenty minutes?” 

“Just the salon,” she answered uncaringly. 

“Oh, please tell me you’re not getting a perm like your mother. I’ll hold you down and shave your head if you do.” 

“If she makes me get a perm, I’ll shave my own head. It’s just a trim. She makes me get one every three weeks; otherwise, I’ll get split ends.” 

“Oh, split ends… the scourge of society.” 

“Shut up,” Chrissy said, giving you a playful swat. “Be nice or I won’t give you your present.” 

You perked up. “A present, you say?”

“Mhm.” Chrissy flashed an excited smile, then reached behind her back and pulled out a colorful woven bracelet. “I made this for you.” 

You raised your eyebrow curiously. “Another friendship bracelet?” 

“No, this one’s not a friendship bracelet.” Leaning forward, she carefully tied the bracelet onto your left wrist. Its vibrant color perfectly complemented the other bracelet she had made for you. “This one’s for good luck.” 

You admired the bracelet for a moment, thanked her for making it, then felt your stomach bubble and churn. “Okay, now I’m getting anxious.”

“Don’t be anxious,” Chrissy said. “You’re gonna be fine.” 

But you still weren’t convinced.

“What time is it?” you asked. 

Chrissy looked over her shoulder and glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. “Nine thirty-five.”

“Oh crap,” you said, and got up. “I better get going.” 

You grabbed your backpack off the floor, slung it over your right shoulder, and exited her bedroom. Chrissy followed you downstairs and opened the front door for you.

Before heading out, you turned back with sudden panic and said, “Should we go over the rules one more time?”

Chrissy shook her head. “No, you know the rules. Just be your normal charming, delightful self and you’ll be fine, okay? I promise.” 

She sent you off with a gentle shove, and you went uneasily: down the porch steps, down the cobblestone walkway, and found your bike sitting beside the garage. You put up the kickstand and swung your leg over the seat, but just as you were about to push off, a dreadful thought came to your mind. You replanted your foot and looked up at Chrissy with a worried frown. 

“Hey, what if it doesn’t work?” you asked. 

“What do you mean?”

“Like… what if I do all this and Eddie still hates me?” You shrugged, demoralized. “What then?”

Now Chrissy was frowning, too. “Well, at least you’ll know you gave it your best shot.” 

Four blocks away, Scott Sloman was dressed in his Sunday best and restlessly pacing his basement, which was now pristine thanks to his diligent efforts the day before. 

On that morning, Scottie had woken up early, consumed a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and French toast (all prepared by his lovely mother, of course; Mrs. Sloman was an excellent cook), pulled on his rubber gloves, went downstairs, and got to work. It took him hours, but it was worth it. Every crumb, every cobweb, every splatter, every stain had been expertly tracked down and eliminated with the toughest chemicals money could buy. Now every surface sparkled radiantly, and the air carried a whimsical, woodsy scent that transported you to the crisp forests of New England—not that Scottie had ever been to New England, but he imagined that’s what its forests smelled like. 

He grabbed the can of EVERGREEN Air Freshener and gave it a vigorous shake.

“Do not spray that again,” Jeff told him. “You’re gonna give us all cancer.” 

“I’ll stop spraying when you guys stop smelling.” 

He pressed down hard on the nozzle and sprayed a thick cloud of EVERGREEN mist into the air. It showered over the table like a light drizzle of rain, getting on everyone’s hair, everyone’s clothes, and speckling the open page of Eddie Munson’s notebook. 

Eddie, who had been tuning everyone out and listening to music on his Walkman, now looked up with bewildered annoyance. “Dude, come on…” He fanned the remaining mist away with his hand and immediately went back to his notes. 

Observing him, Grant said to Jeff, “Damn, Eddie’s really in the zone today.”

It wasn’t exactly unusual for him to be this withdrawn. Eddie Munson took his D&D very seriously—perhaps a bit too seriously, although no one would ever dare tell him that. Before every session, while everyone else joked around and snacked on donuts and muffins (also prepared by Mrs. Sloman), Eddie sat quietly in his chair, the same chair he occupied for every session, and gradually slipped further… and further away. The Walkman, a gift from his uncle for his fourteenth birthday, only accelerated his emotional departure.

But he would return eventually. He always did. 

“You think he’s anxious about her coming?” Grant asked.

Jeff frowned guiltily. “Probably.” 

Beside Grant, Gareth was sharpening his pencil with a small metal pocket sharpener. From the look on his face, you would have thought he was honing a warblade. 

“He’s preparing his mind for battle,” Gareth said, his blue eyes burning with a ferocious and frightening intensity. “The enemy draws near. She will soon be at our gates.” He withdrew his pencil and blew fiercely on the pointed tip. ��We must be ready to meet her.”

Jeff and Grant rolled their eyes. It was way too early in the morning for this. 

“She’s not the enemy,” Jeff said.

“Well, you’re a traitor,” Gareth replied. “Yeah, Eddie told me you’re the one who invited her, you Judas.”

“What? Oh c’mon, man, don’t start that now.” 

“How’d she do it?” Gareth asked. “Did she blackmail you? Bribe you? I didn’t realize your loyalty could be so easily bought, Jeff.”

“Dude, what are you talking about?” 

Grant, ever the rational one, said, “Ignore him. Gareth’s just mad she beat him in the spelling bee last year.”

And that’s when Gareth fired back with unseemly anger: “She did not beat me in the spelling bee! That whole competition was rigged right from the start. Every round, she got the easiest words while I got stuck with all the hard ones. It was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. I’m telling you, the whole thing was a sham!”

Jeff and Grant exchanged an amused glance. “My mistake,” Grant said while Jeff snickered. “Clearly you’ve moved on from this.” 

Gareth waved him off. “Oh shut up, Grant. Look, this is about way more than a spelling bee, okay? That girl is a heartless, horrible devil-woman. I will not break bread with her. I will not fight alongside her on the battlefield. I won’t, I won’t, and neither will Eddie.” Gareth clapped Eddie on the shoulder and said, “Right, Eddie?”

The older boy flinched, looked up, and pulled the left speaker box away from his ear. “What?”

“We’re standing together, right? Against our common enemy?”

Eddie’s eyebrows knitted together. “I dunno what you’re talking about.” 

And now Scott Sloman had heard enough. “Are you guys even listening to me? Come on, this is a huge moment for us… for me, especially. I need you all to be on your best behavior today. No burping. No farting. Sit up straight and keep your elbows off the table, gentlemen. Today, we have a young lady gracing our party.” 

Gareth sneered. “She’s no lady. She’s a hellbeast.”  

Scottie slammed his fist on the table. “See, this is the kinda shit I’m talking about! You psychos are gonna scare her off before she even—” He saw that Eddie had already put his headphones back on, an act of subtle but profound defiance. Scottie’s jaw dropped. “Eddie… Eddie… Hey, Eddie, I’m talking here.” 

“Leave him alone,” Jeff said. “He’s getting into character.” 

Scottie scoffed at that. “Oh please… Eddie uses the same character for every campaign. If he doesn’t know his character by now, he never will.” 

He snatched the Walkman off the table and yanked it away, viciously ripping the headphone jack from the plug. 

Eddie’s head jerked up in startled surprise. “Dude, what the fuck—” 

“I’m doing this for your own good, Eddie. It’s about time you learn how to socialize with the fairer sex.”

Eddie glared at him, exasperated. “I know how to talk to girls.” 

“Really?” Scottie shot him a dubious look. “Okay, Eddie… how many words have you said to that cheerleader you think’s so cute?” 

“Zero,” Grant answered for him. “He’s said zero words to her.”  

Eddie just sighed miserably. “Can I have my Walkman back, please?”  

“No, Eddie, you can’t,” and Scottie set the cassette player on the shelf behind him. “See, this is exactly my point, you guys. We have a huge opportunity here. A girl is coming to play D&D with us. And not just any girl. One of the popular girls! Do you guys understand what this means? If we play our cards right, maybe she’ll start bringing her friends. Her popular friends. Her pretty friends.” 

“Is that what you think’s gonna happen?” Jeff asked. “You think a bunch of cheerleaders are gonna wanna play D&D with you?” 

Scottie shrugged and said in a waning voice, “Well, you never know…”  

Eddie put his head in his hands. “I knew this was gonna happen. I knew this was gonna happen. She’s not even here yet and she’s already ruining the game.” 

“Hey, where is she, anyway?” Grant said. “It’s already after ten. Are we sure she’s even gonna show?” 

“She probably won’t,” said Gareth. He leaned back in his chair, satisfied and smug. “Yeah, I bet she chickened out like the coward she is. Screw her, I say we start without her.”  

“We’re not starting without her,” Jeff said. “Look, she’ll be here, okay?”

“Spoken like a true traitor.” 

“Dude, stop calling me a—” 

Suddenly, the doorbell chimed. The sound echoed over their heads like a distant warhorn on a cold, fog-covered battlefield. Gareth reached for his newly sharpened pencil and held it like a knife. 

“She’s here.”

You stood on the front porch with your backpack hooked on your shoulder and your arms crossed tightly in front of you, shivering uncontrollably in the sunny, seventy-nine-degree weather. 

Almost a minute had passed and nobody was answering the door. This made your stomach flutter nervously. You looked around and wondered if perhaps you were at the wrong house, (and wouldn’t that be lucky? Oh well, looks like I better give up and go home…) but you weren’t. The number displayed beside the door matched the address Scottie had given you. This was Scott Sloman’s house. You were at the right place. And now you had no excuse to leave. 

You stepped forward and—oh, how your hand trembled!—rang the doorbell again. The sound made your heart jump in panic. It started bucking wildly in your chest, desperate to break out of your ribcage and escape. Excuse or no excuse, you wanted to get the hell outta there!

“Calm down,” you kept telling yourself. “Calm down. Calm down. You’re gonna be fine, you’re gonna be fine, you’re gonna be…”

(But what if it doesn’t work?)

“… fine,” you whispered, except now you only half believed it, and that half wasn’t strong enough to keep your feet on the porch.  

You shuffled back a step, then another, looked over your shoulder, and stared longingly down the street.

From here, the road seemed so endless, so… tempting. You could see yourself on that road, on your bike, peddling fast and far away. Back to your house. Back to your bedroom. Lying on your bed, opening your favorite book, and escaping into a safe, snug little world. You could spend hours hiding in there. It would be perfect. Then, eventually, you would have to face Chrissy. She would be a little frustrated and disappointed with you, but she would probably forgive you in a day or two. Chrissy was compassionate like that.

Yeah, Chrissy would forgive you. She would forgive you, and hug you, and tell you that everything would be okay. 

Okay… 

Okay… 

Okay, I’ll just go home then. It’s probably for the best, anyway. 

You fled down the stairs and ran to your bike. It was sitting on the front lawn with everyone else’s, Jeff’s standing upright on its kickstand, the others lying on their sides in the grass, their painted steel frames glimmering in the sunlight… all but one, anyway; one was too dull to properly catch the light. You had recognized Eddie’s bike as soon as you arrived at the house. His stood out because the frame was oddly bent and most of the paint had been scratched off. It was an old bike, purchased secondhand from secondhand at a yard sale two years ago. To you, it might as well have been brand new.

“He’s here,” you whispered, and felt your face get delightfully warm. 

Eddie was here, he was here, finally within reach. All you had to do was walk through that door. 

Excitement swept through you, girlish and unaffected, and now you were smiling ridiculously to yourself, all your fears forgotten… for now, anyway. You pressed your palms to your overheated cheeks and thought, This is my chance. This is my only chance. 

Nervous as you were, terrified as you were, you had to see this through. 

Determination burned inside you. You stepped away from your bike and—  

“Hey, you made it!” Scott Sloman was standing on his front porch with his hand raised high in a friendly wave. He frowned when he saw that you were beside your bike. “Where are you going?” 

You looked at your bike, then back at Scottie. “Oh, well… I was just, uh…” You forced a laugh and feigned embarrassment. “I'm so stupid, I thought I was at the wrong house for a second.”    

“Oh…” Scottie’s face brightened instantly. He laughed along with you. “Nope, you found us just fine. C’mon inside, everyone’s waiting for you.”  

Everyone? you thought for a second, hopeful, but then you realized that probably wasn’t true. Eddie wasn’t waiting for you. He wasn’t eager to see you. He didn’t want you there at all. But that was okay. 

You took a deep breath and started walking toward the house, Chrissy’s good luck bracelet dangling from your wrist. 

All right, I’ve got a huge uphill battle ahead of me. Now I’m probably gonna fail miserably, but… at least I’ll know I gave it my best shot. 

“Sorry I’m late,” you said to Scottie. He was leading you through the house to the basement, where everyone else was waiting… where Eddie was waiting. You could hardly believe this was happening. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Scottie replied sheepishly. He was feeling a little awkward after his earlier faux pas at the front door. When you walked in, Scottie greeted you with this dramatic, over-the-top gentleman’s bow. Unable to hide your discomfort, you grimaced and drew away from him. Scottie’s face turned beet red. He said, That was really weird, wasn’t it? And you replied, Yeah, it was. Please don’t ever do that again. Now Scottie felt a little self-conscious around you. He could barely look you in the eye without blushing.      

“Of course,” he went on, “if it happens again, I’ll have no choice but to imprison you.”

That caught you off guard. You almost tripped over your own foot. “Wait, what?”  

Scottie’s eyes widened. His face flushed a deep pink. “Oh, your character, not you. Sorry, that sounded a lot creepier than I intended. Yeah, usually when someone’s late I punish them by having their character ambushed early in the game and thrown into some sorta prison. Then they have to find a way to escape on their own. It sounds really cruel, but it’s actually a lotta fun. Like last year, Gareth was late and I threw his character into the fighting pits and he had to fight for his freedom. He didn’t make it out, though.” Scottie laughed to himself, remembering. “Yeah, Gareth dies a lot in the game. You’ll see. His deaths are pretty legendary… Oh, hey, that reminds me, have you made a character yet? It’s no big deal if you haven’t. We can help you make one today.”  

“Thanks,” you said, “but I already made one.”  

“Oh, sweet, awesome. Wait, you didn’t make a magic-user, did you?” 

You shook your head. All those spells seemed too complicated to you. 

“Okay, good. I only ask ‘cause we try to keep the party as balanced as possible; otherwise, the story really suffers. Plus Eddie’s kind of our resident spellcaster, and he really hates it when people use the same class as him. He’s pretty weird about it, actually. But then again, Eddie’s pretty weird about everything. I don’t think I need to tell you that, though.”  

You smirked, understanding. “Yeah, sounds like Eddie’s a big baby.”  

(Shit, was that mean?)

Scottie looked at you in surprise. His face broke into a huge grin. “I am so glad you’re here,” he said, chuckling. Then he walked through the kitchen and opened the basement door for you. “Ladies first,” he said, and you moved past him and slowly began your descent. 

For as long as you lived, you would never forget that walk downstairs. You could recall every detail perfectly. The way the wooden railing felt under your fingers—smooth yet rough in certain places. The way the steps creaked as you put your weight on them. The hushed voices that emerged from below: Gareth’s, Jeff’s, Grant’s… Eddie’s. The scent of pine, pungent and overwhelming. It smacked you in the face as soon as you took your first step, and it only got stronger the further you went. It was such a strange smell. Initially, it made you think of those little tree air fresheners that everyone hung in their cars. Now it only made you think of that basement, that weirdly clean basement, and the first time you saw Eddie sitting at the table.

His dark brown eyes found you instantly, but they didn’t look at you—they didn’t see you—not really. Like always, his eyes just sort of hovered on you for a second and then darted away. Eddie was always running away from you. It was hard not to feel a little disheartened after that. 

So this is how it begins, huh? Wonderful. 

You found your seat next to Jeff and sat down. He turned to you with a smile. 

“Cutting it pretty close there, huh?” He was laughing, but you could hear the concern in his voice. “For a second, I seriously thought you were gonna bail.” 

“Honestly, I almost did,” you confessed quietly, keeping your head low and your hand cupped over your mouth. “I’m kinda freaking out here, Jeff.” 

Being seated directly across from Eddie certainly didn’t help. How were you supposed to keep your composure with him so close? The second he made eye contact with you—if he ever made eye contact with you—you were gonna blow like a geyser, like Old Faithful, and there was no telling what kind of scorching hot insults were gonna come spewing out of your mouth. You could already feel them bubbling inside you, dangerous and unpredictable. You were a powder keg of emotions right now. One good spark and, boom, you were gonna explode. Oh, this is gonna be bad. 

Jeff nudged your arm gently with his elbow. It disarmed you a little. “Relax,” he said. “You’ve got this, okay? Just, you know…” 

“Be nice,” you said. “Yeah, I know.”  

Jeff’s eyes softened. “I was gonna say be yourself,” he said. 

But what if “yourself” wasn’t all that great? 

Taking his words to heart, you leaned over and smiled at Grant, ignoring the image of Eddie that haunted the outermost edge of your vision. He wasn’t looking at you, anyway. 

“Hey, Grant.”  

“Hello,” Grant replied neutrally.

“I heard you got a perfect score on your English final. Very impressive, sir.”  

Grant shrugged modestly. Perfect scores didn’t excite him as much as they used to. “How’d you do?” he asked. “You usually test pretty well, don’t you?” 

“Eh, well enough,” you said, still very aware of Eddie’s presence. You were dying to have him look at you. Actually, you would have died if he looked at you. “I got all the multiple-choice questions right, but by the time I got to the final essay, I just really wanted to go home, you know? It was my last test of the day. My grade was pretty much set. I wasn’t in the mood to write this long, boring essay, so… yeah, I kinda half-assed it. Oh well. Still got an A.”

“God, you are so full of yourself,” Gareth said. His voice was acidic and dripping with disdain. 

Unbothered, you faced him with a smile. “What’s up, Gareth? Long time no see. How are you doing?”

“Stupendous,” he blurted out with a fierceness that was borderline comical. Boy, if you weren’t trying so hard to be on your best behavior right now, you would have had some colorful words for him… words he probably couldn’t spell.  

Smirking, you said, “So did your mommy pack you a juice box?”

Gareth scoffed. “Did your mommy pack you a…?” He closed his mouth, grabbed his sharpened pencil, and started violently hammering the tip into his notebook: WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

Your eyes widened with surprised glee. Then you turned to Eddie and all your confidence splintered like Gareth’s poor pencil. 

Just say something to him. 

Say something.

Anything! 

Hey, Eddie, how’d your finals go? Are you excited for high school next year? I’m not. It’s gonna be the worst day of my life. I dunno how I’m gonna survive two years without you. In fact, I’ll probably cry every day. Please look at me. I’d give anything to have you look at me. You’re the weirdest, most fascinating person I’ve ever met in my life. I’m obsessed with you. I think I might even be in love with you. 

Shit. 

All of a sudden, your face felt unbearably hot. You hid it before anyone else could see and started digging through your backpack, pulling out all of your supplies and stacking them on the table in front of you: a leftover notebook from school, a purple folder containing your character sheet, a few pencils, an eraser, a slightly worn, dog-eared copy of The Players Handbook, and a small drawstring bag of dice. You grabbed that last and tossed it on top of your pile. When you sat up again, you found five pairs of eyes staring at you… including Eddie’s, which were suspicious but also curious. You didn’t know whether to be delighted or offended. 

You went with offended. 

“What?” you snapped, causing everyone to immediately look away. It was an instinctive reaction on your part. You didn’t like people staring at you. 

A voice spoke from your left. “The lady comes prepared,” Scottie said, smiling at you from behind his screen. 

“Huh?” 

“Eddie said you weren’t gonna be prepared.” 

Eddie jumped as if struck from the side. “What? I didn’t say that.” 

“Yes, you did,” Scottie told him. “You said exactly that. You said she wasn’t gonna be prepared and we were gonna have to let her borrow our stuff. Isn’t that what he said, Grant?”

“Yes, it is. That’s exactly what he said.” 

Eddie looked around, dumbstruck. Then he slumped back into his chair like a sullen child. “Hey, where’d you get all that stuff, anyway?” he asked, mumbling the words into the table.  

It took a second for you to realize Eddie was speaking to you. As soon as it clicked, your whole body froze with panic. “Umm, I borrowed it…?” 

“From who?”

“From whom,” Grant corrected, and Eddie just rolled his eyes. 

You crossed your arms protectively over your chest. You should have been happy that Eddie was talking to you. No, you should have been thrilled that Eddie was talking to you. Yeah, you should have been doing cartwheels and somersaults and sobbing with pure joy, but for some reason you weren’t—you couldn’t—because there was something in his tone that really rubbed you the wrong way. Already, you feel your claws coming out and digging into your bicep. 

“Are you seriously interrogating me right now?”

Eddie’s eyes widened. “What?” he said, almost swallowing the word. “I’m not interrogating you, I’m just… I’m just curious who loaned you all that stuff, that’s all.”

“What difference does it make to you?” 

“It doesn’t make any difference. I’m just asking you a question.”  

“Well, you’re coming off pretty aggressive right now.” 

“She’s right,” Scottie said. “You are acting a little aggressive, Eddie.”

That, of course, was when Gareth decided to tag in. “What?” he cried. “He’s not being aggressive. She’s the one being aggressive!”

Grant said, “Honestly, you’re all being a little aggressive right now.” 

“Hey, Eddie’s the only one yelling here.” 

“I’m not yelling. I’m defending myself!” 

“You sure?” you said. “‘Cause it kinda sounds like you’re yelling.” 

To your right, Jeff was rubbing his forehead in frustration. “Stop it,” he muttered under his breath. 

“Wait, why are you telling me to stop? He’s the one acting like an asshole!” 

Eddie’s face turned bright red. He threw up his hands and shouted, “How am I being an asshole? I’m asking a perfectly valid question and you’re biting my head off for no reason. Seriously, am I the only one hearing this? Oh my god, I feel like I’m going crazy right now!” His mouth opened and closed wordlessly. “I… I just… I… I… I give up. I give up.” He fell back into his seat, closed his eyes, and took a deep, deep breath, nostrils flaring as he released all of his tension. “Can we just start the game, please?”

“Yes,” Scottie took over. “Yeah, let’s get started.” 

Your heart was pounding as you settled back into your chair. What the hell just happened? you thought, mortified. You felt like you had woken up to the aftermath of a violent massacre and discovered blood all over your hands. 

Across from you, Eddie was sitting with his forehead propped on his fist, still steaming from your brief but catastrophic interaction. Next to him, Gareth was glaring at you while he savagely sharpened his other pencil.  

“You proud of yourself?” Jeff asked. 

“Nope,” you said. “No, I’m not.” 

Scottie stood up and clapped his hands together. “Okay,” he said excitedly, “now that we’ve all had a chance to collect ourselves, I’d like to officially welcome everyone to The Shrieking Queen’s Catacombs, my third annual summer campaign. Welcome, everyone.” 

Grant started rubbing his chin skeptically. “The Shrieking Queen’s Catacombs… so that’s the name you went with, huh?” 

“You don’t like it?”  

“It’s not your best.”  

“Goddammit,” Scottie said under his breath, but he shook it off and carried on. “All right, whatever. We have a new player with us today! Welcome, Y/N, we’re all very excited to have you here.”  

“Speak for yourself,” Gareth muttered, and Scottie shot him a venomous glare that said, I will destroy you!

Then he turned back to you with a smile. “Since you’re still new to the game, I don’t want you to feel nervous or anything, okay? There’s no pressure here, seriously. We’re all a bunch of idiots, especially Gareth. So feel free to stop and ask questions whenever you need to. Take your time. Make mistakes. Make twenty mistakes. We don’t care. All that matters is that you have fun. All right?” 

Gareth leaned over and whispered to Grant, “Dude, why is he being so nice?” 

“Cheerleaders,” Grant replied. “Because of cheerleaders.”  

Gareth groaned and sat back. “Man, this summer’s gonna suck.” 

Scottie went on talking: “All right, before we officially begin, how about we go around the room and introduce our characters a little bit? Normally we would incorporate this into the beginning of the story, but I don’t wanna overwhelm you on your first day, so let’s just keep it casual and have a fun little meet and greet.”  

“What?” Eddie said. “Why are we doing a meet and greet? Just start the damn game.” 

“Eddie, I’m trying to ease her into it. I want her to feel comfortable.”  

Honestly, none of this was making you feel very comfortable, but after what happened earlier, you decided it was better to keep your mouth shut.

“Well, what about the rest of us?” Eddie said. “I don’t feel comfortable with this.”  

“Well, Eddie, you never feel comfortable. You’re uncomfortable in your own damn skin. Now shut up and stop undermining me!” Exhausted, Scottie turned away from him and said, “Jeff, how ‘bout you start? You’re the least problematic person here.”

“What am I doing?” Jeff asked. 

“Just introduce your character.” 

“Yeah, but you guys already know my character. What am I supposed to say?”

“Just say anything! My god, you guys make everything so damn difficult.” 

Jeff’s hands flew up defensively. “Okay, okay, jeez… I feel like I’m giving a book report. Umm, what should I say? I’m playing as Jaheem Evenstar. He’s a level six cleric, born into the church of Selûne—that’s the goddess of the moon, for the uneducated.” Jeff playfully elbowed you in the side as he said this. “He wears purple robes, silver-plated armor, and has a circle of seven silver stars tattooed on his forehead. The nature of his birth is surrounded by scandal, secrecy, and shame. His mother died on the birthing bed and her dying wish was that her son be raised in the temple. Being one of few males in a female-dominated religion, Jaheem spent most of his life feeling ostracized and is determined to prove his worth. At night, you’ll often him sitting under the moon and the stars. He hasn’t spent much time outside of the temple, so he’s a little naive in the ways of the world. Cities pose a special challenge for him because he’s easily tempted by vices.”

“Oh…” you said, grinning. “Looks like Jaheem needs to stay away from the brothels.” 

Everybody (except Eddie) laughed. Jeff’s ears flushed with embarrassment. “That’s not what I meant,” he said.  

“Oh, I think it is,” you replied, giggling. “Your character is a man born into a religion full of beautiful women? I see what you’re doing, Jeff.” 

By now, everyone except Eddie (Why wasn’t he laughing?) was in stitches. Jeff had both hands over his face as he wheezed. “Okay, I’m creating a new character now.” He pretended to crumple up his character sheet and throw it over his shoulder.  

Then Grant took his turn. “All right, I’m playing as General Gudrun Havenbrooke, former commander of The Last Legion. He’s a fighter, obviously, also level six. He’s an expert in two-weapon fighting and possesses a vast knowledge of swordsmanship and battle tactics. During his service in the military, he led countless victorious battles but remains haunted by his one crushing defeat. This is reflected in his wardrobe, as he still wears the same dented armor from that ill-fated battle, and his cloak is stained with the blood of his lost comrades. He keeps fighting because it’s the only way to appease his ghosts, and he drinks heavily after every battle because it’s the only way he can sleep.” 

A shiver ran down your spine. “Damn,” you said, awestruck, “you guys are hardcore.” 

That's when Eddie decided to interject like a referee on a basketball court. “Hey, you can’t do that,” he said. “You can’t make fun of other players’ characters.” 

Stunned (and a little irritated), you said, “I’m not making fun. I’m impressed,” but Eddie didn’t seem to believe you. His eyes remained guarded and untrusting. 

Was there no winning with this guy? 

Next, Scottie turned to Gareth. “All right, buddy, you’re up.” 

“Me?” Gareth blushed deeply, an uncharacteristically boyish gesture. “Umm, okay! My character is Brumnur Wildrock. He’s a dwarf and a master bladesmith. In fact, many of you are using his blades right now. As a bladesmith, he has a fondness for all weapons, but axes and hammers are his preferred tools. He fights to test the strength of his weapons, and he has yet to meet a worthy opponent. Brumnur is headstrong, battle-hungry, and easily provoked to violence.”  

“So basically you made yourself,” you said, snickering. 

Eddie shot you an annoyed look. 

What? you thought, secretly loving all the attention he was giving you. Come on, that was perfectly harmless…

Behind his screen, Scottie raised his eyebrows tauntingly. “So what level are you, Gareth?”   

“Level one,” Gareth answered, a little ashamed.  

“Why are you only level one, man?” 

Gareth sighed. “Because I had to make a new character.”  

“And why did you have to make a new character?” Scottie put his fist over his mouth in an attempt to control his laughter. Jeff and Grant weren’t so successful.   

“Because I died,” Gareth said, seeming oddly proud of this morbid feat. Then he started to laugh himself.   

“How’d you die?” you asked, enthralled. 

Gareth sliced his hand across his neck.

“Oh my god, you got decapitated?” 

“Yeah,” Gareth said, positively beaming with self-satisfaction. “It was so awesome. My body moved on its own for another turn and killed two more monsters.” 

(“He didn’t, really,” Scottie would later tell you. “We just said he did to make him feel better.”)

You sat back and smiled, amazed by everyone’s creativity. “Wow, what a motley crew. We have a bloodthirsty dwarf, a disgraced war general, and a lecherous priest. Yeah, this campaign’s gonna be fun.” 

Eddie lashed out angrily: “Oh, would you stop already?”  

“What?” you said, startled. You were glad for his attention, sure, but all this needless aggression was really starting to grate on you. Could he not recognize your effort? Was that too much to ask? I’m trying to be nice here, Munson, but you're making it really fricken difficult! 

And now he was doubling down. “You’re being facetious,” he said. 

“Facetious,” Gareth began suddenly, completely unprompted. “F-E-C-E-T-I-U-S, facetious.” 

“Not even close,” said Grant, and Gareth smashed down his fist in defeat.

Ignoring them, you glared directly at Eddie. “I’m not being facetious. I’m just having a little fun. You know what fun is, right? That’s what normal people do when they’re playing a game. They laugh. They joke around. They have fun. Maybe you should take that giant stick out of your ass and you'll have fun too, you self-righteous prick.”   

(Now that was mean. Yeah, you definitely took a few steps back with that comment)

(right off a cliff)  

God dammit, you thought, feeling utterly defeated. If you weren’t surrounded by so many people, you would have been crying right now. You didn’t know what you were doing wrong. You didn’t know why Eddie was attacking you so viciously every time you opened your mouth. 

Shit, maybe he just hated you. 

(Could you blame him?)

Scottie’s voice cut through the silence: “All right, Eddie, you’re up, man.” 

By now, Eddie had completely withdrawn into himself. He sat hunched over in his chair with his palm pressed against his mouth, looking more and more like he wanted to leave. “I don’t wanna go,” he said. 

Scottie breathed an aggravated sigh. “C’mon, dude, everyone has to go.”  

“Well, I don’t want to,” Eddie said, and you knew it was all your fault.    

Guilt turned in your stomach. Timidly, you raised your hand. “I’ll go,” you said. 

Anxious as you were, you figured it was the least you could do. 

You pulled out your character sheet. “Umm… okay, I’m playing as Elaria Quint. That’s not her real name, it’s just her most recent identity. Nobody knows Elaria’s real name. Honestly, I don’t even think she knows anymore.” You laughed a little as you said this. That wasn’t something you had originally written on your sheet, but it seemed to fit in a strange way. Clearing your throat, you continued: “Um, Elaria’s a thief and a con artist. She moves from city to city, from scheme to scheme, never really settling anywhere. Having spent her entire childhood in poverty, Elaria dreams of living a life of luxury, and she came really close once. Unfortunately, she was betrayed by her old partner and mentor, and he took every penny she ever stole, so now she knows better than to trust anyone. To be clear, Elaria’s in this solely for the money. She doesn’t care about anything else. She’ll use you until she doesn’t need you anymore, and if the moment should ever come, she’ll have no problem betraying each and every one of you. You’re all disposable to her.” 

“So basically you made yourself,” Eddie muttered spitefully. 

He thought you hadn’t heard him, but you did. 

Okay, you thought, wounded, I guess I deserved that. 

Beside you, Scottie was eagerly rubbing his hands together. “Holy shit, I love it! This campaign’s gonna be pure chaos, and I can’t wait to get started.” He made a motion toward Eddie. “Hurry up, Munson, introduce your character so we can start.” 

“I don’t want to,” Eddie said again, and that was Scottie’s last straw. 

He squeezed his hands into tight fists and yelled, “Oh my god, would you just go already! You know, the more you put this off the more time you waste, and you’re the one who was dying to get to the game, so… god, just fucking go.”

Scottie’s outburst made everyone flinch and go quiet. Eddie looked like he wanted to disappear. 

“Fine,” he said bitterly. He opened his binder, flipped to his character sheet, and started reading directly from the page, his voice flat and listless. He might as well have been reading from a textbook. “Uhh… my character is a level fourteen spellcaster named Castinus. He was born into a disgraced noble house that has since fallen into ruin. His father was once a well-respected wizard, but his quest for knowledge and power drove him to madness. One day, he mercilessly slaughtered everyone in the castle as well as the neighboring village. Only Castinus survived the attack. As he lay dying, he made a pact with a powerful demon. As a result, he was granted great power but lost his humanity.” Eddie shrugged and pushed his binder away.

You looked around the room, beside yourself with disappointment. “Wait, that’s it? That’s all you could come up with, Munson?”

Your comment was punctuated with a moment of surprised silence, as if an ancient taboo had just been broken. Everybody’s jaws dropped. Eddie’s eyes widened in baffled hurt.

Oh my god, stop talking, you thought. Stop talking right now. 

And yet you kept going. Like an idiot, you kept going.  

“So let me get this straight, Munson: your character is a spellcaster named Castinus. Castinus, the spellcaster.” You cringed out of sheer frustration. “God, you didn’t reach very far for that one, did you?”

Gareth dropped his pencil. 

“Oh shit,” said Grant. 

Meanwhile, Jeff was giving you a pleading look. “What are you doing?” he whispered. 

“I don’t know,” you said, sickened and ashamed of yourself. 

You put your head in your hands and tried to squeeze some sense into yourself, but it just wasn’t working. 

“I’m sorry, this isn’t coming out right. I swear, I’m not trying to be mean or anything; I’m just so… so confused. I refuse to believe this is your character, Eddie. I’m sorry, but I refuse to accept it. Come on, a spellcaster named Castinus? A son getting vengeance on his evil dad? It’s just so unrealized and uninspired. I mean, my god, no wonder you sound so bored when you’re talking about him! Do you even like your character, Eddie? Because it doesn’t sound like you do. In fact, you know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like you started creating a really cool character, but then you hit a wall, gave up, and decided it was good enough. Except it’s not good enough, Eddie. For anyone else, it would be good enough. For me, it would be good enough. But you… I just know you can do so much better than that!”

Finally, you fell silent, panting. Eddie’s eyes narrowed into a hateful glare. 

“You know I can do better than that? You don't even know me!"

You winced at those words. They pierced right through your heart. 

Well, I’m trying to, you wanted to say, but maybe it wasn’t worth it. 

This wasn’t why you came here. You didn’t want to make Eddie hate his favorite game.

Now he was ripping out his character sheet, crumpling it into a ball, and whipping it at the floor. “This is exactly why I didn’t want you here,” he said, and that’s when you realized this was all a huge mistake. 

“Okay,” you whispered. 

Quietly, you gathered your things, dumped them into your backpack, and went upstairs.

Scottie sighed heavily. “That wasn’t very gentlemanlike, Eddie.” 

“I know,” Eddie mumbled back, staring at your empty chair. 

How did you know he was struggling with his character?

You only made it as far as the front porch. 

Now you were sitting on top of the stairs, weighed down by guilt, drowning in grief, and fiddling with the rainbow bracelet Chrissy had made for you—the one she had probably spent days working on. What a lovely waste of time that was. 

Sorry, Chris, you thought ruefully, looks like all the luck in the world can’t save me from myself. 

A sad, surrendering sigh escaped your lips. You tried to take the bracelet off, but the strings were tied way too tight. It was as if Chrissy herself was struggling against you. You could practically see her beside you, wrestling against you, glaring at you with those bright blue eyes and urging in that sweet, sweet voice: You said you wouldn’t give up, remember? You pinky promised! Oh, curse Chrissy Cunningham and her annoying, unyielding optimism. Couldn’t she see the game was already over?

Desperate now, you put the bracelet between your teeth and started gnawing at the strands. You were prepared to chew off your own hand if you had to.  

Still, the bracelet wouldn’t budge. It was incredibly stubborn, just like its maker. 

You promised, Chrissy said. 

I lied! you yelled back. I can’t do this, okay? I tried and I failed and

That’s when you heard

“Uhhh…” 

a voice beside you. You turned toward it and saw Eddie standing in the open doorway with a look of bemused horror. You couldn’t imagine what he must have been thinking right now, seeing you sitting with your left arm locked in a tight vise grip, savagely chewing at the inside of your wrist like a coyote trying to escape a hunter’s snare. Why, he probably thought you were an absolute lunatic. 

(Was that better or worse than the Antichrist?)

Shame engulfed you. You spat the bracelet out of your mouth and lowered your wrist to your side. 

“You left your dice,” Eddie said, still a little wary of you. 

“Oh,” you said quietly. You hadn’t realized you’d forgotten it. 

Cautiously, Eddie stepped toward you and dropped the bag into your open palm.

“Thanks,” you said, and put it away.

You figured Eddie would head back inside after that, but he didn’t. Instead, he lingered pensively on the porch for a minute, his body hunched forward slightly, hands stuffed in the front pockets of his jeans. 

“Hey, I’m really sorry,” he began in a low voice, “for the way I’ve been acting today. I haven’t been very fair to you.” 

Eddie’s apology caught you entirely by surprise. You sat there speechless for a second, blinking at him. 

“I’m sorry for calling your character uninspired,” you said. “That was really mean, and I only kinda meant it… I mean, Castinus is a terrible name, I stand by that completely, but the rest of the character isn’t that bad.” 

“Right…” Eddie raised his eyebrow dubiously, unsure of what to make of your apology.

(if you could even call that an apology)

He sighed and shook his head. “Look, how ‘bout we just start over, okay? Clean slate.”

He leaned forward and extended his hand toward you. Blushing, you drew away from it, your hand instinctively rising to cover your face. 

He wants me to shake his hand? you thought, terrified and astonished. Eddie Munson, the boy who hated you, the boy who was always running away from you, was now standing in front of you and offering you his hand. The sight alone sent your mind into a frenzy. You could feel your heart hammering against your ribcage. What was going to happen when you…?

“Okay,” you said, and slipped your hand into his. As soon you did, your heart skipped a beat… but then it slowed unexpectedly, falling into this strong, steady rhythm that made you feel strangely, beautifully, at peace.  

Could he feel this too, you wondered? 

No, probably not. 

But when you lifted your eyes, you thought you saw a glimmer of something in Eddie’s stare. Maybe it was the same calm quiet you had experienced. Maybe it was just the sun catching briefly in his eyes. Whatever it was, it was gone before you could really see it. Then his hand disappeared and returned to the pocket of his jeans. 

“C’mon,” Eddie said. He went to the front door and held it open for you. “Let’s head back inside and start the game.” 

Nodding, you grabbed your bag and went with him, but before walking through the door, you stopped and said, “Dustin Henderson.” 

“Huh?”

“You wanted to know who loaned me all that stuff, right? It was Dustin Henderson. He loaned it to me.” You went inside.  

“Oh,” Eddie said as he followed you in. “I have no idea who that is.” 

SERIES MASTERPOST

FANFICTION MASTERLIST

[floralcavern]

AROACE OC!

My OC realizing he’s aroace haha!

Lucas sat us the plastic foldout chair of the chemistry lab as Izumi worked on her project. 

He twiddled his thumbs, reading through his friend’s groupchat. 

Lisa: CARLY ASKED TO HANG OUT, WHAT DO I DO?!

Lisa: DAMIAN?! LUCAS?!

Lisa: HELP!????

Damian: I’m hanging out with Cameron, calm down!

Lisa: YOU’RE ALWAYS ON A DATE WITH CAMERON I NEED ADVICE NOW!

Damian: You know it’s not like that!!!

Lucas turned his phone onto silent and rested his head onto the table. He always gave Lisa advice on how to deal with her crush, Carly. But he felt like a fraud. 

Lucas Camper, ladies man who gets daily love confessions. Lucas Camper, well known heartbreaker and possible player..

Lucas Camper.. an absolutely confused mess!

“You’re depressed about something,” Izumi said. 

“You’re not even looking over here.”

“I can sense it!” She turned to look at him. “うわー！You look even worse than I thought you would!” She turned off her Bunsen burner and pulled up a chair next to Lucas. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked. 

He hesitated before sighing. “You’re straight, right?”

She blinked in surprise before nodding. “As a ruler.”

“Have you ever dated a guy before?”

She raised an eyebrow. “No. I haven’t. Where is this going?”

“Why haven’t you? Haven’t you liked anyone before?”

She gave him a skeptical look before answering. “Yes, I’ve liked many guys before. But right now I’m taking time to work on myself and school. If I wanna get into a good college, I’ve gotta work.”

“So you’re not interested in being in a relationship-“

“Currently.”

“-currently. But you’ve still felt that desire before with some guys?”

She nodded. “Yes.” She grasped his hand. “Where are you going with this?”

“I.. I’ve never really.. felt like that.”

“Like what?”

“Romantic.”

She stared at him for a moment. “Never?”

“Nope.”

“Natta?”

“Zilch.”

“Never even in primary school when you had those pretend weddings on the playground?”

“Nope. Though I was the priest for one of those.”

“Well I’ll be..” She rested her chin on her hand to study him for a moment. 

“What about sexual?”

The word hit him like a freight train. “HUH?!”

“You know.. watching a movie and a girl or boy comes on screen.. maybe close ups on their assets.. maybe even during a sex scene..”

With each word, he felt his face grow hotter and hotter. “STOP! This is making me uncomfortable!”

“So you’ve never experienced that?”

“NO!!”

He buried his face into his arms to hide his embarrassment. Izumi studied him for a moment before chuckling softly. “白痴. I think I see what’s going on.”

He lifted his head ever so slightly, still red. “You do..?”

“Yep.. I think you’re aroace.”

He stared at her fore a good minute. “I’m what now?”

“Aromantic asexual. Meaning you don’t experience romantic love or desire and you don’t experience sexual attraction or desire.”

He let the word float through his head for a moment. “Aromantic asexual..” he said out loud. He then shook his head to snap himself out of the trance. 

“But.. how can I not experience that?! Everyone experiences that. With Damian in a not-so-secret relationship with Cameron and Lisa’s crush on Carly! What would that make me?! A.. a robot..?”

He didn’t realize he had stood out of his chair until Izumi helped him sit back down. “Dummy. No, it doesn’t. Do you care about Damian and Lisa?”

“…Yes..”

“Case closed, you’re not a robot!”

“But.. but.. how can we still be friends? They’re always on about the person they love.. where does that leave me?”

“It leaves you as you..”

He looked at her anxiously. 

She chuckles softly. “You guys still have your friendship. Things like interests and hobbies and mutual care and trust. If your friendship is built on them just talking only about romance, that’s not a true friendship. But keep in mind that they just wanna vent about their own feelings right now. My brother is the same way with that Bok kid..” she murmured the last part under her breath. 

He bit his lip before leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet back and forth. “But in movies and tv, it always ends with them kissing or married and with kids! That’s what I’m… I’m supposed to do..”

She closed her eyes, thinking before smiling. “Be your own story.”

“…what?”

“Be your own protagonist. Quit living in third person. Make your own ending. Just because you have tons of suitresses doesn’t mean you have to end up with one. You can just keep living your life and they’ve got to respect that. You’re not a prize. You’re Lucas.”

She gently ruffles his hair. “You don’t have to feel guilty about any of that.”

He chuckles and stands up. “I’ve gotta think about all this.”

She nods. “Go ahead. And if you arrrrre… QPR?”

“QP-what now?”

She laughed and playfully shoved his shoulder. “I’ll tell you another time. Now go home Lucas..”

He smiles at her one last time before turning to leave. 

[frenziedslashers]

Why Can't You Be Mine Already?

A/N: This is based on the idea that @joelsgeetar gave me! This was going to be multiple parts, but I suck at those so I just made it one for now. I hope to do a multi-chapter rick fic someday though :)) Sorry if this isn't the best either. Kind of started losing brain fuel halfway through 😭 Also tagging @catt-leya because they asked to be tagged :)

Pairing: Rick Grimes x GN!Reader

Request: What about Rick crushing on reader? How would he act? Would he confess? Would he show any jealousy? Does he get overly protective? Is he crazy like shane? (Bad joke). Fr I wanna know how this man is when he is IN LOVE. Bonus points if reader is a lil younger and related to Daryl. 😏

Warnings: Jealousy, possessiveness, MENTIONS OF CANON TYPICAL VIOLENCE AND BRIEF MENTIONS OF THE BIKER THAT SA'd CARL!!! mutual masturbation at the end, that's really it tbh.

REQUEST INFO || TWD MASTERLIST

The sun hit your skin just perfectly. Making you glow like no one he'd ever seen before. He couldn't take his eyes off you, he never could.

"Rick," his head turned when he heard the familiar voice behind him. A welcoming smile graced his lips as Maggie came to stand behind him. "Y'starin' at them ain't gonna make them kiss ya any sooner," she teased her friend, noticing how his face flushed a little darker. Smiling at the way he ducked his head down, bashfully. "I know," he muttered. Everyone knew that Rick had these feelings for you, but he was so scared to act on them. After everything with Lori, he was afraid he might lose you. Or he might not love you the same. Or- "why don't you tell 'em?" God, he wished it was that easy.

He felt like he had sunk further into the ground he stood on as he thought. His mind racing with thoughts while his thumbs were hooked on his belt loops. "Maggie.." He muttered under his breath. "It ain't that easy. After Lori..." He frowned, and she nodded. "I understand, but sooner or later they're going to move on from you. Just gotta do like Glenn and me, we didn't waste no time." She added with a cheeky grin. "Which reminds me, Glenn wanted me to ask you if you could help him with the walkers on the fence? I gotta help Beth and Daddy with some things." He nodded, looking over to the Greene girl, "Yeah, 'course."

That was months ago, now. He still hadn't opened up to you. He was going to, but it seemed like every time he wanted to tell you the moment wasn't right. The outbreak inside the prison happened. Then Woodbury happened, then they attacked and everyone was left running. He wasn't even with you when everyone ran. You were stuck hiding in the forest, searching the nearest areas for survivors with Michonne. Not that you were complaining, you knew that she would protect you and you would do the same for her. She was a friend.

"So," she muttered, fingers grabbing at her sword to pull it out of the holder. "You and Rick, what are you?" She asked, decapitating a walker with a swift movement of her sword. You truly admired what she did. It was a talent you wished you had. "Friends, I guess?" She laughed at that, shaking her head before putting her sword back. "I see the way he looks at you, how Daryl tries to pull you away from him. I don't think he thinks you're just friends." She quipped, and you felt your palms go sweaty, eyes darting to the side while you scoffed. Trying to cover up how embarrassed you felt.

You shook your head, strolling next to her down the street. "No way, I'm too young for him. He's ten years older than I am, why would he like me?" She shrugged, "I don't know, but he does. He cares about you a lot. When the Governor attacked, he was quick to put you behind himself. To order you to run even though you stayed to fight. He cares," She smiled over at you, and you shrugged. You wanted the subject changed, looking around the street until you noticed an empty can. "Look, what's that?" You asked, the both of you lurking forward. Eyes looking around for any sign of danger until you both reached the can of.. pudding? It still had wet pudding inside of it as well. Looking at it, then at each other, and finally, at the house next to you both and the can.

Michonne was the first to head up the steps. Her sword ready, you holding the hunting knife Daryl had given you for your birthday so many years ago - who knew it would be this handy?

Her stiff stance made your furrow your brows. Cocking your head with a slight frown. "What is it?" You asked once noticing the tears rolling down her face. Stepping up to the window to peek through the boards when she stepped to the side. Seeing Carl and Rick was the best feeling you could have felt. Your heart burned with excitement as you looked at your friend and the both of you stepped up to the door.

The stiff knocks at the door had the father and son scurrying to their feet. Looking at each other while readying their weapons. Rick gulped before ordering Carl to step behind him. Holding his revolver to his side while peaking through the peek hole in the door. It was Michonne, and you.

Even after all of that Rick only greeted you with a smile and a tight hug, which he quickly departed from. It was frustrating for both of you. Mostly yourself. The mixed feelings you got from the man were torturous, and you could tell Michonne was just as annoyed by Rick's actions. The four of you decided to stay back for a while. At least until Rick healed up enough for you all to leave. Or so you hoped. A group of men chased you all out of the safety of the house after sneaking in while Rick slept in the upstairs bedroom.

"Rick," you muttered to the man, breath hitching when his knuckles grazed the back of your hand and his shoulder bumped against your own while you all walked the train tracks. Hoping to find others from the prison. "Yeah?" He asked, drawl strong in his voice. You opened your mouth to say something, but you didn't even know what you wanted to say. Pursing your lips while focusing on the scenery in front of you. Rick kept his eyes on you until you spoke. "I'm glad you're okay," he felt his heart stutter at those words. His stomach clenched when you reached and gently grabbed his hand with your own. His eyes met yours as you turned your head to look up at him, smiling. "I'm glad you're safe, too." He hummed with a smile, giving your hand a light squeeze. The both of you continue down the road like this.

It seemed like nothing could go easy for the four of you. Further down the road, you just happened to stumble upon the Biker gang that Rick just so happened to kill one of their men back at the house you all reunited at. You held your ground as they lurked forwards and threatened you all, but you froze up when you saw Daryl. Your older brother pushing forward and shouting that you were all off limits. "Daryl," you spoke, and the leader smirked, giving you a once-over while licking his teeth. "That your lover?" Daryl scoffed at his words, "No, I'm their older brother, what are you, sick?" Daryl asked with a scowl. The gaze darkened when he noticed the way the biker looked you over. The hunter was thankful for Rick who pushed both you and Carl behind him.

The fight was a lot, to say the least. You were drenched in blood, having stabbed the man that pushed you against a car with your knife. Michonne shook out of anger while standing over another body. Daryl looked you over to make sure you were safe. You were more worried about Carl though, once Daryl knew you were safe, he was, too. You all were. The boy crying while holding onto his dad like if he let go the man would get him again. You gave Rick a sympathetic glance, offering a weary smile, to which Rick nodded. Face covered in blood after biting into the leader's throat.

Further down the road only seemed to get worse, too. One event after another seemed to happen, but Rick was there to save you. Again and again. Whether it be from Walkers or the hellish communities you all came across. He wasn't losing you. He never would, not on his watch at least.

It wasn't until you all reached Alexandria that you were all able to relax. You especially found joy in the little community. Bonding with a couple of the people within the walls. Joining your brother when he would go over to Aaron and Eric's house - you especially liked their company. Daryl seemed to as well, you could tell.

You had been so focused on hanging out with some of the new people that you hadn't even noticed the way Rick stared at you each time he caught you with someone he didn't know. The way his eyes lingered on you with longing eyes; with want. It hurt seeing you with other people, and he couldn't help but think about what Maggie told him all those months ago. "Sooner or later they're going to move on from you." Maybe she was right, and this was it. He was slowly losing you from his grasp. You weren't as wrapped around his finger as you used to be - or at least he didn't think you were.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" Rick muttered to you, grabbing your arm to ensure you wouldn't walk away from him. You noticed the look of worry and dread in his eye. Smiling softly while nodding. "Yeah, is everything all right?" He shrugged, motioning for a more private area. "Just.. Come on." He muttered, and you nodded, following him into the house.

He stood in front of you, but he didn't look at you. Both of you standing in the living room, his eyes fixated on the wall beside you. "Rick," you frowned, "what's wrong? You're scaring me," you added with a lighthearted chuckle. He finally looked at you, but his expression hardly changed. He still looked just as distraught. "I don't like you hanging out with Spencer," you furrowed your brows, confused as to where he was coming from. "I was just helping him out with some stuff." "I don't care, I don't like the way he looks at you," and you scoffed. You couldn't believe what he was saying to you.

A part of you was relieved that he still seemed to care, but that part of you was small. You were more annoyed and pissed than anything. Crossing your arms over your chest with a glare. "Why do you care?" You spat, and he winced at your tone. His own glare settled in his eyes. "Because I care, why do ya gotta be so damn stubborn?" Two could play at this stupid game. "Yeah? Well then you have to stop hanging out with Julie or whatever her name is." You shot back, and he looked taken back.

"What?" He asked in disbelief. "That blond chick, don't act like you don't know who I'm talking about. You see a damsel in distress and you go running to them. If you can make rules for me, I'll make rules for you too, Rick." He went back to staring beside you, but not for too long. Eyes snapping back to yours with a look you couldn't quite place. "Her names Jessie," "Do I look like I give a fuck?" He grinned, chuckling. "You act like you do." You rolled your eyes again, leaning back against the wall. "Oh please, don't act like you weren't just telling me to stop helping Spencer." You added, tilting your head, and his eyes stared. Flowing down to your lips, your neck... God, he wanted you so badly.

You caught his staring, smirking a little. "Deal?" He sighed, eyes tracing back up to yours. "Fine," you smiled, patting his chest, before pushing past him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go help Daryl with some stuff." He nodded, watching you leave. His eyes scanning over your body and wishing he would have just pulled you in for a kiss.

This went on for days longer, and it only seemed to get worse. You would catch him still talking with Jessie, so you'd talk to Spencer out of retaliation. Only pissing the former Sheriff off more. "I thought we had a deal!" He shouted, and you sniggered, "we did! But you broke it talking with Jessie yesterday! Don't act like I didn't see you, you asshat!" He looked genuinely hurt at the name-calling, and you almost felt bad. Almost.

"Jesus Rick! What are we even doing?" You hissed, and he stayed quiet. "What are we?" You snapped, but he had no idea how to answer that. "I don't know," he muttered, and you sighed, shaking your head before heading for the door. "Come find me when you figure out what the hell it is you do want, Rick. You don't find me soon, I'm gone," you muttered, the last bit of your phrase dripping with a hint of disappointment. You almost sounded, sad? He wasn't sure, all he knew was that he hated that tone in your voice, and the upset look in your eye as you stormed out. He was left standing there again, for the second time. Just this time it hurt him a lot more.

Daryl was the only person Rick could think about talking this out with. Dragging his feet to where he knew the hunter would be. Sitting in the workshop drinking a beer while fixing up his bike. "Hey," he muttered after the man when he realized he was just where he assumed. "You blew it, didn't ya?" Daryl asked without looking up from his work, and Rick furrowed his brow. The silence caused him to look up, shaking his head. "Don't act like I didn't know. I been their brother forever, Rick. I know when they like someone and I know when you like someone," he added, looking back down to what his hands were doing. "Everyone does," he muttered under his breath with a breathy chuckle.

Rick had no idea what to say, hands hanging awkwardly at his sides before pulling them up to cross over his chest. "Well, uh... Do I have your permission to ask them out? We had a fight, and they asked me what we were, I said I don't know." Daryl shrugged. "Rather it be you than any of the preppy pretty boys in this shit-hole." He added, looking up at Rick with a smile. "No promises they don' bite, though." Rick smiled, laughing lightly at that. Glancing down before his eyes met Daryls again. Noticing how his stare seemed to darken. "No promises I ain't gonna beat the shit outta ya if ya hurt 'em, too." He snarled, and Rick nodded. "I understand, I won't. You have my word," Daryl nodded. "Ya better go find 'em before they fuck the Monroe kid t'get back at ya." Rick rolled his eyes at Daryl's words, but he understood. Thanking the man before he turned to wander off and find you.

It took him nearly twenty minutes before he discovered where you were. Walking up to where you sat near the pond in town. Sitting next to you with a sigh. "Hey," you hardly acknowledged him. Rick ached, not realizing how much he loved your smile that always greeted him anytime he spoke to you. "Look, I'm sorry 'bout everythin', I just got worried 'bout you. I know you can handle yourself," he muttered, hands resting on the ground beside him, legs resting in front of him. "I just.." He sighed, "I care about you, a lot more than I'm comfortable with." You kept your gaze in front of you but listened to everything he said. "I was just so scared that I was losing you here, every time I looked you were with someone new. Chatting away, smiling, and don't get me wrong. I love seeing you happy, S'one of my favorite things, but..." He paused again, sighing as he raked his brain for words. "I hated that you stopped talking to me as much. I wanted it to be me makin' you smile like that. Me who you ran around with and laughed with." He ducked his head down. "It's stupid, now that I say it out loud." He chuckled, and you shook your head, smiling softly as you reached to grab his hand.

Rick's head jerked to look down at your hand. Smile slowly spreading to his lips as he looked up to meet your eyes. His gaze was soft, speaking all the words he wanted to say. "I like you too, Rick Grimes," you spoke, and he smiled more. "That mean Spencer's out of the picture?" You hummed, teasing him by pretending to think, even though you knew the answer was 'yes'. It was always yes. "Yeah, only if Jessie is too." He snickered, bringing his arm to wrap it around your shoulders, leaning his head on top of yours. "She never was in the picture," he commented before you both fell quiet again.

"S'a pretty view." He stated, and you smiled, "Yeah, it is," you sighed, "Think sleeping would be a nicer view," you chuckled, and he nodded, his own body screaming for him to go to bed with how late it was. "Wanna lay with me?" He asked, and you smirked, "No promises I won't keep ya up," he chuckled, shifting so he could stand up and pull you up to your feet as well. "Well, we better get there fast so we aren't up any later than we gotta be." He cooed, staring down at your lips with a soft hum. You didn't stand long enough for him to be able to kiss you, though. Pulling him off towards the house.

His eyes were on you the whole time. Watching your body as he drug behind you. Just the thought of lying next to you got him hot and bothered. Cursing himself mentally for how much you turned him on. For how touched deprived he really was. If anything, the hand-holding wasn't helping the tent that slowly grew in his pants. Growing more and more uncomfortable with each step. All he could think about was your hand compared to his, and how his dick would feel in your hands.

The second that door to the bedroom closed behind you both, he was shoving you up against the wall. A hiss leaving your lips at the force of his actions. "Shit, Rick," you hummed with a smirk, "You want me bad, don't ya?" He only grunted in response, mouth moving straight to your own. "Wanted ya for a while," he murmured against your lips, caging your body with his own. His breathing only hitched when your fingers snaked into his hair and pulled. God, he forgot how much he loved that feeling. Pressing his body against you while kissing you with force.

He was quick to move down to your neck. Kissing and nipping, leaving hickeys in order to make sure that Spencer and everyone else that looked at you got the message that you were his. The noises you made from the action were just a plus. His hands pawed and groped at your skin before hastily working on removing the clothing from your upper body. He was far from gentle when he did this. Ripping and tugging at the fabric. "Jesus, you dick," you huffed out, "Lucky this isn't my favorite shirt," you scoffed, and he chuckled, pulling his own shirt over his head.

You were quick to shut up at the other's exposed skin. Both of you eating each other's figures up. Hands roaming in order to map the other's bodies. Both of you found where the other seemed to like to be touched the most. It was your turn to leave marks, though. Pushing him towards the bed while your mouth latched onto his collarbone. Kissing and sucking while pushing him down onto the bed. Climbing over him so you were straddling his lap with a grin. Leaving a mess of hickeys on his neck that showed the shape of a heart. Pulling back to admire your work and the panting mess that Rick had become underneath you. "There, now no one's gonna be takin' you from me either." You snickered, and he smirked. He loved feeling owned just as much as he loved feeling like he owned you now, in a sense.

He was quick to grab at your thighs when you ground down against him, a growl leaving from behind his teeth while he clenched his jaw. Watching as you repositioned your legs so you were between his thighs. Smirking at the curious glint in his eyes, and the way his face seemed to turn even more red than before.

"What're you- fuck!" He snarled, bucking into your hand as you palmed him through his jeans. His head fell back with parted lips. He was beautiful. "Just let me take care of ya, Rick," you cooed, and he nodded, "Fuckin' hell, just take m'jeans off, please." he pleaded, and it was like music to your ears. "Anything for you, baby," you teased, trailing kisses over his chest while undoing his pants. Working quick since you were just as eager as he was. Daryl was right, too. You did bite, but Rick wasn't complaining in the slightest. If anything, it just had him eager for more. Hands grabbing eagerly at the back of your head when you leaned down to pull him in for another kiss.

His lips parted when you finally undid his jeans and reached past his boxers for his dick. His hips bucked into your hand when your thumb brushed over his tip. "Fuck, feels so good," he blurted, and you smiled, hand working up and down his shaft after spitting into your own palm while he became a panting and grunting mess below you. Biting his bottom lip to do his best to stay quiet. "Shit, wanna fuck you so bad," he murmured, and you hummed, feeling your stomach knot up at the thought. "Really? Why can't I fuck you?" He shuddered at the thought, growling into the kiss he pulled you in for.

Rick was grabbing at your jeans while you continued jerking him off. Calloused hands pulling your pants down enough so he could reach down into your own boxer to touch you. Pulling away from the kiss to spit on his own hand and give you the same treatment. His hand reached down your undergarments in order to grab you. Your hips thrust into his hand at the contact. "Shit, Rick," you hissed, and he smirked, though it quickly faded. Furrowing his brows with a groan when you squeezed his shaft.

The both of you touched each other until you were both reaching your highs. Rick was the first to go, and you followed shortly after. Fluids covering each other's hands. Rick panted while pulling his jeans off the rest of the way in order to feel more comfortable in the bed. Watching as you did the same.

"Shit, haven't felt that good in ages," you murmured, and he chuckled, nodding his head. "Neither," he lazily spoke. Eyes feeling even heavier than when you were both sitting at the pond. He still brought himself to stand up, though. Throwing his legs over the side of the bead to head for the bathroom. Coming back with a towel in order to wipe the both of you down. Giving you a chaste kiss while tossing the towel back toward the bathroom. Settling when it hit the tiles right at the entrance before climbing back into bed next to you. "Next time we're more awake, maybe we can do more than just that," he murmured into the side of your head as he pulled you close. A small hum left your own throat as you lazily draped yourself over him. "Definitely, not lettin' ya go now," he smiled, "You're just as stuck with me."

[moonysimp]

i've got my eye on you –pedri

pedri and gavi met y/n and they both have a crush on her, pedri decides to step aside and let his best friend go after her. but turns out things are not as simple as that.

all pedri could think about was that girl he had just met. his friend laura had came by his house to return something she had borrowed from pedri and she had brought a friend with her. y/n was by far the prettiest girl he had laid eyes on. he had asked them to come in and have a drink with him and gavi, who was also at his house. gavi had introduced himself to y/n, and also invited her and laura to come him but the girls couldn't stay so they left. and that what all it took for pedri to have y/n constantly in his head for the rest of the day.

what he didn't know was that the same thing was happening to gavi.

"look man im pretty sure i fell in love at first sight", gavi said in the car, while pedri drove him to his place.

pedri laughed, "well that's the first time ive heard you say that"

"i know, i don't usually say this but you know the girl that was with laura today? y/n? ive been thinking about her all day" , gavi brought his hands to his face, embarrassed.

pedri's stomach sank. okay, they both thought y/n was a pretty girl, nothing was wrong with that. but he had never ever heard gavi -who was never seriously interested in any girl- speak like that about anyone.

"she is beautiful, the most beautiful girl ive seen, and she also seemed pretty sweet", gavi said looking at his best friend. "you gotta invite laura to hang out, and tell her to bring y/n"

pedri laughed again. "okay, lover boy." he tried to wipe y/n's pretty smile off his mind. gavi was interested in her, and he was like his little brother, he couldn't be in the way, no matter how much he thought of y/n. he wouldn't let his attraction to her go any further.

...

"im gonna ask you a favor, and it's one that you'll probably like", laura said wiggling her eyebrows and entering your room.

"what is it?", you asked smiling, knowing nothing your roomie could be planning would be good.

"i know you have to go out today to buy some food so on your way here could you please give this to pedri? he left this sweater here forever ago and now he wants it back for whatever reason", she said. "you know where his place is, i'll let him know you're the one going because i am busy."

"laura you are NOT busy", you said giving her a judgy look.

"i know but im in my pajamas and i don't want to get changed", she whined, "besides you can see your new crush."

you threw her your pillow, "oh my god i only said that he was really cute shut up!!"

"same thing darling", she winked at you, "but please i'm being serious, would you do it?"

you were actually excited to see pedri again so you couldn't say no to her.

you remembered where he lived since you had met him about a week ago, you got to his front door and knocked.

"hi, y/n", pedri said with a smile.

"hey", you replied, "i brought your sweater", you handed it to him awkwardly.

he thanked you and before he could really think it through he said, "do you want to come in and have a drink?" he knew he shouldn't, but he had been thinking about you for days and now that you were here he couldn't resist to try yo make you stay a little longer.

you said yes, maybe even a little too quickly but you were a bit nervous so you just blurted it out.

and just like that you spent all afternoon talking, to be fair time went faster when pedri was with you. even though he was quite shy for a football player, you two seemed to connect and conversation would flow easily. you told him how you had met laura and he told you how she and him were friends since they were little.

"wow i should probably get going, surely lau is wondering where i am", you chuckled.

"yeah no worries", pedri said standing up, and he accompanied you to the door. "it was... very nice talking to you", he couldn't help to say it, he had loved every minute of it, getting to know you a bit more. just as friends, of course, he kept repeating that to himself.

you blushed a little and you heart started beating faster. "i feel the same way", you smiled at him.

he opened the door for you, "see you soon, y/n"

you remembered that barcelona was going to play tomorrow so before courage left you, you leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "good luck on the match tomorrow", you said and giving him a little smile, you turned in your heels and left.

pedri closed the door and let out a sigh. he really wished that gavi suddenly had forgotten about his crush on you because the last thing he wanted to do was stay away from you.

two weeks had passed and now laura, gavi, pedri and you were sitting together. the four of you had been all day planning fer's birthday surprise, the birthday of pedri's brother was in 3 days and even though he would spend most of the day working, pedri wanted to surprise him with a little something when he got home. and so, he had asked laura to help him organize everything, and to bring y/n along because 4 minds thought more than just 3. and of course, he really wanted to see you again.

"should we get some food? or just a cake and some drinks?", gavi asked.

"well i know we can get a bunch of free bananas from pedri, count that as the first thing ready for the party", you joked and he laughed, your eyes finding his immediately. you loved his smile. whenever you two shared a smile, or a look, you felt like everybody else disappeared from the room, only the two of you remaining present.

he felt it too, like you were the only one there with him, and his heart couldn't help to beat faster. but then reality would hit him, and he would hear gavi's voice asking you something, trying to make conversation, and he would look the other way. because it was not right.

gavi hadn't forgotten about his crush on you and in fact, he had told him that he would ask you the day of the party to go out on a date with him. so pedri had decided to step aside because his best friend liked you, and he couldn't do that him, no matter how he felt towards you.

..

the party was here and even when pedri invited only a couple of people, the place was crowded and he didn't know how that had happened. he went to get a drink to the kitchen and on his way back to the backyard he found gavi eagerly talking to you. he paused and stayed there, watching the two of you from a distance. gavi was probably asking you out right now. he turned and went looking for his brother.

you felt very weird. you arrived to the party with laura, and quickly found gavi with who you started talking. he introduced you to some of his teammates from the club who had attended to the party, you thought it was really sweet of him. but, you couldn't find pedri, and you found that really weird.

"im gonna find something to drink", you said to gavi.

"oh if you want i can bring it for you", he offered smiling.

"oh don't worry i'll be quick", you said and went inside the house, heading to the kitchen, you opened the door and there you found pedri. you couldn't help but to smile. "well hello, i finally found you"

"hey", god you looked gorgeous tonight, he thought. he really needed to stay away. "have you seen fer? im looking for him"

"yeah he's talking to one of your teammates", and you hadn't finished when he rushed past you, murmuring a "thanks"

the night was really different from what you had expected. from pedri being far away from you for a reason you couldn't comprehend, to gavi looking nervous and then asking you to go on a date with him, and you awkwardly telling him that you saw him as a friend and that you actually liked someone else. after the party ended, you stayed to go talk to pedri.

he was in the kitchen, yet again. "did i do something?", you asked, his behavior was hurting you, why would he act distant so suddenly?

"what do you mean?", he acted he really didn't know what you were talking about.

"you've been avoiding me all night, don't act like you haven't realized that"

he closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "it's for the better", he murmured.

"what is that supposed to mean?", you furrowed your brows, you were getting angry by all of this confusing conversation.

"did gavi left?", he asked you suddenly, completely changing the topic.

"i don't know and i don't care, pedri", you said truthfully, all you cared about was the boy in front of you.

that threw him out of balance, and he realized that you both had taken steps throughout the conversation and now were face to face. "didn't he... ask you out?", now he furrowed his eyebrows. he had stayed away from you all night because his friend was gonna shoot his shot with you.

"he did, and i said no", why would he care about that? it was obvious that you didn't have eyes for anyone else but for pedri.

his eyes widened and he couldn't help but to ask, "why?"

you gave in, you placed your hand on the side of his neck and leaned in to kiss him tenderly. he kissed you back and his hands found your waist. he felt like he was dreaming. you broke the kiss smiling and slight shaking your head, "you're the reason why"

everything clicked then, and he understood that it didn't matter if he stayed away, it didn't matter if he looked the other way, because it wouldn't change the way you felt about each other. he pulled you to him and kissed you again. this one being very different from the one moments ago. it was the kind of kiss that left you breathless, the kind that left you spinning. the type of kiss that made you feel like you were the only two people on earth.

but you weren't.

"you son of a bitch", you heard. you both separated from each other and turned to the kitchen door. gavi stood there, his jaw clenched.

———————

part 2

[that-one-weeb-buts-its-the-main]

Could you write Nod nsfw hcs??

MUCH LOVE ❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Nod NSFW Headcannons

Reader: female

Warnings: not too detailed in nsfw area, I mean it's there and well implied,

Note: GIRLY POPS, DID WE KNOW NOD WAS VOICED BY OUR BELOVED JOSH HUTCHERSON !??! BECAUSE I SURE DID THE FUCK NOT,

Ex. Note: also I almost didn't write this bc when I first watched Epic I was really young and I knew Nod was around my now current age; 18-19 and I was like "hes alot older than me" but then remembered that me and Nod are actually around the same age rn then I remembered alot of characters I crushed on as a kid are like...my age now and now its putting me in a crisis

This man is vanilia with a dash of spice. He enjoys comforting sex

Straight up: sets you down for dinner he attempted to make and burnt a little and candle light and everything.

One-night stands? Nah, he tried once, bro was like "I gotta go" not even a minute into it.

Though he's very vanilla, he enjoys messing around in other places *cough* unground ponds and pools.

He doesn't know why there's something so beautifully and calm about it.

He also really likes the way any light from above comes down to hit your skin.

Moonlight over sunlight 100%

His first time is definitely with you,

Also, you on top of him?

Mind blown,

Turns out he enjoys light neck grabbing; like start with your hands on his chest as you're riding him: they going up to his shoulder and onto his neck, just for you to lay down ontop of him while riding him and run your hands to the back of his head and into his hair.

He's respectable enough to not sneak into your parents' house,

Brings your mom flowers always, especially before he takes you out on a date.

Just to go and bang you in his room after the date.

Let's take a moment to thank ronin for working so much.

Thank you, Ronin.

Well except for that one time.

You know. That one time that he caught you both

It was early on in the relationship, a quickie finished as you had told Nod. Adamantly, you had to go to this family dinner.

And he was all for it, but you both wanted to bang so. Thats what you did

Ronin caught you walking the walk of shame out of Nod's room. Nod trying to convince you to stay or at least let him walk you home as he was still halfway undressed.

"Baby let me just walk you home-" "Nod please. It's okay. I appreciate it but I know you're supposed to go do things today too-" "Oh? With Ronin?" He chuckled, "He can wait- I'll make anyone wait for you-" "Well Ronin doesn't want to wait." Ronin cut in. "Ronin?!" Nod spoke, nerves laced his voice as he was quick to push Y/n behind him, "hey! Ronin, how's your day!" Nod finished putting on his shirt, "Hey- Didn't know you were-" "Good afternoon, Y/n." Y/n looked out behind Nod, the embarrassed expression told it all to Ronin "...good afternoon commander, sir..." "Nod walk her home. We'll have a talk about it after." Nod only agreed with silence and along they went.

For sure got in trouble after by Ronin,

Birds and the bees talk, from Ronin? Nod rather die.

but of course Ronin's gotta be a hard ass and ground him for a week; Nod could care less

"You can't see her for a week," "What!?" Nod argued, following Ronin's walking away form, "T-That's not fair!" "Wanna make it two?" "You know I wanted to make her a gift anyways-"

[shreddiman]

OHHH!! yall aint ready for this!

I WROTE A ONE-SHOT >:D

Care

Sebastian x M!Reader

!conext¡ the skull mines are my enemy and i wrote this based off that! this is my first real one-shot, so id love any feed back! ENJOY <3

---------------------------------------------

I woke to the white light of Harvey's Clinic. Worried murmurs were muffled from outside the room as my eyes adjusted to the blinding light.

I knew what happened, and though I was covered in bandages the only thing hurting was my ego. Shame and embarrassment suffocated me, and it only got worse when Harvey walked into the room, Maru at his side.

My face paled at that and I kept my head down as I stared at my lap. I was about to get lectured, again, and in front of her no less.

And for the record, no. I dont have a crush on her. Even her dad had assumed it, giving me the old fashion "stay away from my daughter" threat talk. I was tempted to tell the man I was gay, but when gossiping to Maru about her dads many issues, she was thankful i hadnt.

adding that to the list. . .

"Y/N! oh thank goodness you are awake, it took you longer this time round. You werent holding out on me now, were you?"

Maru gave a look as I glanced up, my silence caused a flicker of frustration across her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. My mouth formed a thin line as I looked back down at my lap.

"Hm, 'This time around'? What do you mean by that Harvey?" Her voice was sweet, but I can tell without looking there was a bitterness in her tone. All those times I bumped into Sebastian, Robin.. hell maybe even Demetrius, her father, and lied to them about my state of health? Well the cats of the bag now.

"Oh you dont know? This kids a wreck! Goes out to the mines, comes back half dead," Harvey turns to me, a stern look on his face that I catch a glimpse of as he sits down on his stool.

"Listen kiddo, I dont know what Im going to do with you. You really gotta be more careful. Let me do one last check and then Ill send you on your way, alright?" He bent down a bit to catch my eye, I reluctantly nodded and laid back to allow the doctor to do his thing.

-

It was raining, and it only dampened my mood. I was aching all over, the pain medication Harvey had give me for the time being a weight in my hand as I shoved them into my pocket.

It was still early, and with so much time in the day it felt useless to go home and rest.

The walk to the beach was short, my mind elsewhere as my body moved on basically auto pilot.

The change from wet sand to slippery wood is what caught my attention, and I nearly missed the figure standing at the end of the dock. Sebastian was there, hair damp and flat as his cloths looked darker than usual from the rain. He mustve been out there for awhile.

Thinking about it, one of the first days I had moved here, I found him sitting in nearly the same spot. He talked about how weirdly calming it was, even in the unforgiving downpour. At first, I had laughed at the thought. Being cold and alone in the rain? I couldnt see how thatd bring comfort at all.

Yet, here I was.

I hadnt even said anything, approaching his side as I sat down on the wet wood. I felt his eyes on me, but the feeling grew more intense as I suddenly felt my arm being tugged. I whipped my head toward him in surprise, seeing his concerned expression as he examined my wounds. I felt my embarrassment return.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked, looking up from my bandages, that were starting to fall apart from the rain, and at me. I wanted to look away from his gaze, feeling shameful but the stern look he gave made me feel like a kid who had gotten caught.

"..Mines. I wasnt as careful as I shouldve been." I say, blankly. I doubt that no matter how sorry I was, he'd be off the wall upset that I had lied to him. I just didnt want anyone to worry about me, I didnt want to think about how difficult it would be to explain the concept of this stupid game I was playing with life.

He dropped my arm, a look of slight betrayal on his face. Taking a deep breath he slumped down beside me, his arms crossed over his chest. Just like his sister, heh.

There was silence for awhile, the rain filling in the gaps of unspoken words. I knew Sebastian wanted to be angry with me, maybe he felt since I was physically injured he'd spare my feelings.

"I wish you wouldve told me, how dangerous it was."

Spoke too soon.

"I know, Im sorry. Your sister gave me the dirtiest of looks when she saw me at Harvey's." I gave a weak chuckle, even with the gray sky's I had hopped to lighten the situation, if only a little.

The lack of reply made me feel uncomfortable, so I continued to ramble on,

"I didnt want people worrying over me. I know thats terrible to say, and impossible to wish for- we're humans, it's natural to worry, to"

I paused, almost as if my own words were surprising me.

"to... care."

I held my arms out in front of me, seeing the damage done beneath the bloodied bandages. The image before me getting blurry as my eyes filled with tears. I opened my mouth to speak, but I wasnt sure I trusted my voice.

"I didnt think.. people cared about me that way. Hell I, I think Im afraid of it. Of people caring. Maybe, I dont deserve it,?" I basically whispered my confession, my shame coming back to hit me 10x harder when I saw Sebastian stand.

This was it, this was the crushing reality I had been waiting for. I wouldnt shut up, and now I made him uncomfortable. Maybe I can understand why Shane prefers his drunken'd state.

All that doubt washed away as Sebastians hand came into view.

"Cmon, lets get out of the rain. Youre starting to shiver."

I was shocked, but obeyed regardless. Taking his hand he pulled me up, wrapping his arm around me to hold me close. I felt the color return to my face, he was out in the rain for as long as me, if not longer and he still radiated off heat like he was a mini heater.

It wasnt long till we reached his house and walked down to his room.

"Stay there."

He stopped me outside his door. Before I could ask why, a clean pair of cloths was presented in front of me, "Bathrooms upstairs to the left, past the kitchen. Change into those and come back when youre done."

I stared at him in disbelief. I wanted to ask so many questions, but all I could muster was a soft,

"Why?"

He stared for a moment, a soft smile stretching across his face as he placed a hand on top of my head.

"Because I care."

---------------------------------------------

aggressively exists, vibrates, kicks legs!!

SO, did you enjoy it :)? im lowkey very happy with it but ngl i barely do this good at writing so dont expect a part two 💀

(unless you ask nicely..maybe)

ANYWAY THANKS BYE LOVE YOU MWAH

[josiesullysblog]

Just The Way You Are

~AGED UP Neteyam x Vitiligo Na’vi reader

~Angst, Fluff

~Proofread?-no

~Summary-You were a triplet but the only difference between you and them are your skin.

***

You were the baby of your family. You were also a triplet, and you had a skin condition. People never directly bullied you because of it, but they always left snarky comments.

Especially, your sisters it felt like they had this hidden animosity towards you. In every trio, there's always a duo you understood this meaning very well. They always left you out saying, “you wouldn't be able to keep up with us anyway!” you spent a lot of time alone.

Your mother took a lot of pride in how you and your sisters looked, “if you expect to mate, you’ll let me do your hair,” you swatted her hand out the way, “let me cut my hair! Then I’ll be able to wear them in braids and I’ll still be pretty!” your mother sucked her teeth, “nonsense!”

You gave up letting the woman have her way, “[Y/n], you already are different,” she paused looking at your skin, “I just want you happy,” she smiled looking at you, “okay.”

“I don't think I could see [Y/n] with a mate,” your oldest sister, Nova, said laughing, “I know that would be so weird!” your other sister, Sage, said looking at you, “why would it be weird?”

In your mind, they just said you were unlovable, that there was no way anyone could love you, “I don’t know it's just your vibe!” you rubbed your eyes fighting off tears, “oh, okay.”

As you got older, the more you felt people stare at you it was like you couldn't even leave your room, you became scared of how other people may judge you.

You knew better than to let other people get the best of you, but you couldn't help it.

“You should definitely come with us,” Sage snickered while looking at you, “yea like everyone is going!” Nova was the next to say, “why? You guys never invite me to places,” they both looked at each other before laughing.

“Omg just come with us already!” they forced you to go laughing the entire way, “here we are!” you put your head down scared someone would see you and stare.

It was like the moment you walked in Neteyam’s eyes bore into you, “who's that?” Lo’ak shrugged, “I don't know,” he stood up heading your way, “omg he’s coming over here!” Sage tried fixing her hair, “do I look okay?” Nova said as she did the same thing.

“Hey!” Neteyam waved at them though his eyes were glued to you, “this is our baby sister [Y/n],” Nova said petting your hair, “hi,” you gave a dry smile before trying to walk away, “omg [Y/n]! He obviously wants to talk why are you trying to leave!” the girl laughed obnoxiously.

Neteyam looked at her funny, “i’m Neteyam!” he had never met someone so gorgeous. “[Y/n],” it came out in a whisper but it was enough to cause the boy to smile.

He wanted to keep talking but your sisters pulled you away, “we’ll talk with you later!” Neteyam sighed as he watched you walk away, “someones gotta crush,” Lo’ak laughed slightly pushing him.

“Shut up,” they both went to sit down but Neteyam couldn't get you out of his mind. “[Y/n]! Remember that time you tripped and your top came off, that was like really embarrassing,” your sister's laugh filled the room. “I remember that,” Sage said, “[Y/n] is so clumsy it's so funny.”

You just sat there looking down, you knew there had to be a reason why they invited you, “what's that all over you?” a kid yanked you causing Nova to laugh, “omg stop! She’s just different,” tears threatened to fall as you yanked your arm back.

“Guys that's not funny,” Neteyam walked over standing in front of you, “bro i’m just saying, no one would want to mate with someone who looks like her,” that was the final straw you turned around and ran. You didn't want to see anybody, you just wanted to lay in bed and never come out.

“Why are you trying to defend her anyway,” Neteyam looked at the boy before connecting his fist with the boy’s face. “Finally some real fun!” Lo’ak laughed while joining in on beating the boy, “don’t look her fucking away again or I swear it’ll be worse.”

Neteyam’s hands went ram into the poor boy, the boy cried while everyone watched in fear, “ok I think that's enough,” Lo’ak’s hand tried reaching for Neteyam but it didn't work, the boy was gone.

“Neteyam, ENOUGH!” Lo’ak yanked the boys apart while looking at the other boy, “dude, dad’s going to kill us.”

Neteyam’s anger then shifted towards your sister, “you two are pieces of shit. Why would you just sit there and let your sister get ripped on.” they both put their heads down. “Let's go.” Neteyam walked off angrily with Lo’ak on his trail.

You cried into your mother's arms explaining what happened, “why do I have to be different?” your mother soothed you, “my beautiful baby, it's okay to be different,” you shook your head, “no, it's not you should've seen the way they made fun of me.”

You felt embarrassed like this was all your fault but it wasn't, “I don't wanna end up alone, mom I wanna be loved,” your mother felt tears roll down, “I wanna have children, and we all be happy but no one wants me.”

“That isn't true [Y/n], I promise you, there is someone who loves you more than you can even fathom.”

You just cuddled into her more, “why’s being different special on everyone else, but bad on me?” you looked at your mother, “why?”

“I don't know,” your mother didn't know how to help you, all she knew was to hug you and pray that one day all your problems would leave.

You woke up early, you wanted time to think. When you wanted time, you went to the forest it was like your special place. The forest doesn't judge you, it embraced you, and it let you sing, laugh, cry, and all those ugly feelings you just felt so at home.

Neteyam wanted to see you, he needed to see you so he could explain himself. He assumed you heard about how he beat that boy up, and he didn't want to scare you off.

He caught you watching the flowers float in the water, he thought you looked gorgeous when you were just so at peace. No one was around and you could truly be yourself.

He moved a little, alerting you that someone was there. You stood up quickly, “sorry I didn't mean to scare you,” he smiled at you, “it's okay I was leaving anyway.”

“Actually I was hoping you could stay,” you faced him, “why?” he just shrugged, “well, I never see you around I wanted to get to know more about you,” you shook your head, “you're pranking me, and it's not funny.”

“I’m not I swear on everything,” you sighed before sitting back down. Neteyam stood awkwardly before you looked at him, “well done just stand there come sit down with me.”

Neteyam smiled as he sat down, “so, how come no one ever sees you?” you just shrugged, “I don't like leaving my room,” you faced Neteyam, “because every time I do, things like last night happen.”

Neteyam nodded, “thank you,” you said confusing the boy, “for sticking up for me last night, my sisters told me.” When they got home last night, they had apologized saying, “we should've stuck up for you.” It took Neteyam beating some boys up to open their eyes. You didn't think they were being genuine, they only did it because someone else said something.

“You didn't have to,” Neteyam smiled, “I wanted to,” it was your turn to look at him funny, “I just didn't like the way they spoke about you,” he smiled big at you, “this place is beautiful!”

You nodded, “I used to tell myself one day I’d bring my children here,” having children felt like a dream you’d never obtain, “why’d you stop?” you looked in your lap, “no one would want to mate with me.”

Neteyam did. He wanted to love you till his last breath, “what if you met the right man, who worshipped and adored you, what would you do then?” you shrugged, “love him,” Neteyam smiled. He was going to make you understand true love.

“I love your skin,” you looked at him, “it makes you stand out, it's beautiful.” you felt a blush pull up, “you don't have to pity me, “i’m not, it's beautiful [Y/n].”

Neteyam laughed, “what?” you smiled at him, “[Y/n], you know you’re pretty right?” you shook your head, “no, i’m not I'm hideous.”

“No, you're not, your gorgeous,” you stared into his eyes, “are you joking?” he shook his head, “i’m not lying to you.”

“How often do you come here,” you shrugged, “like once a day,” he smiled, “when you come here I want you to think about this moment, just me and you.” you smiled, “okay!”

“And I want to give you something if that's okay,” you nodded, “it's okay,” Neteyam smiled, “it's okay?” you laughed and smiled, “yes!”

Neteyam slotted closer, breaking the gap between you both, you sat there shocked before deepening the kiss. It felt so surreal that you were actually kissing a boy.

You both broke it off, catching your breath, “I would like to do that more with you,” he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, “me too.”

***

Hey guys! Sorry if the ending feels rushed, I’ve been hanging with friends so I haven't been able to write. My holidays are almost over so I won't be able to write as much as I’d like :( but hopefully, you all enjoyed this!!

[doctorbrown]

Me, just thinking about some of the various milestones (good and bad) the Time Family is going to experience together. Thinking about the progression of (mostly linear) time for all of them.

Marty not being able to see Doc as much because his career's taking off and then there are the kids and life gets hectic and he hates that.

Welcoming Curie into the family.

The weeks it takes to clean out and dismantle the garage to move all that stuff into the Browns' new house.

Jules following in his father's footsteps and getting into university at a young age. Verne more than intelligent enough to do the same, but he's not in the same rush that Jules is to prove himself; he's just taking life as it comes and though he likes science (how could he not) and enjoys helping out Doc with inventions, he doesn't want that to be the focus of his life.

Doc and Clara at the McFly/Parker wedding, over the moon.

The dreaded teenage years for Jules and Verne.

Doc and Clara being named godparents to the McFly twins.

The McFly twins' first day of school.

Jen's huge promotion as a journalist.

The loss of Lorraine & George.

Clara's fiftieth birthday.

Marty starting his own company.

One of Doc's inventions gaining traction.

Ellie having a little kid crush on Jules or Verne (which Marty will embarrass her with when she's older as any true dad would).

The great, gotta forge all the paperwork and fudge some dates on official government records to protect my family fiasco.

Clara learning how to drive.

Jules and Verne learning how to drive.

Joint family holidays.

The housewarming party as Jen and Marty move into their place in Hilldale.

The Browns watching the twins while Marty and Jen are off on work/holiday.

All of Doc's various inventions & improvements to the time vehicles.

Doc & Clara renewing their vows, even though they really don't need to.

Accidental temporal adventures, some of which could have universe-shattering repercussions.

Jules and Verne graduating university.

Doc eventually, finally needing glasses and being very annoyed about it.

Jules and/or Verne getting ready to marry their significant others.

Doc's funeral.

Clara telling Marty he can't take the time machine to go back and see him again no matter how broken up he is, because she is too.

Marty asking for life and fatherly advice from Doc because sometimes, having kids is so overwhelming and how do you do it am I doing it right do they hate me?

[oldfashionedmorphine]

🔀 Byler again lol!!

ps, i cheated with this one a tiny bit cause the first song shuffled was bubblegum bitch by marina and i wasn’t feeling creative enough to make that work lol… maybe if i’m feeling super silly someday, but not right now ;)

but with this second song, i present to you…

An au where Will has been holding back his feelings since he was fourteen, watching Mike through relationships that seem to only make him miserable—in another life he knows he could make him infinitely happier…

Except now that they’re about to embark on a new chapter in life—going off to college in different states—Will finds he can’t hold back the truth anymore…

Edit: A more polished version is now on ao3!!

————

we shouldn't wait another day

Dear Mike,

I feel like I’ve been lying to you for years now. How many times have you asked me if I have a crush on anyone or asked me if I ever loved someone and I’ve told you no? Because every time you asked me, I’ve lied to you.

The truth is, I do like someone. In fact, I’m in love with them. I have been for some time.

And it’s you.

I never planned to tell you. I expected to take that secret to my grave, but soon we’ll be moving on from this shitty town and what if I never see you again? I think I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I never once let you know how I’ve felt. The worst you can say is that you don’t feel the same. And then we can laugh about it later and move on with our lives.

But I just had to tell you one time and if there’s even the smallest chance you could feel the same, then meet me tonight at sunset near the fallen tree at Lover’s Lake.

If you don’t show, then I’ll know your answer and we can just forget about it. No hard feelings, I promise :)

Love,

Will

————

The final bell rang out—high school was officially over. And as they left their classroom for the last time, Will stops Mike before they reach the parking lot. He had kept the letter in his pocket the whole day, unable to give it to him until just now. Because it was now or never.

“Um…” Will sways nervously, knowing the moment he hands the letter to him everything changes, but he has to do it—he needs to, “This is for you,” he holds the sealed envelope out for Mike, “Just don’t read it yet… wait for me to walk away first.”

“Okay…” Mike takes the letter from him with furrowed brows.

“You’ll, uh… understand when you read it.”

Mike eyes the envelope curiously and nods his head, “I’ll see you later though, right?”

“We’ll have to see about that…” He can feel his face flushing, “I really gotta go.” Will spins on his heels and tries to walk away as fast as possible.

El was waiting for him by their car—he was more than happy to toss her the keys because there was no way in hell he could drive the damn thing home without crashing them into a pole because he was too flustered.

————

Ten minutes until sunset…

The air was warm and the sky was painted in vibrant orange and pinks and reflected perfectly on the still waters of the lake.

Maybe it was over the top—no, it definitely was. There was no guarantee Mike would even show up and yet Will had laid out a whole picnic a few feet away from the shore—a blanket with a basket of food and he even lit candles in jars and holy fucking shit what the hell was he thinking—this the stupidest idea he ever had.

And only time would tell if it was worth the money he shelled out—he’d been working at Melvald’s on the weekend with his mother, so he had a little to spare.

It was nearly sunset too and his heart was racing and he was pacing. This was a terrible idea. What was he thinking? He never should have said anything. This is so embarrassing. Mortifying. He’s never going to be able to look Mike in the eye again after this. It’s a good thing he’s heading off to college in two months because if he had to face Mike after this, he’d die on the spot.

Remember… worst case scenario is Mike doesn’t show up and you just have to avoid him and everyone else for the rest of the summer. No big deal—it’ll be fine.

It’ll be fine.

It’s fine.

He keeps pacing back and forth—carving his path in the sand.

This is so stupid, he’s not coming.

Will checks his watch again, five minutes to sunset—he’d be here by now. Will stops pacing, looking over at the setting sun and feeling that sting of rejection. He should’ve known better. Not allowing himself any sliver of hope…

“Hey.”

The word sent an electric shock through his body. He turns around to find Mike standing with his hands in his pockets. Will takes a shuddered breath, “H-Hey.”

“Did you really mean everything you wrote? It’s… it’s not a lie—not a joke?”

He nods, “I meant it. Every word.”

“And you’re sure?” Mike didn’t seem convinced.

And then it occurs to him that maybe Mike doesn’t believe him since he did tell him in the letter how he lied for years about who he liked, “Yes… I promise… I wouldn’t lie to you about this.”

Mike nods, taking a breath, “Okay…” and then he watches him remove his hands from his pockets and walk towards him with purpose and a fire in his eyes.

It could have been from the shock of it all, but Will stayed as still as a statue as Mike approached him until he was no more than two inches away—so close he could feel the warmth of his body. Will didn’t even flinch a single muscle as Mike placed his hands on the sides of his face so he could lean in for a kiss. But then Will melted into it and he wrapped his arms around Mike, he didn’t want to let him go.

He was kissing Mike—how was this possible?

Deep down Will really thought that nothing would actually come of the letter. That Mike wouldn’t show up and he’d simply sit all alone at the edge of the lake until the candles burned out and then he’d have to learn to let his feelings die along with the flames. That’s what he was truly prepared for…

Only that didn’t happen. And now Mike was kissing him. And he was kissing Mike—his heart wanted to burst out of his chest.

Mike was first to break away from their kiss, resting their foreheads together. But when he moves his head back a bit, Will can see tears trailing from his eyes.

“I lied to you too, Will…”

“What?”

“I never told you how I really felt either.”

Will’s eyes go wide.

“I never thought I could actually tell you the truth… ‘cause I thought it was just me who felt like this and that it’d make things too weird if I said anything… so I settled for saying it every other way instead… but I’ve always wanted to tell you…”

“Really?”

“Yeah… you’ve always made me the happiest—more than anyone.”

They share another kiss, nearly losing themselves in it this time, but eventually they come up for air and by then the sun had completely set and the only light left was provided by the small candles flickering away inside the glass jars.

Will takes Mike by the hand, pulling him over to sit upon the blanket, and then they talk and laugh as they enjoy the sandwiches, snacks, and sodas he packed. And in the end, they find themselves laying down, gazing up at the stars while they hold each other close and staying this way until dawn…

————

tagging:

@daydreams-in-the-moonlight @magentamee @boahey

(might actually post this one to ao3)