#For the record I think they’d be great parents

[field-s-of-flowers]

Every fan interpretation of the Fifth is like “oh they’re the parents of the group and the Wise Old Elders” meanwhile they’re fully in their late thirties. Magnus is 38 and Abigail is 37 when we meet them in Gideon. If they died today they would’ve been born in the late ‘80s. Those aren’t grandparents. Those are millenials. They’re not even the oldest people at Canaan House (Colum may or may not be the same age as Magnus and Protesilaus is older than both of them), it’s just that they’re married and have stable jobs that aren’t Battle Butler and Death Wizard. They don’t use mid-twentieth-century British slang because they’re old, they use it because they’re from the Fifth and also because Abigail’s just Like That.

[andvys]

I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss | part 26

Warnings: 18+, angst, alcohol consumption, weed, mentions of vomiting, mentions of sex, mentions of cunnilingus, clueless reader, jealousy

Pairings: Steve Harrington x fem!reader | Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Summary: During a spontaneous birthday 'party', you find some things out, things that maybe should've been left unsaid.

Word count: 6k+

A/N: So, this chapter took a whole turn while I was writing it. It was supposed to head into a whole different direction but my angsty heart, had to say no to the fluffy route. @hellfire--cult thank you for helping me, you're amazingggg

series masterlist

-

Steve lied. 

He lied again. 

It’s something he hasn’t done in a while. 

He promised himself to never do it again, knowing how much damage it had caused in the past, in both relationships that he had. 

This lie is harmless, though. At least, he thinks that it is. 

He spent the day with Robin and Dustin, they had surprised him with a homemade birthday cake that Robin had made with Chrissy’s help, it would’ve been a cute one, had Dustin not ruined it with his Star Wars decorations. Lucas and Max showed up as well, ‘surprising’ him by throwing a bunch of balloons and confetti at him. 

They made him blow out the candles, before forcing him to open all the presents. Dustin’s present was not surprising, at all. A Star Wars movie collection. Lucas had given him a keychain, with a little basketball pendant. Max acted all careless as always, shrugging it off when he gave her a kind smile and a ‘thank you’, yet, she gave him one of the best presents, a collection of polaroids of him with the teens, with Robin and even you, along with new records, claiming that he needs to expand his music taste. He has yet to unwrap Robin’s presents. 

They ate cake, went to the movies and the diner. And afterwards, Steve drove everyone home. Robin didn’t believe him when he said that he made plans with his parents for the evening, that they’d come home to spend his birthday with him. She was suspicious, not buying the lies he was feeding her with, Steve could tell but she had no choice but to say goodbye when he dropped her off at home, he really didn’t want her to stay longer than she had to, he wanted to be alone, by himself. So, when she begrudgingly got out of the car and gave him a sad smile, he gave her a cheerful one back, pretending to be happy when he was feeling anything but it. 

He didn’t go home. He knew that his parents wouldn’t come and he couldn’t stand the thought of staying in that big house, all by himself, tonight. He drove past your street, as well, fighting the urge to go and see you. 

There is only one place he knew he would find peace at. The Hideout. 

Now, he is sitting here, in the corner of the bar, with a drink that he had bought with his fake ID, soon he won’t have to use it anymore. With his head hung low, he lets his mind go to places that he had avoided all day. Dark thoughts that hold nothing but heartbreak and loneliness. He doesn’t feel miserable, just really fucking sad. He has people who care about him, friends who love him, people he now considers family. And yet, he still feels lonelier than ever. 

He looks around the bar, it’s not very crowded, it never is. Maybe on weekends, but never during the week. Rock music plays in the back, he hears the chatter of a group of young men by the bar, they’re laughing, throwing back drinks – they are clearly having a great time. For a while, Steve watches them. How they laugh with each other, how they all look so carefree and happy. He doesn’t even know what it feels like to feel that way anymore, to have fun and be happy without ruining everything with his actions in the matter of just a few minutes. 

He sighs, leaning back in the chair, he looks down at his drink, that lately he started to find more and more comfort in. 

The door opens but he doesn’t bother to look up, not caring about whoever it is that walked through the door. He is so focused on the miserable feeling inside his chest, the tearing, the longing, the yearning, the hurt. 

Before his mind can react, his heart is already fluttering when he hears your voice. He raises his head, eyes finding you immediately. You’re here. You’re here with Eddie. And you look more beautiful than ever. You’re wearing a black dress and the dark denim jacket that he was cursing at, last year when he had yet to find out who it belonged to. Your hair is falling softly in waves, your lips are glowing a soft pink beneath the dim light, you’re giggling, slapping Eddie’s arm playfully when he whispers something in your ear.

His eyes soften, despite you being here with him, giggling at him, he can’t help but smile when he finally sees you again. It’s only been a few weeks since he had properly seen you, yet, it seems like forever.

When your eyes find him and your giggles die down, your smile falls and your eyes widen. He freezes. Not knowing how to react or what to do. Not only have you caught him staring, you have also caught him lying. Again. You were the first person he lied to about his birthday plans. He looks away with a blush on his cheeks, his hand grip the glass tighter, he inwardly curses himself out for coming here, tonight. 

“It’s his birthday, right?” Eddie mumbles behind you. 

“Yeah,” you whisper in confusion. “He told me that he would spend his birthday with his parents..” 

Eddie looks away from you and back at Steve. He sits there, looking crestfallen. His shoulders are slumped, his face etched with sadness, he can see it, even from a distance. The sight of him sitting there so lonely and sad is pitiful. Eddie knows what he feels like, at this moment. His dad never cared about him, not even on his birthdays, he never even bothered to give him a call from wherever he was currently living or staying at. 

But, Eddie has Wayne, he always had Wayne. Steve doesn’t. He doesn’t have anyone who looks after him. He is all by himself. 

“I guess they didn’t come,” you mumble with sadness and a hint of disappointment in your voice. “They never do.”

“Robin told me that he was acting weird when he dropped her off earlier.” 

Despite his dislike for him, he can’t help but feel bad for Steve. The people he wants the most, aren’t in his life. 

His parents are gone. 

You are gone. 

Steve had changed. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, Eddie can see that he has changed for the better. That he isn’t the guy who hurt you, who left you standing on your birthday, who broke your heart and left you for someone else. He isn’t that guy anymore. Had he still been that guy, Eddie wouldn’t even bother to look at him twice and feel any ounce of pity for him but now, things are different. He is different. In a way, it scares Eddie, because he knows that he now has a chance for a second try, with you. 

“Do you think he’s here by himself?”

You shrug, looking away from Steve, you turn towards Eddie, “yeah.” 

You feel the little item in your pocket, the one that suddenly feels too heavy, the one you itch to reach for and give it to the one you got it for.

Eddie looks down at you, at the sadness in your eyes. For once, it doesn’t make him feel frustrated or annoyed to see you be so sad for someone who hurt you. 

“No one should be alone on their birthday,” Eddie mumbles.  

“Yeah,” you sigh, looking down at your hands. “But, I-I guess it’s what he wanted, he could’ve spent time with Robin.”

“He was with her before, wasn’t he?” 

“Yeah.”

Eddie sighs. There is hesitation in your voice and in your eyes.

“Do you want to spend time with him?” He asks, already feeling the dread tugging in his chest, knowing that the night won’t go the way he wanted it to.

For a moment, you stare into Eddie’s brown eyes, there’s a kindness in them, kindness for him. That is something so rare. 

“Uh, I’m sure he wants to be alone.”

Eddie knows you. Eddie knows what you want, right now. But, you are hesitating out of fear of upsetting him. 

“Sweetheart,” he whispers, placing his finger under your chin, tilting your head up. “I won’t get angry. If you want to spend time with him tonight, we can cancel our plans and you can go be with him.” He nudges his chin into Steve’s directions. “I don’t like him but, shit, even I can’t stand the fucking kicked puppy look that he’s sporting, right now.” 

You eye his face. Even through the sadness for Steve, the smile for you, you can see the slight fear in his eyes. The fear that any moment with you, will be his last one before you find your way back to Steve, before you say goodbye to a friendship that might’ve saved your life. But even through the fear, he still wants the best for you, he still wants what you want. 

“I think he wants to be alone,” you repeat.

Eddie looks over your shoulder to see him staring at you. 

“Nah, I don’t think so.”

You sigh, shaking your head. 

“What if we all hang out together?” 

“Sweetheart, I don’t think that Steve would be happy to spend time with me–”

“Please, Eddie,” you whisper, mustering up the best puppy eyes and a pout that he can never say no to. “We can just have fun together, you’ve never met drunk Steve before, he can be funny – unless he decides to break your heart but, that won’t happen to you, don’t worry,” you giggle. 

He raises his brows at you, surprised that you are making a joke about that. 

“You go buy us drinks and I’ll go convince him to spend time with us. We can just all get drunk together, maybe you’ll finally get along,” you shrug, giving him a sheepish smile, you place your hands on his chest, pushing him towards the bar, not taking no for an answer. 

“I don’t think it’ll take much convincing,” he snorts. As though you would ever have to convince Steve to spend time with you. Eddie is certain that all it takes is a glance from you and that man is already by your side, you got Steve wrapped around your finger, just like him, and you don’t even know it. 

You turn on your heel, not waiting for a response from Eddie. You make your way over to Steve, whose head is still hung low. Your heart thumps a little faster in your chest when you inch closer and closer to him. You push your hand into your pocket, reaching for the tiny bag that you had taken with you earlier when you considered dropping by his house. 

You stop in front of him, taking a shaky breath as you place the small bag on the table, sliding it towards him. 

“Happy birthday, Steve,” you whisper.

His wide eyes stare at the bag, the tiny jewelry pouch that clearly holds a present inside for him. His eyes soften, staring at your ringed fingers that linger next to his hand for a moment. 

He looks up, slowly. Hazel eyes flashing with softness when they meet yours. You stare at him with a shy smile, sadness lingering in your pretty eyes. His heart flutters so strongly, he longs to touch you. 

“Thank you,” he whispers, giving you a smile. “W-What’s that?” He asks, pointing to his present without tearing his eyes from you. 

“I got you a little present. I-It’s nothing special just, I just wanted to get you something. You don’t have to open it now, just uh–”

“Y/n,” he smiles, interrupting your rambling, “you didn’t even have to get me anything but I appreciate it, I will love it.” 

“You don’t even know what it is.”

“Yeah but it’s from you, so, I will love it, dolly.” 

A smile appears on your face, you nod slowly, whispering a small ‘okay’. You know that Steve always loved to keep certain presents for last, so you’re not surprised to see him tucking it into the pocket of his jeans. 

“Your parents didn’t come?” 

He looks down, holding the glass tighter, he shakes his head, unable to bear the pitiful look on your face. 

“Oh.”

“It’s okay,” he whispers before you can say ‘I'm sorry, steve.’ He doesn’t want you to pity him. 

“No, it’s not. You shouldn’t be alone.” 

“I-I wasn’t alone, I was with Robin all day and the kids–”

“But, now you are.”

He raises his head to look at you. And, before he can even say anything, his words get caught in his throat when he looks at you. Your eyes are glistening, not with tears and sadness, but with something else, something he cannot read. You look at him differently than you did weeks ago, not in a way that scares him or breaks him but, in a way, that only leaves him with one too many questions. He struggles to read you, to understand you. It’s like he can no longer see through you the way he could before. Nonetheless, he feels so calm and safe in your presence and he wants this moment to last forever. 

“Right now, I’m not, though. You’re here.”

You smile at his words. 

“Yeah, I’m here.” 

When Eddie appears by your side, Steve tries not to let his smile fall. 

Right. He is here too. 

“Happy Birthday, man.”

To Steve’s surprise, he sees Eddie not with two but three shots in his hands, he places them all on the table. Grinning at him in a way he can’t tell whether it’s a kind one or a sarcastic one. 

“Thanks,” Steve nods at him. 

Eddie pulls the chair back for you, you smile at him, taking the seat across from Steve. Eddie sits down beside you, leaving Steve with a questioning look on his face as he looks between the two of you. 

“W-What?”

“You think we’re gonna let you spend the night alone, Harrington?” 

Steve looks at Eddie in confusion, hearing these words not from yours but from his mouth leaves him more puzzled than ever. Eddie spending time with him willingly? He purses his lips, squinting his eyes as he turns to look at you. You smile at him, shrugging. You slide one of the shots towards him. 

“I mean, I thought that we could spend this night together,” you say, smiling with hope in your eyes. “Or we can leave if that’s what you–”

“No, I-I want to.”

He looks between you two, giving Eddie an awkward smile. 

“Cool! Let’s drink, then.” 

“Yeah, let’s drink,” he chuckles as he ditches his glass of whiskey for the shot of whatever Eddie had ordered. 

“When’s the last time you got drunk?” You ask them both. 

“Oh man,” Eddie mumbles, leaning back in his seat, he puts his arm on the back of your chair. “I don’t even remember, it’s been a while. What about you, sweetheart?” 

“Uh, well, I had a cocktail night with the girls, a few weeks ago,” you say, giggling. “Oh, also at a party.”

You and Eddie look at each other, he instantly knows what party you are talking about when he sees the amused look on your face. He chuckles, though he instantly gets taken back that night. When you showed up with that stolen bat plushie, when you told him how much you missed him, when you told him that you wished you met him first. 

Steve looks between you two, a sinking feeling in his stomach takes place. There are things you share with Eddie, things that he will never know about because he isn’t in his place anymore. 

“I knew it! I knew you were lying to me, Dingus!” 

Startled by the voice, all three of you snap your heads towards the angry girl walking towards the three of you with a frown on her face, pointing her finger at Steve. 

Steve’s eyes widen, “I can explain.” 

Something about the anger on Robin’s face and the panic in Steve’s features makes you giggle.

Robin slaps the back of his head, lightly. 

“Ouch! Robin!”

“You are such a–”

“Dingus, yeah yeah, I know.” 

Eddie laughs at that, smirking at Steve who throws him a glare.

“You think that’s funny, Munson?” 

Eddie leans back with a satisfied grin, “actually yeah.”

Robin plops down in the seat next to Steve, still staring at him with a frown on her face. 

“Why did you lie to me? Why are you here?” 

Steve sighs, scratching the back of his neck as he gives her a sheepish smile. 

“And what are you two doing here?” She asks, turning to look at you and Eddie. 

“Came here for a couple of drinks and then we found this sad puppy,” Eddie mumbles, pointing at Steve. 

Steve rolls his eyes, mumbling a few incoherent words under his breath. 

“We just asked him to spend the night with us.” 

Robin gives you a surprised look before her eyes move back to Eddie, who, doesn’t look as enthusiastic about this whole thing as you do. 

“How did you even know I was here?” 

Robin leans her elbow on the table, tilting her head at Steve, “well, I was craving some burgers and my favorite driver was apparently at a birthday dinner so I couldn’t ask him to drive me, so I walked, imagine my surprise when I saw a certain BMW standing in front of The Hideout.”

“Robin–”

“No! Don’t Robin me! Why’d you lie?” 

Steve didn’t want her to feel like it’something she had to do, hang out with him, spend his birthday with him because there’s no one else for him other than her. He doesn’t want her to do anything out of pity for him. 

He doesn’t feel comfortable to talk about it in front of Eddie or even you, knowing that you pity him the most. You always did and he hated it. A part of him always thought that that’s why you were with him, because you pitied him, the sad boy who was always abandoned by his own parents, because you knew he had no one else that cared about him, that loved him. So you stayed, you stayed even when you shouldn’t have.

Even now, you look at him with those big sad eyes with that look of pity in them. 

“Robin,” you warn when you notice how uncomfortable he looks, how he clenches his jaw and bites his lip.

Eddie senses the tension, the looks you are giving Robin, the way she is ignoring you because she desperately wants an explanation from Steve. 

“Lay off, Robin. Maybe he just wanted to get a few drinks and not deal with your annoying ass,” he says to her with a grin. 

She flips him off, rolling her eyes at him. 

“Just relax, here, take my shot and drink it, you need it, Robin,” you say, sliding the shot glass towards her. 

She turns towards the two of you, shaking her head with squinted eyes, “you’re both pretty rude.” 

“So are you, Robby.”

“Ew,” she scrunches her face up at Eddie, “don’t fucking call me Robby.”

“I’m gonna keep calling you that, if you don’t stop being so rude to sad birthday boy over there.” 

Steve sighs, running his hand down his face. 

“Can you just call me Steve, dude?” 

You giggle at the annoyed look on his face. 

Eddie grins, “okay, Steve.” 

“Not like that.” 

“Like what?” 

“Like you’re mocking me!” Steve exclaims. 

“How am I mocking you, Steve?” 

Steve scoffs, shaking his head, “see, you’re doing it again!”

“Oh my god, shut the hell up!” Robin slams her hands against the table, truly, shutting them both up. “Eddie, get me a drink.” 

Both Steve and Eddie look at her as though she had grown two heads, while you giggle at her little outburst. 

“That was an order.” 

“Damn girl,” Eddie whistles, getting up from his chair, “you need more than one drink,” he mumbles as he walks off. 

“You are both two immature idiots,” she groans, burying her hands in her hair. 

“You are so mean to me,” Steve mumbles, looking at her in disbelief, “and that on my birthday!” 

A smile tugs at your lips, you look between them, chuckling at the way she rolls her eyes at him. 

“You know what, I really need a few drinks.” 

“Wait, are we actually doing this?” Steve asks, gesturing to the shots on the table. 

“What, getting drunk?” 

He nods at you. 

“Yeah. Just like old times, right?” You smile at him in a way you always used to. 

“Just like old times.” 

His eyes suddenly flash with amusement, he snorts, “do you remember my fifteenth birthday?” 

Your eyes widen as a giggle falls from your lips. 

“Of course I remember!”

Robin’s eyes flash with curiosity. There’s things she doesn’t know about yours and his friendship, things neither you or Steve had talked about yet. 

“Wait, what happened on your fifteenth birthday?” 

Your eyes light up with excitement, you lean closer to the table, looking at Steve, waiting for him to tell the story. 

He chuckles at the look on your face before he turns his body towards Robin. 

“We stole my dad’s super expensive wine, he was supposed to take it to some event – I got in so much trouble for that, by the way,” he says to you. 

“I know, I know. Keep going, Steve.”

“Alright, so, we stole that wine bottle. We played a drinking game, kept passing that bottle back and forth until we were fucking hammered,” he says, chuckling as he thinks back to that day in his backyard. The way you giggled at anything he said, the way you danced and ran around barefoot on the grass, the way you jumped in his pool, fully clothed, the way he hugged you when you were both in the water.

“This crazy girl over there started to cannon ball into my pool–” 

You giggle at the memory. 

“She did it over and over again and it looked so fun so I joined her. Honestly, it was pretty fun but I had half a bottle of wine and ate a whole pizza before that.” 

“Oh,” Robin scrunches her face up, already seeing where this is going. 

Steve can’t even fight the smile off his lips, his eyes crinkle, his cheeks flush and he giggles, “we’re in the pool, having the best time of our lives, right? And, fifteen year old me apparently thought that it was a good idea to kiss my best friend, but I totally missed her lips and kissed her nose and she fucking laughed at me, but I wanted to try again. I lean in when I suddenly feel the urge to throw up.” 

“Oh, ew! Stop!” 

“He threw up in the pool, Robin!”

“That’s so disgusting!” She whines, trying to get the image of Steve puking into the pool out of her head, “you don’t have any better stories to tell?” 

You and Steve can’t help but laugh harder at her reaction. 

“I mean the kiss on the nose is fucking embarrassing, Steve. But throwing up in front of her afterwards?” 

“I thought it was funny,” you giggle. 

“What is funny?” Eddie asks when he comes back with two drinks for Robin, placing them on the table and sliding them towards her before he sits down beside you again. 

“Trust me, you don’t wanna know,” Robin says with a look of disgust on her face. 

“I don’t?” He asks, glancing at you and how amused you look. 

“No, you really don’t.”

“Okay,” he snorts. 

He glances at Steve, grinning at him, “hey dude, I got a birthday present for you.” 

All three of you turn to look at Eddie in surprise, watching him in curiosity when he raises his hand, reaching for something in the pocket of his dark flannel. He picks out a joint, tossing it at Steve who catches it with one hand. 

He laughs at that, raising one brow, giving Eddie a smile, “I do appreciate this, it’s kind of expensive nowadays.” 

“Is it expensive?” You ask, turning to Eddie, “you always give me some for free.” 

Eddie’s lips curl into a smile, he lifts his hand towards your face, tapping your nose with his finger, “well, you’re my best friend.” 

Steve keeps his eyes down, not wanting to look between you and Eddie. 

You smile at the way Eddie looks at you, the way his eyes glisten, the way his cheeks are always a little red, the way–

“Do you guys wanna smoke this?” Steve asks, cutting the voice in your head. 

“Here?” 

He chuckles at Robin, “of course not. We could go back to my place, my parents aren’t home, anyways.”

To Eddie’s surprise, he not only directs these words at you and Robin, he also directs them at him. 

“Uh, I’d love to!” Robin grins. 

Steve gives you a hopeful smile, one that makes it impossible to say no to him. 

“Me too.” 

At that, his eyes light up and his smile grows bigger. 

“Sure, let’s do it.”

“We’ll have to walk though,” Robin gestures to the drink Steve already had, “cause you can’t drive and I don’t have a license.”

He shrugs, “we can take Eddie’s van and I’ll get my car tomorrow morning.” 

“Uh, no,” Eddie mumbles, scratching the back of his neck, “my uncle took my van cause his car is at the shop, we walked here.” 

Steve sighs, “shit.” 

“But you could let me drive, I didn’t have anything yet,” Eddie smirks, pointing to the untouched shots. 

Steve snorts at him with a deep glare, “uh, yeah, keep dreaming, Munson,” he mumbles as he leans back, reaching for the keys in his pockets, you all watch him curiously. “The only one who’s allowed to drive my car is dolly.” 

Robin raises her brows in surprise when Steve chucks his keys at you that you quickly catch, looking down at them with a dumbfounded expression before your eyes light up and you look up, beaming at Steve. 

“Okay, let’s go,” you smile, excitedly as you play with the car keys. You scoot back, getting up from the chair. Robin knocks back one shot before she gets up as well. Steve and Eddie glance at the four untouched shots on the table and then, their eyes meet, they both shrug at each other and reach for two shots, each. 

Robin pats Steve’s shoulder, chuckling when he knocks one back and then the other, grimacing at the strong taste. 

You giggle at Eddie, who looks unfazed by the bitter taste. 

“Let’s go, ladies and.. Steve,” he grins. 

“Dude.”

“Don’t start this again,” Robin warns, pointing at them both before she rushes over to you, wrapping her arm around your shoulder, she grins, “us ladies, ride in the front, and you two can cuddle in the back,” she winks at them, pulling you away with a giggle. 

-

After an eventful ride to Steve’s house and a few shots of tequila, you all settled in his backyard, each of you occupying one of the many loungers around the pool. Passing around the joint that Eddie had given Steve as a ‘birthday gift’. You are sipping on a drink that Steve has made for you, coke mixed with his dad’s expensive whiskey. You are pretty sure that you will regret the amount of alcohol and weed you are having tonight, when you wake up tomorrow morning. But the floaty and giddy feeling you are experiencing right now, will have to make up for it. 

Steve is sitting on the lounger beside you, a can of beer in his hand, his lips wrapped around the joint that is already stained with your lipstick. A spitcurl is hanging in front of his eyes, he doesn’t bother to push it away. He shakes his head at something Robin had said to him, something you didn’t even hear because you were too busy letting your eyes skip back and forth between him and the curly haired metalhead who now left his lounger to be closer to you. 

Eddie wraps his hands around your calves, stroking your skin softly with his ringed fingers as he places your feet on his lap. He does it all without breaking his conversation with Robin. Though he feels the goosebumps on your skin, he hears the breath that hitched in your throat when he touched you. He hides his smirk behind his drink as he takes a sip of the cold beer.

Steve clenches his jaw as he looks between you and Eddie. The way he continues to stroke your calf, the way he smirks at your reaction, the way you are blushing, biting your lip as you look down at the hand touching your skin. 

He forces himself to look away, turning back to Robin, he offers her the joint. 

“Thanks,” she mumbles, giggling when she almost doubles over as she reaches for the joint. 

“Already hammered and we haven’t even played a drinking game yet, tsk,” Eddie shakes his head, giving her a playful grin. 

With an eye roll, she gets up, placing the joint between her lips as she sits down next to Steve. 

“A drinking game, huh? What kind? ‘Never have I ever’? Okay,” She grins at him without giving him a chance to reply. “Never have I ever had a girlfriend,” she smirks, teasing him. 

Steve licks his lips, chuckling at Eddie, who nods at her with an annoyed look on his face. 

You raise your eyebrows, “why are you teasing him, I never had a girlfriend, either,” you shrug. 

“Yeah but you had a boyfriend,” she mumbles, nudging Steve’s shoulder. 

Eddie tilts his head at you, looking you up and down with a smirk, “do you want one?” 

“A girlfriend?” You ask as you raise the glass to your lips, shrugging, “I don’t know, I never thought about it but kissing girls is fun, so.. I suppose doing anything else with a girl is fun too.” 

Eddie’s lips part, his brown eyes widen, darkening as they do so. He swallows as he continues to stare at you. Millions of questions run through his mind. There are things he doesn’t know about you, yet? 

Robin and Steve look at you in surprise. 

“Wait, w-what?” He mumbles, laughing nervously. 

Robin’s lips curl into a smirk, “you kissed a girl before? Who?” 

“Yeah, sweetheart, do tell us your dirty little secrets.” 

“Hmm, no,” you smirk, batting your eyelashes at him. 

“Was that before or after me?” Steve asks, cheeks flushed red as he tries to fight the images out of his mind. 

“Before you,” you giggle. 

“Shit, I wanna know who it was.”

“Me too, Eddie,” Robin says. “I know that it wasn’t Chrissy, she’d tell me.” 

“Huh, was it another girl from the cheer squad?” 

You shake your head at Eddie, biting your lip to keep yourself from laughing. 

“Were you close?” 

You shrug, nodding your head.

Steve squints his eyes, tilting his head at you. 

Robin’s jaw drops a little when she figures it out. There is only one girl that you’re close with that wasn’t in the cheer squad – well, besides her. 

“Holy shit,” she mouths at you, grinning.

Steve and Eddie glance at each other in confusion. 

It’s amusing how obvious the answer is, yet, neither of them are close to figuring it out. 

“If you think kissing a girl is fun, you should try eating one out,” Robin mumbles before she takes a drag from the joint, “it’s the best thing ever.” She blows out the smoke, not noticing the confused frown on your face. 

“For once, I have to agree with you, Robin,” Eddie chuckles. 

Steve freezes, closing his eyes as he looks down. 

“Huh?” 

Noticing the look on your face, Robin suddenly regrets opening her mouth about that. Your lips are parted, your eyes filled with confusion and curiosity, your brows are pinched together as you stare at her with a questioning look on your face. She straightens her back, muttering a quiet ‘fuck’ under her breath when she looks at Steve’s embarrassed face. 

“What’s that?” 

Eddie freezes. The smirk falls from his face, he glances at you, at the clueless, lost look on your face. Oh. Steve had never – fuck. How? If you were his, he’d spend day and night on his knees, worshiping you. 

“Huh?” This time, it’s him, whose confused. 

You look at him with big and curious eyes. 

“What is that, I don’t watch porn.” 

“Damn, I guess it’s time to,” Robin mutters through gritted teeth. 

“Licking someone’s pussy, sweetheart. And well, fucking one with your tongue.” 

Your jaw drops, your cheeks heat up and you stare at him in shock. You look cute like this and he could stare at you forever but, in his state of shock, he slowly turns his head towards Steve, eyes filled with concern, confusion and disbelief, “dude, what is wrong with you?” 

Steve, whose face is beet red, glares at him. 

“I’m very self conscious of not doing a good job, so–”

“You learn!” Eddie throws his hands up. 

“What, Munson, are you the pussy expert or something?” He scoffs, rolling his eyes at him. 

You look back and forth between them. Taking in the sight of Eddie’s slightly angered face and Steve’s embarrassed one. 

“I have eaten my share of pussy, thank you very much.”

The scoff falls from your lips before you can even stop it. Neither of them acknowledge you though, until you open your mouth. “What, like three?” You scoff, again. “You only fucked three girls, that’s what you told me, unless you lied about that.” 

Eddie swallows, glancing at you, he fails to notice just how intense the look in your eyes is. 

“There’s a difference between sex and foreplay, sweetheart.” 

You bite the insides of your cheeks, swallowing the bitterness on your tongue as you look into his eyes. Not once, had you spent a single second wondering if Eddie was seeing someone, if he was fooling around with girls when he wasn’t with you. But now that you think about it, now that you imagine him with other girls, you suddenly feel the bile rising in your throat. The sickening feeling makes you want to drop to your knees and puke out the waffles you had eaten this morning.

“So, when was the last time you did that then, Eddie?” Robin asks, both curious to know and to see your reaction. 

He shrugs, “I don’t know, Buckley. I don’t keep count of how many days–”

“Yes, you do! Men always do!” 

He doesn’t feel comfortable sharing that in front of you, but he knows that Robin won’t drop it until she gets an answer she’s satisfied with. Besides, you probably won’t even care. Despite Dmitri’s encouraging words, he still refuses to believe that there are any feelings other than the platonic ones that you feel for him. This won’t hurt you, right? 

“Fine! Two or three months ago, happy? Now, Harrington, I think I should teach you some basics.” 

You feel as though a cold bucket of water has been dropped on you. Your heart leaps to your throat as your stomach drops. Another wave of sickness floods through you. You stare at him, not noticing Steve’s or Robin’s eyes on you. 

When was that? Was it the weekend you couldn’t spend time with him? The night you couldn’t come to his gig? Was it before or after he had gotten angry at you for kissing Steve? 

It shouldn’t affect you as much as it does, it shouldn’t make you feel this sick, this jealous. You barely figured out your feelings for him. But the longer you stare at him, listen to his words, you can’t help but feel anger rather than jealousy. 

You didn’t have feelings for him back then, or at least, you weren’t aware of them. He’s single and free to do whatever he wants but so are you – so were you when you kissed Steve and yet, he was so angry at you when he found out about it. He treated you so coldly, all because he hated the thought of you kissing Steve. Yet, he was out there fooling around with other girls.

“You have never actually eaten pussy before, dude?” Robin mumbles.

Steve rubs the back of his neck, nervously, “I mean, yeah. Just not–” he pauses with a look of shame in his eyes as he briefly glances at you. 

You roll your eyes. 

You’re not surprised to hear that, you’re not even hurt. After everything that happened between you and him, his sex life with Nancy is the last thing you had ever worried about. You always knew that he treated her better than he ever treated you. 

And, that he tried new things with her isn’t anything shocking to you, anyways. 

You open your mouth but before you can say something that might ruin the night, you press your lips together again. Sighing, you look down at your drink. You take a deep breath before you raise the glass to your lips, gulping down the rest of it.

You plaster a smile on your face. Ignoring the concerned looks that Robin is giving you. She thankfully changes the topic. Eddie and Steve, surprisingly fall into yet another conversation. 

Their distraction allows you to slip away for a moment, you pass by Robin without meeting her eyes and make a quick escape to the bathroom. Locking yourself into the small room for a moment to collect yourself. 

Despite the anger you are feeling, you don’t want to ruin the night for Steve. 

You splash some cold water and run your fingers through your hair. 

With tears in your eyes, you stare at yourself in the mirror. 

Whether it’s tears of anger or tears of sadness. You are sick of it. You are sick of yourself. You are sick of crying. You are sick of the pining, of the jealousy, of the sadness.

Steve had given Nancy everything. He tried new things with her while you were grieving your relationship, crying yourself to sleep and thinking about him like a goddamn fool while he was having the time of his life with a different girl. 

And Eddie, you try not to think about it, you try not to let the jealousy in. But you can’t push out the anger that you are feeling for him, right now. 

Or the anger that you are feeling for yourself.

How you take everything to heart. How you let everything and everyone hurt you. 

You are done. 

You are so fucking done. 

-

next chapter

-

tagging friends & mutuals

@taintedcigs @mysticmunson @littledemondani @wroteclassicaly @corrodedseraphine @corrodedcorpses @succubusmunson @trashmouth-richie @xxhellfirebunnyxx @take-everything-you-can @sherrylyn628 @chrissymjstan @somethingvicked @nemesis729

[celtics534]

Little Moments That Pass Us By Chapter 8

First Night - July 1998

This chapter is the reason this lovely story is rated M, that’s my only warning ;)

Time for a little spice. I hope you all like it!

Also Read On: FF.net or AO3

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Ginny pressed him back into the sofa cushion, Harry lost all conscious thought. He didn’t think about how he was at the Burrow, or how Ginny’s parents were just three floors above them. All that mattered was the way Ginny’s lips felt on his, how her legs straddled his lap, and how her fingers were knotted in his hair. 

  It was incredible how she felt. Everything about Ginny was fantastic. After everything he’d been through, Ginny had supported him. Been a shoulder to lean on. She was the only person Harry had felt comfortable talking to. Truly talk too. After the things he’d done over the previous year… the things he’s learned over the last few years… Ginny was his confidant. And he was hers. He’d held her close as she described the things she’d been forced to endure at the hands of the Carrows. She’d told him about her fears during the last three years, and he fears for the future. Harry wiped away her tears after she’d cried over Fred’s grave. 

  And all of that had led them to be here. They found emotional comfort in each other, but also found passion in each other's bodies. Since that first kiss after he’d fled her bedroom they’d reconnected. Sneaking outside to find quiet corners to be with each other. Snogging, talking, touching. 

  Over the last few months, they’d gotten up to more than they had at Hogwarts. Getting to see Ginny take off her bra again had been incredible, but then getting to slide his hand into her shorts and feel her heat… getting to help her reach her climax, his fingers being what set her over the edge… that had been one of the best moments of his life. That moment had been knocked from the pedestal when Ginny had gone down on him for the first time, which had been superseded when he had gone down on her five minutes later. 

  Typically, they were cautious about where they did things. Even with Ron and Hermione in Australia, the Burrow was a hub of people and the fear of getting caught by brothers or mothers was strong. But tonight, there was something that was making them throw caution to the wind. 

  Harry couldn’t put it into words. The moment Ginny had come to gently kiss him, he’d instantly needed more. He’d pulled her into his lap and deepened the kiss well past anything they’d done in the public sitting room. 

  “Harry,” Ginny moaned his name in one of the hottest whispers he’d ever heard. It was enough to pull him out of the drugged state Ginny’s kisses had sent him. Or maybe it was the way her fingers had gone under his shirt and were dipping lower. 

  And there was that insatiable need. Her hands on him, the feeling of her sucking lightly at his bottom lip… it made his normally cautious and polite attitude disappear. His hands came up to run along her sides, trailing until they found the hem of her shirt. It was up and over her head before Ginny could make a noise of surprise. Her bra clasp was undone a second later and Harry had lowered his head so he could kiss her hardening nipples.

  “Merlin, Harry,” Ginny whispered, a tone of surprise and what Harry thought was awe. It flattered and made his male pride roar in delight. “I knew you were good at that, but this could have gotten you into a world record book.”

  Harry chucked against her chest, loving the way she shivered and arched into his warm breath. “You know what they say when people have the right encouragement.”

  Now it was Ginny’s turn to laugh. “Oh really? And pray tell, what else might you be encouraged to do?”

  “I’m sure between the two of us we can come up with some great idea,” Harry said, pausing to kiss his way to her other breast. “But right now —”

  His sentence was cut off by the sound of creaking floorboards a story above them. They both froze. Ginny’s hands were tightly locked in Harry’s hair. Harry’s lips hovering just above her left nipple, his fingers halfway into the back of her shorts. They waited with bated breath, listening. Harry could feel his heart racing a mile a minute as he prayed her parents were simply visiting the loo and not coming down for a late-night cuppa.

  After the longest two minutes of his life, Harry heard the sound of the water running through the old pipes and then the sounds of the same floorboards creaking as the person wandered back the way they came. 

  “Bloody hell,” Ginny muttered, her shoulders falling as the tension seemed to ooze out her system. “That could have been bad.”

  For his part, Harry couldn’t relax. It was all hitting him at full force what they’d been doing and where.  “Merlin, Gin. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have — in the sitting room — I don’t know what I was —” 

  Ginny cut off his ramblings with a hot, hard kiss. Her fingers tightened in his hair as she kept him close to her. “Take me to bed, Potter.” 

  Everything in Harry’s system buzzed at those words. His blood started to heat and his already tight pants seemed to get worse. “What?” 

  “You heard me,” Ginny said, her eyes blazing like a fire. She got up from his lap, holding out a hand to help him off the sofa. “Take me to bed.”

  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

  Harry didn’t know what to do with his hands. Hell, he didn’t know what to do with any of his body parts. He just stood there like a statue after Ginny had shut her bedroom door behind them. 

  Their discarded shirts (and her bra) were bundled in his hands, and he just stood there holding them. He swore his body had gone numb as he watched Ginny (a topless Ginny) move around her room. He was only half aware of what she was doing, but he was fully aware of her (and her hard nipples). She’d locked the door, he was certain of that. The rest of her movement was lost on him as his brain started jumping from one thought to the next. 

  “Hey.” Ginny’s soft voice right in front of him made Harry’s vision come back into focus. She was standing right in front of him, her small hand resting lightly on his forearm. “About what happened downstairs —”

  Instantly Harry jumped to apologize. “I’m sorry I pushed so far. It wasn’t… I shouldn’t have done that… Right where anyone could…” He was rambling like a nervous child about to get scolded by the headmaster. Harry didn’t want Ginny to think that he’d ever take advantage of her, especially not in her parent's sitting room. “Gin, I would never —”

  Ginny’s index finger cut him off as she pressed it hard to his lips. “Harry, stop.” He pressed his lips together to keep his ramblings at bay. “Look at me, Harry.”

  He lifted his eyes to look into hers. He expected to see anger, maybe annoyance. At least disappointment at his foolish actions. Instead, all he saw was heat… desire. Her tongue came out to run along her bottom lip. 

  “Good, now just shut up and kiss me.” 

  He hesitated for at least five seconds. A solid five seconds where his mind and body were both too surprised to comprehend what she’d said. Then the bundle of clothing was landing on the floor with a soft thud, and his arms were around her waist.

  The moment his lips were on hers, Harry was lost. Lost in her. The feel of her. The taste of her. It was everything. 

  Her body pressed hard into his as her hands roamed from his back to his hips. It wasn’t until her fingers were at the button of his jeans that Harry’s mind started working again. He pulled away from her tantalizing mouth. His lungs filled with much-needed oxygen as he stared at her. “Gin?”

  She met his gaze with a determined look. “Harry.” Her fingers stayed on his button.

  Harry sucked in a deep breath, before swallowing hard. Her message was clear. Actions spoke louder than words and her actions were practically screaming. She was just waiting for his approval. She was making sure he was ready.  

  And fuck was he ever. 

  With speed that would impress a cheetah, Harry recaptured her lips. She moaned into his mouth as he opened his mouth to hers. He felt it when Ginny’s fingers resumed their quest. He nearly hissed as she pulled the zipper down. 

  “Okay?” Her words were muffled against his mouth. 

  “Fuck yes.” The hoarse whisper slipped out without a second thought. 

  Ginny's deep chuckle went straight to his dick. If he’d had any blood left in his head, it had just all completely moved south as had her fingers. Ginny’s small hands had completely removed him from his jeans and were making their way back to the waistband of his boxers.

  Harry’s eyes closed on their own accord. Fuck it all felt so incredible. They’d done this before, hell they’d done more than this before, but for some reason, it felt different tonight. It was… there was more.

  When her fingers wrapped around the head of his cock, Harry’s eyes shot open. Ginny was grinning at him. That grin alone turned him on just as much as her touch. She kept her movements slow at first, but when Harry’s hips jerked into her ministrations. 

  Harry gritted his teeth, trying to gain back some control. It felt so fucking amazing, but yet… Harry wanted more. He wanted her to be naked too. Hell, he wanted to be hovering over her, their bodies pressed tightly together.

  Without a second thought, he took her face into his hands and kissed her hard. Ginny gasped in surprise, her hand pausing and eventually falling away from his cock. With his hands still cupping her face, Harry took the first step toward the bed. Ginny easily fell into step, walking backward until the back of her legs bumped into the mattress. 

  She fell onto her back, bouncing a little before he crawled over her. Harry didn’t hesitate finding her lips again. His hands moved to slide along her sides, finding her sensitive nipples. Harry lowered his lips to her neck and sucked hard at the sensitive skin. Ginny let out a surprised gasp as her fingers dug into his back. He could feel her nails pressing hard into his skin. That was the tipping point. 

  Harry nipped at the pulse point pounding in her neck. “Ginny, I want — I want — ”

  “I want you to make love to me, Harry.”

  Ginny’s confident words came out steady, interrupting his garbled attempts to say the same thing. His head came away from the crook in her neck so he could look into her eyes. Her eyes were locked on his, and the bright fire in them set his skin aflame.

  He could see the certainty in her dark eyes. See it in the small smile curling her lips. So he leaned down to kiss her, letting her fingers curl into his hair as she pushed her tongue into her mouth. 

  Everything in his body thrummed with adrenaline and anticipation. He didn’t know what he was doing, other than he would let her lead him. Breaking their kiss, Harry started trailing his mouth down. Starting at her chin, neck, collar bone, the center of her chest, her left breast, and her right breast. Harry let her noises and reactions decide where he’d spend more time and when he’d continue down to his goal. He pressed a hot open mouthed kiss just above the button of her trousers before his fingers until the clasp and tugged down the zipper. 

  Ginny lifted herself from the mattress so he was able to slide her trousers and knickers completely off her body. Harry didn’t look away from Ginny long enough to know where he tossed her clothing. Her soft laughter reverberated around the small room. It was one of the best sounds in the world to Harry. He kissed her stomach again, loving the way her body squirmed as if being tickled. Then he went lower. Her soft moans thrilled him. She was hot and wet, so ready for him.  

  Harry teased her with his tongue, enjoying the way she sighed his name when he reached the spot she craved him. He added one finger. Then a second. He made sure to keep up her ministrations as she writhed under him. Not willing to stop for anything until she came. 

  “Fuck, Harry, right there. Don’t stop. That’s perfect, don’t —” Ginny’s words became garbled as her body became overwhelmed. Harry followed her instructions as she went over the edge, her cries loud in the late night. 

  When she fell back into the mattress, her breathing heavy, Harry moved back up her body. 

  “Holy shit,” Ginny muttered as Harry pressed a kiss to the underside of her jaw. “You truly are getting way too good at that.”

  He chuckled. “I had a good teacher.”

  She lifted a hand to tilt his chin so she could kiss him. “I’m just hoping my parents are truly asleep or they’ll know how good you are at that.”

  Harry could feel his cheeks heating. He lifted himself nearly completely off her. With a quick motion, he reached into his loosened jeans in search of his wand. “Fucking silencing charm.”

  Ginny laughed as he cast the spell. “We were a bit distracted to remember it.” She cleared her throat. “While you’re at it, can you cast the contraceptive charm?”

  His heart rate picked up as her request registered in his mind. He turned his attention back to her and saw determination and desire in her expression. Taking a deep breath, Harry turned his wand to himself, muttering the incantation under his breath. Ginny's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. 

  Her hand came up to curl around his neck, pulling him back down over her. Her lips brushed just under his ear as she whispered. “Take off your trousers, Harry.” Then she nipped at his earlobe, sending a shock wave of desire down his body.

  Without hesitation, Harry reached down to push his loose trousers down his legs. The cuffs got caught around his ankles, but he didn’t care how ridiculous he looked as he struggled to get them off. His boxers went to the floor much easier. 

  They were both completely bare. Harry hovered over her as she smiled at him. His heart pounded a brutal pace against his ribs but when Ginny pulled him back to her lips with pressure on his neck Harry forgot about everything but her. The way she brushed her tongue along his lips, how incredible her chest felt against his, and the heat that emanated between them. 

  Harry didn’t try to speak as he lowered a hand to guide himself into her. He kept his movements slow, giving her every chance to pull away or tell him no, but she didn’t. Instead, she lifted her hips from the mattress, making it easier for him. 

  The second he entered her, Harry nearly lost it. He’d thought she’d felt incredible before, but this… this was… he couldn’t think of words. Hell, he couldn’t think much at all. It took all his concentration to keep moving slowly. Harry was only slightly aware that his breathing had become heavy as he clenched his jaw in focus. 

  Ginny’s hand came up to cup his cheek. He looked into her face, needing to see she was okay, that he wasn’t hurting her. His chest tightened at the look of pure affection on her face. The soft smile gracing her lips was perfection. 

  Fuck, she was perfection. 

  He stopped when he felt resistance. Ginny, however, didn’t hesitate. Her hands came down to grip his ass, giving him a squeeze. “Don’t stop, Harry.” Her voice was an octave lower and was just as tempting as her body. Her body was so warm and soft under him. Merlin, it would take a stronger man than him to resist anything Ginny Weasley asked of him. 

  Pressing forward he cringed at the intake of breath that came from Ginny. He froze again. His mind and body were at war. Well, one particular part of his body to be precise, but Harry refused to let his dick be in charge. He held himself over her, letting her adjust. Harry pressed his face into her neck, breathing in the mixture of sweet flowers and sweat. His lips moved on their own accord, gently nipping at her skin as her breathing steadied. 

  “Move, Harry.”

  Her words sent a shiver down his spine, and again he instantly followed her orders. He moved slowly. Pulling back and pushing forward. Back and forward. The feeling was like nothing he’d ever experienced. It was taking all his willpower not to explode in the first few thrusts. But when she let out a satisfied groan his brain nearly shut off completely. He looked down into her blazing eyes and was gone. 

  He was lost in her, lost in the way her body gripped him. Harry managed one last thrust before it was over. He came down from his orgasm slowly, his senses returning to him one at a time. First was smell (sweat and her amazing flowery scent), touch (her fingers caressing his back), and finally sight (red hair and flushed skin). 

  Slowly he lifted his body above her, taking in her face. The smile curling her lips was so sweet it made his heart flutter. Her hand came up to cup his jaw. She lifted up to press a gentle kiss to his lips. As she lay back, Harry watched her sweet smile turn into a coy grin. “Well, Potter, I’m glad to see your stamina isn’t just for quidditch or catching bad guys.”

  He felt his brows lift high into his damp hair, his own lips curling to match hers. “What can I say, I live to please you, darling”

  Her little hum of satisfaction sent pride coursing throughout his body. “I’ll say.” When her head rested on his chest, Harry’s eyes closed in serenity. He was asleep before Ginny’s whispered words of love reached him. 

[steddieas-shegoes]

Building furniture might actually be a circle of hell.

At least that’s what Eddie believes.

Steve is busy folding the clothes. There were so many clothes.

Babies needed so many clothes.

But they also needed cribs, which was what he was trying to build.

Trying being the keyword.

The instructions were terrible, and he’d given up on them 15 minutes ago. The drill he’d been using died before he even managed to need it, which meant the battery in it wasn’t charged, which meant he’d forgotten to plug it in when Steve told him to. He obviously wasn’t saying anything to Steve about that.

Steve offered to build the crib, insisting that he’d built his own bed frame and helped build a bookcase for Dustin.

But Eddie wanted to do this.

The call had come the day before, letting them know the baby was currently in the NICU and wouldn’t be released for four to five days, but could be released to them as temporary guardians if they could sign the paperwork and complete the house visit and interviews in time.

Obviously, they said yes, and it’s been a mad rush ever since.

In the mad rush, Eddie had offered to build the crib.

So here he was. Building it. Regretting his commitment. Wishing for death.

“How’s it going, Eds?”

“Great.”

He hopes the frustration can’t be heard in his tone, but Steve had been listening to his voice for almost 20 years at this point; he’s bound to catch it.

And he does.

“I can help. It’ll get done much faster if we both do it.”

“This is a one person job, sweetheart. I can do it.”

“Uh huh.”

Eddie looked at the screws and bolts and 2x4s currently in a pile in front of him and then up at Steve smiling at the clothes in his hand.

He thought about how long they’d waited for this, how Steve had given up on his big family dreams to be with Eddie and let him have his big dream of being a rockstar first.

How even when he finally stopped recording and touring, they still faced the fact that most places wouldn’t let them adopt together. That the world still didn’t think they could be good parents despite having everything a child would need in abundance. Especially love.

They both wanted this and both waited for this, but Eddie knew Steve was in heaven.

It was all he wanted for so long, and now it was happening, and happening so soon.

They were going to be parents.

They were going to have a daughter.

Eddie stood up suddenly and walked over to Steve, who paused what he was doing and looked at him with his brows furrowed, concern overtaking his features that were previously so relaxed.

Eddie pulled him into a kiss, one hand gliding through his hair to the back of his head, keeping him in place with his other hand on his hip.

When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against Steve’s, smiling at him.

“Will you help me build the crib?”

Steve looked at him with those beautiful wide eyes, the same ones he’d fallen into in 1986 and never emerged from.

“You want my help?”

“I want us to do this together.”

Steve bit his lip, nodded, and placed a soft kiss to the corner of Eddie’s mouth.

“We should get started, then.”

“I did start.”

“Baby, you’ve emptied the box and thrown away the instructions. That’s not starting.”

“Hey! I also separated the pieces that match!”

Steve rolled his eyes, but his smile said he was amused.

“You’re right. You did great, Eds.”

“Thank you. Now, don’t be mad, but the drill isn’t charged.”

Steve blinked at him, grabbed the drill, and flipped the switch on the bottom to ‘on.’

He pushed in the button.

It turned on.

“Oh.”

“Thank God you’re hot.”

“I helped save the world!”

“But a baby crib is what’s gonna take you out.”

Eddie smirked.

“You could take me out.”

Steve was busy looking at the pieces on the floor, but still responded.

“If you actually help me, I’ll take you for milkshakes after, how about that?”

“Bribery works. Deal.”

It took hours, and it probably shouldn’t have, but Eddie didn’t mind.

When Steve sat on his lap, staring at the crib pushed into the corner of the nursery, tears in his eyes, he didn’t think Steve minded all that much either.

[batmanlovesnirvana]

— FROM “Before the Batman: an Original Movie Novel (The Batman 2022)”.

written by David Lewman’s

AN : ‼️‼️ THIS IS NOT MY WORK. It’s a prequel original movie novel written by David Lewsman’s and it is canon to the film. It also includes an exciting original story of Bruce Wayne's early adventures on his way to becoming The Batman.

All rights go the creators and Warners Bros !

00 — Prologue.

Bruce felt strange being back in the old house.

He and his parents had lived in the mansion, Wayne Manor, until he was six years old. Then they’d donated their sprawling home to Gotham City to serve as an orphanage and moved into their current residence, Wayne Tower.

Now he was ten years old, and his father, Thomas Wayne, was running for mayor. His dad had decided to announce his candidacy at the orphanage. So Bruce and his parents had returned to their former home for a visit.

As they climbed the grand staircase to the second floor, Bruce remembered playing on the stairs. He saw the door to a closet and recalled crouching behind the hanging coats for a game of hide-and-seek, waiting for his mother to find him, laughing. It was a big house, full of great places to hide. Even though he liked their new home in Wayne Tower, Bruce realized he missed the old house. He’d been happy there. Seeing it again, he felt a kind of ache.

Upstairs, in what had once been a ballroom, the orphanage’s choir stood on risers, singing a medley of patriotic songs. The Waynes had called the long hall “the party room,” only using it when they entertained large numbers of guests. But when it was empty, Bruce had played in the big room, rolling toy race cars across the gleaming wooden floor all by himself. The floor didn’t seem as shiny now as it had then, when it reflected the light from the sparkling chandeliers hanging overhead. Bruce glanced up. The chandeliers had been replaced with sturdier, more practical light fixtures. They were a little dusty.

TV cameras were set up to capture his father’s announcement for the evening news. Reporters from newspapers and magazines waited with recorders and notepads. Photographers snapped pictures. Thomas Wayne’s campaign manager handed out copies of his remarks. Orphanage staff members looked around nervously, hoping everything would go smoothly. The residents had been warned repeatedly to be on their very best behavior.

The medley came to an end. The woman conducting the choir turned toward the cameras and smiled. There was scattered applause from the small group gathered for the candidate’s announcement. The reporters weren’t sure how to react to the music. They’d come for a news event, not a concert.

Now that the orphans had stopped watching their conductor, Bruce felt as though they were all staring at him. There’s the rich kid who used to live here, they were probably all thinking. The billionaire’s son. Bruce wanted to look away, stare at the floor. But he knew his parents were counting on him to make a good impression, so he looked back at the kids in the choir. They’re weren’t all looking at him, too excited by the TV cameras and photographers to care that much about a ten-year-old kid in an expensive suit.

Except for one boy.

He was scrawny, with aviator-style wire-rimmed glasses. His clothes seemed a little too big. They were hand-me-downs he hadn’t grown into yet. And he was looking straight at Bruce. Why is he staring at me? Bruce thought. Do I look weird or something? He wished the kid would look away. But then he felt sorry for the guy, living in an orphanage without any parents. Even though he didn’t really feel like smiling, Bruce forced himself to give the kid a friendly smile.

The kid continued to stare. He didn’t smile back. 

Should I post other parts ? Lmtk.

[ensbunny]

Evan gets a rose, Rosekiller (701 words)

In a tiny, French ski town, Barty gathered the pink, white, and red roses that they grew up the mountain in the spring. His mother usually did it, but her most recent surgery left her on strict orders from the doctor in Nantes. His father immediately took off as much time as he could to tend to her. He was excited to finally be allowed to run the stall they set up every Saturday at the market.

”Don’t get too comfortable, Barty,” His mom had grumbled, jokingly, when he’d told her.

They changed what they sold depending on the season, but he’d admit he was impartial to the roses. It was therapeutic to arrange them into bouquets and wrap them in fabrics every color of the rainbow. He set each bundle carefully in his dad’s truck and set off back down the mountain.

It was still early, the remnants of winter biting at his face. He waved at Ms. Sprout who sold wool hats and scarves— she invited him over for tea often and even once let him run the machine she used to make them. Mostly everyone was finished putting out their goods, so it was just him scrambling to arrange them nicely on the table.

People, all that he had known for forever, came by to talk with him, some buying one or two bouquets for their centerpieces. Mr. Slughorn, who only baked recipes from the cookbook he wrote, bought a few of the smaller ones to give to his students. It was all very easy to manage on his own until a group lead by a energetic tour guide shuffled the tourists into the square.

It wasn’t the fact that he had to work faster that bothered him, but the boy his age that came up to the stand almost immediately after they’d arrived. He opened their conversation with a soft smile that had him melting into the brick right under him.

“Hi, uh— parles vous anglais?”

“Yes,” He replied, simply, looking down at his hands. Only a little bit, he wanted to add, but lost his chance. He just had to pray it would be fine.

“French is still hard for me,” He apologized, huffing out a shaky breath.

“Okay,” He said, expecting him to continue.

When he didn’t, he tapped on the stem of a rose, “Do you— want to buy flowers?”

He blinked at him for a moment, like he needed to process the question, “No, no, I just wanted to talk to you.”

“What?” He raised an eyebrow, thinking he misheard. Wanted to talk to him?

“Like—” He scrambled to say something else, eyes darting around Barty’s face. “I think you’re beautiful and I wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh,” He froze, feeling his cheeks burn. “Okay.”

“Do you want to get tea or whatever there is here?” He asked, tugging on a lose string on his jacket.

“Now?” He glanced around, shamefully wishing his parents were here.

“No, you’re obviously busy, um— tomorrow? Me and my sister are here for a couple days.”

“Yes, that’s good,” He nodded, watching his face light up like his own.

“Great,” He grinned, “That’s brilliant— name?”

“Barty,” He almost choked trying to get the words out fast enough. “And you?”

“Evan,” He said, and just started walking away, “See you tomorrow, Barty!”

“Attends, wait!” His hand shot out, grabbing his backpack to stop him.

Evan reered back, gaping at him, panicked.

He ripped a rose, a white one— to match his hair — from it’s bouquet, shoving it into his hands. “For you.”

He stared down at it for a few moments, breathing out a nervous giggle. He twirled it in his hand, and Barty watched his chest rise and fall in record time. “Thank you.”

The rest of what he said was too fast for him to translate, but he could see by the way he wouldn’t stop smiling that it was the right choice. He let him walk away when he tried a second time, feeling energy rushing through his body. He had a date. He didn’t know where, but still.

[roe-and-memory]

Cal headcanons maybe??? :3333

ANON, WE’RE BEST FRIENDS NOW. THANK YOU

cal is my boy, my son, my shining star, my silly, and many more.. allow us to fucking ruin his life (the favourite character treatment, if you will)

i hope u enjoy these 💥🔥

- hes deaf! this is my favourite hc ever i came up with it myself. hes Deaf and uses hearing aids - this was caused by the crash his parents died in (as he was in the vehicle with them if it wasnt obvious)

- he was 13 when his parents died

- he grew up watching his uncle race. he was a STAPLE in the dinoco pit box and when he was 11 or 12 he was strips crew chief for a race (strip won it too)

- strip taught him how to drive in one of the fields at their house - he mowed a track around it with a tractor, made cal get in the drivers seat, and told him to just Drive. (he was taught using Lynda’s old derby car because as strip expected, the very traumatized 14 year old he put behind the wheel DID in fact crash into the corn stalks and strip had to chase after him and pull him out of the car)

- he is probably the most careful driver you will ever meet. its the trauma, dare i say, but the probability of him crashing is much less than the Other Two. bobby and lightning poke fun at him for being so careful behind the wheel because “he doesnt have fun”, and whenever he gets serious behind the wheel they both giggle and quietly make fun of him (its like when you turn on the light in the car and your dad yells at you, white knuckling the steering wheel staring straight ahead and u dont understand why its so serious)

- cal’s the oldest of the three as well, hes a little less than a year older than lightning, so they’d both be the same age for like a 4 month period, bobby is the youngest and gets relentlessly bullied for it.

- i dont think cal ever learnt extensive sign language after the accident. his aunt and uncle didnt know it, and they were cautious of the situation so they found ways to communicate that they could all understand - he only learnt it after meeting red, because he was curious, and it wasn’t that hard.. plus it was a bonus that he could say things to lmq and bobby that they didn’t understand

- hes the only member of the trio with a consistent brain cell. hes the Reason, but hes also silly as hell which puts him barely a brain cell level higher than his friends

- he doesnt trust other people driving him places, he will ALWAYS volunteer to drive

- cal has a lot of his old, early racing days/pre-racing days memories on one of those old, handheld film cameras. he records a lot of stuff on it when theyre all running around the infield being silly

- his silly ass is so socially awkward its AWFUL. hes great in front of cameras but as soon as someone normal asks him a question or starts a conversation hes like. erm. Um. sure? (it was not a yes or no question)

- adhd

- hearing issues also comes with auditory processing issues, he’ll ask someone to repeat themselves and then realize halfway through their repetition what they said and be like OH YEAH TOTALLY!

- after the accident he went through a phase of being Terrified that strip and lynda were trying to replace his parents. he acted out, he hated every minute of their care and affection for a while, and finally he couldnt handle Not telling them why he was acting the way he was. they were both forgiving of course, they told him they understood he was scared and this was all New and they would NEVER try to replace his parents. that Helped.

- cal is short for calamari, full name calamari weather's (roe)

- hes blonde! he and strip are both blonde - and people HAVE mistaken strip for his dad instead of his uncle, but in reality cal just looks a Lot like his mother (who was strips sister)

- adding onto above: cal being upset makes strip think of his Sister and it fucking tears him apart every time. that kid looks so much like his mother its awful.

- when he was finally old enough to drink, he won the race, got to hold the champagne bottle and pop it open but it was so horribly hot outside that he fainted while on top of the car in victory lane, fell off, shattered the champagne bottle and smelt like berries for almost a week because it WOULDNT GET OUT OF HIS HAIR. he scraped up his elbows and tore the back of his t-shirt but there was nothing worse than smelling like alcohol for six days.

- he has a baby face and its his worst enemy.

- when he was a kid and a teenager he was obsessed with picking up small animals he found in the forest behind strip and lyndas house, and hes GOOD AT IT TOO. he once brought in a whole opossum into the house shortly after the accident, totally out of it on pain medications, and told his aunt and uncle that he wanted to keep this cat he saved from the garbage can down the side of the house. they were more shocked he got outside? how did he even..?

- he also picked up a habit of eating random berries he found in the woods? hes regretted it on multiple occasions and lynda has continuously told him to stop, but what made him really stop was accidentally grabbing blueberries that just so happened to be surrounded by poison ivy. he had it up and down his arms and all over his hands for three weeks.

- boy loves bugs, every bug ever he could identify and pick up with no issue whatsoever

- he had a marine biology phase and still LOVES the aquarium

- escape artist essentially

THIS IS SO MANY thats enough for now.. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED i love him so much. i hope none of this comes off as me woobifying him because i will lose my mind 💀

[cowgurrrl]

omg! another thing to add for oftm lol, ik there's already so much content regarding the series lol but you know that meme where it has rdj and Chris Hemsworth and their kids? it's like this parent vs this parent or something like that?? well it reminds me of a thought of how there'd for sure be photos like that of rockstar!joel and actress!reader or even videos of them that or just so out of context and it's hilarious! it could be a video of reader explaining something but people take it the wrong way or think it's something inappropriate she's talking about LMAOO or a photo of joel and his band on stage and he makes a silly face. it'd be great truly lol, the fans make memes out of those moments and, again, the fan comments are great too

HAHAHAHA YES

I think they’d be asked about the kids in talk shows and as they get a little bit older, they’re willing to share a little bit more!! Like I can totally imagine actress!reader and Joel on a show like the Graham Norton show where there’s multiple guests at one time and a picture of Joel launching Sophia into the water while you, Ellie, and Sarah look on from your chair on vacation gets shown on screen, her excited and only a little terrified face makes everyone laugh. When you get asked to explain the image, you look at Joel. “I don’t condone this by the way,” you say and Joel gives you a look. “It’s a little fun.” “For them!” “Okay, fine,” Joel concedes. “When my oldest daughter was little, she would always wanna jump in the pool like wouldn’t even wait to take off her shoes. So, I started telling her she’s only allowed to jump in the pool if I’m in the water, ready to catch her, and of course that wasn’t enough so I told her I’d throw her instead ‘cause I figured I could control how far and how many times and whatever. Turns out, the little daredevil gene doesn’t get skipped ‘cause all five of ‘em are the same way so this is what I call ‘preventive parenting.’” “And I call it ‘giving me a heart attack’”

Maybe a few years later, you’re on a different talk show and someone asks you about a video Joel recently posted of you and you immediately know what they’re referencing. “Okay, this was not my finest parenting moment BUT,” you start. “It’s still super funny.” The video starts playing and you can hear Sam practicing his trumpet in his room during his middle school band stint. You and Joel are stifling laughter down the hallway when Violet suddenly comes out of her room in all her eight-year-old attitude, slams his door opens, and yells, “can you shut the fuck up?!” Joel starts laughing and you’re immediately in mom mode. “Violet Isabelle, that is not how you speak to your brother!” You scold. She spins on her heels and throws her arms up in defeat at being caught before changing tactics. “You say it to Daddy all the time!” The video ends with Joel hysterically laughing on the floor and you trying to keep it together to explain what “adult language” is. “In my defense,” you say. “Being married to a musician is like being married to a human noise machine and after so many years of playing shows, his hearing isn’t the best. So, yeah, sometimes he needs a little reminder that he’s being loud.”

I also see the kids posting TikTok pranks once theyre teenagers like one time Sam recorded a video of you and Sophia pretending to get into an argument when she stomps away with a “Shut up!” Joel, watching the whole thing from the kitchen, jumps into action. “Hey! Do not tell my wife to shut up!” Or there’s another video floating around of Ellie and Sarah surprising you at work after not seeing them for a while but they hid in your trailer’s bathroom so you didn’t know they were there until you went to take off your makeup and they jumped out and scared you. “Don’t fucking do that shit!” You yell before realizing it’s your daughters and they’re on the ground, giggling together, and you got caught. It’s all in good fun and demonstrates that no matter how crazy your life may be, you’re just another family at the end of the day

Here are some silly images that remind me of this little group too :-)

[thestobingirlie]

I really love your thoughts on Steve, Tommy, and Carol! What are your favorite headcanons about their friendship, and what would you love to see happen if Tommy and Carol came back for season 5?

okay!! favourite headcanons:

i mentioned this before but i love carol and steve being friends first. like, steve moved to hawkins when he was 8 (?) met carol and immediately became besties. gossiping about other classmates since ‘75 baby.

i think halloween was their favourite holiday. they’d dress in group costumes, they’d make it a competition to get the most candy, then eat as much as they could until they started feeling sick. as they got older and stopped trick or treating, they would still buy bucket loads of candy and gorge themselves on it the day after halloween (and just not go into school that day lmao. everyone assumed it was because they were hungover)

the hagan’s and the perkin’s were the first adults in hawkins to adopt little steve. people argue over hopper or the henderson’s. nope. it was tommy and carol’s parents, baby.

i like the headcanon that tommy created the term ‘king steve’, when steve broke the keg record, which is why he then named billy keg king in s2. for steve the name just kinda spread, the more popular crowd knowing it’s from keg king, and the more nerdy crowd just thinking he’s named himself king of the school or something.

i think the three of them weren’t popular in elementary school, but then in middle steve started shooting up, he’s on all the sports teams etc, and starts getting more attention from girls, and the whole thing just kinda goes from there. at first they’re all super glad about being popular, then as they start getting more and more popular, they all start to resent it in different ways. carol because she’s slutshamed, and then feels like she has to put other girls down to stay on top. steve, because he starts feeling like he has to perform a certain way, and hates the way he’s expected to act, and then tommy because everything just starts to deteriorate in their trio.

i also think the reason we’re told they’re super popular, but never actually see the three of them with a big group is because they’re just a little weird. like, everyone knows they prefer each other to everyone else, and they’re very close, and, like, share all their food and look at each other’s gross wounds and imitate each other’s sex noises to one another. so the whole school is kinda like… let’s just leave them to themselves lmao. like, they throw great parties, their gossip knowledge could destroy us, but i don’t want to hear carol and tommy recount their little tryst at the quarry lol.

and, i spoke about this in another ask, but to go into a little more detail. if i were to involve carol and tommy in s5, i’d have them at the relief centre in hawkins, they either didn’t go to college or came back for spring break or something. steve bumps into them and asks about their families, they’re with steve when some bullshit starts to happen and he has to save them in some way with his nail bat (!!!) and then they all have a little convo. tommy and carol admit how fucked up they were in high school, they have a couple little reminiscing moments. and it’s all cute!!

i’d just like to see more popular jocks not get torn about by a monster and recognise their wrongs like steve did. because even if they ended up dicks, steve was friends with them for a reason, so i don’t believe they’re all bad. and like steve, most of their worst moments only follow someone wronging them in some way. jonathan’s photos, nancy’s perceived cheating. they think they’re defending each other! in a totally fucked up way but still, i think there’s a chance for redemption.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Brothers in Arms: Part Two

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.6k

Summary: You try one more time to get your dad to see how great of a man Spencer is but like before, it doesn’t go as well as you hope. Phoenix Arizona is dealing with a serial killer that is masquerading as gang members, but your team sees through the facade.

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them. If you’ve seen the show, then it’s the same level of angst unless otherwise stated

x

You two head over to a landfill where the newest crime scene is. The coroner is already on the scene removing the body, and your team just arrives as soon as you and Spencer get there. There were two cops on the scene, but only one of them died. Officer Ron Mercer is the only one who survived this, so he's the best witness you've got.

"He set us up. We knew he was out there but he still managed to set us up. I watched my partner die, and I couldn't do anything to save him."

"Don't worry, Ron. Playboy's going to pay for this," Evans says.

"Did you see Playboy here?"

"No, but--"

"We all know he did it, Agent."

"No, we don't. Lieutenant, you think I don't know how bad you want this guy? I was a uniform just like you. I saw a lot of cops go down. Before that, I watched my father get shot. He was killed doing his job--a cop's job--so don't think I don't know." Derek sets the records straight and turns to Ron. "Officer Mercer, what happened when you got the call?"

"Nothing special. We got a report of an aggravated assault. We were on it."

"Is this normal for you?"

"We were put here because of the shootings. We're back up."

"Did you get a good look at the guy?" you ask.

"No. I was too damn scared. I'm still scared."

Another officer on the scene brings over Ron's police hat with a picture of Ron's family taped to the inside.

"This is my partner's family. What am I going to tell them?"

"The only thing you can tell them--that we're going to catch the guy who did this." You and Derek leave his side and join the rest of your team. "We can forget about cross-referencing. These guys were just assigned this beat. There's no way the unsub could have known they'd get the call."

"He's using the 9-1-1 calls like a lottery. He's picking cops at random, and yet there's nothing random about the shootings. Each scenario has been increasingly complex."

"He's enjoying the hunt. He's taking the time to set his victims up and lure them into his net. It's become as important to him as the kill itself. He executed this last one while the FBI and every cop in the city was after him."

"Not to mention the press. The attention is egging him on. They're playing right into the unsub's need to feel superior."

"The press isn't our only problem. These guys are still trying to pin the shootings on a gangbanger named Playboy. I have a feeling we're not going to be able to hold them off much longer."

The unsub didn't show up all night, so you picked things off the next morning. You tossed and turned all night because you can't help but feel so bad about what happened with your parents and Spencer. You feel powerless against your father, and whenever he gets like this, you feel like such a shitty girlfriend. You should be able to protect your boyfriend from his words, but it's like he doesn't respect you.

To add to the shitty feeling you're experiencing, Evans caught Playboy and brought him in for questioning just as soon as you walked into the police department. His head is so far up his ass that he can't see that Playboy is innocent in all of this. Hotch is mega pissed that Evans would go against his orders and bring him in.

"Lighten up, man. I'm telling you, I didn't do it," Playboy rolls his eyes.

"Yeah? Well, I got a magic eight ball that says you did."

Evans takes him into an interrogation room while Hotch approaches the Commander.

"Commander, what's going on?"

"What's going on is my officers are being shot in the streets and crucified by the press. That's what's going on."

"You've arrested the wrong person," you say.

"I brought in a viable suspect for questioning. I had to do something."

Commander, I understand the pressure you're under, but doing this could undermine the investigation. Bringing in another suspect draws attention away from the real unsub. If he starts to feel inadequate, he may strike sooner just to prove himself."

"It's also possible that accusing one of their members could antagonize local gangs, which is the last thing your officers need to be worrying about right now," Rossi adds.

"Alright, look. I told you guys I was out on a limb here, so unless you have a suspect, I'm questioning Playboy."

"Hotch. Since we've got this guy, why don't we see if we can use him? Do you mind if I talk to him?" Derek asks.

"Be my guest."

"Commander, I appreciate you letting Agent Morgan join the interrogation, but I promise you, this is not our unsub. The real killer is still out there."

You want to be in the room with Derek and Playboy, but you're not going to say anything. You want to gauge Playboy's reactions and see if you can try and read him. He's not too happy with three people being in here, but he's silent about it.

"I know you didn't do it, Playboy."

"So, why are you dragging my ass in here, then?"

"I said I know you didn't kill those cops, but he doesn't and they don't. Trust me, they don't care, man."

"But you do? You care about me?"

"I don't give a damn about you. I'll tell you what I do care about. Catching the killer."

"I told you, I didn't do it," he sighs.

"I think you know who did."

"No way, man. It wasn't one of us."

"Okay. I'll give you that. Whoever did this ain't no gang banger, but he's been working your hood pretty tough without your say, huh? He's making you look like a real suspect, Playboy. He's causing you nothing but trouble."

Derek's words make Playboy angry but he's keeping himself calm to prevent himself from getting into more trouble. Playboy's jaw ticks and he shuffles in his seat to show his anger.

"He won't last long, then."

"Come on, man, look around you. From where I'm sitting, it looks like he's doing alright so far. If I were you, I'm thinking I want this guy gone for good. What do you think?"

"Who is he?"

"Probably somebody you'd least suspect. Probably wouldn't even think twice about him because he really doesn't look all that dangerous. Well, at least not on the surface but he gets real violent."

"We all get violent."

"No, not like this, man. He goes from cold to hot in a heartbeat with nothing in between. He takes everything real personally. He thinks everybody's trying to put him down so he's always looking for a fight, even if he knows he's going to lose."

"So, he's stupid."

"Maybe, but he's aggressive. Think, man. If you give me something, maybe I can get you out of all of this. He's white. He's older than you, not by much, and he works alone. You know somebody like this, I know you do."

Playboy looks around in contemplation. He knows someone like this, and he's hesitating to tell Derek. After a few moments, he sighs and comes clean.

"There was this guy. He was white, and he killed my lieutenant a couple of months ago. Bobby Q was like my brother."

"Yeah, your brother was a junkie and so was Bobby Q. I see the similarity," Evans remarks.

Playboy gets pissed and tries to attack Evans, but Derek holds him back. Evans has a sick smile on his face, and you push him away from the mess while Derek tries to calm him down.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Sit down, sit down! Don't even think about it. Talk to me. Forget him. I'm helping you, he's not."

"Maybe it's time you leave this room," you say sternly.

"No."

"I'm not asking," you glare at him. He thinks he can give you an intimidating look and you'll back down, but you're not. "I can get Hotch or Rossi if you'd like."

Evan's eye ticks in annoyance, but he leaves the room after that threat. Playboy calms down and sits down while you station yourself by the door to prevent Evans from coming in again.

"Alright. Your lieutenant, Bobby Q. What happened?"

"I told the cops it wasn't a gang thing but they didn't believe me."

"Who killed him?"

"If I knew his name, he'd be dead already."

Hotch opens the door and motions for you and Derek to come outside. You two leave Playboy inside the room and join Hotch and Evans' side.

"Hotch, Playboy didn't do this." You turn to Evans in concern. "Just because it's easy to pin this on someone who is known to act out, it doesn't make it right. If you do, then you're no better than them."

"There's been another shooting."

"I'll cut him loose," Evans sighs.

"No, not yet. Hotch, this guy knows something."

"Keep working on it."

Evans knows what he's doing is wrong, so you're confident to leave him alone with Derek. Your input isn't needed anymore, and you're more useful at a crime scene than here. Rossi meets you at the car with an update on what's going on.

"They have the shooter cornered in an apartment building downtown."

"Dave, stay with Morgan and see what this guy has to offer. Prentiss and Y/N, you're with me," Hotch says. You three head downtown where there are dozens of officers surrounding an apartment building believing the shooter is inside.

"Is he in there?" Hotch asks Officer Ron Mercer.

"Yeah, we got him cornered. We have men on both floors and the entrances."

"Do you know this guy?"

"Yeah, he's a banger called Diablo. He's one of the Lindo Park Assassins. Daws followed him here."

You look to your right and see Officer Daws on a stretcher because he got shot. He doesn't look like he's in a lot of pain, and you know he'll make it.

"Is he alright?"

"He'll live. He's a lucky bastard."

"We'd like to talk to him if you don't mind."

"Sure, just stay down."

You and Hotch keep your heads down as you rush over to the ambulance, leaving Emily with Ron. You don't want to keep Daws from medical care, so you keep it short and simple.

"What happened?" you ask after making introductions.

"He killed my partner. We were stopped at a light when the bastard came right up to the window. He shot Scotty in the head, then shot me."

"There wasn't a radio call?"

"There wasn't any time. He came out of nowhere. I guess he thought he'd bagged us both. Luckily, a truck came. I called it in and managed to tail him here."

The paramedics wheel Daws away to bring him to the hospital, and you turn to Hotch with a confused look.

"This doesn't make any sense. This was a blitz attack."

"Let's go." You and Hotch safely make your way back over to Ron. "Let us go in and try to talk him down."

"No, hold on."

"What's going on?" Ron asks over the radio to one of the snipers.

"We've got movement. It looks like Ramey and Wilhelm are inside the apartment attempting to apprehend."

Suddenly a gunshot goes off inside the apartment, and a body comes crashing out of the second-story window. You gasp just as the man falls onto the ground, clearly dead from the gunshot. You and Hotch rush over just as more paramedics come over to check on him. He was dead the second the bullet hit him.

Word of this got back to Commander Marks, and speaking of him, he's pulling up just as they bag him for the coroner. News reporters also show up to get the scoop.

"This is a different MO, Hotch. Not to mention that this was done in broad daylight. It's not our guy."

Hotch takes out his phone and makes a couple of phone calls, one of which is to Penelope so she can look into Diablo and Playboy. Commander Marks comes over when he spots Hotch, and you know he isn't going to be happy about what you have to say.

"Commander, can I speak to you for a second?"

"Sorry to see it end this way but I'm glad it's over."

"We don't believe that it is."

"What are you saying? The guy is dead."

"Diablo doesn't fit the profile."

"Are you telling me he didn't shoot Officer Daws and his partner?"

"We didn't say that," you say. "What we're saying is that he may not have been responsible for the earlier shootings. Commander, we have to be sure."

"I have got the chief, the press, and the mayor. Do you realize the pressure the department is under right now?"

"Yes, sir, I do, but it wasn't him. There was an earlier murder with the same MO. This unsub may have killed one of the Twelves."

"How does that help us?"

"This unsub thinks of himself as a big game hunter now, but he didn't start out that way. Meaning he started with a gang member, and now he's evolved. Give me twenty-four hours."

"They're not gonna wait that long, and neither is the chief. I'll give you four."

If you only have four hours to close this case, you have to work fast with everyone on the team. You two head back to the station with Emily to join the others.

"Ballistics isn't back yet," Spencer says when you walk through the doors, "but the preliminary ME reports suggest the weapon used to kill Officer Beck was not a .357."

A .357 was used in all of the other shootings, including on Bobby Q, Playboy's lieutenant.

"I spoke to Garcia. Beck arrested Diablo twice on drug charges, and last time sent him away for ten years. Diablo was just released on parole last week. Our theory is that Diablo went after the cop who put him away assuming it would be lumped in with the other murders. The unsub would take the fall."

"It almost worked," Emily says.

Lieutenant Evans walks in with a file in his hand.

"Well, I pulled up that information on Playboy's lieutenant, Bobby Q. There's not much here, and I know what you're thinking. We didn't pay enough attention to the case."

"Did you?"

"Look, with the majority of homicides in this city, we spend time and resources following trails that all lead to the same place anyway. We just assumed this was just another one of those trails. Being in a gang shortens your life expectancy, so it's no big surprise when a gangbanger winds up dead."

"The same thing could be said about a cop," Rossi says. "The job involves a fair amount of risk, so a percentage of untimely deaths is practically inevitable. Did Playboy tell you if the killer took a trophy?"

"He said Bobby Q's necklace was missing. It's in the report. It's a big, solid gold chain. Just figured the killer took it to pawn it."

"Or keep it as a souvenir," you shrug. "It fits the signature."

"He built up to this. We need to go further back." Hotch calls Penelope and places her on speakerphone for all to hear. "Garcia, can you pull everything in the Phoenix area that matches the same MO as our unsub, not just with police officers?"

"Okay, so I'm searching homicides in Phoenix for the last two months?"

"Make it three."

"Yes, sir. I've got murders and shootings with specifically neck wounds. Oh, I got a guy named Robert Quinones, nickname Bobby Q."

"We already have that one. Anything else?" Derek asks.

"One more. He's a bouncer at a bar in downtown Phoenix, Mickey Reese. The weapon is a .357 Magnum. Interesting. It says here the victim was wearing a ballistic vest."

"If the bouncer was wearing a vest, that could be how our unsub developed his MO."

"Send us everything you got."

"Done."

"Alright, we got gangbangers, bouncers, and cops," Derek says once Pen is off the phone. "All pretty tough targets; victims capable of defending themselves. As the unsub's sense of power escalated, so did his confidence, leading to bigger and more difficult prey."

"That makes sense. Risky deaths would increase the unsub's feeling of superiority. It's the same thing with using a .357 Magnum. It would make him feel powerful."

"Cops are at the top of that list. They're high profile, always on alert, and they're gonna make headlines. Killing a gangbanger isn't easy. They're always armed and travel in packs."

"The bouncer's the earliest. It was a pretty simple attack with no carefully thought-out plan. He could have been his first victim."

"We need to figure out where their paths crossed. Morgan, you, Rossi, and the lieutenant go check out the bar. We'll keep digging."

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[morganofthewildfire]

----------------------------------------------------------

By Your Side

----------------------------------------------------------

Happy Yulemas Swap @writtenonreceipts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This piece was originally supposed to be a whooooole long oneshot but i've been really out of the groove so i was forced to shorten it down to just a snippet, but there's more out there if i ever get the chance to write it!!!

This is very much inspired by your love for my oneshot 2 AM Walks from two years ago 🥰 you were always so nice about that one, so I wanted to deliver you another single parent holiday au! Hopefully you enjoy, this is just an introduction, there's a lot more to this world 😉

----------------------------------------------------------

Aelin’s arms were going to fall off. It was official. The dozen plastic grocery bags were digging into her arms, making indents on her skin through her sweater as she struggled to carry them up the stairs. Eloise had asked if she needed help, but all she’d ended up giving to the little girl was one plastic bag, filled with just the little reindeer stuffed animal they’d picked up at the store.

It’d been on sale. That was the only way she’d be able to afford it with all of the money already spent on Yulemas presents. 

Even the price of just groceries and essentials had made her cringe. Sam’s child support hadn’t kicked in yet for the month, but she still needed the food. So she’d done what she had to do.

“Mama!” Eloise called out, skipping ahead up the stairs. “Hurry up!” 

Aelin huffed a laugh, doing her best to walk up the stairs as quickly as possible. Their apartment building had an elevator, but it wasn’t working right now, leaving her and her daughter to trek up five floors worth of stairs every time they went to and from the apartment. 

It was usually a decently slow process; Eloise was still young, still small. She had energy, but didn’t have the size to bound up a set of stairs quickly. But today was different. Her favorite cartoon was having a Yulemas special, and she absolutely could not miss it. 

Nevermind the fact that it was set to record, and that there were still a few dates until Yulemas to watch it. Eloise didn’t think like that.

She wanted to watch it now, And who was Aelin to deny her?

“One second, baby,” she called ahead, “I need to unlock the door for you.” Her daughter had already bounded ahead up the stairs, undoubtedly pushing out onto their floor and hurrying to their apartment door. 

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to keep the bags stable as she pushed up the last few steps, turning to use her body to open the door to her floor. Eloise was at their door, jiggling in excitement, her light brown curls bouncing up and down as she waited (im)patiently. 

At four years old, Eloise was already beginning to look like Sam. She had the same hair, the same skin, some of the same mannerisms too, but she had Aelin’s eyes. 

Aelin hadn’t expected being married, divorced, and a mother by the age of 25, but here she was. Getting pregnant by her college boyfriend, marrying him, and then subsequently getting cheated on less than a year later had not been in her plans. But even then, she’d given Sam the chance to be a father. 

Yeah, he was a crappy husband, but she was of the belief that that didn’t always indicate if someone would be a good father or not. And she certainly didn’t believe in taking someone’s ability to be a father away just because of a personal grudge. 

But, he hadn’t stepped up. They’d gotten divorced quickly, and she’d asked him about custody, trying to solve it civilly, but he’d just let her take charge. And hadn’t fought her for any visiting rights, just showing up when he wanted to see Eloise, which wasn’t often and never announced despite how much Aelin had complained to him about it.

So when a great job opportunity had opened up for her over in Doranelle, she hadn’t regretted moving away. Sam hadn’t proven that he wanted to be a father, so she was just going to do her damned best to be a great mother. 

But sometimes…it was hard. 

He’d managed to take most of their friends in the divorce, and with the move to a completely new city, there wasn’t anybody for her to rely on except for herself. And -

“Hey, munchkin,” a familiar voice sounded from down the hallway, and her cheeks immediately flushed red. Even though he wasn’t even talking to her. “Where’s your mom?” 

“I’m here,” Aelin called down, smiling lightly at the man exiting the apartment next to theirs, clearly concerned about why a four year old girl was standing by herself in the hallway. 

When that green gaze shifted and locked eyes with hers, she felt her heart squeeze almost painfully. But she ignored it, walking down the hallway and still trying not to drop all of the bags she’d so painfully carried up the stairs. 

Rowan Whitethorn was an interesting case. He was their next door neighbor, and had been one of the only ones to introduce himself, but not of his own volition. They’d run into each other in the hallway, literally, and after being on the receiving end of his frown for a solid minute or so, he’d finally straightened up and introduced himself.

That’d been a few months ago, and since then they’d settled into friends? Kind of? It was difficult to tell. 

Yes, he was hot. Yes, he was charming in a shy way that was incredibly endearing. Yes, he was amazing with Eloise. In fact, the little girl adored him. It was nice to see her willing to open up to someone after the disappointment that was Sam. But, because of Sam, was she really willing to entertain the possibility of more heartbreak?

Aelin wasn’t sure.

“Need any help?” Rowan asked, breaking her out of her thoughts, and she was about to shake her head no, but he was already walking over, relieving her of the burden of probably 75% of the bags. She nearly sighed in relief, her arms sagging, and she resented a little how easy he made it look. But she also had to hide the blush that spread on her face at the strength it showed.

“Sure, I guess,” Aelin said faintly, smiling at him as he gestured for her to head toward the door.

“I think someone’s in a rush,” Rowan said, nodding at Eloise, who was standing at the front door, bouncing back and forth on her feet.

“Her favorite show is starting soon,” Aelin said, rolling her eyes, but obeyed her daughter’s plea, taking out her keys and opening the door. Eloise bounded in, skipping toward the carpet in front of the TV, laying down almost immediately and kicking her feet. 

Rowan gestured for her to go, and Aelin stepped inside her warm apartment, setting the few bags she had left on the counter and sighing as she took off her heavy coat. It was starting to get really cold outside. 

But still no snow. 

“Thanks for the help,” Aelin said as Rowan set the rest of the bags down on the counter. But he just dismissed her thanks with a shake of his head and a smile. And even started unpacking the bags, taking all of the groceries she’d bought at the store and beginning to sort them on the counter. 

“Where were you off to in such a rush?” Aelin asked with a small smile, hoping he understood it was teasing and not accusing. But he caught on, rolling with her punches as easily as he had in the few months they’d known each other. 

“Lawyers,” Rowan said, smiling weakly. It was an answer, and he didn’t seem annoyed at her question, but he didn’t seem as lighthearted as before. 

“Oh?” Aelin asked, helping him get everything out of the bags. Most important was the gingerbread house kit she’d bought. It was a bit of a splurge, and she’d cringed at the price, but making a gingerbread house had been on Eloise’s list for what she wanted to do this Yulemas, so she couldn’t say no. 

It was their first one without Sam at least around, so Aelin wanted to do everything she could to make it a great one.

“Aren’t you going to be late?” She questioned, but he just shrugged. Aelin didn’t want to pry, but she couldn’t deny she was curious.

“Doesn’t matter,” Rowan dismissed, with a loose shrug as he opened the fridge to put away a carton of milk. “She’s going to be late too, anyway.”

Aelin’s brows shot up, but she knew better than to ask, deciding to just help put the rest of the groceries away instead, in silence. It wasn’t awkward, but there was a bit of tension there that wasn’t there before. She was tempted to ask if he was okay.

But she wouldn’t. She didn’t want to risk losing the tentative friendship they had by making things uncomfortable. Not that they really had too much of a friendship. He had her number, and they’d texted maybe once or twice. But mostly it consisted of him helping her out with chores and things like that.

Rowan always insisted she call him if she needed help with anything. Aelin had only taken him up on that a few times, one notable time being when the sink faucet was broken and she needed someone besides their incompetent landlord to look at it. 

He’d obliged, and fixed it in twenty minutes, before staying over for dinner and watching a princess movie, at Eloise’s insistence. 

“Do you think it’s going to snow soon?” Aelin asked, after a few moments of silence. The only sound in the apartment was the cartoon on the TV and the rustling of grocery bags being balled up and put away.

Rowan hummed a bit in consideration, glancing out the small window in the kitchen. “It’s hard to predict, but I would say so.” 

“I promised Eloise a white Yulemas, so it better.” Aelin huffed a laugh, setting the gingerbread kit on the now clear counter. He leaned against the counter, looking over at her with a smile.

“Then you better tell the sky it needs to listen to you,” he teased, and she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, looking up at him.

“I’ll use my mom voice,” she said, lifting her brows. “It’ll have to listen to me then.” 

They grinned at each other for a moment, before his phone rang. He sighed and broke their stare, checking who was calling. But he didn’t answer it, just rejecting the call and sliding the device back into his jeans pocket.

“I better go,” he said, pushing off of the counter.

“Okay,” Aelin said, nodding. But her heart felt like it was shrinking at the idea of him leaving, even if it was only for a little bit. Even if he lived next door. It was just…nice. Being able to pretend in a way. Pretend that she wasn’t alone, that she had someone by her side to make sure the weight of everything she was carrying didn’t pull her down completely. 

It wasn’t fair of her to do that; he didn’t owe her anything. But she couldn’t deny the way she felt no matter how much she wanted to.

She walked him toward the front door, about to see him out when -

“Wait, are you leaving?” Eloise asked, darting up from her spot on the carpet and prancing over to the door. Her eyes were wide and sad. Aelin was just surprised she’d been able to unglue them from the TV.

“Rowan’s gotta go, sweetie,” she said, brushing a hand through her daughter’s curls. “He was just stopping by to help keep my arms from falling off.”

Her daughter’s blue eyes started watering and she clung onto Rowan’s leg, as if she could keep him there by sheer force of will.

“Eloise,” Aelin chastised, but he just laughed. 

“I’d stay if I could, Firefly,” he said fondly, ruffling her hair. “But your mom’s right, I have to go.”

Her daughter’s face could win a record for how pouty it was, and a laugh bubbled out of her too.

“Let him go, baby,” Aelin urged, laughing while she did. “You’ll see him soon.” 

Rowan’s brow shot up, and Aelin winced, especially as her daughter piped up.

“Yeah! You’re coming over for Yulemas Eve right?” Eloise asked, finally letting him go and bouncing a little bit as she spoke.  “My mama said she was going to ask.”

Rowan turned his green eyes on her then, and Aelin’s heart thundered in her chest. But she forced herself to do what she’d been putting off for a few days now.

“I didn’t know if you had any plans,” she spoke, a little stilted. “But if you didn’t, me and Eloise are just hanging out here if you need something to do.” Rowan didn’t seem to have a lot of people coming over, nor did he seem like he went out much, which was the only reason she’d actually considered asking.

And once she’d voiced the idea to Eloise, she’d had quite the enthusiastic support.

“I’d love to,” Rowan answered, before she could stuff her foot in her mouth anymore. 

“Yeah?” She asked, and a blush spread across her cheeks when he smiled at her. 

“If I wouldn't be intruding, yeah.” He shrugged, his smile settling into a half quirk of his lips. It was incredibly endearing. Aelin normally prided herself on never getting flustered, at always being the one holding the power in a conversation, especially with men. But it hadn’t been the same since moving out on her own with Eloise, or maybe it was just Rowan.

Either way, she’d be embarrassed if it didn’t seem like he found her endearing too. 

“So you are coming!” Eloise piped in, a wild smile on her little face, and Aelin was once again reminded of another exception surrounding Rowan. Her daughter could be the shyest person you’d ever meet around most strangers, but pretty much from the moment she’d met Rowan, she’d been a bundle of energy. 

It hadn’t been instantaneous, but it’d been pretty damn close.

“Looks like it,” Rowan chuckled, before crouching down by Eloise and tapping her on the nose. “Now, the quicker you guys put away the food, I bet the quicker you’ll get to work on that gingerbread house I saw on the counter.” Her eyes went wide. “So you better be good and help your mom out, alright?”

Eloise nodded rapidly, bouncing on her feet once again. He straightened up, about to head out the door before pausing and turning back to Aelin.

“See you in a few days,” he said, with a wink, and she could barely squeeze out a bye with the little breath she had.

The lingering fear of commitment was still there, and wouldn’t go away for a while, but she was also pretty sure this was going to be one of her favorite Yulemases yet.

--------

taglist:

@wordsafterhours

@romancinghollywood

@superspiritfestival

@wishfulimaginings

@larisssss

@punkassbookjockey26

@shyvioletcat

@aelinchocolatelover

@s-uppertime

@leiawritesstories

@elentiyawhitethorn

@backtobl4ck

@goddess-aelin

@fromthelibraryofemilyj

@justreadertings

@rowaelinismyotp

@live-the-fangirl-life

@swankii-art-teacher

@tomtenadia

@highqueenofelfhame

@firestarsandseneschals

@thegreyj

@mariamuses

@house-of-galathynius

@rowanaelinn

@llyncooljones

@story-scribbler

@charlizeed

@bookcide

@elizarikaallen

@slytherhys

@booknerdproblems

@earthtolinds

@rowaelinrambling

@courtofjurdan

@peppermint-fae

@rowaelinyulemasswap

[tanoraqui]

marriage of convenience + gothic for el/orion, please!

[give me 1-3 tropes + 2-3 characters!]

(the gothicness comes from the whole environment of the school ok)

War came to the Scholomance the year Galadriel Higgins and Orion Lake were Inducted. Oh, it took a while to warm up—everyone had to get settled into their torments of classwork and survival. But there were two new monsters in the school, each worse than Patience and Fortitude combined, from diametrically opposed worlds with diametrically opposed destinies. War was inevitable.

By their junior year, the bloody conflict had settled, and the battlegrounds mostly returned to neutral territory. The defensive spell that blocked all but Enclavers from entering the alchemy lab was fully taken down, the petrification traps that activated only against Enclavers were removed from the library stacks. All cafeteria doors were left unguarded except, of course, against maleficaria.

There were so many maleficaria, and they were so hungry. Despite the active war broken out between the haves and the have-nots, between Orion Lake’s ceaseless heroism and El Higgins’ savage determination to look after every person who turned to the Dark Queen for protection, more students were still alive than in any year on record, in every class.

They didn’t have mana or even malia to waste blockading each other from classrooms, study materials and food anymore.

So the righteous, noble students of the Enclaves, led by their silver-haired hero with his shining sword (wrong, he was so wrong inside, twisted and hungry; couldn’t they see past their own greed) and the stubborn, righteous students of the exiles, led by their destined destroyer of worlds (who never once cheated for power, not once; all the great and terrible spells she cast to keep them safe were with power given freely)—briefly, for the first time, they not just called a truce but actually allied, to fix the mechanism, burn the school, and set the graduating class free.

The next year started… Well. They had energy to spare again. But they’d worked together. (Orion had saved dozens of her people, maybe hundreds by now, just as easily as he saved his own, and never demanded anything for it. El’s mother’s message scrolled before her eyes, but she wondered…) (El was so rude to him, all the time. When he’d saved her life, when he’d tried to kill her once or twice—she was never scared, she was never admiring, she was just rude. Like people were rude to…other people. Never to Orion, before.)

Magnus said they should attack while the witch-queen was recovering from the battle in the graduation hall and busy trying to recruit as many freshmen as possible. Liu grimaced and said they should attack while the Enclavers were recovering from the battle in the graduation hall and settling in their excess number of freshmen (the graduating seniors has told their parents what was happening in the school, and some had reacted fast enough to cut local non-Enclavers from Induction.)

Liesel said, “El, if you really don’t want this conflict to spill over into the rest of the world, we have to stop it in here, decisively. You’ve heard what the freshmen are saying—Shanghai is halfway to co-opting the movement, if they don’t flip and side with the Western enclaves instead. An unknown malificer destroyed Bangkok, and people are dying in the hunt for them… The second you and Orion graduate, it’s going to be war out there, one way or another.”

“What do you suggest?” El snapped. “Other than killing him. I’m not killing him, I’m not killing anyone.”

“I know you’re not,” Liesel said, which what she, personally, felt was infinite patience. “I think you and Lake should get publicly married—or, technically, engaged, since as far as I’m aware, nobody in here is an accredited justice of the peace.”

[clowncaits]

Summary: What’s a nicer way for an uprising boyfriend to show his appreciation; A bouquet of flowers, or asking you to moan for his song?

Pairing: rockstar!Eddie Munson x f!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, a little angsty, what’s to be expected, cliffhanger?

The sound of a loud thud had followed from the corridor of a stingy studio room that the band Corroded Coffin had officially claimed as their own for many months now. You could smell the young, hormonal, angsty teens a mile away.

Loud and ridiculous was what the parents thought of the music. But to the fans? It was their own personal version of Baba O’Riley.

Expanding from small bars to The Roxy and The Whisky was nothing but a dream to the band. But it made them realise something… Their music wasn’t outrageous enough. They felt as if they needed more shock value.

And you happened to be the perfect opportunity.

A couple months ago, you and Eddie had snuck off into his van during rehearsals, leaving everyone more than angry that you were ‘distracting him’. But there was one thing which caught everybody’s ear.

Your over the top moaning.

Porn-star worthy, and nothing but ludicrous. Something that the band couldn’t get enough of. Eddie had gloated about how great you were in bed before, but it was merely shrugged off, nobody buying it. ‘We’ll believe it when we see it.’ was all that was said. What they didn’t realise, is that they’d be hearing it instead.

You sounded just like the girls on the VHS tapes they’d watch.

Eddie had left a note on the countertop of your kitchen, a cigarette and lighter left lying on top of it to stop it from flying away. It read:

‘Come down to the studio,

the boys band wanna ask you something.

Just don’t take it the wrong way, kay?

- your lover ;)’

The thud was the sound of you knocking over a plant on the way to the recording room.

"Sweetheart!"

Eddie had stood up, arms open wide, waiting for your arms to wrap tightly around his torso. Which, they did.

You planted a small kiss on his cheek, then wrapped a single arm around his waist. "I heard my assistance was needed?" You cocked an eyebrow, desperate to hear what everyone wanted to ask you.

"Yeah, you could say that." Gareth laid back, legs crossed smugly. Over the years, their confidence shot through the roof. A room full of now cocky rockstars in leather and denim. He motioned for you to sit yourself down.

You shuffled to the corner of the room, settling for a single chair next to a bass guitar.

"So, babe, just be warned. You don’t have to do this. It was simply… a suggestion.”

You crossed your arms, worry filling you. But you nodded, and urged them to continue.

"We heard you and Eddie, last month. That time you snuck off? You guys were… Loud." Jeff chose to speak up, oddly being quiet today.

"I think you mean her-"

"Not the time, dude!"

Bickering between the four boys could be a real headache, not helping with the tint of red appearing on your cheeks. Rolling your eyes, you once again urged everyone to get to the point.

"We’ve been working on, uh, some new material, and we thought that you could get involved in a new track we’re writing. You’ve heard the song… ‘Rocket Que-"

Gareth didn’t even get to finish his sentence, your face still flushed from moments before, and your knuckles now turning white from strain. You finally realised what they were getting at. Of course you’d heard the song, but you also heard about how the girl had been treated after it was released.

"No fucking way!"

It was like a shot to the chest. Did they really think that lowly of you? That you would really have sex with Eddie in the studio, and put it out for the whole world to hear? That time the two of you had snuck away wasn’t intended to be heard. But this? Was a definite no. And there was certainly no way of convincing you.

Huffs, sighs, and knee slaps surrounded you. They had the nerve to complain?

"Just hear us out. Hear me out, babe."

Eddie walked over to you, heavy boots hitting the old floorboards. He bent down to your level, and placed his hand on your shoulder.

"Nobody will know it’s you. Not to mention I’ll be involved too. The guitar will drown out a lot of it. And with some editing? It would sound great."

Even though he made it sound just a little better, it was a low move. And it wasn’t a risk you were willing to take. You shook your head, not changing your mind just yet.

"What about… Let’s say a test round? It’ll be only us in the room with you, but you can hear how it’d sound if you went through with it." Nick, a new member of the band, seemed to somewhat understand why you didn’t want anything to do with the idea.

Under pressure was an understatement, all eyes were once again, on you.

"I’ll think about it."

A smile washed over Eddie’s worry ridden face.

"That’s great, baby!"

"Just don’t get your hopes up."

[novelconcepts]

Can you tell the story where you slept in your wife's (not at the time) apartment with jeans on because you're a gigantic lesbian?

I literally turned to my sibling when this message came in yesterday and asked if they’d done this to me, so congrats, this gives massive younger sibling energy. Uh, sure! I’d been hanging out at my wife-to-be’s place for a while, thinking she was Very Straight and trying not to be a total disaster about it. When I slept over, I generally crashed in the living room on a giant purple chair (amazing for movie watching; less great for sleeping through the night), but one night, she was like “this is silly, just come share my bed.”

I, of course, figured this was Normal Straight Woman behavior and was having a light panic about it. So, when she asked if I wanted to borrow a pair of sweatpants or something to sleep in, my only response was—okay, look, back up. Way up, to when I was a kid hanging out at friends’ houses. I was ALWAYS the kid who, when the parent asked if I wanted a snack, panicked and said no. Even if I was starving. Every time, instant-no, because I didn’t want to be a bother. So, even at 26, this mentality kicked into overdrive. You’re already offering your bed, I have a crush on you, I think you’re straight, you KNOW I’m gay, this is decidedly messy—no, no, I’m good, I don’t need sweats.

Of course, she’s like, “…you sure?” And it’s too late to back out now, so my disaster ass has no choice but to cheerfully announce, “Yeah! Of course! I sleep in my jeans all the time!” Which. Wasn’t strictly untrue; I was always collapsing on my bed and passing out fully dressed, because I am a professional nap enthusiast and we do not need Bed Appropriate Outfits in which to sleep. But obviously this doesn’t usually apply to sleeping at night, and it DEFINITELY shouldn’t apply to sharing a bed with another human? So. Yeah. She’s very kind, she didn’t call me a liar, and as time went on, I eventually started accepting sleepwear.

Much, much later, when we’d started dating, she was like, “Y’know, I didn’t know what to do with you. I always had a really good track record with people I was interested in taking their pants off, so I just assumed I wasn’t your type.”

[secrets-of-everwich]

05-2 The Book

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies the recording]

[This recording keeps glitching out, a lot more frequently than before]

{Callie}

Hello, this is Callie Hewitt, recording on the 11th October 2021, approximately an hour after the last recording. I’m here with Rin and Asher, and…

{Rin}

We were right. Something was wrong with Emilia.

{Callie}

Xavier isn’t here because he’s got work that he’s already super late for, and Emilia isn’t here because she needed to have food, but I have assurances that she’s okay.

{Rin}

Well, she was okay when we left her.

{Rin}

{Ash}

Don’t say that, I’m sure she’s still okay! Why wouldn’t she be?

Ash, she was-

{Callie}

Okay, cutting you off there before you spoil the entire episode. I’m sure my one listener – who’s surprisingly already listened to the last episode! Wow! … Can’t be Xavier then. Sorry, I got sidetacked, I’m sure my one listener wants to keep the suspense! First of all: The book.

[Rustling]

{Rin}

Got it here.

{Callie}

Because that last episode had like- No explanations, and was solely talking, let me talk about the book-

{Ash}

Can I do it? I can definitely talk for a while, and I’m very good at explaining things, or so I’ve been told, plus this detective stuff is so fun, it’s like I’m in my own little piece of theatre!

{Rin}

[Laughing]

This is real life, not theatre. Let Callie do it, this is her thing after all.

{Ash}

Aw, ok.

{Callie}

This is an old book, written by Adam Ives, also known as Rin Ives’ grandfather. It’s a little diary book, with drawings in. How did you come to get this, by the way Rin? You just said your grandfather gave it to you.

{Rin}

He said I may find some entries useful. He’s definitely the eccentric type, I’ve no idea how he went on to be a CEO.

{Ash}

I like your grandfather, he’s funny!

{Callie}

I wonder if he knew about Em somehow… Hm. Anyway, the page we’re looking for is around April 1962, a week or so before Jill was nearly killed. It doesn’t describe what Adam was going through, but explains how he’s discovered something while exploring the Abandoned Manor.

OH, for the record, Everwich Manor was left uninhabited between the early 1910s and 1993, when my parents discovered they’d inherited it due to a familial link to the Greenes. I was gonna explain more about this in last episode but. Obviously that fell through.

[Recording glitches increase in frequency, making this section almost inaudible]

The manor was abandoned, and so a great place for teens to explore. This page explains the creature it found living in the basement.

{Ash}

Wait, show me that drawing-

[Rustling]

That’s what I saw. That’s what X took me to see, when we went into the basement!

[A pause]

{Callie}

{Rin}

What-

That tiny thing? You said it was huge!

{Ash}

No, it wasn’t tiny- Wait, why do you think it’s tiny?

{Callie}

There’s a scale in the corner.

{Ash}

Oh. Well the one I saw wasn’t tiny, it was huge.

{Callie}

Huh. Strange.

[Sounds of a radio being tuned]

[Radio static growing louder]

[Click]

{Voice}

[The voice sounds distorted]

The rest of this recording has been… Lost. Please refrain from listening to the rest of this podcast. History will be repeating itself, if I have anything to say about it.

[Click]

[Sounds of a radio being tuned]

[Radio static growing quieter]

[Click]

[Recording sounds as normal – barely any glitches]

{Callie}

I hope X – or Rin or Ash for that matter – didn’t get hurt by that thing. I’ll have to keep an eye on them. Make sure they’re all okay. There’s definitely more to this story. Like why Emilia was doing some experiments. I want to get a statement from her. Rest assured, I will not be stopping this podcast until I’ve found all the answers. This has been Callie Hewitt. Thank you for listening to this Secret of Everwich.

[Click]

[swan-of-sunrise]

Taking Care of Business (Chapter Thirty-Nine)

Summary: After Bo-Katan and Din uncover the culprit behind Plazir-15′s droid malfunctions, they are granted permission to access the Mandalorian mercenaries and (Y/N) does her best to encourage the Nite Owl.

Pairing: Din Djarin X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: This one’s a little shorter than I originally anticipated, but I still had a lot of fun with it! Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Nine The Mercenaries (Previous Chapter)

When (Y/N) was a little girl, her mother would often regale her with bedtime stories about the elegant balls once held at Naboo’s royal palace in Theed, where beings of all shapes and sizes dressed in the finest clothing the planet’s seamsters and seamstresses could offer and danced all through the evening. She always dreamed of attending such a soiree but she never truly believed that she ever would, so it came as quite a pleasant surprise when she and Grogu were invited by the Duchess and Captain Bombardier to a ball celebrating the happy couple’s wedding anniversary. (Y/N), dressed in a beautiful sea-blue gown embellished with sparkling jewels and with her hair carefully styled into an elaborate updo, and Grogu mingled with Plazir-15’s citizens, the former learning all that she could about the planet’s unique culture and the latter practically preening under all the attention he was receiving from their gracious hosts and the other attendees.

As the evening went on and both Din and Bo-Katan were nowhere to be found, a worried (Y/N) decided to try contacting her husband through his comm and learned that the Mandalorians’ investigation into the planet’s malfunctioning droids had become more complicated than either of them originally anticipated; they’d visited the Ugnaughts that worked far below the city, chased down a rogue battle droid and gained some insight on the problem after a visit to a droid bar named ‘The Resistor.’ They were heading to the city’s morgue to examine the battle droid’s remains for more evidence when (Y/N) called, and Din confirmed that they were still far from solving the planet’s ongoing droid problem.

“I’m sorry that this has taken so long, alor’ad. I know I said we’d be back soon-”

“It’s all right, sweetheart, I understand,” (Y/N) soothed, glancing over her shoulder at the glittering assemblage inside the palace before leaning against the railing and watching Grogu play with a frog that hopped onto the balcony. “How’re you holding up, Din?”

She could hear Din quietly sigh on the other end. “It’s hard to not think about what happened to my parents, of course, but knowing that you and the kid are safe gives me piece of mind, helps me focus on the task at hand. We’ll get to the bottom of Plazir’s droid problem, and then we’ll finally have access to the Mandalorian mercenaries outside the dome.” The sound of a door sliding open echoed through the comm and Din muttered a quiet curse. “I have to go now, alor’ad, we’ve arrived at the morgue.”

(Y/N) fiddled with the sleeve of her gown and forced an upbeat tone as she replied, “All right, well…be careful, Din, and we’ll see you soon. I love you.”

“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, ner cyar’ika alor’ad.”

The next morning, Din and Bo-Katan were still busy investigating the droid malfunctions, so (Y/N) took advantage of her circumstances and asked the Duchess for permission to access the planet’s vast records in the hopes of finding any information on Jedi Master Kelleran Beq; while there was nothing in their records about the Jedi who’d saved Grogu’s life, there was still plenty of information on the history of the Jedi Order and their exploits throughout the Clone Wars, so (Y/N) spent her morning reading in the palace’s great hall while the royals and their guests played garden games.

“Okay, let me get that for you, m’lady. Your toss, lovely.”

Looking up from her holopad, (Y/N) watched as Captain Bombardier handed a furled pill-bug to the Duchess and when her gaze lowered to see Grogu sneakily peeking out from behind the folds of her elaborate gown, she giggled and hid her amused smile behind her hand. The Duchess sized up the glowing rings positioned around the artificial turf before tossing the furled pill-bug into the air; just as (Y/N) suspected, Grogu raised his clawed hand and used the Force to send the pill-bug flying, where it bounced off two crawling pill-bugs and through four rings. The crowd cheered and Grogu cooed in delight as the Duchess and Captain Bombardier clapped in happiness. “A Quadro-blast! I’ve never seen such a streak! Wasn’t that splendid, Captain (Y/L/N)?”

“It was a wonderful toss, Your Majesty,” (Y/N) complimented from her seat near the artificial lawn and gave Grogu a subtle wink when he looked her way.

The sound of the doors opening drew their attention away from the game, and (Y/N)’s brow furrowed in confusion when she saw Din and Bo-Katan escorting a handcuffed old man into the great hall. While (Y/N) slowly got to her feet, the royal couple cautiously approached the Mandalorians and Captain Bombardier tilted his head to the side in perplexity. “What are you doing with Commissioner Helgait?”

“We found the cause of your ‘malfunctions.’”

The guests gasped in shock and the Duchess held a hand to her chest. “Is this true?”

“I’m afraid it is, M’Lady.” Commissioner Helgait ducked his head in visible regret at the stunned tone in her voice.

Captain Bombardier shook his head in exaggerated disappointment. “Despicable.”

The old man let out a humorless chuckle. “If that isn’t the Quacta calling the Stifling slimy…”

“I beg your pardon?”

“This planet is unrecognizable since he arrived!”

“…I had a feeling you hated me.”

Ignoring the exchange between her husband and her head of security, the Duchess pursed her lips and fixed the old man with a saddened look. “I’m disappointed in you, Commissioner. You served my family well, but Captain Bombardier is the love of my life and I know his heart is true.” She rested a hand on her husband’s shoulder and flashed him a tender smile that he was quick to return; (Y/N)’s own eyes flicked over to Din, and she felt herself flush when she saw that the visor of his helmet was already angled towards her instead of the drama unfolding in the great hall. “Sure, he’s made some mistakes in the past, but who here among us has not? Is there no room for a little bit of forgiveness in a galaxy so vast?”

Commissioner Helgait nodded once and cast his gaze downwards. “I am sorry to have disappointed you, My Lady. Perhaps someday, I can earn such forgiveness from Your Grace.”

“Perhaps. As for now, you must live in exile on the moon of Paraqaat.” With a wave of the Duchess’ hand, four constable droids escorted the disgraced head of security from the great hall and after heaving a weary sigh, she turned to face (Y/N) and the two Mandalorians. “And as for you, Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, Din Djarin of Concordia and Captain (Y/N) (Y/L/N) of Naboo,” (Y/N) released the breath she’d inadvertently been holding when the Duchess used her preferred name instead of her legal one. “I grant you audience with our deployment of Mandalorian privateers. I also give to you three our highest honor, the key to Plazir.” She reached for an oversized key resting on a silver platter held by a servant droid and offered it out towards them. “You will always be welcome in our domed paradise.”

As (Y/N) moved to stand beside Din, Bo-Katan smiled and stepped forward to receive their honor. “M’Lady. M’Lord.”

“Captain (Y/N) (Y/L/N), I bequeath to you Plazir’s humble collection of Lomiya Corrik’s design sketches, personally commissioned by my family many cycles ago.” The Duchess smiled at (Y/N)’s stunned expression and handed her a leather-bound portfolio. “Although they held an honored place in my family’s collection, I hereby declare that they rightfully belong to the House of Corrik and its descendants.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, (Y/N) clutched the portfolio to her chest and bowed her head in a sign of respect. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The Duchess looked down at Grogu, who was still standing at her side, and accepted the sword that one of her guards offered her. “And to this little one, I grant knighthood.” As she gently tapped the tip of the sword against his tiny shoulders, Bo-Katan fought back a smile and (Y/N) beamed with pride. “You are now a knight of the Ancient Order of Independent Regencies.” Both royals looked up at the trio and the Duchess’ eyes gleamed with thankfulness. “Go in peace, brave travelers. Until our paths meet again.”

“M’Lord. M’Lady.” Din stepped forward to scoop Grogu up into his arms and after resting a gloved hand on the small of (Y/N)’s back, they turned and walked out of the great hall. “A Jedi padawan, a Mandalorian foundling and now a knight; the kid’s collecting titles quicker than the galaxy can come up with ‘em.”

(Y/N) chuckled and while they stepped into their hyperloop pod, she reached over to caress one of the cooing child’s large ears and gave him an affectionate smile as Din placed him in his floating pram. “Of course he is, who can resist this cute little face?” He giggled when her fingers tickled the patch of skin just beneath his chin, and she looked over at her husband as the pod started moving. “So, did that head of security say why he was making the droids malfunction like that?”

“He was a Separatist.” (Y/N)’s smile fell as she watched Din shift in his seat and stare down at his boots. “He wanted to use the droids to disrupt the planet and collapse their society in the name of democracy.”

Exchanging a knowing look with Bo-Katan, (Y/N) rested a hand on the side on her husband’s beskar helmet and gently coaxed him to look over at her before placing her hand flat on the center of his chestplate, directly over his heart. “But you and Bo-Katan stopped his plan before anyone was hurt; you saved the citizens of Plazir, and you saved the innocent droids that Commissioner Helgait hijacked to carry out his bidding. I know that that wasn’t easy for you, sweetheart, and I’m proud of you.”

Din’s gloved hand moved to cradle her cheek and guided her closer to rest his forehead against hers in a brief but meaningful Keldabe Kiss. “Thank you, alor’ad.” After a long moment, he pulled away and looked down at the leather-bound portfolio resting on her lap. “I’m glad that you were able to reclaim a piece of your mother and had the opportunity to see first-hand the lasting impact of her artistry. Can I take a look at her design sketches?”

“Now approaching landing field three.”

(Y/N) opened her mouth to grant him permission but when she caught sight of Bo-Katan staring pensively out at the vibrant green fields surrounding the domed city, she carefully tucked the portfolio into her satchel and nudged her husband’s boot with her own as she replied, “Maybe later, after we…um, talk to the Mandalorian mercenaries.”

Din nodded and when (Y/N) patted his knee, he cleared his throat and addressed the troubled Nite Owl seated across from them. “They’re Mandalorians. You’re their leader. They’re going to follow you.”

The anxious look remained on Bo-Katan’s face as her eyes flicked down to stare at her gloved hands. “I’m not their leader anymore. Axe Woves is.”

“Then what’s your play?”

She sighed and glanced back up to meet their gazes. “I’ll know when I get there.”

“Well, no matter what you decide to do out there, Din and I believe in you; there’s no one who’s better equipped to unite both factions of Mandalorians, Bo.” (Y/N) gave Bo-Katan an encouraging smile, and her heart warmed in her chest when the Nite Owl slowly returned it with one of her own. The hyperloop pod came to a stop and after stepping out onto the platform, they descended the many steps and walked across the vast field to where the Mandalorians established their base camp at its center; dozens of helmetless warriors stared them down as they slowly approached, and (Y/N) mumbled under her breath to Din, “At least when your covert stares, you can’t see all the judgmental looks they’re giving under their helmets.”

The Mandalorian huffed out a quiet chuckle and when the three of them stopped a handful of yards away from the base camp, Axe Woves straightened his back but remained seated on his cargo box and took a sip from his cup as he exchanged a glance with Koska Reeves, the Mandalorian warrior who’d helped them rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon. “Have you come back to join the mercenaries?”

Bo-Katan shook her head. “I’ve come to reclaim my fleet.”

“It’s no longer your fleet, is it?” Axe chuckled, gesturing around at the many ships and warriors that surrounded them. “I’m now in command, and grown quite fond of it.”

“Then I challenge you, one warrior to another.” (Y/N) and Din exchanged a look and Grogu anxiously cooed as the grin slipped off of Axe’s face and the Mandalorian mercenaries murmured amongst themselves; the Nite Owl’s stony expression remained unchanged as she stepped forward and harshly continued. “Do you accept my challenge?”

Setting his cup down, Axe slowly got to his feet and clenched his gloved hands at his side. “I do.”

There was tension in the air as the two Mandalorians stared each other down and the helmetless warriors seemingly held their breaths as they stood completely still and waited in anticipation for the challenge to begin. In the blink of an eye, Axe fired a missile from his vambrace and while Bo-Katan used her jetpack to avoid the weapon, Din whisked (Y/N) out of the way and used his beskar-clad body to shield her from the small-scale explosion; (Y/N)’s eyes widened in awe as she watched the Nite Owl slam her Mandalorian opponent onto the ground with a powerful kick to his chest, and she could feel her husband’s arms tighten around her waist when Axe drew his vibro-blade and engaged Bo-Katan in hand-to-hand combat. Both Mandalorians were perfectly matched, slashing and twirling around one another with deadly precision, which made (Y/N) nervously bite her lip even when Bo-Katan managed to knock Axe down a second time.

“It’s okay, kid,” Din comforted Grogu after he hid his face away in his clawed hands to avoid watching Axe fly straight into Bo-Katan and slammed her into the hull of a Kom’rk-class fighter transport. “Bo’s got this.”

They slashed at one another with their blades and each managed to land several blows, the scuffle escalating when Axe fired another missile and Bo-Katan tackled him to the ground; she roughly dragged him to his feet and held her vambrace’s blade to his throat, spitting out, “Do you yield?” With a strangled yell, Axe ignited his jetpack and flew them both into the air, where they landed harshly on the top of another Kom’rk-class fighter transport. They exchanged more blows and Bo-Katan toppled over the edge, but she quickly ignited her jetpack and fired her whipcord to wrap around the Mandalorian mercenary’s ankles, pulling him over the edge and watching him land on the grass below. Axe rolled onto his knee and fired his vambrace’s flamethrower but again, Bo-Katan was quicker; she activated her shield gauntlet to block the flames and flew through the air, tackling Axe onto the ground and pressing the tip of her blade against the exposed skin of his neck. “Do you yield?!”

“You’ll never be the true leader of our people,” Axe spat out, his eyes flicking over to where (Y/N) and Din stood and his lips curled into a sneer. “You won’t even take the Darksaber from him. He’s the one you should be challenging.”

“Enough Mandalorian blood has been spilled by our own hands!” With one final shove, Bo-Katan stood and retracted her vambrace’s blade as she looked around at the assembled Mandalorian mercenaries. “Mandalorians are stronger together.”

Axe picked himself off the ground and let out a mirthless laugh. “But a misguided zealot possesses the blade. One, I might add, who has not one drop of Mandalorian blood in his veins.”

(Y/N)’s hands clenched into tight fists and she angrily started forward, but Din’s halting grip on her waist and Bo-Katan’s sudden words stopped her dead in her tracks. “Din Djarin took the Creed and chose to walk the way, just as our ancestors did. He is every bit the Mandalorian that they were!” Her husband shifted uncomfortably beside her and she placed a soothing hand on the unarmored part of his arm. “Certainly as much as any of us…”

Shaking his head in frustration, Axe held his hands out and scoffed at the Nite Owl’s argument. “But according to our ways, the ruler of Mandalore must possess the Darksaber.”

“Then she shall have it.” (Y/N), Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian mercenaries all looked over at Din in surprise; the Mandalorian stood tall as he patted (Y/N)’s hand and crossed the field to where Bo-Katan and Axe were standing and without a single ounce of hesitation, he unclipped the Darksaber from his utility belt and held it out for the Nite Owl to take. “This belongs to you.”

Bo-Katan, although visibly touched by Din’s selfless gesture, shook her head and gently replied, “It’s not a gift to be given, no matter how well intended.”

“It’s not a gift,” He countered before turning to address the assembled Mandalorian mercenaries, all while a confused (Y/N) exchanged a look with an equally-baffled Bo-Katan. “While exploring Mandalore, my wife and I were captured and this blade was taken from me. Bo-Katan rescued us and slayed our captor. She defeated the enemy that defeated me; would this blade then not belong to her?” The Mandalorian mercenaries murmured amongst themselves, but none of them spoke up until Din repeated his question. “Would it not belong to her?”

After a long moment, Axe sighed and gave him a relenting nod. “It would.”

A smile tugged on the corner of (Y/N)’s lips as she watched her husband turn back to face Bo-Katan and once again held the Darksaber out for her to take. “I return this blade to its rightful owner.”

The Nite Owl slowly lifted her hand and wrapped her gloved fingers around the hilt, the look of uncertainty etched across her face slowly morphing into self-assurance when Din made his way back to where (Y/N) stood with Grogu’s pram and the other Mandalorians followed Koska’s lead in deferentially bowing their heads. With the barest hint of a smile, Bo-Katan took a deep breath and ignited the blade, staring down at its luminous glow and recognizing the culmination of nearly a thousand years of Mandalorian history in that moment.

“And you claim that you’re not one for politics,” (Y/N) teased when Din reached them and placed her hands on her hips as she arched an impressed brow. “I have to say, that was a political maneuver worthy of the New Republic Senate.”

“Coming from a former Rebel, I’ll take that as a compliment.” The Mandalorian patted a babbling Grogu on the head and handed over his silver sphere. “I never wanted the Darksaber, or the right to rule Mandalore. Bo-Katan is the leader that can reunite both factions Mandalorians, and I’ll be satisfied doing anything I can to ensure that her quest succeeds and our people can live a more peaceful life.”

With a tender smile, (Y/N) looped her arm around her husband’s elbow and stretched to press a kiss onto the beskar covering his cheek. “We both will.”

Din nodded and the two of them watched as the Mandalorian mercenaries offered their respects to Bo-Katan and acknowledged her claim to leadership of their faction. They were one crucial step forward on the road to reuniting the divided Mandalorians, but it was clear to each of them that they still had much more work ahead of them. Now we’ve gotta convince the mercenaries and the covert to get along and resist the urge to kill one another, (Y/N) thought to herself with an inward sigh, but if anyone can successfully squash generations of conflict and infighting, I suppose it’s us.

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

Mando’a Translations:

Alor’ad-Captain Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, ner cyar’ika alor’ad-I love you, my darling captain

A/N: Like I said last week, we’re having work done in the house and it’s been difficult finding time to write, but I’ll hopefully have the next chapter up on time! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! Oh, and I’ve created a Spotify playlist of all my favorite music from the world of Star Wars, so if you’re interested in checking it out the link is down below!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2KuSKJhVOPPvxdJ9YHeo4M?si=2977ff31bf0c4bdd

Chapter Forty

Taking Care of Business Masterlist

Tagging: @remmysbounty @sinon36 @seninjakitey @thatonedindjarinfan @ginger-swag-rapunzel @mostclevermiss @momc95 @welcometothepedroverse @sarahjkl82-blog @elinedjarin @ccomandercody @crowleysqueenofhell​  @goldielocks2004 @wondergal2001​ @groovy-lady​ @impala1967666​ @fluffy-canada-pancakes​ @icee228​ @siimiasoi​