#I knew you'd like that Benny boy

[runningthroughthegarden]

meeting you at the wrong right time

summary: youve encountered benny a few times. but never at midnight, while you were crying and stranded

warning: sucky guy (not benny) word count: 1.8k

the vandals were the type of guys your mother had always warned you about. yet you couldn't seem to pull your eyes away from them whenever they were near. you were absolutely not the type of girls they would want; you were the type of girl they would want to corrupt. which honestly scared you, but you'd be lying if you said it didn't intrigue you.

you were a secretary. you loved to wear light pink dresses. you loved the way gold jewelry looked on your tan skin. you loved curling your hair to frame your face. you loved to spray your skin with decadent perfumes. you loved painting your nails while listening to your records.

you were the complete opposite of them. yet a part of you wanted so badly to even get a sneak peek into their lives.

when you first saw benny, you were completely entranced. you were enjoying your saturday walking around town, when you saw him leaning up against his bike smoking a cigarette. you were shocked to see him without the usual crowd of rowdy men. hoping to finally sneak a long glance, you watch as you continue walking. but when he looks up its like your world stops. quickly snapping out of your haze, your cheeks immediately tint to a bright red.

you knew you were in for it when he took one last drag before flicking his cigarette to the ground. leaning off his bike he took just a few long strides to reach you.

"y'know mothers say it's not nice to stare" he smirks while looking down at you

"mothers also say it's dangerous to talk to mysterious bikers" you bite back, wondering where your sudden confidence came from

"i wouldn't say we're mysterious anymore. ive seen you before. seen you looking, but you run always run off"

it was so hard to read him. you couldn't tell if he was flirting with you or trying to scare you off. maybe it was both.

you look down letting out a little giggle so he can't see the very apparent blush on your face.

"i'll see you around doll" he says, the roughness of his voice sending shivers down your spine

walking back over to his bike he shoots you one last look before he races off

you were left standing there in a complete daze. just as you had worried, you were already craving more.

it had been a few days since your interaction with benny and it was all that could fill your head. you did your absolute best to avoid the vandals common areas. because you knew you would walk right into the palm of his hand if you spoke to him again. this plan ultimately failed. it was like the universe was pulling you together. but as always, you would see them and scurry away. sometimes you would catch bennys face in the crowd, and he always had that stupid smirk.

deciding enough was enough, you decided to put your emotions elsewhere. it was no secret boys around town had hoped for a chance to be with you. so in order to stop thinking of benny, you decided to take a chance with one of them.

although a part of you wanted benny, you knew your parents would kill you. you needed someone practical, someone that could take care of you. even if that person didn't make you half as excited as you were when you saw benny.

curling your lashes and putting on your favorite lipstick, you started to have doubts in your mind. you knew it was best for you to step away from benny, even though nothing has happened. you've formed this version of him in your head. the boy you were going out with had his whole life planned. sometimes security was more important than what you really wanted.

the sound of a car horn pulled you away from your thoughts as you took one last look in the mirror. racing down the stairs and kissing your parent's goodbye, you braced yourself for the night ahead of you. sure, this boy was handsome, but the fear of him being a typical college boy scared you. he would probably spend the night talking about himself and hoping to get lucky.

and god did you hate that you were right.

the second you got into the car; you knew this was someone you would not want to see again. he bragged and bragged about the school he went to, the job that was practically already laid out for him, the money he was going to make. did this really impress other girls? you found yourself drifting off while he kept talking.

on the way to the diner, you passed by the vandals club. and for the first time ever, you wished you could be in there. even if it was filled with loud and stinky bikers.

the dinner carried on the same way. no questions were asked about you. and you found yourself only being able to hum in agreement with his statements. not even sharing a full sentence.

dinner was finally over, and you couldn't be more excited to get home and sleep or daydream or hell even stare at a wall. anything would be more interesting than this.

"so do you want to come over to my place?" he asks, pulling out of the parking lot.

"actually, i was thinking of calling it a night" you reply, playing with the hem of your dress.

"are you serious?"

"yeah, i mean its getting pretty late" you whisper, trying not to make him angry

"i sat through an entire meal, paid for the damn thing?! and what i cant even get a kiss" he slightly yells

"well no, i thought that was all this was, a dinner to get to know each other" you reply, starting to grow weary

"of course it wasn't. you're all the same. just wanting a free dinner and nothing else. i bet you're a whore anyway" he scoffs

"hm no i think you're the whore actually. taking girls to dinner, talking about your boring life the entire time, and hoping you can get them in the back of your car after" you scoff, feeling your anger bubble up

he quickly pulls over on the empty street and grabs your arm with such a force you know it's going to leave a mark

"get the hell out of my car" he seethes

pulling your arm away, you can feel tears threatening to spill. quickly grabbing your purse you climb out, slamming the door. he doesn't even wait a second before he is racing away.

feeling utterly hopeless and stranded you sit on the curb. in your nicest dress, you feel like a fool. a fool for ever thinking a man boy like him would ever have good intentions. bracing yourself for the walk home, you try to calm your breathing. but you're all worked up and you can already feel your arm beginning to bruise.

the sound of engines starting quickly catches your attention, and you begin to realize you were just down the street from the vandals club. not even wanting to deal with any of them, you find the willpower to start walking back home.

feeling a presence behind you, you're ready to tell a guy off. but when a hand comes up to your bruised arm you suck in a sharp breath. turning to find the man that lived in your daydreams. you must've looked a mess, because his face was instantly washed with concern.

this only made your feelings come back ten times stronger and before you knew it, you were crying all over again. it might have been a dumb idea, but you were so scared, and you needed someone. your face hit his chest, and your hands clung onto his jacket. scared he might disappear.

his arms immediately came up to surround you, pulling you tightly against him. making soft shushes to try and calm you down.

"hey doll, its alright, just look at me for a second" he whispers, pulling your face away from his chest to cup it in his hands

"what happened, are you okay?" he quickly asked, eyes flickering trying to find any injuries

"i went out with this guy, and he got mad that i didnt want to go home with him. he grabbed my arm and called me a whore. he kicked me out of his car and left me on the street" you explained between sniffles and hiccups

bennys face changed in an instant. bringing his hands to your arm, slightly brushing over the bruises that were forming. you suck in a sharp breath, and he knows it hurts. but he begins to slowly pepper kisses along your arm. he's holding you so delicately, like he's scared you'll break at any second.

"whats his name?" he asks, it felt like he was holding back anger

"benny its okay i promise" you reply, not wanting to cause trouble

"no its not okay, no one hurts my girl"

you couldve melted when you heard him say my girl.

"andy clark" you whisper

"c'mon, wait by my bike for a second and i"ll be right back i promise okay" he says, holding your face in his hands one more time

slowly nodding you walk over to his bike. looking around you feel so out of place, but you also feel safe. it must've been a sight. you in your light pink dress, standing next to benny's bike, with the rest of the club standing around.

benny must've explained what happened, because the next second a few of the guys you recognized were walking behind him. he looked the angriest you've ever seen him, but as soon as he saw you his face softened.

"i'll take you home alright doll? the other guys are gonna take care of it" he whispers, going to hold your waist

slowly nodding, benny begins to climb on the bike. helping you on after.

the drive home was almost peaceful. the other guys left in the other direction, you just hoped they wouldn't cause too much trouble. you were sad when benny pulled into your neighborhood. you didn't know how you would be able to stay away from him after this.

"thank you benny, for everything"

"i'll be here for you, okay? wont let anything like that ever happen to you again" he replies

you nod, slowly walking up the stairs to your house. pausing, you say something you might regret, but it felt right.

"do you think you could stay over? think i would feel safer" it came out almost like a whisper, scared that you were reading benny wrong

"of course, doll"

you never would have imagined that you'd be tucked into your bed with benny by your side. but the way his arms curled around you, shielding you from the world. you knew you would never be able to stay away.

[sansaorgana]

hii 😊 can you please write benny x yn where she thinks he’s a player so she doesn’t want to give him a chance and go on a date with someone else and that drives him crazy and he does everything for her to see him differently, even asks kathy to put in a good word for him

hi! 💝 I know you sent it like 2 hours ago – I swear, I am not insane but I was itching so badly to write something about Benny that... it's already here 👀 as much as I adore the fics with innocent, sweet Readers – my Reader talks back 😇🤭 I hope it's fine 😘

[ I haven't abandoned the three requests from my inbox from the last time, I promise ]

requests for benny are open 🥺🎀

Benny Cross was an insufferable guy. He was showing up at your diner nearly every day and always asking for the same thing with the same smug smile on his pretty full lips – and always getting your annoyed eye-rolls each time. Yeah, he was pretty and you wouldn’t deny that. And yeah, you could see why so many girls saw the appeal. Bad boys were in fashion now… Well, actually, where had they not been? But you didn’t want to end up as a girl in trouble. Perhaps you were just an ordinary waitress but you still didn’t want to ruin your life for a player. And you couldn’t understand why he wanted you so badly.

“I think it’s because you turned him down,” Kathy explained to you the other day. She was your friend and recently she had also been strangely associated with Benny’s motorbike gang – The Vandals. Ever since her breakup, you could not recognise her, honestly.

“I turned him down, exactly,” you emphasised. ��Why can’t guys learn that no means no?” You sighed.

“Oh, please, it must feel… Flattering to be chased by a guy like Benny, right?” Kathy giggled and you looked away, trying not to reveal that yeah, she was right.

“Listen, I just don’t want to end up like my cousin. She had a one night stand with this bad boy at college and guess what? She had to drop out, now she’s a single baby mama and the guy? God only knows where. Some say he married another chick in Nevada,” you explained to Kathy.

“But you’re not in college,” she pointed out as her eyes widened and you just rolled your eyes.

Jesus, what was going on with her these days?

You couldn't know that it was Benny himself telling her to "spread the propaganda" so you'd be more willing to finally agree to go out with him. You couldn't know that you were driving this man crazy – driving him crazier than his motorbike. He would wake up at night all sweaty and all he could think about was you.

You were a tough cookie and you were a challenge – that was for sure. But Benny knew it was more than that. He already knew that his desire would not disappear after claiming you. In fact, it would only grow once he'd get a taste. He was serious about you and he was desperate for you to see it.

When Marcus Lane asked you out, you were speechless. You were walking out of a flower store with a fresh bouquet to put on your grandfather’s grave and he whistled at you.

You turned around and raised an eyebrow at the guy leaning on his car. And God, what a car that was… A shiny, black Cadillac that made your eyes sparkle.

“Hi!” You waved at him. “You’re back from college,” you pointed out.

“Yeah,” he nodded at you and lit a cigarette. He offered you one but you shook your head. “Couldn’t wait to visit my neighbourhood. I’m staying with my ma until the end of summer,” he explained. “Then I got a job for myself in New York City,” he bragged so casually.

You had always thought he was full of himself and full of shit, too, but out of all the guys in your high school year he had been the one who would succeed most likely. Apparently, it was true. He was going places.

“And how’s Camilla?” You asked him.

“We broke up,” he winced. “What you doing tonight?”

You blinked a few times and fixed your skirt. Marcus Lane asking you out?

“Nothin’,” you answered and tilted your head.

“Wanna go and see a picture?” Marcus asked.

“Yeah!” You nodded, not even asking what picture.

“Still living with your ma?”

“Yeah,” you answered.

“I’ll pick you up at six,” he winked at you and you only nodded at him before walking away, not being able to hide a smile.

On your way back from the graveyard, you stopped by the laundry to tell Kathy the news but she didn’t look excited.

“He’s a knobhead, isn’t he? Always has been,” she shook her head.

“Wow, gee, thanks for being happy for me! You know he’s goin’ places and… He’s gonna be somebody,” you couldn’t help a grin.

“Don’t even start,” Kathy put her hands on her hips but you kept on a dreamy expression, so she snapped her fingers right in front of your face. “Guys like Marcus Lane do not date girls like us, wake up.”

“Why would he ask me out then?” You got defensive because your feelings and pride were hurt – mostly because you had a feeling Kathy was right.

“Because he’s back for the summer and bored? He saw you and thought he could play with you for a while before he leaves forever? Because he thinks a silly girl he remembers from high school might be an easy fuck for the summer?” Kathy asked and asked as your anxiety grew.

“Wow, thanks,” you got angry because you hated how right she could be. And sometimes you hated how honest she was instead of feeding your delusions. “I’m going out with him tonight and I’m not gonna sleep with him,” you told her before walking out to go back home and prepare for the night.

You wore a red polka dot top and tight jeans for the date instead of a dress. Marcus didn’t comment but he looked a little disappointed and you could see that on his face. He kept staring at your thighs as he drove you to the cinema, which increased your anxiety that Kathy could had been right indeed… More than you had expected.

You went to see Bonnie and Clyde and after the movie, Marcus insisted on taking you to a club in the neighbourhood. It was one of those places you would never go to alone but with a man around, you felt safer. At least you should feel this way. But something about Marcus was not right. Why would a proper guy like him even want to take you to a club like that? Perhaps because he was seeing you as a girl like that. You didn’t disagree, though. The idea of getting free drinks was tempting.

“Looks like some of those dirty bums have a meeting here tonight,” he murmured to himself as you walked inside and you sighed at the sight of The Vandals themselves.

The whole place was full of cigarette smoke and it stank of sweat, leather and grease.

“I hate those punks,” Marcus winced. “Sit here, I’ll get us something to drink,” he winked at you as he sat you down by one of the tables and you nodded,

He walked away, without even asking you what you wanted. You looked around, feeling out of place and then you spotted him… Benny Cross by the pool table. You quickly looked the other way but he glanced in your direction and smirked.

You pretended to be very fascinated by the posters on the wall but he sat by the table next to yours and kept grinning at you with his flashy smile, his muscles all on display as he rested his arms on the chair’s backrest.

Seeing you there, it made his heart skip a beat. And those tight blue jeans, that red top... Benny was smug for a moment, thinking that you finally decided to hang out with him. He had been inviting you to this club many times before.

However, he quickly realised that you weren' there alone. And the guy you came with made him feel sick in his stomach. Not only because he looked like a typical piece of shit that would take advantage of a girl like you... But also because this guy represented everything that Benny was not. And it was making him feel insecure at the moment. Of course your standards were higher than a guy like him. That was one of the reasons why he liked you so much.

Still, he decided to play his little game and annoy you a little.

Marcus came back with two drinks in his hand and he looked Benny up and down before placing a drink in front of you.

“That punk bothering you?” He asked – quite bravely, you had to admit. But Benny remained the same as if he was a statue.

“For weeks now,” you chuckled and watched Marcus take a seat in front of you, still glancing angrily at Benny on your right. 

“Is he stupid or somethin’?” Marcus asked.

“It’s fine. Let’s just pretend he’s not here,” you shrugged your arms.

In fact, you enjoyed it. And you wanted to pretend to like Marcus more than you did so Benny would finally realise you were not interested.

Still… You couldn’t help an odd feeling of safety now when he was sitting next to you and some part of you didn’t want him to walk away and leave you alone with Marcus.

“So, what do you think about the movie?” Marcus asked and sipped on his drink as you sipped on yours. Benny raised an eyebrow at you.

“We were in the cinema to watch Bonnie and Clyde,” you informed him quickly as if he was in the audience and you were an actress in the theatre but he was late and you wanted him to catch on. He nodded his head like a little boy and Marcus gritted his teeth. “Well,” you addressed your date now as you fixed your hair nonchalantly. “I adored it. And Warren Beatty was beautiful as always.”

“I don’t like him,” Marcus commented. “And I didn’t like the movie much. My favourite part was when they got killed.”

“Why?” You asked. It was already getting difficult to pretend to like him. And Benny seemed to be interested by his answer too – he tilted his head.

“Because they were outlaws and a couple of twisted psychos!” Marcus got irritated – at Benny still being there and at you asking such silly questions with such obvious answers.

“Yeah, they were but there’s also some romanticism to it, don’t you think? That’s why they made a movie about them. And why did you even go to see a movie about people you despise so much?” You asked and sipped on your drink again.

“You can’t be serious. There’s nothing romantic about murdering people,” Marcus started sounding very patronising and you suddenly realised that Kathy had been right. So, so much. You were a silly girl in his eyes.

“Murdering – no. But the life they had. The love, the freedom on the road,” you tried to explain.

“You want freedom on the road? Ask one of those bums here to show you,” Marcus laughed with irony and he squinted his eyes at Benny. “What you still doing here, punk? How can I get it into your thick head that you’re not a part of this conversation? It’s my date,” he scoffed.

“It’s my girl,” Benny leaned back with a smug smile and your heart skipped a beat.

Usually, when he’d call you that, you would get angry. But now, when Marcus had been annoying you for the whole evening, you actually enjoyed that. Because Marcus’ face was priceless. He looked at you with disgust.

“Is this true?” He asked you. “What the hell is going on?”

But before you could answer, some drunk and loud biker entered the club loudly as he laughed out loud.

“Fuck, I’ve scratched some Cadillac in the front!” He announced and sat by the counter to order beer. You couldn’t help but chuckle at that and Marcus’ face went as red as tomato.

He stood up rapidly, gave you a furious look and then ran outside to check on his beloved car, surely. Not caring much about the fact he was leaving you alone with dangerous men swarming around.

“So…” Benny started lazily as he licked his lips before looking you up and down. “That’s your type?” He pointed his thumb at the door Marcus had just left through. “That why you didn’t want me to take you out?”

“Why did you do that?” You asked, genuinely and his face got serious now.

“I saw you sittin’ here all alone, for a moment I thought… You came here for me,” he admitted with a laugh. “Then I saw that guy and I thought to myself: Jesus, what an asshole. So, I wanted to watch,” he shrugged his arms and you couldn’t help but stare at the flexing muscles and all the tattoos.

“He’s a proper guy. Graduated from college and with a job waiting for him in New York City,” you explained.

“But you’re not a proper girl,” Benny pointed out with a grin and you suddenly got a flashback of Kathy telling you the same thing – that you were just a silly girl for Marcus, just an easy fuck for the summer… 

You stood up rapidly and Benny looked up with a confused look on his face but you ignored him and left the club, hoping Marcus was still there and you could explain to him that you weren’t Benny’s girl… Maybe he’d drive you home?

But Marcus wasn’t there anymore. The only vehicles in the parking lot were motorbikes. You sighed and started walking in the direction of the bus stop but the door opened behind you. You heard heavy footsteps and then the sound of lighting a cigarette. Turning around slightly, you spotted Benny following you.

“Just wanted to point out that proper girls don’t find Bonnie and Clyde romantic,” with a few big steps he was now walking next to you.

“It’s not the murdering aspect, gee, why do I have to explain it so many times?” You got irritated.

“I didn’t say anything ‘bout it. You said something about the freedom and the road. You ever been on the open road like that?” Benny asked and you already knew what he wanted to propose because he had been mentioning it many times before while flirting with you at the diner.

“Fine,” you rolled your eyes. “I need a ride home,” you admitted and bit on your lower lip. “And no, I’ve never been. On the open road, I mean,” you added, feeling your cheeks heating up.

Benny didn’t say anything, he only nodded before throwing his cigarette on the ground and walking away to jump on his motorbike. He started the engine and patiently waited for you to finally join him. Feeling the rush of adrenaline going through your body, you clumsily sat behind him and he made the engine roar like a lion – a very sexy sound, you had to admit – but he didn’t start driving. You realised he was giving you a signal to hold onto something before he would drive away. It was considerate of him, you had to admit. Other guys would just drive away and laugh at your squealing. But Benny wanted you to be safe and for the second time on that night you realised that he was making you feel safe. Safer than a proper guy like Marcus – for sure. And you just didn’t know what to do with this information.

You wrapped your arms around his waist, told him your address and that was when the engine roared again but this time he drove away.

And God, something broke inside of you that moment. It was as if your brain chemistry changed completely. The speed, the wind in your hair, the freedom – this odd feeling that he could take you anywhere like this and you would go with him… To the point that when you spotted him taking a turn that led to your street, you nearly felt disappointed that he wasn’t “kidnapping” you. Perhaps in this moment you understood your cousin even – why had it been so tempting to risk everything for a handsome bad boy.

Benny parked the motorbike in front of your house and you could already spot your mum standing by the window upstairs and looking out through the curtain. You chuckled at the realisation you would have to explain to her how your date with Marcus ended with a guy like Benny taking you home.

“Thanks,” you only said as you got off the bike, still clinging to his leather jacket to make sure you wouldn’t trip and fall. You were a little breathless after that ride.

“And? What do you think?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“It was… Okay,” you grinned, not wanting to give him satisfaction.

“Why do you tease me so much?” Benny sighed.

He was done with playing for now. He just wanted to know the answer. Perhaps it would finally make him give up. Or perhaps it would educate him on the matter how to flirt with you better. Either way, he just wanted the truth.

“Why do you insist so much? I mean, I ain’t nothing special to chase me around for weeks,” you shrugged your arms. “And don’t get me wrong – or actually do get me wrong, the hell do I care? – but I don’t want to be just another number in your book, Benny,” you explained and Benny thought to himself that he wished you could see yourself through his eyes.

“You’re a whole book, kitty,” he winked at you and you couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Sometimes his flirting had this effect on you whether you liked it or not. “And I can’t wait to read it all,” he added, encouraged by your reaction.

“You can read?” You asked, teasingly.

“I’m full of surprises,” he smirked.

“That I see,” you laughed. “Um… I should go now… My ma’s watching us.”

“I can see,” Benny nodded and looked up at the window upstairs. He waved his hand and you grabbed him by his wrist to pull it down.

“Stop it!” You kept laughing at him and then you realised your face was only a few inches away from his as he was still sitting on his motorbike, ready to drive away any given moment.

A short moment of silence occurred between you two and you just kept staring into each other’s eyes as playful smiles disappeared from your faces. You swallowed thickly and fixed his jacket, not knowing what to do with your hands.

“You have a shift tomorrow?” He broke the silence.

“In the evening,” you nodded.

“So… See you?” Benny asked, unsurely.

“See you,” you smiled at him and he smiled back, relieved. “And hey, thanks for… For being there for me when I was with the… With the asshole,” you lowered your voice and took a step back to give him space now – finally.

“No need to thank me,” he shrugged his arms. “It’s just the thing I do, ain’t it?”

You furrowed your brows at those words.

“Protectin’ my girl,” he winked at you and the engine roared, making you take a few more steps back. And then he drove away – just like that.

Shaking your head and hugging your own self to feel warmer, you walked to the front door of your house, biting on your lip and not being able to help a chuckle.

Apparently, Benny had already decided that you were his girl. And, apparently – you enjoyed it.

MASTERLIST || BENNY MASTERLIST

[cute-sucker]

birthday boy

[30.3.2024]

note: haha once again this is so self indulgent, but i love it so much so like >>> (please let me know if y'all want a party 2) words: 2k warnings: mentions of drinking, swearing, angst :)

"hey! [name], come 'ere!" a voice yelled after you.

you were putting on your lipgloss, lips puckered and shiny. 

you knew exactly who it was, but you chugged your drink and then kept walking even as you heard the light footsteps of a teenage boy. you couldn't help but roll your eyes, infuriated at the only one and only rafe. 

"i'm not your lap dog, rafe!" you said through gritted teeth, as he reached you. finally, you turned and stopped to see rafe's arrogant face. 

he glanced at your face, his tongue darting out of his mouth to lick his lips. 

it was the bonfire at kildare. the one place where kooks and pogues went to party all night. of course rafe was here, and you were there to have fun and get loose and if he created some sort of problem for you, you'd sack him in the eye. maybe a blossoming blue bruise would look great on his 'perfectly,' simetral face. your brother had taught you to defend yourself in the summer, and you wondered what your nasty hook would do to hid face. 

"make it snappy," you said glaring at him. he looked unfazed, smirking. 

"as lovely as always, aren't you?" he flirted, leaning against the wall. the expensive watch on his wrist glinted in the light. 

"speak." 

finally, he gave up sighing dramatically, looking as if he was going to fess up. though he looked incredibly cocky. 

"come to my birthday party. it's on the 19th" he told you, a mischievous glint in his eyes. the nerve he had! 

you groaned, "no." 

surprise flashed across his face, and then something like challenge flickered in his eyes. 

"but i'm a very good boy," he pouted. 

"could you kindly fuck off?" then you turned around, strutting to your friends. you wanted to say you weren't blushing, as your heart stuttered violently at his voice. 

rafe would be the end of you. 

10 years ago. 

"rafe! where are you?" you called, your 8 year voice squeaking with fear. you felt frantic, your small thudding. rafe and you were inseparable, and in that same fashion you had made him a hand turkey and he hung in his cubby. 

that was true friendship. 

and now he was gone. 

"[name]?" a small voice called. it was rafe hiding near the bushes. 

you ran as fast as your tiny legs could carry you. rafe eyes were pink from crying, and you felt yourself tearing up, as your hands trembled. 

"rafe? what happened?" you asked gasping. he was crouching, his little hands red. 

now he peered up at you with watering eyes. 

"i fell." 

the red welts on his hands and knees bled so properly you cried out in fear. 

"c'mon let's go to ms. asha!" you yelled and held out your sticky hand. he took it, and the two of you hobbled away. 

when you reached your teacher, rafe told her all about your help. he smiled at you, as you found yourself blushing.

"a sticker for your bravery," ms. asha fussed, giving you and rafe two firefighter stickers. 

"did you save him?" benny asked you, her eyes wide with wonder. you pushed from the admiring tone and felt your heart swelter with pride. benny was so smart, and for her to be admiring you...that was everything a kid wanted. 

rafe nodded, rubbing his knee, a sweet smile on his face. 

"yeah," you whispered out, as you puffed out your chest. you were a hero. 

2 years ago. 

you were nervous. it was after 8 years that you were going to go to the same school as benny and rafe. after second grade, your parents took you to europe for your studies. only plans had changed and now here you were in america. 

in america, looking at kildare academy with it's daunting building and high standards. 

"she'll be in good hands," the principal chuckled. your parents smiled, and you wanted to go back tightly holding your mother's hand.

you winced, as your mother slowly unwrapped your fingers from hers. she kneeled to kiss you on the forehead. 

"you'll do great things here. i mean-" then she gave your father an adoring look, "it's where the two of us met." 

then your principal led them away, as your parents waved goodbye. 

here was your future just waiting to be taken. 

the day passed quickly, and it was all going well until english. you'd so far completed all the classes and ate lunch alone. everything was fine.

at least that's what you kept telling yourself. 

yes. oh yes, it was fine that benny had passed without a single glance, or the fact that no one remembered you at all. 

hell, a few girls did remember you though, and they gave you half-hearted hellos. some of the guys eyed you with recognition but the people who mattered...didn't remember you. 

but you still hoped that maybe rafe would remember you, but that was until you realised that rafe was right there, and instead of recognition in his eyes, he looked at you with scrutiny. he'd changed, and you were surprised to realise that he was handsome

his frame had filled out, no longer a wiry little boy, instead he towered over you. he loosely wore his tie, his shirt ticked and a smirk that stayed on his face. his hair was a dirty blonde adorned with golden highlights. 

class began and you stumbled into our seat. the teacher introduced herself, ms. wetherbell and then turned her eye on you. her hand was outstretched in your direction. 

"come here, dear." 

you sat up too quickly almost falling as you did so. you blushed and there was something inside of you that was glad for this call out. maybe now rafe would recognise you. 

"we have a new member joining our class, [name] [last name]." 

you waved awkwardly, painfully smiling. 

then you watched rafe scrunch up his nose, and mutter something under his breath. 

you didn't hear it, yet everyone in the class heard it and started laughing. 

they kept their mocking eyes on you, laughter echoing through the classroom, ms wetherbell caught up quickly enough. 

"what did you say mr. cameron?" she asked coldly, and he smiled innocently. you could feel tears prick your eyes, 

"nothing at all," he mustered sweetly. his eyes followed you again and it was only then he realised who you were.

but it was too late. 

present. 

you lay in your bed now, your silk pink night gown on. you never thought of those memories, ones that reminded all that you had lost with him. after that day he had tried to apologise to you, following you until you told him that none of it mattered. 

you didn't want to hear anything from rafe cameron and that's why you wouldn't give him any of the attention he so badly craved. 

just as you drifted off to sleep, settling your paperback back on your side table, a sudden noise woke you up. it was the sound of a pebble hitting your window. you peeked out the window to check. 

there he was in all of his glory. rafe kneeling on your roof, clearly intoxicated, his eyes full of excitement as he swayed.

"why are you here birthday boy? you hissed mockingly. but as you watched his sway fear pricked your heart. you knew he would fall and break his neck if you didn't pull him into your room. 

he sighed, eyes closed as you roughly guided him into your room.

 "i missed you," he slurred and leaned on you. you tried to calm yourself, and not scream at him. you didn't want your parents to know he was in your room. 

maybe they'd think he was having a secret relationship with you. at that they would be pleased but at night? your mother would kick both of your asses and really? no thanks. you would rather not be grounded. 

"you liar," you whispered out. then you inspected him to make sure he wasn't hurt. he noticed you eyeing you, and gave you a crooked smile. he was always in his element. 

"like what you see?" 

you rolled your eyes, your voice a gasp "you wish."  

it was only then did you realised that he had a busted lip. curious . . . even more curious first dipping drunk out of his party, and now it looked as if he had fought. 

"did you fight someone? where else are you hurt," you asked him slowly. as much as you disliked him you couldn't let him wander around hurt. 

he winked in a drowsy manner. "i won, sweetheart. and just the one here." 

then he lifted his shirt to show a yellowish-blue bruise. it looked so bad you hissed quietly. then you slowly approached him with your cream. 

you peered up at him, round eyes full of worry. 

"may i?" 

he nodded, swallowing deeply. 

you tried to apply the cream as gently as you could. 

he hissed quietly, "a little softer, sweetheart." 

you dropped your hand, realising what you were doing. god, damn it! you looked at him again. drunk rafe, shirtless in your room as you treated him. 

you were crazy! instead of breaking down, you took a deep breath and applied some bandage. 

"why are you here?" you asked coldly. he opened his eyes and you fell still. 

"i told you . . . i missed you." he pouted, and you shook your head ready to get up. goddamn it. just as you going to get up, and tell him to get the fuck out of your room, he stopped you. 

"please don't leave me," his voice cracking, "i'm so tired of everyone leaving me." his hold was tightened on your wrist. instead of inching away from him, your whole body melted into his embrace.

he could make you do anything for him. and yet right now you thought you hated him but you were pressed to his side as he nestled his head in your shoulder. 

"tell me why you left that party," you asked him again, and you felt him touch your hair. he played with it, and you could smell the wine all over him.

"i couldn't take it. i had to be with someone who always cared about me. someone who i-i didn't treat every well," he murmured and you felt yourself recoil only for him to grasp your chin to turn you around to face him.

he sighed, "i'm sorry." 

you watched his eyes flicker with vulnerability. someone every single time this boy sneaked past your defence and broke your hold on reality. 

you got up to walk into your bathroom. 

"i need to change," you muttered, picking stuff from your cabinet.

"please [name]." 

"what, rafe? what do you want from me? i always tried to be your friend, but you didn't want that. what am i supposed to do?" you whispered as you felt your hands tremble at your sides. 

rafe shuddered and then turned to look at you. his eyes were clearer than ever. 

"i like you." he slurred, "i'll treat you like a princess and i have the money," he stumbled after you. 

you felt like screaming. "i don't want that! and you know that." your voice cracked, as you felt your whole body shudder with sadness.

"trust me. please trust me, this will be good. you're so pretty and kind and i can't get enough," he whispered, his scraped hands reaching for you. 

you paced around the room. "stop it! stop it!" you said finally. 

"i can't stop thinking about you and you're the only person i want," he whispered harshly, holding your hand, begging for you to look into his eyes. 

you walked away from him. 

"get out of my room," you yelled, "get the hell out of my room, rafe." 

and as he walked out of that door, your heart begged him to stop. you felt yourself drop-down, tears soaking your nightgown. 

your heart broke into a million pieces when he walked out of that room. 

[hottpinkpenguin]

Letting Someone Go - Part 5 (The End!)

Benny Cross X Female Reader part 1 is here! part 2 is here! part 3 is here! part 4 is here! A/n: ahhh it's always so hard to write a satisfying ending. i rlly hope you enjoy it, and i want to thank everyone for reading this series!! i am officially taking Bikeriders requests, so if this story got your mind thinking about what other Benny/Vandals boys content you'd like, feel free to send it my way! Word Count: 3683 Warnings: none for this chapter

You woke up the next morning with a split lip, a black eye, and a hangover. Before even opening your eyes, you knew you were back at Zipco’s house based on the strong Patchouli-incense-over-bourbon smell. Not on the lumpy couch though - you were in his bed. You opened one eye and instantly regretted it: the world started to spin and you barely managed to grab at the wastebasket someone had left by the bedside before you emptied your stomach. You wretched until there was nothing left to come up, just bile and bloody spit. Unwilling to test your vertigo by standing up and walking down the hall to the bathroom, you called out for Zipco in a watery-thin rasp.

“Zip?” 

Silence. It seemed like the house was empty. Zipco was many things, but a quiet housemate was not among them. Wherever he went, he was slamming doors, knocking furniture, thumping on the rickety floorboards. 

“Zip ain’t here.”

The voice startled you and you whipped your head around - another immediate regret, as it renewed your nausea. Benny was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, smoking a cigarette and watching you closely. He must have slept here, you realized, as you took in the wrinkled tshirt stained with your mascara and blood and his mussed hair. 

“Where’s Zip?” you groaned, shutting your eyes in a vain attempt to stop the spinning. 

Benny stood up and walked out of the bedroom as he called back to you. “He took Kathy home. I asked him to stay with her for the night, keep an eye on things.”

Kathy. Last night. The memory of that awful night came back to you hard and with a vengeance. You whimpered, pressing your face down on the pillow as if you could blot it out. From down the hall, you heard the sound of Benny rummaging around in the kitchen for a few moments. You willed yourself to focus on that noise and breathe deeply through your nose and out through your mouth. 

You felt the mattress give under his weight as he came back and perched on the edge of the bed. “Here.” He handed you a bag of ice, coaxing you to lift your head and place the ice against your swollen lip. He brushed back strands of your hair out of your face with a tenderness you’d never seen from him before. 

“Thank you,” you croaked, voice cracking. “For last night. Helping me. For everything.” 

He nodded softly and offered you a cup of water. “Try to drink it,” he encouraged. You obeyed, wincing at the bad taste in your mouth and the soreness in your throat as you swallowed. The water settled in your stomach with a cooling rush, and it helped lessen your headache marginally. Benny just kept sitting there, fussing over you like a nursemaid. It was achingly touching, but surprising and strangely intimate. After a few moments, you cleared your throat and forced yourself to sit upright, moving slowly and deliberately so as not to set off the spins again. He helped you prop yourself up against the headboard, one of Zip’s pillows tucked at the small of your back.

“How’s Kathy?” Why you asked that question was anyone’s guess. You were grasping at straws, overwhelmed by Benny’s presence and his assiduous attention to you. You couldn’t care less how Kathy was doing, and you knew you were risking the moment between you two - whatever it was - by bringing her up. 

Predictably, Benny’s face crumpled from concern to something harder. He held your gaze with a wary seriousness. “You really wanna know how my wife is right now?” 

Wife. 

You pursed your lips - bad move, you felt the split open up and fresh blood coat your tongue - and looked down at the water glass in your hand so he couldn’t see the tears in your eyes. You hadn’t known Kathy was that to him. You’d never really considered the possibility. Four years is a hell of a long time, a reprimanding voice in your head reminded you. What did you expect?

Why didn’t the guys tell you? A flash of anger at Zipco and Cal and Johnny flared in your chest. It was irrational, you knew, and a displacement of your real pain. The anger fizzled out as quickly as it had come up, leaving you alone with a sinking grief. 

Benny must have noticed your reaction. “You didn’t know.” Not a question, an observation. One he must have suspected because you heard the sound of confirmation in his voice. His words didn’t sound unkind, although there was an edge of pity there that you hated. Unable to meet his eyes, you simply shook your head. 

“I figured one of the guys told you.” 

“Yea, I would’ve figured that too.” 

You ran a finger along the lip of the water glass. Anything for a distraction. A thick silence that threatened to bloom into something permanent settled between you. 

“Congrats,” you managed with a small, bitter laugh. “How long?”

Benny turned away from you, bracing his hands on his knees and looking at the wall. “Y/n, don’t do this.”

“Do what?” you demanded, embarrassment staining your cheeks. Not only had he just dropped this hundred pound disappointment on you, but now he expected you not to struggle with its weight?

“Hurt yourself,” he replied sadly, turning back to you. His eyes drank you in and caused your breath to tangle in your throat. Once again, you couldn’t hold his gaze, and let your eyes drop to your hands. You knocked that one set of your knuckles were scraped and bruised, and a snippet of memory - men dragging you up a stairwell, you thrashing against them and screaming out for help - smacked you like a freight train. The sob that bubbled in your lungs refused to be stifled. 

At the sound of it, Benny stiffened. “I’m sorry. I should’ve left. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I’ll go, send Zip back over.” 

You looked back up at him and found you could look through him. Talking to the wall behind Benny, you felt your mouth moving as words came pouring out before you fully knew what you wanted to say. “Aight then, Benny, you best get your stuff and get out, then.”

It was the exact same line you’d said to him four years ago when he’d made you tell yourself that he was in love with someone else. Unlike then, this time your words dripped with poison. 

He flinched slightly at your words, and you figured that was about as much as you could hope for. Benny Cross was many things, but he would never be the kind of guy who would collapse for a woman. Especially not one that he didn’t love. 

For a heartbeat or two, he looked at you while you looked through him. It was a test. Who would break first. Both of you knew the answer. Benny was incapable of breaking. You’d been craving that from him for too long and had been disappointed too many times before to delude yourself now. Benny was going to leave, exactly like you’d told him to. He wasn’t going to argue, or apologize, or ask why you were angry, or stubbornly ignore your dismissal in an attempt to get through to you. He was going to leave because that’s what he did. Although not with Kathy, that vicious inner voice reminded you. Just you. 

Right on cue, Benny broke eye contact, hesitating momentarily before standing up from the edge of the bed. Your eyes followed him as he walked over to the chair he’d been sitting in, picked up his leather jacket and threw it on over his shoulders. The icy shell around your heart threatened to thaw as the realization that this might be the last moment you ever saw him overtook you. 

He moved to leave without looking back to you, although he did stop at the door.

“Why’d you come back?” he asked, his voice low and full of something approaching emotion. 

“For Brucie’s funeral,” you replied robotically. 

You both knew it was a lie. Benny waited, turning slightly so his body was angled towards you, but still not looking up at you. 

“What do you want me to say, Benny? That I came back for you? That I stayed away for so long because of you? You already know all that shit.”

He fidgeted with his leather riding gloves methodically, tucking them into the sleeves of his jacket. You’d never known Benny to care about stuff like that. You had the fleeting thought that he was stalling against what you both sensed would be your last goodbye. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled heavily. “I’m sorry for everything.” 

And with that, Benny vanished once again from your life, leaving behind that all too familiar ache like a gaping hole in your chest. 

***********************

Benny was riding back to Kathy’s apartment when he realized that he didn’t want to. The last thing he wanted was to get an earful from Kathy, although he knew precisely that’s what was waiting for him. An earful for getting involved in another fight over the club, for getting involved with you, and for leaving her behind. He deserved it, but he didn’t want it.

He also didn’t want to turn around and back towards the girl he’d just left, with her face busted up and her spirit broken. All because she’d come back hoping for something from him. All she was going to get was disappointment. That’s all Benny had for anybody else. He’d disappointed Kathy by not being a good husband. He’d disappointed Johnny by not being a good Vandal, not being willing to take over the charter. And he’d disappointed y/n simply by not being good. Most of all, Benny was his own biggest disappointment. He realized, sitting on the back of his bike idling at a light that had long ago turned from red to green, that he wasn’t sure what he’d imagined for his life, but it sure as hell wasn’t this. It wasn’t watching the people around you get hurt, time and time again, all behind your own failures. 

So, instead of turning left on 53rd St. to head home, Benny kept going straight on 55th until it linked up with Rte 34 in Naperville. He gassed up in Wyanet and didn’t stop until he hit the Nebraska line. Benny rode west until he got tired of staring at sunsets, and then turned north, meandering up into colder country. 

Epilogue

At first, the running theory about what happened was that one of the guys from the night before had found Benny, somehow, on the way back from Zipco’s place and jumped him. Beat the shit out of him, took his bike, dumped him on the side of a road somewhere. Maybe even killed him. But, as weeks turned into months without any news and without a body, a different understanding took hold: Benny Cross had simply left. 

Kathy stuck around but drifted steadily further away from the MC. She stopped showing up to Junker’s on Friday nights, stopped hanging out at the Vandals’ house parties, stopped asking Johnny if he’d heard from Benny. You saw her a few times in the years after Benny left, usually at the laundromat or the corner store, somewhere neutral. She never acknowledged you, and you figured that was probably the smart thing to do. There weren’t any words the two of you could exchange that would do anything for either of you. Better just to let sleeping dogs lie. At some point, you saw Kathy Cross for the last time, although you didn’t know it would be the last. Word reached the MC that she’d met some wealthy Cincinnati lawyer in a pop shop and had moved in with him a few weeks later, into some swanky highrise overlooking the Ohio River. You had a suspicion that Kathy’s days of logging time on the back of a bike were over. 

While Kathy exited the Vandals’ scene, you found yourself quickly at the center of the club. You and Zipco decided after a few months that you made great friends, but shit roommates. You moved into your own place a few blocks down from Junker’s and opened a body shop for bikes with the money your daddy left you in the will. Your first employee was Cal, and your first customer was Johnny. From that day forward, the Vandals MC kept your business buzzing and your books balanced. You named the shop Cross Roads Bikes. Customers who didn’t know you asked why “cross roads” was two separate words; usually, you just told them that you’d been drunk when you filled out the business license application and had put a space in there by accident. Customers who knew you didn’t need to ask what happened. 

In spite of that, somewhere along the way you woke up one day and realized that this was the closest you’d been to happy in a long long time, maybe ever. It struck you as strange, because since the day you’d met him, you’d only seen happiness as part of your future if Benny was in it. Yet, here you were: happy (ish) and Benny-less. Funny how the world works.  

You didn’t know why Benny took off or where he’d gone, but you did know one thing: Benny broke three hearts the day he left McCook. Johnny took Benny’s absence harder than the woman who married him and the woman who loved him. Johnny changed the day Benny left. He seemed to age two days for every one that passed. His laughter dried up and his leadership got sour. Between Cal, Zipco, and a few of the other old guard, the Vandals held themselves together, but everyone could see that the winds of change were brewing, and the MC was on the edge of a permanent change. All that was left to do was to hold your breath and wait.

You were with Johnny Davis the day he died. You remembered the way that young kid had shot him, point blank, in some old abandoned parking lot on the western edge of town. All the light was gone from Johnny’s eyes by the time you reached him. The Vandals you knew died with him in that weedy parking lot that night. 

Zipco left about a month later for Texas. He sent you a few postcards, called you a couple times. After a while, there wasn’t anything left to say. You never stopped sending him his favorite bottle of bourbon at Christmas. Every once in a while, a customer would come in from out of town and tell you that your shop was personally recommended to them by a drunk, grouchy old Latvian who worked on a shrimping boat outside of Corpus Christi. 

One by one, the new Vandals stopped coming into your shop for their repairs and tune-ups. That was fine with you. You didn’t recognize any of the newcomers, and you doubted they recognized you, apart from vague memories of seeing you drinking and laughing in Junker’s next to the guys that they considered to be the past. Cross Roads Bikes was about four years old at that point, and you’d built enough of a non-MC customer base to survive the turnover. The day Cal came in and told you he’d turned in his patch and was planning to head back out to California, you knew that your last tie with the club had been cut. In some ways, it was relieving, in other ways, terrifying. You and Cal got shitfaced together that night and told old war stories about all the guys you’d known and lost. You cried like a baby when, two weeks later, you were standing on the sidewalk, watching Cal’s taillight fade into the Illinois dark as he headed out to the West Coast for the next chapter of his life. 

Much to your surprise, it was Sheila and Becky, Johnny’s widow, who became your new club. They took to bringing you sandwiches at the shop and sitting on the counter with you for lunch breaks, telling the did you hear? kind of stories that bond people with a loose circle of mutual acquaintances together. It was easy and fun and all three of you seemed to know that this was it. If you all let yourselves drift away, who was going to tell stories about the guys you’d all known? About the Vandals’ early days, the glory days? You three were all that was left. Ironic, you thought. A men’s club, survived by three women. 

Your life fell into a pattern. Productive, purposeful, content with little stains of sadness at the edges. But mostly, a good life. You were happy, and getting used to it every day. At some point, your life became predictable.

That’s why, one crisp fall morning as you stumbled out of bed at 6:00am to the waiting pot of Zipco-strong coffee and the stack of yesterday’s mail on the counter, the last thing you were expecting to see was the outline of a man sitting on your front porch steps. The black leather jacket with an original Vandals patch on the back, the Harley parked across the street, the tousled blonde hair. It was a ghost of a memory. 

You opened the front door a crack and looked down on the profile of Benny Cross. He was looking up at the neon Cross Roads Bike sign that Johnny and the rest of the club had gifted to you for your one-year anniversary at the shop. When he looked up at you with those same old blue eyes, it was like stepping into a dream.

“Hey.”

You closed the door behind you, offering him your mug of coffee as you wrapped your robe around you against the chill. “Hey.”

He scooched over to make room for you to join him. You did, tucking your knees up against your chest for warmth. The cold concrete of your porch steps bit into your backside. 

“Looks good,” Benny commented softly, gesturing up at the Cross Roads sign. The text was superimposed over an image of a motorcycle - an all-black 1965 Harley Electra-Glide, to be exact. The same bike that happened to be sitting across the street from you, where Benny had parked it. 

“Yea, yea,” you agreed gently, looking up at the sign with a sad smile. “Hope you don’t mind, I stole your bike. And your name.” 

When you looked back at Benny, a half-smirk was spreading across his face. He looked the same, although you could see that the road had been riding him just as much as the other way around. You knew that life. 

The two of you sat in silence for a while, sharing the same cup of coffee and a cigarette, letting the sun rise above the rooftops across the street. It was a comfortable, companionable quiet. It was the first time since you’d met Benny that you didn’t have the burning desire to try and put your feelings into words. After almost ten years of your heart orbiting his, you realized in the cold November morning that you had finally learned how to let him go. It was a bittersweet feeling, and you knew you’d never be able to put it into words, even if you tried. So the two of you were quiet together. 

When the city began to wake up around you and the demands of another day couldn’t be ignored any longer, you rose from your seat - cursing the way the cold made your hips stiff - and offered him a hand to help him up. He took it, thick calluses on his palm from years of riding. He stood up, still tall enough to tower over you, his jacket thick with the smell of the road - leather, diesel fuel, sweat, and cigarettes. 

“How long you in town for?” you asked as you held the door open for him behind you. He followed you in, kicking off his dirty boots at the door. 

“Not sure,” he replied with a note of nervousness. “Depends on how long you’ll let me stay.”

You smiled to yourself, your back turned to him as you refilled your coffee mug and poured a fresh one for him. 

“I got plenty of room, and plenty of work for ya, Benny. Long as you promise that you won’t leave without sayin’ goodbye this time.” He accepted the coffee in your outstretched hand with a heartbreakers’ smile. 

“Funny you mention it. I hadn’t planned on leavin’ this time.” He looked at you with a question in his eyes. You weren’t entirely sure what the question was. Do you forgive me? Is this ok? Are you alright? Did you miss me?

Whatever he was asking, your answer was yes. A very simple word, and easily one you could have said. But, just like moments before, you found that words just wouldn’t suffice, even such a simple one. 

So you crossed the kitchen, dropping your coffee mug and letting it splinter into pieces on the tile floor, splashing hot coffee on your ankles, and wrapped your arms around him. Benny’s mouth tasted exactly how you remembered, and when he folded his arms around you, you swore your feet no longer touched the ground. He was warm and strong against you, and for every question he pressed through that kiss into your lips, you answered with an enthusiastic yes. 

As you floated away into the sky towards what you’d heard others call “cloud nine” from your kitchen, the rest of the words of that old poem came drifting back to you:

Of all the things that can create, love is the one I most appreciate.

One thing I’ve come to know, nothing kills you slower than letting someone go.

But I will also tell you this, coming back to life can happen in the space of a single kiss.

***********************

Taglist: @real-lana-del-rey @putherup @dontcrydaddy @gilli-vanilli @faephoria @summer56 @seresinhangmanjake @patrycqv @rose-deathman @bellesdreamyprofile @imusicaddict @bruher @ripvanwinklee @meninecanela @enchantedinfinity @landlockedmermaid77 @nctma15 @hearts444emily @kajasagmo @1800imgay @oh-you-mean-me @allie-jay @suspicious-stain-in-spain

[semperamans]

Ooh kinda angsty thought! No cause benny would kill for you... Literally

The first time he meets your folks your dad asks him what he would do if someone hurt you (like your protective!benny blurb!) and benny answers honestly, he'd kill them and your mum laughs awkwardly but benny gives your dad a look that confirms the worst, benny is trouble no matter how much he loves you! - ✨

for all of my “but daddy i love him” taylor swift girlies, this one is for you <3

your father's cool facade begins to crumble when he processes the name formed on your lips. he lowers the newspaper from his face, pushes his glasses back against the bridge of his nose. "you're asking if your momma and i will host benjamin cross for dinner?" "yes sir." and your father knew one day this would happen - well, not this necessarily; he knew you'd find a sweetheart and have aspirations of folding him into the family, but benjamin cross? he silently asks god what he did to deserve such punishment. the boy's reputation precedes him. 'course, everyone 'round town calls him benny and you call him benny and your father thinks that is better suited. benny sounds childish, less serious, and let's face it, the boy has nothing going for him. i mean, it was just weeks ago that your father and momma sat near the radio, heads bowed as they listened to news anchor john phillips recount benny's wild ride through town. seven traffic lights, he ran! the boy is a menace so no, your father doesn't want him in his house let alone his table and he has no on the tip of his tongue, but then he stops, looks at your face and where did your pigtails and missing front teeth go? the woman who stands before him is grown, not his little girl, and you've got this look on your face he's seen before but can't place. he's quiet. studying. where has he seen that look? then it hits him like a train because your momma used to look at him with the same bewitched twinkle you have in your eyes. dinner will be fine, he tells you. sunday at 3.

the boy isn't wearing that dreaded denim jacket and for a moment your father allows himself to think of benny as just a boy you met at school studying some highly regarded subject, a future career practically locked upon graduation. but no, the sleeve of his too-small dress shirt jumps upward as he reaches for the salt and your father sees the tattoos and the burns and the scars and your future laid bare before him. he has to stop eating, press his napkin to his mouth and he's thankful your momma. she is better at this. she actually talks to the two of you, asking benny questions, and he's quiet, but respectful. your father hadn't anticipated him to be so quiet and its deafening when your momma steps away to grab dessert. your father figures it's time to say something to the boy. anything. he tries to remember what it was like when he sat down at your momma's table for the first time, how her father had grilled him, made him sweat, and benny looks so cool it grates on his nerves. is this unimportant to him? how many girls has he sat beside, promising daddies that he'll take care of their little girls only to leave them heartbroken?

the answer is none. you're it for benny and that's why he's so anxious. his hands are trembling, fingers shuddering as he reaches out, grabs the glass of tea and takes a swig as your father begins to speak. "tell me, benny," and you know trouble is comin'. "you gotta job?" "i, uh, yeah. doug's garage on 43rd. work on bikes, cars, things like that." "grease monkey," your father folds his hands together, clearly unimpressed. "you plannin' on doing that long term?" "well yes sir. m'good at it." "and you think that's sustainable? gonna be able to take care of my daughter slingin' wrenches around?" it's a loaded question filled with contempt. "daddy," you warn, but your father plows forward. "you see, benny, she's my main concern." your father is pointing at you, elbows on the table. he's getting angry, face turning red, mouth open to continue, but benny cuts him off. "with all due respect, sir, she's mine too." and then nobody moves for what feels like a lifetime. you're sure time has stopped, your momma is likely stood frozen with an icing bag growing limp in her hands. it's the strangled huff from your father that sets the earth turning again. "s'that so?" he drops his hands, smiles, even. "s'that why you take her to that cesspool you call a clubhouse? throw her on the back of that piece of shit you park down the street?" your mother practically squawks when she reenters the room, quickly putting the cake dish down and hissing your fathers name, but he can't be stopped. "see my problem, benny, is that don't want my little girl anywhere around people like you, people who'll hurt her." "i'd never." benny's fists are tightening on his lap. his eyes locked on your father's face. "let’s say that i believe you, which i don’t, then what about one of your little buddies, eh? or their friends? what are they gonna do when you bring a pretty little thing like her around, huh?" "i'd kill anyone who hurts her." and it comes out so stone-cold matter-of-fact that a chill runs down your father's spine because there is no faking the conviction etched into benny's features or coating his words. “doesn't matter who. doesn't matter what happens to me. no one is messin' with her." benny hesistates for a moment, eyes dancing back and forth, gauging your father’s reaction. when he says nothing benny rises from the table. your father has no words, his bravado flying out the open window as he watches benny take your mother's hand in both of his, look her in the eyes and thank her earnestly for everything and she just nods, almost numb as you join his side. "where do you think you're going?" your father rasps. his voice is growing hoarse, nerves pinching his vocal cords just so. "with benny." your face is drawn, eyebrows pulled together. "i love him, daddy. whether you approve or not. i love benny. n'that's not gonna change."

and as your father stares down at his picked-over plate, the distant rumble of benny's bike rattles the china in the curio cabinet signifying your departure and tears well in his eyes. there is nothing he will ever be able to say or do to deter you from benny. he just hopes the boy keeps true to his word.

[touchtheinvisiblestars]

Imagine Pope telling Benny you've gone missing while on a stakeout

"Come on man, why all the cloak and dagger?" Benny jibed, "you're going to have to tell us why we're here anyway. Why did we have to follow some ridiculous instructions to get here."

"'cause we're all probably being watched, I couldn't risk anything else going wrong with this mission."

"What do you mean?" Frankie questioned. The atmosphere suddenly got very thick and uneasy.

"I um, so-" Santiago paused, unsure of how to start.

"Spit it out Pope." Tom jumped in.

"Okay, so you know I mentioned the set timings they brought people in, under the cover of night so they had more privacy?" the silence continued, "so with them knowing who I am. I needed to bring in a face they wouldn't bat an eyelid at..."

All four men wore heavy set expressions, cogs turning in their minds at where Santiago was going with this. Benny shared a look with his brother. Not liking where this was going.

"So I called in some help. Just know I didn't force this okay. I asked for a favour."

"Christ man. Spit it out." Will snapped. Not liking how sheepish Santiago was acting.

"It's Y/N. Okay she was doing some night recon for me and two days ago she went radio silent. And we had a strict agreement to check in once every 24 hours. So I knew she was okay." Santiago blurted out.

"Are you fucking kidding?" Benny asked, not sure how to take the news.

"I can't tell you how much I wish I was Ben. I'm sorry."

All five men had a soft spot for you. Having known you for a number of years. Friendships had developed across continents with them. They all cared about your safety as they did each other. Spending time both on the battlefield and at home. You'd even moved cities to be closer to the group. Since then spending a huge chunk of your time with the Miller brothers. Well. One to be particular. Benny and you had a different kind of relationship. One that had never progressed from the gooey eyed longing looks at one another from across the pool table. Among every other place you guys hung out. You supported him ringside at every match. Cheering him on and giving him the push to fight just that little bit harder. Earning you the title of good luck charm after Bennys fourth win in a row once you started coming along.

Saying that you had a special place with all of the guys. You were a constant with Frankies family. Supporting his wife while Frankie had his drug charges cleared up.

You even introduced Will to his fiancée.

Tom had listened to your advice on how he would be able to start repairing his relationship with his daughter. Resulting in them going on their first dad-daughter camping weekend.

Pope had always been a bit of an enigma with the group. But you too had a special place with him. You helped him hash out many a crazy idea. Toning them down when he got too into the idea of taking down huge conglomerates widely known to be untouchable.

"Fuck. Where was she last supposed to reach you?" Benny asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"She always called my phone from a payphone just outside the market. At two o'clock. But that last two days I've heard nothing."

"Where was she staying?"

"At a hotel on the outskirts of town, room 203. Self catering kind of deal."

"Right, Fish and Will. Go to that payphone and see if there's any sign there. I'm going to stay put see if she turns up here. Benny-"

"Go to the hotel. Got it."

The boys sprung into motion. Grabbing what they needed and heading for the truck they arrived in.

"Benny, I'll drop you off at the hotel." Santiago offered, earning a nod from Ben.

He followed closely behind Santiago. Still on the fence about whether he should give him an earful in the car of the way.

"She better be alright."

"I know. You're gonna kick my ass if she isn't."

"Damn right. But I know you didn't do this on purpose."

The ride was pretty quiet from then on. Both men itching to get to the hotel to confirm their hopes.

Benny couldn't help but scan everyone's face as they passed. Hoping she would just appear on a street corner unharmed.

Pulling up in the car park to the hotel. Benny was out the door even before Santiago could turn off the engine. Scanning the room numbers he headed for the stairs. Taking them two at a time, he followed the descending numbers. 213, 212, 211... Round the corner to the side of the block. He continued, 206, 205, 204... Pausing as he locked eyes on 203. Bracing himself for the worst he reached to twist the door handle, light pressure made the already opened door swing fully open.

Letting out a quiet whistle. Signalling to Santiago, Benny reached for the pistol he had stashed in the back of his trousers. With the curtains pulled the room was dim, when he didn't immediately spot you his guard remained on high alert. The room didn't look trashed. But it didn't exactly look neat and tidy. There was some semblance of disarray.

Benny recognised your belongings though. The notebook you always scribbled in. The snacks you never went anywhere without. He even recognised one of his boxing sweatshirts in the messy bed.

Relaxing his stance, Santiago took over scanning the rest of the room. Benny looked through the ripped up paperwork on the bed, seeing you'd made notes about the targets for him. Santi headed for the bathroom, to cover all bases.

"Benny get in here now!" Santiagos voice jolted Benny out of his thoughts.

Preparing himself to see something he didn't want to, he practically ran into the bathroom. Almost tripping over a crouching Santi. Who was hovering over your unconscious figure slumped in between the wall and the toilet bowl.

[mentallyillstinker]

WHOOOOO YEAHH!!!

Dating Benny headcannons NSFW EDITION!!!

YAAAYYYY (Price is right music plays)

(It's under the cut, obvi, holy shit wait did i put too much? 😭)

Let's get this out of the way real quick, he DOES NOT, repeat, DOES NOT! want a family, he would say it's because he doesn't have time for it or something but really he just wouldn't want to raise kids out in the wasteland. Though he is yknow rich and all that fun stuff, he's still worried.

If ur a guy you don't have to worry about that stuff, unless you want to like, adopt a kid, which I don't think you'd be able to do in the wasteland, unless you literally just go out and take orphans from the side of the road, which I'm sure there probably are.

Back onto the sexy stuff 😘

He's definitely a bottom. I mean, he's a switch rlly, but he probably got tired of all of the prostitutes just letting him do whatever he wants basically. ALSO WHILE ON THE TOPIC OF PROSTITUTES I HOPE THE DOCTORS IN NEW VEGAS KNOW WHAT STDS ARE.

Back on to Benny, sorry I got distracted 😭

He loves hearing you moan, I mean, as long as it's real, he's so used to hearing fake moans that yours sound like music to his ears.

He's also very vocal. He doesn't really care what other people think if he hears him.

He loves loves LOVES when you pull his hair, or like, just be rough with him, in the end he knows you love him.(Awwww)

If he's on top he'll be as gentle as he can be, he knows you can handle more but he just waits until you tell him to be more rough, even then he won't be really.

He just loves putting his hands on you all the time, so obviously expect him to do that when you're fucking, oh wait, ur bouncing on his dick rn? His hands are busy gently holding onto ur waist.

While we're talking about his hands, I just wanna say he has big hands. And I mean, they wouldn't really be calloused because of how he treats himself now. (He treats himself like a pretty little princess)

His eyes will most likely be on you the whole time, he has this like dazed look in his eyes, he's just admiring you don't worry babes 😘. Though his eyes will most likely be on your face. He always wants to make sure you're enjoying yourself.

Benny is not a great kisser, just wanted to say that, it's not really NSFW, but he's a mediocre kisser, he doesn't really kiss prostitutes, and even then it was like a weird French kiss that Benny never knew was coming so he kinda just sat there for a second before he was like, 'oh shit, wait' and tried his best to kiss back.

He will kiss all over ur body though, he loves pampering you and just making you feel loved. Like I mentioned before, he would have to have fell for you HARD if you ended up dating.

He likes to hold your hands when you fuck, I mean, he tries to most of the time, but your hands are too busy doing anything else.

He has a thing for being praised, at first he'd be upset if you called him a good boy, he'd think your calling him a dog or something, but eventually he was like 'hey, I really like that' and would go out of his way to get praised.

He likes thighs, well, he likes it ALL! RAHHHHH!!! but if he's like giving you head his hands will be GRIPPED on ur thighs the whole time.

Like I said he's very vocal, but surprisingly he doesn't just moan like a bitch the whole time, he actually tires to tell you how much he loves you or how good you feel, but most of it is just quiet and breathy and most of the time gets cut off by him moaning or just yelling out fuck.

IDK WHAT ELSE TO PUTTT UGHHHB! At this point I might as well just write a small little story, I mean a oneshot 😭 I forgot what it was called for a second.

[romanarose]

Physical Touch with the Triple Frontier Boys

Triple Frontier Master List All fanfic masterlist

Thoughts on the TF boys expressing their love for you in Physical touch, and you returning it. Be sure to comment which love language you'd like to see next!

Acts of Service Word of Affirmation Quality Time

Warnings: PIV sex, nonsexual nudity, mentions of oral, (f and m receiving), chronic pain, brief reference to child abuse (bc I can't let the Millers off easy, can I)

Didn't want to make his too sexual bc physical touch isn't just about sex but like. Let's be honest here, am I wrong?

**********************

Benny Miller

Don't let him fool you. Benny is a strong farm boy, ex-military, but he's not afraid of being things that may be perceived as feminine. He will take any opportunity to touch you, even in the most innocent ways. You had a long day, and Benny was more than happy to treat you right. Using ingredients in the fridge that google said made face and hair masks (Is there avocado on your face right now? Yes. Are entirely sure the egg in your hair is doing anything? No.) Benny gives you the first facial that didn't involve his dick in your face since college. He puts on a homemade hair mask in your hair, massaging it into your scalp tenderly, and even letting you put the remainder in his hair. In the shower he washes you, and impressively does not make a move o fuck you, simply taking care of you. Afterwards, you sit in front of the tv between Benny's legs as he brushes and braids your hair so that the shiny locks (the eggs did work!) are in nice waves in the morning.

*

Benny had a long day, walking in your house and immediately flopping on the couch as he said hello. You knew what he wanted, even if he wouldn't ask, feeling silly. Walking over to him, you ask if he wants you to lay with him and he nods. Carefully, you lay down on top of his sprawled-out body. As you watched ABC family you play with his messy blonde hair, full body weight on him and wondering how he could breathe, you felt his body relaxing.

"You know Benny, we can get you a weighted blanket"

"I like this better."

Santiago Garcia

Santiago Garcia can't keep his hands off you, the bedroom is no exception. Santi would partake in a myriad of positions, but his favorites were anything that he got the most contact with your skin. Doing doggy style, he never strayed far, his chest connecting with your back, or he'd pull you up flush against him to cup your breasts and kiss your neck. When he went down on you, Santiago's hands were always busy, roaming your body as if it was the first time being explored. This man cannot even sit back and enjoy a blowjob, his hands are always in your hair as he tells you how beautiful you are, touching your tits, or feeling himself in your throat.

*

Stubborn man. He will not ask for help if it's his only option. He'll beg you to give him a 5th orgasm, but he cannot admit when he's in pain. It's not just his knees. This man is middle aged, and just like you, he has pains. When you push Santi onto the couch, telling him to take off his jeans, a grin splits on his face. "Hold your horses, cowboy"

You pull out the container of magnesium lotion, and he looks even more excited. "Santi it's not lube!" You rub the lotion on his legs, tenderly and carefully taking care of his knees and calves, even going to far are to peel off his socks. Initially not a fan, insisting his feet are 'gross', you insist you don't mind (he is freshly showered, of course) and ask if it's okay to try it. He lets you, and find he really, really likes his feet massaged. The magnesium helps with the aches, and it's always nice to skin to skin.

Will Miller

His body was broad and sweaty and all-consuming over you, his back chest up against your back as he fucked into your center, deep as always. Every fucking inch of you was covered by him, protected. As he lay on top, full weight heavy and comforting, his arms were wrapped over yours, fingers intertwined, even his legs were pinning you to the mattress. He came inside you, warmth coating you on the inside as much as his skin did on the outside, he took a few moments to breath to relish feeling you so completely. "Baby, can we stay like this for a bit?" He asked, not wanting to be any further away than he was right now. As he laid on top of you, only pulling away slightly to put a blanket over the pair of you, all you can think of is how safe and cared for he makes you feel. You fall asleep like that, with him still inside you, as close as two people can possibly be.

*

Will isn't a talker. If he's bothered, or upset or sad, he's not going to tell you. But that's why your job is take care of him. He cares for you, you care for him. But you have to frame it as asking a favor, as needing him. So, bathtub full of water lavender oil and Epsom salt, (no candle bc strong smells hurt Will's head), an open door so the steam and heat doesn't trigger him, you lay in the warm water with Will's large body surrounding you. He had his arms wrapped around you, knees bent around you as metaphorical extra protection to some imagined threat. Will likes this. Will likes being there to comfort you, Will likes to be there to protect you. Will is a caretaker, a protector, first and foremost, just ask Ben. Who shielded Ben from their dads alcoholic rages? Who bandages him up after fights? Will. Will needs to be needed, and you are happy to allow him that.

Francisco Morales

A hand on your thigh, fingers interlaced as you walk, a grasp around your waist. It's protective, he knows how men at bars can be, but also a bit possessive, you know, how Frankie wants to touch you all the time. His mind constantly whirs with worst case scenarios... he doesn't want you getting hurt, or someone touching you without consent... but also... he likes knowing. He likes knowing that other men see you, but know they can't have you, wouldn't even try, not with the way you sit on his lap. You are all dolled up, showing so much skin that a lesser man would be nervous, or demand you change. But Frankie doesn't see it like that. First of all, he would never tell you what to do. Second of all, he couldn't even if he tried, but thirdly, the primal, animalistic party of his mind loved showing you off. Look at how good you looked, and only he got to put his hands on you (Well, and Ben as you swing danced to Come on Eileen but that's beside the point). Frankie pinches your ass as you lean over the bar ordering another drink. For good measure.

*

Later that evening, as the crowd fills in and the men get drunker, more obvious with their staring, even as you are surrounded by four ex-military men, you notice Frankie's touch more and more possessive around you. You excuse yourself to the bathroom, much to more Frankie's visible distress, and on your way back to put money in the jukebox. After a few other peoples songs came and went, Frankie immediately looks up from his drink, looking at Santi as "Siempre en mi Mente" by Juan Gabriel comes on, asking if he put it on, the only person Frankie assumed would even know Juan Gabriel. But you had paid attention to his Spotify as he cooked Sunday morning breakfast. Taking his large, rough hand, you pull Francisco to the dance floor. In the predominantly white small southern town, no one really knew the song, but a few couples were dancing, because really, who is resistant to Juan Gabriel? For the most part, however, the dance floor was nearly empty. This meant that as Frankie held you close, singing along to the words with his mouth hot against your ear, every men in the bar who had been eyeing you got to see his your hands on his as, signaling in no uncertain terms who you belonged to.

*****************

hope y'all enjoyed!!!

Remember, reblogs help a lot, comments mean the world!

@welcometostayingawake @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @kittyofalltrades @luciannadraven33 @littlenosoul @jake-g-lockley @milkymoon2483 @in-between-the-cafes @howaboutcastiel

[bennysmiller]

Sweet Nothing - Frankie Morales x Reader

You and the boys have a night in at Benny's place, and amongst the chaos during a movie night, you and Frankie manage to find some quiet.

"Beer?"

You look up from your place on the sofa to see Benny holding out a full bottle of beer.

Normally you'd accept, but alcohol made you sleepy and you had to keep your eyes open for the game of charades Santi had proposed to everyone five minutes earlier. You shook your head at Benny but offered a slight smile in return.

"You don't have to stay awake, doll. Always welcome to crash in my bed while we're all out here"

Benny knew. He always knew. But once again, you shook your head at his suggestion and promised him you were fine. But you weren't fine. You wanted nothing more to fall asleep in Benny's bed to the sound of your boys laughing in the front room. But you also wanted to be present. After their latest mission, you knew how important it was to spend as much time as possible together.

"Well, you know where it is if you need it." Said Benny, before moving on and offering the beer to his brother.

Ten minutes later, the game of charades had been abandoned and Santi decided to put a film on instead. You couldn't actually hear what was being said, because Benny and Santi were too busy arguing over what they thought was going to happen. Then Will joined in and you wished you had taken up Benny's offer to sleep instead.

You managed to get yourself up off of the sofa, and over to the kitchen for a glass of water. As you take sips, you can't help but stare at an equally tired Frankie. The way his curls poke out from under his cap, and the way his hand is resting underneath his shirt, just on his stomach. You began to wonder what it would feel like to put your hand there instead. Do it for him.

You mentally kicked yourself for thinking about Frankie like that. He'd been nothing but sweet and respectful to you since you had met. But every now and then, no matter how hard you tried to push them down, those thoughts would creep up.

"They're real fuckin stupid sometimes."

You looked up to see Frankie stood across from you with his hands on his hips. When did he get here? you thought to yourself. You were so deep in your thoughts that you didn't see him get up.

You straightened up and put the glass down on the counter before agreeing with the man in front of you.

"I love them to bits but you're absolutely right." you said, earning a sigh from Frankie.

"I'm an old man now, just want peaceful nights in where I don't have to listen to a running commentary on whatever film we're trying to watch." He said, before taking his cap off and running a hand through his hair.

I could give you those kind of nights.

Before you realised what you had just said in your head, you jumped at the sound of a bottle smashing in the front room. Frankie rolled his eyes and chucked his cap on the table next to him.

"Too damn loud." He said, and ran a hand over his patchy beard. "Hey, you ever get those Taylor Swift tickets you wanted?"

You were about to turn around, but paused when he brought Taylor Swift up. It was something you had mentioned to him ages ago. You were both sat in a diner after a similar night with the guys, and needed to escape. So you sat and talked. All night. About anything and everything. You mentioned wanting to get tickets but didn't spend too long on the topic, so you went red when you realised Frankie truly was listening to you ramble on about them.

"Yeah, I did." You spoke quietly, but inside you were screaming. For so many beautiful reasons.

"Can I confess something? The night you mentioned those tickets, I went home and played a few of her songs. She's good."

"Seriously? You like her?" You asked excitedly. You wanted to die at the dimple that made an appearance on Frankie's face when he smiled at your enthusiasm that had suddenly shown up.

"Yeah," He chuckled. "You mentioned you loved Sweet Nothing. That's my song right now. I really am too soft for all of it."

He looked proud as fuck for slipping that lyric into the conversation, and also for how he'd clearly been studying your favourite artist.

You thought of the lyric outside they're push and shoving, you're in the kitchen humming and realised that perfectly described your situation with Frankie. Pure chaos in the front room with Santi, Benny, and Will, but the kitchen? You and Frankie found five minutes of peace in the kitchen. It was your place. You made the rules that night.

[m00nlight-ramblings]

Like Real People Do: Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of "Like Real People Do"

Working a Saturday shift, Eddie and Dustin come to the rescue to help you leave work early...only after you've met potentially a new friend.

Read Chapter 2 here

Pairing: Eddie x female reader (named "Brooke" because I hate using Y/N, but will also be using "you" to make it reader-centric!)

Warnings: swearing, angst if you squint enough

Word Count: 2.11k

A/N: Graphic made by me. I do not give permission for my work (graphic and writing) to be shared without my permission. I have a taglist for this fic, let me know if you'd like to be added to it!

The weather had finally gave way to autumn, the citizens of Hawkins saying goodbye to their tank tops, and hello to their sweaters. The sun was shining on this crisp, autumn day, making you a little stir crazy while you worked your Saturday shift.

Huffing and wiping your brow, you pushed the shelving cart through the Non-Fiction section, feeling like you were missing out. It was a Saturday and the library was virtually empty, and as you watched a group of kids run past the windows, you frowned slightly, wishing you were anywhere but there.

Sure, you loved the library – you loved reading! – but now that your social life was taking a turn for the better in Hawkins (you had gone out a couple of times with Nancy Wheeler, and oddly enough, her younger brother and his crew…most importantly, Eddie), you wanted to go do fun things. For instance, you knew that Eddie and the rest of Hellfire were going to the mall that afternoon, and were later grabbing burgers at Benny’s.

Your mind wandered to Eddie as you grabbed a small stack of books to re-shelve. Thinking of how, in the past few weeks, you had fallen into a nice friendship with him, and how, if given the chance, you’d want to seriously suck face with him.

Not that you’d admit that out loud.

Butterflies appeared in your stomach as you couldn’t help but smile, thinking back at the last time you had hung out with Eddie – after a Hellfire Club meeting, you met him in the parking lot to grab late night sodas at the local convenience store. Somehow, he made sitting in a dimly lit parking lot until 1 AM excessively fun, especially when he kept leaning into you every time he laughed.

Sigh.

His hair was extra curly that night, the summer humidity hanging on for dear life fluffing it up a bit. You noticed he smelled really good too, which, was how he smelled all the time…but it was still really good, and sill worth noticing.

“Uh…excuse me?” Some said from behind, snapping you out of your daydream. You jumped a little and turned around, facing a boy around your age, waving his hand awkwardly. When he finally got your attention, he smiled, “Hi. I’ve been trying to ask for help for a bit now…I hope you’re not in the middle of something?”

You blushed, embarrassed, “Oh god, no. I’m sorry. My brain is…somewhere else.”

He waved his hand as if to say “no big deal”, “It’s Saturday. Your brain isn’t supposed to be working that hard today, anyway.”

You laughed and nodded, “What can I help you with?”

“Well, I’m doing a report on Napoleon for school, and I was wondering if you could help me find some stuff on him?”

“Oh…well, you’re in the right section, and it’s alphabetical, so you can start at the N’s…but unfortunately, I’m not a librarian, so I can’t help you find exactly what you’re looking for…I just put stuff back on the shelves,” You gestured to the pile of books you were holding in your arms, “Eventually. I do put them back on the shelves…eventually.”

The boy nodded and stalled a moment, looking down at your outfit. “Do I…know you? Do you go to Hawkins High?”

You nodded, “I do. I transferred this year. I’m Brooke.”

“Michael. Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand to shake it, but suddenly took his hand back, “Actually…let’s not. Because of the books…” He blushed a little, “I don’t want you to drop them.”

You smiled and waved your elbow as a greeting, “Nice to meet you,” Awkwardly, you transferred weight on your feet, “Well…I better get back to this…the librarian is over in the corner over there if you have questions.” You nodded towards the librarian, who may or may not have been currently sleeping.

Michael gave a little wave, “Yeah, sure. Thanks…it was nice to meet you.” He turned and walked a few steps away, but turned to look back at you. Giving you one last smile, he disappeared around the corner.

Huh. He was nice.

Suddenly, there was a giant crash near the front of the small library. You craned your neck and saw the front display of books on the floor, the books scattered in every direction. You followed the two pair of sneakers standing in front of the (now broken) display, and unsurprisingly, you found Eddie and Dustin. Sheepishly, they waved.

You rolled your eyes and put the book stack down, marching towards them, “What are you guys doing here?” You asked, your voice a hoarse whisper. You snuck a glance at the librarian at the front desk who was wide awake now.

“We’re here to bail you out!” Eddie said proudly, crossing his arms. You smiled at him.

“…you’re what?”

“We’re here to bail you out!” Dustin echoed, shouting excitedly. The librarian stood and put a finger to her lips.

Shh!

“No, I get that, but,” You ushered them over to a corner, trying to not get in trouble, “Why?”

“Because you shouldn’t be cooped up at work on such a beautiful day.” Eddie said, almost in a “duh!” fashion.

“Okay…and how are you going to bail me out?” You asked, incredulously.

Suddenly, Eddie grabbed your arm and dragged you over to the librarian’s desk, Dustin in tow.

“Ma’am!” Eddie said, suddenly acting nervously, “I am this young lady’s brother and I just found out that she is really sick…our doctor just called our house. He told us she shouldn’t be out, so our mom just asked me to take her home.”

“SHE’S CONTAGIOUS!” Dustin wailed dramatically, earning another “Shh!” from the librarian.

“You guys!” You hissed, embarrassed. You could feel the deep blush rising in your cheeks.

The librarian looked at them, then at you, and then at the clock. It read 2:30. Slowly, she looked back at you and sighed heavily.

“You’re lucky you only have a half hour left of your shift,” The librarian said, monotone. She waved her hand in the air, “Go…enjoy the beautiful day. I mean…enjoy your…” She looked over her glasses at Eddie, “Quarantine from your contagious illness.”

Dustin pumped his fist in the air and Eddie smiled, snagging your arm and taking you outside. “I can’t believe that worked.” He said, laughing as soon as he got outside.

“I can’t either…but you canNOT do that again, you guys! I could’ve gotten in trouble!”

“With that dinosaur? She’s so old she’s not going to remember this in like, five minutes.” Dustin said. He shoved his hands in his pockets, “So, Benny’s?”

“To Benny’s!” Eddie said, looping his arm in yours and leading you to his van. You giggled and followed suit, happy to be enjoying the day.

-*-

With your milkshakes to go, you and Eddie were the only two left after everyone had gone home. Currently, you were sitting in the back of his van, the doors open, watching the sun go down outside of the empty field next to Benny’s.

“Cookies and cream was the way to go.” Eddie said, slurping up some of his milkshake, speaking with his mouth open. You shook your head.

“You can’t go wrong with chocolate, Eddie. Any other flavor is just…not right.”

“Chocolate is so boring!”

“Chocolate is a classic!”

“I refuse to argue this bogus point,” Eddie said, putting his hand up in your face, “Quite frankly because there is no argument…I am right.”

You huffed, giggling and crossing your arms. You swung your legs and sipped your milkshake, falling in a comfortable silence with Eddie.

“So…who were you talking to?” Eddie asked randomly. Confused, you shot him a look.

“Huh?”

“When Dustin and I got to the library today, you were talking to…some guy. Who was it?” He nonchalantly sipped his milkshake, staring off at the sunset.

You furrowed your brow, “Oh…his name is Michael? He’s doing a project for school and needed help finding books. Apparently, he goes to our school but…I’ve never seen him,” You shrugged, following Eddie’s gaze.

He paused for a moment, “Oh. Michael Cardin? I think he’s in my study hall…” He nodded slowly, “Cool.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

You softly punched Eddie’s arm, “Why did you want to know?”

“I dunno,” Eddie said, lifting the straw out of the milkshake cup over and over again, “Just wanted to make sure he wasn’t like…bothering you…or something…” He grumbled.

You could feel your ears turning a bit pink – what was with Eddie wondering that? “Aw, Eddie…are you looking out for me?”

“I just know what people in this town can be like, especially with new kids, so I wanted to make sure he wasn’t giving you shit!” He smiled and chuckled, “Sue me!”

“That’s very nice,” You murmured, looking at him. He met your eyes and smiled, a drawn-out moment between the two of you. You got lost into his eyes before he cleared his throat uncomfortably, running a hand through his hair, “But I wouldn’t be able to sue you for like, anything. I’m the one who had to buy these milkshakes, if you’ve forgotten already.” You joked, trying to ease the tension.

“I told you, when I’m a rich and famous rockstar, I’ll buy you all the milkshakes you want.” He countered, nudging you with his elbow.

“Nah…when you’re a rich and famous rockstar, you’ll forget all about me. You’re gonna have like, 80 million chicks surrounding you, with bleach blonde hair and fancy makeup and tits out to here,” You held your hands far out on your chest, like you were holding beach balls. “That’s who you’re going to be buying milkshakes for.”

“First of all, those kinds of chicks probably don’t want milkshakes, they’ll probably want tequila,” He started, poking your shoulder, “And secondly…what makes you think that I’d ever forget you?”

You turned and looked at Eddie, his brown eyes seemingly boring into your skull. Your breath hitched in your throat as you searched his eyes, trying to find what he meant by that. He was leaning close to you, completely still. Uncomfortably, you shrugged.

“I don’t know…because I’m forgettable?” You mumbled.

“Okay, you must not be as smart as I thought you were because that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s true!” You said, throwing your hands up in the air, “I didn’t have a lot of friends back home! And let’s just say I didn’t have a line of boys waiting to take me on dates, either…” You sighed, “I mean, I don’t think I should be putting a brown paper bag over my head, but-”

“Yeah, well, you don’t need a line of boys waiting for you to take you on a date, just as long as you have the right one.” Eddie said, sucking out some more of his milkshake.

You eyed him and pressed your lips together, your heart starting to beat like crazy in your chest.

“Well…I don’t even have one yet, so…” You tried, quietly. Eddie snorted, putting his milkshake down.

“Well, that Michael guy seemed to have those goo-goo-ga-ga eyes after you guys talked today, so…” His voice tapered off.

You frowned, looking away in disappointment. You didn’t know why you thought maybe Eddie would give you an admittance of a crush, but hearing him try to go the Michael route was a bit crushing.

“Yeah…” You mumbled, sighing lightly and leaning against the edge of the van. You could hear kids playing off in the distance, the sun almost fully set now. Maybe you had read the situation with Eddie wrong? You thought he wouldn’t have been hanging out with you unless there was some sort of feelings there, but he was just given an easy in, and didn’t take it.

You felt lame.

“Are you getting cold? I can drive you home.” He offered, tossing his cup into a garbage can in the parking lot. It went in first try and he pretended to be a crowd roaring, throwing his hands up in the air. You felt sad, but also silly now that he was doing that.

He didn’t seem to even notice what was going on, and now he wanted to drive you home. Great.

You nodded, hopping out the back of the van. Making your way to the passenger seat, you finally spoke, “Yeah, I can go home.”

Eddie didn’t say anything, but got into the driver’s seat after closing the back doors to his van. He looked at you for a bit, and when you turned your head to meet his eyes, he immediately looked out the front window, starting the car.

He drove you home in silence.

---

As always, reblogs, likes, and comments mean the world to me!

Taglist: @cosmicdanielle @sapphire4082 @findmeincorneliastreet @hugdealer @chipster-21

[albertasunrise]

Oops Baby - Frankie's Girl

Masterlist

Summary: Being best friends with Frankie meant movie nights, drinks with the guys and a shoulder to cry on when you got your hear broken. He is head over heels for you but you don’t feel the same… yet a drunken mistake will tie your lives together forever!

Relationships: Frankie Morales x Reader

Warnings: Like AO3 I choose to give none. Read at own risk. 18+

Series Masterlist - Part 1, Part 2

You hated their happiness. 

You hated watching as the two of them seemed to fall madly in love with each other. All the while your realisation that you had, indeed, developed feelings for your best friend had kept you up at night. Your heart seemed to ache. Permanently. You had lost count of the number of nights you had cried yourself to sleep. 

So you distracted yourself in whatever ways you could. At almost seven months pregnant you were struggling more and more with day-to-day tasks. But with Frankie often distracted by his new girlfriend and Benny busy training for his upcoming fights. You often found yourself struggling on. You didn't want to be a bother to Will. He had enough on his plate so you did what you could. 

Ben took on the role of best friend as the weeks went by. Frankie did what he could. The nursery was almost finished. The furniture was built and the painting was done. All that was left to do was start unpacking the clothes and toys you'd been given at the shower Frank had thrown a few weeks after you'd learned you were having a girl. 

Ben was busy putting up some artwork you'd bought when you'd carried in two refreshing glasses of lemonade. Placing the beverages down, you rubbed your side, wincing at the stitch-like pain you'd been suffering all morning. 

"Everything okay?" Ben asked upon noticing your obvious discomfort. 

"Yeah... Just got a stitch or something." You groaned "Joys of carrying life inside of you." 

"You should go see a doctor." Said Ben as he hopped down from the stool he had been using a moment ago and helped you sit "Could be something else." 

"Ben, I'm fine." You grumbled but you didn't stop him from helping you to the seat Frank had ended up purchasing.

You'd be lying if you said you weren't a little concerned that this was something more sinister. The pain had been getting gradually worse over the course of the day. What had started as mild discomfort had started to take on a stabbing-like sensation. 

"Have you called Frank?" Ben asked and you shook your head.

"No." You panted as you tried to breathe through it "He's busy with Mary and I didn't want to worry him." 

"You're pregnant Titch!" Ben exclaimed, "You know he'll drop anything if you need him." 

"I know." You grumbled "But I don't want him to - AH - I don't want him to think I'm - Ahhh Ben it really hurts." 

"Right!" He piped up as he helped you to your feet "We're going to the hospital and I am going to call Fish on the way." 

...

Frankie watched as Mary puttered around the kitchen. He loved to watch her cook. It was something she was passionate about and the fact that she was excellent at it made it easy for him to let her spoil him. 

Lately, however, he felt his retched heart failure getting the better of him. He felt weak all the time. Very little energy to do anything more than sit on the couch with her each night. She didn't seem to mind the fact that he didn't feel up to sex all that much anymore. 

Despite Mary telling him he wasn't. He knew he'd put on weight. His soft stomach looked rounder. He'd put it down to how well she fed him. She was careful to make foods she knew wouldn't affect his condition. Something that he deeply appreciated. But boy did he miss steak. 

His phone ringing pulled him out of his thoughts and glancing down at it, Ben's face flashed on its screen. 

"Who is it, babe?" Mary asked as she looked up and smiled at him sweetly. 

"Just Ben." He replied, pushing himself to his feet. 

"You should answer it." She said softly "Could be important." 

"It's Ben." Frankie chuckled "Likely wants to boast about the latest bird he's pulled." 

"You sure?" 

"You told me you wanted me to be more focused on us when we're together." Frank replied as he cupped her cheek "I promised you I'd do that... Ben can wait." He finished as he put his phone on silent. 

...

"Goddamit Fish." Ben growled as his third attempt to reach the pilot went unanswered. 

"He's probably busy." You sighed as you gripped Ben's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

"Yeah well, he's about to become a father." Ben snapped "He shouldn't be ignoring his fucking phone." 

"Ben, you need to calm down." 

"Calm down?" He panted "You're suffering from stomach pain and your 7 months pregnant!" 

"Ben-"

"What if something's seriously wrong?" He shrieked "What if you-" 

"Don't finish that sentence." You warned and he sighed "I'm sure it's just because I've been overdoing it." 

"Titch..." Ben trailed off and you gave his hand another gentle squeeze. 

"We'll be fine

...

Frankie was pounding on your door. After dinner, he'd snuck a look at his phone and had seen the multitude of missed calls and texts from Ben. He didn't wait to be invited in when The younger Miller brother opened the door. 

"Where is she?" He asked as he pushed past his friend, eyes scanning your lounge. 

"She's in bed." Ben grumbled "Nice of you to show." 

"Ben!" Frankie warned but the younger Miller was having none of it.

"No, you don't get to talk to me like that Fish." He growled "She could have lost the baby whilst you were busy fucking Mary." 

"I wasn't-" 

"Doesn't matter what the fuck you were doing." Ben snapped "You can't go ignoring your phone when you're two months away from becoming a father. 

"I want to see her." 

"She's sleeping." 

"Please." Frank pleaded "I fucked up okay! I should have answered." 

"You're right." Benny growled but his features softened when he saw how wrecked the pilot then looked "She and the baby are gonna be fine. Just need to take it easy." 

Frankie nodded before allowing Ben to lead him to your room. You looked comfortable where you lay. Hand resting on your prominent bump as you smiled up at Ben as he appeared through the door. Your expression changed when Frank followed behind him. 

"Look who I tracked down." He chuckled as he stood aside so Frankie could make his way to your side "I'll leave you two to it." 

"Titch I'm-"

"It's fine Frankie." You interrupted "I know you were busy with Mary." 

"It's not okay." The man sobbed as he rested his hand on your belly "If something had happened to you both I'd never have forgiven myself." 

"Nothing did happen." You sighed as you gave him a weak smile. 

"Titch... You've got Pre-eclampsia." Your eyes dropped at the mention of the condition "From now on. You and the baby are my priority!" he stated matter of factly "I haven't been here for you and I should have been." 

"Frankie..."

"Don't argue with me Titch." He sighed "Please. I need to do this." 

You could only nod. Giving him a weak smile as you let your exhaustion take hold. 

You took things easy as the doctor had instructed. Ben and Frank wouldn't allow you to lift a finger. The two men waiting on you hand and foot as your pregnancy moved into its final month. You appreciated the help too. 

You struggled to get around most days. Your ankles were swollen and your back ached. You were miserable. But the boys made sure you were well taken care of. 

Things in Frank's personal life however had become strained. He was desperately trying to juggle his time between you and Mary. She had been understanding of your situation. Always making sure that he was fed and well-rested when he came home to her. The situation was taking its toll on him. His health took an obvious nosedive as the weeks went by. Mary found herself wrestling with her understanding that you were about to become parents and her concern for how your condition was affecting him. Yet she kept her mouth shut for Frankie's sake. 

"How are you feeling?" Ben asked as he passed Frankie the wrench the man required. 

"Been better but comes with the territory when you got heart failure." Frankie chortled.

"I meant about the baby." Ben said as his brows drew together "Only a few weeks to go and all." 

"Oh, right." Frankie replied, not lifting his head from under the bonnet of Ben's truck "Yeah, excited." He then stated as he stood to face the younger man "Can't believe I'm gonna have a daughter." He chuckled. 

"Everything okay?" Ben asked, his concern obvious "You been feeling okay?" 

"Just tired." Frankie said as he shrugged his shoulders "Meds might need tweakin'." 

Ben nodded, smiling when Frankie handed him the wrench back and asked for a different tool. The bonnet slamming shut made Benny jump and turn on his heels to see his friend sprawled on the ground. 

"Fish?" Benny called out as he dropped to his knees, frantically searching for a pulse "FISH?" He all but yelled when he found none. 

"HELP!" He yelled as he started compressions "MARY!" 

His calls were answered by a sob as Mary sprinted outside to see the blonde working on her lover. 

"What happened?" She sobbed and Ben just shook his head. 

"Call an ambulance!" He ordered and she nodded, wasting no time pulling out her cell phone and dialling for help. 

She was then at Frankie's side, holding his hand as she pleaded for him to come back to her. 

"Please don't do this to me, baby." She all but screamed as her fat tears streamed down her cheeks "Frankie... please!" 

The sound of sirens filled the air and in the blink of an eye, she and Ben were being pulled to one side as the EMTs took over. 

"No pulse." One stated as another strapped a mask over the pilot's mouth. 

Then his shirt was being cut away and two paddles were placed on his chest. The medics then shocking him until finally, his heart beat again. 

...

You rushed through the halls as your eyes frantically searched each sign for your destination. Then, just as you started to think you’d been sent the wrong way, you saw the dreaded words you were looking for. 

Cardiac Care Unit - CCU

When you’d receive the call from Ben to say Frank was here you’d almost fainted. His statement still echoed in your head as you rushed through the doors, eyes scanning for anyone that looked familiar. 

“Fish’s had a cardiac event.” 

What did that even mean? Had he had a heart attack? 

Was his condition getting worse? 

Finally, your eyes landed on Benny and you choked on a sob as you sprinted to him, hands cradling your small bump. 

“How is he?”

“Stable.” Ben replied, eyes brimming with unshed tears “His heart just fucking stopped.” Ben choked "One minute we were checking on something with my truck and the next he was on the ground..." 

"Benny..." You trailed off as you held him.

"He said he'd been feeling a little off lately but I didn't think-" 

"This is not your fault Ben." You stopped him in his tracks "Frank's heart's not been good for a while. But he's going to get the best care and he's going to be fine." 

Ben nodded. Knocking a few of those tears in his eyes loose before pulling you close again, gasping when he felt a kick against his stomach. 

"Did she?-"

"She's obviously saying hello to her uncle Ben." You chuckled as you smiled up at him. 

"Hey, lil' Titch." He said sweetly as he placed his hand over your bump, grinning when he was greeted by another kick. 

“What’s she doing here?” Piped up a new voice and your eyes drifted to Mary who was standing, glowering at you. 

“She is his friend.” You growled at her, feeling your blood boil at her eye roll. 

“She’s also carrying his child.” Ben growled out “She deserves to be here.” 

“If she's such a good friend, she would've noticed how sick he's been lately." Mary growled and your stomach dropped. 

"He has?" You all be whispered, eyes drifting to Ben whose head hung low "Why didn't anyone tell me?" 

"It shouldn't be everyone else's responsibility to tell you when someone's health is shit." She growled and Ben had had enough.

"Back off Mary." He growled out, his eyes dark as he glared at her "She's had her own shit going on and you know that."

She all but scoffed. 

"He wouldn't be here if she noticed he was struggling." She snapped and you sobbed, clutching your bump as your eyes flitted between you her and Ben. 

She was right. You hadn't noticed that Frankie's health had been declining and you hated yourself for that. You'd been so caught up in your own situation to see that Frankie, the father of the life inside of you, was suffering himself. 

"I'm so sorry." You choked as you looked at Mary with a wrecked expression. 

"Yeah well, you can tell that to him." She growls "If he lives." 

Next

Fic updates: @albertasunrise-ficsblog

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[giowritess]

fortnight [3]

gif by @dameronscopilot

pairing | Benny Miller x female!reader [Grace Stratford]summary | you somehow end up pretending to be Benny's girlfriend for two whole weeks. is your heart going to survive that? probably not. warnings | making out? not sure that counts as a warning. curse words. benny miller is a warning himself word count | 1,5k author's note | this part is entirely dedicated to @murphys-guidelines bc i really loved the words they said <3 also, thank you for 400 followers!!! things are slowly (finally) starting to get steamy!! i don't know why, but i've started to imagine Grace as Andy Herrera on Station 19 season 5 (curly, dark-red hair), if anyone'd like a visual. as always, english isn't my first language and this wasn't proofread. enjoy! part two | masterlist | main masterlist

The moment Benny left the room, Maddie flooded you with questions that you replied as best as you could. To be honest, you didn't have that many answers for yourself, either. After you finally managed to dodge her inquiry of what conversation he was talking about—you loved her like a sister, but you weren't ready to divulge certain details yet—, you both enjoyed the rest of the day by the pool with the rest of the girls while the boys went fishing.

The whole time you were there, either laying on the chair or going for a swim, you felt Sam's eyes on you, glaring. A smirk played on your lips, even though it was just for show. If she was already jealous, Benny would need only snap his fingers once and she'd crawl back to him. That thought alone made you want to gag. Shit, you didn't want them to get back together, and you wanted to kick yourself in the gut for even suggesting it in the first place. You had to remember yourself he wasn't yours—he was just pretending to be.

So you made your best not to think about him the whole day, forcing your mind to think about anything else, even about take-off procedures. But you failed. Just when you thought you won, he came back to plague your thoughts—even during your shower, which you had to switch to the coldest temperature when you started to imagine him, shirtless, his golden chest glistening with sweat. 

Evening had already set when the boys finally got back, bringing the so eagerly waited fish for dinner. You didn't know shit about fishing, so you had no idea which kind of fish it was, happily waiting for dinner. And the moment you set eyes on Benny, shit. He was looking exactly like you pictured him, his chest glowing and slick with sweat from the activities of the day. He caught your eye from throughout the room and winked at you, smirking, and you felt your cheeks heating up and looked away—but then you remembered as far as everyone was concerned, he was your boyfriend. No one would find it weird. So you decided you were going to enjoy this perk of being Benny's girlfriend and downright ogled him whenever you could. Who knew when you'd have the same opportunity again, right? So, as he worked in the kitchen with the boys, doing only god knows what, you sipped your beer and enjoyed the show of his arms, his abs, his neck, everything. You could feel your fingers itching— you wanted so desperately to get your hands on him. Unfortunately, your show was cut short when he said he was taking a shower. The moment you saw him taking a step towards you, smirk still in his face, you backed away.

“I swear to God you'll lose your balls if you touch me all sweaty like this,” you wasted no time in telling him.

He rolled his eyes. “Dramatic.”

You thought you were clear, but the moment you tried to make your way past him, he grabbed you by the waist and planted some very wet kisses all over your face, his chest glued to yours, until you pushed him away, squeaking.

“You’re so dead!”

He only laughed as he vanished, escaping from your grasp. You couldn't deny that, even though he left you all stinky, there was a smile on your lips that only got bigger when you saw that your ex was watching intently. 

“Stratford!” Luke called out. “Wanna play some cards?”

“You mean, do I wanna kick everyone's ass? Hell yeah,” you replied, tossing your empty beer in the trash bin and grabbing another from the fridge, making your way towards the living room where they were all headed.

After winning four rounds in a row, they were all eager to get rid of you at the game table. You faked a yawn.

“I'm tired of winning,” you said, making them boo, and you laughed.

Even though you weren't that close with that many people, you were having a great time. Everyone was really nice, good to talk to, and you had no problem striking a conversation with anyone—that was, anyone that wasn't Sam, your ex and his new girlfriend.

Maddie started to play in your spot, so you sat on the couch quietly watching.

“Heard you're in the family now,” Will said, slipping in next to you. There was a suspicious smirk on his lips. “Finally.”

What? You raised an eyebrow, about to ask him what the fuck he meant with that, but then Benny showed up and all thoughts ceased to exist in your head. You smelled his addictive cologne before you felt his giant arms wrapping around your body, tugging you closer until your back hit his chest, making you sit between his open legs. His right hand stood at your sides, lightly grazing your thigh, while his left hand started to slowly creep its way upward your body and you felt your breath hitch. You weren't sure you could even speak, could even string two coherent sentences together. And then, to make matters even worse, his lips made contact with the skin on your neck while his hand gently pushed your hair out of the way.

“Benny,” you managed to croak out, your voice a thin whisper, “what are you doing?”

“Practicing.”

And that was it. You were putty in his hands. His hands that were doing an excellent work of massaging your skin, tracing circles on your shoulder and on your thigh, the sensations so good that, combined with the way he was kissing and nibbling at your neck, made the entire room fade away and made you want to moan out loud. His big, strong hands that you knew just how well they could take you apart, piece by piece, and then put you back together again. His touch on your thigh turned a bit more stronger as he sucked on your pulse point, and you automatically leaned to give him more access. You felt his chuckle against your skin, his warm breath and his cologne enveloping you in a cozy embrace, and you closed your eyes, enjoying the feeling of him on you and drawing out all the sounds around.

It was so, so good. So good to the point that it almost felt real.

That thought made your eyes pop open, awareness seeping into you like a bucket of cold water being thrown at your head that you were on a couch, in a room filled with friends, and all this, whatever it was that was happening, was a farce. It wasn't real. Nothing about it was. 

But then it was as if someone had tapped on your shoulder. It wasn't real. That was exactly the point. You both knew it wasn't real, so why the fuck couldn't you enjoy this hellhole you'd put yourself in? You hated yourself. That seemed the only logical, possible explanation as to why on earth you would willingly subject yourself to this, to the worst possible kind of torture. What a way to kill yourself.

Grace Stratford, cause of death: heart gave out because her fake boyfriend was too hot to handle. Among other things, like, a) he gave excellent kisses, b) very skilled fingers (and tongue), etc.

You forced yourself to relax against his chest so he wouldn't realize just how much your thoughts were spiraling, and you felt his arms wrap themselves even more tight around you. Being honest to God, it was funny. It was as if you were out of your own body and could see inside your head, could see the gears working at full speed and the thoughts piling one on top of another, and then derailing like a runaway train. It also felt as if you had a tiny angel and a tiny devil sitting at each of your shoulders, both feeding you conflicting thoughts. Honestly, you didn't have a clue what to do. Proper girlfriends enjoyed their boyfriend's PDAs, but there was nothing proper about you, about Benny, or about this fake relationship. There was nothing proper on what you felt for him, either.

Fuck. Yep, you definitely hated yourself.

You wanted to laugh. Just earlier you’d decided to enjoy the perks of being his fake girlfriend, enjoying the opportunity to ogle him. But now, when it got a little too real…

You had to make a choice. To let go, enjoy and make the most of this hellhole-situation, or not. You knew the price would be heavy on your heart, and you still weren't so sure that you wanted to pay it. And you didn't want to decide just yet, so you ended up taking the coward's way out. You fled to the kitchen, running out of Benny's lap faster than your legs could carry you when someone asked for help.

That night you made sure to go to bed before him just so you wouldn't have to face him and talk. Yeah, you knew that put you at the top position of the cowards’ leaderboard. Couldn't help yourself. It was easier to run away, so you pretended to be fast asleep when he went to sleep next to you.

Of course that didn't stop you from waking up wrapped around Benny's sculpture-made, hot and near naked body.

by @reveriesources

➜ part four

[munsonsprincess11111]

Missing munson.

Eddie munson x hopper/byers!reader

Summary: it's the end of the school year and Eddie gets called to miss Kelly's office. That same day Eddie goes missing. This is sad. The ending is happy though. You've been warned

Friday.

The last time you'd seen Eddie. He was in a bit of a bad mood because he had to go to miss Kelleys office. You was meant to see him after school but his van was gone. You walked to the trailer park and he wasn't there. Then he didn't show up for hellfire.

Or band practice Saturday. Wayne hadn't seen him. By Sunday your dad found you inna state and you told him Eddie was missing. Hopper took you to the station and made you give a statement on everything that happened on Friday.

By Tuesday there was a search party looking for Eddie.

They checked, the hide out, lovers lake, reefer Rick's, the hole Woods by the school. But still nothing. It was now Thursday. Eddie had been missing nearly a week.

Currently, you, Gareth, doug, and Jeff, are walking along the old railway to where there was abandoned vehicle's better known as hawkins dumping ground shouting his name. Hopper gave you a walking talking to communicate with him and other police incase anyone found anything.

There was a team searching in lovers lake. Hopper, Powell and officer daniels where heading to bennies abandoned building. Wayne was in the woods with his work buddies. Joyce Byers and Jonathan where on there way to the old lab.

Jonathan knew Eddie from high school obviously so Mike, Dustin, will and lucas did too. Them four where biking around neighbourhoods seeing if they could find him. It's like he just disappeared.

"Fucking hell Eddie Common." Gareth shouted. Before you could react, Jeff back handed him and shook his head. Eventually, you all made it to the dumping ground and stared at the old motors.

"Gareth come check that truck and car with me. Doug and Jeff check the bus." You say numbly walking over to the truck. Everyone splits and walks off. You had been so out of it. Not sleeping. Barely eating. It was bad.

You open the old truck door and climb into the drivers seat leaning across to look in the back. Nothing. You jump out slamming the door. You walk around to the trucks trunk and open it. Empty. You close it and lean on it as the others check the other vehicles.

"Y/N!" Doug shouts and you spin around. He looks worried and panicked. You nod.

"Get hopper!" HE shouts. Your heart drops. You feel sick. You bring the walkie up to your mouth but no words come out. Your eyes well up and you hand the walkie to Gareth.

"Shit it's OK. Hopper. Daniels. Powell Joyce I don't care who he's here we need help. Now!" Gareth shouts down the walkie.

"Were on our way!" Hopper shouts back down the walkie. You feel numb. You feel sick. But in your state you remember a important point.

"Tell them to check his pulse." You whisper loud enough for Gareth to hear.

"Shit yeah your a genius." Gareth says running over to the others. Time feels slow. But then doug shouts. "He's got a pulse oh thank fuck!"

You let out a breath you didn't even realise you was holding in. Moments later you hear sirens and your dad's vehicle pulls up abruptly along with Powell and daniels in another police car and an ambulance. The three boys get out the bus and tell hopper he has a pulse.

You slowly walk over to Gareth, doug and Jeff. You all stand there not knowing what to do. Two paramedics dealing with Eddie. Before you can speak to your dad Joyce pulls up with Wayne instead of Jonathan. Wayne jumps out of the car and jogs over to hopper to get him to fill him in.

Joyce walks over and hugs you. She just holds you. You don't cry at first. Until the paramedics bring Eddie out of the bus. That's when you broke. The first time you'd seen him in nearly a week. Worried sick. And he's unconscious being wheeled into an ambulance.

Wayne jumps in the ambulance and hopper is due to escort them so they can get there faster to evaluate him better. "Get in." Hopper says to you opening the passenger door. You nod and get in strapping your seat belt before hopper pulls away.

"Hold on kid." HE says driving to the hospital.

-

The waiting room was hell. You was sat next to hopper. Then Wayne came walking out looking relieved. "He's awake. Has been for 30 minutes. He went on a bender. He failed school again. Instead of talking to someone he ran away cause he didn't wanna get an earful." Wayne explains to you and your dad.

You wipe your eyes. Your not sure if there happy tears cause he's here, he's alive and he's talking. Or sad because he felt like he couldn't talk to you and did that to himself.

"But I told him y/ns out here and he told me if I don't come get ya he's gonna walk out here n see you himself." Wayne chuckles. Hopper does too and shakes his head. You nod and stand up. You look to your dad and he gives you a nod.

You walk down the hall and get to the room they put Eddie in. "I'll give you two some alone time." Wayne says walking back off. You open the door and walk in eye going straight to Eddie. He's laying on the bed. Machines beeping. He looks exhausted. But he smiles as he sees you.

"Hey baby." HE says weakly. You step in more and close the door. You take a breath in walking over to him. You run a hand through Eddie's hair. Your eyes water. He's here. He's safe. "Take it Wayne told you what happend." HE says. You nod.

He reaches up slowly and takes your hand. You hold his back as a tear runs down your cheek. "Never do that again. I was so fucking scared." You choke a cry saying to him. He nods and kisses your hand.

"I promise." HE says weakly letting your hand go to wrap his pinky around yours kissing it. You laugh slightly when he does this.

"I'm here OK. I don't care you failed. Nor does Wayne. Hell nor does my dad. Next year will be your year ok. I'll help you study extra hard. You can steal my old notes I don't care. Please just never do that again. I thought I fucking lost you." You say as tears run down your face.

He pulls you on top of him and holds you. He kisses your head ans just holds you. Eventually you stop crying. Your laying on the bed next to Eddie. His arm around you, your head on his chest. "I love you." HE mumbles.

"I love you too dumbass." You says back holding his hand.

"I love you more though Eddie." Gareth makes kissing noise from the door. Eddie looks over to see Gareth, doug and Jeff and rolls his eyes.

"Hello to you to." HE says. You attempt to sit up but Eddie holds you down.

"Dude we thought you was fucking dead." Jeff says throwing himself in the chair.

"Yeah we thought we found your body." Doug chimes in leaning on the wall.

"Good news I'm not." Eddie laughs kissing your head.

"You look like shit." Gareth says.

"Thanks man." Eddie rolls his eyes saying.

-

A week goes by when they finally release Eddie. Wayne picks him up from the hospital and brings him to the trailer. As they pull into the drive way you stand from the seats on the porch and walk over to Eddie who's walking towards the front door. He pulls you into his side wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

He's straight in the shower. You grab him a towel and fresh clothes. Eddie flops on his bed nearly loosing his towel. "I missed my bed." HE says laying in his back.

He slips on his boxers and throws the other items of clothing on the floor climbing into his bed. He flings the covers open next to him letting the spot. You take off your bra and jeans climbing in bed with Eddie. He holds you close and kisses you.

"Sorry for scaring you." HE mumbles.

"I'll forgive you. But babe?" You answer and he nods.

"You can talk to me. It can stay between me and you no one else. You don't need to run you've got me." You say kissing him.

"I love you." HE replies nuzzling his face in your neck.

"I love you too. 86. Its your year." You says kissing his head as he nods.

-

And was you right about 86. He graduated finally. A year after you. But he did it. He gave the teachers on stage the middle finger running off the stage kissing you deeply. You held eachother and told him how proud you was.

A week later the both of you attended prom. Hand in hand you walked in. Granted you graduated a year before. And neither of you wanted to be there. But this was the last chance to really piss off the jocks, cheerleaders and teachers. You wore a long flowy black and red dress.

Eddie wore suit pants and shirt but his leather jacket instead of a proper jacket. You took pictures you gave jason the middle finger as you held eachother close. And Eddie slow danced with you.

You sat in the van after and looked at him. "You did it." You smiles taking his hand.

"I fucking did it." HE smiles back.

"I wouldn't have done it without you by the way thank you for everything." HE says kissing you.

"Don't need to thank me. I love you." You smiles kissing his neck.

"I love you more." Eddie smirks. You pout and kiss him again.

Just like any good prom night it ended in sex. Just in the back of Eddie's can by the lake. You layed naked under the covers holding eachother close.

Then there's a bang on the side of the van. Eddie peaks out the window to see a very angry looking hopper. He opens the back door. So you can keep the both of you covered.

"Seriously." Is all he says shaking his head. He lectures you both before walking off. Eddie smirks and kisses you smirking. "I made 86 baby." HE smirks. You nod and kiss him back.

He lays back on his back pulling you into his side. "Best night ever." HE smiles. You smile up at him and kiss him again. "Y"know." You says tapping his chest. He hums in response.

"I could definitely go again..." You smirk. Eddie head shoots up and he smiles kissing you and laying himself between your legs.

"We we're right 86 is definitely my year... wait scratch that." HE says and you look at him confused and he kisses you again.

"It's our year." HE kisses you again before marking you up and making you feel good.

He was definitely. 86 was definitely you twos year.

[spahhzy]

Free as can be~

Ashley sighed into her sleeve for what seemed to be the umpteenth time, causing Andrew to look down from his book he was reading.

"You okay Ash?" He asked, shifting himself to next to his sister.

"Just bored..." Ashley said with a pout, and Andrew rolled his eyes.

"What? You mean living motel to motel on the run from law enforcement, cults, and an organ harvesting firm isn't exciting enough for you, " He said sarcastically as Ashley tossed a pillow at his face.

"Nope," she said, giggling before suddenly her stomach growled.

"You should probably go get something from the vending machine, Ashley." Said Andrew, which cause Ashley to grumble.

"I don't want no stupid cookie again... let's go out to eat! " Said Ashley with enthusiasm rising up and standing on the bed.

"No"

"Wah, oh come on, Andy, I know for a fact you have gotten sick and tired of cookies by now," Ashley argued back.

"What part of 'on the run' did you not understand?" He countered, and Ashley huffed before crossing her arms.

"We're only on the run cause you keep killing people," She said as Andrew breathed deeply, knowing his sister is right and wrong in what she said.

"But that doesn't mean we can't go and eat nice every once and a while" She complained.

"Ashley, it was just last week that I took you to a restaurant, and you almost stuck a fork down our waitresses' throat." Andrew complained as Ashley looked at him with a surprise look.

"That hussy was undressing you with her eyes. You could have gotten sick!" Ashley explained. 'Only I can do that!' Is what she wanted to add as well.

"Yeah, well, what's to say you won't do that at another restaurant, Leyley?" Andrew questioned, and Leyley held a hand over her heart.

"I promise to be on my best behavior...scouts honor"

"You were never a scout, Ashley..." said Andrew as he got up from the bed.

"And for good reason, you'd probably murder the camp counselor if they tried to touch me," She said, and Andrew knew she was right, he probably murder anyone their that tried to take his leyley from him.

"Fuck it, why not we'll go to a Benny's Diner how about that?" Ashley cheered jumping on the bed like she was a child.

"Yes, food! Actual none vending machine food!" She said and Andrew just smiled before tossing a pillow at her head causing her to fall off the bed.

"Get dressed dumbass"

-

Andrew looked out the dinner window as Ashley was eating happily away at her meal.

Across the street from him was a bar, he was assuming it was some sort of biker bar with how many motorcycles there were.

Motorcycles...

Looking at the machines, Andrew minds began to slip into a memory of some simple times.

-

"Wow, Andy, I can't believe you blew some of your college money on this, Mom's going to be pissed," said Ashley as she walked around a nice black motorcycle.

"I make enough to put it back Ashley, sides since when did you care about what mom thinks?" Andrew said as he cleaned off the bike a little.

"I don't, just surprised is all...my big Andy thinks he's so cool now, huh? " Teased Ashley as Andrew sat on the bike, ignoring her.

"Gonna attract all those whores to aren't you? Gonna have them ride along with you, hmm?" Ashley said with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"That's going to be hard to do with you around," He said to her.

"Wow...tell me how you really feel?"

"Oh, leyley if I did, I'm almost certain I'd be in jail," Andrew teased back causing Ashely to blush and look away, not at all liking how her brother can sometimes...sometimes push her buttons, suddenly the bike road to life as Andrew revved it a couple times.

Enjoying the noise it made.

Ashley shook her head, finding truth in the saying 'boys will be boys' and looking at Andrew's smiling face, butterflies began dancing in her stomach.

"Catch."

Ashley snapped out of her stupor as Andrew tossed a helmet into her direction.

"Wuh?"

"Come on, leyley, it will be just like old times on the bicycle we had remember?" She must have remembered.

Their folks got him a bicycle for his tenth birthday. Ashley didn't get a bicycle, just coloring books, so on her birthday, he stole pegs off the other kids' bike and attached it to his bike so that Ashley could always ride with him.

It was the best gift Ashley got on that day, being able to ride free with her big brother and it was a great gift for them both as It was one of the rare instances in their childhood where they could just enjoy being kids.

Andrew never forgot the big smile Ashley had that day of being able to ride on a motorcycle with him.

-

Andrew sighed, which caused Ashley to stop her rampant chewing, looking at Andrew. Ashley reached over with her fork and poked him.

"What's wrong, Andy?" She said with a mouthful, and Andrew bonked her on the head.

"I didn't need to see your mouthful," He said to her. Ashley giggled before swallowing.

"I'm sure you love seeing me swallow something else" She wiggled her eyebrows at him and Andrew almost snorted out his coffee he was drinking.

"Still...what is on your mind?" She asked, setting her fork down and taking a sip of her soda.

"Just reminiscent, I guess..." He confessed to her as he returned his gaze back to her.

"Ooh are you reminiscing about my fat fucking tits again?" this time Andrew choked on his coffee and began coughing and blushing as Ashley laughed causing the other occupants to look at the pair strangely.

Andrew tossed a piece of toast at his sister's head.

"Hey! That's perfectly good toast!"

-

The pair had finished their food without a hitch, and they swiftly left the diner after paying.

Now, it was time for a short walk back to the motel.

They proceeded past the bar where the group of bikers were, and as they proceeded to walk on by one biker in particular decided to try his luck.

"Hey sweetie, why don't you come over here and get the ride of a lifetime?" He said to her. Ashley just ignored him, giving him the middle finger, but Andrew, on the other hand, was silently fuming at how these bikers were looking and leering at his leyley...

"Lookie that boys, she's a real fiesty one, huh?" The leader said, earning a laugh from the rest of the gang. Andrew clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, Ashley sensing this took his arm and hugged it as they both walked past the biker.

"Hey, when you're done with the stooge, I'll ne waiting for you, Lil lady," said the leader as they Andrew and Ashley both rounded a corner out of sight.

-

Nothing was said as they made their way back to their motel, Ashley was a bit worried at seeing Andrew upset, but also...kinda liked how possessive he was.

Giving out a yawn, the food now giving her the sleepies.

"Get some rest, Ashley," Andrew said as he walked over and put a blanket over her.

"You...coming too...bed too?" She said, trying to stay awake, and Andrew just chuckled.

"After I clean up some stuff around the room, not really tired yet," He told her as Ashley violet eyes drooped more and more.

"Mmkay...love you," She said before finally she was out like a light.

"..." Andrew bent down before placing a kiss on her forehead as he looked at her calm expression.

He sat back down on the couch and waited a good whole hour to make sure Ashley was still asleep as he suddenly sat up from his couch, went into the kitchen, and procured his cleaver. Grabbing his jacket and stuffing the cleaver in his back pants pocket, he opened the door before stepping out into the darkness, giving one last look at Ashley before quietly closing the door.

-

"Man, did you see the tits on the dark-haired girl...what I would do that woman," said the sleazy biker as all his friends laughed and cheered him on.

"Alright, gang, I'm heading out. Don't cause too much of a ruckus," laughed the leader as he started his bike, the exhaust garbling loudly as the group cheered and said their goodbyes.

The biker drove for what was about five minutes when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw that same dude that was with that beautiful woman earlier leaving the diner.

That man was Andrew, and he was leaning against the wall next to a dark alley smoking a cigarette.

Pulling over to the curb, shutting off his bike and pocketing his keys in his black stained vest, he leaned on the same wall right next to Andrew.

"Hey buddy, so tell me, how's that hot piece of ass been treating you?" He asked Andrew said nothing as he smoked his cigarette.

"I'm sure she's a real freak in bed to ain't she" It took all of Andrew will power not to grab the man's throat and tear it out.

"Hey, I have an idea... Why not let me have a crack at her? I'll pay you for it, hmm?" He asked, and Andrew was inches away from slicing his throat.

"How much are you paying?" Andrew asked, hating himself for saying those words, but if everything worked out, then he would do what he needed to do.

"For a glorious pieace of ass like that, all the money that's in my pocket which is..." The man patted himself from pants pockets to vest pockets before finally procuring money.

"$777.77" He told him with a sick grin on his face, Andrew looked at the money as he looked like he was considering the offer.

"Let's talk about this more... discreetly," He said, making a motion to the dark alley as the sleazy biker grinned, thinking he was going to get his dick wet tonight.

Walking like he won the lottery, he entered into the alleyway, Andrew not too far behind as his green eyes glared balefully at him as he reached behind and grabbed his cleaver.

"Alright, let's dis -" he was cut off real quick as sharp steal found itself ingrained into his face, the biker could only gargle as Andrew gripped at the cleaver hard and ripped it from his face.

"As if someone like you will ever touch my leyley... see you in hell, " He said as he began relentlessly hitting the man's head with the cleaver over and over.

Andrew, finally out of his rage, looked at his work. He sighed, another body to his name. This one, though, was like that warden...another sleaze and one that he was happy to kill.

But now it was time to clean up. Luckily, he brought some gloves.

It took him less than a half hour to chop away at the body before throwing it into the dumpster.

Finally, it was time to just throw the clothes out, too, as he grabbed the bikers' vest, a key fell out and onto the floor. Inspecting it, he took a look at the end of the entrance of the alley to see the dead bikers motorcycle.

Andrew smiled.

-

Ashley awoke to the sound of the TV playing in the background. She looked at the time on the alarm clock.

10:00pm.

"Andrew?"

Silence.

Looking around the room, She called out again.

"Andrew!"

Nothing.

Panic began to set in as a million thoughts went through her head.

'Was he taken?'

'Was he killed?'

'Did some floozy seduce him?'

'Did he....leave me?'

And before she could answer any of those questions, she heard the loud rumbling a bike make its way into the parking lot of the motel as she suddenly realized that Andrew went out to go fight that biker for how he talked to her.

While she would be swooning over the fact that her Andy was fighting for her honor, she had realized that Andrew was one man, and he couldn't just take on a small gaggle of bikers and if one was here that meant...

"No! Don't think such thoughts... just go and interrogate this stupid biker and find out where your Andy is, " She said to herself, going under her bed, pulling out her revolver. She stormed the front door, ripping it open and aimed the gun at the biker.

"You better tell me where my fucking Andy is you bastard!" She shouted as the biker quickly held his hands up.

"Ashley what the fuck!?" Came the voice inside the helmet, Ashley was so close to pulling the trigger and blowing this fuckers brains out when suddenly the man took the helmet off revealing.

"Waaaaah Annnndy!?" said Ashley as she tossed the gun back inside before running up to him as Andrew caught her in a hug and spun her around.

"I'm not going to ask what the whole gun thing was," Andrew said to her as Ashley nuzzled her face into his chest, relishing I'm his warmth.

"I...I thought I lost you to those stupid bikers," Ashley mumbled, and Andrew shook his head.

"No, leyley, I wouldn't dare leave you." He told her in earnest as he suddenly stepped to the side.

"So... like it?" He asked her, and she looked at the bike and then back to him.

"How did you get this?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously, and Andrew just whistled but was slapped on the shoulder.

"What it was Free nighty nine!" He said with a serious face, and Ashley just looked at him with an expression that said 'really?'.

"Okay, it was a generous donation," He said to her, putting a hand on his heart when he said that.

"Did you kill that man?" Ashley asked.

Andrew remained silent.

"Annnnnndyyyyy"

"Whaaaat! Since when were you the moral compass!" Complained Andrew much to Ashley's joy.

"I'm not, now you know how I feel when I have to deal with you"

"Oh go fuck yourself"

"Come fuck me yourself coward!"

Andrew just sputtered and blushed, not wanting to continue.

Ashley looked over the bike before sitting down on it.

"Very nice, hey, this reminds me of your old bike you had before our folks sold it off!" She told him as she started to reminisce about all the places Andrew had taken her to.

Andrew let her talk as he went behind her and pulled out another helmet.

"Hey Ash"

"Hmm?"

"Catch!"

Ashley caught the helmet and looked at Andrew who just smiled.

"What do you say, leyley? Shall we ride again like old times?"

Ashley smile was very bright even in the dark of night.

Starting up the bike, Ashely sat behind Andrew before straping on the helmet. She wrapped her arms around Andrew's chest.

Carefully and slowly, they both drove around the parking lot before Andrew finally decided to go onto the main road. Looking behind him, Ashley nodded to him, ready to go.

Putting throttle, the bike glided smoothly on the open pavement as the exhaust reverberated off the city walls.

Ashley laughed in happiness as she felt nostalgia and warmth over take her while also enjoying the freedom and closeness with the man she loved.

Andrew was content, regardless of his situation. As long as his Leyley was happy, nothing else mattered.

The two sailed into the darkness, free as can be.

[apocalypseornaw]

Soulmate AU Series- Benny

Benny Lafitte x Reader

You and your soulmate have the same tattoo

@decadentstrangernacho I swear I didn't forget this!!!

An anchor of all things, marking your right wrist from the day you'd turned eighteen. Your soulmark, the one sure way you had of knowing who your soulmate was should you ever meet them. What a crock. If the myth was true and Zeus was the one responsible for splitting souls in half and forcing them to try to seek out their missing part you wouldn't given him the satisfaction of playing into the game.

You wore a leather cuff around your wrist, covering the mark. You knew for a fact someone could be happy without ever meeting their soulmate, hell you'd seen first hand the pain Sam had gone through when his mark faded after Jess, the pain Bobby had still been in from Karen's death and how insane John went after losing Mary.

Most hunters had taken to covering their marks, whether with cuffs like you and Dean or in some other way. Your life was destined bloody, brutal and short. Why drag some poor idiot down with you?

When Dean got blasted to purgatory you and Sam ended up splitting ways for a few months. He needed a break but you knew if you ever stopped hunting and gave yourself time to break you may not ever pull yourself back together.

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

Almost a year passed when one night while you were crashing in one of Bobby's many cabins you got a call from Sam saying you needed to meet him as soon as possible. You never would've dreamed Dean was waiting with him.

You and the boys quickly settled back into the routine the three of you had gotten used to over years of hunting together. It worked so why try to fix it?

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

One night after a particularly bloody hunt you were washing your hands in the sink of the hotel the three of you had picked while Dean waited for you to stitch his arm. You glanced up and realized he was standing in the doorway, holding your bandana to the wound but his eyes were glued to your bare wrist "Dean, you good?" You asked him as you dried your hands off. Sam had already put your shoulder back in place and cleaned up well enough to go after food so it was just the two of you.

He shook his head almost as if he had been in a trance "Yeah, I'm good sweetheart" you narrowed your eyes "Either you're lying or having more ptsd from purgatory. Which is it?" He shrugged "I'm exhausted and starving" you laughed at his words "See? Easy enough to tell me what's really wrong"

Dean didn't want you to know he was staring at your soulmark because for the last year he'd been staring at the matching one. Hell you still didn't know exactly how he'd gotten out of purgatory. He'd told Sam the entire story and even introduced him to Benny the weekend you'd gone to help Jody out but happened to leave out the part about Benny being your soulmate. How the hell should he approach the fact when he knew that your aunt had gotten killed by a nest and that was when Bobby had found you? Hell you'd hated the soulmark since it first appeared, even trying to get a tattoo over it.

He sat still while you put three stitches in his arm then cleaned the wound about the time Sam came walking back in the door. Sam wanted to tell you about Benny but would he if he knew?

You laid across the backseat of the impala laughing as Dean purposely sang along badly to the radio just to make Sam groan. You weren't sure where the three of you were headed because both of them were being dodgy about it but you didn't care. You trusted them fully and if they said there was a case, there was a case.

You'd almost dozed off when you heard Dean's voice and thought at first he was talking to Sam but then he said "Yeah, we'll meet ya there" who? Were the three of you backing another hunter? And what was bad enough to warrant four sets boots on the dirt?

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

About an hour later you felt the impala lurch to a stop and sat up to see where you were. It looked like you'd headed south, were you in Louisiana?

The impala was parked in front of a gumbo shack. You motioned towards it with your hand "What are we doing here Dean?" He glanced back at you and shrugged "Don't know about you but I'm getting hungry. Figured we'd stop for a bite"

You weren't sure what the two of them was up to but you noticed him and Sam exchange a loaded look. "Is something going on?" You asked and was met with two innocent shrugs that were anything but. You wanted to argue more but your stomach growled and Dean grinned victoriously.

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

You followed the two of them into the doors of the gumbo shack. Music played from an old jukebox but whatever was cooking smelled amazing. You spotted a pretty brunette woman at the register who greeted the three of you warmly and said to sit anywhere.

You picked a corner booth, giving the boys the wall and putting your back to the room. Any other time you'd insist on your back to the wall but with them you knew you were safe.

You felt a familiar prickling at the back of your neck but ignored it when the pretty brunette walked over. Her name tag said Elizabeth and you could see Dean's dimples he was grinning so hard. "What can I get for you three?" She asked, her accent telling you she was from around here. You glanced at the menu then back at her "It all looks good. Any recommendations?"

She smiled warmly "looking for a sandwich or something filling?" You cut your eyes at Dean "We've been on the road a while so I'd say something filling" she nodded "Then I'd say the gumbo. It's my favorite" "All we needed to know. Three gumbos" she wrote down on her order pad then looked at the boys "Drinks?" "Tea" all three of you echoed. She laughed "Love an easy table. Roy will bring it over if I'm busy"

You watched her walk off then glanced back at Dean "If you don't try to get her number I am" he laughed "You're always eager on the button to bust me aren't ya?" You shrugged with a grin.

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

While you waited on your food you glanced around the inside of the restaurant. There were a few other patrons but your eyes landed on the man at the grill. He was around Dean's height, maybe a couple inches shorter but damn was he broad. He turned as if he could feel his eyes on you and when his blue eyes locked onto yours you felt your face warm. He was really good looking but you hated getting caught checking someone out.

The moment didn't go unnoticed by Dean who whistled low "Sweetheart are you claiming everyone in here today?" Refusing to let him see you blush you rolled your eyes "Why not?" He laughed and poor Sam looked just done with you both.

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

You were emailing Garth when you felt a shiver go up your back and looked up to see the man who'd been cooking was sitting bowls down in front of Dean and Sam. You met his eyes and he gave you a warm smile "Enjoy darling"

He extended his right hand to place a bowl in front of you but his sleeve was rolled up to his elbow exposing his wrist and the anchor marking. You froze staring at his wrist as the prickle ran across your back again.

You looked from the man to Dean, realization sitting in that this was your soulmate and he was a vampire. He gave the slightest shake of his head and you felt like you'd been dipped in ice water. He knew, both things. You felt tears spring to your eyes and looked at Sam but he looked just as guilty. "Guessing you still haven't told her?" The man asked and you started to shake your head. The two people you trusted had lied to you and apparently whatever God was responsible for soulmates had a sick sense of humor.

You stood up, shoving past the vampire and headed for the door. You felt like you were going to be sick.

“Why did you think springing all this on her was a good idea Dean?” Sam and Benny both had been under the impression he'd told you everything but it turned out he hadn't told you anything.

Dean shrugged “She couldn't attack him in a restaurant Sammy! I mean we know her thing with vamps, was there any good way of her reacting here?” Benny shook his head, feeling oddly protective of you even after only meeting you once “She shouldn't have found out like that” he snapped.

Dean cut his eyes at him, raising an eyebrow but Sam laughed lightly “He's met her now, it's his instincts to protect her” Dean nodded slowly “Soulmate shit is weird” then added “Sam track her phone we gotta find her”

Ok maybe storming off on foot in a town you didn't know with no money and only a handgun was a bad idea but how could they hide this from you?

You unsnapped the cuff as you walked, staring at the anchor. Why a vampire? And how had Sam and Dean met him and why hadn't they taken care of him before ever having the chance to find out he was your soulmate?

You shook your head and snapped it back. You needed to call them but you were still pissed.

—-------------------

You weren't sure how long or how far you walked before you heard the familiar rumble of the impala's engine pulling up next to you.

You stopped walking and heard Dean's voice “Sweetheart, I'm sorry. Please just get in and I'll tell you the entire story” you spun to face the car and realized it was only him “Where's Sam?” “With Benny. Now please get in”

You were hurt yeah but deep down you knew you could trust Dean with your entire life. You could give him the chance to explain even if it had better be the mount Everest of explanations.

About an hour later you and Dean were pulling up to a small cabin. When he parked you hesitated, picking at the cuff on your wrist “All I'm promising is to introduce myself. I trust you enough to trust him” he nodded “All I ask”

You climbed out the car behind Dean and followed him to the porch before realizing Sam and Benny were sitting on it watching the two of you. They stood as you got closer.

Dean looked from you to Benny before formally introducing the two of you. You took a deep breath before extending your hand. The moment Benny shook it there was a feeling like electricity that hit your mark. He must have felt it too. “Darling I didn't know Dean hadn't told you about me. I wouldn't have agreed to ambush you with this. I don't expect anything from you I just wanted to meet you once Dean told me about you, after he saw my mark or well after he saw my mark and fully trusted me”

—--------------

Like you'd noticed before he was good looking, broad with bright blue eyes and a crooked smile that made your heart flip and that accent was a killer. You almost forgot about him being a vampire, almost. “I didn't mean to react like that but me and vampires don't have a good track record” he nodded “Sam filled me in on your aunt”

You reached for his right hand and he gladly gave it to you, watching as you lightly traced the anchor on his skin “I have no clue why a hunter and a vampire were chosen for each other” he shrugged “When I was human and even after I was turned I figured I didn't have a soulmate because there was no mark but then this showed up”

You looked up at him “When?” When he told you how long the mark had been there you laughed “That was when I turned eighteen. So your soulmark showed up while you were in purgatory?” He nodded “Didn't figure I'd ever have a chance of meeting you until Dean landed there”

You realized you still had his hand so you dropped it gently before offering him a smile “Guess you're not that bad. You helped Dean, you don't feed off humans and you're not ugly” he laughed at that “And you're downright beautiful”

You shook your head “Easy Lafitte on the sweet talk” “Yes ma'am” he teased and you shook your head “I can offer you my friendship, if anything more comes we'll cross that bridge when we get to it but for now we can get to know each other” he smiled “I'd like nothing more”