#anyways they’re getting ready for a night out but they’ll end up staying in and making spaghetti and cookies and watching LOTR

[unspecifiedfigure]

i don’t see what anyone could see in anyone else

[livwritesstuff]

for @steddie-week day 3 | long (and a little bit of mutual pining but the kind when they're literally dating which i think is even more pathetic)

tags: modern day, famous au, actor!steve, rockstar!eddie

Eddie stayed longer than he should have. 

He was supposed to leave Chicago with the rest of the band yesterday after their show at Credit Union 1 – opening night for a year-long national tour.

Eddie didn’t leave yesterday though. Instead, he insisted on spending one last night with Steve, one last morning pretending like they would actually get up and go to that breakfast spot they like even though they both knew they’d be spending the time wrapped up together in their bed, in the home they share, refusing to disentangle themselves until they had no other choice.

No other choice meant Eddie waited so long to leave that he ended up on a flight which would get him into Ohio with barely enough time to make it to the venue in Cincinnati before showtime (and he was missing soundcheck completely – sorta shot himself in the foot with that one, in Steve's opinion, though he won’t be caught complaining).

He won’t be caught doing anything – not publicly, anyway.

Steve and Eddie’s relationship is kind of in the halfway-stage between secret and private, where Steve posts vague, faceless photos of the two of them every now and then but still deflects questions about his romantic life during interviews because – look. He and Eddie are both at weird high-points in their careers at the moment, and that means there’s a lot of eyes on them whether they like it or not. Steve had a public relationship turn sour years ago and there is no way in hell he’s letting it happen again.

Not with Eddie. Not when it counts.

There are speculations, obviously (and after Steve dropped Eddie off at O'Hare, he posted a photo of the Kiss n’ Fly sign to his IG story with the caption i hate this place :( – mostly for his own amusement at the specific way his notifications implode afterward), and they’ll probably get around to an official hard-launch someday, but for now Steve likes that they’re keeping things to themselves, especially when they don’t get to make that choice with much else.

Steve gets a just landed text from Eddie a few hours after he boarded his plane.

(Steve knew. He’d been tracking the flight).

Before he could respond, Eddie added, miss you so fn much

i miss you too, Steve texted back, and before either of them could wallow in it too much, he sent, gonna make it on time?

probably, Eddie answered. Then, getting ready in the car lol

He goes quiet after that (the getting ready, presumably), which is fine.

Steve gets it.

He’s busy too. It’s why he’s not following along on Eddie’s tour like some glorified groupie, and it’s not like the distance is anything new. On the contrary, it’s been an element of their relationship since they met at an awards show after-party four years ago. It’s more that this time around, they were supposed to only have four-and-a-half weeks together before Steve headed off on a press tour for the movie he filmed last year, but then that got pushed out a bit further, and so that four-and-a-half weeks together turned into a glorious nine, the longest Steve and Eddie’s calendars had ever been aligned without some serious planning beforehand.

He just got used to it, Steve supposes.

He got used to having Eddie around all the time, under his fingertips, under his skin. He got used to saying goodnight in person, in their bed together instead of over phone lines, got used to waking up in Eddie's arms and hearing sweet nothings whispered in his ear rather than reading the texts Eddie would leave for him to wake up to when they were apart.

He'll adjust just like he always does, and the worst part will be over tomorrow morning – that moment right between sleep and wake when Steve will realize Eddie isn’t in their bed with him.

Like it or not, the distance is their normal and they make it work (except it’s not even making it work, because it’s not like that. Any situation, any set of circumstances will work without question because it’s Eddie).

The start time for the Cincinnati show comes and goes. A few minutes into the opening act and while Steve is mindlessly flitting between Instagram and TikTok waiting for the algorithm to fill his feed with clips from the concert (ones of Eddie, preferably), his screen lights up with a call.

“Hey,” he says the second he slams his thumb on the green accept button.

“Hey,” Eddie replied, his tone nothing short of grim.

“You geared up for the show?” Steve asked.

“No,” Eddie answered, “I’m quitting.”

Steve rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, okay.”

“I need you to come tuck my pockets in,” Eddie said, and it’s a goddamn wonder Steve didn’t break down then and there, because Eddie always managed to tug his pants on in a way that made the front pockets stick out just a bit, and throughout their years together Steve had gotten into the habit of tucking them back in for him, squeezing Eddie’s hips a little when he was done and pulling him in for a kiss.

“Yeah,” Steve manages a wet laugh, “I – fuck, man, I wish I was there to tuck them in for you.”

“I want you here so bad, Steve," Eddie says, "I really, really miss you."

“I miss you too,” Steve nodded, even though miss isn't a big enough word for the homesick feeling in his chest, “Only a week until the Indy show though. And I’m coming with you for the Michigan one after.”

“Yeah,” Eddie replied, and if he sounded a little morose about it, Steve was right there with him. Sure, it’s a comfort knowing he’ll be seeing Eddie again so soon, but when those two days are over…yeah, it’s gonna be a long goddamn while until next time, because Eddie will be playing the Midwest while Steve’s press tour is mostly on the East Coast this time around, and after that he heads up into Vancouver to shoot a period drama mini-series while Eddie plays the southern half of the US, and then…well, Steve could keep going. They’re both taking a short break for the holidays, but that and the rare weekend one of them can fly out to the other is about it for the foreseeable future.

Which, yeah, Steve loves acting, loves that he gets to make a whole career out of it, and he knows that Eddie feels the same way about his music, but…the love he has for Eddie definitely edges out the rest of it – enough that he feels the distance between him like a dull, ever-present ache whenever they’re apart.

Eddie only ends their call when his manager practically has to yank the phone out of his hand and shove him onstage, and then Steve settles back into bed, back into scrolling mindlessly on his phone waiting for his finely-tuned algorithms to do their jobs.

Sure enough, it takes less than thirty minutes for Steve’s FYP to start showing him TikToks from Eddie’s show, and amidst all the hair and leather and silver chains and chunky rings and eyeliner and manic energy, Steve sees something else, something that has the hurt of missing Eddie increasing ten-fold, something that has him seriously considering taking an ax to all his contracts and his career and his livelihood and getting on the next plane to Cincinnati.

Eddie left his pockets untucked.

[withleeknow]

hiya! I noticed you have your requests open and if you don't mind, could I please suggest: "for once... I was right" with "don't you dare walk away from me" for Lee Know - maybe angsty but I don't mind you just going with the flow.

thank you!

blue hour.

pairing: minho x reader genre/warnings: exes au, exes to ...? 🫢, angst; minho's pov mostly, open ending kinda, some light cursing, unedited don't look at me word count: 2.2k (i got carried away a little bit) listen to 🎧: breathe again - sara bareilles

as always, i’d appreciate any thoughts or comments you may have, and please drop a like and/or reblog if you enjoy reading ♡

navigation › masterlist › ko-fi

“this should be the last of your things.”

“thanks,” you say, rummaging through the box that minho hands over to you. everything that you left at his place throughout the entire time you were together; every sweatshirt of yours in his closet, every piece of jewelry on his nightstand, every bottle of nail polish that you kept in his bathroom reserved for nights where you two would pamper each other. they're all here, except for... “did you see my red scarf though? i can’t find it anywhere.”

“no, i checked,” he says. “this is everything.”

“hmm, okay.”

you hold the box between your arms, and minho can’t help but feel something twist painfully in his chest. it’s like you're holding your relationship, or what’s left of it anyway, ready to make your swift exit from his life. two years of love, all dumped into one stupid cardboard box.

you both stand there in silence for what feels like forever, just staring at each other, then at your surroundings, neither of you saying anything. minho knows why he hasn’t bid you a farewell goodnight yet; it’s because he doesn’t want this to end. even though it’s a sad occasion, the finale to your story, he still wants to the seconds to stretch on, for the minutes to last longer. after all, isn’t this the last time he'll ever see you?

why you haven’t left him to his devices and gone upstairs, he isn’t sure.

another moment passes. life goes on but it seems like you two are in your own bubble where nothing moves forward. everything stays rooted to the spot.

“do you want to go for a walk?” you ask after a while. the question surprises minho enough that he lets it show, and it makes you quickly tack on an excuse. “the weather is nice and i... i don’t want to be on my own.”

yes, he does want to go for a walk with you. anything to be with you even if it’s only for a moment longer.

“sure,” he says. “let’s go for a walk.”

“okay. i’ll leave this upstairs and get my jacket.”

he watches as you disappear inside your building, only to reemerge momentarily afterward, a wool jacket draped over your frame. he wishes you’d worn something lighter, just so he could have an excuse to wrap his arm around your shoulders if it gets colder.

you walk side by side around your neighborhood, a distance between your bodies that never used to be there before. it’s strange, of course it is. but minho supposes this is yours and his new reality now.

“how are the cats?” you ask.

“they’re okay. dori had a cold a couple weeks ago, but everything’s fine now,” he tells you. “they... they miss you.”

i miss you too - that's a thought that he doesn’t say out loud, only keeps it to himself because it feels too humiliating to utter those words to you.

“they’re cats. how can you tell?”

“i can always tell.” he shrugs. “they wait by the door when i’m already home. they sleep on your-... they sleep on the other side of the bed.”

if you notice his slip up, you don’t say anything. you purse your lips and nod somberly, stuffing your hands in your pockets. “they’ll forget about me soon enough,” you say.

minho glances at you. he wants to rebuke that statement, to argue with you over something as silly as whether or not his freaking cats will retain their memories of you in the future. but he just bites his tongue and swallows down the lump in his throat, humming to let you know that he’s heard what you said. not a hum of agreement, just one of acknowledgement.

“how’s work?” he asks. god, it’s just so fucking weird to be asking you these things. you know each other inside and out and yet, you’re here making small talk.

torn apart when all you two should be is together.

“it’s alright. still the same, kinda boring. you know there’s not a lot that can happen in that place in one month.”

yes, because it’s been a little over a month since you parted ways, since you moved back into your old apartment and left his home perpetually cold and empty. he can’t blame you for leaving when he was the one who agreed to break up. he can’t blame you for his heartache when he was the one who broke your heart first.

he didn’t mean to, but isn’t that what they all say?

“do you still want to leave?”

“sure,” you reply. “if i can find something better, i’d leave that place in a heartbeat. but for now, it’ll have to do. it used to be a bit more bearable though.”

“i hope you find something that makes you happier.”

“thanks.” you give him a smile but it doesn't reach your eyes. “how about you? how’s life?”

minho almost says the first thing that comes into mind. life is terrible without you. i think about you every single minute of every day but you're not here and it’s my own damn fault.

he could lie and come up with something much more palatable, because he doesn’t reckon his truth is something you’d like to hear right now.

but he doesn’t want to lie to you. in the time that you were together, minho never lied to you, not even once, not even over something stupid and insignificant. beside, he’s got a feeling that you would see through his bullshit anyway.

his answer ends up being a sad shrug, then, “it’s life. i’m hanging in there.”

your footsteps slow until you stop completely. this makes him stop too, turning around to look at you with his head tilted to one side, confused.

“it’s not like you to sound so defeated,” you comment.

“what?” he asks with a sigh. “it’s the truth.”

“it’s not the whole truth.”

“what do you want me to say?”

“i want you to be honest with me,” you tell him, your shoulders slumping just slightly. “i still care about you. i want to know you’re okay.”

minho takes a step closer until he’s right in front of you, the closest that you two have been all night. his body feels the warmth radiating from yours but he has to ball his hands into fists to keep from reaching out and touching you.

“if you really want to know, i haven’t been myself since you left.”

guilt flashes in your eyes. it wasn’t his intention at all.

you bite your bottom lip, inhale a shaky breath, before you speak, “i’m sorry for leaving.”

“don’t apologize. i’m sorry for driving you away.”

then he watches the tears well up as you look at him. he’s been wondering this the whole night, how you seem so cavalier about it all, how you’re able to speak to him so casually as if you’re just old friends with some shared history, and not as though the wound is still fresh. he’s still bleeding and you’re acting like you’ve already healed.

but he sees it now. you’re just as sad as he is, just as miserable. the only difference is you’re better at hiding it, or maybe you’ve just had more time to get used to the way it hurts.

is this how you felt in the weeks, the months, leading up to your departure? every time he neglected you, prioritized something else over you, missed every date and overlooked every text message? every single instance where he was too busy for you?

he never wanted to break your heart, but alas, here you are.

he didn’t want you to go, and yet, when you felt like you couldn’t handle the loneliness anymore, he hadn’t stopped you from walking out the door. he gave up, and he gave up so easily.

nothing along the lines of ‘don’t you dare walk away from me’, no tearful argument, no explosive and definitive end to your relationship. minho just let your love slip away.

how must that have made you feel on top of everything that he did - or didn’t do - to you?

minho has been called every variation of ‘cold’ before. to everyone else, he’s callous, rough, intimidating and unapproachable. but to you, he’s kind, soft, gentle and loving. it never mattered what anyone thought of him, as long as you always knew that he loved you, that you saw him for who he was.

but toward the end, what if you saw him how the others did? what if you had deemed him cold too?

the mere thought makes him sick to his stomach.

you sniffle, wiping at your eyes. “you don’t have to say that. it’s in the past now.”

fracture upon fracture upon fracture. minho doesn’t know how much more of this his heart can take.

his fingers twitch, and before he can stop himself, he’s reaching for your hands. to his surprise, you let him.

your hands, so delicate in his, so warm.

“i should’ve fought harder for you,” he says, his voice so small that you barely catch the words at all.

but his eyes… he hopes you can see it in his eyes - the regret, the longing, the pain of losing you dimming the light of the stars he holds there.

giving his hands a light squeeze, you say, “and maybe i should’ve held on tighter instead of letting go.”

“i made you feel like you weren’t enough. it’s the worst thing i ever did to you. i understand why you left.”

you try to calm your breathing, because you really don’t feel like breaking down in front of him right now. you don’t say anything in response; what are you even supposed to say? you told him everything that you wanted to the night that you two broke up. everything that you tried to bottle up for months was laid on the table that night. you watched as he listened to you, watched as his heart broke alongside yours. that was it.

“i… i’m sorry,” minho stutters, and for the first time since you’ve known him, he looks scared. “i’m sorry. can’t we try again? i swear i won’t let you down again. i swear to you.”

“min…” the nickname slips out of habit and for a second there, minho thinks you would say yes. but then… “i know you’re sorry. i know we didn’t break things off because we fell out of love. but i don’t think you’re at a point in your life where i can be the most important thing right now. you may not mean to, but there’ll be things that you prioritize over me… and i’m not at a place in my life where i can settle for being on someone’s back burner either. the timing’s just off. it’s not your fault, life just got in the way.”

minho stares at you, the stars dying out one by one. the hurt is beyond what any word can describe but in a way, he understands. it fucking sucks, but he gets it. he has to accept it now.

he nods solemnly, tracing odd patterns on your palms. then he asks, quietly, “can i hold you? just for a while.”

please indulge me, he thinks. this is the last thing i’ll ever ask from you.

you don’t reply with words. instead, you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him into you. you two stay there in each other’s embrace for god knows how long. it could’ve been minutes or it could’ve been hours. you always lose track of time when you’re wrapped up together.

you hold him like he - tough and intimidating minho - is made of glass, and he holds you like he doesn’t ever want to let you go.

but he has to eventually.

you untangle yourself from him to find that he’s been crying. the tears on his cheeks catch the light from the street lamps, reflecting like crystals in the night. when you wipe them away, you tell him, “for once, i was right.”

“about what?” he sniffles.

“you really are a hopeless romantic,” you smile, trying to lighten the mood. as much as you can anyway. “i knew you’d prove me right one day.”

minho wants to scoff but his eyes are burning from the tears and his throat feels like it's closing up, so he lets you have this one. the last one, right?

maybe he is a romantic, and maybe it’s only for you. maybe it makes him a little hopeless.

the walk back to yours ends too quickly. but truth be told, even if you had walked together until the sun came up, it still wouldn’t have been long enough for him.

you both stand there, two heavy hearts looking at each other, looking for one another.

there’s no goodbye, only goodnight.

and you’re the one who says it first.

minho returns your sentiment with a choked up voice, a brush of his fingers against yours, and when you finally turn to walk up the steps, his gaze lingers on your retreating figure.

then he calls your name softly. “hey, uhm... i’ll let you know if the scarf turns up, okay?”

you turn back with a knowing smile. it’s still sad, but there’s some faith hidden there.

“i hope it will.”

permanent taglist: @onlyycb97wife @starsandrqindrops @borahae-reads @abbiestearsricochet @cutiespaghetti @anthropologykpopmultistan @moonlinos @mjnhoz @caitlyn98s @piercidh34rts  @stayceebs97 @linocz @yaorzu-blog @biribarabiribbaem @kayleefriedchicken

all rights reserved © withleeknow. reposting, translating and/or modifying is not permitted by any means. [posted 16.01.2024]

[callsign-muffin]

Heal Together: Chapter 2

(Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw fic)

I'm like completely overwhelmed that anyone has even read the first chapter of my fic, well alone liked and/or reblogged it! Thank you guys so much!

This chapter is a little bit of filler, just a heads up. But I hope you all like it anyways.

Masterlist

Word Count: 2.0k

There were a lot of people surrounding Rooster’s bed, they all introduced themselves but the only thing he could really think about was how scared he was for them to pull this tube out of his throat. The doctor told him that there’s always a chance he might not respond well and they’ll have to place another one. And good god, that was the last thing he wanted. The sedation medications, being unable to talk, having to have his throat suctioned constantly, and listening to the never ending sounds of the machines were his own personal hell. And the prep before this was its own level of horrible. They put a vest on him that shook him violently to loosen any crap that had built up low in his lungs while he was intubated. Then they deep suctioned the shit outta his throat, it was so uncomfortable but Y/N promised it was all to help him and keep him from getting sick again and having to be intubated again.

He looked over at Y/N and prayed that she could say something to make him feel better. All of his friends and Mav were still on the aircraft carrier in God knows where, so Y/N was the only familiar face. He guesses he could’ve called Penny, Mav’s girlfriend, but it’s a Saturday morning, she should be spending time with Amelia and getting ready for another crazy night at the Hard Deck.

“So what’s gonna happen is: I’m gonna sit your bed up really high and place a pad under your chin since a lot of gunk might come up with the tube. That’s completely normal.” Y/N explained calmly, “Brent, the guy on your left, is the respiratory therapist. He’s gonna ask you to cough a few times and on the last cough, he’s gonna pull the tube out.”

Bradley nodded, looking her straight in her beautiful, expressive eyes.

“Your throat’s gonna hurt and feel really dry, you probably won’t be able to talk for a little bit.” She continued, “But I’m gonna stay here and monitor you, listen to your lungs, suction out any more gunk, and maybe we can try swabbing your mouth with water to help with the dryness until you’re cleared to drink. Does that sound okay?”

The young doctor at the bedside scoffed, “Do we really need to have this much dialog? We have other patients to get to, Nurse.”

Y/N’s face hardened, “I am well aware that you all are busy. However, I’m not going to allow anything to happen to Lt. Bradshaw without his full informed consent, so I’m making sure he knows exactly what we’re doing. It’s his right.”

The older doctor smiled at Y/N, “This is why nurses are so important, they fill in the blanks for the patients. As physicians, we can get caught up in the science and the technicality of things but nurses are the people who remind us to remember that we’re taking care of the whole person.”

The young doctor rolled his eyes.

Y/N smiled at the older doctor and shot the young doc a look that said, Bite me, bitch. She then looked at Rooster and asked, “You ready?”

Rooster nodded slowly, he was so scared.

“It’s okay that you’re scared.” She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, “But you see Brent, the one literally doing the damn thing to you? He’s not scared and I’m not scared ”

Brent smiled, “Not one bit. And all of those docs in their fancy white coats, they OK’d me to do this. That means they’re not scared either.”

Rooster felt a rush of calm wash over him, Y/N trusted these people, so he had no reason not to as well.

“Ready man?” Brent asked.

Bradley nodded.

Y/N sat the bed up so that he was sitting tall and placed an absorbent pad under his chin, “Let’s do it!”

“Give me a few coughs, Lieutenant.” Brent instructed.

Rooster coughed uncomfortably, it felt so weird with this thing on his throat.

“One last big cough.” Brent said.

With his next cough the tube was out and Rooster couldn’t help but continue to cough and dry heave. All the doctors’ eyes were glued to the numbers on his monitor, the only one looking at him was Y/N. 

She wiped all the spit and nastiness off of his face carefully and talked to him quietly, “That’s it, let it out. You’re doin’ great.”

A few moments later the older doctor said, “His oxygen sats look great. Let us know if anything changes, Y/N.”

Y/N nodded, “Will do. Can I get a standing supplemental oxygen order? Just in case his sats start to decline.”

“Of course, Carl– I mean… Dr. Parks will put those in for you right away.” The old doc looked over at the very displeased younger doctor.

Once the doctors all assessed him and felt okay leaving the room, it was just Rooster and Y/N. He gestured towards his white board, there was no way in hell he could talk yet.

Y/N happily passed it to him and proceeded to start her own assessment, listening to his lungs with her stethoscope.

That young doc is an asshole. Rooster wrote.

Y/N snorted, taking her stethoscope out of her ears and setting it to rest around her neck, “For the sake of professionalism, no comment.” 

Can you call Maverick and tell him I’m okay? 

“Yeah, of course.” She pulled a pen and a slip of paper out of her scrub pocket, “Just write down his full name and number.”

█ ✪ █▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓█ ✪ █

“Hi Captain Mitchell, this is Y/N and I’m Lieutenant Bradshaw’s nurse today.” You tried your best to sound as not nervous as possible. You always hated sitting at the nurses station and calling family members on the phone, usually because it was to give bad news or tell them to come to the hospital quickly to say goodbye. At least this time it was something positive.

“Oh my god,” The man choked on the other end of the line, “Is– Is he okay?”

“Yes, he’s fine. I’m sorry for scaring you.” You fiddled with the long phone cord, “He’s actually doing great. We took him off the ventilator about an hour ago and he’s breathing really well on his own. He’s working with physical therapy now, they have him out of bed and sitting in a chair.”

You could hear the joy in the man’s voice, “That’s incredible! Oh my god! I can’t wait to tell everyone, we’ve all been so worried. Can I speak to him?”

“Not quite yet, he’s not able to talk yet and will be hoarse for a little while.” You explained, twisting from side to side in the swiveling chair,  “But I can see if we can charge up his phone so he can text you and call when he’s able to.” 

“Thank you so much for the update, Y/N.” Capt. Mitchell gushed, “I usually have to call first for updates but this was such a great surprise.”

“Well one of the first things Bradley asked me to do for him after his extubation was call you and let you know that he’s okay.” 

He let out a happy sigh on the other end of the phone, “Did he really? That’s so good to hear. Tell him I’ll be home soon and my first stop will be to see him.”

You nodded, “Will do, Capt. Mitchell. You have a great rest of your day.”

“You as well, I know you’re taking great care of him.” And the call cut off right there.

“Ooooh look at you, big shot.” You couldn’t help but smile seeing Bradley sitting up in a chair and channel surfing on the crappy hospital TV.

Bradley picked up his white board and marker from the table beside him, Did you talk to Mav?

“You mean Capt. Mitchell?” You confirmed and Bradley nodded, “He said he’ll be home soon and his first stop will be to come see you. But hopefully you’ll have busted out of this joint before then.”

Bradley raised his eyebrows and scribbled, You think so?

You shrugged logging into the computer by his bed and starting to organize his 3pm medications, “I mean, I can’t say for sure. I know that you military dudes can’t tell people exactly where you’re going or when you’re coming home on your deployments. But if things keep going as well as they are, it seems like a good possibility you could be transferred to a step-down unit and then hopefully discharged in the next week or so.”

Bradley started writing again, I don’t want to go to another unit. I want to keep you as my nurse.

You giggled, “Well that is incredibly kind of you to say, but the best part of my job is seeing patients get well enough to be transferred to a lower acuity unit and then eventually discharged.”

Bradley pouted and drew a big fat frowny face on the whiteboard.

“You were a lot less sassy with that tube down your throat, Bradshaw.” You teased as you crossed the room with his meds, hanging them on the IV pole and programming the pump.

Pumping me up with poison? He smirked as he wrote.

“Nah, just antibiotics to treat that pesky infection that almost killed you and brought you in here.”

Damn, I was hoping you were gonna say they’re steroids to get me yolked. He flashed a mischievous grin at you.

You scoffed, “I took a pledge when I finished nursing school not to harm my patients and I considered giving them drugs that would shrink their balls and give them breasts doing harm.”

Bradley snorted and let out a hoarse laugh. Though it was very quiet, you could tell it was a great laugh.

“Hey Y/N, I’m taking room 4 back from you.” Carly, the young nurse from the morning, sat in the empty chair next to you at the nurses station.

“Oh great, do you want a full report or are you good with just the updates?” You asked, pulling out your notes from the day.

She clicked her pen, “Updates are just fine.”

“So the biggest news is that he was extubated today.” You grinned.

“Really?!” She gasped, “I’ve been pushing for that but the resident kept saying no.”

“Parks?” You inquired.

She nodded and sighed, “Yeah, have you met him?”

“Unfortunately.” You rolled your eyes, “I think he shares similar feelings about me as I do him.”

“I hope you gave him hell.” She giggled, “I’m still a new grad, so I don’t have enough experience under my belt to push back very much.”

“Well if he gives you any grief on your shift, don’t let it get to you. He’s also a new grad doctor, he’s also still learning.” You assured her then went on to finish your report.

“Hey Bradley, I’m headed out for the night. Carly’s gonna be taking care of you and I’ll be back tomorrow.” You entered the room with Carly by your side.

“Thank you…” Bradley croaked, “For everything…”

Your heart melted a little bit, you knew it took a lot of effort to get the words out, “You are more than welcome. And I’ll see you tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll get you transferred to a less intense unit.”

Rooster pouted and did a big thumbs down gesture.

You giggled, “That’s a great thing, Bradshaw. You don’t wanna be stuck in the ICU with me forever.”

He sassily rolled his eyes.

“Carly and I are gonna sign off some meds and check your lines.” You said, “And don’t give my girl too much sass tonight; she will be reporting back to me in the morning.”

Rooster scribbled on his whiteboard, No promises.

[kindheart525]

I can’t make a Smiling Friends next gen without showing what our own Allan Red is up to! Other than paying for abortions of course /j

Allan never really thought about having kids or starting a family. Sure, he has the occasional one night stand, but that doesn’t mean he expects them to go anywhere. Plus he doesn’t like little critters running around and invading his space, even without counting the especially bad experience he’s had with that. Once his coworkers start having kids and he’s forced to be around the rowdy little ras-cales, it only affirms for Allan that this is not the life he wants. He does not like kids and isn’t eager to get married either. In my personal headcanon he’s on the aromantic spectrum, but Allan doesn’t care to label himself like that. All he would say is that he’s simply not interested and he has better things to do.

But that doesn’t mean Allan is a total loner. He cares about his friends and enjoys a little companionship even though it’s not the kind most critters prioritize in their lives. So as the rest of his friends took on the title of “father,” Allan became a proud cat owner! But don’t call him a “cat dad” or the cats his “fur babies” or anything like that; he finds the whole thing to be pretty ridiculous. 

To him they’re more like roommates and close friends who he happens to feed and clean up after. They’re quiet, well-behaved, and nothing like his friends’ children (who aren’t allowed to meet the cats for the most part). He finds it insulting for them to be compared to children and arguably the cats are insulted by that too. I don’t know, their faces just all look like that. 

Here are the cats themselves:

Noodle (pronounced “New-dell”) is the Foreign Shorthair that Allan adopted when his friends’ kids were little and who he owned throughout his 30s. He fits the classic “pet looks like their owner” stereotype with his squinty, judgmental eyes, his long gangly limbs, and his unusual “honking” meows that kind of sound like Allan’s monotone voice. He’s very selective with his affection yet seems to think of himself as some kind of god; he’ll scratch almost everyone who touches him but will loudly demand that Allan carry him around everywhere like a king on his throne. Allan will argue with Noodle over who’s really the boss of the house, but oblige anyway to keep him satisfied.

Coca Cola and Pepsi (pronounced “Cokey Coh-lah” and “Bepis”) are a bonded pair of Sphinx cats who serve as Allan’s companions during his midlife. Much like Noodle before them (and most cats to be honest), they have a god complex and expect to be treated like royalty, which is amplified by these littermates egging each other on in everything they do. They’re like a sassy villain duo that you would see on TV, causing mischief in their stylish coordinated sweaters that Allan paid a lot of money for (“it isn’t a fash-awn statement, they have a medical condition-uh”). One minute they’re screaming at their owner to feed them and the next they’re looking photoshoot ready, so you can never expect what kind of mood they’ll be in.

Quesadilla (pronounced “Queue-salahd-yuh”) is Allan’s final and longest-lived cat. An ugly, scraggly black hairball since kittenhood, she was the runt of her litter and the last to get adopted, but ended up outliving all of them. Allan takes excellent care of all of his cats, providing them the best food, enrichment, and exercise he can reasonably afford, but even he is surprised at Quesadilla’s longevity. She makes it to almost 30 years old! He didn’t even have to spend a fortune at the vet to keep her alive like some critters do for their pathetic little dogs—Quesadilla would kill the vet herself if he did subject her to that. Even as she slowed down, even when she was blind, deaf, and could barely walk straight, she stayed alive out of pure spite.

[mariejordans]

limoreau au ideas that i crave

1. ballet au—i’m thinking something like marie as the new ballerina in a ballet company and jordan as one of the veteran principal dancers who always gets cast for supporting roles, but never main bc management/casting is never quite sure how to cast them bc of their gender identity (bc management and casting are cowards basically) even though they’re one of the best dancers in the company (and everyone knows it.) so they’re always put in side roles that are comedic or gender-neutral (such as puck in a midsummer night’s dream or mercutio in romeo and juliet) and they’re like, SO frustrated, bc they want to be THE star, not just a side character. and so the end jordan’s contract is coming to an end soon and they’re very unsure if they’ll get a renewal, while marie is on a one year contract, so it’s also up in the air whether hers will be renewed too.

and then one day jordan and marie are randomly paired together for pas de deux (maybe it’s for a rehearsal or class/warm-up) and everyone is just floored by the instant chemistry and they end up getting cast in a brand new contemporary ballet set to premiere the following season bc the choreographer (i’m thinking maybe victoria?) just happens to also witness them and is inspired so much that they end up largely influencing the choreography and roles end up being specifically made for them.

and management is like, kinda nervous to allow them to be cast bc marie is like this freshly new ballerina who was just hired and is pretty much a rookie in all aspects, and they’re still worried about jordan’s marketability and such, but victoria vouches for them and fights super hard, so basically they can’t fuck it up at all bc it might be their only chance to really prove themselves and get their contract renewal.

and like the company is also putting on this super classic ballet (very much the opposite of the contemporary, which is very intense and sensual and dark) starring their two most popular principal dancers (luke and cate probs) and its very much implied that this new ballet has to perform as well as, if not better, than the classic ballet in order to secure their contract renewals. and so they really have to work together and help each other out so that they can both prove themselves.

also marie and jordan kinda hate each other at first bc like, marie was actually a big fan of jordans pre-getting into the company and were super excited to meet them until she finds out that jordan almost cost her a spot in the company, bc they just so happened to have seen her audition and mentioned to brink (who was on the auditioning panel) that she seemed too inexperienced and “not ready” etc etc (he ended up getting outvoted anyway bc the rest of the panel liked her) and so they basically can’t stand each other, which only makes the chemistry THAT more intense and palpable.

2. camp counselors au—marie and jordan are camp counselors at a vought summer camp for supe children. they both know each other vaguely from god u, specifically from an end of semester party where the two hooked up and had a one night stand. and so they are both totally shocked to see that the other is also working at the summer camp and the tension is still off the charts, but here’s the catch: there’s no fraternization policy between counselors, and if you’re caught hooking up with another counselor, you’re basically sent home.

and so, neither jordan or marie can afford to be sent home, so they really try to be “just friends” at first, but they just can’t stay away from one another, so there’s a LOT of sneaking around, stolen kisses and secret hook-ups. they eventually get caught at some point but like they just get slap on the wrist and sent back to their stations (apparently so many other people have broken the no fraternization rule it happens so often and they can’t fire everyone.)

the entire gang is also there (emma, cate, and marie share a cabin while luke, andre, sam, and jordan share another.) marie is in charge of arts and crafts, while jordan is a lifeguard (lifeguard jordan does things to me omg)

(also this plot is very much inspired by wildfire by hannah grace)

3. royalty au—just, this entire thread. it’s so perfect.

4. gossip girl/rich kids au—marie as a transfer student on scholarship to this very exclusive fancy boarding school. she’s there for one reason, and one reason only: to study, make valedictorian, and get into her dream university, [insert ivy league school here.] she quickly encounters the richest kids in school, a clique made up of luke riordan, andre anderson, cate dunlap, and, of course, jordan li. luke, andre, and cate warm up to marie pretty quickly, but jordan is very cold towards marie for no reason, and she doesn’t know why. but it doesn’t even matter, bc soon she realizes her biggest competition for valedictorian is jordan themself, and the two have their little academic rivals to lovers arc.

also, emma is marie’s boarding school roommate who mostly stays on the outskirts of the social scene (she’s happy to observe) but also always know all the gossip and the drama happening. and if it’s a true gossip girl au, someone like sam ends up being gossip girl lmao.

5. childhood friends au—basically canon but if marie and jordan had been as childhood best friends. like they used to live in the same neighborhood and would often play together as children, their parents were all friends; they were basically inseparable. and then when they started school, they would ride the bus together, they would do homework together. and marie being the first person to know about jordan’s powers and was there when they manifested, and was the first person to fully accept not only just their powers, but their identity as well.

but then marie’s dad gets a job offer in a different city, a different state, and at twelve and fourteen years old, the two are ripped apart for the first time. they promise to email each other everyday, and they do for two years straight until marie stops emailing one day. and jordan keeps trying to contact her, emails her constantly, tries for about a year until they give up. and they’re So angry at marie, bc it’s like they’ve been abandoned yet again. they’re So deeply hurt and betrayed. they tell themselves they don’t need her and they should just forget about her and they almost succeed.

they’ve almost managed to completely forget the best friend they’ve ever had until her application shows up in the crime-fighting applications database thing (or whatever its called idk.) and they’re like, just stunned, because as far as they were aware, marie was not a supe, and she had pretty much ceased to exist outside of distant memories from their childhood. and even then, it’s still as if she doesn’t exist, with her non-existent social media presence, and no experience in crime-fighting whatsoever.

and so they reject her application, bc of her lack of qualifications, because they weren’t prepared for her to exist to them again. they had just gotten used to her absence, and it still hurt them so bad that she had forgotten them so quickly. and even though they would hardly admit it, a part of them was trying to protect her, though from what exactly, they couldn’t say.

meanwhile, marie had been forced to stop emailing once she arrived at red river. and to be honest, even if she could, she doesn’t think she could’ve continued to email jordan like everything was fine. and so she cut off contact completely, even though it hurt her so much.

around the age of 16/17, marie realized she needed a plan to get out of red river. getting adopted was so unlikely, and she couldn’t stomach the thought of elmira. and then she saw jordan’s face on a brochure for a godolkin university and a plan begins to form in her mind. and when she gets the email that she’s been offered a full ride to god u, she finally lets herself hope. not only for future where she’s successful and her sister forgives her, but also that maybe jordan still remembers her and maybe they’ll be able to pick up where they left off all those years ago.

and marie is so disappointed that she let herself hope for that when she finally comes face to face with her old best friend years later and finds that they want nothing to do with her.

[cityandking]

game night

oc kiss week '24 // minah/riya + canon divergent (1.1k) riya belongs to @msommers, who suggested this. thanks tabby xo

The game is a bit of a slog, truth be told. There’s an unexpected showing from Leo right at the end, and Rhydian honestly has the bluff down if only he’d just commit, but all in all it’s a tepid thing. Cian folds when he should keep raising—Minah knows he has a good hand, and she’s fairly certain Nanna’s helping him out given how often the mabari circles the table to bark at nothing—and Riya sits puffing next to her, sliding a few dull silver coins into the pot when she should fold. Minah's two sovereigns poorer herself and still more bored than disappointed. It's that sort of night.

Leo calls it in the end. Less for his winnings—it’ll all just go into whatever he cooks next, so really they’re paying it forward to themselves—and more for the hour, which is small and black and tired. The nights have been like that lately, endless and stifling with the weight of the Blight looming over them, but the only thing worse than the heavy night is that moment when they all trail off to their individual bunks to wait for morning alone. Minah tries not to let it get to her—she's a night owl anyway, and long, sleepless nights mean more folk around looking for entertainment, which means a laugh or a game or a bit of coin.

But tonight is slow, and drab, and heavy. Endless.

“It’s late,” Cian echoes, almost apologetic as Leo stands and slides his winnings into his purse. He rises with a stretch and a somewhat disconcerting pop. “And I don’t think need to lose any more money. Not that this wasn’t fun, but…”

Nanna bounds to him as soon as he starts gathering his things, making a brief pit stop to get a scratch from Leo. Riya stays seated at the table, counting her losings.

“You can always win it back,” Minah invites. Rydian’s flat mouth presses down even flatter as he gets up, and Cian gives her a look like he knows exactly how much shit she’s full of. It’s a familiar sort of resignation, and it brings out half a smile at least. “Or not. Just an invitation.”

She doesn't say, What else are you going to spend it on? but the sentiment is there.

“Same time next week?” Leo offers, which is decision enough for everyone. Minah tips him a salute, two fingered and loose, and he waves them goodnight. Riya tucks her purse away, a little slower to head out than the rest of them. Not quite ready to sleep, maybe.

“Chin up,” Minah says, nudging at her with a knee. “You didn’t lose as badly as you could have.”

“What a relief,” Riya drawls. “I always prefer to only lose a little.”

"If you've got another game you'd prefer, I'm all ears."

"I don't mind cards."

"But you'd rather something else."

Riya slides a look her her, slantwise and a little sour. "You said it, not me," she returns, sweetness of her tone at perfect odds with her expression. Minah snorts.

"D'you not enjoy my tender hospitality?"

"Is it tender?"

"I like to think so."

Near the door, Cian pauses, looking back at them with a question written across his face. Minah waves him off, all assurance. They’ll turn in in their own time. He hesitates a moment longer, but Nanna is insistent about bedtime, and there’s really no dissuading her when she gets an idea in her head. Rhydian follows on their heels, and Leo is already long gone, keeping his old man hours. He’ll be up before any of them, probably.

It leaves the two of them quite alone, siting at the table with nothing but a deck of cards and the weight of the night.

"Maybe I could help, if you'd rather something else," Minah says, leaning back in her chair. It must be nearly third watch, but the game has done nothing to burn off that nudging tremor of worry that sits in her chest. Riya, though...

"Did you have something in mind?"

“I might have a few suggestions.” Minah prides herself in that. Maybe they aren't talking about the hazy stormcell of apprehension lingering over the city, or the slow, sunny rotting they’re all doing, aware of the horde at the edges of their collective consciousness but slow to strike, but they all feel it. It’s a sticky, heavy sort of summer. Who couldn’t use a distraction, really?

"I'm all ears," Riya says, and something about the way she says it, all dragged out and inviting, draws Minah's attention in a new, different way. She gives Riya a look, long and contemplative, and— It's not the worst idea. She's done stupider things in her time.

"I'm just not sure our types of entertainment mesh," Minah deflects, a little to be an ass, mostly to see if Riya will push it. She gets a look in return, equally assessing, and Riya settles her chin in the palm of her hand.

"I'm not opposed to trying something new."

Minah shrugs. She says, "Alright." And she leans over for a kiss.

Riya kisses about like Minah expects—adroit, thorough, like she knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. Minah lets her lead, more interested in seeing where this goes than in bringing it anywhere in particular. Besides, its been a while since she's spent time with someone who knows what they're doing, and Riya—in spite of everything else—most certainly knows what she's doing.

"So what do you think?" Minah asks when they part, a little more breathless than anticipated. There's a familiar thrill under her skin. "More to your liking?"

"I didn't think those particular cards were on the table," Riya returns, touching the corner of her mouth. Minah tracks the motion of her hand and the way her lips curve in a smirk at the attention, and she tamps down on the familiar spark of irritation. She expects that, though—and it's always easier to weather Riya when one is prepared for her to be insufferable.

"If you're not interested—"

"I didn't say that," Riya corrects. "I'm just surprised."

Minah shrugs. There's not that much to be surprised about. She's bored, buzzing and disinterested in hunting down other entertainment, and curious in a terrible sort of way. And Riya is here and bored and interesting. It's fairly simple arithmetic.

"You're thinking too hard," Minah says, and she punctuates it with a kiss right at the corner of Riya's mouth, right where her fingers sat a moment ago. Leaves it there like bait. "Don't take it too personally. You're not the only one who likes other sorts of games."

She leans past Riya to grab the deck, shuffling them and tucking them into her pocket, and she's halfway out of her chair when a hand touches her knee, slides up the outside of her leg to rest at her hip. Minah glances down, waiting.

"If you want to play," Riya says, and Minah drags her up, cards forgotten. It's a long while before either of them turn in for the night.

[cheerscoops]

Wherever You Point To I’ll Find ~ Steve Harrington x Chrissy Cunningham

Nobody expected a budding romance between Steve and Chrissy when they were invited on this graduation road trip. But, as the two spend more and more time together away from the pressures their families, they just might find that they’re the perfect match.

masterlist | prev. | next

Tags: modern au, road trip, mutual pining, fluff, angst, discussion of mental health and body issues, eventual smut, adult themes and swearing throughout

Word Count: 16.1k

A/N: tumblr gave me hell trying to get this posted, so hopefully it goes up this time

Anyway, this chapter brings the story to just under 50k, and I still have 6 more chapters to go. It's wild to me that I've already written that much about these two, and that number is going to more than double before I'm done. Thanks for following along with this story so far!

After giving Steve an ample amount of time to look around the shack, the group was back on the road. They stopped for pizza on the way and ended up making it to Myrtle Beach before it was too late. The only snag in their plan was the fact that most hotels in the area seemed to be fully booked for the night.

“Check this motel up here,” Nancy said as Steve started to turn into the next parking lot. “I’m sure they’ll have vacancies if nothing else. I can’t believe I forgot to book a hotel sooner."

As soon as Steve put the car in park, Nancy hopped out to go check and see if they had any vacancies. There was no reason for them all to get out of the car if they weren't going to be staying there. They waited as Nancy talked to the clerk for a few minutes, and soon she was jogging back to their car.

"So, the good news is that we have a place to sleep tonight."

"And the bad news?" Eddie asked.

"They only had one room left, so we're all going to have to share. But there are two beds, so Chrissy and I can share one, and you and Steve can share the other. It's either that or we all sleep in this car."

"I think the four of us can manage to share a room with no issues," Steve said. "It's better than sleeping in the car."

"Or camping again," Chrissy added.

"Definitely better than camping."

"Then it's settled. I'll go grab the room key, and then we can get ourselves situated."

The beds in the room were a little bit smaller than they would have liked considering they were sharing, but they could make do. They all took turns using the bathroom to get ready for bed, and Chrissy tried not to freak out about having to share a room with Steve. She didn't know why she was so on edge about it. It wasn't like she had to share a bed with him or anything like that. 

But then he came out of the bathroom without a shirt on, and she had to force herself not to stare. Honestly, it should have been illegal for him to walk around like that. He wasn't allowed to have this kind of effect on her. It wasn't fair.

She tried to busy herself with fluffing up her pillows, but it didn’t help that she and Steve had both chosen the sides of the bed that were next to the end table shared between the two. If she really wanted to, she could have reached out and touched him.

Despite the fact that she'd slept on the ground the night before, she had slept surprisingly well, and she was attributing that to sleeping next to Steve. She felt so safe with him, and now her mind was wandering towards how nice it might have been to share one of these beds with him. She could snuggle up next to him, and maybe he'd wrap his arms around her and hold her close. She'd fall asleep feeling protected, and she'd wake up to another one of his sleepy smiles. Maybe even a good morning kiss.

No. She wasn't allowed to have those thoughts. There was nothing between them no matter how much she might have liked that. She still didn't know why he'd been so upset with her when she showed up at his tent, and there was no way he was interested in her if he was that cold towards her. He'd only let her stay with him because she was scared, and he was too nice to turn her away even though her very presence annoyed him. That was the only logical reason why he put up with her. Why anyone put up with her really.

She pushed those thoughts away and rolled over so her back was to Steve. Maybe if he wasn't in her line of sight, she could fall asleep without thinking about how nice it would be to be his.

***

When she woke up the next morning, Chrissy felt awful. Not because she'd slept poorly. She'd surprisingly gotten a decent amount of sleep despite feeling like she was freezing from the way that the room's air conditioning was blasting and being afraid that she was going to invade Nancy's side of the bed.

No, she woke up feeling horrible because it finally dawned on her that she was going to be expected to wear a swimsuit and show off her body in public. She hadn’t been sticking to the carefully formulated diet her mother dictated for her, and everyone was going to notice how horrible she was certain she looked now because of that.

As everyone took turns using the bathroom to get ready for the day, Chrissy sat on her bed completely zoned out. There was no way she could go through with a beach day. She’d feel awful and exposed the entire time, and she knew she wouldn’t enjoy herself. However, she also knew that this wasn’t her trip. She was just along for the ride, and she felt like she had no right to dictate what they did when everyone else was really looking forward to their beach days. She thought that maybe she could say she wasn’t feeling well and opt to stay back at the hotel for the day, but she knew that would never work. She knew her best friend, and she knew that if she said that she was staying back at the hotel for the day, he’d give up his day to keep her company. Or, even worse, he’d convince everybody else to stay with her, too, and she’d effectively ruin this trip for everyone. She’d just have to suck it up and go to the beach with everyone else. Maybe she wouldn’t even look as bad as she thought she would, and then all of this worrying would be for nothing.

When it was finally her turn to use the bathroom, she gathered her belongings and locked herself inside to change. When she got a look at herself in the mirror, that ever present gnawing feeling in her chest only grew stronger. Normally, she loved her high-waisted bikini because she felt like it covered her problem areas nicely, but today was different. She thought she looked so bloated, and she knew it was because she’d eaten nothing but junk food the day before. She’d been trying to eat mostly healthy options on the trip so far, but the day before had been filled with fast food. Fat and salt and grease and all the things she was supposed to be avoiding if she wanted to be the perfect girl that she was expected to be. She’d ruined everything with her lack of self-control, and she could hear her mother’s voice repeating I told you so over and over and over in her ear.

It was then that she decided that she wasn’t taking her coverup off for the entire day. She’d sit there in her oversized t-shirt and shorts and watch everyone else enjoy the water. She couldn’t let anyone look at her, or she’d feel even worse about herself and the choices she’d made that led her to this point.

While Chrissy was struggling to get her t-shirt to drape just right to hide her body, Nancy was starting to get impatient back in the room.

“I’m going to head down to the car,” she said as she grabbed her beach bag. “We need to leave soon if we want to have any hope of finding a decent parking space. Just head out to meet me when she’s done, okay?”

Steve knew that Nancy wasn’t going to be okay with waiting very long. She was a stickler when it came to the schedule she’d made for their trip, and she wasn’t going to be happy if they had to park too far away and then walk the extra distance back when they were exhausted after a long beach day. He didn't want to make Chrissy feel rushed, but he knew that Nancy was going to start complaining about their schedule being thrown off if they didn't leave for the beach soon. So he tried to make his urging seem lighthearted.

“C'mon, Chrissy,” he said, throwing on his Kermit the frog impression. “We've gotta get moving right along.”

Chrissy was immediately pulled away from her self-loathing thoughts as she whipped out of the bathroom.

“I can't believe you told him,” she said, glaring at Eddie. “You promised you wouldn't say anything.”

“Tell me what?” Steve asked.

“I didn't say anything,” Eddie replied.

“Oh yeah? Then why did he do that?”

“Tell me what?” Steve asked again.

“I didn't say anything,” Eddie repeated, ignoring Steve again. “He's just like that.”

“Oh.” Chrissy got very quiet and stared at the floor.

“Can someone please fill me in on what's happening?” Steve asked.

“Do you want to tell him, or should I?” Eddie asked.

“It's silly and embarrassing,” she said, avoiding making eye contact with Steve. “I'm just a really big fan of the Muppets.”

“Why is that embarrassing?”

“I don't know. It just feels childish for them to be my favorites, I guess.”

“Well, I don't think it's childish. The Muppets are cool,” he tried to reassure her.

“You're making fun of me.” The pit in her stomach grew, and she couldn't help but feel so small. This was why she didn't tell people about this part of her personality. As soon as anyone found out she loved the Muppets, she instantly became a joke in their eyes.

“I promise I'm not making fun of you,” he told her. “There's nothing for you to be embarrassed about.”

“Really?” 

She finally looked up from the ground, and Steve was smiling at her. Not a mocking smirk like she'd feared, but a kind one. A smile that said whatever opinions he had of her hadn't been changed by what she'd just told him.

“Really. I mean who doesn't like the Muppets?”

A wave of relief washed over her, but it was short-lived because Eddie was incapable of letting her hold on to a single shred of her dignity.

“She sleeps snuggled up with a Fozzie Bear plushie,” he said before racing out the door to meet Nancy down at the car.

“Do you think Nancy would be upset if I drowned her boyfriend?”

“You're really that embarrassed by still having a stuffed animal? Even though I've given you two of them in the past week?”

“Fozzie is different. A gift from a cute boy is very different from a stuffie that I've had since I was a little kid. Nobody will take me seriously if they know I still take comfort from a stuffed animal.”

What she wanted to say was that no one would find her attractive if they knew about Fozzie, but saying that would mean admitting out loud that she wanted Steve to be attracted to her, and she couldn't bring herself to do that just yet. Especially on a day like today where she knew she was the opposite of desirable.

He chose to ignore the fact that she'd called him cute. As much as he would have loved to tease her for that, he could tell that wasn't what she needed right now. He didn't want to risk her going quiet on him again, and he was pretty sure that's where she was headed if he didn't do something.

“Can I let you in on a secret?” he asked as he closed the gap between them.

She nodded and looked up at him.

“I still have the stuffie that I slept with as a baby.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I mean, I don't sleep with it anymore or anything like that, but I've kept it safe and hidden through multiple cleanings by random people my mom hired to clear the useless clutter out of the house. Sentimental reasons and all of that. So, I get it. I'm not going to make you feel bad for having an attachment to a childhood toy. I think it's normal, and if it makes you happy, there's nothing wrong with that.”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome. I need you to keep that information to yourself though. Not even Robin knows about it, and I'd like to keep it that way.”

“I think I could be persuaded to keep that secret for you. Unlike Eddie, I don't spill secrets for fun.”

“Go easy on him, okay? He might have been the one to bring up Fozzie, but it was kind of your fault he had the opportunity in the first place when you really think about it.”

“I guess so. He's lucky I love him, or I really would drown him.” She beamed up at Steve. “So, what kind of animal is it?”

“That's classified information.”

“Come on. You know about Fozzie. It's only fair.”

“Sorry, Chrissy. I've given you all the info about it that you're gonna get. Now grab your bag and head out to the car before Nancy comes back in here and drags us out.”

“So bossy,” she teased.

Steve reached out to pinch at her hip, but she dodged him as she grabbed her beach bag off the bed. She stuck her tongue out at him before racing out the door and heading towards the car with him following close behind her.

The ride to the beach passed without incident, and they still managed to get a decent parking space, so Nancy was pleased. Everything was perfectly fine until they'd set up their spot on the beach.

Chrissy may have solved the issue of not wanting to expose her body that day, but she'd conveniently forgotten that that didn't mean everyone else would be staying covered up as well. That fact was made all too apparent when a shirtless Steve approached her with a bottle of sunscreen.

“Would you mind helping me get my back?” he asked as he handed her the bottle.

“Yeah. Sure. No problem.”

He turned around so that his back was to her, and she had to stop herself from falling over. She'd seen him without a shirt on before. Just a few brief times during the trip and only before she looked away out of embarrassment. Those few brief moments hadn't prepared her for this.

She knew he was fit, and that was even more obvious as her hands ran up and down the length of his back to work the sunscreen into his skin. Actually feeling his muscles under her fingertips was almost too much for her.

But the thing that truly made her blush was how fixated she was on the freckles and moles that dotted his skin. This man was a mosaic, and she wanted to sit and count them all.

She couldn't do that though. If she took too long doing this, it would be weird, and he'd be uncomfortable around her, which was the last thing she wanted. So, she rubbed the last bit into his lower back before dropping her hands away completely.

“Okay. You're all set.”

He turned back around to face her and took the bottle that she'd offered back to him. She hoped he didn't notice the blush that she was certain was now gracing her cheeks, and if he did notice, she hoped he'd think that maybe she was only a little sun-kissed already.

“I can get your back for you, if you want,” he offered.

“Oh, you don't need to do that. I'm not going out in the sun anytime soon. I was just planning on staying here under the umbrella for a little while.”

“You're not going to get in the water?”

“I'm not really a beach person,” she said with a small shrug. That was a lie, of course, but it was necessary. She needed a reason to explain why she wasn't taking off her clothes, and that was as good as anything else.

“Why didn't you say something sooner?”

“I didn't feel like it was my place to object to a multi-day, already planned portion of the trip. But seriously, don't worry about me. I'm happy to just hang out in the shade.”

“Do you want me to sit out with you? Keep you company?”

“You don't have to do that. Go have fun with Eddie and Nancy. Maybe I'll come hangout with you guys in a little bit, okay?”

“If you're sure. I don't want you to be bored over here by yourself.”

“I'll be fine. I promise. Don't worry about me.”

He left her to make herself comfortable in the shade of their beach umbrella, but he would have been lying to himself if he said he wasn't a little worried about her. He thought she'd seemed excited about the beach when they'd talked about this portion of the trip in the days leading up to it, and now she was isolating herself from the rest of them. 

He didn't want to dwell on it too much, but he kept finding himself glancing back towards where she was sitting. She looked fine though, so he told himself that she was just having an off day.

But then she didn't eat lunch. When everyone else was ready for food, she told them that she wasn't hungry just yet, but they didn't need to wait for her. He'd offered her some of his fries anyway, and she'd looked at them as if he'd just offered her a mouthful of sand. He didn't press the issue, but it worried him more than her sitting out all morning did.

He didn't know why he cared so much when he was still feeling somewhat hurt about the way she'd reacted when she found him reading. He shouldn't have cared if this girl who judged him was choosing to avoid having fun with her friends or skipping meals, but he did. And the more she kept to herself and gave flimsy excuses, the more he felt the urge to make sure she was okay.

When everyone else was ready for dinner, she claimed that she'd eaten a late lunch, so she wasn't hungry, and Steve's concern for her only grew. He'd tried to be subtle about it, but he'd spent the better part of the afternoon keeping an eye on her after she'd declined joining them for a swim. Other than a trip to the restrooms, he didn't think he'd seen her leave her spot under the umbrella once. Maybe she'd gotten a snack at some point, but he doubted it. Something was seriously wrong with Chrissy, and he didn't know how to fix it. He didn't know if she'd even want him to fix it. He just knew he had to do something.

When the sun was just about to set, Nancy and Eddie wandered off to have a private moment together leaving Steve with the perfect opportunity to try to find out what was wrong. He approached her with two rocket pops that he'd purchased from a nearby ice cream cart, and he offered her one as he moved to sit down next to her.

“I'm really hoping you like rocket pops,” he told her as he handed her the treat. “I wasn't sure what flavor you'd choose, and I always got these as a kid because I was really indecisive, and they're three different flavors, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this one, you know?”

With the sun setting, the breeze seemed especially cool, and he noticed that she was shivering a little as she hugged her knees to her chest. Before she could say anything about the popsicle he'd given her, he turned around and grabbed his windbreaker from where he'd tossed it that morning. He draped it around Chrissy's shoulders and gave them a little squeeze.

“That sea breeze is no joke,” he said as he offered up a small smile.

That was somehow the wrong thing for him to say because the next thing he knew, Chrissy was crying. This was the last thing he wanted to happen, and he was struggling to figure out what he could do for her.

His struggle was short-lived because Chrissy spoke up.

“Why are you so nice to me?” she asked. She was avoiding making eye contact with him, choosing to stare at the popsicle instead.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what is all this?” she asked as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her free hand. “The popsicle and the jacket. The plushies. Making me feel safe when I was scared and reassuring me whenever I'm upset about something. I've been racking my brain, and I can't understand why anyone would be so nice to me. And I know you said that sometimes people are nice just because they want to be, but I don't deserve that kindness. I don't.”

If he didn't think she'd brush him off, he'd pull her closer to him and hold her until she stopped crying. This was obviously something that he couldn't fix with a popsicle and a smile.

“Who made you think that you don't deserve to be treated with kindness?”

Chrissy shook her head and wiped at her eyes again.

“That's okay,” he told her. “We can just sit here quietly. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to.”

So, they sat in silence. She waited until it had started to melt a little bit, but Chrissy did eat her popsicle. Steve wasn't counting that as a win though. Not when she was still so upset and shutting down on him. Not when he could still hear the occasional sniffle coming from her direction.

Once the sun had almost completely set, Chrissy started to feel braver. Maybe it was because Steve had sat with her while she cried and hadn't tried to force her to speak or maybe it was because she felt more hidden without the sun beating down on them - she just knew that, for the first time, she wasn't afraid to tell someone what was going on in her head.

“My mother,” she said, breaking the silence.

“What?”

“You asked me who made me think I didn't deserve to be treated with kindness, and I'm giving you an answer. I don’t talk about this with anybody because it’s not exactly the easiest thing in the world for me, but I don’t have the best relationship with my mom. I’ve always been the family disappointment, and nothing I do is ever good enough in her eyes.”

“I find it really hard to believe that a girl like you could be the family disappointment,” he told her. “You’re perfect.”

Chrissy huffed out a laugh.

“That’s because I have to be. Perfect, I mean. And I thought that maybe not being around her during this trip would help, but I can hear her telling me what a failure I am every time I do something that she wouldn’t approve of, and it’s actively ruining this trip for me. I usually love the beach, but I sat out today and punished myself for my bad eating habits because I could hear her telling me that it was obvious I’d gone off my diet and that everyone was going to stare at me because of how horrible I looked. Even now, I can hear her saying how foolish it was for me to waste calories on a treat when I’ve already done so much damage to myself with all of the junk I’ve been eating on this trip so far.

“She’d be furious if she ever found out that I was badmouthing her, but right now, I don’t care. The other day, you asked me why I never sing, and that’s her fault, too. I’ve wanted to be in musicals for as long as I can remember. I love them. I love the way that they make me feel, and I wanted nothing more than to provide other people with that same feeling. But then I was eleven, and I was singing along to whatever musical it was that I was obsessed with at the time, and my mother came in my room specifically to tell me that I had a very unpleasant voice, and I needed to stop doing that because it was never going to get me anywhere. So I did.

“I did everything she told me to. I joined cheerleading because she said that was something that I was better skilled for. I dated the boy that she wanted me to date. I became friends with the people that she wanted me to be friends with, and now pretty much all of them don’t even talk to me anymore because they sided with that boy during our breakup. The only thing I haven’t gone along with is cutting Eddie out of my life. I’d be a truly miserable person without him, and I won’t let her take him away from me, too.

“It’s like she’ll never be happy if I’m not miserable though. She picks and she picks and she picks until I feel so small that I just go along with whatever she says because that’s easier than standing up for myself while she takes away everything that has the potential to make me happy. And even if I do everything that she wants, I’ll never be good enough for her. She’ll never be proud of me.”

Chrissy hugged her knees closer to her chest and willed herself not to cry anymore. Letting all of that out had felt good in the moment, but now she was embarrassed that she’d word vomited on Steve and let him see through the cracks of the imperfect mask she wore.

“I’m sorry,” she told him. “I don’t talk about this with anybody, and I just dumped all of that on you. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s clearly something you needed to get out, and I’m glad I could be here for you.”

“Thank you.”

He might have seemed calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside, he could feel the anger building in his chest. Chrissy deserved better than that, and he had no way of fixing this. He didn’t know if it was something that really could be fixed.

But he understood how she felt. Her situation was different from his, but it pained him how much he related to her. So, while he couldn’t fix the hurt that she was feeling, maybe he could show her that she wasn’t alone.

“You know, your mom’s voice will get quieter eventually,” he told her. “Once you’re spending less time with her and more time with people who care about you and see the best in you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because you and I are more alike than you think.”

He smiled at her, but she could tell there was something sort of bittersweet to it. There was a sadness in his eyes even though he was very clearly trying to be positive for her benefit.

“You know how I had that job at Scoops Ahoy?”

She nodded.

“Well, it wasn't exactly my decision to work there.”

“How does that have anything to do with the way my mother talks to me?”

“My dad and I have never exactly seen eye to eye about who I should be and what I should be doing with my life. I'm the family disappointment, too. I grew up knowing that I was never going to be good enough to be the man that he expected me to be. That's just how it was in my house, you know? I was always a problem because I didn't anticipate exactly what he wanted. Being on the basketball team or the swim team wasn't good enough unless I was the captain and did the best or the most in every single game. And even then, I still wasn't good enough. I could have scored the game winning point, and he would have complained that we didn't win by enough, which was obviously my fault because I didn't score enough. Stupid stuff like that.

“So when I graduated high school with mediocre grades and didn't get into a single college, I figured he was going to be even worse than normal. By then, I'd gotten pretty used to tuning him out, but it still hurt. It still sucked to hear nothing but negativity from him. He didn't say anything about it though. Just hung up the phone when I called to tell him since he and mom were on one of their long business trips at the time. That almost hurt worse. Yelling and belittling me? I can handle that. I was used to that. But him being so angry that he couldn't even speak? That was a whole new level.

“When they got home, the house wasn't up to their standards,” he huffed out a laugh. “It's so stupid to me now that it's almost funny. It wasn't even messy. I hadn't put the recycling in the garage, and there was a basket of laundry I hadn't folded yet in the kitchen. Maybe I'd left a towel on the floor or something, too. I don't really remember. I just know that he acted like I'd burnt the house to the ground instead of it actually looking a little lived in for once. He went on this tirade about how me not getting into college didn't mean that I could sit around the house doing nothing all day and wasting his hard-earned money. Told me that I didn't realize how good I had it and that it was about time for me to get a job and develop a real work ethic. Which is so stupid because I'd worked the past three summers as a lifeguard at the community pool, I was babysitting pretty regularly, and I was already actively looking for a job. I just hadn't found something yet. He didn't know any of that though. That would have required him to actually be present or to talk to me about something other than what a failure I am.

“Anyway, he made me apply for every single open job in Hawkins - even ones that I was in no way qualified for - and he made me put him down as a reference on every single one. That way he could bad mouth me to everyone who was interested in hiring me. He decided that the Scoops Ahoy uniform was humiliating enough, and that's why I ended up working there for the last year.”

“I'm so sorry,” she told him. “That sounds awful.”

“It wasn't all bad,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, the sailor uniform was awful, but at least it was comfortable. And I got to spend the year working with my best friend instead of in a boring office job with a bunch of mindless drones who kiss my dad's ass. The job was more for the humiliation than anything else, and he didn’t kick me out or cut me off, so I was able to save pretty much everything I made, so I'll eventually be able to move out and get my own place without using any of his money to do it. I'm glad that I never have to put in another shift there, but I don't hate that I had the experience.”

“Silver linings?” she asked.

“I guess so.”

There was more he wanted to say to her. Needed to say to her really. He was just afraid that he’d hurt her when she was already so vulnerable. It had to be said though, so he took a deep breath and huffed out a sigh before speaking again.

“The worst part about it was that I felt like I deserved it,” he started. “My dad has been telling me that I’m too stupid to make something of myself since I was old enough to understand what he was telling me. I was too stupid to get into college, so I was too stupid to work at his company or do any kind of job that wasn’t completely mindless. The only thing I was smart enough to do was scoop ice cream. I still struggle with the lasting effects of my dad’s words, so I know that what you’re dealing with isn’t easy. But, when I’m surrounded by the people I care about, my dad’s voice disappears. It gets a little easier to tell myself that I’m better than that.

“That’s why it hurt so much when you were surprised that I was reading. I’m used to my dad and people who don’t know me or have made assumptions about me thinking I’m dumb. ‘Of course, Steve Harrington can’t read. He’s just a dumb jock. He probably doesn’t even know what books are.’ But I thought that you and I had really been connecting with each other. That you’d seen past all of that and I could be real with you. So, it really stung knowing that you saw me as that stupid, and it reinforced the fact that maybe there is a little bit of truth to everything my dad has said over the years.”

Chrissy’s heart sank. None of that was true. She’d never once thought he was stupid, and she couldn’t let him think that about himself. She scooted closer to him on the blanket and grabbed one of his hands, gripping it tightly in her own.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “So, so incredibly sorry. I don’t think you’re stupid at all, and I’m sorry that I did something or reacted in some way that made you feel like you were. That was never my intention, and I would never purposely do something to make you feel bad about yourself. I will admit that I was surprised to find you reading, but not for the reasons you thought I was. Never for those reasons.”

Steve avoided looking at Chrissy and instead stared at where she was holding his hand.

“Why were you surprised then? If you don't mind me asking.”

“You’re just so different from what I expected,” she admitted. “I may not have officially met you until this trip, but it was hard not to hear stories about the King of Hawkins High just like I’m sure you heard plenty of stories about me. You’re so different from the person that I was led to believe you were, and the Steve that I’d heard so much about didn’t seem like a reader. Not because of how smart you hypothetically were or weren’t but because that just didn’t seem like a hobby you’d enjoy. But I think it's wonderful that you're a reader. I loved getting to see a side of you that not many other people have gotten to see, and I hope I didn’t ruin whatever connection we had. I would hate it if we couldn't be open with each other anymore because of something I did.

“And, for the record, there are a lot of things that are far more important than being the smartest person in the room. You're funny, you're so incredibly kind, and you care about people with your whole heart. I mean, just look at how much time you've spent taking pictures of a squirrel figurine just because you know how happy it's going to make your friend. You're so selfless, and I see you putting everyone else's needs above your own constantly. You've been doing that with me this whole trip.

“I know I haven't known you for very long, but anyone who spends five minutes with you can see that you're the very best kind of person, and your dad is a fucking idiot if he can't realize that.”

Steve was quiet for a moment. Partially because of how touched he was by what Chrissy had said and partially because he was pretty sure the strongest curse word he'd heard her say so far was “darn,” so he hadn't been expecting such a forceful statement from her.

“Thank you,” he finally said as he gave her hand a small squeeze. “Now, you say the same thing about your mom.”

She shook her head.

“I can't.”

“Yes, you can. Your mom is clearly a fucking idiot if she can't see that you're perfect just the way you are. I know it, and you know it. You just gotta get up and say it.”

She hesitated and bit her lower lip before shaking her head again.

“I really can't.”

“C'mon,” he said as he poked at her side with his free hand, smirking when she giggled and tried fidgeting away from him a little. “You'll feel so much better if you get up and yell it. She'll never find out because she's not here to hear you say it, and I'll hold your hand the entire time if you want.”

He moved to stand and then offered her his hand to help her up. She let him pull her to her feet, and soon they were standing together hand in hand.

“I'm right here,” he told her, giving her hand a small squeeze. “You don't have to do this alone.”

Chrissy nodded and took a deep breath as she turned to face the shoreline. She could do this. She knew she could do this. With Steve by her side, she could do anything. Everything would be okay.

“My mother is a fucking idiot!” she yelled out at the horizon. Her eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth with her free hand. She was silent for a moment, but when she moved her hand away, Steve could see that it had been hiding the largest smile.

“I did it. I can't believe I did it,” she said as she turned to face him.

“You did.”

Chrissy dropped Steve's hand before practically leaping at him to wrap her arms around his neck. He caught her and wrapped his arms around her waist, but the force of her body colliding with his knocked him off balance on the uneven ground, and soon they were falling backwards into the sand. He landed flat on his back with her directly on top of him, and after the shock wore off, they both dissolved into a fit of giggles.

“I'm so sorry,” she said through her laughter. “I didn't hurt you, did I?”

“I'm okay. Are you?”

“Never better.”

Neither of them made any moves to get up or separate their bodies from each other. One of his hands was resting against the small of her back, and she felt so seen as he looked into her eyes. With their bodies pressed together like that, she could feel his chest moving with every breath he took, and she was certain that he could feel the way her heart was pounding against her ribcage. If there was ever a moment for her to kiss him and finally express that she was interested in him the way that she hoped he was interested in her, now was the time. She just had to make her move.

He reached up to brush her hair back behind her ear as she leaned in, and just as their lips were about to touch -

“Chrissy! Steve!” Eddie called out, effectively ruining their moment.

Steve cursed internally as Chrissy immediately moved off of him and tried to put a little distance between their bodies. Eddie had the worst timing in the world.

Steve tore his gaze away from where Chrissy was now hiding her face behind one of the sleeves of his jacket and looked over at Eddie who was carrying a very sleepy-looking Nancy on his back.

“Are you guys ready to head back to the motel?” he asked. “Nance is falling asleep on me, and I'm probably next.”

“Yeah, we can go,” Steve replied. “Just gotta pack up our umbrella and blanket first.”

“You good, Chrissy?” Eddie asked, finally noticing the way she seemed to be trying to get that jacket to swallow her whole.

“I'm fine,” she said without looking up at him. “Perfectly fine.”

Truthfully, she couldn't have been more embarrassed if she tried. She'd been about to kiss Steve after insisting that they were just friends, and now Eddie was never going to let her live it down. And the worst part was that she didn't even get to kiss him. They didn't kiss, the moment had passed, and she was afraid she'd never get the courage to be so bold again. Maybe, if she was lucky, Steve would take charge and be the one to kiss her, but she was afraid that their one perfect moment had passed them by to never be recreated again.

She tried not to dwell on that too much, but it was the only thing she could think of on the drive back to the motel, and it was the only thing she could think of as she waited for everyone else to be done with the bathroom so she could take a shower. That thought was surely going to consume her.

While Chrissy was in the shower, Steve headed out to attempt to find a vending machine so he could get them all a drink. Once he was gone, Eddie flopped over next to Nancy on her bed.

“Eddie, no,” Nancy groaned. “You'll fall asleep.”

“I won't,” he insisted even though his voice was barely loud enough for her to hear him.

“You will. And then where will Chrissy sleep?”

“She can sleep here, too. I don't mind.”

“No room. Get in your own bed.”

“Five minutes.” He buried his face in her neck. “I'll get up when she's done. Promise.”

When Chrissy exited the bathroom, Eddie and Nancy were curled up next to each other and fast asleep with him softly snoring as he held her caged in his arms. Chrissy would have thought it was cute if it didn't send her straight into a panic. If Eddie was sleeping in her bed, that meant she was sleeping in his bed. And, if she was sleeping in his bed, that meant she was sharing with Steve. Steve who she would have kissed if they hadn't been interrupted. They were going to be sharing a bed that had barely felt big enough when she was sharing with Nancy, and she was certain it was going to feel ten times smaller when she was laying next to him.

She cautiously sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to make herself seem casual even if her insides were in knots. She was just about to get up and go hide in the bathroom when Steve reentered their room.

“I came out of the bathroom, and they were like that,” she blurted out before he could say anything. She didn't want him to think she'd planned this or encouraged it in any way.

“I had a feeling that might happen,” he admitted. “I didn't expect either of them to be up when I got back, if I'm being honest. I figured Eddie'd at least fall asleep in our bed though.”

“He didn't.”

“No, he did not.”

Steve moved to hand Chrissy one of the water bottles he was carrying before grabbing his pillow off the bed and tossing it on the floor.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Eddie took your spot, so you need a place to sleep. You take my bed. I'm fine on the floor.”

“Oh. I thought we could share.”

Of course, he didn't want to sleep next to her. That was too much for her to expect. He probably hadn't even wanted to kiss her, and she would have made a fool out of herself if they hadn't been interrupted.

“Are you sure?” Steve asked. “It'll be kind of crowded, and I don't want to make you uncomfortable.”

“I'm not letting you sleep on the floor. I think we can manage just fine, don't you?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

He grabbed his pillow off the floor and placed it back on the bed before climbing in and making himself comfortable. She followed his lead and climbed into the bed next to him after turning off the lights, but she tried to keep as much space between them as humanly possible. He had been worried about her comfort, but she was worried that she'd crowd him too much. She had a bad habit of clinging to anyone or anything that was sharing her bed with her. She could have blamed it on her being afraid when they were sharing the tent, but she'd never forgive herself if she made things even more awkward between them now.

Steve noticed that she was trying to put space between them and failing miserably. He knew what it had to be about because it was the same thing that he couldn't stop thinking about: she'd almost kissed him on that beach. He was sure that's what was about to happen. If they hadn't been interrupted, she would have kissed him, and he would have gotten to tell her how much he'd been wanting to do exactly that.

But that hadn't happened, and now they were in this weird limbo where they didn't know how to talk to each other anymore because that missed moment was hanging over them. He was afraid that the awkwardness building between them wouldn't go away until they'd actually kissed, and that definitely wasn't going to happen tonight. Not when Eddie and Nancy were sleeping in the next bed. But he had to do something so they could both relax.

“So, my Fozzie impression is nowhere near as good as my Kermit,” he said as he rolled over to face her. “But I can give it a shot if you're missing him.”

Chrissy shot up into a sitting position and playfully glared down at him.

“Are you making fun of me?” she asked.

“Oh, no. I would never,” he said with a teasing smirk.

Chrissy gasped and placed a hand over her heart in mock offense. The next thing Steve knew, she'd pounced and was tickling up and down his sides.

“Chrissy!” he sputtered out through his laughter. “Why?”

“C'mon, Steve,” she said as she continued her playful torture. “You wanted to be Fozzie, and Fozzie just loves to laugh.”

He tried to fight her off the best he could, but she was quick, switching spots around his torso whenever he tried to grab at her wiggling fingers, and it was hard for him to anticipate where she'd move next when his eyes were scrunched shut with laughter. She couldn't help but smile and laugh along with him as he flinched whenever she hit an especially sensitive spot.

Her hands traveled lower to squeeze at his hips, and he was finally able to grab ahold of her wrists and pull her hands off of him. His laughter died down, but his smile never left his face as he tried to regain his composure.

“This is adorable. Where else are you ticklish?” she asked, wiggling her fingers in his direction while he kept her hands trapped.

“No more. Please.”

“Can I have my hands back then?”

“Never. You've lost your hand privileges for being evil.”

“I'm a big sister. It comes with the territory,” she said with an innocent smile and a tiny shrug.

“Well, if that's the case, I should probably let you know that as an only child, I don't like losing at anything. Ever. Including tickle fights.”

Before Chrissy could protest, Steve was scrambling to switch their positions, and she was laying flat on her back with him hovering over her. He kept her wrists pinned with one hand and the other hand rested against her side. He made no moves to tickle her yet. Just held her there to build anticipation.

“And what if I said I wasn't ticklish?” she asked.

“I think we both know that would be a lie.”

He punctuated his point with a quick poke to her side in the spot that had her giggling and moving away from him earlier, and he smirked down at her as she bit her lower lip and squirmed in his grasp.

“Steve, we're gonna wake up Eddie and Nancy.”

“You weren't concerned about them at all when I was the one being tickled,” he teased with a flutter of his fingers against her side. “And since I was viciously attacked for offering to do something nice, I think this is only fair.”

He kept his touch teasing and light, just enough to make her start giggling and squirming, tracing patterns on her side with the hand that wasn't pinning her wrists. Truthfully, he just wanted to see her smiling. He wanted to erase any memory of her tears from the beach because he never wanted to see her that sad again. And if playing around like this made her happy, who was he to deny her a little fun?

Once he felt like he'd teased her enough, he released her wrists to make it a fair fight and started tickling up and down her sides much like she'd done to him. Her laughter picked up, but instead of trying to stop his hands like he'd done with her, she tried to tickle him back. She got in a few good pokes, but every time she tried to really get him, he moved to attack an exposed armpit, and soon her arms were retracting to try and protect what he was assuming was her most ticklish spot from the reactions she was giving him.

When he found a spot on her ribs that had her kicking her legs and laughing so hard that she snorted, she tapped out.

“Truce,” she managed to get out through her laughter. “Please.”

“Since you asked so nicely.”

Steve's hands slowed to a stop, but he made no moves to remove them from her sides. He just held her in place as she came down from her giggle high.

“I can't believe I snorted,” she said once she'd caught her breath. “That's so embarrassing.”

She covered her face with her hands.

He really wanted to kiss her.

Instead, he removed his hands from her sides and pulled her hands away from her face.

“I don’t know. I thought it was kinda cute.”

Chrissy was thankful for how dark the room was because she was sure her face was beet red. He couldn't call her cute when her skin was still tingling from the way he'd just had his hands all over her. She wasn't strong enough to handle this.

“We should probably go to sleep,” she told him.

“You're probably right. We've got another big beach day tomorrow.”

“I might even swim this time.”

“I'd really like it if you did.”

Steve rolled over to make himself comfortable, and without him practically on top of her, Chrissy finally realized how cold it was in the room. For such a crappy motel, they were really blasting the air conditioning, and the blankets on the bed just weren't cutting it. She didn't remember being this cold the night before, but she was pretty preoccupied with trying not to obsess over the fact that Steve was sleeping shirtless in the next bed. He was wearing a shirt tonight though, so she no longer had that distraction.

She started to think that maybe she wouldn't be so cold with Steve's arms around her again. All she had to do was get him to cuddle with her. How hard could that be?

“Hey, Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“Is your offer to be my Fozzie for the night still on the table?”

God, he really wanted to kiss her.

Steve rolled back over and opened his arms for her, and she scooched over to him. She rested her head on his chest and draped an arm over his waist as she snuggled as close to him as humanly possible. As he wrapped his arms around her in turn, she immediately started to feel a little warmer. He was like a furnace, radiating heat and making her feel more comfortable.

Once she was fully settled against him, he leaned in towards her slightly.

“Wocka wocka,” he said in his best attempt at a Fozzie impression.

Chrissy gasped, and the arm that she had draped around his waist moved to tickle his side again.

“Hey!” he laughed as he grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his body. “I thought we had a truce?”

“My real Fozzie doesn't speak,” she said matter of factly. “He only snuggles.”

“My apologies.”

He gave her hand a little squeeze, but neither of them made any move to let go of the other.

“Goodnight, Steve.”

“Night, Chrissy.”

And so the two drifted off to sleep still holding hands.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Eddie woke up to use the toilet, and when he exited the bathroom, the light illuminated Chrissy and Steve snuggled up together in their sleep. He wasn't sure if he was really seeing it or if it was just a trick of his still half asleep mind. So, instead of turning out the light and going back to bed, he crept closer and took a quick picture of them with his phone. He couldn't guarantee that they'd still be like that in the morning, and he needed proof that this had actually happened to show Nancy once she was awake. It was going to be a lot harder for the two of them to deny that something was happening between them now.

***

When Chrissy woke up the next morning, she was laying on her side with her back pressed up against Steve's chest. His arm was draped over her and holding her close, and as far as she could tell, he was still fast asleep. A quick glance around the room told her that they were alone, but she could hear the shower running, so she assumed at least one of their friends was in the bathroom right now.

Normally, she was a morning person - the kind of morning person who liked to get out of bed and start her day immediately to be exact - but she was content to laze about in bed for the entire day if it meant Steve would keep holding her like that. The longer she stayed laying there the more her thoughts started to turn on her though. Even if he was cuddling her in his sleep, maybe he hadn't wanted her practically on top of him the night before. Maybe his initial offer of being her Fozzie for the evening really had been a joke, and he hadn't actually wanted to have her clinging to him like that. She'd been far too forward with him, and he wasn't interested in her in that way at all. He'd tell her that himself once he'd woken up.

And her mother would absolutely lose her mind if she knew that her daughter had shared a bed with a boy. Even if it was purely platonic - which Chrissy wasn’t even sure if it was - she could hear her mother calling her a tramp and telling her that only a common whore shared a bed with a man that she wasn't married to.

The more she thought about it, the more she needed to get out of that bed immediately, but Steve was holding onto her pretty securely. She tried to wiggle her way out of his arms, but he just seemed to hold onto her tighter.

“Good morning,” he said as he gave her a little squeeze, settling deeper into their blankets.

And, just like that, all of Chrissy's bad thoughts washed away. There was nowhere else she’d rather be when she could hear the smile in Steve's sleepy, scratchy voice. Any doubts in her mind about whether or not he'd really wanted to cuddle with her vanished when he only seemed to snuggle closer to her now that he was awake.

“Good morning,” she said, rolling over onto her back so she could look at him. His hair was sticking out in all directions, and he was looking at her with the sweetest, sleepiest smile. Her heart melted just a little bit at the sight. “You sleep okay?”

“Best sleep of my life. You?”

“Never better. Thank you for being my temporary Fozzie. I kind of really needed that comfort after everything we talked about. Plus, you're really warm. Kept me from freezing to death last night.”

“I see how it is,” he teased. “I'm just an object to you. Making me feel real cheap here, Cunningham.”

Steve tried to act offended, but it was hard to believe that he actually was when the smile never left his face which only made Chrissy start to laugh.

“And now she laughs at me! I save her from certain death, and she laughs at me. I’m wounded. Seriously wounded.”

This made her laugh even harder to the point where she snorted again and immediately moved to look away from him.

“Okay, I think I need to get up now,” she said as she started to work her way out of Steve’s grasp.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m not ready to start the day yet, so you can’t be ready either.”

“But what if I wanted to get breakfast?” she asked.

“Nope. You’re trapped. How tragic.”

He pulled her to lay with her back against his chest again as he burrowed deeper into their blankets.

“Well, if I’m trapped, I guess I have no other option than to accept my fate and stay here,” she said as she made herself comfortable again.

“A wise decision really. And, for the record, I don't mind being your personal space heater. It wasn't exactly an unenjoyable experience for me either.”

“Good to know.”

With Steve holding her like that, it was all too easy for her to fall back asleep until Eddie burst back into their room from outside.

“I come bearing sustenance!” he announced, holding up a couple of white paper bags.

She wasn't sure how long she'd dozed off, but the shower was still running, so it couldn't have been very long. But with Eddie back in the room, she was starting to feel self-conscious about how snuggled up with Steve she was. He didn't seem to care though, and he made no moves to stop cuddling her, so that helped to quiet those thoughts. If Steve didn't care about how much Eddie was about to tease them, she could try not to care, too.

But the teasing never came. Instead, Eddie just sat down on the edge of the bed that he'd shared with Nancy the night before and passed one of the bags over to Steve.

“I wasn't sure what you guys wanted since you were still sleeping when I left, but I went to this burrito place around the corner and just ordered whatever sounded decent,” he told them.

Steve moved to sit up and Chrissy had to stop herself from looking visibly upset about the fact that he wasn't holding her anymore. She moved to sit up as well and took the bag from Steve when he offered it to her. When she peeked inside and saw the size of the burrito that was left for her, she could feel her stomach starting to churn. It was massive. Much larger than anything she ever would have ordered for herself. She could already hear her mother telling her that everyone would think she was a pig if she dared to eat more than a single bite of that monstrosity, and she wanted nothing more than to set the bag aside and nibble on one of her granola bars instead.

But then Steve was nudging her with his elbow. She pulled her gaze away from her breakfast to look up at him.

“Fucking idiots. Remember?”

He offered up a small smile, and soon the furrow of her brow softened as she smiled back.

“Yeah. Fucking idiots.”

And, just like that, she was able to enjoy her breakfast. Nothing bad was going to happen to her if she ate this breakfast burrito. She didn't even notice the weird look that Eddie was giving them until he spoke up.

“What was that?” he asked.

“What was what?” Steve answered.

“You know what. Anything you two wanna share with the class?”

Before either of them could respond, Nancy opened the bathroom door and poked her head out.

“Eddie, could you give me a hand here? My bikini top is twisted, and I'm having trouble fixing it on my own.”

Eddie pushed himself off the bed and made his way into the bathroom where Nancy immediately closed the door behind him. She was already fully dressed, and there were no issues with her top like she’d said.

“After you showed me that picture, I thought we agreed that we weren’t going to pester them about what happened between them last night?” she asked in a hushed tone. “They’re not going to tell us anything if you put them on the spot like that.”

“Well, you’re ninety seven percent of my impulse control, and you weren’t out there.”

“Okay, so how about instead of questioning them before they’re ready to tell us what’s happening, you text Robin that picture and get her opinions on this situation? She might have a better insight into whether or not Steve's really interested in her or not.”

“But I already know Steve's into her,” Eddie admitted. “He's just waiting for her to make the first move.”

“When did he tell you this?” Nancy asked. “Actually, better question: why is this the first that I'm hearing about this?”

“While we were camping, and I could have sworn I told you.”

“No. This is completely new information for me, and this changes everything. What are the chances that Chrissy makes the first move though?”

“Slim to none.”

“That's what I was afraid of. Group text with Robin?”

“Way ahead of you.”

All Eddie did was drop the photo he'd taken of Chrissy and Steve asleep together, and soon Robin was spamming them with messages.

Robin: !!!!

Robin: what?

Robin: when?

Robin: how?

Robin: details! I need details!!!!!

Eddie: don't know. last night. also don't know.

Nancy: but they're clearly flirting with each other

Eddie: and neither of them are willing to make the first move so it's physically painful to watch them

Robin: has he done the hand size thing yet? that's a classic move on his part

Nancy: no. not in front of us at least. but they've been holding hands quite a bit, so I wouldn't be surprised if he has.

Robin: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Robin: why is this the first I'm hearing about this?

Robin: I demand constant updates!

Eddie: any tips for getting steve to kiss her already?

Robin: leave them alone as much as possible maybe? they're both probably feeling pressured because of you two constantly staring at them

Nancy: I am not constantly staring at them

Nancy: eddie on the other hand

Eddie: hey! I don't stare.

Eddie: I occasionally observe to make sure my best friend is having the best vacation possible

Eddie: it's what she deserves

Robin: sure

Robin: just let me know when they kiss!

“So, what do you think?” Eddie asked. “Think we can manage to give them some alone time?”

“I have an idea for that actually. Get back out there and give me five minutes to tie up some loose ends in here, alright?”

“As you wish.”

Eddie made his way out of the bathroom and back into the room’s main area where he found Steve and Chrissy still sitting practically on top of each other in bed even though they’d had plenty of time to move apart while he was gone. As much as he wanted to continue pestering them about how snuggled up they were when he came back from getting breakfast, he was trying to behave and do as Nancy said. There would be plenty of time to question them later, so he focused on finishing his burrito instead.

“I know we’re supposed to stay here for another night, but I can’t stay in this motel another minute,” Nancy said when she finally emerged from the bathroom. “That bathroom is disgusting, and we need more space than this. I did a little research this morning, and I managed to find a bed and breakfast not too far from here that has two open rooms, so we’re staying there for our last night here. Make sure all your stuff is packed before we leave for the beach so we can deal with checkout now and never have to come back here again.”

Chrissy felt a little conflicted with this new information. On one hand, the idea of a cozy little bed and breakfast where she’d have more space and a shower that didn’t look straight out of a horror movie sounded heavenly after two nights in their cramped and dingy motel room. However, she knew that meant that her opportunity to snuggle up with Steve for another night was officially off the table. She knew it was silly of her to expect that they’d end up sharing a bed for a second night in a row since that hadn’t been part of the plan for the night before in the first place, but she was still somewhat hopeful that Eddie would have fallen asleep in the wrong bed again to give her another chance.

“Sounds great,” Steve said before turning towards Chrissy. “Do you want the bathroom next, or should I go first?”

“You go first. I can wait.”

Steve finally got out of bed and gathered up the things he'd need in the bathroom. Once he was inside the bathroom, Nancy put part of her plan into action.

“I'm sorry you two had to share a bed,” she said as she started to repack her suitcase. “I told Eddie that he couldn't stay with me, but I fell asleep and couldn't stop him from doing the same.”

“That's okay,” Chrissy told her. “We didn't mind.”

“Still. It wasn't really fair to you. I know how small these beds are, and it couldn’t have been comfortable for either of you.”

Chrissy remained quiet. Part of her wanted to talk about last night with Nancy. Getting another woman’s opinion on the situation sounded so appealing to her, and maybe she’d have advice on how to proceed. The issue was that she didn’t want to talk about this in front of Eddie. She loved her best friend. Honestly, she did. There was nothing about him that she’d ever want to change, but she knew him. She knew that he would tease her about this, and that wasn’t what she needed when she was so unsure about how she was feeling and whether or not she was making a fool of herself right now.

Almost as if she could read the uncertainty on Chrissy’s face, Nancy turned her attention towards her boyfriend where he was lounging on the bed and finishing off his burrito.

“Do you mind going to get us something to drink? Maybe just some water bottles from the vending machine? Please?” she asked him.

“I thought you wanted me to pack my stuff?”

“Well, you aren’t packing right now, and I would be very grateful if you gave us the opportunity to have a little private girl talk.”

Eddie glanced back and forth between the two for a moment before pushing himself up from the bed and heading towards the door.  

“You’re lucky I love you,” he said. “Both of you.”

“Thank you,” Nancy called after him as he left.

She waited until she was sure that Eddie was gone and made sure she could hear the shower running to be sure that Steve wouldn’t be able to hear them either before turning her attention back towards Chrissy.

“Steve didn’t do anything to make you uncomfortable, did he?” she asked as she moved to sit down next to her. “Because I’ll go in that bathroom and strangle him right now if he took advantage of you or forced you to snuggle up to him like that. Just say the word, and I’ll do it.”

“It wasn't like that,” Chrissy insisted. “Steve was very much a gentleman. Honest.”

“Okay, good. Because I really would have strangled him if that wasn't the case. Can I ask you something else then?”

Chrissy nodded.

“If he was such a gentleman, why did you get so quiet when I brought up the beds?”

“I just didn't want Eddie to tease me.”

“Why would he have teased you?”

“Can I be honest with you?”

“You know, I really want us to be friends,” Nancy said as she considered Chrissy's question. “Of course, we've technically hung out together before, but that was always Eddie's doing. We were both there for him and not for each other. Other than Robin, I don't really have any friends that are girls, so when Eddie invited you to come with us, I was excited for the opportunity to finally get to know you a little better. I want us to be close, so you can absolutely be honest with me, and I promise I'll be honest with you in return.”

A smile lit up Chrissy's face. She'd never voice these fears out loud, but she'd spent a great deal of time afraid that Nancy only put up with her because of her friendship with Eddie. That Nancy only saw her as her boyfriend's annoying best friend and tolerated her being around for the sake of her relationship. So, hearing that Nancy actually wanted to be friends with her outside of the context of what Eddie meant to them really helped to push those fears aside. She never did this kind of thing with the other cheerleaders, but she trusted that she could share what was currently on her mind without fear of judgment.

“Well, if I'm being completely honest here, I'm the one who asked him to cuddle with me.”

“You did?”

“I did. I mean, he offered, but I thought it might have been a joke at first? But then I asked him, and he didn't even say anything. Just opened his arms to let me get closer to him, and he seemed to care more about my comfort than his own. It was very sweet actually.”

She stared down at her lap as she remembered the feeling of Steve's arms wrapped around her, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought. What she wouldn't give to fall asleep like that again.

“Chrissy Cunningham,” Nancy said with a beaming smile of her own. “Is that a blush I see?”

“I don't know. Maybe?” she replied.

“I think you like him.”

“I don't think that really matters. We barely know each other.”

“So? Do you remember when I interviewed you and Eddie for the school paper? For your production of Pygmalion?”

Chrissy nodded.

“That was the first real conversation I ever had with Eddie, and I knew I liked him by the time I left that auditorium. I felt terrible about it because I thought there was something going on between the two of you, but the feelings were still there regardless. So, I don't think it matters how long you've known him. All that matters is what you're feeling and whether or not you want to act on those feelings.”

“I'm not saying that I like him,” Chrissy insisted. “But, say that I do have feelings for him? Am I making a fool out of myself?”

“I don't think so. I've seen the way he looks at you, and I think that he could maybe like you, too. You just have to be willing to put yourself out there.”

“That's easier said than done. I've never just told a guy that I'm interested before.”

“You haven't?”

She shook her head.

“Jason was my first real relationship, and he was the one who asked me out. I've been second guessing a lot of that whole experience lately, so I have no idea what I'm doing here.”

“I don't know what I can say other than Steve is a great guy. He won't make you feel bad about yourself even if he doesn't feel the same way. I should know. I have firsthand experience with him.”

“Does that make this weird for you? Me asking you for advice on how to flirt with your ex, I mean?”

“Steve and I weren't right for each other, and it was never going to work out between us. Maybe if this had happened right after we broke up, I'd feel differently, but I view him the same way that I view my younger brother now. He annoys me to no end, but I can't imagine my life without him in it, and I just want him to be happy. If you'll make him happy, then I'm happy to give you a little nudge in the right direction.”

“You really think I could make him happy?”

“Yeah, I think I do. There's just something about the way he smiles at you. So, maybe just give him the opportunity to make the first move if you can't bring yourself to do it. I don't think you'll regret it.”

“Thank you.”

Chrissy didn't know what else to say. She might not have been sure how she would make it known that she was interested in starting something with Steve, but Nancy had effortlessly cleared away a sizable amount of her nerves about the whole situation.

“You're welcome,” Nancy replied. “Now pack up everything you don't need for the day. I don't want to spend a second longer in this place than I absolutely have to.”

With that, Nancy got up to finish packing her own things and get a start on Eddie's bags as well. Soon enough, it was Chrissy’s turn for the bathroom, and she found herself rushing through her morning routine to be ready as soon as possible. After the conversation that she’d had with Steve the night before, she was actually looking forward to their day at the beach. Her mother’s voice was still there - she knew it wouldn’t disappear completely overnight - but it was slightly easier to ignore it when she could recall Steve telling her that she was perfect.

So, when they were finally settled into their beach spot for the day, it only took her silently repeating that her mother was a fucking idiot to allow herself to take off her cover up and let other people see her wearing a bathing suit. Even if she felt a little self-conscious, she knew that her nautical themed bikini kept the parts of her that she was the most self-conscious about covered with its high-waisted bottoms. She could be brave about this, but she still felt herself freeze when Steve looked in her direction. As he approached her with his bottle of sunscreen, she told herself to play it cool. She could handle this. She knew she could.

“Mind giving me a hand again?” he asked, offering her the bottle.

She took it from him and helped him apply the sunscreen to his back again just like she’d done the day before. When she was finished, she handed the bottle back.

“Mind doing the same for me?” she asked.

She turned her back to him and pushed her hair over her shoulder so it would be out of his way. She tried to keep her cool as he took his time making sure he covered every inch of exposed skin on her back, but this was very different from them being snuggled up while fully clothed. Her skin was on fire with every little touch, and she hadn't realized just how large his hands were until could feel how much of her back they could cover at once.

After what felt like an eternity and still not enough time, Steve placed his hands on her shoulders and gave them a small squeeze.

“You're all set.”

“Thanks,” she said as she turned around to face him. “I appreciate it.”

“You're welcome. Cute suit by the way,” he said as he reached out to fiddle with one of the decorative white buttons closest to the top of her bikini bottoms. “I like the blue. It really makes your eyes pop.”

“Thanks,” she said, avoiding meeting his gaze. This was the exact kind of opportunity that she knew Nancy was talking about that morning. It would be so easy for her to just reach out and run a hand up his arm. She could smile at him and give his bicep a little squeeze. Look up at him and bat her eyes. Move a little closer to him and make it so much easier for him to lean in and kiss her. It would be so easy.

But she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not there and not in that moment. Flirting with him while she was so exposed felt too intimidating. She needed a little push which meant getting some alone time with Nancy to get her opinion on how to proceed.

“So, are you gonna get into the water with us today?” he asked, pulling her away from her thoughts.

“I think so,” she replied. “But I was hoping to have a little girl time with Nancy first if that's alright with her.”

“Absolutely not,” Eddie said. “You already had girl time this morning. It's my turn. You can't have her.”

With that, Eddie grabbed Nancy around the waist and lifted her to run away from his friends and towards the shoreline with her giggling and shrieking the whole way.

Chrissy and Steve shared a look, and she backed up slightly when she saw the mischievous smile that lit up his face.

“I'm not sure I like whatever you're thinking right now,” she said as she took another step backwards. 

The smile on her own face betrayed her, and soon, Steve was lunging to grab her. He lifted her with ease, and she clung to him as he ran to join Eddie and Nancy.

“Don't you dare drop me,” she managed to get out between her giggles.

It wasn't lost on her that Steve was treating her the same way that Eddie was treating his girlfriend, and she could feel her heart flutter as he gently let her down once they were about waist deep in the water.

“Look who's decided to join us today,” he announced to the other couple. “And only slightly against her will.”

“I was going to come out here eventually,” she insisted.

“Allegedly.”

Chrissy splashed in his direction which only led to him splashing her back, and soon they were enmeshed in an all out water war with Eddie and Nancy finally allowing Chrissy to act like the carefree girl she deserved to be.

***

When lunchtime finally rolled around, the group sprawled out on their blanket with sandwiches and chips from a nearby cart. After a morning of playing around in the water, they were all ready for a bit of a break.

“What are you looking forward to the most about being in D.C. tomorrow?” Nancy asked Chrissy as she started to unwrap her food. “I realized this morning that we never really got your input about what you wanted to do on this trip, and I could easily rearrange our schedule to include anything that we left out that's on any potential list you have.”

“Oh, I don't really have a list. This is your trip and not mine. You don't need to change anything on my behalf.”

“Don't be silly,” Nancy insisted. “This is just as much your trip as it is ours. If there's anything you want to do, I'll make sure it happens.”

“It's fine. Honestly, I'm just happy to be along for the ride.”

Steve frowned. If they hadn't had their heart to heart the night before, he might have believed her. But, knowing the pressure she was under to be agreeable and not be seen as a burden, he had a feeling that she wasn't allowing herself to do something that she felt might be an imposition. He felt compelled to make her realize that she was allowed to want things, and he thought he had a pretty good idea on how to do it.

When they finished eating, Steve excused himself saying that he was heading to the restrooms. Instead, he went in search of a vendor he was certain that he'd seen earlier. He quickly found them and purchased a single seashell collection jar. With a scrap of an old receipt, a sharpie, and some tape that he had in the glove box of his car, he made a new label for the jar.

Once he was happy with how it looked, he made his way back to where he'd left the group, and he found Chrissy by herself.

“I think Eddie and Nancy ran off to build a sandcastle,” she told him as he sat down next to her. “I told them I'd wait for you to get back.”

“This is for you,” he said as he handed her the jar. He watched as she eyed the label.

“The Chrissy needs to be nicer to herself jar?”

“Whenever I catch you being mean to yourself, you have to put a dollar in the jar. Every single time until we're back in Hawkins. And that includes you insisting that this isn't your trip, too. You might not have helped plan it, but you're an important part of it. For all of us.”

She was quiet for a moment, turning the jar over and passing it back and forth between her hands as she considered what Steve had told her.

“And what happens with the money at the end of the trip?” she asked when she finally spoke up.

“Well, if I see you putting yourself first, I might give you a dollar back, but I was thinking that we'd put this money towards doing something fun together after the trip.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Yeah. Just the two of us.”

“Okay. I can agree to those terms. Do I have to put a dollar in for saying I'm just along for the ride then?”

“I'll let that slide since it was before I made the jar. I just want you to realize that you're allowed to want things.”

“You know I'm not used to that.”

“I do.”

“Then you also know how hard this is going to be for me.”

“That doesn't mean I'm not going to help you get used to it.” He reached over and took one of her hands in his. “You deserve to be a little selfish sometimes.”

Chrissy didn't know if she could be selfish and put herself first. That went against everything her mom had forced her to believe over the years. She was supposed to be agreeable and go along with what everyone else wanted or else nobody would ever want her. But then there was Steve who was giving her hand a little squeeze and smiling at her and telling her that it was okay to care about her own happiness. She didn't know if she could do what he wanted her to do, but when he cared about her this much, she knew she could try.

***

Once they'd finished another long day at the beach, they made their way to the bed and breakfast that Nancy had found that morning. Nancy pulled Chrissy inside with her to check in, leaving the boys to unload and carry in all of their bags from the car.

“Now, you can say no to this, and I won't be mad at all,” Nancy said once they were out of earshot. “But I was maybe wondering if you'd be willing to share a room with Steve tonight? We have a room with one bed and a room with two beds booked, so obviously you would get the room with two beds. It's not like I'm expecting anything to happen between you two, and I don't want you to think this is me putting any pressure on you to make that kind of move on him or anything. It's just that Eddie and I really haven't gotten much alone time on this trip, and I'd really like to have a night for just the two of us, you know? But only if you're okay with sharing with Steve by yourself. If you're uncomfortable with that, just say the word, and you and I can share like we originally planned.”

The idea of sharing a room with Steve was both exciting and terrifying for Chrissy. On one hand, she'd never spent the night alone with a boy with a before. Not unless you counted Eddie, and she certainly didn't since there was no physical attraction between them. It was different with Steve. She still hadn't built up the courage to make a move or even let him know that she was open to him making a move, and sharing a room with him definitely threw that door open in a way that she wasn't sure if she was ready for.

On the other hand, the idea of potentially getting to sleep snuggled up to him again was so appealing. And knowing that there were two beds in the room helped to calm her nerves because she didn't have to share with him if she ended up being too afraid to ask him for another night of cuddles. They could just be two people sharing a room. Nothing had to happen between them.

“I can share with Steve,” she decided. “I don't mind.”

“You're literally my favorite person right now,” Nancy said as she pulled Chrissy in for a hug. “Thank you. I owe you one, okay?”

“Don't worry about it. Just enjoy your alone time with Eddie.”

Nancy got them checked in just as the guys entered carrying their bags.

“Steve, you're sharing with Chrissy if that's alright with you,” she said as she passed Chrissy her room key.

“I am?” That certainly wasn't the sleeping arrangement he'd expected.

“The room has two beds, and she's already agreed to it. You're allowed to say no though.”

“If it's fine with Chrissy, it's fine with me.”

“Perfect. We'll see you two in the morning for breakfast then.”

With that, Nancy started to make her way towards her room pulling a very confused looking Eddie behind her.

“So, are you actually okay with this, or do I need to make you put another dollar in the jar?” he asked once the other couple was gone.

“We shared a bed last night, Steve. I'm past being uncomfortable with sharing a room with you. Besides, it'll be just like our first night at the motel. The only difference is that we don't have to share our beds or listen to Eddie snoring.”

“Fair enough.”

They made their way to their room, and Chrissy called dibs on the first shower the second Steve had set down their bags. She wanted nothing more than to wash the sand and salt water out of her hair and put on some comfier clothes, and she wanted to do it as soon as possible.

When she'd finished in the bathroom, Steve took his turn which left her to think about their sleeping arrangements. To her, it was clear which bed Steve had claimed for himself. He'd set his bags at the foot of the first bed, and Chrissy's belongings were set on the second. She could easily accept this and climb into her own bed while he was in the bathroom.

But Nancy's voice was in the back of her head reminding her that all she had to do was take an opportunity to let Steve know that she was open to him making the first move. And what better way to let him know that than to be sitting on his bed when he came back into the room? And even if he didn't make a move and all they did was cuddle like they had the night before, that was still better than nothing at all. Maybe it was a little bit more bold than she was used to being, but she couldn't let herself sit on the sidelines while her life happened around her. She had to take charge in the little ways she could or else nothing was going to change.

So, without giving it another thought, she climbed onto Steve's bed and tried to make herself look casual as she flipped through instagram stories on her phone. Forget the fact that she was a bundle of nerves about how he was going to react to this. She could be cool and casual.

When Steve exited the bathroom and saw Chrissy lounging on his bed, he stopped in his tracks. He hadn't been expecting that from her after she'd made a point out of saying that they didn't have to share their beds that night. Yet there she was sitting on the bed that he'd claimed as if that was the most obvious place for her to be.

He was almost afraid to comment on it because he didn't want to scare her away. So, instead of saying anything, he just grabbed his bags and moved them over to the other bed. Then, he climbed onto the first bed to sit next to Chrissy.

“I don't know if you noticed,” he started. “But I kinda thought this was my bed.”

“I noticed. I just happened to decide that I wanted this bed, too. And I believe I recall a certain someone telling me that I was allowed to want things.”

Steve let out a laugh and smirked over at her.

“Careful, Chrissy. First, you invade my tent. Now, you're taking over my bed for the second night in a row. I'm starting to think you might have some ulterior motives here.”

She could have told him that she was hoping he'd take the hint, but she couldn't bring herself to make that final push. Instead, she playfully pushed his shoulder which only led to him pushing her back, and soon they were in a full on elbow war. Then, Steve got in one perfectly placed poke to Chrissy's side that left her giggling and squirming away from him. The same mischievous smile from earlier lit up his face again as he turned his full attention towards her.

“You know, I never did get back at you for ignoring our truce last night.”

“You wouldn't dare.” Chrissy's eyes went wide as she started to curl in on herself in anticipation.

“Oh, but I would.”

He was poised to strike, but before he could, she started laughing without him even touching her.

“Now, this is adorable,” he said with a wiggle of his fingers in her direction. All he had to do was hover his hands over her and act like he was about to touch her to elicit a ticklish reaction from her.

“Cut it out,” she said between her giggles as she tried to block his hands.

“Cut what out?” he asked. “I'm not even touching you.”

“You know what.”

She squeaked as he feigned moving to squeeze her hips, and she curled up even more in a failed attempt to shield herself.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Eddie was trying to listen to what was happening in their room.

“Eddie, what are you doing?” Nancy asked when she exited her own room and saw him.

“C’mon. Aren't you curious about what they're doing in there? All I can hear is Chrissy laughing though, and we both know Steve isn't that funny.” he asked.

“Not enough to be pervy about it like you are right now. Get back in here and leave them alone.”

Back inside, Steve was about to tickle her for real when he heard voices outside their room that he was pretty sure were Eddie and Nancy. He paused his playful torture and signaled for Chrissy to be quiet with a finger pressed to his lips before getting out of the bed and creeping towards the door with her following close behind him. He waited a moment to make sure he could still hear them before banging on the door which earned him a very loud “fuck!” from whoever was on the other side.

“Good night, Eddie!” Chrissy called out.

They heard Nancy apologize on Eddie's behalf, and once he was certain they were gone, Steve turned his attention back towards Chrissy.

“Now, where were we?” he asked.

“Well, I think I was thinking of taking a late night stroll.” She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to shield all of her tickle spots from him.

“Really?” he asked. “Because I was thinking we were doing something else.”

He didn't give her a chance to run. He was quick, and he was able to pick her up and gently toss her back on the bed before she even knew what was happening. She didn't try to get away though. She just laid there giggling in anticipation as he climbed back onto the bed.

There was a moment as he climbed over her where he was struck with just how well they seemed to fit together. It would have been so easy for him to just lean down and kiss her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't want the story of their first kiss to be that they were in bed and it just happened. Chrissy was special. She deserved better than that. And even if that wasn't the case, he didn't want her to think that he was trying to pressure her into doing something more. He could wait another day to kiss her. For now, he could be content with another tickle fight and hopefully another night of her snuggling up to him for comfort.

***

When Steve woke up the next morning, he was sad to find his bed empty. After Chrissy had surrendered in their tickle fight, neither of them had really been all that tired, so they'd put on a movie and ended up falling asleep cuddling again. But now, she wasn't in his bed, and he missed that warm and fuzzy feeling he'd had waking up next to her the day before. There was barely any light in the room, so he figured it had to be fairly early. Maybe she'd only gotten up to use the bathroom, and she was going to be coming back to snuggle up to him any minute now.

A quick glance around the room told him that wasn't the case. Chrissy was sitting on the window seat with her head tilted to rest against the glass. She looked deep in thought, and she was slightly illuminated by the beginnings of the sunrise. He didn't think he'd ever seen a more beautiful girl in his life. No one could ever hope to compare the way that Chrissy looked to him now.

He pushed himself out of bed to ask her to come back to get some more sleep with him, and moved to sit next to her on the window seat, but she spoke before he could make his request.

“I wish that we could stay in this moment forever.”

Her voice was barely even a whisper. So quiet that it made him question if he was actually supposed to hear her. He did though. He heard her, and he realized that he was wishing for the same thing, too.

So, instead of making his request, he opened his arms for her. She moved to sit on his lap, and he wrapped his arms around her as she leaned back against his chest.

Sitting there with Steve, Chrissy felt the safest and the most content that she'd felt in a long time. And, as they sat there watching the sunrise together, she knew what she had to do. Today was going to be the day she told him how she felt. If it wasn't painfully obvious to him already, she had to let him know. Before the day was through, she was determined to open her heart to Steve Harrington.

[ziipzeepzop-eez]

Okay hiii just ignore me if you want-

ZEEP ZEEP ZEEP IMAGINE WITH ME

LEO AND USAGI WITH THEIR KID RIGHT?

IN THIS INSTANCE THIS CHILD IS ADOPTED, EITHER WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER OR WHEN THEY WERE A TEEN IMMA IMAGINE BOTH FOR YA

CHILD GETTIN’ A GO FIRST

JUST JUST IMAGINE

This tiny child meeting these two big men, this tiny little child who’s life has been unstable and unpredictable is faced with the prospect of adoption, the promise that they’ll finally be in a home

Of course, before the adoption is complete and finalised, there is that uncertainty about “what if it doesn’t go through or get approved?” And the Fruitbowl Dads™️ can’t always be there all the time, but whenever they DO get a chance, and I mean EVERY SINGLE CHANCE, they’re reminding You that they already love them, and being so young it’s hard to not follow every glimmer of hope that peaks through. It’s just so exciting and scary at the same time. Their own room?! Forever?! Well just faint now.

Making this tiny rascal laugh so hard at Dad Jokes, it’s such a good thing to laugh. Two huge strong dads who are going to be the strongest support this tiny little one has ever seen. Gettin’ carried? A must, imagine all the things you could see from up there! It’s the world! Free for You to explore.

Getting adopted?! The process being finished?! The cheering and hugs? Immediately getting pizza (or some other food of choice) right after? Movie night? It’s such a warm welcome to Your Official Home.

THE TEEN? THE TEEN!

Oh poor child, passed through care home to foster home back into the system, back and forth to and fro, when will it end? Well the Fruitbowl Dads™️ are here to help!

It genuinely surprises You, the prospect of adoption. You had just assumed it would never happen, I mean? A teen? Don’t be ridiculous, it’s completely out the question. Couldn’t help but overhear people debating if it was worth the trouble for someone who’d move out in a few years anyway, and it’s hard not to assume this is all one big dream, and you’ll wake up soon. But every time You pinch Your cheeks, close Your eyes, half wanting to wake up, You never do, opening Your eyes to see two kindhearted individuals in front of You, ready for a huge hug.

After the gruelling process of adoption is complete, You can finally lay in bed and officially say You’re home. I mean, sure, You have been fostered here for a while, but it just feels so much more real and yet surreal at the same time. Cuddle piles are a NECESSITY for this, or maybe not at first, You had learned that getting close to people makes it harder to say goodbye, but now? Now you don’t *have* to say goodbye, now you can bury Your face in incense smelling fur, or bury Yourself into a plastron and not worry about it slipping through Your fingers. It’s here, and it’s staying.

Dad’s are probably gonna have to work with Ya on unlearning bad coping mechanisms, teaching You they don’t have to cry alone, it’s alright, having a rock hard shell is helpful sure, but not all the time. It’s gonna be tough, but who said parenting is easy?

No no, wait- wait. I-i just-- hrrrmmmmmmgn, hold ON- holding on. I, I cannot-- you just-

You just did-

How did you-?

I, I, ueue- ueueueeee.

^^^ my live reaction when reading this.

SHAWTYYYYYYY??? JELLY. MY JELLY BABY. MY FUDGIN' CINNAMON APPLE.

The way you WROTE THIS OUTTTTTTT. I am ROLLING AROUND IN MY BED (¦ꒉ[▓▓] IN LIKENESS TO A GLEEFUL SLUG 🪇🪇🪇🐛🪱🐛🪱🐛 THE WAY YOU JUST.... GRRAAAAAAAAHHHH GRABS YOU AND SHAKES YOU AND HOLDS YOUR HAND AND AND!!!! YOU!!!! YOU'RE JUST SO!!! ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)♡ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)♡ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)♡

I literally. Wanted to cry while reading this through. That's how good it is. Slash very complimentary. ✨Extremely✨ complimentary, if you will.

Seriously pookie, I couldn't have said it BETTER??? You're undeniably one of my favorite writers on this site. The way you completely understood what I was going for & added to make it even ✨🪽BETTER✨🪽

like it's so good it's making me run my deadlifts:

🎱➖✊➖➖✊➖🎱

🌟 \ / 🌟

⭐ \😁/ ⭐

✨ 🎽 ✨

/ \

👟 👟

Look at the stars!! Look at the sparkles!! That is the exudes of my OVERFLOWING JOY AND HAPPY STIMS!!!! 💞⭐🌟🌸✨💫🌷🌈☀🌻☁🩷

I was already in love with the child imagine but then I read the TEENAGE SECTION AND bro. I don't think I can live without this anymore, actually.

Rests hand on your shoulder and gazes deeply into your eyes. (/plat) I don't think I can live without you, actually.

Lemme tell you the things I loved:

All of it. 🌈🌸🩷

............nah nah but fr, lemme appreciate you in full rq-

the way you explicitly mentioned the foster/adoption homes, system, and process and tied it in very smoothly with the plotline!! - I realize now that I didn't mention it much, despite the whole point legitimately being an adopted reader. so you centering it in the way you did just really did sumn to me, no lie no lie. (/vv pos!! ☀)

taking the head canons and dividing them into the aspects by age, and making it work SO SO WELL LIKE--!!!! AS A WRITER? A FELLOW WRITER??? I am frothing at the mouth very impressed!! it all just fits together like a puzzle piece and I just, graaaaahhh ( ✧Д✧) YES!!

bustin in and having the, 💥audacity💥 to say "ignore me if you want" SUCKAAAAAAAAA????

(will legit hunt u down don't ever speak such none sense, I said NONE ❗💥 SENSE 💥❗ e'er again, ya hear?)

the realness of it. like, you. ...... that's it bro, legit just you.

Now I've got even MORE brainworms and, they say, they're already formulating a part two of sorts. ૧(ꂹີωꂹີૂ) now fellas I love my goobers but-- *dogs barking, truck horns blasting, random screaming on the background*

((*now I must indulge the child!*))

[faelune-home]

FFXIVWrite 2023 #19: Weal

(A/n: Trying to tell myself not to do more than twin pieces in the few prompts I've been able to do this month and yet twin ideas keep coming to mind. Not that I see anything wrong with providing more cute twins or twin adjacent plots, but I just feel I should diversify a bit more. But ah well.

So how about that all important duty to the star, ey Fourchy? Is it worth the long hours and the time away from home and the secrecy? All for the wellbeing of your kiddos, ey? Lol, I rib on him but I do like the conflict and the character motivation, even if I still wanted to kick him for the end of shb/start of endw, and even now he's kinda still on thin ice.

Word count: 773)

“You’ll be glad to hear that they’re both settling well, they’re sleeping easy in their new room. All the familiar blankets must be helping of course, but it’s still good news.”

“Good, good. They weren’t comfortable with sea travel at all.” Many a night punctuated by wailing and screams, overpowering the sound of creaking floorboards and crashing waves.

“They really weren’t, poor dears. Oh but I don’t think Alphinaud likes the cold much here, he’s always terribly upset whenever we go out for walks around the city. I have him with some extra blankets in his crib for now, see if it helps.”

“I see…we should hope that it doesn’t require a chirurgeon to come in and check on him, but hopefully he’ll adjust soon.” After all, they’ll both be growing up there, in this new-old city; new for the young ones, but many many decades old, even if it had been left with a smaller population for much of that time.

“He will, I’m sure of it. But I’ll keep the household on high alert should we need a healer on short notice, just for your peace of mind,” Ameliance smiled, a small glimmer in her eye as she both teased and placated her husband. Fourchenault didn’t quite have the heart to answer with much enthusiasm.

“I envy your confidence my dear,” he sighed, a hand held to one of his temples.

“Well, I know you worry for them, but they’re stronger than you might think, even at this age. They’ve made it this far, travelling across the world after all. I think this is a sign they’ll be firm fighters when they grow up.” He didn’t want to doubt or refute her words, he’s sure they would be quite fine at this age, with all the help and comforts they could need.

But the worry festered in his mind anyway, casting images of both children only hours old, so small in his arms, the slightest jolt or noise or anything that could hurt them if he wasn’t careful.

Those words stayed trapped in his throat though, finding himself unable to douse his wife’s optimism. She was a balm to his fears.

A chime rang from the chronometer in the room.

“Oh is that the time already?” Ameliance frowned.

“I’m afraid so,” Fourchenault answered, getting to his feet. Their reunion was over so quickly and he had to return to work. They moved to the foyer by the main door, though he waved off the servant ready to open them while he turned to his wife once more.

“I do hope you’re resting. Your work may be important but you can’t work effectively on little sleep,” she said, her frown looking a touch more stern.

“I try to, Ameliance, but really, tis easier to push on and see it done quickly.” Knowing what was at stake, he had to give all he could. He wished sometimes that he could tell her why but…

“But do try harder,” she insisted, “The children would like to see you hale and whole when next you visit. You will visit again soon, yes?”

“As soon as I can. But all this work is for them just as much as it is for every Sharlayan.”

“Oh I know that, of course. But telling them is one thing, at this young of an age, would they even understand the importance of it?” Ameliance asked. When he didn’t respond, she stepped closer to him, a gentle hand upon his cheek.

“I’m not trying to challenge you darling, nor do I disagree with your work or your reasons. Just don’t forget to come home to your children. See them with your own eyes and not just as an update on another missive. If all your work is for their well being in the future, then remind yourself of what you’re working for.” He reached up to hold her hand in his own.

A cry sounded deeper in the house, a quick word from Celia allowing her to slip off and see to the noise without breaking up the pair.

Fourchenault lowered her hand to her side, but gave it a light squeeze, keeping hold of it for a moment longer.

“Very well.” They finally separated, the door opening at the nod of his head. A distant ‘Milady’ sounded further up the stairs, paired with babbling sniffs.

“Lady Alisaie wished to see you–”

It was the last thing he heard, glancing back just quickly enough to see his daughter’s teary blue eyes staring after him before the doors closed.

It wouldn’t be proper to turn back. He had work to do.

[averywiseanimatedcat]

Rewatching Good Omens season 3 liveblog

Episode 4-The hitchhiker etc Post 3

Link to prev posts

Link to liveblog master post

He’s so me I also can only do something perfectly once then never again so matter how hard I try

*cute moment of simping cause my bf killed some nazis then took me for a car ride to the theatre where I got a magician job then he almost shot me in the face but he didn’t cause I can rely on him and he trusts me and I think I fell in love tonight he looked so good with that spotlight on him teehee*

Aziraphale is really good under pressure, and not regular pressure, like life threatening pressure. He’s terrible in normal situations but as soon as Crowleys wellbeing was on the line he pulled that shit OUT.

I appreciate how this minisode ends with Aziraphale admitting there’s something to be said about shades of grey. But man…this Angel makes slow progress? How long has it been since bOudeY snatching? A long time and he’s still deciding if Crowley is evil or not or if good and evil aren’t binary…

Honestly sort it out Aziraphale you’re fumbling the bag big time here you can’t simultaneously want a demon to climb you like a tree whilst also believing he’s inherently evil. Honestly tho….I do think this night is where Aziraphale at least starts to fall in love. You can how unsure and kinda offbeat he is at the start like he has feelings but doesn’t know what they are. So he puts them down as ‘friend’ and ‘trust’. But he also realises that Crowley trusts him to, which is the turning point that pushes him to stray outside of his usually black and white thinking. It’s not just that he’s an angel and he’s good and can believe Crowley is also good, but Crowley is also straying outside what Aziraphale would consider demonic behaviour by trusting an angel.

DAMMIT they’re cute.

AnyWAY…

*Shax calls Aziraphale “Crowleys pet”*

Yes but the other way around.

The car following him…it’s so cute. Crowley has spent this whole season jogging along after Aziraphale and THE CAR IS DOING IT TO NOW.

*Aziraphale excited to see his hubby and hear Crowley was worried cause he was late*

*immediately gets plants shoved in his face*

“Oh there you are I was worried something might’ve happened to you.”

CAN WE stop and appreciate this line from Crowley?

——-

Crowley was definitely waiting and watching at the window because he saw Aziraphale pull up and came straight out with the plants all ready to go. And he’s again giving me ADHD energy because when you get ‘big’ emotions they often come out in some kind of weird hyperactive physical way (like running outside and shoving plants in your hubbys face when there was 0 rush to get them in the car whatsoever). I think he was worried, and he felt so happy and relieved when Aziraphale came back but he’s repressing so they emotions come out in this other way.

That’s a big lesson for life really-your emotions cannot be contained. They will come out someway, and you can either decide how they’re going to come out and have some control over it or they’ll come out in their own way in their own time.

——-

I’ve heard a few people say that if Crowley hadn’t told Aziraphale he was living in his car why didn’t he ask about the plants?

In my head Crowley either just told him he needed to bring them over to look after them while he stayed at the bookshop (we don’t actually know how long Azi was away I don’t think?) or Azi has asked at some point (or at multiple points) over the last few years but Crowley lied and got all defensive so Aziraphale stopped asking. These two both tend to just drop things if they come to a disagreement so it’s well within reason that Aziraphale did ask-but was shut down so just dropped it.

Moving on…

If anyone asks, this is my religion now.

Every time I get to see my child genuinely smile it makes my heart happy. We got to see him smile so freely this season it’s beautiful.

Bonus for the production shot of Furfurs book because there’s a few things I wanna point out:

-this book basically calls Aziraphale a squishy basic beige bitch and that’s amazing

-then it goes on to call him a demon smiter? Has he like…killed a demon before?

-absolutely not surprised he’s been a bishop in the past and I want that flashback as a minisode next season because you KNOW Aziraphale woulda been struggling hard with his friendship with Crowley while he was a ‘man of god’

-it’s so funny to me that Aziraphale was ‘assigned’ to Crowley like you gotta report your interactions to him. I need a little context here, is that why they started seeing each other so much? Because they were assigned to keep an eye on the other one by their respective sides?

-Furfur really going after Crowley for his name and bitch is called Furfur??

-‘His hair is BAD!’ Made me laugh so hard, Furfur giving me bitter ex vibes

[theunmappedstar]

knight!sophie x reader headcanons

you are a runaway royal and sophie the knight has tracked you and orders you to come home, but you smirk and she sighs because she knows that you have authority over her as the king and queen are not around, so now she is going to have to accompany you on your little journey

in the end she doesn't really care too much where you go, just that you don't get hurt.

you encounter dangers together... you tend to her wounds after a fight....  

after the first scuffle, she's resistant to you taking care of her. she’s able to avoid your care that round, but the second she gets into another situation, you order her to take her armor and shirt off... before realizing too late exactly what that entails

no worries, she knows what you mean. she doesn’t mention it and silently obeys

you see all her scars under her armor. she grimaces but tries to stay quiet as you dress the wounds. she can’t help but hiss in pain when you tie one a little too tight, and when you panic and loosen it she assures you she's fine.

after weeks of fighting and protecting you and staying up what seems like 24/7 to guard you, she lets down her guard and falls asleep against your shoulder that night.

but that’s just the beginning: one night, after an evening of mead and dancing in the nearby pub, you stumble out together, laughing and feeling warm inside. in a moment the laughter between you dies down and you just gaze at each other, listening to each other's breaths, before you lean in and close your eyes, butterflies exploding in your stomach as you feel sophie, too, lean towards you and your lips brush-

if reader isn’t amab and sophie is a woman... that would not be acceptable during that time period.

at some point, reader would eventually confess and sophie looks elated but then her smile falls because no, she has a duty and it's wrong and she can't court a royal of all people. 

she takes her hand out of yours and looks away, shaking her head as she insists it cannot happen. she becomes distant because she doesn't want to taint the reader, not like that, but reader keeps pushing and insisting that it can work, they're already halfway across the kingdom and if they make it out of the border they can go somewhere else and forget this nightmare and live on their own-

ANYWAY, back to the pub night where we started: the evening doesn’t go any farther than that one kiss, but you fall asleep against her and it’s so warm and you feel so safe....

however, when morning comes, you wake up to find sophie missing. when you get up to look for her, it doesn’t take more than a few seconds to discover she’s sitting feet away by herself. 

when she hears you approach, she stands up quickly and clears her throat. she asks you whether you're ready to get going, and you can tell she's acting very strange, so you wonder if she remembers the night before. eventually, you assume she must because she flinches away at your every touch and is distant the whole day

sophie trying to act like she's all business. sophie not using her nickname for you anymore, just calling you by your royal title. sophie insisting there be a certain amount of distance between the two of you so that she can better "survey the area" without you getting in the way, though you know she just wants space. sophie insisting you don't touch anymore. sophie insisting there be less time for chattering after meals so that you get moving and on your feet faster. 

you can feel her pulling away and it breaks you because you spent so long tearing those walls down and now it feels like she's running away from you the same way you ran away from home

(but no worries! we all know i can't end a love story badly, so they'll reconcile and figure it out eventually ;) )

....the reader almost dies for plot reasons and these plot reasons are so that sophie can go feral trying to protect you and also so she can snap during your recovery and admit she loves you and can't live without you- 

sophie's in the middle of handing you food and letting you eat when she's staring at you and tears start slipping down her cheeks. her nostrils flare and she sniffles and chokes a little and you ask what's wrong, which only make her break down more. and then when she wipes her eyes and looks back at you, fighting to compose herself, she breaks with a garbled laugh and reaches over to brush some crumbs from around your mouth. she lets her finger stay longer than needed. she meets your eyes and you see hers well up again as she bites her lip.

and then it all spills. she whispers about how she can't let you die, she can't see you hurt, she can't let you go. she wants you so bad, she doesn't care if everyone else says it's wrong because she knows that it's right and she was so stupid to ever push you away and she feels terrible that she ever hurt you like that. she just thought she was protecting you. she thought she was bad for you, like the world said. but now sophie sees she can be good for you. and you can be good for her. and she slips her hands around your face and sniffles to you about how she doesn't want to leave you. she wants to go somewhere and build a home and a life and a family. and she's so sorry she ever let you get hurt. sophie doesn't know how the attacker snuck up like that, but she swears it wont happen again. she swears she won't let anyone touch you.

you cup your hands over the ones she has on your cheeks and you can't help but weep with her. she's all you've ever wanted. you aren't sure of anything else in life except her. and she wants you. 

...halfway through the sweet confession you realize how unclothed you are and how you hadn't noticed until now that you're bandaged in places that would require the removal of your clothes. 

you look down at your torso. then you look up at her. her eyebrows scrunch and then you softly ask, "...did you..?" 

her eyes shoot open and she blushes and insists it was just medical and she tried to cover you or not look but she was bandaging really fast and you were sort of bleeding out so swears she wasn't focused-

there's nothing but the crackle of the fire for a few moments after that. and she's still blushing as you look over at her. slowly, she meets your eyes again. you whisper and ask if she'd like to focus with you. 

it takes her a moment to understand what you mean, and her eyes grow big and bright with that beautiful surprised face she has, and you can see the way her breathing picks up. she struggles to answer, not knowing what to say, and then you lean your face a bit closer. it's an invitation. a starting point. and you stay in the spot you nudged your chin to, waiting for her response. 

it barely takes a second before her hands are cradling your face again and she's kissing you, twisting your mouth against hers, parting for air and returning so quickly you swear it's like she thinks you're some sort of miraculous medicine. she's ravishing your mouth deep and slow kisses, tilting your head for more access, and all you can think about is how you can't think. your brain is melting and your body feels like it's a puddle, but at the same time, you can feel the frantic thump of your heart and the heat pooling in your stomach at the way her mouth captures yours. her hands fisting in your hair. your hands settling on her waist and you pull her forward and let her crawl above you, thighs on either side of your body as she sits over your lap. her hands travelling down as she kisses along your neck. she feels up your sides, runs her thumbs down your arms, slides her hands along the small of your back. and eventually she pulls back and looks you in the eyes for a second. 

she just.... looks. her panting and yours are the only things you hear besides the fire until she leans forward and brings your lips together again, kissing you slower, longer.

.....yeah i uh i want sophie foster to kiss me and then settle down to snuggle with me for the night beside the fire

totally off topic, but i can’t stop thinking about dressing her wounds - her arms and back are incredibly toned and she has scars all across her torso,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, hnghhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnnnngbfvrh

also! i'm just thinking about earlier on in the au before either of you have confessed and she insisted on you taking a bath in the river so that you could freshen up before you had to get on the road again, and that she'd take watch so no one would sneak up you while you did so, and once you get out and get dressed you tell her it's her turn. 

sophie is so confused and says that, no, that's not the plan. you two have to get moving. but you shake your head and say that she must be hot under all that armor and if she can watch over you while you bathe, you can do the same for her. you'll alert her if you see or hear anything.

 it takes a lot of convincing, but she huffs and strips out of the clanky armor and goes down by the water. and she strips on the shore and wades in and you know you aren't supposed to look in that direction and you don’t plan to, but your stupid weird little brain can’t stop making unwanted images!

oh, sophie teaching you how to wield her sword and finding the way it’s a little too heavy for you amusing

it takes you a while to convince her to so much as allow you to touch it because she seems to think you'll accidentally impale yourself, but once you do convince her she stands behind you and holds your hands in hers, and keeps the sword steady in your hands and murmurs instructions into your ears and you can barely focus because she smells like cinnamon and smoke and she’s so close to you

all you can think about while she's murmuring in your ear is her stooping just a tad lower to kiss on your neck, and you just wish she'd drop the sword already and put her hands on your waist and spin you around-

possible scene but maybe it's just me spitballing/yearning? um, i want sophie foster to back me against the wall of a bar and as i sit there and stutter because our chests are together and she's practically breathing me in as she whispers to stay still, she's covering me because someone just walked into the bar looking for me- and her hand is on her thigh where she's strapped a dagger and she's telling me to stay still and be quiet and they might not come over here if they don't see my face but hell, all i can think about is kissing her

......yeah i'm Yearning

OKAY so the reader almost dies, right? i've been thinking about it and maybe the royal family isn’t very popular, so when the reader gets recognized they’re kidnapped and held for ransom. but when the kidnappers realize they likely won’t reap any reward, they decide to get rid of the reader and escape - because even if a ransom won’t get paid, they still kidnapped a member of the royal family and that’s punishable by death.

so, they tie the reader up and leave them bleeding. sophie tracks the kidnappers down, thinking they have reader. but they lie. they tell her that they killed the reader to get rid of dead weight

and sophie? sophie goes ballistic. she kills all of them ruthlessly and without mercy and the last person screams out moments before death that they left reader tied up miles away

given the general location, sophie goes off to find the reader and discovers them unconscious and bound, bleeding out. its all a blur from there. 

sophie tries her hardest to untie you quickly while not moving you two much, trying to keep from crying because dammit she has a job to do and no one else is there to help her tend to your broken body, and she frantically starts to throw every supply down that she has, hoping there's something that can help-

sophie tends to the wounds and makes camp and doesn't leave your side until you wake up

and once you finally do, she feeds you and keeps you hydrated... and then That scene happens, if you remember it, way back up there :)

#smooch, you feel?

[minty-mumbles]

Shifting Hues (Ch. 2: Iris Evening)

Summary: A fic that follows Wild’s journey to discover themselves. This chapter: Wild finally gets the chance to tell Flora they aren't a man.

A/N: Beta read by @supraobsessed :)

(Read on AO3 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 3.1)

~~~

Wild and Zelda lay side by side on the bank of the shallow pond behind their house. It’s quiet out. Wild’s house is close enough to the center of Hateno that the hustle and bustle of the daytime reach the house, but most of that has faded away now. Everyone is in their houses, enjoying a late dinner, putting their children to sleep, or otherwise getting ready to go to bed.

The sun has fully set, and the sky overhead is an enchanting shade of blue-purple. A lighter shade of blue streaks the sky in the east where the last remnants of the sun’s light clings to the sky. It reminds Wild of the irises that grow on Hyrule Field, the same place Wild and Zelda had fought the Dark Beast Ganon. 

If Wild thinks about it too hard, this scene is too reminiscent of the scene that had followed after their victory on that day. The image of the two of them collapsing to the ground in exhaustion and injury after that fight, too hurt and strained to even move comes unbidden to Wild’s mind, and they shake it off.

They shift their hand off to the side, reaching out toward Zelda, and without a word, she offers them her hand. The irises that grow in Hyrule Plain are a gorgeous color, and this evening’s sky reminds Wild of them. They don’t have to think about it harder than that. 

It’s just the two of them, laying out here. The other heroes are all secluded in Wild’s house, fighting over who gets to sleep on Wild’s spare cot and who has to pull out their bedrolls. If Zelda had been away, Wild would have offered to let one of them share his bed with them, but as it was, Wild and Zelda would be sharing the bed. 

According to her, she’d spent most of her time in Hateno while they were missing, and had been living in their house in hopes they would return. She’d been sleeping in the bed while doing so, and Wild doesn’t see a reason to kick her out of the bed for the few days they’ll be staying in the house visiting. 

Besides, Wild likes to cuddle when their sleep. They'd been sorely lacking any of that sort of affection while away. 

For a good while at the beginning, all the heroes had been hesitant and averse to any personal touch. They’re mostly over that by now- pats on the shoulder, hair ruffles, and hugs are plentiful. However, at night, everyone still sleeps in their separate bedrolls, no one daring to curl up next to each other. 

(Sky sometimes rolls over and smothers the person laying next to him in his sleep, but that isn’t exactly the kind of cuddling Wild likes. It’s too restrictive.) 

Warriors and Legend had leered at Wild when they said they’d be sleeping in the same bed as Zelda, so Wild was starting to think that it may be a cultural difference. Perhaps for the other heroes, sleeping together meant something more than friendship? 

Wild had only rolled their eyes at that idea. They love Zelda so much, and they don't know what they’d do without her, but their relationship isn't romantic, and never has been. 

Everyone else can make their own assumptions about their relationship with Zelda. Their opinions aren't relevant. 

The two of them would figure things out at their own pace. It‘a possible that they’ll end up being as lovey-dovey as Time and Malon or Sky and his Zelda are. However, Wild thinks it’s much more likely that they’ll forever stay in the weird gray area they’ve fallen comfortably into. 

They’re much more than friends, yet still aren’t lovers. It confuses people, but those people can stay confused. It isn't any of their business anyways.

It won’t matter in the end which way the two of them would end up falling.  Whether or not Wild and Zelda sleep in the same bed tonight has no bearing on if they’re lovers or not, even if the other heroes think it does. 

Zelda seems content to hold their hand and enjoy the quiet of the falling night, watching as the stars slowly appear in the sky and the fireflies dart around.

Wild on the other hand- although they appreciate the reprieve from the chaos inside the house- isn’t quite as content as Zelda seems to be. Their mind is elsewhere. Specifically, they feel the pressure to tell Zelda the thing that had been weighing on their mind for a while.

When Wild had first realized they weren’t a man, they’d told themself that they would tell Zelda the truth the next time they saw her. 

Now the time was upon them to actually tell her. 

Wild’s never been good at keeping secrets or having a good poker face, so they speak, almost without meaning to. 

“Zel?”

She hums in response. The sound is quiet and tired, and Wild’s sure that if they let her, she would fall asleep out here under the stars. It’s the beginning of summer, so they're almost tempted to let her. It’s warm enough for it.

Wild doesn’t say anything for a long moment. Some terrified thing in the pit of their stomach makes it impossible to speak. They don’t have anything to fear; Zelda would never turn her back on them, no matter what they did. They have nothing to fear, but still, they are afraid. 

Wild thinks that might make them a coward. But they suppose it would only make them a coward if they were afraid and refused to act because of that fear.

Wild won’t refuse to act because they are afraid. They must tell Zelda. They must tell someone.

They try again, from the beginning. “Zel?”

She shifts slightly, and they think she turns to look at them, but they don't look back, keeping their gaze firmly on the glowing stars above. Dusk is creeping in further now, the light retreating from the sky. “Yeah?” She sounds more curious now, and slightly more awake. She doesn’t say anything else, letting them speak when they're ready.

Another pause, and they open their mouth. What comes out isn’t what they intended to say. 

“Zel. I don’t like my name.” Once they start speaking, they have to keep pushing the words out from between their gritted teeth. The words they end up saying aren’t wrong, but they aren’t the whole truth either. It isn't what they meant to say. 

Their hands are trembling, body tense and riddles with adrenaline. With Zelda holding their hand, they’re sure she can feel their shaking. 

Zelda’s smart though. Wild thinks she understands anyways. 

“The nickname the other heroes gave you?” She asks cautiously. 

“No. I like Wild,” They admit. “It’s more… me. It’s more me.” 

“It certainly suits you,” Zelda agrees, teasingly. “Wild child,” She says affectionately. She reaches over with her other hand- the one that isn’t still holding Wild’s- to tug gently at a stray lock of Wild’s hair that has fallen out of their messy ponytail. Wild finally turns to look at her, giving her a hesitant smile. She looks back at them with such fondness it makes Wild soften, just a little bit.

“So you don’t like the name Link, then?” Zelda guesses. 

“No,“ They agree. “I guess I don’t like Link.”

“Okay, then I’ll call you Wild if that’s what you want.” The easy acceptance is stunning, even though they’d partly expected it. It’s something they love about Zelda; she’s almost never phased by anything. She casually accepts anything that comes her way. Being friends with Wild, that’s a good quality to have, and she puts it to use now.

“No one has to call you Link if you don’t want them to.” She adds on. She sounds like she’s trying to reassure them. It only reminds him that even though Zelda is accepting, that doesn't mean everyone would be. 

Wild sighs, their relief suddenly disappearing in an instant and being replaced with utter misery. A tear slowly drips down their cheek. Their body had been tense since they realized now would be a perfect time to bring up this topic with Zelda, and it remains that way now. This conversation is way too stressful. “The heroes have always been named Link, though. And I’m the hero. So I’ve gotta be Link.” 

Zelda shrugs next to them. “So what if the heroes before you were all named Link? You’ve always been good at breaking people's expectations into little tiny pieces.”

She makes it sound so simple, it makes Wild feel a little silly. “You aren’t bound by law to be exactly like the rest of them. And anyways, not a single person who lives in Hyrule actually cares about the myth of the princess and the hero. tHey don’t care who we are. We could be moblins and they’d still be endlessly grateful that we got rid of the Calamity. No one will care if you change your name.” 

Wild acknowledges what she said as true. No one cares about their eccentric behavior anymore, not once they realize who Wild is. The people of Hyrule would probably call them anything they wanted short of naming themself monarch of the country. 

Zelda considers what she said and adds an amendment. “And if anyone does have a problem with it, turn them into a pin cushion with your arrows.”

They giggle wetly at Zelda advocating for violence. They’ve been slowly crying the whole conversation, and now the tears spill freely. Their giggle turns into a weak strangled sob of relief.

Zelda rolls over and hugs them. Neither one of them sits up, content to lay together. Zelda lets them cry it out, their face tucked into her shoulder. 

When Wild gets their breath back under control, they tell Zelda, “I don’t want to be called a he anymore. I’m not a man.” It comes easier, now that they’ve already broached the topic. 

It feels strange, to say it aloud. Wild’s only said it to themselves before, and never out loud, not with the threat of someone overhearing them. Their sniffles stop completely after they get the last confession off their chest, and they hold their breath, waiting for Zelda’s response. 

She replies with another simple, “Okay,” and then, “Do you want to be called a she?” Wild falters. They’re again relieved by the easy acceptance, but the question makes them pause.

Because they don’t know. Wild’s spent the whole time since they admitted to themself that they weren’t a man thinking about how much they wished people didn’t view them as one. But they hadn’t really put any thought into what they wanted to be instead. 

They eventually shake their head slowly in response to Zelda. They weren't a he, but she wasn’t quite right either. They were just Wild. They admit as much to Zelda.

“Then how about I call you a they, then?”

Wild hums a pathetic agreement. Zelda’s kindness is making tears well up in their eyes, and oh, they’re crying again. Wild’s getting a little sick of crying. They’re probably loud enough that those inside the house can hear them this time, but they don’t care. 

It takes a while for them to calm down completely, but eventually they’re laying with their head on Zelda's chest, looking up at the stars once again. Their breathing is steady, besides a few lingering hiccups. Now that they’ve told Zelda everything, they feel… better, a little. Zelda’s calm acceptance is refreshing in the face of their own vitriolic thoughts about themself.

When they’ve calmed, Zelda speaks again. This time she’s the one that sounds hesitant and almost nervous.

“Wild?” They answered her with a questioning hum.

“Can I tell you something too?” Wild nods into her shoulder, curiosity filling them.

Zelda sighs, carding her fingers through Wild’s long hair. “I don’t like my name either. I like it better when you call me Zel.” Wild knows that there’s more to that statement than it seems, just like she had known that there had been more to it when Wild admitted they don’t like the name ‘Link.’ But he doesn’t pry. If Zel wants to elaborate, she would. If not, Wild won’t press. She’ll tell them at her pace.

Knowing that not only had Zel accepted them, but that Wild isn’t alone in their feelings nearly makes Wild start crying a third time, but Wild’s pretty sure they’ve run out of tears. 

Zel is supposed to be the princess, but if she’s like them… It makes Wild a little relieved to know that even if there’s something wrong with them, they’re wrong together with Zel.

“What a pair we make, hmm?” Zel says. “Neither one of us are exactly what we’re supposed to be, I guess.”

~~~

“Zel, wait-” Wild catches Zel by the hand before she can turn back to the house, “I’m sorry. I didn't even have enough time to send a letter before I had to leave. I would have if I could. I didn’t mean to disappear on you.” 

Wild’s sorry for disappearing on their other friends too, but they don’t apologize for that. Leaving Zel hanging without any word from them seems more significant than disappearing on their other friends. Wild can excuse not letting other people know what they’ve been doing. They can’t excuse not letting Zel know.

Wild doesn’t know why they’re only telling her this when they’re about to leave. Wild’s never been good at emotional confrontation.

They let go of Zel’s hand when she turns back to face them. She looks stressed, and she’s biting at her lower lip. “I know. It’s just… the waiting and not knowing if you were okay… It was rough.”

Wild’s lips curl into a grimace. Their eyes are dark as they look at Zel. “I understand,” They say, and they do understand, intimately. The times they had spent running around Hyrule before they had rescued Zel, not knowing if she would be okay had been torture. They never wanted to make Zel feel that way too.

Zel nods. She doesn’t return their gaze. Instead, her eyes are locked on some distant point over their shoulder. “I know you do. Just try to write occasionally so I know you’re not dead.”

“I will,” They said firmly, trying to convey their conviction to keep that promise. They had missed Zel while they’d been away, and now that the group had access to a mailman who was willing to run through time travel portals to deliver mail…

The system wasn’t perfect. The mailman still had a bit of trouble finding the heroes with how often they were on the move. But it was something. Wild would need to get their hands on some letter-writing materials as soon as they could.

Zel speaks again. “I’m not mad that you were gone, I was just worried that you were dead. I actually think that… Well, it was good for us to spend some time apart, I think. It gave us time to figure ourselves out,” Wild didn’t really have anything to say to that. They couldn’t deny that Zel was probably right. She usually was. 

Zel sighs heavily,  “For the goddess’ sake, just be careful Wild, won’t you?” She sounds fond. Seemingly spontaneously, she draws them into a hug. Wild squeezes back as tightly as they can, not wanting to let go..

But eventually, she draws back. “I’ll be careful,” they assure her, and Zel makes her way back into the house, waving over her shoulder with a tired smile. The door shuts behind her.

Well, no one ever said that Zel was any better at emotional conflict than Wild was.

Wild turns towards where the rest of the heroes are gathered by the bridge, giving the pair some privacy to finish their goodbyes. It’s time for the group to head off. Zel had given them information on black-blooded monsters harassing the northern ice house in the desert. 

It’s been a while since Wild has seen Riju. It was high time they paid her a visit.

[hazel-of-sodor]

Lockdown

Prompt 2. Hazel- @predawnrex04

Other Stories

Lockdown

Feb 1st 2020

The immigration and citizenship office in Tidmouth had been exceptionally busy the last few weeks, but now it was almost empty. The eerie quite did nothing to settle the pacific's nerves. In the distance Gordon could see Tina at the docks, the massive liner loaded to capacity with people leaving Sodor. When she returned, she would be empty except for her crew. The question was, would one of his crew be leaving with her.

"Don't worry old boy." His driver reassured him. "She has Jane Hatt on her side, and all the paperworks in order. They'll approve her." Even behind the mask, she couldn't quite hide her own worry.

 "I'll relax when she is here. There need not been a meeting at all. Our controller's word should have been enough. Instead they insist on their right to question her. Now of all times."

The doors finally opening prevented Rachel from responding. Jane Hatt walked out with their firewoman in tow. The controller strode over to Rachel, "Get her into a Fireman's uniform, we'll get her her own as quickly as possible, but you'll have to make due for now."

"Does this mean..." Rachel asked.

"As of today, I'm a Sodor citizen, employed by the North Western Railway." Hazel spoke quietly.

A long whistle bast resounded over the harbor. The four turned too see Tina drop her mornings. "And not a moment too soon."

The fat controller put her hand on Hazel's shoulder, "There was never any doubt my dear. They put your application off till last because it was only a formality. The meeting was only a measure to prevent claims of favoritism."

Hazel sighed dejectedly, "Maybe, but it was still stressful as hell." 

Rachel looked concerned, "Isn't this what you wanted Hazel? You been working towards this for years."

"Yeah but...it was supposed to be a celebration. Not a hail mary in the face of the world going to hell." She leaned back against Gordon's buffers and looked up, "I'm beyond grateful to be staying here, but I can't shake the feeling its going to get worse before it gets better."

Jane nodded grimly, "London's still refusing to acknowledge the problem. They're mad we're turning away tourist traffic."

"The states aren't much better," Hazel admitted, "I keep hoping that they'll take action, but..."

"They're too afraid of losing money to admit we have a pandemic on hand." Rachel guessed.

"That's about the sum of it." Hazel rubbed her face. 

In the distance tugs had maneuvered Tina into the bay and dropped their lines. She sounded four long blasts on her whistles, as she got under way, quickly gaining speed.

"I've always dreamed of sailing on her." Hazel mused, "but I'm glad I'm not on this voyage."

Rachel laid a hand on her shoulder. "As are we. I think the engines were making a plan last night to hide you if they denied your application."

"Of course not." Gordon said with an insulted huff, "those plans were made weeks ago."

Jane raised an eyebrow, "I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear one of my engines admit to planning a kidnapping."

"How ready are we?" Hazel asked.

"As we can be." Jane reassured her. "Come Monday all non-essential traffic from outside the island will be halted. All our warehouses are fully stocked, and the hospitals are on standby." 

"And what's to keep the bloody tourists from crossing anyway." Rachel muttered, only to flinch as Hatt fixed her with a glare. "You know I'm right. There will always be idiots who ignore the rules."

"That's why we're cutting off the Island."

Hazel and Rachel's jaws dropped. Gordon looked approving.

"Can we even do that?" Hazel asked.

"The North Western controls the Tunnel to the Isle of Man. We're sealing both ends tonight. We also control the Vicarstown lift bridge. When it lifts Monday morning, the controls will be severed on our end. The road bridge currently has a section removed for repair. How unfortunate that it won't be back before the island enters lockdown." The fourth Fat Controller smiled grimly, "I can't promise that Sodor won't see covid. But it will have to fight for every inch."

[tworoadsandapenny]

What You Wish For: Chapter 14. The Ires That Burn

Ah yes, I remember writing this chapter. The first time it took only a few hours because Raph and rage come so naturally to me, but then a computer crash stole all my work and the rewrite took a while.

I think I'm happy with what I cobbled together.

~*~*~*~*~*~

He’s slipping away. Again. I feel him leaving and my hand panics, flailing about and trying to grasp at him as he walks away. “Don’t—“ But no sound escapes my lips. Words won’t form. ‘Cause he’s leaving and I’m not ready. I’m not ready to let him go. Not ready to be without him. Not ready to never hear his voice again or see his disapproving frown.

His pristine katanas. His perfectly skilful katas. His blue bandana blurring behind him as he dances from one form to the next.

I’m not ready to miss him.

My chest tightens and I cough just to try and find some air. It feels like I’m underwater, constantly fighting to get back to the surface for one more dreg of oxygen. And he ain’t there to help. He ain’t coming to the rescue. I always hated it when he came to my rescue.

I can’t stand that he never will again.

It was me. It was my fault. My fault! If I hadn’t left, if I’d stayed, if I’d just listened to a damn word he’d said—I hate it when he gives me orders, but I’d give everything to hear him bark one more! Just one more…

“Leo, wait!”

Why won’t he stop! He never leaves. He’s always there. Even when I don’t want him. Even when I tell him not to be. Even when I don’t need him. When I don’t think I need him. When I don’t want to admit it… he somehow knows. How does he always know?

I need him.

Did he know that? Did I ever tell him?

“I DON’T NEED YOU!”

Dammit, he’s still walking away and I can’t stop him. Have no right to. Can only watch in a panic as he casually walks out of my life. Forever.

“I’m not leaving, Raph. I’m still here.”

But it’s not true. All I can see is his shell as it gets smaller and smaller in the distance.

“S-Still here…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I wake up with the biggest headache I’ve ever had. Whoever it was that snubbed me was gonna get his.

Hun. He was there. What on earth he was doing on that roof… or maybe he’d been following me, I don’t know. Hadn’t been paying attention. Leo would be livid if he knew I’d—

“You shouldn’t have left.”

Leo.

I can’t reply. I know I ain’t alone and I don’t want the assholes around me to know I’m awake. But damn if it ain’t relieving to hear his voice, condescending as it is.

Still with me. Still…

“You weren’t in the right frame of mind. You weren’t paying attention, of course they were able to sneak up on you.”

And the endless worry continues, somehow always ending up in my direction. I want to be annoyed—I’ve been in tougher scrapes than this and he damn well knows it—but honestly, it just feels good to have him near. Know he’s got my back.

A pain erupts in my chest and I can’t for the life of me figure out what it’s coming from. It’s like someone is ripping my ribs open and tearing out my lungs. Some deep ache from a loss I can’t fathom or understand right now.

He’s still here. I hear him. Feel him. Still here.

“I can’t… I can’t help you.”

I damn near open my eyes because I can swear I hear him choke. He doesn’t show emotion like that. Not in public. Barely ever in private. But I know he’s not there. Not really.

“Raph, I think you’re in more trouble than you realize. The others are coming, but I don’t know… they’re not thinking right either. They’re scared and frantic and they’ll walk right into this. And I can’t do anything. I can’t…”

I only ever heard him sound this defeated once before: when Sensei’s mind was messed up by the Rat King and he attacked (and almost killed) Donnie-boy. Leo’d spent the whole night meditating in the lair while he tried to come up with a plan… it all worked out in the end, but that was the only time I can think of that Leo really felt lost. Or at least that he’d shown us, anyway.

I hate to admit it, but it was frightening then. It’s downright terrifying now.

I almost opened my dumb mouth again when he silences me.

“Shhhh, keep quiet. If you wake up, they’ll start.”

Start? Start what?

“Think Raph. They clearly don’t want you dead yet. What else would they want you for?”

Information was my first thought. But they should know by now that was a fools errand. Ain’t no way in fiery hell I’d give up my family.

“No, no. Think. What else would they want you for?”

I’m starting to get annoyed. If it’s so damn important, why doesn’t he just tell me?

“Revenge, Raph. Sport. Payback. We killed several of them that night in the warehouse, not to mention the gun shipment we subverted and the money they lost. And that was just one night. We’ve done plenty more to them over the years. And that man I killed… He was special. Someone Hun knew. Personally.”

It took me a minute for my foggy mind to think of which dead guy he was referring to. The one who’d shot him. The one who took my brother from me. Of course he was a personal friend of Hun. Of course.

My blood boiled at the thought of that punk on the roof. That coward that hid in the shadows. That wasn’t man enough to fight face to face.

That lowlife that stole my brother from—

No. No he’s still here. I feel him. Still here.

“He wants to hurt you, Raph. He wants to make you suffer.”

Words just start forming before my brain remembers I shouldn’t. But big brother saw and quiets me with a gentle “Shhhh. Someone’s coming.”

“—ain’t he dead yet?”

I can’t catch the whole sentence. My head’s still spinning and my ears are buzzing. I think they may have me hanging upside down. Hands tied behind my back, too. And I don’t need to look to know my sai aren’t where they should be.

“—to draw the others out.”

Dammit. Can’t focus. Only fragments get through. Pieces.

“Can’t we just—“ The ringing in my ears intensifies and I have to take a moment to push past so I can hear again. “—still come for his corpse.”

Can’t grab on. Keep fading out…

“—bait to get them here.”

Can’t get my mind to—

“—kill them all.”

That certainly grabs my attention. Suddenly the ringing, the ache, the pain, none of it’s even noticeable amidst the acute panic that rises like a tidal wave. They’re gonna kill ‘em. They’re gonna kill my family.

“Calm.”

His voice—not in my head but not outside it either— somehow manages to cut through the noise. His tone that sounds like he’s got everything under control. Says to trust him.

I do. With every fibre of my being.

“Don’t react. Wait for the right moment.”

He’s right. He’s always right. Always has to be…

I take a moment, breathe silent and deep, tensing my muscles to keep from letting a random reflex loose, and I wait.

Focus.

I will not let them take any more of my family.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Keep trying.”

His voice is calm and gentle, with just a hint of annoyance to pick at my overtired brain. “It’s been an hour, I’m sick of trying! It ain’t working.”

“You can do it, just focus.”

“I am focused!”

“Slow your breathing.”

“Any slower and I’d be dead.”

“Quiet your mind.”

“It ain’t my mind that’s doin’ the talking.”

Leo sighs the long-suffering sigh of older brothers everywhere. I’m well acquainted with it. “Raph, I’m trying to help.”

“And I’m trying to tell you, it ain’t working!” I break seiza position to stand and stretch my stiff legs, unable to resist shooting a glare in his direction.

He doesn’t seem to mind. He’s got that stern-lecture look on his face that says he’s about to tell me why I’m wrong. “You haven’t slept in three days, it’s beginning to affect your performance in training and missions, and the others are getting tired of having to put up with your grumpier-than-usual attitude. You need to sleep.”

Called it. For the sake of my exhausted body, I choose to ignore that last comment. “Well gee, is that the problem? Golly, I had no idea sleep was such a necessity! Thank goodness I have you here to tell me or I’d never figure out why I’m so damn tired!”

Apparently he didn’t appreciate my sarcasm. He rolls his eyes to the heavens like he’s begging for patience and I can’t help but smirk that I got under his skin. Just a little. My victory is short-lived, though, when my eyes decide they can’t pin down which way is up. I have to grab the wall for support just to keep from toppling over.

“Sit.” He’s already by my side, helping me to the floor. Normally I’d object and stay standing just to piss him off, but my legs betray me and turn to jello, so I’m forced to do as he says. His voice is a little too understanding for my liking. “I know it’s not your favorite exercise, but meditation might be just what your body needs to find it’s center again. To quiet long enough to allow you some rest.”

I shoot him another annoyed glare that says “we’ve had this conversation already” and he raises his hands up in defence.

“Just try again. One more time.” He lowers down to my level, folding his knees beneath him to offer an example or a show of solidarity or something. “We both know you’re too stubborn to quit.”

I huff out my displeasure, but I have no more arguments to offer. So, begrudgingly, I give in and fold my legs beneath me. “And if this still doesn’t work?”

“I’ll clock you in the head hard enough to knock you out.”

Despite myself, I can’t help a loud chuckle. “You know, Fearless, I’d almost let you just to see if you could.”

He smiles too as he closes his eyes, starting with his deep breathing and waiting for me to do the same. I follow, without protest this time. I’m not really sure how it happened, but instead of annoyance, I’m suddenly calmed by the presence of my brother next to me, breathing with me.

It’s nice. Peaceful.

I finally feel my muscles begin to relax for the first time in days.

I can feel myself disappearing into the memory. Feel the world around me fading into irrelevance. And as much as I want to give in to it, I know I can’t. I have to stay here, present, ready to strike when the moment is right.

Another brass knuckle across my jaw helps ground me. Brings up a bit of blood that I’m quick to spit in the thug’s face the next time he comes close for a punch. The others laugh as they give my shoulder a hard kick.

This goes on for hours. No damage that’s life threatening, but they certainly got in a few good licks. It’s only fuel on their funeral pyre for when I finally break this rope. 

I breathe deep, remembering the meditation methods Fearless taught me, drawing into myself and away from the pain while remaining as alert as possible.

“Quiet your mind.”

He’s still here. Every once in a while my mind starts to panic that I’ve lost him, but he’s always quick to say something and remind me he’s—

“Here.”

Down the hall. I can’t see them, but I feel them. My brothers. My family. This warehouse is so damn huge—filled to the brim with crates and boxes of construction materials for rebuilding the part of the harbour blown up last week—I don’t know if Hun can tell they’re here.

A thud. Followed by another. A scuffle is breaking out somewhere way on the other side of the building, but the string holding me inverted keeps rotating me at a slow pace, so I can’t get a good enough look to pinpoint where they are. I feel like a pig on a spit. And I’m itchin’ to spring into action.

But once again, he stops me.

“Wait for the right moment. Don’t strike yet.”

There’s no mistaking Mikey’s voice shouting “Cowabunga!” all the way across the room. They’re here. They’re fighting. They’re walking into a trap.

Because of me.

Hun is sitting next to me and chuckling.

I need to—

“Calm. Wait. They can handle themselves.”

Ha! What a line coming from the mother of all worry-warts! But I do what he says. No point in waiting this long only to screw it up now.

“Breathe, Raph. Don’t forget to breathe.”

Right, right. Focused breaths. I hear shouting coming our way but the blood to my head is pumping too loud for me to make out every word.

“—coming, Boss! What do we—“

“Patience.”

Even Hun’s voice has a smirk in it. My gut is churning out a warning. The rotation of my body is taking me out of eyeshot of the other end of the warehouse, but I finally manage to catch a glimpse of my family booking it around a pile of crates and heading straight for us, weapons drawn and ready for action. I should be relieved. But I get myself turned so I can see Hun and I know why he’s smiling. He pulls a trigger from his belt and raises it in the air like a golden trophy, a chuckle escaping his lips. His thumb goes towards the button.

Shit.

Suddenly Big Brother is behind me, whispering in my ear. “Now.”

He don’t need to tell me twice.

Quick as a flash, I heave my body upwards and throw myself down as hard as I can. The weight of the fall is enough to snap the rope holding me up, and I spin so my shell takes the hit. Before I find concrete, my legs are already in the air, arcing up towards Hun’s hand.

His face is priceless. Sure as hell didn’t see that coming. He barely has a chance to blink before the clicker is kicked out of reach and the momentum carries his own hand into his chin with a loud SMACK!

No time to celebrate. I move to the crate nearest me where Mr. Big Bad himself had been sitting before and find my sai. It’s less than a second to cut myself free, but that’s enough for Hun to get his bearings again. He’s already going for the trigger.  

My hearts in my throat as I rush to beat him to it, shouting over my shoulder loudly as I can. “GET BACK!”

I’m too slow. I watch in abject horror while Hun’s hand grips the trigger first, pressing the button before I tackle him to the floor.

The warehouse erupts in fire.

Several bombs hidden in crates on the far end of the complex detonate, sending up plumes of fire and smoke and debris in every direction. I’m far enough away that the only effect I feel is the ground tremor and some of the heat, but by the time I wrestle off Hun and look around the room, I don’t see anyone. I don’t see my family.

The fire is right beside where they’d been.

No… No, no, no, no, no!

I’m staring at the flames, at the broken hunks of metal and concrete and the burning bits of wood, terror like ice in my veins, and I can’t do anything but stand there and gawk.

Where are they? Where is my family!? “Mikey!!” I don’t even know if they can hear me over the roar of the flame. “Don!?” I’m practically scraping my voice raw with how loud I’m yelling. “Guys!!!”

…Nothing. I don’t see them. I don’t hear them. Dammit… dammit what if they—

“Still here.”

The voice is beside and in front of me all at once. I see a hint of blue to my right and I turn to try and focus on it, but I can’t—

And there I spot them. Lying in a heap way over by the door, and buried in bits of rubble and debris. My family.

My blood runs cold.

Suddenly I hear a chuckle behind me.

Hun’s standing back up, wiping the blood off his chin and making some sarcastic comment about ninja being more aware of their surroundings.

I can barely make out his voice. All I hear is the loud drumming of blood pumping in my ears as I turn to see him smirking in victory at what he did to them. What he did to my family. To my brothers.

To Leo.

My hands curl around my sai so tight, my knuckles pale.

“Raph… Don’t—”

The world goes away, fading into oblivion as I seethe through my teeth.

“Are you listening to me?“

All I see is red.

“Raph, wait—!”

I lunge.

~*~*~*~*~*~

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Comments and critiques always welcome.

End of Line.

-TRAaP

[bambisgirl]

confident ; 61. it’s your world and i’m just in it

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order is: written part, screenshots, written part!

4th of june 2022, a few months later…

“i can’t believe freshman year is over!” sunoo exclaims happily, clapping his hands. heeseung grins as he quickly pecks your lips, caressing your cheek right after.

“losers.” jay says flatly and jake laughs at the table right next to yours.

“you’re in your third year so who’s laughing now?” riki rolls his eyes and everyone chuckles. jay and jake jokingly frown at him and pretend to talk to themselves.

you are now at the hybe pub, sitting at a table with heeseung, sunoo, jungwon, riki and sunghoon. there wasn’t enough space for the eight of you, so jay and jake sat at another table with the premise that ‘they’ll attract more ladies if they’re being seen alone’.

it’s been a hell of a ride just like jungwon said after he found out you and heeseung got together. you’ve been dating for half a year already and things couldn’t get any better.

you turn your head to look at his sharp jawline as he moves his left hand under the table, gently stroking your thigh while listening to sunoo and riki bickering about their stinky dorm room.

it took a while, but all of the four boys finally accepted the fact that you deeply cared about all of them in different ways.

since he is right next to your boyfriend, sunghoon sees heeseung’s hand on you and immediately looks away, trying to distract himself by telling jake he’s the biggest dumbfuck he’s ever seen. men.

sunghoon still wasn’t over you, yet he tried his best to keep his cool every time you were going out. he was already the famous heartbreaker in your college before the two of you started messing around, but after the two of you ended up your situationship months ago, he had never dated any other girl — not even one night stands.

karina broke his heart first and made him become a player, then you made him want to commit — only to break his heart again.

you felt absolutely awful. when you found out sunghoon only fought heeseung in the snow just so he could wake him up to reality, you cried yourself to sleep.

sunghoon needed love — so much love, but you couldn’t be the one giving it to him in the way he needs it.

you’re absolutely sure he’s going to find it one day, though.

jake took after the old sunghoon and started having one night stands on a daily basis, still not finding someone who he’d want to settle down for. he’s never been the relationship kind of guy anyway — the only girl he’d give up his flings for would’ve been you.

on the other hand, jay went on a few nice dates with some business administration freshmen he found cute, yet nothing has worked out so far. he always thought of himself as mature and warmhearted so he wanted a girl that he could take care of, yet he never felt that kind of connection with anyone except from you.

riki, sunoo and jungwon continued to be chaotic roommates and your closest friends. since all three of them stayed in a room of four, they prayed the empty bed wouldn’t get occupied now that they’ll be sophomores (spoiler alert: a tall, quiet third year named choi soobin who’s definitely not ready for the gross dorm is going to move in before the year starts).

jungwon and jake became best friends all of a sudden which probably shocked you the most out of all. they had a fight a few weeks ago when jake tried to hit on jungwon’s sister while he was drunk, but now that jake is aware of jungwon’s taekwondo skills… well, that’s another story to be told sometime.

“your drinks, guys.” choi yeonjun interrupts jay’s story about how jake’s ex-girlfriend thought layla was his side chick and broke up with him over text.

yeonjun and eve’s dad was apparently the owner of all the hybe pubs in town and he was working in this one, the closest to his university.

your relationship with him or his sister wasn’t ideal, but you were talking and hanging out once in a while as he actually turned out to be a very intelligent, kind boy.

“mojito for sunghoon, sex on the beach for hee— oh shit, i’m so sorry!” he suddenly stops handing the drinks, spilling heeseung’s all over jay’s lap.

“FUUUUUUUUUCK!” jay whines and everyone bursts into hysterical laughter. yeonjun clumsily begins wiping jay’s clothes with a napkin as you’re trying your best to not fall off the chair.

yeonjun awkwardly touches jay’s crotch, trying to help him. “ew, get your hands off me!” he yells and yeonjun widens his eyes as he realizes he just touched jay’s penis through his pants.

jake almost chocked.

“just go away!” jay rolls his eyes at the hybe student as yeonjun apologizes one more time before turning around to go remake heeseung’s drink.

“hyung, we’re still on for that dance battle later on, right?” riki asks yeonjun before he leaves to bring the rest of the drinks.

“san and hyunjin will be here after i’m done with my shift.” yeonjun informs riki as he handles everyone their cocktails, the youngest murmuring an ‘i’m gonna beat your ass’ which yeonjun only responds to with a smirk. once a cocky bastard, always a cocky bastard.

you heard giggles a few tables away, taking a look at karina and eve laughing at what just happened with yeonjun and jay. you throw a small smile their way, them returning it right after.

“wanna get out of here?” you feel heeseung’s hot breath on your neck.

“thought you’d never ask.”

“this is the ugliest thing i’ve ever seen.” heeseung winces, putting away the green lego dinosaur ryujin gifted the both of you.

“it’s so cute!” you pout, snuggling closer to heeseung’s chest, careful not to destroy your roommate’s most prized possession like you did that time when you snuck out to see sunghoon at midnight. you still have a small bruise on your left knee after tripping over that cursed coffee table.

you’re now on the roof of the decelis university, watching the sunset together as you’re laying down on heeseung’s buzz lightyear blanket he brought from home.

“you’re cute.”

“ew.” you playfully roll your eyes as heeseung puts one of his arm under your body, the other one wrapped around your waist.

“what?” heeseung pretends to be hurt by placing his palm over his chest. “you don’t like me complimenting my girlfriend?”

“no, you’re cheesy.” you visibly cringe and he laughs, pulling you even closer. “but i kind of enjoy it sometimes.”

“good.” he smiles. “because nothing has changed.”

“mhm…” you hum, taking a deep breath of the fresh air outside.

“we’re still y/n and heeseung. i’m still in love with you like i’ve been for the past ten years and you’re still the prettiest girl in the world.”

when you and heeseung started dating, it felt weirdly natural. the cuddles, late night talks and kisses… everything felt familiar and intimate and right.

“yeah, we act like we always did. well— except that you’re in horny jail every single day.” you let out a sarcastic scoff and heeseung’s cheeks redden in an instant.

“i’m sorry, baby.” he turns his head slightly to look at you. “i’ve been holding myself back for so much time and you’re just so—”

“don’t worry, hee. i didn’t say i don’t like it.”

his features relax and you place a small peck on the corner of his mouth. he’s leisurely stroking your back with his thumb as the sun is almost going down.

“so pretty…” you mumble as heeseung is just staring absentmindedly at your lips moving.

you fascinate him so much. even now, after so much time together — he still feels like there’s parts of you he needs to explore.

he’s mesmerized by the way you talk, how your lips are always pretty even when you don’t have any chapstick on. he loves to watch you apply face cream before putting makeup on or seeing your bare face late at night after wiping it all off. he loves how gentle you are when you sit on his lap and pluck his eyebrows and your delicate fingertips lightly touching his face with whatever skin products you’re putting on him.

he loves mornings when ryujin is out of town and he spends the nights over at your dorm, waking up to your body on top of his and your hair messily spread all over his face. he’s always had this habit of inhaling your scent every time you two were hugging — perhaps because he never wanted to forget it.

he still does it even though you’re finally his now.

heeseung loves every mark on your body and how every curve and line has a story of its own. he always takes his time to kiss each and every single one of it. he loves to braid your hair and the excited squeak that comes out of your mouth whenever he proposes to do sheet face masks together. he gets goosebumps all over his body whenever you lay your finger on him in the slightest way. he’s so vulnerable and sensitive and you take control all over his brain.

he’s so absolutely devoted to you he’s one hundred percent sure he’ll never love someone as much as he loves you. hell, he doesn’t even look at other people. he never thought he was capable of having so much love for someone, but he guessed the love songs were all right.

ever since that day on christmas eve ten years ago when you let him into your world, he knew he wanted to stay there forever.

because, after all… it’s your world and he’s just in it.

you’ve always been the prettiest girl in the world for him, even when you didn’t see it. but he loves how confidence looks on you now.

“it’s been exactly one year since your graduation day.” heeseung murmurs, placing wet kisses on the side of your neck.

“wow, i should get you a cake that says i lost my virginity one year ago then. happy anniversary to your not virgin ass, baby. all thanks to me.”

you both laugh until your stomachs start hurting, heeseung accidentally kicking the lego dinosaur in the process, hoping you didn’t notice.

and, once again as the sun goes down and you’re on the roof like you were exactly one year ago, heeseung doesn’t even watch the sky. he’s watching you.

he’s always watched you.

except for this time, you’re watching him too.

the end

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notes: here it is! :) thank you so much to everyone who read confident, it means the world to me ♡ it was my first smau & it’ll forever have a special place in my heart. i’ll come back to edit it because i don’t like some chapters though lol. i’ll continue writing drabbles with the confident characters in the future since i’m so attached to them T^T please look forward to the confident playlist as well :D please support my current heeseung smau, fancam! i improved a lot hehe. until the next time, all the love as always <3