#but also it's kind of a bait tag

[nonhumanresources]

Ponytober Day 3 - Casting Spells

More writing but this time it's cool because WOAH IT'S A COLLAB. Friend did the art and I did the writing! It's about me getting turned into a pony by a very distracted friend. Turned out fun I think, and the art is incredible! Check that out here.

Story itself is below! It can also be read here if you prefer a google doc. Due to length I suppose I'll format this like my regular story posts, too. Seriously I was not planning on 4k words.

Summary: Maru is a pony. This is new. However, book club is happening, and this takes precedence.

What to expect: pony TF and ranting about Animorphs.

Length: 4.2k words.

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

Maru trotted through the kitchen, taking in a deep breath. His nostrils flared, and he sneezed, the scents emanating from the oven far more intense than he was ready for. He stumbled at the force of it, getting his hooves tangled, clacking loudly against the wood floor. 

Behind him, the softer sound of sneakers echoed slightly through the hallway. “The sitting room is just through there,” Ash called from behind. “And uh, tissues should just be on the counter there. Sorry, there’s probably still flour floating around.” When he heard their voice, Maru’s ears swiveled backwards, bringing it to the forefront of his attention. It felt like squinting, but with his hearing. 

Maru glanced around, finding the tissue box. He actually squinted as he focused on it, the horn atop his head heating up, coming to life with a pale green aura. Another aura of the same color enveloped the tissue emerging from the top of the box, and he flicked his horn upwards, willing it to move. 

The first tissue did pop out of the box, but it shredded itself almost instantly. He tried again, this time moving slower, trying to keep it from stretching at all. The tactic succeeded, and he caught it with a hoof, rubbing his wet, sensitive nose. He still wasn’t used to being able to smell so clearly. The air was in high definition, now—he could even smell directions, if he focused, able to tell based on the breeze on his nose and the strength of the scent where it was coming from. 

“Thanks,” he mumbled, crumpling the tissue into a ball with his telekinesis and tossing it into the trash can. He glanced behind himself and saw Ash waiting patiently, dressed in a flannel and sweats. I guess it has been getting colder, Maru realized. With the new coat, he hadn’t noticed. He resumed his trot through the door on the opposite side of the kitchen, entering a cozy little sitting room. It was sparsely decorated, but there was a huge flag hung on one wall depicting Ash and their two roommates dressed in formal wear. The gag decor served to help enliven the space somewhat. A TV stand stood on one side, though it was pushed to one side to make room for a sofa and a lounge chair facing each other. It seemed almost intimidatingly formal, though he knew it wasn’t. 

Ash followed and let out a little laugh. “It’ll be more friendly when we’ve got attendees to actually make a circle of chairs. Hard to do when there’s just two people in the book club.” They stepped past Maru, brushing against his fur as they scooted through the tight space and settled down in the chair, legs tucked up underneath them, almost like a perch. “I figured the couch would be better for you, considering you’re horizontal now.”

Maru scoffed, but he did trot over and climb up onto the cushions, settling down with his forelegs hanging off the front so he could face forward. It was a bit awkward to sit twisted, but it was better than nothing. He slung his bag off his back and slid it to the floor beside him. “Yeah, I don’t think I’d fit in any of your chairs at this point.” 

“Too long,” Ash agreed. 

Maru felt his face grow a little hot. “Not to mention the pony body.” 

“Yep, lanky pony body.” 

“It’s tall, thank you very much,” Maru retorted. He coughed, changing the subject. He may be lanky, but that was a mark of pride, thank you very much. “That seemed like a lot of mess to bake cookies for just two people. Er, person and pony. What kind did you make?” 

Ash grinned. “Oatmeal.” 

Maru groaned, rolling his eyes. “Seriously?” 

They laughed, shrugging. “What? I thought it was the best choice, given the circumstances. Plus it’s funny.” 

Maru shook his head, but he couldn’t help but laugh at least a little. Leave it to Ash to turn baking into a bit. “Well, they better be tastier than they are funny. You wanna start?”

“Sure.” Ash swung their legs out from beneath themselves and stood. “I’ll grab a few cookies and we can get going.” They exited the room, and Maru heard the oven creak open, cupboards rattling. His gaze wandered the room curiously. While he sat, he fidgeted, his horn lighting up once more and snagging a pillow on the other side of the couch with its aura. He lifted it up and down, spinning it while he inspected the rest of the room. He’d originally done this to practice his telekinesis, but it had rapidly become a habit, and he’d bumped his head against objects he’d forgotten he himself was floating several times at this point. On the plus side, it had genuinely helped him learn better control over the magic. He’d gone from using telekinesis like a numb hand to grasp at everything, straining as hard as possible just to lift it a few inches, to something decidedly more magical. He’d thought of it like a spectral hand, but as time went on, it was feeling more and more like something more ethereal. Letting it act as a force of will, rather than a hand that he could use as he’d done before he’d changed, helped the telekinesis be less stiff. That had been a very exciting and very, very nerve-wracking realization. It was like he had to let go of his old form just to get better at using this one. Or maybe he was just catastrophizing. 

“Yeah! You get that pillow!” Ash cheered. Maru yelped and firing it across the room, smacking it into the far wall. He spun and glared at the doorway, where Ash stood, grin plastered across their face once again. “Sorry to startle you, just thought I’d give you some encouragement. That cushion must have said something real nasty, eh?” They held a plate of cookies, and they dragged a spare chair to the space between the recliner and the couch, setting it down there. They jumped back into the lounge chair with a few cookies in hand, this time with their legs sideways, feet sticking up over one of the armrests. 

“You wanna talk about it?” they asked, biting into one of the cookies and promptly fanning their mouth. “Ow. Hot.” 

Maru grabbed one of the cookies with his horn, blowing on it before he responded. Did he? “Not… particularly,” he admitted. The prospect of getting into it all was daunting. Turning into a small purple pony came with a shocking amount of emotional weight. 

Ash nodded, seemingly content with that answer. “Gotcha. We can talk about something far more important instead.” Reaching behind themselves, they grabbed a small paperback book off the shelf behind the couch and held it up. The cover was a somewhat horrifying depiction of a teenager transforming into a lizard. 

“Animorphs!” 

~ ~ ~

Ash had been the one to suggest a book club. After all, they were the only one who had actually read Animorphs other than Maru, and they’d been keen to reread the series along with him. Maru was already several dozen books ahead, but Ash didn’t much mind; it would help refresh the beginning of the story for Maru, while they got to enjoy talking about each book with him. Plus, it’s not like they were going to get spoiled on the ending; one of the only Animorphs books they’d actually owned as a kid had been the very last one, so they were already long past that point. 

Unfortunately, Maru had texted before the first meeting, abruptly canceling it. Everyone had been worried, as it was radio silence for multiple days before word got out: Maru, their loving friend, was now an utterly adorable cartoon pony. 

No one had quite been able to wrangle the how out of him thus far, but frankly, the entire group was amazed enough at sudden change to be willing to suspend their questions until he was willing to share the information himself—even though several were desperate to find out. Fortunately, all of them were pretty used to talking about this kind of thing; mostly, they were shocked it was actually real. 

So, book club was rescheduled, which gave Ash the time to speed through a couple more books. They’d been meaning to only do the first, but it had gotten them into enough of a reading mood that books two and three had flown by in time for the first official meeting. They reasoned that was more than enough to talk about in an evening. 

“Yes!” Maru leaned forwards, smiling. The expression should have sat oddly on his muzzle, but somehow, it twisted in just the right way for it to come off as natural and friendly. Cartoon horses were just more malleable than their real life counterparts, Ash figured. 

“Okay, so, since we both read the book recently, I don’t think we need a summary or anything,” Ash began, leafing through its pages. “It was good, for sure. I remembered the basic plot from when I was a kid, but it was fun to go through it again. Been a bit since I read anything for kids, too, honestly.”

Maru laughed, his head bobbing up and down. “Maybe the first book is, but they go so crazy so fluffing—I meant, frosting—gah, you know what I’m trying to say. Ponies have a hard time swearing.”

“I got it,” Ash hummed. “I remember some wild stuff, plus everything you’ve mentioned. Most kids books don’t have the main characters kill Hitler. Lump it in with Warriors and Guardians of Ga'hoole under ‘books I should probably have not been allowed to read but completely changed my brain chemistry as a child,’ eheh.” 

“Right?!” Maru resounded, leaning forwards even further. He was tapping his hooves against the couch in excitement, tail flicking. “Like—they’re constantly almost dying, their families are involved, it’s all insane.” 

“Not to mention the sheer amount of alien nonsense,” Ash agreed. “Book four is like, Atlantis, right?” 

“Yeah!” Maru leapt up from where he sat, and Ash leaned to one side, avoiding the sharp end of his horn. He shoved his nose into his bag and came out holding a simple journal in his mouth, levitating another, fancier one with his horn. He set the journal down and searched through the opening pages. 

“I’ve been taking notes as I go,” he explained, distracted. Ash leaned forwards to try and get a look, but they weren’t wearing their glasses, so it was legible as chicken scratch from this far away. “Here—yeah, this is the one where two of them just start having visions for no reason, and then they have to go find Ax underwater.”

“Forgot about the visions,” Ash mused. “What else is going on there? I remember some crazy water animal, right?” 

“Mhm!” Maru’s horn literally sparked with giddy excitement. Ash reached out and extinguished a spark that landed on the oatmeal cookie platter; it was pleasantly warm between their fingers. “It’s this big whale thing that’s got like, thirty tails, and it’s all red. I swear I have a pen somewhere, I could draw—”

He was cut short by a sudden ripple in the air. Like hazy heatwaves, an image swam in between the two friends, flickering like a low-battery flashlight. It was a great, hulking thing, with ruby red skin and eyes that seemed to glare out of its realm of nothingness at the two. The whole thing was cast in minty green light that streamed from Maru’s horn, not unlike a projector. 

The room was dead silent as the image faded away, the unicorn’s horn going dim once more. Ash blinked the bright afterimage out of their vision, the dread gaze hanging in their mind. 

“Dude.”

“I-I don’t know how I did that!” Maru yelped almost immediately. “I’ve barely even started studying illusion magic!” 

“No. Dude.” Ash knocked a fist on the wooden chair, and Maru’s muzzle snapped shut. “That was awesome.” 

Maru looked like he might faint, but he gulped it down. “Yeah. Y-yeah, it was cool. It was just sudden, is all.”

“Two questions,” Ash stated, holding up a hand. “One, what do you mean by studying?” They held up a finger. “Two, think you can do that again?” A second finger went up, and they waggled them in front of Maru’s snout. 

In response, the book on the couch came to life, floating up in the air. “Uh, I found it a few days after… y’know. The whole thing. It’s a book of Equestrian magic, I think, so unless there are other unicorns out there, I can’t see it being for anyone else.” 

“Also awesome,” Ash interjected. That brought a smile to Maru’s face again, wiping away the shocked expression. Good.

“As for doing it again… maaaaybe? Like I said, I don’t even know how I managed it the first time.” Maru shoved his journal aside to make room on the floor in front of him, dropping it open to a bookmarked page. Complex diagrams covered it, labeled with what Ash could only assume were notes on casting technique and the like. That sounded… magic-y enough. 

“Do you want to try it again?” Ash pushed, unable to keep a hint of excitement out of their voice. It wasn’t every day you got to see magic purple ponies, after all. 

“I mean, yeah, obviously,” Maru sighed, tapping his hoof on the page. 

“Let’s do it, then!” 

“How are we supposed to replicate an accident, though?” 

Ash shrugged. “More book club, obviously. Here, I’ll get back into place…” they trailed off as they threw their legs back over the armrest of the chair, shifting back and forth to get comfy. “There. Then you can look at your spell book, but don’t focus on it; just keep talking about Animorphs.”

The pony gave them a baleful look. “I don’t know if Animorphs is the answer to everything, Ash.” 

“C’mooon, Maru, just give it a try. Look, I’m even eating another cookie. I swear you can’t even tell it’s a new one.” True to their word, Ash snagged another oatmeal cookie and took a bite, opening their mouth to show off the half-chewed mush. Maru stuck his tongue out, turning away.

“Fine, just never do that again,” he chided. 

Ash gave him a thumbs up, then swallowed. “Okay. Book four. The Animorphs are… what, on a boat? Stranded in the middle of the ocean? Flying above it? Where are our heroes?” 

Maru rolled his eyes at the theatrics. “Boat, yeah. So, Tobias and Cassie were having visions, right? And then they all saw these ocean ruins on the news and recognized the writing on them as Andalite language, and it gave them such a powerful vision that both of them blacked out.” Maru sighed. “Look, Ash, I don’t know if this is gonna work.”

“No, no, keep going!” they protested. “Seriously, now I’m just into the story. I wanna hear about it.” 

Maru shrugged. “If you say so. The Animorphs had to make it out to the middle of the ocean, right? But it was too far for the two hour morph limit, so they had to get onto a boat somehow…” 

Ash listened attentively, doing their best to look relaxed while keeping an eye on Maru’s horn. It was an experiment, sure, but it was also just fun to listen to him talk about something he was so clearly passionate about. Whether or not they got to see some more magic, Ash considered this a successful book club. I’ll have to catch up a bit further for next time, they thought. Otherwise it’s just gonna be a storytelling hour featuring Maru.

The pony’s explanation of the book trailed off. He squinted, attempting to readjust his glasses with a hoof, only succeeding in knocking them further off kilter. A bit of telekinesis righted them. “Uh. These words are starting to make more sense to me. Should I be worried?” 

Ash made a noise somewhere in between ‘probably?’ and ‘no clue, you’re the magic expert.’ “Try reading them, see if that activates the spell or something. Then keep talking about Animorphs, every time you get into it your horn starts glowing. I’m sure there’s some magic-pony-emotion-thing going on.” 

Maru stuck his snout basically into the spellbook, squinting harder. “The Animorphs are with Ax, under the ocean, right? This one’s like….” He pronounced a word in a language that made Ash shudder, the syllables slipping around their ear like water currents. “And Visser 3 knows they’re there. Um, ssslierat alethandra. They need to get out before the whole ship gets blown up by the Yeerks, and…” 

He kept going, but Ash was finding it hard to concentrate. The magic words interspersed in the story weren’t just impossible to understand; they were actually difficult to listen to. They kept knocking around in their head, taking up far too much space, drowning out the rest of the story. An ache began to pulse inside their skull, and they rubbed their temples, trying to ease the pressure. 

They could tell Maru had taken a breath, but Ash couldn’t manage to get out anything than a grunted “Uh-huh.” He immediately launched back into the story-spell, and their headache continued to get worse. Their hand bumped uncomfortably against their forehead; Ash pulled it back, vision swimming. 

What was in front of them was very clearly a hoof. “Agh. Maru?” they mumbled, head pounding. He didn’t seem to hear. With another one of the strange phrases, their back arched, hip bones reknitting themselves and making the seated position awkward to maintain. 

This was, of course, not a great situation. Whatever spell Maru had, it wasn’t illusions—it was turning Ash into a pony, too. They grunted as their shirt grew tight under the flannel, aching back consolidating into two oddly textured lumps that strained to be freed. Ash had to stop him reading it and fast—they couldn’t be a pony, because tomorrow, they had classes to attend, and the two were very likely going to be at odds with one another. 

“Yeah, yeah. Hey, Maru?” They tried to interrupt him again, but they were slurring their words, voice quiet under the strain of the changes. They coughed, and the cough turned into a hack that stretched their neck to twice its regular length. “Maru!” 

They twisted around, frantic now. Maru’s eyes had a silvery sheen over them, vision locked to the tome on the floor. His horn was alight with shining magic, brighter than Ash had seen it the whole evening, bathing the room in an eerie green glow. The sight would have been exceptionally frightening, had he not been relating the plot of The Message, book four of Animorphs by K.A. Applegate. That part made it only moderately-to-somewhat frightening. 

Ash nearly passed out as, with one word, the pain suddenly spearheaded somewhere near their prefrontal cortex, then blossomed outward. They held their face with a hoof and a hand, feeling as a horn sprouted between them, fortunately passing right between two fingers instead of stabbing into them. It was sharp. 

“Listen, Maru, I—”

Shhhrrrip! One shoe tore in half, another creamy blue hoof poking through it. Ash kept trying. 

“I really think—”

Another magic word, and Ash’s hair was obscuring their vision, fluffing out into a styled mane. The blonde faded to green, then a deep blue towards the end. 

“Would you stop reading?!”

With a mighty tear, two feathered wings BURST from Ash’s back alongside a long, flowing tail. With their already precarious choice of seating position, the shove from beneath was all it took to shove them up and back. They flailed four hooves as they tipped over the armrest. Their wings flared outwards to help, which accomplished exactly the opposite, unceremoniously dumping them right onto their head. Collapsed in a heap of shredded clothing, mussy mane, and bedraggled feathers, Ash let out a deep sigh. One final magical word made two pointed pony ears pop into existence, peeking out from their mane. 

Well, they thought. At least now I get to see if I like the oatmeal cookies more.

~ ~ ~ 

“...the sperm whales let them ride them back to shore, and Ax… oh.” Maru blinked as he reached the end of the spell. His horn was glowing, but no alien fish swam through the air this time, glowering at its real compatriots. “Nothing? I swear I said it right….” 

He glanced once more through the spell. That really was all of it? The story idea had been interesting, and he had an easier time making out the runes now, but it really had been for naught. He sighed; Ash’s ideas were usually too silly to work, and half the time they were jokes, anyway. 

A whinny somewhere behind him stopped him dead. Maru’s stomach dropped, ears laying back. Oh no.

He spun around and clapped both hooves to his mouth, suppressing a shriek. A large alicorn was propped up against the couch, upside down. One he knew well—he’d drawn this alicorn, back when he’d had the ability to hold a tablet pen. 

“Ash?” he gasped, horn sparking again. One of the motes of light drifted down and rested atop their brand new snout. They blew it away, clearly exasperated. 

“That would be me, yes,” they said sardonically. 

“But you’re—”

“Yes,” they interrupted, sounding grave. “It appears my ass is, in fact, a horse.” Based on the unfortunate positioning, this was an easy fact to confirm. The deadpan delivery was even enough to push past the usual cartoon censorship. One of their shoes dropped off a hoof, smacking into their horn and bouncing away. “Along with the rest of me. Help me up, yeah?” 

Maru nodded and rushed over, tripped over himself in his haste. He braced his shoulder against the lounge chair and pushed, sliding it over the floor, only stepping on Ash’s wings and mane once or twice in the process. They wriggled all four legs, trying to right themselves. Maru helped tilt them and got smacked with a wing as they came rightside up, a wobbling mess. 

“Now then.” Ash stood up, taking a step towards Maru. Or, well, they tried. They only succeeded in throwing themselves face-first back to the ground. They quickly sat back up and coughed. 

“Ah. What I meant to say was this.” They reached out a hoof, pawing at the Animorphs book that had been dumped to the floor along with themselves. They made a motion as if picking it up and raising it into the air, and seemed surprised at how ineffectual this was in accomplishing anything whatsoever. They sucked in an annoyed breath, raising an eyebrow at Maru. 

“Look, the page SAID illusion, I swear,” he said, but the excuse sounded a little lame. “I… don’t even really remember casting it. I said it exactly like it was on the page.” 

Ash sighed. “I’m sure it said illusion. I trust you, Maru. However—” they raised both wings. “—I am also a pony. So something went wrong. You looked like you’d been possessed when you were casting that thing.” 

Maru opened his mouth, but Ash continued before he could speak. “Not actually possessed. Sorry, I don’t think my apartment is haunted. Maybe next time though.” 

Even despite the panic, Maru sighed, a little disappointed. “At least that would give an explanation. I’m sorry, Ash.” 

Despite the situation and all the awful feelings swirling around in Maru’s stomach, there was a deep-seated relief. At least I’m not alone. It was something of a selfish thought, but it was true.

Ash clicked their tongue. “Yeah. I bet. Listen, bookmark that page for later and stop working on illusion spells for now. Book club only goes until 8 and I need to learn how to move things with my mind before your ride shows up.” They tapped their horn with a hoof. 

“I can help!” Maru agreed readily. “It’s the least I can do. It’s not that hard once you start to figure it out.” 

“Sweet. Y’know, Animorphs kinda got it right with their transformation scenes, honestly. Felt like I was living the book.” Ash cracked a grin, and Maru groaned internally. He knew that grin. “On the bright side, I can think of a few people who are gonna be sooo jealous.” 

“Ash, I forbid you from gloating,” he snapped. 

“Oh, come on! You know I gotta. Just think of the funny pictures I could send!” They pushed themselves to their feet, shaky, but didn’t fall this time. Maru propped them up against his shoulder, and despite their extra alicorn height, he was pleased to see he still stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the other pony. 

They walked through the apartment, still arguing as they left the sitting room and the oatmeal cookies behind. There was a lot to go over, but the evening was young. There would be time. In the end, the only true tragedy of their first ever book club meeting was that the book itself lay discarded, flatly undiscussed. As it turned out, fascinating as Animorphs was, there were several more interesting things to discuss that night.

[turnallthemirrors]

the fact that suicide baiting is becoming an increasingly popular way to harrass people online when we are experiencing unprecedented levels of mental health crises and a gun violence epidemic is so horrifying. I really think people think this is just a normal way to disagree with someone without seeing the very real tangible consequences that can come from encouraging someone to kill themselves. but I promise you if there is even a tiny part of you that has considered that before, having a stranger on the internet tell you to do it rips that wound wide open. there is no excuse or justification for that kind of behavior.

[fly-sky-high-arts]

removing my locked personal account as well since I can't (and am drained of trying to) properly use the platform so if by chance you followed me on it uhh don't get spooked if it disappears tomorrow

[tundrrra]

yk it’s a damn shame, bc i’d kind of want to like suzie, but i have to hate her on principle. bc if she hadn’t decided to start a singalong at a pivotal moment, billy could have lived :)

this is obviously not exactly true, bc billy would have died at the end of the season no matter what. but it still is a prime example of how bad the writing was. like how the fuck was this an appropriate time for comic relief? it could have been anything else that delayed them, maybe the radio had trouble connecting or whatever, but the writers chose to instead have two thirteen year olds have a karaoke session while people are literally dying.

[churchydragon]

You are the one triggered over a fictional robot calling another fictional robot “it” millions of people are dying in my country and your outrage is a character got called “it” you people are pathetic. This is why I don’t like you DA fans you all hate in Freddy for the most stupidest thing as pronouns grow the fuck up.

?????????????????????????????????

dude that specific version of the DA doesn't use it/it's. I have ZERO problems with people who use it/it's.

Also I don't know you? I'm sorry that shit's fucked in your country but maybe instead of screaming at me you can tell me good places I could donate to help people in need where you're at.

[dizzybevvie]

Watching this live is beautiful

REALLL

[hauntingblue]

I cant believe I am already on fem law... this happened like 2 days ago I cannot do it....

[nightzskii-archived]

dont mind this post

looking at old tags the best i can

[welcometoteyvat]

new catgirl hmmmm

[hideawaysis]

hello. absolutely hate involving myself in fandom drama, but ifeel this is an important post to make as i have seen a lot of people taking a certain post at face value and believing it.

im referring to this one, made by @/realultimatehater

now, before i say these things, i feel the need to preface this by saying that i do not personally wish to align myself in this fandom debate. i am a tax-paying adult and do not have any energy or time to put into arguing about a tv show on the internet. nonetheless, i have seen people blindly spreading this post around and i feel this needs to be addressed.

this person is lying.

it feels like it should be obvious with the levels of "down with cis bus" energy pulsating off of this, but it's a huge fucking lie.

this person is a known harasser and has targeted children in the past. they will do anything, and i mean ANYTHING to rack up attention and internet points. they have made bold claims like this with little to no evidence in the past all so they can garner more hatred for certain fandoms on the internet. testimonies here and here, and some pretty damning screenshots here.

i advise you all to stop reblogging the post ive shown. it's disinformation, a story fabricated to direct more vitriol towards a fandom with little to no proof that it can somehow make people like this or attract people like this. this person is either a troll or just plain deranged. please stop believing what they say.

tags added for reach.

edit: i received an anonymous ask giving me extra information on this topic, apparently this person is in fact an internet troll who has gone under countless aliases and will often fake identities in order to ruin the reputations of others. more information here and here.

edit 2: another anon ask gave me a preserved version of a post from realultimatehater's first account, showing how they'd crop screenshots of dms in order to make it look like they were being harassed for simply having a negative opinion on hazbin hotel. here's the post, though do know the reblog is from a supporter of them, make of that what you will. here's another version of the post ifound showing how they'd bait people into saying these kinds of things in order to make them look bad. and here's another one! wow!

i also found a few asks showing how this person would literally approach hazbin fans and just blatantly insult them, rather than blocking them. because yeah, when you detest a fandom, you clearly must stir up conflict! that'll keep them away from you! said asks can be viewed here and here

edit 3: the anon i received telling me realultimatehater was an internet troll who'd been trolling people for years apparently was not being truthful, this does not discredit the other evidence ive listed but id really appreciate if people would stop spreading that ask around. ive removed the link to the ask, sincere apologies to anyone affected by that

[astraldrake]

wonder how much netflix paid tumblr for all the stranger things branding

[604to647]

Fics that Live in My Mind, Rent Free (Pedro's Version) - Part 2

Welp! It seems there are link and tag limits? Who knew? Not this newb 😂😂 When I said that I've read so many good fanfics, I really meant it. Again, below the cut is a continuation of the list of some of my fave Pedro character fanfics that I've read on this site - ones I think about and revisit often. These are all fics I should have/would have reblogged if only I wasn't so weirdly nervous about it; in 2024 we will muster up some courage and reblog (it will be slow, probably, but I promise I will be trying!). This is a good time for me to also say that one of the reasons I am motivated to step out of my comfort zone on this is because of the genuine joy every comment/reblog/like has brought me this year as a new writer - thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the kind reception on anything I have ever posted. 🥹 ilysm 😘

Anyways, we press forward (Part 1 of Rent Free PPCU fics can be found here):

Din Djarin (The Mandalorian, GOAT)

Of Shadows and Roses by @the-scandalorian (Bodyguard!Din x Royalty!Reader)

All Mine by @mellowswriting (Possessive!Din after Reader uses herself as bait)

Narcissus by @bits-and-babs (Armour/mirror sex)

Looking out for you by @beskarandblasters (Jealous!Din after Reader uses herself as bait)

Cherry Liqueur by @decembermidnight (Reader teases Mando in public)

Breaking in the New House by @beskarandblasters (I love Husband!Din and Wife!Reader fics)

Javier Pena (Narcos)

Sweet Dreams by @javiscigarette (Javi can't sleep)

Phone Sex...amiright? by @tightjeansjavi (Reader calls Javi at work)

Sharing is Caring by @ezrasversion (Corrupt DEA Agent!Javi, Mafia AU!Joel Miller, Reader Threesome)

The Saint, the Sinner, and the Devil by @joelsgirl (Corrupt DEA Agent!Javi, DBF Mafia AU!Joel Miller, Reader Threesome)

MIA by @itsharleystuff (Jealous!Javi with Undercover!Reader)

Surprising Javi P with a Lingerie Set by @swiftispunk

Not here...not now by @gracieispunk (Reader visits Javi at work)

Bunny by @whatsnewalycat (Sex Phone Operator!Reader; Part 2 is great too!)

Ease by @javiscigarette (Javi takes care of Reader after a bad day)

Joel Miller (TLOU)

Say It Right, Peeping Neighbour, and Right Place, Right Time by @chaotic-mystery (All the DBF and BFD fics are amazing; these are my fave)

Quickie by @joelscruff (This falls in the middle of the Boyfriend's Dad series, but it's the first one I read and I was hooked!)

That Funny Feeling by @bluebeary-jay (Joel loves pet names 🥹)

I've Got Lust on My Tongue by @itgetsdark-x (Bratty reader a la Maddy Perez)

The Babysitter, Part 1 by @proxima-writes (There's a Part 2 as well!)

Under the Table by @toxicanonymity (A lot of good Joelkemons, but Speakeasy is a classic and maybe my fave?)

Online Friends, Sticking it to the PTA, and Caught Sunbathing by @walkintotheriveranddisappear (All of Emma's Joel fics are really hot [honestly you can't go wrong], but these are my faves)

Late Night Smoke by @bettercallwillow (Dbf smoking. sigh)

Calling Joel Daddy by @inkedells (I honestly love it when authors bold the dirty talk 🤭)

Gimme What I Want and In the Next Room by @atticrissfinch (The masterlist is some of the hottest Joel fic, if I may say so; these are my faves)

An Open Window by @velvetmud (Joel being a peeping tom; I also always hope for a sequel to this one!)

Crave by @toxic-seduction (Part 2; Reader finds Joel in the QZ)

Good Luck Charm by @javiscigarette (Joel watches the football game)

Ravish by @psychedelic-ink (Webcam Model!Reader; Part 2 is also incredible!)

I Know it When I see It by @bageldaddy (Pornstars!Joel and Readers. This series has me and everyone else, I think, in a chokehold. Reading, as well, the writer's thoughts and feelings about the porn industry and the care put into the characters is such a joy and makes the fic that much more rich)

Chaser series by @livingemkayde (Nanny!Reader and a love triangle; not finished but so good I'm happy to wait forever)

Right my Wrongs by @chloeangelic (Father in Law!Joel)

In A Feud with Her Neighbour by @proxima-writes (Read this delicious fic and the bonus scenes will be the icing on top)

Kiss and Tell by @toxic-seduction (Stepdad!Joel and mom goes away for the weekend)

Peaches and Cream by @javiscigarette (Joel buys reader peaches)

Didn't Cha Know by @chloeangelic (The Joel Reader has been pining for is her boyfriend's brother)

Gif to breakup the text block:

Camgirl by @phuckinphia (Another Camgirl but this time she's Sarah's friend 🫣)

The Right Wrong Number by @proxima-writes (Sarah's soccer coach!Reader)

Nightmares by @fruispunk (QZ!Reader has nightmares that Joel hears and mistakens for something else)

Damage Done by @bluebeary-jay (Joel accidentally triggers Reader; mind the tags. Heavy angst, heavy topic that is beautifully written)

Yes, Mr. Miller by pedropascallme (Babysitter!Reader, Part 2 Thank You, Mr. Miller is also excellent)

How Long series by @gracieheartspedro (Link is to Part 1; series is complete and wonderfully hot and emotional. Reader's boyfriend Tommy is a cheat😢)

Francisco "Catfish" Morales (Triple Frontier)

Fictional Death by @psychedelic-ink (Frankie comforts Reader)

Well Fed by @the-ginger-hedge-witch (Frankie is HAPPY 🥹)

Forest Ranger AU by @the-ginger-hedge-witch (I'm not an outdoorsy person but this AU makes me wish I was)

It's Always the Quiet Ones by @thot-of-khonshu (Frankie surprises Reader)

Pero Tovar (The Great Wall)

Kinktober 2022 - Breeding by @moralesispunk (Guard!Pero and Royalty!Reader)

Bodily Exchange by @absurdthirst (Mafia AU!Pero and daughter of mafia boss Reader)

Damnation or Salvation by @absurdthirst (Pero is sent to retrieve Reader)

Dying Wish by @absurdthirst (Pero makes Reader's father a promise; okay at this point, just all of Keri's Pero fics 🤭)

Marcus Moreno (We Can Be Heroes)

Beat Poetry on Amphetamines by @psychedelic-ink (Marcus comes home hurt)

[euniexenoblade]

I loathe posts like this cuz:

who is "you?" Your blog is covered in blogs that talk about transandrophobia, you posted this in the transmisogyny tag where trans women will see it, you are not interacting with blogs that would interact with cis chasers. "Who" likes girldick? It seems like you're aiming it at trans women who are t4t. You put it in tags where trans women are going to see it, not any kind of chaser.

"but are you actually normal about transfems" the norm about trans women's bodies is violence and erasure. You don't want to be normal about transfems, you want to be incredibly abnormal about transfems bodies.

"or do you just see them as sex objects" again, going back to point one, it really reads that you are specifically pointing this at trans women. you are not interacting with chasers (not unless you're considering trans women being sexually attracted to other trans women as chasers, which surprisingly a lot of tme trans people seem to believe).

tme people need to stop saying "yeah you like girldick but are you normal about transfems" like shut the fuck up you're not helping us like this

the post did also include bullshit 'reading comprehension' questions, clearly as bait to trick a trans woman into an argument (oh ho ho, you read the context of my post and found it transmisogynistic, but see my reading comprehension questions specifically are mocking you for who is this targeted at) like, stop being a coward and just tell trans women we're not allowed to find our bodies attractive.

[whumpay]

babe wake up new whumpay prompts dropped. like last year, im posting early for more time to prepare

Welcome to Whumpay 2024! Up above you will see the basic prompt list and down below the cut you will see it written out in a list, as well as three mini challenges (and by extension, the extreme edition)

Rules are the same as usual

You only have to use one (Or two, if you’re doing the extreme edition.) prompt a day! But you’re welcome to use multiple if you want to, and it still counts for both.

I know the description of the blog says it’s a writing event, but if you want to draw or make other kinds of content, that’s cool too.

Have fun, tag content warnings (such as noncon, graphic violence, etc) and try not to be crushed by the mortifying ordeal of posting your writing.

This is a pretty chill event so you can start posting whenever but I’ll be reblogging posts made to the #Whumpay2024 tag throughout May. For real this time.

These all also apply to these three special mini challenges, consisting of a 7 day, a 10 day, and a 14 day prompt list.

EXTREME EDITION: This year's extreme edition doesn't have its own prompt list, but instead, youll be taking all three mini challenges in order along with the main prompt list. Some of these fit pretty well, others less so.

1 - Mad Science:

Day 1: Strapped To An Operating Table

Day 2: Paralytic Drug

Day 3: Made A Lab Rat

Day 4: Vivisection

Day 5: Truth Potion/Serum/Spell

Day 6: Russian Roulette

1 - Attacks, Mental & Physical:   

Day 7: Heart Attack

Day 8:  Asthma Attack

Day 9: Animal Attack

Day 10: Panic Attack

3 - Ineffective Medical Care:

Day 11: Medical Torture

Day 12: Withholding Medical Treatment

Day 13: Medication Tampering

Day 14: Injury Brushed Off

Day 15: No Anesthetic

4: Mindfuck

Day 16: Presumed Dead

Day 17: Memory Loss

Day 18: Stockholm Syndrome

Day 19: Phantom Pains

Day 20: Love Potion/Spell

Day 21: Role Reversal 

5. Nature's Revenge

Day 22: Slowly Running Out Of Air

Day 23: Natural Disaster 

Day 24: Struck By Lightning

Day 25: Snowed In

Day 26: Heatstroke

6. Traps & Trauma

Day 27: Caught In A Net

Day 28: Traumatic Touch Aversion

Day 29: Used As Bait

Day 30:  Flashbacks

Day 31: Choose Who Lives

Mini challenge #1: Torture

#1: Tortured For Information

#2: Whipping

#3: Branding

#4: Begging To Be Killed

#5: Recorded/Broadcast Torture

#6: False Execution

#7: Shock Collar

Mini Challenge #2: Dialogue

#8: “Why are you doing this?”

#9: “Don’t look.”

#10: “You look awful.”

#11: “Who did this to you?”

#12: “No one is coming for you.”

#13: “No one cares about me.”

#14: “Don’t lie to me.”

#15: “Stay with me, please.”

#16: ”You’re scaring me!”

#17: “You’re a monster.”

Mini Challenge #3: Aftermath

#18: Fighting Against Caretaker 

#19: Seeking Revenge

#20: Taking The Blame

#21: Barely Conscious

#22: Disassociation

#23: Carried To Safety

#24: Scars

#25: Unhealthy Codependency 

#26: Infected Wound

#27: Survivor’s Guilt

#28: Touch Starvation

#29: Abandonment Issues

#30: Cradled In Someone’s Arms

#31: Adrenaline Crash

Alt Prompts:

Death Game

Came Back Wrong

Attack The Injury

Healing Malfunction

Left For Dead 

Mistaken Identity

Dazed

Trapped Under Rubble

Drowning

Disowned By Family

Hostage Situation

Have fun everybody!

[marvelsswansong]

total mystery

summary: The new mystery on the block isn’t a new supernatural entity or government scientists. But rather the fact that somehow, the preppy, popular, cheer co-captain and class president of Hawkins High is dating Eddie ‘the Freak’ Munson: repeat senior and leader of the Hellfire Club.

tags: Eddie x fem!reader, everyone at Hawkins High (1) simps for you and (2) cannot believe their eyes and ears lol, pure fluff, typical opposites attract romance, Steve and Robin banter, Jason slander, humor, one OC named Carl, Eddie just being really goddamn in love to the point it's sickening

☆ word count: 3.8K+ ☆

a/n: the chokehold this man has over all of us... I get it now. Also I changed some stuff from the show to fit the story so please overlook any discrepancies!!! also i feel like i wrote too many kisses i'm sorry if that's annoying haha

⚠️ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞.⚠️

“Did you hear?” Robin doesn’t even bother to greet Steve, seemingly out of breath and frazzled as she slides behind the counter of Family Video. Raising his eyebrow in confusion, Steve frowns and shakes his head sideways.

“Hear what?” 

Robin grins mischeviously, looking side to side before leaning over to whisper.

“Apparently, (Y/n) (L/n) is dating Eddie Munson.” 

Steve almost chokes on the can of diet coke he’s drinking, the carbonated liquid burning his throat as he coughs repeatedly to catch his breath. Robin looks way too amused for her own good, simply swinging her legs off of the counter as she adjusts her name tag onto her shirt. He has no idea how she can be so casual about it all, when Steve's eyes are almost bugging out of their sockets.

“THE (Y/n)? Like, co-captain of the cheer team, student president for two years in a row, only wears dresses and skirts to school every day (Y/n)?” 

Robins rolls her eyes at her best friend’s dramatic reaction.

“Obviously. Do you know any other girls at Hawkins High with her exact name?” 

Steve was suddenly grateful that today was a slow day - there was an eldery couple at the back looking through the historical fiction section and a young son and his mother lazily flicking through the new arrivals section, but otherwise the store was quite empty. Giving him a perfect excuse to press Robin for more information on this salacious rumor.

“Where did you even hear this?"  

Robin shrugs, sliding off the counter to begin sorting through the cash register. 

“Had to take a bus here and a group of juniors happened to be sitting in front of me. It’s all they could talk about for the entire twenty minute ride.” 

Steve suppresses an eye roll at her response, turning sideways to glare at the busy brunette.

“Oh come on, then you CAN’T take the rumor seriously. People gossip all the time at Hawkins High! Most likely, someone saw them interacting in a very innocent manner - like running into each other in the hallway - and spun a romantic story out of it to fill their boredom.” 

Robin clicks her tongue, shrugging her shoulders once more before closing the register and looking up at him with a sigh.

“Don’t shoot the messenger, Steve. It’s just what I heard. And…” she pauses, chuckling. “In a weird way, I can kind of see it happening.” 

“You’re completely out of your mind, Buckley.” Steve counters, confident that she's wrong. 

“Yeah? How much you willing to bet for it?” Robin has a gut feeling that she’s right, and she’ll never pass up a chance to (a) prove Steve Harrington wrong and (b) make some money from it. Luckily, Steve seems to take the bait, straightening up at her proposal.

“Please, I’m confident enough to bet you $20 out the gate.” 

“$20?! You’re-” 

Then as fate would have it, the front door swings open and you enter the store, your white tweed jacket and matching skirt a sore contrast to the bright blue and red neon color palette of the store. Clutching a small leather handbag over your left shoulder, you seem a bit lost on where to start, before you make your way over to the new arrivals section. Steve hasn’t really seen you since his graduation a year ago - he was always aware of you, and the two of you did share some mutual friends - but he’d never really taken the time to get to know you. 

But now, staring at you from the counter, Steven wishes he had made the effort to at least befriend you. He's watching in awe as your perfectly manicured nails tap alongside the cover of a random action movie, your bright eyes squinting at the title before turning it over to examine another tape. The neon glow from the signs above seem to illuminate your face perfectly, exposing your soft blush and sticky lipgloss, your lips parting ever so slightly to sound out the movie titles. 

“Oy.” Robin then elbows him on the side, causing Steve to wince in mock pain. “Stop ogling at her. I know she’s hot, but she’s taken, remember?” 

Steve glares at her response, before rolling up his sleeves and stretching his neck. 

“Yeah right. Anyways. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go help our new… customer.” 

Robin attempts to stop him but now there’s a line of previous customers at the checkout counter, effectively pinning her to behind the cash register. But then she spots Eddie’s van pull up in the parking lot outside, and suddenly that didn't seem so bad. Oh, this was going to be so interesting for her to watch.

You’re stuck trying to decide between two movies - Footloose and Sixteen Candles - when Steve casually strolls up next to you, flipping on his boyish charm. You sense someone else’s presence behind you and turn around to see Steve Harrington, pointing at the two selections you’re holding with a smile on his face.

“They’re both really good picks, but I prefer Footloose. It’s the perfect mix of comedy and drama. Plus you can’t go wrong with Kevin Bacon dancing to rock music in a town where it’s illegal.” 

His comment makes you giggle - a light, melodic sound that makes Steve's whole body buzz with warmth.

“Thanks, Steve. Good to see you here, I haven’t seen you around since-” 

“Since graduation, yeah. You’re almost there too, huh?” he teases, and you shift nervously on your feet.

“Oh yeah, senior year and all! I can’t believe my four years are coming to an end. It feels like just yesterday that I was a freshman, starting out in Hawkins as the new kid with zero friends. I’m so glad I’m not a freshman anymore.” you laugh nervously.

“I’m glad you’re not a freshman anymore, either.” Steve offers, stepping closer to you.

“Why’s that?” you hum, amused. Steve's grin widens as he prepares his next sentence.

“Cause now that you’re no longer a freshman, I can ask you-”

But Steve doesn't get to finish his sentence when two strong arms suddenly wrap around your waist, accompanied by a voice whispering “boo” into your ears. You jump at the sudden contact and noise, before realization dawns on you and you turn around to face Eddie, a semi-frown etched on your face.

“You jerk! You almost gave me a heart attack.” you smack him in the chest with your bag lightly, causing him to double over in laughter. 

“I’m sorry, princess. But you’re just too fun to tease.” 

Princess.

Steve’s blood runs ice cold at the nickname, as his eyes do a double take at the sight of you two together. His gaze follows as Eddie wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you right up against him as the metalhead takes out one of the movies from your hands and inspects it in the light.

“Sixteen Candles, huh? I know I said you could pick the movie this time but you’re really killing me with these choices, angel.” 

“Oh actually, Steve recommended Footloose so I think we should rent that one!” you excitedly respond, linking your fingers with his. 

“Sounds good to me. Can we check this one out?” Eddie asks politely, as Steve blinks wordlessly for a few moments. He’s shell shocked, embarrassed and confused as he forces himself to nod, trodding up to the counter and practically shoving Robin to the side to scan the damn VHS. 

“Hi Robin!” you greet the girl at the counter with a wide smile, as her eyes light up.

“You know who I am?” 

“Of course I do! One of my big campaigns last year was to increase the budget for our school’s band. You're amazing, by the way."

The two of you engage in light dialogue, but it all falls on deaf ears for Steve. Quickly completing the transaction and giving Eddie a forced grin, he watches as Eddie links his fingers with yours again, walking you away from the counter. 

“Oh, wait!” you pause in your tracks, turning around to look at Steve. “Steve, you wanted to ask me something?” 

The silence in the store is almost painful, with you looking at Steve with such innocence and wonder, Robin (badly) stifling her laugh behind Steve, and Steve’s ears going pink with embarrassment. 

“No, it’s uh, it’s nothing! It was about student government but I can just ask someone else in the committee.” 

You frown at his response, concerned.

“Are you sure? You can ask me right now!” 

God, Steve wishes there was a hole he could dive under right now because the embarrassment is becoming almost unbearable. 

“Yeah I’m sure.”

You give him another dazzling smile, bidding him and Robin goodbye, before the door closes behind you and Eddie, your laughter ringing in Steve's ears as Eddie impatiently pulls you towards his car. Steve can basically feel Robin’s gaze burning into his back as he turns around, dejected and mortified. Robin opens her mouth to tease him, but Steve quickly holds his hand up to stop his best friend from speaking.

“I know, I know. That was pathetic.”

“And I was right.” Robin smugly adds. “About (Y/n) and Eddie.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Robin lets a few moments of silence pass before she pokes him on the side.

“So, about the $20….” 

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

“The two of them together? No fucking way.” Jason put out the lit cigarette dangling from his mouth as he leanged against the metal railings of the Starcourt Mall, glaring at his teammate, Carl, who had just said that he had seen you and Eddie making out behind the bleachers last Friday. “(Y/n) is like, one of the hottest girls in school. Why the hell would she settle for a freak like him?”

“Beats me, man. Maybe it was just a one time thing?” Carl weakly offers, shrugging his shoulders. Jason doesn’t seem very satisfied at his friend’s answer, craning his neck and looking over the side of the railings. The mall is as busy as it gets on a Saturday like today, with families, couples and friend groups pushing against each other from store to store. 

“I’ll see it when I believe it.” Jason puffs out his chest in annoyance, his tone laced with a twinge of anger and animosity that intrigues Carl. 

“You have something against her or something?” 

As soon as the question leaves Carl’s mouth, he remembers - last week’s party, by Chrissy’s pool house. Jason had strolled up to you with a drink in hand before asking you out, which you had flat out declined in front of basically the whole basketball team. It seemed as if the memory is also suddenly in Jason’s mind as the blonde rolls his eyes and shoves past his friend, swearing under his breath.

“You know damn well I don’t. Just shut the fuck up, okay? Let's just get some food."

His tone is decisive and Carl knows better than to push the blonde's temper any further.

“Sure.” 

The two of them don’t speak whilst walking towards the food court, the distant sound of muffled conversations and music from stores filling the air. Jason is taking his time to look around, comparing his options, when he hears your unmistakable laughter from the end of the hall. He tears his gaze away from the booth, only to see you perched on Eddie ‘the Freak’ Munson’s lap, feeding him spoonfuls of ice cream as his ring clad fingers brush against your exposed knees. 

The sight makes the jock feel sick with anger and jealousy, and suddenly he’s glad that the mall is bustling with people. Through the crowds and crowds of strangers, the two of you seem blissfully unaware of the star basketball player’s envious gaze, too caught up in each other’s presence to notice anything else but each other. Then you kiss Eddie’s cheek, whispering something in his ears before leaving the ice cream cup in his hands to walk off somewhere. 

Ignoring Carl’s protests to just “leave them alone”, Jason finds himself strolling up to his enemy, Jason's steps forceful and hurried. Eddie’s smile falters ever so slightly when he looks up at who’s suddenly standing in front of him, before an amused smirk appears on his face.

“Jason. What a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe the honor, my good sir?” his voice is dripping with sarcasm and more than ever, Jason wants to smack the damn expression off of his face.

“Cut the shit, Munson. What the fuck are you doing with (Y/n)?” Jason aggressively questions.

“I was kissing her, duh.” Eddie responds as a matter-of-factedly, enjoying being able to tease the jock. It’s not often that Eddie has the true upper hand, actual power over someone like Jason - so he’s relishing in it now, watching the basketball player’s confident facade crumble like chalk as his chest heaves in angry breaths.

“I know that, jackass. I’m asking what the fuck you’re doing kissing HER.” the blonde presses, but Eddie simply leans back against the table nonchalantly, totally unbothered.

“She’s my girlfriend, buddy. What else would we be doing? Because if you’re worried that's all we do-” Eddie pauses, before leaning forward with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “No need. We do a lot more, if you get what I mean.” 

Jason’s hands flare upwards to land a punch on Eddie's face but Carl beats the blonde to it, wrapping a hand on Jason’s wrist and tugging his friend backwards. 

“He’s not worth it, dude. Besides, your mom said you’d be grounded if you got arrested for assault one more time.” 

Jason stares straightforward at Eddie Munson with nothing but hatred in his heart, whilst the metalhead looks proud and relaxed, amused at how everything has played out. Shoving his teammate off, Jason straightens up, brushing his varsity jacket sleeves with his hands before pointing a finger in Eddie’s face.

“This is far from over, Munson.” 

“Cool.” 

Eddie’s more than aware that Jason is still staring at the two of you from across the dining hall, ignoring Carl’s attempts at conversation, and it’s what propels Eddie to do what he does when you return from the bathroom. 

“I’m back!” you sing, sitting back down onto Eddie’s lap. You notice that Eddie's expression is now different, still sweet but something a bit sinister in his eyes, and it makes you tilt your head in confusion. “Anything happen while I’m gone?” 

Eddie looks at your face, brushing your cheeks with his left hand, whilst his right hand rests on your upper thigh. He thanks whatever gods are up there that you’ve chosen to wear his favorite black dress today, cinched in at the waist with a belt, the fabric soft and the length just above your knees. Placing the ice cream to the side, he brings your face down for a hungry kiss, the taste of chocolate and raspberry still lingering on your lips. The knowledge that the smug blonde asshole - Jason Carver - is watching with seething jealousy across the hall makes it all the more satisfying when you eagerly return the kiss, Eddie’s left hand raising to pull you in closer by your neck. 

After a few heated moments Eddie leans back and you let out a few breaths, frazzled and dazed at your boyfriend’s sudden affection. 

“I’m definitely not complaining but… what was that for, Eds?” 

Eddie decides not to give Jason the satisfaction of looking over at him, instead opting to lace his fingers with yours and gaze at you lovingly.

“Can’t I just kiss my beautiful girlfriend because I want to?” 

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

“And now, we have entered into the mystical lands of fa- Hello? Are any of you listening?” Eddie waves a hand in front of the freshmen boys' faces, noticing that their minds seem to be somewhere else. They sit there, unmoving, before Mike whispers something to Lucas, who in turn elbows Dustin.

“Right. Uh, we have a question for you. That's non D&D related.” he awkwardly starts to ask, causing Eddie to sigh.

“We’re in the middle of a campaign.” Eddie pouts, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“We know, we know, but it’s important.” Dustin insists, and Eddie can’t help but comply: he does have a soft spot for these kids, after all.

“Alright then.” Eddie sits himself down on a spare plastic chair facing the kids. “What is it?” 

A moment of silence passes before Dustin blurts out the question that's been plaguging his and his friends' minds for the past few days.

“Can you give us tips on how to pick up girls?” 

The question makes Eddie laugh, his head thrown backwards as a loud laugh rips through his throat, before his smile is wiped off by the serious looks on the kids’ faces. 

“Oh, you’re being serious? Seriously? Why the hell would you ask me of all people that?” 

“Because we heard-” Mike starts, only to be shot a warning glare by Lucas that makes him shut up. That catches Eddie’s attention, pointing the end of his ruler to Mike.

“No. What is it? Speak.” 

“We heard that you’re dating (Y/n). Like, cheer co-captain and class president (Y/n).” 

The mention of your name makes his heart warm and it’s hard to fight off the smile from rising onto his face. 

“You heard right, Wheeler.” 

The boys’ eyes light up at the admission before they all start speaking at once, clearly excited.

“Wait, really? I thought it was just Hawkins gossip.” “I knew it! I called it beforehand, honestly.” “So that’s why we want to know how you did it!”

Raising his hands in mock surrender, Eddie shakes his head sideways at the freshmen boys’ antics.

“Look kiddos, I’m flattered that you’d want my advice on dating but I really don’t have much to tell you.” 

Lucas groans at that.

“Oh, come on! There has to be something you said or did to land a girlfriend like (Y/n)! Tell us, please?” 

The conversation is then interrupted by the sound of someone knocking at the door, before the door swings open to reveal you smiling sheepishly behind it. On your left hand you’re holding what looks to be Eddie’s beloved roleplaying notebook as you walk over and kiss Eddie on the cheek. You quickly realize that you’ve walked in on a fully active campaign, turning to look at three young freshman boys practically gawking at the sight of you being affectionate with Eddie.

“Oh. Hi there. I’m-” 

“(Y/n) (L/n).” Dustin finishes for you, and you laugh. Eddie squints his eyes at the boys, clearly noticing the infatuation glazing over their eyes. It makes him pull you down onto his lap, resting his head on your shoulder as you laugh - you know that’s code for ‘I’m jealous, please give me attention.’ 

“That’s right. And you three must be-” 

“Dustin.” 

“Lucas.”

“Mike.”

The three of them seem to be really good friends, you note, almost in sync with the way they introduce themselves and fumble to straighten up their posture in your presence. It’s incredibly adorable, and you can easily see why Eddie is so protective and taken with them. 

“Nice to meet you all. I’m so sorry for interrupting your game, I just noticed that Eddie left this behind in PreCalc and wanted to return it to him-” 

“It’s fine, princess. Actually you have impeccable timing, because these three boys wanted to know how I managed to land myself a girl like you.” Eddie says, rubbing circles into your left palm.

You laugh at Eddie's comment, before you see that Dustin, Lucas and Mike have leaned over to hear your response, completely serious expression on their faces. 

“Oh. You guys genuinely want to know?” you're surprised.

The young boys all nod empathetically, and you casually look over at your boyfriend, who is smiling down at you mischievously.

“Well go on, baby. Tell them how I won a girl like you over.” 

“Okay. Um… Eddie didn’t really have to do anything to win me over. I fell for him because he's... him. He’s charming, kind and funny. He’s passionate about music and protecting his friends. He’s wholly and unapologetically himself in an environment that tries to sap any kind of authenticity from you. If anything, I don’t know how I was so lucky enough to land a boyfriend like Eddie.” you finish, looking back at the senior with a soft smile on your face. Eddie's secretly getting choked up at your kind words but masking it behind a boyish smirk, shifting you on his lap.

“Aw, all those nice things and you didn’t even mention my devilishly handsome looks!” he complains.

You roll your eyes at his antics before looking back at the three boys.

“Yes, that too. It helped that Eddie is a good looking man. There. You happy?” 

Eddie swears he can see the whole universe in your eyes. He never wants to stop looking into them.

“With you? Always.” 

The boys collectively groan in disgust when Eddie pulls you down for a swift kiss, with Lucas loudly yelling that he was going to throw up. Eddie tells them to shut up as you stifle a laugh, quickly getting up and re-adjusting the varsity jacket on your shoulder.

“I should get going. I slipped out of a student council meeting to come down here to give Eddie the notebook. Are we still on for tonight?” you ask Eddie, who nods in response.

“Of course.” 

The room’s still masked in stunned silence when you wave the boys goodbye and disappear into the hallway, the rest of the D&D game long forgotten in their minds. Eddie waves his hands in front of their faces again, exasperated at their lack of focus.

“Oi, freshmen! Can we get back to the game now?” 

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

Eddie swears the only quiet moments with you in this bustling, nosy town is in his bedroom. You’re laying against his chest, your body laying between his legs as he gently attempts you teach you the first few notes of his new song. Your skirt’s bunched up to your thighs and your frilly socks are rubbing against his bare legs, your cute giggles escaping every so often when he compliments you on getting a note right by kissing your face.

The sun’s started to set, bathing the trailer in red and orange glow, and he swears you look practically angelic in this light. Hair frayed around your face, your lower teeth biting your lips in concentration, your delicate fingers thrumming lightly against the guitar. With every shift against Eddie, your cardigan falls down to expose your shoulder and Eddie resists the urge to mark you up right then and there.

Noticing that he’s stopped instructing you on what to do, you stop playing, looking up at him with curiosity.

“Is something wrong?” 

God, Eddie thinks, the kids were right. He has no idea how he has landed someone like you. 

“Everything’s perfect, princess. Just… a lot of thoughts are in my head at the moment.” 

You frown at his response, setting the guitar to the side before pulling back to face Eddie.

“Is it about all the Hawkins students getting on your ass about us dating? I’m really sorry, I tried to do some gossip patrol today but people really like talking and drama and-” 

“No, no, it’s fine.” he assures you, placing two warm hands on your face. “I get why people talk. I mean me, Eddie Munson. Freak of the school, best known for supposedly devil worshipping and not being able to pass senior year. Getting to kiss and hold hands with you, miss co-captain and class president? Of course people would wanna talk."

Your expression softens at his admission.

“Well… you know what they say, opposites attract.” you tease, leaning forward to kiss him lightly. This time, your lips taste like cherry - he figures you must’ve been applying cherry chapstick whilst he was in the bathroom a few minutes ago. He’s hungry for more, never satisfied with just one kiss as he pulls you back onto him once more. 

“I guess they do.” 

The entire school doesn’t understand how you two are dating. Eddie isn’t quite sure why either. But he’s more than happy to let it be a mystery - so long as he gets to continue to hold onto you like this.

-> a/n: I hope we get to see a lot more from him in the show in vol 2 and onwards! Anyways, I really hope y'all enjoyed it: please let me know if you did and if you'd like me to write more in this fandom by liking/commenting/reblogging and what not.

❤️ Drink water, nourish your body and be kind to yourself today ❤️

[zepskies]

Take Me Home - Part 2

Pairing: Beau Arlen x F. Reader 

Summary: You are another lost soul at Sunny Day Excursions. You’re aiming to settle in Helena, Montana, where Beau Arlen is the new sheriff in town. But you’ve both got a past you’re running from. 

AN: Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments on Part 1! I know many of you have questions, and I promise, all will be revealed in due time…

(Also, what do you guys think of new chapters releasing on Wednesdays and Sundays instead of just Fridays? A week is a long time, isn't it? 😂)

Song Inspo: “City Grown Willow” by Radio Company

Word Count: 5,200

Tags/Warnings: Tension, hurt/comfort, major angst, and more comfort of a different sort.

❤️ Series Masterlist

Part 2: It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay

Tensions were running high at Sunny Day Excursions.

Over the next few days, Mary continued to press the issue of you staying in Montana with little passive aggressive comments that got on your damn nerves. You proverbially dug your heels in, and became even more stubborn and taciturn as a result.

Unstoppable force meets immovable object.

However, the entire camp was shaken the night Paige and Luke disappeared on a hike. Buck and Sunny assured everyone that they were doing their best to look for the couple, but come the morning, it was Emily who accidentally found Luke in the woods, bleeding from a head wound, and without Paige.

He claimed that they’d gone their separate ways after a fight, and he hadn’t seen her since. Paige’s suitcase and things were gone from her tent, so Sunny could only assume that she’d found her way back to camp and left for home by morning.

“Look, no one’s a prisoner here,” Sunny had said. “If Paige wanted to go home, then that’s up to her.”

There was still something off about it though, you felt. Emily seemed to share your thoughts; you’d heard her whispering with Avery, and Dan, another camper in his early 40s.

You started to watch Luke a bit harder from then on. As did your friend Mary, if for different reasons.

It was still early in the morning when you caught her flirting with Luke in front of your shared tent.

“A personal trainer, huh?” said Luke. His gaze flit over Mary’s form, and she allowed it with a smile. “You know, I’ve got a pretty good workout routine, but I’ll bet you can give me some tips—”

“Drink lots of water,” you said dryly as you approached the tent. You carried your sketchpad and acrylic paints in your hand, and you pushed into the tent without giving Luke and Mary more than a glance.

You heard Mary’s voice outside the tent, all girlish and flirtatious as she apologized about you, and suggested they could keep talking later. Luke readily agreed. You sat down on the edge of your bed and watched his silhouette walk away from the tent.

Mary soon joined you inside, and she didn’t look pleased. She stared down at you and crossed her arms.

“Are you kidding me with that shit?” you asked, gesturing at the scene you just saw.

“Could you be any more of a cockblock?” Mary shot back.

“Number one, that guy is a little too young for you, Cougar Town,” you reminded her. Luke had to be in his early 20s. It had been a hot minute since you and Mary were of college age. “Number two, he came here with his girlfriend, who he somehow lost in the woods.”

“She left him,” Mary said. “All alone in the middle of nowhere. Then she took off and went home so she didn’t have to deal with what she did. I feel bad for him.”

“No, you’re horny for him. There’s a difference,” you said flatly.

You loved Mary like a sister, but she had the tendency to let guys blind her to good sense. (Ha. Pot calling the kettle black, came your self-deprecation.)

Though you could’ve predicted the way she huffed and walked away, once again leaving you alone. You sighed.

Wasn’t this vacation for us? you wondered.

Mary continued to bait Luke with coy flirtation, while you tried and failed to ride a horse again. Cormack had been kind and encouraging in trying to help you onto the creature, but once you were on its back, you were too afraid to let the horse move.

You felt like you were going to topple off at any moment, even with Beau Arlen’s advice. (Which still made you blush whenever you thought about it.)

So Cormack helped you down, and you went back to the mess tent for a mid-afternoon snack to make you feel better: a giant jelly donut.

You were really getting frustrated with yourself now.

“It’s not so hard,” Emily had said. You could imagine that her dad, the cowboy sheriff, had put her on a horse from the time she was a little kid. You were a city girl, through and through. The closest you’d ever gotten to riding a horse was a plastic one—a carousel at a carnival when you were six. 

While you finished off your donut, you realized that you’d spent the whole day alone. As frustrated as you were with Mary, she was your best friend. And after this week, you would be staying and she would be going back to Chicago. You didn’t know when you would get to see her again.

So with a sigh, you wiped your hands free of donut icing and went to try and find her.

You started with the tent you shared with her. “Hey, Mary? Look I—”

You gasped when, upon entering the tent, you got your eyes seared. Mary and Luke were tangled together under the sheets. He moved off of your friend and rolled onto his back next to her when you came in. Mary uttered your name in shock. Everyone was shocked, really.

You were that, and angry.

“Really?! In our goddamn bed?” you shouted. Your gaze focused on Luke, and you pointed at him. “Get the hell out of here.”

He hesitated slightly, glancing at Mary, but your furious look scared him more. He grabbed his boxers and got dressed under the sheets before he left the bed, and then fled the tent, giving you a wide berth on his way out.

You then focused on Mary, who somehow looked both contrite and irritated at being interrupted. She said your name in a placating way, but you shook your head.

“No. No. Don’t even try,” you said. “That guy’s girlfriend left him in the middle of a vacation! What does that tell you? Please, screw me?”

“You know what?” Mary snapped. She sat up in the bed, making sure to cover herself with the sheet. She leaned over to grab her clothes from the floor and started hastily getting dressed.

“Luke’s actually a nice guy," she said. "You used to know how to have fun. But now you’ve just become this bitter person who can’t relax or let yourself be happy, let alone anyone else.”

That actually struck you—like a physical blow to your chest. You tried to blink past the sting of tears in your eyes.

“You’re a damn child,” you said, steadier than you felt. “You’re not the one who had your whole world imploded.”

Mary’s lips pursed. She still looked angry, but also like she was hiding the sting of guilt. She gathered up some of her things and informed you that she’d be staying at Luke’s tent tonight.

Freakin’ fine by you.

You’d also have to request some new bed sheets from Sunny.

In the morning, you stumbled out of bed after a rough night’s sleep. It was hard for you to sleep in a new place by yourself, especially out here in the woods.

Especially after how you and Mary left things.

You were so tired, you counted it a small blessing that you were able to put on clothes and get your hair into some kind of normalcy before you trekked over to the mess tent.

There you accidentally overheard Avery and Emily arguing; she’d lost her knife in the woods when she’d happened upon Luke, but Avery was reluctant to let her go hiking by herself. Apparently, her mother was due to join them this morning as well.

It seemed like the day of late comers though. A new married couple, Tonya and Donno, had arrived late yesterday to join the trip. They’d requested a tent at the far end of the camp, closest to the woods. Apparently, they wanted to really experience nature.

All you knew was, they seemed a bit weird.

“That knife’s important. My father gave it to me,” Emily said, interrupting your thoughts.

It made Avery quiet, but they both greeted you more pleasantly when you had to walk by them to get to the coffee.

“Hey, sorry,” you gave a little wave in embarrassment. You hated interrupting moments that had nothing to do with you, but you supposed it was unavoidable in this camp.

Once you’d gotten your coffee and filled your plate with some eggs and bacon, you joined them at the table. You pretended not to notice the way they both glanced at you with measures of concern. Did you really look that bad?

Avery wisely didn’t comment. Emily wasn’t as good at curbing her inner filter.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked. You gave her a thin smile.

“Just a bit tired. Didn’t sleep so well,” you admitted.

Of course, that was when the reason for your bedraggled appearance strolled into the mess tent. Mary came in and noticed Avery and Emily first with a smile. It turned frosty when she glanced at you. You gave her a mocking “smile” right back.

She chose to ignore you and went for the buffet table instead.

Right, you thought. You supposed that was how it was going to be for the rest of this damn trip.

“All righty! Good mornin’, folks,” Sunny said, entering the mess tent. She surveyed all the faces gathered—some relaxed and jovial, and then your table, a bit awkward, a bit tense.

She moved on with a smile that matched her name and her shiny red hair.

“Just lettin’ you all know as a reminder, we’ve got a bunch of activities for you all if there are any takers. Archery, kayaking, it’s gonna be a great time,” she said. “But if you prefer, you’re welcome to keep to the camp have a more relaxed day. It’s your vacation, so it’s up to you how you wanna spend it.”

You all nodded in understanding.

It’s your vacation. You choose how you spend it.

That, you could get on board with.

You spent the rest of the morning alone, as usual. Either you were reading in the outdoor lounge area, taking in the sunshine and the fresh air, or you were painting, taking in the landscape of the tall trees and the great, big mountains peeking out from behind them.

You earned yourself some peace today, one that let you breathe and try to tune out your frustrations with Mary, and your worries about the future. You hummed along to a melody in your mind as you painted. Completely at peace…

Until a hand tapped on your shoulder, making you yelp and sending your paintbrush high in the air.

Cormack came into your line of vision with a barely stifled laugh and placating hands. While you took out your earbuds (and calmed your breathing), he grabbed your brush and handed it back to you.

“Sorry about that. Just wanted to let you know that lunch is served,” he said, though he took a glance at your painting. “Hey, lookin’ real good there. Nice landscape.”

You let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Aw, you don’t have to be so nice. I’m still learning.”

He crossed his arms. “Well, if you’re interested in taking classes, I know someone who runs an art studio in town. Miss Peggy. Nice lady. Not too harsh.”

You laughed more genuinely.

“Good to know, thanks! Send me the address and I’ll check it out,” you said. Cormack agreed with a smile, and he helped you up from the long couch you were sitting on. The two of you walked back together to the central part of the camp, where the mess tent was.

There you met Emily’s mother, Carla, who’d just joined her family at the camp. She wasn’t exactly dressed for camping in her pressed blouse and pencil skirt; professional and smart, her long dark hair a perfect coil.

This woman was immaculate. As you soon learned, she was also a lawyer. You didn’t often feel intimidated by other women, but she could fit that bill, considering you were sweaty and dusty in your plain V-necked shirt and jeans.

And especially knowing that this was Sheriff Arlen’s ex-wife. Avery seemed like the “wealthy businessman” type—the kind of man you’d expect a high-powered lawyer to be with. You found yourself wondering how she’d met the sheriff.

That’s none of your busineeeess, you sing-songed in your mind, while you speared more salad on your plate. As if that could disguise the juicy brisket burger right beside it.

After lunch, you returned to your tent to finally find Mary. She was lying on the bed, looking a bit listless.

“I’m surprised you’re not attached to Luke’s hip,” you remarked, setting down your backpack and paint supplies on the floor. “Or his face.”

She shot you a peeved look. “He keeps ditching me for that weird new couple. Tonya and Donner or something.”

“Donno?” you supplied. “Yeah, he’s weird. He stole the ketchup bottle from the breakfast table this morning. He told me, ‘You shouldn’t ruin good eggs with sugary tomato paste.’”

Mary raised a brow, but she turned to you when you sat down beside her on the bed. There was a moment of tension between you, even though your gazes were softer to each other. The truth was, you missed your friend today. You guys didn’t fight often, and it had you hurting. Maybe she felt the same way.

“Listen,” you said with a sigh. “I’m not sorry for throwing Luke out of our tent. That was gross as hell, and I didn’t appreciate that. But I don’t want to fight with you. I want to enjoy our last few days together before you go back to Chicago.”

Mary’s lips pursed, but she seemed to relent.

“Yeah, that was a bitch move,” she admitted. She knew full well that her tryst with Luke could’ve happened in his tent, not the one she shared with you. She met your gaze with more resignation, as well as apology.

“You’re really staying here, aren’t you?” she asked.

You nodded. “Yeah, I am. I’m not saying there’s nothing for me back home. Of course I’m going to miss you, our friends, the rest of my family…but I need to do this. I need a fresh start.”

It took her a moment, but Mary nodded. She reached over and hugged you. You held her back tightly.

After a beat, she let you go and slid out of bed.

“Okay,” she sighed. “I need to do something. I’m going stir crazy in here.”

“Where’re you going?” you asked.

“Just for a run,” she replied. “I should be back by dinner.”

“A run?” you repeated, your brows furrowing. “In the woods by yourself? Don’t you think that’s dangerous?”

“Well, you could come with me,” she offered. You grimaced. You and running didn’t mix. You were more of a yoga girl.

Mary laughed and finished changing into her activewear and sneakers.

“That’s what I thought,” she said. “No worries, I’ll have my phone if anything. I’ll be okay.”

“But your cell won’t have service out there!” you said.

Mary was already leaving. She blew you a kiss goodbye, though she did stop in the tent’s entryway. Her face sobered with a sincere apology.

“Look, I’m sorry for everything, okay?” she said. “I know I can be a brat sometimes…but we can talk more when I get back, clear my head.”

You were reluctant to see her go, but you nodded.

“Just be back in time for dinner!” you called after her.

Mary wasn’t back for dinner. Even after the sun set, she hadn’t come back from her run. You were really beginning to worry.

All the other campers were gathering up at the edge of camp for a Night Hike. It was an idea Buck and Sunny surprised you all with a few hours ago. You wondered if they were trying to make up for the strange way Paige left the camp.

“The moon’s full tonight,” as Sunny had said, with a slightly too bright smile. “Should be a beautiful time.”

You asked some of the others if they’d seen Mary, but they all replied negatively. Even Luke was nowhere to be found…but someone else was missing too.

“I still can’t believe you let her go into the woods alone,” Carla snapped at her husband.

Avery’s frown deepened. “I had no idea she went off by herself. You know your daughter. She’s headstrong—”

“Yeah, just like her father,” Carla muttered, turning away from him. Avery sighed.

You couldn’t help but approach them.

“Emily’s missing?" you said in concern. "Mary is too. I’ve been waiting for her to come back all afternoon.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Carla said. She frowned as anxiety continued to well up in her eyes. “Maybe they found each other.”

You touched her arm in comfort. “Either way, we can all look for them now.”

Sunny came up to the group with a flashlight and a smile.

“Everyone ready?” she asked.

“Mary’s missing,” you told her, “And so is Emily. Mary went on a run this morning and hasn’t been back since.”

Sunny inclined her head. After she surveyed the rest of the crowd, she settled back on you.

“I see Luke’s not among us either. Maybe they’re together?” she suggested, in a leading tone. You frowned.

“No, she left alone,” you said firmly.

“Don’t mean she stayed alone, darlin’,” Sunny replied, with that Oklahoma twang that so often made her words more charming. “But we’ll be sure to look for her and Emily while we’re out there.”

Carla shook her head and said to her husband, “That’s it. I’m calling Beau.”

“Darling, you don’t need to,” Avery replied, shaking his head. “Emily’s a responsible girl. She knows what time we’re meant to leave—”

Carla shook her head and walked past him and Sunny—towards the hotspot for cell service. You agreed with her; calling the sheriff couldn’t hurt, especially if you all couldn’t find Mary or Emily on this hike.

You still went with the rest of them to start your own search. You tried to keep with the group, but after lingering in certain spots to call for Mary, you eventually realized that you’d lost the trail—and everyone else.

The trees were tall and dark now. The moon was filtering through them like the sun had during other day hikes, but it was much more ominous at night.

“Shit,” you muttered. You gripped your flashlight in worry as panic started to well up in your chest.

Now you were lost.

You jumped with a start when the hoot of a bird passed by overhead.

Shiiiit. This was very bad.

You kept moving forward on what you thought was the trail. That was all you could do, keep moving forward. You made a few turns around some trees, occasionally calling out for Sunny, or Mary, or anyone to hear you.

The panic was back now, full force, and you felt the sting of tears in your eyes. And when you turned another corner, you screamed when you bumped into someone.

A girl’s scream echoed just as loudly as yours in the big, empty wood, but you got ahold of yourself, literally with a hand over your wildly beating heart when you realized who you’d run into.

“Emily!” you uttered. The girl let out a breath of relief to see you too. You went to her and pulled her into a hug, and she hugged you back.

“Thank. God,” she said. Her voice sounded tight with emotion, and you held her a bit tighter.

“It’s okay,” you rubbed her back. “How long’ve you been out here?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head, pulling away from you. “Couple of hours? Maybe longer.”

You nodded and expelled a breath. Poor thing looked tired. She didn’t even have any supplies with her. You gave her a protein bar from your backpack before you two started walking.

“So the good news is, we found each other. The bad news is, we’re still lost,” you said, counting each item on your fingers. “But the good news also is, I’ve only been walking for about…half an hour or so. I’m thinking we can mark trees or other landmarks as we pass them, like checking them off, so we know where we’ve been.”

Emily glanced at you with a smile. “You’re a checklist person, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely!” you agreed. “Checking things off is satisfying. But it’s also good just to take an inventory of where we’re at.”

You two kept walking for a while. Emily explained that she’d been following Luke, who took off by himself after giving her an ominous warning.

“There are some bad people on this trip. Want my advice? Get the hell out of here,” he’d said.

You frowned in concern. You’d felt that there was something fishy about that guy, pretty much from the moment he and Paige disappeared on that hike. Those newcomers he’d been hanging out with ever since, Tonya and Donno…maybe they had something to do with it.

They’d left camp today to go into town, claiming to check on the restaurant they owned and ran. But with everything now starting to come into perspective, you couldn’t take any piece of information at face value around here.

Suddenly, Emily stopped short.

“What’s…” Your words trailed as you followed her line of vision. There was a frilly pair of underwear on the ground.

That led to a hoodie strewn in the dirt and dead leaves. You continued on, until you found Mary, lying on her back on the cold ground. You and Emily gasped her name, but you moved first, dropping to your knees at Mary’s side. You pressed a hand to her cheek and found it cold.

You moved two fingers to the pulse point at her neck, but there was nothing. No life in her. Your mouth fell open in a silent, shocked cry.

“Mary? Honey, can you hear me?” you tried, shaking her shoulders. When she remained unresponsive, tears burned in your eyes and blurred your vision. You finally saw a dark patch of wet pooled out from under her body.

“Oh my God,” Emily said, voicing your thoughts. She was panicked. “Oh God, she’s…she’s…”

You turned to her and wanted to say, Don’t look.

You had briefly taught highschoolers before you became a college professor. You were used to looking out for your students, and as the adult here, you wanted to shield the teen from the sight of this, no matter how much your mind was spinning.

Before you could say anything, Emily fled the clearing with a scream.

“Emily!” you shouted after her. You glanced back at Mary in desperation, but you forced yourself onto your feet and ran after the girl.

You had slightly longer legs, but she was fast. You only caught up to her because she screamed louder, after running into Buck leading a horse through the woods. She grabbed onto him while you caught your breath behind her.

“What? What happened?” Buck asked. You laid a supportive hand on Emily’s shoulder, and she turned back to you with tearful eyes.

“Mary,” you managed, despite the coarseness in your voice. “She’s…”

This isn’t real, you thought. It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.

“She’s dead,” Emily finished for you. “Someone killed her.”

Buck’s eyes widened in shock. All he could say was…

“Show me.”

Buck brought Mary’s body back to camp on the back of his horse. The three of you walked in silence all the way there. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at her lifeless body. It was wrong. And if you did, you knew you’d collapse.

Emily was likely in shock as well. Her arm was looped through yours, though you weren’t sure who was steadying who.

Thanks to Carla, the police were already on the way to Sunny Day Excursions. When you reached the camp, Carla beelined for her daughter. Despite how happy she was to see her mom, Emily was a bit reluctant to let go of you, seeing how shaken you were, but you encouraged her wordless to go to her mother.

Carla pulled Emily into a tight hug, kissing the side of her head, and asked if she was all right. Emily just shook her head and pressed her face into her mom’s shoulder. Carla looked up at you with a relieved sigh.

“Thank you,” she said.

You gave her teary smile of your own. You couldn’t speak though, especially when Buck passed by with Mary still on the back of his horse. Sunny gasped and grabbed a blanket to cover the body with.

She then went to you, whispering, “You poor dear. Come ‘ere, sit by the fire.”

She covered your shoulders with another blanket and steered you to sit by the bonfire in the center of camp. You stayed there and stared at the flames. All the while, you didn’t feel the warmth. You didn’t feel the silent tears that slid down your face and dropped into your lap.

“Where’s Luke?” you heard Avery ask.

“That’s a good question,” said Sunny. She turned to her husband. “Buck?”

“I don’t know, but somebody better find him,” he replied grimly.

It was another hour before the police arrived.

You still hadn’t moved from your spot in front of the bonfire on a hard bench, but it was Cormack who gently asked you if you wanted to go back to your tent to relax until the police got around to talking to you about what happened.

You’d agreed, silently, and he helped you up. But you found that you could go no further than the couple of steps that brought you onto the platform outside of your tent. The tent you’d shared with Mary.

You couldn’t go in, and Cormack seemed to realize that. He helped you lower down to sit on the platform, with your dirty sneakers planted on the step below. He gave you a cup of hot tea as well, which you held with both hands and sipped slowly.

You only raised your head when you heard Emily’s voice exclaim in happiness. You watched her run to her father, the Sheriff. He welcomed his daughter into his arms and held her tight. Relief was painted all over his face. You heard the rumble of his voice asking her if she was all right. She just burrowed closer in the safety of his arms.

A blonde policewoman had come with him, along with a whole unit of officers. She went to question Buck and Sunny first, while Beau handled Emily, then Avery and Carla. It didn’t seem like a pleasant conversation, between the two men especially.

Don’t stare, you reminded yourself. You lowered your gaze to the dusty bottom stair between your feet. Your vision started to glaze over the longer you focused on that spot. You weren’t lost in thought. You were just…blank. This entire night still didn’t feel real.

Mary’s last words kept ringing through your mind…

“Look, I’m sorry for everything, okay?” she’d said. “I know I can be a brat sometimes…but we can talk more when I get back.”

You were interrupted from your reverie when two brown boots entered your line of vision. You looked up, and Beau Arlen was there to greet you with a look of sympathy. And yet, there was a professional set to his face that let you know you were about to be formally questioned about Mary’s death.

“Is that spot taken?” Beau asked, pointing to the space beside you on the platform. You shook your head and scooched over, so he could sit down. He sighed on his way there, greeting you with polite familiarity.

“Sheriff,” you nodded back. You set aside your mug of tea and crossed your arms, holding yourself against the chill.

You’d left the blanket by the bonfire, and your sweater had been stained with blood, after helping Buck set Mary’s body on the horse. You’d ripped the sweater off as soon as you got to camp, leaving you in just your undershirt.

“You need a jacket,” Beau remarked. He glanced back at your tent, as if he was wondering why you hadn’t gone inside to grab one. But his gaze was perceptive. Instead of asking, he shrugged out of his faux fur-lined leather jacket and draped it around your shoulders.

“Here, you can borrow this for now,” he said.

“Thank you,” you spoke in a small voice. You grasped one edge of the jacket and pulled it closer around you. It smelled like musky cologne and old leather.

Beau waved off his gesture of kindness.

“I hear you found my daughter in the woods and tried to get her back to camp,” he said. “Thank you for that.”

You glanced over at him, and tears once again shone in your eyes.

“I’m sorry she had to see…”

Beau’s gaze was heavy as he sighed and nodded again in agreement.

“I’m sorry you had to see it too,” he said. “And I’m sorry for your loss. For your friend.”

You took in a shuddering breath. New tears found familiar paths down your cheeks.

“Best friend, since college,” you said.

Beau took that in, before he asked you about the day’s events. You had to explain about Mary going missing first, then Emily, and finally Luke, who still hadn’t been found. You told everything you knew from your perspective.

When you were done, Beau reluctantly asked about the Mary and Luke situation. Your lips pursed, but your upset wasn’t at the sheriff. You knew he had to ask these questions.

“We argued about it,” you admitted. “Me and Mary. I warned her not to get involved with him, and the way Paige left camp was just one of many…but still, I should’ve been there. I shouldn’t have let her go into the woods alone! I should’ve gone with her!”

By the end, your whole body wracked with sobs. You covered your face with your hands to try and get some semblance of composure, but you just couldn’t keep it together.

“Okay, okay,” Beau said gently. He laid a hand on your back and rubbed back and forth. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I am.”

You sucked in a few tremulous breaths, sniffling. You looked up at him with red, watery eyes. He gave you a half smile. 

“Sorry,” he repeated, this time for the endearment. “Like I said, got a bad habit of doin’ that.”

You shook your head with a weak curve of your lips, despite how your lower lip wobbled. 

“It’s okay,” you said. 

But it wasn’t. Nothing was. 

You didn’t think you’d ever be okay again.

AN: 😥 I'm sorry about Mary, but I promise, it's all for a purpose, besides following canon. But let me know what you think! There will be much more of the reader and Beau in the next chapter, though you may not expect how their next meeting comes about...

Next Time:

“We’re gonna start here in a few minutes, but until then, you can take a seat,” said Tom. “There’s also coffee and cookies over there, if you like.”

Coffee. Coffee was warm, and it might settle your nerves and help you perk up a bit. You thanked him and went for the carafes on a small table in the back. You poured some coffee into a Styrofoam cup and poured a little sugar and creamer into it, but after you took an experimental sip, you immediately regretted it.

Tastes like damn soil water! You made a grossed out sound and spat it back into your cup.

“Yeah, wouldn’t recommend the joe,” drawled a familiar voice. 

You turned sharply to find Sheriff Beau Arlen.

▶️ Keep Reading: PART 3

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