#for me that’s a lot of chores to do. but I did them! and now I can rest while I wait for my clothes to dry.

[tsukii0002]

Imagine the contrast of the coexistence between Mc and Solomon, a human who did not know that magic was real until relatively recently and another human who has lived for centuries and who uses magic as if it were breathing.

Imagine that little things at home where Solomon is always willing to use magic to solve it, while Mc always beats him to it in the most common and least magical way possible.

But above all imagine, Solomon's frustration, how can his magic be rendered useless in such a way? And if he has no magic, what can he bring to that home?

Solomon: Remember that blanket I told you had a hole in it, I think it's time to mend it *opening one of his books*

Mc: I've already mended it, with a few stitches it's as good as new.

Solomon: Oh…

Solomon: Mc, what was the table that was broken?

Mc: Oh, don't worry, I fixed it.

Solomon: Really? What spell did you use?

Mc: Ha, ha, Solomon, you don't need magic to wedge a table.

Solomon: Mc!! With this spell we will solve our rat problem!

Mc: *smiling* I've already taken care of that, no for nothing Barbatos is so happy with me.

Solomon: That's how you earn your premium tea leaves?

Solomon: Please tell me you didn't fix the shelf that was sagging *with a book under his arm*

Mc: *eating a muffin* Oops.

Solomon: Mc, I told you I'd fix it *pointing at the. with the book*

Mc: Solomon, it was tightening two screws, it's going to take you longer to look up such a mundane spell than to fix it manually.

.

Solomon: Mc… you're a sorceress, you should use magic more!

Mc: *funny* And you should use magic less!!! You're still a human, old man. By the way, remember those yellow spots on the tablecloth that bothered you so much?

Solomon: Yeah?

Mc: Well, I've already made them disappear and without magic.

Solomon: How????

Solomon is sitting, somewhat annoyed, on one of the balconies

Mc: Hey…

Solomon: …

Mc: Are you upset?

Solomon: … No.

Mc: *sighing as they stands next to him* Let's talk, tell me, why does it bother you so much that I solve things without magic?

Solomon: I'm not upset, we don't need to talk at all.

Mc: You know that communication is part of living together right? We are two people with different ways of living, if we don't talk how are we going to have a good cohabitation?

Solomon: … With the brothers you never had that problem.

Mc: Sure I have, maybe not with these things because Lucifer encourages certain stuff to be done manually, but we had to set a lot of guidelines when I started living with them.

Solomon: ...

Solomon: *sighing* I'm not upset… it's just that I'm used to doing everything with magic, even the smallest things, it's easier, faster.

Mc: Well, sometimes yes, but sometimes it's easier to do it without magic, and in my case I'm used to not use magic.

Solomon: *looking at them* I know, but there are things I can't do without magic.

Mc: But that's what I'm for, isn't it?

Solomon: *doubting* Then' what do I bring to our cohabitation?

Mc: *realizing*

Solomon: You cook, you do a lot of chores because you are faster, and you take care of a lot of things that allow you to have a routine… I feel that instead of living together, I am a guest...

Mc: Solomon...

Solomon: And if I can't even use my magic, Am I useless? without my magic I…

The two are silent for a moment

Mc: I'm sorry, I've minimized how you feel… and I've done things my way without taking you into account.

Solomon: Ha, ha, don't worry, *now kind of sad* It's not that big of a deal.

Mc: No, I told you, communication is part of living together and you should tell me what bothers you.

Solomon: *looking at them*

Mc: We can try to find a middle ground.

Solomon: How?

Mc: *thoughtful* Well, the day to day things we can do manually and the things that are very difficult or tedious we can use magic?

Solomon: *considering it seriously'* You could also teach me how to do tasks without magic, like how to wedge a table… and I could teach you spells that I usually use, like the one that sweeps the house by itself.

Mc: *smiling* We can also make a schedule so we don't step on each other's to-dos.

Solomon: *smiling too* And create a chat room exclusively for house stuff where we can let each other know if we're going to do something.

Mc: That sounds like a great idea Solomon.

Solomon: *more lively* And I'd also like to do certain chores together, like laundry or cooking.

Mc: … *feeling bad at Solomon's happy face* Yes… we can do that too.

.

.

This turned out to be longer than I thought, and what started as something funny has turned into a drama😅. I'm not going to lie to you, I love domestic dramas, day to day problems… so this post has turned into that because Solomon is used to live in a very different way than Mc, and living together for the first time is always complicated and habits are hard to change, and co-living is not always so great. Give me domestic situations between Mc and the rest of the cast please!!!! 🥺🥺

Anyway, if you've made it this far, thank you very much for reading🩷

.

.

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Interesting. Don’t necessarily think I’m autistic but I have more going on than just ADHD and I’m not sure what that is.

[emdotcom]

My workplace occasionally likes to shoot me in the foot, just to see how long I'll limp. Today, they took away one of my weekend days day-of without notifying me at all, & are prolly expecting me to come. Jokes on them: I'm not doing that.

[nexus-nebulae]

another childhood bucket list item obtained: i finally have a snuggie

[coffee-keith]

Really struggling with trying to figure out what's me. Like what I enjoy and what ideas/traits/desires are actually my own. I think it's beautiful that people influence each other and grow together, but I'm left feeling lost right now and wondering what's actually me.

[artblueminecraftorchid]

Saturday Morning Confessional

Hell lingers behind every shadow;

I leave the lights on, yet they stay.

Electricity bills climb higher,

Nights get longer,

Temperatures colder.

You’d think Hell could pay a heating bill

Once in a while, but in spite,

The nickels and dimes stack up.

I miss the sun.

This daughter of God thrives on routine,

But the clock shifts back and forth;

The government’s grasping attempt

At brighter mornings. Bitter as I may be,

I am grasping with them.

Light, light, God grant me more light;

Even if it casts shadows, at least

I’m not in the dark.

For all the scrambling to daylight,

I sleep longer, frittering away

Morning hours. Shorter days chopped

Ever slimmer. I used to sleep

When the sun went down; beat the

Dark to my bedrest and

Flee from the fear. Now, it’s 6:30PM,

The night already creeping, dinner

Not yet made. I stay awake,

Forget time, shiver in the gloom.

It does not bode well for winter.

Thanks be to God, who turns the planets on their axes

My alarms went off on a Saturday, and

I could not get back to sleep. Thanks be

To God, from whom the sunrays burst

In helium-synthesis glory; the day was

Majesty’s declaration, cool and bright and joyful.

Thanks be to God, I got up early, amen.

The laundry’s in the dryer, the food bought

For the week, the carpets are all vacuumed;

I’m resting, not asleep. May every chore I do

Be prayer and praise together:

Thanks be to God, I’m having a good day.

Hell lingers behind every shadow;

May God’s angels clear them away.

[keeps-ache]

well! that project's out of my brain now :) now what

[pussymasterdooku]

if my mom could find a cure for her chronic case of outing people to people they are Specifically Not Out To, For A Reason, that would be, uh, great!

[permanentreverie]

a moment of joy in days of tired darkness!!!

[broodygaming]

omg got the cutest armor and so it's finally tiiimeeee to shareeee.

This is Flu. <3 She/They pronouns. Badass. Misses her sister who in my mind looks exactly the same but styles her hair differently and is a dark blue instead of a dark purple like Flu. This inn lighting is just meh and their face and freckles are the cutest I'll have to upload a more closeup pic. They're the coolest nerdiest badass-est wizard on this here continent and they're for SURE not an undercover True Soul who has seen and done some SHIT to keep their cover, NOPE.

[mishkakagehishka]

And i know when i return i'll either be yelled at or laughed off like little girl throws tantrum or whatever. But i'm genuinely getting real sick of the way i'm treated vs the way my brother is treated. And they don't even notice that shit. I tell my mom "you never take my side and defend me, when i caved and let you take me to get my eyebrows threaded, you said nothing when my brother said i 'finally look like a human being'" and surprise surprise she "doesn't remember that", he "doesn't remember that", but it cut soooo deep into me, i'll never forget it. Whatever tho.

[gotta-bail-my-quails]

the debts of my years of joyful frolicking are hitting me like a truck rn

[toastsnaffler]

did sleep in the end btw woohoo and at least its a sunday so I could stay in bed until after 9am

[bpmiranda]

Uncle Logan III |l. howlett| nsfw

A/N: pure, filthy smut, age gap, 18+ f!reader, uncle!logan x faux!niece, cheating, oral m!receiving, loss of virginity, cockwarming, rough sex, unprotected sex, creampie

Uncle Logan Uncle Logan II

It went without saying that you quickly figured out how to stay on Logan’s good side. You weren’t incapable of doing house chores, you simply required the right motivation and once Logan figured out what motivated you, you became docile and obedient - just what your parents had wanted from you. “I made breakfast!” You announce as he walks into the kitchen with a smile, eyeing your pajama shorts and the loose crop top that gives away the hardness of your nipples. “Want some coffee?” You offer, already filling up a mug.

“I appreciate it, sweet girl.” Logan says while tying his tie as you sit down with your own coffee. “You’re not going to eat?” He asks curiously as he sits beside you and you shake your head.

“I’m going to this job fair the community college is hosting, I figured I’d get something to eat afterwards.” You say, watching him sip his coffee, his eyes on you the whole time.

“That’s great, Y/N. I’ll be sure to let your parents know you’re taking concrete steps towards a career.” He says as he begins eating.

You rest your chin on your palm as you watch him and you shrug lightly. “You don’t have to tell them.” He gives you a curious look. “I was just thinking maybe I can stay the rest of the summer here. I mean, you need the help around the apartment and I’m-well-enjoying spending the time with you.” Your free hand slowly inched towards his arm and you caress his hand with your thumb as you look at him with wide eyes, biting your lip.

“Sweetheart, I can’t.” He says, again, and you pout. “We’ve talked about it. It’s not right.”

“Logan, don’t make me misbehave.” You sigh, moving your hand onto his knee underneath the table as you lean closer to him. “You said good girls get rewarded, right?” He reluctantly nods because he did say that, but he shouldn’t have. “And haven’t I been good these last few weeks?”

Logan stalls by taking another sip of coffee and he shakes his head. “You have been, you’ve been great, and there’s a lot of improvement in your attitude. I just-look, we got carried away in the beginning. I think you’re a gorgeous girl, but I’m too old for you. Your dad’s my best friend, I mean, you’re basically my niece. How would that look?”

“Let’s find out.” You smirk, your hand sliding up his thigh teasingly and he chuckles as he grabs your hand and places it on the table making you groan in annoyance.

“Don’t let that attitude come back now.” He says in that warning tone that you’ve come to enjoy.

You fight the urge to roll your eyes and you nod, looking down into your mug sadly and you can’t help but pout at him again. “Can I have a kiss before you leave?” You ask as he’s getting up and pulling on his black dress coat.

Logan hesitates, but that’s how he has been keeping you at bay with your advances. Kissing you, letting you sit in his lap at night before bed so you can make out. He enjoys it too, but even that can’t go on very long before you’re trying to undo his pants. You’ve become insatiable, and he knows it’s his fault. “One kiss, and I have to go.” He says, leaning down with the intention of simply pecking your lips, but he finds himself sinking into you as you kiss him back. Logan kneels in front of you as you wrap your arms around his neck, tangling your fingers in his hair as he holds your waist. Your knees open to pull yourself closer to him by his jacket, your tongue’s swiping his bottom lip softly, pleading for an entrance that he gives you all too willingly.

“Mm, Logan.” You moan against his mouth, biting softly at his bottom lip and he groans, forcing himself to pull away.

“I’ve gotta go.” He sighs, standing up and you nod, wiping your bottom lip teasingly as he fixes his hair and his jacket. “Be good, okay?”

“Always am.” You smile sweetly and he shakes his head, scoffing lightly as he leaves.

While Logan chauffeured people around town, you got ready for the job fair. As you were getting dressed in a pair of black leggings and a striped drop shoulder sweater, you caught a glimpse of the framed picture of you and Adam. It was still sitting on your vanity and as you looked at it, you felt…nothing. “Hm,” You hummed softly as you set it face down and applied a light layer of tinted lip balm before leaving the apartment.

You weren’t sure when you stopped feeling something for your boyfriend, but you knew it had everything to do with Logan. You knew it should sicken you, maybe worry you, that you felt this way. Logan was the man that taught you how blow bubbles with chewing gum, he took you the zoo for the first time at 10 years old, he was even there at your high school graduation. Every time you thought about him as your uncle, however, a small voice never failed to remind you that he wasn’t really your uncle. And that’s the voice you have been listening to lately. Logan made you feel different, he made you want to be a better version of yourself, for him.

When Logan came home that night, you were dusting and you looked at him with a smile that fell the moment you saw him rubbing his neck in that telling manner that you came to recognize. “You okay, Uncle Logan?” You ask, setting down the dust wand and walking over to him with concern. He just gives you a small, forced smile. “You don’t look okay.”

“I’m fine, sweetheart.” He sighs as he sits at the kitchen table and you sit in the chair beside him. Logan is looking over your chore list and he nods approvingly at everything that’s crossed off. “Thank you for completing this.” He says, patting it back down the table and letting his head hang backwards in exhaustion. You want to help, you want to be useful to him. Tentatively, you sink down to your knees in front of him and lightly rest your hands on his knees. Logan jumps slightly from the feeling and he looks down at you with furrowed brows. “What’re you doing?”

“You know what I’m doing.” You say, sliding your hands along his thighs to his belt and he stops you, grabbing firmly onto your wrists as he stands up.

“No.” He says as he leaves you feeling embarrassed on the kitchen floor while he takes a shower. He’s too tired to have the same conversation with you, too tired to keep fighting his urges as they’re becoming much too strong and he’s not as resilient as he was once upon a time.

Truthfully, Logan can’t bring himself to cross that line. He wouldn’t be able to come back from it if he did. Your dad’s his closest friend, he couldn’t do that to him. It doesn’t help that you’re throwing yourself as him every chance you get, it doesn’t help how pretty you are, or how much he enjoys being the man that sullies you. She’s not really your niece, he thinks to himself as he’s shutting off the water and he sighs, shaking his head. No, I can’t.

When he comes back out into the living area, you’re sitting on the couch with a book. Logan notices you’re sitting in just your sweater, and his jaw tightens. She is old enough to make her own decisions, he thinks as he sits down beside you and wraps an arm around your shoulders. “I’m sorry, sweet girl.” He whispers against your hair, kissing your temple softly. “I shouldn’t have been mean, I was just tired.” He explains and you look over at him with a small smile as you close your book and set it aside on the end table.

“Thank you.” You murmur, leaning into his side and kissing him. Logan hums softly against your lips, his hand slides down your back and he holds onto you while you rest a hand on his abdomen. This is fine, he thinks, just kiss her, make her feel good. Your warm body snuggles up against his as you’re making out, your delicate hand roaming his wide torso as he holds you close to him. “You still tired?” You ask suddenly as you move onto his lap to straddle him. Logan shakes his head slowly, watching you like a hawk as you caress his chest over his white tank top. You press a soft kiss to his lips before you sink down between his knees again, and this time he doesn’t stop you. You undo the drawstring of his sweatpants as you moisten your lips and he has to resist the urge to grab you by the hair and shove his cock into your mouth.

“You know what you’re doing, sweetheart?” He asks and your cheeks warm up as you nod. You know it’s a loaded question, he doesn’t mean if you know how to give a blowjob, he’s asking if you know what you’re getting into by crossing this boundary with him, and you do. You know all too well. “That boyfriend’s a lucky bastard.” He smirks as you pull his hard cock out of his waistband and shyly lick around his tip.

“I don’t think I want him to be my boyfriend anymore.” You confess before you lick a stripe along the bottom of his shaft and he groans. Your lips wrap around his swollen head and you suck lightly on it, already tasting the beads of precum leaking out. “Mm, tastes good.” You murmur against his shaft before you take more of him into your mouth.

Logan subtly bucked his hips up, his tip tapping the back of your throat gently and you moan. “Fuck,” He swears, his fingers lace through your soft hair, tangling in the long strands as he begins guiding you. “This the reward you wanted?” He asks and you nod eagerly, your eyes snapping up to meet his as he’s got your head bobbing up and down, your mouth slobbering on his throbbing cock. “You wanna swallow?” He asks and you nod again, your moans muffled as he shoves himself deep down your throat and suddenly his load shoots down your gullet. “Shit, was that okay?” He asks, hoping he wasn’t too rough.

You quickly nod, smiling as you wipe the excess of his cum from your bottom lip and suck it off your thumb as you stand up and sit back down on his lap. Logan moves his hands up your sweater, squeezing your sides as you begin rolling your hips gently against him, your damp, clothed cunt rubbing along the length of him teasingly. Logan restrains himself as he watches you get yourself off on him, your hands resting on his chest as your head hangs back, and he can’t stop thinking about how damn pretty you look like this, so needy just for him. “Logan!” You moan, your hips bucking quickly, sharply as you feel yourself getting close to a release and he encourages you with a light smack on the ass. “Oh!” You shudder as you cum suddenly, gasping as his hands grip tightly onto your bare thighs, easily maneuvering you to continue your pace and you cry softly. “Fuck!”

“This is your reward, sweetheart.” Logan says against your neck, sinking down in his seat slightly to push his hard cock against you. Your brows scrunch together in pleasure as he overstimulates you, as he lets you use him to get off again. “You’ve been so good.” He growls into your neck, sucking on your skin as you cum, again, whining against his temple as you’re holding tightly onto him.

“Logan,” You say breathlessly, leaning your forehead against his as you slowly come to a stop, your core quivering with a desperate longing for something more, something deeper. “I-please-fuck me.” You plead, kissing him desperately, scratching through his thick beard with your dainty fingers as you speak against his mouth. “Please, I need you so bad.”

You are so whiny and desperate for him, it makes Logan feel smug that you want him this badly. “Baby,” He says in that tone that you’ve come to know all too well and you groan softly in annoyance. “I can’t.”

“Just the tip?” You suggest innocently, rubbing his tip with your thumb between your bodies as you bite your lip, hoping he says yes, hoping he gives in this time.

Logan chuckles, shaking his head lightly as he lets you wrap your hand around him. “You know that’s not all you’re gonna want, greedy girl.” And you quickly shake your head in disagreement, swearing you won’t ask for more. You know you’re lying, and he does too. “You gonna do as you’re told?” He asks, stifling a groan as you pull your panties to the side, and you nod while you stroke your clit along the underside of his dick. His body is tense as you slowly line his swollen tip to your tight, wet hole. “Take it nice and easy, sweetheart. Don’t hurt yourself.”

Hot tears well in your eyes as his head pushes past your rim, and you gasp, stopping immediately with just his tip prodding at your entrance. Logan lets out a low, guttural sound as you squeeze him tightly and he pulls your sweater over your head so he can bury his face between your bare tits, kissing your soft skin as he holds you close while your arousal leaks down his shaft. Logan’s never seen you quite as nude as you are now and he’s transfixed by the sight of you, cupping and kissing on your breasts as you sit on the very end of his cock. “Let me - take - some more?” You ask in between shallow breaths and he shakes his head. “Please, Uncle Logan,” You whine, pulling on the hair at the base of his skull as you wiggle your hips in an attempt to take him all in and he suddenly spanks you. “Ah!”

“Stay still.” He orders and you frown, not realizing he knows you can’t possibly take all of him in one go. “You’re gonna sit still, you’re not going to move, got it?” He says and you nod, biting your lip hard as you feel him push slowly up into you from below. “Let me just watch this.” He says, his tongue moistened his lips as he observed himself pushing into your little cunt which is already dripping around his shaft. His thoughts are running wild as he realizes you’re no longer a virgin, he realizes he just tainted you, and that thought alone could be enough to get him to blow his load.

Neither of you were going to be able to just stop at the tip, you were too needy and he was too weak. Your body was trembling from the way his thick, hard cock stretched out your virgin pussy and you had tears welling in your eyes, blurring your vision as he finally sat fully sheathed inside you, raw, letting you feel every vein around his shaft as it dragged against your sensitive walls. “Mm!” You squeaked, your eyes screwed shut as you shuddered on his lap.

“Sweetheart,” Logan groans, his head falling backwards as he shut his eyes, his grip tight on your thighs to keep you from moving on him. He can feel your muscles quake underneath his touch. “You’ve got a tight little hole.” The squeeze around his girth is unlike anything he’s ever felt before, and he just hopes he can keep his composure long enough to get you to cum again before he does.

All you can do is whimper and your head hangs forward as you cry softly from the sting of the stretch. A tear falls on his abdomen, staining his undershirt which he takes off and sets aside, knowing he’ll need it in a minute. Your small, shaky hands caress his bare torso as you admire how built and hairy he is - such a very burly man. “You-you’re big, Uncle Logan.” You breathe out, your voice trembling.

His cock throbs and he sighs, sitting up which makes you cry out from the sudden movement of him inside you. His beard is tickling your breasts as he’s sucking amorously on your neck, marking your skin as hard as he can with hickeys and you whine, fisting at his hair as you struggle not to move. “You like having your uncle’s cock inside you?” He asks suddenly and you mewl, nodding eagerly as you bite your lip hard. Your arms wrap around his head as you hold him close, lacing your fingers through his thick, greying hair. His hands are rubbing on your ass, spreading you open and pulling you down even further until you feel the head of his cock pressing into your cervix. “I could cum right now,” He growls, biting the skin over your collarbone as you whimper from the pain. “Could make you mine right now.”

“Yes, please,” You beg, very lightly lifting yourself off him and coming back down with a gasp. Logan’s arms shudder around your body, his fingers dig deeply into the flesh of your ass. “Oh, fuck, doesn’t that feel good?” You ask, taking his bearded face in your hands so you can kiss him, distract him as you move your hips again and he groans. “You know you want to.” You breathe out, pushing on his chest so he’ll sit back on the couch, balancing your weight on him as you lift yourself off him again, a little further this time, and he swears as you take him back in. “Fuck, yes, Logan!” You cry, your fingernails dig into his strong chest as you continue your pattern, slowly rising to his tip and falling back down, the natural lubricant of your arousal making it easier to glide along him.

“Sw-Sweetheart, please, st-stop.” Logan pants, his head resting against the back of the couch with eyes closed as you fuck yourself dumb on his hard cock. One of his hands clutches onto his undershirt lying beside him, the other onto your waist, squeezing you occasionally to remind himself not to cum, not to impregnate his niece, but he’s too far gone from the way your young cunt takes him in so eagerly. You are so lost in the pleasure, the filthy noises your wet pussy is making as you fill yourself up with him, the painful tension in your lower abdomen threatening to snap at any moment. You couldn’t possibly stop now.

“Not-uh-yet, ‘m so close!” You whimper, your teeth bite down so hard on your bottom lip you faintly taste blood. You run a hand through his hair, your other hand clutching onto his shoulder as you’re determined to finish once more, this time with him inside you. Your eyes meet and he sees the tenacity in your dazed eyes, it makes him forget about his shirt and both his hands move to your ass. He’s grabbing onto fistfuls of your plush flesh harshly as he begins fucking you down onto his cock with much more force and you let out a strained scream. “Yes! Yes! Use me!” Your legs shake violently with the release of your orgasm, your juices coating his balls and thighs as you cum harder than you thought was ever possible.

With that, having controlled himself as much as he could, he stands up with your legs still wrapped around his waist and he bounces you recklessly on his cock. Your head falls on his shoulder as you bite him there, muffling your screams as he’s being so rough and you can’t think of a single thing except his cock and the way he is spearing you with it. “You’ve been asking for this since day one, sweet girl.” He groans, spanking you to make you cry out. “You still want it?” He asks and you weakly nod, though it’s more as if your head is simply bobbing around, unable to hold it up yourself, but that’s close enough to a yes for him. “Fuck!” Logan growls, pinning you down on his cock as he fills your pussy with his cum, hunching over slightly and wrapping his arms securely around your waist as his body jolts from the force of his release. Your little frame quakes in his hold, your soft crying of his name the only sound filling his apartment as he pumps you full.

A silence then falls over the both of you, panting and shakily breathing as you remain connected, still wrapped in each other’s arms. You weakly lift your head to look at him and he kisses you, a soft mewl falls from your lips as you return the gesture and Logan carries you to his bedroom. “Please don’t leave.” You say in a quiet voice as he lays you down. “Not yet, I want to keep feeling you.” Logan chuckles and lifts you back up so he can lie on the bed with you on his chest instead. “Uncle Logan, I’m not on birth control.” You remind him in a sleepy voice, the aches and bruises on your body catching up to you now as you’re laying still on top of him.

“We’ll take care of it in the morning.” He whispers reassuringly as he kisses the top of your head. “Go to sleep, sweetheart.”

And you do, you sleep better than you have in years. While Logan sleeps better than he has in centuries.

🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃

Uncle Logan Epilogue

🏷️: @dontfeedthebigbadwolf @peterparkernotfound @httpsells @evasmlp @ayatotiddies @thatlittlered @seasonofthenerd @littlemisscantloveyouback @scorpiosaintt @simpingfor-wakasa @spencerswh0r3 @pinkanonwriting @captain039 @fictionalmen-dilflover @shybluebirdninja @virgoxfa1ry @thatweirdtheaternerd12 @am-3-thyst @oooof-ifellforyou @ghxstiie @theoraekenslover @iloveelvis @obsessed-oops @wolvndmouth @imtherain

[ellecdc]

mother!!!! that recent poly!marauders + lily fic had me WEAK. if you please, could you write a part two where shy!reader finds out remus is a werewolf? I could see rem really not wanting her to find out bc he doesn’t want to scare her, but maybe severus(or somebody) spills the beans thinking she already knew, or she overheard a conversation between the boys. she’d be accepting of course, but remus freaks out when she finds out. just a lot of comfort and reassurance.

hope that gives you some inspiration, also, totally don’t have to write it if you don’t want to, of course!!! ilysm 🖤💚

I took this in a bit of a different direction but the ending's just the same! thanks so much sweets <3 <3

pt 1 // pt 2 // pt 3 // pt 4 // pt 5

4.6k words

poly!marauders + lily x shy!reader who learns about Remus' furry little problem

CW: miscommunication trope, insecurities, angst [with a happy ending], reader is feeling incredibly insecure in this fic, James cries, Sirius cries a little bit too but they all pretend not to notice for his sake

You felt terribly foolish; no, you felt worse. You felt absolutely humiliated and you had no one to blame but yourself.

And now that you were here - ‘here’ being rushing to the dungeons to lock yourself in the Hufflepuff dormitories for the next foreseeable future - you aren’t sure how you had convinced yourself that this was going to end any other way. 

It was a pipedream at best, thinking you had any place amongst the infamous Marauders and the princess of Gryffindor, and it was delusional at worst. 

Of course they’d grow weary of you, of course they’d find your nerves and anxiety tiresome, of course they’d wind up bored of accommodating you when they were all so much more than you. 

What had you been thinking? How did you manage to allow yourself to believe that this was anything but a phase for them - they saw you as a challenge, they beat the challenge, and now they were through with you. 

You thought that the sweet looks, the kisses, the affection, the effort all meant more than it obviously did.

At least to them.

To you, it meant the world.

To them, it was a chore.

You were a chore.

Foolish girl. 

You had been on your way to the library to meet up with the boys and Lily to study for the upcoming Herbology test. It was the first real group ‘date’ after the sketchiness that usually followed Remus about once a month that no one else seemed inclined to comment on, so neither did you.

Except…except, this time, some lingering tension seemed to follow the bout of sketchiness. 

And still, no one seemed particularly inclined to comment on it.

And you couldn’t help but feel like you were out of the loop somehow, but you chalked that up to being a newer addition to the dynamic, and not living with them in Gryffindor tower.

That is until you happened to be walking out of their view behind the stacks of books that their table was situated by when you overheard their conversation. 

“You’re going to have to say something to her, Rem. This is getting out of hand.” You heard Lily say solemnly, earning her a pained groan from Remus’ lips, causing you to pause behind the stacks so as to not interrupt their conversation.

“Can’t we just ignore this? Just for a little longer?” Remus bargained. “I mean, it can’t be that bad?”

“It’s worse, Moons.” Sirius corrected. 

“Y/N’s so sensitive though.” James added. “I mean, how would that conversation even go? How do you tell her something like that?”

“It has to come from Remus.” Lily stated matter-of-factly. 

Remus let out a long-suffering sigh. “And how do you suggest I go about this?”

“Listen.” Sirius asserted. “I don’t bloody care how we tell her, but we have to say something. I cannot keep living like this; it’s exhausting.”

Lily made a tsking sound and placed a consoling hand on Sirius’ shoulder as Remus let out another sigh.

“I know, I know; I’m sorry you guys. I thought we could ignore it but…I don’t think we can anymore.”

Lily, Sirius, and James all made a hum of acknowledgement.

“I think we ought to just rip the bandaid off and hope she understands.” Lily said.

You felt your stomach migrate to your throat as you turned on your heels and fled the library.

Is that what all the tension was about? Is that what this library study date was? Just a ruse to sit you down so they could break up with you?

Of course it was, idiot. You scolded yourself.  They were foolish to entertain the likes of you for any amount of time. 

So now you were here - ‘here’ being rushing to the dungeons to lock yourself in the Hufflepuff dormitories for the next foreseeable future - and you aren’t sure how you had convinced yourself that this was going to end any other way. 

“Do you think I should do it tonight?” Remus asked Lily as she finally sat down. 

“I think it would be best if we did, sweetheart. I just can’t help feeling like we’re keeping her at arms length by keeping it a secret, you know?”

“I agree.” Sirius said quickly. “It feels like she’s more of a guest than actually part of the relationship whilst we’re keeping something so big from her.” 

“I just don’t want her to hate me.” Remus admitted in a whisper.

“Remmy.” James cooed from the other side of Sirius. “Our sweet little Puffle seems completely incapable of hatred. But you know we’ve got your back 110% if she’s not accepting of you, right?”

The other two nodded in agreement but Remus only grimaced. “It just feels like I’d be ruining the relationship for all of you if the only person she has a problem with is me.” 

“Impossible.” Sirius replied emphatically. “Anyone who has a problem with you has a problem with us, Moons.”

“Even if we weren’t dating, Rem, if someone didn’t respect my friend - or anyone, for that matter - because of their lycanthropy, I wouldn’t want them around anyways.” Lily agreed.

“I don’t think we’ll have a problem, though.” Sirius continued. “Like Prongs said, she’s our sweet girl; I’m sure she’ll handle this fine.”

“Where is she, anyway?” James said, flipping his wrist to check his watch. “She was supposed to meet us like twenty minutes ago.” 

The other three shared a look of bemusement. 

“Do you have the map?” Sirius asked.

James quickly pulled the map from his book bag to scan the parchment for your name. “It says she’s in the Hufflepuff common room?”

“Maybe she forgot?” Lily mused.

“I spoke to her at dinner; she said she was going to change out of her uniform and then meet us here.” Remus replied, feeling his heart rise to his throat with nerves. 

What if she knew? What if she already found out? What if she hated him? 

“Rem, it’s alright.” Lily placated, clearly seeing his concern etched onto his face. “Maybe she wasn’t feeling well, or got caught up with something else.”

“She’s never bailed on us before…” James admitted, looking just as worried as Remus was. “Maybe we should check on her?”

“Why don’t we give her tonight; I think after all the shite we put her through this week, she’s allotted one missed date.” Sirius decided, opting to keep his tone light as he teased Remus for his ‘pre-moon angstiness’ as his partners call it.   

“We’ll catch up with her tomorrow.” Lily decided; and Remus and James shared a look of concern as they relented to study for the upcoming Herbology test without you. 

You weren’t really mad at the Gryffindor’s for their decision to end things with you; at least not at first.

People were allowed to change their minds, and you supposed that was the purpose of dating, right? To see if the person you’re interested in is someone you want to keep around indefinitely?

So, people were allowed to change their mind, and that was okay.

You also couldn’t particularly blame them; you were shy, quiet, timid, awkward in most social settings and certainly not as adventurous as them, it was only a matter of time before they grew bored of you. 

So you hadn’t been mad at them, not at first. 

But you were growing increasingly annoyed at their attempts to force themselves within your space. 

You had opted to sit at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast the next morning; there was no sense sitting at the Gryffindor table with them anymore.

But then you couldn’t handle the feeling of your heart splintering every time you heard Sirius’ bark of laughter or Lily’s giggle at something Remus said or that James did. So you quickly scarfed down your toast and grabbed a muffin to shove in your bag before fleeing from the Great Hall.

What you didn’t notice was James noticing you only as you were leaving, looking incredibly worried.

You nearly shrieked when you exited your Astronomy class that you had with the Ravenclaws and slammed into Sirius’ frame.

“There you are, dolly! We missed you this morning!” He proclaimed as he pressed a kiss to your cheek. 

You quickly collected yourself; heart racing from the scare and then quickly migrating to your throat out of embarrassment and hurt at this familiarity you had with him only to be about to lose it.

“Sorry, I had been running late.” You said quickly as you headed for the stairs; the long-haired boy quickly keeping up with your steps. 

“Were you feeling alright?” He asked you.

“How do you mean?”

Sirius tilted his head slightly as he considered you. “Well, you didn’t show up to the library last night, and then you were running late this morning; that’s not like you.”

A hot frustrated emotion burned in your chest that you weren’t completely accustomed to feeling. 

Wasn’t he the one to say he couldn’t live like this anymore?

It wasn’t fair of you to be frustrated though, which frustrated you even more; he didn’t know that you had shown up to the library last night, nor that you had gotten to the Great Hall on time.

They hadn’t even noticed you this morning. 

And that’s why they were ending things; you were forgettable, ignorable, unnoticeable. 

“I’m fine, Sirius. Thank you.” You said simply, and quickly headed for the girl’s loo in order to shake him off. 

Remus had approached you in Care of Magical Creatures as well, which somehow hurt more.

Perhaps it was because you knew he was going to be the one to tell you that things were over; though you had thought he’d be better than to break up with you in the middle of class. 

“Hey, dove.” He said as he gently nudged your arm with his elbow; watching as you groomed the puffskein on your table. 

“Hey, Remus.” You said quietly, not removing your eyes from the Beast you were working with.

“I missed you last night.” He admitted quietly. 

Did you? You thought petulantly. 

“Sorry.” You murmured instead. 

“You don’t have to be sorry.” He said as he leaned his elbows on your workbench; if it had been any other student, you’re certain Professor O’Brien would have scolded him for not handling the beasts with adequate caution, but Remus seemed to be allowed certain privileges and the puffskein “Kujo” didn’t seem to mind him much. “I just missed you is all.” 

And he was smiling that sweet, soft smile at you and he seemed like he actually meant it which only further contributed to your ire. 

What happened to ripping the bandaid off? Why keep up this affectionate act if it was only going to end?

Remus looked like he was going to say something when the Professor announced the end of class. 

“I’ll catch up with you later.” You offered quickly before you all but threw Kujo back into his pen and took off towards the castle.

The final straw had to be Herbology, though.

You shared Herbology with the Gryffindors, and because you were a new addition - your the four Gryffindor’s all shared a potting bench whilst you worked alongside another Hufflepuff.

Today, however, it appeared that James had other plans.

Before Sadie-Jane could take her seat beside you, James had plopped himself - rather carefully for the notoriously boisterous quidditch chaser, mind you - on the stool beside you.

“Hey, angel.”

Again, with the pet names. 

It felt torturous at this point; part of you wanted to rip the bandaid off yourself.

But you looked over at the sweet, warm, inviting face of James Potter and any resolve to tell him to shove it completely dissipated. He was all messy curls, round frames, and warm eyes.

And you might have been [must have been] mistaken, but you felt you could see anxiety and worry painted in his features.

You supposed breaking up with someone could do that to a person, though.

“Hi Jamie.” You whispered back as you opted to ready your supplies for today’s lesson.

“I was wondering if you were going to come to the game tonight?” He blurted then, looking slightly embarrassed at his outburst. 

Right…the game. The game against Slytherin. The game that would have you sitting between Remus and Lily as they cheered for James and Sirius. That game. 

“I...uhm, well…”

Rip the bandaid off. 

But it was James. 

And you were in class.

And you could see Lily and Remus trying - and failing - to not look like they were watching you and James whilst Sirius had no such qualms and was actively staring at the two of you. 

“Yeah, I’ll…I’ll see.” You offered James, mustering up what you hoped was a convincing enough smile.

You could tell by the divot that appeared in James’ brows that you were not convincing in the slightest.

Thankfully Professor Sprout appeared then, instructing everyone to take their seats for class to begin, and Sadie-Jane came to claim her seat from the Gryffindor. 

You didn’t go to the game that night.

Gryffindor lost. 

And though you didn’t know at the time, James cried, but it wasn’t about losing to Slytherin. 

“So, why are you hiding in the dorms?” Caroline asked as she rolled away from her open magazine on her bed, clearly preferring potential drama you could offer her than whatever was in this week's Witch Weekly. 

“I’m not hiding.” You muttered back, not looking up from your cross-stitch you were working on instead of, you know, dealing with your problems. 

“Right.” Caroline agreed, not sounding like she agreed with you at all. “That’s why you’ve started and quit several hobbies over the weekend and have been going to the kitchen’s to grab food instead of eating in the Great Hall like a normal person.”

You looked over at your half finished gem ‘paint-by-numbers’, the scarf you’d crocheted that looked more like the skin of a messed up snake that had a terrible time shedding, and the guitar you had borrowed from Fenwick and nearly broke in a fit of rage when you couldn’t get it to sound the way you wanted it too.

“I just…can’t face them right now.” You admitted dejectedly.

“I don’t blame you. Helga, have you seen the lot of them? If I’d known they were accepting more I would have made my shot.” She mused as she laid back on her bed.

Grief and jealousy intertwined within you as you thought about them dating anyone else but you.

But you supposed that was their prerogative; they were allowed to change their minds. 

“Yeah well, you may still have a chance.” You muttered, capturing Caroline’s attention.

“What?” She asked quickly, but you didn’t have a chance to answer before there was a knock on the door. 

“Were you expecting anyone?” She asked with a salacious wink, causing you to glare at her.

“If it’s them, I’m not here; please.” You practically begged your roommate as she rolled her eyes and moved to the door to your dorm room. 

“Oh, hello Evans.” Caroline greeted, causing you to scrunch your eyes closed from your place currently hidden from view of the door. 

“Hi! Erm, is Y/N around?” Lily asked, sounding uncharacteristically awkward.

“Uh…no, she’s not in right now. I can let her know you stopped by, though?” Caroline offered.

You heard Lily thank her before Caroline closed the door again. 

“You sure you don’t want them? ‘Cause those Gryffindor’s are fine.” She sighed as she returned to her bed.

She let out a squawk when your pillow made contact with her head. 

Lily stepped out through the barrel to find Sirius and Remus exactly where she had left them (albeit far more tense) as James came running from down the hall where he had been pacing nervously. 

“Well?” James asked.

Lily pursed her lips. “Her roommate said she wasn’t there.”

Remus looked down at the map to the place where your name was etched beside your roommate’s in the seventh year Hufflepuff girls’ dormitory. 

Either the map was faulty [fat chance], or you were avoiding them.

It was official. 

For whatever reason, they were losing you. 

You had somehow managed to avoid the Gryffindor’s all Monday; taking a moment to thank every deity that you only had Divination with the Gryffindor house, and none of your Gryffindor’s had opted to take it.

You wondered if you could call them your Gryffindor’s anymore…

You had run over to the kitchens - all but a hop skip and a jump from your common room - to grab dinner and were stepping back out through the portrait of the pears when you came face to face with Sirius.

“So nice to see you, Y/N; I’d almost forgotten what your face looked like.” He said; his tone taking on a harsh tone you weren’t accustomed to hearing directed at you causing you to wince.

“Pads…” Remus warned from behind him, though he was looking at you just as warily as Sirius was.

As was James and Lily.

Shit. 

“I’m glad to see you’re still eating…” Remus commented dejectedly as he nodded towards your smorgasbord of a plate that Winky had helped prepare for you that now looked horribly unappetising. 

“I…yes. Erm, what are you guys doing here?” You tried.

It had, apparently, been the wrong thing to say.

Sirius let out a derisive scoff. “Cut the bullshit, Y/N. What the hell has gotten into you?”

“Sirius.” Lily warned.

“Would you guys stop?” He barked back at them before returning his burning gaze back to you. “I’m tired of this; of running around the school looking for you, of being disappointed every time you bail on us, of having to hold James whilst he cries because you’ve let him down, of being lied to. So I’m going to ask again - what the hell has gotten into you?”

“Nothing has gotten into me…” You tried to argue, though it sounded feeble even to your own ears. 

James had cried? You made James cry…

The disappointment in Remus’ eyes, the concern in Lily’s, the anger in Sirius’, the sadness in James’... it was too much, too much, too much. 

“You’re going to stand there and lie to my sodding face?” Sirius asked incredulously.

“Sirius, stop it.” James ordered; his voice far more severe than you have ever heard from him. “Angel, please. Just…just tell us what’s wrong. Tell me what I can do to fix this.”

Any sadness that had settled in your chest bubbled into anger at his word choice.

“Fix this?” You repeated back to him. “Why? Why bother fixing anything if you’re all just going to leave me!?” 

The four Gryffindor’s stood staring at you with different levels of bemusement; Lily and Sirius at your words, Remus and James at you having raised your voice for the first time…well…ever. 

“What do you mean ‘leave you’?” Lily asked cautiously, causing you to scoff. 

“I heard you guys - in the library.”

“In the library? But…you never showed?” James asked.

“Yes, I did - and I heard you guys talking about me, so I decided to stay out of your way thinking that maybe I’d make it easier on you all. But then you’ve spent the past week absolutely torturing me; showing up at my classes, trying to sit beside me, showing up to my dorm room like you weren’t just biding your time.”

“Y/N, what exactly did you hear us say in the library?” Remus queried.

“That you couldn’t do this anymore! That someone ‘had to tell me’ because it was ‘getting out of hand’. That you couldn’t possibly live like this anymore and hopefully I’d just understand. And I do! I do understand; but what I don’t understand is what the point of chasing me around the bloody castle is if you-”

“Whoa, whoa. Okay, alright just breathe, darling, I’m sorry.” Lily attempted to placate, holding her hands up as she approached like you were some kind of feral cat.

You sort of acted like one when you swatted her hands away from you.

“No! No, it’s not fair! I’m sorry if I’m too much, or if I’m not enough; I get it, okay? I do; sometimes it doesn’t work out and that’s fair but if that’s how you feel then just leave me alone!” You shouted back, feeling the tears trailing down your neck at this point. 

“Y/N, please, listen okay? Just relax and we can talk this out.” Lily tried again as James let out a pained breath that sounded awfully close to a sob. 

“Remus, please.” He begged, turning his pooling hazel eyes to his scarred boyfriend who was looking at you in abject horror. “Please.”

“Y/N, you’ve misunderstood, dove. I-I’m sorry, It’s my fault, but what you heard…that wasn’t us talking about breaking up with you. I… It was about me.”

You wiped angrily at your face and set your now cold plate on the ground - you weren’t hungry anymore anyways. “It’s not you, it’s me?” You sneered half-heartedly.

“No, no…Merlin, Y/N I- I’m a werewolf. Okay? I have lycanthropy, I was bitten when I was four; that’s where I go once a month and why I get…weird. We were talking about the fact that I needed to tell you because it was hurting us to keep it from you. Dovey, I’m so sorry you’ve been so upset. Please, please take a breath for me.” 

You held your hands over your eyes as you tried to control your breathing.

Sketchiness…tension…disappearances… 

“You’re going to have to say something to her, Rem; this is getting out of hand”

“Can’t we just ignore this? Just for a little longer? I mean, it can’t be that bad?”

“Y/N’s so sensitive though… How do you tell her something like that?”

“It has to come from Remus.” 

“I don’t bloody care how we tell her, but we have to say something; I cannot keep living like this, it’s exhausting.”

“I’m sorry you guys. I thought we could ignore it but…I don’t think we can anymore.”

“I think we ought to just rip the bandaid off and hope she understands.”

“I’m a werewolf. I have lycanthropy…that’s where I go once a month.” 

“Please…baby, please say something. I-I’m so sorry.” You heard Sirius plead quietly; his shaky voice in stark contrast from the way he’d been barking at you just moments before. 

You pulled your wet hands away from your eyes to see all four of them looking at you with nothing but worry and heartache on their faces; though none looked quite as vulnerable as Remus did. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” He whispered.

You sucked in a shuddering breath as more tears fell. “So…you don’t hate me?”

Remus let out a disbelieving laugh when you heard what sounded suspiciously like a sob from James.

“No! No, no dove, that- I’m rather quite in love with you, you know?” He pressed, daring to step closer to you. “Do you hate me?” He asked then, tone turning vulnerable once more.

“No.” You whined emphatically. 

“Oh my poor girl.” Sirius whined sympathetically. 

“Can I hug you? Please?” James all but begged, stepping in front of you with his arms open already; poised for you to say…

“Yes.”

You’re not sure he even waited for the affirmation to leave your lips before he had you encased in his arms.

You shoved your face into his chest and fisted his shirt in your hands; pulling him as close as you possibly could to your person. 

You weren’t sure how long you’d been standing there - directly in front of the kitchens and awfully close to your own common room - sniffling into James’ shirt as he sniffled into your hair, but you heard a sniffle come from beside you.

You turned to see Sirius’ grey eyes shiny and red as he looked at you imploringly. 

“I’m so sorry I yelled at you, sweetness. I’m such an arse I just…I-”

“It’s okay.” You whispered.

“No it’s not.” Sirius argued immediately. “I…I get like that sometimes; just horribly defensive and then I go on the offensive first. I didn’t even give you a chance to talk to us before I was attacking you; I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, Siri.” You offered again, holding a hand out to him which he took readily. 

“I can’t believe you’ve spent this whole week believing we wanted nothing to do with you.” Lily whined from your other side. “I’m so sorry we left you feeling like that, darling girl.”

Though you were quite content in your muscled hideaway, you pulled away from James’ chest to wipe at your face again, feeling awfully self-conscious of how blotchy your face must look from your tears.

“I shouldn’t have assumed.” You admitted shamefully; voice scratchy from both the shouting and the crying.

“The way you described it, I can understand how our conversation sounded to you, babygirl.” Sirius contended. 

“So…you’re really not leaving me?” You asked again.

“I feel like I should be asking you that, dove.” Remus replied.

“Why would I be leaving you?”

Lily shared a knowing look with Sirius and James who in turn moved their gazes to Remus with expressions reading “see?”. 

“Not everyone would be accepting of a werewolf.”

You felt your eyebrows furrow as you looked at the others as if saying “are you hearing this right now?” 

“But…I love you? I…I don’t even know what else to say…I just… love you so, that’s fine.”

“I just love you so that’s fine.” Sirius repeated as he looked at Remus arrogantly. “I knew I should have placed a bet on how she’d respond; I’d have made five galleons!”

“We were not going to bet on how our girlfriend would respond to Remus’ furry little problem, Sirius.” Lily chided as she playfully swatted at his shoulder. 

“Besides,” James added, pulling you closer into his side again. “You would have lost because I don’t think any of us would have bet that she’d misinterpret our disastrous conversation as us trying to leave her and then spend the week believing we were waiting for the perfect time to break up with her only for us all to shout and cry when we realised what happened.”

“No, that's true.” Sirius agreed readily, looking back at you with sympathy. “I really am sorry, baby.”

“Me too.” Lily continued.

“Me most of all.” Remus added.

“I knew we should have gone looking for her that night.” James mused aloud mostly to himself. “Could have saved us all a lot of heartache.” 

“Yeah, yeah Prongs. You’re right again; I’m sure we’ll never live it down.” Sirius said with a playful eye roll. 

“How can we make it up to you?” Lily asked as she placed her hand at the juncture of your neck and shoulder and traced shapes along the column of your neck with her thumb.

You shook your head shyly and looked at your feet. “It’s not necessary guys.”

“Nonsense.” Sirius scoffed.

“Let’s start with some dinner, yeah? And maybe a cwtch in the boys’ dorm upstairs?” Remus offered to the group, though he seemed to be waiting for you to answer.

You nodded at him and he opened his arms in invitation which you accepted readily.

“I’m sorry, dovey.” He whispered into your hair.

“I’m sorry too, Rem.”

“Let’s never fight again.” James decided enthusiastically as Lily and Sirius stepped through the pear portrait into the kitchens.

“Sounds good to me, bubs.” Remus agreed as he bent down to press a kiss to James’ lips whilst keeping you secured to his side.

You were sure that after this week, these four wouldn’t be letting you out of their reach.

After this week, you weren’t sure you minded that at all.

[sp0o0kylights]

Part One / Part Two (You are Here) / Part Three 

A03

Hopper had undersold Harrington's condition. 

Wayne hadn't expected anything pretty, but the face that turned to them as they walked through the door almost had him freezing in place. 

Black eye, bruised chin, split lip. 

More and more bruises, some faded and some very new, trailing down the kids neck. 

 The rest was hidden by his preppy little polo shirt, but Wayne didn't doubt that there were more.

Harrington tried to stand when they entered the room and the way he moved--entirely unbalanced, clearly in a lot of pain--made Wayne think the only thing the kid really needed was a hospital. 

Because Steve Harrington hadn't just been beaten. 

He'd been tortured--and very recently strangled. 

(Abruptly, Wayne realized that Hopper had implied the boy had been in the mall fire--just as much as he implied the mall fire was anything but. 

He also hadn't stated how Harrington had escaped the Suites trying to break into his house.) 

"Sit down." Hopper commanded, and Wayne expected Harrington to do anything but listen. 

Say something cocky, or act the part of a demanding little shit maybe, despite the condition he was in.

Instead the kid just sighed in relief and dropped like a stone, right back into the chair. 

Hopper came around his desk, talking all the while. "Steve, this is Wayne. Wayne, Steve."

"Hello Sir." Steve croaked politely. His voice was wrecked, no doubt from the necklace of finger shaped bruises around his neck.

"You're going to stay with him for a while, and you're gonna pay him for the privilege." Hopper informed him, as he began digging around his desk. "Money, chores, whatever Wayne wants." 

Wayne held his gaze as Steve turned to appraise him. 

Would Harrington pitch a fit? 

Would he look at Wayne's work clothes, streaked with dirt and sweat, with the name of the warehouse embroidered in the corner and crinkle up his nose, just like his daddy did? 

Hopper didn't lie, but a part of Wayne wanted to see just how different this Harrington was. If the respectful demeanor was an act done for Hopper. 

Or perhaps, Hopper had mentioned Steve's father for a reason, instead of his mother. Did he adopt her ice-like approach to life? 

Micro managing and long-held grudges were Stella Harrington’s game, and she excelled at it. 

Steve however, did nothing of the sort, instead settling with the situation in a way that reminded Wayne far too strongly of the men and women who'd come home from war.

"Okay." The kid said simply, after a long moment of consideration. He turned back to Hopper. "But we need to tell the rest of the Par--" 

Here he cut a look back to Wayne, correcting himself. "the kids. I don't want them showing up at my house trying to find me and freaking out." 

"They wouldn't--" Jim paused, fingers freezing from the rummaging they'd been doing. "they absolutely would, goddammit." He muttered darkly.  

"I'll tell the kids. The only thing I want you doing right now is laying low. I need to get a hold of Owens, but it's gonna take time to do that, and more time to fix this, so as of right now, Harrington? You're on vacation." He pointed sternly, as if Steve might argue.

The kid looked too tired and messed up to bother trying. 

"I mean it. You're out of the country, where is anybody's guess. No one's seen you and no one better be seeing you, got it?" His voice held firm, and Wayne had to blink because the tone here wasn't one of a police chief warning a teenager--but of a father talking to his son.

He knew, because his own voice did that now. Took on a worried tone that masqueraded as something more like annoyance and seriousness. 

"Yes, Sir." Harrington said, remaining weirdly compliant. "Consider me gone." 

A hand came up to briefly press above one eye, and Wayne wondered if the kid had been looked over, or if they had just crammed him into Hopper's office without offering so much as a tissue box. 

How many painkillers did they have back at the house? Wayne usually kept a good bottle around, but Steve was going to need more than that…

He found himself once again cataloging Steve's wounds, this time comparing them to the medicine cabinet he had at home. 

"I expect you to be a damn good house guest, you hear me?" Hopper continued, trying to cut a menacing figure. He finally found what he was looking for; pulling out a large, padded envelope. 

He handed it over to Harrington, who took it without looking, shoving it into the duffle bag he'd had sitting at his feet. 

There was a smudge of red on the handle of said bag, that matched perfectly up to a shittily done wrap on Steve's right hand. 

Wayne mentally added 'buy more bandages' to his list. 

Steve nodded at Hopper again. "Yes, Sir."

Jim’s eyes narrowed. "Quite that, you know I hate that." 

The briefest glimmer of mischief crossed Harrington's face. "Sorry, Sir. Won't happen again, Sir."

'Ahh.' Wayne thought. 'So there's a teenager in there after all.'

Jim rolled his eyes. "Get out of my office."

"Thanks Hop." Harrington said, finally dropping that odd obedience, a hint of a smile on his battered face. 

He stood, and Wayne had to stop himself from offering an arm out as Steve reached for his bag and limped towards him. 

He paused right before he left Hopper's office, hand on the doorframe.

 "You'll check up on Robin too, right?"  He asked, and for the first time his tone took on something more alive--and filled with worry. "And Dustin? Erica?" 

"Dustin and his mom are finally taking me up on my suggestion to see their family in Florida for a while, and the Sinclairs are taking a sabbatical from Hawkins. I'm working on the Buckley's." Hopper drummed his fingers on the desk. "So far, no one else besides you and El have been targeted, and we're going to keep it that way."

Steve let out a breath, and while Wayne could tell the worry hadn't left him, he could almost physically see Steve force himself to put it away.

Another act that was far beyond the kid's years. 

A different officer popped up as they walked down the hall towards the exit, waving his hand madly. "Harrington! Chief says you forgot this!" He barked.

(Or tried to anyway. Callahan wasn’t the most aggressive of officers and frankly, never would be.)

A slim sports bag was held in his hands, and Steve nearly tripped over his own feet when he tried to turn and claim it.

"I'll get it." Wayne said, knowing his tone sounded gruff.

No use for it. He could either sound gruff or sound sad, and Wayne knew better than to start off the relationship with yet another hurt young man by acting sad.

Pity wasn't gonna win him any favors here. 

He took the bag, slinging it over his shoulder, uncaring of the wince on Harrington's face until something sharp poked at his shoulder. 

Several somethings, in fact. 

"What the hell do you got in this thing?" He asked once they hit the parking lot, voice low as he escorted Steve to his truck. 

"Just a baseball bat, sir." Steve said, in the exact same tone Eddie used every time he thought he was bein’ slick. 

Considering the thing in the bag could have passed for a baseball bat if not for the sharp pokey bits, it wasn’t a bad attempt. Steve just hadn’t accounted for the fact that Wayne lived with Eddie. 

An unfair advantage, really. 

‘Least there can’t be any baby racoons in the damn bag.’ Wayne thought idly. 

Went on to gently put the bat in the backseat, watching as the kid struggled to lift himself into the truck.

"You can drop that, I take too being called Sir about as well as Hop does." He said, keeping his tone nice and calm, hoping to ease into calling Steve out on his lie. 

Fussed with a few dials on the stereo, giving Steve an excuse to take his time before starting the engine and taking the long way home.

Wayne wanted to talk a little-- without the chance of Ed’s interrupting. 

"Son,” He started off. “I was born in the morning, but not this morning. I'm hoping to make the next few weeks as easy as I can for both of us, and I can't do that if you're starting off with a lie." 

Steve blinked, turning to face him in a matter that was too fast for his injuries. He didn't bother hiding the hurt it caused him, but his voice stayed even as he spoke.

 "What do you mean Si--Wayne." 

"Nice catch.”  Wayne said. “We’ll get you there yet.” 

It was a trick he'd learned with Eddie--little tidbits of praise went a long way when it came to gaining trust.

Especially with kids who hadn't ever been given much. 

Harrington seemed smart to it, or perhaps was just hesitant to speak in general because he remained quiet, not offering up any info. No further lies, but nothing towards the truth, neither. 

Which was fine. Wayne didn’t think a little pushing would hurt.

"That bat of yours was digging into my shoulder like a bee swarm." Wayne continued, when it became clear Steve wasn't talking. "I'm more a fan of football than baseball, but last I checked they hadn't changed the design of a bat." 

"What teams?" Steve asked, perking up a touch. "Of football. Which ones are yours?"

Wayne could ignore it of course, or demand Steve give him an answer to the question he asked. 

He did neither. "I’m liking the Colts since they got moved here. You?" 

"Green Bay Packers, though I like the Colts too--that trade in 84’ was crazy." Steve said. After a second he proved that answering instead of pushing was the right move because he added; "What did Hopper tell you? About…" He trailed off, making a gesture Wayne didn't bother trying to interpret. 

"He said some things. I've guessed a few others." Wayne admitted. Cut a little look out of the corner of his eye as he came to a stop sign. "I know the feds are real interested in you after Starcourt." 

Steve took that in, hands tightening on the handle. 

"It really is a baseball bat." He said, a little fast and with the tiniest hint of that challenge Wayne had been looking for. "It just also has nails hammered into one end." 

Wayne took that in with one nice, slow blink. 

"A bat with nails in it." He said, and it made a hell of a lot of sense compared to the sensation he'd felt carrying the case. "You use it against anyone?" 

"Some of the feds." Steve admitted, and even with his eyes on the road Wayne could tell he was being stared at.

Judged.

Not in the way one expected a rich kid to judge, but in the way Eddie had, those first few months he'd lived here. The times when  he'd push, just a little, to see what Wayne's reaction would be. 

Eddie hadn't done it in a damn long time, but Wayne recognized the behavior nonetheless. 

"Anybody else?" He asked. 

"Nobody human." Steve replied. 

"Alright." Wayne said, and made a mental note to drop all questions related to that. 

He didn't need to know, definitely didn't want to know, and had a feeling if he did know he'd find himself being watched by the same spooks after Steve.

"I've got a few deck boxes that lock on my porch. Think you'd be agreeable to leaving the bat in one?" 

Steve paused, hand clenching tighter around the strap of his duffel bag. "If you gave me a key so I could get it in an emergency,  I'd be happy to." 

He tried to sound calm, even a little charming in that sort of upper-class businessman sort of way, but the fear bled through. 

The kid wasn't happy separating from the bat, and given it sounded like it might have saved his life recently, Wayne understood the hesitation. 

With an internal apology to Eddie, he promptly threw his nephew under the proverbial bus.  "I've got my nephew at home and he'd be far too interested in it, is all. Blades and weapons and such tend to attract him, and I don't need to be rushing anyone to the ER." 

All of which were very true facts (one Wayne learned the time he'd allowed Eddie to bring a sword  home, only for him to nearly cut his own nose off winging the thing around) but he figured it might make Steve more amenable to separating from it. 

Sure enough, some of the tenseness bled out of Steve's shoulders. "Yeah that's fair." 

The truck hit a few potholes as they finally turned into the trailer park, and the kid hissed, a quiet sound. 

Judging by the uncomfortable wince, and hands clenched into his jeans something painwise was giving him trouble. 

"When was the last time you took a pain pill?" Wayne asked, doing his best to weave around the other holes that dotted the gravel roads.

Steve blinked. "Uh…" 

"You take any today son?" 

Steve his head. 

"Didn't have time to grab it." He said, offering a sad look to his pack. 

Course he hadn't. 

"Let's get you inside then and get you some." Wayne said with a sigh. Thankfully Eddie's van wasn't here--Wayne was fairly certain he had band practice today but knowing him it could be a million other things.

Just meant he had to acclimate Steve as fast as he could, to try and get the poor guy settled before Ed’s came in. 

He just hoped life and lady luck would work with him, for once.