#i hate them both and have been reminded to assure their stans stay Away from me

[cxyotl]

fuck dream AND georgenotfound. i hope they both get hit by massive shovels.

[just-jordie-things]

Insecurities - Richie Tozier

word count: 4319 warnings: swearing summary: Richie’s greatest fear is not being good enough for her- and It knows to use that against him ___

Richie Tozier loved his girlfriend.  He idolized her, he prioritized her, and every day that he was with her felt like a miracle.  She was his favorite person, the light of his life, and he was so goddamn in love with her that it consumed his entire being.

Thing was, (y/n) was out of his league, and his friends and peers reminded him of it, every, fucking, day.  Either with a joke about how he landed a girl like that, or a comment about how she’ll find someone better too.  His friends weren’t purposefully being assholes, and they never knew how deep their words could cut into Richie.  But he’d never told them how insecure he really was.

(y/n) never thought anything of it.  She loved Richie and that’s all that mattered.  He made her happier than she ever could have imagined herself being in this town.  In this dreary place she lived, he managed to be a ray of spontaneity and sun that she was grateful for every day.  She longed to tell him how much she loved him, she’d never gathered the courage to say it before, but always felt the words burning in her throat. She knew her friends were teasing, and never second guessed them or Richie’s feelings about it.  

That is, until Neibolt. ___

“This, is a bad fucking idea” Richie had muttered into her ear when they’d walked onto the property.

She wasn’t sure if it was out of annoyance for wasting a day that they could have spent at the arcade, or out of his own fear for trekking into the obviously haunted house.

If it was fear, she knew he wouldn’t say anything about it.  So instead, she grabbed his hand and gave him a smile.

“But it’ll make for a great story!” She’d declared.

(She has a tendency to reprimand him on his idiotic ideas, and he always argued that he would have a good story to tell later.  So when she repeated his words back to him, he glared a bit)

(y/n) winked, before giggling because Richie always made a funny face when she winked at him.  After dating her for a year or so, he has never gotten used to the sight of her winking at him.

But then again, a part of him was still in disbelief that she was his girlfriend and she was winking at him.

He tugged her closer to his side by her hand as they walked into the house.

“Oh, gross” Eddie winced, and continued to complain the further they walked into the hall.

The clubs’ steps gradually slowed.

“What the fuck?” Richie hissed, eyes narrowing while he looked around.  “This is a fucking crackhouse-“

He stopped abruptly when there was a loud creaking, and the whole group froze in place.  They went silent, ears on alert for the next haunting sound.

Richie’s hand tightened around (y/n’s), making sure that she was secure at his side.  She looked up at him, brows furrowed a bit, clearly conflicted about Bill’s plan.

Another creak sounded, and her eyes shot towards the sound, just in time to see a door slowly swinging open.  To their surprise, no one, or nothing, appeared in the doorway.  It only revealed an empty room.

When Mike took a few tentative steps towards it, (y/n’s) feet also began to move, as if on instinct, her brain told her not to let her friend investigate alone.

“(y/n)” Richie called for her in a hushed voice as she pulled her hand out of his hold.

She glanced back at him as if to say ‘I’m alright’, and then moved swiftly on the tips of her toes up to Mike.  They shared a look, before nodding their heads, and walking into the room.

As she examined the old run-down bedroom, she felt her heartbeat steady, as did her breathing.  The floorboards were worn and creaky, and the walls had indescribable stains on them, but there was nothing more to it.

“It’s just old” Mike said, a similar expression of relief on his face.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” (y/n) looked back out to their friends to assure them that they were safe.  “It was nothing-“

Before the word could even leave her mouth, the door creaked again, and slammed shut before anyone could move.

“(y/n)!” Richie was the first to leap to action, but by the time he’d gotten to the door, it was already locked.  And no matter how much he yanked and pulled on the rusty knob, it would not budge.

She was pounding her fists against the other side of it, and from the sounds of it, he was pretty sure Mike was trying to kick the door down from the other side.

“(y/n)! (y/n) it’s gonna be fine! I’m gonna get you out!” RIchie hollered, enlisting in the help of Bill and Beverly in trying to kick open the door.

But even as everyone was kicking, it was no use.  The door would rattle in it’s frame, and not crack even a little bit.

“It’s It!” Beverly declared, trying to get the boys to halt in their frantic kicking before they hurt themselves.  “Guys- Richie- we won’t be able to break it open, it’s like- cursed, or something”

He didn’t want to give up that fast, he wanted to keep kicking this door until his shoes were worn through and his feet were bruised, until (y/n) was free.

“It’s alright!” (y/n) called from the room.  “Mike found a part of the wall that’s caved in, we’re gonna try to break through it to the other side of the hall, okay?”

“W-we’ll meet you o-over there” Bill said, already heading around the corner of the hallway with Stan.  Even though it was clear she’d only been informing one person.

“Richie,” She spoke again.  “Go on, I’ll be fine, Mike’s here with me, I’ll see you in a couple minutes, okay?”

She was trying so hard to keep her voice brave, but he could hear it begin to crack, even through the door.

“I’m not fucking leaving you-”

“Richie, go, I don’t want you standing alone out there,” (y/n) ordered.  “I gotta go help Mike with the wall, see you in a minute”

He could barely hear her footsteps take off, and then leaned forward to press his ear against the wood, hoping to hear them breaking through with ease.  But now he couldn’t hear a thing.

Richie spun around, about to alert Eddie and Ben how oddly enough he couldn’t hear their friends tearing through a wall.

But Eddie and Ben weren’t there.

“Guys?” Richie hollered, breaking into a jog in hopes to catch them around the corner, where Mike and (y/n) were supposed to meet everyone.

But no one was there either.

“Hello!? Guys!? Where’d you go!?”

He began to yell a bit louder now, rushing around anywhere he could in search of his friends, but he hadn’t found, or even heard anyone.  How had they abandoned him so fast? Didn’t they notice?

“Richie?” A scratchy but familiar voice called from behind him.

He turned on his heel and was instantly relieved at the sight of (y/n).

“Oh, thank fucking god” He breathed out heavily, taking swift steps towards her.

She, however, took a sharp step backwards.

“Don’t come any closer” She snapped, and Richie froze on the spot.

“W-what-?”

“Stay the fuck back!” She screeched now, so loud that the harsh words echoed down the halls.  They seemed to ring in Richie’s ears for a lifetime.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” He asked worriedly.  But he did as she asked, and didn’t move any closer to her.  “Did something happen-?”

“Jesus Richie fuck off!” She snarled now, and if that wasn’t shocking enough, she stormed up to him, and shoved him against his chest with both hands, mustering all the force she could.

Richie stumbled until he tripped over his feet and fell to the ground.  He couldn’t believe she was strong enough to push him to the ground like that.  (y/n) wasn’t frail by any means, but she shouldn’t have been able to knock him down with such ease.

“Blabber and hover- blabber and hover with you!” She was yelling down at him now, and Richie pushed himself up on shaky arms.

This was incredibly unlike her-

“You can never just leave me the hell alone! Can you!?” She went on, voice booming unnaturally with each bark.  “Always on my ass, always crowding me!”

If he wasn’t so afraid, he would have noticed how with every word, her teeth turned more ragged, and sharper.

“Do you think I enjoy it? Being stuck with you? It’s a goddamn burden! I can’t stand to be around you- I fucking hate you Richie Tozier!”

“Y-you’re not- this isn’t-” He could barely speak his throat was burning so bad from holding back tears.

This couldn’t be (y/n)... (y/n) would never…

“What, I’m not real?” The word came out in a vicious snarl, and suddenly she warped into another figure.

He wasn’t sure if this one was worse.

“You piece of shit!” Henry Bowers barked.  “Haven’t I told you to stay the fuck out of this town!?”

Richie lunged himself backwards, trying to crawl away from this horrible nightmare as fast as possible.  But the more he tried to scurry away, the worse the image in front of him became.

“You’re a freak!” (y/n) screamed in his face again.  “You’re a loser, Richie.  You think anyone would want to be with you?”

He couldn’t breathe- the tears- the panic- it all welled up inside of him and he knew he was going to explode soon.

“This isn’t real, you’re not real, you’re not her”

“Aren’t I though?” Her voice dropped to a haunting whisper, and she leaned in close to him.  “Aren’t I!?” She screamed.

Richie closed his eyes, shaking his head rapidly and hoping that when he opened them again, she’d be gone, and he’d wake up in his bedroom.  This was just one terrible fucking nightmare, it’ll be over soon-

“The real (y/n) doesn’t have the guts to fucking tell you” She snarled, reminding him of his reality.

“Stop it!” Richie yelled, unable to hold back his tears any longer.

“She’s never been able to speak up and say-”

“Go away!” He begged, voice cracking in desperation.

“She knows she’s too good for you, and let’s face it fuckface, I am too good for you”

He didn’t have it in him to beg It to leave him alone, as he broke down sobbing into his hands, enduring the cuel wrath.

“She hates you, for dragging her down, for hanging off of her like a dog,” Her tone slowly warped into something more squeaky, and masculine, until she wasn’t exactly the image of (y/n) anymore.  “Ohhh… she haaates you Richie”

When he dared to look, he was met with the gruesome sight of a circus clown.  A rather large circus clown.

“But you can stay, Richie, you can float with us!”

“No- no…. no no no!”

He covered his face again as he pleaded and wept uncontrollably.  He wished that It would just get it over with, because he couldn’t take this torture anymore.

“Richie!” A voice screamed.  Not the scream that he’d heard just moments ago, but a worried shriek.

Even still, he kept his hands planted safely over his eyes.  It couldn’t get in his face if he couldn’t see the form it had taken.

“Richie- Richie,” The voice panted again, this time soft, and close to his ear.  “Hey, it’s me” She murmured.

Gentle hands grasped onto his wrists, and pulled on his arms until he revealed his face.

He was met with the concerned eyes of his girlfriend, her brow so furrowed there were lines on her forehead, and a pout on her lips that he’d never seen there before.

“Babe,” She whispered so soft he was certain that he’d imagined that too.  “What happened?”

He flinched when she reached for him, and the action shattered her heart to pieces, but she tried her best not to show it.  Tentatively, she reached her hand out to place against his cheek, pulling her sleeve over her palm to wipe away the flow of tears.

“You’re- are you-”

“I’m real,” She nodded, beginning to realize what had happened.  “It’s me, promise”

His eyes wandered her features unsurely, and she sighed.

“Do you want me to prove it?” She murmured, and began to speak before he could even nod his head.  “On our first date, you called me sweet cheeks, and then got so embarrassed about it that you tripped and dropped your ice cream” There was a weak smile on her lips at the memory, hoping that it would be enough to calm Richie down.

He let out a shaky whimper, before surging forward and wrapping his arms around her torso.  He held her so tightly that she had to control her breaths, but it was alright because he believed her and things were going to be okay.

“It’s alright,” She cooed into his ear as he cried into the crook of her neck.  “I know, it’s awful”

One of his hands cradled the back of her head, fingers tangled in her hair.  The other was fisting the material of her jacket.  He couldn’t speak, he was crying so hard, ut it was enough to know that she was here right now.

(y/n) rubbed his back in soothing circles as she held him for a few moments longer, until she knew it was time to go, and pulled away.

“Come on, we gotta get out of here,” She whispered, wiping his opposite cheek tenderly.  “Eddie broke his arm” She told him as she helped him to his feet, and intertwined their fingers as they raced out of Neibolt.

The others, besides Eddie, were standing in the front yard.

Eddie was being shoved into his mother’s car, while Mrs K was scolding their friends.

“I knew my boy shouldn’t be playing with the likes of you all,” She rambled, snarling at Beverly in particular.  “This is all your fault.  All your fault! I hope your proud of yourselves for maiming my boy!”

She stormed off to her car, and Eddie could barely wave out the window before she’d driven off.

“I know where It is,” Bill spoke after a beat passed.  “And n-next time we’ll come p-prepared”

Richie’s eyes widened before glaring at the boy, finding it ridiculous that he thought it was a good idea to not only come back, but to come back and retaliate.

“No next time, Bill!” Stan begged, shaking his head.

“We have to,” Beverly said.  “Ben, you said so yourself, It comes back every twenty-seven years-”

“Fine! I’ll be forty and far away from here!” He answered.

With his words, a layer of tension settled over the group.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t save Georgie,” Richie grumbled, pulling away from (y/n) to head to his bike.  “But you can still save yourself” He finished, brushing past Bill’s shoulder.

“N-no,” Bill stammered, pushing Richie back by the shoulder.  “T-take it back!”

“Face the truth, Bill! You’re chasing a lie-!”

He couldn’t even finish before Bill pushed harder, and swing a fist against Richie’s cheek.

“Bill!” (y/n) screeched, leaping forward to break them up before something could happen.

She grabbed Richie by the elbow before he could land a punch, and yanked him back while Mike grabbed a secure hold on Bill.

“Face it! We’re losers! That’s it!” Richie snarled.

He shrugged (y/n’s) hold off of him, and her eyes shot to his, broken, and hurt.

“I’m going home.  I don’t want to get fucking killed too” He muttered, and when he stormed off to his bike, Bill didn’t stop him this time.

“R-Richie?” (y/n) called brokenly, stumbling forward on wobbly legs, but it didn’t matter, he was already zooming down the street as fast as he could.

Before she could crumpe to the ground, Beverly grabbed a hold of her, hugging her against her side comfortingly.

It was silent as everyone dispersed, barely giving each other a second glance as they rode off.

Beverly hugged (y/n) tight before she got on the back of Bill’s bike.  Murmuring a soft, ‘see you later’ that (y/n) wasn’t quite convinced of.

She didn’t have the energy in her to bike home, but the only other option was to sit outside Neibolt, alone, and the sun was beginning to set, so she gathered what little strength she had left in her to slowly make her way home. ___

When she came home past dinner, covered in muck and bruises, her parents barely batted an eye.  Even as she let out a soft cry with every step up the stairs, it was like they tuned her out completely.

It had thrown her around like a ragdoll after she tried to defend Eddie.  As brave as she’d tried to be, she’d been terrified, shaking straight down to the bone as she forced herself to stand in front of him.

The demonic clown had simply swing an arm, and sent her tumbling across the ground.

It took a long shower to get all the dirt scraped off her skin.  But even as it was washed down the drain, the memories of this afternoon would haunt her for life.

Maybe Bill was right.  Maybe It needed to be stopped now, before he could just keep coming back and traumatizing a new generation of children every thirty or so years.  But even if she really wanted to kill the creature, she wouldn’t even know where to begin.  And her brain was already swarmed with a worse thought,

Was Richie done with me?

She sniffled a bit at the idea, but wiped her eyes before they could be filled with tears.

No, he was just angry, and scared, he would never… he wouldn’t just leave like that… would he?

A few knocks on her window made her jolt up in bed, nerves spreading throughout her body like electricity.  She instantly thought that It had found her, and was back to finish what he’d started.

But as she rushed to turn on the lamp sitting on her bedside table, her muscles relaxed to see it was only Richie, waiting rather impatiently for her to unlock her window.

She threw the covers off of her, and moved as quickly as she could to let him in.

As soon as she pushed the window upwards, he was crawling in, oddly silent.

“Hey,” She murmured, not wanting to alert her parents downstairs that her boyfriend had snuck in.

He’d done so a million times before, and they’ve never gotten caught, but today was a rather awful day and she didn’t want to have one more thing ruined.

“Are you feeling be-”

“We need to talk” Richie mumbled, effectively cutting her off with the upsetting words.

“O-Okay…” (y/n) answered, trying not to jump to conclusions.  “What… about..?” She asked slowly.

“I think-” He started to speak quickly, but just couldn’t seem to finish the sentence.

He couldn’t even look her in the eyes.

“We- we should- we need to break up”

It was like her heart plummeted right out of her body, sending every nerve to go numb.  She had to have heard him wrong- this wasn’t like Richie- maybe this wasn’t even the real-

“I- I want to break up” He added in an even quieter voice.  She caught the crack in his words, and she shook her head in confusion.

“What?” She could barely manage to say the one word.

“I know you heard me,” Richie sighed, eyes finally flickering up to hers.  “Come on (y/n) don’t make this any more difficult than it-”

“You’re the one being difficult!” She whisper-hissed, eyes widening a bit in frustration.  “What are you doing? Wh- why are you-”

“Come on,” Richie whispered.  “Don’t do that-”

“Give me one reason why we should break up” (y/n) crossed her arms.  She wasn’t going to let him walk away that easy.  Something was up, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

“We’re not a good fit, alright?” He answered, volume raising a bit above his previous murmur.  “We don’t work, and I was a fucking idiot to think that we would”

“Richie…” (y/n) sighed in disbelief.

“You wanted an answer-”

“Where is this coming from?” She asked with a shake of her head.  “I know you don’t really want to break up-”

“Well we have to!” He yelled, and they were both silent for a minute, trying to see if her parents had heard him.

When there was no response from downstairs, she snapped back at him.

“Why?” She stressed the word, desperate for him to just fess up whatever it was that was bothering him.

“Why? Do you even have to ask, (y/n)?” Richie asked.

Her eyebrows knitted together as he spoke in such a harsh tone.  Richie never talked to her like that.

“Look at me, (y/n)! I mean, come on, it was only a fucking matter of time before you got bored and realized how much of your time you’ve wasted on me!”

If she’d thought him trying to break up was horrible, this was even worse.

“Oh, Rich-”

“I’m a loser, (y/n), don’t you see that? Don’t you see how terrible for you I am?”

He was breaking her heart with every word.

“Haven’t you heard them? What people say? What our own friends say?” He asks her, but she doesn’t answer, because she can’t.  “I am dragging you down with every second of being with you”

“N-no-” She can’t hardly choke out the word, but Richie vents on anyways.

“Might as well just end things now, before one of us gets hurt”

He turns around, as if to head back out her window, but (y/n’s) faster.  She wedges herself in between his body, shutting and locking the window before he could just walk away.

“No, s-stop running away,” She cried, and when she looks up at him, she realizes that he can’t look at her because he’s crying too.  “Richie,” She whimpers, shaky hands reaching up to cup his face, making him look down at her.  “That’s not true, none of that is true-”

“It is” He replies, brokenly.

She shakes her head, and steps closer to him.

“It lied to you,” She tells him.  “I know It probably told you some terrible, nasty things,”

Richie squeezes his eyes shut, and the next thing he knows, he’s falling to his knees.  But (y/n) follows, kneeling down with him and shuffling even closer.

“But babe,” She murmured, “It was lying, it was all a trick”

She could feel his tears slipping down his cheeks and over her fingers.

“I just- I don’t want to drag you down-”

“Drag me down?” She repeats in a whisper, thumbs stroking away his tears once more.  “Richie,” His eyes open when she says his name, soft and sweet-like.

She pushes his glasses up on top of his mess of curls so she can swipe away the tears under his eyes.

“You do nothing but lift me up,” She tells him.  “You’re my ray of sunshine in this terrible fucking town,” An anxious and uncertain smile trembles on her lips.  “And all those things you’re so worried about, I love about you,”

There’s a pause as her eyes flicker between his, before gently placing his glasses back on his nose.

“I’m in love with you,” She murmurs.  “I love you so much,” She repeats in a sigh, just in case he didn’t hear her the first time.  “So much”

A short breath of a laugh escapes him, and a small smile begins to tug on his lips as he looks at her.  He knows she means it, he can feel it, he can see it in her eyes that she’s being genuine.

He takes her hands from his face, setting them gently in her lap before cupping her face in his own hands.

“I love you too” He tells her, and before he can lean in, she’s shooting forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting her lips on his firmly.

It’s unlike any other kisses they’ve shared.  It’s desperate, and careful, and loving, and conveyed every last drop of fear that they’d had in losing each other.  She’s kissing him so passionately that her chest is heaving, but she can’t bear to pull away now.

Richie holds her in his lap, and she’s wrapped up in his arms so securely that she’s sure, and she hopes, she’ll never be able to get out of them.

When her lips are swollen and her lungs are burning for oxygen, she finally leaned back slightly, but only by a few centimeters.

“You can’t leave me,” She tells him through heavy breaths.  Her eyes are still closed, but he’s staring intently at her anyways.  “I need you too much- don’t leave me”

He nods in agreement, caressing her cheek affectionately.

“Okay,” He hums, and kisses her lips chastely.  “I won’t… I won’t”

She falls forward, and embraces him tightly.

Richie’s arms wind around her lower back again, and they sit for a long time like this, catching their breath and holding onto one another firmly, so that neither can leave.

“We have to go back” Richie says after a long time.

“I know” She murmurs against his neck.

“We have to kill that fucking clown” He says, voice dropping it’s gentle tone, turning hard, and final.

“I know” She repeats, the same vengeful tone in her own voice.

Nothing was ever going to come between them again, that was for sure.

___

taglist: @thegr8kush​

xoxo ~ jordie 

[dumdumsun]

Forever and Never

A/N: I did it again, @moatsnow! I’m vvv sorry hun 🥺❤️

Warnings: ⚠️rape⚠️, mentions of alcohol and marijuana

Word Count: 5014

—————————————

Four: Good For Me

“So, Richard seemed to have been this… distraction. Because being around Stanley made you feel less than, but Richard admired you. You had no faults when you were with him. So, what made you end it? Did something else happen?”

“Yeah… The next day was his birthday.”

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

He’d been texting me all morning. From the moment I opened my eyes, all throughout breakfast, as I took a shower and got dressed. Wasn’t it his birthday? Didn’t he have preparations to go through for his party that night? Of course, I wished him a happy birthday and assured him that I would attend his party. I figured I might as well buy him a present, since most people would only show up to eat food and get drunk. He probably wouldn’t have been receiving many gifts.

As I descended the stairs, I heard Pam and David rushing around the house. “We’re gonna be late, David!”

“I’m aware!”

“Where are the keys?!”

“In your hand!”

I chuckled and leaned against the railing. “What’s going on?”

David turned towards me and sighed. “It’s Jacob’s presentation today, remember? He’s doing that sort of TED Talk thing at school?”

“Oh, yeah… Well, I’m not gonna be able to go, I’d be late to Ricky’s party by the time we got back.”

“Shit, that’s right… I completely forgot about errands as well. It’s our only free day.” He ran his hands through his hair. I perked up and walked the rest of the way down.

“I can do it. I’ll already be out, buying a present for Ricky.”

“Are you sure, sweetheart?” Pam joined the conversation as she and David approached the front door. I nodded with a smile.

“Yeah, it’ll… give me something to do today.”

Pam gave me that same bittersweet smile she usually did before enveloping me in a hug. “You’re so perfect, (Y/N)...”

“Uh… thanks.” My brows furrowed as she pulled away. I looked to my uncle for any clue as to why she suddenly became so sentimental, but he avoided my gaze, muttering something about wanting me to be safe before walking out of the house. “Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, baby, we’re fine. You be safe today. Don’t get so drunk that you can’t walk straight. And stay the night at Dina’s, if you can!” She called out as she left out the door. I only nodded my head in response, slowly closing the door after her. My phone vibrated in my pocket, so I fished it out to see yet another text.

Ricky: Do you wanna come over and spend the day with me?

I cringed and rolled my eyes. Wasn’t me coming to his party enough? Shaking my head, I replied to him.

Me: I’m actually booked until the party. Lots of errands to run for my aunt and uncle

To be truthfully honest, I just needed to go grocery shopping and stop by the bookstore to pick up Pam’s order. It would only have taken me about an hour at most to complete my tasks. Did Ricky need to know this? Not at all. Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I snatched the grocery list from the fridge and began my quest for the day.

It hadn’t actually registered in my mind that I would need a car for the day. Our list was pretty long, which left me with armfulls of paper grocery bags, my aunt’s book tucked into my jacket pocket located on the inside. I could hardly see over the tops of the bags, but navigated myself all the way towards the diner before I heard a car pull up beside me. I turned my head to see Stan, giving me a goofy grin, eyes shielded by his sunglasses. He reached over to open the passenger door from the inside. “Hey, there, lovely.”

“Good morning there, beautiful.” I chuckled, opening his back door to store my bags in his seats before climbing into the passenger seat beside him. “Thanks so much.”

“It’s my pleasure,” He tilted his head as if he just winked, but it wasn’t like I could’ve seen it. “So, you’re shopping for Aunt Pam?”

“Uh, yeah. Jake had a presentation at his school today and I… had things to do already. So, why not? Might as well do something for them,” I explained as he began driving again. Down the road, I spotted two familiar figures exiting the diner. “Oh, is that Sydney? And her brother?”

“Indeed, it is.” Stan grinned as he turned the corner. His car pulled over towards them, Sydney’s brother excitedly pointing us out. She turned to the car with pursed lips. I turned down the music as Stan reached over to roll down the window, the glass creaking at its usual agonizingly slow pace. I visibly cringed as Sydney gave a painful smile. Once it was down just enough, Stan nodded towards her. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Her smile turned a bit more genuine. Her brother, who introduced himself as Liam, greeted both Stan and I before we all shifted into an awkward silence. Thankfully, Stan broke it after a couple of beats.

“So, it’s good to see you again.”

“Yeah,” Sydney giggled, and I detected a hint of anxiety. “Yeah, you, too.”

“So, do you wanna,” Stan pushed his sunglasses to sit in his curls. “Do you wanna, like, do somethin’ later tonight or somethin’?”

Sydney opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again, all while Stan held his glowing smile. What the hell was going on? “You know, I would, but Dina and I are going to Ricky Berry’s party.”

“No shit? I’ll be there, too.” Stan excitedly sat up.

“Oh, you will?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah. Okay, right,” She chuckled. Anyone around could tell that Sydney was clearly uncomfortable, except for Stan. He was on top of the world, it seemed. “So, I guess I’ll see you there. And we gotta go. Right now.” She quickly ushered her brother down the road. I leaned towards my window and giggled into my hand. Stan slowly slipped his sunglasses back on, muttering a ‘cool’, which only caused me to laugh harder.

“Okay, what the hell is going on between you two?”

Stan gave me a look, or what I assumed was a look, as he continued towards our houses. “What? What are you talking about?”

“What’s going on with you and Syd? And don’t say nothing. You’re literally glowing right now.”

“Okay, okay,” He cleared his throat. “So, last night… we, um… Well, we may or may not have had sex.”

I hoped he hadn’t noticed me hesitate. My brain short circuited and my throat constricted. “O-Oh, really? Like, last night-last night?”

“Yeah, last night-last night.”

“Gross.” I lightly joked and Stan rolled his head towards me with a sly smirk. Chuckling, he looked back towards the road.

“Anyway, I assume you’re going to the party, too? Since you’re Ricky’s little homecoming date now.”

My eyes widened. “You saw it, too?!”

“Everyone saw it, Nugget. ‘The Power Couple’ or whatever they said.” He shook his head.

“Ugh, we are not a couple and I do not want to go to homecoming with him!”

“Then why’d you say yes?!”

“Because everyone was there! They planned the whole thing and my brain just thought to say yes!” I buried my head in my hands. I heard Stan coo from beside me with a small tut.

“My poor little Nugget. I should’ve asked you out before Ricky could.”

I peeked up at him with a warm smile. “Nah, it’s okay. It’s just homecoming, I’m not marrying him. Besides you should ask out Sydney, anyway.”

“Oh, that is the plan.” He grinned.

When we arrived at my house, I got out to carry in the bags, but I heard Stan turn off the car and exit as well. He joined me in retrieving the bags from the seats and waited patiently for me to unlock the front door. Once we were inside, we headed straight for the kitchen and set the bags on the table.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been inside here,” He commented, looking around the house with a soft smile. I hummed in agreement before our gazes met. “Does your bedroom still look the same?”

The feeling that swept through my soul as I watched Stan excitedly explore my bedroom was a feeling I’d never felt before, but never wanted to leave. He marveled at all of the little trinkets displayed on my shelves, my organized bookshelf, the board above my desk filled with every pin I’ve ever collected. But what had him giddy and pumping his fist in the air was the Bloodwitch poster on my door. “Ah, I knew it! You knew all of the words to Hey Little Girl! You used to hate that song!”

“I don’t have to like the song to know all the words, all you play is Bloodwitch!” I laughed. He pointed towards me as if to say ‘don’t deny it’. I deflated. “Okay, yeah, I finally got into Bloodwitch. I guess it was… just something to remind me of you.”

I nervously stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jeans as Stan slowly lowered his arm, his expression softening. His stance stuttered, like he had stopped himself from doing or saying something instinctive, before scoffing.

“Yeah, well, the school’s horrible plays are what reminded me of you.” He rolled his eyes, receiving a light slap to the arm from me. Once Stan left for his own home, I returned to the kitchen to put the food away in their respective places. I made sure to put David’s cookies in his ‘secret’ compartment within the pantry. I knew he’d appreciate it since Jacob always found them if they weren’t stored correctly. I quietly giggled to myself, thinking back to a time when Jacob swore up and down that he hadn’t eaten the cookies. In fact, I remember correctly that we both had eaten them and he was just trying to cover for the both of us. We were caught the next day and forced to sit through a fifteen minute lecture on respecting our elders and the importance of privacy.

I nearly forgot about Pam’s book, but I remembered as I passed her bedroom door. Slipping it out of my pocket, I entered her room. There were shoes scattered across the floor and the bed was unmade, no doubt from her rushing around earlier. Knowing that she’d check her dresser, I set her book just there. However, I noticed a small, rectangular beige box already sitting there. I would have left it alone until I saw my name written on it. My hand reached out to pick up the box, but I stopped. It’s probably a present, I thought. I shouldn’t open it until it’s given to me. So, with a small hum of uncertainty, I left the bedroom.

Contrary to popular belief, I actually have a pretty simplistic fashion sense. It was nowhere near as bold as Stan’s, and I suppose that’s why we were seen as an odd pair, but I had just a bit more flare than my fellow peers. Everyone was just a copy-and-paste version of each other. They wore the same skinny jeans, the same fitted shirts, the same sneakers. While I never wore bright yellows and greens, I still hadn’t conformed to the everyday go-to fashion line that was their “hot” or “cute”. Besides, Brownsville was so boring, everything and everyone there was so one-dimensional. It only made sense that their choice in clothing was the same. What I’m trying to say is that people thought I had a bold fashion sense because I simply dressed differently, but it was simply how we dressed in my hometown in Kansas. I think Stan would have fit in at home.

I was a back-and-forth routine from my dresser to my bed, texting Dina as I readied myself for Ricky’s party that night. Apparently, she had Sydney over at her house, the two getting ready together. I didn’t have a problem with it, as long as Dina was still picking me up. She informed me that she had just gotten Syd into a cute top that would show more skin than she usually did. Despite not really being her friend, knowing that Sydney was leaving her comfort zone, as small of a step as it was, had me smiling at my phone, However, that smile dropped at the next text Dina sent.

Dina: Omg you HAVE to look cute for Ricky tonight

I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.

Me: I don’t get dressed up for boys anymore. I do it for myself

And it was true. When Ricky and I dated, I felt as though I had to look the part of the trophy he presented to everyone. I wore clothes I normally didn’t, I wore more makeup, smiled more. Even if they were faked. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like pretending, but Ricky didn’t seem to mind. He’d simply point out that he “liked the new look”. Well, I’ve changed. My half year solitude in Kansas taught me self-awareness, and I became aware that I am fucking hot. So, I did look cute that night, but not for Ricky. I did it for my own pleasure. And I hoped they all liked the new look.

Of course, my go-to bottoms were black high-waisted jeans that stopped just above my navel, paired with a red long-sleeved crop top. To match, I added in little black and red clips in my hair and dusted black eyeshadow on my lids. Afterwards, I stepped in front of my mirror to admire my work. I remember my mom telling me when I was young that looking in the mirror will tell you everything you hope to see in yourself, and I agree with that to some extent. But looking at myself in that moment told me that, despite how shitty I felt on a daily basis, I was more than deserving of reveling in my new adaptation. I wasn’t at my happiest, and lord knows I’m still screwed up, but at least I knew who I was. I wasn’t some angry, emotional ball of anxiety, deprived of parental love. Yes, I was turned away from my father more than ever at that point, but I had realized where all the love for me resided. I was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s best friend.

Someone’s girlfriend.

Or whatever the hell we were supposed to be.

Hearing my phone ping, I picked it up and read the text from Dina.

Dina: We’re here

Tucking my phone into my pocket, I slipped on some white sneakers and grabbed Ricky’s present off my vanity before dashing downstairs. I opened the door to find Dina and Sydney standing together on my doorstep. Upon seeing me, their jaws dropped. “Whoa, you look… hot.” Syd raised her brows, and I couldn’t help but smile at her approval. Dina chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah, (Y/N), you always seem to surprise us…”

“I try my best.” I stepped out of the house and locked the front door before facing the two. “Let’s party, shall we?”

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

Music thumped from the inside of the house as we approached the driveway, some party goers trickling inside. Sydney, Dina and I all stopped in the middle of the driveway, staring up at Ricky’s house. The two seemed excitedly anxious, but I felt as if I was going to hurl my guts up. The last time I had been in that house wasn’t the most pleasurable experience.

He can’t and won’t do that to you again, (Y/N).

What I would give to go back in time to warn her.

“Shit…” Sydney breathed.

“Okay, I’m scared, but fun scared,” Dina nodded, glancing between me and Syd. “Like we’re about to skydive for the first time or something.”

“Well, I’m not fun scared.” Syd turned her gaze back to the house.

“Me neither…” My voice was just above a whisper.

“Feels like we’re about to be eaten by wolves, like… really drunk, judgemental wolves.”

A moment of silence for all confidence lost.

“We’re gonna be fine,” Dina decided. “I just wish I could inject vodka directly into my veins first.”

“I do have this.” Syd smiled and pulled out a flask. Dina and I grinned before the former took it from her best friend. She took a hearty gulp from the flask before handing it over to me. Not wanting to get too drunk just yet, I took a few sips and handed the flask back to its owner. Once we were fueled up, we headed inside. I’d spent so many hours in Ricky’s house, but so few of those hours were spent partying. The most people I’d seen in his home were about six, including me. That was when he brought me over for dinner the first time and both his older brothers attended. What a waste that dinner was. I led the two up the stairs, kindly waving at my peers who called out to me. Most of them complimented my outfit, to which I quietly thanked. As we entered the main room, the volume of the music and the voices increased so that I was swimming in my surroundings.

“Dina!” I heard Ricky call out. The three of us turned to the birthday boy as he approached us. “Welcome to the madness!”

“Hey.” Dina smiled. His eyes then slid over to me, his own smile brightening.

“And Zip… God, you look great. Really great.”

“Thanks, Ricky. Happy birthday.” I nodded before letting him pull me into his side. I placed a hand on his chest to steady myself as his head turned to Sydney, as if she’d just walked in and didn’t appear with us.

“Hey. Hey. Oh, gosh, don’t tell me. I know it. I know this one.” He acted as if he were trying so hard to remember his own classmate’s name. I rolled my eyes and removed my hand from his chest. Sydney slowly nodded her head, giving him just a bit more time to “think” before answering.

“Sydney.”

“Right! I thought it started with an S, yeah. Well, you guys go enjoy, alright? Zip, why don’t you come and party with me?”

“Oh, well, um…,” My gaze shifted from Ricky’s smile to Dina’s slight frown. Sighing, I gestured for the two to go. “I’ll find you guys later. Have fun.”

“You, too.” They replied simultaneously before Ricky pulled me away to a group of friends. As we walked, I handed the little box over to him.

“Got you something.”

“Awe, babe, you shouldn’t have.” He lightly laughed and took the box into his hands. His eyes widened when he opened it to reveal a gold watch he’d been talking about for awhile. He claimed his father wouldn’t let him buy it because Ricky needed to stop spending so much money on himself. It wasn’t very expensive, so I thought it’d be as good a present as any. With child-like giddiness, he slapped the watch onto his wrist before kissing my cheek. “(Y/N), you are the most thoughtful girl in this world.”

Why did my heart skip a beat? “It was nothing, Ricky… You always go all-out for me, so…” There was no part of me that actually liked Ricky. Remember that. I think the liquor from earlier had just gotten to me. With a soft sigh, he hugged me from behind and walked me to a nearby table where boxes of pizza were displayed.

“You hungry?”

“I am, actually…”

My time spent at Ricky’s party felt as if I were on a mission. Mission Ignore Ricky. He was attached to me the whole time, arm around the bare of my waist, around my shoulders. It was like he needed to be certain that I was still there. That he could still look at me. Everytime I tried to go and find Syd and Dina, he pulled me right back into his side. My only solution was to drink heavily. Whenever someone offered to refill my cup, I accepted. If someone handed over a can of beer, I took it. A shot? Hell yes, count me in! Anything to drown out the sound of his voice in my ears. I’m not a lightweight, so it takes awhile for my haze to kick in. When it did, I was a smiling mess, nodding along to everything everyone said. In my underwater state, I could faintly make out Ricky referring to me as his girlfriend in conversations with his friends. With a grunt, I lazily slapped his shoulder, eliciting laughter amongst them. Within ten minutes, a Rick Springfield song that everyone collectively liked started up in the speakers. We all cheered and began dancing. I happily laughed as Ricky rested his hands on my hips, the two of us grooving to the music. He shook his head as he marveled at my drunken state.

“I’ve missed this…”

“Getting drunk?”

“No. Your smile. Your laugh,” He leaned forward. “I’ve missed you.”

“That’s so… poetic.” I whispered, causing a quiet laugh to escape his throat. My eyes slid to the right to find Stan. My breathing quickened at the sight of him in a baby blue suit, sitting alone on a couch with Dina and Syd dancing together in front of him. How I wished to be over there… Especially when he looked up and locked eyes with mine. All of the air in my lungs was kicked out at the relieved smile he gave me, and I breathed out in the same emotion. He’s here…

Ricky suddenly looked up over my head, an even wider smile stretching across his face. “Bra-a-ad! You made it!” He exclaimed and walked the both of us over to his best friend. The two high-fived as I blinked rapidly, as if I’d sober up from it.

“Dude, I had to come,” Brad smiled before his attention moved to me. “Zip, hey!”

“Hey.”

“Did you come here with Dina?”

“Yeah, yeah, she’s… um, dancing or something.” I giggled. Brad nodded with a raised brow.

“Someone’s been havin’ fun, huh?” He chuckled before I felt Ricky turn away.

“Hey, everyone! Bradley Lewis in the house!” He announced, cheers erupting from the party participants. They all cheered for a speech, which I found unnecessary, but leaned my head on Ricky’s shoulder as I listened to Brad quiet everyone.

“Eighteen years and nine months ago today, George Reginald Berry and his sweet wife Carol-”

“That’s not their names.” Ricky shook his head in amusement, everyone quietly laughing with him.

“They were drinkin’ a little bit of pinot grig’, and they were blastin’ some Neil Diamond. And then nine months later, Richard “Dickwad” Berry was born. And thank god for that because the Berrys’ birthday parties are the fucking best! To Ricky, everybody!”

With the cheers that followed, I found it to be my perfect time for escape. I slipped away from Ricky and squeezed through countless bodies to reach the back door. Stumbling outside, I caught myself on the railing towards the stairs that led off the deck. With difficulty, my wobbly legs took me down to the side of the house, where my hero was leaning against, readying a joint. There was no doubt my ceaseless giggling was what attracted his attention. He chuckled and watched as I stumbled towards him, falling into his side. Stan wrapped an arm around me as I laughed.

“Hey, there, lovely.”

“Hi, beautiful.” I grinned up at him, eyes half lidded. His brows drew down for a moment before he remembered his occupied hand. Removing his arm from around me, he took out his lighter, setting a flame to the end of his joint. I watched in fascination as he inhaled the smoke with closed eyes. His curls sat on his forehead, his lips pursed around the joint, his other arm made its way around my shoulders again. I rested my chin on his shoulder before he passed the smoke to me. I happily took a hit and let the peaceful silence fall between us for the five seconds that it lasted.

“So, you and Ricky… How’s that going?”

“How’s what going?” I mumbled.

“You know, you guys dating. It’s what he’s telling everyone.”

“Oh, my god, I knew he was telling everyone!” I groaned and ran a hand over my face. “I’m so sick of that. He can’t just... f-fucking, um… fucking lie to everyone like that! We are not dating, we’ve never even talked about it! What the hell, dude… I don’t even get why he’s so in love with me, Stan…”

He didn’t reply at first, but when I looked up, I realized it was because he was smoking. When he pulled the joint from his lips, he stared forward. “I mean, he’s got someone amazing, if you guys were actually dating. Believe it or not, (Y/N), you’re the coolest person I’ve ever met. And you’re fun and humorous and so driven. You’ve got these huge dreams and you’ll follow every single one of them… I’d be pretty proud if you were my girlfriend,” The second he looked down at me, I giggled loudly. He blushed and moved his eyes to the side. “I-I��m- I’m serious!”

Elevating myself with my toes, I closed the gap between us in a sloppy kiss. I could taste the alcohol on his lips and I was sure he could taste the same on mine. My hands reached up and placed themselves on his cheeks. I felt him lean more into the kiss for a second before he quickly ripped himself away, as if he were just burned. He blinked over and over as I tried to settle my blurry vision on him. Shaking his head, he sighed.

“(Y/N), you’re drunk.”

“I’m drunk.”

“Yeah, we can’t do this.” He seemed to be telling himself more than to me. I pouted and loosely wrapped my arms around him.

“I love you, Stan…”

“I love you, too, but I think you should get inside and find Dina.” He ushered me to the stairs and watched as I carefully planted my foot on the first step.

“Okay… I’m sorry, Stan.”

“You’re fine, I promise.”

“Okay. I’m gonna go inside, okay? You’re gonna be okay out here by yourself, okay? Okay?” I widened my eyes when he didn’t immediately answer. He let out a short laugh and turned me around again.

“Alright, go inside and find Dina.”

“‘Kay. I love you, Stan.”

“I love you, too. I’m gonna stand here and watch you go.”

“Have fun.” I sang and ungracefully made my way up the stairs and back inside the house.

Apologizing to the many people I bumped into, I found myself in the hallway, in between the bedrooms. My head felt like it weighed tons, my eyes wanted to close so badly. I felt a hand on my shoulder and leaned into the body behind me.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

My head whirled around to find Ricky behind me. I felt myself deflate in disappointment. “Hey, Ricky…”

“Where’ve you been, babe?”

“Oh, I was talking to my friend outside.” I grinned at the thought of Stan. Ricky raised a brow in amusement and I quickly covered my mouth as to not let the moment between Stan and I slip out. His dark brown orbs flickered between me and the door behind me before he gently took hold of my arm.

“Let’s go somewhere private, okay?”

“Okay.” I whispered, allowing him to guide me wherever. Before I knew it, we were in a room. I heard the click of a lock from behind before Ricky was suddenly in front of me. My head swam as I surveyed my surroundings, quickly realizing we were in his bedroom. “Oh, what are we doing?”

“Shh, shh, don’t worry about it.” He whispered. I hummed a little tune as I felt his hands move to my exposed skin, tracing little shapes. He littered my jaw in small kisses as he discarded my top. I shivered and wrapped my arms around my torso for warmth.

“Ricky, what are we doing?” I repeated as he popped the button of my jeans loose. Gasping, I moved his hands away. “No, no… I don’t want to…” I weakly protested.

“No, it’s okay, babe, it’s okay.” He shushed me. I felt myself fall back into his cool bed sheets. I blinked slowly. Once, his ceiling. Twice, his ceiling. Thrice, him. He was on top of me, my pants were gone, and his hands were travelling places I never wanted them to be. I let out a whine of protest, but he clearly took it as pleasure.

“Ricky…” I sighed out as his finger hooked under my bra strap. “Don’t… Stop…” I squirmed under him, both my stupor and high clouding my consciousness.

I don’t remember it. I don’t remember how it felt. I just didn’t like it. I didn’t like Ricky.

Sunlight pierced my eyelids as I felt warm lips on my forehead. I opened my eyes to find Ricky, fully dressed in different clothing than I last saw him in. He was holding out a glass of water and a couple pills. “For your head.”

“My head?” I whined, but hissed right when a splitting headache spread across my skull. I sat up, holding my head. My body was suddenly freezing cold and when I went to wrap my arms around myself, I saw that I was bare. Gasping, I clutched Ricky’s covers over me. “Oh, my god…”

“Yeah,” Ricky chuckled and set the medicine down. “We were so drunk last night… Anyway, I wanna take you out for brunch, so you should start getting ready. You can wear my clothes, babe.” He spoke as he headed out of the room, closing the door behind him. My eyes travelled to my undergarments on the floor not too far from the bed.

Fuck.

—————————————

Taglist: @melinda-hargreeves @sapphicsyn @stqnley @lonely-kermit @juliet-does-not-give-a-fuck @moatsnow

[itsallyscorner]

Hi Ally! Can I request a seb x reader with an age gap where the reader is sick all the time and he's always taking cara of her doing everything in his power to make her feel better? Only if you're up for it. Thank youuu

Hellooo lovely! Thank you sm for the request, I appreciate it! Sick fics make me so soft, I have no idea why. I hope you like it!🥰

💌.

Doctor Stan

You had the worse immune system ever. You were healthy but when it came to your body defending yourself from a fever or the flu, your immune system was out the door. Literally everyone who knows you knew you were bound to get sick at any moment. Whether it was catching a fever, some sniffles, or a sore throat, you were going to catch something. Knowing that you could easily catch a cold, your friends and family were very protective and caring towards you. Especially your other half, Sebastian.

Even since you guys started dating, Sebastian was always there to take care of you. From staying over at your house to helping you go to the bathroom, he did everything in his power to make you feel better.

It started off as a sniffle. Did you think it would get worse? No, but knowing you, you should have. Earlier that day you and Sebastian decided to have breakfast at a cafe near your apartment and ended up going to Central Park for a nice stroll and some sightseeing. The weather was nice so instead of wearing a jacket you pulled on a light cardigan. When you guys got back home you decided to take a nap, tired from your guys’ morning outing.

You woke up with a pounding headache. You moved to stretch your body out but stopped when you felt your limbs aching. Turning over to check the time on your phone, you felt a cold shiver run down your spine as the covers slid down your back. Groaning, you realized that the sheets were moist with your sweat. Feeling disgusted with yourself, you moved to sit up so you can change into something more comfier.

“Baby, you’re up! I was thinking that we should go out for dinner tonight since the weather is—,” Sebastian stopped talking as soon as he saw you slouching on the bed rubbing your temples.

“Oh, honey. I told you to wear a jacket instead of that cardigan.” He softly scolded as he approached the bed to kneel in front of you. Looking up at you he could see a pout on your lips and your nose was scrunched up. He found your disheveled state adorable even if you were sick and had bed head.

“I know, but I thought my body could’ve taken it.” You grumbled as you wrapped your arms around you to stop the shivering. Sebastian immediately noticed and began to run his hands on your arms to generate some heat.

“Were you going to change?” He asked as he continued his motions. You nodded and moved to get up but was gently pushed back onto the bed by him.

“Stay here. I’ll get you some of my clothes and a rag to wipe you down.” He explained before pressing a kiss to your warm temple. Sebastian was already used to you getting sick and knew there was a routine. For comfort, one of the things you always wanted were his clothes. An oversized shirt and one of his sweatpants did the job with a pair of fluffy socks. He also wiped your body down with a rag to keep you warm and clean you up. The rag thing was something his mother used to do when he was sick and he remembered that he would somewhat feel a bit better after it. He also remembers your mom mentioning it when he asked her about ways he can help you when you were sick.

After he got some of his clothes out and a wet rag from the bathroom he found you cuddling his pillow and sleeping again. A small smile makes it way onto his lips but then he remembers the task at hand. He didn’t want to wake you up so he carefully wiped your forehead with the rag. He continues to remove your clothes, being careful to not expose your skin to the air so much. He moves quickly and soon you’re dressed in his clothes.

“We should tie your hair up.” He hums to himself as he goes through the nightstand for a hair tie. He grabs a comb and gently brushes your hair away from your face, gathering it together in a low pony. The action caused you to stir in your sleep.

“Sebby.” You whined nuzzling your cheek against his palm. Sebastian lovingly smiles down at you and runs his thumb across your cheek.

“Don’t worry înger, I got you.” He assured you as he strokes circles onto your back. His actions causing you to doze back to sleep.

“Thank you, Seb. I’m sorry I have a bad immune system.” He hears you mumble. Sebastian hates to see you sick, he doesn’t like that fact that you’re in pain and he can’t do anything but just try to mitigate your sickness. Though, he enjoys taking care of you and kind of babying you. He’s noticed that whenever you’re sick, you’re more needy towards him. For example, wanting to be held or just having him near you.

At first you weren’t comfortable cuddling him when you were sick because you didn’t want him to catch anything but he kept on insisting that he wants to cuddle.

“No need to thank me, sweetheart. I’ll do this for you any day.” He pressed a kiss to your palm, you hand had lazily made its way to run through his hair and rest on his cheek.

“Always?”

“Always.”

Sebastian then picked you up bridal style and carried you out the room. You two ended up in the living room. Before you can settle down, he sat you on the couch and went to the closet. He pulled out a big and fluffy blanket and two pillows. He laid the pillows against the arm of the couch while you moved to settle against them.

“Comfy?” He asked before throwing the blanket over you. You wiggled a bit to make yourself comfortable against the pillows.

“Comfy.” You confirm with a slight nod. Sebastian proceeds to pull the blanket on top of you and makes sure to tuck you in like a burrito.

“I’m going to make some soup. Here’s the remote, turn some Netflix on or whatever, and just relax.” He hands you the remote and kisses your head. He makes his way to the kitchen and begins to prepare some soup for you. He got the recipe from your mother during one of your worse fevers. He was panicking most of the time and ended up calling your mom for help. She suggested making the soup and sent him the recipe. Till this day, the recipe was still in his notes on his phone. He’s memorized it but still referenced back to it every now and then to make sure he made it correctly.

While the soup was cooking he decided to throw the dirty sheets from the bed into the washer. He then replaced them with fresh sheets from the closet. He made the bed and walked back out to see you were watching Harry Potter.

“Is that Prisoner of Azkaban?” He asked as he leaned over the couch.

“Yup, want me to pause it so you can catch up?” You ask groggily.

“Mm, sure. The soup should be ready.” He says as he walks into the kitchen.

“Wait! Sebba can you get my phone? I think I left it in the bedroom?” Knowing you were going to ask for your phone, he fishes it out of the pocket of his sweatpants. “Here ya go.”

You thank him before he leaves the room. He turns the heat off the stove and gets a bowl for the soup. He gets a tray to put the bowl of soup on. Along with the soup he has a pack of crackers and a Gatorade. Since you get sick so often, you guys always had a stock of Gatorade in the fridge.

Sebastian returns with the tray and sets it on the coffee table. He helps you sit up properly, adjusting the pillows and blanket so they wouldn’t bother you. You press play on the remote resuming the movie. Sebastian sits on the edge of the couch beside your legs. He gets the soup and scoops some of it on the spoon.

“Seb, I can feed myself, you’ve done enough for me already.” You protest.

“No, I refuse to let you feed yourself. Plus the bowl might slip and I know we both don’t want a repeat of last time.” He reminded you. Last time you tried to feed yourself while you were sick, the bowl slipped from your hands causing the soup to spill all over you and the couch. You suffered from another headache and burning thighs, making your fever worse.

“Here comes the airplane.” He teases a cheeky grin on his face as he holds the spoon up to your face. You stifle a giggle and open your mouth. He had the bowl beneath your mouth to avoid any liquids falling onto you.

“Wow, you’ve really got that recipe down.” You complimented him after you took a sip of the soup.

“I had lots of practice. Thank your mom because if she never had sent me that recipe you’d be eating packaged soup.” He cringed as he continued to feed you.

“You know, she’d be proud that you’ve mastered the recipe.” You start. “Wanna know a fun fact about it?”

“The soup?” He asked, you hummed in response. He motioned for you to continue.

“The recipe’s been passed down for generations in my family. You’re the only person who isn’t blood related to us that knows it.” She stated. Sebastian settled the spoon in the bowl and looked at you.

“Really?” He asked a surprised look on his face. You nodded.

“Well, I’m honored to be part of something so important to your family. Thank you, iubirea mea. It really means a lot.” He confesses as he gazes into your eyes. You lovingly smile at him as he goes back to feeding you soup, though a smile was permanently on his lips the entire night.

The day ended in cuddles on the couch. After you ate and fully digested your food, Seb helped you to the bathroom. You guys settled on the couch for the night, Sebastian’s head on your chest as he wrapped his arms around your torso, limbs tangled with each other. You guys took turns sleeping as the movie played.

It was during Order of The Phoenix when you realized that Sebastian was your person. His head resting on your stomach as he softly snored against it. Your hands were tangled in his hair while you admired the relaxed state he was in. Sebastian did so much for you, not just when you were sick but in general. Whether it be something simple or something grand, he did it with his whole heart and because he genuinely cared. You knew he’d move mountains for you and you’d do the same for him. And when the time comes you’d be ready to take care of him just as much as he took care of you.

Înger ~ angel

Iubirea mea ~ my love

[officialleotolstoy]

Oh Natasha/Andrei brainrot we’re really in it now, aka Natasha/Andrei playlist annotations!

Honestly the age gap is so inherently uncomfortable it’s difficult for me to really ship this but I think in terms of the REALLY low bar of W&P marriages/almost-marriages, it’s one of the better ones because they at least mutually care about each other. It’s also just devastating on principle!

There are several distinct sections of song on here, this is one of the few I’ve actually put in a significant order, so I’m going to break it down into that.

Part 1: Initial Meeting/Falling In Love The First Time/General

Absolutely Smitten - dodie

“She wants to dance around the room, kiss you until her lips turn blue”

This song really reminds me of their first meeting when they’re both like 👀 at each other. I like how it captures the excitement but also nerves of the girl, which I feel like is an important feature of Natasha’s part of the relationship.

Helpless - Philippa Soo

“Tryin' to catch your eye from the side of the ballroom”

Sorry to all the ex-Hamilton stans I jumpscared with this, but it’s about the Philippa Soo Singing About Falling In Love vibe. Also the quoted lyric reminds me of their iconic dance scene, or at least the bits leading up to that.

To Noise Making (Sing) - Hozier

“Honey, the look of it was as sweet as the sound; Your head tilt back, your funny mouth to the clouds”

This reminds me of the scene where she sings for him and he’s like WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH im in love! I paraphrase, but you get the idea.

Golden Years - David Bowie

“Look at that sky, life's begun”

This is objectively the stupidest song on here. It’s here because I think it’s funny to imagine the iconic Natasha/Andrei dance just being the Golden Years dance from A Knight’s Tale, HOWEVER the quoted lyric is in fact Andreicore.

Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You - The Arctic Monkeys

“And I know we got places to go, we got people to see/Think we both oughta put 'em on hold”

‘Wren there are several songs that are on this playlist AND your Andrei/Pierre playlist’ Thank you for noticing it’s because if Tolstoy can recycle the same lines of dialogue for these relationships I can recycle the same songs! This song is just. I Hate Everyone Except You :) which is deeply Andrei @ both of them. But also like wanting life to stop so you can just hang out with Your People.

Strawberry Blond - Mitski

“I love everybody because I love you”

I’m pretty sure someone once pointed out how this lyric fit Andrei/Natasha once in a post and I cannot for the life of me remember who but that made an impression on me. Mystery person, thanks <3 Also I forgot this was a Mitski song??

The Anchor - Bastille

“Bring me some hope by wandering into my mind”

One of Thee things about their relationship that sticks out to me is how Natasha is so lifelike and her very existence gives Andrei hope for the world. It’s so. It’s so much!

Something After All - Starry

“You’ve turned my world around”

Like I said above, falling in love with Natasha really changes Andrei’s entire worldview! I also think “I've spent years building up walls” is very Andrei, and Natasha kind of brought them down, like what happens in the song.

Cosmic Love - Florence + The Machine

“A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes”

IT’S ABOUT THE SPACE METAPHORS FOR LOVE. THIS IS NO ONE ELSE FROM GREAT COMET’S FAULT.

Cold Cold Man - Saint Motel

“I know I am a cold cold man: quite slow to pay you compliments or public displayed affections”

It’s about being generally not very emotional or expressive but being devoted to the person anyway...very Andrei-ish.

Ophelia - The Lumineers

“I don't feel nothing at all and you can't feel nothing small”

The quoted lyric just seems like a really good summary of their dynamic, but I also think “Heaven help a fool who falls in love” works well for bitter post-elopement vibes, so this song was difficult to place.

Part 2: Andrei Leaving For Abroad

Misbehavin’ - Pentatonix

For some reason this is on both the Nat/Andrei and Natasha playlists and I’m too lazy to change it. Just go look at those annotations.

No One Else - Great Comet

Duh

To a Poet - First Aid Kit

“I got on a plane and flew far away from you, though unwillingly I left”

This song makes me think of Andrei abroad missing Natasha :( Honey you’ve got a big storm coming

Part 3: Post-Elopement Breakup Songs

I Hope Your Husband Dies - Amigo The Devil

“All the distance that we've spent apart will never have to mean a thing”

This song is VERY much Andrei about Anatole. “Now you're with this asshole, you expect me to believe it's going to last” really works because her relationship with Anatole was never going to last, whether or not she knew that. And “I'm not so much afraid of being alone, just kind of feel I've had enough/And time and time again, time reminds me you'll never be my own/We'll never have a house to decorate, a place that we can call our home” as an Andrei thing makes me very sad!!!

Ruins - First Aid Kit

“Ruins, all the things we built assured that they would last”

I think you can safely say their relationship was in ruins after the elopement attempt. I also think “I lost you, didn't I? First I think I lost myself” is something Natasha would think about the whole scenario

Half of My Heart - John Mayer

“Half of my heart's got the right mind to tell you that I can't keep loving you with half of my heart”

I think this is supposed to be more of an “I don’t love you anymore and that’s on me” song, but I like to mentally frame it in the context of Andrei after the elopement refusing to take back Natasha. I also think all the bits about the singer’s love interest changing the singer’s outlook on life before really fits, like “Lonely was the song I sang 'til the day you came, showing me another way”

Love Like Ghosts - Lord Huron

“You don't want me baby please don't lie/Oh but if you're leaving, I gotta know why”

It’s all about the singer being haunted by a love that doesn’t necessarily reciprocate on the same level, and I think that really fits Andrei’s mindset. It breaks my heart to think about him trying to figure out what he did wrong, why he wasn’t enough for Natasha, and so that quoted lyric really makes me just. :(

Cold Day In Heaven - Delta Rae

“Keep thinking bout when we started, so innocent/Your heart was a mess and I was lost in it”

This whole song is so good for them, it’s essentially just a couple being disappointed that their relationship didn’t work out well. The quoted lyric is so. AAAAHHH. because both of their hearts were messes but for different reasons, Andrei was so hopeless and bleak but Natasha was so naive and not ready for it and it’s so. It’s so Much. Also “We watched, the stars fell, and oh you know we let them/We said it’ll never happen, we said it’ll never happen to us/But it’s a cold day in heaven my love” gets me because 1) star/sky references :( and 2) Natasha especially did say it’d never happen to them, she was adamant that she’d love Andrei forever and that uh. I think we all know how well that worked out!

2 Months. - Zach Adkins

Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi

“I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug”

This is kind of a generic betrayal/breakup/I-miss-you song, but I think it works. Especially with “I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain” and the focus on the singer’s lover getting them through difficult times and then abandoning them.

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

“Take me back to the night we met”

I think people are legally obligated to have this song on any playlist for a couple that doesn’t end well. It’s generic but it’s good! The entire Strange Trails album my BELOVED!

Careless Whisper - George Michael

“I should have known better than to cheat a friend and waste a chance that I'd been given, so I'm never gonna dance again the way I danced with you”

UNIRONICALLY THIS SONG. I think it’s the focus on dancing as like a significant marker of the relationship for me, especially given how heavily adaptations focus on their dance at that ball. The quoted lyric reminds me of Natasha’s mindset after all of this. Also “We could have been so good together, we could have lived this dance forever, but now, who's gonna dance with me? Please stay” reminds me of Natasha asking him to forgive her. Not to actually get sad over Careless Whisper but. :,(

With Or Without You - U2

“And you give yourself away”

The quoted lyric is in reference to the elopement in my head, and “I can’t live with or without you” is like. Andrei can’t continue on and let her back into his life, he admits that he can’t forgive her, but he also has no real will to live after she betrays him and goes off to die in war.

Atlantis - Seafret

“We've built this town on shaky ground”

“This town” is in reference to their relationship, and I like the acknowledgment that there was never a great foundation to begin with. And “maybe I’m not built for love” as an Andrei lyric is a little heartbreaking! Other than that it’s just a Breakup Song.

I Don’t Wanna See You Cryin’ Anymore - Adam Melchor

“I don't wanna be the reason you can't trust me like before/My head's in my hands as I'm shaking on the bathroom floor”

This reminds me of Natasha’s deep guilt over her betrayal of Andrei. The implication that Andrei would ever let anyone see him cry is a bit much for me, just ignore that HFJAHDHSH

Part 4: Reconciling While Andrei ✨Dies✨

Fake It - Bastille

“We can never go back, we can only do our best to recreate”

This whole is song is about trying to move forward from bad things in the past with your lover which is the whole vibe! But I also think it shows some reluctance on the part of the singer to forget, and a bit of a desperation to be able to leave the mistakes in the past. “Help me turn a blind eye” really captures that. I like this as the early stages of them reconnecting, because I think it’s realistic to have Andrei especially be wary but wanting it to get better.

Bad Blood - Bastille

“All this bad blood here, won’t you let it dry?”

Letting go of a grudge and trying to move on vibes!

Let It All Go - Birdy, Alvaro Soler

“We’re strong enough to let it go”

All their hurt surrounding the elopement is the Thing they’re letting go of in this case.

Flaws - Bastille

“You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve and I have always buried them deep beneath the ground”

The quoted lyric just feels like their general dynamic to me. Natasha is so open about everything and does indeed wear her heart on her sleeve whereas Andrei represses every emotion he’s ever felt. I think this is a post-elopement song because of “Dig them up; let’s finish what we started”. That feels like them reexamining their relationship and what went wrong and trying again.

Moscow - Autoheart

“All I need’s a fraction of your happy heart”

This song is so 🥺. “We both know what we’ve got to do: head back to where the magic grew” reminds me of them accepting their reconnection and moving on and trying to rekindle whatever was between them. And “Let’s get a dog, an Irish red setter, it’s all we need to get better” feels emblematic of them looking forward to domestic happiness as the solution. And the quoted lyric screams Andrei about Natasha.

The Heart Is A Muscle - Gang of Youths

“I will look at love as more than just an instrument of pain”

Not to be off topic but this whole album is so good every single song makes me feel SHRIMP EMOTIONS god. Also the whole thing is very Andreicore and I had to stop myself from adding every song to his playlist. But I digress. This song is all about having been hurt by love in the past (“I let bad love betray me once”) but deciding to open your heart again which is very them! “I haven't had enough and I wanna love someone” AAAAHHHH. “I am human now and terrified, but want it all the same” Mr. GangOfYouths im going INSANE! “I just ask you to be patient if you’ll have me still” HELLO? Not to quote the whole song but “I wanna be loved, I wanna be whole again, so tuck my hair behind my ears and touch my soul again” as an Andrei/Natasha lyric...I need to sit down. Can you all tell this song makes me go all kinds of crazy. And this isn’t even my favorite song off the album!

Shrike - Hozier

“I couldn’t utter my love when it counted, ah but I’m flying like a bird to you now”

This song feels very “we tried to have a relationship a while ago and it didn’t work out that well but I still love you we could try again” to me which fits this time very well!

Part 5: Andrei Goes Splat :( [And The Aftermath]

Work Song - Hozier

“No grave can hold my body down, I’ll crawl home to her”

I can’t say what it is exactly, but something about persistent love framed around the death motif works for me here.

Dancing After Death - Matt Maeson

“As the sun waits to eclipse and the taste teases my lips, I'm too tired to wrestle with it”

The quoted lyric reminds me of Andrei giving up and shutting down when he realizes he’s gonna die :( oh ALSO my brain always mentally fills in “and no one else” after the “you and I” that ends the chorus which does NOT help with my depression!

One Last Time - Jaymes Young

“Could I feel your skin on mine before I have to say goodbye?”

SCREAMS SO LOUDLY. The whole song is like. Someone dying and wanting to see their person one last time and AAAAAAAAAAA. I am a little incoherent maybe. “I'm leavin' this cold world of mine, no pleadin' is gonna turn back time” really Gets Me in the context of Andrei accepting his own death and withdrawing and it’s so. Anyway.

Oblivion - Bastille

“When oblivion is calling out your name, you always take it further than I ever can”

I don’t think this is exactly what the song is talking about, but the quoted lyric in the context of Andrei dying and Natasha watching him fade and withdraw...good Lord. I need emotional support.

Haunt - Bastille

“I’ll come back to haunt you/Memories will taunt you”

Natasha being haunted by the memory of Andrei!!! Help me!!!! Also “I will try to love you/It’s not like I’m above you” as a callback to Andrei’s feelings for Natasha when they start to reconnect is so mental illness inducing. OOOH and “Questioning why as you look to the sky that is cloudless up above our heads and thoughts come to mind that our short little lives haven't left the path that they will tread” any lyric ever about looking at the sky is Andrei’s now.

Without You - for KING & COUNTRY

“What do you do when you don't get better/Strong arms get too, get too weak to hold her”

:( :( :( :( :( Also “I’m not ready to live without you” I am so sad.

Good Grief - Bastille

“Every minute and every hour I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more”

Pain! Agony, even!

I made myself SO sad writing the entire last half of these annotations geez

[suitofvibraniumarmor]

If You Just Realize

Part Six: Projecting

Summary: After being called to pick up Milena in the middle of the night, the weight of things causes friction between Sebastian and Y/N.  Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader Word Count: 2075 Series Warnings: Death, angst, sadness. Lots of creative licensing, I’m sure. Chapter Warnings: Couple curse words, hospital setting, stroke, light angst/confusion. Square Filled: This entire series will fill my realized feelings square for @marvelfluffbingo​​​. A/N: I’ve much enjoyed writing this series, and I hope all of you enjoy reading it! The tag list is open; requests to be added can be done so here. There are bits and pieces of Romanian throughout the series, mostly from Google Translate and the few things I’ve picked up as I learn the language.

Series Masterlist

GIF Credit

The wedding plans came together quickly. Without anything elaborate in mind, there weren’t a lot of details to work out. The dress had been purchased that afternoon, with Georgeta and Milena’s help before Milena went back to Alice and Tim’s house until the day of the wedding. Y/N’s immediate family and her grandmother would be in New York the day after tomorrow, the wedding would take place at City Hall the day after that, and then they would be married. 

Married. I’m marrying him. Seb’s going to be my husband, Y/N thought to herself as she stared up at the ceiling in the guest bedroom at Sebastian’s apartment. She had explained that she was getting overwhelmed and needed a little space. Sebastian was honest: he was feeling overwhelmed, too, and some space might be a good thing for both of them. 

“Not a bad start to a marriage, as far as honest communication,” Y/N mumbled to herself, trying to get comfortable. Her efforts were in vain, however, and when Sebastian knocked on the guest room door a few minutes before midnight, he only had to do so once before Y/N was sitting up and telling him to come in. He was still in the same t-shirt and sweats he had gone to bed in, but now he had donned sneakers and was stuffing the essentials — phone, keys, wallet — into his pockets. 

He leaned in the doorway then. “Sorry to wake you. Tim Hill is in the hospital; they think he had a stroke. Alice just called me, I’ve got to go get Milena. I didn’t want you to worry if you woke up and I was gone. I guess I could have texted you …”

“No, no,” Y/N assured, throwing back the covers and sliding out of bed. “I was awake. I’ll go with you — if you want.”

Sebastian’s tired half-smile conveyed his relief. Y/N hurried to put on some leggings with the t-shirt she had gone to bed in and push her feet in a pair of sneakers, then followed Sebastian out to his car. The drive to the hospital was silent, and when they arrived, they met in front of the parked car and joined hands without either of them thinking twice. 

“Thank you so much for coming,” Alice greeted quietly. She turned and motioned to Milena, who was asleep on a cushioned bench in a private waiting room. “I hated to wake her and bring her here but hated even more to not come with Tim. I suppose that’s selfish of me.”

Y/N shook her head while Sebastian scooped Milena up from the bench. “Not at all — you should be here. If there’s anything we can do …”

“Coming to get her is a huge help,” Alice sighed. Her eyes were puffy from a lack of sleep and from crying. “I thought I was going to lose him, you know. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

Milena whimpered, holding tighter to Sebastian. All three of them focused on her for the moment, waiting to see if the whimpers would become full-on cries, but only a few seconds later, the little girl was asleep again. 

Alice brushed some hair away from Milena’s face. “Get her home and get her to sleep. I know you two have big plans coming up, and I’ll help where I can, but —”

“Don’t even think about it,” Y/N responded kindly, hugging Alice. “You take care of Tim. We’re all in this together, yeah?”

The older woman nodded and shed a few tears returning Y/N’s embrace. With one more reminder to call if they needed anything, Y/N followed Sebastian and Milena back out to the car. 

“Thank goodness you convinced me to keep a carseat in here,” Sebastian sighed. “I can’t imagine trying to figure that out at this hour and under the circumstances.”

Y/N gave him a tired smile. “Just being proactive is all — I’m here to help, remember? I’m doing what I’m here to do.”

Sebastian finished buckling Milena in, then turned to see Y/N still standing behind him. “I’ve buckled her in before, you know.”

“I know,” Y/N smirked, “but you’re also tired and a little worked up. Like I said, I’m here to help. I’m your backup, your support. If that has to be for something as little as getting her buckled into her seat, then so be it. Eventually you’ll learn the ropes and you won’t need me anymore, but for now …”

She trailed off with a shrug. Sebastian gave her half of a smile, gently squeezing her arm and kissing her forehead. 

The call from Philip came mid-morning, before any of them were awake. Sebastian scrambled to answer the phone before it woke Milena. 

When they had returned to his apartment, Milena was asleep in Sebastian’s bed for all of ten minutes before she woke up screaming. Nothing they could think of could console her; her eyes were open but it was almost as though she didn’t see them. It had taken over two hours to get her to calm down, when she finally fell asleep in Sebastian’s bed again, Y/N on one side of her and Sebastian on the other. The two adults had a hard time falling back asleep, waiting to see if the girl would have another episode. 

“Phil, hey, good morning,” Sebastian greeted, checking that both girls were still sleeping before he closed the bedroom door behind him. 

“I’ve got news,” the lawyer returned. “Apparently you’re already aware of Tim Hill’s medical emergency last night. Alice Hill’s lawyer contacted me this morning to tell me they’re filing a motion to delay the case. You’ll be granted temporary custody of Milena. They’re asking for visitation during this time, of course, but it doesn’t look like Tim’s going to be able to take care of himself, let alone help take care of a little girl, any time soon.”

Sebastian drew in a deep breath. “All right so … what happens next?”

“You have Milena now?”

“Yeah. We picked her up from the hospital last night.”

Philip paused. “As long as you allow them to see Milena within reason, we can move forward with legal guardianship, adoption — whatever you and Y/N would prefer. As a professional courtesy, we should keep their lawyer and the Hills informed, but the decision is up to you. There’s no reason why we can’t use this time to build your case.”

He yawned and rubbed a hand over his face, forcing himself to move toward the kitchen and start the coffee pot. “I should probably talk to Y/N/N about that, I suppose, since we’re getting married.”

“So that’s still a thing, huh?” Philip asked on a sigh. 

“Yes,” Sebastian chuckled, “it’s still a thing. I want to marry her, I’m going to marry her. I’ll talk to her when the girls are up and shoot you an email. Thanks for the update.”

“You’ll get my bill,” Philip teased. 

With a quiet chuckle, Sebastian disconnected the call and tossed his phone on the counter. The coffee started to brew, the smell drawing Y/N from bed and into the kitchen. 

“Morning,” she yawned. “You making coffee for one or two?”

“Two,” Sebastian smirked. “Milena still sleeping?”

Y/N nodded, covering another yawn with her hand. “Yeah, she’s out like a light. Lucky girl. We have to keep an eye on those terrors — maybe ask Alice if it’s happened before. Neither of us are working right now but eventually we will be. Not only do we need to sleep, but she’s going to have to stay behind and if we don’t get these issues under control now —”

“Philip called,” Sebastian interrupted, unable to listen to anything more about Milena’s potential issues, “because the Hills are putting off the custody battle. Tim’s going to be okay but he needs recovery time. As long as I — we — let them see her a reasonable amount, she’s mine. Ours. For the time being — uh, temporary custody, Phil said. I don’t — uh, we have a choice. We can do legal guardianship, we can adopt her. But since we’re getting married, we have to decide together what kind of a case we want to build.”

Y/N licked her lips and crossed her arms. “One tough subject to the next, huh?”

Sebastian rolled his eyes and turned to the cupboard to pull down two mismatched mugs. He filled both of them with coffee and handed one to Y/N. Neither of them said anything for several minutes. Finally, Y/N set the half-full cup of coffee on the counter and made for the doorway. 

“I’m gonna change and go for a run,” she said quietly. 

Sebastian set his own coffee down and caught up to her in the front room; he gripped her arm, turning her to face him. 

“We have to decide this!”

She wrenched her arm from his hold and pointed a stern finger at him. “No, Sebastian, you have to decide. I am going for a run.”

The door to the second bedroom slammed behind her. A few seconds later, Milena cried from Sebastian’s bed. With a sigh and a hand through his hair, Sebastian put on the happiest face he could muster and went to tend to his niece. 

Y/N ran until her legs would no longer push her to run. What she was running from, she had no idea but she suddenly felt as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Maybe because she and Sebastian had never had any sort of tension between them, let alone an actual argument. 

Not to mention, the strength with which she was feeling as if his life was her life was downright frightening. Sebastian was her friend, one of her best friends, but the impending wedding and ready-made family … 

“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, Kennedy,” Y/N confessed to her closest friend back in Los Angeles. She had stepped into a smoothie cafe to recharge before starting the run back to the apartment and, feeling panic set in, called her friend. 

Kennedy yawned. “Slow down, Y/N/N. I get that you’re up and going already, but we’re three hours behind you back here, remember?”

“Oh shit,” Y/N groaned. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking, just — just freaking out.”

“Okay, okay — like I said, slow down. First of all, I didn’t even expect for you to be gone for so long, and then you call me freaking out and I don’t even know — what’s going on out there?”

Y/N drew in a deep breath before she spilled out every detail over the next several minutes — about Sebastian, about Milena, about the wedding. About how scared she was to want what she was getting but wouldn’t be allowed to keep. 

“First of all, you need to take some deep breaths. Then, you’ve got to decide what you really want here. Sebastian is someone who I know means a lot to you, and I think you’re more concerned what all of this will do to your friendship as opposed to if you can take all of this on or how you’re gonna feel when it’s over.”

“You’re probably right,” Y/N sighed, leaning back in the booth. She took a long sip from her smoothie and swallowed it down. “Either way, I don’t want to lose him.”

Kennedy cleared her throat and yawned again. “I’m happy to support you through all of this, you know — in fact, I’m going to find the soonest flight out and try to make it for the wedding — but I really think you should talk to Sebastian about all of this. He’s probably just as overwhelmed as you are.”

“Yeah, I’ll talk to him. And Ken, you don’t have to come out for the wedding — it’s so last minute!”

“I’m gonna be there, so shut your mouth,” Kennedy chuckled. “Go talk to Sebastian, Y/N/N. Tell him what you’re feeling. You’ve been there for him through all of this and that’s great, but you still have to let him be a friend to you, too.”

Y/N nodded. “Yeah. Okay. Thanks. Let me know when you’re coming in, I’ll get you from the airport.”

Kennedy promised she would keep Y/N informed about her flight, and they ended the call. Y/N finished off her smoothie and stretched a little, tucking her phone into her hoodie pocket and leaving an extra tip for the staff before taking off down the sidewalk again.

AllOfTheThings: @captain-s-rogers​ @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan​ @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked​ @hurricanerin​ @horsesandbandsforlife​ @im-not-an-armrest-im-short​ @captain-rogers-beard​ @shynara51​ @sea040561​ @pinknerdpanda​ @xtina2191​ @jackryanplz​ @beakami​ @heartsaved​ @fullprunerebelstatesman​ @blackwidowismyhomegirl​ @averyrogers83​ @jennmurawski13​ @connie326​

IYJR: @elsatxx​ @tanelle83​ @amanda-teaches​ @etherealwaifgoddess​ @kmuir1​ @ntlmundy​ @jayankles​ @rebekahdawkins​ @denise1605​ @rhadigen​ @peace-love-hobbitness​ @itsallyscorner​ @mizzzpink​ @auspiciousharriet​ @the-murder-strut-murdered-me​ @learisa​ @tellmewhatyouwill​

[comicgirl08]

Supergirl recap: Kara and Lena try to Eve-n the score

Three separate stories this week track our favorites and our least favorites (hey, Bennie boy) as we race toward the season finale.

First to Alex, who experienced every human emotion tonight. The vicissitudes of aging. The shock of getting a call that a 17-year-old is about to give birth and chose her to be the adoptive mother. The frustration of not being able to reach Kara to talk it out. The terror about what kind of mother she’ll be. The heartbreak of learning that the birth mother changed her mind. The devastation of suffering an emotional wound that may never heal.

By her side for all of it is the kind, patient Kelly, who stands in for Kara, waits with Alex during the labor, assures her that she’ll be a wonderful mother, and comforts her when it falls to pieces. She shares her own heartbreak when her engagement to her sergeant had to remain a secret while they were serving abroad, and how she wasn’t able to mourn her publicly when she died on patrol.

“What’s a deep wound today will be a faded scar someday,” she says, assuring Alex that she will find another person someday who’ll make her smile.

On the human/alien front, Lockwood storms out of his wife’s funeral while George is giving the eulogy, too worked up to focus on anything but putting the full might of the DEO behind capturing the Brevakk who killed his wife and the one who commandeered the airwaves to call for an uprising against the government.

Brainy tries to stop him from invading Lena’s lab, but Lockwood shoots his way in and finds raw, undiluted vials of experimental Harun-El, which gave James his superpowers. Brainy warns him that James’ dosage was carefully calibrated, and what Lockwood’s holding could kill him. “You’re grieving,” Brainy says. “Your son needs you now.”

But Lockwood ignores this advice and grabs the case of Harun-El to join the DEO strike team moving on the building where the Brevakk is hiding. They arrest her, and he orders the other aliens sheltering there to be renditioned for enhanced interrogation for the crime of harboring a murderer.

Brainy is super not cool with any of this, and he’s joined by Dreamer and a mask-less Guardian (I mean, why bother, right?) Lockwood shouts at the DEO to arrest “the hero and the blood traitor.” But Brainy reminds the DEO that they swore an oath to defend the country and the constitution, both of which are being subverted by Lockwood’s orders.

When the agents stand down, a furious Lockwood injects himself with the Harun-El, and I must say, he adapts to it much better than James did, not that it’s a competition. His broken arm is immediately healed, and he and James start throwing trucks at each other, which is awesome.

Martian Manhunter swoops in next and tries to talk Lockwood down, warning that the last man who stood against him suffered a terrible fate of his own making. (Still miss your joie de vivre, Manchester!) At James’s suggestion, he tosses Lockwood into a tanker, which explodes. But that just shreds Lockwood’s shirt and makes him mad. Still, it gives the good guys time to free the detained aliens.

Lockwood cleans himself up and finds George sitting alone in the church, simmering with rage at his father, whom he blames for his mother’s death. “You did this for yourself,” he says. “I hate you.” Lockwood’s left sitting alone, gazing at his wife’s framed photo and cradling a glowing vial of Harun-El as his eyes flip black.

Finally, to Kara and Lena, who are off to Kaznia. Although Kara says it’ll be faster if she flies alone—commercial, she adds—Lena won’t hear of her not riding along on the pilot-less plane she designed herself. But when it’s hit with decidedly unnatural purple lightning (which is never explained, actually), Lena races to the cockpit to take control, shouting at Kara to strap in and put on her oxygen mask.

Nuh uh. Kara zips outside and lifts the plane’s nose away from danger, helping Lena with the manual landing and then racing back to her seat to pretend to have passed out. “God, I hate flying,” she says. I stan one amazing super-lady team!

They find the Kaznian base deserted, with Amertek-branded equipment that was used to torture aliens from the DEO’s desert facility, according to the paper files they find. (Remember, paper is un-hackable.) One of them is Copy, who cloned himself curing the carnival attack.

Then a noise startles them, and a door swings open to reveal Eve. But, like, a weird Eve. She’s bizarrely glad to see Kara and Lena, saying she loves them but she loves Lex more.

Lena orders their very own Eva Braun to talk, and when she does, she spaces out and greets Kara all over again. She claims someone inside the DEO helped them acquire the aliens but won’t say what they want with them. Then the good guys notice claw marks heading to a lab, where they find Harun-El and Kryptonite.

They also find plans indicating that Lex is helping the Kaznians invade America, which Lena compares to a child throwing rocks at a tank. Then Kara notices a sigil, familiar but different, and presses it to fire up Red Daughter’s training footage.

Lena quickly realizes that, just like the Harun-El split Sam and Reign, Supergirl must’ve come in contact with it, too. She’s horrified at the thought of this blank slate being tested, trained, and indoctrinated by Lex in a prison in one of the most repressive regimes in the world. She’s concerned about what kind of damage it could do.

‘She is not an it,” Kara says, insisting there has to be some part of Supergirl in her. Then these two amazing, capable women are taken by surprise when Eve, who’s been acting verrrrry strangely, turns out to have duplicated herself using the Copy powers they were just discussing. C’mon, they’re both smarter than that.

Anyway, Eve sets off a timer that gives them ten minutes until the building self-destructs, and Lena and Kara split up to find the exit, which allows Kara to find Red Daughter’s cell. It’s filled with pictures of Kara and Supergirl both, so now Kara knows that Lex knows!

She also finds a journal, her journal, with a photo of her and Alex. Then Lena calls for her, and she scrambles to keep her friend from discovering all the incriminating evidence on the walls.

She suggests climbing up and out through the air vents, then claims she forgot her tape recorder and runs back to eye-laser all the evidence. Does she not have super-speed? Why did she not do this when Lena approached? Let’s chalk it up to the shock of her discovery and move on.

With four minutes to detonation, they find a file indicating that President Baker’s chief of staff, Sarah Walker, is the mole working with Lex. Kara stays to gather evidence, while Lena chases Eve out the door.

On the plane, Lena—who is the coolest human being in the galaxy and if you don’t agree, you can meet me outside—reaches down to her boot and pulls the chunky heel off to reveal an extendable baton. Then she and Eve fight, with Lena trying to convince her that Lex only loves himself.

Inside, Kara fights off several copies of Eve, cutely quipping, “ Thank you, next,” before she’s hit with the next wave. And look, I’m just gonna say it, she had way more trouble with these copies than she should have. It’s one of those situations where she’s as strong as the plot needs her to be, and in this case, the plot needed her to be inside the building when it exploded so Lena would think she was dead.

That momentary distraction is what Eve needed to stab Lena with her weapon, but oh ho ho, Kara’s recorder was in her pocket, and it deflected the blade. She knocks Eve out, getting her own quip about a snake on a plane. But this was a copy Eve, and she disappears.

Regardless, she’s overjoyed to discover that Kara’s safe but still blames herself for putting her friend in a situation that could’ve killed her.

“It wouldn’t have,” Kara says. While Lena’s back is turned to fuss with champagne, Kara stands and takes off her glasses. IS IT HAPPENING? IS IT???

But no. Lena talks about how hard Eve’s betrayal was, having been lied to every day for a year. “I don’t know if I’ll ever recover from it,” Lena says. In fact, it’s only Kara’s friendship keeping her trust alive.

In the background, Kara slowly puts her glasses back on as all of us weep for the close call. “I’m always going to be here for you,” Kara promises.

Back in National City, Kara tells James all about Red Daughter, pointing out that it easily could’ve been her raised as a weapon. Also, she swears that as soon as Lex is behind bars, she’ll tell Lena the truth, even if she hates her. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Then she’s doing her duty as any American citizen should do when she discovers that a government official is working with a foreign entity determined to hurt the country: She reports it. She’s escorted into the Oval Office, where she notices Kryptonite sitting around as a Supergirl deterrent, and warns Baker that his chief of staff is complicit in working with Lex and the Kaznians.

He sends everyone out of the room, puts the file in a drawer, and confirms that she hasn’t told anyone about the information. Then he activates a button under his desk, and Kara finds a black bag slipped over her head.

Snaps of the cape

Daaang, we knew the president was a no-goodnik, but I was thinking he was more a useful-fool kind of evil and not an active collaborator.

Think the Children of Liberty will react well to Lockwood’s new superpowers? Or will he use his rhetorical gifts to spin it in his favor?

Fun exchange between Dreamer, sporting a cool new braid hairstyle and a huge alien-powered hammer, and the newly fire-proof James: “Now, I’m gonna hit you with this, and we’re gonna see what happens.” “Not in the face.” That’s no doubt when he suggested introducing Lockwood to the tanker truck: Flames would slow him down but not kill him.

[thorne93]

Whirlwind Romance (Part 5)

Prompt: You’re getting married to Chris Evans… Everything in your life is perfect… Except when you break the news to your two best friends: Tom Hiddleston and Sebastian Stan

Word Count: 1976

Warnings: language, anger, angst, adult themes??

Notes: This is for @carryonmyswansong challenge (Double Season, Multifaceted, 500 Follower Celebration, Writing Challenge!): Prompt – You’re marrying the wrong person! Beta’d by @like-a-bag-of-potatoes bcuz shes amazing and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo@carryonmyswansong for letting me brainstorm with them. Got this idea from @formyfandoms… Fic image made by the super bomb @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo

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

February 9th had arrived, which meant only one thing -- a killer birthday bash to honor your best friend.

Tom and you had actually gone to RADA together, which is how you met. Not only that, but you discovered you both had a large interest in literature. You studied in the States, and he in Europe, naturally, before coming to RADA. The two of you instantly hit it off, graduated together, and stayed great friends for the past thirteen years. And only a friend of your magnitude knew how to throw a party for him.

If this was a party for Seb, it would be low-key. A cake, a few presents, maybe some drinks. No more than twenty guests. But for Tom, he liked theatrics, a bit. He liked soirees, he liked big scenes where he could dance the night away. And that’s exactly what you gave him at your Los Angeles home.

It was a surprise party of course, Tom had no way of knowing. You kept everything very hush hush and offered him a drink at your place, but when he got there, a whole crew of all your friends burst out when you turned on the lights. Tom’s mouth fell open in an appreciative smile before turning to you to pull you into a one armed hug and a kiss to the hair to thank you.

Everything was catered, drinks were served all night, everyone was dancing and partying, playing very drunk party games. It was only at the very end of the night, when nearly everyone had gone home, or passed out at your place, that you and Tom were still up, a little buzzed, and talking.

The two of you discussed the wedding a little further, trading ideas, brainstorming. All in all, it was a wonderful night.

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

Chris was in New York, working on Broadway… well, more like rehearsing on Broadway. The two of you hadn’t really discussed the wedding any further, since you needed to decide on a location before you could settle anything else. But with him working, and you about to start filming, there hadn’t been much chance.

Sebastian had some filming and interviews to do in town so he swung by your place one night when he wrapped up early. It was only two weeks later when Sebastian was at your house.

“So any news on the wedding?” Sebastian asked as soon as he plopped down on your couch.

“None, too busy,” you noted simply.

“Man, I hear that. I couldn’t imagine planning a wedding with the schedule you two have.”

“Tell me about it.”

“What about an engagement party?” he inquired.

You groaned, your head falling onto the back of the couch. “I totally forgot. Thanks for adding to my list of shit to do,” you teased in an exhausted tone.

“Hey, anything for a friend,” he shot back. “Man, I’m starving. What have you got to eat in this joint?” he asked as he stood and went over to your fridge.

“Let me see,” you remarked, not looking up from your phone. “Water, smoothies, fresh fruit...oh, and nothing. I have nothing.”

“Well that’s about to change. Get your ass in the car, we’re going shopping,” he ordered.

“Sounds like a plan!” you excitedly responded. Usually, unless Chris was around, you ate very little, the joys of being an actress. You had to ensure you were really slim for this upcoming role, but Seb ate like a horse, and it gave you an excuse to eat like a normal human being every now and again.

You and Seb piled into your car, and you set off down the road to the grocery store. As soon as Don’t Stop Believin’ came on the radio though, you two turned into the hugest dorks in the city. As soon as the singing started, you two joined in, causing a duet inside your sedan. The two of you were belting out as loud, and as well as you could.

As you got out of the car at the store, the two of you were still laughing and poking fun at each other’s singing.

“Oh, I can’t hit high notes?” you asked incredulously. “What about you? Mr. Doesn’t-Know-The-Words-To-Any-Song,” you teased.

“At least I’m in key,” he muttered.

“For the wrong words!” you insisted loudly with a laugh as you grabbed a cart. The two of you took off into the store. “Okay, so what are you in the mood for? Chicken parmesan? Chicken noodle soup? Hamburgers?”

“One of each?”

You laughed. “I wish, but no, only one. What’s it gonna be?”

“Well, your salisbury steak is unbeatable,” he noted with a hint of longing in his voice as he gave you puppy eyes.

You rolled your eyes playfully before heading off to grab the meat, as if you could ever say no to him. Well, within reason.

“Seb, do you want potatoes or rice for a side?” you asked, before looking up to find him. Only to realize he was gone. For a split second, you panicked, where the hell did he go? “Seb?” you called out a little above speaking volume.

“You’ll have to find me!” you heard from over the aisle.

“Sebastian!” you called back, a tone of annoyance in your voice. “Sebastian!” you stressed. “You’re a grown man in a store,” you huffed as you pushed your cart out of the aisle into the main aisle.

No response happened and you knew what this was going to lead to so you stealthily moved around the store trying desperately to find him, but in this grocery store, it was nearly impossible.

“Dammit, where did he go?” you muttered as you pushed the cart. Finally, you caught a glimpse of him at the end of an aisle. “Stan!” you shouted. “Don’t… move!” you warned before laughing, seeing him disappear again. At this, you abandoned the nearly empty cart and broke into a sprint, following where he was going, or where he would’ve gone. Finally, you realized you needed to get ahead of him.

You were tiptoeing in and out of aisles, keeping low to the floor, trying to spot him, but so far having no luck. Just as you were creeping around one corner, someone grabbed your shoulders and shouted, “Ah!” making you nearly jump out of your skin.

You shrieked, embarrassingly loudly, and spun quickly, only to smack the shit out of his arm.

“You son of a bitch!” you laughed. “Don’t do that!”

“I think… I won that round,” he said, leaning down and getting in your face, making you stick your tongue out at him. “Oh, real mature, Y/N, real mature.”

“Are you serious right now? You just initiated a game of hide and seek inside a grocery store,” you accused as he started to walk away.

Without looking back, Sebastian grabbed a box of rice and threw it over his shoulder at you, forcing you to think fast to catch it.

“Rice for dinner, to answer your question,” he replied with smugness in his voice.

“I’m gonna poison your dinner,” you promised in a mutter he probably didn’t hear.

Once the two of you grabbed your things and got back to your house, the dinner preparations began. You asked Seb to cut onions while you prepared the meat. Before the two of you began, you had turned on the radio to cook to -- a ritual of yours. When an upbeat song came on, Sebastian started singing loudly and shaking his hips, making you grin and laugh.

As soon as you got the patties ready to go in, you slapped them in the skillet, the two of you still dancing around each other. At one point, he grabbed your hand and twirled you away from him then back in, until you had to pull away to check the patties.

“Ah, allow me,” he said, bowing forward.

You stepped aside, pressing your smile into a firm line before saying, “Be my guest.”

He took the skillet and started to pretend to flip it before you shouted, “No! Don’t!” while laughing. You took the skillet from him and flipped the burgers correctly with a spatula.

“Spoil sport. I would’ve had it!”

“Or you would’ve ruined your dinner. Why don’t you work on something safer, like the rice.”

“Oh, you mean this rice?” he asked as he took a few grains and threw them at you one by one.

“Yeah, those. Try throwing those in a skillet, would ya?” you asked with a stern, yet playful smile.

“Yes, mother dear,” he mocked before throwing a few more at you.

“So help me, Sebastian, I will throw your special dinner in the trash…” you warned.

He came up right behind you and lowly whispered, “You wouldn’t do that.”

“Oh? And why wouldn’t i?”

“You’re too hungry. Besides, you hate wasting food,” he stated before skipping off to fill the pot full of water.

“You’re too confident,” you said, shaking your head.

“And you’re too predictable,” he noted with a happy grin.

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

“Ugh, that was amazing,” Seb complimented before falling back onto the couch after the meal. The TV turned on in the background, just for noise.

“Thank you,” you said. “You weren’t so bad yourself,” you teased.

“What time is it?” he asked before glancing at his phone. “Shit, it’s almost midnight. I need to go check into my hotel.”

“Hotel? What? No. You’re staying here,” you insisted.

“What? I couldn’t do that,” he said, shaking his head, starting to get up.

“It’s no trouble. You take the master and I’ll sleep on the couch,” you offered, getting up as well.

“I’m not kicking you out on your couch,” Seb responded as if you were absurd. “Speaking of, who buys a house without a guest bedroom?”

“Someone who needs an office?” you reminded.

“Right, to work on all those charities,” he remembered, almost as if muttering to himself.

“Mhm. Anyway, you take the bed, you have to be somewhere early in the morning. I’ll take the couch.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. “Fine, if you’re gonna be a pain in the ass about it.”

“I always am,” you assured with an amused smile.

“Goodnight,” he said as he headed off to your bedroom.

“Night,” you quietly returned.

As soon as Seb got situated in your room, you got a call from Chris.

“Hello?” you said, wondering why Chris was up this late.

“Hey, babe,” he greeted in the most exhausted tone you’d ever heard.

“Hey, hun. What’s up? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he assured in a tired voice. “Just wanted to hear your voice.”

“It’s nearly 2 am over there, what are you doing up?”

“Rehearsal ran long, then I had to go get something to eat, and I ran into some fans…” he explained, sounding worn out from just explaining it.

“Oh, do you want me to let you go?” you wondered.

“No, no, that’s fine, sweetheart. Have you thought any more on a location?”

“For the wedding? Not really. I think I want some place warm though,” you tried.

“So… a beach?”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

“So, that leaves California and the south…” he slowly said.

“Or, we could always do it in a garden,” you offered, holding your breath. “There are gardens all over the US that we could use.”

“A garden sounds really nice, babe, I’d like that. Why don’t you look up some of the prettiest gardens and we’ll take a look?”

“Alright,” you said, excited the wheels were finally moving on this.

“Alright. Great. Well I’m gonna hit the hay, I just really needed to hear your voice. I miss you so much.”

“Miss you too,” you said, leaning on your couch, feeling lonely, missing his presence.

“Talk to you later?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, goodnight then. I love you.”

“I love you too. Night.”

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

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[winterphantom]

Muse: Chapter 1

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

The new Avengers recruit doesn’t say much. Neither does Bucky. Yet something seems to be drawing them together.

Read HERE on Ao3!

A/N: This will probably be longer than what I've done before, and the pacing is a bit different; slower, I guess. I tried to really focus on developing the relationships between the Avengers and reader - I want you to feel like a part of the team. There's a bit of everything in here. Hope you enjoy.

Just a note: Reader's powers can be triggered by emotions, and so there are definitely some depictions of anxiety/social anxiety in here, maybe minor panic attacks (I base this stuff on my own experiences) so please avoid if that may be triggering for you, although I try not to go too in depth with those descriptions.

-

You take a deep breath, steeling yourself for what is about to happen.

You were just about to come face to face with an entire team of superheroes. No big deal, right?

Breathe. Just breathe.

The elevator door opens, and you reluctantly step forward.

The first face you see is none other than that of Captain America himself, Steve Rogers. He notices you too, and smiles. You’re grateful for this, since you’d met him before. A familiar face might make this a little easier.

In an effort to make this as casual as possible, you were meeting with the Avengers over at the tower. Everyone was milling about the living room area, waiting for your arrival. You scan the room as Steve walks over to you, greeting you as if you were old friends.

“Hey, Cap,” you respond, mustering as much of a smile as you can.

“You doing okay?” he asks, concern flooding his blue eyes.

You shrug.

“Nervous?” he questions, the comforting smile reappearing on his face.

You nod in response.

“Don’t worry. I know it’s a lot, but everyone will like you just fine,” he assures you, placing a hand on your back to escort you to where the rest of the team is waiting. Steve puts you at ease, so you’re glad he’s the first one to see you. His presence has the complete opposite effect on you than your other boss…

Tony yells your name from across the room. Every Avenger turns to look at you.

You swallow, fighting the urge to disappear that’s threatening to overwhelm you. Steve seems to notice, and applies just the tiniest amount of pressure to your back. Grounding you. Reminding you to stay… present. You glance up at him, sending a silent thank you. He nods, and turns to the rest of the team.

“Guys, this is the new recruit Tony and I have been telling you about. Please do your best to make her feel at home.”

“And you should see what she can do!” Tony interjects. You step just the tiniest bit closer to Steve. You really liked Tony, but he was… a lot. And you didn’t need this right now, not with your heartbeat already racing.

“I think it’s best we leave demonstrations to another day. How about we just stick to introductions?” Steve suggests in a tone that makes it obvious it’s not really a suggestion. You let yourself breathe again.

Tony nods, chuckling, and Steve ushers you forward, towards the group.

-

You find yourself shocked at how well your first meeting with the Avengers was going. Everyone was surprisingly friendly, and nobody tried to press you too hard for any information, besides Tony, that is. You knew he was just teasing you though.

However, as you think you’ve finished with your introductions, Steve pulls you aside.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Steve begins, but you shake your head.

“No worries, Cap. I don’t mind taking a break,” you say, relaxing slightly and giving him a small smile.

“There’s, uh-” he pauses. “I would like to introduce you to Bucky.”

Bucky. Right. You hate to admit it, but you’d almost forgotten him. Of course, before you’d met the Avengers, Steve and Tony had briefed you on who they were and what to expect. They hadn’t given you much detail on Bucky, but you knew who he was anyways. Former Winter Soldier, Howling Commando, Steve’s best friend from way back when. Steve had made sure to assure you that his past was just that, firmly behind him. He’d said he was adjusting to life as an Avenger as well as could be expected. You weren’t scared of Bucky, but you were afraid of making him feel uncomfortable. You didn’t want your arrival to add any extra stress to his life.

You follow Steve’s gaze over to the kitchen, were the man you presume to be Bucky leans on the counter, a drink in his hand. His haunting blue gaze is trained directly on you. You’re paralyzed for just a moment.

You take in his long chestnut hair, falling slightly over his face. High cheekbones, strong jawline dotted with stubble, full lips. Not to mention his ethereal bright blue eyes. He’s… beautiful. Not really what you were expecting from the former Winter Soldier.

When he sees you both looking over, he drops his gaze and sips whatever drink he’s holding. Steve looks back at you, offering a smile, and leads you over to him. You try to control your erratic breathing.

“Hey, Buck,” Steve greets him. Bucky nods at him, eyes flitting between you and Steve.

“This is Y/N,” Steve continues, “she’ll be joining the team, if all goes well.” He grins at you, and turns back to Bucky.

Bucky fixes his gaze on you again for a few seconds.

“Nice to meet you,” he says, quietly. He doesn’t seem to be being disingenuous. His voice is gravelly, but soft all at once.

Fearing that your voice might fail you, you smile at him as best as you can and nod. Seemingly satisfied, he looks away and takes another sip of his drink.

Steve is the one to break the ensuing silence. He clears his throat, and then addresses you.

“I should show you where you’ll be staying once you move in.”

“Right, uh, yeah,” you reply, eager to escape the current situation.

Steve starts down the hall towards the accommodations. You follow.

-

The rest of the night passes without incident. You don’t stay long after your unofficial tour with Steve, just long enough to say your goodbyes. Bucky stays just slightly away from everyone, interacting as minimally as possible. He watches as you flit around the room, that haunting gaze trailing you. However, just as you finish with the rest of the team, you notice he’s nowhere to be found. You turn towards Steve, who’s chatting with Sam across the room. He catches your eye and shrugs at you.

You offer one last goodbye to the room and step into the elevator. Your breathing returns to normal. At least you made it through the night without actually disappearing… although the same couldn’t be said about Bucky Barnes. You push thoughts of him away for the time being. Excitement and panic rise in you at the same time as you descend.

I’m going to be an Avenger.

-

Forever Tags:

@thecrazyoneshavetakenover @vaguelyminty @stan-by-me @tbetz0341 @coal000 @banner-and-bucky-are-life

Muse tag list is open!

[skeletonscribbles]

At Least It’s Not Sports (Part Four - Senior Year, Second Semester)

and here’s the grand finale! thanks for hanging out, theatre nerds, and happy Richie Tozier’s birthday!

Title: At Least It’s Not Sports (High School Drama Club AU)

Pairings: Reddie, Stanlon, Benverly, Bill x Audra

Rating: less explicit than last time but still a quick sexy moment

Summary: Richie interrupted his thoughts. “So. You wanna talk?” Eddie didn’t want to talk. He wanted to kiss Richie so hard that they both forgot everything about what had happened between them, and then he wanted to start over from there. He reined back his imagination and nodded slowly. “I think that would be a good idea.”

Warnings: excessive sappiness, straightforward Stan

Freshman Year / Sophomore Year / Junior Year / Senior Year First Semester

Read on Ao3!

They didn’t talk to each other for a little while after The Incident.

Everything else was normal. They both ate at the same lunch table, both continued to socialize with their friends, both went through the motions of school. They just...didn’t talk to each other.

It fucking sucked.

Eddie missed Richie with everything in him, to the point where it was physically painful to even look at him most days. He knew he was the one that had fucked up - if he hadn’t had so much to drink, then things wouldn’t have escalated in the first place - but for the first time, it really, truly felt like Richie hated him, and that was almost unbearable.

More than that, it meant that Eddie didn’t have anyone he could talk to. Richie had morphed, over the summer, into not only friend and crush but confidante. Eddie trusted him implicitly - always had, even when things were rocky - and though he loved the rest of his friends, his relationship with them wasn't the same. Even Bev didn’t get him like Richie did - didn’t listen and understand like Richie could.

He found himself on the phone with Stan a lot.

“I don't know if you should talk to him, Eddie, I really don’t.” Stan sounded tired. He always sounded tired. College seemed exhausting. “You probably really freaked him out. I can’t imagine hooking up with someone only to realize after the fact that they weren't really in any position to consent.”

“I did consent,” Eddie insisted, cradling his cellphone to his ear and willing his mother to stay out of his room. “I wanted it. All of it.”

“Did you tell him that?”

Eddie sighed. “No. But he won’t even look at me.”

“If you tell him that, he might.”

“But--”

“Don’t call me if you don’t want my advice, Eddie,” Stan said, and hung up.

“I applied to NYU--” Eddie tried, hoping that a subject change would keep Stan on the phone, but he was already gone.

The winter play rolled around much like it always did - too quickly. Bill was absolutely beside himself with making sure that everything was running smoothly...no matter how many times Eddie assured him that yes, everything was running smoothly. Bev’s costumes were sublime, Ben’s set design was sophisticated and easy to work with and around (which Eddie very much appreciated, as SM), and Richie was brilliant in a part that had literally been written for him.

In short, it was perfect, and Eddie absolutely hated it.

He hated that every single thing on stage was a visual reminder of the fact that they were leaving; that it was their last straight play together. He hated Bill’s obsessing, and Bev’s incessant swatching, and Ben’s need to focus and refocus the lights.

Most of all, he hated having to watch Richie. The stage was where Richie belonged; where Eddie had fallen in love with him, and now, it was where Eddie came back to have his heart sliced open again and again and again.

Sometimes, Richie would catch him looking. Those were probably the moments that sucked the worst. Neither of them had any idea what to do, so Eddie would end up angrily returning to his clipboard and Richie would shove his hands in his pockets and look down.

Stan was still on winter break through their final dress rehearsal, and so decided to come in to assess the play’s progress. (Eddie was pretty sure he was actually there to check out attractive, older Bill, but that was apparently neither here nor there...and besides, Stan and Mike were still going strong.) When he saw what was going on between Richie and Eddie, he all but ripped out his curls.

“Why didn’t you tell me that things were this bad,” he hissed once Eddie had given his end of show notes. Eddie had been careful not to include Richie in them for the last couple of runs because he didn’t want to seem vindictive...but there were some major prop switches that Richie needed to make, and Eddie knew that Stan had noticed each and every one. “It’s impacting the show.”

Eddie sighed. “I did tell you. Obviously you’re not listening to the shit I tell you over the phone.”

“No, I’m not,” Stan acquiesced. “Well, shit, Eddie.”

“Well, shit,” Eddie agreed, pulling the strings of his black hoodie tight enough that his face was enveloped in his hood.

“So let’s fix it.” Stan was not in the mood for pity parties (not now, and really not ever). He stood up once Ms. Starrett was finished giving acting notes, and crossed down through the sea of departing actors. Eddie watched him, frozen with panic.

“You mean right now?!”

“Right now,” Stan confirmed. “If the audience has to watch Richie Tozier walk onstage tomorrow with a dagger that looks like it came out of a Polly Pocket set, it will be your fault, and I will be sure to murder you personally. We are talking to him right now.”

“Tyrant,” Eddie moaned, shuffling reluctantly after him.

Richie’s face lit up when he saw Stan, and Eddie felt an ugly pang of jealousy - it had been weeks since Richie had looked at him with anywhere near that kind of excitement.

“O Stanny boy, the pipes the pipes are calling!” Richie pulled Stan into a hug, which Stan returned with minimal enthusiasm and mild disgust. “What brings you back to hang with us lowly folk?”

“First and most importantly, I hate you,” Stan began, counting off on his fingers. “Second, grab a different knife from the prop table at the beginning of act two, for the love of God.”

Richie’s face fell. “I like the pink one, though.”

“Third,” Stan continued, plowing through at a rate that was making Eddie’s heart hammer, “I’ve got someone here who’d like to talk to you.”

“Mike?” Richie looked around with interest.

“I wish.” Stan took a moment to look wistful, and then reached back to pull Eddie forward. “Ta-da.”

Eddie swallowed hard and willed himself to sink through the floor.

Richie was pretending to look pleasantly surprised, but his switch to a shitty Russian accent betrayed the fact that Stan had actually put him off of his game. “Zees eeez...veddy unexpected, Comrade.”

“That’s me,” Stan said, purely monotone, “Mr. Unexpected.”

Richie and Eddie blinked back at him.

“Well, okay.” Stan ran a hand through his hair matter-of-factly. “My work here should never have started, but it did, and now it’s done, and I’m gonna go to Mike’s. Use protection if it comes to that, please.”

Neither of them felt like they were in a position to respond to Stan’s insult, so he was met with silence. This was clearly very satisfying for him; he walked away with a smile on his face. Richie and Eddie watched him until he reached the door.

Eddie didn’t want to be the first one to break the silence, so he turned back and looked at Richie’s hands instead. They were way bigger than his, and obviously not paid much mind to (there was a callous on the inside of his right pointer finger from his pencil, and there were pen scribbles up and down his arms from when he was bored in class), but Eddie had always thought that they were kind of beautiful.

Richie interrupted his thoughts. “So. You wanna talk?”

Eddie didn’t want to talk. He wanted to kiss Richie so hard that they both forgot everything about what had happened between them, and then he wanted to start over from there.

He reined back his imagination and nodded slowly. “I think that would be a good idea.”

“I think so, too.” Richie took a deep breath, and gestured to one of the rows of auditorium seats. “Wanna sit?”

“Sure.” Eddie sat in the space that Richie had gestured to, feeling awkward about how formal this all suddenly felt. Richie looked like he felt the same way, which was a small comfort.

Once they were both situated, Eddie geared himself up, and began.

“I guess I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” he said, picking at his shoelaces.

Richie crossed his arms and slouched in his chair. “I’m not super sure what you’re sorry about. I’m the one that did the fucked up thing, remember?”

“No.” Eddie couldn’t bring himself to look at Richie. “No, Rich. I, uh, planned the getting drunk and talking to you thing. I planned it.”

“Okay, what.” Eddie knew that Richie’s eyes were on him; could almost feel them, like they were laser beams. “I don’t think I get it.”

“I wanted to be with you, and I didn’t think I was going to be brave enough to be honest about that if I was sober,” Eddie said, so quickly that it was basically incomprehensible. He forcibly jerked his head up to look at Richie - he didn’t want to know how much Richie was going to hate him, but he had to deal with the repercussions of all this properly or he’d be kicking himself for years, probably.

Eddie could practically see Richie deciphering and then processing the information he’d been given. His eyebrows went up, and he knitted his brow in concentration. “Okay. I mean - am I really that scary?”

“Sometimes,” Eddie admitted, feeling the tips of his ears go scarlet. “Mostly, I think I’m scared of myself.”

“And why is that?” Richie started to bounce his leg. Eddie was starting to feel anxious by proxy.

This crazy, stupid dancing around each other shit needed to stop. Eddie was going to put an end to it, right this instant.

“Because I want you so much,” Eddie breathed, looking Richie directly in the eyes. “I know you’re gonna break my heart, and I want you anyway.”

Richie inhaled softly and flexed his fingers, seemingly debating whether or not to touch Eddie. He ultimately withheld his hands, but he kept his eyes on Eddie, combing up and down.

“I didn’t date April because I liked her,” Richie finally said, tapping on his leg. “You know that, right?”

Eddie thought about it - remembered the sick, churning jealousy he used to feel when he saw Richie and April together. “I didn’t at the time.”

“And I didn’t leave you at the cast party because I didn’t want you,” he continued, closing his eyes. “I want you. I’ve wanted you since that first fucking day, when you sassed me back at the Workshop.”

“Oh.” Eddie didn’t know how to respond to that. His stomach was tied in so many knots that he was sure he wouldn’t be able to eat for weeks. He’d always assumed that Richie was joking - at least in the early days. “Why, um...why didn’t you tell me?”

Richie turned a little bit so that his upper body was facing Eddie. He was smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re scary, too. And it’s hard, you know...when you’re a little shit who can’t fucking hold it together when his crush starts flirting back.”

Eddie didn’t know what he was talking about...and then suddenly, he did.

“Is that what happened sophomore year?” Eddie asked, genuinely curious. Richie chuckled.

“Yeah. My feelings were kicking my ass, and I saw something happening that I felt like I didn’t deserve, so I...bailed.”

“Are you gonna bail this time?”

Eddie didn’t know what prompted him to say that, but he was a little mortified that he had. He buried his head in his hands, face burning red.

Before he had a chance to cool down, one of his hands was being tugged away from his face. Richie took it and held it between both of his own, like it was something precious.

“I’m gonna do my best,” Richie said softly.

This time, when he leaned in for a kiss, Eddie didn’t pull away.

----

“So are you guys like, dating?” Ben squinted at the two of them, confused.

It was the next day at lunch, and Richie had just finished recounting their post-rehearsal conversation to their friends...which was embarrassing as fuck, especially because Richie kept trying to embellish the things that he said to make it sound more badass...but it felt like stuff that everyone else needed to know. The group had put up with their shit for a long, long time.

Eddie shrugged. “Something like that.”

Bev stared between the two of them with murderous eyes.

“Something like that?! I listened to both of you asshats whine about your feelings for years! You’re dating, and that’s final! I deserve this!”

Richie sipped at his water bottle. “Yeah, okay.”

Still fuming, Bev pushed herself up and over to the hot lunch line. Richie and Eddie watched her go, and as soon as she was gone, put their joined hands on the lunch table.

“You know, me and Bev are dating,” Ben said, trying to add relevant information to the conversation.

“We know,” Richie, Eddie, Bill, and Audra chorused.

“Oh.” Ben thought about that. “Shit.”

“We’re all coupled off, now,” Bill said, giving Richie and Eddie a warm smile. “Fucking gross.”

“Fucking gross,” Eddie agreed, feeling almost serene for the first time in his whole adolescence.

----

Sonia took the news considerably less well.

Eddie had turned eighteen back in September, and so was an adult and legally able to leave Sonia’s house should the need arise. This was the primary reason he decided to tell Sonia that he’d been actively disobeying her all year - if she tried anything, he could leave, and Richie had already offered his house as a sanctuary of sorts. Richie’s parents knew and understood the circumstances, and seconded Richie’s offer enthusiastically. (They’d met Eddie at cast events before, and when Richie brought him back to his house for the first time, Maggie Tozier had taken one look at the two of them, thrown her head back, and let out a big, hearty laugh - Richie’s laugh - and said “Oh, FINALLY, Richard.”)

Eddie would have loved to have had Richie there for the big reveal, but that would only have made things worse, guaranteed.

“Mama,” he said, on one otherwise unremarkable night in mid-March, “I have news.”

“If it’s to say that you got into that New York school, put the thought out of your head,” Sonia said irritably, “you’ll catch something awful in those disgusting subways.”

Eddie had, in fact, gotten into NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences for prehealth, but that wasn’t the conversation he was looking to have at the moment.

“It’s about Richie Tozier,” he said, bracing himself.

Sure enough, she whipped around, eyes glinting. “What about Richard Tozier, Edward?”

Eddie took a deep breath, looked her dead in the eyes, and bit the bullet. “He’s my boyfriend.”

Sonia genuinely didn’t know what to do with herself at that. Her face changed colors several times before settling on an unattractive purple, and she gestured wildly with her hands. It would have been funny if Eddie weren’t absolutely terrified.

“I knew he’d lure you back in,” she finally hissed. “Boys that...evocative...are nothing if they’re not preying on younger, nicer--”

“I’m older than Richie,” Eddie said, anger bubbling up in his throat, “it was his birthday last week...and he’s a good person, mama. I’m with Richie because he’s a good person.”

“He’s corrupted you.” Sonia reached for the landline, which was on the table next to her chair. “I’m calling the doctor.”

“I won’t go.” Eddie stood firm, even though his nerves were all but begging him to buckle. “I’m eighteen now, mom. I won’t go.”

They glared at each other for an uncomfortably long time. Eddie could see the fear in her eyes - the lack of understanding, the hatred - and he wondered, not for the first time, how he could have possibly grown up to be the person he was while living in her household.

“Go to your room,” she said once the silence became unbearable. “Don’t come back down.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Eddie muttered, climbing the stairs with great relief.

She stopped acknowledging him after that, for the most part. Eddie counted it as a win.

----

The musical was a joyous experience, especially compared to the icy treatment Eddie was getting at home.

Ms. Starrett had picked a comedy for Richie, and he was absolutely thriving in his role. Every time he got to pratfall or do an exaggerated voice, his eyes would flick over to Eddie for a split second, and Eddie lived for those moments - lived to bask in that joy.

Well, really, actually, Eddie was living for every single moment he spent in Richie’s company. Eddie had quietly loved his time stage managing for the drama club since his freshman year. Losing himself in cues and notes and schedules was so easy, and he loved seeing the finished product and knowing that he’d played a central role in making things come to be.

There had only been one piece missing, and now that he had it, Eddie was loudly loving his time stage managing. Mrs. Starrett couldn’t believe how drastically his mood had changed, and was being really nosy about trying to figure out the reason. (Eddie was pretty sure she already know and just wanted to hear him say it, but he wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction after last year’s ‘Richie and Eddie bit’ debacle.)

The rest of the cast found it...extremely annoying.

“You know, I thought I wanted this,” Bev said after she caught Richie with his hands down Eddie’s pants in the costume closet for the fourth time, “but so help me God, if this happens again, I will castrate you both.”

“Does Ben know about your interest in our dicks?” Richie asked, not removing his hands from the bare skin of Eddie’s ass. Eddie closed his eyes and prepared for swift death by way of Beverly Marsh.

“Just make it quick this time, dumbass.” Beverly turned on her heel and left, obviously disgusted. “But then, it’s always quick for you.”

Eddie giggled against Richie’s lips as they listened to her leave. “She got you.”

“You got me,” Richie mumbled, groping Eddie’s ass with renewed interest. “You got all of me.”

“I did,” Eddie said, in wonder and amazement, kissing him fiercely. “Holy shit, I did.”

Like all joyous things, though, the musical was over far too soon. Before Eddie knew it, he was watching Richie, Bill, and Bev take their final bows, wearing matching togas and crying. (Eddie may also have been crying, but nobody needed to know that.) Richie looked offstage for a moment and blew him a kiss, eyes sparkling with tears and emotion, and Eddie flipped him off in return, heart full.

“You okay down there, Eddie?” Ben’s voice came cautiously over the headset. He was a junior and there was no need for him to shed any tears yet, so he was rather alarmed by his friends’ emotional outbursts.

“I’m not crying, Ben, shut up,” Eddie hissed into his headset.

“I didn’t say--”

“Shut up,” Eddie repeated, switching off his headset and turning back to the stage, trying to memorize the way Richie’s curls haloed in the stage lights.

Eddie skipped out on the final part of crew cleanup (he’d been in this program for four whole years; he deserved a little bit of leeway, and besides, Stan had done the same thing his senior year) to go greet Richie in the lobby after the show. He had pretty much stopped crying by then, so he figured he was safe to appear in public without anyone questioning his red eyes.

He was so wrong. As soon as he saw Richie standing with his parents, looking gleeful and absolutely wrecked, his eyes immediately started to burn with happy tears.

“Richie,” he called, reaching into his bag to grab the comic books and candy he’d bought as a congratulatory present. (Richie always killed flowers, so that was out.) “C’mere!”

It took Richie a moment to locate him, but once he did, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. He bounded over to Eddie in four neat strides, reached out, and swooped him up in his arms, spinning him crazily. “Eds, Eds, Eds!”

“Oh my fuck--put me down, idiot!” Eddie banged on his shoulder, trying and failing to pretend to be upset. “I’ve got stuff for you, and you just made me drop it.”

“So sweet,” Richie cooed, getting in one more good spin before putting Eddie back down, “Spaghetti Kaspbrak really thinks that I’d want any gift but a date with his mo--”

“Shut UP,” Eddie groaned, pulling himself up on his tiptoes, “shut up, shut up.”

“With pleasure,” Richie agreed, pulling him in for a terrible (wonderful) kiss with too much teeth and Richie’s glasses pressed uncomfortably into Eddie’s face. Eddie heard Ms. Starrett give a little excited cheer behind him, and couldn’t help but giggle into Richie’s mouth. For all of her poking around, it was nice to know that they had her support.

“Edward.” Eddie jumped back at the sound of a second, uncomfortably familiar voice. Richie opened his eyes and peered out through his glasses, looking confused and a little hurt, but his expression morphed into extreme concern when he saw who was behind Eddie.

With a shudder, Eddie turned around to face his mother.

“Mom?”

Sonia looked uncharacteristically pensive. She wasn’t dressed as fancily as she usually did to leave the house - she was wearing a tracksuit and no garish jewelry - and her eyes were trained on the ground.

“I wanted to say,” she began, “that--”

“Mama don’t,” Eddie pleaded softly, looking anxiously between her and Richie.

“That I thought the show was very amusing,” she finished, looking up - not at him, but at Richie. “You performed very well, Richard.”

Richie shoved his hands into his pockets, stunned. “Uh. Thanks, Mrs. K.”

“I hope you’re proud, Edward.” Her eyes fell on Eddie, now, and it was all Eddie could do not to cry. He’d never imagined she’d make an effort - never in a million years thought that she’d be nice to Richie, or appreciate any of the things that Eddie enjoyed.

For all of the shit she’d put him through - and all of the shit she’d put him through in the future, because this wasn’t totally fixed yet, not by a long shot - she did love him, at the end of the day.

“Thank you, mama,” he whispered.

She straightened up. “I expect you back home by ten.”

“Yes,” he said numbly. “Okay.”

“Have a nice night, boys,” she said, turning to leave. “Be appropriate, and Eddie-bear...take your medicine.”

“Okay!” Eddie said, at the same time that Richie said, “You’re one in a million, Mrs. K!”

After she exited the door of the lobby, Eddie turned back to Richie. “Am I dreaming?”

“Fuck if I know.” Richie smiled, soft and sweet. “All dreams are good dreams when both me and your mother are involved, though--”

“Choke on a thousand dicks,” Eddie laughed, and kissed him again, dizzy with hope and disbelief.

He couldn't have asked for a more perfect closing night.

----

By the time the drama awards happened, they all knew where they were going off to college - except for Richie.

Eddie had sent in his paperwork to NYU, and was incredibly excited to be able to start fresh in a place that was so...not Derry. His mother wasn’t thrilled about his decision, and was, alarmingly, looking for apartments just outside of the city so as to be nearer to him, but Eddie was handling that. It was nice to feel like he could handle that, now.

(Stan was kind of upset that Eddie hadn’t chosen to join he and Mike in Boston, but given that Bill was enrolled in Boston University’s playwriting program, he couldn’t complain.)

Bev was headed to the city, too - she was going to study fashion at Parsons, which Eddie thought was just perfect. Ben wasn’t graduating until the year after, but he was already looking into NYU (or Columbia, as a reach) for architecture and design.

Richie had gotten into some schools - SUNY Pace and Purchase for acting, as well as Emerson in Boston (Stan had voiced some concerns about having Richie in Boston, but Eddie was pretty sure he was secretly hoping for it to happen), but he was still waiting to hear back from his first choice, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He and Eddie were both going a little crazy over the lack of response - Richie because it was his future, and Eddie because he felt like they deserved to be in the same place for the next four years, after all the shit they’d gone through to be together.

The letter came on the day of the awards, and Richie all but had a nervous breakdown.

“I was already terrified of not getting anything tonight, but now this?” Richie brandished the letter at Eddie like it was on fire. “This?!?”

The letter was tellingly large. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“They don’t send all this shit to people who don’t get in, you absolute nerd,” Eddie sighed, taking the offending object from Richie’s hands. “You want me to open it?”

“Please,” Richie mumbled, bouncing on the soles of his feet. “Just...rip off the bandaid.”

Eddie tore open the white paper and extracted a folder. He opened it, and felt his own nerves melt away.

“Congratulations, Richard Tozier,” Eddie read triumphantly, “you’re gonna act at NYU!”

Richie leapt at Eddie so ferociously that the two of them went toppling down onto the grass of Richie’s front lawn. Eddie couldn’t bring himself to care about the inevitable grass stains on the back of his polo - instead, he reached for Richie and kissed every inch of space on his face that he could reach. Finally, finally, finally, the universe was giving them a go-ahead.

“This is the best day of my fucking life,” Richie crowed, grabbing Eddie’s face and kissing him back firmly. “Which program did they put me in?”

Eddie re-opened the folder. “Uh. Experimental theatre wing?”

“Yesssss,” Richie breathed, “the weird shit. Oh, Eds, the future’s gonna kick ass for us, isn’t it?”

“It better,” Eddie said, curling himself against Richie and burying his face in his shoulder. “No, it will. We’ll be together, so it will.”

“Cute, cute, cute.” Richie snaked his arm around Eddie’s shoulders. “Hey, do you think you’ll pick back up with stage management when you’re there? You know...for me?”

“Don’t ruin it,” Eddie warned, words half-muffled by Richie’s shoulder.

Richie laughed. “Just a thought. You know...for youherrrrr considehrrratiohnnnn,” he finished, moving into an unplaceable accent.

“We’ll figure shit out when we get there,” Eddie said, giving Richie a halfhearted shove for using a stupid voice.

Whatever happened, it would be okay. They’d figure it out together.

----

And if Eddie was considering continuing to stage manage, well...Richie didn’t have to know that until later.

----

Eddie Kaspbrak loved theatre.

There were a lot of things about him that he wasn’t super sure about, but that much he knew was unequivocally true. He loved the lights, the sets, the way the mood changed when the lights went down. He loved knowing that everything was in its place; he loved being the person that called the shots to make the magic happen. He even loved the people - he knew that all of the friends he’d made there over the years were friends that he’d keep forever.

Most of all, though, Eddie loved watching Richie Tozier do theatre. He loved seeing Richie perform, he loved watching him win the award for ‘Best Overall Acting’ at their senior drama awards, and he loved the fact that Richie was going to be able to move on and do the thing that he was so absolutely tremendous at.

Eddie Kaspbrak loved theatre...and Richie Tozier, and that was that.

End scene, blackout.

[ceslatoil]

Fiddauthor 6

“Don’t cry, I hate it when you cry.”

Stan had been sick with the flu all week, which, aside from the fever and throwing up every hour or so, was actually the best. He didn’t have to help dad in the pawn shop, nor do any chores; all he needed to do was sit back, drink juice, and read as many violent horror comics as he could.

The only downside was that Ford had to stay away. Ma had loudly reminded them of the time they’d both gotten the chicken pox simultaneously when they were three, and she stated “one sick kid is already bad enough, two is too much!”

So, while Stan sat at home and recovered, Ford was forced to play outside by himself. This wasn’t so bad early in the morning, when he could slip out onto the beach and examine the tidepools or, as he was doing that particular morning, build sand castles, but on summer days like this the beach always seemed to belong to Crampelter and his gang of dim witted cronies. It wouldn’t be long before they showed their ugly faces, and turned their even uglier attentions to Ford, “the six fingered freak!”

Ford wasn’t exactly a push over, but he was eleven and didn’t like physical conflict, no matter how many stupid boxing classes Dad forced him to take. Fighting had always been Stan’s forte. Crampelter was thirteen, obnoxious, and could hit like a wrecking ball. Whenever he made his way to Ford, the boy knew that it was smarter to run instead of fight, perhaps into the nearest library where the smell of literacy and learning would ward off Crampelter.

This is why Ford tensed when a strange boy he’d never seen before began to walk towards him on the beach that morning.

“Howdy,” the boy greeted Ford cheerfully. He had a long nose, a mop of shaggy golden blond hair that fell over his wide, blue eyes.

“… Hi.”

“That’s a great sandcastle,” said the boy with an earnest, charming smile.

“Um, thank you,” said Ford, who couldn’t help but smile back. “It’s supposed to be Neuschwanstein Castle.”

“Newt-Swan what now?”

“Neuschwanstein Castle,” Ford continued, unable to stop himself from explaining about one of his many interests, “it’s a fancy castle in Germany that was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Barvaria. He wasn’t a very good king, but he designed really beautiful castles all over Germany.”

“That’s so neat,” squeaked the boy, who knelt down for a better look at Ford’s handy work. “You know,” said the boy, who began puffing out his chest proudly, “I once built a castle myself.”

Ford raised an eyebrow skeptically at the new boy.

“Oh really,” said Ford.

“Really,” the boy nodded his head enthusiastically, “well, it was only a model, but I got to make a real working drawbridge and everything! I love building things; castles, airplanes, cars, even robots!”

“Wow! I thought I was the only kid who liked robots,” said Ford with growing excitement.

“Folks who don’t like robots are not to be trusted,” said the boy wisely.

“… you know, there’s a model shop on the boardwalk,” Ford grinned at his new friend, “did you want to check it out with me?”

“Do you really mean it?” The boy was grinning ear to ear. “Nobody ever invited me to go anywhere with em before, not counting my aunt and uncle inviting me along on vacation here that is!”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, um–”

“Fiddleford!”

Ford began to chuckle, which made the new boy blush.

“I– I know, it’s a goofy name–”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Ford assured him. “My name’s actually Stanford! We’re both Fords!”

This made Fiddleford smile once again, which was something Stanford would grow to love seeing for most of his life.

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

The week Ford spent with Fiddleford was one of the happiest he’d been that entire summer. Every day, after saying goodbye to a still sick Stanley, Ford would meet Fiddleford on the boardwalk and they’d tear through Glass Shard Beach like a hurricane. They would spend hours either looking at all the interesting models at Hobby Hut, or perhaps getting comics from the dingy shop just across the street, or, on a particularly adventurous day, they’d head to the amusement park and ride some of the more dangerous rides together. Between those little adventures, the two would just enjoy each other’s company, just talking for hours about their interests and their own insecurities.

“Everyone at school calls me things like flutesnoot,” sighed Fiddleford miserably one afternoon. “Or noodle nose. It’s so embarrassing.”

“Well that’s stupid,” said Ford, angry at anybody who would dare make fun of such a kindhearted person. “I mean, your nose is cute, at least you don’t have these weird extra fingers like I do.”

“Wait,” said Fiddleford, blushing. “Did you just say I was cute?”

It was now Ford’s turn to blush.

“I– um, that is to say– I mean– HEY LOOK THE ICE CREAM SHOP IS OPEN,” Ford sputtered. Distracted by the promise of sugary treats, the boys linked arms and ran inside.

“One chocolate for me,” said Ford to the cashier, “and one butter pecan for him!”

He clapped Fidds on the shoulder, as if proudly showing off his friend to the entire shop.

“Coming up,” said the cashier with a wink as Ford handed her the money. “Why don’t you boys take a seat?”

Of course, just as the two had gotten comfortable in a booth, disaster struck when Crampelter had walked in with none other than Cindy Crenshaw.

“Oh no,” muttered Ford.

“Lemme guess– one of the bullies at your school,” whispered Fidds as he eyed up the massive Crampelter who demanded the cashier make him a vanilla malt milkshake.

“Two, actually,” sighed Ford miserably. Cindy Crenshaw wore an unpleasant little smirk as she stared at Ford from across the room. Ford explained that he had convinced himself that he was madly in love with Cindy back in February last year, but that had ended in catastrophe when he’d foolishly written her a valentine confessing his undying love. Not only had Cindy not been interested, but she had recited the poem Ford had clumsily written in front of the entire school over and over at lunchtime every day since:

I think you’re real neat,Your smile is so sweet,Your eyes are greener than bullfrogs!Everyone else is dumb just like bulldogs;I love you more than Tesla loved birds,But how can I tell you? There aren’t enough words!

Cindy had absentmindedly began lilting the first few lines of the hated poem as Crampelter paid for their ice cream.

“Ugh… Fidds, remind me to never write poems for mean girls ever again ever,” said Ford, who buried his head in his arms in shame.

“… Hey Ford, maybe once the ice cream’s ready, we take ours to go,” said Fidds, patting Ford’s arm sympathetically. “I don’t wanna eat sugary treats in a place where they serve jerks.”

“I’m fine with that,” Ford nodded.

“One Chocolate and one Butter Pecan ready for pick up,” called the cashier from the counter, holding two paper bowls of fresh ice cream in each hand.

“I’ll get em buddy,” Fiddleford smiled at Ford before bouncing off to grab their order. Ford, however, didn’t like the nasty look Cindy was giving Fiddleford as he approached the counter, and to his horror, she stuck out her foot and tripped Fidds. The boy went flying head first into the counter, which, Ford saw as Fidds tried to pull himself off the floor, left a goose egg sized bruise on his forehead.

“Oh no, my armoire,” cried Cindy, barely concealing her laughter. “He scuffed my shoes on purpose! Teach him a lesson!”

“Nobody messes with Cindy, you long nosed sissy,” Crampelter snarled as he grabbed Fidds by the shirt and began to shake him violently.

Ford didn’t quite remember what happened next, just that in a lightning flash, Ford had jumped up from their booth, his knuckles were sore, and Crampelter was on the floor with a bloody nose.

“That’s enough of that,” cried the cashier, who turned to Cindy and cried, “get your boyfriend outta my store Missy!”

“What? That’s not fair,” Cindy cried, pointing to Ford viciously. “He attacked us!”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t think I didn’t see that little stunt you pulled on Pines’ buddy– haul your little behind outta here before I call your parents,” countered the cashier, who waved her arm theatrically at the door.

Sulking, Cindy helped Crampelter to his feet. She glared murderously at Ford, who cooly stated, “By the way Cindy? You meant amour. Armoire is a type of wardrobe. You sound like an idiot.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” said the cashier as Cindy and Crampelter left the store in a huff. “Go take your little friend to the back kid, get some ice for that bump.”

The two sat in the back, tears steady falling down Fidds face as he pressed an ice pack to his swollen forehead.

“No, don’t cry,“ whispered Ford, who began to pat Fidds gently on the back, “I hate it when you cry.”

“S-sorry,” sniffled Fidds, who weakly attempted to smile for Ford again. “It’s just, you know, I’m leaving in a few days, and nobody back home ever stands up for me the way you did to that jerk and his crabby girlfriend. I’m gonna miss you a whole lot Stanford!”

“We don’t have to miss each other yet.” Ford’s voice began to crack, he felt like crying a little bit himself. “Once you’re calmed down, how about we design a robot that can punch out bullies for you when I’m not around.”

“Y'mean it?”

“Definitely.”

Fidds scooped Ford into a tight hug, and, though Ford would later see Fidds many more times in his life, in that moment, he hugged him as if they’d never see each other again if they broke apart.

[neyla9]

The Demons’ Kingdom Part 1

Ao3 Version

”Fine! Then I’ll get your sister to do it! She has more upper body strength than you anyway!” Dipper ignored his great-uncle’s yells, continuing to walk away from the shack that his grunkle called a house, and towards the woods surrounding the sleepy little town.

 Dipper and his twin sister, Mabel, had been sent by their parents to spend summer with their great-uncle Stan. Their parents had asked Stan to set the two ten year olds to work, hoping it would teach the children some responsibility, as well as give them some life experience. However, Dipper was sure that his grunkle hated him; the old man always seemed to single out Dipper for the hardest jobs, and today, the young boy had decided that enough was enough, and left the house without telling, or even knowing, when he would be back.

 Dipper heard the old church bell chiming, signaling that it was now eleven am. He must have been close to the church, since he could almost feel the vibrations of the bell’s tolls.

 Feeling emotionally exhausted from his fight with Grunkle Stan, Dipper lied down in the shade of a boulder; the soft grass beneath his body and the distant sound of a waterfall lulling him to sleep.

  In, what felt like, a short while later, Dipper awoke, feeling as if someone was watching him. He opened his eyes, and was greeted by two amber eyes, staring directly into his own. Dipper screamed and backed away, hitting the back of his head on the boulder behind him.

 “Sorry,” a voice from above him said. Dipper looked up and saw who the voice, as well as the eyes, had belonged to; a young boy, who seemed to be about Dipper’s age, was sitting on the boulder. The boy had dark skin and blond hair; he wore shabby clothes like Dipper, and didn’t have any shoes on his dirty feet. “I didn’t mean to scare ya,” the boy continued and climbed down from the rock. “I just don’t see many new faces ‘round here.”

 “It’s alright,” Dipper assured the boy, wincing a little from the lingering pain of hitting the back of his head on a giant rock. “So, you’re a local then?”

 “Yup!” the boy said proudly. “My family has lived here for generations!”

 “Nice to meet you,” Dipper responded and stretched out his right hand, the boy seemed to recoil slightly from the outstretched limb. “Uh, my name is Dipper. My sister and I are visiting the town for the summer.”

 “Oh,” the boy, somewhat reluctantly, took Dipper’s hand, pausing for a moment before shaking it. “You can call me Bill!” As soon as Dipper let go of Bill’s hand, the boy returned to his previous good mood.

 “Do you live nearby?” Dipper asked.

 “Yes!” Bill responded excitedly. “Me and my family’s home is through this portal! But the portal looks like a waterfall!”

 Dipper was taken aback by that. He frowned for a moment, but decided that Bill must be playing some kind of game.

 “Really? What’s your house like?” Dipper continued asking.

 “It’s not a house!” Bill laughed. “It’s a castle! After all, I’m the prince of Gravity Falls.”

 “Oh, I didn’t know that,” Dipper laughed along. “Well, I’m actually a prince too.”

 “No way!” Bill gasped in amazement.

 “No, it’s true,” Dipper explained. “I live in a castle too, but from the outside, it looks like an old shack.”

 “I’m surprised, to be honest,” Bill suddenly got really close to Dipper, staring once again into his eyes. “You have a very powerful soul; most royals don’t have that, since they’re too spoiled.”

 “Uh, thanks?” Dipper said awkwardly and backed away from Bill once more.

 “Hey, let’s go play!” Bill grabbed Dipper by the arm, and dragged him further into the woods.

 They played tag, hide-and-seek, climbed trees, and ate some fruit and berries for lunch. Dipper didn’t know for how long they played, but in the back of his mind, he found it somewhat odd that he hadn’t yet heard the chiming of the church bells.

 By the end of a game, where the boys had rolled down a grassy hill, Bill and Dipper had sat down at the foot of the hill.

 “Dipper, you’re my best friend, okay?” Bill whispered as if he was sharing some kind of secret.

 “Okay, then you’re my best friend too,” Dipper simply replied.

 “Noooo…” Bill groaned. “You don’t get it; you’re my very, bestest friend ever! I can feel that.”

 “I don’t really know what you’re feeling,” Dipper frowned. “But, thanks?”

 Bill’s face suddenly turned very serious.

 “I need to go home soon,” he said. “I’m actually not allowed to be out of the castle yet; not old enough.”

 “So I’m never gonna see you again?” Dipper asked, his voice somewhat sad at the thought of losing his newest friend.

 Bill looked down at his hands, and then looked up at Dipper, a look of determination in his amber eyes.

 “Dipper, do you wanna get married?!” Bill nearly shouted.

 “What?” Dipper gave the other boy a confused look.

 “See, if we got married, you could stay with me in my castle, and we wouldn’t have to say goodbye!” Bill explained, a wide grin beginning to form on his face. “Then we could play together forever!”

 Dipper assumed that the other boy was still playing around; after all, they were both much too young to get married.

 “Alright, sure,” Dipper nodded and gave Bill a small smile.

 “Yes!” Bill exclaimed. He stuck his hand into his back pocket and fished out a ring; the ring itself were made from, what looked like, entwined roots, with a yellow, marquise cut stone in it. It wouldn’t surprise Dipper if Bill had made that ring himself, but Dipper did wonder where Bill had gotten the stone from.

 “Oh, it looks a little too big for me,” Dipper noted.

 “Not it’s not!” Bill insisted and slipped the ring on Dipper’s left ring finger. Dipper was surprised at how perfectly it fit. He looked at the yellow stone and noted that it had a black streak on it, reminding Dipper of a cat’s eye. Maybe the rock was a form of tiger’s eye stone?

 “So are we married now?” Dipper asked.

 “Nah, just engaged,” Bill rose to his feet and took Dipper’s hand in his own. “Come! I’ll show you my home!”

 Dipper let Bill drag him through the woods, along a stream, and towards a roaring waterfall. However, after Bill had led him to a dark tunnel behind the waterfall, Dipper hesitated.

 “Wait, are you sure this is safe?” he asked nervously.

 “Of course!” Bill reassured him. “My family lives on just the other side! Come on!”

 With more determination than before, Bill proceeded to drag Dipper through the tunnel.

 “Bill,” Dipper whispered, standing as close to Bill as he could. “I’m scared.”

 “Don’t be,” Bill told him. “There’s nothing here that can hurt you, as long as I’m here.”

 Dipper didn’t find that very assuring. After all, what could a small child do if there was a cave-in? Dipper’s worries were soon forgotten, however, when the tunnel was lit up by hundreds of shining gemstones embedded in the floor and walls.

 “It’s beautiful,” Dipper gasped in amazement.

 “We’re getting close now,” Bill told his companion. “Hold on tight!”

 “Why?” that question had barely left Dipper’s mouth, before the floor under them collapsed, and they were plunged into darkness.

 Soon, the vertical descend became a sharp angled slide that slowly turned an obtuse angle, and finally, they came to a stop on a flat, smooth surface.

 Dipper looked at his new surroundings; he seemed to be in some kind of hall, with floor and walls made from onyx. Along the walls hung torches, burning a blue fire, as well as a giant chandelier made from yellow crystals. The most concerning part, however, was that the hall was filled with people, dressed in fine clothes, who were all staring at him with disgust.

 “Mom! I’m home!” Bill called out, clearly unconcerned with previous events.

 “Cipher!” a young woman, wearing an elegant celeste blue gown, and decorated in expensive jewelry, step forth and grabbed Bill by the arm. “Where have you been? And what are you wearing?! And why did you bring a human with you?!”

 “Mom…” Bill groaned in whiny tone. “I was just out playing in the woods, and I found this human, and I wanna keep him, so we’re getting married!”

 “Cipher, you can’t just bring humans into our world,” the woman’s tone had gotten gentler after Bill’s explanation. “They don’t belong here, and besides-“

 “But we made a deal!” Bill insisted. “I gave him that ring, and he wears it now!”

 “Are you sure about this?” the woman asked. “If you go through with this, the two of you will be spending eternity together.”

 “What?” Dipper exclaimed, finally getting over his shock.

 “Yes, mom,” Bill nodded. “He’s the one; I know it. He told me he’s a prince, but he has a really strong soul, and I want it!”

 “Can someone please explain to me what’s going on?” Dipper asked, feeling somewhat helpless.

 “It’s like I told you; we’re getting married, and you’re staying with me,” Bill explained.

 “But… Bill, you aren’t human, are you?” Dipper asked carefully.

 “Nope, I’m a demon!” Bill shrugged. “I didn’t really try to hide it, but I guess I never mentioned it. But that’s not a problem… right?” Bill’s expression turned more sorrowful, most likely at the prospect of Dipper rejecting him.

 “I guess not, but,” Dipper tried to think of a way to explain this misunderstanding, to get out of this whole thing. “I… I thought we were just playing a game… I didn’t-“ Dipper paused; Bill’s expression had turned downright heartbroken, whereas Bill’s (Cipher’s?) mother glared at Dipper with murderous intent. Dipper realized that if Bill had been telling the truth, that meant that he was currently surrounded by Bill’s subjects, while he was in the middle of breaking off his engagement with their prince. “I’m… not actually a prince,” Dipper laughed awkwardly, trying to relieve some of the tension that had taken over the room. “Like I said, I thought we were playing around, so… I’m sorry? But I mean, hey, you’re a demon prince, I’m a human peasant; I completely understand why you don’t wanna marry me anymore.”

 “I don’t care about you being a prince!” Bill laughed, embraced Dipper and began swinging him around. “I still love you! I still want your soul!”

 “Uh, yeah, about that,” Dipper pried himself out of Bill’s arm. “What do you mean, exactly, when you say you want my soul?”

 “When a human marries a demon, they create one of the most ancient contracts in this world,” Bill explained. “You give me your soul to keep, essential trusting your life in my hands, and I give you my heart, a demon’s only vulnerability. And since I have already done that, we only need to prepare for the wedding ceremony, where you hand over your soul to me, and along with that, your mortality, and then we’ll spend the rest of eternity together!”

 “Oh, wow,” Dipper remarked, fear and anxiety starting to creep into his mind. “That’s uh… Are you sure you want to marry me? I mean, we’re both really young, and we barely know each other…”

 “But I’ve seen your soul, and you’ve seen my heart,” Bill explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “There’s no reason for us to wait; it was fate that we met!”

 “Oh, okay,” Dipper gulped and nodded his head, still wary of accidently upsetting Bill again. “So, uh, we’re going to plan the wedding, huh? That’s probably gonna take a while… Maybe I should swing back to my house, and explain everything to my family, maybe invite them to the wedding?”

 “Of course not!” Bill giggled. “The wedding will happen today! And besides, your family can’t enter here; it’s only for demons!”

 Dipper was about to protest that he wasn’t a demon, but bit his tongue, and just gave a stiff nod.

  The first thing that had to be done was decided on food. Bill’s mother showed the two boys the kitchen, where two wispy, shadow-like creatures were waiting.

 “Now, what should we have for the reception?” Bill’s mother pondered.

 “Uh,” Dipper swallowed nervously. “Sometimes, on special occasions, my mom would cook this porridge made from rice.”

 “Porridge?” Bill’s mother scoffed. “My dear boy, around here we have a more refined taste.”

 “Can’t we have that anyway, mom?” Bill asked. “I’ve never had porridge before. Oh! And can we also have that curry dish? I think Dipper would like it!”

 “Alright,” Bill’s mother sighed. “And let’s also have the pheasant roast, and some fruit on the side; pomegranates, grapes, and plums.”

 The shadow creatures, having heard the woman’s orders, immediately began their work.

 “I’ll take care of decorations,” Bill’s mother announced to the boys. “You two go and get your clothes fitted.”

 “Thanks mom!” Bill laughed and grabbed Dipper’s arm, pulling him out of the kitchen.

 “Bill, why did your mother call you ‘Cipher’?” Dipper asked while the two were running down a long hallway.

 “Because that’s my name!” Bill giggled.

 “But you said you were named Bill,” Dipper argued.

 “I told you to call me Bill,” the demon boy corrected his human fiancée. “A demon’s power lies in their name, so we can’t say our name.”

 “Oh,” Dipper thought for a moment before he asked again; “Why were you so scared of taking my hand at first?”

 “A handshake is a way to seal a deal,” Bill explained. “And being a young demon, I could very easily get tricked by a human. That’s why I’m not allowed outside. We’re here!” Bill yelled in delight as he stopped in front of a big door. “You go in there, and the Shades will help you get fitted into your new clothes. I’ll come and get you once I’ve gotten dressed!”

 And before Dipper had the chance to protest, the little demon had taken off. Dipper turned the door, a worried frown marring his face, and entered the room. Inside the room were two more of those shadow-creatures.

 “Uh, hi,” Dipper greeted them nervously. “I- I’m here to, uh, get my wedding clothes, I guess?”

 The Shades didn’t respond. The one closest to Dipper floated across the floor, closed the door behind the human boy, and led him by the arm to the center of the room. Meanwhile, the other Shade had moved to a closet, where it pulled out rolls of white fabric. The first Shade conjured up a measuring tape, and began to take Dipper’s measurements, while the other began to work on the fabric using a sewing machine.

 Once the general shape of the attire had been made, the Shades began to add some details; sewing pearls on the neckline and hem, adding ruffles and lace. They then showed Dipper the final product; a white sleeveless ball gown.

 “I’m not wearing that,” Dipper said, shaking his head slightly. The Shades ignored him and brought the dress to him. As soon as it touched his body, it seemed to just melt in place, his own clothes disappearing completely. The Shades then gave him two long, white gloves, and the same happened, where they just seemed to appear on him. “I don’t like this one bit!” Dipper shouted angrily. “I don’t want to wear this! I hate it!”

 “You do?” Dipper turned around and saw that Bill had entered the room, a heartbroken expression on his face. “I think it’s pretty… It looks pretty on you.” Behind Bill stood his mom, who was currently glaring daggers at Dipper. The human thought for a moment, that he could even feel the Shades glare at him behind his back.

 “Oh, Bill,” Dipper tried to think of a way to salvage the situation, and hopefully not get killed. “I just… You know, I’m feeling stressed about the wedding, and I just want everything to be perfect.”

 “Really?” Bill asked, letting out an almost pathetic sniffle.

 “Of course,” Dipper assured him. “I, um, can’t wait for the wedding…”

 “That’s great!” Bill said, his previous happy mood having returned. Bill’s mother was still glaring at Dipper, but at least she didn’t look like she wanted to skin him alive anymore. “So, what do ya think about my clothes?” Bill then asked.

 Dipper hadn’t noticed Bill’s change in attire, even though the change was obvious; the previously dirty and ragged clothes had been replaced by a black tuxedo, a white undershirt, and black shoes. Dipper thought Bill looked somewhat cute in his new outfit, mostly because the formal clothes didn’t match Bill’s active and playful personality.

 “Well boys, everything’s been prepared now, so it’s time to move on to the wedding,” Bill’s mother announced. “Follow me.” She turned around and walked away, the two boys following her close.

 “A-already?” Dipper asked.

 “Yes, we need to hurry,” Bill responded, a joyous spring in his step.

 “Why? Why do we need to hurry?” Dipper asked, anxiety and fear returning to his mind.

 Bill didn’t answer, he just continued forward.

 They all arrived in a great hall, filled with more demons and Shades, all eyes on them.

 As Bill led Dipper down the hall to a podium, where Bill’s mother already stood, Dipper could hear the mumbling and whispering as everyone stared at him.

 Bill stopped in front of the podium, Dipper stopping beside him, and Bill’s mother handed him a necklace with a see-through gemstone attached.

 “Dipper,” Bill said, smiling brightly as he did so. “I have already handed you my heart,” he stretched his hand, still holding the necklace, towards Dipper. “Now, will you give me your soul?”

 Dipper’s gaze nervously flickered from Bill, to the necklace, to Bill’s mother, and then the crowd. He was scared of saying no, but he was even more frightened of what would happen if he said yes.

 “… N-no,” Dipper finally said. He heard gasps from the crowd, and a strangled noise from Bill who now had a heartbroken expression on his face. “I’m sorry! This was all just a big misunderstanding. I can’t marry you. I can’t stay here!”

 “… We made a deal,” Bill sobbed.

 “Like I said, it was a misunderstanding,” Dipper stretched out his hand, wanting to comfort Bill, but his hand was grabbed and violently pulled away by Bill’s mother.

 “You are not allowed to touch him, you filth!” she roared.

 “… We made a deal,” Bill’s voice was now devoid of any emotion and his face had turned blank as he stared at Dipper.

 Dipper turned his eyes to the crowd, all of who were walking towards him, looking very angry. Dipper’s gaze went back to Bill when he felt someone grab him, only to realize it was Bill, who now had an expression of pure rage on his face.

 “WE MADE A DEAL!!!” Bill shouted.

 Just as Dipper was beginning to fear he would never make it out of this alive, he felt the ground and walls shake slightly.

 Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing, looking up in silent confusion, as the vibrations grew stronger, and were soon accompanied by a sound. It started out faint, but soon grew strong, as the unmistakable sound of the church bells rung through the hall.

 “… We made a deal…” Dipper heard Bill’s voice say, quiet and broken, before he opened his eyes and found himself back in the forest under the boulder.

 The church bells were ringing, signaling that it was now twelve in the noon, meaning that only an hour had passed from when Dipper fell asleep.

 Dipper shot up from the ground, looking down at what he was wearing. He calmed down once he realized that he was still in his normal, everyday clothes, and not the wedding dress.

 Throwing a last look to the forest, Dipper began wandering home, chalking it all up to just an odd dream.

  Once he got back home to his grunkle’s shack, everything seemed to go back to normal. He did his chores with no complaint and was pleasantly tired when nighttime came.

 He and his sister were in their room, ready to go to bed, when his sister’s eyes caught something.

 “What’s that on your hand?” she asked. Dipper looked to where his sister’s gaze went, and his eyes widened at what he saw; the ring, the ring that Bill had given him in his dream! Why did he still have the ring?! Had it been there since he woke up and he hadn’t noticed? “It’s really pretty!” Mabel remarked cheerfully. “Where did you get it?”

 “I… I don’t know,” Dipper shook his in fear and confusion, and immediately tried to remove the ring, but it was stuck. No matter how much he pulled, he could not get the ring off his finger.

 “Is it stuck?” Mabel asked. “We can find some way to remove it tomorrow.” And with that, his sister went to sleep, unaware of the terror that had now taken over Dipper.

 The thought of falling asleep was far gone now, replaced with a haunting and all-consuming fear.

 Dipper didn’t shut an eye that night; he was much too afraid of who would greet him when he fell asleep…

[eddiesgazebos]

IT31 || Return To Neibolt

The one where the losers return to the Neibolt house during their senior year.

word count: 2732

Read on Wattpad

31/31 Previous 

It had been years since the group of losers defeated Pennywise. They were now high schoolers. Seniors to be exact. They finally hit a time in their lives where the clown doesn't show up every time they close their eyes. Of course, it was always going to be there in the back of their mind. But at least it was no longer in the front.

It was almost Halloween. Halloween never had the same touch since their battle with the child eating clown. They rarely found things scary anymore due to that experience. Unfortunately, that made Halloween a lot more boring than it used to be.

This year would be different.

Richie rushed down the path to the quarry, the hangout spot for the losers. He quickly slid along the dirt and stopped in front of his friends. They all looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you alright, there?" Beverly grinned, holding a lit cigarette between her fingers. She held it to her lips and inhaled harshly.

"I uh" Richie stopped to catch his breath, his arm folded over his stomach. "I may have fucked up majorly this time" he warned nervously. Eddie sighed heavily.

"What did you do?" Eddie asked. He dusted off his jeans and crossed his arms.

"I may have agreed to a really...very...stupid bet" he mumbled. He played with his sleeves and bit his bottom lip.

"What bet?" Eddie asked with a roll of his eyes.

"If I stay at the Neibolt house, I get five hundred dollars!" Richie exclaimed. He had a smile on his face but his eyes were filled with worry. The others physically tensed at the sound of that horrible building.

"And if you-....you don't?" Bill asked.

"I have to give them five hundred dollars" Richie kicked at the dirt. The others sighed hard.

"Richie, you're such an idiot" Mike grumbled as he stood up. He dusted himself off and grabbed Richie's shoulder. "You know you can't go back in there. Especially by yourself"

"That's why I thought maybe-"

"No!" the others yelled. They knew where he was going with that.

"Come on, it's dead. Alright? Dead. We can survive one night" Richie assured. "Guys, I don't have the money. You know Criss will hunt me down if I don't get the money to him"

"This bet is with Criss? Victor Criss?" Stan asked. Richie nodded a little. Stan sighed heavily and shook his head. "You are so stupid. How did this even come up?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know. But I may have been running my mouth. That really shouldn't be a surprise anymore" Richie said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Please guys, I really need this. You really think I want to go back there? I take longer routes if I know I have to pass by. Even when I'm driving" his voice cracked. "I can't go alone and I sure as hell can't make five hundred dollars before then"

"We'll go" Bill agreed. The others looked at him in surprise. Of course, they'd all sacrifice their nights for Richie but they couldn't believe Bill was the one to actually agree first. "Maybe it'll even give us a puh-peace of mind. We'll go, stay the night, and leave first th-thing in the morning"

"I guess we could" Beverly mumbled. She dropped her cigarette and crushed it with the toe of her shoe.

"Halloween night is when we have to do this" Richie stated. A relieved smile spread across his face. "Thank you guys. Thank you so much"

"You're splitting the money with us" Stan demanded. Richie sighed heavily but nodded in defeat to a battle he wanted nothing to do with.

"We'll work something out" Richie replied.

Halloween came too quickly. None of the group was ready to revisit that haunting building. It showed in their nightmares enough. But they knew they had to, to keep Richie out of trouble.

They met up out front of the building. They mostly arrived at the same time. As soon as they showed up, they stared at the building with worry settling into their bones.

"Well, here we go" Richie muttered. He walked forward toward the front steps. He noted the smashed glass bottle to the left of the porch. The one he had smashed when he was there last. He shook his head and walked up the steps. The others followed.

He grabbed the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. The loud creak sent shivers up each of their spines. They all sighed heavily and pushed through inside.

The building was the exact same. All of the furniture was old, broken, and rotting from the years of neglect. The floors weren't as sturdy as they once were.

Richie looked to his left, recognizing the room where he had first seen his missing poster. A lump formed in his throat. Eddie stared at the spot where he had broken his arm all those years ago. The wood from the ceiling above that he rode on the way down was still there. He slowly rubbed his arm and the memory of the pain he had felt was slowly making it's appearance.

Stan stayed by the door while Beverly slowly walked around. Everybody looked around a bit before they all laid their eyes on the doorway that led to the basement. That's where the well was.

"Kinda wonder what the sewer looks like" Ben mentioned cautiously. He watched as Stan quickly shook his head.

"We are not going down there" Stan snapped.

"I don't want to. I was just saying. It must look horrendous"

"Well, lets set uh-uh-up camp" Bill mumbled. He lowered his backpack off from his shoulders and carefully set it down on the dusty broken floor.

"Do we have to?" Stan grumbled. The others ignored the comment even though they thoroughly agreed with it. Everybody set up their beds then set up a few lanterns that would last for the night.

Victor Criss and buds stopped in to make sure Richie was following the deal. He looked irritated at the sight but also amused.

"We'll see if you losers make it all night," he said with a smirk before he left.

"You'd think he would have gotten better after Bowers was thrown in the looney bin," Eddie said with a roll of his eyes and a heavy sigh.

"Oh, he did. At least we weren't constantly getting beat up like punching bags" Stan responded. Eddie shrugged and nodded in agreement. He surely had a point.

"I'm surprised he even survived the attack. Henry got him pretty good" Beverly commented then pointed to her own throat. "can still even see the scar he has right here" they all sighed.

"Let's not spend our night talking about them" Mike started. "Let's just try to enjoy this the best we possibly can"

"Enjoy this? I'm scared to look behind me because I think it will be standing right there" Eddie's tone was filled with annoyance. Richie looked at him and frowned.

"Well, I can tell you he's not" Richie assured him.

"It" Bill corrected Richie. "It's not" Richie just nodded and laid his head on Eddie's shoulder.

They played a few card games, Monopoly, and spent their evening chatting away. Everything seemed to be going just fine. That is until they all heard a very familiar distant laugh.

The clown's insanely goofy but terrifying laugh echoed in their minds. They all froze in fear. Beverly looked over at the door that led to the well and gulped.

"You guys heard that, right?" Beverly asked. The others nodded silently. She slowly stood up and walked toward the door but Ben quickly grabbed her by the arm.

"We aren't investigating it," Ben told her. "It's gone. And even if it wasn't, which it is, it wouldn't wake up until years from now"

"Then what was that laugh?" Beverly asked. Ben sighed heavily.

"I don't know" he admitted and let go of her arm. "But we aren't here to investigate" Beverly finally gave in and sat back down, closer to Ben this time. He held her protectively.

Stan froze when he felt the legs of a spider crawling up his arm. He tensed up and quickly smacked at his arm. He flailed and jumped away from his sleeping bag. The fat spider fell to the floor and tried to scurry away but Richie was quick to stomp on it. Stan sighed in relief.

"I hate this place" Stan whined.

"Nine more hours" Eddie mumbled after he checked his watch. They all sighed.

Time seemed to creep by slowly. The terrifying setting quickly became one of the most boring. They all laid around in a circle and chatted but the chats were forced. Richie got a few laughs out of them but most of his attempts failed.

He sighed heavily, stood up, grabbed a lantern, and walked toward the stairs. The others looked up at him.

"Richie? Where are you going?" Stan asked. Richie just shrugged.

"Won't be getting any sleep. So I might as well go on an adventure" he replied simply. He slowly walked up the creaky broken steps.

"Richie, come on. Don't do this" Beverly begged but Richie ignored her and he disappeared up the old stairs. Bill frowned, stood up, and hurried to catch up with him. Bill made sure Richie knew he was coming so he didn't accidentally scare him. They then walked down the hall together as they once did years ago.

"Why are you ruh-uhh-really doing this?" Bill asked. Richie looked at him and then ahead.

"I just need to see that room" Richie stated. Bill nodded quietly and followed his lead. They walked into a room. Richie looked over his shoulder and noticed the three doors that existed years ago were no longer there. He then slowly looked over at the room where he first saw the horrible monster. He swallowed his fear and walked into the room anyway.

Bill looked down at the mattress where they saw some form of Eddie appear and shook his head. He then caught up with Richie and looked around the room. Richie stared at the table across the room. The room was empty now but he remembered when it wasn't. He remembered when it was filled with clowns and a casket sat on that table.

"This is where I first saw him" Richie muttered to Bill. Bill sighed and went to correct him but Richie was faster than he was. "It. The first time I saw it" he corrected himself.

"And now it-it-it's gone" Bill reminded him. "We are suh-suh-safe"

"Your stuttering is awful tonight" Richie commented. They both knew why.

Mike sighed heavily in the main room of the building. He stared at the stairs and waited to hear the boys return. Minutes passed and they still hadn't returned.

"What are they doing up there?" Mike asked worriedly.

"They're fine. We haven't heard them scream" Stan assured him. He wrapped his arm around Mike's shoulders and gave him a slight squeeze.

Creaks came from the door that led to the basement. Each of the teenagers snapped their attention to the door. They stayed silent and a few even stopped breathing. There was scratching at the bottom of the wooden door.

Beverly stood up and grabbed a metal rod from the floor. She slowly walked over, trying to lessen the sound of the creaky floorboards under her shoes.

"Bev" Ben whispered but Beverly ignored him. She held the metal rod up over her shoulder, ready to use. She slowly walked over and pushed the door open. A few rats scurried past her and through a separate hole in the floor. Beverly sighed in relief until she noticed movement down the steps.

"Who's there?" Beverly called. After no response, Beverly just thought it was her eyes playing tricks on her. But then she heard something fall in the basement and saw movement again. The others joined at her side with a lantern.

"Did you see something?" Mike asked. Beverly nodded and grabbed the lantern then headed down the steps.

"Bev!" Ben chased after her.

Bill and Richie returned after they heard the noise and followed the group to the basement. Nobody thought it was a good idea but their legs still carried them forward. They stopped at the very bottom of the steps and shined their lights around.

That's when they all saw the movement.

A foggy figure passed by them. The longer they stared, the more familiar the figure became. The tall lanky apparition disappeared once it hit the well.

"W-Was that Hockstetter?" Bill asked. Everybody nodded slowly. Suddenly, a bookshelf fell over just to the side of where the group stood. They jumped back out of the way and stared at it. Running footsteps could be heard just above them.

"Well, we definitely aren't alone" Richie stated. Everybody rolled their eyes.

"Thanks, captain obvious" Eddie mumbled. The group rushed back upstairs and sat together on their sleeping bags again. They moved them even closer than they were before for comfort and protection.

As they were moving them, they heard a child's giggle and a knock on the wall. A child in a yellow raincoat ran by and Bill stared at the apparition, even when it disappeared. He continued to stare at the spot it once was.

"You don't think Pennywise is doing this?" Richie looked around at his friends with a questioning expression. They shook their heads.

"It's dead" Beverly stated firmly.

"Now this place is just haunted by the kids it killed" Stan mumbled. Just as he said it, the house began to shake like there was an earthquake. The ceiling started to crumble and dust dived through the air and over the group of losers. They all huddled together, hiding their faces.

"We can't stay here. We need to leave!" Ben whined.

"Ben, I don't have money! Alright? So you go. But I'm fuckin' staying" Richie stated. Then scratching at the walls began. Distant cries echoed loudly along the rotting walls.

The group's hearts raced, goosebumps scattered across their skin.

Flashbacks started flooding their minds. Suddenly, Bill was watching Georgie leave again. Beverly was watching as the blood splattered all over her bathroom. Ben was being chased by the headless army man again. Eddie was being attacked right there in that same room they were camping out in.

"Guys! Guys!" Mike yelled. He shook his friends to snap them out of their horrid daydreams. "You're letting your mind take over! Stop. It's dead. We're safe!"

"Sure as hell don't feel very safe" Ben retorted. Mike sighed heavily and squeezed his shoulder.

The house started to rumble again and this time, the floor started to make loud cracking sounds. The furniture shook. Cracks ran down the windows that were still intact, which weren't very many.

"You'll float too" the mumbles began. Three large red pom poms rolled across the floor. Georgie was back and running across the floor while his boat sailed in front of him in midair. Pennywise's giggles were louder than ever.

The group grabbed their heads and hunched over their own knees. Tears streamed down their faces. Their cries and screams were flooded out by the sound of the floating mumbles raised. Until it finally showed his face again.

Pennywise stood in the middle of the group, looking down at his prey. Drool ran down his chin as he ran his tongue over his razor-like teeth.

"It's been too long!" Pennywise screeched wildly and dropped to the floor to grab the kids.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Eddie opened his eyes and looked down at his watch. He noticed the sun was starting to rise. He gasped in relief and looked at his friends.

"Guys, we made it" Eddie exclaimed. The others sat up and looked around with both terror and confusion. "Did you all have the same dream?"

"It was back" Mike stated. The others nodded and slowly exchanged glances.

As if a fire was lit in each of them, they each jumped up, packed up their things, and dashed out of the building as fast as they could. They left without looking back and later the same day, made a vow to never step foot in that place again unless it actually returned.

They survived the night but why were the nightmares worst than ever?

[thorne93]

Whirlwind Romance (Part 17)

Prompt: You’re getting married to Chris Evans… Everything in your life is perfect… Except when you break the news to your two best friends: Tom Hiddleston and Sebastian Stan

Word Count: 2007

Warnings: language, anger, angst, adult themes,

Notes: This is for @carryonmyswansong challenge (Double Season, Multifaceted, 500 Follower Celebration, Writing Challenge!): Prompt – You’re marrying the wrong person! Beta’d by @like-a-bag-of-potatoes bcuz shes amazing and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo @carryonmyswansong for letting me brainstorm with them. Got this idea from @formyfandoms… Fic image made by the super bomb @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo

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

“And there we go!” Sebastian announced as he got you and all of your bags into the house. You only had two of them, but you were still kind of weak and the doctor advised no heavy lifting or unnecessary bending.

Chris was called back to New York for the show on Broadway and a casting call for a film, and you encouraged him to go. His career didn’t need to be shot in the face for you.

“Thank you, Seb,” you sweetly said, turning back to him.

“Hey, what’re friends for? Okay, what do you need?”

“Um… food? Kind of sick of hospital food…”

“Coming right up. Do you want to get settled in on the couch? Do you need help?”

“Uh… yeah could you get me a blanket and pillow from --”

“From the hall closet? Yeah, I know. I’ve stayed over before, remember?” he asked before laughing.

“Right,” you agreed, suppressing the laughter. You hated being this weak and needing people to help you. Technically, you could probably push the envelope and go get the stuff yourself, but right now that seemed like a dumbass idea to possibly rip your stitches so you decided against it.

In just a few seconds he was back with your favorite blanket and pillow, helping you get situated on the couch while he made lunch.

“So… do you wanna talk about it?” Sebastian asked and for a split second you were worried he was talking about the romance between you two. You stilled for a moment.

“Uh… about what?” you asked, knowing it would be better to ask than to assume.

“About the attack? I don’t know if you talked to your parents or Chris or anything… But I thought maybe now that you’re home…?” he wondered, trailing off. He quickly added, “If you don’t, I get it though.”

You screwed your mouth to the side. Truthfully, you hadn’t thought much about the attack. You were so focused on losing days of filming, how this was affecting Chris, how you worried your parents, how you were going to manage on your own at the house for a week… The attack was the last thing on your mind.

However, now that he brought it up, you thought it would be healthy to address it. To see just how it felt to talk about it.

“Uh… sure.”

“You sure? I don’t wanna pressure you,” he said as he paid attention to the skillet, stirring some mystery content.

“No, no, it’s fine,” you assured.

“Okay so… what… happened, I guess?”

“Well… it was odd. I went outside to get some fresh air,” you started, trying to relive that night. “I was out there for a few minutes, just pacing… Then I stepped just inside the alleyway and suddenly he was there. I pulled my phone out to check Instagram and shit, and the next thing I know, this guy is talking to me.”

Sebastian didn’t say anything, he knew you were probably trying to gather your thoughts.

“He said ‘You belong to me’. From there he got handsy and grabby…I tried to pull away from him. You know, it’s funny, I always thought if I was in those situations I would be some badass chick that knocked the bastard to the ground, or became suddenly clever and threw the guy off his game… But no… I just became paralyzed with fear, barely escaping… Well, hell, I didn’t escape. The son of a bitch stabbed me and left me to die in an alley.” You scoffed.

Sebastian left what he was doing to turn and look at you over the counter.

“You okay?” he gently inquired.

You nodded.

“You know, it’s not your fault. I mean, no one knows what they’re gonna do in those situations. If you run they might run after you, if you fight, they might over power you, if you try to de-escalate, you might say the wrong thing… I think when it comes to people like that, there’s no winning…”

You gave him a half-hearted smile. “Thanks.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay. I mean, I know you got hurt, and it scared the shit out of me,” he said as he turned back to the stove. “But all in all, you’re okay and that’s what matters.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Did it hurt?” he asked suddenly.

“Um… yeah… It hurt worse when he pulled it out, honestly. Then I just felt… cold. I mean, my hands went to my stomach, and that felt warm, but after that, it was cold… and blurry.”

“Must’ve been when Tom found you.”

“Must’ve been,” you agreed in a low murmur.

“Well, that’s enough of that. I don’t think you should be dwelling on that. Find something to watch and this stuff will be done in a second, okay?”

You nodded. You turned something on that was funny, and before you knew it, you were asleep on the couch, only to wake up thirty minutes later when Sebastian had a plate of food in front of your face.

“What’s this?”

“One of your favorites,” he stated proudly as he sat back on the other side of the L couch.

“Wait… wait, oh my god, is this that omelette from--”

“From the Treehouse back in Vancouver? Yeah. And those breakfast potatoes you loved.”

“Oh my god. Sebastian…. That’s so incredibly sweet,” you noted, eyeing him lovingly as you held your plate.

“Hey, anything for you,” he said with a smile and a nod towards you.

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

After lunch, you told Sebastian you were in the mood to play a game, so he rummaged through your board games and found a game that two people could play. The game was hilarious as the two of you answered and played with insane questions and scenarios it built. The two of you had been laughing practically non-stop for three hours now. So much so, you didn’t give a damn that it made your stomach hurt like hell.

Now you were playing a new game of strategy and chance, still laughing quite a bit.

“Your move,” Sebastian noted after he played his turn.

“Ugh, you’re killing me,” you stated, looking down at your possible moves. “This game is fucking rigged.”

“You say that about every game you lose. Like at the carnival. You said the boat race was rigged when I won, how is that?”

“It’s rigged for men to win,” you stated before sticking out your tongue.

“You’re just a sore loser.”

“Me? Really? Me?”

“Yes, you. I can’t think of a time you’ve been okay with losing at anything.”

“Maybe I don’t accept failure, that’s not a flaw.”

Seb raised an eyebrow and shook his head, a side smile planted on his face. “No… no you don’t really have any of those, do you?” he asked as he examined his possible moves.

You peered at him, choosing to ignore to respond to his words. As he sat there, eyeing the game board, his jaw looking as if it’d been chiseled from marble, his short hair styled just the way you liked, you couldn’t help but think about how wonderful he was… How much you wanted to entertain the idea of you two… How maybe you and Chris weren’t as compatible as you thought… How maybe your future was sitting in front of you, and not in NYC.

He glanced up and peered at you, a funny smile on his face. “What are you looking at?” he asked with a low laugh.

“Just you… How wonderful you are. Thank you for taking care of me. I’m sure you’d rather be off… you know, being a dork.”

“Hey, this dork made your favorite food and I’m playing board games. You should be nice to your nurse. You know what happens to patients who antagonize the nurses?” he asked with a warning finger.

“They deal with patients that could take them,” you stated with confidence and coy. “Besides, I led with ‘you’re wonderful’,” you reminded with a goofy face at him. “Stop getting butt hurt.”

“You’re about to get butt hurt because -- Booyah! I just won!” he announced, throwing his cards down on the board game.

“What?!” you exclaimed, your eyes flashing to the board. “You son of a bitch, you cheated.”

“That’s what every sore loser says.”

“You’re the one that’s gonna be sore,” you threatened feebly as your eyes glanced to the side, away from him.

Sebastian couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh come on, don’t be so mad. What do you wanna do now?”

“I kinda want to nap,” you tried, making an apologetic face.

He held up his hands. “Hey, that’s cool. Do you want to sleep here or in your bed?”

“My bed? I feel like it’ll be a long nap.”

“Well I’ll get you in there, then I’ll clean up while you sleep. That cool?” He checked his watch really fast. “Tom should be here to take my place in an hour or two.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, since your filming for the movie stopped until you’re healed… he kinda has nothing to do.”

“Must be torture for him,” you muttered as Sebastian reached over to help pick you up. As you moved, your muscles fought against the motion, making you wince.

“I know. That man is like the Energizer Bunny. If I had a week off from everything I would be fucking thrilled.”

“You and me both,” you noted.

“You do have the week off,” he commented, confused, as he lead you down the hall, letting you lean on him.

“Yeah but it would be nice without all the stabbing and shit…”

This made him laugh loudly. Seconds later, you were in your bed, under the covers, with your pillows, ready to drift into an easy sleep.

“Alright, Imma go clean up the mess I made,” he said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder.

“Sebastian?” you asked as he started to back out of the room.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you… for taking care of me… I really mean that. You’ve been so helpful keeping me occupied and happy, I really appreciate it.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he said with a warm grin before retreating back into the hall.

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

When you woke back up, Sebastian had left, where Tom had taken his place. Tom was just leaving your room, his arms full of laundry.

“Are you… are you doing my laundry?” you asked, sleep in your voice as you tried to open your eyes.

Tom slowed. “Oh, you’re awake,” he said with a dazzling smile. “I just thought I would empty your dryer and throw the other clothes in.” He shrugged at you. “Are you hungry? Do you need anything?”

“Could you get me some lemonade? I need to take my pain meds. My stomach is hurting really bad,” you informed, wincing as you tried to pull yourself up a little.

“Oh, sure. Yes. I’ll be right back.”

With that, he dashed off and got lemonade and in his hand was a book.

“What’s that?” you inquired as you sat up slowly, trying not to tear or irritate your wound.

“The Tempest...I thought you might like it, to go to sleep to?” he wondered.

You nodded fervently, making him laugh. “Yes, that sounds perfect actually,” you said before throwing back two pain pills and washing them down with lemonade.

“Alright. Get comfortable and I’ll begin,” he informed.

You got settled down into the bed again, ready for sleep, when Tom sat on the edge of the bed and opened the book, beginning to read. His voice was probably the most soothing thing you’d ever heard. Tom could make a weather report sound like the most interesting thing.

This is always what you wanted when you didn’t feel good. Lots of people wanted TV, or ice cream, or something else sort of pampering… but you, you just wanted a good book…

Within five pages you were drifting back into a peaceful sleep, making Tom smile as he leaned down to kiss your forehead before tidying up the house some more.

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

Forever Tags:

@essie1876

@magpiegirl80

@letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked

@iamwarrenspeace

@marvel-imagines-yes-please

@superwholocked527

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Tom Hiddleston:

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Sebastian Stan:

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Chris Evans:

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@lenawiinchester

@mellsstark

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@patzammit

WR Tag:

@gaylemonshark @tacohead13

@seabasstiantrash

@nerdy-bookworm-1998

@berruneko09