#lenora laferty

[disembode]

MUSE LIST. as of 02. 08. 22

chrissy cunningham of stranger things. hc based.

lorraine day of x.

callie adams foster of good trouble.

sarah williams of labyrinth.

julia of the watcher.

kirby reed of scream.

lou simms of swimming with sharks.

cleo cazo of the suicide squad. hc based.

anita lesnicki of jennifer's body.

bree tanner of twilight. hc based.

alice dainard of super 8.

lenora laferty of the devil all the time.

dylan sanders of charlie's angels.

TEST / UPCOMING.

jessica hamby of true blood.

maggie rhee of the walking dead.

tessa of no way out.

wanda maximoff of marvel. hc based.

florence giles of original lore.

[januaryembrs]

I DIDN'T LOVE HIM AS I SHOULD | Arvin Russell x reader

Description: You had been in love with Arvin for five years. Why did he wait until you were engaged to confess his feelings for you?

Length: 4.6k+

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Lenora's su*cide, mention of Arvin's troubled childhood, foul language, death, mention of dead rabbit, brief light smut.

main masterlist

Note: I rewatched little women last night and I love everything about amy and laurie (guilty pleasure oops) and seeing as it was tom’s birthday yesterday I thought I’d write this little thing. Had to include Lenora bcus Eliza Scanlon my queen.

Arvin Russell was many things. Grumpy. Protective. Fiercely loving over the people he held dear. Chain smoker (despite how many cigarettes you’d smacked out of his hand only for him to pull another out with a kiss of his teeth). Loyal. Hot headed as hell. Hilariously dry-witted when he wanted to be. An amazing brother and grandson for one and your best friend for another.

But above all, Arvin Russell was fucking clueless.

You had liked the boy since the day you met him when your friend Lenora dragged her adoptive step-brother to church with her not five years before. Arvin had been living with them for some time then, a boy of fifteen years, but hadn’t been convinced to attend Sunday prayer until then. Lenora said he threw a fit about it the morning before but went anyway, after hours of her begging him to keep the two of you company.

After that, you saw him everywhere.

He was taking you and Nora to the cinema in town, he was helping you carry groceries, he was helping you with homework, he was cycling to yours with Nora on the front of his bike, asking if you wanted to come play in the lake down the street from your house. He was everywhere.

He was in your head all the time too.

It was really very easy to fall in love with Arvin Russell, and yet he had the hardest time figuring it out it seemed.

You didn’t know exactly what had done it. You remembered one time during your lake excursions, the three of you spent all afternoon building a rope swing on one of the overhanging branches using a burst tyre from the Russell’s car. It worked well. Arvin went first, swearing as he hit the freezing cold water and resurfaced, spitting out the filthy water that had entered his mouth mid-curse. Nora was next, she was much more graceful, swinging backwards and forwards a few times before she jumped, landing in the water with a squeal of joy.

Then came you. You felt your hands start shaking as you reached for the rope - had it always been this high? It looked so fun when they had done it and now it was your turn, you felt like sitting this one out. The rocks banking the tree that held the rope suddenly seemed much more jagged and lethal than they had before.

“Come on, doll! Water’s lovely and warm,” Arvin yelled, treading water near where he’d plummeted into the lake. The weather had been one of the hottest summer’s Knockemstiff had ever seen so you didn’t doubt him. You put one foot in the middle of the tyre and  kept the other safely on land, but even that seemed like too far of a step so you retreated.

“C’mon, Y/N!” Nora yelled as you frantically shook you’re head, laughing nervously.

“No! I’m not doing it, I’m scared!” You confessed back, though you chuckled all the same. This wasn’t some perilous task, not a matter of life or death, so you still found the humour in it but your nerves were shaken nonetheless.

“Do it!” Arvin called, shaking his hair out, “You got this doll, come on!”

“Hurry up, this water’s disgusting!” Nora added, screaming when Arvin chuckled devilishly and splashed her in the face with a wave of the stagnant lake. “Arvin!”

“Tell you what, darlin’” the brunet boy called up to you, “You get in now and I’ll give you a kiss as a reward,” Being the fourteen-year-old girl you were, and Lenora being only ten at the time, you both grimaced.

“Ewww!” You chorused, laughing at the way the boy’s face dropped.

“We’re trying to get her in the water, Arvin, not send her running home,” Lenora quipped, and you laughed loudly. Nora was known for being the quiet one of your trio, which meant when she had something slightly sassy up her sleeve, it had you in stitches.

Arvin scoffed, though he had a smirk perched on his lips, “You’ve got some mouth on you today, missy,” He said splashing her with the water again. She screamed and copied his actions though her hands were much smaller and sent mere droplets his way, and their roars of glee met your ears. That really did look fun, you pined to yourself.

“Alright, alright!” You said, putting your foot back in the tyre and leaning back for extra grip. “Pucker up, buttercup.”

With that you took a deep breath, squealing with nerves and jumped. As soon as your second foot left the ground, you swung forward, trying not to think too much as you released when the rope reached its peak. You plunged into the water after a moment of what felt almost like flying, and for a split second everything was silent. The water muted the sounds of the outdoors, and you just let yourself still under the water.

Did Arvin really just offer to kiss you? The thought rolled around your head. And suddenly you were imagining it, pressing yourself against him and taking his lips in your own gently. The oddest heat spread across your chest and, at the feeling, you didn’t find the thought of kissing your best friend so disgusting anymore. In fact, you found it intriguing. You found it tempting. You heard Arvin say something to you but it was muffled by the water. The burn of breathlessness tugged at your throat and you had to leave your daydream behind as you kicked your legs until you reached the surface, bursting through the water with a deep breath. Your hair gripped the back of your neck, and you rubbed your eyes to get the remnants of the water from clinging to your eyelashes.

“We were beginning to think you’d passed out on your way down.” Lenora joked, swimming towards the bank to pull herself out, “I bet I could do a flip!”

You cheered after her, treading the oddly clear water beneath you, and turning your attention to Arvin. He looked at you smugly, before leaning in and purposely puckering his lips out to you.

“Fuck off and keep dreaming, lover boy,” You said, shoving him away with a laugh, though your trail of thought hadn’t left you since you’d surfaced. Part of you only wished you’d taken his offer.

Four years later, that ‘odd heat’ in your chest was a full-blown forest fire that spread all over your body whenever you were in proximity of Arvin Russell. He only had to look at you with those soft, brown eyes and you were putty. He had only gotten better looking with time too. His arm muscles had bulged with all the manual work his Grandma asked him to do for her, his hair had gotten longer and curlier, he had a certain ruggedness to him that would make any nineteen-year-old boy into a heartthrob. It was really no surprise when he started meeting the other girls.

You had been best friends since you’d met. Though Lenora was your friend too, you saw her much like a sister to you than a best friend. You and Arvin would take last night drives together when she had bible study, or if she had homework to do seeing as you had now graduated. You would drive him places some days, and he would drive you others. You would talk to him about the grown-up shit you couldn't put on a fourteen-year-old, like your fear of never leaving Knockemstiff or the time you’d gotten close to confessing your feelings for him and told him you worried you’d never find anyone who could love you the way you wanted. He told you about his parents and how he was orphaned, and the dark thoughts he had because of how tragic his life had been, how some days he got so angry and frustrated at the world for doing that to him that he wanted to scream until he burst a vessel.

You were so heartbroken when he told you he’d lost his virginity.

It seemed so stupid, probably because in your own world you’d always hoped the two of you would make it and he’d suddenly take you in his arms during one of your many car rides and confess that “I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long. You’re the one for me. You always have been.” The daydream had lulled you to sleep through tears, begging the universe to give him to you. You didn’t deserve a boy as sweet as Arvin, no one did for that matter, but you cried and pleaded with anyone in the heavens listening to make him yours.

So it hit you like a gun shot to the chest when you got in his car one morning to see his face pulled into a gleeful grin.

“What’s gotten you so chirpy? You’re usually grumpy before your morning coffee.” You noted, fastening your seat belt as he set off towards the diner you spent every weekend in sharing a stack of pancakes.

“Nothing,” He said, but the smug undertone said otherwise.

You sighed, smiling at the boy, “Don’t make me ask again, Arvin. Clearly there’s something you wanna tell me.”

He wetted his lips with his tongue, and you swear you didn’t hear what he said as you focused on his mouth moving. His cherry lips parted with words that sounded muffled, the same way it had that day at the lake when you were submerged underwater, again with your head full of this boy. But your mind snapped into gear like an awful realisation as it made sense of what he said.

I had sex this morning.

“What?” You said, brows furrowed. The air left your lungs and you all but gawked at the boy infornt of you who hadn’t realised his mistake. There was no real mistake to realise, it wasn’t cheating but it hurt you as though it had been.

“I had sex this morning. Right where you’re sitting actually.” He laughed, knowing you’d probably find that gross but would commemorate him for the big step he’d taken. Instead, he found you staring at your shoes, hands folded into your lap looking disgusted with yourself.

He’d done it with someone else. He’d taken his clothes off. He’d taken her clothes off. He’d put it inside her. He’d made her moan his name. He’d had her, not you.

And the worst part was you had no grounds to be upset, yet your heart had been wrenched from your chest right there and then. The mental images were conjured up before you could stop them, and you had to bite the inside of your cheek to stop the tears from welling in your eyes. It was no use. You discreetly turned to look out the window as you heard him ask if you were okay. You nodded silently, brushing your cheek on your shoulder quickly and wiping your nose. He was expecting an answer. You felt his hand on your thigh trying to grab your attention, and all you could do was pull it away. His hands felt dirty now they had been on her.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just saw a dead rabbit on the road, is all.” You made up the excuse, clearing your throat and turning back to the boy with a very clearly wobbly smile on your face. “Well done, lover boy.”

You wished that could have been the only time your heart had broken because of Arvin, but it wasn’t. Girl after girl, week after week you were forced to sit in the exact seat they’d done it in. It made you feel sick to even look at his car now knowing your seat had become reserved for whichever girl it was that week. Soon, you simply had to accept the fact you weren’t Arvin’s special girl anymore.

Some days you thought back to the boy in the lake and you cursed yourself every fucking day for not kissing him. Atleast then you could have had a taste of heaven before the golden gates had slammed in your face.

You found something close to peace when you met Fred. He was good looking, ambitious to get out of Knockemstiff as you were, rich enough to get you there and he was nice to you. That was all you needed. You needed someone to fill the gap ripped into you by Arvin and the girls in his car. You liked Fred, you really really did. There were moments he’d make your heart flutter if he said something awfully sweet, or he’d make you laugh telling you a joke he’d made up with his friend’s that day. He was good, but your wretched mind would put it into your head that he wasn’t Arvin.

He just wasn’t the same, and no amount of jokes or sweet words could make him so.

But when you had been dating for almost a year, it came as no surprise when he proposed. The ring was lovely, the diamond huge and crystal clear clarity courtesy of his parents wealth no doubt. He looked at you with such hope, and for a moment you really could see a future with him. You’d never tell him that you were happy to settle for him, but that’s what you were. But it was with an amazing man who held such promise and treated you the way you’d always wished Arvin would.

He gave you what you wanted, and that was enough for you to say yes.

The second the ring was on your finger, he’d scooped you up in his arms and whispered that he had booked an engagement getaway for the two of you. Two months away, in a far off country where the sun was warm and where the cocktails would be sweet enough to take away from the taste of alcohol. It sounded wonderful, and you couldn’t wait to tell Arvin. He would be so happy for you, and two months without seeing him and solely focusing on your new fiancee would no down squash any last feelings you had for the boy.

You practically bounded over to his car when he pulled up outside Fred’s home. You had spent all day with him and Arvin agreed to drive you home on the way back from work seeing as he would have had to go past their house anyway. You pulled your new fiancee for a long kiss, hearing Arvin beeping his horn for you to hurry up. You laughed at the boy, as did Fred and you pulled away, not wanting to keep him waiting any longer.

“Sorry, got caught up.” You said, smiling as Fred waved the two of you off. Arvin gave him a brief raise of the hand back before his foot hit the accelerator. You smiled out the window, seeing Knockemstiff pass by for what would soon be the last time in a while. You’d miss your friend’s dearly, but you’d be coming back so it’s not as though you’d be seeing them for the last time ever. It would only be a few months.

“What, sucking some guy’s face off?” Arvin asked, only half-joking as he almost groaned at the thought.

“Like you’re one to talk. Which girl was it this week, Arv?” You teased, knocking against his elbow when he didn’t say anything.

“Didn’t have any girls this week actually.” He replied shortly, and you guessed work had been hard. Using his right hand to reach over and open his glove box he fondled around for a moment before grunting. “Can you get my cigarettes please, doll?”

You snorted a laugh, sticking your own hand into the compartment and quickly finding the smokes. You pulled them out and handed him the red packet, completely forgetting about the new amenity on your finger. “What wrong? Can’t get it up?”

“Yeah, real funny. Actually I-” Arvin was in the middle of grumbling when his eyes narrowed in on the diamond. “What the fuck is that?”

You almost reeled back at his tone, though you put it down to surprise. You had to admit, married at eighteen was ballsy and not something you would do but Fred was the best guy you’d ever find actually willing to spend his life with you. It's not like Arvin had shown any interest let alone offer first.

“What does it look like, stupid? I was going to tell you when you stopped the car.” You replied, pulling your hand back to inspect the ring with a smile. It really was gorgeous.

“How- When?” Arvin asked, bewildered. His eyes were so wide you were sure they were going to pop out of the sockets, and his lips lacked the smile that was plastered on your own.

“Last night. He took me out to dinner on that fancy place uptown. He said he was going to hide it in the desert but decided it was too nice to get crumbs and frosting over, can you believe that?” You said with a light laugh, frowning when you heard silence back. You turned your head to see the boy clenching the steering wheel with white knuckles, a face looking forlorn. He had never seemed so much like a little boy as when you looked at him them, as though he looked lost and confused waiting for someone to tell him what to say. “Arv, you okay?”

Something about your engagement must have pissed him off, seeing as he had seemed alright until the huge rock had made its way into his periphery. He grumbled a response, something half hum that you couldn’t tell was a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, and carried on driving. You felt your smile slip away almost instantly, and your lips pulled down into a pout as you couldn’t deny your feelings had been hurt that he was being so rude.

“I would have thought you’d have been happy for me,” You said quietly after a few minutes of silence. It was clear he didn’t approve of this, whether it was cause he was just so different to Fred and found him a little uptight at times you couldn’t be certain, but he was your best friend at the end of the day. You would have guessed he’d at least wear his disappointment better. “I was going to ask you to be a groomsman,”

Arvin scoffed, and you frowned even further. His noise of disappointment left a bitter taste in your mouth and you decided you’d had enough of trying to appease his bad mood and stayed quiet.

The drive was silent for the next few minutes until he pulled up outside your house. You instantly leapt up out of your seat, swinging the door shut on the boy with the foul mood and not even bothering to say goodbye. Perhaps he could spend the next few months, while you were on holiday with your fiancee, thinking his attitude over. You got all but halfway up the steps to your home before another car door was shut and your name was called.

Spinning back on your heel, you watched Arvin walking towards you with a stone-cold serious look on his face, though he was wringing his hands the way he did when he was nervous.

“Doll, please…” He trailed off, coming to stand on the path in front of you. You moved back down the few stairs you had ascended, and stood before of him, though the raise of your eyebrow told him he was walking on a thin line. “Don’t marry him.”

You pulled back in shock. What had he just said?

“What?” Your voice was small, confused. There was no way he was seriously asking this of you.

“Don’t marry him.” He repeated. You frowned at him, watching his soft brown eyes lower in sadness.

“Why?” You asked coldly. This was your chance of happiness, your chance to get over Arvin once and for all and even then he was standing in the way of it. The guilty look on his face told you everything you needed to know, and he reached out to take your none ring-bearing hand in his. He took a deep breath as if preparing himself for confession, but he was stopped when your empty laugh caught him off guard. “You have some fucking nerve, Arvin.”

He looked even more guilty than before as you drew your hand away from his. You felt the tears lacing your eyes, how could he do this to you now. How could he stand here about to confess that he liked you, that he wanted you, when you had been waiting too damn long for those words. “I’m sor-”

“You’re so fucking mean, Arvin. You know that?” You said, as the first tear broke the surface and trailed down your face. “All those girls I had to watch you with, all those times I’d get into your car and you’d have just dropped them home from a quick fuck-”

“I was trying to forget you-” He tried to excuse but you only scoffed. He hated seeing you so furious, so sad because of him, and he only wanted to wipe the falling tears away like he always would do. He wasn’t lying. That had been the reason for all those girls coming back to his car. In fact, he always specified that they would do it in that seat, your seat, because in some twisted way Arvin could pretend it was you that he was kissing, you that he was touching in those places. You had descended into full-blown crying, but your voice was surprisingly steady.

“I don’t believe you, Arvin. I will not be the girl you fall back because you can’t get any others to fuck you this week. I won’t be the girl you have as your second choice because Cindy or Sarah or any of those other girls don’t want you around right now, do you hear?” You said, ready turn back and storm up to your front door. You let a silent sob pass through your lips as you looked at him one last time for what would be months seeing as your flight was in the next few weeks and you doubted either of you would want to see each other. He looked sad, like a kicked puppy being scolded by its master. “I won’t be the girl you run to now, not when I’ve spent my life stuck in love with you, Arvin.” With that, you left, not wanting to hear a single word that he had to say.

---------

You couldn’t believe it when you heard. Nora, your sweet Lenora. The girl who had stood next to you and sang hymns and read prayers, the girl who you drove to school, the girl who had screamed and cried to you when she’d gotten her first period. That Lenora was gone.

You had spent all week bawling your eyes out, refusing to believe what your mother had told you was true. Fred tried to cheer you up by reminding you your engagement getaway was due in a few days, but you couldn’t think of anything worse than going on holiday now. And then, as the uncertainty of the trip came along, doubts of the marriage came with it as they had since the beginning. You knew you were being selfish by marrying Fred. He deserved a woman who would love him completely, undoubtedly, not one using him to get over someone else. Ofcourse you loved him, but it felt much more like friends between the two of you. Even when you kissed it felt awkward to you, there was no spark, no butterflies, no wildfire like there was when Arvin so much as looked at you.

You knew what you had to do. It would be hard, and you would feel guilty but you knew what was right.

That was how you found your way back to Arvin. It was surprisingly by accident, but then again you two had always been so in sync that it was no surprise you went to the same place to think Lenora’s death over.

The lake.

He was sat on the small bank where you’d built the rope swing, pushing the tyre out only for it to pendulum back for him to catch it and repeat. If he heard you coming he didn’t show it, or maybe he knew it was you and decided to give you the silent treatment. His hair was messy at the back as though he’d been tossing in his sleep and hadn’t brushed it, and he was wearing the scruffy clothes he threw on when he was working on his car.

Either way, the air was palpable between the two of you as you sat down next to him, the tears already in your eyes. You had wanted to be strong when you told him this, but there was so much to say, so much unsaid between the two of you that it grabbed you in a chokehold the moment you saw him.

He turned to look at you slowly and his eyes were red already, chin wet with tears that had gathered there.

You didn’t say anything. You simply looked at one another with the same bloodshot eyes, the same creased brow, the same pained expression, before you moved to crush each other in a hug at the same time.

You sobbed into his shoulder, he hid his face into your neck. You were both hurting, but you understood one another. The month of radio silence from him hadn’t changed that.

You didn’t want to breach the subject of Lenora now, you knew him too well to know it was too fresh a nerve to touch as of yet. So you stayed quiet for a moment, just wrapped in each other the way you knew you needed to be.

You found your voice after a moment and you announced what you had come searching for him to say.

“I’m not marrying Fred,” You murmured into his shoulder, and you felt him tense up. He didn’t say anything however just simply pulled back to look at your expression, which avoided his gaze. You couldn’t look at him when you said this, you were sure you’d break down crying again. “I didn’t love him as I should have. I didn’t love him the way I love-” The word ‘you’ hung in the air, and you had to draw in a breath to hold back your tears. “But I know this is really hard right now with her gone, and so you don’t need to say or do anything-”

He stopped you talking with his lips. You felt him cup your face and just like that the raging flame that had died out was back, crawling down your throat from the point where his lips met yours. Your lungs were seized with smoke that didn’t choke or stutter, it only brought want and need like nicotine and you suddenly understood why he smoked if it felt even half as heavenly as this.

So you kissed him at the lake, five years too late but a lifetime to make up for it.

Permanent tag list:

@greeneyedblondie44

if you want to be added to my permanent tag list please just send me an ask, comment or message!

[psychoticful]

“She was delusional. She was crazy. No, she was just lonely.” The Devil All the Time (2020)

[twinsfawn]

eliza scanlen when she finds a role where the character is severely ill and/or dies

[diazevan]

Arvin loved her like his own sister.  He would do anything to protect her.  The Devil All The Time (2020)

[ultimatespider]

No matter what the weather was, Lenora would visit her mother's grave after school. Though he wasn't one for praying, Arvin would often drive her and keep her company.

[ola-elaina]

Hi. Can I please request an one-shot about Lenora confessing to the reader that she's pregnant since the reader and Arvin had a baby while being teens as well? You can decide how it ends. Thank you 🙈🙈

FAMILY

Word Count: 1.6k

Pairing: Arvin Russell x fem!reader; Lenora Laferty x platonic!reader

A/N: unedited!

You stood before the picnic table, arranging the food your mother and Arvin’s grandmother had prepared.

It was Lenora’s birthday today.

She, along with you, Arvin, Charles, your parents, and their grandma had come to the open park just a little out of town to celebrate as per her request.

Arvin had offered a trip to the beach, but Lenora was feeling ill the past couple of days. Instead, she wanted to get some fresh air at the park where the three of you would come hang around and bring Charles with.

Halfway of folding the napkin on your hand, you felt a familiar pair of hands gripped your waist then snaked on your middle, almost making you yelp.

It was Arvin. His chin resting on your shoulder as he took a peek of what you were doing then placed a peck on the bare crook of your neck. His kisses trailing up to your jaw while his thumb drew slow circles on your side.

A giggle escaped your lips which you quickly covered by clearing your throat. “Arvin!” You elbowed his stomach to stop him.

You turned to face him, surprised that he was alone. His deep chuckle resonated in your ear.

When he stepped back, it gave you a chance to look over to the table where Emma and your parents were at. Thankfully, the three of them were busying themselves with Charles — yours and Arvin’s one year old toddler.

Your eye also spotted Lenora who was sitting at the foot of an oak tree. Her back resting on the wide trunk while she faced the scenic view of Ohio.

“Lenora wanted to talk to you.” He announced, his hands still resting at the low of your back.

“About what?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. She won’t tell.” His voice laced with concern, brows pulled together, head tilting to the side from confusion. Arvin was obviously troubled with Lenora’s sickly demeanor the past couple of days.

You brought a finger to his crumpled skin between his brows to straighten them. “I’ll go talk to her. Don’t worry about it.”

Arvin sighed before nodding.

“Would you mind finishing this up? So, our birthday girl could eat after we talk, maybe Lenora’s just hungry.”

“Of course not.” He slid his hand with yours, giving it a squeeze before finally letting you go. “Please, make sure she’s alright.”

You nodded, giving back the squeeze.

When you approached Lenora, she had her eyes closed — her head leaning against the wood. You sat beside her quietly as not to disturb her.

It was a beautiful bright day today. The sun was out but it wasn’t glaring down at you. The breeze was refreshing, not too cold nor too hot. The sounds of the birds chirping above the branches, the wind rustling the leaves, and the gleeful voices of your family from the distance hang around the air.

From Lenora’s stature, you thought she was asleep, but you felt her fingers interlaced with yours. Her head falling to rest on your shoulder. You let yours sit on top of hers.

Peaceful silence enveloped the two of you until the girl beside you broke the silence.

“Y/N...” She started; her tone sounded like she was hesitating. It piqued your curiosity. Lenora was quiet but once she spoke, she was certain. You let her take her time, not wanting to pressure her into talking. From the way her hand shook a bit, it was evident that she was a bundle of nerves. “What did it feel like when you first found out about Charles?”

Her sudden question took you aback. Your brows shoot up, blinking a couple times before answering. “Very frightening, to say the least. It was the first time I had missed my period and felt very sick. I thought I had caught something bad.” You chuckled as you recalled.

Now that you thought about it, this was the first time you and Lenora are talking about your pregnancy as odd as it is. The both of you weren’t that close until you ran away to the Russells’ out of fear from your parents’ reaction.

That’s when your tightly knitted friendship with Lenora bloomed. She was there for you and Arvin the whole time. Anything you needed; she’d do if she could. Lenora cared deeply not only for Arvin, but for you as well. You never had siblings and you found one in her.

Lenora never forced herself into anything during your pregnancy. She knew it was a difficult time for you and Arvin. She never asked but she was there. Always.

You owed a lot to her.

“What was the first thing on your mind?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. It was a flood of thoughts and emotions. I cried for nights, thinking how I would tell my parents... and Arvin. Oh, Lord. Believe it or not, it was Arvin’s reaction I was most afraid of.”

“Really? Why?”

“Mhmm.” You shrugged. “I guess I thought if my parents disowned me, I would have no one to turn to. The two of us weren’t close then I couldn’t come to you yet.”

Lenora let out a soft chuckle, bringing your intertwined hands on her heart — placing her other hand on top of it.

“Why’d you ask—” You cut yourself short, your head shot up as an idea popping in your mind.

No, it can’t be. There’s no way.

Her hands were now visibly shaking. When she turned to look at you, you caught the silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

Your eyes doubled in size as you stared at her, waiting for her confirmation.

“Y/N...” She shook her head. “I’m pregnant.”

“Oh.”

Lenora ran the back of her free hand on her damp upper lip. “That ain’t the reaction I was hoping for, but it was better than what I was expecting.” She pointed a weak smile at your mouth that hung open.

“This must be the feeling when you found out I was pregnant.” You muttered, still unable to think of what to say.

“So, you’re happy?”

You grinned at her. You took your hand from your hold and grabbed her pale cheeks on your hand. “Is that why you were feeling ill the past few days?”

She nodded.

“Do you know how long?”

“Almost 3 months.” She replied sheepishly. “Y/N, I’m scared...”

You opened your arms, allowing her to fall into your embrace. She cried in your arms, knowing the fear that would run in her veins from being in her position just from nearly two years ago.

“I understand.” You whispered in her ear.

“How am I going to tell grandma? Uncle Earskell? Arvin?! He’s goin’ to be mad!”

“That’s true.”

She cried harder from your response.

“We’re young. We’re supposed to enjoy our youth while we can and having a child is a big responsibility for someone who’s not even an adult herself.”

“What if the Russells throw me away? I have no family no more, Y/N!” She hiccuped.

“Hey.” You comfortingly rubbed a hand on her back. “They certainly won’t take it easy at first but they’re your family. They won’t be able to resist their Lenora. I witnessed myself how they truly cared for you like their own blood, especially Arvin. They’ll understand.”

Lenora’s tight arms around you loosen a bit, her sobs calming down, but you continued to rub her back.

When you were in her position, you had no friend to comfort you. All those close to you, you were afraid of telling. You knew how someone like Lenora needed somebody, even if it was just an embrace.

“For what it’s worth, your family,” You emphasized the last two words before proceeding. “Took me in with open arms without question. A girl they have never met before until she came knocking on their door, knocked up. What more you?”

A snicker came from her which put up a smile on your face. She rose to level with your face. “Thank you, Y/N. I’m glad you’re here.”

“Remember, you have been with me for the most vulnerable months of my life? And I will be with you. Even in your strongest. That goes without saying.”

A genuine smile finally crept on her face, eyes chinking — your favorite kind. You discreetly let out a sigh of relief and mentally pat yourself on the back. It wasn’t a lot but you’re glad she somehow felt relieved.

“You welcomed me in your life. There’s no way you’re getting rid of me. I’ll be with you every step of the way, alright?”

“That’s comfortin’ to know.”

“Good.” You pulled her on your chest once more as the two of you shared a chuckle.

“Hey! What’s takin’ you so long?” Arvin’s head poked from your side of the tree.

You felt Lenora wiped her cheeks dry in your arms before pulling away and flashed Arvin a smile like nothing happened.

Arvin forwarded then stepped between the two of you two squeeze in, making a room of herself. His left arm draping over Lenora’s shoulder, his right grabbing your waist to pull you closer.

“Seems like the two of you havin’ serious talk, what’s it about?” He arched a brow.

Lenora’s sudden wide eyes met with yours. You rewarded her a meaningful smile.

“It’s nothing.” You chirped then looked away.

“Oh, you’re keepin’ secrets from me now?” His eyes darted from you to Lenora then back at you again. Then tickled your side, making your squeal and squirm.

Lenora sniffled then pulled Arvin’s ear toward her. “We’re just happy the family’s gettin’ bigger.”

“What’s that supposed to mean—Wait, are you pregnant?”

You and Lenora froze in your spot but quickly recovered when Arvin turned to you.

“No!” You said quite defensively, pinching his side.

“Darn it!” He remarked jokingly then pulled the both of you in an embrace and gifting you each a kiss on the forehead.

A/N: requests are temporarily closed! still squeezing my brain to write the ones in my inbox 

[cruisified]

Delusions! Blaspheming the Lord in your mind and in your heart for some wrong done to you by another person. The Devil All the Time (2020)

[pattinsonroberto]

‘Have you shown yourself as the Lord made you?’

[dreaming-for-an-escape]

The scene with Arvin beating up those guys that were harassing Lenora was just.....fuckin’ awesome. 

[tisthedamnstark]

the preacher

a poem inspired by "the devil all the time", specifically the disgusting crap relationship between rev. preston teagardin and lenora laferty.

cw: foul language and non-con

falling to my knees on the cold flagstone, confessing to the preacher on the oak wood throne. with the blue of the suit and the drawl of his prayer, with the frown of a brute and the pitying stare. his smile twists like ivy on bricks the tangle of leaves and teeth leave me sick, the more i confess the more that i wish that he'll cleanse my sins with his hands and his lips. we fuck and we kiss in the back of the car tits out, wits out without reverence we spar; a point to me and ten to you, the dirty secret girl you screw. i'm not a lover i'm not your friend jailbait at a stalemate worn out like a trend, used like a rag abused in the pews slammed in the backseat and god's your excuse. the devil in a cadillac an angel in a frock inferno in the backseat collared with his cock, led by a leash then handed the noose i slipped off the bucket and cut it all loose.

[moonlit-void-to-the-far-unknown]

So one thing I love about TDATT is the relationship between Arvin and Lenora.

Lenora, in the book, Arvin says because she reads romance novels from the school library, thinks of them as a possible ‘star crossed lover’ situation because they are both orphans and grew up in the same house.

Now Arvin, is very clear that he sees Lenora as his baby sister. And even knows that Lenora is just in that phase of being a girl where her little crush is because she’s lonely and reading romance books.

In the book, Arvin just rolls his eyes and laughs a bit at Lenora being all star eyed at the idea of love. But he never sees her as anything but his baby sister.

They have this deep sibling love that is so amazing and Tom and Eliza played it beautifully.

You could see how deeply Arvin loved and cared for Lenora, he rushed into saving her no questions because no one hurts his baby sister. He got revenge on the idiot boys because of he could make sure Lenora would be okay when he left school then he’d do anything.

When he confronts reverend Teagardin, he says

‘That how you done MY LENORA?’

Because in the most wholesome way, Lenora was his and he was hers.

This relationship is my favorite of the book and the movie because it’s just this pure familial love even though him and Lenora aren’t actually related. It’s pure unconditional, uninhibitaed, true honest love for another person.

Arvin loved his Lenora, and Lenora loved her Arvin.

You could see that from the second they met, Arvin was gonna protect and love his Lenora.

And idk why but it’s my favorite relationship in the book and movie. And they are my favorite scenes in the movie.

The way Arvin even says he has to go check on Lenora and make sure she’s okay when she’s ‘sick’ and even holds her hair back, and tells her, ‘hey when you’re all better we’ll go visit your mama together again’ because he knows it is the one thing Lenora loves most.

And I just love it okay. Arvin and Lenora are the true showing of unconditional familaial love.

@naturallytom pls tell me you feel the same about them. 🥺

[psychoticful]

“Arvin loved her like his own sister. He would do anything to protect her.” The Devil All the Time (2020)

[iron--spider]

[drinkingdrunk]

Day 5: Favourite Drama

The Devil All The Time (2020)

[luvrpop]

the end

source: the devil all the time part: one/? pairing: arvin russell/reader requested: no tws: n/a (canon typical in later parts but this ones safe) word count: 1652 synopsis: you make some bread, and contemplate finality. extra: i wanted to challenge myself to write a reader insert without using y/n et cetera!! im so excited for this, and very proud :) Someone once told you that there is nothing in life that isn’t a beginning or an end. You’re not quite sure what you think about that, but you figure there must be some sense of truth to it. Hell, you reckon that if those words are true every damn thing you do is the beginning of the rest of your life. This train of thought will come back to you later.

For now, you wake up in the morning to begin your day, and eventually you’ll sleep at night to end it. 

You open your dresser to begin looking for your outfit, and close the dresser to end that search. Naturally, you’ll put on your clothes to begin wearing them, and take them off at some point to end that.

You open the window in your kitchen to begin a steady flow of fresh air, but you won’t get a chance to close, and thus end, it.

Later, all the beginnings you started and endings you caused in the coming few days will become viscerally apparent to you. You’ll wonder which one is more important; those beginnings or endings? You’ll wonder if that matters at all. It probably doesn’t.

Currently, you are kneading the dough that you began only 15 minutes ago for a loaf of bread that you’ll never get to eat. Your radio plays quietly in the corner of the kitchen and you sing along, finding a rhythm in your movement. You feel as though you could live in this moment for the rest of your life and stay happy the whole time. But of course, the song ends so another can begin and your timer goes off to tell you’ve kneaded enough, and the tranquility of the moment slowly dissipates. You wet a towel and delicately place it on top of the lump of dough, and set it into a bowl and aside to begin it’s second hour of rising. That means that you have an hour to yourself, and you resign yourself to laundry. It gets boring pretty quickly, however, so you resolve to finish this load and continue a book you started reading last week. 

You’re only a few chapters from the end. You like it well enough- the characters are charming and the plot is compelling- but the pacing of it all is what’s really losing you. It started as a decent slow burn character study into the mind of a troubled woman that tragedy followed like a shy dog, which you find interesting. However, at some point it seemed like the author was as swept up in the world as you were and was caught off guard by the need for an ending. The past few chapters have been a rushed attempt at a satisfying conclusion, and the original message of the story has been lost. The woman started out as thoughtful and resilient, despite the shit life kept throwing at her. You like her a lot. At this point in the book, though, things should be calming down. They aren’t. 

You pick up the book where you left off, and immediately it seems to be trending in an unnecessarily painful direction. You wouldn’t dare tell anyone, but you definitely prefer a happy ending. The appeal in watching decent people suffer for nothing is lost on you. It makes it difficult to ignore the more uncomfortable truths of the town you live in. 

By the time you’ve gotten to the last chapter, your timer is going off again, letting you know that it’s time to move your dough from under the towel and in the bowl to the oven. You leave the book open on the counter (it stays, because you accidentally broke the spine when you first bought the book. Your best friend chided you for getting as upset as you did. “There are bigger things in life to worry about than a 50¢ paperback novel, darlin’.” He had said.) and stand to wash your hands. The front door opens and closes as you turn on the water, and you call out a greeting to your father. There is no reply while you move the dough to a pan, and you wait a moment before calling out again. This time you get an answer,  though the voice that responds is not your father. A smile creeps its way onto your face as you slide the pan into the oven and close the door. 

Something you’ve noticed about Arvin Russel is the way he refers to the people. It’s never “good afternoon,” or “thank you,” or “how are ya?”; it’s always a “good afternoon miss,” or “thank you ma’am,” or “how are ya, sir”. He calls his sister Lenora little lady or hun; his grandmother is grandma or ma’am; his grandfather is grandpa or sir. Friends are bud and fella, and enemies are any number of vile swears and adjectives. You’re doll or darlin’, and you have been since you found him hiding behind the school back on the first day of sixth grade. It’s common down here in the south to call people anything but their name whether it be from respect or the opposite, but even as a child Arvin seemed to actively avoid using someone’s name unless he was saying something that he needed you to know he meant. Most people figured he was just some overly respectful kid, but you’ve always suspected that he just understands the power of his words. As you got older, you got the sense to wonder why a kid so young seemed to know so much about power and violence, both mental and physical. You’ve heard the rumors about why he moved to Coal Creek in the first place, but it never came to you to just ask if they were true and what living in Knockemstiff was like. You never considered it your business. 

That’s all to say that when Arvin Russel greets you by name in your kitchen at 3:30 PM on a Saturday in the fine year of 1965, your hand stops on its way to the kitchen timer. A quick glance at the clock confirms that Arvin has work in 10 minutes, and you know that you live a solid 15 away from where he needs to be. You turn to face him, apprehensively studying the way he sits on a stool on the opposite side of the island that divides the room. He sits with a slump that shows an extent of exhaustion that seems deeper than the physical body. You wonder if someone’s soul could yawn. He seems like he hasn’t been able to relax all day, and even now there’s tension in his shoulders. Not to mention that his breathing’s uneven and he’s sweating like a sinner in church, so you decide to dampen a washcloth before asking any questions. He looks at you in such a way while you dab at his damp brow that chips away at your heart. He’s looked haunted since you met him, like Satan himself is dancing in his peripheral, always 3 steps away from finally claiming his soul, and you wonder for a moment if he’s always fought the devil all the time.

“Christ almighty Arvin, what happened t’you?” You ask, blotting away at his forehead.

His eyes snap into focus at that, like he’s remembering something, and he pushes out of his seat, snatching the cloth from your hand. “We gotta leave, doll,”

You look at him incredulously. “What in the world? You sit yourself back down and tell me what is goin-”

Arvin interrupts you by saying your name again. “I mean it,” he says, and you believe him. “You got- you got to get on packin’ and we gotta leave.”

“I’m not packin’ anything until you tell me what the hell is goin’ on, Arvin Russel. I mean it.” You say, and he believes you.

Unfortunately, you’ll come to understand that he doesn’t have the time to explain. 

The two of you have fantasized about skipping town more times than you could count. A couple of times, you even packed your bags into the back of Arvin’s jalopy before school, planning on picking up Lenora and never looking back at this shithole. You were serious about it too, your father and whatever spends its time haunting Arvin giving you more than enough motivation. Still, you stayed. Arvin would say he’d miss his grandmother, which was true, but you both knew it wasn't what Lenora would want. After she died, Arvin swore he should have said damn it all and left anyway.

When he makes eye contact with you again, you know whatever is happening now is different than your idealized life on the run. Every time you planned this, you both swore you’d do it all together, and that included choosing the right time. Arvin was so particular about choosing the right time. Now, it seems that whatever he did that you two are running from didn’t have a right time. It just had to happen, and he was tired of waiting. A sense of dread nags at you perversely, and you know suddenly and without a doubt that if you don’t go with him now, you’ll never see him again.

He drops the rag then and leaves the kitchen with a sense of urgency you’ve never seen, and you tear after him. You meet him in your room and you both throw together two bags of your bare essentials. You’re out the door and shoving the bags into his trunk before you even get a chance to turn off the oven.

It won’t be until you’re leaning your head on the passenger window of Arvin’s automobile, speeding past the sign that cheerily reads You are now leaving Coal Creek! We hope to see you again soon!, that you will realize that you forgot your book at home.