#max just casually lays on the floor

[narnour-momo-007]

:]

[buckera]

I know we all love the idea of Eddie keep flirting with Steve and calling him pet names, because he thinks he can get away with it.

But I've been thinking about Steve casually calling Eddie baby without even registering what he's doing.

Like they are standing outside the van with the hood open and Steve just tutting at him like "Eddie, baby, you really gotta get your transmission checked, this is like the third time this month" and Eddie's losing his shit, mouth hanging open in shock, but Steve has no idea and it just keeps on happening after that.

Next time it happens, they are all over at Steve's, having a movie night and Steve has El and Max passed out on him, making him unable to get up from the couch without waking them and he just whisper-yells to Eddie "Hey babe, could you pass me a beer? Kinda tied up here" and Eddie just blanks and says nothing, but gets a bottle from the sixpack on the floor and Steve says "thanks" like it's just how things have always been between them.

And Eddie's working himself into a frenzy. Has Steve got no idea about what he's doing to him? Because Eddie's been lowkey crushing on Steve since he got mixed up in the whole Upside Down business and it just got worse when he woke up at the hospital to Steve holding his hand and giving him the brightests of smiles that there was, rubbing his thumb over Eddie's knuckles, whispering a soft "Hey there sleeping beauty, how're ya feeling?" while being completely oblivious to the suspicious look Wayne was giving them. And sure, hanging out with him nearly every day didn't help the situation one bit.

But this. This is going to be the death of him.

And it just keeps on happening. Steve murmurs "goodnight baby" into the phone before hanging up, he shouts "babe, come here, you gotta see this" when Lucas ends up stuffing fifteen oreos into his mouth (which is a new personal record) and whispers "hey baby, I'm sorry, I know you'd rather do something else, but I promised Mrs Wheeler" when they're watching Holly's ballet recital, waving at her from their seats when her eyes land on them.

It all comes to a head when Eddie's stupid van breaks down in the middle of fucking nowhere, on their way back from Indianapolis, after going there to buy a special boardgame for Dustin's birthday.

There's not a single car or house to be seen anywhere in a ten mile radius.

"Oh this is just great," Steve hisses as he jumps out of the car to walk around and Eddie does the same. He pops the hood and watches as a small cloud of smoke slithers out of it.

"Shit" Eddie swears under his breath. It looks bad.

"See baby, that's exactly why I told you to get it checked! Because I didn't wanna get stuck in fucking no man's land!"

"Look, I'm sure if we just leave it to rest a little..."

"Rest? Eds, come on, you know that's not how it works. We gotta walk up to the next gas stop and phone someone to tow it."

"Fuck, fine!" Eddie grunted. "But it gets dark in like twenty minutes."

They both know that they can't handle walking out in the wild after dark. Not after everything and not with all the nightmares that still tormented them most nights.

"Then I guess we're sleeping out here tonight." Steve says, dropping his hands on his hips. "You have pillows or some shit in the back?"

"Got a couple of blankets, yeah."

In the end they lay down two blankets on the bottom of the van and bundle up some old jumpers Eddie keeps in there for pillows. They lie there, facing each other in the dark.

"Hey... I'm sorry about all this" Eddie whispers, like his voice could disturb anyone out here in the middle of nowhere.

"It's okay, I just wish you'd pay more attention to stuff like this. I mean shit, babe, what if it's just you out here, huh? What then?"

"Steve-"

"I mean, I just hate to think about how shitty it would be, to be out here alone, in the dark... plus I'd worry myself sick not knowing where you are, you know?"

"Steve."

"Yeah?"

"I'm not alone."

"No, no you're not alone" Steve agrees with a private little smile.

They settle into a companionable silence and Eddie's almost certain that Steve is just about to drift off, but he can't contain it in himself any longer; he has to ask.

"Hey Steve?"

"Mmh?"

"Why uh... why are you keep calling me...?" He can't bring himself to say it out loud without his face heating up.

"What?"

"Names." He settles, hoping that Steve would get it.

"Names?"

He's gonna make him say it, isn't he?

"Yeah like uh... baby."

"Oh"

Even in the darkness of the van Eddie can see how the colour darkens in Steve's cheeks.

"Does it bother you?" Steve asks after a beat and Eddie just sighs out a soft "no".

"Okay."

For a long moment it seems that this is all Eddie's gonna get, but then Steve shuffles a little closer and runs a finger along Eddie's palm before taking his hand into his own.

"It just felt right, you know? Calling you that. I dunno, it was like how it was meant to be."

"That sounds kinda romantic, isn't it?" Eddie's shooting for a joke, but Steve just sighs timidly.

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?"

"Steve-"

"Eddie... can I?" He doesn't finish it, but Eddie knows he'd say yes to pretty much anything Steve could ever ask from him.

"Yeah" He breathes with a little nod and Steve scoots even closer, placing his other hand onto Eddie's cheek. He leans in and looks him in the eyes for an impossibly long moment, making sure he's got permission one last time.

Steve whispers a soft "baby" onto his lips before finally closing the gap between them.

[cheriladycl01]

Funny Gaming moments with Lando and Max (F) x QuadrantStreamer! Reader

Plot: Just funny moments where Reader is a member of Quadrant and is a big UK streamer that does everything on Twitch and YouTube.

A/N: this is only small and just for fun, better Lando stuff is coming out.

Moment 1:

"Do you earn more than Lando Norris, chat you guys are wild ... but honestly with my individual sponsors, YouTube and streaming and any of my weird side activities I think it'd be up for debate" you giggle not actually knowing how much difference there was in what you or Lando earned.

"Not girlie casually admitting that with her side hustle she earns as much as an F1 driver, yeah guys, you gotta think I stream and upload full time. So i get paid for each YouTube video I do, I'm a twitch affiliate and you guys are so so generous. I game competitively and earn from that. I have sponsors, so ... lets just say i had no trouble buying Lando's Christmas presents" you grin, knowing the man had widely expensive taste.

"Who am i spending Christmas with, well Lando's family has asked if I'd like to join them, but I'll be spending the holidays mostly with Max and Pietra. Oh my gosh guys, did you see Instagram? I met Martin Garrix! How cool is that!" you laugh.

Moment 2:

"So I'm here today with Lando, and I'm teaching him Valorant, he knows that I'm in good but I don't think he knows I'm Immortal" you say until you unmute yourself in discord.

"Hey Lando baby" you joke but all you get from the otherside is silence which makes your chat go absolutely crazy.

You hear a few coughs that sound like choking, so you check his stream making sure not to tab out on stream, seeing him sat there in shock in his chair blushing.

"Lando?" you ask, and you watch as he rearranges himself in his chair pulling the mic closer to him.

"Hi, hello yes. Sorry you just threw me off guard" he laughs, wiping across his face with his fingers.

"What are we?" he asks, and you burst out laughing at the question which makes him laugh too. Chat on both ends starts going crazy, with the spam of Lando Norizz <<< Y/N the Rizzler and you were both dying.

Moment 3:

"Argghh fuck" you scream leaning back and fulling falling back off your chair. You were currently playing the horror game ' In Silence with Max, Lando and Ria.

"No way did Y/N just fall?" Max asks laughing at the girl whose stream he pulled up seeing her laying on the floor gripping her shoulder while her chair was now also laying in the floor.

"SHE DID" Lando laughs and you groan out in embarrassment.

Moment 4:

"What was that chat? My door reopened and closed shut while I was gone?" you ask looking back at your door. You knew you were home alone, the only people having a key to your apartment being Max and Pietra and Lando. But they were all travelling right now and were on the plane.

"Chat, stop messing with me" you scold jokingly, you start to load up the game your changing too. However a knock at your bedroom door has you stilling.

"What" you mouth looking at the camera. You go to the door, chat spamming saying how by opening the door that how all the dumb movie characters die. You here another knock making you flinch, you rip open the door, screaming when you see the scary mask, jumping and tacking the person now.

"Ow Y/N fuck" you hear and you rip the mask of, knowing that voice but not wanting to assume.

"Lando?" you ask looking at him.

"I thought it would be funny" he jokes laughing.

Moment 4:

"So Lando, Max and I thought it would be funny to play Valorant but for every kill we get we do a shot" you exclaim.

"Y/N gonna need new kidneys by the end of this? Hmmm very true, maybe we change it to every time we die we do a shot?" you ask seeing what chat's opinion would be on that.

"Then Lando and Max will be needing new kidneys? Well, I'm playing on my alt account and I'm just chilling so we'll be in gold/silver lobbies. Last time we played on my normal account, it was a struggle.

"Lets ask what they prefer! Guys? You want to do shots every time we get a kill or when we die?" you ask after unmuting yourself.

"We playing with MILF account of FnaticY/N?" Lando asks.

"MILF of course. And no comps, I'm not being called a booster" you grin and Max groans, Max was gold 2 and was asking for you to coach him, you had watched him in unrated's but refused to do comps together.

"Wait, when did you change your name...didnt it used to be Ilovetits6?" Max laughs.

"Yes, but chat started to call me mother? So i just rolled with it" you grin looking at chat and winking.

Moment 5:

"Are you and Lando Norris dating?" you ask, and then you open your phone and call Lando himself.

"Hey baby!" you smile and show the chat what Lando is saved as and the picture while he's on speakerphone.

"Hey love. I'm a little late coming back. I got stuck here with Zac and Oscar, but Max and P wanted to know if you would like to go out for dinner with them tonight" he asks and you laugh.

"Wait, Y/N are you live"

"Maybe, look you said you were ready to go public. So this is payback for what you did to Max on stream!" you laugh, knowing he wont be mad at you, as you'd talked recently about going public.

"Exposed? Yes yes i did" you grin.

Moment 6:

"Y/N your boyfriend is horny come sort him out" AngryGinge says adding you to the call forcefully mid stream.

"Mmmm that sounds like a job for you" you says seriously and you pull up his and Lando's stream to watch what was going on. Some people had come into your stream to say to get Lando to end the stream before PR has his head.

"He's been moaning on stream Y/N get your man and take him home"

"Yeah sorry let me just hop on the jet to Monaco..." you joke, knowing you definitely don't have a private jet.

"Wait, just how rich are you? Your boyfriends out here buying watches for 400k, you have a private jet. This just ain't right!" he exclaims making you laugh.

"I don't have a private jet. But... I've been in one of Max Verstappen's" you boast, you'd been introduced to him through Lando as Kelly wanted to meet you and set you up with her modelling agency.

"Huh? WHAT?" he screams and you just laugh before leaving the call. You shoot Lando a teasing message watching his eyes change as he reads it, and he lets out a groan that soon turns into a joke as Angry Ginge yelled at him to calm down again.

Moment 7:

"Salem stop" you tell your cat, which had jumped up and starting to paw in your lap where the blanket lay across before flopping down wanting fuss.

She started to meow at you not getting the wanted attention, but you were in the middle of an important rank up game, that would put you as radiant in Valorant.

As the game went on, you apologized to your teammates when you died after nearly clutching a round when Salem distracted you by pawing at your hand on your mouse.

"Salem please bub. 3 more rounds and you can have all the cuddles in the world" you whisper to the cat before she settles down, you proceed to Ace the next round and your team and you win the next two. The end of the game, with the MVP you get promoted to Radiant #497.

You celebrated by grabbing Salem your black Bombay cat and hugging her tightly, she leans into you wrapping her paws around happy for the affection she's finally getting.

"Treat?" you ask receiving a meow.

Chat:

y/nloverrr02- not y/n celebrating like she just got a podium

landonorizz- what's harder, f1 win, or reaching the top 500 valorant players

wedonttalkabouther- please, mother is mothering!

deadlocknerf- not her top fragging as an omen and their jett with a negative kda.

lockandassit- well done on the promo!

LandoNorris- Babe! Well done! I watched your win! I'm so proud

"Thank you, everybody. I think I'll leave it there for the day and I'll come back and we can try and get into the 450's!" you exclaim before cutting stream.

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover

[wynnyfryd]

Trailer park Steve AU part 24

part 1 | part 23 | ao3

cw: alcohol, throwing up, brief reference to canonical character death

"Oh, my god!" Robin barks, nearly throwing herself off-balance again with the force of her laugh. "This is too good, man. You truly cannot escape your babysitting duties."

"Can I help you?" Max seethes.

Help him? Help him? "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She gestures to the guy she's holding onto, some fluffy-haired kid with a cut-off vest covered in safety pins that Steve sort of vaguely recognizes as one of Eddie's friends. Oh, shit. Is Eddie here finally? Has he seen him?

"Wait, where's Lucas?" Steve asks.

"Who cares?" she bites back.

The guy gives a nervous chuckle and loosens his grip on her waist. "Uh-h. Did you say babysitter?"

"He's not actually, Jesus. I'm fourteen; I don't need a babysitter. And he was just leaving, anyway, right?"

Her glare feels like a slap. Girl's got daggers in her eyes, holy shit. It's like she's hoping some of El's powers magically transferred to her; like she's picturing him flying ten feet into the air and landing with a splat on the far side of the concrete, and he doesn't need this. He did not come out tonight to be bullied by a teenager. "Okay, that's it, I'm taking—"

"—me to the punch bowl!" Robin interrupts, putting her hands on Steve's chest to stop him from grabbing Max and hauling her back to the car.

"Robin, what—?"

"Yep!" She shoves him hard, pushing him to the edge of the dance floor. "Silly me, just dying of thirst, ha ha. Okay, cool, see you both later!"

—

"What the hell was that?" Steve demands when they're safely on the far side of the pavilion.

"An intervention."

Oh, my god. May he never hear the word 'intervention' again in his life.

"Un-ruffle your Mother Hen feathers for two seconds and think, would you? One: it would look really, really, seriously weird for you to be seen dragging a dead jock's kid sister kicking and screaming to your car."

A dead jock’s kid sister. Jesus, tipsy Robin has no tact.

"Two: you said we were going to go out and have fun and get, and I quote, 'very drunk.' Take your babysitter hat off for one night. She's a high schooler, and this is a high school party."

"Yeah, I know," he sulks. Doesn't need the reminder that he's technically past the age limit.

"Okay, so then let her have fun! It's not like you weren't out drinking and smoking by her age."

'I'm always so right about everything. I'm, like, cosmically correct.' Goddammit. Steve needs another drink. "I just don't want her to do anything dumb and get hurt."

"She won't. We can just, like, keep an eye on her from a distance, right? Let her come to us if she needs anything."

"So we should just act like your parents?" Steve snorts.

"My parents are amazing, thank you!"

"Your mom offered me mushroom tea once."

"Like I said: amazing."

Steve huffs a laugh, flips his hair out of his eyes and snags a handful of tortilla chips. "Okay," he says around a crunchy bite, "so what's the third thing?"

"Third thing?" Robin asks. She’s not even looking at him anymore, her eyes eager and distracted as she scans the crowd.

"You're biting your lip weird, there's clearly a third thing."

She turns to him, and the smile springs free from its containment, spreading all over her flushed, ecstatic face. "Vickie just showed up."

—

Steve’s hammered.

Whoops.

Didn’t mean to do it; feels a little bad about it as he tips his head up to the sky and all the stars go raining in bright streaks across his vision. Reminds him of the ceiling at Starcourt, nauseous and spinning under a swirl of bright fluorescence. He hopes Rob’s flirting is going well.

He meant to get politely drunk.

A socially appropriate amount.

But then Robin ran off to flirt with Vickie, and Steve was doing his best to just lay low, steer clear of Max and maybe find a way to casually run into Eddie if he could find him, when he spotted the girl he went on that disaster of a date with instead and realized his options were either: stay there by the beer coolers while she came over with her new date and subjected him to the most painful small talk of his life, or retreat to the dark edges of the party with as much booze as he could carry, so.

He's slumped on top of a picnic bench downwind of the bonfire, bad ear ringing, belly full to bursting, trying to remember when one beer became… more than one beer.

Five?

Six, maybe?

Fuck.

“‘M gonna puke,” he confesses to the splintered wood beneath his feet; to the pine bough overhead, the smoky fire at his back.

“Wow,” someone says, an amused lilt to their tone, and Steve knows that voice, he—

Oh, no.

Ohhhh, no.

Now? Really?

Steve whips his head around, opens his mouth to ask ‘Eddie?’ and barfs all over his shoes.

—

part 25

tag list part 1 below the cut, let me know if you want me to add you tomorrow (21+ only, please confirm your age if you're asking to be tagged)

@a-little-unsteddie @ahsokatanoss @aliea82 @alyelf @anne-bennett-cosplayer @aol19 @awolfstudio @bambibiest @bananahoneycomb @bookbinderbitch @bronwenmarie @cheonsazu @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @courtjestermunson @cuips-not-cute @dauntlessdiva @dawners @dontwasteyourchances @eddie-munsons-missing-nipple @eriquin @estrellami-1 @fandomfix8 @gregre369 @griefabyss69 @grtwdsmwhr @hallucinatedjosten @hellion-child @hiimlevi @honoragreyskull @hotluncheddie @jackiemonroe5512 @kas-eddie-munson @kingelyx @lifeisacrisis @littlebluejane @marvel-ous-m @melonmochi @messrs-weasley @milklechee @mrsjellymunson @mugloversonly @munsonslure @nburkhardt @nerdyglassescheeseychick @notsopersonalcharlie @novelnovella @nuggies4life @phoenixtheone @questionablequeeries @runninriot

[theemporium]

What about Daniel’s reaction to sunshine turning up horrendously hungover 🥴

thank you for requesting!🖤

.

You had decided that you hated Max Verstappen. 

The boy was the devil incarnate because only he would somehow convince you to join him on a night out before the Thursday of a race weekend. He had told you it was just to grab some casual drinks, that it was a nice little catch up between two friends since he hardly saw you anymore with Daniel hogging all your time. 

You were stupid and naive enough to believe him. 

You had woken up the next morning lying on the bed of Max’s hotel room with him laying on the floor somewhere, with no memories of the night before and a headache that made you want to rip your own eyeballs out. 

You hated Max Verstappen even more when he woke up, seemingly unbothered by last night’s consequences. 

“I mean, I guess I feel a bit tired,” he told you as he shrugged, fighting back his yawn whilst you tried to fight the urge to rugby tackle him to the floor so he felt something. 

Daniel wasn’t worried when you didn’t return to the hotel room that night. He knew you were with Max, and he knew you were safe with him. What he wasn’t expecting was the state you arrived in with the Dutchman when you finally made it to the paddock. 

You had one of his Enchante hoodies engulfing you, sunglasses over your eyes and a scowl that would’ve scared off the children in the paddock if they even caught a glance of you. 

Daniel pressed his lips together, trying to bite back the grin that wanted to spread across his face. “Rough night?”

“Shhh, your face is too loud,” you grumbled, a crease forming between your brows. 

He couldn’t hold back his laugh this time, muttering an apology when you winced at the loud, boisterous sound. Instead, he pulled you close to him, wrapping his arms around you whilst you tried to hide your face in his chest.

“I hate him,” you mumbled into his shirt.

“I know you do, sunshine,” he murmured and pressed a kiss to the top of your head, before giving your ass a sympathetic pat. “It’s cute that you think you can out-drink him whenever you go out.”

“It’s his fault,” you said, not lifting your head as your arms slid under his shirt before you wrapped them around his middle.

“And how’s that?” 

“He makes bets,” you huffed out. “Dickhead. He rigs them. I just know it.” 

“You’re adorable,” he murmured with a grin before he gently pulled you back until he could see your face. His face instantly lit up and he gently cupped your cheek, his other hand resting on the back of your head. “C’mon, let’s stuff you with some carbs and get you feeling more human.”

“Coffee?” you whispered hopefully.

“I’ll grab you some,” he smiled before leaning down to press a chaste kiss against your lips. “The last thing we need is Christian seeing you like this.” 

“You’ll protect me,” you muttered. 

Daniel’s grin widened. “Hell yeah, I would.”

.

[wheatnoodle]

part 3 :)

read part one and two

—

july 13th, 1989. it was on a pure gut feeling alone that max was biking to loch nora at just gone 9:30pm.

steve had dropped dustin off earlier at the arcade, around three in the afternoon, but an hour in, walkied to let him know mrs. byers would be driving him home. dustin whined and complained into the receiver, only to get short, tired answers from the older teen, and shortly after that, silence. he switched it off.

he’d been doing that quite a bit lately. shutting off. shutting up. shutting down. he’s putting space between himself and the rest of the world. but this time felt…different. it felt wrong, even. and so, max’s scores dropped. she lost at pac-man four times. and she’s barely got even thirty tickets.

she can’t focus. even as she skates home, her brain is heavy with concern for her friend. for her brother. she pushes her food around on her plate at dinner, stares blankly at the table while her mom- while susan cracks open another beer. her homework stays in her backpack and she lays on her back on her bed, searching for advice in the ceiling.

and so she waits until 9:15 rolls around and she hears susan crash on the couch. then max is up and toeing on her shoes, stepping out of her room. she grabs her bag, shoves in two cans of chicken noodle soup, and sneaks out the front door.

she really shouldn’t be riding her bike when it’s this dark out, her glasses only helping in the daylight. but she pushes forward anyways. she has to. she makes it to his house in no time and parks her bike next to the front door.

unlike dustin, max rings the doorbell. few seconds later and the door cracks open about a foot. god, he looks…awful.

“hey, kid. um…’m sorry, but now’s not a good time,” steve slurs as he speaks, runs an uncoordinated hand through his hair that’s so messy it looks like he’s been yanking it all night. her eyes focus in on the red splotches in his cheeks, tear tracks illuminated by the porch light. his eyes are red rimmed and puffy, making them even bigger, even browner. the neck is stretched out in his shirt, the scar across his throat an angry red with scratches up and down his skin. sweatpants slipping just slightly down his hips and showing off more scarring.

“actually, it seems like now is the right time,” max says softly and nudges her way inside. there’s empty beer cans on the floor, couch pillows and throw blankets strewn everywhere.

“sorry ‘bout the…y’know. the mess,” he mumbled and gestures vaguely to the living room. she turns to face him, takes in how exhausted he seems, how he curls in on himself.

her backpack hits the ground and max walks forward, throwing her arms around his neck and holding on as tight as she can. it takes a few seconds before he hugs her back, burying his face in the top of her head. she’s not even the slightest bit grossed out as she feels fresh tears in her hair. her heart clenches.

“I brought soup,” she says into his shoulder. it gets a weak laugh into her hair and she pulls back with a little smile. “i’m gonna go make that, ‘cause i didn’t eat and i don’t think you have either. i think you should come sit at the table while i make it because quite frankly, i don’t trust you to not fall down your basement stairs.”

he nods a bit, cringing at the pain in his head. “fair enough.”

she’s made dinner and cleaned up for her drunk mom plenty of times, it’s like second nature. but this time, it doesn’t feel like a chore. like something she has to do. she wants to do it. she wants to take care of him. she’s helping. he needs a friend, and she is here. just like he always is for her.

it’s silent while they eat. comfortable silence. and soon enough he’s sipping on a hot tea and she’s doing her homework across from him.

“did i ever tell you about the russians?”

she looks up when he breaks the quiet. his voice is scratchy, dry from all his tears. “hm?” she hums, pushes him to elaborate.

“the russians. at starcourt,” steve says casually, like he’s talking about the weather. it happens so often, it might as well be. she puts her pencil down.

“no. do you want to?” max asks. her full attention is back on him. the bags under his eyes are so dark.

“yeah. it’s heavy shit though, so you don’t have to hear it if you don’t want to.” it blows her mind that even in such a state, he offers her an out. he lets her know that he puts her above him.

“tell me about it.” she’s sure in her words. she’s grown too quickly. wise beyond her years. it breaks his heart.

“you know the mall was just a front for the russians and their gate to the upside down. i won’t bore you with how we got there, but we ended up in their like…lab, bunker thing? in like…the basement?” his brows are scrunched and he’s staring straight into his mug, playing with the teabag string. “and…and they saw us. me, robin, dustin, erica. god, i can’t believe i got those two involved-“

“you wouldn’t have been able to stop them if you tried. you know that,” max interrupts him. she knows how stubborn those two are. she also knows how undeniably loyal they are as well.

“yeah…yeah, i know. but…anyways, they saw us. and we’re getting chased by russian soldiers through this underground lab and i’m dressed like a fucking sailor with nothing but an ice cream scoop in my pocket.” max snorts at the memory of his old uniform. (though of course she can’t help but miss the shorts.) “yeah, yeah, laugh it up.”

“i’m sorry, i’m sorry. go on.”

“okay. so they’re chasing us, and we make it through this door. we get is shut and luckily, there’s this like hatch in the floor. and robin and i are using our whole body weight to hold this door closed. they’re pounding on the other side and it’s so loud. i’m yelling at the kids to go down that fuckin’ hatch. dustin just stops. looks like he’s gonna try and stay back. if i could kick him down that hole, i would.

“finally, the kid goes down and it’s at just the right time because they open the door. i don’t know what they did to robin, yelled at them not to hurt her, but they grabbed me and i’m being…dragged to this room. at some point they get cuffs on my wrists and the bench in this room is metal and it’s so, so cold. and they shut the door. big, heavy fuckin’ door. there’s two dudes there.” he pauses, shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“steve…you don’t need to it it’s too much to think about,” max says, reaches her leg across and kicks his shin. he looks like he’s been going back to that room tonight.

“no, ‘s fine. gotta at some point,” he shrugs. “anyways, they start asking all these questions. they start with like, how did you get down here? what do you know? how did you find us? and…and i keep telling them that it was a mistake, that like…our shipment didn’t come or some shit and we went to look for it. said the elevator fell. that wasn’t good enough. they didn’t believe me. and the other guy who’s standing there, he just starts…he’s…he’s just fuckin’…wailin’ on me.”

she watches with sad eyes as he mimics getting punched in the face, his own fist lightly connecting with his jaw.

“no matter what i said. and he’s…he’s asking me who i work for. i tell him the truth, tell him i work at scoops. fuckin’ ice cream, dude. might as well have been telling him the best joke he’s ever heard. the other one just keeps punching me. i can’t hear them anymore. i don’t remember when that happened, but suddenly my ears were just ringing and my eyes were so blurry, all i can see is my own blood. it’s all i can taste.”

his hands are trembling as he scrambles in his pockets for his pack of newports and a black bic lighter. when he can’t get it to light, she reaches across and takes the lighter, flicking the flame and holding it steady. he nods his thanks.

he pulls in deep, holding it in his lungs until it burns. “dude, i’m fuckin’ begging them at this point to just kill me. i can feel the bones in my face just like, breaking every time he punches me. at some point, i pass out. finally, y’know? in the back of my mind, i’m hoping i’m dead. and then i wake up! tied to a chair! and to make things worse, robin hasn’t gotten away because she’s tied to my back. and after i get the life beaten out of me, at some point she reminds me what an asshole i was. which sucked, i was already hurting. then they gave me the ol’ mad max.”

“the what?”

“needle in the neck with some random drug.” a hand covers her mouth. she can feels tears in her eyes that she tries to blink away.

“holy shit…who- who knows about this?” max’s voice shakes as she speaks. she wants to reach out, run her fingertips over the barely there scars. she pulls the sleeves of her sweatshirt over her hands instead (it’s two sizes two big since it’s technically not her’s but it’s been a hard night and he’s dead, so he can’t tell her not to take it anyways).

“hm…robin, dustin, erica…now you too,” he says, staring off into the distance. she can’t get him to meet her gaze. “every time i close my eyes, i’m back there. i can’t fall asleep without dreaming of being there, or being…eaten…by fucking bats in another dimension.”

“i get that. every day i see that…thing killing him. i see vecna…taking his image and using it to hurt me. i’m hoping the memories from in the creel house don’t come back though,” max mumbles. steve passes her a napkin and she realizes she didn’t do as good a job holding her tears in as she thought.

“i hope you don’t remember it either,” he agrees. “i hate it here.”

“where? this house, hawkins, or life?”

“all of the above?”

“fair.” she nods, takes a sip of her neglected water. “would you leave?”

he doesn’t say anything. just takes a drag from his cigarette and taps off the ash in an empty cup. a look takes over his face. like he’s searching for the right words to avoid hurting her.

“yeah. in a heartbeat.”

she can’t be mad at him. she gets it. she loves the family she’s made in hawkins, but if she had the choice, they never would have moved here. “have you been looking at places? like…outside of here?”

“i…” he sighs. he knows he can’t lie, not to max. “i was lookin’ at this little place out west. it’s all the way out in california.”

max smiles then. bright and crinkling her eyes. “you would love it there.”

“yeah?” he chuckles weakly, clears his throat of the smoke.

“yeah. the sun and the water. you can be a stupid volleyball jock.” that one gets a real laugh out of him, one that’s got him slapping a hand over his mouth and her snorting at him. “but really. if it feels right, like leaving here will…will make life even just a little bit easier, do it. we’ll be okay. you have saved us so many times, it’s time you save you too.”

“max…”

“steve. it’s over. you can take a break from fighting for your life.” she watches as it all seems to click into place. something in his eyes changes and she knows he’s made his decision.

he writes down the address in her math notebook. tells her that if she’s more than welcome any time.

“i don’t know what to do about eddie,” he mumbles with a heavy sigh, his shoulders deflating.

her brows pull together and she looks at him in pure confusion. “what about him?”

“just…i dunno…” he says into his tea mug. she takes a second to look at him, squints as she thinks things through. and then she’s nodding.

“personally, i think eddie will wait until you’re ready. nothin’ wrong with needing to focus on yourself for a bit. besides, you can’t get into a special friendship with a special friend if you’re just gonna drag them down because you haven’t given yourself the time you need to heal from the shit the world dealt you.” max leans back in her chair, sips more of her water.

it’s steve’s turn to squint at her, glancing at her with faux disgust. “since when did it become you giving me advice? supposed to be the other way around.”

she smirks cockily, crosses her arms over her chest. “what can i say, i’m like, really good at it.”

—

they’ve gathered in eddie’s government present mobile home, everyone far too cramped together but nobody uncomfortable. dustin thought it felt like safe ground to break the news to everyone.

they’re sitting around, staring up at robin who’s standing in the middle of the room as she explains the events of the past few days. how steve had acted at the bonfire, to him no call no showing a shift and not answering keith’s calls, all the way to dustin letting himself in to the harrington household.

“…everything was just…gone. it was like he…like he never even…existed,” she chokes on her words, tears overflowing her large eyes. there’s a collective gasp amongst the group. nobody knows what to say.

max leans back on the couch, out of most people peripheral. there’s a soft smile tugging at her lips. proud and in disbelief. he really did it. he chose himself for once.

she looks over to eddie, sitting on the other end of the couch and separated by lucas on the middle cushion. his eyes are wide, every single emotion running through his face until it settles on one.

realization.

slips into another.

desperation.

he will be there when steve is ready.

—

taggie waggies:

@wonderland-girl143-blog @callme-keys @biatcgh @kgne-k @hagbaby420 @24-7shipping @coolestjoy30 @emly03 @v3lnys @sirbackpains @imzadidragonfly @definitely-not-cereal-og @alienace @starlight-archer

[panandinpain0]

Can I request a shy Leo x shy male reader, where they both have a nice sleep over together alone, and then the reader timidly asks Leo what kissing feels like, and Leo says that he doesn't since he never kissed anyone or know how to kiss, and the reader say the same. So Leo nervously asks if they could try it together, and the reader agrees, and they both bashfully try it together at the same time on 3?

First Kiss

Sure! And thanks for requesting <3

(I'm just gonna assume you mean Rottmnt Leo, sorry if you meant 2012 Leo)

(Rottmnt/Tmnt 2018) Leonardo x Male!Reader

Key: (Y/N/N) = Your Nickname

I made the reader an only child to make the situation of going to the sleepover easier. Both reader and Leo are 15, which is a year older than Leo really is (according to google) but I like to stay consistent.

Warnings: Kissing

Future Max Note: I actually hate this- like a lot 😅 Maybe I should've humanized them or something, but here it is nonetheless because you requested it <3

--

"MOV-IE NIGHT! MOV-IE NIGHT!" Raph, Donnie, and Mikey chanted as they walked towards the exit of the lair, blankets and pillows in hand as they planned their way to April's house.

"Hey guys, I've already seen that Jupiter Jim movie loads of times," Leo said casually, standing with one hand behind his back, the other scratching the back of his head.

"We all have," Donnie pointed out, the three looking at their brother with concern.

"Yeah, well, I'm also not... feeling well..." he trailed off with wide eyes, fake coughing into his hand.

The three brothers shared a look and then shrugged.

"Okie dokie- we'll tell April you can't make it. We're making you come next time though." Mikey's kind face settled into an intimidating stare before he smiled again and waved. The brother's left the lair and Leo rushed to their shared tablet.

He clicked on (Y/N)'s face and it started ringing.

(Y/N) face popped up on the screen, showing them laying on their couch with messy hair and pajamas still on, seeing as it was the weekened.

"Hey Leo!" he greeted with a smile, waving his hand at the camera as Leo's face popped up.

"Hey (Y/N/N), wanna have a sleepover?" Leo asked casually, wanting to spend more one-on-one time with his crush. Not that he didn't love his brother's, but anyone could understand wanting to have alone time with their shared friend.

"I should be able to! My parent's just left on their trip, they'll be back in a couple of days," (Y/N) explained as he stood up from the couch. "It might take me a minute to get there though, seeing as I don't have any car to drive."

"Don't worry about it, I can just portal you over!" Leo said with a smirk.

"Leo, are you sure it's a good idea to use the portal on such trivial things?" (Y/N) asked hesitantly, not wanting Leo to get in trouble because of him.

"It's no problema!"

"If you're sure..." (Y/N) bit his lip.

"See you soon!"

Leo hung up the call and picked up his sword, making a portal in front of him. He stepped into it, and appeared in (Y/N)'s family apartment, watching (Y/N) walk out of the bathroom while brushing his teeth. (Y/N) waved, not even attempting to smile with the toothbrush still in his mouth.

Leo waved back, waiting for him to be done while he looked around the apartement.

"Okay, let's go!" (Y/N) said as he slipped his feet into the slippers by the door, turning back to Leo with his still-ruffled hair and a pillow with a blanket in his hand.

Leo wrapped an arm around (Y/N)'s waist and made a portal, both teens sporting a blush as Leo helped him through.

They were back in Leo's room, which seemed to have been cleaned.

"Wow, I think this is the nicest I've seen your room!" (Y/N) teased, looking around at the made bed and clean floor.

"Not for long!" he shouted, pulling the blanket off the bed and onto the floor.

The two laughed and joked as they set up a huge nest-looking blanket pile on the middle of the floor.

Then the two sat in the nest for a few hours, eating snacks and watching movies on the tablet set up in front of them. Eventually they tired themselves out after Leo chased (Y/N) around the base one-too-many times, and were both laying on their backs under a blanket, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Leo?" (Y/N) whispered, sitting up playing with the edge of the blanket.

"Yeah?" he whispered back, also sitting up.

"What does it feel like to kiss someone?" (Y/N) timidly asked, bashfully looking down at the blanket with a blush on his face.

Leo blinked in surprise, his face tinting pink. "I- Well, I wouldn't know."

"Well, clearly I wouldn't either," (Y/N) awkwardly laughed, finally making eye contact with Leo. The two chuckled quietly, not looking away from each other.

"We could... well, I don't know." Leo swallowed his nerves before taking a deep breath and looking back up at (Y/N). "Maybe we could try together?"

(Y/N) took in a breath, nodding as the two moved closer to each other.

"On three?" (Y/N) whispered, their faces inches apart.

"On three," Leo confirmed.

"One," they counted together. "Two..." Leo brough his hand up to cup (Y/N)'s cheek, (Y/N)'s hand holding his wrist. "Three."

They leaned in at the same time, nose and beak awkwardly bumping before (Y/N) tilted his head to the side, the two kissing slowly. Both inexperienced, the kiss was small and awkward, but they enjoyed it nonetheless. Leo could feel the heat of (Y/N)'s face under his hand, (Y/N) grabbing his neck and deepening the kiss.

Soon they pulled apart, their faces bright red as they smiled at each other.

That night they fell asleep together in each other's arms.

End

--

This was so weird to write- I def think any more intimate ones like this I'll be humanizing them because- not that they don't deserve love as turltes! It's just... weird. DO TURTLES EVEN HAVE FUCKING LIPS???

-Author Max <3

[lefetellc]

I got lazy and I didn’t wanna draw Eerie (that dumb idiot can sleep on the floor—)

ANYWAY sleeping headcanons, except— its from me so like

That technically makes it canon, doesnt it

Fuck

ANYWAY + Room HCs because I thought it’s be fun to just, blehh :P

Oc bedrooms:

- Eerie

He’d have some musical instruments/equipment laying around n collecting dust

Also with some old 2000’s and late 1990’s posters as well (maybe with some old movies as well) he’d probably have tons of obscure bands saved to a playlist as well

He’d also have a horde of Illegal stuff just hidden in his closet n whatever

Plus, he’d probably have a stack of dishes/dirty laundry hanging in a corner of the room

- Cherry

He’d be MAXXING OUT all the space he has in his room with cutecore n edgy stuff (he’s really a mixed bag between cute and edgy/punk)

He’d have a cute teddy bear in one corner then a realistic skull poster next to it

(Is the type of person to have a whole shelf of knick-knacks and his fav stuff, usually cutesy)

His room would be much cleaner, but he’d have tons of hair from his siblings coming in + shedding(?) i guesss……

- OPAL

Oh brother……… For Opal, his room would be a complete blank canvas

Its devoid of a human touch, except for the occasional book or dirty shirt

He’s not the type of person(currently) to collect memoriable/ old items like Cherry and Eerie

His space would probably smell like dust, or perfume

But to be fair, his room would be the most cleanest out of the two, so likley just perfume

(Is the kind of person to casually live in tiny, cramped spaces — would be really restless and if his room is appealing/clean enough for any guests or viewer)

[whimsicalcotton]

https://www.tumblr.com/whimsicalcotton/754357180408430592/httpswwwtumblrcomwhimsicalcotton754291483902

Same anon (Angst on the Radio Anon)

Oh Wolf — Goddamn. I've always had it in my head that Chloe punches way above her weight because she just wants to feel something, that song fits this perfectly. She can bark AND she can bite but she'd never do the latter except if she had to. Music vid hits different in the context of LiS too, if you take the ghost as Rachel (because everybody only gets together at weddings and funerals, and Arcadia Bay ain't exactly the place to hold the former)

Cross My Heart — I love how it could be EITHER about Max or Rachel. As much as Chloe plays at being this lone wolf, I think she wants a pack of people to lean on. The song is like a super casual way of saying “please god save me”. Loving the acoustic guitar paired with the raw vocals because it projects power and hides said cry for help

Tongue Tied — "I loved you then and I love you now" is both Chloe on Monday and Max on Loop #576 going on #834.

Cornflower Blue — I keep thinking about E2 and the train, and this quote from Mr. Robot about how “a bullet to the brain is peaceful in its own right”. In that first loop, that train was probably the worst way that Chloe ended up dying, but now it’s like… how much else has she seen, to the point now it's like “as long as I get to love you and have you around, that would not phase me”? And "I want to lay on the kitchen floor with you / I want to do all the things that lovers do" in THIS context? Reads less like "Oh this would be nice", more "I cherish peace with all my heart. I don't care how many men, women, and children I have to kill to get it." Max, you don’t even need therapy at this point, therapy needs to STUDY YOU.

Holy shit, excellent choices. Just found two more for Max now that I’m thinking about it:

Bloody Shirt (Bastille Remix) — To Kill a King (Max Caufield, "light the match and curse my name" era, https://youtu.be/P00kfamddrI?si=zvs7vg2xt4irFxPJ)

The Shepherd's Boy – Murray Gold (if you know, you know, https://youtu.be/fXo47CIUuFg?si=tjpax1QbOvmF1Rf0)

This is fun!

glad i could share the absolute gut punch that is Cornflower Blue with someone bc it Haunts and Torments me <3

tbh the entire second verse wreaks havoc on my brain. like. "the days they fly like trains go by / i'm on my way home to you / and i think about if they ran me down, baby what would you do?" + "in the morning i'll love the mangled bits of you / i'll love you when your lips turn cornflower blue" + "i love you til i wear you out / then i love you more'' oughghghg. tfw you're a creature of desperation & longing and your greatest work of art is suffering untold horror ad nauseam in the name of protecting someone you love <3 as you so wonderfully put it Max doesn't just need therapy anymore therapy needs to study her <3 <3 <3

also "I loved you then and I love you now" is both Chloe on Monday and Max on Loop #576 going on #834. you Get me. you Understand me

also also, real footage of my reaction to seeing The Shepherd's Boy

[pinkiepiebones]

do you perhaps have any more thoughts about copia getting teased by his students for his ghoul bf, back in his bishop days?? the mental image of copia bumbling around trying to keep said bfs identity a mystery is just soo cute

Copia set the chalk down in the tray beneath the blackboard and turned to face his students. "Any questions?"

Unsurprisingly, several hands shot up. The bishop sighed. Odds were good that the teenagers he was tasked with instructing were going to complain about his penmanship (chalkmanship?) again. It wasn't his fault writing on a chalkboard was so difficult. He pointed to one of the students. The student, Camilla, eagerly lowered her hand and asked,

"So who are you dating, Bishop?"

The small classroom rippled with giggles and murmurs. Copia felt a blush start to stain his cheeks so her turned his attention back to the board. "That is entirely irrelevant to the lesson."

"Totally relevant," a boy, Sebastian, said.

"You can tell us, we're your favourite class," another student, Maja, whined.

The blushing bishop erased some of his work and set about trying to tidy it up for readability.

"I heard he's with a ghoul" a girl said in a scandalised tone.

The chalk made an excruciating squeal as Copia dragged it down the board. He dropped it in the tray and again turned to face the hoard of teens.

"And where did you hear this, Miss Cassandra?" he asked in the particular tone someone uses when they are desperately trying to appear at ease when they are, in fact, not at ease. He attempted to casually lean back but only succeeded in rubbing his writing onto the back of his alb.

The other students had turned their bodies- a few turned their desks as well- to see Cassandra. She loudly chewed her bubble gum as she spoke. "Okay, so, like, you know Brother Casper, right? Well, he said that Sister Max and Sibling Violet said that they saw a ghoul leaving Bishop Copia's dormitory in the middle of the night last week!"

The students "ooh"ed like a hormonal Greek chorus and turned their attention back to their teacher.

"Ghouls run errands," Copia said dismissively. "I had an errand that needed running."

"That's what she said" someone in the back of the room muttered loud enough for the class to hear. More giggles filled the class. Usually, Copia would have shot a stern glare over his reading glasses across the room, bringing an immediate silence; today he wasn't wearing his glasses and was too nervous to glare.

Another student, Azoth, raised eir hand. "Bishop Copia, is it the broken ghoul that everyone calls 'Special'?" The class filled with noises of disbelief and laughter, but Azoth cleared eir throat and added, "not that I'm judging you, sir."

Copia fiddled with the inverted cross on his chest. "Would it get us back on track if I were to reveal to you all the identity of who I am dating?"

The students nodded enthusiastically.

"I am dating a new guy," Copia said. "You haven't met him before. He just came here from another church." He paused. "In Canada."

Several students were visibly annoyed at this lack of a revelation. A few took notes, unsure as to whether or not this would be on the end of term exam. Cassandra rolled her eyes. "That's a really boring secret, Bishop."

Copia shrugged. "I never said I was interesting."

...

Later, Copia returned to his room with a stack of books from one of the libraries. Special was laying on the ceiling, listening to one of Copia's records.

"You're back! How was-" Special hopped down to the floor and watched Copia set the books down on his cramped little desk. "Whoa, did your students give you homework? That's fucked up."

"No, Spesh, this is homework for you." Copia handed his ghoulfriend a book on anatomy, and one on Canadian history.

"I might have told the students I'm dating a human from Canada, so study up."

Special tossed the history book to the bed and, after willing away his thumb claw with a bit of glamour, thumbed through the anatomy book. After an anxious minute, he spoke.

"Didja tell the students I had a name, or do I get to make that up, too?"

[toast-tales]

In the World of Monsters, P14

Read on A03  |  Chapter masterlist can be found here

All vore referenced is safe(ish) and soft, but not all willing.

As a plan starts to form for the human rescue mission, Danny and Christopher have some...casual breakfast conversation.

Open Wounds

Danny found her mouth watering when Christopher started cooking later that morning, anxious to see what else the giant could make. The smell of food got her mind wandering.

I wonder what I taste like, she thought idly, then shuddered a bit at the memories of Christopher's tongue wrapping around her body.

My line of work requires a...refined sense of taste, after all. What did humans taste like? Danny found herself morbidly curious, though she'd sooner throw herself off the table than ask Christopher about it.

She found her eyes wandering towards something that looked out of place on the floor—there was a small hole in the baseboard, oddly reminiscent of a mousehole but big enough for a human, and something that looked like a hole-sized door ripped off its hinges and laying next to it.

She gulped nervously, slowly connecting the dots. Was that...where his human smuggler had been staying?

"Hey. What's...what's that on the floor, exactly?"

"Hm?" Christopher looked up from cooking, following Danny's gesturing towards the hole in his wall and its now-defunct door. "Oh, that. That was where our little visitor from last night was staying."

"So he was staying with you," Danny said. "Do...is that...normal? Humans living with giants like that?"

He chuckled. "Well, clearly not, dollface. Considering human possession is illegal, even for people like your pal Nathan."

Nathan could have gotten...arrested for me living in the same house as him? Danny hadn't thought about that before. It made her a little angry, now that she knew about it. What, I can't live with who I want? What a load of absolute, stupid bullsh—

"But it is normal for dealers to pay their human...um...employees, with food and a place to stay. Max had a bit of an extended contract with me, so I made that for him a while back."

"You made that?" Danny asked, incredulous. She wondered between cooking, sewing, and apparently carpentry, just how many random skills Christopher had developed from his line of work.

"Yes, but—" Christopher glanced at the hole in the wall with disdain before returning to the pan in front of him, "even if you were your normal size, you probably wouldn't want to stay in there. It's kind of...let's say minimal." He smirked. "But if you want to be roommates, I could look into getting you nicer accommodations."

Danny scowled. "Bite me." There was a pause as she heard her own words play back in her head, and she felt heat rush into her cheeks. She looked in horror as Christopher, not missing an opportunity to be an ass, raised his eyebrows suggestively at her before laughing loudly at the humiliated, miserable expression on her face. Thankfully, he didn't supply any smart remarks himself and kept his focus on preparing breakfast.

Danny realized she'd never heard him laugh before...like, actually laugh.

Christopher placed the food on the table in front of Danny—separated onto two plates this time, and Danny ravenously started tearing into the smaller portion of scrambled egg. I wonder if this came from a giant-sized chicken. Do they have chickens here?

"So," said Danny, breaking the silence after having cleared her plate, her stomach now pleasantly filled. "Any news on an antidote?"

Christopher shook his head as he stood up, taking the two empty plates to the sink to wash. "The sources I'd normally go through don't have anything in stock. I might end up having to...widen my scope a bit."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, there's two different markets for human-oriented things. Both relatively secret, mind you. One being, of course, in regards to the...ah...recreational trade of humans, and the other being for the human sympathizers. The giants who live with humans, even though it's technically illegal to do so. As you can imagine, there's no overlap between those groups. And I'm a bit notorious in both, so networking might be...difficult." Christopher grinned, though it seemed a bit half-hearted.

"Well..." Danny looked down at the table, turning this information over in her head. "Doesn't that mean Nathan might know someone? Since he's apparently a sympathizer or something?"

"Possibly." Christopher sat back down at the table, but his eyes were looking past Danny as he tapped his fingers absently. "Though Nate doesn't strike me as being very...connected."

Danny felt a twinge of anger at hearing Nathan's name used so familiarly by him. "Don't call him that," she growled quietly. She'd heard Christopher call Nathan that a few times before, but considering she had always been in his goddamn stomach at the time, she'd never been able to address him about it directly.

Christopher looked genuinely confused as he brought his focus back to Danny. "What?"

"Don't say 'Nate' like you're his friend or something. Not after what you did."

"I..." Christopher stopped mid-sentence, glancing sullenly down towards the table for a moment. He looked at Danny with an emotion that sat somewhere between irritation and dejection. "He's never said anything about it."

Of course he wouldn't. She was all too familiar with how Nathan felt in general—no confidence, no self-worth, not able to stand up for himself...and it was pretty clear that's what Christopher had been able to take advantage of up to now.

She squared her jaw and looked Christopher right in the eyes, summoning all the resolve she had left. "Because Nate's a much nicer person than me."

Christopher looked like he wanted to say something, but Danny wasn't done.

"And just because you used to know him doesn't mean shit anymore. Because you're no better than the kids who used to beat him up on the playground. Fuck that, you're worse."

Christopher winced at Danny's cutting insult, but his head tilted in mild surprise. "He...told you about that?"

Danny scoffed. "Yeah. And he told me all about you, too, though I have a hard time picturing that. Funny how that happened, isn't it? Standing up for him like that, and then becoming a monster yourself."

The words dripped out of her lips like acid, flowing freely, but she felt a twinge of regret as she saw the way they seemed to cut right through Christopher's normally impenetrable facade.

There was a painful silence that followed as Christopher's dark eyes hardened, growing cold, and his mouth set in a firm line. He glared at her, his eyebrows lowering. He seemed...almost angry. She'd never seen him like this.

Fuck, did I...did I go too far?

She focused on maintaining her posture, crossing her arms with her chin up, refusing to back down now. She got an uncomfortable memory of the second time she'd met Christopher, where she thought she'd get herself digested to spare Nathan the pain of having to rescue her again.

Would he eat her as punishment? Hurt her? Shut her up for good in his stomach? She'd been so sure he wouldn't dare do anything like that—for Nathan's sake—but maybe she had gotten a little too confident.

Danny quelled the shaking in her limbs. Do your worst, bastard.

But just as soon as the cold look had come upon Christopher, it left. His eyes softened as his shoulders slumped, defeated. He let out a long, tired sigh, laughing softly. "You've really got guts, you know that? It's like you're not scared of me at all anymore."

He folded his arms on the table and laid his head down on them—clearly giving up on any attempts at appearing threatening. "But you're right. I messed up." He swallowed thickly as he stared at the table, then moved his eyes to meet Danny's. "And...I don't think he's the only one I've hurt, either."

Frozen in shock, Danny couldn't move as she watched Christopher sit up slowly, then take her hands gently between his thumbs and index fingers. This conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

"I'm sorry, Danny. I'm sorry for everything." He looked down at the table, unable to meet her eyes as he spoke. "I didn't think about you at all, or how you must have felt. I've never...never thought about it before. Nathan was right," he paused, his voice now low and nearly at a whisper. His body rocked back and forth slightly, and he let go of Danny's hands and let his own fall back to the table limply. "He was right about everything."

I think...that's the first time he's used my actual name.

Danny's hands clenched and unclenched into fists as she blinked, too stunned to say anything. She watched Christopher's chest rise and fall rapidly in clear agitation. She couldn't come up with an angry reply, but she definitely couldn't bring herself to accept his apology. She really hadn't paid attention to her own feelings, she realized—she'd been so wrapped up in defending Nathan all this time that her own hurt had been cast to the side, locked up and out of sight where it wouldn't touch her.

But now, now that box of misery started to creak open and reveal its contents. Anger. Terror. Fear. The claustrophobia, the disgust, the spine-tingling sense of dread she'd felt in the pit of her stomach when Christopher had threatened her life.

But those feelings weren't alone—now there was this terrible sense of...pity. Appreciation. Relief. Her feelings toward Christopher were too complicated to unravel, and she found her mouth opening and closing as she tried to formulate something to say, each sentence seeming woefully inadequate.

"I...still need time to...figure things out myself," she said in a harsh whisper, forcing the words into place. "But. Thank you. For the apology." Not forgiveness. Just acknowledging it. She lifted her face to meet his eyes, which were moist with the beginning of what looked like tears. And there it was, that stupid feeling of pity again, and despite everything she found herself adding: "I meant it when I said I don't think I hate you. I think...I can see...you want to be better. Just...keep doing that."

"I don't think I can trust myself to make the right decisions anymore," he said hoarsely, his voice now almost too quiet for even Danny to hear. He placed a hand on his forehead, clutching at his long hair. "It feels like...everything I've ever known is wrong. And I don't know...what to do about it."

Danny paused, wondering if this was the time to impart some actual advice. "Sounds like you need someone to give you a good kick in the teeth every now and then," she quipped, but without the normal bite behind her words. "Keep you on track."

Christopher smiled genuinely, for the first time since they'd made this unfortunate detour in conversation. "Yeah." He met Danny's eyes, looking at her...almost kindly. "You've been helpful in that regard. Thank you."

Christopher had said I'm sorry and thank you in the same day, to her, without a hint of sarcasm or...ulterior motives. Danny expected to wake up from this clearly nonsensical dream any minute now.

The tension in the air broke as Christopher let out a long, drawn-out breath and leaned back in his chair. He seemed to visibly relax. "Sorry for all that, dollface. I've had a lot on my mind recently." He looked pensively at the ceiling. "I don't think I've been that honest with anyone before. It's really weird," he mused, "because you've seen a side of me I don't show to anyone. When I was at my lowest."

Danny flashed back to where she had witnessed the giant on the verge of breaking down after he threw her back up, before he had put her in that drawer for the night.

"At the time, I guess I...well, I didn't really think of you as a person." He glanced downwards, averting his gaze. "But now...well, here we are. And you know how...how weak I actually am, how pathetic I can be...it's just strange, I guess." He closed his eyes. "But it's therapeutic in a way. Talking to someone else about it."

Danny scoffed, sitting down on the table. She felt utterly exhausted now from all these goddamn emotions. "Yeah. That's what normal people do. Just not generally to someone they've eaten before."

He smirked mirthlessly. "I expect I haven't won your forgiveness, have I?"

"No," said Danny, unsure of what forgiving Christopher would even entail. "But I'll kick you in the teeth when you need it. That's what friends do, right?"

...what the FUCK did I just say?

The word made Christopher's eyes glint with surprise. "Friends? That's...unexpected." He gave her his signature, stupid smirk. "Are we friends, Danny?"

Hearing her name once again stopped her mind in its tracks. "No. But I'll think about it, asshole—" She bit her lip, realizing that in this moment, maybe she could extend a small olive branch back. "...Christopher."

Christopher smiled widely, closing his eyes again, clearly unperturbed by her answer. "That's good enough for me."

* * * * * * * * * * 

Part 15 ->

Thank you for reading! 

[bifuriouswaterbender]

Steddie 86 (yes I know what I did.)

Send me a ship (or fandom) and a number between 1 & 100, and I’ll use my Spotify Wrapped as fic inspo

86- Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off - Panic! At The Disco

Eddie’d heard Steve say it to Dustin and tried not to take it personally.

“We’re barely even friends. I’m sorry about whatever you think you see, but it’s not there, Henderson.”

Right.

Eddie could totally buy that as he made Steve moan in his passenger seat, careful in the beamer the way they never were in the van. This had started with a little curiosity, but Steve never wanted to admit what it was.

“We’re fooling around,” Steve would say. “What else do we need to call it?”

Barely even friends. Fooling around.

Eddie knew he had two options. He could let Steve break his heart. Or he could make himself someone Steve would always regret letting go.

“Bet you’ve never had a girl make you feel like that,” he commented, innocently enough the first time he had Steve laid out across his bed.

As Steve breathed heavily, he glared meekly at Eddie. “You just want to be the best fuck I’ve ever had, huh?”

Eddie let out a laugh that was almost a purr. “Oh Stevie… I don’t have to want it when I know I already am.”

Steve huffed, but he grinned as he pushed Eddie away. Eddie’s own little jock to play jester for.

He slowly loosened Steve up, even got him to Indy where they could dance to each other in a room full of people who didn’t bat an eye about it. Steve almost relaxed too.

Perhaps it relaxed him too much because suddenly he was pushing Eddie against the wall after their Hideout gigs. “Think you can be quiet?” Steve asked, already mouthing at Eddie’s neck.

Always quick to catch on, Eddie flipped them around, grindind against Steve’s hips. “It’s not me you need to worry about.”

Still, he covered when Max found Steve’s sweatshirt at his place.

“He’s a sports guy,” Eddie pointed out. “They like layers. They also like shedding them. Are you saying you don’t appreciate those muscles on display, red?”

She’d blushed hard enough to change the subject. Eddie tried not to feel guilty about putting the image in her head.

He tried not to feel guilty about a lot of things, but he refused to let falling for Steve be one of them.

Eddie watched women at the Hideout unknowingly try to steal Steve from him in the middle of his own fucking set. It never worked. And Steve always looked up at Eddie after letting them down, biting his lip and trying to look casual as he took a drink. He was Eddie’s. Just fooling around, fine, but Eddie knew Steve was his.

He knew he’d hooked Steve completely the time they lay on the floor of the van, doors open as they looked out over the lake. Steve angled his head up toward Eddie and asked, “Do you ever wish things could be different?”

It was Steve’s fault they weren’t.

“Different how?”

Steve shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess… This would be a lot less complicated if you were a girl.”

Eddie raised his brows. “I couldn’t fuck you like I just did if I was a girl.”

Steve had the decency to blush. “Yeah, but… That’s not what I meant.”

“I know, Stevie.” Eddie took pity on him and pulled Steve closer, letting his casual lover snuggle in against his chest. “Don’t worry, sweetie. No matter what the world says, you have me.”

Steve could never get rid of him. Eddie hoped he never would.

[imtryingmybeskar]

Day 11 - Max Lord. Max Lord x Genie OFC

AU drabble where the Dreamstone releases a genie instead of granting wishes directly.

Word count: 687.

His office was a disaster zone. Books, papers and stationary lay strewn about the plush carpeted floor of his office. He had even shoved his expensive HP computer off his desk in his impotent rage and now didn't quite dare to look at it in case it was irreparably damaged. The only thing left in front of him now was the weird amber rock that was the cause of his frustration.

Why wouldn't this thing work? He had finally acquired the Dreamstone and for the past week had tried everything he could think of to activate its power. He had a trick in mind, a way to achieve ultimate power and save his failing business and reputation. And his relationship with Alistair of course. He wanted to give his son everything he had never had, to prove that his dad wasn't a loser, to make his little boy proud. But he couldn't do that until this godforsaken lump of crap did something!

Max sighed heavily and stood to begin picking everything off the floor. He was tired, exhausted really. He just needed some rest and then tomorrow he could-

He dropped the papers he had gathered with a yelp of pain. A glass ornament had been one casualty of his anger, and he had not noticed it's shattered shards mixed in with the other debris until it was too late.

Swearing under his breath, he held his bleeding hand aloft as he began to rummage in his desk drawer for a tissue, a bandage, anything to help. He didn't notice the blood that drip, drip, dripped on to the Dreamstone. Nor did he see the yellow glow that began to emanate from deep inside. Not until a sultry voice spoke to him from inches away did he realise that anything was amiss at all.

"Well now...that looks painful. Anything I can do to help?"

Max staggered back in surprise, the back of his legs hit the leather office chair and he sat heavily, his eyes wide at the sight in front of him.

A woman in full business attire was sitting cross legged on his desk as if it were the most natural thing in the world that she should be there. The Dreamstone was nowhere to be seen.

"What...who are....where is my-" he spluttered, and then he saw it. Her necklace. A perfect miniature representation of the Dreamstone. Could it be?

"You called," she said, a lazy smirk colouring her words. "I respond not to pleas nor prayers nor anger nor bargaining. Blood is the only payment for my time."

Max was quickly regaining his composure. He took his silken handkerchief from his breast pocket and wrapped his damaged hand in it before he could bleed on anything else. It was a shame to ruin the handkerchief, but if his plan worked such trivialities wouldn't bother him soon.

"And what does my blood get me?" he asked casually, not meeting her gaze as he fiddled with his makeshift dressing. "What power of yours can I command?"

He heard the smile in her tone as she replied. "I will grant you wishes, Maxwell Lorenzano. Three to be precise. That's the way these stories generally go isn't it?"

He looked up at her sharply, trying to assess anything he could about her from appearances alone. It was no good. Every time he tried to get a proper look at her face his eyes would slide away, like magnets repelling each other. He got the impression that she was beautiful, but where that impression came from he had no idea.

"The legends say-"

"Legends can be wrong." She bit off every word crisply and he felt a slight chill in the air that he swore had not been there before. "Three wishes. Three chances to change yourself. Your life. The world. Tell me Maxwell, what does your heart desire the most?"

"Who - what - are you?"

She smiled, and it was a thing full of invitation and malice. "Just think of me as your fairy godmother. Now come on. We have work to do, you and I."

@thisshipwillsail316 @prostitute-robot-from-the-future @elegantduckturtle @dihra-vesa @midwesternwitchery @just-here-for-the-moment @eri16 @readsalot73 @littlemisspascal @princessxkenobi @harriedandharassed @pagannightwitch @tentacruels @kirsteng42 @shirks-all-responsibilities

[ratralsis]

I keep looking for Tina. She slept under the recliner in my living room a lot, especially in the warmer months, and it was her favorite spot for the last month or so. So when I'd roll up my exercise mat after my morning workouts, or when I'd go to do my physical therapy exericses in the evening, she'd often come out from under the recliner and see me. In the morning, it was because she wanted food. In the evenings, it was because she wanted me to pet her.

When I worked out this morning, I kept looking to the recliner, even checking under it once, to see if she was there. She won't ever be there again.

At lunch, I packed her remaining thyroid medication into my backpack and walked to her regular vet, which is only a ten-minute walk from my house. The technician who greeted me said she was sorry for my loss.

"Heard about that, huh?" I asked.

"Lap of Love always calls us," she explained.

"Well," I said, and I placed my backpack on the floor in front of the desk. I retrieved four bottles of pills. Two were completely full, with 60 pills each of 5.0mg and 2.5mg of Felimazole, and the other two were partially empty. "Tina doesn't need these anymore."

"These are to be donated?" she asked me.

"Or disposed of," I said. I wanted to act casually, but I could hear in my voice that I was starting to choke up and cry again. "I don't care either way. But seeing them on my counter this morning damn near broke me. Max doesn't need them, and if he ever does, I'll buy more."

She told me again that she was so sorry for my loss, and told me to have a nice day as I turned to leave.

"Thank you," I said. "You, too."

Max looked for her, too, under the recliner. He sniffed the carpet around where she usually slept, paused, then walked away. It's a day-old smell of a cat whose smells are all at least a day old, now.

The box were Tina liked to stand when I played with Max is still there. Only Tina ever used that box. Max never did. Never does. Should I get rid of it? I suppose I should, eventually.

I slept for six uninterrupted hours last night, from around 10:30 PM until 4:30 AM, when Max woke me by laying down under my arm like he very rarely does. He doesn't like sharing the bed with Tina, you see. But he doesn't have to now. Now he finally has me all to himself, and he's taking advantage of that fact today.

It was the longest amount of time I've ever slept in one go in this house, since I moved here in March of 2018 with the two cats. Study after study has shown that co-sleeping, either with pets or even a spouse, is terrible for your sleep. If all you want is better quality sleep, you're better off sleeping in separate beds and separate rooms.

But I'd trade every good night of sleep I'll ever get from here on out if it meant Tina could have stayed healthy forever and kept waking me up by clawing my face, demanding I pet her at 1:30 AM or that I roll off of my side and onto my back so she could curl up under my arm again. I can't say I ever got used to her doing that, but I did at least stop reacting by trying to hit her or grab her.

Let me be clear: she really did claw my face while I slept. She did it slowly and carefully, too. She'd lift up one front paw and gently scrape her claws on my forehead, or on my nose, or, once, she reached under my chin and scraped upward. That one surprised me.

She'd claw my legs when I sat at my computer trying to work, too. She wanted to be pet, or brushed, so she'd claw me. Sometimes she'd just sit and do nothing, trusting that I'd eventually pet her or brush her anyway. I could always tell when she came into the room, because she'd be licking her lips from having just eaten something or she'd sneeze or cough or otherwise make a disgusting old woman sound. She also walked loudly, so, even with earplugs in, I could usually hear her enter the room at night when I was in bed. She weighed 6 pounds or less for the last three years of her life, but she stomped her feet when she walked. She had an incredibly loud walk. I don't know if it was deliberate. I imagine not.

She was a terrible cat. She always smelled bad. It's one of the reasons I brushed and pet her so much. She stopped cleaning herself regularly years ago, when her joints started to ache. But I kept her clean enough that I really only smelled her if I brought her within an inch of my nose, and, really, at that point, it's my fault and not hers.

She had health problems for most of her life, starting with ear infections when she was only a few years old that left her with permanently sensitive ears. She had very large ears. They itched a lot, but if I scratched them, she'd always shake her head vigorously. In her last couple of years, she'd shake her head so hard that she'd lose her balance.

She'd drool, sometimes, when she slept. She'd lay her head down on me and when she got up there'd be a wet spot there. That, thankfully, stopped as she got older.

She would run and hide from me when I wanted to play or pet her, and only emerge again when she wanted to be pet. It made those moments when I could pet her or old her, or when she climbed onto the bed to sleep next to me, feel that much more special.

Before I even had a bed, back when I slept on a futon in an apartment with just me and her, she'd still walk back and forth over my body at night at least once or twice, purring like a gas-powered lawnmower. She had a horrible purr. It was this loud, wheezing noise, unlike any other cat I've known. I wondered for a long time if she was unhealthy because of it, before I decided that it was probably fine. She made it to 18 years old, so I'd say it was.

She'd wheeze and purr her terrible purr and it would lull me to sleep. I loved the sound of it. It meant she was happy. She was relaxed. She was never a high-strung cat, but she was easily annoyed, and hard to please. When I could make her happy, it was the best feeling in the world. The feeling of her resting her chin on me was the best that there was.

Sometimes, I'd be able to convince both cats to relax on the bed with me at the same time. I would think of those moments as the happiest in my life, even when they were happening. "This is it," I'd think. "Winning at bedtime."

I'm glad I had Tina in my life for as long as I did. 18 years is a long time, a good long time, and I don't have any regrets about it. I wish I could have had more, but I was already so greedy in wanting that much.

I dug through my hard drives and found these, which I believe are the oldest photos of her that I ever took, from January of 2008. She would have just turned two years old. This is pre-smartphone technology, here, folks. This isn't even a fliphone. It's just a slide-open phone with a shitty camera, but of the first twelve photos I ever took with a phone, four are of Tina. I still have this bed, by the way, or at least the frame. The mattress and box spring have been replaced.

Here she is from April 15 of this year, at her oldest and skinniest, sitting on the arm of my sofa for reasons known only to her. It's the best photo I have of her gorgeous eyes. The most beautiful eyes of any cat I've ever seen, even at 89 years old. They were the deepest, most brilliant shade of green, and it simply does not photograph right. Even in this photo, they look more yellow than they did in real life.

That was her, and how I'll always remember her: as my horrible, stinky old woman, who clawed my face and yelled at me when I had a food bowl in my hand because she wanted it on the floor and who purred like a chainsaw in my ear at night, and who had the softest fur and the prettiest eyes and who let me hold her like a baby, even though she'd always growl at me when I did that to her.

She was simply the best.

I'll probably share more photos in coming days, but I cried less today than I did yesterday, and that trend will likely continue, too.

Sorry to bother you twice about my dead cat like this.

Actually, no, I'm not. Fuck you. She was a big part of my life, and I miss her.

[tangiblejournal56]

9/6/11

In my attempt to ignore all exterior door slammings in the face of my efforts to find something to be happy about, I struggle, but manage to keep my head above water.  Despite a week’s worth of being ignored by the four of them, I managed to not reach that level of rage I’d met in my last couple of entries.  Even when they acted as though I were being a bitch after they blatantly stood me up & I stopped making any effort to hang out with them, still I did not yell in their faces, “Do you guys realize that NOT ONCE have you asked me to join you, nor was I invited on any of your outings, nor have any of you remembered my existence long enough to let me know you were all four going out of town, leaving me here alone in my obvious irrelevance & hurt, wondering what I’d done to become so invisible.”  Their complete dismissal of me, their indifference to how I would inevitably react.  Left me smarting, texting Posi Thom, crying when he’d respond “Come home.  We’ll get a place together.  I’m not nearly as cynical as I usually am lately, but I miss you like fucking crazy.  I’d never reject you!  I love you!”  How I’ve come to depend on his daily reminders that I do have friends, ones who want me around, who don’t forget my existence while under the same roof.  Sending me lyrics that make him think of me: “I hope that you’re happy & high as a kite, burnin’ up both ends & feelin’ alright, will we ever live in the same city again?  Where the sidewalks feel alright.”  Reminding me that, in all of his flaws, Posi Thom is one of my dearest friends, & can shine through like a balefire when I’m lost, when I need him.  No matter what issues we may face in our friendship, or how his admittedly tough-to-bear traits may frustrate me to a certain degree, I have this to remember, how he is there when I need him.  I miss him, to an awful extent.

Jennifer has gone back to Iowa.  Her last night here, she was falling asleep as I was leaving with Sammie to pick up Josh from work.  I told her to crash on my bed, & I turned to ask Jacob if I could again sleep in his bed, as I had for some of the past week.  He acted so mealy-mouthed & annoyed at the request that my blood reached a boiling point, & I gathered my blanket & pillow from his room, still in there from the night before.  I dropped them on the living room floor near where he was sitting, then walked out of the apartment, furious, feelings hurt.  After letting him sleep in my bed when Racha & Posi Thom were here so he wouldn’t have to take the floor.  After buying him dinner at Madam Mam’s that day, & packs of cigarettes & groceries & countless other sweet little deeds I’ve done for him.  I was so disgusted by this selfishness, this & the way he treated me all week being around Sammie & Jennifer, like I just annoy him, like he’s sick of me, can’t stand the sight of me.  Such a sharp 180 from just a week or so ago, & I was hurt & angered & spinning from it.  In the truck I texted him a sarcastic “Thanks a lot,” knowing he wouldn’t respond, wishing I could just tell him to go to hell.

Both he & Jennifer asleep when I returned, I lay in the dark & watching a movie when Max texted me, a song to douse the fiery anger.  He was full of unexpected unexpected kindness, compliments & encouragement, as if he knew it was what I most needed to hear at the moment.  We discussed my latest attempt at watercolor painting.  He said he hoped I stuck with painting, “You could be so great at it,” he thought.  Flattered by his encouragement, I sent him a picture of this latest attempt, a small painting across two pages of my little black watercolor journal, inspired by an old black & white photograph of Edie Sedgwick, her thin frame on a rocky hill, a fur draped over her shoulder casually, reaching across the abyss to these winter-dead branches, an ornate street lamp in the corner.  Inspired by Edie, wanting to be the mad girl painting her eyelids with watercolor, all energy & collapse.  Despite my going on about the picture’s rudimentary weaknesses & it being the first real attempt I’ve made, he complimented it, liking specifically the background & the street lamp.  Max not being one to pour out easy flattery, I felt like blushing, being the recipient of such praise.  He seemed genuinely concerned that I keep painting.  I loved him for this, for taking the wind from my rage, replacing it with this calm.

He asked me if I ever felt completely on the outside of all social groups, as though I would never fit in anywhere.  Told him wryly that I felt in touch with that emotion.  He wasn’t ready to discuss it, but he noted that’s how he was feeling.  We talked about going to art museums & reading all day, & when in Portland how we shall be able to make all decisions based entirely on self-centered ascendency, as we will not be encumbered by obligations to anyone.

Then sleep.  All through the day, like an escape.  When awake I ignored Jacob wholly, an iciness that would’ve discouraged anyone else.  He kept attempting, & I made it clear my total indifference to him.  I don’t think that I looked at his face once, even when it was necessary to answer one of his questions, & always monotone, always monosyllabic.  I was & am disgusted by him, I want nothing to do with him.  I can tell he imagines this to be one of my fits of anger, short-lived & unpleasant.  He has no idea.  I don’t have a single urge to speak to him at all, & could happily survive the next three months with minimal or no contact.  I don’t give a single fuck about what he thinks of me, & I am sick of finding out what stupid little acts of cruelties he’s capable of doling out, I want nothing to do with them.  I am embarrassed to have entertained any notions of a romantic nature towards him.  His callousness has left a scar on our friendship I don’t care to heal.  I am unforgiving, & I don’t care.  Few people have ever succeeded at making me feel like utter shit, & amid a time when I needed his friendship most.

[kandadiff]

Van Der Wulff : Searching for days

~

"Neither of them are at the BTS house." Katya's voice cracked on the bluetooth in Draven's car. She sighed looking at Hoodie in her passenger seat. "They said they haven't seen or talked to them since before Christmas Eve."

"Not even Hoseok?"

"He said he tried to call her yesterday around 5 but it went right to voicemail." Katya said. Draven felt anxiety bubbling again in her stomach. My phone had been off since 5 yesterday? Why? Oh she was going to kill both of us if she found us here.

She pulled into the parking lot of the large hotel and threw her keys to the valet while placing her phone to her ear and following hoodie into the elevator. "Okay, I'm at Damiens now. But can you check with Max?"

"On my way to him now- hold on thats Makayla." After a moment, Makaylas voice filtered over the receiver. "Hey Mic, Draven on the other line."

"Hey" her voice was lined with barely concealed worry. Which could only mean, her trip to GOT7's house failed to bring up any results. She confirmed as much a couple of seconds later. No one had spoken to us, Jackson did call you in the morning and said you sounded stressed but other then that you promised to come over for Christmas. "I asked if he heard anyone else in teh background but he can't remember." Makayla sighed "but now hes freaking out and he thinks we should call the cops."

"There might not be a reason too." Draven said watching the red numbers on the elevator ascend to the penthouse Damien resided in. The near spotless mirror that coated one wall of the gold colored elevator showed a distressed Hoodie looking back at her. She was listening quietly to what they were saying on the phone. "Hopefully I find these two idiots passed out on Damiens couch." Katya laughed, though nervousness tinted the laugh. Makayla didn't laugh.

"And if you don't?"

Draven ignored her question. "Makayla, Katya is going to max, can you go to Eds house? I doubt Adi is there but even if she's not, he has contacts with Negan. Maybe they are there."

"Okay." Makayla said just as the elevator dinged, indicating the girls were on the correct penthouse floor. Draven asked the girls to call her with any news and hung up the phone.

The bright red doors in front of her reminded her of a haunted house. The paint was shiny, enough that Draven caught her red tinged reflection in the gloss. She knocked-no pounded - on the door. Her and hoodie waited for a few minutes in silence until she did it again, ready to call Ed and ask for Damiens number herself. However, before she could dial the brits number, a very tired Damien pulled open the door. His hair was a mess, his skin was pale and his blue eyes bloodshot with hangover. He looked at Draven blinking a few times before he recognized her and invited them both in. Draven felt a tug of partial relief seeing lipstick on his neck and thin tee shirt. Maybe I was here?

"Coffee?" He asked motioning to a housekeeping cart holding a steaming coffee pot as they walked in.

"No." Draven said and Damien winced at her loud tone - though it wasn't that loud.

"Dre, I'm hungover as shit. Please" Damien said gruffly as they followed him into the living room. The girls seeing evidence of the party that happened here last night. A plethora of girls, in various stages of dress, were either passed out on the furniture or were quickly trying to find there stuff so they could do a Christmas walk of shame out of the prestigious building. Lines of white and weed lay over some of the coffee tables and liquor bottles were strewn haphazardly around the room. Damien moved toward the attached kitchen walking over a nude girl who's hand was in a sleeping Austin's pants.

"Listen," Draven nearly tripped over some girls platform heels and grabbed on the counter for balance. She could feel her patience leaving her body watching Damien casually open the fridge and take out a bottle of orange juice. "I'm looking for Kay and Adi? You know where they are?"

"How the fuck would I know? I was busy yesterday if you can't tell." Clearly, he was still bitter about Hawaii. "I can't babysit every girl I've ever fucked, that would be a big list. Maybe she was here?" He shrugged "I don't know." He took a long sip of the orange juice.

"My fucking god!" Draven grabbed his collar and shoved him against the fridge. "I know your stupid fucking feelings are hurt because of stupid fucking shit but we can't find her or adi! So either you answer my goddamn questions or I will beat you bloody with that bottle of orange juice!"

"What the fuck is happening?" That voice came from Tatianna. Like Damien she was in a similar state of undress (just in a long tee shirt) and in her hand was a steaming mug. "What the fuck, Draven?"

Draven slammed Damien into the fridge again and let him go. He slid down and looked up at her shocked. "Where's Xavier?" Draven asked moving towards her. Tatiana was unfazed.

"I'm not telling you shit if you're coming in here with that angry energy."

Draven glared at her. "Wheres adi?" She asked though she wasn't talking to anyone in particular. Instead, she decided to look herself. Barking orders to Hoodie to check the other rooms.

"What are you doing?" Tatiana shouted and Damien got up.

"What do you mean you can't find them?" Damien asked standing up as Draven and Hoodie looked in the many rooms. "Xavier isn't here. He went to see her! and Robin spoke to Kay like last night." Draven stopped where she was and looked back to Damien. "So calm down with your angry shit!"

"Where the fuck is Robin?"

Robin was in fact smoking in one of the guest rooms. The cool winter air from the open window instantly chilled them as they walked into the room. He was confused to see them but not unpleasantly so. "Merry Christmas." he smiled.

"Yeah, yeah" Draven pushed past Damien "Have you seen Adi? or Kay?"

As it turns out, Robin did speak to me at 3:44 in the afternoon yesterday for seven minutes. He claimed I told him I would be see him for Christmas. His phone proved it to Draven who was getting more and more suspicious of the band. "She said she was going to be here around like 6 or 7. After she could get away with her parents." He thought for a moment. "Maybe she's with her parents or Negan, if you checked everywhere else." his thoughtful look suddenly fades. "Maybe she's left again?" his tone became somber and melancholy. "Left me again."

"She does that." Damien offered bitterly.

"But Adi doesn't." Hoodie said simply "And we still haven't talked to Xavier."

"Okay" Tatiana threw up her hands "What are you blaming him for exactly? That hes spending time with his girlfriend?"

"Except at like 4 in the morning I got home and he was in her room without her! and you idiots were too high to know if she was here whenever he got back!"

"He wouldn't do anything to her." Tatianna challenged her.

"Like he would never hit her?" Hoodie countered and a silence overcame them until Tatiana shook her head.

"She could be with her father family or with Negan if she's not with Xavier."

"Then lets look." Draven said simply. "Who knows the way to Negans house?"

"I'm not going there." Damien shook his head.

"I'll go." Robin said putting out his cigarette. He looked at Tatianna "You go find Xavier."

"I'll go with you." Draven said looking at Tatianna who just shrugged.

"Want to come with me?" He asked Hoodie and she shook her head.

"I'm going to find her father." She said turning and walking out.

~

My parents waited for me all night to come back. Both full of worry as the early morning sun rays hit their Air BNB. They found my phone destroyed in the bathroom, Stefan reassuring her husband it was another one of my tantrums. "Its Christmas." She said while holding Daniels hand as they drove over to the car. "She'll get over it."

But their stomach sank when I wasn't there. Viktor, Katya's father, claiming that the girls were looking for us because we never came home. Daniel's mind moved to Robin and Stefani's to Negan. She grit her teeth in anger and shook her head looking at her husband. "She is spiteful enough."

"Our children are so rude." Gabrielle said to her on her second bottle of wine. Her entire mouth marked in red from the bottle she managed to finish herself. "We fly all the way here and they make us wait! On Christmas!"

"I think I know where they are." She said pulling out her phone and scrolling down her contact list. "I'll go get them."

~

Negan sat back on the leather sofa of the grand living room. The entire room filled with from floor to ceiling in colorful Christmas decorations which Draven immediately knew was due to Ellia. Negans family in various positions pretending not to listen to the concerned voices, Edward soon arrived as concerened as Draven having heard everything from Makayla. Draven quickly explained everything to Negan as soon as she could, not caring if his family heard. Robin joining in with the last time he heard from me. Mark sat by his brother listening intently, his mind taking down any notes he figured was important.

He listened without interruption, only when she finished did he speak. "Like I told Rio, Well neither of them came here. I wasn't planning on seeing them at all today. But-" he leaned forward thinking for a moment before looking at the younger crown infront of him. "From what I know, you sister" his eyes focused on Robin. "She does this from time to time. She'll resurface in a few days with a closet full of new clothes and a story about whatever friend she went to visit in whatever country. As for Arianna," he looked at Edward "she's probably with the boyfriend you can't locate."

"And if she's not?" Edward challenged. "Didn't you listen? Draven said her phone has been off all day. She hasn't called or texted anyone. No one has seen her-"

"Its not like her." Mark said simply. They looked at him as he pressed a few buttons on his phone. "Her father is at your house now, he hasn't seen her and Xavier isn't answering his calls."

"That motherfucker did something to her!" Edward groaned looking at Robin as though he was guilty. Robin glared at him. Negan glanced at Simon when the doorbell rang. His second hand man begrudgingly leaving the conversation to answer the door to a probably drunk Shawn and Camila.

Instead of Shawn and his annoying companion, he was met with a beautiful blonde woman, in an expensive feather trimmed coat and perfectly put together makeup and hair. She looked Simon up and down like he did to her. "I need to see Negan."

"And you are?" He asked though he knew. He has seen her at the talent show at Van Der Wulff Academy, in pictures on my various social media profiles and in the file he had given me as an early Christmas gift. Stefani Johanne Miyuki - Gasparetto, my mother.

"I think you know who I am." She pushed past him. "Negan! Negan!" Though annoyed Simon looked at her in amusement. The similar tone of voice reminded him of me - then it struck him. Should they be more worried?

"Maybe they ran off together." Adrianna shrugged. She stopped pretending not to listen to the group and turned toward her husband. "Romantic, no?"

"She wouldn't do that!" Edward snapped full of caged up rage. "she isn't stupid! Maybe Kalyn would do that stupid shit but not Adi, not even for spite!"

"Watch the way you speak about my sister." Robin growled at him. His hazel eyes burrowed into Edwards green ones. Negan nodded in agreement. He hadn't heard my mother calling not until she found her way to the room standing in the doorway like an ancient vampire.

Negan looked up at her and smiled. Like Simon, he recognized her - but even if he didn't, he knew it had to be my mother. The only other person that demanded his attention without fear of repercussions was me. He stood up. "Hello Mrs. Snow."

"Its Gasparetto" She said her Italian accent thickening at the sound of her last name. Robin stiffened at her voice and his eyes locked onto her. "Of course I would find the two snakes trying to corrupt my daughter." her blue eyes shifted to Draven. "Stay away from them sweetheart, they might try and coil around you."

"We don't have time for this." Edward grumbled.

"No, your right we don't." Stefani said. She walked through the room like a ghost, right up to the notorious mafia boss. "I'll be taking Kay and Adi and leaving."

"they aren't here." Negan smirked, though her presence was larger then life. In reality, Stefani was 5'1 against Negan's 6'2. He towered over her.

"Where are you keeping them?"

"Keeping them?" he chuckled "I'm not a fucking kidnapper."

"could have fooled me, what does an old man like you do with a young girl like her? Plotting something with her so called brother?" Her words dripped like poison. "And why do you need Arianna? Lying to her too?"

"We are trying to find them!" Robin spat at her but Negan held up his hand to silence him.

"I have never lied once to your daughter or Arianna." Negan said his voice booming in the room. "Don't get me confused with you." Her hand shot up and she smacked him, her ring making tiny indents on his face and Draven's eyes widened. Unsure what Negan would do, she quickly attempted to pull my mother away.

"Okay enough." Mark stood up. "We are all trying to find what happened with the girls. Mrs. Snow, doesn't Kay pull this all the time?"

"Not this time." She glared at Negan who was rubbing his cheek. His face serious. She knew he knew the reason and embarrassment flushed over her cheeks.

"In all honestly we should be focusing on Adi, she doesn't just leave." Mark said "We can ask everyone to send messages to Kay and whoever gets in contact with her can let us know-"

"She broke her phone." Stefani said and Negan smirked.

"Looks like she wanted to get the fuck away from you." Negan's words hurt her feelings but she didn't show it on her face.

"As for Adi Xavier is our best option to ask next." Mark said grabbing his coat. "We have to find him."

"I'm telling you, Mark." Adrianna said "I think they ran away together."

Having had enough of the drama Edward once again made his frustration known. "She wouldn't fucking do that! He hits her! He admitted to it in Hawaii!" He turned angry to robin. "You know its true and now hes missing and so is she! He did something to her! I know it! you know it too. Shit, your sister stabbed him. Maybe he took her out too!"

~

It took two hours to find Xavier. Negan gave Mark permission to use the cops on his payroll. My mother demanded to go with him but after her slap exchange with Negan she was sent home and Draven went instead.

It was 9 o'clock at night when the police arrested Xavier on suspicion of kidnapping. He was caught coming out of a cousins house holding multiple presents that were gifted to you.

In the interrogation with mark he claimed to have not seen either of us since Christmas Eve. He denied being stabbed, claiming the mark at the hallow of his neck was from an accident when he was a kid. He said he broke into your room to surprise you and when he saw all the gifts that were gifted to you he went threw them and decided to get rid of the useless ones. he also denied ever laying a hand on you and he was convincing to everyone but Mark.

"Don't worry." Mark assured a nervous Draven. Xavier was interogaated for 5 hours and Draven and Edward had waited in Marks office through it all. When he walked back in both of them sat up. "He's not going anywhere." Mark said sitting at his desk and signing some papers.

"You can only hold him for 48 hours." Edward said. "What happens after that."

"Thats if hes in for questioning." Mark said looking up at him. "We can hold him for longer on breaking and entering. She" he pointed to Draven with his pen "wrote that he broke in Adi's room at 4 in the morning. She caught him and he admitted to it. Hes a good liar but its only a matter of time before he fucks up and spills where he hid her."

"Are you going to keep questioning him?" Draven asked but Mark shook his head.

"We had to stop - I'm going to let him stew in the cell tonight. It will be cold and uncomfortable. I'll be here until hes ready to talk."

"And if hes not?" Edward questioned.

"Then you two need to go home. In an hour, a missing person report will be going out with Adi's picture on it. People like Xavier hide there deeds in plain sight, if he took her it will be obvious to someone. Your place" he looked at Draven "Will be swarmed with reporters by the morning. You need to get rest - Dwayne will take care of the press and he'll be keeping you informed while I'm here."

Edward nodded standing up but Draven didn't. "What about Kay? She's missing too."

Mark sighed. "Since she does have a history of just leaving - I can't put out a missing persons report-"

"What? Why?" Draven shot up "You're doing it with Adi!"

"I checked around Draven, there was a two week long vacation request put in for Kay at your school. It was granted by a teacher 3 weeks ago. She planned on taking a vacation so - hopefully she'll come to her senses within 48 hours and we can look for her if your still worried."

"48 Hours?" Draven felt her heart beating fast in her chest. This was wrong. Something was wrong. "Thats too long."

"Thats the rules. I can only rush it with Adi because we have a suspect."

"And because you love her." Draven mumbled but Mark heard it.

"Go back home. Get some rest." He ordered, "Good night."

"Merry fucking Christmas." Draven said walking out with Edward.

~