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jo-harrington · 3 months

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Standard Operating Procedures 1.05 (Eddie Munson x Store Manager!Reader)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: It's a normal Sunday night. You're just going over to have dinner, smoke, and listen to music. It's not a date. What could possibly go wrong?

Previous Part: Standard Operating Procedures 1.04

Warnings/Themes: AU where the Upside Down doesn't terrorize Hawkins. Reader works at the Claire's at StarCourt. Eddie works at TapeWorld. Mutual pining, alcohol and drug use (wine, beer, and weed), R has a minor panic attack while high, fluff, lighthearted smut (petting/groping/dry humping), minor angst, misunderstandings and miscommunication, driving probably a little under the influence, slight anachronism (slapping the bag)

Note: Big note for this one if you've read the most recent installations of SMVerse that I've posted...this is NOT in chronological order. SM and Eddie are not together in this one, we are rewinding back before Closing Time. This chapter and the next one are both a little longer and have been lingering in my head for quite a long time. Almost a year. So without further ado, please enjoy SOP 1.05.

You can find my masterlist here for more featuring our resident Store Manager and all of my other writing.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

---

Sundays were your favorite days, hands down.

They sort of always had been, even before moving to Hawkins. Now, though, you had an extra special reason why they were your favorite.

Sundays meant that you could be yourself after you clocked out. They meant standing in the mirror and wiping away the layers of glitter eyeshadow and scented nail polish off. They meant shedding the overly sparkly jewelry from work and the trendy clothes from the JCPenney or Madigan's Juniors department that were definitely cut for a teenage body.

No matter how young you still were, you just weren't sixteen anymore.

You could finally breathe a little easier.

No more Dress to Impress, no more preppy popular girl, no more customer service voice.

Sundays meant freedom.

Lately, part of that freedom meant walking out of the store, taking the most freeing breath you could, and walking right up to your crush best friend so you could spend those last few dying hours of the weekend together.

Shooting the breeze, laughing, and getting to know one another. Getting to really see one another.

Tonight, though, there was just this cloud hanging over you as you stood in the store's bathroom after hours and shucked off the plaid vest and fashionably unmatched skirt you'd chosen for the day in favor of a t-shirt and comfy stirrup pants.

Summer was over, school was back in session, and you hadn't gotten to see Eddie as much as you normally did.

Which, in the grander scheme of things, a lot of things changed with the new school year starting: a bunch of your associate's schedules changed, a few of them even left town for college, and business started to slow a little during the week for the first time since the store opened.

Still, you missed him.

It felt weird from practically seeing him every day to only seeing him in passing or on the weekends.

What if he didn't want to be friends anymore?

Well, that was just silly. Some remnant of fear about the fickleness of your friends memories in childhood. Besides, the first shift after school started back up, he immediately came running to your store and talked your ear off about the new kids that he forced to join Hellfire.

"God, they're such losers," he reminisced with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his lips. "They have so much potential. I can't wait for you to meet them."

Tonight though...

Tonight was like any normal night; you were getting together after the mall closed and picking up pizza.

However, instead of any of your usual haunts or shenanigans in and around Hawkins, Eddie insisted you come over to his place. Totally normal.

"And we can smoke," he added as an afterthought.

"You know I don't smoke Eddie," you reminded him. "My grandpa and his crackly lungs? I've taken him to enough doctor's appointments."

"Doesn't stop you from sucking up the air around me when I'm having a cigarette on break. No. I mean smoke. Reefer. Weed. Jesus, don't act ignorant Miss Goody Two Shoes."

"Excuse me," you choked. "How am I Miss Goody Two Shoes?"

"Because," he began with dramatic emphasis. "For all of your stories about garage beers and parties that your work friends dragged you to, you've never mentioned partaking in any sort of illicit substances. You're being obtuse on purpose or you're afraid."

You were caught like a deer in the headlights.

"I...I'm not."

And you weren't; it wasn't fear. It was just...inexperience.

Back home you were always careful, even when you hung around friends from school or work; with your overprotective father and uptight mother and two brothers who wouldn't hesitate to rat you out if they found out you broke some kind of rule? It would be over.

So you never got too wild at parties. Disheveled clothes could be straightened, and you could pretend that swollen lips were just a side effect of getting a little sick. You never drank more beer than whatever made you feel a little floaty if you weren't sleeping over at a friends. And you never smoked weed.

Ok so it was fear, in a way; residual fear. Just not the way Eddie thought.

"Hey, don't worry," Eddie said in the most understanding way he could. "You just tell me and I'll drop it, if you're afraid."

You wanted to tell him, wanted to explain it, but in a moment of reflection and wanting to assuage his worries, defiance got the better of you and you told him that you weren't afraid and it would all be fine.

You were going to be with him; you never needed to be afraid when you were with him.

Now though, staring at yourself in the mirror as you got ready to go and meet Eddie you realized you might have made a mistake.

Hanging out with your crush friend alone at his place? Fine. Sitting close on the couch as you ate pizza and listened to music? Cool. Drinking and smoking together, knowing that you got a little bit chatty when you loosened up a little bit under the influence? Uhm.

What could possibly go wrong?

---

The spread that you and Eddie had created was impressive.

Pizza and a six pack and red vines and...and...and...

Eddie was usually very thorough when it came to providing snacks or planning outings where you could get a nice little treat together. Tonight it was partially your fault.

You'd originally planned just to drive to his place after work and the pizza would be delivered, but he said that when he'd called to place the order at Lou's--large pepperoni and a box of cannoli--they told him that the delivery driver was out. Takeout only.

But then he also forgot to stop at Bradley's for soda.

So you offered to go to Bradley's while he picked up the pizza, and you might have gone overboard.

Soda and a box of wine and peanut m&m's and...and...and...

"And you say that I'm bad," Eddie scoffed as you walked in, arms laden with shopping bags.

"Excuse me, this is the once in a blue moon you let me pay for anything, I'm gonna take advantage of it."

Wayne was still home getting ready for his shift when you got there and he simply shook his head at your bickering with a fond smile, then pilfered a little of everything for his own dinner before leaving you both to it.

Once he was gone, the festivities began.

You were both overzealous, talking a mile a minute over each other about your days as you set up for the night. Eddie divvied out food--creating a plate that reminded you of the Peanuts' Thanksgiving feast, overflowing with multicolored candies and popcorn and pizza slices--as you took care of the drinks.

You were a little smug that you got to teach Eddie something during these little Sunday night not-dates for once.

"Where did you learn this?" he asked skeptically as you ripped into the cardboard box. "What even is Franzia? Sounds fancy."

"It is the least fancy thing you can get," you grinned maniacally and freed the floppy plastic bag full of pink liquid from its confines. "Honestly I should have thrown it in the fridge but it's fine. You can put it with some coke; it'd probably taste better anyway."

He made a face.

"I'll just have a beer."

"Oh my--Eddie! Live a little." You settled the bag on the coffee table and gestured to it. "You don't have to drink it...chug a beer, I don't care...but you need to slap it."

He huffed and shuffled across the carpet on his knees to settle beside you.

"Is this a Claire's thing?" he asked, he looked up at you through his bangs.

"No it's not a--well...no. It doesn't matter! My old store manager, Jen, made us do it whenever we went to parties and hung out at her place. It's fun."

"Why does this feel like a lie?"

You reached out and smacked your hand against the plastic, listened to the liquid slosh inside. He let out a long suffering sigh but gestured for you to go ahead and he settled on the floor as you squealed with glee.

Eddie popped the little tab on the spout and the cheap wine poured freely into his mouth; he maintained eye contact with you the whole time, even as he choked on the unfamiliar taste of the pink zinfandel.

When you'd hung out with Jen and your coworkers and friends, it was just...a silly thing. Now, though, it was just you and Eddie; you stood over him with the bag gently held in your hands over his mouth and his hand rested on your calf as he drank. It was tense and intimate and as you started feeling a little hot under the collar, you wondered if this was a mistake.

Regardless, when he'd had his fill, he shut the spout and raised his hand and slapped the bag so hard it soared out of your grasp and across the living room.

You both burst out laughing as it swished and sloshed with a pronounced glorp on impact with the floor, and Eddie collapsed against your legs as the giddiness got the better of him.

"Ok, that's better than a keg stand." He looked up at you and wiped a hand over his mouth. "Blagh...probably gonna need that coke if I have any more though. Your turn, sweetheart."

Then the tables were turned, but unlike Eddie, you stood toe to toe with him as he held the bag for you.

To avoid the tense eye contact, you kept yours closed as you pulled mouthful after mouthful from the bag. You almost felt a little smug; you'd always been good at this, despite how awful the wine burps were gonna get after. You knew Eddie's competitive nature--always seeing who could finish a blizzard from DQ first and giving himself a brain freeze in the process--so you were hoping to last a little longer, hit the bag a little harder, and get him to concede.

You counted down in your head and finally when you couldn't take the heartburn the wine caused any longer, you shut the spout and released it, ready for victory.

Of course, opening your eyes provided nothing of the sort.

Eddie stood there, inches away from you; his pupils were blown and he was breathing a little heavily and for a split second you thought to ask if he was ok.

Until he leaned a little closer.

Close enough where you could smell the laundry detergent and the general amalgamation of mall scents coming off of him.

Then you noticed that his eyes were locked onto…your lips?

Was he gonna kiss you?

You already thought…well…and in the van the other week? When he licked frosting off your hand? You'd thought...

Except that was the thing, you always thought, you never acted. Too stuck in your head weighing and judging the options and if you could just do something about it. If you could just lean forward a little, you could stop worrying and have your answer right?

And if it wasn't meant to be and things were weird? If he didn't actually mean to try and kiss you? You worked retail; you could bullshit with the best of them if worse came to worse.

Then you'd just pretend that your heart didn't ache from rejection for the duration of your friendship. You were already familiar with disappointment; this would be no different.

Alright, that's it, you weren't gonna chance it anymore. All the worrying you did back at the store was enough. You were just gonna kiss him. Just lean forward; just go. Just go. One, two...two and a half...

Eddie's eyelids fluttered a little bit, and your heart clenched in hope, until he leaned away and cleared his throat.

The wine bag was tossed onto the coffee table and Eddie gestured to the plates he'd prepared.

"So, pizza?"

---

Music was the next event of the night.

And the weed.

Funny how all of your anxiety over smoking flew out the window when you were anxious about something else.

Because you just couldn't get your feelings out of your head after Eddie walked away from a kiss like that.

Was it even going to be a kiss? Or was it just the awkwardness of your positions in that situation? Were you overthinking the overthinking?

On and on those thoughts spiraled.

Until Eddie said he was going to get his stereo to start your comprehensive education of metal.

"We really don't have all night Eddie," you said and threw a balled up napkin at him as he fiddled with his tapes.

"Ok, maybe not fully comprehensive," he held his hands up in surrender. "Nothing sounds better than vinyl and I have all of that at Rick's. And my mom's records. You wanna talk about classics? We've gotta spend a whole weekend there."

He put a tape into the slot and hit play and the room was immediately filled with guitar riffs and singing and shouting; he turned the volume down immediately.

"I've gotta give you the whole history sweetheart," he explained. "So you've gotta hear me too. This song's not so important...I'll turn it up when we get to the good part."

Of course, Eddie's music history lesson...started with him.

"Picture this," he said, arms waving as he walked over to his school things that had been haphazardly thrown in a corner of the room: a wilted canvas backpack, a black binder, and a dented metal lunchbox. "11-year old me, fresh after my mom's funeral and everyone she knew was coming up to us but I refused to talk. Wayne kept making excuse after excuse. But Rick, bless him, said 'gotta make him cry.'"

And on he went as he spilled the contents of the dented lunchbox on the coffee table and began the fine work of rolling a joint.

"Took me to the record store, let me pick out whatever I wanted. Of course I chose Sad Wings of Destiny because the art was cool. Little did I know that would change the course of my life forever."

You didn’t know what to focus on and that made you spiral a little bit further. The words, the music, his lips and his fingers as he followed steps that he seemed to know but didn't feel the need to elaborate on were all very appealing targets; the music and his story was what was important here though and you made the attempt.

He told his story in a way that only Eddie Munson knew how to—arms flailing, minute details, expressions and voices and everything you loved admired about him. He took a moment to swap cassettes and crank up the volume before he fell onto the couch beside you in a mess of cushions and limbs and hair.

"I would say ladies first," he began as he presented the joint to you. He then stuck it between his lips and continued talking around it. "But I'm nothing if not a gentleman and I need to teach you how to do this. It's a little different than cigarettes."

It was a comprehensive lesson and you'd gotten the hang of it quickly, but the proximity did nothing to help calm your nerves; Eddie's knee touching yours, his face and hands so close to yours as he held the joint to your lips, then one hand your shoulder as he soothed the cough that escaped you after your first hit, and finally the way he inhaled along with you as you took another.

Want burned in your lungs along with the smoke, but it didn't leave you when you finally exhaled.

You were very much looking forward to the light and mellow feeling that Eddie promised once the weed hit your system.

"Until then," he grinned and took another hit himself before dropping the smoldering stick into a nearby ashtray. "We just dive into the mind of the great Ronnie James Dio."

You rested back against the cushions and turned your head to really watch him; it was strange just...observing him. You had never done it like this before, close and quiet at this distance. Your time together was always spent with conversation and laughter, your observations and mental notes about him done in little snapshots as he moved through life like a blur.

Now you got to experience the simplicity of his presence in private and the addictive frequency that he emitted.

It was nice.

You watched the way his lashes brushed against his skin as he melted into the sofa beside you and closed his eyes. The way his plush lips pursed and then stretched as he hummed along to the music. You closed your own eyes for a second as he matched the sharpness of the lyrics with his voice, hushed and then shrill, and then hushed again.

And when you opened them back up to watch him some more, he was watching you and practically vibrating.

Your heart skipped a beat...

"Sweetheart," he reached out and touched your wrist. "You ok?"

Wait...he wasn't vibrating.

You were.

Then you noticed that your heart skipped many beats, then the beats suddenly tripled, and then it all slowed again, pounding harder and faster in your chest than you believed to be possible.

Did your chest hurt? Or were you imagining it?

It felt like the few times you ran the mile back in high school, but you hadn't run.

Had you?

Your legs felt like jelly. Your arms too.

So you must have run...but when?

No wait, you were forgetting something. Your chest, your heart, your lungs. You had to focus on them first, you needed them to live.

You tried to fix it all by taking a great gulp of air in--if you felt like you'd just run the mile, surely catching your breath would fix it--but you found that it didn't fix anything. In fact, you seemed to lose even more control of your body. You floundered, breathing heavily over and over, quicker and quicker to try and get a hold of yourself.

And the panic set in, unlike anything you'd ever experienced before in your life.

Your consciousness became untethered from your body and you sank deep within yourself. Like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. Only instead of a rabbit hole, the you that existed in your mind fell away from your eyes and deeper into your skull then out the back of it and into the so-soft cushions of the couch.

But this wasn't sinking, this wasn't melting. This was being buried alive.

You remembered Eddie’s taunting before, about being afraid of smoking. Why hadn’t you told him that you didn’t want to do this? Why hadn’t you told him you were afraid? You were a stubborn idiot and now you’d die here, buried amongst pilling fabric and lost change and lint and a few cheerios that were stuck between the cushions.

You would die here on Eddie's couch...

"Eddie!" you practically sobbed and reached out for him, remembering suddenly that he was there with you. Why wasn't he doing anything to keep you from sinking? "Help!"

"It's ok hey!" He grabbed your hands now and pulled you back from the void, hooked the tether back onto you and saved you from the depths. "It's ok, breathe. No, not like that. Slowly, deep breaths with me. In and hold it and out. Whoooooo."

You focused on the whooshing sound of the air that escaped his lips and you tried to make the same sound yourself. Over and over, slowly as he guided you.

"That's it," he smiled. "Good girl."

You slowly grounded yourself through Eddie, escaping whatever horrible clutches had just grasped at you. You began to feel better, lighter; more centered within yourself but…nicer?

Had that awful feeling been the high? Or was this?

Maybe everyone got caught by a demon when they smoked and then if they escaped they felt a nice light flutter and instead of a heavy beating heart that threatened to burst out of their chests, they felt...silly. Happy. Bubbly.

Like you did whenever you were around Eddie.

Only now it was better, and it was all getting better as he spoke to you and smiled and wiped at the few tears that had escaped your eyes.

Breathe in, breathe out. Good girl.

You kept breathing and staring at his lips.

Breathe in.

Lips.

Breathe out.

Eddie's lips.

Good girl.

You thought about earlier...minutes or hours you couldn't tell for sure...about the way Eddie leaned close to you and almost kissed you. All the worry you'd had about not being able to make a move because you were thinking so much you couldn't act. Here you were now, thinking again. When his lips were right there and you could do something about it.

With one last shaky breath, bubbly infatuation flooded your body; you smiled and said one final farewell to your nervous thoughts, and you surged forward. Your hands shook his away and grabbed at his face, as your lips slid clumsily against his.

Your noses bumped and teeth clacked painfully but it didn't quite matter because the sparks that emanated from your joined lips shot through your limbs and made you both feel tingly and pleasant. At least, you assumed they did for Eddie because he let out a sound that was somewhere in between a giggle and a moan.

But he didn't push you away; in fact, his hands clapped over yours and smushed them further into his cheeks.

He wanted you to kiss him. He wanted to kiss you. He...liked you.

It was a euphoric moment of joy and realization, but your need to put your lips on him outweighed that. So you tried again. Gentler this time.

Eddie followed your lead for a little while as you pulled him towards you; one of his hands found your waist as the other arm rounded your shoulders, and he became your anchor to prevent you from being buried by the sofa again. As thanks for his chivalry, you gifted him with soft caresses, quick pecks, and sharp little nips.

Your fingers developed a mind of their own, and seemed to love his cheekbones and getting tangled in his hair, although they couldn't quite decide which they loved more so back and forth they went.

The rest of you, though--mind and body--just basked in the kissing.

You were good at kissing; you liked kissing. And you liked kissing Eddie, more than you ever thought you would. Kissing under the light, buzzy influence of a beer or two was nice, and it might have been the weed or it could have just been Eddie himself, but this was nicer. Floaty and tingly and transcendent.

The music itself had stopped, but Eddie himself continued to provide the soundtrack to the night. Instead of guitars and vocals and pounding drums, it was a symphony of soft hums and sweet sighs.

Eddie, who often pilfered bites and nibbles off your plate and cited that he was a "growing boy," seemed to prove that his hunger was greater than yours the way he bit and nibbled at you too, appetite growing the longer you kissed. The pace you set no longer fed him the way he wanted and he started to feast a little more; that was a side-effect of being high, right? Hunger. Insatiable hunger?

His mouth pulled away from yours and started to explore your jaw, the column of your neck, the junction between your neck and shoulder. You let yourself get lost in the feeling of his attention, of his lips and hands as he gave and took, of the floaty feeling that settled comfortably in your limbs now, all the nerves of the day forgotten.

Before you knew it, your own hunger grew as well. You wanted him closer, needed more of him now that you had him.

You let yourself drift back along the pillows until you were laying comfortably and pulled Eddie along with you; one hand still lingered in his hair as the other fisted the collar of his shirt and got him right where you needed him to be.

Of course, you couldn't just take without giving as well, and as he settled onto you, your hips bucked up into him. You both moaned--savoring the proximity and delicious friction that his jeans and your leggings provided--and then giggled together as he collapsed on top of you, unprepared for the sudden surge of delight.

His breath fanned across your neck and jaw as he laughed breathlessly, and your hands caressed his head and shoulders fondly as you mirrored him.

He strained his neck a little to look you in the eye; his grin accentuated all the lines in his face, and for a second he struggled to form words. His mouth opened and closed silently and then he licked his lips to compose himself. The next thing you knew, his hand was coming up and squeezing one of your breasts with an exaggerated "honk" as he fell back against the other one and pressed his mouth to the swell over your shirt.

Back into the throes of unadulterated giggles you both went as he continued to honk and kiss and suck at exposed skin.

One of the highlights of the whole night was when he blew a raspberry against your neck; the feeling of goosebumps that erupted along your body and the spittle that sprayed across your skin would be a sensation you would remember and cherish forever.

"No fair," you whined and shifted against him again, both to protest the fact that you currently couldn't return the favor of all the attention he was giving you. Nevertheless, you treated him to the attention that you could, and you bucked your hips up again, only to be met with the feeling of him grinding down onto you.

Giggles began to mingle with desperate pants as he began to shift against you and settled into the cradle of your thighs; he grew harder and ground and rutted against the covered softness of you, faster and sharper, and your body eagerly responded, wanting to be as close to him as you could. As close as either of you could honestly fathom at this point, feeling too good like this to consider that there was more pleasure to be had if time went on and clothes came off.

Sunday nights together were truly gleeful and hedonistic, and tonight was no different. However, instead of snacks and arguments accentuated by the sounds of light-hearted talk and laughter, it was your writhing bodies and mingled breaths that took center stage; the two of you never stopped, only paused for your lips to smack wetly against one another, for your nails to rake through his hair and scratch against his scalp, and for him to grasp at your hips to pull you closer and closer as he drove you higher and higher.

"Eddie, I'm--" you broke away from him and keened, and he responded with a husky "uh-huh" and pressed his forehead against yours. Both of your eyes closed as you felt the pleasure building between the two of you, as he moaned and your toes curled...

As keys jingled in the lock of the front door of the trailer.

...and suddenly it was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over the both of you and you froze, all thought of completion forgotten.

Your eyes shot open and you stared into Eddie's panic-filled, pleasure-blown pupils. He shifted sharply and then paused, almost like a glitch, and then he was off you, across to the other side of the couch in the blink of an eye. You watched, dumbstruck, as he panted heavily to control his breathing, and he held his head in shaking hands.

"No, no," he muttered. "Shit. Shit."

You reacted quickly as the door started to squeak open--throwing your legs over the edge of the sofa to sit upright as your hands clumsily fixed your disheveled clothes--and Wayne walked in. You took the extra second as he grumbled at the threshold and fiddled with his keys to look at Eddie, hoping for some kind of...secret conspiratorial smile or...or heated gaze...just something but he refused to look at you.

Suddenly, all of the good feelings that had flooded you since the moment that Eddie had chased your panic away...they vanished. The sweet giggles and shared pleasure were gone; even the love bites you were sure Eddie had left behind stung instead of blissfully buzzed.

And in their place, an acute clarity of what the two of you had just done.

"You wouldn't believe the mess I walked into tonight," Wayne chuckled with disbelief as he finally shut the door.

No kidding Wayne, you thought bitterly.

"Some of the machines were down when I got there and it took a few hours to figure out the problem. Some rusted old part..." On and on he chattered as you spiraled, stuck in your thoughts once again.

You and Eddie, Eddie and you. You and your secret crush...had just...on his couch. You and your best friend, your only friend in town...got high and kissed and canoodled and now he refused to even look at you.

You didn't know if it was the weed again or if it was just you, but you could see stars in the corners of your eyes and you felt lightheaded as the panic settled back in. And it only got worse the longer you sat there and tried to get some kind of sign from Eddie, only to be left with nothing. Such a stark contrast from just moments ago where you were giving and taking and responding to one another so freely.

Giving and taking...was that really what it was? Or did you just...do this to him? Do this to the both of you? Effectively tank your friendship the way you'd worried about since the first time you'd hung out and Eddie had specifically said it wasn't a date?

You abruptly got to your feet and Wayne stopped his chatter and looked at you questioningly.

"I..." you felt your throat closing up with emotion. "I just forgot I have a really important call first thing tomorrow. I...need to go!"

Eddie finally looked at you with wide, shocked eyes.

Were those tears? Oh god...

"I...it was nice to see you Wayne, sorry..." you scrambled to grab your bag from where you'd tossed it by the door and then looked back at both Munsons. Back and forth at Wayne's curious expression...and Eddie's devastated one. "I'm...sorry."

And you bolted out the door, into your car, and back across town to the lonely confines of your apartment, where you would wish for a second chance at Sunday all over again.

Because until tonight, Sundays had always been your favorite days.

Next Part: Leave of Absence

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #store manager verse #Eddie munson smut #stranger things fic #stranger things Eddie munson

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jungkookschin · 2 months

Text

demigod trials: icarus falls | three

synopsis: you met jungkook at camp half-blood when you were 10 years old. since then, your fates have been infinitely intertwined.

word count: 7k

pairing: son of ares!jungkook x daughter of hephaestus!reader

genre: camp half blood au, percy jackson au, demigod au, childhood friends to lovers, exes to lovers , enemies to lovers, jungkook is sooo in love

warnings: multiple mentions of deaths, dangerous quests, QUESTS TO TARTARUS, violence, killing, monsters, ANGST, this chapter is fluffy tho, nct mark as a son of hephaestus, enhypen jungwon as son of ares, broken friendships

demigod trials masterlist

chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter 3.5 | chapter four

With a gulp, Jennie addresses the assembly through the microphone. “Hades, my father, has lost his reign over the Underworld. The primordial god Tartarus has plunged the Underworld into chaos and is plotting to ascend to the surface, aiming to annihilate both demigods and gods.”

Her gaze shifts towards you and Jungkook. "He has somehow taken control of my body, sending me vivid and disturbing dreams. He's furious and demands a sacrifice – a sacrifice of the demigods who once intruded into Tartarus six years ago. If we don't comply, he threatens to rise to Earth through the surface of Camp Jupiter, annihilating Camp Jupiter completely upon his return."

Every single eye in the room flickers towards you and Jungkook.

At that moment, incomprehensible dread permeates your system. Like a broken cassette player, memories of your little vacation to Tartarus rewind in your head: drinking from the river of fire, the child eating demon Lamia, Damasen the friendly giant, and so much sheer terror you wouldn’t have survived without Jungkook’s protection.

However, the anxiety, the dread- it’s bearable.

Your window of tolerance has extended to Mount Olympus after narrowly escaping the clutches of death multiple times.

“So what?” Jungkook responds, “You gathered the whole assembly here to announce that you’re sacrificing Y/N and I? A heads up would’ve been nice,” His features are hardened, and the glare he sends Mina and Mingyu, the Praetors of the Roman Legion, is terrifying, resembling his father Ares.

“Jungkook,” Mina seethes, “Do you know how many people live here in Camp Jupiter? There are thousands of children, elderly, and innocent people who live on these grounds. We must publicize the threat and ensure that it is taken care of, for the safety of the camp.”

“And how do you think Camp Half-Blood will feel?” Namjoon intervenes, “You think they’re going to be happy that you sacrificed two of their head counselors? I guarantee you. You don’t want to fuck with us.”

Mina narrows her eyes at Namjoon. “Is that a threat?”

“It’s a warning,” Taehyung immediately steps in, rigidly serious aura clouding his eyes, “We’re not letting you touch Y/N or Jungkook. Camp Half-Blood will go to war over this.”

“Okay everyone chill,” Mingyu arbitrates, his booming voice echoing off the walls, “If there’s a way we can resolve this without sacrificing Y/N and Jungkook, we’ll take that way. 1000%. That’s why we’ve gathered: to discuss.”

Eunwoo, son of the Roman god Mars, clears his throat. “My wife is pregnant. We need to do everything we can to negate this threat. Look, I’m not comfortable putting lives on the line so what about evacuation? We can evacuate the entire city and rebuild somewhere else.”

“No,” Jennie cuts in, a tremor running through her body. “He’ll follow us- wherever we go- he’ll ascend to the surface and kill us all.”

Mina tilts her head, “Any other ideas?”

“Oh fuck you,” Rose scoffs, “You’ve lost yourself. Completely. Being Praetor doesn’t mean rejecting all your morals. You called an entire assembly here to announce you were going to kill two of your best friends? You sure Venus is your parent and not Narcissus?” Rose cocks her head to the left, raising her eyebrows in anticipation for Mina’s response.

“You-”

Mina doesn’t get a word in because Jennie’s body falls onto the concrete with a thud. Immediately, her eyes and mouth emit a red glow. The glow rapidly intensifies, transforming into a blazing red glow from her eyes and mouth.

Like a possessed spirit she ascends into the air and to middle of the Senate House. Her mouth begins to move, and Tartarus himself begins speaking through Jennie.

“Demigods, behold," the resounding voice sends shivers down your spine.

"I have at last arisen from my slumber, seizing dominion over the Underworld," an ominous cackle reverberates through the walls. "The offspring of Hades have been severely weakened, now feeble and enfeebled. You are next. Offer the children of Ares and Hephaestus, who dared encroach upon my realm, as sacrifices, and I shall spare your lives, permitting you to become my slaves after I claim dominion over the world. Refuse, and face your demise."

The red glow disappears from Jennie’s face and she plummets back to the ground before Mingyu catches her.

Mina’s features harden. “Jungkook, Y/N! You have the rest of the day to bid goodbye to your families and friends. At midnight, we will personally arrest you to prepare a sacrifice to Tartarus. That is the best we can do for now. Meeting dismissed!” She roars, before marching out the Senate House.

Mingyu shoots you an empathetic look before following Mina’s lead.

Annd to think, you didn’t get one word in before it was decided that you were to be thrown on the altar as a sacrifice.

Immediately proceeding the meeting, you take the portal from Camp Jupiter to Camp Half-Blood.

You, Taehyung, Namjoon, Rose, and Jungkook skirt through the sides of strawberry fields, past the pegasi stables, until you reach the cabins. The sun sets beyond the horizon and the sky is arrayed with hues of purple, orange, and pink.

Your fingers are intertwined with Rose’s, and she is seething in disdain over Mina’s behavior. You’re the one who wields fire manipulation, but you’re a little scared she’ll burst into flames.

“Gods, when did she turn into such a bitch?” Rose seethes, squeezing your hand hard enough for your bones to crack.

“Rosie, it’s okay,” you offer, “I died once. Who cares if I die again, right?”

At that, the three men in front of you stop in their tracks, whirling around to blink at you incredulously.

“Y/N, you’re not funny,” Taehyung frowns.

“I’m not trying to be funny,” you deadpan in return, “Isn’t it true? It’s not like I’m going to the Fields of Punishment. I’ll be in Elysium and we’ll eventually reunite there-“

“Okay,” Jungkook intervenes, “Then kill yourself right now.”

“What-“

“If your life doesn’t matter, then kill yourself right now,” Jungkook repeats, unsheathing his Celestial Bronze knife- the very knife you forged when you were ten- before offering it to you.

You remain still, and Jungkook re-sheathes his knife. “Exactly.” His voice is stern, but delicately infused with the right amount of warmth. “Y/N, there are people who love you. There are people who need you here, so don’t take your life so lightly. Okay?” His features soften and he turns back around, “Now let’s head to the Hades cabin.”

Jungkook surges forward and Rosie has to tug you in his direction to get your feet moving.

She side eyes you, verbal communication not necessary when her eyes tell all, full of pure skepticism. You shake your head, following Jungkook’s lead towards the Hades cabin.

Upon arrival, Namjoon knocks on the door to no avail. The Hades cabin has an eerie and somber appearance, constructed completely from dark stone. Skulls adorn the door frame, and an even larger skull embellishes the cabin above the entrance.

After its initial construction, the cabin’s somber presence sent chills down your spine. Now, everyone seems largely unfazed as Namjoon persistently bangs on the entrance, impervious to its eerie aura.

“Okay, fuck it,” Namjoon grumbles before kicking down the door. You and Rosie yelp, flinching at the thud before entering the cabin.

To your surprise, an eerie emptiness greets you — not a single soul is there.

The cabin’s interior directly mirrors its exterior. It’s characterized by dim lighting, dark décor, and symbols associated with the Underworld.

While the Hades cabin is one of the least populated cabins in Camp Half-Blood, it’s unusual for none of the members to be present.

The five of you conduct a thorough investigation of the cabin, flipping over mattresses, looking under shelves- just to realize that there are no traces of anybody ever living in it. It’s like a ghost cabin.

You repeat the process with the 18+ Hades cabin to no avail. Both cabins are completely inhabited.

Taehyung settles on one of the mattresses and rests his head in his hands. “Fuck guys- these are kids we’re talking about- where did they go?”

As far as you know, there are only six kids in the Hades cabin: two in the 18+ cabin and four in the cabin for minors. Jennie and Soobin are the only adults, whereas Hyein, Ni-ki, Danielle, and Ricky inhabit the cabin for minors.

Tartarus said it himself: “The offspring of Hades have been severely weakened, now feeble and enfeebled”

Where could they possibly be? Without a shred of doubt, you know that there must be a quest: a quest to locate the children of Hades. Jennie’s current state- deteriorating weakness that rendered her unable to stand or exist without exasperating herself- was already a bad sign.

It hurts to think about what may have happened to the others.

The five of you exchange ominous looks before breaking to the Big House to discuss the present situation with Chiron.

“Chiron,” Taehyung cuts in, “Mina and Mingyu didn’t have any qualms about sacrificing Y/N and Jungkook. I think that’s enough to cut ties.”

You shrug, “I don’t know. Mingyu looked like he kinda felt bad.”

All eyes in the room flicker towards you incredulously. “Y/N. This is serious,” Namjoon scolds. “We lost you once and we’re not about to lose you again. Chiron, we must employ every defense mechanism to keep Y/N and Jungkook safe,” he implores.

“What matters more is finding those kids!” Rose interrupts, “How old is Hyein? She’s like 13. It’s our responsibility as older demigods to look out for them. We have to do whatever we can to find them.”

“Even if that means sacrificing Y/N and Jungkook?” Taehyung questions, “We have to find the sweet spot: saving the kids, preserving Camp Jupiter, and keeping Jungkook and Y/N safe,” he enunciates.

“Which is why we need to employ defense mechanisms,” Namjoon argues, “to at least buy us time so we can figure out where the Hades kids are. Then we can spring into action.”

“But that’ll just lead us to war,” you argue, “For the first time in a millenia, the Greeks and Romans have peaceful relations. We can’t do anything to jeopardize that-”

“Yea, well I care about you more,” Taehyung intercedes, “I care about you more than the Romans and more than the Hades kids, so I choose you. Fuck everybody else,” he shrugs, and you meet eyes with Namjoon, turning red at Taehyung’s words.

Greek heroes were known to have fatal flaws: a fundamental imperfection , vulnerability, or moral weakness that, despite the hero’s strength, ultimately contributed to their tragic fate. Jungkook already confessed to you that his fatal flaw is love.

With Taehyung, you already knew. His fatal flaw is his blind loyalty to his friends. He’d watch the world burn if it meant keeping his friends safe.

“While the chivalry is appreciated,” Chiron adds, “It is imperative to do the right thing, objectively. Ask yourself, is it moral to declare war on the Romans? Is it moral to abandon the children of Hades? Is it moral to sacrifice Y/N and Jungkook? Child of Apollo, what do you think? You are of Roman descent and are able to offer a unique perspective.”

All eyes flicker towards Rose, who accepts the challenge. “We can’t declare war on the Romans,” she argues, “Y/N is right. We all know what happens when Greeks and Romans go to war. People will die and the world will probably go up in flames. But that doesn’t mean we can’t trick the Romans,” a mischievous smile creeps onto her face and she bites her lip.

Jungkook speaks up. “I have a plan.”

You tilt your head at Jungkook. His features are hardened- rigidly serious at the prospect of what could be going on.

His brows are furrowed in angry little Nike swooshes and all you wanna do is run your thumb over his brow to ease its arch.

He turns his head to you, his right hand man, and his features soften, like he’s signaling to you that everything will be okay.

WIth a deep breath, he explains the plan definitively. The way he speaks, the way he commands the attention and obedience of everyone in the room makes it seem like you don’t have a choice but to follow this plan.

At that moment, Jungkook’s little brother Jungwon and your little brother Mark step into the Big House.

Within the past year, Jungwon seems to have skyrocketed in height. He looks so big, for lack of a better word- nearly the same stature and height as Jungkook.

Mark grins at you, his cute features beaming with a sense of readiness- to accept any and every challenge. “Hey sis, welcome back. How was Olympus?”

He envelopes you in a hug, and as happy as you are to see your brother, you can’t help but eye him with a hint of skepticism.

Suddenly you connect the dots and your face falls. “No,” you express grimly.

“Yes,” Jungwon cheekily responds, throwing an arm around you.

The kid is lightyears taller than you now, and you hate it.

What Jungkook proposed- you also hate it. It’s the worst plan in the history of the universe and you want to sew his pretty lips shut so he’ll never speak again.

Jungkook’s plan involves offering a sacrifice to Tartarus- and it won’t be either you or Jungkook.

He professes to sacrifice decoys- and at first you’re on board because you’re confident that you can engineer mechanical versions of yourselves- but when Mark and Jungwon make their entrance, the gears in your brain begin churning.

“Does it make sense for us to send our siblings as sacrifices? We ourselves might as well go to Tartarus. What difference does it make?” you argue, frowning deeply and glaring spathas into Jungkook’s face.

When it comes to you, Jungkook’s mind always automatically masks your anger in a dewy haze. All he sees is a pretty girl pouting at him, and he has to choke a smirk back so you don’t actually stab him with a spatha.

Jungwon smirks, “It makes all the difference. We all know that you and my brother are the best duo Camp Half-Blood’s seen. We need you to figure shit out while Mark and I distract Tartarus.”

Your jaw drops. There was no way the sweet, kind, polite Jungwon just cursed in front of Chiron.

You whip your head towards Mark. “I don’t feel comfortable with that,” you state, “I’m not sacrificing my little brother so I can be free. That’s pure cowardice.”

Mark shakes his head.

“It’s not,” he declares, “I wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice myself like this if I wasn’t capable of being a good distraction.”

With that, he fishes for something in his pocket before pulling out a remote. He presses a bright red button, causing mechanical wings to erect from his backpack as Mark starts flying around the Big House.

“See? I’m a pretty good distraction! And I’ve got plenty of tricks up my sleeve!” he grins.

Jungwon points to a flying Mark before shrugging smugly. “So Y/N, what do you think?”

“Guys, this isn’t a fucking joke,” you scold, turning more rigid by the second. “Tartarus.. it’s a horrifying place. And quite frankly, I don’t think either of you are capable of surviving his domain.”

Mark lands on the ground next to Jungwon, expression now shrouded with concern.

“Y/N,” Mark argues, “We’re prepared,” he claims.

“Since you came back from the dead- like Jesus or something- I’ve been studying your journals on Tartarus, and Y/N, we’re prepared. Jungwon is the strongest warrior of our generation- he and I are a good team. We can do it,” he finishes his declaration with a sweet smile, but you still shake your head.

“Y/N, what did you say to me when you first handed me this sword?” Jungwon asks, partially unsheathing Cataclysm. “You said I was the only demigod from my generation you deemed capable of wielding an enchanted weapon- and didn’t I prove myself? I soul linked with my weapon in days and slaughtered so many giants with this baby,” he animatedly offers, patting the scabbard of his sword.

You soften a bit but still shake your head.

“I just- look- I-” you trail off, rubbing your bicep as you shift your gaze apprehensively, “I strongly believe that Jungkook and I only survived Tartarus for a single reason,” you inhale deeply, momentarily shifting your gaze towards Jungkook who is observing you with furrowed brows. You inhale. “Love.”

“If he didn’t love me or if I didn’t love him, I really don’t think we would have made it,” you elaborate, “I mean- Tartarus sucks the soul out of you.”

You redirect your gaze towards Jungkook, whose jaw is clenched whilst he leans against the ping pong table. “Jungkook… what do you think?”

Your declaration is bold, and you can’t help but think you might be crossing the line- but it’s true. Simply being in Tartarus drains one’s celestial energy, and the only reason you and Jungkook survived was because you desperately wanted the other to live.

“You’re right,” he offers, lifting his gaze from the ground. “But that’s the thing: we were the first to do it and now we can share our knowledge with the next generation- so they can do it without love,” he explains, motioning towards Mark and Jungon.

“You and I, we need to figure things out above Tartarus. And we can only do that with love,” he smiles, and it sparks a flint hope within your system. You soften infinitely at his proclamation.

He looks at you with soft eyes, their warmth mirrored in the tender curve of his lips. In that moment, it feels as if the fates have conspired to weave this moment into their tapestries. The outside seems to fade into the background, leaving just the two of you in your own little world.

“Besides,” Taehyung cuts in, “It’s not like these two don’t have a bromance going on, right?” At that, Jungwon and Mark fist bump each other.

Namjoon intervenes, pushing up his glasses. “Y/N, this plan makes sense. Jungwon and Jungkook emit the same energy. So do you and Mark. We can fool Tartarus with this,” he claims.

“I just- I don’t know I feel comfortable with sending my little brothers down there,” you sigh, rubbing your biceps like you can still feel Cheimarrhus’s frigid winds freezing you to the death..

“Oh? Am I a little brother too?” Jungwon teases, pulling you in for a side hug.

“We’ll be alright, sis. We can handle it. Just worry about figuring out how we’re going to kill another primordial god,” Mark offers, tweaking with the little remote in his hands.

Jungwon and Mark are like sunshine, and suddenly you’re warm.

“Okay.. fine,” you acquiesce “But that doesn’t mean that suddenly you look exactly like me,” you point out, “I mean- Jungkook and Jungwon look kinda similar, but Mina will know that it’s clearly not me,” you state, gesturing towards Mark.

Rose smiles, stepping in. Between her palms, specks of magical energy whirl from her fingertips, emitting a celestial pink glow.

So as it turns out, Rose has developed the ability to alter the Mist.

Mist is a magical veil that conceals the true nature of the world from mortal eyes. It is a form of magical manipulation that alters the perception of regular humans, making them see things differently from what they truly are.

A minotaur wreaking havoc downtown? The mortals will see a wild giraffe on the loose.

That’s the power of the Mist- and sometimes, if the wielder is powerful enough, it can coerce gods and demigods into perceiving illusions rather than reality.

And that’s what exactly Rose does. With a snap of her fingers, Mark and Jungwon turn into identical replications of you and Jungkook, perfectly resembling your features, statures, and movements.

The transformation is uncanny, making it nearly impossible to distinguish Mark and Jungwon from you and Jungkook

“Hi?” Mark giggles (mocking you), twirling a strand of hair around his pointer finger.

You blink at your brother Mark, who looks and sounds exactly like you. It’s like looking in a mirror.

Taehyung shakes his head. “No, you gotta do more of a-“ He pouts his lips into a duck face, theatrically tucking a strand of hair behind his hair.

You smack his arm before you hear Jugkook’s voice.

“That’s fucking crazy,” Jungkook murmurs in awe.

Jungwon and Jungkook stand side by side, and it’s like there’s a pair of identical twins standing together.

“Okay, now practice trying to be them,” Rose muses, and after a brief moment of silence, Mark and Jungwon pull out all the acting cards.

“Oh, Jungkook, kiss me!” Mark mocks in a high pitched voice (which wasn’t necessary because he already adopted your voice), facing Jungwon and jumping on him.

“Oh Y/N!” Jungwon mocks back, making his voice obnoxiously deep and baritone. “I still love you! I’m just too emotionally constipated to express my feelings!”

After pretending to make out with each other, Mark (you) pulls himself from Jungwon (Jungkook). He clears his throat.

“And scene.”

“That was perfect!” Rose squeals, clapping her hands as she jumps up and down in excitement.

Jungkook smiles to himself, shaking his head in disbelief while he rubs his palms over his face- but you certainly don’t miss the way his ears turn red.

You feel the same way, unable to control the crimson spreading through your cheeks.

After establishing that Mark and Jungwon would be sacrificed to Tartarus as decoys, you gather everyone at the 18+ Hephaestus cabin for further preparations.

As the cabin doors gracefully slide open, Mark steps inside, greeted by the hum of machinery. The automated system, recognizing him through a full-body scan, seamlessly grants access to the demigod.

The Hephaestus cabin is reminiscent of a palace, where celestial bronze embellishes every architectural detail, providing extra protection against monsters.Each room is the epitome of celestial innovation, featuring amenities catering to yours and Mark’s individual preferences.

The training arena, for example, has a chamber of fire, adjustable at temperatures above 300 degrees.

You sometimes just sit in there and build up your immunity to heat. It’s like your personal sauna.

You and your friends whiz past the lounge/entertainment area, which is equipped with the comfiest red sofa that can morph into a loveseat, lounge chair, or bed.

With a scan of your finger, a 127-inch flat screen TV can unfold from the walls, running entirely on celestial wi-fi.If you or Mark weren’t in the mood to watch TV, the holographic displays can project immersive gaming environments that respond to the player’s movements and actions.

Your robot on wheels, Reginald, whirs past your friends, holding champagne and water on a tray.

Taehyung and Namjoon stare at Reginald in awe, eyes following him as he rolls around and occasionally tidies up the cabin.

“Would you care for a drink?” Reginald asks, to which Jungkook (Jungwon), attempts to grab a glass of champagne.

You swat his hand. “Jungwon! You’re not of age.”

“How’d you know it was me and not Jungkook?” Jungwon questions in return.

You purse your lips, not answering his question. You know Jungkook so well that you can just tell- but some things don’t need to be verbally expressed.

“So when I asked for a pool in my cabin, you bitched about it for weeks-“ Taehyung begins.

Namjoon continues looking around the cabin. “Gods, this is crazy. Leave it to you guys to make your two-person cabin the most luxurious in camp.”

Mark shrugs, “It’s what we deserve after building all your cabins.”

It’s so weird watching Mark talk. He looks and talks exactly like you. A smile graces your lips as you walk past the arcade room, moving on to scan your finger on a fingerprint sensor.

The bookshelf rotates 180 degrees, unveiling an elevator as it completes a full 360-degree turn.

"Come on in, everyone," you invite, pressing the down button on the elevator.

As the elevator descends, the sound of muzak plays through space. Namjoon shoots you a glance that seems to question the necessity of the muzak. You shrug.

The elevator doors part, revealing Bunker 9, a secretive location known only to you and Mark.

Upon entry, dim lighting unveils a colossal workshop adorned with celestial bronze schematics and intricate blueprints. Automated crafting stations hum with activity, surrounded by shelves of rare materials and celestial artifacts.

Holographic displays flicker to life, projecting encrypted messages and strategic maps. The bunker features a secure communication hub, allowing demigods to coordinate covert missions and exchange vital information without detection.

“Welcome to Bunker 9,” Mark muses.

“Gods,” Rose expresses with awe, “Do you guys even need all this space? This place is huge.”

Mark shrugs, “Yea, but here’s where we do all our top secret Hephaestus kid work. We need space.”

From the end of the bunker, a mechanical murmur fills the air.

"Pulchra!" you exclaim joyfully, hurrying over to affectionately nuzzle your forehead against your mechanical dragon. She responds with a comforting purr, clearly missing you during your year on Mount Olympus.

Jungkook joins in, offering the dragon a warm hug as she continues to purr and emit contented mewls. “How’ve you been girl?” Jungkook teases, to which Pulchra mewls affectionately.

Namjoon toys with a gaming controller directly connected to a holographic display of Camp Half-Blood. Mark approaches him from behind.

"This," Mark explains, "controls a simulation for various emergency scenarios. Chimera attacks, minotaur invasions, even war with a god— it replicates the emergency plans we'd need to implement."

As Namjoon maneuvers the controller, the holographic display responds in real-time, projecting dynamic scenarios that demand strategic thinking and swift decision-making. “You guys should have called me down here years ago,” he expresses, “We could have accomplished so much together.”

In the lull that follows, you delve into an industrial cabinet, rummaging for something before retrieving two rings.

Hurrying to join the rest of the crew, you share, "These rings are equipped with sensors— not ordinary ones. They use a new prototype technology Mark and I are working on,” you exchange a somewhat embarrassed glance with Mark before continuing.

“We call it WhisperTech. They'll capture every sound in your vicinity and transmit it to us in text format. The rings use a discreet audio-sensing system that captures and transmits environmental sounds in text form while monitoring physiological indicators such as heart rate and nerve levels. Make sure to keep them on."

You slide the rings onto the fingers of Mark and Jungwon.

“Let’s test it out,” Mark suggests.

On the holographic display in front of you, Mark’s dialogue appears on the screen.

Mark:

Let's try it out.

Biometric Analysis:

Heart Rate: 78 bpm

Mood: Eager

Thoughts: “I’m hungry”

Stress Levels: Low

Location Data:

Current Location: Bunker 9

Longitude: 155.789° E

Latitude: 36.432° N

Environmental Analysis:

Ambient Temperature: 22°C

Oxygen Levels: Normal

Light Intensity: Dim

Activity Insights:

System Status:WhisperSyncRings: Online

Connectivity: Stable

Encryption Level: Secure

Recommendations:

Continue monitoring for real-time data.

Encourage interaction to gauge response.

Await further commands or inquiries.

“Holy Hera,” Jungkook muses, “There’s no way- so this thing can read someone’s mind?”

On cue, the ring catches onto the dialogue and updates in real time

Jungkook: Holy Hera! There's no way—so this thing can read someone's mind!

Mark's Thoughts: I'm hungry

Biometric Analysis:

Heart Rate: 82 bpm

Moods: Intrigued

Thoughts: Curious about the technology

Stress Levels: Moderate

Location Data:

Current Location: Bunker 9

Longitude: 155.789° E

Latitude: 36.432° N

Environmental Analysis:

Ambient Temperature: 22°C

Oxygen Levels: Normal

Light Intensity: Dim

Activity Insights:

Recent Movement: Stationary (within Bunker 9)

System Status:

WhisperSync Rings: Online

Connectivity: Stable

Encryption Level: Secure

Recommendations:

Continue monitoring for real-time data.

Address Mark's hunger to maintain optimal conditions.

Anticipate further inquiries or commands.

Namjoon tilts his head. “I wonder what the location data will read from Tartarus.”

“As long as I’ve programmed it right, it should read Tartarus as the location. I’m not sure about longitude and latitude, though.”

Taehyung reads the screen. “Address Mark’s hunger to maintain optimal conditions- that’s funny,” he laughs, to which you nod.

“See? The rings will be helpful. We’ll know everything that’s going on, and if something happens, we’ll run in after you,” you exclaim.

Jungwon cocks his head, somewhat unsure. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you guys knowing my thoughts all the time.”

“Yea,” Namjoon concurs, “but what if you guys are in a situation where you can’t speak or talk? We need to know what’s going on somehow.”

“Swear we won’t tell anyone all your little secrets,” Taehyung jokes.

Rose places a comforting hand on Jungwon’s shoulder and you nod your head, “I swear we won’t pry into your personal life. I can design an algorithm to immediately delete all your personal thoughts and keep records of thoughts related to the quest,.”

Jungwon seems more assured. “If it’s for the mission, it’s fine. It’s not like I have any explicit thoughts anyway.”

You meet eyes with Jungwon, and you kinda wish that you didn’t because he seems unreasonably paranoid.

“Y/N, make an extra one for me,” Taehyung asserts, “If I ever get married I’m gonna put one on my wife’s finger to make sure she’s not thinking about any other men.”

Namjoon scoffs amusedly at that, “I’ll be praying for her in advance.”

You pout at Taehyung and give him an oh so platonic pat on the back. “You’ll find her soon.”

Taehyung smiles. “Thanks inferno princess,” he teases, using Jungkook’s nickname for you, “Just make sure you take of your inferno prince for me.”

Jungkook lifts his head and wraps an arm around you, giving you a side squeeze. “Yea inferno princess, take care of me.”

After bidding goodbye to your friends at the portal to Camp Jupiter, Jungkook suggests that you indulge in something you both rarely have time to do: sleep.

The anxiety of sending Mark and Jungwon as your decoys is killing you, and you can’t help but to pace around Bunker 9 while Jungkook blinks at you from the sofa.

“Y/N, it’ll be okay,” he offers but you shake your head in disbelief.

The dim lighting of the bunker shines eerily above you, and you don’t even realize where you’re going until you walk right into an industrial filing cabinet.

“Ow!” you yelp, to which Jungkook sighs.

He gets up from his seat on the couch and wraps his arms around your waist, resting his head in the crook of your neck. “Inferno princess, calm down. Everything will be fine. Just look at the screen,” he offers, pointing to the holographic display project Mark and Jungwon’s thoughts.

Taehyung: I’m thinking of going for a swim after they sacrifice you two.

Mark: Gee, thanks. That’s super comforting

Mark’s thoughts: I need to pee

“See?” Jungkook offers, “There’s nothing wrong. The kid needs to take a piss is all.”

You laugh, your shoulders relaxing a bit as you wrap your palms around Jungkook’s wrists. You stand there for a moment, reveling in the safety of Jungkook’s embrace.

Jungkook is your calm before the storm. He’s always there before you go on a potentially life ending quest , comforting you to reassure you that things will be okay.

“How long has it been since you’ve slept?” he whispers into your ear.

“Don’t know. ‘s been a while,” you mutter.

“Think you need to rest first. A nice long ten hours of rest before we do anything else,” he offers.

You hate the prospect of sleeping while your little brothers plummet into Tartarus because of you, but Jungkook’s right. You’re exhausted.

You wiggle out of his embrace and face him, placing your hands on his shoulders. Your eyes glaze over his face before you impulsively ask him a question. His eyes, nose, mouth- there’s a scar on his left cheek acquired during the two years where you were dead. You never had the chance to ask him what happened.

It’s been six years since your fiery dalliance, and the flame of your affections refuses to be extinguished.

You purse your lips.

“Jungkook, what are we?” you ask, features morphing into confusion as your eyes scan over his face.

He looks taken aback at that revelation. His pretty brown eyes widen, coupled with a slight parting of his lips. He doesn’t say anything so you take the chance to elaborate.

“Why are you wrapping your arms around me? Why are you entertaining our friends’ teasing? Are we- are we back again?”

A fleeting pause ensues- like a suspension in time- before he gathers his thoughts to respond.

“Y/N, you know how I feel about you,” is all he says, and his voice wraps around you like a familiar embrace, offering a comfort that no other sound can match. It's so familiar, and the sweetest things he says to you create a flutter of butterflies in your chest.

Warmth spreads through your veins and you suddenly feel like Icarus- the same Icarus who got high on the intoxication of flying and flew too close to the sun, plummeting to his demise when the sun’s rays melted the glue on his feathers.

Jungkook’s kinda like the sun. Last time you flew too close, you literally died.

Luckily, you’re immune to fire.

Jungkook continues, toying with his lip ring. “I’ve been holding back all this time, y’know. But if we’re going to die, do I really have to hold back? I want to be with you, Y/N.”

You face crumbles into disappointment before you actually laugh at the irony. The fates are cruel. “So is that how our stories go? We only get together when facing impending death?”

Jungkook says nothing.

This time, you’ll take the initiative.

Your features morph into desperation. “Jungkook, if we survive this, marry me. If we get rid of Tartarus for good and everything is okay, marry me. I’m sick of pretending that this isn’t real, like I don’t still love you. I want you, and I want you forever.”

Jungkook says nothing, just presses his lips against yours for a sweet and brief kiss- the first kiss you’ve shared since you were 19.

He withdraws, fingers playing with a bolt he had picked up from a nearby shelf. Then, lowering himself to one knee, he presents you with the bolt. “It’s whatever you want, inferno princess. Marry me.”

He slides the bolt on your ring finger before rising, strong arms around your waist before he kisses you again- for the second time in six years. You snake your arms around his neck, letting him take the lead as you literally have not kissed anyone since kissing Jungkook before you died.

In the trenches of your heart, you hate knowing that Jungkook has been with other people besides you. Nonetheless, you like letting him take the lead so you can be his pliant little inferno princess.

He pulls back a bit, his tattooed hand creeping up to smush your cheeks so your lips pout out. He laughs. “Gods, you’re cute. Now let’s get some rest, baby. We have more gods to kill.”

Finger intertwined and full of unnecessary giggles, Jungkook leads you to none other than the Hypnos cabin.

Hypnos is the god of sleep, a gentle and soothing presence in the realm of Greek mythology.He holds the unique responsibility of overseeing the tranquil moments when both gods and mortals find respite in the embrace of slumber.

Jungkook raps on the door several times, his fingers securely interlaced with yours as you both patiently wait.

No response.

Jungkook knocks again, and you can faintly hear the sounds of the locks turning before a very sleepy Sana opens the door.

Sana is the daughter of Hypnos and the head counselor of the Hypnos cabin. She rubs at her eyes, eyes barely open.

“Hello? Mommy?”

Jungkook purses his lips. “No Sana, it’s me and Y/N.”

At that, she forces one eye open. “Oh! Jungkook and Y/N! Long time no see! How was Olympus?” Though extremely groggy, she gets her words out before sleepily pulling you in for a hug.

You smile and return the hug. “It was great Sana. Is it okay if Jungkook and I come in to get some sleep?”

At that moment, a sudden surge of energy seems to rejuvenate Sana, and she perks up with newfound vitality. “Oh wow! You guys have never asked me to help you sleep! Come right in!”

You walk into the Hypnos cabin, where you’re greeted by two dozen more Hypnos kids dozing off in their beds.

Cabin #15 is often occupied by demigods with the ability to manipulate dreams and induce sleep. It’s a quiet place with dreamy, soothing colors.

The walls are adorned with calming murals depicting various dreamscapes. The beds are comfortable, and there’s a subtle scent of lavender in the air to enhance relaxation.

Sana leads you to a pair of guest beds before rumbling in a mini fridge for Hyponos’ Sleepy Milk. It’s a unique concoction made by the cabin members to help everyone relax and ease into a peaceful sleep.

She throws you and Jungkook baby bottles of milk. “This will put you right to sleep. I’m so happy you two finally came for a visit!”

“Thanks Sana,” Jungkook smiles, before trailing off, rubbing his bicep, “but could we actually share one larger bed?”

Sana beams at that. “Oh absolutely! There’s the couple’s suite down the hall and to the right. Does that finally mean you two are together?-“ Sana cuts herself off, collapsing onto a nearby bed and drifting into a deep sleep the moment her head hits the pillow.

You and Jungkook look at each other, shrugging before going down the hall and to the right where the couples suite resides.

The couples' suite in the Hypnos cabin has a more intimate setting within the tranquil atmosphere. The color scheme includes soft hues like lavender and indigo, creating a soothing and romantic ambiance.

The bed is larger and adorned with dream-themed decor, such as elegant drapes and dreamcatchers. Subtle lighting in the form of fairy lights and dim lamps add to the dreamy atmosphere.

A large, cozy white comforter adorns the bed, and Jungkook pulls it over, throwing his shirt off and at you.

It hits you in the face.

“Aren’t those jeans tight? Just take off your clothes and wear my shirt. It’ll be more comfortable that way,” he suggests, sliding into the bed.

You owlishly blink at Jungkook.

Gods, there’s no way this man is real and that he chose you.

Jungkook is the epitome of a Greek god. The lines of his eight-pack are so clearly defined, and you instinctively turn away, mentally and physically weak.

And Jungkook- the man has the audacity to laugh. “What, inferno princess? Never seen a shirtless man before?” A teasing lip graces his lips.

Your mood does a complete 180, and your features morph into pure petulance and displeasure.

“Just because you’re used to being naked around women doesn’t mean that I am,” you enunciate, pointing your finger in his face before you whirl around, blazing into the restroom.

“Oh c’mon Y/N, it’s not like that,” you hear Jungkook’s unserious voice reverberate through the wooden door.

You know it’s irrational to suddenly care about Jungkook’s activities after asking him to marry you- but peering into the mirror, you realize that your eyes are glossy.

It's not that Jungkook explicitly shared everything he was up to during your time apart; rather, you only became privy to the truth when Taehyung inadvertently spilled the beans during a drunken night.

His hookups, one night stands, friends with benefits- you’re aware of it all.

That evening, you joined in the laughter, feigning nonchalance. But an overwhelming sense of dread seeped into your system whenever the thought of Jungkook with another woman crossed your mind. It’s nearly unfathomable.

You hurriedly wipe your eyes, undressing yourself before sloppily throwing on Jungkook’s shirt.

You swing the door open to find Jungkook propped up on his elbow, lying on his side, patiently awaiting your return to bed. He raises his brows inquisitively at you. “Jealous, inferno princess?”

He’s such an ass.

You scoff at him, casually settling your left knee on the bed. “Jeon Jungkook, you’re a slut,” you seethe through your teeth.

Jungkook shrugs. “I’ve heard worse, now come lay with me, baby.”

Your features harden, and you stoically grab a pillow before placing it in between you and Jungkook.

Your father Hephaestus crafted an actual net to physically catch his wife Aphrodite and her lover in the act. Of course you’re petty enough to pull the makeshift pillow barrier move.

“Oh c’mon Y/N,” Jungkook scoffs in amusement.

You narrow your eyes at him, sliding under the covers and turning on your side with your back facing Jungkook.

Slyly, Jungkook removes the pillow barrier and closes in on you, enveloping you in his arms. He sighs into your hair.

“Since we were ten, you’ve owned me,” he confesses, “every part of me belongs to you. No other woman will ever compare.”

A heaviness settles in your heart. You and Jungkook have endured so much, suffered through so much. Jungkook has done well.

Sensing your body slightly tremble and hearing a sniffle, he tenderly cups your cheeks and gently cranes your head towards him. “Got it?” he confirms,a smile playing on his lips as he notices the tip of your nose turning pink.

You exhale, and he uses his large palms to force a nod out of you. “Got it,” you respond softly, “It’s just- I haven’t been with anybody but you. I guess it makes me insecure knowing how many women you’ve been with.”

Jungkook’s eyes soften, and his eyes become so clear that you can perceive your reflection in his irises. “That’s my fault, baby. I guess I did anything I could to fill the void,” he explains, “But being here with you, our first time- nothing compares.”

You pout, lifting your gaze towards him. “Do you mean it?”

He places a kiss on your nose. “I’ve been in love with you this entire time. Of course I mean it.”

You soften, fluttering your eyes shut as you revel in the feeling of Jungkook peppering kisses all over your face.

“See how natural it is with us?” he continues, “The gods made you for me.”

You pout, throwing your arm around his torso as he pulls you closer. He lets you rest your head on his bicep, and you look into his eyes.

“Is there anything I can do to make you feel more secure with me, baby?” he offers with a kiss to your eyelid.

To Jungkook, it’s like your mind has gone blank, observing the contemplative pause as you search for an answer to his question.

“Hmmm… maybe just tell me you love me from time to time?” you suggest, to which Jungkook bursts into laughter at how adorable he thinks you are.

“Alright, I’ll do that,” he instantly agrees, entertaining your suggestions.

“What’s funny?” you ask, to which Jungkook dismisses it with a nonchalant wave.

He raises the arm that you're resting on, causing your head to gently nestle into the crook of his armpit. “Drink up,” he offers, placing the baby bottle of Hypnos Milk to your lips.

Pliantly, you sip on the bottle and seconds later, you’re out like a light.

That night, you don’t have any unusual dreams, granting you the best fourteen hours of sleep you've ever experienced. When you wake up, a sense of rejuvenation washes over you, but a quick scan of the room reveals that your man is not beside you. Your eyes rapidly dart around the room in search of his presence.

At that moment, Jungkook walks out of the restroom with a toothbrush in his mouth.

His eyes glaze over you, admiring how you look in his shirt, still beautiful with boogers in your eyes. He casually saunters over to you, extending a hand with an invitation card gracefully held between his fingers.

You are invited to our 2000th year anniversary party in Mount Olympus!

A +H

author’s note: aphrodite and hephaestus are a and h

ALSO TJE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE A DRABBLE FOR EITHER jungwon x reader or mark x reader,

and the fourth chapter will be a son of poseidon!taehyung x reader 😌😌 jk and y/n’s story will resume in chapter five when they go to aphrodite and hephaestus’s anniversary party

#jungkook fanfic #jungkook scenarios #bts scenarios #jungkook fluff #jungkook imagines #jungkook x reader #jk fanfic #bts fanfic #jungkook fic #demigod!enhypen #demigod!jungkook #demigod!bts #demigod au #camp half blood au

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podcastingproficiency · 2 days

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I cant even imagine what it must have been like for Terry jr to see his step daughter team up with Willy Mother Fucking Stampler. Oh my god.

You have all these memories of being a teen, hating your stepdad, willing to do anything to have things go back to the way they were before you met Ron Stampler. You have all these memories of a horrible man who kidnapped you and your friends, made you so afraid that as soon as you heard he was still alive, you knew you’d kill him with your own two hands if you had to. You have all these memories of all the horrible ways you’ve changed, all the things you can never take back.

And then. You meet your soon to be step-daughter, Teressa Marlowe; A bright, kind, wonderful young woman who turns herself inside-out over how much she loathes you. How much you’ve ruined her life. Everything good in the world, you’ve soiled. You’ve taken it from her.

They say that girl, your Scary Marlowe, enabled the worst man you’ve ever met to murder someone. You see her on the screen. You wind the security footage back a hundred times, try to tell yourself it isnt her thats not Scary. You see yourself in a tower. You wind it back a hundred times, try to tell yourself that its still him that monster is still your dad.

…We all believe what we have to. We all do what we can. We’re never where we should be when we need to be there the most.

Being Terry jr, locked back up- having failed as the only person who could have done anything to rise against Willy- while a moment that will change your step-daughter forever unfolded. While the man who ruined your childhood takes control of hers. While the one thing you wanted to protect her from comes creeping in through the floorboards, through the cracks in the walls, from the sky and the seas and the air until there might be nothing good in the world left to save.

Rewind the video one more time. The resolution just isnt high enough to know for sure. Maybe you’ll believe yourself this time.

#dndads #dungeons and daddies #terry jr #scary marlowe #willy stampler #ron stampler

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meidnightrain · 5 months

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YOU ARE IN LOVE - childe

❝ and you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars and why i’ve spent my whole life trying to put it into words. ❞

summary: you’ve never given thought to your relationship with your childhood friend with the harbinger, until it changes into something different

warnings: reader is gn, none

notes: day 15! this song is one of my absolute favs and hence, why this fic has to be the one i’m the proudest of! hope you like it!

taglist (open): @staretes , @rynnlvrs , @sentifua , @i-probably-sleep-too-much , @reilly34 , @qqingque , @akutasoda , @mhiieee , @starryshinyskies , @kazemiya , @pix-stuff , @inscaraithrust

you’ve never been a stranger to his looks, able to read the boy you’ve grown up with your whole life like an open book. and this smile, hidden with so many emotions threatening to burst at the seams in this dark room you both were in, was only for your watchful eyes.

time always moved too fast when you were with him, the days that once dragged endlessly were not gone in a blink of an eye. you’d always play it back in your memory like rewinding a phonograph, skipping to your favourite part and reliving every moment all over again.

when he had came back from a long mission in liyue, buttoned and draped his coat jacket over your shivering body, apologised for taking so long to come back home to you. when he would make lighthearted jokes that were more misses than hits, see the way his lips would turn down slightly, frown turned upside down by a single kiss on the cheek. it wasn’t proof, not much of it but you saw enough.

he had always loved small talk and long walks in the winter wonderland of your homeland, the sneaky pranks he’d once pull by placing his freezing hands on your neck and make you shriek in shock. that was years ago, his cold hands had turned warm, his every touch warming you up quicker than any warmth a fire could offer.

when you would have coffee from fontaine, which he had specially imported for you at midnight, his strong arms around your waist and his bed-head snuggled in the crook of your neck as you made two steaming cups.

the moonlight reflected the chain on his neck, the necklace that you had gifted to him long ago, one with the sigil of a snowflake.

a snowflake that carried more meaning to the both of you, a snowflake that he had tried to gift you when you were kids. to him you were as pure as snow, beautiful and fragile in his gentle touch. and when he had murmured for you to look up and caused the both of your shoulders to brush. it wasn’t proof, not much of it but you felt enough.

when you woke up with him in the morning, the sunlight shining through the curtains. his once failed attempts at making you breakfast, laughing sheepishly as he held two pieces of burnt toast. you’d keep his shirt, a reminder of him when he had to leave for his duties carried him elsewhere and he’d keep his promise to always return to you.

and for once, childe could let go of his fears and ghosts when he was around you. the abyss, the fatui, the thrill of battle wearing him down like a soldier who had spent his whole life on the frontline. not with you, you were the home he looked forward to and he was the soldier you waited for to come back from the war. one small step for him, not much but it was enough.

when he would kiss you on the sidewalk after a long mission, twirl you in the air and you’d hold your breath to savour the moment as you drank him in like water thirstily. when the aftermath of a fight would linger heavily between you two till the point you’d both cave in and talk, for you couldn’t live without the other.

when he had woke up one night with a strange look on his face, the way he had paused and uncharacteristically stumbled over his words. your confused but amused smile at the realisation of how young the both of you were, young idiots in true love. he was never the eleventh of the fatui harbingers to you, he was ajax, your ajax always and forevermore.

“you’re my best friend,” he had said, pinching both your cheeks sleepily and shifting to hold onto you tighter. you knew what it was, being spooned in his embrace, he was in love.

and so it goes, it was like the both of you were dancing in a snow globe round and round. from when your short stubby legs would chase him around in the snow to waltzing with him in the middle of the night, the whole world asleep and only the two of you were awake. it was a whole collection of snow globes picturing the moments and growth of your relationship. from your first encounter, from when you had both become best friends, from when you had realised that you were in love.

when childe would miss you on the nights he had to spend without you, long torturous days where all his dreams were about feeling the ghost of your lips on him, your phantom fingers tracing his body in all the places you had memorised so long ago, your invisible touch causing him to buckle and fall to his knees. how he’d cope by taking out the picture he had of you in his pocket, in his office back at the fatui headquarters, your smile captured on film not as bright as the one he would come home too.

when he would come home to you injured and battle-scarred, your heartbeat on the high line as you watched this strong man you loved so flinch at your touch. only wanting you and only you to patch him up, kiss it all better, only you to see this side of him. and you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars. and why he’d spend his whole life trying to put into words, words that would describe how much you meant to him.

cause you could hear it in the silence, feel it on the way home with his arm linked in yours. you could see it with the lights out, the whole room shrouded in darkness except for him, who glowed and shined brighter than any star you’ve ever seen in the night sky.

that you are in love, true love.

<- prev masterpost next ->

#🕊️ - 1989 event #・ nouveau livre ˎˊ˗#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin x you #genshin impact x gender neutral reader #genshin x gender neutral reader #genshin impact x gn reader #genshin x gn reader #childe x reader #childe x you #ajax x reader #ajax x you #tartaglia x reader #tartaglia x you #🪧 - event: 1988 #🗞️ - genshin impact fics

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 7 months

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Jack, Malleus: Beasts, us Both

Alright, TWST... you friggin' troll 😭 You got me good with those Jack frames... No wolf inspo reveal, I see how it is-- 😂

Because of the angle we're staring at the image from... that macaron Jack is holding looks like a massive GMO green grape… AM I JUST SEEING GRAPES EVERYWHERE BECAUSE OF R*LLO... This would mark the first Disney100 art with some notable changes (how he’s holding the macaron and the angle he’s bending at), most likely to make it look better for a card layout.

A Tale as Old as Time.

A young lion prince and his hornbill attendant were captured in a photo frame. With finger-like feathers, the bird had plucked a strand of fur from the large cat. He lacked amusement, beak poised in a manner that suggested a light telling-off. The cub, for his part, looked upset at the lecture.

That’s right, lions don’t grow their manes out until they’re older.

Jack sometimes forgot that—with his dorm leader prowling around, the most prominent image he had of a lion was that of Leona. Strong, cunning, and self-assured. Nothing like the prince in the painting.

“How cute,” a low voice drawled. “To think that Kingscholar too was once this small and helpless… Fufufu.”

Jack’s eyes cut to the tall, dark man next to him. With long limbs and regal horns protruding from his head, Malleus Draconia resembled a gazelle.

“It’s hard to imagine Leona-senpai like that,” Jack awkwardly confessed. “I met his nephew once, but that only took me more out of it. He was… energetic and bright.”

“Implying that Kingscholar is lacking in energy and a cheerful disposition?” Malleus smirked. “Ah, yes. Much change occurs between childhood and adulthood, some of it attributed to social influences. That child had best be cautious. Perhaps Kingscholar’s attitude will rub off on him, smothering that sunshine.”

“Leona-senpai has his good points too!” Jack blurted out. He didn’t catch himself in time—the words just came, a reverberating bark in the museum.

“Oh? You’re rather quick to defend him.”

The wolf beastman gasped and reeled himself back in. “Y-You don’t see it because you’re not in Savanaclaw, but I can tell… Leona-senpai cares about his students a lot. He’s looking out for us in his own way.”

“Such as when he attempted to have me trampled?” Malleus suggested, his tone quiet yet challenging. “I do so fondly remember that.”

“Urk!!” Jack’s ears flattened. “He does take it too far sometimes. I don’t agree with everything he does. The idea of doing everything you can to protect others, though… that’s something I can understand.”

"It is?”

The first year nodded firmly. “There are stories about wolves working together to chase off invaders who wandered into their snowy territory. Once, a wolf family even took in an orphaned kid. I have my own younger siblings to look after, too.”

“It appears as though you and your ancestors feel a strong sense of duty to your packs,” Malleus noted. Something akin to amusement danced in his eyes. It quickly flickered out, giving way to a deep melancholy. “Family… Hmm. I cannot say I can relate. I have no siblings to speak of. There is my grandmother, but she is my only living relative."

There was a shift—a small, imperceptible change in Jack's stoic face.

"... Sorry to hear that."

"Think nothing of it." Malleus waved a dismissive hand. "The circumstances are as they are. We cannot rewind the threads of fate, only weave new ones.

"Still, it is strange. I have not had the chance to meet my mother nor my father. They were already gone long before my hatching. I should feel no attachment to such strangers. Even so, I feel as though something is missing without them."

He gave a dark chuckle, curling fingers over his heart. "Perhaps there is a part of me that longs for that kind of a family, too."

Jack frowned. His chest throbbed with a dull pain.

“That's..."

Sad.

No brothers, no sisters. No parents, not even aunts or uncles or cousins. Just one big, empty castle, and the creature caged inside of it.

Pacing past ruined wings, furniture strewn about as if a mad beast had run through it in a frenzy. The space filled with loneliness, a hollow feeling that couldn't be fended off.

He shuffled his feet. Resolve slowly solidified. Jack reached for his voice.

"... I don't think you need to worry, Malleus-senpai. You still have people who care about you. Family isn’t all in the blood." Jack bashfully rubbed at the back of his neck, his eyes averted. "It's in the bonds too."

He gestured to the painting before them. "The lion prince lost his dad, the previous king. In grief, he ran away from home--but he still had friends that guided him when he was lost and scared. A warthog, a meerkat, a baboon, a hornbill, the lionesses in his pride. They all came together to show the prince he was loved and needed. Because of that, he was able to come home with his head held high."

Jack clenched a hand into a fist, offering a stiff smile. "Family's something that everyone has, one way or another. They're the ones who always have your back, blood or not.”

Malleus’s face momentarily lit up with surprise.

“My, I didn’t expect to hear such a motivational speech from you. I hear from Sebek that you’re quite standoffish.”

“D-Don’t get me wrong!!” he sputtered, face heating. “On any given day, I’d tackle things on my own. But doing that all the time is pointless.”

“Which is why you choose to follow Kingscholar’s leadership?” Malleus asked teasingly. “You seem to admire him a great deal and acknowledge him as the leader of your pack here at Night Raven College.”

“N-No!!” Jack snapped. “Th-There are just some things I’m not strong enough to do by myself, times when I have to team up with others for a common goal!! Until the day I have the strength to act completely on my own…!”

Malleus laughed softly, his lips lifting into a mysterious curve. "Be at ease, Howl. You needn’t be so defensive. I see your point with crystal clarity.”

“You… You do?”

“That is correct.” The dragon prince’s eyes creased. “You, who seeks strength, shall surely find it—and with that strength, you will not be daunted from protecting what is most precious to you, family and friends alike. You’ve helped me to realize the same. We are both the same kind of beast, fufu.”

Jack took one look at Malleus’s ominous smile and shuddered. It could have decimated the stars, wiping out all the light in the night sky in one fell swoop.

“I’m not so sure that’s a good thing…”

He glanced back at the painting of the lion prince and the hornbill advisor. The distress on the cub’s face suddenly resonated with him.

Jack groaned.

It looks like I still have a lot to learn.

#twst #Malleus Draconia #twisted wonderland #Jack Howl #twst imagines #twst scenarios #twisted wonderland scenarios #twisted wonderland imagines #Jack birthday takeover #something no one asked for #spoilers #disney twisted wonderland #Zazu #Simba

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be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie · 4 months

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jake is the kind of dad who you think is straight for like your whole childhood and is just an ally and then one day he sees a cute guy and is like damn smash and everyone’s like HUHHH??? and he’s like oh lol sorry did i not mention i’m bi?

(may or may not be based of my dad)

Ur joking. You are joking at me right now and yet I have had this tiktok saved in a folder of tiktoks that I think are Avatar characters irl ready to be made into posts at some point.

Obviously, everything Jake does is a random surprise to his children. He lived the most different life ever before they were born. He says something sometimes that has even Neytiri like "... be kind, rewind."

Also he said this about Tonowari.

#this is so funny get out of my head #jake sully #neytiri sully #tonowari #avatar #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #melissa’s asks #melissa on avatar (cameron)

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strangersteddierthings · 1 year

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Prompt number 13 for the dialogue prompts pls?

Thanks for the prompt! #13 “I dare you to kiss me.”

It starts out, as most things recently do for Steve, with Dustin. He can't even remember what it was Dustin had even wanted him to do. Dustin had said 'I bet you won't do it' and Steve had replied 'you aren't old enough to gamble' and Dustin returned with 'then I dare you.'

And. Well.

He couldn't back down from a dare, could he?

It becomes a Thing. At first, it's just Dustin daring him to do small, easily achievable things (dare you to give me the bag of chips, dare you to pick me up from Hellfire, dare you to slap the top of the next door frame you walk through) but where Steve is, Robin isn't far behind. It doesn't take long for her to start in on it. (Dare you to take me to the diner for lunch, dare you to be on rewind duty today, dare you to have a sleepover with me at your place.)

It spreads beyond them eventually.

"I dare you to try and beat an actual state championship basketball player," Lucas says with a playful grin, ducking out of Steve's grasp even as Steve laughs out a, "I'll show you state championship!"

"I dare you to sit in on a Dungeons and Dragons session," Will says with a cheeky grin, flashing a wink at Dustin, who is fist pumping behind Steve's back because Steve says yes.

"I dare you to be less annoying," Mike says, swatting Steve's hands away from where he was ruffling Mike's hair, sat between Mike and Dustin at said session. Steve rolls his eyes but turns to bug Dustin instead.

It was a joy watching the Party teach El what dares were. Steve forgets, sometimes, that El is still new to most of the things he takes for granted everyday.

Nancy and Jonathan don't really join in on daring Steve to do things, but he's caught Jonathan daring the kids or Argyle to do silly things. Argyle, who had returned to California to finish school but returned to Hawkins almost as soon as the school year ended, loved to join in, though.

Eddie is the last one to join in the Dare Game. It doesn't take Steve long to realize it's because Eddie doesn't know if he's allowed to. Not in a I'm-not-sure-we're-friends way they'd already worked through, but in a I-thought-this-was-an-old-inside-joke way.

Steve assures him it's a recent development. A grab at being silly kids a little while longer now that the Upside Down can't come and ruin anymore childhoods.

"C'mon," Steve grins at him, "I dare you to touch your toes."

Eddie rolls his eyes in response but drops down into sitting cross-legged on the floor, one finger tip poking at the end of his socks. It's cheating but Steve will take a win where he can. Especially since Eddie says, "I dare you to sit down and relax for once in your fucking life."

It's so silly, this little game of I Dare You they've started but it's also wonderful to watch the kids be kids even though they're all onto 15 or 16 now, and only getting older.

The best part of the game is that it's playable anywhere. I dare you to beat my high score is heard often at the arcade. It's also hilarious to see what terrible movies end up at movie night because someone was dared to watch an awful one. The amount of times they've all had to watch Crimewave should be considered torture, honestly.

Steve's favorite part of the game, though, is when the kids dare Eddie to do things. No dare is too ridiculous, silly, or embarrassing for Eddie, it seems. No ones goal is to embarrass each other, Steve's sure, but he also knows that he wouldn't be willing to attempt a cartwheel in the middle of the parking lot in front of the grocery store. Especially since it turns out, Eddie can't do a cartwheel and just kind of flops onto the ground in a heap. Reflexively, Steve took a step forward to check on him but Eddie burst out in laughter quickly and when Eddie laughs it doesn't take long for everyone to join.

He's got an infectious laugh.

He watches Eddie fail at cartwheels, and succeed at climbing trees like a damn squirrel. Eddie's jumped out of swings and off of slides the few times they've gone to the park. Recited the monologue Romeo gives before he drinks the poison (from memory) before pretending to stab himself and fall backwards into Steve's pool (the dare had been to dramatically fall into the pool).

Watching Eddie makes him feel light in a way Steve doesn't think he's ever felt. He's always watching, even when Eddie catches him looking. Steve just meets his eye and gives him a fond smile. Eddie smiles back.

The summer goes on. The dares lessen, the novelty of the game never really fading, but certainly mellowing.

The pool dare, when Eddie'd monologued Shakespeare, had been Steve's favorite dare until the end of summer came.

Steve and Eddie had been dancing around each other, and Eddie, the braver of the two it seemed, puts and end to their misery. It's just Eddie and Steve laying in the grass of the Harrington's backyard, watching the stars come out.

It's as simple as Eddie rolling onto his side beside Steve, propping himself up on an elbow and whispering, "I dare you to kiss me."

And. Well.

He can't back down from a dare, can he?

#steddie #fic #ask #scarcrossdlvrs #short and sweet #sorry this took like a week to get to #it's been.... a time I tell ya

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dalekofchaos · 5 months

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Dark!Max Caulfield au

So after looking at a piece of fanart by tovanori

I was inspired to write this post on what a dark version of Max Caulfield would look like My dark Chloe au post

So saving William is the decision on what makes Alternate Max a member of the Vortex Club. What could make Max Caulfield dark? I've come up with multiple ideas

This Max in all three different timelines would wear red and black. Red and black three piece suits or Black hoodie and Red Coyote shirt to symbolize how different this Max would be.“The coyote is a complex dream symbol. … The appearance of a coyote in a dream may symbolize a lack of ambition or a weakness of some kind. It may also indicate that you are attacking those around you who are weaker and can't defend themselves as well. Coyotes represent “tricky” and unexpected elements in life.“ “A Navajo saying holds that if Coyote crosses your path, turn back and do not continue your journey. The coyote is an omen of an unfortunate event or thing in your path or in the near future.“

This is a Max Caulfield who never meets Chloe Price, without Chloe in her life, Max turns cold and more introverted. Only having a morbid sense of photography and her sense of style catches Jefferson's eye. He helps her perfect her craft and lets her in on the dark room. And after taking this apprenticeship, Max's ability to rewind awakens and she uses it to help Jefferson perfect their art. Max lures them under the guise of friendship and a smile, but that smile is bait. Max, Jefferson and Nathan work together to perfect their models, but what changes is Max and Nathan fall in love. Because of this, Nathan is not fixated on Rachel Amber. Max helped Nathan in becoming a more stable and dependent person and Max is the person who helps Nathan achieve the Prescott destiny with Max by his side.

Nathan kills Chloe before her eyes, Nathan kills himself and this leaves Max traumatized. This leaves Max vulnerable and malleable to be indoctrinated and groomed by Jefferson to becoming his new apprentice. Max becomes detached, cold and ruthless. She acts as the bait for the victims and doeses them and delivers the new models to Mark while he photographs them in the dark room and after Jefferson is done, Max disposes of them. It starts as just wanting a new partner, but soon blossoms into obsessive love. Mark loving Max and Max loving Mark and both willing to killing anyone that comes between them. Her powers never come and the storm never arrives. All that's left is Jefferson and Max working together to find the perfect muse for their sick obsessions and no one would ever expect them while they masquerade as the famous photographer and his prized pupil and as lovers, in reality they are wolves among the sheep.

This is a Max who has lived in Seattle all her life, Victoria Chase is her childhood best friend and she meets Mark Jefferson earlier than she would in canon. Jefferson offers to take Max on as his apprentice and Max is so enamored by the famous photographer and her parents couldn't be more thrilled. Jefferson helps Max to become a better photographer, helps her become more confident in her abilities, give Max a sense of style and flair and lets Max in on his true nature and to his surprise, she doesn't flinch, in fact she offers to help him with his victims and gets Victoria to join them. While Victoria flinched at first, she came around. As long as she's with Max and her favorite artist, it's all worthwhile to Victoria. Victoria would be who lures the models while Max and Victoria went to work. The Chases would help finance their "projects" because having a renowned photographer like Jefferson in their gallery is an opportunity they cannot pass up and thinks Victoria's idol will be the role model she desperately needed. Eventually they move shop to Arcadia Bay. Get in touch with the Prescotts and help set up the Dark Room. Eventually Nathan becomes a problem and Victoria tries to help him and Nathan lashes out, Max witnesses this and sees Nathan trying to kill her and that's when her powers manifest. Victoria goes to Max and they begin to plan Nathan's downfall. But as Nathan falls, Jefferson notices and feels Victoria has become a distraction to Max and tries to kill her. Max makes the hard choice. Her best friend and the girl she loves or Jefferson her mentor. Max lures Jefferson into a trap. When he thinks he has Victoria at her mercy, Max doses him and ties him up. Jefferson loses it, raging at her for betraying him after all she did for her and demands she unties him and kills Victoria. Max gets the gun and says "It's like you always taught me, Mark. Always take the shot" and just like that, Jefferson is dead. They go back to Arcadia Bay and see the storm raging. They make it to the lighthouse and see all the destruction. Victoria is distraught and asks Max what they should do. Max kisses Victoria and says "fuck it, let's blow this town and go back home." All that matters to this Max is Victoria and she'll be damned if Jefferson or a freak storm will take her from her.

#Life Is Strange #Chasefield #Caulscott #Jefferfield #Max Caulfield #Victoria Chase

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lovemadethemdoit · 10 months

Text

Hangster FIC RECS (complete fics only!) 🤠💘🐓

There are some high-quality long fics in this fandom and I’m sharing my faves with you because I’m nice (and selfish and want these authors to write more fics, duh.). Promise me one thing though? If you read a fic off my list and love it? Leave a comment for the author. They’ll be PSYCHED and write more. Possibly.

Okay, let’s go. More than 30 hangster fics for you to read. 😍😍😍

Under the cut. Feel free to reblog this post far and wide to energize this fandom, too!

********* wanting (18641 words) by bottledyarn

Additional Tags: Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Unrequited Love, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Internalized Homophobia, Pining, Banter, Slow Burn, Getting Together, First Kiss, Suicidal Thoughts, Jake "Hangman" Seresin Needs a Hug, Canon Timeline, Canon Compliant, POV Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Emotionally Repressed, 5+1 Things, Sort Of, 6+2 things, Jake can't emote and I can't count, Character Study

Summary:

Six times Jake Seresin assumes Bradley Bradshaw is something he can want but can't have, and how he learns the truth.

Jake Seresin is very good at a few things. Flying, obviously. Pissing people off. Wanting things he can't have.

But he's never been very good at dealing with Bradley Bradshaw.

During the mission, Jake is just trying his best to be better.

***

hold me through the shakes (7477 words) by spiritsontheroof

Additional Tags: Hurt Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Mentally, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Canon, Pining Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Exes, Getting Back Together, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Nightmares, Canon-Typical Violence, it's like. lightly discussed, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary:

Bradley spills hot coffee on his hand three days into their post-mission leave.

It’s not until he can’t get the bandage over the blister that he realizes his hands are shaking.

***

I Long For You (To Hold Me Ardently) (10265 words) by perishablealex

Additional Tags: POV Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Canon Compliant, Light Angst, Pining, Kinda?, Smut, Getting Together

Summary:

“We don't have to talk about it.” His eyes dart away from Bradley’s face, afraid that they will betray just how much he wants to talk about it, that they will reveal the vulnerability Jake feels in that moment, caught in a momentary suspension of time. The moment feels unreal with the golden light pouring over piano tiles long forgotten in his childhood, the man at his side that feels close enough to reach but not quite hold, the way that time stretches like molasses, sweet yet torturously slow and thick.

“I think we should, don’t you?”

Or: Rooster and Hangman sleep together after the mission without realizing that it may not have been meaningless for either of them.

***

No One Can Find The Rewind Button (71073 words) by FabuMazX

Additional Tags: Mpreg, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Slow Burn, Accidental Pregnancy, Mentions of miscarriage, IceMav are the best granddads

Summary:

It was only one night. But that's all it takes, isn't it?

Bradley and Jake are on good terms since the mission. Friends even. But they're not together, not like that. So why the universe decided to force them together with an unexpected surprise is anybody's guess.

***

something to be sheltered (19075 words) by MayWilder

Additional Tags: Found Family, Post-Mission, Meet the Family, Beau "Cyclone" Simpson is a Softie, Jake "Hangman" Seresin Needs a Hug, Jake "Hangman" Seresin Has Daddy Issues, Married Tom "Iceman" Kazansky/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Temporary, no beta we die like goose, Father-Son Relationship, Light Angst

Series: Part 2 of Feels Like Home

Summary:

“My wife has asked that you join us for dinner tomorrow night,” Beau says carefully.

“Your wife, sir?” Jake’s brow furrows. “Why would she like to meet me?”

“She thinks its important that my mentee sees a healthy work-life balance.”

“I’m your mentee?” Jake teases, smirking lightly. “And you talk about me enough that your wife wants to meet me?”

“You can continue to be a pain in my ass,” Beau sighs, looking up at the ceiling. “Or, you can take the offer of a free dinner with a beautiful and intellectually stimulating woman.”

“Oh, I definitely want to see this side of Cyclone,” Jake grins. “Domesticated.”

“You’re bordering on impertinence.”

“Me? Never.”

“Let’s go back to when you respected me and my position.”

Jake appears to settle down, but only slightly. He clears his throat and squares his shoulders. “I’d be honored to attend dinner with your family, Admiral. Just tell me a date and time.”

*** or, Beau Simpson didn't mean to adopt a fully grown naval aviator, but, you know; shit happens.

***

flames look beautiful (if you forget what they can do) (8359 words) by Ravens_Words

Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Protective Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Protective Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Protective Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Idiots in Love, Getting Back Together, Background Relationships, Hints at IceMav, Hints at BobNix

Summary:

Bradley Bradshaw returns to consciousness with a gasp, hand going to his side, where a searing pain makes itself known.

"-ster, hey," Jake snaps, holds his face in both hands and forces him to look his way, "breathe."

Bradley does as he's told, as painful as it is, and his vision clears somewhat. Jake's crouched beside him, concern etched on his face, and what happened comes back to him in flashes.

The mission going sideways at every possible turn, seeing Jake's plane get shot down in the sky, the less than smooth emergency landing in the woods that followed.

***

Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away? (48614 words) by LoveMadeThemDoIt

Additional Tags: Jake Seresin Has Daddy Issues, Homophobia, Emotional Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Found Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Jake POV, Bradley POV, Protective Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Protective Javy “Coyote” Machado, Protective Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, Self-Denial, Jake “Hangman” Seresin Needs A Hug, Threats of Violence, Blackmail, Homophobic Slurs, Dissociation, Training Accidents, Jake is in the hospital at some point but he’ll be fine, Bradley makes sure Jake gets sleep, navy inaccuracies, Closeted Character, a dusting of IceMav, Beau „Cyclone“ Simpson is a softie, First Time, Anal Sex, Bottom Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Post-Canon, Gay Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Bisexual Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Jake "Hangman" Seresin Has Bad Parents, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Self-Worth Issues, Happy Ending, Slow Burn, the movie plot is maybe three paragraphs at the beginning but this is POST-CANON

Summary:

Jake has no illusions he’ll come back from this mission. He’s the best fighter pilot the Navy has got on staff and this is not his ego talking. He’ll fly the mission, and it’ll be a shit show, because none of them have even managed to fly the simulation in the way they need to.

In his weaker moments, Jake wonders if his father is how he’s gotten this gig.

***

baby, I'm howlin' for you (87473 words) by hangmanbradshaw

Additional Tags: Werewolves, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Supernatural Elements, Full Shift Werewolves, think teen wolf meets twilight meets vampire diaries, Vampires, Witches, Werewolf Hunters, it's got all the things, they can shift but any romance stuff happens as humans fyi, Slow Burn, POV Alternating, Protective Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Possessive Behavior, also there's alphas and stuff but it's not abo, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Arranged Marriage, kind of, Also this takes place in like a medieval setting a la game of thrones, rut but not the sexy kind more the cuddly kind, Hand Jobs, Smut, Mating Bites, Accidental Voyeurism, Kinda, Top Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Bottom Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Summary:

His smirk widened. He may not have been happy about this, but he could appreciate that Bradley gave as good as he got. “I am good, Rooster. I’m very good.”

Bradley stared at him, expression battling between annoyance and what appeared to be a slight amount of amusement and intrigue. Jake continued, “Say, how does a werewolf get the nickname Rooster anyhow?”

Bradley raised an eyebrow. “That’s none of your business.”

The Wolves & Foxes AU

***

When you're ready (45445 words) by The_Splendid_Wren

Additional Tags: I know you all saw it too, Idiots in Love, Hangman is actually not a dick, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rooster POV, Father-Son Relationship, Maverick is just trying to make Goose proud, Phoenix is a bro, Lots of staring into the scenery, Eventual Smut, Finally I have a reason to obsess over Top Gun again, References to Canon, Post-Canon, did i mention Hangman is a momma's boy?, not beta read we die like men, Slow Burn, Homophobic Language, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Smut, Therapy is good for everyone

Summary:

After the suicide-mission-that-wasn't the pilots of TOP GUN go their separate ways to enjoy a much earned week of leave. Rooster is set to spend his time with Maverick in an attempt to rekindle their familial relationship but it gets complicated when unresolved trauma from nearly dying keeps him from truly opening up. With a host of other issues like his unknown next assignment and his feelings for a rival paralyzing him, he truly has no idea how he ends up at the Seresin ranch house in Austin, Texas with the object of his desires right in front of him.

Or, Rooster is suffering PTSD and his friends and family try to help him. Whether that's getting therapy or confessing his very deeply buried feelings remains to be seen.

***

I will love you, dear, forever (17574 words) by FlowersOnMyMind

Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Alpha Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Explicit Sexual Content, Jake loves Bradley so much, Dagger Squad, Found Family, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Rimming, Pining, mentioned icemav - Freeform, brief bobnix, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Pining Jake

Summary:

"Do you have someone to take care of you?" Jake asks.

"Are you offering, Seresin?"

"Are you asking, Bradshaw?"

Jake and Bradley help each other through their ruts and heats.

Jake pines.

***

You Love Him, and No One Else (50269 words) by Sceld

Additional Tags: Pining, LIKE TOO MUCH, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, just a collection of tropes because I Am Cringe, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mostly Fluff, Internalized Homophobia, oh yeah and lots of it, very gay, derogatorily, Family Issues, Idiots in Love, idiots in general honestly, i hate it too don't worry, First Dates, but unofficially, Bad Cooking, Meeting the Parents, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Past Child Abuse, not graphic though, Slow Burn, First Kiss, Baking, Hopeful Ending

Summary:

“I’ve got it,” Jake offers, holding his hand out, but Rooster only tuts disappointedly.

“What kind of host would I be if I made you carry your own bag?”

Jake blanks on a response, his mouth twisting into a smile without his permission. Rooster turns to where Jake can now see the Bronco. Its engine is still running, and it’s warm inside when Jake closes the door behind him, clicking on his seatbelt by feeling along while he stares intently at the glove compartment in front of him, waiting while Rooster puts his bag in the boot. He doesn’t feel as weird as he thought he would, as he probably should. Every conflicting feeling from the F-14 is returning in waves. He’s helpless to resist the pull of the tide. It’s terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

or;

Jake's apartment floods and his only other option is to stay with the last person in the world he wants to spend time with. Shenanigans ensue.

***

there's money for the taking (and the happiness we all deserve) (64769 words) by thegeckbros

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Age Difference, it's 10ish years, Past Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst with a Happy Ending, Power Dynamics, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Casual Sex, author built a very elaborate world for like no reason, Tags May Change, Humor, or at least i like to hope, Explicit Sexual Content, Daddy Kink, like it’s a sugar DADDY au so it comes w the territory but still it’s there and it’s heavy

Summary:

“So, what, one of the richest dudes in New York wants to be your sugar daddy?”

“Kinda?” Jake sits back up, straightening up and turning his body towards Javy. “He doesn’t want like sex or anything. He just needs someone to pretend to date so his uncle and PR team get off his back about his reputation.”

a sugar daddy au in which jake is a struggling law student, bradley's a billionaire, and they weave a tangled web

***

Speak Softly, Love (67000 words) by Renai_chan

Additional Tags: Mafia AU, Iceman is a Mob Boss, Bradley is his heir, Icemav adore Jake, goose and carole are alive because i said so, Violence, Blood and Injury, tags to be updated as I go, Tattoos, Suit Kink, Lingerie, Rimming, Polyglot Bradley, Gun Violence, Revenge

Summary:

Jake leaves behind his crappy life in Texas and moves to California. There, he meets Bradley, a gorgeous man who works at a charity helping the homeless. They fall in love, and everything is sunshine and rainbows until he learns that Bradley is, in fact, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, heir to the empire of his godfather, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, who rules the underbelly of Los Angeles with ice-cold ruthlessness. Suddenly, Jake find himself embroiled in the dangers of the LA Mafia

***

Forever your begonia (17576 words) by MerielTLA

Additional Tags: Idiots in Love, Enemies to Lovers, Secret Crush, Secret Admirer, Flowers, Language of Flowers, Jake "Hangman" Seresin is a Little Shit, Texan Jake "Hangman" Seresin, no beta we die like goose, Jake needs some romance in his life, Rooster is bad at feelings, unrequired required love, Emotional Constipation, This came out of nowhere, don´t blame me, Ice is alive, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky Lives

Summary:

“This is not for me.” Mickey grinned like a fucking maniac as he held out a small envelope for everyone to see, pointing at the signature in it.

Jake.

The blond felt his world tilt as he frowned at the offending four letters of his name. What. The. Fuck. He pulled the card away from the other´s hand as he looked at the fancy lettering in horrified amazement.

“Oh my GOD! Bagman has an admirer?!” Paybay yelled

Jake Hangman Seresin had never gotten flowers...until he did.

***

hanging on to ambiguity

(34033 words) by

haridwar

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Lifeguard Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Surfer Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, First Aid, Head Injury, Mutual Pining, Protective Javy "Coyote" Machado, Protective Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Miscommunication, they're bad at talking again, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV Multiple, Breaking Up & Making Up, Implied/Referenced Sex, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky Lives, Married Tom "Iceman" Kazansky/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Drunkenness, drunk Jake is a mess, Natasha "Phoenix" Trace is So Done, Hurt Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Jake "Hangman" Seresin Has Daddy Issues, Parental Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Unhealthy Relationships, you might not like Bradley in this one (but you can still love him), Hospitalization, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hopeful Ending, everyone gets therapy

Summary:

an accident on the beach, a lifeguard to the rescue, and the repercussions of an unexpected reunion

***

it seemed so natural, darling, that you and I are here (20181 words) by haridwar

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Pilot Bradley Bradshaw, Las Vegas Wedding, Accidental Marriage, Drunken Shenanigans, Memory Loss, the inherent awkwardness of having a crush on the guy you're married to, Javy "Coyote" Machado is a Good Friend, Bradley gets his own Javy to hang out with, Sexual Content, Jealous Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, POV Alternating

Summary:

“Did we really do this?” Bradley asked. It was the first thing he had said since Jake’s brainwave and Jake was not a fan of how upset he sounded. “Are we- did we get married?”

or: what happens in Vegas...

***

you were almost too much for me (9648 words) by haridwar

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Bodyguard Bradley, Past Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Returning Home, Post-Break Up, Love Confessions, Jealous Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Wealthy Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Arguing, Reconciliation, Hopeful Ending

Summary:

Jake’s ex works for his father and that complicates things when he heads back home after The Mission ***

Men Like Us (41265 words) by DancingDisaster

Additional Tags: Breaking Up & Making Up, Getting Back Together, All aboard the Bradshaw-Seresin Shitshow Extravaganza, Idiots in Love, Ice Lives By Popular Demand, A romantic dramedy about two Idiot Flyboys

Summary:

Seresin men love with reckless abandon. It’s put every man before him in the ground.

Jake refuses to be buried.

He flies like he has nothing left to lose (he doesn’t), a one man army (he is), leaving everyone else in the dust (so they don’t leave him). Admiral Kazansky claps him on the shoulder, says he expects great things from him, and Jake’s smile is feral as the rest of his flight school cohort looks on in disbelief.

Hangman, they all say, like Jake’s entire personality was a long con, and he ranks first in class.

Rooster doesn’t look at all.

(They've got history spanning the better part of a decade and they are absolutely, positively not over it.)

***

like shooting stars (12737 words) by bottledyarn

Additional Tags: Fluff, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Anxious Jake "Hangman" Seresin, POV Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Texas, Texan Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Domestic Fluff, First Kiss, Getting Together, Soft Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Post-Canon, Just a little pretend relationship, as a treat, Only One Bed

Summary:

“Well," the gate agent said. "Only uniformed military members and their spouses can board priority, but—”

“That works out,” Bradshaw said, his voice tinny and distant in Jake's ringing ears. “Because this is my fiancé.”

If Jake hadn’t been able to choke down a piece of toast this morning, he thought he might be light-headed enough to just pass out right then and there.

Jake is trying to fly home for Thanksgiving and not have a panic attack on the airplane. Bradley is trying to skip town and spend the holiday in a mountain cabin to distract from another Thanksgiving alone. Between the two of them, they might both get where they need to go.

***

learning steps (20530 words) by vannral

Additional Tags: Friendship, Getting Together, Oblivious Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Idiots in Love, Pining, POV Outsider, Instructor!Bradley, Teaching, Protective Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Students, Reunions, Eventual Sex, Happy Ending

Summary:

”So, an instructor?”

A straight hit. Bradley shifts uncomfortably on the leather seat and clears his throat. ”… Yeah.”

In which Bradley becomes an instructor after the mission, Jake keeps showing up to his classes and his students are very curious about their dynamic.

***

unsportsmanlike conduct (16871 words) by ginnydear

Additional Tags: alternative universe, NFL, Enemies to Lovers, Bickering, Minor Injuries, Sexual Content, tweets as a plot device, everyone's alive because I say so

Summary:

He didn’t expect there to be highlight reels of him and Jake Seresin arguing and jawing at each other after their first game against each other. His Uncle Mav’s recorded it, saying it’s the beginning of his long, successful career - to have a rival.

Bradley thinks it’s a pain in the ass.

or - the hangster nfl au

***

one foot left, and then we're going down swinging (15944 words) by SaintClaire

Additional Tags: Dagger Squad, I put Hangman through the washing machine, but he's fine he comes back out, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky Lives, this is my sand pit, Found Family, life affirming kissing but everyone's pants stay on, for now, attempted abuse of barnyard poultry (not by Hangman), the horse lives, uhhh I don't think this is whump because I kiss it better, but if not let me know, damn good piloting skills, everyone has emotions

Summary:

“I’m still here.” he says, because it helps Bradley to be reminded sometimes. For all he’ll mouth off about Jake never shutting up, the sound of Jake’s voice can get him to drop the rigid set of his shoulders and relax, sit a little easier in the cockpit. “Still on your wing, Roo, just a little further away than normal.”

Jake gets shot down on a mission, tracker blown to smithereens and on his own in enemy territory. The thing about Hangman is that he might be a damn good pilot but that means he comes with the bloody-mindedness to see his shit through. He's got a family to get back to.

***

all my roads lead back to you (17094 words) by liadan14

Additional Tags: Secret Relationship, Secret Marriage, nonchronological storytelling, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw Needs A Hug, Jake Seresin Needs A Hug, Communication via interior design, Accidental Marriage, the inherent romanticism of joint financial decisions, Alternate Universe: they weren't exes during the movie, they were just very bad at being a couple, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Size Kink, Jake pavlovs Bradley into having a size kink, just trust me on that last one, outsider pov, Relationship Reveal, Polyamory Negotiations, implied threesome, Implied past Icemav, Current Mav/Penny, Maverick about extremely unhealthy relationships: it was acceptable in the 80s, Penny and Bob are vying for the only braincell in the team championship

Summary:

“Where does this leave us?” Bradley asks eventually.

Jake snorts. “In what way?”

Bradley shrugs. “I don’t know. Emotionally, physically. Legally.”

Jake thinks he might be dizzy. He hasn’t drunk that much tonight, but he has been wondering about the answers to that question for a long time. Finally talking about it…it barely even feels real. “Let’s start with the last one,” he says. “That sounds like the easiest part.”

“Well,” Bradley says gamely. “Legally speaking, I think we’re, like, one piece of paper away from being married.”

***

never had a heart to mend (3735 words) by un_familiar

Additional Tags: Miscommunication, Cheating, (but not really i swear), Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, sorry this took a month to write thats embarrassing, Post-Canon, what do you call pining when youre already dating them, sorry about this (lying)

Summary:

Bradley won’t stop looking at him with concern, laying kisses on his bare back and asking softly, “Are you okay,” until Jake wants to scream You know what you’re fucking doing to me, but he can’t or he won’t and he’s never felt this helpless in his life. The best he can manage is a soft, “Just tired,” turning back into Bradley’s embrace and thinking God, just let me keep this.

***

of a feather (2501 words) by lilgreyarea

Additional Tags: Kid Fic, Halloween, Trick or Treating, Fluff, Post-Canon, Getting Together, (kinda), idk it’s just cute fluffy nonsense

Summary:

jake and his three-year-old daughter, sophie, run into bradley while trick-or-treating

***

The death of piece of mind (27595 words) by MerielTLA

Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky Lives, Rooster is bad at feelings, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Amnesia, I blame the title song, Protective Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Injured Rooster, no beta we die like goose, Miscommunication, Fluff and Angst, Fluff, It was supposed to be heavier but it evolved on its own, Hangster, sereshaw, IceMav, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon

Summary:

Last time he had seen Jake, had been fourteen months ago. More than a year since Bradley had escaped, like a coward, and had completely lost contact with the man his body missed with a strength that terrified him. The man that had been there for him as he had woken up, disoriented and scared. The man that had taken care of him, as he fought against his ruined leg and a fucked-up mind.

The one he had abandoned, at the first chance he got.

The man that was his husband, the one he didn’t remember.

Or Bradley left after losing his memory and forgetting his relationship with Jake, but now he has begun to remember and it's time to get his hubby back. ***

How do you like your coffee? (23355 words) by WaffleToaster

Additional Tags: Memory Loss, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Accidents, Falling In Love, Idiots in Love, Fluff and Smut, Sex, Established Relationship, Developing Relationship, Injury Recovery, Tooth-Rotting Fluff

Summary:

Javy receives the first call after Jake makes an emergency landing on the tarmac and Bradley has to deal with the complications that arise.

“Do we get along now?”

“We do, yes. We’re.. good friends.”

“That’s good. Cause you seem like a nice guy, Rooster.” ***

lover be good to me (18920 words) by haridwar

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Baker Bradley, Long-Distance Relationship, Birthday Fluff, like literally so much of it, this one is super birthday centric, Strangers to Lovers, Married Tom "Iceman" Kazansky/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, as per usual, Parental Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, POV Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Soft Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Sex Toys, Relationship Reveal

Summary:

Jake picks a random coffee shop to go be pensive in when he receives a birthday card he doesn't want and things turn out better than he ever could have imagined

***

you hang me up, unfinished (with the better part of me no longer mine)

(13140 words) by un_familiar

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Getting Together, Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Character Study, javy is the best friend ever, POV Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Jealousy, eventually, complete and total abuse of italics, Pining, the absolute minimum research went into this, do not look too closely at it!, Jake Is A Menace All Of The Time, javy and natasha are sick of them!, Miscommunication, Eventual Fluff

Summary:

There are a million things standing between Jake Seresin and his soulmate–gender, Jake’s tendency to overthink and run his mouth, the fact that his soulmark is high up on his ribs, hidden, the bruises his dad leaves, but the biggest one is probably the simple fact that he has no idea how to love. ***

Got to Make It on My Own (14196 words) by Renai_chan

Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha Bradley, Omega Jake, Alpha Javy, Accidental Bonding, Drunk Sex, Ex-Somethings, One Night Stands, The Inherent Dubiousness of ABO, Platonic Sex, Javy is the BEST Bro, Marking, Biting, Bonding, Being an asshole as a coping mechanism, Jealous Bradley, Knotting, Idiot Men who Don't Communicate, Angst, Happy Ending

Summary:

Jake and Bradley spend one night together under the heavy, heavy influence of alcohol. It does not go well. But it goes worse for Jake than it does for Bradley because he wakes up with a bonding bite and his new alpha nowhere to be found.

When they're recalled for a special training detachment eight years later, Jake finds out that Bradley doesn't remember giving him the bite at all and Bradley finds out about it for the first time.

It still does not go well. ***

the long way home (5982 words) by nocturnelight

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Canon, Parental Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Parental Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky & Pete "Maverick" Mitchell Raise Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky Lives, Married Tom "Iceman" Kazansky/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Jake "Hangman" Seresin Needs a Hug, Healing, Therapy, And love communicated through scrambled eggs

Summary:

Jake and Bradley had come in late last night and settled into the guest room of Maverick and Iceman’s beach house. Jake had driven them both up at Pete and Tom’s insistence after Mav’s voice on the phone and Jake’s hand running up and down his back hadn’t been enough to get Bradley to stop shaking when he’d woken up screaming from a nightmare.

He's hoping being there will be good for Bradley, maybe finally get him to talk about how he's been feeling. Because Bradley's the one who's bottling everything up.

And Jake is perfectly fine. He swears.

ENJOY READING! LEAVE COMMENTS FOR THE WRITERS. WOHOO!!

#hangster #sereshaw #hangaroo #top gun maverick #fic rec list #fic recs #hangster fic recs #fanfiction

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ambrossart · 2 years

Text

DANCING WITH MYSELF

— PART EIGHT

summary: eddie crashes senior prom hoping to steal a dance with his dream girl, chrissy cunningham. instead, he spends the night stuck in the women’s restroom with you—her snarky, insecure best friend. ❖ pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader ❖ word count: 5,641 ❖ genre: fluff with some angst ❖ series status: complete ❖ warnings: no season 4 spoilers, some coarse language, body image issues, allusions to eating disorders, typical teenage insecurities, angst, jealousy, anxiety, secret crushes, childhood memories, happy ending, lots of 80s music

Back in the dance hall, Chrissy Cunningham was sitting alone at the table and picking teal nail polish off her fingernails while “True” by Spandau Ballet floated dreamily down from the speakers.

… except it wasn’t a dream anymore, was it?

Chrissy had been shaken awake and now she was seeing her world with brand new eyes, and she didn’t like what she saw, not at all. She was disenchanted by it. Disgusted by it. She wanted to tear it all down and burn it to the ground. Those vines crawling up the pillar? Nothing but cheap polyester leaves on wire stems. How could she ever think they were real? They were as fake as the roses on her table. As fake as the rhinestone tiara that would eventually sit on her head. And Chrissy would stand on that stage in the middle of this pretty plastic world, and she would smile her fake smile and wave at a crowd of happy faces, and she would wonder if any of them actually saw her.

Saw her like you did.

We should’ve just stayed home, Chrissy thought with a forlorn smile. We could’ve been sitting on the couch and watching Pretty in Pink right now. I’d have to keep rewinding all my favorite parts because you think your commentary’s more entertaining than the actual movie. And you know what? It is. And you’re right, Blane is boringly perfect, and Andie really should’ve chosen Duckie at the end. But nobody appreciates Duckie, do they? I wonder why that is…

I’m sorry… If I smiled at him too much or looked at him too much, I’m sorry. I swear, I didn’t realize I was doing it. Chrissy sniffed as a tear fell onto her dress, darkening the fabric. I bet he doesn’t even really like me, anyway. He probably just likes my face and my smile, like everyone else, and he has no idea the only reason I smile so much is because I have someone like you making me laugh all the time.

Chrissy wiped away another tear as Jason Carver appeared before her with his jacket unbuttoned, bowtie undone and hanging loose around his white collar.

“Hey,” he said in a quiet voice, his hands stuffed awkwardly in his front pockets.

“Hi,” Chrissy said back, unable to fully meet his gaze. It hurt too much to look at him right now.

“Why’d you do it?” she asked after a while.

Jason let out a long sigh. “I don’t know… I just wanted everyone to have a good time. I wanted us to have a good time. I wanted her to have a good time. And I thought she would with Chance; I really thought she would… but he’s an asshole, and so am I. I didn’t think it through, Chris. I didn’t take her feelings into consideration. She’s right, I was being selfish. I just wanted tonight to be perfect.”

Chrissy looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. “So did I.”

Jason felt his heart break, seeing her like that. He knelt down in front of her and gently cupped her face with his hands. His voice trembled a little as he said, “Is that why you haven’t eaten anything tonight?”

Chrissy’s face twisted into a startled expression. She yanked her chin away. “What? No, I… I told you, I’m just nervous, that’s all.”

“Chris, we’ve been dating for almost three years. I’ve never seen you eat, not once, not even some popcorn at a movie.”

“What? No, that can’t be true…”

“It is, Chris… and it’s okay. Look, I know you’re dealing with something right now, and I know you don’t trust me enough to talk to me about it, but I just want you to know I’m here, okay? Whenever you’re ready, only when you’re ready, I’ll be here ready to listen. Okay?”

A tear rolled down Chrissy’s cheek. Jason wiped it away with his thumb.

“What if it takes a really long time?” she asked, her voice breaking with emotion.

“Then it takes a really long time,” Jason said. “It’s worth it. You’re worth it.”

“Yeah, but what if I’m not?” Chrissy asked, sniffling. “What if you don’t like what you see?”

An incredulous laugh emerged from Jason’s throat, his mouth hanging open in silent awe. “That’s… That’s not possible, Chris.” How could she even think that? “You’re the most beautiful person I know, inside and out, and nothing you say or do will ever change that.”

His words made Chrissy cry harder, smiling through her tears. Jason hugged her close and pressed a kiss against her forehead, and as he drew back, she whispered, “I love you.”

“You know, it’s very rare to find a friend like Chrissy. We’ve been best friends since the first grade. The first grade. The teacher partnered us together for an assignment, and we just hit it off right away. It was effortless with her. As easy as breathing. We spent the whole afternoon talking and laughing, getting absolutely nothing done, and it’s been that way ever since. I swear, it’s like we’re in our own little world sometimes. We shut everyone else out, forget about all our problems, and just relax for a while… as long as we can. She’s the only one I’ve ever been able to do that with, and I’m assuming it’s the same for her; otherwise she wouldn’t have kept me around for so long. And honestly that surprised me, too. I mean, you hear about girls dropping their childhood friends once they get a taste of popularity, but not Chris. No, she didn’t change at all. We still eat lunch together every day. Still walk home together every day. Sleepovers every Saturday, and then we hang out all day Sunday. It’s like a ritual at this point, and I think we’re both too afraid to break it. It’s like we think the world will end or something.” You laughed at that for a minute, then frowned.

“We’re going to different schools next year. That wasn’t the plan, of course. We were supposed to go to Evansville together, live it up, have the time of our lives, but now she’s the only one going. Chris thinks it’s because I didn’t get in, but the truth is… I never even applied. I don’t wanna go to college with her. I can’t go to college with her. And I know that sounds really selfish. Probably makes me seem like a total bitch, but… My whole identity is wrapped up in Chrissy Cunningham. From the time we became friends, she has defined me. I have no name anymore. I’m simply Chrissy’s best friend. And what, I have to spend another four years like that? Another forty? When I die, is that what’s gonna be engraved on my tombstone? I have nightmares about it. I wake up in the middle of the night and cry about it. I’ve spent the last twelve years living in Chrissy’s shadow, and it’s slowly killing me. And it’s not her fault. She’s done nothing wrong. She’s amazing, and I love her, but… I need to find out who I am… apart from her.”

You breathed out the words and watched them drift away. This was the first time you’d ever spoken such treachery out loud. Until now, it had been trapped inside of you like a poison, and now that it was out, a small part of you was afraid. Afraid Chrissy might’ve heard you. Afraid all your rituals had now been undone. The spell was broken, and now the world around you would cease to exist. Fires. Earthquakes. Floods. Famine. You sat there for a minute, listening for the sounds of screaming and panic, but there was nothing… just Spandau Ballet.

You turned your head, caught Eddie Munson’s wide-eyed stare. “I’m sorry, were you asking me a question?”

“Uhh… just… what your plans are after high school.”

Your face flushed. “Oh, right…” You crossed your arms over your chest and looked down. “Umm, college. In way too many words, college. Yeah, that’s what I’ll be doing. What about you?”

Eddie pounded his fist on his knee. “I… have no idea. I guess I’ll be at the world’s mercy.”

“You’re not gonna pursue your music?”

“Well, yeah, I’m gonna try… but the odds of making it are basically, y’know, zero.” He formed a goose egg with his hand, then made it explode with a flick of his fingers. “With my luck, I’m probably gonna end up sharing a prison cell with my old man.”

“Don’t say that,” you said, sickened.

“I’m just kidding.”

“Yeah, you are but you aren’t, so… stop.” Your voice was soft but emphatic. It made Eddie look at you in surprise. “I remember how you would get whenever your dad was out on parole. It was like night and day. You became a completely different person.”

Once, while you were all leaving Scottie’s house after a D&D session, Eddie saw his dad’s beat-up car sitting on the curb and, instantly, all the color drained from his face. Then he said, I gotta go, guys, and he skipped the next two sessions.

“You always swore you wouldn’t end up like him, so… swear it, Eddie. Swear you’ll never end up like him.”

Your glare was earnest and desperate.

Eddie sighed, surrendering to it. “I’ll never end up like him. I promise.”

“Good,” you said. “And don’t make any more jokes like that either because you’re not that funny, Munson.”

“Okay,” said Eddie with a faint smile. “From now on, I’ll leave all the jokes to you.”

“Good,” you said, and shivered as the air conditioning kicked on.

“You cold?” Eddie asked.

“No, I’m—”

“Hold on, I gotcha.”

Eddie leaned forward and shrugged his right shoulder out of his jacket sleeve. You started blushing as soon as you saw the bare flesh of his arm, the black ink of all his tattoos…

Your mouth fell open. “Oh, that’s okay, I…” but soon his hands were on your shoulders, draping the jacket over you, and you felt your cheeks burst into flames.

Eddie drew back, hovering over you for a minute. “Better?”

Your eyes shyly floated up to his. “Yes… thank you,” and then he gave you a crooked little smile that made you melt. You pulled the collar of his jacket against your chin and thought, This enough… If this is all I ever get, this is enough.

Then you looked at Eddie in his Iron Maiden T-shirt, sitting with his right knee pulled toward his chest and his arm resting on it, and you said with a smirk, “By the way, I’m really glad you decided to dress up tonight.”

Eddie breathed a quiet laugh. “Yeah… probably shoulda rented a suit, huh?”

“No,” you said, “this is perfect. This is totally you.”

Eddie’s eyes met yours in a curious stare. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you said softly, as a huge smile spread across your face, getting bigger and bigger until… “Ow!”

“You okay?”

You pressed your hand to your cheekbone, giggling in pain. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Eddie said, “You’re not used to smiling this much, huh? Uh-oh… Careful now, if you keep this up, you might actually break your face.”

“Hey, I smile…”

Eddie shook his head. “No, not really… You smirk a lot. Yeah, that’s definitely your signature. Then let’s see, there’s the, uhhh, the shit-eating grin, which you wear while watching me fail at life. That one’s my personal favorite.” He chuckled to himself for a second, then licked his bottom lip in thought. “But see, uh, a genuine smile from you, now that’s very rare… at least for me. Yeah, I don’t think I’ve seen that since…” His eyes grew distant, softened. “Well, it’s been a long time.”

Then Eddie looked down, hooked his finger around the chain on his right wrist. “… and that’s a shame because it’s a really pretty smile.”

You felt your brow cave in on itself, your lips pucker into a sour frown.

Eddie glanced back at you and laughed. “Well, it was, anyway… Now you’re doing a weird grimace-thing. What is that?”

You turned away. “Yeah, sorry, I’ve never been very good at accepting compliments… I, uhh, I remember back in middle school, Chris and I were standing by our lockers—I don’t remember what we were doing exactly—but she just looked at me and said, ‘You’re so pretty.’ It came completely out of nowhere because that’s what Chris does. She’s random like that sometimes. And, anyway, Cody Nelson was standing on the other side of me. You know who Cody Nelson is, right? Well, he turned to me and said, ‘No offense, but you’re really not that pretty.’ And I think it was just the way he said it. Totally without malice. He just stated it like it was a fact—like the sky is blue, and I’m not pretty—and that just rattled me.” Even now, you could feel that same lump in your throat, sitting in there like a rock. “In hindsight, I should have told him to fuck off, but I just stood there, dumbfounded, and I said, ‘Okay…’ Like, what are you even supposed to say to something like that? And I almost cried right there, but I didn’t. I did the respectable thing and waited until I got home, but… yeah, now every time someone compliments me, I just kinda pause. It’s like I’m waiting for Cody Nelson to come out of the bushes and be like, ‘Actually…’ and—Wait, what are you doing?”

Eddie had shifted his weight around and was now facing the door.

“Oh, I’m just waiting for Cody Nelson,” he said. “He shouldn’t be coming into the women’s restroom, by the way, which I realize sounds pretty hypocritical coming from me, but…”

Eddie turned toward you and said in a low voice, “You know what, I don’t think he’s coming. Hold on, though, we’ll give it a few more seconds… Wait… Nope, I think you’re safe. It’s just us in here.”

His smile was warm and comforting. It made your heart beat faster.

Eddie went on: “I don’t mean to make light of your traumatic memory or anything, but… didn’t Cody Nelson stick a scissor in an outlet and almost electrocute himself?”

You squinted your eyes, trying to remember. “Yeah… Yeah, I think he did.”

“Yeah… so… obviously he’s an idiot. You’re gorgeous.”

He said it like it was a fact. Like it was a universal truth.

Then he turned away and muttered under his breath, “It’s your personality that’s the problem.”

And your jaw dropped. You coughed out a laugh. “Oh, really?”

Eddie flashed you a teasing smirk. “Yeah, you’re kind of a bitch. I’ve actually been meaning to tell you that for a while now.”

“Oh?” You raised your eyebrows tauntingly. “Is that so?”

Your hands flew down to the strap of your heel and barely grazed the buckle when you felt the weight of Eddie’s hand on top of yours, his fingers locking between yours.

“No, don’t,” he begged, laughing. “Please don’t stab me with your shoe. I’d like to maintain vision in both eyes, if that’s possible.”

Eddie was tracing your fingers with his thumb as he said this, dragging his nail up to the knuckle of your thumb, through the curve to your index finger, then back again. It was hypnotic, this movement, so hypnotic that you almost didn’t hear him when he said, “I mean, how else am I supposed to keep staring at you?”

Your heart stopped. “What?”

You looked at Eddie, saw his eyes widen for a second and then squeeze themselves shut. “Shit,” he hissed through his teeth. Then he yanked his hand away from yours and threw it back on his bent knee. All the while, you sat there silent, blinking.

Eddie pushed his hand through his hair in frustration. “God, why’d you have to be here tonight? Y’know, I came in with a very clear plan: get in, get the girl—or, y’know, don’t get the girl—and then get the hell outta here! I see you and… shit, all of a sudden I’m back in middle school, man. I’m weird and awkward. Face full of acne. Actually, I don’t remember if acne was a huge problem for me, but it probably was. And now I got all these complicated feelings and, fuck, I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.”

He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, breathing deeply for a minute. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, by the way. I dunno why I did that. I… I shouldn’t have done that.”

You closed your mouth and tried to swallow, but your throat was so dry. “Eddie, why did you act like you didn’t know me?”

Eddie opened his eyes but didn’t look at you. His gaze was cloudy, tormented with a dark haze of anguish that you didn’t understand. “I just didn’t wanna give you the satisfaction of, y’know, thinking I cared enough to remember you. I mean, I did say you were dead to me, so…”

His words punched you in the gut. Knocked all the air out of your lungs.

“OH MY GOD!” you yelled. “This is all because of some stupid D&D campaign? Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

Eddie put up his hand. “First of all, it’s not just a stupid D&D campaign…”

“Oh my god, Eddie! You better change your name to Petty Munson because that is the pettiest shit I’ve ever heard in my life!”

“Oh, see, there you go with the name-calling… Now we’re really back in middle school!”

“Yeah, we are… because you’re acting like an actual child right now! I killed you six years ago in a game. In a game, Eddie! And you decided to kill me off in real life. But wait, hold on, you didn’t have any problem digging me out from the grave when you needed to use me, did you? Yeah, you just grabbed a shovel and got to work.”

“Hey, you have no idea how hard it was for me to come up to you tonight.”

“Yeah, but you did, didn’t you? Because you needed my prom ticket.”

“Yeah, and a lotta help you were in that department.”

“Oh, boo-fucking-hoo… You know, I’d actually give a shit if you weren’t such an insufferable asshole. But then again, what do you care? I’m dead to you, and over a stupid fucking game. Do you wanna redo it, Eddie? Since it matters so much to you? You know what, fine, I’ll go grab Jeff and Grant and Gareth—I’ll even go spring Scottie outta jail. Yeah, I haven’t seen that guy in years, but let’s go ahead and grab him too—and then we can all sit down in Scottie’s dungeon of a basement and replay this monumental campaign. It’ll take us like three months, but if that’ll finally right the universe for you, let’s do it.”

By the time you were finished, you were seething. Eddie shot you an acidic glare.

“God, you really are such a bitch,” he said, sounding completely defeated. “It’s not about the campaign. It was never about the campaign. It was a horrible campaign, anyway. Full of plot holes. You could see all the twists coming a mile away. Scottie can’t write for shit and he was a horrible DM. He spent the whole campaign flirting with you through his NPCs. It was really fucking annoying.”

Eddie looked away from you, started tugging at one of the rings on his left hand.

“I was having fun with you. I thought we were having fun together. Those three months we spent, y’know, arguing and goofing around in Scottie’s basement were the best three months of my life, and…” He winced suddenly, as if a dagger had stabbed into his side. “And I thought you liked me. In fact, I was pretty fucking sure you did. Like I’ve never been more confident of anything in my life. You were terrible at the game; I was constantly having to save you. And every time I did, you would just look at me like I was amazing, like I was—I dunno—your hero or something, and nobody’s ever looked at me like that. But then you slit my throat right at the end, and you sat there and laughed about it. Never even said you were sorry. And I’ve never felt so stupid because, clearly, those three months didn’t mean anything to you. It was all just a big joke at my expense.”

His words pierced your heart and made you feel cold all over. You shook your head, your eyes stinging with oncoming tears. “No, it wasn’t…”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, of course it was. You don’t care about D&D. You only joined so you could make fun of us.”

You cleared your throat, but your voice still sounded hoarse. “No, that’s not why I—”

“You weren’t taking it seriously at all. You were constantly going off on your own, taking on random side-quests that had nothing to do with the story. You were gambling in the tavern. Wasting all your gold on stupid shit you don’t need.”

“But that’s not why I joined,” you said. Eddie didn’t hear you.

“Then you played the sacred flute in the queen’s tomb when I specifically told you not to—”

“Eddie, listen to me: that’s not why I joined!”

“—and you disturbed the spirits of all her servants and we almost died. Yeah, and you were laughing at that too, because that’s what you do. You laugh at me and mock me and make fun of everything I like ‘cause—”

“OH MY GOD, I WAS TRYING TO IMPRESS YOU!”

You screamed these words so loud it almost tore your vocal cords. The sound bounced off the walls and smacked you right in the face. You put your head in your hands, started rubbing your throbbing temples. All this yelling had given you such an awful headache.

“I worked so hard to learn that game. I had to beg my neighbor to teach me. Yeah, my neighbor. I spent two weeks playing D&D with a bunch of kids in Mike Wheeler’s basement. And it was confusing, and I didn’t get it. I still don’t get it. It was really hard and frustrating, but I did it, Eddie. I did it for you. Because I wanted to be around you and talk to you. Actually, talk to you. And I did… or at least my character did. She was oozing charisma and was just, you know, overall a total badass, but it was still me at the end of the day.”

You frowned deeply, guiltily, feeling like a criminal about to receive their sentence. “I got a little carried away, though… and, yeah, I sacrificed you to a demon for the ultimate power. It wasn’t even a good power, to be honest. Scottie had to pull something out of his ass, and it totally broke the game. I shouldn’t have accepted it in the first place, but I did, and I’m really sorry, but I didn’t think it was gonna make you as mad as it did. And you have every right to be mad at me and, I guess, kill me in your head, but don’t sit there and tell me those three months didn’t mean anything to me because you have no idea what they meant to me, so… shut up.”

You said the words and jumped away from them, sliding down the wall, into a ball, crossing your arms tightly over your chest. Eddie was sitting in your peripheral, nothing more than a black-and-brown blur to your eyes. You stole a glance at him once and wished you hadn’t. He was staring at you with a stunned expression, as if his entire world had been turned upside down.

“I’m the one who ruined your night, Eddie,” you confessed in a broken voice, on the verge of tears. “Chrissy would’ve danced with you. She really would have. The only reason she didn’t is because she didn’t wanna hurt my feelings. She knew it would absolutely destroy me to see you dancing with her, so… yeah, I guess I robbed you of your one great memory, and I’m sorry for that, too.”

You tore your eyes away and wiped them dry.

For the longest time, Eddie didn’t say anything, and you started to feel like a nervous Catholic sitting in a confessional. You had just spilled all your dirty sins, and now you were waiting for the priest to tell you to say ten Hail Marys in penance. Except now you were starting to think the priest wasn’t even in the booth, that you had just divulged all your darkest secrets for nothing.

Just as you were about to die of shame, you felt Eddie slump down beside you, his shoulder brushing against yours.

“You liked me?” he said. “This whole time?”

“Yeah…”

Eddie threw his head back and started to laugh—a slow, agonized laugh.

“Goddammit,” he said. “I feel like I got short-changed here.”

That made you shudder and squirm away.

Eddie saw this and reached for you. “Oh no, I… I didn’t mean it like that. I just… I just wish I’d known, y’know? Long before tonight.” His smile was sad and full of regret. It made you want to cry. “You would’ve saved me a lot of heartache. A lot of years spent wondering why nobody seemed to want me. And now I find out you’ve been here this whole time, and you’re awesome and smart and funny and beautiful—I mean, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted—and now you’re leaving. In a couple months, you’re gonna be going to college, and I’m… I don’t know where I’m going, but it’s definitely not where you’re going, and that is just fucking tragic. Yeah, that’s just my luck, isn’t it?”

He laughed again, or tried to anyway. “You learned D&D for me.”

“Yeah…”

“You read Lord of the Rings for me.”

“Yeah… Actually, I’ve read it a couple times. It’s kinda my new favorite book. I’ve also read The Hobbit and half The Silmarillion, but that book is a chore to get through. Like, I’m really struggling with that one.”

“Well, I haven’t even attempted it, so that’s already very impressive to me. I really appreciate your dedication.”

You smiled at him. “Yeah, I tend to go all in…”

Eddie tipped his head at you, holding in a smile of his own. “You came to my shows… more than a couple, I’m assuming.”

“Yeah… and I didn’t go for the wings, either.”

Eddie nodded, a smirk crawling up his face. “Yeah, see… I kinda already figured that ‘cause… they don’t even serve wings at The Hideout.”

“Oh,” you said with a sheepish pout. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure… and, y’know, even if they do, you definitely shouldn’t be eating them ‘cause they’ll probably kill you.”

You put your hand over your mouth and giggled. Eddie watched you with an affectionate eye.

“That was a very convincing lie, though,” he went on. “I mean, you almost had me believing you for a second.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty good at thinking on my feet.”

“Yeah, I noticed. It’s actually one of the things I really like about you… Oh, and I really enjoyed your ‘invisible date’ bit, by the way. Yeah, it was highly entertaining.”

“Thank you,” you said. “I had a lot of fun with it.”

“Yeah, I could tell… You were very committed to the joke. In fact, I’m pretty sure two of those girls still think you were being serious.”

You and Eddie snickered at that for a minute, falling into each other, and as your laughter slowly petered out, a strange silence consumed you both. It made you blush like crazy, and you didn’t know why. Then “Missing You” by John Waite started to play, with its sappy, pining lyrics, and you felt your insides knot up like balloon art. You became very aware of Eddie’s knee pressed against yours. His elbow against yours. His hands nervously wringing together, fingers twisting the snowflake obsidian ring on his right hand…

“Hey,” Eddie said in a low voice, making your heart jump.

You shyly dragged your eyes up to his, found them locked on you with a soft, heavy-lidded stare. “Yeah?”

“Can I, umm… Can I kiss you?”

You sucked in a shaky breath. You could feel your heart thudding madly in your chest. “Do you always ask?”

“Uhhh, no,” Eddie said, and let loose a nervous laugh. “I just, uh… I don’t really know the rules with you. Yeah, I’m kinda worried you might, y’know, slap me in the face or something.”

“Well… try me,” you said, your whole body vibrating with anticipation.

Eddie gave you a look that said, Really? Okay… and then he licked his lips and leaned in, reaching you way faster than you were prepared for. Suddenly, his face was just inches from yours, and getting closer, and you couldn’t remember how lips worked. Were you supposed to pucker them? Stack them? How would you stop your noses from bumping?

And for some reason, you reeled away and blurted out in an anxious whisper, “You know, your nose looks really big up close.”

Eddie pulled back a little, then laughed. You could feel the heat of it on your lips. “There it is,” he said. “I knew there’d be an insult waiting for me.”

And before you could say anything else, Eddie pressed his lips against yours and sealed them shut with a gentle kiss. Just one. As he drew back, his dark brown eyes searched yours with an earnestness that made your heart throb with a painful, sweet ache.

Is this okay? they asked. Are you okay?

And when you didn’t say no, he drew you in by your chin and kissed you again and again, his lips moving against yours with a feverish intensity that made you whimper against him. His hands moved to the lapels of his jacket, gripping them like he was afraid you were going to pull away. As if you would ever pull away. This was the moment you’d been waiting for. All those years spent staring at him from across the lunchroom. Waiting around the school parking lot, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Sitting behind him. Smiling at him. Laughing at him. Saying, Way to go, Munson! whenever he failed a test. You fell on your face a hundred times. Made a complete ass of yourself. But it was all worth it because here you were, with him, and it was perfect. It was everything you ever wanted, and yet…

There was a bitter taste in your mouth. You put your hand on Eddie’s chest and pushed him away.

“What?” said Eddie. “What’s wrong?”

You kept your eyes lowered, hiding from him. When Eddie finally nudged your chin up, he saw your eyes were wet and sparkling with tears.

“You came here for Chrissy,” you whispered.

Eddie’s brow wrinkled. “What?”

“You came here for Chrissy,” you said louder, forcing out the words. “And now, what, now you’re settling for me?”

Eddie’s face fell. It was like you had just slapped him in the face.

You wrenched yourself out of his arms and staggered to your feet. Let his jacket drop from your shoulders and fall to the floor.

“She’s your dream girl, Eddie. Those are your words. If Chrissy had said yes to you tonight, you wouldn’t even be looking at me right now. I mean, my god, an hour ago I was dead to you, and now… now you’re touching my face and saying, ‘Where have you been all my life?’ Like what the fuck! What am I even supposed to say to that?”

Eddie just sat there, his mouth hanging open in stupefaction.

“What are you doing?” he rasped. “I know you can’t possibly be thinking that right now, not after everything I just…” Eddie closed his mouth and gave his head a slight shake. “Look, you’re just panicking, and I don’t… yeah, I don’t really know why, but umm… Hey, don’t, don’t go… Please, don’t go… Where are you going?”

You felt your back slam against the exit door. You started fumbling around for the handle.

“They’re gonna be announcing the vote soon,” you said. “I need to go watch my best friend be crowned prom queen. I need to go smile and cheer her on because that’s what I do. It’s the only thing I do, so…”

You closed your hand around the handle and pulled, but before going out, you turned back and looked at Eddie one last time, swallowing all the sadness welled in your throat.

“You know, I uhh… I think you’re great, Eddie. I’ve always thought you were great. And this, umm, this was perfect. Yeah, this was more than enough, so… bye, Eddie. I guess I’ll see you around school.”

You took a deep breath and walked out… but you only made it a few steps before you stopped, buried your face in your hands, and started to cry. You cried until your head hurt. Until your eyes were red and swollen. Until your throat was raw and your lips were dry. You cried until you couldn’t cry anymore. And then you sucked it up, dabbed your eyes, and reentered the dance hall with a smile.

A carved, hollow smile.

_____________________

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#eddie munson #stranger things #fanfic #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x you #chrissy cunningham #jason carver #chrissy x jason #stranger things 4 #st4 #ambrossart #I don’t understand d&d #I’m just making it up as I go #dancing with myself #dwm

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