#r town chapter 8

[rorywritesjunk]

Let's be one another's present tense

Buggy 'rescues' you from an abusive situation, and after a less than stellar introduction, he has you audition for his crew to keep you safe. You want safety, security, and joining a circus seems like the best idea. Rating: R-ish for now. Warning: First chapter has bruises and talks about abuse (not from Buggy), though Buggy has his explosive moments. There's an asshole much older ex-husband in this story. Swearing. Nose bonks. A/N: This has been sitting in my head as I worked it out for an Anon's request. I have been really intrigued by this and wanted it to be just right. Also, it gave me the chance to ask my circus obsessed friend about different routines and we bounced some ideas off each other. This is also a touch different than other things I've written, which is why I've been taking so long to work on it and get it posted. Enjoy! Title comes from "Crater Lake" by Lady Lamb.

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 + Chapter 9 (NC-17) + Chapter 10 + Chapter 11 + Chapter 12 + Chapter 13 + Chapter 14 + Chapter 15 (NC-17) + Chapter 16 (NC-17) + Chapter 17

Chapter 1

“So we have a deal then?”

“Yes… yes, we have a deal.”

The clown pirate grinned at the old man sitting across from him. Buggy cheerfully cut a chunk out of the apple in his hand with his knife, tossing it into his mouth before he suddenly slammed the knife down onto the table, letting it stick into the wooden table top. The old man jumped while you flinched as you stood beside him. The bartering to keep the town safe from Buggy and his crew had finally finished and now it was just an uncomfortable time to be in the room.

Buggy looked at you and winked before he retrieved his knife, turning his attention back to the old mayor. “That your daughter there? She’s cute.” 

“No, she’s my wife.” He replied; Buggy had just taken a bite of the apple only to spit it out across the desk at the man in mock surprise. The man did his best not to react while you covered your mouth with a look of disgust on your face.

“Wife?” Buggy chuckled. “You have one foot in the grave and you’re married to someone who looks young enough to be your daughter?” He shook his head. “And people think pirates can be disgusting. They don’t really care what their local politicians are up to, do they?” Buggy took another bite of the apple, giving you a once over before he grinned. “Throw her into the deal.”

“I-I suppose we-” The mayor started but you cut him off.

“No, I’m not going with some disgusting pirate like you!” You snapped. “Who knows what you would do to me!”

Buggy locked eyes with you in that moment, the playful attitude gone and replaced with something you couldn’t quite figure out. He stood up and approached you, knife in one hand and apple in the other. The mayor just sat and watched, trembling in his seat, refusing to do anything to protect you. The captain smiled at you as the knife cut into the apple; you could hear the fruit cracking from the force of the knife, saw the juice spill over his fingers, soaking into his gloved hands.

“What did you say about my nose?” He asked, voice eerily calm as he tossed the bit of apple into his mouth. 

“I didn’t say anything about your nose.” You spat as you looked him up and down, crossing your arms. “Though I doubt I could say anything about it that you haven’t heard before.”

He smiled at that before raising the knife up and throwing it into the wall behind you. You turned to see where it landed but his hand was on your throat, backing you up to the wall and next to the knife. Buggy held you there for a moment, the smile disappearing as his hand tightened its hold on you. 

“You’ve got quite the mouth on you.” He murmured as you grabbed his hand with yours, trying to pull him off you. Buggy suddenly smirked and let go of you. “You’ll fit in with my crew. Though, I should warn you, every time you mouth off I cut off a bit of your tongue.”

You rubbed your throat, breathing heavily as you turned to your husband. “You’re… you’re just going to let him take me?!”

“He’ll destroy the town if I don’t!” The mayor wailed. “I can’t allow that to happen! Sa-Sacrifices have to happen!”

“I’m not a sacrifice!” You exclaimed as your hand went to where Buggy was just touching you. You felt… weird from that, never having been touched in that manner before. You were used to aggression, pain, fear. His touch was… strong but there didn’t seem to be malice, but more of a performance. He caused you discomfort but there wouldn’t be a bruise left on you from him that you could tell. You shook your head and looked back at Buggy. “What do you plan to do to me?”

“Target practice, maybe.” Buggy shrugged. “I got this new thing I wanna try where I cut off a volunteer’s clothes with my knife throwing, y’know. Getcha right where the seams of your clothes are and see if I can cut through them.” He looked you up and down as he reached out to touch the fabric of your blouse. “Though, this is nice fabric, I don’t know if I want to risk damaging it.”

You slapped his hand away before turning to slap your ‘husband’. He recoiled at your touch but you didn’t care. He had no issue giving you up to some dirty pirate like this. Sacrifice? You were not some animal to be led for slaughter, you were a person, and you would take out Buggy and his crew even if it killed you. As you turned to face Buggy, he was already at the door of the office, but a hand was in front of you, holding a small red ball. With a squeeze, red smoke burst out of it and everything went dark.

~

The rope around your wrists was tight, scraping and irritating your skin. You were groggy as you came to but you were on a soft surface, fabric rubbing against your cheek almost comfortingly as you tried to get your head to stop spinning and for the nausea to cease. It took a few minutes for you to recall what your last moments were. Slapping a hand, your ex-husband, and some kind of smoke. 

Oh shit you were captured by a pirate. A clown pirate with a bright red nose who was sensitive about it.

You moved your tongue around in your mouth, relieved that it was still whole. He didn’t cut it out yet, but was that empty threat or was he really going to do it? And what was he actually planning on doing with you? Stories often went around about pirates and what they were known to do to their prisoners, and you had heard many of them to give you some idea what to expect. Would he kill you after he was done with you, or would he kill you first and toss you into the sea to be food for the fishes and sea kings?

Heavy footsteps were approaching your room. You shut your eyes, hoping whoever it was would see you were asleep and would leave you alone. 

Except that was expecting too much. 

“Get up.” Buggy said as he walked over to the bed and grabbed the rope, pulling you into a sitting position. You glared up at him and he smirked, patting you on the cheek just enough to emit sound without the sting of a slap. “Rise and shine, cupcake. We need a new freak out there and you gotta earn your keep.”

“I will do no such thing.” You snapped as he pulled you up to your feet. Your body was still feeling the effects of the smoke and when you stood up you were off balanced, falling into him. To your surprise, he caught you, steadying you on your feet before he led you out of the room and down a walkway to another. You didn’t want to follow him, choosing to let your legs give out and falling to the floor. He stopped and turned to look at you.

“Really?” He shook his head and picked you up, slinging you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “You haven’t even had one performance and you’re already acting like a diva.” 

“Excuse me?!” You wriggled around, trying to get him to drop you, but he laid his hand over your back, steadying you as he walked. “Put me down now!”

“You seem to think you can tell me what to do, cupcake.” He chuckled as his hand slid from your back down to the top of your ass. Without warning he gave you a pinch, causing you to yelp in surprise. “You may have been that loser mayor’s wife, but here? You’re just another freak like us.”

He set you down in a chair and stood behind you. There was a mirror in front of you with lights all around it. You didn’t want to be looking in the mirror right then, seeing the bruises on your face, the black eye that was healing, or the cut on your cheek that was scabbing over. You shut your eyes and took a deep breath. What was this clown playing at?

“Now, we both know I didn’t do that to your face.” He murmured as he put both of his hands on your shoulders and leaned down towards you. “That old man did, didn’t he?” He touched the cut and you jerked away. “Weird, he seemed scared of you back there.”

“He was scared of you.” You hissed as you opened your eyes to glare at him. Buggy put his hand on your other cheek and you flinched, jerking backwards and nearly headbutting him. “Don’t touch me!”

“Cupcake, I just gotta do your makeup.” He told you calmly as he moved just in time from getting a bloody nose. “Cover up your battle scars, y’know. Can’t have the audience thinkin’ we rough up our performers here.”

You jerked again in your seat, trying to get out of reach of him. You didn’t want him touching you, speaking to you, or being near you. You didn’t want to go home but you didn’t want to be here. Why did this happen to you? 

“Red lipstick would look wonderful on you, y’know.” He murmured as he leaned forward, looking at your face. “Or maybe I just throw you out there and let me and Cabaji practice our knife act on you.” He grinned. “I don’t want to waste makeup on you if you’re going to start crying out there.”

“Fuck you!” You spat as you threw your head forward, colliding with his nose. He reared back, swearing loudly as he clutched it while you slumped in the chair, dazed. You didn’t think it would do anything but he fell to the ground on his ass, stomping his feet in pain from the hit.

“Agh, you bitch! Why there?!” He shrieked, covering it with his hand as he tried to breathe through the pain. “Fuck, is your head a cannon ball? It felt like being hit by one!”

You lifted your bound hands to your head, rubbing your forehead. You could say the same thing about him, but then again you didn’t make it a habit of headbutting strange men. Your head felt a little rattled from the attack and the sharp pain in your forehead was throbbing.

“I didn’t think I’d hit your nose!” You shot back as you shut your eyes in pain. “Fucking asshole!”

He gave your chair a kick before getting to his feet, cursing you, headbutts, and noses before storming out of the room and leaving you by yourself. Your head was still hurting and you wondered if you were going to have a new bruise to add to the collection, but at least this one was from self defense, and you'd do it again to him if you had the chance. 

“Fucking clown.” You sighed as you leaned back in your seat. You needed to figure out what was going to happen next.

[angelsworks]

Little Witch The last kingdom x reader

Chapter 8

Little Witch Masterlist -> Here

Next chapter -> H E R E

Summary: You wake to find a gift from Uhtred. Later you leave the confides of your room to explore the market.

Warnings: Not historically accurate, possessive behaviour, creepy behaviour.

Dawn breaks across the sky. The world made light by the little rays that manage to pass by the vast cloud cover. The streets around you had started to fill with people. Carts and horses alike can be heard from the window. The clops of hooves and the scraping of wooden wheels on the stone below drift from the street.

You wake on your back, despite going to sleep on your front. The expected pain you feel never comes. Instead the sharp stabs and rubbing you’ve been experiencing is replaced by a dull ache.

Your eyes flick open and you see the room illuminated by the dull daylight. There’s no Uhtred next to you when you wake. Something that disappoints you greatly. Despite the heat that warms your cheeks when you think of the events that transpired, you’ve grown close to the Viking. There might even be a seed of fondness growing in your heart for Uhtred. Not that you’d care to admit that right now.

Still dressed in his undershirt, you slipped from the covers and furs. You stood, stretching till your bones popped and muscles were able to release some tension. Still you felt little pain.

Curious, you gingerly reached a hand up to your cuts. Finger tracing over the tops of them. Gently, brushing over those you can reach. You found that the start of a scab had formed on them. Even the deepest and most painful ones had started to heal. A vast difference to how they looked or felt a few days ago. Even compared to yesterday, it felt like you’d healed almost supernaturally.

It was all thanks to the salve of course. The Elders gave it to Astrid to give to you. They are the wisest and most experienced people you’ve come across. Their knowledge is vast of all pursuits. From medicine and healing to strategy and tactics. Your time with them was an opportunity to learn more about yourself. However, it came at a price. When you returned home you found Steffen in place of your parents. The thought of him makes you shiver.

Looking around the room you see everything as it was when you arrived. Apart from a chair that had been positioned in the middle of the room. Hanging over it was a dress. The sight of it made your eyes widen. Even as a girl you’d never seen something so pretty. The material was cotton, dyed to a deep blue. One that reminded you of the summer’s night sky. When even the dark of night wasn’t enough to stop the sun’s light.

The bodice was cinched at the waste in a pleat like manner. The sleeves were long and so was the skirt. It was a straight cut that had a dark blue ribbon stitched to the edges. Inside the dress was a stitched under layer. Designed to add extra thickness to the skirt and shield the wearer from the cold.

Below the chair, placed on the floor in front, were a pair of long leather boots. Detailed with strings and buttons to hold them up.

Your cheeks became warm once you picked up the dress to find the pair of panties underneath. The pants were a simple white cotton. They didn’t cling to your body when you put them on. If anything they helped to add to the volume of the skirt of the dress. After finishing your outfit by putting on the boots, you did a little twirl. Admiring the quality and design of the dress. It made you feel a girlish glee at how you looked and felt. Something you hadn’t felt for a long time.

Along with a few tankards and a plate or two, the room was bereft any sign of Uhtred. His absence was beginning to make you anxious but the bustling market outside was piquing your interest.

A short walk around the stalls shouldn’t hurt. You were sure it wouldn’t. The town was small enough you might even find Uhtred.

You left the room and shut the door, walking down the dimly lit corridor to the stairs. At the bottom you found a pub like area. Although sparsely populated, you felt you had all the patrons attention as you walked down the steps.

It amazed you the difference a bath and new clothes could make. You felt different in yourself and it seemed others could see that too.

You saw the woman who spoke to you and Uhtred last night. You went over to her at the bar. She was changing barrels, lifting them on to various shelves in the wall. Despite her outward appearance, she seemed to lift the barrels with little struggle. Almost as if she had muscle hidden beneath her skirts and puffy sleeves.

“Excuse me, have you seen the man I came in with earlier?” You asked her, keeping your voice low to avoid attracting the attention of the other patrons.

She turned to face you and gave you a once over. Her eyebrows briefly twitching as she registered the difference in appearance. You really must have looked a sight when you came in last night.

“No I haven’t. Could be he’s had his fun and left. Men like him do that you know.” She told you, turning back to your work.

You wanted to argue. Berate her for making such an assumption. Tell her that wasn’t the case and Uhtred wasn’t like that. You realised quickly, telling her such would not help. Better she not know and think you a one night stand than anything else.

As you stepped outside you raised your hand to shield your eyes. The difference in light from the bar to the street was drastic. Your senses instantly became aware of the new environment. Ears perking to the noises around you. Nose detecting the smells around you, people, horses, food. Eyes watching a sea of people wander the market.

You found yourself following a crowd walking down the street. Their cloaks were various greys and blacks and browns, simple colours. Colours that made you appreciate your blue dress that little bit more. It felt special. It felt like Uhtred wanted you to have more than the ordinary.

The crowd went in different directions. Leaving you to slow your steps. You wandered past a few stands. The stands sold various trinkets and fabrics, horse shoes and weapons, shoes and books. So much to look at. In the middle of the town square was a fountain. It was made of simple stone but carved with ornate details of flowers and people.

You passed by slowly, letting your fingers run over the stone of the fountain wall. Over to the corner of the market was a small stand outside a bakers shop. There a young man was selling breads and other baked goods. The man was soft looking. In the way of clear skin and soft short hair. Eyes that sparkled. He was pretty. A vast contrast to Uhtred and his friends. Even Osferth’s eyes didn’t shine like this man’s. Dulled by the sights of battles and the horrors of man.

Rugged was how you would describe Uhtred, Sihtric and Finan. Their experience in battle had made them hard. Hard with muscle and experience. Handsome.

Your thoughts were broken as the man’s gaze moved to you. It seemed you had been staring and that had been noticed. The corners of his lips turned up and your eyes turned away. Again you moved around the fountain, letting your eyes move elsewhere.

You watched other vendors at their stalls. Selling items and other possessions. Your people watching was cut short as a hand touched your arm. It jolted you, the unexpected contact. You snapped your gaze to the right, where the young man from the baker’s stand stood next to you. He held a loaf of bread in his hand, wrapped in a white cloth.

“Good day Lady, I noticed you from my stall. I thought I must come and speak to you. It would be wrong to miss the chance to meet an angel.” He told you, a smile on his face.

His comment made a genuine smile grown on your face. No one who knew you truly would compare you to an angel. Not with your ‘abilities’.

“What kind words you speak to me. Who is it I should thank?” You ask him coyly.

“I am Edgar lady. Baker in this town. Might I make an offering to such an angel?”

You laughed at his compliments. “I have not been called an angel before sir. However, If as an angel I get such delicious treats I would be happy to accept.”

Edgar smiles and his eyes twinkle as he gazes into your own. “You are pretty when you smile lady.”

All you could do was blush as you looked down, away from Edgar’s gaze.

He held out the bread for you. Gingerly you took hold of it, flicking your gaze to his own again.

“Thank you Edgar. I’m sure it will be lovely.”

Edgar’s gaze drifted to your body. His eyes scanning you head to toe as you looked away once more.

“Perhaps the lady would give a kiss for such an offering?”

Your breath caught in your throat as your brain became blank. You weren’t sure what to say. You hadn’t been flirted with enough to know how to deal with this. You wanted to politely say no but weren’t sure what anger that could arise from the man.

Edgar’s hand moved to your forearm. Perceived as a gentle gesture by onlookers but you knew different from his grip. It had grown tight around your forearm and was beginning the hurt you.

“Hey mate, seems you’ve found my sister. Now I’d suggest you take your hands off her before I take out my dagger and do it for you.” Finan sneers at Edgar.

Finan appears beside the two of you. A welcome sight to you. His face is that of fury. You’re sure this is the angriest you’ve seen him since meeting.

His threat is enough to scare Edgar into releasing your arm and taking a few steps backwards.

“Now piss off back to your bakery. If you so much as look at her again, I’ll take your eyes!” With a rough shove from Finan he takes off back to his shop. Leaving you to face Finan’s glare.

“What do you think you’re doing witch?” He speaks in a hushed, harsh tone. “You think it’s a good idea to go running off on your own. Are you looking to get hurt?”

You freeze, trying to shake your head and plead your case. Finan’s gaze doesn’t waver as he looks for an answer in your eyes. All he finds is a scared girl, looking up into his eyes with both gratitude and fear.

“Come on, you can explain to Uhtred why you felt the need to wander off.” He tells you. Taking your hand in his own. His grip is gentle though, careful not to hurt you or be too rough.

Finan leads you back through the town and to the pub you visited yesterday. He lets go of your hand long enough to open the door and usher you inside. You see Uhtred. He’s sat with Osferth and Sihtric with a tanker in his hand. A troubled look covers his face. A look that only lifts once his eyes meet your timid form moving towards their table.

He stands at once and leaves his tanker on the table. Uhtred takes determined strides towards you and reaches out to hold your arms. His eyes scan your form rapidly as he searches for any sign you are hurt.

“Are you hurt witch? Has someone harmed you? Kidnapped you?” His eyes meet yours and stare deeply, looking for an answer he won’t find.

“I’m fine Uhtred, honest. Nothing has happened.” You try and tell him, try to reassure him that nothing is wrong.

His eyes turn colder, harder. His gaze makes you shiver as you realise you could be in trouble.

“Then what would possess you to run from me? To wander off alone? Do you know what could have happened to you?” Uhtred scolds, shaking you slightly to get his point across.

“I wasn’t trying to run Uhtred. You left me alone. I was coming to find you.” The remark gets a scoff from Uhtred.

You try to move out of his grip, but Uhtred doesn’t let you. His eyebrows furrow as he tries to get your attention again.

“I do not care for excuses. When I leave you somewhere, I expect to find you there. Now listen to me y/n, the next time you run from me it won’t be Finan hunting you down. It will be me and I won’t just escort you back to our group. I’ll find you and bend you over the nearest surface, tanning your ass until I think the lesson of not running from me has been learned. Understood?” Uhtred speaks low enough that only you can hear. At least you hope only you can hear.

The thought alone mortifies you. Heating your cheeks and making you unable to hold eye contract with Uhtred.

His finger gentle hold your chin, tilting your head to look in your eyes.

“Look at me witch, tell me you understand.”

Finally you moved your gaze to Uhtred. “Yes Uhtred, I understand”.

“Good, now let us go. We still have plenty of ground to cover before reaching Coccham.”

Uhtred takes your hand and leads you out of the pub. The others follow suit. You find the group walking back through the town. Ending at the stable where you left the horses.

The same stable boy met you at the gate. His eyes watching you closer than before. The boy moved back to horses to give each rider their mount.

While he brought the horses over, Uhtred turned to you. He pulled a small pendent out of his pocket. The pendent was made of silver and strung on a black waxed cotton cord.

“I want you to wear this, it will keep you safe. It’s Thor’s hammer. In my culture it’s given to protect the wearer from evil.” Uhtred says softly as he ties the symbol around your neck loosely.

You touch the metal and feel the design under your fingertips, “Thank you Uhtred”.

The stable boy leads over Uhtred’s horse. His eyes still watching you, taking in your forms and any details he can see.

“Now come lady,” he winks at you, finding jest in his cover up for calling you a witch, “We ride to Coccham”.

Taglist: @captainlunaxmen @fleureeee @shitsandgiggles1 @laneyspaulding19 @bubblyabs

[yesimwriting]

Final Girl - Part 8

Series Masterlist (updated chapters 1 -9 and extras) Final Girl Masterlist

A/N this took awhile,, but i always want to put my best foot forward bc of how much this series means to me, which means i work when i’m in the right headspace for it and have the time to invest,, which hasn’t been lining up too much recently 😭 anyways i see all the supportive comments and appreciate them sm!!

also keep in mind that my priority is not the timeline, like if you’re feeling like the month before halloween is the longest month of all time,, it’s bc i want to give them bonding time before the heavy murder stuff! 

Series Summary: Y/n can’t believe that she has to leave the only home she’s ever known just because her mom’s latest boyfriend has a house in some town in California. Just as she’s starting to think that Woodsboro might not be that bad, something life altering happens after she agrees to sleep over at the Becker’s house. Now her name is practically synonymous with Ghostface’s/

Chapter Summary: Y/n tries to get back to normal and work on her friendships, but there’s nothing normal about surviving a serial killer attack, and it’s no one’s fault her friends keep noticing. She’s navigating the start of dealing with her trauma while also trying to be a good friend, especially since Billy hasn’t been feeling like himself lately. In a desperate attempt to feel like a normal, healthy teenager, Y/n crosses a personal boundary. 

----

My mom has often told me that in many ways, I was born as an old lady. 

She’d always say it after I tried being responsible. Suggesting that she give herself a curfew on weeknights, or at the very least, call if she was going to be late. Reminding her that there’s a reason people gave her the side eye when she took a visibly underage me into R-rated movies. 

Now that I’m older, I guess she was right in a lot of ways. I wasn’t the kid-iest kid, if that makes sense, but there was one thing I was always good at: playing dress up. 

With a mom like Gloria, it would have been hard not to. For years, my mom’s closet basically had the same magical properties as Disneyland. I thought that that mindset might have just been nine-year-old me, but apparently not, because Tatum and Sidney have been looking through it like it’s life changing. 

“Okay.” Tatum picks up one of my mom’s shimmery wrap and tosses it over her shoulder. “It’s official, when I die, I want to be buried here.”

I look over in time to watch her observe herself in the mirror. “Then I hope you live for a very long time.” 

She wrinkles her nose.  “That better not be the only reason.” 

“Course not, you know I love you very much, Tate-a-boo.” I make a quick kiss-y face, and Tatum almost giggles before returning the gesture. 

Turning away from my mom’s dresses, Sidney smiles. “Please, for all our sakes, don’t let Stu hear you say that.” 

After the joke settles, I practically snort. “Good point.” I step a little further into the closet, refocusing my attention. The only reason we’re all in here is because I wanted to borrow a pair of shoes before going out to the nail salon. It was Tatum’s idea, and the state of my cuticles made me agree. My social hibernation has not been good to them. “Okay, these are the shoes.” 

Sidney steps out of the closet to give me the space to do the same. I slip on the shoes, happy with how they look with my outfit and their level of comfortableness. My mom rarely buys any shoes for herself that aren’t heels, so she ends up taking anything that’s remotely comfortable from my closet. 

“I want to stay here.” Tatum’s hand brushes against the sleeve of something cashmere. “Maybe forever.” 

“And leave your nail beds like that?” Sid glances away from the full length mirror that’s right outside of my mom’s closet. She turns her attention to her reflection, adjusting the fluffiness of her always, almost magically perfect bangs.

Tatum halfheartedly glares before stepping out of the closet. “You’re such a liar.” She raises a hand, studying her palm while walking out of the closet. “You told me they looked fine yesterday.”

Sidney almost smiles before throwing me a look. A quick raise of eyebrows that seems to say got her. “We’re gonna be late.” 

----

The first nail appointment after awhile always feels like willingly volunteering to get a bunch of paper cuts. It’s not overwhelming painful, just a little irritating. After feels nice, though, now that my nails look fresh and I know I don’t have to worry about having my cuticles professionally gutted for a little bit. 

And being around Sidney and Tatum is nice. Familiar in a way that’s still new. It’s weird in a good way. Like I could start throwing around cheesy terms like BFF and it wouldn’t even be dumb. It’d still be ironic, but I think they’d get the sentiment. It’s not that I’ve never had good friends, but this is different. A little more open.

Like right now we’re in Sidney’s room and we’re not talking about anything in particular, just going off of whatever comes up. I could probably say the dumbest thing in the world right now and it wouldn’t even feel unfitting or awkward. 

“...Shut up, he was not that bad.” Tatum’s trying to sound more upset than she is. Somehow Sidney found a way to tell me about Tatum’s first boyfriend. A total middle school romance--they even went to the 8th grade dance together and held hands and had their first kiss under the bleachers. Sounds cute enough, but according to Sidney he was a total weirdo. Even by 8th grade boy standards. “He wasn’t.” 

Sidney laughs again, the movement has her arm bumping into mine. “He tried to eat a live lizard because Stu dared him.” 

“No way.” I snort. “Your first kiss was with a lizard eater?” 

Tate sighs, dropping her head against the side of the mattress and crossing her legs on the floor. “Tried. It ran away and no one ever found it.” That’s still objectively hilarious. I can’t picture Tatum with anyone that out there, but then again, she is with Stu. 

Not that he reminds me of an 8th grade boy trying to eat a lizard, but he was the one that came up with the idea. “Maybe Stu ate it.” 

Tatum glares, halfheartedly shoving my leg as Sidney clasps a hand over her mouth to avoid laughing too hard. “I’ll ask him.” 

It’s strange to picture them like that. A little younger, growing up together. “So you guys knew each other back then and now...” 

She shrugs, “I don’t know...it just kind of happened. He was always hooking up with or seeing any girl with a pulse and I didn’t even see him like that until after--” She cuts herself off with no warning. “You know Sidney and Billy have a way nicer getting together story.” Tate snaps her head up to look at Sidney, whose expression immediately shifts. “Right, Sid?” 

Sidney’s eyes briefly meet mine. There’s a bit of uneasiness there that I don’t get. What could the end of Tatum’s thought have been? What could she have been about to say that might have been--oh. 

“Yeah,” she agrees, “Billy and I were hanging out for weeks--” 

“You can say her name.” My throat feels drier than it did a second ago. “I won’t freak out if you mention Casey. Promise.” 

Tatum’s eyes briefly shut. “That’s--” She doesn’t know how to finish the sentence. I’m right. Why wouldn’t she think I’d freak out? After the way I acted at that party. “No one would blame you if you did.” 

It’s easy to say that it doesn’t matter when you’re not the one that has melt downs. “Yeah.” 

There’s a brief stretch of awkward silence, the light mood now tainted by the exact thing that’s kept me away from my friends for so long. Maybe keeping to myself was about more than the safety of others--maybe I don’t want anyone to know what I’m like now. 

“It’d be weirder if you weren’t a little messed up about it.” Tatum hums the words with such casualness I can’t help but laugh, even when Sidney snaps her head to the side to give her a seriously look. “I’m serious, only a total psycho would be able to see that and jump back into things.” 

Sidney sits up a little more, “And you took the SAT a week after it all happened. You’re doing a lot better than most people would be doing.” 

I nod, glad that they’re at least good at pretending that I’m not a total mess. “Yeah, guess I’m just sensitive about it because I freaked out on Noel at that party.” Ugh. That’s been something I’ve been trying really hard to forget. “He probably thinks I’m a total freak.” My eyes squeeze shut at the memory of the party. I had been a total mess. I flip flopped on murder accusations like it was nothing and nearly ran to Casey’s house in the middle of the night. “He’s probably told everyone I’m a total freak.” 

“You don’t know that.” Sidney’s nice for trying to comfort me, but it’s not the best argument. She picks up on my expression because she then immediately tacks on, “Okay, let’s be logical--why would he do that?” 

“Why wouldn’t he after the way I acted?” Ugh. Every guy that knows him is going to think I’m a complete weirdo. This is what I get for trying to date. “And it’s not like he called after. He hasn’t even talked to me in class since.” 

Sidney’s eyebrows draw together briefly before her hands move off of her lap and land on her comforter. She pushes herself to stand. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.” 

“Noel’s a total scrub. You’re better off.” Tatum stands too, scratching the back of her arm once. She approaches the bag she abandoned near Sidney’s door, “I brought that eyeshadow I was telling you about. The sparkly, blue one that makes everyone look like Baby Spice.” 

She exhales what’s almost a laugh and I find myself not being able to answer. That does sound like something I’d normally happily go along with. Even though Tatum tends to go for a more subtle look on the day to day, she has a solid makeup collection. Lots of trendy shimmers and bright colors that are fun to swatch and mess around with. But there’s something about the way she said it...breezed away from one topic to this.

And the way Sidney just got up like she was hoping that’d change something. I sit up a little straighter, trying to remember what it’s like to not feel paranoid all the time.

Sidney stops adjusting her hair and messing with her bangs in the mirror. “Or we could hold off on that and go to the video store.” Another change to a topic that normally I’d be all over. “I think Randy’s working, we could bug him a little and get something to watch later.” 

Okay, another thing I’d normally want to do. It has been a minute since I’ve gotten to annoy Randy, and the itch is definitely there. Maybe they’re just trying to be good friends and cheer me up, but they’re spitting out suggestions in a way that feels like they’re really hoping one will stick.

 “Are--do you guys know something about something?” Ugh. If this is my paranoia acting up, I’ll never recover. Why can’t I just go along with things? “I don’t know if it’s me and my head, but you’re acting kinda weird.” 

“No, we’re just--” Sidney’s eyes don’t stay on me, they shift over to Tatum for the briefest second. I blink and almost convince myself I’ve imagined it. “You’re not crazy, we just don’t want to stress you out.” 

I push myself onto my feet. “That is the worst thing you can say to someone you don’t want to stress out.”

Sidney’s eyebrows draw together like she’s worried. I almost feel bad for pushing. “Noel not talking to you isn’t an accident or your fault.” 

“Sid.” I snap my head in Tatum’s direction. She hesitates beneath my stare and gives in with a sigh, “Okay, Noel’s a player who brags about crushing girls’ virginities and breaking up with them the next day. He talks about every girl he’s dated like they’re some kind of car and there are even worse things written about him in the handicap stall of the second floor bathroom.” Tatum pauses, considering how she’s going to word what actually happened. “You’re going through a lot right now and that’s the last thing you need, and we were worried about you, so we talked to Stu and Billy and basically...got Noel to back off.” 

Oh my god. The embarrassment, anger, and shock are all fighting for dominance in my mind, but none of them overpower the other so the feeling is just really fucking bad. All I can picture is Billy and Stu talking to Noel like I’m some little kid or someone with brain damage that can’t make their own choices. 

“You guys suck!” I wipe at my face with the back of my hand, exhaustion cutting into my irritation. “Like really suck. I’m not some child that can’t make her own decisions.” Ugh--I can’t even decide how to react. “It’s not like I was going to marry him or anything.” 

Tatum watches me with a certain level of uncertainty. I don’t think I’ve ever snapped at her or Sidney before. “You’re not exactly a casual dater.” 

“Well--I-I could have been.” It feels awkward, almost reluctant, and I hate myself for it. She’s technically right. I’ve never casually dated, but I’ve never seriously dated either, so it probably wouldn’t kill me. “Either way, it might have been a mistake, but it was my mistake to make.”

“I know, Y/n,” Sidney breathes the words slowly, “We didn’t mean anything by it, it wasn’t like a whole scheme or anything it just--” She’s trying, really trying. “We wanted to help you.” 

I didn’t need help, I was fine. The genuine hint of worry in her tone keeps me from pointing that out. I just stare at her and then at Tatum. Why does it matter anyways? Everyone gets to be normal and do dumb things and have people they’re close with and relationships and all I have is the stupid ‘almost murdered’ label. 

“Why does it matter enough for you to--” I cut myself off, not sure what I’m really asking or what I mean. 

Tatum lets out a small sigh, the sound almost reluctant, maybe a tiny bit annoyed that she even has to talk about this. “Because you’re our friend,” she half shrugs like what she’s saying should have been assumed , “And we love you.” She presses her lips together briefly, “Duh.” 

Sidney throws a look in Tatum’s direction, “Yeah, we love you so much we were willing to risk you being super mad at us because we were worried.” Sidney pauses to take a breath. “We shouldn’t have done it behind your back, and in the future we won’t meddle.”

When I don’t ease, Tatum tacts on, “If it makes things any better, Stu’s normally a total guy’s guy about this kind of thing and even he thinks Noel’s a total creep.” She scratches the back of her wrist, “And those two never care about this stuff, so, boohoo, we all love you.” 

Okay, that doesn’t exactly fix things but it does take the edge off just a tiny bit. They all go way back, and that’s intimidating. And Tatum’s trying to be funny about it, layering on the sarcasm so that I’ll laugh. I hate that it’s almost working. “Well, as long as it’s just everyone being obsessed with me...” The joke feels like a bit of a betrayal, so I tact on something else, “I’m still mad, though.” That feels even weaker. I’m too in my head about all of it and still pretty embarrassed despite the fact that I didn’t do anything. It won’t last forever, but right now, it’s all feeling like too much. The safety of my bedroom feels miles away instead of the few blocks it actually is. “I think I-I’m gonna...” 

“No,” Tatum huffs, “It wasn’t supposed to be a thing.” She tilts her head to the side, silky blonde hair bouncing with the motion. “We haven’t seen you in forever and it was more Stu and Billy’s thing, they’ve been ready to start a thing with him since like the 9th grade.” 

More Stu and Billy’s thing? That almost makes sense for Billy, who Noel casually suggested could be a murderer. But Stu? Noel seemed to like him well enough. Maybe it’s a loyalty thing. I can see Billy and Stu having a bit of package deal friendship. You can’t hate on one without becoming enemy of the other. And with how generally protective Stu seems to be over his friends, it’d make sense. 

But still. I am not a bargaining chip or an excuse or someone that needs their approval on who I do or don’t date.

“Let’s do whatever you want to do and then if you’re still mad, we can invite them over and you can yell at them.” 

Tatum almost smiles, “You’re good at that.” 

That...feels a little weird. “I’m good at yelling?” 

“No, it’s like when you told off that reporter. One minute, you’re normal, but then, when you need to be--bam! You’re super bitch.” 

I laugh, this time it’s genuine. “Super bitch strikes again.” The exit is still close, and some nervous part of me wants to cling to the out. I’m not sure if it’s out of some form of fear or genuine anger or both. But I do want to stay around them a little longer and go take way too long renting a video just to annoy Randy. “If I get to pick what we do, I say we go bother Randy and get a movie. He’s had it easy for too long.” 

Sid half scoffs at my ominous tone. “How do you know?” 

"Knowing whether or not Randy needs to be annoyed is my superpower.” 

----

The video rental is surprisingly empty for early Thursday evening. Schools are out and it’s close enough to the weekend where normally there are more people stopping by to check out what they want to watch in advance. Today doesn’t reflect that. Good to know that my Randy distress radar is still in tact. 

There’s an older man adjusting the latest release aisle, changing out movies. He’s the only employee that I see as I scan over the store and a part of me nearly deflates. Sidney did say she thought Randy would be working and I have no way of knowing. Our friendship has also been a victim to my recent hermit ways, and it’s likely suffered more than my connection with anyone else. At least my other friends are in a couple of my classes or need to walk down the same hallways. Most of Randy’s classes aren’t near mine and we only share a study hall, which he often uses as an excuse to leave early in order to get to work. Meaning that most days I only see him during lunch. 

The door to the back swings open and behind a cart of VHS tapes, there’s a familiar face. Randy. I find myself smiling as I approach the counter he’s coming up from behind. 

“Excuse me,” he glances up, a bit of surprise causing him to raise his eyebrows, “I was wondering if you have a copy of Child’s Play 2, but not the original, the extended cut with the alternate ending, Sorority House Massacre, uncut, duh, and/or Fox’s original version of Clueless.” 

Randy blinks, unfazed by my bullshit. “I’ve been around you too long to fall for that last one.” 

I almost laugh. I can’t believe Randy remembers my rant about the developmental nightmare that was the original Clueless pitch. Fox wanted a TV show, but they got a movie instead, and that took way too long for no reason. I had talked about it a lot longer than I meant to the other day at school. “You caught it.” 

“Decoys are always more obvious than they seem to the person making them.” It feels like some kind of movie rule reference, vague enough for me to get how it applies but not so random I feel the need to ask. “So are you here to rent something or make my job harder?” 

“A little of both.” Turning my head, I gesture to where Sidney and Tatum are. They’re in the same aisle, backs to each other as they scan through options. “We wanted something to watch and Sidney said she thought you’d be working today.” I tap my nails against the counter. “And I had this feeling that things have probably been too easy for you.”

Randy’s lips turn upwards but it feels a little different than a smile. “Yeah, nothing but peace since you...” 

“Became a total paranoid PTSD recluse?” 

He half shrugs, “Jack Torrence.” I roll my eyes, a little relieved that Randy’s joking about it instead of pressing. It’s part of the reason he’s a good friend to have. “You’re feeling better, though, right?” 

Spoke a little too soon, but that’s an okay question. It’s not invasive, it’s just an offer. “Getting there.” 

Randy nods, taking in the answer for what feels like a little too long for two words. Maybe he’s feeling the honesty of what does seem like a cop out answer. I’m not over it by any means, but feeling better is a process that’s starting to work. “That’s good.” He pushes the cart slightly before pulling back to place. “You’re good.” Randy lets out a breath, tugging and pushing the cart again. “I mean--deserve to feel good and normal.” 

I grin at the stumble in words. It’s rare that we’re openly nice to each other instead of acting like little kids after one pulls the other’s hair. “I get what you mean.” 

His lips part, but no words come out. Randy’s eyebrows draw together as his mouth shuts. What is--a firm touch on my shoulder snaps the question out of me. My head turns and some kind of comment about being rude to people in line rises and immediately falls back down. Stu! And then I remember my earlier conversation and it feels a lot more like: Oh. Stu. 

It’s such an instant flip that for a second I don’t react. Stu pulls his arm around me in a quick attempt at a side hug, but I’m so stiff it’s more like being shoved into him. “Look who’s here.” 

Bumping into him is by no means new to me. Small town, same friends, some overlap in hobbies. But this time it’s different. I promised myself that Stu and Billy would get scolded for meddling as soon as possible, but I didn’t expect run into him in public. It’s like being a parent with a child that’s misbehaving in church. You can’t do anything but redirect until you get to the car. 

Stu drops his arm back to his side. “Thought you were doing something with Tatum and Sid?” 

“They’re over there,” I gesture vaguely with a tilt of my head, trying to seem casual. I might not be willing to get into the whole Noel thing in front of Randy and the suburban mom trying to settle a dispute between two kids who can’t decide which movie to get, but Stu probably is. “I wouldn’t look too closely, girls’ night movies might make you sick.” 

Stu misses by just a second. He does wrinkle his nose in a display of the kind of good humor I’d expect from him, but it doesn’t feel as natural. There’s nothing wrong about his reaction, it just feels lacking. Missing his usual brand of energy. “I have no issue with girls’ night movies.” 

Clearly, I’ve been spending too much time with him because I get the joke instantly. Now it’s my turn to cringe. “Why do I even talk to you?” 

“Because, buggsie, your life would be so boring without me.” The nickname does make my expression warp, but this time it’s more like trying to keep in a laugh than anything else. “If your only movie influence was Randy, you’d be a lot less likable.” 

Randy sighs. “Keep telling yourself that.”

The words are just a little too sharp. They’re good enough friends in some senses. Not two I’d guess hang alone together, but I like to think at the end of the day they like co-existing. That doesn’t mean they don’t bicker from time to time in a way that feels different than when Randy and I fight like little kids or Stu and I fight like an old married couple too lazy to get divorced. 

“No need to be bitter, dude,” Stu’s hand is back around my shoulder, “I gave you a whole five minutes.” That was a weird thing to say. Random, and not in a fun sort of way, but before I can ask, Stu’s pulling me forward. “You want to help me sneak up on Tay?” 

I throw Randy a look that hopefully communicates my level of confusion and some sort of see you later. “Uh...” Stu’s already turning like I’ve answered, “Sure?” 

When we’re finally closer to the shelves than the counter, Stu lets me go, his hand sliding down my arm a little before retracting. “So you go up to Tatum, talk to her, keep her distracted, and I’ll sneak up behind her.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay.” He’s moving along so quickly and casually, but I’m still fixed on that last comment to Randy. It wasn’t banter-y and Randy didn’t say anything back, which feels a little weird. “That last thing you said, the five minute thing?”

Stu barely pauses, head tilting in a way that feels confused. “Oh. Gave him five minutes to make a move, but you know Randy, not a closer.”

It’s said casually enough that I could think Stu’s being serious, but there’s also a hum of sarcasm in there. And what he’s saying does feel too unrealistic to not be a joke. Randy and I are completely platonic, there’s no way he sees me like that. Plus, I’d like to think that if a guy I’m around that regularly liked me in any sort of way, I’d have at least somewhat picked up on it. 

“Shut up,” I shove Stu’s arm, “You’re not funny.”

He holds his hands up in defense briefly. “Don’t shoot the messenger.” 

It’s said casual enough that I’m finally given a second to think. The nagging voice at the back of my head is finally given the opportunity to remind me that I’m supposed to be mad at him. Or, at the very least, irritated until I can tell him off for trying to make decisions for me behind my back. 

“Interesting that you mention shooting you, be--” 

“Ouch,” Stu hums, a little too pointedly, “Thought we were all good, angel.” I press my lips together, staring at the ground to avoid giving him anything to latch onto. “I’ve been on best behavior. Minding my business, just here to check something out.”

I stop, a motion I think is subtle enough but Stu picks up on it immediately. He turns and grabs my wrist. The contact is sudden enough to force me to look up. Stu’s watching me, his expression seems innocent, and not in that pretend way either. There’s a hint of confusion behind his eyes. I’m not sure I entirely believe it, but I think it’s possible that what I’m mad about isn’t coming to mind. He has no reason to think I’d know about it. 

His hold is firm and oddly warm and bordering on distracting. 

“Stu,” Tatum’s cheery voice snaps the two of us out of our stand off.

He pulls away quickly, eyes falling on Tatum. “There’s my girl.” Stu pulls her into a hug and gives her a quick kiss. “Y/n was going to help me sneak up and surprise you, but she’s in a mood.” 

Ugh. Stu has a way of dismissing any type of reaction that doesn’t work for him as me being in a mood or pouting. “I am not in a mood.” 

“Give her a break.” Stu’s hands are still on her. “Y/n found out about the Noel thing.”My gaze instinctually shifts back to Stu. His easygoing grin falters. Tatum smiles at him with a coy look that I guess could be interpreted as some kind of apology. “Don’t get moody, she pulled it out of us.” 

It takes him a second, but Stu eventually eases off of her. He doesn’t look as content as before, but his expression hints at nothing else besides casual annoyance. “She can’t be too mad if she’s still hanging around you and Sid.” 

“I got to tell them both off already.” 

Stu turns, something smug tugging his face into an almost smile. It’s infuriating. “If that’s what you’re into, babe.” 

Tatum scoffs and halfheartedly smacks his shoulders. “You’ve been around long enough that I don’t have to apologize for him anymore, right?”

“Right.” 

Stu lets out a breath, “Geez, you two sure act like you love me.” 

I am so not in the mood to say anything nice about Stu in front of him. “Maybe if you minded your business a little more--” 

“Okay,” Tatum pushes herself into the budding argument and looks at me. “Save your energy for when there’s two of them.” Good point. If I yelled at Stu and Billy separately every time they messed up, I’d be yelling constantly. Tatum’s attention shifts back to Stu, “Is he around? Sid’s around the corner.” 

Stu shakes his head once. “Nah, it’s still early and he only said he might call. He’s been a little out of it.” 

Billy’s out of it? And out of it enough to not be around Stu for once? It’s not like they’re literally attached at the hip but a weekend evening where both me and their girlfriends are busy and they’re not hanging out together? That in itself hints at something being wrong. 

I think through the last I heard from Billy, but nothing particularly stands out. He might have briefly mentioned his dad but not in a concerning way. Not in a way that indicated he’d have to spend extra time with him or anything.

Billy has also been weirdly absent. No recent warning-less appearances at my window. Has he been going through something and I’m just too caught up in my personal issues to notice? God, this serial killer nonsense has turned me into a terrible friend. 

“He okay?” 

Stu’s eyes flit up to meet mine. “You might want to hold off on the scolding, but last time I checked in, yeah. Just all angsty, you know how Billy gets.” 

I blink. Last time he checked in. Maybe I’m idealizing their friendship too much, but I’ve always felt like they were looking out for each other. Closer than Stu’s current reaction warrants. Or maybe I’m overthinking things and Billy’s just taking some time. He doesn’t seem the type to want to talk about fuzzy things like feelings. 

“We were going to ask you guys to come over, but if he’s not up for it, that’s okay,” Tatum says, “You can still come by later, but I think you should check in on him.” 

Now I’m starting to feel antsy. Like I should go check in on Billy, but I don’t even know what that’d look like. The realization that I’ve never been to Billy’s house hits hard and with no warning. Whenever we all hang out, it’s at my place or someone else’s, and when it’s the three of us we go to Stu’s and sometimes my house. The thought rubs me the wrong way, like this one thing is pulling on the threads of our friendship. 

He’s one of my best friends and I can’t even say I know what his room looks like. 

“I’ll probably stop by soon.” 

That makes me frown. Probably. Soon. 

“Oh, that reminds me.” Tatum’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts. “Dewey wanted me to give you a head’s up that he’ll be trying to meet with you soon. He wants to go over some....stuff.” 

Ugh, this again. I can’t escape it. “Yeah. He has my number, Dewey can call whenever, but the warning was nice.” 

Stu shifts back like he doesn’t quite believe what he’s hearing. “He wants to talk to her again?” He’s more offended than I am. “What? It’s not like anything’s changed.” 

Tatum shrugs, “I don’t know. Dewey doesn’t give me the details.” 

“Unless they have new evidence, they shouldn’t be dragging her back into it just because they don’t know shit.”

I should tell him to drop it. That this is my business and maybe it’s time we establish some firmer boundaries, but I can’t get the words to form. The whole thing feels hypocritical. I should be annoyed, but I’m not because he’s saying what I can’t. 

It’s brief, but for a second it almost feels like Stu might be the closest to someone that gets what it feels like. The irony is insane, considering that there’s no way that empathy’s his strong suit. 

“I don’t know. It’s not my thing.” 

Tatum is understandably a little defensive, which is fair. Especially when considering our earlier conversation. This isn’t fair to her. “It’s okay.” The words feel like a flat cop out compared to Stu’s instinctual defense. “It’s not Tatum’s fault and Dewey was really nice about it last time--” 

“Last time? You mean when they ambushed you at the hospital before they let you take visitors?” 

My stomach knots at that. The feeling of waking up there, confused and unaware of what I’d just been through and then being made to feel like I was completely alone while Billy and Stu were waiting outside for me. “That’s not his fault.” A dry defense. “It sucks, but it’s for the greater good and it won’t take long.” I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince myself or him. “It’s okay.” 

Stu half sighs. “I’m going to grab my movie and head out, maybe stop by Billy’s.” He tuns to give Tatum a brief goodbye kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll see you soon, Y/n. Make sure you get to yell at me before it builds too much.” 

At that, I roll my eyes but still wave him off. 

---- 

My eyes are on the phone again, staring down the extension on my nightstand like it’s keeping things from me. 

Ugh. This is ridiculous. I snap my attention back to the homework in front of me. Some extra credit for my math class. It’s an attempt at damage control because the test I had to take the morning after being attacked by a serial killer is seriously bringing down my GPA. Too bad calc has never been my strong suit. The distraction that is my inability to move on from what Stu said is definitely not helping. 

Even after Sidney, Tatum, and I left the video store, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Stu’s uncertainty and what Billy could be going through. Maybe Stu was playing down how much he knows because Billy didn’t want anyone else knowing. I could see that. Hope for that since the thought of Billy locking himself in his room and dealing with whatever it is completely alone tugs at my heart.  

I could call. He might not answer, but that’s okay. It might make me feel better to just do something and it’s not like I’ve never called him. There’s also the more extreme option of showing up to his place. I’ve never been to his house,  but he’s pointed it out before. Even though I physically could get there, that feels like too much. If I’ve never been over, it’s probably for a reason.

There’s also Stu. I could call him to ask about Billy. He’s more likely to tell me about how Billy’s doing than Billy. But that also feels weird for no reason. Again, it’s not like I never call them. 

I glance over at the digital clock on my desk. 7:56. Okay--it’s not too late. Not weirdly late. 

I stand before I can think about it too much, walking over to the phone. If it’s going to be distracting, I should just get it over with. Maybe having some kind of answer will make it easier to focus on things.

The phone rings about three times before there’s an answer. “Yeah?” 

“Hey.” Okay, that one word feels super awkward for no reason. “Hi--it’s um--” Be more normal. It’s just Stu. “It’s Y/n.” 

A quick breath that feels more like a laugh than it sounds. “Yeah, I figured that out.” Great, now he’s making fun of me. “I also know why you’re calling.” 

“Really?” 

I can feel his amusement over the phone. “You can’t stop thinking about me and want me to come over.”

I snort as soon as the words wash over me. What was I expecting? “You figured it out. This is a booty call.” 

Stu sort of laughs. “Yeah? I can be over in five.”

Pressing my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing, I sit up a little more. “Loser.” I reach over for a pillow and pull it on to my lap. “Okay, so actual reason, I was trying to do something for calc, so obviously my mind was wandering and thinking about literally anything else.” 

“Obviously.” 

My fingers brush the fluff of the pillow’s exterior. I brush the strands flat and then back into little spikes of hair. “And at some point, I started thinking about what you said at the video store. About Billy.”

There’s a brief silence, and then another one of Stu’s breathy-accidental-laughs. “Aw, you’re worried.” Ugh. “That’s cute, angel, I’ll make sure to tell him.”

“Don’t.”

“Don’t be a spoilsport.” 

My nose wrinkles at that, nails smothering my pillow’s layer of fluff. “Is he okay or not?” 

For a second, the only thing coming from the other side of the phone is the general static of someone’s movement. “Bossy.” I roll my eyes, but before I can tell him to spare me tonight, Stu continues, “Why didn’t you just call Billy?” 

It’s a fair question, which only bugs me more. “Because there’s no way to call someone and ask if they’re okay based on a passing comment without sounding insane.” 

I pinch the thin hairs of my pillows between my thumb and index finger. “And it’s less insane this way?”

Feels like it. “Kinda, yeah.” 

“Don’t worry your pretty head about it. Billy’s fine, he’ll be back to his usual levels of brooding soon. Promise.” I don’t know what to make of that, so I just focus on my pillow. “It might help if you called him tomorrow. Let him sleep it off for a little longer.”

That’s probably a good suggestion. “Yeah, I’ll do that.” My eyes drift back to the still open textbook on my desk. My mom is out with Wells so I can’t even use her as an excuse to not be doing this right now. I briefly bite my tongue to give myself a second to think through what I’m considering. “You um--are you doing anything right now?” Even more awkward. Great. “I could really use an excuse to not work on calc right now.” 

“Now it’s a booty call.” 

Being friends with him is so annoying sometimes. “I hate you.”

“Ouch,” a brief shuffling before he speaks again, “You know I love distracting you--” I roll my eyes. “But tonight’s--” 

“Shit, is Tatum over or something?” A hand flies over my mouth. Of course I’d call at a time where he had someone over and be a total mess. “I’m sorry.” 

Some more static before a response, “No, it’s--” He sighs once. “Billy’s here and he’s--” Oh. My embarrassment is definitely doubling, but there’s still some relief there. At least he’s not alone. “Maybe you should come over, help cheer him up.”

“You’re kind of an asshole for not mentioning that earlier.” I push the throw pillow off my lap and let my back fall onto my cocoon of larger pillows. “And it’s fine, I wouldn’t want to overwhelm him or anything.” 

“No,” Stu’s answer is quick but feels a little flat. Almost worried. “You--I think it’d be good for him to see you.” There’s still a bit of hesitance there, like Stu’s not telling me the full story. Maybe he can’t. “We rented a few movies and I think I might still have those sour gummy things you like.” 

I really do love sour gummies. “Is Billy okay with it?” 

“It’s my house, bug.” When I don’t say anything, Stu sighs, “Kidding. C’mon, he loves you.” I don’t know why I’m debating so much, it was my idea, but now it feels a little intrusive of me. “And we’re a lot more fun than calculus.” 

“Not a high bar you’re setting there.” Stu pointedly scoffs. “Okay--if you’re sure Billy’s okay with it, I’ll be over in a few.”

“Need to go ask your mommy?” 

I’m already pushing myself to my feet. “Shut up.” An ‘at least I have a parent that gives a shit’ nearly slips out and I just barely manage to bite my tongue. That’d be like reacting to a playful shove with a punch to the face. Besides, my mom’s not a factor right now. She and Wells are out to dinner with some friends. She left me with a 20 to order pizza and maybe rent a movie. “I can still not go.” 

Stu chooses to ignore the (empty) threat, “See you soon, babe.” 

I push open the door of my closet and search through it as quickly as possible. It’s not like I need to get dressed up to go to Stu’s, but my stained pajama pants from the ninth grade and practically threadbare tank top aren’t things I wear out of the house. Especially now that fall is making evenings a lot chillier. “I don’t get our friendship.”

“I keep you supplied with those awful sour gummies.”

I smile despite myself, grabbing something out of my closet. “That explains it.” Bending down, I pick up another article of clothing. “See you soon.” 

----

“There she is.”

Stu pulls me into a hug before I can think to react. He’s always so warm and everywhere. I think it has to do with his smell. It sounds weird but he’s so consistent about it. Enough expensive laundry detergent to drown out most of the usual teen boy body spray musk to a level that’s tolerable and sharpens the slight hint of weed that seems to cling to him. Even that is balanced. Subtle unless you know to think about it. But now it’s a little more overwhelming than usual...fresher. 

Like he just finished a joint. I stare at him for a second and while his eyes seem mostly normal, there’s a bit of a red tinge there. If it wasn’t for the smell of weed, I wouldn’t have noticed. “Are you high?” 

The corner of Stu’s mouth pulls up into an almost smile. He’s amused. “That’s a fun way to greet me.” I give him a pointed look. “Mmm...maybe a little.” Stu extends an arm, halfheartedly punching me in the shoulder. Instead of dropping his arm like usual, Stu relaxes his fist in order to squeeze the top of my arm. “What gave me away, angel?”

“With you, it’s always a safe guess.” He sort of frowns, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Kidding. You smell like a dispensary.” 

Stu squeezes my arm a little harder. “Judgy.” He tilts his head slightly. “And here I was going to offer you some.” 

“No one likes me when I’m high.” That’s true enough. I get all paranoid and clingy. Randy won’t even smoke around me if we’re alone just in case. 

He half scoffs. “Nah, that’s just for people that don’t know how to handle you.” 

Handle me? I’m about to give him some sarcastic answer, but when my eyes meet his, the reaction freezes over. He’s staring at me with a concentration that feels more prominent than his hand on my arm. I don’t know why, but I feel the need the redirect and break the silence. “Where’s Billy?” 

“In my room.” Stu swings a hand around my shoulder and starts guiding me forward. “C’mon, he’ll be happy to see you.” 

I should shrug Stu off of me, but it feels easier to just let him. Besides, there are other things to worry about. From the vagueness Stu’s been handling mentions of Billy with, I half expect him to be in a straight jacket or something. “He--he does know I’m here, right?” 

The only answer I get is Stu placing a hand on his bedroom door once we reach it. He releases me to push open it open. “Hey, feeling any better?” Billy doesn’t get a chance to reply before Stu continues, “Because I brought you a present.” 

Weird...and kind of objectifying, but in a weird way. It’s not so much the words, but the way he’s saying them. This is definitely an ambush. Stu pushes the door open all the way before I can really react. I still make a point of smacking his arm. “Don’t make it weird.” 

I turn my head towards Stu’s room. Billy is in there, sitting with his back against the headboard and he’s looking at me but there’s little recognition. It’s more like he’s seeing through me. I want to assume it’s part of some kind of side effect of being high, but I can’t quite get myself to dismiss it as something so casual.

Any fight directed at Stu evaporates into the air and morphs into this weird veil of tension. Not good or bad. Just heavy and full, bleeding through the room and into the hall where I’m still standing. 

“Hi,” it feels like an attempt at cutting through the harshness, “I heard you were feeling bad so I thought I’d come back and make you feel worse.” 

Billy’s eyebrows draw together slightly, like he’s considering how to react. He settles on a, “Yeah?” It feels smaller than the way he usually is. 

I swallow my instinctual reaction. “Yeah--things aren’t looking too good in Iraq and everyone’s getting too comfortable with nuclear bombs.” 

The corner of his mouth turns up into an almost smile. It’s not quite there, but the thawing of the icy layer behind his gaze is cracking. “Anything else?”

“I still think the Princess Diana divorce is kind of a bummer.” 

Stu sighs dramatically. “Of course you’re on her side.” 

“There is no other side, Charles is the worst.” 

Stu walks fully into his room and practically flops onto his bed. His head hits Billy’s calf and Billy throws him a dirty look before adjusting. “Charles is next in line for the throne. That entitles him to all the girls he wants. That’s just history.”

I wrinkle my nose and halfheartedly glare at him. “He’s also probably inbred.”

Billy sits up a little further, reaching for what I’m assuming is a joint. “Definitely inbred.”

The small vouch of support is strangely easing.

Stu tilts his head to look at me briefly. “You two deserve each other.”

“Don’t pout.” Maybe not my smartest joke, but it’s too easy to pass up on. 

He props his head up just to glare at me. “I can still kick you out.”

I roll my eyes and Billy wordlessly extends what he’s been smoking. Stu reaches for it absentmindedly and Billy moves his arm away. “You need to slow down.” 

Stu doesn’t protest, which has to be a byproduct of his easy high. I’m so distracted by that it takes a second for it to click. If Billy isn’t handing off the joint to Stu, he’s trying to give it to me...the person who’s going to be around their mom and a cop before the night’s over. 

“Can’t tonight.” I’m so going to get bullied for this, “My mom would know immediately, and then she’d kill all three of us.” 

Billy sits up a little more, not fully taking his hand back but relaxing it a little. Stu drops his head back down, accidentally landing on Billy’s leg. I suppress a laugh when Billy lazily shrugs Stu off. It doesn’t work, because Stu still glares at me as he curls into himself slightly. “You could stay over, sleep it off.”

Maybe Stu’s more high than I thought. I take a step forward, feeling awkward about the distance. “I don’t see how that helps the my mom killing us all thing.” 

“You could call her from my home phone, tell her you’re staying over at Sidney’s or Tay’s.” Stu doesn’t wait for my response before stretching out an arm in my direction. “Come here.” 

It feels a little bit like a trap, but at the same time, standing this close to the door is probably weirder than anything Stu’s going to try. I walk forward and sit down on the edge of his bed. Stu smiles lazily and adjusts so that his legs are on my lap. They’re long. He’s basically an arachnid. 

With Stu, a firm approach is usually best, but this seems harmless enough so I don’t kick him off of me. “You’re like a spider.”

He laugh-scoffs, stretching even further. “Like a daddy long legs.”

There’s a weird attempt at sultriness in his words. It’s so stupid I can’t hep the terrible laugh that comes out. “Shut up. You’re so gross.” Now I do want him off of me. He won’t move so I try dragging myself back a little. All that does is make me bump into Billy’s arm. “Sorry.” 

Dismissing my apologetic look with a short wave of the hand still holding the joint, Billy sits up even more, angling himself towards me. “You should be.” It’s sarcastic, but still oddly flat, like Billy’s putting work into being a part of the conversation.

Stu, clearly feeling forgotten, softly kicks his leg. “Your sobriety’s bringing old Billy Boy back down.” 

I lean back, ignoring the way my fingers brush against Billy’s. “I promise me being high would only depress him more.” 

“I like you high,” Billy muses flatly, “You get all jumpy.” 

I roll my eyes, trying to straighten to pull my hand back but Billy doesn’t let me get that far. His hand turns over and pulls his fingers between my own. It’s a casual enough attempt to pull me back into place, but his eyes are so quick to meet mine. There’s something almost nervous about the shift, and vaguely familiar. An uncertain, begrudging request for reassurance I’ve come to associate with people going through some sort of depressive episode. 

“That was one time,” I mumble, “And it was because you guys are assholes and didn’t tell me that it was extra strong.” 

Stu’s leg moves again, “It wasn’t extra strong, we just didn’t pace you.” 

“Either way--assholes.” 

Billy moves his thumb along my knuckles. “We’ll be nice this time.” He takes a deliberate hit and exhales the smoke in a way that lingers. I can feel the smell of it, a paranoid part of me thinking it’s already caught up in my hair and clothes and skin. Like my mom will just be able to tell already. Maybe it is already too late. 

And it’d upset her. She’s already worried enough about how I’m handling all the killer stuff, if she thinks I’m acting out and smoking she’ll probably freak. This also wouldn’t be the first time I did something like this and didn’t tell her...or the first time I stayed over at a friend’s house to sleep something off. 

It’s also objectively nice to be around them. Also, Billy’s whole slightly off thing is something I’ve definitely seen before. The familiarity finally clicks into place, a few memories of my mother from when I was younger. Bad ones, days in which things slipped through the cracks before my mom was diagnosed and started managing that part of herself.

“Even if you don’t smoke, you should call your mom...stay over.” Billy gets the words out stiffly, like some invisible force was trying to shove them back down his throat. “Keep me from being alone with that one.”

Stu lets out a sound that’s sounds a lot like a tired “fuck off”. The casual disapproval makes me smile.

Billy takes another, much shorter hit. I let myself observe the process. The way the smoke goes in, how he holds it in, and finally the way he forces it out. Billy wordlessly turns the joint around in a silent offering. I give in with an exhale and reach over. Billy doesn’t let me get that far, moving so that his fingers are almost to my mouth. I part my lips and let him hold the joint there as I inhale. He doesn’t give me long before taking it back. He runs his thumb along my knuckles. “Hold.” I struggle, but follow through. “Good. Now breathe.” 

I let it out with a slight cough.

“There ya go,” Stu mumbles, patiently dragging his leg up my thigh. “You’ll feel better.” I wish I had more experience with smoking outside of them. If I did, I’d have a reference point to tell me if Stu’s weed is actually extra strong or not. I’m sure what he gets is considered good shit, since he definitely has the money and tolerance. “You should call your mom before you get all giggly.” 

I openly frown. “I do not get ‘giggly’.” 

“Yeah, you do.” 

I’m not in an argumentative mood. Maybe it’s the atmosphere or the weed is already starting to cloud my judgement. I should call my mom, though. It hasn’t been that long since I left, which means she’s probably still out with Wells. It’ll be easier to just leave a message on the machine. She always checks when she gets home. 

Ever since the first incident, my mom keeps a cell phone on her that’s always on, but it’s still weird to both of us. I don’t have the number fully memorized yet, it’s written on a note held to the fridge by a magnet back home...a few blocks away. The cell phone isn’t exclusively emergency, but my mom doesn’t love portable technology. She thinks they’re tacky and breed rudeness.

I tap Stu’s leg, “Up.” 

Surprisingly enough, Stu listens, letting me go. I let go of Billy’s hand and reach for the extension on Stu’s nightstand. I quickly dial my number and leave a flat message. Staying over at Sid’s, have fun but not too much fun, love you and see you tomorrow. 

In a moment of straight forward association, I almost went with telling my mom I was staying at Tatum’s, but I have to talk to Dewey soon and my mom will probably be there and that felt like a potential loose end. 

Stu half snorts, “Love you and see you tomorrow, mom.” 

I shove Stu’s shoulder. “Shut up.” 

“Have fun but not too much fun,” Billy mumbles, a lot more subdued but just as teasing. 

Rolling my eyes, I move back to the edge of the bed where I was sitting before. “It’s an inside joke.” 

Stu leans forward and pinches my cheek. “That’s adorable.” 

The patronization doesn’t sit well and my eyelids feel heavier than they did a second ago. “I hate you guys.” 

“Clearly,” Stu breathes, reaching over and taking the joint from Billy. “Oh, Billy, forgot to tell you, Y/n’s supposed to be mad at us.” Billy tilts his head a little too far to one side like that’s news enough for him to be curious. “Tay told her about the Noel thing.” 

Billy feels imbalanced, head leaning one way and spine straight. His eyes harden over again. “Really?” He takes my hand again, this time a lot less softly. “Over that asshole?” I let him run his knuckles over my hand again, even though this time it feels a lot less soothing. “If none of your friends like a guy, that usually says something about the guy.” 

I’m sure there’s some kind of joke I could spin. Maybe about where he learned that one from. Get that from Cosmo? But the bordering on defensive look behind Billy’s eyes is overbearing and messing with my head. Stu is seriously in danger for bringing this up right now. 

“It’s not about the guy,” I manage, “It’s about...” All the points I had feel a lot less concrete under Billy’s scrutiny...or maybe it’s the weed. Or both. I swallow, dropping my gaze to my lap as I try to really think. Okay, it’s definitely both. “Timing and boundaries.” It feels fractured. “Like even if a guy totally sucks, you can’t go over my head about it.” 

Stu lets out a sigh, dropping his head onto one of his pillow’s. I glare openly. This is all his fault. Why bring it up now? Billy was just starting to act a little more like himself. “I don’t know what you see in him.” Ugh. It’s like he’s not even hearing me. “Especially with the way he talked about Casey.” 

That last part hits its intended goal. Stu’s staring at the ceiling, so I can’t see his expression, but he seems to take my silence as a win. I don’t know Noel as well as they do, but he did talk about Casey at that party and it wasn’t exactly kind. 

I squeeze what I can grab of the comforter like that will tether me here. It half works but it does nothing to ease the tightening in my chest. The memories mix uneasily with the start of my high. The dip of panic doesn’t suit the way my body wants to feel and it all blends together in a way that leaves me on edge and a little nauseous. 

There’s the sound of someone moving, but I barely pick up on it. Billy smacks the side of Stu’s head. “Too much, asshole.”

Stu throws Billy an offended look before craning his neck to look at me. I must look as off as I feel, because Stu does sit up. “Shit,” he pushes himself back, “Sorry. I didn’t think--” 

“You never think.” The words are pointed, but not completely angry. If I was feeling any better, I would’ve laughed. He slowly reaches forward and I don’t stop him from prying my fingers away from the sheets. “Your trip going a little bad?” I nod. “Don’t think about it.” Easier said than done. “You could end up like Stu the one time he smoked too much while watching one of those old horror movies where the special effects are basically held up by a string.” 

That cracks at the panic a little. “What did he do?” 

“Convinced himself that it was real and we were the ones that were off.” 

I almost laugh. “Actually?” 

“Shut up,” Stu sighs, a little bitter but not actually mad. 

Billy ignores him, “Actually.” He turns my hand over carefully before running his fingers over the thin scar on my palm and up my wrist. “So you’re already doing better than him.”

For a second, I let myself study Billy. The wisps of hair falling forward, the slight pinch between his eyebrows, his focused expression. Billy almost always holds himself with a certain tenseness. Whether that’s force of habit or natural to him, I’m not sure. Maybe that’s why he gets along so well with Stu. They balance each other. 

“Are you...” I don’t know where I’m going with this. “Are you feeling any better?” 

His expression briefly clouds, pulling into something much more blank. He drops his gaze and for a second I feel like I might need to take it back. “Yeah--yeah, don’t worry.” Again, easier said than done. Billy clears his throat almost immediately after, like that will erase the fact that he actually responded. 

“Good.” It doesn’t sound overly positive, but he hasn’t convinced me. “I’ve missed you, a little.” That feels a lot more real.

Billy angles his head downwards, almost smiling. “Only a little?” 

“It’s not like you haven’t been around at all.” He traces an invisible line up my wrist. “Maybe more than a little, anyway.” 

“Aw,” Stu hums, his hand finding a place on my back. He leans forward and rests his head on my shoulder. “You two are adorable.” I’m not really given a chance to answer before Stu lets out a sigh that I feel against my neck, “Don’t be mad.” 

Honestly, I’m not feeling any anger. I’m a little annoyed at him and frustrated that I’m still not normal. That’s all there is. It’s too tiring to turn into anger. “’M not mad,” it feels like a confession, “A little annoyed at you, but not more than usual.” 

He breathes a sarcastic, “Haha” into my shoulder. 

With no warning, I start to unweave myself from them. I think they’re too confused to ask until I’m actually standing. 

“Where are you going, angel?” 

I don’t really know, so I can’t really answer. Stu’s room isn’t super familiar. I’ve been in here a couple times, most of them brief. I take a second to really take in the space. A lot of posters, the ones that aren’t directly bloody movie posters feature practically naked women and some combine the two. It fits him.

“Getting a feel,” I decide on, “You can tell a lot about a person based on their room.” 

Stu moves to the edge of his bed, grinning at my focus. “Really?” 

I move to pull open the drawer of his nightstand. “Mhm.” 

“You’re not going to like anything you find in there.” He places a hand on the front of drawer but doesn’t stop me. 

It takes me a second too long to realize what he’s getting at. By then, I’ve already taken in a cover of a magazine with a model that’s wearing even less than the girls on the posters, a box of condoms, a surprisingly neatly stacked set of polaroids, an old deck of cards, and a few random odds and ends all crammed in there. 

My nose wrinkles, but I’m too distracted by the polaroids to make fun of him. I can only see the top one, but it’s innocent enough, an accidental snapshot that sort of looks like a blurry person on a couch.  

“Polaroids?” I pick them out of the drawer and flip to the next one. A small lump that looks like a cat in Stu’s living room. Weird, I’ve never seen one in his house and he’s never mentioned having a pet. Maybe these are old pictures. Before I can snoop any further, Stu pulls the stack of photos away from me. “You’re no fun.” 

He rolls his eyes as he moves the first photo back into place. “You’re nosy.” I don’t say anything because I’m not so high that I’m clueless. This is a little weird of me, but I can’t help the impulse. “What if the next picture had been me naked?” 

“You take naked pictures of yourself and keep them in your nightstand?” 

Stu intentionally ignores my laughter. “You don’t need pictures for that, baby, you can see the real thing.” 

My laughter picks up again. “Yeah? Let’s go right now.” 

At that, Stu does crack a bit of a smile. “Let’s make Billy strip first.” 

“Deal,” I mumble through another laugh. 

Billy drops his head onto a pillow, “Fuck off.” 

I turn my attention back to the card deck and dig them out with my nail. “Any naked pictures hidden in here or am I good?” 

“No promises.” With that as my warning, I begin to shuffle the cards absentmindedly. “Why? You wanna play strip poker?” 

Ignoring him, I move back to my previous position on the edge of the bed. “Think I’m good.” 

I drag the nail of my thumb along the edge of the cards and focus on the sound of them. Billy nudges my knee with his. I look up as he extends his arm, silently asking for the cards. I hand them over without thinking much about it. Billy begins to actually shuffle in a way that would fit Vegas. 

He has to notice my mesmerized stare, but he says nothing. “Do you actually know how to play anything?”

My mom briefly worked at a casino when I was in the first grade and she’d have to bring me in sometimes, but I retained nothing. “Not really.” 

That starts something. A process that should have been short and easy. Billy trying to explain different versions of poker and Stu trying to trick me, but only sometimes so I couldn’t know to for sure not trust him. It’s a mess of laughter and a refreshing lack of angst. Every once in awhile, someone insists that a loser has to take a drag from a joint, so everyone’s progressively getting worse. I’m pretty sure Stu’s cheating somehow, but I have no proof and I’m too out of it to get any. 

It’s so lighthearted and genuinely fun that I’m fighting against the heaviness of my eyelids. It can’t be that late, but I’m already starting to feel drowsy. I’ve finally been given good cards, so I really need to get it together. “I won.”  

Stu scoffs, eyebrows drawing together as he eyes the cards I just set down. “No--that’s not--” 

“I won,” a yawn cuts my sentence in half, “Don’t be a loser about it.” 

Stu picks up all the cards, ignoring my protests. He’s already mixed me up a couple of times. “I can let you have this one, because you’re--” 

“Because you have to.” 

Billy turns his ankle, tapping his foot against my leg. “Don’t be mean about it.” 

That was nowhere near mean. “Dramatic, both of you.” 

Stu’s mouth falls open in a mock gasp as he continues to gather cards. I don’t know what he’s doing until he drops them all back into his drawer and shuts it. He then walks towards his dresser, pulls out a T-shirt, and tosses it in my direction. “After all I’ve done for you.” 

I pick up the T-shirt and fold it onto my lap but make no move to go to the bathroom to change. “I don’t want to go to sleep.” 

“You’re half asleep already.” Billy ignores the dirty look I give him. “Just change in case you fall asleep.” 

Stupid voice of reason. I scratch the back of my wrist and decide to give in. If for no other reason than the fact that Stu’s shirt is almost weirdly soft. Rich people must have access to different kinds of fabric. I reluctantly get up and find Stu’s bathroom.

I change quickly and take a second to make sure Stu gave me a long enough T-shirt. Thankfully, he did, so I don’t have to feel extra awkward about anything. I fold my clothes and bring them back with me. 

“Looks nice on you, babe.” 

Drowsiness hits harder without any distractions. I blink, unsure on how to respond. Stu’s always a flirt with everyone, but it feels a little weird to react to it while standing in his room at night in one of his T-shirts. “It’s the rich guy cotton.”

The corner of his mouth turns up. “And those legs.” 

“Shut up.” 

Billy turns onto his side, fluffing his pillow. “Go to sleep before he gets worse.” 

“Yeah.” The two of them look comfortable, all settled. “I’ll crash on the couch.” 

Stu props his head up on an elbow. “You don’t wanna do that. Living room’s creepy at night and you’ve smoked too much. You’ll get scared.” 

“I’m not 12.” 

“It’s safer here, you wouldn’t be alone if something happened.” 

Ugh, Stu can never resist trying to get me paranoid. “Nothing’s going to happen.” That’s what I thought when I was at Casey’s. 

“Just get in bed,” Billy mumbles, half asleep, “I know how this argument goes with the two of you.” When I don’t move, Billy sighs, “If I fall asleep and you get freaked out, I’m not helping.” 

Stu lays back down, “He means it. He’s an asshole when he’s tired.” He pauses for so long, I briefly think he might have fallen asleep. “...’S not a big deal.” 

True. It wouldn’t even be the first time we all fell asleep in the same bed. And Billy’s slept over in my room enough times for that to barely phase me. “Yeah.” 

I walk over towards the bed. “Drink water,” Billy mumbles the words with his eyes still shut. I look over at the nightstand and there’s a glass there that wasn’t there before. I drink a few long sips until Stu sits up to steal the glass from me. 

Rude. “Give me--” 

He downs the rest of it in a few gulps, “Go to bed.” 

I roll my eyes, but unfortunately do listen. Stu pushes me towards the middle, ignoring my surprised huff. I smack his arm before covering myself with his bed sheets. I barely get to reflect on how much of an asshole move that was before I fall asleep. 

----

A/n fun fact, there’s a moment in here where Y/n came superrr close to accidentally finding out who Ghostface is :) 

Taglist: @cole22ann @womenarecannibals @fand0mskullfa1ry @princessleah129 @i-amnotokaywiththis @fvcking-gxddess @suckmyass-things @im-better-than-your-newborn @michibuni @bigenargy @marli-lavellan @mushy-mushroom04 @neenieweenie @lone-ray @the-ruler-of-death @andthevillainshallrises @thesebitcheslovesosadotcom @thesebitcheslovesosadotcom @dixbolik-bby @thebitchiestnerdtowalktheearth @peachycupotea @my5tica1ien @agustdeeyaa @astrial @3ll0kittylvr420 @zoleea-exultant @slaypussypop-21 @aonungs-tsahik @finnydraws @slytherhoes @vxarak @xofeeeeelsxo @thewayiknowyou @yourslashersfinalgirl @winterridinghood @maggieleighc 

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

“Being a pirate is all about going your own way.” // “Come with me, Buggy!!”

is this post totally redundant after the similar post i made last week? idk. i guess the main difference is that this time i’m looking at the same topic in an unambiguously romantic light? the shipper goggles, as they say, are on, and i want to talk about these scenes in that context. so, if you’ll forgive me for repeating myself a bit, let’s talk about this again:

as much as i enjoy the heartbreak of “they always thought they’d be together but miscommunication tore them apart” takes on shanks/buggy, the very first flashback we get about them—the first things we learn about them at all, really—tells us this isn’t true.

and i think what we get is more romantic.

Chapter 19, Pages 12-13. i know last time i said they’re at most 12 here, but looking at these lanky-ass teenaged designs that’s nuts. i fully believe oda hadn’t thought through their ages/the timeline at this point, and they were originally supposed to be about luffy’s age when buggy got his devil fruit. which is not relevant to this post in any way, but it’s my post so i get to go off-topic if i want.

Shanks and Buggy have their own goals as pirates, and at this time they understand them to be mutually incompatible. Buggy thinks Shanks’ travel-and-adventure-oriented take on piracy is soft and foolish; Shanks doesn’t care for Buggy’s exclusively treasure-focused take. They’re sometimes friendly, sometimes not, they’ve fought side by side, but they know this time as allies and crewmates is temporary. (Buggy plans on taking his treasure map and the Devil Fruit and leaving the crew immediately.) Maybe they’ll become friendly rivals, ‘fighting to the finish’ when they run into each other like Roger and Whitebeard do, or maybe the next time they see each other they’ll literally fight to the finish. Who knows?

“That’s also what being a pirate is all about.” It’s very sensible behavior. Smart planning for the future.

Which means the contradictory ways they act later—Buggy secretly deciding to follow Shanks, Shanks bluntly asking Buggy to come with him—are not about these characters thoughtlessly clinging to the status quo. They are not in a “we were always together and I never thought that would change” situation. Deciding to stick together is a considered, emotional decision: “I know we don’t make sense together but I don’t care, I want us together anyway.”

Chapter 1082, Pages 8-9. i was cursed the moment i saw these pages with Unable To Stop Thinking About It disease; only time will tell if seeing it animated makes it worse or cures me.

This argument is a codependent breaking point. Buggy’s pinned all his dreams on Shanks, hoisted that poor boy up on a pedestal, and it all falls apart when Shanks reveals thoughts and plans that don’t match Buggy’s perception of him. He can’t bear to be around him now that the false image has been revealed. (Shanks, poor thing, seems to have had no idea any of this was happening.)

But if Shanks hadn’t said no to Laugh Tale in this moment—or maybe if he’d offered a soft no of, idk, “okay, sure, once we’ve got a strong enough crew”—Buggy would have gone with him, still projecting wildly onto Shanks. He’d convinced himself that being a member of the Pirate King’s crew was enough for him, that he didn’t need to be Pirate King himself if Shanks got the title and he was with Shanks.

…but would he have actually liked being a member of that crew?

Like, looking at the things the Red-Haired Pirates do, would Buggy have enjoyed being one of them? Wandering East Blue, hanging out in friendly port towns, collecting treasure here and there but spending a lot of time getting drunk and making friends with the locals? Eventually becoming famous for having a large, weak fleet of subordinate pirate crews Shanks has to sometimes physically step in and protect?

God, no, he’d’ve been miserable. Just seething with thwarted ambition, furious at the perceived disrespect. A real power hungry first officer stereotype, the kind of character that makes you think, Why’s he working for this guy if he hates him so much?

And Buggy must have suspected it would go something like that. But if Shanks hadn’t rejected Laugh Tale, he would’ve gone with him anyway.

(Better to be miserable with you than a loser on my own.)

Or say Buggy agreed to come with Shanks. Obviously his presence wouldn’t change the crew makeup significantly enough to skew the Red-Haired Pirates towards his way of thinking, but for the sake of argument: if he had convinced Shanks to do things his way, would Shanks have enjoyed the kind of piracy Buggy engages in? Taking over and destroying East Blue port towns, ordering your crew killed on a furious whim, single-mindedly hunting down treasure maps and single-mindedly hunting down treasure chests and paying no attention to anything along the journey? Eventually becoming the boss and administrator for a bunch of bounty hunters and mercenaries?

No way; most of that behavior is totally repellant to Shanks. If he let Buggy do that kind of thing under his banner, you’d be left wondering What happened to his morals? Why does he let this guy walk all over him?

And Shanks knew the kind of pirate Buggy was and wanted to be. But he asked Buggy to come with him anyway.

(Better to be miserable with you than have fun apart.)

It’s hard to see a way to make these very different styles of pirating work together. It’s probably doable… with a lot of compromise and honest conversation. The younger Shanks and Buggy had a point, when they said each going their own way was the obvious choice! It was certainly the easier one. Was it the happier one? Who can say.

[hbyrde36]

No Vacancy

Chapter 11: Private Party

WC: 6366 | R: Explicit | CH: 11/12 | AO3 | Now Complete!

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10

*EDDIE*

“Huh,” Eddie huffed, flopping down onto Chrissy’s neatly made bed. It jostled the carefully arranged mountain of pillows that were stacked up against the headboard, sending several of them tumbling to the floor. Why did girls always have so many goddamn pillows?

“So that’s why you never let me come in here before. You do live in a two bedroom!”

Chrissy bent to retrieve her fallen children and put them back in their proper place, except for the last, a bright pink fuzzy number with a cross-stitched peace sign on its front that she wacked him in the back of the head with. “I thought we’d moved past this. Haven't I apologized enough for the whole setup thing?”

He stuck out his bottom lip, arms crossed over his chest. “Will the lies never cease, Christine? I feel robbed! You and Robin were never sharing a bed?!”

“We are now and that’s what matters, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie waved a hand through the air. “But where’s the pining for the person lying right next to you night after night?! Where’s the lovesick staring at the other person’s face while they sleep and wishing you could just tell them how you feel?! Where’s the drama?!”

“I think we've had more than enough of that around here—for life. Maybe now it’s time for us all to just be happy.”

“Happy…” Eddie repeated with a sigh. 

He hadn’t meant for it to come off so melancholy. He was happy—really and truly.

It’d been a month of pure bliss since he and Steve returned from Hawkins together hand-in-hand. Since all four of them had come back together with apologies, and made up. 

The weeks had been full of passionate nights, and sometimes mornings when he and Steve were both too tired to do much more than cuddle once he came home from the bar—punctuated by lazy afternoons by the motel pool, and double dinner dates with the girls whenever Eddie’s work schedule would allow for it.

But just there, in the background, in the dark corner of Eddie’s mind was this great big looming thing.

“Uh oh. Is the honeymoon phase over already? Did Steve finally realize all your flaws are actually annoying, and not cute quirks?”

“No! Of course not. And I resent the implication that my many eccentricities are anything less than adorable.”

Chrissy rolled her eyes. “Something’s bothering you. What’s wrong?”

Eddie hesitated. He was pretty sure it wasn’t a secret or anything, but it didn’t escape his notice that Steve hadn’t brought up the subject of his impending new job placement even once since their little talk.

“Nothing is wrong, exactly. It’s just… did you know Steve is staying here—or like, moving here—permanently, when the summer is over?”

“Robin mentioned he was thinking about taking a job at the elementary school, but I didn't know he’d decided.”

“Well, he has, and he wants me to think about staying too.”

Chrissy, who had turned away to rifle through the cosmetics bag sitting open on her dresser, froze, the tip of her mascara wand hovering just above her lashes. 

“And are you?” She asked after a beat, resuming her makeup routine. “Uh… thinking about it, I mean?” 

“Am I—” Eddie grunted, slapping his hand down on the bed. “It's literally the only thing I've been able to think about for weeks!”

“Weeks!” She screeched. “Wait, when did this happen?”

“The day we drove back.”

She gaped at him through the small mirror of her blush compact. “And you’re just telling me this now?!”

He shrugged. “I’ve been a little busy.”

“Eddie,” She sighed, snapping the compact shut and spinning on her heel to face him. 

“So, what are your thoughts?”

While he knew she asked out of curiosity and concern for him and Steve and the implications for their future together, she was asking for herself too. 

She’d often made comments over the years, during their all too brief phone calls and in letters, about them living near each other again one day, either in the same town like they did as kids growing up in Hawkins, or better yet, in side-by-side homes or at the end of the same cul-de-sac. 

But those kinds of picket fence dreams were never Eddie’s style, or so he’d always told himself.

“I think…” Eddie stared down at his own hands now resting in his lap, nervously spinning his chunky rings around and around. 

“Me and Steve, I think we’ve done this whole thing out of order. We’ve been living together essentially, since before we were a couple—before we were even friends really. Then we both said I love you within the first few weeks, and now considering permanent for-real moving? Moving towns, moving in together—on purpose this time? That’s huge! I mean, all that’s left after that is to get married, and grow old together, and die, and—” 

Suddenly Eddie felt like he couldn’t get a full breath, what little air he did manage to take into his lungs doing nothing to ease the burning in his chest. His heart raced wildly, and he swallowed hard, tilting wide terrified eyes up to look at Chrissy. 

“Oh god, do you think he wants to get married someday? I don’t know if I’m built for—“

“Ooookay, babe. Let’s just calm down for a second here.” Chrissy sank down onto the bed beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him into her side—resting her cheek on the top of his head. 

“For one—honey, gay marriage isn’t even legal.”

Oh right. 

Her words should have filled him with relief, and they did, but to his surprise, just as equal was the feeling of disappointment brought on by the reminder. 

“And for two—” Chrissy went on. “It doesn’t have to be all that. You can always have your own rooms, if say, you decide you want to stay here but you need to slow things down with Steve, or just want some space.”

“No—” He was shaking his head before she’d even finished. “No, I don't want to go backwards. I–I love having him right there. I love his face being the last thing I see before I go to sleep, and the first I see in the morning even though that means waking up at an ungodly hour. It’s totally worth it for his goodbye kiss. I love his sweetness, his gentleness, and the sound of his voice. The soft little smile he gives me when he’s half asleep and I crawl into bed at the end of the night, like I'm his favorite thing in the whole fucking world.”

Eddie took a big breath, he could wax poetic on everything he loved about Steve for hours if she’d let him, but what it really boiled down to was one simple fact. 

“I just love him, Chris.”

Chrissy sniffled, leaning away from him to wipe carefully at her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. “Sorry. I just never thought I'd hear you talk about someone that way.”

Eddie sat up too, shaking his head at himself. “Yeah, me either.”

“So, what's holding you back?”

“Honestly? I wanted to say yes right then and there, the second he told me. The second I recovered from the shock, anyway. But he looked so nervous about it, and scared, and we’d just put things back together again, and—and so I’ve been doing what he asked.”

Eddie leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. 

“I really don’t want to mess this up, and I know I don’t have a lot of experience with this stuff, but I can't help feeling like it’s too soon, like we’re going too fast. What if it fizzles out, and a year from now we can’t stand the sight of each other?” 

She snorted. “Highly unlikely.”

“How do you figure?”

“I think at this point you can admit that you’ve had a crush on Steve since high school, maybe even middle school. That’s a long time to carry a torch for someone. If it’s lasted this long, I’d say those feelings are here to stay.” 

Eddie pushed himself to his feet, resisting the urge to stomp like a petulant child. “Jesus H. Christ. First Uncle Wayne, and now you?! I’m never gonna live that down.”

“Who’s had a crush on who since high school?” Robin's voice filtered in from the other room, just before she appeared in Chrissy's doorway.

“You didn’t tell me she was here.” Eddie scowled at Chrissy before swinging his gaze back around to settle on Robin. 

They may have made nice since he fixed things with Steve, and Eddie did love the shit out of her, but he and Robin’s relationship was akin to that of a slightly antagonistic brother and sister, and he lived for the bit. “Don’t you have a job you should be doing, Buckley?”

Robin cocked her hip, leaning it against the door frame as she crossed her arms, giving him very pointed eye contact. “Don’t you, Munson?” 

Frowning, Eddie glanced at his watch. He had a decent amount of time left before he had to be at the bar to start setting up for Chrissy’s surprise party later, but he still needed to go back upstairs to change, and to get a different little surprise ready for the other love of his life.

“So, you’ve had it bad for Steve since high school too?” Robin said when he didn't hit her with a comeback. “Jeez you two really are perfect for each other.”

Eddie began to roll his eyes but stopped mid-motion as he processed all of what she’d just said. “Wait… too?”

“Oh,” Robin’s eyebrows flew up. “He didn’t tell you?”

“No.” Eddie took a slow step towards her with narrowed eyes.

“Right!” Robin straightened abruptly, hooking a thumb over her shoulder as she started slowly backing away. “So, I’d better get back to the desk. I was just stopping in to say hi and, uh, grab my lunch… I left it on the counter.”

“Robin,” Eddie growled after her, “get back here and explain yourself!” 

“I'll see you tonight!” She shouted back, followed immediately by the slamming of a door.

Coward.

Eddie sighed, looking back to see Chrissy with both hands covering her mouth, practically in tears with silent laughter. 

“I guess I'd better go too, don’t want to be late for work.” Eddie grumbled.

“Sure, Eds,” Chrissy said, eyes still sparkling. “I’ll see you later.”

As far as she knew it was going to be a night like any other. Steve was off the next day, so once the motel office closed for the night, he, Robin, and Chrissy would come to Tide’s to hang out where Eddie could join in from behind the bar whenever he wasn’t busy with customers. 

It being a week out from her actual birthday, she didn't suspect a thing.

Eddie had talked to his boss, and Dan agreed to close the bar to the public from ten p.m. on for a private event so they could celebrate his best friend with the fanfare she deserved. The older man also offered to handle the guest list, aware that Eddie and his friends didn’t know many of the locals yet, and promised to keep it to those he knew to be allies or members of the queer community themselves, so everyone could feel comfortable being themselves for the night without fear of judgment.

As the clock ticked down to party time, Eddie couldn’t stop watching the door, his eyes searching for Chrissy’s blonde ponytail, or Steve’s familiar swoop of chestnut hair, any sign that his three best friends had arrived. They’d put up the private party sign an hour ago, and slowly began to clear the bar of any straggling tourists while the weekend bouncer, Manny, sat out front on a stool, ensuring no one uninvited got inside.

At ten o’clock on the dot they finally arrived, and for a moment all Eddie could do was stare.

Weather due to the heat, which had hit another level as July turned to August, or as a personal assault on Eddie’s sanity, Steve had forgone his usual polo shirts and button ups in favor of an old Madonna tour t-shirt that he’d cut into a crop top, showing off even more tanned skin to its best advantage against the crisp white of the fabric. 

It was an effort, but Eddie forced himself to look away and jump into action, ducking under the bar to rush over and greet his people.

He pressed a quick kiss hello to Steve’s cheek but didn’t let himself linger, going right for his best girl straight after, scooping her up into a tight hug and spinning her around. 

Chrissy threw her head back, squealing with delight as her feet lifted off the ground. 

“Happy Birthday, Chris,” Eddie said as he finally set her down, pressing lips to the top of her head. 

Her eyes darted all around the bar, taking in the small crowd, the rotating lights, the decorations, balloons, and finally the big hand painted banner strung up above the bar. 

“This is all for me?” She asked.

Eddie grinned, throwing an arm over her shoulder as he turned to address their fellow revelers.

“Excuse me everyone!” He shouted, waiting for the music to be turned down before continuing. “I want to thank you all for being here, and Dan especially for helping put this all together. I’d like to introduce you all to the birthday girl!” 

Hearty applause broke out across the room, as well as shouts of, “Happy Birthday!” And even a few good natured wolf whistles when Chrissy leaned away from Eddie to steal a kiss from her girlfriend.

“Were you in on this too?” Chrissy shouted to Robin over the cacophony.

Robin nodded, “I take no credit though. I might have known about it, but Eddie did all the work.”

Before Eddie could correct the record and explain again that he really owed it all to Dan, the man himself was striding up to them.

“Evening, girls, Steve.” Dan greeted them warmly. 

Steve, and the girls to a lesser extent, had been spending more and more time at the bar lately, and had all quickly become friendly with Eddie’s boss.

“And a very happy birthday to you,” the older man continued, inclining his head at Chrissy. “If you’d like, I thought I could take you and Robin around and introduce you to some of your guests?” 

The girls agreed, promising to meet back up with Steve and Eddie a little later, before rushing off to mingle.

With a palm pressed to his lower back, Eddie led Steve over to the bar. Not that he actually needed the guiding hand, but Eddie was gonna go nuts if he didn’t get to touch Steve soon, and it was one of the few ways he could do that while still maintaining some semblance of decorum.

Steve slid into his usual barstool down the end by the corner, furthest from the speakers so they could actually carry on a conversation, pouting when Eddie let him go to sneak back behind the bar.

“I thought you’d be on this side of the bar tonight.”

“Trust me, sweetheart, with you dressed like that?” Eddie drummed his fingers along the bartop. “Keeping this wood between us is the only way I'll be able to keep my hands to myself.”

“Who said you had to keep your hands to yourself?”

“Steven,” Eddie warned.

“I thought this was a safe space tonight.”

“Yes love, but I don’t think Dan would appreciate it if I dropped to my knees for you in the middle of the dance floor.”

Steve sagged in his seat, letting out an over dramatic sigh. “Okay, fine.”

Eddie chuckled. Sometimes he wasn’t sure who was rubbing off on who more.

They chatted a little about Steve’s day on the beach while Eddie put together their drinks. The usual for Steve, Jack and Coke with lime, no ice, and a tequila on the rocks for himself. Apparently, the jellyfish were out in full force and it sounded like Steve had spent half his day treating burns with vinegar.

“So, Robin said something interesting earlier today,” Eddie said after a while, when Steve was finished with his stories, and he was pouring out their second round of drinks for the night.

“Oh yeah?” 

Eddie opened his mouth to elaborate but quickly snapped it shut as his boss appeared at Steve’s side—alone.

“Abandoning our girls already, Dan?” Steve asked.

The older man huffed a laugh. “I was just getting in the way anyhow. Introduced them to Tracey and her partner Pat, and the four of them seem to be hitting it off. Figured I’d leave them to make friends. Tracey’s the manager over at Ocean First bank y’know.”

Eddie smiled widely as he met Steve’s eyes, and he knew they had to be thinking the same thing. Not to get ahead of themselves, but if Chrissy and Robin got in good with someone from the bank, it could make all the difference in the motel’s future. 

“That’s, uh, a good friend to have,” Steve commented.

“You aint kiddin’!” Dan clapped Steve on the shoulder, his eyes scanning the room. 

Suddenly he perked up, saying to himself “Oh, there he is,” and began to wave someone over.

Eddie followed his line of sight to the door and nearly choked on his own spit.

Motherfucker.

He felt all the blood drain from his face as another man approached, a younger man who looked to be about their age—a very attractive man who looked eerily similar to the one Eddie had seen from his hiding spot, kissing Steve goodbye on the fateful night that had changed the course of his life forever. 

Eddie reached over, curling a possessive hand over Steve's where it rested on the bar. He held his breath, waiting for Steve’s reaction, but he was oblivious, looking down and taking a sip of his drink.

“Boys, this is my son, Danny.”

Steve's head snapped up at the name, looking horrified as his eyes landed directly on the newcomer.

“This is Eddie,” Dan continued his introductions, completely unaware of the sudden tension in the air. “My best bartender—though if you let slip to Brenda I said that I’ll deny everything. And this is—

Danny smiled, flashing a set of perfectly straight white teeth. “Lifeguard Steve.” 

Eddie hated him.

“Oh! I see you two already know each other.” Dan chuckled, giving a little shake of his head. “Well, that’s a small town for ya! Anyway, I gotta go check on a few things so I'll leave you three to chat.” 

Eddie watched the man walk away, wondering if it would be weird to ask him to stay, and when he turned back found that Steve wasn’t looking at Danny anymore, his wide worried eyes were now trained squarely on Eddie's face, hand tensing under his hold.

And whatever feelings of jealousy Eddie might have felt were gone in an instant, replaced with the need to prove to Steve, as well as himself, that he could handle this without doing any number of stupid things to ruin what they had.

He squeezed Steve's hand once firmly before letting go, leaning out to offer it to Danny, who took it with a raised eyebrow. 

“Good to meet you, your dad tells me nothing but good things,” Eddie said, keeping his voice calm and even as they shook.

Danny tilted his head. “Ditto.” 

Eddie cleared his throat, resisting the urge to wipe his hand on his pants when they separated. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Sure. Just a coke though, I’m driving tonight.” 

As he poured the soda Eddie could feel the man’s heavy gaze lingering on his face, scrutinizing him. He set the full cup down but Danny didn’t take it, instead resting his chin in his hand as he looked thoughtfully between the two of them.

Eddie topped off his tequila, and braced himself.

“So, Steve,” Danny said, addressing Steve directly for the first time. “Is this the guy?”

Steve's face, which had already been flushed and radiating discomfort, burned a bright cherry red at the question, but he didn’t shy away. He shot off a soft shy smile at Eddie as he answered. “Yeah.”

Eddie’s mouth fell open, and he nearly dropped the glass he was holding. “You told him about me?!”

“Good,” Danny said, ignoring Eddie’s outburst, holding back a laugh as he finally took a sip of his coke. “I’m really happy for you, Steve.” 

It sounded sincere enough that Eddie might have relaxed, but then the man’s gaze was swinging his way. 

“And you—I hope you know how lucky you are.”

Eddie swallowed hard, nodding absently, too stunned and confused to form any kind of verbal response.

“Well,” Danny stood abruptly, leaving his barely touched soda to sweat on the lacquered wood top. “It was nice to finally meet you, Eddie, but I think I'll get out of your hair. I should probably go see if my dad needs help with anything anyway. And it was good to see you again, Steve. I’m glad things worked out.” 

There was a beat of tense silence between them as Danny left, but as soon as he was out of earshot, Steve was falling all over himself to apologize.

“Oh my god, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I had no idea he was–” 

Eddie couldn’t help cutting him off, saying again, “You told him about me? On your date?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you! I… Eddie, you have to know. You have to know the only reason I even agreed to the date with him was to get over you, and he could tell I was distracted.”

“Oh.”

“I know we never really talked about that night, um–”

Eddie reached out, once again covering Steve’s hand with his own. “Listen, baby, I'm not upset at you, okay? I’m not gonna freak out, or run away again, or any of that, I promise you. But I don’t think I need to hear the details.”

“No, Eddie. It’s not—” Steve shook his head. “That's what I'm trying to tell you. Nothing happened. Well, um, very little happened.” 

“It’s fine, Steve. I was being an idiot then, and we weren’t—us. Whatever you did before we were together is none of my business.”

“But I couldn’t do it!” Steve blurted out.

“What?”

“We were—” Steve dropped his voice down so low that Eddie had to lean in close. “We were about to, and—”

“No, stop. I don't need to hear–” Eddie pulled back suddenly, waving his hands, only to immediately lean right back in, his chin practically resting on the bar, eyes level with Steve’s. “Okay, no. I mean, yes—no. Fine! Just tell me. It can’t be worse than whatever I'm imagining.”

“Oh my god, '' Steve groaned, burying his head in his hands for a second before looking up again, peeking at Eddie between the gaps of his fingers. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but he was two fingers deep in my ass and all I could think about was how much I wanted it to be you. So I told him I needed to stop.”

“Baby,” Eddie breathed. So many emotions coloring the single word.

It was so—sweet. And yes, admittedly, relieving in a way, though he’d had no claim to Steve at the time. 

Okay, so Eddie was a fucking caveman, a jealous animal—so sue him! 

But somehow, above all the rest, it was so incredibly fucking hot to learn that his baby, his needy boy had wanted him—and only him—so badly that he’d stopped practically mid-fuck with someone else.

Eddie’s breath picked up, and he knew his eyes had gone dark and heavy lidded, his hands balled into fists so tight his knuckles were turning white.

“Fuck,” Steve cursed, drawn out and breathy, his tongue darting out to lick across his bottom lip, leaving it wet and shining in the party lights. “Eddie, you can’t look at me like that, not when there’s hours till we’ll be home where we can do something about it.” 

Eddie’s eyes remained fixed on Steve as he shouted from the corner of his mouth to his coworker. “Hey Dawn, I’m gonna step out for a smoke, you good?”

He wasn’t even technically on the clock right now, they could manage without him for a while. 

“Yep!” The girl replied without even turning around.

Eddie untied his apron, only breaking eye contact to duck under the bar. He took Steve’s hand, lacing their fingers together as he pulled him along towards the kitchen.  

“Where are we going?” Steve whisper-shouted from behind, barely audible over the music.

Eddie stopped just short of the swinging double doors, pulling Steve in by a belt loop to speak in his ear. “Somewhere we can do something about it.”

This late into the evening the kitchen was closed and empty of staff. The big overhead fluorescents had been shut off and every surface scrubbed to within an inch of its life, clean and gleaming in the soft glow of the emergency lights and the red exit sign on the back door.

Eddie continued to lead the way, past the prep tables and behind the line, all the way to the very back and through a heavy insulated door. 

He tried to feel bad about how unhygienic it was to do what he hoped they were about to do in here, but in his defense the food was all wrapped up or in air-tight secure containers. Also bleach existed, and Eddie was more than happy to clean up after himself.

Besides, It wouldn't be the worst thing to ever happen in a restaurant walk-in.

It was a frenzy from the moment the door banged shut behind them. Eddie twisted his hand into the front of Steve’s shirt, pulling him in for a kiss. Their mouths connected, all tongues and teeth and hot steamy breath mingling in the frigid air. Steve’s fingers pushed into Eddie's curls, scratching at his scalp, tugging at the root, while Eddie's hands found their way to that slutty little bare strip of tummy that his boyfriend had insisted on teasing him with tonight, gripping hard on either side of Steve’s waist as he moved them further in towards the rear of the walk-in.

Steve hissed as his back hit the chilled metal of the wall, his skin breaking out in goosebumps under palms hands.

“Sorry, baby,” Eddie cooed in sympathy, grinding his own hardness against Steve’s as he nipped at his lower lip. “It was this or the bathroom, and I didn’t particularly want an audience.”

Steve pushed off the wall, grinning as he grabbed Eddie hard by the shoulders to spin them around, switching their positions and pressing him into the wall instead. 

Eddie went willingly, delighted as Steve unknowingly played right into the dynamic he was hoping for tonight, and waited for Steve’s lips to find his again, even reached out to pull the other man in again, but Steve slipped from his grip to drop straight to the floor, a desperate and hungry look in his eyes.

With well practiced fingers Steve quickly undid Eddie's jeans, yanking them down to his thighs so roughly he might have stumbled without the wall to lean against. He had a second to feel the cold air hit his most sensitive bits of bare skin before Steve swallowed him down, taking him right to the back of his throat. 

Eddie could do nothing but moan, letting his head fall back against the wall for a breath, waiting for his brain to catch up with the rest of him, so lost in the sensation of Steve's mouth, scorching where it engulfed him, that he almost forgot his surprise. 

Winding one hand through Steve's hair in encouragement, Eddie used the other to take Steve’s hand from where it rested on his thigh to guide it around to his ass. Steve only hesitated for a moment before kneading at the soft plump flesh, still bobbing his head up and down the length of Eddie’s cock, but faltered and froze as his fingers bumped up against the base of the silicone plug that had been nestled in Eddie’s hole for the last several hours.

Steve pulled off with a soft gasp, letting the tip of Eddie's cock rest on his tongue as he looked up, watching Eddie’s face with something like awe as he pushed on the plug. 

From the tips of his toes to the top of his head Eddie felt his entire body flush with a new heat, it prickled along his neck and chest, and he had to fight to keep his eyes on Steve and not let them fall shut at the sudden intensity of his need.

“Where did you get this?” Steve asked, sounding wrecked in a way that Eddie suspected had less to do with the brief blowjob, and more to do with his little stunt.

Eddie whined as Steve tugged on the toy, pulling it out about an inch before pushing it back in again, punching the air from his lungs. 

“Would you believe there’s a little mom and pop sex shop not far from here?” Eddie forced out between panted breaths.

Steve hummed, grazing his lips over the skin of Eddie’s inner thigh as he released the plug, leaving it in place for now. “I guess this town really does have it all.”

Eddie chuckled softly and reached down to pull Steve to his feet, cupping his cheek as he pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. 

“Fuck me?” He asked, fluttering his eyelashes.

Steve made a pained noise, tucking his face into Eddie’s neck, peppering kisses along the underside of his jaw. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes, fuck—want it.” Eddie tilted his head back to give Steve better access to his throat. “Been thinking about you bending me over—dreaming about it.”

The words were barely out of Eddie’s mouth before Steve was growling, gripping him up again and moving him—manhandling him in a way he never had before as he gave Eddie exactly what he wanted—bending him over a low, blessedly empty shelving unit.

Steve pushed at Eddie’s shirt, dragging it roughly up and over his head before tossing it to the floor somewhere behind them. He leaned over Eddie’s back, pressing kiss after kiss down the entire length of his spine, pausing at the base of it, resting those big hands on Eddie’s ass again, spreading him wide and taking hold of the plug to gently pull it out, placing it on another nearby shelf.

Eddie swallowed back a whimper, his body clenching around nothing, suddenly empty after so many hours of being filled, but he knew what was coming would be even better, and the sound of Steve’s zipper coming undone only made him clench harder. 

Eddie flushed again, another rush of warmth as beads of sweat beginning to form on his brow in anticipation. There was a brush of rough denim against the back of his thigh, and then velvet heat as Steve pressed in close, rubbing his hard length between Eddie’s cheeks, teasing over his hole.

“Condom?” Steve asked, sounding like it was a struggle just to get the word out.

They hadn’t been using them at all since both their test results had come back clear. And Eddie could appreciate Steve wanting to make the cleanup easier on him since they were out in public for the night, but it couldn’t have been further from what he wanted.

“No,” Eddie pressed himself back, his body shuddering as the tip of Steve's cock caught on his rim. “No, wanna feel it when you come inside me for the first time.”

“Fuck, okay.” Steve sucked air in harshly through his teeth. “Lube?” 

“In my back right pocket.” 

Eddie glanced back over his shoulder just in time to see Steve raise the packet to his mouth, tearing it with his teeth before pouring it over himself. Some of the cool wetness dripped down onto Eddie as well, and Steve spread it around with two fingers, pushing just the tip of one inside at first. When he was met with no resistance Steve plunged them both in at once, reaching and curling until he found that sweet spot inside Eddie that sent his eyes rolling back, and had him writhing and bucking his hips against the hard metal of the shelf. 

“Please, Steve, I’m ready,” Eddie begged. 

Mercifully, Steve didn’t make him ask twice, easing his fingers free before lining himself up, and inch by gentle inch began to push his way inside.

It felt like an eternity before Steve finally bottomed out, and Eddie wanted to cry with how good it felt to be full, really full, for the first time in he didn’t even know how long. It wasn’t something he let himself have very often. He really did prefer to top as a rule, but sometimes—sometimes he just needed it, wanted it, and tonight he also wanted to give Steve the last part of himself that he’d been holding back. 

With shallow careful thrusts Steve began to move, draping himself over Eddie’s back, pressing lips to whatever swaths of skin he could reach. 

Tears streamed from the corners of Eddie’s eyes, overcome with the feeling of being had in this new way by someone he loved, who loved him back. It felt incredible but he soon needed more. Eddie tried to rock back on instinct, but found Steve hands already on his hips, stilling him before he could move an inch.

“Steve,” Eddie whined.

Steve shushed him, rubbing small soothing circles into Eddie’s lower back with his thumbs. “You always make me feel so good, just let me return the favor.”

“I thought you were cold?” Eddie grunted, trying again to fuck himself back on Steve’s length, but the other man’s grip was like a vice.

“Not anymore,” Steve said, and Eddie could practically hear the smirk in his voice, though he did sink a little deeper, still keeping his pace frustratingly slow and even, like he was trying to drive Eddie insane. “Seeing you fall apart like this? We could be standing in the middle of a snowstorm right now and I'd still be sweating.”

And oh he’d definitely be paying Steve back for this later.  

“Baby, please,” Eddie whined again, a high-pitched, desperate sound he could hardly believe had come from his own mouth.

“How soundproof do you think this thing is?” Steve asked.

“How should I fucking know?!” Eddie growled in frustration. “Why?!”

Without warning Steve snapped his hips, slamming into him so hard that for a second Eddie couldn’t even make a sound. He threw his head back, mouth wide open in a silent scream of pleasure—followed by an actual scream. Steve surged forward, slapping a hand over Eddie’s mouth, pulling his head back to hiss into his ear, hot breath ghosting over Eddie’s skin as he rammed into him again and again, hard enough to shake the shelving unit that was bolted to the floor. 

“No reason.” 

There was nothing slow or gentle about Steve after that.

For a while Eddie lost himself to the pounding rhythm and the loud slapping of flesh as Steve fucked into him impossibly harder and faster. 

He’d never last at this rate, it was just too fucking good, and he wasn’t alone. Before long Steve was reaching for him, stroking Eddie’s cock as his own breaths became ragged and he began to lose his rhythm.

With one last powerful thrust Steve came, cock pulsing violently as he buried himself deep inside, and Eddie’s last coherent thought as he followed him over that edge, losing control as he felt himself being filled up with Steve’s release, was that they really ought to switch things up more often.

Steve laid across Eddie’s back for a long minute as they both came down and caught their breath, neither really wanting to move at all, but inevitably Steve grew soft and slipped out, leaving a trickle of cum slowly leaking from Eddie’s hole in his wake.

“Eds, honey, do you have your bandana or anything on you?” Steve asked softly.

Eddie looked back, biting his lip, suddenly shy about what he wanted as the afterglow began to fade. “No, uh, but I was hoping you would plug me back up instead?”

“Jesus, Eddie. Yeah—yeah, okay,” Steve stuttered, his dick giving a valiant twitch against Eddie’s leg. 

Eddie was loose enough, and slick enough with the combined mess of cooling fluids that the plug sank home easily, and he was grateful he’d worn black jeans tonight to help mask any residual mess. 

When their pants were back in place and he’d retrieved Eddie’s shirt from the floor, Steve took him in his arms and lowered them both to the floor, cradling Eddie in his lap as he kissed his forehead.

Eddie knew the rest of the summer would go by in a flash. 

Before long the season would be over, tourism would slow as vacationers traveled home for the year, and the beaches would start to empty. 

The new school year would begin.

Though they hadn’t talked about it, Eddie had seen the note on their dresser. He knew Steve’s final interview was in two short days, and he’d be expecting an answer soon. 

And for once, the idea of it didn’t fill Eddie with panic.

He'd done his thinking. 

He’d weighed the risks and pondered the worries, done the calculations in his head and realized there had only ever been one answer to this equation. 

For now he let himself bask in the moment, so safe and comfortable in the circle of Steve’s arms, the brush of soft lips pressed to his brow.

He knew what he wanted—had known it all along.

Now he just had to find the perfect way to tell Steve.

Chapter 12

All my thanks and love to @penny00dreadful for being the best beta, friend, and cheerleader.

Reblogs are always appreciated and if you want to be tagged, just let me know! I'd be more than happy to do so 💜

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[ashbrat488]

Foul Play - Henry Cavill Fanfic - Complete

Rugby AU Enemies to lovers Word Count: 41,847

Trigger Warning: Assault/R@pe (I'll put another trigger warning on that chapter) Drug Use. Violence.

Millicent "Milly" Bailey loses her mother just before her high school graduation and decides to move to England with her newly found father, Darren, she didn't know about until she turned 16. Now she's an American from a small town in Iowa, thrown into a new country and a new culture at one of the most prestigious colleges in the world. She's quiet and mostly likes to keep to herself until she catches the eye of a handsome rugby player, Henry Cavill.

Henry thinks it's funny to tease Milly, bullying her with the help of his friends. That is until his last year of school where he really needs to buckle down and obtain the proper grades if he wants to be scouted for the England Rugby Team. Neither of them are happy when the dean, Milly's father, puts them together in their last year for Milly to help him graduate. Can they learn to see eye to eye and get along or will everything fall apart before graduation?

Started: June 15, 2023 Finished: September 27, 2023

Wattpad link here

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Epilogue

[blackmoonlightexpress]

TTEOTM Master Post

Opinion/Explainer Articles

TTEOTM vs. the Industry: Or Why TTEOTM is much more than a TV show (link)

About the Mixed Responses in China and Why I Think TTEOTM Will Prevail in the End (link)

Clarification: There were never 58 episodes (link)

How TTEOTM made "clam town" famous (link)

Further Reading

Novel English translation: Happy Ending Chapters 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 (credits go to Micha101), Full Novel

Novel vs. TV: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (WIP!)

Screenplay: Cut Scenes from the Ending (link)

Worldview & timeline logic (link)

Easter Eggs: Part 1 (plot), Part 2 (production), Part 3 (costume)

Compilations

Viewership Data: TTEOTM is the most viewed non-dangai xianxia drama since Ashes of Love (link)

Costume Count: Luo Yunxi (41), Bai Lu (35), Chen Duling (16), Deng Wei (18), Other Main Characters, The Uncles

Fun Facts: Creative Team, Production (link)

Merchandise: Top 7 Officially Licensed Merch (link)

Promotional Materials: Videos (link), Poster: Main, Dunhuang, Three Lives, Character Portraits

Concept Art: Part 1, Part 2

OST with English subtitles (link)

Complete OST guide with timestamps (link)

Luo Yunxi's many talents (link)

News/Updates

TTEOTM nominated in the 2023 Seoul Drama Awards (link)

TTEOTM finally reached Top 1 TV programme in Singapore (link)

Goodbye message from Luo Yunxi (link)

Goodbye message from the screenwriter He Fang (link)

LuoYunxiActing is #1 trending topic in China (link)

Reddit Episode Discussion Threads

Hostage Prince Arc: 1-6, 7-8, 9-10

Dream Arc: 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17, 18

Jing Kingdom Arc: 19, 20, 21-22, 23, 24, 25-26, 27, 28, 29

Cultivation Arc: 30, 31-32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

More on r/TilltheEndoftheMoon!

Shui Long Yin 水龙吟

The Official Announcement (link)

What do we know so far (link)

[dameronology]

timing's a bitch (s.h) - 2/5

n e w y e a r s '8 6

"if i just wanted someone to hold then really anyone would do, i close my eyes and really try not to turn them into you" no use i just do, hayley williams (x)

"if you have chemistry, you only need one other thing...timing. but timing is a bitch" - how i met your mother

a.k.a the three times that steve harrington chose the wrong moment, the one time that you chose the wrong moment, and the one time you both got it right (series masterlist)

warnings: mentions of underage drinking (all characters are 18+ but this is set in america lol) & also very minor references to smut

a/n: thank you so much for all the love on this series!! also massive apologies for the delay, i had massive writers' block and work was wiping me out :') still, i hope you enjoy. only three more wrong moments to go. - jazz

p.s no one in this chapter is meant to be reasonable😉

Steve Harrington hadn’t expected to spend New Years’ Eve of 1986 in a nightclub in Manhattan. 

To be honest, he hadn’t even expected to be here. 

Neither had you. And you didn’t even know of his whereabouts yet.

He’d been…lonely, after Christmas. Actually, he’d been lonely since the moment you left. Steve had known Hawkins before you and he’d known Hawkins with you but he had never prepared himself for Hawkins without you. Even when you called everyday and wrote letters every other week, there was still a gaping, you-sized hole in his life. Pictures of you hung up around his room; Polaroids and photo booth strips that dated back to the late seventies; records you’d brought him and drawn him; the silly, dumb notes you used to pass to each other in class. It wasn’t until you left that Steve realised his entire life was basically a shrine to you. 

Christmas was great. Seeing you was great. It had been nothing but hugs and smiles and warmth for a week straight. The celebrations came and went and before he knew it, Steve was dropping you off the airport and hugging you goodbye. It stung a little less this time, know that he knew what to expect in the aftermath, but coming back to an empty house had killed him inside. 

So, Steve started driving. And he kept driving until he reached the night club that he knew you’d be at. Even though it took him twelve fucking hours and fifty goddamn bucks on the door because he wasn’t old enough to be in here and especially not to be drinking. It left him wondering how much you’d paid to get in. Probably not a lot - even back in Hawkins, most bouncers just let you in. Why wouldn’t they? Maybe you were a bit haywire and crazy around the edges but you were also beautiful. One look at your smile, and the way you flashed your eyes with a stupid joke? You could get in anywhere. Steve Harrington was convinced that you were insane enough to open any door in the world. And yet, you stayed at the Hideaway. Every other Friday, with him and a pint of whatever shitty beer they had going. Because even though you get into any club in town, Steve was limited to wherever the fuck Eddie Munson could sneak him in. You’d never been one to stray away from Steve’s side. 

So…yeah. Coming here had been unexpected and god, Steve hated clubbing. What was the point of a room of sweaty people and loud music? That was all he could think about as people thudded into him, one by one in time to a fucked up remix of a Queen song. He just needed to find you and then get the fuck out of here. He had nothing planned in terms of a speech, or even the faintest idea of what he was going to say. He just wanted to see you. That was all. 

“Hey, man! What where the fuck you’re going!”

A sharp elbow came into contact with Steve’s ribs, and he turned around to see you. There was a scowl on face, then a look of disbelief, and before he knew it, you’d almost tackled him to the ground in a hug. 

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Steve hit the ground with an oof, breaking your fall with his own body. “I just missed you.”

You grinned. “I missed you too. How did you even know where I’d be?”

“You mentioned this club a few times last week. Sorry for just turning up-”

“- never apologise,” you cut him off. Stumbling up, you shoved aside a few dancers and stuck out your hand to help him up. “I’m happy to see you.”

You pulled Steve into another hug, hands balling up into the back of his shirt as you did. Steve had always given the best hugs. For as long as you could remember, all your problems could be fixed with a hug from him. Bad grades, shitty boys, fights with your parents. They were all menial, but even now, after a few months in the big city, you were certain they could fix bigger ones too. 

“C’mon, Steve,” you took his hand in yours. “Let’s talk properly outside. Yelling over this music is gonna kill me.”

Keeping his hand in yours, you pulled Steve across the club and towards the smoking area on the other side. It was amazing, really, the way you could just shove people aside with your elbows and a glare. You’d put the fear of God and/or yourself into him multiple times, so Steve couldn’t be surprised. 

The smoking area wasn’t as busy as the rest of the club. There were a few stragglers standing around - some with tobacco, some smoking something a little stronger. On the other side, a drunk girl was throwing up. You didn’t seem phased at all. Maybe you came to places like this often. Even though Steve had never known you to enjoy big crowds or loud music. 

“So, what do you wanna do?” Steve asked. “I saw a couple pizza places down the road. Maybe we could grab some food and then watch the ball drop, if you have a television-”

“- what do you mean?” you frowned. “I was gonna stay here. There’ll be a massive countdown and drinks and all my friends are inside.”

“Seriously?” he scoffed (however unintentionally). “I didn’t know you liked clubbing.”

Your face fell. “Don’t be an ass, Steve. Y’know I hate when you’re an ass.”

“Sorry,” Steve murmured. “I guess I don’t know what you enjoy doing at college. I forget it’s a different scene to Hawkins.”

“Hey, you’re good,” you smiled. “I’m just glad you’re here, okay?”

“Me too,” he returned the gesture, before glancing around the place. “So, what do you do here? Just…drink and dance?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” you shrugged. “It definitely looks awful from the outside but I promise my friends are fun. They’ve heard all about you and I’m sure you’ll love them.”

Friends. He’d heard about all your new friends; Jessica and Amanda and Tiffany and Daniel and…there were too many to remember. Steve knew that he was still your best, best friend, but it was nice to see you flourishing. It was clear they all loved you from the way their faces lit up. They gave Steve a smile too, and a it’s so nice to meet you! or a I’ve heard so much about you! 

Still though, clubbing certainly wasn’t his thing. He hadn’t expected it to be your thing either, but from the way you were throwing back shots and dancing around with your new friends, it was clear that it was. You’d shoot him a smile every few minutes, or grab him for a silly dance. All attempts to make him feel included. It wasn’t your fault that Steve had so quickly gone from excitement in seeing you to feeling like he was a sore limb. No one was doing anything to make him feel like that. Nobody but him, of course. 

It wasn’t until you approached the bar just before midnight that Steve followed you.

“Hey!” you gave him a bright smile. “Are you having fun?”

“I’m not not having fun,” he grimaced, but took your hands in his. “Look, I’m really tired and I just drove twelve hours without stopping and I really want to spend time with you tomorrow, okay? So I think I’m gonna head tonight, if you’re okay with me breaking into your apartment and crashing in your bed.”

“Oh, yeah,” your face fell a little, but you still forced a smile. “No, I get it. Take my keys, yeah? It’s the apartment building with red front door on the corner of 5th and 73rd. Apartment 48. My room is the first on the left and-”

“- it’s okay, I’ll find it,” Steve cut you off. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and gave your hands one last squeeze. “Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year, Steve Harrington.”

Even though Steve had only had two pints of Budlight, he hadn’t considered that his alcohol tolerance was basically on the fucking floor. So, no driving for him. Just an obscenely overpriced yellow cab to take him a few blocks west. The streets of Manhattan weren’t exactly confusing, and maybe it was just dumb luck that your key fit into the first red door he found. Four floors up and two more doors in and that luck continued, right until he found himself managing to stumble into what he hoped and prayed was your apartment. 

It was a cozy little place that you’d rented from one of your parents’ friends. He worked in real estate in the city and quite honestly, you’d thanked your lucky fucking stars when you heard the words subsidized and rent. Maybe it was a little bare, but you’d made it your own. Steve couldn’t help but smile to himself at all the pictures of him around the room. 

Your room was just as cozy. Maybe it was a little funny that Steve’s head hit the pillow just as the fireworks outside went off - then he felt a bit bad. Had he ditched you? Maybe. But he had driven twelve hours just to unintentionally surprise you and he deserved rest. Even if you hadn’t asked that of him, even less expected it of him. Maybe he was just a little disappointed that you hadn’t wanted to spend New Years Eve sat in a pizza place with him. That was what you had done the year before. 

He fell asleep easily, the traffic outside becoming white noise. It wasn’t until a couple hours later - just gone 3AM, according to the clock on your bedside table - that you came crashing and stumbling in. Steve was woken by the sound of your shoes hitting the floor with a thud, and then a little fuck! as you stumbled out of your clothes and into a big NYU t-shirt. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Steve suddenly sat up, barely catching you as you fell to the ground. “Why don’t you turn on the lights, genius?”

“I didn’t want to wake you,” you muttered. Were you mad? You seemed mad. 

“Hey,” he frowned. “What’s up?”

“Nothing-”

“- we both know what when you say nothing that it’s definitely not nothing,” he reminded you. “Are you gonna spit it out or am I gonna have to go through every single thing I did and said tonight before we find an answer?”

You scowled at him, knowing he was right. Steve didn’t have fifteen years of riding the fiery dragon that was your personality not to know how to humble you. 

“You said you missed me and that you came to see,” you muttered, folding your arms across your chest. 

“...and that’s why you’re mad?”

“No!” you snapped. “I’m mad because you stayed for like…all of five minutes and then left! You didn’t even try to talk to my friends or to even stay and then I had to spend the last two hours defending you whenever they pointed it out!”

“Pointed what out?!”

“That you left! That you barely spoke to them or to me-”

“- I’m sorry that clubbing isn’t my thing!” Steve cut you off, barely hiding his audible groan. “I left so you could have fun with your new friends, okay? I didn’t wanna kill the mood.”

“Steve,” you sighed. “You weren’t killing the mood. Why do you have to say things like that?”

“Because it’s true!” he huffed. “You have a life here and friends and…things have changed. And I think I’ve been left behind.”

“How?!” you demanded. “How have I left you behind?! Because I went clubbing for one fucking night instead of dropping my plans when you turned up out of the blue?!”

“Because you said that things wouldn’t change! And they have!”

“Of course things are going to change!” you yelled. “We’re growing up! I’m at college, you’re working full time! Life fucking changes, Steve!”

“What if it changes and you forget about me?”

“Oh my god,” you let out another groan. “Steve, my life does not revolve around you. I love you and you are my best friend but can’t you just appreciate what we have right now rather than worrying about what we might be?”

Steve opened his mouth to speak, but you kept going instead. 

“Maybe we won’t be friends in five years. Maybe we’ll be married with kids in ten or sharing a fucking grave in eighty but none of that matters if you just can’t appreciate what we are right now,” you continued. “Two people who love each other and-”

“- you think about us getting married?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“You literally just said it.”

“It was hypothetical-”

“- but you still said it-”

“- I also said that we might not be friends! Do you wanna bet which one is more likely to happen at the rate you’re going?”

You gave him a light thump to the chest. Steve caught your hand as it collided with him, large fingers holding your wrist. Your breath caught in your throat as he did, gaze catching his. The tension in the room had already been thick but in that moment, you couldn’t have cut it with a knife. He kept his grip on your hand, both your chests heaving with anger and frustration and rage and-

The first time you had kissed, it had been gentle. Experimental and a little toothy and maybe hungry after years and years of unpent teenage horniness, but whatever tension had built in the last three months alone made all those years look like nothing. This was desperate and deep, hands all over the other. Steve kept his palms splayed on your back, then on your neck, then on your ass, each time gripping you so tight, clinging onto you as though you might slip away if he didn’t. 

You fell back on the bed, one hand tangled in his hair and the other gripping his shirt. It was hard to register when exactly he took it off. Actually, when yours came off too, for that matter. Steve Harrington, as it turned out, was a man who consumed all your fucking senses all the fucking time. Ergo, it was hard to think about anything other than him, or what his hands were doing, or that you were finally about to go all the way with your best friend of fifteen years. 

It sort of clicked in your mind at some point that you probably should have stopped. It also registered in his mind. Still, neither of you did anything about it. You’d come this far now and it was hard to stop. Any consequences would be tomorrow’s problem. 

Happy New Year. 

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[anki-of-beleriand]

The house at the edge of the world Ch. 12

Summary: Y/N is the owner of an Airbnb at the edge of the world, a place in which Wanda would either heal or become what everyone is afraid of.

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff/SW! x Female!Reader

Warnings: Minors DNI! +18, angst, drama, slow burn, friends to lovers, pregnancy, romance, fluff, mentions of depression and self harm, healing, jealousy, R owns an Airbnb that welcomes many known characters from Marvel, R has powers, Wanda needs healing, and so does R. Idiots in love. Smut. Yeah, there is sex. Magical sex? More warnings as the story progress.

Author's Note : I'm back and this chapter is full of drama and insecurities, Natasha finally reveals why she is Italy and Reader will have to face some harsh decisions while Wanda is not sure as to what she needs to do. Either way, someone makes the decision for them.

Remember that English is not my mother tongue so I apologise for the grammar, spelling and funny mistakes. It's so good to be back, I hope you guys like this new chapter!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Epilogue

Chapter 12

If there was a chance of you being happy

The world was full of secrets.

Wanda had learnt some of them on her own, sometimes the secrets were good and they brought a smile to her face whereas some others had been terrible and she had paid them in blood and tears. After the Blip and Westview, Wanda was brought to a new world in which she discovered many secrets about the world and herself that were helping her heal.

The wind of winter came to her face brushing away the discomfort of the heavy morning sun on her skin, the sound of the waves hitting the rocks and the beach made the muscles in her body flexed comfortingly. Her green eyes lifted to see you laughing in the distance with Yelena and Sprite, the waves lapping at your feet while Sprite created another illusion to answer the challenge in Yelena’s voice.

Every morning, ever since her and you started their relationship had been a new discovery something Wanda discovered about herself. You had taught her about forgiveness and happiness, she found in you a world she thought she didn’t deserve and you had made her questioned what she wanted for her future.

Up until that day, Wanda had forgotten about the world outside and had seen in your and Vernazza a way to started anew.

She was so comfortable with the new experiences she was living at the moment she forgot the world outside was still recovering from her mistakes. That Natasha and Yelena had brought with them a dark cloud that was threatening to soon broke the peace she had found in your arms and the town lost in time in Italy.

And soon, whether she wanted it or not, she would need to make a decision that would change her life forever.

But for now, she had her eyes on you loving the childish game you started and the way her heartbeat whenever you turned around to share a smile or a secret wink that made her blush like a high school girl.

You winked at her blowing a kiss before a wave came right at you and you ended up falling on your back, Yelena and Sprite high-fiving laughing at you. Wanda chuckled blushing lightly while turning her attention back to the conversation Ajak and Natasha seemed to be holding about the changes in the world.

Wanda didn’t need to hear much to know the word was changing. She could feel it in her fingertips and the way the magic inside her stirred with emotion. The young woman lowered her gaze, her lips curling slightly at the sound of your laughter; Natasha was looking at her with surprised written in her face whereas Ajak smiled with a knowing glint in her stare. She had been there from the very beginning, and she had seen the changes in both women with growing hope in her heart. The both of them deserve the happiness they were starting to reach.

“I didn’t know this beach existed in this place.” Wanda finally commented serving some more fruit on her plate, Ajak nodded pouring the tea before glancing at Natasha then at Wanda.

“It’s a private beach, down the road there is an old Roman Villa, it belongs to a private tenant that allows us from time to time to make a good use of his property.” Ajak offered a kind smile to Natasha who couldn’t help the glint of suspicious whenever her eyes fell upon the woman.

“Well, then I’m glad we can make a good use of this place,” Wanda turned to Natasha noticing the glint of suspicion in her eyes, she sighed lowering her gaze before turning to the place where you and the others seemed to be in deep combat, “I think this is a good place to have the conversation you had been evading ever since you got here, don’t you think, Nat?”

Natasha shifted on her spot, pressing her lips together before taking a sip from her tea.

“I guess it is.” Natasha tilted her head, her eyes falling upon Ajak. “I’m curious to know how you could keep such a low profile that not even the Red Room had any knowledge of you or your people.”

The story about Ajak and Sprite had been rushed and without any specific details, and while for Natasha was obvious there was more to tell, neither you nor Ajak spoke a word afterwards. For the moment, the Widow would let it pass, but her own secrets and stories could not be held any longer and she knew sooner or later she would need to speak with Wanda and Y/N.

Ajak tilted her head, her smile softening slightly.

“My people have been here even before the Red Room.” The woman straightened up, and the flash of sadness was so genuine Natasha had to look away from that stare. “I guess our low profile could be translated into inactivity.”

Wanda shifted slightly, her eyes drifting to Natasha then back to Ajak.

“We can’t expect everyone with special abilities to come in and save the day.” Natasha finally said, her tone of voice neutral though her eyes narrowing slightly. “Not all of them were born to be heroes.”

“Not all heroes are what they appear to be, Miss Romanoff.”

“Natasha.” The young woman replied, her lips breaking into a smile.

Ajak nodded at her smiling back, “being a hero has many meanings, and some are meant to be a part of history while others are meant to be in the backstage, don’t you think?”

Natasha stiffened at this, her eyes drifting away from the older woman before she nodded lightly.

“I guess you’re right.”

Wanda was quite confused by the conversation, but before she could say something you and the others came right in with huge smiles and laughter in your lips. That was all the young woman needed it to forget about the conversation, you sat down by her side and your hand soon found hers bringing a pleasant warm to her soul making her and Scarlet stirred in pleasure.

“So, what are you guys talking about? You have serious faces and we thought we may come all the way here to animate this.” You commented leaning in to steal a strawberry, Natasha and Yelena glanced at one another just as Ajak and Sprite changed glances.

“We were just having some light conversation.” Wanda leaning in resting her weight on your side, your heart squeezed tightly in your chest at the gesture.

For a moment it seemed as if you missed the interaction between the other women, however there was a tension you could sense a mile away. It was something Natasha had brought with her from the world outside, and something Ajak had felt the moment you finally introduced them to the Avenger and her sister. The worlds Wanda and you were part of joining in a single moment of time, Ajak knew the reasons behind this, but she wasn’t sure if it had been wise or not.

“I think by the faces everyone is making that we need to have a serious conversation, am I right?” You leaned back, eyeing everyone around the beach.

“I think we do.” Natasha finally said looking around the beach, they were the only ones in there and the midday sun gleamed with intensity right above your heads.

Wanda straightened up, her hand never leaving yours though her heart was beating hard against her ribcage when her eyes met those of Natasha. There was something solemn and serious in the other woman; Yelena stirred on her spot but her stare was completely focused on you.

“Well, what is it? You guys had been weird since coming here, and I’m starting to think there is something bad going on.” Wanda finally stated pressing her lips together when Natasha centred her attention on her.

“Something happened after you left Westview.”

The mention of Westview made Wanda dizzy.

For a brief moment, every single moment she lived there came back rushing in a wave of memories and emotions she had learnt to sort inside her heart and mind. The presence born out of her mistakes in that town stirred with anger and regret, sadness came right in when the memories of the harm she did and what she lost threatened to overwhelm her.

She didn’t notice her own reaction, but you had sensed it.

The way her eyes went wide, and then her temperature dropped leaving her hands completely cold. You could sense the changed in her magic, the fear growing in her mind while she was on the brim of losing herself again. You wrapped your hand around hers, and without even thinking about it you opened a magic link to her. A soothing caress of the light in you, brushing lightly with the chaos that was hers.

Wanda lowered her gaze to your hand and hers, her heart stopped beating for a moment until she let go. Scarlet purred inside her mind and soon she too opened herself to the sudden caress of your magic.

Natasha furrowed her brow, she stopped for a moment before speaking of what had happened ever since she left Wanda in Italy and went back to the States.

“The ex-director of SWORD escape right after he was arrested by Monica Rambeau.” Natasha started a story of how Tony had come forth to try and minimize the damage of what Westview had signified for people with special powers and the Avengers in a particular.

The mention of the former director of SWORD, Tyler Hayward, made Wanda’s blood boiled. The man’s only purpose had been to see if she would be capable of giving enough energy to the body of Vision. She had fallen right into the hands of two players she wasn’t even aware of in the midst of her grief; the fact she was hearing the man escape made her worried.

“A lot of people became interested in what happened, and Hayward took advantage of this to escape and take with him the remains of Vision.”

Yelena shifted on her spot, the air around them changed slightly electrifying their senses. Wanda was trying to conceal her real emotions, but it was quite clear by the way her eyes changed colour and the tension on her shoulders and lips that she was angry.

“What do you mean with remains?” This time around it was Ajak the one to speak, the older woman furrowed her brows in clear confusion.

Natasha and Yelena glanced at one another before they settled their eyes on Wanda. The tension was quite evident in the air, whatever mood of happiness or relaxation had left the scene the moment they sat down on the beach. Wanda let go of the hand holding hers, she stirred lightly putting her shoulders back lifting her head to look at the ocean existing right in front of her.

The silence was deafening.

You didn’t take your eyes from the woman sitting beside you, you heard the story not only from Natasha by from Wanda herself. The story of her former lover, and the one she had loved to the point she was ready to leave reality to be by his side. Your heart pressed against your ribcage, the doubts filling your mind came back poking at your thoughts just as you cut the link you tried to open with Wanda.

Natasha let her eyes drifted to where you were sitting, she could see your eyes settled on some spot on the sand though she could tell your attention was on Wanda. How did she miss this? How could she not predict this could happen? Watching the Wanda she was seeing at the moment, to the one she left months ago Natasha was happy to discover something good had happened between the both of you.

Still…

This news was surely shaking something inside Wanda, and you didn’t look too happy with her reaction. Natasha wondered if perhaps her intervention, and the news she brought could have been spared and if they could have dealt with everything on their own.

“Vision was my…we…” Wanda hesitated for a brief moment she felt empty, the darkness she thought was no longer part of her sneaked inside her mind and Scarlet came forth trying to give her the strength she was looking for.

“He was my former lover.” Wanda finally revealed, this much Ajak and Sprite knew the both of them turned to you but it was clear you were not ready to be confronted.

“He was not human, more like a sintezoide…” Wanda trailed off furrowing her brows at the explanation she was giving. Vision was more than a machine, he had a soul and he had loved her. “He wore an infinity stone, the Mind Stone. He was…”

“He died in the fight with Thanos and was not possible to bring him back.” This time around Yelena intervene when it was quite obvious Wanda would not be able to complete her explanation. “The problem is, since he was not human but an android his parts are pretty important but they haven’t been able to reproduce the energy the Mind Stone gave him to bring him back.”

“This Hayward…he wanted to bring Vision back?” This time around you spoke, your eyes devoid of any emotion and you were careful to centre your attention on Natasha.

“That seems to be his original plan, yes.” Natasha then shot a quick glance at Wanda before looking over at you. “He stole the body again, and right now is on the run. But things back in the States are getting almost impossible to control since this only brought back problems we thought were over.”

“The Sokovian Accords.” You nodded in understanding; the world had always been afraid of what they didn’t know or understand. It had always been that way, and people like yourself and the ones sitting on the beach with you had always been subject to the hatred and the sheer desire of seeing you either dominate or destroyed.

Wanda put a hand on her face, she was starting to understand the extension of her actions and the consequences they brough upon the people she loved.

It’s not our fault. We just wanted to be happy.

Why are we still paying for all of this?

The question went unanswered, Scarlet could sense the distress coming from Wanda and the lack of warmth you were providing. Neither one of them dare to poke into your mind, to even look at you or go back to the hand-to-hand touch. They were afraid of the rejection, of the realisation that they were more of a problem that someone you would want nearby.

“They can’t extend their influence over here.” Sprite chimed in, her brows knitted together as she spoke. “This problem is mainly in the States, but it has nothing to do with fear but with control. They know someone like Wanda is powerful and having her under control would give them a great advantage over other countries.”

Your lips broke into an easy smile, everyone had their attention on the young red-haired woman. Sprite had always been sharp, and while she looked young her mind was that of a great strategist. She had always read politics pretty well and had always been the voice of reason when humans in general went right into the same pattern of war and hatred.

“This Hayward…he is the real problem.” Sprite then settled her eyes on Natasha. “Why are you really here? Why is the disappearance of the man and the android so important?”

“Because my powers come partially from the Mind Stone.” Wanda revealed finally understanding what Natasha had been trying to say. “Hayward is looking for me?”

“That’s what Tony and Monica suspect.” Natasha let her eyes travelled around the people sitting at the beach, the bright sun above their heads and the dark clouds coming from the sea was the right contrasts of the situation they were living at that very moment.

“How can Wanda bring him back?” Ajak straightened up, she never turned her eyes to you but it was quite obvious in the way she held herself and the coldness in her tone that something was bothering her. “In what state will you bring him back?”

Wanda snapped her head back to the older woman, the redhead woman furrowed her brows with her shoulders put back and her chin lifting slightly in defiance. Much like the weather that day, Wanda was a mixture of contradictions at the moment.

“What do you mean in what state?” Up until that moment Wanda had not really thought of the hidden message in the conversation. It wasn’t until Ajak had posed the question that she realized what Hayward was trying to do.

Bring Vision back.

Was It possible?

Was it possible she could bring Vision back? That…

The harsh caressed of the cold breeze made her shivered, she remembered the day she saw his body. She had tried to sense the soul and the heart of the man she had loved only to find she could no longer feel him. Vision was no longer there, and Wanda had never felt as alone as she felt at that moment the only thing she could think of was taking him with her and giving him a proper burial.

It never crossed her mind to…to bring him back.

She never thought it was a possibility.

Chaos magic…that’s what Agatha said to us. She said I could re write reality and…

Wanda, is this what you really want? Is this what we want? Is he…

It was at that moment that Wanda felt the weight of your eyes on her. Her green eyes found yours, and from a brief moment there was nothing she could see in them. You had said nothing at all up until that point, your thoughts had been yours and the best defence you found to the tempest that was your head and emotions was the silence and blankness in your stare.

You could see the doubt in her eyes, the glimpse of hope at the mere thought her powers could bring him back. You heart broke. Something that had started a couple of weeks ago was nothing to what she had lived with the other man, machine or not, he was the love of her life. She almost lost herself for him, she almost lost herself to grief because of him…

Who were you to change that?

“You were saying he is not human, a machine that came to be thanks to an infinity stone, and I’m not sure you know the extend of the powers of this gems.” Ajak shifted slightly crossing her stare with yours. “He may not be what you expected him to be this time around.”

“Whether that’s the case or not, Hayward thinks it’s possible and Tony agrees with him.” Natasha chimed in, her eyes pinning Wanda to the spot. “Vision’s body is strong and a powerful weapon, in the wrong hands could be disastrous.”

“That’s what we are here.” Yelena shrugged, though her attention was on you. “To make sure you were sane enough for us to take you back and try to find this asshole before something bad happens.”

“I’m sorry you have to go through all of this all over again, Wanda, but we really need you.” Natasha all but whispered, her heart heavy with guilt knowing she was breaking the one chance the redhead had to recover for everything that had happened in her life. A chance to the happiness she seemed to have acquired with you, Natasha still remembered the conversation she held with Wanda, she held the secret of Wanda’s feelings for you and she knew this sudden news would change what you two had been building in the last couple of months.

Nothing else was said, at that very moment thunder broke into the sky falling on the calm waters of the Mediterranean. You clenched your jaw standing up, your eyes gleaming slightly before you soothe your soul and mind.

“We better go, that seems to be a thunderstorm.” And without any other word, you turned around leaving everyone on the beach with the heavy weight of destiny hanging above their heads.

The storm came as soon as you stepped into your home.

Everyone was filling out the living room, with Sprite and Yelena running to the TV and Natasha and Ajak going directly to the kitchen to prepare some tea.  No one said anything, but you found yourself alone in the hallway with Wanda standing awkwardly right beside you.

The sound of blowing wind and water falling on the rooftop threatened to overwhelmed your senses, you creased your brows turning around and making your way to your room.

That part of the house was in darkness, your windows had always been perfect to show the outside world and this time around it was not an exception. You had always marvelled at the sight silver lightning igniting the skies, the twirling wind and water dancing around the glass while the sound of the storm filled the silence in your room.

You didn’t need to turn around to know Wanda had followed you there.

The air around you were charged with magic, her whole being had been shaken by the news brought by Natasha. She was restless, and the magic in her was reacting to her emotions; you sighed knowing there was a conversation you need to be held at the moment and you wished you could run from it.

“This doesn’t change anything.” Her voice broke the silence, and the softness behind her words and the doubt dripping from them didn’t change your mood or your thoughts.

“Please, don’t lie to me.” You turned around and your eyes found those of Wanda. It was clear by the one her left eye gleamed red that she and Scarlet where with you in the room.

You could almost sense the reflection of the witch right behind you, but you stood there unmovable with your heart beating painfully hard against your chest. Your mind filled out with doubts, just as Wanda stood in front of you with the gleam of hope in her stare.

“I’m not lying.” Wanda bit her lower lip, her right arm holding onto her left forearm. She hadn’t said it, and that moment was not the right one to tell you about her feelings for you.

She was afraid and confused. Everything came into her without her asking for it, her feelings for you, the guilt of what happened in Westview, the possibility of Vision coming back to life. Everything was a mixture of feelings she could barely controlled at the moment. The only thing she knew, the only thing she and Scarlet wanted was to reach out for you, to make you understand…but she didn’t know how to do it.

She didn’t know how to say it without it sounding wrong.

Your lips broke into a bitter smile, “I know what this means to you, Wanda. You came here to heal, and you have been doing wonderfully, but right now Natasha present you with a possibility you didn’t even know was out there. This change everything.”

Wanda felt as if your words hit a sore nerve inside her soul, she furrowed her brows trying to justify her actions. It wasn’t as if what she had lived up until that point with you meant nothing, because that was not the case but she did owe Vision and everyone to at least try and do something.

“I never thought about it, but if there is a chance…if I can make things right…” She started and you huffed breaking the eye contact and looking away from the other woman. “I owe them everything.”

“You owe them nothing!” You exclaimed without meaning to.

You had seen the suffering in her heart, you had been there hearing the stories, sharing with her the moments in which she tried to recover after giving everything to a world that was never grateful for what she sacrificed, if anything the world seemed ready to ask more from her that she should give. It had been five months in which you had seen the darkness lurking in her eyes, you had felt the magic corrupting her as she tried to seek out happiness and right the moment she was finally finding peace and perhaps happiness the world came back with this.

Was it fair?

“I know that I don’t owe them…but…” Wanda hesitated, her mind dancing around a million thoughts and her heart beating fast just as it broke at the sight of your enraged posture. “I have to try it, to make it right…what if…”

The world was still out there. 

Natasha and Yelena spoke of what had happened to the inhabitants of Westview, they had talked about the legal actions many wanted to take against Wanda and the government for being incapable of defending them in their time of need. As if that wasn't enough, the lack of control the government had over organisations such as SWORD and even SHIELD was something that the military and the Department of State was taking up very seriously in the face of new superheroes and villains showing up after the Blip. 

“What if there is still a chance? What if we can make it right?” Wanda was not sure as to what she was talking about, she really was not sure what she was hoping for.

The last couple of months had been like a dream, and little by little the wound left by the loss of Vision and the mistakes she made was only possible because you had been right there for her. She wrapped her arms tightly around her body, the doubts that had always assaulted her came back, and she was not sure as to what was expected of her, what she should do. Who she should chose.

"It's not your responsibility, Wanda."  You finally snapped, the gravity of the news and the implications of what was being said didn't go amiss by you but it was quite evident this was not an issue only for Wanda to carry on her shoulders. “It will never be your responsibility, that’s not what being a hero means.”

"How can you say that?" Wanda turned around to finally face you. “That you are afraid to go out there and do something to change the world doesn’t mean everyone has to do the same! That you are so afraid you prefer to turn your back on them doesn’t mean we have to do the same!”

Another thunder broke into the sky, your eyes opened wide at her words.

Fear of the world outside.

It wasn’t fear, you clenched your fists looking away from her. Wanda opened her eyes wide, stepping closer only to stop herself.

“I won’t stay here running away from everything, Y/N.”

“Of course not, you prefer to go back to a world that has been afraid of you to lick up their boots instead of…” You trailed off, your lips clenched tightly as you shake your head crossing the room with firmed, enraged strides.

Wanda stood there wondering what the hell happened.

You hated the tears forming in your eyes, and before anyone could do or say anything you left the protective walls of your house and flew right into the storm.

The rain was falling strongly on the land.

The wind and the cold made you shivered, but your anger and frustration were far greater and thus you took advantage of this to let out your emotions through a session of training with your magic and your fighting forms.

You were frustrated, you could not stop thinking about the happenings of that day.

The conversation kept on running in your head over and over, the words from Natasha your conversation with Wanda everything was coming down on you feeding up your fears and insecurities as much as your frustration with the whole situation.

You knew a part of you was being childish, Wanda had gone through some bad things in her life and the last thing she needed it at the moment was for you to not support her. You told Yelena and Natasha that you were ready to live with her everywhere as long as it was with her, so why were you so sensitive about the topic?

Your feet slid through the ground, you spined around stretching your arm in a half strike that was easily blocked by Ajak. Your eyes opened wide at the sight, the older woman offered a half smile before her closed fist came right into contact with your jaw.

You fell on the ground, the water creeping in with mud and grass.

“Ajak!” The woman laughed taking a fighting stance, you huffed jumping right to your feet and going into the offensive.

Your feet danced around the terrain, your legs stretching up with your elbows up and fists closed to protect yourself while also kicking halfway to the other woman. It was a nice exercise and soon, whatever anger and frustration you were feeling was replaced by the sadness and the insecurity the situation brought to you.

Ajak stopped the last punch to her face and soon her arms were tightly wrapped around you.

“I know what you are experiencing, Y/N. I don’t pretend to understand it, but I know.” Ajak put you at arm’s length, and you couldn’t help but show your shaky smile.

“I’m just…I haven’t felt like this in such a long time, and now…” You passed your hand over your hair, the cold barely affecting you just as you finally let go. “I’m afraid this is it, that I will lose her and she will…”

Ajak softened her features, her hand cleaning up the mud on your face and putting a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Don’t you trust her, Y/N? Don’t you trust what you feel for her? What the both of you have built so far?” The questions were quite simple, and you knew what the other woman was trying to find out.

“A part of me does, Ajak. The other part…hesitates.”

“And why does it hesitate?”

You sighed stepping back, you hated it when Ajak confronted you with your own emotions. With those thoughts you knew would be the final sentence of what you were living with Wanda. It was part of your nature, of who you really were.

“Because…I wish I could be selfish and keep her with me.” You mumbled shaking your head. “But I will give her anything she ask for without a single doubt, I…if this is what she wants, if he is…I will…”

Ajak nodded offering you a tender smile, you huffed again shaking your head.

“How fucking pathetic I am.”

“You’re not pathetic.” Ajak glanced at the sky before settling her eyes on you. “You loved without measure, and you have never been envious nor have you been selfish. This is hard on you, but you have to trust in what you and her have lived so far.”

You shook your head; the doubts plague your mind but you decided to just let it go for the time being.

“I wish it was that easy.” You mumbled. “I’m just…”

Whatever else you were about to say was suddenly interrupted but the sound of heavy explosions. Your eyes opened wide, Ajak turned around to the source of the sound where your house was located.

“Wanda!” You exclaimed before taking off and running down the hill with Ajak close behind.

The place was a complete disaster.

You heard guns, and another explosion.

Your house was on fire and Natasha and Yelena were engaged in a fight with two soldiers while Sprite was running around trying to get to the guest house. Your eyes gleamed gold, your hands stretching around while your fingers wriggled reading your magic.

“Y/N!” You heard your name but before you could do anything at al, your eyes fell upon the unconscious form of Wand and then another explosion that sent you flying to the other side.

The last thing you could see was the plane above your heads flying away. Then everything went dark.

______________________________________________________________

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[tearfallpixie]

Make Mama Happy - Chapter 11

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“Hey, the powers back!” I heard Adriana’s muffled voice say downstairs as I drifted in and out the next morning. That made me snap my eyes open and look at the sleeping drummer next to me. He showed no signs of waking up any time soon but I knew it was only moments before- “Hey, where are Vin and Chole?” -that.

“Shit. Vinny. Wake up.” I hissed, shaking his shoulder. He blearily opened his eyes and looked up at me.

“You look beautiful in the mornings.” He murmured, reaching up and cupping my cheek. I could feel the blush rising to my skin and grabbed the pillow to shove over his face.

“Shut up!” I grumbled, climbing out of the bed and scrambling to find my clothes.

“I wonder if they are upstairs. I’ll go find them.” Kyle said. I barely managed to pull on my shirt and dive back into the bed, hiding my red face under the covers, when he opened the door. “Good morning you two.” I didn’t have to lift my head to hear the smirk in his voice.

“She’s- erm… still asleep.” Vinny mumbled. I silently thanked him and stayed still so I didn’t give myself away. I could not stand the embarrassment of facing him right now. He knew what we did and I knew we were probably going to get an ear full later.

“Well wake her up then. Mums making breakfast. Hurry up.” I heard the door click shut and finally emerged from my cocoon to look up at him. His messy red locks hung in his face, some what hiding the soft smile he was giving me.

“Good morning baby.” He whispered when we were alone.

“Was last night real?” I asked.

“Well if you mean did we fight and then have steamy make-up sex before actually getting together then yes it was.” He snickered, leaning forward to kiss me. I kissed back for a moment before pulling back.

“Vin, we have to get up.” I was still conflicted about if this was actually happening. I half expected him to laugh in my face at any moment and tell me I was a fool. He tugged me closer and buried his face into my neck, placing gentle kisses along my collar bone.

“Just a few more minutes cuddling my girlfriend please?” He begged all sweetly. I loved the way girlfriend rolled off his tongue with ease and it made butterflies burst to life in my stomach knowing that it was me he was referring to.

“Fine, only a few though. We can’t keep your mum waiting forever.” I rolled around and grabbed my phone to see that it was 8:30 and I had a few texts waiting on me.

H: Merry Christmas Bestie. I miss you and I’m sorry I’m not there to be with you today but Vinny assured me that he would make it just as magical. I will make it up to you when I’m back in town. I promise.

R: Happy Holidays brat. I actually feel bad about stealing Heather away from you. I didn’t know how much it meant to you for her to be there. I promise I’ll make it up to you when we get back.

I rolled my eyes at Rickys text but with how weird things had been lately I wasn’t just going to dismiss it. I went back to Heathers text and opened it to respond.

N: Merry Christmas Heather. Vinny has been incredible (surprisingly) thanks for helping him with my gift. It was adorable. I miss you too. We are so going on a girls date and catching up when you get back. I love you.

Once I responded to her I went back to Ricks text and read it a few more times before taking a deep breath and typing a response.

N: Yeah, well if you stopped being a dick for two seconds and actually listened to our conversations maybe you would know. I still hate you.

I hit send and immediately regreted it. He was trying to be nice and here I was being the problem this time. If he was going to make an effort to be friends then I should too.

N: I’m sorry. A lot has happened this holiday break. I’m a bit defensive. I’m willing to try to make nice for Heather but that’s it. Deal?

R: Wow, tbh I didn’t expect you to respond. But yeah, I deserved that. Its ok. I did have one request though. I-

The text cut off and I watched as the typing bubble appeared and disappeared at the bottom of the screen for 3 minutes before they stopped. Finally, the rest of the message came through.

R: I want to propose to Heather, and I wanted to know if you would go ring shopping with me. I want her best friend to help me pick out the perfect ring.

My jaw dropped and I spun around in Vinnys arms. He whined at the sudden movement and pulled me tighter against him to restrict my movements.

“Did you know Rick wanted to propose to Heather?” I asked in shock. He opened his eyes only a slit to glance at my screen and closed them again.

“He mentioned that he was thinking about it but I didn’t know he had decided.” He shrugged. I wacked his chest and huffed in annoyance.

“You should have told me!” I glanced back at my phone and groaned.

N: I’ll have to go with you or you are going to pick out some ungodly flashy ring and she’s going to hate it. You better make her proposal magical or I’ll never forgive you

R: Thank you so much.

N: Whatever asshole. Don’t make me regret it.

“How nice of you. Maybe you two will come out of this as friends.” Vinny teased me. I looked up to see he had been reading my texts and rolled my eyes, smacking him again.

“Unlikely. He’s a dick. But I love Heather and she loves him so I have to make sure he doesn’t fuck it up.” I pressed a kiss to his lips to halt his impending snark and sat up, finding the rest of my clothes from the night and putting them on.

“Hey, let me look at your arm, Pokie.” I sat down on the edge of the bed and held out my arm. “It’s not blead that much but we should change the bandages just to be safe. You never let me change it last night.”

“We got a bit distracted if you remember.” I giggled.

“Oh and it was a wonderful distraction.” I rolled my eye as he tugged me back down to give me another kiss. I indulged him for a moment before sitting back up and moving out of his reach.

“Shut up and get ready. They are waiting for us.”

“You really like telling me that.” He teased. He stood up and pulled on his sweats from yesterday before leading me out the door and downstairs to the couch. “Sit there and stay.” He murmured, going into the kitchen for something. Adriana was rolling up the air mattresses while Kyle was folding the bed sheets.

“So, you two disappeared last night.” Addie smirked, making me blush.

“The power came on at like 3 am. We went around to make sure there weren’t any issues and fell asleep in his bedroom.” I shrugged.

“Is that all you two did?” Kyle jabbed at me with a grin.

“None of your business nosey.” Vinny snapped, returning to the living room. He had gone and gotten us both drinks from the kitchen. He set them on the coffee table before turning to me. “Ok, let me see you’re arm.” I gave it back to him and he undid the bandage, tossing it in a nearby trash can and grabbing an antiseptic wipe. I let out a whine at the stinging pain but it quickly subsided. “Sorry baby. Almost done.” He wrapped new gauze around my arm and tied it off. “There we go.” With a kiss to the cloth, he let my hand go and dropped his arm across the back of my shoulder.

“Did you sleep well?” Addie asked, wiggling her eyebrows at my drummer boy. He smirked.

“Oh, I slept wonderfully thanks for asking.” He said cooly.

“Really? It was a bit chilly for me. But I guess when you have a body warming your bed it can get pretty steamy.” Kyle looked at Adriana with a grin. There was the teasing I knew was coming and I rolled my eyes, burying my head into Vinny’s shoulder.

“Boys and girls. Stop torturing Vinny and come to the dining room. I’ve made breakfast.” Rosa called.

“Awe come on mum! We’re just having some sibling fun. Ain’t that right little bro?”

“I think I’m the one who had fun. You’re just jealous.” Vinny helped me to my feet and pulled me into the kitchen with a laugh. I giggled and shoved him away playfully before kissing his cheek as we took our seats. I could get use to this.

[whorangi1104]

Ghoap AU: Frozen Hearts and Electric Souls

Chapter 8: Ghost Town

“Graves is bringing heavy reinforcements. They’ll need room.”

“My base is your base.”

“Good. Now where’s the Apollyon sightings?”

“All over the place. Seems to be rampaging across the continent. While we’re chasing them in the west they appear in the east.”

“So that’s why we needed Shadow Company.”

Ghost and Soap had followed the colonel into the humvees where they were introduced to his second in command, Sergeant Major Rodolf Parra, A.K.A. Rudy for short. They were given three barracks rooms in total, one for lasswell, one for Price and Gaz, and one for Ghost and Soap, grouped by their respective prowlers. (Surprise surprise, Zephyr doesn’t get along with the species that hunted her kind for more than a few hours.) But since Simon would get some more time with Johnny, he didn’t really mind the yellow furball streaking up the walls so much. In fact, in the few days they had been there, Johnny had showed him a sketchbook with detailed drawings of parts of Scotland, England, and Mexico, along with sketches of who he assumed to be Johnny’s family and friends, which he saw and painfully thought of Tommy and Joseph, but pushed the memories back behind the cold metal gate at the back of his mind. There were even some sketches of the 141, and doodles to go along with them as well. He full heartedly agreed with the comparisons of Price and papa smurf, the similarities being uncanny. Although Johnny had seemed to purposefully skip over some pages, he assumed their contents to be more private, so they were of no concern to him. But he still hoped one day, Johnny might decide to share their contents with him.

—

Soap understood that it was pure luck that he and Simon were assigned the same room, and especially thanked Cheeto for being what he was, and gave him extra treats for the week. While Cheeto managed to get Phantom to wrestle with him, Johnny shared the contents of his sketchbook with Simon, except for the pages where he had drawn him in some… more than friendly ways. And, apparently, Ghost had probably a million too many extra balaclavas, and he even managed to find two that Simon had accidentally misplaced in Johnny’s bag instead of his own, not that Soap was in any hurry to return them. It was also the first time Johnny noticed Simon had a scent- a hint of cigars and the fruitiness of bourbon, a tad of tea, and something Johnny can’t seem to put his finger on, not musty, but not fresh either, but comforting. Every time he sees the dirty bastard in his plain black sweats and hoodie with the only decoration being the words ‘LT. Ghost’ sewn above the heart, Johnny has the urge to bury his head in Simon's chest and just… exist. Simply feel the beating of their hearts and that comforting scent that reminds him of home even though he’s never detected it anywhere else before. And to gently lift the mask of Ghost to reveal-

“Earth to Johnny.”

“Huh?”

“Dreaming of Scotland?”

“Uh, yeah. It’s cooler up there.”

“Well you’re gonna have to deal with it, we just got a ping on the location of some of the bloody Apollyons, and we’re wheels up ASAP.”

“Don’t know whether I should be excited or scared.”

“Probably a combination of both. Hurry up and get your gear on.”

“Sir yes sir.”

“And add a scarf or something, desert winds might get bad.”

“Sure thing.”

“Maybe some eye protection too.”

“Fine.”

“And wear a helmet.”

“Olright, ye can stop yer naggin ya wanker.”

….

With a screech and squeal of the tires, the humvees stopped on the crumbling road of the ruined town, with Soap getting out after Ghost, raising his AK. The town had been a small ecosystem of people, but now there was no one in sight. An unnatural fog hung over the place, through which they could only see the crumbling buildings to the end of the street, giving it the appearance of a ghost town.

“This looks like some bloody horror movie shite, LT.”

“Looks about as inviting as my childhood home.”

“Sounds like a happy house. Recon those damned pollys left any survivors?”

Gaz flipped over a half torn newspaper on the ground, and read the date. It was from just this morning.

“The Apollyons cleared this town within hours, probably less. And without a single body in sight.”

Price approached them after talking with Graves and Alejandro,

“The shadows are going to scope the route to town square and forward, the Los Vaqueros are taking the west side of the town, we’re clearing the east.”

“Yessir.”

As they continued through the town in wedge formation, with Price in front, Soap to the left of him, Gaz to the right, and Ghost trailing behind Soap, he always seemed to see the shadows flicker and move, but when he turned his gun on them, the shadows were always empty of life just like the rest of the town, and Soap chalked it up to being paranoid. Occasionally there would be sounds other than the crunch of gravel beneath their feet, such as the call of a lone wolf somewhere far off, or the crack of rock from some mountain they couldn’t see, but it never failed to send a shiver down his spine. Completed with the otherwise silent and lifelessness of it all and fog, it felt as if he was walking through the abandoned city of Atlantis or some shite. Wouldn’t be too surprised if a statue of a mermaid appeared out of the mist. Maybe those few inventions of his would come in handy here if it came to that. Suddenly, Price’s radio crackled to life.

*crackle* “Shadow…to Bravo…copy?”

“Bad signal, message incomplete, I repeat, message incomplete, over.”

“No signal…Vaqueros…town square…clear…” *crackle*

“Shadow, repeat message?”

*crackle* *fizz*

“Damnit, lost signal. Sounds like the same thing happened to Los Vaqueros. We’ll just have to keep going. Keep your eyes and ears peeled in case we see any sign of them… or a lack of signs.”

Soap perked up his ears and suddenly heard a low rumble, but it didn’t even sound remotely like rocks or anything that occurred in nature, it was more of a reverberating call that shook him to the bone, more vibration than sound, like-

“JOHNNY GET DOWN!!”

And the last thing Soap saw was a dark mass with a flash of white ramming into him from behind with a earsplitting shriek rising into the air.

I feel like this chapter was the best by far. Writing block overcame!

[verilly]

March 9th / Requiem / AVD ✶

Aqua Hoshino x Reader

This is PART ONE, check out other parts in the link below!

REQUIEM: Sixth New Genesis!

What's to come: [Reader likes both genders], [This part is a lore heavy chapter, so no Aqua content here yet...], & [This is posted on Wattpad]

[Songs of the Chapter: "My Love is a Hellfire" by SLAVE.V-V-R feat. MEIKO, "Salvage" by Rulu, "RUMA" by Karikibear]

[4,196 words]

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

Today is March 9th.

Today, you assume, will be your death date, but it might not be. Even if you survive a minute past 12:00, then you would win. You win and the cycle might finally end.

How do you know? Because you have already lived 4 separate times before this. Each time, you died on the same day. March 9th. The only difference is, you have been one year older each time. 12, 13, 14, and 15 respectively.

*In your first life you were born as a sickly young girl with blonde hair, not that you had it for too long. The body was frail and as a result was stuck in the hospital all the time, but that's when you were gifted with those double digits. When you were younger, you had these three other girls that you would play with all the time. You wouldn't say you were gifted musically or anything, but it was fun pretending that you all were in a band together.

You all promised each other that you'd become an official band and make their fans smile when you got older, but they did. You didn't.

When the calendar was marked March 9th, you flatlined with your brother desperately holding onto your hand. The pain was hard to handle at first, just as how people said it was like, death was nothing but a sweet black embrace.

*Your next life, you were gifted with a healthy body, one of a peppy and pushy pink haired girl. You were somewhat boy-ish, but life was fun. That's when your eyes gazed upon the pretty idols dancing on the TV's screen: they were beautiful.

You wanted to be just like them from the age of 8, and when you turned 13, you achieved that dream and officially became one of them. You were in a group of 4, and you guys trained hard for the debut! It took months to prepare for, and by then, you had just turned 14.

You weren't in the center of the stage, but that's okay, as long as you could finally make people smile, then you'd smile right next to them. Something horrible happened when you were on the second song though. A whole stage light fell, and it fell right on top of you.

Farewell to a normal idol debut.

Your body was small, could you believe that it fully entrapped you under it? You couldn't hear or see what the audience's reactions were, nor your own coworkers next to you, either stepping away in horror, screaming or trying to help you. So...

*The life after that, the moment your blue haired body could start moving, you searched for what happened to your last self. Well, back then the internet wasn't really a thing, and Japan's news was fast paced. You never found out. This time, your father was a nice man. He owned a café and a karaoke bar! You were so lucky to have him, but you were most lucky to have your auntie!

She was basically your mother, but she moved to America once this new body turned 12. So without her, you were back to her lonesome. Of course you made a few friends... actually, you met this girl. She was really cute, and she had this extreme talent for singing! You did too, so you together decided to make a singing group to perform at your dad's café and see the smiles on the customers faces!

When you turned 14, your dad finally broke the news to you. Your auntie never went to America. She died from an illness that you never found out about, and apparently... you were the only person who didn't know. In fact, the entire town knew, and they were keeping it from you.

The town you thought was your family, all lied. You ran out onto the street in anger and with a tear stricken face, then BAM! Crash! A truck rushed into you.

*In your most recent life, you were back in the hospital. Though this time, your soul wasn't the one on the bed, no, you were the older brother, and your sister's sweet voice was taken from her. She was hoarse, it pained you to see it all, especially since she was still so young.

You wanted to make her smile, she loved musicals, so you decided you would play one out for her, and she smiled. You made that smile. After months without a single flinch of the face, you finally managed to do something extraordinary! You were 15 when you decided to make your own troupe and start making other people smile. Suddenly, your sister's condition worsened. So, on your own free will, you made the decision to undergo surgery and donate one of your kidneys. The surgery was on March 9th, can you guess what happened next?

*You've always had this goal to make people smile with music, and you still do now. You made a name for yourself as "Jasminsi." Believe it or not, you have grown somewhat of a following! You want to save people with your music, even just one person would be enough.

To be honest, you only came to this realization about a year ago. So instead of playing your life like some sort of game, you decided to try and better yourself. So, you hired someone to take care of you. She's about your age, 16, and honestly you can't help but feel that you have fallen for her.

The time is 11:05, only 55 minutes until it's no longer March 9th. It's about time for you caretaker to leave for the day. You feel safe whenever she's around, you want her to stay with you. You want to say goodbye.

You want to say something, anything—

"Alright Kazumi, it's time for me to leave," Hanae says, grabbing her coat off my newly built coat rack, "Goodnight."

"G-goodnight." you say, clawing at the kitchen table's fabric. You watched as she smiled and left your apartment, you heard her lock the door.

Oh how you wish you could've said something else to her.

You double checked everything in the house to be extra cautious. Locked doors, closed windows, unused appliances are turned off. There isn't anything in this house that could kill you.

You sigh as you trot back into the bedroom, crawl into bed and stare at the ceiling. 10 minutes had passed by, nothing was wrong. You smiled to yourself. Recently, life has been nice. You don't want to let it go just yet, you want to be someone that Hanae can love.

You have learnt a lot about her throughout the past year, how she plays the drums, she likes to sing, her favorite food is apple pie, and how her all time favorite person is an idol. Her name is Ai.

Miss Ai is about 16 years old right now, you are her age. You doesn't have a massive following like her, but what you have isn't exactly something to laugh at either. You always loved and enjoyed idols, but never in this lifetime have you truly loved one like Ai.

You can see what most people find appealing about her, but when you asked Hanae, she told you it were her—

You smell something burning, you can hear the crackling of fire. Your eyes widen as you bolt out of bed and open your door. There's a fire in your apartment, coming from the kitchen. It's already blocked the one exit. You're 7 stories high in the sky, there's no way you'd survive if you tried to jump from a window.

How could this happen? Your eyes widened even more as you harshly smacked yourself on the head, "I never checked the stove. Hanae and I were cooking a meal to get ready for tomorrow". You don't know how the surroundings caught on fire, but you hold your breath as you walk back to your room. You check the clock, 11:55.

Five minutes, and it'll no longer be March 9th. The cycle will end and you might be free. Either way, this life will mean nothing. You're trapped. The fire moves quickly, the light reflecting off your eyes as you grips your bedsheets. The heat already hurts, tears threaten to roll from your eyes.

Eyes.

That's right. Hanae's most favorite thing about Ai were her eyes. You really like them too, they are quite beautiful. Maybe if you had those, Hanae would have fallen for you as well.

The fire envelopes your body, out of all the deaths, this is the most pain you have been through. You cry out in pain, no words, just screams. You're sure someone could've heard her. You can feel the skin on your body melt off of you, while you're still conscious you try to avoid the pain to the best of your ability by staring at the clock.

The clock strikes 12 as tears roll from your eyes. It's no longer March 9th. You fall to your knees as the fire sways inside of you.

ⁱᵗ'ˢ ᵃ ˢʰᵃᵐᵉ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵐʸ ᶜˡᵒᶜᵏ ʷᵃˢ ⁵ ᵐⁱⁿᵘᵗᵉˢ ᵃʰᵉᵃᵈ.

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

Hanae shakes as she runs back to the apartment complex, she had forgotten to turn off the stove after making a nice stew for you. By then, an hour had basically passed by.

Her eyes widened in terror as her eyes trailed up to where your apartment sat. It had been set ablaze. Not only the it's surroundings, but slowly making its way to the homes next to it.

Hanae dropped to her knees, parallel to how you dropped to yours as you were engulfed into flames. Hanae's soft, perfect knees fell onto the pavement as her precise hands quickly rummaged through her bag to find her phone.

She dials *1-1-9 as she speaks in a shaky voice: "H-hello? I'd like to report a fire."

-End of March_9th

You open your eyes once again, the cycle continues. The woman holding you had a soft look on her face, you could tell that you were going to be gifted with amazing genes.

You were born with [hair-color] locks and gleaming eyes, eyes that were just like Ai Hoshino. You guess that the world really did feel bad for you. Your parents, Juria and Mihiro [last-name], were kind. You did well, without them knowing, you had your fair share of no-limit internet time. Catching up on all that you missed.

Though, the only goal you really had in mind was to find Hanae again. Of course you couldn't say that directly to anyone, you can barely move your stubby little body around crying out loud!

Both parents were teachers, so they didn't have a lot of time to spend with you. You were chucked over to a nanny who barely did her job. Luckily for you, you have the memory and knowledge of a recently deceased 16 year old, and 4 others for that matter. All these thoughts stuck in a small little baby's body. If you wanted to, you could've become a child prodigy, but it's not like your family had the resources or outlets to get known even if you were one.

You sat watching the TV for hours on end since you didn't have a phone to use. No phone meant no internet, no social media. However, if you were lucky, the babysitter would leave her phone out when she fell asleep on the couch. Easy for you to open the blue birds app.

You still remembered your password from your previous alias, "Jasminsi", so you used it. Apparently Hanae had remembered the password too because she made a post saying that you passed away on March 9th during a tragic house fire.

There hadn't been any updates on the account since.

The stars in your eyes shone bright as you went through the numerous people giving me their condolences, you thought it would be best if you didn't interact with anything like that. You wouldn't want people thinking Hanae was a liar.

You had your mind set after your past failed attempts at living. You still want to make people smile through music, and you want to survive another March 9th. You want to break this chain of events.

But for now... You can just sit back and relax. Watch as things go on in the real world.

You are [name] [last-name], and this is your new life... and you're gonna make it worth your while.

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

You've always had a gift for music. Whether it's keeping with the tempo, singing, creating songs, mixing, or playing on a toy xylophone. You decided that since you had time, you would make your own brand. Quite ambitious for a 5 year old, but you need something to do. Plus, you had the brain of a high functioning 16 year old and a few other lives.

Since a few years ago, there's been a rise of internet celebrities, and a good chunk of them have kept their real identities a secret. You're aiming to be one of them.

You can be an idol, a virtual idol. Which, after hearing the tragic incident with Ai, it's the safest option you could think of for creating content that would make people smile.

Onto the drawing board you go, you need to test what this body could do. If you could sing, you'd be set.

"Yureru faiyaa sakebu furai hai atashi somarereba," You sang, facing the mirror, watching your lips move instinctively, "Futari no shiawase toka tsumoru jounetsu wo ageru wa..."

It was a simple melody, a song that has stuck with you since the depths of fire swallowed you whole. Hanae loved this song. Back when you were frail and small, but not anymore. You decided to keep that in mind whenever you needed sympathy points.

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

You started your channel off when you were 8, you still had free reign over all your devices. At first, it was videos on how well you could draw. Then it turned to small animations. Then you posted your first ever video of you singing. Clearly it didn't gain any attention, but it was a starting point.

The older you got, the higher the quality of your videos became. Soon, you encountered a new phenomenon.

You felt as if you were running out of time. You're 14 now, and you're an internet-obsessed-shut-in-teenager, in other words being a 'hikikomori'. This isn't how you planned for your life to go.

You posted cover after cover, hoping somehow you'd make it big. You'd only gotten about 17 thousand followers on your Twitter account and about 2/3 of that amount on your YouTube.

That's when you found out about your fathers heart failure. You felt sad, but your mother had become a shell of her old self. She cried for days on end, but you only felt sadder because you didn't feel the way she felt. You couldn't feel her devastation. The loss of a father, no, perhaps you had too many fathers to feel any connection, even if he may have been a good man.

However, you made a song out of that feeling, you basically used your mother. You're glad you did. That song got over a million views in less than a week. Of course those numbers kept going up and up. Soon enough, you were making revenue money off of it. You thanked your mother and sent her back home to her real family, somewhere in the countryside of Japan. Were you cruel for that? You assumed as much, yet you felt this was best, for your mother and for you. You had a goal to achieve.

This wasn't your first time living alone, you could handle it all. Now you could spend all your time making music and living it up! *Song after song, you were breaking milestones again and again. Even with simple covers. People here thought that 300 thousand was amazing while you sat on your high and mighty throne of a million.

Not only that, you've officially become what you dreamt of being. *You officially became a virtual idol as well, the model you used for streaming was absolutely beautiful. You were a [fantasy-creature]. An absolute goddess of music. You were so happy and impressed that you got to this point in so little time. The name was [alias].

You don't think your eyes have ever been brighter!

You are now a world renowned faceless singer that everyone in Japan has heard about at least once. Heck, even people from other countries have talked about you. You've seen their support in your comments.

You still have to go to high school though, and maintain a social life even when you haven't dared step foot inside of middle school in this lifetime. You were smart enough to pass into any school you wanted, you just had to choose which one.

You set your sights on Yoto High School, it's divided into two sections. One for general academics, and one for talented celebrities and influencers. People like those get spots in famous companies right after graduation, usually, so it would be nice to spend some time with them, but you decided to dedicate your fame to staying faceless. So you went with the general program.

You're now 16 again, and you're finally stepping into school after three years. Your uniform is freshly cleaned thanks to the work you've learned from Hanae and you can go on with an average high school life while secretly being an influencer.

-End of Requiem

You were assigned to class 1-D in the general course. Though, as you passed the gate, you saw many famous faces. From actors to models, the variety was huge. On the other hand, the people in general education were mostly chill. The girls styled their hair to fit the latest trends to stand tall and fit in with the famous people surrounding them, and the boys were... boys.

You sat in the back of the class, taking these very needed steps into the real world were very hard for you, especially since you've barely had any contact with strangers for the past 16 years. You wouldn't say that your body was weak, but it did come to your attention that you had inherited your 'fathers' heart defect.

You smile as people start flooding into the classroom, however, one person caught your eye. A tall boy with messy, but somehow at the same time, tamed blonde hair. What really caught your attention were his eyes. Just like yours, he had a star embedded into his right eye. Someone like you, that's rare.

Fortunately for you, he took the seat next to you. So, as a first step, you decided to make your first conversation of the school year. You suck up the anxiety growing in your stomach and turn your head towards him, "Hi there," he turns his head to face you. His eyes widened, almost as if he's seen a ghost, *"I noticed your eye there, it's really cool, just like mine☆!"

"Yeah... they really are just like yours." He smiles, "My name is Aqua Hoshino, what about you?" The star in his eye grew dull, morphing into a slightly darker gray.

"My name is [name] [last-name]," You let out a small smile as you give him your hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you!☆" He looked down at your hand, contemplating for a second before shaking it, "Would you like to take the honor of being my first friend?"

"Gladly." Aqua nodded, you let go of his hand first. The eye contact was uncomfortable to say the least. He just kept staring into your eyes, you looked away as you sweat. You couldn't understand what was going on in his head, but even if he wanted time to pause and keep examining you, class started soon.

You sat back on your chair, sitting straight as you opened a page of your newly bought notebook as you waited for the teacher to start class. Even then, *You don't think Aqua stopped staring.

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

School was never something you liked going through, especially since the start of social media. Luckily for you, having lived 5 other times has really come in handy for education. For example, in your first life, the time spent at the hospital was full of studying since you didn't have anything else to do. As of being in grade 10, *you've been taking the general course, and you're on pace, just like the average majority in Japan. You did need a back up plan if becoming an internet celebrity wouldn't work out after all.

You scanned the classroom around yourself, your classmates had already made their friend groups, though, they were probably just clinging on the ties they had from middle school. This would be the perfect time to jump in to make friends, otherwise, there would be no time for you to make any more anymore. The girl who was sitting next to you had jumped out of her seat to confront you with a smile on her face.

"My name is Eruru Osawa," The girl with short magenta colored hair stated, "I went to Matsushita Middle School! I really like your phone's case, I think it's really pretty!"

"O-oh! Thank you, Osawa." You smile back, "I bought it at the mall a while back, I think that [color] really suits me, what do you think?" You stutter out awkwardly, the energy this girl emitted from her small body was crazy overwhelming.

"I think it fits great! I love the star theme throughout it, it matches your eyes!" She smiled, pulling a seat to sit next to you, "You know, I've never seen someone with eyes as unique as yours! Well... there was this one girl on this poster I saw a few years ago... I can't seem to really remember her name though..."

"Ai?✶" Your eyes gleamed.

"Yeah! I think that was her name!" Eruru jumped out of her seat, hands balled into excited fists, "Ai! What a wonderful and pretty name!♡" Eruru's shouting seemed to have caught the attention of the blonde next to you. You could feel him stare again.

"Ai was an... idol. She passed away over a decade ago though. The story was absolutely horrifying, you should really look into it before you make any hasty decisions on becoming an idol- ★If you ever wanted to of course." The stars in your eyes darkened as you rest your head on the palm of your hand.

"Oh... well, I wasn't really planning on becoming an idol anyway" Eruru sighed, a smile still on her face, "There's a family business calling to me! Even if I have 3 other older siblings that are all runner ups, but... I have hope that it'll be passed down to me!"

"That's nice... I'm glad people still have hope." You sink down onto your desk.

"Oh, didn't you bring lunch?" Eruru tilts her head, taking out a box from her bag, "We could share if you want!"

"Huh? No it's alright, I have my own lunch." You lied.

"Well I have some candies here!" Eruru sifts through her pockets and grabs out a handful of candy. She tossed them onto the desk, she had a real variety: toffee's, lollipops, gum, sour candies, even a whole apple, she had it all. "Take any you want!"

"Oh, I'm fine Osawa-"

"Hey, could I get one of those?" Aqua asked, dragging his chair to my desk, it was getting quite crowded. "The gum's fine." Eruru smiled brightly as she handed him a piece.

A few minutes of lunch passed, it was in complete silence, not one you would consider enjoyable but Eruru soon broke it for you. She whispered in your ear, all smiles as usual, "[name], I think that Aqua likes you! He's totally staring! Hehe!♡"˚

-End of A_Vauge_Discommunication

Thanks for reading this far! Click the highlighted red text to check out the full series! Updates will come out slowly because technically these are three chapters all in one. If you want the new chapters in real time, check out my Wattpad! (aliusworld)

Wanna see more? Check out the other chapters here! {CLICK ME}

[rorywritesjunk]

Let’s be one another’s present tense

Buggy ‘rescues’ you from an abusive situation, and after a less than stellar introduction, he has you audition for his crew to keep you safe. You want safety, security, and joining a circus seems like the best idea.

Rating: R. Warning: Upset Cupcake. Concerned Buggy. They have ✨communication problems✨. Family reunion. Word Count: 2,113 A/N: More communication hiccups. It just happens.

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 + Chapter 9 (NC-17) + Chapter 10 + Chapter 11 + Chapter 12 + Chapter 13 + Chapter 14 + Chapter 15 (NC-17) + Chapter 16 (NC-17) + Chapter 17

TAGLIST: @lostfirefly @neuvilleteismybby@fluffybunnyu@sinning-23@the-angriest-angel@ane5e @fanshavegottensotoxic@honey-deerling

Chapter 17

You were staring at your older sister. Aurora had joined the Marines ages ago, working her way up to Captain it seemed since you last saw her a few years ago. What was she doing in Shells Town of all places? Why did you have to run into her? The way she was staring at you, as though she was looking at a ghost, was starting to get to you. She couldn’t stop herself from rushing over and throwing her arms around you. You went stiff, this wasn’t what you wanted.

“Mom wrote and said you had died!” 

“Well-”

“Your home was destroyed by some horrible pirates!” She continued as she hugged you tightly. “Th-There was a service and everything for you!”

That made you feel a little bad, but at the same time… 

“Your poor husband died yet you managed to live! How?” Her eyes widened. “That big beautiful home of yours and that poor man! Gone in an instant!” She wiped away the tears. “I can’t believe you’re alive and out here! You poor thing, your husband died to save you, didn’t he?”

You pulled back when she said that, looking up at your sister. The tears in her eyes bothered you. Your siblings all left the family behind while you stayed back to help your parents. You were the one sold off to support the family business. You put up with the abuse from your ex and his wives. You were never able to tell your family what happened. While you appeared to be marrying into a rich household, you were in a constant hell. 

“Well, I managed to escape.” You told her, trying to keep your voice steady as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m alive.”

“Why aren’t you home?!” Aurora demanded suddenly. “Mom and dad have been in mourning and you’re off on a little trip through the seas?! What is wrong with you?! You should go home!”

You didn’t want to cause a scene. You didn’t want to be talking to her in this room full of Marines, with their ears listening and eyes watching, full of people who would arrest you if they knew you were affiliated with pirates. Would your sister do that? Have you arrested and tortured for information on your boyfriend and your new friends and family? 

Instead you smiled. “You all left. I decided I needed a change.”

“A change?!” Aurora gasped. “Our parents have no clue what happened to you and you’re just here having a drink?!”

“Well, not really a drink-”

“You need to contact mom and dad.” Your sister insisted. “You can come with me to the base and we can send a letter out to them.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine, you can just tell them.” You insisted. Cabaji entered the tavern, looking around for you. The two of you locked eyes, he saw your sister, and he proceeded to the counter instead. If he stepped in it could put the crew at risk, so he let you handle it. That was fine. “I… I should get going.”

“Going?! Where do you have to go?!” Aurora asked as she grabbed your shoulders roughly, searching your face for something, anything that could tell her what was going on in that head of yours. “Are you in danger? Are… are you safe, sis? Did something happen?”

How could you answer that? You felt safer now with Buggy and his crew than before. You felt safer seeing Cabaji in the tavern than the dozens of Marines enjoying their drinks and food. If something was going to happen to you, the crew would be the ones you run to, not your sister or the Marines.

Before you could answer, there was a disruption at the bar. You both turned to look, your sister loosened her grip before muttering something and rushing forward to help. Cabaji was already heading out and you rushed to follow after. He glanced over at you but said nothing. You didn’t know what to really say.

~

“What did you tell that Marine?” Cabaji demanded as you two returned to the tent. “What did you tell her about us? You seemed close to her.”

You didn’t want to answer him but you knew silence would cause further problems. With a shrug, you glanced back at the town. “That was my sister. She’s a Captain.”

“What did you tell her?” 

“Nothing.” You shrugged. “Family mourned for me. She wanted me to tell our parents I’m alive. I think she was going to force me back to the base.”You looked back at Cabaji. “I didn’t tell her about the crew or Captain Buggy, promise. I wouldn’t do that, y’know.”

“Captain will want to know about this…” Cabaji hesitated. He knew how the captain could get, but so did you. Did he really think you wouldn’t tell Buggy something like this happened?

“Let’s get back to the Captain.” You said, looking back at him. “I need to talk to him.”

~

You had to wait for Cabaji to finish talking to Buggy and explaining what happened to the map. You waited outside, chewing on your fingernails, listening to your boyfriend laugh after talking to him, seeing the acrobat exit the ring quickly. You waited a second before turning to walk in. He was grinning, perking up more when he saw you. He pushed himself out of the wooden chair and started to approach you. 

“Babe-”

He didn’t get to ask how you enjoyed yourself. You rushed over to him and threw yourself at him, burying your face against his chest, not caring if the buttons or buckles were poking you and uncomfortable. The laughter was gone, replaced with concern, even anger, because he didn’t know what was wrong.

“Babe, talk, what’s going on?” He demanded as he tried to pry you off to look at him. You lifted your head up. The tears in your eyes were startling but what you said unnerved him.

“I saw my sister.” You swallowed heavily. “She-She made it sound like I had a happy marriage, you know, and couldn’t believe I was still alive, and I didn’t tell her anything about you, or-or the crew, I jus’ said I was on a trip and taking time and she-”

“Woah, woah, okay, time out.” He managed to get you to loosen your grip just a bit. “Your sister was in town?”

You nodded, wiping your eyes. “She’s a Marine Captain.”

Buggy stared down at you, processing these words. A Marine Captain. Not that much of a threat, they were easily dealt with, but for him to be learning this now… 

“Why am I just now finding this out?!” He demanded, grabbing your shoulders to push you back a bit, ignoring how you flinched at the tone of his voice. “That your sister is a Captain?!”

“I didn’t know she was a damn Captain now!” You told him. “I-I knew she joined the Marines but I didn’t know she got promoted and-and she saw me in the bar and was so shocked, you know, and my mom and dad are mourning for me and she said I need to contact them and-”

You babbled on, hiding your face against him once more as the tears rolled down your cheeks. There was a moment back with your sister that made you wonder if you’d see Buggy again. What if she had taken you to the base? What if you slipped up and were arrested, putting the crew at risk? Buggy would have thought you left him for good and the thought of that had you crying harder.

Buggy wasn't sure what to do. You wouldn't let go of him, you were crying, and he needed to go alert the crew about being on the lookout for his map, but last time he didn't comfort you the two of you fought and he didn't want that either. He needed to do something.

“Babe, Cupcake, let's… go to our room and you can relax. I have to tell the crew one thing but I'll come back.” He told you. You looked at him, hurt, but he took his arm off and handed it to you. “Listen, I can't do much without it, so I promise I'll come find you in a few minutes.”

“Buggy-”

“Babe, I promise.” He kissed you on the forehead and gave you a gentle push away. You frowned at him and stood there, holding his arm as he headed off. 

Fine.

~

You were curled up on the bed, replaying the conversation with your sister in your head, wondering if you said anything that could have jeopardized the crew and Buggy. You last saw him fifteen minutes ago and he said it would only be a few minutes, but it hurt how long it was taking.

His arm was moving and it was a little weird, but you appreciated it a little bit as his hand was stroking your hair while you sniffled. You were stressed, panicking, and you felt sick with anxiety after seeing her. Of all the pubs around, you had to go to the one your sister was at.

You took a few slow, deep breaths, trying to calm down, but it wasn't helping. Someone was approaching the bedroom, it had to be Buggy, right? But the footsteps didn't sound right. What if it was the Marines? Did they follow you and Cabaji? Your heart started racing, you grabbed his hand and squeezed it as you stared at the door, hoping they'd walk past, but there knob was turning and the door was opening-

“Fucking stepped in something.” Buggy muttered as he carried his boots in his hand. He tossed them aside and looked towards the bed just as a pillow hit him. “Hey!”

“It's you!”

“Obviously, babe!” Buggy shot back as he threw the pillow back at you. “Geez, what was that for?!”

“I-I didn't know if it was you!” You stammered, wiping your eyes on the back of your hand. He stared at you for a moment, holding his tongue as he took his arm back. He scratched his head and cleared his throat. 

“I didn't mean to take so long.” He said, looking a little bit sorry.

You shrugged and grabbed the pillow to hug, resting your chin on it. “I got worried. I thought maybe the Marines showed up.”

“Babe, they're not coming so stop worrying.” He insisted as he shrugged his jacket off. “I'll handle anything that they throw at us anyway.” 

“Buggy-”

“It's fine, we're fine, stop worrying.” Buggy said as he walked over to the bed and sprawled out across the mattress before reaching for you. You hesitated, still upset that he left you alone for so long again, but at least this time he kind of apologized for it. You let him pull you over and on top of his chest before he kissed you on the cheek. “I'm… sorry for leaving you again when you were upset, but I still had to take care of Captain shit.”

You rubbed your face and nodded. “Thanks for apologizing.”

“See, babe, nothing to worry about! I'm here, you're here, we'll be fine.” He chuckled as he rubbed your back slowly as you relaxed against him. “In a few days we'll find the thieves who took my map and I'll be on my way to being King of the Pirates.”

You just nodded again, resting your head over his heart as you tried to settle yourself. It was hard coming down from that moment of anxiety, where you thought everything was ruined by something you did, but he wasn't blaming you or even talking about it so maybe he really didn't think there was much to worry about. You sighed softly and rubbed your eyes.

“Are you okay?” Buggy asked. “I'm gonna keep you safe, y’know, from your family and scary Marines.”

“‘m okay.” You mumbled back as you sighed. “Just feel dumb for getting upset and stuff.”

“Well, I'm happy you're safe and home, babe.” He kissed you on the forehead. “The Marines won't getcha so you're stuck with me.”

You wrinkled your nose and looked at him. “There's worse people to be stuck with.”

“Like your sister?”

“Yea, after how she made the marriage sound happy and that I was lucky for it, I don't think I'd want to see her again.” You sighed and closed your eyes. “Time for a nap. You're not going anywhere.”

“Hard to with you on top of me.” Buggy retorted, making no effort to move. “I'm glad you're home, babe.”

You nodded and relaxed against him again. “Thanks, Buggy.”

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, May 12th

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[kitseddie]

This Must Be The Place

Chapter 7: Invisible String

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Part 8

(Eddie Munson X GN!Reader)

Summary: You get to know the kids a little better and Steve urges you to confront your feelings about Eddie.

W/C: 3.3K

Warnings: I use italics so much. So so much. I’m trying to stop but it’s in my blood.

A/N: It’s kind of filler but it’s also cute! There’s a lot of platonic Steve/Reader going on but don’t worry…you’ll see why…

Starcourt was a new development that was built about a year before you moved back to Hawkins. It was certainly a change of pace in the town, considering up until now you were lucky to find a strip mall. Huge would be an understatement, not really anything groundbreaking compared to most malls but certainly big given the territory. It was bright and loud and filled to the brim with families and teenagers enjoying their spring break. You would have loved to wander around to window-shop, and see the stores for yourself, but no. You were standing outside The Game Player with Steve and the kids. For the past two hours.

“Remind me why I agreed to this again?”. For a small store, you’d never seen a line so long. And you’d all been here since the mall opened.

“Oh, you didn’t want to spend your spring break standing in line for a stupid video game?”. Steve teased as you rolled your eyes and smirked, the kids all scoffing as you sighed.

“Did you guys completely ignore me earlier? Dracula is the first video game to ever have a 15 rating. And since some of us are late bloomers, we need adults and you’re the closest we got.” The kids had been raving about this new game since it was announced, it was so violent that they even pushed for an R Rating but ended up settling on 15.

Lucas was already 15 and Will had his birthday the month before, leaving you and Steve to be the ones buying Mike and Dustin’s copies. They were lucky that the security guards didn’t care enough to figure out that they were both standing in line, clearly waiting to buy a game they were too young to be playing.

When you drew closer to the door, Dustin quickly rummaged around his pockets and handed you some crumpled-up bills thanking you before he and Mike left to avoid suspicion. Steve shook his head, letting the kids go ahead and get their games. It was kinda sweet to see their goofy smiles as they wandered out with the game in their hands, excitedly talking about all the things they’d heard about it through the grapevine.

“After you.” Steve bowed as you giggled and headed inside, noticing all the teenagers losing their shit over some lame vampire game. Honestly, you were kinda curious to see what all the fuss was about, but with such high demand it was only one per customer and you were looking forward to seeing Dustin’s face when you handed him his copy. Steve buys Mike’s and you both head to the ice cream place, handing your copies to the boys.

“You’re the best!.” Dustin squealed as he squeezed you into a hug and you awkwardly hugged back, slowly moving him off you. Your eyes looked up at the ice cream place and you giggled at the silly sailor uniforms. “Hey Steve, Do you still get a discount at scoops? I think we should have a celebratory sundae”. Your neck almost snapped with how quickly you turned to face him, still get a discount?

“You’re kidding.” Steve held the bridge of his nose between his fingers and closed his eyes, hoping if he tried hard enough he could make himself disappear. The grin on your face couldn’t possibly be any wider, thinking about the endless amount of teasing that was in store.

“Unfortunately…Henderson is right. Robin and I used to sling ice cream before we started working at Family Video.” Oh, this was juicy. This was amazing.

“Stevie. I’m dying to know…” Your eyes looked over at the uniforms and you held your breath in excitement. “Did you have to wear the sailor’s hat?”. He sighed and stared back at you, embarrassed by how much you were loving this.

“Well…it was company policy.” You burst into laughter as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, attempting to ignore you. Dustin joined in and told you all about his personal scooper and the awful shorts. It was almost impossible to hold back the tears as you tried to picture it. When he seemed to get a little tired from the teasing you pouted and gave him a hearty side hug.

“Aw Steve, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I think it’s really uh…noble of you to work a job like that. Certainly builds character.” He waved you off and you pecked his cheek and smirked at his grumpy face. The boys shared some stares that you chose not to dwell on and you went inside for some sundaes whilst they waited for the girls to join.

You’d spoken to Dustin more than the other kids, bonding over D&D, Lord of the rings and Star Wars. He hung around with Steve the most, meaning you saw him more than anyone else. But you wanted to get to know them all, they were friends with Robin and Eddie too and they all seemed pretty cool for their age. When Lucas and Mike started their own conversation, you noticed Will sitting quietly staring at his copy of Dracula. You moved closer to him and looked back at Steve, checking if it was a good time to approach him.

“I have to admit it does look pretty cool…”. Will’s big brown eyes widened as he lifted his head to look at you, he was tall. Looked a lot older than most of the kids, but he still was the youngest at heart. You could see it in his stare. “Your brother told me you guys used to play video games a lot when you were younger, what was it called…Cosmic something?”.

“Cosmic Ark.” He finished, feeling more comfortable at the mention of his older brother. You nodded with an ‘ahh’ as he bowed his head and then lifted it again. “There’s this arcade that we go to a lot, it has Dragon’s Lair and Pac-man and Max beat Dustin’s high score on Dig Dug it was crazy.” You beamed back at him, happy to see him open up to you. You still hadn’t spoken to Max. She was the most reserved out of all the group and you didn’t want to do anything to scare her off, so you were taking baby steps.

“Well, when Eddie and I were kids we would go to this little arcade near the trailer park and I would kick his ass at Star Raiders.” After that you fell into a lengthy conversation about video games, even Steve piped up and admitted he liked Donkey Kong Jr and would sometimes make the top 10 on the leaderboard whilst he waited for the kids to finish up.

Once the ice cream was eaten and the kids met up with Max and El, you waved them goodbye and had to find some time to kill until they needed a ride home. Steve had to do some errands for his parents and you just had to check out the new records at Sam Goody, so you parted ways and headed to your destinations. The collection was insane and you found one album you hadn’t had a chance to buy yet. You gasped to yourself holding Metallica's ‘Master of Puppets’ in your hands when a voice broke you out of your daze.

“Wow, see this is rare, finding someone in Hawkins who has good taste. Maybe you could give me some recommendations?” You chuckled, rolling your eyes, turning to face the guy behind you as you covered your mouth in shock. The tips of his ears and the apple of his cheeks blushed red as you burst out laughing.

“Were you…oh my god was that you flirting?”. His mouth opened but he struggled to make any sound. “Aw Eds, don't be embarrassed! Come on, I think it was sweet.” He covered his face and bowed his head, regretting his life choices in the middle of the record store.

“I didn't…I didn’t know it was you! Fuck, I’m never living this down am I?”. You chuckled and shook your head with a small smile, bringing him in for a big hug. He was adamant still trying to rid the redness from his cheeks, but sighed and hugged back before you dragged him to the metal section.

As you bowed your head he took a second to breathe you in, you looked so pretty when you were focused. When you lifted your head to look at him, he glanced back down at the vinyl and you admired him all the same. His ringed fingers skimmed through the albums until he smirked to himself, looking at Motörhead’s, Bomber. You looked over as he held it up with the sweetest smile and you felt an odd fuzzy feeling in your chest. It reminded you of Halloween 1979.

It was October 31st. You and Eddie had spent all night trick or treating and ended the night by teepeeing some of the rich kids' houses. With a firm high five and a hearty laugh, you both ride your bikes back to the trailer park where you found Uncle Wayne sitting outside Eddie’s having a smoke. His smile is wide, which wasn't uncommon when it came to you both but this particular night Wayne’s smile had some meaning behind it. You entered the trailer and headed towards Eddie’s room to sort through your candy bars when his uncle took a deep breath and smiled back at you.

“Happy birthday son”. He grinned, patting him on the back as he handed him the record. It was one of the first ones Eddie ever got. He’d had hundreds of cassettes that he made when he listened to the metal stations but nothing was like the real thing. Eddie’s eyes lit up as you both morphed your faces into pleading looks, he sighed and shook his head.

“Alright, fine. Just don’t play it too loud ya hear?”. Without a second thought, you rushed into Eddie’s room and bounced on this mattress in excitement. There blossomed his ever-growing collection of vinyl and tapes, it also happened to be the same year that Corroded Coffin performed at the middle school talent show.

You plucked it from his hands as he furrowed his eyebrows as you pleasantly skipped to the counter with it and the new Metallica record. Almost immediately after you placed the money on the counter, he leaned over your shoulder and slapped his hand on top. “And what do you think you’re doing?”. He gave you a look of warning as he slowly pulled some money from his pocket and handed it to the worker behind the register. He gave her a charming smile and a wink and started to walk off with the bag before you barrelled towards him.

“Not funny Munson! I actually wanted those records.” You huffed as you sighed to yourself, you didn't know what game he was playing but you didn't like it. Suddenly he stopped in the middle of the mall, and you backed straight into him. When you got your bearings you noticed him resting on one knee and bowing to you, holding the bag of vinyl as if it were an ancient sword.

“Your majesty”. You widen your eyes in shock, trying to not seem phased by the public gesture. Before anyone else could look at you, your hand grabbed the bag and you sighed looking down at the grinning metalhead.

“Your offerings have pleased the crown.” You muttered, using your arm to mimic a knighting as he bowed his head and thanked you as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He rose to his feet and you felt yourself shrink as he towered over you, his eyes met yours as you looked back at each other and he opened his mouth to speak.

“Oh, there you are!”. Steve shouted from across the way, he quickly caught up with you before glancing over at Eddie. “Oh, Munson. Didn’t know you were around. Hey, how come you weren't waiting in line for that stupid game with us?”. He grinned and opened his black metal lunchbox, waving around his copy.

“Because I know a guy”. You gasped and immediately gripped it from his hands to look over it, as much shit as you were talking this morning you actually wanted to see it for yourself. “Alright grabby, we can play it later. Stop hogging it.” He pulled it from your grubby hands as you groaned in protest and Steve grinned smugly watching you go back and forth.

“Little shits need a ride to the arcade, I thought maybe we could stop by the diner again?”. Eddie’s face dropped slightly at the mention of the diner, he wished it didn't bother him but it still gave him this nasty feeling in his chest. You brought Eddie into a hug and whispered in his ear.

“Don’t you dare start that game without me.” You threatened as you could feel him smirk, holding you against him. He chuckled back, his breath tickling your ear as he spoke.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart”. He whispered back as you started to grin like a fool. You waved goodbye as you and Steve headed to the parking lot and piled into your cars.

—

Steve rode with Mike, Will and El and you drove Max, Lucas and Dustin. Max and Lucas were pretty cute, as much as she pretended that she didn’t care you could tell that she was crazy about her little boyfriend. This however was extremely unbearable for Dustin, who sat in the front passenger seat without even asking. But it was okay you didn’t mind, you started up the car as metal blasted from the speakers and everyone yelled at you to shut it off.

“Relax! Relax! I’ll turn it down but I’m not shutting it off…it’s a good song.” His eyes glanced over you, thinking back to when Eddie gave him a ride home from D&D. The same song blasting from his speakers, it was silly how much you were alike. He was wondering how long it would take for you to figure out how perfect you are for each other, or until he had to pull a parent trap on you.

“So you kids got any crazy spring break plans? Other than playing your thrilling new video game.” Your fingers subconsciously tapped against the steering wheel, almost a perfect mimic of Eddie as Dustin shook his head with a smirk.

“Well when we were biking through the woods we saw this amazing treehouse and we thought maybe we could build one ourselves. We just need like…a lot of materials…and muscle.” A smile graced your face as you had plan.

“Oh my god, I have an absolutely genius idea! Wayne helped me and Eddie build a treehouse when we were younger, it’s still up in the woods by the trailer park! It needs a little TLC but I think with some teamwork we can fix her up real nice”. Everyone seemed super excited and thankful and you spent the rest of the ride talking about the plans for what it was going to look like and what kinda cool things it would have inside.

Before you could draw up the blueprints you drove into the arcade parking lot and let the kids wander inside. They all said their thank yous and continued to discuss their new D.I.Y project, whilst Steve signalled for you to tail him to the diner and you happily obliged. It had quickly become a regular hang-out spot for you both and the food was to die for. Which was kind of ironic considering it was so bad for your cholesterol that dying at the hands of it wasn’t that unlikely.

“So…are we gonna talk about Eddie?”. Steve wasted no time cutting to the chase.

“So...are you gonna finish that?”. You quizzed back, making intense eye contact with his crinkle-cut fries. The last batch of crinkle-cut fries in the diner, it so happens. He sighed and moved his food away from you, using it as leverage.

“You’re dodging the question.” He moaned, rolling his eyes as you seemed more interested in his lunch than you did in what he had to say.

“And you’re hogging the fries.” You pawed at the basket under his arm as he moved it further away from you. His eyes looked like a warning, as you slumped your shoulders like a little kid.

“Share with me and I’ll share with you, capisce?”. You groaned at his stern face, resting your back against the booth.

“I should never have shown you The Godfather”. You muttered under your breath, eyeing his fries and weighing your options. With another glance you met his eyes and felt that sincerity, they silently told you “this is a safe place” and you believed that.

Fuck, there wasn’t any getting out of this.

“We’re just making up for lost time.” You muttered, his head lifting to look back at you. His eyes burnt into your soul as you felt a little swarm of anxiety in your gut. “I just…I like things the way they are. I don’t understand why everyone is so obsessed with us. We’re just two adults who care for each other and enjoy each other's company. Why does it always have to be more than that?.” Steve’s eyes dotted around the room as he sighed to himself.

“So you don’t want it to be more than that?”. It was a simple question, but enough to shut you up. “I’ll take those fries now.” You pulled at his basket and started to dig in, filling your mouth with food so you wouldn’t be held responsible for not answering his question. And he cared about you, he really thought that talking would help but you were stubborn. So he dropped it, but not without swearing to himself that he would get you to talk. Sooner or later.

“Miss Byers is having a sort of get-together for Jonathan’s birthday. Him and Argyle are coming back from Cali and they’re staying for a few days. I think it would be cool for you to meet her and Eddie will be there too…” It was a sweet suggestion but you were still so new to the friend group, Jonathan was cool but you didn’t know him super well. Steve sensed your anxiety and shook his head, trying to get you to relax. “It’s not anything crazy, and you don’t have to feel pressured. I just thought it could kinda be like an initiation into the group.” Your smile grew wide as you struggled to contain the fuzzy feeling in your heart.

“Stevie. I’ve been here for a month and you already want me to be part of your group?”. He shrugged like it was the simplest thing in the world and you let out a small sigh. “Yeah Harrington, I’ll come to your party”. He pumped his fist in the air with excitement as you chuckled at how ridiculous he looked.

“I think this calls for a celebration.” Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a quarter and slid it into the jukebox, flicking through the songs until he found the perfect one. He landed on Chic’s, Good Times mimicking a bad disco dance as you laughed and covered your face in embarrassment, he started moving out of his seat as you considered bolting for the door. “You better dance with me or I’ll start singing.” You knew by the look he gave you he was not kidding, you quickly ran over to him and he chuckled and grabbed your hand spinning you under his arm.

“Asshole.” You muttered with a grin as he stuck out his tongue and you did the same back, watching him let go of your hands busting out some more disco moves. God, he was a dork and a terrible dancer, but he was also a really cool guy and you were glad you got to call him your friend.

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[the-silver-peahen-residence]

||The Misadventures of the Phoenix and the Shadow Chimera Sorcerers Part 11-Little adventure of Yuji and Taz||

Hi dears,. This is Part 11 of this Drabble series I'm writing with my amazing friend. It seems we have another adventure this time so lets see what is going on today. To see where we are now, the chapters are down below.

---- Previous Parts -----

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

((Your reading part 11))

---Drabble Summary ---

It seems another adventure is going on with the students of Jujutsu High. However, it involves watching over little Taz and Little Yuji. However, when Sukuna and Kinie went to get some snacks, it was up to the others to watch them or would they? Curious to what happened, read to find out.

||Warning||

~Worried students

~Missing toddlers but they were fine

~Two very angry parents

||Muses in this drabble||

Taz Hellion, Kinie, , Daichi/Eito belongs to my friend and amazing rp partner@chunibyo-x-sorcerer that is a side blog owned by @demon-blood-youths

Ryomen Sukuna, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Maki Zenin, and Nobara Kugisaki belong to Jujtusu Kaisen but also to me due to rping them as muses

((Note: This drabble will have heavy grammar mistakes and errors but this was written for fun. I hope you understand but also enjoy please.))

"Your going where?" Daichi, Megumi, Nobara asked seeing Sukuna and Kinie standing in front of the three while hearing little Yuji laughing while gently booping little Taz's nose who smiled blushing.

"You heard us. Me and Kinie are going into town to get some new stuffed toys for the little ones. I'm getting a tiger for little Yuji.." he said.

"And I'm getting a panda for little taz. Though, I already got her a quoll one but I'm getting another one......" Kinie said. Both the king and his princess were wearing some regular clothing and it seems they would do some shopping.

"So we are asking you to watch over the little ones for a few hours. We shouldn't take too long to get what we need and come back." she said.

"Ohhh so you want us to baby sit them? Sure, we can do that!" Nobara said smiling with Megumi and Daichi nodding. They wouldn't mind watching them. Even seeing the two playing.

"Good. We should be back real soon while heading into town." she said to them. As the two were getting ready to head out.

"Don't worry you guys, we will watch over Yuji and Taz till you come back!" Daichi smiled happy to the two but Kinie remembers something.

"Oh, and one thing.." she said.

"Uhhh yeah?" Daichi asked seeing Kinie looking to them.

"You guys better be sure to keep a good eye on them. You are responsible to being sure little Taz and little Yuji stay safe and don't get hurt..." she glares at Daichi but only looks to them as they tense.

"She's right. We don't want anything happening to the little ones so just be sure you keep a good eye on them. Because if we find out anything happens to them or if a single hair is missing on their heads." Sukuna grabs Daichi's shirt and lifts him up to look dead in his eyes seeing red eyes. Kinie even had her dark spear showing while glaring at them.

"You all will regret it." they said in a deadly tone scaring Daichi and them.

"U..Uhhh r..r...right! Of course, you both don't have to worry. We'll be sure they are safe." Daichi said that Sukuna looks to him but drops him as he falls on his butt.

"OW!"

"Anyway, you can contact us with these phones Gojo gave us. Just keep a eye on them...we will see you soon." he said but saw little Taz and Yuji playing as they waddle over to Kinie and Sukuna who picked them both up.

"Papa! Papa! P...Pway?" Taz coos smiling at him while holding his cheeks.

"Pway Pway!" Yuji smiled nuzzling Kinie's cheek.

"Oh you two. We have to go out for a little bit but we will be back to play with you. You and your brother be good little ones okay. And Yuji, keep a eye on your little sister okay?" Kinie said but he blinks only to nod. "Good boy."

"And Taz, be sure you listen to your little brother okay?" Sukuna said but she blinks to nod, gigging while hugging him. The group blink seeing how cute they were! They really were the only ones that can calm Kinie and Sukuna down. Seeing this, both Kinie kisses Yuji's cheek and Sukuna kissing Taz's cheek before setting them both down.

"We'll be back. Be good you two." They said smiling while they giggle waving to them. The curses smiled waving to the little ones but they glared at the others to insure they would be safe. However, they stood up to head out and close the door to see Daichi sigh.

"Yeah...still scary." Nobara said but seeing little Yuji stand up but helps little Taz stand too so they can go and play with Miko and Yuria seeing how adorable they were.

"Alright guys, lets just be sure Taz and Yuji are taking care of. Lets just do our best!" Daichi said.

"We'll be fine, Daichi. Though, lets be sure they have what they can while Sukuna and KInie are gone. With that, the group goes to babysit Taz and Yuji. For a while, they already fed them, cleaned them, and made sure they were safe and protected. Even Eito was watching over the two while they were being gentle while petting and hugging the spirit. Eito chirps nuzzling against the two.

"Awwwwww, so cute!" Gojo said taking more pictures.

"Again with the pictures.." Nanami sighed looking at him but Daichi, Megumi, and Nobara sighed. Well, since they became kids, he was enjoying this. Though, so far they already were alright and told Kinie and Sukuna the two were okay.

So far so good. It was not like anything could go wrong right? Well....after a few hours, the group was resting up while making sure the two were safe.

"I'm telling you. If you just add a theme song it's fine! It'll make you look cooler-"

"I told you a thousand times Kisho, I'm NOT adding a theme song!" Megumi argues with the girls going to get some blankets for Taz and Yuji to take their nap. The two were playing in the room with Yuji giggling to pet his sister's head again. All she did was giggle and smiles.

"But why not!? You'll be cool just like me! X3"

"NO!" he shouted at him as the two argued now. This made little Yuji blink confused to why they were arguing now. He didn't know why but he was looking only to keep by his sister. As for Taz, she was giggling hugging her quoll plush before the two hear a soft baaa from somewhere.

"???" They looked around before seeing the cursed spirit Willson? What could he want? He looks to the kids but thought they were cute! He even smiled to see the little ones eyes sparkling seeing the goat ghost.

"I TOLD YOU I'M NOT DOING THAT!" Megumi said.

"OH COME ON, IT'S COOL! YOU'LL EVEN GET NOTICED BY MANY PEOPLE EVEN OUR CLASSMATES- "

"I SAID NO!!"

He and Denji kept arguing back but didn't know the little ones were now following after Willson who was letting them. He was happy while the two kids laughing softly reaching for him. This is when the girls came back to the room.

"Hey guys, were back with the blankets. Taz and Yuji should be ready for their na-" As Nobara speaks she stops seeing the two arguing. Miko and Yuria blinks confused.

"Uhhh.."

"WHY ARE YOU TWO ARGUING!?" Nobara shouted seeing them stop to look but Megumi sighed.

"Nothing. This idiot was suggesting I should get a theme song but I said no." he Megumi said.

"He has no taste!" Daichi said with the girls sighing.

"Uh huh. Come on, we need to put the little ones down for a nap." Nobara said. "So where are they?" she asked.

"They should on the play mat." Megumi said pointing so the girls go to do that but when entering the room they stop.

"........"

"What?" Daichi asked.

"Megumi?....Daichi?...their not in here." Nobara said as the two blink to get up heading over.

"What are you talking about? They are in there. Are you trying to-" As Megumi looks he tenses seeing the play room was empty. Daichi saw but his eyes widen.

"W...what?!? But they were here! We know it!" Daichi said rushing in. "Taz!? Yuji!?" DAichi said looking around for them as the girls did and Megumi too. As they were panicking, Willson was happily playing with the little ones while he was leading the two to a play area but he would keep them safe while Taz and Yuji was happily following him.

~~~Back inside~~~~

"Oh no, oh no no no no NO!" Daichi was sweating now looking like he was going to be sick. "I can't believe this! WE LOST TAZ AND YUJI!! SUKUNA AND KINIE ARE GOING TO FUCKING KILL US!" he said crying.

"Calm down! I'm sure they are around somewhere. They couldn't have gone far." Megumi said.

"You two were to watch them while we went to get the blankets for them! How could you lose them!?" Nobara shouted to bonk the two as Megumi winces.

"It wasn't my fault! Daichi started the stupid argument so it's his fault!"

"NO! I was just trying to tell you a theme song would make you look-"

"G..GUYS! This is not the time! We have to find them before Sukuna and KInie get back! Who knows what they will do if they find out!" Yuria said worried.

"I think I might know what he might do and It won't be pretty." DAichi said shaking.

"Look, lets tell everyone in school to keep a eye out for the two. They have to be around here somewhere. We can find them before-" As he said this, Daichi's phone rings as he looks to see who it was. His face pales showing it was Sukuna and Kinie.

"What's wrong?"

"I..I..It's them! Sukuna and Kinie is calling! What do I do!?" he said.

"Just answer the phone!" Megumi said but DAichi whines not wanting to but gulps to calm down and picks up. "Uhhhh Hello?"

'Hey brat. It's me. Were just calling to check on the pups. Are they alright?'

"Yeah, of course! Their fine. We ummm...just put them down for a nap." Daichi said but he was scared.

'I see. Well, I'm just calling to say we should be back in a little bit. Kinie is looking for some new bows for Taz but I got Yuji some hats. It should be another two hours before we come back.'

"Right. Thanks for the heads up! We'll be sure to do that!" he said loudly but Sukuna blinks.

'Why are you being so loud? Your shouting...'

"S..Sorry, just ummm.....excited. Anyway, we'll see you two later!" he said to hang up.

~~~~~~~

Sukuna blinks to lower the phone. "Weird." he said but heard Kinie laughing. He looks seeing her holding some cute little bows for Taz.

"Did you find something princess." Sukuna said even if other women blushed seeing how hot Sukuna looked! He looked pretty built for a guy.

"I did! Taz would look cute with this!" she said showing them. Sukuna looks but smiled.

"I think she would be three times cuter than she is." he said to Kinie who smiled being adorable. He chuckled to pet her head while KInie smiled. "Oh, I forgot. How are the pups?"

"They are taking their naps. I think by the time we get back, they should wake up. So, we should hurry up and head back." he said.

"Of course my king." she said happily finishing up as he follows her. Though, he was helping with holding the things in a basket.

~~~~Back at Jujutsu High~~~~~

Everyone is on high alert trying to find the little ones. They have looked in all the classrooms, outside, teacher's lounge, hidden spots, even other locations and no luck. Where could they be!?

"Ohhhh their going to kill us. Their going to kill us!!" Daichi cries looking cared. "What are we going to do?! What are we gonna tell them!?" he said.

"Stop panicking. The little ones have to still be in school. We just have to keep looking." Megumi said.

"But how long!? Sukuna and Kinie will be back soon! They will destroy the school if they find out!" he said but Megumi sighed. He saw the girls running over worried but tired. "Any luck?"

"No. We looked in the cafeteria but nothing." Nobara said.

"We checked the classrooms with the second grade and nothing." Miko said worried.

"Were still looking around but..what if they walked off the school grounds!?" Yuria said that made Daichi twitch but slowly think.

"O..O..Out..o..o..of s...s..school grounds?" he meeps but his eyes became dizzy and falls back to faint. Yeah, they were going to kill him. Megumi sighed to see that.

"Great.......Come on, lets keep looking." Megumi said while they just keep looking. The groups were scattered all over but they had no idea Willson was watching them. Even carrying them on his back to give them little rides. And yes, they are still on school grounds. Little Yuji laughed having fun but held onto his sister Taz who was making silly noises riding his back even petting his head.

"Goooo....f..fun!" she smiled.

"Baaaaa...sooo cute!" he said happily to reach and nuzzle the two who smile and hug him back. Yeah, they were having fun with him. Not knowing the chaos going on right now. They looked everywhere for the last few hours till it was later in the afternoon. Megumi was tired but was upset seeing they didn't find them.

Nobara was worried hoping they were alright. Daichi did wake up but he was pacing left and right. They didn't find the two and it was already getting dark.

"I don't get it. They should be around but no! Where could they be!?" Daichi said but Megumi looks to him.

"I don't know. We should have watched them better then they wouldn't be missing. All because you wanted to argue about stupid theme songs."

"Theme songs are NOT dumb!" he said.

"Guys not now! I just hope the others are having better luck..." Yuria said but they might have to tell Sukuna and Kinie they lost the pups. They were not going to be happy.

"So..h..how should we tell them?" Daichi said worried as the group thinks but it's when they heard the door open making him tense.

"Guys! were back!"

Sukuna and Kinie returned.

'Oh on..' Daichi said.

"Sorry we were late. We had to get some other things for the little ones but we hope they were good." Kinie said showing the bag with Sukuna doing the same. However, the two blink seeing the group tired or something.

"What is wrong? Did the pups tire you all out? That's a shame. They are pretty quick for little pups." Kinie smiled. "So, are they still taking their nap?"

"...."

"Is something wrong?" Sukuna asked but Megumi sighed to look at them.

"Sukuna..Kinie...we have something to tell you.." he said.

"Tell us? What is it?" She asked but Sukuna wonders too that Daichi looks scared but sighed.

"W..we......we sorta lost them?" Daichi said nervous but the king and his princess blinks.

"Lost them? What are you talking about?" KInie asked.

"...Lost as in we...lost Yuji and Taz.." Megumi said but Sukuna was shocked that Kinie drops the bag seeing the bows and stuff doll of a panda fall out. She quickly rushes into the play room to check.

"But don't be angry. We been looking for them all day! We are having the others help us try to find them-"

"....WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FUCKING LOST THEM!? AS IN THEY BEEN GONE SINCE I CALLED!?" Sukuna shouted to make the others wince. He was pissed.

"Y..Yes but please! We didn't mean to-"

"WE GAVE YOU ONE JOB TO DO AND YOU FUCKING LOSE THEM! HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT!?" He shouted.

"It wasn't our fault! It's just me and Megumi got into some argument about him having a theme song and-"

"YOU LOST THE PUPS BECAUSE OF SOME DAMN ARGUMENT!!!" he shouted but Kinie looks to come back but she was quiet. The girls saw her upper face hidden but their was tears? Wait, was she crying?

"........You..YOU IDIOTS!" Kinie barked that her cursed energy shows up in deadly waves but she walks over showing a spear ready to hunt them all down. "HOW COULD YOU LOSE THEM! WHAT IF SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO THEM!" she said now crying angry.

"KINIE CALM DOWN! WE DIDN'T MEAN TO-"

"SILENCE! DO YOU KNOW THEY COULD HAVE WANDERED OFF FROM SCHOOL GROUNDS! WHAT IF ANOTHER CURSE GOT THEM!? WHAT IF THEY GOT HURT!? WHAT IF THEY......WHAT IF THEY GOT KILLED!?" she said now tightening the grip on her spear but she looks up to scare them. Her eyes were glowing but the tears were seen. Even Sukuna was worried. He's never seen his princess cry like this.

"KINIE PLEASE-"

"I SHOULD FUCKING KILL ALL OF YOU FOR LOSING HER! AND YUJI TOO! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR LOSING THE LITTLE ONES!" she shouted.

"KINIE CALM DOWN!" Megumi said but she had her kinfolk surround everyone ready to attack them. "YOU FOOLS DARE LOSE THEM! I WILL BE SURE YOU REGRET THIS! I WILL BE SURE TO MAKE YOU ALL-" As she speaks, someone pulls her back only to be held. She looks up but saw Sukuna quiet.

"Enough princess........please calm down." he said but she was quiet only to cry more that she hid her face sobbing loudly in his chest. Sukuna held her but he looks to the others.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't curse you all for losing the pups. And it better be a good damn one." he said.

"........W..we don't know we just..the girls were getting blankets for them but...after they did we lost track and...." Megumi couldn't explain knowing even from now, Sukuna was pissed off. He held a crying Kinie to him but he slowly held his other hand like he was going to destroy the room with them in it.

"W..wait Sukuna please! We'll keep looking for them! Please we are sorry!" Daichi said crying.

"......You should be. Though, I'm sure we will make you all suffer for losing them." he said in a dark tone as everyone was ready to defend themselves from a angry Sukuna. His cursed energy was showing around him. However, before he could....

A familiar baaaa was heard to make him blink. The others did too seeing from the window of Willson happily floating over.

"What the..."

"Oh great. What does the damn goat want? I"m not in the mood to deal with you right now!" Sukuna shouted at Willson. However, the goat keeps coming to the window before he floats in but was carrying two little bundles of blankets.

"????"

"Sorry evil king...baaaaaa I was having so much fun with the little pupppssss today. They got tired out after following me to play."

Wait what!?

Kinie's eyes widen to turn and see the blanket. Willson lowers down to set them on a big pillow showing little Yuji asleep with a smile but hugging little Taz to him. It was the pups!

"Ehh!?!" Willson had them all this time!?

"Hold on, how long have you had them!?" Megumi said but the goat looks.

"Huh? Alllllll day. They followed me outside but I kept a watch on them. I was trying to take them back but they wanted to stay. Why, did I miss something?" he asked.

Right away, Kinie goes to the two but she falls on her knees still crying. They were safe. They were back safe and alive. Reaching with a shaky hand, she touches Taz and Yuji's little cheeks as they sleep peacefully happy. Though, they knew it was her to yawn but nuzzle against her hand holding it.

"......." Kinie said nothing but sobs gently reaching to pick them up in her arms to kiss their foreheads.

"Oh thank god your both safe...I was so worry.." she sobs holding them but Sukuna calms down to gently go and hold Kinie with the little ones. He was happy they were safe too. He did look to Willson to say,

"Thank you for watching over them. We heard the others lost them...but thank you for keeping them safe." Sukuna said.

"Your welcome.....I didn't want anything happening to them. But they are alright...I even got them some food from the cafeteria so they were fed too. Even so, I'm going to go sleep now..it was fun playing with them. NIght night.." with that, Willson disappears to do that. Sukuna sees him gone but now looks to Kinie crying but nuzzling the two.

"....Sooooo...were not in trouble are we?" Daichi said.

".......No, your still in trouble....we told you guys to watch them...so your lucky you won't die this night. I think we'll keep a eye on them from now on.." Sukuna said but he picks Kinie up in his arms along with the bags they got for them and leaves to set them down to rest. The others remain in the living room but falls on the ground after the scare.

"...Daichi?"

"Y..Yeah Megumi?" he said.

"The next time or if we get the chance to watch them again..no more talk of theme songs...ever." Megumi said.

"...Deal." he said. Nobara shook her head but she'll write this in for a side mission. Though, she was happy that the two were safe. Meanwhile in a room they were given. Sukuna was holding Kinie who went to sleep but she was holding Yuji and Taz in her arms. He finds it cute to see this almost like he and her had a family. Gently kissing her forehead, he was happy to know the pups were safe.