#she would visit a diner at midnight

[ssawboness]

sniper the typa girl to be queer. not in the homosexual way, but in the sense that she's an enigma to even those closest to her. a silly little gal, if you will. partaking in the most dubiously entertaining activities for the sake of appearing mysterious

[xtaketwox]

It Looks As Though You're Letting Go

Summary: Everyone is born with an arrow on the back of their hand which points to their soulmate at midnight on their eighteenth birthday. After her parents' disastrous marriage and her father's subsequent depression following her mother's death, Nesta realized a soulmate is nothing more than guaranteed heartache and ruination. On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she packs up her car and leaves her family and life behind forever. What she doesn't count on, however, is having a soulmate like Cassian, who may be the one to prove to her that a soulmate is what she needs.

Fic Rating: Explicit

Warnings: None

Chapter Word Count: 4589

Based on this prompt

Read on AO3, Fic Masterlist

@nessianweek

A/N: There are 5 chapters to this. I'll be updating roughly every other day.

Chapter 1

Love is a disease and soulmates a virus. 

This was what Nesta concluded when her mother died and her father withered away in his grief. Her parents had been soulmates, and that hadn’t stopped their marriage from being terrible. Her mother was overbearing and couldn’t stand that Nesta’s father drifted through life. Her father saw how Nesta’s mother verbally abused their daughters and wouldn’t risk her wrath by stepping in to stop it.

By the time Nesta was sixteen, she made up her mind to reject her soulmate, if she had one. The arrow on her hand—the same arrow that everyone was born with—was nothing but a reminder of bad childhood memories. If it pointed elsewhere on her eighteenth birthday, she would simply ignore it. 

Also at sixteen, she decided that as soon as she turned eighteen, she was going to leave her family, go somewhere nobody knew her, and start fresh. She felt more than a little guilt at leaving her sisters behind, given it took all three of them working more than one job to keep food on the table, but she couldn’t stand to be around the reminder of her father and his willingness to do nothing to keep food and roof over their head. She thought about letting Elain and Feyre know where she was going, but decided it was too risky, especially the way Elain doted on their father. More than anything, she wanted to keep her father from knowing where she was living.

Surprisingly, neither Elain nor Feyre tried to talk Nesta out of leaving as she packed up her car the evening before her eighteenth birthday. They had sold most of their valuables years before, so all Nesta really had were a few books and clothes. She wasn’t planning to go far, just the big city a couple hours away, but she didn’t correct her sisters when they asked if they could fly to visit her. 

She had graduated high school early, despite having to work every weeknight and weekend, and planned to go to community college her first couple years. She hoped to mitigate the damage her inevitable student loans caused her later in life with the combo of community college and a full time job. 

Unsurprisingly, her father had never asked about Nesta’s plans, nor did he deign to notice she was leaving. An hour before she was officially eighteen, she hugged her sisters goodbye, promised to email them, and drove away. 

When the clock struck midnight, Nesta was halfway to her destination. She planned to ignore that arrow on her hand but when she noticed movement in her peripheral vision, she glanced down, scowling at the arrow which now pointed behind her, right back toward the place she just left. She gripped the steering wheel, forcing herself to ignore that voice in the back of her head telling her to go find whomever that arrow was pointing to. Instead, she turned up her radio and drove.

She arrived at the loft she’d rented above a twenty-four hour diner at a little past one in the morning. She had signed the lease a week ago and was told to stop in the diner for her key. 

Her landlord was an eccentric older woman who owned the diner, and who preferred to be in her office overnight. Fewer people to deal with she had said. Nesta had been fortunate enough to find the loft above the diner just as the owner was looking for a new waitress. She handed Nesta her key and her new apron and told her to remember her shift started at six.

Nesta emptied her car and laid out a blanket and pillow on the carpeted floor to try to get a couple hours sleep in before she started her new job. 

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

It wasn’t until nearly halfway through his day that Cassian realized the arrow on his hand had changed. His heart sped up. In the four years since he’d turned eighteen, he’d repeatedly denied being sad he didn’t have a soulmate, while secretly holding out hope that his soulmate just hadn’t turned eighteen yet. With every year that passed, however, that hope decreased.

But there it was, pointing to the left. 

He immediately walked into his supervisor’s office and said, “I’m taking the rest of the day off.” 

He didn’t wait to find out if his supervisor protested before walking back out. Hopefully he had a job when he came back, but if not, he’d find a new one. Besides, everyone wanted a soulmate. His boss would understand the extenuating circumstances when Cassian explained his arrow had finally moved. 

He got in his car and looked down at his hand. He pulled up a map on his phone, trying to decide which roads to take that didn’t have him driving all over the city. He frowned when he realized his arrow seemed to be pointing in the direction of the interstate. 

He shrugged. This was important. If he had to drive somewhere far, he knew it would be worth it. He put his phone down and headed towards the interstate, glancing at his hand every few minutes to make sure the direction hadn’t changed. 

He started to get uneasy when he entered the big city a couple hours later, wondering if how much further he’d have to go, when his arrow changed direction. He cursed and quickly changed lanes to make the next left. He probably looked like a maniac, changing lanes rapidly every few minutes, but eventually, he came to a twenty-four hour diner and the arrow on his hand pointed inside. He parked, walked to the door of the diner, and took a deep breath, his heart thumping hard in his chest as he pulled open the door. 

He knew which woman was his soulmate the moment he saw her, a quick glance down at his hand confirming it. She was so beautiful she stole his breath away, with her golden brown hair braided in a crown above her head, accentuating her graceful neck, reminding him of a ballerina.

She glanced at him, a harried expression on her face as she carried several plates to a table at the far end of the diner. “Sit wherever you like. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Cassian forced himself to sit in the closest booth, trying and failing not to stare as she made her way across the diner. She seemed to be the only person working, although it was between lunch and dinner, so the diner wasn’t currently busy. 

After several minutes, she walked up, set a glass of water in front of him, and asked him what he’d like to order. Cassian was dumbstruck by her eyes, a silvery blue that almost didn’t even look real. She wasn’t even looking at him and he felt pinned to the spot. 

“Sir?”

Cassian blinked, realizing he was staring like a moron. Get it together, asshat, he told himself. “Uh. I need a minute, but I’ll take a coke for now.”

She nodded and turned away before he could think of anything else to say to her. Now that he was here, he had no idea how to even begin to introduce himself. She was clearly too busy to notice that the arrow on her hand was pointing towards him. He realized it must be her birthday if the arrow on his hand had only just started pointing towards her. He wondered what sort of life she lived if she couldn’t even take her eighteenth birthday off. 

When she came back, he ordered the first thing he could see on the menu. He watched her waltz around the diner, refilling glasses and taking orders. When everyone was taken care of, he saw her close her eyes and sag a bit. 

He frowned. Now that he wasn’t feeling so dumbstruck by how beautiful she was, he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. She was clearly exhausted. He wondered how much she would hate him if he offered her what little savings he had, if only to take some of the stress off her.

Probably a lot. If it were the other way around, he certainly would be insulted. Still…it tugged at his heart to see her looking so exhausted.

When he finished his meal, she refilled his coke and left his check. He pulled out his card, setting it on top of the check at the edge of the table. When she returned with his receipt to sign, he gave her a tip more than double the entirety of his bill.

She grabbed the receipt, freezing when she saw the tip amount. Her eyes snapped to his. “What is this?”

He forced himself not to shift. “Your tip. Happy birthday.”

He realized his mistake the second her eyes narrowed. “How do you know it’s my birthday.”

“Uh—” 

She scowled, understanding in her eyes when he hid his hand under the table. “Leave.”

She started to walk away and Cassian scrambled to follow her, grabbing her shoulder and promptly dropping it when she sent a withering glare in his direction.

“Wait,” he started, not even caring that his tone was pleading, “I’m sorry. I should have said something sooner.”

The bell over the door rang and she glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll be right with you,” she said to the patron. Turning her gaze back to him she said, “Leave. I want nothing to do with you.”

Cassian frowned. “But we’re soulmates.”

She shrugged, stepping around him. “I don’t care what we are. I want nothing to do with you.”

He watched her in a daze as she went to help the new patron. He only realized he was still staring at her when she glanced back and glared at him. Turning, he headed back towards his car.

What had he done wrong? Perhaps he shouldn’t have given her such a big tip. Maybe she was insulted. He couldn’t understand why else anyone would turn their soulmate away. Everyone wanted a soulmate, especially since not everyone had one. 

He sat in his car, but couldn’t make himself start the ignition. He couldn’t just return home without at least finding out her name. She hadn’t been wearing a name tag, so he had no idea how else to find her, and didn’t exactly want to drive around following the arrow on his hand all the time. 

An hour later, he was still sitting in his car, lost in thought, when he saw her leave the diner. He quickly exited the car, jogging to reach her. 

“Excuse me!”

She and every other person on the sidewalk turned towards him, her face morphing back into a scowl when she realized it was him who had called out. He didn’t let her obvious irritation deter him.

“Please wait,” he said as she turned away from him and started walking down the road at a brisk pace. 

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

He ignored the curious gazes of the people around them as he caught up to her, matching her pace. “Please, I want to apologize.”

She stopped so quickly, he hardly had time to stop. She crossed her arms. “For what?”

“For angering you.”

“You didn’t anger me.”

Cassian snorted. “Your scowl says otherwise.” He nearly smiled when her scowl deepened. “I shouldn’t have hidden who I was from you. I’m sorry. You have every right to be upset at me.”

“I’m not upset.” She said the words too quickly to be convincing. “I don’t care who you are or why you’re here. I just want to be left alone. I have no interest in a soulmate.”

He shook his head. “But why? Everyone wants a soulmate.”

She shrugged, hugging herself closer. “I don’t.”

They stood silently, her pretending to ignore him while Cassian tried to make sense of her hostility. “Can I at least learn your name?” He held out his hand. “I’m Cassian.”

She stared at his hand and even though her expression didn’t change, he got the sense she was warring with herself. He nearly sighed in relief when she slid her hand into his, shaking it once. “Nesta.” 

She pulled her hand back, crossing her arms again and looking away. He tried to think of anything he could say or do to keep talking to her. “Can I walk you somewhere, Nesta. Wherever you’re headed, I can walk with you.” When her lips thinned, he quickly added. “We don’t even have to talk.”

Her cheeks grew red, though what she had to be embarrassed about, he had no idea. “Fine.” She turned around without waiting for him and strode back in the opposite direction. He jogged lightly to catch up, stuffing his hands in his pockets to keep himself from grabbing hers. After thirty steps, she stopped back in front of the diner, or rather a door just to the right of the entrance. 

“Thank you for the walk home,” she said, turning to unlock the door. 

“This is where you live?” 

She didn’t answer him, pushing the door open and heading through. He rushed to shove his foot in the door when she went to slam it, glad he was wearing his heavy duty work boots. “Wait. Please.”

Nesta exhaled through her nose. “What?”

Cassian scrambled for something to say. “I just…can we talk?”

“About what?”

“Anything?” He placed his hand on the door, pushing gently, relieved when Nesta let him, merely backing up enough to let him inside. There was nothing behind her but a flight of stairs presumably leading to an apartment above the diner. “I just want to get to know you.”

Nesta shook her head. “I told you. I don’t want a soulmate.”

Cassian ran his hand through his hair. “Fine. We don’t have to be soulmates.” He was desperate. “Can we just be friends?”

Nesta’s throat bobbing as she swallowed was the only outward sign that she might not be as calm as she appeared. “To what end? We can’t just pretend we’re not soulmates. It doesn’t work like that.”

Cassian reached for a wisp of hair that had come out of her braid, winding it around his finger and tugging it gently. “It does if we say it does.” He took the fact that she hadn’t immediately turned him down as a good sign. “Please, Nes.”

“Don’t call me that.” Her words lacked anger, however, which he took as a good sign that she was caving. “We need rules.”

Cassian nodded, so happy she wasn’t immediately turning him down that he would likely have agreed to anything. “Of course.”

“We each pay for ourselves when we hang out.”

“I can do that.”

“No kissing.”

He nodded solemnly, already trying to think of ways to get around that one. “Naturally.”

She paused and he took the moment to brush his thumb against her cheek. “Anything else?”

She grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand away from her face. “If either one of us falls in love, it’s over.”

Cassian recoiled. “What?”

Nesta’s eyes turned to steel. “The minute either of us falls in love, we don’t talk to each other ever again.”

“Nesta—”

“Those are my terms. Take them or leave them.”

Cassian could see that she was serious and felt a rock drop in the pit of his stomach. There was no chance that he wouldn’t fall for her if they started hanging out. He was already desperate to do just about anything to see her. What would he do if she demanded they never see one another again? He grew nauseated at the thought, but nodded his head. 

“Of course. Whatever you want, Nes.”

She held out her hand and he shook it in a daze. This was a terrible idea. How was he going to avoid getting his heart broken? 

Nesta held out her phone. “Put your number in.” 

Cassian grabbed it, entering his number and texting himself before handing it back. Nesta turned around and walked up the steps. “I’m running on two hours of sleep, so you’ll excuse me if I don’t invite you inside.”

Cassian watched her until she disappeared inside her apartment. 

There was no chance he wouldn’t get his heart broken.

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

Nesta slept straight through the afternoon until her alarm went off the next day at five am. She groaned as she shut off the alarm, forcing herself to roll out of the bed. She padded to the kitchen, blinking in an attempt to wake herself up as she filled a glass of water and downed it. She hadn’t had time to do any grocery shopping the day before, so she told her growling stomach to shut up as she headed for the bathroom. 

She rinsed her body in the shower, making a promise to herself to take a real shower after her shift. As she pulled on her uniform, she wondered if life would ever get easier, or if she’d always be scraping by. 

Her mind drifted to Cassian, her traitorous heart giving a hard thump as his face flitted across her mind. If nothing else, at least the universe had deigned to give her a hot soulmate. 

She pulled the pins out of her head, wincing as her hair fell out of it’s crown. She definitely should have taken her hair down before sleeping for fifteen hours. She unbraided her hair, running her fingers through it and scratching at her scalp before she carefully combed it back out and rebraided it, her mind still on Cassian.

It was monumentally stupid of her to agree to be friends with him. There was a snowball’s chance in hell that it didn’t end badly, because she already knew she wouldn’t budge on falling in love, and if the desperation in his eyes was any indication, he almost certainly would. She went back to her kitchen to drink another glass of water before she had to walk down to her shift, hoping to trick her stomach into believing she wasn’t hungry. 

When Cassian entered the diner several hours later, Nesta rolled her eyes even as her heart skipped a beat. She marched over to him, glaring.

“How can I help you,” she said, making sure to heavily infuse her tone with annoyance. 

Cassian, completely undeterred, grinned up at her. “Good morning, Nesta.”

“Is it?” she responded. 

“Well, I get to see you,” he said, leaning back and resting his arm along the back of the booth, “so it definitely is a good morning.”

“I’m working.”

“And I’m just here to enjoy more of the delicious food and company this fine establishment offers.”

Nesta snorted to hide her amusement. “If you aren’t going to order, then I’m going to go find something else productive to do.”

“What do you recommend?” he asked. 

Nesta shrugged. “It’s my second day here and I haven’t eaten anything, so I couldn’t tell you what’s good.”

Someone caught her eye, holding up their coffee cup. Nesta nodded at them, slightly annoyed they were hailing her like some kind of servant. She turned back to Cassian.

“I have to go refill that guy’s coffee. Figure out what you want to eat and I’ll be back.”

She didn’t wait for him to respond before turning to grab the coffee pot and refill the patron’s cup. She could feel Cassian’s eyes following her around the room, and tried to ignore the way her heart raced at the thought. She couldn’t afford to be distracted, not given that her livelihood rested on tip money.

When she returned to the table much later than she’d intended, she quickly apologized. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be gone that long, but that group came in and immediately started ordering beverages and time slipped away from me—”

Cassian placed a hand on her arm. “It’s fine. I’m not angry.”

Nesta jolted at the feel of his skin on hers and jerked herself away, swallowing hard as her face heated. “Do you know what you want?”

Cassian smirked up at her. “Now there’s a loaded question.” His smirk morphed into a smile as Nesta opened her mouth to retort. Before she could, he said, “I’ll just take the scrambled eggs with bacon and toast. And some coffee.”

Nesta nodded, turning away to put his order in. She took several deep breaths, willing the heat to receded from her face. It was only one touch. How could a single brush of skin cause such a heated reaction. She inhaled deeply through her nose and straightened her spine. That would never happen again. Clearly they would have to avoid touching. 

Cassian stayed through lunch, ordering something every so often to avoid having her kick him out. It might have made her angry if she wasn’t also secretly delighted by their ongoing conversations. 

After lunch, he politely asked for the bill, leaving her a tip that should have made her angry but which also secretly delighted her. If nothing else, he was ensuring she was well paid for the time she spent waiting on him. Once he left, she ignored the disappointment coursing through her and focused on finishing her last couple of hours, also ignoring her empty stomach. A meal was technically included in her job description but she hadn’t had the time to eat anything.

When her shift was finally over, she took her apron off, sighing internally at the reminder that she still had to run to the grocery store if she wanted to eat anything. Walking out the door, she stopped short when she saw Cassian standing by the door, several grocery bags hanging off each arm. 

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I thought you might be in need of something to eat,” he replied. “By my calculations, you just arrived in town and probably don’t have any food. I thought I could make you dinner, and picked up some extra essentials while I was out.”

“Are you rich or something?” Nesta blurted out. 

Cassian laughed. “No. In fact, I might be jobless. I’ve skipped the past day and a half.”

Nesta shook her head. “Then how can you afford to do all this?”

Cassian shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Except to Nesta, who had been working since she was legally able, it was. No one had ever helped her, not even her own parents. She unlocked her door and ran up the stairs, leaving Cassian to manage up the stairs on his own as she blinked away tears. 

She sniffed, keeping her back to him as he followed her through the door. She gestured in the general direction of her kitchen. “You can put everything there. I don’t have anything though. I’m…going to go get changed.”

She escaped to her bathroom, stopping to grab a change of clothes on her way in, and closed the door, taking several deep breaths and forcing the tears away. She would not be swayed by something as ridiculous as groceries. She refused. She peeled off her uniform, wondering how much of a bitch it would make her to request Cassian go grab some laundry detergent for her, and took the shower she promised herself that morning. 

Feeling refreshed when she got out, she threw on her clothes, combing her hair and leaving it to cascade down her back in wet waves. Her scalp needed a break after nearly forty-eight hours in a braid. She walked back out and then stopped in her tracks when she saw what greeted her. 

Cassian was plating up food onto paper plates. It wasn’t anything fancy, just some spaghetti with what looked like canned pasta sauce and some garlic bread, but to Nesta it might as well have been steak from a five star restaurant. Her mouth started watering at the sight.

“Where did you get the pots to cook that in?” she asked. She had been planning on spending Cassian’s tip money on some cooking pots and at least one set of dinnerware. 

Cassian smiled as he walked over and put the paper plates onto a blanket she didn’t recognize on the floor. “I figured you didn’t have anything, so I bought a couple cheap ones at the grocery store.”

Nesta felt her throat tighten. “Thank you,” she croaked. 

Cassian frowned up at her, concerned. “You’re welcome?” When she didn’t move from the doorway he added, “It wasn’t that big a deal. They’re not great quality, so you’ll probably want to get something else anyway.”

Nesta shook her head, unwilling to tell him how he was the first person to ever take care of her like this. It felt too vulnerable. She walked over to the blanket and sat, her stomach growling loudly when she picked up her plate. She blushed, but began eating, closing her eyes and groaning when the food hit her tongue. When was the last time she had even eaten? It might have been two days ago, before she left home. 

She made for poor company as she began stuffing her face, not caring for once how she looked as she shoveled food into her mouth. She couldn’t stop the litany of satisfied noises she made with each mouthful. Surely there was nothing special about this spaghetti, but to her it tasted like the best spaghetti on the planet.

As soon as she finished her plate, she stood for seconds. When she turned around to go sit back down, she halted at the look of horror on Cassian’s face. She raised her chin. “What?”

She expected him to make a comment about how unladylike she was eating, but instead he asked, “When was the last time you ate?”

She looked away, returning to sit on the floor. She would need to scour the internet for some cheap furniture soon. Not to mention she needed a real mattress to sleep on. “None of your business.”

She returned to eating, though now that her stomach wasn’t as empty, she did slow down to eat with more decorum. The silence was deafening as she ignored Cassian’s eyes on her. 

Eventually she set her plate down and glared at him. “It doesn’t matter when I ate last. I’m eating now and I won’t go hungry in the future. I just didn’t have time to go to the grocery store yesterday.”

Cassian’s eyes looked worried as he frowned at her. She huffed. “I don’t need you to worry about me, Cassian. I just haven’t had the time until today. I’m not going to starve.”

His expression hardened. “No, you’re not.”

She set her plate down. “What does that mean?”

“It means, I’ll be making sure you have food.”

“I’m not your responsibility and I don’t need your help.”

Cassian shrugged, picking up his plate. “Well, you’ll have it anyway.”

For some reason, his words lit a fire in Nesta’s temper. “Get out,” she said through her teeth.

Cassian looked at her, surprised. “What?”

Her hands balled into fists. “Get out of my house.”

“Why are you angry?”

“Get out!” she yelled, closing her eyes to reign her temper, knowing she was being unreasonable.

There was a pause before Cassian simply said, “Ok.”

Nesta kept her eyes closed, hands balled into fists, until she heard the door close. She loosed a breath as she opened her eyes, her eyes immediately going to the plate of spaghetti in front of her. Her throat tightened as guilt rose and threatened to choke her.

She was such a bitch.

[skelavender]

“So,” Mulder says, breaking the silence, “West Virginia. You know what’s in West Virginia, Scully?” She sighs, “Please don’t say you want to detour to a nearby UFO crash site or something, Mulder.” He chuckles, “No. But we are in the same state as the Mothman legend originates.”

read chapter two of you are in love on ao3, or below the cut!

Small talk, he drives

Coffee at midnight

The light reflects

The chain on your neck

He says, "Look up"

And your shoulders brush

No proof, one touch

But you felt enough

***

December 1996

The car hits a rumble strip, shaking Scully out of a sleepy stupor. She had been awake, but not listening closely to whatever Mulder had been going on about.

It was probably a poor idea to investigate out-of-state late in the day with a meeting planned first thing the following morning. On the bright side, the trip had been fruitful. The victim, a woman named Laura Gillyberg, washed up in the Potomac River, outside of DC. When they had visited her residence in West Virginia, they had found that the yard backed the river, giving them a likely dump site, potentially even a murder site. They had also discovered marks in the mud that appear to be from something being dragged to the riverfront. Scully collected dirt samples to test against what she would soon remove from the victim’s digestive tract, and ordered a forensic team to take casts of the drag marks and footprints in the morning. Unfortunately, they end up waiting until a specific coworker of the victim comes on shift at 10, and don’t start their three hour drive back home until nearing 11.

When Scully tunes back in, she finds that Mulder is still going on about Gillyberg’s coworker, whom they had interviewed two hours earlier. “Scully, I’m telling ya, she could have been Mariah Carey’s twin.”

“She looked nothing like her! She just had curly brown hair. You don’t say I look like Daphne from Scooby Doo just because I’m a redhead.”

Mulder drags his eyes down her purple suit and gives her a knowing look. “Red hair, purple suit, incredible investigative skills… I don’t know, Scully, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a du– uhh–“ he breaks off into a wide yawn. 

“Tired, Mulder?”

“A little.”

“Do you want to switch off? We can stop for food and coffee.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” 

Luckily, a 24-hour diner appears in short order and Mulder pulls into the near-empty parking lot. Shockingly, a diner in the middle of West Virginia isn’t the most popular place at midnight on a Tuesday. 

They put in their orders for their meals with the waitress, who presents them immediately with lukewarm coffee. It’s not the best stuff they’ve drank on the road, but it’s not the worst either. And more importantly, it’s caffeinated. 

When the waitress flirts with Mulder, he makes a show of his wedding ring. Scully pretends not to find anything odd about the interaction, like it doesn’t turn her stomach and her territorial guard dog instincts kick in, like she has some kind of ownership over him, like he is something to be possessed. She tames the burning jealousy and ensuing satisfaction, shoving the sensations back down deep in her chest. He’s not hers, be he simultaneously is in every way that matters. 

They’re quiet as they wait for their food, in the comfortable way Scully only ever feels with Mulder. They don’t need to fill the silence. Even though there are things both of them want to say, exhausted on the way back from a case isn’t the time to say them. Their ankles lay against each other, and they sip their coffee. 

“There ya go, sugar!” The waitress winks as she sets Mulder’s burger down in front of him. She gives Scully a half-assed smile when she gives her the club sandwich she had ordered. Scully refrains from rolling her eyes, but just barely.

“So,” Mulder says, breaking the silence, “West Virginia. You know what’s in West Virginia, Scully?”

She sighs, “Please don’t say you want to detour to a nearby UFO crash site or something, Mulder.”

He chuckles, “No. But we are in the same state as the Mothman legend originates.”

Scully’s eyebrows shoot up. “Mothman?” She echoes incredulously.

“Yep. It’s a humanoid bird first spotted in 1966. He’s on the other side of the state, though.”

“Well, at least I’m saved from having to hunt for Mothman in the middle of the night.”

“Maybe we’ll investigate that after we figure out what happened to Laura Gillyberg.” He says. “We’re much closer to the Mystery Hole right now, though.”

Scully stares at her partner silently for a moment. “Alright, Mulder, I’ll bite. What, pray tell, is a mystery hole?”

“It’s a gravitational anomaly. It’s a tourist trap, but that doesn’t make it any more explainable. Some theorists say the roadside attraction was put there by the government to cover up a real gravitational anomaly or something. I can only imagine the inquisition you would give them, Scully.”

“Don’t tempt me,” She says flatly, pushes her now empty plate away from her, and downs the last swig of her coffee. “Let's head out.”

Mulder retrieves some bills to lay on the table and holds the diner door for her as they head out to the car. “There’s also an archive of haunted items farther north. We should come to West Virginia more often, Scully, they’ve got their share of X-Files.” He’s reaching into his pocket for the key, ready to hand it to Scully,  when he stops in the middle of the parking lot and looks at the sky.

It’s not a surprise to anyone to say that Mulder’s been interested in space since he was a kid. Even before Samantha’s disappearance, he had watched Star Trek and found himself observing the heavens as often as possible, learning about the life of stars, of constellations, of the atmospheres of other planets. He had taken in as much information as possible. It wasn’t until after Samantha was taken that his interest had shifted from imagining the possibilities to proving what was reality.

He looks back down to Scully with equal adoration as he had the stars. The light from the diner sign glints off the chain on her neck, the one that holds her wedding ring. Yours, a voice within him says. Your wedding ring. Your love.

“Scully.”

“Yes?”

“Look up.” 

She does. Half of her face is bathed in the neon red of the diner’s sign, and she’s glowing. The diner, the expanse of space, and the whole damn world fade into the background as Mulder watches Scully observe the heavens. 

“I don’t see any UFOs up there, Mulder.”

“Nope.” His eyes don’t leave her face, taking the image of her in and hoping to etch it into his memory so that she exists like this forever. “Just us.”

She tilts her head, just slightly, to look up at him with the same look she had given the sky, with the exact same reverence. Like looking into his eyes was just as glorious as the infinity of space. 

The moment oozes, arriving and departing in slow motion. It seems to last forever. She’ll exist like this for an eternity, in his mind, soaked in red light and gazing at him with the same admiration she had for the night sky. He just watches her blinking up at the sky, eyes dancing between stars like they’re whispering their secrets directly to her, sharing what they’ve seen in their millions of years of life. Like they can tell her stories. 

Then, he realizes that they can.

“How much do you know about the stars?” He asks. 

“I read an article a couple weeks ago about HD140283, the oldest star in the universe. It provides evidence that the universe has repeatedly crunched and expanded, but it’s surprisingly close–”

“Constellations, Scully.” He cuts her off unceremoniously, “Myths and legends.”

The smile that blooms across her face does so slowly, creeping along the lower half of her face like she understands what he’s getting at. “Probably not as much as you could tell me.”

He grins back and opens the passenger door for her. “Agent Scully.” He almost fucking bows. She gives him an inquisitive look, but slides into the seat nevertheless.

He drives a couple of miles out to a field with short enough grass for his purposes and retrieves a blanket from the trunk. He tucks it under an arm, and offers the opposite elbow to Scully, who tucks her hand right into place like it belongs there. Mulder would like to argue that it does.

When they lay the blanket out and settle in onto it, Mulder ends up close enough to her that his shoulder is pressed against hers. The touch is electric, warming her skin against the cool night. 

“Wow,” Scully breathes, in awe. 

“What do you see?”

“There are just… so many of them. I can’t remember the last time I bothered to look up with the intent of looking for the stars, especially not outside the city. There are so many more of them.”

“Do you see any constellations you know?”

She points. “The Big Dipper.”

“The Little Dipper, actually, but yes.”

“That’s the only one I can identify off the top of my head.”

“Well, Pisces is right there.” Mulder points up to the sky, and Scully’s eyes follow. “That’s your star sign.”

Scully scoffs. “I can’t be surprised that you believe in astrology, of all things.” 

Mulder laughs. “I actually don’t, not entirely. I know Pisces because of the Greek myth about Aphrodite and Eros.”

“I don’t think I know that one.”

Mulder turns his head and effectively whispers in her ear. “Aphrodite, Goddess of love and beauty, and Eros, God of sex, were trying to escape Typhon, so they jumped into the Euphrates River, and depending on which version of the myth you follow, they either turned into or rode on the back of two fish. Hence the symbol for Pisces.”

“Interesting.” She turns her head to look at him, misjudging how close he is. Their noses brush. “What others do know?”

He tells her. He spills out the tale of Posiedon’s advent of the Pegasus, of Cassiopeia’s vanity leading to her demise at his hands, and Draco’s at the hands of Athena. For almost an hour, he is but a conduit for the stories painted across the sky.

When he finally turns his head to look at her again, he can’t identify the expression on her face. But there certainly is something there, something unexpressed. “What?” He asks with a laugh. 

“We look at the sky and see very similar things, Mulder, just in different ways. I see dying stars, the past. A quantifiable means of knowledge. You see potential, possibilities. You see the light from dead stars hurtling towards us like the future, and the meaning we have ascribed to them.” When she shifts her head to look at him, his eyes are already on her. “You see the beauty in it. You see the poetry in the stars that I can’t. That’s beautiful.”

There’s a depth to Mulder’s gaze that she can’t read, and a beat passes where he is unsure how to respond. He leans face closer to her and her eyes flutter closed, she’s so sure he’s finally going to kiss her–

And his lips land on her nose.

Somehow, it’s more tender, more intimate, than a kiss on her lips would have been. It fills her to the brim, with a threat to overflow. She just about shatters, letting out a breath that trips in her chest and comes out in two bits. 

She loves him. In this moment as much as any other, she loves him. 

And she has no clue what to do with that. 

It shouldn’t be so destabilizing, but it is. She’s loved him for years, since she’s known him. But every time he makes something she’s always considered mundane into artwork, or every time he makes her feel safe when the world is falling down around them, or every time he remembers the smallest habit or fact about her — that love increases tenfold, and she stumbles over it. 

“We should get going.” Scully manages through the knot of adoration in her throat. Mulder nods, and they stand to gather the blanket. Mulder bunches it up to toss in the trunk again, but Scully snatches it off of him and rolls it precisely before tucking it under her arm.

As they walk side by side to the car, Scully lets her left hand, the one closer to Mulder and not holding the blanket, drift towards her husband’s. Gently, casually, she hooks her pinkie finger around his. They walk like that all the way back through the field, only their two fingers touching. Separate and independent, but still undeniably intertwined. 

They don’t let go until they reach the car, ready to continue on their way home together.

<- previous chapter next chapter ->

[fkinavocado]

In which you’ve got textbook daddy issues and when your tool of a younger brother brings a sweet doe eyed girlfriend home for Thanksgiving and you end up offering her a ride home, you meet just the man to fix them.

Daddy issues- Masterlist, Author’s Note & Warnings

Chapter 23 / alternatively, read on wattpad

Chapter 24 (Word count: 3.5k)

About a week had passed and you still felt like you were in a haze. Everything Niall had landed on you felt so heavy on your shoulders, you could hardly straighten your spine enough to serve tables at the diner properly. 

You couldn’t stop it from replaying in your head. Over and over. All he’d said about Harry and how he’s coping... Or not coping. The way he picks up random fights at bars just to… feel something. Especially considering his past with violence, it was breaking your heart all over again. 

You still couldn’t wrap your head around how this could have happened. You never once expected such an outcome, never even considered it. Sure, you knew Harry would be heartbroken, but he was a mature man that could understand your reasoning, surely? He must’ve known you ran so that he didn’t have to make that awful choice between you and his daughter. Surely he knew that had you tried to talk to him about it, he would’ve been totally against it- and what would that have solved? Nothing. You did it for him, so that he didn’t have to. Surely he knew that… right?

Apparently not, based on what Niall had told you. It sure didn’t seem like Harry was at peace with your decision. In fact, it seemed like he didn’t understand it one bit. 

Did he hate you?

If he didn’t hate you yet, he surely was going to when he’d lose the trial to your awful family. He had no way of knowing Niall had found you and pleaded for you to take the stand, but still, you were important to the outcome (as far as he was concerned, though you had your doubts), and you were the reason he was in this mess to begin with- you and your family. Niall had told you he’d not be telling Harry about meeting with you, but could you really trust him?

You heart skipped a beat at that, but not the good kind- the dreadful kind. Had he told Harry, he’d have ran to you in a heartbeat. But he wasn’t there. So Niall must have indeed not told him…

…The alternative was too much to bear.

“YN?...” 

You snapped out of it at your boss’ tone of voice “Yes?”

“You gotta get your act together. I’ve been calling out to you for the past 2 minutes, made me come all the way over here just to find you daydreaming. How long does it even take to clean a coffee machine? I’ve already got people waiting, the fuck is the matter with you?!”

You nodded and hurriedly continued scrubbing, willing him away when you heard him order one of your colleagues in the back to help you out with what you were doing. Nancy came by your side and picked up the clean parts, drying them off. “Such a prick. No one’s ordered coffee. It’s freaking 11pm for fuck’s sake…” she scoffed

“Well. Commuters always stop by around midnight just for coffee, so he’s not wrong…”

Your co-worker turned to you and gave you a pointed look “Oh well excuse me, miss employee of the month” she then elbowed you and chuckled which made you smile faintly, just to be nice. Nancy was a good person, but you just couldn’t get yourself to get close to anyone. You’d stopped talking to all your friends back home too, or at least, the very few you had. You just disappeared from their lives as you had from Harry’s. 

Except for Julianne, your best friend, but even her you kept at arm’s length. She didn’t make it a secret of what her opinion on all this was. She thought you were crazy, and wrong, and crazy wrong. Harry had visited the office, even got in touch with her and desperately pleased for her to tell him where you were. All she did was tell him you were alright, but that you didn’t want him to keep trying to find you. Which, paradoxically- is exactly what you’d have wanted her to tell him, but you still felt hurt that she told him that. If that made any sense? To you it did. That was the truth of it.

“Ok, employee of the month. I got this. You can clock out before he finds something else for you to do” Nancy chimed, snapping you out of your reverie once more “You’re really jumpy these days, aren’t ya? Ever since that irish bloke came about here last week…”

You rolled your eyes, taking your apron off 

“What? C’mon. You left with him all teary eyed… And ever since, you’ve been zoning out constantly. Did he break up with you? Is that what’s been bugging you?”

You sighed “No. Nothing’s bugging me”

“Oh, please. Girl, if it’s any consolation. I’ve seen a car parked across the road for a few days now. I think he’s working up his courage to come talk to you. It’s always ever here when you’re here, during my shifts I never see it. I only see it when we swap”

You froze at that “Wh… what? What kind of car?”

“It’s not the one he came in last week, so maybe it’s not him at all and it’s just a coincidence, or maybe he’s got a friend to keep an eye on you or something? Or maybe it’s a stalker?” she laughed and you squinted at her not knowing what was so funny about the latter option “Oh shit, do you think it’s a sick perv from the diner stalking you? I never really thought about it that way!”

“Nancy! What kind of car?”

“I don’t know the make of it. All I know is it's not the same as the one the irish dude drove last week, it’s not as nice as that one”

Your blood froze in your veins and you could feel yourself go all pale

“Shit, Y/N. Are you ok? I was only kidding about the stalker, I’m sure it’s nothing! Look, I’ll keep an eye on the car and tell you if I really think something suspicious is going on, ok?”

“Yeah, yeah… I’ll, uhm” you cleared your throat “I’ll just use the backdoor tonight, just to be safe, ok? See you tomorrow” you smiled awkwardly at Nancy, knowing full well you’d not be seeing her the next day, and grabbed your tote bag, leaving the way you said you would.

You rushed through the backalley, patting yourself on the back for never driving in to work (mainly for financial reasons) making sure you couldn’t be spotted from the front and took a considerable detour to your apartment complex that reminded you of cheap motels you’d only previously seen in movies. You fumbled with your keys unlocking your flat with shaky hands and immediately fished out your suitcase from underneath the bed, tossing it open over your bedding.

You pushed your hair out of your face and tried to calm down a bit, but you just couldn’t stop shaking. 

You couldn’t risk it, you couldn’t let this all go to waste for nothing. Darn it to hell, and darn Niall for being a lying piece of shit and telling Harry where you were!

Before you knew it, you were grabbing what little clothes you had out of the dresser and throwing them in the suitcase, hangers and all. You threw all your lingerie over top, making sure to fish out of a sock all the cash you’d saved up and hide it in your bra. It wasn’t much, unfortunately, with the lousy jobs you’d had there were never any means to save up much, but it should be enough to get you to wherever you’d land next and buy you a few days at a cheap motel until you find another waitressing job. 

This was not your first rodeo.

Next, you threw all your toiletries into a pouch in the bathroom, and you just tossed all your pairs of shoes into a backpack. 

No time to nitpick. You’d just have to leave all the non-essentials behind. Again, this was not the first time you’d done this. And for much less of a hunch. This time, you were certain you had good reason to flee. You knew it was a long stretch, but something in the pit of your stomach just told you it was him. You could just feel it. You could just feel him. His proximity. You knew it was only a matter of time before he figured out you’d left through the back at the diner. Nancy said the car had been there a few days before, so he most likely already knew where you lived. 

It gave you pause, though. Why did he not try and confront you, then? Why was he just… observing you from afar? The more you thought about it, the more it sounded more and more like the stalker scenario your co-worker had brought up, but you’d already made up your mind, you were fleeing and that was that. 

You’d been already contemplating it, not trusting Niall to keep his mouth shut about your whereabouts. Turns out you’d been right. You should’ve never trusted him. The cocky bastard did this for a living, after all.

You opened the door and inspected the parking lot. Nothing looked amiss. But then again, this was a place where people came and left all the time. You had no idea which of those cars didn’t belong there. Nancy could’ve at least told you the colour of the car she’d seen, but part of you doubted Harry would be doing this using the car you’d have recognized from a mile away.

The coast was clear, and you had to get a move on it. You rolled your suitcase out, swung the backpack over your shoulder and locked the door behind you, making your way downstairs where you pushed the keys into the mailbox. 

You made your way to your car, and although all you could afford was to paint it a different colour, you knew Harry would recognize it if it ever came down to it, especially since you hadn’t changed the licence plates and it stuck out like a sore thumb in another state.

After tossing your bags into the truck you carefully looked around again. Nothing looked suspicious, so you hopped in and drove off. 

There wasn’t any time to make a deliberate plan or be picky. You just headed out west, and hoped for the best. If you had to do this a few more times, you’d end up on the west coast soon, just like you and Harry had been planning to before all hell broke loose. 

You shook your head, trying to clear it. It was dark and late, and you were tired, last thing you needed was to daydream while driving under such conditions. 

At a stop sign you opened up google maps and tried to at least gauge where you’d be going. Unfortunately it looked like it’d be a long drive to the nearest town. Longer than it was doable considering how tired you already were after a workday. 

You’d have to sleep at one point, and motels were out of the question. You were on a tight budget. You’d have to find a safe enough parking lot to park and sleep for a few hours before driving again. Like you always did.

You tried to take note of the drivers behind you in the rearview mirror, but you couldn’t make out much, or if any of them were tailing you. 

You drove for about 3 hours before your eyes just couldn’t focus on the road anymore. You began looking for parking spots. Anything that looked decent enough (although you knew that was just wishful thinking- had anyone wanted to harm you, they could’ve, easily).

When you finally picked one, you carefully turned off your headlights, and as stealthily as you could manage parked your car, making sure once again that no car had followed you there. It was quite a big lot, and you realized it was a hotel’s private property destined for their customers, but you hoped upon hope that security wouldn’t be coming with a flashlight shooing you away like they would a homeless person. 

It wouldn’t be the first time that happened.

You already had your kit in the truck for such situations- a pillow, a blanket, and some sunshields to block out your windows with. Everything in place, you cracked the front windows slightly so that fresh air could get in and then nestled in the back seat, trying to fall right to sleep and not begin thinking about what all of this meant. 

Just before sleep stole you away though, a soft voice made your ears prick up. You weren’t even sure you’d really heard it, or dreamt it. It was your name you’d heard, and the voice was one you could never forget, no matter how hard you tried. 

“Please… I can’t let you sleep out here. I thought you’d rent a room and I could find you again in the morning so we could talk… Please. It’s not safe, Y/N…”

His voice was but a whisper, and you held your breath listening to it. You wanted to drink it all in, anything he’d have to say to you. In spite of how much you’d ran away from this very moment, you now wanted to revel in it. 

You couldn’t see him, not with the sunshields up on every window, but he was right there, next to the door you were resting your pillow up against. 

He was right there. 

So close.

He gently tapped with the pad of his finger on the window “Y/N… can you hear me? Are you awake?...”

You’d never heard his voice like this before. It sounded so… defeated. So worn out. You knew that if you faced him you’d not be able to endure what he probably looked like, to match the tone of his voice.

“...yes” was all you could coax out of your dry throat and you heard his shuddering breath at your reply. You squeezed your eyes shut and felt tears roll down your cheeks. 

You’d wanted to talk to him for so long, so, so long. You’d fought against it for so long. Ran for so long. But he found you. And he was there. 

He was right there.

“We don’t have to do this tonight, okay?.... I know you’re tired. Please let me get you a room. Please? I just want to talk. But not right now, we should both sleep, and-- separately! I swear, I’ll not try anything… just want to talk…”

You tried stifflign your tears “I don’t know that I can do that… I don’t… I don’t know…”

You could hear him sniffle and his voice got even closer, as if he was leaning his forehead against the window “You don’t have to… I’m not… I’d never force you, you know that… If you wanna get up in the morning and just leave… I won’t follow you further. You can go back. Or even back home. I won’t…” he swallowed audibly “I’ll never try again. I promise. But sleep on it… and if you feel like we deserve to talk about it… that what we had deserves closure… Please, Y/N… Just think about it. I’m…” he exhaled profusely “I’m begging you”

Hearing him talk about closure just about did you in. This wasn’t him trying to get you to come back. This was him trying to get closure. And you knew you deserved it, but you couldn’t stop it from breaking your heart all over again.

And, well… if it meant not having to run anymore. If it meant finally putting an end to this life of hiding… He was right. And seemed calm enough to just have a talk… for closure. That concept should have brought you respite but it felt like a stab to the heart.

You nodded even though he couldn’t see you and finally you spoke up “Alright… I’ll… I’ll sleep on it”

“Good. Good… I’ll…” he cleared his throat “I’ll go and book us rooms and then… I’ll wait for you downstairs for breakfast in the morning… at the hotel’s restaurant. If you want to talk. Okay?”

You felt relieved that you didn’t have to face him then and there. You needed to compose yourself, otherwise you didn’t trust yourself not to jump right into his arms “Yes. Ok. Yes…”

“Ok. Good” you heard him take a step back “They’ll let you know which room, ok? I’ll run ahead… Y/N? Please come talk in the morning… please”

And with that, you heard his footsteps rush away from the car. For a moment you contemplated whether all that had really happened or you’d just imagined it all in the darkness of your car. Or dreamt it. 

But his cologne was still lingering. And taking the sunshields off you could see his handprint on the window. You placed yours against it on the opposite side and teared up again. You were so thankful you got to make up your mind until the morning, there was no way you could ever go through any talking in the state you were in.

After waiting for a good 5 minutes leaving him time to book the hotel rooms, you fished out of your suitcase some stuff to put into your tote bag for the night and trekked your way through the parking lot and into the hotel, which was quite nice actually. A 4 star one, much like the one Niall had brought you to a week prior.

After giving his name at the lobby, the receptionist gave you the key to your room and smiled at you wishing you a nice stay. The concierge called the elevator for you, which surprised you, as your room was 9. How many rooms were there per floor? Or had the ground floor no suites but just a restaurant, bar and lobby?

You made your way to your room and went to unlock it, but the key wasn’t working. You huffed, trying again. Maybe this was just the universe’s way of telling you you shouldn’t be here, that you shouldn’t talk to him.

But when the door opened from the inside and your eyes zeroed in on Harry’s butterfly tattoo, you knew the universe was trying to tell you something else entirely.

You stammered, taken aback, your eyes carefully going up his naked torso. You felt like you were experiencing this in slow motion. You lingered on every square inch of his body until your gaze reached his beautiful eyes. Those intense eyes of his that you could never really decide what shade of green they really were. He was smiling, but his eyes were sad. So, so sad. 

He took a small step further while you were trying to muster a sentence out “Oh, god. Isn’t this 9? I must’ve….” your eyes darted back confusedly to the key you were holding and Harry’s hand gently reached out, turning the keychain and thumbing at the dot there.

His hand was so close to yours, you could feel its warmth radiating off it and onto the skin of yours next to it. Your heart was hammering inside your ribcage, desperate to be free. Free of all this entrapment you’d created around it, free to leap out of your chest and go be next to Harry’s. Where it belonged.

Your eyes braved another glance at him, he was looking at the keychain, his deep dimple on display. You wanted to nestle in it and never have to be alone again.  “The dot is placed behind the numeral… This is 6, not 9, darling”

All at once, you felt your limbs go weak at the use of that petname. And you knew it was just a british thing, he had had others he used especially for you, but still it made you wanna bask in it, the sweetness of his tone, the playful note he’d used reminiscent of the way he’d tease you. It was like a pavlovian response, your visceral reaction to his voice.

He looked at you then from under his lashes, almost as if realizing how he’d spoken to you, a moment too late, and his gaze became hooded instantaneously taking your own in.

Yes, the universe was plotting loud and clear. 

Chapter 25

A/N: 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 p.s.: (obviously) this is not the last chapter!

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[just-dreaming-marvel]

Busy

MAIN MASTERLIST / MARVEL MASTERLIST

Tony Stark x GN!Reader

Word Count: 1,185ish

Summary/Request: maybe something where reader's been super busy lately and hasn't spent much time with Tony. He feels her distant, misses her, starts wondering if he did something to cause this or even if she's cheating on him (maybe with cap or Bruce cuz they've been together a lot), it leads to an argument. She explains she's just been very busy, Tony thinks they need time just for them and hence they create weekly "date night".

Notes: I hope this isn’t too terrible.

“Hey, honey,” Tony greeted as he came into the living room where he saw you and Steve sitting at the island. “Rogers.”

You turned to him and smiled. “Hey, Tones!”

He came up and kissed your lips briefly. “You busy?”

“Well, Cap and I were just about to go to a diner.”

“Oh, I was just hoping that we could do something.” His hands found your arms, running up and down them. “I feel like it hasn’t just been us two in too long.”

“If you two need some time—“

“No,” you turned to Steve as you cut him off and looked at him sternly, “we are going to that diner.” You turned back to your boyfriend. “It is okay if we do something after?”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fine,” Tony responded. “I’ll just be in the lab when you come back.”

“Okay.” You leaned in and gave him a kiss. “I’ll see you after.”

“Right.” 

Tony turned and left the room, stewing in his own thoughts. Lately, you had been growing distant. You had been doing more things with other members of the Team instead of him, your boyfriend. It was training with Natasha or helping Bruce calm down. Then there’s calming Bucky down from nightmares or helping Steve write mission reports.

Tony usually wasn’t the one to feel the distance like this. It was usually him creating the distance. But you creating the distance, hurt worse than anything. You were supposed to help him, train with him, calm him down, not the Team members. You were in a relationship with him, not the rest of the Team.

Having lost track of time while working, Tony finally looked up at the clock to see that it was past midnight. He hated how much this was affecting him. Perhaps, though, it was all his fault. Had he done something to make you become this distant? As he continued to work, Tony thought of anything lately he could have done to make you act this way. He quickly came up short.

“FRIDAY?” He called for his AI. “Where is Y/N?”

“Y/N is currently in your shared room,” FRIDAY responded.

Tony stopped what he was doing and straightened up. “When did Y/N get home with Rogers?”

“Y/N and the Captain returned to their separate quarters an hour ago.”

“Thank you, FRIDAY.” 

“Would you like me to close up shop so that you may join Y/N in bed?”

“No. I think I’ll stay here tonight.”

~~~

“Good morning,” you told Tony as you walked into the lab with breakfast on a tray. Tony didn’t respond as you set the breakfast on the table near the couch. You then went over to his and rested your chin on his shoulder as you slowly wrapped your arms around his waist. “You didn’t come to bed last night.”

“You didn’t come and visit me last night,” Tony grumbled, still focused on the absentminded work he was doing.

“Shit,” you muttered, remembering that you had told him you would. “I’m so sorry, honey. Steve and I were out late and I was so tired when we got home—“

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony pushed himself from his seat and pulled out of your arms, heading across the lab. “I’m sure you both were.”

“Tony,” you followed after him, “I really am sorry.”

“I‘m sure you are,” he mumbled.

You stopped, looking at him with concern and a little hurt. “Just come sit down and we can have breakfast together. And then maybe we could go upstairs and—“

“Are you sure you aren’t too busy? You don’t have someone else on the Team you absolutely need to do something with? Maybe like Rogers?”

“What are you talking about?”

Tony spun around. “I’m talking about the fact that you have been busy as of late. Especially with Rogers lately.”

“I don’t like what you might be implying.” You folded your arms across your chest.

“Just be honest with me and tell me that you’re sleeping with Rogers.”

“What?! That is ridiculous!”

“Well, you’re not sleeping with me! You are constantly too busy for any time with me!”

“Tony, you are—“

“What did I do to make you turn to him for comfort, huh?”

Tears pricked your eyes. “I can’t believe you.” You turned around and marched toward the door of the lab.

Tony sighed, realizing that he was overreacting. “Wait, Y/N!”

You didn’t respond, simply slamming the door behind you as you exited the lab.

~~~

Tony nervously rocked on his heels as he stood outside of your shared room. You had run there after leaving his lab and hadn’t left. It took Tony far too long than he’d care to admit to come up after you. He sighed before softly knocking on the door.

“Y/N, sweetheart,” he spoke through the door. “May I come in?”

You were laying on the bed, curled up and holding a pillow to your chest. Some of your tears had created a wet spot on the blanket.

“Please,” Tony begged.

Tony knew that the door wasn’t locked, FRIDAY had already informed him of that. He simply wanted to give you some space. He sighed when you didn’t answer. Taking a deep breath, Tony entered the room. His heart broke when seeing you curled up on the bed like that. Slowly, he closed the door behind him and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed behind you.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have freaked out like that and accused you of cheating.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have…” you mumbled.

“I know I crossed a line.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Can you just tell me if I’ve done something wrong?”

You sat up so that you could face him, still keeping the pillow close to you. “What do you mean?”

“Why have you been so distant lately?”

“I haven’t meant to be. I’m just busy with training and helping around the compound. I guess that I get easily distracted by helping people. I am sorry about not going to the lab last night.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. Steve needed me because it was the anniversary of his mother’s passing and Bucky is on a mission. He was really sad and I couldn’t let him be alone. We went to the diner that sits where the diner was that Steve and his mom frequented. I didn’t want him to be alone and he didn’t want to tell anyone else because he didn’t want it to be a big deal. But I should have told you.”

“No, you didn’t need to tell me. I should have had a cooler head earlier.”

You moved closer to him. “Can we just agree that we both made mistakes?”

Tony nodded. “Yes.” He timidly pulled you into him. “I’ve really missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” You leaned in for a soft kiss on his lips. 

“Can I make a request for a weekly date night?”

“Of course,” you smiled. “What night?”

“Friday.”

“Friday it is then. And no matter what, we will keep it.”

“Deal.”

[constellationmelody]

Finished listening to the New Midnight Burger episode, though I’ll admit, I'm gonna miss the last logo, the new logo is great! 

I loved the new episode, and It's an early Mother’s Day episode! And learn something new about Caspar and Ava. Ava's mother confessed she’s pregnant when Caspar's mothers entered the Diner/club when Caspar was only a 2-year-old toddler, and i can assume that he's 2-3 years older than Ava; If Caspar’s is correct when he subtracted his years he spent on earth compare to his actual age in space in the diner then I assume he’s about 43-44 human years old(?). (I need to relisten to that again) In mannerisms and speech, Ava resembles her mom, the only difference being their ambitions. Playing piano isn’t bad, if anything, it may have helped her have better than most working memory.  I feel for Gloria. I haven’t yet experienced a loss that feels like a part of your soul was ripped away but I can imagine seeing them brought back through malicious intent, is heartbreakingly cruel.  Ava’s favorite song is hilarious! I had to look us the song, Somehow that kind of song reminds me of another song because it just matches another equally hilarious absurd song I loved and looked it up. I thought I’ve heard of the guy’s name before! I like his song, The Masochism Tango. She (and her VA) sings beautifully. Good for Ava though, Bit by bit she’s learning to be empathetic. Comforting two people about their communication skills as these married couple, who living in a different universes where one is about to be destroyed and now, a new mom on being a bad mom. Also, It feels a bit comforting to me because of the doubts I’ve been feeling on that particular subject. Oh Clementine's even reality bending powers can’t stop all suffering in the universe, you can show compassion for it to pass forward to other people that the diner can’t visit for, heaven knows that there’s a lot of depressed people suffering. Kinda like in Inside out when Joy realize that when a person suffers, there people who’ll come to aid and show compassion. Her offers are really tempting, offering the chance to rectify past mistakes, reunite with lost loved ones, and get back long-held dreams, finally putting an end to one's suffering. While Zebulon and Effie may view the offers as a potential deal with the devil, given Clementine's reality-bending powers and the incredible nature of her offer, ((I am certain that she will require something in return - even if she is unaware of it herself, believing her intentions to be pure.)) Despite the temptation, I doubt that Leif and Ava will accept the offer. especially Ava. Ava is more concerned with the truth than being believed by others. I mean, would she really resist the opportunity to travel through time and dimensions to test her theories or stay on earth and have her theories just be numbers on a chalkboard without proof?  Thinking to myself The Mucklewains, though they may not be the same people as the once lived in the 1920s, they are still real people that we love and respect. Physical bodies or not. Oh man, That cliffhanger. I like that Caspar is like growing as a person. He was a really grumpy guy when you first met him, like you could imagine this dude already growing white hair but he’s really grow to be more open and jokes around with others. Looking at him, 173 years old young and joking about it.  I know there’s more that I’m missing but I've those are the main plot points that happened in the episode that I can remember. I’ve heard it once, I will listen to it again later.  I also loved the bloopers they added at the end of the podcast. XD.

[backtothestart02]

Surviving the Quarantine - 1/? | westallen fanfiction

A/N: Combining like three fic ideas in one, but I'm really excited about it. Should be fun! (Side note: I also started another fic like a week or so ago that I haven't posted here yet. It's on AO3, but I should hopefully be able to post it here tomorrow as well!)

...

Synopsis: AU - She never thought she’d find her soulmate in a family 24 hour diner at half-past midnight, but then she didn’t think they’d get stuck in Costa Rica on their third date either.

...

Chapter 1 -

By the time Iris’ private plane landed in Central City, it was well past midnight. She’d planned on being in town well before 10 o’clock, but the meeting at her Coast City Citizen branch had gone on longer than expected, and since she hadn’t been capable of sleeping on planes since she was a little girl, she took a nap at the hotel by the airport before they took off for their southern destination.

“I’m hungry,” she announced, as soon as the flight attendant came through to announce their arrival.

“We can stop somewhere when we get out of the airport,” Linda Park, her personal assistant who went everywhere with her, said offhandedly. “Or maybe room service will still be open when we get to the hotel.”

“Doubtful.” Iris wrinkled her nose. “Last time we were here, they closed at 9 o’clock.”

“Shameful for a 5-star hotel.”

“Four stars,” Iris corrected, to which Linda sighed. “Still a nice establishment though. Beautiful views of the city – and a pool!”

“Which you didn’t have time to swim in, as usual.”

Iris pouted, remembering. She hadn’t had time in Coast City either. But she planned on being in Central City longer, so maybe she’d have time. She hoped she would. This was the last branch she was visiting before going on a much needed vacation. Costa Rica maybe, she contemplated, as the plane came to a stop.

“Ladies,” the pilot exited the cockpit with his co-pilot and greeted them at the start of the aisle. “We have arrived.”

“Thank you, Robert.”

Iris got out of her seat, and Linda was quick to follow, grabbing both hers and Iris’ carry-on luggage.

“Steven will get your luggage out of the baggage compartment when you get off the plane,” the co-pilot, Frederick, told her.

Iris smiled politely and thanked the two men for the smooth flight. Within minutes they’d descended the staircase from the plane to the ground and retrieved their luggage from Steven. A limo was waiting for them, and their usual Central City chauffer, Alex, took their luggage immediately, setting it inside the large trunk and opening the back doors for the ladies to climb inside.

“Alex.” Linda knocked lightly on the closed partition between them, and it immediately lowered once Alex was in the driver’s seat.

“Yes, Ms. Park?”

“Are there any restaurants open to Ms. West’s standards?”

“No 5-star restaurants as far as I know, and I’ve lived here all my life.”

Linda pouted, but Iris was not so disappointed. She still held out hope.

“Are there any restaurants at all, Alex?” she asked. “Maybe a 24-hour family restaurant?”

Linda’s jaw dropped.

“Iris, you’ve nev-”

Iris covered her assistant’s mouth with her hand.

“One cannot be so picky when one is hungry.”

Their driver stifled a chuckle.

“Alex?” she inquired again.

“I believe there is one,” he allowed. “It’s not far either. Family-owned. I know them personally, and their chef is excellent. Great service too.”

“Fantastic, make that our destination then. Afterwards we’ll go to the hotel.”

“As you wish, Ms. West.”

Iris relaxed in her seat, her hand long since fallen from Linda’s lips.

“You can’t be serious,” Linda immediately objected after the partition lifted again. “What if someone sees?”

“Who is going to see at half-past midnight, Linda?” She raised an eyebrow. “And even if someone does, who cares? I should be branching out where I eat anyway. If it’s a good experience, it’ll be good publicity for that restaurant.”

Linda sighed and fell back into the leather seat.

“I mean, I guess…”

“It is. Now, just relax, Linda, or you’ll start stressing me out.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she muttered under her breath, and Iris turned to look out the window as the airport disappeared from view to reveal the lit-up city. She smiled faintly.

It was good to be coming home.

…

Felicity stood at the front counter, waiting hopelessly for new customers to arrive. She knew she couldn’t wait much longer though or her supervisor would tell her to start cleaning tables. She excelled at that too, she knew, but she much preferred tending to customers. The second worst outcome would be him telling her to go home. Her shift would be over in an hour, but she couldn’t afford to go home before then. She needed the money.

“You’re dawdling.”

Felicity spun around to see the gangly stalk of a man approaching her.

Barry Allen.

He wasn’t as easy on the eyes as her boyfriend, Ray, or even her ex-boyfriend, Oliver, but she’d tousled his hair a time or two, and it was as silky a brown as ever she’d laid her eyes on. His eyes were a riveting green too, and his smile could make a girl weak in the knees, especially with those dimples of his. She had him in her back pocket as a rebound or a one-night stand should she ever need one – or at the very least to make the object of her desire jealous when she was between boyfriends.

“I am not, dawdling, Mr. Allen. I am simply preparing myself for the next customer.”

“Uh-huh. At 12:35 in the morning?” He raised his eyebrows.

“You know as well as I do that we do get some stragglers around this time.”

“Mmm.” He didn’t sound convinced, though she knew he knew as well as she did that she was right.

Just then a jingle sounded over the glass door, and in walked two attractive women. The one on the left was pretty but not notable. The other, however, had Felicity’s jaw dropping before Barry could even register why.

“I stand corrected,” he mused, then looked at her, confused. “What?”

“Don’t you know who that is?”

He frowned. “No?”

She blinked, stunned.

“Let’s not keep them waiting though, yeah?” He nudged her, and she nodded before moving around him to get to the ladies.

“Booth or table?” He heard her saying and cracked a grin, only mildly worried that they might have a celebrity in their midst that he didn’t know about. He was fairly sheltered as far as knowing about that sort of thing went.

“Booth, please.”

A few minutes later, Barry approached the table, pulling a notepad and pen from the little apron tied around his waist.

“Good morning, ladies. My name is Barry. I’ll be your server today. Shall I get you started on drinks?”

“Coffee, decaf,” the one on the right said.

“Linda,” the one of the left scolded.

“I said decaf,” Linda defended, and the other rolled her eyes.

“I’ll have orange juice and pancakes and sausage…and hashbrowns…and a cinnamon roll. Do you have all those things? I didn’t look at the menu.”

She bit her bottom lip, and Barry found himself briefly distracted by how full her lips were.

“I, uh…yes!” he said at last. “Yes, we do.”

I like a woman who knows what she wants, he thought to himself, careful to not openly flirt aloud. He wasn’t the best flirt in town, but once he started, he had a tendency not to stop.

He jotted down the order and turned to the decaf drinker.

“And for you?”

Linda shook her head, about to refuse food in general.

“You have to eat,” the other woman said.

“Iris,” she seethed, and Iris chuckled.

“She’ll have a blueberry muffin. Maybe more later.”

Barry smirked, but then quickly hid it.

Linda’s mouth was hanging open as he jotted the order down.

“I’ll be back shortly with your drinks.”

“Thank you,” Iris said, smiling up at him serenely.

He found himself briefly spellbound again by her lips.

“Shut your mouth, Linda. I know you’re hungry too, and blueberry is your favorite,” Barry overheard as he headed for the kitchen with his order. He chuckled under his breath. This would be a fun table to serve at just after 12:30 in the morning.

[savethevirginia]

𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝖛𝖎𝖗𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖎𝖆 𝖉𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖔𝖑𝖑: 𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓

ELLA PURNELL, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER who’s that? oh it’s VIRGINIA DRISCOLL. i hear they’re TWENTY TWO YEARS OLD and are known as THE BUTTERFLY around SKULL ROCK. they’re also a LIFEGUARD at HAWKINS COMMUNITY POOL. they’re known to be LIBERATED & CONFIDENT and MANIPULATIVE & SELF-CENTERED. some people say they remind them of THE MAKEOVER MONTAGE WHEN A GIRL TAKES OFF HER GLASSES AND PULLS DOWN HER PONYTAIL TO (SURPRISE!) FIND OUT SHE’S BEEN ATTRACTIVE ALL ALONG, STUMBLING DOWNTOWN WITH A BOTTLE IN HER HAND, MAKING OUT IN A BAR BATHROOM, BURN MARKS LEFT FROM A CURLING IRON, AND SPRAYING HAIRSPRAY IN YOUR EYES. only one way to find out!

BASIC INFORMATION

full name: Virginia Claire Driscoll

nickname(s): Ginny, Gin

age: Twenty-Two

date of birth: August 2nd, 1966

hometown: Hawkins, Indiana

current location: Hawkins, Indiana

orientation: Bisexual

religion: Atheist

occupation: Recent Graduate from Penn State University (B.A. in English and Communications)

living arrangements: Living with her dad but she SWEARS she’ll get an apartment soon xx

language(s) spoken: English

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

faceclaim: Ella Purnell

hair color: Brunette

eye color: Dark Brown

height: 5′4

FAMILY

father: Darla St. James

mother: Solomon Driscoll

grandparents: Doris and Jack Driscoll

uncle: Spencer St. James

PERSONALITY

sun/moon/rising: Leo/Taurus/Gemini

label: The Butterfly

positive traits: Liberated & Confident 

negative traits: Manipulative & Self-Centered

NANCY’S CHARACTER PLAYLIST (AKA FAVORITE SONGS)

karma chameleon - culture club

come on eileen - dexys midnight runners

only the good die young - billy joel

raspberry beret - prince

dancing in the dark - bruce springsteen

don’t you want me - the human league

tell it to my heart - taylor dayne

cruel summer - bananarama

HEADCANONS

Darla Johnson and Solomon Driscoll were never a couple that was truly in love. The pair met in high school and after a couple years of dating, found themselves pregnant with Virginia. They had a shotgun wedding and it came to no surprise when they announced their divorce when Virginia was five. She likes to think her parents spared her. They cut things off quick when she couldn’t even remember them being together, rather than having to pay for all the therapy bills if they had got a divorce when Ginny was older.

Ginny never had much of a relationship with her paternal grandparents. She never got a clear answer as to why. Sometimes her dad would take her out to Benny’s Diner to visit with her grandpa, but her grandma was always a bit of a mystery. The only semblance of an answer she got was that her grandma wasn’t well, that she was crazy, and that it was best for Virginia. After her grandmother’s death, she wondered if that was even true, but it’s not like she can go back in time.

Popular. It was a word that would never describe little Ginny Driscoll! She flew under the radar for most of high school. Smart, but not to the point of valedictorian. Quirky, but not to the point where it was noticeable. Kids were mean and she was more than happy to just pass them by as nothing more than a body in the hallway. 

It came as no shock when Virginia decided to go to Penn State University in Pennsylvania. She had no clear ties to Hawkins other than her parents, so she packed her bags. The first night she was in her dorm, her roommate suggested going out to a party (and thank God for that!). High school Ginny would have never gone out to a party, but it was a freshman mixer, and her roommate just begged her to do a little makeover. The day Ginny was introduced to contacts and a curling iron changed her life. That night she came into her own. She was no longer little Ginny Driscoll who let people copy off her homework in the morning. She was Virginia, the freshman who could handle her liquor at night and still make it to her 8am in time.

A recent graduate, Virginia has made her way back to Hawkins like many of her other high school peers and she hasn’t had much of a luck finding a job. Her fault for majoring in two totally useless majors! For the time being, though, she’s mostly working part time at the Hawkins pool and being an absolute menace to anyone who has enough courage to talk to her!

pinterest board | mixtape

[wallflower-koharu]

Happy friday! It’s almost Christmas for those who celebrate, and it IS Hannukah- so happy holidays! Do you think your favorite pokemon character has any fun holiday traditions? If not, here’s a question- are they pro- or anti- ugly sweaters? Would any of their pokemon tolerate a sweater for the holidays? Stay warm, and happy friday!

Hi :)

Yes, I think people in the pokemon world have fun holiday traditions, but I'm not sure if under a religious aspect (would they worship Arceus? Or other legendaries?)

Ash is used to spend winter holidays in every part of the world, but after Sun Moon, he spends it with his Alolan family and his mother. He celebrates with Goh too,wearing matching ugly sweaters (Goh pretends being embarassed by it,but he likes matching with Ash.). Pikachu hates sweaters, but Lucario and Cinderace seem to like them (even if Lucario breaks them because of that spike on his chest)

When he was little they used to celebrate winter holidays in her Delia's diner, with Gary and Professor Oak, exchanging gifts and talking about pokemon.

...

Chloe spends her time with her family, waiting until midnight to wait for Santa. She doesn't believe in him, but pretends to because of her little brother.

Now she calls Dawn, Regina and Serena for long, long calls and she is planning to spend time with them on New Year's Eve.

They send each other fashionable gifts, and something for Yamper and Eevee.

Her heart is still indecisive, so she choose to date the girl of her dreams once she is older. (Also, she is anti- ugly sweaters)

....

Goh used to spend holidays with his grandmother, since his parents couldn't be home. They used to visit Chloe's family often.

He is planning to spend more time with Ash on New Year's Eve.

....

(Other characters in the reblog)

[midnightunderground-hq]

Event 001: All Hallows’ Eve Night Out

A Tale Told....

While Moira’s passing has shook the Midnight Underground to it’s very core and the people mourn (or at least pretend to), our supernatural friends would not miss such a momentous night. She would have wanted them to have fun, some people say.

My dearest puppet masters, I dare say it would be foolish to think that the creatures that go bump in the night would not be absolutely tickled pink at the very idea of a night dedicated completely to them. Debauchery runs rampant on The Strip these nights and those who may not normally be able to let their true selves out are at last free to run wild without fear of judgement. Vampires bite humans without fear of being burned at the stake, wizards unleash powerful potions into the night, and wolves are asked how they got their eyes to glow in the night.

It is an evening of depravity for all and while the passing of their Orator so soon to the Holiday is a tragedy, it does not mean they cannot enjoy themselves

While running amuck against the mundane is not a requirement for the evening and is, still, frowned upon by the higher ups in the Midnight Underground, there is still much to be do and excitement to be had! Each circle is having their own party this night, with various tricks (and treats) to behold. Please remember that costumes, or a visage of your own that appears enough like a costume to not attract attention from the Unaware, are required. 

While, officially, potential candidates for each circle have not been declared, there are certain parties to be privy too. You will see them in positions of power throughout your evening. Perhaps this is your chance to get to know them before they step forward and into the political night.

There are private party signs hung up at each establishment below and you, my little doves, have the golden ticket.

Chameleon Club will be hosting a costume contest with the winner to receive, well, a special prize they aren’t quite too keen on revealing yet. You know how those faeries can be after all. Hollis Fiala, the heir to the Fae High Court Throne, will be judging so you had better bring your best looks. Still, they assure me and our dear Guide that the reward will help you greatly in dealing away with any lingering promises you may have lurking in your closet.

Pete’s Diner, ever the beacon of normalcy in the midst of a sea of strange, is having a simple Halloween fair. They encourage you to bring your family for festivities. There will be bobbing for apples, a quaint little pumpkin patch, and a pumpkin carving contest hosted by Damien Harker, a local business man as far as the Unaware know, who has donated a fair bit to this wonderful night. He’s offering the cash prize for the evening and perhaps a bit more if you know the right words.

The Carmilla is not usually the host of such events, as the Filthy Fenrir has the feelings of less pomp and circumstances on nights such as this, but for some reason the Speakeasy claims they’ll be far too busy with preparations for something. Karlha Whitlock, a wolf on the rise to power, has challenged all party goers to make a drink using her three favorite ingredients: vodka, grenadine, and some sort of citrus fruit. Winner will have their cocktail become part of the menu under the name: Hair of the Dog, and the vampires promise aid should things get, well, hairy in the future.

La Fortuna will be carrying in it’s yearly tradition with a grand poker tournament that all of the Midnight Underground are invited to attend. And this years prize? A chip blessed by Thaddeus James himself with a promise to see one future event with perfect clarity. No one quite knows why Thaddeus seems to be the front runner for the Power, but you have always heard just how vibrant his visions are.

Implications for the game.....

As I’m sure you’ve managed to put together, this event is particularly interactive. The guide and I ask you of a few things. We give you full permission to visit any and all of these wonderful events occurring around the Midnight Underground and you may participate in any or all of the events!

We will ask that you tell us which event(s) you wish to participate in. Each group will be placed in different channels and asked to roll a dice. Whoever has the highest roll will be given the respective prize. Should you win one game, fantastic, but you cannot win any more than that. However if you’ve signed up for multiple and you fail to win the first, you may keep going!

AND WITH THAT, THE DASH IS OPEN FOR INTERACTIONS!

How does that sound turtledoves? A chance at winning something that could possibly change your lives. And your futures.

Sincerely,

[realityparty]

EDDIE MUNSON WEEK: Day seven (August 21): grief/ revenge or free choice

SUMMARY: It’s the Class of ‘86 high school reunion and for once Eddie can’t wait to be back in Hawkins, Indiana.  Word Count: 7k Warnings: Implied sex, mentions of bullying/drug use/selling Additional Comments:  So, this didn't come out exactly how I wanted it to, but I'm happy enough with it. I hope you guys like it. Writing Links: Stranger Things Masterlist

There wasn't much that Eddie Munson could do to surprise Jensen Munson, formerly Jensen Thomas. She had known Eddie Munson since she was 9 and he was 11 and moved in with his uncle at the Forest Hills Trailer Park. Their friendship had started there. She forced him to be her live art model for many paintings and she was his biggest critic and fan as he started Corroded Coffin. She always was subjected to his various campaigns for D&D despite never taking an interest himself.

It was when she was 17 that their friendship turned into more and she never looked back. Hell, before they even graduated, Eddie had the crazy idea of them getting married on her 18th birthday. However, she had shot that idea down gently, but a month later, during spring break on Saturday, March 22nd, they had gotten hitched at the courthouse, shocking Uncle Wayne, her father, and the Hellfire Club.

Of course, Hawkins High had determined that it was a shotgun wedding and even if it was, she didn't care. She and Eddie had plans to move to New York as soon as they graduated, which they did. It wasn't easy. They had a studio apartment above a tattoo shop they could barely afford. For the first six months, they only had a mattress, Eddie's guitar, her art supplies, and a suitcase full of clothes to their name. There were times the stress of scrounging money for rent or groceries had them bickering with each other. There was a different type of stress when one didn't know when their next meal was going to come. She was honestly scared that their marriage wouldn't last the arguments and icy silences.

Somehow, they did. It all seemed to fall into place for them as she was selling her artwork on the streets as she did when she wasn't working the midnight shift at the diner when an art dealer happened to come across her display. One thing led to another, and she was asked to potentially do a private viewing for some of the elites in New York.

She remembered being so excited as she rushed home to Eddie. He had been fast asleep on their cold mattress when she jumped on the bed, startling him awake. She had been so excited as maybe - just maybe - they would be able to afford a TV stand for their TV. She knew if it had been any other man that were would have been jealousy building up between them - resentment. But he had been supportive and the best thing was two days later he had surprised her with a new set of oil pastels.

Eddie worked between a record store and a couple of nights at a music bar. He took more shifts than her to support them. She knew, though, as much as he had been supportive and helped her keep the dates of gallery openings and contact information for clients, he was waiting for his break.

It happened about six months later. It was a one-off chance encounter, as a radio personality had decided to visit Eddie's seedy bar. The two had talked about music and somehow Eddie came away with a job hosting a radio show for an hour.

It was scary and exciting how their life in New York had seemed to change overnight. Eddie's show had taken off with the radio. Her work was being featured in magazines and the value of her work was growing. They were able to afford a bedframe. However, the most frightening thing that happened was finding out she was pregnant.

Their son, David Wayne Munson, was born three years after their move to New York. It had been scary learning how to be a parent and being in charge of raising another person. Two years later, their second child, their daughter, Maddox, was born. By then, they were able to move into a brownstone in Brooklyn.

Things were good and amazing. They had been able to move Wayne into a better house in Hawkins. She moved her dad to upstate New York. They had made a name for themselves. They were becoming worth more than all of Hawkins combined.

So for the life of her, she couldn't understand why her husband wanted to go to their high school reunion. When they went back to Hawkins, she did the most to avoid anyone from her high school days. Any pleasantries she avoided as they would be fake. As much as she wanted to brag, it wasn't in her. It wasn't in her or the energy it took.

She watched as Eddie played with his mini-me, Maddox. Unlike David, Maddox seemed to be the carbon copy of her father. She never seemed to run out of energy. She wanted to be just like her father, from the leather jackets, denim vests, rock music, guitar playing, and most important wanting to play D&D.

Eddie and she were currently roughhousing on their bed as she packed around them.

"I think it will be fun, babe," Eddie explained as he placed their 5-year-old on his shoulders, twirled around, and fell back on the bed. Jensen couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips from Maddox's glee.

"For you, maybe," Jensen replied as she zipped her bag shut. Eddie could have fun staring at paint drying.

Eddie got up from the bed and held their little girl upside down. "Hey, Wayne is excited to see the kids."

"Uncle Wayne!" Maddox exclaimed as Eddie flipped her to place on her feet.

"Yep, baby girl, remember we are going to Hawkins," Eddie replied with a smile.

It was instantaneous that the two of them made devil horns and stuck their tongues out. Jensen rolled her eyes at the two.

"Hey, baby girl, why don't you go pick out a movie for us to watch in the living room?"

Maddox rushed out of the room, and Eddie pounced.

"Eddie!" Jensen yelled as she found herself in Eddie's strong grip and he brought them both down on the bed.

"You going to tell me what's really wrong?" Eddie asked her as he peered down at her. She accommodated him between her thighs. His large brown doe eyes questioning.

"I just…we hated Hawkins. It's one thing to visit Wayne, but it's another thing to mingle with those people."

In a way, Jensen had always felt she and Eddie and all the people they tormented, especially anyone connected with Hellfire club, were better than the bullies like Jason Craver and Billy Hargrove. They didn't need to put other people down to feel better about themselves.

So going back to gloat and rub it in their faces of her and Eddie's shared success felt like snooping to their levels.

"We're not mingling. We are just going back to confirm that yes, we are indeed the next Adams family."

Jensen snorted. Eddie smiled and kissed her nose. "Besides, Jeff is going to be there and I haven't seen him in years. And Nancy Wheeler helped set this up and Jonathon basically conned me through Will that I needed to go. And I can't go without the hottest woman in existence, who happens to be my wife. Let's be honest, babe, I love showing you off every chance I get."

"Glad I can stroke your ego."

Eddie's eyes turned wicked. "You do more than stroke it, sweetheart."

Jensen didn't even get a chance to make a witty retort as she found her mouth invaded as Eddie gave her a deep kiss. He nipped at her lips for entrance as his tongue expertly stroked hers.

"Don't get cocky," she muttered against his lips, as she could feel his smile as she became boneless from the kiss.

Her legs widened to accommodate him as he pressed into her. The familiar ache settled deep in her belly.

"Eddie," Jensen whimpered as he pulled back. She knew both of their lips were swollen.

"I got you," he promised as he dove back down. His right hand moved underneath her shirt.

However, there was one universal truth out there and it was children were the most effective form of birth control.

"Eww, Mommy, Daddy, that's yucky," Maddox whined.

Jensen felt the bed dip, and she huffed as Maddox's small hand pushed Eddie's face away from her.

Eddie gasped as if he was wounded and dramatically fell down on the floor. Maddox giggled.

"Daddy's silly," Jensen said as she leaned up on her elbows.

Eddie popped up. "What do you mean, yucky? Mommy gives the best kisses."

"But you're a boy, Daddy. Boys have cooties," Matilda informed him proudly.

Eddie frowned and looked at Jensen. "If I'm a boy, that means Maddox here won't get any more kisses."

"Oh," Jensen said. "You don't want to deprive Daddy of your sweet kisses."

Maddox scrunched her nose and shook her head.

"Well, I'll tell you a secret," Jensen said in a whisper that Eddie pretended he didn't hear. "Mommies and daddies don't have cooties."

She smiled as Maddox launched at Eddie, who caught her, and it rewarded him with a parade of kisses.

"Are you guys done being gross? I thought we were watching a movie?" David asked from the doorway. He pushed his glasses up as he eyed them all in the room. David took after her, according to Eddie. Serious and quiet. He preferred the company of books and comics, and he was interested in learning how to draw. When Will stopped by, they would spend hours drawing comic book characters.

"Did you pick one out?" Eddie asked.

"Jumanji!" David said excitedly. "Just the popcorn needs to be made."

"Well, I guess we shouldn't keep the children waiting," Eddie said and threw her a sly wink.

Jensen shook her head as she got up from the bed. Maybe bragging to her former peers about Hawkins wouldn't be that bad.

Thankfully, instead of driving, they flew to Hawkins, Indiana. She knew that neither she nor Eddie could possibly survive a 12-hour car ride. Sometimes, she couldn't survive a 30-minute one with Eddie. Thankfully, David could keep himself entertained with a book, although this time he wanted her help in drawing and Eddie was able to keep Maddox entertained with his crazy stories from their childhood before she fell asleep.

Wayne Munson greeted them. She didn't know who was more excited to see him, the kids or Eddie. It seemed they were all fighting for a hug from Wayne. Each kid straddled to his leg while he had Eddie wrapped in a tight hug.

She hated that Wayne was here all by himself. She knew as much as he was supportive of her and Eddie leaving; it had to hurt. Wayne had always been more of a father to Eddie than an uncle. Just like he was more than a grandpa than an uncle to her own children.

Wayne was finally able to pull away to give him a hug of her own. "It's good to see you, sweetheart."

"You too."

The drive to Wayne's was more of the same. The kids go on a mile a minute about how life is in New York. There was no point in correcting them if a detail was wrong. Wayne listened dutifully. The oldest Munson was able to pick up the details seamlessly. She figured raising Eddie had prepared him for chaotic thoughts, passing past lips with no filter.

Wayne's house was on Lover's Lake. It was a two-story five-bedroom home that, on more than one occasion, he had expressed, was too big for just him. Jensen believed that sometimes he missed the trailer he raised Eddie in.

Though the house did provide a lot of space for her children to explore. One of the unfortunate things about living in the city, her kids did not have a backyard to explore. She knew it may come to a point that she and Eddie would need to move further out of the city.

She smiled as Eddie ran out of the car after his kids.

She laughed as Wayne had a camera ready to snap pictures.

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

Jensen groaned at the sound of Eddie's voice. As she tried to stay in dreamland, she hugged the pillow tighter against her body. She wanted to stay sleeping in their bed at Wayne's. She sometimes missed the sheer quietness Hawkins brought. New York City never slept, but Hawkins did.

"Wayne took the kids for the day," Eddie told her.

Jensen popped her eyes open. She turned to find Eddie peering down at her from where he lay behind her. His brown eyes twinkled.

"Poor Wayne," Jensen muttered, causing Eddie to laugh. "And what do you have planned for the day?"

She knew her husband had something planned if the kids were gone and he was waking her up out of her precious sleep.

"Thought we could go down memory lane," he told her.

Jensen sighed as Eddie pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Come on, babe."

Memory lane wasn't really a lane. Eddie only had one place that he wanted to visit on such short notice. He had packed a basket for a picnic as Jensen got ready. He knew Jensen was not a fan of traveling back to Hawkins. When they did come to visit Wayne, she would camp out at the house. She never went into the town or wanted to visit people.

When she left this place, she never wanted to look back. As much as Eddie felt the same way considering how the town treated him, he looked back. He couldn't truly abandon the place where he met the love of his life. He loved walking through the town and pointing out places that held good and bad memories to his kids. Those moments, no matter how cruel, shaped him into the person he was today.

These moments were fuel to his success. Hawkins, as much as they hated it, it was the foundation of their relationship. She made Hawkins better for him. Sometimes he missed seeing the familiar landmarks of Hawkins that they made special to them.

Jensen's footsteps could be heard trudging down the steps. She was wearing an orange cropped tank with oversized jeans. Despite the two kids, her body looked better than ever. Eddie grinned at the sight of her.

"Why do I have a feeling I am going to regret this?" she mumbled as she fluffed her curly hair with her hands. She peered at the picnic basket he was filling with food.

Eddie wrapped his arm around her waist. His lips pressed a kiss to her neck. Jensen's skin erupted in goosebumps. Eddie wasn't one for bragging. He liked to think that most times he was above. He was a humble and simple man. Though the radio host never missed the opportunity to gloat that Jensen was his wife. They were the high school sweethearts that made it. They survived the growing pains of adolescence.

They defied the odds of their young marriage and were thriving with two kids and successful in their careers.

Though the most glaring and obvious fact between the two of them was the fact Jensen was without a doubt the most beautiful - sexiness - woman in the world. Even in the bleak halls of Hawkins High, he was fully aware that he was a very lucky man. He was just an average white boy in his opinion and somehow had scored the hottest chick to ever grace Hawkins.

"It's going to be fine," he assured her. "Besides, when is the last time it was just the two of us without the kids?"

She leaned back in his hold. With two busy careers and two of his offspring, it was unsaid that sometimes they sacrificed their time with each other. It felt that sometimes the two could only ever have some quality time if they managed to shower together. Not for any sexy time, but it was the only time they didn't have one of their kids wedged in between them.

Eddie was grateful that they were still strong, happy, and in love. They may not be able to have all the alone time they used to, but the love was still there. It was the little notes she would leave for him in the music sleeves he listened to as she did for their kids in their lunch boxes. He always made sure to dedicate a song to her on every radio show he did at the times he knew she would be listening.

"I love you," he told her. He would never get tired of telling her that. Sometimes he felt he couldn't tell or show her enough.

"You better."

Eddie chuckled as she moved out of his arms and helped him finish packing their meal.

Sometimes, he forgot how small Hawkins really was. With her smooth hand tightly clasped with his, the two of them made the trek into the woods that surrounded his uncle's place. Jensen had to of known where they were heading. There was only one reason why couples would trek through the woods.

It was to head to the infamous Skull Rock, which still stood tall and foreboding. He grimaced at the litter and wrappers of condoms on the forest floor. Some things never did change.

"This is a good memory for you?" Jensen asked.

Sure, there were a lot of other places they could have gone. Ones with much more meaning, innocent and naughty. Yet, Skull rock was the bridge between those things. It was where they first smoked a joint together with a small radio between them. Surprisingly, they admitted their feelings to each other under these stones, but not their first kiss.

They admitted their feelings, but a kiss didn't come until they were laying on the roof of his trailer looking at the stars.

After that kiss, they did the trek to Skull Rock on occasion. Kissing and touches were shared, but mostly it was a place to be surrounded by silence.

Everyone was such voyeurs in their relationship. People constantly picked them apart for everything they did. Skull Rock seemed the only place there weren't magnifying glasses on them. Here they could finally be themselves.

"Is it not for you?"

"I don't think I have bad memories with you, Eddie," Jensen replied as she grimaced at an open condom wrapper.

"Babe, we're already married. No need to flatter me," Eddie replied as he pulled the blanket out of his bag and brought it down on the ground.

"You're just easy, babe. It should be concerning."

"Oh, babe, you know it's only for you."

Jensen snorted before she joined him on the blanket. He prayed that no horny teens tried to come to this spot. She laid out some of the snacks he brought before he made himself comfortable, laying his head in her lap.

Eddie closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Jensen's fingers softly scratching his scalp and the rays of the sun warming him. He could do this without the fear of Maddie climbing all over him and crushing his family jewels. It seemed his spitfire daughter was intent on making sure she would be the baby of the family forever.

"This is nice," he muttered.

Jensen hummed in agreement. Her fingers moved from his hair and onto his face. She traced his nose, lips, and cheeks. "Sometimes, I miss your long hair."

Eddie opened his eyes. It had been a sad day when he cut his hair. He had been debating it for a bit. It wasn't because he wanted to look professional or anything. Just the maintenance of having long hair was a lot, even with Jensen's help. He wanted something a little less time-consuming. They cut it short enough to slick back. He felt Jensen mourned the loss of his curls more than he. However, now he was growing it out a bit just for her.

"Miss me choking you in your sleep?" He pondered. He sure as hell didn't miss Maddie's and David's grubby hands pulling on his long locks.

"I miss having something to pull and you do, too."

Eddie raised an eyebrow at his minx of a wife. Maybe he wasn't the only one being horny. "Baby, I still do, and we can test that theory. I thought the two kids were a testament to that."

A smile overtook Jensen's features at the mention of their kids. The best pieces of them in the form of two beautiful kids, whom gave him daily heart attacks when they decided to tap into his reckless genes.

"It's crazy don't you think how far we've come."

Eddie nodded his head. It was crazy to think he came from a trailer to a brimstone in New York City and he still had his girl at his side.

"It was scary…those first couple of years. Couldn't have done it without, baby," Jensen told him as she bent and kissed his nose.

A kiss on the nose wasn't enough. He brought her down to meet his lips. His tongue demanded entrance. A moan escaped Jensen's throat, which had her pulling back. Her lips were swollen as she heaved for breath.

She threw an indignant look his way. "Oh no, you are out of your mind if you think I'm sleeping with you out in these woods!"

Eddie scrambled as he crowded Jensen. He hovered over her and his hands wrapped around her wrists, keeping her down. "Hey, I think we are the only couple that hasn't fucked in the woods."

"Yeah, but I think we are the only ones to fuck underneath the school bleachers. I still don't know how you convinced me to do that."

Eddie gave her a wicked gleam. Now, that was being reckless at their finest. It was her damn fault for wearing those shorts that were practically daily dukes and to top it off she was wearing a severely shrunken Hellfire shirt that clung a little too good to her skin and showed off her soft tummy and a bellybutton piercing.

"Eddie."

Eddie leaned down and inhaled Jensen's scent. His nose pressed against her neck. She found this perfume that made her smell like heaven, or marshmallows and caramel. He nipped at her neck, careful enough not to leave any lingering marks, but to get his intention across.

His lips created a trail to his lips. He used his thigh to nudge her legs apart. "Don't you want to create some new memories, baby," he whispered.

"You're nothing, but trouble."

Eddie chuckled, as he knew he won the battle.

Eddie scratched his chest as he walked downstairs to the kitchen. After making some new memories at Skull Rock, he and Jensen had enjoyed the lunch he packed. They talked and reminisce and it felt like they were teenagers again. He knew it was something they both needed. Just time and attention for the two of them. When they arrived back home with the sun setting, they found the kids and Wayne passed out on the couch. They tried to move the kids, but Wayne had woken up insisting to let them stay there.

He entered the kitchen to find a fresh brew pop of coffee and his uncle sitting on his back porch with his mug and smoking a cigarette.

Eddie grabbed his own mug. He found the kids still passed out on the couch before he joined his uncle. "I thought you were trying to quit."

"Trying being the operative word," Wayne replied.

Eddie snorted as he sat down next to Wayne. The sound of chirping birds filled the air. Small laps of the lake against the grit and dirt on the edge of the land echoed.

"You liking the place?" Eddie asked. It had been a hard bargain trying to get his uncle out of that trailer he grew up in. Wayne wasn't one for material things outside of the many mugs and trucker hats he gifted him through the years. So when he and Jensen had made it where they could help out their family, Wayne had been the most resistant to any help. Wayne just wanted to worry about themselves and the kids.

However, considering how much the kids loved visiting Wayne, his uncle knew the family had outgrown the slabs of metal.

"I got so much space. I don't know what to do with it!"

"I know it's crazy how those coffee mugs barely cover a wall!"

Wayne snorted. "But it's a nice house. Just not used to it. Can't thank you guys enough."

Eddie nodded. He understood where his uncle was coming from, as the newfound wealth had taken some adjusting. The fact both he and Jensen could live comfortably to be able to take care of two kids and Wayne and Jensen's dad was something he had trouble with sometimes. They were extremely smart with their money, but Eddie could never get over the fear the money would be gone one day.

"You don't need to thank us."

"Kids are a handful," Wayne said with a chuckle. "Or I should say Maddie is. You sure shot that one out."

Eddie rubbed his forehead. Maddie was his twin, and he knew the teenage years were going to be a grand time. She was a handful, which he encouraged. He did not want to stifle his children. Wayne never did it to him as he grew and figured out who he was. Eddie wasn't going to do the same with his children.

"We've already been getting notes from teachers. She likes to disrupt class with grand speeches."

Wayne tapped his cigarette in the ashtray. "That sounds familiar. So Davey all's Jensen?"

"I would say he is most like you," Eddie admitted. David kept to himself. He preferred his books and drawing materials. He had a serious disposition that sometimes concerned Eddie. However, any worry evaporated once he and Maddie did one of their little schemes. "But they are happy. It's all I want. And can ask for."

"And you're happy?"

"Does that even need to be asked?" Eddie commented. As long as he had Jensen, Eddie could get by. But their careers and the kids were just extra icing on the cake. "But I would be happier if you moved out to New York. Be nice to have you closer, especially for the kids."

Wayne sipped his coffee. Hawkins was all his uncle knew. He couldn't see his uncle living in the city. But out in the countryside, he knew his uncle could find something. He was due to retire soon and his uncle could live out his retirement in luxury and be a doting grandfather.

"I'll think about it," Wayne compromised. "You and Jen thinking about having more kids?"

"Ahh, I don't know. I'll leave that up to Jen, since she has to carry them." For Eddie, kids weren't something he actively planned. Even in high school, he and Jen had been so careful in ensuring there wouldn't be 'spawns of her uterus' as she would say. They had made the decision that the blessings of kids would only be considered if they could financially afford it. Even after having David, they both had been happy with him, and then Maddie came along. They had the boy and the girl. There hadn't been much talk about expanding, but Eddie wouldn't mind it. He didn't know how to describe seeing pieces of him in his children. To see both of their youth in their small cherub faces.

The sliding door opened, causing both Wayne and Eddie to look at the sleepy form of Maddie rubbing her eyes. Her eyes lit up at the sight of them. Her tiny feet walked out on the cool deck and over to Wayne. He didn't have any issues with her climbing into his lap and making a home.

"You sleep okay, baby girl?" He asked.

Maddie nodded. Her body was still heavy with sleep as she buried her face in Wayne's chest. The same way she used to as a baby.

Eddie wished he had a camera for this moment to freeze it forever.

Jensen didn't know what to expect from the high school reunion. She knew Nancy was on the committee, so it would at least look nice. Overall, she knew that it would be a drag having to mingle with her former peers.

As she stepped out of the car, her thick heels echoed against the pavement, she looked at her former classmates. There seemed to be little change if their scrunched noses were any indications. They were just older now.

She was grateful she didn't wear the dress Eddie had tried to get her to wear. Besides, she wasn't going to wear a dress when Eddie was in jeans, his old Hellfire shirt, and his signature denim and leather jacket. She was glad she stuck with just her high-waisted plaid slacks and a Nirvana shirt tucked in.

She ignored the pointed looks thrown her and Eddie's way as he led them to the sign-in table. She kept her head held up as she and Eddie were happy. They were able to move out of the trailer parks and Hawkins. She didn't start popping babies right out of high school. Their marriage was strong.

As they approached the table, Jensen recognized that familiar strawberry blonde hair. Chrissy Cunningham, or she should say Chrissy Carver. Jensen almost felt bad for the poor girl. She remembered Wayne telling them that Chrissy and Jason created quite a scandal as the head cheerleader and asshole jock had a kid 9 months exactly after their high school graduation.

The families forced marriage. They had forced Chrissy to be a stay-at-home mom while Jason had been able to work for his college degree. Yet the two had shamed the family and nothing could change that. She heard the two had four kids now.

"Eddie and Jensen Munson." Eddie gave their names while they slid two name tags over. Jensen began writing their names.

"Hi, Eddie and Jen. Wow, it's so nice to see you!" Chrissy greeted in what Jen would call that valley cheer voice. She cringed. "You guys are still going strong."

Jensen's eyes narrowed while Eddie chuckled. "10 years and two kids. Don't know how she puts up with me. You and Jason still together?"

Jensen sighed as she couldn't believe her husband was trying to make conversation with this girl. Jensen did not forget the torture Jason tried to put him through when it spread that Chrissy was seen with Eddie at his selling spot. What should have been newlywed bliss had been tainted by stupid rumors of Eddie and Chrissy having an affair or some shit. She had been furious at Eddie for not just trying to sell weed to the girl, but ketamine.

Chrissy's smile dimmed a little. "Yeah." She didn't elaborate as her fingers tapped the table.

Pity. "Well, nice seeing you, Chrissy," Jensen drawled as she slapped their name tags on. She grabbed Eddie's hand and pulled him into the gym. Where the hell was Nancy? She was only here because of her.

"Be nice," Eddie whispered in her ear before giving her a discreet pat on the butt.

"You think she is still doing drugs?" Jensen asked. There was no way Chrissy was enduring that marriage sober.

"Totally. Probably the reason Reefer Rick is still in business."

Jensen folded her arms across her chest. "And how would you know that Rick was still in business?"

Eddie's eyes went wide as a puppy. It was the look of faux innocence that she had seen in both of their children. Her husband didn't answer as he held up a booklet. "Look, it gives us all the deets on our classmates."

She snatched the object out of his hands.

"You think Chris Banner is here?" Eddie asked.

"Chris Banner?" Chris had been on the football team. He was a client of Eddie's in regards to buying weed. She knew Eddie would charge him more just because of this supposed crush. Eddie never took her on a deal, but he claimed Chris always wanted to talk about her despite knowing she and Eddie were an item. On her end, at least, the boy never asked her out.

"Yeah, he had a massive crush on you back in the day."

"Eddie, according to you, most of the boys had crushes on me."

"Because they did. It's the whole forbidden fruit. Wanting what they can't have."

"Eddie, you're so full of shit."

Eddie came next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her to his side. "Trust me, these are things I know. Never doubt your husband."

"Whatever. Let's find the booze."

Eddie bit back the chuckle at the fact that at this reunion there was not one ounce of alcohol in the gym. Jensen looked like she just walked in on Jason Carver jerking off. He knew Jensen was frazzled. He wasn't going to pretend not to know why.

Eddie could admit it was slightly underwhelming. In reality, it all just felt really sad. According to his brief skim of the booklet of his graduating class, most had stayed in Hawkins. They had done what was expected of them and got a desk job, got married, push out as many kids as you can hope for a boy, and just settled. There was no excitement or a sense of adventure.

He pressed a kiss to Jensen's temple when they were both taken by surprise by a bright flash.

"Jensen you look like you're at a funeral," Jonathon Byers stated as he brought his camera down.

"It's because I am!" Jensen cried out.

Eddie greeted Jonathon with a hug. He wasn't as close to Jonathon as he was to Will. Yet, as Nancy and Jonathon had been thinking of making a more permanent base in NYC, the two were getting closer.

Jonathan took a seat at the table and set his camera down. "Yeah, Nancy wanted to come to this thing and I have no idea why she volunteered to be on the committee. I could care less."

Jensen threw Eddie a pointed look, which he ignored.

"It's kind of sad, ya know," Jonathan pointed out. "The lack of change."

"Where's Nancy?" Eddie probed.

Jonathon's eyes lit up at the mention of his wife. He fiddled with his wedding ring. "She is out interviewing people. She thinks she can make a piece out of this or something. Although I told her, the only people worth talking to are you two."

Jensen and Eddie snorted in unison.

Jonathan smiled. "I mean, what you both have achieved is incredible, especially after all the shit this place did to you guys. Isn't that why you are here?"

Jonathan talked to them for a few more minutes. They made plans to meet with Steve and Robin for a later date, as they were all in town.

It seemed after Jonathon, a slew of people came up and tried to talk to them. Eddie knew that most people knew of him and, by extension, Jensen. With the town being so small and him having his long hair as he did, it afforded him no privacy. He didn't know whether to snort or laugh, as these people were being nice to them now. It was superficial, especially as they tried to pry into their business. Eddie didn't mind answering non-invasive questions about their jobs and even a few about the kids. Yet, there were still underlying accusations that they were still devil worshippers or some shit.

It was obvious as they eyed his Hellfire shirt and tried to joke it was crazy they believed all that stuff with Satanic panic. It was as if their bullying didn't have repercussions for him and his relationship with Jensen. He knew if he and Jensen never made it out of Hawkins that their kids would be trying to bully his own.

Eddie excused himself from their table as Nancy made her way toward them. Notebook and pen in hand. It was only then he felt comfortable enough to leave Jensen unsupervised.

Eddie found himself disappointed with a severely lacking food selection. Maybe New York was spoiling him a bit.

"Eddie Munson and Jensen Thomas, not surprised to see the freaks still mingle together."

Eddie looked up to find himself looking at their former popular basketball athlete, Jason Carver. Gone was a toned body, but a beer belly, crow eyes, and receding hairline. Eddie felt some sympathy for Chrissy. It seemed her husband was still the same as ever as he sneered at him. This man had clearly peaked in high school and was clinging to those glory days.

Eddie felt sad for him.

"Hmmm," Eddie replied. There were a lot of things Eddie wanted to say to Jason, but what would be the point? What would he gain by being nasty to Jason Carver? It would only make him stoop down to his level. Eddie could call him out for the obvious weight gain, his hair disappearing with what seems to be each of his wife's pregnancies or the obvious way Chrissy has been coping to deal with her marriage with drugs.

He had knowledge of her drug use from the first deal she made with him. He had only sold to her a few times before he and Jensen high-tailed it out of Hawkins. Hard drugs like that in Hawkins weren't easy to find, and he told Chrissy as much. Eddie wasn't a saint since he was selling. After sending some feelers, he found another source for her. He assumed she got clean for each pregnancy or Jason and his family's money just covered it up. Yet, looking at her now, thin where he could see her collar bone. Cheeks were gaunt and no illusion of makeup could hide that.

He couldn't imagine it was a happy marriage. It was one thing to play into the roles that were expected of him when they were kids. He just felt pity that neither of them was able to be something else than what their parents and city wanted.

Hell, what did Eddie know? Maybe the two were happy.

Maybe Jensen had a point that all of this was a bad idea. They had outgrown Hawkins and rose above it.

"What nothing to say?" Jason taunted.

Eddie shrugged. "Seems you do, though. Miss me or something because I'll have you know I am a happily married man."

Jason puffed his chest out. "I heard you had two spawns of Satans."

Eddie dropped the plate in his hands. It made a loud bang against the table. "Excuse me?" If Jason Carver wanted to talk shit on him, it was fine. He dealt with it in high school. However, he was not going to let any douchebag disrespect his kids or wife.

"Let's get one thing fucking clear Carver, you need to grow the fuck up. Just because you're a miserable prick doesn't mean anyone else is. This isn't fucking high school anymore. It was annoying back then, and it's pathetic now." Eddie said.

"You have some fucking nerve -"

"Me!" Eddie said loudly. If eyes weren't on them before, they surely were now. For old-time sakes, he didn't jump upon the table with the food, but he jump onto the table where a few people he didn't recognize were sitting. They released startled gasps of shock. "It seems some of you have missed me like dear old Jason Carver. Let me give you a refresher. Yes, I am still the so-called freak. I still have a head full of hair and all my tatties. I have been happily married for 10 years to my beautiful wife, Jensen Munson. We have two kids, David and Maddox. Despite what you people think, our kids were born a few years after we graduated. We are happy and successful in New York City and we've clearly moved on in our lives. So I'm sorry we couldn't be more entertaining, especially since you guys love voyeurism. If you want to know any more about us, you can read about it in a lovely article that Nancy Wheeler will surely write!"

He hopped off the table and walked straight over to his wife. His hands framed her face, and he planted a wet kiss on her lips without any objection from her.

He grabbed her hand and led her out of the gymnasium. As he reached the double doors, he turned and did his infamous devil horns with the added middle finger.

"Now this is more of my scene," Jensen crooned before stuffing a hot fry from Benny's diner in her mouth. Since Wayne didn't mind watching the kids, they knew they needed to take advantage of the uninterrupted adult time bestowed on them.

A trip to Benny's with burgers, fries, and a milkshake seemed the perfect way to cap the night. It was their tradition after every Hellfire meeting or any significant event.

After all the changes in his life, he was incredibly grateful that somehow Jensen somehow remained the most constant.

"You know I love you," Eddie told her as she dipped a fry in her chocolate milkshake.

Jensen smiled at him. She stood and met him halfway over the table and pressed a kiss to his lips. It was salty, sweet, and cold. "I love you and seeing you on that table was actually very hot," she whispered before pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

Eddie laughed against her lips. "Ya know if memory serves correctly, a nice trip to the Junkyard is in store." He waggled his eyebrows.

"Ya know, I'm surprised we didn't catch something or were arrested for indecent exposure."

"The police were too busy patrolling Lover's Lake," Eddie responded. He had fond memories of the dilapidated school bus they had made cozy. It was their place after Steve Harrington had made Skull Rock notorious for another spot outside of Lover's Lake. "We can work on baby number three."

Jensen threw a fry at him. "You are out of your mind, Munson."

"For you absolutely."

[senasmuses]

✧ ˚ A WEEK IN SAGE'S LIFE ...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀

TRIGGER WARNINGS: alcohol usage, mentions of insomnia⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

admin note: i was making my own weekly schedule since i picked up some new hobbies & dropped a class, so i was inspired to write how would a typical week in sage's life be like. enjoy reading!

𝗠ONDAY

Sage groans as her alarm goes off at 6 AM. She reluctantly drags herself out of bed and into the shower, where she sings along off-key to 'Criminal' by Britney Spears as the strawberry body wash awakens her senses. After getting dressed, she rushes out the door with a piece of stale toast in hand, hopping into her trusty sedan. On the way to the station, she stops at her favorite cafe for a large black tea and blueberry scone to actually start her morning. By 7 she is at the station, greeting her colleagues as she walks in, Sage dives right into paperwork from previous cases.

A new case comes in around 10 that demands her full attention. She spends the whole day interviewing witnesses and visiting crime scenes. It's nearly 8 PM by the time she leaves the station. Too tired to cook, she picks up takeout on the way home. After eating alone in her apartment, she collapses into bed, her mind still swirling with theories and clues from the case.

𝗧UESDAY

Rising slightly earlier at 5:30 AM, Sage hurries through her morning routine so she can stop for not just tea but also an egg and cheese sandwich from the cafe. Fuelled up, she spends the morning analyzing evidence in cold cases, losing track of time in her work. Some of her fellow detectives have to drag her out to the local diner for a late lunch. Sage begrudgingly agrees, knowing she'll get back to work faster if she eats something.

A breakthrough comes after lunch and Sage spends the afternoon interrogating the lead suspect. It's a long session but she finally gets a confession out of them by evening. With the case closed, Sage fills out paperwork late into the night. More case files and interviews for the rest of her shift. By the time she drags herself home, it's past midnight. The long hours take their toll and she massages aching shoulders on the drive home, replaying each interview in her mind.

𝗪EDNESDAY

Sage wakes with little sleep, having crashed for only a few hours overthinking some cases. Sleep depravity, the bane of any detective's week… Still singing old pop songs in the shower, Sage quickly gets ready for the day, her caffeine and pastry stops sustaining her through paperwork until a call about a disturbance comes in around 1 PM. She rushes to the scene to investigate, interviewing witnesses and scanning for clues. Back at the station, after downing some strong coffee, Sage dips into other open cases on her desk, attacking forms and reports with a laser focus, determined to get it all done so she can get back to the real work. By evening, her hand cramps but the files are pristine. She heads home after her shift ends. Not wanting to cook, she rewards herself with a pita wrap and baklava from her favorite Turkish place for dinner accompanying an old mystery novel.

𝗧HURSDAY

Court day. Sage slips on her best power suit and steeliest expression, ready to face down perps and prosecutors alike. Her testimony is airtight, and criminals are locked away thanks to her efforts. But the legal rigmarole leaves her drained, and a hot bath calls her name that night. She spends the rest of the day training some new recruits and catching up on administrative work like reports and procedures. Leaving at a reasonable hour, she stops by the library to pick up some new books. Settling into her small apartment, she cooks a lazy meal while getting lost in her new reads.

𝗙RIDAY

It's crunch time to close cases before the weekend. Sage pulls double shifts, running down final clues and dotting i's and t'ing t's. She works long into the evening, surviving on vending machine snacks. Containers pile up on her desk. Regardless, it's refreshing to have a lower stress day. She finally satisfies her paperwork demands. The work never truly ends, Fridays are for loose ends and prep for the next week. Sage ties up any remaining threads before kicking back with a drink. Or three. The weekend beckons, and for a little while, the cases can wait. 

𝗦ATURDAY

With no alarm to jolt her awake, Sage sleeps in until a leisurely 8 AM. Sage stretches out her tired muscles in bed before rolling out of bed. After a nutritious breakfast, she heads to her local gym for a rigorous morning workout. Lifting weights and spinning on the bikes leaves Sage feeling empowered and refreshed. Taking a water break outdoors, she soaks up the fresh air before her run.

Suiting up in leggings and a tank, Sage sets off through the park trails, breathing deep as her feet pound the earth. The scenic route calms her mind as her body moves fluidly. Sweat trickles down her back in the warm sunlight. After several miles, Sage slows to a relaxed walk, sipping from her water bottle. Birdsong and rustling leaves serenade her cool down.

Refreshed from her exercise, Sage swings by the market to stock up on healthy foods for the week. While preparing ingredients to cook a nutritious lunch back home in the evening, her colleague Jacob pounds on the door. “C'mon Sage, it's your day off! Time for some fun,” he shouts enthusiastically. Sage drags herself to open the door, albeit begrudgingly, knowing Jacob won't leave until she agrees to tag along. The duo heads out. When Sage pulls out her book to peruse on the subway, Jacob confiscates it. “No escaping to the pages today,” he warns.

Reluctantly, Sage follows Jacob and their coworkers Linda and Rob to a karaoke bar downtown. “One drink won't kill you,” Jacob prods as they claim a booth. Sage orders a club soda, to Linda and Rob's annoyance. “Loosen up detective, live a little!” Linda pushes. An hour in, Jace's dare has Sage tipsy on a single cocktail. Emboldened, Sage grabs the mic, belting out ‘Since U Been Gone’ and climbing atop their table amid cheers. “Never again,” Sage groans the next morning, hearing the embarrassing tales of her strip tease.

From that day on, Sage avoids bars, much to Jacob's disappointment. One night he persuades her to join a dating app, where she matches with a handsome doctor named Daniel. Their date goes well over drinks, chemistry sparking between them. A tipsy Sage finds herself back at Daniel's that night in a haze of passion. Waking alone the next morning, Sage swears off romance, focusing solely on her work.

𝗦UNDAY

Rising at sunrise, Sage arranges candles and incense around her sparse apartment, lighting them with intention. She centers herself to hone her extraordinary gifts. In the glow, she settles cross-legged on the hardwood floor, clearing her mind through breathing. Slowly, her soul separates from weary limbs, floating up towards the ceiling in an out-of-body experience. For hours Sage practices soul travel, roaming the streets and homes as a free spirit. When her energy feels low, Sage returns to her body, bones creaking from sitting still so long.

As her neighbors stir, Sage eases back into her aching form. The sun now hangs low; she rolls her tired shoulders. A quick grocery run and walk in the park refresh her body if not her spirit. Returning home, Sage boils water for tea while scrolling texts from coworkers dreading Monday.

The sun begins to set as Sage emerges from her trance, muscles sore. Grabbing her reusable bags, she heads to the market for fresh groceries. As she walks, Sage senses the lingering remnants of past souls all around her. The vibrance of life calms and energizes her. Returning home, Sage texts her friends about their weekend exploits, smiling at their adventures.

With chores to do, Sage throws in a load of laundry but mixes her loads, shrinking a favorite shirt. She sighs, used to her laundry foibles by now. Too tired to cook, takeout pizza is calling her name by 10 PM. Sage queues up an episode of ‘Black Sails’ as she eats dinner in bed. Exhausted, she drifts off watching the pirated show, laptop sliding off beside her.

The next morning, Sage's neck aches from her awkward sleeping position. Groaning at the stiffness, she rubs her sore muscles and makes a mental note to invest in a better mattress. With her caffeine and a hot shower, Sage prepares for the workweek.

The weekend is a well-earned rest for our dedicated detective. Staying at home and lost in her books, she recharges for another week of cases. Her mind never truly stops turning over the mysteries, even as she tries to escape them between the pages. Before she knows it, Monday is here again, and another busy week of crime solving awaits.

[becauseiamnotanelephant]

saga

Today we drove up and met my parents and cousin in Albany for my grandfather's unveiling. Luckily I woke up early and did some riding before the day started - I was more tired as a result, but I could have never expected how the day would unfold.

The car ride to Albany was uneventful and after a few minutes running around at a rest stop playground (genius idea!) we made it to Albany for diner visit #1, then another quick playground trip, the unveiling, and another diner visit before heading home.

It was all smooth sailing until we pulled off in New Paltz, the middle of the ride, for a bathroom stop. Which is where we noticed part the car hanging off underneath, dragging on the floor and rubbing on the tires. We were stuck but after lots of phone calls and debating, Graham decided to stick it out with the car and wait for a $500 tow to our neighborhood. No ubers were around, but luckily I have a friend that lives in Poughkeepsie and he drove over the bridge and got me and Hannah, sans car seat, and took us to the MetroNorth station. Of course we missed the train by 5 minutes, so she and I had Japanese food and then got on the 2 hour train ride back to NYC.

Hannah fell asleep after an hour, and I used the few percentages of battery life to map out the rest of the ride - of course I was to arrive at Grand Central at 10 PM and the train I needed left at 10:14, but from Penn Station, a 20 minute walk (a 13 minute subway ride, but that doesn't include getting in and out of the subway with a stroller and getting on who knows how many elevators assuming Hannah would sleep through this). So then I would get the 11:11 train home, but it's Sunday so the train doesn't go to my house and I'd have to walk 25 minutes from the station back home, getting back after midnight.

I relayed this terrible news to Graham who asked his friend to come get us - luckily she is a life saver and drove into the city to get us, and we were home by 10:45! Graham had good luck on his side too; the tow truck driver was able to cut the piece off and Graham was able to drive himself home, saving the $500. Amazingly enough, we arrived home within 10 minutes of each other.

Despite all this craziness, I know Hannah won't be sleeping in...

[menuandprice]

Manoli’s Pizza Company – Wailea, Maui, HI

Happy Hour at Manoli’s Pizza Company – Wailea, Maui, HI

Updated 9/5/2022 by the Maui Happy Hours team

Happy Hour at Manoli’s Pizza Company 3pm-5pm

Happy Hour Pizza by the Slice - Cheese $4 - Pepperoni $5 - Specialty Slice $6 Happy Hour Draft Beers - Ranging from $4-$6 a pint Happy Hour Cocktails - Well Drinks $6 - House Classic Margarita $8 Happy Hour Wines by the Glass - Chardonnay $8 - Cabernet Sauvignon $8

Late Night Menu at Manoli’s 10pm-Midnight

- Chicken Wings $11 - Garlic Parmesan Fries $7 - Caesar Salad $12 - Coconut Shrimp $12 - Pizza by the Slice – Cheese $4, Pepperoni $5 - Jaxson’s Burger $21 – Crispy Maui onions, cheddar cheese, tomato, bacon marmalade, lettuce, and black pepper aioli with fries —————————— Address: 100 Wailea Ike Dr., Kihei, HI 96753 Phone: (808) 874-7499 Website About Manoli’s Pizza Company: “Treat your friends like family and your family like friends. My father, Manoli Placourakis, was born in 1925 and raised on the largest of all the Greek Islands, Crete, where the weather and water are beautiful year-round, where seafood, vegetables, and fruit are plentiful, and where the bread, cheese, and wine are all handcrafted the old fashioned way. Rhonda and I are raising our son, named after my father and born on Maui in 2004, a beautiful island with similar qualities to my father’s birthplace. This leads us to Manoli’s Pizza Company. Our fare here at Manoli’s is centered on fresh, organic, and sustainable products whenever possible in crafting all of our pizzas, salads, and even when choosing the wines on our list. Manoli’s is where healthful, flavorful foods and beverages come together in a place where friends and family meet. Mahalo – Aaron Placourakis, Son & Father According to these Manoli’s Pizza Company diners: “Excellent setting, good pizza and friendly staff at Manoli’s. The open setting on the golf course is impressive. Unbeatable value in Wailea!”Vincent F., September 2022 “Great location! Awesome happy hour and Brodie is the best!!! Mahalo! See you all soon”Jayden G., March 2022 “This has been our favorite place on Maui thus far – the ambience, the service, the food, all excellent. We absolutely loved the open concept restaurant with beautiful views of the sunset and golf course. They also had a great, basic menu with options to appease all sort of food preferences. We started with the garlic Parmesan fries which were honestly better than expected with crispy, thick cut fries, and got a variety of pizzas. The Hawaiian Honey pizza was so good with fresh, perfectly seasoned pineapple and Maui onion. Someone else in our party also got the Tree Hugger Bowl and said it was super tasty and just what she was looking for. Of course we ended the meal with the giant Holy Manoli… a cast iron skillet baked cookie with ice cream and hot fudge. No complaints there, except maybe over eating (a self-inflicted problem). We loved this place, and would definitely recommend. Beautiful area with a casual but not hole-in-the-wall place.”Sarah Q., March 2022 “We went to Manoli’s twice during our stay because it was so good! The marinara sauce is absolutely delicious and the pizza was so crispy! The portions are very large and it’s open air dining. I would highly recommend this restaurant for lunch or dinner!”BreeAnne M., March 2022 “This was our favorite place to visit so far in Maui for food! Our server, Joshua, went above & beyond. He was an overall amazing server and when he found out we were visiting, he took the time to write a few neat places to check out which was super thoughtful! The food was great, we got pizza. Prices were great too! We would highly recommend to anyone! Thank you Joshua!”Hannah S., February 2022 “Unfortunately the pizza was so good I didn’t save room for that amazing looking cookie and ice cream.”Josh H., February 2022 “Love going to Manoli’s! The restaurant is awesome and the food and drinks are great. Their gluten free pizza crust is not only the best I’ve had on the island, but it’s one of the best I’ve ever had. Thank you, Manoli’s, for having GF options!”Catie K., January 2022 Manoli’s Pizza Company is open from 11am-midnight daily with their full menu served from 3pm-9pm and delivery from 4pm-9pm. Happy hour at Manoli’s in Wailea, Maui is from 3pm-5pm and daily featuring discounted pizza by the slice, appetizers, beer, wine, and cocktails and they late night menu is served from 10pm-midnight featuring discounted food.

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[hinatastinygiant]

5 | Taupe

Pairing: Bokuto x Fem!Reader

Escapism Masterlist

Later that night you lay in your bed and stare up at the ceiling of your dorm. You had decided to stay at school while both Kenji and Phoebe go out again. Even though you usually go out with them on the weekends, everything that Kuroo said earlier that day began to hit you hard so you decided to take the night off.

Around ten, your phone buzzes and you roll to the side to reach under your pillow where you had left your phone. When it lights up, you see that Bokuto has sent you a message.

BOKUTO: grandpa fell. He’s in the hospital.

“Oh my god,” you gasp aloud as you sit up in your bed. You quickly pull your things together and rush out of the room.

Less than twenty minutes later, you arrive at the hospital. You quickly check in at the front desk and nearly run to Bokuto’s grandpa’s room.

When you get there, the door is wide open and you see Bokuto talking to his grandpa. When he sees you in the hallway, he stops talking and looks up.

“Y/N, what’re you doing here?” he asks.

“Your grandpa,” you huff as you look over at the old man in the bed. “Mr. Bokuto, are you alright? What happened?”

“Ah, geez, you told her, did you?” he grumbles at his grandson. “I told you I didn’t want her to worry and now she’s come here in the middle of the night.”

“Grandpa if I didn’t tell her,” Bokuto attempts to whisper back, “she’d fucking kill me!”

Grandpa groans as he looks from his grandson back to you. “I’m okay, Y/N. I just fell down a few steps at home and Kotaro overreacted.”

“I didn’t overreact! You fell1 What do you think I was going to do? Laugh at you?!”

“If it happened to you, I would have!” Grandpa argues back.

Bokuto shakes his head at his grandpa before looking towards you again. “Y/N, you can come in and stay since you’re here. We were about to have dinner. Would you like something?”

“Sure,” you smile as you pull up a chair next to Bokuto. “The food here’s pretty good actually.”

You smile at the thought, though when you see the death glare that Grandpa gives you, your smile immediately fades.

“I mean, not as good as The Jukebox, but good for a hospital,” you clear your throat while Bokuto hands you the folded little menu.

You take a minute to ponder your options, making sure not to get anything that’s on The Jukebox’s menu. “I’ll go with the breakfast bowl,” you smile. “I started my day upside down so why not keep it going?”

After dinner, you give Bokuto a ride back to his house. You park in your driveway but walk with him over to his house.

“Do you want to come in?” he asks as he unlocks the door. “It’s like midnight. You can stay if you want.”

“I probably should get back to stand my ground in case Pheebs brings back another visitor, but I’ll stay for a bit,” you smile. “Kinda hard to say no to you.”

“Good,” he smiles back as he flicks on the lights, “cause I was kinda hoping you’ll share some ice cream with me. I got a whole gallon of Neapolitan in my freezer.”

“I’ll get the spoons,” you hum.

“Meet you on the couch,” he replies.

About two minutes later, you and Bokuto fall back onto the couch side by side. He tosses the cap of the ice cream to the side and you hand him one of the two giant spoons you got from the kitchen.

“I’m really sorry about Grandpa,” you tell Bokuto as the two of you dig in.

“He’s probably right,” he shakes his head. “I overreacted.”

“No you didn’t,” you tell him. “He could have been really hurt. You did the right thing.”

“Yeah, but now he’s not at the diner. I’ve never really worked it without him around,” he sighs.

“Well if it’s the diner you need help with, I don’t mind pitching in. I can cover for you while you visit him or just pick up a few shifts so you have another body around,” you tell him as you scoop some of the ice cream.

“Really?! If you picked up some shifts that’d be great. I mean, I can’t think of a better person to hire than you,” he beams.

“Despite my so-called problem that Kuroo told you about?” you ask.

“Especially for that reason. Maybe this can be your distraction, Y/N! I’ll pay you a normal salary. I think it’ll be good for you,” he nods.

“Then it’s a deal,” you smile. “Now let’s eat.”

Once the whole gallon of ice cream is gone, you lean your head on Bokuto and try to avoid the food coma you feel beginning to wash over you. You can’t sleep here. You need to get back to your dorm.

But, no thanks to the random movie that Bokuto put on, you end up falling asleep right against his shoulder.

Bokuto is quick to follow after you. When he notices that you’ve passed out, he slinks down just a bit and puts his arm around you. He reaches for the remote and turns down the volume on the television. Then, with a sigh, he closes his eyes as well.

“Are you awake?” he hums quietly.

“No,” you grumble as you turn your head into his chest.

“Want to sleep over?” he asks quietly.

“Did you ask Grandpa if it was okay?” you hum back, only half listening to what he’s saying.

“He said it’s cool,” Bokuto smiles. “He likes you. But not as much as I do.”

“Mhm,” you respond groggily. Perhaps if you weren’t so tired, you would have heard what he said properly.

“Good night, Y/N.”

“Night, Bo.”

Escapism Masterlist

[bluuxriising]

a bustling diner that never closes

Tucking a strand of curly hair behind her ear, Bluu glanced at her watch. She had left early that morning and driven down to New Orleans for her hair appointment, which hadn't taken as long as she had anticipated.

Zora was in the area, and Bluu had made a lunch date with them in a low-level diner. She had plenty of time to get there, so she drove back to her hotel, left the car, and then set out on foot to do some window browsing and gift shopping along the way. It was steaming hot as Bluu walked along the narrow streets of the French Quarter and crossed over to the shady side. She visited New Orleans rarely because of the heat and claustrophobic atmosphere, but she had never really taken the time to explore this old district. The food here had also proved disagreeable to her stomach, but for old times' sake, Bluu was willing to eat a gumbo if that meant she could catch up with her dearest friend.

Horse-drawn carriages moved slowly through the streets, with well-dressed guides pointing out attractions to the tourists in the carriage. Most people depended on their own feet to take them through the Quarter. Later, the main attraction would be the bars and clubs; this early in the day, shopping was the goal, and the myriad of boutiques, antique shops, and souvenir stores gave plenty of choice and opportunity to people who wanted to bring something back home.

Bluu went into a clothes shop and bought a starry midnight silk scarf that looked like something one of the Hollywood royalty would have worn back in the forties. After wearing almost nothing but men's clothes and heavy shawls during her time in Fog Hollow, Bluu felt sinfully self-indulgent about new clothes now and wanted to share that indulgence with Zora. Of course, Bluu could never bring herself to go on shopping binges now that she had a bit of cash, but she often allowed herself a luxury purchase: lace stockings, a pale nightgown, a pair of bowed shoes.

Those small indulgences made her feel normal, if only for a little while. When she reached the diner, Zora was waiting for her inside. Bluu smiled and hugged them enthusiastically, not caring that the diner was brimming with a strange aura that made her skin prickle because of course Zora would choose a place like this to eat.

"It's so good to see you!" she chirped, sliding into the booth opposite of Zora. "But why here? This place is…," her voice trailed off, eyes darting around with a look of squirrely nervousness as she leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper, "…frozen. Zora, this place is frozen! No one here has aged a day, and that clock isn't moving an inch!"

@escapedartgeek