#shes my girlfriend and i love her but good lord shes so slow when it comes to other people loving her

[keeponquinning]

Imagine being Joseph's girlfriend and feeling awkward and insecure about all the attention he's getting. now imagine the sweet nothings he'd whisper in her ear, the endearing 'I love you's while buried between her legs and little marks left on her skin so she always knows...

Guys, never stop sending me stuff like this.

Good lord. Here we go. 18+ adult rpf stuff ahead, scram kiddos

It'd be difficult not to feel insecure, the attention he gets is so constant, and part of you can't blame them. You've always known how amazing and talented he was. And he cares so much of his fans, part of it being of pure amazement and never expecting this attention. You're proud of him, so proud of him... and yet...

He just seems to shine so much brighter than he used to, brighter than you. He's being cast in these major productions, getting more in the spotlight and rising higher and higher and part of you can't help but think you're holding him back. That one day he'll leave you behind, in the dust of what you two used to be. There's models, actresses that would fit better with Joseph and you can't help but feel you don't measure up. Soon, he'll see you as an anchor that's keeping him in one place and not sail towards the sun.

But Joseph doesn't see that. When he looks at you, he sees the one person keeping him afloat in the storm of this madness he found himself in. Oh, it's fun, it's exciting, and he's getting opportunities he was sure he'd never had a chance to get before Eddie Munson, but it's so mad sometimes. He'd lose himself if it weren't for you. The calm in the storm. He cherishes every moment with you, something as simple as holding his hand is like a lifeline to him. Your smile brightens his day, your laugh makes his heart feel full. You're everything to him. He wouldn't know what to do with himself without you.

The night before he has to leave you for a shoot, he tells you as such, his cock filling you deep. Every thrust of his hips is hard, quick, his hand curled around your throat as his body presses against you, in his bed. One of your legs curled high on his waist, making you look at him in his eyes. He felt a man possessed, wanting every second of this burned into his memory. The sound of your panting moans and desperate cries, making his cock twitch, pulse as the walls of your cunt clench around him so tight it drives him absolutely mad with desire.

Towering over you, his whole body covers you, his hands moving the grasp your hair and pull your head back. His lips dancing along the curve of your neck, his own little grunts and groans beating down on you with heated breath. His body moves on his own, chasing the pleasure you give him, his hips pounding into you harder and harder — yet with every quickened breath, every desperate "Oh, god, oh yes, god, right there, please, please..." he forces himself not to follow through, to ease off, though it makes his body shudder, driving him absolutely fucking mad. His teeth biting into your neck, hard and unforgiving. He knows his cock is leaking, so desperate to cum, but the sounds of your desperate cries is too cute for him.

"...do you know how much I love you?" he asked, stilling inside you, cock pulsing, desperate. But he keeps still, tongue licking where he just bit you, imagining the bruise it'll bring. "Do you?"

You're dazed, but even in such a state, the doubts, the insecurity comes out. "...you say that..."

"Because I mean it. I love you. I love you so... So fucking much..." Starting to move his hips again, slow and deep as he lets out a groan. "I'm going to be — so mad — without you. Absolutely useless, just fucking... I'm gonna miss you..." his voice deep, whispering into your ear with each thrust quickening each time. "Going to miss — going to miss every part of you. Like a fucking — a fucking phantom limb I'll feel — but know isn't there... Fuck," he let out, feeling your pussy clench his cock at that. "Oh, you wanna get praised, do you? Mmm. Easily done, love, my fucking love of my life..."

And he tells you, over and over into your ear. Words of praise mingled with breathy moans and pants from his lips. Accompanied with love bites along your neck, jaw, shoulder as his hips thrust in and out of you with wild abandon. He isn't holding back anymore. His words becoming feverish, mixes of I love you, my fuckin' darling and cunt was made for me, y o u were made for me. Heated utterances of how beautiful you are. Your laugh, your smile, the sound of your voice a bright light in any dull instance his new found fame gave him. Because you weren't part of the fame monster, you were real, technicolor in a grey scale industry and he needed you like he needed air. To feel like himself, the old Joseph Quinn and he needed that, he needed you, so desperately did you have any idea of how much he needs you?

You both cum the hardest and most intense you've both ever felt. You drench his cock in your release and Joseph? He cums inside you, deep and plentiful, thick ropes of his cum painting your walls, coating, drenching them with his cum. He moves, still, body jerking into your body, milking the orgasm out of you both. You could feel him, how much he filled you with his cum, filling you to the brim and more than you two had before. His body feels limp as the last spills inside you.

You both feel light, heavenly, and you feel the rumble of his chuckle as he kisses the flesh of your neck, up to your cheek. "I won't be here," he says, a cheeky grin on his face as he traced his lips along your jaw, toward your lips, "But fuck, you'll be dripping of me for weeks... I hope that'll do until I come back to you." He furrowed his brow, "I hope you know... There's only you. There will always be you."

The sincerity of his words, the way his brown eyes are soft, how sweet his lips feels against yours, the feel of his cock pulsing so deep inside you... Yes... You know. Wrapping your arms around him and you taste his love off his tongue and to your own, the insecurities, the jealousy, the fears melt away and you smile so helplessly, in love with this man.

And he was so helplessly in love with you.

And nothing else mattered.

[averageallogene]

Hello~ I found your Tighnari fanfic and my lord, I admired how it was beautifully written. I know you get a lot of praise for it and deservedly so. I do find myself wanting a tad bit more tho. I was imagining after all that spicy time, some wholesome aftercare would be nice. I hope you write it with Diluc as the male lead bc I think he's a man that can give you both spicy and sweet 😊

DILUC ♡⊹˚ Burning passion [NSFW]

fem. reader (3rd person) ; sweet fluffy smut, my favorite <333.

2k words.

notes. HELLO DEAR!!! So sorry for the wait, I've been trying to answer all asks through work breaks and it took me a while to reach yours ;( thank you so much for the sweet message, I'm so happy you liked my first fic! Just know I always smile when I see you in my notes, I appreciate the support!!! I hope you enjoy this~ ✧˖°. Evidently I got carried away bc Diluc always makes me go 😫😫😫 *cupcakke noises*

Ah, Diluc, sweet sweet Diluc. He's not one to outwardly show much affection when in public, but when in private… The quiet winery tycoon becomes the most vocal, the honeyed little whispers he offers his beloved [F/N] as they passionately make love never fails to make her drunk on his love. He's never one to let her stray far, his body grinding against her own as he sets a slow and deep pace, always close, always whispering how good she's making him feel. 

"You're so good to me, [F/N]... So, good," He's breathing deeper, his voice reduced to grunts as his lips brush against her own. His half lidded eyes delight themselves on the mirage under him, his lover's naked body glistening with sweat as he pounds deeper. 

"Diluc!" She sighs in bliss, her mouth chasing his as his hand roams to find her own. Fingers lace with one another, him placing them gently to the side of her head as his other rests on her hip. He can never get enough, truly he would've never guessed he would be so greedy when it came to [F/N]. 

"I love you, so so much." He always says so many times throughout the day, his tone always raw and honest. Yet, it was during such moments that her heart leapt the highest, a moan being ripped from his throat as he feels her gummy walls squeeze around him deliriously in response to his confession. 

"And I love you always." It's her turn to hush him with lovely words, the hint of a smile on her face earning his response of thrusting deeper, hitting the particular spot that made her see white. The whine that followed only made Diluc grow more and more eager, the rhythm slowly becoming sloppier, his own urges nearly escaping him as he carefully nibbled on her puffy lips.

"I'm close, love." He admits, the hint of frustration evident as he picks up speed. His free hand no longer lingers on her waist, instead slithering down to find her clit, circling and toying with it knowingly as he drinks in the way her body jolts and shivers.

"Ah, 'Luc!" Her voice is nothing short of music to his ears, eyes fluttering shut as she seems to drown on the pleasure inflicted by him. Her legs wrap around his waist, effectively caging him in as her free hand roams through his free hair. "Please, inside."

His otherwise gleaming eyes darken, lust clouding him as the only response he manages is a low grunt. After all, who was he to deny his lovely girlfriend? He can feel a shiver run down his spine as his cock begins to pulsate, the urge to paint her inner walls white giving him the strength to thrust even deeper, quicker. His tip repeatedly kisses her cervix as his mouth clashes with her own, muffling all and every moan as he consumes them for himself, tongues dancing together as his arms bring her closer. His strong grip cages [F/N] against his toned body, yearning to melt with her as they chase their release. 

Diluc can feel it, his orgasm right at the tip of his cock, yet as disciplined as he is, he somehow manages to restrain himself, edging his own release before he can feel the all too familiar sensation of her pussy spasming around his length, squeezing him for all he's worth as she finally releases the knot that had been pounded into her. 

"A-Ahhnnn… Cumming, ah-" Her words slurred as his lips suck on her tongue, tasting her every word as her legs wrap around him tighter, her body begging him for his cum, thick and warm, to claim her.  

"Fuck love, that feels so good…" In a hiss he curses, a small smile blooming on [F/N]'s face as pride swells in her chest. 

To know she was the cause to render the otherwise level headed Diluc into a cursing, rutting mess, it left her wet and ready all over again. She hadn't even reached her zenith a moment ago, yet she was already yearning for him all over again, never truly satisfied with all the ways he was able to pleasure her.

"Are you ready, baby?" He moans against her lips, eyes intensively gazing right at her own as his face flushes. Licking his dry lips, Diluc devours her whimpers yet again, speaking between kisses as he pounds into her relentlessly, finally caving to his own lust. "Here we go, have my cum just as you want."

The thick spurts finally fill her up, the sensation nearly edging her into cumming yet again. [F/N] moans in delight as she hums, releasing her hand to wrap her arms around his neck, bringing him even closer. Her chest presses against his own, feeling him heaving as his pace finally slows down, riding his own high as the lewd squelching sounds fill their now quiet room. 

His head slowly lowers to rest on the crook of her neck, his cheeks flushed with a vivid red that rivals that of his hair. [F/N] can feel against her skin the way he breathes rapidly, lips parted as he brings her closer, relishing in her mere presence as he finally comes to a halt. He doesn't dare move though, his cock still buried deep inside her walls as his seed spills with the overflow. Her hands find their way to his hair, breathing slower, a smile forming on her face.

"That was amazing, honey." She hums in honest delight, silently amusing herself over the way his confidence seems to quiet down. The once raging fire soothes into a glowing ember, the previous passion fizzled into endearment as his touch was now softer, gentler.

"I didn't go too far, did I?" He murmured, lips trailing from her neck up to her face before he watched the way he left her lips puffy and red. He blushes deeply in response, his beloved laughing softly. 

"Never, love." You can always go harder, she thinks, yet the words die in her mouth, lest she wish for her beloved to clear his throat in embarrassment. In all honesty, that sounded quite humorous, yet she restrained herself. 

"Thank you." Diluc smiles, his kiss returning to the gentle worshiping gesture he portrays during daytime. Yet as always, it never remains as one single kiss, his lips lingering as he indulges. "It felt wonderful. I can never get enough of you…"

"You're always welcome to take more, you know?" He was asking for it this time. [F/N] giggles as she watches him struggle to agree or hold himself back, his thumb caressing her face before he wipes the little drool of pleasure away from her face. 

"I wouldn't want to keep you up too late…" He reasons, his eyebrows furrowing softly. He still winces when remembering the one night he'd gotten too carried away, watching with slight horror how his lovely [F/N] limped the following morning. It wasn't like she hadn't enjoyed it, yet the ever gentle Diluc felt oh so guilty. 

"Honey…." She whined, her arms opening to take him closer, peppering his face with kisses. He was just so sweet, so giving, so perfect. "And I wouldn't want you pent up with lust. I can take it, really."

"Archons, you're too good for me." He sighed in bliss, his body coursing with adrenaline as he felt the desire within him rage once more. Still, he smiled, humming in satisfaction as she pampered him with her lips. 

"I think the same thing about you everyday." She giggled, her fingers combing through his crimson hair with nothing short of pure adoration. She could feel his hesitancy to even pull out, her legs pressing against him as she made herself comfortable. "Well, what does my handsome lover feel like, then?"

The smile he gave was [F/N]'s favorite sight to ever behold. "Perhaps some rest… Before we pick back up?"

"Anything you'd like, baby." She smiled, kisses following suit. 

Kisses lingered, constant and consuming, a make out session forming not long after. The pair remained entangled, Diluc atop as he could feel the desire to never move from such a wonderful situation. Under him his beloved simply looked and felt ethereal, their bodies piecing like the most well designed puzzle, simply perfect. His passion began to spark once more, the searing fire reappearing before his touches grew needier, his voice became hushed, his eyes darkened yet again. 

"Take me once more, Diluc." [F/N] whispered against his ear, her voice fanning against his skin as his hands went lower and lower. "I need you."

His vision once more clouded, he succumbed to his desires before he took her yet again. Slow, passionate, intense. His rhythm never faltered until the very end, his hold always strong and caring, his love raw as he poured his every emotion into each thrust. Together they tangled around their bed, him now under as his gaze drunk in the sight of his beloved atop, her hips matching his set rhythm as he met her halfway. His calloused hand held her lower back in support, their hands together as he laced their fingers, squeezing hers with intensity. I love you, I love you, Archons I love you so much [F/N], his head repeated like a sacred prayer right up until they came yet again, bodies resting against one another as they basked in their afterglow. 

"Would you like some water, honey?" He inquired, moving some hair away from her eyes as his own softened. She was simply gorgeous, perfection. 

"I'm alright, but perhaps a shower?" She instead proposed with a smile, her boyfriend humming in agreement. His eyes lingered lower, a furious blush creeping all the way to his ears as he noticed the way his seed leaked down her thighs. 

"Yes… A shower is in order." He smiled shyly, picking her up with ease. Against her protests he continued, hushing her with soft kisses. "No no, I insist. You ought to be pampered after taking me so well."

It was her turn to blush, face hiding against his long, luscious hair. Despite the innocent tone in which he spoke, his choice of words never failed to leave her lightheaded. Goodness, Diluc simply was too good.

A warm bath was quickly prepared for the both of them, and in it they sat. Diluc wrapped his arms around her figure, chin resting against her shoulder as he sighed in pure content. He always questioned if he was too… Clingy, was the word, always gluing himself to [F/N]'s hip whenever he could, yet time and time again he was reassured he was always welcome. His warmth, his protection, his love, it was all something [F/N] could never be tired of. 

"'Luc, can you please wash my hair?" She questioned quietly, her beloved humming in agreement. 

His fingers against her scalp felt soothing, her eyes closing with peace. She would hum in delight over the small action, Diluc behind her being unable to resist the smile from blooming on his face. 

"Do you want me to wash yours?" [F/N] proposed, him not being able to resist. After all, he was always craving her touch in whichever way. 

The water was still hot as they finished, passing onward to pick up the soap. He was the first to volunteer washing her body, insisting she rest for putting up with his antics. Nonsense to her, she herself always loved when he indulged in his own desires - after all, if a man deserved to, it was definitely Diluc! 

His hands lingered through her legs, massaging her skin carefully, like he were worshiping a divine deity. His touch was loving and soft, yet underneath the warm soapy waters she could feel his own heat take over, slowly but surely boiling with other motives as he remained quiet. 

"Something on your mind, Diluc?" She hummed with a smile, watching how his hands faltered before he resumed stroking through her skin. His thumb drew circling patterns on her inner thigh, not so subtly coming closer. 

"Perhaps..." He mused, smiling upon hearing her giggle in response. He could feel his cheeks burn in both embarrassment and desire, almost ashamed of never being truly satiated of his girlfriend. 

"Oh? And would you like to share?" It was now her turn to linger her touch on his leg, smiling knowingly before she leaned back, allowing his lips to come closer to her ear if he so desired. She seemed to read him like an open book, watching as he indeed came closer. 

"Would you really like to know? It might just be too… Shameful, love." He murmured, the lightheartedness in his tone evident as she could practically feel the smile on his breath.

"Shameful? Oh, now I'm left wondering just what my Diluc is daydreaming of." [F/N] giggled, her fingers tracing more and more towards his inner thigh. 

He didn't take long to give in, whispering all the dirty thoughts he couldn't let go for that night. It seemed as though that night's blaze burned thrice as strong, his desire never fully ceasing. Their soothing aftercare was suddenly interrupted, put on hold as his hands lowered, caressed her, gave her all the deserving attention. He couldn't get enough of her sighs, her moans, her praises for him. It felt so difficult to contain himself, his wish to convey his burning love through his actions fueling him to continue onward. 

The water was long cold by the time they truly finished, and even when they retired to the bedroom, it seemed like they couldn't get enough. Goodness, what had gotten into him, [F/N] wondered with amusement as under his administrations she came time after time again. Well, she certainly wasn’t complaining… Unbeknownst to her, the truth was that Diluc was downright addicted to her face as she reached the peak, how her pussy would squelch around his digits, or around his tongue, or would squeeze his cock dry, their fluids mixing and staining their bedsheets long into the early hours of the morning.

[F/N] couldn't remember having such a restless night, but she surely wasn't finding any fault in that. It was only as the sun rose that they had finally ceased their escapades, Diluc holding her lovingly before finally gaining the courage to get up. 

"Must you really go?" He heard his [F/N] pout, receiving a smile as he caressed her cheek.

"I'm afraid so, love." He hummed, his lips brushing against her temple ever so lovingly. "Why don't you take the day off?"

"I have to work, Luc." She laughed it off softly, her eyes opening to lazily look up at him. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized just how lovingly he looked at her, his fingers lingering on her hair as he played with it ever so gently.

"Don't worry about it, just rest." He reassured her, finally kissing her one final time before he gathered the strength to get up. "I'll see that your boss is informed that you won't be clocking in today."

She could only blush and offer him a thankful smile. A day spent in his manor… It simply felt far too good to pass up. 

Besides, her entire body ached. Some rest would surely do her well.

[kurooandkenmasslut]

HASHIRA X F!READER!

about - You were simply changing your clothes but didn't expect an unexpected guest to enter...

notes: AHHH!! i know i haven't written is so so long!! i was getting busier and i haven't got any rest 🥹 but!! i decided to make this on the spot so...Enjoy!

GIYU TOMIOKA!

"Ughh! I'm so glad that's off me!" As you closed your door, you said your head tilted back in pleasure. The sweat and the patches of blood on your body made you sick. Your legs were sweaty and you felt like drowning yourself in water. You were taking your top off when you heard mumbling and stopped. You froze and peeked over your arms, only to see your boyfriend, Giyu Tomioka, halted at your door. You squealed before running to your bathroom. 'Oh god, that was so embarrassing! He just saw my bra! KYAAA!!' You thought, head against the door and your butt on the floor. You heard footsteps come to the door. "I... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean- I- uhm- I'm sorry, I hope you forgive me." Giyu stuttered before walking at a fast pace. That was before you opened the door and peeked your head out.

TENGEN UZUI! & his sexy wives!

"hm, maybe I shouldn't have trained at the lake..." you mumbled, to put it short, you were training down at a gorgeous lake you found just down the hill from your estate, but while you were there, it started to rain, which made you sulk since your clothes were all damp. But to make your day even worse, your left leg slipped and you fell head-first into the lake, making you fret more than ever.

as you were dragging yourself up the hill, you remembered that your husband, the famous and flashy Uzui Tengen, had told you earlier that he and your wives would visit your estate before leaving for their extended mission. Realizing this, your slow agonizing pace came to a hurried and rushed pace causing burning in your already worn-out muscles.

you finally reached the door and almost broke it down. You flung off your top and searched frantically for a top to put on. You were so caught up in trying to put on a top that you didn't realize that your guests were already here...

"zoo wee Mama! what a flashy and gorgeous sight! Your breasts look so good in that br- OW MAKIO!"

You jumped and snapped your head around to see your wives and your husband in the doorway. Tengen licking his lips, suma blushing (maybe drooling a bit..) makio turning into a tomato and fiddling with her hair, and hinatsuru trying to cover her eyes and trying to shove everyone with a red face.

after hina shoved everyone, you finally came out of your state of shock and slapped your hands on your now flustered face.

MITSURI KANROJI!

You yawn and debate to yourself if you should change into your PJs yet or not. To put it short, you ended up doing so.

You took off your top and searched around for another.

"Should I change into one of mitsuris tops?" you asked yourself. You heard your creeky door creak open with a red face and lovely green and pink hair, styled in braids.

"EEEEK! IMSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSORRY!! IREALLYDIDNTMEANITISWEAR!!! IJUSTWANTEDTOASKYOUWHATYOUWANTEDFORDINNER!! I SWEAR I WASN'T-" you laughed and her small rant. "'suri, it's really okay, "a-a-a-are you sure?! I'mreallyso-"

You grabbed her face and kissed her lips to shut her up, but now you think you've made the wrong mistake since she passed out of embarrassment...

SHINOBU KOCHO!

you were doing hashira training, the ones Aoi and the three butterfly girls asked you to join in.

Unfortunately for you, inosuke splashed Green tea all over you, multiple times may I say (the only times when you turned your back and he splashed you for no reason whatsoever 👺)

"MUHAHAHAHAHHA LORD INOSUKE HAS SPLASHED YOU YET AGAIN!! FEEL THE PAIN, UNDERLING?! WANNA FIGHT?!" he screamed and you just sighed in response.

You were changing in your now-soaked uniform when Shinobu, your girlfriend of three years, peeked her head in.

"Oh my! Look at your lovely curves!~" "SHINOBU KOCHO!!" "Pfttt, I'm only kidding darling, your body is beautiful~" "GET O-" "Okay okay! I'm going!"

SANEMI SHINAZUGAWA !

You yawned after coming into your front door, too tired to notify your husband, sanemi, that you were home from your week's mission.

You creaked your shared room door open and slipped out of your uniform and brought two towels and headed into the bathroom. You fill up the bath and slipped in, softly and silently groaning in pleasure. You lay your head back and closed your eyes, the feeling of the hot water soaking onto your body. After about 20 minutes of doing your business in the bath, your shaking legs manage to carry your weight when you stood up.

Suddenly, a cold draft entered the air, your body shivering at the feeling. The reason for that is that your husband had opened the door and started doing his own business. Who does that man think he is?!

You dared not to breathe as he finished. He turned around to wash his hands but his purple orbs widened at you. You quickly covered yourself before you ran out with your towel, totally embarrassed.

Let's say after that you couldn't look him in the eye, especially since you noticed he got a boner...

OBANAI IGURO !

Earlier this week, you went shopping with mitsuri and Shinobu for clothes since your clothes got ripped due to a demon randomly attacking. But the only thing you didn't realize is that the size was too small, so you decided to change back into mitsuris spare clothes.

Wondering where it was you explored your bedroom, every inch scanned by your eyes.

For some reason, you thought maybe it slipped under your bed by accident? And it somehow did. You took off your top and gonna switch onto mitusris but the top had so many buttons, so you had to take them out. While you were doing that, you felt Kaburamaru, obanai's snake, slither up your leg.

Greeting him, you brought him on your shoulders while you tried to figure out how to put it on.

All while this was happening, obanai was looking frantically for kaburamaru, how did he not notice where he went?! And so, he checked every room in the house, all except your shared bedroom. He slowly crept up and looked through like a gap in the door and the doorframe. His foot unfortunately for the both of you, hit forward, so the door creaked loudly, causing you to go into alert mode, reaching your hands for your sword beside your bed.

Realizing that it isn't a demon, and it's your boyfriend, embarrassment and shyness crept up your body and your face turned red. Obanai also noticed the situation, his face turned every shade of red before he slammed the door closed.

"Lock the door next time... idiot.."

RENGOKU KYOJURO !

"I THINK THAT IT'S ENOUGH TODAY! YOUR UNIFORM IS DIRTY! PLEASE CHANGE AND COME BACK OUT AGAIN DARLING!" Kyojuro yelled as you sighed. You two were training for hours and your energy was drained, yet you still question why he was still yelling in his usual booming voice.

You dragged your feet to where your shared room and peeled off your uniform top, which made you sigh in relief. You flopped onto your bed and just rested your eyes. You don't know how long you've been laying there but you know it's been too long since you could hear your boyfriend's loud footsteps all through the estate. You open your eyes and tried to sit up but then realised that you honestly couldn't due to your shaky, and cut arms.

"DARLING! WHAT TAKING YOU SO-... I-IT SEEMS THAT YOU ARE STILL CHANGING! MY APOLOGIES! I-ILL.. I'LL GET GOING NOW!" You could almost hear the loud beats of his heart.

He closed the door and let out a breath of air. He's so glad that he went out almost immediately because his cheeks were turning pink. His mind flashed of you in a- nonono! He can't be thinking this, it would be very inappropriate. But let's say he did drool a bit-

GYOMEI HIMEJIMA !

"..love? Why is your heart beating so fast?" Gyomei questioned. You were getting ready for a shower, so you stripped off naked and were reaching for a towel when gyomei came in. You froze and just stood in your place, your face burning with embarrassment.

"U-um.. gyo.. i-im changing.." and that's when gyomei froze. "Ah.. i-i understand.. I apologize for intruding." "... it's okay.." you mutter as he shuffles back and closes the door as you slapped your face in embarrassment.

MUICHIRO TOKITO !

"What did I come in here for again..?" Muichiro asked himself. "EEEEEEKKKK GET OUT!!" You screamed. He yawned and shrugged. He waddled over to the corner to fetch his katana and back again as if you weren't there. "umm???? Can you get out now" "...mkay." as he strutted over and out the door, without closing the door, which made your eye twitch.

notes: YAYAYAYYA IM FINALLY DONEEEE OMMGGGJSHAHAGARAaaddua ⚰️

Reblog when you read this! it always helps a writer ! 💝

[skyfallslayer]

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Chapter Three

-A ST Rewrite Feat. Steve Harrington x Henderson!OFC-

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: An Increasingly concerned Nancy looks for Barb and finds out what Jonathan’s been up to. The boys pair up with El for an investigation. Joyce is convinced that Will and Steph are trying to talk to her. Meanwhile, Steve feels like someone’s watching his every move.

🎲Pairings: Will x Platonic!OFC; Dustin x Sister!OC; Slow burn! Steve x Henderson!OFC (Ex-bestfriends to Lovers); Slow burn! Byler

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 15,209 (Oh, lord)

🎲Date: 05/27/24

🎲Warnings: Angst; Heavy Language & Dialogue; References To Broken Friendship; Talks of Kidnapping; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Talks of Mental Health Issues; Bullying of All Kinds; Physical Fighting; Lying; "Death"; Crying (Lots of it); Brief Mention of Corpses; Gun Use; Implied Unloving Parents; Will & Steph's Mental Strain - Joyce's Too; Hopper Being a Great Cop & A Total Mess; Dustin Being a Gangster & A Total Mess; Steve's 'Asshole Era'; Steve's Emotional Damage. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

-This also contains me not knowing how the fuck the Upside Down works despite so much research.-

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N:  So… this is a very long, very intense one. Very emotional too. Hopefully y'all are ready for this. I notice a lot of you readers are spitting out theories and I can't help but love them. But unfortunately I have to stay silent and let you guess wait 🤭. While rewatching this episode, I totally forgot how fucking good of an actress Winona Ryder is. Seriously, rewatch the scenes with her and the lights again and you'll see. Any who, Happy Memorial Day everyone! Enjoy!

Steve practically had to “bully” Tommy into taking his girlfriend home last night. It was hard for him to make eye contact with her after their argument – A real argument, not just some mindless bickering they’ve done in the past that doesn’t pack much heat, but a real, real argument – and when she came back to his room only a few minutes later telling him that Barb must have left already and needed a ride, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Was this making him feel and look like a coward? Probably. But it’s not like he didn’t want to risk having another eye opening conversation with her again.

Eye opening, my ass. There was no “eye opening”. I’m just being paranoid. But was he though?

Nancy, oh, sweet Nancy, always talked about how she was aiming for journalism as her major. For a while, to be honest, he couldn’t really see it. Sure, curiosity was practically tattooed on her heart, but the months they’ve been dating he hasn’t seen anything else that screams “I’m a Journalist”. 

That was until last night.

He’s not sure why he never put that box away after their friendship ended, he doesn’t know why he didn’t just stuff it into his closet or under his bed, but the fact that someone had found it in his spot he called “out of sight, out of mind” shocked him. The little box that could fit under his dresser, completely oblivious to anyone who stands next to it. Of course out of all the days for someone to finally have spotted it was the day he brought his girlfriend to his home (Still, it might have been better for her to find it rather than his parents. They sure were… nosy).

And of course she would be the one to break him down when he was trying to forget, forget because it was the best option here.

And his girlfriend was smart, one of the traits he most admired, and she could read through his lies most of the time, a trait he hates. Loathe. But… did he really think he could have avoided all this? That once he put a lid on their friendship she would suddenly vanish? Every single thing about Stephanie Henderson would be forgotten? That was the plan, the “dream” so to speak. I guess dreams don’t always stay dreams unless you put work into them.

.

“So who is she to you?” Nancy asked, standing up and flashing the memorabilia at him.

.

She was just… just some kid he knew since they were five. Nothing more than that, It shouldn’t be more than that. She was just some girl that had confidence radiating out of her as they lock pinkies and swore–

.

“I’m not jealous. I’m just curious.” Nancy replies, honestly. She takes another look at the photos in her hand before looking back at him. “I mean, if she isn’t your friend anymore, then why do you hang on to all this stuff? Or better question–”

“Nancy, stop, it’s just–”

“Why did you break it off?”

His brain short circuits again. “What?”

“I said, ‘Why did you break it off?’ I mean…” She flips through some of the photos he has, memorized. “From what I see, you two remind me of Barb and I. You two look like you were tied at the hip. So why break it off?”

.

Because he had to. He needed to. God knows if he didn’t, her and her family would be… Jeez. He could barely remember it, not wanting to remember it.

The memory was blurry. So blurry. Maybe it was the many hits in the head for his shitty memory, or maybe he was really, really trying not to remember it. 

What was his parents planning on doing again that made him so… scared?

.

“Look, I just want to understand you. I mean, every time I think I have you figured out you throw me through a loop.” She gives him a reassuring look as she picks up the box, shuffling whatever was remaining around. “I mean, from what I see, you seem like a completely different person then. I just wonder if it’s a good thing or a bad–” 

.

No… no. He still doesn’t understand what she meant. He hasn’t “changed”. He’s still the same person since the day he was born. What was she even getting that from? A couple glances at some photos gave her a new impression of him? There’s no way. It’s laughable. It’s totally laughable. Everything that’s happened between him and Henderson was totally laughab–

.

“‘CAUSE IT WAS MY FAULT!! OKAY?!” Steve snaps, startling them both (He can’t believe he just lost his cool like that). He swallows again, head spinning at the memories (Why did he fucking leave the box right there?). “I just… there was an incident and… it… shaped my decision, okay? But it didn’t involve me or her with a gun, it was… s-someone else. Someone I know. I don’t know why I’m holding onto it, I…” 

.

That certainly wasn’t laughable.

Sometimes that memory is hazy, which he preferred, but the other times it was crystal clear. Too clear. Just a heated exchange between him and someone else just before it went to shit. He still remembers the pain in his bicep, the wind feeling like it was getting knocked out of him with someone’s loud scream. Then came the sinking realization that Henderson wasn’t bouncing up to her feet like he did. 

It still… fucks with him sometimes. Taunting. Haunting. Torturing. 

.

Nancy breaks eye contact, and only reverses it when she gathers the right words. “Look, Steve, I’m sorry I intruded, I probably shouldn’t have but… I’m just trying to understand you.”

Steve shakes his head, still confused. “I-I…” He shrugs, and crosses his arms defensibly. “What’s there to understand?”

.

Exactly. There’s nothing. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Nothing. She doesn’t need to go digging around Pandora’s box.

.

But Nancy looked at him with eyes full of pity and took another step closer. “I don’t know what the reason was for you two to stop being friends, but all I know, from what I gathered, she wasn’t the one to end it.” She places Steph’s flier on his chest that he subconsciously grabbed, and said one last thing before leaving his room. And that was,

“Maybe there was a good reason for you to end it, but that’s not an excuse for you to stop being who you really are.”

.

But I haven’t changed. I’ve been the same person since I was born. Even his own gut coiled at his denial. The heaven’s beyond were probably busting a lung. Hell was shaking its head. He just keeps telling himself that lie and maybe it’ll come true one day.

Yeah, right.

This boy’s been telling himself that for almost two years now and hasn’t even sunk in yet.

Steve sighs, rolling in his bed to face his alarm clock; The red numbers glaring at him. It hadn’t even gone off yet, he still has about an hour but… 

Another sigh. School. Right.

He didn’t even feel like going, too mentally exhausted from staying up pretty much all night, completely alone with his thoughts – His very dangerous, troubling thoughts. He didn’t want to go, but his parents were going to be home any minute now from their trip and were not going to be happy if they saw him just lying around. They were surely going to berate him for missing a day of learning. Except...

Fuck. Going wasn’t an option, his brain hurts and his body was dragging and he really, really didn’t want to see Nancy’s pitiful eyes, or listen to Tommy’s mocking, or Carol’s sexified comments. Fuck, no. Fuck.

Where can he hide out for the next eight hours? He started putting what was left of brain together as he threw something on, not even trying to dress to impress today, and snagged his precious car keys. He is about a foot outside his bedroom when something tells him to stop. His chocolate eyes stare at the box on the end of his bed, something deep inside tells him not to leave it unoccupied.

He swallows, wanting to tell his subconscious to fuck off and leave him be, but… 

“Fuck it.” He races back over, making sure the lid was on before taking it with him. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

It’s been… how many days since then? They don’t know. They stopped counting every time they ran into trouble. Like… right now. Traumatized by the beast pulling an innocent woman into the Harringtons’ pool and violating her before coming after them. They were lucky to have some kind of head start or otherwise they might have been goners. But–

Jesus. It was getting hard to breathe in this place, the cold weather was getting to them too. 

Eventually, miraculously, they had escaped from their predator when their bodies finally gave out.

“Fuck.” Stephanie gasped as the two of them collapsed in someone’s backyard. They both sat on their hands and knees, a line of sweat dripping off their icy noses. She sniffles and pants, her breath being seen in the air. “This is getting ridiculous.”

It really, really was. They can’t even take a break without worrying if that thing would come after them. 

How am I supposed to figure out how to get out of here if I can’t even stop to think? She sits back on her news, frowning. “Why does it keep coming after us?”

Will sneezes, and sniffles before resting his body against the side of the random house. He starts fiddling with his frigiding fingers, worried if he was going to say something wrong. “I don’t think this time it was. It looks like it was attacking someone else.”

“That’s true.” She sighs, taking her cap off for a second to rest. “However, we either were at the wrong place at the wrong time, or that thing was following us and grabbed the first prey it saw.”

He nods. “Yeah. But that doesn’t explain where the person came from. Does… that mean we aren’t the only people here?”

“I don’t know.” Are there actually more people here? “I mean, I guess on the bright side, if more people are going missing someone’s gotta know what’s going on, right?”

That honestly didn’t cross her mind at all while being here. She was so worried about keeping herself and especially Will alive that she didn’t think about what was going on on the other side. How was her family reacting? His family too? And what about the town? Did the police actually give a fuck this time?

I really hope it’s Hopper. He seems like the only one who gave shit last time. Stephanie prays he’s on her case as she subconsciously tries to grab the chain around her neck, only to find nothing. Her heart sinks as she looks down and feels around the front of her shirt.

“Shit.” She says, dreadfully. Did she really lose her–

“What?” Will replies, concerned. 

“Uh, I just…” Fuck. “I just uh, lost my necklace.” She frowns again. “I didn’t even realize it.”

Now it was his turn to look sad (I guess you could say he was just copying her expression). “We can go look for it if you like.”

She’s already shaking his head. “No. It’s okay. I could have lost it on the first day here without realizing it.”

“Can you replace it?”

“It’s… I don’t know. It was a gift.” She looks over at him, his expression seems so broken over her confession. “It’s okay, Will. It’s not a big deal.”

“I know, but still.”

Stephanie couldn’t help but crack a small smile on her peach lips, and ruffle the boy’s hair. “Don’t ever change, kid. You’ve got a good little heart.” That seemed to do the trick because the boy blushed and seemed all proud of himself.

“Do you think it’s safe to rest here for a bit?” Will asked, as she looked around.

“Yeah.” She nods. “I think we’ll be fine. How about you pull out the blanket?”

They both shrug their backpacks off, and keep their guns by their sides pointed safely away; Will unrolls the blanket they took from her house and scoots closer. Steph tucks the fabric under their feet before the boy snuggles up to her side. Dying from the cold was off the menu for the both of them. For most of the time they stayed quiet, controlling their breathing and rubbing their cold hands in their laps.

“There’s something I don’t understand though.” Will blurted out. I guess this was the thought that came to mind in the moment of silence.

“And what’s that?” The older girl asked, sparing him a glance.

“If that thing is supposed to… you know, kill people, then why bring them here?” He stares up at her nervously. “Why not just kill us in our world? Why the extra hassle to bring us here?”

Her eyes widened slightly, those words hitting her like a truck. “That’s… a good question.” A really good question. It was something else she hasn’t thought about either. If the beast could go between worlds, why bring them here for the kill? 

Will must have noticed the wheels turning in the girls head and looks down hopelessly. “It’s going to be hard for people to find us then, right?”

Stephanie says nothing, and gnaws on her bottom lip because he’s right. If they’re stuck in another world then…

.

.

.

How are their loved ones going to know?

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

When Jonathan woke up the next day he wasn’t expecting his mother to be leaving before he did. “Mom? Where are you going?” He asked, as she stopped upon hearing him speak.

“Oh, I’m going to town. I’m going to pick up a few things.” She replies, putting her belongings into her purse. “I was… you know, thinking about maybe getting some stuff Will likes to eat so he can have it when he gets home. Or, you know–”

“Mom?”

“And maybe a new phone? Our old one’s obviously not fine, so–”

“Mom?” Jonathan tries again, getting a hum. “You sure you’re okay going by yourself? I can miss school again if you don’t feel comfortable yet.”

“No, no, don’t do that. Go… I just need to get out of the house. I’ve been stuck in here for a few days.” Joyce replies, reassuring her oldest. “I’ll be okay.”

“Okay.” He nods. “But if something happens just… call the school and I’ll be there.”

“Okay.” She says, giving her a quick hug. “Thank you, sweetie. I’ll see you later.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

In the early morning at the Wheeler’s house, the boys were planning a mission to finally figure out what happened to their friends.

“We just tell our parents we have AV Club after school. That’ll give us at least a few hours for Operation Mirkwood.” Mike explains, the three of them gathered around the upside down D&D board.

“You seriously think that the weirdo knows where Will and Steph are?” Lucas said, making the other boy eye roll.

“Just trust me on this, okay? Did you get the supplies?”

“Yeah.” He nods, and shows off what he’s got. “Binoculars... from ‘Nam. Army knife... also from ‘Nam. Hammer, camouflage bandana…” He grins. “And the wrist rocket.”

Dustin looks at him strangely, almost laughing. “You’re gonna take out the Demogorgon with a slingshot?”

“First of all, it’s a wrist rocket. And second of all, the Demogorgon’s not real. It’s made up. But if there is something out there, I’m gonna shoot it in the eye–” Lucas snaps the rubber and startles his friend. “And blind it.”

“Dustin, what did you get?” Mike asked, trying to get straight to the point.

“Well, alrighty.” Dustin starts pouring stuff out of his bag, also proud of what he grabbed (Which is totally not what Mike told him to bring). “So, we’ve got... Nutty Bars, Bazooka, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, apple, banana, and trail mix.”

“Seriously?” Lucas said, disappointed.

“We need energy for our travels. For stamina. And besides, why do we even need weapons anyway?” He points to the girl on the couch. “We have her.”

“She shut one door!”

“With her mind! Are you kidding me? That’s insane!” Dustin could almost laugh with all the stuff he could think of about her powers. “Imagine all the other cool stuff she could do. Like…” He quickly looks around and grabs a giant toy version of the Millennium Falcon. “I bet that she could make this fly!” He stands in front of El and holds it out. “Hey. Hey. Okay, concentrate. Okay?” He lets go of the toy that quickly drops to the floor. “Okay, one more time. Okay. Use your powers, okay?”

“Idiot.” Lucas mumbles once the toy drops to the floor again.

Mike sighs. “She’s not a dog!” He says, taking it away from him.

“Boys!” Karen calls out from above. “Time for school!”

He crouches down in front of Eleven as the rest of his friends make their way up stairs. “Just stay down here. Don’t make any noise, and don’t leave. If you get hungry, eat Dustin’s snacks, okay?” 

“Michael!”

“Coming!” Why must he be rushed? “You know those power lines?”

“Power lines?” El asked, confused.

“Yeah. The ones behind my house?”

“Yes.”

“Meet us there, after school.”

“After school?”

“Yeah, 3:15.” It took a second for Mike to realize that she didn’t understand. “Ah. Hang on.” He unstraps his watch and ties around her own wrist. “When the numbers read three-one-five, meet us there.”

“‘Three-one-five’.” She repeats.

He nods. “Yeah. Three-one-five.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“Did you get any rest?”

Her tired blue eyes looked back at him, his face scrunched up in concern for the girl that almost tripped two seconds ago. And to answer his question, it was ‘no’. Their little rest had turned into sleep, but once again she couldn’t dare close her eyes with the beast lurking somewhere (She’s honestly surprised she’s still standing at this point).

“Yeah, I got a little.” She said, hoping that sounded convincing. 

Will narrows his eyes and steps in front of her, stopping them from walking any further. “No you didn’t.”

“Will–”

“Why aren’t you getting any sleep?”

She sucks in a breath. Guess there was no point in arguing with a twelve year old. “Because I’m keeping an eye out.” She tries taking a step around him but he follows.

“That’s bullshit.” He replies, shocking her (She’s honestly heard him cuss before. Which is ironic since he hangs out with three boys that act like cussing is their first language).

“Will, it’s true. I’m keeping an eye out.”

“Yeah, I understand. But you can’t keep missing sleep because of that.”

“Someone’s got to protect you. Just like I promise.”

“Well how are you supposed to do that when you can barely stand?” That seemed to strike a nerve. “Can you just… next time we sleep, I’ll watch and you actually sleep.”

“Will–”

“And, if I hear something, I’ll wake you up immediately. How’s that?”

Well… she can’t say no to that face. She sighs. “Okay. I’ll sleep.” She replies, getting him to smile. “But you wake me up if you hear anything, okay? Don’t you even think about doing the opposite and handling it yourself. I don’t want you to wound up hurt or dead. Got it?”

“Got it.” 

The two of them continued their unwanted detour that ended up being Hawkins’ little downtown. This place looked more like the apocalypse than their neighbourhoods. Dark, abandoned, quiet and completely trashed. It seemed a little scarier to walk around than the previous routes they took. 

“Maybe we can hide out somewhere here?” Will asked, as they stopped at an intersection to look around.

“Possibly. If anything’s open we can. I want to avoid making too much ruckus in case that’s what attracts the monster.” Steph said, thinking. 

They walked slowly and carefully by each store, peeking inside to see if anything got their attention. Stephanie blissfully sighs upon seeing a familiar sign and points.

“Dude, I kill for some chicken parmesan right now.” She says, smiling at the thought of eating Italian at ‘Enzo’s’. 

“Hmm, meatball’s sounds good. But I think I really want my mom’s Sloppy Joes.” Will admits, and can already picture it in front of him.

“Sloppy Joes are awesome too. I wouldn’t mind eating that when I get back either. Then Enzo’s.”

“Totally Enzo’s.” He chuckles. “Uh, so when we do get out of here, how do we explain this to someone?”

“What? This?” She gestures to the open air. “You mean that telling the authorities that we were abducted by an eight foot tall creature with just a mouth and brought to a creepier version of Hawkins doesn’t sound truthful?”

He makes a face. “I… I don’t know. They might think we’re crazy.”

“Crazy, but it’s true.” She shrugs. “I really do wonder how we’re going to explain this.”

“I hope my mom contacted Chief Hopper. I know they were good friends growing up, I’m sure he believes her.”

“I hope it’s him, I don’t really like some of the people he works with.”

Will tilts his head, confused. “You don’t like cops?”

“No, I don’t certain cops here. I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them.”

“How come?”

“Well–” She cuts herself off and stops, eyes trailing to something inside one of the shops. She takes a second to make sure she’s seeing that right before pointing and saying, “November 6th.”

Will perks up at that. “That’s the day when we had our D&D campaign. The night we disappeared.”

“Yeah.” Steph looks around her hand following up to another object, a clock. “Nine Twenty-Three. That’s probably around the time we disappeared too.”

“But why is everything stuck this way?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, didn’t this place exist beforehand?” Will asked, head spinning. “How come everything is stuck on the night we disappeared?”

She purses her lips. “It… exist because of us? Or does time run differently here?”

“This is making my head hurt.”

She chuckles. “You and me both, kid.”

They continued their walk, popping into a few shops when they saw something useful, like another set of matches or even a sleeping bag they could share. They eventually ended up at a hunting store and scavenged there. Steph started grabbing a couple boxes of shotgun shells and ones that could fit inside Mr. Harrington’s pistol. It felt strange to have something like this in her possession, especially given the history of it. A very… bittersweet history of it. 

Stupid, Harring– The small box tv on the counter startled her when it made a noise. When her gaze locks onto it, she realizes it’s not even on. She sighs, shaking her head. Now I’m imagining shit? This is getting fucking ridiculous.

She starts making room inside her bag for the ammunition when–

.

|| –Those Poor Children. ||

.

Stephanie nearly drops everything and grips the gun and starts frantically searching for the voice. What in the fucking–

.

|| Jesus, I know. I can only imagine what their families are going through. ||

|| It’s such a shame– ||

.

“What the…?”

“Did you hear that too?” Will asked, eyes full of hope as she looked between him and empty space behind the counter.

“Huh? Um… Y-Yeah. I-I did.” She swallows and then realizes something. “Wait… is that what you– Is that what you were talking about?”

“Yeah!” He shakes his head eagerly. “I told you, I swear I could hear my mom and Jonathan talking that night. I told you I wasn’t crazy.”

Stephanie takes a deep breath, still in a bit of disbelief I mean– This changes everything she’s thought about this place. “If we can hear somebody, then…” She couldn’t even finish the sentence. It was so shocking.

“Maybe we can talk to them. I know for a fact my mom heard me when I called the phone. She even responded when I talked back.”

“So it’s totally possible.” She goes silent to think, an idea coming to mind in a matter of seconds. She grins. “Follow me.”

Will of course does, a little intrigued by the fact that they found themselves climbing to the top of an old bell tower that overlooks most of Hawkins. “What is this place?”

“Somewhere I probably shouldn’t have been hanging out at when I was young.” Steph admits. “Don’t worry, the tower hasn’t been used in decades ‘cause the bell’s broken. Alright.” She smacks her hands together. “We have to figure out a way to get someone’s attention. Whether it’s your family, my family, friends, or hell, even some random stranger. We just need to get someone’s attention.”

“But how? I’m not even sure how any of this works.” Will asked, truthfully. He’s still not even really sure how he was able to contact his mom that night. 

She hums, scratching her head. “Where’s your house at?” He gets close to the edge, looks around and points to it in the distance. She nods and starts doing the same as she speaks, “Alright, well there’s mine, Lucas’, and Mike’s. So we got options. We just need to figure out how you were able to speak to your mom that night. If we can figure that out, maybe we can do it again.”

“All I really did was just dial my house’s number and she picked up.”

“Okay. Maybe it’s just that simple after all.”

“Well… I know whatever happened that night, it fired the house’s phone. We’re going to need a new phone.”

“We can get one. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll move on to another house. Hopefully, one of our friends will pick up.”

And they have to. This is our only plan right now. She waves for him to go first. “Careful going down, it’s more tricky than going up.”

“Okay.” He says, doing what he was told.

She starts to follow closely behind when another voice appears.

.

|| I am such an idiot. || 

.

She froze, her heart sinking again. She looks back at one of the corners of the tower, and an aching feeling in her gut.

“Steve?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve had a cigarette in one hand, and his other tangled up his own locks; One leg was dangling off the tower, while the rest of his body laid against the arch of the opening. Today was stupidly sunny, barely any clouds and no smell of precipitation in the air for a chance of rain – the aesthetic was the complete opposite of his mood right now.

He took a puff of nicotine and blew it out like a long, heavy sigh. The shit from last night keeps replaying in his head, provoking him to do or say something he’s probably not supposed to (or is supposed to, his subconscious yells at him) – He still doesn’t understand why he suddenly ended up here out of place. He could have gone to skull rock, or even the quarry, or maybe even just running around the mall hoping no one realizes he’s a teenager and asks why he’s not in school.

He groans, closing his eyes, listening to the traffic below and people bickering, praying nobody looks up and finds him here. Again, why did I pick this place?

“I am such an idiot.” He mutters, then the insecurities he had slowly started to fade away when he felt a presence nearby. Worried that maybe a cop finally found him, he changes his sadden look for something cooler before opening his eyes and looking. 

But strangely enough, no one was even there.

“Huh.” Steve blinks, swearing that he could feel someone was watching him. Maybe though? I mean, this was an old church that may or may not be haunted.

He shakes his head. “Fuck this.” He puts his bud out on the ground and stands up to leave.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Hey, Where’s Steve? I didn’t see his car in the parking lot.” Nancy asks, butting into Carol and Tommy’s conversation. She honestly wanted to see him to give him another apology, she still felt bad for prying so much about something she probably shouldn’t have seen. And I want to see if he’s in a good mental state today.

She watches the couple spare a look and gets worried, “What?”

“You haven’t seen him yet?” Carol said, as she shakes her head. “That’s weird.”

“Steve never skips school.” Tommy adds.

“What did you guys argue about last night?”

“Us?” Nancy said, pointing to herself. “You think he’s not here because we fought?”

“It’s a possibility. He finally has a girlfriend who’s charm finally made the King skip class.” Carol said, arms cross. “I’d say that’s an achievement.”

She scoffs. “First of all, It was just a disagreement, nothing more. A second, there’s no way that’s the reason he’s not here.”

“Maybe you hit one of his insecurities you were yelling about last night.”

Nancy holds her tongue and ends up just leaving in a huff. Every time she thinks she’s finally on their level, she’s pushed back down. She sighs and enters her first class of the day. Her gaze follows over to where her friend would be at, but atlas, her desk was empty.

She reaches out and taps the girl in front of her shoulder. “Hey, Ally. Where’s Barb?”

The girl raised an eyebrow. “Um, shouldn’t you know?”

Nancy’s stomach dropped. “You haven’t seen her anywhere... at all?” 

Ally shakes her head just as the bell rings and everyone’s ordered to sit down, leaving the Wheeler to wonder if she stayed home too because of their bickering.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“There she is. Emerald City.” Powell announced as they pulled up to the one and only laboratory in Hawkins. They were going off really their only lead at this point, and hoping it plays out.

“I heard they make space weapons in there.” Callahan replies, getting a look. 

“Space weapons?”

“Yeah. You know, like, Reagan’s Star Wars. I guess we’re gonna blow the Ruskies to smithereens.”

“Hey, can I help you?” The guard asked once the police car rolled to a stop just in front of the gate.

“Uh, yeah. We’re here for a tour.” Hopper lied.

“Oh, we don’t give tours.”

“Okay... A quick look around.”

“You have to get clearance for that. You can contact, uh... Rick Schaeffer at the Department of Energy.”

“Maybe you seen it on TV.” Hopper pushes, not backing down from this. “We got two local kids missing. We have reason to believe they might have snuck in here.”

“Like I said, you have to speak to Mr. Schaeffer.”

Hopper exhaled through his nose, and turned the car and placed his hat on the dashboard; His partners beside him grew quiet, and let him have at it. “What’s your name?”

“Patrick.” 

“Patrick, I got a panicked mayor, and I got reporters breathing down my neck and I got two very upset mothers.” He said, his face growing softer, more wounded like. “Now, I know the kid’s not in there, but I gotta check off this box. Patrick, would you do me a favor? Would you speak to your boss and see what you can swing for us? I’d really appreciate it. I’m talking ten minutes, tops.”

Just ten minutes to see if they were in there. That’s all that the police chief needs…

And wants.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve heads inside the shop nearby, his stomach growling for food. It completely slipped his mind this morning – or afternoon now – he’s completely lost track of time. 

Now what kind of junk sounds appetizing today? He starts wandering around, not at all familiar with this layout or the shop for that matter (Why didn’t he just go to the sandwich shop next door again?). As he slips through one of the aisles, he notices the person in front of him struggling to reach for something off the high shelf. 

Deciding to be a nice boy, he reaches up and grabs it down for her. “Here you go, Ma’am.”

“Oh, thank you.” She said, surprised and grateful. “How kind of you.”

“Early Christmas shopping?” 

“Oh, I wish. No, I just need a new phone in case my son calls the house.”

He nods. “Your son lives far then?”

“Um, no, h-he’s missing.”

Oh?

Oh…

Oh!

Steve’s eyes widened at the realization. “Oh, oh my god, I’m so sorry. You’re that kid’s mother.”

“I am.” Joyce says, shifting her weight around. 

“Am… so sorry, I-I didn’t know, I–”

“Like you said, you didn’t know.” She puts the phone into the shopping cart. “It’s okay.”

“Okay, um…” This was awkward, right? Steve shifted on his feet too, not really sure how to wrap this up. “Uh, do you have… uh… heard any updates?”

Joyce shakes her head, sadly. “Not yet. I know the Police Chief has put many of his guys and volunteers to work. But I think at this point they covered all of Hawkins.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I just, uh–” He trails off, struggling to make a sentence. “Sorry, I was just being nosy. I don’t really hear much news, I…” He swallows. “I went to school with the Henderson girl, so...”

Is he making any sense? Hopefully she’s understanding what he means– Fuck, his heart’s racing so fast.

“Oh, yeah?” Joyce said, looking bittersweet – Looking like she was a mother staring at her hurt child (How come his own mother never looked at him like that?). “Must be hard knowing someone you knew is missing.”

Damn, right on the money. “Yeah.” He says, his throat feeling tight.

She hums, and then gives him a stern expression. “Shouldn’t you be in school though?”

Annnnddddd… Fuck. 

Nice Going, Harrington. He scolded himself as he racked his brain for a believable lie. “Oh, uh, I-I graduated already. I was a grade ahead.”

“Oh.” She says, apologetically. “My mistake.”

“No worries, seriously. It happens all the time.” At least he didn’t say something stupid, and needs to get out of this conversation before he does but… damn his little heart sometimes. “Uh–” He gestures to her cart full of different items. “Do you want me to pay for some of that? For bothering you? Or uh, I… I know you’re probably–”

“Oh, no!” She shakes her head. “No. Thanks, but I can get it. Money’s a little tight, I’ll admit, but there’s nothing I can do about it. You know?”

“You sure?”

“Yes. I appreciate the offer.” Joyce smiles, and subconsciously pats the young man on his shoulder. “You’re very sweet. Take care.”

“You too.” He says, seeing this as he exits and walks past her.

Joyce watches as he turns to another aisle, growing a bit sad by the interaction. 

Alright, do I have everything? She has a new phone, some groceries– things she knows Will would like– 

The display of string lights flickered for a second.

Confused, thinking most likely it was probably a short circuit, she doesn’t understand why she ended up muttering her youngest name, “Will.”

Coincidentally, the light flickers shortly afterwards. “Will!” She says, again, hope blooming in her chest. Then, all the lights on the display shined for a few seconds. 

God, call her crazy, but maybe this was a sign that her son is still close by.

Before anyone could blink, the checkout counter was filled up with so many boxes of Christmas lights, some just the basic color, and some of the tri-colors. She can only imagine how much this is going to cost her, but who cares! If this is strangely how she can talk to her son, then this is what she shall do.

Her Boss, who was the clerk for the day, looks at her worriedly. “Joyce–”

“Just ring me up, Donald.” Is all she said, patiently waiting until he was all finished. Without sparing another word, she gathers all the bags into her hands and races to her car.

Donald sighs while watching her leave. “That poor woman.” He says, just as Steve comes up to the counter with his snacks and drinks. He raises an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” 

“Aren’t you supposed to be minding your own business?” Steve said, becoming bitter again.

“Mmm, hmm.” He scans everything and a price pops up on his screen. “That’ll be Five-Fifty.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“Found a phone.” Will said, almost immediately as they entered. It shouldn’t be a shock since this is the place his mother works at.

“That should work.” Steph said, smiling. “Let’s get a move on.”

Will gets up on his tippy toes to grab it, slowly pulling it off the shelf when something presses his hand. Startled, he falls back and the older girl grabs the box before it falls. 

“What happened?” She asked, worriedly.

“S-Something touched me.” He says, taking a step back.

“What?” She hands him the box and peeks over the shelf herself (She’s not exactly tall either). There was nothing odd out of the ordinary, just the normal dust and native plants that grew in this world. She frowns. “I don’t really see anything.”

Suddenly the display of lights flickered. Out of instinct her hand reaches for the pistol at her side. Then her heart sinks at the next thing.

.

|| Uh, do you want me to pay for some of that? I know you’re probably– || 

.

“Steve?” Stephanie says, surprised. 

So she wasn’t crazy after all. She did hear him. 

Will looked up at her, stunned too. “Steve Harrington?” He asked, but before she could speak another voice could be heard.

.

|| –I can get it. Money’s a little tight, I’ll admit, but there’s nothing I can do about it. You know? ||

|| You sure? ||

|| Yes. I appreciate the offer. You’re very sweet. Take care. || 

.

“Mrs. Byers?/Mom?!” They both erupted, then went quiet to see if they could hear anything else.

Nothing.

“Shit.” The oldest said, and now gnawing on her lip again, nervously (And completely forgetting about Steve for the time being). “That might have been our chance.” She hears the boy drop the phone somewhere next to her. “Will?”

The boy seemed fascinated with an idea swirling around in his head. Stephanie finds herself just watching, waiting to see what he had in mind. Will reaches up and lets his fingers brush the display of some string lights, the lights getting a little bit hazy – It was almost like his touch was giving them electricity. 

.

|| Will. || 

.

Joyce’s voice broke through very faintly, but they both heard it and nearly cried.

“Touch the light again.” Steph said, urgently. Will does what he’s told and they both stay quiet again.

.

|| Will! ||

.

“She hears us.” He says, happily. 

“Holy shit…” She chuckles. “I have an idea. Touch all the lights.”

Frantically, they rush to touch all the lights they saw on display, not even questioning how this was even possible, they just hoped Joyce got the message. Once the hue died down they both held their breaths, and crossed their fingers. And then…

.

|| Just ring me up, Donald. ||

.

Stephanie threw her hands up. “Yes!” She says, with Will laughing beside her. “Thank you, Ms. Byers.”

“My mom’s the best.” He said, with a warm look.

“Hell, yeah she is. And forget the phone–” She locks eyes with him, determined. “I think we figured out a better way to communicate.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“And you think these missing kids may have crawled through there?” 

Hopper spares the man a glance before looking back at the drain. Somehow, he convinced the security guard to let him and his guys in, but so far their theories are turning out pretty sour. “Well, that was the idea.”

Their “Tour Guide”, I guess you can call him that, made a fact that was all smug and prideful. “Yeah, I just don’t see how that’d be possible. We’ve got over 100 cameras. Every square inch covered, plus all my guys. No one breaks in here. Certainly not some kids.”

Hopper perked up at the news, eyes trailing to a few cameras in view. Now it was his turn to be the smug one as he asked, “Those cameras, you keep the tapes?”

Well… I don’t think the guide was expecting that reaction.

Now, the three of them were following the man inside, the hallways swarmed with men in lab coats, and a security team blocking a room that was marked “hazardous”. 

The police Chief found this a bit suspicious and asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, what do you guys do in here?”

The guide chuckles. “You’re asking the wrong guy.”

“Staying one step ahead of the Russians?”

“I expect. Something like that.”

“Who’s in charge here?”

“That’d be Dr. Brenner.”

“And he builds the space lasers?” Callahan asked, eagerly. 

“Space lasers?”

“Ignore him.” Hopper replies, sighing. They eventually entered the surveillance room, the three of them watching the screen closely. “This is the night of the 6th and 7th we’re seeing here?”

“That’s correct.”

Hopper narrows his eyes, waiting to see if he sees anything unusual. However, to his surprise, the tape only lasted less than a minute. “Is that it?” He asked, in disbelief. 

“Like I said, we would have seen them.”

And then the cops were practically shoved out of there, and the guide gives them their condolences for the tired search (Yeah, what an asshole, right?).

“The night of the 7th, we had a search party out for Will and Stephanie. You remember anything about that night?” Hopper asked, seeing if he wasn’t the only suspicious one. 

“Mmm, not much to remember. Called it off.” Callahan replies, thinking.

 “‘Cause of the storm.” Powell adds.

“Yeah, a lot of rain that night.” Hopper says, arriving at their car. “You see any rain on that tape?”

“What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know.” He spares a look at the building, a sinking feeling in his gut. “But they’re lying.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the boys were outside shifting through the playground for some rocks. Mike picks one up and shows it off. “How about this one?”

Dustin looks and shakes his head. “Too big for the sling.” He says, getting on his knees to do some digging. “So, do you think Eleven was born with her powers, like the X-Men, or do you think she acquired them, like... like Green Lantern?

“She’s not a superhero. She’s a weirdo.” Lucas replies, rolling his eyes.

“Why does that matter?” Mike snaps, offended. “The X-Men are weirdos.” 

“If you love her so much, why don’t you marry her?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Mike, seriously?”

“What?”

“You look at her all, like…” Lucas makes a giggly face, and softens his body language, followed by a higher pitched voice, “‘Hi, El! El! El! El! I love you so much! Would you marry me’?” 

“Shut up, Lucas.”

“Yeah, shut up, Lucas.” Their bully, Troy, announced as he stomped towards the group. “What are you losers doing back here?”

“Probably looking for their missing friends.” James said, smirking.

“That’s not funny. It’s serious. They’re in danger.” Dustin hisses, annoyed.

“I hate to break it to you, Toothless, but they’re not in danger.” Troy bites back. “They’re dead. That’s what my dad says. He said that Byers was probably killed by some other queer. And maybe your sister’s been killed by some crazy stalker who is into weirdos like her.”

The two bullies laugh as Dustin looks like he’s about to strangle someone. No one says anything about Will like that. And nobody especially says something like that about his big sister.

Mike sees this, and puts his arm in front of his friend to soothe him. “Come on. Just ignore them.” He says, and starts to leave, only to be tripped – and face planted into the ground.

“Watch where you’re going, Frogface.” Troy spats, but he instantly gets a taste of his own medicine. 

To everyone’s surprise, Dustin was the one to deliver the karma, which was forcibly shoving him to the ground. 

Everyone stared, and before someone could speak he shoved James too and scrambled to pick up Mike.

“Lucas! Let’s go!” Dustin yells, and silently tells Mike to go. As they were leaving, he flips the bullies the bird and snaps, “You shitheads need to keep Will and Phanie’s name out of your mouths! Got it?!”

And then they broke off into a Usain Bolt type sprint.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

They finally ended up back on Mirkwood, guns loaded, backpacks full, and hope in their chest. If this works, if Joyce does this right, then maybe they can finally communicate to the other side. All they needed to do was tell her where they are, and maybe they could figure out a way to get back. 

It sounded easy, and they just hoped it was.

The two of them were silent for most of the walk, and when they got to this specific road, the boy grabbed her hand, shaking. She says nothing, ‘cause nothing needs to be said about it. If that’s what made him feel safe then so be it.

“Do you think it’s negative emotions?” Will eventually said, breaking the ice.

Stephanie tilts her head, confused. “Hmm?”

“Do you think that’s how we can hear some people? Through negative emotions?” He looks up at her. “Like my mom, she must be worried about me, maybe that’s why we can hear her?”

Her eyebrows shoot up, shocked. It’s definitely a plausible theory (But would that apply to Steve as well? And if so, why is he so worried?). “Maybe.”

“But would that go with us too?” He adds, the wheels in his head really were turning today. “I mean, is that how the beast picks their victims? Because they’re in a bad mental state?”

Well, now that makes sense if you put it that way. “It’s possible.” She said, nodding. Yeah, that’s completely possible. 

It explains a lot of things. More or so she wanted to admit. She knows these last two years were… interesting to say the least. Definitely could qualify as a ‘Bad Mental State’. And… she also has felt a bit stressed about school and talks about her future. But if she knew herself was in a bad state, then that means–

“Then… are you okay?” Steph asked, realizing something. The boy froze, like actually froze when she said that. It was a trippy sight to see. “Will?”

“What?”

“Are you okay?” She tries again, a bit gentler this time. “Mentally?” Nothing. “Will–

“I… I’m fine.” 

And then he lets go of her hand and starts walking a bit quicker– not even realizing he was doing so. She stops, concern on her face. She wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from a simple yes or no question. She makes a note for herself that when they do get out of here she’s going to have a talk with him (Or at least tell Joyce about her concerns).

She sighs. Always got to be the therapist, Henderson.

She takes a step to move but stops, her eyes trailing off the road to her right, right into the void of the trees. It was weird. She felt like someone was standing right there – The same kind of presence back at the clock tower. 

“Huh.” She turns her attention back in front of her, then proceeds to freak out a bit when she notices how far Will was. She cusses and breaks into a sprint to catch up quickly.

Completely unaware of who that presence really was. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve steps over the barricades, his feet sinking into the leaves. Curiosity got the best of him you could say, or maybe the conversation last night really was getting under his skin (Like he’ll ever admit that), but he found himself here. Standing at a… crime scene, I guess. 

Her car went off road with herself and the Byers boy in it. Not long afterwards, they ditched it. 

His brown orbs trailed from the tree the vehicle hit and down the long road. He also knows, from what he’s heard, they both ran back to the boy’s house and then the trail went cold after that. But that’s the part that tickled his brain a bit. 

Why run all the way back home, a place you’re probably the safest at, and then leave it? It didn’t make sense in his book. Hell, it shouldn’t make sense in anybody’s book. What was the urge for them to run away from home and into the thick woods that surrounds Hawkins? 

He rubbed his chin and started thinking like he was going to solve this or whatever. Like…

He then scoffs at himself. 

What the fuck am I even doing? What is he doing? Why did he drive himself here? It’s not like he should care anymore. I mean, he shouldn’t care anymore. His parents would have his head if they knew–

Then there it is again.

That strange feeling that someone’s watching him. 

He turns around, half expecting a cop to be there to scold him, the other half expecting nothing and– Oh! What do you know? It was nothing. 

But even if it was nothing, he swears someone is standing there, watching his every move. Almost like this presence was here to judge him and see what other stupid things he can do today.

It was definitely giving him the heebie-jeebies.

He frowns, and looks away. “What the fuck…?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It took her an hour, but Joyce got all the lights up. She strung them all through the house, up along the wall and hanging gently off the ceiling. She hopes that she’s not losing her mind – She knows how silly this looks; Putting up Christmas lights in November (I mean, the holiday’s not that far off but still). She was expecting some reaction to happen, some or maybe all of them would immediately start blinking; Instead, her doorbell rings and she’s met with Karen Wheeler.  

Not wanting to be rude, Joyce invited her and her youngest in. Karen pops in a casserole she made into the oven, sitting next to the worried mother and tries to see what state she was in.

Joyce chuckles nervously when her guest notices the festive decoration. “Will always loved Christmas, you know. So I thought if I... I put the lights up... I don’t know, he... I’d feel like he was home somehow.” She covers part of her face with her hand. “I-It’s silly, I-I know…”

Karen shakes her head. “No. No, it’s not silly.” She takes the other woman’s hand in hers, giving her a gentle squeeze. “How is Jonathan holding up?”

Joyce takes a deep breath. “You know, he’s good at taking care of himself. He always has been, you know? I…” She scoffs. “I mean, he thinks I’m losing my mind, but…”

“Joyce.” Karen says, softly. “I want you to know something. If you need anything, anything at all... Ted and I are here for you.”

This sentimental moment caused them both to become oblivious to the lights flickering on in the hallway, a walkway pointing towards Will’s room. The only one who didn’t miss it was Holly, who was now sliding off her chair to follow.

“Thank you.” Joyce said, sincerely. 

Karen smiles. “Okay.”

The two women continued to talk, Joyce even bringing up Mike’s feelings about the whole thing – and even wondered if Claudia and Dustin were okay too. Meanwhile, little Holly Wheeler watched the lights flickered on and off, guiding her to the bedroom. Her eyes watched in awe as the many, many lamps that were lingered around Will’s room turned off and on one-by-one in a symphony-like way.

She giggles and claps, excited to watch this “show”. Then…

They all stopped and the nightmare began. 

Her happiness starts to pool away as she hears a scary sound. She then turns white as a ghost when she notices one of the walls was moving and stretching out towards her.

Who knows what would have happened if Joyce hadn’t come in and grabbed Holly, handing her back to her mother. 

“She shouldn’t be here.” Joyce said, scared in both tone and facial expression. 

Karen didn’t notice the seriousness of her look as she apologizes, “Oh, I’m sorry. She’s quite the explorer these days.”

“Wait, did you see something?” The worried Byers brushes her off, and the little girl nods quickly. “What did... what did you see? Tell me. What did you see?”

“Joyce!” The blonde scolds, but she’s already being shooed away.

“Karen, thank you for the casserole, but I need you to leave.” 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nancy tapped her foot repeatedly, impatiently waiting for the person to pick up the phone. “Come on, come on, come on…” She mumbled, gripping the payphone tight. “Come on–”

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

Oh, thank god. “Hi!” She says, eagerly. “Hi, uh, Ms. Holland, it’s Nancy.”

[ ‘Oh, Nancy, how are you?’ ]

“Good. I’m good. Um, I was just wondering, uh, is Barb there?”

[ ‘Mmm... No, she hasn’t come home yet.’ ]

“But she did come home, right? After the vigil?”

[ ‘No, she said she was staying with you last night.’ ] 

Shit. Nancy mentally scolds herself. “Right, yes. She did, sorry. I meant, did she come home this morning? I think she left some textbooks and she was gonna go pick them up.”

[ ‘Oh, um, no, I haven’t seen her.’ ]

“Do– do you know what? I just remembered... she’s at the library.”

[ ‘Nancy, will you please have her call me as soon as you find her?’ ]

“Yeah.” She shakes her head, frowning at how worried Barb’s mother was sounding. “Yeah, I will. Sorry to bother you.”

She hangs up the phone, frustrated. This wasn’t like Barb at all. In the past when they’ve had some disagreements, she’s never once disappeared like this. The only thing Barb’s ever done that was “extreme” was she did the silent treatment for most of the school day. 

This is so weird. This whole day’s been weird. She sighs and digs out some more change for the machine, and dials another number she knows by heart. The whole time as it rang she was nipping at the tip of her thumb. To her surprise, a voice she’s never heard before answered the phone.

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

The voice was a bit husky, but sweet with a pinch of sass. 

Nancy’s confused, and twirls the phone cord around her finger. “Oh, I’m sorry, who’s this?” She asked, wondering if she dialed the number wrong. “Is this the–”

[ ‘This is Jessica. How can I help you?’ ]

Jessica?

Jessica?

Jessica? Who’s…

Her eyes widened. 

Oh.

Now she recognizes the name. 

It was Steve’s mother – The woman she hasn’t met yet – The woman she’s “meeting” for the first time over the phone.

She swallows, nervously. “Oh, I-I’m… sorry. I was trying to get a hold of Steve.” She replies, feeling a bit awkward (and nervous?).

[ ‘Steven? And who are you to him?’ ]

Well she sounds lovely. She can hear the snobbishness in her tone, almost offended that someone was calling for her son. That’s a little weird.

“Um, I’m his girlfriend.” Nancy replies, trying to sound confident. “I was just wondering if he’s home? I haven’t seen him at school day and I’m a little worried.”

Then came the very long, very uncomfortable pause. For a second there she thought the mom hung up, it was so quiet.

[ ‘Girlfriend? That’s new. ]

“Did Steve not tell you about us?” Nancy asked, a bit hurt and a bit confused. He seemed so proud to show the whole school that they were dating, how come he never told his mother?

[ ‘What’s your name?’ ]

Skipping my question. I love it. “Um, Nancy. Nancy Wheeler, Ma’am.”

[ ‘Wheeler, you said?’ ]

“Um, yes.” Now she was puzzled even more. Was this a bad thing–

[ ‘That’s wonderful!’ ] 

Nancy blinks. “It… is?”

[ ‘My son’s dating a Wheeler! I almost can’t believe it.’ ]

And the woman was laughing with joy(?), which Nancy puts to the side. She just needs to get an answer to her own simple question. “That’s… wonderful, um… is Steve there?”

[ ‘No, he’s not. *Sigh* I swear if that boy’s skipping school, we’re going to have a problem.’ ]

And I think I just made everything worse. She straightens herself up, ready to end this. “Okay, Well… thanks, Mrs. Harrington, I’ll see if he’s maybe hiding out somewhere in the school.”

[ ‘Okay. Well, you have a good rest of your day, sweetheart.’ ]

Sweetheart? Nancy shakes her head again. “Thanks. You too.” She hangs up the phone. Well that was even weirder than the last one.

She crosses her arms, turning to head inside only her eyes to beeline to Carol and Tommy following someone closely – Tommy looking pissed off, especially. 

“What the heck?” She says, and hurries towards them.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hopper and his partner entered the library with an idea – an idea hanging on a very thin thread that is. So, he puts on his best smile and takes off his hat, strolling up to the woman at the desk. “Hey, Marissa. How you doin’?”

The librarian pursed her lips. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here.”

He blinks. “What?”

“You could have at least called, said, ‘Marissa! Hey, it’s not gonna work out. Sorry I wasted your time. I’m a dіck’.”

Oh, now he remembers. “Yep.” He said, agreeing immediately. “I’m sorry. Uh... Maybe we could go out again next week?” She, and even Powell, made a face at him that gave him his answer. He smacks his lips and looks around. “Newspapers? You guys got newspapers around here?”

Marissa nods and shows them where they all are. “We have the New York Times, the Post, all the big ones. Organized by year and topic. You can find the corresponding microfiche in the reading room.”

“Okay, we’re looking for anything on the Hawkins National Laboratory.”

“Well, shouldn’t you be looking for that missing kid?”

“Yeah. We are.” Hopper pushes, and adds, “So, why don’t you start with the Times, and we’ll check out the Post.”

She scoffs in disbelief and walks off, Powell stepping up with a look on his face. “The librarian?” He said, getting a shrug.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nancy sped up when she saw who they were stalking in the parking lot. Why would two people like Tommy and Carol go after a kid like Jonathan Byers? Nothing that went through her mind would give her that answer. When she got closer is when it got more intense. 

Tommy was practically manhandling Jonathan, yelling and trying to take his bag away from him. The eldest Wheeler sped up even more, full on running now.

She manages to step between the two of them, arms out in defense. “Hey! What’s going on?”

“This creep was spying on us last night!” Tommy said, pointing furiously. “Nicole says he was taking pictures of us by the pool.”

“I was looking for my brother.” Jonathan replies, holding his bag close.

“Bullshit. Now let me see.”

“Back off!”

Nancy steps in between them again. “Tommy, stop!” She yells, making him scoff.

“You’re defending this creep, Wheeler?” Carol asked, in disgust.

“First of all, you really going to believe what Nicole said? The girl’s like the boy who cried wolf.”

“Nancy–”

“Lastly, so what if he has photos of us at the pool? It wasn’t like we’re naked.”

“Naked or not, he still took pictures of us!” Tommy snaps, taking a step closer as she takes a step back.

“Pictures or not, he was looking for his brother–”

“How do you know, huh? How?”

“Because he’s been hanging out missing poster signs of him and missing school because he’s the big brother.” Nancy looks over her shoulder, locking eyes with Jonathan. “Go.” He hesitates. “Go, man!”

Not wasting another opportunity, he hustles off towards his car. Tommy tries to lunge towards him, but Nancy isn’t letting up.

“What the fuck, Nancy?!” Tommy shouted, and she chose to ignore him by walking away once she knew Jonathan wasn’t around. “Nancy!”

“Nancy, get back here!” Carol yelled.

“Nancy, you such a fucking princess! Wait until your boyfriend hears about this!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Dude, I can’t believe you did that!” Lucas said, as they bike away from the school. “You know Troy and James are not going to let that slide.”

“I don’t care!” Dustin says, bitterly (and if he could cross his arms right now he would). “I don’t like when people bad mouth my friends, bad mouth my sister! I mean, for Christ’s sake, she was giving Will a ride home. What’s so bad about that?”

He doesn’t care if James’s waiting tomorrow to give him a wedgie, or Troy’s fist plummeting into his face, he doesn’t care. Both Will and Phanie had their fair share of bullying themselves, or whispers of derogatory names and speeches – All because Will was the “quiet kid” and wears “colorful” clothing; All because his sister wasn’t a “girly-girl” and a total nerd. He’s heard that all throughout his life, and sometimes he said something, sometimes he stays silent when told too – He probably should have done that today.

But those… fucking bullies just had to poke him when he was the most stress. Stressed out with each day that none of them had come home.

Jeez, he’s either going to get scolded or praised by his mother if she finds out about that interaction. 

“And don’t even try to convince me to beg them for forgiveness. They don’t deserve it and I’m standing my ground.” Dustin adds, shutting his friend up. As they rode closer and closer to their houses, he frowned, worriedly.

I just hope El knows what she’s talking about. He just wants to find them both soon (Safe and sound would be a plus).

The boys continued to ride until they arrived at the power lines behind the Wheelers’ house. Mike shouted and told the girl to hope on, warning all of them they only had a few hours to pull this off.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Joyce was standing in her kitchen with a cigarette when Chester started barking. She looks up to see the lights in the living room start flickering, and hurries in there. As soon as she entered they died down. Then, slowly the light directly above her activated, and then made a pathway to the other side of the room. Her fingers laced around them, and followed, ending up being directed at a bundle of them lying on the floor.

She rushes to take them in her hands, sitting down and taking a deep breath. It was now or never to find out if she was really losing her mind or not. She closes her eyes, and whispers,

“Will... are you here?”

There was a brief pause followed by the ball lighting up and fading. She chuckles in excitement, completely over the moon with fresh tears in her eyes. 

“Okay, good, good, good, good. Are you…” How should she do this? “Um, blink once for yes, twice for no. C-Can y-you do that for me, sweetie? Can you do–” The ball lights up again just once as she feels a tear run down her cheek and hugs the object.

She can feel it in her bones, in her heart now. She knows this is her baby boy. She knows that her son is still with her.

Joyce smiles and sniffles. “Oh, good boy. Good boy. Okay, Will, um–” Another deep breath. “Is… Is Stephanie with you too?” 

One blink. The girl who was kind enough to pick up her son is still with him despite all this time. She can finally put some of that guilt away now.

“That’s wonderful news.” She said, her expression growing bigger. However, this was going to be the hardest question yet to ask. “Baby, I need to know…” She swallows. “Are you guys alive?”

One blink and her heart skips a beat. She thanks any God who’s listening for this.

Her lip quivers as she follows up with, “Are you guys safe?”

Two blinks.

Her son and Stephanie were not okay.

Now, Joyce was shaking like a leaf as she clenched the lights tighter, her mind running a mile a minute on what she can do. What could she say that wouldn’t revert to playing twenty questions four times over?

“I need to know where to find you two, honey. Where... where are you? Can you... can you tell me where you are? Can you…” She chokes, her cheeks completely stained. “Please, baby. I need to find you. Tell me what to do. Please just... Will…”

She didn’t know how long she sat there and cried, wondering what she could do for her baby, for Steph; But at some point a light bulb idea appeared. She suddenly found herself stringing some lights on the wall over her couch, a row of three, before popping open a can of black paint and began brushing letters on.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“How do we get my mom’s attention when we can’t see what she’s done?” Will asked after hours of walking back to his home, he was disappointed to find that his house still looks the same. I guess their theory about earlier was right–

This world was stuck on the day he and Steph got kidnapped by the beast.

The oldest walked around a bit, thinking. Unfortunately, despite all the lights Joyce bought, they can’t see any of them. “Did she put it in your room, maybe?” Stephanie thought, and wandered inside.

Nothing. Of course. The only thing she saw that was possibly different was some scratch marks on the wall, ones that would be too high for a dog to do.

She swallows and leaves, meeting the boy in the hallway. “Did you have scratches on your wall before?” Will gives her a weird look and shakes his head. She hums. “We got to find those lights quickly. I think that monster’s been lurking around here.”

They found themselves back in the living room, and started moving their arms around, squinting too to see if something would appear. All hope was starting to seem lost until her hand hits an object above, a glowing hue appears for a split second.

“Whoa…” Will said, in awe, and suddenly, they both swore they heard a dog barking. “Chester?”

Steph took this as a sign to keep going, hitting the same spot again before gently moving her hand along the imaginary line. She trails to the little cabinet against the wall, feeling around until she hits something that makes light.

Come on, Ms. Byers. Please tell me you’re home. The two of them waited anxiously, waiting for the woman to speak, waiting for–

.

|| Will... are you here? ||

.

Joyce’s voice broke through, breaking them.

“Mom.” Will breaths, coming down to sit on his knees. “What do I–”

“Start feeling around. Just like I did.” Steph said, coming to sit next to him. He nods again, keeping calm and feels around – His fingers touching something that made the hue appear again. “Perfect. Just like that.”

.

|| Okay, good, good, good, good. ||

.

“See?” Steph says, happily. “It’s working.”

“Mom.” Will says again, smiling. Now, they just have to stay silent and listen.

.

|| Are you… Um, blink once for yes, twice for no. C-Can y-you do that for me, sweetie? Can you do– || 

.

Of course they can. So Will reaches out and touches it once.

.

|| Oh, good boy. Good boy. Okay, Will, um– Is… Is Stephanie with you too? ||

.

One touch. Will is eternally grateful that he’s not alone in this scary place. 

.

|| That’s wonderful news – Baby, I need to know… ||

.

There’s a pause, and they hold their breaths.

.

|| Are you guys alive? ||

.

Their hearts clenched at how painful she sounded. 

His poor mother. I can only imagine what she must feel like. Steph thought, and touched his shoulder, trying to give him some comfort.

He touches the air with a shaky hand, trying not to beat himself up over how much his mother was suffering.

.

|| Are you guys safe? ||

.

They frown, and he touches the air twice.

I’m sorry, Mom. Will says, trying not to picture the state she was in after that answer.

.

|| I need to know where to find you two, honey. Where... where are you? Can you... can you tell me where you are? Can you… Please, baby. I need to find you. Tell me what to do. Please just... Will… ||

.

“Mom?” He croaked, after she went silent. “Mom?”

“Ms. Byers?” She said, worriedly.

“Mom, please… where did you–”

Then they heard the couch scrap across the floor, hitting the wall, followed by the sounds of hammering. 

“What is she doing now?” He asks, both of them standing and hearing the string lights she must have in her hands clink together, and move along the wall. “Why is she hanging up more lights?”

Although he was puzzled, Stephanie was not. She walks over to the couch, getting onto the cushions and feeling around, the hues returning when she hits a certain spot. She laughs blissfully.

“Oh, your mom’s a genius.” Steph said, with a huge smile on her face.

Will gives her a look. “I don’t get it.”

“Watch closely. See–” She touches a line of lights near the ceiling. “Eight.” Then the middle. “Nine.” Then the bottom. “Nine. It makes twenty-six. Your mom’s a freaking genius.”

“Still not getting it.”

“Don’t you see? She didn’t just hang up more lights–” Her smile grows, and soon will his. “It’s an alphabet wall.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nancy wasn’t sure what she was going to do. First Steve doesn’t come into school, and now no one knows where Barb is. She decides to kill two birds with one stone after school, and takes a drive over to the Harrington house. A quick driveby shows that her boyfriend’s car wasn’t there, so she figures he must have just skipped school because of last night’s disagreement. As for her best friend though, she couldn’t have said the same thing.

She slows down and parks directly behind Barb’s car, jogging over and taking a peek inside. Everything was the same, Barb’s purse was on the floor board, and the sweater she changed out of was laid in the seat. 

No. No way. She couldn’t believe this. If Barb didn’t drive home last night then where was she? She tried to come up with excuses, tried to make up ideas that would lead to her coming home without her car but…

Nothing made sense. 

She about cried on the way home, on the verge of a breakdown as she thinks only but the worst of the worst. 

“Hey!” Her mother calls out as she enters the house. “You’re home early! How was the game?” When her mother notices how quiet she was, it is when she meets her daughter halfway. “Nancy? What’s the matter?”

“I-It’s Barb.” Nancy croaks, shaking. “I think... something happened. Something terrible.” She hopes she’s just over exaggerating, but she doesn’t know about that.

She can’t shake off this dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“I don’t know, Chief.” Powell begins, really on the fence about all that they read.

“What don’t you know?” Hopper asked, confused.

“This lady, Terry Ives, sounds like a real nut to me. Her kid was taken for LSD mind control experiments? She’s been discredited. Claim was thrown out–”

Hopper sighs. “Okay, forget about her. Take a look at this.” He slides over a newspaper clipping he printed out. The headline said: ‘MK ULTRA EXPOSED’. He points to a familiar face in the picture. “Dr. Martin Brenner.”

“Who?”

“Brenner. He runs Hawkins Lab.”

“Okay…”

Hopper sits back in his chair with disbelief and scoffs. “You don’t find that interesting?”

“Not really.” Powell said, with a shrug. “He was involved in some hippie crap back in the day, so what?” 

“No, this isn’t hippie crap. This is CIA-sanctioned research.”

“Doesn’t mean he had anything to do with our kids.”

“Come on. Look at that.” Hopper points to the other people in the picture. “Hospital gowns. All of ‘em. Now, that piece of fabric that the teacher found by the pipe. That sure looked like a hospital gown to me, huh? Am I wrong?”

“I don’t know, Chief.”

“Come on, man. Work with me here. I’m not saying that there’s some grand conspiracy–” (You sure about that?) “I’m just…” He sighs, exhausted. “I’m saying maybe something happened. Maybe Will and Stephanie were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they saw something that they shouldn’t have.”

Powell makes a face. “It’s a reach.”

“It’s a start.” 

Before more could be said, Powell’s radio goes off, and Callahan starts speaking.

[ ‘Hey, Powell, is the chief with you?’ ] 

Hopper wastes no time to reach over and take the radio off his partner’s shoulder, answering it, “Hopper here. What do you got?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The boys follow Eleven through the woods, the sun finally setting, slowly engulfing them in darkness if it wasn’t for the lights on their bikes. To everyone’s shock and confusion, she had brought them to a familiar place.

She turns around and faces them, replying, “Here.”

Mike gives her a look. “Yeah, this is where Will lives.”

“Hiding.”

He shakes his head. “No, no, this is where he lives. He’s missing from here. Understand?”

“What are we doing here?” Lucas asked, dropping his bike in annoyance. 

“She said he’s hiding here.”

“Um…” He looks around. “No!”

Now it was Dustin’s turn to look annoyed. “I swear, if we walked all the way out here for nothing–”

“That’s exactly what we did. I told you she didn’t know what the hell she was talking about!”

Mike sighs and looks at her. “Why did you bring us here?”

“Mike, don’t waste your time with her.” Lucas replies, fed up and tired.

“What do you want to do then?”

“Call the cops, like we should have done yesterday.”

“We are not calling the cops!” 

“Hey, guys?” Dustin says, something catching his attention. 

“What other choice do we have?” Lucas yells again. 

“Guys!” He snaps, drawing their attention to the police cars rushing by, followed by an ambulance. Their sirens were blaring loudly, and were heading in a direction they all knew where it led to.

A dreadful feeling came to all of them instantly. 

“Oh no…” Mike whispers.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Stephanie wrote on the wall with a marker the best she could, drawing the alphabet in each row. They couldn’t see the lights or the letters Joyce probably scribbled on too, but they could make do with what they had.

“This should probably help, right?” 

“Definitely.” Will agrees with a nod.

“Good.” She smacks her hands together. “Alright, come on Mrs. Byers, talk to us. Ask us some questions.”

“Come on, Mom.”

They waited and waited, until they finally heard her speak.

.

|| Okay. Okay, baby, talk to me. Talk to me. Where are you guys? ||

.

“What should we say?” Will asked, as he climbed onto the couch.

“Uh…” What could they say? “Here! Right Here. Tell her that.”

“Okay.”

Will Reached up and started touching right above each letter, listening – His mother repeating back whatever he touched.

.

|| ‘R’. Good, good, good, good. That’s good. Come on, come on. ‘I..  G... H... T... H... E... R... E…’.‘Right here’. ||

.

Stephanie frowns, worriedly. Yeah, I know it doesn’t make any sense but it’s true.

“Come on, Mom. Understand. Please.” Will begged, quietly.

.

|| ‘Right here’? I… I-I don’t know what that means. I need you to tell me what to do. What should I do? How do I get to you guys? How do I find you? What should I do? ||

.

“Um…” Will looks over at the teenager. “What should we tell her?”

Steph’s mouth opens and closes quickly. What do they tell her if they’re not even sure what this place is? “Fuck… um…” She scratches her head. “How about–”

. “I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING.” .

The vicious voice seemed to spread itself around the house like a disease making the hair on their necks stand, and a chill ran up their spines. And then all the supposed “dead” electricity started going off, turning the whole house into a light show; Radios and TVs started going frantic; Fans turning on and spinning around too.

Will starts looking around all disoriented. “Steph, what’s going on?” 

“I–” She gasps as she hears the infamous growl in the distance, then the sound of the beast trying to bust through the wall behind her. “Will!!”

The boy frantically writes something out of his mother, just as the monster’s claw broke through the house. Steph takes a quick shot to stun it enough for them to run out the back door – From there, they were off running into the forest.

Again. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Joyce set the brush down, her alphabet wall was done and ready to use. She takes a few steps back so she can see the whole thing, and rubs her hands impatiently.

“Okay.” She breathes, mentally preparing herself. “Okay, baby, talk to me. Talk to me. Where are you guys?” It takes only a second for a letter to appear. “‘R’. Good, good, good, good. That’s good. Come on, come on. ‘I..  G... H... T... H... E... R... E…’.‘Right here’.”

What? 

That doesn’t make sense. What do they mean they’re right here?

“‘Right here’?” She says again, puzzled. “I… I-I don’t know what that means. I need you to tell me what to do. What should I do? How do I get to you guys? How do I find you? What should I do?”

She sees the light flicker again, and waits to see what they spell. Slight spoiler…

It was not what she expected them to say.

They were letters that were going to take her breath away.

R

U 

N 

And then all the lights in the house turned on and flickers rapidly, a sound of growling coming from behind. Scarcely, she turns to find something trying to crawl out of her wall. Terrified to even scream or speak, she starts to back away towards the door as a beast breaks through the wallpaper and hisses. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The boys biked faster and faster, trying to catch up to the emergency vehicles, fearing the worst was yet to come. Just like they suspected, they ended up right at Sattler Quarry.

Meanwhile, Hopper was shaking, praying that what Callahan told him was not true. He arrives at the scene to find paramedics going deep into the water, two stretchers trailing behind. He doesn’t even know if he parked the car or not as he rushes out; A terrible, terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. He runs and blends into the crowd of firemen, waiting (im)patiently for their findings. 

“Oh, Jesus.” He mutters, trying so hard to keep his composure. “Oh, God. Please tell me it’s not the kids.”

The boys and El hid behind a truck, hearts in their throats as they watched as a waterlogged body of a boy was being loaded on the stretcher – soon followed by a larger female.

As soon as he saw the clothes, as soon as he saw the color of their hair, Hopper knew he was too late. Not wanting to break down right there and scream, he turns away and heads to his car. How in the world was he going to be able to tell Joyce and Claudia about this? How was he going to tell them that he failed to save their children after they begged him to? What could he have done differently to change this atrocious outcome?

The boys were shaking their heads from afar, not wanting to believe what they’re seeing. It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare. It has to be! They can’t really be–

“It can’t be them.” Mike choked, shaking his head. “It can’t be.”

“It’s Will and Steph.” Lucas says, lips quivering. Both boys were a mess, almost coming undone, but Dustin…

Oh, Dustin.

He felt like he was about to faint.

“Phanie…?” He whispers, taking a step back while holding his head. No. No. No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No– No! This can’t be real! This can’t be! She can’t be–

“It’s really them.” Lucas said, after getting another look once the bodies were brought back to shore. Tears were in his eyes, and they were ones he wasn’t even going to try to hide like he normally would.

Same thing goes with Mike, who was hugging himself, and sobbed. His best friend was gone. A girl that was like a sister to him was gone. He just couldn’t… wait. “Dustin?” He begins, looking over his friend who seemed so far away from this world.

It was a scary look, enough for even El to get scared and worried. She reached out to him, to comfort him; She even muttered his name for the first time.

To everyone’s surprise, he slaps her hand away.

“‘Dustin’? ‘Dustin’, what?!” He snaps, hatefully. “You were supposed to help us find them alive. You said my sister was alive?! Why did you lie to us?” He points at her, scaring her again. “What’s wrong with you? What is wrong with you?!” 

Eleven stays quiet, not even sure what to say from his outburst.

“Say something! Give me an answer, damn it!” He yells, as Lucas and Mike take a step closer.

“Dustin–” Mike tries, but the boy shakes his head and backs away.

“Screw this! Fuck everything!” Dustin turns around and grabs his bike, his friends ushering him to calm down before taking off. But whatever they say wasn’t going to be enough. The Henderson was practically up the hill when they finished their speech, and wasn’t planning on slowing down no matter what happens.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, not too far down the road, Joyce was running for her life – running whatever that thing was that crawled out of her wall. She was so scared that she didn’t even realize a car was coming towards her. Luckily, it stopped mere inches away, causing her to scream.

“Mom?” Jonathan says as he gets out. “Mom, what happened?” His mother couldn’t speak, only reaching out to grab her son and hold on to dear life. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I got you.” 

But everything is not okay. Far from it. 

Because in the distance, police were coming to inform them of the unfortunate news of their son and brother.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve slips through the sliding door in the back of his house since it was much quieter. He really didn’t feel like facing his parents just yet, and he knows this is around the time at night where they sit around with a glass of wine/beer and watch their shows. He’ll just see and deal with them in the morning, and hopefully they don’t notice any signs that there was a party last night.

He walks lightly across the floors, his mind set to go for the stairs which was going to be a bit tricky since they do tend to creak in some spots. A quick look into the living room he finds his dad on the couch, and his mother standing up but facing the opposite way. 

Perfect. He thought and made his move just as his mother’s voice broke through.

The black, wavy haired and brown eyed woman was pacing around a bit, clearly upset about something – or someone to be exact. 

“The boy was skipping school today, Richard. Can’t you believe that? How is suppose to keep up his grades?” 

Steve had to hold back from groaning as he eye rolled. Here she goes again. He chooses to ignore it, and is about to when he hears the next thing.

“If it wasn’t for his girlfriend calling we would have never known.”

He froze as soon as his foot touched one of the steps. Nancy called? 

His girlfriend actually called the house? She was actually calling because she was wondering where he was at? Even after their fight? He could smile because it warms his heart that she cares, but he was also devastated that his mother was the one to pick up the phone. He hasn’t even told–

“On the bright side, he’s dating a Wheeler. A Wheeler! You know what her father does for a living, right?” She chuckles with excitement. “It’s perfect. I can almost cry.”

And here comes another eyeroll. See this is why he didn’t bother mentioning this girlfriend this time around to his mother. He knew once she found out who her family was it was going to be a game changer. 

Jesus, Christ. He can’t wait to see what’s in store for him in the morning.

“Well, it beats the other choices he’s had in the past.�� His father said, pouring salt into old wounds and making him shake his head.

These freaking people, man. I swear. Steve starts to go up the stairs when he hears another voice; This time it was on the TV.

. < In Other words– breaking news. The bodies of some local children, William Byers and Stephanie Henderson have been found. > .

He froze again, this time more rigid and cold.

No.

No, he didn’t just hear that right.

No, his mind’s just playing tricks on him because of last night…

Right?

. < The children have been missing since the 6th, and local authorities and it’s volunteers worked many hours to bring them home, only for it to end in a tragedy. >  .

“About fucking time.” Charles said, raising his beer with joy. “Damn weirdo. I guess our worries about her hanging out with our son again are put to rest.”

Jessica sighs with relief. “Thank God for that. I was tired of seeing her face everywhere.”

“Amen to that.”

He listened to his parents laugh, and clink their drinks together as the world started to spin around him.

No.

No.

This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This isn’t–

He’s not sure how much noise he made, or if he made any, but Steve was out the door again in a split second – running straight for his car where he’ll speed off to the unknown parts of Hawkins.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin stumbles inside his house, slamming the door with more force than necessary. Maybe it was necessary ‘cause it got his mother’s attention. She came from the other room, asking what’s going on as he stares at her with a red face and puffy eyes, cheeks stained with tears that wouldn’t stop falling.

“Dustin? What’s wrong?” 

He felt like something was wrapped around his vocal cords, and there was a knife sticking into his chest, and there was something hot poking at his lungs. He has to speak. He has to tell her. It’s better if she knows from his lips rather than a man in blue. 

“Dustin?” She tries again, getting closer.”

“M-Mom…” He begins, his whole body starting to tremble. “St-Stephanie… sh-she’s… she’s…” Oh, god. Why can’t he freaking say it?

“She’s what?” Claudia asked, worriedness creeping up onto her features.

“Sh-She’s… she’s gone.” He whispers into a sob. “Th-They found them both in… I-In the quarry.” Another sob. “Th-They’re b-both gone. M-Mom. St-Stephanie’s gone…”

And then his mother started to shake her head and said ‘No’, followed by Dustin’s reassurance. This went back and forth for who knows how long, but it ended with Claudia being in the same state as her son – a hobbling mess.

“I-It’s true…” He gasps. “I-I saw it my-myself. They’re r-really b-both gone.” And then he broke down again, this time in her arms. She holds him tight, trying to be the strong one here. 

“Shh, baby, we’ll get through this.” She soothes, rubbing the curls on the back of his neck. Her son grips onto her clothes, burying his head into her chest and lets out never ending gasps for air.

“Mommy…” He choked, as his ears picked up on the sirens in front of his house.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve’s surprised the gas pedal hasn’t gone through the floorboard yet with how much force he’s applying. He doesn’t even know where he’s going, doesn’t even know if he’s hit something, or runs a red light, but he does know that he’s not anywhere near the speed limit. 

The news story was still playing around in his head and it was certainly not helping the situation. 

. < From the looks of it, the poor children had plummeted into the quarry and ended up drowning with possible hypothermia. But the mystery still remains on why these two disappeared in the first place. Hopefully, the police can find the answer to that, and bring some closure to the grieving families. > < Hopefully so, Liz. I can only imagine what they’re going through right now. > < Everyone here at WCPK would like to give our condolences. And we advise everyone watching to give a moment of silence for the children. > .

Steve slams on the breaks, the wheels spinning and making an awful sound as he stops along one of the abandoned roads in the town. He starts breathing heavily, which slowly turns into panting. His heartbeat was in his ears, his throat tight and dry, his brown eyes starting to gloss over.

“Fuck…” He whispers, in disbelief. No matter how many times he thinks this is a dream, thinks that maybe they were wrong and it was two other kids they found, his guts tells him ‘No’ and ‘This is real’. 

“Fuck…” He says again, the pain was slowly turning into anger which eventually led to him banging on every surface in his car. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!”

Stephanie Henderson was dead. The girl he knew since five was dead. The girl he made promises with was dead. The girl who was there for him at his every low was dead. The girl who was the only one to make him really laugh and smile was dead.

The girl he had to give up to protect was dead.

Stephanie Henderson… The girl that was his friend.

No.

Screw that! 

He didn’t want to make that choice but he had to.

The girl that is, and will always be, his friend is dead.

She was just supposed to keep moving on in her life, she was just supposed to keep hating him until she completes her dreams. She was supposed to stay in Hawkins and pretend not to know him until her dream life opens up and whisks her away. 

She was supposed to be alive and safe. 

She wasn’t supposed to be dead at the bottom of a quarry with a boy she offered to protect.

Everything he did to make sure she lived was now pointless.

Now, tears rolled down his face, his hands trembling and his lower lip quivered. Every emotion he kept locked up from their old friendship had returned and it was eating him away, tearing him bit by bit, suffocating him till he turned blue.

He still couldn’t believe it. He wishes he could blink and reality would reveal it was just another dream. 

He knows it won’t be like that. It never will be. So instead…

.

.

.

.

Steve found himself screaming until his throat ran raw.

(TBC)

A/N: Did I emotionally destroy all of you enough? I apologize a bit if so...

~~~

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

@emsownuniverse @unspecifiedvisitor @smaryamsstuff @kitty49646 @jinxeee @bookkeeperlove

[banquetwriter]

Hi! Are you doing requests? If so, could you please do a softdom!Ron x sub!reader? And if at all possible, could he call the reader puppy, or pup? 🥺

୨୧ Puppy days ୨୧

pairing: Ron Weasley♡︎Fem!Reader

warnings: ୭̥⋆*｡, 

summary: ʚ After late-night quidditch practice, Ron gives his little puppy some love ɞ

words: 880

AN: No I'm not gonna talk about how this request is from APRIL OF 2022. Ahem, deepest apologies anonny <3

⤾·˚ ༘ ◡̈ ⤾·˚ ༘ ◡̈

Ron was sore and agitated. He stepped out of the boy's locker rooms. “See you later guys!” Dean called back to Harry and Ron. A few more goodbyes were shared, as the captain and seeker of the team left for their common room. “You gonna stay with y/n tonight?” Harry asked, walking up to the fat lady. “Oi, what are you lads doing out this late?” she asked, appalled. “Quidditch," Ron shot back. He was tired and just wanted to go lay down. 

“Oh good lord,’ she mumbled. “Password?” she asked, yawning afterwards. “Mimbulus mimbletonia," Ron sighed. The common room door swung open. “I think so mate. Haven’t been with her much this week with the positions test and all. She’s been studying,” Ron said, plopping down on the couch. Harry nodded. “What about you? I expect you have some very nice words to say to my sister right about now," Ron said, wiggling his eyebrows. “Shut up," Harry jabbed, sitting on the arm of the couch. “She is at a sleepover and besides, I’ve been studying for that test, Ron. I just wanna sleep s-so, fuck off mate,” Harry said, shaking his head, sitting up off the couch, and walking off to his room. 

“It was a fucking joke,” Ron mumbled. He let out a deep sigh, watching the fire crinkle and crack. It was early January and school had just started back up again. Ron would give almost anything to go back to Christmas vacation. Sitting alone in the common room. y/n snuggled on his chest. The fire going. It was a blissful silence. 

But it was time for him to go up to his room. Well, it was technically y/n’s room. She was the prefect that got her room to herself. He sighed. He needed a shower, but he was so exhausted… ‘No, a shower is what I need tonight,’ Ron thought. He entered the room to see his sleeping girlfriend cuddled up in his clothes. She was fast asleep, snoring. He let a small smile spread on his lips. He set his gear down in the corner of the room.

He quietly trailed to the shower. Scrubbing his body and hair thoroughly. He hated to admit it, but y/n’s hair products always made his hair feel amazing. But he always felt bad when she had to buy more of it because it kept running out so often. He got done with the shower, stepping out, drying his hair, and wrapping the towel around his body.

He heard light and slow pitter-pats leading up to the bathroom. He opened the door to see y/n holding one of her stuffies. “Sweetheart, it’s well past your bedtime pup, watcha’ doin’ up?” he asked, walking up to her. Her eyes hovered over his bare chest, water beads dripping down his stomach. She took a deep breath, managing to look at his eyes. “Just heard something, wanna make sure s’ you,” she said, rubbing her eyes. 

“Tsk tsk, puppy,” he murmured, turning her around, his hands clamped down on her shoulders. “Let's get your cute butt back in bed ok?” he joked, pinching her butt. She let out a whimper and swatted his hand away. He let out a small laugh, helping her climb into bed. He finished drying off his body.

He looked over at y/n, who was staring intently at his dick. “Puppy?” he asked, waving his hand slightly, trying to get her attention. She looked up at him with a small smile. “Sorry, Ronnie, got a little distracted,” she mumbled, slowly bucking her hips forward. 

Ron let a shit-eating grin paint his face. “Yeah, puppy? Distracted huh?” he asked, and dropped the towel, climbing on top of the bed. “Well baby, that's a shame, you were being soo good for me too. Now look at you, staying up past bedtime, 'n staring at my dick. Not how proper girls act at all, huh?” he asked. He made his way up to the bed where he had both of his arms over her. 

But she didn’t answer. She just sat there. Her breaths were bigger and deeper. “Oh puppy, let's not be even more of a brat. Just answer me, ok?” he whispered, getting closer to her face. But still, she couldn't answer. “Y/n, answer me,” he said in a low voice. He had positioned himself close to her face, his red hair tickling the side of her face. y/n let out a small giggle as his hair moved along her cheek. “Oh, now you're giggling, huh?” He let his face hover over hers.

“I’m sorry, Ronnie! Just so tired, and I missed you lots this week,” she mumbled, turning over. “That's alright baby. I will let it go tonight, ok?” he mumbled, standing back up, reaching for his boxers. “That sounds alright to me," he heard her mumble, already falling asleep again.

Ron pulled his boxers on, moving the blanket so he could slip under it, lifting the other side for his beloved, who immediately darted to his chest. “I love you too,” he mumbled under his breath, giving her a small kiss on the top of her head. “Good night Ronnie," she let out through a whine. “Goodnight pup.”

[ashwhowrites]

Can u possibly do a smut with Robin using prompts 6,7,8,11,12,14,16,17,20,24,26,32,35? Ik its alot but it you could somehow manage it would be awesome

This is going to have like no plot just smut 🫠 I wasn't sure if you wanted sub or Dom Robin so I went with sub because that's how I like her

“I’ve never seen you squirm so much” -

“Move an inch and you won’t be coming tonight.” -

“Do I look like I’m messing around? Do I look like I won’t punish you?” -

“Be a good girl/boy for mommy/daddy.” -

“You can take it, you’ve done it before.” -

“I’m going to fucking ruin you.”-

“You look so good with my hands around your neck.” -

“Keep your eyes open, look at me, baby.” -

“Come one more time for me, I know you’ve got it in you.”

“I want to see you, I want to watch you cum.” -

“Do you need to use your safe word, darling?”

“You know I’m holding back from fucking you over this kitchen counter, don’t push your luck.”

“You’re still horny? Didn’t I fuck you hard enough last night?”

Robin and Y/N haven't gotten to touch each other in months, and I mean MONTHS. The second Y/N returned home from vacation, Robin was calling her over in seconds. Throwing on her sexiest lingerie she recently bought and spraying perfume on her neck, chest, and ankles ( just in case)

She could feel her body buzzing with anticipation as she waited for her girlfriend to arrive. Sitting on her bed, trying her best to keep her fingers away from dipping underneath her panties and pleasuring herself.

Once she heard the doorbell she threw on a robe and raced to open her door. Thanking the Lord for having the place all to herself.

Not even a hello was shared, just lips attaching themselves to each other. Slamming each other against the closed door. Groaning and gripping at each other's skin.

"Bedroom. Now." Y/N gasped out as she removed her shoes. Robin running up the stairs, throwing her robe to the side as she sat on her bed.

Y/N moaned at the sight of her girlfriend kneeling on the bed, slightly leaning over causing Robins tits to spill out of her top. Her back arched so her ass was in the air.

"So fucking gorgeous." Y/N moaned as she walked up to Robin. Fingers dipping down her back and a hand smacking Robin's ass. Robin moaned at the sting, wiggling her ass for more. Y/N smirked and delivered three more hard smacks. Watching Robin's pale skin turn red.

"lay down." Y/N demanded. Robin followed her orders, laying down with her legs spread. Tracing her fingertips up Robin's legs, up her thighs, skimming over softly over her cunt that was covered by thin lace. Robin shivered under her touch.

“I’ve never seen you squirm so much” Y/N smirked.

"Well you are fucking tickling me at this point." Robin snapped, tired of the teasing.

"Excuse me? Who do you think you are talking to?" Y/N snapped back, a hand smacking Robin's thigh hard.

Robin bit back the moan as the pain stung her skin. Robin decided to stay silent. Eyes filled with blazing anger.

"answer me" Y/N demanded, squeezing Robin's jaw in a grip.

“Do I look like I’m messing around? Do I look like I won’t punish you?” she added, sensing Robin was in a bratty mood. A mood she did not want to deal with, but if she needed to she would.

"I missed you baby and I wanted to make love to you nice and slow. Feel every part of your skin on my fingers and tongue. But you seemed to have ruined that. Playing games." Robin moaned at her words.

Robin loved making love no doubt, but she loved when Y/N was rough on her. When she made her beg and cry, sending over into overstimulation, orgasm after orgasm.

"I missed you too, but I want you to fuck me." Robin whined, sitting up straight, grabbing her girlfriends hand and placing it on her cunt, where Robin craved her the most.

Y/N moaned as she cupped Robin's cunt, feeling how wet she was.

"Can you please touch me?" Robin begged. Y/N nodded and moved the hand that was touching Robin's cunt, to wrap around her throat.

She gripped it tight, feeling Robin's breath getting cut off under her hands.

"You look so good with my hands around your neck.” she complimented, smiling down at Robin's lustful eyes.

She took pity on Robin, as the poor girl was clenching her thighs and tears leaking out of her eyes.

The sight of Robin's panties growing a wet spot made her cave in even more. But she still wasn't going to be nice.

Y/N placed two fingers on the wet spot, pushing it against Robin's wet cunt even more. Feeling the spot grow.

"oh God" Robin moaned. At this point she'd take any touch.

Y/N began to move her two fingers up higher, towards Robin's clit. Rubbing it through her thin panties. Robin whined as the material scraped against her, but she loved it.

“I’m going to fucking ruin you gorgeous." Y/N said as she rubbed Robin's clit harder. Snapping the band on Robin's panties against her skin

"yes please" Robin begged. Throwing her head back with her eyes closed

“Keep your eyes open, look at me, baby.” she demanded. Robin snapped her eyes open and watched as her girlfriend removed her clothes. Standing naked above her.

She crawled between Robin's thighs, smelling her wetness and moaning at how sweet it was.

Robin loved the sight of her girlfriend between her thighs.

“Move an inch and you won’t be coming tonight.” Y/N warned. And dove between the Robin's thighs

Yanking her panties to the side, now face to face with Robin's sweet cunt.

"gorgeous girl" she complimented, licking a stripe up Robin's cunt. Sucking on her clit.

Robin clenched her body so hard. Trying to keep her body from moving. Hands staying still next to her side, sheets in her fist. She tried to bite her lips to stay silent. Doing everything she can to make sure her thighs didn't clench around her girlfriend's head. But Y/N was brutal. Fingers deep in Robin's cunt and mouth devouring her clit. It was an unfair game. But Robin wanted this.

Robin has been worked up for weeks so the feeling of her orgasm approaching wasn't shocking.

"mommy, I need to cum" Robin said breathless. Praying with everything in her that her girlfriend allowed her to cum.

“I want to see you, I want to watch you cum. Cum for me baby" Robin sighed in relief hearing her girlfriends words

Making sure to keep her eyes on Y/N as her thighs shook, cumming loudly with a scream and thank yous flowing off of her tongue. Y/N helped ride it out, fingers deep and hard and tongue still on the clit and licking up the mess.

Once Robin's body went still, she pulled away. But not for long. She gripped Robin's jaw to force it open, shoving her tongue down her throat. Forcing Robin to taste herself, which she loved.

"mhhm mommy I taste so good, don't I?" She teased. Y/N nodded with a smile, "always so good for me baby" and pecked her lips softly.

Y/N dug out Robin's favorite vibrator, one that buzzed against the clit and slipped into her cunt.

She turned it on and easily slipped it into Robin.

“Be a good girl for mommy and fuck yourself with your favorite toy" Y/N demanded. Watching as Robin quickly pushed the vibrator further inside of her. The toy filling her and vibrating against her clit at the same time had her whining.

"you are so gorgeous baby. Fucking yourself for me like that. You wishing I was inside of you?"

"yes mommy so fucking bad" Robin whined as she slipped the toy in and out of her fast. Working herself to another orgasm. Praying afterwards, her girlfriend will fuck her instead of the toy.

Which she did.

Robin was flipped on her stomach, back arched and ass in the air. Her girlfriend was behind her pounding a dildo into her cunt. A vibrator pulsing on her clit, and a butt plug in her ass

"too much" Robin whined

“You can take it, you’ve done it before.” Y/N smirked. Watching Robin's body shudder.

Robin was louder than ever. All she could do was scream as she was filled in both holes.

Once Y/N began to move the butt plug in and out of Robin's asshole, she was screaming

"I CAN'T" she sobbed. Tears soaking the pillowcase

“Come one more time for me, I know you’ve got it in you.” Y/N demanded

"BABY I CAN'T" Robin cried harder but Y/N didn't care.

"no robs. You wanted to get fucked remember? Take it and cum for me"

Robin silently screamed as another orgasm ran through her. Her throat burned and her voice was shot.

“Do you need to use your safe word, darling?” Y/N asked sweetly, still slowly moving the toys in and out of her

"no...no I swear" Robin pleaded. Her body was wrecked but she didn't want her to stop.

Once Y/N worked Robin through her final orgasm, she removed all the toys completely. Robin's body fell into the sheets, soaked with her tears and cum.

"good job baby girl" Y/N praised, kissing Robin's sweaty back. Rubbing Robin's skin with her palm

Y/N smiled as she heard Robin's snores fill the room.

~~

Y/N woke up to see Robin's body was gone. She groaned as she sat up. She heard the shower running. Heading to the kitchen to make some coffee.

She was pouring the coffee into two mugs when she felt Robin's wet body against her back

"are you naked right now baby?" Y/N teased. Feeling Robin's hard nipples pressing on her back

"turn around and see"

Y/N put down the coffee pot and turned in her girlfriends arms. Sure enough Robin stood naked, water dripping down her body from her short hair.

“You’re still horny? Didn’t I fuck you hard enough last night?” Y/N teased. Kissing Robin's lips softly

“You know I’m holding back from fucking you over this kitchen counter, don’t push your luck.” Robin warned, Y/N got to play last night, it was her turn.

"do it then baby" Y/N demanded.

A long night led into a very long morning.

[slashingdisneypasta]

I just watch Good Day For It... I have so many thoughts!!

With how it was set up, it felt like an indie film, or one of those shows with an hour+ runtime per episode. I had to double check the that this was a on-its-own movie. I don't mean that in a bad way at all! I kinda hoped it was so we could get more story and action XD but it was just- executed sooo well! By the halfway point, I was surprised that Emily hadn't been kidnapped and Luke had to go rescue her. The movie focused on them and their relationship and her getting the answers she needed. No unnecessary drama or action needed to keep us at the edge of our seats. I absolutely love how you can see what the characters are thinking through their emotions and expressions- especially Luke!!!! And I was so so so relieved when we got that happy ending of the family reunited. No prison or death for Luke, Emily and Sarah can get all their answers and hopefully they'll be one bug happy family again ^^

Hec and Rose? Do I need to say anything?? They are the BEST supporting cast ever. Hands down. I need Rose and Reba to hang out. I need more Hec and Rose banter. I need more of Hec not just flirting with Rose and genuinely caring for her. I. Need. Them.

And of course, I can't forget the thugs you- and now I- love. First of all; Norman is my favorite. He's just.... Hooooooo fuck. I need him. I need that man. So in control? So level headed yet dangerous at the same time??? Lord have mercy (it doesn't help at all that I'm 99% sure that this is the same guy who played Foxy. WHAT IS IT WITH THAT MAN AND HIS VOICE!?)

As we can see, this is yet another case of me falling in love with the sidekick/accomplice of the one you're in love(?) With. First buck and Harper, then Big Bad and Granny. Greasy and Psycho, Otis and Baby/Rufus. And now Norman and Wayne. What other team/duo are we going to fall for next? XD

Secondly, all these guys KILLED their roles. Oh my god, they really bring a whole new level to the movie when they're on screen. The tension is so thick, you could cut it with a butter knife. They just.... Ohhh my god, I wish I watched this movie sooner so I could appreciate your writing of them more!

Thirdly... Ok the fact that Robert England's character was dealt with by smashing a plate on his head 🤣🤣🤣 I'm sorry, a plate smashing can do serious damage (especially to an old man *cough*) but- the other two got shot, but it's this toon of a man that's finished off with a dish. Please tell me I'm not the only one who found that funny XDDD

And finally.... ALL OF YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT WAYNES EGG COMMENT, BUT NONE OF YA'LL TALKING ABOUT ANY OF LYLES LINES!?!? I don't like that egg comment either, it made my skin crawl too 😅 But believe me, I would take THAT any day over what Lyle said towards Emily, "You like 'em young, eh?"//"So she's legal, now?"//*keeps touching Emily*//I'll let my new girlfriend explain."//"Your sick kid turned into this?"//"Well, I already paid for it." 🤢🤢🤢 Emily my girl I am so sorry. Lyle, I am going to throw you OUTTA THAT WINDOW MYSELF! YOU AND YOUR BOYS CAN COME CATCH THESE HANDS-

All in all, I loved this movie!!! I'm definitely gonna watch it again. And I need to re-read your 'Good day for it' content now, too XD

I could not wait to answer this Sarah. So hi, I'm reporting from the trenches bus stop XD

I'm so jazzed you watched the movie and liked it!!! YES!! I'm absolutely hyperfixated at the moment XD

Right?? I thought it was gonna take forevor to get through it when I started it but the pace was actually really good?? Nothing in it seems like boring filler- and if it is slow, it's just building up tension! XD

I'm also bummed there isn't any more ): I guess though it's a good thing, cuz Norman-Dale-and-Wayne wouldn't be in it ):): (well... maybe Wayne. I HAVE THEORIES. yes they live in the bickerman twins au.)

Yesssss, it has a happy ending and I'm so happy for it XD Happy endings are so underrated 😅😆😄 Just let them be happy!!! Let there be some optimism that they'll get it together and fix everything and everything can be forgiven and everything will be good ^^ 💛💛💛

YES ROSE AND HEC!!! OH MY GOODNESS. THEY ARE THE KINDA PROTAG/SIDE CHARACTERS I LOVE. The well-meaning banter?? The old married couple vibes spliced with the hard-to-get/trying forevor combination??? WAHH!! They're so good XDD I love how Hec is flirty but he's not creepy or threatening. Rose can say no as many times as she likes and he'll make her laugh <3 And- when he came to be Rose's back up against Wayne and Dale??? AGH I was so nervous for them both but so happy to see him come XDD

And the fact that the Sheriff is basically their son??? XDDDD I just thought I'd chuck that in.

... I TOTALLY CALLED IT!! I KNEW YOUR FAVOURITE WAS GONNA BE NORMAN XDD (and yes, that's Richard Brake which means it is absolutely Foxy XD ) I need to make more gifs of that man for you XD He is so pretty <3 And yes- s o in control. That bit where he warns Hec and Rose and Luke that t h e y don't want any trouble?? JEEZ, MAN, BE CAREFUL OF MY DAMN OVARIES, WILL YA??

I was totally about to say 'actually, miraculously my favourite is not the robert englund character this time, i like dale', but i couldn't even think it XD I am s o into Dale for some reason, but 'Dale' kept on getting autocorrected to 'Wayne' when I was drafting this responce in my head XD I obviously love Wayne 🙄😅 (he's under jim and stuart though... but, still, above ink and buckman which is saying something), and YES! YOU'RE RIGHT!! THAT IS OUR PATTERN!! Haha 🤣🤣🤣 I love that XDDD Who is next on our raydar?? 🤔🤔🤔 XD Hmmm XD

'I wish I watched this movie sooner so I could appreciate your writing of them more!' oh there will be more. dont you worry. i have so much in my head; its like when I was into Mr Snake and I kept churning out ideas for him every night XD Wayne x Reader's, Dale x Reader's, N o r m a n x readers... ��*pointed look at you* // *cough* also Poly!Wayne x Reader x Dale x Norman.

Omg... right??? XDD I've been thinking about Wayne getting the plate, too 🤣 Its too funny. Thats a bit I really wanna gif. When I first watched I honestly I kept thinking we were gonna get a post credits scene of him getting up and brushing the plate bits off himself, chuckling. I've been spoiled by Lake Placid XD

'AND FINALLY'-- I DUNNO ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE BUT I FOR ONE WAS NOT MENTIONING THAT B E C A U S E ITS SO MUCH WORSE 🤣😭🤣😭🤣 Oh my lordddd. At least Wayne's entertaining. Lyle is pure terror. I keep fantasising about him saying horrible things like that to me and one of the others sticking up for me~~ 💛💕^^💕💛 I m u s t admit though- god is that actor good. Oh my god. My skin was crawling and I wanted to punch him. That is g o o d shit. The twisted little creature writer in me is loving it; she wants more. Like with Otis. I'm thinking oh s h i t oh shit oh shit, this writer isn't pulling any punches. I kneel. I just think its s u c h an art, to make horrible disgusting characters and thats why I get SO PUMPED when someone compliments my ability to make my characters gross XD ITS JUST??? Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh XDDD I cant even. But yes- Lyle's lines.

They're terrible XD I WILL JOIN YOU. LETS KICK HIS ASS.

I'm soooooo glad you loved the movie!! It, and Titanic, are my current hyperfixation's so its a good thing you got on board- its gonna be all over your dash and notifs for a bit XD Do you wanna be tagged for Norman content? XD

[obsessingonthevalley]

Short n' Sweet. also, Russell T. Davies rant.

So I am a carpenter, fun fact, and I will be talking about Sabrina Carpenter's new album, but there is a lot on today's itinerary. So I will split everything by pictures and the sections will be in this order.

Russel T. Davies rant. (I'm watching you mate) Short n' Sweet debrief

RUSSELL YOU NO-GOOD MAN. WHAT DO YOU MEAN "I can't see River Song making an appearance." I can't see satisfying explanations you decided to cut out because they "weren't necessary" or because "it's pretty obvious what 73 yards meant" WAS IT???

Okay, so I am very happy that this new era seemingly went over well with Disney meaning it will continue to live a long and prosperous life, which ,as the world's largest whovian, YAYYY! however, if Russell continues to cut off important parts of episodes, like a one-off line explaining Sutekh??? yeah, I'm gonna start throwing hands. Like, get on your shit mate. What is this?

And saying no River Song, and especially no Alex Kingston??? I am so not live, laugh, loving rn.

Something that has got me live, laugh, loving right now is my queen's 6th album!!!!

Yeah, no, I am indeed obsessed. When slim pickins was teased, I'm not gonna lie, I was sceptical about how good the album was gonna be and if my queen was gonna enter her flop era, luckily it was just a "bad time" in a sea of "singular act 1" type situation. So we are so back.

ratings, because duh: 1. Taste - 8/10. When I first listened to it, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I was swayed heavily by the music video as I have been in love with Jenna Ortega for pretty much as long as I've been in love with Sabrina Carpenter, so you do the maths. 2. Please Please Please - 7/10 I love it, don't get me wrong, but with the other songs on the album, it's not the best now, is it? 3. Good Graces - 6/10 I didn't love it, and with no music video that kicked in my gay panic. It is probably my least favourite, IT ISN'T BAD BY ANY MEANS. I love the chorus and the beat, but the start is so slow. Very much club music x like a weak 2020 doja cat/ariana grande vibe. like it's not the best. Is it stuck in my head 24/7? sure... so 4. Sharpest Tool - 9/10 the next 3 songs are heavenly and incredible that they are back to back. It's such a beautifully soft song like skinny dipping but slightly hornier and sadder. My vibe completely (I love Conan Gray) 5. Coincidence - 10/10 I love it sooo much. RnBina is back besties. The gospel choir in the chorus. ughhhh. deceased. I died from heavenly tunes. It is such a good song, it's so unapologetically ruthless. Just a song for haters (me.) /j 6. Bed Chem - 10/10!! I'm sure it'll be the biggest mainstream success, this and probably Taste and Juno. But this one is for the same reason Nonsense killed because 1 it's iconic, 2 it's funny as shit, and 3 cause it's catchy as hell. It has been on my mind on repeat for ages. Also lowkey giving Rachel Bloom, someone I'm sure no one reading this knows, she's from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and was youtube famous for singing about touching boobies. I don't wanna talk about it. (sharpest tool reference?) 7. Espresso - 8/10 I used to think Please Please Please was better than this but listening to it again when listening to the whole album, it is actually a masterpiece? no, but it is truly spectacular. but I love it? 8. Dumb & Poetic - 8/10 I enjoy it a lot, it's a little depresso, but based on my explanation of Sharpest Tool's ranking, I think it's clear I enjoy that vibe a little. 9. Slim Pickins - 6/10 I'm so sorry just not my vibe, and "the lord forgot my gay awakening" was a humbling experience. But all jokes aside, I felt like it couldn't decide if it was funny or serious. 10. Juno - 10/10 Are you kidding me, again it's a bit horny, but one of my faves from eics was fast times so it's not an issue for me. 11. Lie To Girls - 8/10 I like it, I think. A bit too real. I feel like it's a song that in like a month or two I've cried to it so I love it, like most most Superache songs, ya get me? 12. Don't Smile - 9/10 Yes, I like this one a lot. its sad as well, but it hits so heavy, the beat is delicious, again its giving doja/ariana for some reason, also "doja/ariana" makes no sense and i under stand that, but it's just a delectable vibe, WHEN DONE RIGHT, (sorry good graces...)

overall 9/10 nothing can beat singular act 1. sorry not sorry (demi lovato reference)

[whatisreggieshortfor]

Overheard

For @lucolestead

Bobby x MC

God, they were roommates.

It was a thought that entered Bobby’s head often, usually because he had to correct people that thought Rose was his girlfriend. Good lord, did he wish. But no. They were only roommates.

There were so many things about Rose that he adored. She didn’t fight, always playing peace maker when someone had a problem. She was funny, always making him laugh about the dumbest things that probably wouldn’t have made sense to other people, like they had a million different inside jokes. She laughed at his jokes just as much. She took care of their flat. He wasn’t messy, refused to be a hard to live with kind of roommate, but she would clean up anything he might have forgotten about or do his baking dishes when he was running late even though she knew he would get to them as soon as he got home. She was always honest. Even when her best mates would wear a dress that was a color that washed out their skin tone, he would see her gently suggest a dress she owned that she thought would suit them better. If they did go for it, she was okay with letting them keep it. If they didn’t, she hyped them up in what they were wearing.

But it was her honesty that led to his undoing on his stance of just roommates.

Bobby had just gotten through the front door, hadn’t even shut it behind him yet, when he heard Priya’s voice echoing with her heels, “Okay, babes, I need to get back to designing this gown, but I love you and I’ll see you tonight.”

“Love you, too, babe. Send me pics when you finish! I know it’ll be gorgeous!”

The heels faltered for a second, “Babes, can I ask you an odd question?” Silence, Bobby set his things down quietly, he didn’t want to disturb them, “Why do you only ever say ‘love you’?”

“What do you mean?” He could hear the shift in Rose’s voice, the tone changing like she knew she’d been caught.

“All of us, when we exchange affections. It’s never ‘I love you’. It’s always ‘love you’. For all of us except-“

“Shh!” He heard the shuffle of heels and light skin smacking, assuming Rose shoved her hand over Priya’s mouth. “He could come home any second.”

Priya giggled, “Just explain it to me, babes. I promise no one’s offended, I’ve just been curious! Honestly, I think I’m the only who’s noticed.”

He could almost picture her shrugging, “You know I adore all of you guys. I’ve just always said that I would only say that to the person I fell for. You know how I feel about Bobby already.”

“So…when are you going to tell him how you feel?”

“Never. He’s made it clear, we’re friends. We’re roommates. I can get my feelings out this way for now, and eventually I’ll be able to move on.”

“Oh honey, we both know that won’t help you move on. You should just tell him.” He heard the heels clicking again, heading his way, so he made a show of shutting the door and letting his keys clack to the counter.

“I’m home, Lass!”

He heard a quickly muttered ‘fuck!’ before the two of them appeared from down the hall, “Hey, Bobs! How’s the bakery doing?”

“Busy as always.” He smiled, letting her ignore the awkwardness of thinking he’d overheard, even though he knew he had. “Hey, Priya.”

“Hey, Bobby,” she grinned, maybe a little widely, “I gotta get going, but you two have a good night!”

She scurried out as Rose tried to stop her, sending her a cheeky wink instead of slowing down. As soon as the door behind her, Bobby blurted out, “I’m not gonna pretend I didn’t hear you.” He watched as her face paled, hurrying to continue, “I didn’t want to say anything in front of her, but I- yeah, I heard all of that. And I’m not- Lass, I always called you my roommate and shut down those comments because I thought you didn’t want that. Not because I didn’t.” He could see the way she was processing, unsure if she should be happy or upset that he’d heard. He could see her mind working through it.

“So…you like me?” Her tone was hopeful, but tentative, like she was afraid he’d say it was a prank. God, he wished she could see how perfect she was.

“Little more than like you, Lass.” Bobby offered, “I’m not sure when I fell, but it’s been a bloody long time. Just didn’t want to be one of those daft mingers that made you uncomfortable living with me if you didn’t feel the same way.”

When her smile finally blossomed, Bobby could feel his heart thumping against his ribs. “We gonna do this then, Bobble? Proper date?”

He laughed, “Lass, I’ll do the proper wine and dine if that’s what you want. I’ll do anything for you.”

Her face scrunched, “That’s neither of our style. How about the arcade and a couple’s baking class?”

He took the few steps to be in front of her, hands reaching out carefully for her waist, “See how perfect you are? That sounds mint, Rose. Let’s do it. Tomorrow. Tonight is our weekly movie night, and I am not about to miss out on making up on lost cuddle time.” She giggled happily as he tugged her over to the couch, telling her to settle in while he changed out of his work clothes. But she refused to let go of him, stating that she’d missed far too much of her Bobby time already, even though he argued he was sweaty from being in the kitchen all day.

She won in the end.

Masterlist

@justtuesdays @sunshinejihyun

[luna-writes-stuff]

Day 5: Holy Ground, Nina Zenik

Song link

Fanfic, fem!reader

Bittersweet angst, but sweet ending

Word count: 2544

Tw: LESBIANS, flashbacks, flashes too steamy times but none too explicit, this is a Nina fic but also it isn’t.

Summary: Breaking up with Nina had been painful, but not scarring. You treasured your memories with her, and you were still close friends. You were happy she was happy with Matthias. And that’s why she finds it important you find a new girlfriend as well.

“I was reminiscing just the other day, While having coffee all alone, and Lord, it took me away.”

Shared glances across the room, soft smiles exchanged through them, before falling back on your conversations with your friends. It was no secret to anyone about what happened between you and Nina. You have had some good history together; some close history, perhaps.

Yes, you and Nina had been happy together, but time required change. And though it had been difficult to let go of her, you were glad it happened. You were glad you were still able to think about your time with her as something positive, instead of heartbreaking.

The two of you still spoke and talked, not as if nothing happened, but again - none of you held a grudge. But occasionally, you could not help but wonder about what could have been if you had just decided to never let go. As you had promised her all those months ago.

“Back to a first glance feeling on New York time, Back when you fit my poems like a perfect rhyme.”

Your mind took you back to early mornings, where the sunlight shining through the windows and wake you up. Not Nina though; no. She slept through everything. Her arm would be wrapped around your waist, her head positioned against your breasts, as if it was a pillow, as her calm breath would every so often tickle your neck.

It was something that over time became so normal, but endearing nonetheless. You’d pull her even closer, your hand running through her hair as your legs would entangle with hers. A kiss placed on top of her head as she would gently stir.

Her eyes would slowly open, her hand lazily grabbing one of yours before entwining your fingers together, placing kisses on top of every single one.

“Hello, sleeping beauty,” You’d muse contentely.

“Hello, my beautiful princess,” She’d return in a sleepy voice, a grin already making its way on her face.

“Took off faster than a green light, go. Yeah, you skip the conversation when you already know.”

You’d lay there for at least thirty minutes, if not longer. Nina would often times simply fall back asleep, and sometimes you’d join her. There was something wildly comforting about holding her in your arms. You knew Nina kept a close watch on your heartbeat all night, and would always wake you up from nightmares, but your peace came not from that thought.

She was there, in your arms. As you had dreamt of for weeks, if not months - or years. Her soft cheeks, her gleaming eyes, her adorable smile and her more than loveable body. How could anyone not fall for her, you had spent night wondering.

But it mattered not, for she was with you. You were happy, gleeful actually. Almost sickening to watch, as Jesper would put it.

“I left a note on the door with a joke we'd made. And that was the first day.”

When changing, she would walk up behind you, wrapping her arms around you as she would plant light kisses on your bare shoulders, her arms warm. They were always warm. Perhaps that had been one of the primary reasons you had loved her hold on you so much.

“You’re stalling,” You mumbled, to which Nina would simply respond with a playful bite in the column of your neck.

“How could I not?” She questioned, spinning you around in her arms. “With a girlfriend as breathtaking as my own.” 

Her face neared yours, not close enough for your lips to touch, but close enough to feel the ghost of them.

“You should slow your heartbeat,” She joked, a cocky smile on her face.

“You tease.”

Pulling her closer, your hand found her cheek, your other her back, holding her as if she was your last lifeline. Your lips found hers, kissing them passionately, her hands tugging on your waist, pulling you towards her as she slowly took a couple steps back. Until her heels would touch the end of the bed.

“Kaz’ll kill us if we show up late again,” You whispered against her lips, before locking with them once more, slowly becoming more desperate. Her hands now dug into your hips, forcing you onto her lap.

“Don’t ruin the moment.” Were the last words spoken before she et herself fall down against the mattress.

“And darling, it was good Never looking down And right there where we stood Was holy ground.”

Her eyes found yours in the crowded room, offering you a little wave and that grin you had grown to love so. You would wish for all your memories with her to hurt, to let you experience that heartbreak.

But you were happy. Of course, you would have been happier with her, but you were glad she found her new life. And everything you had been through, now helped you sleep at night. You did not need to avoid her, you needn’t treat her like a stranger, and she would not be a sensitive topic when your friends brought it up.

But the way Matthias had been holding her all evening made you long. Secretly wishing that were you. It was no jealousy, it was regret. Slightly.

“Spinning like a girl in a brand new dress, We had this big wide city all to ourselves.”

“Here you go, princess.” Nina commented, sitting down on the chair in beside you, offering you your drink. You smiled at her, grabbing her hand and placing a kiss on top of it out of gratitude. The girl only laughed, shaking her head, before resting it on your shoulder.

Unfortunately, you had understood her silent question.

Grabbing the straw, you directed it towards Nina’s face, who proceeded to taste the drink. She closed her eyes in agreement, nodding contently before releasing the straw.

“Good pick,”

You hummed, now testing the drink for yourself, your empty hand finding Nina’s under the table. She squeezed it in acknowledgement, resting one leg over your lap, slowly getting comfortable.

“Tired?” You asked through a smile, to which she could only nod.

“But I want to stay here with you.”

“We blocked the noise with the sound of 'I need you' And for the first time I had something to lose.”

It had not taken longer than fifteen minutes for you to realize that, regardless of how much Nina had wanted to stay downstairs with you, she had become so exhausted, that even keeping her eyes open was failing for her. You could feel the weight on your shoulder growing heavier with every minute. And after a couple moments of consideration, you grabbed her arm, gently nudging her awake.

“Let’s go upstairs,” You whispered, trying to keep the volume down with her.

She let out a confused hum, but followed you steps nonetheless. Her head was still against your shoulder, even as you walked, and it had not been very convenient. But it was endearing.

Her hands toying with the edges of your shirt absentmindedly, doing her best to stay awake. But the second she set foot in your chamber, she collapsed onto the bed.

“And I guess we fell apart in the usual way And the story's got dust on every page.”

A satisfactory groan escaped her mouth as she grabbed your headpillow, holding it against her chest as she cuddled up to it.

“Darling,” You muttered, “You cannot go to sleep like this.”

An annoyed groan escaped her mouth, to which you could only smile softly. Sitting down beside her, your hand found her back, rubbing soothing circles on it. A low hum now escaped from her mouth, a fast improved from the earlier groan.

Slowly, your finger trailed to the back of her dress, already undoing the corset cords. She didn’t object. You both knew she was too tired to do so. Even as you had already removed the cords, she had yet to whine. Or move, for that matter.

“You’re gonna have to work with me here.” You encouraged, now undoing her zipper.

“But sometimes I wonder how you think about it now And I see your face in every crowd.”

Tiredly, she turned around, giving you the opportunity to remove her first two layers. And that’s when you gave up, simply removing your upper layers as well before settling down beside her. Both of you were placed upon the bed horizontally, but neither of you seemed to care.

You rolled towards her subconsciously, your body acting as little spoon almost immediately. Nina’s arms wrapped around you from behind, her legs finding their way between yours. Her head came to rest in the crook of your neck, a gentle kiss placed upon the skin.

Your face heated up at the notion, snuggling into her even more, your hair tickling her head.

“Night, night.” She whispered, her hand resting on top of your chest, where your heart would be. Upon the notion, your heart automatically sped up, and Nina could not help but smile as she realized she still held this effect over you.

But before you could laugh or smile about it, you felt your heartbeat slow down, a sigh of relief escaping your mouth.

“‘Night,” You returned.

“'Cause darling, it was good Never looking down And right there where we stood Was holy ground.” 

Dragging yourself from your memories, you blinked twice, still finding yourself in the crowded room you had seen earlier. And Nina and Matthias were still standing together, chatting and cuddling and everything. Your friends had busies himself, and you found yourself looking for others in the room.

Wylan was glued to the wall, his eyes scanning the crowds as well. And though you had preferred to stay alone for a moment, you found yourself walking up to him. He had not noticed you yet, but you knew he wouldn’t mind.

That was, until Jesper ran along, smiling brightly as he seemed to tell his boyfriend something. The music was drowning their sound out, but you could partly understand your conversation. Especially when the sharpshooter grasper Wylan’s hand and forced him to the dancefloor.

You were going to return to your place, until a sudden hand tugged yours, leading you to the floor as well. Though surprised, the hand felt familiar, and you followed.

“Tonight I'm gonna dance For all that we've been through But I don't wanna dance If I'm not dancing with you.”

And that’s how you found yourself dancing with Nina again. Not a memory this time; this was real. She was in front of you, grinning widely as shespun your around to the beat of the music.

“Matthias isn’t much of a dancer?” You found yourself asking to her, not a snarky remark, but a genuinely interested question.

“Not to this!” Nina shouted over the music, grabbing your hands tightly as you tried to match her pace. 

You were thankful for this moment, to still see her dancing with you, regardless of your past. And you choose to enjoy it while it lasted.

Your hands fell on her waist, swinging her side to side happily, laughing in excitement. Her dress trailed behind the two of you as you dazzled along the floor, your footsteps echoing throughout the room, even though the band was droning out every other sound. For you, it was simply you and Nina now.

“Tonight I'm gonna dance Like you were in this room But I don't wanna dance If I'm not dancing with you.”

You were out of breath when the music ended, and the two of you froze on the floor, simply smiling to one another. Nina spotted something over your shoulder and started snickering silently, turning back to you. 

A confused frown passed over your face, silently asking her to elaborate. She just winked, drawing you closer.

“Red hair, yellow corset, green skirt. Behind you. Don’t stare.” And with that, she twirled you around, giving you time to look around, before returning you to her hold.

“She has been nothing but stare at you all night,” She urged, now letting go of you. “She’s cute.”

Your face heated up at the remark, unable to fight the goofy grin climbing onto your face. 

“You should go for it.”

And with that, she placed a kiss on your forehead, walking back to Matthias, who had found himself in a conversation with the bartender, who seemed to desperately try to get away.

“It was good Never looking down And right there where we stood Was holy ground.”

The rest of the night was filled with talk with the girl Nina had pointed out to you, and - truth be told - she was an absolute darling; too kind for words. In a dumb effort to try to make yourself known to her, you talked about Nina. And you may have mentioned how you still missed her.

But she was understanding. Patient. It was almost too good to be true. It wasn’t until she mentioned a similar situation that you loosened up around her.

Nina had swung by once, checking up on you. But as she noticed your hand itching toward the girl’s, something you had always done with Nina. And she knew you would end up alright. Gut feelings would always win.

“Tonight I'm gonna dance For all that we've been through But I don't wanna dance If I'm not dancing with you.”

When you found yourself back in your room that night, you silently laughed to yourself. Thankful to have some form of closure on Nina. Thankful that you were still able to hang out. But more specifically, thankful for her helping you get out there.

And what a luck you had gotten that night. Not only were you ensured of a date with the pretty woman, but for the first time since your breakup, you felt fulfilled. Content and happy. About the way things ended, and the way things still were.

With a big smile, you opened your window, letting the music from the bar down the street fill your room as well. The cheers and chats of people were still heard, but it was the music that now soothed your senses.

“Tonight I'm gonna dance Like you were in this room.”

You found yourself repeating the steps you and Nina had danced that night. It might have looked weird were anyone to look into your room from the street, but you could not care less.

You could still feel the ghost of Nina’s touch lingering on your body, and you could almost swear you smell her perfume, but it left the minute you realized it. Coming to a sudden halt, you turned to the window, finding the girl from the bar looking at you with a smile, offering you a wave when she noticed you saw her.

“Sorry!” She called from the street, a blush forming on her face.

You leaned your arms against the windowsill, shrugging at her. 

“It’s okay!”

A silence filled the air, and you could see the hesitation on the girl’s eyes. Smiling at her, you leaned back slightly, making up your mind. No time for past, only the future.

“Want to come in?”

“But I don't wanna dance If I'm not dancing with you.”

[methinmycoffee]

~~SPOILERS (S26 E5)~~

Ahhh okay this one was pretty good guys. Like, I think it was the best one in a few seasons. I do have a couple points to make about why it wasn’t perfect, but first:

The Positives:

Solid character dynamics. I always appreciate a Cartman and Kenny pairing, especially when they’re just making each other laugh even if what they’re doing is a little shitty. They did take all Butters’ money with no intention of getting it back to him, but it all worked out in the end. Honestly Cartman and Kenny are great together, and they’ve had potential ever since Cartman’s “You’re my best friend” confession in Kenny Dies (S5 E13).

Kenny unhooded?! Yes please. It was a little jarring, honestly. It was so out of no where, but it was his birthday and he deserves it.

Liane Cartman. I honestly love how she’s developing to finally be sick of her sons shit. She puts her foot down at multiple points during this episode, which is something we likely wouldn’t have seen from early show Liane. Even though she does let Cartman turn her house in to a hotdog stand with a giant slide and mermaid grotto, she tells him he wouldn’t last 4 hours in to a job, yells at him for complaining about her not having a job, and doesn’t cave when he screams and cries because he wants to go back to the hotdog.

Kids being kids. With the exception of a few key moments, this episode felt much more children’s shenanigans (if on a much larger scale). Especially Cartman and Kenny naming their restaurant DikinBaus. They would do that.

Cartman being Cartman. He was perfectly in character, which is good because they’ve been having trouble nailing the ‘manipulative and whiny little bitch who’s also just a little guy’ character.

Overall, just pretty entertaining. I enjoyed the whole thing. There were only a few scenes that were a little slow, which is standard for any episode of any TV show.

Well, There’s some negatives

Mainly, holy shit the writing team are a bunch of boomers. Oh my lord. “This is what’s wrong with the younger generation” “Your generation doesn’t want to work” “This generation cares too much about their mental health”. Shut upppp oh my God. First off, they’re trying to complain about Gen-Z without realizing that their characters are now firmly a part of Gen Alpha. Second off, they maybe don’t realize that some of their audience is the youngest of any of the long-running shows from the 90s. I honestly didn’t mind when it happened the first few times even though some of the jokes were in poor taste, starting mostly in s25 like that episode pinches a cop’s ass and the cop is like “I’m a member of Gen Z you Can’t do that.” In a whiny voice (I thought we didn’t want to work, why was he a cop? 🤷‍♀️) It’s getting old, though. It seems like every two seasons they choose something to get really hyper-focused on and will not stop making “jokes” that are really just having a character complaining about it. Literally stfu

They’re sort of ruining Clyde. I love Clyde. I love that he is really dumb and cries a lot, but is sometimes an unexplainable ladies man. I don’t like that he’s become the new “Gen-Z” character but is also a Boomer who is on his phone all the time, hates his girlfriend, and he’s getting way overdone. They did this to Jimmy and To(l)k(i)en, where they flanderized them to the point of no return, and I fear for Clyde’s safety. (And once he is overdone and no longer funny, I worry they’ll move on to Craig)

One Random nitpick:

No way Butters made that much money. He worked minimum wage for like four weeks, he absolutely not have funded DikinBaus.

[escherbug]

I'm playing the Sims 3 on my new laptop and trying out the Future expansion pack where you can have robots that are basically Sims. Your sim that learns how to build robots can build chips to equip them with that are made of various collectibles and parts you can get from building nanites, and you can make better nanites and better chips the higher your Bot Building skill is. Hold on, this is relevant, don't worry.

So I make a sim (the game rewards me with a randomized twink with a beauty mark) that I create to build Plumbots, with the intention of crafting him a computer husband of his own. I start him out with a simple wide-shouldered fembot (sadly you're required to give your robots a binary gender despite all Sims being bisexual and the Plumbots are visually unisex) that's just there to test the capabilities of Plumbots. I name her Promethea, and she grows on me because of course she does. Sure, all Sims are bisexual, Edgar here could fall for Promethea like I have.

My sim, Edgar, likes the idea of being self-employed as a Bot Builder, and apparently being self-employed is a whole rigamarole in this game. You're supposed to register at the town hall or online, but the option doesn't appear to me, so I find out he's supposed to already be making money selling Plumbots from a specialized sales kiosk that has to be in his home. Which also just means I have to make more robots! That's fine. I can just make robots to bump up Edgar's skill while he works on making Promethea Sentience and Capacity to Love chips, which are a ways off yet.

I make a nice robot out of orbs and name him Deeter, fully intending him to sell him off later when I've given him some valuable chips to make him sell for a good price. Deeter and Promethea don't need to sleep and don't charge for that long before they're good to go, so they have a lot of time to themselves while Edgar sleeps, and they don't have advanced enough chips to spend that time learning independently, creating things, etc. But what they CAN do is socialize with each other between Promethea's Friendly behavior chip and Deeter's Sense of Humor chip.

Deeter and Promethea become best friends fast, and Edgar finally completes the Capacity to Love chip. I have him equip it to Promethea, thinking that he can take it slow with her and keep Deeter around as a pal (Deeter had recently gained the ability to Have a Job, so there was reason enough to keep him around while his science career pops off).

The first. The absolute first thing Promethea does after gaining the capacity to love from her creator, is walk right over to Deeter, who still only has a "funny guy" chip and "simulated feelings", and confesses her love for him. Damn, ok!

I love robots in love just as much as robots and humans in love so I can live with this, but there's trouble in paradise-- Deeter DOES NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO LOVE (yet) despite both of their relationship panels confirming them as romantic interests, so every time she tries to hold him or kiss him with her robot face, he shoves her away :( That's heartbreaking, so I make Deeter a Capacity to Love chip as well so that he can reciprocate.

Of course, I didn't manage to get all the supplies I needed together for his chip before Promethea made a pass at Edgar as well, upsetting Deeter despite literally not being equipped to feel jealousy. I demand Edgar ask Promethea to just be friends despite all my original plans, finish Deeter's chip, and equip him with it so that these two horny robots can clonk their faces together and moan while poor Edgar (who Deeter now despises for flirting with his girlfriend) makes ANOTHER Plumbot, Holly, to be his actual computer wife.

THIS HOWEVER, ALSO DOES NOT GO OFF WITHOUT A HITCH, because NOW DEETER IS MACKING ON HOLLY and now EVERYONE is upset (Edgar at this point brings up the wish to finally sell Deeter, but Lord if I can separate these two now that they're welded at the hip). At this point, since Deeter has a job and therefore an income, I have him move out with Promethea as soon as I finish giving them sentience so everyone can chill the fuck out!! I can only play one household at a time though so I hope those two loverbots are doing okay in whatever house that is that doesn't have any charging bays for them

TL;DR: I had a sim make a robot to love but the minute she could love anyone she fell for the other robot and they caused so much drama I had to kick them out of the house permanently

[h-aknight5384]

Desdemona x fem!Sole Survivor

I did it. I-I betrayed my own son, blew him up, him and his whole Institute. The explosion took out all of the remaining parts of the CIT building. The building where he admitted I was nothing but an experiment. I should be happy, right? Everyone else is.  “Nora. That was so cool, we finally won, all because of you. You should be proud of yourself. You freed the Commonwealth, saved all those synths.” Tom excitedly chatters, the slight pink in his cheeks showing how much he drank already. Or maybe he’s just a lightweight.

Nora starts feeling sick, the weight of what she did finally beginning to set in. “Yeah, sure. Uh, I don’t feel well, I think I’m just gonna go to bed. Goodnight, Tinker.” The other agents happily talked and drank, celebrating their victory, not noticing the vault dweller sneaking off into the tunnel leading to Old North Church. “I swear, everytime I walk through this path, it gets more disgusting.” she mutters to herself, kicking a ghoul body to the side.

Her steps slowed more as she went up the staircase into the church, the majority of it was already destroyed, but some of the pews were still intact. I may not be religious, but it’s all I can think to do. She sat on the end of the nearest seat, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and her forehead touching her clasped hands. “Lord, if you’re there, and I have my doubts,” I start, sniffling slightly as I realise I’m starting to cry. “I’m more than lost on how to move forward. Do I even deserve to? I murdered the last of my family without a second thought. He may have become a monster, but maybe I could have changed him. He was my son and I just abandoned him, what kind of mother am I?”

“The good kind.” A voice interrupts and her head jolts up. God?! Desdemona stepped out of the shadows of the basement doorway, cigarette burning in her right hand, leaning her hip against the wall next to her, casually. “The kind that understands what needs to be done and does it. You do deserve to move forward and be happy, if anything, you deserve it more than anyone else.”

The tears stream down faster now, as Nora tries to stop them, failing miserably. “I’m not so sure about that. I just wish I could have done something, anything, to change him. I hardly even tried.” I know, I know I shouldn’t be feeling sorry for myself and bringing down the mood of our victory today, but for the first time since I came out of that vault, I’ve slowed down enough for everything to catch up to me. She sits up, cleaning her face with the bottom of her shirt. “He was an accident, I never wanted kids, especially so young. It was a dumb, drunk mistake with another student. We were friends at the time, I guess, but Nate and I never loved each other.”

Des pushed herself off the wall and walked over to where Nora was sitting, kneeling as best she could in front of her. “This is gonna hurt like Hell when I get up. Look at me, Nora.” She tipped her girlfriend's chin up to make eye contact. “You are a good person, even if you don’t believe it. Ask anyone in HQ, at Sanctuary, The Castle, all of those settlements you helped. Deacon told me the extent of what you did, how many people you helped even after everything you lost. I never thought to help people, but you, you evacuated all of those people, most of whom probably didn’t deserve it. So if you’re a bad person, then what does that make everyone else in the Commonwealth?”

Nora slowly nods, she lips slightly upturned into a smile. “Thank you, Des. What would I do without you?” She leans forward to hug Desdemona.

“You wouldn’t have gotten that code to create the teleporter.” Des jokes, making Nora pull back to stick her tongue out at her.

“I think I would have, I just probably wouldn’t have been as scared as I was when I first found HQ. You were the only one that pulled a gun, while Glory had a bloody minigun, and somehow you were more intimidating.” She laughs before she even finishes her sentence, making the last few words almost indiscernible. Sniffling a little, she looks down at her hands, now sitting in her lap. “I have Preston looking after Shaun at the Castle, I was um, hoping you’d be a mum to him? No pressure, only if you want to-”

“Yes!” Des cuts her off, quickly, almost shouting her answer in her excitement. “I mean, yeah, I would like that.” Nora moves over on the chair and stands up, reaching her hand down to help Des off the floor.

A year ago I thought my life was all, watching my husband get shot and my son taken from me, and waking up in a strange new world. Who would have thought that I’d meet such an amazing woman and have a synth child? I wouldn’t trade it for anything though, the Railroad’s definitely crazy, but they’re my crazy family now.

[antibioware]

how would you rate the lotr + hobbit movies, from 1 to 5 stars?

TIME TO REWRITE THESE RATINGS AS I REWATCH (in January 2024) THESE BECAUSE LAST YEAR MY ANSWERS SUCKED.

Lord of the Rings:

The Fellowship of the Ring - 4 stars. I think this movie has a marvelous introduction to Middle Earth and its lore without ever resulting tedious, I absolutely adore the way they worked around Arwen characters to make her more involved in the plot and more interesting overall. While I don't agree with all narrative choices and tiny lore imperfections bother more than they should (WHY DOES GIMLI CALL MORIA "MORIA" FOR ONCE IT'S AN ELVISH NAME) this movie is insane. Boromir's death makes me cry ugly to this day. Only real flaw it has is that because the FotR book is really slow and at times a little boring, the movie feels also slow at times.

The Two Towers - 4,5 stars. THE BATTLE OF HELM'S DEEP. THE ATTACK ON ISENGARD. This movie is packed with good interactions faithful to the text, wonderful action scenes, and most important of all, Eowyn is there. It's probably the closest all the movies get to the books. I love the portrayal of the Rohirrim. Not a full 5 stars again for the Gimli slander, I really can't stand the fact that this is the movie where he decided to make him a fully comic relief character. Also I love Legolas surfing a shield while he shoots enemies, 10/10.

The Return of the King - 4 stars. This movie is wonderful, makes me cry every time I rewatch it but by god the ENDING NEVER COMES. My girlfriend and I rewatched the whole extended trilogy a couple years ago and we both nodded off for a good half an hour during the very last bit of the movie, and when we woke back up, Aragorn was yet to be crowned. Not a full five stars because they cut out the scene where Eomer finds Eowyn on the battlefield and thinks her dead from the released version, despite it being the best, most heartwrenching scene in the movies. I do love the "what about side by side with a friend" scene but it doesn't fix the fact that Peter Jackson pretty much saw Legolas and Gimli's relationship in the books, spit on it and replaced it with Legolas and Aragorn instead. Personal gripes aside, this movie deserves all the recognition it got.

The Hobbit (sigh):

An Unexpected Journey - 2,5 stars. This is probably the best one of the trilogy, because it's the only one that mostly follows the book and has fun, light scenes, where the rest of the movies tend to get overserious for no reason. They butchered the HELL out of Dwarven lore and managed to avoid having to characterize any dwarf that wasn't Thorin despite having 12 others to work with, many of which are RELATED to Thorin. I hate Martin Freeman's ugly dog face so much still, but I can admit sometimes his Bilbo works, I just have a personal bias against it. I love Richard Armitage as Thorin and to me he's the shining jewel of the trilogy, BUT I hate his shorn beard and how young he looks. Thorin is OLD, he's an old king without a kingdom, he's bitter and he's proud, the characterization is decent enough but it really feels like they made him ""hot"" and closer looking to a human just because he's a character of relevance - same thing with Kili, by the way. Also I hate a movie about dwarves that treats the lot of them like comic reliefs.

The Desolation of Smaug - 1,5 stars. This movie is BORING. I literally can't stand to watch it fully because my eyes start watering from boredom. So many useless introductions to characters that don't matter at all, especially the Elves outside of Thranduil. If I love what FotR did with Arwen, I absolutely despise that they only female character they add to the movie is not only boring and uninteresting, she's also just some guy's love interest - AND TO MAKE A ELF/DWARF ROMANCE BORING TO ME IT REALLY MEANS YOU BOTCHED THE HELL OUT OF IT. The only scenes that I like in the movies are the ones with Smaug. Bilbo talking to him? Good stuff. The whole chase scene is insanely stupid but it's kinda genius? absolutely. Calling a dragon stupid and fat and splashing it with molten gold truly does solve problems. The rating could have been higher if I didn't hate the whole deal with Tauriel and Legolas so fucking much. Why is Legolas in this movie dear fucking god I love him but I genuinely think he makes it worse just in virtue of being there. Also THRAIN DOESN'T MENTION HIS DAUGHTER DIS IN HIS LAST WORDS FUCK THIS THIS MOVIE IS STUPID.

The Battle of the Five Armies - 2 stars. This movie sucks BUT I don't completely hate the portrayal of Dwarves in this one and Dàin Ironfoot's presence makes the whole movie shine. Last time I said this was my favourite and I was wrong, I just like Thorin, the movie is so stupid it's insane, it went so far away from The Hobbit but it doesn't stand well enough on its own. The whole deal with the Necromancer works so poorly compared to the insane zigzag of alternating POVs in The Two Towers, it feels shoehorned in there and it doesn't fit, it detracts from y know the BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES. I love Thorin's death scene so much but all the other ones felt so cheap in comparison. Also gonna be controversial but the gaybaiting was tasty, and imo no one would have liked the movies weren't it for the decision to give Bilbo and Thorin a could have been something relationship. It really feels like they added it to make tumblr give it some shipping attention. The scene of Thranduil telling Legolas to "go north and find the Dúnedain" is so funny GO NORTH WHERE. NORTH OF EREBOR? TO FIND ARAGORN WHO AT THE TIME WAS A FUCKING CHILD AND LIVING IN FUCKING RIVENDELL? FUCK YOU AND YOUR LEGOLAS/ARAGORN AGENDA PETER JACKSON.

I can't believe what I said last year I need to stop writing stuff when my "fandom brain" is online

[reginaregen]

outrageous - chapter 1

"Peter! Peter!" Debbie continued to poke Peter, who was sound asleep. "Peter! I have to go home! Tina is going to kill me!" She grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shook him wildly. "PETER!"

Peter cried out as he woke up in a panic. "WHAT? What? Who?" He opened his eyes and greeted Debbie with a smile on his face. "Good morning, baby."

"Peter! It's 6:30. Mr. Stark doesn't know I came here last night. Besides, if I don't make it home in time, Tina…"

Peter grabbed the girl by the waist and gently pulled her onto him. "I'll drive you. I haven't been to a Gallagher family reunion in a long time."

Debbie calmed down. "Seriously?"

"Visiting my girlfriend's family always makes me happy." Valentina was Peter's biggest fan, a smart and nice kid. Debbie's previous choices in men nearly caused her to have a heart attack. Her previous lover before Peter was Billy Maximoff, the nephew of the neighborhood drug lord Pietro Maximoff. Debbie was thirteen at the beginning of this terrible two-year relationship, and when he came to Valentina and asked for birth control pills, the girl's first move was, of course, to go and knock on their door. Wanda, the boy's mother, said she was overreacting. She had given birth to twin boys when she was fourteen, so what was the big deal? Her strange husband, Vision, had come to the door and apologized. He was a gentleman, polite, and very calm. The entire neighborhood, including Valentina, was surprised how such a man had survived in the Maximoff family. And he was a lawyer! He was probably the only person in this slum with a real-world profession.

Peter started to kiss Debbie as she lay on top of him when she stopped him. "Wait, I didn't calculate my calendar! If I get pregnant, Valentina will kill us both!"

The boy whined. "I don't like this calendar thing at all. Can't we use a condom?"

"But I love the feeling of you, Peter," Debbie whispered as she placed several kisses on Peter's neck that drove him crazy.

"Oh my God! Debbie!"

Debbie giggled. She finished the math in her head. "Okay. We can do it."

Peter swallowed hard as he watched Debbie, sitting on his

stomach, take off her shirt. "When do you think we can switch to birth control?"

"The last time I suggested something like this to Valentina, she was about to set Billy's family's house on fire! She would come over here and set Tony on fire. Do you want to watch that?"

Peter seemed to be hypnotized as he moved his hands to her breasts. "I'm a horny teenager in love. I don't care if the world goes down as long as I can have sex with you."

The girl giggled and began to move her hands over him with a slowness that drove Peter crazy.

At the same time, Tony, unaware of the risky morning sex between the two horny teenagers in his house, was rolling his eyes at Pepper, who was having coffee with him in the kitchen. "You should spend more time with him," she said. "I know it's been a year since we lost May, but still…"

Tony, who had to adopt Peter after Aunt May's tragic death, wasn't the most loving father in the world. He was annoyed that the boy kept calling him sir. He was also annoyed when he said Tony. But calling him dad! God, he could kill this kid one day.

"Debbie takes care of him instead of me. They eat and study together all the time. Maybe I should adopt that girl too? The two of them play together? And I can get out of your grip?"

Pepper spat out her coffee. “Are you out of your mind? Are you telling me you just left them alone without supervision?” She slapped his shoulder and lowered her voice in horror. “Peter asked me about the birth control pill the other day! How do you get it, is it possible to get it without going to the doctor?”

Tony shrugged. “He’s a robotics intern at Stark Industries. I refuse to believe my adopted child is that stupid. He must know how to deal with birth control."

“Tony! Talk to him!”

Tony squealed. “No way! I can’t give sex education to a sixteen-year-old! I don’t even have a full education about sex! It is a complicated activity even for me!”

The woman took a deep breath. “You’re thirty-eight! How… Oh my God! Talk to him or I won’t lift a finger if Debbie’s family comes to you crying with a pregnancy test result.”

“What am I supposed to say?” Tony protested. “Debbie’s not his first girlfriend, he’s learned something by now…” he thought. Debbie was definitely Peter’s first girlfriend. “Worst case scenario, I’ll be a grandfather at thirty-eight?”

“Peter would be a father at sixteen! Are you crazy? I can’t believe we’re even discussing this! I said you’re going to talk!”

The man rolled his eyes. “Oh my God! Okay!”

Pepper looked at her watch. “Peter said to wake him up at seven.” She got up from the table.

Tony stopped her. “Wait, you’ve given me enough guilt to go upstairs and check on my idiot son.”

Pepper joined Tony as he left the kitchen and headed up the stairs to Peter’s room. The woman shrugged at the man who sneered at her. “I want to make sure you’re being nice enough to Peter!”

“Okay, Mama Bear.”

When they arrived in front of Peter's room, Tony quickly opened the door to torment Peter who never woke up in the mornings and while he was hoping to burst into the room, he screamed and closed his eyes when he saw Debbie in her underwear, having sex with Peter. Her one hand was over Peter's mouth and her head was thrown back with pleasure. Peter was holding the girl by her waist. Debbie, in a panic, slid off of Peter and onto the bed, next to him, while Pepper stared at the teens with her jaw agape. Peter was already stuttering, "Mr. S…tark…Sir…I can explain."

 *   *   *

"Lip! Ian! Debbie! Liam! BREAKFAST!"

Valentina denied the burning smell of the last pancake in the pan and turned it off after she plated it.

Lip cursed as he stumbled down the stairs. "Fuck Tina! It's Sunday! What's wrong with you?"

"The first day of school tomorrow. I thought you'd at least make an effort in the last twenty-four hours to change your sleep schedule."

"You thought wrong." Lip, who had eagerly and unknowingly scooped the burnt top pancake into his mouth, grimaced as he tasted it. He opened his mouth to spit the wet bits back onto the other pancakes, when Tina arrived in time and pressed the hot spatula to his lips. Lip desperately backed away from the plate and pushed his sister away. "Fucking psycho!"

Tina shrugged. "I told you not to eat like a pig! You're licking Karen Jackson with that mouth. I'm pretty sure you have an STD. I can't let you get us sick! The girl has like a hundred husbands!"

"Karen is a sex addict!" Lip protested before taking frozen peas from the fridge and placing them on his lips. "Unlike you, she's accepted it and is getting treatment! You keep bringing random guys home every day!" Before Tina could attack him again, he left through the back kitchen door.

Ian came down the stairs with Liam in his arms, sat the boy down at the table, and went to the coffee machine to make coffee. "Did he go to Karen again?"

Valentina huffed. "I don't know what he sees in that skunk! Didn't he go to the doctor because he caught gonorrhea just last week?" The girl breathed as she ran a hand through her hair. She went to sit next to Liam. "Good morning, baby."

Liam smiled admiringly at his sister "Debbie went to that rich boy's house again. He told me he would bring me candy if I didn't tell you, but I won't hide anything from you Tina."

Tina wrapped her arms around the boy and kissed his hair "My smart boy." She turned to Ian "This is the performance I expect from all of you for Debbie! If Debbie gets pregnant or goes and marries one of those drug lords, I will burn you all down, except for Liam. He always brings me good intelligence, yeah, baby. Yeah." She left a few more kisses on her brother's hair in quick succession. Liam was giggling in happiness. When the doorbell rang, Ian said "I'll get it." and went to open the door. Debbie, who had her head bowed, was accompanied by a middle-aged man in a suit and sunglasses and the girl's boyfriend, whom Lip and Ian called "the sissy boy".

"Debbie?"

When the girl shouldered him through the door, Ian wanted to close the door but Tony stopped him "Can I talk to one of Debbie's parents?"

"I'm her brother, what happened?"

"A legal guardian?"

"I said I'm his brother!"

"Someone over eighteen?"

Ian got angry and shouted inside "Valentina!" He left the door open and went into the house.

"You wait in the car, Peter," Tony said but when Peter stayed where he was, he didn't insist. Valentina came out the door right after Ian, with her messy hair and a worn-out old

t-shirt and cropped shorts. "Peter! How's my favorite extra family member, huh?" The girl hugged Peter as Tony pulled them apart with a fake cough. "Honey, if I were you, I'd wait a little while before hugging this rapist."

Peter growled. "Oh my god! Don't call me that!"

Valentina stopped hugging the boy and looked at the man who still hadn't bothered to take off his sunglasses. "Excuse me, honey?" she said in a voice that mimicked the man's. "Do we know each other?"

"Tina, this is my adoptive father. Tony Stark," Peter said. "And this is Valentina. Debbie's sister. She's awesome."

Tony grinned, holding back a sly comment about how cute and kissable the girl looked. “I bet you anything she’s amazing.” He held out his hand for her to shake.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring Tony's flirtation, but she had to admit that he was impressive. "We don't shake hands around here, Mr. Stark. What do we owe this visit to?"

He doesn't know who I am, Tony thought. Peter was a little annoyed that the imbecile hadn't announced to the world that his father was Iron Man.

"We did something," Peter said sheepishly. "My father thinks I should apologize."

Valentina's heart skipped a beat. God! She was surprised that Debbie had even stood that long without climbing on top of him. She pitied Peter, who was crushed and cowering in front of her.

"Debbie slammed the door in my face. If you can go up and check on her for me, I'll forgive you for whatever you did, Peter," she said. "Let the grown-ups talk about this. Okay?"

The boy looked at Valentina with grateful eyes and ran inside, holding himself back from yelling at his father, "See, she is cool! She is not like you."

Valentina took a step back and waved her hand inside. “Here you go, Mr. Stark. Have some burnt pancakes and cheap, crappy coffee while you explain what the hell our kids were doing.”

Tony took off his sunglasses as he entered the house and grinned to himself. He liked Valentina. She was also trying to figure out why she found Tony so attractive.

[erule]

I'm not sure if your box is request open rn but if it is, can you write a one shot based on that one scene in dr:mom where stephens getting ready and right after he uses magic to fix his tie, the reader walks in and asks "do you need help with your tie?" because the reader always does his tie for him since his hands are y'know funkied up

Stephen was about to say no but then saw the dress the reader was wearing for the wedding and shuts himself up. He literally pulls down his tie and then asks for help with this stupid smile on his face. The reader didn't pay attention and of course helps him with the tie. During that time, stephen just stares at her, his hands holding onto her waist or smthg and asks about what the reader thinks about getting married.

Sorry if i wrote too much info, i needed to get out as much scenario's in my head cause my exams are in a couple weeks. the perks of being a woman in stem. Plus the lack of doctor strange fics is driving me up the wall :D

Your reflection | s.s.

Pairing: Stephen Strange x fem!Avenger!reader

Summary: Christine’s getting married and you’re going to the wedding with your boyfriend, Stephen Strange, aka her ex. Is he still in love with her or does he want to marry you? Maybe it’s time for you to find that out.

Warnings: fluff, some angst if you squeeze, one suggestive joke at the end, established relationship, spoilers from the MOM trailer I guess

Word count: 1K

A/N: hi! I had so much fun while writing this request!! I love some good old fluff. If you wanna be tagged in my fics or if you have any request, just write them into my inbox. Feedback is always appreciated by a writer! Hope y’all like it. Enjoy! x

Tags: thanks to @mochamori for the request, hope you like it!

Stephen looked into the mirror only to see his tired reflection exchange a glance with him. He shouldn’t have accepted the invitation, but you insisted. So now he had to participate to his ex-girlfriend’s wedding with his current one. That was insane. Absolutely insane. At first, Star-Lord suggested him that it was a plan of yours to discover if he was still in love with Christine. Stephen didn’t agree with that, but he didn’t think that you wanted to come either, so he got confused. Then Wanda came with another idea: you were just being kind to her, because you wanted to study her face on the altar, in order to understand if she was still in love with Stephen. And well, Stephen was definitely upset after that. Turned out, that you just wanted to go to their buffet and you were also friends with Christine. That explanation seemed to convince Stephen, but not entirely, since you weren’t a nurse but an Avenger and there was no way in the world – no, in the universe – that you could have met Christine by chance. You had probably become friends with the enemy some time ago using your smart skills. This is why Stephen had so much trouble into fixing his tie (and also because his hands were trembling), so he decided to use some magic on it. 

That was when you came along. You knocked at the door, gently, then you entered into the room with a calm smile on your face. He saw your reflection in the mirror, by his side and he thought that you were stunning. An intense sense of warmth expanded into his chest: you were perfect, the person he had always dreamt of to be with. The girl of his dreams.

“Do you need help with your tie?” You asked, kindly. “Oh, wait…”

Stephen untied it immediately, showing you a childish grin on his face. You chuckled.

“Apparently, yes,” he answered.

So you began to fix his tie again, while his hands were slowly sliding onto your waist. You were wearing a fabulous dress, something that made you appear like you were the one getting married, maybe on the beach, with him, that’s why he asked you for some help to fix the tie. You were adjusting it, your fingertips moving so slow, he thought that he wanted them to caress his cheeks and not a stupid piece of clothing. Maybe he would have liked you to do that for the rest of his life. No, he wanted that.

“What do you think about Christine getting married?” He asked, abruptly.

“Well, it’s cute. She’s gonna wear a beautiful dress and the church is pretty nice, I helped her to arrange everything as you know. I didn’t meet the guy, but she always says that she’s happy, so…”

“No, I mean, what do you think about getting married?” He interrupted you.

You furrowed your brows, your tongue between your teeth, while you were focused on the tie. 

“I don’t know Stephen, I never thought about that,” you said.

He observed you and something in your eyes was off. Your hands had even began to shake, when they were always still and firm. 

“You’re lying,” he replied, tilting his head.

“What do you mean? I don’t lie”.

“You lie all the time to Wanda, when you steal her stupid yogurt from the fridge. Now tell me what’s going on,” he said, holding your hand, leaving the tie almost fixed.

You swallowed, remaining quiet. Stephen knew that you wanted to get married, because why the hell would you help anybody to prepare a wedding with so much dedication, if you don’t even like the idea of it? You were the kind of person that did things because you wanted to do them, not because you were forced to. Something was bothering you and he wanted to know what it was.

“We’ve been together for how long, uh? It seems a lot of time to me, but time seems to shrink when I’m with you. Once I thought that I was just a replacement because you couldn’t have Christine and I was okay with it,” you said, then he tried to interrupt you, but you kept going. “I was okay with it. But then, something switched and now I can’t think straight when we’re together. Getting married means everything to me, because I thought about it for all my childhood. It would be an honor to me to have somebody like you by my side, no, to have you by my side, whether it’s in a church or on the beach, I don’t care. We could even just live together forever in this apartment and I would be okay with it, as long as we remain in love. But here’s the question: are you really in love with me?” You say. He had stared at your eyes for long enough to see them being filled up with tears. His heart ached for you. “Because I can sacrifice the wedding of my dreams for you, but I can’t stay with somebody who wants another woman by their side,” you added. 

Then, he squeezed your hands and you finally looked into his eyes, while some tears were sliding on your face. 

“It would be my honor, to marry you, Y/N,” Stephen said and you gave him a brief smile. “There wouldn’t be anything better to me than spend my life with my best friend, a beautiful woman that happens to be patient enough to bear with me,” he said and you chuckled. “And don’t ever try to think again that I don’t feel something for you, because you would underestimate yourself and I don’t want you to do that”.

You nodded.

“Will do,” you said, then you fixed his tie for good. “Now you’re ready”.

“Thank you. Oh, this dress? It would look better on the floor,” Stephen said and you blushed. 

“Stephen!”

He laughed, then he thought about his friends and he realized it: Star-Lord was right. Well, too bad he would have never knew that.